Debbie Banna - Shattered Dreams, New Beginnings

“They’re here, they’re here!” Lord Rupert shouted, rushing into the family dining room. King Wendell set down his spoon and arose immediately from his chair. Queen Rose had already arisen from hers and looked to Wendell with an expression of excitement gracing her lovely face.

“Oh Wendell! Thank God they’re back!” she sighed. He came to her side and took her arm, and then the two exited the room together.

Just this morning King Eranthis had sent the communicating mirror used by Snow White to Wendell’s castle by way of his royal messengers. One of his top aides had accompanied it to ensure its safety. He now stood guard by the treasure, which had been set up in Wendell’s war room. It was always safest to send a guard along when Tony was expected in the area. Since his last escapade with mirrors, Eranthis cringed every time Tony neared one of his precious looking glasses.

Wendell and Rose entered the war room and found themselves almost knocked to the ground by the flying projectile that hurled itself at them. “Wolf!” Rose laughed in joy as he wrapped his arms around them. “Oh. I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve been so worried,” she scolded.

“It’s good to be back, dear sister,” Wolf said, then looking at Wendell he asked, “Have you been taking good care of my sister?”

“As best as I was able with you gone and her being in such a state. Where in the world have you been?” the king asked his friend.

“Oh, here and there. Just wandering around a bit. Not anything you had to worry about,” Wolf replied rolling his eyes and avoiding looking at them.

“Right,” Matilde, who watched the exchange from her chair across the room, muttered sarcastically under her breath.

Rose pushed her brother away from them and examined him carefully. “Looks like everything is all there,” she said laughing. Then, pulling him to herself again, she snuggled closely in his arms and inhaled his familiar scent. “After so many years apart, I didn’t realize how much it meant to me to have found my brother again. Oh, I have missed you so.”

Wolf reveled in the attention and affection he was now receiving. He especially missed the sweet, feminine touch that Rose was now lavishing upon him. Though it was delightful, it reminded him of his purpose for returning and, though still holding Rose, he spoke over her head to Wendell. “The mirror is here, Wendie, and I’m as ready as can be. Let’s talk to the old girl and find out how to get my Virginia back.”

Rose reluctantly released her brother but followed him to the mirror, holding onto his hand. She was determined to allow nothing to hurt her adored older brother again and she stood by him as if her presence could ward off trouble. Tony, Wendell and Matilde joined them before the communicating doorway. They all looked at each other and took a deep breath before continuing.

Wolf took charge this time, his expectancy so great that he could almost not stand in one place for more than a moment. He shifted from foot to foot as he spoke. “Snow White? Are you in there? We’re back. Come on and hurry it up, please.” For a moment nothing happened and Wolf’s impatience took over. “Huff, puff, come on old girl. You’ve got to be there.” He stepped forward and reached out to the mirror as if he were going to shake it but the guard standing nearby delivered a shark slap to his arm and Wolf pulled back in surprise. He glared at the guard and growled.

“That’s enough boys!” spoke a voice from within the mirror. The form of Snow White stood before them, her dark eyes watchful as she waited for the men to settle down again. “ So you’re here? Good. I see that you have completed your task, Wolf,” she noted.

“Task? What task?” Wolf asked her in confusion.

“You have returned the rightful ruler of the Sixth Kingdom to his throne. Without your help, the Nine Kingdoms were soon to have been plunged into war with a dangerous and untrained wizard. His powers were strong but uncontrolled and he has been plotting to undermine the governments of the other eight kingdoms and claim them for his own by force. With your encouragement, the spell has been broken which prevented the rightful king from regaining his throne, and he is even now on his way home. When he arrives, he will find a people ready to receive him as king.”

“The rule of the Naked Emperor has been unusual and harsh on them. With Venican, the wizard manipulating the kingdom, the people have suffered many injustices. As soon as the spell was broken, Prince Allistar’s brother, who is now almost a man himself, awoke from his enchantment and convinced some of the palace guards of his identity. There is a plot underfoot to overthrow Venican, which will be accelerated with the return of Allistar. So you see by befriending Prince Allistar and Loyalina, you have set an important chain of events in motion.”

“You found him?” Tony asked in astonishment, looking at his son-in-law.

“Actually, he found me,” Wolf answered humbly. “He discovered me in the woods and brought me to his home. He befriended me.”

Tony turned back to the mirror with a question for Snow White. “So what’s happened to Adora? Was her enchantment broken too?”

“Yes. When Allistar discovered love with his beautiful Loyalina, the spell was broken for all of the siblings. Adora has recovered from the wound your rock throwing caused and is now preparing to return to her home.”

They all turned to look at Tony with confused expressions. He turned red and shrugged. “I didn’t mean to hit her,” he said. Their curiosity turned to disbelief and disgust at his statement.

“You hit a woman with a rock?” Wolf spoke for all of them.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later. For now, let’s get back to Virginia,” he avoided and turned his gaze to the mirror.

Slowly each pulled their attention away from him and returned it to Snow White. Wolf spoke up again. “So now what, Snow? How do we rescue my beautiful Virginia from her cold, lifeless condition?”

“This information I must give to you alone Wolf. You are the one who has caused this wrong. You are the one who must right it,” she said.

