Peace Terms
by Thanos6
Hello everyone. I've written a few other fics, but this is my first crack at a 10th Kingdom one. It's one of my favorite mini-series ever (only 'Merlin' ranks with it), so I decided to write this little thing. I hope you enjoy it.
Quick note: I've seen Tony's real name spelled both Anthony and Antony. I'm going with the latter spelling, based on how Wendell pronounces it.
***
*This,* thought Tony Lewis, *is the life.* A month ago he had been simple, ordinary Tony Lewis: A single father and underpaid, overworked janitor in a Manhattan apartment building. Now he was Sir Antony, hero of the 9 Kingdoms and close personal friend of the king of the 4th Kingdom. He and his daughter Virginia had followed the then-Prince Wendell (who was trapped in the body of a dog) through a magical mirror into the dimension of the 9 Kingdoms. There, Tony, Virginia, Wendell, and a half-wolf simply named Wolf had gone on an adventure to retrieve the magic mirror, so Tony and Virginia could go home, and to restore Wendell to his true form.
A small frown appeared on his face as he recollected the final battle. He had taken on and somehow defeated 3 trolls, Burly, Blabberwort, and Bluebell: the three heirs to the throne of the 3rd Kingdom, once owned by their late father Relish the Troll King. Wolf had fought the deadly man known only as the Huntsman, in a clash that resulted in the Huntsman's accidental death from his own crossbow. And Virginia...
Virginia, in an emotionally super-charged confrontation, had faced the Evil Queen who had been pulling the strings of the Huntsman and the trolls, and had turned Wendell, her step-son, into a dog. What made this a truly painful fight was that the Queen was also Virginia's mother and Tony's wife, Christine Slevil Lewis, who had deserted her family and herself entered the 9 Kingdoms many years ago. It had come to a heartrending conclusion when Virginia, being strangled, was forced to kill her with a poisoned comb.
Tony shook his head. Yes, their journey had in many ways been tragic, but it looked as if they'd all gotten Happily Ever Afters. Wendell had regained his true form and had been crowned King. Virginia had returned to Manhattan, and she'd taken Wolf with her; the two had fallen in love and gotten engaged. And Tony had decided to stay in the 4th Kingdom. The biggest problem facing him was how, with the fairly low level of technology here, to construct the 'bouncy castle' that the King wanted.
Speaking of the King...hadn't he said to see him whenever he could? Tony smacked himself on the head. He'd forgotten it while he was busy reminiscing. Even if you had saved an entire fairytale world, it didn't do to keep royalty waiting. He combed his hair (wishing longingly for a gypsy curse like Virginia had had to regrow some of it) and left his opulent room for the throne room.
***
At the door to the throne room was King Wendell's retainer, Lord Rupert, a bit of a fop perpetually dressed in royal purple. Whenever he talked to him, Tony always had to restrain himself from being more sarcastic than usual. As he approached the door, Lord Rupert spoke to him. "His Majesty's been awaiting you. I shall announce you." His tone seemed to suggest that His Majesty had been awaiting Tony perhaps just a bit too long.
Lord Rupert opened the door. "Sir Antony of the 10th Kingdom!" As he passed, Tony patted him on the back. The retainer jumped; he'd be obsessing over those wrinkles. The former janitor, grinning slightly at his prank, reached the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, and kneeled.
"Arise." King Wendell, fair-haired and handsome, arose from the throne and walked down to Tony. "So, Sir Antony, how is the bouncy castle coming?"
"Well, Your Majesty, I think I might have solved the problem with the molds, but I still can't figure out how to create plastics here, and that's an essential part of a bouncy castle." He put on his best apologetic face, which he'd honed while in the service of his landlord and boss, Mr. Murray. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's all right, Antony. I quite understand. In the meantime, I have another job for you."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Our ambassador to the 3rd Kingdom was killed during Relish's invasion. I was thinking that you might be able to fill the position."
For a moment, Tony didn't say anything. He couldn't. The speech centers in his brain had fused. His jaw simply hung open, slack, as he stared at Wendell.
"Uh," he finally managed. "Uh, Your Majesty, are you serious?"
"Yes, Antony, I am."
"But why me? I mean, I've only been here a month, I don't know anything about Nine Kingdoms politics!"
The monarch smiled. "Exactly why I chose you. You won't be swayed by petty political concerns. Plus you defeated the three current joint rulers of the 3rd Kingdom in armed combat. That's the kind of thing that earns trolls' respect. And since it was you who convinced me to spare their lives, they may look more favorably on you."
