CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Happily Ever After…For Some

When Tony stepped through the mirror into the Nine Kingdoms with Raphaela in hand, he was immediately engulfed by his old comrade in arms, Lord Rupert.

"Lord Lewis!" Rupert said, squeezing Tony hand. "It's so good to have you back! Queen Matilde asked me to watch for your return. She wants me to notify her at once." He held up the mirror amulet that Tony had worn to visit the dwarves just when the curse had hit. "Her Majesty is still away with Prince Brutus and Queen Snow White, trying to get things back in order now that the curse is over."

"Then things are better?"

"Oh, yes. The curse is done. Everyone is awake…except for the few who didn't make it, of course. There were a few weaker ones who weren't able to take the lack of food and water."

"And King Wendell?"

"He's back on his feet and overseeing the kingdom. He's young and strong, so he had no trouble coming to himself."

"And my daughter and grandson?"

"Princess Virginia is in the Seventh Kingdom. I hear she is going to be handing over her position as Second to the Princess Forsythia. It's a true miracle, because no one has ever been able to talk sense to Queen Leaf Fall's daughters. Although, that's just between us. I wouldn't want Queen Leaf Fall to hear me say something like that…even if everyone else is saying it as well.

"Prince Wolf and your grandson should be returning from the Second Kingdom shortly in the company of the Ice Maidens. I hear that Queen Red is doing admirably well. The only thing is…well, I would cut my tongue off for saying anything ill about anyone, but Prince Wolf's nephew…he did something quite questionable."

"Is he all right?"

"Oh, yes, quite all right. But I think I've said too much. I'll leave Prince Wolf to tell you the story. The young lad's mother Pura is going to have so much on her shoulders." Rupert clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Poor woman. Raising a child alone is so difficult."

"Tell me about it."

"Oh, but of course, you would know all about that first hand. You did an outstanding job with the Princess Virginia! I'll bet that one day she will be called the Sixth Great Woman Who Changed History. How did your quest on the other side of the mirror go?"

"We succeeded in getting rid of Mazarin and putting things back in order."

"I'm SO relieved! But of course, there was never any doubt that you would succeed."

"Of course not. Did you do something about Mazarin's followers on Hunter's Island?"

"They were taken to Snow White Memorial Prison, still asleep. Since they were put under a spell similar to the one that held Snow White, they will probably stay that way until they're each kissed by a handsome prince. The prison warden says there won't be too many princes where they're going."

"Rupert, do you think I could be the one to tell Matilde I'm back."

"Of course! I'm sure the Queen would prefer it!" Rupert quickly took off the mirror medallion and handed it to Tony. "I'll just leave you two alone to talk."

Tony waited for Rupert to leave the room before he ran his fingers over the medallion and called his wife's name. "Matilde? Matilde, are you there?"

"Tony!" Matilde answered at once. She'd been keeping a close eye on the medallion, waiting for news. "You're home!"

"Yes. And I don't mind telling you that I'm glad to be here."

"You're all right?"

"Yes, and so is Raphaela, though she's still very weak. She appeared to me briefly just before we left to let me know she was on the mend, but I could tell by the faintness of her image that she's still very tired. I'll put her in our room to rest, or leave her in little Anthony's room so she can see him as soon as he gets home."

"So…Mazarin is gone for good?"

"Yes. Chu'Mana cleaned up that whole place in minutes. Kai gave me a little bit more of his family's story too. I'll fill you in when I see you. He thinks he may know how I'm related to Mazarin. When are you coming home?"

"By this evening I should think."

"I hear voices in the background."

"Uncle Brutus is boasting about his magical abilities to a group of First Kingdom Bishops. We were just seeing Cindy home. We were afraid the curse would take a lot out of her, but she seems to be doing pretty well."

"I'm glad to hear it. Send her my best. Tell her Virginia has been making good use of her magic glass slippers."

"Yes, the slippers. Since they were made with the help of the crystal, they're probably the last remaining bit of Chu'Mana. I'm sorry I didn't get to thank her for the help she gave my mother in bringing back Raphaela."

"We owe her a lot. Well…I better let you go. The sooner you finish there, the sooner you'll come home. I really need to see you." Tony ran his fingers over the medallion, wishing it was his wife's face instead of her reflection.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You know, I've been thinking. Is there someone around here who does portraits? I know you don't use photographs yet, but maybe I'd prefer a painting anyway."

