The only sound was the rhythmic clop-clop of Shining Glory's horse pulling the cart as they traveled.
Strongheart was lost in thought.
Finally they reached the inn and Shining Glory pulled up in front fo it. "Would you like to come in or wait?"
Strongheart stood and jumped down from the cart in answer.

Once inside the inn, the innkeeper hurried over to the wizard and greeted him.
"I want to thank you for taking care of that dog for me."
"Anything for you Shining Glory," the innkeeper responded
" I'll take him home with me now," Shining Glory said.
"Very well," the innkeeper said, "Follow me"

The innkeeper led Shining Glory and Strongheart to a back room where the dog was sleeping, warm, fed and content.
The innkeeper whistled softly and the dog opened his eyes.
"Come here boy," the man said gently.
The dog crept over and sniffed at his hand.
"Good boy," the innkeeper said.
The dog nuzzled against his hand and then went over to Shining Glory. He remembered the wizard had fed him too.
Strongheart stepped forward slowly.
The other dog sniffed at him, and then wagged his tail and yipped happily when he recognized Strongheart.
"Hey boy," Strongheart yipped back.
He nuzzled against the Prince. The stray had missed his friend.
"I missed you too," Strongheart chuckled.

"Are we ready to go?" the Wizard asked.
Strongheart yapped a "Yes."
The other dog let out a questioning whine. They had just come back and now they were leaving again?
"You're coming with us," the prince tried to explain, "Come with me."
The dog nuzzled at Strongheart trustingly and followed him out to the waiting cart.
"We're going to a good place," Strongheart continued, "You'll be fed every day... no more going with out."
His ears perked up and his tail wagged. That was good enough for him. He gathered himself and jumped into the cart next to the prince.

As they traveled, Strongheart's dog paced nervously. He had never been a moving cart before and wasn't entirely sure he liked it. But once the Prince laid down next to him, he was able to close his eyes and relax.
The dog whined softly when they left all of the sights and smells that he recognized.
"Don't worry boy," Strongheart nuzzled him gently, "We'll be there soon."
"It shall be another two hours or so," Shining Glory broke in without looking back at the two, "How are things going?"
"We're fine Shining Glory," Strongheart answered.
"Good," the Wizard smiled and clucked to the horses.

As morning passed onto afternoon, a castle came into view.
Strongheart looked up at it, curious.
"That is where the princess and her court live," the Wizard explained.
"Princess?" Strongheart perked up.
"Yes," Shining Glory said, "Your neighbors to the west are ruled by a princess."
"I didn't know that...." His blue eyes stayed fixed on the castle until it was out of sight.
"I go to the castle often," Shining Glory said in a conversational tone, "I know the princess well."
"May I go with you on your next visit?" he asked
"You may if you like."
Strongheart's tail wagged. He may be a dog now, but soon he would be human again and he wanted to meet this princess.
"First we are going to my home though," Shining Glory said.
"Alright," Strongheart settled down again, still straining for a glimpse of the castle.

After another half an hour Shining Glory told him to look forward.
The Prince obeyed and saw a small castle on the horizon.
"That is my home."
Strongheart wagged his tail in approval, "It's nice."
"Thank you."

The other dog looked to the Prince questioningly.
"Nearly home," he indicated the castle with his nose, "Where he lives," he indicated Shining Glory.
The dog peered up at the building curiously.

"Shining Glory?" Strongheart asked, "Where will he live?"
"With us," Shining Glory answered.
Strongheart's tail wagged slightly. He knew the wizard was good.

The cart came into the yard and came to a stop in front of the doors.
A woman hurried out "Shining Glory!" she called in a tone that had somewhat of a scold in it, "You were due back yesterday!"
"I'm sorry," he replied good-naturedly, "But I ran into a bit of trouble." He indicated the two dogs.
She looked at the two thin, tired looking dogs and her eyes widened.
Strongheart barked a hello and wagged his tail.

"Come inside! Come inside!" she urged.
"Come on," Strongheart encouraged the other dog before hopping down and following her into the castle.
The Prince looked around, but before he could do anything the woman was hurrying over with two bowls of food.
Strongheart blinked in surprise, but the other dog knew what to do. He went at the food with a will.
The prince watched his friend for a moment and then smiled. He was glad the other dog was eating. He needed it. Strongheart sniffed at his own food and was delighted to find that it wasn't *real* dog food at all. He went at it hungrily.

While the dogs ate, Shining Glory updated the woman on what had happened. Marie - for that was her name listened with wide eyes.
Once Strongheart had finished he nudged his bowl over to the other dog to let him finish it, and then rejoined Shining Glory.
"Well," Marie regarded him, "You'll need a room."
He nodded slowly.
She looked thoughtful for a moment and then hurried off up the stairs, all the while scolding Shining Glory for bringing guests home without warning her first.

