It was some time before he reached the Troll lands, and he had finished reading Breaking the Cycle. He told himself he was a new and better man, took a deep breath, and hid the boat as best he could. Wolf looked up at the rocky surface and sighed. The Troll King's castle was settled high on a cliff. A mountain path wound to the top. That would certainly be the easiest way to go, and he had to save his strength if he was going to rescue Virginia. He was being reckless, a quality that was best in damsel-in-distress situations.
He started up the path, trying to appear casual. It wasn't often that the Trolls got visitors from other Kingdoms, but it wasn't unheard of. If anyone asked, he could pretend to be delivering a message. When he finally reached the foot of the castle he ducked behind a cart. He wanted to avoid being seen, as the royals would probably recognize him. The troll scent was so strong here, he couldn't pick out Virginia's scent. He would have to do this the old-fashioned way. He walked around the castle walls until he came across an open – he hoped – window. A small balcony surrounded it. The only problem was it was about thirty feet high.
"Ah!" Wolf looked up in alarm. Was that Virginia? Were they torturing her? He tilted his head. The most he could hear at the moment was the mumbling sound of someone talking, but that was all . . . a male . . . and then a soft female voice. That had to be Virginia! He reached into his bag and stuffed whatever books he could fit into his pockets. He wouldn't be able to carry the weight. He looped the bow of the present around his arm, found a very tiny foothold in the castle wall and began to climb. Luckily it was covered in some kind of ivy, which came in handy. He tried to avoid using it, though, because it looked a little flimsy and he wasn't sure if it would support his full weight. I'm coming, Virginia, he thought. Carrying the present was very awkward. He reached a point where the castle wall began to smooth out and came very close to falling several times. He could hear the voices clearly now.
"In these shoes I am all-powerful. I can rule the world." Wolf frowned. This voice was new, but the scent wasn't. He must be the Trolls' father, the King. Oh, dear. He heard a scuffling sound. What could that be?
"I can handle them," said the new voice. "Where have you been? You're a day late!" The children were getting scolded. "And who is this? You were supposed to bring back the dog!" More shuffling. Wolf kept climbing. Virginia was in serious danger now. The Troll King was viscous.
"Forget the dog, Dad," said a male. "We have discovered another Kingdom." Wolf supposed he was talking about the strange world. It was very difficult to climb and listen.
"The mythical Tenth Kingdom," said the female.
"Talked of only in myth," the younger male added.
"Don't talk rubbish. There is no Tenth Kingdom."
"There is," argued the younger male, "and this witch put us in a box of matches." Wolf resisted the urge to growl. Virginia was no witch! She was the most gorgeous, creamy girl he'd ever laid eyes on!
"You were captured? By this girl?" The Troll King's voice sounded like he didn't believe them.
"She's a witch," cried the younger male.
"How many of their soldiers did you kill before you were captured," the King demanded.
"None." This was clearly a mistake.
"None survived," corrected the female. The Troll King knew this was a lie.
"Who wants to be whipped first?"
"Dad, it's true," the older son whined. "I can prove it. Look at this." A rustling sound . . . then some upbeat music that Wolf had never heard. Something-something fever.
"They are called the Brothers Gibb," explained the younger son excitedly.
"The song concerns a deadly fever that only strikes on Saturdays," said the female. Wolf was nearing the window ledge now. He was getting very tired. His muscles ached, and he was out of breath. All for Virginia.
"There is more to all this than the Queen is telling me," said the Troll King to no one in particular, then turned his attentions to what Wolf hoped wasn't Virginia.
"You will dance for me," he said. "And when you have finished dancing, you will tell me how to invade your kingdom."
"I'm not much of a dancer, really," came Virginia's trembling voice. Wolf silently cursed the Troll King. Wolf heard more shuffling noises and the clank of metal.
"Wake me when they turn red!" he yelled. Oh, no, not those shoes. Something caught Wolf's eye just above him and to the right. There was an old rope hanging there . . . maybe where a bell used to be? Wolf sighed in relief, taking care not to let the present fall, and grabbed the rope. It was just sturdy enough to hold him. He looked down. The rope had been freed from whatever it had been caught on; there was a good ten feet of rope below Wolf. He climbed as fast as he could. He reached the window just in time to hear the female chanting, "Frying tonight, frying tonight," and shoving the red-hot shoes dangerously close to Virginia's face. The trolls had cut the toes of her stockings and had drawn a big, ugly tattoo on her beautiful stomach. No matter. He thought of more pleasant things, of how much Virginia would thank him when he saved her. He would love Virginia even if she had a hundred big, ugly Troll tattoos! He slipped his arm out of the present's bow and chucked it as hard as he could while still precariously holding onto a rope thirty feet in the air. He stayed just out of sight as he watched. The Trolls were successfully distracted, as Wolf knew they would be.
