Nat and Bain

By fairyfan

Chapter 1: An Encounter

Chapter 2: The Book

Chapter 3: Where…? What…? How…?

Chapter 3: Where…? What…? How…?

Chapter 5: Finally, Some Answers

Chapter 6: Sir Karthek of Thodras

Chapter 7: The Lake



Nat was given a tour around the town by Kirii and the assertive woman from the Trainers. She was also given a dress made by the most beautiful material she had ever seen and felt. She was shown the home of the Oracle- oddly, a small house painted completely white. She expected much, much more than the little hut standing in front of her, but she sensed something mysterious coming from it. Nat kept the house’s position in mind for later. She was then shown to a nice house to the east of town; where she would stay for the rest of her and Bain’s time here. It was also Kirii’s house.

Bain, on the other hand, went with Karthek to his house that was made by the townspeople after the Oracle’s prediction. A two-storey, wooden house with everything inside made for the use of giants. Karthek told him that he would be staying with him for the time he would be training him,

‘Ye’ll be stayin’ in the guest room, right here,’

They heard Jimmy downstairs returning the armour pieces to the armoury. There was much clanging of metal, spears and swearing until he finally organised it all. Bain was given clothing- some designed for training and some made upon the fashion of the land. Karthek took out a white shirt, green tunic and black pants from the wardrobe in the guest room and handed them Bain,

‘Yer boots are by yer bed,’ he nodded to black close-to-knee-high boots by the large bed, ‘But I suggest ye take a bath in the lake before ye wear yer new "ensemble". Not far from the town, to the south. Just walk through the forest til ye reach it. Beauty at night, I must say,’ he added,

‘Thanks…er, sir,’ Bain was unsure what to address the knight by,

‘Sir? Psh! Don’t call me by that, laddie. Karthek’s fine as it is,’ he slapped a hand on Bain’s shoulder, ‘I’ll let ye settle in. Do whatever ye want. I’ll leave ye to it,’

‘Thanks, Karthek,’ And with that, the knight walked off.

Bain took Karthek’s advice and headed to the lake, taking a towel with him as well as his new attire. He watched his step as he neared the town and toward the lake to the south, greeting back to those who waved. As Karthek had said, he walked through the forest. The pine trees were as tall as him, some taller, and made him feel much taller than how he was, and also a little uneasy. He still had to watch his step, and it was hard for him to see the ground with spines and low branches in his way. He was relieved to have reached the lake without hearing anything bad from below.

The lake was like a giant swimming pool, surrounded by pine trees and emanating a strange, almost magical presence. The grass on the banks was not green like normal, but blue; more blue than green, at least. It was a beautiful sight right now, so what was it like a night? He tried to imagine it…

‘It must a really nice sight from that height, huh?’ someone suddenly asked.

Bain looked down at the speaker and almost jumped back in surprise. Right in front of him stood Nat with her hands on her hips and wearing only a towel. Bain quickly turned away, blushing and unable to speak properly. He had never seen her out of clothing before, though she was completely covered,

‘N-Nat, I-I didn’t…’ he swallowed, ‘…expect you here,’

‘Kirii told me about this place, so I decided to check it out myself,’ Nat replied with a cheeky grin, ‘You gonna have a bath too?’

Bain set his clothes down with his head still turned away from his friend, ‘Yeah, but I was thinking of taking a bath…you know, alone,’

‘Don’t worry, Bain,’ Nat approached him with a smile, ‘I already had one, so it’s all yours, big boy,’

‘Thanks, Nat,’ Bain chuckled, his cheeks quite red, ‘I’ll just wait til you’re…changed and gone,’

‘Of course, of course. Won’t be long,’

Nat hid behind a tree to change into the dress she had been given. Meanwhile, Bain stood up and slipped off his shirt, socks and shoes. Only then did he realise, and was relieved, that his clothes had grown with him. It would have been very embarrassing if it hadn’t happened…and very, very awkward. He slung the towel over his shoulder and headed to the edge of the lake.

Now wearing her new dress, Nat walked out, combing her hair. The dress was a sapphire blue and felt like silk, inside and out, but was told it was much stronger than silk. It was a low V-neck with elbow-length sleeves that were flared with lace stitched on the hems. The skirt began from her waist and went right down to cover her feet. Nat added a blue-green silken scarf to tie around her waist loosely. She walked up to Bain and presented herself with a little pirouette,

‘What d’you think?’ she asked sheepishly, looking at his well-toned body.

Bain crouched down and lay a hand down for her. Nat hopped on with no hesitations this time, knowing that he wanted to see her better,

‘You look great,’ he said softly, stroking her cheek with a finger, ‘Really,’

‘Thank you, Bain,’ Nat put a hand to where he stroked her cheek, ‘I’ll, er…leave you alone then. Can’t wait to see you in your new clothes,’

‘Alright,’ Bain chuckled and lowered her down, ‘You’ll be the first to see, how’s that?’

Nat nodded and headed off back toward the town after gathering up her clothes.

Having been lowered down on safe, steady, wonderful ground, Nat noticed the people to be much more welcoming. They welcomed her with open arms this time, as well as with Bain. Vendors offered their goods for them for free, rich looking men and women wanted to befriend them immediately, and curious children asked them never ending questions about sorcery and knighthood. Not knowing what to say, Nat and Bain kept silent. They both looked at each other and shrugged,

‘Ah! Sir Karthek!’ Moluk seemed to be looking up at Bain, but was really looking at someone behind him, ‘Have you come to meet your apprentice?’

Nat turned to see who Moluk was talking to and jumped in surprise. Seeing her reaction, Bain stood up and turned around. There he saw another giant; a man in his forties with a rugged beard, cropped peppered hair and pitch black eyes. He was a little shorter than Bain and had a bit of a beer belly but was muscular everywhere else. His teeth were pure white as Bain could see when he grinned at him,

‘So yer the young knight-to-be, are ye?’ he had a Scottish brogue, ‘Name’s Sir Karthek of Thodras, and this is me squire, Jimmy,’

He pointed to a giant boy behind him in a red tunic holding what looked to be several different kinds of armour piled on top of each other in his arms. The squire struggled to keep on his two feet while he did so,

‘Sir Karthek is one of the greatest knightly veterans we have ever met,’ Moluk explained, ‘It was quite an honour to have him come to our town as our Guardian, especially for such a terrible time of our lives. But…we are not the only ones to have a giant as a Guardian. Giants are wonderful knights so I suppose that every other town and village have one,’

‘Everyone has a giant knight as a Guardian?’ Nat asked,

‘Yes, and sorceress,’

I guess the sorceress will be my Trainer, Nat thought. Maybe she’s this Oracle they’re talking about…though the Oracle could be a guy…

‘Nice t’meet ye, laddie,’ Karthek held out a beefy, calloused hand out for Bain to shake. Bain took the time to look at the knight up and down before shaking his hand. Karthek nodded in satisfaction,

‘Ha HA! Ye got a good grip on ye, laddie!’ he laughed heartily, ‘That’s good, that’s good! A good start! Ye gave me a good one, Moluk,’ he looked down at the old man, ‘Strong and lean. Thank ye,’

Moluk gave a nod and hobbled off with a hand on his back, saying he was going for a nap. Karthek once again laughed, being the very hearty man he was. Jimmy’s legs gave way and the pile of armour collapsed over his lanky body, shaking the ground beneath the townspeople and Nat. Karthek cracked up and slapped Bain on the back, so hard that Bain lost his balance and lunged forward. Causing panic around the townspeople, the knight apologized sheepishly. Bain gave him a cold stare and looked down at Lena in disbelief- she was holding Kirii in her arms, trying to calm her down,

‘I’m supposed to be trained by this guy?!’ he hissed.

Lena smiled softly and laughed lightly, stroking Kirii’s red curls comfortingly, ‘He must be good if he’s gonna be your Trainer for the greatest evil in the land,’

Bain looked back at the still-laughing knight and shook his head. How was he going to prepare himself for this crackpot’s teachings? He tried to imagine Nat’s Trainer and immediately thought of a crazy old hag, cackling her saggy butt off at anything that made a funny noise. Basically, an old crone that was 10 times as crazy as Karthek…Bain scoffed and laughed privately at his personal joke. Nat stared up at him patiently, waiting for him to explain it,

‘Just wondering what your Trainer’s gonna be like…’ he said with a shrug.

Kirii giggled suddenly. Nat and Bain assumed she had her own personal joke. Either that or she liked to giggle at random…

As the old man requested, Nat led him, the little girl (named Kirii) and the group to where Bain was. They found him lying down on the grass with his hands behind his head and legs crossed while they were up. Nat called his name, making Bain turn his head to face her. His eyes widened at all the new friends she had brought with her. He sat up and looked down at them all…one caught his eye,

‘YOU!!!’ he bellowed to the old man, making everyone cover their ears, ‘What’re YOU doing here!?’

‘B-Bain, calm down!’ Nat approached him and placed a hand on his giant one, ‘He can answer our questions about this place,’

Bain looked down at her then gave the old man one last cold stare. The old man was unaffected by his scowl, smiling up at him warmly. The group weren’t shaken from his sudden outburst, just Kirii, but she was a cute exception. She stayed behind Nat as the old man spoke up,

‘I think you deserve to know the whole story, so I will tell you…if you let me tell you without interruptions,’ he began, ‘My name is Moluk, the elder of the town you (he looked to Nat) came to. Indeed, I am the one who you both encountered in Otherworld- the world you call home. The book I gave you contains a vision that the town’s Oracle had seen many years ago…which came true one month ago. We waited for these heroes with great intent as the great evil slowly consumed part of the land into darkness.

‘But we did not know who the Chosen Two- how we called you- were until only a few days ago when the Oracle had another vision. She had also seen that the vision she had written in the book had one small mistake- where it said that the gods would send you. The gods would not send you here by themselves; we had to help send you here by giving you that book (he pointed a wrinkled finger at the book in Nat’s arms) first. I’m sure you read the spell at the back of the book?’ he asked Nat,

‘Yes…’

‘Yes, the gods made you read it and therefore fulfilled their end of the bargain I guess you could say,’ Moluk nodded, ‘And now you are here! You are the only ones who can save us now and return the land back to its former glory! You are the only ones who can stop the one who is the great evil,’

There was a short silence, ‘That’s it. That’s the story,’ Moluk told them, waiting for them to speak,

‘…oh…’ Nat blinked,

‘You said the "one who is the great evil",’ Bain said, ‘Who is it?’

‘He is a powerful and evil lord, obsessed with power (What evil lord isn’t? Nat thought). And he has become even more powerful; forming an alliance with a Demon Overlord and…well, you get the idea,’

‘How do you know about what this guy has done?’ Nat asked,

‘The Oracle,’ Moluk replied casually,

‘Why didn’t she put that into the book?’

