The hallway was long and tedious. It continued for miles without end or change. It was really beginning to annoy Virginia. Wendell led her down the hall and to Wolf's chamber, all the while, Virginia had to fight the urge not to plow him down and find the room herself. He told her about their trip back and what they had done with Wolf, but nothing really seemed to process in her mind. The only thing she could think about was what she was going to say to Wolf and the sight of just seeing him alive after watching him be killed.
The thought was nerve-wracking. It defied logic and made her extremely confused. For some reason, she kept feeling as though she would open the door and find him the same way that she had seen him last ... cold and dead. Her heart was pounding with joy and anticipation, but past references told her mind otherwise, that she was just crazy for believing it could happen. As much as she was in some denial, her outward appearances and actions told otherwise.
Wendell noticed Virginia's absent expression and so kept the topics light, choosing to stay away from her recent journeys and let her talk about them when she wished to do so. He began to question in his mind why he was even still talking; his words were falling on deaf ears. He also sensed her eagerness to see Wolf at the way she was practically skipping down the hall and saw her eyes darting from room to room. Wendell smiled at her and took her to the room where they stopped in front of the door. Instead of rushing full force into the room like he imagined her to do, Virginia stopped with her hand on the doorknob and simply stared at it, as if frozen in time.
"Virginia? What's wrong?" He asked quietly. "Go on." He urged. Virginia still didn't move and on closer examination, he saw her brow furrowed in thought and her lips pursed. When she didn't answer him, he took her hand off the doorknob and into his own where he squeezed them reassuringly. "Whatever you're unsure about right now, Virginia, isn't going to be any easier to deal with on this side of the door."
She stared at his hands for a long moment before nodding. He was completely stunned by her sudden change of moods and expressions, but after everything he knew she had gone through, his mind told him they were normal. Virginia took her hands out of his and turned back to the door and with a heavy breath, she opened it slowly.
Virginia put her head through the door only slightly and took in the scene before her. Wolf was lying on the bed in the middle of the room; her father was sitting in the chair next to it, watching the nursemaid as she tended to Wolf's wound and bandages. The nurse was talking to her father about something, but their voices were low and so she make out anything. Before she could examine the room further, she saw Wolf's nose twitch and suddenly his head flew off the pillow.
"Virginia!" He exclaimed happily as a huge smile covered his face. He instantly winced as he tried to sit up and grabbed his side in obvious pain. The sudden movement pulled on his stitching and forced him to lie back down. Despite the nurse's attempts to calm him, he was all ready pulling the covers off the bed and trying to sit up again. Tony rushed over to Virginia as soon as he saw her and wrapped her in a warm hug. He kissed to the top of her head and barraged her with endless questions and concerns about her welfare.
Virginia rolled her eyes with a smile. "I'm fine, Dad." She said simply and cut him off before he could ask more questions. She turned back to Wolf who was being held down by the small maid and wondered how much longer the scene would last before he bit her.
"Calm down, sir, you need your rest." She was telling him. Both were too involved with their fight that neither really noticed Virginia approach. "You can't be jumping around with that injury of yours!" The nurse managed to say and she increased her hold on him. She was awfully lucky that Wolf was hurt, otherwise she'd be the one laying in the bed by now, bandages and all.
Both stopped their struggle instantly as Virginia came up to the other side of the bed and crossed her arms over her chest and raised one eyebrow. "You can let me go." Wolf said to the nurse with a deep tone, daring her to keep her arms in range for another second. She let go with a sigh and grabbed her basket of towels before leaving the room with a huff.
Wendell came up behind Tony who was still near the entrance and tapped him on the shoulder. He motioned him to follow and head outside the door to give Virginia and Wolf some privacy. After a considered amount of time to decide, Tony agreed with a wry smile and shut the door behind him. For a long moment, neither Wolf nor Virginia said anything. They both took the time to stare into each other's eyes and smiled lightly, the air was tense and both were unsure what to say or how to start. Virginia was the first to break the silence as she carefully sat down on the bed next to him.