"It's a present," said the oldest male.
"It's for me," said the older male. "Listen to this. 'A present for the strongest, bravest Troll.'" He smiled, a grotesque visage with teeth jutting out all over the place.
"You're not the strongest," argued the female, "it must be for me!"
"I saw it first," said the younger male.
"Finders keepers!"
"I wonder what it is?' All three trolls crouched and sniffed. Their faces lit up with excitement.
"Leather!" all three exclaimed in unison.
"It could be boots," said the female. The older male pushed them out of the way, comparing the size of the box with his foot.
"And my size, by the look of things," he chuckled greedily. The other two exchanged glances and hit their brother on the head at the exact same time, effectively putting him out of the running. The female and the older male began arguing between themselves.
"They're mine!"
"Mine!" They started to punch each other.
"Wait, wait!" yelled the female, smiling sweetly. "Let's . . . spin a coin to decide." Her brother smiled back. This was it, the moment Wolf had been waiting for. The two Trolls both pretended to reach into their pockets, only to swing their fists at each other at exactly the same time. Wolf saw it coming, of course. He smiled at his plan having been such a success. This was his moment. He gripped the rope tightly and pushed off, swinging into the room.
"Rescue is at hand," he announced dramatically. Virginia strained against her shackles. She had been chained to a large wooden chair.
"Don't come any nearer," she cried.
Wolf dropped off the rope, landing firmly on the stone floor, and walked toward her, smiling his most charming smile.
"Don't worry," he assured her, "I'm not who I used to be. I've had extensive therapy. I realize I have been using food as a substitute for love and I have the books to prove it." He reached into his pockets and produced the books, rattling off their titles one by one.
"Breaking the Cycle, Heal Yourself in Seven Days, Stop Blaming Yourself Please, and Help for the Bed-wetting Child, which I picked up by mistake, but I've got them all!" Virginia didn't seem convinced and continued to struggle against her bindings.
"You come any nearer and I'll shout my head off," she warned, her piercing blue eyes narrowed. She was so quirky! He had gotten quite close to her, and her scent was giving him a heady, intoxicated feeling. He sniffed deeply and she shuddered.
"I hope you don't mind me saying this," he said, "but I get the feeling you still don't completely trust me." Virginia squirmed.
"I don't trust you at all! You tried to eat my Grandmother." He moved away from her.
"Oh, no," he defended, "I was just being playful. See, wolfies just pretend to do naughty things. I would never have really eaten her. She was a tough old bird!" Virginia was still looking at him skeptically.
"I wouldn't hurt a sausage," he continued. "Butter would not melt in my mouth. . . well, it would melt, of course it would, but very slowly!" He undid her shackles. As soon as she was free she began to put on her boots. She appeared to be sulking. Wolf let out an exasperated sigh; he was failing miserably.
"Huff-puff! I give you my solemn Wolf word that you are safe with me. You are as safe as a brick-built pig house. Now, wait here a moment while I plan our escape. We are in romantically reckless danger." Well, there was no going back from that. He had given her his word, which in his eyes made his loyalty to the Queen null and void. His loyalty was with Virginia now.
He crossed the room to a large red door that led to the corridor.
"How are you at climbing? I nearly fell off three times coming up." Virginia didn't answer. She was staring straight ahead into the Trolls' shoe closet. She seemed particularly interested in the gold shoes that had been set up on a pedestal.
"Those incredible shoes," she muttered. "They made him invisible."
"Yes, I know," Wolf replied absentmindedly.
"But they made him invisible," Virginia argued. She was too interested in those shoes.
"Don't touch them," he warned, surveying the room. "They'll make you want to wear them all the time." He frowned. "Balcony or corridor, that is the question." He went to the red door and opened it an inch. It was difficult to smell anything in this place; it all smelled of Troll.
"I'm not going to touch them," Virginia said. "I just want to know how they work." She picked up one of the shoes. So much for that.
"They're working on you even now. Just leave them well alone," he said, annoyed at her having ignored his warning. He didn't have time to save her from Trolls and magical addiction.
"Corridor, I think," he said to himself. He heard footsteps. Cripes! "No, quick! Balcony! Someone's coming!" Virginia barely had time to put her bag on her back before Wolf began pushing her to the window.
They were able to get down before the Troll King reached the room. He had to struggle to keep up with Virginia.
"Excuse me," he said, "where do you think you're going?"
"Back to prison," was Virginia's determined reply. Wolf's stomach lurched.
"Back to prison? See, that wouldn't be my first choice," he said nervously.
"I've got to find my father. And then I want to go straight home." Wolf felt his gaze soften. She cared very much for her father. He would help her, and keep her safe.
