Samantha R. Cichella - A New Successor

“That’s pretty much what happened. If it hadn’t been for Antony, Virginia, and Wolf, my stepmother would be on the throne right now.” Wendell concluded after telling Evelyn the whole story of their previous adventure. Evelyn had heard bits and pieces of it while traveling but she never heard the whole story before. Of course Wendell hadn’t been able to tell all of the story, after all, he wasn’t around for some of it. “You’ll have to ask Virginia or someone to tell you the rest of it, the parts that I wasn’t there for.”

“Wow, you all went through so much. No wonder you’re so close.”

“Yes well, we weren’t close at the time. Antony was the only one who could understand me, and he was constantly at odds with Virginia. None of us really trusted Wolf all that much in the beginning either.” Wendell thought it was a wonder they were close at all now. Evelyn nodded and Wendell continued, “But now I couldn’t be happier. Antony has become a very close friend and almost like a father to me. Virginia is my sister and I care for her greatly. Wolf is also now my good friend. He is sort of eccentric and can be annoying sometimes…but he means well.”

They glanced back and saw that Wolf and Tony were still talking about something and Wolf had his arms wrapped around a sleeping Virginia. She had fallen asleep listening to her father talk about his trips around the kingdoms. Wolf had listened intently, asking questions about Cinderella mostly, as she was the only remaining of the Five Women Who Changed History. Wolf had gotten really angry when Tony told him what happened in the Second Kingdom. Tony hadn’t wanted to tell Wolf but figured that he had a right to know. Tony didn’t know that Wolf was related to Red the Third and told Wolf that Wendell thought she blamed him because he was a wolf. Wolf nodded and didn’t say anything. That was definitely part of it, but not all. Wolf knew that Red would never willingly admit her relation to Wolf and that was fine with him! He had debated whether or not to tell Tony and had decided he would wait a little while longer, even though that had been the perfect opportunity. Wolf had been surprised to hear Tony had shouted at a queen, especially to defend him! Wolf knew that Tony could be a bit of a hot head, but was grateful all the same.

Now they were talking about everything that Virginia and Wolf had done once back in New York. Virginia had fallen asleep by then, so Wolf told Tony all about how they visited the Statue of Liberty one day, the bookstore another (Wolf had been very excited about all the varieties of books) and just touring the rest of Manhattan. Tony chuckled when Wolf told him about the Murrays.

“They came back every morning to see if you had come back yet. Murray bought all of our food and anything else we needed and pretty much did whatever we said. He was sort of reluctant to listen to me, but when Virginia told him that we were getting married he offered to kiss my butt.” Wolf shuddered at the memory and Tony laughed.

“Well Murray deserves it. After all he and his family put us through, I don’t feel sorry for him one bit. But I’m not eager to get back there, even to watch him grovel at my butt.”

“So you’re gonna stay here, Tone?” Wolf asked.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m not all that eager to go back to being a janitor, and get back to a place where the people there don’t even know I exist. I like it here, except for the ‘having to save the kingdoms’ bit that I can’t seem to escape.” They smiled and Tony asked, “What about you two? Are you going back to New York when this is over?” Tony looked and saw indecision written all over Wolf’s face. Virginia woke up but kept her eyes closed. She had heard her father’s question and wanted to hear Wolf’s answer.

“Whatever Virginia wants. I’ll follow her anywhere; I just want to make sure she’s happy.” Virginia’s heart almost broke. Wolf was so sweet. He was willing to stay in New York for her, even if he didn’t want to. She was just about to say something when her father spoke.

“And what about you?”

“The Tenth Kingdom is great, but Huff Puff! There’s no room to run around and the only trees are in Central Park. There’s something wrong with the air too, it stinks. But I can walk around and no one would pay attention to me long enough to see I’m a wolf. So in a way, I’m safer there then in the kingdoms.”

Wendell had been listening to their conversation and when he heard this, he dropped his horse back next to Wolf’s and Virginia’s horse.

“Wolf, you’re safe in the Fourth Kingdom now, at least. You and wolves in general. You earned them a pardon, they are no longer killed for no reason and they get fair trials. There’s still prejudice, but the pardon is a start.”

