A.N.D. - Wolf Woods

Queen Red frowned at the patterns of light and shadow across the ceiling of her room. Her royal bedchamber was too high up for trees. Also, there was supposed to be a canopy above her bed, not rough-cut wood, and her bed was the finest of featherbeds covered in sheets and blankets that smelled of flowers and starch, as opposed to this rough-woven blanket and a mattress that felt and smelled as if were stuffed with... fur?

Where was she?

It took a moment for the memories to come back, and a longer moment to convince herself, reluctantly, that it was no nightmare.

She was ruined. Wendell had publicly proven the innocence of his wolves, which meant that Red had to keep her rashly-given word and give equal freedom to her own animals. If she did not, what was left of the wolves would revolt, probably aided by their lupine relatives who would come back from the Fourth Kingdom. There were not enough people left to stand against them. But if she did give rights to the wolves, the humans in her kingdom would revolt. In a moment of confident arrogance, she had destroyed her kingdom.

If that wasn’t painful enough, her beloved Benjamin had been hauled onto the witness stand, accused of conspiracy and murder. If it were true, then he was inevitably also guilty of treason against the Second Kingdom.

As she splashed some cold water on her face, her mind provided the mocking laughter of her mother and famous grandmother. Why did you trust a wolf? they asked her. We taught you better than that! See what your softness has brought you to!

My father urged me to kindness to all creatures! she answered in her thoughts.

Look where that got him! her mother snapped back. His precious creatures ate him, and now you’ve let them eat up our kingdom! Pathetic enough that Gretel the Great let hers fall prey to the trolls. Now you’ve handed three generations of work over to the wolves! At least trolls walk on two legs!

At least some wolves have manners! Red shot back.

Her grandmother’s memory made a rude, scornful noise. Like your precious pet? That one should have been put down at birth. He’s made a laughingstock of you, destroyed our good name. You’ve ruined my kingdom, after all the work I did in creating it!

Unable to lash out at her own mind, Red punched the water. Our kingdom was already ruined! Where were the trade agreements with other kingdoms? Where was the diversity of trade that would keep us going through hard times, the tourist attractions that would bring new money in? You gave me nothing to work with! Nothing but woods and emptiness and a shallow belief in my own superiority. Well, you can’t eat a reputation! You can’t protect a border with a famous name!

A soft tap sounded at the door. “Wrentree? It’s Lucy. Can I come in?”

Red sighed, smoothing out her now-wrinkled gown. Cinderella will so love seeing me looking like a ragamuffin. But I can’t hide in here forever. “I’m coming out.”

She opened the door to a pale, nervous Lucy. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No, but I can fake it.” To prove it to herself as much as to Lucy, Red drew herself up and strode down the hall. “How long was I out?”

“Not much more than fifteen minutes. I told Wendell that you had been in the sun too long.”

Red snorted sadly. If only that were true! “What has he done with Benjamin?”

“Nothing yet. He’s in the prison. I identified him as one of your citizens.”

“Lucy! Why? Now he’s going to think that I sent Benjamin to cause trouble!”

“Because if I didn’t, I think he would have had your pet executed right then.”

Wendell was down in the common room, having a quiet conversation with Lord Anthony, Lady Virginia, and that Wolf, while Elizabeth held the baby off to one side. The men leapt to their feet as Red appeared.

“Your majesty,” Wendell said with more consideration than he’d ever had since she’d arrived, “are you feeling well? Is there anything I can do for you?”

Yes. Make this day go away. “I am quite well, Wendell, and eager to finish this business.”

He hesitated. “Your secretary tells me that the accused is one of your citizens? Is this one of the criminals that you want extradited?”

“He... yes. Yes he is. I want him back.”

“He still has to stand trial here for the death of Edwina, known as Mrs. Comfort.”

Death. Not murder. A tiny ray of hope shone through Red’s despair. If the girl got it wrong, if Benjamin had somehow been trying to protect the baby just as the embroideress Elizabeth had, then it was all just a terrible mistake. Wendell seemed ready to think that Edwina’s fate was fair, considering her crime.

“I welcome that,” Red told him. Just the slightest note of jealousy escaped when she added, “it seems that your mirror is preferred to my court system anyway.”

Wendell nodded and beckoned to the others, who gathered up their things and followed him out the door. All except Elizabeth. She paused in the doorway, looking back for just a moment.

“I will punish him for stealing and blaming you,” Red promised in a dead voice. “There will be justice.”

The embroideress stared at her for a moment. “Yes,” she said softly. “You have always been just, as you understand justice.” She cocked her head. “I’m sorry.” Then she was gone, following the others before Red could ask her what that was supposed to mean.

The royal viewing stand had been rearranged. The chairs for Wolf, Virginia, and Lord Anthony had been removed; the collective Lewises were now sitting down among the wolf dignitaries, on the ground off to one side.

Cinderella’s throne was also gone and Red’s pulled into center stage next to Wendell’s. At Red’s surprised expression, Wendell shrugged, suddenly shy. “She wanted to rest and I thought that maybe you didn’t want to deal with our dirty laundry in front of her.”

