As Raquel was finishing up giving the second batch of food to the masses, the king and Sinclair met her outside the castle with a chessboard and all the pieces.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Sinclair asked. “This is Klaus’s right hand man we’re dealing with here.”
“Trust me,” said Raquel and the king placed the board and the pieces in her hand.
“Now,” said Raquel again. “Where is this guy?”
Her question was answered when two guards with shotguns escorted a tall man in his very early 40’s with dark hair and icy cold blue eyes like Klaus. As the three of them stopped, Raquel gently set down her other hand in front of them.
“I guess I don’t get a blindfold,” Claude said sternly.
“For the last time,” replied one of the guards angrily yet restrained. “You’re not going to be executed.”
Claude simply rolled his eyes and stepped into her hand.
“Okay,” he snarled. “Let’s get this over with.”
Raquel lifted him off the ground and walked outside the city.
“I hope she knows what she’s doing,” said Sinclair to the king.
Raquel finally got to a grassy field that gave her an admirable view of the sunset. She then placed Claude down on the grass and set up the chessboard. When she finished she moved the chessboard over to him and said, “White or Black?” Claude just stared at her sternly and pointed to the white pieces.
“Okay,” she said and sat down on the earth. Claude kneeled down and started the game. As it progressed and pieces were being taken, Claude was immersed in the game. He hadn’t played chess in years and he seemed to forget that he was playing with someone he was supposed to hate. Finally, Raquel cornered his king and said cheekily, “Checkmate.”
Claude chuckled and replied with, “Not bad, not—” He stopped suddenly and looked up at her with hate and fear in his eyes.
“I see,” he said. “You’re waiting, waiting to pounce right? Yeah, that’s it, you want me to give in to this little mind game of yours. Well, I’m not falling for it!”
“I just wanted socialize with you,” Raquel replied calmly.
“Socialize, my ass!” Claude snapped back “You want to kill me! You want to throw me in your mouth and smash my head against your teeth. Well, I’m having none of it! I’m………I’m………..” He started to lose focus of what he was saying and began sputtering until he got a look of pure terror on his face as if he saw the Devil himself, then he let out this nightmarish scream that was heard by the people in Tillinghast’s kingdom. Finally he collapsed to the ground sobbing.
Raquel picked up the pathetic man, held him in her arms like a newborn baby and walked back to the ruined kingdom.
“It’s okay,” she cooed. “It’s okay.” She made her way up to the castle tapped the window of the king’s bedroom. The king peered outside and looked at Claude current state and asked Raquel,“What did you do to him?”
“We just played a game of chess, that’s all,” she replied and handed him the chessboard.
“And it did that to him?”
“It was another one of my dad’s tricks he told me about,” she began. “He used to be a soldier before being a part of parliament and his specialty was interrogation. What he would do was he would befriend prisoners and play games with them and eventually they’d answer his questions without resistance. I didn’t think it would affect him like this though.”
Claude peered up from Raquel’s chest, his face soaked with his tears. The king looked at him and turned his attention back to Raquel.
“Maybe you’ve shattered his whole worldview,” he said. “He just couldn’t stand the idea of someone he’s supposed to hate being kind to him.” At that moment Claude finally spoke up.
“It’s more than that,” he said and he turned his body toward him. “It’s much more than that.”
“What do you mean?” asked Raquel.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” replied Claude. “I might as well tell you.”
“Tell us what?” asked the king.
“Well,” began Claude, “unlike Klaus I was not born into the Sturmgewehr. My family were just simple people who lived in a small kingdom but we had good relations with the Dwarves who lived in Montaga and that is why the Sturmgewehr came. They made horrible claims that the Dwarves were exploiting us and that we should call off all relations with them. We refused, so they attacked us. They killed my family and I was taken into their hands because of my physical condition. Klaus was my personal instructor before he became the Sturmgewehr’s leader. During my training he would tell that everything my parents taught me about all races being treated equal was wrong, he went so far as to ordering me to hate them and I believed him. In time I worked my way up the ranks and became Klaus’s right hand crony. He even said that I would be his successor as chancellor of war. I felt honored at that time but now……”
Claude broke down into tears again.
“Please, kill me,” he said aloud. Raquel’s head quickly recoiled in horror.
“I’ve done so many horrible things, please for love of all that is holy, kill m-” Raquel gently flicked her finger against his head and Claude’s body went limp. The king looked up at Raquel in surprise.
“Did you just—”
“No,” she interrupted. “I only knocked him out. With your permission I’d like to look after him until his mood becomes brighter.”
“Very well,” said the king. Raquel then walked outside the city, laid down on the ground and went to sleep with Claude still in her arms.
The sun rose the next morning and Raquel slowly opened her eyes, she looked at her unconscious bosom buddy and nudged his head. Claude slowly awoke and the two of them immediately made eye contact with each another.
“How are we feeling today?” Raquel asked politely.
“How should I feel?” he asked nervously. Raquel chuckled and sat up. But then she looked up and her face tuned to a look of shock but not in a negative way.
“What is it?” asked Claude. Raquel turned his body to face the city and the two of them saw the city once in shambles now being rebuilt by Raquel’s people. She stood up and walked into the city as it came back to life before her eyes and when she turned to the king’s castle, she saw her father talking with Rupert. She quickly rushed over to her father who saw her quickly and was just as happy to see her.
