Golbuk and It's Warriors (standard:adventure, 8953 words)
Author: anonymous	Added: Jan 13 2001	Views/Reads: 3868/2469	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Bianca and Gavin are normal teenage siblings until one day an amazing discovery sends them to the wonderful fairy-tale world of Golbuk.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

safe distance past the bar room, dining hall, and computer room. We 
waited until she had driven away in the limousine before going into the 
garage. I unlocked my VW Jetta and Gavin and I dropped inside. We gave 
each other high-fives and I started the car. When we were out on the 
freeway I started laughing and Gavin joined in. He turned on the radio 
and blasted it. I dropped him off at the arcade, telling him to call me 
on my cell phone when he was done. He nodded and joined his friends. I 
drove down to the club, and my friends Amy, Mike, Jessy, Steve, and 
Carmen were in the parking lot. 

“Jeez Bianca! We’ve been here for fifteen minutes!” “Sorry guys, I had a
little problem, but its all taken care of. Now let’s party!” We all 
went in and were having the times of our lives. Mike and I took the 
dance floor lots of times, and we were just going off for a break when 
my cell rang. “Bianca, get over here now! Hurry!” He said in a rush. 
“Whoa Gav, what’s the problem?” I asked anxiously. “Just get over 
here.” He hung up. I jumped up from my chair. “Look guys, Gavin’s in 
trouble. I need to go.” They nodded, and I slipped out of the club. 
Once in my car, I turned the engine but it wouldn’t go. “C’mon, c’mon!” 
I pleaded with it. It roared to life on the third time. I sped out of 
the parking lot and tore down the street. I stopped right in front of 
the arcade. Gavin practically jumped in the window. I looked at him 
square on. “What the he** is wrong? I’ve been thinking of all sorts of 
things had happened.” “We’ve been gone for five hours Bianca! We have 
to get home! How are we going to explain this?” I looked at the clock 
in my car. He was right. “Dang it!” I said, and turned the key. The 
engine wouldn’t start. I tried over and over, with Gavin practically 
ripping his hair out. Finally I sighed. “She’s not gonna start Gav. 
We’re stuck.” He banged the dashboard in frustration. “We’ll have to 
leave it here and do something. We can’t stay in town all night.” We 
locked the doors and rolled up the windows and began walking down the 
street towards the club. We found Amy just getting into her car. “Amy, 
thank God! We need a lift home.” “Cool, hop in.” Amy took us to the end 
of our driveway, waved good bye and sped off. We walked up the drive 
quietly. 

“Let’s go in through the exercise window. The passage from there should
get us up into one of the guest rooms.” Gavin suggested. “Have you ever 
been in that one before?” I asked. He shook his head. “There’s no where 
else it can go.” He pointed out. I nodded, so we went in the window 
that went to our downstairs gym area. The mirrored wall slid outwards 
and we entered the passage. Gavin was in front of me, and I walked 
behind. This passage had no lights, so it was difficult to see. I took 
Gavin’s hand, even though I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t want to get 
lost. After a while, we literally bumped into some stairs. “Ouch!” 
Gavin screeched as he stumbled in the dark. I grabbed his shirt, “Sh! 
She’ll hear you!” I hissed at him. He got up and we went up the stairs. 
The end of the passage came suddenly. We slid open the door as quietly 
as possible. We were in a room I had never been to. Gavin and I gaped 
with wonder at the gorgeous gold walls and the crystal chandelier 
hanging from the ceiling. The bed had lavish covers and there were 
several over-stuffed chairs made from foreign fabrics. On the walls 
were paintings and artworks by the greatest masters. This room was the 
most beautiful in the whole house. In the center of the room, in a 
locked glass case, was a gorgeous silver harp that glittered under the 
soft lights. “This almost doesn’t seem like Seaside Manor!” Gavin 
whispered. I nodded still gazing around. Suddenly we heard water being 
turned on in the next room. I jumped, and Gavin spun around so fast he 
almost fell over. The bathroom door was cracked open and we heard the 
water running. I rolled my eyes, suddenly realizing where we were. 
Gavin and I tiptoed out of the room into the hallway. We were all the 
way on the other side of the Manor from when we started. Our bedrooms 
were all the way at the end of the hall and to the left. We made our 
way silently to the end of the hall and peered around the corner. Tim 
and Roger were sitting on the floor across our doors sleeping. I 
covered my mouth and Gavin grinned. We walked across the hall to the 
spare room right next to mine and opened the door. Once we were inside, 
I slowly closed the door. Gavin was searching for the secret passage. 
One thing we found in this house was that every room had a passage 
leading to another room. We found the passageway under a large easy 
chair. “It seems to lead directly down.” I remarked. Gavin looked down. 
“You’re right. Lets just see where it leads, all right?” We lowered 
ourselves into the trapdoor, with me leading. I felt my way against the 
wall, and bumped into a door handle on the way. “Gav, there’s a door 
here.” “Well, open it Sherlock!” I tugged at the door but it wouldn’t 
open. “Here, let me!” He too struggled with the door. “Damn door. Just 
forget about it.” He said, and we continued on. The tunnel took a sharp 
right turn and we found ourselves in the library. “Great. We’re never 
gonna get up to our rooms at this rate!” I said, sitting in one of the 
large leather chairs. “Well, the only other option is to get the stupid 
clicker from those jerk guards Laura got for us.” Gavin declared. I 
nodded. “Let’s go.” We made our way up the marble stairs and peered 
around the corner again. Roger and Tim were in the same spots. I spied 
the clicker hanging from Rogers’s belt. I elbowed Gavin, and he nodded. 
I lowered myself to the floor and inched my way towards Roger. I 
cajoled the clicker for a minute, then slid it off the belt. Roger 
murmured in his sleep and I froze. He turned his head the other way and 
fell back asleep. I breathed again and crawled back to Gavin. He hugged 
me. “Bianca, you’re the best!” I smiled and clicked the button. The 
locks slid out of place. Gavin tiptoed past the two men and opened his 
door, and I went to mine. I clicked the button once again and slid it 
back onto Rogers’s belt. “Thanks buddy, and by the way, you’re doing a 
great job!” I whispered to him and then went into my room and silently 
closed the door. 

