Mary Anne Gruen - The House of Red

Tony got up feeling especially rested the next morning. Unfortunately, he also got up a little late. When he came in to breakfast, everyone else had been up for quite a while.

“Good morning, Tony,” Scarlet said cheerfully. “Warren was beginning to worry that you wouldn’t be up in time to walk him to school.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be late for that,” Tony said. Little Warren smiled shyly and waved at Tony. Tony of course did the same. He was just about to sit down next to the boy when Virginia and Wolf scooped him up and piloted him toward the door.

“Dad, we need to speak to you,” Virginia said. “Won’t take a minute.”

“But,” Tony said. But that was all he got to say till they were well outside. “What’s the matter with you two?” he finally got to say. “Couldn’t you wait till after breakfast?”

“There might not be time for breakfast,” Virginia said, dragging him to the other side of the pine tree outside the house.

“But I’m hungry,” Tony said.

“Oh,” Wolf growled with exasperation. “Then you should have gotten up earlier like the rest of us.”

“I was tired.”

“You’ve been tired the last couple of days,” Virginia observed. “You all right?”

“Never felt better,” Tony said, patting his chest. “But I’d be a lot less tired if certain people hadn’t left me sleeping in front of the house last night. I got rained on, you know.”

“Sorry,” Virginia said. “You seemed so comfortable we didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Oh,” Wolf growled again. “Will you tell him already? They’ll be coming out any minute.”

“Right. We just wanted you to know the ring made another prediction last night. Something’s going to happen to Warren at school today, but we don’t know what exactly. It has something to do with a new rule of some kind. Scarlet’s going to get all upset about it and go off to argue with her sister Ruby. I’m supposed to find a way to get her to take my talisman and leave it as a gift with the Queen.”

“Maybe I should stick around the school then, till Warren gets out,” Tony said. “If something bad happens, he might need me.”

Wolf’s left eyebrow rose up toward his hairline. He just couldn’t get used to Tony’s fondness for his younger self. In fact, it irritated him for some reason.

“One other thing you might want to know,” Virginia said. “Wolf has been worried about his sister Rose. She’s fighting in the war back in the present. So, he asked the ring if she’s all right. Well, not only is she all right, but she’s been promoted to the rank of major.”

“Oh,” Tony said, as if in irritation at himself. “I’m so sorry.”

Virginia and Wolf looked at each other.

“I didn’t know you were worried. I should have told you she was all right. Of course, I didn’t know she was a major. Still, if some people took the time to talk to me, I would have remembered to tell you. I also know that the war isn’t going all that well in the present. The Second Kingdom has fallen. And just about everybody is involved in the war. Oh, and they’re planning on using my cannons. They’re just not ready yet.” Tony straightened his shirt with pride. “You see. Your old man is still useful.”

Virginia and Wolf looked at each other again.

“How do you know all this?” Virginia asked.

“Matilde told me.”

“You’ve been in touch with her?” Wolf asked. “How?”

“In the talisman. At night. I talk to her and she talks back. Well, not in words, actually. She flashes a light. Once for yes, twice for no. I asked her if Rose was all right the second night we were here. Course, I couldn’t have found out about her being made a major without doing a lot of guessing. I asked if the war Snow White had talked about had started in earnest and she said yes. Then, I asked if Wendell and the Fourth Kingdom were all right and she said yes. I asked if the other kingdoms were doing all right too. And she said no. So I started through them and she indicated that the Second Kingdom had fallen but the others were O.K. It’s a very slow process really, sort of like that old game of twenty questions. It would be a lot easier if she could just talk straight to me. But I guess she can’t. The talisman doesn’t have the power of speech like your ring.”

Virginia and Wolf exchanged yet another look. They both clearly thought he was crazy.“Tony,” Wolf said, “if Matilde flashes messages to you, why doesn’t she do the same with us?”

“Yeah,” Virginia said. “Like when I was staying alone at Emerald’s house?”

“I guess she didn’t do it then because your ring could do a better job at comforting you than her flashes of light could. She was watching over you, though. She told me so.”

“I thought you said you could only ask her yes and no questions,” Wolf said.

“That’s true. But I asked her. I always had the feeling she was keeping watch over us at night.”

This would have been a good time for Virginia to remember the lullaby the ring had sung to her many times at Emerald’s house. She had even sung it herself to Topaz when she was dying. “A fairy queen does watch you sleep,” it went, “And will tonight your safety keep.” Unfortunately, Virginia didn’t think of it. She’d just assumed the ring’s song was a generic lullaby. She didn’t realize it had been stating a fact.

