“What is this?” I asked myself. I examined the weird engravings in the podium. Some were of titles of books and others were Chinese symbols.. I ran my hand over words that looked like it said ‘Place Book Here’ that was sliced in it with some kind of knife. I did as told and suddenly a strong wind began to pick up in the room. The room began to spin, making my stomach feel sick. As the wind picked up harder, I held my hair down so it wouldn’t fly in my face and I closed my eyes, hoping it was a dream.

A strange smell of woods filled my nostrils and chirping filled my ears. I felt the ground rattle and heard what sounded like a herd of wild horses trotting by. When I opened my eyes, a blur of tail and mane surrounded me followed by the elegant voice of a stranger. He rode up on his horse and smiled when he saw me. His honey hair matched the mane of the horse and his smile lit up the world around me. When the horses cleared out, he reached out a hand. I cautiously took it.

“Hello, I am Oliver,” he said, his England accent sounding strong.

“Elizabeth but I go by Lizzie,” I replied. I held onto his hand for a while before he jerked it away to take the reins on the horse. He strangely looked like the man on the cover of that book. Speaking of which, where was the book? I began searching the field around me frantically, hoping I didn’t loose the library’s book or else I would have to pay for it.

“May I ask what you are looking for?” he giggled.

“The book,” I said, freaking out. He laughed. “I don’t find this very funny!” He continued to laugh. Getting angry, I began to search the field some more. Oliver stopped laughing and stared at me.

“What?” I demanded.

“I may know where your book is but we must hurry,” he said. What did he mean he may know where it was? Did he or didn’t he? Oliver extended his hand for me to take it and get on the horse. I slowly stepped back and stared at his hand. He smirked.

“I won’t bite, I promise,” he joked. I rolled my eyes and took his hand.

Oliver snapped the reins and the horse bolted for the woods, almost throwing me off the back. I struggled to stay on as we weaved between trees and jumped over large logs that had fallen during a storm.

“By the way, don’t say that,” I yelled over the clumping of the hooves when we got a little ways.

“Say what?”

“I don’t bite as a joke. My father used to say that all the time when I was little.”

“What happened? Did he die?”

“No. It sometimes seems like he is though.” Oliver stared ahead, dropping the subject.


The horse never slowed until we reached the edge of a small village. I began scooting to the back on the horse, getting as far away from Oliver as I could without falling off, when he yanked the reins and the horse quickly stopped, throwing me over the back. I landed with a loud thud, mud covering me from head to toe. I heard Oliver’s laughter and I punched the ground, a surge of pain running through my hand up to my shoulder. When he got done laughing, he jumped off and reached down to help me.

“I can get up by myself,” I said through clenched teeth.

“What were you doing?” I arched my eyebrows.

“What was I doing? What were you doing stopping the horse like that when you knew I was sitting behind you?” I exploded.

“Sorry, I had no idea you were that close to the edge. You weren’t before.” I could hint a bit of laughter as he spoke. I could feel my muddy face growing red with anger. How dare he mock me! I rose up off the ground and began stomping towards the village gate, mud dripping from my clothes.

“Lizzie, where are you going?”

“To find a shower!” I called behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks. When was this book written? Did they even have showers? I could hear Oliver still laughing behind me.

“You won’t find one anywhere close,” he laughed.

“You don’t take showers?”

“We do, just not everybody is kind enough to let a stranger into their house and take showers. Where are you from anyway?” he asked, sounding as if I were the weird one.

“You’ve never heard of it, I bet.” I pointed my nose towards the sky and walked away, trying to brush off all the embarrassing things that have happened today. I heard horse feet trotting behind me and I felt eyes digging in the back of my head. A few seconds later, I balled up my fist and turned on my heels to look into the eyes of Oliver’s horse.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, you were having such a great time walking I thought I would just follow you. You seem to know where you are going,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and slowly climbed on the horse. If only my therapist could see what I had to deal with. She would understand why I have anger issues.

We arrived in front of a small cottage, no bigger than one story. The shingles looked spit-shined, trees and flowers surrounded it, and the sound of a waterfall was somewhere near. It was the best thing I had seen since I had fallen asleep. Oliver stopped the horse, jumped off, and tied it to a post that sat in front of the cottage. He motioned for me to follow.