The next morning I woke up to the sound of silence. There was no
activity whatsoever. I looked at the clock, and it blinked nine 
forty-eight at me. I put on a terry cloth robe and peeked outside my 
door. There was no one. I padded down the hall to Laura’s room. She 
wasn’t there. The bed was tidily made and there were no clothes on the 
floor. I trudged down the staircase and checked for any signs of life. 
There were none.  I dashed back upstairs and burst into Gavin’s room. 
He was there, sleeping peacefully. I shook him awake. “Gavin, do you 
know where Laura is?” He brushed sleep out of his eyes. “Huh?” “Gavin, 
Laura’s not here. She didn’t leave a note or anything! The goons are 
gone, as well as all the employees!” Gavin rubbed his eyes. “So the 
witch is gone. You burst in here and interfere MY sleep just to tell 
me? Gee thanks.” He said sarcastically. I shook my head. “Its not just 
her! I’m glad she’s gone, at least for now. It’s just that everyone is 
gone too!” Gavin got out of his bed. I started laughing. “What?” He 
asked, baffled. I just laughed. “Nice boxers, bro.”  He looked down, 
and quickly covered up with his pillow. “Good God, Bianca! I didn’t 
expect you to burst in here!” I just laughed more as he wrapped a 
blanket around himself and went to the bathroom to shower. I decided to 
take a long one myself, since there was no one here. 

“Okay, so there isn’t an staff. Big deal, we’ll make it on our own.”
Gavin said an hour later as we sat in the kitchen eating area. I had 
fixed us both cheese omelets.  For the next week Gavin and I had lots 
of fun without Laura, we went out at all hours and went wherever we 
wanted. The opportunity to go to Golbuk came while Gav and I was 
throwing a pool party. 

