Princed

Chapter 4

Princess Irenie deeply regretted the choices that had brought her to the cave that day.

They should have been meeting with the goblin ambassador but it had all been a trick and now the princess was face to face with the very creature of her nightmares.

"I knew this would be a trap," Curdie growled lowly.

Prince Froglip stepped out from the hoard. Just the sight of him made Irenie faint with dread.

He wasn't the tallest or the strongest looking, or even the ugliest, but this was the goblin that caused Princess Irenie's breath to stand still in her lungs.

"Well look at you," the prince said, but Irenie had not been able to speak a word.

His gaze glowed from the dark hollows of his eyes.

"You're full of th'uprises, Printh'eth," Prince Froglip eyed her and only slightly mangled her title with his lisp.

Irenie's mouth gaped open and closed once before it shut firmly like a bear trap.

He bared his teeth which must have been some try at a grin, but she was frightened. Froglip's gruesome face further twisted and under the light cast by Irenie's hand flame, it looked even worse.

The Goblin Prince circled round them again, the space growing smaller as Curdie pressed his back into Irenie's, fists slightly raised.

However, by the number of glowing eyes behind her, there would be far too many goblins to fight. They might be too far into the tunnels to sing either. Sound never carried well here.

"We- we're here to meet–" Irenie forced herself to speak. "We have permission, for negotiations. We're here to talk with your ambassador."

The prince leaned back and Irenie let go of a breath.

He continued his prowling walk around them, circling again.

"Negoth'iath'ions?" the prince lisped, a hint of a sharp tongue flicking between his lips. Froglip stopped and leaned into the two humans, his bright orange eyes glowing sharply in the shadows. "We aren't hardly at introducth'ions yet, Printh'ethh–"

"Now stop that, goblin," Curdie said between clenched teeth and took a step in front of Irenie.

"Printh of the Goblins, miner boy," Froglip sneered, puffing out his bare chest and taking a step toward Irenie's friend.

"Miner knight to you," Curdie replied haughtily, although only realizing a little late how ridiculous that sounded. "And official hand to the Princess-" He tried to recover and stamped his foot down right next to the prince's although the latter didn't even flinch.

A round of gasps went up from the goblins to see their prince remain so unfettered, but Irenie could see the sweat on the side of his face as Prince Froglip sneered down at them, and she finally regained herself.

"Are... are you the ambassador?" Princess Irenie asked the Goblin Prince and cocked her head to the side as she took a step forward.

It seemed to be the only logical answer, unless Curdie really was right and this had all been a trap.

His bright orange eyes widened and then flicked back to the princess as Curdie looked over his shoulder in shock.