Chapter Two
Past Tense
The banquet table displayed some of the finest food's Virginia had ever seen in her
entire life. The last banquet she was present at in the 4th kingdom was timid compared
to this. Even the table appeared to be larger than the previous one. So why all the
fuss? Virginia had a feeling whatever it was it was going to be good. Virginia was
seated near the top on the left hand side of the Prince. Wolf eagerly pulled her seat out
for her. A true romantic. Virginia was delighted in finally being able to get of her feet
and relieve her back of its precious load. The walk to the mirror was long and she was
lucky Wolf was such a gentleman and carried the baggage. Virginia felt somewhat
vulnerable, she was conscious of her size and believed she must look like a blimp. A
reassuring look from Wolf and all was okay. Wolf linked with her hand. He was
beaming, smiling and looking around. Virginia felt as if she was on parade, which
brought her back to the blimp thing.
To Prince Wendell's right sat her father, who was currently engaged in conversation
with one of Wendell's general's. What had her father been up these past months and
what was so important he couldn't return?. Well she would find out soon enough, now
the banquet was about to start. More guests had appeared and were seated along the
table, surely not in importance, she thought. Suddenly an orchestra began playing a
sweet melody from a balcony behind Prince Wendell's chair. The music wafted across
the room and was intoxicating. Virginia wondered if it involved magic of some sort.
She still had much to learn of this new land and was almost sure she never would fully
understand everything.
Wendell stood up and began his address. He looked different somehow, more
confident and determined, qualities she also noted were now in her father. Wendell
tapped on his glass and immediately his audience stopped talking and gave him their
utmost attention. The orchestra stopped their playing and the room was blanketed
with silence. Prince Wendell began his speech.
" Friends and members of the court welcome to this joyous occasion. I am
pleased to announce the return of two people who were instrumental in the rebuilding
of the 9 kingdoms, my good friends Virginia and Wolf." There was a pause as the
table clapped in recognition.
Wolf stood up and bowed quickly and then promptly sat again. Virginia was
not sure if she was expected to do likewise, instead she smiled back at the table. In
front of her, her father smiled at her in a proud smile and winked. Virginia smiled
back and realised how much she had missed his company. Prince Wendell continued,
"These two great people have served our kingdoms well. They have been through so
much and travelled far. They have faced personal danger and lost so much. Our debt
to them can never be repaid. In recognition of their sacrifices I am bestowing upon
then the titles of lord and lady of the court. This is but a small recognition of their
services." Prince Wendell paused a moment and stared down the ground.
Virginia was perplexed by this act and she believed so did everyone. Finally
Prince Wendell continued,
"When I was trapped in dog form I was vulnerable and stripped of all my
princely benefits. These three journeyed along with and restored me to my true form.
Along that journey I learnt many things and visited various places, all with a royal
welcome. And what I saw slightly disturbed me . the people of our kingdoms need our
guidance. As their rulers we have failed them and I plan on rectifying that. From
today onward myself and general Lewis will be implementing new policies and plans
in running the nine kingdoms. I say the nine kingdoms as a whole and that is
including the troll kingdom. At general Lewis's wishes I released the three children of
the deceased troll king, relish, and allowed them the chance to rebuild their kingdom.
As a result the new rulers have asked for our help and I have decided to give them
some. This will allow the troll kingdom to unite with us. Many of you here still don't
trust troll's and rightly so. Trolls are not renowned for their loyalty and
trustworthiness. But we must do our best to strengthen the kingdoms in these dark
times. To give details of our plans is general Tony Lewis ." prince Wendell finished
and gestured at Tony.
Virginia was surprised by these announcements and her father a general, oh
god she thought what next?
Tony stood up and the table slowly began clapping, obviously shocked at the
princes radical speech. Still Tony stood with confidence and moved towards the wall
behind Wendell chair. Tony pulled a curtain to reveal a large map of the nine
kingdoms, except they were in different colours. Virginia was both intrigued and
embarrassed, here her father was implementing radical plans and not doing bad either.
Tony began in a large voice that filled the hall.
