In the dark castle two uniformed men leaded Virginia and Wolf down a long hall. They had no idea why they had been summoned back so soon, but Virginia knew something was wrong. Her hand reached out, instantly finding Wolf's as the men walked them into an empty room that held a large table and chairs. The men closed the doors behind them as they left. Wolf looked down at Virginia; fear and confusion filled his intense eyes.

"Ohhhhh, I have a bad feeling about this."

"That's because I have a bit of bad news Wolf."

The two turned to face Wendell who motioned to the table. "Please sit." Wendell took a seat at the head of the table, Virginia sat to his left and Wolf sat beside her. "Virginia," His expression was solemn as he placed his hands over hers. "I'm sorry to bring the two of you back like this but..." He let his voice trail off.

"What has happened?" Virginia asked quietly.

"Your father has been kidnapped," he answered sadly.

"What?" Shock took over. Virginia and Wolf's entire bodies and Virginia's face went pale.

"Poor Tony!" Wolf cried.

"We really don't know what happened. Anthony went to his room and a few minutes later one of the servants heard him shout but when someone went in to check in on him he was gone."

Wolf opened the door to Anthony's room; Virginia and Wendell carefully went inside. The room was beautiful; there seamed to be nothing out of place. Virginia found herself admiring an intricately carved mirror frame.

"Virginia." Wendell called her out of her daydream. "What are we looking for?"

She let out a sigh. "I don't know." She felt helpless. "I just wish there were something, anything to give us a clue, some..." She stopped when her eyes fell upon the delicate hand mirror that lay on the table near the door.

"What is it?" Wolf ran over to see what she had found.

"A clue."

Virginia looked over the small mirror in her hands. It couldn't be.

"It just couldn't be."

"Be what?" Wolf asked getting impatient; he didn't smell the connection from Tony to the mirror.

"This is the mirror that Snow White gave to me." She slowly explained to him.

"Huff puff, you met Snow White!" Wolf was amazed. But she's dead.

Wrapped up in the possibilities, Virginia ignored Wolf's remark. "But my dad threw it away. How did it get here?" She stared at it as she paced the floor.

"Maybe it was left by whomever took Anthony and they wanted to make sure you would come looking for him," was the only explanation Wendell could offer.

Wendell's got a point, Virginia thought. She sat on the edge of the bed. Wolf quickly came over and sat beside her.

"There's only one way to find out." Virginia held the mirror up to her face and thought for a moment.

"Mirror, mirror of Snow White,
tell me if my dad's all right."

The image of Anthony appeared; his hands and feet were chained and a man was pushing him along a winding path.

"That's the in troll kingdom; I'd know those beanstalks anywhere," Wolf proclaimed.

"But who's that?" Virginia pointed to the man. Wolf and Wendell both shook their heads.

"He looks somewhat familiar but I can't place him." Wendell searched his brain for a moment, but to no avail. "No, I'm sorry, it's gotten much harder to remember things since I was turned into a dog."

Wolf let out a large breath. "Well there's nothing we can do at this hour. I suggest we wait until morning and then head out to the troll Kingdom," Wolf decided quickly and Virginia agreed, but Wendell became concerned.

"As you both know things were bad in the troll kingdom before but now with the king dead and his children in prison I do not think it a safe place for you, especially you, Virginia." He looked down at her protectively, but Virginia, as he knew, was determined and strong-willed, especially when it came to family.

"I need to save my father and no one is going to stop me," she stood up and demanded.

"I was just looking out for the two, or should I say three of you." Virginia quickly sat back on the bed. Wendell looked down at them. Virginia felt like she did what her father caught her kissing her first boyfriend.

"How did you know?" How anyone could have known? she wondered.

"Anthony told me he was under the impression that something was amiss and your reaction just now is proof enough for me."

"Dad, how did he..." She looked over at Wolf, whose devilish eyes shone through his sheepish grin.

Did I forget to tell her about the Grandpa comment? He quickly tried to change the subject before she could ask any more questions. "I think it's time to got to sleep. We've got a long trip ahead," was all he could think to say.

The night was anything but restful for Virginia. Nightmares took over her head, leaving Virginia alone and scared. Virginia found herself in an old dark forest looking for her father. A soft voice came from somewhere nearby.

"Virginia"

"Dad?" Her heart leapt. Could it really be her father?

"Virginia," it called again.

"Dad, where are you?" she cried frantically, looking around her.

"Look up!" She looked up and hanging from one of the tallest trees was a large iron cage with her father inside.

"Dad," she called up to him.

"Virginia," he called down to her again but this time his voice was strange and distorted. "Wake up!"