"A painting of what?"

"I'd like a big family portrait, with you, Virginia and Wolf, Raphaela, our new grandson, and Rose and Wendell. We should have Timka and his mother in it too. And maybe even Queen Red and Leaf Fall."

"That's going to be some painting. It will need to be wall size. Rupert probably knows of someone."

"I'll ask him. It's something I'd really like to have."

- - - - - - - - - -

Just before Wolf left the Second Kingdom with his son, he visited Queen Red Riding the Third in her chambers. Her maids were flitting about her doing her hair and fluffing up the ruffles on her light red gown. She looked pale, but there was a slight smile on her lips. The curse was over and summer was on the way and many local towns were holding parties to celebrate. The queen's maids were talking about finding new beaus at these parties and it was hard not to feel their excitement as they attended her. But when Queen Red heard Wolf had come to see her, she immediately sent them all away so she could see her cousin alone.

Wolf gave her a deep bow and kissed her hand. "May I say, you look lovely your Majesty."

"My maids are trying to talk me into taking a retinue of carriages through the local villages for a little parade, to show everyone that things are getting back to normal. They think I should dress up for the occasion."

"I think they're right."

Queen Red put her hand to the pendant around her neck. It was the red stone that Wolf and Virginia had seen her wearing while she was under the curse. "No one remembers my having this piece of jewelry. I was wearing it when I woke up. But it goes very well with this dress, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do," Wolf said, tapping the aged book he was carrying under his arm.

"I don't know what kind of stone it is, though."

"I think it's probably a garnet."

"It's so beautiful."

Wolf had a pretty good idea where the gem came from, but of course he couldn't say anything. He had promised to protect Ichabod's secret. "I have something for you, your Majesty." Wolf held up the book. "I found this while I was digging into various corners of the castle, in the lower store rooms, looking for some additional bells."

"What is it?"

"It's your father's journal, written mostly while he was away with the military."

"My father?"

"Yes. It probably got mixed in with his old armaments. I thought you would want it."

"Oh, yes please."

Wolf handed it over and said, "While leafing through it I noticed an interesting entry that he made just before your birth. Evidently, he wanted to name you Garnet, with the accent on the second syllable. Your mother decided not to do that, even though they'd talked about it. Your mother also wanted your father to stay away from you, which I don't think he was really happy about."

"Really?" Queen Red blinked back the tears that were starting to gather. She looked down at the weathered book in her lap. She'd hardly ever been allowed around her father. She knew he was ladies' man just as everyone did, but that was about it. She'd always longed to know more.

From behind the queen there was a small phantom sniff that Wolf well knew was the invisible Ichabod. "I just thought you'd want to know."

"Cousin Wolf, how can I thank you?"

"There's no need to thank me. I did what any wolf would do. I protected my family."

"I heard you had some problems with other members of your family," Queen Red said, trying to be delicate.

"Oh. You mean Timka. I know some people won't understand, but that really wasn't about him. It was all caused by some rabble rousers that I had been having trouble with in the Fourth Kingdom. They wanted to use the confusion of the curse to try and cause trouble here. But Timka took it over and made it into a family feud. Wolves battle sometimes for dominance. My nephew challenged me with a weapon he knew I was better with in order to let me win. But he made a good show of it. From now on any trouble makers will know have to go through him as well as me. It put another row of protection between me and my son and your throne, even at the risk of Timka's reputation."

"I think you will be a good king if anything ever happens to me again."

Wolf's eyes opened wide with fear. "Oh, no! I beg your pardon, Cousin, but huff-puff, I REALLY don't want to be king!"

"Why not? You seem to have done an excellent job. My chancellor can't stop singing your praises."

"I protected my family. That's what a wolf does. But, begging your pardon, I don't want the job of king! Not everyone's cut out to be alpha. And I can't imagine anything worse than being shut up in a castle all the time."

Queen Red smiled. "Well, with all these difficulties of late, I really must think seriously of the line of succession. You've told me Maria Thompson doesn't want the job. That she wants to remain on her farm. And you don't want it either. Your sister is tied up with the Fourth Kingdom. And young Timka's recent actions will cause some to see him in a bad light, regardless of his motives. Maybe your son Anthony would like to be king."

"You'll have to ask him when he comes of age."