" members of the court I present to you the 9 kingdoms renewal project".
People sat in astonishment and Virginia felt almost like laughing but this was her
fathers big moment and she could not spoil it. Tony began his speech as courtiers
placed booklets to each member of the table. Virginia stifled a laugh and this time it
took much effort. So for the next half an hour Virginia's father outlined his plans and
went through very technical explanations of the project. After a while Virginia began
to see the effort her father had put into it and how it actually made sense. Tony
concluded his speech to a rapturous applause and a standing ovation from everyone
bar Virginia. Tony returned to his seat and immediately Prince Wendell started to talk
to him. Virginia could not overhear their conversation but saw both men were very
friendly.
Wolf who was still munching on a leg of turkey stopped eating for a moment
to ask her what all that meant. Virginia replied simply. " I don't know either". They
both smiled and their eyes met and Virginia became lost in his eyes. This may have
lasted the duration of the meal had Prince Wendell not interrupted them. " so my dear
Virginia, how did you find your fathers speech?" Virginia was caught of guard. "
what?, sorry I did not hear you" the prince repeated his question and for the next few
minutes he quizzed Virginia. Finally he stopped and addressed the table.
"Members of the court, beseech you to enter into the dance hall as the
festivities are about to begin."
One by one the members of the court filed out of the room and into the dance
hall. Wolf helped Virginia up out of her seat. Suddenly Virginia realised that only
herself, Wolf, her father and Wendell were in the room. Funny that this was the first
time the four friends had been alone together since their adventure. Virginia felt
somewhat out of place in the presence of Wendell. She had some time ago realised the
fact that Wendell was royalty even if she did not understand this land. Wolf was first
to talk.
"Hello grandpa, since when did you become a general". Wolf boomed.
He relished in calling her father that and she knew herself that her father did
not fully feel comfortable about their relationship. He still had a difficult time
imagining Virginia being pregnant. It was a hard thing for Tony to escape as Virginia
was now nearly full term and was quite big. She sometimes felt she was having
twins.
The moment Virginia had left New York to go to the 4th kingdom she had
begun to feel a loss. New York was no longer her home and it saddened her deeply to
think so. Her father had already said that new York held no reason for him to return.
He had said he had a second chance, to become someone important and make a
difference. Wolf felt out of place in new York and had openly asked Virginia to live
with him in the 9 kingdoms. He had told her of his dream to have a nice cottage by the
lake. A place where he could grow his own food and not fear hatred from people. This
occurred many times as they walked through the park. His conversations often swayed
to reveal facets of wolf Virginia had never expected. Wolf had shown her a side of
himself that made Virginia fall more in love with him. Wolf had cared for her and had
exhibited a sensitivity that helped Virginia cope with her pregnancy and the loss of
her mother. Wolf had already asked her to marry him and she had never fully
accepted. Surprisingly, wolf proposed to her a second time at a romantic coach ride
through central park. This time she accepted and since then had felt herself get closer
to wolf. She felt for the first time ever that her life had begun to gain some focus.
Wolf would make a good husband and father.
It was on that thought that she began to wonder how her father had coped with
her mother's death. When she left, her father had told her he was alright, she did not
believe this and felt some guilt for not staying with him. Perhaps together the process
of mourning would have been easier. Secretly she knew he blamed himself for her
leaving. This was not helped by her grandmother openly blaming him. As a result she
had seen her father's self esteem slowly crumble. He never went out and had no
friends to speak of. Virginia herself found that they both were each others best friends.
Looking at him she had begun to see that he had lost weight and had a healthy glow
she had rarely seen.
In the room they stood each filled with questions and answers and each not
knowing what to say first. Tony answered wolf's question.
"After you both left, Wendell was kind enough to provide me with everything
I wanted. But I felt I had to do something in return. I asked him if he had a job for me
and he said he might have a position opening up soon. I had no idea what I may be
and then I heard Wendell had expelled all of his generals. Soon after he offered me the
job and of course, I accepted."
Virginia was shocked by this news and wanted to know why.
"You expelled your entire council of generals. Why?" Virginia asked Wendell.