Tony slumped his shoulders in defeat. It was obvious that there was no arguing with Wendell. "As you wish, your highness."
***
The next day, Wendell spoke with Tony again at lunch. "Have you chosen your gift yet?"
Tony looked up at him. "Gift? What gift?"
"It's customary for new ambassadors to present a gift to the rulers of the country. When it comes to trolls, gold is generally acceptable."
"Well, these three WERE gold for a while. They might think I'm mocking them."
"Hmm. You have a point." The king finished off the last of one of his cheese sandwiches.
"What about shoes? They seem to really like shoes."
"No. I refuse to allow any of our finely crafted 4th Kingdom footwear to be worn by those disgusting creatures."
Tony thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I've got the perfect present for them! But I'm afraid I'll need to go to Manhattan to get it."
"Very well. In fact, I think I'll come with you."
The former janitor blinked. "You will?"
"Certainly. I would enjoy seeing your city from a human point of view. I believe I'll bring Lord Rupert along." Tony tried not to laugh at the idea of dandified, prim Lord Rupert in the middle of downtown New York City.
***
A few hours later, in the mirror room, Tony turned on the Travelling Mirror which led to Manhattan. It hadn't been used since Virginia and Wolf had departed. Dozens of scholars and explorers from all Nine Kingdoms had begged King Wendell to let them use it to visit the legendary 10th Kingdom, but he had decided that it shouldn't be open to wide use just yet.
Lord Rupert gawked into the mirror, now showing views of New York City. He'd seen it last time, but it still amazed him that any city could be so huge and awe-inspiring. King Wendell was smirking at him.
"Well, Lord Rupert, I've arranged for Chancellor Griswold to run things while we're gone. It shouldn't be long, though. With any luck we should be back tonight."
"Good. The less I have to wear these clothes, the better." At Tony's suggestion, Wendell and Rupert had abandoned their royal attire in exchange for suits worn by ordinary 4th Kingdom men. They would still stand out a bit, but not too much. Tony himself had donned the outfit he had worn when he had entered the 9 Kingdoms.
"Is everyone ready?" Tony asked. The others nodded. "Good. I'll go first to make sure everything's safe." He stepped into the mirror, and vanished.
by Thanos6
Hello everyone. I've written a few other fics, but this is my first crack at a 10th Kingdom one. It's one of my favorite mini-series ever (only 'Merlin' ranks with it), so I decided to write this little thing. I hope you enjoy it.
Quick note: I've seen Tony's real name spelled both Anthony and Antony. I'm going with the latter spelling, based on how Wendell pronounces it.
***
*This,* thought Tony Lewis, *is the life.* A month ago he had been simple, ordinary Tony Lewis: A single father and underpaid, overworked janitor in a Manhattan apartment building. Now he was Sir Antony, hero of the 9 Kingdoms and close personal friend of the king of the 4th Kingdom. He and his daughter Virginia had followed the then-Prince Wendell (who was trapped in the body of a dog) through a magical mirror into the dimension of the 9 Kingdoms. There, Tony, Virginia, Wendell, and a half-wolf simply named Wolf had gone on an adventure to retrieve the magic mirror, so Tony and Virginia could go home, and to restore Wendell to his true form.
A small frown appeared on his face as he recollected the final battle. He had taken on and somehow defeated 3 trolls, Burly, Blabberwort, and Bluebell: the three heirs to the throne of the 3rd Kingdom, once owned by their late father Relish the Troll King. Wolf had fought the deadly man known only as the Huntsman, in a clash that resulted in the Huntsman's accidental death from his own crossbow. And Virginia...
Virginia, in an emotionally super-charged confrontation, had faced the Evil Queen who had been pulling the strings of the Huntsman and the trolls, and had turned Wendell, her step-son, into a dog. What made this a truly painful fight was that the Queen was also Virginia's mother and Tony's wife, Christine Slevil Lewis, who had deserted her family and herself entered the 9 Kingdoms many years ago. It had come to a heartrending conclusion when Virginia, being strangled, was forced to kill her with a poisoned comb.
Tony shook his head. Yes, their journey had in many ways been tragic, but it looked as if they'd all gotten Happily Ever Afters. Wendell had regained his true form and had been crowned King. Virginia had returned to Manhattan, and she'd taken Wolf with her; the two had fallen in love and gotten engaged. And Tony had decided to stay in the 4th Kingdom. The biggest problem facing him was how, with the fairly low level of technology here, to construct the 'bouncy castle' that the King wanted.
