Author's note: Hello, everybody! I'm back with another Tenth Kingdom fic. This one takes place during the movie, just after Wolf, Virginia, Tony escape the prison but before they run into the gypsies, and I chose that part because when I watched the movie again awhile back (I've seen it countless times over the years), I noticed there is a big gap there where you don't see what the group gets into and I thought that would be a good place to begin this story. Plus, I know it's a little bit like my Simpsons fic, An Inseparable Knot, but I figured this must've had to have happened at some point during Wolf, Virginia, and Tony's first adventure in the Nine Kingdoms, and I don't think it's been done before, so I just had to write it. Also, a brief warning before you start reading: this fic, unlike my other Tenth Kingdom fic, The Worst Night, Scars is not for the squeamish and faint of heart. After you get about middle ways in you'll see what I mean, so consider it a fair warning, but I hope you enjoy the story. Until the next one, though, goodbye for now.
Scars
After they left Rivertown, Virginia, Wolf, and Tony came across a river running through the woods just outside the port, and Virginia got the sudden urge to take a bath.
Virginia slid her backpack off of her shoulders. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I can use a bath," she said, taking her off her coat. "How about you?"
With a look of disgust on her face, Virginia watched her father lift his arm above his head and sniff his armpit. "Now that you mention it, I think I' am starting to smell a little bit." His lips curled into a lopsided smile. "I could use a bath."
"And I'll go get some firewood, while you two are doing that," Wolf said, bounding into the forest
Virginia and Tony watched him go, sharing a brief, uncertain glance after he had disappeared into the trees.
Tony stared off into the woods. "I'll never get that guy," he said, shaking his head. "He's weird."
Snorting, Virginia placed her fists on her hips, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "You're a fine one to talk, the guy who just had to put his finger in a golden fish's mouth after he was warned not to," she said, shaking a scolding finger at him. "He can't be any weirder than you,"
"Hey!" Tony cried out in protest, swerving around to glare at her. "You can't blame me!" He patted his hands against his chest in frustration. "You tell a guy not to stick his finger in the mouth of some gold fish that says it'll give anybody who does the power to turn anything into gold, he's going to do it!"
"Hush," Virginia said, shooing him away with a wave of her hand. "Turn around and let me undress."
Tony grumbled a few inaudible words under his breath. "Fine," he said, and folded his arms across his chest, turning around with great reluctance. "Just let me know when you're done, so I can take mine too, all right?"
As soon as she had made sure her father had his back turned, Virginia pulled her shirt over her head, took the rest of her clothes off, and dipped one toe in the water; it was a little cool, but pleasant. Sighing, she sunk down into the water, closing her eyes. She stayed there like that for a long time, lost in her thoughts.
She didn't know what to think about this strange, new world her and her father had stumbled into. Sure, it was an exciting, adventurous place, but it was also dangerous. It seemed like they were always running from something, and you never knew where your next meal was going to come from. There was a part of Virginia, of course, that liked the danger. She had been bored to death back in New York, growing tired of her uneventful life and her job working as a waitress at the Grill on the Park restaurant, but there was a part of her that feared it, too.
Shaking her head, Virginia opened her eyes, thinking she was going to have to see a shrink after all of this was over with. Once she was done, she got out, put her clothes back on, and walked back to her father, feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time.
Virginia gave him a little punch in the shoulder as she walked by him. "There, I'm done," she said, motioning him to with a tilt of her head. "It's your turn."
Tony gave her a mock bow. "Yes, you're majesty," he said, rising back up with a painful slowness that was hard to watch. She could tell something had been bothering him ever since they had left Rivertown, maybe even before, back when they had left the prison. She thought it must've been his back again. Her father had had back problems ever since she could remember. He had told her it came with being tall, and Virginia could see what he meant. He had to bend down to even hug her, and she knew it was hard on him, especially when he wasn't able to hug her whenever his back gave out on him.
Virginia cupped her hands over her mouth, calling out to him before he could get too far out into the woods. "Are you okay, Daddy?"
