Cold, it was freezing cold. The dark wilderness of the Ranate kingdom sent shivers down my spine. It was chock full of horrifying beasts, undead creatures and beings far larger than any from my hometown. Despite being early in the morning, it was still quite dark out here. 

This was no place for a mere human to cross, let alone flee towards. Yet here I was, overconfident former squire, Leon vi Baster in this unholy land. It was a long journey to exit the kingdom of Vascar, now overrun by corruption. In essence what happened was that the nobles kept increasing their wealth, running through and flexing their assets repeatedly on us peasants. They exploited, starved, and enslaved many of us. Forcing us to be under their foot, under their rule to their every whim.

Due to this my friends and I had swiftly fled the scene to the kingdom to the south, however on our poorly executed escape they were captured and thrown in prison for ‘plotting against their lordship’. Only I got out of the ordeal… Not through skill or luck though, well technically I guess you could label it luck. See, I was born a part of a low end knightly family. A lineage of lower end nobles, people ever so successful of becoming the fine soldiers of Vascar. As within the branch family, I however had no real weight behind my name. I was basically a mere peasant, a rustic citizen only beginning to learn the way of the sword and masked with a title of power. Only noble in name. Someone with no backing, only bark with no bite.  In essence being the perfect example to oust.

 They had hoisted me in the middle of a crowd after separating myself from my friends and exiled me in shame, in front of all to see. For all to infer that any hope of going against the king would be met with punishment. As for my initial reaction though? Mixed joy, I thought freedom was going to be within my grasp even if it wasn’t quite how I envisioned gaining it. In reality though, a harsh no had been echoed.  The next words that escaped the mouth of the earl proclaiming my fate were,

“Exiled to the kingdom west of our own, the accursed land of demonic beasts and mighty gigantic powerful fiends, that is your sentence, your life as an exile shall be there.” 

There was a harrowing silence, a sense of unrivalled dread. I’m sure my facial expression must have shown a complete turn for the worst at this point. My friends would never be seen again, my connections, family and home would too. All lost, and to what was it lost to… The greed of a few incompetent idiots? I could see the noblemen who proclaimed my sentence snickering away from my reaction. All my anger, my fury quickly transformed to sorrow, into finally acceptance in a matter of minutes. I knew by that point there was nothing I could do. And from now on too, the people of Vascar knew not to either. I was tied up, carried by horse and cart and appointed to meet the princess' envoy near the border of Ranate, where I would be taken away forever…

With that over, here we are at the present.

Earlier I was thrown out of the horse and cart, but my hands were still tied. I was being forced to walk forward, behind me lay two poorly dressed soldiers using poorly made spears to drive me forward until we crossed the border. They were still quite a ways behind me, about 6 metres away? Their spears were sharp and long, but not quite that distance however. 

Well whatever, It was pointless to run. My body is in no shape to do so.

Scars, bruises and blood stains lay everywhere. Particularly at my face and feet. Of course they had made sure to torture me. To really drive home the idea that attempting to escape from Vascar wasn’t something to copy.

I looked pathetic, and I was no fool, I knew that image wasn’t going to disappear when we meet the princess' envoy. Just what had they in store for me?

“Almost there runt, we should have crossed the border by now. She should be in the eyeshot of us now.” remarked the guard in front.

Guess it didn’t help that we were in a forest which would-

*Thump* 

*Thump*

“What-what was that?” 

The second guard questioned in angst, only for the thumps to get louder. They already pierced our ears enough, sending vibrations through our entire bodies. But each passing second they managed to get stronger, which I wasn’t prepared for.

In the upcoming flashes of seconds that drifted by, the faint light that lit up the forest darted away into nothingness. Instead, replaced by darkness. As if nightfall had struck early. It urged both I and the guards to pick up the pace, our strides turned into light jogs as we finally could see light again in the distance, it marked the exit. Finally, we’re out of the forest. 

Only to then meet an enormous figure.

“Greetings, people of Vascar.” A voice bellowed. “ I am the primary escort of her Majesty. I am here to collect our human, as we agreed upon.”

She-she’s huge. Like massive. Actually that doesn’t even begin to talk about her size. She easily could probably even dwarf over our pathetic castle. She’s gigantic.

I knew from folklore and other tales that the primary people of Ranate, the Giantess, were a group of titanic women. Standing over 60 metres (around 200ft) in height, well and truly capable of towering over anything in the nearby plains, here one stood in front of me.  But putting this size into perspective? It was far beyond what I could ever imagine. As I emerged from the woods, she locked her eyes onto me, her target.

“It seems our package has arrived in one piece, the grass you humans travelled through has often proved rather dangerous for your kind. It seems the simple bugs and such weren’t too much a hassle this time around.”

The guards lay silent, it was their first time seeing such a being. Seeing a person who could simply crush them underfoot like bugs. Their fear overtook them, and forced them to be quiet, not allowing for a single word to be uttered. Typical of us Vascar soldiers, merely appointed into work through lineage not merit. I scowled at them, overly dramatizing my actions before standing before the giantess in question.

“I-I am Leon Baster, the man being exiled. Pleased to be of your acquaintance.” I nervously announced, hoping to start off friendly. In a new land, with new people I needed to make allies as fast as possible and then devise a plan to escape. I wanted nothing to do with this hell-scape of a country where there were giant bugs, titanic people and extremely powerful magical arts.

“So the human’s name is Leon… Baster. What a unique name. I’ve been instructed to take you back to our royal castle where you will meet her Majesty, princess Ana. The guards of Vascar may leave now.”

“W-wait we aren’t done with torturing Leon-” Interjected one of the guards.

It was an unexpected turn of events, I was sure they would be too terrified to talk back to the giantess in question at all. Their proclamation was met with disgust from the princess' envoy, as if she was staring at a fly that repeatedly was annoying her. 

“Quite frankly, what you say or need doesn’t matter as of now. Our business is done. Finished. Any more intervention will be met and treated as a hostile act. Choose your next actions carefully now.” she warned, the decibels of noise from her voice increased the longer she spoke, making her sound more threatening. Even for me, who was out of the entire dispute, I was terrified. 

“Y-Yes, your grace,” The guards dashed off, back to the east where Vascar was. Slowly disappearing into the ambience of wildlife greenery.

“Now as for you, Leon. The details of your job will be discussed with the princess. I’ll be carrying you back in my palm now, it won’t be a long journey.”

Job?

Set into confusion, I wondered what the envoy meant by Job? I was an exile, I wasn’t here to fulfil a job but simply punished to be here.  Before I could finish my thought process, the Envoy’s voice beckoned through my skull as she picked me up and began walking towards Ranate. Silence was in the air for what felt like 5-10 minutes before the envoy finally began speaking.

“Now listen carefully, This is Ranate, kingdom of the giants. Meaning here there are, giant people, humongous insects, towering beasts and horrific sights for a tiny being such as you. Speaking of which, human men such as you are in great demand here.”

“Men? Why?! Speaking of which, I've never heard of a male giant… Do none get born here?”

“Correct, for our reproduction systems, only giantesses are born. There are no men at all. The only supply of men we have are the ones we have for livestock and the ones we import… Such as you.”

“L-Livestock!”

Suddenly a bombshell of information was thrown at me, the giantess of this country ate people my size. They even house them in Livestock farms! Oh how mortifying! How horrible! I need to get out of here ASAP!

“You're special, due to your position. So you’ll get to have an especially fun time…” she snickered, for the first time dropping the formal act.

“Wait, explain what do you mean-” I quickly pleaded for answers, however as I realised we were steadily approaching the kingdom itself. My answers got cut off.

“And we’re here! This is the actual kingdom itself, overthere is the castle.” She interrupted, refusing to elaborate further on whatever she was talking about earlier. Instead she pointed her finger forward, 45 degrees and there lay a huge castle there.  I couldn’t help but notice but to people of her size, this castle was quite similar to the one at Vascar, minus some design choices. It just seemed massive to me.

It had a brick like exterior, giving off a lofty and well fortified feel. Something solid and sturdy. It was grey and simple, yet gave off a noble aura through its intricate design. One of luxury, of wealth and integrity. In that sense it was quite different in how it felt to Vascar’s castle.

As we walked closer, we entered the more populated regions of town. There were giant Women everywhere, in every street, every road or house. All about 60 metres tall, comparable to the Envoy who carried me as we walked. Most noticeably was the dressing style here being well covered, as in to minimise showing off skin, perhaps due to the cold nature in this kingdom? 

As we walked away from the edges of town and inward toward the castle, the suburbs became more extravagant, more imperial. Grand was the word I would use personally. The term royal-like became more fitting the more closer we got to the castle.

“Oh my! It’s the envoy Miranda over there!”

“Has she finished another mission for her majesty?”

“I’m a huge fan of you, Miranda, please answer our questions on what it’s like to work for the princess!”

As we walked past the more exquisite areas of the kingdom, right before the castle it seemed a wave of giant women recognised the Envoy, roaring at her with praise or questions in excitement. Who now seemingly called her ‘Miranda’, probably her real name. They seemed to be ‘fangirling’ her like a local legend. What’s the story there? I guess I would never know.

I was left to ponder in the realm of my own mind as we approached the castle, ‘Miranda’ over here had simply ignored any mention of herself from any stray passerby. She maintained the same brisk pace in silence. I thought about disrupting her to get more information of what exactly was going to happen to me. Was I a dish for the princess? They did mention livestock earlier! Oh no…

Slightly petrified by my own imagination, I was left speechless and left to wait in silent horror. All that I could do was leave prayers that I would be safe, It's not like I did anything to deserve this. At least I’d hope I hadn't. Nothing quite came into mind for anything warranting such a large capital punishment, not from Ranate at least.  When I snapped out my own self imposed fear, we were already at the throne room. I was left confused as to how fast the time had been spent from Miranda entering the castle and us getting here so quickly.

The envoy, Miranda slowly opened up the door. Allowing me to bask in the grandiose nature of the luxurious room in front of me. It was long lengthwise, at least from my angle, in a rectangular shape. There was a slight incline at the back with steps going upward to the throne itself. Fancy dark red carpet and lines of a golden yellow were plastered across the ground. Windows lay behind the throne allowing for a dawning light to shine through. It all painted a sense of authority, of power, to whomever was seated atop the royal throne. That person being the alleged princess Ana I’d heard about.

Sitting, upright with good posture, with long brown luscious hair that ran down her arms to where her exquisite dark violet dress was. A deep shade of colour, fine pigments surely used in its making. It stuck tightly to her body, showcasing her figure. She was taller than even Miranda, or most Giantesses for that matter. Only by a little bit, but to someone my size it was far more noticeable. Maybe 65 metres? Perhaps a little more? She sat, with one of her legs crossed atop the other. Providing a rather imposing figure, off to her feet which were clad in thick heel type footwear. Her more finer details were difficult to see though with the harsh light shining.

“Your majesty, I’ve arrived with the packaged noble human, as promised from Vascar.” Miranda knelt and spoke, with great respect and an authoritative tone. She hoisted me up on her palm from this position as she raised her palm, as if to present me to the princess. 

“Hmm, so you are Squire Leon.” She spoke calmly, yet a brief moment of silence came about as she seemingly directed her gaze on top of my figure. “How I've anxiously awaited our meeting.” She licked her lips, sending a sense of dread to my legs. Hell, they almost gave out from her simple gesture. She seemed to zero in on me, her eyes full of lust at looking at her new toy.

“Y-your majesty. I’m but a humble squire. I, Leon, am pleased to make your acquaintance but to what do I owe this pleasure?” I cautiously questioned. Yes, I was exiled to this land. Yet, I had no idea till Miranda picked me up that I was going to meet the princess! For what reason? Why? I was extremely curious to know. The reason could affect my entire life. Was I simply doomed to end up as a meal?

“Oh, please. Leave the formalities. I suppose your confusion makes sense if you weren’t informed of your purpose here. Same old Vascar being annoyingly sparse with their information.” princess Ana jokingly exclaimed, or at least I think that was joking? It seems I was far too distracted by what my purpose was here to think straight. “Miranda, please leave our tiny at one of their accustomed stools.” She says whilst pointing at a tall Wooden seat. For the average giantess it would be up to their thigh level.

Miranda walked up to it and gently hoisted me down on top. She then readjusted it to face forward and towards the princess. With the throne being in front of me. I was seemingly where any old soldier or retainer would be when reporting for Ana. Just on a seat as well.

“Make yourself comfortable.” She politely remarked, courteous in nature. Even I could get that being from a royal background would lead to such excellent behaviour. It was vastly different to what I was used to however.

 Back home I would be drinking with my friends, spouting gibberish and nonsensical dribble at one another. In all honesty I just wasn’t used to this way of speech. The nobles in Vascar were stuck up, proud and unbearable to deal with. The main family I was attached to were a group of lousy gamblers wasting away half of my hard earned pay. Well maybe that was a bit harsh and a biased way of viewing them. But I guess it just goes to show how much of a shitshow Vascar had become.

“Your majesty, the tiny human seems confused and concerned. I believe it would be in our best interest to ease his tension.” She explained, with a quiet tone and formal voice. 

“Is that true, Leon?” She inspects my face, and stares at my entire body for a solid minute, before speaking once more. “ Hmm, it seems an explanation is in order. Miranda thank you for your services, you may leave now and begin your reconnaissance mission.” 

Ana prompts Miranda to leave at once, which she does as instructed. Resulting in a rather awkward group of people left in the room. Just me, and the princess of the giantesses. 

“Y-your majesty, are you going-” I begin to question her, though before I can get anywhere she interjects.

“I believe I said to drop the formalities between us, Leon. Can hardly hear you too, speak up please.” She rebuked, coldly. She must not want me to call her princess or ‘your majesty’ it seemed. I was tempted to even ask why, but due to my mind being preoccupied with the thought I may soon be a dish served on a silver platter. I simply let it slide.

“Ana, why am I here? Please, I need answers.” I pleaded, the dread of not knowing my fate was far too much to bear.

“Oh, you're just the cutest thing.” ignoring my question once again, she giggles to herself as she approaches me. Who is still currently on the stool. “Still, you’re a little small. But we’ll make do.” She optimistically beams as she draws ever so closer. 

To her, someone like me at 1.8m (basically 6 ft) would be akin to less than 5cm (1.84 inches) from her perspective. She was a princess over 30x my height, well and truly capable of destroying anything I could ever hope to do or achieve. 

Then again, what did I even have left ? I lost it all the moment I was exiled. All that was remaining was my life. Yet, all I could do at this moment was to beg. To grovel at her form so as to not lay waste to my puny being.

“What-What do you need, Ana?” I implored. However, she continued walking closer and closer, still ignoring me. Her footsteps rumbling the ground. Loud thumps each capable of flattening any of our small human settlements ruptured through my ears. 

 “Ana… Please?” Now almost begging, I cried out for her. My efforts however continued to be wasted as she was right in front of the stool, where she dropped down to her knees, leaving me in confusion. Her face lay on the stool sideways facing my direction, resting as her eyes looked onto mine, or rather my entire body I guess.

“Much better, I can actually hear you from here. My ears had some trouble picking up your little lovely voice.” She cooed. 

Huh? What?  As if life had been sucked out of my legs, I fell backwards onto my rear. Staring at the colossal face before my eyes. 

My entire body was about twice the size of her single eyeball, at least height wise it definitely was. What did she mean, my voice? Could she not properly hear me?

“Ana, could you please explain my purpose for being here.” I pleaded, perhaps due to the sheer size difference, I felt I was incapable of anything else.

There was a brief moment of silence before she finally replied.

“So you really don’t know?” She paused yet again, her eyes curiously wandering and searching my body.  “Poor little thing. Being exiled to a different land, full of different beings and cultures. With no one to confide in, and no one familiar to you. it must have been rough. Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.” She murmured.

For some reason, despite having no reason to believe a single one of her words. It gave me comfort. As if driving a warm sensation into my chest, her gentle voice eased my tense, shaking body. Her kindly eyes, looking with genuine concern, sent me a feeling of unfamiliar calmness. 

Perhaps due to where I grew up, I still wanted to know the reason why I was here. I simply couldn’t truly relax otherwise. So I attempted to ask her, before I could even begin speaking however, as if knowing what I was about to say, Ana began speaking.

“You won’t be happy without a clear reason, is that correct?” She glanced at my face, where I began nodding before she continued to speak. “ See, the thing is that us giantesses, need you male humans to reproduce. There are no male giants in this land afterall.”

I continue nodding my head in agreement, despite only finding out about such information recently from Miranda. Signalling Ana to continue speaking.

“I’m 25 years old now, and have been in need of a husband for quite some time now.” 

I was quite unfamiliar with the culture of this land, was 25 considered an old age to be wed here?

“Why not take in one of the livestock men if you were so desperate?” I replied.

“Livestock men?” She gasped in confusion. “ Oh you probably heard that from Miranda. Oh how she’s stuck up in the past. They aren’t livestock for god’s sake, they simply are used for our reproductive needs.”

Reproductive needs? I had many questions, but I decided to focus on the details involving me for the time present.

“So won’t they fit that quota then?” I questioned.

“Under strict rules from our kingdom, only noble blooded individuals may marry nobility. With the fact there are no such men around, I’ve been left in a rather annoying predicament. Well at least, until you came in.” She giggled, “I found out about your story recently. Exiled and lost without anything, oh how we felt so sorry for you, we decided we were going to offer you a position as one of the workers needed for our reproductive needs.” She clarified, “However, then I found out about your noble blood. Now that was the icing on the cake.” 

“But princess Ana, I’m but a mere lower end noble. Not even a part of the main family, but a branched one. One with almost no backing before, even less now. For someone of your position, surely tha-” I argue against the titanic women in front of me, only to be silenced by her points.

“The Baster family, was it? A family of knights, main or branch, are of hard workers. To me it doesn’t matter what rank you were born in nobility, as long as you will work hard, that is enough. From reading reports about you, I think you certainly fit such a position. Truth be told, I only needed someone with noble blood flowing through their veins, however I’ve refused many due to their personalities or beliefs. Honestly you’ll be damned to know how pathetic some people can be… However you are different, you can be fit for my love. Leon, will you be that person for me?” she gently asked.

I process her words to the best of my abilities. But I’m left with the energy from my legs fleeing from me. Initially, I thought she was going to eat me. Now she requests me to be her betrothed? Is it even a request? I’m an exile with no power. In front of royalty, In front of absolute power. Not exactly in a position to refuse here. Yet, she still asked me. Not with an expectant gaze, but with an authentic question. As if she had no power over my answer and what I could say. She really wanted my true feelings.

Perhaps due to seeing such a sight in nobility was uncommon for me, or perhaps due to the sheer absurdity of the situation. I couldn’t help but give off a delayed reaction, consisting of surprise, confusion, happiness and nervousness. I’m sure my face now would be grinning, but embarrassing as it was, I looked away from Ana.

“... Ready at your command, princess.” I shyly answered, with a red flush across my cheeks.

“Hey, I said to drop the formalities!” Ana amusingly mocked. “ You tiny humans and your nerves. Just so cute.”  

– – –

About 2.5 hours later

“Are you comfy? little one?” Princess Ana teased. She had me, a tiny human in between her cleavage. Trapped in between the smouldering humidity of her tits. Large drops of sweat clung to her breasts or were absorbed into her clothing. Her outfit was quite closed off, a tight fit even. Cramped, hot and nauseating were simple ways I could describe this experience. 

She had me in here for the time being whilst she waited for her work for the day to finish. It seemed her role as princess consisted largely of paperwork. Stacks on stacks of which were present in the room. I however had no way of seeing or realising how much was left. Simply being trapped in her warm bosom, there was no way out for me. 

Her cleavage was a valley, each breast being large enough to act as boulders capable of smashing apart basically anyone my size. The soft, supple skin stuck inward as the external fabric pushed my form onto her tit, as if to smother me into her flesh. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone could hear me if I screamed, if the outside world would even notice me at all. Was I so insignificant here trapped in her cleavage, that no matter what, I couldn’t do anything to protest? 

My entire life was in the possession of Ana. She could do as she pleased, and strangely enough I still trusted her enough for that purpose.

 Her heartbeat excitedly beat through her chest, it could be heard pulsing to my ears. Or well… entire body, I didn’t have a choice but to listen to it.

*Tu-tump, tu-tump.*

The rhythmic sound, almost hypnotising, felt like it was lulling me into sleep, surrounded by the overwhelming salty scent of sticky sweat which felt strangely comforting. Best of all was her voice; it was gentle and calm when we were alone together. It was sweet, alluring even. It contrasted with her work voice, one of authority, of power. It posed a commanding tone. Strangely enough I found myself even attracted to her ‘work voice’. 

Look at me, so desperate in seeking comfort. Finding myself clinging to a woman I met just around 3 hours prior. Pathetic.

Perhaps I was tempted by the idea of wanting out or maybe because I wanted to simply test my own puny figure, I decided to call out to Ana. To scream out and see if she would even hear me at all. 

“Ana! Let me out, it’s dark and humid in this damned prison!” I shouted. Only half heartedly hoping she could actually hear me. A part of me wanted to be her little stowaway, tucked somewhere on her body, as her little secret. Not anyone else’s problem, or person. Just Ana’s little man. If no one else could hear me, then it would only further that fantasy. My tired heart at this stage just wanted someone who would help me take care of myself. Maybe that could be Ana?

Not sure if it’s the scent driving me crazy, but I feel like I’m starting to lose it here. I think to myself as I let out a slight chuckle, at a loss for words for what I even want anymore. Just simply waiting patiently for my captor to release me, or perhaps even not. At this point I would welcome either outcome…

 As nothing began to happen soon after, I began to doze off. Adrift in my thoughts and feelings, I begin to wonder why I was even stuck in the princess’ cleavage in the first place. 

“Z..ZZ…ZZZ” 

“*Sigh* Finally, done with paper work for the day. Now Come here Leon .” Ana declared, only for me to barely even hear her in my unconscious mind. Being too tired to process or understand what’s happening anything besides the fact I was being moved. 

Fingertips appeared from her collar, and pulled me away from the sweaty, sultry prison, towards the world of light. Now instead a giant, pretty face was in my view. 

“... if you were so sleepy then why did you shout out so loud? Geez. A lot happened to you today, you should rest for a bit before tonight. You deserve it, my little squire.” She cooed. Her warm breath simply melted away my soul. Nulling any thought I could possibly have for protest.

“...”

Those were the last words I heard before my eyes closed, before everything went dark.

— — — 

“Wake up little squire. Gosh, you slept through the entire night! I wanted to have some fun with you...” A voice beckoned, throwing me back into consciousness. Light returned to my eyes, and sounds came back into being processed by my ears. It must have been that dreary eyed, tired look that must have been plastered across my face as I woke up in confusion, or so I guessed. 

“W-where am I?” I questioned. Lost in an unfamiliar room, decked with extravagant lights and fancy furniture, I was rather lost. Everything was giant size, so I figured that this must be princess Ana’s room. Though being far too small, I was in no shape to make a proper judgement of the specifics.

As I readjusted my eyes, I quickly came across a titanic figure. How I didn’t notice her before was beyond me. Which would clearly be Ana. She had donned a formal wear dress, nothing too sparkly or fancy. Yet, it was far from anything rustic, even I could recognise expert craftsmanship.

 The dress was of a dark red, that covered her legs and main body, but clung tightly to her figure. As if to taunt any beholder. Going up, it exposed her cleavage slightly, with a window showing off a bit of skin. It rose until finally straddling across her shoulders. It was some variant of a sheath dress. Something only royalty would have access to, even then only the most advanced kingdoms could afford them, let alone have it prepared for someone like Ana.

“You like? I was thinking it’s a bit small. Not to mention not many ladies wear these kinds around here, being expensive and all, also this isn’t a wedding variant.” She catches you staring at her figure. “ I need something you’ll also be comfortable with, come wedding night.” She quietly blurted. Announcing our wedding night as if it was well known information.

“Wedding night?!” I shrieked. My Bewilderment in the topic only growing wider and wider. “Since when was this decided so quickly?”! I wondered.

It was a fact that I wanted to be with her. While hazy, memories of yesterday and the cosiness of her body came flooding back to my mind. Her warm embrace and soothing heartbeat even brought a tinge of relaxation back to me. However, marriage this quickly? I found it hard to swallow. Simply, I just wasn’t mentally prepared for this.

“It's tomorrow evening,” She clarified while adjusting her dress. 

“TOMORROW?!” I gasped, my mouth wide open in shock. I couldn’t even begin to process before another dump of information was thrown at me.

“Speaking of which, you wouldn’t know about our culture and how we do marriage ceremonies.” She stated, tiredness evident in her voice. “We need to buy you an outfit, get you up to speed on normal customs, mannerisms, meet with the clergy and nobility, make a name for yourself and uh, the do’s and don'ts of Ranate.” She sighed.

“All of that in a day?” I whispered, the sheer scale of the list took my breath away.

“Quite a normal schedule for a Royal. “She giggled. “Look, we’ll start with marriage ceremony traditions, it’s quite differ-” She begins,

“How about we skip that part, I’m sure the other aspects are more important right now.” I argued. I wasn’t ever big on traditional aspects like these to begin with. Hence I was sure I could learn them later, perhaps half-heartedly but learnt nonetheless.

“ But really, I think you should know more about it.” She hesitantly disputes.

“I’m sure I can figure it out later. You said so yourself that we need to get through a lot today. Also don’t worry about my opinion of your dress, just get what you want. I mean it’s yours afterall”

“Hmm, fine if you say so.” She clicked her tongue in a brief pause. “Let’s begin with buying you a suit. As well as a general makeover. The way those bastardly people of Vascar treated you still shows a bit.” Ana comments, once again leading to momentary silence, “Don’t worry, I have a private fashion designer I can recommend you to.”

“A private fashion designer? I guess Royalty is royalty. I barely made enough to put food on the table.” I dejectedly complained.

“Well, somehow we need clothes for you. Not much extravagant wear gets sold for people of your size to the common folk. Here, climb on.” she bends down, kneeling right in front of the bed. Her chest, now being almost eye level with me. I’ve been situated on a bed this entire time. Most likely would have been sleeping earlier, and to talk with Ana I’ve been right near the edge of the bed. 

Now, there's a simple jump in front of me. The warm and cosy confines of her sweaty prison, lay bare right ahead. Where the small cleavage window on her dress is. She signals with her left handed, pointer finger forward towards it. As it taunts me to jump and land back to paradise. All I would have to do is jump to arrive there. Hell, each passing second she shimmy forwards, only causes her mounds of flesh to jiggle as they draw closer. 

“You know you want to…” She pesters, in a taunting voice. “C’mon, we don’t have much time Leon. Or I suppose I should begin calling you dear now. Would you prefer that?” She asks.

“I…uh look Ana-“ I shyly began speaking, only to be immediately cut off. 

“Honey, it’s a two way street. From now on, you’ll be addressing me as ‘dear’ or something similar, is that clear?” She commands onto my fragile figure. “Now, let’s make haste. Before I shove you in there myself.”

I wasn’t sure if it was her commanding tone, or her sheer confidence. But I found myself not complaining about her attitude. At that point, I simply did as I was told and jumped off the bed side edge and onto her cleavage window. 

A soft, squishy surface was what I immediately felt as I landed. The all so familiar sensation of her sweaty tits came back. It’s warmth, it’s soothing heartbeat and stickiness reminded me how I was here before. In utter bliss, though slightly embarrassed. 

Like quicksand, I sank deeper into the valley of her chest. Soon to be lost away from where any light could reach. Perhaps it was my initial panic, the first instinct I had was to fight against it. To push and shove against the fleshy confines around me and hope to see the world outside again. Alas it was to no avail.

 Forget quicksand, now more so accurately it was like a constrictor snake. Whereby the more I tried flailing for my survival, the deeper I would sink. The lack of any point to have grip didn’t help. 

I attempt to shove the tit to my right. The flesh pushes back slightly giving me just the slightest bit of space, only for when I let go for it to almost push back towards me. Squishing me momentarily. 

“Having fun?” A voice loomed, a sense of superiority present in her tone. “ It seems like you’ve given up and accepted your place.” 

I yell back at full throttle, or at least what I could manage to make some form of snarky comeback.

“Hmm, it seems your voice is a little muffled there sweetie. I can’t quite hear you anymore.” She cooed.

Suddenly a sensation of slight force was felt around me. A slight shaking sensation causing a cramped feeling.

“It’d be a real shame if I just put a little too much force against these things.” She whispers, still loud enough for me to hear.

The mounds of flesh in a spontaneous jolt, crashing together, even more so than before. For a brief second, I was squashed and smothered against both tits. I was forced into submission. Quite literally put into my place. 

“Heh, was that a little scary for you?” She mocked. “ Awww, how adorable you are. Don’t forget, if your queen orders you to do something, then please do consider it properly.” She paused. “ Although, because I just love my tiny little man so much, I would never order him to do something bad. So rest assured. You’ll only get the finest treatment with me.” She giggled.

She pulled my tuckered out figure from her depths, and rose me out to the surface of her cleavage. Where the upper body segments of my head, neck, arms all poked out. The rest were solidified firmly in place.  

The first sights my eyes could see as the world of light finally returned to my view was that we were in a fancy building.  Princess Ana must've been walking here all this time. My tiny little form poked out from her cleavage window in an attempt to scout out the area.

I had no way of knowing besides perhaps the swaying motion, that earlier she had already arrived to our first destination. The private fashion designer. Specially tailored made for ‘tiny people’. It wasn’t that far from the castle where we came from, as from yesterday I saw that the richer estates and locations stay closer to the castle.

A voice shrieked. “Wow, Ana is that him? The lucky guy. Oh hi there. I’m Beth. A designer for you tiny people. “

“O-okay Beth, calm down a little. I was bound to find a suitable tiny eventually.” Ana comments.

“You’ve even kept him in your cleavage. Wow, look at you. Miss naughty princess.” 

“Beth!” Ana shouts in embarrassment. “Y'know, when we’re in a public building you could at least address me properly…”

“Now my little Ana is blushing. Still though I have to say, marriage so soon?”

“It’s quite late already for me. Not to mention I think someone like Leon here would do nicely as my partner.” 

“Well, if you say so. You don’t need to put so much stress over yourself in trying to be a Royal y’know. Times are different now.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Ana answered with a sigh.

It seemed like these two got along very well. Beth was allegedly the designer figure responsible for my clothing, she was a bit shorter than Ana. Something to be expected it seems. She had blonde hair and was wearing a bandana, along with thick work trousers and a black shirt. Her hair went only up to her shoulders.  She also seemed fairly older than Ana.

“Now then, little guy. I need to take measurements for you and begin planning. As well as looking for a design you would need. Do you have a preference for anything?” Beth asked, enabling her work voice.

“Uh, typical formal attire for this land will do. Thanks.” I timidly answered. Perhaps it was the sight of an unknown enormous person so close, it made me nervous. 

I didn’t see this earlier but she was writing down summarised dot points of what I just said on a notepad. It in itself was fairly large from my perspective. Lengthwise being larger than I am. 

“-And… alright. Now any requests from you Ana on his outfit? Although tiny outfits aren’t really a big deal for a wedding between our two kinds. Moreso important for other matters.” Beth pointed out.

“Yes, it just needs to be comfortable for him. Though I’m sure you’re already on that.” Ana says.

“Naturally. Also have you seen a materials specialist yet? Your going to need the seats specially made for the ceremony.” 

The two continued discussing finer details for a while. As for me, I, a squire and country bumpkin, completely zoned out. Only hearing minor details and processing even less. Could you really blame me though?

“Alright, so I’ll pay you for it to be ready by tonight.” Ana declares.

“No, no. It’ll be for free.” Beth contends in disagreement. 

“Beth, stop trying to do me a favour. It’s not necessary!” 

“Again, with the queen stuff. If we’re going there then it’s because I’m thankful. If it wasn’t because of you I wouldn’t have a business. Now you’re marrying a tiny. That’s only going to solidify the ban from 5 years ago.” 

“That has nothing to do with this.” Ana sighs in reluctance. 

“No one needed clothes or anything from a tiny back then. They were just meals to most. Mere livestock. Only some of the more out there giantess got married to them. Yet, when you took the throne you completely changed that policy. And from that, guess what. I got a job.” Beth clarifies; offering a sense of reason to her contention. “ If you're marrying one, that ban just gets stronger. No one is going to mess with tinies if one is married to the queen. More humane treatment for them equals more business for me.”

“Wow. So you're taking that angle now.” Ana chuckled. “Fine. I’ll accept your free offer.” She took her right hand and directed it straight to her cleavage, plucking me out in a pinching motion. Both freeing myself and waking me up from zoning out. “Honey, go take your measurements.” 

“Huh… Ah, okay. Sure.” Ana placed me on a table and Beth went to grab a micro-measuring tape.

It was going to be a long day.

— — —

“All right. Everything is almost set! We can finally relax for the day.” Ana’s feminine booming voice explains.

“It’s 01:00, we wake up tomorrow to wedding day at 08:00. That isn’t any time to relax. How in the 9 hells do you still have energy?” I complained.

“You get used to it.” She casually mentioned. To me, it only further emphasised the difficulty of living as a royal.

I lay atop our bed, which we shared. Finally, I was tired and done for the day. Believe it or not, but transferring from another kingdom, to meeting new people in preparation for your marriage in the span of 2-3 days takes a lot out of a person. 

“We still need to enchant you now.” Ana casually mentioned. “That’s about the final step before we’re ready for our wedding tomorrow.”

“I’m assuming we’re doing that later?” I asked.

“Yep, enchanting is a simple process though so it should be doable tomorrow. It’s illegal to marry a tiny that isn’t enchanted.” She explained

“What does that entail?” I questioned.

“Enchanting refers to a series of modifications or magical abilities being optimised on an individual. For example, if I stomped on you with all of my strength on a fairly strong surface. Well you’d turn into a wee little stain.” She said, portraying a rather haunting image. “If we enchant you however, we can change that so you're more resistant. Or have auto recovery.” 

“O-oh, I guess that makes sense. We wouldn’t want an accident to happen I guess.” 

“Yeah. Well it’s a pretty safe process. So don’t worry. Honey, you’ll love it. Trust me.” Ana reassured me.

“Yeah. Well, good night. Dear”

“Good night.”

As such, I drifted off to sleep as a result of being far too tired. Still a shame, I could tell Ana wanted to continue in some further nightly activities…

— — —

“So it was Resistance, absorption/regeneration, anaerobic further respiration, obedience and pain redirection?” Asked the alchemist. She was a giantess with violet hair, glasses and was drinking a coffee. 

“Yes, that is all for Leon.” Ana spoke.

“Are you okay with these, little one?” The alchemist clerk asked me now. 

“I trust Ana’s judgement.” I acknowledged. Perhaps it was an indicator of trust. But after almost 3 days together I was truly starting to trust her. 

“Even pain redirection?” The alchemist glanced over at Ana. Who simply continued smiling. “Most people go with pain-nullification or tolerance. Princess, you have some strange tastes.” She commented with a weirded out look on her face. “Or is it the little one with strange tastes?” Now glancing at me. 

Ana hastily spoke to hurry the conversation along. “My, my, would you look at the time. I believe we should begin the enchanting process right away.” 

“That’ll be 99,300 gold pieces.”

99,300! Suddenly more money then what the Vascar imperial treasury had was being asked for. It was an astounding amount. How? Why? Was this process that legendary? That amount of money could probably purchase the land of our country as a whole. And yet, Ana did not bat an eye. 

“Okay, here’s 10 emerald pieces, I’d like my change in gold pieces afterward.” She nonchalantly asked. As for me, emerald pieces were something only the richest countries possessed, to find out Ana had some, in her own allowance was but only one of many bombshells of information overload occurring recently.

“Okay, here’s 700 gold pieces change.” The alchemist lady quietly said. “Now just stand over there, little one, right over there on the hexagonal incantation symbol.” 

I did as I was told. 

“Okay, we can begin now. 3…2..1.Go!”

Suddenly the hexagonal shape lit up with a fierce red colour. Next thing I knew was a hot burning sensation followed by an electrical one. Like static shock all around my body before-

“And done…” Just like that, I was finished. “We now need to just test one of these to make sure they all transferred over.” The purple hair women explained.

“Alright. I know just the one!” Ana enthusiastically grabs my entire body before I’ve been given a moment to react. Her hand grasps my body and I feel a strange pleasurable sensation from it. However due to the panic of my situation I ignored it and focused on what my titanic wife was planning.

She raises her arm up to the sky, revealing her exposed armpit towards me. I stared dumbfounded for a couple seconds before my entire world came crashing towards the site of her sweaty armpits. They were hairless, but from such a close proximity the odour only amplified each second as I drew closer. Eventually, I came right into contact with her skin. Immediately noticing the far more humid environment this was. It wasn’t the pleasant warmth of her tits, this was the heat of a tropical region out in the sun. 

“Wait Ana-“

And before I could finish she lowered her arms down, and tightly clung them to her body. Sticking me in place. I had suddenly been submerged into a wet, humid and sultry environment. Being pressed together into place by two opposing walls of skin. I couldn’t even scream anymore, the air had been suddenly knocked out of my lungs. 

I felt as if I was about to pass out, only then to realise that the need to breathe wasn’t arising within me. I still had energy and was capable of carrying out my normal bodily functions. I tried screaming again, and my voice was capable of reaching out once more.

Not that it’d do anything of course.

I could faintly hear Ana and the alchemist lady giggling to themselves. I wondered what I sounded like to them at this moment. If they could even hear me. 

“Mmmmph-“ I screeched in vain in an attempt to let any word out. 

“Ahahaha, dear, that's ticklish. Stop it, c’mon we have to see if the enchantment for anaerobic further respiration actually worked.” 

All my efforts had only resulted in a mere tickling sensation for Ana, to the almost omnipresent being that held my fate right next to her sweaty pores, I was but a mere mite in comparison. 

“Phew, that’s 3 minutes up. And I can feel him still squirming in there, so that means the enchantment worked, he can officially  respire without oxygen.” Ana chuckled in response to my fickle tickling attempts.

She released me via extending her arm upward, revealing my poor tiny figure plastered on, stuck firmly on her skin. 

“Poor guy, princess, you can be rather brutal.” 

“It’s better than your store policy of trying to crush them barefoot to test them for resistance…”  Ana sneered.

“-ahaha… I’m aware you don’t like our policies.” She nervously giggled. “Well, see you next time if ever need be  Ma’am.” As she directed my lover out the door. Who was peeling me off from her skin, only to throw myself into her bra gently. 

“Well, now that we’ve finished that little task. Let’s head over to the wedding venue and get ready.” She cooed.

Admittedly, I was rather unfamiliar with how weddings were celebrated in Ranate. For once they typically take place in the evening to very late at night was my basic understanding. However, basic understanding was all I had. Their culture or dresses/outfits were things I had no idea on. It was still currently quite early in the morning, by the time we would arrive it would be near noon. The rest would be wedding prep and then taking in guests. 

— — — 

“There she is, our new queen. All this time She’s been a mere princess and now look.” 

“She’s gorgeous in her slim sheath wedding dress, where is the lucky man?”

“Look closely on her right shoulder. You can see him, he’s seated right there.”

“Where? I can’t find him.”

“In the deep dark blue suit on her shoulder.” She begins pointing. “Right there.”

“Oh my god, I see him. Aww he’s just the cutest thing too.”

I can hear the crowds chatting and gossiping about us, about Ana and I. It is a particularly exciting day, the princess Ana finally can become queen. And that she is getting married. Along with that, a crowd full of envy and contempt is present.

“The snarky, pretentious princess is finally getting married. Took her long enough.” 

“She spent so long looking for suitors, that she even had the gall to reject some. And then she settled on this peasant?!” 

Perhaps it’s best I ignore such people…

I listen into the crowds. We’re currently outside our castle. Right behind it actually. It’s where the Royal gardens are and it’s where royalty has been getting wed as per tradition, apparently. The many citizens of the kingdom are free to wonder about, and observe from the outside. Away from inside the gardens. Inside the venue itself are many, many guests. All giantesses. It’s oddly intimidating. Well not that oddly, of course I’m intimidated by those who knows how many times my size.

In reality I would have thought such an important event to garner more international folk, people of my size. It appears I was wrong.  Once again, only giantesses seem to be present. Speaking of which, I don’t see Ana’s parents anywhere. The father must be small like me, right?

I haven’t seen them anywhere in my entire stay here… and you would think they would greet or congratulate their daughter for marriage… Perhaps it’s a topic I should stay quiet about.

“Woah, that dress looks so cool on her. It has the typical design choices but a few more.” A random giantess commented, grabbing my attention. 

In all honesty, I thought her dress was a bit strange. Perhaps it’s a cultural barrier. It was a colour clash of a deep red and white on the top and hips, before only being red as it kept going down her rear and legs. There was a small cleavage window, specially designed, I would guess to house me if need it be. Her shoulders lay exposed, and her lower back remained exposed.  She wore crimson red shoes, flat heels.  I’m sensing that red is the thematic colour of choice for a wedding in this kingdom.

Another weird fact I recently learnt was that the back of the dress, from the ass down, was usually red. White was almost never used there. Again, probably a cultural difference.

The ceremony itself was yet to happen. Apparently it’s customary to wait a while, let the groom and bride wander around of their own disclosure for a while beforehand. Hence why I’m just aimlessly listening to random conversations as of now whilst Ana is greeting guests and introducing me.

Luckily, I’ve been congratulated too as her groom. Lots of invitations to join various activities. However, Ana has her golden rule that I’m not allowed to leave her sight, simply being that I can’t offer any resistance to anyone in this country.  So I’ve had to deny most, if not all of them.

“Wow, your majesty, so this is going to be your little man?” A giantess cheerfully exclaimed.

“Yep, he’s my sweet little betrothed.” Ana replied.

“Just recently, I got my own partner. So I know just how sweet those little men can be.”

“Wow, Emily. Where is the little guy?” Ana curiously asked.

“Hehe, sorry that’s something I can’t show even you, your majesty.” She giggled and pointed towards her nether regions. “He’s somewhere dark and moist. I’ll introduce you some other time. Bye.” She says before leaving.

Dark and moist?! In there?! Will I have to do something like that too for Ana…

“Oops, look at the time Leon. Wedding ceremony will be commencing in half an hour. We need to prepare. “ Ana declared. She hastily moved towards the prep room building, where everyone would get dressed and things would get discussed. Of course carrying me along with her.

Inside, here we were. There was an exit to the back, which went to a very large looking reception building where the formal ceremony would take place. The close guests of Ana would be asked to move here and be seated to wait for her royal majesty. 

Ana was frantically discussing every possible detail with those in the prep room. From the witnesses, to the priest, to the cake, to the very seats themselves. Someone was clearly excited.

She even asked to double check if the materials were made of volcanic sheep wool, a gentle textile when woven on a seat can increase the softness of it and make for a far more comfortable seat.

“Your majesty, everything is set. We are ready to go. Shall we begin calling over guests?

“Yes, begin at once.”

With that, it was time for the ceremony to begin.

– – – 

-”In love, in lust, in splendour and wonder. For the great kingdom of Ranate, will you, young Leon vi Baster, promise to love Ana for the rest of eternity?”

“Yes, I do.” I replied to the priest. An odd looking fellow, like me, was tiny. Or a mere human. From the time It’s taken for our ceremony to begin I’ve come to realise that many of the giantesses here have tinies on them, just hidden away. The only one in plain sight I can see is the priest himself. Which was a refreshing sight.

“And you, Ana Darlington-Bliss, ruler of Ranate. Saviour of our land. Will you vow to marry Leon in good faith?”

“I do,” She said.

Surprisingly so, while a few cultural differences here and there. The actual ceremony itself isn’t so different. See, skipping the traditional stuff yesterday was worth it. That time was precious and because of me we even ended up saving some of it.