The inside looked better than the inside. Pine furniture filled the small house, flower pots sat everywhere, and a few pictures hung on the walls. There was only two rooms beside the one that you walk into when you first enter, half the kitchen, half the living room. I guessed one was his room and the other was the bathroom.

“Whoa,” I whispered to myself.

“What?” he smiled.

“This cottage. In movies, they are always old and gross, yours is amazing.” Oliver snickered.

“Well, I’m glad you like it.”

Oliver walked into the farthest room and came back out with a pair of clean clothes.

“You can put these on if you would like.”

“I think they might be too big.” Oliver shrugged and threw them on the table. He walked back into the room. I walked over the table and ran my index finger along the top of it. I sat down in a chair to wait for him. Oliver came back out carrying a vest and a sword. I crinkled my forehead at them. He handed them to me.

“What’s this for?”

“To fight in the war with the Winders. They have the book you are looking for and they plan on destroying it. If you don’t get your book, you will never be able to return back to wherever you came from. I would recommend hurrying,” he explained as he sat down across from me. I gripped the sword and ran my thumb along the edge.

“I can’t do this,” I sighed, handing it back to him. He pushed it back towards me, shaking his head.

“You must, in order to get home.”

“Oliver, why do you want me to help you so badly?” I asked, sitting the sword down.

“You need to get home, to your friends and family.” I sighed and folded my hands on the table.

“I don’t have friends, my family is broken apart!” Oliver stood and motioned for me to follow.

“You think that you have it rough? My father died in battle, my mother died of a deadly disease when I was just fourteen, I have no siblings, I am a seventeen year old living alone, and the love of my life is on the verge of dying. I'm pretty sure that you can fight for a book!” I cowered in my seat. Oliver stomped outside. Silently, I followed behind.

Oliver walked around the back of his house and brought back another horse, looking similar to the one he has.

“Are you coming or not?” he asked, growing inpatient. I slowly nodded, feeling worse than before.

He motioned for me to get on it and he hopped on his, getting ready to make it take off. I struggled to get on, the mud drying to my body making it hard to move, and struggled even more to keep up with Oliver. We rode through the village, through the open field, and back into a separate set of woods. He slowed when we reached a large lake and hopped off.

“Where are we now?” I asked, trying to be nicer.

“The woods that separate us from Winderon, the kingdom of the Winders.”

“So, we are just going to go in, just the two of us, and try to fight off a complete army? Are you crazy?”

“Not just us. We need to go to our army’s quarters to get them ready. We will fight in a few days,” he said, more serious.

“And you expect me to be able to help?”

“You will be trained, day and night, until it’s time to fight. By the time it is time to fight, you will be trained enough. Other than that, take cover as long as possible until you reach the castle. Sneak in, grab your book, and you will be on your way,” he said. Yeah right. Has he seen me fight? I can barely fight off one person let alone an army. Wait, of course he hasn’t. He’s a complete stranger! What did I get myself into?

“I can’t fight,” I mumbled.

“We’ll see,” he said, hopping back onto the horse.

We rode through the woods for about twenty minutes before another field came into view. Tents were set up and people were out in the open, swinging swords at each other. What if they hit each other? Wait, they are trained enough. I’ve seen enough war slash fairytale movies to know better. He led me to one of the tents that were in the very back. He led me inside to reveal a woman, about a couple years older than me but twice the size.

“Oliver, I’m glad you made it. And you brought company?” she asked, brushing her red hair from her face. Her green eyes looked me over. I blushed at the amount of mud that was caked onto me.

“I’m Lizzie,” I announced.

“I don’t care,” she snapped. I coward back as she turned towards Oliver and whispered something to him, probably about me. Oliver then turned towards me and smiled.

“This is Iris. She will be training you. She will let you borrow an outfit of hers also. Iris, make every lesson count.” With that, Oliver left the tent. Iris narrowed her cat-like eyes and snarled.

“I always get stuck with the training,” she mumbled.

