The Best Quest Ever-Day 1-The Beginning

I had a long exhausting day of work. I just wanted to go home and eat some macaroni and cheese and watch CSI reruns.
Gil Grissom is kind of sexy in a smart older man kind of way. As I opened my apartment door and stepped inside, poof! I wasn’t in my little cluttered apartment. I was in a big, sunny, grassy field.
Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Although it did kind of look like Kansas. And that was my last thought since I was hit from behind and knocked unconscious.

Thinking back on it now, I might have heard a voice that said “hey! Watch out!”

When I came to, I was lying on some sort of bed. I kept my eyes closed because I could hear voices close by me. I guessed that I was in some sort of dwelling. I wanted to peek and see who the voices belonged to but I didn’t dare let them know I was awake. Being hit on the head made me doubt their intentions.

I heard two distinctly male voices that seemed to be arguing about something. Probably me. I began to wonder about where I was and how I got there.
Was I dead? Did I have a heart attack and die when I stepped into my apartment? Did I step into some sort of wormhole and been transported to some other planet or was it an alternate reality? I heard someone move in my direction and stand over me.
"It is not her." I heard the first voice say.
The other voice said "I am telling you it is." "She has the mark."
Mark? What mark? Did they mean the birthmark on my shoulder? Am I not wearing a shirt? I move my arm to check. Yup, no shirt.

I wondered who they thought I was. I had always wanted to be a lost princess, or the daughter of a great wizard when I was a little girl. But that only happens in books and Disney movies.
Really, I'm just your average 24 year old all American girl, 5'4", brown hair, brown eyes, nothing special.

Maybe I should have realized something like this would happen to me it's always those unassuming people who get thrown into some sort of adventure in fantasy books.

I couldn't stand it any longer I had to look. I slowly opened my eyes. I could see beams above and a thatched roof above me. I looked to the left and I saw (holy cow is that Brad Pitt?) a gorgeous man with dirty blonde hair and huge muscles. No it wasn’t Brad. But this guy was definitely gorgeous. I pulled the blanket up around me and tried to sit up a little. I was feeling weak. What the hell happened to me?

"She's awake" Gorgeous Man says to someone behind him.

I turned to look and gasped! It’s a hobbit! Am I in Middle Earth? This hobbit person was standing there staring at me.
Nope. Hold on, it's just a midget. He kind of reminds me of the midget in "The Station Agent".
"You are the one." The midget says. "You have come back to us, to save us all."
Gorgeous Man is rolling his eyes behind the Midget’s back.
"Ahh, I don't think I'm the one, " I say. (Especially if it involves some silly quest to throw a ring in a mountain or try and destroy some evil wizard.)
“No, you are The Chosen One.” “You have The Soul.” Says the midget, making the chosen one and the soul sound like capital letters. He was looking at me in a reverent sort of way, which made me totally uncomfortable.
What the hell, I thought. Am I Buffy The Vampire Slayer, do I have to fight vampires? I am way not in shape for that. I tell him “I don’t think I have anyone’s soul but my own.” “By the way what happened to me? How did I get here and why do I feel so tired?”
Gorgeous Man steps in the conversation now and says “We are not sure how you got here, you just appeared in the field.” “I was doing battle with a couple of trolls and some ghouls. One of the ghouls attacked you and you fell and hit your head. I hate to tell you this but the ghoul has taken part of your soul which is why you are feeling drained.”
I just stared at Gorgeous Man watching his lovely lips move. And then it finally sank in what he had just said.
“What!” Some soul sucking ghoul thingy took part of my soul.” “How do I get it back.” I said looking pleadingly at Gorgeous Man.
“I’m not sure.” He says.
“The ghouls only attack Protectors.” The Midget says. “So that proves that she is The One.” (more capital letters)
Okay, I’ve had enough of this. I needed answers. “Someone better start explaining what is going on.” I said looking from one to the other.
Midget started to say something but then Gorgeous Man jumped in and said a little angrily to Midget “I will explain to her.” “You go keep watch outside.”
“Let’s start with names.” I said “My name is Katrina.” “You can call me Kat.”
“My name is Erik Amundsen son of Nikolaus, one of the Protectors of the Realm” he said somewhat formally.
OOOOOkay that’s quite the title. Maybe I should have said I am Katrina, daughter of Karen, Ruler of the Accounts Payable Department.


“The dwarf is Bergen.” (I guessed he wasn’t important enough for a title) “I am one of the Protectors of the Realm. Which means that I protect the Great Wizards and their Council from any harm. Or at least that would have been my job. There is one Protector that guards the Black Book.”
“What is the Black Book?” I ask.
“The Black Book is where the Wizards keep their spells.
“The Black Book was stolen by one of the Great Wizards who wanted all the power for himself. He wanted control over the entire Realm.”

“The Protector of the Black Book battled the wizard and was defeated. The Wizard, Varg killed her and used a spell from the Black Book to send her soul from this world. He then used the Black Book to destroy most of the other Wizards and the Protectors. I was a young boy at the time. I had been fostered out to a family of one of the Protectors. I was being tutored and also trained to become a Protector. Haldor, the Protector that was training me took me into hiding in the mountains. We barely escaped with our lives. This was 25 years ago. Since that time the Realm of Vakkar Dal has been under the control of Lord Varg."
Erik said “Lord Varg” like he would rather hurl than give the man a title. "I am now a fugitive along with a few others who are fighting to try and destroy him!”

I was a little surprised at the emotion and anger I saw in him as he said this.

I thought there had to be more here than just his loyalty to the Realm.

He regained his composure quickly and continued on.


"But without the Protector of the Black Book who has powers much stronger than ours we are fighting a losing battle." He seemed so dejected.

