*Dong*

*Dong*

*Dong*

The ringing of the village’s alarm bell in the middle of the night was followed almost at once by a loud cry:

“Pirates! Every man to your stations, the pirates are here!”

The guard was silenced by a well-placed throw of an axe from outside the wooden walls of the quaint coastal village of Arken. A few soldiers ran to the great wooden gates and were attempting to barricade it when they were pushed back by no less than a dozen large, burly men in shoddy clothing. They all carried swords and axes with them, and they gave a cry of triumph which clashed against the screams of the people in the village.

“Steel yourselves! Hold them off! Get the women and children into the keep!”

The villagers all dashed for the large, wooden building located in the centre of the town, but the pirates were swift and strong, so any chance of defending their families was diminishing. Soldiers of the town fell to the ruthless pirates and soon houses were burning that lit the night sky up. People screamed as they saw the brave men being slaughtered, and it only stopped when the pirates had the remaining soldiers and their families cornered against one wall of the village, their numbers a mere twenty. The town had been small before, but now they were on their last legs.

From the crowd of pirates, one stepped forward. He had a thin moustache that was well kept, a feature that stood out amongst his crewmates. He also wore a black trench coat over a white shirt and brown pants, and he had fine, black boots to match the coat.

“Good evening,” he said sinisterly, without a trace of warmth in his voice. “We are here to do as we pirates do. Your village has been sorely lacking in your tribute to our king. We are normally very understanding masters, but this has become too great an issue for us.”

“We only missed one crate of goods! You cannot possibly…”

The man who had protested was silenced by a quick stab to the stomach, and he fell over at the pirate’s feet. A few cries went out before he silenced them with a glare.

“As payment for your disloyalty, we will take your treasures and....a few of the new widows!”

Protests went up again as the pirates rushed forward and began grabbing some of the women of the village. They kicked and screamed, but they were no match for the men dragging them away. The pirate leader smiled at his victory, but suddenly time seemed to stand still when he was swiftly yanked dozens of feet into the air.

Princess Sylvie of Vandan had decided to rest for the night on the edge of a coastal forest. The full moon was shining off the sea she had been sticking close to for the past few days. Having travelled for many weeks across the lands surrounding her homeland, she had finally reached the shores and seen the ocean for the very first time in her life. It took a lot to impress a giantess like her, but seeing an endless expanse of deep blue water stretching beyond the horizon took her breath away at first glance. There were also many rivers which flowed into the ocean in this part of the world and they provided her with a good source of water, a valuable commodity that was hard to come by, especially for a young woman like Sylvie who stood over 150 feet tall.

She had nearly fallen asleep when the smell of smoke reached her nostrils. Any fire in the woods would be disastrous for the nearby villages, so she figured it was in her own and their best interest to put it out. She stood up and surveyed the area, but to her surprise the smoke was rising not from the forest, but from a village a few miles away. A forest fire was bad, but a fire that large coming from a village meant trouble. She made her way there swiftly, her feet causing the ground to shake and leaving deep imprints in the snow, but she was careful to keep silent the closer she got.

When she was a few hundred feet away, she heard screaming and talking, but she couldn’t make out the words. She hoped that her presence would go unnoticed until she was closer. As she got on her knees and crept towards the village, she could distinctly hear the words that were spoken, and when the male voice mentioned taking women with them, she knew it was time to intervene. She peeked over the wall, her form a shadow to anyone who would look up, and she moved with lightning speed to pinch what looked like the leader between her thumb and forefinger. The commotion this set off was tremendous, the other men immediately dropping their prey and backing away from the giantess. She ignored them, though, and turned her attention to the man in her grasp. She brought him close to her eyes and immediately deduced that he was some kind of pirate, a type of enemy she had run across before, not unlike a bandit of the seas.

“Well, well, well! Looks like I’ve found myself some pirates!” she exclaimed, turning the tiny man in her grasp upside-down and shaking him a bit. “What do you lot think you’re doing, terrorizing these people?”

“P-p-please! Don’t hurt me! W-we were just leaving!”

“That’s right, you were! You are all leaving this very instant!”

Sylvie ignored the screams from her prisoner as she opened up the cloak she was wearing and dropped him into an inner pocket. Then she went to work, fishing the rest of the pirates out one-by-one and stuffing them into her cloak’s pockets, as though it were a cloth dungeon. Some of the braver pirates tried to put up a fight, but their swords, bows and spears were almost laughably ineffective against the young giantess, and she disarmed with a few deft moves of her fingers. Her pockets were too deep for any of them to successfully climb out of, and even if they managed to do so, they would face a fall of well over a hundred feet before landing on solid ground.

In a couple of minutes there were only two of the invaders left uncaptured, and they hid themselves in one of the houses that wasn’t burning. Sighing, Sylvie knew that there was only one way to get them out.

“I’m very sorry, everyone,” she told the cowering townsfolk, who were equally as frightened of seeing a colossal young woman appear in their midst as the pirates were, “but if you want to be rid of these pirates, I’ll have to do a teensy bit of damage of my own.”

She knelt down next to the little house and, using only one hand, lifted up its wooden roof as though it were the lid of a box. It didn’t damage the house itself, but some of the roof’s beams fell down and trapped the two pirates inside. She dug around with her fingers and brushed the large pieces of wood off of them with little effort, then let them join their friends in one of her pockets. She smiled as she lowered what remained of the roof, seeing her work was complete, then stood to her full height and stepped outside the bounds of the village.

Standing upright, her knees were well above the tallest part of their wall, so the survivors had a clear view of her. She was wearing a long grey dress that reached all the way to her shins, and black boots for the winter weather. She also had a black velvet cloak that sported a hood, which she wore whenever it snowed to cover her beautiful golden hair. Around her waist was a brown belt on which there hung a dagger in its sheath as well as several pouches. While it was just a dagger to her, its blade could easily splinter a house if she chose to use it for such violent methods. The giantess stood there, looking down at the crowd, and they looked up at her, no-one daring to speak.

“Well...you’re welcome, I guess,” she said, feeling a little bit awkward. Then she patted her cloak where the pirates were imprisoned. “Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of these at once!”

With that, she promptly spun around on her heels and made her way to the sea. It wasn’t much of a speech, and they were obviously still terrified of her despite her heroic actions, but none of that bothered Sylvie. She wasn’t a diplomat like Belena was, her older sister who ruled over Vandan as its queen, and who was hundreds of miles away from her now. She was also not the best at building relations with humans; her brother, Valdan, was much better at this, since he was human-sized and not a giant like her. She aspired to do good to anyone she met and was always ready to rescue innocent people without a second thought, but she usually ended up scaring people with her methods. This too did not bother her, since dealing with scum like the men in her pocket was too much fun for her not to get a bit carried away with it sometimes. Being a giantess had its ups and downs, but one of the best parts of her life was getting to toy with evildoers and humiliate them to knock them down a peg. It brought her a great deal of joy to know that she was saving lives and teaching bad men a lesson at the same time. Not that she would be cruel with them, but who didn’t love sticking a bandit in your boot or tying a pirate up in your hair for a day?

She finally reached the shore, having left the village behind her, and she saw the spot where the pirates’ ship had anchored and was waiting for them. When she got close to it, however, a final surprise lay in wait for her. The handful of pirates who’d remained on the ship had seen her coming from far off, and had readied themselves to attack. A small catapult was located on the ship’s forward deck, which the pirates usually used to bombard the walls of coastal cities. As Sylvie watched, they loaded the catapult with a flaming projectile, nearly two feet in size, and then suddenly launched it in her direction. The young giantess stood completely still as the fiery ball sailed in her direction. Then, just before it would have struck her in the chest, she lifted her hand and flicked the projectile back with one finger. The pirates on deck scattered in alarm as their weapon came flying back towards them, but luckily for them it sailed clear over the ship and splashed into the water beyond.

“Ooh, that didn’t seem to work, did it?” Sylvie said, giggling. “Anyone want to try again? No? Oh well…”

She stuck her hands in her pockets. It took a moment to get a grip on all of them, but before long she had her palms facing up, in which lay a pile of pirates all lying on top of one another. She shook her head, watching them all groan from their trip and whimper under the gaze of their captor.

“You little rats! Raiding and pillaging isn’t very kind, now, is it?” she yelled at them. “Does it bring you joy to kill and steal?” A few of them shook their heads with vigour, but most of the pirates kept silent. “I could do so many things to you all...sit on you and squish you into jelly...or grind you up and make a fine soup out of you!” At that, some of the men began crying. “I could even plop you in my mouth, one by one, like little blueberries!”

That last threat got everyone to beg and plead for their lives, some even kissing her palm in hopes of paying for their wrongdoings. Of course, Sylvie had no intention of doing any of those wicked things, but seeing such evil men grovel was thrilling to her. After she figured they had begged enough, she stepped into the water, using one hand to hold her dress up, and when she was deep enough to where her boots were almost fully submerged, she tipped her hands to the side and watched as 25 pirates plummeted into the sea. Once they were all afloat and swimming away hastily back to their ship, she blew them a kiss and waved.

“Go back home, and don’t even dream of coming back to these people again!”

Satisfied with her work, Sylvie climbed out of the sea and began looking around for another place to sleep.

Before Sylvie arrived to liberate the town, one young pirate had been hiding in a house, counting some coins he had found under a mattress. He was about 25 years old and he had a little stubble, but he was mostly a fine-looking young man despite his clothes being distinctly pirate-like. As he counted, he heard the leader of their crew, Gorrun, giving his usual speech. The next thing he heard was a pair of boots approaching, and the door swung open.

“Roth, get your lazy keester out here or it’ll be thirty lashes tonight!”

The man slammed the door shut, and Rotham (or Roth as he was known to all around him) sighed. He detested the pirate life, or at least most of it. He was happy to have found an easy way to pay himself, but the crimes the other pirates committed were downright inhumane. They were true monsters to Roth, but he didn’t have much of a choice now. He was stuck in this way of life and saw no other option but to go along with it. However, he left the killing and the torturing to the others; he wanted no part of that. Nor did he speak out against it, since he knew that Gorrun wouldn’t hesitate to make an example of him if he came across as soft.

As he stood up to begrudgingly join the rest, he suddenly heard the other pirates screaming and running about. Then an unusually powerful but female voice sounded over the village, and Roth froze in his tracks. Running to the window, his fears were realized. It was the giantess! He had heard rumours of this newcomer to these lands, who had already struck fear into other pirates, but he never thought he would run into her. He wanted to run away and get as far away from the village as possible, but something kept him still. Perhaps she didn’t know he was there. He backed away from the window and kept to the shadows in the house. Luckily, his plan worked – for a moment. It was ruined when two other pirates ran into the house, and they pushed him back into the wall in their rush to find shelter.