We were on an altar, where Ana stood and I was on top of a seat right next to her. The very same kind, made with volcano sheep textiles. How lucky is that! These seats are a little squishy and soft, even for me who weighs next to nothing.  It was about up to her thighs in height.

Now, this is the land of the giantesses. So it probably won’t be ‘you may now kiss the bride.’ As per what I’m accustomed to. But the other way around. Hell, I’ll even bet on it.

“You may now-” the priest begins. I go the extra mile and begin auto filling what he might say in my own mind.

“You may now kiss the groom.”  I think in my head. 

“Sit on the groom.” The priest said.

Wait what.

To my right I see my towering, soon to be wife, Ana move towards my seat. Placing one foot in front of another before she is facing the audience. From my angle however ( who ended up behind her from the perspective of the audience) it just looks like she’s positioned herself to sit down. Every passing second I could feel my heartbeat getting louder as my body’s sense of panic catches up. As I stared up It only cemented the dreadful reality that was soon coming. It wasn’t anything I had any control over. Even if I wanted to, the wheels of fate had already spun. Her rear end, now making up the sky in front of me, loomed over my figure, and the seat. Her round ass stuck out slightly from her dress, as she bent her hips lower it, her dress only clung to her rear end tighter. 

I couldn’t really see this, but everyone was watching intently. In anticipation. Like how everyone watches the kiss that occurs usually, in the same way they stared at this scene. The scene of Ana about to crush me underneath her like a bug. 

“Here it comes.” I hear a playful feminine tone. It was Ana’s voice right above me. 

In the next second, her ass comes crashing down. Like an asteroid about to come landing. A sight whereby no question would leave a crater in the land. This was no different. 

My legs had given out from the sudden panic, my voice lost in the fear of what was going to happen. Each passing second I saw that monstrous sized butt of Ana get larger and larger as it completely encompassed me. It’s shadow dwarfed over my body, over my soul. The sight of her red coloured dress coming down was horrific. Perhaps it was a last minute realisation but it made sense why they made her rear end of the dress red. It covered blood stains easily…

I couldn’t even speak as the over 50 megaton ass came crashing down on me. Enveloping me into place as it firmly made sure to keep me in check. I expected vast amounts of pain. How could I not? However, I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. What I did notice though, was the seat itself pushed down on the soft foam and created an imprint. What my puny mass could do to push the soft material down paled in comparison to Ana. Who had smooshed me along with the seat down. 

The sensation of being pushed down into the ground, and then that very ground itself being pushed down due to the sheer colossal force of a mere butt was oddly terrifying. 

I was then interrupted by the cheering and clapping of a crowd. Right, we were being congratulated for a successful ceremony. 

I could hear familiar voices of people congratulating her.  My own thoughts however were focused on when she would release me from my imprisonment. 

“So Ana, how long do you think you’ll manage?” 

“ Maybe an hour or two. I mean any longer it's a waste of an event..” She confidently answers.

“You're gonna stay sitting on him for that long? Poor guy must be getting claustrophobic down there.” One of the two Giantesses guests asked.

“Well, it is a tradition. The longer the bride stays seated on top of her groom after their ceremony, the more good luck is wished upon their relationship.” The other giantess answers. The 3 continue chatting with one another.

I barely hear what they say as I have only a fraction of my strength remaining. She landed on me with me facing up. Right onto her fleshy cheek clad onto the soft fabric of her dress. I couldn’t move in the slightest. With another bombshell of information dropped on top of me, that Ana had no plans of dropping her seat. I begin my counterattack. 

“ANA! PLEASE LET ME OUT!” 

However to the outside world I sounded like “MHMMHMPH-MHMP.” 

My voice wouldn’t even reach the people Ana herself was talking to her. The only reason she might hear it was because she felt the vibrations. Surely, that must be it. I thought. I began screaming. Just making noise as loud as possible.

“MHMMHP-“

However, not only does she not hear me. But also doesn’t even acknowledge me whatsoever. It’s then that I recall that her dress is made of thick material and could probably absorb quite a bit of sound. 

So that’s why enchantments are needed before marriage… Yeah, maybe I should of paid more attention towards their traditions…

I sigh, figuratively of course. No way was I ever going to be physically capable of doing so under the sheer all encompassing mass of my wife. 

Why was this a tradition? Who thought of this? For what purpose?

I could still hear the voices outside of the ladies chatting.

“Your majesty, what enchantments did you two decide upon?” One of them asks.

“Well, I decided we would get the usual ones plus pain redirection.” Ana expressed excitedly.

“Oooo, pain redirection. That one’s expensive, your majesty. I wanted it too for my tiny but couldn’t afford it. Shame really.” The other lady responded, a dejected tone obvious in her voice.

“Was that one that converts excess pain Into pleasurable sensations? Wow, really pulling out the big bucks for the lucky man, princess.” The first lady commented.

“Well, I don’t think it’ll have any effect on him right now. Provided I’m sitting on a very soft material, so it probably isn’t causing him much pain to begin with.” Ana’s voice beckoned. “Maybe if I readjust myself a little bit? Just can’t get off the seat is all right?” She said, sending alarm bells to my ears on what was soon coming. 

Suddenly excess pressure was placed upon me from above. Like dough was how I would describe my being right now, and Ana’s ass was the rolling pin. As she not only grounded my being, but slowly grinded against it as she moved down the seat. Eventually dragging me along with it until I was shuffled to a new location underneath her. I swear I was being turned into flatbread or the like. 

AHHHH!

Finally pain began seeping into my body. Not a lot though , it seemed Ana couldn’t find it in her conscience to harm me so violently. Still I wonder if any blood had come out as she squeezed me across the seat from earlier. There’s probably a tiny stain on her dress by now…

Suddenly, that pain disappeared, and a weird sense of pleasure came to take its place.

“I wonder what he’s feeling right now.” I could still hear Ana’s voice.

“A sense of being dominated, probably.” One of the two ladies commented.

As much I didn’t want to admit it. The raw, unfiltered feeling of how I was thrown onto this seat and forced into becoming basically a stain by her butt, started to sound hot. Fuck, what’s causing that feeling? I recall the three ladies speaking on the matter of one of my enchantments. That it converted pain into pleasure? What a terrifying thing.   Would this sense of satisfaction last forever? I wondered, in awe and agony simultaneously at the sheer spectacle of what was going on. Every passing second the force of her ass felt like it was getting stronger, yet it didn’t feel like she was putting more force behind her own actions.  

Was this all I am? All I amounted to?

Any movement I could do was restricted. Any words I could say were muffled. Any punch I could swing is tied back. Any bite I could inflict wouldn’t have any effect. Anything at all to do in protest would amount to virtually the same as not protesting. As the same as being compliant. Was this the almost infinite power these titanic women held over us humans? 

It was as if I was a bug in comparison to her. But she didn’t mind having me around. She could oh so easily treat me like her own personal pet or a slave. Yet she didn’t. 

I was her lover. But had the power of a bug. And for some reason, that drove me up the wall in a good way.

Maybe that was the enchantment at work,  but I fell into the temptation of her sitting atop me. As if that’s where she belonged. Above me and my puny form. My base animal instincts craved such a raw feeling, such a raw need for her attention.  My own dick began rising up, in search for her love, but was quickly hushed back into its place by the absolute weight pushing down on it. Its own protest didn’t matter to the gigantic landmass above me. Its feeble attempt at rising only stopped at hardening within my pants. That too, was right where it belonged. Below her. Perhaps this was the feeling of being dominated as one of the ladies mentioned.  It felt oddly comforting. Knowing that nature itself is far stronger than you and anything you’ll achieve. That humanity is below such monstrous beings. Perhaps that wasn’t so bad.

I didn’t need to breathe. I didn’t need to eat. Any damage I would sustain I would simply recover. Any feeling of pain would become pleasure. All I had to do was to be docile and behave under my new wife. Was that so bad? No, no it wasn’t. It was something I was now willing to do.

It was today that I learned that I was a bottom. Who would have thought?

— — —

Light, at first sprinkling in, then dominated by vision. No longer a shadow or darkness obstructing my entire livelihood but rather I could see again. However, along with it came a strange sensation. As if my entire world was being shifted, as of being moved. 

W-what’s going on.

As the fuzzy mess of my surroundings cleared as my eyes adjusted to the light, I realised I had been stuck to the backside of Ana’s rear end. Right near the bottom of her right cheek. It’s jiggly voluptuous mass panned out slightly from her dress to create tension on her dress. And on top that dress, was I. Plastered across that cheek, my tiny form came into existence to Ana and any nearby passerby. 

“Wow, your majesty, you lasted 1.5 hours. May your wedded life be long and luxurious. As for the little guy here, the poor guy is stuck to your bottom!” A random guest pointed out.

“Oh, Leon. Are you alright? It looked like you had no clue what was going on. I told you so that you should have refreshed your understanding of our traditions beforehand.” My wife commented, almost in a mocking tone near the end. “ Now have a look at you, you’ve become one with my rear.” She says while slightly shaking her hips and bottom. 

She draws her left hand near my flattened being. Peeling me off from the dress on her ass cheek and resting my tuckered out figure on her hand. 

“It’s a good thing we chose volcanic sheep textiles for the seat. I remember Debra’s wedding six years back which left a big, bloody stain on her bum by doing it on dragon leather.” She casually stated. Now painting a picture of a horrific reality where the past 1.5 hours would have been a far worse experience to me.

“Geez, look at you. Always tired out.” She exclaims.

“C-can you blame me? I just got the life knocked outta me… almost literally.” I replied.

“On the brighter side. You’re officially a Darlington-Bliss now. A part of the Royal family of Ranate.” She announces, right soon after kissing you gently with her soft supple lips. “Leon Darlington-Bliss, king consort of Ranate.”

“Well. I’m glad that’s over. Finally I can just relax now.” I comment, in exhaustion. As Ana begins walking towards the dining area where our dinner will be served.

“Over?” A brief sense of silence appeared in the air. “Wow, you really haven’t done any research, have you?” She whispers to me.

“W-what do you mean?” I cautiously ask.

“We’ve officially become husband and wife. But that’s only under oath of Ranate customs. We still have 2 more wedding celebrations to do to be acknowledged as being together internationally. One in a month and another a year later!” She gallantly explains.

“3 WEDDING RECEPTIONS?! Wait, so I have to do that entire ceremony again!” I ask at my wits end.

“Yep, 2 more times in fact.” She cheerfully smiles.

“W-what! Wait! Surely we can-“ I plead for an alternative but am silenced by the thumb of her other hand, pushing my back down into her palm.

“Nope, sorry. Look, it’ll be fine. You’ll have plenty of time to kiss my ass until then as prep.” She taunts. Before finally blowing me one more little kiss and entering the dining hall.

The End. (Maybe a continuation)

“Ana, wait, sto-” I beg, on to deaf ears. My pleas were being cut off, or more accurately muffled. Being tiny, my own body wasn’t that difficult to silence. If anything it was rather quite easy. Which as of the immediate present was a fact just so slightly annoying.

As to who had silenced me? Of course it was my lovely and beautiful wife Ana. 

Ana Darlington-Bliss.

As of now, I had become one of her family, changing my last name from vi Baster, to Darlington-Bliss itself. It was tradition that a tiny had to change their surname, it wasn’t mandatory but I honestly preferred it.  I mean, why should I even have to associate myself with Vascar any longer? That kingdom was a travesty, a complete mockery of the finer connotations behind what a kingdom should strive to be.

People were generally nicer here, of course I had no way of confirming whether that was due to my newly found prestige or not, but still it felt nice; and whilst the loving embraces of Ana often had me questioning on the ‘loving’ part, she still comforted me with her warmth. 

Ana had a tendency to be slightly overprotective, not so much in a bad way. Her worries were rightfully founded. I was a mere insect compared to the leviathans around me. So I guess it made sense that she would refuse to leave me out of her immediate vicinity. 

She held me in place so much that even right now I was currently being stuffed into her bra. Her soft bosom, clad beneath the heavy fabric of her clothing would have me suffocated right next to her breast. Figuratively speaking of course, the enchantments casted upon me made sure I would never need oxygen again for survival. I was tucked within a cup of her bra, the sight of the outside world became fleeting once more as the dark, humid environment took over my senses. As my eyes casted back towards the gigantic boob, dwarfing over me from behind, I was once again reminded of my tiny stature. I drew my eyes forward, away from her tit and shouted in protest.

“ANA! Wait! It’s too dark in here-” But my words were cut off. Right there laid in front of me was soft fabric, like a prison it enclosed my world. I looked up, where the final rays of light dawned on me from. Simply put, Ana was readjusting her bra. The top part still allowed her to see me within. However, only for a few moments. As her eyes diverted away from staring at my confined being, making it clear that she was ready to move on with her day. 

Next thing I felt was something akin to a strong shaking motion, as if the world was rumbling. She must be messing with her clothes! Were my thoughts. Only then did I notice that the light within the bra cup was vanishing, dimming slowly… 

The top section of the cup was as if being glued onto her tit, repositioned and shifted onto where it should be. From my perspective All I notice is that the fabric around me began stretching and taking form, plastering across her boob, housing me up too to stick me right onto her breast. 

Fuck, I forgot clothing is very tight and confined here!

 I realised, only a minute too late before I could mentally steel myself. With my fate held tightly between her soft flesh and her bra. I was immobilised, completely and utterly frozen in place. If not for the other layers of clothing on her body, you could probably even see an outline of my body on her bra. 

“Now, now Leon. Today is a working day for me, and I can’t just leave you home all alone. So of course you’re coming with me, staying somewhere safe and sound.” She giggled, I could hear her voice, it was only ever so slightly mocking. Naturally I protested, in whatever little way I could.

“MMPHH-” I shouted, my voice being reduced to a muffled sound. To talk meant having to pour every ounce of strength into my voice. Which would all be reduced by the fat of her boob and the cloth enclosing it, to which I was having to shout towards.

“Ahahah, dear, that tickles! Please do stop that now.” She shook her shoulders, causing a shaking sensation on par with an earthquake for me as her two titanic mounds of flesh jiggled. “There, there. This is only for your own safety.” She gently poked her left boob, a little ways south from her nipple. Right where I was. She applied a gentle node of pressure, pushing me onto her flesh even more so. Forget about the force her bra caused by pushing me onto her boob, this is so much worse!

“MMMMMPPHM” I began screaming, once more. 

“Had enough yet, Leon? Hmmm?” She teased, slightly increasing the pressure from her finger. Pushing me onto the surface of her breast even stronger. Was this not uncomfortable for her? Wasn’t this a sensitive area of skin? Or am I that insignificantly small that she can barely even feel me? I let those thoughts wander into my mind. Once again at her mercy, this time to just a mere finger and her boob, though I wasn’t complaining. “All you have to do… Is to stop tickling me with your voice, then I’ll let go.” She exclaimed, finally offering me an escape, a way to end my pain. Once again, I felt compelled to her voice, to her command. I simply did as I was told.

“...” I laid silent.

“Ahh, finally you’ve stopped.” She cooed. ”I see you’ve learnt your lesson… What a good little, teeny, tiny creature you are.” 

She began walking. Carrying my little being along with her. Every so often my surroundings would shake, they would shift in like a periodic motion, shifting me back and forth as a result of her walking. Alas, I was stuck here, but it wasn’t so bad. I quickly got used to these rather ‘unique’ conditions. Besides, it wasn’t as if Ana meant any harm behind her actions. That much was painfully clear in our last wedding party… Where she accidentally bumped into someone and dropped me on the ground from high up. Wasn’t a painful fall onto the rock hard earth, but Ana definitely ended up in a sour mood, maybe from guilt? I could tell from her sad facial expressions afterward. It reminded me of some of the few noblemen from Vascar, who really wanted to help the people. They couldn't, however; their families prohibited such actions. Anything to keep the wealth to themselves I suppose. They were simply left to avert their gaze from any peasant out of guilt, and appear dejected as a result of their actions… Damn it, there I go on again about Vascar… C’mon, I need to move on.

Life had just flown by, a month already passed. Our second wedding came a little less than a week ago.

 I really need to give a piece of my mind to whoever designed some of these customs and traditions. They are the farthest thing away from being ‘fun’ for a tiny like me. Hell, they’re probably closer to torture than anything else I’ve done. Not only did the same humiliating display as last time occur, with me being crushed underneath her dress, but in addition I was thrown into her shoe! Right before the dance party segment had begun, Ana and a few of her friends all grouped up around a table and had Ana remove one of her fancy shoes. Or heels if I’m being more specific. It was a red coloured flat-heel of sorts, which I initially paid no mind to, until I was shoved inside it.

The sounds of 4-5 giantesses giggling away, cackling at the thought of my fate as they reassured me that it’d be ‘fun’, came to mind. To summarise, no, it was not fun. It was hell. Every second I would be smooshed and crushed till what felt like forever. The feeling of her soft skin from her dirty foot trample across me periodically. As if I was no different to the ground, as if I belonged down there. Eventually, even her foot became sweaty, creating a humid environment which I was forced to endure, where my sense of smell was overwhelmed by the disgusting stench.  Those thoughts came rushing back to my mind. 

Despite that, I had a lot of fun this past month. While I still complain about little things here and there, there isn’t any doubt that Ranate is far safer of a land than Vascar. Again, I can’t really speak for everyone, I am the king consort of Ranate. Not your average day run of the mill worker. Hell I don’t even know the specifics of how the tiny folk are treated around these parts, at least not to great detail.

According to Ana, she’s said that she has increased the protections and rights of us tinies ever since she took rule. Which honestly wasn’t that long ago. Of course that’s a great sign… And I should be able to trust her, but until I see it I won’t be able to believe it.

For one, kingdoms of normal descent, or us tiny folk if you will, still hear rumours of horrid acts done against our kind from Ranate and a few of the other kingdoms of giants. I know I certainly did when I was sentenced. The bloody guards wouldn’t shut up about it; that I would be eaten, ripped apart, tormented or worse. From what I can see though, it seems like a utopia for us humans. Just work, get rewarded and enjoy. There isn’t really much more I could ask for here. But even so, those rumours left a mark. 

I feel oddly compelled to learn more about this place. About everything. I would never have been able to back in Vascar. Now though, it feels like I can finally work towards some sort of attainable goal.

“-ey, sleepyhead.” 

Now I just need Ana to finish her work and-

“Hey! Leon. Geez, enough with the daydreaming. I brought you over to the Royal library like you asked yesterday night.” A lovely voice boomed, it was Ana’s. She pulled me out of her bra, away from her scent and instead laid me to stand across a wooden table.

“So you’re finally done with work? Took long enough.” I sarcastically answered

“Not a chance, I still need to work with the management team, the finance department and treasury, not to mention we have a group of soldiers from neighbouring lands visiting soon and-” 

“ Okay, okay, I get it. Wait, so who's going to read out the books for me if you're busy?” I ask, afterall I planned on Ana taking me to the royal library so I could get a dose of this land's history. Its relations and culture and so on. The books themselves were far larger than I was, hence I needed some assistance.

“I’m just gonna be working on documents across the table,” She adjusts and straightens a pile of papers. “I’ve called in the librarian to help you with anything you need. Naturally you aren’t allowed out of my sight, so you’ll just be on the other side of the table as she reads you anything you’re interested in.” Ana finishes speaking, cueing for a blonde haired woman behind her to introduce herself.

“Greetings your majesty, Lord Leon.” She politely addressed me with my royal title. It had been a month and I still wasn’t quite good at handling myself when being referred to as ‘lord’ or the like. “ I will do my utmost in assisting you for today. I’ve heard you were interested in the war with Marvialasvia. Shall I begin?”

“Y-you may.” I shakily answer. When I asked to study the history of Ranate, I wasn’t quite expecting such a robotic guide.  Ana remained at her position, seated atop a chair about 4 metres away from me. That distance of course being relative to her. Every now and then she would avert her gaze and make sure I was still within eye shot of her, and that the blonde woman behind me was doing as she was told. To open up history books and explain their contents.

This librarian was, as I’ve already said, blonde. Her luscious hair was tied up in a ponytail. She wore glasses with a thick edge to them. Really doubling down on the bookish stereotype. Her clothing as per typical of this land, was very closed off and covered. Makes sense when you consider the cold temperature here compared to Vascar. She had a dark red scarf too. 

“The kingdom of Ranate, and the principality of Marvialasia were never on good sides. “ She began.

Even I had heard of this land. It was to the east of Ranate, the climate there was cold, a lot more than Vascar. They were a strong power of the southern section of the world, being vastly territorial over their land they had in the ocean. It must have made any hope of trade by boat impossible, it’s no wonder the giantess harboured a dislike towards them. These folks had branched away from their motherland, and began their own kingdom. The acting prince at the time was a nationalistic leader. Full of political splendour and motive. You know the type.

“Ever since 60 years ago, since their lands founding, the principality of Marvialasia considered humans the superior species and began hunting us giantess.”

“T-they hunted you?” I question, in utter ignorant bliss of this conflict. The idea of a human hunting the monolithic beings that are these giants sounded surreal, fake even. Like from a work of fiction.

 Whilst I had heard of Marvialasia, they were very closed off. Vascar at the very least knew little to nothing about them. Hence, I certainly knew nothing about them.

“That is correct…” She paused, when I looked up at her face, there was just the smallest tinge of desolation, of despair. “ These humans had fierce weaponry, and at the time we were not using magic, in fact we only had the barebones of enchantments going on. Their terrible tactics broke all stances of what could even be considered an honourable war. They were vile, like beasts, like animals. They fought and captured, burned and shocked, let waste to and took dignity from us all. For a very long time, we were losing against them.”

‘W-wow. People did this. Like, my kind… My people? Humans did that?‘

I thought to myself in silence, in awe at what I had just learnt. Vascar certainly was nowhere near as advanced as Marviaslasia. Our enchantments are basic, only available for the rich; and our technology is completely empty in our research of magic.

“So then, what happened since?” I curiously asked.

“For a time, we donned the same methods as them. Cruel, unfairn, ruthless and cutthroat tactics were soon in place by us. We captured their men, and tortured them into spilling their secrets. You may not have heard about this conflict as it was kept secretive, left to assassins and spies for our lands to fight one another at our borders. All the countries around us would've only known about our general dislike with one another.”

How befitting of a counter towards such an enemy. Though that begs the question. What kind of place Ranate was 60 years ago? Or hell, what kind of place was it like just until recently…

It was a bit strange that such a large scale conflict was unheard of to me, a former trainee in Vascar. Then again, considering how Vascar was still under the impression that Ranate was a land of ‘monstrous giants’ it made a little more sense.

“They all act tough, once you break them enough though. All that gets left is a husk of a soldier, begging and whimpering. We scoured and stole their secrets, their techniques, their magic and enchantments from them. During this time, many new traditions were  born. All due to the fact we finally began our counterattack. We could finally start taking them away from the enemy into our fields.” 

 I felt slightly uncomfortable, though that should come to no surprise. 

“Their men, oh their poor men. Indoctorniated, helpless, like sheep. They didn’t know how to think for themselves.” She began her spiel. I couldn’t help but wonder where that robotic, picture perfect librarian went? It almost seemed like she had inserted herself into history. It appears that this was what drove Ranate down a rather nasty path. “It was then, 35 years ago that the law allowing the livestock of humans began. They were reduced to cattle, quite literally being akin to sheep. The rulers at the time thought it would be a good idea to put them at their place. Of course that was overruled by Her gracious majesty, queen Ana about 5 years ago.”

“Rulers at the time?” I wondered.

“Yes, for over 350 years, Ranate ran a royal selection. Where the most capable giantess and her family became royalty or royal blooded. The previous family was the Bronson-Spires.  Before her royal highness, Treya Darlington-Bliss gave them a run for their money 20 years ago.” She mentioned.

Sounds like a weirdly over complicated process. Were my initial thoughts. 

“Treya? As in, Ana’s mother?” I exclaimed in shock. I was quite sure there was some history happening about their family, but this came in as yet another interesting tradition of Ranate. I glanced over Ana, who was surprisingly unfazed, she gave a small glance over my direction. As she had been doing repeatedly as if in periodic motion to check up on me.

On another note, is such an ever changing government really that functional? It sounds like not much was done over that rule or since. I’ve never heard of a system where the monarchy changes so frequently.

“Yes… However, she disappeared 6 years ago…”  The librarian echoed.

“Where did she go?” I ponder aloud before realising I asked a stupid question. If they knew, why wouldn’t they search for her?

“She went in search of something, it appears she made quite the discovery and in her usual manner, left with a note proclaiming the throne will be handed down to her most capable daughter. The rest would be exiled.”

Huh? What kind of notice was that? It doesn’t seem like the librarian was weirded out by it though… Maybe it's a normal thing around here?

“I-I see. That was, uh. Yeah. A lot to take in.” I let out a sigh, I asked for a history lesson so I would get some answers on what happened in this land. But now, I only have more questions. 

‘Who was this mysterious mother figure? Where did she disappear off to? Why did she disappear? What did she discover?’ These were all questions in my mind.

“If it’s alright, could I ask what happened to her father?”  I implored.

“Treya took his highness Ariol Darlington-Bliss alongside her, she was always a bit obsessed with him. It seemed like that was something of a trait passed down to her second eldest daughter, her current majesty, Queen Ana.” The librarian jokes.

“ I see.” I answered disappointingly. As I hoped for some more information regarding the two. “That’s a shame. What kind of man was the previous king consort?” 

“He was capable, open-minded and someone determined to cause change… My opinions towards tinies, if I may speak out of line, are that most are nothing more than savages. But, he was a fine man. Someone fit to stand alongside her royal majesty, Treya.” 

“...”

I stood there in silence, amused by the rather sudden tonal shift present in the librarian's voice.  Prompting her to reply.

“Well, let’s hope that you too, can become someone worthy to stand alongside Ana.” There was a small pause in between her words.” As of right now, I see nothing more but a hindrance to her royal highness and-”

“That’s enough, Maria.” A voice beckoned. Neither too harsh or sharp, but a strong tone that demanded authority. Obviously it was Anas.

“My apologies, your majesty. I stepped out of line.” 

The librarian, who I’ve just discovered to be named Maria, bows her head down slightly and apologises. It appears Ana did not take well to Maria’s words. Suppose that’s obvious though. She randomly just began to verbally criticise me. What did I do? I know I’m not that useful, or strong, or much of anything. But was that really a time for that?

Still though, I notice Ana’s choice of words as I stare back towards her. She did not ask Maria to apologise to me, or rebuke her words. She simply implied to her to dial it down a little. I may not be the smartest, but even I can take the hint. That message being, she wasn’t in the wrong completely wrong. 

“Young lord, I ask for your forgiveness in my tone of voice. However, this behaviour is not currently enough to be considered worthy of your title. That much I still stand by.” Maria coldly states. “ You must do much more, learn more. Get stronger, smarter and more diplomatic to benefit this land. And above all, you must support her royal majesty, Queen Ana.”

I was being lectured. I was being hounded at for my actions. At my inadequacy, my poor form and lack of power. Against these two titanic figures, I was an ant, am still an ant, and If I continued as if it was, I probably would be no different to one going forward. 

My own mind searched for questions, attempting to thwart away responses with excuses but to no avail. It was clear. If I just laze around… How was I any different to those Vascar pompous bastards?

– – – 

“Hey Ana, is there anything I could be doing to help out?” I nervously ask while atop her shoulder. About 15 minutes had passed since the librarian had left and Ana was carrying me back to our bedroom, as she was getting ready to change outfits. 

“Hmmm, is this coming from talking with the librarian? You don’t need to worry, dear. There isn’t really anything you can do as of now.” She replies kindly with a pleasant tone in her soothing voice.

“But, like, I’m not doing enough am I? Maria said the previous king was adorned as a reliable man, despite his height difference. He still managed to achieve excellence as he was. Now, as his successor in name, I can’t help but feel like I’ve dropped the ball.” I worriedly mention.

We finally reach the door to our room as we continue our talk whilst we enter it. Its glamour and splendour always take me aback compared to what I’m used to, no matter how many times I see this sight. 

“Hmm. Well… I guess there is something you could do to help, if you’re really itching for it.” She suspiciously mentions, I can’t help but notice that she seems to be withholding information away from me. Although, I ignore such thoughts in my quest to be of any use.

“ Yes! Sure. What do you need help with?” I excitedly answer, only to be met with a large, leather made boot. Black in colour. Confused, I stare back at Ana who was grinning mischievously back at me.  

Ohh… I get it. She wants me to go in there.

“My feet get awfully cold during this season. This castle is basically one giant ice room with how large it is and how poorly it can retain heat. Would be great if someone was there keeping me warm though…” She snarkily implies.

“W-what about socks? Don’t they keep you warm enough?” I begin my case, leading with a defence.

“Oh? So you want to be thrown into my socks now? How naughty Leon.” Her face seemed possessed with a teasing smile, a grin so wide it seemed to loom over me. “ Too bad,  you don’t wear socks with these specific boots.”

“Ah, haha. Hah.”

 I let out a chuckle. Not the joyeus kind, but one of a defeated enemy, a cornered rat. What was I even hoping for? What defences did I even have? Against my wife, I was absolutely helpless.

Her boot went up quite high, though only upto her lower legs. As for me, I could see the entrance to what would be my sweaty and putrid enclosure, I hoisted my head down in defeat. After all, any height above her heel would essentially lead me to a prison, it wasn’t as if I could escape such a high point to begin with.Once I fell down the hole, or the foot hole ‘entrance’ of her boot, that was that. 

As I've said before, It's made of leather. Suppose that isn’t the best at retaining heat in cold temperatures; Coloured a deep dark black, it honestly gives off an imposing figure too. Why? Because once I fall in, my entire world will be black. As in I won’t be able to see a damn thing. That and the colour itself leaves a provocative impression.

She grabs ahold of me and my pathetic being and removes her left foot from her boot. She had already put them on before I mentioned anything, and now is having to remove them to entertain her desires. I’m housed atop her palm, located far above where her boot is. However the looming threat of being thrown inside her boot resides within my mind, the same horrific picture as the second marriage party came to mind. Where Ana and her friends quite literally crushed me, and danced blissfully above me. That very same scene was about to repeat, just minus the dancing part. 

As she lowered me closer to her leather boot, a stench of sweat, of a wet sultry environment that not even a fly would want to get near, was hurled back to my sense of smell. I was about 30cm away from her boot, that distance being relative to her. I could visibly see the opening to her boot, where her foot once resided. Where hell loomed. The putrid stench got overwhelmingly stronger, replacing the cold air around me with a warm humid odour. Enveloping me in a damp haze, I was sure that these leather boots were going to be a much worse environment compared to her wedding heels.

“Well, down you go.” She joyfully nudged me down. If I was resting atop her palm earlier, now I was falling as she tilted the angle of her palm downwards. From this height, I would be free from any sustaining injuries thanks to my enchantments as I fell. But what was far more terrifying was where I was headed.   

Next thing I knew, I had already landed.

Everything around me was dark, with blackish bleak colours. The walls were a tough leather, with the ground cladded with a softer material. It was as if I had wandered into a cavern, with the only light I had being above me.

 As with every step forward into the depths, a bleak darkness followed. As with every step forward, the stench of sweat grew stronger. As with every step forward, the immense sense of hopelessness was amplified. I couldn’t even crawl back out, the material was made too smoothly. All there was above me was light, the world, where freedom was. Yet, here I was trapped within a shoe. A boot. A shoddy piece of footwear. Quite literally damned to be in my place, right below hers. Right beneath queen Ana. 

It was as if the very air I breathed in was soaked with a moist, clammy scent. To what surprise… After all, I am surrounded by such an environment. It engulfed me, preventing me from breathing anything but what was right there. From every angle, from every step to every point I was surrounded by the foul stench. Is this what it felt like to be a mere bug trapped in a shoe? 

However, my fate didn’t just stop there. I was simply too distressed to think critically. What I had forgotten was what would come after. 

A titanic sized foot, loomed down. Entering the hole where my only source of light could penetrate in from. It happened so quickly, so suddenly. I could only briefly contemplate what to do before my own bodily instincts kicked in. My sense of freight quickly overtook my legs and forced me into running into the depths. Away from the enormous foot which was soon to be filling the space I was trapped within. I ran, I sprinted, I could not even register what my own breathing must have been like. I simply dashed like no man ever could towards the dark depths of her boot.

 I knew in my heart I wasn’t going to escape, I knew any of my actions would amount to nothing. Yet, up against the mere foot of a giantess, there wasn’t anything else I could do. Each passing second, her foot loomed ever closer, catching up to my fleeting figure. Though, there wasn’t much I could even run away from in such a short time frame to begin with.

Before I knew it, her foot was right above my figure, as Ana was readjusting to her boot. Getting comfortable. I was lying down on the ground atop the insole, petrified at the thought of what may happen in just a few mere seconds. I could hardly see anything right now, not only was she covering my only source of light, but my feeble attempt to escape led me farther down the depth of her boot. Where little light was present anyway.

“Al-right. Upsy-daisy” She nonchalantly expressed, moving from what I presume was a seated position to standing up once more. It was at that very moment where the pressure above me came crashing down, eclipsing my poor form in nothing but the underside of the sole of her foot. Her stench finally at its worst, along with a powerful sting, or blunt force of pressure from her full weight pressing on me. I was helpless. My voice was already too far away to be heard from her, but now I doubt my wailing and cries would even escape from the confines of her boot. It would simply be muffled.

Then, as If the world began to flip. I felt a brutal force pulling me upward at sickening speeds. The surreal feeling of being caught up between a rock and a hard place was all I could feel, now with the addition of gravity I could do nothing to protest. It all happened so quickly, I don’t think I could even try to protest. 

After what felt simultaneously like an eternity but an instant, my upward ascension stopped at a point. However I felt myself moving forward still. Of course, She was walking forward. Suddenly a downward descent was immediately given right after a moment of peace. The full force of her foot came crashing down on me, pushing me onto the tough insole ground.

The full force of gravity, now in conjunction with the stampeding motion of Ana’s feet, were about to crush me. I was bracing for impact, at least mentally I was. In all honesty, I couldn’t move much at all. It felt bizarre, like something out of this world. Something us humans should never have to experience. The feeling of an otherwise gigantic being towering over you so easily that she could step over your entire hopes and dreams. 

*Thud.* 

Her boot reached the ground, for me it felt like a crash landing off a catapult. The immediate hell of suddenly falling, and falling, and falling until eventually the ground you’re forced to cling to stops moving down, was what I had felt. Instead, the force of the foot above me began to dominate, sending nodes and waves or pain and pressure down my entire being. It felt like I was getting grinded against her insoles. That was only a single, mere step. There were many more to come.

It was repetitive, it was happening every couple of seconds. The feeling of being stepped on so absentmindedly, as if Ana didn’t even notice I was there. Before I realised it, I began to enjoy my place beneath her once again. As every step had me more and more pulsated with pleasure.

*Thud… Thud…*

Well fuck… that pain redirection spell sure is effective.

– – –

*Huff… Hah.*

There I was, many hours later. I wasn’t sure how long but it was definitely a long time since I was finally released from my prison. Currently, I laid atop a table. It was a desk with books around me, and documents being filled by an enormous figure behind me. Her silky brown hair and adorable face that falsely presented a sense of innocence, it was Ana’s. I knew better than anyone, that Ana was not one with an innocent smile. She was completely aware and understanding of what she was doing. 

She removed me from her footwear just earlier, hoisting me up to a table to rest. The sudden sensation of having somewhat cold, clean air fill my lungs again had almost left me with tears in my eyes. 

I was coughing, huffing and puffing. Taking back in the clean air I had taken for granted. I was nearly passing out to be honest. Yet I still wanted to remain up and running to talk to Ana.

“So, that keep you warm and cosy? Hah…”  I exhaustedly ask. Sarcasm evident in my voice.

“Yep, nice and cosy. Maybe we should do this again sometime? Mhmm.” She replied, with a playfully mocking tone.

“N-nah, I think I’m good.” 

“Haha. Look at you, it seems you’ve really had enough.” Ana propped her chin with the palms of hands, holding them in place as she beamed with a loving smile. “Need me to console you?”

“Uh-Mhmm… Your majesty. Could we please proceed with business. It is a matter of urgency.” A foreign voice interjects. 

What the, there was someone else here?

At a sudden loss for words, I look around and see that on the other end of the table a giantess was seated. She had black hair, which was tied up in a ponytail. She seemed marginally older than Ana. At least going off facial features. She had shiny metal plated armour covering her torso, with a sheath housing an oddly shaped weapon along her waist. It was most certainly not a sword. Figures, what use were swords to giants afterall? Her armour piece possessed a logo, or design more accurately speaking. I had noticed it before just travelling around with Ana within the castle, but it was the soldiers of this land’s symbol. 

“Fine, fine. Kathy. I’ll stop embarrassing my tiny, little, helpless man.” She points her finger atop me and begins poking me gently. As if to sweetly nudge me. Didn’t you just say you would stop embarrassing me? “What news do you have to share?” She continues.

Kathy changes her tone to a more solemn and serious one. “It seems that Vascar has allied themselves with the principality of  Marvialasia, and we have an intel report from Miranda’s group that Marvialasia is preparing a full blown offensive attack in 4 months time…”

“...”

‘W-what. Why?!?’

Conflicting thoughts flooded my mind in quick disarray, in swift succession. Namely being, what was my stance in all this? What am I to do? I still had my friends and family in Vascar. Now they’ve become a part of the enemy? Why did Vascar send me over to Ranate if they were only going to indirectly announce war with them soon after?

I panicked and lost myself in the endless fog of my own mind. My breathing hastened, though only momentarily. I was at a complete loss for what I was to do. Forget wondering about what Maria the librarian said earlier about me being incompetent, it was now by no mistake she was in the right. In the hostile and fearsome hell known as war, what was a mere bug like me to do? 

I had no proper training as of yet, no capability towards magic and the arts, and but a mere squire with the sword. I had nothing to offer but my support for Ana. 

I looked back behind me, at Ana. Instinctively at a loss, my own body searched for the person with the greatest responsibility in their position. In this case, the queen of Ranate.

 ‘How is she going to take this? Surely panic must be setting in right? She’s only been officially queen for a month and a bit now. She must be confused, unsure even.’ Were my anxious thoughts. ‘I’m going to need to help her. Yeah, that's all I can do really. She probably needs the emotional support anywa-’ 

But when I stared back to the titanic being behind me, there was not a shred of worry or anxiousness to her face. Her body language was calm, collected. No shaky hands whatsoever. Her face was far from a frown, but not close to a smile either. It was like a face of contemplation. Of thinking and processing. Anyone in the nearby vicinity could virtually see a plan forming within her head.

Neither Kathy nor I could disrupt this process. Both of us were akin to little pups waiting for instructions from their master, simply waiting in awe. There was a moment of silence, a brief pause that felt like an eternity.

“Is that so…” She exclaimed, rather peacefully might I add. I was sure there was worry behind the professional mask on her face. However, her attitude and the way she conducted herself were almost out of this world. No haste, no foolish irrational behaviour. She was simply thinking about what to do, and how to go about it. “Kathy, bring forth the council. I have much to discuss with them.” 

“Yes, your majesty.” She bows her head down slightly, and proceeds to leave the room.

And then, there was just me and Ana, alone. She was still thinking. It was then when it really hit me. Wow. This was the woman I had married. Strong, smart, capable and gigantic. A fun and loving personality mixed with a strong sense of leadership… What was I in comparison? Where I immediately panicked, she calmly assessed the situation and began forming a plan… She wasn’t just a queen for a month. She was a princess, a princess that bested her sisters in becoming next in line for the throne. She had already won over most of Ranate. For good reason.

I looked down dejectedly at the cold hard wooden table ground, where I was standing atop. It was right there and then, I had decided that I would do much more to support Ana. To be worthy of the title of ‘king consort’ of Ranate. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was clear I had much to learn and achieve before I could rest.

 I held my head up high again, only to be met with a warm and affectionate smile from my beloved.

A sparse room, littered with fancy decoration with an extravagant rectangular table was placed at the centre where I stood. Above me was a gold chandelier, which I couldn’t figure out if it were merely painted. Around me were chairs with crimson red cushions around a gold and wooden frame, provoking a stunning, dominant aura. One that reeked of power and wealth, such seats were set right around my vision. ‘Even if I worked my entire life off at Vascar. I doubt I could ever afford such a thing.’ I wondered, realising that the titanic chairs would cost more than what a humble knight was worth. 

“Your Majesty, it appears not only Marvialasia, but Vascar too, have gone against our backs.” A voice called out, a faint tinge of frustration lingered in her tone. “It’s a shame, really. One may expect such behaviour from the scoundrels over at Marvialasia, but to think Vascar would imitate such behaviour… It’s disappointing.``

A figure, seemingly aged more than twice the lifetime of I, was there. She spoke with fickle frustration, at such a tone that expressed both dissatisfaction and an expectant tiredness. It was as if she was aware that this outcome would arise, just unsure in the matter of when.

“Lisa, don’t let your spirits down. We’ve known it would occur at some point. Though involving Vascar was an unexpected move.” Another voice joins in, with a strong deep voice. To me, all giants possessed domineering tones. This one in particular however was far more heavy, as it carried a certain weight with it.

“Do you think the lands up north are involved?” The figure named Lisa asks in concern as she faces forward toward the queen, who seemed lost in thought in response to the question.

Of course she was obviously referring to the tyrannical Karkiman Empire and the modest Bingfordian Empire. Two powerhouses located on the western continent, unfortunately situated adjacent from one another. These dominant titans known as political empires, clashed against one another.. 

The peaceful and quiet land of Bingfordian was what I and many other citizens of Vascar attributed to ‘making it’ in life. That being reaching rampant success. ‘And who could blame us? Lands full of age-old dungeons, ancient historical monuments and wonder were right there! With mystical plant life and bountiful treasure lurking across every corner!’ On duty once I even got to look over the border of Vascar and Bingfordian, an event I wouldn’t forget. What I saw were hills full of lush green flora that seemingly changed into a range of unique environments across the horizon. Colours of greenery transforming into brownish reds, or deeper and warmer greens depending on whichever direction I stared. I couldn’t help but compare to Vascar.  With the very air so foul,  so stunk of corrupt feudal greed that plagued my kingdom, almost being seemingly swept away as I approached the border. I could smell it, ‘Hell I could even taste it.’ The liberty and privilege of what it felt to truly live. It made me want to abandon my post at the barren, drought gifted lands where I was positioned at northern Vascar, to run away and live as a refugee forever more. Alas as my senses returned, the shackles that forced me to my land pulled on tight, and I was bound back in place to my post.

Bingfordian was a multicultural society, housing capable dwarves, scholarly elves, proficient fairies  and even sentient monster races. However there were no giants there and I had always wondered why, but after living with them for a month it became a little clearer. Simply put, Bingfordian wasn’t built with creatures of their magnitude in mind, it wasn’t going to magically acquire such infrastructure overnight either. ‘Maybe at some point we could achieve an alliance with them… Would do well for their multicultural agenda.” I silently hoped. ‘Much better than getting involved with the Karkiman empire, though an alliance with Bingfordian would result in an instant declaration of war from them...’ 

*Thump.* *Thump.* 

Quiet, but heavy taps to the ground beneath me were felt resonating through my body. The amount of force in them to the giantess right beside me would have been next to nothing, but a mere human like myself would feel them from hundreds of metres away. It didn’t help that she was tapping her finger to a wooden, sturdy table too. Which only seemingly amplified the force from her fingers. She tapped away, lingering in thought from Lisa’s question. However my mind was distracted from learning a new habit of Ana’s, ‘hmm, so she's the type that taps her fingers when she’s lost in thought.’ Were my immediate thoughts. 

“No, our scouts have observed no prominent activity in either of the lands.” Ana interjects. A slightly cold, formal demeanour was carried about in her body language with her elbows on the table, with her arms reaching up towards her face, which rested atop the backs of her hands. They slightly covered up her face and mouth. It created an image of someone exploring many possibilities in their mind. Of someone looking for the bigger picture.

