Tiffany Dunn - If I Should Never Find You

He knew Muklavuk wanted him to bring it to the Imps so they could have their own kingdom, with Groj as the ruler. Groj had always wanted to be a ruler, not just an imp to use and abuse. He would be a wise king. And the most handsome, if he could get his nose fixed. He went cross-eyed trying to see it before he toppled dizzily to the ground.

That nose was a problem he couldn't solve, yet. She would be able to fix it, but he didn't think She would without the mirror. She would probably just kill him if he arrived without it.

Groj sighed miserably. He hated risking his life so much. This wasn't what the future Imp King should be doing.

He was certain Muklavuk would take care of Her once She let Groj in. But Groj had to get the mirror first.

"Stupid woman!" he pouted, punching the earth futilely. He got up and then threw himself back to the ground and buried his face in the soil. Ideas fought for their lives in the craziness of his mind. He had to find the mirror! But where was it?

Groj raised his head, slurping up an earthworm stuck to his lip. His buggy eyes gleamed with excitement. He knew where the mirror was! That horrible cat had chased him out of it and if those stupid women hadn't broken it, he could find it again. He leapt to his feet, giggling. Groj hadn't been this happy since he'd stolen that elf-all mirror.

Skipping and squealing, Grojavek scurried off to retrieve it, planning what his first laws would be. He was going to be king!

"Don't panic," Wendell said, as much to himself as the two women. "Maybe we just can't see it from up here because it's almost dark."

Thirty minutes and a thorough search were all it took to prove that theory wrong. It had also given him enough time to decide that someone must have stolen the mirror from his castle. The first mirror was hopelessly shattered and most of the pieces were hiding in a barn near Kissingtown anyway. The second mirror, according to Gustav, was at the bottom of the Great North Sea. No one knew where, and no one could find anything in that ocean anyway, it was far too deep.

That left only his own mirror, and a few slim possibilities. Figuring out it had been stolen wasn't the hard part. The hard part was how? And why? He pulled back another bush to find only more bushes and exhaled heavily. And who.

Wolf and Virginia had keys to get out of the Mirror room if they ever arrived unannounced. It was possible that they were here and had forgotten to lock the door behind them, letting some thief in. But Virginia was too paranoid about it being stolen again for that to realistically happen. Very little could keep her from making sure everything was properly locked.

Wendell felt his stomach turn. What if they came over while the mirror was missing? Something terrible could happen to his two dearest friends.

The whole experience made him sick. How could someone get to the mirror unless they had a key? There was simply no way to sneak something that size out. Either great betrayal or great magic was at work here -- and he hated the thought of either option.

He trudged back up to the top of the rise to wait for Melissa and Teresa, who were still valiantly searching. Both had looked unhappy when they'd found the mirror missing, but it was Melissa who worried him the most. She was frantic, even now, going over bushes that had already been searched, and peering under places that would never hide a mirror. She hadn't even let go of Sport, and the cat had started to struggle in her arms.

Still, Wendell was glad for the time alone. He was afraid of looking into Melissa's eyes again. Every time he did, that same thick desire enveloped him, leaving him helpless.

He was too much his grandmother's blood to not know what was happening. Beyond all rational thought and though he'd known her no more than an hour, Wendell White was falling desperately in love.

The ramifications of that were all too rational and real, however.

He watched her now in the early evening's dark, as she knelt to flip a rock over. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, but Wendell had known many beautiful women as prince, and especially as king, and none of them had had this effect. Up until now, they had never been more important to him than a treasured tapestry.

Melissa was like the painting hanging in his room, the one that had been done by his father. He could recall it instantly -- a simple, lonely cottage by a clear stream. Wendell had never had a chance to ask his father if it meant anything. It was one of the few things he had to remember the man he had hardly known, and it was more important to him than any of the riches scattered throughout his castle. She felt familiar to him, like the painting. Loved and trusted.

Catch hold of yourself, Wendell! You don't even know her. Look what she did to those plants, and how she treated you.

