"Come inside first. We'll talk there!"
Jerry led Catherine into the sitting room. The moment they stepped inside, Rogue, the Doll that had stood motionless as a statue in the corner, raised his sword. He took an aggressive stance, his sharp blade pointed straight at Catherine.
They both startled. Jerry quickly stepped in front of Catherine and waved his hands at Rogue. "Easy, Rogue. Put the sword down. She's not an enemy."
Jerry had made Rogue himself. Buried in Rogue's core was an absolute command: protect Jerry to the death and eliminate any potential threat to him.
But Rogue could not yet tell friend from foe, let alone judge what posed a real threat.
"From now on, don't attack anyone without my order! You don't have to understand it yet. Just do as I say!" Jerry took a deep breath and spoke helplessly to Rogue. Rogue did not seem to understand, but he obeyed and put away his weapon.
Jerry gestured toward Rogue, who was slowly returning to the basement, and gave Catherine an awkward smile. "You've seen that lump of metal before, in the Room of Requirement. He's a Doll I made with Alchemy. I named him Rogue. Rogue Bishop. He only gained intelligence recently, so he's not very bright yet. Your magic may have set him off, and he mistook you for an enemy."
"Bishop... a protector?" Catherine murmured, as though weighing the meaning of the name.
"It's all right, Your Eminence." Catherine smiled easily, as though the danger had been a game. "In a way, Rogue seeing me as a threat proves how strong I am. I'm happy to accept that recognition!"
Catherine knew why Jerry had paid such a high price to create the Doll. In the two years she had spent with him, she had