"How are you?" She asked as she gently placed her hand on the white bandage that was wrapped around his upper abdomen. She was careful and kept her hand away from the wound to avoid from applying any unwanted pressure to it.
"I'll live." He joked lightly. Wolf lifted his hand up and softly stroked Virginia's cheek. "Thank you." He said solemnly.
"Wolf, I..."
"Virginia, I..."
They both began in unison and turned away from the other. They turned back in revelation of the words started between the two and paused again. The silence was absolutely deafening to Wolf so he pulled his head forward lightly and motioned for her to continue, and after a minute, she did.
"Wolf, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Dad told me what you both went through to find me ... and what you did after that mirror broke. He told me everything..."
"Everything?" Wolf asked warily, his eyes widening.
"Well, mostly, I think. Before I went to the Swamp Witch he explained most of your trip. From Kissing Town all the way up to the Troll's palace." She said and noticed his uneasiness. "Why?"
"Um, well ... did, did, he say anything about a girl named Samantha by any chance?"
"No, why?" Virginia slightly glared down at him.
Instantly, Wolf caught that tone in her voice as she mistook his words. "No, it wasn't anything like that!" He declared defensively. "Um, did he tell you anything about what happened that night between us?" He asked and then wanted to take back his words as he saw her expression harden. "No, wait, wrong choice of words." He paused and worded his next sentence carefully in his mind before speaking. "I meant; did Tony tell you what happened the night we got the second crystal?" He sighed, that was better.
Virginia's expression softened and she shook her head lightly. "He just told me that you got the second one in a small town before going to the swamp. Why? What happened?" She asked quizzically. Wolf didn't speak, nor did he make eye contact with her. Instead, he stared down at his hands where he was wringing them roughly. After several minutes passed, she put her hands over his and held them still before asking again. "What happened?"
"Virginia..." He started with a heavy sigh. "It was my fault."
"What was your fault?" She asked gently. Whatever was bothering him was having a hard impact.
"It was my fault that you had to stay at the Troll's Palace so long, and even at all. It was also my fault that you had to go to the Deadly Swamp."
"Wha.."
"Virginia I didn't mean to, I swear I would never, ever put you in danger. But everything that happened was my fault. I'm so sorry." If he could get to his feet, he'd be on his knees begging for her forgiveness. He was clutching her clothes and trying to prove his innocence to her so much that he ignored the side effect pain from his movements in his side.
"Wolf, what are you talking about?" She asked, completely confused.
"Huff Puff, everything! This whole thing was my fault to begin with! If I had been prepared at the cottage, you would've never been taken." He paused and took a deep, shaky breath. "Then, that night we got the second crystal, I...I.."
When he kept stuttering incoherently, she pushed his answer. "You what?"
"Cripes! It was that moon!" He shouted angrily at himself. He tossed in the bed and wished that he could have enough strength to pace the room. Being so helpless and weak on the bed made it even worse; he was forced to look her in the eyes as he told her. "The moon came up and I lost it. I attacked Samantha, I got hit with an ax, and I..." He paused and stared at Virginia's face.
Finding it too difficult to explain to her and look at her loving eyes, he covered his with his hand and rubbed them. "And, I... I almost killed Tony." He said as a slight whisper. He wished that he had covered his ears so that he could've blocked the sharp intake of breath from Virginia's direction. "I'm so sorry, Virginia. I didn't mean to, it wasn't me."
When he took his hand off his eyes, he saw Virginia staring into her lap as everything he told her sunk in. "And, I wish that was it." Her head snapped up and her face questioned what he could've possibly done besides that. She shook her head slightly with doubt, but before she could speak, he did.
"Virginia, ever since I met you," He began. "I promised myself that I would never put you into any danger." Wolf put his hand back to her cheekbone and ran his thumb over her cheek. "As if this whole kidnapping thing wasn't enough ... I'm the reason you went to the Swamp Witch's cottage. When Tony and I were there, I--"
"Wolf," She began as she clasped his hand. "I know what happened."
