After about three hours of walking through the forest after leaving the small town, Wolf was begging to smell the musty and foul stench of the Deadly Swamp. The road was bumpy and there were holes everywhere. At times, Wolf and Tony would lose their footing and nearly fall. They finally came up to a crossroad.
"I recognize this." Tony said as he pointed to the sign they approached. One way pointing to the right said '39 miles to Prince Wendell's Castle,' whereas the other read; '13 miles to Prince Wendell's Castle' and pointed to the left.
"How?" Wolf asked, bewildered that he would know something like that.
"This is where Virginia and I came through last time." He glanced at the lush fields to the right of them and then to the left, down the depressing, endless tunnel of trees.
Wolf nodded and followed Tony to the left of the sign and into the thicker forest. It was darker and quieter. The chirps of birds and the rays from the sun were long gone. All that remained was faint sound of moaning and swamp water lapping up against the rocks.
The green haze whirled around them, trapping them inside the swamp. They could barely see ten feet in front of them, and what they could see was always just a mass of green moss and cloudy water. The water glistened from what little sun came through the treetops in the small pools scattered around the swamp.
There were fallen branches and rotting logs everywhere they walked. Limp vines hung from the top where they were wrapped around tree limbs and were covered in brown mold and dead leaves. As they entered the swamp, everything seemed lifeless at the entrance, but the further they went in, the more that the plant life had seemed to flourish.
It was cold and seemed to drop in degrees the further they went in. The green fog and smoke shot down from about and hovered over the pools of water. Everything was dark and covered in leaves, preventing anything from keeping a steady trail or leaving marks to find the way out. Once Wolf and Tony would pass certain landmarks, Wolf would look back and find they had drastically changed since when they passed. No wonder it was called the Deadly Swamp, once you entered, you weren't supposed to leave alive.
"Oh, do me a favor," Tony began as he stopped walking. "If I begin to sing 'A Whiter Shade of Pale,' get me outta here, ok?" Again, Wolf nodded, not really sure why that was so important or why Tony had brought it up. Even if it did happen, how was Wolf going to be able to get him out? The way they had come in was completely different now. "Oh, and watch out for these flying little brats with wings, they can be a real problem, don't ask any favors of them either."
Wolf was begging to get annoyed. Tony was acting like he knew every little secret of the swamp and Wolf knew nothing. Tony had only spent perhaps two hours in the Swamp and he acted like he had been living there for years. Who was the one who knew about the Gypsies? Who knew all about the Huntsman and the Disenchanted forest? He did! So why was he listening to warnings from a guy who had lived in the Nine Kingdoms for a month and he had for his whole life?
Wolf didn't nod that time, he simply returned a small glare, but Tony didn't notice. They walked on deeper into the swamp, passing more and more pools of water and finding that the plants had almost completely taken over. Ferns sprouted up everywhere; shrubs and trees had grown so close together, they blocked the path on several accounts.
Wolf thought that he was going to gag. The stench from the water and the mold and moss were becoming far too horrible for him to stand. Tony didn't have smelling as acute as Wolf did, but he could even notice that the air was rank with rotting foliage and the scum from the water. How was he able to drink that last time and not immediately throw up?
Wolf and Tony came up to a crossroad and were silent for a moment as both thought of a way to go. The route to the left seemed brighter and full of more life, whereas the route to the right was dark and dank.
"Let's go left." Tony said as he began to take a stride to the left.
"No, I think we should head right." Wolf stared off in that direction, studying it carefully.
"Why right? It's gloomy down there. Let's go this way, I'm sure that the crystal's down here." Tony declared and started walking again, expecting Wolf to follow.
"Tony, you don't know everything that happens here!" Wolf shouted as he felt his temper burst. "If you go down there, I'm sure it's a trap! When you go the way that is the least appealing, it has what you're looking for."
"I don't buy it. Let's go this way." Again Tony began to walk.
"Tony, just listen to me. It's a trap, I'm sure of it. This path looks bad so it discourages travelers from going down here." He didn't know a better way of telling him. Was Tony daft or something?
Tony watched Wolf and tried to understand why that was a better route. The path to the left was bright and for some strange reason, was calling to Tony. He felt a strong surge of energy drawing him to it.
"No! I'm going this way Wolf!" Tony yelled and began to head down the path.
"Fine! Go! Don't come crying to me when you get lost!" Wolf called out to him as he got further and further away from him. Tony was wrong, he was right, just like always.
"Let's go left' he says," Wolf muttered to himself as he walked on down the path. "I'll show him. A wolf is always right when it comes to instincts, he's not a wolf so how can he be right?" He mused.
He walked down the dark path and took very little notice of where he was heading. He walked on, not paying attention to his surroundings or where the road had split on several times. He didn't care anymore since everything changed once his back was turned so didn't give a second thought. It didn't matter to him, he was sure that he was heading the right way.
