Disclaimer: I do not own The 10th Kingdom. This is merely a fanfiction.
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A dim, cold thread of light descended on four limp forms on a stone floor. Virginia twitched from the sudden shining in her face and pushed a whisp of hair from her forehead. That was when she remembered –
Fen!
She jolted upright. She was surrounded by darkness save the dim light. Lying next to her were the prone forms of her father, Leone and Prince. She shook Tony's shoulder. "Dad … Dad, wake up!"
"Not right now … sleepy … must nap!"
"Dad!"
"Hey, I'm up, I'm up!" Tony grasped Virginia's hand as she pulled him to his feet. His eyes focused as Leone groaned, rubbing his head. Ignoring him, Tony stepped over his form and patted the limp golden retriever, gently tussling the dog's head. "Hey boy, you okay?" Prince whined and his tongue flicked out, running along Tony's hand. He looked up as he forced himself to his feet, his paws treading on the stone floor. "Glad to see you up, boy!" he laughed as Prince sprang on him, covering his face in wet dog kisses.
Leone rose shakily to his feet. "I have a bad feeling about this -."
"Would you not say that?" Tony warned. "You're not Han Solo and everything is going to be fine, trust me!"
Torches flared on around the stone walls. They were in a giant, empty stone room, the size of five football fields. "Someone's got more storage space than they need," Tony quipped. Virginia shushed him.
A voice rang out from the darkness, echoing around them. "You wanted to play a game – so let's play!"
Virginia recognized the voice. "Rumpelstiltskin!" She clenched her fist. "I want my son back! NOW!"
"All in good time, my lovely. All in good time. Finish the game and I promise he'll be returned unspoiled."
"What game?" she spat.
The ground suddenly quaked. Walls upon walls suddenly rose up out of the stone ground. Pathways emerged – paths to nowhere, paths to doors that appeared at the ends of several newly formed walls. A stone maze was forming, the walls reaching to the ceilings.
A labyrinth had appeared before them.
"I don't like this," Tony remarked. "Uh, you don't have David Bowie hiding behind a door somewhere, do you? Actually – I think I might prefer that to ol' Rumpel."
"Here's how we play – one exit. One chance. For each of you."
A stone wall facing them shot up at the front of the labyrinth. Three pathways suddenly were carved into it.
"You go in separately. If you find your way out – you win. But if you fall into one of the many traps – your souls are mine!"
"Traps?" Virginia was not surprised.
"Oh," Rumpel's voice was like poisoned honey. "Traps – and … lots of other goodies. The labyrinth will show you things. Horrors. Your worst fears. Heck, even your worst memories. You will see things – what's real and what's an illusion? Who knows?!"
Virginia stepped forward, shouting to the ceiling. "We're not going in separately. We'll play, but we'll play together."
"Oh it doesn't work like that, dearie. You'll go in separately. Or you'll lose automatically. You don't get to set the rules here. This is my world now! And you'll play by my rules – or you'll make me very angry! And when I get angry, the innocent get hurt."
The sound of Fen crying and wailing echoed off the stone walls. It chilled them to the bone. Virginia felt as though a knife were stabbing her stomach with each wail. "Alright! Alright! We'll go in separately!"
"I knew you would see reason -."
"But you do realize – when I win, my rules go into effect." Virginia's rage boiled over. "And I will reduce you to a beaten broken husk for threatening my son!"
"We'll see. Oh, and one final thing – beware the Shadow Crawler!"
"The what?" Tony shouted.
Leone confidently strode up to one of the three entrances to the labyrinth. His hand went to his side, feeling for his blade – it was gone. All of their weapons were gone!
Tony sighed. "If we're gonna do this, let's do it. For Fen." Leone nodded in agreement.
"I'll take the center one," Virginia announced. She approached the door. Leone took the one on the left and Tony approached the one on the right with Prince at his heels. They nodded at each other.
"For Fen!" they all said together. Leone vanished through the left door and Tony and Prince entered through the right. Virginia took a deep breath, summoning her resolve, and stepped across the threshold into the labyrinth …
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In the glass vial, the three shrunken troll siblings pressed their faces to the glass. As though projected onto a screen they could see their would-be rescuers meandering through the maze.
