Samantha R. Cichella - A New Successor

Virginia woke up first the next day. It was already late in the morning, around ten o’clock. The ball had started to get over at one that morning and Wolf and Virginia had not gotten to bed until after two. She looked over to see Wolf still fast asleep. Virginia smiled as she thought of the night before. After her and Wolf had talked about having faith in each other, they had become a lot closer and had an even better time dancing until it felt as though their feet were going to fall off.

Wolf snuggled up closer to her and buried his face in her hair, still sleeping soundly. Virginia shook her head and just snuggled closer up to him and fell right back asleep after watching him for a minute.

Wendell and Evelyn met at the bottom of the staircase and walked to the dining hall. It was late in the morning so their breakfast would be a brunch sort of thing. Wendell wasn’t surprised to find that Virginia, Tony, and Wolf were not there yet. It had been a late night for everybody. They sat down as a servant brought out their food. They didn’t talk much, so there were long periods of silence. It was comfortable silence though and they were both still half asleep.

When they were done eating, the others still hadn’t showed up. Wendell told Evelyn she could help him start planning Virginia and Wolf’s wedding. They had to come up with a list of who to invite, send out the invitations, have Lord Rupert start with the decorating, prepare for the food, have dresses and suits made, and music prepared, not to mention a whole lot more.

Evelyn looked at him in surprise. “I had no idea that planning a wedding took so much. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.” Wendell chuckled.

They found Rupert in his small study. Evelyn looked around, wide eyed. The room was decorated in all different colors and she had to admit that the designs and decorations were beautiful. All of the furniture matched perfectly to the rugs and curtains. It was no wonder why Lord Rupert was in charge of all the castle balls, weddings, and other occasions that involved decorating. He was clearly a professional. She turned her attention back to the conversation between Wendell and Rupert.

“I was thinking that the main colors should be navy blue, gold and maybe white. To me, those colors are noble and majestic. They’ll suit the Lady Virginia perfectly, and will do nicely for her wedding.” Rupert had pulled out his set of different colored clothes and had taken the gold, navy blue, and white colors out to show Wendell. Wendell nodded.

“That sound’s great Rupert. Just check with Virginia as soon as she wakes up.”

Rupert nodded and continued with his plans. “I already talked to the musicians and they’re working on the music for the ceremony and then the reception afterward. They already agreed to have it ready by Wednesday, which will give up time to check to make sure it sounds appropriate.” Rupert began counting off his fingers to see if he had everything. “Oh! I talked to the chefs earlier and gave them a list of the foods that I think we should have, I need the Lady Virginia to be fitted for her wedding dress as soon as possible. I also need to know who the best man and the maid of honor are so their outfits can be prepared…”

“You’ll have to talk to Wolf and Virginia about that. They should be up by now.” Wendell said and Rupert hurried off towards their room.

He chuckled. “Well that only leaves the invitations for us to do.” Evelyn laughed and they headed towards Wendell’s study. Wendell sat down behind his desk and Evelyn sat right across from him. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill with a bottle of ink. Evelyn watched him for a minute before asking, “So who all do you have to invite?”

“Well, Virginia said that she didn’t want a lot of guests. As few as possible apparently. There are certain people that I’m required to invite, such as some lords and members of the Council of the Nine Kingdoms. I also want to invite all the other monarchs from the other kingdoms, such as Cinderella and Olaf the Elfin king.” Evelyn nodded.

“And what about the Naked Emperor? You’re not going to invite him are you?” Evelyn’s face was screwed up with distaste. She thought that man was repulsive, walking around in absolutely no clothing at all. Wendell saw her expression and chuckled.

“Unfortunately, if I invite one or two rulers, I need to invite them all, or else I’m afraid it could cause some unrest between all the kingdoms. The ones who were not invited will fear that we are making secret alliances or plotting against them. It could lead into a war, so I’d rather not take that chance.”

“So that means you need to invite Red Riding Hood to? How is Wolf going to take that?” Evelyn watched as the smile disappeared from Wendell’s face. It was clear he hadn’t thought of that. He was silent for a moment, thinking.

