The Dragon and The Snow Chapter Four: The Warriors Divide
"Rain, rain on my face
Hasn't stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I've become one with the mud!"
~ From "Flood" by Jars of Clay
"Wendell, Wendell," King Wendell heard the soft voice calling to him as if from far away. He opened his eyes to see nothing but pure white in front of him. He could see the face of a beautiful dark haired woman in front of him, a loving face he knew but hadn't seen since he was seven years old!
"Grandmother," Wendell gasped. "Is all lost?"
"No, Wendell but you must ally with these visitors and go to the 2nd Kingdom to meet the Baba Yagga, all of your fates depend on it. She will help you find the sleeping king," Snow White kissed her grandson on the forehead and seemed to fade away.
"Grandmother," Wendell called.
Suddenly Wendell could hear another voice calling out to him. "Wendell, Wendell, hey turkey, wake up! Boy, for a king you sleep in a class by yourself." Wendell felt a sharp pain as he returned to reality. Now that he had awakened from his reverie, he could see that he was being dragged inside some sort of carriage with his arms tied, but his feet untied but rigid leaning against the door. He looked at the other person behind him, Mordred! He too was tied by the wrists and also leaning against the door by his feet.
"How long have I been out?" Wendell asked.
"I don't know, I just woke up myself not five minutes ago," the other man answered.
"Where are we?" Wendell asked.
"We are both in a carriage being carried by those trolls that is the extent of my knowledge," Mordred replied.
Suddenly, Wendell remembered his dream. "I was told to go to-"
"-the Second Kingdom to meet someone named Baba Yagga, I know I had the same dream," Mordred answered.
"My grandmother, Snow White, spoke to you?" Wendell asked.
Mordred looked puzzled. " Who? No, I mean the Lady of the Lake told me that."
"I don't have time to follow nonsense riddles," Wendell replied. "I have to return to my kingdom!"
"Not like this you're not," Mordred reminded him. He then nodded at the driver's seat. Wendell could see the back of a troll whipping the horse as they rode along. The cart bumped with each rock. Wendell considered what to do as his feet kicked the door with each jolt. Suddenly, his eyes met Mordred's and he nodded at the cart door. Mordred nodded catching the hint. The two slightly pulled their feet up and counted down. "Three..two..one!", they said. On one, they both kicked the doorway large enough that it fell open. Mordred leaped out of the carriage followed by Wendell and the two ran far from the carriage and its contents that spilled out to the ground.
Mordred was able to wiggle his sword from its scabbard and undo both his and Wendell's bonds. He then grabbed Wendell from behind and held his arm back at sword point. "What the Devil are you doing?" Wendell asked.
"I told you all I had to do was take a sword to you and I would be done with you in seconds," he said.
"So you aren't going to help us in anyway," Wendell said. "My kingdom means nothing to you!"
"That's a really stupid remark, but then its from a very stupid man," Mordred said. "Well maybe not nothing, after all it could be my reward!"
"What are you going to do to me?," Wendell gasped.
"With you, I think I'll just kill you and leave you to the wolves!," Mordred jeered. He heard Wendell's quick breathing and laughed at how quickly he was able to overpower him. "What nothing now with no armies to protect you? I must admit there is no challenge in battling an unarmed man, especially one as weak and pathetic as you are!"
"True," Wendell said. "But who says I'm unarmed?" Before Mordred could react. Wendell kicked his assailant from the back of his boot. Mordred let the King go in pain and Wendell pushed his arm to knock the sword out of Mordred's hand. Before Mordred could pick up his weapon, Wendell pulled out his own sword and held him at sword point by the neck. " Rule Number One, my father taught me, always call your opponents bluff! Now who's the stupid one?" he asked.
"You are," Mordred said using his legs to push the sword away from his neck. He was about to leave or grab his sword and run towards the king when Wendell heard something. He motioned for him to hear. It was a loud drumming sound. "The Mountain trolls," he said as he could hear the pounding getting louder. "They are onto our escape! Come on!" When Mordred made no motion to move. Wendell ran faster. "How are you going to enjoy your reward when you're dead? Do you know what the Mountain Trolls love to do to their victims if they are caught? They murder them, skin them, then eat their flesh and organs, and then if the victim is fortunate enough they will do it in that order!"
Without another word, Mordred ran after Wendell from the direction of the drumming. Not wanting to look behind him, Wendell's hunter instincts could tell that the creatures were in the horizon and with their good eyesight could probably already see the two running for their lives. Outrunning them would never work, and he knew there were way too many to consider fighting. He had to outsmart them. Before his eyes, he saw a bridge. He grabbed Mordred's hand and headed for it. "Mountain Trolls hate water, they are afraid of it! The bridge!" He yelled. Without waiting to be told twice, Mordred followed the king as the two ran for a wood bridge. "Get under!" Wendell commanded and the two ran along the creek slapping the ankle-deep water under them. They crawled under the bridge completely hidden from view. Mordred and Wendell waited a few terrifying tense minutes listening to the pounding of troll feet and horses hooves running back and forth on top of the bridge neither of them making a sound almost not even daring to breathe. The bridge swayed with the weight of many soldiers on top but so far stayed put. The two men could see through the cracks in the bridge that their adversaries were still on top. The water ran through the rocks and on the men's legs feeling very cold, icy, and unpleasant but neither of them moved for fear of being heard or seen. The troll's feet seemed to grow less and less and eventually left the bridge.
Are they gone yet? Mordred mouthed. Wendell listened faintly until the footsteps not only left the bridge, but he could also not hear them or the troll's snarling in the background. When he was certain he could no longer hear them, he gingerly poked his head out of the bridge to look around. The trolls were definitely gone.
"Yes they are gone," Wendell said as he pushed himself out of the bridge. Mordred warily followed suit. When they climbed to the top of the bridge, Wendell headed North. "Where are you going?" Mordred demanded.
"What does it look like?" Wendell replied. "I am going straight back to the 4th Kingdom where I belong! My people need me!"
Mordred ran up to Wendell and stood in his direction. "Stand aside, that is an order!"
"You forget, I am not your subject your majesty and I will not!" Since the incident with the Mountain Trolls, Mordred realized it was dangerous, nay even suicide to travel these kingdoms alone, when he had no idea of his direction, and who knows what creatures were out there. The Mountain Trolls may be considered the more pleasant of these creatures. He no longer wanted to kill Wendell, not yet, now he hated to admit it, but he needed him. But he won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "Think about it, what if the 4th Kingdom were conquered, what would you be able to do about it, alone?" Wendell opened his mouth and realized that he hadn't thought of that. "We just ran from these things and you want to travel to the Lion' Den?"
"I will not abandon my people to their fate!" Wendell declared.
"You said so yourself that if they lost, they could leave. Don't you think they are smart enough to do that on their own? But if you want to get yourself killed playing boy hero that's fine with me!"
Wendell stopped. "All right, then my second option is that we go to the 2nd Kingdom like my grandmother and your friend-"
"-She is not my friend-" Mordred objected.
"-suggested," Wendell continued. "But one thing how can I trust you?"
"How can I trust you?" Mordred repeated.
Wendell smiled. "Perfect," he said. He knew that with both of them watching their own backs, that neither he nor Mordred could put something over on the other. Besides he now knew, even if Mordred didn't, that he would be largely dependant on the knight's survival. And as for himself, well he trusted Mordred about as far as he can throw him, but he would make damn sure that if Mordred had any other thoughts about betraying them, then the king would make sure that he was dead before they were carried out, but he would make sure that it would be by his hand.
Wendell looked around. "I'm not quite sure where we are, but if we follow the main road, we should see a sign or civilization before too long, so let's go." He invited Mordred to walk ahead of him.