“Bianca, we need more chips!” Gav shouted over the loud music. I nodded
and ran upstairs to grab a few bags. On my way back down, I passed the 
exercise room. Under the closed door I could see a light. I dropped the 
bags and ran to get Gavin. He was talking to a bunch of his friends. I 
grabbed his arm in mid-gesture and pulled him from the circle and into 
the hall. “What’s your deal Bianca?” He asked, shaking me loose. I 
pointed to the light under the exercise room door. His eyes narrowed 
and he quickly threw open the door. “Gotcha!” He said to a dark empty 
room. “Way to go bro, you sure caught ‘em!” He scowled, and I giggled. 
We both saw the secret passage door was cracked open and the light was 
now coming from there. “Well, whatever. Let’s go.” Gav turned to leave, 
but I grabbed his arm. “Let’s check it out. C’mon, please?” I wheedled. 
After a few minutes of coaxing and pleading, he shrugged. “Fine, come 
on.” He led the way into the passage. Whenever we moved closer to the 
light, it moved farther down the passage. After a while it stopped. We 
got to the point where it stopped and found ourselves at the locked 
door, only this time it was ajar. Gavin cautiously pushed the door 
open, and we found ourselves in a small room. “Nothing important in 
here.” Gavin muttered. Suddenly bright lights flashed and a deafening 
thunder-like sound cracked. Gavin and I were thrown to the ground and 
writhed in pain. It only took a second, but it seemed to last forever. 
When it stopped Gavin and I opened our eyes. A little man was standing 
in front of us. “Goodness gracious, I am terribly sorry. That happens 
sometimes.” He was about four feet tall, and was wearing a gray 
robe-like garment and had a long beard. “My name is Matriach.  I am a 
powerful magician from Golbuk.” Gavin looked dubious. “Yeah, and I am 
the Queen’s pig boy.” He said sarcastically. Matriach looked at him 
strangely. “Not quite, lad.” “Why are you here?” I asked. “Why don’t 
you two sit down here and I’ll explain.” He waved his hand through his 
very loose sleeve and three comfy-looking chairs appeared in the bare 
room. Gavin and I sat, and so did Matriach. Once we were all settled, 
Matriach began. “The Queen of Golbuk has summoned you two to have the 
chance to go to Golbuk and live with her. She is sorry your father had 
to pass away before he saw his children off, but it might be for the 
better.” He paused for a moment as this news sunk in. “If you two would 
like, you may come back to Golbuk with me. But there will be trials, 
many, many trials. If you succeed, which the Queen seems certain of, 
you will be deemed worthy of certain privileges.” Gavin’s eyes widened 
as far as they could possibly go, and my mouth dropped open. “Us? Have 
privileges?” I asked, not quite believing it. Matriach nodded. I looked 
at Gavin, and he nodded. So I said, “Okay. You’ve got us hooked. Give 
us an hour to clear everybody out of here before we can leave.” 
Matriach waggled his hand. “No need, my dear. I have replaced you with 
two androids that look, act, and sound exactly like you. No one will 
suspect a thing.” Gavin shook his head. “Okay, robots. Great. Now lets 
go to Golbuk, before I change my mind.” Matriach nodded, and waved his 
hand over us, and we were swept up in a whirlwind of sparkling powder 
and wind. I looked in wonder as many things passed before my eyes. I 
saw colors I had never seen before and looked at things never before 
seen by a human. Suddenly I found myself laying on the ground. I sat up 
and found Gavin laying next to me. Matriach was nowhere. Suddenly I 
heard his voice. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you in my true character, 
but there are too many dangers. I have turned myself invisible, and so 
you will not know when I am with you and when I am not with you.” 
“That’s not fair! We don’t even know what we’re supposed to do!” Gavin 
shouted. “I suggest, for starters, keeping your voice down. This is the 
Terrain of the Archoids. They will not look kindly on you, so you will 
have to earn your trust. The Archoids are a race of ostentatious and 
artificial people. They like all their possessions to be expensive and 
well made. Generally they keep to themselves, but long ago, the Queen 
of Archoidia, the most glitzy and wealthy, forged an attack on the 
Golbukians and they made off with an article that belongs to the Queen. 
A silver harp, which is very dear to her. The Golbukians weren’t strong 
enough then to fight against  the Archoids battalion, so she decided, 
very wisely, to withdraw her army and let the Archoids have their way. 
The Queen of Archoidia vanished and just recently we got word of her 
return. The Queen of Golbuk has been building her armed forces, and has 
a very good soldierly group. She has not forgotten about the attack. So 
when she got word of the Queen of Archoidia’s return, she decided to 
summon you as spies.” Matriach finished his explanation. Gavin and I 
were stunned. Then I  jumped up and grabbed Gavin’s hand. “Gavin, do 
you know what this means? We are spying one person we hate most in the 
world!” He looked at me questioningly. “Huh?” “Gav, it makes sense! 
Laura must be the Queen of Archoidia. She disappeared about two weeks 
ago and we have absolutely no iclea where she, or any of the employees 
went! They must have been her servants. And remember when we went into 
her room, there was that harp in the case! That silver harp! That must 
have been the Queen of Golbuk’s harp!” There became a look in Gavin’s 
eyes that I was sure he knew what I was talking about. He nodded. 
“Okay, lets get that harp,” he exclaimed. I smiled, and suddenly 
Matriach appeared. 

“I must give you the proper attire to go into the inner city of
Archoidia, where the harp is on display. You do not want to stick out 
more than you do now.” He muttered some strange words, and with a snap 
of his fingers, the two were in colorful elegant clothing. Gavin had an 
ornate navy colored suit with a white silk shirt and gold cufflinks. I 
wore a full-length peach colored chiffon dress with lace around the 
color and a valuable gold chain around my neck. My hair was pulled back 
into an elaborate do, and Gavin’s was slicked back and looked quite 
nice. I smoothed the front of my dress and turned to Matriach. He was 
gone. “Well what do you know. You actually look like a gentleman!” I 
teased. Gav grinned. “Let’s begin, shall we?” He said, in old-fashioned 
talk. Suddenly I heard Matriach. “I have decided you should change your 
names, since you have become familiar with the Queen of Archoidia. 
Bianca, you shall now become known as Christel Vight. Gavin, your new 
name shall be Damien Vight. You and Christel are husband and wife. 
Christel is twenty-three, and Damien is twenty-four. All the people 
here have I.D. bracelets linking them to their spouses. You will find 
yours on your wrists. Good luck, and get that harp by Gan, for it is 
your first trial.” Then he spoke no more. Gavin, now Damien, looked at 
me, once his sister, now his wife Christel. “At least I get to be older 
than you, for once!” He laughed. I hit his shoulder. “You do look 
older, and you are taller. I guess that’s part of the magic. Okay, lets 
start this thing.” We walked side by side into the outer city. At first 
glance it looked to be a neighborhood of mansions made of gold and 
gems. When they were waiting for a stoplight, I looked at my bracelet. 
“Damien! We have a house,” I whispered. Damien looked at his bracelet 
too. “8228 Resplendent Drive,” he read. He looked at the street sign. 
“We’re on the next street.” “Yeah I know.” I responded. I felt like I’d 
lived here for my whole life. We found our house a large gold covered 
manor. There were precious stones lining the doors and windows. “Holy 
monkeys. This place is impressive,” I exclaimed. Damien nodded. He had 
a key in his pocket and unlocked the door. We walked in and were even 
more impressed. The furniture was leather and the floors were wooden 
with gorgeous rugs that were woven with many different colors. The 
dishes were china and the silverware was real silver. 