"All right, all right," he conceded, "but not this way. Virginia, listen, please. You won't survive five minutes unless you follow me. We must avoid this road," he pointed at the easy path, "and go this way." He gestured to the Beanstalk Forest. Virginia balked.
"No way am I going in there," she said, but she moved forward anyway. Beanstalk Forest certainly looked scary, with its tall, dark beanstalks stretching above the clouds, rolling thunder, and occasional lightning, but Wolf wasn't afraid. He knew it was the only way to outrun the Trolls.
The beanstalks had a very pungent odor. Wolf had to keep encouraging Virginia onward because she seemed afraid. He hoped she knew he would take care of her. They came upon a small clearing, with a statue in the middle. Virginia was admiring it.
"Brave Jack," she muttered, reading the inscription at the base. She turned to Wolf. "Is that Jack of–"
"Jack and the Beanstalk, yes," Wolf said, smiling at her interest in the history of his homeland. He walked thoughtfully around the statue.
"This used to be a very prosperous area," he told her. "Before the beanstalks sprouted everywhere and polluted the land. The Trolls were given the land here as their kingdom. That's why they hate Prince Wendell so much, because he has a juicy, fertile kingdom, and they have a disgusting, polluted–"
Wolf stopped mid-sentence, confused. Hadn't Virginia been on the other side of the statue a moment ago? He looked around for her and a thought crossed his mind.
"Virginia? Please tell me you didn't take the Troll King's magic shoes!" He was really starting to panic. If she got too far away the beanstalks would mask her scent and he'd never be able to find her. . . and she might get lost in the Beanstalk Forest forever! Not to mention the anger of the Troll King. Those were obviously his favorite shoes. He sniffed deeply and wrinkled his nose. The beanstalk smell was disgusting. It reminded him of prison. There was a very slight breeze that blew through just then and thankfully it told him that Virginia was upwind. It was a good thing he was so attuned to her scent. He followed it as quickly as possible.
"Virginia," he called, panicked. "I know you think you're safe in those shoes, but nothing could be further from the truth. Anything you get from a Troll is bound to be bad and dangerous!" He sniffed again. "Virginia. . . where are you?"
When he found her, she was leaning up against one of the beanstalks, probably trying to avoid him.
"Oh, no," she muttered to herself as she became visible. It was times like this that made him thankful to be half wolf. He almost sighed in relief.
"Hello, again," he said, leaning around the beanstalk. Virginia jumped. Apparently she hadn't noticed his approach. Who was the invisible one here?
"They're not fully recharged, you see," he explained, nodding his head at the shoes in her hands. "They don't stay invisible very long without a proper break. That's a design fault in the shoes, one of many, in fact." He smiled at her. She tried to make a break for it, but Wolf grabbed her arm. She managed to get a punch in before Wolf pinned her with the other arm.
"You're not having them," Virginia squealed. She was talking nonsense.
"Having what?" he asked.
"The shoes," said Virginia as if it were the obvious answer. "They're mine." She was clutching the shoes tightly to her chest. Wolf didn't waste time debating. He yanked them from her grasp. She tried to fight again, but her delicate hands couldn't keep their grip. He put the shoes inside his jacket so the effects of their magic would wear off – hopefully.
"If you don't get rid of them now, you won't be able to later," he told her. She shook her head as if waking from a dream.
"Oh. . . you're right," she said. "I don't want them. They made me feel so strange." She was leaning close to Wolf now, staring at his chest. She had a glassy look in her eyes. "It felt so. . . powerful. . . you know? Being invisible. Just amazing!" She squealed in delight. She was acting so strange, but Wolf didn't care. She had turned her attention to him. "How did you know where I was?"
"I could smell you," he replied honestly. He made the conscious decision then to break their closeness and continue walking. "Follow me."
They walked through the Beanstalk Forest at an idle pace for a while. Virginia was zig-zagging a little ways behind Wolf. They passed a number of beanstalks with signs that said things like: "Condemned. Mould. Do not Climb."
"There are about seventy beanstalks left, but not many are occupied these days," Wolf explained as a matter of interest. "Giants drink so much they rarely have time to reproduce." He looked up, observing where the beanstalk met the clouds.
"Can I ask you a question?" Virginia asked.
"Of course," he replied absentmindedly.
"Do you think I'm sexy?" Wolf immediately stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe it! He steeled his courage and turned to face her. She was leaning against one of the stalks, her body jutting out provocatively at him.
