Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones (picture book)



Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones is a picture book written by Billie Randall and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. It was published in November, 1985.

The kingdom of Argonia
In a world dominated by barbarians, the kingdom of Argonia flourished due to its kind king. However, the king was an old man and became sick with an illness that eluded the kingdom's healers. The barbarians to the north of Argonia, led by the fearsome Ogra, grew envious of Argonia and planned an attack.

The king's two daughters, Solaria and Dragon Queen, sought out to find a Gemstone, a mystical relic that could empower the Shield of Stones which would in turn grant the daughters powerful magical powers and strength. They found a single fragment of the Gemstone and returned it to the Shield of Stones. The Shield started to glow with power. The king then told his daughters that Argonia will have new leaders. While Solaria was upset at her father's passing, Dragon Queen was pleased at the thought of ruling the kingdom.

The king continued, "You will hold the Games of the Stone. And even you must compete, to prove that you are worthy to rule our people." Solaria agreed, but Dragon Queen was hesitant.

The Games of the Stone
All the bravest and smartest women of the land entered the Games of the Stone, wishing to become defenders and guardians for their cherished home. They participated in several games of skill. The first winner was the amber-haired archer from the Fire Isle, Rubee. The green-eyed warrior from Emraline Island, Jade, was the next winner. Onyx, a master swordswoman, became the third guardian. Fourth was Saphire from Ice Island, who used a magic shield to freeze whatever it touched.

The final seat at the Shield of the Stones, the seat of gold, would go to one of the king's daughters. Solaria, who loved her kingdom and wished to protect it, beat Dragon Queen in the final contest. Furious, Dragon Queen fled Argonia to live on Storm Isle where she formed a partnership with the barbarian Ogra.

At some point after the king's death, Dragon Queen recruited three deadly women to her side: the winged Moth Lady, the wicked Vultura, and the huntress known only as Wild One. The four villains surrounded Solaria in attempt to steal the Gemstone. With no other options, Solaria leaped into a bottomless chasm with the Gemstone.

Golden Girl appears
The kingdom of Argonia fell into a panic, and set up a second Games of the Shield to find a replacement for Solaria. Dragon Queen entered the competition, but so did Golden Girl, a mysterious woman from a band of dark-skinned nomads. She had a vision of Solaria one night, who told her to enter the games. She later found a piece of the Gemstone in a cave, and then a golden-maned unicorn that she named Olympia.

Together with Olympia, Golden Girl sailed out to Argonia to enter the competition. When she reached the arena, she was impressed with the four Guardians and wished to join them. When she told them, the Guardians laughed. "You can try, stranger," Rubee said. "But don't expect to win."

Although none of the attendees thought much of Golden Girl, she ended up winning each contest, even defeating the Guardians. It was only Dragon Queen left to compete against in a chariot race. With Olympia's help, Golden Girl managed to knock Dragon Queen off balance and win the Games. Dragon Queen once again left, vowing revenge on the kingdom.

Golden Guardian
The Guardians reluctantly welcomed Golden Girl into their ranks and brought her to the Palace of Jewels. However, soon after she realized the others did not trust her and did not accept her as a leader. However, these thoughts took a back seat to an attack from barbarians, led by the skull-masked Ogra. Dragon Queen had told Ogra all she knew about the kingdom, and his barbarians began laying waste to Argonia.

Golden Girl and the Guardians led Argonia's small army and fleet of ships against the barbarians, and managed to drive them off. The heroines then attacked Ogra's base camp. Though Ogra was nowhere to be found, they did find a young man who had been captured. He introduced himself as Prince Kroma, prince of a kingdom that had been vanquished by Ogra. Golden Girl, infatuated with the man, asked him to join them to get revenge on Ogra for killing his family.

Upon learning of the attack on his base, Ogra furiously ordered his soldiers to attack Argonia once again. Dragon Queen openly supported Ogra, conjuring up sea monsters and demons to assist his barbarians. The Guardians realized they could not hold them off any longer. "If only we still had the Gemstone!" Onyx said. "It was lost with Solaria."

Golden Girl remembered finding the crystal stone in the cave and revealed it to the Guardians. After placing it on the empty center of the Shield, magic began to spread and the Guardians realized it was the Gemstone after all.

Showdown
Filled with the stone's power, Golden Girl led the Guardians out of the Palace of Jewels to combat Dragon Queen's forces.

When the Guardians sailed out to battle Ogra's barbarians, they were ambushed by massive sea serpents that had been summoned by Dragon Queen. She also clouded the air with a magical fog. However, Saphire's shield melted the fog away and the Guardians used their magical weapons to drive the sea serpents away.

When the barbarians reached the shore, they attempted to retreat. Ogra, however, refused to let them run away, and challenged Golden Girl to a duel. As the other Guardians fought off his men, Ogra rode his horse to battle Golden Girl. However, Golden Girl was too strong for him, and her attack threw him from his horse.

Appearances
Featured Characters: Supporting Characters: Antagonists:
 * Golden Girl
 * Olympia
 * Solaria
 * King of Argonia
 * Guardians of the Gemstones
 * Jade
 * Onyx
 * Rubee
 * Saphire
 * Prince Kroma
 * Dragon Queen
 * Evil Forces
 * Moth Lady
 * Vultura
 * Wild One
 * Ogra