"I expelled them because they were more concerned with fashion than the
development of my kingdom. After their inaction during my crisis and their failure to
address the Queens escape, I felt they were inadequate for service any longer. Also
your father had told me of many ideas he had in running the kingdom that intrigued
me." Wendell replied.
Virginia was amazed in the confidence that Wendell was exuding. Far from
the royal brat she was accustomed to, Wendell was more focused and seemed to be
taking to being king with a ferocious flurry of change. Strangely enough, Virginia
believed her father was fairly capable in his new position.
Tony stood in his smart new generals suit and Virginia felt very close to
breaking into laughter. Virginia had begun to realise that she had yet to lose her New
York logic and found everything here humorous in some bizarre way. Life in the nine
kingdoms would take some adjustment, but she felt confident enough to rely on Wolf
for support.
"So you actually believe my father can be of use to you?" Virginia exclaimed.
"Of course I do, otherwise I would not have offered him the position.
Personally I had always believed that none of the generals had shown me reason not
to do so. The generals, like myself, had inherited their roles but took them for
granted." Wendell spoke in a sincere voice. Virginia felt compelled to argue. She had
believed him to be just as arrogant as the generals.
"But to be honest, I had always been under the impression that you were no
different than those generals." she spoke rather aggressively, which surprised her
father. Wolf had become used to this as he put it down to a mood swing. But Tony
thought that Wendell would be offended by her remark and expected him to be angry.
"I was guilty of that said crime. I too took my inheritance for granted and
never thought otherwise. I always believed it was my right to be king rather than the
privilege it is. That opinion changed as a result of my transformation. I still retained
my arrogance and admit that I took you for granted. After a while I had begun to
except my fate. I learned a lot from your compassion as well as seeing my kingdom
without the frills it would usually be if I were to visit it. In the prison I saw how we
treated prisoners and came to realise that a change was needed. When I suggested we
review the prisons conditions as well as the kingdoms legal system, the council of
generals thought I had gone mad. They believed things were fine the way they were
and it was then I concluded that if I were to makes my proposed changes I would need
fresh new minds. I believe your father will allow me to accomplish my reforms. He
was after all incarcerated in the prison for no reason whatsoever."
Virginia was humbled by this sincere explanation. She had never expected
such an emotional reason and his words went some way in assuring her that her father
was able to offer him something useful.
At that moment the halls door opened and a servant entered. He spoke to
Wendell and promptly left.
"I am sorry my friends but I must take my leave of you for now. My guests are
becoming restless and require me to start their dance. I will speak again with you later
in private as we have much to discuss and have a great deal of planning to do.
Goodbye for now." Wendell spoke, clearly irritated by having to cut short their
reunion.
He left the room through the same door the servant had come through. As he
passed through the roar of clapping could be heard. Virginia felt sorry for him, but
better him than her.
Wolf put his arm around her and brought Virginia's thoughts back to her
father.
"So dad, what else have you gotten yourself into." Virginia sighed.
Tony missed her voice and her nagging tone. It had been a long time since
they had last seen each other and he was glad to have her here.
"I have done nothing but spend my days following Wendell around on
business and offering him some free advice. In fact I have been working since you
both left and I think I deserve some respect." Tony spoke in his best official tone and
held his head up. He was still as hopelessly comical in his actions as he had always
been. That was not going to change in a few short months. No, that would require
years of work, perhaps even decades.
Her father made his excuses and left and then they were alone.
"Wolf. I'm feeling tired, shall we go to our room." Virginia said as she began
resting against a chair.
"Of course my darling. A room has been prepared in the east wing of the
castle. The king has been generous enough to provide us with a room. It has a
beautiful view of the forest and the palace gardens." Wolf spoke as he began to
rub Virginias shoulder. She groaned with satisfaction. "Come let us go now."
Virginia smiled at him and took his hand. They linked each others arms and walked
out of the room. The faint sound of music could still be heard as they departed.
Virginia was in no mood or condition to join the banquet. Wolf did not care for such
things and was more concerned for Virginia's health. He cared only for herself and
their unborn child, a subject that weighted heavily on his mind.
