It was a scene that was all too familiar. A quiet night, a star filled sky, the crackling of a low fire tucked away in a small clearing of trees. While the setting brought with it a strong sense of dejavu, the atmosphere couldn’t have felt anymore different. The last time Grey found himself sitting on the edge of this forest he was a man who had lost all hope and was walking towards an uncertain future. Now he walked forward with a new found sense of hope and determination, but the thing that truly made this moment different than the last was the fact that he was not alone.

Nia sat across the fire from him, turning over a hunk of rabbit meat from her hunt this morning. Despite her injured leg she still proved to be a capable hunter, having an accurate and steady aim that would have made Zeke proud.  

When all was said and done they had made good time on this journey. The trip as a whole had taken a little under two weeks. Grey was surprised by the speed in which they made during their travel, initially thinking it would take much longer. With Nia’s leg in the condition that it was, Grey knew that they would have set backs. There were often times where Nia fought through the pain of prolonged walking only to stop when Grey insisted she needed a break. Pushing her would have only made things worse, but overall Nia didn’t complain, and Grey couldn’t help but admire the strength she showed over these last two weeks.

Now that they were reaching the end of their journey Grey couldn’t help but look back on the time they had spent during their travel. How well everything had turned out, even though things remained so uncertain during those first few nights.

“Will they find us?”

Nia finally asked as they prepared to set camp. The two had traveled mostly in silence up until this point, and the sudden emergence of her voice, though low was still startling.

They were nearly a half a days travel out when she said something. Nia had wanted to ask questions the entire trip, Grey saw it on her face whenever he checked up on her, but his instance that they remained quite kept her from doing so. He promised that he would answer everything later, and now that it was later he didn’t know how to keep his promise.

“Grey, will they find us?” Nia repeated.

Grey hesitant to respond, taking a moment to think.

“They shouldn’t. Not if we’re careful and avoid leaving a trail for the next couple days.”

“How can you be sure? They have horses, and before you know it-”

“I’m sure because I’ve already considered that.”

Looking at Nia he could see that he had caught her curiosity. One of the perks of bringing her along was that he now had someone to share his plan with. Something he rarely had the chance to do.

“You see,” he began, his tone almost prideful. “As of this morning they should be discovering the evidence I left behind, stolen gear, missing food, the guard I knocked out.”

“You knocked someone out!?” Nia nearly shouted.  

Grey paused.

“Er… yes. He was still breathing last I checked. Point is assuming he remembers the night before, he will most likely tell the hunters that I was the one to knocked him out, if not I’m sure they can put the pieces together themselves seeing as that I’m no longer there. Point is finding out that I disappeared, had stolen valuable equipment, and now supposedly ‘kidnapped’ you, The Order will make finding me a high priority.”

“Grey, I don’t see how that helps us.”

Grey responded with a smirk.

“It doesn’t. In fact it makes it much worse, IF we were to get caught. But i’ve given them a false lead.”

Nia appeared confused, but choose to remain silent and listen to what Grey had to say.

“Before joining the hunters I worked as a thief, you know this already. Back when I was, I worked in The Capital City before owing the debt of a man that went by the name ‘Smiling Jack’.

“So what does this have to do with anything? I left behind a piece of parchment on my way out intended for Zeke, the only thing written on it was the name Jack with a large red X crossed over it. I have no doubt the members of the council will find out about this letter. From what Zeke has told me it sounds like The Order has a lot of trouble convincing The Capital to provide them with funds. If a criminal with hunter’s training and gear starts killing and stealing right within the city walls it would put The Order in a very bad spot. Meaning-”

“-they’re going to be so busy trying to stop you from reaching The Capital-” Nia said putting the pieces together.

“-to notice we are heading in the opposite direction.” Grey finished.

Nia sat in awe, all while Grey beamed with pride. With only a day to pull it off he had come up with a ingenious set up. There were plenty of risks to be sure, but even with Nia’s sudden involvement the worst of it was now behind them.

“Just to be safe though,” Grey continued. “we will want to be careful for the next couple days. Keep the fire low, stay close to the forest, and just remain on the lookout for any scouts.”

“If theoretically they were to find us,” Nia began. “what would happen?”

“I’ve often found it’s better to ignore questions like that.” Grey’s answer didn’t do much to assure her, if anything it seemed to make her more concerned.