“I? I did something to cause her death? OH, I knew it! I knew it had to be me! I felt it all along. It was my fault. How can I ever forgive myself,” he went on.

“Wolf. Get a hold on yourself,” Tony warned sharply. “My daughter needs you.”

“Oh, you’re right, Tony. But huff, puff, how could I ever have hurt my creamy, dreamy girl?”

“I’ll tell you that in private,” Snow spoke from the mirror. The others, realizing that it was time to leave Wolf alone with her, withdrew from the room, albeit reluctantly. Once they were alone, Snow White spoke again. “Wolf, up until now, you have been a kindhearted man but you have also been ruled by your animal side. Because of this, you have blatantly broken the most basic precepts of the Nine Kingdoms. When these precepts are violated, they make it impossible for a person to live happily ever after.”

“Precepts? I don’t know anything about precepts. I’m just a wolf.”

“No Wolf. You are more than a wolf. You are a man. You are a prince. And it’s time you learned how to be better at both. You see, in a kingdom whose philosophy it is to offer happily ever after to its people, there have to be a few rules. In order for our people to continue in their happiness, we live by three basic principles, selflessness, innocence and justice. When the first two principles are violated, the third comes into play. And you, Wolf, have violated the first two in your relationship with Virginia.”

Wolf stood riveted before the mirror, trying to comprehend what Snow White was telling him. “But I don’t understand. What did I do to hurt my dreamy girl? How could our love have violated anything?”

“Think back Wolf to a day in the woods just before the three of you entered Wendell’s castle and outmaneuvered the wicked queen. What happened in the woods?” she questioned pointedly.

Wolf turned his eyes away from hers and scratched at his eyebrow nervously. “The woods? Uh…you saw that? I thought that we were alone.”

“I see everything, Wolf. I have been given the duty of overseeing all that happens within the kingdoms and ensuring their welfare and survival. The problem is that the decision you made that day to take away Virginia’s innocence has set up a precedent that will cause a decline within the kingdoms. Others have taken note of the course you chose to take that day and have already chosen to do the same. If this continues, the consequences of breaking the kingdom principles will be that happily ever after will cease to exist and we will become like many other kingdoms, including Virginia’s own Tenth Kingdom,” she finished.

“I see,” Wolf answered thoughtfully. “I never realized that this was so important. But what can I do now? How do I change things to protect my precious girl from what I did to her? I only thought I was loving her.”

“Love, Wolf, does not think of itself. That is lust. If you truly do love Virginia, there is a way to make things right. Matilde’s traveling dust can send you back in time to that day in the woods. There, you can choose for Virginia’s best interests instead of your own and prevent the inevitable consequences that were set in motion that day.”

“But I thought you told us the last time that we traveled in the past that we were not allowed to change things while we were there,” Wolf reminded.

“It is very dangerous, I admit,” Snow spoke carefully, “but it is necessary to prevent the downfall of our world. I caution you to change nothing else if you can prevent it. Just changing this one thing will cause other things to turn out a bit differently. As much as it is within your power, do your best to insure that all things turn out the same in spite of this change. But make it very clear to those around you that you are following kingdom principles. Your example will go far in preventing the decline that will cause our downfall. And Wolf, be especially specific when it comes to Tony. He brings with him the values of his kingdom and has the potential to bring on the disaster that you will now avoid.”

“I understand, Snow. I will do my best to save my Virginia and the kingdoms,” he answered.

“Call Matilde to join us now,” Snow instructed and Wolf quickly moved to do her bidding. Opening the door to the War Room, Wolf beckoned to Matilde, who followed him into the room. Together they stood before the mirror awaiting Snow White’s instructions. “It is time, Matilde. You do still have your pouches of traveling dust with you, don’t you?” she asked the woman.

“I do. Just where is it we need to go and how far will it be?”

“Wolf will travel back a very short time. He will be returning to our kingdom around ten months ago. You’ll need to select the dust carefully. It is important that he arrives at just the right time. There is the potential for much danger if he is allowed too much time in the past,” she instructed. “Let’s work this out together.”

Sensing he would not be needed for the moment, Wolf withdrew from the presence of the women and crossed to the window, lost in his own thoughts. Who would have believed that such a private moment between he and Virginia would cause so much trouble? He had wanted to love his beautiful girl so desperately that day, not realizing that he was not really loving her at all. This thinking was totally foreign to his way of life. As a wolf, he lived by instinct and was ruled by his animal nature. But he knew in his heart that Snow White was right. He was more than an animal and, since he had met Virginia, he had been learning to take control of that side of himself. It seemed that whenever he followed it, disaster occurred. His wolf side had caused him to be thrown into prison in the first place. Then, he had almost been burned to death for his foray into the hen house, when he sought to satisfy his appetite the wrong way. In spite of this, he continued to revert back to his animal self when his feelings clamored strongly for attention.

“Wolf, we’re ready for you now,” Matilde called, disrupting his moment of contemplation.

“I’m ready,” he said, returning to the mirror. Drawing himself up to his full height, he stood, a determined expression set across his face. “I can do this. I will do this,” he declared.

“Then here we go,” Matilde spoke, and with a flash of dust tossed from her hand, Wolf disappeared.