Samantha R. Cichella - A New Successor

The rest of the week went by quickly, at least in Virginia’s opinion. She was growing increasingly nervous by the day. She was excited, but nervous. Rupert did indeed handle most of the preparations, not giving Virginia much to do to keep her mind off her nervousness. Evelyn and her dresses had already been made and were getting final touches to them at the moment. All the invitations had been sent out and almost everybody had replied and said they would be attending. Wolf had been quite relieved when Red Riding Hood hadn’t replied yet. There was no word as to whether or not she would be attending and Virginia and Wolf both hoped that she would not come. Wolf was not excited about seeing his cousin. Evelyn had been a great help to Virginia all week, helping her and letting Virginia talk about her fears. The two had become quite close and Virginia considered Evelyn her best friend. Wolf was really excited and so Virginia tried not to show that she was nervous, not wanting to dampen his good mood. But before she knew it, it was already the day of the wedding.

Virginia and Evelyn were both in Virginia’s room getting ready. The ceremony was to begin at three and it was now about two thirty. Virginia sighed, trying to let out some of her stress. Evelyn came over to her and smiled encouragingly. They had been watching all the guests ride up to the front of the castle, and to Virginia it seemed like a lot more than just fifty.

“They’ll be coming up for us soon,” Evelyn said and Virginia nodded. They were just about to turn away from the window when Virginia spotted something.

“Evelyn…Is that…?”

“It looks like it,” Evelyn said quietly.

“Wolf’s not going to like this,” Virginia groaned.

“Well, with luck, he won’t see her until the reception,” Evelyn said hopefully but they both doubted it. They watched as Red Riding Hood the Third stepped out from her black and red carriage. She was garbed in the Riding Hood trademark riding dress. Her blonde hair was done up nicely in a bun on top of her head. The two watched as she walked to the castle entrance as if she owned the place.

When they could no longer see her they backed away from the window. For some reason, knowing that Red was going to be here only added to Virginia’s anxiety. Why did she have to come? Virginia wondered bitterly. She tried to forget about her and concentrated on Wolf, thinking about how excited he had been that morning. She wished she could have as much enthusiasm as he did. She was excited but her nervousness was outweighing it. She did not like being in front of a lot of people. And all the people being royal and important did not help her case at all.

There was a knock at the door and Evelyn hurried over to see who it was. Lord Rupert came in, dressed in his purple suit that Virginia had seen him in before. He hurried over to Virginia, double checking to make sure she was ready. He tucked her loose hair behind her ears and adjusted the veil on her head. He then instructed her to straighten out her dress before moving on to Evelyn. He handed them both a bouquet of flowers to hold and smiled proudly.

“There. You both look lovely.”

“Thank you so much Rupert. You’ve been a great help this week,” Virginia said, hugging him. He smiled, embarrassed.

“It was no problem at all. It was my pleasure. Now, I need to go find Anthony and make sure he’s ready. I’ll send him up here to get you.” And before Virginia could reply, he was gone again.

“I’m really glad he’s here. He’s really good at this kind of stuff and has made things a lot easier for me,” Virginia admitted. Evelyn nodded, agreeing. A few minutes later, Tony appeared in the doorway, dressed in a dark blue suit and a gold tie. He smiled warmly at Virginia.

“Ready Sweetie?” he asked.

“As ready as I’m going to get,” she said, smiling nervously.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Come on, we need to start heading down there.”

Virginia nodded. Tony went out first and Evelyn and Virginia followed him. Virginia walked slowly and Evelyn stayed right next to her, keeping an eye on her. They finally reached the entrance to the throne room where Rupert had insisted the wedding take place. Virginia could hear voices inside as well as music. The door opened and Lord Rupert came out.

“Excellent. You all look great. Now, Evelyn, it’s your turn to go. Remember, stay in tune with the music. Okay, go.”

