Merlin had no clue how he’d managed to be roped into yet another adventure with the princess and her bodyguards. While he found them exceptionally entertaining, it was a lot of pressure leading royalty into a subterranean maze not made for the crown. 

“Merlin!” Speak of the devil, the white mare trotted up to him, a massive grin splitting her face. “Is this going to be more exciting than that troll that sneezed all over Beowulf?” Beside her, the hulking stallion grunted, and Merlin could tell he was still bitter about the whole experience. 

“Well,” Merlin paused as Lovell alighted on his shoulders, tucking into his mane. “I can’t promise anything, the point of these explorations is because no one has been down here yet, so it’s all new. I’m just used to checking for any sort of danger.” 

“We’ve discussed this, Star.” Tamora stepped up, a bemused expression on her baroque features. “Merlin is a guide, but is as blind as us.” 

“Well, yeah… But I hope we find something awesome and scary!” 

The mare was antsy. Tamora and Beowulf had forbidden her to pass Merlin, and he could tell that it grated on her. He remembered having such eagerness to explore- his had been rapidly dampened by the horrors of the caverns. 

“Did you find anything, Lovell?” His voice was hushed, not wanting to disrupt possible dwellers of the deep. 

“Yes, actually.” The gray owl chirped. “There’s a slain giant about ten minutes ahead- a good amount of weapons left behind. And… it might amuse the princess.” 

Merlin nodded but didn’t reply. The opportunity could be good to show Starflower that nothing down here was immortal, even the largest of organisms. He’d encountered quite a few slain giants in his time exploring; many Coursers enjoyed hunting them for sport, and their ivory tusks fetched a good price to the right vendors. 

“There’s some giant fall up ahead that we’ll stop at, could be a good chance to gather any extra weapons you all might need.” 

Beowulf and Tamora exchanged glances. They didn’t appreciate Merlin calling attention to their lack of heavy arms, but the tiny daggers they held paled in comparison to the gray Courser’s greatsword. 

“Oooh..!” Starflower exclaimed, practically bouncing in place. “What’s that? It sounds interesting!” Princess, her grumpy white Persian lashed her tail, apparently displeased at her ride jostling her. 

“Giant fall is the remains of when a giant is killed down here,” Tamora explained. “A lot of creatures come to feast on it, and many others find shelter in the bones. The skeleton becomes a hub for life.” She glanced at Merlin for confirmation, and he nodded his head. They were beautiful in a macabre way. 

“Woah!” Starflower broke into an impatient trot. “When will we be there?” 

“Soon, Lovell said it’s about five minutes up ahead.” 

“I’ll meet you guys there!” With an explosive clattering of hooves, Starflower galloped past her minders and into the darkness beyond. 

The trio swore, hurrying to catch up with her. By the time they reached the skeleton, Starflower was already busying herself with touching every possible inch. She had amassed a pile of shiny trinkets- gold, armor, weapons- and paraded around the room with her nose pressed to the ground, looking for any possible speck she had missed. 

“Starflower!” Beowulf bellowed, ears flat with displeasure. “What did we talk about?!” 

She shrugged, a bioluminescent mushroom dangling from her lips. “I forgot,” Her voice was muffled. “But I’m sure it was very important.” 

The trio exchanged looks, half bemused, half horrified at their ungovernable princess. Finally, Merlin shrugged. “She’ll learn one day.”