"Oh no, I insist after you," Mordred said. Wendell gave him a look but walked ahead making sure that his peripheral vision never left Mordred's gaze for even a second as he kept his eyes forward.
Cinderella ran outside of her castle to see the long lines of fugitives approach. They arrived in a large mass of men, women, and children. Cinderella's servants ran up to them offering them food, shelter, and comfort upon the queen's request. The queen ran to the head of the line to approach Virginia, Wolf, Tony and the children. Her heart beat quickly when she realized that she didn't see her grandson. "A messenger arrived before you did and explained some of the events," she informed them. "What's going on and where is Wendell?"
"One of the trolls took him and a friend of theirs'," Wolf told her and nodded in Merlin's direction. "We think he might be alive for now." The refugees gathered into the First Kingdom and were aided by the residents of the kingdom.
"How long do you think that diversion will hold?" Virginia asked Merlin.
"Not long enough," the wizard replied as the six followed Cinderella into her castle.
The Mountain Trolls were still fighting their invisible adversaries when Mab and Hilda arrived. Though the Mountain Trolls seemed to be engaged in a heated battle but both women couldn't see what they were fighting against. "What the-?" Hilda asked.
The two exchanged glances and approached one of the trolls. Hilda threw him on the ground. "What are you doing!" she demanded.
The troll grunted in his own language leaving Mab to translate. "He said that they were fighting an army that appeared from the sky to defend the 4th Kingdom," she said in a very bewildered tone.
Hilda shook her head. "Army, what army? No army could have been rallied and arrived here fast enough and from the sky? I don't understand."
Mab's dark eyes narrowed into slits. "I do, Merlin! That hand wizard created an illusion!"
Hilda then kicked the troll again. "You fools you have been tricked!" While she explained that to them, Mab waved her hand in the air and the troll's visions disappeared. "They got away," Mab said. "If I were you, I would punish them."
"Oh I have every intention, " Hilda said. "Well we have Castle White and that is something for now." Just then another Mountain Troll approached the throne room and bowed low speaking humbly.
Mab listened. "He said that they had King Wendell with them, but he managed to escape with another soldier."
"Such impudence!" Hilda hissed. She was about to strike when Mab held out her hand to stay her.
"Wait chances are that Merlin and the others are alive and if they are we can always hire specialists to find them and kill them," Mab said.
Hilda reasoned. "From what I understand the Hunter's Guild is still alive and active and I know they would have no love for those fools since they killed their founder."
Mab nodded. "I know some Dark sidhe who are very adept at searching for and catching such creatures."
Hilda smiled. "Very we will do it." They were about to leave when Mab called her back.
"Haven't you forgotten something?" she asked.
"Oh, of course," Hilda said looking at the Mountain Troll who let Wendell escape. The Troll bowed low as his death sentence was proclaimed. "Take out his eyes and stomp on them! Then when you are through eat his heart," she ordered the other trolls. The other Mountain Trolls were only too happy to oblige.
Cinderella's council room was abuzz with noise and shouting. Merlin, Nimue, Frick, Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and Cinderella were all seated and talking at once. It was a very nervous event, pure chaos.
"We have to stop this before it gets any worse," Nimue said.
"How can it get any worse?" Tony demanded.
"Believe me, it will get worse," Merlin answered.
"We have to find Wendell!" Virginia suggested.
"No we must find our king first," Merlin replied.
"Why can't we go back to our kingdom and fight for it?" Wolf asked.
"Would you like to become Puppy Chow?" Frick taunted. "In fact, go ahead I'd be so looking forward to it!" Wolf growled at the gnome and the shouting continued rising to an even higher level so high that no one could be heard.
Virginia held up her hands and shouted above the noise. "Hey, hey, hey! Enough is enough!" Everyone became quiet. "One at a time!"
"Thank you," Cinderella said annoyed.
Virginia turned to Merlin. "Merlin, yesterday. God, I can't believe that was just yesterday seemed like a long time ago. Anyway, yesterday, before the fight you said something about your king being brought back and that involved us and I'm guessing you think that it's connected with what has been happening. So, maybe we should start there, how do you know all this?"
Merlin took a deep breath before he spoke. "When our king was killed on the battlefield, I had him buried in Avalon, that was an island near Camelot. Well I had left that place many times only to return to it to check on him, to just visit him. After all he was family. But then several years later, it happened."
"What happened?" Wolf asked.
"Well many of the priests and nuns had raised objections about him being buried in Avalon. The temptation would be far too great they told me, for enemies to snatch his body or to somehow trace their lineage back to him to express supreme authority. Well one night, I had returned to Avalon only to find the king's body gone and his tomb opened but he wasn't there!"
"Do you know what happened to him?" Virginia asked.
"A priest who had aided me, one of the king's former knights, Bedivere his name was told me that during the night three beautiful women appeared in Avalon and stood over the body. He told me that they said that they were taking him to where he would be safe until the time was right. That was all he could tell me, and the last I had heard of him at least in person. The story by then had been told in myth and legend. Many of which were very hard to swallow and misrepresentative of us."
"And you believe he was brought here," Tony said.
"Well at first we did," Nimue said picking up the story. "That's why we came to this world so often. We figured that somehow he was sent here, but we never found him and we searched everywhere. So time went on, and England, or as you call it the 10th Kingdom became more modern and had no need of us anymore. Avalon had long ceased to be an island and is now a hill and many of the old castles were in ruins. After the mirror had been thrown away, we knew that we had no reason to return."
"Until now, we figured that the search was closed to us until the other night when an old enemy of mine indicated that the time for his resurrection would be soon," Merlin replied.
"So you have been searching all this time and you never found him," Virginia said.
"Well not just searching," Frick replied. "After we were removed from England by force the three of us had just opted to stay here and live out our lives here. Well, I figured that Bedivere's words were the ramblings of a madman and the body probably taken and buried or burned somewhere. No, I'm sorry but as far as I'm concerned King Arthur is dead!"
Cinderella's eyes widened. During Merlin's story, she had remained silent but his words struck her with a long ago memory. She felt ill, but she just knew that it had to be connected. "You are referring to King Arthur?" she asked her face pale and drawn.
"Yes," Merlin replied. "You know something?"
Cinderella shook her head and waved for her handmaidens and guards to leave the room. They did locking the doors behind them and as she spoke she walked through her main palace closing every window and shutting all curtains. She spoke in a really loud voice. "I have never heard of King Arthur, I do not know anything about him!" When every door was locked and every window shut. Cinderella turned to her other companions. The room was dark, but lit only by candlelight. She approached them and spoke her voice very quiet. "Now all of you understand that what I say can not leave this room." They all nodded. "I do know who King Arthur is. Long ago, not too long after the five of us, Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White, and I had formed what would later become the 9 Kingdoms. We had each received a vision of dark creatures approaching and people fighting to defend us, including a man who seemed to be a king. Well, we very unsure of what all that meant, but the five of us decided to have a private council meeting. Well during that meeting a woman appeared she was dressed all in white with long white hair and appeared to be some sort of phantom or spirit. We were about to get rid of it, when she explained that it was she who sent the visions and now she was asking us a favor. We asked what it was, and she told us that she could only explain unless we agreed. Well we did, and she told us to meet her by the river between the 3rd and 6th Kingdoms two days later and to tell no one.
We arrived at the right time and the woman appeared just as she said she would, but this time she wasn't alone. She was with two other women, one dark haired and the other red. She explained that her name was Viviane, also known as the Lady of the Lake and the other two women were her sisters Morgause and Elaine. They explained to us that a king from another world known as Arthur was slain, but was destined to return and they wanted us to keep his body in somewhere in our kingdoms until such time when he could be resurrected. After they explained a gold skiff arrived floating on the water and in that skiff was perfectly preserved body of a man, this was their king they explained.