Strongheart chuckled slightly.
"Do not incur the wrath of Marie," Shining Glory teased Strongheart.
"Well she does have a point," the prince responded.
"I heard that!" Marie yelled down the stairs.
This set wizard and prince off on another round of laughter.

The other dog finished eating and padded over to the fireplace, finding a warm spot to lie down.
"I'm glad he's settling in," Strongheart said softly.
"He'll have a home here," Shining Glory promised.

Marie came hurrying back down the stairs. "It isn't much," she said to Strongheart, "But it's ready. Come with me and I'll show you."
He nodded and followed her up the stairs to his room.
"It isn't much," she said again as she opened the door, "but it's the best I could do on short notice."
"It will work," he said with wag of his tail.
She led him into a comfortably furnished bedroom. "I wasn't quite sure what you'd prefer," she said indicating the normal sized bed, as well as a small bed by the fire place, "So I thought I would set it up for both."
He had to chuckle slightly at that.
"There's a bathroom through there," she pointed, "And I had all of your things brought up and put away," she pointed to a wardrobe. "There's a bell pull next to the fire place. Just ring it if you need anything."
He nodded.

"And now..." she turned to him, "Just how do you want to manage this? I don't want to catch you off guard."
"Just make noise," he yapped.
"I'm sorry lad, I'm not like Shining Glory," Marie said apologetically, "I don't know what you're saying"
He huffed softly at that. That would make things inconvenient.
"We'll have to work out a way to communicate," she said. Marie looked around the room, and then opened the wardrobe, revealing a full length mirror.
Strongheart's tail wagged when he saw it and he rushed over, standing in front of it. His human form gazed at Marie with a grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.
"Ah so that's what you look like," she said with a smile, "So, did you have an idea what you want me to do?"
"Make noise," he said again.
Marie watched his mouth carefully and then let out a pleasant laugh. "Easy enough," she said, "I'll ask you to call out when you're ready for me."
He nodded.
"Apart from Shining Glory, I'm the only one likely to come up here," she said, "So you won't have to worry about that." Marie winked, "I'll make sure you hear me coming."
Strongheart wagged his tail in approval.
"Anything else?"
He thought a moment before shaking his head.
"Then I'll let you get settled," she left the room and shut the door.

As soon as he could, Strongheart shifted. It burned of course, but somehow, knowing that Shining Glory was going to find a way to counteract the fire didn't make it feel as bad.
Once he recovered he set about exploring the room. Despite what Marie had said, the room was very nice - almost as nice as his bedroom in his castle.
He smiled and flopped down on the bed, testing it. Yes. He decided, he would like staying here.

Meanwhile, after making sure that Shining Glory was taken care of, Marie made her way back into the main room. She smiled when she saw the dog curled up next to the fire place.
He caught her scent and his eyes opened. He watched her sit down and tilted his head.
"Hello there," she greeted him.
He gave a questioning whimper. He wanted to stay in this warm spot.
"It's alright," she told him in a gentle tone, "If you like it there, you may stay there."
Responding to the kindness in her voice he wagged his tail slowly, creeping closer to her. Marie held out her hand for him to sniff.
"Good boy," she said, patting him gently on the head. He leaned into her touch as she continued to pet him.
"You are a good boy," she told him, "And a lucky one." She scratched him behind the ears.
He sat up, leaning into it even more. That felt so good.
"You like that?" she asked him.
He yipped, wagging his tail even harder.

"Hmm," she looked him over, "I wonder what you look like under all that dirt..."
He tilted his head, making a questioning tone.
"I think you should have a bath," she decided, getting up. She snapped her fingers and held out her hand. With a soft 'pop' a dog treat fell out of mid air to land in her hand. "Come on boy," she coaxed, holding it out to him.
He followed after her, following the treat.

Once they reached the bathroom, she let him have the treat, petting him and calling him a good boy.
She filled a tub with water and then called him over. "Come on in," she patted the surface of the water.
He put his paws up on the edge of the tub.
"Into the water now," she coaxed.
He climbed in trustingly. The water was pleasantly warm, and he paddled around in it, enjoying himself.
Marie let him play for a few minutes before she picked up a sponge and started to scrub his fur. His tail wagged at that. It was just like being pet.
Marie sudsed him up and then rinsed off his fur. "There you are," she helped him out of the tub. As soon as his paws hit the ground, he shook out his heavy wet fur.
She laughed and held up a hand to shield her face.
He stopped shaking and looked up at her as she laughed.
"Good boy," she said, getting a towel and starting to dry him off.
He squirmed playfully, leaning into her touch.
Marie concentrated on pulling all of the water out of his fur until he was dry. "Now," she took the towel off, "Let's see what color you are."
When he was clean, the dog was a beautiful Labrador gold.
"You're beautiful," she told him.
He barked and danced around happily. He liked this clean feeling. He padded over to Marie and nuzzled her.
"I think I like you," she told him with a smile.
He yipped in agreement. He definitely liked her.

