CHAPTER ONE
Dismounting from her horse, she moved forward stealthily, her large broadsword at the ready as she walked down the forest path. There was no sound in the forest – save the wind rustling the branches above her, but she knew that there was something out there, watching her.
She adjusted her breast-plate straps with one hand, ensuring that it stayed in place. While doing this chore, she did not let her attention waver from the forest path, and with her broadsword in her other hand, she did not intend to be taken unawares.
After adjusting the breast-plate, she quickly made sure that her other armor was in place, then she continued to move down the path. She had noticed that since there were no birds singing, there was something close by, and she thought it better to be on her own feet, where her hands would be free to use her weapons.
Suddenly, a large tan-colored ogre jumped out in front of her. It was holding a large, spiked mace in one hand, and a flail in the other, and it was growling menacingly. She didn't hesitate: she immediately pulled her shield off from around her shoulder and held it in front of her as the ogre swung the mace.
With a loud CLANG, the mace hit the shield. She felt the impact on the shield travel up her arm. She immediately brought her sword up, and thrust out.
The ogre jumped back to avoid the thrust, then swung the flail, aiming for the broadsword. The chain that was attached to the flail ball wound itself around the sword.
With a heavy tug, the ogre pulled the broadsword out of her hands. Now she only had the shield to defend herself with.
The ogre threw away the sword and renewed the attack with the mace. She felt the shield buckle under the repeated blows as she used it to parry the deadly swinging ball.
The last hit was so intense; it broke the retaining straps behind the shield. The shield fell to the ground. The ogre then jumped onto the shield, leering at the now defenseless female warrior. The ogre then spoke.
"Sorry Penny", the ogre said apologetically, "but it looks like you need more practice".
"Tell me about it, Brendan", Penny sighed as the ogre changed back into his normal form of her fairy godfather.
Behind Penny, her horse trotted up to them.
"Still, you did okay with parrying the blows with the shield", Timantha said from her disguise as the horse, before POOF-ing back into her original form.
"Makes you appreciate just how hard warrior princesses had it", Penny commented as she sat down on a nearby boulder.
"I don't think Lucy Lawless had it quite so bad though", Timantha answered, "but she made it look good on 'Xena', though".
Penny nodded. She was in a similar armor-and-leather costume to Xena. Penny had seen re-runs of the old show on her holo-vision set and she wanted to try it out.
Timantha POOF-ed back into her fairy form and floated above Penny. Brendan joined his wife.
"You want to give it another try, Honey?" Timantha asked, "We can try parrying another attack on horseback this time". Just then, a voice sounded in the distance.
"Penny! Dinner!" her mother called. Penny sighed.
"We'd better get my bedroom back to looking like a bedroom", Penny said, "if you can please do the honors, Timantha?"
"You got it!" Timantha replied as she waved her wand.
With a POOF, the medieval forest vanished, to be replaced by the familiar environs of Penny's bedroom. Brendan aimed his wand at Penny and POOF-ed the Xena warrior costume off her and put her back in her normal clothes.
"Thanks, Brendan", Penny said after quickly looking at herself in the mirror, "I'll see you both after dinner".
"We'll be waiting, Honey", Timantha replied.
With that, Penny left the bedroom. Brendan looked at Timantha.
"She's pretty good", Brendan opined, "If she masters avoiding getting that sword caught up in the flail chain, she would be a hard one to beat".
"Hardly the type of behavior you would want to see from a pretty girl like Penny, though", Timantha commented.
"Well, we're here so that she can try different things", Brendan pointed out, "and she really does need to have different experiences in order to appreciate life".
"Getting bashed in the head by a flail is not what I'd call a 'life-appreciating perspective', Brendan", Timantha admonished with a smile, "I don't really care for dangerous stuff".
"Really? Well, from what Wanda told me, you loved to do extreme sports at one time or another when you were her godson", Brendan reminded her, "like being fired out of a cannon and getting hurtled to Australia for example…"
"Oh… well…" Timantha stammered, realizing that she had just been adroitly hung on her own petard, "I really should talk to mom about letting you know too much about my past".
"Seeing a little bit of the original Timmy Turner in Penny, are you?" Brendan asked.
"Not really", Timantha admitted, "it's just that she is such a sweet girl, and we are not only here to grant her wishes, we are also supposed to be giving her guidance".
"But we are also here to make sure that she has fun", Brendan pointed out, "and given that she has hardly had any of that before, we are making up for lost time".
"Lost time", Timantha stated, "by having her emulate Xena. What if she decides to try Wonder Woman, or Captain Janeway instead?"
"Well, let's just wait and see, but you'd best not put those thoughts in her head, or else she'll be fighting Klingons instead of ogres. I'd rather not be a Klingon. Those forehead ridges really creep me out!" Brendan replied with a shudder…
Timantha smiled, then she floated over and hugged her husband. After breaking the hug, Timantha POOF-ed up a dinner table, loaded with food.
"Well, as our little warrior princess is having her dinner, we might as well get a bite to eat as well", Timantha said.
"No problem with that", Brendan said as he floated over to the table, "swinging maces and flails always gives me an appetite…"
Timantha giggled at that comment. Brendan looked at his wife fondly. Those giggles of hers really set his heart a-flutter. It seemed so incredible – Brendan thought – that Timantha used to be a boy. Timantha was now not just physically female; she was all woman in mindset as well. Speaking of…
"It is sad though that Penny's parents aren't giving her much time", Timantha said as she ate, "I want to be sure that our children are not going to be neglected like Penny has been".
"We have lots of time to have children of our own, Timantha", Brendan replied, "after all, we are immortal, and we have only just been married".
"What can I say?" Timantha replied, "It's the maternal instinct. It comes with the complete female package", she finished with a smile.
"I suppose", Brendan acknowledged, "but I also suppose that seeing your human friends Trixie and Tootie with their own children must make you think about it from time to time".
Timantha nodded. Brendan had made a very accurate statement. Well, he was smart, she knew.
"Well, when the day comes that we have a child of our own, we'll be good parents", Timantha stated.
"I agree with that", Brendan replied wholeheartedly, "I love you very much, Timantha, and we will have children one day".
Wanda POOF-ed away the table, floated over to her husband, and then kissed him. Brendan certainly didn't mind that. It set the scene for later on that evening after Penny had gone to bed…