“I’m tough,” I blurted. What? No I’m not. Why did I say that?

“Of course you are. Hurry and change, we only have a few hours before dark,” she demanded, throwing an outfit at me. She left the tent, letting me have my privacy. How thoughtful.

“You can’t do that! They will see right through you! You really don’t know how to fight, do you?” Iris growled at me when she began teaching me. “You need to hold the sword like this.” She gripped her sword and held it out a bit, not too much so it was pointing right at me, just a few inches from my neck. I gulped, trying to get rid of the ball of fear that was wadded up in my throat. My sword was hanging at my side, lifeless.

“Are we done yet?” I whined. “My arm is starting to hurt.”

“Do you want to get killed?” she asked, seeming to mock me.

“No,” I mumbled.

“Then we still have a LOT of work to do. Go!” she screamed, swinging her sword at me. I flinched and backed away, trying to keep hers from slicing me into a million pieces. I hit it back with mine, a pain jolting through was wrist each time the swords collided. Finally, Iris stopped swinging at me and huffed, throwing her sword down.

“You are hopeless!” she screamed. She swung her sword out of her hand and hid her face in her hands.

“I’m trying! Sorry if I’ve never been in a sword fight before. I live in New York City, you don’t see many of them there!” I screamed back.

“Try harder!” she demanded. I sighed and started swinging my sword at her. She jumped back with every swing, her eyes growing wide and fearful. Finally I made myself stop, fearing that I might hurt her. A small smile formed on her face, her eyes lighting up.

“That’s it,” Iris congratulated me. “You need to get mad. Take your anger out on them.” I did as she told me and I noticed her personality take a full turn. She went from a jerk to my best friend just by me learning to fight good. I didn’t understand it.

“Well, Elizabeth Mallory, I do believe you are making some progress. You still have a LOT of work to do, though,” she said as the sun quickly disappeared. “Get some rest. I will wake you up as soon as the sun rises in the morning to train you more.” I nodded and headed toward my tent that Oliver assigned for me to stay in. Suddenly, he came running up, grabbed my shoulders, and flashed me the biggest smile in the universe.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, cautious of his suspicious behavior.

“The queen, that’s what.”

“Queen?” Confusion replaced the tiredness that I was feeling. My heart began to pound.

“Yes, follow me.” He led me to the horses, made me get on, and then had me follow him up the large mountain behind the base. A beautiful castle came into view, taking my breath away.

The biggest fountain in the world sat in front surrounded by several bushes and a flowerbed. The whole castle was lit up so bright you could see it from the moon. Mini lit up fountains sat on either side of the steps and a cobblestone walkway was the only sign of a driveway. The castle had to be at least ten stories high, if not more. I gasped, my eyes falling out of my head.

“Is this real?” I asked, sounding dumb.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” Oliver laughed. “Come on.” Oliver tied the horse reins to a post that was sitting to the side, almost near the back garden, and led me inside.

A grand staircase was the first thing I seen, along with a glass chandelier and a few marble statues. I thought I had died and went to Heaven. A beautiful, young woman made her way down the stairs, a warm smile spread on her lips, her gown flowing behind her. A girl, about my age, followed behind. I smiled and waved, then stopped when I realized how creepy it made me look.

“You must be Elizabeth,” The older woman said, inviting me into a hug. I kindly accepted, feeling a little awkward hugging a queen. The girl behind her smiled and shook my hand.

“Yes I am,” I finally answered, trying to sound as professional as possible.

“We are happy to have you. Please, have a seat,” she said, motioning me into what looked like the dining room. I sat at one of the many chairs and noticed the warmth of the fireplace warm my frozen toes. Had it really been that cold out?

“This is my lovely daughter, Clove,” the queen introduced. I waved and she shook my hand again, the smile never leaving her face.

“I am Zira. When Oliver told us you were coming to fight back for our land, we were ecstatic. I just had to meet you. Would you like some tea or something to eat, dear? You look famished.” She snapped her fingers and a tray of desert and a tea pot appeared carried by a short, plump, old lady.

“Thank you,” I said, taking a cup of tea and a small cookie.

