.

~~General Tarkus~~

.

General Tarkus’s temporary office in Verdant Vale was in utter shambles. The once orderly stacks of parchment were now scattered across the floor. He had broken furniture, shattered glass cups, and thrown hundreds of books off their shelves and throughout the office. He heaved and toppled over the heavy oak desk into the center of the room, its contents spilled and broken.

Amidst this chaos stood the General himself, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he paced the length of the room. His usually stoic demeanor was cracking, the weight of recent failures bearing down upon his shoulders. His hair seemed to grow grayer, the shadows under his eyes darker. 

He and along with fifteen of his men were all that remained of a 90 plus force. The giant women barbarically ate or crushed his men. His innovative weapons failed. His men’s discipline, non-existent. The irony of criticizing past commanders for these same failures was not lost on him. 

Jennifer. Awful, awful name. Jennifer. She was responsible for the catastrophic loss of men. She gleefully went about the battlefield, playing with his men as if they were dolls. Jennifer, the wretched monster. She swallowed soldiers whole, probably because of a sadistic proclivity to feel them fight for their lives in the bowels of her stomach. Wretched, filthy woman.

A hesitant knock on the door broke the room’s tense silence. Tarkus paused mid-stride, his head snapping towards the sound. “Enter,” he said, his voice rough with barely contained frustration.

A nervous lieutenant colonel stepped into the room, his eyes widening as he took in the destruction around the room. Swallowing hard, he straightened his posture and saluted. “General Tarkus, sir. I bring news from the capital.”

Tarkus did not return the salute. His eyes narrowed and asked, “What is it?”

“The Nectar of Subjugation, sir. It has arrived.” The lieutenant colonel slowly lowered his salute.

For a moment, Tarkus was silent, his expression unreadable. “So.” He picked up a chair and sat. “Humanity’s last hope has arrived … my last hope.” He looked off into the distance past the officer as he thought. “Even if Queen Lysandra didn’t give the order to control the giantess … even if she wanted us to kill the bitch outright—I don’t think we would succeed. But this nectar gives me an idea. A plan. We might be able to stop the giantess after all.”

The officer shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to respond to the General.

Tarkus seemed to snap back to the present, his eyes hardening once more. “I still have a fight in me. Gather the troops,” he ordered, his voice regaining its usual authority. “The giants will surely be here in a day. We will end this here, once and for all. Those giantesses will bow before the might of our queen!”

“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant colonel saluted once more, then turned on his heel and marched out of the room, leaving Tarkus alone amidst the wreckage of his own making.

As the door closed behind the officer, Tarkus turned to face the window, his gaze fixated on the horizon. “No more defeats,” he repeated, his voice a low growl. “No more.”

And with that, he planned his last confrontation; he will succeed or die trying.

.

~~Sarah~~

.

Sarah sat cross-legged off to the side, watching over Gwen and her kids as they mourned their father. Dried tears stained her cheeks. Sarah felt a deep sympathy for the family, whose entire way of life would’ve remained the same—hadn’t it not been for her presence.

“How are you feeling, Sarah?” Kara asked, looking up at Sarah.

Sarah looked around and saw the two-inch woman standing near her legs. She nodded while holding herself back from crying again.

“Want to hold me?” Kara asked.

Sarah sniffled. “Really? Jennifer won’t mind? Where is she?”

“She’s watching me, right behind you.”

Sarah looked over her shoulder and saw Jennifer standing there with her arms crossed. Her protective eyes never leaving Kara. Jennifer gave her friend a slight nod. Sarah turned back to Kara and lowered her upturned palm beside her. Once Kara was onboard, Sarah gently brought Kara close to her face. She was so much smaller than Soren and Felicia. A full inch smaller. Petite and adorable. But Sarah could see strength in the tiny woman; a newfound confidence and determination. Kara looked up at Jennifer and made a shooing gesture at her. Jennifer reluctantly walked away, giving them privacy.

“Jen and I were talking,” Kara said. “We’ll start our journey to Verdant Vale late in the afternoon. Along the way, we’ll stop at this charming hamlet that treated Jen with kindness. She wants to check on them. Maybe they can help Gwen and the kids with food and supplies. Anyway, once we make it to Verdant Vale, Jen and I will make the military stationed there surrender—or we’ll fight.”

“More fighting?”

“I hope it doesn’t come down to that.” Kara looked down as she recalled past events with Jennifer. “My people …” Kara hesitated. “Sometimes there’s no reasoning with people who don’t want to reason. It’s like me trying to convince a hungry bear not to maul me. Jen and I will try negotiating. Give them an ultimatum. Either lay down their weapons and join our cause, or end up in Jen’s stomach.”

Sarah shivered as if she were freezing. “This is really going to happen? We’re marching to the capital to stop the Queen?”

“Second thoughts?”

“No. None.” Sarah’s eyes fell on the little family around Osmund’s plot. “I need to do this.”

