(NOW)
It was a brand new day in the 4th Kingdom. King Wendell woke up from a sound sleep with a smile
on his face. He yawned and stretched himself. Today is the day that Antony shall bring my bride. Wendell thought
to himself. He was looking forward to meeting the Princess Wendy. He remembered the lovely young girl who he use
to play with in the gardens whenever he visited the House of Red in the 2nd Kingdom. She was such a lovely creature
and they had kept in touch all these years by occasional letters. And now that everyone had been pressuring him
to get married, he had automatically chosen Princess Wendy, it only seemed the right thing to do. King Wendell
smiled to himself.
Servants soon entered the chamber and greeted their King and began dressing him.
"Has there been any word from Antony?" The king asked his servants.
"No, your majesty. Nothing yet. They are still half a day's ride from the castle."
A servant replied.
"Ahhh yes, send some men out to meet them then and give them a nice welcome greeting. I
want Princess Wendy to feel as comfortable as she can."
"Yes, your majesty, at once." The servant said and left the chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days earlier
A large map of the 9 Kingdoms was laid out stretched flat on a wooden table. The corners were
held down by bottles of dark liquid and shiny rocks. Melody was reading to herself from a spell book she had purchased
from an old peddler that came by her cottage a few weeks ago. She looked up suddenly at a flapping sound in the
corner and saw that it was just her pet dove. Her reflection in an old mirror caught her attention and she studied
herself in the mirror.
"Do I look like her?" Melody asked softly into the silent room. "I wonder if people
would say I resemble her. A daughter should look like their mother, shouldn't they?" She sighed. "If
only you were still here to teach me all those magic spells we use to do, Mother. Without you, I have to rely on
these damn spell books all the time and I can never get anything right on my own" Melody said outloud to no
one. She slammed the spell book shut and began pacing the floor of her small cottage. The last time she had really
even seen her mother was when she was still a little girl. Her mother had always come to visit her whenever she
could and they would spend great time together dabbling in the magical arts of witchcraft.
But then, her mother stopped coming to visit her. Melody was so sad and she cried herself to
sleep every night. Then one day one of her servants told her that her mother was sent to prison by the House of
White of the 4th Kingdom. Melody didn't understand what had happened. How could anyone put her wonderful mother
into prison. She tried her best to say prayers every night for her mother and she tried her own little spells now
and then on her own just to bring that feeling of joy when she and her mother were together.
Then one day, her mother had come back. It was years and years later but Melody could remember
her mother anywhere. Her mother had come to visit her and she had brought a man in very expensive clothes who carried
a large box with him wherever he went. He panted quite a lot and sniffed at everything. Melody didn't care. Her
mother was back with her and she was so happy. She had given her mother a big giant hug and tried to ask her mother
to explain to her what had happened. Her mother just smiled and said all in good time, my darling, all in good
time. She then told Melody that she couldn't stay very long and that she must go at once for she had very urgent
business to get to. But she will be back very soon to visit again, she promised. And Melody believed her. A few
days later, word was brought to her that her mother was dead. The House of White of the 4th Kingdom had killed
her. Well, actually, it was a stranger that the House of White had hired that had killed her mother. Melody became
furious. Her mother had just come back to her and now she was dead and gone forever. That was just a little over
a year ago. And Melody sighed at her memories. She had her plans though. She was going to destroy the House of
White of the 4th Kingdom and the stranger they had hired for killing her mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Someone was pounding up the stairs and then down again repeatedly. Virginia was in her room trying
to study for an exam she had the next week in her Adult Human Behavior class at night school. The pounding was
driving her up the wall.
"Wolf! Wolf! Is that you making all that racket? You know Peter is trying to take a nap
right now, and I'm trying to study for god's sakes!" She yelled out her bedroom door. The pounding immediately
stopped and Virginia sighed with relief and went back to her desk.
Something suddenly flashed next to her and snapped her book shut while she was in the middle
of reading.
"Wolf! What ARE you doing?! I have a test next week!" Virginia said.
"Huff puff, Virginia, you've been studying far too much these days. We need a vacation!"
Wolf leaned down and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. He held up baby Peter in his arms and tickled him in
the stomach. The baby giggled and squirmed in his arms.
"Why is Peter awake? I thought I put him down for a nap? And what do you mean WE need a
vacation? All you have to do is read books and provide the voices for those damn narrative books they are selling
these days. I'm the one doing the studying here." Virginia argued but her heart wasn't in it. She knew the
job that Wolf had actually paid quite well. And he sure as hell was good at it. It was paying for her night classes,
the rent in the new apt. and for the baby's needs. Her own job at the local health center paid well too but it
was only part time.