The trees disappeared, leaving Virginia falling through a black nothingness.

Virginia sat up like a shot, frightening Wolf so that he hurried to the other end of the bed. He had been, for the last few minutes, trying to wake her up. He moved slowly back next to her and began running his hand through her soft hair.

"We should get going soon my darling beauty. It's a long way to the troll kingdom," he said and left her so she would have time alone to change into the clothes that were laid out for her. Wolf wandered off to see if Wendell's men had the horses ready.

Virginia brought herself back into reality and quickly got up and dressed. The sundress that she had been wearing was not suitable for such a trip so Wendell'd had his tailors make her a pair of pants and a shirt. She looked herself over in the tall mirror. I knew I should have worn something more durable here! she thought but then remembered that she had put it on for Wolf when they had taken a walk in the park. I look ridiculous! She was wearing a gray button-down shirt, similar to the style that Wolf usually wore, and black pants. This attire made her, as well as her little white sneakers, seem out of place. There was a soft knock at the door and wolf stuck his head inside.

"Ready, my fair Virginia?" He looked her over. He could tell she felt uncomfortable in her clothing but in his eyes she was still just as beautiful.

"Yes."

He held out his hand and she took it.

Wendell and a few of his advisors stood at the entrance of his castle as Wolf and Virginia climbed up onto their horses. The sun had just come up and the castle still held a sleepy hue.

"Are you sure you won't take any of my men with you?" Wendell was still very worried but he knew that her mind was made up. And from what Anthony had told him there was no changing it. So they said their goodbyes and the two set off for the troll kingdom.

It had been hours since their last rest. Virginia and Wolf had already been riding for hours and they were exhausted.

"Virginia dear, I think we should stop and rest for a few minutes." Wolf arched his back and squirmed around on his horse. The only thing Virginia wanted was to find her dad but she did need a rest.

"All right, but just for a few minutes." They led the horses off the path over to the stream that ran along side it.

After Virginia dismounted she nearly threw herself to the ground. Until now she had been reluctant to admit how tired she was. After he tied the horses up, Wolf sat down near Virginia using a tree to lean against. Wolf stretched his arms and legs out as far as he could. Virginia took the opportunity and crawled over to him, laying herself back against him. She took a deep breath and turned her head towards the river.

Everything about this place is beautiful, from the river to the soft scent of lilac. I wonder why I ever wanted to go back to New York?

Wolf wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her belly. Virginia could hear the soft beating of her Wolfs' heart as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Virginia, Virginia wake up, we fell asleep!"

Virginia's eyes quickly flew open to the frantic sound of his voice. It was nearly dusk and they were still sitting near the river as before. Virginia was the first to notice the missing horses.

"Wolf, the horses!" Virginia scrambled to her feet and Wolf followed, running to the spot where the horses had been.

"Oh no, I tied them up!" Wolf looked around and his eyes fell to the shining dust that was spread all over the ground where the horses had been standing. "Huff Puff, fairies!" he cried. Virginia looked at him, her expression very confused. "They love to make mischief."

"So now what?" she asked again, feeling helpless.

Wolf stopped to think for a second, took a deep breath, and said, "We follow the path on foot." Wolf started walking back to the path. "It won't be long until we reach the next town. I think there's one not too far from..." He stopped in front of Virginia and stared ahead of them.

"What?" she asked, walking around him.

He didn't even look at her as he answered her. "Virginia where's the path?"

"What?" Virginia was a ball of confusion. What does he mean 'Where's the path?' We didn't go that far from it. "How could it not be there?" She looked around, confused.

"Oh no, oh no. I should have thought before we stopped. But it didn't look like it. It hasn't inhabited the Fourth Kingdom in years." He began to run around frantically.

"Wolf what are you talking about? What are you looking for? Where are we?" Virginia asked. She couldn't understand his rambling but she knew it wasn't good.

He was looking around on the ground for something. He kept sniffing the air and mumbling to himself. "Where are they? Oh no. I smell them. Huff puff." He had apparently not found what he was looking for because he seemed very dejected as he returned to Virginia. "We must have entered the traveling forest," he explained. "It moves from place to pace during the night hours and the only way to know you're there is the faint smell of lilac and the absence of flowers. Look around. Have you seen any flowers?" She looked around and shook her head no. "This is a magic patch of forest that is inhabited by mischievous fairies that love to play tricks on anyone who falls asleep in their woods. It's not dangerous, but very hard to find your way out. Huff puff, we could be lost forever."

