Disclaimer: I do not own The 10th Kingdom; this is merely a fanfiction.

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Wendell's Palace – The Fourth Kingdom – Evening

Delegates from the Nine Kingdoms sat on two aisles as a red carpet was rolled down. Leafall the Elf Queen sat at the front with her bodyguards. Red Riding Hood III sat on the other side, her hood pulled tight over her head. The Naked Emperor sat in the rear, his eyebrows raised, talking to several well-dressed officials.

Lord Rupert was never more stressed. "The color scheme is all wrong – this is worse than Wendell's coronation. I never -."

Viscount Lansky hushed him. Trumpets were blown as several footmen led Cinderella into the ballroom. Her two wicked stepsisters waddled behind her, tripping over their own large feet. Lord Rupert rushed forward, clumsily bowing and attempting to lead Cinderella to her place at the front of the audience. She swatted his hand away, telling him she was plenty capable even at her age. Lord Rupert returned to the front, rubbing his sore hand and seeming quite hurt.

Old Retainer appeared at the top of the stairs and tapped his staff. Silence fell over the audience. "By the terms of the new Nine Kingdoms Treaty, the office of Lord Protector of the Nine Realms has been voted upon and implemented. The votes have been overwhelmingly in support of Lord Wallace taking the position and leading our Nations to victory and glory! And now, let the installation begin!"

The audience stood, applauding. At the other end of the ballroom, double doors swung open. Lord Wallace entered, smiling simply, dressed in a fine military uniform with a shoulder pauldron and a bloodred cape. A jeweled sword dangled from his side. Two footmen stood in front of him and led the way, and two young boys – dressed in gold cupid outfits – followed behind, holding up the hems of his cape.

Wallace grinned as he began the long trek to his ascension. So long had this been planned between him and the Snow Queen. All the conspiracies, all the hidden, wicked things he had to do, the assassinations, putting up with DeConte … it was all worth it.

He took in the smiling, ignorant faces as he walked between the rows and saw the delegates, kings and queens applauding and cheering him. Duper's delight is the best kind of delight there is.

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Virginia screamed in pain, her eyes closed tightly, her face strained and sweaty. Leone begrudgingly dabbed at her face with a towel while Acorn bumbled about getting bowls and towels.

Virginia was in a small wooden hut. Red candles surrounded her as she lay on a thicket of leaves.

Another contraction. She screamed, grabbing the sides of the wall.

"How many this time?" came Acorn's voice from the red shadows.

"Forty-five," was Leone's answer.

"Damn. Wish she'd get here already … she was supposed to be here ten minutes ago!"

Virginia groaned as she forced her head upright. "Who … who was … supposed to be … here …?"

Acorn pressed her head back. "Now, now … take it easy-."

"Easy for you to say!" Virginia snarled back. Leone gently eased her back.

"We're gettin' some help for delivery," Acorn advised.

"I thought you were a midwife?!"

"I am," the Dwarf grinned. "But I ain't never give birth to a wolf cub before. Thought I'd call in the heavy artillery … someone with a wee bit o' more experience, I say."

Virginia screamed out, grasping the hastily tied sheets tightly in her fists.

"How long?" Acorn demanded again.

"Thirty seconds," Leone replied.

Acorn turned and looked towards the door. "Come on," he muttered under his breath. "Where are you?"

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Lord Wallace drunk in the applause as he walked down the aisle. His hands were out at his sides, grasping at the crazed hero-worshipers from the Nine Kingdoms, who merely wanted to touch him. He smiled and blew kisses as he approached the grand staircase.

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More screaming. The contractions were now consistently at thirty second intervals. Acorn sighed as he pulled on dragon-hide gloves. "Guess there's nothin' for it. I gotta deliver this wolf seed myself." He nodded at Leone whose face had a sickly pale color. "I'm goin' in! Cover me!"

"I am not Mission Impossible, I am a pregnant woman and I want you to get this thing out of me!"

Acorn nodded at Leone. "They get a bit testy at this point. It's the cramping." The dwarf grabbed a cloth mask and prepared to pull it on over his ears –

The door to the hut swung open. Virginia squinted from the evening glare. It was an old woman. An old woman with large teeth and long, grey hairs.

"You mangy woodrat, you gave me bad directions," the old woman scowled.

Acorn approached her. The two glared at each other with disdain.

Then they broke out laughing as they hugged.

"Umm … pregnant woman about to deliver a wolf over here!" Virginia yelled.

Acorn stepped back. "Mother Holle – been a while."

"It'd been shorter if I didn't have to stop and pick up this ol' louse. At least the doggie was happy to see me, in't right, doggie? Here boy!"

Virginia's head rose slightly. "Louse? Doggie? You mean -."

Mother Holle stepped aside as Tony burst in, followed by Prince. Tony rushed over to his daughter, grabbing the towel out of Leone's hands and began dabbing her forehead.