She informs the table that Ranate has not detected any suspicious activity, though I find that statement rather confusing. ‘I mean, how could you know for sure?’ 

“But Ana, can your scouts truly detect such activity?” I questioned, aloud with an unusually strong tone. Suddenly the entire roundtable halts. The council members seated from afar on the rectangular table seated away from me quiet down at my sudden provocation. Their large, beady eyes come zooming down on me, as if to locate where the sudden sound came from. ‘Did they not realise I was here all along?’ I briefly wondered. Ana ignores their attitude and contemplates the question.

“Oh? my little noble squire, what do you mean?” She asks, half serious and half satire. For some reason she always manages to humble me, no matter how snarky or serious a situation may seem. Regardless, I voice my concerns.

“People uhh-er *cough*, I mean Humans are quite a bit smaller than any of you. If some did manage to sneak in, I find it difficult to believe you could easily notice them.” I explain, with my eye contact staying strictly on Ana due to nervousness and fear. I wasn’t accustomed to having so many expectant gazes leer in my direction. So naturally I was a little anxious. 

“I see,” Ana answers. 

“That's why the same logic should apply when you go scouting. How conclusive is it that your intel finds no readings of suspicious movement across the northern borders?”

“ Well, I understand your concerns, but don’t fret, honey. It’s quite unlikely the ones up north would invade. They’re simply in no shape to do so. Both empires are fully focused on each other, if either Marvialasia or Ranate were to pick a side, it’d mean a full scale war involving the empires and our smaller lands” Ana exclaims, politely. “ We’re keeping wary as an extra control measure, but it seems quite unlikely either empire is willing to make that push, our other intel supports that theory too.”

“O-oh, I see.” I reply, slightly embarrassed. As if I asked a stupid question. I tuck my head down and avert eye contact. In conjunction, as if sensing our private conversation finishing; the three council members spring back into action. 

“Is that your majesty, Leon? Why, Ana, you should have mentioned he was here all along. Hello there little guy.” The young giantess with the lovely deep voice kindly introduces herself. “I’m Elysia, newly appointed head deputy of our military and defence administration.” 

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Leon from Vascar and-” I attempt to introduce myself to her, and the rest of the ladies. However I was abruptly cut off. 

“Ugh, why is there a tiny here? From Vascar too.”

 Lisa, as if offended, interjects in an over exaggerated manner. She was a typical 60m (200ft) tall giantess and as I mentioned earlier, she seemed to be almost twice as old as I. With slight wrinkles evident on her face, and a manner of speaking foreign to any other giantess I’ve encountered beforehand. She dressed, like everyone else in the room, with heavy warm clothing containing multiple tight layers of fabric bound to her skin with the addition of a woollen scarf around her neck.

“It is due to her naïve majesty, getting married in a rushed and abrupt manner. You did not inform us, the council, of this most important decision.” The third voice finally began speaking.  Cold, quiet and blunt were the descriptors I could give for the last giantess’ mannerisms. 

“Do you have an issue with my love life, Rheas?” Ana retorts, slightly angry it appears. ‘Though to be honest, I was as well at this Rheas person.’

“Your majesty, you are still unaware of the ways of the world. We in the council only wish the best for you. That’s why we’re here, so we can guide you on your way of ruling over your people. So surely you can understand our concerns  that marrying this country bumpkin is-”

“Silence, I won’t be hearing it. Frankly this has nothing to do with our current agenda.” Ana cuts off Rheas’ spiel.

“Sorry but this isn’t something I can agree with either.” Lisa re-joins in. “ Queen Ana, you are a figure of power, of dominance and authority. Marrying such a no name mite like him only weakens your reputation!”

Elysia gives a side eye glare to Rheas and Lisa, as if a warning to calm themselves down. 

“I grow tired of your constant nagging, I truly do.” Ana too calms herself down. However, her brow tells me she isn’t settled.

“Lisa and I only voice what is best for the kingdom.” Rheas argues, slightly squinting her eyes to lower her brow. 

 “You two wished to grant the crown prince of Marvialasia, the title of king consort of our nation a few months back! Of course I declined such an offer. Becoming a pretty badge of fickle, short lived peace for such a deplorable man; the prince of such a venomous nation is not what is best for my country, or for my people!” Ana lightly shouts, her voice remains formal. But the anger seeps through. Almost like an infection, it starts to involuntarily resonate with me. 

“ It was a mere ploy, we would capture him and use him as a bargaining tool.” Lisa mentions. With her hand on her upper chest set in a diagonal manner. Her palm lay fixated. She struck this pose as if to portray herself as truthful.

“What about my say in this? Was I simply to risk bearing children with such a man? For short term peace no less?” Ana questions. “Was I nothing more than a tool to use then? What if the enemy had some elaborate scheme? What if they planned to use their superior understanding of magic?”

I wanted to raise my voice, to shout with her. To tell them off that they have no business dictating her life for her. However, my voice is feeble and puny. It simply would get talked over. Ignored. In the worst case, they may even use my words against me somehow. So I decided to remain quiet. 

“ You and your mother follow the same damned beliefs. So unfitting of a leader. To think you would jeopardise the kingdom for your own meagre superstitions…” Rheas harshly criticises.

“Yet, the kingdom is in its best shape? Oh how sorry we are for our involvement, of what we’ve done.” Ana sarcastically apologises, offering meaningless condolences to the legacy of her late mother’s actions. 

“The kingdom is in its worst shape! Tinies are beginning to reach higher up positions in society, the late high class society have also started losing small shares of wealth and our war with Marvialasia rages on! How are these improvements? The Darlington-Bliss’ have ruined the values of what our great kingdom has stood for!” Lisa scorns, though rage is only slightly evident in her voice. Instead, a tense bitterness that can only be conveyed vexingly through words was felt to anyone in the nearby vicinity. 

“Your age is showing, Lisa. With how outdated your beliefs are, and with your stubbornness too, it isn’t a wonder why the peasants under your rule are dissatisfied with you.” Ana briefly pauses, examining the disgusted look of Lisa’s before continuing. “People move on, times change. Giantesses of Ranate aren’t mad at Marvialasia like they used to be. No more blind hate is corrupting their views on tinies, the only hate left is for their ruler.” Ana replies.

“Our hate for Marvialasia is justice itself; we deserve to have them under our foot!” Lisa argues, suddenly a picture of a bitter old figure, rambling away is painted in my mind. It bared a striking resemblance to the nobles at Vascar.

“Yes, but not all tinies are Marvialasians, and not all humans want us dead. Nor do all giantesses want to dominate their humans.”

“Tsk! Your naive optimism knows no bounds.” Lisa bitterly snickers. Creating a much needed silence in the room. A silence lasting a few seconds, creating awkward tensions between the figures present. I wait for a couple seconds, for what may be the most tense council meeting I’ve ever attended, only for the silence to continue. The giants around me stare at each other in displeasure. Eyebrows burrowed for some.

“Ana’s right,” I selfishly intervene. “ I’ve only been here for a little while, but I just can’t see people going back to the ways you described they used to be. Already so many shops and professions are accepting tinies. You can’t just say that-”

“Silence you lowly insect!” Lisa harshly scowls aloud.

“That’s enough Lisa! You can’t say such rubbish to your newly appointed king.” Elysia interrupts, almost seemingly in response to seeing Ana’s glaring gaze. One full of rage hidden behind an unamused neutral smile. 

“Pssh? What king? We don’t have one! A mere king consort won’t order me around. Don’t get so high and mighty now that you're married.” Rheas clicks her tongue with attitude as she refuses to listen.

“Madam Rheas, I ask that you will obey my word. Sit down, and let us resume our plan of attack…” Ana once more interrupts. A cold, harsh tone is present in her voice. She speaks slowly, slightly quietly. With her gaze tired, unassuming and distant.  The sudden excess formality even throws me off guard. 

“...” 

Silence was once more the loudest noise present in the air, no one other than Rheas dared to speak a word after. For the command itself was instructed for Rheas. 

The woman sat herself down. No reply necessary.

“ It’s true that marriage with tinies is a hot topic when it concerns me. After all, the politics of the King consort title and husband get a little muddy.” Ana admits.

“T-they do?” I ask in confusion.

“Before my mothers reign, it was rare for any tiny person to get married to the princess specifically. She fought hard for the now many rights of tinies. However, it muddied the water with Ranate’s previous system.” Ana briefly paused. ” See, before the sole purpose of mankind was for our reproductive purposes. The man chosen to be responsible for the queen’s child was called the ‘king consort,’. However, they weren’t necessarily wedded to the queen. In fact they were expendable once the child was born.”

‘What? Isn’t that my title now?’ I questioned. It appeared that Ranate’s history was rather interesting, albeit perhaps a little convoluted though. 

The recent exposition of information however felt quite honestly fitting. ‘Hell I’ll be the first man to say those old customs weren’t designed with the health of the tiny in mind’. I explored the many possibilities of why these traditions existed. Afterall to the giantesses themselves, they were nothing short of good fun. And with magic involved, Tiny humans like myself were mostly safe too. 

‘With magic involved,’ I thought, being key. There was definitely a time period where the lack of magic would have caused severe issues with the traditions of Ranate. Of course, back then marriage was out of the window. ‘I doubt back then, anyone was actually marrying one another inter-species’. So those extreme traditions were also null and void for this theory. However, just everyday conventions and the very systems themselves seemed against humans. Which now started to make sense. ‘It appears, these traditions weren’t meant for tinies at all. Just the opposite, they existed solely to torment them… We were considered expendable, for a cruel time period at least.’ I thought, in the silent realm of my mind right as Ana began speaking once more.

“So, when the queen marries a human now, with marriage laws intact, the tinies aren’t expendable anymore. After all, more than just reproduction becomes their only purpose now. This creates a weird paradox where the roles of new king consorts differ from prior ones, as any married man to the queen automatically becomes a king consort but also a husband. Hence, they aren’t capable of being deployed as foot soldiers or simply forgotten about right after. They just carry on as partners of the queen.”

“I see.” I answer after receiving the sudden, unexpected history lesson. 

“Hmph, he didn’t even know that! See?” Rheas points her finger toward me, as if directing blame.'' How can he become our king if he knows nothing about our land, or our laws and customs?” Rheas jeers. 

“Rheas, times are changing. He isn’t just some random king consort, he is also my husband. My lover. Any offence to him is an offence to me. Unlike previous queens before the Darlington-Bliss, I won’t hear or accept any slander towards Leon, especially on such spiteful logic.” 

“Yeah, well you can do that. But what about us? What about any doubters in the populace? Are they just meant to quiet down and accept this new tiny as their king? You can’t silence their opinions, not if you care for your public image at least.” Lisa replies, sceptical of Ana’s perspective. “Sure, most will blindly follow the monarchy, but some will always remain as doubters. And we all know that anybody in your position knows the hindrance doubters provide…”

“At the very least, he hasn’t done enough to be considered worthy of being either a monarch, king consort, or your husband. That much is clear.” Rheas concludes.

“Once again, I’ll repeat myself. You don’t get to decide when he’s ‘worthy’ or not.” Ana rebuts, a slight tired expression laid across her face.

“-But you do agree that he isn’t enough to be considered king at the very least?” Lisa, once sensing an opportunity, interjects once more.

“ I-I, well-” Ana begins speaking, before a slight pause. As if in confrontation with her own ideals, she slightly bows her head down in defeat before continuing. “No… It’s true that he hasn’t done enough to be properly considered king.”

“Well that wraps this up-” Lisa attempts to finish the discussion, before getting cut off.

“I can prove myself.” I boldly state. Sensing Ana wasn’t going to win her debate, I decided it’s time to sell myself a little bit here. “If the issue is that Ana shouldn’t be marrying a no name, random helpless tiny. Then I can fix that!”

Ana peers down at my form, a little bit nervous but ultimately a proud and reserved smile lays across her face.

“Oh, is that so?” Lisa mocks, a giggle hidden behind the fakeness of her smile. It was as if she was trying her best in not trying to laugh at my proclamation.

“Give me a fair task, anything worthy for a king of this kingdom. I’ll do it.”

“A fair task? For little ol’ you? That’d hardly be anything of worth for our kingdom little man.” Rheas says. “ If you want to prove yourself, you’ll have to take things a bit out of your comfort zone.” 

Ana stares down at me with a worrying gaze, unsure if this was the right move to make. She has our hand enfolded with one another, with fingers intertwined. ‘Perhaps a sign she isn’t too optimistic about the task?’

“The task must be fair, I’ll moderate that. If anything is overly harsh then I’ll immediately cancel it.” Ana argues. “And I mean fair in the sense that you folk aren’t capable of influencing it.” 

Rheas and Lisa stare at each other's eyes and smile, then Lisa smiles at Elysia and she nods back at her. 

“Fine, fine, your majesty. Not to worry, we’ve come up with a fine idea. One we originally didn't need to use… But now it seems that a ‘fine’ young man has taken the plunge.” Lisa mockingly says while eyeballing me. 

“We’ve reached a unique predicament with our land, as I’m sure your majesty is aware. We are at war with Marvialasia, but cannot afford to upset either the Karkiman empire or the Bingfordian empire up north. The land east, Vascar also seems to be conspiring against us.” Elysia, after a long absence from the discussion, re-joins in. “The easiest option we have, is to allow someone to sneak in up northwest, and enter into Marvialasia from there and gather intel. This would not only assist in attacking the kingdom, but also allow us to prevent a proxy war with Vascar.” 

“Ah, but the issue is that any giantess would make an obvious ploy. Far too easy for anyone to see the issue there… You're not suggesting we have Leon be this spy, are you councilors?”

There was a brief pause in the room. Where Ana’s gaze was focused harshly on Rheas. As if engaging in a war of silent words, it looked like they had conversed from merely their facial expressions. 

“Why yes, we are. Even Elysia is with us.” Rheas smugly says.

“...” 

Ana stares to the side, at Elysia in confusion. From my perspective it’s all happening so fast that I’m struggling to keep up with the discussion. However, I’ve made up my mind on what my goals are. So not like that matters much to me anymore. I wasn’t sure if it was the sudden spike in adrenaline, but I seemed weirdly excited, especially since I would normally be reacting in the opposite manner. 

“ I believe it would be a good morale boost, as well as a way to strengthen both your majesty’s reputations. If sir Leon leaves this hurdle a stronger man, then it would only benefit the kingdom. Outside of Ranate, hardly anyone should be familiar with him too.” Elysia reasons her stance. Picking the council members perspective over ours. 

Her stance on the matter makes Ana’s facial expression twitch, as if showing her own battle of ideals. Back to her position of being lost in thought, Ana faces me once more.

“ Will this be alright for you?” She asks, her voice harrowing but gentle. 

“I-I’ll manage. I’ve gone this far already. I won’t be giving up here.” I declare, loud and clear for the roundtable to hear, though a slight tinge of nervousness still was ever present. “After this, Rheas and Lisa, will I finally be recognized as king here?”

“Hmph, It’ll depend on your progress. We have other issues after this that need addressing too you know. Such as the lack of ore and minerals available in our land. And the limited trade routes too.” Lisa announces. “ Who knows if one task will really sway the more skeptical people of Ranate…”

“There isn’t anything else I can do, but to lead by example.” I challenge both the arrogant council members in their beliefs. My passion for becoming worthy of the title graciously handed to me hadn’t changed. Why would it? At the lowest point of my existence, I had nothing. I lost it all, to greed and corruption. Now, Ana bestowed upon me wealth, fame, her own love and companionship. Like a gift from the gods, right to me when I needed it most. To help out her image for doing so much for me was a given in my mind. 

“Confident, are we? You may depart right away.” Lisa says, almost in a scary manner. As if her intent were to evoke fear.

“Right away is insane. I refuse. That goes against the fair task conditions we all agreed to. Give him ten days to get ready.” Ana strongly contends.

“Is this favoritism I see?” Lisa exclaims with a disappointed tone.

“ I struggle to see how jeopardizing the plan from your own stubbornness is a good idea. I’m simply allowing ten days in consideration for Beth to create an invisibility cloth for him, I still have to inform her about this request and all. Such fine craft takes a while; It would also vastly improve the odds of our success.” Ana, in an exhausted manner, argues back. Providing an elaborate excuse. 

“An invisibility cloth you say? Excellent. We can expend some patience for that. Any research done on magic and fine craftsmanship are resources spent well.” Rheas cheerfully proclaims.

‘Was my own well being not of any concern whatsoever to these council giants?’ I wondered, in awe of the sudden lack of care I was receiving. I knew there were giantesses out there that would be against my position, but to see them at such powerful seats of the monarchy? It struck a bitter cord that left a sour taste in my mouth. ‘Whatever, I have no better choice but to prove myself.” I thought, silent within the depths of my own thoughts. 

“Well, that concludes our meeting.” Rheas finishes. Seemingly had enough of my blabbering, she stands up abruptly, with a slight scorn across her face directed at my general position.  “I do hope our little warrior can prove himself somewhat. At least to around the level of competency of his former majesty. It’s the bare minimum. Originally we weren’t even going to offer him a chance when we would spot him, but since he’s eager to prove himself. He gets one shot.” 

“Yes, yes, I agree.” Lisa jeers. “We look forward to your upcoming achievements, as we’re all sure you’ll most certainly succeed…” 

“And, on the off chance you aren’t back in a month, the kingdom will assume you're dead.” Rheas declares.  “Good luck now, brave tiny.”

The two leave, exiting the roundtable room. Their footsteps to me sounded like loud tremors. Such that it made me wonder by reflex, of the hell I would be subject to if I was down there, stuck on the floor. The fear, the helplessness and powerlessness I would have against what would ultimately be their brisk average day walking pace. That horror latched onto my mind, like a bad case of the plague it made me want to pass out.  I peered outward, towards their fleeting ever escaping silhouettes. Seeing that it was done, it was over. The round table finished.

‘I just did that… I talked back to those titans.’ I realised, having all the events of the tense meeting come into effect. I vividly start recollecting the order and details of what I just said. ‘ I promised to do what now? To save Ranate… How? I’m a mere weakling, a squire. I know naught of magic or Magecraft. I know nothing of rune smithing or information gathering. I’m effectively useless in this field! And with a month long time limit no less?’ 

*Door shut* 

The two giants left the room, however my mind was preoccupied over my own worries. On why had I pledged to do such noble feats and achievements that were so far above my ability? My body sparked with a sudden change of heart as a result after processing the conversation that just passed. Hands shaking, panic mongering around me as my role slowly set in atop my shoulders. Even my teeth were shaking, as I stared back behind me to search for comfort,  and instead was met with a surprise. 

“...”

Suddenly a gigantic pair of muscular folds appeared. Soft, pink and squishy flesh that dominated my view.  A warm breeze full of comforting, familiar fragrances donned the air around me. Behind me were Ana’s lips as she leaned in for a heartfelt kiss. As if she sensed my panic, she sought to ease my angst. Her supple lips soon became one with me as they sunk closer to my form. It took only a mere instant for me to become captivated, engrossed and entranced by their form. They lighty pecked, barely a touch but the meaning behind it betrayed the gentleness behind that tenderness.

*Peck* 

“I just wanted you to know that you’re very brave. I honestly don’t know what I expected from this meeting, but it went better than expected. And that's all because of you.” Ana cooed, as she lowered her mouth down yet again for another kiss. Like before, she’s simply putting her mouth near table level in terms of height, attempting to kiss by reaching out towards me. 

*Smooch* 

This time, a slightly stronger kiss. For a few passing seconds only could I feel her touch. Yet, that was enough.

My hands no longer were shaking, my heart beat calmed down and my mind relaxed however little it could. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be making sure you're up to the task personally. If we get this right, it’ll be a monumental event in our history.” Ana reassured me, as if settling the storm of worry in my heart. Her gentle but confident voice soothed my soul, creating a warm fuzzy feeling. 

“A-ahem, your majesties. I know it is a difficult mission. But in honesty I do believe you are capable enough of achieving results. Unlike those two, you have my full support provided the cause is beneficial to our land.” Elysia interrupts.

“Elysia… I know it's hard getting a say in with those two around. But I’m thankful for the little things you did during the discussion. Even if we’re at odds on our ultimatum.” Ana exclaims peacefully. 

“Of course, now then. I must head back to the knight’s quarters for an inspection. Excuse me, your royal highnesses.” Elysia bids her farewell, as she too proceeds to head towards the door.

“As for what our own plan of attack is going to be… Let's see.” Ana pondered. “ You need to develop a base level of magic, and we need to further examine your physical aptitude. You should already be quite strong, at least for a human due to the enchantments we placed on you a month ago.” 

“Right now, with the assumption I get a sick new invisibility item. My current skill set is horse riding, bare bones level knighthood, decent archery skills and some above average enchantments. Not much to go off to be honest.” I said, listing my own abilities.

“ We have a week, we need to somehow improve these odds in that time frame. Not to mention, brief you on some extra details regarding the mission itself. Oh and most importantly, one last thing.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Just some lovely, intimate endurance training.” 

“Huh? No, wait.” 

“ C’mon, you know it's important for your own strength now that you train, and we could spend some more time together too. At least this way we’ll kick off two birds with one stone.”

“What's the other bird in this metaphor?” I questioned, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer. 

“Well… You're gonna be away for a while, I need some time alone with you to make up for it, dear.”  She insinuates, suggestively. 

“Oh, so it's that kind of endurance training… Well I won’t be complaining.”

“Relax, relax. I promise it'll be beneficial for you.”

Both Ana and I let out a slight chuckle, though for completely different reasons. Ana’s nervousness set her on edge and she couldn’t help but laugh about the situation. Whereas I was more laughing in being worried about exactly what my ‘endurance training’ was going to be. Despite that, both of us knew that after this week It’d be a while before we’d see one another again. And whilst both of us had only known each other for a little longer than a month, and been busy with political adventures in the kingdom. Neither of us could bear to see the other go, even if temporarily. 

Fields of overgrown weeds and flora, a late lukewarm evening along with an unrivalled sense of dread and exhaustion. Such simple things took me back to my days before I was a squire at Vascar, where I would be forced to take part in the 5 o’clock military training exercises. This was of course to strengthen my body, and provide basic fortitude and the fitness required to survive as a member of the knighthood. Those days never seemed to vanish from my head, almost like a bad case of the plague, they just wouldn’t leave me. The crippling exhaustion, brutal pain and terrifying consequences of failure made it an unforgettable experience. ‘Why you may ask? Simply put. Vascar had no need for failures, for the incompetent, for what they deemed to be the weak minded. Those unfit were discarded, with their reputation tarnished.’ 

I was berated every day for not being up to their standard, for their level of skill or ability, and on examination day, I somehow passed by just on the margin. Right on the passing mark to become a squire. It was me and a group of 300 other soon to be scruffy soldiers, out of 1000 potential candidates.  The 700 remaining were sent home, back to poverty with no way of escape. At least until they could try again the year after.

“Fun times…” I thought to myself.

“Last lap’s now almost over Leon!” A voice screamed, ear shatteringly loud. But hidden behind the coarseness of her words was a warm and tender affection of care, at least that's what I’d like to hope and believe.

I was running, not sprinting but jogging along a square shaped, marked perimeter of grass outside the city. Ana had marked a rough square shaped path for me to follow, with each length out to be around 1Km (0.62 miles) long per a side for me to follow, making the entire perimeter around 4 km. ‘And I have to complete 5 laps of this…’

Ana was waiting for me to arrive, as she patiently waited at the starting corner of where I departed, from at the start of my little marathon. She had employed an application of something called ‘Void magic’ on an unfamiliar device to form some strange apparatus, which somehow was capable of measuring time. She was using this for my endurance test. 

Now, I had little to no clue on how magic, magecraft or any form of such wizardry worked. It all looked like some foreign language, so I was unsure of what to make of it. Perhaps I would understand better if Vascar taught such things, but alas they never did. At least not to a squire such as myself. 

*Huff… Puff. Agh* 

I groaned as I ran. My body seemed weak and hopeless, not wanting to continue this any longer. As if without my own will, it complained in the form of pain that shot across my legs, building up as the exercise continued. I was already slightly buffed from enchantments, but none offered any direct assistance for exercises such as this. They only helped to an extent. 

‘C’mon, almost there.’

I still ran, covering metre after metre of distance as fast as I could. Afterall, It wasn’t as if there was any need to conserve any energy on the final stretch.  I bolted and sprinted, pushing away the pain and replacing it with a drive for more strength. I was tapping into the final, figurative reserve of energy I kept this entire marathon. Pleading with my body to give one final push. 

‘Please… Just let it end already.’

Step after step, foot after foot I continued my run. Suddenly there was a sudden urge to vomit, as I felt any source of rationality leave my soul.

“...”

Before I knew it, I was falling face down. My vision was blurring. ‘Did I just flop my test at the home stretch?’ I wondered to myself, within the depths of my fading mind.

“Yay! You did it.” A familiar voice calls out. “-And time.” She says, while messing with the apparatus she created before urgently turning her attention towards me, as she walks over to the finishing line, alarming me that I had supposedly passed it. “You alright, Leon?” 

I had my face planted across the dirt for less than a minute before my sense of self started returning.

“ I-*Ugh-Cough…*, yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need some water.”

“Sure, there’s a small river about 300 metres to the east. I’ll carry you to it.” Ana comments.

She picks me up, gently in a pincer like motion and places me on her open palm. 

“... So, what time did I get?” I curiously ask.

“ About one and a half hours. Which isn’t bad considering you have some enchantments, and were trained beforehand at Vascar.”

“But… It could be a lot better though, can’t it?” I exclaim, slightly exasperated. “I’m sorry that I’m not quite cutting it-” 

“You’re doing fine, one and a half hours is still a pretty good starting point. You’re only going to improve from here after all.” She confidently says, as if redirecting the conversation. “Plus, you're too harsh on yourself. I’m not judging you off what you can do in a marathon, especially only after one attempt at it.”

I end up looking down, away from her face in an embarrassed daze. But, no amount of shying away could possibly hide the relief plastered across my face.

“Oho, look who’s grinning away now.” Ana mocks, in a friendly manner.

“...” I hide my gaze, in a vain attempt to hide my embarrassment. I wasn’t used to this kind of banter, but even then I was glad I finally was with someone who I could just talk with normally. 

We both let out a slight chuckle. Ana simply just enjoyed teasing me, and I couldn't help but laugh in response to her advances.

– – – 

*Gulp… Gulp* 

“Phew, I’m parched. Thank the stars for the running water.” I say, after arriving at the river and fetching myself some water to drink. I clasped my hands together and tried to collect the water between my palms. “I was gonna say this is a massive river, but it’s probably that I’m just too small isn’t it.” I exclaim after looking outward towards the mighty river. It seemed to extend over yonder, far as my eyes could see. ‘And I don’t mean that in the sense of where the water was going, but rather the actual distance from the sides of the river.’

“Yep, this is just a mere offshoot. The water comes down from the mountain ranges from the southern and western directions.” Ana explains.

“Is it meant to work like that? As in the flowing water coming from the mountains.” I ask.

“Oh, do you not know? I suppose Vascar is primarily flat, dry grasslands so that would make sense. Well, It’s a bit much to explain how and why it works right now.”

She grabs me and places me on her hand, just like before. We start walking away from the river and begin our little trip to re-enter the city.

“... Hey Ana, what was that thing that you did earlier? With the, er, void mana, Magecraft, magic or whatever it is.” I ask, enthralled by curiosity.

“It was a combination of magic and magecraft, dear. As I’m sure you’re aware, Ranate had a few breakthroughs in magic in recent years due to the war with Marvialasia. It’s a bit hard for me to explain, but essentially I’m using my own essence to take the form of void mana, which fuels the device I was using earlier, in order to measure time.” Ana tries to explain, however I’m left with only more questions. “ The device then takes a sample of the luminosity variable of the strongest light source present. In other words the sun, by using my void mana to measure its value. Then It takes the difference with that value with a new value from when I finish the interval, and leaves me a number that represents the time taken for an event to occur. It’s basically a clock that can measure time intervals!” She says, a slight squeal of excitement lingering within her voice.

On the other hand, I’m left speechless. Dumbfounded even. I had no idea what Ana just said, and probably won’t understand what she’s about to say either. I can’t help but feel defeated at how I have nothing to add to her sudden burst of exposition. It was as if she just let out her passion and I had nothing I could do to support her with it.

“A-Ana, I’m sorry. But I don’t think I follow, like at all.” 

“Aww, I had a feeling this would be too complicated for you right now. After all, you don’t even know the basis of mana right now.” 

“Well uh,” I ponder, urgently trying to continue the discussion. “Did you make that yourself?”

“The device?” She asks, to which I nod my head towards. “Yeah, the design came from my blueprints. I haven’t had the opportunity to test this device since the team of magecraft engineers and I constructed the device. So I thought to myself, hey, why not now?”

“Huh, well that's interesting. I’ve never heard of a former royal being into, or at least being this knowledgeable about stuff unrelated to their role.”

“Anything can be relevant or important. Anything at all. Just learning new skills is enough for me to find something worthwhile to do. Change within the kingdom has to come from every angle afterall, I can’t just be so close minded to change only what suits my own tastes. Besides, this stuff is fun, it’s interesting! I doubt even Marvialasia has this level of understanding for their magecraft.” Ana gently says, before drifting off topic slightly. “ Ooo, I know, I’ll call my device a timer. Yeah, that has a nice ring to it. It’s even better than using shadow clocks and such at least, so maybe it's worthwhile researching more into and-” She continues before being interrupted. 

“Geez, you weren’t kidding. How come I’ve never seen this side about you before? I mean surely I would have heard about this hobby of yours by now.” I question, half serious and half sarcastic. 

“Hmph, I’ll have you know, I’m a certified magecrafter first, queen second.” She giggles.

While we did play it off as a joke, it did become clearer to me that maybe we’ve started to let down our guard with each other. Gone was the pure terror that was apparent durign our first meeting. I guess it made sense with how much has happened, and well, is going to happen. It’s easy to forget we’ve only just known each other for a little longer than a month. We’ve gotten so comfortable around each other, that she’s started sharing more and more about her own personal life around me. And honestly, I wouldn’t mind letting her know about any secrets I have about me either. Hell, right now I felt that she earned that right. It was as if we’d long gone past the ‘learning about each other’ stage but had put it off for some reason. I suppose the busy nature of being royalty didn’t help… But I definitely did feel safe around her. It was like a warm, fuzzy feeling whenever I’m around Ana. Just the general sense of comfort being vast and seducing. Honestly I couldn’t tell if it's her voice, her gaze or just her overall confident demeanour, but I found myself more and more obsessed with her as the days continued. 

Whilst lost in my own mental realm, I came back to reality to find her staring down at me.

“What happened to your hands, Leon?” She examines aloud, with a slightly worried but not distressed tone.

I look down and see the bruised and battered state of my hands. Dirt, mud and clay was smeared over them too. ‘Damn, I should have cleaned them by the river when I had the chance.’ 

“Uhhh. Yeah, I fell over two or three times during the marathon…” I explain. “But it’s no big deal, my hands used to be in way worse shape back when I did archery.”

“Archery?” Ana questions.

“We had to do it in a range of environments, so I would often get my hands dirty, or bruised at the very least. I was also the top ranking squire of Vascar when it came to archery, Hell I even rivalled some of the actual professionals. Honestly, without this being on the examinations in Vascar, I doubt I would even be a squire right now.” 

“Woah. I wonder how in terms of skill you would compare to our archers.” Ana wondered out loud.

“Well, I don’t think we can be compared. And I don’t mean that due to the size disadvantage. I doubt your archers have even half the experience I do.” I snarkily add in, perhaps stroking my own ego a step too far. But I couldn’t help it, this was one of my biggest strong suits. It felt natural to talk about it, and having someone actually listen felt nice. 

“Maybe one day you could properly show me your technique then, what do you say, my itty bitty squire?” She teases.

“Yeah… Maybe one day.” I affirm. 

I think about how much has happened in the past 24 hours, and that suddenly I’m gonna be leaving Ranate, my new home in just a couple days. It all seems daunting, so worrying. But, when I look up at the face of the giantess carrying me home right now, I can’t help but think that it’ll all be worth it in the end. 

“When we get you back to the castle, I’m gonna fetch you a tiny bath. Today was a rough day, so it’s fine if you're a little tired.” Ana interrupts,  disrupting my internal line of thinking. “ Since the day is almost over, and it’s the same day as the meeting, we therefore have about 9 more days to get you up to level within the deadline, not including today. I also need to do tests to determine some things about your body by day 3. After that, it’ll just be a matter of training you. Though a lot of that near the end might have to be self directed by you to be honest.”

“Why till day three?” I ask.

“I have some extra things I need to run by you, but I need some tests done ahead of time to determine how tough, durable and strong you currently are. That’ll let me find out which area needs improvement the most. Though if I’d hazard a guess, it’ll probably be magic related, I bet.”

“I’d bet on that too… I don’t know the first thing about magic, magecraft or whatever it’s called.” 

“It’s fine, I have a specialist who’ll come help us in that regard by day 4. At least that's the fastest I can book them in by.”

“A specialist?! Does that mean I’ll be learning magecraft and stuff soon?” I ask, now locked in anticipation.

“ Well, only the basics for now.” Ana responds. “For now, you should worry about tomorrow.” She answers in a worrying tone, almost in a way that bodes some level of concern.

“H-how so?” I replied.

“ Tomorrow is a full day of just me and you, and some of those tests… I have a feeling some may prove, let's just say, a little bit challenging for you. Not to mention you wanted to learn some history of Ranate too, so it’ll be two birds with one stone.” She contends. “But no need for you to panic, I’ll be making sure it's as safe as it can be…”

*Gulp* 

I audibly gasp, a slight hiccup of worry present not only on my face, but also in my voice. At least I’d imagine so, I had no real way to check what my face was looking like after all.

“Bring it on.” I challenged, perhaps only with a mask of bravery and folly. But it was courage nonetheless. My vigorous attitude was met with a face that mirrored a predator staring down hungrily at her prey. Anyone could tell she had some rather unusual practices and training methods lined up for me. 

Our walk into the city continued as the sunlight became dimmer, and darkness crept out of the shadows. Without a doubt, I’d be hitting the hay the moment we’d arrive at bed.

– – – 

(13 hours later)

There I was, at a special facility housed in one of the many interior castle rooms. It was a room with a sign plastered across it in yellowish colour. It said “Authorised Personnel Only.” To which Ana ignored and simply walked inside it regardless, holding me up on her left shoulder. 

Ana was wearing a fitted, red skirt that extended down to almost her knees. Her top was a sweater type, with cream coloured wool. The overall colour scheme felt typical for Ranate wear, but it was unusual seeing Ana in such clothing. Usually she would stick to royal attire. 

Inside the room, there was a single window where the bright morning sun shone inward to the room. Illuminating the atmosphere with warmth, both Ana and I basked momentarily in its glory. The floor was dark red carpet, as was normal for any room within the castle and there were lights on the roofs, powered by what I would presume to be some form of magic. Vascar by contrast simply utilised fire burning for chandeliers and other decor to provide light, using special wax that kept the fire aflame for extended periods of time. Of course, such luxury of having light such as that being permanently lit at home was something only nobility could afford. Even I, a peasant in noble’s clothing, was gifted with such a small humble gesture. 

Focusing my eyes towards the centre of the room, there was a chair, or more accurately a throne. The sides seemed similar to Ana’s throne at the throne room, where I first greeted her. 

“Ah, still in good shape.” She exclaimed happily as she pointed to the chair. “ Leon, this will be your first two tests for today. Durability and resilience.”

She stepped over to the throne, to me it felt like an eternity was passing as I was left with questions as to what was going on. As we got closer to the chair in question, I could distinctly tell the ‘seated’ part was of an unusual design. Cold, hard metal with a few mechanical looking designs were apparent. The rest of the throne was of typical design to Ana’s usual one. With the back support being of a soft but firm red fabric, and golden colour on the arm rests. It was all one design with no gaps from the arm rest to the seat. 

Ana pinched me gently from her hand, and lifted me down to the seat of the throne. I stood there on the metallic surface, perplexed at what was going on. 

“Ana, what-what is all this?” I asked, as my curiosity began hitting a nerve. 

“A relic of the past…” She said, slightly dismissive in tone. “Marvialasia was an enemy of all non-human races. At one point long ago, we teamed up with the dwarven forces nearby to fight against them. As a gesture of that alliance and the mutual disdain for Marvialasians, the dwarven queen had prepared this chair for us.” 

‘The lost society of smithery, The Great Dwarven Alliance?!’ I thought, in surprise. It was an ancient collective of dwarven people that lived underground. They possessed a unique cave system that burrowed down to the deep dark depths of the earth where no human, giant or any other had ever traversed, or rather couldn’t enter due to their size. Rumours were spread that all Dwarves bowed under a queen, a mysterious outsider who no non-dwarf had ever seen. No amount of communication or attempt at such had ever let the Dwarven people mention anything of her, besides that she does in fact exist. Overall, I’d never seen a dwarf before; if anything, I’d say they were one of the rarer races you could find out there.

“You knew them? The lost people?!” I questioned.

“No, of course not. This was merely a relic from an age-old alliance.” She replied. “In all honesty, we haven’t heard from them in many, many years. We haven’t a clue what became of them.”

“O-oh.” I responded, slightly disappointed. I look back at the chair and its materials. While at first glance it seemed fairly ordinary, it was the specifics of the apparatus that made it seem noteworthy. 

Where I was currently located, there were no loose hanging threads, or places to grip on to. The fabric for the back support also only came to be a bit higher up, much taller up then what I could possibly reach for.

“Say Leon, I know you must have figured out by now what this chair was used for…”

I stood there in silence, staring at the giantess’ deep brown eyes. For just a moment an idea clicked, a premonition of the fate of those who stood right where I was came flashing onto my own eyes, like nightmarish visages from the past.

“W-were they sat on? Doomed to be crushed underneath by your people…” I hazard a guess, an educated one. However it didn’t quite make sense as to why such horrific acts would mimic their culture’s own wedding ceremony. 'Perhaps whichever giantess assisted in designing this contraception with the dwarves simply wanted to try out the ‘fun’ of tormenting their enemies … ’ I hypothesised in my mind. Searching for the rhyme and reason behind the lore of this chair. 

“...Yeah, that's what this was used for.” She answers, leaving the room with a moment of silence. “It comes with a strange mechanism too, where it can measure something the dwarven people called ‘force’ on a person. I don’t quite understand how it works, as it doesn’t mimic how our researchers have done their calculations. But the greater the number is, the greater the force, and that’s the function we’re going to be using today.”

“The force?” 

“The more force you can withstand standing up, the stronger your results for resilience are going to be. You’ll understand.” She exclaims with a lack of confidence, almost as if trying to remember the specifics of how the machine works. “If I was allowed to disassemble this, maybe I’d know better… Ah, but I can’t. It’s a historical artefact, who knows how the council would spin that narrative to the public. And the numbers this thing gives don’t exactly make sense either at times . If only I could disassemble it and see how it was made.” She debates under the careless whisper of her voice. 

Suddenly, Ana turns around. Blinding away the cute sweater she had put on and instead replacing my line of vision with her rear as she stepped slightly back, drawing herself closer to me. The skirt she was wearing, fitted perfectly to her waist, showed off her hips and rear extending outward as they began retracting back into a flatter shape from the legs down. 

At notice of the sight in front of me, the picture in my mind of Marvialasian soldiers screaming and begging for forgiveness became clearer. At the fate of being crushed to paste, and grinded away to nothingness sprang to my thoughts. Much like herbs at mercy of a mortar and pestle. I could see it in my head, the events that would follow. ‘After all, this wasn’t my first time being sat on’, as pathetic as that sounded. Some would have obviously tried to escape, to run away down towards where the back support of the throne is, in a meagre attempt to grasp one last hope of escape. To latch onto any stray loose fabric string and climb out to freedom. However, to the credit of this throne’s design, they would be met with disappointment. 

As not only is the exterior of the seat made of perfectly smooth metal, unholdable by hand, but that same fabric these people would seek would simply be out of arm's reach. In the end, such a poor escape attempt would be akin to a trapped bug trying to flee a spider’s web. Try and quiver they might, hope and pray they can, nothing could be done to escape their newly found destiny; as bloody red stains underneath the cloth covering the rear end of the giants they were now soon to be under.

Getting lost in my own imagination, I end up falling backwards as my knees give out. Not even taking into account of what was happening in front of me, but purely due to the sheer terror of the image in my head.

“C’mon Leon, get up. I haven’t even done anything yet. After going through this at least twice, I’d think you’d get a bit more used to it.” Ana proclaimed, in a playful mocking manner.

“S-shut up. The metal surface is throwing me off. That’s all.” I lightly chuckle back. While it was a vain attempt of redirecting the subject due to my nerves, it was at least, to my credit, partially true. I was used to softer materials being the materials seats Ana would use, which often would be the one last saving grace for me whenever I got into these situations. 

“Suuure, that’s what got you nervous. Not this over here.” She clasps her hand over her ass cheek, with the fabric pulled upon and slightly wrinkled. Slowly she dragged her hand and was sliding it upward in a slightly suggestive manner. While a mesmerising sight, I’d known her long enough by now that this was her own way of loosening up the tension in the air. “Honey, you know I’m not here to hurt you… At least not without your input on the matter beforehand. This is for the sake of the test, and to spice things up a bit.” She confidently declares, a mix of sarcasm and care in her voice. 

“You’re just saying that because you want to do this again.” I reply, aiming to snarkily get back at her. “I’m not even sure how, but you’ve managed to find a contraption that perfectly lets you do that.”

“And so what if I am?” Ana boldly announces. “As far as I’m concerned, I need my little, itty bitty husband’s dose of love, in spades to make up for the month you’ll be gone.” She says while employing some cutesy voice, to such a degree it seems she was slightly taking the piss out of it. “What about you, aren’t you going to miss my love, my care and all of this.” She grasped her own ass, gently and moved towards her thigh; Clearly having a little bit too much fun in this role. Her playful personality greatly juxtaposed her strong willed, and dominant persona. I could hardly remember that I was stressing about the tight deadline of getting ready to leave. I still couldn’t quite make out which one of Ana’s attitudes was the real her, the one she would act like naturally. Though if I’d had to guess, it’d probably be a mix of both. She did always seem a bit stern around others, and always a tad nicer when it was just the two of us. 

“If you’re worried about how there's only 8-9 days left before you depart. Don’t be. In fact, there’s no point in even learning magic if you’re stressed.”

“Well, how can I not be?”

“I know it’s hard. That’s why I’ve made activities for you to just get out of that mood.”

While the desire to use this over the top, machine of a chair to measure my resilience was certainly driven by her own desires. It was still nice to know that I was still there, festering somewhere in the back of her mind when she was planning activities. That subtle kindness went a long way, as it was quite unfamiliar to me. 

 “I’ll be lowering myself down now, and you’ll need to hold me up as best you can. Though don’t worry, I won’t be putting all my weight down. The moment you break form or fall is the value of force I’ll be recording down for this test.” She explains. Basically indicating that she’ll be sitting on me with her weight pressing down, however she’ll be holding herself up a little. Lowering the strain placed on me. I’ll be in charge of lifting her up, as best I can, until eventually she stops supporting herself to a level where I’ll become nothing more than a flattened cake. 

“You’re currently at 784N. Which is a problem, So I’ll just press the calibration button here.” Ana states. The machine was currently recording my ‘force’ at around 784N. 

‘What does the N even mean?’ I pondered. Completely oblivious to any detail about this machine.

“There we are, 0 N now. Should be good to go, now that your own force isn’t a part of the equation. Remember, even if this isn’t completely accurate, the idea that a higher number equals a better result is still true. So try your best.” 

