Trials of Inner Trust

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"Do not kill it." he yelled picking up his dagger and sword and seething at it being HER he had run into. Why did she even have a bow? Dominic was a griffin and Racquel was a, archer...

"I have well and truly gone mad...."

He shook himself and gripped his saddle to pull himself back up.

"No time to explain. That thing is the Prince and hes leading me to the reason hes like that.. why you're carrying a bow on the other hand..."

He felt like at some point between breakfast and now a he had stepped into another world and, or had feinted and this was all a dream.

He would worry about Racquel being armed and dressed like a woodsman later though.. He had a prince to gallop after!
 
"It's the what...?" If the situation wasn't so ridiculous, yet so serious, Racquel would have thought Anterius was making some sort of joke. He was not of course, but it took Racquel a moment to adjust her thinking from flying mense to flying prince. Even as she looked up at the sky it seemed impossible.

It wasn't until she had grabbed the pomel of her own saddle did she even consider the knight's other question. Why wouldn't I have a bow? she almost asked, but fortunately her moment of shock was well digested and she thought better. He knew her as a Lady. She knew this! After all he still believed he rescued her in the woods that one day.

"I needed to get out of the castle," it really didn't answer Anterius' question, but it was the reason. Not that it mattered, she was going to follow the knight after the prince. She wasn't going to let either of them out of her sight.
 
Needed to get out of the castle.

That made it sound like some sort of Sunday stroll, if Anterius wasn't so convinced that somehow none of this was real then he would ask the obvious question.

"Well I apologize for interrupting that." he called out "But killing the prince is not something a lady should be doing."

Dominic was getting harder to spot and Anterius was slowing to let Racquel catch up. "So I have a prince turned into a griffin and a lady turned into a hunter. If anything turns out to be normal today I might die of shock. But why are you a huntress anyway? I guessed you liked weapons but..."

Why was this a big issue? He had other things to worry about.

"You know what forget it, I'm going to wake up with a bucket of cold water thrown over me at any moment and am going to learn I've overslept."
 
Dominic enjoyed the sun on his back and the wind in his face but he realized he was getting too far away to go back and get his things. He turned messily in the air, dropping a few feet before his wings shot out again and with a few flaps was on his way back to the castle, probably leaving his poor confused Knight in the dust.

He didn't much care anymore, he had a plan. A real plan. Though he needed hands preferably but claws were close enough he supposed and as he winged towards the castle he realized it was crawling with people. He couldn't get any closer! Not unless he wanted them to see him and he surely didn't want that. He groaned and quickly turned around back the way he was previously going at a furious rate.

No. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to be shot down by the very people who were sworn to protect him. Dominic appeared back over Anterius's and Racquel's head.

He didn't know where he was going but it wasn't going to be here.
 
"I didn't know it was the prince," shr tried to both protest and apologize at the same time. "How did that even happen?" The king's son, her new fiancée, was now some sort of flying creature, who looked much like something she should have recognized right away.

"No Anterius, I'm very much afraid you're not dreaming," she said sympathetically as he went on about how odd everything was. She was interrupted as Dominic came back around. "and is he coming back around?" Well this wasn't good, if he out flew them again they were going to have a difficult time catching up to him.

Bringing her horse around, she urged her mount to go faster. No, whatever was to happen, losing Dominic would be disastrous.
 
Anterius ignored her reply.

"PRINCE DOMINIC!"

He cupped his hands and called upwards.

"MY PRINCE COME DOWN HERE."

He was then casting Raquel an eye.

"THE LADY RAQUEL AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY YOU'RE A GRIFFON. OR AT LEAST LEAD UP TO THE CAUSE."

He never thought he'd ever say anything remotely like that but he was starting to get his bearings and a grip on the situation. This was just another thing that needed to be fixed, and was more like a fairytale quest than anything but it was a quest nonetheless!
 
Prince Dominic heard the strange noises being shouted up at him and strange they were indeed from being garbled by the wind and the flap of his wings and the rush of his heart beat. He peered downwards and was surprised by his incredibly sharp eyesight, there was Anterius! Oh and Lady Racquel.

He found himself cocking his head and winging lower to the two of them to hear the last of the request. How could he tell them what had happened without transferring the curse? Perhaps not say it was a curse but just a spell gone awry? Or something written might work? He wasn't sure and it was terrible for he didn't want to spread it...

Still, Dom went towards the ground landing with an ungraceful thump and taking a moment to get his wings folded neatly under him. He stared at the two of them.

"Caw?"
 
They were near the King's wood. It seemed that Dominic took the least populated path, which Racquel was thankful for. Having her and Anterius galloping through the city would have been disastrous in the least. Everyone would have seen Dominic as they were chasing him. It's way no one really noticed them. She had to hand it to the prince, it was clever.

When the griffin landed, Racquel reigned in her horse to a walk, stopping several paces before the price, beside his knight. She was having a hard time believing that this creature whi looked like some sort of feline bird was intelligent, let alone the prince. "Are you truly Prince Dominic?" She asked before Anterius could say anything himself.
 
