Lorek climbed up to the roof of his house to get a better view. On an ordinary day he would see nothing but the rooftops of the houses around him, stretching all the way to the city wall. But today the view was different. Princess Belena, the girl whom he loved, was visiting Rismark’s poorer districts; she had done so for several days, talking with the inhabitants, asking them if they were in favour of the Queen’s strategy for helping them improve their lives. The entire slum section of the city would be demolished, and, while the people stayed temporarily in the castle, it would be rebuilt, larger than it was before, with spacious houses, well-paved streets, and better access to food and water for those who lived there. Lorek and his father, Orlak, were among those who would be getting a new place to live. He was excited, but his father was not – the man was still mistrustful of the giant he only reluctantly called his queen.

It was for this reason – that all-too-common loathing of giants, which so many men from the lands of Elgon still possessed – that Lorek hadn’t told his dad about his relationship with the princess. He and Belena had been seeing each other for several weeks now, and were gradually becoming more comfortable around each other. No-one knew about them, except for Belena’s parents and a few of her female friends. While Lorek constantly dreaded the day his dad found out about their relationship, he didn’t want to end it, not for anything. He still found it impossible to believe that the princess, who in his eyes was nothing less than a goddess who walked the Earth, saw in him the man (though he was still a boy) she wanted to love, marry, and live with. He always tried to act casual about it whenever they were together, but it was all just too overwhelming for him. If Belena hadn’t been such a loving and patient girlfriend, he was sure she would have rejected him by now.

But she was loving and patient, and whenever they spent time together she seemed to enjoy herself immensely. She would take him for walks in the forest (he loved to ride on her shoulder and admire her gorgeous face from up there), and she was also teaching him how to read, which he’d ashamedly admitted he couldn’t do. Of course, very few people in the poor districts, adults included, could read, and when Belena told her parents about this they’d both agreed that something must be done. Several new schools were to be built in reconstructed area, and Queen Valerie would recruit many of the richer, educated men and women of Rismark to act as teachers at these schools.

Lorek, meanwhile, was content to be in the embrace of his beautiful princess for now, and he was not looking forward to the day when their relationship would inevitably be made public. He didn’t know how all the people he knew – mostly friends of his dad and their families – would treat him if they knew. Would they still remain friends, or would they turn on him? He mentioned this to Belena once, and, as always, she understood and sympathized with him. She promised – only half-jokingly – that if he ever got into any sort of trouble or difficulties, he need only send word to her, and she’d come to his rescue at once. She was the stronger one in the relationship, and it was her duty to look after him and keep him safe. Lorek couldn’t argue with that, and he was incredibly grateful towards her.

All these thoughts were in his head as he sat on the tip of his roof and admired what he saw. The towering Princess Belena was walking down a street about two hundred yards from him, her elegant pink dress soaring high above the rooftops, and occasionally getting caught on a peaked gable. She would then stoop and carefully free herself, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Every now and then she leant forward, presumably to talk to people on the ground below, invisible from Lorek’s point of view. Sometimes she would even pick several of them up and hold them right beneath her face. He could just about hear her lovely voice, though he couldn’t make out the words she said. He also wondered if she’d be able to see him from such a distance. Maybe he should go to her – but could he risk anyone finding out about them?

“Lorek!” his father’s voice bellowed somewhere below him. “Have you fetched me that water yet? Where are you, you useless little piece of…”

He slid down the sloping roof and onto the muddy ground, not wanting to hear any more. Of course he’d forgotten to fetch the water from the aqueduct, and of course “I’m sorry, Dad, I just wanted to look at the Princess,” would never work as an excuse. Sure enough, he got a cuff on the ears, and was told that if he wasn’t back in five minutes, there would be no supper for him tonight. He grabbed the two large pails and ran off. As he ran, he would look up through gaps in the buildings around him, and would occasionally be rewarded by the beautiful vision of Belena’s distant face, seemingly floating in the sky above him. It had been some time since they’d last been with each other, due to the circumstances. Maybe he could see her again next week, he hoped.