‘She’s not the best author, alright? She sees the future, not writes books,’

‘Sooo,’ Bain raised a brow, ‘Nat is that sorceress and I’m that giant knight who has to stop this guy?’

Moluk nodded, ‘Yes, that is correct,’

‘But we don’t know a thing about magic and knighthood!’ Nat said, ‘I don’t even believe in magic! So how would you expect me to be a sorceress?’

‘And the only sword I’ve held is a plastic one when I was 5,’ Bain added,

‘That’s where we come in!’ a woman stood forward from the group behind Moluk, ‘We are going to train you for we are…the Trainers! Well, assistants of the Trainers,’ The group agreed with smiles and cheers,

‘Uh…not wanting to sound rude,’ Bain said, ‘But…how are you going to train me?’

‘You’re not the only giant knight, young man,’ Moluk replied with a cheeky smile, ‘The both of you will begin your training in a few days; we will be fully prepared for you then. BUT NOW! Feel free to relax!’

‘And we must get you out of those Otherworld clothes of yours,’ the same woman from the Trainers spoke again, ‘They won’t be the best for training, and we have to keep you concealed from the Evil One,’

‘Don’t you know his name?’ Nat asked,

‘Nay!’ Moluk and the group chorused,

‘One more question,’ Bain said, ‘What about…the "Otherworld"? My little sister’s still there and I need to look after her!’

‘The Oracle can answer that question,’ Moluk told him, ‘She has probably seen you ask your question before you have even asked it,’

‘Hmm…’ Bain gave an unamused growl,

‘C’mon, Bain! Lighten up a bit!’ Nat nudged his finger, ‘She’ll be okay. The time periods are probably different…like, one day there is probably a year here,’

Bain was still a little unsatisfied, but he nodded, accepting her answer to be reasonable. He felt a light pulling on his forefinger- it was Kirii, her little, silver eyes sparkling with hope for him,

‘You should not worry about your sister,’ she said, ‘I will be your sister if you like!’

Bain gave her a gentle smile and patted her head, thanking her for her support and optimism. He wondered what such a young girl was doing with a group of adults. Maybe a supportive little daughter (or grand daughter) of one of them, or just a supportive and helpful little girl of the Trainers. Who knew, but Moluk and the group?

‘Come now, come now,’ Moluk waved his hand, ‘To the town, to the town,’

Bain lay a hand down for Nat and Kirii. Nat declined the offer this time (she still couldn’t help her fear of heights, despite having ridden on Bain’s hand already), but Kirii insisted, as if wanting Nat to conquer her fear. She helped Nat up and offered (teasingly) to hold on to her if she got scared. Carefully, Bain stood up, trying to keep his hand steady for the two and followed Moluk and the Trainers, walking slowly and keeping a safe distance away from them. Nat could feel the ground trembling with each step he too, but saw that Moluk and the Trainers unconcerned. It was like they were used to it already.

Chapter 8: Confessions…and Chemistry?

Chapter 9: The Oracle with Her Coins and Pots

Chapter 10: An Unexpected Guest

Chapter 11: The Little Healer

Chapter 12: Celebrations Are In Order!

Chapter 13, pt.1:

Bain sat down in his bed before setting Nat down to the side of his pillow. He lay down, turned to her and asked how she was doing; if she needed anything. Nat shook her head and thanked him once she lay down, herself. Bain smiled and shut his eyes, too tired to turn on to his back anymore. Nat saw the peace and softness on his handsome face as she stared at him for a while. She still wondered why she had feelings for him now. He was her best friend for almost 10 years; they were so close…but she had never felt anything more than just friendship until now. She guessed it was just hormones, but she felt that it wouldn’t just fade…

She looked his face up and down and gave a little laugh, ending it with a smile. Maybe it would help if…she kissed him. Even just on the cheek! She just wanted to get her heart to stop bashing into her chest. She hesitated. It would be a bit intrusive if she did just go ahead and kiss him without him realising. Her front teeth dug into her bottom lip. Just a little peck? she thought. He won’t mind…

With that, Nat crawled up to his face and planted a tiny kiss on his pink lips. No reaction. Her heart returned to its normal beating rate as she began to settle back down to her spot,

‘Is that my good night kiss?’ Bain took her by surprise.

Nat gasped and instinctually tried to hide herself, though didn’t have many hiding spaces, ‘B-Bain! I’m…I’m sorry!’

Bain turned on his back, propped up on his elbows and touched his lips, ‘No need, Nat,’ he chuckled, ‘At least I know you’re not scared of me,’

‘Bain, I was never scared of you,’ Nat told him, ‘Even if you’re over 100ft tall, I know you’re still you,’ But I was scared!!! she thought.

She beckoned him to lie back down. He did so and felt her kiss him on the cheek then snuggle up to him. Bain’s heart pounded in his chest and his blushed a deep red. He smiled softly and shut his eyes,

‘I love you…’ he whispered before they both fell asleep.

Chapter 14: Was It All A Dream?

Chapter 15: Kirii is the What???

Chapter 16: Training Begins!

***


Nat was as equally worried as Bain when she found out what they were going to do. She calmed down when Kirii and the Oracle accompanied her to a more isolated location; east of Karthek’s beloved obstacle course. Nat’s Training Grounds was a ruin, literally. Broken pillars and cracked tiles beneath their feet, covered in ivy and weeds. It bore similarities like that of a Greek Temple,

‘We start here first, and then we go to Mr Bain,’ Kirii said.

She showed Nat to a painted circle on the ground, then stood opposite to her about a metre away. The Oracle sat down cross legged to the side of them and meditated,

‘We are going to work on how you focus your energy,’ Kirii clapped her hands together and slowly opened them to reveal a perfect blue orb of light, ‘Some people get their energy from their happiness, like me; some from their hate, like witches; some from their surroundings, like druids; and some from others, like vampires,’ she explained, ‘First, we need to know how you get your energy, Miss Nat,’

‘And how do I do that?’ Nat asked patiently,

‘Okay, close your eyes and try to focus on a spot in the darkness. It will be hard, but when you get this, it will be much easier,’

Nat did as she was told and shut her eyes. Floating in the darkness were tiny spots from red to blue to sometimes even green. It was hard to concentrate on one spot, but she continued,

‘When you find that spot,’ she heard Kirii’s voice fading, ‘And concentrate in it enough, you will know. When that happens, hold out your hands and we will see…’

She found a blue dot zipping around the darkness. It was what she was now going to concentrate on…concentrate…concentrate…CONCENTRATE…it was hard. Nat began to sweat; her head began to ache. It was difficult! She frowned, taking in deep breaths now. She was going to stop…it was too hard! But she kept her eyes on that blue dot as it tried to hide itself from her. Her hands shook and then suddenly, she felt it! A click! She knew it was time. Slowly, she held out her hands, still keeping her eyes on the dot easily. Her hands began to grow colder as she heard a faint humming coming from her palms,

‘Miss! Open your eyes!’ Kirii clapped her hands happily, ‘You did it!’

Nat snapped open her eyes and grinned broadly, ‘I did it!’

She was sweating, panting, as tired as ever, but had done it. In her hands, she held a small green orb of light,

‘Ah!’ Kirii looked closer, ‘You are a druid, Miss! Now…the fun begins…’ an evil grin played across her freckled face…

Chapter 17: One Day Complete

Chapter 18: In the Lake Together

Chapter 19: Getting Even

Chapter 20: Fast Forward!!!

Chapter 21: One Final Time Together

Chapter 22: The Battle Approaches



Kirii gave Nat a special battle robe. Blues and greens intertwined with one another, actually moving on the soft fabric. She slipped on her new robe and examined herself in the mirror. The colours flowed down her shape like a river, from head to toe. Nat pirouetted, clasping the sides so they flew out as she span,

‘Thank you SO much, Kirii! This is beautiful…I’m going to hate having to mess it up…when you know…’

‘Do not worry about that, miss! I have more for you to choose from when you and Mr Bain defeat the Great Evil,’

Nat clasped her hands together and looked down at them. Her heart grew heavy and her stomach became a pit of emptiness. Kirii seemed so sure, and she and the other townsfolk depended on them to save their land,

‘Do you really think we’ll end up victorious?’ she asked softly.

Kirii smiled broadly as she nodded. With a quick jump, she wrapped her arms around Nat’s neck and hugged her. Although taken by surprise, Nat hugged her back. She lowered her back down and headed out to meet Bain, holding the little girl’s hand in hers.

She found the whole town engulfed in a huge shadow and looked up. Bain stood there, admiring the armour that dressed him; a mix of silver and gold plates with red to decorate it. Immediately, Nat thought of him as Ares, Greek god of war, only Bain was much gentler…and better looking. Karthek stood with him, looking proud of his student. Jimmy was there too, keeping quite as he was.

It was almost sunset and our two heroes stopped to watch it together; they were alone together for once. The clouds were tinted with oranges and violets, blending perfectly against the salmon pink sky. Bain was lying down on the grass, his hands behind his head, with Nat sitting on his chest. With a tight squeeze of her knees to her chest, she took a sharp breath in and sighed deeply, loosening her knees,

‘It’s so nice out here,’ she said dreamily, ‘Don’t y’think?’

‘Mmm,’ Bain agreed lazily.

Nat gave a yawn and lay down on her big friend’s chest. They stared up at the orange and pink sky, their minds clear of anything troublesome. Sunsets were always best to see with somebody else, especially with someone you care about…that was what Bain’s mother had told him when he was younger. She had never been wrong, and so far she was still on her perfect streak,

‘Karhtek really worked you hard, didn’t he?’ Nat wiped her tears from when she yawned,

‘However can you tell?’ Bain asked blandly,

‘Well I can’t really help but notice your stomach and chest are harder,’ she yawned again, ‘And…those biceps, I swear…are…hills…’

‘…Nat?’

Bain shifted his head to look at her…she had fallen asleep. The sun hid itself completely behind the horizon, leaving the darkened sky to the waking moon and her stars. Bain smiled and picked Nat up into his hand as he hopped to his feet,

‘Mmm, Bain…’ she mumbled, ‘…take it easy will you?’

‘Oh, sorry, Nat,’ he chuckled lightly.

She turned to her side and curled up like a cocoon in his palm. She sighed and slept soundly with Bain’s warmth all around her tired body. He gave her a gentle kiss and smiled, remembering how Nat kissed him while he was asleep. Now it was the other way around. His heart sank slowly as he thought…there was a chance that this would be their last time together.

