With the dragon’s claw now in their possession, Catherine and Vivian set about making the speed potion. Catherine supervised Vivian as she put all the ingredients into the chalice, and taught Vivian the correct incantations to speak. Catherine helped Vivian summon the lightning, which struck the potion at just the right moment. At last, the potion was ready to drink.
“Shall we call the General in?” asked Catherine.
“Yes, let’s,” said Vivian.
“I wonder, though,” said Catherine. “I wonder. We’ve only got one potion. Unless we want to summon another dragon, I mean. And we don’t want to go through all that trouble.”
“What do you mean?” asked Vivian.
“Well, let’s think wisely about who to give it to, is all. Is General Graten really the best man to drink the potion?”
“He has the magic sword.”
“Yes, the Elvish sword that will cut through anything. And why does General Graten have that sword?”
“Midor gave it to him.”
“But why did Midor give it to him?”
“You know what Midor’s like. He’s no good with a sword. He’s always been a forest ranger, not a fighter.”
“Yes, yes, fair enough. But why did Midor give it to General Graten? Why not to someone else?”
“General Graten’s the best soldier in the castle. I know his loyalty to castle Tauna is a bit…” Vivian hesitated to find the best word, “...conditional. But he is fearless, and brave, and he fights anything.”
“Yes, but you are a princess of castle Tauna. You’ve been trained in the arts of swordsmanship since you were a little girl.”
“True.”
“I don’t know,” Catherine said softly. “It just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me to give General Graten the sword. I mean, who had to fight the dragon yesterday? It wasn’t General Graten.”
“No, it was me.”
“And why was that?”
“I couldn’t levitate him through the air and chant the protection spell at the same time.”
“I see. And so the General sent a woman to do a man’s work.”
“There’s no reason why I couldn’t do it. I’ve been trained in the sword. I defeated the monsters with the sword the other day, not General Graten.”
“Yes, I see. So we agree, then. There’s no reason why General Graten needs to wield the sword. It still amazes me that Midor gave it to him instead of to you.”
“Midor’s never thought of me as a warrior.”
“Indeed. He never has, has he? He’s always been concerned about his own adventures through the forest. You were just his companion.”
“He always knew I was a princess.”
“A princess!” Catherine spat out the word. “You are much more. You are a warrior. A fighter. And Midor should know this.”
Vivian stayed silent.
“You understand then, what I think you should do,” Catherine continued. “Don’t give the sword back to General Graten. It makes much more sense for you to drink it yourself. With your magical powers combined with superspeed, you’d be unstoppable. And don’t give the sword back to General Graten. It makes much more sense for you to wield it yourself.”
“I promised the General,” said Vivian weakly. But at this point, she was only putting up a token defense against Catherine’s arguments.
“This isn’t about promises,” said Catherine. “This is about protecting the castle. We can worry about niceties like promises later when the castle is safe from the monsters. But for now, you need to do everything you can to protect the castle--to protect your forest from the monsters. This castle needs a defender, and the most able defender is you, not General Graten.”
“Yes,” said Vivian. “Yes, you’re right.”
“Drink the potion now. Don’t wait for a chance to change your mind. Do it now before anyone can stop you.”
Vivian grabbed the potion, and drank it down. Immediately, a pain shot through her body. She bent over and clutched at her stomach in pain. She grabbed the chair to steady herself. She gave Catherine an accusing look.
“Don’t worry,” said Catherine. “It’s normal. The feeling will pass. Potions always feel this way. You’re not drinking wine and honey, my dear. This is a dragon's claw and lightning and 100 other odd things. Of course your stomach doesn’t agree with it. And it’s not just your stomach. Magic is never easily digestible. Your body is being transformed. Your blood, bones, muscles, are all changing to grant you the super-speed you wanted. It will hurt. But none of it is fatal. You will survive, and when you emerge, you will be stronger than you were before.”
“I need to lie down,” gasped Vivian.