The door opened and Evelyn walked into the throne room where there was a huge crowd of people seated on both sides of the aisle. Virginia glanced in and felt her legs become weak. She could see Wolf standing at the end of the aisle with Wendell on his left. Evelyn reached the end of the aisle and stood where she was instructed to by Lord Rupert before. The music changed and Virginia felt Tony move up next to her.

“Okay, here we go,” he said smiling.

Virginia returned it, although hers was not quite as wide but still sincere. “Yeah, here we go.”

“I know you're nervous Honey, but just remember to look straight at Wolf. As long as you’re looking at him, you’ll barely even notice the crowd.”

“Thanks Dad,” she said and hugged him.

“No problem.”

Virginia slipped her arm through his and began making their way down the aisle. At first, Virginia didn’t do as she was told and let her gaze wander over the people. She recognized many kings and queens, and also others. Her legs started to weaken again and she recalled Tony’s advice and looked up to see Wolf. He was wearing the biggest grin she had seen and was having trouble standing still. She watched as Wendell nudged him to hold still. Suddenly, she was no longer so nervous. Just seeing Wolf gave her strength to keep going. When they reached the end, Tony let go of her and took his seat in the front.

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur to Virginia. Even though she wasn’t paying all that much attention to what was being said, she still somehow managed to get it all right when it came to saying the vows. Before she knew it, Wolf was being told that he could now kiss the bride. Virginia smiled and leaned into meet him. It was probably the best kiss the two had ever shared, as its significance was much more meaningful. When they pulled back, they made their way down the aisle together, as husband and wife.

The reception was held in the ballroom, in which Lord Rupert had done an outstanding job once again on the decorations. Virginia and Wolf had stood at the entrance for the first few minutes, greeting everybody. Eventually they were able to sneak off to a table where they sat down and had a drink. Wendell and Evelyn joined them shortly after.

“So, how are the two newlyweds?” Evelyn asked, sitting down.

“Happy,” Virginia said. “I want to thank you two for everything.”

“Yeah. Thank you Wendy for being the best man,” Wolf said.

“It was my pleasure. Although I’m afraid I have to go back and keep greeting everybody. I’ll see you a little later.” Wendell got up and headed back to the door. Virginia looked around for her father and eventually found him talking with the Lady Margaret. She smiled and continued her sweep of the room. She was amused to see Burly and his two siblings there. They were given quite a bit of space but seemed not to notice it. She was surprised that Wendell had invited them but figured it was to keep the good ties they now had with the Third Kingdom.She saw Cinderella sitting not to far off and decided that they should go see her right away. She was just about to suggest it to Wolf when she heard him growl. She followed his gaze and saw Red Riding Hood the Third standing, talking to a bunch of people on the opposite side of the room as them. Virginia placed her hand on Wolf’s to calm him.

“I can’t believe she had the nerve to come,” she muttered quietly.

“Well, just because she came doesn’t mean we have to talk to her,” Wolf said.

“Wolf, we can’t be rude. As much as I really don’t like her either, we have to at least say hello and thanks for coming. And then we can avoid her,” she said, smiling a little. Wolf whined.

“Well, good luck with that, you two. I think I’ll go find Wendell, Evelyn said, attempting to get up.

“Why Evelyn, don’t you want the pleasure of meeting the queen of the Second Kingdom?” Virginia asked, faking innocence. Evelyn winced slightly.

“I’ll pass.”

Virginia chuckled. “Chicken,” she said as Evelyn walked away. She turned back to Wolf. “Come on, we can’t sit here the entire time.”

“I agree. Let’s get food first and then dance.”

Virginia laughed. “That can wait a few minutes. I want to go visit with people first. I also want to meet Dad’s girlfriend.”

“Good point. Me too.” Wolf grinned and stood up. The two made their way over to Tony and Margaret. When Tony saw them, he smiled and said something to Margaret. She turned around and saw them and smiled. Virginia thought that she looked nice enough.

“Hi, you must be Lady Margaret,” Virginia said politely, holding out a hand to shake. Margaret shook it.