The potholes had ceased and soon he was walking on a very smooth path. Dead leaves covered it, but it was easy walking. The smell was becoming unbearable and he felt like he was about to vomit, but it soon changed when he turned a corner and froze.
"Cripes." He said breathlessly. "The Swamp Witch's cottage."
Wolf swallowed. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Could he pass it and continue on? Or was this part of the riddle, was supposed to enter? Whatever the case was, Wolf found himself walking closer and closer to the cottage, almost as if he was in a trance. He scratched his temple and walked up the path to the door.
The outside of the cottage was small and there was a garden of cracked and clouded mirrors. They were dull and dirty, covered in vines and were positioned in the water that went around the entire cottage like a moat. There was a dim light that was shining from inside the house from the small window mounted on the door. The entrance of the cottage was arched and placed all the way around were spikes that shot through and nearly blocked the door.
Wolf placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. What he expected to find, he didn't know. Virginia never told him much about what happened when she was here, so it was a mystery. All his childhood stories suddenly came flying back into his mind as the echoes of his friends taunting him, trying to scare him with their stories flooded his head.
He drew in a breath and turned the knob. Ducking to step in, he walked inside the cottage and found a single table in the middle and a candle that was lit. When he closed the door, the candlelight went out.
"Hello?" Wolf called out. When the words left his lips, he wasn't sure if he would want to take them back. There was no answer. "Anyone here?" His confidence returned. Surely that when they defeated the Evil Queen, the Swamp Witch would fade away too. Wouldn't she?
Wolf looked around for some matches, but found nothing. The room was completely empty. Who lit the candle? Why did it go out when he came in? Wolf shook off his doubts and questions and walked slowly around the room, his senses fully alert. He was about to leave when he heard something.
"Come to me." A woman's voice said. Wolf didn't move but his eyes searched the room frantically for the owner. He caught sight of the cellar doors and locked his gaze on them. "Come to me." It repeated.
Run. Run. Run! His mind shouted. Every inch of instinct he had in him was begging him to leave. This was an evil, horrible place and he could feel that he was in danger. Still, he couldn't lift his eyes off the doors. They were rusted and the wood was cracked and rotted. It was covered completely with white cobwebs that stretched from the handles to the hinges.
"Come to me, Wolf." The old voice said. The mention of his name startled him to no end. His heart was pumping rapidly in his chest and his hands began to shake. He couldn't control it anymore. The voice was driving him crazy. How did it know his name? He violently grabbed the dusty handles and threw the doors open in one swift moment. Taking another deep breath, he tightened his fists and took a step down into the cellar.
"I recognize this." Tony said as he pointed to the sign they approached. One way pointing to the right said '39 miles to Prince Wendell's Castle,' whereas the other read; '13 miles to Prince Wendell's Castle' and pointed to the left.
"How?" Wolf asked, bewildered that he would know something like that.
"This is where Virginia and I came through last time." He glanced at the lush fields to the right of them and then to the left, down the depressing, endless tunnel of trees.
Wolf nodded and followed Tony to the left of the sign and into the thicker forest. It was darker and quieter. The chirps of birds and the rays from the sun were long gone. All that remained was faint sound of moaning and swamp water lapping up against the rocks.
The green haze whirled around them, trapping them inside the swamp. They could barely see ten feet in front of them, and what they could see was always just a mass of green moss and cloudy water. The water glistened from what little sun came through the treetops in the small pools scattered around the swamp.
There were fallen branches and rotting logs everywhere they walked. Limp vines hung from the top where they were wrapped around tree limbs and were covered in brown mold and dead leaves. As they entered the swamp, everything seemed lifeless at the entrance, but the further they went in, the more that the plant life had seemed to flourish.
It was cold and seemed to drop in degrees the further they went in. The green fog and smoke shot down from about and hovered over the pools of water. Everything was dark and covered in leaves, preventing anything from keeping a steady trail or leaving marks to find the way out. Once Wolf and Tony would pass certain landmarks, Wolf would look back and find they had drastically changed since when they passed. No wonder it was called the Deadly Swamp, once you entered, you weren't supposed to leave alive.
"Oh, do me a favor," Tony began as he stopped walking. "If I begin to sing 'A Whiter Shade of Pale,' get me outta here, ok?" Again, Wolf nodded, not really sure why that was so important or why Tony had brought it up. Even if it did happen, how was Wolf going to be able to get him out? The way they had come in was completely different now. "Oh, and watch out for these flying little brats with wings, they can be a real problem, don't ask any favors of them either."
Wolf was begging to get annoyed. Tony was acting like he knew every little secret of the swamp and Wolf knew nothing. Tony had only spent perhaps two hours in the Swamp and he acted like he had been living there for years. Who was the one who knew about the Gypsies? Who knew all about the Huntsman and the Disenchanted forest? He did! So why was he listening to warnings from a guy who had lived in the Nine Kingdoms for a month and he had for his whole life?