“Well…we’ll send her an invitation and hope that she decides not to attend. I fear no matter what I’ll do, there will be somebody frustrated at me for it. If I don’t send the invitation, Red will suspect something and become even more bitter because she was not invited but everybody else was. However, if I send it…Wolf will become mad that I invited her and there’s a chance Red will still become mad.” Evelyn looked at him confused so he explained. “Knowing her, she could take it as an insult that we invited her to a wolf’s wedding, as much as she hates wolves.” Evelyn’s eyes grew a bit bigger as she began to understand.

“Oh, I see now. Well, I guess the safest way is to just invite her and hope she doesn’t take it the wrong way. Then you’ll just have to explain to Wolf why it was necessary that she was invited. Hopefully she won’t want to attend anyway,” Evelyn said and Wendell nodded.

“Yes, that makes sense.” Wendell went back to writing names down on the parchment. “We’ll invite Sophia too, as well as a couple other friends of mine. Let’s see…I think we have everyone now,” he said after a minute. He went back over the list and was just about to hand it over to Evelyn to take a look when there was a knock at the door.

“Yes, come in.” The door opened and Wolf and Virginia came in. They both looked as though they were still half asleep. Wendell wondered whether they were still fast asleep when he had sent Rupert after them.

“Oh good, you’re both here,” Virginia said as she plopped down on the couch near the desk. Wolf sat down next to her. Virginia went to say something else but a yawn interrupted her. When she was done she said, “Sorry. I’m still really tired. We woke up to Lord Rupert at the door.” Virginia yawned again and Wendell cringed while Evelyn hid a grin behind her hand. “We wanted to ask you two something.” Virginia nudged Wolf who was sitting in a daze.

“Huh? Oh yeah.” He sat up and Virginia looked over at Wendell and Evelyn.

“We were wondering if you two wanted to be the best man and the maid of honor.” Virginia looked at Wendell then at Evelyn.

“Of course. We’d be honored,” Wendell said and Evelyn nodded. Virginia smiled.

“Good, thank you. We’ve been meaning to ask you for awhile but haven’t really had the time.” They nodded, understanding. Wendell picked the list of people to invite and handed it over to Virginia.

“That’s the list of people to invite. Are there any others you can think of that you wish to invite?” Wendell asked. Virginia didn’t say anything at first, reading over the list. After a minute, Wolf leaned over her shoulder to look as well and then looked right back up to Wendell.

“You’re inviting Red? I don’t want her at my wedding!”

“I’m afraid we have no choice. If we are to invite other monarchs, we need to invite all of them, not just a couple of them.” Wendell said, hoping Wolf would understand. He didn’t but Virginia did. She nodded.

“If we invited just a few then the others will think that we are planning something. As much as we don’t like Red, we have to at least invite her to keep the peace between the kingdoms,” she explained it to Wolf and he reluctantly nodded.

“So, is there anyone else you would wish to invite?” Wendell asked again. Virginia and Wolf shook their heads.

“No, it looks like you have everybody.” Virginia said. I thought Wendell said there were just a few people that he needed to invite. Not the whole Nine Kingdoms! Virginia thought looking at the list again. It was a large piece of parchment and to Virginia, it looked like there were a hundred names on it, when there were really only about fifty.

“Okay then. I’ll have the invitations made up and sent out immediately. Rupert is already taking care of everything else. Did he ask you when you were to be fitted for your wedding dress Virginia?”

“Yeah. I think he said tomorrow. I have to go tell him that you two said yes now, so he can start preparing your outfits too. Evelyn do you want to come?” Virginia asked as she was getting up.

“Sure.” Evelyn got up as well and the two left the study. Wolf got up and went over to Wendell’s desk and watched him start on the invitations.

“Hey Wendy? Do you know of any jewelry shops around here? Somewhere I could get a necklace for Virginia?”

Wendell decided not to comment on the Wendy part, having already become used to the annoying nickname, and nodded. “Yes, there’s a shop in the village just outside of the castle’s grounds. It’s about a fifteen-minute ride from here in a carriage. I’ll have one of my drivers take you there. When do you need to go?”

“Anytime before tonight.”

“Oh, okay, well, you better get going now then.” Wendell rang for one of the servants and instructed him to take Wolf to Wendell’s carriage and send for Gerald, one of Wendell’s drivers. Wolf thanked Wendell and hurried off.

