It had been twenty six years since Miguel and Tulio discovered El Dorado. Since their departure, chief Tali and the citizens of El Dorado opened back up the gateway behind the waterfall, confident that the Spaniards and even Tzekel-Kan would never try to find their beautiful city of gold again…
"Father,' came a voice. 'Father, it's time to get up. I made you breakfast, and you promised to take me to the market today."
The blonde-haired man rubbed his eyes, his vision clouded by sleep. When it returned to normal, he saw his young daughter staring down at him intensely. His daughter truly took after him. She had short blonde locks and big emerald eyes.
The man groaned, not wanting to get up at such an unholy hour of the morning.
"It's actually the afternoon, father." The girl said irritably, as if she could read his thoughts.
The man sat up in his bed groggily, and looked at his daughter pleadingly. "Kitrah, I had a long night. Do we really have to go now?"
Kitrah crossed her arms and glared back at her father. "Maybe if you hadn't stayed out drinking with uncle, you'd be sober enough to get out into the real world." She huffed in response.
"Now, don't talk to your father like that." He scolded, however his hung-over state only left the threat laughable.
"I only learned my witty remarks from you, dear father." She retorted with a cynical grin.
"No, you learned that from your aunt." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose and winced. "Why is it so bright?"
"It's called sunshine." She replied, pouring water from a vase into a bowl. Kitrah took a cloth off the vanity, dipping it in the water, and wringing it out before handing it to her father. "Here,' Kitrah said. 'Wash your face, you look awful."
"Why, thank you." Her father said with a sigh, taking the cloth and rubbing it on his face.
Kitrah went to his dresser, pulling out his favorite red puffy shirt, and brown trousers. Throwing the articles of clothing in the direction of her father, she advanced to the door, and before closing it behind her, she said, "Get dressed now and come eat. Then we'll go."
The man groaned once more as the door slammed, sending a ringing pain through his head.
Kitrah and her father finally got out of their house, and were walking through the streets of Spain, on their way to the market.
"Never again,' her father groaned. 'Never again will I drink."
"You said that last week." Kitrah mumbled. "It's so annoying when you're drunk. You hallucinate, and keep talking about that stupid story over, and over."
The man stopped in his tracks, and glanced down in his daughter. "Kitrah, don't tell me you still believe it was just a bedtime story."
"Of course it was! There is no such thing as El Dorado. The Crusaders would've found it already." Kitrah snapped back.
"They didn't find it because-"
"Yes, I know-' she drawled. '-"The mighty Miguel and Tulio crashed the boat into the pillars, and the as the rocks fell, the Dynamic Trio and Altivo were thrown from the boat, landing safely as the entrance collapsed, sealing away the city of gold forever". Yes, you've told me this before. I don't believe a word of it."
"You believed me when you were a child!"
"Exactly, I was a child. I believed anything you told me! You were my hero!"
There was a silence as Miguel took in his daughters words. But before he could open his mouth to reply, there was an arm around his shoulder. Miguel looked to see Tulio with his arm around his shoulder, and Chel holding his right hand.
"Hey,' Tulio exclaimed as he saw Kitrah. 'There's my favorite niece!"
"Uncle Tulio, I'm your only niece." Kitrah replied, cracking a smile at her uncle's enthusiasm. Tulia released Chel's hand and his arm around Miguel to give Kitrah a hug.
As her uncle let go, Kitrah looked around curiously, then saying, "Where's Layla?"
"She asked me to tell you that she's going to look at some fruit." Chel said to her niece.
Kitrah always admired her Aunt Chel. Her accent was definitely foreign, and Uncle Tulio had always told her- much to her father's dismay- that Chel was brought from the new world. Her father was upset with this, because he had tried to convince Kitrah that Chel was a citizen of El Dorado. Kitrah thought this ridiculous, of course, and silently thanked her uncle for not continuing to tell those silly tales.
Of course, when Kitrah was little, her father, uncle, and aunt would tell the stories to Kitrah and Layla. But as Kitrah grew older, and in more touch with reality, everything just seemed too good to be true. So, she stopped believing in them, like when I child realizes that a man could not possible deliver toys to every child in the world in one night- Kitrah realized that there could never be a city of gold.
Kitrah repressed a grin when she heard her aunt say that Layla was "looking at fruit". Saying goodbye, she ran through the market with a smile on her face. Because when Layla was "looking at fruit", that was their code for "gambling time".