He rubbed the back of his head which was now throbbing, but he could hear the giantess say something just before a crash came from above as her hand lifted up the roof. The strength of her hand was so great it could lift up the roof easily, and Roth couldn’t have been more terrified. He pushed himself into the corner, trying to stay away from the seeking fingers that entered the gaping hole. They came ever closer, pushing debris out of the way, and just by sheer luck she brushed some of it onto him and buried him, only finding the other two pirates. Being trapped under large pieces of lumber wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it beat being captured and left to the whims of a giant girl. Roth waited for a moment, and when he felt the ground rumble, he knew she was walking away.

He let out a sigh of relief and, with a grunt, he freed himself from the rubble. Blowing dust and splinters off of himself, the young man crept out of the house and ran out of the village before any angry villagers found him and enacted their own vengeance. As he ran from the village and into the forest, his only thought now was to get far away. Not just from the village and the giantess, but from the pirates too. He was done with that life if it meant being the enemy of a giantess.

          The next morning, Sylvie woke up with a pain in her neck. She slowly rose from her sleeping position and quickly surmised that she was in pain because she slept with her head against a rock, a huge boulder by human standards, and now she had to deal with sore muscles.

Sighing, she sat up completely and surveyed the area, her neck at an angle as she massaged it. The woods were silent all around her, with nary a sound even of birds singing. She was in a clearing, a few miles into the sea of trees, and behind her was a great cliff that rose above her head. It wasn’t perfect, but it kept her dry enough.

It was then that her stomach rumbled, so she pulled out a small vial with a red liquid inside, as well as a sack of human-sized fruit in a satchel on her belt. She’d gathered it from people she’d met on her travels who were gracious enough to share with her, but that hadn’t been for a while. She was going to have to find a new source of food soon. Luckily, the bag of fruit would last a while, so would the curious vial of liquid that she held. It contained a potion that had been made, with great difficulty, specifically for her and her sister by a society of alchemists from Rismark, in case they ever needed to make long journeys away from home. It could make any object that came from a plant grow, including fruit and vegetables, though it had no effect on animals, meat or inanimate objects. Sylvie had no idea how it worked, but it worked wonders for her.

She dropped an apple on the ground, the fruit barely the size of a pea in her hands, then she tapped the vial once to let a drop fall on it. It immediately grew to the giant size of ten feet across, perfect for a light breakfast for the giantess. She took it in her palm and chomped away while she reflected on her journey.

It had been five months since she parted ways with Valdan. Her brother was somewhere far away now, off on some adventure in a distant land, similar to herself. She had packed well, taking plenty of food that wouldn’t spoil and extra bags for the food people had given her. She hadn’t planned on being given gifts, rather the original intention of the bags was to collect her own food. Unfortunately, winter had killed a lot of the food she could have foraged, but spring was fast approaching. Already, each morning she would wake to less snow. Soon enough, she felt that she could discard the cloak she still needed to wear.

She couldn’t wait for it to get warmer, since it meant she could do something that she couldn’t really enjoy up till now: bathe. Whenever she found a lake that was large enough and secluded enough, she would strip off her clothes and take a quick dip, never more than a few minutes. Her enormous size meant that she wasn’t as affected by the cold as a human would’ve been, though it wasn’t a very pleasant sensation at all. Then she’d get dry and dressed as quickly as possible, always at risk of being seen by any passers-by, though there seemed to be very few travellers in these lands. At least the cold wasn’t a problem when it came to washing her clothes; she’d brought a second outfit along with her in her bag, so that she had something to wear whenever she took a day off from travelling to wash.

She actually hadn’t prepared much for the journey at all, despite knowing she wanted to go on an adventure. The last time she had ventured far off, it was with her brother and she had nearly starved to death before making it home safely. She was sure to solve that problem this time, but in her eagerness to go, she neglected to prepare for every scenario. Honestly, that made the whole experience more fun for her. Getting to figure out how to survive, like her mother had.

Her mother…Queen Valerie. Thinking of her brought a tear to her eye, which she wiped away. Part of the reason for this journey was to follow in her mother’s footsteps: to explore and to help others at the same time. She had thought of her throughout her travels, and she found pride in knowing she carried the dagger Valerie had gifted her. It was a good weapon, and it was forged with the finest silver they had. Elegant, but deadly. If she ever ran into a beast, like the wyvern she and Valdan had encountered years ago, her mother’s gift would come in handy.

So far, she hadn’t used the dagger. In fact, a lot of her journey had been uneventful, save for the pirates. She ran into the occasional troll, but they were so small to her they were barely a nuisance. Most of them fled from her at first sight, and those who became aggressive and tried to attack her she picked up like dolls and tossed them into another part of the forest.

Eventually she had grown lonely, so much so that when she came across a bear that acted particularly fierce with her, she took it with her for a few days. It bit her dozens of times, yet she would stroke its back and play with it until it gave in and accepted its fate. When she realized it wasn’t happy with her, she put it back where she found it and became alone once more. Being by herself was something she enjoyed at first, but now she would have given anything to have Valdan as company again.

As though in answer to her wish, a clump of snow fell on her head, and she heard a man yelp as he fell past her face and into her lap.

Roth had run for a few hours before he fell, his knees weak and his breath gone. He didn’t know how long he had slept, or how far he had run the night before, but he knew how hungry he was. His stomach pangs woke him and he staggered through whichever part of the woods he was in for a while before he simply fell against a tree and slid onto his bottom.

“I guess my fate will be no different than that of the other pirates. It just took a little longer…”

As he sat there, he felt the ground rumble a bit and he heard some trees moving not far from him. Curiosity gave him new strength and he crept towards the source of the noise. A moment later and he nearly fell off a cliff...straight onto a head of golden hair. It didn’t seem possible, but the giant girl was back! Roth backed away from the cliff slowly, hoping his presence had not been made known, but when she gave no sign that she had heard him, he crept closer. Peering over the edge of the cliff, he saw her drop an apple on the ground and tip a vial of red liquid over it, letting a drop fall on it. To his astonishment, the apple grew large enough for her to eat, and his jaw dropped. It was a potion that could make things grow! He’d never have to go hungry again, he could give up his life of piracy and go live alone with this potion where he could not only survive but thrive. Maybe he could even use the potion to make some money on the side.

He watched for a bit longer, daydreaming about what his life could be like if he could just take that vial. Then he decided that that’s what he was going to do. He watched her stick it in a pouch on her belt, and he knew this was his moment. She seemed to be lost in thought, so he stepped closer to look for a way down to the vial. Unfortunately, he set his foot on the wrong patch of snow and it fell away, taking him with it. He hoped to fall behind her and bury himself in the snow surrounding her, but luck was not on his side. Down past her face he went, and he landed softly into her lap, her grey dress folding around him.

Only slightly dazed, he looked up straight into the eyes of the giantess who had taken down an entire gang of pirates...and then he realized that he was also wearing their type of clothing.

Sylvie looked at the man curiously. Then she looked above her, surmising that he had been watching her and had stepped a bit too close to the edge. Focusing on him again, she narrowed her eyes and leaned in to get a better look.

“Uh…who are you?” she asked, looking confused.

“Me? Oh, er, no-one important. Who are you?”

“Maybe I’m the same. Were you watching me?”

“You? No, no, no, I just…took a wrong turn, fell off. Happens a lot, I’m afraid. All right, I’ll be going then!”

The man scrambled to his feet and made for the edge of her lap, but she slapped her hand down on him to keep him in place.

“Hey!” he cried out, as she pressed him down into the fabric of her dress

“Oh no, you don’t! I know a liar when I see one. I also know a pirate when I see one…”

“Pirate? That’s ridiculous!” The man struggled underneath her palm, his upper half free, but his legs weren’t moving an inch.

“You’re wearing pirate clothes, aren’t you? And why are you so eager to escape?”

“Well, I mean, you are extremely big and scary. Now, if you don’t mind…”

The man suddenly drew a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it into the skin of her hand. This had little effect on Sylvie, just making her wince slightly, but she quickly reacted by knocking the dagger from his hands.

“Hey, listen…” he began to say, but was cut short as Sylvie gripped his legs and lifted him, upside-down, to her eye level. His arms hung limp and his eyes widened, but he didn’t cry or scream. He was honestly quite bold. Or stupid.

“Did you really try to stab me? You’re a really stupid pirate then…”

“Stupid?! Well, what would you do then, in my position?”

“Turn myself in, maybe? You pirates are all so detestable! Killing, stealing, doing whatever you want!”

“Hey! I’m not a killer, all right? I only steal what I need to survive!”

Sylvie rolled her eyes and lifted him higher up above an open mouth she positioned right under him.

“Well, there’s only one thing I’m going to do to you now. Thieves need to be punished anyways…” She lowered him to her lips and extended her tongue.

“Hey now, let’s be rational here! I...please!” He cried out just as the tip of her tongue touched a strand of his hair, but she began to laugh hysterically instead, once again dropping him in her lap. The man landed on his chest, the wind knocked out of him, but he stood up again and looked at her, his heart racing but his anger increasing.

“You think that was funny?!”

Sylvie continued laughing and wiped a tear from her eye before she looked at him again.

“Um…yes. It was very funny! How does it feel to be helpless now? That’s how those villagers feel whenever you take what you want and kill who gets in your way!”

“I already told you, I don’t kill! I hate killing! I only steal, and I’m an honourable thief too.”

“Honourable thief? Are you really that thick?”

“I...no, I’m not arguing with a giant.”

He once again made for the ground, but Sylvie caught him in her hand as he jumped and lifted him in front of her face.

“Oh no, you’re not getting away! You could have escaped with your pirate friends, but no, you came here to either gaze at me or, as you say it, honourably steal from me. Maybe even both. So, if you think I’m letting you run off to do that to another person, you really are thick.”

As he sat there in her palm, his mind racing through all the things she could do to him, she removed a string she used to tie one of her pouches. She stuffed the empty pouch into a different one, then she sloppily tied the string around his waist. She ended up tugging a little too tight and he gasped for air, so she loosened it slightly and then smiled at her handiwork.

“Uh…what was the point of that?” he asked, looking perplexed

Sylvie didn’t respond as she lifted the rope up, making him go airborne, and then tied it behind her neck, letting him rest on her chest just above her bosom. The man struggled and tugged at the rope, but with a quick shake of her head, he lost his energy to fight.

“Really?” he yelled up at her. “You’re just going to ‘wear’ me now, like I’m some kind of jewellery or something? I deserve more respect than this! Once I get out of this, you’re dead, you hear me?”

Sylvie ignored him entirely as she brushed off the snow from her head, secured her pouches, and left her spot to continue the journey with her new prisoner.