He rubbed the side of his nose thoughtfully. But she thought she was dreaming. She thought I was some man named 'Rob.' It is to be expected that she reacted badly.

Even so, he continued the internal dialogue, keeping an eye on the women, Don't be an idiot. You don't know her. At all. Not even a tiny bit. She could be as awful as the queen. Not every woman who comes through that Mirror will be like Virginia.

It doesn't matter. I would love her still. His mouth dropped open, forming an 'O.' "It's true," he whispered softly. He cursed vehemently to himself. He couldn't love a woman he didn't know. It just wasn't possible.

She was climbing the small rise slowly, her face creased with emotional fatigue. He started to move towards her, to take her in his arms, and forcibly stopped himself. "No luck, either?" he said instead.

Melissa frowned at him, sending chills up his arms, and sighed. "No. None at all. How could we have lost a mirror that size? I don't get it."

"Someone must have come through and seen it. It happens quite a lot here."

"Then 'someone' needs to be taught to leave things alone." Melissa settled onto the ground, still clutching Sport, who was looking resigned.

"Who's Rob?"

"What?"

Wendell hid a grimace while asking himself the same thing. Where had those words come from? "Earlier. In the forest. You called me 'Rob.'"

"Oh." He caught some dark emotion in her face before she turned it away from him. "He's my ex-husband."

Wendell's breath caught in his throat and struggled to get past the lump that burned there. "Is he ... dead?"

"Not likely." He thought that she sounded disappointed. "We divorced years ago. Listen, I apologize for that. I thought this was all fake. Frankly, I still do."

He swallowed, hard, and tried to smile. "No need to apologize. Virginia had it a little easier when we first met because I was a talking dog."

Melissa blinked slowly. "A talking dog?"

"I was under a spell."

"Mmm."

"I was," he said, his fingers clenching.

"And now you're a king?"

"Yes. Ruler of the Fourth Kingdom."

"New spell?"

"What? No. Why would-" he looked down at his ragged peasant's clothing, touched his dirty cheeks, and laughed. "It is rather a good disguise, isn't it?" he asked proudly.

"I'll say," she muttered. He was saved from further comment by Teresa's arrival. Melissa rushed over to the older woman, talking quietly and making sure she was all right. It was obvious that they cared very much for each other. He would have thought Teresa was her mother, except it was impossible. Melissa could not have been descended from someone so plain. It wasn't due to anything that Teresa lacked, it was just that Melissa had so much.

"Now what?" She was talking to him again, looking at him strangely. I hope she didn't catch me staring, he thought.

"That is a good question." Wendell looked up, noting that the moon was hanging just on the edge of the horizon. It was half-full, which would provide only a little light. "Our best option is to get some sleep. We have no idea where the mirror went, and we won't be able to see well enough to find a trail until morning. It will be safe here."

She eyed him with a disturbing amount of distrust, before finally setting Sport down. The cat meowed gratefully and stretched himself out, favoring one paw.

"Is your cat all right?"

"Yeah. He just has a small cut. Are you all right to stay, Terry?"

The older woman nodded. "I'm too tired to continue on tonight anyway. Do you have any food, Wendell?"

Wendell bit his lower lip in dismay. Where had his recklessness come from that he had left the castle without any food at all? "I'm afraid not, madam. I know some of the plants in the forest are edible..." he trailed off, remembering the rabbit trap he'd set earlier. He snapped his fingers and beamed. "I might have a little meat. You two stay here, and I will return in a while."

They stared at him silently.

Taking that as acceptance, he turned, stopped, and looked back. "Don't. Move." He punctuated each word with a shake of his finger, and then was off into the forest again.

He had to backtrack to where he'd first entered the forest and followed the small stream back to where he'd set the trap. The entire time he struggled to keep thoughts of Melissa at bay. He wasn't sure how he was going to make it through an entire evening with her near. Sleep would probably be out of the question.