"Do you think they have a chance?" Burly asked.
"One in three perhaps," Blabberwort said. "Of course, that all assumes that Rumpelstiltskin plays fair."
The three trolls stared at each other for a second.
"They're dead," Bluebell sighed.
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Tony had lost track of time. This maze was maddening! "We're going around in circles!" he proclaimed.
Prince woofed gently.
"Oh you don't think so? See that – we've passed that boulder at least three or four times!" Prince cocked his head.
Tony sighed. "I've … I've got to sit. Just for a minute." He sat down on the small rock on the ground. He sighed, his face in his hands as Prince placed a paw on his lap. "We've got to figure this out, boy. For Fen!"
He was silent, musing over the options. He tried to trace the path he just took in the air, his eyebrows scrunched. "Maybe if we took a left at -."
"Antony."
The voice floated on the air, chilling Tony to the bone. He jumped to his feet, Prince nearly getting underfoot. "Did you hear that?" he asked the dog? Prince looked at him questioningly, cocking his head.
"Antony …"
Tony's head jerked in the direction of the voice. "I recognize that voice! It's coming from that way!" He turned to run after the voice, nearly tripping over the boulder. "Come on, Prince, this way!" Prince was at his heels as the two raced down a corridor, past various doors and pathways. Tony found himself at a crossroads. "Which way, which way …?"
"Antony … please …"
"Left!" And he was off again. "Your Highness!" He called out. "King Wendell!"
He reached a dead-end. He hunched over, out of breath. Nothing was there. "I could have sworn -." He turned around –
King Wendell was standing behind him, hands clasped in front of him. "Antony …"
"Your Highness?" Tony was perplexed. "How – why - ?"
"It's your fault, Antony. All of it."
"Me?"
"Had you not rung the bell -."
"Look, it was stupid, I know -."
Wendell took a step forward. Tony noticed something … off. The king's appearance was almost smoky, as though he were nothing but a fog. "It's a trick," Tony realized. "Of the labyrinth. Oh ha hah, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin. Great job, but I'm not falling for it!"
"I'm trapped in the Devil's Mirror because of you," the Wendell apparition said simply.
"I'm not listening," Tony replied, turning his head away.
"You were supposed to be my loyal manservant. How could you leave me behind in the Snow Queen's palace?"
"I had no choice!" Tony protested. "I had to go get help! We're trying to stop her, trying to free you -."
"Do you know the horrors I see every day? The torments I'm subjected to?!"
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm doing the best I can -."
"It's not good enough, Antony. It never is. Not good enough to rescue me, not good enough to help your daughter, to prevent what she will become -."
"Enough!" A tear formed in the corner of Tony's eye. He swept it away and pushed past the apparition, Prince at his feet. "This is a trick, all a trick! I have nothing to feel bad for! You hear me Rumpelstiltskin! Nothing to feel bad for!"
He stopped. A bath tub. A little girl sitting in it. A redhaired woman, furiously scrubbing her flesh. Tony turned his face away. "I'm not watching, I was there! I already remember it! I'm not watching -."
The redheaded mother suddenly grabbed the little girl, who had a look of pure terror and confusion on her face as her mother pushed her below the water. The woman turned – ran off into the night.
"Enough! I was there! Please, I can't relive that night! I've relived it every night since! Please!"
"It was never enough, Antony."
He saw himself with a confused little girl looking up at him in a living room, asking where her mother was.
"Virginia needed rescuing. She needed you."
Tony saw himself on a couch, drowning his pain away with beer and barbeque ribs. Virginia sat in a corner with a stuffed bear. "You have to stay there by yourself," she admonished it, her finger wagging. She turned to look at a door, eyes wide, expecting it burst open any second, her mother there … it never opened.
Tony sunk to his knees, wiping his eyes. "Please … Please …"
The visions were gone. He was alone again. He drew his arms to his chest in a self-embrace, trying to choke back a sob. Prince slowly padded over to him, licking a tear away from his cheek. Tony's arms quickly reached out, gently grabbing the dog by the neck, drawing him into his chest. He pressed his face into Prince's cheek. And the dog stood there, not used to seeing emotion like this from Tony, unsure of how to comfort him, but trying all the same …
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Leone pressed himself against a wall. He darted out, jumping into an open corridor. Nothing there. Nothing but a boulder lying on the ground. He clenched his fist. "Stupid boulder." He kicked it. It rolled several feet down the stony floor before it stopped and righted itself. Leone cocked his head.
