Disclaimer: I do not own the 10th Kingdom. This is merely a fanfiction.

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Wolf awoke with a start. The moon shone pale through the dense foliage and the campfire had only just gone out, leaving swirling patterns in its wake. Wolf sighed. And then he noticed that the spot next to him was unusually bare.

"Virginia?"

His call was met with silence.

"Virginia!"

He sprang to his feet, nose aloft, sniffing the cold night air. Her scent was certainly there. Somewhere.

"Over here, Wolf."

Through a thicket, Virginia emerged. Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. "There you are! For a minute I – are you okay?"

Virginia was carrying herself with a newfound confidence, a coy smile on her face. It wasn't like her. It was almost … cruel. Virginia, however, reached out to Wolf, wrapping a hand behind his head, drawing him closer.

"I'm fine, Wolf. Never better, in fact."

Wolf breathed down at her. "You seem … different."

"It must be this night air. It's just so … invigorating." She drew him deeper. "Kiss me."

"Are you sure you're okay? Not that I'm complaining, it's just I wouldn't think you'd be so amorous given our circumstances. Not to mention carrying the baby."

"Baby?" Virginia was genuinely confused.

Wolf narrowed his eyes. "Right. Our baby. You know, the one you're carrying around in your belly."

"Oh right. I'm such a ditz. The baby. Now kiss me."

Something was wrong. "Virginia, I -."

She grabbed his head, crashing her lips into his. Wolf's eyes widened. Her lips felt icy cold and there was no love in the kiss. Only pure animalistic desire. He backed away as he realized - "You're not Virginia!"

"Don't be silly. Of course I am."

"Huff-Puff! Usually it's us wolves that play dress-up! But I can smell a fraud when I see one! Where is she?!"

"Wolf, I think you're misreading this whole situation -."

"Don't give me that!" He bared his teeth. "Where. Is. My. Fiancé?"

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The real Virginia screamed beneath the mounds of dirt, her mouth gagged and wrists bound. She struggled under the thick and wet soil. She struggled to breathe. Claustrophobia was beginning to set in.

If she didn't get out in the next few minutes, she would suffocate.

With great difficulty, she turned her head – and screamed behind her gag again. Next to her was a skeleton. A skeleton dressed nicely in woman's clothing, the finger bones folded together across the chest cavity. Virginia turned her head to the left so she wouldn't have to look at it – and she screamed again.

Another skeleton. Of a little boy. If she didn't get out of here soon, she'd end up just like them.

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Above, the Juniper Tree beneath which Virginia and the two skeletons were buried suddenly emitted a pink mist. A cavity appeared in the trunk, and a beautiful bird flew out. It circled the foliage above, before alighting on the freshly dug mound of dirt on the ground. It pecked at the ground, digging into it with its tiny little feet.

There was someone buried beneath. Another victim, perhaps?

The little bird stretched its wings and soared back into the air.

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Wolf backed away as "Virginia" menaced on him. "Why do you recoil from me?" she demanded.

"I don't know who you are, but you better bring the real Virginia back right now!"

"I am the real Virginia. The one you knew was only an illusion. A person's shadow reflects the real them – the real darkness in their hearts."

"Sh-shadow?"

Shadow Virginia's eyes gleamed hungrily. "Come. We can start a new life together. Or pick up the old one. No one need ever know. I can fulfill your greatest desires in ways she never could." Her eyes were mesmerizing.

Wolf stopped backing away, his heart pounding. "I -."

"You want me Wolf. You can have me. Right here. Right now. We can stay here in the Nine Kingdoms. You never have to work in that awful Park Grill ever again. You can bound through the trees and woods to your heart's content. No more being trapped in tall metal prisons called skyscrapers. You fled your pack because you felt trapped into a marriage you didn't want. And now the other Virginia wants to trap you in a life of cold steel buildings. Come with me, and you can experience what every half-wolf desires: freedom. Freedom to run, to bound, to hunt …"

Wolf stood there, mesmerized. His heart continued to thud in his chest. He was afraid it would burst from its place.

Shadow Virginia wrapped her arms around him again. "And you get Virginia too – the real Virginia. And I – I get freedom. Freedom to not have to go where she goes. We can explore this forest together. This magic forest, which separates the true person from the false."

She leaned in again, her lips parted. They met Wolf's. He melted in her arms, spellbound. She was right – he diddesire freedom. The freedom he once had to run and bound through the trees, hunting little lambs.