Several days of gruelling training sessions passed. Karthek trained and trained and trained Bain until he could take on his beloved obstacle course blind-folded and one arm tied behind his back…literally! In a short period of time, he had perfected every weapon on the rack from bow to halberd. Bain could take on Karthek, Jimmy and even a dragon (conjured up by Kirii, the Oracle and Nat) at the same time with a single sword- he was ready.

Nat pushed herself to practise her spells and casting at every moment she had by herself or even just out of training sessions. From conjuring tiny flaming tongues on her fingers, she excelled rapidly to calling upon a deadly meteor shower. The Oracle had magnified her power even more by teaching Nat her techniques, and indeed it helped a great deal- the dragon that chased them before was now bigger, stronger and completely under Nat’s control. She too, was ready.

It only was a few days, but already people grew tense at the slowly approaching dark clouds brewing in the once light blue sky. Several people had already fled the town while the rest stayed in confidence of Bain and Nat’s abilities. The Oracle, Kirii and Karthek all vowed to stay by their sides to the very end, giving them the confidence they sorely needed…especially with the coming battle and all the people counting on them to save the rest of the land,

‘Young ones,’ the Oracle said, ‘You have worked hard and have pushed yourselves these last few days…and have progressed marvellously; your abilities are more than enough to defeat the Evil. We are very proud of you both,’

Nat looked up at Bain with a big smile on her face. He smiled back and stroked her cheek,

‘But now you must be ready for tomorrow,’ the Oracle continued solemnly, ‘The gods have given me my final vision: the Evil One will come tomorrow night,’

The two nodded in understanding, ‘Your final vision?’ Nat added, ‘Does that mean…’

‘Yes,’ the Oracle nodded, ‘I am no longer "The Oracle", but an ordinary woman once more,’

‘Well, what do we call you, then?’ Bain asked, raising a brow.

Her first grin appeared on her face, ‘…Mrs Karthek,’

‘Mrs Karthek???’ Nat and Bain’s jaws dropped; Karthek sniggered in amusement.

Kirii pulled on Nat’s hand, ‘Miss Nat, are you going to be Mrs Bain?’

‘Kirii!’ Nat cried; more shock adding to her last reaction.

The little girl giggled cheekily and took off behind Bain’s fingers for protection. Nat merely shook her head in disbelief, an unimpressed look directed to Kirii.

Karthek went ahead to his house while Bain volunteered to take the Oracle, and Kirii and Nat back to their own homes in the village. He felt more confident at night since there were only the Oracle’s Guards outside. Everyone else was in their homes, fast asleep.

Bain dropped the Oracle at her home first then headed a few steps west to Kirii and Nat’s home. There, he encountered an interesting sight- three young men outside the door, huddled together and whispering. Nat gasped,

‘Oh my gosh!’ she looked up at Bain fearfully, ‘Th-That’s them, Bain! Th-They’re those guys who were eyeing me!’

Bain nodded and curled his fingers more inwards protectively. He made his presence noticeable to the young men; they all looked up in surprise,

‘He-HEY!’ one of them smiled and nodded in greeting, ‘Bain! How are ya, mate? Nice night, in’t it?’

‘What are you doing outside that door?’ Bain glowered, his towering form making him even more intimidating, ‘This isn’t your house,’

‘Er…we were just-’

Bain swept them all up into his free hand and raised them up to his face, ‘If I catch even looking at Nat and Kirii, I swear,’ he tightened his grip, making them grunt in pain, ‘I’ll tear you all in half! Got it?’

They all nodded desperately; their faces all pale and sweating. They could see that he was serious…VERY serious. Nat, herself, was nervous. She was so unsure if he was just threatening them or if he would really tear them in half. She was happy Kirii was asleep though. Bain set the guys down roughly and watched as they scrambled, crying their eyes out like babies,

‘Thank you so much, Bain,’ Nat laughed, ‘I don’t care if you were serious or not, thank you!’

‘No problem, Nat,’ Bain smiled back.

Nat gestured him to come closer and kissed him on the lips. A blush stayed on his cheeks from when he put her down to until he fell asleep. The both of them slept soundly- Nat now feeling much safer and Bain feeling that she would be safe for their rest of the time here.

(Note: Okay, it mind sound a bit kinky, but there are no graphic scenes, honest!)

All five of them took to the lake; Jimmy had been given time off and was relaxing back at Karthek’s house, not exactly a fan of water. The lake was as warm as a spa this time and was even steaming from the clear, blue-green surface. They all had towels around them like in a Japanese hot spring or spa. Bain and Karthek sat and relaxed deep out into the lake where it would have been dozens of feet deep to humans. Bain had Nat reclining down on an arm folded across his stomach while she had Kirii on her lap. The Oracle sat on Karthek’s arm, leaning back on his beer belly with a relaxed smile that was rarely seen on her face,

‘I’m glad that this lake’s enchanted,’ Bain sighed, throwing his head back as he sank down a little until he reclined himself, ‘Thanks, Kirii,’

‘You are most welcome, Mr Bain,’ the little girl giggled as he shifted his body,

‘I must ask,’ Nat said suddenly, worried, ‘How long do we have until we actually have to face this guy?’

Bain sighed, ‘You’re too tight, Nat,’ he said, ‘Loosen up right now, alright?’

‘I’m just keeping my mind open, Bain,’ she replied, ‘You’ll be fine coz you won’t have to learn spells; you’re all physical work,’

‘You must not worry, Miss,’ Kirii tilted her head back to look up at her, ‘You will learn spells in no time!’

‘You will have to face the Evil One when we feel that you are ready,’ the Oracle answered Nat’s question casually, ‘There is not much time we have left, but you will be ready,’

‘…I hope so…’ Nat sighed, the worried look not leaving her face, ‘I’ll be more than happy when we get back home and everything’s back to normal,’

‘I quite like being big, to be honest, Nat,’ Bain admitted,

‘Yeah…but I’ll be relieved when we don’t have to worry about this "Great Evil" and we’re back home,’ Nat emphasised the point then paused, ‘…wait, you like being big?’

‘Well, sure,’ Bain shrugged, ‘It’s interesting,’

‘Well, I don’t think Pip would agree,’ Nat raised a brow with a smirk,

‘Yeah well…’ Bain tried to think of an answer back, ‘…shut up, Nat,’

She snorted and grinned at another victory. Bain was never really that good at arguing with her and winning. Kirii had fallen asleep, her head resting on Nat’s chest. She stroked her red curls and hugged her closer. Looking at them, Bain was immediately reminded of Pip. He wondered…when they returned home, would he still be a giant? He never really thought about it until then. His heart grew heavy at the thought of never being able to actually hug his little sister and hold her in his arms again…not without crushing her.

The Oracle kept silent, her eyes in a meditative way. Karthek seemed to be in the same state, either that or they were both asleep.

When they were told they were to be trained for the great evil, they didn’t expect to be pushed to their limits. After how many hours of weights and cardio, Karthek had already made him take the obstacle course. He cared not for his apprentice’s aching arms and legs; he was determined to get him into shape. Bain was smashed around, scratched and was almost killed several times if not for his reflexes. Again, again, again, again, he told him, until there wasn’t a scratch on him from beginning to end.

Nat’s brain was throbbing in her skull after concentrating so hard on just basic spells. Her hands were burned from ones that had backfired on her. She was chased by a baby dragon she had accidentally summoned and was even wrapped tightly by the surrounding ivy. At the end of the day, the both of them were so tired that they just collapsed in a panting, sweating heap. Eight whole hours of training, and it was time for them to leave the Grounds for now,

‘Ye did a good job today, laddie,’ Karthek helped Bain up, ‘Ye deserve a nice good relax…for tomorrow’s trainin’ session,’ Bain could only groan as he kept his arm on the knight’s shoulders in reply, ‘Really, laddie. I’ll give ye less than a week, and ye’d be ready,’

‘Tomorrow’s session…?’ Bain asked wearily, unaware of Karthek’s confidence in him, ‘How can I? Especially, with my stomach like this!’

His stomach had been slashed and was bandaged before they proceeded to the next round of the obstacle course. It was very risky for him to go on again, but Karhek had forced him to…and the next time, his wound had made him more of aware of the obstacle’s dangers. The knight’s methods were harsh, but it worked him hard, Bain had to admit,

‘The lake, laddie,’

‘What’ll the lake do to help me?’

‘Haven’t ye noticed that yer burns and cuts from that fiery beastie aren’t there?’

Kirii and the Oracle helped Nat up together. Nat kept one hand on her forehead- how many headaches has she had already???

‘You did really well, Miss Nat!’ Kirii complemented her brightly,

‘Yes, you have progressed very quickly, Nathalia,’ the Oracle agreed, ‘You will be able to perfect the most difficult spells in an instant. A few days more…’

Nat only groaned as she nodded, or rather, dropped her head heavily. She now knew what Bain felt like when he had taken on that dragon- she was burned and scratched by the little b*****d. The Oracle told her to bathe in the lake to heal her wounds, explaining about the lake’s healing power to her. Kirii herself had enchanted it herself, which now didn’t surprise her, seeing Kirii’s abilities with her own eyes.

‘What if we step on them?!’ Bain argued, having been told that Nat and Kirii (and later the Oracle) were to join in training, ‘I don’t want to crush them by accident!’

‘Don’t worry, laddie,’ Karthek said, ‘They’ll join us later; yer girlfriend’s got t’develop her powers first,’

Upon hearing that, Bain was relieved. He couldn’t believe, though, that Kirii was the town’s Sorceress! Such a little thing, and she had been assigned to try to protect the town from the upcoming evil. He thought that she was just a healer- which was already hard to believe- but a Sorceress? The little girl was definitely someone not to be taken lightly. And Nat being his girlfriend? He wished…he wished? Bain shook himself out of thought and found himself in front of the Training Grounds.

Surrounded by only a wooden fence, a crude but menacing looking obstacle course awaited for someone to pull its lever at the beginning; ready to crush, pierce, slash and bash its next victim. A variety of tusks, teeth, blades and spearheads protruded almost everywhere on the strong timber that held it, some blunt covered with blood, others polished and sharpened. Massive boulders and enormous blades were still at the moment, but would later swing like pendulums and try to knock anyone off it. Bain gulped and groaned at what he was going to face. Surrounded by the obstacle course was a sparring area, marked out with white paint.

