A.N.D. - Wolf Woods

Despite spending most of his life in a cage-or possibly because of it-Benjamin had always hated waiting. The sun had long since risen when they came to fetch him out of jail, and it had been irritating to spend so much of the day inside.

He’d lost his temper yesterday. That had been foolish, but what could anyone expect? Months of meticulous planning, a perfect plot, almost flawless execution (by mere humans yet!), and everything ruined in an afternoon by the Puppy Prince’s silly mirror! He simply had to break the evil thing. His luck couldn’t get any worse right now anyway, and besides, he was confident that he would always win out in the end.

But the big man from the prison proved very resistant to Persuasion, too resistant to allow an escape. He wouldn’t even remove the chains and after Benjamin tried to use the power of his voice along with his eyes, the gag had been returned. Furthermore, there were guards on the guards posted inside and out. He had been able to control one or two, but he’d never be able to control this many at once.

It had all been quite insulting.

Benjamin privately promised himself that the prison governor would be first to die. They had watched each other warily all through the night, Benjamin amusing himself with imagining the humiliations that silly, useless Wolf must have suffered at the human’s hands. That he himself would end up in such a position was unthinkable. His control over Queen Red was too complete. Yes, he had yelled at her yesterday, but look at how she had reacted! Any other courtier who rose his voice to her was treated with cold insolence at best and often punishment, while his own temper had sent her off in tears. You think I am the pet, my lady, but the truth is the other way around. Is that what you saw in the mirror that was so upsetting? Yourself firmly in a collar at the end of my leash?

No matter. He could recapture her again today. She had too few friends, needed him too much to get rid of him. He was, after all, her showpiece of wolfish perfection. Once she got within range of his voice and eyes she would be all but begging to have her pet back. There might be some minor punishment, but he’d work his way back up to prominence.

And then there was Cinderella. The old were easiest to Persuade, and that overpainted corpse was certainly ancient enough to fall at the first flash of his eyes. He’d work on her next; exaggerate her dislike of Red until he led her into making some sort of rash challenge. It wouldn’t be hard to make her say something like Red betraying her heritage by not controlling one pet wolf-Red always went nuts over anything that suggested she wasn’t upholding the family name. Then Red would have to pardon him, because punishing him would be admitting that she couldn’t control him, that her plans had failed.

Once he had a plan he was anxious to get it working, so the delay after dawn was intolerable. How long does it take you to paint that pretty face, my lady? Do you keep crying and messing up the picture you present to the world? Finally, guards came for him. If the gag wasn’t there, he would have demanded to know what took them so long. Didn’t they realize how powerful and special he was?

Benjamin noted every bruise and shove during his drag to the witness platform. Sooner or later, revenge could be taken for those slights!

They were all there, lined up in their pomp and circumstance, as if they were better than anyone else. The Puppy Prince in his white and gold, wishing he was as important to history as his grandmother. The overdressed, desiccated Cinderella, holding on to her glory days two centuries after a wiser woman would have given it up. And between them, Red the Turd, tiny and wide-eyed as a child. Oh, he knew that toss to her head! She was trying to be so pompous and regal, but he could smell the truth. She was sad and scared-useless, useless! She really was the worst of both parents, blending the coldness of her mother and the softheartedness of her father and calling it humanity and mercy. Weakness, that’s all it was!

Her sycophantic secretary was nowhere to be seen. Good. He was as tired as everyone else at the constant interruptions as Lucy proved unable to handle the realities of a wolf’s life. No wonder Red was so weak! Everyone she surrounded herself with was worthless-except for himself!

The crowd was back, staring at him with avid eyes, like the wolf pack driving his mother out when she tried to return, like the crowds watching Red’s many whippings, mutilations, and executions. Benjamin snorted at them around the gag. They were going to get a real show today. They were going to watch a master make three crowns dance to his tune!

Red nodded to the guard, and Benjamin’s gag was removed. He thought it quite magnanimous of himself for not biting the man when he was so temptingly close.

“Benjamin Wolf, you stand accused of many crimes to the Second Kingdom and the crimes of bearing false witness, intimidating a witness, and murder in the Fourth Kingdom. Is there anything you wish to say before sentence is passed?

“My Liege Lady,” Benjamin soothed, pouring out everything he had with the soft words. “I have been confused and led astray. I know that you in your wisdom and mercy...”

The bitch cut him off! “Benjamin Wolf, know that you cannot talk your way out of this. The truth of your many actions has been shown in the magic mirror.”

“Magic mirrors can lead astray,” Benjamin pointed out, trying to keep the anger out of his voice so he could maintain his reasonable tone. “Look at how they twisted Snow White’s stepmother and the late Evil Queen.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Virginia blanch. Wow, she really had been related to the would-be empress? All that power in her blood and she’d almost been killed so easily with a piece of pastry? If he’d had such a background, if he had a name as a hero, he wouldn’t bury himself alive in a blended town in the middle of the woods. Stupid fool! She deserved to die just for wasting her potential!

