After the great fight with the goblins, both the royal family and the goblins stayed out of each other’s way for the time being.
The fight between the humans and the goblins had been inconclusive. At the time Vivian had stopped the fight, the goblins were still gathering their numbers from around the castle. Had they had a chance to assemble fully, they probably would have overwhelmed the humans. But they did not have the chance. At the time the fight had been stopped, the goblin injuries had been greater than the human injuries. It is true that on the human side, there had been some cuts and bruises. The most serious injury suffered by the humans was Robert, whose leg had been stabbed by one of the Goblin blades, and that leg had now been wrapped up carefully in bandages by his mother Vivian. But all told, the human’s injuries were slight, and no one was seriously injured.
On the Goblin side, although none of them had been killed, several of them had received deep and painful injuries. There were many goblins walking around the castle in bandages, or limping around. Some had broken bones and had legs or arms in slings.
Catherine came to have a talk with General Graten. “I thought, General, we had an agreement,” she said.
General Graten paused. There was something different about the way Catherine looked, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Catherine noticed him squinting at her, and she smiled. She knew he was having a hard time pinpointing her transformation. That’s why it was important to do these things gradually, only a little at a time.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he finally answered gruffly, even though he did have a fair idea of what she was talking about. But the prohibition against fighting the goblins had never been made explicit, and so if she wanted to make it explicit, then she was going to have to say it aloud.
“King Grinthal and his soldiers are in my employ,” said Catherine. “They are protecting my interests in this castle. If you are also to be employed in protecting my interests, then I’m going to need you to work with the goblins, not against them.”
“Working with the goblins was never part of the bargain,” said Graten angrily. “If they stay out of my way, then I won’t bother them. But that’s the best I can promise you. Those goblins came directly in front of me yesterday, so I kicked them. And then they started fighting back.”
“I understand,” said Catherine. “But you didn’t have to fight them as viciously as you did. You nearly killed several of them. A fair amount of my goblin army is now out of commission because of you personally, General.”
Even though it wasn’t meant as a compliment, General Graten smiled. He liked the idea that he was the one responsible for wounding the most goblins. Catherine noticed the smile. “You like a good fight, I can see General,” she said. “Stick with me, and you’ll have opportunities enough soon enough, I promise you.”
“That,” Graten reminded her, “still remains to be seen. You’ve not yet given me what you promised.”
“You’re a smart man,” said Catherine. “Keep your eyes open, and you’ll soon see which way the wind is blowing. Then, I trust you to do what is in your own self interest.”
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