Sylvie had never wanted to stuff a person in her boot more than she did Roth after a few hours of walking. She had traversed the forest and headed inland for many miles, before stopping in a field where she sat down and removed her makeshift pendant with her tiny prisoner attached to it. He hadn’t shut up since she began her trek, and the amount of threats and insults he threw at her began to drive her nuts. Finally, she decided she had had enough. She took the string he was attached to and twirled it around her finger, sending him spinning around like a cartwheel. He cried out in a panicky voice as she spun him, but when she stopped, he was finally quiet for the first time in hours.

“Don’t you ever run out of breath?” she asked him, dangling him in front of her face and glaring at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.

“How long are you going to keep me a prisoner?” he yelled back, completely ignoring her question. “Forever?”

“Don’t know...maybe.”

“Then maybe I won’t shut up! This isn’t funny anymore, alright? There are people who know me, you see, and they’re going to come for me!”

“You’ve said that ten times already! Something tells me no-one is going to challenge me just to get you back.”

“Sure they will! People who can really hurt you, too, no matter how overgrown you are!”

Sylvie flicked him lightly at the intended insult, though she wasn’t bothered by being called overgrown, considering how big she really was. She just didn’t want him getting away with it.

“You should talk to women with a little more respect, especially ones whose fingers are bigger than you!”

Roth looked at her gigantic fingers and nodded. 

“Yes, they do look deadly, don’t they? How many of my companions did you tear apart with them, huh? And you think yourself better than me?”

Sylvie sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I don’t have to explain myself to the likes of you!” she said haughtily. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a cruel murderer like you and your kind. I make sure people pay for their crimes, that’s all. In other words, justice. But I’ll never kill anyone, understand? That’s just revenge.”

“A giant that cares about justice and mercy? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“I didn’t ask you to believe it. You not believing me makes absolutely no difference.”

“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.”

“Well, you can believe whatever you want, you little worm!”

“Hey! I’m not little! I’m actually quite tall for a man my age.”

Sylvie smirked. She’d found out what it was that ticked him off.

“Oh, I don’t know, you look pretty little to me. Tiny! Shorty! Pipsqueak!”

“Monster! Freak! Abomination!”

“Oh, poor little guy! He’s upset that I’m teasing him!”

Roth had it at that point and he began thrashing about, shaking the rope to and fro and he swayed in front of her eyes. 

“Enough! I won’t be demeaned by a stupid girl!”

“Stupid girl! Sounds better than ‘monster’, I suppose.”

Roth continued fighting against the rope for a minute before he stopped and hung limp again.

“Are you done with your temper tantrum?” Sylvie asked patiently.

He didn’t reply, but she was satisfied. Maybe now  he would be quiet for a while, long enough for her to enjoy her travels before she dropped him off at the nearest village to be tried and locked up. She would have taken him right back to Arken, but considering they had just been through a brutal attack, she thought better of it. Besides, she wanted to get the fight out of him; it was like taming a wild animal.

Leaving the field, Sylvie traversed more forests, the trees never rising higher than her waist in these lands, and she crossed a river where she stopped for some water. She offered a cupped hand of water to Roth, but he was either too proud to take it or else he wasn’t thirsty. Knowing him, she thought, it was definitely the former. She ended up splashing the water onto him instead, hoping he’d get some of it in his mouth so he didn’t suffer from dehydration. Of course this meant he was wet now, so when she saw him shiver she took a part of her cloak and dried him off, encasing him in fabric as she rolled him between her fingers. Surprisingly, he didn’t flinch or yell, simply accepting this series of events.

An hour later, Sylvie sat down on the edge of a ravine so she could enjoy her lunch. Feeling a bit of pity for Roth, considering she nearly gave him hypothermia, she took him off the rope and set him on her palm while she ate the bread that she had made giant-sized with her elixir a moment before. She offered some of the bread to him, but he ignored her attempt at hospitality, seemingly prepared to sulk until he died.

“Alright, don’t you think you’re being a bit too dramatic?” she asked. There was no response. Sylvie shook her head, annoyed by him once again as she finished her bread. “Well, have it your way. I’m not stopping to eat again until suppertime.”

Deciding that she’d put up with him for quite long enough by now, Sylvie took her tiny prisoner and, using the string he was attached to, securely tied up his arms and legs. Then she dropped him into one of the little cloth pouches attached to her belt and sealed it again. Now that the little ruffian was out of sight and out of mind, she figured that her best bet if she wanted to find another village was to head back for the coast again. Choosing a more southerly direction, she began walking, whistling to herself to keep her spirits up. She couldn’t wait to be rid of her little ‘burden’, and again she regretted that she didn’t have some more agreeable companion to share her travels with.

Trapped in his makeshift cell and unable to move, much less escape, Roth lay and quietly fumed to himself. He should never have thought he’d get away with stealing from the giantess. Who knew what unpleasant fate she had in store for him now? The fact that she hadn’t crushed him under her boot or eaten him as a snack did puzzle him a bit. Like most people throughout the vast lands of the known world, Roth knew all the stories that were told of the giants of ancient times. Their savagery and contempt for human life was legendary. He had no idea that his captor was nothing like her ancestors, however, nor that she was actually a princess of a distant land, that her sister was a queen, and that both of them had no desire at all to harm the humans that were so much smaller and weaker than them. He didn’t even know her name. All he knew right then was the hunger that came from not having eaten in over a day - but he also had no intention of letting her feed him as though he were her pet mouse. He needed to find a way to escape somehow, whatever it took.

As the afternoon turned into evening, Sylvie finally approached within sight of the coast again. She never grew tired of the sight of the sea, shimmering in the setting sun. It reminded her that, even for a giantess like herself, the world was still a really big place, with so much to see and to experience. She hoped that Valdan, wherever he was, was feeling the same thing, and that his own travels were as rewarding to him. She also hoped that Belena, back home on her throne in Vandan, would also someday get a chance to explore the world around her and see all of the wonders that it had to offer.

Instead of heading all the way to the shoreline, she decided to take refuge in the night in a forest of maple and pine trees, located in a little dell just inland. There was a sizable river in the area, which provided her with enough water for drinking and for preparing her supper. This consisted of a few vegetables from her supplies, which she enlarged to giant-size with her special potion, and then chopped up into bits. From these she made a soup in a small metal pot from her bag. As for the fire, she simply used a few fallen tree trunks from the area which looked old and dry enough to burn easily. It was a much more rustic way of life than what she was used to at home, but she’d grown used to it by now and even enjoyed it from time to time. Her longing to return home grew greater each day, however, and before long she decided it might be time to call a halt to her travels.

Meanwhile, Roth had worked tirelessly at his bonds, going so far as to chew on the rope to try and break it. His teeth began to hurt and his mouth had bits of rope in it, but he finally broke free. He was hoping she was busy enough to ignore him as he shuffled about and peeked out of the pouch. She was distracted with supper. Seeing his chance, he hoisted himself up and out, then scrambled down her hip, holding on to the fabric of her skirt. When he was close enough to the ground, he took a leap and landed in a bit of snow. Luckily, it was deep enough to make the fall safe, and he got himself out of it quite easily. He was just about to make a run for it when he turned around and saw his prize. The potion. There it was, right in front of him. She had set it on the ground as she ate, rather than putting it back in her pouch. He looked at his escape route, then the potion, then looked away one more time before he made a mad dash for it. The closer he got, the crazier his ideas got about what he could do with it once he had it.

He reached it and, using both hands, managed to turn the vial onto its side and twist its cork off. Would he really be able to do this? Yes, he thought. Imagine the power he would have as a giant. He could stop this cruel girl, get revenge on the pirates, and rule over the lands. It was at this moment Sylvie noticed him and she was about to reach down and grab him, but it was too late.

“See how you like it, you monster!” Roth cried out. He lowered his mouth and took a sip of the potion as it dripped from the vial’s mouth, but the taste was so bad that he had to spit it out while he fell over, ready to throw up.

“You idiot!” Sylvie said, laughing at his shock. “What did you think would happen? That you would suddenly become my size? It’s not a regular potion, it was made from an extract that came from the giant plants that grow in my home. So it only works on plants, you see, not on meat and certainly not on living people or animals.”

“Giant plants? Home? You mean, there’s a place out there where there are more of you giants?” He finally felt the nauseating effect wear off, and he felt strong enough to stand again.

“Of course there’s more of us. Well...one more, actually. My sister Belena.”

“Oh, I see...and I’m sure she’s a kind and gentle giantess just like you!”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, she is. A lot kinder and gentler than me, actually.”

Roth stood there, looking at the potion with a disgusted face.

“Then why isn’t she here with you, hmm? Did she kick you out of the house because of your cruelty?”

Sylvie was about to reply, when some birds flew above her head and landed on her hand, which she was resting on top of her knees. She remained still and looked as they pecked at her skin, hopped around a bit as if on a branch, then began whistling, signaling other birds for a safe place to rest. Sylvie whistled back to them, matching their song perfectly. Roth just watched, transfixed. A giantess and some birds which were no bigger than her fingernails, whistling back and forth. Eventually, the birds caught on to the fact that they weren’t sitting on a little hill but on a person and they left her hand, though Roth was still amazed.

“I’m getting tired of telling you this, but I’m not cruel,” Sylvie said.

She worked on her soup, now fed up with her companion, and she knew it was time to get rid of him once the night was over. The fire blazed on while she ate, and Roth just sat at her feet, his mind racing after seeing the incident with the birds. She was incredibly gentle for a creature so unfathomably large. Just sitting next to her boot gave him chills, and that was just one part of her. Could she really be a gentle giant like she claimed to be? The more he thought about it, the more he saw how badly the two had begun their tenuous companionship. He did try to steal her belongings, and he was wearing the clothes pirates wore, so was it fair for him to be mad at her? She had even dried him off after trying to get him to drink, something that he only now realized meant she cared at least a little for his well-being.

Looking up at her face, Roth sighed. Perhaps he had misjudged her, and because of that, she had judged him unfairly too.

“I’m Roth,” he said, speaking loudly so that she could hear him all the way up there. “Just in case you were wondering what my name was.”

Sylvie raised her eyebrows and looked at the miniscule man, hunched over by her boot.

“I’m Sylvie,” she replied. “Have you finally decided that I’m worth getting to know after all?”

“No, I can’t say that I have. But maybe I gave the wrong impression before. We both did.”

“Don’t blame this on me Roth, I’m not the one who was caught while sneaking up on a woman during her breakfast. I’m also not a pirate.”

“See! You’ve judged me before you’ve even come to know me. Would this sister of yours act this way?”

Sylvie sighed. He had a point. Belena would have been gentle and understanding with Roth. She would have attempted to start a conversation with him at first and would have sought to understand his motives. Sylvie just took him as an unwilling companion and decided she knew who he was immediately. It was no wonder Belena was queen while Sylvie was here, alone in the wilderness. This made her feel a need to return more than ever.