Eight thin, spindly legs shot out from the boulder and began crawling along the floor!
Leone stood there, flat-footed as the spider-boulder raced for him. He turned, running down a corridor. The spider-boulder leapt – it attached itself to a wall and ran horizontally along it, chasing after the former mercenary. Leone rounded a corner –
He was in an icy fortress. The Snow Queen – the original Snow Queen's palace. The Snow Queen that existed before the future Virginia took her place. He watched himself, a child, lined up with a dozen others. He turned, forcing himself to look away from the repressed memory.
He was outside now. A killing field. The Evil Queen, Christine, sat in a purple gown and cape, a tiara on her red hair. The Huntsman stood next to her, arms folded. He saw himself again – a teenager, forced to spar against other teens. Forced to fight, to bleed, to kill …
The Evil Queen raised a hand. The teens stopped sparring and turned, staring at her. "You will all serve me well. You have been handpicked among the best and brightest young warriors to join my personal guards. And now – the final test of loyalty. To show singleness of mind. To shed the blood of those you once loved – for no other reason than to show your utmost ruthlessness. To prove that you will follow all of my orders without question!"
Leone watched as – one by one – the teens were commanded to come forward. He watched them – machine-like – eyes glazed over, no emotion on their faces – as they butchered their families one by one.
And then it was his turn.
His mother stood there in rags, her hair disheveled and her face a mixture of dirt and tears. She knelt down, two other children tugging at her skirts, drawing closer to her, clinging to her – terrified. His brother and sister.
Leone watched his teenage self turn his head to the Evil Queen. She nodded and the Huntsman placed a ceremonial dagger into his hand. The teenage Leone stared down at it – then his fingers curled tightly around the hilt as he stepped forward.
"Leone …"
That voice – that sad, broken, beaten down sound that managed to force itself from his mother's throat. The teen Leone stopped, tilting his head, his face completely emotionless.
"Please …" his mother pleaded.
"Please," the adult Leone also pleaded, begging his younger self to stop this, to break free of the Evil Queen's magic and control. "Don't do it," he begged his younger self, tears in his eyes, completely aware that his younger self could not hear him. The teen Leone raised the knife – the adult turned away, crying out as the blade plunged and his mother fell.
His two little siblings were crying, holding each other. The Huntsman grabbed the boy, forcing him to stand and take it like a man. The teen Leone raised his knife -. There was a thud as another body fell.
And finally – the little girl, his little sister. The adult Leone forced himself to look, to see the terror in the little girl's face. "Gabrielle …" he breathed. His vision swam with tears. He ran up to his younger self, trying to grab him. His hand passed through. "Don't do this!" He cried out, knowing that his younger self couldn't hear him. Knowing that his younger self was under the Evil Queen's power, no longer even able to act of his own free will. "Don't do it! DON'T DO THIS!"
The teen Leone raised the knife once again – the adult Leone turned away as it fell, slicing through darkness.
He was back in the labyrinth. He panted, on his knees, the floor stained with drops of sweat. He stood up, staring at his hands. Those hands that had murdered his own family – but not by his own free will. The Evil Queen – it was her sorceries.
Rage filled him. He swore he would have revenge for what she made him do. Revenge was all he had to live for – and yet – in his mind's eye, a new image formed. A tiny little baby clinging to his shirt, a bushy tail rustling out from swaddling …
Had he grown attached to the baby Fen? Him – Leone, the mercenary, vowed to destroy Virginia Lewis for what her mother made him do?
But then, what about the baby boy? If he had his vengeance on Virginia, what would happen to little Fen? Could he take an innocent child's mother away from him?
Oh, what was happening? Was he growing soft? Or … had his conscience always been there, buried deep, deep beneath the rage and hate? For so long vengeance had been his life … but now, as he rose to his feet, he realized that he had a new purpose. He closed his eyes as he annulled the vow of vengeance in his heart. He swore a new vow.