"I'll wait and ask Anthony then. Perhaps he can even be my Second one day. In the meantime, thank you for everything, Cousin Wolf."

Wolf bowed again. "And thank you…Cousin Garnet."

- - - - - - - - - -

With everything starting to get to normal in most of the Nine Kingdoms, Leaf Fall was buzzing madly around the Moss Castle, taking back the reins of her own kingdom and seeing everything put to right. She had accepted Virginia's resignation as Second, seeing it clearly as an excuse to give her younger daughter Forsythia a push forward. It had always been Leaf Fall's dearest wish to have one of her daughters working beside her, prepping for one day becoming Queen of the Elves. Leaf was more grateful to Virginia than she could ever say for helping Forsythia make the decision. It was something she would never forget. Virginia may stop being her Second, but Leaf promised herself that the tie between them would strengthen.

With Leaf Fall so totally involved in work, it was Forsythia who saw Virginia off, thanking her once again for helping their people.

"You did most of it," Virginia said, squeezing the young elf's hand in friendship. "They're your people. They look to you for guidance and help. And when the chips were down you came through."

"Chips?"

"It's an expression some people use where I come from. It means when things got tough, you came through for them. You're going to be a great queen when the time comes. I know it."

Forsythia blushed. "You think?"

"You have a caring heart. During something like this, your people really needed to see that. It gave them hope and courage. And they saw that they weren't alone. That means a lot to people, even when you can't do as much as you'd like to fix things. You're going to be great working with the Council too. Just don't let your mother run you around too much. Leaf Fall lives to work."

"She does, doesn't she?" Forsythia said with a smile.

"Yeah, I was lucky I had a pregnancy and a newborn to use as an excuse when the workload got too great. You're going to have to just tell her no. You think you can do that?"

"I'll try. My mother is a very…" Forsythia searched for the right word. "Forceful woman."

"That she is. But if she gives you too much trouble, just tell me and I'll fix things. If I can't control her, I'll send Matilde in to take care of her."

"I'll do that. And if you ever need anything, you can come to me as well."

Virginia felt Cinderella's shoes tighten on her feet. They tended to do that when they wanted to be off. "I have to get back to the Fourth Kingdom now and see how things are going there. Wolf should be home by now with our son."

"Thank you again."

Virginia gave Forsythia a quick hug and then the magic shoes whisked her away. The next thing she knew, she was standing before Cinderella in an ante room just off her royal bedchamber in the First Kingdom. Cinderella wasn't alone, either. She was surrounded by Matilde and her uncle Brutus, Cinderella's Chancellor, and a couple of other lords from the First Kingdom. Cinderella was dressed in a gorgeous robe of white satin and spun gold, seated comfortably in a large lounge chair while everyone else stood around her.

"Ah, there you are, Virginia," Matilde said, as if people appeared and disappeared like this all the time. "We were just talking about you."

Virginia looked down at the sparkling shoes on her feet. They were twinkling much brighter than usual and pinching Virginia's toes. Virginia knew they were eager to return to their original owner. Their brilliant light show was clearly a welcome home to Cinderella.

"Your Majesty," Virginia said. "It's good to see you up and around."

"Yes," Cinderella said with a smile. "Everyone's babying me, but I'm actually feeling quite rested after my long nap. I see you've brought my shoes back."

"Yes," Virginia said, slipping them off. "They've been a tremendous help." She handed the slippers to Cinderella."

Cinderella caressed the slippers lovingly. "I've missed them. I usually leave them on display because everyone always wants to see them. But I think I will wear them more regularly from now on."

"You would have been protected from the curse if you'd been wearing them," Matilde observed.

"Really?" Virginia asked.

"They have the power to mirror spells back to their originator," Cinderella said. "So, if I'd had them on, the curse would have flashed back to Mazarin and his followers and hit them instead. We would have all been spared. Which pretty much tells me I should wear them more often. They might save us from similar troubles in the future." With a smile she slipped them on her feet and sighed with contentment.

"Well, we've got to be going," Matilde said. "Tony's back and he tells me Wolf is back as well."

"Yes, you want to get home to your family."

"I can stay if you need anything," Prince Brutus said with a brusque little bow.

"My Chancellor might want you for a few things," Cinderella said. "As for me, I'm hungry as a horse. I'll leave you two to handle the kingdom for a while. Virginia, thank you again for everything."

