From the Desk of Queen Renarde: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, guys. I was sick this week and hardly wanted to do anything, least of all write. But here it is now and you get a little better idea of what's been going on with the kingdoms. Hope you like it, and thanks to those of you who reviewed my last two chapters. Luv ya'll to pieces!

Chapter 3 The King's Dilemma

Harold walked along the paths through Central Park, stopping for nothing as he went. He hated this Kingdom, and he was glad there was only one way to get here. This place was too noisy, dangerous and chaotic. Why anyone would rather live here than the 9 Kingdoms he couldn't understand. New York's magical technology definitely wasn't worth it. Well, at least he could find solace in the fact that this was not his bloody problem. When he arrived at the mirror, he sat down against a nearby tree and waited for Wolf and Virginia.

It was an hour and a half later when the couple walked down the paved pathway that led by the camouflaged mirror. They each had backpacks and wore suitable travel clothes. "Well, we're here," said Virginia with a noticeable hint of impatience.

"Good, the King will be glad you decided to come," Harold replied as he stood up. "You know how this works. Ladies first."

Virginia walked up to the mirror and stepped through the slightly iridescent portal. Almost instantly, she found herself not amidst plants and trees under a dark sky, but in a brightly lit palace corridor in front of a young man. "Hi. I guess you've been expecting me. I'm—"

"You're Virginia Lewis, a hero in all the nine kingdoms!" he said and his face brightened as though he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life. "And you're Wolf, another hero!" he said when Wolf stepped in behind his wife.

"Uh, yeah, that's us." Virginia replied. "You were expecting us right?" At this point Harold appeared, but kept quiet. "Because you seem…surprised." Harold gave the young man a look.

"Oh, yes," said the young man, toning down his exuberance. "I have been expecting you. My name's Olrick and I'm to lead you to your private audience with the King. Follow me." Olrick led Virginia and her husband down several corridors filled with portraits and tapestries detailing famous persons and events. Along the way, he informed them on what to say if anyone asked why they were here.

"You should tell them you are only here on a friendly visit to the King. Maybe you want him to be Godfather to your son or something," he suggested helpfully. "But don't suggest that you personally are doing anything to resolve the arguments."

"What arguments?" Wolf asked.

"His Majesty will tell you all about it, sir," Harold assured him. He waited a moment, then whispered to Virginia, "Olrick is new and was very excited at the chance to meet you. Told him to keep it to a minimum, but apparently he just couldn't."

"Well, then," said Olrick as they finally stopped in front of a large, ornate door. "If you wait right her, I'll go in and announce you." They watched as he disappeared behind the beautiful door. For a few seconds they waited in silence, then he returned and let them in.

Wendell stood up and smiled when his friends entered. "I'm so glad you could make it," he said as he embraced Virginia. He turned to Wolf and hesitantly shook his hand. "Er, please, do sit down."

Wolf and Virginia did as they were told and sat down at one end of the long table. "So," said Virginia, "It's great to see you again, Wendell. But, why did you call us here? What's the problem?"

"My you do get straight to the point," he said with a sigh. "Alright, for the past two months there have been many unprecedented arguments between my Kingdom and several others. These include, not surprisingly, the Troll Kingdom and the 8th Kingdom to the North. But the others are the 2nd, 5th and 9th Kingdoms, all of which had been peaceful until now."

"So what do you need us for?"

"It's obvious that this isn't just coincidence, but none of my advisors will believe me. So what I would like you to do for me is travel to the 8th Kingdom and investigate the situation."

"Why the 8th Kingdom?" asked Wolf. "I mean, couldn't another Kingdom be the source of this?"

"I understand your reluctance to go, Wolf, but no. Burly the Troll king doesn't have anywhere near the intelligence to try and take my Kingdom this way, which leaves the Ice Queen as the mastermind. Besides, she has magic at her disposal, which explains how she turned the other kingdoms against me."

"But the 8th Kingdom is one of the most dangerous," said Wolf. "And Virginia's pregnant. I don't want to risk my child's life."

"I trust that Virginia can take care of herself, and if not, you can. I would compare the Kingdom's danger to that of New York, and she has lived there her entire life."

"How long do you expect this to take?" asked Virginia. "I only bought myself two weeks off work with dead aunt excuse."

"This should take no more than one week," The King said. "10 days at most."

Virginia exchanged glances with Wolf. Neither was sure they wanted to agree to this, but both wanted to help however they could. "I'll leave you alone to talk it over," said Wendell as he left the room. He closed the doors behind him and observed the faces of Olrick and Harold. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see what they do."