"The queen's own," he cursed softly. "I'm as bad as Wolf. I have to get this under control. The Ruler of the Fourth Kingdom can not just blindly fall for some unknown woman." Satisfied that this reminder would see him through, he realized he had passed the trap and had to find his way back in the almost solid dark.

Ahead he heard the soft sounds of a struggle, and when he came out of the bushes, the rabbit doubled its frantic efforts to get away. He pulled out his knife and knelt down next to the little creature, who had grown absolutely still except for the sharp in-and-out movement of his sides. Wendell looked into the rabbit's wide, wild eyes, and lowered the knife.

A woman who kissed the stomach of her cat -- who would follow her cat into a Traveling Mirror in the first place -- would not likely appreciate the fact that he brought her rabbit for dinner.

"We have to eat," he told the little rabbit. It twitched its nose and waited for death. "This sort of thing happens all the time. I have had rabbit before, and it's quite tender." Still it waited.

"Suck an elf," he hissed, slicing the rope in one swift movement. The rabbit stood there, unaware it was free. "Well go on," he told it, making 'shooing' gestures.

It hopped forward once and, when it wasn't tugged back like before, hopped to the edge of the treeline. Stopping there, the little white rabbit looked back at Wendell, nose twitching. The woodsman has your mirror. He lives at the end of the stream. And then the rabbit was gone.

Melissa kept a close watch over Sport, who was currently grooming himself from head to foot and shooting her dirty looks. He still favored his left front paw, but from what she could tell it wasn't anything serious, just a small cut that looked fairly clean.

A cut he'd received from somewhere in a forest.

Which was somewhere in a strange world.

Which was only accessible through a magic mirror.

Which meant today was either the worst or the best day of her life.

She tried to protest to herself that it was all a dream still, but she knew better, deep down. She could feel its reality. That didn't mean she had to like it, though.

"I can't wait to get out of here. This is really bizarre."

Teresa shrugged silently.

"You're pretty quiet, Terry. Is something wrong? Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" Melissa smiled too brightly. "No problems here. A little hungry and really tired."

Teresa's eyes were all-knowing. "You're frightened of this place."

Melissa couldn't lie to that stare. "Yes. Aren't you?" She leaned forward, gesturing sharply. "Look at this! I don't know where the hell we are! And it's looking really unlikely like we're going to get back. Ever."

"Back to what?"

"Home. Back to where we belong and what we know."

"Back to our routine."

Melissa pursed her lips. "That's not what I meant."

Teresa just shrugged again, and Melissa let her be. She's just as frightened as I am, she told herself, picking up a fallen twig and snapping it in half. That's why she's being so obstinate.

The silence settled between them, tinged with unease. A small animal scavenged in the nearby bushes, and in the distance an owl was calling. Melissa lay down on her back, staring up at the clear night sky. Stars danced across it, glittering merrily; she watched one streak across her line of sight and disappear behind the trees.

She slowed her breathing, inhaling deeply of the crisp air. "I guess it is nice here," she breathed, exhaling evenly.

"You always did like the outdoors."

"You always hated them." Melissa smiled at the memories of being eight years old and dragging Teresa camping. "Do you remember when we went to Yosemite?" She laughed softly. "That campsite with the bear trap?"

She heard Teresa laugh, too. "You wanted to put meat in it! I couldn't believe that, even for you. You pouted about that for hours."

"I didn't pout." Melissa raised up one elbow, eyebrows raised. "I just decided to read the rest of the evening."

"You read the car manual."

Melissa grinned. "I was studying to be a mechanic."

They both started giggling, and Teresa lay down next to her on the grass, taking her hand. "I know you could have done anything you wanted, hon, but you were destined to be a star."

She squeezed Teresa's hand in thanks. The words she wanted to say lodged in her heart, refusing to escape. As much as she wished she could, she'd never been able to tell Terry certain things, the things the other woman most deserved to hear. So many chances had passed them by.

She wasn't sure what Teresa was thinking, but her own thoughts were a maze of memories, which eventually led to the present.

