Theseus tilted his head, listening.There.A shuffling of heavy footsteps accompanied by a metal clanking.He let go of Ariadne’s hand, switched the torch to that hand, and drew his sword.
As he stalked down the tunnel, Ariadne fell into step behind him, still trailing the yarn with one hand and now also gripping her sword.
Theseus probably shouldn’t feel so reassured, having her at his back.She was probably just as much his enemy as the monster he was about to face.But her steady stride and assured grip on her sword were exactly what he would have dreamed for a wife at his side.
He shook himself.No time to think about that.Nor would he be marrying the servant girl behind him, no matter what his heart was whispering to him.He was here to win the hand of her cold, hard-eyed queen.
A light was coming from around a corner of the tunnel.Theseus snuffed the torch and gently set it on the floor.
As he crept closer to the corner, the clanking and shuffling grew louder.A shadow of some horned monster took shape across the wall in front of him.Its shadow was tall, stretching far above Theseus’s head until the tips of its wide, bull’s horns spread onto the ceiling of the passageway.Its broad shoulders were muscular even in shadow.
He glanced over his shoulder at Ariadne and whispered, “Thank you for your help.While I trust that you are skilled with that sword, I think this fight is one I need to face alone.”
Ariadne nodded, her mouth pressing into a tight line.She had given him far more help than she probably should have, considering this was the first of his trials to win the hand of her queen.But she understood as much as he did that, when it came to the actual monster battle, he could accept no help if he were to pass the test.
Raising his sword, he drew in a deep breath, then charged forward.As he rounded the corner in the tunnel, he found himself in a small square chamber.
In the center of the chamber stood a goblin woman.She was a head taller than Theseus with large branching horns sticking from either side of her head.She had just the hint of a cow’s muzzle while her light brown hair flowed around her horns and down her back.Her leather tunic was sleeveless, showing off her muscled arms.
She was not, however, a monster.Nor was she armed, besides her fists that looked capable of knocking Theseus’s head in.When she moved, a chain rattled, attached to the wall on one end and a shackle around her ankle on the other.
Theseus lowered his sword, heat burning from his chest up to his head.While some fae had prejudices against the goblinkind, the goblins were not monsters.Monsters were mere soulless creatures while goblins were people as much as Theseus or the talking horses or the Great Dragons, who were different than the mere creature dragons.
Theseus had thought Queen Hippolyta was not one who held such prejudices against the goblins, but apparently, he had been wrong.If this was how she treated a goblin woman, then Theseus had no wish to win her hand.He would find some other way to save his Court.
He lowered his sword and held out his other hand, palm up.“I won’t hurt you.I’m here to rescue you.”
The woman’s gaze flicked past Theseus toward Ariadne behind him.Just for a moment, but Theseus still noted it to examine later.
When the cow-headed goblin woman focused on Theseus again, she nodded, and her stance relaxed.
“Hold still, and I’ll cut your chains.”Theseus stepped forward, his jaw clenched so hard it hurt.This was despicable, keeping a woman chained like a monster deep in this labyrinth.He swung his sword, the blade slicing through the chains easily.
Strange, that.These chains weren’t the strong faerie steel of the dungeon chains waiting for him back at Hippolyta’s palace.Instead, these were an inferior metal, one that his sword could cut without effort.
Another thing to mull over later.As the past three days had proven, he would have plenty of time to himself once he finished this task.
He sheathed his sword with a snap and marched past Ariadne, gesturing for the two women to follow him.“Come.I need to have a word with your queen.”
After a moment, he could hear their two sets of footsteps trailing after him, though he didn’t pause to glance at them.He trailed his fingers along the golden string, its glow enough to light his way even without a torch.The yarn shuddered, and Ariadne must be rewinding it as she and the goblin woman followed him.
As they reached the labyrinth’s exit, Theseus stalked into the light, blinking at the brightness of the midday sun, before he marched over to Queen Hippolyta’s impassive, imposing form, gesturing behind him.“What is the meaning of this?This woman is no monster.I had thought the Court of Swordmaidens was above such prejudices, but it seems I was mistaken.How dare you keep one of the goblinkind chained inside that labyrinth!”
Queen Hippolyta swept her gaze past Theseus, as if dismissing him as inconsequential.“Thank you for your service in this test, Minnie.You may go with the compliments of your queen.”
Theseus shot a glance over his shoulder as the goblin woman—Minnie, presumably—bowed and strode off.As she walked, she pulled a key out of her pocket.She halted for a moment to unlock the shackle from her ankle before she set out again, key in one hand, shackle swinging from the other.
A test.But not the one he had thought it was.This had never been a test of his ability to navigate the labyrinth or kill a monster.This trial was designed to reveal his prejudices and how he would react to an injustice.
Turning back to him, Queen Hippolyta raised her eyebrows, her gaze so cold it was surprising that he didn’t freeze where he stood.“King Theseus, do you know nothing of my Court?The Court of Swordmaidens is a refuge for women of all the Courts of the Fae Realm, including those from the Goblin Court.You have failed to recognize the true purpose of the Court of Swordmaidens.Guards, please escort him back to his dungeon cell.”
Theseus didn’t resist as the swordmaidens gripped his arms and dragged him back toward the palace balanced high on the cliffs above them.
ChapterFour
Theseus slumped against the wall in his cell, hands pinned above his head by his chains.
Had he passed that test?Or failed?He couldn’t be sure.