“And you need watching over right now?” Virginia asked.

“Well, maybe I don’t need watching over. But I was lonely.”

“Oh!” Wolf said in exasperation. “Why would Queen Matilde, president of the Council of the Nine Kingdoms and Queen of the Eighth Kingdom, want to keep YOU from feeling lonely? You’ve been imagining things. It was the moon reflecting off your talisman probably.”

“No. It’s true. She’s talked to me every night since we’ve been here.”

“Why would she do that?” Wolf asked.

“Because, well . . . because maybe she likes me.”

Wolf was really exasperated now. “Oh, huff-puff! I can’t believe you! Remember you thought the same thing about Emerald too.”

“Yeah,” Virginia said, “You were definitely wrong there.”

“You are not the great lover of the Nine Kingdoms,” Wolf said.

Tony hunched his shoulders and looked down at his feet. His scuffed shoes matched the present state of his ego. “Well, I don’t know if she likes me in that way. I mean you can only tell so much from a flash of light. But really, she does talk to me.”

“You obviously imagined the whole thing,” Wolf said dismissively.

“No. Look. I’ll show you.” Tony picked up his talisman and addressed himself to it. “Matilde. Are you there,” he asked.

But there was no answer.

“Matilde?”

Still no answer.

“I guess she’s not there right now,” Tony said. “But I’ll try again later and you’ll see.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Virginia said. “We’ve got more important things to worry about now.” She turned and headed back to the house.

Wolf followed his wife, muttering under his breath. “Terrible things about to happen and HE’S imagining things. Snow White said he was supposed to be the one with the clear head. Humph!”

“But really,” Tony said. “She really does talk to me.”

The truth was, Matilde had been in the mirror room during this whole conversation. Unfortunately, all the other members of the Council of Truth were there also. Even Cinderella had been wide-awake for this one. They all turned and looked at Matilde as if they were one person. Then they all turned back and faced the mirror again. Leaf Fern alone kept her eyes on Matilde a beat longer. She was remembering how she had found her alone early that morning with the mirror focused on a sleeping Tony Lewis. Suddenly she understood why. But royalty knows how to be discreet. From here on in, they would all simply ignore this topic and the obvious blush that had filled Matilde’s face.

After Tony left with Warren for school, Virginia and Wolf tried to settle down, but it was difficult. They stayed in the nursery with the other three children and played with them. Virginia played dolls with little Rose, utilizing the series of wooden stick figures that Scarlet had carved for her. And Wolf concentrated on his little brothers. Since they weren’t sure how much more time they had there, Wolf wanted to spend every second of it with them. He was struck by how happy a child Lazar was and how pouty Wilhelm could be. He tried to imagine what kind of adults they became.

Lazar had probably fallen in love with that human girl fully and innocently, never realizing that his feelings for her would cost him his life. Had it been a relative of the girl who’d killed him? Had it been with her consent? How could she not have fallen in love with someone as sweet tempered as redheaded Lazar? And Wilhelm, had he truly been poaching when he’d been killed? Or had those charges been trumped up against him without cause? Something in the young boy reminded Wolf of their grandfather Scythian. So he had no trouble imagining Wilhelm turning into a rebellious adult with a hatred for humans. The poaching charges may have been true or they may have been invented in order to get rid of him as a troublemaker.

What was it like growing up in a caravan? Had the gypsies been kind to them? Wolf had always been a little afraid of gypsies. They seemed so unpredictable and their magic could be dangerous. But at least Lazar and Wilhelm had had each other. That would have been something at least. Wolf would’ve given anything if he could have gone with them instead of with his foster parents.

Josiah and Scarlet, of course, had no idea of the future before them, so they pursued their normal lives. Josiah was tired from the previous night’s activities. He decided to take a nap beneath the same tree Tony had told his tale under shortly before. And Scarlet bustled about in the house tidying. It was a very homey scene. But barely a half-hour went by before little Warren and Tony returned and all that changed.

“What happened,” Josiah asked, getting up.

Warren let go of Tony’s hand and came running to his father. “They sent me home,” the boy said. His little face was dark and full of hurt.

“Why?”

“They said wolves aren’t allowed to go to school anymore. They said, we’re not capable of learning and that we’re just holding back the human children.”