Sarah’s stomach chose that moment to let out a loud, insistent growl. Sarah cringed, feeling the eyes of the tiny family upon her. She turned to Kara, her voice tinged with shame, and asked, “Why did I have to eat those soldiers? I feel horrible.”

This admission made Kara grin. Things would’ve turned out so differently if Sarah found her before Jennifer—not that Kara wanted to change the past. She watched Sarah rub her stomach. Sarah looked so distraught, knowing she ended two lives in her stomach.

“Don’t feel bad for them, Sarah. Those soldiers knew the consequences of being at war with giantesses.”

“But eating them? It’s so cruel …”

“Would it be better to die an agonizing death through poison? Like your friends did?” Kara shot back at Sarah. “To see the person you love most in the whole-wide-world, looking back at you in panic and anguish. As your vision fades away.” A tear streamed down Kara’s cheeks, sharing Jennifer’s pain.. “Anton had to look at his beautiful wife to be—the person he was going to spend the rest of his life—taken away for nothing. Was his death any crueler than what you did to those soldiers? Would it be better if they had an arrow in the stomach so they could bleed out alone in a field? Death is death! They brought it upon themselves. At least by eating them, you’ll put their worthless bodies to use. To satiate your hunger. Don’t feel bad, Sarah. Not for a second. Gods know I don’t.”

Sarah nodded. She understood Kara’s position, and didn’t question it. Still … She digested two grown men for a meal. Sad part was that two lives weren’t enough. She was still hungry. How could Sarah live with herself knowing she ate two people? She was weirdly okay with crushing those men under her ass—since that was an accident! But the thought of those two men slipping through her mouth ... Her mouth salivated at the thought. They did taste yummy, though.

Sarah shook her head, shaking off the repressed joy she had in tasting and eating those soldiers. She then looked down at Gwen, who stared up at her with a look of utter hatred and contempt. Sarah didn’t know why Gwen hated her so much, but now with Osmund murdered, Sarah understood her hatred. Gwen rightfully knew the risks of saving Sarah, and they were now living with the harsh consequences.

Soldiers destroyed their farm and murdered their beloved father and husband. They had one less working hand to tend to the fields. Their oxen sacrificed to Sarah. Their storage of winter food eaten up by Sarah. They lost everything.

And for what?

“Kara,” Sarah whispered. “Can you translate something for me?”

-

Kara stood in front of the family. Gwen, Soren, and Felicia towered over her, while the younger family members were almost at her height. Yet, Kara didn’t sense any size prejudice from them. They eagerly awaited her to speak and gave her their full attention.

“Sarah says she takes the blame for everything. If you’re angry with her, she completely understands.”

Soren was about to speak, but Kara held up her hand and silenced him.

“Please, let me finish.” Kara cleared her throat. “Sarah wants to be this family’s guardian and provider. She used an expression I’m not familiar with, but it roughly translates to her taking you all under her wings. She’ll make sure you have shelter and food. And she won’t let anyone harm you.”

“Too little, too late!” Gwen shouted. “All we’ve ever done is give, give, give to that giant. She let my husband die! We have nothing because of her!”

There was a time when someone much taller and imposing, shouting with a beet-red face, would’ve affected Kara. Those days were in the past.

“And you’ll continue having nothing if you turn her away.” Kara countered. “The second-most powerful being in this world is offering her unconditional support to your family.”

“Second-most?” Soren asked.

“Yes. The most powerful is mine.” Kara referred to Jennifer.

Gwen stormed off, but no one stopped her.

“She’ll come around,” Felicia said. “So, what does Sarah want from us? She wants us to agree or …”

“That is part of it,” Kara said. “Her conscience is really bothering her. About those two soldiers she ate.”

“What about?” Felicia asked.

“Well, she ate two people in front of you. And the kids.” Kara pointed at the three younger ones, who didn’t seem concerned. “She’s afraid of what you might think of her.”

They all shrugged, not really understanding Kara’s point.

“It … it doesn’t bother you that she swallowed two humans alive?” Kara asked.

“No,” Felicia said with an upward inflection in her voice. “Isn’t that just what giants do?”

“So, it doesn’t bother you?” Kara asked, a little off-balanced by their reaction.

“The bastards that killed my father? Doesn’t bother me one bit. I wish Sarah didn’t let them get off so easily, and tortured them a bit before killing them. If I was a giant like her, I would’ve torn off each limb slowly, and then chewed on their bones while they watched. Then I would swallow them, that way they could meet up with their chewed up arms and legs in my belly.”

“Damn, Felicia.” Soren said.

-

Felicia brought Kara inside their destroyed home. She went through her wardrobe chest and picked out old clothing that was destined for her siblings when they grew taller, but actually fit Kara now.

“I wore this as a teen,” Felicia said. “I think you’ll like it—so will Jennifer.” She winked.

She picked out a dark skirt, cream-colored shirt, and a brown leather vest. She helped Kara change and gave her another pair of strappy sandals to wear. Felicia was on her knees, adjusting the sandals and then the skirt.