Virginia gasped; Wolf reached up and scratched near his eyebrow as he frantically looked around. "Okay, okay we just have to think. Is there any way to talk to a fairy - you know, ask them to let us go?" she asked. Wolf thought a moment.

"Well that's if you can find one, but they're usually hiding." They looked at each other, reaching an epiphany at the same time. They began looking around bushes and up in trees, trying to find a fairy that would help them. But their search was unsuccessful and they both returned to their clearing.

"Nothing," Virginia stated.

"Me too." Wolf was starting to get very anxious and unable to stand still. Suddenly a light airy laughter came from somewhere above Wolf and Virginia.

"Ohhh!" Wolf cried, scratching his eyebrow as he spun around looking for the source of the laughter.

"Who's there?" Virginia called as the laugher multiplied. "Look, this is all a big mistake but please, we need to find my father - he's been kidnapped and could be in a lot of danger." They stood waiting for an answer.

"You are known throughout the land as she who defeated the queen with her own two hands," a high-pitched voice responded. Wolf shot a concerned look at Virginia but she didn't see it.

"Wait, Virginia. If you can get a fairy to appear they have to grant you a wish ... uh ... I think." Virginia's eyes lit up, Wolf wished he could remember where he had heard that from.

"The words that you say Wolf are true.
A Fairy seen will grant one wish to you."

Virginia was happy but she soon realized that this task could be easier said than done if they couldn't figure out how to get a fairy to appear.

"Well ... are you hiding um ... or invisible?" Virginia was hoping for any clue that they might give them.

"We fairies live our secret way
but to you, the heroes of this day
listen closely and lean in near
for if it is our name we hear
we have no choice but to appear."

Virginia looked over at Wolf; he was already beginning to think of names.

"Jenny? Tina?" Virginia added.

"Beatrice?"

"Alyson?"

"Constance? Eleonore?"

"Sarah?"

"Elisabeth?"

"Katie?"

Wolf and Virginia had exhausted all the names they could think of but they still had not guessed a name that would make a fairy appear. Virginia sighed as she leaned against a small tree.

"Wolf this is getting us nowhere. How are we suppose to know what a fairy's name is?"

Wolf looked down and scratched his eyebrow. "Oh wait! I remember now. My mother once told me that a fairy gets its name from the plant or animal it protects."

Instantly Virginia's mind flashed back to the quiet girl who sat in front of her in freshmen English. "Fawn?" she called, and in response a tiny angry cry, as if a child throwing a tantrum, came from above them.

"Ooooohhhhh!" A small figure began to appear from a soft blue glow in front of them. The glow seemed to emphasize her angry countenance.

"Well what do you want? Come on I haven't got all day." The being's anger surprised Wolf and Virginia.

"Hey aren't you suppose to be speaking in rhyme?" Wolf asked puzzled.

"That's just what the goody-goody fairies use to sound all smart. Now I've got a lot to do so either you make a wish or I'm leaving."

"Oh, yes. We wish we could get out of here and find my dad."

"As you wish," the Fairy replied. Suddenly a young deer appeared in front of Virginia and Wolf. "Follow this fawn. She will lead you to the edge of our wood. She cannot leave our kingdom but you will be shown where to find your father." With that the blue glow disappeared, leaving Virginia, Wolf and the fawn standing in the clearing. The fawn looked up at them with her big brown eyes and began through the trees, leaving Virginia and Wolf to follow. Wolf was very hungry but Virginia could sense his restlessness and made sure he kept his distance from the fawn. They walked for the remainder of the day and long into the night. Finally they arrived at a small clearing with three signposts and paths leading to the right and left.

The sign on the left read: Now Leaving The White Kingdom

The sign that pointed to the right said: The Red Kingdom 112 ml

The sign in the center read: BEWEAR! Now Entering The Troll Kingdom Bean Town 1/2 ml

The fawn stood in front of the path that led to the Troll Kingdom.

"Well I guess this is our stop." Virginia said as she bent down and gave the small animal a hug.

Wolf scratched near his eyebrow and looked around anxiously. "Uh, Virginia, I have a question. Now what?" Wolf asked.

She looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? 'Now what?'"

"Well, we're here but we still don't know where Tony is."

She thought for a moment, then pulled the hand mirror out of her bag. Wendell insisted that they bring it and a few other things to keep them safe. She held it up and asked to see her father again. This time he was in a large iron cage.

"Okay, it looks like he's in a cave. Are there any mountain caves in the Bean Town?" she asked Wolf who scratched his eyebrow.

"I don't know." He looked apologetically into her eyes.

So much for finding Dad. This is hopeless. she thought as her eyes wandered around, coming to a stop on the fawn.

