Mary Anne Gruen - The House of Red

At the border of the First Kingdom, fighting was already well underway. Marron the redheaded giant was pummeling his way through the lines of Cinderella’s troops, staving off the pureblooded wolves that snapped at him and waving aside the pesky elves in the air. His armor made it harder for the archers to do much damage. On the ground Blabberwort the troll and her people were heavily engaged in hand to hand fighting with the First Kingdom’s foot soldiers. Trolls knew how to fire arrows. But as weapons go, they usually frowned on them. They preferred the battle-ax because they found the body to body fighting style more satisfying.

When Eranthis and his two cannons arrived on the scene, they appeared slightly behind the front on the side of the First Kingdom. They arranged themselves as necessary with two dwarves standing at each cannon. One was in charge of firing, the other was in charge of ammunition. Eranthis stood between. And the seven elves that had come with them took to the air or made themselves useful as necessary.

Carpathian, the wolf who had fought by Wolf’s side in the beginning, was on hand. He was now in charge of all the wolf troops in the First Kingdom’s army. When he saw all was in readiness with the cannons, he gave a special howl signal decided on the night before. Then he waited.

In the thick of the fighting, Marron the giant and Blabberwort the troll, didn’t notice Carpathian’s howl. But the other wolves did. They didn’t answer it because it might have aroused suspicion. Instead they began falling back. The human soldiers from the First Kingdom knew to give way when they saw the wolves moving back. And the elves in the air, knew could already see the cannons.

Marron, however, didn’t have a clue what the two iron contraptions facing in his direction were. He saw the elves and dwarves milling about as he got closer. But he wasn’t much impressed. He thought he was having a hot streak, thrashing all comers and basically looking like a great warrior.

Then, Eranthis yelled, “Fire!”

The blast of the cannons wasn’t immediate. There was a slight break between the time the fuse was lighted and the explosion took place. But since Marron wasn’t paying any attention, it didn’t matter. When the two cannons went off, he looked up in time to see two black balls hurtling toward him. He couldn’t think fast enough to move. So they hit him, harder than he would have thought possible. One got him in the chest near the right shoulder and the other hit his right arm. The impact threw him way back on top of several of Blabberwort’s unfortunate trolls. Marron hit the ground (and the trolls) with a tremendous THUD! He wasn’t dead. But he was badly wounded. His armor hadn’t been enough protection against this new fearsome weapon.

Blabberwort and her trolls stood stunned and speechless. The human and elf troops cheered the giant’s downfall and the dwarves looked on solemnly. But Carpathian immediately gave the howl to attack. He was an old and wise wolf who knew the hesitation of the trolls was a great opportunity and he didn’t want to lose it. Immediately, the wolves sprang to. They charged the trolls and turned them back. In a moment, Cinderella’s regular troops and the elves in the air took up the pursuit as well.

By this point, Marron was sitting up nursing his right arm.

“Move in,” Eranthis said.

And the elves on his team sprinkled traveling dust over the cannons and their operators. In the wink of an eye they moved into position for a second strike against the giant. Matilde knew the cannons would be too heavy to transport quickly without extra help. That’s why she’d had Prince Brutus prepare so much extra magic dust for them.

“You have two choices,” Eranthis announced loudly to Marron the giant. “Either you return to your beanstalk and never come back, or I will give the order to fire again.” He gave the giant this option because, truth be told, what kind of facilities did any of the kingdoms have to keep a prisoner of such monumental proportions?

Marron rubbed his bulbous nose. It was bleeding. “I go!” he said in a small voice. Of course to all the smaller creatures gathered around him on the ground, it sounded as if he spoke with a great roar. But to another giant, it would have seemed small indeed.

“Good,” Eranthis yelled. “A wise decision. These elves will follow you to make sure you keep your word. If you don’t, we’ll come after you.”

The seven elves in Eranthis’s troop rose into the air and waited. Marron slowly pulled himself off the ground. It was hard without the use of his right arm. He was already worrying about how he was going to climb his beanstalk. But somehow, he would. This was humiliating, to have a gang of little people do this kind of damage to you. He would never again be able to lift his head up in polite giant society.

When Wolf’s detachment appeared behind the front near the border between the Second and Fourth Kingdom, he found his sister Rose waiting. She came over to him at once. But she didn’t give him the happy smile he thought she might, or rush over and hug him. She was engaged in serious work and she was correspondingly serious. Because Wolf had been away from the field of battle so long, she and Wendell were more in charge of this maneuver than Wolf was.

In the fields ahead of them, Wolf could hear the thrashing and crashing of Spider and Demetrius dealing each other mighty blows.

