Macster - The Last Dragon

"Wait, let me guess." Virginia held up a hand to forestall him. "She put a curse on the princess, saying that when she was sixteen she would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. Only a good fairy came along and changed the curse so she would sleep instead."

Wolf blinked and leaned back away from her, eyes darting over her face. "How did you know that?" Then he caught himself and answered his own question. "That was in one of those stories in your world, wasn't it? By that man...what was his name, Grimm?" Sometime after their return to the Tenth Kingdom, Virginia had informed him about various aspects of their adventure, including the words she and Tony had found etched into the beam in the cell in Wendell's dungeon, and their import.

She nodded. "That's right. So why hasn't the spell been broken? I thought all it needed was for a prince who loved her to kiss her awake."

A rueful chuckle met her innocent reply. Apparently this Grimm fellow had not gotten everything right. "It is not that simple, my creamy darling. Remember, the original curse was extremely powerful--so powerful that no wizard could undo it, and the fairy who cast it could not remove it even if she wished to. It was one of those one-time castings. And it has a set time limit...but no one knows how long that is. Until it has run its course, no one can successfully break it. All that is known is that more than just a kiss is needed. The prince who can restore the Sixth Kingdom must possess a unique talent, a gift that no other has which can win the way through to Queen Rapunzel's castle, where the Sleeping Beauty lies."

Virginia appeared stunned on several levels. Her mouth worked for several moments, and then she asked, "What is Rapunzel doing there? And what do you mean, win the way through?"

Wolf looked away uncomfortably. This was the part he had not wished to tell her. "Oh, I forgot to mention that. The Lady Rapunzel is Sleeping Beauty's mother. As to what I meant...the spell has made all within the kingdom sleep...and a massive growth of thorns and brambles has engulfed the land, from the border all the way to the castle. No one can get in or out without great difficulty. And...most who enter never return, because the magic will not let them...or they too have fallen asleep."

Eyes wide, Virginia bit her lip and looked away as well, keeping her gaze on the ground. For some time they walked on in silence, picking their way over upthrust roots and along deep ruts strewn by the rotted leaves of last autumn. When at last Virginia glanced his way again, there was a mixture of fear and determination in her expression. "Well then...we'd better hope that we can find that dragon...and he can fly us free of the curse."

That was a slim hope at best, but it was better than anything Wolf could think of. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and cradled her close, kissing her cheek softly. "There's the spirit, my love."

He did not volunteer the other source of extreme danger--what would happen to any wolf who set foot within the Second Kingdom...through which they must pass to reach their destination. Perhaps they would be lucky. He hoped so. But it was no use worrying until the time came.

Wolf scratched at his temple yet again. Destiny had guided them once...but what were the chances it would do so again?

For the rest of that day they traveled onward, weaving their way between low-hanging branches and leafy underbrush, moving from one ray of sun lancing down from above to another. The road forked now and then, but every diverging path was even narrower, darker, and fainter, less traveled. Wolf made sure to avoid them; this time there was no Huntsman pursuing them, so they could take the infinitely safer route. But even so, he watched their every step, keeping Virginia away from the edges of the road. You could never be too careful, especially in the Disenchanted Forest.

At midday he fished inside their packs for the provisions he had hurriedly purchased and stowed away back in the town--dark brown peasant bread, still warm, a small wicker basket of assorted berries and nuts, dried roast beef, and a block of pungent cheese. He had bought no drink, as they could sample the streams and ponds within the forest safely.

They ate as they walked, and despite his unflagging and ever-present hunger, he restrained himself, holding back a large portion of the meal for later; this would be a long journey. Still, Virginia seemed satisfied and that was enough for him. He did notice a quirky smile on her face as she consumed some of the roast beef.

"And what, may I ask, is the reason for your amusement?" He winked.

"Oh...I was just wondering if it was a good or bad thing that there was no bacon this time." Virginia smirked.

Wolf chuckled in appreciation. A little joke like that was a good sign. It meant she was regaining her pluck and humor after that brush with evil, and was no worse the wear for it. Something that filled him with such joy he simply could not resist laughing aloud. He followed up with heavy panting and a lolling tongue, an exaggerated imitation of his own out-of-control lust for food. Or was it exaggerated? It didn't matter; Virginia loved him anyway.

"Oh don't worry, Virginia, your wolfie will be all nice and well-behaved for you." He curled his hands in front of his chest and posed like a begging puppy, giving her the pleading look he knew she adored. Oh, how he loved her...loved her more than he had ever thought possible!

Virginia swatted his arm playfully. "Don't be so sure good behavior is what I want..." She arched an eyebrow suggestively.

Once he would never have expected such a response from her, but she had relaxed over time, become at ease with him, but more importantly with herself. Sighing contentedly, he whispered in her ear. "That will have to wait till later, my love. We have a very long way to go still, and only so much time to do it."