"Virginia, I am so sorry! I was unconscious, and I didn't know, but I'm here now, I'm here, and I'm gonna help, and we're gonna get this baby – and oh, I just realized we're having a baby!" He brightened up. "I'm gonna be a grandpa!"

"Dad … I love you – but get out of the way so they can get this baby out of me!"

"Oh … right. Sorry."

Tony scooted up, Prince at his side, and kneeled down near the head of the bed. He grabbed her hand and winked down at her. "I'm here honey. Hold my hand. Don't let go."

Virginia looked up at him, a moment of fear in her face. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Princess …"

At the foot of the bed, Mother Holle rubbed her chin. "What've we got, eh?"

"Wolf cub," Acorn admitted. "Thirty second intervals."

"Aye, this little lupercalian's ready to meet us!" She pointed a gnarled finger at Leone. "Get me a basin o' water, will ya', there's a good chap." She hobbled over to Virginia and smiled kindly down at her. "You rest easy, lass – Mother Holle's here. It'll be over soon and we'll be laughing and smilin' at the blessin."

Virginia smiled weakly up at the old woman. "Thank you …" she breathed.

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Wallace reached the foot of the stairs. Old Retainer stood at the landing above and smiled down at him. Wallace reached a boot out and took a step up. Then another. He reveled in it. Every step he took symbolized his ascension – not only to the top of the stairs, but to absolute power.

He reached the top of the landing and was face to face with Old Retainer. He smiled at the old man. Not a deceptive smile that he was so used to putting on in the presence of the Royal Council. No, a genuine on this time. He had deceived them all. All Nine Kingdoms were now within his grasp.

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Consciousness swam in and out of focus for Virginia. Darkness was descending on the room. The voices of everyone in there seemed distant, as though coming across a great gulf. And they echoed.

"That doesn't seem right," came Acorn's voice.

"S'cause it ain't," Mother Holle's voice echoed. "This isn't good …"

Virginia tried to sit up. "What's … what's happening …? Is … the baby …?

Tony's voice came from far away. "Lie back, honey. It'll all be over soon …" His voice seemed wrong. He seemed … sad.

"What's … happening to my baby?" Virginia demanded.

"Get her to lie back, restrain her, that's a good chap!" Mother Holle instructed Leone, who was quick to follow her orders. "I am not losing this baby again!"

Those words rung through Virginia's head. She was losing the baby? Her heart raced. The room was spinning. And what did Mother Holle mean by again?

The claw of darkness shrouded her eyes, and she fell into the black.

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Wallace bent on one knee before Old Retainer who slipped a silver band around his head. Wallace stood up as Old Retainer handed him a gold staff in one hand, and a golden orb in the other.

The new Lord Protector turned to face the audience who stood and applauded and burst into cheers of praise.

"All hail the Lord Protector! All hail the Lord Protector! All hail the Lord Protector!"

Wallace stared at them all, smiling at them with his lips, and cursing them in his mind.

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A gasp tore at Virginia's throat as she sprang upwards.

She looked around. She was alone in the room. It was nighttime. Crickets chirped around her. She sat up – her wound from Wallace's knife pained her. But there was something else … her stomach was a lot less distended.

She swung her feet over the side of the bed and tried to sit up.

She heard voices from another room, plates clinking. "She's up," Acorn was saying.

"Someone restrain her – she shouldn't be up and about!" Mother Holle yelled. The door into the kitchen sprang open and Tony and Leone appeared, their faces somber. They grabbed her shoulders and eased her back into the bed.

"Dad," Virginia demanded. "Dad! What happened? Where's the baby? WHERE'S THE BABY?!"

"Lay back," Tony replied simply. "You need to rest -."

"I AM NOT RESTING UNTIL I SEE MY BABY!"

Leone shot Tony a glance. Tony looked back at him and nodded, before gazing down at his daughter. "Okay. Okay."

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Virginia entered a small room off the main living quarters in the hut. Acorn led her through the door and lit a candle. Bathed in the small light was a makeshift cradle made of twigs and thistles. Virginia furtively approached the crib, her heart racing. She peered over the edge.

Lying in the swaddling, curled up nice and cozy, was a sweet, red-faced little baby boy with a tuft of black hair on his head. His little fingers were curled and his little toes were wiggling in his sleep. A fluffy grey and black tail curled from his tailbone between his legs.

Virginia choked a sob.

"A beautiful baby boy," Acorn smiled. "Healthy. Normal – well, as normal as a half-wolf can be."

Virginia reached out and touched his arm. The baby stirred, but slept on. "He's beautiful," Virginia breathed.

"Cried up a terror though," Acorn replied. "Your Pop couldn't keep his hands off him. And the Doggie wouldn't stop licking 'im. Mother Holle insisted he be brought in here and not disturbed. Tough ol' bird that one, but you shoulda seen the look on her face when she held 'im."

Virginia stared down at the baby, full of joy. And sorrow. "Wolf should've been here for this," she sighed.

Acorn nodded. "Notin' to do about it though. You'll get 'im back and he'll be playing with his little baby boy soon enough. You got a name for 'im yet?"