And then, time was set in motion. My fate was locked and loaded. What happened next was something I wasn’t unfamiliar with, but could never truly get used to. 

The sight of two twin mountain sized meteors came crashing down, clad in smooth fabric, at an unexpectedly slow pace. At the very least , I was sure the fabric wouldn’t be uncomfortable when I would inevitably be crushed. 

The slow speed of lowering her ass down to the seat could simply be explained by the fact that she had no reason to crush me. I was spared by that ambition, by that desire  to measure me when I had to hold her up. That alone was what gave me mercy to what would be that inescapable fate. At least, that's what I’d hope for. For all I knew, Ana could simply be enjoying the fact that I had nowhere to run. As if prey were trapped within a corner. She could take her time as much as she’d like, the result would be the same. As with each passing second, my vision became darker, the light that invaded the room was covered by the rear end of my wife. Like a moon engulfing the sun during an eclipse. However, not even such a rare, grand and impossibly unique sight could compare to the sheer nature and power of what was in front of me. I thanked all the lucky stars out there in the sky that I was blessed with enchantments. Without them, kneadable bread dough would be an understatement of what my form would be right now. 

I had nothing in common with the Marvialasians, except that they were also human and governed under a monarchy of sorts. At least that’s what I’d thought; but the simple fear of a creature far beyond, far grander and more powerful that could crush a living person in an instant, those fears still crept into my mind. As I was just as sure the same Marvialasians that stood right where I was must have felt that sense of hopelessness too. 

I held up my hands in what seemed like setting up for a catch, it was a motion even I knew was pointless. The sheer size difference, the sheer amount of power she had and the solid, hard surface below me made it clear. I repositioned my legs and my feet to brace for impact, making sure to allow my legs to carry on the majority of her weight.  No matter how stupid this sight would look, of a tiny trying to lift up a giantess, I still made sure to try. Simply put, I had no other choice. 

Seconds passed, moments flew. I just wanted this entire ordeal to be over already. I couldn’t help but notice that time always passed so slowly whenever you didn’t want it to.  

Eventually, my bare palm made contact with a silky fabric, followed by an inexpressible high amount of weight that came soon after. My legs which I steeled specifically for this almost immediately gave out, my feet which I made sure to plant on to the ground were ready to let me fall. My own arms which once were being held up to the sky were almost ready to give out. Not even a second passed, not even a measurable amount of time even. This all came about as a result of the impact of Ana’s bottom in a mere instant. 

“Hmm, you’re still holding up so far. I’m basically holding up most of my weight still. I dunno, maybe you’re feeling about a mere touch, a mere fragment of it… And not to get your hopes up or down, but I’d say it's probably about a 1000th of the total weight I have. Isn’t that exciting?” Ana joyfully contends. “Oh ,and it looks like it is around 6400N already from just this. If I recall, your standalone ‘force’ was merely just more than a tenth of this. Am I really that heavy?”  Ana lightly taunts. “Do you think you can go a little higher?” 

My legs begin crumbling, as my initial form was wrecked. I couldn’t help but to imagine if this is what that famous statue up in the far northern lands that I’d heard about, the one with the man holding up a boulder upon his shoulder, would have felt like. The sensation of holding up the world, where that weight of responsibility could just easily cripple the poor creature stuck underneath it. I was that man right now, and I was holding up my world. Just a slight adjustment of her body could easily wreck my body and cause it to tumble. 

This was it, I was at my limit. I couldn’t hold up the sheer gargantuan spectacle above me any longer. The fact that I could at all could only be attributed to my training in Vascar and the enchantments placed on me recently. Yet, I was still expected to get stronger in time. This wasn’t enough, but it was all I had. 

“I-I yield.” I voiced. Perhaps with an almost pleading tone. 

“Alright, I suppose the 6400N is what we’re sticking with.” Ana replies. At this point, I’m completely blind to any action she’s doing. It only takes a few seconds for her to ascend back up, carrying herself up back to the heavens. Otherwise known as standing up once more. Ana walks off to a nearby desk, where she had kept a notebook. 

*Huff…Augh.* 

I cough, exhale and cough again. Exhaustion from my arms and legs finally started to kick in. By heart beat could be felt, and a wave of long needed relief was expanding through my body.

“Alright, 6400N is your current limit for resilience. Cool!” Ana congratulates, not mocking or rude. Instead there was a resolute gaze plastered across her face that simply asked for improvement for the next time. She steps forward once more, getting closer to the throne I was located at. 

“A-Ana?” I called out. Awaiting for her to pick me up as she usually would. Holding me up on top of her palms, where I would recover my energy as we would walk back to our room. Or at least to the next area for me to train or test myself. However, reality was not as kind.

She once again turned around. Back again to the sight of hell, where her form towered over mine. 

“Did you think it was over, honey? Remember I said it was resilience and durability testing today.” Ana reminds me. “Sadly, I don’t think I can measure this one that well. So, it’ll just be a checklist system. Think of it as a test to ensure your enchantments are working properly. Doesn’t matter what the council thinks, if your enchantments are even the slightest bit weakened, then I’m not sending you out there. Not until they’re fixed..” 

Ana mentions, much to my surprise. ‘Enchantments can weaken over time?’ I process within my mind. I didn’t feel any weaker, nor did It feel like anything bad was happening to me or my body.

“I-Is that common? I mean if enchantments weaken.” I ask, with a slight tinge of concern in my voice.

“Not so common in individuals with high mana proficiency, hell even having some proficiency would help there, which is why I worry about you. Although due to how recent you got your enchantments, it should be fine… Though I think it’s always good to make sure.” She says with a slightly devious grin. “Ready for round two?”

“ Of course not.” I readily answered. At mercy to her ass, by this point I just knew these sorts of events would just be fate.

“Well, enjoy.” She exclaims, one final time before her colossal rear end begins descending. Even with the dangers of what is akin to a meteor landing on me, I can’t help but stare at the sight above me. No longer was it restrained by her kindness or mercy, it was falling down on me at full speed. She had essentially jumped on to the throne, right where I was. Leaving poor tiny humans like me to be awestruck at her. I recall the colour red of her skirt, how it was convenient for giantesses to wear such colour as it covered up blood. ‘Not that any should be expected from me of course.’ 

There was no point in running, no time to even begin panicking. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was so utterly afraid of it anymore. The thought of being crushed beneath her, like a bug or smear made me feel like I belonged there. ‘Damn, that one specific enchantment she casted on me is also starting to take effect now too, eh' 

I was obviously mentioning the ‘pain redirection’ enchantment. Where sources of pain that shuddered across my body were transformed into pleasure. ‘Well, I guess that one’s still working then…’ I lightly chuckle. All of which I think about in the mere fraction of a second before my world becomes flattened.

*Boom.*

I first felt the sudden feeling of that soft silky fabric she wore for her fitted skirt. However unlike last time, the unrivalled power of her ass was in full effect. If a small town, village or even a parade was standing where I was. They would all be gone, turned into little chunks of meat for an instant, only to become stains in the next. I was pushed down, forced to be in contact with the hard metallic surface of her seat as the rest of her weight settled in. I didn’t even want to know what ‘force’ score such an impact would have, the mere thought of it haunted me. I was stuck, between the throne and her rear end. Like being stuck between not just hard, but also a soft place. 

I felt my body contorting, Her butt was directly in front of me, with the throne behind. The sheer scale of her weight was pushing me downward, at least that's what it felt like for a brief moment. But the throne itself felt like it was pushing back. Leaving me stuck. My mouth was full, suffocating from the fabric of her bottom which left me unable to look for any opportunity to breathe. Not that I could anyway, I had felt the remaining air in my lungs being kicked out on the moment of impact. I couldn’t smell or taste anything either, all of it was being blocked by the sheer amount of stimuli my sense of touch felt. 

“Mhm. If you're okay, squirm around a little.” Ana commanded. Though slightly muffled to my ears.

Without a single thought left to disobey, or go against my queen. I had immediately begun doing as told. I tried to move, to shift my arms and legs, to scream out. But none were possible. Not even the slightest amount of movement was capable in my predicament. 

‘Fuck, not again. I’m stuck here once more. At complete mercy to her ass.’

I felt waves of pleasure pulsating through me, as if telling me to both do as I was told and to start enjoying myself.  The enchantments were strong, all of them were. Not a single one had weakened since their inception. 

‘N-no, c’mon. Not to this…’ I begin lamenting, as I realise what my body wanted. 

Throbs of pleasure were felt by my dick, little sensations of neediness were demanded. It begged to rise, but was unable to. Being no different to a flattened bug underneath Ana’s massive rear end, the poor member was incable to rising at all. Yet it demanded to, it started making me want to get on all fours and begin howling, to lower myself to less than human and beg Ana to let me release that pent up stress. To give in to my animalistic urges and forsake the dignity I’ve always associated with human-like species. But not even that was possible at my current predicament.  I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move nor do anything. I was simply there, existing underneath my wife. Underneath all that pressure.

Suddenly, Ana stood up yet again, slowly allowing the light to return to my vision. Unlike last time, I was free from being stuck to her dress. Something that even I was surprised about in all honesty considering how hard the seat was.

 As she stood up, I was finally able to breathe again. Proving that my other enchantments, such as the ones responsible for anaerobic pathways as a substitute for breathing, and the greater endurance I had, were still active too. I was merely left on the seat of her throne, left to contemplate my own mortality for a moment.

After a few moments, Ana pinched me back up to her palm and held me gently.

“Okay, you’re still in one piece. Good. No blood either, but maybe we’ll do further examinations to see about that properly.”

“I-I’m alive…” I announce, exasperated.

“Well, of course. I wasn’t gonna take it that far!” Ana replied, almost slightly offended that I had even sarcastically alluded to the idea.

“I-is it finally over?” I spoke, mere moments before passing out.

“Yep, you were as incredible as any overly enchanted toy. If anything you’ve gotten better at staying conscious underneath me. As a giantess, I’m proud of you.  I mean maybe now it's worth considering leaving you down there more often…” She taunts passively, letting out a slight chuckle. Only trying to lighten up the mood. “If anything, I can say that your enchantments are still working fine. So that's a tick in that category.” 

“Yeah… Well I’m gonna go to bed now...” I declare quietly. Words I described only for Ana to hear. 

“You can go to bed if you’d like. But who’s gonna take care of this thing here?” She cooes, pointing at the protruding object within my pants. Still stifled up and roaring to go from being tormented earlier. “Here, you can rest up in here. Oh, and if you wanna relieve some stress, then that's also fine, I give you full permission to do as you please here.” She directs me down to her chest, and tucks me within her sweater and even further within her shirt.

Suddenly I had been transported to a dark, warm and humid environment. Where the stench of sweat permeated the air. The very taste of a slightly salty sensation was abundant in the local environment. Low and behold, she had dropped me down to her boobs. 

Her bra was massive, like a net that carried the mountain sized leviathans known as her tits. Perhaps they weren’t such gargantuan size to someone of her own perspective, but to a mere human such as I, it was difficult to view them as something less than enormous. 

I wonder how heavy these must be, 'imagine the pain someone would have to face if they were under them.’

Perhaps it was merely due to how relevant the topic was, but my mind couldn’t escape the thought of being crushed by them. Only a day ago they reminded me of closeness and a place of unrivalled comfort. Now I shuddered to think of the hell that would encircle any poor fool who may challenge these weapons of nature.

I silently prayed I wouldn’t be thrown to the bottom of her bra, or where her nipple would be. Both places only served to remind me of the horrors I had just merely faced moments ago. Luckily she had dropped me off just to the top tip of her bra that just barely contained the jiggling masses known as her tits. Where I was free of being imprisoned down to the purgatory of being trapped between her bra and her breast. 

So, I decided to make my way towards her cleavage, the only somewhat safe space for someone of my stature. Soft and squishy skin, a somewhat safe environment and an intoxicatingly arousing stench and humidity. For someone as tired and wrecked as I, there was no place currently more desirable. 

“Get some rest, we have a few more tests to do today and tomorrow. Then, you can finally start learning the basics of magic, magecraft, enchantments, rune-smithing and all! After that, it’s only a matter of training you until you’re ready.” Ana exclaimed, pointing out the plan for the next couple days. I was still excited to learn magic. ‘Yes, even with how tired and battered I currently am.’  It was a whole new world of understanding, it would make me stronger and more capable as an individual too. I was saddened that during our month-long honeymoon together, Ana found it impossible to teach me any sort of magic. But maybe, I could finally learn something. ‘Who knows… Maybe It’ll be my trump card for my mission at Vascar.’ I quietly thought in my head. 

Already it was the fourth day. While a tiring week it had been, with sporadic training exercises and horrific acts of playfulness from my wife. It was at least partially over. At least the part where my aptitudes towards survival and fitness, along with some other key physical categories were tested.

‘Now, it was just the annoying magic stuff that was left...’ I thought. 

Ana had received fairly average results from me in some parts, whereas in others I had passed with flying colours. After my humiliating defeat as being made a makeshift cushion for her on day 2, I expected the worst, most tiring events on day 3 to take place. Which was yesterday. My expectations however were luckily not met, quite the contrary, I found myself excelling at the activities yesterday. They ranged from survival needs that explored my understanding of how to use basic tools into combatting fairly normal wildlife encounters and other essentials.

Being stuck at the ‘tiny men habitat’ outside town, it all seemed familiar to me. Days of planning to leave Vascar and attempting to hunt and gather for myself all paid off in the end. As yesterday, I was in my element. Bears, boars and all other wild beasts that the forests of the enclosure were no match for my marksmanship. I would silently hunt, quiet as the dead but alive with fiery ambition. My old instincts kicked in as I immersed myself into the wilderness. 

Naturally it made sense to add this entire ordeal in as a test, Afterall I would be being sent away to Marvialasia by myself. With a hard limit on how much food I could carry before it would cause more harm than good. I needed to know how to hunt and how to forage and gather. Any food I would take would merely last me till the northern borders. Which I thought was a fairly reasonable limit, as it would allow me to hunt as normal in lands fit for humans, rather than in topography like Ranate. 

While I already knew how to hunt, I didn’t know or even wanted to try surviving in the hellscape that was the natural wildlife of Ranate outside the habitat. The beasts that gathered around here were massive, with an endless capacity and ability to rip me to shreds. At my current state with my enchantments, I at best, would not be much more than a harmless punching bag for them. Not to mention there were supposedly terrifying undead beings that roamed the nights where the full moon wouldn’t shine. Said creatures were a staple all across the world, but I wouldn’t dare imagine the kind that would roam across these lands. Hence all the more reason why bringing food to at least last the trip to the border was worth considering. Anything that would reduce the time I would spend in the Ranate wilds as a whole was always worthwhile considering. 

One last thing of note was that Ana and I also caught up with the tailor yesterday, whom I personally had not seen in quite a while. My wife simply wanted to check up with details about how the invisibility cloak order was going, only to then receive an earful from the tailor lady that she shouldn’t be requesting such things so late notice. From a distance, it really did seem like they were quite nice friends, considering how they always loved to bicker and argue. Such a sight left an oddly warm feeling in me, as if It was something I was missing dearly. 

‘With the exception of Ana, I don’t really properly know anyone else in the kingdom.’ I silently accepted, with an empty gaze onto nothing in particular. 

“Almost there, dear.” A voice called out, interrupting my mental narration. 

To myself in a dark and relatively empty space, it was the only thing I could pay attention to in order to appease my boredom. The very environment I was in was shaking with every step Ana took. With leather walls that were smooth and cool to the touch, they enclosed around me, leaving me feeling trapped and helpless. For once it was a rather hot day at Ranate, and Ana didn’t want to carry me around in her clothes. Instead she opted to use a leather satchel to house me while she walked towards the magic specialist’s home. It was supposedly an example of magecraft, the leather satchel that is, as it was made with special fabric that made the contents of it stay somewhat cool. In all honesty, it really felt like people around me were just saying ‘This works just cause magic’. Though perhaps that very statement was a testament to my own ignorance. In all honesty, it wasn’t even that warm outside, at least to me it still felt somewhat cold.

*Creak* 

I heard an annoying sound, a noise characteristic of old wooden doors swaying open. Followed by footsteps of Ana taking steps inside. 

“Sarina? Are you in right now?” She shouted in a calm but slightly tense tone. “... I’ve booked an appointment with you.”

There was a moment of silence. A peaceful quiet, before a somewhat cranky, coarse tone shouted back.

“I’m here, I’m here. No need to shout, princess.” An exasperated woman replied, at least that's what she sounded like. I hear footsteps, loud tremors as the ground shakes. Mere steps from these giantesses could alert any human settlement from hundreds of metres away . “Or should I get used to calling you queen now?”

“I don’t mind what you call me in non-public settings, Sarina.” Ana retorts.

“Hmm, at least you aren’t snobby.” 

“By the way, how come you didn’t show up to the last council meeting?” 

“You know why. I mean, what was there for me to do? Lisa and Rheas basically conveyed my stance on this whole, tiny and giantess peace thing you’ve got going.”

In response to her proclamation, I couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. ‘Another hater of us little humans, eh.’

Suddenly the pouch, or satchel I was trapped in began shaking. I had assumed it remained at waist level to Ana earlier where it must have been bound, but she was opening it up. In mere seconds, light penetrated into the darkness of my prison. Only for my first sight of the outside world to be a hand, a gargantuan one. I was no stranger to this hand, to these fingers or this palm. It was my wife’s. She was lifting me up and out, resting me atop her palm. 

Around me I could see a dark room, the only lighting came from a single light bulb that’s energy came from mysterious means. ‘Most likely a magical source’ I deduced, albeit with my clumsy understanding of the subject. There were strange vials, and bottles of glass that made strange shapes all over the place. On the floor around me, I caught glimpses of weird drawings of circles with diagrams inside them, made from chalk. Adjacent to the doors were a plethora of bookshelves and a copious number of books within them. Something rather unsurprising given from the connotations around the title ‘specialist’, I would suppose. 

“Well, regardless of your stance. I’ve paid and requested for your services. Surely you wouldn’t dare flip off your queen?” Ana contends, her tone getting a little more serious. 

“Oho, I take back what I said earlier about your lack of snobby attitude, missy.” Sarina snickered back. “But I have my pride. I guess I’ll indulge your partner in some of my teachings of magic.” 

“Thank you, Sarina.”  I added in. Attempting to make a good first impression. Misguided as I was, I still wanted to at least appear like someone worth their title of consort king. The first step towards that was to appear respectful. 

“Hmph, flattery will get you nowhere with me. We are not master and student here, you’ve merely paid for some guidance is all. You hear that runt?” She declared, with a dash of a verbal attack towards me at the end of her sentence.

“Y-yes Ma’am.” I responded. Unsure how exactly to interact with her. 

“Good. *Cough, cough*, now what is it that you need my help with specifically?”

“All of it.” I reply, already averting my gaze, in vain attempt to hide away the disappointment.

“Tch, damn, you really are gonna make me earn my pay today aren’t you…” She looked toward Ana, with an unpleasant face before turning back to me. Who was resting atop of Ana’s palm. Both of the giantesses walked toward a circular glass table, and Ana gently put me down on it. 

“So, what exactly is magic?” I curiously asked Sarina. With my line of vision shooting directly up to her massive face. My ears, eyes and all other senses were waiting expectantly for the next couple words that would come from her mouth. 

“Magic is the understanding and applications of principles involving the manipulation of Ethereal Energy. This is a profound energy that resides within all of us, all around us and connects the organic and inorganic together.” The specialist replies.

“This ethereal energy, what exactly is it? Where does it come from?” 

“It’s a fixed quantity in the world. You cannot create new amounts of it, nor completely destroy those amounts. It merely gets conserved into the greater system of the world. I won’t go into detail of what makes it or where it comes from. That isn’t worth it for the time you’ve got. Simply let it be known that it exists all around us, within you, Ana, I and even the inorganic materials around us. Every living creature specifically however, has Ethereal energy in the form of mana.”

“If that’s magic, then what is Mana?” I questioned.

“No, no. Do not confuse the two. Magic is the broader term in relation to the field of understanding and applying Ethereal Energy. It cannot be compared with Mana, which is a more specific definition.” 

“What is it then?” Perhaps a bit dumbfounded, I was stuck asking questions left and right.

“Mana is manipulated Ethereal Energy itself. Something a user may possess, or perhaps it can be the energy an individual manipulates when casting spells. Mana and Ethereal Energy are almost the same term, separated by how one is the energy itself, whereas the other denotes the amount an individual may come to possess. For example, this room may have a considerable amount of Ethereal energy inside it, but the amount I can control in it is my mana. Each of our bodies also innately possess Ethereal energy, which is the passive amount of mana an individual has. ” Sarina explained. 

“Oh, so what happens if a person loses their innate mana?” 

“Fatigue, tiredness, nausea maybe. All sorts of problems begin accumulating. However, as long as Ethereal energy is present within your surroundings, a person's body should slowly begin recovering mana. It’s also impossible, or as deemed as such not until proven otherwise, to leech other people’s innate mana forcibly.”

I stood there astounded the facts being thrown at me. At the sheer scale of knowledge that I had been missing from my life. ‘Was information like this common elsewhere in the world? Were merely only us, the poor fools of Vascar doomed to die without knowing of such things like mana and magic?’ 

No, that wasn’t right either. The eastern side of the continent simply wasn’t that well versed at magic as a whole. Back with the discussion I had in the library with the librarian, she did explain that magic as a whole field of research only began somewhat recently, a couple years back, in Ranate from Marvialasia's understanding of the matter. 

“What is Magecraft then? I’ve definitely heard the term thrown around before.”

“Magecraft is the application of magic towards devices, tools, or an apparatus. Any structure that requires an outside intervention with magic can technically be classified as Magecraft.” Sarina responds.

Ana quickly rejoins the conversation. “That tool I used a day or two ago; the one that used light to measure time, the stopwatch I mean, was an example of Magecraft. The leather satchel I carried you in was too, it was made with magic that resided on special fabric that kept the insides cool.”

“Ahh. Okay, so that’s what that was.” I replied, finally beginning to understand the different nuances and definitions of magic. “So with all that said and done. How come I can’t see, feel or sense anything about this Ethereal Energy?”

“That’s why I’ve asked Sarina here. To find a solution to that.” Ana contends, firmly. She locks eyes to Sarina, as if hinting that this was the reason she chose to partake in Sarina’s services to me. The notion made sense, everything Sarina described probably could have been told to me by Ana regardless. ‘Perhaps not to that detail, but still.’

 What really was hindering our progress was the fact I couldn’t feel any Mana or Ethereal Energy at all. Absolutely none, not even the slightest tinge of it. 

“Some people just aren’t gifted in the way of magic.” Sarina coldly responded.

 ‘Was that it? I just wasn’t cut out for this?’ I refused to believe it. Not after coming this far. “However, it is strange that humans, a race who are more strongly suited to the magic arts, have someone like you as so incapable in this field. Perhaps your bloodline is cursed or something.” 

Her little insult only led to Ana furrowing her brow at her, clearly she wasn’t having any of it. Her gesture seemed to lead Sarina into a sigh as she began pondering for a solution to our issue. 

“Magus-shock therapy,” Sarina answered, finally getting to a possible cure after a moment of silence. “Perhaps this would draw it out of the poor man. Our conflicts between species aside, I am interested in seeing what magic you humans can transpose. If anything, it helps with my research.”

“Wow, lovely stuff, Sarina. Glad to hear it. Totally.” I sarcastically answer. Only feeling more singled out than before on being a human. The specialist however ignores my remark, and dons a devious smile across her face. Whereas Ana is mortified.

“Magus-shock therapy?” My wife exclaims, with a concerned and worried look plastered across her face. “Isn’t that the one that-”

Before being cut off mid sentence by Sarina. “Yes, the one where you force your partner into a near death situation to force their body into utilizing their innate mana, their own passive source.”

‘Huh?’ I turn my head around to Ana and gasp aloud. “Excuse me, what?!” I shout out, hoping to explicitly convey my lack of ‘comfort’ to the very core of this idea. 

“You can’t be suggesting this as an actual method to use.” Ana voices.

“Personally I think it’s the only one that would work for someone who is as magically incompetent as your little toy is. Though who knows, maybe he has some talent to be uncovered there after being able to generate mana. Perhaps I’m wrong with my theory on his bloodline being cursed. Suppose I shouldn’t write him off yet, not before more tests are done at least.”

“... What method would you suggest we do?” I shout, my own fear and weakness being painfully evident in my voice. Obviously I wasn’t liking this development, but if I couldn’t even do this; I knew that there wasn’t going to be any hope for me. 

Ana donned a slight frown on her face, but sighed and resolved herself. It was obvious the two had some sort of animosity between them, but even she was left helpless at the outcome. What choice did she really have but to trust her?

Sarina donned a playful smile, not smug or haughty. But one that boasted of something she longed for, an event that she was going to enjoy watching. The sight of which left me audibly gulping. 

“Yes, yes, that right there is what I mean.” She finally speaks.

“Huh?!” I question, confused.

“Your little toy has given me a wonderful idea… Ana, I want you to eat him.”

Before I could even react, the lady beside me had already spoken up. 

“WHAT! No, never. Are you out of your mind Sarina-” Replied Ana. Shocked at the mere insinuation of what Sarina suggested. Her surprise was only secondary to my own. Who’d reacted in such a state of stupor that I didn’t even properly process the words I’d heard. 

“Well, think about it. How can your tiny truly express his mana? Crushing him, suffocating or otherwise will all induce a response from his enchantments. You know, the ones you placed on him a while back.” As she explains, her smile turns into a devious grin. “So, all that’s left that’ll work is to expose him to your stomach acid, something he has no specific enchantments against . It’s quite a logical process, I’m rather unsure of why you’re all freaking out.” She snickers. Clearly aware of the lunacy of her words. It was as if she was wanting such an exaggerated performance to send us into shock. “Of course, this is your husband. I wouldn’t dream of stealing the fun, so you can eat him, Ana. If he awakens his mana, you can simply vomit him back out. ”

Ana simply stood silent, shaken but unsure of what to do. It was clear to both of us that I was gonna be safe, but I imagine the very act of doing this went against almost everything Ana stood for. Hell, the thought of ending up in the same place as her morning breakfast, also obviously went against everything I thought was going to happen today. I just had to put up a brave face however. There was no other viable option, at least not one we’d been informed of. 

“Oh, what's wrong? Is this too much for you? You would prioritise the safety of one man, over an entire kingdom? He has some important mission to attend to, surely you haven’t forgotten?” Sarina argues, hoping to elicit a scornful response from Ana. . “Perhaps you are still too immature to be queen. After all, that's why you came running to me. Because Leon here needed magic so desperately, so-”

“Ignore her, Ana!” I shouted, towards Ana’s direction. Hoping to get her head back from being lost to the clouds. “ I’ll be fine. I’ve already decided that I need to put in some more effort if I want to really pull my weight around here.” I boldly declare. Truthfully I wasn’t convinced by my own act of confidence, but I was absolutely truthful in the statement that I needed to start doing more things, more activities to make myself deserving of my title. That sentiment alone was what drove the words out of my mouth, the words that would seal my fate as a snack.

“...” She stayed silent. Simply staring at my figure out on her palm. Whilst she was always a bit on the playful side, Ana never had really exposed me to any real danger. This would be a first from her. It was rare to see her confuse her own personal affairs and feelings on something this important. 

The very fact that she was struggling to come to terms with this, was most likely an expected outcome from the councillors from the other day. They seemed adamant on welcoming my failure, on laughing at my incompetence towards my positon; and to put shame on Ana from failing her duties. I wouldn’t put it past people as schemy as them to try to orchestrate this meeting. One where even getting myself ready to leave Ranate was going to be difficult. Although, I was sure Ana herself knew this. So the outcome was obvious.

“I-I’m going to eat you, Leon.” She declared. Her eyes finally being cleared from doubt as she too had donned a brave smile. ‘Though obviously this whole thing was way more scary for me…’

The woman raised her palm, as it felt like I was accelerating up and being pushed down to the ground by an increasing weight force as her palm came closer to her face. 

In front of me was a face the size of a small house. Her nostrils pumped out warm gushes of air, and her breath radiated my surroundings. I was already familiar with this, many times when she kissed me it was the same feeling. Yet, never had I ever gotten used to it. The feeling of a colossal being, much grander than your own, holding you on the palms of their hand, with a gaping void kept closed by the muscular folds known as their lips drawing ever closer. It was all so surreal. So mind numbing for someone like me. What was even more terrifying was the established fact that I wasn’t going to be greeted with a heartfelt kiss, but rather a wet tongue and maw that would soon guide me down her gullet.

The mere thought of which, now that I was up close, sent my heart racing. Pumping and beating fast. I wasn’t initially sure if this was good or not, but it probably was for the best. If my fear was a catalyst for mana, then this was it. This heart wrenching feeling was only the beginning.

In my absolute terror, I turned back only to see Sarina holding in a laugh. Seemingly enjoying the sight of having reduced me to a light snack, and Ana, the heart of our kingdom, to be a tiny eater. ‘What a sick giantess you are…’ Were my honest thoughts to Sarina. Who could even blame me?

To think that real tinies had at some point in history, been fed into the very sight I was seeing, being reduced to food. Was something that sent shivers down my spine. The worst part was, that giantesses like Sarina were enjoying it! They would turn their prey into screaming, pathetic dishes that they would gulp down in a single bite. Converting their tormented beings into nothing more than fat or otherwise that would only fuel these giantesses in searching for more prey. 

‘If I can’t muster up some mana… Would that be me included? Would I also end up as some excess fat on Ana? A mere energy source to fuel her ambitions?  No, surely not. She would vomit me out regardless of the outcome.’ I argued within my mind. Obviously thinking from an objective view, Ana would never leave me to be digested. It was simply out of the question for someone like her. But, in situations where death could stare right into your soul, I couldn’t help but cast some doubt. Even to someone I trusted as much as her.

The muscular folds parted from one another, making a kind of *Smack* sound from her lips. Every little mouth noise we humans would normally make, that would be muffled out as white noise was painfully evident to me. Every passing second too, her humid breath warmed up my very cold surroundings. Whilst it was warmer outside than usual, it was very cool inside Sarina’s room. And not to mention, ‘warmer than usual’ here was still by my standards a little bit chilly anyway. That was one more thing I learnt by spending time with these giant beings, their bodies were much warmer than mine. I suppose it made sense with how large they were. And it was what made living in cold climates even feasible at all to them.

“Aahhh” She said, or rather made a characteristic noise that made me aware that I was going to be eaten soon. She raised her palm even higher, and bent her head back a bit. Facing up to the sky. She slightly angled her sweaty palm from a horizontal position to a diagonal, removing the ground I was standing on and replacing it with the slanted floor known as her rotating palm. One that was becoming more and more vertical as the seconds passed. One that I could no longer stand on for much longer.

As I looked down, I saw the void. A gaping hole with saliva strands that met from the roof of her mouth to her tongue. With little squelching sounds that simply were impossible to ignore. Her pink tongue made up the floor of the cavern in front of me, but from the angle I saw, it only looked like the floor was the endless void. A black hole that would lead me down her throat and eventually into-

“A-Ahhhhhhhh!” 

Before I could finish my narration, it seemed that I could no longer remain standing on her palm, and began plummeting down towards Ana’s mouth. My screams were beyond my control, especially given the sheer fear I was feeling at the moment. ‘Was this it?’ I pondered, once again succumbing to the thought of the worst possible outcome, despite all logic pointing otherwise.

I entered her mouth, and was assaulted by her breath pouring out to the atmosphere outside her mouth. As I fell in, it felt like I was almost fighting against it. Suddenly the very light around me that came from the dimly lit room of Sarina became scarce, yet I wouldn’t even be given the luxury of seeing it one final time before-

*Gulp* 

I was swallowed. Her muscles surrounded me, and momentarily began crushing my body as they almost made a constricting motion. While they were initially soft to the touch, they became harder as she swallowed. I was safe, obviously due to my prior enchantments. But the light from earlier was now completely absent. And the elevator-like ride down to her gut had begun.

The smell of her mouth and insides permeated around me, and while I didn’t want to say anything bad about Ana, it was disgusting. As I was falling down I simply had trouble breathing as I battled against my body’s own gag reflex. Luckily, my own breathing issues would be solved from another one of my enchantments. I believe it was called ‘Anaerobic further respiration’ or something along those lines. I had already been trained due to Ana’s ‘fun’ times to hold my breath. That right now specifically, was no big deal.

‘The true horrors would only come right after.’

*Plop*  

I fell down, after passing some kind of membrane into a pool of weird sticky liquid. It was dark, and the light itself was gone, but I felt I could still sorta see around me. I wasn’t sure why or how, but I didn’t care. I just attributed it to some sorta enchantment.

There were pieces of bread floating around, and bubbly liquid all around. The bread was obviously Ana’s breakfast, made by expert chefs in conjunction with some form of meal. I think it was called an eggs benedict or something. Though now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

‘This must be her stomach.’

Gurgling noises, sticky slimy sounds and an overall shaky atmosphere was present within her belly. The stomach muscles were constantly contracting and widening, as if to engulf stray pieces of broken down foods. As for me, I had landed on a puddle of gastric acid. A slight burning sensation was felt across my whole body. It wasn’t like a ‘Ow, that's hot’ kind of burn like you’d get when you touched scorching hot metal, but rather a similar feeling to having weak alcohol being exposed to an open wound. I hardly even noticed it at first, but with each passing second, its damages were building up. Eventually to digest me…

‘Was this how prey felt?’ No, most human tribes and societies in this world could only eat dead creatures. You had to hunt first, eat later. This kind of fate was beyond the cruelty of mankind… At least to my rather ignorant level of knowledge. Perhaps there were some that scavenged around and didn’t bother to even cook their tiny meals ahead of time. Much like how many birds eat their prey raw and alive. ‘Yes… That’s all I was. Nothing more than prey.’ 

Suddenly, my calm demeanor was slowly being replaced with angst, with anxiety. As rather invasive and demoralizing thoughts pervaded into my mind, I was falling victim to their negative onslaught. I looked at my hand, my arm and my torso. My clothes were being digested, broken away into their smaller components and eventually into nothingness. Reminding me that these giantesses had digestive systems far stronger than us humans. 

The burning sensation was getting stronger. I couldn’t even deny it any longer. Even though I wasn’t breathing to smell the disgusting air around me, in a vain attempt to try and forget about this whole situation, the pain made it impossible to forget. It was a constant reminder; a message that told me ‘Look how pathetic you are, you’re nothing more than a meal.’ Oddly enough, the pain redirection enchantment wasn’t working against this kind of pain too, much to my own dismay. 

“Fuck.” I shouted aloud, for no one in particular to hear. It was like I was all alone again, that feeling of being trapped in Vascar, being up on that stage where my fate as an exile was determined. Being tortured and tormented. It was just like that all again. Thoughts of my incompetence swirled around in my mind. Like an everlasting looming threat. ‘Why was my magic so disappointing? Even after all this hell, not even a sliver of my mana came out.‘

Was I simply to report back to Ana that despite her mustering up all that courage, that even that wasn’t enough for me to get something right?

I pondered in my head. Seconds passed. Before I finally had something to cling to, a concrete idea in my head full of empty darkness to focus on.

“Ana,” I called her name aloud. “Ana Darling-Bliss.”

If it wasn’t for her, I didn’t even know what I would be doing right now. Though it probably wouldn’t be moping around in a pool of stomach acid.

I let out a soft chuckle. As if giving up. I just let my body rest. I knew that if enough time passed, Ana would let me out. I was no different to that piece of bread from earlier. Simply waiting for the greater forces of the world to decide its fate.

The pain only continued on however. With no end in sight. ‘Well not that I’d know.’ 

“A-Ana, please.” I whimpered. I knew no one out there could hear me. Not when I was stuck in her belly. “Let me out, I can’t do this.”

Seconds passed, again, nothing happened.

“PLEASE!” I, now begging, screamed. As much as I could in my battered up state. I punched the stomach walls, which seemingly had no effect. In fact, it had such little of an impact that it seemed comical. Desperation rose in my voice, my actions, my very being. I wanted out. I had fear fully lodged into my being.  I was kicking the walls, but once again, to little effect. 

My pathetic pleas, my poor attempts of escape and denial of my fate only grew louder and louder. As some form of chaotic energy began swirling up in me. It was fierce, powerful and strangely hot. Like a burning sensation. Once more, I riled up my voice as I made a fist and pushed it above me, as if reaching out towards her throat, back where I came from.

“Let me out; I don’t wanna die here!” I yelped, shouted and pleaded. And to my own surprise, my hand lit ablaze. A very weak kind of flame enveloped around it. 

And before I even could process what just happened. Her entire stomach began shaking, as if Ana had jolted back into action. I heard a loud squeal from the outside. Words that had emotion, affection and care behind them. Words that made this hell almost worth it.

“He did it! He did it! Sarina, I felt some mana in me that wasn’t mine!” Were Ana’s own genuine thoughts that leaped straight out of her mouth. Almost unable to contain her own excitement, she seemingly was ready to jump for joy, or at least she would if I wasn’t in her gut right about now. 

Moments straight after, I heard some footsteps as if she was walking somewhere, before finally I could see her stomach begin churning… 

‘It seems I'm finally free from this mess.’ I thought, finally able to escape from the prison known as Ana’s stomach. 

– – – 

About 30 minutes had passed. Ana had vomited me back out from her belly, and the first thing I saw was her slightly teary eyed face, relieved that I was okay. It honestly came as a surprise to me; not that partners shouldn’t be happy their loved ones were okay after such an event, but rather that it was rare for me to see this side of her in general. She was a rather tough queen, when in front of anyone but other council members. Whilst neither of us acknowledged the event to one another outright, we both understood that we were relieved that nothing bad occurred.

Immediately after, she rushed me over to Sarina’s sink, where she washed the gunk off me. Thoroughly. Making sure that a spot of me was covered in her stomach juices. 

At this point, I was basically naked as well. But, that didn’t bother Ana. I initially thought to playfully reprimand this giantess who seemingly wasn’t understanding my shame, but before I could make a sly remark against Ana, I was already placed on her palms. And rushed away to Sarina in the main room. Still naked. Who also wasn’t surprised at my nakedness.

‘ I was joking earlier, but do giantesses really feel nothing about naked tinies? Being in my birthday suit with Ana is one thing, but why is Sarina unfazed too?’  I wondered. Suddenly a horrific thought came to mind. It made sense for them culturally to see tinies as prey in the past, surely they must have eaten them naked too back then... At least that was my thought.

“Um, can I get some clothes or-” I asked, hoping to acquire some clothing so I would no longer have to be so embarrassed. 

“ Hurry and ask your final questions before I kick you both out of my house.” Sarina responds. Ignoring me entirely. “ I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“...” I stood in silence for a moment. Truthfully I was ready to lash out at this giantess, but I simply bottled that aside for now.

“Y’know, I’d prefer it if you weren’t so rude. Sarina.” Ana comments, with a rather harsh tone.

“Tsk. Whatever.” She responds.” You, the tiny, raise your hand in front of yourself, palm facing the sky’s direction.” 

I do as commanded. Raising my hand and palm.

She continued speaking. “Now, do you feel some ethereal energy within you right now? Some kind of foreign and unfamiliar energy?”

Oddly enough. I did feel something in me. It felt alive, moving, like it had a mind of its own. 

“Direct it to your palm, the energy that is.” Ana responds. Intervening to guide me gently. Her kind, but powerful voice was far more welcoming than Sarina's. 

I follow the instructions that my lovely wife gave. Redirecting the energy around until it eventually reaches my palm. Then, to my own surprise it leaves it, escaping the confines of my own body. Making me feel strangely cold.

In that same instant, a flame appeared, floating atop my palm.

“What the fuck, holy shit!” I said, with an abundance of excitement in my voice.  However in the next instant, it slowly flickered away, as if returning into my palm. Leaving my body feeling like its normal temperature once more. 

“Hmm, so you’re an Arcanist. Interesting. Perhaps you aren't good for nothing after all.” Sarina comments, albeit with a slight mocking gesture, but still with interest on the matter. “And now that you have mana, you can sustain your own enchantments too. Good for you.”

“What’s an Arcanist?” I asked.

“Arcanists, at a very typical sense and normal level,  convert mana into heat by focusing it at one source, or absorb or redirect it away to create a sense of coldness. Areas with a lack of ethereal energy or mana, are artificially cold, whilst concentrated regions of mana can be hot. With enough practice these people can be a threat to be recognized with.”

‘So, it's a bit like temperature magic then.’ I thought in the realm of my mind. It allowed me to manipulate temperature, and be capable of doing both fire and ice magic. ‘What a weird ability…’

“Woah… What about the other types, what other abilities are there? How can I use them? Ana mentioned she had used a-” I ask, hoping to get more answers.

“Nope, sorry. I’m afraid you’re out of time. I have a meeting with the magicians board soon, to discuss an interesting discovery made recently by a young scholar. It may even revolutionize our understanding  of magic as a whole. With it, we might even catch up to the western nation’s level of technology.” She explains. As she guides Ana, and I via extension who is still resting atop her palm, out of her home. We exit through her door right after. 

*Slam!* 

She shuts the door off to our faces, before even saying goodbye. We’re both left flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events as we stare into each other. I also notice that it’s somewhat cooler now compared to before. I suppose warmish weather in Ranate was just a rarity. 

“... Hey Honey, I didn’t get to ask earlier, but are you alright with uh-” Ana began to question me. Before I cut her off, whilst being nervous.

“Y-yeah, yeah. It was just weird. I never wanna have to go through that again.” I nervously answer, honestly just finding it hard to come to terms with what just happened mere moments ago.

“Of course, I promise I won’t willingly put you into that sort of situation again. Well not that I’d know ‘that’ was what was gonna happen today. Here, you can even take the day off today. You deserve it.”

“Haha, thanks, Ana. Really. I mean it. I need a break after that. Even if it's only for today.” I responded. Glad I could rest.

“You can snuggle around in my bra if you want in the meantime.” She quietly whispers. Knowing full well what my response will be.

“Well… I won’t say no to that.” I answer, with a slight chuckle. Leaving my wife beaming with a smile herself. From tomorrow onward, I was going to be training my magic, and finding a way to incorporate into my survival . Then after that, I would be departing for the lands up north.

5’am. It was the crack of dawn. Where the sunshine only barely shone through the horizon down to Ranate. Illuminating the world with warm, fuzzy light. It was the light I very much needed in my journey. 

For context, the last day of my training had already passed, which was yesterday. Ana and I had spent it all on devising ways of utilising my abilities to their maximum effect. Aiming to bolster my chances of survival wherever possible. It was constant days of mixing and matching ideas and strategies in conjunction to training in general. After each day besides the last, I was essentially a dead man walking with how tired I was. My energy would be completely wasted, gone to oblivion. But it wasn’t pointless, at the end of my training, with the hard work; sweat, tears and all. It had allowed me to arrive at quite an interesting position, where I could finally start taking some confidence in myself.

On the last day of my training, it was just about rest. I had already learnt what I needed to do and achieve, it was just a matter of being able to use it on the go. Plus, it made next to no sense to waste precious energy from the day before when on the next day I would begin my journey. 

So, on the last day, I just conserved it. I ate a shit ton, I rested for hours, and I spent time with Ana. We both didn’t actually get to do much together however, as Ana’s own workload began piling up from spending so much time with me. It was just time spent together via simply being with one another. Though that didn’t stop her from kissing me repeatedly as we went to bed. Her soft supple lips were something I could never get bored of. Though I will admit the sight of them was slightly terrifying after being devoured by her not too long ago.

 ‘Oh well… When I get back, there’ll be plenty of time for us both.’ I reasoned, within my mind. Hoping to stick to optimism where possible.