“Wendell is within sight of the action,” Rose said. “There’s a handful of troops battling the trolls at the scene and he’s keeping watch like usual. When I give the signal, Demetrius will allow himself to be beaten down. At that point, Wendell and our troops will start acting panic-stricken. Wendell will run here immediately as decoy. If they want to capture him, they’ll have to follow him. And one of the wolves will give a call that will be interpreted as retreat. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Wolf said.

“Good, I will stand a little in back of you, in case I need to give the wolves a command.”

“Yes, Major!” Wolf said, half trying to be funny.

But his sister didn’t notice his lame attempt at levity. After all, her fiance was putting himself in grave danger. She couldn’t afford levity.

Thus chastened, Wolf cleared his throat and turned to business. “Is everyone ready?” he asked his company.

“Ready,” the dwarves manning the three cannons said.

“Yes,” the thirteen elves in their crew answered.

Rose gave the signal, howling long and loud because Demetrius and Spider were farther away from them than Marron had been from Eranthis’s company. They needed the extra distance because the two struggling giants needed more room to play out their scene.

Demetrius heard Rose’s call and knew what it meant. He allowed Spider to knock him over. Then, as he struggled to rise, Spider hit him down and Demetrius pretended to pass out. The danger here was if Spider tried to finish him off. That’s why Wendell’s fearful departure and the second wolf howl that sounded like retreat were so important. They were hoping that Burley would be more interested in capturing King Wendell, than he would be in killing Demetrius. Luckily they were right. Burly was still mourning the loss of Queen Red Riding Hood the Third and he was greedy for another big capture. When Burly saw Demetrius go down, his sharp eyes also noticed Wendell running away and his troops sounding retreat.

Spider had his battle-ax raised to bring it down on Demetrius’s head when Burly ran in and started beating his battle-ax against his boot.

“No, no!” Burly said, “Catch the King! Wendell is the one we want. Leave him till later!”

Spider gave Burly a look of irritation. He was getting tired of the little troll giving him orders and acting so superior. Especially when it was Burly’s stupidity that had let Queen Red get away. Spider wished Burly had let him eat her when he’d wanted to. Still, running after Wendell was the sensible thing to do. Catch the king, catch the kingdom. Everyone knew that. So, with a groan, he went off.

Wendell had a good start and he was young and fit. Spider came quickly after him, but not at a run. He didn’t see any need for exertion. He walked over a little hill and saw a group of dwarves and elves milling about behind these three black things. Wendell ran to a female that was slightly behind this group. He embraced her and stood waiting. In front of them Wolf watched for the right moment.

It was true that at this point Rose knew more about war than Wolf did. But in this instance he didn’t need to. All he needed was a predator’s instinct of when to strike.

First, you try not to move or alarm your prey. “Wait,” Wolf said to his detachment. And to the elves, “No flying.” And they waited, sensing that he knew what he was doing.

Second, you keep a very careful eye on your prey. “Watch,” Wolf said. And the company watched as Spider moved toward them.

Spider thought they were all terror stricken at seeing him approach. So, he slowed himself down just slightly in order to enjoy it.

Third, you wait for your prey to get closer, not betraying your plan in the slightest. “Wait,” Wolf told his company. And their eyes raised higher and higher as the giant got nearer.

Wolf knew there was a hesitation between the time the cannons were lit and the time they exploded. Lord Rupert had searched him out that morning at Matilde’s request and explained certain cannon issues to him between the time he’d visited Queen Red and before Virginia had found him nibbling bacon in the kitchen. So, Wolf knew to give the order to “Fire!” just before he felt his instincts say, "Pounce."

The explosion of the three cannons was deafening. Spider was startled by the immense sound and came to a stop. That was the wrong choice. The three cannon balls found their targets better than those of King Eranthis did because Wolf had allowed Spider to get so close. One ball hit Spider full in the chest, one hit him in the face, and the third hit his neck. When he hit the ground, Spider was dead.

Burly was so shocked he couldn't even bring himself to say, "Suck an elf." He stood motionless like his followers, trying to understand what he was seeing.

Wendell’s troops cheered and howled. Wolf turned around to yell his congratulations to Rose and saw her and Wendell locked in a passionate kiss. It was just about the last thing he expected to see. And from the familiar way they clung to each other, it was obviously not their first kiss. This was just the beginning of Wolf’s feeling that he was Rip Van Winkle. That he had somehow been asleep and woken up after a long time to find the world totally changed.

After she and Wendell pulled apart, Rose gave a howl and a detachment of wolves took off after the trolls, with the human soldiers and the elves not far behind. Wendell followed the battle and Rose stayed behind. Burly and his group tried hard to fight back. But the giant Demetrius was on his feet again, knocking troll soldiers over with the end of his long stick. In a very little while, the battle was well out of sight as Wendell’s troops chased the trolls back over the original border of the Second Kingdom.

Wolf told his cannon crew to relax. It didn’t look as if they would be needed for a while.