“Okay, this is all so cool. Now lets get focused, We need to get the
harp. We have yet to figure out to do it.” I said. Damien nodded. We 
sat down on the large couch and started talking.  We figured that if we 
watched the guards long enough we could figure out a pattern, so every 
night Damien and I settled behind a large shrub and waited. After a 
while, we discovered that the guards left the case for exactly three 
minutes each evening at 7:27. At this point it was always dark and hard 
to see, so they each went to light a torch around the square. It took 
exactly three minutes. Damien and I figured it would take roughly two 
minutes to get the harp out of the case and get away. The harp was 
about seven inches high and six inches around the widest part. 
“Christel, that should fit under your cloak. We can sew in a secret 
concealed pocket and if someone per chance notices the missing harp it 
will be hidden by an extra flap of cloth.” That night Damien fashioned 
the pocket and sewed it in and covered it with a piece of cloth that 
hung from the seam and camouflaged it. The next night, I donned the 
cloak and Damien and I set out to do our mission. The night after would 
be Gan, the ultimate celebration of Archoidia. Damien and I slipped 
into our hiding spot at 7:21. We waited for the guards to leave and 
then we made our move. Stealthily we crept towards the harp and Damien 
slipped open the case and handed me the harp. I was shaking with fear 
as I put the harp into the pocket and we hurried home. Once inside I 
nearly collapsed with relief. Suddenly, I heard Matriach’s voice. “Well 
done. You have gotten the harp. I never thought it would work myself, 
but you two have proven me wrong. Congratulations.”  Damien and I 
beamed. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and we found 
ourselves in our normal clothes in a black room. Matriach appeared 
then. “I am pleased with you, and so is the Queen of Golbuk. Now, for 
your second task, you must slay Dargo the fierce and powerful dragon. 
He has been terrorizing the West Village of Golbuk for a while now. 
Good luck!” Matriach disappeared as quickly as he had come. “Great! 
What are we supposed to do now,” I complained. Damien shrugged. All of 
a sudden there was a flash of pure white light and we found ourselves 
in a dense thicket. I grabbed my brother’s arm, showing my fear. He 
patted my hand. Matriach’s voice was then heard. “Do not fear, you 
shall find an old hut in the deepest part of this thicket. The man who 
lives there is Zezula. He is a great old magician, and will help 
prepare you to fight Dargo. Good luck.”  The two find themselves alone 
again. 

“Bianca, let’s go find that hut and the Zezula guy. He should be able to
help us.” Gavin said, and I agreed. We both made our way, getting 
deeper and deeper into the thickening under brush. Finally we spotted 
the hut. It was made of mud and straw, yet it looked beautiful because 
of the flowers growing up the sides and the sun shone through a 
clearing that was strategically placed over the hut. There were birds 
singing and butterflies everywhere. I inhaled and looked around, 
fascinated. Gavin looked around in disbelief. “A great old magician 
lives here? There’s no electricity!” I laughed and playfully hit Gavin. 
He smirked at me. Suddenly the wooden door of the hut swung open 
“Bianca and Gavin? Is that you?” A young sounding voice called. 
“Y-yes.” I answered with a look of confusion on my face. Gavin and I 
walked into the clearing. An extremely short man in what appeared to be 
his forties came into view. “Is something amiss my dear,” he asked, 
chuckling. “No, but Matriach had me expecting an old man with a long 
white beard and a wizard gown on.” Zezula chuckled again, and glanced 
at his clothes. A plain brown shirt and dirty sweat pants. “Matriach is 
always exaggerating. Why, if I believed every word he said...” Gavin 
stepped forward and interrupted. “Zezula, as you know we are to face 
the great dragon Dargo. Matriach told us you could teach us skills and 
crafts to help slay him.” He said, taking me by surprise  by using 
old-fashioned speech. Zezula chuckled for the third time. “That is 
something I can handle. You two must be tired though. Come inside. I 
have delicious Turnip Stew waiting, courtesy of my garden.” He smiled 
and led us inside. Gavin and I were compelled to duck in the doorway. 
After having a nourishing meal of stew and a good nights sleep, we were 
ready the next  morning for training. Zezula worked with Gavin for the 
morning, and told me to memorize the first three spells in his spell 
book, but not to look beyond. So I studied the morning. It was actually 
quite interesting. The first spell was called Invisible Shield, the 
second was called Fire Fingers, and the third was Lightning Oculus. My 
favorite to say was the Fire Fingers chant, because the words felt 
strangely cool on my tongue. “Mie soh gy ya, tu rall een chay, a ray 
nie soy, pie lu na lay.” I chanted to myself over and over. Then I 
practiced the Invisible Shield. “Re re sa nay, cu cu lay moy, ich he 
roo na, kla kla kla.” Those two I got very easily. The Lightning Oculus 
was harder. “Ray soy pla gie, moh kah lie, shloy bah eech soy, klar nay 
bah soy.” While I was practicing this one, Zezula came in to begin my 
training. “Bianca, you have the air of a Golbukian enchantress! Repeat 
the spells to me.” I did so, and Zezula beamed with pride. “Very good. 
Now, these aren’t just preparation spells. They each have very specific 
meanings. The spell’s names tell you what they do; behold!” Zezula 
chanted Invisible shield, but nothing appeared to happen. “Throw 
something sharp at me.” He instructed. I stared in disbelief. He 
repeated the instruction and tossed a javelin at me. I shook my head 
and stepped back and heaved it at him. It bounced off him without 
leaving so much as a scratch! My mouth dropped open. Then Zezula 
chanted the Fire Fingers, aiming his hands at a tree branch. The moment 
the last syllable came out of his mouth fire shot from his fingertips 
and struck the branch. I was dumbfounded. His eyes twinkled as he began 
the Lightning Oculus. He stared at a pot on the ground, and suddenly, 
lightning shot from his eyes and tipped the pot over. I shook my head 
and rubbed my own eyes. Zezula turned back to me. “You now hold the 
power to use these spells as needed. You saw how effectively they work. 
 Now please, have your brother go with you to the well and fetch 
water.” I did so and soon Gavin and I were on our way to the well. 