“Bergen believes your soul is the soul of the Protector of the Black Book and you have come back to claim what was stolen from you.” He added.

I almost laughed out loud.

"No, I think if I was I would've known, felt somehow different. I definitely don't have any magic powers." I said

"Yes, that is what I have been telling Bergen. You are not The One." He said with arrogant confidence.

I felt somewhat disappointed. How could he be so sure I really wasn't The One.
But then he looked at me, almost like he was studying me. I felt self conscious especially since….well, the lack of shirt. And he said "But you do have the mark." And it is strange that you should appear on the exact day 25 years later that her soul was banished."

I looked at him like he was totally Tom-Cruise-jumping-on-Oprah’s-couch-insane.
"Look I just want to get the rest of my soul back and go home. I'm sorry that your world is under the control of evil Lord Voldemort or whatever but I don't think I can help you."

"Yes, I suppose you cannot." He stared at me for a second and those deep blue eyes seem to penetrate into my partial soul and then he looked away.
Meanwhile, while he’s in despair, all I can think of is how our names sound together, Bennifer, Brangelina and Katerik. I can picture it on the cover of People Magazine, Katerik caught snuggling in a hut in Vakkar Dal. hmmm.
"I will get you your shirt." Erik says a little sheepishly and I snap out of my daydream.
“Bergen wanted so badly to prove you were the Protector of the Black Book before I could stop him he had your shirt off. “

He walked over to a chair in the corner of the room and picked up my shirt which had been neatly folded. He came back over and laid it on the bed.
"I'll be right outside the door." Erik says. He opened the door, took one quick look at me and closed it.

I moved over to the side of the bed and swung my legs onto the floor. Oohh I felt a little woozy. I unwrapped the blanket from around me and grabbed my shirt. Good thing I was wearing the nice Victoria Secret bra. Thank god it was casual Friday, and I had comfortable clothes to wear instead of a business suit and heels.

I moved over to the door and stumbled a little bit, I fell against the door. Erik must have heard me because he called out. "Katrina, are you all right?" And the door opened. I moved away from the door to let him in. I was really feeling woozy now. I'd been standing too long. My vision started to go. Erik rushed to grab me before I fell. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and put me on the bed. If I hadn’t felt completely horrible it would've been romantic. He called for Bergen.
I tried to sit up but Erik sternly told me to lie down. He told Bergen that I needed some sort of potion. Bergen turned without a word and left.
"Erik did you stop the ghoul from taking all of my soul?"
"Yes, I used the powers of the Protectors to drive the ghoul away from you." He said matter of factly.

“How am I going to get the rest of my soul back?” I wondered out loud.
“I think the only way is for us to retrieve the Black Book. Lord Varg created the ghouls from it. If we can get the book, we can find the spell to destroy them and your soul may be released.” Erik said avoiding my gaze as he sat gorgeously on the edge of the bed.
“Well if that’s the only way, I guess that’s what we’ll have to do.” I state with pretend vigor. “ I just want to feel better first.”
“Bergen has gone to get you a potion that will make you feel better. It will only last so long though. We have to retrieve the part of your soul that is missing or you will gradually worsen. The Black Book may also contain a way for you to get home.”
Hmm home, I hadn’t though about it that much since Erik had caught me and picked me up in those strong arms of his. I suppose people back home would miss me if I didn’t return, so I probably should, I guess. Although it ‘s not like my love life is going full blast more like a fizzled whimper. And things could be promising here as I glance at Erik.

We sat there in silence for what seemed forever. Finally Bergen comes rushing in. He held a small wooden bottle.
“You have to drink the whole thing.” Bergen said
“Ok here it goes.” I held my breath thinking this is probably going to be some horrible tasting stuff.
Actually it kind of tastes like Red Bull.
Almost immediately I start to feel better.
"Exactly how long is this potion supposed to last?" I ask cautiously.
"Well, I think the old witch said three days but I'm not sure if I understood her right." says Bergen.
"How long will it take to get to where the Black Book is kept?" I look at Erik.
"At least four days and that's if we go at a fast pace." Erik says.
"Bergen, can we get another potion to go?" I ask
"I think I might be able to get some more. You will need your strength if you are to do battle with Varg again." Bergen says
I sigh, I'm not even going to bother to argue it.

"We will start out at dawn tomorrow then." says Erik "We should probably get some sleep now, it will be a long hard journey through the mountains. You can have the bed Katrina. Bergen and I will take the floor."
Oh goody, a sleepover. I'm not feeling very tired after drinking the energy potion. I lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Erik and Bergen get their beds ready.

"Erik what sort of powers do you have?" I sit up and ask
"It's hard to explain I just use the energy inside of me to either push something away or draw an object near." says Erik
ooooh, May the Force be with you.
" I can also do small energy bursts." he continues.
"Do all Protectors have the same powers?" I ask
"Mostly the same with varying degrees of strength." Erik says.
I wonder? hmm. I focus my attention on the blanket on the bed and try to make it move but nothing happens. Erik is smiling at me.
"What?' I say.
"You look like you hurt yourself." he says and laughs. "You have to feel the energy inside of you and focus on it, let it build and then pick an object and let the energy flow through you to the object." As he says this he stretches out his arm and points at the blanket, which rises up off the bed.
Wow, the Force is strong in this one.
"Well, I'm not a Protector so I couldn't do it anyway." I say glancing at Bergen.
"Your powers just have not come back to you yet." Bergen says from his bed on the floor.
He has an answer for everything.
I lay back down on the bed. I should really try and get some sleep if we’re going to be doing some major hiking. Why is it that these magical worlds never have advanced technology? If we just had cars we could be there in a couple of hours.