"Seven!" Layla cried out happily.
"All right!" Kitrah yelled with the same enthusiasm. The crowd muttered in disbelief as the two girls had rolled a seven for the countless time in a row. A pile of gold coins stood behind them- proof of their victory. Kitrah always loved gambling with Layla. It was a stress relief for her- and they never lost. Kitrah's real side came out when she was gambling. She became fun, energetic, and playful- and even though she would never admit it- she was just like her father.
"Yes, partner!" Layla grinned, high-fiving Kitrah, who was practically squealing with glee.
Layla was olive-skinned, like her mother, and had curly black hair and blue eyes like her father. She was full of life, and had a cynical spark to her which made her all the more fun. Layla had taken a fancy to the color blue, and her trademark look was a blue short-sleeved blouse and black corset with a long brown skirt. And Layla always wore the blue square earrings that her mother had given her when she was little.
Kitrah wasn't as feminine as Layla, so Kitrah's clothes usually consisted of red blouses and brown trousers. Most of the women around her questioned her wearing pants, but they just seemed to fit her better.
The skinny Italian man, who they had been gambling with, did not seem as happy as Kitrah and Layla. His face had turned slightly red from the embarrassment of losing to two teenage girls, and he had a feeling they were cheating. However, he couldn't just call them out when he had no proof- and harassing two girls could get him in trouble. He groaned aloud when the two teens started singing together, and he called out to get their attention.
"Tons of gold for you, eh! Tons of gold for me, eh! Tons of gold for we-"
"Hey!' The man shouted out, finally grabbing the girl's attention. 'One more roll!"
Layla and Kitrah looked at each other smugly, when Layla scoffed and said mockingly, "Uh, monsieur, you're broke! You've got nothing to bet with!"
"I've got this." The man said, pulling a parchment out of his back pocket, unraveling it, and then holding it out for everyone to see. Everyone ooh'd and ahh'd over the paper just presented.
"A map?" Layla frowned.
"A map!" Kitrah exclaimed, peeking out from behind her friend.
"A map,' the Italian said mysteriously. 'To El Dorado, the City of Gold."
Kitrah's expression matched Layla's as she heard what it was. But it couldn't be possible! There was no city of gold. Her father had a map of El Dorado hanging on the wall in his bedroom- and the map being shown to her right now looked nothing like her father's.
"Let's have a look." Kitrah said, approaching the man, and gently taking the parchment from him. She scowled at the sight. The map was clean and crisp, no wears or marks of any kind. It most certainly wasn't like her father's in design either. Her father's map had images of an eagle's head, a bird in flight, and the mouth of a dragon spurting flames. The map before her had the outline of an island, and little dashes scattering the map, indicating some sort of trail. Then at the end of the trail, near the middle of the map, was an X. In the bottom right-hand corner, there was beautiful calligraphy reading in Italian, "The Path to the Golden City".
The map was clean. It was perfect. It was beautiful.
It was fake.
"Sorry, not interested." Kitrah said simply, walking back to Layla, leaving the man dumbfounded.
"Kitrah, are you sure? It looks real." Layla asked skeptically.
"That's the problem. It's too perfect. Real maps don't look like that."
"You mean like our dad's map?"
Kitrah scowled and Layla just shrugged sheepishly.
"Besides, it wouldn't be our fate to go hunting after some childhood story." Kitrah said.
Layla rolled her eyes and whispered, "Kitrah, if I believed in fate, I wouldn't be playing with our fathers' loaded dice." She held out her hand, the dice rocking to show a five and two.
"Well, it was nice doing business with you, but we're off!" Layla said, scooping up piles of the coins and shoving them into her satchel. But as she was hurryingly trying to get the gold and leave, her die fell out of her satchel and rolled across the ground to her previous opponent, landing on a five and two.
The Italian beamed when he saw the opportunity to prove they were cheating. The man leaned down, scooping up the die, and rolling them over and over a few times, showing the crowd that every time, they would land on seven.
"I knew it!' He exclaimed, saying something happily in Italian. "Your dice are loaded!"
Their eyes locked, and Layla backed away, pointing at Kitrah.
"You gave me loaded dice?!" Layla shouted in fake disbelief, backing up, only to comically smash her face into something metal. She turned and looked up to see a guard, staring down at her. Layla held out the die to the guard and sobbed, "She gave me loaded dice! Guard, arrest her!"