“How’s it going warrior brother?” I asked him, noticing the long sword
attached to his side. “Just great, how about you enchantress sister?” 
“I’m okay. The chants are so enthralling!” I exclaimed. He smiled and 
we continued on our way. I was twisting the crank to pull the bucket to 
the top, when we heard a loud bellow in the distance. I let the crank 
go and the bucket crash into the water below. Gavin put his hand on his 
sword that was in a sheath at his side. We wildly looked into the woods 
that surrounded us. Suddenly, a large object blocked the light from the 
sun. Our heads whipped upward immediately only to see the outline of a 
huge winged lizard flying above us. It circled above us a few times 
then hovered above us, and finally settled down on the ground, crushing 
several large trees. “Who goes in my forest?” He said, not in a 
questioning way, but more challenging. “It is I, Gavin of Golbuk and my 
sister Bianca the Enchantress.” The gigantic dragon was well the length 
of three semi trucks and as tall as five! I gaped up at him. The dragon 
squinted back, his black beady eyes inquisitive. He burst into 
laughter, the ground shaking and the trees quivering. Gavin and I 
grabbed at each other to keep from being thrown to the ground. When he 
was stable, he drew himself to full height and shouted “We are the 
legendary couple that will slay you!” At this the fire-breathing 
monster stopped laughing and regarded him, his head cocked. His long 
tail twitched back and forth, knocking over more trees. “I see. Well I 
wish you good luck. Here I am now, if you would like to try. I doubt a 
puny thing like you can even sever a scale on my solid body!” He 
mocked, laughing once more. Gavin indignantly drew his sword. The 
dragon stopped laughing and stood on his hind legs. He towered above 
us. I shrank back in fear. This giant yellow foolish looking animal was 
actually something to be afraid of. His scales shone like gold in the 
afternoon light. “Gavin, leave him be! We need to be more prepared!” I 
begged. He shrugged me off. “You can chicken if you wish, sister. But I 
am ready for this now.” I cringed and gave in. Gavin shouted a war 
whoop and I began chanting the Fire Fingers. I aimed my fingers at the 
mystical beast. Fire poured from my fingers, but the Dragon easily 
shielded them with his scales. I did it four times, while Gavin tried 
to attack his feet, the only place he could reach. The dragon had fun 
with this for a while, but when Gavin actually nicked a scale, he let 
out a loud roar and raised a powerful foot. “Gavin! Look out!” I 
screamed, knowing what was coming next. Gavin bravely held his sword 
up, hoping to puncture the large foot that was above him. I crumbled to 
the ground in despair. 

Then, beyond all logic, the dragon set his foot down gently beside
Gavin. I saw why the minute after. The dragon nudged Gavin with his 
pinky toe, and Gavin was sent flying. He landed a good thirty feet from 
where he was. I got up and hurried to him. The dragon then took off 
into the sky. “I shall look forward to our next meeting, mortals!” He 
called to them as he flew off. I helped Gavin up and together we limped 
back to the hut. Zezula met us at the door. “When I heard old Dargo and 
then saw him settling above the area near the well, I knew we were 
going to have trouble. He turned to me. Go find some firewood so we can 
heat some stew up for your brother.” The two went inside, and I 
scurried off, only to come back to listen to their conversation. I 
crouched beneath the window. “Now son, I know you want Dargo dead so 
you might get to Golbuk, but this is a major thing. You can’t expect to 
be the best warrior after a few hours of training. Dargo has lived 
centuries longer than you have. He has more skill than any dragon ever 
could hope for.” “I know sir. I just thought that maybe I might be able 
to get him!” “Do you know why you thought that?” I heard Gavin shift in 
his chair. “No.” Zezula clicked his tongue. “I do. Boy, you had pride! 
If you let pride consume you, then you have no hope of defeating 
anyone. Your sister, I’m sure, didn’t want to go against Dargo today, 
but you convinced her because you wanted to.  She knows when to listen 
to her heart and when to listen to her head. I am able to help you, but 
only if you will learn when listen to your heart, not your head.” There 
was a pause for a moment, I assume Gavin was nodding his head. “Good. 
Now get some rest. We’ll feed you soon.” I scooted away from the window 
and swiftly gathered lots of dry wood and kindling. When I got back, 
Gavin was sleeping in Zezula’s bed, and Zezula was preparing bowls of 
stew. “I assume you were listening to our conversation.” He said 
lightly to me, when I was arranging the wood to make a fire. I jumped, 
startled. “How did you know?” I whispered, not wanting to wake Gavin. 
“I know lots of things about you two, even things you have forgotten.” 
I turned back to the fire. “I’m trying to decide if that is good or 
bad.” I said, my back to him. I sensed him behind me and whirled 
around. “Bianca, I know how to help! If you trust me, you will become a 
fine enchantress and warrior in time.” I looked into his ruddy face and 
twinkling blue eyes and felt complete trust in this magician. I nodded. 
He broke into a broad smile and shook my hand, as if we were closing a 
very important understanding. An electric shock ripped through my body 
and I tensed. Zezula looked amused when I turned my frightened eyes on 
him. 