You could call it ignorance or blind faith, but I was confident I would get back. After all, I never felt more like a knight, soldier or part of something important than I did now. My magic training, my physical training and just being on a mission that was of importance made me feel important. Like I belonged here. 

‘Of course, in reality it was due to those no good council members that I’m doing this mission in the first place.’  I thought. But still, I valued the opportunity that I got, the chance to learn and become someone better. I knew I wouldn’t ever get something like this back in Vascar.

“Are you ready, dear?” I heard a voice call out behind me. Concerned but confident was the tone I’d describe.

“Yep, no need to worry about me.” I replied, obviously to Ana, who was the owner of the kind voice.

“Remember, use the environment to your advantage. Your greatest strengths are hunting, marksmanship and survival itself, but now magic can be of use to you too.” She said,

“I’m aware, Ana.” She didn’t need to retell me my own greatest strengths,  but I guess her worries got the better of her for a brief moment. “ But, really, I’ll be fine. I promise. And it’s all thanks to you.” I confidently assert. The levels of gratitude I had for the giantess beside me were immeasurable. There was probably no one person in this world I respected, loved or cared for more than Ana. I wouldn’t dare embarrass her out here either. Ana herself probably wasn’t too happy with me being thrown to the wolves, with how the situation had basically turned out. But she repressed those emotions for now.

“Of course you’ll be fine, who else is gonna rub my feet if you’re not around? “ She playfully mocked with a small smile. Further easing the mood. Such qualities about her made her truly special in my heart. It almost made it possible to ignore the rather gross sentiment she made near the end of her comment. Having spent time in her footwear before, I could confidently say I wasn’t for rubbing her feet, or doing anything with them for that matter… Unless she really wanted me to do something of course.

“Well, stay safe yourself, Ana. I’ll be going off with this uh-” 

“It’s called a Bullorg.” She corrected me, before I could even identify what the creature was.

I was riding atop a rather interesting creature. I’d never seen anything like it. It was like a horse, with bull-like horns and bloodshot red eyes that glowed in the dark. Making it impossible to lose in the bed of night, provided you aren’t super lost.

“ We believed that for someone of your size and current abilities, this one should be fine to handle.” She explained.

“Well, I’ve had horseback training being a squire of Vascar, so this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Well, we just don’t have many tiny creatures like that in Ranate, our wildlife is rather large. This will have to do.” Ana explained, taking a two second long pause before resuming. “One good thing about it is that it's quite fast and agile. Also it’s extremely quiet despite its speed.”

“ I see.” I look down on the creature I’m gonna ride on soon. At the fur and skin it has, the majestic mane atop its head. It was quite a spectacle to think I was gonna traverse with this thing on my journey. I also had a few bags on this bullorg, strapped on to its sides. One of the bags contained my invisibility cloak that we had the tailor make for me as well as many other essentials that I needed. 

“ I’ll see you in a month. Or even longer if need be. Unlike the rest of the kingdom, I won’t write you off for dead if you need a little bit longer.” Ana bid her farewell. I hold my palm up and wave back at her. As my journey officially began.

The bullorg begins picking up the pace. First a walk, then a trot and finally begins galloping at near full speed outward. I could feel the cold Ranate air push up against my face, sending shivers all down my body. The area we were heading into was full of vegetation, boreal forests in a taiga like biome. The overall chilly air was a staple of such an environment, and with it being so early in the morning, that coldness was only amplified ten fold. 

From the capital city of Ranate, Zleuser, where I currently was, the simplest route to the Karkiman Empire, where I was to infiltrate from,  was to follow the road from the capital that led towards it (bolded diagonal dotted line that goes north west). The problem with this was it would be almost guaranteed that I would be attacked or questioned from crossing the border there. It was close to their neighbouring empire that the Karikiman Empire was at war with too, so chances of guards patrolling all around there was high. 

However, I also didn’t want to needlessly wander around in the Ranate wilderness. That too was a dangerous endeavor. So spending too long here by taking a long detour to the western direction wouldn’t be favorable either. Taking the marked route was the fastest way, but would lead to the most danger, whilst going too far off course would take too long and trap me here in the Ranate wilderness for the night. ‘ Quite an annoying conundrum’ I thought to myself. 

Ultimately I decided that I would try to enter from just east of the most northern Ranate city on the map. That area was in more mountainous terrain and was hard to navigate from, which made it difficult to guard. Normally this route would be out of the question for someone like me, but this bullorg creature should be able to handle it. At least going off of what Ana’s told me beforehand. This area was slightly off the route, so while it would take a bit longer, it wasn’t horribly too much extra. 

No doubt, there’ll be some bandits or trouble spelunking about the border area at those parts, but even then it would still be the safest route.

‘Guess I don’t have much choice here, do I?’ I pointlessly wonder in my thoughts. For now, I just followed the guided path, and planned to deviate from it when I was a bit more north. I needed to use my food and water sparingly, and had to feed the bullorg creature too when it would eventually become low on energy.

– – –

(Third person perspective switch. Ana, a few hours later.)

The kingdom of Ranate, was full of trembling earthquakes, giant rivers that could be mistaken for endless lakes along with towering structures that dwarfed over people. Well… At least, if you were a human. 

“ Emily, it’s only a little bit longer.” A voice called out. Prim, proper, yet powerful and commanding. It was graced with a rather kind tone too.

“ Y-your majesty, with all due respect. I’m simply not built for this much walking.” Another titaness replied. 

“Enough with the ‘your majesty’ title, just call me Ana like you normally do.”  

“ But, we’re in public-”

“ We’re out in the countryside, at the farmlands of Zleuser. We’re quite a ways away from anyone that would actually care for those kinda sensibilities.” She replied. Aiming to ease the formalities between the two of them. 

“ Y’know, my poor tiny human did not sign up for this today.” Emily answered back, making a slightly sarcastic tone. Throughout the route, Emily had been walking in a rather odd way, as if in obvious discomfort. Her knees bent slightly inward toward her centre of being, and her face slightly flustered. The giantess pointed out how awkward the situation was for her human to Ana.

“Who’s idea was it to stuff him ‘in there’ of all places beforehand? I told you already we were going to see how the others were handling the next batch of humans today.” Ana commented, in a slightly averse and indirect way. Averting her eyes towards Emily’s crotch as she looked back for a moment.

She was making reference to former Marvialasian soldier, Sir John el Berg, who was trapped within her cooch. Due to the sheer size difference, it was hardly like shoving something large or massively noticeable down there. Instead, it was a slight ticklish, but desirable sensation. It was as if John was lighting a warming fire within her merely by existing, and she was free to either set it further ablaze or put it out. While obviously she wanted to fish out her tiny man from her privates, or even start playing with herself to indulge in her fantasy, Ana prohibited it on account of not wanting to waste time. That and the fact that she knew Emily would pick the latter of the two options.

“ You’re a demon, Ana. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. I just need like 6 minutes to myself and I'll be done…” She pleaded, hoping to stir Ana into a different direction. “I bet he’s enjoying himself down there, I wanna be able to enjoy him too.”  Her face was blushing red, not from embarrassment however. “ I can feel him kicking, punching, squirming around.”

“ We don’t have time. You did this to yourself. And I doubt someone like you’d be satisfied with a mere 6 minutes of fun. At the very least, you’re gonna have to wait until we actually get where we need to be.” She replied, after giving off a sigh.

“ I bet you wanna do this with Leon don’t you? Hmm, isn’t that right princess? Too bad you already started the marriage ceremonies, now you can’t do this till the third one. I bet you wanna shove him in deep so bad and begin-” Emily teased while making a gesture of something being inserted to her nether regions while talking with one of her hands. Even referring to her friend as princess rather than her actual current title of queen.

In truth, Emily wasn’t wrong however. Ana had wanted to do such acts with Leon, but for one the man in question wasn’t present. And more importantly, they had already done the first marriage ceremony. Which prohibited insertion or anything similar to inserting a male human to the pussy of a giantess from in between the first marriage ceremony to the last. Hence being a law that only really affected married couples.

 It was a law Ana herself had made, in hopes to stir away anyone who would merely get rid of their humans after being able to produce an heir. She thought of it as an extra insurance measure. Which meant she of all people couldn’t be breaking that law, as being the figurehead for human rights in her queendom.

“ I take it back, go back to the ‘Your majesty’ act please.” Ana answered. Not even giving Emily’s ideas the time of day. Rather, slightly frustrated at it being pointed out that she couldn’t do anything  of the sort with Leon for almost another 7 months. It was known there were 45-46 days in a month, and 8 months in a year. With 3 months out of those 8 having 45 days. At least in the world of Celessa, that’s how it worked. 2 months were dedicated to each season. The first season of a year was winter, followed by spring into summer, finally then by autumn. 

It had been roughly a month and 10 days since the first marriage ceremony on the first winter month, since the fateful day Ana dumped her entire weight on her little man.  When she sat on him, crushed and grinded him against her rear and made him feel every ounce of her love. It was the day they were wed, and forever bound to love one another. 

However they couldn’t do the ultimate act of pleasure, the act she most undeniably desired. All because of the rushed marriage they planned. Ana looked back at Emily with a slightly saddened gaze, trying to see the couple do what they couldn’t. Emily instead however looked embarrassed. As if remembering the two giantesses weren’t in a private room, or Ana’s castle. Causing a blush to be plastered across her face from realizing what she had just loudly announced. Ana simply gave off a small chuckle in response to it. 

“Wow, and like, a lot of humans work around these parts. Some of them must have heard you really shout out your vulgarity…” Ana nonchalantly commented. As if trying to maximize the damage to Emily’s pride, and to embarrass her further. Obviously it was just some friendly banter between some friends in the end though. A form of chatter great for lifting up the mood.

“I’ll be quiet now.” Emily finally submitted to her own nerves. While a loud, cheerful and teasing woman she was, she was easy to embarrass. She would never act this way near anyone but Ana, but much to her own dismay, she was in a field where her voice could travel quite far.

“ Good news is that we’re a few minutes away now.” Ana commented.

“Finally. Though seriously Ana, I don’t think I can do this much longer. My legs feel like they’re gonna give out.” Emily exhaustedly announces. Her voice reverberating around. The woman wasn’t the type to be walking around places much. That and she was just a bit lazy.

“Speaking of, how is John? How much has he changed in the past couple months?” Ana, once again dodging Emily’s proclamation, asks her about her human.

“John? He’s doing great. So great in fact I’d say he’s in a good enough condition to marry.”

“ So, he’s about past tier 5 in the scope of our plan?” Ana questions. 

“Yeah. I’m proud of the little guy.” Emily stops walking momentarily and squishes her thighs together a bit, as if allowing the inner walls of her pussy to begin clenching in on themselves. This was her way of showing gratitude to her little man, at least when he was stuck in this kinda situation. He too had been enchanted with pain redirection and some others, the extra tightness of her inner walls squelching together as if to crush him only made him revel in orgasmic euphoria. “ It isn’t easy coming back from the brainwashing from Marvialasia.” She says as she continues walking once more.

“ From what the little men who’ve already succeeded in rehabilitation from our program have said, from a young age they’re indoctrinated to hate non-humans. Especially species that pose a challenge to Marvialasia. They host rallies, parades, events and celebrations to express their hate of the non-human races.” Ana explains, with a slightly disgusted look on her face. “ All while their ugly ruler prospers, promising them all a better life at the end of their wars.” She scornfully spits out. Not literally, but in a figurative manner. While Ana could excuse the enemy-like mentality of many Marvialasian soldiers, she struggled to feel the same way for their leader. If anything, she wanted to be the first to end his reign. Now with Vascar thrown into the mix as well, they had become her enemies too. 

“How would they even know any better? It isn’t like they can just meet up with a giantess, or a dwarf or whatever in that kind of environment. They can only do as they know from their education.” Emily sympathetically voices.

“ They’re a misunderstood people. I’m glad our own kingdom has started taking a chance on their actual citizens. They aren’t all monsters.” 

“Well, that's all thanks to you.” Emily expresses her gratitude towards her friend. Who didn’t  pay it any mind. When Ana was driven to carry out a cause, she wouldn’t stop for a mere congratulations for half-assing a solution to a problem.

The two continued their idle chatter as they walked. They were heading towards the southern part of town, far from the actual city-like area that Ana and Emily would normally stay in.

The further you got away from the capital, the more farm lands, and less well esteemed households you would find. Conversely the less rich and entitled elitists of the older era too. It made this area the perfect ground to allow  a budding humanity to grow. 

It was all a part of Ana’s plan. Tiers were a term that Ana and Emily had coined to differentiate the different levels of mindset each captured Marvialasin soldier was. Each expedition to the border, their group would capture a hefty amount, both of men and women. The soldiers themselves didn’t even know they were being sent on what normally would be a mission to their deaths. ‘How else would you describe a border patrol mission against titanic creatures like us, the giantesses?’ Instead they were rage fuelled, and driven by their nationalistic pride to serve their country, and try to eliminate Ranate. So much so that most hadn’t even questioned what would become of them after accepting their mission. Any people who were hesitant had their families threatened. Making it impossible to even attempt to go against the land.

The idea of poor, bitter and resentful Marvialasian soldiers who didn’t even want to invade or go anywhere near the border, but had been forced to, pervades into both Ana’s and Emily’s mind. The two women thought of the same picture in their heads.

An image, a landscape full of vegetation. Rain, thunder, earthquakes… Earthquakes?

At least to a human they must have been. Marvialasian humans would run, cry, beg and try to escape away from the Ranate soldiers they would be fighting against. Each step the giantesses would take would leave the very earth rumbling. At least at an era when their use of magic wasn’t so vastly superior to Ranate’s, this image would continue to exist. ‘And what would the Ranate soldiers do to these poor humans?’

Both the giantesses knew. 

Stomp them, crush them, eat, gulp and digest them whole, torture them, break them apart, or capture them to be further interrogated. The giant folk of old, back before the Darlington-Bliss were in charge, were far more cruel, far more reactionary in response to conflict. Such tragedies were hard to ignore. It was stuff that Leon might even be somewhat unaware of.

While Leon was given a watered down explanation of events regarding the past of the kingdom. Obviously it was heavily limited, Ana would not permit the librarian to scare off her lover so quickly. And for history itself, even Ana didn’t know everything. She was still quite young herself, when compared to the older giantess present at the capital, her knowledge would be somewhat limited. But she still obviously knew far more than her curious lover. Her position as queen and princess forced her to be at least  somewhat educated on the history of the kingdom, but she never got to see or feel the hateful events before. Only learn them, and grow to hate her own land’s history. 

It all began with a surprise attack towards Ranate, with heavy machinery fired against them. Ranate easily could outclass such things, giantesses were the farthest thing away from ‘weak’.

However, the humans adapted, they learned. Soon, tactics, unsavoury methods of warfare and such were practised. And to seal the downfall of their own, Marvialasia even began learning magic. The combination of all these events eventually put Ranate at a longstanding disadvantage.

It was only due to their sheer size, and power that these giantesses could even fight back at all. It would take many humans to face off against a singular giantess. And when magic and enchantments began being thrown into the mix, on the giantesses side, finally the tide was turning.

The giantess folk were conditioned for the longest time to be reactionary, to fight, to mindlessly act savage and writhe in the pleasure of destroying their enemies.

At least, that was the simplified barebones of Ranate’s dark past with Marvialasia. There was obviously far more, but she wasn’t thinking about that all now. The thought of people like Jade the Cruel from the last reigning family made her wince, as they were responsible for so much of her present anguish. She wanted to focus on the current problem. Unlike those lost in the past, Ana wanted to figure out a way to begin heading towards the future. And she had luckily already arrived at her conclusion. That being, she would strive to improve the relationship of the two species where possible. Which is where her plan came in. 

Humans from Marvialasia were divided into tiers after they were captured. They would not be harmed, or put in a dangerous environment. Their torture was strictly prohibited too. At least for all that wouldn’t hurt any citizens of the kingdom.

The tiers were as follows,

Tier 1: Fresh capture/ Hates all non-human races. 

Tier 2: Indulging in small talk and conversations with giantesses.

Tier 3: Engages in small activities with non-human races and species.

Tier 4: Recognizes their own problematic behaviour. Aims to better themselves.

Tier 5: Establishes meaningful connections with giantesses or other non human species. 

The tiers would all be divided into groups, and each group would enter a property in Ranate. All of this would occur within the capital city of Ranate, and within the trade central, near the center of the kingdom with another trustworthy group of Ana’s comrades. The city at the center was quite a popular place for many giantesses to purchase some things. Even Lisa from the council went there every 2nd or 3rd week for some mysterious purchases of her own. Though Ana wasn’t sure what in the world Lisa was up to at all. People like her made Ana slightly scornful as they actively stood against her plan. An act that she thought to be for the basic rights of humans.

Tiers 1-3 Marvialasian humans would all be exposed to giantess culture and behaviours, and be allowed to express their own ideas and values. Oftentimes their own beliefs were hostile, especially at the lower tiers. But, Ana had requested the giantess guardians that would take care of these people to be patient with them. She herself, at the early days of being a princess candidate, would also be a guardian of many humans herself. Such devotion to make change only improved her own image after all. Though the older faction who were against the Darlington-Bliss family would always try to spin the narrative against her. Ultimately they would fail, but their attempts did not go unheard.

As the tiers increased, the levels of exposure to the giantesses would increase too. Ana herself had only dealt with tier 1 to 2 humans in the past however, so she rarely got to even touch them. Nowadays, many of the more ‘loving’ giantesses acted as guardians for the humans. 

‘Some of them are a little too loving…’ Ana muttered aloud, baffled at some of the sights she had witnessed from the more playful parts of her community.  While she was glad the plan was working so well, some of the acts she’d seen were a little bit much for her. At least when she thought about it rationally. ‘Who knows what I'd even be thinking or doing under the sheets with my little man once the third ceremony was over…’

Humans were a hot commodity for giantesses. They weren’t sold or anything, nothing that would dehumanise them to that extent. Instead, tier 5 humans simply got to stick with the giantess they would get to form a connection with. And some giantesses now were a little too excited to gain their first human, and so the volunteers to become their guardians would increase. This process only increased the amount of exposure giantesses got with their humans too, allowing a change of perspective to occur even from her people.

“I reckon that’s for the better.” Emily commented in response to Ana’s muttering. Eventually leading to more pondering about Ana’s plan for the two. “Back when we started this all, our people were so sceptical and awkward about this whole plan. So this is a massive improvement.”

As the humans ascended the levels, they were allowed more and more luxuries in their lives as they would be relocated with many of their group mates to better places. While essentials like food and water would always be given, the opportunity to live closer to the city awaited those who wanted to assimilate into society. Those that capped off at tier 2 or 3, often were left to work at the farm lands. Something these humans more often than not wanted, rather than getting closer to giantess society. 

 Right after someone would confirm the capped off tier 2’s and 3’s were safe to keep in the kingdom, they would be responsible for assisting their guardian giantesses with general tasks. Sometimes even helping out in the process of converting humans to their side too, though from a safe distance. That aspect too was a nice addition to Ana’s idea. As allowing converting humans to see where they once were would almost always have an effect on them, one that would further their contemplation of beliefs. It was a key goal of the program not to just force an idea on them; They were just recovering from being forced into such a prior mindset after all. It made sense for them to grow and choose their own beliefs as they converted. As long as they did actually convert somewhat in the end, the project was considered a success.

Almost no humans were stuck at tier 1 by the end of the program cycle. Which was an important aspect. If a sample size of 300 humans were present initially at tier 1 at the start of a program round, then 290, more or less, would have been converted. Leaving a measly 10 or less of stubborn tier 1 humans.  This was the most successful conversion out of each of the tiers. Tier 2 into tier 3 had 250 successfully converted out of 290, and tier 3 into 4 would have a measly 70 out of 250. Of course, the numbers were hypothetical, but the relative percentages of success were roughly similar each time. Tier 5 was the sole outlier in this trend of data, with 50 out of 70 converting to tier 5 from tier 4. Perhaps people that already took a step forward at tier 4, being already out of the haziness of their brainwashing were able to move on quicker. Either that or the level of progression from tier 4 to 5 wasn’t too significant compared to other levels. Regardless, the fact was that tier 1 to tier 2 was the most successful conversion. Most likely, the most important one too as it would differentiate victims of Marvialasia to true believers of their hostile culture. 

These ones that were still left were deemed as hostile enemies. Even Ana couldn’t justify keeping a potential enemy that just wouldn’t convert to their side. It was bad for her image, and it even increased the risk of everyone else falling under threat of a potential attack if a massive buildup of them were to arise. If she had the political security of being able to relax the doubts some giantesses had, for the humans still being sanctioned despite being enemies, she would use it. But she didn’t have that influence, not yet at least.

Normally a potential attack wasn’t something to worry about from humans once they were captured. As they were all split into groups, with small numbers of them existing around one giantess at the early tiers. Even without magic for the giantesses in the early years of the plan, the humans weren’t a threat with such a tiny number of them. 

A problem only arose when too much was present. Then they had to be eliminated. 

Ana initially proposed to her assistants and friends that only the oldest tier 1’s who wouldn’t convert would have to be eliminated. But the fact that ‘What would the remaining tier 1’s in the same group think?’ Was brought to her attention by them. 

Ana thought, pondered and wondered about a possible method that wouldn’t involve killing off the tier 1’s. But she couldn’t figure something out. She was forced to work with them out in the farm lands for this plan, so her resources were limited, and more importantly the other giantesses generally didn’t approve of tier 1 humans who just wouldn’t convert. Not to mention If even only some of them were killed to prevent a giant influx of them building up, it would lead to the survivors being even more skeptical of Ana’s policies. 

It was a dirty move, she knew it was. But in the chess board called politics, sometimes you had to sacrifice your pawns to save more important units. That was the only option she had left. She was scornful of her lack of ability to prevent this, but not feeling guilty. They were the enemy. That was a fact.

To separate the resentful, tier 1’s who wouldn’t convert into their own separate group and crush the entire group together at once.  That was the option she was left with. 

‘I mean, the tier 2’s aren’t exactly super approving of us either. But at least they stop with the ‘I’m gonna save my country from you dirty bastards!’ Talk to our faces.’ Ana reasoned in her mind. For as long as that enemy hating mentality continued, they were a danger to Ranate.

All it took was just a small step forward; for them not to be put into danger. Ana’s group would try so hard and to no avail. And yet, a tiny amount of Marvialasian humans still chose that option. To cling to their hate. To their resentment. 

These same people wanted to hurt not only non-human races, but even humans who chose to side with the giantesses. They were a menace to the cause.

Such fierce determination to stick to their propaganda only made Ana more furious, especially at the first time she discovered that such a problem was occurring at all. 

The horror of the younger princess, only but a few years ago, learning that the more resentful, failed tier 1 humans must be scrapped entirely. Crushed and erased, as if they never mattered at all. She remembered staring into the blood stains on the ground of the separate execution room after such a group being present.

‘ Fuck…’ 

She, the titaness, began losing herself with her thoughts. Her rage became fueled by the anger she felt toward the situation when she remembered when she had to crush the soldiers herself. Years ago. 

She couldn’t entrust many people with this project when she began. So she had to do it herself. The sounds of people screaming with resentment, cursing her and her lineage were hard to forget when she began. At the same time however, she steeled herself to her mission. And simply hid her feelings away behind her mask, behind the facade of a cool headed leader. Behind the reputation of being a Darlington-Bliss.

“Ana, hey? Are you doing okay?” A voice softly perturbed her inner thoughts. It was Emily’s. 

“Yeah, I just got a little worked up thinking about some stuff.” Ana replied, after having a rather large sigh. 

She understood that this was her own naivety, her own kindness being used against her. Logically it made sense. Kill off the enemies and save the majority. But emotionally, it was a bit harder to justify. Not so much the fact she had to kill humans. No, not that at all. She was a strong willed queen now, and a princess of Ranate before. She wouldn’t lose her calm after just a simple matter. It was more so the fact that the entire predicament felt so avoidable. That if the tier 1 humans just even slightly changed, she could justify keeping them in her land safely. ‘But alas, life wasn’t so nice.’ 

She was at mercy to the pride of some Marvialasian soldiers, to their indoctrinated beliefs. With no one left to direct her anger to but their ruler himself. 

Emily simply stared at Ana once more for a few seconds. Who, despite her discomfort, started walking up a bit closer to her friend. Both the giantesses were of noble descent, and were rather close as friends too. She patted her hands on Ana’s shoulders, hoping to cheer her up.

“This was the best outcome. No one else in the history of the kingdom would give this much of a chance to the enemy. At least not this successfully.” Emily reasoned. 

“Yeah… Thanks, Emily” Ana responded. Trying really hard to take Emily seriously without reminding herself of the fact that a human was inside Emily right now. Though at this point, even Ana began wondering how Leon would feel inside her. Wiggling around, trying to escape or maybe even go in deeper. She took any opportunity to distract her mind.

“We’ve arrived, I can see the building from here. It's slightly hidden in the woods.” Emily pointed out, finally gaining a sense of relief as the two giantesses arrive. 

The tier 1 and 2 primary facility, painted in floral white with a red brick roof. While it was a far cry from the luxuries present in the capital. It was much nicer than the neighbouring surroundings. Its exterior was quite sturdy too, with plenty of windows allowing a view of the outside world for anyone inside. There were plenty more similar facilities in the nearby area, but this was the main one, which housed somebody that Ana wished to speak to. 

The queen, and behind her, Emily, walked up towards the entrance. 

*Knock, Knock* 

Ana knocked on the door with her knuckles at the back of her hand. Creating a rather loud thud, a noise of wood being struck against by a blunt force. The humans inside would definitely hear such loud thuds.

However, the door itself was unlocked. It lightly squeaked and opened from Ana just knocking. Prompting her to enter the facility.

“Excuse me.” Ana’s voice echoed throughout the room as she walked inside the entrance to a building. Ana remained standing in between the doorway. “ Maria and Lindsey, are you two there?” 

Footsteps quickly began building up, getting louder and louder as each second passed.

“Ah, your majesty, you’ve arrived.” Lindsey answered. Courteous in nature. The giantess in question wore a bandana across her head, with a red crop top that showed her abs off. She wore black trousers. Lindsey was a rather naturally athletic giantess, one with a sharp eye too. 

“I know it's rude to immediately ask, but is there a spare uninhabited room somewhere?” Ana politely asked.

Lindsey raised her eyebrow, confused towards Ana’s statement.  She steps to the side and see’s Emily behind Ana. Sighing instantly at the sight of her. 

“To the left of the tier 2’s room, there’s an empty room. Feel free to use it… Emily.” She answers, pointing with her index finger towards the available room. Guiding Emily with a slightly disappointed but not unexpectant gaze.

“Sorry Liz, but I’ll be borrowing it for about 6 minutes.” Emily states as she colloquially calls Lindsey her nickname. She walked quietly to where she was guided, with her legs still bending inward. Her face flustered. 

“Yeah… 6 minutes. I’m sure.” Liz answers, giving off a slightly rude and sarcastic tone before letting out a soft chuckle. “So, Ana, what can I do for you today?” 

“I want to know how the procedures are going. Have the results changed or are they the same? Along with the rate of giantesses picking up humans from the tier 4 and 5 facilities.” Ana asks. “Oh, and the socio-economic status of what giantesses are picking up humans. As well as last time’s percentage of the ‘tier 1’s being removed’ from here.” Ana spoke, making sure not to say words like ‘eliminate’ or things that would stir great hostility.

“Sure thing, come on in. We can discuss the first couple things you said once we’re inside.” Liz replies, guiding Ana towards the central room. “To answer your last question though, the percentage has gotten a lot better. Last time, only 2 were stuck at tier 1. It appears even Marvialasia’s brainwashing hasn’t been as effective as it once was. Not that it isn’t a problem for us still.”

The facility was a house-like structure that stuck out like a sore thumb. Out here where wilderness and farmlands dominated the area, there was suddenly a fairly well made home. Quite a large one too. 

The specific location housed mainly tier 1-3 humans. Often, tiers 1-3 and 4-5 were separated. Not intentionally, but it just so happened that those in tier 4 began heavily disagreeing and being uncomfortable around tier 1-2 humans. Even tier 3’s made a sort of ripple in the system. Not to mention, tiers 4-5 generally wanted to be closer to the cities anyway. 

The system currently was working as intended. 

‘But, I feel like there’s still some sort of problem.’ Ana wondered. ‘ As if we’ve overlooked something important.’ 

Truly, that was one of the key reasons for her coming here. Not just to check on the progress of her program, or to even plan some adjustments to it. But rather to check in on some things, and to confirm the individuals who would come take care of the humans. Ana wanted to make sure she was getting everything right, so she had to make sure her hunches were checked for.

‘After this, I’ve still got the issue with Vascar to deal with…’ She thought. Already getting exhausted from a mere reminder of her own workload. ‘They increased the number of soldiers at our border with them, and it seems like that’s only gonna increase. These people are also the same scum that made Leon’s life before a living hell too… I should probably nip this problem in the bud.’  Ana reasoned. Arriving to a solid conclusion. 

In its simplest terms, Ana would capture the capital of Vascar via right of conquest, taking the kingdom for her own. Obviously in a manner that wouldn’t harm innocent civilians. She would try diplomacy and negotiations first, but coming this far she had a feeling it wouldn’t be so simple. Vascar was clearly a diversion in the grander scheme of things. Most likely as a ploy from Marvialasia. Hence, first she would have to deal with Marvialasia, or else fear an invasion from the opposite direction. This was a fact that made it rather annoying to just start fighting back against Vascar, now that they’d allied themselves with Ranate’s enemy. 

Vascar themselves weren’t too much of a threat, it was solely their relationship with Marvialasia that proved annoying for Ana.

‘Hmm, what to do?’ She pondered.

Ranate was put into a rather risky position. However, with all the pieces in the right places, It would be possible to grow as a queendom, as a country. Perhaps even evolve to become an empire if everything went especially well. 

There wasn’t much to lose. At least on a scale for countries and leadership. Ana Darlington-Bliss knew her next move, as she prayed for Leon’s safety. Who was the key figure in her makeshift plan.

“Have a seat.” Lindsey prompted Ana. Ready to begin their discussion. 

“Yeah.”  She answers, before wondering in her head. ‘I wonder what Leon’s doing as of now?’ 

– – – 

(Back to first person perspective on Leon)

Almost nightfall  had arrived. It was currently the late evening where the sun was starting to set downwards from the sky, escaping from my view and into the distant horizon. Thankfully despite that, the climate was also changing, I could feel it. The chilly colds of Ranate were left behind me as I approached northwest. Replaced with the more bitter kind of cold seen on mountainous areas.

However, in the specific route I was taking, the mountains in the way made it rather difficult to traverse. Not to mention the altitude made it a bit more difficult to breathe in. Luckily, in front of me it was all downhill so there was that to look forward to.

It was quiet here, almost silent if you barred the sounds from nature itself. Being a mere human in Ranate, that kind of silence was impossible to get with the constant sound of footsteps always afoot. 

I could hear running water near me. ‘Perfect,’ I thought to myself. My stead was getting tired too, I could tell as it was slowing down again. While this wasn’t my first time setting up camp on this journey, it was still unnerving. Especially now. I searched my bag, the one on my bullorg to take a look at the map.

My relative position was given by the red flag, which was slightly into Karkiman empire territory, and I was still quite close to the borders. ‘If there’s one thing I know about borders, it's that there’s always danger around.’ I was always quite good at reading maps, but training in Ranate to learn how to read my surroundings made it a unique strength of mine. I was able to understand the environment around me and apply it to understand where I was. ‘Quite the essential skill for any adventurer.’ 

I unpacked my key belongings and set up a tent. I gathered some firewood, and focused as I shut my eyes. Sensing the ethereal energy inside me and closing myself off from my surroundings. I located the innate mana within, and circulated out to my palm. A second passed, two seconds passed. Finally, on the third a sense of heat was given off as I opened my eyes to find a flame resting on my palm. It was flickering brightly, but still rather small. An intentional choice by myself as to not waste mana where it didn’t need to be wasted.

I bent down, on one knee as I fed the firewood my flame by extending my palm outwards, towards it. In a mere instant, it engulfed the wood, the twigs and branches soon began erupting in a hot fire. One that provided me and by stallion of sorts warmth. 

‘Hah, easy as cake,’ I mocked, in my mind. ‘... God damn it, I wished I had some proper food on me right now.’ I cursed as the thought of cake only fueled my hunger.

I once again approached the bullorg, this time going to the other bag I had. It was full of essentials, like food and clothing as well as some other essential items handed over by Ana. As for water, I luckily had a river near me for that. 

‘What a slow day.’ I thought. Mundane days of travel were never my favourite. I sighed and approached the campfire I set to heat up my food.

As if lost in a trance, I kept staring into the fire once I had approached it. Hoping to fight away my boredom.  My thoughts began contorting and bending. I found myself remembering some details Ana told me from yesterday.

‘The mission requires you to find some intel that can bring harm to Marvialasia, either directly or indirectly. The sooner you get it, the sooner we can move to the next stage of the plan.’ Ana explained, in bed with myself yesterday. Though I was only thinking of the key parts of what she'd told me. Our actual conversation was on a lot more stuff.

I had dozed off a little remembering what happened yesterday, getting a small nap in. An effect brought by looking into the fire for a little too long. I wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed but certainly I had gotten a little bit of rest in.

‘Now for the plan itself’, it all made sense to me. Yet, I couldn’t help but scoff at how broad of a goal that was. ‘How was I supposed to know what would bring significant harm to Marvialasia?‘

In truth, I hadn’t the faintest clue. Though that was to be expected. I knew that I would only figure out a plan once I got there.  Then I could-

*Thud, thud* 

‘Quiet footsteps. Human sized, someone running. They were getting louder and louder.’ I analyzed, at the mere instant of hearing the unfamiliar sound. 

I was up on a mountain, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Footsteps like these shouldn’t belong here. Either a human is running away from something, or someone is running towards me. 

A figure appeared in front of me as the seconds passed. A man slightly taller than I, and bulkier too came charging at me. He was carrying a large axe which he grasped with both his hands. 

“AARRRGHHH!” He screamed.

‘Yep, it was the latter.’ I deduced before shifting into a battle position. 

I quickly focused on my own mana, which luckily I already had gotten the feel for just mere moments ago from lighting up the campfire… And absorbed the Ethereal energy, or mana I should say, from the direction right in front of me, right where he was. 

Suddenly I felt very warm, but the environment itself became cold. Simply absorbing the mana robbed this place of its warmth. 

‘It's nightfall, and now that I’ve made it even colder-’ 

Ice began forming on the ground, with the grass itself becoming icy. I wasn’t sure of the process of why or how this occurred, but from messing around with magic in general on the last couple days of my training. I had realised that I had to really utilise the full scope of my abilities. 

The charging man, who seemed to be going for me, ready for the kill had slowed down. Trying to process what was going on, but it was already too late. 

He was slipping. In the presence of the icy grass, he couldn’t keep his footing. Giving me the perfect amount of time to roll over to my bow. 

He was of a rather large build, and definitely wasn’t the most agile man out there. I had already gotten my bow out, in position ready to shoot. 

He was scrambling about, trying to get up, but it was too late. 

I released the string, sending an arrow, infused with mana on the tip towards his path. Naturally, that meant it was hot, scorchingly so in fact. The mere instant it landed on his thigh, where his pants were, they were set ablaze, with a fire that continued on to the rest of his being. 

It appeared he didn’t have any magic, or skill of it himself. Lucky for me I suppose. I watched him burning away, writhing in pain. The ice from earlier was all melting due to his inflamed being.

*Thud, thud* 

‘There’s more?!’ I realized, alert from the sound of more footsteps. Readying my arrows towards the darkness, nightfall was upon us now. Putting individuals stuck in my position at a disadvantage. 

“WAIT! Wait, Stop!” Another man cried out, with his arms up in the air. Running after him was a woman, who also had her hands up. As if trying to show me they meant no harm. 

“Please! Stop, we’ll leave you alone. Just stop burning our friend.” The woman begged. She too was muscular, with blonde hair and with a dagger in a small sheath at her waist. 

“...” I stand in silence, in position. Not buying a word they say. “Drop your weapons, and kick them over here first and keep your hands up after. Then I’ll listen.”

Both began doing as I directed them. 

I looked back at the burning man, the poor soul who I left in pain, he was crawling over towards the direction of the river, probably in a vain attempt to douse himself in water. In truth, I couldn’t master the proficiency of magic in a mere couple of days. The elites of this field probably spend months to years on some techniques, a couple days wasn’t gonna make me an expert. Because of that, my flames on him weren’t perfect. In fact, while they hurt, he probably was still fine. The reason for hurt was more so an effect of my mana scorching him. To be honest I wasn’t quite sure how or why that happened, or even what to rationalize it as. But, the next time I get an opportunity to learn about this stuff, I definitely will. What did make sense was that I could make specialized arrow tips, like the ones I had on me, get really hot. Those arrow tips could then make fabric and other plant based material light on fire on contact.

I look back at the two, seeing they weren’t planning anything else. After confirming, I faced the burning man again, and took away my mana, which was stuck onto him in the form of heat on the arrow tip. The flames wisped away. Leaving the brute with an arrow jammed into his thigh.  At least he wasn’t at immediate risk of infection considering I literally sent him on fire.

“Hauff, aughhhh.” He groaned, in obvious pain. I signaled to the other two that they could help the brutish man after stepping towards their weapon. Making sure they couldn’t retrieve them.

‘Now what… I didn’t plan on this.’ I wondered, with angst. A slight panic. A thought that I should have just killed them when given the chance. 

While I wasn’t exactly someone used to the act of killing, it wasn’t necessarily something that I was opposed to in dire times. Something of a defense mechanism I had built up from being a squire at Vascar. To me, there was something natural about it, as if it was a part of nature.  That being said, such acts still made me slightly uncomfortable. By contrast, the act of one of the titanesses from home crushing a man made me very scared. That felt unnatural, as if being reduced to a bug. It couldn’t even be compared to human conflict.

 ‘I’m out here alone. I can’t afford to be kind…’  I thought. 

I decided to speak up. Attempting to be stern and powerful. 

“Speak, what were you doing?” I asked, with a harsh tone. I had given enough time for the two to make sure the brutish man had sustained non fatal injuries.

“W-we’re mere bandits sir, we had no idea a noble like you were around.” The man, the unharmed one, spoke.

‘Noble?’ I questioned in my head. ‘How did they know I was a noble? No, wait. That can’t be right. There must be some confusion here somewhere.’ 

“How did you know I was of noble blood?” I asked. Glaring at the unharmed man.

“Why, everyone knows in Karkiman that nobles only know how to use magic.” He said, fear plaguing his every word.

‘Do they now…’ I pondered. Suddenly an idea flashed through my mind.

“Say, I have some ointment and some healing herbs, surely those could help you.” I referenced, allowing for a smile to plaster itself on all three of their faces. “As a noble, of this empire of course, why don’t you lead me down this main road in exchange. Do that, and all will be forgiven.” I lied, trying not to break the poker face of a pompous and privileged man. “Of course, after I confiscate your weapons along with any other goods you folks have.”

I show them the map I had, and ask for their assistance in showing me the fastest route to head west. From what little I knew of this country, I knew that bandits that didn’t fit into social norms had a huge bounty on their heads. Simply alerting someone in a position of power would be enough to put these folks into a huge amount of trouble. 

“If you head just west of here, and forget about the main road for now, you can actually skip the dangerous down climb later and head straight there. Following this route is a little bit faster, and will get you to the main route later anyway” The woman answered.

Truthfully I knew where to go, what I didn’t want to deal with however was any more bandit groups. It was quite common in this great big world of Celessa that bandits would be present near the borders of any country. Of course not right next to them, where government appointed guards may be, but a little bit away from the actual border itself. In other words, like a place where I currently was.

“Good, we’ll split off at the next town.” I told them. Allowing them to breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing I would get out of their hair soon enough.

These folks were merely an extra insurance measure. I was glad I didn’t need to kill them out of self defense, but absolutely would if they proved themselves dangerous enough. 

‘Yeah, that's just how the world worked. The strong kill the weak, but it doesn’t excuse the immorality of the issue.’ I thought. 

To take pleasure from the unwanted suffering of individuals was something only a demon would do. Yet, it was something people back home, back at Ranate, were definitely doing. Taking pleasure in the pain and suffering of humans . For example, the gargantuan sized figure known as Lisa, from the council meeting, popped into mind. Just what had she done before? How much had she killed before? Was she still torturing humans even now? She definitely seemed the type.

Such thoughts pervaded my mind. Like who else I knew would have killed before. 

‘What about Ana?’ I questioned. ‘Surely she must have. She was a ruler, a figure of power. You don’t get to such a position without making some sort of sacrifice, or show of power.’ 

While the notion made me slightly afraid to think of what poor fate must face those that would have defied her in the past. I was strangely not uncomfortable on the matter. Was it due to it being Ana? The literal beacon of hope for Ranate? 

Probably. 

She was someone that wouldn’t kill or harm someone for no reason. If she ever did, I knew in my heart of hearts to hear her out first. 

‘God, I wanna see her so badly now.’ 

It had just been just a day, on a very important international mission, but my own head was filled with nothing but loving thoughts of my wife. Queen Ana Darllington-Bliss. Even right now I was sure she was figuring out a plan for what the next ideal course of action is. 

To fight back against Marvialasia, to fight against Vascar. To change Ranate culture in such a significant way never seen before.

‘And here I was, someone who was nothing more than an insignificant squire, on a journey helping her.’ 

I cracked a smile, alarming the bandits near me who thought I was planning something for them, as I began walking to my steed. 

“You all got horses I assume?” I ask.

“What the fuck is that?” The man replied, rather in a rude fashion as he finally took a look at my stead.

“It’s a bullorg, no big deal, quite common where I’m from,” I answered. Keeping up the act of confidence as some righteous noble from this land.

“A what?!” He mouthed, not even voicing his words properly.

The brutish man finally replies, actually trying to answer my question.

“We have two horses, sir. I ride alone on mine, and these two ride together.” He respectfully answered. Quite a different tone of voice for someone who was charging at me moments ago. Leaving me slightly bewildered at his sudden change of attitude.

‘Were nobles of this land really something to be feared that much? To that extent? I mean I suppose I did have the edge over these people with my magic…’

I was left pondering, in response to his sudden show of respect towards me, as I resumed my journey once more towards Marvialasia.

“ Miranda, I want your entire squadron ready for deployment soon. Not quite immediately, but start the preparation for it.” Ana voiced. Boasting with a charming character. This was her work voice, not her personal tone. 

“Your majesty, by when is this needed exactly?” A strong but confused voice responded. Miranda, the envoy who first picked up Leon from Vascar, was present in the throne room, kneeling and showing her respect to her queen. Who was seated on the magnificent throne of the queendom. Her legs were crossed, her arm saddled on the arm rest with her head slightly bent. She appeared to be deep In thought. 

“I’d say, have yourself ready in 4 weeks, heavy equipment and all, and the rest by 5 weeks. We have some planning to do for our next expedition as well in 2 weeks.” 

“Where are we heading?” Miranda respectfully asked. A glint of interest lit up in her eyes. 

“Excited are we? Don’t be. We won’t be fighting any humans if all goes well.” 

Miranda’s facial expression didn’t change, but a glow from her eyes disappeared in disappointment. Only people who knew her well or worked with her for a long time like Ana would pick up on such a thing. She replied.

 “Of course, your majesty.” 

“We’ll be going to Vascar.” Ana mentioned. 

“Vascar? In two weeks?” Miranda said, surprised. 

“Yes, it’s quite soon isn’t it. But I think we’re in a safe position to do so.” 

“The risk from before was that directing our forces to either Marvialasia or Vascar would make us vulnerable to the other side.” Miranda explained.  “Has that changed?” 

