Chapter 21/Week Forty-Four/Three Months Left
Giving Chipper one last scratch along the jaw, Bog leaves the cursed horse to his meal in the makeshift shelter and heads past the Dark Forest's edge. Despite the familiar trek, he can't help but feel a strange foreignness to it as he walks through his mother's garden and to the back door. He's lived here for nineteen years. His first spell, his first words, his first steps, and even his first love were realized within the humble dwelling.
But.
Bog sighs heavily as he pauses in the threshold and turns his gaze to the direction the castle lays in. It's not that he isn't tremendously grateful to Marianne for telling him to stay here when they finally managed to come visit three days ago and discovered the calamity that befell his mother. It's only that he now feels a stranger as he walks the ground he once trod nearly ten months ago. No more did it feel home to him, not when his heart lay in Marianne's keeping and she seems so far away.
It's a ridiculous idea of there being a vast distance between them. Marianne had visited last night after managing to escape her fretting handmaidens, after all. But even knowing the journey between castle and cottage would take little time, it didn't dissuade the feelings he awoke to this morning. He can only hope that with the return of his magic the distance might be easier to handle with the forest's voice able to reach his ears to appease his worries over the safety of his bride and child.
"The snow may be gone but it's still too cold to be leaving the door open this late in the day, my son," Griselda chides playfully.
Snapping his eyes to the chuckling woman, Bog scowls at her position in a chair near the fireplace and storms inside to drag the occupied seat away from the simmering cauldron and back to the table. He ignores his mother's huff and quickly checks her over before checking the broth, noticing the newly added vegetables.
"Mom!" Bog growls in warning. "You promised that if we let you out of bed, you wouldn't overdo yourself!"
"I'm not overdoing myself," Griselda defends. "It's just washing and cutting a few vegetables. I even stayed sitting down."
"Mom, please," Bog begs, kneeling before her. "You nearly died. You would have died if it wasn't for Thang and Stuff coming into the house when they did. A few minutes more and even Stuff's stronger magic added to Thang's wouldn't have been able to save you."
"It's just hard to sit idle when I've been doing nothing but that for a week," Griselda complains.
"You couldn't do nothing but lay in your bed for the past week and it wasn't until yesterday morning you were of enough sound mind to speak more than fevered mutterings," Bog corrects. "Just rest. It shouldn't take Stuff much longer to return with Father and then he'll be able to heal you."
"What's taking her so long anyway? She should have been back by now," Griselda comments.
"Before she left, she mentioned that it might take her a while. Not only does she have to explain her reasons to the goblin king for breaking his seal on the portal, but she also must tell everything Plum has done, as well as what Roland did, before returning with Father," Bog explains.
"Roland? Why does the goblin king have to be told about him?" Griselda questions.
"It wasn't the queen who sent Brightvale's butcher with that parcel of meat as a gift last week, Mom. One of Roland's servants bought the meat before returning later with it asking the butcher to deliver it instead with some excuse that he had received another task and wouldn't make it to Glenndale that day," Bog answers.
"Why would Roland send me, of all people, such choice meat in the queen's name? I know I wouldn't have accepted the meat had I known it was from him, so that's not the part I mean. But it had to have cost him more than he's able to afford with his fortunes in the state they're in and we're definitely not on friendly terms to warrant such extravagance. It makes no sense," Griselda states.
"The meat was poisoned," Bog informs, wincing at her horrified gasp. "Thang and Stuff haven't even been able to leave the house for days out of fear their magic would fail with how deadly the poison was. Queen Marianne confronted the butcher yesterday, but the man swore the buyer of the meat posed as a servant sent by her and had a royal seal to prove it. He can't remember what the servant looked like beyond being dressed in fine clothing befitting someone serving a noble's household. While it's not enough to bring an accusation against him, it's obvious Roland had something to do with this because no one else has a reason."
"How are you sure it wasn't Roland himself and not his servant?" Griselda asks.