“Perfect fit,” Felicia said. “Like it was meant for your sexy body.”

“You think Jen will like it?” Kara asked, with hopefulness in her eyes.

“Definitely.”

-

Kara told Sarah she had nothing to worry about. The family forgave her, and gladly accepted her role as guardian. As expected, Gwen was sour. There wasn’t much to do there, except give her time.

“The family will pack their things now, and you should help them,” Kara said. “I have to show Jennifer something. We’ll be back.”

Sarah nodded and thanked Kara for everything.

.

~~Queen Lysandra~~

.

They stood as a group on the floor of the Queen’s polished floors in her bedchamber. For weeks, the Microlings have endured an onslaught of unreasonable demands from the Queen. They serviced her body, her feet, and her sexual needs. And worst, they serviced her hunger.

Her height obsession grew more unhinged as she found more creative uses for the Microlings. Though she culled their numbers, her servants were quick to replenish her stock with fresh Microlings so that she always had a healthy population to play with.

The Queen’s nails were perfect. Manicured with extreme detail only achievable by a team of one-inch beings. Her jewelry shined perfectly. Polished with tiny fingers that could reach spaces normal cleaning tools could not. Tasks that would take one or two human servants to complete, the Queen opted for hundreds of Microlings. She loved the feeling of their tiny hands and feet walking across her long nude body. They either trimmed unwanted hair, massaged delicate areas, or mingled near sensitive areas that aroused her. Lysandra’s pampering sessions often ended in massacres as she had no regards for their safety or survival. They drowned inside her vagina. They digested in her stomach. And she crushed them under various body parts for her amusement or from careless movements.

As the group of Microlings waited for the Queen, they wondered what their fates were. Having survived so many atrocities and witnessing their brothers and sisters get disposed of without regard, they knew their luck would run out soon. The servants gave them specific instructions to wait for the Queen in the middle of the bedchamber and don’t dare move. So they listened. They cried on each other’s shoulders or resigned solemnly to their fate. The Queen would enter soon, make some sickening demand, and then some would die. That was just their lot in life. In service of the bigs.

The heavy, ornate wooden door slammed open as if it were made of light balsa. The Queen stormed in, reading a parchment from her hand, and wearing nothing more than heels and a silk robe that flowed behind her like a cape. Her front torso was exposed, her breast hanging, her hairy cunt unabashedly displayed. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the group of six Microlings waiting for her. She adjusted her stride while reading the report from the front.

The Microlings’ hearts sank. The Queen looked as angry as ever, and she didn’t slow her steps. They closed their eyes in their final moments. Too scared to even move, as that would further anger the Queen. They said one last prayer to Goddess Elaria, asking her for salvation.

Queen Lysandra crushed them all in a single, punctuated step. She idly twisted her foot, grinding their bones into chalky dust, mixing their viscera into a gooey mash under her high-heels.

“Two?” Lysandra shouted. “Two giant women in my kingdom, uncontested for over a week! Lucia, get in here.”

Her short servant entered the bedchamber, approached the Queen and bowed her head.

“Take off my shoes.” Lysandra’s eyes went through the report again. It was filled with flowery language and written in such a way to lessen the damning situation. Lysandra was too smart for that. She saw the incompetence in her military and its leadership. If her general was in front of her now, she would’ve choked him to death.

There were two giants making a mockery of her force. They killed her people and roamed the lands like they owned it. Worst of all, there was a report of her people siding with the giants! Helping them—conspiring with them. For what? Why in the world would anyone side with giants?

“Kara Kaczka. Where have I heard that name before?”

Lucia timidly raised her hand.

“Speak.”

“She was an apprentice here, your majesty. A scholarly one. She was removed from here, for being four-feet tall.”

Someone that worked in the palace was now partnering with a giantess? The Queen felt an odd sensation—one that she hadn’t felt in many years. It was fear. Why hadn’t the giantess killed Kara like the others? Was Kara’s former connection to the palace a reason she partnered with the giantess …?

Lysandra let out a nervous chuckle. “Four-feet tall, you say? A tiny thing like her is making friends with a giant?” Another nervous laugh, before turning serious. “Gods-dammit!” Lysandra slipped out of her heels and then shoved Lucia to the ground by shoving her foot into the kneeling woman’s shoulder. She then straddled over her diminutive servant and placed her hands on her neck. Lucia already had purple welts on her face from past interactions with the Queen. “A small bitch like her is threatening my dominion?”

“I don’t know, your majesty,” Lucia said through breaths. She didn’t dare place a finger on the Queen, and just accepted herself being choked.

“No one allies with giants, you hear me?” Lysandra shouted. “I want Kara dead! That’s more important than subjugating the giants, understood? And if those idiots can’t get the nectar to work, I want the giants dead. And if they can’t make that happen in two days, I want General Tarkus dead! I will execute the entire army for treason if they cannot carry out a simple order. It’s just two giants! I will not accept any more failures!”