Grey sighed.  “You don’t need to worry, IF we get caught-and that's a big if-I'll tell them I forced you to join me. I mean they can only hang me once, what's the harm of adding an extra notch to the rope.”

Once again Grey’s choice of words didn't come across as reassuring. Instead of saying something in an attempt to fix it, Grey decided he might benefit by staying quiet for once. Nia on the other hand seemed intent to continue the conversation in a different direction.

“Well can you tell me now?”

“Tell you what?” Grey acted as if he didn’t understand.

“You know what i’m talking about, where we're going.”

Grey paused. “Well… we're heading into giant territory...”

Nia sighed. “I know that already. Why don’t you trust me?”

“Nia, it’s difficult to explain.”

“Then take your time, you don’t need to rush it.”

Her response came as a surprise to him.

“How’s this, since we have the time you start off by telling me a little bit each night. Start with what you're comfortable with and work your way to the difficult parts, deal?”

Grey couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t too bad of a proposition all things considered.

“Deal.”

Following that night Grey had been true to his word. He started off with telling Nia the about Jack and the job he paid him for, how things went wrong and how he was eventually was forced to flee the city. He shared stories about his childhood, his parents the giant that destroyed his village all of which eventually lead up to his encounter with Jule.

Nia was completely enthralled by his story. Grey had never stopped to think of it, but it all made for a engaging tale. Tragedy, danger, the promise of treasure. If he hadn’t been too busy trying to survive he might have thoughts so too in the moment. Grey wanted to leave the story off there but he knew there was more Nia needed to know, especially now that she was coming with him.

The following night brought Cassandra, and Marissa into the story. Jule’s two giant friends. The terror they had subjected him to and eventually Zeke’s sudden appearance. There were certain things Grey was ashamed to admit, but for Nia’s sake he overcame that shame and told her anyway. His change in feelings while talking to Jule, how he stopped Zeke from killing her which incidentally ended with both of them being caught. Not once did Nia stop to interrupt him, but instead remained silent and listened.

Following that Grey explained his experience with being eaten, Zeke’s reluctant truce with the giants to save him, and Zeke’s meeting with the infamous giant queen Amelia. Grey finally ended the story with his departure from Jule’s home alongside Zeke and his decision to join The Hunters. Nia remained silent as he concluded the story. She didn’t say or react to anything he had told her, the non-response making him nervous, though she reassured him that she was fine and even thanked him for sharing. The following day she remained in deep thought, not say much outside what she needed to say.

By this point in the journey it was only a few more days before they reached their destination. Grey was afraid that the rest of the trip would be shared in silence, but on the following two nights everything changed.

Grey set to work on starting the fire, striking a piece of flint with his knife and causing a spark to catch onto the kindling. He had to be careful now, they were just about reaching the border into giant territory. Grey had gotten into the habit of making a pitch over the fire, a technique the hunters had taught him. The pitch was a bundle of suspended leaves and branches made so that the smoke would disperse, making it harder to locate the source. Still a fire near giant territory was risky, so Grey made sure to keep it small.

“Grey.” Nia said as he worked.

“What’s up?” Grey asked while nursing the small flame.

“There's something I want to tell you.”

Grey set down the piece of flint and looked in her direction.

“Alright. What’s up?”

“You told me everything about yourself… and there is still so much you don’t know about me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I told you everything.”

Grey flashed her a smile, yet Nia did not smile back.

“Alright,” he continued. “I’m more than happy to listen if there's something you want to say.”

Nia sat crossed legged, fidgeting with her fingers and trying to figure out how to start. Grey remained quite, patiently waiting for her to begin.

“I once told you I was recruited under the false charges.” Nia began. She looked up at Grey as he remained silent.

“It’s true.” she insisted.

“I wasn’t doubting you.”

“Most people do. Everyone is always say didn’t do it, even when they did. But I didn’t. I swear.”

“Nia, why don’t you just tell me what happened.”

Nia nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I come from a village a few miles away from The Capital City. It’s a small place. We would receive a decent amount of traffic from traveling merchants but overall it wasn’t a huge town. I was on my way to one of the local shops to purchase bread, I still lived with my parents at that time. I had an older sister but she was married off and moved away, so it was just the three of us at home. On my way to the store a wealthy merchant and his spoiled son were in town. The merchant was a pompous slob, throwing money around and flaunting his wares to all those who couldn’t afford it. I’m sure you know the type.”