“Yes, please just Margaret though. And you’re Virginia. Oh, it’s an honor meeting you. Your father’s said great things about you, and has spoken very fondly of you.” She turned to Wolf. “It’s a pleasure meeting you too. Congratulations too, about the wedding.” Wolf smiled and nodded.

They talked for a few minutes until Virginia and Wolf were called away to talk with others. Eventually, and unwilling, they ended up near Red Riding Hood. Wolf saw her and purposely turned his back to her, but Virginia was determined to at least say something. She didn’t want to make things worse for Wendell by getting Red even more frustrated at them or the Fourth Kingdom. She told Wolf that he didn’t have to go with her, which he thanked her and hurried off. She rolled her eyes and moved over to where Red now stood off to the side, about to get something to drink. Virginia went and stood next to her and saw that the queen seemed not to notice her. Forcing herself not to get angry or act stupid, Virginia took a deep breath and then spoke.

“Your Majesty?” Virginia mentally scolded herself for not planning what to say because as soon as Red turned toward her, she struggled to find words. Luckily for her, Wendell arrived right then.

“Virginia there you are. Queen Cinderella wishes to speak with you. Oh, hello Red,” he said cheerfully. Virginia watched as the queen gave him a polite smile.

“Hello Wendell. I was just about to thank the Lady Virginia here for inviting me. I must say it was a little short notice. I had to clear my schedule but it worked out fine in the end.” Virginia resisted the urge to scowl or say anything rude. The tone Red used revealed nothing but annoyance and dislike. Wendell heard it, but refused to show it.

“Oh I’m glad. It’s a shame we don’t get to see enough of each other anymore. Perhaps you could stop by in the near future again for a small stay. We’d plan it plenty of time before hand of course. That way your schedule will be clear,” Wendell said cheerfully. Virginia kept her face impassive, but wanted to laugh. Red smiled again, but it was clearly forced.

“Perhaps,” she said. “Well, I’ll be seeing you two later then.” She turned and walked away.

“Thanks Wendell.” Virginia said relieved.

Wendell chuckled. “My pleasure. I truly enjoy irritating that woman. I believe she deserves it.” Virginia laughed and nodded. Wendell led the way over to where Cinderella sat, so Virginia could talk with her.

The rest of the reception went smoothly. There was lots of dancing and eating. Wolf’s mouth had watered at the size of the cake, when it had been brought out. Throughout the night, Red had purposely avoided Wolf at all costs, and he in turn had done the same. Not once did the two acknowledge each other. It was after midnight when Virginia and Wolf headed out to the front of the castle. While their bags were being loaded onto Virginia’s carriage, they all said their goodbyes. It was Wendell, Evelyn, Tony, and then Virginia and Wolf who were all out there. They didn’t drag it out, as they would only be gone for a few weeks. Virginia hugged them all and Wolf followed suit. Wolf was quite hyper, even though it was the middle of the night. He didn’t want to wait until morning to leave for their honeymoon, so they had hurriedly packed. As the carriage pulled off into the night, Wendell and Evelyn stood with their arms around each other while Tony went back inside to find Margaret.

Meanwhile, down in the dungeons, not everybody was caught up in the joyous moment. Jessica sat in her corner, desperately trying to block out the noises and music coming from above her. She knew what the occasion was and was disgusted. She had been disappointed but not surprised when she found out that her earlier plan on turning Virginia against everyone had failed. However, she had not given up hope. Even now, she was working on an escape plan and how she could get revenge on Virginia, Wendell, and the others. Getting arrested had been a slight misfortune and would delay her taking over the kingdoms, but it had not stopped her completely. Smirking to herself slightly, she saw something from her small window outside that interested her. A single figure made her way toward her black and red carriage in the distance. Jessica’s plan began falling into place. Soon she would be out of this repulsive dungeon. And now she had the perfect person in mind as an ally. Jessica had no doubt that she would help her. If she couldn’t defeat Wendell on her own, then Jessica would have help. From the Second Kingdom.