Finally, Melissa asked: "What do you think of Wendell?"

"I don't know. He seems very earnest."

"Earnest." Melissa mulled the word over, liking how it fit him. "Good choice. I was going to say 'pompous,' but I like yours better."

"Missy." Teresa's voice warned her to behave.

"He thinks he's the king!"

"Maybe he is."

"Maybe." She considered that realistically and dismissed it. "No, I can't believe it. He'd probably be very handsome if he wasn't so dirty. At least he has that going for him."

"I'm so glad I brought you up to respect men."

Melissa laughed loudly. "Hey, it's only what they deserve. I know they all think about me in the same way. Wendell probably isn't any different. You never meet true gentlemen anymore, not even in strange worlds, I'll bet."

"Now who's the cynic?"

"It's experience talking." Melissa unlinked her hand from Teresa's and stretched both arms over her head, feeling the blood rush through her body. She curled her arms under her head and sighed. "What I wouldn't give to find one good man."

Teresa turned her head, and Melissa could see the question reflected in her eyes by the half-moon light. "What would he be like?"

She smiled and looked up into the stars. "He'd be kind, but not weak. He's got to be secure enough to accept the fact that I often kiss other men for a living. He has to have his own life and his own hobbies, too. He should be funny. And definitely worldly. Cultured, but he has to appreciate the outdoors. He has to love cats. But more than all that, he has to love me for who I am, and not because I'm some famous actress." Melissa's smile slipped away. "Which means I'll either be a spinster or married to some Australian who lives in the Outback."

She felt Teresa pat her elbow. "You're not that famous dear. I'm sure I could find you some nice Southerner."

Smiling, Melissa pointed at another falling star. "And I want to feel like that when he kisses me."

"You don't ask for much do you?"

Just true love, she thought.

Wendell ran back along the stream, occasionally losing his footing and splashing into it until his boots were heavy with water. He had to get back, quickly, and get the women's help. He had spared only enough time to verify that there was an inhabited cottage before running back to Melissa to tell her. He burst out of the forest and pounded towards them, gasping for breath, his legs burning.

A few minutes later he had nearly collapsed at their feet, holding up a hand to stall questions. When he was certain he wasn't going to die, he sucked in extra air and told them what had happened.

"I found..." Wendell wheezed, "the mirror."

"You did?"

"Where is it?"

"You don't have it with you, do you?"

He shook his head, saving his breath. "I'll ... show you," he mumbled. "Just as ... soon .... as I can stand."

Shortly after that he was leading them to the stream. Melissa walked next to him with Sport back in her arms; Terry was a few steps behind.

"How did you find it?" Melissa asked.

"A rabbit told me."

"A rabbit?"

"Yes. He was caught in my snare so I set him free."

"You set him free? Why did you do that? We're starving!"

Wendell gaped at her. "I thought you wouldn't eat rabbit."

"Why not? At this point I'd eat insects."

"But, I saw how you treated your cat. You don't seem like the kind of woman who would eat a bunny."

Melissa shrugged one shoulder. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Wendell."

"Then you shall have to tell me everything."

She looked away, and he thought he might have pushed too far until she said, "First, I'm not from New York like this 'Virginia' girl. She might be, but it's not the only city in America. I'm from Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles." Wendell repeated it slowly. "We name our kingdoms after the Great Queen that ruled them or the current inhabitants. For example, Red Riding Hood's kingdom is the Second Kingdom and the Third Kingdom is also referred to as the Troll Kingdom. What should we call the Tenth Kingdom?"

She went quiet for a long minute, her lips pursing. "I suppose the 'Tenth Kingdom' is fine," she finally said.

He nodded. "We usually we refer to them by their numbers."

"How many are there, total?"

"Nine. Well, ten now. Up until several months ago, it was considered a myth."

"A myth? And here I thought talking bunnies were the myth." He saw her smile and had to smile in response.

