The Tale of Gottfried

Long ago, in a universe most unlike our own, lived a boy named Gottfried.

He lived in a small village, hidden in the expansive and last magical forest on a far-off planet. While the new realm began to move to science and technology, the magical realm was slowly separating itself, taking his western village with it.

It was such a small village that everyone knew each other, and all too well. Visitors were never welcomed into their isolated patch of land. There was no castle, no great large buildings. The roads were ancient cobblestone, and the homes were just as primitive.

The only leaders in the village were the circle of Magicians. Though they looked frail and old, they were indeed some of the most powerful men in the forest. But they did not dole out orders, nor did they get involved with much excluding emergencies or the larger decisions.

For hundreds of generations, every child was raised to practice magic. Whether or not they choice to use the magic in the future was their decision. They practiced keeping

their old ways alive, to never let the magic die out like in the new realm.

When Gottfried was of age, along with the other children of the village, he was brought into the woods at the outskirts of the small village, where he was given his first familiar. Every person is born with magic in them, but the familiar amplifies it. They are

loyal to protect their partners to the death. Their souls intertwine and become two halves of a whole.

Most of the excited and energetic children rushed to pick their new partners, but Gottfried was uncomfortably shy and nervous. How do you decide what becomes a part of you for all eternity so easily? But he was pushed aside as the other children scrambled to the small animals.

When there were only two left Gottfried made a choice between a small dragon and a horned cat. Before he could pick up the little blue cat, one of the girls shoved him aside and grabbed it. She took it in her arms and said, "too slow!"

Gottfried fell backward in the dirt and gave the dragon a pathetic look while the others began to get to know their own. Fritz, one of the smaller red-haired children had gotten a striped wolf pup. Ella had gotten a fire-breathing toad, and even Axel now had a dangerously large three-eyed hawk.

A dragon may sound intriguing, but it's a huge disadvantage, unless you're fine with waiting decades for it to start to mature. Magicians lived much, much longer than the average human being, but that was still a long time to wait.

He picked up the tiny winged lizard and looked at him with dismay. The dragon's scales were bright green but would turn dark and swampy the more it aged. It was way too young to even pick its own gender. Its wings were long but as thin as his fingernail. Its pupils took up most of its eyes.

Gretchen was the worst of all the children. He glared at her while she sat with her blue kitten with its dinky little horns as excited as anyone could be. Everyone ignored him, but she bullied him. It seemed that any opportunity she had to tease him, she would. He looked at his little green dragon, just small enough to fit on his palm and bite at his fingers.

Over the years they learned the most basic of magical practices, and still Gottfried remained the shy and silent type. And still, the only one that paid attention to him was Gretchen, and it was only to bully him. She especially liked to remind him that he was considerably shorter than her, making him feel inferior. His messy red hair was always covering his eyes. He was growing just as slowly as his dragon, who he had named Basil.

She always seemed to be one step ahead of him. No matter how hard he tried, she always won. Whether it be learning transfiguration, basic illusions, archery, it did not matter. When he was thirteen her familiar was almost full grown. His dragon was still so small he had to cling to his shoulder. Just like his familiar, his magic was still weak, and growing very slowly. But not Gretchen. She was learning to control fire while he was still trying to light a single flame in his palm.

Instead of helping him, she mocked him. When he spoke, she always had something to say that would only embarrass him. And when he was quiet, she had to make him feel even worse. No one seemed to care, and certainly no one stuck up for him.

When his mother died, he thought maybe she would give him a break. At least for one day. But no, she sought him out when he did not join the group, only to harass him more than usual. He had run into the forest with Basil, sitting at the base of an enormous tree.

He stayed quiet, keeping his eyes covered with his bright red hair as if he did not see her

,

she wouldn't see him. But she found him, and he sunk farther against the tree, clutching Basil to his chest.

"You're such a baby," she scoffed.

"Go away," he said, covering his eyes with his hands.