Virginia stared at her newborn son. Truth be told she hadn't thought of any names. The baby grew so much quicker than she expected – she hadn't even planned on thinking of new names for a few months more. But wolf cubs grow much faster in the womb than full humans. "I don't know," she said finally. "I was hoping Wolf would help me -."

"You can't have a baby boy without a name."

"Do you have any ideas, Acorn?"

The Dwarf rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Hmm now, let's see. A half wolf. Fluffy lil' tail. Will grow up tough and rugged like his ol' man. Wha's a good name for a wolf now? Fenrir! It's tough! And it really goes with the wolf theme here!"

Virgina stared at the baby. "Fen. Fen for short."

Acorn shrugged. "Aye, it's your kid. I need some beanstalk juice, excuse me." He hobbled out.

Virgina touched the baby boy's arm. "Oh Fen … I can't even express how much I love you." She sighed. She should be happy. But she couldn't fully enjoy this moment. Wolf had missed the birth of his own child. And her own mother – how she wished Christine could have been here too.

A shadow appeared in the doorway. "Beautiful baby boy, you got there."

Virgina turned to see Mother Holle standing there. She smiled at the old woman. "Thank you."

"Ah, it was nothin'." Mother Holle hobbled over the crib. "He was a joy, he was. Cried like a stuck pig in a brick house, but Mother Holle knows how to soothe lil' ones. And how is the Mother feeling?"

Virginia stretched. "Not terrible, all things considered." Virginia stared at her son. "I … heard you talking during the delivery. You said you weren't gonna lose him again."

Mother Holle bit her lip.

"Did I almost lose the baby?" Virginia asked.

"Yes. You were very close. His heart stopped beatin' for a minute. I worked, I worked hard to save him. I was not about to lose him, that I can assure ya'."

Virgina turned to the old woman in confusion. "You said you wouldn't lose him 'again'?"

For the first time, Mother Holle couldn't make eye contact. Behind them, Acorn reappeared. "Hey, Ol Lady Holle, I could use some help." He stared hard at the old woman and there seemed to be an urgency in his voice.

Mother Holle seemed to be considered something. She was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself.

Virginia was not one to let a burning question go unanswered. "Mother Holle – please tell me what you meant by 'again.'"

"Mother Holle – we agreed." Acorn's voice grew more urgent.

"Agreed to what? To not tell me something …?"

Mother Holle pointed at the door and motioned for Acorn. "Leave us."

"You can't tell her!" Acorn protested.

"Leave, or I'll give you two hundred toads!"

Acorn sighed and backed out of the door, closing it. Mother Holle gently touched the little baby's face, moving the hair out of his forehead. "He's so beautiful," the old woman lamented. "As he was the last time I delivered him."

"The … the last time …?"

"There are deeper magics in this world beyond what them Grimm fellas wrote about. Magic that can bend the physical world … and even time itself …"

"Time? You mean this happened already? I … lost the baby the first time, didn't I? This all happened before! But this time – you were able to succeed."

"I succeeded," Mother Holle said. "A wee bit o' redemption for my last failure …"

"So … I don't understand …" Virginia was trying to work this out in her head. "There was another me that met you – from the past?"

Mother Holle nodded.

"How?"

"The Devil's Mirror is a black and twisted thing. It steals souls, twists men's minds – as the Snow Queen did to your Mother."

"What does the Devil's Mirror have to do with this?"

"You will find it," Mother Holle said. "You will attempt to destroy it. You will fail. It will throw you out of synch with the material world and time."

"Is that why I'm here? It threw me back in the past?"

Mother Holle didn't answer.

"But things worked out differently this time!" Virginia pressed. "You saved the baby this time! So if that can change, then maybe I can still destroy the Devil's Mirror!"

"Don't be foolish," Mother Holle said. "Leave this place. Leave the Nine Kingdoms and return to your home. Forget this or you will destroy everything and everyone you love! Think of your son!"

"I can't leave Wolf! And what about stopping Wallace and the Snow Queen -."

"Leave!" Mother Holle pleaded. "If you knew what I knew …"

"What do you know?"

"Please. The Snow Queen's powers are too great! You are no match!"

Virginia scoffed. "The Swamp Witch told me the same thing about my mother -."

"You don't know what evil you face!"

"Snow White, Cinderella and the others froze the Snow Queen and trapped her all those years ago," Virginia answered. "If they could do that, then surely there's some way I can -."

"The Snow Queen you face is not the same Snow Queen as the one they froze!"

Virginia stopped. She squinted her eyes. "What do you -."

"Snow White, Cinderella and the others froze the original Snow Queen. But she did not survive the encounter."

"I don't -."

"There is another Snow Queen, one who took the original's place – even Kay cannot tell the difference! One who froze herself until the time was right, until you would come to this realm."

"What are you trying to say?!"

Mother Holle grabbed her shoulders and stared at her with wide eyes. "Everything she's done, all of this has been about you and getting your child! My dear – you are the Snow Queen!"