Wendell’s carriage was very comfortable on the inside. Wolf sat back and relaxed on the red cushions on the way there. The outside of the carriage was black and red with the White crest on it. When the carriage entered the village, the villagers thought it was Wendell himself and all came scurrying out to catch a glimpse at their king. Wolf didn’t know whether to laugh or growl when he saw their expressions when he stepped out. Most of them looked disappointed but recovered after only a second and started cheering again, since Wolf was still a hero.

Wolf entered the jewelry shop and was greeted by a rather large man who seemed ecstatic that one of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms was shopping in his shop. When he ran up to Wolf, Wolf actually had to look up to see his face. Wolf was fairly tall; true Tony was taller than he was, but just by a few inches. But this guy seemed to be almost a foot taller.

“It’s a pleasure having you here Mister Wolf. Is there anything I can help you with? I have the finest jewelry around, so anything you’re looking for I’m sure I have it.”

“Huff Puff, that’s good, because I’m looking for a beautiful necklace for my mate.”

“Oh, I’m sure I have the perfect thing!” The shopkeeper hurried off towards the counter and Wolf grinned before following him.

The shopkeeper pulled out a large case and opened it up to reveal about fifteen different kinds of necklaces. Wolf gasped when he saw all the gold and silver. They were all really beautiful, but he would need to find the perfect one for Virginia. He examined each one carefully and then spotted the perfect one. It was a gold necklace with a golden heart. The heart had small diamonds creating a border around it.

“Cripes! This one is perfect. How much is it?”

“Five thousand Wendells,” The shopkeeper replied and Wolf frowned, while scratching his brow unconsciously. He pulled out his little pouch that held his money in it.

“I only have two thousand,” he muttered, after counting the money. The shopkeeper thought a minute and then pulled the necklace out of the case with the others and put it into a small box before handing it over to Wolf. Wolf looked at him confused.

“It just went on sale for two thousand. Consider it my wedding present to you and the Lady Virginia.”

“Cripes, thank you. But how did you know we were getting married? We haven’t even sent out the invitations yet.”

The shopkeeper smiled. “Word travels fast in the kingdoms. Especially word about two national heroes getting married. Is it true that King Wendell also has a girlfriend?”

Wolf had to force himself not to grin. Word really did travel fast. But he couldn’t say anything yet; Wendell’s business should be his own. “No, not that I’m aware of.”

The shopkeeper shrugged and handed the necklace box to Wolf who still hadn’t taken it yet. Wolf tucked it safely inside his jacket and handed the two thousand Wendells to the shopkeeper. “Thank you so much. Virginia is going to love it!” He shook the shopkeeper’s hand and hurried off back to the carriage.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Wolf bugging the chefs about a perfect dinner being served to Virginia's and his room that evening. He spent most of the time watching over their shoulders, letting them know if he thought an ingredient was missing. One of the chefs even threatened Wolf with his cleaver to get him to go away.

When the meal was cooked to his liking, Wolf set off to find Virginia. It was evening and the sun would be setting shortly. He already had a table set up in their room with candles and everything. Wolf was anxious to show Virginia what he'd done, and looked for her everywhere. He finally found her outside, talking to Evelyn. The two were walking around by the fountain in the very front of the castle. They both had their backs turned to him, so they didn’t hear him come up.

Wolf put his hand on Virginia’s arm, accidentally startling her. Virginia jumped, which sent Wolf stumbling backwards, towards the fountain. He tripped over the wall surrounding the fountain and began falling into the water. Luckily, Virginia realized what had happened and reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt to keep him from falling. Wolf caught his balance and stood up straight. Meanwhile, Evelyn was laughing. Virginia, though, just glared at him.

“I should have let you fall in. That’s the umpteenth time you’ve startled me like that.”

Wolf grinned apologetically. Evelyn giggled some more and took a seat on the fountain to watch. Wolf went to put his arm around Virginia but she ducked to the side. Virginia smirked and Wolf frowned.

“And don’t even think of giving me the puppy dog pout, because I’m not going to fall for it this time,” Virginia stated. Wolf grinned and went to catch her again. This time, when Virginia went to duck to the side, Wolf anticipated her and caught her anyway. He wrapped his arms around her waist and growled in her ear.