“Well, whoever you are, we will have to cut our acquaintance short,” she said. “I need to return home, and you need to go wherever it is you belong. Whether that’s to go back to those pirates or to some village far away, you need to leave. If you want, I’ll take you to the nearest village.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’m not loved around these parts, especially in the larger villages by the coast.”

“Well, maybe it’s best for you to go there anyway. Then you can pay for your crimes. I’ll drop you there in the morning and be off.”

Roth shook his head as Sylvie lay on her side for some rest.

“No, I’m better off with you to be honest. I’ll be stuck in a cell for years in any of the towns hereabouts.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing then, Roth. Stealing is stealing, it must always be punished.”

“Yes, well, if I didn’t steal I wouldn’t be alive!” he said, spreading his arms as he looked at her in frustration. “I’m sure you have it all very good and comfy back home, but out here, if you aren’t siding with the pirates you’re either getting raided or struggling to get any yield from the land. This is my life; I don’t have any other choice.”

The giantess looked down on him, and he thought he saw some pity in her eyes.

In her own head, Sylvie was processing what he was saying. The 20-year old giantess had never known poverty. Rismark was well off, her parents had provided for her her entire life, and even the poorest people she had known were able to keep themselves fed, thanks to the generosity and hard work her parents had put in, in order to improve the lives of their subjects. A life of hardship like Roth was describing was quite foreign to her. Knowing that part of the reason for this hardship was because of those pirates made her angry too. Greed and power were turning this beautiful land she had explored into one of devastation, and she didn’t like it at all. Was it really time for her to turn around and leave for home?

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Roth continued, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ll probably be caught one day in any case, so you can take me to the nearest town tomorrow. I might get fed well in prison, at the very least.”

Roth laid himself closer to the fire, his back to her, and she merely watched him while she considered her options. She had the strength to repel the pirates with ease, and she wasn’t needed at home just yet. She did miss her bed, the ease of life at home, and her sister. Belena was the one person that was her own size left that she knew of, and no companion she could have out here would match that. On the other hand, Sylvie felt a need deep within her to make a name for herself. All her life she had been in the shadow of her mother and then Belena, two people she wished to please by following their examples. Maybe this was her chance to be a hero like them.

“Roth,” she whispered. She didn’t get a response, but she hoped he was still awake and listening. “I want to help you. We can talk again tomorrow. Get some rest for now, then maybe we can figure something out.”

Content with herself, Sylvie closed her eyes, the fire flickering on through the night.

Sylvie slept surprisingly well being out in the open, something she wasn’t sure would work. Luckily, it hadn’t rained or snowed, so she was mostly dry, save for her cloak which had been her makeshift bedding. The poor thing would be muddy too, so it was probably time to wash it and change clothes while she was at it. Rising from her position, which was on her back since she had rolled a bit in her sleep, she was glad to see Roth hadn’t run off; in fact, he was still sound asleep despite the noise she inevitably made while moving about. Part of her desperately wanted to jolt him awake, or do something to him while he was unaware of it, but she ultimately decided to build on the tenuous peace they made the night before. She figured it would make the rest of her time with him bearable. 

Stretching, she stood to her full height and surveyed her surroundings. Not a soul in sight and no sign of civilization as far as she could see. If Roth knew where a settlement was, that would make things easier, but for now she was left roaming the land until she came across anything. It was times like these where she missed the smaller comforts of home, like having maps and traversing charted territories. How easy it would have been to plot a course and head there; now she was reduced to using clues picked up from her environment to find signs of life. Despite it being difficult, she was getting quite good at it. She knew to stick to water sources, such as lakes and rivers, and if that didn’t help, she would search for abandoned campsites where people may have bunkered down during their travels. 

Leaving Roth behind for a moment, Sylvie went off to gather her bearings and decide what to do. Finding a spot that gave her the greatest elevation, she decided to sit down and think. The massive lake she had been hugging the shoreline of hadn’t been doing any good. The river she had crossed a day before might prove useful if she followed it. Either way, she had to get rid of Roth before she could even think of going home. 

“Thought you could get rid of me?” Sylvie was pulled out of her thoughts and she jumped a bit, thrown off by the voice coming from behind her. She peeked behind her and sighed. Somehow, the little troublemaker had snuck up on her. 

“I wish. No, just trying to figure out where to go next.” Roth walked in front of her, gazing out past the forest and towards the great lake. 

“Eris. You can take me to Eris.”

“What’s that? Capital city?”

“No. It’s the largest one here though. Most trade goes on there. I haven’t been in ages, but I’m sure they’ll be quite eager to toss me in their dungeons anyways…if that is still your plan?” Sylvie eyed him curiously.

“I thought you had accepted my decision…”

“More like I realized you’re too stubborn to help me out.” She huffed at his accusation. 

“Talk about stubborn, you would have starved yourself yesterday.”

“Well yeah, you try getting dragged along unwillingly by a person 10 times bigger than you, see how you like it! You can’t just exert your will on everyone because you’re big.” 

“Yeah, well you can’t exert your will on people by stealing from them.” 

“There you go again…as if this is all black and white! It’s not, princess! Maybe in your homeland, things are good and bad, but out here it’s about survival. The pirates offered that, and I accepted. Morality is gone when you don’t know if you’ll wake up the next morning.” Silence fell as the two simply seethed in their own anger towards the other. Sylvie had to admit, maybe she was ignorant to how other people worked in this world, but she still felt like there was good and evil in the world, and she couldn’t imagine compromising her nature just to live. It’s how her ancestors acted, according to her mother and the books she read in her history lessons. Exploiting smaller, weaker people just did not sit well with her. 

“Well, it’s still a fact that you’re my captive, you committed evil acts, and you have to pay for that. So, put up with it.” She stood once again, not waiting for Roth to respond. “Where’s Eris?” She watched the smaller man point to the west, so she nodded, stooping to pinch him between two fingers before she dropped him in a side pouch once more; ensuring it was closed, a small gap left for breathing, she set off in the direction of Eris.  

*

A blizzard began a few hours into their journey, so Sylvie did her best to find shelter in a small alcove of rock, barely deep enough for her to squeeze into. She kept her cloak wrapped around her tightly, the only part of her that was exposed being her boots and part of her face. Being so large, the cold took a longer time to affect her body heat, but it didn’t mean she was invincible. She had dealt with cold nights throughout her trip, but it felt like this blizzard was much more brutal. 

Outside, visibility was nigh impossible. Even with the improved eyesight of her kind, she could barely see what was directly ahead of her, the snow blowing so quickly and heavily. If it didn’t let up soon, she wasn’t sure what would be done. All that was left to do was wait. 

Meanwhile, Roth had been moved to her shoulder, a spot he’d be able to keep warm quite easily; with her body heat emanating from her neck and shoulder, he’d be perfectly fine, that is unless she died from the cold. 

“Why don’t you get a fire going?” Sylvie nearly chuckled at this, but she was too chilled to really do so. 

“How? I can’t even see a forest from where we’re at. Not like I could start one with the wind anyways.”

“Right…I just figured you had something in your bag of magic stuff…conjure up a fire or something…”

“I’m not a witch. I’d also hardly call my little potion magic. It’s simply a mix of ingredients that someone discovered.”

“Dunno, sounds like something a witch would say.”

“Do you always ask stupid questions?”

“Geez! Sorry for trying to make conversation.”

“You’re not…nevermind. Just shut up so I can save my energy…” 

*

After two hours, the blizzard let up, which Sylvie was extremely grateful for as she felt her feet going numb despite her thick boots. Much to her dismay, the time spent waiting out the storm killed most of the day, so with haste she made her way to the nearest forest she could find with the waning daylight. She found one with just enough daylight to gather dead wood and get a fire going back at the alcove. It took a few minutes to get it started, no thanks to the continuing snowfall, but she was able to succeed. With light and warmth achieved, Sylvie opened her cloak and kept her boots almost dangerously close to the flames to warm them. Roth took his chance to be separated from her as he sat at a distance, his back to her while he watched the flames dance in the night. 

She ignored him as she opened her sack of food, sad to see her provisions were getting low: a few loaves of bread, two apples, and an orange that was looking a bit old. She chose the bread, using her potion to make it giant-sized. She didn’t feel like making it into a special meal like she’d done with the soup before. Anything would do for her right now, at least until she could find another town who might be willing to resupply her. With her light dinner before her, she broke a small piece off between her thumb and forefinger and poked Roth in the back with it. 

“Here.” He looked back at it, then took it with both hands without saying a word. “You’re welcome…” she muttered under her breath. Why couldn’t she land on a feeling for the little guy? 

Before, she felt bad for him, but today she couldn’t stand him anymore. She couldn’t deny he had a rough life growing up, something she felt sympathy for, but she couldn’t get past his actions and association with the pirates; on top of all that, he just seemed to take every chance to poke and prod her. She was ashamed to admit to herself that it reminded her of, well, herself. Stubborn, standoffish, and know-it-all. 

“What was it like to live in luxury?” His question caught her off guard, pulling her from her moment of reflection. 

“What’s that?”

“Your life at home. What’s it like to not worry?” Sylvie shrugged as he turned about, his back now to the fire.

“It’s hard to answer that, I guess. It’s warm. Always good food made by my family or by the kitchen. Peaceful. Well, most of the time.”

“And you wonder why I just…get annoyed with you?”

“What, can’t stand other people having a good life?”

“No, I can’t stand when those kinds of people have no sympathy for people like me! I grew up with many cold nights, sickness, and not knowing when my meal would come. It wasn’t pirates then, but it was always someone who took advantage of people like my family. Someone who wanted the position you have. So, tell me, can you blame me for choosing to side with people who promised all of that to me?”

“Sure I can. You just made other people poor for your own gain.”

“I’m not the one who made them poor! Yeah, the pirates can be extreme, but you have no clue how corrupt the leaders of this region are. They’re the true evil. The pirates are extreme and bloodthirsty, but the royalty around here need to get the message somehow.”

“There’s always an alternative! You can’t just go with the easy way out!”

“You think it was easy to join them? It wasn’t! But I made my choices, good or not.” 

“Yeah, well now there’s an alternative, okay?”

“And what would that be?” Roth said, throwing his arms in the air.

“Me. Just you watch. With the right amount of pressure, things can change.”

“Oh, perfect. The giant princess with a savior complex coming to rescue the impoverished lands! I can’t wait…” Sylvie brushed it off as she lay on her side to rest for the night. 

“Oh, forget you. You’re still getting dropped in a cell first chance I get. Then I’ll deal with your friends at sea.” Closing her eyes, she anticipated a witty response, but it seemed like he had finally shut his mouth for the night. Better for her, she figured. Maybe a good night’s rest would get her in a better mood.