Lysandra released her grip from Lucia and stood up. Lucia took in deep breaths, trying desperately to refill her lungs. She felt Lysandra’s eyes on her, so she quickly scampered away to deliver the message to the Royal Couriers.

Lysandra called for another servant and demanded all Microlings on hand, delivered to her bedchamber. She was going to take out her anger on vulnerable people who could not defend themselves.

.

~~Jen & Kara~~

.

“I can’t walk anymore,” Ania said. “My feet hurt so much.”

“I could go for a rest too,” Tomasz said, while un-slinging his large backpack and letting it drop to the ground. He joined his wife on a rock, smoothed by years of having river water eroding it to a smooth stone. His wife, slumped over defeatedly, sniffled quietly to herself. He grabbed her legs and placed her feet on his laps. He took off her footwear and gave her tired feet a rub. “It’ll be okay, Ania. We’ll get through this. We always do.”

“What happened to Bloomhaven? It’s all gone. Flooded and wiped away. Now, where are we supposed to go? We’re out here alone.”

“I don’t think we’re alone. We’ll find others; I know we will.” He continued massaging his wife’s tired feet. “Maybe we got our directions mixed up, and that wasn’t Bloomhaven? Maybe it’s still out there, waiting for us to discover it. Don’t give up, Ania.”

“I can’t do this anymore.” Streams of tears ran down her cheek. “Life is nothing but a struggle. If it’s not human killing us, it’s the animals, or, or, not finding food. I can’t remember the last time I ate. I’m so hungry, Tom.”

He wanted to give his wife more words of encouragement to keep her spirits high, but even he didn’t have the energy to say it anymore. Their situation was dire. They left their hometown of Pebblebridge for Bloomhaven, based on the promise they would be far from humans and have food and water security. But they never found the Microling city. Just a foul swamp in a valley where it was supposedly located.

They had all their worldly possessions in their backpacks, which wasn’t much. Tomasz didn’t know what to do next. They were lost in an unfamiliar land, with no food, no shelter, and no hope. He hugged his wife and kissed her on the forehead—at a complete loss what to do next.

Ania looked up at her husband with wide eyes. “It’s a human.” The rhythmic booms were unmistakable. Their bones jarred with every shockwave caused by the destructive footfalls. They could hear vegetation, such as grass and flowers, soaring high above them, crushed and stomped mercilessly under a giant’s footsteps. Rock and gravel made a sickening crunching sound under unfathomable weight.

Tomasz grabbed his wife’s shoes and tried slipping it back on her feet, but her feet swelled from the momentary respite, and he couldn’t fit it back on her.

“Don’t bother,” she said to him. “I’m not running anymore.”

“Ania?”

“Just let the human find me. I don’t care.”

“Don’t talk like that—come on, we have to run.”

“For what? If you want to run, don’t let me stop you, but I’m done. Let the human find me. Let them kill me for fun. I don’t have the energy to survive anymore.”

Tomasz slumped down next to his wife and hugged her against his chest. “I’ll never leave you. We stay together.”

The tremors grew exponentially as the giant human was closing in on them. They cried together, and they feared their death was coming soon, but they stayed together, feeling each other’s warmth and elevated heartbeats. They had never seen a human before, but they’ve heard all the horrible stories.

The giant stepped down before them with one last striking footstep, resulting in a shockwave that blasted their face with wind and hurling dust. The Microling couple had their eyes closed and wrapped each other in their arms. They could feel the giant staring down at them, its heavy presence pronounced by the change in temperature and smell.

“Microlings …” the giantess said to herself. “You’re so tiny.”

The couple shivered uncontrollably. They whispered their love to one another repeatedly, and Tomasz reassured his wife he’ll never let her go, no matter what.

“Are you scared?” the giantess’s voice thundered from the heavens. “Please, I didn’t mean to scare you. I won’t hurt you.” The words and tone sounded sweet, but she was unfathomably loud.

Tomasz peaked and nearly fell over. She was gigantic. Over 300 feet tall and looming over them like a mythic tree. He looked straight ahead and gulped upon seeing toes that were as big as he was. The giantess could easily step on multiple Microling homes at once and would probably never feel it. He could see her feet sinking into the soft ground, her immense weight winning over the earth.

Did this force of nature really mean what she said? Or were words part of a tease? Was she trying to win them over before showing her true colors? Humans were a sociopathic bunch that put their pleasure first and never considered the feelings of those smaller than them.

The giantess dropped to her knees; the impact causing a boom that sent dirt exploding outwards. Great pillars of flesh were near them. They saw her smooth thighs, partially hidden by her skirt. Her upper body leaning over and casting an awe-encompassing shadow throughout the land.

“You look so frail,” the giantess said, deep concern in her voice. She slung her satchel in front of her and dug out a morsel between her fingers. “I have little to give, but please take this piece of bread.”

What was an insignificant piece to her was larger than a loaf to the Microlings. The giantess’s fingers made Tomasz drop his jaw in wonder. Her thumbnail was bigger than his entire torso. Her hand looked delicate, like a flower, yet more destructive than any Microling weapon ever created.