I'll protect you, Fen. I couldn't protect my family – not even from myself. But I'll make up for it. I'll protect you.
He turned and, with renewed purpose, began his journey through the stony maze anew …
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Where am I going? Virginia thought to herself. The red torches in the wall brackets cast a bloody hue on the maze. The only sound she could hear were her echoing footsteps. And then … a sudden chill swept her.
The walls had turned to ice. Frozen mirrors appeared along the corridors, surrounding her. Horrible, frozen, corpse-like faces appeared in each one, their mouths moving wordlessly, issuing silent warnings and curses. But there was one voice that carried itself along the wind …
"Virginia …"
She spun around, looking, seeing the dead faces in each reflection around her. But she recognized the voice. "Mom? Mom, where are you!"
"Virginia … beware, beware the Snow Queen!"
"Mom!"
She was running now, not sure of where she was going, only following in the direction of the voice. "Mom! Please!"
"My little girl … my little girl …"
She reached a fork in the road. The voice sounded like it was coming from both corridors. Closing her eyes, Virginia raced down the right-hand path. She was guessing now, no longer even trying to find an exit, only desperate to find her mother.
"Mom! Please help me!"
"I gave away my soul …"
As she ran, the stone walls froze alongside her. More corpses appeared in frozen mirrors hanging on the wall. She reached a door. Not even thinking, she wrenched it open –
She was in Snow White's palace in the Fourth Kingdom. It was the eve of Wendell's coronation. Bodies littered the floor – kings, queens, including Cinderella and Red Riding Hood III. A wicked voice filled the air. "Anyone for seconds? No?"
Virginia watched as her past self was frog-marched into the hall by the Huntsman. "You certainly are persistent" the Evil Queen announced.
"Are you going to kill me – like everyone else?"
"I was going to let you go. I don't know why."
"You know why!"
"Then go. Leave me. Get out while you can."
"No."
"You were nothing but an accident! You should have been killed at birth!"
There was sudden slap. Virginia's temper had been roused. "How dare you?! How dare you speak to me that way?!"
The Queen looked over Virginia's shoulder to the Huntsman. "Kill her! Kill her now, or I'll do it myself!"
The past was a blur. There was a scream of "NO" as Wolf charged, tackling the Huntsman. The Queen lunged, grabbing Virginia's throat, crushing her windpipe. "Stop … Mom …"
A bow twanged – an arrow embedded itself into the Huntsman's back.
Virginia was staring up into her mother's cold eyes, begging, pleading wordlessly. She was once again that little girl in the tub, helpless, alone and thrashing in the water.
But no – she was no longer that helpless little girl. Her hand reached up, clasping the poison comb -.
Swipe.
The Evil Queen's gloved hand went to her neck, sudden horror on her face. "You have drawn … blood."
"I'm sorry …"
The Evil Queen smiled. Then, she turned wordlessly, walking alone amidst the bodies. She suddenly dropped to her knees and a sudden gasp tore from Virginia's throat. The Queen fell, lying prone on the floor as Virginia rushed to her side.
"It's too late …"
"Just remember who you are!"
A gloved hand caressed her cheek and for a moment – the briefest moment – Christine was herself again. The power of the Devil's Mirror – the thorn in her eye that had consumed her and turned her into this twisted creature – had weakened. In that moment, she remembered. She truly remembered – the Devil's Mirror's hold over her had broken.
"My little girl … my little girl … I gave away my soul …"
The present Virginia sunk to her knees as she was forced to watch her mother's death once again. She wiped her eyes. She was now in a mausoleum – her mother's body lying on a brier. Virginia was caressing her cheek. "All I ever wanted was to be your little girl …"
"And you were," came a voice from behind her.
The real Virginia spun around. She was now in a frozen throne room – the Snow Queen's palace. The Devil's Mirror was before her. And inside – a reflection. Her mother.
"Mom?" Virginia's hand went to her head. "Is this real?"
"Is it real in your heart?" Christine asked.
