Maxine continued to hold the stick as she sat right next to Carrie and in front of her squire Charles. She was very annoyed with everything that was happening and under normal circumstances she wouldn't have time to deal with her current situation. Sitting down on a chair and only talking when she held a stick was something that she considered to be absolutely absurd. And yet despite this she was still going through with it as it was her best chance to get unchained.

Carrie too was annoyed by this, she thought that she should have made herself taller than Maxine before the cuff had been placed on her wrist. It was tight enough to prevent her from growing but not tight enough to cause her any problems. All she could do was endure thing and hopefully move on soon enough.

"Is there anything else that you'd like to say Maxine before you pass the stick over?" asked Charles. He was wise enough to keep a small distance away from the women but not too far as to seem like he was afraid of them. He couldn't help but feel a little scared of them as he had seen what they were both capable of. This sibling rivalry was something that was far from normal.

"Yes," answered Maxine as she continued to hold onto the stick. She was using her left hand as her right was the one that was chained to Carrie. "Yes, she's delusional if she thinks that she's going to marry some lord. For starters she's like almost three feet taller than a lord and also a lord isn't going to bother with some girl who was raised on a farm."

"Shut up Maxine!" shouted Carrie with rage. She would have probably grown by this point but the cuff around her wrist prevented her from doing so.

"Carrie," stated Charles. He had his arms crossed and he looked at her with a slight scowl. "You can talk when you have the stick."

"As I was saying," replied Maxine as she was continuing on. "The only lord who would be interested in her is that weird one from July. I keep telling her that the high borns are more trouble than they're worth but she doesn't listen to me. She thinks that everything is going to work out like it does in a fairy tale. I'm going to tell her the truth now, it doesn't. If it did our parents would be super rich and we'd be living in some kind of mansion. Instead we live on a farm and barely get by. She needs to get rid of these delusions of grandeur and think about something that is truly attainable."

"I see, now have you finished for the time being?"

"Y-Yes." There was likely more that she wanted to say but she was willing to wait and hear what Carrie had to say.

"Good, now pass the stick to Carrie and we can listen to what she has to say."

Charles watched as Maxine slowly handed the stick over to Carrie who like Maxine thought that this situation was absurd. But since there was nothing better that could be done for the time being, she felt like she could tolerate this session. Plus, it meant that she could talk badly about her sister and that was always a plus to her.

"At least my goals fall into the realms of reality unlike yours Maxine," said Carrie. "You're trying to be a knight like father well let me tell you the truth. That's not going to happen, men become knights, women become maidens. They become wives and mothers, do you really think that anyone in their right mind would knight you. They would see it as an embarrassment to the title."

Maxine got out of her chair and lifted her left fist into the air as if she was going to punch Carrie. However, Charles quickly got out of his chair and stood in her way, he knew that she could just throw him out of the way easily if she wanted to. However, he did this anyway, just to ensure that no one was harmed during this experiment of his.

"Ms Maxine please don't do something that you're going to regret later on," said Charles "Can you please sit down and continue this session? It would be for the best and you can speak your mind when it is your turn."

There were several moments where Maxine grumbled before she finally sat back down on her chair and grunted again. Charles too gave out a sigh as he knew that he had just defused a potentially dangerous situation. He was just happy that she had shown some restraint which did surprise him.

"As I was saying Maxine would be an embarrassment to the title," said Carrie as she continued on. "I know that people laugh at her as she tries to achieve something that is impossible. I'm just the one who tells her to her face." Before she could say anything else the stick was snatched out of her hand and found its way to Maxine.

"I admit I get laughed at for my goals but those people who laugh find themselves with broken jaws and missing teeth. Father faced the same when was on his journey to become a knight, he succeeded where everyone stated he would fail. I aim to do the same thing, no matter the cost to my body."

"Hmm," said Charles as he took in everything that had been said and an idea did pop into his mind. It was something that he thought might help them both out. "There is something I am wondering, do you both remember the first time you had any kind of argument? Something deep from your past."