He wondered briefly if it was a trap. Maybe she was luring him. If it was a trap, it was working, because that stale piece between her fingers looked enticing. He stood up and walked towards her finger. The giantess nodded encouragingly. He reached out with both hands and took the morsel. She let go, and he scampered back with the piece of bread to his wife. He tore a piece for her, and they both dug in greedily.

“Aww, you were hungry!” the giantess cooed. “I wish I had something better to give you two. Maybe I’ll find some aleberries around. Would you like that?”

A human that’s … helping them? Yes, they existed, but that was a rarity that Ania and Tomasz never expected to experience. Were they really this lucky? Was she sincere with her aid?

A profound weight of melancholy fell on the giantess. “I can help you. It wouldn’t be difficult to give you food and a ride. It would take hardly any energy on my part.” She looked away. “All this time I could've been helping your people. But I never did. I’m sorry for that.” She paused and looked at the surrounding nature. After several minutes, her eyes returned to the Microlings. “My name is Kara. What are your names?”

“I am Tom. This is my wife, Ania. Wh-what do you want from us?”

“I want you to accept my help.”

“Why?”

“Because you need it.” Kara looked over at the one-inch couple and saw something peculiar with the wife. “Ania, are your legs okay?”

Ania looked up at the giantess, who looked back down with a sweet, innocent look on her face. “My husband and I have been walking non-stop for days. My feet hurt.”

Giantess Kara smiled warmly. “You don’t need to walk anymore, Ania. I can carry you wherever you need to go.”

“Please, Kara, if you intend to harm us, please just say it,” Tomasz said. “We are too weary for tricks. We’re close to death. My wife and I … if you intend to kill us … please make it quick.”

Kara pulled back. “I’m not here to hurt or, gods forbid, kill you. I want to help you. Don’t you need it? You look starved and lost. Please let me help you.”

“Humans don’t help Microlings,” Ania said. “You want something from us.”

Kara sighed. “Okay. I do want something from you.”

Tomasz and Ania shared a knowing glance.

“But it’s not what you think,” Kara was quick to say. “My friend has never seen a Microling. She wants to look at you—and that is it. And I swear, I’ll take you wherever you need to go. I’ll also give you food.”

“All that—just to be gazed at?” Tomasz asked

“Yes. You won’t even have to do anything.”

“Where is she now? Why is she not with you?”

“She’s close by. Do you agree to meet her, then?”

The couple spoke amongst themselves for several minutes. Did they really have a choice? There was a real possibility that Kara was toying with them, and this was some elaborate joke. She’d probably crush them under her giant feet as soon as they gave an answer. And what if they refused? The giantess was an all-powerful force over them. They were screwed either way. 

“Fine,” Ania answered. “Do what you want, giant.”

Kara humphed. That was the last thing she’d ever expected anyone to call her. “May I hold you?” Kara lowered her hand and placed it on the ground next to the couple. “I know you don’t trust me—I don’t think I would if I were in your position. But you have my word. You’ll be safe.”

Ania and Tomasz shared glances. Either they don’t comply and the giantess kills them, or they comply and the giantess kills them. It was a quagmire with no positive outcome, but complying with the giantess provided that sliver of a chance for survival. They climbed onto Kara’s giant palm, Ania wincing as she placed weight on her tired feet.

So this is what Jennifer felt every time she carried a tiny life in her palm. The Microling couple felt weightless and delicately fragile. One wrong move, and Kara felt she might seriously hurt them. She lifted her hand slowly and cupped her other underneath as if she were scooping water from a stream. Kara held them up to her face and examined their little bodies. They were exactly human except for their miniscule stature.

“I’m going to call my friend. Please don’t let her appearance frighten you. She’ll be as gentle as I am, I swear.”

This statement didn’t assuage the couple, it only increased their apprehension. Was Kara’s friend an ogre or something thereabout? The giantess stood up and walked towards a clearing. Ania couldn’t believe how quickly the giantess covered so much ground in just a few brief steps. Kara then waved off into the distance towards something their tiny eyes couldn’t focus on. Tomasz peered over the ledge of the palm and looked down. They were hundreds of feet in the sky. He’s never seen the world from such a perspective. Some Microlings built settlements into trees, but he’s visited none of those places before—he’s always been a ground-level Microling.

Something was happening to the giant forest in front of them. It sounded like a calamitous storm was fast approaching. A force was knocking down trees and shoving them out of the way unabated.

“Kara, what is that?” Ania asked.

“It’s my friend,” Kara said.

“It is an ogre … you are friends with an ogre?”

“She’s no ogre. She’s human, like me. Just a little larger. And far prettier than me.”

The Microling couple didn’t know what Kara meant by that. Kara was a beautiful young woman, but the way she spoke was like she was lost in a trance. The cataclysm occurring in the forest grew louder until they saw the tops of a blonde woman soaring above the canopy of the trees. The Microlings rubbed their eyes. Were they seeing things?