Without looking back at her, her father threw his hand up over his shoulder to acknowledge he heard her. "Everything's fine, sweetheart," he said, but Virginia could tell he was lying. She had always been able to tell when her father was lying. Despite what he would like to think, he wasn't very good at it.
Virginia sighed, and sat back down on the ground, crossing her legs.
She didn't have to wait long for Wolf to come back. He actually came back before her father, cradling a load of firewood in his arms.
"Whoa, looks you got a pretty good haul, Wolf," Virginia said, gaping at the sight of the firewood.
Wolf grinned at her, revealing his lengthy, elongated fangs. "Yeah, it wasn't too hard to find, actually, what with all of the trees around," he said, his eyes glowing a gleaming, yellow color.
Virginia narrowed her eyes at him, planting her fists on her hips. "Are you trying to be smart with me or something?" she asked.
Wolf gave a violent shake of his head. "Cripes, no, Wolf would never be smart with his dear, sweet, succulent Virginia," he said, sitting down across from Virginia on the other side of the firewood. "He was just stating an obvious fact."
As soon as Wolf sat down, Virginia started to stand up, despite his protests. "Hey, wait, where are you going?" he asked, stretching his arm out toward her. "I didn't mean what I said, Virginia, honestly."
Virginia began to walk back to the forest, stopping for a moment. "I know, but it's not that," she said, looking over her shoulder at Wolf. "I just want to go check on father." She turned back around, staring deep into the forest. "He's been gone for a long time, and I think there's something wrong with him."
Virginia heard the leaves rustling as Wolf started to get up. "Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.
Virginia shook her head. "No, I'll go on my own," she said, walking further toward the forest. "Besides, he would probably get mad if you saw him without his clothes."
Wolf snorted. "Huff puff, you're probably right," he said, sounding disappointed. "Just be careful, all right, Virginia?"
"Don't worry, I will," Virginia said, giving Wolf one last wave goodbye before she ventured into the forest. "Bye!"
Virginia didn't have to travel far to find her father.
She had walked a little ways into the forest when she spotted his back in between the trees.
What she saw would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Virginia screamed, covering her hand with her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes
Her father's back was covered with scars, and they crisscrossed all over his skin, which was stretched taunt over his muscles. His entire body was trembling, his shoulders quaking from the force of his quivering, and it took Virginia a moment to realize he was crying.
Virginia ran over to his side, and collapsed, falling to the ground on her knees. "Oh, Daddy, what did they do to you in that place?" Virginia asked, once she had found her voice again. "Why didn't you tell me they did this to you in that awful prison?"
Her father jumped at the sound of her voice, having not heard her approach him, and turned around to look at her. "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry you had to see that Virginia…I'm so sorry…I never wanted you to see that," he said, cupping her face in his hands. "Look what they did your father." His voice was so mournful and sad, and it broke Virginia's heart to hear it. She thought she had never seen him so upset in her life, and it had to have been the saddest thing she had ever seen.
Virginia took his face in her hands, and cradled his head in her hands, pressing his face against her shirt "Oh, Daddy, don't cry," she said, resting her chin on the top of his head. "I can't stand to see you cry." She rocked him back and forth, very much the same way he had done her when she had been a little girl, thinking it was funny, in a sad, depressing way, how the tables had turned.
Tony raised his teary, pain-filled eyes up to meet hers. "They whipped me, Virginia," he said, looking up at her. "They whipped me with a beanstalk, of all things."
Virginia kissed him on the forehead. "I'm so sorry, Daddy," she said, running her hands down his wet cheeks. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
Moaning, her father turned around, falling sideways against her chest. "I'm never going to think of that Jack and the Beanstalk story the same way again," he said, closing his eyes.
"Yeah, me either," Virginia said, squeezing his hand. "Who knew beanstalks could be used for something so horrible?"
"Not me," her father said, patting her hand. "Not by a long shot."
Virginia peered down into his strained face. "You want to talk about it?" she asked. "It might make you feel better."