“By quite a bit actually. Remember I’ve sent over my husband to Marvialasia. He should be back in around 4 to 5 weeks. With either intel or a plan of action against them.”  Ana mentioned. Not quite answering the worries Miranda had. 

“Perhaps this is blasphemy for me to say, but you’ve placed a lot of faith on a mere human.” Miranda offered her scepticism.

“I knew someone like you wouldn’t be happy to hear such an optimistic plan. On the other hand it appears our former Marvialasian captives that we’ve been fostering for a few years can be used as our last line of defence to the west. It doesn’t matter if we take out a few of our soldiers to the east with me, as the western side will be covered.” Ana explained. “I’ve been planning this for quite some time now.”  

“Your majesty, you are still too trusting…” Miranda voiced her concerns. 

“Not to worry, I have my own trusty squadron of giantesses watching over those humans. You’re familiar with the tier system terminology we use in the facility right?” 

“Of course.” Miranda replied. 

“Some of the highest tier humans have been collected, they’ve willingly offered to work with our mana engineers to develop long range weaponry. Elysia has told me as of recently it’s going well. It also appears they understand that the sooner this war is over, the sooner the suffering of Marvialasians will end.” Ana explained, proudly. “Offering them employment, places to feel welcome and important to our queendom is just as important as converting them to our side.” 

“When  Marvialasia learns of this… they’ll surely use it as ammo for their propaganda.” Miranda voiced her concerns.  

“That’s why it’ll be a quick and simple plan. It’s time we end this war. It’s a hindrance not only to us in the present right now, but a painful reminder of my country’s bloodstained history. Still, if we fail our mission to the east, and if Leon doesn’t come back… We may be in quite the predicament.”

“All right, I will do as you command… I just have one final question, not as a soldier but as a person.” 

“Speak it.” Ana allowed. “We’ve known each other for quite some time now, so I’ll see if it’s something I can answer.” 

“What will you do with the Marvialasian Prince? What will be his fate?” Miranda asked, not bitterly or even gently. It was pure curiosity. She knew Ana as the type to be merciful and gentle to humans… But what would she do to the scummy man, who kept on propagating the war and refused to accept any form of peace? It was a worthwhile question. Ana was not a careless person, kind as she was, that caring nature of hers would quickly be exhausted against someone that proved themselves to be a danger.

“…” 

Silence was the loudest noise in the room. Ana pondered for a moment. Even if she was speaking to Miranda, she still chose her words carefully. Her lips partly opened just as she finished her internal thought process. Ready to answer when just-

**Creak** 

The door to the throne room opened. Footsteps right after were heard. 

“Ana, I‘ve arrived.” A hoarse voice spoke. A hint of sweetness present, but corrupted slightly, as if bitter. This was Rheas. Both Miranda and Ana stared in surprise. 

“-You’re early, Rheas.” Ana first spoke. Miranda still was in silence. 

“Ah, it appears I’m disrupting something. Carry on now, I’ll come back later.” Rheas answered. “You are-“ 

“Greetings councilwoman, I’m Miranda Lerontzi, first in line of Ana’s command.” Miranda introduced herself, respectfully. 

“I’ve heard of you, especially recently. You’ve become quite popular.” Rheas answered back with her own respectful tone. The two individuals had nothing to do with one another, if anything, Miranda was closer to Elysia, the head of military affairs. Who stood as a moderate in the political scheme of Ranate’s council. So the weariness and unease between the two was unavoidable. Though it wasn’t as if Rheas herself was too problematic, unlike Lisa who would’ve already chastised Miranda’s position. 

Miranda had seen Rheas many times before too, however neither herself or Rheas bothered to introduce one another to the other. It was a rather awkward dynamic. 

“It’s alright Rheas. You may join in too, I’m thinking of arranging another small meeting in the coming days to discuss this anyway.” Ana announced. She had the power and authority to make the political decision of announcing war on her own. It was one thing she didn’t need permission from the council for. If anything, the current council would wholly be in support of it anyway,  so there would be no need. Just a small meeting to inform the others was all she wanted to do. “You and Lisa assigned my lovely husband to gain intel in Marvialasia, it just so happens we’ve gotten enough man power of our own to begin the fight back. A perfect opportunity has arisen.” 

“How?” Rheas voiced, Miranda listened in too. “We haven’t done any large scale plans against them since Jade’s reign.” 

“Jade’s methods were… Far too flawed to say the least.” Ana commented. Gaining a slight nod from Miranda.  “I’ll let you know of the details of what we’ll be doing in the upcoming meeting.”

“Her former majesty went off the deep end, I don’t condone her actions at all. However, it would be difficult to say she hasn’t at least benefited us giantesses during her reign.” Miranda added on. 

“She’s also responsible for crashing our fishing ports economy which has just barely started to recover. As well as many other horrid things. She’s done more harm than good.” Ana replied back. “Extremism was never the answer for our country. We may have flourished as warlords under her reign, but we regressed as people.”

“…” Rheas was silent. Seemingly unsure what to say, she seemed hesitant to answer here. Cautious was the best descriptor. She didn’t know where this conversation was heading. 

“You know, recently it feels like you’ve been in line with her beliefs too.” Ana said. Slightly condescendingly. 

“Who me? Your majesty, with all due respect, I wouldn’t ever. My own late mother wouldn’t forgive me if I did.” Rheas replied, somewhat offended. Her own face twitched in response to the mere thought of which. 

“Well, perhaps not like Jade. But you’ve definitely changed. I remember when you were only a little closer to Elysia in your beliefs. What caused it? Was it Lisa? It must have been.” Ana analysed. Provocative tone employed and all. 

“… I don’t know what you're saying. I’ve simply decided to act on behalf of what this queendom actually needs.” Rheas denied Ana’s thoughts. Rejecting the very principles of what she was asking of her. Miranda was still kneeling, watching the conversation flow. 

“I’ve thought about it since I’ve taken the throne, but I’ve never said it out loud. But what is Lisa’s role in the council now exactly?” Ana asked. Bringing forth a sharper tone. “She was bestowed her position for her heroism during the war during Jade’s rule. When she utilised the dwarven forces for our favour. Jade’s council in response to her accomplishment gave her a seat in acknowledgement. But what since then? Is she merely going to keep her seat till the day she passes? I think that’s such a waste.” 

Both Miranda and Rheas were shocked to hear such blatant mockery from Ana. Miranda knew things were never sweet between the two of them in particular but she never imagined it was this hostile. Whereas Rheas merely seemed conflicted. Her brows slightly burrowed. 

“What are you suggesting, Ana?! She was a hero to our land, more of a hero than Miranda here. Why would we revoke her position.” Rheas lashed out. Defensive of her friend. However she struggled to defend her friend’s policies. 

“A hero of war, she stands on a pile of corpses in an era of bloodshed. Sure her achievements were great back then. For the time period they happened I can agree with that. But, let’s say that we found suspicions of illegal activity from someone like that, what then?” Ana accused, which in response had Rheas freezing her facial expression. She wasn’t expecting such a thing. 

“W-what are you saying?” Rheas voiced back, concern was gradually building up on her tone. 

“Nothing at all. I’ve just heard some unsavoury things. Things unbefitting of a councilwoman, a hero of today's time. No proof though.” Ana stated casually. Returning to a polite but scrutinising tone. 

“Just because she, and to a lesser extent I, bring a voice to the more extreme side of the community, doesn’t mean you can just throw around accusations like that.” Rheas replied. 

“She doesn’t represent the heroism of our people anymore, she houses the beliefs of an ever smaller community of people in our political climate. She can do that if she’d like, but the rule to keep her in the council every new queen was a mistake. One of many from Jade’s time. “ 

“Every time a giantess becomes queen, she herself joins the council. And as of recent years, a member of Rhes' family joins too due to their wealth, the rest are just appointed positions.” Miranda pointed out. “Jade’s council appointed Lisa as a permanent position due to her feats.” 

“What a nonsensical pact. It defies the logic of how council selection works at all. I suppose it didn’t take into account how long a warrior like her was going to last in this sort of setting.” Ana clicked her tongue, not in agitation but to highlight the absurdity of how lucky Lisa had gotten. “Rheas, would you know anything about these ‘suspicions’ on Lisa?” 

She paused for a moment, remembering back when she started to talk with Lisa more than 5 years ago. Rheas herself had been pretty busy, but even then the two of them still meet up every now and then. More often so in recent years too. 

Her mouth was open ready to speak, but it shut again right after. Remembering back to what Lisa said about humans. About the torment they’d put giantesses on the battlefront through, about the hell the first couple invasions were like. She didn’t exactly like the sheer extent of hell that Lisa treated some humans, especially those from Ranate. But, to those outside, like Leon or the Marvialasians, she had trouble finding herself liking them. They caused outrage, they were the enemy. Yet they looked and acted just like humans from Ranate. There was no difference. She found herself puzzled and conflicted before deciding on an answer. One she herself didn’t exactly expect to say. 

“I haven’t seen anything off about her… But if I do consider something to be off, I’ll let you know .” The last part she specifically felt like she actually might consider. Lisa’s personal antics were most certainly illegal. Leaving aside Rhea's own emotional distress about the topic, it would ruin her family name if she brought forth such disgrace in being caught with her. It was an unnecessary risk, especially now with how the queendom was turning out. There was hope for humans in the land of giants, a way for society to reform and develop into multiculturalism. Rheas was coerced into a position where she needed to consider Ana’s words, in fact, she was forced to for her own family name. This was a threat, Ana’s only card against the two of them.

‘You were awfully hostile towards Leon during our last meeting. It caught me slightly off guard. I always knew that Lisa was influencing you, but to that degree? Nonsense. Someone’s pulling your strings… That someone’s got to be Lisa.’ Ana explored the options in her mind for what to do, for the two council women who seemed to always stand in her way.

“Well enough about Lisa for now. I’ll briefly disclose now why I think the time is now for our fight back against Vascar and Marvialasia.” A moment of silence was present in the room. It was the tension breaker, a room to breathe in the conversation for everyone. A tonal restart if you would. “We’ve spotted spies from their borders imposing on our lands. Tiny as they may be, our eyes are trained to spot little humans. They can’t hide from a distance.” Ana watched Rheas and Miranda try to grasp the information. While it wasn’t anything particularly shocking, both had anticipated such actions eventually, it still added a new layer of detail. “In doing so, they’ve made a major blunder on their borders.” 

“A blunder?” Miranda voiced. 

“Information is the key to success in any war. Brute force can only take you so far... Ladies, I’ll be holding a large meeting with not just the council, but with broader military executives. We have a chance to strike back against them. A chance that Vascar themselves created due to their foolishness.” Ana responded. Not quite answering the question once more. Something Miranda had gotten used by now. However, that wasn’t the point. Vascar had created an opening, and Ranate was in a position where not only was there a defence against Marvialasia and Vascar set up, but a probable offence with Leon. Depending on the success of his mission. The empire up north wasn’t acting either. It was prime time to strike back. 

While blindly charging into Marvialasia was foolish, an attack on Vascar was much easier to do so. Especially now. So, the warrior giantess nodded. So did Rheas. However, the councilwoman seemed slightly nervous. Slightly worried About the the outcomes of invading Vascar sure, but more so the outcomes of what Ranate society would be like after the war. About what would happen to people like Lisa. 

— — — 

“Soldier, hurry it up. We don’t got all day here!” A grown, annoyed voice commanded. Authority brimmed and full of power. This was directed at a group of young impressionable men, the group I was in. Specifically it was directed at me. I could guess the reason why. 

“Won’t happen again sir.” I loftily replied, from the floor. 

“Pssh, you know. Number 32, you used to be so much more diligent. What happened? Ever since a few days ago, you’ve been off.” The man asked. Patting me on the shoulder. He wasn’t gentle.

“Just an off week for me, sir. It happens sometimes, as I stood myself back up from falling. “ I replied. Trying to appear a little bit more confident. However the nerves I had from his sudden question left me slightly worried. I tugged at my invisibility cloak, hoping it would keep my appearance muddled up with this ‘soldier number 32’ of sorts. 

It wasn’t the best of plans. Obviously I knew that. But, I didn’t really have a better option. At least not one that my dumbass could think of. I could only hope my invisibility cloak could do as Ana said it would, to make others mistake my identity. It was obviously a form of magecraft, a tool that utilised magic to achieve a certain function. This one in particular aimed to do things like camouflage my identity with whatever the environment deemed as normal. Making it quite a useful tool for hunters and marksmen. It also made people mistake my identity with just a random passer-by, someone not important. ‘I guess that’s why I’m suddenly number 32. Whoever that was’. He didn’t last long when I took him out in secret and took his place using this invisibility cloak. ‘Which really should be called a concealment cloak, or something else. Like I’m not really invisible am I?’ I debated needlessly in my head. 

It was carved off the skin of charmelizards. Huge terrifying creatures that could camouflage their skin to suit their surroundings, it was also full of a distinctive odour that seeped into the environment to confuse their prey, making them see and think things that aren’t actually there. These beasts are around 9 feet long in length. Taller than the tallest of human men. Fighting them took an incredible amount of skill, practice and dedication. Things most amateur hunters lacked. Even I struggled with hunting these things. Though that being said, I had a shoddy piece of their skin at my home in Vascar. Usually you would take the corpse of the hunted charmelizard to a tailor, who would remove the necessary parts and turn it into a cloak by embedding it with other fabrics. However, I was dirt poor. I just took its skin whole as a makeshift trophy. Nothing to brag about, but it was definitely something I took a bit of pride in.

Anyway, these beasts fell into the category of ‘monsters’ that roamed around in this world. Which contained a vast catalogue of creatures that specifically hunted sentient beings. By their definition, monsters lacked sentient thought and had a mysterious resentment for non-monster kind fauna. Other than them, slimes, werefolk, orc, ogres and much more roamed around in the dormant corners of any land. The usual ones of slimes and goblins were especially non-existent in the eastern continent. ‘Which made sense; considering we have titanic giantesses and the like here…’ I thought. 

The thought of these charmelizards who could move faster than any normal human, and long enough to be mistaken for a crocodile…  being easily thrown around by giantesses with ease made me feel a certain way. I wasn’t sure what, it was probably some derivative of fear. While Vascar and presumably most human lands tried to exterminate these charmelizards, Ranate had a little habitat for them. Like livestock. They could easily grip the monsters into their palm and clench their fists to utterly crush them with ease. The tailor friend of Ana’s demonstrated this  in front of my eyes a few days ago. She couldn’t stand skinning the delicate skin of these lizard creatures whilst they were alive. So she crushed their heads and vital organs, making sure to keep their skin intact as well as a painless death. Still a disgusting sight to be sure.’ In reality, many of the monsters that we humans were afraid of were nothing more than a snack, toy or treat in Ranate society. Scary thought to have it be so normalised.’ . She also explained that she would imbue the skin with many other layers of fabric, elixirs as well as enriching it with ethereal energy to create the invisibility cloak. Making it quite special in comparison to just wearing the skin of a charmelizard. 

It utilised the normal mechanisms of the charmelizards, but also utilised magic to prompt the odour mechanics of these beasts, the one that confused people into seeing and hearing things that weren’t actually there. Hence why I’m suddenly thought to be ‘number 32’ by this man, and probably everyone else around. My role had just been filled in as a random passer-by, all I needed to do was to steal someone’s place to fit in. Which I did. As long as I remained heavily covered, with this cloak and didn’t act out of line. No one would suspect a thing. Camouflage was the specialty of this object; and I blended right in… ‘Well as best I could at least.’ Truth be told, I wasn’t really sure of the specifics of how this all worked. I was far from being an expert on the topic. All I could do was to trust in Ana’s connections.

Anyway, In addition to that, there were also rumours of a dragon coming from the shogunate nation from the far north. As well as the giant serpent from the far east. So it wasn’t as if monsters were something that much more common on the western continent. ‘Still, their existence is just weird. Why do they come out? Why do they hunt us? What is their purpose?’ These were all common questions. Ideas that existed for millennia, long before I or even the eldest members of my family were born.  None of which have been answered. Every land has been busy dealing with their own political affairs or their own land’s problems to deal with these things. Only the scholars and mage folk really try, and they’ve only made so much progress to-

“Daydreaming again soldier 32?!” The man yelled, interrupting my internal thought process. “You know what? As punishment you can take over number 15’s duty to watch guard over the cells later today.” 

“Yes, Sir.” I replied dejectedly. While I honestly didn’t care for this man, getting yelled at still hurt. And now being put in charge of more work unnecessary to my original task at hand was just annoying. 

The man growled at me in response, muttering quietly away. I didn’t even bother trying to listen. He was just a grumpy dude, and I didn’t want to deal with that. I just simply continued training in the Marvialasian training grounds. A large facility in the southwestern side of their capital city. It was a large, open field. Full of tents, training dummies and a plethora of soldiers. Today was our turn at practice, the lowest division. We were basically grunts that held little to no importance. Making it an ideal position for someone like me to enter. I wouldn’t be busy, and I wouldn’t really be suspecting of doing anything. ‘I mean who cares about soldier number 32? I’m literally just a number to these people.’ I reasoned, slightly exasperated. 

I was training with the spear, a long wooden stick with a sharp metal end. Sparring with some other soldier. I think they were number 12 or something. I wasn’t really paying attention. Point is that everyone thinks I’m a part of their group now, and no one thinks otherwise. That was really the most important thing. I couldn’t get found out, that would be the worst possible outcome. And while I hadn’t been here for long, I did see that higher up members of the military here got access to some scary looking weaponry. Most certainly high end magecraft type tools. They were probably the same people that would be deployed out soon to fight against Ranate. Probably to be squashed underfoot by their titanic adversaries. Especially now that Ranate was bouncing back with their own magic. 

‘Still though I can’t believe it… Everyone takes training so seriously.’ I examined, shocked slightly at the sight of a training ground actually being used. Back at Vascar, no such thing would occur. Sure, most recruits needed employment and wanted to arise in the ranks, but even then a full group of soldiers was a rare sight for training. Especially out In the chilling temperatures of Marvialasia. People had the cold, but they didn’t care. They still weightlifted, sparred and pushed their bodies to the limit. It was an unusual sight for me at least. 

Which also meant that I had to try to fit into this crazed training regime. There was no excuse for missing training, no excuse for not meeting the minimum criteria for each test and examination, no excuse for defying orders from above. Only we, the downtrodden group of novices were given the slightest bit of leeway.  

One thing that I found weird, or at least different, was the architecture of the buildings; it wasn’t the style Ranate or Vascar really used. It was less lavished, more simplistic. A mix of grand but reserved. There were designs of lions and tigers, collared by human statues. There were murals on historical buildings of elves, dwarves, giants, monsterkin and all the like bowing down to what I would presume was the depiction of a human. Who was basking in orangish light. 

Which appeared to be the national colour of Marvialasia. People wore clothes donned with the stuff everywhere. It was a part of their hats, their shirts, their talismans, their very culture itself. As for why? It was thought to be the colour of human ingenuity, something that welcomed providence like the orangish light of the rising sun. It was a status symbol of victory itself. It was spread through, at least through the capital like a bad case of an epidemic. Meaning it was everywhere. You couldn’t escape the colour. Even in the training ground, there were orangish flags with a mural of a human in overalls, hands up welcoming the heavens above. The sheer scale of this almost weirded me out. Though perhaps I was looking at it all through a jaded lens. I did open up to the colour red of Ranate quite quickly after all. 

Another thing to note was that blonde hair was quite common here, followed by brown. There were hardly any dark haired individuals around. Once again it was probably due to this being a different land, with different people being in it… Now I had dark brown hair, which made me stick out slightly. Making my disguise as a typical soldier here a bit weaker. To compromise I got a guards uniform, which contained a head piece that extended from the neck to lower  mouth, with a gap to show my face, until my forehead was reached. Basically covering everything but my face. Hair included. My invisibility cloak was underneath it. 

 ‘Fuck, my neck is itching really bad… I need to take a shower.’ I silently complained.  I was thrown into the luxury of clothing material availability in Ranate. Which was run under a famous family business . Their clothing was simply top notch. Basically never had me itching or complaining. Marvialasia on the other hand had none of that. Sure, magically endowed clothing was easily available, but the comfort of my usual wear was gone. Instead it was replaced by a cheap uniform I didn’t particularly care for. ‘Ah well.’ I solemnly accepted. 

Underneath the guards uniform and invisibility cloak, was the personal uniform of former guard number 32. Personal uniform was the outfit guards were expected to wear underneath their guards uniform. 

As for how I obtained this, well the little group was on a training expedition outside the capital city. Where I was stuck outside for a day or two before as I needed to find a way in, the bandits from before helped greatly to find the general direction to the capital. I even gave them a silver coin as thanks as I waved them goodbye. I wasn’t a complete tyrant. A bit of thanks was just basic courtesy. Besides they seemed a bit off, as if struck by some form of extreme poverty by their empire. Would explain their situation as bandits. Whatever that situation was. 

Anyway, while I was waiting outside the capital, a few kilometres out, I had finally gotten a lucky break. The training expedition full of soldiers were taking a long rest on their way back home. I crept up to their little base they’d set up, as I was nearby,  and watched them closely. Waiting patiently, like a predator spying on their prey. Each time, every 5 or so minutes a pair of soldiers would disappear into the woods nearby to take a piss. All of them except number 32, who went alone, he was the last one. The training instructor went with soldier number 1, which created an odd amount in total. Hence, number 32 opted to go alone into the dark abyss of the forest.  ‘Where I would knock him out and he’d never be seen again.’  I shot a blunt ended arrow straight into the back of his neck with near perfect aim from behind on a tree. He didn’t even have time to react, or make any sort of sound in retaliation. He simply fell, entering a state of unconsciousness. 

I undressed him out of his uniform; took his spear and donned my invisibility cloak over it. The cloak itself had a hood too, which was nice. When I was done, I picked up my bow once again and took out a sharp arrow this time. Pointing right to the back of his neck. 

**Fling** 

The bow string was unleashed, and the arrow pierced through the skin, the bones and innards of this unfortunate soldier. I made sure to use the blunt arrow first to avoid getting blood on this uniform, it would seem odd if I did when I returned to the rest of the group otherwise. 

‘I’m so sorry… You were at the wrong place at the wrong time.’ I tried to persuade myself. While this wasn’t my first time taking a life, it still didn’t make it easy. I wasn’t a psychopath. The bare minimum amount of respect for my enemies still existed. 

I gathered a hoard of sticks and stones, leaves too and buried the corpse underneath them. ‘The smell of fresh blood would attract animals, or maybe even some monsters.’ I wasn’t fully knowledgeable about the kinds of monsters that roamed around Marvialasia, but they probably weren’t too bad. They’d still hound on to the first smell of human blood though. ‘I better head back quickly.’ I decided. Hoping they would make quick work of this carcass. And with that, I jogged back to the rest of the soldiers in the training regime. Masquerading as one of them. 

 That was how I ended up here today, at Marvialasia’s capital city, Degionatu, as a couple days had passed since then. Honestly I was quite shocked to see the differences present in Marvialasia compared to Ranate, if that wasn’t already obvious. The capital aside, the temperature here was colder. The terrain was more mountainous, and the wildlife once again different. The very air here felt off. Unwelcoming even. 

 Though that aside, it did let me see the ocean again, a sight that was rather uncommon for me. It was a deep beautiful blue, like the enchanting allure of a sapphire. The ocean housed a rather disgusting and peculiar smell to it. Sailors would often mention it as the smell of the sea. Something they felt homely about. For me personally, it was a foul odour that otherwise surrounded a beautiful part of nature.

I took in the sight of the sea while I could. It wasn’t as if giantesses back home were that fond of it either. I doubt Ana would ever willingly choose to get close to the ocean too. It was a rather obscure fact that I hadn’t heard from anyone else, but most giantesses can’t swim very well. Which would make sense considering the size of their bodies. It’s a big reason why our fishing port isn’t doing so well. That is Ranate’s city, Lelorum. Known widely as ‘the failed fishing port city.’

“Everyone swap partners now and begin the next part of our training exercise. Get ready, you have exactly 1 minute for a break. Starting now.” The training instructor yelled, snapping me out of my thought pattern. I simply did as I was told, mundanely looking for an opportunity to escape away from this hellish training. I had a mission to do after all. An actual goal to work towards. Not that I would be lucky enough to get such an opportunity to rest, as the instructor walked on over towards me. “As for you, soldier 32. You have guard duty for the cells for the evening. So make sure you show up, or else…” 

“Aye sir, aye.” I responded. Cutting him off. I just wanted this all over with, as the faster training was done, the longer I had free time to explore around for the afternoon. Allegedly there was some form of show happening at around 1pm. I think it was titled ‘The tyrant and her queendom.’ Which I could guess was some form of propaganda against Ranate. Maybe. It definitely sounded like it. Hell it even seemed like it. 

I sighed at the thought of attending such a play, such a blatant attempt of brainwashing people into thinking something, of believing something. ‘But ah well, I have to see it. It could be intel. You never know.’ I thought. Well anyway from what I’ve seen, plays, acts and dances were common in Marvialasia. A part of their culture even. It was just a shame that many of them had shoehorned in such a hostile message. 

— — — 

“Ladies and gentlemen, gather around. Stay seated, this is a safety requirement. We have a ravenous beast with us today, we can’t take any risks.” The announcer yelled. From the centre stage outward to the crowd who were seated around. The actual location we were in was a massive colosseum of sorts. Housing an almost pure white colour. There were Marvialasian flags hoisted all over the place, along with numerous supporting beams. The crowd, who I was a part of, sat far from the centre. The announcer, who was in charge of this play spoke with an unmatchable vigour, excitement pouring out of his soul. His voice was shouting out in all directions. Everyone could hear him. He was that loud. He must have been quite experienced in this. “We all come here today once more. It’s routine at this point. I’m sure some of us have started wagging these little history sessions, which is a shame. But routine exists for a reason, we replay our little show every month to make sure our history isn’t ever forgotten. So I applaud everyone and anyone who attends with the honour of our little principality to attend these things.” 

A boastful approach. Congratulating everyone who was seated within this colosseum today was quite interesting. It suggested to me that people here had to willingly go to attend these sessions. These ‘shows’ of sorts. 

“I, Fidelo Lopezal, brother of our great prince, ask you for silence as we showcase the cruelty of this world, and the cruelty of those who align themselves against us.” Fidel announced loud and clear. Sneakily isolating those who aren’t Marvialasian in his little message.  I’d see similar things all the time back home; where people of power would utilise their superior education and upbringing to rally up the masses. Even I was none the wiser against how these tactics were employed, along with why they worked or didn’t work. Only after receiving the understanding I needed from my wife, Ana, did I appreciate the intricacies of how ‘positioning’ worked. Which was the act of placing a group of people into boxes, and assigning them labels of how they act or don’t act. 

The idea stemmed much more complex than I ever could really understand, but still the basic ideas of techniques such as ‘inclusive/exclusive language’ were still taught to me. The way this worked was to include the majority portion of a mob of people along with the speaker, or to isolate those against them by pinning the audience on them. This was an attempt to gather rapport with one’s own crowd. Something Fidelo here was abusing to his core. 

‘Cruelty of those who align themselves against us.’ A phrase Fidelo had just said, was classic exclusive/inclusive language manipulation. The aim was simple. Was it to isolate those against Marvialasia? No, it extended furthermore to all sentient non-human species out there. Fidelo was trying to bring that idea to his audience at the start of his little ‘show’ to implant it firmly. 

‘Truth be told, it’s obvious to see this in play once you actively look out for it. But if you’re an average crowd member looking for a show? I don’t think I’d ever notice. Especially if I was a peasant with little to no education.’ I analyzed in my head. While tilting it to the side to look around to my fellow crowd members. Which to no surprise were all enthralled by the speech. Which I had been zoning out of so I decided to start paying attention once more. 

“-You all remember Jade the truel, the evil, the tyrant! Her rampage, her rage, her roars. Her twisted personality, her logic denying personality, her narcissistic ideology. She was the reason why our land was plunged into dystopia!” Fidelo shouted. The audience listened in silence. 

I simply also decided to properly pay attention. While I’d heard of this individual, ‘Jade the tyrant’, I didn’t know much about her, or at least I think I'd heard of her? I’d guess it was somewhat self explanatory who this was though.

“She lied to our land, she captured our men and women. She expunged our history and soaked it in blood, with fury towards our land. She was behind the ‘Stomping season massacre’ or the ‘unification of the dwarven alliance’, as well as the horrors of ‘Hina’s feast’...” The announcer revealed. Chipping in details of events that probably were quite impactful of this land. I had little to no idea of what they were, but it didn’t take a genius to guess. “Back before our bloodshed. Our wise prince, my brother, made a declaration that all non-human species were a threat to our humanity. That was a declaration many, many years ago. Yet, look at what’s happened in the coming years. Look at the hell we’ve had to endure. Our people back then lacked the unification we have now, they still fought back against his decision, which was our only mistake. Our sole error that we’d make. While Ranate tried their hardest to catch up to our magical might, we’d be trying to silence the evildoers in our own community that fought against my brother’s wishes. Countless assassins, numerous protests, horrific attempts of silencing happened to my brother. All for naught. All because of their hearts lying to them, trying to sell these sentient creatures as human-like. Their lies are why we are still fighting today.” 

Fidelo paused. Allowing his audience to breathe for a moment. 

“Our greatest enemy has never been the giantesses, the dwarves or any who ally with them. It has always been ourselves. We were the strongest, because it was our right as humans. We were the most ingenious because no one else could be. We were the ones destined to succeed. It was the lack of faith in our absolute authority that led to our falling. Those who questioned us on our authority were the enemies of our land.” He said loudly. Ostracising and criticising anyone who’d dare challenge his speech. It was only for a moment, and something purely coincidental, but our eyes met. He and I stood far away from one another, and he was looking at the crowd as a whole as opposed to me who was staring right at him. But it really felt like we locked eyes for a moment,  as I gave him a facial expression that offered the sole protest to his delusion. I didn’t buy his bullshit at all. Perhaps I conveyed that too strongly on my end.

‘Well, it isn’t like he can see what face I’m making right now anyway. We’re too damn far away.’  Fidelo proposed that the true enemies of Marvialasia were the subjects that refused to look away from the horrid acts of violence they’d been committing. ‘ Sure, it’s understandable to criticise Ranate for these horrid acts too. It definitely doesn’t sweep what our land did to yours under the rug. However, you guys aren’t completely in the clear either. These international affairs are never black and white. Your twisted humanity first ideology started this hellscape.’ I refuted in my head. Not daring to voice my own thoughts. 

‘At the end of the day, we live in a cruel, unfair, wrongful and horrid world. War is commonplace, the power hungry starve whilst the powerful feast. They call it a dog eat dog world. That's what you’ve described. But I somewhat disagree.’

I think back to my own time with Ana, to the powerless, weak hopeless situation I found myself in a while back. Exiled, hungry and with nothing. Yet in a turn of magnificent luck I found myself married to an incredible woman. Someone who not only had the power to guide change, but the empathy to create it too. So why hadn’t anyone else? Why was it so much easier to abuse power than to use it effectively?.

I honestly didn’t know. I really didn’t. But, I knew that if I was to come across an answer, it would be by following the queen of Ranate. Ana Darlington-Bliss.

“-Bring forth Lamsa!” Fidelo shouted. Catching me by surprise. This coliseum was designed to house a huge number of people. Without a doubt it most certainly was. The centre area was big enough to fit 2 giantesses in, even if they’d lie down one one top of the other.  

Suddenly a giantess crawled into the centre of the stadium. Covered in bruises. Her eyes were teary. The brunette, behemoth sized woman squirmed as she crawled into the centre. Her face didn’t convey anger, but a sense of failure. As if she’d given up on escape. Or even given up on fighting against the humans of Marvialasia. I could only infer why, but the collar against her neck, and the cuffs on her arms and legs implied something more nefarious than usual was at play. Normally giantesses could easily break free from such restraints so why hadn’t this one? 

‘Not to mention, giantesses are a kill on sight thing here in Marvialasia… Aren’t they?’ I wondered. Curiosity and angst swelling within my veins.

“Lamsa, named after the giant sea creature that swarmed our shores from so long ago. It was akin to a natural disaster that killed thousands. Truly an unfortunate time.” The announcer spoke, as if to the giantess. “However, a natural disaster as it may be. Humans still triumphed. We shot it down with a vast array of magic, grilled it to pieces and feasted on its body for days. It was a tough battle. But it didn’t matter. We won. Humanity won. We showed nature that day, that humans are superior. That we are untouchable. Since then, that day has been known as ‘Humanity’s day’ in our culture. A day that marks our superiority over everyone else… And you, Lamsa, the giantess who is taking that name, are a mere obstacle of nature we’re using. An object to further show the world that humans are the one and only sentient race! Your capture only proves our greatness” He howled. Laying down a verbal beatdown that I can’t even imagine how many times this ‘Lamsa’ would have had to hear before. 

*Gulp* 

She gulped audibly. Probably well aware of whatever was going to happen to her.  She didn’t dare to speak, I honestly couldn’t guess why. A simple lunge forward while crawling could crush the old geezer called Fidelo. Yet she stayed docile. 

“Good woman, this marks the 18th year you’ve been in our custody. Ranate really has forgotten all about the great human slayer, Martha Liolze. The former savage hunter of our people, the giantess that roamed and patrolled the border daily. What was your favourite pastime again?” Fidelo asked. 

“...” Silence was her answer. 

“What was your little pastime again? What did you do to us humans?” Fidelo repeated once more, his tone becoming even more anxious. His voice reverberated through the hard crystalline floor of the colosseum. I’ll add as a little side note that the entire sound design of this place was superb. Nothing like it in Ranate or Vascar. But that's not important right now.

“...” Silence once more. Fidelo didn’t say anything, however, he kept looking at the woman who began to hold her head down in shame. 

**GROWL!** 

A loud grumble, a rumble even was heard. Reverberating through the colosseum. Everyone began quivering in the audience, as if they were looking at a foreign monster sharpening its claws. As for me, I knew that this was the sound of hunger. Well to be honest, I think everyone knew that. Our reactions however were completely different. For myself, it was a simple, normalised part of life to hear the grumbling of giants. To these humans near me however, it marked a dangerous tune. 

“That’s right everyone! She’s hungry! The beast is salivating, she’s hung her head down because she thought that no one would notice. How sad, how pitiful, how depressing for Martha. For our Lamsa… Not to worry, I’ll prepare your meal.” The announcer shouted, not just to everyone but to Martha herself. He called her Lamsa too. A title given as a sign of objectification. A denial of her real identity. But to forever instil her as nothing more than a fantasy myth, a foreign concept. A tool to breed contempt for the giantesses of this world.

The bald man, Fidelo began chuckling as he pointed to his assistant, standing at the edge of the colosseum. An exchange of words was had, something akin to “Let them in” Probably was said. I was too far to understand really what was going on specifically, but I could take a guess.

“...”

For a few moments there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence. A sense of premonition for something horrible to come. I feared the worst, which was for my guess from earlier to come true. 

A horde of men and women, forming a single file line appeared entering the colosseum. All wearing tunics and trousers, sewn poorly. Cheap inexpensive clothing was a common thing in Marvialasia, something easy to forget for me as I was used to the luxury of Ranate fashion. They kept trodding on forward, as if in a figurative trance. One of despair. 

“Ladies, gents. I present to you all the fugitives from last month's capture. Everyone who dared to act against our royal highness, the prince of Marvialasia is here standing with us today. All 38 of them. We have intel that this group is only the smaller herd of a larger faction who are still in hiding, so look forward to seeing justice brought forward to them in the upcoming months… Regardless, I wish to show you all who our real enemies are.” Fidelo announced. Eyeing the audience to gauge their mood. He knew that an excited, and quite frankly a brainwashed audience would want him to act in a righteous manner that took pleasure in these people’s demise. Whereas a nervous, emotional audience would require him to constantly pepper in the idea that these people were scum to the cause, to try to invoke a sense of nationalistic pride in them. He assessed carefully what today’s audience was like.

‘I want to call him a conniving fellow… But honestly some of his acts could use some work. Though I’m the last person to offer any piece of input there.’  I accepted. From being a part of the audience themselves, I knew that the quiet, nervous attitude put them into the latter camp. So I awaited a calmer, more judicious response.

“This may be tough on some of us today. But I will take the role in offering these people judgement for their crimes. They acted against the interest of us all. They conspired against our own people. Against humanity as a whole. What crime could compare? It is our duty as the people of Marvialasia, to offer them their just desserts.” 

‘I fucking called it.’ I silently applauded myself. Happy that I could guess the type of response Fidelo would go with in his show. Though I quickly collected myself as I soon realised what was soon to be in store. 

Moments passed as Fidelo began the punishment. “Lamsa, down!” He commanded. Prompting Martha who was still crawling to lie down completely. She turned around and had her face up to the sky. In essence her form was simply lying down in a position where she could gaze up to the sky above. Where her freedom rested, so far away out of reach. Like a bird in a cage.

A smirk appeared on Fidelo’s face. He knew what was going to happen. 

“All you traitors start climbing. No one try to escape, or else you all already know what’ll happen to your families. To your friends, to your associates.” I could imagine him saying. Obviously such a blatantly hostile message was something he didn’t shout out to the crowd. But in my own imagination it was what I envisioned him saying, as the tunic covered traitors began climbing up on Martha’s body, up to her face. In a mere 3 minutes, they were all on her face, shoulders and upper body. 

“Watch carefully everyone, this was how our people were devoured so many years ago! Remember the hate you feel today, and enlist to the cause. To fight against their tyranny.” Fidelo asked and expressed. Before also adding on “‘Chomper’, first command.” 

Martha upon hearing of this had visible tears flowing down. But still did as she was told. 

“A-Aahhh.” She opened her mouth. Her rosy lips departing and opening up a  chasm to the world within her, to the muscular folds of her mouth. To her tongue. Assaulting everyone present there with her horrendous breath. 

“You there, first one in. Go.” Fidelo demanded, once again I’m not sure exactly what he said as this wasn’t directed to the audience. Regardless, the man looked down to the mouth of the giantess and froze momentarily. I’d assume he was essentially held to do this. Someone these people knew would have been threatened with a similar fate. That's the only way I can imagine this compliance.

“I’ve changed my mind Lamsa, I think ‘sucker’ is the best one for this fool.” He shouted, loud enough for the audience to hear. In response to this request, Martha brought her lips together, creating a sucking motion, only the tiniest gap present between her lips. “Get in!” Fidelo shouted at the man who was frozen. He began walking forward.

He climbed down her nose, as that's where he was positioned before. Martha’s hot breath would have been assaulting him quite violently at this point too. He sat down on her rose pink coloured lip, and dipped his feet into the gap between Martha’s lips. Like taking an innocent dip at a lake to gauge the temperature, that's all it was… However the sucking motion proved too strong, and the act of even getting that close proved fatal. The man was sucked, no slurped into between her lips, his lower body completely within the entrance of her mouth and his upper body on the outside world. He began screaming. Loud enough even for me to hear. 

“Help me! Someone! Please! No, no! I didn’t want this! Everyone! Our country's wrong about-"

**SLURP!** 

The man disappeared from this world, from our, the audience’s sight. And was plunged somewhere else. A foreign world probably to him, somewhere he’d never seen before. Martha’s lips closed. His voice was completely silenced. All anyone could see was a circular bite sized thing within Martha’s cheek. Swirling around in utter helplessness. 

He moved around, I assumed to be flailing and fighting against the tough muscular folds of the giantess’ cheek. Helplessness was an understatement, he was like a worm out in a chicken coop. Anyone could guess the poor creature’s fate. 

**Gulp!** 

That was that. The first man was thrown into the gut of the beast named Martha. Her titanic belly would be his final resting place, soon to be filled up with more victims. The acidic environment would make quick work of him too. I knew that first hand. Tears continued to run down Martha’s face. Probably wasn’t easy for her either. ‘Though I’m somewhat hesitant to view her as completely scot free of this either. Surely there must be a reason why she isn’t acting against the announcer's instruction… Unless these chains and cuffs are strong enough to restrain a giantess?! If they are, then I need to relay that information fast back home.’

“Ladies and gents, that’s a closed case. Sorry our show was on the short side today, we couldn’t explore much of our history with Jade due to the sheer number of prisoners we’ve caught. The rest of the show will be on the execution of these traitors.” The announcer concluded. I clicked my tongue, annoyed that the information I’d get would be a mere droplet of what there was. It appeared that they didn’t wish to indulge in the lore of who Jade was, and what she really meant to these people. What I did at least understand was that she was the figurehead of where the Marvialasian hate was directed at. ‘Probably for good reason. She sounded insane.’

I couldn’t help but pity these people. Trapped into the society they’re in, they all just wanted to free themselves from this place. From the crazed land of Marvialasia. They just couldn’t, and are now being punished for it. ‘Punished for what exactly you may say? Nothing. It is a mere consequence of the system that holds Marvialasia together in today's time. Public examples and executions hold this country together, its own crazed political beliefs and extremism create a sense of chivalry with those lost in their own power.’ 

If I can gather major intel about this place in the coming days. I can change it. I can help in saving these people. I just need a lead to latch on to. The answer was liberation through Ranate's peace. 'We just need a way to interact with the Marvialasian prince.'

I took a deep breath. Having realized this whole display, this whole show wasn't a waste of my time after all. I could actually formulate my thoughts and come up with a plan. Maybe if I'd come to possess a few more key strings of information. Something big, something that could make this whole trip worthwhile.

‘But before that, let me get out of here. I only attended today to hear more about details relevant to me, along with the history of Ranate. I don’t wanna see more people be eaten…’

– – – 

“I see you attended the show today. I guess you were a diligent soldier after all.” 

“Sir, I’m ashamed that you even doubted me.” I replied to my training instructor. Some hours had passed, and the show was finished. I obviously didn’t stay for the final hour, which looked more like a disgusting torture fest than anything else. Such sights sent shivers down my spines, more so than anyone else there considering I had experienced the feeling of being eaten before. “Although I did leave early, after the main content was done.” 

“Too much for you?  Diligent you may be, it proves nothing if you can’t handle that shit. What are you gonna be able to do on the battlefield after all?” He belittled me. I didn’t care to be honest. “You know, you sure do like wearing that cloak of yours, guess it makes sense with how cold it's getting recently. Never knew you owned such fine fabric.”

‘Phew… I thought he was on to me or something.’ I tugged on my invisibility cloak. Slightly nervous, my hands were shaking a bit.

“Haha, yeah… The temperature is changing. Wouldn’t be great if I caught a cold after all. Would be a hindrance for guard duty.” 

“... Lackey, a cold is no excuse to miss work. Unless you’re on death's doorstep, I don’t wanna hear it. All Marvialasian soldiers should be well aware of that.”

“Right.” I paused, hoping I wasn’t acting too suspicious. “But it still feels horrible to be sneezing all the time. So you know, the cloak helps me feel warm.” 

“Okay whatever. Follow me down the dungeon. Should’ve known the cloak was just you trying to buy an excuse to miss some work later.” The training instructor quickly changed subjects. Probably not caring for my input whatsoever. So I merely did as I was told. Following the bearded instructor down the staircase underground. There were strange crystals that seemed to give off a similar light to what fire would give. They acted in the place of torches.  Making the entire descent down a dimly lit experience. 

Truth be told, If I was captured and forced to stay in such a place, It may be too much for me now. After spending so much time in luxury with Ana, my entire perspective on living had changed drastically. What I perceived to be privileged had changed to become the standard. It was a thought that slightly horrified me.  What terrified me more than that, was what would happen if my identity was revealed? 

“There, that room there.” The instructor pointed down the corridor, at the bottom of the staircase we were just descending down on. “You’re in charge of the prisoner in there. Make sure they’re fed when it's their feeding time. Can’t have our capture of the year dying out on us now. No other guards really roam around the bottom floor, you’d have to scream loudly for anyone to hear you too. So don’t let anyone out! An escapee from here could get anywhere. Under no circumstance, you hear?” 