"Fawn. Fawn, where are you? We wished to find my dad and he's not here so where are you?" The fawn suddenly took on a blue glow as it began to fade. It was slowly replaced by the angry fairy.

"Do I have to do everything?" she shouted in her high-pitched bell-like voice. "Okay, listen up. Take the path down that way. When you reach the big dead tree the path will turn right. You have to go left. You'll come to a bridge and on the other bank is the cave where your father is." With that, she quickly vanished, leaving Virginia and Wolf in the dim glow of the moonlight.

Now out of the Fairy Forest, they slept for the remaining hours till dawn before setting off into Bean Town. The huge stalks made it impossible for any light to make it through to the forest floor. As they walked through, Virginia held Wolf's hand. Although he tried to be brave, Virginia could feel Wolf holding her hand a little tighter. Virginia felt a thousand eyes on her the whole time as she looked around nervously. After turning from the main path, Wolf nearly fainted when he heard a bell-like chime coming from Virginia's left hand.

"If I were you I would turn back fast," sang the ring.
"Danger lies at the end of the path."

"Danger!" Wolf cried, his eyes wide and worried.

"What kind of danger?" Virginia asked holding her ringed hand to her face, but the ring would not answer her. This, of course wasn't the first time it had foretold the future for them. Thinking back, Virginia realized that the ring had been the reason they'd gone to the park the other night instead of the movies. Who knew Wendell's men would be there waiting for them? The ring, she answered her own question. As they walked slowly around a large hill, an old wooden bridge came into view.

"Toll bridge," Virginia read from the sign as she began to cross, but Wolf pulled her back quickly.

"What?" she demanded angrily. A low growl rose up from under the bridge. Wolf and Virginia held on to each other tightly out of fear.

"Who dares to cross my bridge?" The booming voice echoed from somewhere under the bridge.

"I guess the sign should say Troll Bridge," Wolf Whimpered.

"Now what?" Virginia asked him. They could see the cave entrance on the other side of the bridge.

"Well, maybe there's some other way to get across," Wolf offered. Virginia walked to the edge of the land only to see a straight drop into nothingness.

As she stood peering over the edge, a loud growl came from under the bridge, causing the ground to shake and Virginia to lose her footing.

"Virginia!" Wolf cried, his eyes wide in terror as the love of his life began to slip into the bottomless hole. He dove to the ground, catching her right arm.

"I got you, hold on!" He pulled up but the loose rocks caused her to slide down even farther.

"Wolf!" she cried as she tried to stand in spite of the falling rocks.

"I've got you, I won't let go."

Wolf summoned up all of his strength and slowly, arm over arm, pulled her up. When he had gotten her shoulders above the edge he pulled with all his might causing them to tumble over each other, coming to a stop with Virginia on top of Wolf. They stayed there for an extended second in shock of what had just happened. Virginia wrapped her arms around Wolf. He pulled her face to his. He could see the tears forming in her eyes and his heart began to break. Wolf sighed inside. She's okay. My love, I almost lost you again, Wolf sighed, staring deeply into Virginia's eyes with his own intense blue eyes.

"You're okay, I have you and I'll never let you go," Wolf told her quietly. With tears now streaming down her face, Virginia lowered her head to rest on his chest, allowing the sound of his heart beating to comfort her through her tears.

For almost twenty minutes Virginia did not stir. Wolf was getting very worried until she rolled over onto the grass.

"Wolf," she said, not looking at him, but up into the sky, "When we get back to Wendell's castle let's get married."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

She turned on her side and faced him. "The very day we return if you like. After all, our baby's got to have a father." She mimicked him from the night she had agreed to marry him. They had agreed to go to Manhattan for a few weeks and after they got tired of life there or ran out of money they would return through the mirror and be married and live in the kingdoms. Wolf was so excited by this he jumped up and happily reached down to pull Virginia to her feet and hugged her.

"Now we've got to save my father and first we've got to get across that bridge."

Wolf's face saddened. "Oh, easier said than done, my creamy dreamy bride-to-be. All you have to do is step on the bridge and he'll know."

A devious smile spread across Virginia's face. "So let him know," she replied simply.

"Ohhh, Virginia, I don't like this idea. It's not safe."

She glared at him. He took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "Okay, but I'm bait," he stated proudly and then paused.

"Agreed," she said confidently.

Wolf walked slowly toward the bridge. Taking one step and then another he awaited a response. He looked back silently, questioning why nothing had happened. Wolf let out a sigh, which was immediately followed by a loud growl that shook the bridge, causing Wolf to jump and cry out in fear.

