Looking for the title of a book that I read in the late '80s or early '90s. It was about a young woman who was a warrior and a princess with magic. She wore her hair in braids.
She was accompanied by a magical cat that she carried in a bag. The cat could speak to her and one time shapeshifted into a cloud cat.
She was also accompanied by a group of warriors on of which was actually from the race of her enemies. I believe they were called Tallahat or something like that.
This sounds like Sabriel by Garth Nix. It was written in 1995 I think. It is the first in the Old Kingdom series which was released in the 2000's.
The cat that travels with her is called Mogget and is actually some sort of spirit or demon that is kept trapped as a cat by the collar he wears. Mogget is extremely lazy and often gets into Sabriel's backpack, sometimes even cutting it open (with his claws) to get in.
She is actually an Abhorsen which is a kind of necromancer, but instead of raising the dead she puts the dead back where they belong. She can also perform Charter magic and is a skilled sword fighter.
I can't remember at the moment if she is technically a princess but I think she is vaguely related to the royal family at least, but she does become queen of the Old Kingdom.