The castle was larger than Virginia had thought. She had never fully explored
it and was not aware of this east wing. Finally, after what seemed like an age
navigating through the labyrinthine corridors, they arrived at their room.
When Wolf opened the door, Virginia was amazed by the size of the room. It was not
just a bedroom but an apartment containing a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom.
The sitting room was just as big, if not bigger than her fathers apartment. It was
furbished with intricate detail. All the beautiful hand crafted fittings were mind
blowing. In the middle of the room was a large hanging crystal chandelier. The
chandelier shone with bright brilliance and illuminated the entire room in its warmth.
To the right of them was a massive fireplace and was already lit. Virginia sat in one of
the many chairs located around the fire. Its warmth made her even more sleepy than
she already was. Wolf threw a large piece of wood on the fire and gazed at it as it
burned.
"That fire is big enough to cook a cow on it." Virginia exclaimed.
"Could we?" Wolf gasped.
Virginia was not quite sure if he was serious or not.
"Of course not. I was only joking." Virginia remarked.
"Huff-Puff." Said Wolf, obviously dissapointed or was he feigning it.
"I think I'll head to bed now but first I want to wash up." Virginia said
Then she headed towards the bathroom while Wolf remained at the fire, basking in
it's warmth. Inside the bathroom Virginia found all the convinces that she had been
accustomed to. Surprisingly this place had plumbing, perhaps her father had
something to do with it. On second thoughts probably not.
Virginia cleaned herself up then went to her bedroom. Her she found her bags
which also contained her clothes. She changed into her night-dress. Leaving her
clothes like this seemed lazy but she was tired and pregnant. Virginia slowly lay
down on the bed. The silk sheets made her feel like she was on water, and she was
ready to be swept away. Her eyes began to close against her will. The last thing she
saw was Wolf watching over her.
Upon Virginia falling asleep he pulled the bed clothes over her. He stopped
and looked at her as she slumbered. Blowing out some of the candles, he kissed her
forehead and made his leave. He would return soon to check on her, but first he had
something important to do.
Past Tense
The banquet table displayed some of the finest food's Virginia had ever seen in her
entire life. The last banquet she was present at in the 4th kingdom was timid compared
to this. Even the table appeared to be larger than the previous one. So why all the
fuss? Virginia had a feeling whatever it was it was going to be good. Virginia was
seated near the top on the left hand side of the Prince. Wolf eagerly pulled her seat out
for her. A true romantic. Virginia was delighted in finally being able to get of her feet
and relieve her back of its precious load. The walk to the mirror was long and she was
lucky Wolf was such a gentleman and carried the baggage. Virginia felt somewhat
vulnerable, she was conscious of her size and believed she must look like a blimp. A
reassuring look from Wolf and all was okay. Wolf linked with her hand. He was
beaming, smiling and looking around. Virginia felt as if she was on parade, which
brought her back to the blimp thing.
To Prince Wendell's right sat her father, who was currently engaged in conversation
with one of Wendell's general's. What had her father been up these past months and
what was so important he couldn't return?. Well she would find out soon enough, now
the banquet was about to start. More guests had appeared and were seated along the
table, surely not in importance, she thought. Suddenly an orchestra began playing a
sweet melody from a balcony behind Prince Wendell's chair. The music wafted across
the room and was intoxicating. Virginia wondered if it involved magic of some sort.
She still had much to learn of this new land and was almost sure she never would fully
understand everything.
Wendell stood up and began his address. He looked different somehow, more
confident and determined, qualities she also noted were now in her father. Wendell
tapped on his glass and immediately his audience stopped talking and gave him their
utmost attention. The orchestra stopped their playing and the room was blanketed
with silence. Prince Wendell began his speech.
" Friends and members of the court welcome to this joyous occasion. I am
pleased to announce the return of two people who were instrumental in the rebuilding
of the 9 kingdoms, my good friends Virginia and Wolf." There was a pause as the
table clapped in recognition.