We were confused about how we were supposed to be involved, but they explained that in the future a time would come when our enemies would be united with his and we would need to ally ourselves with these heroes to fight them. Our only requirement was the five of us were to keep it a secret and to tell no one until the time was right. When the 4th Kingdom was attacked, I knew that time would be now."
"Do you know where he was taken?" Merlin asked.
Cinderella shrugged. "Sort of in a way. After the body appeared. Elaine and Morgause reappeared with two other items a beautiful silver sword and a golden cup. They called them-"
"- Excalibur and the Holy Grail," Merlin, Nimue, and Frick said.
"Exactly," Cinderella replied. "When the time was right they said, Arthur would be resurrected through drops of his own blood drawn by Excalibur and into the Holy Grail. Then fallen onto his heart would restore his life. But they wanted to make sure that his body would not be found until the time was right, so they did the only thing they could do: Hide the body, the cup, and the sword in different places."
"Talk about paranoia," Tony mused.
"It was too keep the body safe until then, "Cinderella answered. "I cannot tell you where the body is, because I do not know. None of us did, they wouldn't tell us, but I can tell you they told us they would put Excalibur in the grave of lost memories in the 7th Kingdom and the Grail would be in the heart of the devils, in the mountains of the 9th. Only when those three items are brought together, the sword, the cup, and the blood then would the location of the king be revealed and his entire kingdom would be brought back to life."
"Wait a minute, if you don't know where the body is how can you get the blood first?" Tony asked. "Did Artie donate his blood to a blood bank or something?"
"I don't know," Cinderella replied. "That confused us as well, but they disappeared and we never saw them again. In fact I didn't even think of that encounter until today."
There was silence among the seven people as they realized what was being said. Virginia nodded. "So to bring King Arthur back, we got to find Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and the blood first." She shrugged. "I say we split up, it seems only logical."
Tony at first couldn't believe what she was saying. "Are you crazy?"
Merlin nodded. "Yes if we cover ground soon we should be able to reach them in good timing."
"Are you serious?" Tony repeated. "Isn't that kind of dangerous."
"It's the only solution," Virginia reminded her father. "Dad, since I've been here I know that sometimes you have to do these type of things to save everyone. That's not very profound is it?" She said bashfully.
"It's good enough," Merlin replied with a smile.
"But wait a minute," Tony replied. "Aren't we forgetting something? What about Wendell, shouldn't we rescue him?" A silence befell the crowd.
"I almost did forgot about him," Virginia said then turned to Merlin, Nimue, and Frick. "Assuming he escapes from the trolls, how safe would he be with your friend?"
Frick laughed bitterly. "Has your king done everything he ever wanted to do in life?"
Virginia, Wolf, and Tony exchanged confused glances. "No, probably not," Wolf said.
"Oops," Frick replied. "I hate to bring everyone down but even if he survives the trolls, I can almost assure that with Mordred he would be dead within five minutes."
"Mountain Trolls are from the 9th Kingdom correct?" Merlin asked. The residents nodded. "Which is where the Grail is, I will go find the Grail and if I find him I will help rescue your king. I assure you he will be safe."
"Well if I have to go," Tony reasoned slowly. "I would prefer to go with the wizard, since I have less chances of getting myself killed."
"I will go with you as well," Nimue replied.
Merlin held his wife by the shoulders. "No, Nimue I can not allow it. It is too dangerous."
"I am just as much a part of it as you," Nimue declared. "I am going!"
"I think you should stay with the other women," Tony suggested.
"If that is true then why are you going?" the woman asked dryly. Tony laughed sarcastically.
"All right, you both can come with me, now if we are headed for the 9th we need someone to go to the 7th, who can that be?" He fought back laughter as Wolf and Frick waved their hands emphatically and mouthed no. "They would have to work together. Mr. Wolf, Frick thank you so much for volunteering." The two men dropped their protest and sighed annoyed.
"Oh this will be fun hanging out with you the entire trip," Frick said sarcastically.
"Make sure I don't develop a taste for goblin meat," Wolf threatened half-teasing.
Virginia sighed. "Well if those two are going to the 5th Kingdom, I'd better go with them. Someone has to keep you two kids in line and to make sure that Frick doesn't get eaten or Wolf doesn't turn into some hideously cute creature. So should we leave tomorrow morning?"
Merlin shook his head. "No, if I know my enemy Mab like I do, she will be expecting that. We had better leave sooner, tonight."
Mab and Hilda stood outside the rustic hunting lodge. It was larger than most lodges; about three stories and looked nice with the white and brown Germanic style wood, and a few antler heads at the top. But inside it housed some of the more ruthless, blood- thirsty characters in the 9 Kingdoms! Mab stood in front of a statue of a weathered gray haired man holding a crossbow. Under his statue sat a legend "Our Founder: Only live for the hunt." Mab rolled her eyes realizing how much the man resembled King Vortigen!
A thin balding man opened the door. "They may see you now," he said to Hilda who was cloaked hiding her appearance. She approached Mab. "I had better speak with them on my own, they are expecting me."
Mab nodded. "Fine with me, I intend to recruit my own army and they will like you about as much." Hilda glared wondering how threatening that comment was supposed to be, but instead took the opportunity to walk into the lodge. When Mab was certain she was alone, she left the lodge and went to the very center of the Disenchanted Forest. She held her hand up high and called out a chant in Gaelic. Suddenly before her appeared three creatures, a beautiful woman with long dark haired and a sultry expression, a shrouded creature with yellow eyes who seemed to move like lightening in and out of shadows, and a small gremlin looking creature with bald gray skin, a large leer, and a hungry look.
"What do you wish of us, our queen?" the woman asked as they bowed low.
Mab grinned. "The Lilith," she said to the woman. "The Boggart", she nodded at the small gray creature and then turned to the dark silent one. "And The Shadow." They nodded as she called them all. "You are some of my more loyal subjects."
"Of course my queen," the Boggart agreed.
"I want you to find some people for me, Merlin, his wife, and that traitor Frick! They will have traveling companions, a half-man half-wolf, a woman, and an older man who is the woman's father as well as their king Wendell. I want you to find them and kill them before they find Arthur!"
"Of course my queen all you have to do is say their names," The Boggart replied.
Mab nodded. "Merlin, Nimue, Frick, Virginia Wolf, Tony Lewis, Wolf, and King Wendell White! Now, go and do not fail me!" The three of them nodded and disappeared into the woods. Mab smiled wickedly. She trusted Lilith, Boggart, and Shadow they were completely loyal, and completely unscrupulous. They would never turn against her the way Frick and Merlin did. They were relentless and they would find them and never give up the search until they were all dead. That was the way of Dark Sidhe, doing her bidding and leaving no one left alive at the end to talk about it.
Hilda followed the man into the lodge. He invited her to sit by a fire and she waited until she heard a voice call. "You summoned us?" Hilda looked up to see two men and one woman looking at her. The woman was attractive with long auburn hair pulled back and a small girlish face, that made her appear innocent and trusting, but Hilda wasn't fooled. She took a look at the woman's stance and the way she held her crossbow and knew that she was a hunter. One of the men was very tall and muscular with blond hair and piercing green eyes and a scar on his right cheek. He carried a bow to his side and arrows around his back. The second man was also tall but thinner than the blond man. His hair had been shaved off leaving him bald, but he had strange grey eyes that seemed to be both emotional and cruel. He carried a scabbard with several daggers.
"State your names," Hilda replied.
"I am Hawke," the blond man replied.
"I am Lynette," the woman answered.
The other man didn't answer. Hilda glared at him. "What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?" she asked.