"The meat was ordered a few hours after Roland's public disgrace, so it couldn't have been him without one of his guards knowing. Sir Hadrian would have reported the incident to Her Majesty," Bog comments before explaining at her confusion. "Last week, Roland was called before the queen in the presence of all the nobles. I can't tell you everything that happened, but what I can tell you is that Roland was stripped of his knighthood and has been placed under guard in his house until several days hence when he'll be brought before the royal court again to be tried for the charges against him, any of which will see him hanged."
Bog is stunned when instead of expressing any delight at such news, his mother's face contorts to terror and she quickly scrambles out of the chair, forcing him to fall back to sit on the floor. She gives no explanation as she pulls the cauldron away from the fire before rushing to the door to put on her cloak as fast as her trembling hands can manage.
"Don't just sit there gaping, my son! Call Thang in from the barn and let's go!" Griselda yells.
"Go? Go where?" Bog questions in confusion before shaking his head and standing to his feet. "Mom, you can't be going anywhere right now! You're too sick."
"It doesn't matter, Bog. We must get to the castle. Her Majesty needs to be warned," Griselda states.
"Warned about what?" Bog asks. "We're not going anywhere unless you tell me."
"We didn't want you to know. It was better that you didn't realize how...how dangerous it truly is for us here," Griselda shakingly explains. "Orwen, Roland's father, once came very close to killing me, back when I was pregnant with you. It was far from the first attempt, though it was Orwen's last, and there's been a few times over the years that Thang and Stuff had to permanently remove a threat. It's why Stuff doesn't wear her female human glamour."
"I thought that was because looking like a man kept anyone from bothering her," Bog comments.
"Exactly that and more. Stuff's female human glamour is very alluring, crafted in such a way to lure men. As your father's highest-ranking servant, that glamour is well-known in the villages bordering the Dark Forest as being linked to several deaths of those that offended the forest fae, including Lionel's disappearance nine years ago after he threatened your life," Griselda admits. "I don't know the reason Thang and Stuff cannot deal with Roland the same as they dealt with his father and grandfather but that isn't because he hasn't followed in their ways. He's just as dangerous and deadly as them, maybe more so, especially now that Her Majesty has disgraced him so. There's no telling what he'll do but it's for certain that Queen Marianne is in danger."
The distressing news doesn't help his worries and he struggles to resist the panic wanting to rise. As much as he wants to race to the castle to confirm that Marianne is still alright and warn her, it wouldn't appear well if they do so without a valid reason they could explain to those in the royal court since they know his mother is unwell. There was no accusation they could bring against Roland to justify risking his mother's wellbeing in such a manner. At least, none they could truly speak aloud about.
Marianne may have said those in the castle had accepted the news of his return home, but she didn't hide her unease. There were many whispers speculating the truth of the matter, questioning whether his mother truly was sick enough to justify the revoking of his imprisonment. Something like this could damage Marianne in the eyes of her subjects more than even Plum's meddling did if they aren't careful.
"Mom, we can't just run to the castle like this. As far as everyone except the queen knows, we have no connection to Roland except his attempt to remove us off the land he bought from Corbin, so any accusation we bring against him will have no weight," Bog comments.
"There's a few who might know of our relation and will listen, if they care to remember Lionel's protests when I appeared before Queen Erica," Griselda mutters.
"That still doesn't mean we have a valid reason to risk your health. Even if I go there alone this soon after I was given leniency because of your state of illness, they could accuse Queen Marianne of being unjust in her decision to allow me to return home," Bog warns. "Despite the accusations facing Roland now, no one except us has any cause to believe he would attack the queen."
"If we were to announce ours and Roland's connection to Prince Griswald," Griselda starts.
"No," Bog states firmly. "Queen Marianne already swore she would not put our lives at risk by revealing that and I will not put hers and Princess Dawn's life at risk either. If Roland were to be proven as a direct descendent of the rightful king, he could use that to turn the people against the royal family, especially with the unrest caused by Plum's curse."
It was a fear Marianne confessed to him last week after they were safely within the privacy of the stable walls.