Tony rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound like Wolf's self-help books," he said.
Virginia couldn't help herself. She laughed. She never would've admitted it to him, but her father was right for once. She did sound like one of Wolf's self-help books, but for some reason, the realization didn't bother her as it normally would under different circumstances, and she let the matter go.
Her father opened his eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I think I'm ready to talk about it, though," he said.
Virginia listened, with growing horror, to the grim tale her father had to tell.
The guards dragged Tony, his hands and feet manacled, unceremoniously to the dining hall, pulling him roughly by his arms. Looking down, he shuffled his chained feet as he walked, swaying. He knew his face must've been as white as a sheet. He felt faint and sick to his stomach.
This must've been how convicted pirates felt just before they were being led to the hangman's noose, Tony thought. He had never been so afraid in his entire life. He could feel the paralyzing fear rising within him, threatening to overwhelm him. He was about to be whipped, publicly humiliated, and in front of a bunch of no-good-for–nothing, petty criminals, no less, as if the situation wasn't bad enough, already. To make matters worse, Virginia and that Wolf guy were nowhere around to help him. He was on his own. Not even Prince could save him now.
Cheers and jeers welcomed him as they entered the dining hall. The chairs at the tables on the left and right sides of the room were being occupied by trolls, goblins, fairies, and who knew what else. The chairs at the table in the middle of the room, however, were empty, and Tony knew this was the table reserved for him.
Tony swallowed, tasting bile in his dry mouth.
The prisoners' mingled voices rang in his ears, taunting him.
"Whoa, he's a big 'un, that's for sure."
"Bloke's got to be part giant."
"He's going to be spilling a lot of blood, no doubt about that."
"Yeah, you know what they say."
"Yup, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."
"Strip," the guard to his right said, letting his arm drop to the side.
Tony raised his eyebrows, at him, narrowing his furrowed brow, his expression disbelieving. "How am I supposed to do that with my hands handcuffed, genius?" he asked, holding up his bound hands.
Without warning, the guard whipped a club out of nowhere and swung it at the most sensitive body part of Tony's anatomy, causing him to double over in agony. He collapsed, falling to his knees on the cold, hard floor of the prison.
"We were going to take the cuffs off, imbecile, if you had given us time," the guard said, smacking his hand with the club.
Groaning, Tony squinted up at the guy, struggling to see through the haze of pain. "Why did you do that for?" he asked, spittle flying from his mouth. "You sick, sadistic, son of a -"
This time, the guard lifted his foot, sending a swift kick to his midsection.
Tony cried out in pain, clutching his beer gut, gasping for breath.
"You're only making it harder on yourself," the guard said, bending over him. "The better you corporate with us, the faster we can get you on that table and get this over with." He unlocked the handcuffs, which clattered to the floor, and yanked him up by his arm. "Now you're just going to feel worse than you would have if you just kept your mouth shut."
Tony wanted to make a smart remark of his own, but thought better of it, knowing he would only make matters worse. Besides, he knew the guard was right. They weren't going to just let him walk out of here, and they would keep him even longer if he didn't behave. In the end, he decided it would be best just to surrender to his fate, and glared at the guard in stony silence, rubbing his sore arm. There was going to be a bruise there in the morning for sure.
The guard who had hit him twice pointed at him, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Now, strip," he said, poking him in the stomach with each word.
"Okay, okay," Tony said, pushing the guard's hand away. "You don't have to get so pushy about it." Sliding his tattered coat off of his shoulders, he began to unbutton his shirt, his large fingers shaking so badly he kept on fumbling over the buttons and had to try to unbutton each of them several times before he finally felt the shirt come undone. When he unbuttoned it at last, he took the shirt off, throwing it to floor.
Tony gave the guard a questioning look. "Do you want me to take these off, too?" he asked, indicating his pants by tilting his head down at them.
The guard just grinned. "No, we just need to be able to see your back, Lewis," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's an idea, though."
Tony shuddered.