She furrowed her brow, sobered by this fact, but he fed her a hard-boiled egg to take her mind off it.

By nightfall they had made it one-third of the way across the forest, by Wolf's estimation, and he declared it time to make a small camp on the banks of a crystal-clear spring. Virginia bore a leather waterskin to the pool and filled it as he fetched enough twigs to build a fire, which he lit with a piece of flint. By the time Virginia had returned, he had a nice blaze going.

Wolf leaned back against the trunk of a tree and sighed contentedly. Around him the forest was quiet, a soft silence that spoke of many balmy nights ahead. As he listened to the breeze rustling the leaves and the rippling of the spring, he felt at peace despite the dangers that lay ahead. It was just him and Virginia, alone together, and every moment with her was precious to him.

Across the crackling fire, Virginia smiled gently, but her eyes were not upon him. Instead she was looking around her, staring off into the foliage and inhaling the woodsy fragrances. When she saw him looking at her, she chuckled. "I don't see nothing anymore, Wolf...and it's all because of you."

His heart skipped a beat. "That's wonderful! And what does my quirky girl see?"

She grinned and looked around once again. "I see...the marks of the woodpecker...the den of the badger...crawdad holes...the nest of the cardinal..." Half-rising, she slid around the fire to his side and wrapped her arms around him. "And a handsome wolf who needs his mate." She kissed him softly.

"How perceptive of you," Wolf commented innocently.

For the next several minutes it was all they could do to breathe, let alone speak. But at last Virginia broke the final sweet, passionate kiss and laid her head on his chest. Wolf was stroking her hair with his eyes closed and had nearly fallen asleep when she asked him a serious question that made his eyes pop open. "Wolf...do you really think we can convince the dragon to help us?"

Knitting his brows, he gazed down at her face, searching for words of comfort to offer and failing to find them--mostly because they did not exist, for he too doubted whether their quest could succeed. Something of this must have come through in his expression, or his uncertain breathing, for Virginia rolled over to get a better look at him, blue eyes narrowed worriedly. "Wolf...?"

"What is it, my creamy darling?" he finally managed to reply, rather tremulously.

Virginia frowned deeply, jabbing him in the side. "You didn't answer my question."

Wolf whimpered, and not just from the pain. He hated it when honesty caused him to upset his Virginia, but he had no choice. "Well...I didn't answer you because...there really isn't an answer. Dragons are very unpredictable creatures, but one thing you can be certain of, this dragon is very unlikely to be eager to assist us. At the very best, dragons want nothing to do with the rest of the Kingdoms."

The expected furrows appeared on his beloved mate's brow, furrows Wolf had memorized by now and could trace out with his eyes closed. "But why? What makes dragons hate everyone? What happened to them?"

Sighing, Wolf sat up again, leaning against a fallen log. Clasping his hands, he looked at Virginia from beneath his eyebrows, his face angled toward the loamy earth. There was no way to tell this story without laying blame where it belonged. "They were hunted down and killed...by humans, mostly, but the Trolls and Elves had a hand in it too. And it was because of a terrible tragedy, almost two hundred years ago, that one of their number caused."

Virginia's eyes were wide and round. "What did the dragon do?" In her eyes he could see reflected inner visions of fields and farms and people set aflame by dragon breath and other equally awful atrocities.

"No one knows exactly what happened, it was so long ago, and so many versions of the story have been passed down...but most of them agree that a group of Dwarves was mining deep in the roots of Dragon Mountain when they stumbled on the lair of a metal dragon. You remember what the Librarian told you about metal dragons?" Wolf had been told of the parts of their adventure he had missed after Kissing Town during the long trek out of the Deadly Swamp.

She concentrated. "He said they were addicted to quicksilver...which is used to make magic mirrors."

"Exactly. So he wasn't eager to have Dwarves coming in and stealing his quicksilver. But this particular dragon, I'm afraid, hated Dwarves with a vengeance. Not only did they infringe on his territory, but he was jealous of how much attention they received because of their skills, and that they were always good guys in the stories while dragons got cast as the bad guys. So he was none too happy at their intrusion...and he was the sort to flame first and ask questions later...which is what he did."

Virginia was digging her fingernails into Wolf's leg, but he ignored the pain. "He killed them?"

"Oh, yes. And that's what started all the trouble...because they were not just any Dwarves. They were the Seven Dwarves...Snow White's adopted family."

Her expression became stricken, and Wolf instinctively reached out to take her hand and squeeze it comfortingly. He knew how strong a bond his Virginia had with Snow White, though he was not sure why. One meeting, however meaningful, could not account for it...could it?