“You did it!” she cried as she embraced her father smothering poor Claude in the process.
“Yup,” he replied, “it was perhaps my easiest time with parliament but that’s not saying a lot.” Raquel chuckled but then her father looked down at her cleavage and saw Claude squished in their.
“Who’s the pervert?” he asked. Claude nervously receded into her bosom.
“It’s alright,” she said to Claude as she picked him out of her cleavage. “It’s just a sample of dad humor.”
“Well?” asked Harlan.
“You could say he’s a reformed Sturmgewehr soldier,” replied Raquel.
“Is he now?” asked Harlan in slight surprise. Their conversation was then quickly interrupted by a couple of soldiers on horseback, one of which had an Elf at his side that seemed shell-shocked.
“Sire,” one of the soldiers cried out.
“Yes?” asked the king.
“We found this Elf wandering on the outskirts of the city, he was just wandering aimlessly.” A look of shock appeared on the king’s face as he looked at the Elf.
“Pixis?” he gasped. “Get him down.”
The soldiers did as he ordered.
“Raquel, my dear,” said the king. “You need to take a look at this.”
Raquel kneeled down and looked at her traumatized companion. Claude stepped down from her body and took a close look at Pixis. Pixis turned his head slightly and looked at him from head to toe. His eyes seemed to silently panic at his ruined Sturmgewehr uniform. Suddenly Pixis lunged at Claude’s throat and attempted to strangle him. The two soldiers quickly restrained him.
“He’s one of them!” Pixis cried “You’re protecting one of them!”
“But he’s changed,” replied Raquel tensely. Pixis didn’t listen. He then grabbed his hunting knife and jammed it into one of the soldier’s legs. He then leaped at Claude, held him by the throat and his knife was raised in the air. Raquel grabbed Claude but Pixis held on and continued to attempt to jab the knife into Claude’s heart. Raquel grasped the enraged Elf in her other hand.
“Please, calm down,” Raquel said to Pixis. But Pixis continued to squirm so Raquel tightened her grip on him to the point that she feared that she would break his spine. She then out of fear loosened her grip.
“Okay,” gasped Pixis.
“Now, what happened?” Raquel asked him. Pixis collected himself as best he could and began to speak.
“Argena was attacked, I saw it happen, planes bombed the city and Sturmgewehr soldiers are already inside.”
“Say no more,” demanded the king and he turned to one of the soldiers.
“Get me Sinclair and every available soldier we’ve got.”
“Yes sir,” replied the soldier and took off.
“You’re going to help them aren’t you?” Pixis asked the king happily.
“My men will do what they can, Pixis,” the king replied.
“I’m coming too,” said Raquel suddenly.
“Hold on now, Raquel,” said her father. “I’m going with you too.”
“I accept you, Harlan” said the king. “But why bring Raquel she’s—”
“A woman?” asked Harlan.
“That’s not what I mean,” the king replied. “She doesn’t have any military experience.”
“I taught her hand to hand combat and how to outsmart your enemies.”
“That’s all very good but—”
“Rupert,” said Harlan. “Trust me on this.”
“Very well,” said the king reluctantly.
“Good,” replied Harlan. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to head back home to get an old friend to join us, I won’t be long.” He ordered another one of the giants to take charge of the reconstruction until he got back and walked off.
“I want to join your men, sire,” said Claude to the king. “I have some unfinished business to attend to with the Sturmgewehr.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” said the king.
“I agree,” said Raquel. “At least with what you’re wearing.”
“Good point,” replied Claude and he turned to the king. “Do you have any clothes I could borrow?”
The king led Claude up to his bedroom.
“If you’re going, pick any clothes out. I suggest you pick ones from the back of my closest.”
“Very well,” replied Claude and he walked in to the king’s room. The king waited nervously outside for about fifteen minuets and then Claude walked out wearing black pants, a bluish white shirt, brown boots, a brown hat and a large brown duster. He was the splitting image of Rupert when he first met Cathy.
“How do I look?” he asked the king.
“Fine.” replied the king. “Quite fine.”
“Now, I’d like a weapon,” said Claude. The king led him to the armory where thousands of guns lined the walls. Claude scanned the weapons and came across a large black revolver with a barrel of approximately eight inches or more in an old holster.
“This is perfect,” he said smiling.
The two of them headed outside where the king’s soldiers, half of which were on horse back led by Sinclair, were waiting for him and to their surprise the city was fully repaired. People were going back to their homes and business and the only giants left were Raquel and her recently returned father who had with him an oversized (by human standards) lever action rifle.
“That’s you’re friend?” asked the king in surprise.
“Hey, it served me well during times of war.”
“Very well,” replied the king. “Move out!”
“You heard him,” called out Sinclair. “Let’s go!” Raquel picked up Claude and placed him on her shoulder and looked down at Pixis.
“You riding up here?” asked Claude.
“I’ll walk,” Pixis replied sternly.
“Are you sure?” asked Raquel with sexy coy as she stroked her index finger across her cleavage. Pixis’s stern demeanor weakend and he caved.
“Okay,” he said sheepishly and Raquel picked him up, knowing that he might go after Claude again. She placed the elf once again her cleavage and she and her father joined the king’s army.
Giantess World