She had told him that Princess Theresa revealed to her and Sir Miles that she overheard Lionel discussing with Roland of their plans to start a war with King Reinhart by using her death as proof of the other kingdom's attack. She had confronted them for their treachery and Lionel admitted the truth. It was only because of his pride and overconfidence as he regaled her of their brilliant plan to cajole Queen Erica into marrying Roland to her eldest daughter so that he would gain control of the kingdom once the queen died since the new queen would be too young to be crowned that Princess Theresa managed to escape. She had attempted to warn her half-sister, but the former queen had not believed her, forcing her to take refuge in the only place they would not come for her.
In private, though, Princess Theresa warned Marianne that Lionel had also bragged of their family's connection to Prince Griswald, justifying their treasonous actions as necessary in their quest to return to the birthright stolen from them, and that they would not stop until the crown sat on top of the head it rightfully belonged on, whether by peaceful marriage or by violent revolution. Marianne had harshly rejected her suggestion to execute Roland without bringing his crimes to the attention of the royal court, but she hadn't been able to dismiss the worry of what lengths he might go to follow his grandfather's will. Hence, her orders to have Roland placed under guard within his home until the trial.
When he questioned why she didn't put him in the dungeon instead, she merely commented that the dungeon would put Roland far too close for her liking, before pulling him forward for a kiss.
"You have just as much claim to the throne as Roland, so he wouldn't be able to use it to attack the queen," Griselda argues, disrupting his thoughts.
"No, Mom, I don't. Everyone knows that my father has allegiance to another king. Even if that were to be ignored, Roland has true claim before you or me since Grandfather was disowned by that family for marrying Grandmother," Bog counters. "We need to wait until Stuff returns with Father and then we'll decide what to do afterward. It's already long past mid-day, so she shouldn't be much longer, I'm sure."
Trying to coax his worried mother back to the chair, Bog pauses when Stuff's yelling catches his ear. His relief only lasts for a few seconds before being replaced with confusion and fear when he hears another voice join hers.
"Sir Hadrian?! Can't be!" Bog mutters, throwing the back door open and running to the trees.
"Bog!" "Master Bog!"
Bog can only gape in horror when he finally catches sight of a human-glamoured Stuff helping a battered Sir Hadrian limp through the forest toward the cottage. He barely notices when Thang joins his side as he takes in the young knight's bloody and heavily bruised appearance. One eye is swollen shut, dried blood is covering the entire left side of his face, and his brown hair is matted with what Bog can only assume is more blood. His undertunic is torn and saturated with blood and dirt, a few places barely concealing several gashes along his torso and arms. His breeches are missing the fabric from the right leg, the fabric now tightly wrapped around the knee, and his feet are bare as he stumbles along the frozen ground.
"Stuff, Sir Hadrian, what happened?" Bog questions, rushing to help Stuff support the injured man.
"Roland's gone mad!" Sir Hadrian yells.
"What do you mean?" Bog questions.
"Exactly what he said. Thang, go get Gunther from the field and put a saddle on him!" Stuff orders before turning her attention to Bog after Thang runs off. "The forest stopped me when I left this morning and told me to go to the border along Glenndale, where I found him lying near-dead several paces within the Dark Forest, and it's taken me this long just to get him healed enough to bring him here. He'll explain the rest. I need to get His Majesty now!"
It doesn't surprise Bog when Stuff shoulders Sir Hadrian's weight completely to him, but he is surprised at Sir Hadrian's lack of startlement when she removes her glamour before running swiftly back through the forest. Ignoring the unnecessary question, Bog helps Sir Hadrian into the cottage where Griselda covers the shivering man with a blanket before checking the healing wounds.
"What has happened?!" Griselda questions worriedly.
"I'm not entirely sure," Sir Hadrian admits. "It was early this morning, not quite dawn, when I was awoken by a commotion. One of Roland's servants had come with news that Queen Marianne had allowed Master Bog to return home three days ago because of your illness. I must've been hit from behind when I went to investigate, because the next thing I know is pain coming from having my leg reset by your servant. I don't know what has been happening since, but the both of us could hear Roland's ranting within Glenndale that Queen Marianne was not fit to be queen, citing her refusal to break the curse, her unjust treatment of him, and raving that she has been corrupted by the form she's taken. That was hours ago, and I fear Roland amassed many to join him to march on the castle."