The guard pointed to the table. "Now, go over there and lay on the table," he said, speaking slow and clear to make Tony heard and understood him "My men will make sure you're tied down." He shoved his hand in one of his pants pockets and fished out a towel, handing it to Tony. "Here, you'll need this."
Tony took the towel in his trembling hands, and put it in his wavering mouth, struggling to keep it there. He was crying now, unable to hold the tears in anymore. They were beginning to stream down his face. With one last look at the guard, he stumbled to the table, and gripped the end of it with his hands in order to push himself up on it. If he had to suffer through this, he thought he might as well do so with dignity.
The guards wasted no time.
As soon as he fell across the table, they were on him, binding his hands and feet to the table tight enough with the rope they were using that it dug into his skin. Tony heard a new set of footsteps approaching him from the side, and flinched at the sound of a whip cracking, but it wasn't against his flesh.
"Welcome, to the world of pain, Tony Lewis," a deep, gravel-like voice said, and Tony whimpered.
The first lash had to have been the worst. The whip struck Tony's flesh with surprising, violent velocity, making it quiver. Tony screamed. The second and third lashes were bad, too, but Tony didn't start to become numb until after the fourth or fifth lash. He had lost almost all feeling in his whole entire body, which was probably a good thing because he was beginning to think the numbness was the only thing keeping him alive by that point. The blood didn't start to pour until about the sixth or seventh lash. He could feel the warm wetness of it running down his skin, forming a puddle around him. By the eighth or nighth lash, strips of skin were hanging off his body in bloody, shredded tatters, leaving nothing but hunks of dead flesh.
By the end of it, he was lying in a pool of his own blood, fading in and out of consciousness. He could feel rough hands around him, lifting him off the table. IF he had been able to, he would've been kicking and screaming, but he didn't have the strength. He heard a voice telling the guards to take him to the medical ward, where he woke up sometime later to a world of pain.
Tony opened his mouth to scream, but a finger fell over his lips, shushing him.
Tony found himself staring at a woman.
She was pretty. Her lengthy, coiled, ebony hair fell over her shoulders in thick, waves, framing her dark, oval face. There was a deep sadness in her chocolate brown eyes, and her full, lustrous lips were curved into a sad, small smile.
"Hush, baby," she said, and grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it. "I know you're hurting, but you're in for a rough night, honey." Cupping Tony's face in her hands, she rubbed his cheeks, wiping the sweat pouring down his face with a towel she was holding. "Try not to use up too much of your strength, okay?"
Tony gave a slow nod of his head, the movement making him dizzy. He closed his eyes, and when the moment of disorientation had passed, decided to try to see if he could still talk. "What's…what's a pretty girl like you…doing in…a place like this...?" he asked her, his breath coming out in short, labored wheezes.
"I'm a healer, and I'm here to help people like you," the woman said, wringing the towel out and dipping it back in a bucket she had placed beside her. "My name's Cora." She took the towel and started to rub it over Tony's shoulder, letting the liquid run down his body. At first Tony thought it might've been water, but it sure didn't feel like water. Whatever this stuff was, it burned. Water didn't burn.
Tony withered on the table. "What's that…you're putting…all over me..?" he asked, and clinched his hands into fists, steeling himself.
"It's a healing ointment," Cora said, running the towel over his constricting stomach. "It helps ease all of your aches and pains."
Tony's tired, pain-filled eyes fluttered open and closed. "You're good…" he said, fighting to keep his fading eyesight focused on her. "How long…have you…been here…at this..?"
"For several years now, though I've lived here ever since I was baby," Cora said. "I didn't begin to train as a healer until I was about twelve years old."