With tears in her eyes, Virginia looked up at him. "So that's why the cottage was lost and deserted for so long."

He nodded. "As you can imagine, there was quite the uproar in the Kingdoms, especially here in the Fourth. National heroes had been murdered, and Queen Snow White declared a day of mourning. Then the Council of the Nine Kingdoms met. Many were all for gathering the armies and wiping out the dragons altogether. But amazingly, Snow White herself argued for a gentler approach. She sent a man with a missive to the metal dragon, explaining the situation and kindly asking him to remove himself voluntarily from the Kingdoms."

"I take it the dragon didn't go." Virginia's voice was flat.

Wolf shook his head sadly. "No, he didn't. He considered the order very offensive, especially since it was his territory that had been trespassed on. And the servant who brought the letter was very insolent. So, the dragon killed him as well...and then he began a rampage through the lands, hunting down Dwarves to drive them once and for all from his ancestral home...and the men of the Fourth Kingdom, for daring to call for his departure."

Virginia gasped. "But...but how did they stop him, then?"

The shadows lay long and dark over the campsite, and thanks to the canopy the only light came from their small fire. Wolf tried to avoid looking too closely at the underbrush and leafy limbs, where all sorts of sinister sprites and mischievous fairies could be hiding. "Knights were gathered, from all over the Kingdoms, and were sent to dispatch him. It took a very long time, and by the time it was over, most of the warriors in the lands were dead. The Dwarves were furious, and so were Snow White's advisors...so this time, when a missive was sent, it went directly to the Dragon Queen, demanding that all dragons vacate Dragon Mountain."

Virginia swallowed hard. "What did she do?"

Wolf steepled his hands before his mouth. "She complied."

"What?!?" The startled cry was loud enough to disturb whatever forest creatures were nestled under the rocks and bushes, sending them into flight. Virginia looked around sheepishly and then said, more quietly, "How could she do that?"

"What choice did she have?" Wolf shrugged uncomfortably; he did not like what had been done to the dragons any more than she did. "Sure, all the dragons could have banded together and stood up to the Kingdoms, but what would be the point? They were already hated for not doing anything to stop the massacres, and fighting back would only aggravate matters. And to a point, she could not blame people for being afraid and angry. She decided it would be better to appear conciliatory and cooperative, and perhaps this would soften people's hearts toward them. Unfortunately, she was wrong."

Virginia remained perfectly still for some time, and then she sighed, seeming deflated. "That's right...you said they were hunted."

Reaching out to wrap his arm around her, he drew her into his embrace again. She snuggled into his chest, and he could feel her trembling as he softly rubbed her back. This story truly upset her. He whimpered. "So they were, Virginia. Over the next one hundred and fifty years, they were hunted to death. No one trusted them anymore...everyone feared or loathed them. Over time the stories were twisted and changed, until some even believed the actions of the metal dragon were approved by the Dragon Queen, that the whole thing had been some plot to take over the Kingdoms. A mutual animosity grew between dragons and humans, most notably those in the Fourth Kingdom, as you can expect, and it only fueled the extermination." His jaw quivered with his ire. He absolutely despised the mindset that caused the many to be hated for the actions of a few.

Slowly Virginia looked up at him, resting her chin on his breastbone, and he forced himself to relax. "And now there's only one left..." Her eyes were distant, her expression wooden, and he saw that the true magnitude of the task before them had finally sunk in. He wanted to find the words to reassure her, but could not. After all, how could they convince a dragon to save the Kingdoms that had rejected his race, and free the monarch of the Kingdom that had started their extinction?

Finally he found his voice and murmured as he brushed a lock of hair back from her forehead. "Yes...but perhaps he'll be as reasonable as the Dragon Queen was. After all, if he helps us, this'll give him the chance to make dragons into something they've never been before...heroes." In spite of what had happened to the Dwarves, Wolf rather hoped that would happen. Being a wolf, he knew what it was like to be hated. And he despised the little creepy Dwarves anyway; if not for their connection to Snow White, he wouldn't have cared what the dragons did to them.

Virginia finally smiled at this thought and lay her head back down on his chest. In minutes her eyes were closed and her breathing slowed into the easy patterns of sleep. Sighing in relief, Wolf reached down and cradled her closer, wrapping his hand around so it could rest on her swollen belly. He could feel the baby stirring inside, and hear its contented thoughts. Stroking his mate, he surreptitiously checked the size of her stomach. Any day now, he reckoned, she would be giving birth. The sheer joy he felt surge through him at the thought of being a father was dampened, however, by the worry that this quest and its dangers would not be over in time. He absolutely had to ensure the safety of Virginia more than ever now!

With these half-excited, half-distraught thoughts, Wolf allowed himself to at last drift to sleep, his hand protectively cradling the cub and mate that he would give his own life for.