A.N.D. - Wolf Woods

“The people want the wolves to go away. The wolves want to be accepted as fellow citizens. I’m still getting hundreds of complaints every day that humans have attacked wolves and wolves have attacked humans. Chancellor Griswold thinks I should give the wolves a village or two to themselves. Lord Anthony warns me against building something he calls a ghetto. What do I do?”

Wendell stopped his pacing and met each of their eyes in turn, asking plaintively again, “What do I do?”

But the five portraits didn’t answer him.

It was turning into a new ritual. Every night before he went to bed, he’d sneak back into the throne room and discuss the problems of the day with the Five Great Women. The inspiration he hoped for rarely came, but it let him clear his mind and at least the Women didn’t argue with him. (Except when Aunt Cindy answered his mail.)

Still, it made him feel better to look at the Great Women. They had been through so much, accomplished so much more; they made him feel small and calm and hopeful all at once. They weren’t just women, they were symbols.

People needed symbols.

Wolves were people. Wendell looked to the left, where a rather bad picture of himself as a dog and his travelling companions held a spot until a better portrait could be painted. Plenty of wolves were willing to talk to him or his messengers, but he knew that many more of them were melding into the woods, hiding, refusing to join society for fear of what would happen to them. When wolves saw him, they saw only a scroll with a pardon. He wasn’t a symbol to them; he was someone who had given them a great gift and could take it away equally capriciously.

Wolf was a symbol. If Wolf said something to his people, they would follow from respect instead of fear or curiosity. If Wendell asked Wolf to say something to his people...

But why would Wolf come back? Virginia had a total monomania about going back to her city, she wouldn’t leave now. And what did Wolf have to come back for-being called a nonperson by both humans and wolves?

Wait, hadn’t Anthony just told him that Wolf was finally about to make an honest woman out of Virginia? Who wouldn’t want a big fancy wedding? Anthony was going back anyway to give them presents-something about gold rings for the couple and silver bullion thread for whatshername, the girl who turned out to be Wolf’s sister. Wendell would have to find a really good present for them, something they could only have if they came back to the kingdoms.

Oh, better yet-hold their wedding here! Wolf and Virginia were legendary heroes, they deserved a state wedding, and Rupert would have so much fun planning it! Poor Rupe had been feeling a little let down now that all his years of work on the coronation were over. And that shy little sister would come back too to be with her brother, giving him another chance to try to coax her into working for him.

“Thank you, Ladies, once again you’ve given me a solution.” Wendell blew a kiss to his grandmother, jauntily saluted the other four, and went happily off to bed.

“He doesn’t want to?”

“Now, I didn’t say that, I just said he wanted time to think about it. They’re getting all ready for the wedding there, the plans are set and everything,” Anthony soothed.

“That means he doesn’t want to.” Wendell sighed. “You told him about the offer of a state wedding here?”

“I told him about the offer. Y’know, I still can’t believe I’m going to be a grandpa!”

You should have believed that since the night you let your little girl go off with a wolf of all people in Kissingtown of all places. “He wouldn’t have to stay, he could go back to your world.”

“I told him that too. Look, it’s just a few more weeks, let them get married among their friends and I’ll ask again. I couldn’t think of anything but getting through the ceremony when I was about to get married.”

“He’s not going to come,” Wendell moaned.

“Ow!” Red glared at her lady-in-waiting, rubbing her head.

“I’m so sorry, my Liege! But if you would just stop squirming...”

“Do you know how boring it is to just sit here while you brush my hair 100 strokes, Maddie? Lucy, tell me something interesting. What’s today’s news around the kingdoms?”

“It’s better than a story, my Lady! The Ninth Kingdom has put a trade embargo on the Fourth Kingdom. No more dwarf-made anything until they give up Lord Anthony, who has disappeared.”

“Disappeared!”

“The official statement is that he’s gone to the Tenth Kingdom to give his daughter away to that wolf. Y’know what I think, Wrentree? Nobody’s seen the wolf since the coronation feast. I think they were foolish enough to let it eat real meat and it went crazy and they had to put it down and now they’re just keeping up appearances because Wendell can’t admit he had to kill one of his travelling companions.”

“No!”

“Shush, Maddie.” Red rubbed where her hair had pulled. “He wouldn’t kill the wolf, just push it through the magic mirror and not let it back.”

“Well they say that Wolf is coming back, so soon we’ll know. And it’s bringing the Lady Virginia, and she’s pregnant! And they only just now got married!”

“Pregnant by that wolf, Lucy?”

“They were alone together in Kissingtown.”

“Ewwwwww... Ow! Wrentree, let go of my arm! If you want me to stop brushing, just say so!”

“Nevermind that! Maddie, Lucy, do you realize what this means? Virginia is the natural daughter of the Evil Queen. That makes her Wendell’s step-sister. Until he marries and sires an heir, she is the only other person who can claim a connection with the throne of the Fourth Kingdom, making her-and her children-his only successors. If she is pregnant by a wolf...”

“Suck an elf! That means a wolf could sit on the throne of the Fourth Kingdom!” Lucy gasped, her newspapers falling to the floor.

“Not while I’m queen! Lucy, run get a pen and scroll. We’re sending a message to the Fourth Kingdom. If he doesn’t take that animal out of his succession right now, I’m going to tear up our treaty.”

“But his new army...”

“So what? My soldiers have fought wolves for generations! I’ve got the only army in the whole of the Nine Kingdoms that can stand against Wendell’s Wolfpack, and he knows it. I couldn’t stop him from committing governmental suicide with that ridiculous pardon, but I can stop him from allowing the abomination of an animal king!”

“Maybe he feels a kinship because he was the Puppy Prince.”

“He’s a disgrace to his House, his throne, and his grandmother, that’s what he is! And now he’s gone too far!”