Marcus could tell that Elise was very excited. Her hand was suddenly trembling slightly, which concerned him a bit considering it was holding him high above the ground. If she lost her focus and dropped him, the fall would most certainly injure him.
"M-Maybe you should set me back on the ground. Um, Elise, can you hear me?"
"Yes, of course! I've been holding you for a while now, haven't I? I'm so silly. Of course you don't want to stay in my hand forever. Ha! It was a new experience for me. I guess I was enjoying myself. You seemed okay with it. Who knows, with a little more practice, I might get even better at holding little ones. But you're the only one I know. I guess I won't get much practice then. Am I talking too much? I am, aren't I?"
The excitement in her voice was painfully clear. Elise was speaking faster, so fast Marcus almost had trouble understanding her. He figured it must be something that happens when she's excited or nervous.
"I meant what I said. It's the least I can do after you rescued me. I promised to rub your feet, so get ready for the best foot rub of your life!"
His words elicited a nervous giggle from her while she gently lowered him to the ground. Whatever was about to happen, he was fully committed to it now. Elise seemed to have a permanent grin plastered to her face. Marcus supposed a happy giant was definitely better than an angry one. Keeping her that way would mean rubbing his entire body all over her huge feet. It would surely be a unique experience for both of them.
"This is embarrassing to admit, but those stuffy boots make my feet a little stinky. Don't get me wrong, they're great shoes. They protect me while I'm traveling. Normally, this would not be a problem, but I can't do that to you. That would be just awful! Torturing you under my smelly feet would make me feel like a monster. I think I see a small lake not too far from here. Yes, it's over that way. I'll go and wash my feet, then when I get back they'll be all nice and clean for you. It's settled. That's what I'll do."
From the ground, Marcus was able to finally get a better look at Elise, ALL of her. She was a tall giant with a slender build. Pieces of armor covered strategic points on her body. It wasn't a full suit of armor like a knight would wear, but wounding her would prove more challenging for any would-be attackers. Under the painted armor, she wore a long white dress with long sleeves. The white fabric of her dress blended well with the white paint on her armor.
"Hey! I know what you're thinking down there. Don't you run away while I'm washing my feet. I won't be gone long. You won't have enough time to escape. Besides, breaking your promise would be rude. I know that's not who you are, Marcus. I bet you don't have a rude bone in your body. You can watch my armor for me. Stand guard and don't let anyone steal it. I can get there and back quicker without this clunky armor."
The thought of fending off a giant thief trying to steal Elise's stuff was NOT a pleasant thought. Did giants even steal from each other? Must be a thing, if Elise took the time to worry over it. Or maybe she was simply trying to make him feel important when he really wasn't doing anything at all. He watched from the ground as she removed each piece of armor, carefully placing them in a neat pile. Finally she pulled off her leather boots, setting them as far from Marcus as possible.
With her feet freed from their leather prisons, Marcus immediately noticed a heady aroma lingering in the air. Thankfully Elise wasted no time in setting off toward the lake. The smell of her feet was not overpowering, but it was strong. It sounded like she was humming to herself as she walked away, no doubt still excited about the impending pampering. A long braided ponytail hung down her back. In the afternoon sun, her blond hair looked almost golden. The way it seemed to shine was mesmerizing.
In his travels, Marcus often heard stories. Sometimes they were completely ridiculous. People loved to exaggerate. He'd been told stories, a few times, about a maiden in white. They said she was a giant like none other. Supposedly she was kindhearted to a fault, and always eager to help humans in need. He'd always dismissed the tales as pure fantasy. Now he was no longer sure. Maybe those stories were about Elise?