"That's awful young," Tony said. "What brought you here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"In the village where I was born and raised, what I do now for a living was regarded with suspicion, fear, and even hate. It was also considered witchcraft, and my mother possessed the same talent for healing that I did, so she used it to help people, but a lot of people didn't see it that way," Cora said, her voice low and soft. "My parents were accused of being sorcerers. My mom was suspected of being a witch, and my dad, a warlock, even though he possessed no healing talents or magical abilities of any kind. They were both burnt at the stake. I only escaped because I was off playing with some friends in the woods at the time. When I came back, the entire village was deserted and no trace of the tragedy remained, not even the stake. The towns' people had removed any trace of evidence of the crime, in case any strange visitors wandered into the village. I only found out about what had happened because one my friends, who had witnessed the burning, had told me and warned me to leave the village. I never found my parents bodies, but these days, I try to look on the bright side of things and see it as one small act of mercy the villages had shown me, sparing me at least a little bit of grief. Now, I think if I had seen my parents' bodies, I would've fallen into despair."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tony said, shocked to realize he meant it. He didn't know this woman, but he felt drawn to her, and sympathized with her plight. She seemed like a good person.
"Don't be," Cora said. "I was a little girl at the time, and I hardly remember it." The smile on her face seemed forced. "Besides, I 'am happy here, and I'm happy with what I'm doing here to help people."
Somehow finding it difficult to believe she meant what she was saying, and thinking she had a hard time believing she meant them herself, Tony tried to find her hand with his, fumbling it across the table, almost blind. "Well…don't…ever… quit…you're good…at what…you do...don't ever…leave…don't leave me…I'm scared…" he said, not about to tell her what he really thought. He didn't want to keep her from doing what she thought was making her happy, even if it seemed like it wasn't.
Cora took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Oh, I know, baby," she said, bending down to kiss him on the forehead. "Don't worry, I won't leave until your better."
"Thank you…"
These were the last two words Tony managed to get out before everything went black.
The second time Tony came to, it was darker than it had been before, and he began to scream again. The pain was bad, worse than it had been before, and he hadn't thought that possible. He went into spasms, and his body bucked and his back arched, rising off the table. Tony thought he was dying. He didn't know how he wasn't, or how he had made it through the night, but eventually he could see faint rays of sunlight shining through the bars on the window and began sobbing even harder at the sight of it. He had never thought he would be so happy to see the sun again. It was just something else he had taken for granted and never would again.
"Looks like you made it through the worst of it, sugar," Cora said, giving him that sad smile again. "You're a tough old man, that's for sure."
Tony didn't know if he should be flattered or insulted by her comment. "Thanks…I guess…" he said, still having trouble breathing and talking. "Say…when do you think…I'll be able to…get out of here…huh..?" He was winded after saying all of this, completely exhausted.
"Whenever you're feeling up to it, of course, but if you want an exact day, and I think you do, you'll probably be looking at two or three more," Cora said, giving it to him straight, but delivering the news with a surprising gentleness.
Tony groaned, his breathing shallow. "I was…afraid of…that…" he said, rubbing his hand over his eyes.
"Just take it easy for awhile, try not to push yourself, and you'll be out of here in no time," Cora said, standing up. "I'll come in to check in on you every once in awhile, so don't be afraid when I'm not here, okay?"
Tony gulped, trying to swallow down his fear. "I'll try…" he said, and watched her leave, feeling even lonelier than he ever had before.
Tony finished his tale, and an awkward silence fell in between him and his daughter.
"Did you fall in love with her?" Virginia asked.
Tony knew who his daughter meant. "Who, Cora?"
Virginia nodded.
Tony took his time to think about it, knowing he would have to choose his answer carefully. Virginia tried not to act like it, but Tony knew she still missed her mother, and wondered every day where she was. He knew she wouldn't take too kindly to him falling in love with another woman, not when her mother was thought to still be missing. She would accuse him of being unfaithful to Christine, and Tony didn't want his daughter to think of him as the kind of person who would do such a thing, but he didn't want to lie to her, either.
Tony chose what he thought was the best, honest answer. "Yes, I think a part of me did," he said, hoping he had picked the right thing to say to his daughter.
Virginia narrowed her brow at him, scrutinizing him with her skeptical gaze. "A part of you?" she asked. "What do you mean, a part of you?"