Kitrah walked up and said, "You dare to impugn my honor?' The turned to Layla and pointed at her accusingly. "She was the one who was cheating! Arrest her!
"She tricked the Italian, and took his money!" Layla yelled back.
"Oh, now I'm the thief?' Kitrah scoffed, as Layla nodded with a "yes". 'Take a look in the mirror, pal!" She said, turning Layla to face the metal armor and look at her reflection.
Layla shrugged Kitrah's hand of her shoulder and glared at her.
Kitrah gasped and backed away from her slowly. "Oh,' she threatened. 'You had better give him back his money, or I'll-"
Kitrah stopped abruptly, when her back met yet another guard's chest, and she glanced down to his side, where hung a sabre. Kitrah grabbed it and pointed the tip in the direction of her friend. "En garde!" She yelled.
"En garde, yourself,' Layla smirked, reaching behind her for the guard's sword. 'I will give you the honor of a quick and painless death." Her hand found the handle, and she swung it around to point at Kitrah, but froze when she saw that she was holding a simple dagger.
"But not with that,' She said, putting it back, and reaching on the back, her hand finding the real sabre, unsheathing it and pointing it at Kitrah. 'Hah! I prefer to fight fairly."
They lunged at each other, swords clashing, and with an "Aha!" from Layla, and their faces met as their swords were pressed together near their throats.
"Well, any last words?" Layla asked evilly.
Kitrah simply grinned and said, "I will cut you to ribbons."
"Fool!" Kitrah scoffed, stepping back and slashing at Layla.
"Such mediocrity,' Layla teased, as they circled each other with their swords pointed. 'Let your sword do the talking."
"I will. It will be loquacious to a fault!" Kitrah smiled slashing twice, then directing her sword and lunging. Layla step-sided and spun around, saying "Hah! Take that!" She slashed at Kitrah's head, but Kitrah ducked, the sword going over her head, and stepped back as Layla continued to slash. Kitrah continued to block her, while they laughed at each other.
Kitrah jumped onto a table behind her, still laughing.
"You prancing-" She slashed at Kitrah's feet, but she jumped onto another table.
"-fencing-" She swung again, and Kitrah jumped on another table.
"-twit!" She mocked, swinging again as Kitrah jumped onto a wooden box that was one of many stacked up against a concrete wall.
"You fight like your father!" Kitrah sneered, continuing to climb up the stacks of crates.
"I've fought my father, that's a compliment!" Layla yelled back. Soon the two were on the roof of a house, slashing at each other and throwing insults.
"Braggart!"
"Heathen!"
But then, one of the roof shingles came loose, and Layla's foot slipped, tripping and falling down onto the roof. She was trying to defend herself as Kitrah slashed down at her.
"Not the face. Not the face." She muttered to Kitrah.
Then, Kitrah curled her blade around Layla's, breaking it out of her hand, sending it in the air, then catching it with her left hand. The crowd gasped as Kitrah pointed her sabre to Layla's neck.
Kitrah pulled back the sword and the crowd clapped and hollered as Layla stood carefully and both girls bowed down at the people.
"Ladies and gentleman, we've decided it's a draw." Kitrah said throwing the swords down, landing in front of one of the guard's feet. The guard looked up with a scowl, realizing that he had just been fooled.
"Thank you all for coming. You've been great, see you soon." Kitrah said, backing onto the other side of the roof, planning to jump off. She jumped backwards, landing on her rear, and she heard Layla above her say, "adios". Then Layla jumped off, and landed the same as Kitrah, bursting into laughter, complimenting each other.
"Congratulations." Kitrah said with a smile as Layla stood.
"You're very good." Layla praised, helping her friend off her feet.
"No, that was good."
"Very."
Both girls dusted each other off, grinning wildly. Their parents would never approve of this. Gambling, cheating, lying, and running away from soldiers. Oh, back in the day, the girls bet that their fathers would run wild- doing exactly the same as they were. But now, despite their weekly drinking down at the cavern, they obeyed the law.
Gurgle.
Kitrah smiled sheepishly and said, "I think we should get something to eat."
Layla chuckled and put her arm around her friend's shoulder, leading her in the direction of the market. "Yeah,' Layla laughed. 'Maybe we should actually buy some of that fruit we keep looking at."