“I’m on to you, creampuff.”

“Oh really?” Virginia smirked again and raised her elbow. Wolf saw what she was going to do and his eyes widened. He quickly let her go and dodged to the side, just barely missing her elbow, intended for below his stomach. Virginia and Evelyn laughed as Wolf stood pondering a different approach. Grinning he started to walk closer to him. Virginia instinctively backed up a step for each step he took towards her. Wolf put on his puppy dog pout and Virginia shook her head.

“Nope, not going to work.” But Wolf kept it up, all the while trying to get closer to her. When Virginia looked down long enough to step over a rock, Wolf ran up and grabbed her. Virginia shrieked and went to push him away, but before she could, Wolf bent down and kissed her. Virginia glared at him and kept trying to push him away, but Wolf kept kissing. Finally Virginia’s eyes softened and then closed as she relaxed and kissed him back. Evelyn watched the whole thing, amused. The two loved each other, no matter how much they pretended otherwise.

Wolf broke the kiss and looked down at Virginia triumphantly. Virginia opened her eyes and grinned.

“You know I hate you right?”

“I love you to.” Wolf said and kissed her again. Virginia kissed back quickly and then pushed him back. Wolf chuckled. “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“A romantic dinner.” Wolf purred in her ear. Virginia turned to look at him.

“Really? What’s the occasion?”

“Does there have to be an occasion for every time I want to have dinner with my beautiful mate?” Wolf said innocently and Virginia blushed slightly.

“You two have fun and I’ll see you later.” Evelyn said as she got up and started back to the castle. Wolf turned back to Virginia and did a fancy bow.

“Shall we proceed?” Wolf stuck out an arm and Virginia giggled and took it.

“Indeed we shall,” she said as they began walking back to the castle. “So, where is this romantic dinner taking place?”

“In our room. I thought we could have some privacy tonight.” They walked up the front steps and into the castle. Wolf then led Virginia up the grand staircase and to their room. Virginia gasped when Wolf opened the door, revealing the room.

There was a small table set up over by the fireplace, which had a fire going. There were candles, dimly illuminating the table. The table was also set with a few dishes of food, including soup, chicken, steak, and a few potatoes. But what had really gotten Virginia’s attention were the roses everywhere. There were about five vases full of all different colored roses. There were also red rose petals scattered about the floor. The curtains were drawn over the windows, keeping what little light there was outside, out.

Wolf grinned and guided Virginia over to one of the chairs. He held it out for her to sit in and then took his seat right across from her.

“This is wonderful Wolf. I love the roses; they’re beautiful. How long did it take you to set all this up?”

“I’ve been working on it all afternoon. I hoped you would like it.” Wolf helped her put food on her plate and then started piling food on his own plate. Wolf was starving, but he figured it would be better if he didn’t shove all the food in his mouth right away, so he picked up his fork and knife and began cutting up his meat. He had had the chefs cook half of the steak well done for Virginia, and then he had them barely cook the rest of it for him. Virginia seemed to be enjoying her food and Wolf briefly wondered how it was that she could stand to use forks and knives all the time. It was driving him crazy. Here was all that good meat sitting in front of him and it was going to waste all because the fork could only pick up so much.

Virginia looked up in time to see him frown at the fork and she smiled, knowing what the problem was. When she knew Wolf was watching she picked up her own steak with her hands and began biting into it. The steak’s spices and juices began to drip down her hands but she ignored it. She saw Wolf grin and pick up his meat the same way. Virginia knew she would have to get used to eating this way. It wouldn’t be fair to force Wolf to eat with utensils all the time. He did when there were other people around, but he shouldn’t have to when it was just the two of them.

They were just finishing up eating when Virginia saw Wolf reach into his jacket and pull out a small box. He handed it over to her, and she gave him a quizzical look, wondering what it could be. He smiled as he watched her open it up and gasp again.

“Oh Wolf! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” Virginia whispered excitedly. Wolf got up and took the necklace from her to help her put it on. She lifted her hair as he hooked it around her neck. Virginia then got up and hugged Wolf and then kissed him. “Thank you Wolf.”