Wolf didn't nod that time, he simply returned a small glare, but Tony didn't notice. They walked on deeper into the swamp, passing more and more pools of water and finding that the plants had almost completely taken over. Ferns sprouted up everywhere; shrubs and trees had grown so close together, they blocked the path on several accounts.
Wolf thought that he was going to gag. The stench from the water and the mold and moss were becoming far too horrible for him to stand. Tony didn't have smelling as acute as Wolf did, but he could even notice that the air was rank with rotting foliage and the scum from the water. How was he able to drink that last time and not immediately throw up?
Wolf and Tony came up to a crossroad and were silent for a moment as both thought of a way to go. The route to the left seemed brighter and full of more life, whereas the route to the right was dark and dank.
"Let's go left." Tony said as he began to take a stride to the left.
"No, I think we should head right." Wolf stared off in that direction, studying it carefully.
"Why right? It's gloomy down there. Let's go this way, I'm sure that the crystal's down here." Tony declared and started walking again, expecting Wolf to follow.
"Tony, you don't know everything that happens here!" Wolf shouted as he felt his temper burst. "If you go down there, I'm sure it's a trap! When you go the way that is the least appealing, it has what you're looking for."
"I don't buy it. Let's go this way." Again Tony began to walk.
"Tony, just listen to me. It's a trap, I'm sure of it. This path looks bad so it discourages travelers from going down here." He didn't know a better way of telling him. Was Tony daft or something?
Tony watched Wolf and tried to understand why that was a better route. The path to the left was bright and for some strange reason, was calling to Tony. He felt a strong surge of energy drawing him to it.
"No! I'm going this way Wolf!" Tony yelled and began to head down the path.
"Fine! Go! Don't come crying to me when you get lost!" Wolf called out to him as he got further and further away from him. Tony was wrong, he was right, just like always.
"Let's go left' he says," Wolf muttered to himself as he walked on down the path. "I'll show him. A wolf is always right when it comes to instincts, he's not a wolf so how can he be right?" He mused.
He walked down the dark path and took very little notice of where he was heading. He walked on, not paying attention to his surroundings or where the road had split on several times. He didn't care anymore since everything changed once his back was turned so didn't give a second thought. It didn't matter to him, he was sure that he was heading the right way.
The potholes had ceased and soon he was walking on a very smooth path. Dead leaves covered it, but it was easy walking. The smell was becoming unbearable and he felt like he was about to vomit, but it soon changed when he turned a corner and froze.
"Cripes." He said breathlessly. "The Swamp Witch's cottage."
Wolf swallowed. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Could he pass it and continue on? Or was this part of the riddle, was supposed to enter? Whatever the case was, Wolf found himself walking closer and closer to the cottage, almost as if he was in a trance. He scratched his temple and walked up the path to the door.
The outside of the cottage was small and there was a garden of cracked and clouded mirrors. They were dull and dirty, covered in vines and were positioned in the water that went around the entire cottage like a moat. There was a dim light that was shining from inside the house from the small window mounted on the door. The entrance of the cottage was arched and placed all the way around were spikes that shot through and nearly blocked the door.
Wolf placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. What he expected to find, he didn't know. Virginia never told him much about what happened when she was here, so it was a mystery. All his childhood stories suddenly came flying back into his mind as the echoes of his friends taunting him, trying to scare him with their stories flooded his head.
He drew in a breath and turned the knob. Ducking to step in, he walked inside the cottage and found a single table in the middle and a candle that was lit. When he closed the door, the candlelight went out.
"Hello?" Wolf called out. When the words left his lips, he wasn't sure if he would want to take them back. There was no answer. "Anyone here?" His confidence returned. Surely that when they defeated the Evil Queen, the Swamp Witch would fade away too. Wouldn't she?
Wolf looked around for some matches, but found nothing. The room was completely empty. Who lit the candle? Why did it go out when he came in? Wolf shook off his doubts and questions and walked slowly around the room, his senses fully alert. He was about to leave when he heard something.
"Come to me." A woman's voice said. Wolf didn't move but his eyes searched the room frantically for the owner. He caught sight of the cellar doors and locked his gaze on them. "Come to me." It repeated.
Run. Run. Run! His mind shouted. Every inch of instinct he had in him was begging him to leave. This was an evil, horrible place and he could feel that he was in danger. Still, he couldn't lift his eyes off the doors. They were rusted and the wood was cracked and rotted. It was covered completely with white cobwebs that stretched from the handles to the hinges.
"Come to me, Wolf." The old voice said. The mention of his name startled him to no end. His heart was pumping rapidly in his chest and his hands began to shake. He couldn't control it anymore. The voice was driving him crazy. How did it know his name? He violently grabbed the dusty handles and threw the doors open in one swift moment. Taking another deep breath, he tightened his fists and took a step down into the cellar.