*

The journey continued early the next morning, Roth still tired and probably asleep once more in her pouch as Sylvie trudged across the snow-covered fields. While the depth of the snow never reached an amount that could bother Sylvie, she was still surprised to see just how deep it was in relation to her boots. To her it seemed to be around three inches deep, which meant it had to be taller than even some of the tallest men she’d met. Well, tall for humans that is. 

Once she was a few hours into the journey, she felt Roth moving about in her pouch, so she stopped for a moment to let him out in order to get a bearing on the remaining distance to Eris. She waited for a moment, watching him struggle to pull himself out of the pouch and step into her waiting palm, but he managed. 

“You know, I could just grab you. Would make your life a lot easier.”

“I can handle this all just fine. Didn’t know you cared so much about my will anyways.”

“You know, you’re right. I’ll just pluck you out next time. How far until Eris?” Roth shook his head while he peered at the horizon; after a moment, he pointed towards the lake. 

“Ah! Just that way! We should see it soon!” Her excitement to be rid of Roth, to start helping the people around here, and to restock supplies made her forget to stash her traveling companion away, so off she moved with him falling back from his standing position, his back flat against her palm which was lowered to be level with her breasts. 

“Warn me next time!” It didn’t take long until she crested a hill that overlooked a large valley, and there, on the horizon, was a city with a grand tower set directly in its center. From her point of view, she could spy a large dock with a few ships probably meant for trading tied to it. Eager to get a closer look at things, Sylvie finally stored Roth in the pouch for a safer trip, and off she went, her pace now quicker as she made her way to Eris. 

*

“Sire! Sire!” A small, weaselly man who sported a purple robe with a matching cap burst into the bedroom of Radigan, the self-appointed King of Eris. Radigan had only just woken up, still in his white trousers, his potbelly bare for the underling to see. His black hair, with some gray spots appearing due to his age, was a mess from his long time in bed, and his eyes were squinting as the light in the bedroom was dim compared to the hall just outside. “She’s approaching! The giantess”

“Good lord, don’t you knock?! I could have been naked, Nevil!”

“Yes, sorry sir!” Nevil said as he turned away from Radigan. 

“Wait…the giantess is coming?! Already?! You should have told me sooner!” The king suddenly rushed to his wardrobe and began hastily putting on whatever he could to prepare himself for such a guest.

“Yes, well, I tried sir, but you were clear last time that if I woke you before noon again I’d see the chopping block.”

“Oh, really, you believed me? Please, it was only in jest!” he countered as he pulled his pants up, huffing as he struggled to get them on right. 

“If you say so, sir…” Nevil didn’t bother to mention the last three servants who had been killed for minor mistakes. After a few more minutes of silence, Radigan finally finished; he sported a red tunic, and on top of that a white robe with gold embroidery, all topped with a black hat that had a red feather sticking out of it. Looking himself over in the mirror, he tried to make his beard and mustache look presentable, but when he realized it would be to no avail, he simply nodded and pushed past Nevil to grab a quick breakfast. “Sir, if I may ask, why is this giantess so important?”

“Don’t you see, Nevil?” Radigan said as he grabbed a bunch of grapes off a nearby table, “She is the answer to two of our problems! Not only will she repel those awful pirates, she will finally stop these pestering townsfolk from trying to break down my door for food.”

“But-”

“No buts! This giantess has proven herself capable of stopping those ruffians, so I don’t see how this could go poorly for us! We might even get a share of the spoils if we play the cards right! Imagine, me, King of Eris, the man who beat the pirates with his own giantess! Oh yes, Nevil, we will be legends!” With his short breakfast done, Radigan straightened his attire and stepped into the afternoon sun.         

Before Sylvie arrived at the gates of Eris, it was obvious the people inside were expecting her. She could see the guards eyeing her from their spots on the knee-high wall surrounding the city; beyond that, she saw a clear road that led to a large gathering waiting at the base of the tower. Stopping at the gate, she looked down at the soldiers, all of whom wore a mix of steel and furs, best to keep them warm and safe at the same time. They looked up at her with a mixture of fear and awe on their faces as she loomed over their grand wall. 

“So…am I allowed to come in?” she asked politely.

“Y-yes! King Radigan awaits you!” The soldier who spoke pointed towards the tower, and she thought she could make out the man he was referring to. With her permission to enter granted, Sylvie stepped over the wall, careful not to let her cloak brush a person off; with one foot over, she was pleased to see the streets were wide enough for her to comfortably stand in, and the path to the tower was straight. In fact, from her point-of-view, the town seemed to be incredibly symmetrical; the tower stood in the center, and the streets seemed to spider-web out from it until they hit the wall. Now inside, she walked carefully, watching the ground so she wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything on her way to the town center. As she made her way there, Sylvie felt Roth rummaging about, probably getting nervous about his fate which was close at hand.

Once near the town square, she spotted King Radigan, dressed in his pompous clothes, his portly figure standing out amongst the incredibly thin townsfolk; many of them looked like they hadn’t seen a meal in a while. Perhaps Roth was right about corruption, but she knew the greater threat was the pirates, for now. He stood at the base of the tower which was twice her height, which was very impressive by human standards; on the top of the tower she could spy a stack of wood and dead leaves, perhaps a beacon to warn other towns of impending danger.

She stopped at the edge of the crowd and they parted for her immediately; she didn’t move any closer, merely standing still at the entrance. 

“Welcome to the watchtower of Eris!” Radigan bowed, his hand on his hat to keep it from flying off into the crowd. “Your efforts at aiding the other cities in this region have not gone unheard! We are forever indebted to you!”

“I’m just doing what needs to be done. I don’t like bullies who exploit others for their own gain.”

Radigan gave her a nervous laugh, then nodded in agreement. 

“I agree! Terrible for our people! Yes, they truly have made life difficult here. Which is why, if you would hear us out, you may be able to help solve the problem for good.” Sylvie eyed the small man, knowing that he had plenty to hide behind his welcoming facade. She would have to play nicely with him for now; it’s not like Roth would be an open book with her about the whereabouts of the other pirates.

“I’m glad to help however I can. Before that, though…” She reached into her pouch, her hand fully wrapped around Roth; she took one step forward and knelt down so she could present her tiny prisoner, her palm open once it was level with Radigan. “I captured this one after I helped a city a few nights ago. Make sure he gets the right punishment.”

“Oh, oh yes, thank you!” Radigan motioned for one of his guards to take Roth away. Sylvie expected Roth to put up more of a fight, but he simply stood atop her palm, his hands stretched out, waiting to be bound. The guards were anxious about being so close to her, and they took care not to touch her at all as they applied a rope to him and yanked him away. She simply rolled her eyes as she watched the whole ordeal; people could be so unreasonably skittish around her or Belena. The last she saw of him was when he turned his head around to look her in the eyes before they took him around the corner, out of her view. Strangely, she felt guilty about letting him be taken away; he didn't’ seem evil, just misguided and stubborn.

“Right, well, back to business-”

A bell rang from the far end of the city, near the coast; the guards who hadn’t attended to Roth all tensed up at that moment, and Radigan rushed back into his tower before Sylvie could ask what was happening. Just like that, everyone else was running as well, many even pushing past her boots to get to their homes, or so she assumed. Standing back up to her full height, Sylvie could see what the issue was.

Three ships had appeared off the coast, all with black sails billowing in the wind. 

“To your posts! Come on, to your posts!” She saw guards rushing towards the wall facing the docks, all of them brandishing either bows or crossbows, each one heading to an assigned spot to defend Eris. Looking at the ships again, she smiled, knowing exactly what to do. 

*

Roth was silent for most of the trip to the prison, and the guards gave him that same treatment as well. He wriggled his hands a bit, testing his bonds; they were tight, but crudely tied since it had been a quick job, just so they could get away from Sylvie. All in his favor. 

It was just when they reached the door when the warning bell rang, and for a moment the guards looked away with wide eyes. He took his chance, pushing off from his captors and then throwing his arms around one as he held him around the neck from behind. The other guards both stood still, not wanting to see their friend get hurt by Roth. 

“Alright…I’ve really enjoyed my time with you all, but there’s so much of the world to see…so many people to meet…don’t take it personally.” He felt the rope fall off, his hands having worked on them up to this point, and he kicked the guard into the other two, knocking them all to the ground. It wouldn’t take them out for long, but it was enough for him to run off into the maze of houses; with luck, he’d be able to escape the city and Sylvie. Really, the pirate attack worked well for him; not only had he been given to a much easier force to escape from, but the attack would clear out the soldiers that would have been in his way otherwise. Now if only they would all be distracted long enough for him to get away. 

*

“Nevil! Quick, barricade the door!” Radigan ran around the room like a headless chicken, his wits entirely gone as he worked to protect his gold. 

“But sire, you have the giantess to help!”

“You fool, she’s onto us! We will leave while there’s still time. When she gets back, she can deal with all these poor fools! We can live comfortably elsewhere.”

“Sire, that seems hasty…”

“You didn’t see her out there! She saw right into my soul! As soon as she gets rid of the pirates, she’ll come for me! Probably take the gold too as payment for her services! They’ll all let her take it freely, those rats! Always begging and pleading…”

“Well, they are starving, sire…”

“Quiet, Nevil! Go pack up my clothes!”

*

  “Give them another volley!” shouted the captain of the Grimhorn, a fine vessel which had conquered numerous cities for the pirate lord. Not a ship had been made that could top its size, firepower, or speed, and Captain Driscoll never let anyone forget. The cannons from the other two ships fired, and smoke trailed from cannonballs that smashed into the walls of the city; wood splintered, and the screams of those inside were clear even to the pirates offshore. The sounds filled Captain Driscoll with glee, that feeling of power driving him on. 

“Get the rowboats ready to head ashore! Continue firing to keep us covered from those archers!” He expected to hear the sounds of cannons again, or maybe the sound of people boarding the rowboats, but when he turned towards his crew, he saw faces flushed of all color. “That’s an order! Get-” His words escaped him as he too looked towards the shore, following the crew’s line of sight. Wading her way towards them, her body covered from the waist down, was the giantess. She had removed her gray dress and her purple robe, leaving her in her undergarments.

Every step pushed aside hundreds of gallons of water, and the ripples were felt on the ship despite the considerable distance between the opposing forces. Without a moment to lose, Driscoll got his wits together and called out a frenzy of orders. 

“Take her down! Fire all cannons on the giantess! Send her to the bottom of the ocean!” The crew eventually manned their stations again, but even in that little time the giantess had closed the distance enough to reach out and grab their ship, but she stopped before plowing through them. With the sun behind her, a shadow was cast over the ship, everyone pausing to look up at their giant foe. 