"Where are the other guardsmen that are assigned to guard Roland?" Bog asks.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if they joined Roland in his madness," Sir Hadrian answers. "Whether they did or not, we must hurry! Queen Marianne is in danger and there are no knights or soldiers in the castle except those that have been cursed. They've all gone patrolling to prepare the kingdom for King Reinhart's visit."
The news sends a cold feeling throughout Bog's entire being and he curses in goblin before running to the room he shared with Thang. He should have known not to ignore his feelings. He is a goblin's son. Even with his magic stolen from him, his very bones radiated with the magic that befitted his father's high ranking. He knew something was wrong this morning when he awoke shortly after dawn, but he had foolishly ignored his senses.
Moving his bedding to the side, Bog pulls out the burnished quarterstaff from its place hidden inside the wooden frame. The weighted weapon gleams in the evening light shining through the window and the amber gem trapped within the staff's decorative head dances with an inner fire, no doubt answering its master's urgency. His father had warned his mother that the goblin weapon should never be used in the human domain unless absolutely necessary when he gave it to her on his eighteenth birthday. A gift from father to son, imbued with the power of his goblin family to help protect that which is his.
"Bog, Gunther is ready!" Thang calls before gasping in horror when he enters the room. "You can't!"
"I can and I will!" Bog growls.
"I won't let you, Bog! My job is to protect you and Griselda. If you use that weapon, everyone will know that you're connected to us and they'll try to kill you," Thang argues quietly, nervously eyeing the doorway.
"Marianne is in danger, and I'm not going to stay here and do nothing. Now, either you don't try to stop me, or I'll remove you out of my way, but I'm going to the castle no matter what," Bog states firmly, brushing past the glamoured goblin.
"We are going to the castle," Griselda corrects once he enters the kitchen. "And don't argue! There's no telling how many people Roland has managed to trick into following him since he left Glenndale this morning and Queen Marianne is going to need all the help she can get. Sir Hadrian said Stuff told him to go get the queen's army, that's why the need for Gunther, so we'll take Chipper through the forest, and hopefully reach the castle before or not long after Roland does."
Bog can only sigh in exasperation at his mother's willfulness. Not even a brush with death could stop her when she makes her mind up about something. A fact made obvious when she shuffles ahead of them out the door and to the waiting cursed horse chittering anxiously past the trees. Thang is only seconds behind her, having quickly fetched his own quarterstaff, before running to keep up with his determined charge.
Eyeing the injured knight in concern as he stumbles through the back door ahead of him and grabs the reins of the waiting draft horse, Bog gently grabs his shoulder to stop him.
"Are you able to ride, Sir Hadrian?" Bog questions.
"Able or not, I'll still ride. I know I'm also guilty for allowing treasonous thoughts to interfere with my duties to protect the queen, as you accused all of us seven weeks ago in the guardhouse, but I am a knight of the crown. I swore my sword and life to Queen Marianne and I will not fail in my duty again!" Sir Hadrian swears.
"Be careful. Gunther is used to plow-work, not the saddle, and he may be stubborn enough to your leading that he might try bucking you," Bog warns, helping Sir Hadrian into the saddle.
"No injury a little goblin magic can't fix, right?" Sir Hadrian asks, chuckling softly at the panicked look. "Don't worry, I won't say anything to anyone. Roland left me in the forest to blame my death on the goblins, but he didn't count on a goblin healing me. I owe Stuff my life and I'm not going to put her life or yours in danger."
Bog gives a growled order in goblin for the gelding to take care of his rider and pauses only a moment to watch the pair trot a fast clip down the road before running to join his waiting caretakers astride the saddled Chipper. The giant squirrel obeys the urgency and wastes no time before running along his well-worn path once Bog takes his place.