"I didn't do that much really," Virginia said. "It was mostly your shoes and Princess Forsythia." Virginia tried not to look at the shoes because she was feeling sad at the parting.

"The shoes will always pick their owner," Cinderella said. "That's what Matilde's mother told me when she was working as my fairy godmother. They will refuse to fit anyone else. The day will come when I can't wear them anymore. I have a feeling they'll be coming to you then. Just don't let them bully you. They can be a bit demanding sometimes."

"They do have a mind of their own," Virginia said with a smile. "But I kind of liked that."

"Cindy, I'll look in on you in a couple of days," Matilde said.

"Take your time, Matilde. I'm all right. Really I am."

- - - - - - - - - -

The rest of the evening at Wendell's castle was very quiet, except for the occasional laugh or sigh behind closed doors. Tony and Matilde adjourned to their room shortly after Matilde returned with Virginia from Cinderella's. Rose and Wendell had done the same hours before. And Pura seemed eager to keep to herself after she heard about Timka's challenge against Wolf.

Wolf tried to convince Pura that neither he nor Rose would hold anything against Timka, but she didn't quite believe them. At least not at that point. In the gypsy world when you went against the leader, you were banished. She assumed she and Timka would now lose everything they had gained. So she thought it best to remain in seclusion until Timka returned to the castle. She was sure he would come back to see how she was. And she didn't want to miss him by leaving before then.

Wolf would have liked to whisk Virginia off to their room immediately after her return, but Virginia seemed unusually quiet, so he didn't suggest any hide and seek games. Instead he ordered them a meal in a secluded corner of the dining room. Since most of the people in the castle had their minds on things other than food, the chef was thrilled to have someone to cook for. Cooking was his way of celebrating. Their ten course meal ended with a giant hot fudge sundae. Wolf had asked for this specifically. He'd learned during his brief stay in New York City that chocolate seemed to have magical powers of good feeling for women. But Virginia didn't seem interested. She just let her desert melt into a sad brown puddle.

"Virginia, what's the matter?" Wolf asked after they got back to their room.

"I'm just a waitress again," she said starting to cry. "I was Leaf's Second. And I had Cinderella's magic shoes. And now I'm just a waitress again."

"Oh, no no no no no! You're much more than that! You did the right thing in handing over the job of Second to Forsythia. You'll always have strong ties to the Seventh Kingdom now. The Princess Forsythia is the beginning of what Snow White said you'd become. You advised a lost girl. Even though she is kind of on the old side from our point of view, she's still a girl in elf years. In doing that, you've brought together a mother and daughter. And Cinderella's magic shoes have all but declared you to be Cinderella's successor. Your story has only begun!"

"You think?" Virginia asked tearfully.

"Oh, I know! They'll be singing songs about us for years and years and years."

"You're a princess with the heart of a queen," the singing ring sang.

"You're a guide with courage, as many have seen.

You fear and you worry when danger's in sight,

But you never fail to stand up and fight."

"You see," Wolf said. "The ring knows."

"Of Prince Wolf I know many will say," the ring continued.

"He's a teacher and philosopher in his own way.

He leads his people as he sits in the woods,

And no one will doubt that he's all good.

"Of Prince Anthony many will sing,

Over many lands he will be a good king.

When there is danger, his one great friend,

Will be Cousin Timka, from now till the end."

"It sounds like the ring is making some official predictions," Wolf said.

"But Kai said he couldn't really make any big predictions. Unless he's getting this from someone like Snow White."

"Snow White's time is over, she says," the ring sang.

"She must move on as Chu'Mana has.

These things I sang are her gift to you.

You'll see in time that they all will come true."

"Give Snow White our best," Virginia said. "I don't know how we'll get on without her."

"You've already made a start,

Just remember to follow your heart."

Virginia cuddled into Wolf's chest as Snow White unseen in their room, blew them both a kiss. Since she'd contacted them so often through the singing ring, it seemed she should say goodbye through it as well.

Before moving on, Snow White had one last stop to make. She called to Matilde from her bureau mirror as Tony slept.

"Matilde," Snow White whispered from the mirror.

Matilde recognized the voice at once and went to speak to her. "Snow. What's wrong?" she whispered back. "Do you need me?"

"No. Mazarin's gone and that problem is over with. I've got to move on now."

"I was afraid you'd be leaving soon."