Red was as stubborn as a mule, though, and well he knew it. “Mirrors used for evil, selfish ends can only reflect evil. This one has not been so used. Instead, it reflected the light of truth onto dark deeds.” She frowned ever so delicately-even in the middle of a trial she was trying to avoid wrinkles, vain thing! Fine, try to hold off time. See how well that’s worked for the gilded prune sitting next to you!

She took a deep breath. “Benjamin Wolf, know that your co-conspirators have already been taken to life sentences at Snow White Memorial Prison. You, however, will not share their fate.”

He couldn’t help the smile, although he erased it as soon as he heard the growl from the crowd. Ha! And he didn’t even need Persuasion after all, only her soft weakness!

Red turned to face the crowd. “I call to every wolf who has been affected by the actions of Benjamin Wolf. I ask them, and if they are not here, their family members, to step forward now.”

There was general consternation. Cinderella scowled, bending down to ask something in Red’s ear. His diminutive queen just shook her head. Only Wendell looked unsurprised. After a few minutes shuffling and muttering, people started to step forward.

Out of the corner of his eye, Benjamin watched Wolf stand up, handing his brat to his mongrel-loving wife. His sister also stood, shaking her head at him, holding out a hand. Wolf frowned mightily, but he took the baby back again while that fidgity little sewing wench joined the crowd. So many were milling there, most of whom he didn’t recognize. Not fair! Make them prove I had anything to do with them! Some of those he did know, however, were nervous of him still. And well they should be. When he thought Red wasn’t looking, he curled a lip at those he recognized. The meek ones flinched but the herbalist made a rude gesture, her hand held down where the royalty couldn’t see her.

Feet stamped behind him, and Benjamin turned to see a line of Second and Fourth Kingdom guards lining up along three sides of the platform. Queenie, what nonsense are you up to? Cut it out and let’s go home.

Red gulped for air like a fish out of water before she made her next proclamation. “I have always believed in showing the instruments of punishment to the condemned. Benjamin Wolf, see before you the instruments of your punishment-those you have wronged. Assembled wol...” She cleared her throat. “You people assembled before me, please line up in two rows, leading from the platform, facing each other.”

A beating line? A beating line! How undignified, how common and cruel! She would pay for this when he had healed! Oh, he’d bow and act humble and reformed, just enough to lure her back in, but then she would pay dearly for this humiliation!

The line was so big that it had to snake in curves, and for the first time Benjamin began to sweat. Even at one punch each he would be badly damaged, especially if some of them cheated and hit twice or went for the kidneys instead of his back and shoulders. Then he noticed that the mutilated embroideress was holding a large pair of sharp-looking scissors. No longer cringing, she looked him right in the eye, caressing the shears and smiling coldly. If he hadn’t been chained, he would have reached for his tail. As it was, he flinched as far as he could in that direction and her smile grew wider, showing unfriendly teeth.

Red, who had been standing (not that it made much difference for such a tiny little mouthful), sat down in her throne and laced her fingers in her lap. For the first time Benjamin realized that she was so short that her feet came off the ground when she did that, and had to smother his snort of laughter. There would be time to laugh about that later, after he’d gone through the ordeal the prim bitch was setting up. A shift in the breeze brought her scent to him, ever more acrid with fear and... pain? How dare she act the hurt one, when he was the one facing broken bones and a missing limb?

Her chin went up. “Benjamin Wolf, ordinarily I would leave you tied up to face your punishers and think about your crime. Time does not permit that, so we shall proceed immediately. Have you anything to say?”

Thinking about those sewing shears, Benjamin licked his suddenly dry lips. “Mercy my lady! Mercy from your devoted pet!”

She looked down at her hands, and for a hopeful moment he thought she was nodding. Then her head came back up, and Benjamin realized with dawning horror that she would not look at him. “Benjamin Wolf, I give you the same mercy you gave these wol... people.” She bent forward to look at those in line. “He is yours, for you to spare or punish as you will.”

Benjamin gasped, his blood going cold. Really, this was going too far! The shock made him lose control, his anger bursting out of him. “As if there is mercy and understanding from the like such as this!”

“Appropriate last words,” Wendell said, raising his hand. With a sweep of the white glove, the chains fell away. Benjamin looked wildly down at them all; the shears, the rocks being picked up, the clenched fists. Behind and around him was the hissing ring of swords pulled from scabbards.

No way backwards. No way to the side. But if I take two running steps and jump over there, I can bypass most of the line, and they’ll fall over each other trying to turn to get me. Those wolves look fairly weak in that area, and there’s only a human or two. I can fight my way free and break into the woods. Nobody will dare chase me, not now that all of their superstitions have been reinforced by the mirror. He glanced over his shoulder, but the soldiers were between him and the glass. No way to break it. With a sigh for lost opportunities, he gathered himself and jumped.