Wolf looked at Wendell gratefully. “Cripes, you’re right. Thanks Wendell.”

“Besides, there are other kingdoms where the kings or queens are also very grateful that you saved their lives. I’m sure you would be welcome in their kingdoms as well. But if you and Virginia wish to stay here in the kingdoms, you’re welcome to live in the palace, or I could give you a large piece of land for your own house.”

“Thank you Wendell, that’s very nice. But it depends on what Virginia wants,” Wolf stated fondly and kept his arms wrapped around her firmly. Virginia opened her eyes and turned around to look at Wolf.

“I want you to be happy too.”

“But Virginia-”

“No, you’ve done so much for me already. It wouldn’t be fair to keep you cooped up in the city when your heart is in the kingdoms-”

“Oh, but Virginia, my heart is with you, wherever you’re at.” Virginia smiled and leaned into kiss him gently. She couldn’t believe that this handsome, sweet guy loved her. She didn’t think she deserved it.

“Wolf, thank you, but I know that you want to stay here in the kingdoms, and the truth is, so do I.” Wolf looked at her surprised and a little disbelieving. Virginia saw the look and smiled. “It’s true, when we got back to New York, after awhile I realized that it wasn’t home anymore. I’ve changed so much over these last few months and I realized that I don’t want to be invisible anymore.” Wolf smiled and she continued. “After a few weeks, I found that I missed the Nine Kingdoms. I think we should stay here. Besides, New York is no place to raise a baby, especially a wolf cub.”

“Are you sure that’s what you really want? Because we can go back to Manhattan if you want. And what about your grandmother? Won’t you miss her?” Virginia frowned. She hadn’t thought of that.

“We can still go visit her every now and then. It’s just through the mirror; we can go and stay in the city for a few days whenever we feel like it. Murray and his family will keep the apartment kept up, so we’ll have a place to stay.”

Wolf smiled happily and they hugged. Wendell waited until they were done before asking: “So will you be staying at the castle? Or would you like me to find you a different place to stay?”

Wolf and Virginia looked at each other. Personally, Virginia preferred the castle, but she knew that Wolf would want some privacy and room to run around. Although, there were the woods just outside of Wendell’s castle.

“We’re not sure right now. We’ll talk about it and let you know,” Virginia said and Wendell nodded.

While they were talking, Evelyn had kept her horse in front of the others. She didn’t want it to seem like she was imposing. She figured it was a personal conversation. She thought about what she would do when this was over, and she didn’t have any clue.

She had come with them for a few different reasons. One of them was that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She had been wandering around for a few months now and hadn’t found a place where she felt she belonged. Another reason was that she enjoyed being around King Wendell. He was handsome, polite, and very nice to her. She knew that he liked her too; she had seen the way he looked at her and he the way he acted. But she knew that they could never be together. He was a king after all. Weren’t kings and princes supposed to marry princesses from other kingdoms? To strengthen their throne? She was just a commoner. Besides, she wouldn’t make a good queen. She didn’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom.

The last reason she had stayed was kind of silly. Evelyn had seen the way they all stuck together as a family, and she sort of wished she could be a part of it. She knew that she was just being silly, but she couldn’t help it. She had never been all that close to her family, but she loved them very much. She had only had a few boyfriends before, but they'd never lasted very long because she was always so busy either running errands to different villages or working in the orchards.

Wendell and Virginia noticed Evelyn riding alone and they nudged Wolf and Tony. The four of them took the three horses up next to hers so she wouldn’t feel left out.

They rode on for a while longer, stopping very little. It was nearing nighttime when they came to a sign just off the side of the road. It had arrows pointing off in different directions. One pointed to Kissing Town, another to Wendell’s castle; Castle White, one to the Third Kingdom and Bean Town, and the last pointing straight to the Ninth Kingdom.

“If I remember correctly, there’s a small village a few miles from here. We could make it there in about an hour and we can stay there for the night.” Wendell looked around and everyone seemed to agree. Especially Tony, who’s face lit up quickly.

