Jazzy - In the Shadows

When Virginia met her father's gaze, she was somewhat given a new sense of hope. In such a sudden exchange of expressions between the two, she knew that she could complete what she had to do - having his faith was just enough. Virginia had told her father and Wendell what had happened when Wolf died and why she had to go.

Wendell had understood, but Tony was persistent on making sure she'd be all right and had fretted over every complication he could think of. He had known about Virginia's meeting with Snow White the last time and how useful it had been, so he didn't doubt her. But of all places, the Deadly Swamp? It was the very last place he wanted her to go.

Tony and she hugged briefly, but tightly, for a few moments before breaking. "Are you sure you want to do this alone?" he asked her as they broke apart. Virginia sighed patiently. He had asked her that more than a hundred times since she'd first told them. She nodded her reply, understanding his fears. "That witch is capable of anything," he warned. In his own way, he was trying to persuade Virginia to allow someone to come with her and make sure that nothing happened in the Deadly Swamp, but deep down, he knew that she had to complete the task alone.

He had always promised himself, after Christine had left, that he wouldn't let any harm come to his little girl. By letting her take off alone he felt that he was breaking that promise somehow. Virginia nodded again; her eyes were strong and pure, showing no trace of doubtfulness in herself. He was very glad to see that.

"I can do it," Virginia said defiantly, her tone was daring anything or anyone to stop her. Tony believed it. After everything that she had accomplished for the Nine Kingdoms in the last month he had no doubt that she would be able to stop the Swamp Witch again.

"I know you can, Sweetie," he said with a small smile and kissed the top of her head. "Just be careful." He pulled her in for another long hug before letting her go.

"I will." She smile reassuringly. "I'm bringing him back," she declared. Virginia stepped backwards and headed to her own carriage that Wendell had given her to travel to the swamp. She waved lightly to him.

"I know you will," Tony said as he watched Virginia get into the carriage. With a mighty whack, the horses neighed and headed down the rocky terrain of the Troll Kingdom. When the carriage was too small in the distance for Tony to make out the figures on top, he turned back towards Wendell, who was talking with the Trolls and had been for quite some time. He approached them but found he could only catch the tail end of their conversation.

"So..." Burly began thickly. "The witch didn't kill our dad?" he asked Wendell. After finding the best way to break the news to them, Wendell had explained everything from the breakout when he was first turned into a dog all the way up to when their father died.

"No. And she's not a witch at all," Wendell said, trying to clear Virginia's name. Burly and his siblings exchanged ashamed glances before getting caught up in their own conversation. "Oh, Anthony," He turned towards Tony and led him over to the carriage. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he said with a preoccupied expression on his face. Wendell stopped and turned to face him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I would just like to know where Ann disappeared to," Tony said as he scratched his stubbly chin. "It was too strange," Tony noted, mostly to himself than to Wendell.

"I suppose so, but I do believe we have other difficulties to be dealing with," Wendell said as he got inside the carriage. Tony nodded solemnly and watched the distance where Virginia's carriage had gone.

He climbed inside the carriage and shut the door. "I know Wendell, I know."

Virginia rested her head against the red silky fabric that lined the sides of the carriage and watched the bumpy land that went by. Everything that had been happening to her didn't allow her any time to herself to just think. She sighed shakily as her emotions threatened to get the best of her, but she fought them back and concentrated on what she had to do.

She fished into her pocket and dug out the tiny vial that Snow White had given her. It was no more than three inches wide and was very thin, but it seemed to weigh a lot more. Virginia turned it over several times and studied it from various angles before placing it back in her pocket and turning her attention back to the land ahead.

Her expression became terribly crestfallen as she thought about Wolf. He was really gone. This wasn't the same thing as when she'd told him to leave and they'd been separated for a few days. This time life and death separated them. He was really gone.

She perked up a bit when she changed her thoughts over to her time with Snow White and played the entire conversation over and over in her mind to recall any useful information that she'd said. There was a way to bring him back and she knew that she would do everything to see it happen. Virginia felt an instant loathing as she thought of Ann and that dagger she had gripped tightly in her hands when she and Wolf had fought.

It was like the entire scene was played in slow motion as it happened. Virginia saw the blade coming down in the fatal swoop as Ann squirmed, about to regain her balance. She watched it happen, but didn't know how to stop it or how to save him from it. If he hadn't pushed her out of the way... Virginia suddenly became choked up as she realized that Wolf had saved her yet again.

She turned her attention to the setting sun that shone brightly off in the distance with an amber glow. As the carriage continued to creep closer and closer to the swamp, the sun set lower into the mountainous peaks that crested the hills ahead. Virginia felt her eyes falling and getting heavier, but did nothing to stop them. She caught one last glimpse of the pinkish sky and the puffy orange clouds before drifting into sleep.

Virginia woke not too pleasantly as the carriage came to a sudden halt and the door flew open in a quick burst. She snapped herself awake and stepped out of the carriage. The footman helped her down to the ground before shutting the door and resuming his post.

"This is as far as we'll go, Milady," the footman said. "You've had luck inside, but not too many others have," he said as his glance flew between Virginia and the swamp.

"Oh, I understand," Virginia said. Her gaze never once left the opening to the swamp. She could already feel a cold chill run up her spine. The sun had set and the stars were out. To Virginia's complete dismay, she realized how dark and cold it was going to be inside. Without even thinking another thought, Virginia set off inside and ignored the footman's warnings. She had heard them before and overcome them; she'd do it again. She only hoped that she'd be as successful as she made herself believe.

As soon as she crept inside the green dense forest, a blast of humid cold air rushed up to meet her and caused her to cross her arms over her chest. She looked all around her, not focusing on any one thing, but trying to steady her nerves. She stumbled a few times over rotted logs that protruded out of the ground, and lost her bearings more than once, but was traveling with high hopes.

Everything seemed so different when she traveled it backwards. The last time she had came through the back end of the swamp - everything seemed brighter and lush; now it seemed dead and rotting. She came around several pools of water and many patches of mushrooms, but they didn't call out to her or offer her eggs and swamp water.

The swamp was very dark and gloomy at night, without the occasional sun spots climbing through the heavy forest canopy; she had no light compared to the minimum she'd had before. Virginia continued to cautiously make her way through the swamp and avoid anything that looked too good to be true, knowing automatically that it would be a trap.

When Virginia rounded another bend, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared: The Swamp Witch's Cottage. She frowned and her face filled with hate and rage, wanting nothing more than to unleash her feelings at the dead hag that lived inside.

She felt an eerie sense of deja vu as she silently made her way up to the tiny house and opened the door without allowing herself to stop. She noticed that Acorn had long since left when all she found was a single candle that was sitting idly on the table.

Virginia closed the door behind her and tried to avoid any creaks in the wood floor to give herself the element of surprise. Despite her efforts, her presence was already known. As Virginia tried to calm her nerves and release the tension in her arms to open the cellar door, she heard a familiar and hated voice that seemed to sing to her from below.

"Virginia..."