As the forest foliage shifts before them, branches and bushes bending out of the way to make the path clearer, Bog desperately tries to call his magic forth, hoping the magic infused within the quarterstaff can help him connect to the forest's voice to find out how close Roland is to the castle.
He's startled when his vision changes, no longer seeing the path before him but seeing the moment Stuff entered the forest this morning before showing the moment she found Sir Hadrian's broken body shoved carelessly over a small slope. It's no wonder Sir Hadrian discovered Stuff's goblin blood. Even as powerful as she is, even Stuff couldn't have been able to heal injuries that extensive without needing to channel the forest's magic as well, something that can't be done with a glamour on.
Watching the events transpire as Stuff quickly tends to the life-threatening wounds, words begin to catch his attention, and the vision changes to viewing Glenndale's marketplace through the eyes of a rabbit along the edge of the forest. Bog watches in equal amounts of horror and rage as Roland regales the gathered peasants of the crimes Marianne has committed against him, first in her refusal to abide by Queen Erica's betrothal of her to him, and then in stripping the knighthood he was granted, disgracing him without just cause or trial. His claims that Marianne's refusal to break the curse is because she's gone mad with the power it has granted her, gets mixed results from the watching subjects, some protesting with unbelief, while others shout rage at the queen's gall. It's after announcing that Marianne has sent Bog home after playing with his heart the same as she had done to him, attesting to her plans to not break the curse, Roland reveals that his servant had overheard Marianne declaring to Griselda seven months ago that the only way to break the curse is with her death. Even those remaining loyal to Marianne are swayed by Roland's honeyed tongue when the accompanying guardsmen, Liam and Rupert, both agree with Roland's accusations, stating that the kingdom's knights all backed Roland and had made plans to confront the queen today to demand that she remove the curse plaguing them all.
The vision changes rapidly to show the same scene happening in each village along the Dark Forest between Glenndale and the castle as Roland expertly manipulates its inhabitants before marching forward with a growing army following him to force Marianne to end their suffering caused by Plum's curse, one way or the other. It's not long before Brightvale comes into view and Bog panics at noticing the low position of the sun when the gathered mob leaves the kingdom's closest village to the castle.
"Where are they now?!" Bog questions the forest.
Quickly the vision changes its view to seeing through the eyes of a raven on top of the castle wall, revealing Roland's approaching form astride his horse. Bog curses at the contemptible man's cleverness. No doubt he realized the guards would lock the gate and warn the queen if that large a group approached the castle this late in the day without a known reason. With only his three servants and the two traitorous guardsmen accompanying him, Roland will have no trouble gaining entry.
There had to be a way to warn those in the castle of the danger, to protect them somehow!
The forest readily answers him. The raven turns its head to allow Bog to watch as thorny branches rapidly grow along the castle walls, wrapping itself around the bars of the gate and forcing the iron bars to close before being reinforced by the growing thicket. Cursed knights and guardsmen hastily exit the guardhouse to gape at the supernatural sight, some running to the castle as fast as their small forms can take them.
"Your Majesty!" Sir Tigler calls when Marianne flies toward him. "The curse is growing!"
"We don't know that for sure, Sir Tigler. There may be another explanation," Marianne suggests. "When did it start?"
"Just now. It grew without reason and covered the walls within moments," Sir Tigler answers. "It must be because of the curse. What else could cause this to happen?"
"I don't know but I'm sure it's…," Marianne starts before pausing when a purple flower from the goblin king's garden suddenly grows on a branch in front of her.
Bog smiles fondly when his bride touches the flower with reverence before quickly looking around, immediately noticing the raven looking down at her, and his name is breathed silently from her lips. He regrets not having taught her how to hear the forest's voice, but he knew she was clever enough to realize his message. He watches as Marianne orders her subjects to retreat to the castle with an explanation that the Dark Forest fae was warning them of danger before the raven turns its attention to the other side of the wall where Roland and his men start attacking the thorn gate with vigor. The forest's pain radiates through him with each strike of the blade, but the forest resists retreating away from the onslaught.
"Bog! You're too bonded to the forest's magic!" Thang warns, snapping him out of the vision.