They continued on, now at a faster pace. They were all excited about getting to sleep in beds instead of sleeping on the hard ground. They were all looking forward to a nice warm meal that consisted of more than bacon sandwiches and fruit as well. It was dark when they finally caught sight of the village. There were dim glows of candles from windows that lined the roads. The village didn’t look all that large, a few houses, a store, an inn, a bakery, and a few other buildings. The five of them took their horses down the hill and into the village towards the inn.

“Dad! Look at that!” Virginia pointed up to the sign at the top of the inn. Tony followed her gaze and shook his head. “Do you think that’s…”

“Honey, in this place, nothing surprises me anymore.” The sign to the inn was labeled the Golden Goose. Wolf, Wendell and Evelyn all looked up as well.

“Huff Puff! This must be the village where Dummling came from. After he married the king’s daughter, his family and village decided to be proud of him so they re-did their whole village to support him. Although, he still didn’t grant them any favors since they hadn’t really done anything for him before he married. They were just trying to use him.” Wolf looked around at the village as people walked towards their homes.

“How come there were so many kings and queens in this place? Aren’t there only nine kingdoms? It seems like almost all of Grimm’s Fairy Tales had a king or a queen in it.” Virginia looked at Wolf and then Wendell. She knew that at least one of them would know.

“Oh, that’s because a lot of these events happened before the kingdoms were formed. Back then, there were a lot of kings and queens that ruled small pieces of land, about ten to twenty villages. Whenever someone would get wealthy enough, they would buy lots of land and their relatives or friends would build villages around. The wealthy people would then consider themselves the king and queen. It was very common back then,” Wendell finished and they continued to the inn.

They came across a young man that wasn’t more than seventeen years old. Wendell asked him if there were any stables to keep the horses for the night and the boy told them yes and then where to find them. After the horses were in the stables, Wendell, Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and Evelyn walked back to the Golden Goose. The innkeeper was all to happy about having the king of the Fourth Kingdom staying at his inn and offered Wendell the best rooms in the whole village.

“If this is the best they got, I’d hate to see what the worst is,” Tony muttered and Virginia glared at him.

“Dad! Can you at least try and be polite?” Tony mumbled something again but Virginia ignored him. Once they all had their things in their rooms, they all headed down to the dinning hall. They all sat down and looked at the small menu. The menu didn’t consist of a whole lot, there was chicken, steak, soup, salads, and potatoes. There were only a few things to choose from to drink; water, milk, beer, and apple cider. Tony was excited about the beer; it had been about a week since his last, probably more. They were all ready when the innkeeper’s daughter came to take their orders.

“Yes, I’ll have chicken with some apple cider please,” Wendell ordered.

“I’ll have steak, potatoes and a beer. Actually, better make it two beers.” Tony smiled and his mouth watered just thinking about the upcoming food.

“Umm, I think I’ll have chicken and a glass of water please,” Evelyn said hesitantly. She didn’t want to spend too much money, even if Wendell had a lot of it.

“I’ll have two steaks and six glasses of warm milk, please, miss.” Wolf was almost hopping out of his seat. He could already taste that steak.

Virginia smiled and then placed her order. “A salad with apple cider.”

The innkeeper’s daughter was just about to leave when Wolf stopped her. “Wait a minute. Virginia, you have to eat more than just a salad. You need your protein, and so does the cub.” Wolf turned back to the young lady. “She’ll have chicken with it also.”

“Wolf-”

“As much as I hate to admit it, Wolf’s right Virginia, you’re pregnant now, you should eat a little bit more than that. At least try and eat some of the chicken. I’m sure Wolf could eat whatever you don’t.” Virginia looked between Wolf and her father and sighed. There was going to be no winning this one. She was going to have a few extra pounds on her after the baby came with Wolf managing her food.

Their food came not ten minutes later and they all ate merrily. Virginia finished most of her salad and more than half of her chicken. Wolf ate both steaks and drank all of his milk and even managed to finish the rest of Virginia’s chicken. Evelyn watched amazed.

“How are you able to eat all that and end up being so fit?” She asked Wolf.