"It's been too long and we've had more arguments than I can count. Besides it's not very important." Just then she felt the stick get snatched out of her own hand and she looked to see Carrie now holding onto it.

"I remember," replied Carrie with some sternness in her voice. "I had a doll that I called Serena, father bought it for me on one of his trips to Flea Bay. She was my favourite toy but one day Maxine came up to me and asked she could play with it. I said no so she tried to take it off of me. We both pulled on Serena and then..." She began to look a little sad as she spoke. "And then she broke in half, I remember crying and mother have a stern talk with us. Father did buy me a new doll but it just wasn't the same."

"You were five at the time," replied Maxine even though she wasn't holding onto the stick. This broke what had been set out by Charles but he did nothing to stop it. He felt that this breakthrough was too important to interrupt. "You're still holding onto that?"

"Yes, I loved Serena and because of you she was broken. What's worse is that you didn't even apologise for what you did." There were a couple of tears rolling down her cheek as she was sad with the memories that she was experiencing. "You just went about your business as if nothing had happened."

"Do you think that this was the beginning of the rift between the both of you?" asked Charles as he thought that they were making some real progress.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Hmm, I think I'm beginning to see the bigger picture here. This event that transpired between the both of you is what started this animosity between the both of you. You might think that this event is only minor but that's what happens with things like this. Small events, no matter how insignificant can snowball into bigger and sometimes even tragic events. That day where you had your first argument over Serena eventually led to where we are today. To the point where neither are you want to be in the same room as the other. It has impacted your relationship on a level that neither of you can fully comprehend. But I believe that it is possible to mend these bridges between you both and have a functioning relationship as sisters. I think the first bridge that needs to be mended is that you Maxine need to apologise to Carrie about Serena."

"You want me to apologise about breaking a toy well over ten years ago?" replied Maxine with surprise in her voice.

"Yes, and make sure that you actually mean what you say. It's important as the first step towards building a sisterly bond."

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then you'll likely be chained up to your sister for the rest of your life and unable to become a knight." He knew that this would get her to do what needed to be done. She could see sense in what he was saying as well as she gave a small sigh. She turned to look at Carrie who too was looking back at her.

"Carrie, I'm sorry that I broke your doll." There was some serenity in her voice as she knew that if she faked it that no progress would have been made. In her mind she just wanted this cuff off her as soon as possible.

"T-Thank you," replied Carrie who was in some disbelief over what she was hearing. She never thought that she would hear her sister apologise for anything. Especially against any kind of sleight against her.

"Now Carrie," said Charles. "I've been told that you pushed Maxine into the mud yesterday. Now that she has apologised to you can you please apologise to her for your actions? It would be in your best interest."

"Fine." There was a slight hint of annoyance in her voice and although she was reluctant to do this she did so nonetheless. "Maxine I'm sorry that I pushed you into the mud, I shouldn't have done that."

This was still being watched by Jessica from the farmhouse who was rocking baby Rina in her arms. The small baby seemed to be calm as there was nothing that she wanted and was most likely going to have a sleep soon. Jessica had seen her two daughters arguing a lot but this was nothing new to her. What did surprise her was the fact that they were now seemingly talking to one another normally.

In her mind she thought that this was something that would never happen. She stood there in some disbelief as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It looked like the first civilised conversation that Maxine and Carrie had in a very long time. It was almost more than her mind could fully comprehend.

It was around that time that Sir Tucker walked by and he could see his very tall wife still standing by the window. He had been working out in the fields and had merely gone inside to get some water. There were a few moments of silence as he saw that she hadn't noticed her presence. Slowly he walked toward the window and looked outside. Like Jessica he could see what was happening and he stood there with some shock.

"What are they doing?" asked Sir Tucker who continued to look out of the window and he didn't even look up to his wife.

"From the looks of it our girls are having a normal conversation," replied Jessica. "I thought that I'd never see the day."

"I have a feeling that Maxine's squire is somehow behind this, I don't care what he's doing but it looks like it's working."

