Chapter 26: An End in Sight

"Hey . . . Beatrice?" Wirt began, planting his feet into the newfound permafrost by the frozen lake. They had just traveled from Auntie Whispers and Lorna's cottage and spent a good amount of time battling the later winds of the morning. It was evening now. Throughout the journey, his friend seemed to open up a bit more, even laughing at Greg's jokes.

But that didn't mean everything was okay. Ever since they left Adelaide's old place . . . No. Ever since their race ended and Lorna showed her face, Beatrice became almost unbearable. She barely talked at bedtime.

Now she refused to look at him for more than necessary. She didn't even hear him call her, did she? Which was . . . worthy of confused poetry, honestly. His thoughts were jumbled like . . . like something.

He couldn't put words to Beatrice's attitude. Unlike their frail attempt of a plan. If that wasn't enough to worry about.

Jason Funderburker gave a hearty 'rorop', skidding across the final stretch of ice and landing in a lump in the accumulations. Greg, who was holding Wirt's hand, sluggishly extended his empty one towards the amphibian.

Meanwhile, Beatrice smoothed out an icy patch of ground, kicking a chunk of snow from her way, seemingly oblivious to his inner turmoil. She plopped the supply sack right down, pointedly digging through the bag's contents.

"I . . . um. Hrm." Wirt didn't have it in him to catch the redhead's attention, again shrinking back into his quiet smoldering. Alternatively, he took the moment to gaze around, confirming that the clearing they were in was in fact the same one he visited after Greg's capture.

Remains of a chopped Edelwood sapling laid scattered amongst a covered blanket of cold. He shivered but not from the temperature. His fingers tightened just a bit on his brother's hand. Oh, I hope this works. I'm having second thoughts about this plan . . . Let the honey bees sting so long as golden treasure awaits in reward. The gnome-dressed boy breathed in a deep breath of chilly air. Unless the nest is dry. Then run.

"I remember here," his sibling stated, large eyes larger. "Are we going to be here for a long time? I don't want to. Why do we need to be here again?"

"We can't contact the queen, so we have to try getting to that lumberjack wacko instead," Beatrice answered in an irritated tone, pulling out a box of matches. "There we go!"

"We're making a campfire?" the smallest of them inquired cheerily, letting Jason Funderburker hop into his arms, releasing Wirt's hand.

"Sure," she said, pointing across the whitened glade. "Will you both pick up some tinder and dry wood for me? Over there?"

"Yay! I can do that!" Greg laughed, energetically skipping away.

Though, Wirt took a moment. "There's plenty of firewood right next to us," he said. "Trees are everywhere."

She stayed bent, finally turning her head to look at him. "Don't argue. I needed . . . space."

That's curious. "Space?" he began, only then catching her glare. "Ah. Okay. I'll . . . uh . . . help him?"

Her glare intensified.

"I'll help him." Avoiding further eye harassment — the former bluebird had an uncanny knack for it — Wirt pursued the path of his kin, crouching down beside him. "You got it?"

"Yeah! Look!" Greg showed him a messy bundle of partially frozen tree branches and grass. "I learned how in camp."

"Good job," he smiled, taking it from him so that the seven year-old could collect more. "Hey, did you notice anything weird about Beatrice lately? Ever since we went to Lorna's, she hasn't been acting normally."

"Huh?" Greg blinked, tipping his head, his pet resting on top of his kettle while he gathered tiny logs.

"Hasn't she been . . . grouchier than usual?" Wirt pressed, glancing at the redhead. What is she doing? Why does she have the map out? Strange . . .

"Kind of?" he attempted, guilt tracing his words. "I dunno. Nobody feels amazing right now. It's why I have to pep everyone!" He gave a ginormous grin. "Be happy! Big smiles!"

Wirt couldn't prevent from beaming, marveling the positivity of Greg's attitude at such a time. The idea was fair. She did promise to tell me if something important is on her mind. When he returned to their makeshift spot with their findings, the map was out of sight. His smile wavered. Except . . . I'm not so sure she's doing that.

"Set them here," Beatrice said once they approached, allowing them to do so. Following procedures, she lit the fire, using about five matches in impatient fervor.

The elephant-dressed elementary student cooed in awe during the process, in spite of her frustration. His brother stared at her pensively.

"There. Done. Wasn't there any less frozen wood you could have picked from?" she huffed, standing.

Wirt shrugged, nerves spiking for some reason. Ask her. "It's all basically the same."

Beatrice cracked her knuckles, popped her back. She was about to move the plan along. He wasn't overconfident that they would have too much time together after that.

"A-actually . . . Before we do anything else . . ."

Her suspicious glance was too much. Abort mission. Who cares if I never find out my entire life anyway? This plan might not even work anyway. Anyways. He proceeded to laugh uncomfortably in the shelter of his mind. The Woodsman would just pop idly out of the shadows and let them blow out the lantern's flame and everything in the Unknown would go back to normal and then Wirt and Greg would magically poof right into Aberdale like waking from some strange dream and then Wirt would never have to face his unvoiced problems with Beatrice because why were there any problems in the first place!