"You do?" He asked. When she nodded, his face changed and he looked like a puppy that had been kicked.
"I spoke with Snow White again," She stopped and almost laughed at how she had said those words. If she were talking to anyone else, they'd probably think her to be mentally ill. She shook off her thought and continued. "...and she explained to me everything that happened. It wasn't your fault Wolf, none of this was. You have no reason to be punishing yourself over this, it was meant to be, no matter what we did." She paused and her face lightened up. "Call it destiny." Both Wolf and Virginia laughed lightly.
Virginia began to stroke his cheek as well and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you, Wolf." She whispered with a small smile. "I don't want to lose you again." Wolf pulled her hand to kiss mouth and kissed it lightly.
"I love you too, and you won't." He whispered back. Wolf encircled his arm around her waist and pulled her down, and halfway he met her into a kiss. Virginia's arms wrapped around his neck and he pulled her closer and down. When the long kiss was broken, they both stared into each other's eyes again, but this time it was not fear of what was unsaid between them. It was love for one another and the safety in each other's eyes, and that was something no one could take from them.
***************************
Sitting quietly on top of a small hill that touched the edge of the Royal Forests, Ann and her horse overlooked the estates and King Wendell's castle that was beautifully glowing in the night. Her lip curled with venom and her stomach turned with loathing for the Fair Virginia was safety nestled inside. She had escaped again.
Ann's life had changed so drastically in little over a month and Virginia was the one person to blame for that. First she lost her sister, then her home and now her family's respect when the learned of her failure. The entire Peep clan had put their faith into her to see the job was done after she had requested to do so, and now she didn't even have them. With her family turning on their backs on her, it was the last straw.
"I'm going to see that you pay for everything you've done, Virginia." She hissed under her breath. "This I vow, if it's the last thing I do." Ann sneered and turned her horse. With a kick of her heels and a neigh from the horse, she took off into the forests.
Revenge was a sweet thing, especially when you knew the perfect way to make a person pay. Time would bring Virginia to her undoing, and Ann was sure she would be there to deliver the final blow.
~*~ END ~*~
The thought was nerve-wracking. It defied logic and made her extremely confused. For some reason, she kept feeling as though she would open the door and find him the same way that she had seen him last ... cold and dead. Her heart was pounding with joy and anticipation, but past references told her mind otherwise, that she was just crazy for believing it could happen. As much as she was in some denial, her outward appearances and actions told otherwise.
Wendell noticed Virginia's absent expression and so kept the topics light, choosing to stay away from her recent journeys and let her talk about them when she wished to do so. He began to question in his mind why he was even still talking; his words were falling on deaf ears. He also sensed her eagerness to see Wolf at the way she was practically skipping down the hall and saw her eyes darting from room to room. Wendell smiled at her and took her to the room where they stopped in front of the door. Instead of rushing full force into the room like he imagined her to do, Virginia stopped with her hand on the doorknob and simply stared at it, as if frozen in time.
"Virginia? What's wrong?" He asked quietly. "Go on." He urged. Virginia still didn't move and on closer examination, he saw her brow furrowed in thought and her lips pursed. When she didn't answer him, he took her hand off the doorknob and into his own where he squeezed them reassuringly. "Whatever you're unsure about right now, Virginia, isn't going to be any easier to deal with on this side of the door."
She stared at his hands for a long moment before nodding. He was completely stunned by her sudden change of moods and expressions, but after everything he knew she had gone through, his mind told him they were normal. Virginia took her hands out of his and turned back to the door and with a heavy breath, she opened it slowly.
Virginia put her head through the door only slightly and took in the scene before her. Wolf was lying on the bed in the middle of the room; her father was sitting in the chair next to it, watching the nursemaid as she tended to Wolf's wound and bandages. The nurse was talking to her father about something, but their voices were low and so she make out anything. Before she could examine the room further, she saw Wolf's nose twitch and suddenly his head flew off the pillow.
