Chapter 23: Who Goes and Who Stays

"She turned my husband into a pig," Rained snarled, growing angrier by the second. "I'm gonna kill her!"

Willow threw himself down on his knees as he stormed back into the tent. Now they had no army and no chance of saving Elora Danen. Raina was not so ready to give up, even with no army.

"We're gonna fix this, right?" Raina asked. "Willow, you can reverse whatever she did."

"I can't even reverse what Bavmorda did to Raziel!" Willow snapped, furious at the hopeless situation. "We come all this way and now Elora Danen is gonna die!"

"I didn't come all this way just to lose to a pig spell!" Raina shouted desperately. "There has to be something we can do. You're a sorcerer, damn it!"

Will shook his head. "I'm no sorcerer. I can't do anything to fix this."

Raziel spoke up. "We can still defeat Bavmorda."

Raina clapped her hands and nodded. "I like that. Listen to the goat."

Willow shook his head, unable to see any hope. "She's too powerful! There's no way we can defeat her, army or not."

Raina was fed up with Willow's pessimism. She had journeyed far and was weary as she gazed at the child in Larissa's arms. She did not come all this way for Bavmorda to win. "Look, Willow, I don't know how you did it, but you changed Raziel into a goat. If you could change her back, you can. All you have to do is say the words."

Raziel nodded. "Transform me, and I will destroy Bavmorda."

With a resolute nod, Willow got to his feet and took the wand in his hand. Drawing a hexagram around Raziel with the wand, Willow spoke with a firm, clear voice. "Elements of eternity, above and below! Balance of essence, fire begets snow!"

Raina watched with Larissa at her side as Willow began to chant in a language she did not understand.

Come on, Willow, she prayed.

Willow struggled as the power surged through him, but he continued to chant on. To Raina's amazement, Raziel began to transform from animal to animal. Sweat poured from Willow's head as he wrestled with the pain of the magic. Unable to take anymore, Willow dropped to the floor, exhausted. Raina looked on in amazement as before them was no longer a goat, but an elderly woman.

"Raziel!" Raina gasped as she grabbed a robe for the woman. "Willow, you did it!"

Willow, in turn, was shocked as he gazed at Raziel, who clasped her hands, as if remembering their strength after so many years.

"Has it been so long?" Raziel asked.

"I'm afraid so," Willow replied.

Raziel got to her feet. "Willow, we have work to do. Give me the wand. We must undo Bavmorda's sorcery."

Raina nodded in approval with a wide smile. "I like this lady and technically, I just met her."

Outside, the squealing of pigs could still be heard all over the camp. Willow opened the tent flap and the sea of pigs trudged in. With the wave of her wand, Raziel spoke booming chant and the wand began to glow. A blue light filled the tent and the entire camp. To Raina's amazement, laying on the cold tent ground was not a pig, but a shivering Airk. Raina gasped as she looked on her husband's shivering, naked form.

Raina knelt by her husband's side. "You always did look better with your clothes off."

Airk smiled as he looked up and saw his wife at his side. "All so you could get my shirt off. You are an incorrigible woman."

Raina and Airk embraced and their lips crashed, not caring for a moment that Airk was still stark naked.

"Excuse me!"

Raina and Airk turned to find Madmartigan, clad in his armor, shouting at them. "Hey, in case you two didn't know, we have a war to win!"

All of Galladoorn's forces gathered inside the tent and the situation looked hopeless.

"What are we waiting for?" Raina asked impatiently. "Let's go kill this she-b****."

Airk shook his head. "I am all for that, but even with our army back, we can't get inside."

"Elora Danen will die!" Sorsha added.

"So will my child if we don't get off our asses and do something!" Raina replied.

Airk shook his head. "If we do, she'll turn us to pigs again, or worse."

"Bavmorda's too powerful," Ronan agreed.

Raziel shook her head. "No! She cannot transform you again. My spell is protecting this camp."

"But can your magic get us inside the fortress?" Madmartigan asked.

Raziel sighed and shook her head.

"We can't do it," Airk sighed, hopelessly.

"Bull****!" Raina protested. "I just watched this woman transform from a goat! If that can happen, we're getting our asses in that castle."

Airk wanted to share his wife's enthusiasm, but he could not see any way, magic or not. "Even with all the magic in the world, we can't contend with Bavmorda."

Before anyone could say another word, Willow piped up. "Wait! Back home in my village, we have a lot of gophers."

Raina was puzzled. "Gophers? We're soldiers, not farmers!"

"I know, but I have an idea how to get inside the castle," Willow said, his eyes filled with hope.

Willow began to go into detail and drew a map of his plan on the ground. After hearing Willow out, Airk was not any less convinced.

"Come on, Madmartigan, you and I are soldiers. You know the peck's plan will never work," he groaned.

"It's a clever plan and I am willing to go on anything if it means we can kill this devil's w****," Raina piped up.

"If the baby dies, all hope for the future is lost," Raziel said firmly. "I'm going to fight."

"Me too," Willow added.

Madmartigan rose to his feet. "Alright, we have got to decide who's gonna go and who's gonna stay."

"I'm going to kick some Nockmaaar ass," Raina declared resolutely. "If I die, my daughter will know her mother was a bada** who died kicking ass."

"You're not going anywhere without me," Airk declared. "If we have to die, we'll go down kicking ass together."

Raina smiled and clasped her husband's shoulder. "I knew I chose well."

"I don't know about you two, but you need me to save your asses," Ronan declared.

"We'll see about that," Raina laughed.

Raina did not know what lay ahead of the battle, but she was willing to face it. With her husband by her side, she was resolved and strong. She was prepared to give everything for her daughter.