Grey nodded. In fact while as a thief they were typically his favorite type of people to come across. He could usually make a good month's earnings off them if he was smart about it.

“Anyway the merchant himself was an ass but ultimately harmless. His son... he was much worse. I was unfortunate enough to run into them while on my way to the store. While his father was busy, the son-who was no older than you or I-decided to start harassing every woman in town. The entitled prick thought just because he was rich that everyone one desired him.

“When I first saw him he was harassing a girl I knew, our neighbor who lived just on the outskirts of town. She was a quiet girl, young and innocent. She was set to be engaged in a couple weeks to a nice boy from the next town over. The rich brat didn’t care. He said some of the most foul and provocative things to this poor girl. Talking about the things he would do to her, things her betrothed couldn’t possibly live up to. He even said he would make sure to put a child in her before the wedding. The bastard. As I’m sure you know Grey I’m not someone who likes to speak up. Even then I minded my own business, didn’t say a word. But when that rich asshole put his hands up her dress, I had had enough.”

Nia was becoming more heated as she spoke. “I told him that if he was so desperate for a fuck there plenty of goats more suited for his tastes.”

Grey stifled a small laugh. He could only imagine the reaction a merchant’s son would have for being told to fuck a goat. Nia couldn’t help but smile herself.

“I’m glad you liked it. It had worked, I had gotten him to stop pestering the poor girl, unfortunately he made me his new target.

“He started hurling comments my way. Telling me that I was a red rose and that he couldn't wait to de-thorn me. I told him that his father should have spent less money and more time on teaching him how to treat a woman. He tried degrading me with insults, but I brushed them off. I was never one to let words get the better of me. So I ignored him, blew him off and went on my way. I thought that would’ve been the end of it. But it wasn’t.

“That afternoon as the sun began to set, I decided I wanted to check on my neighbor, make sure she was doing okay after that morning. Like I said she lived on the outskirts of town so I had to walk a little bit out of the way to reach her. Mostly this meant walking down a dirt roads I had used since I was a kid. The sun was just beginning to set at the time and I didn’t think to be concerned. Why would I? I didn’t expect to find the merchant boy waiting for me, nor did I expect him to push me to the ground.”

“He forced himself on me, holding me back by the wrists. He said that I had some nerve to talk back to him. Me, some peasant bitch, degrading someone as important as him. He said that he promised to de-thorn me… and he was here to make good on that promise.”

Grey watched as tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Nia, you don’t need too continue if it makes you upset.” Grey reassured her.

“No… no, let finish.”

Grey understood.. This wasn’t just about her telling him the story. This was about her confronting it.

“He... let go of one of my wrists, but still held me down with the other. I tried hitting him, but nothing I did stopped him. With his free hand he started too… started to make it’s way down... I can still feel it... those intrusive fingers wiggling their way down... my neck… my chest... my stomach and… I fought desperately for something, anything that might free me. That's when gripped onto an object sitting on the road, the side of a large jagged rock about the size of my fist. I grabbed it and with all the force I could muster I bashed it against the side of his fucking face. Almost immediately he stopped. He started screaming, a large bloody gash running across his cheek. As he stumbled back, his hand covered in blood. I told him if he touched me again I would do much worse. So the pussy ran off and I just stood there… trembling as I watched him leave. Once he was out of sight I dropped the rock back into the dirt, curled up in the road, and cried.”

Nia sat clutching her legs close to her chest. She buried her head into her knees as she started to cry. It was like as if she was relieving the memory. Grey didn’t know what to do. He wanted to go and comfort her but in her state he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He wasn’t sure if… just do it.

Taking a deep breath Grey stood up and walked to the other side of the fire, taking a seat besides her. Cautiously Grey put his arm around her. As soon as he touched her she reacted violently, but as she raised her head and looked into his eyes she calmed down.

“There is still more to the story...” Nia said, her voice still hoarse.

“Tell me only if you want to.”

“I do,” she said.