Anterius dismounted and without waiting looped the tie off of Dom's neck and let it fall to the ground. He was unafraid to stand next to such a creature when he knew who it was. It was however.. "Magnificent." He couldn't help but run a hand over the plumage and smile when a feather got caught in his gauntlet. "No more running off. We need to reverse this. Duty demands that I give my life to this quest, and I am not above ordering Lady Raquel to disable a wing with her bow." assuming she could hit anything with it, something about that outfit she was wearing bugged him!
 
Dom, the most ungraceful Gryphon that had ever lived, stared at the two of them for a moment. Then he found himself being 'petted'. By Anterius. Perhaps this was the best day of his life, Dom quickly wondered. If he had to be a Gryphon at least he could get petted by Anterius and if Anterius was allowed to marry Lady Racquel than perhaps they'd keep him. Like a dog or something.

Dom realized that somewhere in his mind perhaps he wasn't the most stable person because being a dog and just being near to Anterius was more than enough happiness.

The Lady was talking to him though and so was Anterius. Dom carefully used his talon to draw in the dirt. 'Yes. I am Prince.' The words were crudely done and shaky and he looked up at the two of them to see if they read it. Dominic shook his head at Anterius's words of 'giving up his life'.

'No giving up life' was quickly drawn. 'Can't help me' was scribbled down as well. Dom found another patch of dirt.

'Don't want anyone hurt'.
 
Racquel looked down at the ground and blinked. It was writing words! This made the concept that the gryphon was actually the prince a bit more real. Yet, this still was just all so very odd.


"Can't help you? Look, I know you're most likely frightened," though her tone was kind, Racquel had her hands on her hips and was looking at the prince directly. "If you don't let us help you, things are bound to turn into a mess. Besides, the king will look for someone to blame for all of this, and not just the one that bespelled you either, unless you can tell us who that is now."


Racquel was worried, very worried, and not about Dominic. Though as the prince of the land, and as a decent person, she did not wish to see him under some evil spell, and would do what she could to see things right, her worries and concern were for Sir Septor. If the world at large found out that something had befallen the prince, the Court would look for a scapegoat until the true criminal could be brought to justice, and who better to take blame for the situation, but Dominic's own bodyguard?


Formality was something Racquel was only passable at. She could remember while in Court to curtsie to the royals and use the proper titles for the assembled nobility, but though they were technically still on the palace grounds, emotionall they were very far from Court and she couldn't be bothered to remember to curtsie or double over will all those "your highness" this or "Prince Dominic" that.


"So please, let us help you, so this can be quickly resolved." She also wasn't going to be left behind on this.
 
"She is right my prince." he said. "Your family will miss you otherwise and if they find out anything has befallen you the entire guard will be raised to set this strait, the kingdom would be turned upside down..." and Anterius would be very lucky to keel his head out of a noose, failure to protect the prince... "If I cannot find a cure for you I will need to go before your father and admit to my failure." Duty demanded no less. It was only because prince Dominic had run that he could excuse himself for leaving the palace without informing the king.

He looked down at the feather in his hand. "I will take this to the court wizard, Aronius. I saw Dominic in town yesterday in the market area, maybe whatever did this happened there. Lady Raquel, you would blend in better than me..." that just left the prince. "For the kingdom, your father, and for me, let us help you."
 
Dom's poor brain whirled about and he considered all the options and with a dawning horror realized that Anterius would take the blame for this. If giant cat bodied bird headed creatures could wince, Dom winced. It was an interesting sight but he tried his hardest. "Squawk" He grumbled under his breath and listened to the two of them and nodded.

Except at the Wizard part. Dominic had decided that Wizards were nothing but trouble in ugly robes sewn up with silver thread and over-done embroidery. Yes. Definite trouble. He squawked again at the two of them and shuffled about and wiped the dirt 'clear' of his previous messages.

'What can I do to help?' Was scribbled down before he looked up at them again. They seemed to know what they were doing but Dom didn't have a clue. All he knew was he didn't want people hurt. Or at least no people he knew hurt. Especially Anterius. Another scribble. 'don't like wizards. wizard did this.' He nodded at Anterius again.

'was out searching for something' 'found a wizard' 'gave potion' 'turned me into big bird?' More scribbles. Dom backed away from his scribbles and looked up at the people and then back down to make sure they were reading them completely.

"Squawk?"
 
Racquel looked from Dominic, to Anterius and nodded when he said she'd blend in better in the market then he. Knights were very much noticed, and even if she was not dressed as properly as she should be, it was actually better this way. People would talk to her more readily then if she looked her title.

The prince though was squeaking and sketching words on the dirt. What she read, she did not like, and her lips tightened. "For now you need to hide in the woods I think. It is best if no one sees you. I can understand your reluctants to trust another wizard, but we can't break this spell without knowing something about it, and Anterius knows how to be discreet. The Court wizard will not know its you we are searching for a cure."