Tony nodded. “That’s what the teacher told them. Do you believe it? I talked to her.” That was an understatement. What he actually did was to engage her in a shouting match that he won easily. “She was very nasty. She enjoyed sending him home and insulted him thoroughly before she did. How can they let a woman like that teach?”

At that point, Scarlet appeared at the door with Virginia and Wolf.

“What happened?” Scarlet asked.

Warren repeated what he had already told his father.

“I was told it’s a new ruling by the Queen,” Tony said. “She’s outlawing all teaching of wolves. And you won’t be allowed to start your own schools either.”

“But how can our children find work when they grow up if they can’t read or write or do sums?” Josiah asked. “Poaching is the only way they could survive. But of course, maybe that’s what she wants us to do.”

“How can a daughter of Red Riding Hood even consider such a ruling?” Scarlet asked angrily. “Country-wide education was one her greatest accomplishments. This goes against everything she stood for. How can Ruby do this?”

“Perhaps we can go to the newly formed Council of the Nine Kingdoms,” Josiah suggested.

“Yeah,” Tony said, “Matilde will try and do something.”

Virginia and Wolf shot him a look.

“No matter what they say, we can teach our children in secret until they undo this,” Josiah said.

“You can if you want,” Scarlet said. “But I can’t stand by while this happens.”

“What can you do?” Josiah said, trying to sound reasonable.

“I can go and talk to Ruby while she’s still in town. I can get her to undo this ruling.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I have to!”

“Scarlet,” Josiah said.

But it was no good. Scarlet was already charging into the house and she slammed the door behind her. Josiah raced after her and did the same.

Little Warren just stood there looking confused and lost. He was at that age when you think everything that happens in the world is your fault. He didn’t understand how his mother could get in to see the Queen, much less get her to change this new ruling. But if he’d known his parents were going to be this upset, he wouldn’t have come home at all.

Tony saw the boy’s face and thought it would be a good idea to get him away from all the emotion and confusion. “Warren,” he said. “I heard some frogs singing again down by the creek last night. What do you say we go down and see if any of them are enchanted.” So saying, he took the boy’s pliant hand and led him away.

“Do you remember any of this?” Virginia asked Wolf.

“No. It’s a blank. But I do recall not going to school for a while when I first went to live with my foster parents. Then, one day I was sent again. I think the Council of the Nine Kingdoms made Red the Second rescind this order. Which didn’t entirely please my foster parents. They thought reading and writing was for humans only. That it was demeaning for a wolf to be seen holding a book.”

When Scarlet came marching out of the house, Josiah was not with her. Evidently he had lost the argument. “I’m sorry,” Scarlet said to Virginia. “I’ve just got to go.”

“I understand,” Virginia said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No. I’m planning on being mad most of the way into town. Then, after I cool off, I need to work on what I’m going to say to Ruby. After I meet with her, I may be mad again and will need time to cool off. Ruby’s got to understand. She’s just got to. Maybe she just doesn’t remember how important this was to our mother.”

“What kind of gift are you to bring her?”

This question caught Scarlet completely off guard. The freckles on her nose bunched up and confusion came into her green eyes. “Gift?”

“Yeah. You know. It’s common nowadays to bring a gift when royalty comes to town. It can be your reason for visiting and a peace offering at the same time.”

“It’s a good idea. But what can I bring her? I don’t have anything of value.”

“Well.” Virginia picked up the sliver of mirror around her neck and held it up for Scarlet to see. “It just so happens that I have this necklace. It’s not much but it’s supposed to be enchanted.” She took the talisman off and handed it to Scarlet. “That tiny piece that shines in the sunlight is part of a magic mirror made by the dwarves of Dragon Mountain.”

“What kind of magic mirror?”

“It’s from the Mirror of Truth.”

“You mean the ancient one that was destroyed so long ago?”

“That’s the one,” Virginia lied.

“Oh.” Scarlet held the talisman reverently in her hands. “That’s why the chain looks so old-fashioned. And you each have a piece of this mirror, don’t you? We noticed that of course. We thought perhaps it was a family charm.”

“You might say that.”

“But how can I accept something so precious and leave you without?”

Virginia hung the talisman around Scarlet’s neck. “It’s more important that you have it. And even more important that you give it to your sister. Don’t let her refuse it.”

“I don’t see how she could. All right. I’ll take it. Maybe it’s a good omen. How can my sister fail to see the truth when I hand her a piece of the Mirror of Truth itself?”