"The Traveling Mirrors were hidden and no one had used them in a long time. Since that is the only way to get to the Tenth Kingdom, no one ever went."

"So what changed?"

Wendell pushed aside some bushes. They were about halfway there by now, and making good time. "The Evil Queen cast a spell that caused myself and her dog to switch bodies. I accidentally found the mirror, which brought me to New York, and Virginia. She and her father, Antony, came back here to help me restore my true form. As you can see, they succeeded, and they saved my kingdom."

"Nice of them."

Wendell easily detected the disbelief. Melissa shifted Sport in her arms, groaning a little. It went against every instinct, but he had to ask her, "Would you like me to hold him for you?"

Melissa paused, re-shifting Sport again. "No, that's alright. He doesn't always like strangers."

"Oh good," Wendell breathed, relieved he wouldn't have to touch the cat. He hadn't liked them much before his change, but he nearly detested them now. They were so superior.

"Why didn't you take the rabbit for yourself?"

He openly stared at her, dismayed she would even think to ask. "I could not eat while you and Teresa were hungry. That would be out of the question."

"That's remarkably sweet of you."

"I should hope no one would ever do that." He almost felt insulted, but chalked it up to her being from a different world.

"People do it all the time where I live."

"That's terrible."

She had partially buried her face in Sport's fur, and her words were muffled. "It's how life is. I've done it."

"You've taken food from others?"

"Not exactly. But I've eaten and let others go hungry." He was afraid she would smother herself, she was so pressed against her cat. But he understood her guilt, and had come to know it intimately as king.

"Are you a ruler in your world?"

"No. Many people know me, though. Do you have actors here?"

"We do have some plays. They're generally silly things, and only performed during festivals."

"In my world, we place a high priority on 'plays.' All kinds: dramatic and funny and even ones with music. I'm an actress in some."

"Really?" Wendell looked her over carefully. He would certainly watch her perform something. She was magnificent to look at with those eyes of hers, and he was already in love with the rich feeling of her voice. It would be easy to see her as famous in her world. "That sounds marvelous, Melissa."

"It's not anymore."

Wendell's heart seized and he tripped over a slick rock on the stream's shore. "I'm okay," he said, waving her help off and righting himself. Had something changed her mind? Was it possible she might be convinced to stay here? Don't be a fairying fool, Wendell, he scolded himself. If she was going to stay, she wouldn't be so frantic about finding the mirror. Still... He struggled to keep his voice calm as he asked, "You are not happy as an actress?"

She lifted her head, but still didn't look at him. "No. I'm not. Sometimes you just realize how completely miserable your life is. I don't imagine you would understand that, especially living here."

He stopped, and held her back gently by the shoulder. "You would be surprised," he said softly. Her eyes met his, and for a moment he was certain she felt the jolt that lanced between them. Her lips parted, but whatever words lingered there were cut off by Sport's unexpected growling.

Melissa stepped back, looking down at Sport and hiding her face from Wendell. He snarled at the cat, gaining a stern look from Teresa, who had been quietly watching them. Controlling himself, he pushed through the bushes and stumbled into the woodsman's clearing. He'd been so caught up with Melissa that he hadn't realized they were this close. There was a cottage a short distance away, surrounded by bushes and a lot of chopped wood. A dog was in the yard, the biggest, meanest dog Wendell had ever seen, tied up to the most enormous tree trunk he had ever seen. When the dog saw them, it stopped gnawing on the dead human in front of it and its three heads began barking furiously, setting off Sport in hysterical yowls and spitting.

Amidst all the noise, the door to the small cottage opened wide, and a huge man filled the lit doorway. "Who's there?" he shouted, taking a step out. In his hands was a very large axe.

Wendell put himself in front of Melissa and held his hands slightly out in greeting. "Good evening, sir. I hate to disturb you, but I believe you have our mirror." It was almost impossible to ignore the slavering beast, but he did his best to remain calm. "It was just on the edge of the forest a few hours ago."