Lynette answered for him. "No a wolf. A mother wolf attacked him years ago after we slaughtered its children. It cut his throat open leaving him alive but he can't speak. He is my brother Robyn."
"I have hired you because I need you to find some creatures for me, King Wendell, his stepsister Virginia Wolf, his manservant Tony Lewis, Mrs. Wolf's husband a half-wolf, a wizard called Merlin, a woman named Nimue, and a gnome called Frick. I want them all dead except Virginia Wolf! I want you to catch her and send her to me, but I want her alive!" She held out three bags containing gold coins. "Do you agree?"
The three hunters exchanged glances then took the bags from her hands. "It will be done." Hawke answered for them.
"Good," she answered. "Now go, and make sure the job is complete." The three hunters nodded and then left as swiftly as they entered.
Virginia, Wolf, Tony, Frick, Merlin, and Nimue stood in front of Cinderella's castle. Wolf and Virginia leaned down once more to hug their children who were sobbing as their parents held them.
"But Mama, Daddy why do we have to stay here?" Luna repeated.
"Can't we go with you," Gray said.
"Please," the two kids said in unison giving their parents the big eyed look.
"No you two, it's too dangerous," Virginia said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
Luna and Gray continued to pout, but Wolf spoke to them. "Besides, it could be even more dangerous around here with us gone, Cinderella's castle will need to be protected. You think you guys can do that?" Luna and Gray nodded. "Good, now give me a hug!" He hugged the two kids tightly as they pinned him to the ground and wrestled with them. Wolf laughed and tickled both children. Virginia smiled sweetly at the scene as they let go. After they were finished she reached over and hugged Gray one last time. She then reached for Luna and held her tightly. As she held her, she had a vague feeling that she would be putting her hands on the little girl's neck. She could see herself strangling the girl. Terrified, Virginia let go. "It will be okay," she said to them for her benefit as well as theirs. "Be good you two. We'll be back. I promise."
The couple stood with the others. Cinderella stood in the doorway as Luna and Gray stood next to her. "I will guard them with my life," she promised. Suddenly she turned around to hear panting and whimpering. Prince stood in front of them giving the others a sorrowful look that seemed to say Bring my master home, please? Cinderella smiled. "I'll guard him with my life too. Now good luck and return safely." She said. They promised and left the castle to the main road.
When the travelers reached the main road, they knew the time would come for them to divide into two separate groups. They stood in an uneven circle to say their goodbyes.
"Now be careful out there," Tony told his daughter. "Be safe I want to see you again when this is over."
"You will I promise," Virginia said. She reached up and kissed her father on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too," Tony said. He let go of his daughter as they waved good-bye. Wolf approached him and he slapped Tony on the back and they embraced.
"If anything happens to her, you're in big trouble," Tony declared.
"She'll be safe, I promise," Wolf said.
Frick turned to his companions. "Don't worry think of this as yet another adventure. We'll come back from this one."
"We always do," Merlin answered. Frick gave Nimue a friendly kiss on the cheek and then embraced Merlin. "Be careful, my favorite pupil."
"You too, Old Friend," Merlin answered. Then the two groups split into separate factions and went their separate ways along the main road without looking back.
Tony, Nimue, and Merlin walked the main road in silence. When Merlin stopped and held his hand to stop them. "I think we are being followed," he said.
"What is it?" Nimue asked.
"I don't know," Merlin shrugged. "But lets make sure we don't find out."
"How?" Tony asked.
Merlin pointed up ahead to a range that looked frightening with the howling winds through the barren trees and not at all inviting.
"We go through there," Merlin said. Merlin and Nimue headed for the woods with Tony close behind.
"Maybe I should have gone with Frick and Wolf," Tony muttered as he followed them.
Mordred and Wendell sat in front of the pile of logs the two had collected. They had yet to find any form of civilization and still did not know exactly where in the 9 Kingdoms they were, but both were too exhausted to worry about it now. Wendell put the last two logs on the pile making careful sure he avoided turning his back to Mordred.
"Would you care to do the honors?" the king glibly asked the former knight.
Mordred picked up two flint stones, watching Wendell to make sure he didn't reach for his sword and hit the stones twice on the sides. A spark formed from them and before too long a friendly fire emerged from the spark. Wendell rubbed his hands on the fire feeling the blaze warm him pleasantly. He sat on one side of the blaze while Mordred sat on the other. The two remained silent as Wendell held out his hands to the flames to let it warm and fill him. Surprisingly, he could see that Mordred was trying to avoid the fire. He sat far away from it not trying to sit by it, or even look at it. "You don't want to sit in front of the fire?" he asked.
"I'm fine where I am," Mordred replied shortly. A yawn escaped from both men. "You can go ahead and sleep," Wendell said. "I'll take the first watch tonight."
"Really?" Mordred asked. "You sure?"
All the better to see you with my dear, Wendell thought sarcastically. "It's all right, I'll take it."
"Well if you insist," Mordred said laying his body down far from the blaze and fell right to sleep. Wendell sat in front of a tree keeping close to the fire but keeping his eyes and ears open for impending danger. Apart from the sound of a few small animals, so far Wendell could hear nothing. Mordred slept on the other end of the fire, but not comfortably. The knight seemed to move and shift uncontrollably in his sleep. He whispered and muttered some things but apart from, "No," Wendell couldn't tell what any of them meant. He was obviously having a nightmare. Wendell kept his eyes tensely on the road. If he keeps that up, he will have the entire Hunter's Guild after us before too long, Wendell thought bitterly. Suddenly, Wendell's ears perked up. He could hear something. It sounded like footsteps. Wendell quietly withdrew his sword from his scabbard and warily got off the tree. He kicked at the fire with his feet until the blazes died. Then he leaned over to Mordred to shake him gently. "Mordred wake up!"
Mordred sprang to life and grabbed Wendell by the throat knocking him down. He tried to squeeze him with his hand! "Mordred, it's only me. It's King Wendell!" He hoped that Mordred wasn't trying to kill him personally, but knew there would be no guarantees.
Mordred blinked as if just coming back to life, he removed his hand from the king's throat. "I thought you were someone else," he said.
Wendell hushed him. "Someone's coming, we have to leave." The two stood up, their swords ready. They stepped from the clearing and walked silently up to the path they had left from, but saw and heard nothing.
"It looks like they are gone," Wendell said.
Just then a man appeared holding them at arrow point. "Not quite," he said with a heavy accent.
Frick, Virginia, and Wolf walked along the main road talking their way through. They didn't know where the grave of lost memories was or even what it was. Plus, they were far from the 7th Kingdom. Everything was a puzzle and no one yet knew how to solve it.
Wolf held up his hands to silence the other two and sniffed the air. "Cripes!" He cursed. "We have to get out of here!"
"What's wrong?" Frick asked.
"The Huntsmen are following us!"
Virginia started. "Wait a minute Hunts MEN? As in men, plural indicating more than one, more than the one we already killed?"
"There's a whole guild of them," Wolf explained. "Our huntsmen, the one that worked for you- Wendell's stepmother was the founder of the guild!"
"Better hide then," Virginia said. Wolf listened and smelt closely.
"They are right behind us," he said.
The three of them ran into the woods after Wolf. They ran frantically from tree to tree feeling, just knowing that their captors were close behind them.
"Can you see them?" Virginia asked.
"Not that close," Wolf replied. "Not yet anyway." As they ran Wolf kicked at their tracks to cover them. He looked ahead and saw a tree with a large knot under it. "Quickly, under that tree!" he yelled. The three of them ran until they jumped under the tree. Frick then held up his hand and grass appeared forming to cover the knot.
"We should be safe here for the night," Frick said.
Virginia and Wolf nodded and the three stretched out for the night and slept inside the knot.