A trail of fresh footprints lead away from the armor off into the distance. Marcus moved closer to one of the prints that was nearest to him. The impression wasn't as deep as he imagined. Perhaps the ground was sturdy enough to support Elise's weight. Her footprints would likely be much deeper in softer earth. Still, the impression from her sole was well defined in the freshly disturbed dirt. Each of the toes on her right foot left their mark. Standing where her arch would be, Marcus was between two large depressions, left by her heel and the ball of her foot. Her heel left a roundish, more narrow crater, while the earth was flattened in a much wider area from the ball of her foot. Judging by her footprint, Elise did indeed have high arches as she claimed. If any other part of her foot had landed on him while he was lying unconscious in the road, he would have been flattened into the ground.
A bloodcurdling scream shook Marcus from his reverie. It came from the direction Elise had gone. Another pained cry tore across the sky. He couldn't see Elise. She was too far away. Her footprints, he could follow them right to her! He would have to run as fast as possible to get to her in time to stop whatever was happening. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Giants were pretty tough, but Elise sounded like she was hurt very badly.
"Please stop! You're hurting me!" Elise screamed through the pain.
The small men scurrying at her feet took turns plunging their swords into the side of her bare foot. She could barely see them through her tear-soaked eyes.
"I didn't do anything to you! Please. Please stop. I won't harm you. I'm not your enemy!"
Her words fell on deaf ears. They ignored her sobbing. The attacks continued, sending white hot streaks of pain up her leg. Elise felt like her foot was on fire. It took all of her strength to resist stomping her foot. She didn't need to be able to see them. Even with blurry vision, she could stomp her foot a few times. The pain would stop if she killed them. She could trample them beneath her feet like bugs. It would be as easy as taking a step forward.
"Please," Elise begged between sobs, "don't make me do it. I don't want to kill you."
Her threat was an empty one. The strength to lift her foot was already gone. She could barely continue standing. Soon she would fall down, then they could stab other parts of her body. The idea of the two men slashing at her from head to toe terrified her. Their blades would be eager to carve up their trophy.
"She's going down," one of the men yelled, "get back!"
The attackers retreated from the giant's falling body. Their bloodlust was momentarily tempered by the fear of being crushed. Tremors shook the ground around them. They'd done it. She was down. Now they were free to mercilessly slaughter her. The leader moved in for the kill, aiming to dig his blade deep into her soft wrist. His sword stopped mid-swing, frozen in the air. He couldn't move it up, or down, it was stuck. How could it be stuck? In the air?
"Stop what you're doing! Get away from her!"
The man let go of his sword. It remained stuck in the air, even without him gripping it. With his attack foiled, he turned toward the mysterious stranger barking orders.
"Leave here at once!"
"What is this trickery? You some kind of mage?" The man glanced at his partner. "Kill the mage."
"It was foolish of me to ask nicely." Marcus raised his right hand toward the two men. The large ring on his right index finger glowed a deep crimson red. A wave of his hand sent the men flying away from Elise.
"You will not move from that spot."
"Your parlor tricks won't stop us from killing our prey, you damned dirty traitor!" The haughty leader was already imagining himself wringing the mage's neck with his bare hands. His body felt heavy, too heavy to move. He couldn't lift his arms or his legs. It was like he was rooted to the ground. With some effort, he managed to turn his head to the side. His partner was also stuck to the ground.
"Traitor! Traitor! You would side with the giants against your own kind?!"
"The war is long over! Nobody won! I know for a fact that woman lying there did nothing to you. Do you think the Queen of the giants will sit idly by while you randomly slaughter her people? How much killing will it take to satisfy your lust for death?"
"We coated our weapons in poison. She's already as good as dead. I'm sure you're disappointed, you damned giant lover. You probably wanted her to crush you with her pretty feet."
Marcus waved his hand again, "Silence."
Speaking to the violent morons was clearly pointless. Given the chance, they would bring the Queen's wrath down upon the entire region. Marcus steeled himself before surveying the carnage. Elise's right foot was a bloody mess. Her body lay perfectly still before him, rendered unconscious from the intense pain. It would require all of his skill to heal her. Everything he ever learned about healing magic would be put to the test. It was always so much easier to break things than to fix them.