Karthek sniffed, ‘Ain’t she a beauty?’ he squeaked, ‘Still as sturdy as when I used it. How ye doin’ ol’ girl?’ he cried to the obstacle, ‘She’ll work on yer acrobatics and reflexes mostly, laddie. Now the sparrin’ circle’s where ye and me’ll duel…with every weapon in the rack Jimmy-boy’ll wheel in later. Doin’ this’ll work on yer dexterity, how ye handle weapons and yer reflexes again. O’er there,’ Karthek nodded to a weight set, ‘I think ye know what that’ll be for,’ he gave Bain a smirk, ‘I’m gonna make ye til ye can’t breathe no more, laddie…unless ye can handle it,’

Bain was speechless, his eyes following the obstacle course with his eyes, sometimes stopping to one certain point to imagine in what horrible situation he would be in. He then watched as the young squire wheeled in, with effort, a weapon rack containing a pair of several different weapons- spears, maces, flails, clubs, daggers, and of course swords,

‘You’ll end up just like I do when ye’ve perfected everything, laddie,’ Karthek lay a hand on Bain’s shoulder,

‘I hope minus the beer keg,’ Bain scoffed, patting Karthek’s rounded belly- the knight only laughed heartily and led his apprentice to the gym equipment.

Once Nat had changed into more acceptable attire, she joined Bain and Karthek for breakfast. There, she saw the biggest pancake she had ever seen. As big as a room and as thick as 4, maybe 5 inches, and there Bain and Karthek were, eating them as casually as casual with litres of syrup and pounds of butter running down the stacks. Her mouth watered, despite having her own pancakes but 20 times the size, made them 20 times more irresistible!

After breakfast, Moluk had an announcement to make, especially for Nat and Bain,

‘Young Saviours!’ he began, ‘After a day of relaxation and introduction to our town, it is now time for you to begin your training for the battle at hand!’

Nat and Bain’s jaws dropped as the townspeople cheered and whooped. Were they going to train now??? No! They weren’t ready! Moluk continued,

‘So! Without any further ado, please Trainers! Take them to their Training Grounds!’

Karthek immediately took the back of Bain’s neck and led him to the Training Grounds, right where Jimmy had been told to run laps around. Nat waited for one of the Trainers that followed Moluk around to approach. No one. Kirii was jumping up and down in excitement, pulling on Nat’s arm as she did,

‘Um…Moluk? What about my Trainer?’ Nat asked,

‘Your Trainer is already there with you!’

Nat looked around. Her Trainer had to be pretty small if she couldn’t see her, or him,

‘It’s little Kirii! The town’s Guardian Sorceress!’

‘SHE’S THE WHAAAAAAT???!!!’

‘We wouldn’t have allowed her anywhere near Bain if she had not been our Sorceress, Nathalia,’ Moluk chuckled, ‘She wouldn’t have been able to heal Bain’s wounds if she had no magic!’

‘Yeah, but…!’ Nat stuttered out, ‘Sh-She’s just…How…? Wha…?!’

‘Let us go, Miss Nat! There is much we have to do!’

‘I will go as well,’ the Oracle appeared suddenly, as she usually did, ‘Despite the little one having much power, her ways will not be enough to unlock Nathalia’s absolute potential,’

‘O-Oracle…’ Nat could only say; she was honoured to have the woman by her side.

The Oracle bowed to the townspeople and led Nat, along with Kirii dancing along, to where Karthek and Bain had strode off to. The Oracle explained that in order for the two of them; Nat and Bain to defeat the Evil together, they must train and fight together. They had to develop together and see each other’s abilities. They had to combine their powers together for peace to return to the land…

‘And have cookies!’ Kirii added…


With the sun shone through the window and the air was nippy on the skin. With no curtains to block intrusive rays, Bain covered his eyes with a hand. He couldn’t see anything, but he had the strangest dream. He and Nat were transported to this strange new world, and he had grown into a 125ft giant! Wait…if he had just dreamed it all, then…

‘Nat!’ he sat up suddenly and heard a shocked scream, ‘Nat?’

‘Ow! Bain!’ Nat cried, ‘Keep your voice down! Gee, my head canes!’

She had taken a little bit of the ale in last night, but it wasn’t enough to give her a headache-or so she thought last night. Bain looked down and slumped down sadly as he found her tiny, a-bit-over-3-inch figure on his pillow, rubbing her head and groaning. He sighed and picked her up,

‘Sorry, Nat,’ he said more quietly, ‘I thought I dreamed it all,’

‘I guess not,’ she sighed, equally disappointed, ‘Ah well, good morning,’ she smiled,

Bain chuckled, ‘Good Morning,’ he kissed her carefully on the forehead, ‘I guess I’d better get you back to town…so you get to wear something more appropriate?’ he suggested,

Before Nat could answer, the door swing violently open, ‘G’Mornin’, laddie!!!’

‘Agh!!!’ the two of them jumped in fright…it was just Karthek with Jimmy by his side, still half asleep,

‘Oh ho, HO!’ Karthek noticed Nat in Bain’s hand, ‘Hope I’m not disturbin’ anythin’, laddie?’

Bain shook his head, his hand covering his face with embarrassment, ‘No, Karthek,’ he sighed,

‘Good! Well, when yer both done, head down t’the town…’ Karthek licked his lips, ‘I just know that they’re preparin’ somethin’ gooood. Mm-mm!’ and he strode off,

‘…he scares me, Nat,’ Bain said.

With Nat at hand (pun intended, hehehe), Bain followed Karthek to the town soon after he barged into his room. Nat was worrying about Kirii and was unaware of her surroundings; hoping that the girl was safe and was determined to get to her quickly. On the way, Bain was stopped by a little voice right in front of him,

‘Mr Bain!’ Kirii was upset, ‘Mr Bain! Have you seen Miss Nat?’

Bain lay his hand (the one holding Nat) down in front of her and she scurried on as quickly as a mouse, taking Nat quickly by the waist. Nat snapped out of her worries and gasped in surprise, hugging Kirii back. She apologised for leaving suddenly last night, covering her story about the suspicious men. Kirii forgave her then blushed as she looked to her and then to Bain,

‘Miss Nat,’ she said, ‘You…you are naked!’

‘What?!’ Bain choked, his eyes widening,

‘Naked?’ Nat looked at herself; she was still in her nightgown, ‘No I’m n…oh…’

She guessed that the townspeople’s morals and ethics were still quite old- women showing even the slightest little bit of skin on their legs would have been shunned by others. Nat considered herself lucky that she was wearing jeans and long-sleeves when she discovered the town.

(Note: I like this chapter *dreamy sigh*. And I always seem to listen to a nice song when I read through this, just like when I was writing it)

It wasn’t that late, but most people were too tired to go on- either fatigue or intoxication. Nat had said that she’d drop off Kirii back home then come back, but she hadn’t after about thirty minutes. Guessing that she had fallen asleep as well, Bain headed to the lake to soothe his burns and wash the rest of the blood and sweat off his body. He stepped over a passed-out Karthek, snoring so loudly that it shook the ground near him, and headed to the house to grab a towel and a new shirt; he decided to keep the tunic and pants.

When he reached the lake, it had transformed into a shimmering blue-green pool of magic. Tiny lights flew and danced about the lake surface, sometimes flicking up tiny droplets of water into the air. They sparkled under the moonlight as they flew up and then dove back into the water. With the moon directly above the lake, Bain felt a feeling of calm around him. It really was a beauty, as Karthek had said. Bain sighed as he slowly slipped into the water, which was quite warm despite the cool breeze blowing that night.

Bain lifted his arm and began to wash the water over his scratches and burns for a quick first wash, then his other arm, then his face and head, drenching his hair in the water. He smoothed his hair back and wiped any water from his eyes,

‘Back here again, are you?’ he heard Nat’s voice behind him.

He turned around and smiled softly, ‘Yeah, I don’t really going to bed feeling dirty…and covered in dragon blood,’

Nat approached slowly, wearing a white, flowing night gown she had been given when she put Kirii into bed. The moonlight made her glow with such radiance like that of a queen as she walked closer and closer under it and towards Bain. When she climbed on to his shoulder, she leaned on his neck, not minding that she would get a little wet. Bain offered an open hand to her, but she declined courteously…her voice sounded sad,

‘What’s the matter, Nat?’ he asked gently,

‘No, nothing…’she replied softly, ‘I…just couldn’t sleep,’

‘Something’s troubling you…’ Bain said, ‘Something up with Kirii?’

Nat sniffed, ‘…no,’ she squeaked,

‘Nat, what happened?’ Bain’s heart thundered in his chest as he picked her up, ‘What happened to you?’ he sat up and looked down at his friend, curled up like a child and whimpering.

She placed a hand and leaned on Bain’s chest, her tears running down his skin, ‘I-I’m scared, Bain. Some guys…they were eyeing me when I was putting Kirii into bed,’ she swallowed, ‘They were whispering to each other and smiling. I-I don’t trust that place right now, Bain. Please…c-can I sleep with you? On your pillow or something, please?’

‘Sure,’ Bain stroked her hair comfortingly, ‘Of course,’ he lifted her up and kissed her cheek gently, ‘What about Kirii? Is she okay?’

‘Yeah…yeah, she’s alright,’ Nat began to clear her face, ‘Even if they were targeting me, I still gave her to the Oracle. So, even if they know where she is, they can’t go in; she’s protected,’

Bain nodded, stroking her cheek, ‘As long as you’re both safe,’ And I’ll make sure that you STAY safe, he added in thought.

(Note: This chapter is quite optional as well, so no real need to read it. The next chapter is my fave )

Kirii was tended to immediately. Nat stayed with her the whole time, demanding to stay by her side until she awoke…which left Bain alone outside…with the townspeople. He could have headed back to Karthek’s house, but he decided to stay away from the old man for a little longer.

Several children wished to play in his hair while their older sisters wanted to, how they put it, "chat" with him. Bain had to decline, not wanting the children to get wet from his perspiration after the dragon (which reminded him to have another bath later on). He did however allow them to ride on his shoulders as he answered their highly impressed and interested sisters’ questions. Elderly men insisted in telling him tales of their adventures and how they slew their first dragon when they were his age. They reminded him of his grandfather and the storied he used to tell about a dragon…Bain’s grandmother.

The townspeople were preparing a whole town celebration in dedication to Bain’s fete of dragon slaying. The aromatic smells of beef, pork and chicken wafted through the air, reaching even Bain’s nose. His mouth began to water as he spoke to the girls and he had to restrain himself from spitting. His stomach then began to growl in hunger, though to the townspeople, it sounded just like the dragon. Bain apologised and tried to keep his growling stomach to a low.

It was beginning to grow dark when everything was ready for the celebration. Kirii had recovered completely and was ready to eat everything in plain site. She and Nat were given new dresses to wear before they headed back to join Bain, and the rest of the people. He was speaking to Moluk when they arrived,

‘Feel free to walk through the town, m’boy,’ he said, ‘You mustn’t be shy and walk around, just come on through, alright?’