"You are trespassing on my bridge," the voice bellowed from under the bridge.

"Yeah, well, what are you gonna do about it?" Wolf asked in his tough voice, although Virginia could see he was scared out of his mind.

"I will eat you for dinner." A large hand reached up and grabbed the side of the bridge followed by a hideous figure. Standing hunched over as he was, he towered at least ten feet over Wolf. The drool fell from his grotesquely large mouth and his intense red eyes seemed to cut right through Wolf.

"Now I am going to eat you." The troll advanced slowly towards Wolf.

"Now!" Wolf shouted to Virginia. She ran to the bridge, held her palm out flat and blew the pink dust up at the large troll. He scrunched his face and shook his head. He began to sway from side to side and teetered backward. Losing his balance, he fell over the side of the bridge. Wolf and Virginia ran to the side and watched as he fell out of sight.

"That worked," Wolf said confidently but a little surprised.

Virginia nodded her head. "Yeah, now let's go save Dad." She quickly turned away and walked towards the cave.

The cave was dark and musty. Wolf led them through the maze of tunnels.

"Wolf, are you sure you know where we're going?" Virginia clung to Wolf's back as she whispered up into his ear. Wolf scratched his eyebrow and sniffed the air.

"His scent is strong here. He's not far," he answered confidently. As they walked on, a strange voice could be heard from somewhere inside the cave.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Wolf. "Is that Dad?"

"It sounds like he's being tortured," Wolf whimpered. Virginia shushed Wolf and pushed him on towards the sound of the voice.

"I shoulda changed that stupid lock
I shoulda made you leave your key
If I'd have known for just one second
You'd be back to bother me.
Go on now go, walk out that door,
Just turn around now cause you're not welcome anymore
La da da dee da da dee da la
La la la you'd think I'd crumble,
You think I'd lay down and die?"

Virginia and Wolf hid near the entrance of the cave that held Anthony. He sat in an iron cage hanging from the ceiling on the far side of the room. From their hiding place, Virginia stared wide-eyed at her father, who was imprisoned and singing disco of his own free will. Wolf, who was very confused, shot a concerned look at Virginia, who rolled her eyes in reply. "I leave him alone for a few days and look what he gets himself into. And I thought the city was dangerous."

"Well, looks like no one's here so lets just get him out."

Virginia got up but as she began to enter the room, Wolf pulled her back and pointed to the far wall of the cave.

"That's not a good sign," he said as Virginia caught sight of the seven mirrors that stood in a group near the wall.

"Let's get him out of here now." Virginia walked carefully into the poorly torch-lit room. Suddenly a man's voice came from behind them.

"Looking for these?" He held up a large gold key ring full of keys. But before Wolf or Virginia could react to his presence he swung the ring and knocked Wolf out with a blow to the head. Wolf could hear Virginia calling him, and Tony's confused cries from within the cave but he could not respond and everything soon fell into a fuzzy black.

Wolf's body felt as if it was numb, his head throbbed, and his entire body was frozen. It was then that he realized that he was lying on the cold damp floor of the cave. A strong smell filled his nose.

That's disgusting, he thought. Wolf forced his eyes open; he could see Virginia standing next him, her hands and feet chained by the same heavy shackles that bound him. Tony was sitting in the cage but there was no sign of the stranger who had knocked him out. Realizing he had no idea if there were any more where he'd come from, Wolf quickly shut his eyes tight. The suspense was killing him. He decided to try to get Virginia's attention to let her know he was all right, so he slowly opened his eyes. But to his surprise, the stranger who had knocked him out was standing next to him.

"Ah, the great hero awakes. Let's see if we can make you more comfortable. Wouldn't want you to miss the show." He pulled the end of the chains that ran through an iron ring in the ceiling and down to the cuffs around Wolf's wrists, causing Wolf to stand with his hands above his head.

"Who are you?" Wolf barked angrily.

"That is of little importance," he answered as he paced in the direction of Tony's cage. "All you need to know is that I will be killing you," he added flatly.

Wolf whimpered and looked over at Virginia. Now standing next to her he could see that she was out cold. He let out a gasp.

"Don't worrym Wolf, she's not dead." He paused to turn and look at Wolf. "Yet." The stranger walked over to her and looked into her face with false thoughtfulness. "Such a pretty child." He took her chin in his hand; Wolf struggled to break free to save her but the chains proved stronger than he. "It's a shame she ended up with a monster like you." Wolf growled at him and he, in turn, pulled his hand back and slapped her cheek. Wolf's eyes opened wide in shock and in anger. Virginia took in a sharp breath.

