Forget-Me-Not (Varian x Reader)

Chapter 33- Captain Creighton

As we watch Captain Creighton the beast hunter sloppily eat the food the castle staff had provided, we all wince in pure disgust. Creighton may be a short and stout woman, but she eats like there's no tomorrow. While she loudly chews with her mouth open, Varian mutters: "I think this is the grossest thing I've ever seen in my entire life."

Creighton opens her mouth wide and guzzles down gravy from the gravy boat as Lance speaks up. "Should we be impressed or disgusted?" When Creighton lets out a huge belch he nods. "Disgusted it is."

"Good call," I say in agreement.

"So, uh, Captain," Rapunzel begins, obviously trying to stop herself from gagging, "Why are you tracking a werewolf in Corona?"

She scoffs in reply. "Uh, because it's been terrorizing your sheep? Now, who do I gotta slug to get a glass of water around here, huh?"

Varian puts his hands on his hips. "How do you know it's a werewolf? What proof do you have?"

Creighton reaches behind her and grabs a thick baby blue book that must've been decades old and slams it onto the dining table. "It's all right here in this book." She taps the cover with her index finger. "What we are dealing with here is Maledicta Lupus, the wolf's curse. But, for you laymen, a werewolf."

Everyone audibly gasps except for Varian, who only rolls his eyes.

"The wolf's curse travels the globe in search of host bodies. It feeds on untapped rage, so its ideal host is someone who harbors deep-seated anger." She speaks as though she were telling a scary story around a campfire. "It inhabits his body and causes him to turn into a raging werewolf every full moon for the rest of his life!!" Creighton slams the book shut. "And here's where it gets interesting...the wolf has found a new home here in Corona."

"W-Who is it?" Lance nervously asks, hiding behind the table.

"'W-Who is it?'" Creighton mocks. "If I knew that you think I'd be wasting my time with you milksops? The wolf can be anybody!" She exclaims, slamming her fist on the cover of the book. "But the good news is, I'm not just tracking this thing..." She grabs her crossbow and holds it menacingly. "I'm not leaving Corona until I've destroyed it."

A small gasp escapes my lips. Destroy? I ask myself. "You can't do that!" I quickly speak up. "If you did that you'd be killing one of our subjects!"

Creighton scoffs. "And? Look kid, I don't really care. I'm just doing my job."

"Hey! Don't talk to her that way!" Varian quickly says, jumping to my defense.

Beside me, Rapunzel's brows furrow together. She takes a small breath and struts over to Creighton with a smug grin on her face. She smacks Creighton's feet off of the table and sends a cold glare her way. "Let me be clear, Captain. You will not speak to my sister like that, and you will not be destroying anything in my kingdom."

Creighton chuckles a bit. "Oh, I'm not so sure you can stop me."

Eugene notices the look on Rapunzel's face. "Oh, boy... " He mutters. "This is not going to end well.

Rapunzel grabs Creighton by the collar of her shirt and drags her out of the dining room and out of the castle. As she slams the front door, she turns around to face us.

"You don't actually think there's a werewolf on the loose, do you?" Varian skeptically asks.

"You heard the captain!!" Lance quickly says. "Of course, there's a rabid werewolf on the loose!"

Rapunzel sighs and approaches Varian. "Varian, I've seen a lot of crazy things since I left my tower. In a world where ghosts, healing flowers, mermaids, tiny leaf people, and magic moonstones exist, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to believe that werewolves are real, too. As crazy as it sounds, I'm just going to need you to trust me on this one."