‘I-I’ll consider it, thanks Moluk,’ Bain gave a worried grin,

‘Good boy, good boy,’ and Moluk hobbled off to get some food.

Nat and Kirii had filled up their own plates, or rather piled food on top of each other. Nat held two and gave one to Bain,

‘Thought you might be really hungry by now,’ she smiled,

‘Actually,’ Bain laughed, ‘I just had a 2 whole cows, 2 pigs, and several chickens,’ he still took Nat’s offer, ‘Thanks, though,’ and ate the whole pile in one gulp; no problems.

Nat laughed in amusement, while Kirii’s eyes were wide as her plate in both shock and amazement. She had never seen anyone eat so much as Bain did right it front of her, even if that person was a giant; not even Karthek. He handed the plate back as clean as it was before and saw Kirii’s face,

‘Didn’t mean to scare you with my appetite, Kirii,’ he said, ‘How you doing, anyway? Are you alright from all that?’ he lay a hand down for her,

‘…u-um, y-yes, Mr Bain,’ she sat down on his soft palm, ‘I am feeling well now, thank you,’ she smiled.

He lifted her up closer while Nat decided to stay on the ground, ‘We didn’t know you could do that, Kirii. You really surprised us two,’ he told her,

‘I hope it helped, Mr Bain,’ she said, ‘I hope you are okay,’

‘Yes,’ Bain laughed, ‘All thanks to you,’

Kirii blushed as she nibbled on a piece of pork shyly, unable to hide a big smile. Bain patted her head with a finger and heard a certain someone approaching,

‘Why wasn’t I invited?’ Karthek demanded as Jimmy came up behind him panting and sweating- he had been told to run a hundred laps around a Training Ground Karthek had set up near his house.

‘We knew you would be able to smell the meats, my friend!’ Moluk laughed with amusement, ‘…and the ale we prepared,’ he added as two men came up wheeling in two large, fat barrels of strong smelling ale,

‘I hope ye got more than that to make up fer not invitin’ me, Moluk!’ Karthek laughed heartily in return.

Out of the many cuts, bruises and burns, the ones on Bain’s left hand were the worst. It didn’t seem bad at first, but his wounds were still bleeding slowly, then began flowing like a creek; as blood dried, new blood trickled out. He had already lost quite a bit of blood, and he thought that he might lose even more. Whatever was on the dragon’s leathery-looking hide had cut through his leather glove and reached his skin easily. Bain slipped off his glove, beginning to feel slightly disorientated, and examined his wounds closer- they was deep,

‘Bain!’ Nat and the others came running back, seeming to have seen the whole thing, ‘You were great! I didn’t know you had it in you! Hey, you okay? You’re so pale,’

Kirii squirmed out of her arms and ran right up to him, unnerved that he towered over her tiny figure by miles, ‘Mr Bain! You are hurt!’

It looked as if she was going to cry. Bain knelt down and patted her head, ‘Don’t worry, Kirii. It just needs to get cleaned and bandaged. No harm done,’ he kept his hand away from her sight, ‘I’ve had worse,’

‘Let me look at it, Mr Bain,’ she pleaded, ‘Let me see it,’

‘Kirii,’ Nat lowered down so they met face to face, ‘It’s okay. He’ll be fine,’

‘No! I can help it!’ Kirii told her, desperately wanting to help,

Unless you have a gigantic bandaid, then yeah, Nat thought. ‘How can- ’

‘Let her see the wound, Nathalia,’ the Oracle approached, filling the air with her enigmatic presence.

Nat kept silent and slowly stood back up. Why did Kirii want to see Bain’s wound? And why did the Oracle want her to? The approaching townspeople didn’t share her thoughts. They knew what was going to happen, like they had seen it happen before. Bain lay his hand down in front of the little girl. He was concerned about what would happen; not to him, but to Kirii. The girl hopped on, a little shaky about the presence of his blood. She was too small to just stand by his hand; she had to be right near the wounds. Her dress and skin were stained and stuck to Bain’s dried blood, but she still continued,

‘What’s she going to do?’ Nat asked the Oracle quietly,

The Oracle merely answered with, ‘You will see,’

Kirii stroked Bain’s palm until she found the cuts in his skin, then readied herself. Bain watched as the tiny girl in his hand placed her tiny hands on his wounds and seemed to begin to meditate. Not long as she had shut her eyes, she had opened them, revealing a bright blue light radiating from white orbs that were once her eyes. The light escaped from her mouth as she opened it and even her hands glowed with the strange light. Light and mist surrounded her, twining around her and then slithered like a snake to her hands. All shielded their eyes until the light dimmed…they looked to Kirii once more- she had collapsed, lying there in Bain’s massive hand which acted as a bed,

‘Kirii!’ Nat and Bain gasped, ‘Kirii! Are you okay???’ Nat ran up to her, leaping into Bain’s hand and taking her into her arms.

A murmur danced among the townspeople, now sounding as if they had never seen anything like it, unlike before. Bain lifted them up closer to his face to see Kirii better,

‘Kirii…what did you do?’ he asked quietly, obviously not expecting an answer.

Nat looked into his eyes with an expression of relief, ‘She’s tired,’ her voice was shaking,

‘Did you know this was going to happen?!’ Bain said angrily to the people, ‘Why did you let her do it?’

‘We…did not consider that the dragon may have frightened her and drained her energy,’ the Oracle sounded nervous, ‘But little Kirii can heal much larger wounds than the ones on your hand, or rather…the ones that used to be there,’

Nat looked down at Bain’s palm- though blood was still there, the wounds were not, ‘She…she healed you, Bain!’ she exclaimed, ‘She actually healed you!’

‘Forget that! I bet that Kirii could’ve died,’ Bain replied, ‘She barely has any strength just trying to heal a few minor cuts!’

‘Yes, she could have died healing you,’ the Oracle nodded, ‘But not from the cuts. When you touched the dragon’s hide, it had cut you with the tiny razor-like spines. Those spines immediately pumped a deadly toxin into your blood, through your wounds,’ she explained, ‘Little Kirii was clearing the blood out of your system, which used up much of her remaining energy; she saved your life, Bain,’

The two stared at the sleeping girl in Nat’s arms. Her breathing had grown more obvious which put everyone at ease. Nat sighed and held her tighter in relief,

‘She…saved my life…’ Bain was in disbelief, his heart pounding nervously,

Nat nodded, ‘Thank you, Kirii,’ she then realised what she was kneeling down in, ‘Eww, eww, eww, eww!!! Bain! I’m in your blood!’

Little Kirii was sitting on Bain’s shoulder, holding on to his neck and enjoying the view. Nat refused to join her at such a towering height, but both Kirii and Bain pushed her to. She refused continuously, even covering her ears with her hands, her eyes shut tight and shouting "La, la, la, la!" at the top of her lungs. Kirii was disappointed and asked Bain why she was so scared,

‘She was really little when her Dad held her on his shoulders when they went to visit this place called the Whispering Walls,’ he told her, ‘They were on the bridge and he told her to look over the side. It’s really high up from where they were so…’

‘Oh,’ Kirii nodded, ‘It will not be very high for you though, right Mr Bain?’

‘Probably not,’ Bain chuckled and carefully picked Nat up while she still shouted on the top of her lungs.

He stood up, keeping Nat very still in his hand- she still hadn’t noticed what was happening. Sensing that they had stopped hassling her, she uncovered her ears and opened her eyes,

‘Agh!’ she was looking right into Bain’s green eye, ‘Bain! Put me down!!!’ she demanded.

Suddenly, the ground shuddered, even beneath Bain’s feet, then a massive ROAR came from behind him. A quick instinctual turn around almost flung Kirii off Bain’s shoulder. The girl not only screamed in shock, but she screamed at the giant lizard creature in front of them,

‘I-Is that a dragon?!’ Nat cried, ‘It’s a dragon!!!’

Bain plucked Kirii off his shoulder and set her and Nat down, ‘Run!’ he ordered them and nearby townspeople, ‘Get away from the town! Now!’

Now wasn’t a good time to try to persuade him to run as well; Nat picked Kirii up into her arms and ran with the crowd from the dragon. He didn’t want to run. He stood his ground, though nervous. He was facing a dragon! He had seen them in movies, but this one was real…and looked hungry. Bain heard Moluk’s elderly voice shout out,

‘Now is the best time to show us what our knightly saviour can do!’

Bain gulped and grew even more nervous after what Moluk had said. The black, winged beast roared once again. The dragon was bigger than him on its hind legs, but not by a lot, so he had a chance to beat it! But with what?!he thought, looking around for anything that could help him. The dragon lifted its horned head and blasted a great fireball from its open mouth. Bain quickly dodged and kept his eye on the beast, but a waving figure to his side caught his attention,

‘Laddie!’ it was Karthek, ‘Drive it away from the town! Drive it away!’

Bain followed his orders and led the dragon away while trying to keep its attention away from the people especially. At a safe distance now, he looked back to Karthek, who was nearby

‘How do I beat this thing???’ he cried.

Jimmy came running up with three swords in his arms. The knight took one and threw it to him. The sword landed nearby,

‘Ye got t’stab him!’ Karthek called back, ‘Stab the sword down the bugger’s throat!’

‘Aren’t you gonna, WOAH!’ Bain dodged another fireball, but just barely, and gave him the chance to pick up the blade, ‘Help me?!’

‘No, laddie! Ye can do it fer yerself! Kill it!’

Bain swore under his breath and tried to find an opening to stab the dragon down the throat. The great beast gave another menacing roar and flew up into the sky. Bain gave a frustrated growl and dodged the dragon’s barrage of fireballs. Now he had to get the thing back down! Even better! Bain neared the dragon’s tail, grabbed it and released it as quickly as he had taken it. What felt like tiny spines had stabbed him and left his hand all scratched and bloody. He shook the pain off and tried to find another way. The dragon was outraged that he grabbed its tail and dove to try to impale him on its massive tusk. With another close dodge, the dragon missed him. He raised the sword above his head and smashed it down on the dragon’s body. The sword smashed in two!!! And the dragon was only quickly stunned,

‘Try again, laddie!’ Karthek threw him another sword nearby.

The dragon was twice as angry now! Another, larger barrage of fireballs and a couple of nose dives. Okay, Bain thought quickly, panting. I can’t touch it without getting scratched by its rock-hard skin!

‘Think! THINK!’ Bain’s grip tightened on the sword hilt, ‘Its belly! Always the underside!’

He looked at the sword and back at the hovering dragon- it’ll be like throwing a javelin, he guessed. Counting himself in, Bain threw the sword to the dragon’s exposed, yellow belly. Direct hit! The dragon roared and lowered down suddenly in pain. It flailed its arms to try to grip and take out the sword. In success, it chomped down on the blade and spat out the metal shards, throwing the hilt like rubbish.