Rose came to Wolf’s side and gave him the sisterly hug that he’d expected earlier. “So, how does it feel to be a prince?” she asked.

“Fine,” Wolf said quickly. But he had no interest in discussing their new titles. Not when there was more important stuff going on. “How long has THAT been going on?” He gestured back at the spot where Rose and Wendell had been kissing.

Of course, this question made no sense to Rose. She looked back and saw two dwarves talking. “What?” she asked.

Wolf leaned in and whispered, “You and Wendell.”

“You don’t have to whisper. Everyone knows about it. We’re engaged. Of course he wants to ask my older brother to make it official. But I trust you will say yes.”

“I don’t believe it. How did this happen?”

“Well we were both attracted for a long time. And being around each other so much in the war, we just got closer. Then, on the night I beat up this soldier from King Cole’s army, things just started happening.”

“Wait a minute. You beat up a soldier?”

“Well, he started it. He called me something nasty and I got mad. We had trouble with some of Cole’s men when they first joined us. But things are better now. We're not what I’d call close. But it's better.”

“And your beating up this soldier brought you and Wendy together?”

“Not directly. But it gave him a different viewpoint on things and well, there you are.”

“I see,” Wolf said. But he didn’t. He was still having a hard time believing it. “Well, I wish you every happiness. May you be as happy as Virginia and I are.”

Rose threw her arms around Wolf and said, “Thank you. We will be. We are already.”

“This is going to make you a queen, you know.”

“I know,” Rose said with a shrug of her shoulders. “That’s just something I’ll have to get used to.”

“Excuse me, your Majesty,” a young man asked. He wore brown and had a tail sticking out of his trousers. “Since the immediate danger is over, can we take our daytime rest?”

“Yes,” Rose said. “I should have announced that. Pass the word on to everyone else.”

“Thank you,” the young man said.

It had been agreed upon the night before, that if their attack on the giant was successful, that as many wolves as possible would fight at night since they had special abilities in that area.

“You’re obviously well respected,” Wolf said. “I can see it in that soldier's eyes.”

“You grow close in the army,” she said. “It’s like pack life.”

“How did brown come to be chosen as our color?”

“It wasn’t actually. I wore brown deerskin. And somewhere along the line, the part-wolves just started copying me.”

Wolf looked down at the confident commander his sister had become. And he saw in her the queen their mother Scarlet would have been. “If you’re on break,” he said, putting his hand around her shoulder. “I have several stories to tell you. About our family and our parents.”

When Tony and Rupert arrived with their cannons near the Third Kingdom, Hoban the blond bearded giant was busy trying to crush as many wolves and archers as he could with his battle-ax. The elves above him tried to distract him, but they weren’t having much luck. Meanwhile, Bluebell the troll and his people had Major Burke’s troops struggling in the field.

Tony and Rupert were met by Kobza, the full-blooded wolf who had been chosen as Rose’s aide originally and then promoted to the position of chief wolf under Major Burke’s command. Kobza was young, easygoing, eager to please, and energetic.

“Welcome,” young Kobza said with a wag of his tail. “We’re ready when you are.”

Suddenly there was a trio of explosions in the distance, followed by a great BLAM! Everyone on the battlefield near the Third Kingdom stopped fighting and looked up. It was the sound of Wolf's cannon's just to the North. Luckily it was too far for Hoban the giant to see anything.

“Should I sound the alarm now?” Kobza asked.

“Not yet,” Tony said. “They might suspect something. Wait another couple of minutes and then yell.”

“Yes, Captain,” Kobza said.

They waited till the sounds of battle were full again. Then Rupert gave the signal and Kobza gave three short howls.

In the field, Major Burke’s troops began to fall back, a little at first and then more quickly. As the other two giants before him, Hoban followed till he found himself faced by two cannons.

“Fire!” Lord Rupert commanded.

But Hoban’s instincts were better than that of the other giants. As soon as he heard the cannons explode, he jumped back. It was enough of an adjustment to cause the cannon balls to miss him. One whistled past his head. And another struck a big tree and pulverized it. That was all Hoban needed to see. Fighting a war was fun, but it suddenly started to look dangerous. Without saying so much as boo, he began running away back into the Third Kingdom.

Bluebell stood dumb for a moment, then he yelled after Hoban, “Hey! Come back! It’s just a black ball!” Then he paused and looked at the tree that had been turned into matchsticks. “Isn’t it?”

“He’s getting away!” Tony yelled at Rupert.

“What do you suggest we do?” Rupert asked. “We can follow him, but he has plenty of time to adjust before we can fire. We’d just miss him again.”

Tony put his hand up against to his temple. “No, no. I have an idea. Do you know how to play pinball?”

“What?”

“How about tag? Have you ever played that?”

“Oh, yes," Rupert said with a wicked giggle. "I like it quite a lot."