Next week came, and, while Lorek went out to their designated meeting spot every day, Belena was never there to meet him. She’d also stopped visiting the town, and he was starting to feel anxious. Was she no longer interested in seeing him? He could never believe that – she had to be too busy in some way, but he wished she would just send someone with a message, or something. After a whole week of disappointment, he went home one afternoon feeling pretty miserable.

When he arrived at his house, he saw that there was someone at the door, talking to his dad. It was a young girl in expensive-looking clothes, and he recognized her as soon as he saw her. It was that friend of Belena’s, the one who had ‘persuaded’ him to actually go and talk to Belena on that day he’d crept into the castle. Carina, he remembered, was her name. But what was she doing here, visiting them? Was she telling Orlak about his relationship with the princess? He prayed that she wasn’t.

As he was deciding whether or not to step forward, she turned to leave. She looked straight at him, and he immediately looked away, hoping she wouldn’t call out to him. Thankfully she didn’t: she played dumb and just walked past him towards a waiting coach. Once she had gone he went on to his home. His father was busy looking at a scroll of paper – Orlak couldn’t read either, but Lorek had seen that girl Carina reading the letter, or whatever it was, to him.

“There you are,” Orlak said, not sounding pleased – which was normal for him. “Where the hell have you been, boy? And what do you know about this?”

He waved the piece of paper in Lorek’s face.

“What is it, Dad?” the boy asked cautiously.

“What is it? Are you blind? Can’t you see our King’s sigil there at the bottom? That’s his signature too, I’ve been told. We’ve been invited to the palace tomorrow night.”

“We? Invited? The both of us?”

“That’s what I said – can’t you listen properly? That lass in the fancy dress didn’t say why, but she insisted that we should both come. She dropped off some clothes for us to wear, too. I suppose we’d better go – who knows what that…that freak that calls herself ‘Queen’ will do if we don’t. Probably lock us up, I imagine. Can you believe what a man can get thrown in jail for these days…”

Lorek had stopped listening. He couldn’t believe what he’d just been told. But it was real, and he knew what that meant. Tomorrow night, his giant-hating father would find out that his only son, whom he already considered a great disappointment, was planning on becoming husband to one of those ‘oversized man-eating bitches’, as he called them. He imagined it was Belena’s idea, and he wished she hadn’t thought of it, not now.

“But if not now, then when?” he thought. “I can’t keep Dad from finding out forever. At least the King and Queen will be there too – I hope. I’m sure they’ll be able to explain the whole thing to Dad, without him getting angry, and…and killing me…oh, Belena, I hope you know what you’re doing! Gods, I hope I know what I’m doing! How on Earth will I survive tomorrow night…”

Tomorrow night, and poor Lorek’s fear and anxiety had grown tenfold since yesterday. He and Orlak were both dressed in the fine-looking tunics they’d been lent, and were waiting for the same coach to come and pick them up. It arrived about half an hour after sunset. Orlak began peppering the driver with questions, but the young man knew nothing, except where he should take them, and even that he wouldn’t reveal. So the father and son climbed in, Orlak continuing to voice his opinions about the giant women he was presumably about to meet, and Lorek trying to keep from sweating too much. The coach set off, passing through the city gate and off towards the castle’s entrance.

It continued on once inside the castle, and the two passengers peered out the windows, amazed at the immense size of the dimly-lit rooms and hallways they were passing through. After some time they finally entered a brightly-lit room, and, to their great surprise, ascended up a long ramp and onto what looked like the surface of a gigantic dinner table. The coach stopped, and the bewildered men climbed out to see an astonishing sight. They were actually walking on a vast red tablecloth. The table was colossal, stretching off into the distance, but only small part of it was set with plates, cutlery, glasses, and dishes of food, all mega-sized. Once the coach had driven off, only one other person was left on the table’s surface besides the two guests. The lone man walked closer, and Lorek and his dad both gasped when they saw who it was. It was King Alban, and they quickly went down on their knees and bowed their heads.