*

“Well, this is cute! I thought your ships would look bigger up close. Really, you’re small enough to fit my dolls at home. Maybe even smaller than that!” Sylvie put a finger to her bottom lip, quite amused at the situation. This might be easier than she originally thought. Her amused demeanor was cut short as a cannon was fired, and she felt a sharp pain as it punched her stomach. She staggered a bit, the cannonball having hit her stomach dead on, and she looked down to see a red mark left where it had struck her skin. 

“Ouch!” In retaliation, Sylvie swatted at the foremast, the beam cracking immediately upon impact, and she watched as it tumbled down onto the deck, the sail smothering many pirates and the ropes snapping and getting other pirates tangled in them. Despite this setback, they began firing more cannons, each one slamming into her with the force of a good punch. While it would never seriously injure her, she knew she’d feel sore afterwards. Moving quickly to the side, she put herself behind the ship and out of the line of fire, this time bending over to get a look at the captain. The tiny man looked at her and shouted obscenities as he tried to defy her with his presence, but Sylvie was having none of it. With a miniscule amount of effort, Sylvie pinched the man between her thumb and forefinger, his anger turning to dread as he was lifted towards her face. 

“Well, you’re their nasty leader, right? If I were my sister, I’d negotiate your surrender, but…well, I’m not her.” She smiled at him, then turned around and dropped him into the sea behind her. She then turned her attention back towards the ship and the rest of the crew who were just now removing themselves from the mess of the downed mast. Getting a new idea, Sylvie descended into the depths further until only her head was above the water. This put her at eye level with those on deck, and she circled around to the side once more, winking at them before submerging completely. Once she was underwater, she opened her eyes and looked up at the bottom of the ship, grinning as she pushed herself up, her arms stretched wide to match the length of the vessel as she pushed up. Her head emerged, air filling her lungs again as she forced the ship onto its side, the pure chaos growing on deck. Pirates tumbled over one another and over crates on the deck as they all fell into the ocean, one by one.

“Oops! Silly me. Didn’t see that ship above me! Hold on tight, if you’re still onboard!” She let go of her grip and stepped back, letting the ship right itself violently, sending those who had clung to the rails overboard as the ship rocked to and fro. She laughed, watching as the tiny men splashed about in the chilly waters, all trying to swim towards the other two ships or for land. For the moment, she let them be as she approached the battered ship once more. With one slam of her fist, she broke through the top deck, leaving a gaping hole; she then grabbed onto the deck and pulled it off entirely, tossing it into the ocean and exposing the mess inside. In one corner, she saw four crew members, all huddled together and trying to avoid their attacker. Snaking her hand in, she grabbed them all in one fistful, then tossed them into the ocean to join their friends. 

She did the same for the deck below that, and once she was sure it was empty of pirates, she once again submerged herself in the ocean. Once she was fully submerged, she pressed hard against the seafloor and then pushed off with all her might, exploding into the open air. She used the momentum to propel herself forward a bit, then let her body fall right onto the ship, splitting it in two upon impact. Wood and other debris flew out in all directions, much of it ripping through the sails of the neighboring ship. 

Happy with her work, Sylvie looked towards the remaining two ships, both full of pirates from their lead vessel. She wanted to give chase, perhaps maroon them here and let the people of Eris deal with them, but she knew this was more than enough to keep them away. With her mind made up, she turned around, pushing past the two halves of the once mighty Grimhorn, its two halves sinking to the bottom of the sea. 

*

During Sylvie’s fight, Roth had managed to make his way past every soldier in the city, only having a close call at the most when he neared his exit. Now, all that stood in his way was a lone guard who must have been ordered to stand guard in case the pirates made it to shore; despite his poor relationship with the giantess, Roth figured the battle would be over in no time. In another world, maybe she would’ve made a good ally, but he knew the two of them would never be able to work alongside each other. Their worlds were too far apart, and their pasts like night and day when compared. Not only was she larger than any house he’d ever lived in, she also had grown up as royalty, a type of people he’d learned to despise. Really, anyone in authority was someone Roth tended to despise; he was his own man, just as his father wanted him to be. No pirate lord, corrupt king, or bratty princesses would have any control over his life. 

Just as he prepared to step into the street to sneak up behind the guard, his ears picked up a commotion behind him. He turned his attention in that direction and beheld a sight he’d always wanted to see: King Radigan and his cohort were running from what looked to be a very angry crowd, and they were running in his direction. He pulled back into the shadows, but an idea suddenly struck his head. He waited, biding his time until he could clearly hear the huffing and puffing of the portly king, and then he struck. Stepping into the light, he held a foot right in the man’s path, and down he went, tripping over the leg that appeared out of nowhere. He fell flat on his face, and out of his robe came a fortune of gold and jewels, all of which he tried desperately to stuff in his pockets before the people descended on him. 

“Hey, hey! Everyone back off!” Roth pushed the ravenous crowd back, creating a barrier between them and Radigan. Nevil simply stood off to the side, his eyes downcast. “I know I’m not popular around here. My previous allegiance to the pirates is not something I’m proud of, but what I thought they stood for is something I still believe in.” He turned around and gestured at the dejected man at his feet. “Men like this have always kept a tight fist on Eris and its surrounding lands. Decades of famine and poverty have come because of their greed! Could you blame a young man, whose family was lost to starvation, for wanting revenge? Look at him! Running off with our riches when a true threat arrives.”

“That’s right! I bet he has loads more in his tower!” A woman cried out.

“We should hang him!” A man suggested, and many began to shout their approval.” Apparently, this was enough for Radigan, and the man got on his feet quicker than anyone would have expected. 

“Enough! You’re all so pathetic! Greedy?! When a man protects you all from bloodthirsty pirates, or rampaging giant princesses, you all just want more! Listen to you all, ready to raid a man’s home to rob him of his well-earned coins!”

“That giantess saved us! You’ve ignored them until now!” Someone in the crowd interjected. 

“Ha! You truly believe she has your best interests at heart! Once she’s done eating the pirates, she’ll either come here to have you all for dessert, or better yet, rule over you all with an iron fist! I’m being sensible, taking what I’ve earned and going to a safer place!” With that, he turned on his heel and tried running off…only to run face first into the booted foot of a wet and angry giantess.

With the ships down, Sylvie had tried to dry herself off as best she could before she pulled her clothes back on; she began to shiver a little as the cold air nipped at her, the adrenaline from the fight ebbing away. This cold didn’t last long though as she was soon fuming as she carried Radigan away from Eris so she could deal with him. Her face was red with anger after hearing him not only talk down about her, but right in the faces of the people he was supposed to lead. She didn’t even register Roth standing over him as she simply bent down, pinched the tiny man between her fingers, and stormed off as the people cheered. The further she got from Eris though, the more she began to question just what she would do. Her initial anger was starting to fade, but she knew he deserved immense punishment for his exploitation of the people of Eris. 

She stopped once she had entered the forest again, content with a small alcove bordering a pond which would barely be ankle deep to her. Sitting herself down, she opened her palm to reveal the portly king, his body curled in the fetal position with his back facing her. 

“Stand up and face me,” she commanded, her voice stern and dripping with rage. She felt Radigan shiver and struggle to stand, his legs weak as he looked her in the eyes. 

“P-p-p-p-please! S-s-s-pare me!”

“Quiet! You deserve everything coming your way, and perhaps more. You are a sad excuse for royalty. ‘King’. You’re no better than those pirates!” Her voice echoed through the forest, and its volume caused Radigan to drop down again, his hands raised in front of his face. 

“No! I-I-”

“You what? You just wanted to make a living? Get rich quick? Did you ever once think of the people who starved to death under your watch, or were you too busy counting your coins?” Sylvie tipped her open palm to the side, causing Radigan’s world to shift, and he went into a freefall; he screamed the whole way down until he landed in her soft lap, rolling a bit before he ended near her knee. With much effort, he stood again, bracing himself against her thigh, but Sylvie was just getting started. She swept her hand across her dress, knocking him off and into the snow, his body now flat on the ground at her feet. This dazed him a bit as it took him much longer to stand, and she chuckled when he tried to run away. 

“You’re really running? Not very smart, are you?” She let him have his fun though as she slowly removed her boots, leaving her in stockings, which she then removed as well. This gave him enough time to reach the edge of the forest, a distance she crossed by sitting forward and reaching out for him with her arm. She caught him easily, once again imprisoning him in her fist. She settled herself once more in a crosslegged position before she opened her hand, revealing Radigan’s white-faced terror as he looked up at the face of his tormentor. 

“Mercy! Mercy!”

“Mercy?! How much mercy have you ever shown anyone in your life? Precious little, it seems! Instead, you tread on those you view as your lessers. I believe you need to feel what that’s like.” With that, Sylvie grabbed her stocking and dropped Radigan into it, his pleas and cries lost on the walls of the fabric. With the man inside, Sylvie slipped her stocking on, his body pressed between the wall of fabric behind him and the wall of flesh in front of him. Making sure he could breathe, Sylvie then put her boots back on and stood back to her full height, taking care not to put too much pressure on her prisoner; she was not an executioner, but she certainly wanted justice served. 

“Alright, ‘king’. Let’s take a walk.”   

*

The sight of a 160-foot-tall young adult snatching a fully grown man and walking away with him was enough to scare half the crowd away; the other half simply backed away, still wanting to see what she might do to their former king. When they realized she was leaving with him to do whatever she pleased, most of the townsfolk left the gate to storm the tower for Radigan’s riches. Nevil, during all the commotion, slipped out of the city while Roth and the guards were staring at Sylvie. 

Roth was the only one who wasn’t caught off guard by her sudden appearance and rough tactics with Radigan; he’d been with her long enough to know Radigan would be back in time, but he did not envy the man whatsoever. In the meantime, he figured it was time to set off, if that was still his plan. Was it anymore? With Radigan gone, he wondered who would take over as king, if anyone; he also didn’t see any soldiers rushing to put him in prison again. With all this considered, Roth made his way towards the center of the city where crowds had gathered at the base of the tower. A man, roughly in his 50’s with a head of gray hair and a thick mustache, stood on the steps, elevated above the rest of the townsfolk as he began to address them. 

“As the commander of the guard, I, Abel Abernathy, will become the temporary king until we decide where leadership will go here.” A few in the crowd shouted their disapproval, but he silenced them. “Listen here, no one else has the experience I have with leadership. We must take great care as we move into a new era for our city. If you can trust in me until then, I will be incredibly grateful. For now, I will let the master treasurer handle Radigan’s gold.” With that, a shorter man of the same age began reading off names from a list he held in one hand, and in the other he was holding one of the many bags of gold that had been fished from the tower. Roth shook his head, not pleased with Abernathy as leader, but just as he decided to leave, the commander spotted him. 