"Rain, rain on my face
Hasn't stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I've become one with the mud!"
~ From "Flood" by Jars of Clay
"Wendell, Wendell," King Wendell heard the soft voice calling to him as if from far away. He opened his eyes to see nothing but pure white in front of him. He could see the face of a beautiful dark haired woman in front of him, a loving face he knew but hadn't seen since he was seven years old!
"Grandmother," Wendell gasped. "Is all lost?"
"No, Wendell but you must ally with these visitors and go to the 2nd Kingdom to meet the Baba Yagga, all of your fates depend on it. She will help you find the sleeping king," Snow White kissed her grandson on the forehead and seemed to fade away.
"Grandmother," Wendell called.
Suddenly Wendell could hear another voice calling out to him. "Wendell, Wendell, hey turkey, wake up! Boy, for a king you sleep in a class by yourself." Wendell felt a sharp pain as he returned to reality. Now that he had awakened from his reverie, he could see that he was being dragged inside some sort of carriage with his arms tied, but his feet untied but rigid leaning against the door. He looked at the other person behind him, Mordred! He too was tied by the wrists and also leaning against the door by his feet.
"How long have I been out?" Wendell asked.
"I don't know, I just woke up myself not five minutes ago," the other man answered.
"Where are we?" Wendell asked.
"We are both in a carriage being carried by those trolls that is the extent of my knowledge," Mordred replied.
Suddenly, Wendell remembered his dream. "I was told to go to-"
"-the Second Kingdom to meet someone named Baba Yagga, I know I had the same dream," Mordred answered.
"My grandmother, Snow White, spoke to you?" Wendell asked.
Mordred looked puzzled. " Who? No, I mean the Lady of the Lake told me that."
"I don't have time to follow nonsense riddles," Wendell replied. "I have to return to my kingdom!"
"Not like this you're not," Mordred reminded him. He then nodded at the driver's seat. Wendell could see the back of a troll whipping the horse as they rode along. The cart bumped with each rock. Wendell considered what to do as his feet kicked the door with each jolt. Suddenly, his eyes met Mordred's and he nodded at the cart door. Mordred nodded catching the hint. The two slightly pulled their feet up and counted down. "Three..two..one!", they said. On one, they both kicked the doorway large enough that it fell open. Mordred leaped out of the carriage followed by Wendell and the two ran far from the carriage and its contents that spilled out to the ground.
Mordred was able to wiggle his sword from its scabbard and undo both his and Wendell's bonds. He then grabbed Wendell from behind and held his arm back at sword point. "What the Devil are you doing?" Wendell asked.
"I told you all I had to do was take a sword to you and I would be done with you in seconds," he said.
"So you aren't going to help us in anyway," Wendell said. "My kingdom means nothing to you!"
"That's a really stupid remark, but then its from a very stupid man," Mordred said. "Well maybe not nothing, after all it could be my reward!"
"What are you going to do to me?," Wendell gasped.
"With you, I think I'll just kill you and leave you to the wolves!," Mordred jeered. He heard Wendell's quick breathing and laughed at how quickly he was able to overpower him. "What nothing now with no armies to protect you? I must admit there is no challenge in battling an unarmed man, especially one as weak and pathetic as you are!"
"True," Wendell said. "But who says I'm unarmed?" Before Mordred could react. Wendell kicked his assailant from the back of his boot. Mordred let the King go in pain and Wendell pushed his arm to knock the sword out of Mordred's hand. Before Mordred could pick up his weapon, Wendell pulled out his own sword and held him at sword point by the neck. " Rule Number One, my father taught me, always call your opponents bluff! Now who's the stupid one?" he asked.
"You are," Mordred said using his legs to push the sword away from his neck. He was about to leave or grab his sword and run towards the king when Wendell heard something. He motioned for him to hear. It was a loud drumming sound. "The Mountain trolls," he said as he could hear the pounding getting louder. "They are onto our escape! Come on!" When Mordred made no motion to move. Wendell ran faster. "How are you going to enjoy your reward when you're dead? Do you know what the Mountain Trolls love to do to their victims if they are caught? They murder them, skin them, then eat their flesh and organs, and then if the victim is fortunate enough they will do it in that order!"
Without another word, Mordred ran after Wendell from the direction of the drumming. Not wanting to look behind him, Wendell's hunter instincts could tell that the creatures were in the horizon and with their good eyesight could probably already see the two running for their lives. Outrunning them would never work, and he knew there were way too many to consider fighting. He had to outsmart them. Before his eyes, he saw a bridge. He grabbed Mordred's hand and headed for it. "Mountain Trolls hate water, they are afraid of it! The bridge!" He yelled. Without waiting to be told twice, Mordred followed the king as the two ran for a wood bridge. "Get under!" Wendell commanded and the two ran along the creek slapping the ankle-deep water under them. They crawled under the bridge completely hidden from view. Mordred and Wendell waited a few terrifying tense minutes listening to the pounding of troll feet and horses hooves running back and forth on top of the bridge neither of them making a sound almost not even daring to breathe. The bridge swayed with the weight of many soldiers on top but so far stayed put. The two men could see through the cracks in the bridge that their adversaries were still on top. The water ran through the rocks and on the men's legs feeling very cold, icy, and unpleasant but neither of them moved for fear of being heard or seen. The troll's feet seemed to grow less and less and eventually left the bridge.
Are they gone yet? Mordred mouthed. Wendell listened faintly until the footsteps not only left the bridge, but he could also not hear them or the troll's snarling in the background. When he was certain he could no longer hear them, he gingerly poked his head out of the bridge to look around. The trolls were definitely gone.
"Yes they are gone," Wendell said as he pushed himself out of the bridge. Mordred warily followed suit. When they climbed to the top of the bridge, Wendell headed North. "Where are you going?" Mordred demanded.
"What does it look like?" Wendell replied. "I am going straight back to the 4th Kingdom where I belong! My people need me!"
Mordred ran up to Wendell and stood in his direction. "Stand aside, that is an order!"
"You forget, I am not your subject your majesty and I will not!" Since the incident with the Mountain Trolls, Mordred realized it was dangerous, nay even suicide to travel these kingdoms alone, when he had no idea of his direction, and who knows what creatures were out there. The Mountain Trolls may be considered the more pleasant of these creatures. He no longer wanted to kill Wendell, not yet, now he hated to admit it, but he needed him. But he won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "Think about it, what if the 4th Kingdom were conquered, what would you be able to do about it, alone?" Wendell opened his mouth and realized that he hadn't thought of that. "We just ran from these things and you want to travel to the Lion' Den?"
"I will not abandon my people to their fate!" Wendell declared.
"You said so yourself that if they lost, they could leave. Don't you think they are smart enough to do that on their own? But if you want to get yourself killed playing boy hero that's fine with me!"
Wendell stopped. "All right, then my second option is that we go to the 2nd Kingdom like my grandmother and your friend-"
"-She is not my friend-" Mordred objected.
"-suggested," Wendell continued. "But one thing how can I trust you?"
"How can I trust you?" Mordred repeated.
Wendell smiled. "Perfect," he said. He knew that with both of them watching their own backs, that neither he nor Mordred could put something over on the other. Besides he now knew, even if Mordred didn't, that he would be largely dependant on the knight's survival. And as for himself, well he trusted Mordred about as far as he can throw him, but he would make damn sure that if Mordred had any other thoughts about betraying them, then the king would make sure that he was dead before they were carried out, but he would make sure that it would be by his hand.
Wendell looked around. "I'm not quite sure where we are, but if we follow the main road, we should see a sign or civilization before too long, so let's go." He invited Mordred to walk ahead of him.