"Freedom," the Shadow said. "No longer to be bound to a corporate prison. Or even the demands of a baby …"

At that comment, Wolf suddenly felt his blood freeze. He backed away. The Shadow was suggesting he abandon his child. That was too much. And the cruelty of the comment brought him back to reality. "You're not the true Virginia! The true Virginia is kind and nurturing and would never suggest something so despicable!"

The Shadow was not pleased. "I will live her life, Wolf. Whether you're in it or not is only a matter of privilege." The Shadow's hands stretched out into claws.

"Cripes," Wolf gulped. He backed away into a tree. The Shadow was slowly approaching, toying with him. He snapped a branch from the tree, waving it dangerously in the Shadow's face. "You stay away from me! You tell me where Virginia is right now!"

"Or what?" The Shadow stopped, cocking her head. "Will strike the woman you love?"

"You're not her!"

"But I look just like her. Can you do it, Wolf? Can you strike me?"

Wolf hesitated.

"But I can strike you!"

The Shadow bared its mouth and lunged. Wolf's eyes widened. He leaped out of the way. The Shadow smashed into a tree. It turned, its mouth open, Virginia's teeth now fashioned into fangs.

Wolf was sprinting, tree branches and briars snagging on his clothes.

Fine, let him run. The Shadow grinned. It preferred the hunt anyway.

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Wolf stopped in a clearing to catch his breath. He panted, his eyes darting. He sniffed the air. Oh, but if it was a shadow, would it even have a scent? But he could still smell the real Virginia. She was still alive … somewhere in this forest.

"Wolf! Come out and plaaaaayyyy …" The Shadow was calling to him, beckoning him. Wolf's blood froze.

He turned, racing again – he hit a misstep. His ankle rolled and he fell face first into the grass. "Jiminy," he muttered. His head rose – and his eyes widened.

A cottage was standing before him. Wooden with a thatched roof. That wasn't there just a moment ago, he thought. Or perhaps it was and he was merely going mad.

"Wolf! I can hear you! You breathe too loud!"

He had to come up with a plan. Maybe the cottage would give him a moment's thought. He sprang to his feet and rushed to the doorway. He slowly pushed the wooden door open and entered.

He found himself in a living room. He fumbled in the dark, banging into a dining table. "Oh Huff-Puff," he muttered. "What am I gonna do? How can I rescue my beloved? Oh, my poor, creamy Virginia! What's become of you?"

"It's happened again."

Wolf spun around at the sound of the voice. A pipe was light, bathing an orange glow around an elderly woman in a cushy armchair.

"It didn't mean to intrude – I just -."

The woman nodded as she placed the pipe between her teeth. "This cottage – this forest – it's cursed. It passed through many hands. But one of its owners was an unscrupulous man. Cheated a woman out of the cottage. Little did he know she was a witch. She put a curse on him. His shadow came to life. Took on a mind of its own … and killed the man."

"Cripes," he muttered. "It's happened to my poor Virginia! Please – can you help me?"

The woman didn't seem to hear him. She puffed her pipe. "This whole forest is cursed. It's evil. A woman who lived in another house died in childbirth and was buried under the Juniper Tree. She left behind her husband and baby boy. The father remarried and the stepmother hated the son. She had him killed and buried next to his mother. But as much evil as there is in these woods, there is some good. The Juniper Tree brought the boy back to life in another form."

"I don't understand – please, if you can help me -."

One of the cottage's windows sprang open and a spring bird flew in. It alighted on the old woman's shoulder and chirped into her air. The woman nodded, puffing. She turned to look at Wolf. "You will find the real Virginia buried beneath the Juniper Tree. Go. Her lifeline is dwindling."

"Er – thanks!"

"One last thing." The woman stood up and limped over to Wolf. As she approached, he realized she was much older than he had originally thought. Almost ancient looking. She reached into her shawl and produced a small vial. It glowed icy blue. She placed it in his hands. It was freezing to the touch.

"These are two magic tears. Preserved. It can restore a person back to their true self – it can reattach the Shadow to Virginia."

"How?"

"These tears were shed out of true love. And so the one you love must consume one tear. Then – true love's kiss. It will break almost any spell."

Wolf held the vial up. "True love's kiss? Right, I think I can do that. Whose tears are they?"

"There is no time! Go!"

"Thanks for – well, thanks!"

And Wolf darted out the door. The bird chirped into the old woman's ear. "Quite right. Hopeless, that one."

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"Virginia! Virginia!"