“Tell me, dear, have you fought before. Oliver has told us that you are a master when it comes to sword fighting. He said you are a quick learner.” I flashed Oliver a dirty look. First he lied to me then the queen? What was wrong with him?

“Uh-yeah. I used to practice fighting with my father,” I lied.

“Oh, how wonderful. I love father-daughter stories. Clove’s father was killed a few years back when the Winders first struggled to take our kingdom. He fought them off as much as he could but one of the little devils got him,” Queen Zira said, her teeth gritted in anger. I knew how Clove felt, kind of. My father was very well and alive but he might as well be dead. I barely even see him anymore but when I do, he just tries to buy my love.

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. We are getting through it. Do you live in the kingdom? Your accent sounds strange,” she pointed out. I had never really noticed how city my accent sounded against their England accents.

“I’m from out of…….the country.”

“Oh, how lovely. You must have traveled a long way to get here.” I covered me mouth as I yawned, feeling rude, but Zira smiled. “We mustn’t keep you much longer, dear. You need to rest. Clove, show Elizabeth to your room. She can stay with us tonight.” My heart started to thud again.

“I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“Don’t be silly, dear. You won’t be any trouble at all.” I knew it was horrible to say no to the queen but I needed to discuss things with Oliver.

“I would love that. Thank you so much. Can I talk to Oliver really quick, though?” I asked flashing a fake smile. Zira rose from her seat and hugged me tight. Clove did the same when her mother let go.

“Of course,” she smiled.

Oliver said his goodbyes and led me out the door.

“I’m fighting for the whole kingdom now?” I screamed at him once we were outside.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about! When I got here, you said I would be fighting for my book! You failed to mention I was saving the whole kingdom!”

“Elizabeth, I can explain-”

“It’s Lizzie!”

“Lizzie, when you first got here, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that we would loose the kingdom and the Winders would have Queen Zira and Princess Clove put to death. When I saw you in that field, my thoughts changed. I knew we would have a chance because I could see the fighter in you.” I felt my face grow red with anger and embarrassment.

“You just met me a couple hours ago! You know nothing about me! Where’s my book, I’m going home!” Sadness filled his eyes. I knew I had hurt him but he was putting my life in danger.

“The Winders have it. That part was the truth. We need to win the war so they will give us back the kingdom and your book so you can return home,” he explained.

“Liar! I know you have it! Give me the book, Oliver!” I screamed. He shrugged his shoulders.

“I have every right to give you the book but I told you, I do not have it.” Oliver started walking towards his horse, brushing off everything I had just said. Without saying a word, I made my way back into the castle.

Birds woke me from my restless sleep. I groaned, turned over, and gasped when I saw
Clove’s hair sprawled over the side of the bed above me. I looked around and wrinkled my nose at the girlishness of the room. Stuffed horses lined every shelf and dressers and posters of unicorns lined the walls. I glanced at the bed to see Clove staring down at me. I gasped again.

“Good morning,” she smiled. “Are you hungry?” I nodded and stretched out on the small bed they made for me on the floor. Surprisingly, my back felt better than when I sleep in my own bed. Clove swung her legs over the bed and walked to the door, turning around to face me.

“I’m coming,” I told her, not moving an inch. She nodded and walked out the door.

The following days, I worked as hard as I could, training for the war. Iris grew more and more nice the better of a fighter I became. I spent the night at the castle the next two days but decided to sleep in my tent the last night.

My heart was thudding out of my chest the closer that the fight became. I found myself staring at the top of the tent all night, not being able to calm my nerves enough to sleep. My whole body was shaking. Why was I so nervous? I knew this whole thing was a dream that I would soon escape. Still, I found myself restless.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Oliver’s face peeping through the door of the tent. I huffed and rolled back over, not wanting to see his face. He shook my shoulder and I swatted his hand away.

“Hurry, Lizzie, we need to go. The Winders will be in the field in no time,” he rushed.

“Go away!”

“Don’t do this for me, Lizzie. Do it for your parents. They need you to come home safe.”