Speaking of the King...hadn't he said to see him whenever he could? Tony smacked himself on the head. He'd forgotten it while he was busy reminiscing. Even if you had saved an entire fairytale world, it didn't do to keep royalty waiting. He combed his hair (wishing longingly for a gypsy curse like Virginia had had to regrow some of it) and left his opulent room for the throne room.
***
At the door to the throne room was King Wendell's retainer, Lord Rupert, a bit of a fop perpetually dressed in royal purple. Whenever he talked to him, Tony always had to restrain himself from being more sarcastic than usual. As he approached the door, Lord Rupert spoke to him. "His Majesty's been awaiting you. I shall announce you." His tone seemed to suggest that His Majesty had been awaiting Tony perhaps just a bit too long.
Lord Rupert opened the door. "Sir Antony of the 10th Kingdom!" As he passed, Tony patted him on the back. The retainer jumped; he'd be obsessing over those wrinkles. The former janitor, grinning slightly at his prank, reached the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, and kneeled.
"Arise." King Wendell, fair-haired and handsome, arose from the throne and walked down to Tony. "So, Sir Antony, how is the bouncy castle coming?"
"Well, Your Majesty, I think I might have solved the problem with the molds, but I still can't figure out how to create plastics here, and that's an essential part of a bouncy castle." He put on his best apologetic face, which he'd honed while in the service of his landlord and boss, Mr. Murray. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's all right, Antony. I quite understand. In the meantime, I have another job for you."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Our ambassador to the 3rd Kingdom was killed during Relish's invasion. I was thinking that you might be able to fill the position."
For a moment, Tony didn't say anything. He couldn't. The speech centers in his brain had fused. His jaw simply hung open, slack, as he stared at Wendell.
"Uh," he finally managed. "Uh, Your Majesty, are you serious?"
"Yes, Antony, I am."
"But why me? I mean, I've only been here a month, I don't know anything about Nine Kingdoms politics!"
The monarch smiled. "Exactly why I chose you. You won't be swayed by petty political concerns. Plus you defeated the three current joint rulers of the 3rd Kingdom in armed combat. That's the kind of thing that earns trolls' respect. And since it was you who convinced me to spare their lives, they may look more favorably on you."
Tony slumped his shoulders in defeat. It was obvious that there was no arguing with Wendell. "As you wish, your highness."
***
The next day, Wendell spoke with Tony again at lunch. "Have you chosen your gift yet?"
Tony looked up at him. "Gift? What gift?"
"It's customary for new ambassadors to present a gift to the rulers of the country. When it comes to trolls, gold is generally acceptable."
"Well, these three WERE gold for a while. They might think I'm mocking them."
"Hmm. You have a point." The king finished off the last of one of his cheese sandwiches.
"What about shoes? They seem to really like shoes."
"No. I refuse to allow any of our finely crafted 4th Kingdom footwear to be worn by those disgusting creatures."
Tony thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I've got the perfect present for them! But I'm afraid I'll need to go to Manhattan to get it."
"Very well. In fact, I think I'll come with you."
The former janitor blinked. "You will?"
"Certainly. I would enjoy seeing your city from a human point of view. I believe I'll bring Lord Rupert along." Tony tried not to laugh at the idea of dandified, prim Lord Rupert in the middle of downtown New York City.
***
A few hours later, in the mirror room, Tony turned on the Travelling Mirror which led to Manhattan. It hadn't been used since Virginia and Wolf had departed. Dozens of scholars and explorers from all Nine Kingdoms had begged King Wendell to let them use it to visit the legendary 10th Kingdom, but he had decided that it shouldn't be open to wide use just yet.
Lord Rupert gawked into the mirror, now showing views of New York City. He'd seen it last time, but it still amazed him that any city could be so huge and awe-inspiring. King Wendell was smirking at him.
"Well, Lord Rupert, I've arranged for Chancellor Griswold to run things while we're gone. It shouldn't be long, though. With any luck we should be back tonight."
"Good. The less I have to wear these clothes, the better." At Tony's suggestion, Wendell and Rupert had abandoned their royal attire in exchange for suits worn by ordinary 4th Kingdom men. They would still stand out a bit, but not too much. Tony himself had donned the outfit he had worn when he had entered the 9 Kingdoms.
"Is everyone ready?" Tony asked. The others nodded. "Good. I'll go first to make sure everything's safe." He stepped into the mirror, and vanished.