King Carlyle was in the castle courtyard, tending to the garden. He was on his knees, pruning one of the rose bushes when Talon walked in. “Ah, greetings Talon,” said King Carlyle, without looking up from his work. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
“My King,” said Talon, bowing slightly.
“What do you have to report?”
“It’s about Midor. I’m afraid Catherine found him. I didn’t interfere, as you instructed.”
“Good, good, Midor can take care of himself. What happened?”
“She shrunk him down. Just like she shrunk John.”
King Carlyle stopped trimming the rose bushes, and looked up. “Did she? Well, I warned him. I warned him. I told him to watch out for Catherine.” King Carlyle stood up. “He’s not dead, is he?”
“Catherine merely shrunk him. Just like she shrunk John.”
“Well that’s good news at least. I hate the man, but I wouldn’t want him dead. But we’ll let him find his own way out of this one Talon. I wouldn’t suggest you bother yourself trying to find a spell that would unshrink him. Midor can deal with this one on his own.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“I can’t begin to tell you the havoc that man has caused in my family. If he’s shrunk, then maybe he’ll be less trouble. I know I shouldn’t say this, but there’s a certain humor in the whole thing isn’t there? Imagine Catherine thinking she could use Midor as a bargaining chip against me. Does Catherine have him now?”
“Now, she decided she didn’t need him when she got something more valuable.”
“And what’s that?”
“Me.”
“What do you mean? You’re right here.”
“I mean as an ally of hers, not as her prisoner.”
“Her ally? But--”
There came then the sound of laughing from the air, and suddenly Catherine appeared out of the air.
“Catherine! But how? You can’t get past the charms on the castle.”
“No, I couldn’t. But Talon could.”
King Carlyle was so shocked by the sudden appearance of Catherine that it took him a minute to absorb what Talon and Catherine had told him, before he finally realized what had happened. “Why, Talon?”
“I no longer trust you to secure my employment at this castle,” said Talon.
“Catherine, you know you can’t rule this castle. The creatures of the forest would never allow it. Don’t you remember what happened the last time you sat on this throne?”
“I remember it very well,” said Catherine. “In fact, I’ve thought of very little else for the last 20 years. And I remember it was you who turned the forest against me. But if you’re not around to turn the forest against me a second time, I believe my reign will be undisturbed.”
“That’s not what happened, and you know it,” said King Carlyle.
“Enough,” Catherine said, pulling her wand out of her clothes. “You’ll trouble me no more.” Catherine brought her want back as she readied herself to cast it forward, and began uttering a spell
King Carlyle shrank back as if to try to dodge Catherine’s magic. But while King Carlyle was focused on Catherine, it was actually Talon who struck him with his staff, while uttering a magic incantation. And suddenly, King Carlyle was turned into a frog.
Catherine sniffed. “I was going to use a burning spell.”
“Yes, I thought that’s what you were going to do,” said Talon. “That’s why I acted first. We agreed he’d be turned into a frog.”
“I don’t see what difference it makes,” Catherine said. “But fine, have it your way. Now I’ve got to turn myself into a snake. Or I could just step on him.”
“The snake idea is more appropriate,” Talon advised. “Much cleaner. More dignified that way. As Queen, You don’t want to be cleaning frog bits off of your boots.”
King Carlyle had already started hopping through the castle garden as fast as he could. Catherine raised her wand, said some incantations, and soon her whole body was transformed into a snake. “Nicely done,” Talon said admiringly.
“Would you believe,” Catherine said, “that this isn’t the first time I’ve resorted to eating my enemies like this.” She still had her normal voice, even in snake form. Although her sibilants were slightly more audible as a snake.
“No, of course it’s not,” said Talon.
“But this one should be especially tasty,” Catherine said, and she began slithering across the garden. She did indeed seem to be very used to the body of the snake. She slithered with remarkable speed and agility.
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