Shaking his head slightly to dispel the nausea, Bog grabs Chipper's reins with the hand holding his quarterstaff to wipe away the blood flowing from his nose with his free hand. The amber stone glows brightly for a moment more before dulling to its normal state.
"Are you alright, Bog?" Griselda questions, tightening her hold around his waist.
"I'm alright, Mom. Just got a little distracted trying to find out what's been happening and forgot to keep myself separate from the forest," Bog answers. "Roland is at the castle and there's an army filled with a great number of peasants and nobles that have been tricked into believing Her Majesty intends to not break the curse. The forest grew a thicket around the castle gate, but I don't know how long it'll last against Roland and we're still too far away."
"Did you teach Queen Marianne to use her goblin magic to hear the forest?" Thang asks.
"I haven't had the chance to teach her. We didn't even know she had goblin magic until four weeks ago when Stuff figured out what Plum had done, after all," Bog reminds.
"The Dark Forest will protect your bride as long as it can, but it won't break His Majesty's decree of never interfering within the castle walls," Thang comments before tilting his head in confusion at the pair of shocked looks directed back at him. "What?"
"When did you find out Marianne was my bride?" Bog questions.
"Oh, I knew that when you admitted to finding the royal garden twenty-seven weeks ago," Thang answers nonchalantly.
"But she wasn't my bride then," Bog argues.
"My magic may not be strong enough to hear the forest's voice clearly, but that doesn't mean I don't know the forest. The Dark Forest has always favored Queen Marianne, ever since she was very young, always allowing her to travel through it without alerting any of the sentries and making sure no harm came to her. I've talked to her several times throughout the years without a glamour on, though I hadn't given her my name back then, and I favored her myself, so I wasn't surprised the forest decided you two belonged together and gave you its blessing by showing you the way to the briar gate," Thang explains.
"Why didn't you say anything about this before?!" Griselda asks with surprise.
"Because Stuff would be upset," Thang comments. "You saw how hurt she was eight months ago when she found out the forest hadn't told her about Queen Marianne's frequent traveling through it, then six months ago when she found out the forest hadn't told her about letting them go to, and through, the briar gate, and she was upset the forest hadn't warned her about them being in the royal garden four months ago until after Plum trespassed the whole way to the castle. Stuff takes her charge of fulfilling the master's duties in his stead very seriously and if she knew that I knew Queen Marianne and King Father Donald traveled through the Dark Forest and I hadn't told her, she'd be distraught."
Bog shakes his head at the full-blooded goblin's explanation. It figures that the only secrets Thang could keep were ones that are kept solely to not upset Stuff.
Catching a glimpse of the castle walls through the trees up ahead chases the faint amusement from him and Bog urges the tiring Chipper to keep running. They may be close enough to see the castle, but they were still too far away to help. He can only hope Roland hadn't managed to get through the gate. There's no telling what he would do to those trapped within the castle grounds to gain the upper hand against Marianne, especially since the only one who could defend themself without being in danger because of the smaller size is King Father Donald.
Wait.
"King Father Donald? What do you mean King Father Donald traveled through the forest?" Bog asks, turning his head to raise an eyebrow at Thang.
The panic lining the glamoured goblin's human face makes it clear that he hadn't meant to reveal that secret. Before Bog can question further, the amber stone glows brightly, illuminating the darkening forest with its light.
Bog looks around the royal garden frantically from his view through the eyes of a raven sitting upon the double gate bordering the Dark Forest. For the forest to force the magic like this, the traitors must have breached the castle gate. It's only moments before he notices fast movement through the flowerbeds.
Imp chitters anxiously back to the castle inhabitants behind him as he runs toward the forest, the gate opening of its own accord once he draws closer. Several castle servants nearly falter their pace at the sight, but they keep running as fast as their cursed forms permit them, stopping only once they reach the wooden threshold to catch their breath and looking back to the castle with trepidation as more race through the expansive ground. Cursed knights and guardsmen follow last, urging the other inhabitants to keep moving, while King Father Donald and Marianne follow close behind.