"I … I don't know …" She reached out, her hand flat on the glass. Christine pressed her hand back against hers. Virginia could almost feel her mother's hand. "Yes," she finally admitted.
Christine simply smiled. "Then it is real."
Tears rolled down Virginia's face. "Mom … it's all my fault. I'm the one who turned you into the Evil Queen! I'll become the Snow Queen and I'll -."
Christine hushed her. "What you will become – is more than my little girl. You will have become my full-fledged woman. You already have. You haven't needed me, you never have."
"That's not true," Virginia choked.
"I made my choices," Christine replied. "My actions were always my own. Do not blame yourself for something you haven't even done yet."
"Mom, how can -."
"Shhhh … the future is not set in stone."
"I don't – Mother Holle warned me -."
"A good woman," Christine warned. "But an old woman who has resolved herself to fatalism."
"But how can I deny -."
"Predestination is true," Christine admitted. "But so is free will. They are two sides of one coin. One cannot exist without the other. Predestination relies on free will … and free will relies on predestination."
"I don't understand."
"Your future self made her choices," Christine replied. "But you – you still have the chance to change, to not become her. Just as I always had the choice to not follow the Swamp Witch. The Snow Queen has resigned herself to what she has become … and she believes you are fated to become her. But tell me – why would she do everything in her power in this timeline to ensure your path is set if there wasn't a chance for you to choose a different path?"
Virginia was silent.
Christine's smile was warm this time, motherly. "There is always time to change …"
Virginia was silent for a moment. She sobbed silently. Then, her face turned solemn. She raised her head, tears running down her cheeks. "I will find a way to save you, Mom. I will free your soul from the Devil's Mirror so you can move … on …"
Christine's face became very serious. "No. Forget about me. As I told you that fateful night – it's too late."
"You yourself said that it's never too late."
"For me – it is. I have made my choices and now must accept the consequences of my actions. But you – your path is before you." Christine's serious tone became more motherly. "Your tale is coming to its close. Soon, you will be confronted with a choice. Two paths that can be taken. One will lead to you becoming the Snow Queen. The other will lead to your 'Happily Ever After.'"
"And if I make the wrong one?"
"Well then – I hope your friends will be there to save you. From yourself."
"But how will I know -?"
For the first time, Christine quoted Snow White. "Do not think. Become."
Virginia nodded. The tears came freely now. The tears that she had held in for most of her life. The moment she had always wished for, always fantasized about – Christine to be with her and give her motherly advice.
"But first, you must get yourself out of this labyrinth."
Virginia opened her mouth. "But how can I -."
"This labyrinth is magic. Rumpelstiltskin thinks he has all the advantages. But he has become so used to winning, to cheating, that he has forgotten – in magic games, both sides are entitled to use magic."
"But I don't have any magic."
"You do. You just haven't realized it yet … How do you think you were able to summon my spirit here, all the way from inside the Devil's Mirror?"
"I summoned you?"
Christine's image began to fade. "Snow White was right, you know. Oh how it pains me to say it. Many things pain me these days. But you're no longer the girl trapped in the forest. You have become what I never truly could be – a Queen."
Darkness continued to pull a screen over Christine's image. Virginia choked on a sob as she placed her hand on the glass. "Don't leave me, Mom!"
"I will always be with you."
"I'll get you out of there. I promise, I will free your soul and I destroy the Snow Queen for what she's done to you – to us."
"Be careful," the former Evil Queen admonished, "that it is not yourself you destroy in the process."
And Christine's image faded against all of Virginia's pleading. And Virginia was, once again, alone in the labyrinth.
Her head jerked up, new resolve on her face. If Rumpelstiltskin can use magic, then so can I! She calmed herself, summoning up her will.
The walls of the maze began shaking!
Virginia opened her eyes. A shadow was racing along the walls, twisting, writhing, morphing into something hideous.
A long brown and yellow snake, as thick as an oak tree and as tall as one, struck out of the wall. It coiled, rising its head to strike. Revulsion filled Virginia's stomach. There was no snake head – at the end of the massive snake's neck was a giant, jack-in-the-box head – a head that looked just like Rumpelstiltskin's, with wide, mad eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
The Shadow Crawler had appeared before her, blocking her path …