Karthek threw the final sword to Bain, who caught it easily this time. With the dragon even more furious, but weakened, it bombed Bain with even larger fireballs and dove down again. Again? Bain thought with a grin. The dragon gave its loudest roar and dove down at him it break-neck speed, its mouth open and ready to bite Bain’s head off. The young knight-to-be dodged early and readied his sword so it slipped easily, and quickly into the beast’s throat.

The dragon stopped itself with its hind legs digging into the earth. It thrashed wildly in pain, spitting and coughing out blood and fire. With one big and quick twitch of its tail, the dragon collapsed. Bain panted heavily and wiped the sweat off his brow. He was bruised, burned and bleeding everywhere, but he should have been able to bear it. What was wrong? He shook off his thoughts and aimed for the dragon’s corpse.

He approached the dragon’s body, took the sword hilt into a tight grip…and stabbed it even further down the beast’s throat. It gave a quick, weak thrashing, then fell back- dead. Karthak approached him,

‘Well done, laddie,’ he said, patting Bain’s back, ‘I’m lookin’ even more forward t’workin’ with ye,’

Bain gave him a shaky smile, recovering his breath quickly, ‘…thanks, Karthek,’

Karthek saw him holding his bleeding left hand, ‘Ye better get that tended to,’ and walked off back to his home.

A look of disbelief and confusion put together formed on Bain’s face. No offer, just "ye better get that tended to"?! Karthek was a strange, strange man, Bain was definitely sure about that.

(Note: It took me a long while to write this chapter! This one is kind of optional. If you’re looking for a laugh and something to muck up your brain a bit, read on. If not, skip this chapter entirely! It just answers Bain’s question about his adorable little sister, Pip)

They went to Karthek’s house first- Bain having to drop off his clothes first- and then returned to the town. As she lowered Nat down, Kirii raced up to them both all of a sudden, jumping up and down in excitement,

‘Miss Nat! Mr Bain! The Oracle is coming to meet you!’ she laughed, ‘She is coming to meet you!!!’

‘She’s coming here, right?’ Bain wanted assurance; it wouldn’t exactly be a good idea if he had to go into the town. It really was quite closely built together with narrow roads being more common than wide ones; they didn’t use carriages and other vehicles after all.

Kirii nodded quickly, ‘Yes, sir. She will be here soon,’

Nat calmed the girl’s excitement down by patting her head and taking her hand. The three of them were alone at that moment, and it was very quiet, until…the noises of a crowd suddenly filled the air. They couldn’t see them just yet, but they could tell it was an enormous crowd; probably the whole town! Bain took a guess that the crowd was following the approaching Oracle as she weaved through the town’s narrow streets. Nat and Bain’s hearts were pounding in suspense. They were looking forward to meeting this Oracle…because maybe she could explain to them how unreal this place was and that they were actually lying unconscious in Bain’s dining room after they had exhausted themselves from studying their brains out,

‘I can tell you that this place is very much real as well as what has happened to you both,’ a dark-skinned young woman suddenly appeared before them, ‘I am the Oracle of this town,’

She was mysteriously beautiful and richly dressed in gold and silver silks. Many golden bangles jingled on her arms like tiny bells as well as the anklets above her bare feet. Golden, jewel encrusted hoops dangled from her ears and down to her shoulders. Despite being young, maybe in her twenties, her long, straight hair was snow white and flowed down to her waist. But what was even stranger, was her misty, white eyes; pupil-less, white orbs that seemed to look into Nat and Bain’s souls,

‘Moluk has told me that you have come, and I came to see you young heroes for myself,’ her voice was soft and echoed in a whisper, ‘Nathalia and Bain…I welcome you,’ she bowed with a hand on her chest.

‘Th-Thank you, Oracle,’ Nat bowed in return,

‘You have questions, I know,’ the Oracle continued, ‘Ask me anything you wish,’

Bain spoke up first, ‘I want to know about- ’

‘Your sister no longer exists…’ the Oracle replied immediately,

‘What!?’ Bain cried, ‘What d’you m- ’

‘Everything in the Otherworld no longer exists,’ the Oracle interrupted his outburst calmly, ‘It is hard to explain, but when those of the Otherworld come here, the Otherworld does not exist until those who have come here return,’

‘But how can you return to something that doesn’t exist?’ Nat asked, confused,

‘You have come here, into a different world from yours,’ the Oracle replied, ‘You are…"missing" from your world and are now part of ours,’

‘Okay…so?’ Bain wanted her to continue,

The Oracle paused to think, looking up at the sky with her blank eyes, ‘Try to think of our worlds as two "Money Pots", both holding one coin each,’ she held out her hands as if holding two small pots, ‘One was made to hold small silver coins and holds one silver coin. The other was made to hold large gold coins and holds on gold coin. How they were made make them different from each other, but only by a little; they are still both "Money Pots". Now, even though they hold one coin, that one coin make those two ordinary pots into "Money Pots", does it not?’

Nat and Bain nodded. They had a feeling that soon they would have no idea what she was talking about, but they followed so far,

‘Now, your situation is like this: someone takes the silver coin and puts it in the other "Money Pot" that is meant to hold gold. The pot now holding two coins, though one coin is different, is still a Money Pot. The other has become an ordinary pot. Now, only one"Money Pot" exists, while the other is no more; it is now an ordinary pot that holds nothing. And, until that silver coin is returned to it, the second "Money Pot" will not exist. Does that make sense?’

‘…in a way,’ Bain gave a small, unsure nod,

‘But why does the "silver coin" from the previously existing "pot" have to be returned to the pot that once held it in order for the second Money Pot to exist?’ Nat asked, having to take time to get the question comprehensible,

‘It does not have to, but it is so the balance between our worlds are returned to normal,’ the Oracle said, having to take time to comprehend the question, ‘The second "Money Pot" willexist even if it holds a gold instead of a silver coin, but it would not be the same. I said that one pot was made to hold large gold coins, while the other is made to hold small silver coins, remember?’

‘…OHH!’ Nat nodded,

‘So…our world will exist again if something is returned or brought to it?’ Bain took a stab,

‘Yes, but the balance will be broken if that, or those, which are missing are not returned,’ the Oracle nodded, ‘It is very hard to follow, I know, but I am glad that you are wise enough to understand,’

Nat and Bain nodded and thanked her. Kirii and the other townsfolk- behind the Oracle- stood there with blank expressions on their faces. They blinked every so often, but that was just about it. They had no idea what the 3 of them were on about!!!

The water was perfect and it was quiet. Right now, the lake was like a giant spa than a pool. Bain sank down lower into the sparkling lake water while he kept his elbows up on the bank to support him. He gave a sigh and looked up at the clear, blue, afternoon sky. As he flicked his finger tips over the lake surface, he looked down at the tiny waves he created. How tiny they looked now, but how big would they be if he were normal sized? Already, he had forgotten what it was like to be a human…well, human-sized. But it was amazing how tiny humans were to him now, and still they could build things how many times larger than them- like the town, or Karthek’s house. Bain shook his head and gave a small chuckle,

‘What y’thinkin’ about?’

Bain jumped in surprise and looked around for the speaker. He felt something light on his left shoulder and quickly turned to see,

‘Nat!’ he frowned, ‘I thought you we’re gonna leave me alone!’

‘I know! I know!’ she sounded guilty, ‘But I don’t want to go back to the town yet,’ she admitted, ‘I don’t like a lot of attention…and can’t I chat to my best friend without having to tilt my head back til it breaks?’

Bain sighed and nodded, ‘…alright, alright. You can stay,’

Nat laughed and clapped her hands. She fell forward on Bain’s shoulder and held her chin up with her hands with a smile on her face. It slowly faded to a look of thought,

‘Hey…Bain?’ she said softly,

‘Yeah?’ he replied in equal volume,

‘Have you…um, have you had any…well, have you felt any…’

‘Have I felt any…?’

‘…I never really noticed how much you changed since we met, Bain,’ she began more fluently, though her heart pounded wildly, ‘Whenever I saw you, I always thought, "Hey! It’s Bain! My bestie!" but now…only recently have I…actually seen a change in you,’

Bain kept quiet. It was the same for him. Nat wasn’t just Nat anymore. She wasn’t the flat-chested girl with a ponytail whom he met in year 3 anymore. She was a young woman…one who was very close to his heart,

‘You’re a real great…and really attractive, guy,’ Nat continued more shyly, ‘And…I really…really…like you, Bain,’

Bain slowly turned to look at her again. A soft, gentle smile formed on his face as he caressed her cheek with a finger, and he kissed her. Nat’s heart gave a jump; startled at his sudden move,

‘I like you too, Nat,’ he whispered.

He took his right hand and offered it for Nat to step on to. Once again, she didn’t hesitate and let him move her closer to meet with his face. She stared once more into the sparkling emeralds that were Bain’s eyes, then blushed and turned away shyly. She felt him kiss her again, but this time very carefully on the lips. Nat smiled and sighed as if she was sad, but she was so happy that Bain felt the same way as she did.

The two of them stayed together for a while in silence. Nat sat elegantly in Bain’s hand, leaning back on his bare chest, smiling softly up at the sky. She felt so warm and safe around him, that she didn’t even notice how far off the ground she was. Bain had shut his eyes as if he were meditating, his head slightly down as his one arm on the bank supporting him. It seriously did feel like a giant spa, only with cooler water. He heard Nat giggle,

‘I was just thinking…at 125ft, you now hold the record of the tallest human being,’ she laughed,

‘You actually worked out how tall I am?’ Bain said in surprise,

‘It’s not hard,’ she looked up at him, ‘I just work out how- ’

‘I said that I didn’t want to hear anything mathematical for a very long time, remember?’

Nat laughed, ‘I know. You didn’t wanna do, hear or see…I remember,’

Bain chuckled and set Nat down on the bank, ‘Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be hopping out now,’

‘Alright,’ she replied.

Bain ducked his head down into the water and massaged his scalp like he had shampoo. Just as quickly as he ducked down, he lifted his head up out of the water and scratched any water out roughly,

‘Hey! Bain!’ Nat cried, shielding herself from the large drops of water raining down on her.

He looked to her with a raise brow, ‘Maybe if you went somewhere else, you wouldn’t have gotten wet?’