Tony took more time to think about that one. "I mean, I wanted to fall in love with her, but I couldn't," he said at last. "She wasn't somebody I knew, and I can't fall in love with somebody I don't know, no matter how much of a womanizer you think I' am."
"How did you know that?" Virginia asked, her face blushing red from embarrassment.
Tony curved his mouth up into a lopsided smile. "You're my daughter, Virginia," he said. "I can read you like a book, and I know you like the back of my hand."
"Did you take your bath?" Virginia asked, in an obvious effort to change the subject.
Tony shook his head. "No, I was afraid to," he said, looking down.
"Why?" Virginia asked, rubbing her hand up and down his arm.
With Virginia, Tony knew it was best to tell the truth. "I was afraid it would hurt," he said. "I was scared of the pain. My back's on fire, Virginia."
Virginia started crying again. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry," she said, putting her hand over her eyes. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this."
While it made Tony feel better to know Virginia cared about him, he didn't like to see daughter crying. "Hey, now, don't cry," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Not over an old, beaten, worn-down man like me."
Virginia rubbed at her eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears. "I'm trying not to cry, but I can't help it," she said, turning away from her father. "I just love you so much, Daddy. I hate to see you hurting."
If Virginia kept on going the way she was, Tony was going to start crying again. "I know, baby," he said. "I know."
"You want me to help bath you?" Virginia asked, glancing down at the water, and dipped her hand into it. She twirled her fingers around in the river, watching the ripples it made, a familiar lost and distant look in her eyes Tony had seen in her gaze way too many times ever since her mother had vanished.
Not for the first time, an old, deep hate filled Tony's heart and soul, the returning anger he felt toward his wife rose back up to the surface to haunt him. He despised her for what she had done to him and Virginia, and knew he would never be able to forgive her, but he would never tell Virginia that. He knew she would never be able to forgive him for having such animosity toward her mother.
Tony tried to the keep the anger out of his voice. "Yeah," he said, deciding it was best to resign to his fate then to risk falling into to the river later because he was too proud to have his daughter wash his back for him. Tony Lewis might've been stubborn and foolish, but he wasn't that stubborn and foolish, despite what other people liked to think. "Sure, go ahead."
When Tony and Virginia got back to camp, they found Wolf roasting a rabbit he must've just caught because it still smelt fresh.
At the sight of them, Wolf jumped to feet and ran over to Tony and Virginia. "Tony! Virginia!" he exclaimed, clasping each of their hands in his. "I'm so glad your back!" Unable to contain his excitement, he jumped up and down, full of unlimited amounts of energy, as always. "I was beginning to worry."
"Now why would you worry about us for?" Tony asked, letting Virginia help ease him back down on the ground. Once he was seated, Virginia sat down next to him, and looked over at Wolf.
Wolf huffed. "She's with you, for one thing," he said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't leave you alone with her for a second."
"Hey!" Tony made a feeble sound of protest. "You can't talk! I wouldn't leave her alone with you, either. You're a wild and untamed…wolf."
Wolf didn't seem offended Tony's pathetic attempt at an insult. If anything, he seemed to embrace it. "That was a lame comeback, Tone, but you're right, as much I hate to admit it," he said, flashing Tony an unnerving grin. "I' am a wild and untamed wolf, but I'm proud of it, mind you." Glaring at Tony, Wolf narrowed his already slanted eyes at him, daring him to deny it. Just as unfazed as Wolf, Tony glared back at him, letting Wolf know he might've been a bumbling oaf, but he wasn't one to back down easily.
"Enough guys," Virginia said, putting an end to the argument. "It's all fun and games until somebody looses an eye, so just drop it and let's eat. I'm starving."
Tony was glad Virginia had said something. After the rough day he had had, he was getting pretty hungry himself, and he was so tired he didn't have enough energy to fight Wolf, anyway.
After the rabbit was cooked, Wolf cut it into thick, individual slices and shared the pieces with all of them. In what was to be one of the brief, rare moments of peace they were going to experience on their journey, the three of them ate in silence, not knowing it was going to be the calm before the storm.
The End