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Urga, capital of the Mongol Empire, 1923
Charlie and Vaggie walked through the portal, which quickly closed behind them.
They found themselves in an open grassy plain, north of the river Tuul.
The wind of the steppe carried the sounds of a great movement of people, carriages and animals (like horses, camels and yaks) just outside the wooden city of Urga.
As they were walking toward the city, something started coming toward them.
A troop of Mongol horsemen, who had seemingly appeared out of the nothingness of the steppe, had them quickly surrounded.
Oddly enough, some of them carried spears that didn't look too different from Vaggie's. Altough they had rifles, too.
Their captain addressed them.
"Are you the strangers called Charlie and Vaggie?" he asked, unfortunately butchering their names as he pronounced them in Mongolian.
"Yes! I'm Charlie and this is Vaggie, my girlfrie... warden, yes! My warden..."
"Follow me." he said. Inquiring any more about these foreign women wasn't part of his orders.
...
As they were being escorted to the city, they realized the sounds they had heard as they arrived were those of a vast construction site.
To replace the wooden fortifications of Urga (calling them 'fortifications' feels rather generous...) proper stone walls were being erected, in the image of the walls of ancient Karakorum...
Most of the workforce were spoils of war, captured in raids against the Chinese warlords.
"This... this is horrible!" Charlie exclaimed, seeing the emaciated faces of some Chinese farmers, "Are these people... SLAVES!?"
"They are slaves for now!" the captain replied, angrily, "They will be returned to China as soon as the warlords bend the knee to the Great Khan!"
Charlie had to admit that there was some logic to the Mongols' cruelty; the warlords weren't the most reasonable of neighbors...
...
Arriving in the outer courtyard of the Imperial Palace, the captain reported to a woman in ornate armor.
She dismissed the captain and took the girls in her custody.
"I'm Zehra, commander of the Royal Guard. You'll follow me to your quarters, and then His Majesty will see you."
...
When they came out of "their quarters", the palace maids had washed them and covered them in absolutely gorgeous, colorful dresses which Charlie thought belonged in the wardrobe of a Chinese princess.
They were escorted by some guards to the doors of the Heavenly Throne Room.
As the gate of the vast wooden hall opened, something appeared on a nearby window. The most magnificent white falcon...
"Hello, little guy!" Charlie said to the bird of prey before the stunned guards. She gently stroke the white, regal plumage of his neck...
The falcon looked at Charlie like she was a friend. Then he flew into the great hall and landed on a falconer's gloved hand...
...
He spoke with a deep, cavernous voice...
"Legend has it that when the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II received a missive in which Batu Khan demanded his submission to the Great Khan Ogedei, the Kaiser responded, in jest, that he would offer his services to the Great Khan as a falconer... It was then..." he said, gesturing to the people who were gathered near him, "...that the people of my birth in the West and the people of my kingdom here in the East first met... And I can tell that you would make an excellent falconer yourself..."
Charlie bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."
...
Before the Heavenly Throne, several men were seated in a circle, like they were in a yurta; they were the Great Khan's most trusted generals, those privy to this secret meeting... Near them were the royal beki, the commander of the Royal Guard and an European-looking man with black hair and an odd pair of moustaches...
Charlie resumed, introducing herself, "...I am Princess Charlotte Morningstar, Princess of Hell. My father, Lucifer Morningstar, is the King of Hell, primus inter pares of the Seven Princes of Hell. We have travelled from beyond the ends of the Earth to reach Your Majesty on this day, when both our kingdoms and all of mankind are in terrible danger..."
The Great Khan's gaze turned to his royal beki, who spoke thusly: "My Khan, these young women are those I saw in my visions. I saw them as they faced a terrible, unspeakable ordeal at the court of the dreaded King Yama..."
One of the generals voiced his concern, "My Khan, we need more proof of this! The tale we heard from the explorer after he returned from the frozen continent was already strange beyond words, but this is preposterous!"
The Great Khan gestured to the royal beki, who started reciting a chant...
...and Vaggie's wings magically reappeared on her back!
"I believe this is proof enough...", the Great Khan said to his astonished generals.
"This is amazing! Can you actually fly with those?" the moustached man said in a German accent, his scientific curiosity taking the better of him.
"And you are..." Vaggie replied, sounding annoied.
"Right, where are my manners? My name is Adolf Hitler, from Austria. I'm the guardian of the Bow of Destruction..."
"Are you the explorer who found it in Antarctica?" asked Charlie.
"Yes, that would be me... I was told that I was meant to keep the Bow safe until a chosen one came for it. A Savior..." he paused, "...I don't suppose that person is you..."
"I... I completely understand if you don't want to hand it over to me right away, mister Hitler..."
"Thank you, Princess..." said Adolf, who already had a good feeling about Charlie. She sounded like she never asked for this power...
"Please tell us, Princess Morningstar..." the Great Khan spoke, "...tell us of your journey, of the reason why you departed on your quest, and of the danger that has brought you here, seeking the Bow of Destruction..." he paused, "...and the Sword of Genghis Khan..."
...
After Charlie had completed her magnificent tale, the great hall fell silent for a long while. Everyone was amazed; her story matched perfectly what Adolf and the royal beki had said, down to the most fantastical details. Even the Great Khan looked shaken; he knew the Tzar he had served faithfully for many years was a cruel man, but to learn that he had joined the Enemy of mankind...
Like he had just awoken from a troubled sleep, for he looked so much deep in thought, the Great Khan spoke:
"I understand that you, Princess Morningstar, have proven your worthiness before the throne of King Yama, for he put to the test not just your bravery, but the purity of your heart. And you..." he said, turning to Vaggie, "...if you are truly destined to wield the Sword of Empires by decree of the Great Blue Sky... then you shall prove your worthiness like I proved mine..."