When she opened her mouth again, Basil retaliated for the first time in its life. It spat a flame at her, lighting the hem of her dress on fire. She yelped and reached out her hand, throwing a larger flame back.

But it did not hit basil, it just lit Gottfried's hair on fire. He did not even see her leave as he patted it out hurriedly, avoiding any damage to his skin. But now a big chunk of his hair gone. He yelled angrily at no one, hugging basil so tightly it let out a squeak.

When they were sixteen it was time to prove their worth and show they could fulfill their duties to defend their realm and continue the village's legacy. Gottfried had progressed a lot, but his familiar, who was supposed to be amplifying his magic, was still small enough to perch on his shoulder and could not fly particularly high.

The other children seemed to not even be aware of his existence as they practiced and prepared for their trials, but then again

,

they never did. He did not join them, but instead laid in the field, letting the tall grass hide him. Basil was laying on his stomach, wings outstretched over Gottfried's belly.

He wanted to just run away, but everyone had their duties to the village. This was something he could not get out of. Half of his life was to prepare for this day. But it seemed so unimportant to him. He closed his eyes and felt the sun warm his skin.

Not even a few moments after closing his eyes he felt a bucket of water being poured on him. He shot up to see it was just Gretchen, who had cleverly managed to summon enough water to thoroughly soak him. Her hair, which had been ashy and dull, had turned into the color of golden wheat. It was wavy and curled at the ends, and every year it only got longer.

"Don't do that!" he spat at her, trying to take the panicked dragon off his chest.

"You're going to fail," she said in a musical voice.

Gottfried laid back down in the grass and said, "just go away."

"Fine. Go ahead and fail. I'd just beat you anyway," she replied and strolled away.

He thought he might be able to pass, his control over his magic had gotten better, but knew she had show off and overshadow him like she always did.

And he was right. Anything that had to do with magic she passed. But he was not the only one she was pissing off. The other students too had learned over the years that she would always be more powerful, cleverer, more knowledgeable than they could keep up with.

The trials took place just outside of the village in a field. That is where they spent most of their time growing up. Gottfried was sure he could best her in fighting and archery, where no magic be used.

While every child took their turn shooting, he tried to make himself feel more confident. After doing this for an entire day it was becoming more and more stressful for everyone. Axel, who had also grown into an exceptionally aggressive bully, was becoming angrier. Yet even though Axel was twice Gretchen's size and three times nastier, she still was better at making Gottfried feel inferior.

Gottfried passed, and he did surprisingly well. For the first time ever

,

he had beaten Gretchen in archery, and all he wanted to do was scream it at her, rub her face in his victory for the first time. But she did not even look at him. She was too absorbed in her own victories, again outshining him.

When night rolled around Gottfried left early. While others celebrated in town at the inn, he sat outside of his house. It was more like a glorified hut that anything, but that was not unusual here. His father was inside, leaving Gottfried and Basil alone in silence.

While he sat there in the dark, leaning against the home and attempting to teach Basil new words, he heard a blood-curdling scream. At first, he ignored it, until there was more screaming from townsfolk.

Gottfried put Basil on his shoulder and started down the bumpy cobblestone roads until he saw just outside of the inn, a pile of blood, and what he assumed where intestines. Some people in the small crowd that gathered also had been sprayed with blood, and various body parts strewn about.

One of the students was screeching, "AXEL," at the top of her lungs. Gottfried did not necessarily feel bad, he had never liked Axel. But when he could hear people in the crowd start talking about Gretchen, his curiosity was peaked.

He went home, not bothering to see what would happen next. He got the general idea from listening to the crowd. Gretchen had made him explode. How, he did not know. They had not learned anything like that before, otherwise he would've used it on Gretchen a long time ago. Like maybe last week when she had pushed him off one of the elks, making him fall face-first in the mud with everyone watching. His face burned at the embarrassing memory. He hated her.

The next day Gretchen was not there. She was not in the field learning, and nowhere to be found in town. It seemed obvious to Gottfried that she had run away. He doubted anyone could really stop her.