"Virginia!" He exclaimed happily as a huge smile covered his face. He instantly winced as he tried to sit up and grabbed his side in obvious pain. The sudden movement pulled on his stitching and forced him to lie back down. Despite the nurse's attempts to calm him, he was all ready pulling the covers off the bed and trying to sit up again. Tony rushed over to Virginia as soon as he saw her and wrapped her in a warm hug. He kissed to the top of her head and barraged her with endless questions and concerns about her welfare.
Virginia rolled her eyes with a smile. "I'm fine, Dad." She said simply and cut him off before he could ask more questions. She turned back to Wolf who was being held down by the small maid and wondered how much longer the scene would last before he bit her.
"Calm down, sir, you need your rest." She was telling him. Both were too involved with their fight that neither really noticed Virginia approach. "You can't be jumping around with that injury of yours!" The nurse managed to say and she increased her hold on him. She was awfully lucky that Wolf was hurt, otherwise she'd be the one laying in the bed by now, bandages and all.
Both stopped their struggle instantly as Virginia came up to the other side of the bed and crossed her arms over her chest and raised one eyebrow. "You can let me go." Wolf said to the nurse with a deep tone, daring her to keep her arms in range for another second. She let go with a sigh and grabbed her basket of towels before leaving the room with a huff.
Wendell came up behind Tony who was still near the entrance and tapped him on the shoulder. He motioned him to follow and head outside the door to give Virginia and Wolf some privacy. After a considered amount of time to decide, Tony agreed with a wry smile and shut the door behind him. For a long moment, neither Wolf nor Virginia said anything. They both took the time to stare into each other's eyes and smiled lightly, the air was tense and both were unsure what to say or how to start. Virginia was the first to break the silence as she carefully sat down on the bed next to him.
"How are you?" She asked as she gently placed her hand on the white bandage that was wrapped around his upper abdomen. She was careful and kept her hand away from the wound to avoid from applying any unwanted pressure to it.
"I'll live." He joked lightly. Wolf lifted his hand up and softly stroked Virginia's cheek. "Thank you." He said solemnly.
"Wolf, I..."
"Virginia, I..."
They both began in unison and turned away from the other. They turned back in revelation of the words started between the two and paused again. The silence was absolutely deafening to Wolf so he pulled his head forward lightly and motioned for her to continue, and after a minute, she did.
"Wolf, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Dad told me what you both went through to find me ... and what you did after that mirror broke. He told me everything..."
"Everything?" Wolf asked warily, his eyes widening.
"Well, mostly, I think. Before I went to the Swamp Witch he explained most of your trip. From Kissing Town all the way up to the Troll's palace." She said and noticed his uneasiness. "Why?"
"Um, well ... did, did, he say anything about a girl named Samantha by any chance?"
"No, why?" Virginia slightly glared down at him.
Instantly, Wolf caught that tone in her voice as she mistook his words. "No, it wasn't anything like that!" He declared defensively. "Um, did he tell you anything about what happened that night between us?" He asked and then wanted to take back his words as he saw her expression harden. "No, wait, wrong choice of words." He paused and worded his next sentence carefully in his mind before speaking. "I meant; did Tony tell you what happened the night we got the second crystal?" He sighed, that was better.
Virginia's expression softened and she shook her head lightly. "He just told me that you got the second one in a small town before going to the swamp. Why? What happened?" She asked quizzically. Wolf didn't speak, nor did he make eye contact with her. Instead, he stared down at his hands where he was wringing them roughly. After several minutes passed, she put her hands over his and held them still before asking again. "What happened?"
"Virginia..." He started with a heavy sigh. "It was my fault."
"What was your fault?" She asked gently. Whatever was bothering him was having a hard impact.
"It was my fault that you had to stay at the Troll's Palace so long, and even at all. It was also my fault that you had to go to the Deadly Swamp."
"Wha.."