"You're the kind of man I suppose I should be scared of." Her voice suggested that she would make an exception for him. He looked her up and down once and closed the distance between them, grabbing her shoulders. Butterflies were churning in his stomach and he had to grit his teeth before saying,
"Oh, Virginia. . . as much as I would love to believe what you're saying to me right now, I'm afraid it's the shoes talking. You'll say anything to put them back on again." He almost whined at his own stupidity. He could've had her right then! But no. . . he wanted her to want him when she was sober. Addict-Virginia only wanted the shoes. She blinked and shook her head, the glassy look from her eyes disappearing. He was leaning closer to her, hoping that she still wanted him as she was sobering.
"Oh, my God,. I'm really sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me."
"They bring out very strange things, the shoes. Whatever you're suppressing." At least he hoped that was the case.
"I'm not suppressing anything," she said, incredulous. She could believe what she wanted, but he very much believed that she was beginning to warm up to him. A sudden stench hit his nose. He sniffed, and a shiver crawled up his spine.
"Trolls," he said, his eyes widening. "They've found us. Oh, cripes! We're in big, big trouble now." He sniffed again. "They have dogs. They'll sniff us out. Run! Run!" So they ran as fast and far as they could before Wolf realized they could never outrun the Trolls with their dogs. He called out to her to climb one of the beanstalks and she did. She was pretty good at it, too. He climbed up beside her, helping whenever she started to slip. They managed to be able to find a branch that was obscured enough from the ground so the Trolls wouldn't be able to see them. Then they waited. They were both shivering from the sudden adrenaline rush and the cold air. Wolf rubbed his hand together for warmth and steadied himself by putting his hand behind Virginia, bracing it against the beanstalk. She didn't seem to mind. He was worried; he didn't want to go back to prison, and he certainly didn't want Virginia to end up in there. It was not a place for females. Stealing the Troll King's shoes was a sure way to spend the rest of their days in a cell. Wolf frowned. The Trolls were getting closer, but the dogs were having trouble following the scent. He could hear the Troll King barking out orders.
"Keep moving," said the Troll King. "They are very near. The dogs can smell them. Don't let them escape again!" Virginia's knuckles were turning white from gripping a vine so hard.
The Trolls passed directly under them. Virginia tried to make herself smaller by ducking as close to the beanstalk as possible. Wolf didn't blame her. The King's children were lagging behind, smoking – by the smell of it – dwarf moss. Nasty stuff. They momentarily passed by as well, and Wolf felt Virginia relax. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his knees. That was too close.
"Beanstalk has a very potent smell. It puts off the dogs," he reassured.
"You don't have to tell me," she said. He supposed not.
"We'll stay here until it's safe." he told her. She nodded then turned to face him.
"How did you get involved in all this in the first place?" Virginia asked. Wolf squirmed uncomfortably. If he told her he was in the prison, she would be afraid of him.
"Well. . .I found myself at a loose end. . ."
"You were in that prison, weren't you? What were you in for?" she asked. Smart girl. Wolf smiled at her sadly.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a bit of sheep worrying, you know. . . and putting a wolf in a prison cells with nowhere to bound, only able to stare at the sky through bars, now that's inhuman." He huffed nervously and wrapped his arms around his chest, shielding his heart. Here comes the part where she runs screaming, he thought. She didn't and Wolf allowed himself to relax. They didn't talk for a few moments until Virginia said,
"So you think I should put them on again?" Wolf frowned.
"The shoes. I'm sure they're fully charged again and –"
"No," he interrupted.
"Why not? They're – What's that?" she asked, looking down. Wolf turned to see what she was looking at. Oh. This was embarrassing.
"Oh, it's just my tail," he said, trying to sound confident. Her eyes widened.
"Your tail?"
"It's not very big this time of the month," he said. "It's just a little brush." How did it even get out in the first place?
"You've got a tail?" she asked. Was it really so hard to believe.
"So?" he snapped. "You've got succulent breasts, but I don't go on about them all the time, do I?" Virginia laughed. He smiled nervously. . . he had made her laugh. . . or was she making fun of him?
"Why don't you touch it?" Virginia scoffed, still smiling. "It's perfectly normal." Her eyebrows shot up.
"If it's normal, why do you keep it hidden all the time?"
"Because in case you haven't noticed," he said, "people don't like wolves." Something in her eyes changed. Did she feel sorry for him? He didn't want her to pity him, but it was a start.
"Give it a stroke. Go on, it's not going to bite." Virginia rolled her eyes and sighed, giving in to his wishes. She put her hand out and touched it, stroking against the fur. Wolf winced and a shiver ran up his spine.
"What," she asked.
"With the fur, not against it," he said, laughing. She touched it again. Her touch was very delicate, and he sighed, relaxed. He was suddenly aware of how close they were.
"It's very soft," Virginia said.
"Thank you." He smiled at her and she blushed, turning away. "I think we can climb down now."