Marie looked around the bathroom. With a gesture, all of the water that he had scattered flew back into the tub, leaving behind a sparkling clean room.
The dog tilted his head and stared at her, as if to ask if she had done that.
"I could have done that to you too," she told him, "but I didn't think you'd like it."
He huffed and shook his head.
She leaned down and petted him, "I didn't think so." She scritched him behind the ears, "I shan't use magic on you."
He wagged his tail, leaning more into her touch.
"Would you like to stay with me?" she asked, "This can be your home now."
The dog yipped happily as his tail whipped back and forth.
Marie laughed, "Alright then."

He followed Marie around for the rest of the afternoon, sticking close, but staying out of her way.
When she finished her work for the day, he lay next to her in front of the fireplace, closing his eyes contentedly. Life was perfect now.

The wizard made his way to the young prince's room.
Strongheart lay on his bed, running his fingers over the collar his mother had given him.
"You'll see them again soon," Shining Glory said from the doorway.
He looked up at the voice, "I know.... but I can't help thinking about them..."
"You can write to them," he told him, "I'll make sure the letters get mailed."
"Thank you..." The Prince put the collar down on the bedside table and rose to his feet.

"I would like you to come with me to my work room," Shining Glory said, "I want to do something about the pain."
His heart rose at that. "Should I shift to a dog first?"
"No, not yet," he said, "There's no one to see you but me."

Strongheart followed Shining Glory up a flight of stairs into a sunlit room. He cringed inwardly at the sight of the work room. In some ways, it was similar to the other one... As nice as the man was, he *was* still a wizard...
"Do you see that circle on the floor there?" he pointed, "Stand in the center of it."
Strongheart obeyed, pushing all bad thoughts out of his mind. Shining Glory was a good wizard, and he trusted him.
"Please transform. I want to see how it works exactly."
Strongheart nodded and, bracing against the fire, shifted forms back to a dog.
"I see...." Shining Glory said thoughtfully, "You don't have to stay in the circle, but stay in that form for now please."
Strongheart nodded and carefully stepped out of the circle.

Shining Glory went over to a neat desk and pulled up a chair. "This may take a while."
"Alright," the Prince chose a spot where he could still watch the wizard, and lay down.

After a few minutes Shining Glory started to glow with a faint light. It pooled down into his hands, and onto something on the desk that Strongheart couldn't quite see.
"There," Shining Glory said softly, "Come here." vStrongheart padded over to him.
The Wizard felt around on the table until he found what he was looking for.
Strongheart pawed at his robe, "Shining Glory?"
"I just need to rest a moment," the wizard responded, setting his free hand on the prince's head. With his other hand he dangled a small pendant on a chain. "As long as you wear this, it should counter the pain."
Strongheart stuck his head through the chain, shaking it into place. Then he backed away to test it out.
There was warmth with the transformation, but... no burning.
He laughed, "it worked!"
"Good," the wizard gave a weak smile, "the curse itself will take longer to break"
"I didn't expect it to be right away," Strongheart agreed, "but this will make it much easier to bear."

The Wizard just nodded tiredly.
"Are you alright?" Strongheart near-whispered.
"Just a little tired."
Strongheart bit his lip, "Is there anything I can do?"
"I could use something to drink," he pointed in the general direction of the fireplace, where there was a tea service waiting.
Strongheart hurried over and poured Shining Glory a cup, giving it to the wizard.
"I"ll tell you something," Shining Glory said after a few sips of his tea, "I cannot see."
Strongheart blinked as he found a place to sit down.
"The only reason I can 'see' is because of my magic," he said, "And... I have used it all."
Strongheart felt a bit guilty. It had taken the wizard that much effort to help him?
"I'll be fine," he continued, "I just need to rest a bit."
He nodded automatically.

"But Strongheart, you felt no pain?"
"None at all," the prince replied.
"Good," Shining Glory smiled
"Thank you again...." Strongheart stroked the pendant gently.
"But don't tell Marie," Shining Glory said quickly, "She would scold me for traveling all day, and then working magic at night."
Strongheart held back a chuckle, "You have my word - I won't tell her."
The Wizard reached out for Strongheart's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Tomorrow we will visit the palace."
Strongheart grinned at that. He was looking forward to meeting this Princess....

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