Racquel went over to her horse and dug into her pack. "Here, some jerky should tide you over until we can have a proper meal." Unwrapping the meat, she held it out to the gryphon. Once he took it she went back to her horse and mounted it, a meneceing smile upon her lips. "Maybe we will be lucky and I'll find your wizard."
 
"If you do don't kill him, but... stay safe." he was looking at both of them. "Prince Dominic..." What COULD he do. He should go with Anterius to see the court wizard but walking around the palace like that would be ill advised. "If you wish you could wait near the secret garden exit, I'll bring the wizard out there once he is sworn to secrecy."

He mounted his horse and turned it around and was soon heading back too the palace, if he could solve this in a day he would, if he couldn't he would not rest until he had tried everything, and if he couldn't fix this... he would face the consequences. Maybe Dominic could be kept in the gardens and fave the life of sunning himself and sleeping he always wanted. But Anterius' duty was to the kingdom, not to the prince.
 
Dominic had read about dried meat before but had never seen any. He cocked his head a bit and looked at it like it might bite his beak off. His stomach growled and he carefully took the jerky out of Racquel's hands and nibbled on it. Or tried to nibble on it. He nearly dropped it. He did eventually manage to eat it, if a little messily. He squawked at them.

Dom didn't want to be left behind but that was clearly what was going to happen. He padded off and looked up a tree before headbutting it. "..." He looked at them and back to the tree and then climbed it, the whole thing shaking like mad as he found a safe quiet place to perch that would hold his weight.

He chirped at them. They were leaving him but he knew they'd be back and he'd be there waiting for them.
 
The markets were bustling with people. Vendors calling their wears, people trying to get to where they were going, children running, friends stopping to talk, normally Racquel would find herself enjoying watching people. Instead she was trying to get information. As she talked to some of the long standing vendors in the area she made some purchases. Food, equipment, nothing very much, but items she could use and so that the vendor got something out of giving her information too.

Except she kept on getting dead ends. People knew there was a wizard around. They didn't very much want to talk about him, but they admitted hearing about him. No one could really tell her much though! There were some that wanted nothing to do with anything magical and there were some that were not chatty, but the ones that were willing to talk gave her pretty much the same story over and over. Racquel though was not going to give up quickly. Not until she found someone that had actually met the wizard. It was well past lunch when she finally got the lead she had been hoping for and she went to find a certain baker's widow.


*****​


In the top room of the south tower of the palace, the court wizard was grinding something with a pestle in a large mortar. He was a beardless man who was nearly the same age as the crown prince. Without his robes it would have been easy to mistake him for a cobbler or some other trade worker. He was perhaps more of a trade wizard then an artist, but more importantly he was complement and completely loyal to the crown.


It was really ashame for everyone he had been killed two weeks ago.
 
He moved with enough hast to makes his armor rattle with every step and make a mental note to tighten the straps next chance he got. But he was in a hurry, having no idea how anything magical worked and if there was a time limit for a cure. He ascended the stairs taking the servant passages and stairways all the way of to the wizard's tower where he stood outside the door, straitening his cloak and his fringe before he lifted his hand to rap on the door.

"Wizard Aronius." he called. "The prince needs you to come with me immediately." that should be enough to get the door open, then he could explain more fully. He didn't know much about the Wizard other than he was eccentric and didn't like to be disturbed. But a direct order from the prince could not be refused.
 
Tactius ground his teeth together. What could the heir want? Well whatever it was, he would have to placid Prince Celeres. If it was about his lady wife's fertility, he could make sure that happened. Wiping off the malicious grin off his face the wizard opened the door.

"What is it that our price requires of us?" The wizard with the face of Aronius asked. He had not gotten to the point of recognizing all those that made their way around the palace. His objective was to find out all Aronius' secrets before he was found out himself. Though the disguise was good, he knew better then to try to live the man's life overy long. It was the best wa to be found out before all their plans were made ready.


Inside Sir Septor could see something smoking in a far corner, as it waffed from the room into the doorway, it's sulfuric stench was obvious, along with something else that seemed numbing. Alchemy at its finest and worse. The wizard's tower was always the least favorite place to go to by the palace staff, but they had been more reluctant of late and there was a bit more dust outside the main door then should have been. Not that the wizard noticed nor cared.
 
He waved his hand in front of his face and took half a step back. THIS was why people avoided coming up here. "I need you to follow me." he said sounding as stern as he could and without giving the man time to argue started heading back the way he had come. Arrogant, maybe but he was acting under a price's direction. Or at least Dom hadn't tole him no tot when he said he was and really this was the best way he could see about getting an idea about what to do, or maybe even a cure and at LEAST an opinion from someone who might know what was going on and if the man refused to help the guard could always get rough and threaten to charge him with treason and exact the penalty on the spot.

Okay deep breath, he was heading down the stairs now and hadn't turned to make sure he was being followed. So he did so waiting for the mage to get to the top of the staircase he was standing on before he pulled aside the tapestry hiding the servants' stairway. "Though here, discretion is warranted. You go first."

When did he get so demanding when doing something for Dom? When did he get so... protective?
 
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