“I just wanted to make it up to you. I’m sorry for keeping that thing about Jessica from you. I want you to know that I’m never going to keep anything from you or lie to you again. You’re my mate and I shouldn’t jeopardize your faith in me.”

“Wolf, you didn’t have to do that. I know you love me and that you mean well. I also promise not to keep anything from you.” Virginia said, her arms were wrapped around Wolf’s neck. Then she smiled and added, “It kind of sounds like we’re already making wedding vows, huh?” Wolf chuckled and kissed her forehead. They sat down on the edge of the bed and Virginia leaned up against Wolf placing her head on his shoulder. Each time Virginia was wrapped in Wolf’s embrace or leaning her head on him, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was like she and Wolf were one, and Virginia loved that feeling.

Wendell and Evelyn met in the dinning hall and sat down to eat. The food was placed before them rather quickly and so they started eating.

“It looks like it’s just the two of us tonight,” Wendell commented.

“Yeah, Wolf planned a romantic dinner for Virginia tonight. But where’s Tony? I haven’t seen him today.”

“Oh, I talked to him earlier. He said that he wouldn’t be joining us tonight. Apparently he had plans and so he took Virginia’s new carriage out not too long ago.”

“Where was he going?” Evelyn asked curiously as she reached for her wineglass.

“You know, he didn’t say. But I think it had something to do with the Lady Margaret. The two had a good time last night from what I saw. I think it’s good that Antony has a girlfriend now,” Wendell said and Evelyn nodded. When they were done eating, they got up to take a walk. Evelyn slipped her hand into Wendell’s and let him guide her around the castle. Wendell seemed to be leading her somewhere, but she wasn’t sure where. They went up the staircase and down a corridor that Evelyn had never been in before. They finally stopped just outside of a door in a small well-lit hallway. Evelyn looked at Wendell curiously and he gave her a shy, somewhat nervous smile. He opened the door and Evelyn knew where they were.

The king’s bedroom was by far the largest bedroom she had ever seen. The bed was gigantic and Evelyn wondered how Wendell could stand to sleep in a bed that was four times his own size. The bed looked as though it was the size of her old bedroom at her house. All of the furniture was a beautiful dark wood that was polished nicely. There was a large fireplace across from the door and double doors leading out to a balcony.

Evelyn felt Wendell shift slightly beside her and she knew he was waiting for her to go in, so she did so. Wendell shut the door behind them as Evelyn continued to inspect the room. She walked over to the balcony doors and stepped out into the cool night air. The balcony overlooked the front of the castle grounds and she could see the fountain in the distance and the road leading from the castle. She heard some noises back inside the room and Wendell soon joined her. She leaned back into him, as she looked up at the sky to see all the stars shining brightly down on them.

“Evelyn, there’s something I need to tell you,” Wendell said softly in her ear. Evelyn turned around so she was looking him in the eyes and was surprised to see the different emotions playing in them. His eyes were filled with love, excitement, and also nervousness.

“Yes?”

Wendell seemed to hesitate for a minute and Evelyn knew that whatever he was going to say was making him really nervous. After a minute he managed to pull himself together and he reached into his pocket. Evelyn’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as he pulled out a small glass case. He opened it to reveal a golden ring with a heart shaped diamond on it.

“I know this is really soon, since we just met a couple weeks ago, but I want you to know that I love you, a lot. I’ve never met anyone like you, and despite the fact that we don’t know everything about each other yet, I really want to get to know you. You’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re kind and I think you’re perfect. So will you do me the honors of being my wife?”

Evelyn had torn her eyes from the ring and looked at Wendell. At first she felt a little uncertain because it was really sudden. But as soon as she looked into Wendell’s eyes, she knew her answer.

She smiled, nodded and then said, “Yes!” She threw her arms around his neck and they kissed. She saw the relief in his eyes and she knew that he had been nervous that she would say no. When they broke the kiss, Evelyn looked up at him. “I love you too.” Wendell grinned happily and as she put her hand out, he slid the ring onto her finger.

“This ring belonged to my mother. My father gave it to her when they became engaged.”

“It’s beautiful, and it fits perfectly.” Evelyn said in awe. And it did fit perfectly. Almost as if it had been made for her finger.

Wendell nodded and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “It’s destiny.”