“You may rise,” the king said, not at all unfriendly. “I am pleased to see that you’ve accepted my invitation, and that both of you are here on this special night.”

“S-special night?” Orlak babbled, getting back on his feet. “I…uh…Your Majesty…I…I do not understand, for-forgive me…”

“That’s quite understandable, Orlak…it is Orlak, isn’t it? I imagine Lorek hasn’t told you much, knowing how apprehensive he is about the whole affair. Please, be seated. My wife and daughter should join us in a moment, and we can enjoy all enjoy the wonderful meal they’ve prepared for us. Don’t be upset, I shall explain the whole situation to you.”

“What the bloody hell is he talking about?” Orlak whispered angrily to his son, as they sat down on a regular-size table which had been placed on the giant one. “Do you know something that I don’t? If you’re in trouble here…if you’ve been hiding things from me…”

Lorek didn’t know what to say. He doubt his father would do something drastic with the King and his family present, but he had a feeling that things could get unpleasant nonetheless. At least Belena would soon be here, and she could protect him…but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. His dad did care about him, however brutal he could get sometimes, and he would understand in the end – he had to.

A moment later the royal giantesses entered the dining room, and the tiny men on the table craned their heads upward to gaze at them. The queen was wearing a white satin gown, and her face looked as lovely as it always did. But, to Lorek at least, she couldn’t compare to the sight of her daughter. Belena, who was clearly taller than her mother, loomed above them, all sixty yards of her. She was also wearing a satin gown, dark grey and with a golden leaf pattern on it. Her flowing red hair was tied back with white ribbons, and her features were as exquisite as those of any fairy-tale princess. She was almost too beautiful, Lorek thought, though perhaps she just appeared so to his eyes, since he knew she was just as beautiful a person on the inside. The giant ladies sat down, facing the three men and their ‘little’ table. Valerie smiled and welcomed her guests warmly, while Belena looked down at Lorek with obvious affection.

“Welcome, sir,” the queen said to the flabbergasted Orlak. “And to you too, Lorek, my dear. We’ve met only once or twice before, but I hope that this night will be first of many, and that you’ll both come to feel a part of our family in time. Please, help yourselves to any of the food before you. I think we’d best eat first, before getting on to the more important business later.”

Orlak began stacking his plate with food, but had only had a few mouthfuls before he could take it no longer. Ignoring the queen and her daughter, he turned to Alban, who was sitting beside him, and mustered up the nerve to ask his monarch just what the reason for all this was.

“I beg your pardon, my king,” he said, trying to sound polite and courteous, “but may I ask just why, exactly, my son and I are here? I’m just a potter, from the slums, and you treat me like I’m a part of your damned family – pardon the language. Have I done something to offend you?”

“Hmm? Oh no, not at all! Quite the contrary. This occasion is, I hope to all of us, a joyous one. I myself was disapproving of it at first, but Belena’s sincerity has convinced me of the justness of the situation.”

The words went right over Orlak’s head, but he didn’t like the sound of it all. Whatever was going on, it couldn’t be ‘just’, not if one of those female…abominations was involved.

“Very well, I suppose I can’t put it off any longer, so I’ll explain. My eldest daughter, Princess Belena,” Alban motioned up at the nervous and excited-looking girl, “and your son, Lorek, have been…seeing each other for over a month. To make a long story short, they’ve…fallen in love, and on this night, we, their parents, give our blessing to their future union. Lorek has told us that you have a…a low opinion of giants, but we are certain that you’ll change your mind by the end of the evening.”

Orlak choked violently on the piece of meat he’d just ingested. He spat it out, much to Alban’s surprise, and turned suddenly on Lorek. The boy nearly fainted when he saw the expression on his father’s face, and he knew at once that here would be no blessing from him. It was over for Belena and him, just like he’d known it would be.