Curiosity

Finding Curiosity

He took off at a run. For the first time, he wished he was still a dog so he could at least smell her. Instead, he was stuck searching the castle the long way. A golem came running around the corner and Mace swung at its head. It ducked and tackled him. Mace went down under its bulk, unable to get the leverage to use his mace. The golem roared and bared sharp teeth just before it lunged with its mouth for Mace's throat. Mace blocked it with his arm and felt the needle-like teeth sink through his flesh. With his other hand he pulled out the knife strapped to his thigh and drove it through the thing's neck. Its eyes glazed over before it collapsed into mud, covering Mace with pounds of it. He wiped the mud off his face and got to his feet, shaking off as much of it as he could.

He picked up his mace, but before he took another step, a woman careened around the corner, looking over her shoulder. She slammed into Mace and started screaming when she saw him covered in mud.

"Calm down," he said sharply, grabbing her by the shoulders to give her a little shake. As soon as he did, he noticed the delicate crown on her head. "Princess Anna?"

"Y-yes," she stammered.

"Did Curiosity find you?" he demanded.

"Who are you?"

"Mace, the dog from before! Where is she, do you know?"

She began to cry. "We got separated. I was running and I turned around and she wasn't there."

"Where?" Mace rasped. "Where did you last see her?"

Before she could answer, five palace guards and Richard came around the corner, fighting off a dozen golems. Mace swore and ordered the princess to stay close before he joined the fight.

Richard maneuvered himself next to Mace and the princess. "Princess Anna, are you alright?"

"Yes, captain," she whispered.

"Do you know what is going on?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "Arthur is one of those things, he's their leader. He forced Curiosity and me to take him to the Aldarean Crystal."

The last golem fell into mud and Richard and Mace turned their full attention to the princess. The first thing Mace noticed was her dress. It was covered in blood.

"Anna!" Richard said, reaching for her and searching her frantically for wounds.

"He cut my finger off," she said, holding up her hand.

The curses that came out of Richard's mouth made even Mace raise his eyebrows. Richard carefully unwound the cloth from her hand. "It's healed," he said in surprise.

"I think it was the Crystal," she said.

Richard took her face in both his hands and studied her closely. "They said he was going to give you a love potion. Are you...?"

She shook her head. "Curiosity knocked it over. She told me about the potion."

"Remind me to thank that cat," Richard said, pressing his forehead to hers for a moment. Princess Anna began to cry in earnest and Richard took her in his arms. "He said as a member of the royal family, I can marry someone, even myself. Richard, I think I'm married to him."

His arms tightened and Mace saw a killing rage in his eyes. Mace wanted to keep searching the castle, but he wasn't stupid enough to go off on his own, and he needed to know what the princess knew.

She kept talking, gasping for breath and barely getting the words out. "He was able to go through the doorway, but then he tried to kill Curiosity, he was choking her and I was hitting him, and then it was as if the spell broke. Curiosity was able to come in. We all went into the chamber and he grabbed the Crystal. And it hurt. It hurt so bad."