"Virginia I didn't mean to, I swear I would never, ever put you in danger. But everything that happened was my fault. I'm so sorry." If he could get to his feet, he'd be on his knees begging for her forgiveness. He was clutching her clothes and trying to prove his innocence to her so much that he ignored the side effect pain from his movements in his side.
"Wolf, what are you talking about?" She asked, completely confused.
"Huff Puff, everything! This whole thing was my fault to begin with! If I had been prepared at the cottage, you would've never been taken." He paused and took a deep, shaky breath. "Then, that night we got the second crystal, I...I.."
When he kept stuttering incoherently, she pushed his answer. "You what?"
"Cripes! It was that moon!" He shouted angrily at himself. He tossed in the bed and wished that he could have enough strength to pace the room. Being so helpless and weak on the bed made it even worse; he was forced to look her in the eyes as he told her. "The moon came up and I lost it. I attacked Samantha, I got hit with an ax, and I..." He paused and stared at Virginia's face.
Finding it too difficult to explain to her and look at her loving eyes, he covered his with his hand and rubbed them. "And, I... I almost killed Tony." He said as a slight whisper. He wished that he had covered his ears so that he could've blocked the sharp intake of breath from Virginia's direction. "I'm so sorry, Virginia. I didn't mean to, it wasn't me."
When he took his hand off his eyes, he saw Virginia staring into her lap as everything he told her sunk in. "And, I wish that was it." Her head snapped up and her face questioned what he could've possibly done besides that. She shook her head slightly with doubt, but before she could speak, he did.
"Virginia, ever since I met you," He began. "I promised myself that I would never put you into any danger." Wolf put his hand back to her cheekbone and ran his thumb over her cheek. "As if this whole kidnapping thing wasn't enough ... I'm the reason you went to the Swamp Witch's cottage. When Tony and I were there, I--"
"Wolf," She began as she clasped his hand. "I know what happened."
"You do?" He asked. When she nodded, his face changed and he looked like a puppy that had been kicked.
"I spoke with Snow White again," She stopped and almost laughed at how she had said those words. If she were talking to anyone else, they'd probably think her to be mentally ill. She shook off her thought and continued. "...and she explained to me everything that happened. It wasn't your fault Wolf, none of this was. You have no reason to be punishing yourself over this, it was meant to be, no matter what we did." She paused and her face lightened up. "Call it destiny." Both Wolf and Virginia laughed lightly.
Virginia began to stroke his cheek as well and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you, Wolf." She whispered with a small smile. "I don't want to lose you again." Wolf pulled her hand to kiss mouth and kissed it lightly.
"I love you too, and you won't." He whispered back. Wolf encircled his arm around her waist and pulled her down, and halfway he met her into a kiss. Virginia's arms wrapped around his neck and he pulled her closer and down. When the long kiss was broken, they both stared into each other's eyes again, but this time it was not fear of what was unsaid between them. It was love for one another and the safety in each other's eyes, and that was something no one could take from them.
***************************
Sitting quietly on top of a small hill that touched the edge of the Royal Forests, Ann and her horse overlooked the estates and King Wendell's castle that was beautifully glowing in the night. Her lip curled with venom and her stomach turned with loathing for the Fair Virginia was safety nestled inside. She had escaped again.
Ann's life had changed so drastically in little over a month and Virginia was the one person to blame for that. First she lost her sister, then her home and now her family's respect when the learned of her failure. The entire Peep clan had put their faith into her to see the job was done after she had requested to do so, and now she didn't even have them. With her family turning on their backs on her, it was the last straw.
"I'm going to see that you pay for everything you've done, Virginia." She hissed under her breath. "This I vow, if it's the last thing I do." Ann sneered and turned her horse. With a kick of her heels and a neigh from the horse, she took off into the forests.
Revenge was a sweet thing, especially when you knew the perfect way to make a person pay. Time would bring Virginia to her undoing, and Ann was sure she would be there to deliver the final blow.
~*~ END ~*~