“That’s her,” Kara said, mesmerized by the sight of her powerful friend plowing through the landscape.

The miniature couple embraced each other tightly and shivered as they saw the 2-mile tall giantess approach them. Though Kara was doing her best, shock absorbing each of Jennifer’s footfalls through her arms and hands, the Microlings still felt the violent footsteps pound into the earth, creating craterous valleys and literal mountain ranges with each footprint.

The blonde giantess was otherworldly beautiful and easily mistaken for one of their goddesses. Her body was tight, athletic, and on display. Her tattered clothing covered her groin area and breasts. A blood-soaked white cloth wrapped around her arm where she suffered an injury from the humans. Enough blood stained the cloth, it could’ve filled a pond compared to the Microlings.

“It’s okay, my little friends,” Kara said, feeling their incessant quaking in her hands. “She just wants to see your kind. Then I’ll take you where you need to go.”

“I don’t know if we can do this,” Tomasz said. “A-are you sure about her intentions?”

“Absolutely.”

-

Jennifer walked carefully as if she were on thin ice. Each step was soft and meticulously planned as to not traumatize the microbes. Jennifer squatted and then planted her knees on the ground, hoping it was a mild enough landing. She then extended her hand and let Kara climb aboard.

Jennifer knew Kara was holding the Microlings in her hand, despite not seeing them. She lowered her hand with as much grace as a duck coming in for a landing in a lake. Kara stepped onto Jennifer’s palm, with great care to her precious cargo. Jennifer then brought her hand up to her face, watching Kara speak to the beings in her native language, cooing them and reassuring them.

Was Kara fucking with her? Jennifer thought. Is she really holding someone in her hand? How can people exist being so fucking small?

“I found two,” Kara said. “They’re a young married couple named Tomasz and Ania. Jen, they’re so cute and small, but they’re hungry and lost. Maybe we can help them.”

“I want to see them.”

“Shhh. You almost blew them away with your voice.”

Jennifer pulled her head back. This was wild for her to comprehend. Whatever was in Kara’s hand was smaller than an ant. Maybe a mite? As small as a period at the end of the sentence. Two little dots, hardly discernible as human.

Jennifer moved her index finger from her free hand and held it in front of Kara, so that her fingernail pointed up and her digit towards the ground. Kara looked up at Jennifer, unsure what this move was about.

“Put them on my nail,” Jennifer whispered, directing her breath underneath her hand and away from microbes.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. They’re terrified and you could—”

“I won’t say it again, Kara.” Jennifer shot daggers with her stare.

Kara whispered something to the Microling couple and then placed them on Jennifer’s fingernail, near the cuticle. With the dots on her nails, Jennifer methodically, and with greater care than a surgeon, brought her finger to her eyes.

-

Tomasz and Ania clung to each other, Ania leaning heavily into her husband because of her feet, as the giantess’s finger came to a halt mere inches from her gigantic, sky-blue eyes. The sheer size of Jennifer’s black pupils, which alone dwarfed the Microling couple, shrunk down to the size of a house as she focussed on their miniscule forms. Her iris were the equivalent of the ocean, stretching forever into the horizon, so large, they could get lost in them. Each blink of her eyes caused a breeze that cooled their panicking bodies.

Tomasz and Ania marveled at the giantess before them, their hearts racing with a mix of fear and awe. Giantess Kara was incomparable to the mega-sized giantess that held them in her fingernail, which was larger than a field, making them realize they were standing on just a minuscule fraction of Jennifer, a humbling and terrifying thought.

As the giantess’s gaze bore down upon them, Tomasz and Ania felt utterly exposed and vulnerable. They were at the complete mercy of this all-powerful entity who could snuff out their lives with the slightest twitch of her finger. Yet, despite their trepidation, they couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer magnificence of Jennifer’s presence. They could see lines forming around her face, like vast canyons, early stages of wrinkles. She had bags of weariness under her eyes, a result of a week-long survival in a hostile alien world. Jennifer’s blemishes and her natural age humanized her. She was pretty, despite the tiniest imperfections on her face that were magnified at their scale.

Ania gazed at the wispy strands of golden hair that framed her face like rays of sunlight. Tomasz, too, found himself transfixed by the spectacle before him. He had heard tales of the giants’ immense power and destructive capabilities, but this was unlike any story he’s ever heard. A giant among giants. The world seemed to fall away, shrinking into insignificance as Jennifer’s presence dominated their entire existence.

As they stood there, tiny and trembling on the giantess’s fingernail, Tomasz and Ania couldn’t help but wonder what fate awaited them. Would Jennifer prove to be a benevolent protector, as Kara had promised? Or would she crush them underfoot, as so many of her kind had done to the Microlings before?

-

After concentrating her eyes on the dots, Jennifer could finally make out the lines that formed their bodies. Curvatures that suggested a masculine and feminine couple on her fingernail. They held onto each other and were terrified of what she might do next.

Jennifer wondered briefly what if she were in their place? An insignificant microbe standing on the fingertips of a giant that could barely see them.