“When I finally worked up the strength to walk home, I found the town guards waiting for me. They arrested me on sight on the charge of assault. Apparently the merchant’s son had run back to his father, who was mortified to see the gash I had left on him. His son made up a story that I had assaulted him when he was just trying to apologize to me. Regardless of how credible his story was it didn’t matter. He was wealthy and demanded I pay for my actions. There was no formal trial for what I had done. They demanded that I be publicly shamed, for my family to compensate them, and for an apology and confession for my actions. After everything that happened I couldn’t bring myself to do it. After what he did to me, I swore that I would do anything else if it meant not submitting to that bastards demands. That’s when I found out about The Hunters. If I joined them my punishment would be served in life servitude to the kingdom. My parents would be free of compensation, there would be no need for an apology or public shaming, all that it required is that I plead guilt of my crimes. So I pleaded guilty.

“The merchant tried to refuse my admittance into The Order, claiming it was a punishment only fit for men. Luckily for me The Hunter Order was established during a time of great crisis when they would take anyone willing and able to serve, women and children included. So the next thing I knew I was headed for The Keep. I never told a single soul of what I was convicted for, only those that oversaw my charges knew. Even then I never tried to plead innocent to them. I figured it was better to pretend to be guilty rather than fight it.”

“Nia.” Grey said as she finished. “I had no idea, i’m sorry. You didn’t deserve any of that, you're stronger than most for having endured it for so long.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Grey. That means a lot.” She put her arms around him. “You’re a good guy.”

Grey awkwardly chuckled. “Well I don’t know about that, I think there are a few people who would disagree.”

“Well, I think you're a good guy.”

Grey wasn’t expecting that. Something about the way she said it felt... genuine. All his life he knew he wasn’t a ‘terrible’ person. He broke the law and stole knowing full well that what he was doing was wrong but he also knew he was a far cry from a truly horrible human being. But never before would he have considered himself ‘good’. Hearing Nia say it out loud touched him in a place he never thought possible.

“A good guy huh?”

“I uhh,” Grey stood up suddenly, breaking Nia’s embrace. “I should get back to tending the fire.”

Grey wandered back to the other side of the pit, nearly fumbling with a piece of kindling as he reached for it. He crouched forward, prouding the flames. His face was burning red, and he was unsure if it was due to the fire or Nia’s words which kept repeating in his head.

Things remained quiet for the rest of that night, almost as if something uncertain hung in the air. The following day things were a bit more awkward. Nia was more quiet then usual, seemingly more distracted. Grey tried to lighten the mood with a joke or two but while she would laugh she continued to remain distant. It wasn’t until the following night as Grey readied the fire that he found out why.

Once the fire was set Grey took a moment to collect himself, he began cooking a little bit of leftover meat from the other day, desperately trying to find ways to keep himself busy. After eating Grey remained on the opposite side of the fire from Nia, diligently fueling it every time it began to die down. The two sat in silence for sometime, though every now and again Grey would catch Nia eyeing him from across the flames. Each time made him a little bit more nervous than the last.

“Grey.” Nia finally called out to him, the first time all day.

“Wha…cough, what’s wrong?” Grey awkwardly responded as he was caught off guard.

“No, nothing's wrong.” Nia said. “I just... can… can you sit next to me for a moment?”

Grey froze unsure how to respond but he couldn’t find any reason to decline. Standing up he made his way to her side, sitting down to watch the whirling flames in front of him. Just as he was beginning to grow comfortable, he felt Nia’s body inch closer to his own, cuddling next to him for warmth. Grey felt his heart beating at rates he considered dangerous. Grey opened his mouth to excuse himself but before he got the chance Nia had laid her head on his chest, causing the words to get caught in his throat. Grey sat in awkward silence, wondering what he was going to do now that he was stuck in this position.

“Your heart is beating very fast.” Nia stated cooly.

“It does that sometimes!” he blurted out.

Nia chuckled slightly, which didn’t help his predicament.

“Grey?” Nia asked.

“Yeah?” Grey said back, trying desperately to get his nerves back under control.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Grey was fairly certain it was physically impossible for a human being to melt, but with the amount of sweat he was producing, that was being put into question.

“I uhh...” Grey began to stammer. “That's quite the conversation starter.”

“I’m just curious.” Nia explained. “I’ve never been in love before, so I’m curious what it's like.”

“Well its kinda like… kinda like...” Grey trailed off.