"Wolf!" she called in a low breathless voice. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around.

"Oh, how sweet." The stranger rolled his eyes and walked to the caldron on the opposite side of the room. He had the sense of humor that only a murderer's mother could love. "I've been looking for weeks of the perfect spell for you all." He poured some gray liquid into the caldron and walked to the cage that held Anthony. "After all, there are so many spells to chose from," he mocked. The stranger swung Anthony's cage, causing Tony to wake up. "But I found the simplest is always best," he finished and laughed as Anthony's arms flailed wildly in the cage.

"What the? Virginia, Wolf! What's going on?" Anthony shouted when he caught sight of Wolf and his daughter.

"Oh, I'm going to turn you into a frog," the man responded cheerfully.

"What?" Virginia cried.

He turned to her, tilted his head slightly and smiled. "Oh no, my pretty. I'll be killing you shortly."

Growling and baring his teeth, Wolf struggled to charge at the stranger.

"Knock it off," the stranger shouted.

"You are an evil man, do you know that?" Anthony, kneeling with his hands wrapped around the bars, called angrily down to the stranger.

"Yes, why thank you for saying so," he laughed. "It means so much more to me when my prisoners know what I truly am. You know my father said I was a disgrace. Can you believe that?" He waited for a reply, no one answered him but he wished they would. He did so love to torture his victims with words until they felt like frightened and weak little lambs before the real torture began. It always made it more enjoyable but he could tell he would get no such satisfaction out of the Wolf or the daughter. And the father, although inferior and weak, with the thought of what would happen to the other two he would withstand anything. The stranger then began to pace the cave floor.

"Well, anyway, one day he instructed my brothers to take me for a walk in the woods but they were to leave me there to die. But somehow we ended up here."

The three were shocked, but only Virginia could formulate the words to ask, "You were from the 10th Kingdom?"

"Yes, Germany to be exact. My brothers were eventually able to return home and they left me trapped here. But then I met her." He raised his hand and pointed to a painting of Snow White's stepmother that hung on the wall above Virginia's head.

"She taught me many things, gave me powers and made me forever young. Would you have ever thought that I am over two hundred years old?" The stranger stretched out his arms as if he wanted them to be proud of him.

"No," Wolf replied quietly as he nervously tried to reach down to scratch his eyebrow.

"It took me many years but I was finally able to exact my revenge on my family and extinguish the Grimm name."

Virginia gasped.

"You're one of the Grimm brothers?" Tony asked as he stuck his head through the bars.

"The ones who wrote all the fairy tales?" Virginia asked. She was so swept away by the thought that she could be standing in the room with one of the authors of all those stories that she nearly forgot about the throbbing pain in her wrists and ankles. But her question only seemed to anger him. His face turned red with anger and his eyes filled with rage. He walked slowly towards Virginia until his face almost touched hers.

"That was my brothers Jacob and Whilhelm, the ones who left me to die. I am Ferdinand. They were always the favorites. Everyone said they would someday be rich and famous and I would always be dirt. Well they got theirs." By this time he was shouting. Fear griped the three. If he could kill his own family what would he do to them?

"But what do did we do? Why hurt us? We've done nothing to you," Virginia asked timidly.

"You stupid little thing. You can't kill a queen and not make a few enemies. I, after all, helped the fair queen find her. She would have never realized the full potential of being evil without my help," he said slyly.

"You," Virginia whispered angerly.

Ferdinand raised his eyebrows and smiled menacingly at her. "The late queen treated me better than my own mother ever did. And in return she told me that should something happen to her I was to kill the persons responsible. And let me just tell you, Virginia, that was quite a display, crying and everything, bravo!" He glared angrily into her eyes. Virginia felt her insides knot up and break all at the same time. "I almost believed for a second as I watched you through that mirror that you were truly sorry for killing your own mother in cold blood."

"Don't you talk to her that way," Wolf growled and his eyes flashed at Ferdinand, who simply smiled at Wolf as he struggled to break free.

"The chains," Ferdinand explained, "are magic. No one could escape them, not the most powerful witch or the strongest wolf could free themselves, at least not without these keys." He picked up the key ring and shook it at Wolf who cringed at the sound. "You know, at first I thought I would just kill these two and let you suffer," Ferdinand told Virginia. "But then I realized, you being royalty and all..."

"What?" Anthony cried from his cage, his expression just as confused as Virginia's. But Wolf's eyes seemed deeply concerned as they shot back and forth between Virginia and Ferdinand. Ferdinand caught Wolf's glance and his mouth formed into an evil grin.