"You know I have to go. I only had so much time. I've done everything I set out to do. Isabella's evil is finally done. Her chosen successor has been defeated. And that successor's daughter will one day be my successor. I've also righted the wrongs in the House of Red. Destiny and I have done our job. I had planned to leave soon after Anthony's birth, but I didn't expect Mazarin's return."

"No one did," Matilde said.

"You know, young Anthony has a good chance of uniting much of the Nine Kingdoms when he grows up. Queen Red is considering making him her official successor. And he will have influence in the Fourth and First Kingdoms, even as his mother will have sway in the Seventh and Ninth. I have told the dwarves that they should consider Virginia my successor and seek her out if they need anything. As for Timka, he will serve as one of Anthony's greatest supporters and even become his secret weapon. Watch over that young man."

"I will."

"As for you, Old Friend…it's time for you to take on the full responsibilities of your mother. In your own way you've avoided total involvement in the Nine Kingdoms, much as Forsythia has in the Seventh. You've served as president of the Council of the Nine Kingdoms, but you've let Leaf Fall do most of the work. She can only do so much. And you never know. There could be something like The Magic War again. You and Brutus will now be the most powerful beings in the Nine Kingdoms. You're needed."

"I get it, Snow. I know you had a lot to do with pulling me out of my Ice Castle."

"To some extent. I wanted you involved in setting things right in the House of Red. I didn't foresee you getting involved with Lord Lewis. But he's a good man. And he's never going to allow you to cloister yourself again. You and Virginia both had to defrost a bit. I'm glad to see you in the center of an active family…you and Raphaela. I'm sorry I didn't know of her sooner, but I'm glad she's not a secret anymore. She has her own destiny. Enjoy your family. And help Virginia. She still has some things to face."

"I know. I'll tend to it."

"Goodbye, Old Friend," Snow White said as she started to fade from the mirror. "Give Lord Lewis and Raphaela my best."

"I will."

After Snow White had gone, Matilde looked out the window of their room for a very long time, with Tony snoring every now and again behind her. Snow was right. Unlike her mother, Matilde had avoided taking a central position in the Nine Kingdoms, except during the Magic War. Here she was over 500 years old and it seemed that she still had some growing up to do.

- - - - - - - - - -

Wendell and Rose snuggled together in their bed, enjoying the play of the flickering candles around them.

"I was so worried about you," Rose said.

"It sounds like you were one hell of a queen in my absence, though," Wendell said.

"I was really more of a general." Rose nestled her chin on his chest so she could look into his eyes.

"But you cared more about the kingdom and the castle than a mere general would have."

"That's being a wolf. Wolves protect their own."

"Well, I think you should go on being a general. I know Rupert tried to turn you into his version of a storybook princess for a while. But I think you're really the spiritual successor of Gretel the Great. You should be leading my army along with Burke. With the two of you in charge, you can leave the army to him when you need to do more queenly things."

"Can I wear trousers instead of dresses?"

"Of course. However, I prefer you when you're not wearing anything at all." He ran his hand slowly up and down her back. "But I think I can put up with you wearing trousers most of the time. Especially if you wear them on the tight side."

"Oh, you," Rose said, pushing playfully at his chest. Then she kissed him and everything else was forgotten.

- - - - - - - - - -

Two blue carriages belonging to King Cole pulled up to Wendell's castle early the next morning. Cole was in the first carriage looking out forlornly. The ghost of the Rapunzel was floating over it, weeping uncontrollably. Her long semi-transparent hair was cascading down over the carriage shaking with her every gasp and moan.

Herbert Winchester the perfect butler was somewhat at a loss when he saw it. He wondered if he should walk through the ghostly hair of the former queen to open the carriage door for King Cole. Or would it be considered an insult? In the end he let King Cole exit from the carriage on his own and ordered the page at his side to send for King Wendell immediately. It was better to err on the side of caution, after all. He was sure that King Wendell would know best what to do for his old friend.

Once Cole was out of the carriage, Rapunzel floated down to her son's side and wiped her face with her spectral hair.

"Your Majesties," Herbert said, with a deep bow. It seemed only right that he should acknowledge both royals. Even if one of them was a ghost, she was after all one of the Five Great Women Who Changed History. As he rose, Herbert saw that the second carriage was filled to the brim with suitcases. "Will you be staying with us for a while?" he asked politely.