He sighed hopelessly, fist clenched. It was out of the question.

He was going to settle this even if Greg was standing there and they had a life-changing event possibly ahead of them and Beatrice refused to —

"What is it?"

Wirt's racing thoughts came to a halt. "Huh?"

"What do you want to say?" Her freckles appeared redder than usual, perhaps from the heat. She was frowning.

"It's . . . well . . . how do I put this?" It was way harder than it should have been. "Are you . . . do you need the map?"

She was unamused, repeating, "The map?"

"Yeah, I mean, we totally know for certain that this is a clearing and . . . uh. We don't know the Woodsman will be here for sure."

"I was just checking," the girl said easily, pausing. "That's not what you were going to say."

"No. It's not," he said, momentarily distracted by his sibling warming himself by the fire. Wirt focused on Beatrice. He was ready. Just like he told himself since yesterday. He was. Only for real. "Ever since we went to visit Auntie Whispers, you've been acting strange."

She dropped her smugness, quiet.

"You feel angry, and I get that, but . . . I don't . . . I don't understand what it has to do with me or the bluebird rules we got rid of or Lorna, maybe," he said, wanting to fidget with something, settling for the edges of his cape. "I've lost it trying to figure out what's wrong." With me? With you? With . . . what?

"There's nothing wrong with you, Wirt." Beatrice sniffed, voice quiet and thick with some emotion. It was a challenge to tell which it could be. "Aside from the usual stuff."

His lips quirked just a bit.

"It's none of that other stuff, either. I . . . I don't know," she huffed, no longer meeting his eyes. He was usually the one to do that. "I mean, if there's something wrong, it's definitely something wrong with me. Or this pressure. Or this whole stinking season, because frankly, I'm really starting to hate running around in endless circles in the cold."

"I'm sorry . . . I didn't think you . . ."

"Maybe it's just that I'd hate to see you go. You and Gregory both. Maybe it's because I know if you stay, you'll die or the Unknown and all my family will die and it'll be my fault in the end for not getting you home."

And she despises the thought, he realized. She knows she'd miss us and she blames herself for wanting us to stay. His heart gave a painful throb. Just like that, his world was flipped upside-down. I shouldn't have judged her.

"I've always been selfish . . . I thought I could change," she murmured, "but I can't. So I have to forget what I want. There are more important things to deal with."

Wirt embraced her, unable to think to do anything else. He couldn't stand her talking that way. Strong, independent Beatrice on the verge of tears. He held her tightly until she returned it, silently offering that comfort.

"It's okay," he assured. "No matter what happens, I'll make sure that this won't be the last time we're together. Even if I'm a world away. We'll find a way. I promise."

They broke apart, her expression more readable, more joyful, her orbs filled with tears. Although she was trying not to smile, she dabbed at her spilling sentiments with her wrist, breathless in a sort of laugh or cry. When she spoke, she sounded firm, closer to the Beatrice he knew. "Thanks, you dork."

He grinned warmly back at her.

"Hey, Wirt . . . I think there is something I haven't told —"

A yelp of surprise carried over to them, muffled through the barren trees. They all spun, at attention.

Wirt gasped. "What if that was the Woodsman?"

"Woooooodsmaaaaaan!" the youngest of them called, cupping around his mouth in a quick megaphone. "Come out, please!"

"We have to talk!" The elder brother waved meagerly, slightly doubtful that the man was able to hear them. He couldn't see the Woodsman. How did they know for certain that he was even listening? Just because the guy practically haunted the group's travels didn't mean he was nearby.

"You heard us!" Beatrice yelled, the flame's smoke mingling with her frosty breath.

A heartbeat passed in general silence, broken by the crunching of leaves and ice. Another light gleamed back at them, the lantern clutched protectively, a torch on its final minute. The Woodman had revealed himself, familiar in every sense.

"How are you doing, fine sir?" Greg offered civilly. "I'm asking because mom told me it's polite to ask when you haven't seen a person in a while."

The weary guy almost cracked a sympathetic grin, but grimness overrode it. "You are unsafe. You must go home."

Beatrice crossed her arms, face defiant but not as defiant as she was prior to Wirt's conversation with her. "Told you before. We can't."

The other teen nodded slightly, putting a foot in advance, trying to be brave. "That's why we need to talk to you. We're trying to . . . p-put — sorry — put an end to this." He cleared his throat, though no one said anything to acknowledge his slip-up.

The man reeled the smallest amount, almost giving the impression that he was planning to run away. Once more, the Woodsman's wielding hand moved to the lantern's front, his axe an imposed layer of defense. "You will not bring this to her. She did nothing to you. My daughter never wished for this!"