Unaware until Bain hinted her, Nat grinned and laughed nervously. She nodded and walked off behind a tree. Bain wrapped the towel around his waist and went to slip on his new clothes from Karthek. The shirt’s sleeves were just like a good shirt, only just a little puffier. He put on the tunic, pants and knee-high boots and examined himself in his new attire. Not bad, he thought. Not bad at all! He found something in a pocket of his pants- they were black leather fingerless gloves, just like those of a cyclist. As Bain slipped on the gloves, Nat walked up to him, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands behind her back like a little girl,

‘I like the new look,’ she commented, ‘Sty-lish,’

Bain offered his hand for Nat to climb on, ‘Mind if I put you on my shoulder?’

Nat’s fear of heights suddenly returned. She shivered, nervously rubbing her hands together, then gripping on to Bain’s huge thumb,

‘U-Um…I-I’d rather not, Bain,’ she stuttered.

Bain nodded and lowered her into his pocket instead. He collected up his clothes and towel and headed back towards the town.

Her head ached like crazy. Did she fall? Was she dead? Or did she just hit her head? Nat sat up wearily with a groan and regained her vision slowly, rubbing the throbbing part of her head. It faded as her eyes recovered and began to regain her vision. Still unable to see, she could only tell that she was on a soft, squishy surface. If she did fall, then it was lucky for her that the soft ground had caught her. The dusty book was also next to her, still in her hands. She looked at it suspiciously and wondered what it did to her…and what about Bain?! Where was he?! Nat rubbed her eyes and looked around for her friend. Please be okay! she thought desperately,

‘Bain!’ she called, standing up shakily, ‘Bain! Where are you?’

The ground beneath her began to shake, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her bum. It suddenly began to steepen! Quickly, Nat gathered up the book and looked around desperately for safer ground. There grass all around…duh! She ran over to the edge of the stooping surface and stopped, almost slipping on the smooth ground. She looked down- it wasn’t a long drop, but she still had to be cautious. The surface was steepening even further and she had to jump before she fell off another way. She landed roughly on the grass, her free hand helping as support.

A deep, loud groan sounded, coming from above her. It didn’t sound like a machine, or anything mechanical…no, it sounded familiar. Loud, but familiar. It was like someone was speaking through a mic and out through speakers. Nat looked up and gasped,

‘BAIN!?’ she cried out in disbelief.

Bain rubbed his throbbing head as he sat up, muttering a curse. His vision quickly returned and he could see that he wasn’t at home anymore. He heard something all of a sudden- a small, familiar voice. He followed the speaker down next to a grassy spot next to him. His eyes bulged in shock,

‘N-NAT!’ his voice echoed about the grassy field he and she were, ‘IS THAT YOU?!

Nat covered her ears from the huge sound that was Bain’s voice. He was ENORMOUS! Just sitting up and he towered over 50ft above her! She was nervous and dreading to see him stand to his full height,

‘Wh-What happened to you?’ she approached him a little closer, hoping that he could hear her, ‘A-And keep your voice down,’ she added.

‘What d’you mean, "what happened to you?"? What happened to you?’ Bain frowned, ‘You’re…you’re tiny!’ To him, Nat looked to be just over 3" tall; very easy for him to hold her in one hand,

‘I’m not tiny!’ Nat argued, ‘You’re huge!’

‘How would you know that for certain?’

‘Because the book,’ she held the tome up, ‘Is still the same size as it was before,’

Bain lowered down his head a little and squinted down at the tiny book Nat held in her hands. He kept silent for a while, thinking,

‘Then how did this happen?’ he looked at the book again, ‘That book must have something to do with it…that stuff you were reading! What was that?’

‘Stuff I was…oh no!’ Nat gasped, ‘Don’t tell me I did this! No…that’s impossible,’ she calmed down, ‘This is not real,’

‘Oh?’ Bain quickly swept her up in one hand and held her up closer to his face. Nat screamed and held on to his thumb for dear life, trying not to look down,

‘B-Bain! P-Please put me d-down!’ she pleaded, ‘Y-You know I-I’m afraid of heights!’

‘If this wasn’t real,’ he said coolly, ‘You wouldn’t be afraid of them now, would you?’

‘O-Okay!’ she nodded desperately, ‘J-Just put me down! Please!’

Without a word, Bain set Nat down gently and she hopped off, trembling and gasping for breath, ‘Don’t do that again!’ she snapped, still trying to recover,

‘Well, you’re probably gonna have to get used to heights if this is what’s happening to us, well…me,’

Bain was right. Her best friend was now a towering giant, and with only each other to trust right now, she probably did have to get used to him holding her, especially if they needed to talk and/or walk together. Nat looked up at him and sighed,

‘What do you propose we do now?’ she asked, having to really look up as Bain stood up,

‘I’d say we find the closest town and get as much info on…wherever we are,’

‘With you like that?’ Nat said, ‘Don’t you think you might cause some panic?’

Bain knelt down and held out an open hand for her, instead of picking her up suddenly, ‘Well, you go in and I’ll wait somewhere else,’

Nat hopped on after hesitating a bit. She didn’t want to, but she guessed that she hadto; she couldn’t exactly stop Bain from not going anywhere…especially at his height now. She had to gather up enough courage to face being 100ft above the ground in Bain’s hand,

‘But I don’t wanna leave you by yourself,’ she sat down right in the middle so not to see the ground, ‘What if something happens to you?’

Bain stood up, trying to keep his hand still, ‘I can handle it,’ he chuckled, ‘I’ll try to walk slow, alright?’

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ Nat smiled in disbelief and laughed,

‘I’m just got used to it quickly!’ Bain defended himself, a little frightened of Nat’s tone, though it was playful, ‘Sorry,’

Nat scoffed and laughed again. She flicked through the book again to see if anything was wrong (and if the blank pages had something on them this time). Nothing had changed. Maybe a few tears here and there, but that was just very minor damage. She stopped at the pictures of the sorceress and the knight and wondered,

‘Hey, Bain,’ she said, ‘You know the pictures of those heroes?’

‘Yeah,’ Bain nodded, ‘What about em?’

‘I was just thinking…what if…?’ she blushed with embarrassment at her idea, ‘What if…those two are us? You know, "the gods sent them two heroes from Otherworld…" Do you think…?’

‘I get what you’re thinking, Nat,’ Bain nodded again, ‘Maybe. I am how-many-billions-of-feet tall, and those weird words you were saying before; it was like a spell,’

Nat’s eyes widened, ‘Those words! A spell! Maybe it can return…!’ She flipped the book over to the back, but the words were no longer there. No trace of them left behind. Nat slumped down in disappointment and sighed,

‘What’s the matter?’ Bain looked down at her,

‘They’re gone,’ she shook her head, ‘If what we’re thinking is true, then I guess there’s no way out until we finish…whatever we have to do,’

‘I’m sure we’ll be able to find- ’

‘No,’ Nat shook her head again, looking back up at her giant friend, ‘Those heroes have to defeat "a great evil". If we’re those heroes, then we’ll have to defeat this "great evil" before we can go home,’

Bain saw her point. He looked on ahead and slightly down, being careful not to tread on anything…or anyone. So far, he hadn’t found any signs of buildings or people; just grass, grass and more grass. An occasional tree maybe, or a bush…possibly a shrub…and probably a hedge or two…but that was just about it,

‘We’ll find a way home. I promise,’

Nat nodded sadly then heard Bain add, ‘I hope Pip’s alright…’

Her head ached like crazy. Did she fall? Was she dead? Or did she just hit her head? Nat sat up wearily with a groan and regained her vision slowly, rubbing the throbbing part of her head. It faded as her eyes recovered and began to regain her vision. Still unable to see, she could only tell that she was on a soft, squishy surface. If she did fall, then it was lucky for her that the soft ground had caught her. The dusty book was also next to her, still in her hands. She looked at it suspiciously and wondered what it did to her…and what about Bain?! Where was he?! Nat rubbed her eyes and looked around for her friend. Please be okay! she thought desperately,

‘Bain!’ she called, standing up shakily, ‘Bain! Where are you?’

The ground beneath her began to shake, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her bum. It suddenly began to steepen! Quickly, Nat gathered up the book and looked around desperately for safer ground. There grass all around…duh! She ran over to the edge of the stooping surface and stopped, almost slipping on the smooth ground. She looked down- it wasn’t a long drop, but she still had to be cautious. The surface was steepening even further and she had to jump before she fell off another way. She landed roughly on the grass, her free hand helping as support.

A deep, loud groan sounded, coming from above her. It didn’t sound like a machine, or anything mechanical…no, it sounded familiar. Loud, but familiar. It was like someone was speaking through a mic and out through speakers. Nat looked up and gasped,

‘BAIN!?’ she cried out in disbelief.

Bain rubbed his throbbing head as he sat up, muttering a curse. His vision quickly returned and he could see that he wasn’t at home anymore. He heard something all of a sudden- a small, familiar voice. He followed the speaker down next to a grassy spot next to him. His eyes bulged in shock,

‘N-NAT!’ his voice echoed about the grassy field he and she were, ‘IS THAT YOU?!

Nat covered her ears from the huge sound that was Bain’s voice. He was ENORMOUS! Just sitting up and he towered over 50ft above her! She was nervous and dreading to see him stand to his full height,

‘Wh-What happened to you?’ she approached him a little closer, hoping that he could hear her, ‘A-And keep your voice down,’ she added.

‘What d’you mean, "what happened to you?"? What happened to you?’ Bain frowned, ‘You’re…you’re tiny!’ To him, Nat looked to be just over 3" tall; very easy for him to hold her in one hand,

‘I’m not tiny!’ Nat argued, ‘You’re huge!’

‘How would you know that for certain?’

‘Because the book,’ she held the tome up, ‘Is still the same size as it was before,’

Bain lowered down his head a little and squinted down at the tiny book Nat held in her hands. He kept silent for a while, thinking,

‘Then how did this happen?’ he looked at the book again, ‘That book must have something to do with it…that stuff you were reading! What was that?’

‘Stuff I was…oh no!’ Nat gasped, ‘Don’t tell me I did this! No…that’s impossible,’ she calmed down, ‘This is not real,’

‘Oh?’ Bain quickly swept her up in one hand and held her up closer to his face. Nat screamed and held on to his thumb for dear life, trying not to look down,

‘B-Bain! P-Please put me d-down!’ she pleaded, ‘Y-You know I-I’m afraid of heights!’

‘If this wasn’t real,’ he said coolly, ‘You wouldn’t be afraid of them now, would you?’

‘O-Okay!’ she nodded desperately, ‘J-Just put me down! Please!’