"Oh but you must have known, Wolf, that your beloved Virginia is the stepsister of King Wendell White of the Fourth," he said, so happily that his words almost took on the qualities of a cheerful tune. "And should something happen to him she must assume the throne."

"Well..." Wolf whimpered, his eyes filled with guilt as he lowered his head. Virginia looked over at him angrily.

"You knew about this and you never said anything?" Her voice was more hurt than mad.

"He also knows that once this fact is established and you are welcomed into the royal family, marrying him would be out of the question." Ferdinand walked over to the table near the caldron, Virginia's heart fell and she could hear Wolf whimpering softly to himself. "But don't worry, it'll be all over soon. It's too bad that traveling mirror got smashed." He directed this comment to Virginia but threw his voice to Tony. "Just think, you could be living a nice, normal meaningless life, working in a thankless job and married to a brainless man in a few years time. Do you see this mirror?" He walked over to a black mirror that stood in front of all the others, pushed down the top right corner and it flashed on. The image of Virginia reflected from it. "You see this mirror is how I know every place you've been since you've entered the Nine Kingdoms. For awhile I was unable to figure out why it would not turn on when I found the catch but then all of a sudden it flashed on and there you were.

So it's been following your every move. He made sure to look at Wolf when he emphasized the word every. Anthony looked over at his daughter and Wolf. Wolf's eyes fell to the floor. "But that's more information than you need to know so I'll just have to get around to killing you now, won't I?"

Wolf struggled again to break free but it was no use.

Ferdinand raised the dagger and advanced towards Virginia. As he lowered the dagger, his eyes caught the reflection of Queen Snow White in the blade. He turned around to face the image of Snow White in Virginia's mirror. Anger took over his entire body and he threw the dagger like a dart at the mirror.

Her image fade as the glass shattered. The frame fell, causing the others to fall in a domino effect until every mirror lie broken on the floor. His eyes opened wide at the realization of what he had just done.

"Look what you've made me do. You little brat! I'll kill you with my bare hands." He charged at Virginia but was stopped by an arrow that pierced his heart. Virginia, Wolf and Tony were all taken by surprise as he grabed the arrow and fell to the floor. They then turned their attention towards the entrance of the cave and waited in fear for the source of the arrow. Wendell slowly entered the cave, followed by his armed men. Virginia released her breath that she had been holding since Ferdinand had been shot.

"Men," Wendell commanded, "unchain Virginia and Wolf and help Anthony out of there."

A man grabbed the key ring off the table and after a few tries was able to unchain Virginia. She slowly lowered her arms and rubbed her sore wrists. Wendell walked over to Virginia as the man was unchaining her ankles.

"Are you all right?" He raised one eyebrow and curled his mouth in a sympathetic smile.

She nodded. "Yes thank you for following us," she said as somewhat of an admission of guilt.

"Well, you are family after all."

She paused for a second. Her eyes fell silent and Wolf lowered his head.

"What is it?" Wendell questioned.

"Oh it's nothing. We just can't wait to get back to Manhattan." Wolf's head shot up and his eyes moved from Wendell to Virginia, Wendell just nodded.

When they returned, there was a great ball held in their honor. The room was filled with the Kingdoms' nobility, eager to celebrate the return of their heroes. Wendell sat at the head of the grand table, Tony sat to his right, and Virginia sat next to him and Wolf next to her. The entire room seemed to buzz with joyous excitement, but a dark cloud fell over Wolf, Virginia, and her father. They ate quietly, not looking up at the other guests or anything else for that matter. Wolf raised his eyes once to steal a glance at Virginia but she did not meet his eyes. As the night wore on, all the other guests had finished their meals and risen to dance. Tony got up and found a chair in the far corner of the room. Wendell felt he had to do something. He rose from his chair and walked over to Wolf and Virginia.

"May I have this dance?" He asked Virginia as the musicians started up another tune. Virginia was hesitant; she looked over at Wolf and reluctantly stood up. Wendell bowed and Virginia Curtsied in the new mint green dress Wendell had made for the occasion and they began to dance.

"Virginia, please tell me of the matter that upsets you so. I'll promise to try to help."

She sighed as they moved. "It's nothing, really. We just can't wait to get home and back to normal."

Wendell's royal countenance saddened. "Oh I see. I was hoping you would see this as your home."

"It's just that..."

The music stopped and Lord Rupert asked for everyone's attention.