The oldest magicians in the town, who made the most important decisions, had sent someone to go catch her. They chose a middle-aged man who boasted about his strength and abilities to the point that no one wanted to hear it, and quite frankly it was nice to be rid of him.

When he did not come back for nearly five years, it seemed everyone had forgotten about Axel long ago. But Gottfried did not. If she were ever found, she would be killed. And he wanted to be the one to do it.

He poured himself into his learning and training. He would be better than her, stronger. He would learn magic that could even defeat her. He knew none of these average lazy magicians, who talked more about their strength than proved it, would ever catch her. So he would.

Gretchen had indeed run away, and as far away as possible. At first, she wandered the magical realm at random, not staying anywhere for more than a week or so at a time. She had only known the safety of her village. The outside world was so different than her isolated home, a place of scary and horrible things.

She had seen massive cities that she had never even dreamed existed. The rest of the world was not as primitive. There were creatures and magic she had never seen or read about. She saw oceans and mountains, even the stars looked different.

She learned fast that she was no longer the strongest, cleverest, or most knowledgeable. Humility and humbleness were the first hard lesson the new world gave her.

At first, her being a girl was a disadvantage. But she learned to control her magic, no longer blowing people up at random when she got scared. Her loyal familiar, Hedy had found her a few days after running away, and was a great help with gaining control, and possibly the only reason she was still alive.

Her specialty was fire, and she had accidentally boiled Axel alive when he tried to attack her. She did not mean to, but when she was scared it just...happened.

She traveled the west, becoming a part-time thief, but that was not very lucrative. But over the years she realized her being a girl was an advantage. Instead of pick pocketing, she learned she could use her feminine charm to seduce and steal from the richest of men.

Years later when she made it to the east, she started learning new tricks. Belly dancing had been her latest scam. Wear a mask, seduce a man, then before anything sexual would happen, either make them pass out with a simple spell or boil them alive. Her moral compass had gone askew while she found how to survive by herself. And if she could hide her face, she felt significantly more confident.

Today was her last scam until she made it to Krimley Keep, the only door between the magical realm and the new realm. In a small bar in the edges of town she did one final swindle.

The bar was dark, and tobacco smoke made it appear as if there was a thick fog. Wood screens with intricate designs made it look like a maze. It was very loud, the sound of people chattering muffled the music. Long tapestries and talismans hung on the cracked white walls.

As the music played, Gretchen slunk through the crowd of men smoking their complicated looking pipes. She was not the only dancer, which worked well for her. She would not be the center of attention. Sleight of hand was much easier when you are up close with only a few people.

Her attire was a soft blue and semi-translucent, all but the fabric covering her face from the nose down.

She wove through the crowd, moving her hips and finding her next victim. Every man she passed who looked at her she would just graze her fingertips along their shoulders, getting their attention even for only a split-second, like a predator trying to lure its prey.

As she moved through an arched doorway to the other side of the bar, still picking and choosing who steal from this one last time, a seated man dressed in black took her hand when she stroked his shoulder.

Gretchen stopped and turned her attention to him. He was smoking alone, wearing a hooded cloak and a mask. She could see some dark hair just above his eyes, just as black as his clothing. She loved when they came to her instead of the other way around.

Gretchen gave a smile which he could not see and sat on his lap. She put her hand on his chest over his black shirt and said, "Is there something you want from me stranger?" Saying stuff like this made her want to roll her eyes, but it worked. How men thought this was alluring was a mystery to her. It just seemed so fake and silly. As if nothing were between her ears but rocks.

The man simply replied, "You."

This was all too easy. "And how are you going to persuade me?"

The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a blue stone. Gretchen narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew to anyone ordinary this was just a pretty rock. In truth it was extremely valuable to any magician, it's properties still not completely understood. But why would he ever assume that would be valuable to a belly dancer?

"Can I see your face?" she asked, trying to keep a soft, sensual voice.

"Can I see yours?" he asked.