“I don’t really know. I suppose it has something to do with me being half wolf, greater metabolism.” Wolf shrugged and put his arm around Virginia. Virginia smiled contently and leaned back tired. Tony had eaten all of his food as well and drank both beers and was still not affected by the alcohol. Obviously his body had grown used to the drinking and could handle a lot more. Wendell paid for the meal and tipped the girl and they all headed to the other end of the building where the rooms were. Wendell had the biggest room, which wasn’t all that much bigger, and Tony’s room was right next to his. Wolf and Virginia’s room was next (Tony wanted them in separate rooms since they weren’t married yet, but Wolf wouldn’t let him and Wendell said something like “a bit to late for that now”) and Evelyn’s room was last. They were all asleep fairly quick.

Jessica stood in front of her mirrors, her face twisted with rage. Her mirrors were being blocked. Snow White was interfering again. The last few days she had asked her mirror to show her Wendell and Virginia and it wasn’t able to. She was hardly able to refrain herself from smashing it right then.

They’re planning something. Snow White hadn’t bother hiding them before, and now all the sudden she’d decided to help. They must know about her already. This was proving all the more difficult with each passing day. She had figured her mother was just merely weak and that was why she couldn’t defeat them, but she was obviously a little mistaken. Jessica still figured herself to be stronger than her mother and Wendell and Virginia; she would just have to work a little harder.

Just then a servant entered her room. “My lady, the bounty hunters are here.” Jessica smiled.

“I’ll be right out.” The servant turned and left. Jessica straightened her dress before following.

Jessica walked out into the main hall where the entrance was. There stood three tough looking men. They were all over six and a half feet tall and very buff. They each had an assortment of weapons hanging from their sides and backs. They had knives, crossbows, and even axes. She smiled. There was no way they would escape her now. The three bounty hunters bowed when they saw her. When they were standing up again, she started. “Wendell, the girl and the others are somewhere near Little Lamb Village. I haven’t been able to find where they are at now, so you must track them from there. I want you to kill the wolf and the klutz. I want Wendell and Virginia alive. Is that understood?”

“Yes Milady. They are as good as dead. No one can escape us.”

“For your sake, you better be right. I also want you to keep in contact with me. I want to know the instant that they’re dead. Here, take this mirror and call me on it to update.” She handed one of them a small oval shaped mirror. The bounty hunter took it and carefully wrapped it in his belt. “Now get going, they might be at the castle already. If they are, take caution.” Jessica’s voice was filled with venom and none of the bounty hunters dared to raise their eyes up to hers. They bowed again and left.

Jessica stood watching them as they mounted their horses and galloped away. She smiled again. There was no way she would fail now. Without her father and her wolf, Virginia will be nothing. Jessica was not overly concerned with Wendell. She was more worried about Virginia. The girl had Snow White’s help, had defeated their mother, and saved the kingdoms. She was apparently very strong and Jessica would not make the mistake of underestimating her. Wendell had proven to be a bit more intelligent then her mother had anticipated. Christine had thought he was nothing more than a selfish, stuck up prince. But he had more brains than he'd let on.

Jessica walked back to her room and sat down on her chair in the middle of her mirrors. Jessica thought back to her childhood. She had been born just before her mother left to become Wendell’s new nursemaid. Jessica’s father had been a mere baker. Christine, at the time, was still being trained by the Swamp Witch, and had run into him on a trip to town. Christine hadn’t had any money and so she slept with him so she was able to get the food and other supplies she needed. But Christine soon became pregnant and after Jessica was born, Christine took her back to her father who raised her until she was seven. That was when Christine became queen. She didn’t want anyone knowing about her mistake so she sent her Huntsman to kill Jessica and her father. Jessica had been in the basement at the time, so when she heard her father get shot with an arrow, she stayed silent and hid under the steps. The Huntsman never found her and when Christine found out he was told to forget her, that Jessica would die on her own anyway. So Jessica had spent the next nine years stealing bread and sleeping in barns. When Christine died, the Swamp Witch found Jessica. Jessica was more than willing to help with the revenge, so the Swamp Witch hardly had hardly done anything. Jessica was acting on her own free will. She could care less what happened to anyone except herself. She would fulfill the Swamp Witch’s revenge, and then she would rule the Fourth Kingdom. In time, she would have the rest of them as well. Then people would really know what it was like to suffer.

A servant brought in Jessica’s dinner and she sat quietly, thinking about her future reign as queen of the kingdoms.