"Yes. A very long while," Cole said.

Rapunzel wailed even louder at that.

"I've sent for King Wendell. He should be here momentarily," Herbert said.

"That's good. I have much to tell him."

"I'll see to your luggage." Herbert waved to the driver of the second carriage. "Driver, bring the king's luggage around to the back of the castle. You come as well," he said to the driver of the first carriage. "We can see to you and your horses there."

As Herbert led the carriages around back, Wendell appeared at the top of the castle stairs with Lord Rupert just behind him. "King Cole!" Wendell said. "What's happened?"

Rapunzel's ghost zapped up the steps to Wendell faster than her son could answer. "They've thrown us out!" she cried. "Even Lord Marmion has turned against us!"

"Good lord!" Wendell said. "Who has done this?"

"My people," King Cole said, climbing up the steps very slowly. "They say I've decided to back the wolves and joined in their battles despite the costs to the Fifth Kingdom. That I depleted the coffers of my kingdom. And that somehow I allowed the curse of Mazarin and an attack by the satyrs and hsigo while I slept. Gavrilo has been made king instead. When I awoke, my mother's ghost and I were forced into leaving."

Rapunzel started crying again. "I came back as a ghost to make sure my son would be a good king. Now we have been forced from the kingdom his father and I loved so well!" She started weeping into her hair again.

Lord Rupert wished he could have offered the lady his handkerchief, but of course that was impossible.

"Well, you can stay here as long as you like. You and your mother. We will talk to Queen Matilde and see if the Council of the Nine Kingdoms can do anything."

"I would appreciate that. But I've already checked the Treaty of the Nine Kingdoms. It states that so long as there is no bloody uprising, or request for help, or the attempted takeover of one kingdom by another, the Council will not become involved in the inner workings of each individual kingdom. I doubt there is anything to be done."

Rapunzel's crying got louder.

"I also fear that Gavrilo and the commoners of the Fifth Kingdom will be leaving the Council. They seem to blame it for much of their trouble."

As it turned out, King Cole was right. Gavrilo and the appointed commoners of the Fifth Kingdom all removed themselves from the Council. There was nothing Matilde or Leaf Fall could do unless there were obviously evil goings-on. Matilde questioned Gavrilo about his involvement with the attack on Wendell's castle. Gavrilo admitted that he had sent some of his men to investigate whether the wolves had been involved with Mazarin. But he would admit nothing else. He said the hsigo and satyrs had attacked his kingdom as well. And that Victor had died a hero in his defense of the Fifth Kingdom. Since there were no more uprisings in Wendell's kingdom, all Matilde could do was keep a close eye on things in the Fifth Kingdom.

So King Cole took up permanent residence in the castle of the Fourth Kingdom. Wendell treated him with full royal honors. The Lady Rapunzel wasn't seen very often, though she was heard moaning and crying on a regular basis when they first arrived. Matilde had to talk to her about it because the gremlins and mice in the castle started complaining. The gremlins threatened to make life very difficult for everyone unless she cut out the wailing and cried more quietly. The Lady Rapunzel agreed. But every now and again she couldn't help but mourn the loss of her beloved kingdom.

- - - - - - - - - -

When Timka returned to the castle with the young wolf Rubin at his side, he didn't know what to expect. His motives for the challenge to Wolf had been exactly as Wolf had surmised. He and Rubin realized that Camus meant to take Wolf and his entire family down. And he couldn't allow that to happen, no matter what his disagreements were with his uncle.

After the fight, the wolves that had followed Camus went their own way. Most of them had families and they were eager to make sure everything was right with them. Camus himself went north. It was clear he was very angry over Timka's loss. But for most of the wolves the argument had been settled. They had seen Wolf take on his nephew in what appeared to be a fair fight. And they had seen Wolf act with both strength and wolfish integrity. Defending the kingdom of his cousin was a right and noble thing for a wolf to do. And Timka had shown that he was going to be formidable wolf in the future. He was still young, but his potential as a fighter was quite clear to the other wolves, as well as to Wolf. Timka might have some anger to work out, but one day he would be a very important wolf in the House of Red.

