His stomach churned.He didn’t know who would be desperate enough to collect that gold, but he certainly wasn’t.
Though with this much gold, he would have leverage.He could bargain with any Court he wished, giving them gold in exchange for the use of their warriors on Midsummer Night.He wouldn’t have to marry Hippolyta or continue these trials.
It would be easy enough to carry off one of these piglets and head straight for the Anywhere Door.This gold could be a far more certain salvation than risking the future of his Court on his success in these trials.
He shook himself.What was he thinking?He’d never thought himself the type to be tempted by the lure of gold, but it turned out he was desperate enough to think about it.
It was a foolish thought.If he stole away a piglet, the Court of Swordmaidens would come after him, and adding a war with the Court of Swordmaidens onto the chaos of the upcoming Midsummer Night would doubly doom his Court.
Even assuming the swordmaidens let him get away with it, the piglet would likely die, separated from its mother so young.Besides, magic like this was tricky.He didn’t know why these pigs pooped gold.It might be something they ate or something about the magic of this island.He couldn’t be sure the piglet would still poop gold if taken from its habitat.
No, he needed to concentrate on finishing this task.He wouldn’t fail, and he would win Queen Hippolyta’s hand.
ChapterSix
Facing the piglets, Theseus took the rope off his shoulder.“I take it capturing a piglet isn’t something with which you will help me.”
Ariadne rolled her eyes and gestured down at her white dress.After tromping through the forest, it was streaked with green plant stains and coated with dirt along the hem.“In this dress?Of course not.I intend to stand here and laugh while you get coated in manure and mud.”
“So glad I can provide your entertainment for the day.”Theseus grimaced as he took a step forward and his boots sank into the slop all the way past his ankles.It took effort to pull his foot free, the mud making a sucking sound, as he trudged another step.“Now I understand why you tagged along.It wasn’t to help but to enjoy my muddy humiliation.”
Ariadne smirked as she swung the gate closed, standing in front of it.At least she would make sure none of the piglets escaped, since the gate couldn’t be locked from the inside.
Theseus lumbered several more glopping steps deeper into the pigpen as he formed a loop at the end of the rope.He had some vague notion of how to snag something with a rope, but he’d never done it himself.It wasn’t like he had a great need to wrangle pigs as the king of a library.
As he neared, the piglets scattered with a squeal, running in all different directions.He threw the rope, and the loop plopped in the mud after flying a laughably short distance nowhere near any of the piglets.
Yep, just as terrible as he’d feared.
He trudged back to Ariadne, dragging the end of the rope behind him, and dropped the rope beside her.It would be more trouble than it would be worth.With his lack of skill, he would be better off just grabbing a piglet with his bare hands, then popping the rope over its head afterwards.
She didn’t say anything about his ditching the rope.Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned against the stockade next to the gate, her mouth twitching as if she were trying and failing to hold back her grin.
Facing the piglets, Theseus waded into the slop once again.The leather of his boots grew soaked until wetness squished between his toes with each step.
He tiptoed closer to one of the piglets, trying to get as close as possible.
The piglet looked up, and he dove.His hands brushed along the piglet’s furry back before it slipped out of his grasp.
Theseus landed in the mud with a splat.Mud squished through his clothes and splashed onto his face.He spat, shuddering as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees.
After this was over, he would have to beg on hands and knees for Queen Hippolyta to send a message to Philostrate, asking for a fresh set of clothes.What he was wearing had already been growing rank after six days in the dungeon.The towel and bowl of water he had been given to wash every three days had been barely enough to wash himself, not his clothes.
Ariadne’s snorting laugh rang out behind him.
He shoved to his feet and raced after the piglets, slipping and sliding and falling into the mud.He tried to tackle another piglet and once again fell face-first in the muck.
As he pushed onto his elbows, he panted as he swiped mud from his face.This wasn’t working.He wasn’t fast enough to outrun or outmaneuver the piglets.
He glanced over his shoulder.The sun was already past noon.He was running out of time.
Theseus rolled into a sitting position in the mud.At this point, he was already covered head-to-toe.More mud didn’t matter.
Chasing the piglets just riled them up.Like any animal, he needed calm and patience and stillness to lure them into ignoring him.
For a few minutes, the piglets continued to squeal and race around.But as Theseus remained still and silent, the piglets calmed and went back to snuffling in the mud.
He stayed frozen sitting in the mud, all but holding his breath as one of the piglets wandered closer and closer toward him.