She laughed but did not bother to ask again. It did not matter. She would have the stone and whatever else he had soon, and she would have enough power to make it to the other realm intact.

Gretchen took his gloved hand and led him out of the back of the smoking bar. She was too impatient to bring him to the inn she had been staying in. The man stopped her and pulled her into the dark alley.

Gretchen stumbled back as he pulled her into the darkness. He pushed her against the wall of the brick building. "Hey!" she yelped. But this was not the first time someone tried to do something like this. In fact

,

this was exactly what she had expected. This was not the ideal place to kill him, but she was in a hurry. She wanted to make it to Krimley Keep tonight.

Gretchen put her hand on his chest as he trapped her between his arms, letting the energy pour out of her. But it was not working. Her magic was not leaving her body. She waited for his head to explode, or his body at least to get a little warmer, but she stood there like an idiot with her hand on his hard chest.

Retrieving the stone was not worth trying to fight a man who was so tall he towered over her. 'Time to leave,' she thought and snapped both fingers. She disappeared before him, aiming for the other side of town, but appeared only right outside of the alley.

"Fuck," she said as he turned to see her only a few meters away. Gretchen quickly ran around the corner and down the bumpy street, ducking into alleys and hiding behind buildings. When she was sure she had gotten away she huffed in frustration. Her scam was a fail. Her powers just stopped working. Maybe it was because she was getting closer to the new realm.

While she wondered if she was broken or not, she called for Hedy. She was a significantly big cat now, almost the size of a coyote, and came carrying Gretchen's bag in her jaws. In the darkness of the alley she took off her silky revealing clothing into her more practical tunic and pants.

Hedy and Gretchen left the town and started their journey through the forest to Krimley Keep. Everything seemed to get darker the closer they got to the gate between realms, where magic had started to die. The trees went from being a lush green to twisted and withered.

After trudging through the dark forest and dank bogs, she finally made it. Krimley Keep was the inn between worlds, a castle-like building built into the wall. When she was greeted by two stern guards, they took her familiar to the cellar. Magic was strictly forbidden between worlds, and without Hedy she was weaker.

She went to the bar and sat at an empty table next to a window. The bar maiden got her a warm cider as she watched all of the suspicious figures drinking quietly at the other tables. Most people were wearing hoods, masks and cloaks, and some she wasn't sure if they were even human. She swore she saw a scaly tail come out from one of the largest men's cloaks, and red eyes seemed to shine when they looked at her.

At the end of the bar was the man in black. He did not look like he was looking at her though but rather at a leather-bound book. She was not very worried. During their encounter

,

her face had been covered, and she was wearing very revealing clothing. Her hair, that had been long and luxurious, now was tied up in a curly mess. She had changed the color to a dark brown years ago. Now she was wearing men's clothing that hid her figure almost completely, and he doubted he would recognize just her eyes.

After a few drinks she decided it was time to leave. She left coins on the table and went to find the inn's rooms. The castle was dark and cold, and so quiet every step she took could be heard all the way to the end of the hall. The ceilings were so tall even a full-grown dragon could easily fit.

The goblin who gave her the room key was dressed all too formally and had a scowl on his permanently angry and wrinkled looking face. He pointed his long boney fingers in the direction to the hall where her room was. She had to go up a tight spiral staircase and a long hall to finally make it.

The room was small, with an old looking bed and a wooden nightstand. The floor was warped, and the window was open without any glass or curtains. She dropped her bag and leaned out the window, breathing in the fresh air and hopefully the last of what she would see in the magical realm for a long time.

As she gave a long sigh, she was interrupted by someone wrapping their arms around her, firmly keeping her arms at her side. She went to scream but a hand covered her mouth, practically suffocating her.

"Found you," said a man's voice in her ear. She focused all her power on boiling the water in his body, but nothing happened. The man dragged her to the bed and pushed her down on it. It was the same man in black she had seen earlier. Her suspicions were correct, he had to have stalked her the entire way here.