Part 16
Willow waited until Angel left to go in search of Gunn and Fred until she turned to Wes. "Are you okay?"
Wesley gave her a tentative smile, "I'll be fine. Even though I don't quite feel myself yet. No pun intended."
"Well, if the witch in the mirror came here maybe a mirror is a way into her realm. You okay to call Cordy?"
"Yes, I can call her and monitor you at the same time. I don't really fancy an enraged vampire after me if something goes wrong."
Willow stood in front of the mirror in Wes' room. While she concentrated on opening a portal she noticed the mirror begin to get smoky. She could see cottages and castles scattered throughout the countryside. She saw a dark haired woman dressed in a sapphire blue dress like Cordy wore earlier. Willow smiled, 'I told Cordelia she looked like a fairy tale princess in that dress.'
With a wave to Wes, Willow dissolved into the mirror and landed on the road the woman was walking on.
"Hey! Watch where you're going."
"Cordelia?"
"Willow?"
"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.
"Turns out my 'Prince Charming' was really a frog. The shoes he sent controlled me and then I got into a carriage that turned into a pumpkin and poof here I am. Wherever here is."
"Well, Cinderella . . .it seems you really turned into Cinderella. This is the realm of the Witch in the Mirror who was the one that sent you the shoes and the Wolf after Wesley."
"What?! What wolf went after Wesley? Is he alright?"
"Yeah. The witch sent the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood after him. The wolf morphed into Wes and luckily for Wes both Angel and I knew it wasn't him. But Fred and Gunn are missing and we have no idea what happened to them. I thought if I came into this realm I could vanquish the Witch or at least send her back to the mirror. You haven't seen anyone have you?"
"No but there is activity up at that castle." Cordelia points to a castle down the road.
"Okay, hold my hand and I'll teleport us over there."
~~~~
As Angel approached the third floor landing he saw a vine growing down the hallway. 'Okay, that can't be good', he thought.
The door that the vine was coming out from under was sealed shut. He pulled on the handle but all he heard was a creak and a groan.
"Gunn?" "Fred?"
He didn't receive an answer so he pulled harder and the door finally popped opened. The room was covered in with a thick thorny vine. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gunn trapped against the wall with a piece of the vine across his mouth.
"Gunn! Can you move?"
Gunn just looked at Angel with pleading eyes.
"If you can understand me blink once."
Gunn blinked.
"Okay, we can work with this. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Can you move?"
Two blinks.
"Is Fred here, too?"
One blink.
"Hold on, I'll be right back. I'm going to get an axe and cut my way to you and then to Fred."
One blink.
Angel ran down the stairs but made a pit stop into Wesley's room. "Is Willow okay? Did you get a hold of Cordy?"
"Actually I didn't even try."
"What! Why not?"
Wesley just gestured to the mirror.
Angel turned and saw Willow and Cordelia entering a castle.
"Did you find Gunn and Fred?"
"Yeah, it seems a vine has been holding them captive." Angel went to put his hand on the mirror when Willow approached.
Wes grabbed his hand, "Be careful, you might get sucked in."
Angel reluctantly took his hand away and turned to go downstairs to get the sword. "It shouldn't take me long to cut through the vines."
~~~~
Willow and Cordelia entered the castle and was surprised to see furniture that was giant size.
Willow turned when she heard a faint noise. "Did you hear that?"
"Come on. It sounded like it came from over there."
Cordelia grabbed Willow's hand and they ran to where they heard the noise. In a cage on top of a large table was a man tied up and gagged.
"Are you okay?"
The man just nodded and then gestured over his shoulder. "What?"
"Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of a witch."
Willow rolled her eyes, "You have got to be kidding me. Jack and the Bean Stalk? I don't have time for this crap."
Willow waved her arm and said, "Release."
The bonds and the gag fell away and the door to the cage came open.
"Thanks!" The man said as he climbed out of the cage.
"Jack?"
The man smiled, "No. I'm the new Keeper of the Mirror. My name is David. I was kidnapped and they gave me to the giant."
The booming footsteps of the giant came closer.
"Okay no time to chat, let's go." Cordelia yelled as she took off toward the door.
Willow and David followed quickly behind.
"Can you get the Witch back in the Mirror?" Willow called over her shoulder.
"Sure. Come on." David turned off down a country lane and entered a small cottage.
On the one wall was a very old decorative mirror.
"That's it? That's the mirror?"
The man nodded and placed his hand on the glass. "Return."
There was a loud pop and the glass of the mirror began to smoke. A bloodcurdling scream could be heard just before the witch's reflection appeared in the middle of the smoke.
Willow couldn't resist. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the biggest Wicca of them all?"
Cordelia laughed at the outraged expression on the Witch's face.
~~~
Angel raised the axe to clear the vine away from Gunn when it began to dissolve. The vine completely disappeared.
Gunn rushed to Fred's side. She was still asleep. Gunn shook her shoulders but that didn't seem to have an effect.
"Kiss the girl."
Gunn looked at Angel. "Why not?"
Gunn leaned down and placed a kiss on Fred's lips. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty wake up."
Fred lifted a hand to caress Gunn's neck and she deepened the kiss.
"I'll just be going now that you guys are okay."
Angel left the young lovers alone. Hoping the disappearing vine meant that Willow defeated the witch Angel went down the stairs.
Cordelia, Wesley and Willow were just emerging from Wes' room when Willow saw Angel at the end of the hallway. "Everything okay with Gunn and Fred?"
"They're fine. It may be awhile til we see them again. Gunn is Prince to Fred's Sleeping Beauty."
"Ooh role playing. Sounds like fun."
Angel just smirked and raised an eyebrow at Willow.