Wolf stood up and bowed quickly and then promptly sat again. Virginia was
not sure if she was expected to do likewise, instead she smiled back at the table. In
front of her, her father smiled at her in a proud smile and winked. Virginia smiled
back and realised how much she had missed his company. Prince Wendell continued,
"These two great people have served our kingdoms well. They have been through so
much and travelled far. They have faced personal danger and lost so much. Our debt
to them can never be repaid. In recognition of their sacrifices I am bestowing upon
then the titles of lord and lady of the court. This is but a small recognition of their
services." Prince Wendell paused a moment and stared down the ground.
Virginia was perplexed by this act and she believed so did everyone. Finally
Prince Wendell continued,
"When I was trapped in dog form I was vulnerable and stripped of all my
princely benefits. These three journeyed along with and restored me to my true form.
Along that journey I learnt many things and visited various places, all with a royal
welcome. And what I saw slightly disturbed me . the people of our kingdoms need our
guidance. As their rulers we have failed them and I plan on rectifying that. From
today onward myself and general Lewis will be implementing new policies and plans
in running the nine kingdoms. I say the nine kingdoms as a whole and that is
including the troll kingdom. At general Lewis's wishes I released the three children of
the deceased troll king, relish, and allowed them the chance to rebuild their kingdom.
As a result the new rulers have asked for our help and I have decided to give them
some. This will allow the troll kingdom to unite with us. Many of you here still don't
trust troll's and rightly so. Trolls are not renowned for their loyalty and
trustworthiness. But we must do our best to strengthen the kingdoms in these dark
times. To give details of our plans is general Tony Lewis ." prince Wendell finished
and gestured at Tony.
Virginia was surprised by these announcements and her father a general, oh
god she thought what next?
Tony stood up and the table slowly began clapping, obviously shocked at the
princes radical speech. Still Tony stood with confidence and moved towards the wall
behind Wendell chair. Tony pulled a curtain to reveal a large map of the nine
kingdoms, except they were in different colours. Virginia was both intrigued and
embarrassed, here her father was implementing radical plans and not doing bad either.
Tony began in a large voice that filled the hall.
" members of the court I present to you the 9 kingdoms renewal project".
People sat in astonishment and Virginia felt almost like laughing but this was her
fathers big moment and she could not spoil it. Tony began his speech as courtiers
placed booklets to each member of the table. Virginia stifled a laugh and this time it
took much effort. So for the next half an hour Virginia's father outlined his plans and
went through very technical explanations of the project. After a while Virginia began
to see the effort her father had put into it and how it actually made sense. Tony
concluded his speech to a rapturous applause and a standing ovation from everyone
bar Virginia. Tony returned to his seat and immediately Prince Wendell started to talk
to him. Virginia could not overhear their conversation but saw both men were very
friendly.
Wolf who was still munching on a leg of turkey stopped eating for a moment
to ask her what all that meant. Virginia replied simply. " I don't know either". They
both smiled and their eyes met and Virginia became lost in his eyes. This may have
lasted the duration of the meal had Prince Wendell not interrupted them. " so my dear
Virginia, how did you find your fathers speech?" Virginia was caught of guard. "
what?, sorry I did not hear you" the prince repeated his question and for the next few
minutes he quizzed Virginia. Finally he stopped and addressed the table.
"Members of the court, beseech you to enter into the dance hall as the
festivities are about to begin."
One by one the members of the court filed out of the room and into the dance
hall. Wolf helped Virginia up out of her seat. Suddenly Virginia realised that only
herself, Wolf, her father and Wendell were in the room. Funny that this was the first
time the four friends had been alone together since their adventure. Virginia felt
somewhat out of place in the presence of Wendell. She had some time ago realised the
fact that Wendell was royalty even if she did not understand this land. Wolf was first
to talk.
"Hello grandpa, since when did you become a general". Wolf boomed.
He relished in calling her father that and she knew herself that her father did
not fully feel comfortable about their relationship. He still had a difficult time
imagining Virginia being pregnant. It was a hard thing for Tony to escape as Virginia
was now nearly full term and was quite big. She sometimes felt she was having
twins.