Jennifer held her breath and lowered her finger back to Kara, where the smaller giantess scooped the frightened couple and held them close to her chest.

“Tell them I’m sorry if I scared them. To be honest, Kara, I thought you were fucking with me. But after seeing them with my own eyes … Tell them I’m here to help them. I’ll stop the Lilliputians from ever fucking with them again.”

Kara translated, but used the term human instead of Lilliputian.

“We should take them to their home. Where is that?” Jennifer asked.

-

“What’s so funny?” Jennifer asked.

Jennifer walked towards the Microling settlement that Ania and Tomasz originated from. There was heavy reluctance to give away the position of their home city, but Kara convinced them of Jennifer’s protective mission over the Microlings.

“It’s what they called you,” Kara giggled. “It made me laugh.”

“Well, what are they calling me?” Jennifer asked, annoyed.

“Goddess.” Another flurry of giggles from Kara. “They think you’re a literal goddess.”

“And you don’t, Kara?” She raised one brow.

“No. You’re from another world that is big. Not a goddess.”

“Mhmm,” she murmured with a sly smirk.

Ania and Tomasz couldn’t believe the view. They were sitting on the palm of a giantess, who was sitting on the palm of a bigger giantess. They traveled the lands as fast as light. Their original journey that took months, Jennifer traveled in less than ten minutes. Their world looked foreign from miles above. Great rivers were reduced to wispy lines cutting through the emerald fields. Trees that towered over them like unmovable mountains, Jennifer shoved or plowed through as if blades of grass.

They alerted Kara when they got near, which she later translated to Jennifer. Once on the ground, the Microlings directed Kara to their settlement. It wasn’t large like Bloomhaven, but with over 20,000 Microlings, Pebblebridge wasn’t exactly a small village either.

When Kara arrived at the edge of Pebblebridge, the people were already in disarray, panicking, and evacuating. Kara’s sandaled feet walked the dusty road between the buildings, and in a soothing, gentle voice, she told them not to fear her. She lowered her palm near a running crowd, allowing Ania and Tomasz to yell at them, letting them know Kara wasn’t like the other humans.

It took nearly 20 minutes for the crowds to stop running frantically up and down the roads of the town. Ania and Tomasz tirelessly explained who Kara was, but most importantly, they spoke of Jennifer.

“A goddess. The goddess held us on her finger and explained she’s here to stop humans from destroying our way of living,” Tomasz said.

Kara waved over at Jennifer, and the reaction was the same from when Ania and Tomasz saw her the first time. The earth sounded like it was going to split open from the tremendous steps Jennifer took. She was so large, they couldn’t take in her whole body at once. They either focused on her impossibly long legs, her hilly abs, or pretty face framed by locks of golden hair.

Jennifer planted one foot near the town, unsure if she was too dangerously close. Kara’s breathing became heavy as she looked down the length and sexy arch of Jennifer’s foot. She was so big. She could wipe out the whole town in one step if she wanted to.

The people of Pebblebridge dropped to their knees and prayed towards Jennifer. Kara’s perspective was also jarring. She felt herself as a giant within the small town. Comparatively speaking, she was larger to the Microlings than what Jennifer appeared to her. Kara could see how easy it was for Jennifer to attack Verdant Vale so easily.

“What does she want from us?” a Microling asked Kara. “Why bother helping us?”

Kara translated the question to Jennifer.

Jennifer ignored the question, and brought forth a new one directed at Kara. “Are they scared of you?” Jennifer asked

“Not as much anymore. They’re becoming comfortable around me.” Kara looked up at Jennifer with puppy dog eyes.

“But they were scared of you, when they first saw you, right?”

Kara hesitated. She didn’t like where this line of questioning was going. “Yes.”

“Kara, you're the sweetest, gentlest, little thing I’ve ever known. How could anyone be scared of you?”

“Well, I’m bigger than them.”

“So?”

“So …? I’m bigger than them. They’re scared of that. Not me.” Kara glanced down at her feet. The Microlings kept a great distance from her, and looked up at her with trepidation. They could only wonder in their greatest imagination what the two giantesses were talking about.

Jennifer extended her leg. Her calf muscle compressing the ground and taking up the entire skyline of Pebblebridge. “Microlings are scared of Lilliputians, huh? Maybe there’s a historical reason for that.” Jennifer looked out into the horizon but gave Kara the side-eye. “I see why you never wanted to bring them up to me. Hypocrite. Know that word? Because that’s what you are.”

“I am not!” 

“This whole time you made me feel like a monster. Wanna hear a confession, Kara? I felt guilty about eating those Lilliputians my first couple days here. I even set a bunch free that I was going to eventually eat. But I thought—that’s kinda fucked up. I set them free—and that helped with my conscience. Until Sarah died, or so I thought, in my arms … Then I went back to eating your people. But you guys gave me no other options even though it wrecked my mind. So, fuck you.” Jennifer leaned closer over Pebblebridge which took up an area comparable to a shoebox. “But now that I know you guys systematically oppress these microscopic people because of their size … holy shit! Like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. You guys aren’t the victims … you’re the baddies.”