It was a concession that she hadn’t expected, and Red was unexpectedly touched.

“Do you know the name of this wolf?” Wendell asked as they seated themselves.

“Yes.” Red gripped her hands together to stop them from shaking. “His name is Benjamin. He is my personal pet.”

Wendell glanced sharply at her, but Red was biting the inside of her lip to keep from betraying anything in her expression. It’s going to be all right. It’s not as bad as it looks. After all, it looked terrible for Wolf and Elizabeth, and they came out all right. He’ll start talking, and it will all make sense, and the mirror will show that he hasn’t done anything really wrong, and we’ll go home, away from all of this!

The soldiers brought him back on, a kicking, snarling, cursing mess that had almost no resemblance to her polished, well-trained pet, and Red bit right through her lip. Busy swallowing blood, she left the first questions to Wendell.

“Are you the wolf known as Benjamin, pet of Queen Red Riding Hood the Third?” was his reasonable beginner.

Benjamin pulled himself upright. Now! Now he’ll make everything okay! He looked at Wendell, then turned to Red. She smiled encouragingly at him.

For the briefest of seconds her personable pet smiled back. Then, suddenly as a striking snake, he reared back and spit at her. “I have been the slave of Red the Turd since I was a child,” he snarled at Wendell.

This is a nightmare. This isn’t happening, this is a nightmare. This isn’t happening, it’s a nightmare, it’s not real, it’s not real...

She started to shake so hard that she could feel her throne dancing on the platform. Lucy reached over to clutch her arm, whether to comfort her or to steady her, Red didn’t know. What had happened to him? Had he ever really been her loving pet? So many things he had told her and she’d done anything, believed anything, just as long as it came out of his mouth. He’d flattered and attended her, just like a wild wolf tempting a girl off the path in the woods.

And like a silly child, she had followed.

Red snapped her attention back to the present just as the mirror showed Benjamin slamming someone’s head against a wall until they had no face left. That must have been the luckless Edwina. Wendell was about to ask another question, but Red cut him off. She’d rather cut out her tongue than say what she had to say next. She didn’t want to know. She couldn’t bear to know. But she was Queen of the Second Kingdom, and that bore certain responsibilities.

“Mirror! Show me the truth of everyone this wolf has wronged!”

Flash. A very small Benjamin watched two of the wolf servants sneaking back from a tryst in the woods under the full moon and tattled to her mother. Red remembered that case. Despite the intervention of her father, the couple had been hung, leaving behind a young son.

Flash. A slightly older Benjamin was soundlessly promising something to a young Red, his fingers crossed behind his back even while he crossed his heart.

Flash. Benjamin took food from the kitchen, then blamed another, who was whipped for it.

Flash. Flash. Flash.

Flash. Once more, the golden thread disappeared into his pocket.

Flash. The next morning, he held the broken collar and severed tail in his hands, elaborately describing a conspiracy.

Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash. The pictures came faster now, cycling almost too fast to see-not that she could see very well with the tears spilling no matter how she tried to keep her royal composure.

Flash. Sneaking steadily, Benjamin turned the key in Uncle Chancey’s door, snarling and menacing the old man inside until he clutched his chest and fell. UNCLE! I knew you’d been frightened to death!

Flash. Benjamin planted a map in a dignitary’s room.

Flash. A familiar bundle of anti-Red propaganda was shoved under a mattress.

Flash. Now he was in Maddie’s room-Maddie’s! She was innocent! Oh, thank all the fairy godmothers that she had not executed the so-called conspirators!

Benjamin must have read some of her thoughts on her face, for he began to laugh, an ugly, cruel sound that had nothing of humor in it. “You were so easy!” he taunted. “I could play you like an instrument, to any tune I wanted!”

“Why?” she pleaded, hoping to touch anything that remained of her gentle pet. “I gave you everything!”

“YOU GAVE ME NOTHING!” he shrieked, as the mirror flickered through picture after picture of him writing lying reports, chatting up the New Sanctuary conspirators, and small petty crimes around town. “I’M A PERSON AND YOU TREATED ME LIKE AN ANIMAL! I’M NOT PROPERTY!”

“If you hate humans,” Wendell asked, “why did you help the human conspiracy?”

Benjamin spat at him now. “Wolflover! Wait until they turn on you! Wait until they cast you out like my mother! I hate wolves! They ate King Carmine, the only one who ever treated me like I mattered!” His yellow glare burned into the crowd. “YOU SHOULD ALL DIE! DIE, LIKE THE NASTY, WORTHLESS PREY YOU ARE! DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!”

Wild eyed and trembling, Red looked into the mirror.

The reflection of the audience, royalty, and attendants all looked correct. But the reflection of Benjamin was distorted. In the mirror, his eyes were wild and yellow, his hair on end, his hands claw-tipped and bloodstained. Foam dripped from his lips as he snarled and fought his bonds.

He looked rabid, like a mad dog. Grandmother! That’s what the mirror is telling us! Her pet, her baby, her perfect boy...

Was mad. Totally insane.