"Your mirror? Aye, I found it," the man admitted. "Someone left it on the ground so I took it. You obviously didn't want it."

"We do want it!" Melissa said over the continuing noise, coming even with Wendell. He noticed she wasn't looking at the dog, either.

"Melissa," he hissed, "let me handle this." He put on his best placating tone. "Good sir, I am King Wendell White, and I can pay you handsomely for that mirror."

The man hefted his axe in an incredibly threatening innocent gesture. "I don't give a bloody rabbit's foot who you are. And I don't need any money. I'll give it to you in trade, though."

"Fine. What do you want?" That was Melissa again.

"A game, m'lady. You must guess my name by the time I finish chopping that tree down. If you succeed, you get the mirror. If you fail, then he," he pointed at the dog, who had barked himself into a lather by now and was using his two free heads to rend the dead body, "gets free and has his own fun. Do you accept?"

"Guess your name? How the hell are we going to do that?"

Wendell felt some memory rise up and he waved at Melissa to be quiet. Smiling, he addressed the man calmly. "We accept."

"Are you insane?" Melissa gasped while the woodsman lumbered over to the three. He reared back and took a huge chunk out of the trunk. The dog's heads started howling with excitement. "You're going to get us killed."

"Not at all." He heard the solid chunk of the axe hitting wood again. "Antony told me about this man while we were saving the Kingdom. They had to get his axe to save Virginia from her long hair." He saw the question leap into Melissa's eyes and held up a finger to stall it. Too many axe swings had passed already, even though it was a huge tree. "His name is Juliet." Wendell shouted loud enough so Juliet could hear him call his name. He waited for the man's surrender, smiling victoriously, when he heard another thunderous chunk.

Wendell spun around in surprise. "Juliet! Your name is Juliet!"

"Not anymore. I legally changed it a couple of months ago." The man swung at the tree and took another large piece out. Although it was many feet thick, the Woodsman Formerly Known as Juliet already had it a quarter done.

Melissa thumped him angrily on the arm. "Great job, King," she muttered, going to huddle next to Teresa.

Wendell stared helplessly at the tree while another chunk flew out.

"Madeline? Charles? Diana? Marcus?" Wendell shot off names as fast as he could, trying to get multiple guesses per axe-swing. With Melissa and Teresa's help, he had gone over every name he could immediately think of with no success. And the dog's simultaneous howling and barking drove out most other coherent thought.

He watched the woodsman slice another section of trunk and shuddered. The huge tree was starting to move -- just a little, but not a good sign at all. "You two run the second that ... dog breaks loose," Wendell said, turning to face them. "It can only really get one of us, even if its got three heads. I should be able to stall it long enough for -" there was another ka-chunk and the tree groaned " - for you to get out. Go to my castle and they will help you."

Melissa, who had her hands full with Sport wriggling and hissing, shook her head fiercely. "That's ridiculous! Even if you are a king, who's going -" she winced when the axe struck again, "- to believe that we didn't kill you? I'd rather we all take our chances together."

"We don't have time to argue."

"Exactly."

Ka-chunk. Wendell grimaced as leaves fluttered around them. "I will not let anything happen to you or Teresa," he said.

"How exactly are you going to stop it?" Before he could answer she had stepped away from him, trying to settle Sport down as she did. "HEY! You!" The man cocked his head in their direction but didn't stop chopping. "Can't we strike a deal here?"

The man laughed without humor. "My lady, we already have!" He reared back and made a particularly deep cut in the tree. Wendell shivered with the branches.

Sport's yowling increased as Melissa got even closer to the insane woodsman. Wendell followed her, unwilling to let her face him alone, no matter how foolishly she was behaving.

"No, my friend made that deal. I want to make a different one with you."

"Sorry. One deal per group, that's how it works."

Melissa said something Wendell couldn't hear over the animals' challenges to each other. But he easily made out her scream when Sport finally escaped from her grasp. The orange tabby, who looked pitifully small compared to the hulking, three-headed beast, ran straight at the dog. The cat's short fur was standing straight up and he stopped just out of reach, spitting madly.