"Oh no, I insist after you," Mordred said. Wendell gave him a look but walked ahead making sure that his peripheral vision never left Mordred's gaze for even a second as he kept his eyes forward.
Cinderella ran outside of her castle to see the long lines of fugitives approach. They arrived in a large mass of men, women, and children. Cinderella's servants ran up to them offering them food, shelter, and comfort upon the queen's request. The queen ran to the head of the line to approach Virginia, Wolf, Tony and the children. Her heart beat quickly when she realized that she didn't see her grandson. "A messenger arrived before you did and explained some of the events," she informed them. "What's going on and where is Wendell?"
"One of the trolls took him and a friend of theirs'," Wolf told her and nodded in Merlin's direction. "We think he might be alive for now." The refugees gathered into the First Kingdom and were aided by the residents of the kingdom.
"How long do you think that diversion will hold?" Virginia asked Merlin.
"Not long enough," the wizard replied as the six followed Cinderella into her castle.
The Mountain Trolls were still fighting their invisible adversaries when Mab and Hilda arrived. Though the Mountain Trolls seemed to be engaged in a heated battle but both women couldn't see what they were fighting against. "What the-?" Hilda asked.
The two exchanged glances and approached one of the trolls. Hilda threw him on the ground. "What are you doing!" she demanded.
The troll grunted in his own language leaving Mab to translate. "He said that they were fighting an army that appeared from the sky to defend the 4th Kingdom," she said in a very bewildered tone.
Hilda shook her head. "Army, what army? No army could have been rallied and arrived here fast enough and from the sky? I don't understand."
Mab's dark eyes narrowed into slits. "I do, Merlin! That hand wizard created an illusion!"
Hilda then kicked the troll again. "You fools you have been tricked!" While she explained that to them, Mab waved her hand in the air and the troll's visions disappeared. "They got away," Mab said. "If I were you, I would punish them."
"Oh I have every intention, " Hilda said. "Well we have Castle White and that is something for now." Just then another Mountain Troll approached the throne room and bowed low speaking humbly.
Mab listened. "He said that they had King Wendell with them, but he managed to escape with another soldier."
"Such impudence!" Hilda hissed. She was about to strike when Mab held out her hand to stay her.
"Wait chances are that Merlin and the others are alive and if they are we can always hire specialists to find them and kill them," Mab said.
Hilda reasoned. "From what I understand the Hunter's Guild is still alive and active and I know they would have no love for those fools since they killed their founder."
Mab nodded. "I know some Dark sidhe who are very adept at searching for and catching such creatures."
Hilda smiled. "Very we will do it." They were about to leave when Mab called her back.
"Haven't you forgotten something?" she asked.
"Oh, of course," Hilda said looking at the Mountain Troll who let Wendell escape. The Troll bowed low as his death sentence was proclaimed. "Take out his eyes and stomp on them! Then when you are through eat his heart," she ordered the other trolls. The other Mountain Trolls were only too happy to oblige.
Cinderella's council room was abuzz with noise and shouting. Merlin, Nimue, Frick, Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and Cinderella were all seated and talking at once. It was a very nervous event, pure chaos.
"We have to stop this before it gets any worse," Nimue said.
"How can it get any worse?" Tony demanded.
"Believe me, it will get worse," Merlin answered.
"We have to find Wendell!" Virginia suggested.
"No we must find our king first," Merlin replied.
"Why can't we go back to our kingdom and fight for it?" Wolf asked.
"Would you like to become Puppy Chow?" Frick taunted. "In fact, go ahead I'd be so looking forward to it!" Wolf growled at the gnome and the shouting continued rising to an even higher level so high that no one could be heard.
Virginia held up her hands and shouted above the noise. "Hey, hey, hey! Enough is enough!" Everyone became quiet. "One at a time!"
"Thank you," Cinderella said annoyed.
Virginia turned to Merlin. "Merlin, yesterday. God, I can't believe that was just yesterday seemed like a long time ago. Anyway, yesterday, before the fight you said something about your king being brought back and that involved us and I'm guessing you think that it's connected with what has been happening. So, maybe we should start there, how do you know all this?"
Merlin took a deep breath before he spoke. "When our king was killed on the battlefield, I had him buried in Avalon, that was an island near Camelot. Well I had left that place many times only to return to it to check on him, to just visit him. After all he was family. But then several years later, it happened."
"What happened?" Wolf asked.
"Well many of the priests and nuns had raised objections about him being buried in Avalon. The temptation would be far too great they told me, for enemies to snatch his body or to somehow trace their lineage back to him to express supreme authority. Well one night, I had returned to Avalon only to find the king's body gone and his tomb opened but he wasn't there!"
"Do you know what happened to him?" Virginia asked.
"A priest who had aided me, one of the king's former knights, Bedivere his name was told me that during the night three beautiful women appeared in Avalon and stood over the body. He told me that they said that they were taking him to where he would be safe until the time was right. That was all he could tell me, and the last I had heard of him at least in person. The story by then had been told in myth and legend. Many of which were very hard to swallow and misrepresentative of us."
"And you believe he was brought here," Tony said.
"Well at first we did," Nimue said picking up the story. "That's why we came to this world so often. We figured that somehow he was sent here, but we never found him and we searched everywhere. So time went on, and England, or as you call it the 10th Kingdom became more modern and had no need of us anymore. Avalon had long ceased to be an island and is now a hill and many of the old castles were in ruins. After the mirror had been thrown away, we knew that we had no reason to return."
"Until now, we figured that the search was closed to us until the other night when an old enemy of mine indicated that the time for his resurrection would be soon," Merlin replied.
"So you have been searching all this time and you never found him," Virginia said.
"Well not just searching," Frick replied. "After we were removed from England by force the three of us had just opted to stay here and live out our lives here. Well, I figured that Bedivere's words were the ramblings of a madman and the body probably taken and buried or burned somewhere. No, I'm sorry but as far as I'm concerned King Arthur is dead!"
Cinderella's eyes widened. During Merlin's story, she had remained silent but his words struck her with a long ago memory. She felt ill, but she just knew that it had to be connected. "You are referring to King Arthur?" she asked her face pale and drawn.
"Yes," Merlin replied. "You know something?"
Cinderella shook her head and waved for her handmaidens and guards to leave the room. They did locking the doors behind them and as she spoke she walked through her main palace closing every window and shutting all curtains. She spoke in a really loud voice. "I have never heard of King Arthur, I do not know anything about him!" When every door was locked and every window shut. Cinderella turned to her other companions. The room was dark, but lit only by candlelight. She approached them and spoke her voice very quiet. "Now all of you understand that what I say can not leave this room." They all nodded. "I do know who King Arthur is. Long ago, not too long after the five of us, Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White, and I had formed what would later become the 9 Kingdoms. We had each received a vision of dark creatures approaching and people fighting to defend us, including a man who seemed to be a king. Well, we very unsure of what all that meant, but the five of us decided to have a private council meeting. Well during that meeting a woman appeared she was dressed all in white with long white hair and appeared to be some sort of phantom or spirit. We were about to get rid of it, when she explained that it was she who sent the visions and now she was asking us a favor. We asked what it was, and she told us that she could only explain unless we agreed. Well we did, and she told us to meet her by the river between the 3rd and 6th Kingdoms two days later and to tell no one.
We arrived at the right time and the woman appeared just as she said she would, but this time she wasn't alone. She was with two other women, one dark haired and the other red. She explained that her name was Viviane, also known as the Lady of the Lake and the other two women were her sisters Morgause and Elaine. They explained to us that a king from another world known as Arthur was slain, but was destined to return and they wanted us to keep his body in somewhere in our kingdoms until such time when he could be resurrected. After they explained a gold skiff arrived floating on the water and in that skiff was perfectly preserved body of a man, this was their king they explained.