The moment Virginia had left New York to go to the 4th kingdom she had
begun to feel a loss. New York was no longer her home and it saddened her deeply to
think so. Her father had already said that new York held no reason for him to return.
He had said he had a second chance, to become someone important and make a
difference. Wolf felt out of place in new York and had openly asked Virginia to live
with him in the 9 kingdoms. He had told her of his dream to have a nice cottage by the
lake. A place where he could grow his own food and not fear hatred from people. This
occurred many times as they walked through the park. His conversations often swayed
to reveal facets of wolf Virginia had never expected. Wolf had shown her a side of
himself that made Virginia fall more in love with him. Wolf had cared for her and had
exhibited a sensitivity that helped Virginia cope with her pregnancy and the loss of
her mother. Wolf had already asked her to marry him and she had never fully
accepted. Surprisingly, wolf proposed to her a second time at a romantic coach ride
through central park. This time she accepted and since then had felt herself get closer
to wolf. She felt for the first time ever that her life had begun to gain some focus.
Wolf would make a good husband and father.
It was on that thought that she began to wonder how her father had coped with
her mother's death. When she left, her father had told her he was alright, she did not
believe this and felt some guilt for not staying with him. Perhaps together the process
of mourning would have been easier. Secretly she knew he blamed himself for her
leaving. This was not helped by her grandmother openly blaming him. As a result she
had seen her father's self esteem slowly crumble. He never went out and had no
friends to speak of. Virginia herself found that they both were each others best friends.
Looking at him she had begun to see that he had lost weight and had a healthy glow
she had rarely seen.
In the room they stood each filled with questions and answers and each not
knowing what to say first. Tony answered wolf's question.
"After you both left, Wendell was kind enough to provide me with everything
I wanted. But I felt I had to do something in return. I asked him if he had a job for me
and he said he might have a position opening up soon. I had no idea what I may be
and then I heard Wendell had expelled all of his generals. Soon after he offered me the
job and of course, I accepted."
Virginia was shocked by this news and wanted to know why.
"You expelled your entire council of generals. Why?" Virginia asked Wendell.
"I expelled them because they were more concerned with fashion than the
development of my kingdom. After their inaction during my crisis and their failure to
address the Queens escape, I felt they were inadequate for service any longer. Also
your father had told me of many ideas he had in running the kingdom that intrigued
me." Wendell replied.
Virginia was amazed in the confidence that Wendell was exuding. Far from
the royal brat she was accustomed to, Wendell was more focused and seemed to be
taking to being king with a ferocious flurry of change. Strangely enough, Virginia
believed her father was fairly capable in his new position.
Tony stood in his smart new generals suit and Virginia felt very close to
breaking into laughter. Virginia had begun to realise that she had yet to lose her New
York logic and found everything here humorous in some bizarre way. Life in the nine
kingdoms would take some adjustment, but she felt confident enough to rely on Wolf
for support.
"So you actually believe my father can be of use to you?" Virginia exclaimed.
"Of course I do, otherwise I would not have offered him the position.
Personally I had always believed that none of the generals had shown me reason not
to do so. The generals, like myself, had inherited their roles but took them for
granted." Wendell spoke in a sincere voice. Virginia felt compelled to argue. She had
believed him to be just as arrogant as the generals.
"But to be honest, I had always been under the impression that you were no
different than those generals." she spoke rather aggressively, which surprised her
father. Wolf had become used to this as he put it down to a mood swing. But Tony
thought that Wendell would be offended by her remark and expected him to be angry.
"I was guilty of that said crime. I too took my inheritance for granted and
never thought otherwise. I always believed it was my right to be king rather than the
privilege it is. That opinion changed as a result of my transformation. I still retained
my arrogance and admit that I took you for granted. After a while I had begun to
except my fate. I learned a lot from your compassion as well as seeing my kingdom
without the frills it would usually be if I were to visit it. In the prison I saw how we
treated prisoners and came to realise that a change was needed. When I suggested we
review the prisons conditions as well as the kingdoms legal system, the council of
generals thought I had gone mad. They believed things were fine the way they were
and it was then I concluded that if I were to makes my proposed changes I would need
fresh new minds. I believe your father will allow me to accomplish my reforms. He
was after all incarcerated in the prison for no reason whatsoever."