"This ball is being held in the honor of three very important people," Lord Rupert began. Virginia turned to Wendell, but he had slipped away and was now headed up the stairs to the landing where Lord Rupert and several other important men in the kingdom stood. Wendell looked down at the crowd, Tony was staring off into space in the corner, Virginia was standing on the floor looking down at her hands and Wolf still sat in his chair resting his head on his hands.

"Without further ado I'd like to ask my friends Anthony Lewis, Virginia Lewis, and Wolf to join me up here."

The crowd applauded as Virginia, her father, and Wolf slowly ascended the staircase. When they reached the landing, Wendell looked them over, wishing they would show the slightest bit of happiness but he continued anyway, "Anthony, from your multi-tasked position of royal inventive builder you have proven yourself as a vital and important part of my staff and therefore I wish to bestow upon you the noble title of Lord." Wendell turned to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen I give you Lord Anthony." The room applauded and Tony stepped forward and smiled proudly. The room quieted back down and Tony stepped back next to Virginia.

"And Wolf, you have shown courage in the most adverse of conditions and have gone above the call of duty to save Lord Anthony, Virginia, myself and my kingdom and I thank you. For you Wolf, I now have a medal." Lord Rupert brought over a blue velvet box; Wendell opened it and continued, "I had the royal metalsmith make this especially for you.” He lifted the medal from the box. “To you, the hero of the Fourth Kingdom, a medal of bravery." He held the medal up and put it around Wolf's neck. Wolf looked it over; it was beautiful. The word bravery was perfectly inscribed on the front and when he flipped it over there was an image of a pureblood wolf howling at the moon. The people applauded and for the first time since they had returned, he smiled. Wendell raised his hand and the room grew silent.

"And Virginia. It has been brought to our attention that your mother and my stepmother are one in the same. Therefore it is my pleasure to call you family and embrace you as sister." Wendell hugged her and Lord Rupert brought forward a small gold tiara. The crowd applauded loudly as the tiara was placed on her head.

"Princess Virginia, savior of the Fourth," the crowd shouted. Virginia looked down at them with an overwhelming sense of pride that was accompanied by the feeling that she finally belonged.

The evening wore down and Virginia was exhausted. Everyone wanted to talk to her, be near her, and all the gentlemen wanted to dance with her. She couldn't remember ever being half this popular but it wasn't until almost all of the guests had left that she saw her father and Wolf again. A thousand thoughts had run through her head during the night.

Did she really want to return to Manhattan?

Could she go back to the normal routine?

Would her life be dull and meaningless?

Could she give up the childhood dream of being a princess?

But after each of these questions she always asked herself one other: Could she give up Wolf?

"NO, Never!" was always her answer. No matter what the cost. And when she finally found him at the end of the night, sitting alone with his head in his hands, she knew she could never live without him.

Wolf could smell her walking near him but he felt numb and needed a little more time to prepare himself so he tried not to acknowledge her presence. She approached him and softly placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up slowly. His eyes were red and his palms were wet, evidence that he had been crying.

"Wolf I'm not going to leave you." She knelt down front of him, taking his hands in hers. "I love you. Nothing will change and we will be married no matter what. It doesn't matter where we are or who we are, we'll always be together." Her words made his heart leap but his outward emotion remained unchanged because he had already anticipated this.

"Princess Virginia has a nice ring to it and Manhattan really is no place to raise a wolf cub." He knew the implications of what he was saying, as did she. Most importantly she knew he was right. Virginia wrapped her arms around his neck and began to cry.

Wendell, who had been watching the scene unfold from afar, sent one of his advisors over to fetch Virginia. The advisor told Virginia of King Wendell's request to speak to her in private and she reluctantly went to him. Wendell was determined to find out what was wrong but by the redness of her face and the pain in her eyes he had an idea of what it might be.

"Please, dear Virginia, tell me why you are so unhappy."

She knew she couldn't keep it from him any longer so she took a deep breath and confessed her problem. "When we were in the cave Ferdinand told me that I wouldn't be able to marry Wolf because I'm royalty and he's not. So I'm afraid we can't stay here and should be going home as soon as possible," she answered.

Wendell sighed in relief. "Oh is that all? Well, I'm afraid you've been given some old news. Times have changed in the Fourth Kingdom. As royalty, all you need is the blessing of the king to be married and you have it."

Her eyes lit up and she immediately ran to Wolf and hugged him. Wendell watched as she frantically told Wolf the news. He smiled as Wolf picked her up and spun her around.

Lord Rupert, who had been standing behind Wendell the whole time, stepped forwards and spoke into Wendell's ear. "Your majesty there is no..."

"Then write one," Wendell cut him off sternly.

"As you wish," he said quickly and walked away. Wendell just smiled proudly.