“Jen, I can explain. Not everyone—”

“Shut up, Kara!” Jennifer’s voice was loud enough to rattle all the buildings in Pebblebridge and knock down smaller, flimsier structures. “I’m not through speaking.”

Kara trembled. That look Jennifer gave her. It was like the first day they met. When Jennifer was so ruthlessly cruel to her. That look that made Kara feel even smaller. The Microlings didn’t like what they were witnessing. The giantess with the platinum blonde hair and skirt was cowering in fear from the goddess-tier giantess.

Jennifer said, “Your plan was to let me teleport out of here and never tell me about the micros. You’d maintain that image of being the victims that big bad Jennifer ate. But now you have a change of heart since Osmund died. Now you want me to end the Queen. And you told me about the existence of the micros. So, I’ve been thinking about that this whole time.”

Jennifer reached over and plucked Kara, lifting her away from the town she dwarfed—only to be dwarfed by Jennifer’s finger. In one smooth motion, Jennifer flipped her hand and dropped Kara in the center of her palm. She then brought her up to her lips, so that her hot breath pelted Kara.

Jennifer said, “But you didn’t have to tell me about the micros. I barely see them, Kara. Even though you tell me that’s a town, it doesn’t look like one. I could’ve stepped on it without knowing I crushed thousands. You could’ve kept this a secret. But you didn’t. So—that’s been bothering me. Why so honest?”

Kara swallowed and was about to answer, but Jennifer interrupted her.

“You probably thought I’d eventually find out, huh? On my way to kicking the Queen’s ass, you probably thought I’d see them or figure it out. So that’s why you came clean.”

Kara nodded as she cried. Jennifer was pissed at her and it was the greatest pain she felt yet. Greater than when Liam ditched her; greater than when she was removed from the palace for being small; and far greater when Jennifer kidnapped her. She found peace and happiness with Jennifer—and she didn’t want to lose that. More tears sprouted as she cried. There was a real risk of losing Jennifer.

“But I also wondered what’s been going through your head,” Jennifer said. “Why take all the actions you did? Was it to fuck with me?” Jennifer shook her head. “Nah, it wasn’t that. You see Kara, I’ve come to realize something.”

Kara nodded timidly.

“You like me. I think you like me a lot. Enough that you didn’t want to keep any secrets from me, because if I found about this the wrong way, you thought I’d probably ditch you, huh? So you made the big girl’s decision to come clean.” Jennifer smiled adoringly. “I think we just entered a new phase in our relationship.”

Kara looked up with hopeful eyes. “You mean, you’re not angry with me?”

“Oh, I’m angry. And I’m going to punish you. Remember? Like when we first met?”

“But you won’t leave me?”

Jennifer laughed. “You’re so sweet. Kara, you’re mine, and no, I won’t let you go or out of my sight. But I will punish you for keeping secrets as long as you have.”

“That’s fine.” Kara sniffled as she crawled over to Jennifer’s thumb and started caressing. “I’m just so happy you won’t let me go.”

A flutter went through Jennifer’s heart as she saw Kara’s affection for her. It caused her to skip a breath. Jennifer felt herself get flushed. She cleared her throat and recomposed herself. “The micros asked why I’m protecting them? Tell them it’s because if I don’t, no one else will.”

Jennifer set Kara back in the middle of Pebblebridges town square. She then lowered herself closer to the microscopic town and let the details come to focus. It was so odd seeing Kara standing tall like a giantess amongst the micro town. 

Kara became animated as she spoke to the Microlings. She enthused about Jennifer and their bright future under her protection. All their eyes shifted from giantess Kara to the goddess that took up their entire sky. This was the last thing they expected when the day started, but it was certainly welcomed.

-

Jennifer walked several paces away until she found an aleberry tree. She ripped a few branches from the tree and brought it back to the town. Kara picked some aleberry fruits and set them in the town square for the people to consume. It took hardly any effort on the part of the multi-sized giantesses, but it saved a tremendous amount of work hours for the Microlings. They thanked Kara and Jennifer profusely as they left, heading back to the farm.

“Hey, want to make a detour?” Kara asked. “I want to show you something.”

“Can it wait?” Jennifer asked.

“It’ll be quick. Trust me, you’ll love it.” Kara beamed with a smile.

“Okie.”

Jennifer followed Kara’s directions until they came between two mountain ridges. Though the mountains were jagged, with a spikey outcropping of rocks, in the valley was a pool of bubbly, steamy water. It was a hot spring about the size of a tub to Jennifer.

“I thought maybe you’d like to relax in it?” Kara asked, both bashful and apprehensive.

Jennifer smiled widely as she looked at the hot water. After many days of surviving the outdoors, this pool of steamy water looked luxurious. She then tilted her head to the side and looked at Kara. “A bath does sound great.”

-