“You!” Roth came to his senses and spun on his heel to leave, but two guards managed to catch him, one holding each arm, and they spun him around to face Commander Abernathy. “Well, well. If it isn’t Rotham. Looks like you had a short prison sentence.”

“It got boring. Ever thought of adding a game or two in there?” Abernathy shook his head, a slight smirk on his face.

“You haven’t changed a bit. I have half a mind to throw you back in, but seeing as you helped capture Radigan, I think we’re even. In fact, I might have a use for you.”

“Most of the men who say that to me end up as my enemies.”

“Save it.” He directed his attention to the guards. “Bring him to my quarters. And assemble my lieutenants.”

*

Sylvie had walked for all of five minutes before tears began falling down her cheeks, and she sat down again on a hill overlooking Eris. She still felt slight movements in her stocking, reminding her of the prisoner within, but this only made her feel worse. 

“Come on. Pull it together. You’ve done this before.” Despite her attempt at a pep talk, Sylvie felt miserable inside. Not so long ago, she used to enjoy treating people like this when they deserved it; she had been rough during her trip with Valdan, at the battle of Elgon, and even with pirates she had faced before she met Roth. She had always been confrontational, and she always enjoyed using her size to her advantage, but this time made her feel empty inside. This felt like it was stepping over some line she had drawn in her head. Breaking apart the ship was one thing, but the look of terror on Radigan’s face, as if he truly expected a torturous experience with her, had killed any enjoyment she had. The man didn’t try to fight her, he didn’t argue with her, and he didn’t sulk like Roth would have; Radigan simply cowered and ran when he had the chance. Was she truly the monster he was claiming she was? Was she just a big brute who enjoyed exerting her size whenever possible? 

“No. No, I’m better than him! I am!” She slammed her fist into the snow, also managing to leave a bit of a crater in the dirt below. Radigan wasn’t right about her, and neither was Roth. This was justifiable; Radigan had exploited people to the point where they starved to death. Surely, a few minutes in her stockings was proper punishment. Instead, she felt like she was just as much a bully as he was. What would Belena have done? What would her mother have done if she were here? 

“Oh Sylvie, you must be careful with the little people! Many of them make us out to be monsters. We have to be better than that.” She quoted her mother, trying to change her voice to match hers. Doing so made her tears flow again. The purpose of her journey was only partially to satiate her need for adventure; she really knew it was just to get away from home. Every inch of the castle reminded her of Valerie. While Belena had definitely taken it the hardest, Sylvie felt like it was affecting her longer than it was with everyone else. Not a day went by where she didn’t feel guilty about how she acted as a child and even as a teenager. She’d truly given her parents the hardest time, more so than her siblings. 

“What would Mom do…” she said this to herself as she removed her boot, and soon after her stocking. Out rolled Radigan, his body overheated, and it looked like all the fight was out of him. He simply lay in her palm, his eyes staring off into space. She stood, palm remaining open as she somberly walked back to Eris. 

*

Roth sat in a chair before a round table with four men and one woman positioned around it, all of them men whom Roth was not a fan of. Across from him sat Commander Abernathy, and to his left was Lieutenant Dane. To the left of Dane, Lieutenant Odom, and to the right of Roth sat Bard and his twin sister Giselle. All of them beheld a map of the island the pirates inhabited, a good three days away by sea. 

“I’ve gathered you all here to discuss the threat of Soren. While the defeat of the Grimhorn was a veritable success, Soren will surely send more ships that even our giant protector cannot stop. We must take an offensive, and with an entire flagship gone, this is our time.”

“We only have three ships at hand, and none of them near the size of theirs. We’d be demolished!” argued Bard. His sister nodded, her face still as she kept her eyes on the map. 

“Yes, but we have the princess! She took cannonballs to the stomach and shrugged it off like it was an insect bite. Let her be our advance guard, and we can sweep up the rest of them. Soren will either give up or die fighting.” At this, Roth interjected.

“No. Soren is smart enough to counter her too. She can only take so much, even if she is huge. He wouldn’t be on the front lines anyways. His castle is too safe a haven to leave. It’s practically impenetrable, even for a giantess. We need to lure him out.”

“I’m sure he would know. He’s probably aiming to lead us into a trap. I like your plan, Commander,” Dane said. Roth scowled at the man; Dane had always been a yes man for Abernathy, either out of genuine agreement or because he wanted to take his place one day. 

“Perhaps. I’m willing to trust him though, as should you all. It was not long since he was our friend, and despite his mistakes I believe he could be a strong ally for us now. No one else has the knowledge he does of their fortress. Tell us your ideas, Roth.” Roth nodded, glad to have some mercy thrown his way. 

“Right. Soren might be a monster but he is a monster with honor. He has his own moral code, twisted as it is. I say we challenge his pirate army. A duel. If he, or his best fighter, loses then he must step down and leave these lands.”

“And if we lose?” Odom asked. 

“Eris is his for the taking.” No one responded, all of them knowing the risk they would be taking.

“I admit, it’s not the best tactic we have, but nothing else seems feasible. We can’t sneak in, we can’t win with brute force, and waiting here will get people killed.” With that, Abernathy nodded. 

“Well, I believe he’s right. All for this plan?” Dane raised his hand, as well as Odom and Roth. Abernathy raised an eyebrow as he looked at the twins, but eventually they joined in. “Now. Who will be our fighter?” As if on cue, everyone at the table felt slight tremors shake the house, and Roth knew just what that meant.

*

Sylvie once again walked the streets of Eris, her path clear as the only people outside fled at the sight of her. This only worked to deepen her regret at how she treated Radigan, and she moved a bit quicker so she could find whoever was in charge. Before she made it to the town’s center, she spotted Roth and a small company of important looking people exit a building to her right. Stopping in her tracks, she squatted before them, doing her best to look a little less intimidating; this, of course, wasn’t much of an improvement, but at least she was putting the effort in. 

“Here’s your former king. Do with him as you see fit.” Sylvie laid her palm down and tilted it up, letting the now unconscious Radigan roll onto the stone pathway. Everyone but Roth looked shocked, and one man spoke up. 

“My word…is he dead?”

“Just asleep. I imagine he’ll never dream of hurting others again.” She gave a fake grin, putting on a show of confidence, and all but Roth seemed to buy it. 

“Right. We are grateful, your majesty. As it would happen, we may need your help again. I’m sure Roth can explain it to you. We all have preparations to make.” The man who seemed to be in charge bowed to her, as did the others with him, and then they left her and Roth alone. The two simply stared at each other for a moment, neither wanting to speak. After a while, Roth ended up being the one to break the silence.

“Nice work with the Grimhorn. I never thought I’d see her break apart like that.”

“Wasn’t much. Nice work stopping Radigan.”

“I’m sure you would have caught him anyway.” She nodded in agreement, then there was more silence. “Should we talk somewhere else? People are watching.” Sylvie nodded, setting her hand down. To her surprise, Roth climbed on, taking a seat on her open palm. 

“Putting aside some pride?”

“Huh? No, I’m just tired of walking.” This made her giggle, and the two left Eris to find a more secluded spot to catch up at.        

“Roth, how big can this fortress be if you don’t think I can do it alone?” Sylvie had heard her small companion out, but the more he explained the more she felt like he was underestimating her abilities. She’d fought trolls, entire armies of men, and a whole fleet of pirate ships without being in much danger at all. She highly doubted a fortress of tiny men would be of any danger to her. The young man was pacing back and forth on her palm as she sat on a large boulder only a few miles from Eris.

“Don’t underestimate Soren. You fought three ships at once. That’s definitely impressive, but he has an armada. At least a dozen more ships and an island full of pirates to fill them. Even if you could take them all on at once, you would have to make it past the cannons he has along every wall of the fortress.”

“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. This duel just sounds like a waste of time. I don’t want to play his games.” She imagined how Belena might respond to someone suggesting they do something similar with Argo. Belena definitely would not have stooped to his level; she surely would have come up with something else, a way only giants knew. Sylvie also imagined her mother would be as cunning and brave too, able to find a way no one else saw rather than take a cowardly route. No, this was her chance to prove her strength and live up to her mother and older sister. 

“Trust me, this is the best way to do things. Gosh, you’re just so stubborn! I thought you’d see sense in this. Everyone else does!”

“I’m not everyone else, Roth! None of you know what it’s like to be a giant. I’ll help all of you, but I think we should do it my way.” Roth buried his head in his hands, then pulled them away and threw them up in defeat.
“Alright, princess, we’ll just rush in and do it your way. Don’t put your trust in any of my plans, that would be the worst idea, right?!” Sylvie’s face fell as he seemed to have hit his limit.  

“Roth-”

“No, just…just put me down Sylvie. We will fight the pirates and go our separate ways…if you survive.” She wanted to say more. A lot more. She wanted to throw him across the field too for how ignorant and rude he could be. She also wanted to make amends with him, maybe start over on their companionship. It seemed like perhaps the two were doomed though, as either she was as stubborn as he claimed, or Roth was simply too lost to be reasoned with. 

She respected his request, letting him down, and he did not hesitate to hop off and begin his trek back to Eris. For a moment, she wanted to offer a ride back, but she knew he would just ignore her. No, she was not the stubborn one in this pairing. She knew exactly what she was doing, but Roth just couldn’t see her wisdom. It’s not as if he had grown up in royalty and seen the dangers she had. Roth had not defended a city from an invading army with ease, nor had he stopped multiple pirate raids without breaking a sweat. Sylvie would finish this quest on a high note and return to Vandan with all kinds of stories for Belena, and perhaps even Valdan if his travels took him back home. 

She sat there, pondering these things as she watched Roth fade into the distance, and she only began her journey back once she figured he had made it himself. 

*

Eris was abuzz with commotion once Sylvie arrived, the entire town preparing for this assault. Not wanting to disturb their work, the princess simply sat outside the city and watched them work, the wall not even close to blocking her view. 

In the town’s center, Commander Abernathy and Lieutenant Dane were assigning tasks to any able-bodied man or woman who wasn’t already busy. Some were tasked with preparing food for the voyage, baking bread and collection donations from anyone willing to give. Some took to smithing, sharpening swords or strengthening pieces of armor to give the small army a chance against the pirate horde. Some still were tasked with reinforcing the hulls on the trio of ships that would set out at dawn, though many knew this would not help in the long run as the pirate ships were simply too strong for any of their own. Lieutenant Odom, meanwhile, oversaw the men and women who were training for battle, either at the archery range or practicing some sword fighting. Bard and Giselle were a part of that training, offering duels to anyone who could hope to match them. 

Despite all the commotion, Sylvie could still easily spot Roth; he seemed to be sulking off on his own, and the commander didn’t seem to mind at all. Sylvie would have put him to work, but she didn’t want to do the commander’s job for him. At one point, the two of them made eye contact, but Roth quickly broke it off and ran off to an area where she couldn’t see him anymore. 