"I'm sorry Virginia. Little Peter was not falling asleep so I decided to play with him for
a little bit. You know, get him tired so he'd fall asleep right away. He loves it when I run up and down the stairs
with him in my arms. He gets all hypered up....don't you Peter? My little Wolfie." Wolf tickled the squirming
6 month old who was drooling all over his fist in his mouth. "Is that yummy, Wolfie? Yeah, I'll bet it's yummy.
Come here, let Daddy have a bite." Wolf played with his son.
"Can we afford a vacation, Wolf?" Virginia asked suddenly quite tired. The idea of a vacation was beginning
to sound very appealing. She took the baby from Wolf and wiped the drool from his face. She laid him down in the
crib next to their bed and turned on the floating mobil over the crib that had dancing sheep spinning around and
around in different colors. Little Peter became mesmerized.
"Where I was thinking of going wouldn't cost much, Virginia. Huff, puff. I think Peter should
go to the 9 Kingdoms and get a proper Kingdom Christening. That's what I had when I was just a wolf cub and I remembered
it was quite fun in fact." Wolf whispered with excitement. He had been planning on going back to the 9 Kingdoms
for a while now. He knew his place was where ever Virginia was and he would go to the ends of the earth for and
with her. But he still missed his home back in the kingdoms now and then.
"How in the world would you remember your own christening? You would've been just a baby."
Virginia stated and shook her head at Wolf. Sometimes, the things that came out of that Wolf's mouth just didn't
make any sense. She laughed to herself.
"No, no, of course I remember, my love. Wolves have great memories. I remember that they
fed me lots of juicy steaks and there was a great big cake with candles. And there were presents and even dancing
sheep who jumped out of the cake. Ahhh.....those were the days." Wolf said dreamily staring at the wall. "Errr.....Wolf,
I don't think that was a Christening."
"Huff, then what was it?"
"I don't know. I think you were dreaming again."
"Virginia, come on. Let's take Peter to the 9 Kingdoms. He's never been there. A child should
always learn his heritage right? Plus, you can visit Tony. You haven't seen him before little Wolfie was even born
yet. Tony would want to see his little grandson, don't you think." Wolf panted left and right trying to get
Virginia to agree.
It has been quite a while since she visited her dad. And she really didn't want to study anymore.
The test next week can wait. They could be back before then and she can bring her books with her in case she wanted
to study some more. But she knew she already got the basic facts down for that test on Human Aggressive Behavior.
"Alright, alright, we'll go. But you must remember to bring your monthly pills. The full
moon will be in just a few days and I don't want you to go galloping around in the fields without any clothes on
like you did two months ago." Virginia finally agreed.
Wolf gave a huge grin and hugged her.
"We'll leave tomorrow night." he growled playfully in her ear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bouncing was beginning to make Tony sick to his stomach. He just had a huge meal at the Inn
they had stayed at and the constant jostling of the food in his stomach was making him quite nauseous. He had to
get off the damn horse. Tony put up his hand to halt the two guards that were next to him on their horses. The
Princess Wendy had insisted on riding a horse also when she saw the men riding. She had sold the carriage that
was carrying her from the 2nd Kingdom and bought herself a magnificent stallion fit for battle practically. But
Tony was surprised that the Princess handled herself quite well on the steed.
"What are we stopping for, Antony?" The Princess asked from atop her dark mahogany
colored horse. "You don't have to use the John again, do you. I told you not to drink all that rich cider
back at the Inn."
"No, it's not the cider. I just ate too much. The horse is jostling me around too hard and
I'm getting a stomach cramp." Tony explained. He walked over to a large rock at the side of the road and sat
down. "Let's just rest for a bit."
"Oh all right." The two guards helped the princess off her horse and they all stood
around looking at the scenery and pointing at things off in the distance. Then they heard a chunky rattling coming
closer and closer.
An old man came down the road in an old rusty wagon. He greeted the guards and tipped his straw
hat to the Princess and muttered a few words. One of the guards came running up to Tony and said that the old Peddler
had just come from up the road and that he said the road was blocked up ahead. A huge footstep of a giant's had
made a huge dent in the middle of the road and now it was flooded with the rain from the week before. It was practically
a lake, the guard explained. In order to get past it, they must follow a narrow path into the 6th Kingdom and then
meander their way back out again into the 2nd Kingdom for they were very close to the boarders.
"Is that going to slow us down much?" Tony asked the guard. He knew King Wendell was
eager to meet his new bride and they need to be at the castle in just a few days.
"Not by much, sir, maybe half a day's ride."
"Then that ain't a problem. Come on, I feel better now. Let's head off as soon as possible
so we can get home as soon as possible."