"It'll be nice to have them act like their sisters rather than bitter enemies." She gave a sigh. "When I was young, I would have killed to have had a brother or sister."

"They're not all they're cracked up to be. Besides you didn't need a sibling, you had me instead."

"That is true, but then again if I had a brother or sister, I might not have helped you out on your quest."

"Guess we'll never know, did you need help with any of the housework anyway?"

"No, let's just see how this goes. I do truly wonder if Maxine's squire will actually get through to them both. Something that even you haven't been able to do."

"Yeah, in my time I've faced countless challenges, but two warring daughters is something that Sir Thomas never taught me anything about that."

Both Maxine and Carrie were still unaware that their parents were watching what was taking place. Charles remained where he was sitting and he was happy that he was making some real progress. When this experiment of his began he thought that it was going downhill fast but the fact that he had gotten the sisters to talk to one another in this manner was a big step forward in his view. He just needed to ensure that they didn't do anything to ruin what was taking place.

He could still sense some animosity between the two sisters but the fact that Maxine wasn't trying to choke Carrie to death was something that he felt was positive. But now he needed to build on this to try and help them move passed the rivalry that they had between one another. Seeing a permanent change would be the most difficult part.

"Ok I think we've made some real progress here," said Charles. "For the time being let's just put the talking stick to one side and carry on with what we have now. Next I want to ask you is if there is anything you completely agree on? Something you can both relate to in a way, like your family?"

"There's not much to talk about in that regard," replied Carrie. "I've been here all the time while she's been gone doing her own things for a year."

"I've been earning a living and making my way in the world," stated Maxine as she didn't really like what her sister was saying. "I dread to think about the things that you've done in that time."

"Please no bickering," said Charles as he quickly wanted to ensure that all the progress they had made wasn't wasted. "Ok how about your height? This is something that you share since no offense, you're both amongst the tallest people in Angleland. In fact I'm confident in saying that you're probably the tallest people that has ever lived."

"Yeah and I'm the tallest between us." Maxine seemed proud about this and it got a glare from Carrie.

"But when I use my powers you're the size of a mouse in comparison to me," replied Carrie as she felt that she was getting one over on her older sister.

"That's only when you use your powers, without them you might be tall but compared to me you come up short." The glaring between them continued and Charles had to quickly do something in order for the session not to break down into a shouting contest.

"Ok let's move on from that," stated Charles who was seriously considering reintroducing the rules of the talking stick. But an idea did come to mind and he paused for a moment before he spoke. "How about your father? Rather than speaking about your family in general let's just speak about the patriarch. How do you feel about him?"

"He always treats me like a princess," replied Carrie. "No matter what he does he always has time for me. He doesn't call my dreams stupid or even tell me to reconsider. He supports me whenever he can and for that I love him. In my mind I imagine the day that he walks me down the aisle to hand me to my future husband."

"Good, now Maxine tell me your views of him?" He knew what she was going to say anyway but he felt that it was still best to allow her to speak.

"Our father is a strong and honourable man," answered Maxine. "He is the greatest knight that this land has ever seen and he always did what was right. When I told him that I wanted to be a knight like him he didn't laugh at me. Instead he taught me everything I knew, not just skills with a blade but also the pillars that make a knight. If it wasn't for his guidance I wouldn't be on the road that I am now."

"So you both agree that you love and respect your father?"

"Yes," replied both sisters.

This was another good step forward in his mind as there was common ground between them both. He thought that they would say similar things about their mother as well if he were to ask but for the time being he felt that he didn't need to. Instead he felt that this was enough for them.

"Great," said Charles. "Now I think this is where we'll end our discussion. I think we've made a lot of progress here today. Of course you're both still chained up so I want you to talk to each other in positive ways. Shouting at each other won't do and maybe, just maybe Sir Tucker will decide that you can be separated again."