Princess Dawn holds onto her father's ambling form as he draws closer to the forest, eyeing the raven warily, before yelping and taking to the bushes when the sound of a crashing door echoes through the evening air. King Father Donald growls silent reassurances to his youngest before giving a whine of worry when his eldest draws her belted sword and turns to face the incoming threat, standing guard in front of her cursed subjects. The castle's inhabitants cower behind their queen, her orders of staying back being obeyed when dozens more join Roland with weapons in their hands.
"Roland! What are you doing?!" Marianne demands as the false hero strides through the hedges with his sword drawn.
"Justice, Marianne," Roland replies confidently. "You have made these poor people suffer enough and it's time for your reign of terror to end! Or do you deny that you refuse to fulfill the conditions to have the curse you brought on this kingdom lifted?"
"I have stated repeatedly that I will do what is necessary to save my people," Marianne reminds.
"And yet you still persist doing nothing to break the curse, despite there being only three months left before this curse becomes permanent," Roland counters before waving to the crowd gathered behind him. "Prove to us your sincerity by freeing these poor people from the curse you placed on them. Denounce your pride and declare your love before us all!"
"Sugar Plum hasn't performed any magic since that day. Since you're so confidant in her, you traitor, prove that witch has the power to remove the curse she placed once Queen Marianne fulfills her terms!" Princess Dawn challenges, standing on her growling father's head.
Bog growls when the human-glamoured Plum steps through the crowd to stand beside Roland and the raven responds with angry croaking. He should have known the fairy witch would follow along to encourage the anarchy. He wouldn't put it past her to have planted the idea in Roland's head with how frustrated she is at being imprisoned in this kingdom.
"Of course, I have the power to remove the curse, little princess," Plum lies smoothly, getting another angry croaking from the raven at Bog's growl.
"Then remove it!" Princess Dawn demands.
"That's not the way it works," Plum huffs. "It's a simple spell that's easy to remove but only the one it's cast upon can remove it. If your queen would just announce her love, then everything would return to the way it was. But if she still refuses, well, it's not my fault that it's come to this."
"Not your fault?! You cursed my people for no reason at all!" Marianne accuses.
"These people are cursed because of their misfortune to have you as their queen, a selfish, uncaring, cruel, and ungrateful child," Plum sneers. "Either the curse is removed by you willingly, o goblin-hearted queen, or your death will suffice. The decision is yours."
Bog gasps for air as the vision tears from him suddenly. It's only Griselda's and Thang's grip on him that keeps him from falling from the large saddle as he doubles over, and Chipper chitters worriedly as he pauses in his run, turning his head to look at his rider. Patting the cursed horse's neck in reassurance, Bog rights himself before urging him to keep running.
"Bog, what happened?" Thang questions.
"Plum is at the castle as well," Bog answers, faintly smiling at the older male's vibrant curse in goblin. "She's told everyone that if the queen won't fulfill the terms of her curse, then the only way to break the curse is to kill her."
"That's not the way it works!" Thang groans loudly. "A bargain made is a bargain done, after all, and a curse is only a bargain forced upon another. Once it's cast, the death of the one it's placed upon can't remove it, it only transfers to their descendants until it's finally fulfilled, but if there is no direct descendant, then it can never be broken. How could even a foolish fairy not know this?!"
The sound of metal striking metal and discordant yelling reaches Bog's ears over the sound of Chipper's rapid steps, and he grips the quarterstaff, cursing at the vine-covered wall blocking the view ahead of them. He yells for the other passengers to hang on before encouraging his steed to forego the path to the open gate and jump the nearby wall. Chipper eagerly obeys, claws grabbing stone to aid in his vaulting, and landing smoothly on the other side without pausing his stride.
Bog quickly turns his attention to the crowd gathered farther away and can only watch in horror when Roland's blade strikes deeply across the armor plating covering Marianne's stomach when she moves to block his servant from striking her father. He feels no joy when King Father Donald retaliates by swinging a heavy plated arm into both attackers' chests and feels no amusement when Roland is sent flying by the force of the strike to collapse in a rose bush. He can only feel pain as he watches his bride crumble to the ground with a scream that radiates within his breastbone.