Wendell and Virginia thanked the innkeeper and his family and then joined the others at the stables. It was a bright morning and they were all relatively cheerful. They had all had a good nights rest, a filling breakfast, and it was a beautiful day to continue their journey. According to Wendell, they would be getting to Dragon Mountain by mid afternoon. So they were looking forward to a short trip.

The five of them traveled on, pushing their horses a little faster this time. There were a few light conversations periodically but everyone was mainly just enjoying the beautiful day and scenery. It was about two in the afternoon when Wendell, who was riding in front with Evelyn, stopped his horse. Wolf, Virginia and Tony took their horses right up next to his to see why he stopped.

“There it is,” Wendell looked straight ahead and the others followed his gaze. “Dragon Mountain.” They all looked up at the massive mountain and Wolf could just barely see the dragon skull at the top.

“I don’t suppose that there’s a easier way of getting in there? Instead of climbing?” Tony asked hopefully, already dreading the long hike up to the top. He had climbed up there before and it was a long hike. It hadn’t helped anything that he had had bad luck at the time either though. Wendell shook his head.

“Sorry, Antony, but the only way I know of is up there. Perhaps Wolf…do you happen to know another way?” Wolf also shook his head.

“Nope. The only time I’ve been here was when I followed your trail. At the time I wasn’t really paying attention to any of my surroundings, just the scent.” Wolf looked at them apologetically as if he was to blame for everything. Tony saw the look but didn’t say anything. A part of him really was blaming him, even though he knew Wolf hadn’t done anything. Tony just didn’t want to climb all the way back up there again.

Wendell led them to the right a way and everyone curiously followed. They didn’t know where Wendell was going. He was taking them almost away from the mountain. Finally Tony asked, “Wendell? The mountain is that way. Why are we going this way?” Tony spoke slowly in case Wendell was starting to lose it. Wendell noticed the tone and glared at him.

“Antony, please. Don’t you think I know where I’m going? There is a little cottage this way that belongs to a dwarf woman. She can watch our horses for us and maybe she’ll know an easier way of getting in.” Wendell put on his proud stuck up face to emphasize the fact that he knew everything. He couldn’t hold it very long however. He soon started laughing. “I don’t know how I was able to do that for all those years.”

After a few more minutes, they reached a small cottage that wasn’t more than seven feet tall. Wendell had to bend down to knock on the door. A minute later, a short woman opened the door. She looked up and when seeing who was there, she smiled. “King Wendell, about time you visit me. The last time I saw you, you were as tall as me.” Wendell smiled and bent down to hug her.

“How are you Sophia? I missed you on my last trip here, but I daresay you wouldn’t have recognized me.”

Sophia laughed. “Yes, I heard about your little adventure. Now who our these others?” She turned to face everyone else and Wendell introduced them.

“Sophia, these are my good friends Antony, Virginia and Wolf. They were the ones who saved the Nine Kingdoms.” Sophia stared in awe at them.

“These are the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms? It’s a pleasure meeting you all. Please, please come in.” She saw Evelyn and asked Wendell. “Who’s this young lady then?”

“This is Evelyn. She’s traveling with us. We rescued her a few days back from a bear.”

“Oh, I see, well do come in. You’ll have to tell me what you’ve been up to.” Sophia took Wendell by the hand and pulled him in. Virginia and Wolf followed, ducking to get through the door. On the inside, they were able to stand up again but just barely. Wolf’s head was an inch from the top. Tony ducked into the cottage and when he went to stand up he hit his head and almost fell right back down again. He muttered a few choice curse words before following the others. Evelyn came in last and shut the door. She was able to stand up straight without hitting her head as well. Sophia sat them around a table while she hurried off to the kitchen to make a pot of tea.

“She seems like a very kind woman,” Virginia noted as she looked around at the inside of the cottage. It was very cozy. There was a fireplace a few feet away, surrounded by chairs and couches. There was a little hallway that led to a bedroom, and then there was the kitchen that was right next to the room they were all seated at.

“Oh she is. I used to come to Dragon Mountain every now and then with my father and we would always stop and visit with Sophia. She was always very fond of me and I enjoyed visiting her. It’s been awhile since I was last here though.” Wendell looked to the kitchen regretfully. He really should have come and visited her more often.