Both women didn't say anything and Maxine looked at her sister for a moment. This was around the time that she realised that if she really wanted to she could throw her sister around. Since the cuff on Claire's wrist prevented her from growing it meant that Maxine was once again the largest and strongest of the two. Her growth abilities had been completely neutralised but despite this something inside of her told her not to do it. She didn't know whether it was her conscience or common sense but she knew that it would likely lead to more trouble.

For Charles he felt like he had achieved something great, he had been able to make the two warring sisters to at least stop bickering for the time being. That was a victory for him but now he hoped that it could last. He didn't think that he could step in the way if they truly began to fight one another. From the muscle difference between the two sisters he was sure that Maxine would easily be able to overpower Carrie and likely do a lot of damage before it could be broken up.

Before Charles walked away he informed Maxine that Sir Tucker had given him some more paperwork that he needed to look through. He also instructed them to try and considerate to the other while they were still chained up. He did hope for the best but he also knew there was a high chance of some kind of argument.

For the next hour not a peep was heard from the sisters. Things in the Martel household seemed to be going normally as the kids mostly helped out around the farm while Jessica tended to baby Rina. Jaime was running around a lot and eventually he came up to Maxine and Carrie who were outside and still chained up to one another. They were both trying to do some farm work but it was difficult since they were pulling against one another almost constantly.

For Maxine it didn't help that the cuff had been placed on her stronger hand as she would reach to grab something, only for her hand to be pulled to the right as Carrie was doing something similar. This led to a few words between them but both tried to take what Charles had said to heart and try to move past it.

It took a moment for the sisters to notice their youngest brother there, their first indication was the sound of him giggling. They weren't sure what it was all about and they looked toward him. Maxine had a block of hay in her hands while Carrie had nothing for the moment. The mud was beginning to dirty the bottom of her dress and she hadn't realised that getting changed would now be very difficult with the chain.

"What's so funny?" asked Carrie as she looked at her brother. She normally cared for him when Jessica was busy with other motherly duties. In a way it was good practice for her for when she became an actual mother.

"You two are still tied up," replied Jaime as he continued giggling. It almost seemed like he was going to burst out laughing at any moment.

"Hey, it's not funny!" Her tone was louder and angrier as the situation that she had found herself in was annoying for her. "How would you like it if you were chained up to someone like Jane?"

"Carrie!" stated Maxine as she saw that Carrie's tone had upset her little brother. This caused Maxine to squat down so that she seemed shorter to him. The block of hay had been placed on the floor for the time being. "Now Jaime it is not nice to laugh at us like that." Unlike Carrie her tone of voice was much calmer and gentler on Jaime's ears. "Your sister and I have found ourselves in a less than desirable situation. It would not be nice if we laughed at you if you were in a similar situation to us. I think it's best that you don't do something like that again."

"O-Ok Maxine," replied Jaime who was a little upset with Carrie's reaction but Maxine had prevented him from running off and crying. He ran into her arms and embraced her in a hug, carefully she hugged him back as she knew that her great strength could hurt him if she was careless. "I love you Maxine."

"I love you too Jaime."

Carrie just stood there and watched what was taking place. She would hug and kiss Jaime as well but seeing him with Maxine was something that she hadn't entirely expected. She thought that her sister would be sword wielding warrior who wanted to destroy every enemy in sight. The fact that she was tending to her little brother did surprise her, she thought that her sister was incapable of doing such a thing.

Before long Jaime ran off again so that he could find his mother and new baby sister. Now that he had a younger sibling he thought that he could protect her like a big brother. When he was gone Maxine did stand up again and watch him run off. She turned to look Carrie who stood close by and simply watched.

"And that is how you deal with a child without making them cry," said Maxine. "Father might have taught me how to fight but mother taught me a thing or two as well. If you plan on marrying some lord and starting a family with him, I suggest you learn how to care for children."

Carrie didn't say a word as she didn't want to admit that Maxine was right. All she could do was look at her older sister and take some of her words of wisdom. She might be right here but she was sure that she was going to be a great mother one day and have a large family with the man of her dreams.