Without a word, Bain set Nat down gently and she hopped off, trembling and gasping for breath, ‘Don’t do that again!’ she snapped, still trying to recover,

‘Well, you’re probably gonna have to get used to heights if this is what’s happening to us, well…me,’

Bain was right. Her best friend was now a towering giant, and with only each other to trust right now, she probably did have to get used to him holding her, especially if they needed to talk and/or walk together. Nat looked up at him and sighed,

‘What do you propose we do now?’ she asked, having to really look up as Bain stood up,

‘I’d say we find the closest town and get as much info on…wherever we are,’

‘With you like that?’ Nat said, ‘Don’t you think you might cause some panic?’

Bain knelt down and held out an open hand for her, instead of picking her up suddenly, ‘Well, you go in and I’ll wait somewhere else,’

Nat hopped on after hesitating a bit. She didn’t want to, but she guessed that she hadto; she couldn’t exactly stop Bain from not going anywhere…especially at his height now. She had to gather up enough courage to face being 100ft above the ground in Bain’s hand,

‘But I don’t wanna leave you by yourself,’ she sat down right in the middle so not to see the ground, ‘What if something happens to you?’

Bain stood up, trying to keep his hand still, ‘I can handle it,’ he chuckled, ‘I’ll try to walk slow, alright?’

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ Nat smiled in disbelief and laughed,

‘I’m just got used to it quickly!’ Bain defended himself, a little frightened of Nat’s tone, though it was playful, ‘Sorry,’

Nat scoffed and laughed again. She flicked through the book again to see if anything was wrong (and if the blank pages had something on them this time). Nothing had changed. Maybe a few tears here and there, but that was just very minor damage. She stopped at the pictures of the sorceress and the knight and wondered,

‘Hey, Bain,’ she said, ‘You know the pictures of those heroes?’

‘Yeah,’ Bain nodded, ‘What about em?’

‘I was just thinking…what if…?’ she blushed with embarrassment at her idea, ‘What if…those two are us? You know, "the gods sent them two heroes from Otherworld…" Do you think…?’

‘I get what you’re thinking, Nat,’ Bain nodded again, ‘Maybe. I am how-many-billions-of-feet tall, and those weird words you were saying before; it was like a spell,’

Nat’s eyes widened, ‘Those words! A spell! Maybe it can return…!’ She flipped the book over to the back, but the words were no longer there. No trace of them left behind. Nat slumped down in disappointment and sighed,

‘What’s the matter?’ Bain looked down at her,

‘They’re gone,’ she shook her head, ‘If what we’re thinking is true, then I guess there’s no way out until we finish…whatever we have to do,’

‘I’m sure we’ll be able to find- ’

‘No,’ Nat shook her head again, looking back up at her giant friend, ‘Those heroes have to defeat "a great evil". If we’re those heroes, then we’ll have to defeat this "great evil" before we can go home,’

Bain saw her point. He looked on ahead and slightly down, being careful not to tread on anything…or anyone. So far, he hadn’t found any signs of buildings or people; just grass, grass and more grass. An occasional tree maybe, or a bush…possibly a shrub…and probably a hedge or two…but that was just about it,

‘We’ll find a way home. I promise,’

Nat nodded sadly then heard Bain add, ‘I hope Pip’s alright…’

Bain had changed out of his school clothes and into his jeans and casual shirt. He gave Pip a video to watch while he and Nat went into the dining room to study. Piles of text and exercise books eventually diminished as time went by; returning to the bags from whence they came. It was already 10:45 when they had finished. Pip was fast asleep in front of the blank television with a blanket covering her from when Bain passed by quickly. He was just about ready to collapse from fatigue once he had put his last of the billion maths books back into his bag,

‘I never…want to do, hear or see anything mathematical for a very long time…’ he growled.

Nat was just as tired despite of all the times she had stayed up late just to study. Maybe it was because she was helping Bain with some of his own subjects at times, but right now, she just wanted to rest her eyes for a bit…

‘Hey,’ she yawned and poked Bain’s head, ‘There’s…one more book left…’

Bain lifted his head slightly to see what she was talking about. There was no way there was one more book left! They finished it all! He was so sure of it! Maybe Nat was going crazy…yes, that was it…Nat was going crazy…hehehe…

‘It’s that book that creepy old guy gave us,’ Nat picked it up, wiped the dust away and opened it, ‘Hey! It’s like a picture book!’ she giggled,

‘Ha!’ Bain sat up, ‘I could use a good laugh! What’s it about?’

‘Well…’ Nat tried to find a blurb or something to help, ‘It doesn’t say, but looks like some medieval folk tale or something,’

Bain moved so he could see the book himself. The pictures were very medieval in style, bordered with attractive vines and flowers. Under the pictures were spaces large enough to hold a caption for the picture above. With their tiredness gone, Nat began to read:

A great evil plagued the land. Terror reigned among the people as their homes crumbled and lands destroyed. To the gods did the people turned for help, praying and hoping for aid and mercy among them all in their time of need. And lo, did the gods send to them two heroes from Otherworld; one a powerful sorceress and the other a great and valiant knight…

‘It just stops there,’ Nat flicked through the last few pages of the book, ‘The rest of the pages are blank,’

Bain took the book from her and flipped through from the front cover to the back over and over again. Nat took it back and flicked through in the same manner. Bain thought of the story. Though small it was he imagined himself as that "great and valiant knight". He couldn’t help but think of the powerful sorceress to be Nat- it seemed reasonable; sorceress and knight, girl and boy, her and him…

‘This is interesting,’ Nat moved the book under Bain’s nose, opened to the last two pictures; the sorceress and then the knight, ‘What do y’reckon about the knight?’

‘What d’you mean "what do I reckon?"?’ he asked, moving the dusty old pages away as he tried to clear the dust out from his sinuses,

‘Well, look,’ she pointed to the knight’s picture, standing tall and proud with his sword at the ready, ‘Those trees…he’s taller than them,’

Bain looked closer, ‘Well look at that, then. He is, too. I wonder why that is,’

‘The author must’ve made him huge,’ Nat rubbed her chin with interest,

‘Or maybe the illustrator used size to portray something of him that was great in proportion…his greatness and nobility or something. It’s not necessarily his actual size, Nat,’

Nat looked at him suspiciously. Bain shrugged, not knowing himself about where he had learned about that. She shook her head with a smile and looked at the inside of the back cover- there were words. Bright blue words written in an elegant scrawl. That wasn’t there before…she thought. She couldn’t help but read it out aloud:

‘Kpura rysè impedu gerali…’

‘What…?’ Bain looked at her as if she were actually crazy, ‘Nat, what’re you…?’

Nat couldn’t hear him, ‘…orpach ur wedty, jevkah durai!’

A huge gust of wind erupted from within the book and surrounded the both of them! Pictures on the wall fell to the ground, the curtains flailed about wildly, chairs fell over and the windows rattled noisily. Luckily it only happened within the dining room and the gust only lasted maybe 10 seconds, only now…Nat and Bain were gone…

Her name was Nathalia (Nat for short) and His name was Bain (Bain for short). Since meeting each other in 3rd year primary school, they had been the closest friends; they were best friends. Bain was a little older than Nat by a few months but it still upset him that Nat was always just the smallest bit taller than him…that is, until puberty came. They grew up together so quickly that they had already reached the age of 18 without realising the years flying past:

Nat had become a pretty brunette with almond-shaped brown eyes so dark that people often mistook them for black, and it was the same with her brown waves. She was popular, smart and someone little children could look up to. Bain had grown into a tall, athletically gifted young man. His golden brown hair was cut attractively (and short for his sports) and his eyes sparkled an emerald green full of energy and exuberance. He played basketball, soccer, football, rugby…anything he could keep active in. Though academics weren’t so much as his strong point, he did well enough. Besides, he was interested in getting into a sporting career.

The two met up on one of the benches just outside their school’s main building just after the bell rang. Bain’s friends had raced off to catch their bus just as Nat approached him,

‘Hey, Bain,’ she began, ‘I was just thinking that you might need some help with studying…you know, with the exams coming up and it being Friday…’

‘Hello to you too, Nat,’ Bain chuckled- the two weren’t in any of the same classes at any time of the school week, ‘Nah, I think I’m okay,’

‘Baaain…’ Nat raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a "be honest" look.

Bain laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave a crooked smile with her brow still lifted,

‘Okay, so I’m not so great,’ he admitted, ‘But I’ve gotta stay home and baby-sit Pip until tomorrow, starting from when I get home…’

Pip was Bain’s little sister of 6 years. She was a good kid and kept to herself quite a bit, being the shy little girl she was…sometimes even to her big brother! She didn’t seem too bothered with Nat though; she liked her very much and liked to have someone like her as a big sister, if she ever had one,

‘Okay, come on over and we’ll both watch Pip together while we study,’ Bain decided, ‘That okay with you?’

‘Sure!’ Nat nodded, ‘No problem, but could I get some clothes first if that’s the case?’

Once Nat had changed into jeans and a shirt, they both headed to Bain’s house, only a few minutes walk from where Nat’s house and the school were. As they turned into the Bain’s street, an old man approached and stopped them. He was quite short and bent forwards like some elderly men they see walking, but this particular one wore a dirty red robe. His hood covered his wrinkled old face, but they could see him smiling,

‘You two young ones,’ he said, ‘Yes…you two. You are the ones…’

‘Excuse us, sir,’ Bain responded, ‘But, we have to go,’

‘You, young lady,’ the old man ignored him and held out a thin, dusty, leather tome to Nat, ‘Take this book and read it. You too, boy. Only you two can do such a task…’ he said as he hobbled away and turned the corner from the street,

‘H-Hey! Sir!’ Bain quickly turned and followed his way after a second of being dazed…but the old man was nowhere to be seen.

‘Um…’ Nat swallowed, ‘L-Let’s get to your place…he was creepy!’

‘Tell me about it…’

The red Mazda was still in the drive way, sparkling and ready for a long night. Today was Bain’s parent’s wedding anniversary of 20 years and always brought out the inner children of their protective and strict selves. Bain took out his keys and was just about ready to unlock the door when suddenly it burst open, swinging violently on the poor hinges trying to keep the door secure,

‘Bain!’ Dad laughed with a broad smile on his face, ‘And Nat! Glad you’re here! You know that your mother and I’ll be back tomorrow…’

‘So you keep an eye on your baby sister, okay?’ Mum said in equal excitement as Dad,

‘Yeah…er, I know,’ Bain’s eyes were still wide in surprise, his arm still out holding the key up to where the hole would be, ‘Have a good time, guys,’

The excited couple giggled off into the car and sped off down the road, leaving Nat and Bain under the veranda to try to comprehend what had just happened all of a sudden. A little figure appeared in the doorway holding a rag doll in her arms,

‘Wanna come in?’ she asked and took both of the stunned teenagers’ hands to lead them inside.

Pip shut the door behind them once Nat and Bain were able to walk by themselves.