Sophia came back a few minutes later with the pot of tea and a bunch of cups. She poured them each a cup and then disappeared into the kitchen again, only to arrive a minute later with little cookies. “Baked these this morning, I did. Didn’t know I was having company or else I would have made some more. But these will have to do.” They each took one and took a bite.

“Umm, this is really good.” Virginia said before eating the rest of it. Wolf nodded and took another one. “Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome dear. So you must be the Lady Virginia. I’ve heard a lot of impressive things about you my dear. Some say that you could be the Sixth Women Who Changed History.” Sophia nodded proudly and Virginia almost choked on her tea.

“S-Sixth…Oh, I don’t think so. I haven’t done anything that was that magnificent.”

“You’re too modest. Either that or you’re too blind. Snow White picked you, she did. She saw something in you that you can’t find in most others. You saved the Nine Kingdoms and become a role model for a lot of young girls out there, you know. You’re also pretty enough to be one of the Great Women.”

Virginia blushed. Wolf proudly wrapped his arm around her. “She’s right Virginia. You’re definitely the most beautiful girl in all the ten kingdoms. You’re also kind and you care about everyone, even if they don’t deserve it.”

Tony smiled proudly. Over the last two months, he had heard a lot of great things about his daughter. There wasn’t a person who didn’t speak highly of her and most of them hadn’t even met her. He had never been so proud of his baby girl.

“Yep, you just wait and see.” Then Sophia turned to Wendell. “Now, tell me what you’re doing way over here.” She took a sip of her tea and leaned back in her chair as Wendell began to tell Sophia everything that had happened in the last week or so. When he was done, Sophia shook her head. “Why is it that you always seem to end up in trouble Wendell? Well, I think you should definitely ask Gustav. He can tell you almost everything you need to know. All of you need to be careful though. If Snow White says that this will be hard on you, it will. Do as she says and stick together. You best be getting on your way. Now I’ll tell you something, but I don’t want you to tell another soul, understood?” They all nodded and she leaned into whisper as if there was someone outside listening. “There is another way to getting into the mountain. Only us dwarves know about it and it hasn’t been told to anyone else except for Snow White herself. If you go back to the road that you came from, keep going straight until you’ve reached the mountain. As soon as you get to the base, go to the left and follow that trail for a mile or so. Eventually, you’ll come up to a boulder against the side of the mountain. If you look close enough, you’ll see an outline of a dragon. Press it’s right eye and the boulder should move aside long enough for you to get inside. Take a torch with you, because it will be dark in there. It’s a tunnel that if you follow it, it will take you straight to the main room where the dwarves mine. Try your best not to let them see where you came from. Just say you came from the top if they ask, but if they see you come out of there, tell them Sophia told you. I’ll watch the horses for you. So you best get on your way. I won’t expect you back until tomorrow at the earliest because I’m sure they’ll want to greet you as well.”

“Thank you so much Sophia. You’ve been a great help. I’ll be sure to come back and visit you again sooner this time.” Wendell got up and hugged the dwarf and made his way to the door. The others followed and thanked Sophia as well. Tony was just about to duck outside when Sophia stopped him.

“You’re not still suffering from bad luck are you? The dwarves weren’t too happy about loosing a hundred of their mirrors. I don’t think they’ll care if you’re one of the Four who Saved the Nine Kingdoms or not, if you break anymore I think they’ll have your head.” Tony gulped and put his hand on his neck. He turned to Virginia who was just about to exit the cottage.

“You know what? I think I’ll stay here if that’s okay with Sophia. I don’t want to cause any more trouble.”

“Oh come on Tone…” Wolf started but then he thought about how Tony seemed to screw up almost everything he did. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. See you tomorrow Tone.” Wolf grinned and went outside to help Wendell and Evelyn take the horses to the side of the cottage. Virginia looked at her dad with an amused smile.

“You sure Dad?”

“Yeah, maybe I can help Sophia with a few things around here.” Tony smiled and hugged Virginia. “Be careful and hurry back.” Virginia stepped outside and Tony and Sophia followed. They watched as Wendell, Evelyn, Wolf and Virginia made their way back to the road.