“Let’s begin your training and you shall see why I did that to you.”
After a few moments it became clear that Zezula had altered me. I was 
stronger in several things and quick to learn new things. I even had 
some exciting new talents; including archery skill, more flexibility, 
and a new take on gravity. It didn’t exist when I didn’t want it to! I 
could walk up trees, jump over trees, or fly if I felt the need! My 
training went for five hours, but I was barely winded. I felt so 
energized! Zezula laughed at my fascination with all my new talents. 
“Did you give Gavin this type of training yet?” I asked when he forced 
me to come inside and eat. “No, but there was reason.” I stopped eating 
and glanced at him. He sighed. “I guess I should explain. I foresaw 
your unprecedented meeting with Dargo. So I knew what would happen if I 
let either of you slay him today. It would mess up history!” I dropped 
my spoon to the table with a clatter. “What are you saying?” I asked, 
shaken. “How did you know?” “Let me explain these matters when your 
brother wakes.” “Then he’ll wake up right now!” I said, getting up from 
the wooden bench. “Bianca, I advise against it. He had a terrible shock 
today and he needs his rest. He’ll wake in the morning and we’ll take 
care of it. Now you sleep too and in the morning it will all become 
clear.” I reluctantly threw myself into bed and forced my eyes shut. 
Zezula was being so unfair! But I drifted off to light sleep, and the 
next thing I knew light was streaming into the window I had crouched 
beneath not to long ago. I sat up and threw the covers off me. Gavin 
was still asleep. I went down to the stream with some soap and shampoo 
and washed up. When I got back, Gavin was awake and sitting in a large 
wicker chair in the corner of the room. His leg had an ice pack on it, 
and an extra pillow cushioned his shoulder. “Wow, you sure got banged 
up.” I commented. He glared at me. “If you say ‘I told you so’!” “I 
won’t calm down. Look, do you know where Zezula is this morning? He 
wasn’t at the stream, or the well. I checked both.” He shook his head. 
“Great, then I have something incredible to tell you!” I dragged a 
footstool over to him and sat down. “Gavin, last night, while you were 
sleeping...” I started excitedly, but was stopped abruptly when I heard 
a familiar voice. “Bianca, is it wise to brag?”  I jumped up and spun 
around to face Matriach. “Matriach! What the heck? Where did you come 
from?” I sputtered, startled. He laughed his tinkling laugh. “Wise 
question. I told you I would occasionally pop in from time to time. 
Bianca, I’m glad you like Zezula’s training, but there’s no need to 
brag to your brother who isn’t well yet. It might make him resent 
Zezula and that would be no good.” I glanced at my brother, who looked 
confused. “I guess you’re right.” I agreed. Matriach looked pleased. 
“Great. Now, there is something I can do to speed up his recovery, if 
you trust me enough.” I nodded, and Gavin hesitantly nodded too. There 
was a flash of light and Matriach was gone. 

I looked around. “Thanks for the help!” I called sarcastically, but
Gavin jumped out of his chair. The cushion tumbled to the floor and the 
ice pack slid off his leg. “Gavin, sit back down!” I cried, alarmed. 
But he grabbed my hands and twirled me around the room. “He did it! He 
cured me! No more pain!” He sang happily. I laughed out loud and danced 
with him. Just then Zezula came in. He grinned from dwarf ear to dwarf 
ear. “Looks like old Matriach was here! Good thing too, I don’t know 
how long it might have delayed us. And time is not a thing we have lots 
of.” After supper he took Gavin and my outside. I knew Gavin was then 
going to learn what I had. He was as astonished as I was. He looked in 
disbelief as he discovered new things he could do. When we were at 
about the same skill level, he had us joint learn. He taught us both at 
the same time. For the next several months, Gavin and I were turned 
into true warriors. We learned new moves and shouts, and several more 
than we had ever hoped. My studies of chants weren’t neglected, and I 
soon had quite a collection. One night, after finishing my spell book 
chants for the night, Zezula sat beside me on the bench. “Bianca, I 
know you are proud of your new skills and of how strong you have 
become, but please do not let pride get in your way. It is always good 
to doubt a little, and I am sure you aren’t as arrogant as your brother 
is.” I grinned at this. Gavin was stubborn and bullheaded at times. “I 
want you to keep this spell book when you finally leave here after 
slaying Dargo. Never forget me.” My mouth dropped open in astonishment. 
“But, Zezula! Don’t you need this...? It’s a wonderful present! Thank 
you!” I grabbed my book and hugged Zezula. He followed me to my bed and 
I set the book on my pillow. 