We were confused about how we were supposed to be involved, but they explained that in the future a time would come when our enemies would be united with his and we would need to ally ourselves with these heroes to fight them. Our only requirement was the five of us were to keep it a secret and to tell no one until the time was right. When the 4th Kingdom was attacked, I knew that time would be now."
"Do you know where he was taken?" Merlin asked.
Cinderella shrugged. "Sort of in a way. After the body appeared. Elaine and Morgause reappeared with two other items a beautiful silver sword and a golden cup. They called them-"
"- Excalibur and the Holy Grail," Merlin, Nimue, and Frick said.
"Exactly," Cinderella replied. "When the time was right they said, Arthur would be resurrected through drops of his own blood drawn by Excalibur and into the Holy Grail. Then fallen onto his heart would restore his life. But they wanted to make sure that his body would not be found until the time was right, so they did the only thing they could do: Hide the body, the cup, and the sword in different places."
"Talk about paranoia," Tony mused.
"It was too keep the body safe until then, "Cinderella answered. "I cannot tell you where the body is, because I do not know. None of us did, they wouldn't tell us, but I can tell you they told us they would put Excalibur in the grave of lost memories in the 7th Kingdom and the Grail would be in the heart of the devils, in the mountains of the 9th. Only when those three items are brought together, the sword, the cup, and the blood then would the location of the king be revealed and his entire kingdom would be brought back to life."
"Wait a minute, if you don't know where the body is how can you get the blood first?" Tony asked. "Did Artie donate his blood to a blood bank or something?"
"I don't know," Cinderella replied. "That confused us as well, but they disappeared and we never saw them again. In fact I didn't even think of that encounter until today."
There was silence among the seven people as they realized what was being said. Virginia nodded. "So to bring King Arthur back, we got to find Excalibur, the Holy Grail, and the blood first." She shrugged. "I say we split up, it seems only logical."
Tony at first couldn't believe what she was saying. "Are you crazy?"
Merlin nodded. "Yes if we cover ground soon we should be able to reach them in good timing."
"Are you serious?" Tony repeated. "Isn't that kind of dangerous."
"It's the only solution," Virginia reminded her father. "Dad, since I've been here I know that sometimes you have to do these type of things to save everyone. That's not very profound is it?" She said bashfully.
"It's good enough," Merlin replied with a smile.
"But wait a minute," Tony replied. "Aren't we forgetting something? What about Wendell, shouldn't we rescue him?" A silence befell the crowd.
"I almost did forgot about him," Virginia said then turned to Merlin, Nimue, and Frick. "Assuming he escapes from the trolls, how safe would he be with your friend?"
Frick laughed bitterly. "Has your king done everything he ever wanted to do in life?"
Virginia, Wolf, and Tony exchanged confused glances. "No, probably not," Wolf said.
"Oops," Frick replied. "I hate to bring everyone down but even if he survives the trolls, I can almost assure that with Mordred he would be dead within five minutes."
"Mountain Trolls are from the 9th Kingdom correct?" Merlin asked. The residents nodded. "Which is where the Grail is, I will go find the Grail and if I find him I will help rescue your king. I assure you he will be safe."
"Well if I have to go," Tony reasoned slowly. "I would prefer to go with the wizard, since I have less chances of getting myself killed."
"I will go with you as well," Nimue replied.
Merlin held his wife by the shoulders. "No, Nimue I can not allow it. It is too dangerous."
"I am just as much a part of it as you," Nimue declared. "I am going!"
"I think you should stay with the other women," Tony suggested.
"If that is true then why are you going?" the woman asked dryly. Tony laughed sarcastically.
"All right, you both can come with me, now if we are headed for the 9th we need someone to go to the 7th, who can that be?" He fought back laughter as Wolf and Frick waved their hands emphatically and mouthed no. "They would have to work together. Mr. Wolf, Frick thank you so much for volunteering." The two men dropped their protest and sighed annoyed.
"Oh this will be fun hanging out with you the entire trip," Frick said sarcastically.
"Make sure I don't develop a taste for goblin meat," Wolf threatened half-teasing.
Virginia sighed. "Well if those two are going to the 5th Kingdom, I'd better go with them. Someone has to keep you two kids in line and to make sure that Frick doesn't get eaten or Wolf doesn't turn into some hideously cute creature. So should we leave tomorrow morning?"
Merlin shook his head. "No, if I know my enemy Mab like I do, she will be expecting that. We had better leave sooner, tonight."
Mab and Hilda stood outside the rustic hunting lodge. It was larger than most lodges; about three stories and looked nice with the white and brown Germanic style wood, and a few antler heads at the top. But inside it housed some of the more ruthless, blood- thirsty characters in the 9 Kingdoms! Mab stood in front of a statue of a weathered gray haired man holding a crossbow. Under his statue sat a legend "Our Founder: Only live for the hunt." Mab rolled her eyes realizing how much the man resembled King Vortigen!
A thin balding man opened the door. "They may see you now," he said to Hilda who was cloaked hiding her appearance. She approached Mab. "I had better speak with them on my own, they are expecting me."
Mab nodded. "Fine with me, I intend to recruit my own army and they will like you about as much." Hilda glared wondering how threatening that comment was supposed to be, but instead took the opportunity to walk into the lodge. When Mab was certain she was alone, she left the lodge and went to the very center of the Disenchanted Forest. She held her hand up high and called out a chant in Gaelic. Suddenly before her appeared three creatures, a beautiful woman with long dark haired and a sultry expression, a shrouded creature with yellow eyes who seemed to move like lightening in and out of shadows, and a small gremlin looking creature with bald gray skin, a large leer, and a hungry look.
"What do you wish of us, our queen?" the woman asked as they bowed low.
Mab grinned. "The Lilith," she said to the woman. "The Boggart", she nodded at the small gray creature and then turned to the dark silent one. "And The Shadow." They nodded as she called them all. "You are some of my more loyal subjects."
"Of course my queen," the Boggart agreed.
"I want you to find some people for me, Merlin, his wife, and that traitor Frick! They will have traveling companions, a half-man half-wolf, a woman, and an older man who is the woman's father as well as their king Wendell. I want you to find them and kill them before they find Arthur!"
"Of course my queen all you have to do is say their names," The Boggart replied.
Mab nodded. "Merlin, Nimue, Frick, Virginia Wolf, Tony Lewis, Wolf, and King Wendell White! Now, go and do not fail me!" The three of them nodded and disappeared into the woods. Mab smiled wickedly. She trusted Lilith, Boggart, and Shadow they were completely loyal, and completely unscrupulous. They would never turn against her the way Frick and Merlin did. They were relentless and they would find them and never give up the search until they were all dead. That was the way of Dark Sidhe, doing her bidding and leaving no one left alive at the end to talk about it.
Hilda followed the man into the lodge. He invited her to sit by a fire and she waited until she heard a voice call. "You summoned us?" Hilda looked up to see two men and one woman looking at her. The woman was attractive with long auburn hair pulled back and a small girlish face, that made her appear innocent and trusting, but Hilda wasn't fooled. She took a look at the woman's stance and the way she held her crossbow and knew that she was a hunter. One of the men was very tall and muscular with blond hair and piercing green eyes and a scar on his right cheek. He carried a bow to his side and arrows around his back. The second man was also tall but thinner than the blond man. His hair had been shaved off leaving him bald, but he had strange grey eyes that seemed to be both emotional and cruel. He carried a scabbard with several daggers.
"State your names," Hilda replied.
"I am Hawke," the blond man replied.
"I am Lynette," the woman answered.
The other man didn't answer. Hilda glared at him. "What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?" she asked.