“Yes, sir.” I replied, forcing myself into a stance.

“What you’re dealing with is a dwarf. If we can get some information out of it, we can raid them and loot their riches. With dwarven technology on our hands, we may be able to fight against the Ranate queendom. At the very least, we can’t leak this creature’s existence to them.” 

“A dwarf?!” I shouted immediately. 

“What? Why so surprised? Weren’t you paying attention to last week's weekly report?” 

“Haha, I must have been snoozing on the job.” 

“... Perhaps someone else should do this guard duty, I’m having some serious doubts about you. How can I be sure that you even have the magic capabilities to fend off these prisoners if something did go wrong?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve always got the job done haven’t I?” I bluffed. I vaguely remember the instructor mentioning in training practice that the person I’m impersonating was a diligent soldier, so I’d just bet on that.

“I suppose that's true. But soldier, you can’t keep up this attitude. Chin up and man up already. The country needs competency, not laziness.”  The instructor said as he began walking away. I did my best to hold my demeanour together from hearing the phrase ‘man up’ which always acted as a soft trigger to me. Don’t know why it did, but it always was an irritating phrase,  but especially now in recent times. ‘Perhaps spending time with the giantesses has changed something in me.’

I continued walking as I saluted goodbye to the instructor. Towards the steel bars of the jail cell, of the place where this dwarf was trapped. Each footstep I took made a solid sounding thump on the ground. It was relatively quiet in this prison, you could hear the quietest of sounds.

As I approached the bars though, breathing was all I could largely hear. Heavy breathing of another creature. ‘Must be the dwarf’s.’ 

“Hey… Can anyone hear me?” I whispered. Nothing in response was given.

“I’m a soldier of Marvialasia, your guard for today.” I voiced, comparably louder. It was almost a shout. Still barely any reaction. However, I could hear footsteps of the dwarf, from behind the dark confines of the jail cell walking closer. He was getting closer to the dimly bright light, to where I was. However he could never reach that shine, he was behind bars. Trapped.

**Creak** 

I could hear the door closing from the entrance to this underground area. It was the door to the stairs that led down here. It must have been the instructor who had shut it as he was leaving. Meaning it was most likely just me down here. At worst, perhaps a few more guards in the upper regions. As there were multiple floors to this underground prison.

Regardless, as I noticed that I probably wouldn’t be overheard, I took the chance to speak. 

“I’ll cut the bullshit. I’m not actually a Marvialasian soldier.” 

“-What?” I heard a hoarse, rough voice speak out. Finally I was getting a reaction. “You’re not a Marvialasian soldier? I don’t believe you.” He walked into my vision, I could actually see the little fellow now. He was about half the height of me, which I suppose was fair for a dwarf. He had a long beard, a large nose and some scruffy looking hands. His stature was one of a man who was beaten up, tortured even. ‘Sorta reminds me of myself, back when I was captured.’ His clothes were torn slightly, and his left eye bruised. 

“You don’t believe me? Suppose that's fair.” I replied.

“I’m going back to bed, I’ve had enough of you Marvialasians trying to get your grubby hands on me, I’ve already told you I didn’t over hear squat on your last meeting. My lips are sealed, that is final.” 

‘Over hearing information? Was this dwarf also sent as a spy? I need to investigate further.’ I thought.' If he's saying it so casually, the guards must have been informed about this event too.'

“I’ll prove it to you. Didn’t think this would come in handy, but I’ve got it regardless.” I mentioned as I reached into my invisibility cloak, into an internal pocket which contained- 

“The royal insignia of Ranate!” The dwarf shouted behind the bars, albeit a little quietly as he began to grasp the situation. He inspected the insignia which was a mere finger long, shield shaped design. It had a ruby inserted into the centre, marking its value and authenticity. In the middle it housed a tall, blindfolded woman holding up a fiery torch. It represented the nation's unending fiery nature, along with their might means right ideology of justice. Conveyed through the blindfolded woman. Though that aspect was slightly dated “Only those who belong in the royal family of Ranate have these. But you-you’re just a wee human.”

“A wee human is right.” I took a deep breath in as I realised I was finally getting somewhere. “I’m Leon vi Bastor. Nice to meet you, we’ve got a lot of talking to do, because I think we can finally end this war of sorts. That is, with help from you, and the dwarven alliance from long ago.” 

'Also side note...Who're you calling a wee human, Dwarf?'

The dwarf looked at me with confusion, curiosity, and bewilderment. Naturally I wouldn’t reveal myself to just about anybody. However, the dwarves and the giantesses had teamed up against Marvialasia at one point in the past. I didn’t recall Ana ever mentioning that their relationship ever deteriorated, but rather it was that the dwarven people simply went missing. Obviously, this guy would have to have known about our land’s shared history. 

“To think Ranate would have humans on their side. We really have missed out a lot on this world.” He muttered quietly. “Young man, If you can get me out of here, I’ll tell you everything I know, all the information I’ve gathered from spying around and eavesdropping into conversations with people here. Including something about a possible benefactor.”

“A benefactor?” I questioned. He had successfully piqued my interest.

“I’ll tell you more if you get me out of here, and not just out of this cell but to somewhere safe. I’m afraid my home city isn’t quite an easy place to access right now either. So decide quickly. The dwarven people don’t like hesitant attitudes.” He demanded. His last little statement was slightly irritating. However I’d guess he was trying to pressure me into helping him.

“Well, there’s only one place we can go. The land of giants, Ranate. Back to my home.”

Marvialasia was a thoroughly guarded country. Full of soldiers patrolling each major city and settlement, biweekly check ups on each minor town and region as well as inspections and closely monitored interrogations with any suspects on any accounts of treason. Their checklist if someone was committing an act of ‘treason’ was awfully vague too. It essentially let anyone with a hint of authority within Marvialasia the ability to ruin someone’s reputation and honour in a matter of minutes. All that was needed was for them to show their shiny badge of power, a badge gifted to soldiers of a high enough rank, and tell the suspect to follow them quietly. Any resistance was thought of as warranting further suspicion, and potentially even evidence for further punishment. The concept of privacy, from a legal perspective, didn't exist here. Much of what happened in a household had to be documented and reported to the nearest soldier outpost within a Marvialasian settlement. It was something that was a necessity on a weekly basis. Failure to do so would warrant the soldiers raiding peoples homes and searching for any incriminating factors. 

If it was deemed that a suspect accused of treason was lying about their day to day life, it would be enough to hold them liable for betraying the Marvialasian government. In other words, this was a safety check. All suspects could easily become guilty of lying on their weekly reports, so they were on thin ice. If anybody was actually planning on betraying the government, whether a revolt or otherwise, it would be easy to pin them down. Creating a large enough revolutionary movement from the inside of Marvialasia was impossible to do so. All their citizens were closely monitored to a large enough scale, and political ideology was strongly shoved down the throats of all peoples within the nation. The only people that were given any sort of leeway, were visitors that didn’t offend the code of ethics here. Even then, they were monitored. As I personally lacked citizenship here as well as being here under the impersonation of someone else, I was gifted a bit of freedom. I just had to act like a typical soldier on my normal shifts and moments I was in public. I wasn’t under much suspicion so to speak, which couldn’t be said for everyone. 

‘Which is why I’ve lost my invisibility cloak to my dwarven friend here today.’ 

I made sure I came into Marvialasia in disguise as a soldier, so it wasn’t like my identity was ever made known here. My whole presence as the king consort of Ranate hasn’t left the information network of Ranate either. Obviously other countries were made aware that the now queen of Ranate had married, but it wasn’t known to what human, or where, or who. The moment I’d taken off my invisibility cloak, I was just another passerby. A common folk. Someone that blended into the masses. I simply happened to be existing within Marvialasian walls, as such there wouldn't be anyone monitoring me as long as I didn’t draw much attention to myself. After all, Marvialasia wouldn’t be aware I was even here to begin with. 

That obviously wasn’t possible for my dwarven friend however. Marvialasians hated all nonhumans, especially the giantesses and the dwarves. Which came to be as a consequence of their war from long ago. Where the dwarves allied with the giantesses momentarily in their fight against the twisted ideology of Marvialasian rule. Hence, I handed over my invisibility cloak to my friend here. To the normal eye, he was just another short human. It would be impossible to discern what and who he was. 

As for me, and what my whole game plan for escaping the Marvialasian capital was. Well I was rather experienced in attempting to escape countries. I had already done something before in Vascar, though to little success. There was however a difference today compared to back then, which was the fact that I had a larger set of skills with me. I had access to basic magic techniques. I had a bow, arrows. I had the equivalent of a steed with me too. Information from the dwarf, along with the invisibility cloak. 

It was enough to formulate a plan, which I did. The dwarf, who I was meant to be keeping watch over in my shift as a guard, was atop my steed along with me. He donned the invisibility cloak. As for me, getting out of the cloak would work as a disguise too, simply due to no one in this country being able to recognise me. The only thing I had to be wary of was not creating a scene. If my identity was found out somehow, it would spell a lot of trouble. That was the whole reason I had it on, but I didn’t have that option anymore with the dwarf.

 I decided it was best to wait for around 2pm the next day. Where it would technically be my second shift on watching over the dwarf, a task I was no longer doing. It was the most traffic heavy time in terms of people lugging in and out with horse and cart in the capital. It made the security much more lax. I couldn’t blame them, there were a lot of people going in and out of the capital. Some of which I imagined were important guests. People the Marvialasian prince would want over. If not, then even then merchants from other cities, other countries and such and such. All I had to do was blend in. Simply as a weary traveller. 

“How long until anybody checks the jail cell you reckon?”  I asked the dwarf seated right behind me on top of the bullorg. The first time I showed him this, he freaked out. Not out of disturbance but instead out of nostalgia. It wasn’t his first time seeing such a thing. 

“The shifts last 12 hours, so maybe in around 11-12 hours someone would come check up on you.”

“That long?” I questioned curiously. 

“For a Marvialasian citizen, the risk is simply not worth it. That being the risk of going against their government. For as many security checks and such there are, in my time here I’ve noticed it's also made the people on top lax and lazy. It’s also why they were too damned lazy to assign you another guard to work with you.” The dwarf explained. I also quickly noted that his mannerisms and such of speaking were slightly different to mine, he possessed an accent or such. Was an interesting detail. 

“Hmm, we’ve already used up 3 hours. And I’ve made it look like a fight occurred…” I recalled back to the jail cell. I exchanged my guards' clothing for some other clothes I had gathered during my time in Marvialasia, and set them ablaze within the jail cell. There were hordes of skeletons and other decaying body parts at the other cells, which I made use of. I donned the guards uniform on one of them, and set it charred. At the very least, I made sure to make it look like the dwarf had killed the guard, stealing his exit keys and escaping. It was a better alternative to Marvialasia becoming aware of me spying on them this whole time.  “The rush will last for 2 hours. Is there any place we should scope out first before we leave the capital?”

I voiced aloud. Asking the dwarf whether there was anything that needed to be done. 

“Yes, I said so already. The benefactor.” 

“...This benefactor. Who is he? How could he help? We’ve already been through this but it doesn’t look like many people in Marvialasia are able to oppose the ruling class here. It’s a ride or die situation for many civilians.” 

“Well, when you’re high enough in the political landscape, the common rules don’t really apply to you anymore.” The dwarf clarified. 

“Someone like that? A benefactor to us? I’m having some doubts.” 

“ Listen, think carefully. How would you feel if you were in charge of one of the many domains of Marvialasia, as a noble that had accumulated much fortune in your life. Obtaining coin and splendour that could make any peasant dream to be in your position, and find out that your country simply wants more and more power. Simply craving strength. Like an undeniable lust for it.”

“It would feel good? I imagine the political system here is set to profit off of those who fight somehow.”

“Now, how would you feel if one of the few people above you in the political interweb of policies within your country, decided that they wish to fight a foe far stronger than your country was capable of fighting?” The dwarf posed a question. “Knowing that the likelihood of loss is greater than any chance of victory. Knowing that, in the event of a loss of your wealth, your reputation and power would all undeniably sink to a depth unknown to before. That because of your noble status, you would be thrown into the same melting pot of blame that every other wealthy individual would fall under. How would you feel?”

“... I would feel like it's a bad idea.”

“Exactly, it isn’t that complicated. Listen, it's best not to always overcomplicate things. Sometimes it's as simple as hammering an alloy of steel into shape, when it feels right, it's probably right. When we understand where their concerns are coming from, suddenly they become a lot more credible.”

“In the event of Marvialasia losing the war, what would happen to the nobles of the country? I guess I never really thought of that.” I admitted. It was far, far away from any thought coming across my mind. I was naturally viewing things from a Ranate perspective, or even a viewpoint of how brainwashed the populace here was. I never considered the idea that I could potentially find an ally within the nobles themselves. “Although risky, It's worth looking into.”

“Right. I’lll tell you the secret passage I took when I was spying through these parts to get there. I’ll go with you, he already knows who I am. We just need to meet quickly in secret, and in private.” The dwarf concluded. I nodded my head in response. 

– – – 

25 minutes had passed. Roughly so at least. It wasn’t as if we were on a sharp deadline to be out of town by then, but obviously the faster we escaped, the better. The dwarf had taken me to a weird park, with a secret passageway within one of the bushes which was against a wall. As we followed the sparse light on the other side, it led into a peculiar room. It was littered with books everywhere, there was a chandelier, along with a table followed by a fireplace. As I was exiting the passageway, I realised that the passageway exit itself was that fireplace. It appeared that wherever we were, there was a secret escape route through here. Most likely something common in many noble households in this land. Why it could-

“Freeze, state your purpose, your family name and how you got here!” A voice called out. Agitation evident. I made sure to follow their first command, but stayed silent on the rest. The dwarf right behind me removed the upper part of the invisibility cloak, which wasn’t a difficult task as it was far larger than him. 

“Relax, sir Byrul. It is just me, Anglo. We met by accident a week prior if you remember. We made an alliance to not sell each other out on our separate agendas.” Calmly, quietly and to the point, the dwarf spoke. Revealing his name to be Anlgo. 

“Anglo? You were locked up. I thought you were done for. As we agreed, I wouldn’t help you if you were found out. As per our deal. I presume this gentleman behind you is responsible for your jailbreak?” Quickly collecting himself, Byrul spoke with dignity and respect. A trait among noble humans I personally was rather unfamiliar with.

“I-I am. To cut to the chase, I don’t ally myself with Marvialasia.”  I decided to quickly speak the truth. We were short on time, and I didn’t have it in me to dance around the topic. It appeared the dwarf trusted this man, so I would too. “I am from Ranate, I won’t tell you where or what my status is, but I’ve heard something from you in particular that has intrigued me.”

“ …Anglo, I thought we agreed to keep our secrets hidden.” 

“We did agree to keep them hidden, however this human is different. He is not from Marvialasia. You do not lose out on anything from telling him.” The dwarf responded. The nobleman turned his eyes back to me. 

Byrul continued to speak, though slightly worried about me. “Yes, you heard correctly. After many years of this war dragging on, I have gotten sick of our Megalomaniac driven society. I’ve obtained my riches, my rewards. I no longer care for our desire to be the best. In fact, looking at the foe we face, it isn’t possible for us to be the best anymore. The giantesses have grown in strength and numbers tremendously, as is their history, but their recent advancements in magic have had me feeling rather uneasy. I cannot support this war anymore, it just isn’t feasible with the military might we have.” 

Byrul mentioned military might, strength in Ranate and pointed towards the power hierarchy between the two countries. He didn’t once mention anything towards their ideals, specifically, Marvialasia’s corrupt way of propaganda into their civilians. I was forced to consider the possibility of him seeing this through a pragmatic lens via necessity, rather than a genuine belief. Due to this assumption, Ranate couldn’t falter in its military prowess. It would rekindle the confidence people like Byrul had to be this so-called ‘best’.

He continued speaking. “More than any other reason, it is my fear that holds me to this position. I shudder to think what the vile giantesses will do to us nobles once this is all over. The Marvialasian prince seems determined to finish our conflicts soon. I for one do not want to even imagine the battle itself nor the aftermath. The hellish sight we humans will be helplessly forced to behold because of his arrogant pride as the prince will doom us all. I’m sure, even you, the one that allied themselves with Ranate would have seen such a hell.” 

I remembered my first couple days in Ranate. The sheer culture shock, the fear ingrained into my heart. I was held and kissed, smothered and sat on. The sheer inability of my own self was a rather harsh reminder of my own powerlessness at the time. And still is when I compare myself to Ana. To see a battle against a horde of magicless humans against a giantess was like seeing a battle of a human against an ant nest. Sure, there was a danger to the behemoth in question, but it was so astronomically slim that it could be ignored. 

I recalled the fake throne room chair, the seat where allegedly Marvialasians were thrown on and tortured. Squashed underneath the weight of just one giantess. Their fate would become nothing more than a mere stain on their behinds. I gulped as I thought about such things. But alas, it was the history between two fiercely warring countries. It wasn’t as if Marvialasia was much cleaner, being the ones to fester the war on, to house their own torture shows for their population to watch.

 I readied my voice to speak. “I admit that there is bloodshed on both sides of our land's history. I also acknowledge now that it's unfair for me to expect forgiveness from your land for what it has done to Ranate, as much as it is completely unfair for you to expect such an apology from me for my land's damages to yours. In the end, it appears one land will have to devour the other, and create some sort of compromise on how our people will live. As of right now though, total extermination and degradation of the giantesses is not something I could ever get behind. In that way, the giantesses have moved on to a far more humane example. At least in my opinion, it looks like the country that's stuck to its past and arrogance will be the one to fall.” I answered, calmly but thoughtfully. 

“... Perhaps you’re right. This is the price of arrogance for what our prince had done. That being said, the atrocities committed in that war by you Ranate scum, and you bootlicker humans are things I will never forgive. Never… I suppose this is what it feels like to be on the losing side, to an unfair war. Things just don’t go your way. I suppose it's what every other culture we’ve fought has thought about us.” Byrul acknowledged. Unsure of what to say. He contemplated in his head. A fierce battle of ideas playing out in his mind, however in the next couple moments he seemed at peace with his decision. “I can leak our war plans, the dates of our planned attacks and such all to you right now. My only request is that once the giantesses win, I will be spared. I expect the honour of the dwarven tribe here to be on the line for you to uphold such a deal.” 

I held in my breath and held up my head. “I’ll hold my end of the bargain. It’ll be the first moment of genuine collaboration between our lands.  Maybe things won’t ever be good between our people, maybe there’ll be a loss of culture and some people’s hopes and dreams. But I don’t see any other way forward.” 

“Lad, as is the nature of war. Whoever wins will get to decide the course of who was right and who was wrong. Naturally, the giantesses and we dwarves want to live. We can’t accept the hard struck deal of killing us all by the Marvialasian prince’s wishes. It just isn’t possible. The moment he refused any option to compromise, he compromised on any hope for his country.” The dwarf argued. Offering a rather black and white, win or lose binary perspective. He was right, as long as the Marvialasian prince wouldn’t compromise on his wish to stop the killing of non-humans. Any thought to even consider negotiation was off the table. The only option left was to win the war, and conquer the country and its ruler. 

“... Here take this insignia, it is a backup one I have that allows people to leave via the main gate of the capital. Just show it to the guards and they’ll let you through, no questions asked. It’ll also show as proof back home for you that we’ve struck some form of deal.” Byrul gave a goldish oval shaped insignia. It had amber crystals inserted into it, giving it an orangish glow. The design of the gold also portrayed a human basked in the figurative light from the amber. 

“No need to worry about the exit route out of the country. I know a shortcut.” Anglo, the dwarf, confidently answered. “We can take the cave system to the east of here, it leads up to another cave entrance to Ranate if memory serves me correctly. That way we can skip the roundabout travel route.” 

“Alright, sounds good. We can do that.” I calmed myself down. It looked like I finally was making some progress in information gathering. With this insignia it didn’t matter when we left, provided it happened before anyone finds out about Anglo escaping from his cell, when security would be on max supply. “Speaking of the cave systems, Anglo. Where are the dwarven people? I’ve heard that you all fled to the great inner cave expanse underneath the eastern continent.”

Anglo sighed. “Lad, it’s a long story. I can go into more detail once we’re back at Ranate. But the gist of it is that the great dwarven leader, our queen, caught an illness. One that caused great worry and ire to our forces. We aren’t sure of the source or where it's from, but if anything it seems like a curse rather than a disease.”

“A curse?” I questioned. 

“Yes, curses. A rather niche section of magic.” Byrul exclaimed. 

“As I was saying, this curse was rather troublesome. It spread to other members of our great dwarven alliance civilization underground and caused an uproar.”

“A curse that can spread from host to host?” Byrul mentioned in shock. 

“We will be leaving for a moment, Byrul.” I waved him goodbye as I didn’t want any Marvialasians to hear more of this story. We exited the way we came from. Anglo also waved bye to Byrul as we both walked away. He started talking again after we reached a suitable distance. 

“Yes, it causes their host to possess a great incurable hunger. As it spread, many people in the upper sections of our collective hierarchy told us to enter a state of lockdown. A fear that with our supplies dwindling, our forces weakening and less people working that we wouldn’t be able to handle an attack from outside. If Marvialasia ever found a way to enter our cave system, it would mean an uphill war for our forces. Worse yet, if the curse were to spread to a giantess, it would spell disaster on many fronts. Back then, Jade the Cruel was in charge. Of all people, we didn’t want her to get the curse. Disaster would be an understatement for what could have happened.” The dwarf spoke with a somewhat serious air to him. His slight pronunciations of words that were different to mine no longer stood out as much. I didn’t pay them any heed earlier as everyone speaks a little different to one another. However the sudden removal of that factor put me a little on edge. It was something that only highlighted how severe the situation was, and even worse could have been. 

The dwarven people ultimately decided to quarantine. In hopes of preventing the curse from spreading even further. From creating something beyond help. 

“So, I’m guessing the dwarven alliance was sending scouts like you all over the place to survey the surroundings to the outside world and getting some supplies where possible?” I asked. 

“Correct. We feared that the curse came from a country that may have been allied with Marvialasia in the past. But we aren’t so sure. There aren’t many people out there that can inflict curses. As we mentioned before, it's a rather niche skill. The only tribe of people that I know that could inflict curses were the witches of old. They died out against the giantesses from long, long ago.” Anglo explained.

“How long are we talking? 100, 200 years?” 

“Lad, I’m not sure. Its records are not clear in our history. It’s an event that happened many centuries ago, I’m sure of that at least.” Anglo answered. I sighed in return before looking back toward Byrul. 

“In any case, let's head back to Byrul and hear out his plans.” 

“Yes, let's do so. Afterwards I presume it is straight to Ranate?” Anglo agreed. We both stepped back toward the benefactor as I nodded at his question. After a brief few moments of awkward chatter with Byrul, we returned to the topic at hand. About the insider plans of Marvialasia. Of what they had been plotting. 

– – –

(Few days later)

“Miranda, how many Vascar soldiers have you spotted?” A voice asked. Full of confidence and authority. 

“It would seem to be an army of around 2000 right in front of us. A rather large number of Vascarian men on the front lines of our border. We haven’t seen a number this high against us from them before. The closest they got to this was at a little scuffle we had with them way back when.” Miranda, owner of the prideful and stern voice responded. 

“How annoying. They’ve approached us it seems. This is all happening a fair bit faster than I’d anticipated. I’d gotten our preparations started but they’re not quite done for such a large scale offensive. It would spell disaster if these soldiers raided the human sized settlements we’ve spent so much to build. The lives of many former war mongers would become so meaningless too.” Ana explained. 

“Captain, our forces have built a line of giantesses each around 4 km (2.5 miles) from one another. We’re covering as much ground for the border here as we can per a soldier. It’s going to be hard spotting each Vascar soldier if they were to all come charging in through the lush grass. Though I don’t doubt that the majority of them would end up as nothing more than stains on our soil.” The second in command of Miranda’s squadron shouted. Offering a report on the situation from Ranate’s perspective. 

“We’re a little low on giantesses here. I understand her highness has sent a request for reinforcements across the border, but diverting too much of our forces here makes the eastern border much weaker. It makes our defences look more appealing to penetrate.” Miranda replied.

“They’ve requested a talk. I will give them one. Though I do not plan on letting them get any mercy if they dare promise violence upon our lands.” Ana proudly declared. She stood on a hilly area, right next to a small mountain which was on the side of Vascar’s border. She was instead on flat land. Which normally would give the Vascarians the advantage, but the sheer titanic and overwhelming size of the giantesses barely made it a point of concern. If anything it allowed Ana and the king of Vascar to have any form of stable conversation at all. 

Ana looked forward. Eyes annoyed. Upset. Irritated that she was here when she could be at the castle. It was obvious what this was. It was something anyone could tell. However the pompous fools of Vascar dared to challenge Ranate anyway. Their arrogance was something she knew from firsthand in her studies. But this was something else entirely. Her impression of Vascar’s nobility seemed to match what Leon always described them to her as. 

‘Foolish, rich, arrogant, entitled.’ She thought. A shame as if they’d left her land alone, she would merely try to build up a relationship with their land. They politely gifted her Leon, her now married husband. All she would request of them in return was the execution and imprisonment of all that made him suffer. Now though, if they waged war against her. She would have to deal away with their entire noble class. She would take on and absorb their land and take in their people as her own. Offering them peace and protection, but not for the nobles. Who’s wealth she would strip away and instead instate new noble class individuals in their place. As was a common practice that would happen to those that would lose in wars. They’d be stripped of their status and authority, and be in the whims of the cruelty of those around them. 

“It appears the king of Vascar is here. I see him on the mountain in the distance. I’ll be heading forward now. I trust you ladies will act on your own the moment something out of line happens.” Ana proclaimed as she stood forward. The ground, the very earth beneath her footsteps broke apart and created a footprint. All life that existed beneath her simply ceased to be. Any insect, any bug, any animal or plant would perish under her immense strength. Simply flattened. Stuck to the ground and to her sole. 

“Yes, my queen.” Miranda’s squadron replied. Their answer in unison and followed with a small bow. They remained standing, and watching guard behind Ana except for Miranda who followed behind the queen. She was her watchful guard. 

Ana continued stepping forward. Approaching the mountain. Her mere presence caused the guards of Vascar to tighten up their lungs, their knees to weaken. 

“I see you’re doing well, king of Vascar, Cambiltoh.” Ana greeted him. 

“I’m delighted to see you remain in great health too, Queen of Ranate. It appears you’ve found a suitable partner for yourself. Ana.” Cambiltoh responded.

“Let’s skip to the heart of the matter. I would like to know what's going on.”

“Whatever is going on? We simply wanted to chat.” 

“I’m well aware. What is the subject for our little chat?” Her voice wavered slightly. Her rather annoyed heart let out for a moment and she accidently spoke slightly too harshly. The novice soldiers who stood at the back of Vascar’s army seemed to shake in fear from that. 

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to actually appear. You’ve made our job a little easier.” Cambiltoh answered.

“You’ve allied yourself with Marvialasia. I’m well aware. The act of doing so is enough for us to consider declaring war on your puny land too.” 

“However, it would weaken your own defences. So you simply won’t. Not enough resources to deal with an invasion from both sides.”

‘This old man has gotten rather annoying since I last saw him. Why? There has to be something up his sleeve.’ Ana deduced. ‘Possibly the inclusion of magic. It isn’t something Vascar is known for. They’ve probably set some deal with Marvialasia to learn more about it.’ 

“I’ll remind you. Cambiltoh. Those who fight against the giantesses of Ranate do not forget their fights. We are civilised to those we deem our civility worthy to. And we tear apart those we see as not much more than an enemy. Perhaps your judgement has clouded you, I’ll ask you once for clarity’s sake. Who’s side are you on?” Ana questioned. Wanting to know the answer. She is fully aware of who the king sides with, what his intentions are and why he has such intentions. However it doesn’t matter. As her soul wanted to provide this king with an out. A way out from a massacre. Only a fool would still choose to fight. She wanted to know if her enemy was a person, or a fool. She would not regret stomping down on the valour of a fool. 

“We side with Marvialasia. We plan to fight.” 

Ana signals to Miranda’s squadron to prepare themselves. They all began to remove their footwear, their helm and excess armors. It was per tradition for giantess women. Savage, rough and downright terrifying was a way to describe fighting against the giantesses of Ranate. Like the forces of nature itself. These ladies traditionally fought with no footwear, with no weapon but their bodies as well as no mercy. It was per their customs that the blood of the enemy would nourish their skin, that the screams and cries of the enemy would provide sustenance to their battle and the look of horror of watching someone tower you, would give them their joys. It was war, in its purest form. For the giantesses of Miranda’s squadron who still chose to fight following tradition, it left a lasting impression on their enemies. The choice to have their armors on them was only in case a battle got too serious or one sided. For example, a battle against Marvialasia would be such a case where their armour and protections would be warranted. Vascar however were not Marvialasia. Their threat was literally comparable to a puny ant nest in the face of giantesses. 

“We will extinguish any life that walks across our border from yours starting as of this moment. The people we have here now are more than capable of defending against you meagre humans.” 

“Marvialasia will be pleased with such an arrangement. Anything to keep our border preoccupied” 

Upon hearing such, Miranda, one of the few giantesses that carried a weapon with her, stood in place. Ready for action. She carried a hammer. A traditional weapon for the giantesses. Though as the queen's guard, she did not prepare herself for battle, but for guarding the queen. As Ana made her intentions clear, this was a defensive battle. Not a conquest. Not for now at least. 

“I will be stepping back now. Not that you would have the gall to set foot into our land, but be warned, if I ever catch you on our soil. You will come to regret the decision you’ve made today. We will defend ourselves for now.” 

'We can’t afford to send too many forces this way. We should be fine with just this many defending. But an offensive is out of the question. Capturing the king will only perpetuate this war and cause our western border to become that much more of a bloodbath. It's best if we do not engage here as much and leave it in a defensive position. Our main concern is the east. I doubt the people of Vascar have mastered magic to a degree that warrants any worry.’ Ana examined the situation within her head. Coming to a conclusion. ‘Oh well, it is-’ Her thoughts were interrupted by something she came to notice at her feet. Something squirming around and trying to hide itself. However her eyes were too well trained, it appeared Miranda too noticed this.

“A human soldier. Vascarian. How unfortunate you were noticed.” She examined his body and saw him build up some magic, fire magic specifically. “Well, this is war. I feel bad that you’re  a soldier, with your own history and reasons for fighting here. But I did lay out my promise. Anyone who sets foot here from Vascar will be disposed of. If I forgave you in front of the enemy, it’ll only perpetuate the enemy's advances. They’ll think of us as pushovers and send even more of you. I don’t want that.” She steps over to the soldier. Squatting down at him. As Miranda stands behind her, keeping guard. She knew that a mere single human wouldn’t amount to much against Ana. For as kind and gentle as she was. She would be as cruel as needed if the situation called for it. She was keeping and helping the soldiers of Marvialasia, she had a whole program dedicated to it. She didn’t enjoy killing like other giantesses did. That being said, that program still had people that never fixed or helped themselves. That never saw any improvement. Such people were disposed of. If Ana couldn’t help them, she didn’t need them. Her kindness only extended so far. 

For the soldier in front of her, who cowered in fear as his heart knew it was over for him. She simply donned a bittersweet smile. One not of happiness or enjoyment. But of someone fulfilling her duty. She needed to kill this man and show his corpse to the enemy. It would significantly impact the morale of Vascar. It would eventually lead to less death with less soldiers being sent in like this. If less soldiers were sent in, it would lower the chance of such soldiers discovering human settlements and killing scores of healthy Ranate humans. She needed to prevent that. Settling for perfection, for simply taking the soldier away for ‘training’, where his fighting tendencies would be washed away would not work. For one, unlike Marvialasia which employed propaganda and brainwashing to their citizens to increase their military and hatred, Vascar was instead different. Vascar was more akin to having a class of oppressors and the oppressed via the control of wealth. There was a high likelihood that Ana was aware that many of the soldiers of Vascar gathered here today did so not of their own choice. It was a subtle, yet important distinction to make for it made her current program of helping enemy soldiers less impactful. There was little evidence that it would even change anything for them.

“I feel for you. But alas this is more important.” She said, her eyes no longer shared that same empathy in them like they had only a minute prior. “I don’t partake in the rough culture of fighting like they do in Miranda’s squadron. So your death will be quick, hopefully painless too.”  

She raised her shoe on top of the man as she stood herself back up. Who was on his knees watching an incomprehensibly large behemoth tower over him. Tears ran down his face, he didn’t even know he was crying. His body simply acted on its own. His last act of defiance was to shoot fire back to the bottoms of her shoe, as if it scorch her and cause her to fall back. Such a thing could never happen. The pathetic amount of mastery a Vascarian soldier had over magic made it impossible. What more, even if his entire lifetime supply of mana was released to shoot fire back to her heel, it is up for debate if Ana would feel anything at all. She was wearing shoes. She had a layer of protection. His fire would scorch her footwear, but not her. She could hardly even tell if he did anything to her. 

She simply lowered her leg, along with her foot and her shoe. The man stared up in horror, at what was going to happen to him. He was among the first batch to be roaming around in Ranate soil, and now he was going to become a part of that very soil itself. 

**Thump** 

A red stain. Ana stomped the ground as hard as she could within reason. Making sure to put the man out of his misery if even by some miracle he’d survive. The endless potential of his humanity was reduced to a mere red stain against the titaness known as Ana Darlington-Bliss. Against the power of sheer overwhelming size, there was little that could be done with brawn alone. 

“Do you fools see? This is the fate of the criminals that trespass onto our land. Have no mistake, what I did to this soldier was an act of mercy. There are far worse ways to go.” She mustered up a confident tone. She was well versed in such acts. Being a ruler gave her the ability to practise her voice, her tone and mannerisms proficiently. The act of effortlessly killing a man wasn’t what was rough on her, it was the idea that she may be killing someone who was coerced into invading Ranate. That was what made her angry. It mixed in with the anger she had for Vascar for treating her husband in such bad conditions before. 

Despite that anger, more soldiers would invade. Other humans from her own land would be threatened. If enough Vascarian soldiers were built up in one area, they may prove troublesome for the giantesses too. In the face of their own lives and well being at stake, as well as the well beings everyone and everything Ana had been building towards, she could crush the human soldiers that stood in her way. The reasoning may be cruel and perhaps even one sided. But it was necessary. 

“Miranda, your unit is free to act as it may. Please keep the casualties as civil as possible.” Was Ana’s only request. She was well aware of the horrors that Miranda’s squadron were capable of. 

“With pleasure, your majesty.” Miranda answered. 

Her ladies in the squadron went down. Each hunting for their prey, for any humans that were squandering around in the bushes. Like a group of felines hunting for their prey, the giantesses searched and scouted. Using their hands to uncover trees; trees that would have been at the height of some medium sized grass to them.

“Found one!” A giantess shouted, only minutes later. 

“N-No, Please-” A man begged beneath the trees. But it was too late. One of Miranda’s women stood up, only to throw her whole body weight down through the force behind her foot falling upon the man. The terror in the man’s voice would last all but a moment before being reduced to eternal bliss as his horrors would soon become reality, watching the foot as it fell down, as it would become bigger and bigger. Its size became more and more apparent on how large a mere small part of the giantess’ body really was. 

“H-huh?” The man expected it. To exist for a moment only to be reduced to nothing in the next. However that mercy never came. The foot rested just barely above the figure of the little human man. Slowly but surely it descended down. Coming with it an overwhelming force. An indescribable amount of fear. A surefire demise. There were bruises beneath the foot, on its underside. Dirt and rubble existed too. Mud on the lower most part. He, the soldier, would be joining that rubble, that mud, that dirt. Soon. He would be indistinguishable from the rest. No one could once tell a man would be crushed beneath such a thing. Like an insect that one kills in utter ignorant bliss. To the giantesses, he was no different. 

“In our culture, during war times. Y’know, there's a lot of talk about death and the after life. What happens after we die, that sort of thing. In our culture, do you wanna know what we think happens when we crush you?” The giantess teased. The man simply curled up, and awaited his demise. He had no choice but to listen. It was something out of his control. “It’s said in our culture, that the way you’re killed determines where your soul spends the rest of eternity. That’s why a lot of us warriors use our own bodies. So that the humans we kill, their souls find salvation in our bodies. Pretty neat right? That means you’ll be joining the afterlife as a little remnant on my foot! Whenever I walk, or crush other humans, you’ll always be there cheering me on.” She coldly explained. The giantess was not speaking in a definitive tone. Nothing she said was factual. It was merely the conjecture of her war torn culture. She knew this too, however the feeling of thinking that each ‘kill’ on the battlefield was like another soul to be collected left her feeling ecstatic. “Bye, bye now.”

**Crunch**

Slowly, she grinded her foot down. She could feel the crackling and breaking of bones. Until eventually there was nothing left. What was left beneath her foot could hardly be called as a person that once lived. 

‘Onto the next. Keep 'em coming!’ She excitedly thought. Sadly, such a way of thinking was far too common in Miranda’s squadron. It was full of fighters. Of warriors. People that believed in the glory of the battlefield. As the giantesses that were the most popular group or unit, they rarely knew defeat. The soul crushing sensation of what it felt to be on the losing side was not known to them. The feeling of being humiliated by your enemy was completely lost on them. They simply killed and teased in their gleeful bliss. A showcase of cruelty. One Ana could not afford to criticise right now with their current situation. 

Onto Miranda's fight, she uncovered 3 soldiers working together setting up a contraption. ‘Is this some form of magecraft?’ She deduced as she spotted something resembling a catapult but instead of a boulder or rock, it utilised magically made flame balls. 

“FIRE!” The soldiers screamed in unison as they activated the device. Hurling a fireball the size of Miranda’s eye toward her right leg. Specifically toward her thigh. 

“King of Vascar, I understand that you know that we will not be entering your lands to pick a fight. But these pathetic displays… They only convince me more so that we have the resources to fight you. They fail to convince me of your country’s might. Instead I see the inept understanding of magic within your ranks.” Miranda shouted. To no one in particular. Her gigantic frame could speak to no one directly and her words targeted at the king would be delivered anyway. She was near Ana, who had stepped further back toward Ranate territory as she was protected by two giantesses of her squadron. Everyone else was at the front lines of the border, uncovering soldiers and guarding the territories. 

She simply held her hand out, as if to catch the fireball. As it gently touched her body… It disappeared? 

“W-What?” 

“Impossible.”

“That can’t be!” 

The 3 soldiers of Ranate cried out. But to no avail. Miranda readied herself to stand right in front of them, however with a little bit of distance. She turned away and placed her left hand right on her hip. She had left her weapon behind and was also fighting with her body. 

“Too bad for all of you, you don’t seem to be aware of who I am.” She said aloud. Switching the rest of her thoughts to be voiced in her head. ‘Simply put, my prowess is in mana absorption. Where most unconcentrated techniques involving mana and magecraft are simply absorbed into my body as mana to use. A group of amateurs like you three could never hurt me using magic. Instead you all only fueled me up instead.’ She remarked in the realm of her thoughts. Who didn’t know of Miranda? Captain of Ana’s highest ranked unit of fighters. She exhibited fighting ability and aptitude so strongly that she has been taken into consideration of being given a council seat. That seat however had fallen into the seats of Elysia. As Miranda had no interest in being away from the battlefield, along with Ana not wanting Miranda as a councilwoman to begin with. 

Miranda was one of Ranate’s aces in a fight. Namely, her reputation as the mana negator was what allowed it to be. Where all other forces would have to take cover from magic attacks, most attacks from amateurs could not harm her, and more advanced attacks that boasted concentrated mana did less harm to her compared to a normal person. It was her signature ability, though it came with its own weaknesses. That being that Miranda was incapable of organically mustering up mana on her own. She had to steal it from other attacks. Despite that weakness, Miranda’s ability made her into a fighter in a league of her own. Having her stationed here with Ana was what made Ana so sure that she had little to fear from Vascar’s newly found magical arsenal. It was also a double edged sword as her being removed from the western side of the country made that border more vulnerable however. 

She, as she looked away from the fighters, sighed. She gave them all one final look. As if to validate their existences before losing interest. She then fell backwards, ass first down. 

The men, standing with their magecrafted device all stared in horror. At the rear end that was falling down. It was equivalent to saying the sky was falling, the world was ending. Their worlds were ending. 

Impending doom. To say it like that was to downplay the monstrosity descending down upon them. However, it was fate. Against the titanic sized ass, they were but little helpless bugs in comparison. Akin to ants marching on a parkside bench that would be crushed without further thought.  As stains of blood to be bled onto clothes, eventually patted away and forgotten. Their very existences lost to first existential terror and then hurled to the utter bliss of purgatory, of the void, of death itself. To say Miranda would remember these poor fighters was a far fetched idea. The moment she decided to sit down on them, at that very moment it could be argued that she thought to pay their existence no mind. To let gravity do the rest, to let nature correct itself and put the men out of their misery.

Out of the three men, one of them thought of his lousy country, to how he was forcefully conscripted to service. To die in vain as a foot soldier. A mere distraction. His final moments were watching Miranda’s rear end come and flatten him. Like a scene out of a melodramatic play. The act came as if in slow motion. His life was flashing before his eyes. 

“N-No.” Was the last word he could muster. An outright denial of what was to come. Sadly, as anyone could guess, as Miranda herself, the king of Vascar and the men themselves could guess, they weren’t going to be heard. Their lives would soon be disregarded as casualties. As a loss of war. 

**Smoosh!** 

The earth shook. The trees around the men, the very environment around these poor fools was flattened beyond recognition. Grassy plains, forested denselands all reduced to a dirt crater in the shape of an ass. Any animals, prey or monsters in the way that could have possibly been present were sure to not be anymore. No one could survive such an attack. No creature deserved to be a victim to such a pitiful display of power. Yet, in the face of absolute size dominance, no one could argue. Miranda was without question the victor of their little squabble. The battle here was so one sided it could hardly be called a fight.

‘To die on the battlefield, how lucky they must be.’  Miranda concluded in her head. Offering a final thought to these fighters before moving on to the next target. As she stood up, not even a bloody stain remained of the 3 men. Dirt and debris had already covered their loss up. Something quite typical when fighting in the outer areas of Ranate. 

As for Ana, she simply kept observing her surroundings. She had a larger responsibility on her shoulders than to fall into the temptation of relishing her kills. For one it was never something that appealed that strongly to her anyway. It was largely a part of the reason why she was so ecstatic about Leon when he first arrived in Ranate, at her castle. Unlike the giantesses who were victim to the societal expectation of hurting and breaking humans around them, Ana found someone she could be with in a much safer way. With the enchantments employed onto Leon, she was free to act out her much repressed fantasies without fear, without that existential dread of hurting someone innocent. Being with him meant having a reason to act kind with a mere human, it was like lifting a sort of pressure off her shoulders . It was why their first couple days were filled with so much ‘couple bonding’ activities as Ana would dub them as such in her head. In reality, it was just acts of skinship she wanted to share with a lover on more equal footing. Not of a human so horribly afraid for their life that they couldn’t even argue against her. 

So as time would pass, she would eventually find a way to fill the void in her heart. Ana would find love for her heart. Despite it being a rushed marriage, a quick shotgun wedding; whatever anyone could call it wouldn’t stop her from living out her life and what she wanted to do with it. So she was grateful to Leon, for being someone that could accept the love of someone very much not human. Of someone far greater and titanic, of someone that was from a species that hunted humans. She loved Leon being someone that would allow her to express her love in a way she never could before. As such, more so than ever before, she wanted a country where giantesses and humans could get along. So that she could let her little man feel comfortable with her. 

That was all she wanted. That was her current motivation. 