“Come outside with your brother. I have more presents waiting.“ I woke
Gavin from his nap and we went outside. There were two large boxes and 
next to them Zezula stood waiting. “Go ahead, open them.” I tore open 
the box with my name on it. It was the perfect woman warrior outfit! 
Gavin had a handsome warrior outfit, complete with the sword. My sword 
was a long proud blade with a gorgeous meticulously crafted hilt. 
Gavin’s was differently styled, but equally charming. I grabbed my 
outfit and changed into it behind some bushes. I walked back to 
Zezula’s front yard, where Gavin was already wearing his. We drew out 
blades and clinked them together and read the words inscribed on them. 
“In it together, forever!” 

Later that night, we thanked Zezula for all his help and wisdom. He
accepted all of it graciously. The next morning we set out for Dargo’s 
lair. We were on foot the whole time, but thanks to the gracious gifts 
of Zezula’s magic, we didn’t get tired. The shock that we received at 
the beginning of our training was the “breathless” shock. It meant we 
wouldn’t get tired. He had also presented us with a wallet. All we had 
to do was open it and set one of the “coins” on the ground and it 
instantly turned into anything we needed. It was a handy little thing! 
We traveled for four days and three nights and rested only when we felt 
we needed to. We reached the woods surrounding Dargo’s cave on our 4th 
day traveling. We set up camp and contemplated our next move. That 
night was the fateful night. I woke in the middle of the night, unable 
to realize what woke me up. It might have been a cricket singing, or a 
branch falling from its tree. I turned over to look at Gavin. He was 
awake as well. “Gav, why are you awake?” I asked, turning onto my side. 
“Something woke me up, but I don’t know what.” He replied. “Me too. Why 
don’t we walk around a bit, get our bearings.” I suggested. He nodded, 
and we both got up and stretched out our arms and legs. Gavin had 
become incredibly buff. I never realized he was so scrawny at home. I 
was toned as well, but not incredibly buff. I had nice arms and abs, 
and my legs were nicely muscular. I was pleased with my new body, and 
very much pleased with my new skills and advantages. 

Gavin and I walked around for ten minutes and then got back to camp. We
sat and planned our attack. Our new skills helped to aid us and give us 
advantages. We rested the next day and by nightfall we were relaxed. 
When the last ray of light had faded from the sky and set off into the 
woods. We reached Dargo’s lair within an hour. We could hear the 
rumblings of Dargo’s slumber even before we went inside. I looked at my 
brother, and took a deep breath. I was so proud of him. We each took a 
deep breath and stepped inside his lair. We inched silently through the 
slippery cave, careful not make a sound. Just before we reached Dargo’s 
sleeping chamber, I slipped on a slippery patch and lost my footing. I 
tried to catch myself, but I fell. The noise echoed through the cave, 
slight as it was. I saw Gavin tense and I cringed. I picked myself up 
and we hid in a crevice in the wall. We heard Dargo rouse himself and 
roar a tremendous roar. I trembled, wondering what we would do. Dargo 
stomped into the hallway and squinted around. I held my breath, and I 
felt Gav go rigidly straight. I gripped his arms and prayed to the 
heavens above. Suddenly, Dargo let out a strangled cry. I ducked 
further into the crevice, fearing he had seen me. Suddenly, Gavin 
jumped out from our hiding spot. Dargo spun to face him. 

“So we meet again mortal. Where be your sister?” “She’s dead, Dargo.
It’s just you and me.” Gavin said, bluffing. He was giving me a chance 
to get my wits about me and to recall spell after spell. I positioned 
myself behind a sturdy rock and watched Gavin lash out at Dargo. Dargo 
wasn’t as quick as Gavin and was getting more and more outraged. He 
stomped in pain and roared in contempt. Gavin used every trick Zezula 
had taught us. When Dargo was using up his stored energy, I made my 
first attempt. I murmured one of the more powerful chants and aimed at 
Dargo’s head. It struck him and he jolted. I heard Gavin give a shout 
and scramble up the dragon’s stomach to his chest. Right over the heart 
Dargo was missing a patch of scales. Gavin drove his sword home. Dargo 
stumbled while recovering from these blows. Suddenly I realized that 
Gavin was in trouble. Dargo was pitching forward. Gavin would be 
squashed! 