"We never wished for this," the redhead snapped back, gesturing to their surroundings. "Do you have any idea what's happening?"

"My daughter is not the cause . . . You mustn't pick against her. It is the Beast who caused our troubles! The Beast who is to blame!" he spat, groaning to the skies. "Behold! Look around at the sorrows caused by the fiend! My sweet child was captured by him, you see? He . . . He did this to us all!"

Wirt felt his brother grab onto his cape from behind, pining for a source of comfort. It'll be over soon, Greg. It'll be alright. "Yeah, we know. That's why we have to stop him."

"There isn't a single thing you can do to deter him! He is the essence of malice, of wrath undermining his darkened past! Only she may fix his wrongs, and yet the Beast has anticipated her fall!" the Woodman mourned, singing his age-old woe. "Poor Unknown! Poor children! Poor Anna! We are nothing to his powers! His great evils! We have no hope!"

"Think again, mister. Hope's alive still," Beatrice said, gaze darting upwards. "And she's right on time."

A gasp sounded, followed by another, Greg's awed and the Woodsman's shocked visages turned mutually at the clearing clouds above them.

Huh? Wirt squinted, a golden ray shining down in a blast of haste, making land on the ground beyond them and melting away the snow. The grayscale haze of forest became a notch more vivid, surviving plants intensified, a contrast between the icy and the wet and the bare. From the limelight, the glimpse of atmosphere became blue and blazing, a surreal, shimmering figure descending, dreamlike in every way.

Silence stretched out, but the air was filled with unspoken reaction as the queen stood upon the warming earth, her form flickering, the very stars in the night sky. Her smile was bittersweet, eyes forever kind and loving beneath their depths. The tiny white doves flying around her crown were languid and weighed, supporting her tiring posture. She looked infinitely fragile. "Hello, Beatrice, Gregory. Wirt. Woodsman."

"Hello!" Greg greeted enthusiastically.

"About time. How about shedding some sensation back into this bozo?" the former bluebird said, chin tipped in imitation pride. She cast Wirt a guilty look.

"Quite a strong opinion you have there," the Queen of the Clouds said, suggesting compassion, fading for a second and returning. "But yes, thank you for reaching for me and granting your faith."

What is she doing here? Beatrice agreed to talk to me about things! No secrets! How could she do this without telling us? Wirt cast a leer of momentary betrayal at the other teen, annoyed that he wasn't informed of their surprise visitor. They had decided with Lorna and Auntie Whispers that contacting the queen would endanger everything and yet she still did it without consent. A slice of regret cut into him at that. No. She did what she thought was reasonable. And I'm pretty sure she was about to tell me.

"You . . . you're in terrible danger," the Woodsman breathed, stance slackened, a disturbance in his gaze. "No, you cannot . . . The Beast . . . He will destroy you."

"Do not worry. I know what he wants," she responded smoothly. "I am not afraid for myself. I came for you, so that you might understand. The Dark Lantern wasn't meant for this."

Quiet, he seemed unable to respond.

"We wished to contain him. I accept responsibility, but countless have unfairly suffered because of our solution," she explained. "His soul relies on the Dark Lantern staying lit. It is a spell a heartfelt enchantress devised with me, and I thought that it would allow me enough time to save him while keeping a spot of vulnerability. It has been long enough. I'm losing my influence on the Unknown. If he absorbs my remaining power then he will be able to break the spell himself. He will be freed, unstoppable. For my people . . . for the innocent children . . . for the creatures and life and those from other worlds . . . we can't let him stand."

Horror filled every single one of Wirt's veins. They couldn't let that happen. They had to stop the Beast. Surely, the Woodsman understood that now?

The old man took a shaky step back, dropping his axe in the snow, empty hand reaching for the glowing object. He caressed the front of the lantern, sadness returning to his expression. "Shall this . . . be his soul . . . a cruel lie, my life." He put his finger slowly on the cap. "I haven't seen my daughter's face . . . except in sleep, and then it is a horrid reminder. Years . . . since . . . she was stolen from me." He breathed in, reluctantly revealing the fire's source, tears of mournful hesitation mirroring the last time he attempted to vanquish the cursed flame.

Overwhelmed, he hesitated.

It was all it took for the Beast's darkened presence to materialize before them, straight out of the shadows. Those two gleaming orbs narrowed at the Woodsman.

"I don't think so."

Here's the edited betterment of a somewhat quickly written chapter. Much-ish. xD I am continuing to alternate between fics and school, but there was no true excuse to what I owed you all. (I had a very good reviewer leave a detailed opinion on how I needed to be disillusioned. And also that Beatrice deserved more justice. I delivered that justice.) Lol, well, I really enjoyed this one because we're hitting that major arc! Finally, huh? C; Not sure how many people haven't given up on OtGW fanfiction by now, but those of you still reading are in for a huge treat! From both my fics! Haha, thanks for reading and please leave a review! x3 Next time will be a blast! Ah. Ahaha.