"My Khan, I beg you to reconsider!" one of the generals exclaimed, "A woman cannot possibly be worthy..."
The asshole couldn't begin to fathom the amount of restraint Vaggie was mustering! Luckily, the Great Khan dismissed his concern.
"A woman has been worthy before, my friend. One of the past bearers of the Sword, Cyrus the Great of blessed memory, was vanquished by a woman: Tomyris, Queen of the Massagetae. Who's to say that this brave woman..." he said, gesturing to Vaggie, "...is not also from the lineage of the Amazons?"
Vaggie bowed with that military composure that came so natural to her.
"I won't let my Princess down, Great Khan!" she said, making Charlie blush violently.
"It is settled, then! Zehra," he said, turning to the commander of his Guard, "we depart for the Burkan Kaldun tomorrow at dawn."
"Yes, my Khan!"
Everyone was dismissed.
Before returning to her quarters, Charlie approached Adolf. "The Burkan Kaldun? What is it?"
"I thought it was a place of legend..." Adolf answered "...a mountain to the north-east where Genghis Khan was buried with his treasure seven centuries ago. No explorer has ever found it. But then again, the Sword was found, and that was buried with the Conqueror..."
...
The next morning, they headed for the steppe through the eastern gate of the city. As they rode next to Adolf, Charlie and Vaggie saw that the Great Khan had the Sword of Empires with him.
Seeing the Chinese slaves again while exiting the city, Charlie pleaded the Great Khan, "Surely there is something you can do for these people! What have they done against your kingdom to be treated with such cruelty?"
"Until twelve years ago they were all subjects of the Son of Heaven," he started, "now the Middle Kingdom is in utter chaos. If I, with or without the help of other nations, can end the reign of the warlords, these people shall return to a better China, where they can live in peace without having to fight one another. Or the Japanese, if I can reach an agreement with them."
"But this world has a League of Nations, doesn't it? An Alliance that is meant to bring peace to this planet! I'm sure that if you were to free these people the League will take it as an act of good will..."
The Great Khan smiled, "You are very trusting, Princess, but the League is more complicated than that, and I'm not inclined to trust them... But if they were to listen to you, to someone pure of heart, I would certainly consider an agreement with their leaders against the warlords."
...
It was a glorious day in the steppe, near the beginning of the Mongolian spring.
"The Great Blue Sky looks with favor on our journey!" the Great Khan exclaimed.
Charlie had started to learn as much as she could about the culture and customs of the Mongols, knowledge she would need if she hoped to help bring peace between them and the Chinese. But it was only now, far from the city, that she beheld the true Mongolia, the horsemen's home.
She was in awe of every flock of sheep, every horse, every bird of prey they came across. She wanted to learn how to name all sorts of things and animals in Mongolian, and the Mongols were only too happy to help her; few foreigners were even half that enthusiastic when among such a fearsome people.
She even called her mare Gunj, meaning 'Princess' in Mongolian.
She grasped for words, but found that none could express her feelings. She had never felt so... free. And so...
...She started to sing...
Seems like I've spent my whole life hoping
Dreaming of things I've never tried
Tangled in knots just waiting for my time to shine
What if the doors began to open?
What if the knots became untied?
What if one day, nothing stood in my way
AND THE WORLD WAS MINE?
Would it feel this fine?
Suddenly, she went for a gallop, she rode forward into the endless steppe, with Vaggie desperately galloping after her trying to keep her pace.
CAUSE I GOT THE WIND IN MY HAIR
And a gleam in my eyes
And an endless horizon
I got a smile on my face
And I'm walking on air
And everything life oughta be
It's all gonna happen to me out there
And I'll find it, I swear
With the wind in my hair
So many roads I've yet to travel
So many friends I haven't met
So many new adventures just around the bend
Plenty of mysteries to unravel
Tons of mistakes to not regret
So much to see, and to do and to be
A whole life to spend
And it doesn't end
AND I GOT THE WIND IN MY HAIR
AND A SONG IN MY HEART
And the fun's only starting
I got a skip in my step
And I haven't a care
And everything life oughta be
But I know that it's waiting for me out there
And I'll find it, I swear
WITH THE WIND IN MY HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR
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That night, and then night after night through the rest of their journey, as they sat around the campfire, the once Baron Ungern told them many, glorious and terrible stories of the life of Genghis Khan...
...
Deep into the Khentii mountains, they set up camp near the river Onon; there was the ancestral home of Temujin's clan, the Borjigin.
The next morning Charlie and Vaggie wake up to find that the Great Khan had left the camp alone in the middle of the night. His guards looked uncorcerned, for they knew that he preceded them at the Burkan Kaldun.
When he came back, he no longer had the Sword with him. He told them to follow him, and they walked up a narrow mountain path leading to the entrance of a cave...
Without saying another word, the Great Khan started meditating near the sacred cave.
"This is it, Vaggie..." Adolf whispered, "...we can go no further. Whatever trials are in that cave, they are waiting for you alone..."
"Be careful!" Charlie exclaimed.
"Charlie, I... I thought I had lost you forever. There's nothing in that cave that can possibly scare me..."
"That's why I'm so worried! Just... promise me you'll be back safe and sound, Vaggie!"
"I promise."
And with a kiss Vaggie sealed her promise.
...
Long past the last traces of sunlight from the entrance, Vaggie went further and further down in the utter darkness...
Suddenly, she heard something coming from beneath. Something got in her eyes...
...and started coughing.
The realization came too late. The toxic fumes enveloped her...
She collapsed to the ground, fallen into a deep slumber.