"Sport, no!" Melissa cried, lunging after him. Wendell tried to grab her arm, but he only managed to get his fingertips around her elbow before she pulled out of his grasp. She stumbled forward and he watched, horrified, as she smacked into the woodsman, who was in the middle of another swing. The axe, glinting in the light from the house, bounced off course, slicing the dog's three heads off at the base where the necks met.

The heads bounced to the ground and rolled into Sport, who jumped backwards, his snarls the only sound in the eerie silence.

Melissa had fallen to one knee, and the cat ran to her, climbing up her back while she yelped and struggled to stand. The woodsman was staring at the disembodied body of his dog, the axe fallen from his hands.

"You killed Fluffy," he mumbled.

Wendell took the opportunity to drag Melissa farther back, edging her towards Teresa, who hadn't said a word. The woodsman bent and picked up the heads, which had frozen with mouths hanging open. Blood streamed from the neck, and everywhere it touched air, it steamed. The body was held up, barely, by the chain that was already starting to slip off of the stump that was left. It was a horrible sight.

The man turned his head towards them, and Wendell's stomach clenched. "You killed my dog," the woodsman repeated, anger choking his words.

Wendell felt his patience fraying. "Actually, sir, you killed the dog."

"I did not!"

"It was your axe!"

He felt Melissa tugging on his shirt as the woodsman picked his axe up and waved it at him. "You ruined the deal!" the man roared. More leaves fluttered down from above.

"PRINCESS!"

Everyone in the clearing went absolutely still, frozen by the shrill voice. "Princess what are you doing out there?"

Wendell glanced at Melissa and Teresa, and although the older woman was very pale, neither looked like they knew the intruder.

Wendell and Melissa simultaneously mouthed to each other, "Princess?"

The woodsman lowered the axe and turned towards the open door. Wendell looked to the doorway as well, seeing another tall figure, indeterminate in the odd lighting though the voice was obviously female.

"They ruined my game," the woodsman bellowed, kicking some dirt.

"It serves you right after bringing home that mirror!" She stepped out of the house and Wendell noticed that her hair was wriggling. Wriggling hair meant only one thing in the Fourth Kingdom -- the Medusa. He forced Melissa to put her back to the woman and spun Teresa around moments later.

"Don't turn around," he ordered both of them. "If you look in her eyes, it will turn you to stone. Look there," he pointed at a few statues that none of them had seen earlier in their panic.

"It must not work anymore, though," Melissa protested. "Princess isn't affected by it."

"That's because he's blind."

"A blind woodsman?"

"His name is Princess."

"But still--"

"Let's have this discussion later, hm?"

Wendell chanced a slow look at the ground and saw that Princess was standing in front of the Medusa. He could hear their angry babbling, but both were talking too fast to be understood.

"Excuse me," Wendell shouted, hoping not to make either one angrier. "Madam? You said you have a mirror?"

"That's right! This bloody idiot brings one home this evening, pleased as can be at his 'gift.'" He heard her hack and spit something on the ground. "It's thoughtless, is what it is."

"Why don't you give it to them, then? They say it's their mirror." Princess sounded like he was pouting.

"I already got rid of it, you fool! It was too dangerous to keep here!"

Wendell stifled a despairing groan. "What did you do with it?"

He could feel the Medusa's stare boring into his back and forced himself not to look.

"A trader came through," she said after a minute, disappointed. "I traded it for a new frying pan. He was heading that way." She must have been pointing, though he didn't bother to see.

"Wonderful," Wendell sighed. "We'll be going now. Our apologies for the interruption."

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?"

"Quite sure, thank you." He gently pushed Melissa and Teresa forward. "Let's leave quickly," he told them in a quiet voice. They nearly ran into the bushes, Princess and his medusa's argument disappearing behind the slam of the cottage door. Silence was the only thing that followed them.