As time passed, Sylvie decided she too would prepare for battle; not that she needed to train herself at all, but she was getting bored watching everyone work and wanted to fill her time with something productive. Stepping away from the wall, she drew the dagger she kept strapped to her leg, the blade untouched so far on the journey, and she figured it would never see battle; she knew she wouldn’t need a weapon to fight the pirates, as she was a weapon herself. It had still been a while since she had practiced with it, so she began to do just that, swinging the blade through the air; it was so sharp, having been refined before she left, that as it cut through the air she could hear a whistle. 

She moved with finesse and grace, her years of practice evident as she danced with it. For the people of Eris who watched from afar, it was not merely an impressive display, but a godlike one; the giantess, who was a force of nature alone, swung a blade that stood larger than most of their houses. Any doubt left in their minds on the outcome of the battle was washed away as a crowd formed to admire her. 

Sylvie danced with her blade without ever noticing the crowd, her mind fully on what she had learned from her mother and father. Her mind recalled the lessons they would give her, and doing so brought an anger from deep inside her that caused her practice to become quicker, more fierce and with far less grace. Memories of her mother flashed in her mind as she skipped across the snowy terrain, her blade thrusting forwards, then being pulled back, as if she had just stabbed the giant who had killed Valerie. She could feel the terror and pain that washed over her when the news was delivered by Alban; her blade once again hissed through the air, her ferocity making some of her admirers back away from the rest of the crowd who stood outside the city gates. As she had an image of the statue that commemorated her mother flash through her mind, she lost her control entirely and tossed the dagger, the gigantic weapon becoming lodged in the ground so deep no human effort could have ever pulled it out. 

Seeing the weapon stuck in the ground caused her to come to her senses, and she took a few deep breaths, her heart rate dropping as she felt the sudden anger dissipate. Turning her head, she finally saw the crowd who had gathered at the city gates, and she blushed, knowing they had seen her display of rage. Ignoring the feeling of shame, she easily retrieved her dagger, the hole left wide enough for a man to slide into without much trouble. She sheathed it again, then decided to go for a walk, and the crowd soon lost her over the horizon. 

*

An hour before dawn, Sylvie stalked back towards the city; the giantess had taken a nap far from the city, glad to have some peace and quiet before the storm that was to come. She was not the only person on the move though as she spotted several people bustling around in the darkness, already making last minute preparations. She took a seat near the docks, the cool wind of the early morning making her face numb. Despite the warmth her body generated, her face always seemed to suffer the worst of it; she hadn’t planned well enough for that, and she made a mental note to bring something the next time she decided to traipse through snow covered lands. 

Inside the city, Roth sat on his bed, his mind racing with thoughts of his old life, the freedom he was so close to, and the giantess he had become attached to in an odd way. He despised her, and that was warranted on his part; she was a stubborn girl, and her size gave her a superiority complex in his eyes. Despite this, he also felt connected to her in an impossible way; somehow, he knew the two of them were not done with each other just yet. He heard the door shut outside of his room, and he figured the last of the commanders had left; Roth had been made one of the many commanders for the journey, and they had all been put into the tower of the former king. Not wanting to linger on the bed, he decided to get moving as well. 

Once the sun finally peeked over the horizon, the ships had been fully boarded and a barge was tied to all three ships that would tug Sylvie along. To get things moving, the giant princess got waist deep in the sea and pushed the ships along; once they were moving fast enough, she boarded the barge. The ships all slowed a bit, and the barge creaked under her impossible weight, but to the amazement of all there the journey carried on. 

Sylvie sighed, glad to know that she wouldn’t have to swim along with the ships for their journey. They had told her it would be nearly a day of sailing before they would arrive close to nightfall. Their only hope was that Soren had not already launched his armada; meeting an army of pirates on the open sea would mean certain death for the crew. With a long trip ahead of them, Sylvie rested her eyes once more as she listened to the waves crash against both barge and ship. 

Onboard the capital ship, Roth had taken a place behind the wheel, and he leaned over the railing to watch the sleeping giantess. How fortunate and unfortunate that he had run into her; she had become his savior and captor all at once. She had freed him from the corrupt king, and if the plan worked, he would be free of Soren as well. Perhaps he could try things with her again? If all went well, perhaps he would have to drop his own pride and accept this odd, new friend. He surmised that he had ruined that though, and he felt content to simply watch from afar as she worked her miracles. Had he blown an opportunity to befriend a giant protector like her, or was he right to avoid her? These were thoughts which kept him busy for most of the trip, and soon he retired to his hammock on the deck below as they reached the halfway point. 

*

Sylvie found rest as well, and she soon woke in a field, but it was no ordinary field. Unlike the snowy tundra around Eris, Sylvie was lying in a green pasture that was dotted with plenty of flowers. The sun shone down on her as she lay there, and in the distance she heard birds chirping and fluttering about in the forest that she realized was there. She then turned her attention to her body as she saw an entirely different set of clothes; gone were the wintry garments he had been wearing along with the boots and here to stay was a beautiful, yellow dress with white shoes to complement them. She sat up, admiring her surroundings and her new clothing, but what she saw next filled her with joy she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

There, resting under a tree with a book in her hands was Valerie, beautiful as ever. She wore a red dress, and she had discarded her shoes so she could enjoy the touch of grass as she rested. Sylvie spared no time in hopping up and running to her, her arms spread wide as she prepared to embrace her once dead mother. To her shock, Valerie looked up and then disappeared, a blue ball of pure light replacing her. Sylvie stopped, on the verge of tears as she felt loss all over again, but also felt awe and wonder as she stared at the ball.                

It moved, darting around the tree, and she gave chase as it weaved through the dense forest. After a minute of running, her legs began to tire, but she pressed on, intent on discovering just what the thing was. The ball finally rested at a door, and she didn’t truly register why a door was sitting in the middle of a forest with no wall attached to it. Instead, she threw it open as the ball flew right through the wood, as if it were some apparition rather than a physical object. 

Sylvie walked through the door and into a gigantic room. She felt incredibly small in this room as she saw a bed similar to her own miles away from her, only it was made for someone thousands of times larger than Sylvie. No other furnishing took up the space, but to her astonishment someone sat on the bed. She crept along the floor carefully, but whoever was up there had good ears, because the figure stood and found Sylvie immediately. When the two locked eyes, Sylvie was shocked to see that this titanness was her, only older and with darkened eyes that were as black as a starless, night sky. 

Fear struck her as the bigger Sylvie reached for her, and she was useless to resist as the being pinched her between thumb and forefinger, then dropped her into a waiting palm that felt larger than the castle of Vandan itself. The hand came towards the face of the bigger Sylvie, and when she spoke it nearly broke the smaller Sylvie’s hearing. 

“She’s gone! She’s gone! How can you continue living with her gone?!” She couldn’t reply, knowing that the larger Sylvie was speaking about Valerie. How could she have moved on so fast? Why was she not devastated over the loss of her mother? Why did she abandon her family to run off on an adventure to ignore her grief and depression? These felt like her inner thoughts and words that the larger Sylvie spoke, which made her feel like curling up into a ball to die. 

No. She refused to do that. She was a fighter like her mother, and she wasn’t about to shy away from a fight, no matter how impossible the odds looked. With all her might, Sylvie stood up, fighting against the screaming accusations, and she looked the larger Sylvie in the eye, defiant. 

“Enough!!! Mom taught me to be strong! I honor her death with my life!” With that declaration, Sylvie felt herself growing. More than a speck on the titan’s palm, Sylvie was now visible to the naked eye. In an attempt to stop her, the larger Sylvie tried to swallow her, but the smaller Sylvie resisted. “You won’t consume me! Not again!” She jumped up in size, now too large to fit in her mouth, and soon she fell down the slope of her body until she landed in her lap. A hand came down to crush her, but Sylvie held it up, her size increasing faster than ever, and soon Sylvie found herself lying on top of the once gigantic woman. 

Before she could get any larger though, this evil version of herself expanded tenfold, and soon Sylvie saw the room crumble around them and she stood in the giant palm again, overcome by her opponent. Before she could give in to this impossible enemy, an open door appeared before her, and a figure stood silhouetted by the light behind it. It reached a hand out for her, and she took it before the giant fist closed around the miniscule woman. 

*

Roth was on his own journey too, unaware of what terrors Sylvie had seen. Roth woke up in his old family home, and he heard voices outside of his bedroom. He was thoroughly confused, but he also felt excited, knowing just what was outside his door. Upon opening it, his excitement paid off as his eyes fell on his parents, who both smiled at him.

“Good morning, Roth! Finally joining us?”

“Mom? How…how are you here?”

“What do you mean, dear?” She cocked her head, an eyebrow raised. Roth struggled to come up with the words he wanted to say.

“Son, I think you slept too long. You’re up just in time though. Our visitor has arrived?”
“Visitor? What visitor, dad?” As if the world was responding to him, a foot the size of a house kicked through the front wall, and his parents were buried in rubble. Miraculously, Roth was untouched, but his breathing became shallow and rapid as he watched his parents die before his very eyes. In their place was the foot of a giant. No, a giantess, and Roth only knew of one.
“Roth, you silly boy. Your life is mine, not theirs! You’re my toy, my little captive!” Roth’s blood started to boil, and he rushed at her boot, his sword drawn and slicing at her with vicious rage. Of course, the blade did nothing to the thick leather of her boot, and she simply kicked him over; now pinned down, Roth felt entirely helpless as Sylvie leaned over to peer at the man under her boot. “You fight and fight, yet get nowhere. How can you possibly compare to me? How could you ever be a friend to me? That’s what you want isn’t it?” Roth spit on her boot, desperate to defy her. She chuckled, more amused than anything. 

All of a sudden, the ground thundered even more as another giantess stood behind her, this one taller than Sylvie. “We are royalty, Roth. My sister and I are so far above this world that it isn’t even fair to compare the two of us. You are simply…a toy to be entertained by for the queens of the world.” The other giantess, whoever Sylvie’s sister was, laughed with her, and Roth tried to scream at them, but his voice was gone. His willpower had vanished. 

He laid there, defeated, until he saw something peculiar. It was a door, standing in the middle of all the rubble left behind by his house. It was entirely intact, though he was sure she had kicked it in with her first attack. Somehow, he knew he needed to enter it, even though it obviously led to the house standing ruined behind it. With all his might, he managed to wiggle out from under her, and as soon as his hand touched the knob, the two giants faded away. 

Still in flight or fight mode, Roth threw the door open, and to his surprise he saw Sylvie again, only this time she was his size. She was on an odd surface, but she was clearly in some sort of peril as she was on her knees and in a state of utter fear. She glanced at him though, her eyes red with tears, and he reached a hand out for her. As soon as she grabbed it, the world went dark.