“You probably do,” agreed Catherine. “Lie down here on the floor. I know it’s not as soft and nice as your bed, but we don’t want to leave this room now. We’ll have to answer too many questions if the others see you like this. We don’t want to get into an argument with General Graten when you’re still in this weak state. Lie down here on the stone floor. It will pass in a couple of hours.”
“A couple of hours?”
“A couple of hours is nothing. If you only knew the sacrifices I’ve made over my life. I’ve endured far worse pain than this over my life.”
“Yes, but…”
“Be strong. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay here. And in a few hours, it will all pass. And then you’ll have the super speed, your magical powers, and the magic sword. It makes you wonder why we were ever worried about the monsters to begin with.”
*******************************************************************
The next two hours were painful, but they were not unbearably painful. Just as Catherine had said, the pain eventually passed. Soon, Vivian was able to slowly get to her feet again. Her stomach still felt queasy, but she no longer had the pain shooting through her body.
“How do you feel?” Catherine asked.
“Better,” Vivian said. “I think I might be good now.”
“I think the potion has done its work. But let’s wait just a little bit before trying it out. We don’t want to rush things.”
“Trying it out?”
“Testing it. Just to be sure. To see if you can actually move at faster than normal speeds. And eventually, we’ll want to test you to see exactly how fast you can move. But not yet. We’re going to wait until you’re ready.”
“How will I know when I’m ready?”
“I don’t know. You might be ready now, but let’s not push things. Do you feel any different.”
“I’m not sure. What should I feel?”
“It’s hard to describe. But usually you do feel more powerful after you drink an enhancing potion. Close your eyes. Good. Breathe in slowly. Good. Try to feel yourself. Does your body feel any different?”
“I think so. Wait… yes, yes it does. I can feel the power.”
“Good. It’s working.”
“I’m ready to try it.”
“No, we don’t have to try it yet. You’re still recovering.”
“No, I’m ready. I can feel it.”
Catherine nodded her head. “Very well. You know your body best.”
“How shall we test it?”
Catherine looked around the kitchen, and picked up several clay pitchers. She hurled one to the ground, and it shattered into many pieces against the stone floor.
“What are you doing?” Vivian asked. “Do you know how long it takes to make a good jug like that?”
“Ah, Vivian, still thinking in human terms. I’ll teach you how to make 100 more jugs using magic. But for now, try to save the jugs using your speed. Go on, catch this before it hits the floor.” Catherine grabbed another jug, and suddenly hurled it at the floor. Vivian sat in stunned silence as the jug shattered again. Catherine smiled. “Don’t worry Vivian, we’ll get there. We just need to get you warmed up first, huh? Okay, catch.” Catherine threw a jug slowly at Vivian. Vivian caught it easily and threw it back. Catherine threw it slightly faster at Vivian. Vivian again caught it easily and threw it back. Catherine gradually threw the jug faster and faster at Vivian. Each time, Vivian caught it.
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” said Catherine. “Now let’s make it a bit more difficult.” Catherine started throwing jugs just a little to the side of Vivian, so that Vivian had to take a step sideways to catch them. Slowly, Catherine started throwing the jugs further and further, and faster and faster. And soon, Vivian was running around the kitchen, catching everything. Catherine kept going faster and faster, and then, eventually Catherine reached the point she had been aiming for all along. She was throwing jugs everywhere, hurling them at the floor, hurling them at the walls, hurling them behind her, and Vivian was dashing all across the kitchen with a superspeed catching everything.
Vivian kept bringing the jugs back to the counter, and Catherine kept throwing them again. Catherine kept going until she had exhausted herself. Breathing heavily, Catherine sat down on the chair. But Vivian now was hardly tired. “There,” said Catherine. “It worked. You see now.”
“Yes,” said Vivian.
“You have superspeed, you have the magic sword, you have almost everything you need. Your training with magic is not yet complete. But I’ll teach you all the spells I know. Everything, even the forbidden spells. And then, you will be the most powerful person in this castle. You’ll be the most powerful entity in the forest.”
****************************************************************************
Of course, General Graten would have to be told. Vivian was nervous about the confrontation, but Catherine insisted on seeing General Graten at once. General Graten was summoned to the throne room, where Catherine and Vivian were waiting. “So did you make the potion?” he asked.