“My parents? My father never comes around and my mother can barely stand me!. I don’t have to do anything for them, now let me sleep,” I growled. Oliver grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the sunlight. My eyes began to burn and I struggled to keep them closed. I punched the ground, stood up, and stomped to the cluster of the rest of the army. I looked back and saw Oliver smile. I rolled my eyes and stared at Iris who was standing on a stump in the very front.

“This is the time we fight! We need to remember out goal! We are saving Arogan! For Arogan!” she screamed. The army repeated and broke out in a serious of battle cries.

The army started to take off running towards an empty field on the other side of the hill behind us, their weapons pointed outward. I followed, concentrating really hard not to fall. When we got to the field, everyone stopped and stared at the emptiness that lay before us. Nothing but an open field and the ocean on the other side. The ground began to rumble beneath us and I looked up to see little ant sized people charging at us. As they got nearer, they got bigger, revealing the ripped muscles and the many weapons that outnumbered us. I sighed, knowing we would loose.

Our army began running towards them, each member colliding with a member from that one. I hid in the shadows, noticing their castle at the top of a far hill. Glancing at Oliver, he ushered me to go. My heart started to pound as I ran in the opposite direction, towards the castle. A few of the men ran after me as I dodged in between trees and rocks.

When I finally got to the surrounding wall, the men had gotten lost in the woods. I could see guards standing at the gate, their swords facing the sky, their heads held high, and their arms at their sides. Their attitudes seemed fierce and my heart pounded loudly in my ears as I figured out a way to get through the wall without the guards catching me.

I jumped as high as I could, scrambling to catch the edge of the wall, missing it by a few centimeters. I tried again, coming a little closer. Finally, the last time, I was able to grab the edge of the wall and pull myself over, toppling into some flower bushes. The guards’ eyes snapped open at the loud rustling noise. I held as still as possible, waiting for them to brush it off.

I tip-toed as fast as I could to the back door, going unnoticed. Looking both ways, I slipped through the door. The castle was bigger than Queen Zira’s. Footsteps echoed off the granite floors. I ducked behind a counter, keeping as still as possible.

“I want that book burned! Soon!” a familiar voice said. I couldn’t tell who it was. “We don’t want that girl escaping.” How did everyone here know me? I scooted as far against the wall as I could get myself, the man leaving the room. I peeked over the counter, noticing the coast was clear, bolted upstairs. I heard the footsteps again so I ducked in a random room I could find.

The room must have been the king’s room. A huge chandelier hung above the canopied bed and a flat screen TV hung on the wall. A few statues sat around the room along with a locked safe. I wondered if the book was in there. I began searching drawers for a key to unlock it. Finding nothing, I decided to use my skill. I sat down in front of the safe, pulled a bobby pin out of my hair, and stuck it in the key hole, moving it around until I heard a click. My heart jumped for joy when I found the book safe and sound.

“That was WAY too easy,” I whispered to myself.

“Yes it was,” the voice said behind me. My heart stopped, I held my breath, and became frozen. I slowly turned to find Xavier surrounded by bodyguards smirking in the doorway. I gave a crooked smile and slowly rose to my feet.

“Xavier?” I asked.

“Yes. Surprised are we?”

“How did you get in here?” I asked.

“This is my castle. I live here.”

“I mean in the book.”

“I don’t know. I guess when you opened the book, I got sucked in with you. Oh well, I kind of like being a villain,” he smirked, rubbing his cape between his index finger and thumb.

“But why?” I asked.

“Because, I can get away with stuff I wouldn’t be able to normally,” he laughed.

“Xavier,” I pleaded.

“Just give me the book and we won’t have any problems,” he demanded. I searched the room for an exit, finding nothing but a window and the blocked doorway.

“Not a chance.” I turned on my heels and ran to the window, hopping out onto the balcony. I gripped the book firmly, trying to keep from dropping it. I was ready to draw my sword at any given moment, hoping I wouldn’t have too. Xavier stepped out onto the balcony from another window, a sword held in his big hand. He retied his cape and smirked, daring me to step any closer. 'Come on, Lizzie. This is what you trained for yesterday,' I said to myself.

I took a leap towards him, my sword drawn and winced at the bang the swords made when the collided. I tried my best to push past it but no luck. He was a more skilled fighter than I was.