Wolf's voice rang through the night. Virginia heard it faintly beneath the soil. She tried to cry out behind her gag. She tried to gasp for air. Her lungs were beginning to shiver. Soon, she would run out of oxygen completely.

Wolf reached the Juniper Tree. He circled it, scratching his head. His nose perked up. Virginia's scent was certainly strong here. His eyes fell on a patch of dirt … it looked freshly dug.

"Virginia!"

He immediately dropped to his knees, digging through the dirt. He got on all fours, burrowing like a wolf. Layer after layer of dirt piled up next to him, along with clumps of grass. He could feet the layers of dirt becoming harder, more solid. Gritting his teeth, he dug with all his might.

And then he felt something fleshy. "Virginia! Hang on!"

He dug more dirt, exposing bound wrists. Her torso. He moved up a few inches, scrabbling the soil away, revealing Virginia's face. He sat her up in the shallow grave, holding her head in his lap. It lolled hopelessly. Her chest wasn't rising. Her eyes were closed.

"No …" Wolf ripped the gag off her face. He lay her down, pumping her chest. "Breathe, damn it! Breathe!"

Virginia just lay there, helplessly.

"Looks like you were too late. She must've just suffocated. Good. One more loose end gone and then I can start my new life."

Wolf turned his head upward, his teeth bared as he saw Shadow Virginia gloating over the shallow grave.

"You'll pay for this," he snarled. Tears ran from his face. He caressed Virginia's cheeks and his hand went to her belly.

"It's good you found her. I'll be sure to bury your corpse next to hers." The Shadow was circling the grave now. "How to finish you off is the question – I was able to take Virginia by surprise, but you – you'll need a firmer hand, I imagine."

Wolf started. He remembered the old woman's gift. He reached into his vest pocket and withdrew the icy vial. It glowed blue in the cold night.

The Shadow raised its eyebrows. "Cool toy! Can I get one? In a different color, though. I'm thinking red. Maybe mauve?"

Wolf stared up defiantly as his thumb flicked off the cork. He grabbed Virginia's chin, opening her mouth. He shook the vial and one icy tear dropped from it and into Virginia's throat. He stared at the Shadow, shivering with pure rage, before he turned and passionately kissed Virginia's cold, lifeless lips.

The Shadow suddenly stopped. "Wait! No!"

Wolf kissed Virginia with every ounce of love he could muster.

The Shadow was screaming. Rays of light suddenly shot out of its chest. Then its eyes. Then its mouth, its fingers. The Shadow was twisting, writhing, then … an explosion of light. Wolf shielded his eyes.

The Shadow was gone.

Virginia's eyes popped open. She sat up. "Wolf?"

Wolf laughed. He embraced her and kissed her again. "I've had the strangest dream," she muttered. Wolf smiled as he took her hand and led her out of the grave. She looked down at the ground in the moonlight – her shadow was back, attached to her.

Back to normal.

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The two walked in the moonlight as Wolf recounted the tale to Virginia. "An old woman in a cottage? And a bird?" Her face scrunched up. "You don't think it was the same cottage I saw earlier?"

"I'm sure of it."

Virginia punched him on the arm. "And you said I had pregnancy brain!"

Above, the same small bird chirped and circled above them. Wolf pointed. "That's him! The bird that told the old woman where you were!"

The bird was still circling.

"I think it wants us to follow it," Virginia said. The bird took off through the wood, the two lovers keeping pace with it. It led them to a clearing – and there was the cottage again. At the slightest touch, the wooden door opened and Wolf and Virginia entered.

The bird was flying in circles near the ceiling, before alighting on the old woman's shoulder. She puffed her pipe and nodded at Wolf. "So it worked, did it? I told you it would."

"How can I ever thank you?" Virginia asked.

"No need."

"I don't understand – how did the tear -?"

"They were Gerda's," the old woman said simply.

"I'm sorry – who?" Virginia asked.

"This cottage was home to many people over the years. A man whose shadow came to life. Another man whose son was murdered but was reborn by the Juniper Tree as a beautiful bird." On her shoulder, the bird chirped delightedly. "And before all that … it was the home of an old woman and her grandchildren Gerda and Kay. They lived and played in the forests –"

"I saw them!" Virginia exclaimed. "Earlier! Two children playing in the woods. The little girl called the boy Kay!"