Evelyn nodded and then giggled happily. Wendell still had his arms around her and they stood silent for a minute. Then Wendell asked her, “Evelyn, would you mind if we kept it a secret for now? I mean just until after Wolf and Virginia’s wedding. I’m afraid that if we let people know, it’ll take some of the publicity away from them and I want them to have a perfect wedding.” Evelyn nodded, understanding.

“Of course.” Then she thought of something and she quickly turned to him. “Does this mean that now I’m going to be a queen?”

Wendell smiled. “Yeah.” Evelyn paled. She didn’t think she was ready for that. Getting married maybe, but becoming queen? That was a huge responsibility. Besides, she was just a commoner. Nobody would accept a peasant as a queen, would they? Wendell knew what she was thinking and took her into the room to sit on the bed. The bed was extremely soft and they sank right into it. Wendell put his arm around her.

“Don’t worry. You’ll make a great queen. You have a heart of gold and you care for everybody. You also know what it’s like to be a peasant and so they will all look up to you. You see, once you become queen, you’ll represent their hopes and dreams. That even the most ordinary people can achieve great things. Just like my grandmother and Cinderella, and the rest of the great women.”

“But I’ll never be great like them. Or like Virginia.”

“Yes you could. I know that if you were given a chance, you would do great things. And becoming my queen will give you that chance. Trust me. I wouldn’t have anyone else as my wife or my queen,” Wendell said softly but firmly. Evelyn smiled. Wendell laid back and Evelyn curled up next to him so her head was on his chest. Her mind went over everything as they lay there in silence. Evelyn was a bit nervous about getting married and even more nervous since it meant becoming queen. But she considered Wendell’s words and realized that it would be okay. She would have Wendell there with her and as long as he was there, she could get through anything. She also had friends now who were quickly becoming like family.

On the way back to the castle, Tony admired Virginia’s new carriage once again. She didn’t know that he'd taken it but he figured it would be okay and that she wouldn’t notice. Besides, somebody had to get some use from it. Tony leaned back to enjoy the ride. The seats were incredibly comfortable and Tony felt like he could have fallen asleep right then.

But he was to excited about that night. He felt like a teenager again, going out on dates and he realized that it had been way to long since he had actually been out on a date. True, there were those few occasions where he had lunch with the women at the castle. But those weren’t really dates, at least Tony didn’t consider them to be. They were all about half his age and just interested in getting close to a friend of the king. Tony hadn’t really minded, because it made him feel like a somebody, but now he realized that it didn’t really fill that one part of his heart that had been empty for years.

He had picked up Margaret from her large house earlier this evening. She lived about a half hour away from the castle so he had left a little early to get there in time. He had taken her out to dinner at some fancy restaurant in her town and Tony had to admit that the food had been great. He was still full.

They had talked for hours about various things, including their children. Tony had told her all about how proud he was of Virginia, then he told her everything about his life before coming to the kingdoms. Tony had found it really easy and comfortable talking to Margaret about everything. She listened intently and seemed to understand everything. Tony had then listened when Margaret told him all about herself. Her deceased husband, Richard, had been a lord and she had been married to him for a little over twenty years when he had passed away due to a sudden heart attack. She then told him all about her son, Colin. Colin had never been interested in politics or being a lord. He had always had a special talent with constructing things and so was a carpenter for their town. Apparently he still made a lot of money because people from all around go to him when they need things built. So when Richard had died, Margaret had to take over his duties since Colin didn’t want to. She had asked Tony about how he dealt with Wolf and found it amusing that the two didn’t get along all that well. Tony told her that they argued a lot and he wasn’t overly fond of him, but they had grown close after their adventures and Tony realized that Wolf did love Virginia and would look after her. Tony also told her how Wendell had become like a son to him and he was proud of him as well. He had seen Wendell change from a snotty prince to a really good king.

When they were done, Tony took her home in the carriage, acting as the gentlemen by helping her in and out and walking her to her house. He had even given her a small kiss when she reached the door. Tony invited her to the wedding and they set up another date when they could get together.

Tony sighed. He actually felt almost giddy. He hadn’t had that much of a good time with a woman in years. The carriage arrived at the castle and the driver went to go park it as Tony hummed a tune to himself as he made his way inside and to his room.