“Just let me go home!” I pleaded, wincing at the pain that began in my shoulder.

“I can’t, young lady.” He gave it his all, sending my sword over the balcony wall.

“No!” I screamed as it tumbled to the ground.

“Just give up now while you still have the chance to live,” he said.

“Not a chance!” I yelled. He swung the sword and, luckily, I ducked under just in time and kicked his feet out from under him, sending the sword flying to the side of the balcony behind me. I quickly ran for it, kicking his hands away from grabbing my feet. We both rose and I swung the sword, slicing his arm a little. I backed away and swung, missing this time.

“Come on, Xavier. We can both come home in one piece, safe and sound. Just give up,” I pleaded.

“Never!”

“Xavier, don’t make me do something I will regret.”

“You can’t defeat me,” he smirked.

“Want to bet?” I swung the sword, slicing his arm. He winced and grabbed it, walking closer to me. I swung again, hitting right below the wound from the first time. He grabbed for the sword but I hit his stomach and backed away in shock as he buckled over. He fell to his side, griping the wound.

“Give them back their land,” I demanded, towering over him, feeling more brave than I really was.

“No,” he managed to whisper, coughing up blood.

“Do it, Xavier!”

“Never,” he whispered, a smirk creeping onto his face. I raised the sword up over my head, getting ready to hit him.

“Now!” I screamed. I knew I would regret killing him, but it had to be done.

“Alright, alright. I’ll give them back their land. Cesar, seize the fighting, we are giving up,” Xavier managed to spit out. He started to shake a little and his head fell to the floor, his chest stopping its movement. I heaved a deep sigh and slowly backed away, trying to process what I had just done. I felt tears falling down my cheeks. I would never be able to forgive myself. The guards backed away and allowed me to make my way back outside, to the battleground.

Many fallen soldiers laid around, from the army I was helping and from the other. I was relieved to find Oliver with only a few minor scratches. Iris was helping bandage him up when I sprinted to him and wrapped him into a hug.

“We did it! We won!” I screamed.

“My hero,” Oliver teased. The queen rode in through the smoke in her carriage, getting out with something in her hand. It looked like some sort of crown. She stood on a huge stump and smiled down at me.

“I hereby announce, Elizabeth Mallory the heroine of Arogan. Thank you, dear.” She placed the crown onto my head and wrapped me in a hug. Clove gave me a giant hug also then they backed away. I hugged Oliver again.

“I’m going to miss you,” I said, feeling bad for all I had said and done to him.

“I’ll miss you too, Lizzie. Maybe you can stay here.”

“I need to go home. My mother needs me.”

“Well, maybe you can come back sometime then.”

“Maybe,” I smiled. I gave him a kiss on the cheek then hugged Iris. Her hands stayed at her side, my hug catching her off guard. She gave me a short, one armed hug back..

“Thank you for putting up with me during the training,” I joked. She gave a shy smile.

“This land means the world to me, I had to.” I smiled and looked at the remaining army.

“I am happy to see all of your faces, standing before me, alive with only minor wounds or no wounds at all. I will pray for those who have lost their lives today for this kingdom and I will also pray that the rest of you and this land will remain safe and in the hands of Queen Zira and Princess Clove. I will miss you all! Farewell and until next time!” I held my hand in a salute and slowly opened the book. I hinted sadness surrounding me as I whispered the word home. I couldn’t believe I had to go home. They have really grown on me. With tears slowly falling down my cheeks, the world around me froze and the wind started to pick up. I closed my eyes and waited to be in the safety of the library.

“Lizzie!” someone yelled, shoving me hard. I opened my foggy eyes to find myself, in the same spot that I had sat down to read the book, staring up at Xavier’s frowned face. “You’re lucky I found you sleeping before Mrs. Hatcher did. You would have been in huge trouble! What were you thinking, sleeping on the first day of work? Are you that stupid?” I stared at a shelf behind him, remembering all that had happened. Had it just been a dream or was it all real? I figured it was a dream since Xavier was here, pretty much well and alive. Whether it was or not, I hugged the book to my chest and just smiled.