“We did,” said Catherine. “We made it, and then we drank it.”
“What?”
“Vivian drank it to be more precise.”
“But it was my potion.”
“That, my dear General, was never agreed upon.”
“Yes it was. You made it for me. It was my idea.”
“General, don't be ridiculous. Your idea was for a magic spell to increase speed. You and Vivian never even thought of a potion. Why, if it hadn’t been for me, you and Vivian would probably still be looking through the spell books for a speed spell.”
“I’m the best soldier here,” said General Graten. “I’m the one the with the magic sword. I stand the best chance of fighting the monsters if I have the potion.”
“General, no one is doubting your bravery, and we are all thankful for your service in past battles,” said Catherine. “But the simple fact is, you are not the best person suited for the potion. The monsters have defeated you and almost killed you in past battles. The potion must go to the one person who has actually shown herself to be capable of fighting and beating the monsters--Vivian. She’s chased them into the forest now on two separate occasions.”
“But with my sword…”
“Yes, I’m glad you brought that up, General. That is another thing that I wanted to talk about. The magic sword will be going to Vivian as well.”
“It’s mine!”
“Vivian has the power of magic. Vivian has the magic spells. There is no reason now, General, why the sword should remain in your possession.”
“I give you my word, General,” said Vivian, who had been standing by Catherine, “that when this is all over, when the last monster has been defeated, I will return your sword to you. I have no wish to keep this sword forever. But right now, there is a crisis, and we need…”
“Fine!” said General Graten. “Fine! You obviously think you can stop the monsters all by yourself. You go ahead and stop them all by yourself. I’ll be spending my time in the castle drinking. Don’t ask me for any help.” General Graten turned to Catherine next. “You once promised to keep me supplied with wine,” he said. “I hope you can keep that promise over the next few weeks.”
“You’ll recall, General, that it was not so much a promise as a transaction. You would faithfully command my armies, I will keep you supplied with all your wants.”
“Have I not been faithful? Have I not put my body in harm’s way numerous times to fight the enemies of this castle? But now it was you, not I, who decided that I was not the one chosen to fight the monsters. I don’t fear death, but I’m not going to throw my life away for those who don’t appreciate me. Do you think I’m going to charge at the monsters again after you’ve taken the sword from me, and after you’ve decided I wasn’t worthy of your potion. The whole reason I needed the potion and the sword is that I was not equipped to fight them just by myself.”
“So you admit it then?” said Catherine. “You were ill-equipped to fight the monsters without magical assistance.”
“Fine,” said General Graten. “I’ll admit it. There’s no shame in that. There’s not a mortal man alive who can stand up to those monsters. But now that you’ve had the chance to give me magical assistance, and you’ve chosen to deny me that assistance, I’ll not fight the monsters anymore on your behalf. If you ever find yourself facing down a human army, and you need someone to command your soldiers, you know where to find me. But my monster fighting days are done. I’m going to stay in the castle and drink the next time the monsters attack. And if you promise to keep me supplied in wine, then I’ll not make any more issue out of it than I already have. You’ll have bought my acquiescence cheaply enough.”
“Yes, Catherine, let him have his wine,” said Vivian. “He’s right, he’s already proved his bravery. He’s fought the monsters enough.”
“General, I have use for you still,” said Catherine. “As you know, I have as many enemies inside this castle as outside of it. I don’t expect you to fight the monsters, but will you swear to defend me from my enemies in the castle?”
“Defend you? You have an army of goblins guarding you, an ogre guarding you, and now you’ve enchanted Henry into guarding you. What need have you of me?”
“General, I can appreciate that you were not in this castle 20 years ago,” said Catherine. “If you had been, you would have known that one moment is all it takes sometimes for an enemy to take advantage of your weakness. If that moment ever comes, you will come to my defense, will you not?”
“I will.”
“Very well. Go to the kitchen and help yourself to the wine. We will fight the monsters ourselves.”
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