I jumped from behind the rock and with as much power and speed as I
could muster; I flew toward him and grabbed his collar. Dargo crashed 
to the floor and Gavin and I landed on his tremendous back. I hugged 
Gavin through my tears and he hugged me back. Matriach appeared then. 
“Bianca, Gavin, you have proven to be most resourceful. I think the 
queen would be honored to have you in her palace.” Matriach waved his 
hand and they all disappeared with a flash of light. To Bianca, it felt 
like she blinked and was transported to another world. It felt like she 
was home.  Straight in front of the trio was a large stone castle. Two 
trumpeters stood at the door at the edge of the door to the castle. It 
creaked open slowly. Matriach, Gavin, and Bianca filed in. There was a 
red carpet rolled out to meet them, and rows of people filled the 
inside of the castle walls. The peasants erupted into cheers when the 
set of three walked in. The legends made their way into the castle, 
escorted by guards. They were led through several impressive rooms 
before reaching the throne room. Gavin and Bianca walked in behind 
Matriach. The entire throne room hushed. The brother and sister bowed. 
“Your highness.” They said respectfully. Bianca, Gavin, how wonderful! 
I admit I was surprised to see you had passed all the trials with 
flying scores. All of Golbuk thanks you, from the deepest of our 
hearts.” She smiled at the two. Bianca couldn’t shake the feeling that 
she knew the queen from somewhere. Gavin bowed again, Bianca curtsied. 
“You two shall be celebrated with the utmost importance and respect. 
Peasants and village people wanting to get a glimpse of you will shroud 
the castle. Your life shall consist of parties, ceremonies, and normal 
castle life. Matriach will see to it that you are fitted with clothes.” 
The Queen raised a hand, and suddenly Bianca knew her. “Mom!” She 
cried, racing up the stairs to drop to her knees before the throne. 
Gavin looked confused, and the court gasped. 

“Mom, you’ve got to remember us! I knew you looked familiar! Why did you
leave us?” The queen gazed upon her. “I had to darling. Golbuk needed 
me. I didn’t want to, but I had to. I wasn’t sure you would remember, 
because it was so long ago. I knew Gavin wouldn’t remember at all. It 
hurt me so to have to abandon my children, but I knew you would come 
back to me.” Bianca began to cry, tears streaming down her face. Gavin 
looked stricken then came forward to awkwardly hug his mother. The next 
few weeks were a blur. One day Bianca was relaxing in her wonderfully 
soft bed, when she realized something. She wasn’t happy in Golbuk. She 
wished for her old house, with her father and her friends. On the other 
hand, Gavin was completely content with living in Golbuk. He preferred 
to live the old-fashioned life, whereas Bianca just wasn’t cut out for 
it. She approached her mother that evening. “Mother, I must speak with 
you.” The Queen turned to her. “Yes dear, what is it? I must say, this 
banquet tonight will be one of the most wonderful in all of Golbuk’s 
history!” The queen clapped her hands and giggled with delight. A knot 
began to twist itself in Bianca’s stomach. “Yes, well, I need to talk 
in private, if that is all right with you.” Bianca said urgently. The 
queen looked at her with concern. “My dear, are you all right?” The 
queen took Bianca into a small side room and looked at her expectantly. 
“Mom, I don’t know how to tell you this...” Bianca began. “Its just I 
am not as happy here as I was at home.” She said quietly. The queen’s 
face twisted into a look of bewilderment. “Darling, I don’t 
understand.” “I know, it’s hard to explain. I just want to go back 
home.” As Bianca said this last word, the queen’s eyes glazed over. “I 
tried to create one for you here, and I now know I failed. I’m really 
sorry baby. If you wish to go back I can have Matriach send you.” 
Bianca nodded. A large tear rolled down the queen’s cheek. “Mom, you 
are so beautiful. Its not that I don’t love you, I do very much. But I 
miss my friends, the house even. The smell in the air, the birds flying 
everywhere, it’s so odd but I really miss it.” Bianca hugged her mother 
tightly. “I’ll send for Matriach now.” The queen clapped her hands, and 
Matriach appeared in a flash of light. “Matriach, my daughter wishes to 
go back to her world.” Matriach looked at Bianca with sad eyes. “Is 
that true Bianca?” Bianca nodded. Matriach raised his arms. Just then 
Gavin burst into the room. “Bianca! Wait!” He sped to her side. “Why 
are you going back?” Bianca looked at her brother, who in all his 
formal clothes, looked like he belonged. “Gav, I can’t live like this. 
It’s just not me! You, you fit in perfectly! I just want to go home.” 
Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Gavin silently 
regarded his sister. “Don’t forget me.” He said, embracing her. Bianca 
nodded, and turned to her mother. “I won’t forget you either. I love 
you both.” Bianca stepped back. The queen placed a hand on her son’s 
shoulder and blinked as the blinding light that vanished with Bianca 
flashed. 

Bianca found herself standing in the hallway of the passage. She looked
around her. The door that led to Golbuk was sealed. On the floor there 
was a small package. Bianca picked it up. “To Bianca,” she read. “So 
you will never forget any of us. P.S. If you ever wish to come back, 
this is an open invitation. Just rub the pendant and think of me, Mom, 
or Matriach.” There, nestled on cotton, was the loveliest golden 
necklace. It was handcrafted, and had very intricate designs. “I’ll 
never forget any of you.” Bianca whispered, hooking the necklace onto 
her neck. She turned and left the passage, never looking back. 


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