Lynette answered for him. "No a wolf. A mother wolf attacked him years ago after we slaughtered its children. It cut his throat open leaving him alive but he can't speak. He is my brother Robyn."
"I have hired you because I need you to find some creatures for me, King Wendell, his stepsister Virginia Wolf, his manservant Tony Lewis, Mrs. Wolf's husband a half-wolf, a wizard called Merlin, a woman named Nimue, and a gnome called Frick. I want them all dead except Virginia Wolf! I want you to catch her and send her to me, but I want her alive!" She held out three bags containing gold coins. "Do you agree?"
The three hunters exchanged glances then took the bags from her hands. "It will be done." Hawke answered for them.
"Good," she answered. "Now go, and make sure the job is complete." The three hunters nodded and then left as swiftly as they entered.
Virginia, Wolf, Tony, Frick, Merlin, and Nimue stood in front of Cinderella's castle. Wolf and Virginia leaned down once more to hug their children who were sobbing as their parents held them.
"But Mama, Daddy why do we have to stay here?" Luna repeated.
"Can't we go with you," Gray said.
"Please," the two kids said in unison giving their parents the big eyed look.
"No you two, it's too dangerous," Virginia said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
Luna and Gray continued to pout, but Wolf spoke to them. "Besides, it could be even more dangerous around here with us gone, Cinderella's castle will need to be protected. You think you guys can do that?" Luna and Gray nodded. "Good, now give me a hug!" He hugged the two kids tightly as they pinned him to the ground and wrestled with them. Wolf laughed and tickled both children. Virginia smiled sweetly at the scene as they let go. After they were finished she reached over and hugged Gray one last time. She then reached for Luna and held her tightly. As she held her, she had a vague feeling that she would be putting her hands on the little girl's neck. She could see herself strangling the girl. Terrified, Virginia let go. "It will be okay," she said to them for her benefit as well as theirs. "Be good you two. We'll be back. I promise."
The couple stood with the others. Cinderella stood in the doorway as Luna and Gray stood next to her. "I will guard them with my life," she promised. Suddenly she turned around to hear panting and whimpering. Prince stood in front of them giving the others a sorrowful look that seemed to say Bring my master home, please? Cinderella smiled. "I'll guard him with my life too. Now good luck and return safely." She said. They promised and left the castle to the main road.
When the travelers reached the main road, they knew the time would come for them to divide into two separate groups. They stood in an uneven circle to say their goodbyes.
"Now be careful out there," Tony told his daughter. "Be safe I want to see you again when this is over."
"You will I promise," Virginia said. She reached up and kissed her father on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too," Tony said. He let go of his daughter as they waved good-bye. Wolf approached him and he slapped Tony on the back and they embraced.
"If anything happens to her, you're in big trouble," Tony declared.
"She'll be safe, I promise," Wolf said.
Frick turned to his companions. "Don't worry think of this as yet another adventure. We'll come back from this one."
"We always do," Merlin answered. Frick gave Nimue a friendly kiss on the cheek and then embraced Merlin. "Be careful, my favorite pupil."
"You too, Old Friend," Merlin answered. Then the two groups split into separate factions and went their separate ways along the main road without looking back.
Tony, Nimue, and Merlin walked the main road in silence. When Merlin stopped and held his hand to stop them. "I think we are being followed," he said.
"What is it?" Nimue asked.
"I don't know," Merlin shrugged. "But lets make sure we don't find out."
"How?" Tony asked.
Merlin pointed up ahead to a range that looked frightening with the howling winds through the barren trees and not at all inviting.
"We go through there," Merlin said. Merlin and Nimue headed for the woods with Tony close behind.
"Maybe I should have gone with Frick and Wolf," Tony muttered as he followed them.
Mordred and Wendell sat in front of the pile of logs the two had collected. They had yet to find any form of civilization and still did not know exactly where in the 9 Kingdoms they were, but both were too exhausted to worry about it now. Wendell put the last two logs on the pile making careful sure he avoided turning his back to Mordred.
"Would you care to do the honors?" the king glibly asked the former knight.
Mordred picked up two flint stones, watching Wendell to make sure he didn't reach for his sword and hit the stones twice on the sides. A spark formed from them and before too long a friendly fire emerged from the spark. Wendell rubbed his hands on the fire feeling the blaze warm him pleasantly. He sat on one side of the blaze while Mordred sat on the other. The two remained silent as Wendell held out his hands to the flames to let it warm and fill him. Surprisingly, he could see that Mordred was trying to avoid the fire. He sat far away from it not trying to sit by it, or even look at it. "You don't want to sit in front of the fire?" he asked.
"I'm fine where I am," Mordred replied shortly. A yawn escaped from both men. "You can go ahead and sleep," Wendell said. "I'll take the first watch tonight."
"Really?" Mordred asked. "You sure?"
All the better to see you with my dear, Wendell thought sarcastically. "It's all right, I'll take it."
"Well if you insist," Mordred said laying his body down far from the blaze and fell right to sleep. Wendell sat in front of a tree keeping close to the fire but keeping his eyes and ears open for impending danger. Apart from the sound of a few small animals, so far Wendell could hear nothing. Mordred slept on the other end of the fire, but not comfortably. The knight seemed to move and shift uncontrollably in his sleep. He whispered and muttered some things but apart from, "No," Wendell couldn't tell what any of them meant. He was obviously having a nightmare. Wendell kept his eyes tensely on the road. If he keeps that up, he will have the entire Hunter's Guild after us before too long, Wendell thought bitterly. Suddenly, Wendell's ears perked up. He could hear something. It sounded like footsteps. Wendell quietly withdrew his sword from his scabbard and warily got off the tree. He kicked at the fire with his feet until the blazes died. Then he leaned over to Mordred to shake him gently. "Mordred wake up!"
Mordred sprang to life and grabbed Wendell by the throat knocking him down. He tried to squeeze him with his hand! "Mordred, it's only me. It's King Wendell!" He hoped that Mordred wasn't trying to kill him personally, but knew there would be no guarantees.
Mordred blinked as if just coming back to life, he removed his hand from the king's throat. "I thought you were someone else," he said.
Wendell hushed him. "Someone's coming, we have to leave." The two stood up, their swords ready. They stepped from the clearing and walked silently up to the path they had left from, but saw and heard nothing.
"It looks like they are gone," Wendell said.
Just then a man appeared holding them at arrow point. "Not quite," he said with a heavy accent.
Frick, Virginia, and Wolf walked along the main road talking their way through. They didn't know where the grave of lost memories was or even what it was. Plus, they were far from the 7th Kingdom. Everything was a puzzle and no one yet knew how to solve it.
Wolf held up his hands to silence the other two and sniffed the air. "Cripes!" He cursed. "We have to get out of here!"
"What's wrong?" Frick asked.
"The Huntsmen are following us!"
Virginia started. "Wait a minute Hunts MEN? As in men, plural indicating more than one, more than the one we already killed?"
"There's a whole guild of them," Wolf explained. "Our huntsmen, the one that worked for you- Wendell's stepmother was the founder of the guild!"
"Better hide then," Virginia said. Wolf listened and smelt closely.
"They are right behind us," he said.
The three of them ran into the woods after Wolf. They ran frantically from tree to tree feeling, just knowing that their captors were close behind them.
"Can you see them?" Virginia asked.
"Not that close," Wolf replied. "Not yet anyway." As they ran Wolf kicked at their tracks to cover them. He looked ahead and saw a tree with a large knot under it. "Quickly, under that tree!" he yelled. The three of them ran until they jumped under the tree. Frick then held up his hand and grass appeared forming to cover the knot.
"We should be safe here for the night," Frick said.
Virginia and Wolf nodded and the three stretched out for the night and slept inside the knot.