Had he been in love before? Throughout his life Grey had been in a few things, mostly with girls he shared a mutual physical interest in, none of them emotional. Thinking of the girls he had known, few had actually left any impact on his life. As he thought on this he began to question it himself. Had he actually been in love with anyone before? Then a strange realization hit him. There was only one girl that came close, Jule.

A giant. A giant he had known for what realistically was a very short time in his life. But for some reason she still captivated him, though he didn’t know if he could call that love. Yet even still, for the short time they had spent together he had been infatuated with her. She had made him feel unlike any other girl in his life… until this moment.

“I’m… i’m not sure.” Grey answered honestly.

Grey felt Nia’s head shift as she stared up at him. He looked down, their eye’s meeting each other. It was dark now but, the light from the fire was all he needed to see her. The flickering flames reflected off her eyes, the warm orange glow radiating off the red color of her hair. Grey found himself speechless. Realizing how long he had been silent, Grey responded almost without thinking.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because I wanted to know before I did this.”

Nia’s closed her eyes and began moving her face in close. Grey panicked as his heart raced. Nia’s lips pursed ever so slightly as she drew closer. Grey didn’t know what to do. Part of him wanted to stop her but he couldn’t work up the will to try.

Don’t do it.

He closed his eyes, his mind racing.

There is someone else.

He pursed his lips as her’s drew near.

Stop!

The two embraced each other in a kiss and for a moment that made Grey lose all sense of where he was. He put his arms around her, as she did the same. For a single glorious moment Grey no longer cared about the world around him. He no longer cared what had happened to him or what dangers awaited him on the road ahead. All he cared about was this instant, and for once he finally felt at peace. Grey and Nia continued to share this moment together as the fire flickered and crackled besides them, casting them in a warm light glow.  

Since that night the two hadn’t said a word about what had happened, they didn’t need to. Their company was all that mattered not t words. Grey would occasionally look back to find Nia smiling his way and he would instinctively smile back, bashful as a young boy. The two started walking side by side, Grey slowing down to match Nia’s slower pace. He no longer cared if it made the trip longer, he was just happy to be enjoying the moment.

At nights after they finished their meal they would cuddle close together, sharing each others warmth as they sat besides the fire. Nia would lay her head against his chest, and he would wrap his cloak around them and hold her until they fell asleep. They hadn’t shared another kiss since. They didn’t need too nor did Grey ever feel the urge to push for more. He was careful not to betray the trust she had put in him. It was odd, this was the first time Grey had been so intimately close with another person-yet the nature of it was entirely non-sexual-and he was happy it wasn’t.

Only a few days after the night they kissed where they about to reach their journey's end. Grey sat recollecting on all that had happened, smiling at how far both of them had come.

“We should be there by tomorrow afternoon right?” Nia asked.

She sat tending the fire, poking at the small bits of kindling to allow the flames a chance to breathe.

“Should be.” Grey said back.

He hummed to himself a small tune he had once heard. He had forgotten where he had heard it, probably from some tavern he used to frequent down by “Piss Water Alley”.

“Are you excited?”

Grey paused.

“I’m not sure.” He answered after a while.

“Have you decided what you’re going to say when you see her?”

“Who?”

“Jule silly.”

Grey paused again. He hadn't. In fact not only did he not have a plan, but with everything that had happened over the last few nights he had nearly forgotten all about it. How was he going to explain this to Jule? What was he gonna tell her about anything? Would she even remember him? It was an odd situation, a human returning to visit a giant after two years with a woman at his side. Grey had gone along with this plan because it felt right, returning back to Jule and finding Amelia just felt like the right thing to do. Now that he was almost there he wasn’t sure anymore. But for once Grey decided not to worry about it.

“I have no idea.” Grey said gleefully as he stood up.

“Realy? That doesn’t sound like you, you always have a-”

Nia stopped as she felt Grey’s arms wrap around her from behind. She looked up, surprised to see his face hovering over hers. Grey smiled.

“It’ll work out.” He said as he pressed his lips against hers.  

Nia didn’t expect it, dropping the stick she used to poke the flames as she returned the kiss with passion. As he pulled away he kept his arms slung around her shoulders. Nia grasped his hands in her own and squeezed them tightly.

“I love you Grey.” She said aloud, nestling herself in his embrace.

This will only end badly.

“I love you too Nia.” he said back.