“Fine. I don’t wanna know anymore. Just take that cannon and I'll take this one. We'll have the elves transport us from place to place chasing him as we go, all the way back to the beanstalks.”

“But that’s well inside enemy territory,” Rupert pointed out.

“So? If we move fast enough, we won’t be in any danger. Then, when we chase him up some beanstalk, we'll come right back here to safety. If we don’t do this, he'll probably just come back tomorrow a lot less afraid of these cannons. What do you say?”

“Well, I’m not really sure.”

“Good man,” Tony said, patting Rupert on the back. “I knew you’d love it.” And with that he took his post behind one of the cannons. “Follow!” he yelled

The elves and dwarves didn’t hesitate. Tony’s idea was dangerous but it made sense. Also, the trolls were very extended at that point. Most of the people left in the Third Kingdom were probably not soldiers.

Rupert had no choice but to get into place behind the remaining cannon crew. “Follow!” he called. But he didn't sound all that confident.

It actually turned out to be an excellent plan. In hodgepodge fashion, they chased Hoban the giant all the way back to his beanstalk. No matter which way he turned, either Tony or Rupert's crew would appear in front of him. The only trolls they saw were too young or too old to think about getting involved. And after seeing some of their buildings and trees destroyed by stray cannonballs, they wouldn’t have gotten involved anyway.

At the end of these maneuvers the cannon crews were both a bit dizzy. But they had succeeded in their goal. When they got safely back behind their own lines, they danced and sang with exultation, even the dwarves. If King Eranthis had seen it, he would have been very disapproving.

Queen Matilde’s group had it the easiest of all. Young Ramos the giant with the close-cropped hair and pockmarked face, was easily the smartest of the four giants. In fact, it might be more exact to say that he was the only smart one. When the Ice Maidens started to give way to him in battle and Princess Alicia gave the order for them to fall back, he felt a nagging suspicion. Ice Maidens just didn’t take retreat lightly.

Of course, he hadn’t seen the elf above his head give the signal that the cannons were ready. And neither had the troll officer fighting with him on the ground. However they had heard several strange explosions. They weren't that loud because the forests of the Second Kingdom acted as a buffer. Still Ramos thought it was strange. He knew it wasn't thunder because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

When Ramos entered the clearing and saw Queen Matilde, the well-known survivor of the Magic War, sitting behind a trio of strange black objects, he had a very bad feeling. The first thing he suspected was some new kind of magic. A small chill went through him and he wondered if maybe the Ice Maidens and the elves had fallen back to lure him into a trap. Instinctively, he took a few steps back.

When Matilde saw Ramos hesitate, she gave the command to “Fire!” Of course the cannons missed the giant. But the explosion got everyone’s attention. Ramos ducked as the three cannonballs flew through the air. One exploded a troll beyond recognition. One smashed a great pine tree. And the last produced a major crater in the ground. Immediately, Matilde gave the command to “Follow!”

The elves in her service threw up the magic dust and the cannons disappeared and reappeared directly in front of Ramos. Even if he hadn’t been a smart giant, it wouldn’t have taken much to realize that these dangerous new weapons were meant for him and could do an awful lot of damage.

Ramos loved the idea of war. But he thought that perhaps survival was more important. When he found out about Spider's death later, he knew he'd made the right decision about what he did next. He got down on one knee in a respectful pose and addressed Matilde, “I surrender, oh, gracious Queen! I humbly put down my weapon and offer to serve you.”

The trolls couldn’t believe what they were seeing. This was even worse than watching Spider get killed.

“If you want,” Ramos continued, “I will begin in your service right now. Do you want me to wipe out all these trolls?”

Matilde knew it wasn’t the right time to laugh, so she controlled herself. The elves exchanged glances and the Ice Maidens, of course, remained serious.

The trolls weren’t taking any chances. “Retreat!” the troll in charge yelled. And his men followed him into the woods that were close at hand. They would regroup and begin fighting again shortly. Trolls didn’t like retreating either, after all. But they had seen the damage those cannonballs could do. And they feared that Ramos the traitor giant might indeed change sides.

Matilde let the trolls fade into the woods before she spoke to Ramos, “We’ll take care of the trolls," she said. "You return to your beanstalk. If we see you again, we will destroy you.” Then she raised her hand and a good-sized contingency of Ice Maidens stepped forward. “They will see you back.”

Ramos nodded and got up. He left his weapon on the ground as he started on the journey through the Second Kingdom toward the old site of Beantown. That was the place that had been taken over by beanstalks and abandoned so long ago. The present day place with that name was built later in the Fourth Kingdom, almost as a remembrance of the original.

“Well, that’s over with,” Matilde said. “Now it’s time to reclaim the Second Kingdom. Alicia?”

Princess Alicia of the Ice Maidens stepped forward. “Yes, Matilde.”

“Pursue the trolls. And send for us the minute we’re needed.”