"Aye, the forest shows many things. As did the Snow Queen and her Mirror. The Devil himself created that infernal thing. And it showed the boy Kay horrors beyond comprehension. Everything beautiful appeared to him to be ugly. And the Snow Queen took him for her own, all the way up to her icy palace in the Eighth Kingdom. In her palace is a frozen lake called The Mirror of Reason. The lake had broken ice pieces, like pieces of glass, that could be arranged like a puzzle. Once completed, it would spell out a single word: Eternity. She promised him that if he solved it, he could go free. The girl Gerda set out to find him, and when she did, she was so overcome with emotion that she cried. Three little tears of true love. One landed on Kay, broke the spell he was under. The other two froze on the lake. Kay bottled the two tears up to keep – to remind him of the power of love. Tears that come from true love are some of the most powerful magic – only if those who use them feel true love towards the ones they hope to save. And now … there is only one tear left."

Virginia stretched out her arm, holding the vial with the last of Gerda's tears, offering it back. The old woman held up her hand, refusing. "Keep it. I have no use for it. Use it and use it well – it is the last tear. Make sure you use it for the right reason. Those who use it without feeling true love – are cursed to die a horrible death."

"Oh, you tell me this after the fact," Wolf sputtered.

"But I knew you felt true love," the woman responded. "So I knew you would be safe." She leaned in towards Virginia. "Use it and use it well."

Virginia still had more questions. "What became of Gerda and Kay?"

The old woman closed her eyes, as though not wanting to remember a bad memory. "As you know in this realm – happily ever after doesn't always mean ever after. They aged, grew up as children are wont to do. And … went their separate ways."

"What?" Virginia was stunned. "That can't be the way it ends? Where are they? Are they still alive? Can they help us against the Snow Queen?"

"They are beyond aiding us now," the woman sighed. "And the spell that Snow White, Cinderella and the others used to put the Snow Queen to sleep in the first place nearly killed them all and has since been long forgotten." She leaned forward. "It's her Mirror, the Devil's Mirror. It's her greatest weapon – but also her greatest weakness. Smash that mirror, and all her evil will be undone."

"Smash the mirror," Wolf said. "You make it sound so simple."

"It isn't. It is impervious to normal weapons. No hammer, no mallet, no weapon formed by mortal hands can damage it. To destroy the Devil's Mirror requires a weapon of a different sort." She puffed again. "The Mirror reportedly snares men by throwing splinters into their eyes, causing them to see only ugliness and evil. But this is a mistranslation in a tale handed down by generations. It was not a splinter. It was a thorn. The thorn fell from Kay's eyes when he was rescued by Gerda. The ice lake melted, and the thorn was carried downstream from the Eighth Kingdom. The Devils' Thorn from the Devil's Mirror traveled along the rivers – until it reached the Sixth Kingdom. Into the hand of a malicious witch. Uninvited to the christening of the Sixth Kingdom's new princess Rosamund, the witch put a curse on her. At age sixteen, she would prick her finger on a spindle and die."

"Sleeping Beauty," Virginia muttered.

"The witch tipped the spindle's tip with the very tip of the Devil's Thorn. Little Rosamund pricked her finger on it and fell into a deep sleep – and from there, the thorn sprouted and grew, covering the entire realm in thorns. You must find the original Devil's Thorn – and stab it deep into the heart of the Devil's Mirror until it shatters. Or the Snow Queen will cover our entire realm in eternal ice and death.

"But where can I find this – this thorn? Where is it? What does it look like?"

The old woman reclined back into her chair. "You will know … when you find it, you will know …" And the woman closed her eyes in sleep.

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Virginia and Wolf walked out of the cottage that morning, arm in arm. Virginia looked up at Wolf in love and adoration. "So this is yet another time you've saved my life."

"You'd do the same for me. Is the final tear safe?"

Virginia reached into her pocked and pulled out the vial with the last tear. "I think I'll hold onto this for when we really need it. So … how do you think we go about finding this Devil's Thorn?"

"I say we reach Wendell's Palace. His advisors may be able to help and we might be able to read up on it in the Royal Library."

"At least my Dad will be there," Virginia quipped.

"Ah yes, Tony. Dear old Dad. Can't wait."

Virginia stopped short.

"Hey, I didn't mean it," Wolf said. "I love your Dad, really I do!"

"No it's not that … it's … the old woman. Do you think she might've been Kay and Gerda's grandmother?"

"But that's impossible. She died a long time ago. She'd have to be a -."

"A ghost," Virginia finished for him. They turned around to face the clearing.

The old cottage had vanished.