Rose and Wolf also both believed Timka had acted in Wolf's and Anthony's best interests by making the challenge. Rose had been present at some of Camus's verbal confrontations with Wolf. She knew he was trouble, but had had no reason to move against him. Matilde had also spoken with the Ice Maiden named Odila who had taken Timka and the others to Queen Red's kingdom, she thought to help Wolf. Odila confirmed that Benjamin and Camus had been the leaders. And that Timka and Rubin had joined them just before they left, with Timka insisting that he was a full blood relative of Wolf's and that it was his duty. So obviously Benjamin and Camus had made a plan and Timka had inserted himself into it at the very last minute.

However, not everybody knew all these things. Many in the Nine Kingdoms looked on Timka as a traitor to his uncle. They thought it was normal for the young man to challenge his elder, but that the timing was very bad, because wolves were just starting to gain respect and it was Wolf's actions that had started to get that for them.

At first Rose suggested that Timka work with her in Wendell's army, but Timka said he didn't much care for the strict organization of the military. Fighting was fun, but he preferred to do it with less regulation. Considering his love of the woods and hunting, Wendell instead offered him the Huntsman's old job overseeing the Disenchanted Forest. And Rose presented him with the Huntsman's bow, which he had used to such great advantage when the castle had been under siege by the hsigo. Wolf promised that Timka would always be welcome in their midst. And Virginia urged him to come to the castle often to visit his young cousin Anthony.

Pura was relieved that her new in-laws were so forgiving. She still didn't understand this custom of challenging alphas, but she saw the respect that Wolf seemed to have for his nephew. And she heard how important he'd been in holding back the attacks by Victor's men. This was something that her people would respect too. She suggested Timka use his time in the Disenchanted Forest to make friends again with the gypsies.

"Many gypsies travel through the Disenchanted Forest," Pura said, "You have a chance to learn about both sides of your family now."

Timka agreed that he would try and follow his mother's wishes.

As for Pura herself, Wendell and Rose asked her to remain with them in the castle. Pura accepted the offer because she thought over time she could be the bridge between the royals and the gypsies.

And so Timka went to live in the Disenchanted Forest as the new Caretaker. At first, his friend Rubin was his only companion. But over time, he became well known to the gypsies and others travelers through the forest. While some continued to see him as a traitor, others realized that he wouldn't have been given the rule of the Disenchanted Forest unless he had the trust of both Wolf and Wendell. Most people came to think of his challenge to Wolf as a sign of youthful cockiness. Those who felt themselves to be loners and misfits often sought him out. Over time he became the unofficial king of his own band of gypsies and wolves in the forest. He was both fair and fierce when he needed to be. And his expertise with a bow and arrow became so great that he really didn't need the magic bow of the previous huntsman. But he kept it as a symbol of pride for his family. And he vowed he would one day pass it down to one of his sons…or daughters.

- - - - - - - - - -

Burly and his siblings were thrilled to able to return to their former positions in the troll kingdom. The three young trolls made sure that everyone knew of their instrumental part in overturning Mazarin's curse and the saving of their people. Of course, flying around on the back of a dragon didn't hurt their reputations either.

Baby was heartbroken at hearing Mazarin was never going to come back to her. But she realized that she had a new life with the trolls and Sammy the toad. The trolls were a little ashamed of Sammy. I mean, what self-respecting troll would hang around with a toad? So they told everyone that he was Baby's pet. Sammy didn't really like the idea of being anybody's pet. But he realized that he'd finally achieved the bigger and better things that his mother had dreamed of so long ago. He was the indispensable translator between Baby and Burly. Without him, nothing could get done. And soon he was able to benefit the rest of his kind by leading them into the same business.

Not long after they settled back into the troll castle, Baby started digging a new den. Sammy was the one who gave the trolls the news. Baby was nesting! It seems that during the time Mazarin had left her behind in that other dimension, she'd met some other dragons, including some males. And well, nature had taken its course. There were almost twenty eggs. And the trolls and Sammy helped Baby care for them until one day, nineteen little baby dragons hatched out. Blabberwort immediately chose the largest male for herself, as her future ride. Bluebell politely refused, but promised to help Sammy and Baby see to the rest.

The most surprising thing of all, though, was the romance that developed between Burly and Felicity Dragon-Slayer. Felicity had always been a woman of the outdoors and now her brother wasn't around to force her into being a proper pretender to the throne. Most people thought it was a strange match. But she took to the caretaking of the dragons as naturally as Burly did. So perhaps her family's ancient tie to the dragons is what really sparked the romance.