Virginia was humbled by this sincere explanation. She had never expected
such an emotional reason and his words went some way in assuring her that her father
was able to offer him something useful.
At that moment the halls door opened and a servant entered. He spoke to
Wendell and promptly left.
"I am sorry my friends but I must take my leave of you for now. My guests are
becoming restless and require me to start their dance. I will speak again with you later
in private as we have much to discuss and have a great deal of planning to do.
Goodbye for now." Wendell spoke, clearly irritated by having to cut short their
reunion.
He left the room through the same door the servant had come through. As he
passed through the roar of clapping could be heard. Virginia felt sorry for him, but
better him than her.
Wolf put his arm around her and brought Virginia's thoughts back to her
father.
"So dad, what else have you gotten yourself into." Virginia sighed.
Tony missed her voice and her nagging tone. It had been a long time since
they had last seen each other and he was glad to have her here.
"I have done nothing but spend my days following Wendell around on
business and offering him some free advice. In fact I have been working since you
both left and I think I deserve some respect." Tony spoke in his best official tone and
held his head up. He was still as hopelessly comical in his actions as he had always
been. That was not going to change in a few short months. No, that would require
years of work, perhaps even decades.
Her father made his excuses and left and then they were alone.
"Wolf. I'm feeling tired, shall we go to our room." Virginia said as she began
resting against a chair.
"Of course my darling. A room has been prepared in the east wing of the
castle. The king has been generous enough to provide us with a room. It has a
beautiful view of the forest and the palace gardens." Wolf spoke as he began to
rub Virginias shoulder. She groaned with satisfaction. "Come let us go now."
Virginia smiled at him and took his hand. They linked each others arms and walked
out of the room. The faint sound of music could still be heard as they departed.
Virginia was in no mood or condition to join the banquet. Wolf did not care for such
things and was more concerned for Virginia's health. He cared only for herself and
their unborn child, a subject that weighted heavily on his mind.
The castle was larger than Virginia had thought. She had never fully explored
it and was not aware of this east wing. Finally, after what seemed like an age
navigating through the labyrinthine corridors, they arrived at their room.
When Wolf opened the door, Virginia was amazed by the size of the room. It was not
just a bedroom but an apartment containing a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom.
The sitting room was just as big, if not bigger than her fathers apartment. It was
furbished with intricate detail. All the beautiful hand crafted fittings were mind
blowing. In the middle of the room was a large hanging crystal chandelier. The
chandelier shone with bright brilliance and illuminated the entire room in its warmth.
To the right of them was a massive fireplace and was already lit. Virginia sat in one of
the many chairs located around the fire. Its warmth made her even more sleepy than
she already was. Wolf threw a large piece of wood on the fire and gazed at it as it
burned.
"That fire is big enough to cook a cow on it." Virginia exclaimed.
"Could we?" Wolf gasped.
Virginia was not quite sure if he was serious or not.
"Of course not. I was only joking." Virginia remarked.
"Huff-Puff." Said Wolf, obviously dissapointed or was he feigning it.
"I think I'll head to bed now but first I want to wash up." Virginia said
Then she headed towards the bathroom while Wolf remained at the fire, basking in
it's warmth. Inside the bathroom Virginia found all the convinces that she had been
accustomed to. Surprisingly this place had plumbing, perhaps her father had
something to do with it. On second thoughts probably not.
Virginia cleaned herself up then went to her bedroom. Her she found her bags
which also contained her clothes. She changed into her night-dress. Leaving her
clothes like this seemed lazy but she was tired and pregnant. Virginia slowly lay
down on the bed. The silk sheets made her feel like she was on water, and she was
ready to be swept away. Her eyes began to close against her will. The last thing she
saw was Wolf watching over her.
Upon Virginia falling asleep he pulled the bed clothes over her. He stopped
and looked at her as she slumbered. Blowing out some of the candles, he kissed her
forehead and made his leave. He would return soon to check on her, but first he had
something important to do.