"MARIANNE!" Bog screams, jumping from Chipper and running to fall to his knees beside her.
His focus is completely on Marianne as he gathers her against him and reaches a trembling hand to where she's clutched her arms against. He pays no mind to anyone but his bride, the sounds radiating behind him seeming to come from far away as he gingerly eases the torn plating aside to see how deep the wound is. Not even the slight weight of Princess Dawn landing on his shoulder and tugging on his hair for balance disrupts the agony rushing through him at the sight greeting him.
"Marianne," Bog whimpers.
Marianne's amber eyes open slightly to his pleading, allowing tears to escape the pained depths. She raises a blood-covered shaking hand to his face and smiles slightly.
"You're here," Marianne murmurs.
"I'm here. But you…oh, Marianne! The wound, it's…," Bog starts before choking on a cry.
"I'm so sorry, Bog. I meant to tell you when I saw you tonight that I found a way to give you everything you deserve, but I don't think…Bog, I have to go, it's the only way to save them," Marianne whimpers.
"I know, love, I know," Bog admits brokenly, leaning down to touch their foreheads together. "I will always love you, Marianne. Queen or not, cursed or not, you mean everything to me."
"And I to you. I love you, my king," Marianne whispers before gasping.
Bog can't restrain his loud cry when Marianne disappears from his hold, the magic of her bargain snatching her away to the goblin she's contracted to. He doesn't notice the fearful looks at the goblin undertones leaking into his voice, nor does he notice when Princess Dawn tumbles from his shoulder to the ground when he leans forward to roar his pain into the air. It's only when he gathers his quarterstaff from where he dropped it beside him and stands to his feet to turn a furious glare at Plum, that he realizes that most of the traitorous crowd of peasants and nobles are slowly backing away toward the castle gate, fear lining their faces as they look at him. Noticing Thang standing guard in front of Griselda from their place beside Chipper, Imp wailing softly in his brother's curled paws, Bog turns his full attention to the few remaining intruders.
"A bargain made is a bargain done. You know this, Plum," Bog growls darkly, flicking his glowing weapon and causing the carpet of cursed primroses covering the castle to wrap around the glamoured fairy in a tight grip. "How dare you. HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE, FAIRY WITCH!"
Not even the reverberating exclamations of shock from the onlookers when Plum's glamour disappears to show her true form can break through Bog's rage and he swings the quarterstaff against the nearest traitorous guardsman, taking no delight when Liam's blocking sword shatters at the incoming strike. He feels no pity at the sound of breaking bones ringing in his ears when his weapon makes contact with the page's shoulder and sends him crashing into one of Roland's servants.
"I knew there was something wrong with you! Your mother's not just a whore, she's a goblin's whore!" Roland sneers.
"Says the cad who bedded a fairy and paid her to curse the queen you swore loyalty to!" Princess Dawn counters, flying closer to Roland's face. "What now, traitor?! We're still cursed, the kingdom is still cursed! The queen fulfilled that witch's terms before she died, declared her love to the king, and it didn't break the spell. Just like Her Majesty warned everyone before you attacked her!"
Bog notices the danger too late. Fortunately, though, Imp does not. Just as Roland reaches out to backhand the tiny crown princess from the air, the cursed horse screeches from his place and runs rapidly across the distance to jump with teeth and claws bared upon the wretched man. Chipper joins in the melee and screeches at those non-cursed that are still gathered nearby to force them away from the forest gate, while Lizzie roars from her place blocking those fleeing from escaping through the castle gate.
"Vile creature!" Roland growls, grabbing Imp around his neck, his face marred by bleeding cuts.
A blow from Bog's quarterstaff against his stomach keeps Roland from continuing his intent of breaking the imp's neck, and Bog gathers the whimpering cursed horse against his chest after Roland drops him. Steel against steel rings aloud within the royal garden once more when Bog blocks an incoming strike before being forced to dodge another.