So, despite how logic minded she was, despite how she knew she needed to divy up her forces between the east and west and play a conservation-esque style of warfare to minimise risk. She let her emotions control her, her excitement for her married life with Leon. Her enthusiasm for letting this war finally end. Ana placed her faith in Leon returning as quickly as possible as she yelled out, what she would have deemed to be an irrational decision, to Miranda’s squadron. 

“Bring me Vascar’s king!” She shouted. For all forces to hear, for her fighters and the soon to be terrified king to hear. A decision he could never expect as he himself expected better of Ana. If key intel could be gathered by Leon, then this step as risky as it could be would end up worth it. She gathered her courage and remained strong willed on her decision. “Ladies. I want him alive and in position to be begging for his life!” When it came to the rulers of other countries that actively encouraged the suffering of their citizens, Ana would find it hard to employ that same empathy she had for the earlier soldiers. Even then, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the fact that Vascar had made Leon’s life a living hell. She wouldn’t forgive them for that.

Miranda and her squadron however let out a small chuckle, as their defensive position shattered and soon assumed an offensive line. “It appears our princess has finally started acting like a true queen.” One of the squadron members nonchalantly said. No hesitance was found in any of their forces. In fact such a blatant disregard of fear, was something Vascar’s king never anticipated. He took a step back… And another. One more. However it was too late. A line of giantesses came running in, their collective running motion would be enough to cause an earthquake as they all purposely ran with enough force, stomping their feet down to completely disrupt the landscape. 

“N-no, stay back. Stay away! You fiends! Men! Quick, take me away. Gather your horses, We need to retreat!” The Vascar king howled to no avail. The speed at which Miranda’s squadron could run was something far greater than a horse and chariot could even manage. 

To put it softly, at the cost of many soldiers of Ranate being no longer stationed on the western border due to Ana’s decision, Vascar had no chance of winning. There was no possible outcome where Vascar could outclass Ranate’s elite squadron with their current formation. However, this also meant that war on the western border was guaranteed. Fights would constantly be breaking out here now, at least until Marvialasia was also subdued. It would become a bastion that needed defending. With enough humans, the fight could even prove dangerous to the giantesses. As of present, only small numbers of humans were invading. They were so small and pathetic on their own that their presence could only be described as small as an ant. However, much like ants, a whole colony of them proved dangerous. The population of Vascar gravely outnumbered the giantesses. If all of Vascar’s soldiers were to charge, it would be questionable if Miranda’s squadron could all walk away unscathed. As such, some of Ana’s forces that could have been stationed away to aid in the fight against Marvialaisa would have to remain here to aid Miranda’s squadron. But that was fine, as long as Ana could take the leader of Vascar, she was content with her plan. She trusted Leon to arrive back with key information regarding Marvialasia. Without it, this may have been the wrong move…

‘Oh Leon, this may be the conclusion of the first trial of our love. Please let it be successful.’ She prayed silently in her head. Waiting for the outcome of her declaration. Waiting for good news. For her husband's eventual return. 

As the wind howled in the fields of Ranate’s northern territory, I found myself coming to a sense of peace. A sense of bliss almost. As if my ordeal was over, that my mission and goal that I had been assigned to were over.

What was next for me? It was simple, a reflection. The need to reflect on what had transpired over the past month. It was just that. A small, not complicated process. I found it to be relieving. While atop my trusted steed with Anglo, I began thinking as we approached closer and closer to Ranate’s capital city.  

‘What went well? What didn’t go so well? What aspects did I need to improve?’ I explored in my head. 

It was important. It really was. If I really believed in becoming someone worthwhile in this land, then I needed to change. I couldn’t be satisfied with just a step in the right direction. I had most certainly gotten stronger, but had I really become better in the context of what really mattered? 

Why did I get stronger? It was to prove myself of the challenges set by the despicable council women. The giantesses that opposed Ana’s rule and morals. Strength was key, no doubt there to be had. However on the table on which our politics were discussed, what would that strength really do?  In reality I had gotten marginally stronger and achieved the task so I could even be worth sitting with Ana in that council. So I could have the right to be there at all. My actual abilities in understanding the issues within Ranate, the issues humans in this country face, the issues this country faces with its neighbours. All of that was still gravely unknown. With the exception of the conflict with Marvialasia, I had little knowledge of anything else.

Ana was the type to spoil me, to stow me away to the safety of her being and keep me out of trouble. I had experienced such treatment for a month since I first wedded her. However, that also kept me ignorant of it all. Of everything she did in her duty, along with the responsibilities I had. This war, in all of its atrocities, was also what had led to my own realisation that I needed to be more active in my role. The married men of queens of this country in the past served to sow their seed to Ranate royalty. After that their very existence wouldn’t be needed. However, that concept had changed. And to put that concept into the right direction, I needed to set a good example. 

If I had to guess, the next step for me would be further educating myself on what to do next. On what someone as weak and lost as I should be doing. 

“Are we almost there, Leon?” A voice called out. It was Anglo, the dwarf. We were both heading back to the capital city out from a cave that expelled us from the western side of the country. That cave connected to a vast cave network that seemingly appeared to split off in all directions. I was rather curious about the sheer scope of it but decided to put that matter aside for the time being as my worries on seeing Ana again with new intel were more important. 

“Almost there.” I replied. 

“Apologies for the slight delay, lad. The cave route into Marvialasia and back is a little quicker usually. The rock formations and some stray earth falling apart since I last used it had made it a little unfamiliar to me.” The dwarf answered back. 

“No worries there Anglo. This was still a whole lot quicker than me going from the route I originally took.” 

There was a brief moment of silence between us. During that silence I reminisced about the past couple weeks. It had almost been a month but I had been out of Ranate for so long. I missed the comfort of this country very much. Or more specifically, I missed my wife very much. My thoughts however were interrupted by Anglo. 

“Let's say we win, let's say that Ranate defeats the oncoming threats from Marvialasia and whatever possible allies they have, what next?” Anglo questioned. “ What will Ranate do to these defeated lands?” 

“...”  I listened in silence, as if further drawing out a response. 

“Leon, If I’d have to guess, Ranate will probably pillage the resources, kill and punish many civilians and probably eradicate almost all the nobles. Their land would be taken and used for the giantesses. I imagine many scores of humans will be taken in and thoughtlessly toyed with. I couldn’t imagine a worse fate for the common Marvialasian.” Anglo exclaimed. 

“I disagree.” I voiced. “ The nobles and their prince will most certainly bite the dust. But I don’t think most of the civilians will be harmed. As for land and how it’ll be utilised, along with the economic impact and all that. I’m afraid I don’t know. Such areas are rather unknown to me.” 

“Ranate will spare the innocent?” Anglo, wearing  a shocked expression, shouted. 

“The days of cruelty are over, or at least they are etching closer and closer to being over.”

“That alone is not sufficient enough of a reason lad. I think you are severely underestimating the implications of war-” 

“-With all due respect, “ I interrupted him. “ The Ranate of today is not anything close to what Marvialasia described it to be. Humans are more than a resource, they are recognised as a people. Ranate with their giantesses have recognised that they need humans to help them with tasks, to help them do activities and jobs unsuited for giantesses.”  I argued, though even at heart I found it somewhat troublesome to believe in my own words. The realist in me remembered the councilwomen, that being Lisa, Rheas and Elysia. There was also the magic user that wasn’t present at the meeting too. Out of those 4 councilfolk, only 1 seemed to be remotely on my side. 

I remembered Anglo’s words from before, about his rather binary perspective on the war. The black and whiteness of the options, to either win or lose. Conquer or be conquered. While I agreed with his logic back then, now that I was back here in Ranate, that binary fell apart. His words kept me doubting if such a bleak perspective was really right. Or rather more specifically, his cruel viewpoint of today’s giantesses struck me badly. 

Once again, the council came back to my mind. Ana desperately needed some more influence over the group, some leeway so to speak to proliferate her world view. With such an alarmingly blatant fact still present, I couldn’t help but find my words to be at least partially shaky. Once again it all looped back to me being ignorant of the ways of this country, where even though I had gotten stronger, it didn’t change how I’d argue against people like Anglo. With how my words seemed hollow, with no backbone to them. 

“My perspective will not be changing, Leon. The giantesses I’ve heard about are fierce, strong and terrifying. They may as well be considered the most megalomaniac creature on the continent. I doubt there is a species of people out there that can even match their desire to relish in their absolute power. While most species of sentient beings thrived here in their own territories, it doesn’t take a genius to see that there is something different about these giantesses.” Anglo reasoned. 

“When you meet the queen of this country, I’m sure you’ll come to understand.”

“Queen or not, I have no doubts that there will be a horror show on the prince if he were to be captured.” As Anglo muttered those words, I couldn’t help but partially agree. I knew with rather strong confidence that Ana wouldn’t ever advocate to harm innocent civilians… But the ruler of the country and his bandwagon of nobles? Most certainly so there would be some atrocity to happen to them. The thought of Ana crushing humans wasn’t a foreign concept in my mind. I had already expected the fact that she’d taken at least a few lives before. It came with the job of being  a ruler or person of power. In this world where injustice roamed rampant, the easier solution to problems always seemed to be married to violence and terror. 

“If she did issue a penalty or punishment to the prince of Marvialasia, what then? Is that what you’re asking?” I decided to continue arguing my piece, but my own voice seemed to come out as a question rather than a rebuttal. “What would I do at that point…” I pondered before arriving at a rather disappointing answer. “Probably nothing.”

“Nothing? Really lad? Your perception of your partner, the person they are or what they may become won’t become muddled? Can you really see your queen in the same way again?” Anglo seemingly put his foot down, maintaining his stance on the topic. 

“I-I just don’t have the right to criticise her. Ranate’s conflict with Marvialasia isn’t something I’m really familiar with. Their history and past, their hatred for one another. I’m ignorant to almost all of it. If she decided that the prince needs to be punished, then that’d be a decision I don’t think I can rebuke. Simply because I can imagine how annoying it would be for a foreign human to criticise another nation’s war.” I answered. Slightly annoyed at how my own words seemed to ostracise me out of Ranate’s culture. 

“Hmm, I see. Here I thought you’d tell me how you’d be too chicken to talk back to her ‘cause she’s a literal goliath to you. Seems you humans aren’t all the same after all.” Anglo replied. I thought it was odd how he referred to Ana as my ‘partner’ despite me never mentioning that to him, but he seemed to have figured out there was more to our relationship than I’d let on.

“Haha, yeah well, I told you already. You’ll see when you meet her.” Soon after a new question entered my mind. “Oh yeah, so what kind of deal did you want with Ranate again?”

“A non-taxed trade agreement between our lands. Along with a business opportunity where excess minerals, ores, gems and such can be sold off to us, trust me we could really use the coin. We can also set up a dwarven embassy in one of your cities where we would like a giant sized workshop constructed.” Anglo explained.

“A workshop?” I questioned.

“Picture this lad, a gigantic workspace full of a good chunk of us dwarves in your territory. We can help you all with refining materials, smithing, all the like. In exchange, we’d like a monthly supply of food and liquor to be gifted to us. It would not only be a symbol of our friendship but allow us to deal with each other in the future.” Anglo explained. 

“Y’know for as important as it all sounds, you just made all these demands up, didn't you?” I asked, my curiosity had gotten the better of me. Parts of this story didn’t make sense. He was a captured dwarf in Marvialasia, how would he have gotten the power to make such a deal?

“Well, I’ll be honest I thought I’d be rotting away in a cell right about now. If fate has me be the dwarf to create a life changing alliance with the giantesses, where our food shortages would be solved, then I’m sure my people would be proud.” Funny how it seemed that a mere scouting dwarf could make such an assumption. 

“You’re not just any old dwarf are you?” I inquired. 

“You aren’t just any human either are you? Presumably, It appears I’m talking to either a mere toy of the queen, or the king consort of the nation himself.”

“Ana has no such toys.” I immediately corrected, slightly irked by the suggestion that she would keep humans as ‘toys’.

“King consort it is then, lad. Or would you now prefer your majesty?” 

– – – 

“We’ve arrived at the capital gate.” 

Approximately 20 minutes had passed, both Anglo and I continued on as we made small talk between one another. 

“Zleuser. Not Ranate’s most impressive city but certainly one that leaves an impression.” Anglo commentated. 

“It definitely gives off a feeling of authority and power. Though I’d argue that's the whole country when you’re just a mere human.” I answered back.

“The southern parts of Ranate from what I’ve been told are rather different in culture compared to these northern parts.” 

“Are they? I wouldn’t know, the most south I’ve been is somewhere in between the road of Zleuser and Egulba, the trading city.” I responded.

“Lad, you really need to work on your yapping. I’ve known you for only so long and I can already tell that you’re a rather inexperienced king consort. Probably one that was coddled a bit too hard. If you were taken hostage, it wouldn’t be that hard to imagine what your queen would do to have you back.” Anglo reprimanded me and my abilities in letting information go. It wasn’t an incorrect assumption, as while I felt rather safe in my own home country and next to Anglo, it was an action rather unbefitting of a king consort… At least I think it would be. 

“...” 

“Your silence speaks volumes, I’m sure you’re very much aware of that.” Anglo continued. It was followed by a ‘tch’ clicking sound from my tongue. Honestly I was getting tired of being lectured by him, but I couldn’t refute him either. If anything his words seemed to sting simply because there was some weight behind them. “I’d love to meet this queen of yours, so please lead the way into the capital city.”

“Alright, alright.” I answered as I took the steed forward, towards a guard who was keeping watch by the side. It made more sense in my head to notify her of my return than to venture into Zleuser normally. After all, this city was hardly hospitable to humans. The roads, houses and settlements within are all designed specifically for giantesses. It made the very act of entering difficult as danger loomed across every corner. A bare moment of carelessness is all it would take for an unaware lady to step on us, and grind our bodies to the filth. I’m sure I’d be fine, but Anglo was a different story. I could imagine a bloody scene, with a grotesque crunch as the weight beneath a foot or shoe helplessly crushed both of us, with only one of us to recover. It was a horrific thought, but one that needed to be considered.

“Halt, humans like you two are strictly not allowed in Zleuser right now, return to your village settlements outside the city.” The guard interrupted my thoughts. It appeared she didn’t notice Anglo wasn’t a human, which was a rather insulting insinuation to him I’m sure. But what else could these giantesses do? They were simply so massive that the difference between a human and dwarf would seem miniscule. 

“I’ve returned back with critical intel, surely Ana has informed you of my eventual return!” I shouted back, I was well aware of how easy it was for my voice to be drowned out. “It’s me, Leon Darlington-Bliss. Tell the queen her husband has returned.” 

The guard squatted down, an action that made my heart beat in terror. Such a simple thing seemed so utterly humanising to me, so humbling even. It was a  reminder of the size difference between us. It appeared she was attempting to get a better look. 

“Eh, you’ve got a lot of nerve sayin-” Her words were abruptly cut short as her pupils dilated in anticipation as her eyes fixated on the royal insignia I was proudly holding up, it would have been barely recognisable to her. “Y-your majesty. My apologies, I will get the queen right away!” She  hurriedly fixed her tone of voice and shakily jumped backwards. As if assuming a stance or salute of some kind. “Please make your way up to our watchtower, we will fetch the queen here, the faster the better.” The guard reassured me. Politie was an understatement. It was made clear that people of lesser status respected the hierarchy of the nation, unlike the council women who seemed to challenge it. It begged an important question in my mind, that at what point could one challenge authority? Could authority only be challenged with authority? Were the only people that can make change happen in a country be the ones in power? It seemed like a dystopian thought to have, especially for someone like me that had escaped Vascar. I didn’t like the idea of a ‘power rules all’ monarchy. Alas, ironic as it was, I didn’t have the power to do anything about that if it did come to pass here in Ranate. I was weak, helpless, uneducated and uncultured. I had only my loyalty to Ana to boast about. In the end, I didn’t even know the bare minimum about our policies in other cities and settlements to make such a judgement. 

“To think a giantess would take orders from us tiny folk… What a weird era to be alive in.” Anglo interrupted. His confusion was voiced aloud as we on top of the steed climbed up the watchtower. 

“I told you so. Times have changed. People are changing. Culture will change. It takes a competent ruler, and someone with a good eye for how society should run to make that change.” I proudly declared. I suppose I couldn’t help but praise my wife. It was as if the very act had become instinct in me. 

“The ruler and their people. A ruler is nothing without their people, I can agree with that. If intel serves me correctly, that's how Jade the Cruel was taken out. Her methods simply became too extreme for even the giantesses to stomach. People saw her recklessness as a disaster to the country. So, she was usurped.”

“She was usurped? As in forcibly removed from power?” Puzzled by my own lack of knowledge on the topic, I wasn’t sure if I was misremembering such a crucial detail or if I simply never knew. Point was it really showed how much room I had to grow. 

“I’m not sure by who, my intel’s a little foggy lad. I’m sure the people here would know more. The point is that I’m surprised to see such a drastic change in Ranate compared to the time when Jade was running things.” Anglo pointed out, leading into a moment of silence before he continued. “That being said, corruption is not an easy foe to vanquish. Even if your queen has made the people of Ranate more welcoming to a new culture, It wouldn’t be hard to find people who still hang on dearly to the older times.”

“I suppose people will believe what they wanna believe. Doesn’t mean we can’t try too.” I answered. 

A few minutes passed as Anglo and I, who were still on top of the Bullorg, continued to climb up the stairs of this watch tower. It was a spiral pattern that went in circles steadily rising in altitude. As per building requirements in this city, it was created with a sturdy stone that could hold up the weight of these giantesses. Along with expert engineering and architecture that divided the stress of the building in a way that wouldn’t let it break easily. Which of course meant it wasn’t made for us tiny folk, that being Anglo and I. Each step of the stairway was at least double my height, to climb meant to get on the bullorg and let it hop upward, one step at a time. Without it, I’d doubt I could make it up here on my own, at least with what I had on me. 

The guard's watchtower was made on the outer wall of the city, right beside the gate. Obviously it existed to keep watch over the nearby inhabitants and survey the surroundings. Not quite a place for a human like me, and not one for Ana either. It made no sense for someone of her status to be visiting a watchtower when in reality it was more sensible to get a guard to visit her. Which begged the question on why I was being asked to venture into the watchtower instead of towards Ana? The rational answer was that she happened to be nearby, perhaps on an errand of some sort. The city did seem weirdly closed off today. Normally there’s free entry and exit for humans, it just wasn’t recommended for us to enter. However today the guard on duty was adamant on blocking our entrance entirely. 

‘How strange.’ I wondered briefly. ‘Perhaps an incident happened nearby? Zleuser was close to the eastern border with Vascar… They also are a big part of the war.’ 

I concluded that some sort of incident had happened with Vascar, it was the only logical outcome that flashed into mind. While I was nowhere at the level to be making educated guesses on matters of politics and foreign policy, I had the bare minimum understanding of how Zleuser operated as a city. ‘Sure, I stay at the castle on Ana most of the time, but I do pay attention somewhat.’

“Anglo, I think something’s happened with the land near east.” I explained. 

“Makes sense, It did seem weirdly quiet when I peeked into the town earlier. Have any ideas why?” He questioned. Already up to speed.

“The kingdom of Vascar is also part of this war, they’re a scummy monarchy with greed forever bound to their souls.” My own contempt for Vascar began showing, unbeknownst to me my tone had become harsher just by uttering the very name of this kingdom.

“You reckon they’re the reason why everyone’s probably indoors right now? Would explain the lack of hustle and bustle in the city. I mean I know capital cities ain’t the most populated places out there but this is a tad too much.” Anglo added on.

“People are probably on high alert, possibly keeping the streets clear so it's easier to spot any intruders. Grouping families together also helps keep every household at least somewhat safe. I can’t believe Vascar had the gall to participate this extensively in the war though. Frankly I find it hard to believe. We’r- I mean, they’re a weak country… Poor understanding of magic, outdated technology, weak soldiers. It doesn’t make sense.” I elaborated, though my little slip up did cause Anglo’s eyebrow to raise momentarily. 

“Maybe your divine queen, being the epitome of kindness as you’ve described her, struck first.” Anglo coldly suggested. A statement that gave me a tinge of annoyance, but I couldn’t rule it out either.

“It wouldn’t be like her to do so, not without a solid reason at least.” 

“War is war, people fight and die. If she saw an opportunity to fight and claim victory, maybe she just took it. No shame in that. It is how a conqueror conquers.”

“A conqueror may conquer, but we aren’t savage beasts either. I’m sure there’s a reason or some piece of a puzzle that we’re missing. And that is assuming she was the one to instigate as well.”  I desperately refuted Anglo to the best of my abilities. It was admittingly getting more and more infuriating to argue back with him on the simple fact that giantess society today had changed, and the current queen wouldn’t simply fight for the sake of fighting. 

“Hmm,” Anglo pondered. “ It appears you ruling class folks really do see the world differently. Perhaps it's the responsibilities casted upon your shoulders.”

“How so?” I wondered. 

“Trying to assign reason to war, for people’s need to fight and bathe in the blood of their enemies.”

“War is with reason.” 

“War is war, reason exists for the privileged who can afford to consider it. I’ve seen commoners fight and participate simply because they need to participate. People like you and your queen who can view the world through a bird’s eye, like pieces on a hnefatafl board are the only ones that can see it with reason.” 

“Is that a bad thing? It seems oddly reductive to say war is just war.”

“No lad, I agree with you. I’d just like to point it out, that you and I see things differently. That there are people out there that don’t even have the ability to see things the way you see them. You and I both stayed at Marvialasia, we’ve seen some things there. Things that we could never convey to the folks here who refuse to see humans as nothing more than pests.”

Anglo brought out a point, one that brought dismay to my heart. In the end I got to experience the brainwashing of Marvialasia first hand, with their corruption on full display. Of how innocent people watched giantesses be tortured, and the idea of non-humans being bad shoved down their throats. Anyone who opposed this line of thinking was outcasted and forcibly fed to their captive giantess, who would then make an example of ‘why giantesses needed to be feared.’

They were ripped away from their own agency and right to think. Of their right to think freely. People from higher positions would be swayed with monetary interests and their social standings, binding them to their corrupt positions in society. People of lower positions would be forced to unite all together in blissful hate toward a common enemy, all to give them some sort of sense of false autonomy, that they themselves came to the decision to hate their common enemy. To an outsider like myself, it begged the question of what exactly was their common enemy?

‘They have their right to hate the tyranny of giantesses, but what after then? Let’s say the Marvialasians win the war. That they hypothetically exterminate every giantess, what's next for such a country? Obviously, these guys would attack the dwarves, then the elves, then the next species to the next after that and the next after that.’ I thought to myself. 

There was no end game here, no grand plan at play. Not once was there any depth to the shallow ideas of hate these vermin possessed. It was merely the pride and greed of their prince wanting his ideals over anyone else's and forcing that choice on behalf of his people. Not for them. 

It was why one noble didn’t support the prince. It was why Anglo and I were able to return back to Ranate with intel. It would be why Marvialasia would lose this war.

 Once the source of their land's hate was gone, the people would be forced to come to their own decisions about why they hated the giantesses. Whether hating them would do them any good, if they should move on. Perhaps many won’t. Probably many won’t. I can’t say for anything if the giantesses and their atrocities in the war deserve to be idolised once they win over Marvialasia. As I told Anglo before, that wasn’t my call to make. 

‘ I don’t know what the right call to make is. I really don’t. But I can’t help but look at the conflict between the lands and scoff at how pointless it seems.’ I concluded. 

Marvialasia started this conflict, Ranate perpetuated it. Marvialasia continued this conflict, Ranate fought back against it. Now, we’re at the end. At a point where either Marvialasia or Ranate will be the sole victor. The winner will be seen as the just one, as their thoughts and beliefs proliferate through the captured country’s territory.

Despite the conclusion of this war going something along the lines of that. I found it hard to care too deeply about it. I was roped into this all by the councilwomen, who did so as a response to the looming threat of this war. Allowing me to see their side of the story. To which I couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness towards. These Marvialasians were devoid of a choice their whole lives, all forced to conform to their country’s ideals with no room to work around. Can such people really be my enemy? They were human just like me. 

‘Which is why, I find it hard to say whether I can justify either side here. I think all I’d like at the end of this war is for Ana to be safe, our lands to be welcoming towards humans, and for the people of Marvialasia to be able to make their own choice on what they want to do going forward. They need rehabilitation, not extermination.’  I’d wish for them all to come to the conclusion on their own that they are not our enemy. That we don’t need to be enemies. That really this conflict is wholly pointless. A feud between the ex- corrupt queen of Ranate and the current obsessed prince of Marvialasia. A duel between megalomaniacs that should have ended years ago. ‘How utterly pointless.’

When all these details swayed in my head, it seemed like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. As if I knew what I wanted at the end of this conflict, not Ana or what the country needed but an outcome I could be proud to oversee as the king consort of Ranate. It finally felt like I belonged in my position, as if I had reached the starting line of what it meant to be the husband of Ana-Darlington Bliss. 

‘With all that clear… I’m starting to see why those council members want to keep fighting the war. I’d bet they wanna steal some humans off of Marvialasia and pass it off as a spoil of victory… Or maybe even some worse things.’ I thought and pondered. 

As our land was right now, even if we won. Even if victory was achieved of what was good for Ranate, I couldn’t help but feel that Ana and I would be losing on what we really want for this land. We need to win against the policies of the schemers on the council, that being Rheas and Lisa. The goal for us is then not the annihilation of Marvialasia but rather-

“-Boy? Lad? ‘Bit rude to be lost in thought right about now. Your queen will be entering the room any minute now. Make sure to introduce me in a quaint manner.” Anglo interrupted my thoughts. It seemed I was lost in my head for a while, we had already entered the watch tower observatory room. It was empty, with a few windows pouring in sunshine. It was one of two light sources in the room, the other being an extinguished lantern which was most likely used for the night shifts. Anglo had taken his invisibility cloak partially off too, it seemed that the Bullorg had parked us on a table of sorts. Another thing to note was that there was no door between the entrance to the stairway and the empty room Anglo and I were located in.

“Hmm, sorry. I was.”

**Stomp, Stomp!**

Twice I was interrupted in a row. This time however was a pleasant one. I could recognise those footsteps from anyone, they were of an agile person frantically climbing up the watchtower spiral stairway. 

“Leon?! Leon!” The familiar sweet voice called out. Slight exhaustion from climbing up the watchtower was evident in her voice, her breath huffed in and out. Her hair was slightly messy but it was all as I remembered. “Leon. There’s my adorable little man.” She possessively exclaimed as she spotted me on the table. I could hardly even react.

Before I could even react, her hand came in from the side. Like a hungry carnivore ready to devour its prey, it swept me up and captured my whole being in one swoop. Gently of course, or at least a mix between gentle and excited. She was most certainly excited as the pervasive sweat in her palm seemed to give off a salty smell. One I was all but trapped to experience. 

My whole world began to shake. Upside down became rightside up only to return back to upside down in a matter of seconds. My entire being was being hurled up to her face as she dragged me up to get a closer look at me. Her soft, clenched hand relaxed to form an open palm. Where I was I was standing in the middle. She had taken a few steps away from the table too.

“...” There was only silence. I tried to talk but I didn’t even know where to begin. Was I meant to ask if the past month was okay? Or to tell her if I was okay, or the intel or the dwarf or about Marvialasian culture itself? Maybe about the realisation I just had? My own head was being flooded with thoughts. I couldn’t get a word of it out. As I stared up from her palm, her eyes loomed over me. Her pupils shifted ever so slightly. Her gaze dawned upon me as a whole and was searching around my body. Ana’s facial expression was almost neutral, she seemed worried with her mouth only slightly open. Think like a resting position of someone too focused on a task. It was like that.  Just the sight in front of me made me forget about everything that was preoccupying my thoughts. 

She raised her palm higher, I was at level with her lips. She shifted them as they touched one another tenderly. Perhaps the wrong word to use, but it was what came to mind. It was the only way I could describe the sensation I was looking at. My mind was blank, I had seen my wife for only a matter of what felt like seconds and I was already at peace. I couldn’t help but wonder if she felt the same as she returned my silence. 

Her breathing. It had been a long month, but the rhythmic sensation of feeling the cold Ranate air being sucked in and returned out as a warm breath was not lost on me. It was weirdly calming. Instinctively I knew what was next. I closed my eyes in anticipation. 

**Smooch** 

The gentle folds of her lips, the pinkish red structure was the size of my body. It wouldn’t even be a challenge for Ana to poke her tongue out and take me away into her mouth. Yet, despite that ease she didn’t. She wouldn’t do such a thing. I knew that and it was for that reason that my heart rate steadily rose rather than sharply. I wasn’t in a panic, far from it. The dryness of her lips, probably caused by the cold Ranate air, was made apparent to me as that was all I could feel. She was gently pressing me onto her lips. 

**Pweh**

She pulled me back, my form had begun to merge with her muscular folds. Sticking slightly, with the remnants of her saliva acting like an adhesive trapped me in place. So she lightly ripped me away, which created a strange sound.

 From her perspective, I’d reckon I was about 2 cm (0.7 inches) away from her jaw. Despite all that I’d seen in Marvialasia, with humans being eaten alive, I couldn’t help but feel that if Ana were to take me prisoner to her mouth, I would hardly even complain. Perhaps that was my libido talking over my sense of rationality, or maybe it was simply how much I missed home. I didn’t care. This was bliss, and that was all that mattered at that very moment.

It lasted a couple seconds, only for a couple and yet it was probably the most worthwhile thing that had happened to me all month. I wondered if it was the same for Ana? She pulled me closer to her mouth once again, albeit a bit more lazily this time which indicated she wasn’t going for another kiss. Instead, only a feeble whisper. One so gentle that even with how colossal she was as a giantess, I reckon only I could have heard her speak. 

“Welcome home, dear.” 

“It’s good to be back, honey…” I answered back. Slightly embarrassed, which warranted a slight giggle from Ana. She seemed ready to tease me, mock me oh so affectionately. Her face contorted slightly as she perked her lips up a little, as if gesturing something to me. A message I understood immediately. It was for me to complete my sentence, and more importantly for me to express the only thought I had in my head right now.

 “I love you, Ana.” 

“I love you too, Leon.”  She reassured, though I didn’t need reassuring. I felt it loud and clear. She adjusted her palm to squish up against her right cheek, as if to push me right into it. Skinship was important after all, and it was painfully obvious we both wanted more now that we’d reunited. She shifted her head towards the table, it appeared she noticed Anglo. Which made Ana don a slightly pouty face and a sigh, noticing that we’d have to stop our little reunion for a bit. It seemed she was ready to enter her ‘queen’ persona. “Before I forget, remember what we agreed to when you left. You owe me a foot rub later, little man.” It was her final whisper. Before she started taking steps towards the table once more. Lowering her palm, it was now only at her waist height. Loud enough for her to hear me and Anglo still if she tried to listen. 

“Who might this be, Leon?” She captured an authoritative voice once more. Though she gave up on maintaining her usual demeanour, which made sense. Anglo had just witnessed us two a moment prior. Keeping that extra level of domination as a queen wouldn’t do anything.

“This is Anglo, a dwarf that I found captured in Marvialasia. With him, I was able to find some critical information regarding their plans, as well as a way to take them down.”

Ana’s eyes widened at the news. A dwarf? News about Marvialasia? Plans? All of this was exactly as she’d hoped. I could tell. To be honest, I’d be shocked hearing about all this too. Finding a dwarf, that alone would warrant a lot of surprise. Anglo had also decided to remove his most outer layer of clothing, that being the invisibility cloak to fully show his bearded face.  

“I’m Anglo Shackshount. I cannot quite reveal my complete identity at the moment so I preemptively apologise. However, my thanks for your husband, the king consort of this nation can not be overstated.” Anglo’s formalities had taken me by surprise, it did seem weird how he seemed to interchange between his mannerisms. Regardless, it wasn’t in me to pry. “We’ve both discussed ways on how to prepare against the war with Marvialasia, and have created a plan. I’m sure Leon will fill you in with that. However, now that I’m here, I too would like to create an alliance with the giantesses of this country. All in hopes to ultimately wipe out Marvialasia, but also to save my home.” Anglo made his case. Appealing to common interests. “After the war, our land and yours would like to have business. We can discuss this later.”

Ana analysed the information given. She seemed satisfied with almost all she heard. Almost.

“I’m afraid I’m not here to wipe out Marvialasia, no that isn’t my goal. The goal of Ranate is not the annihilation of Marvialasia, but rather the upstaging of the corrupt nobility in charge, in essence it is to allow Marvialasia to rehabilitate itself under our governance.” Ana proudly declared. A statement that made perfect sense of what I was thinking before, of what I had concluded before. As Ana brilliantly put it, the goal is to allow the rehabilitation of Marvialasia. Anything less would be admitting defeat to the corruption of our own land, of Ranate. It would mean admitting defeat to Rheas and Lisa’s policies. It would only add fuel to their fire of what they could say about humans. We couldn’t afford that.

The idea that Ana and I were on the same page, despite not having talked for a month was almost enough to bring a sole tear to my eye. 

“You won’t annihilate Marvialasia? Or take ownership of their people?” Anglo questioned. 

“We will take ownership of their land and country, but I wish to let Marvialasia still be its own culture. We simply need to just change the parts of it that are damaging to us and our beliefs.The start of that begins with removing the current heads of the country, and letting the people make change. There already are some that want it, I can verify that.” Ana answered. 

“... Rulers really are something else. No. That isn’t it. There aren’t many out there that would consider this a viable option. This extends further to something else. Something only you two would do.” Anglo exclaimed. 

“There you go again.” I complained. 

“We live in a world of conquerors and conquered. Yet, here I am watching a giantess love a human, and a human wanting peace with the giantesses. Lad, it really is funny.” Anglo remarked. 

“ Not everyone deserves redemption. I know that. Don’t belittle me, little dwarf. That being said, I’ve seen innocent Marvialasians desire redemption. Many humans from our land are from Marvialasian origin. A soldier may be a weapon of war, but the hand that dealt them to such a position needs to be considered too.” Ana answered. With confidence in spades. 

“I can’t believe this. Everything you were saying lad, it wasn’t all just wish wash. You both realise the people of Marvialasia will hate Ranate still for a long time.” Anglo explained. 

“Naturally, we can’t force them to like us. But if there’s an option where we don’t have to mindlessly kill each other, I’d like to try it. Whether they ever warm up to us will depend on how we treat them.” Ana rebuked. 

Anglo chuckled in a very expressive manner. “I see, I see. You both are really interesting y’know that. Nothing like the humans or giantesses I’m familiar with. Alright, I’ll remove the clause of wiping out Marvialasia from our agreement. I have nothing to gain for causing more trouble to my saviours.” 

“Very well, Anglo Shackshount. I’m in a position to consider your offer.” Ana walked away from the table, where I was still atop her palm which she held up. She began yelling, as she faced the spiral stairway. “Guards, take our guest to the castle suite. Treat him like you would any ally.”

Faintly I could hear footsteps from the bottom of the stairway. It appeared Anglo would be staying somewhere in the castle, guarded, for the time being. As the guard arrived, Ana gave her a set of instructions, some to rely on to someone else.

“Anglo, make yourself at home. I’ve assigned the castle librarian to be your caretaker. We will resume our talk regarding our countries in a bit.” She explained.

“Yes, your majesty. I will be waiting.” Anglo politely gestured as a guard came up in a rush, to gently hoist Anglo up her palm and carry him down. The guard seemed a bit tired too. As for Anglo, I had the feeling I would be seeing him again later, so I didn’t pay our lack of goodbye any mind. Though it was unfortunate. 

“Now, Leon. It’s just the two of us. We have a lot of catching up to do.” 

“Sadly, not the fun kind eh.”I cheekily responded. Trying to lighten the mood.

“It’s unfortunate, sweety. But a lot has happened here on our side, and from the sounds of it a lot has happened with you too.” Ana muttered. “I’ll go first since it's better you know this now rather than later.” 

My ears perked up as I gave her my full attention. As I anticipated the unexpectable. 

“We’ve captured the acting king of Vascar, and a few key members of his forces.”

Set in a castle, the cold wind blew through the open window.

“Let the meeting commence, it appears everyone is here. Everyone important at least.” A man sneered. His tone, a tinge of arrogance. A smudge of pridefulness. A bit of humility. It was an odd mixture, but it could be described as someone from high status who was rather self aware of their prestige and power.

“My liege, we are still missing the Humblestons, and the Gorty’s.” A brave voice dared to speak out. 

“Ah yes, my bad, my bad. It appears someone has made the rather astute observation that we are lacking in some members. I must add, I did mention that everyone important was here.” The man, clearly bolstering with confidence, spoke out. 

The whispers of the men and women seated on a Rosenwood table, a material made out of native wood found only on Marvialasian soil, were heard by the man whose confidence could be mistaken for rudeness. 

He hadn’t the need to interrupt the voices. No, far from it. He let them speak. He allowed the people on the table to converse. All 8 of them.  Each member represented a high ranking noble family in Marvialasia. All were of the status of duke or one equal to it. So naturally, when someone from their position voiced their thoughts, next to no one was allowed to interrupt them.

Yet, that was not why the man sitting at the front of the long rectangular table sat silent. He was not fearful of them. He wasn't one to be scared at all. 

The reason for why was simple. 

“It appears we aren’t aware of something, my liege. I would request the great prince of Marvialasia, please do enlighten us on this matter.” Duke Johmst Earlgrey, the head of the Earlgrey family, decided to prompt his ruler to speak. If anyone was scared in this exchange. It was the speaker, not the man who was listening. Earlgrey spoke with a great deal of respect. He felt that he had to. 

The prince, on the other hand, simply smiled. His eyes pierced into the soul of the Earlgrey’s family representative. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking. 

“Yes…” He began finally. “ It appears you aren’t aware of something. Perhaps that is a good thing.” His response was rather baffling. Rather confusing to say the least. What did it mean? No one was allowed to ponder for a second longer as the prince continued. “ The Gorty’s were in charge of our prisons. Somehow it appears that one of our more valuable prisoners had gone missing.” 

Whispers erupted across the table.

“Gone missing?” Lancy Schmitsy, from the Schmitsy family repeated. A state of confusion was evident not only in her face, but most of the table’s. Only 2 faces were not surprised by the information. One being the prince, the other being… Well that was not to Lancy’s knowledge.

“ Information travels fast. However, not quite fast enough for my tastes. You’ve all been aware that there are 2 charred up burnt corpses in the dungeon where the dwarf was located. Limbs severed. We initially speculated that one was a human and the other a dwarf. Their bodies being in such bad shape, being burnt to a crisp, it made it nearly impossible to identify them. A shame really.” The prince began rambling. “ A shame indeed.”

His eyes darted across the table, as if looking for someone. As if searching for someone’s reaction to the information he had just given. He knew the burnt bodies were decoys, the prince had simply gone out of his way to allude to it.

“Initially speculated? Does that mean-” Earlgrey’s head of house was interrupted. 

“Yes, we have new reason to believe that the dwarf actually escaped. He is not dead. Which is why the Gorty’s are not here today. I had the acting head be sent to our country’s pet giantess as punishment for giving me an inaccurate report. We stripped their family of noble status too. Let it be a reminder that we do not accept the second rate into our country’s nobles.”

*Gulp* 

A single, inaudible gulp was thankfully not heard from across the table. However, just because it wasn’t heard didn’t mean the prince wasn’t made aware of it. A few people had given rather disgusted facial expressions in response to the information he had given. One of which, only one of which, was a look of guilt. 

It wasn’t enough though. Not enough to draw any form of conclusion out of. 

“Say, if that were the fate of a traitor for their lack of tact. For their laziness in doing their job. What would be the punishment for someone that orchestrated this whole ordeal? What do you think, Byrul? As head of the security of our capital city. Surely you have some say in this?” The prince struck a pinpointed attack towards Byrul Laxtolomb. The man that inaudibly gulped earlier. 

“-My opinion on the matter? I say it was deserved. However I must still inquire as to why the Humbleston’s aren’t here.” He effortlessly diverted attention away. He had already allied himself with Ranate’s forces. With the human and dwarf, for it was his information that would doom Marvialaisa’s future. Byrul was rather surprised to hear his name be mentioned so suddenly. However, he was a corrupt nobleman. His side of business was all around his acting on the table where decisions mattered most. As such, it shouldn’t be to anyone’s surprise why he could act in such a way.

The prince was a bit displeased with his answer. However he chose to accept it nonetheless. He moved on to talking about the Humbleston’s. 

“ Which is what our second point on today’s plan is about. The Humbleston’s. I had the acting head sent to Vascar to inform them of our plans on invading Ranate. It appears though in a recent skirmish that the savages have already laid waste to his poor being. He died, not even a martyr as we now know that the king of Vascar has been captured by Ranate too.” He said, rather nonchalantly. “ Their family still is paying their respects, and in grief so I’ve granted them permission to skip today’s meeting.” 

“I-Is that so?” Lancy replied, in shock. Her hand slightly covered her mouth as if to display her surprise. Although, to what extent those emotions were true left to be seen. After all, the noble families were not typically all friendly towards one another. Some were allies, some were enemies. Though, at the meeting table, basic courtesy was needed. So Lancy simply acted as such. 

“Yes…” He paused as he replied. Closing his eyes as if to display his sorrow over the fact. “ I, the proud prince of this country, Marco Mathias Marvialasia, swear that their sacrifice will not be in vain. I swear that it will pave the way forward for our total victory. “ He voiced his plight. Like an overly dramatic actor conveying their emotion in theatre. However, only a few levels down from such melodramatic play. He wanted to ensure his feelings would be taken as being real, not sarcasm. 

“ To die by the hands of the giantesses.” Rejoining in the conversation, Byrul spoke once more. “A terrifying fate.” 

“That it is. What’s your point, if I may ask?” The prince signaled for him to continue speaking. His voice wasn’t rude though. If anything, it was sickeningly warm. 

“I thank your majesty for the courtesy. However, my point is that these fiends. They stomp us, eat us, play with our bodies and distort and crush us. They’re horrible.” Byrul voiced, making sure to portray them as horrid vicious monsters. That wasn’t due to his alliance with Leon that he had established a little while ago, it was his true feelings. “ I hear they’re starting to develop magic… Does that not frighten anyone here?”

He looked around the table, many avoided eye contact with him. 

“Ah. I see your point. No need to worry everyone, I condone our little ideas gathering that we have today. Please, do speak your minds.” He replied. As if refusing to acknowledge what Byrul had just said, instead it was like he was inspecting Byrul and the table members themselves. 

“ W-Why of course we’re frightened. That is why we’re at war with them!” The men seated left of Earlgrey uttered. It was as if someone was holding him there to his words. Making him speak a certain way. This individual was Krish Kartol. Probably the youngest at the table at an age of 26 years. 

“Of course. We need to fight, so that our people can finally get their much needed peace.” Earlgrey agreed. 

“ Is that really why we fight?” Lancy Schmitsy questioned. Suddenly all eyes of the table were locked on her. 

“...” 

Silence. 

Broken only by a chuckle by none other than the man mediating the conference. The prince himself, Marco Marvialasia. 

“Apologies. Apologies. She’s right. What does this war mean exactly to all of you?” Marco prompted the table. 

Earlgrey was the first to respond. “To fight against the tyrants to our east? To pay them back for their… For their…” 

“ For what? Why do we need to fight them?” Marco continued to prompt forward. He made eye contact with Byrul, as if eliciting him to speak on the matter. 

“We are the arm, hand and fingers of the prince’s will. As such we act to our liege’s command. For my own personal reasoning though? The evil that runs down their blood cannot be left unchecked. Such immense power they have, yet they dare to mimic the human form.” This was Byrul’s own thoughts. His real thoughts. He didn’t mention he allied himself with Leon and the dwarf, or what he was planning to do in betrayal to his throne. After all, he wasn’t betraying Marvialasia because he believed Marvialasia to be bad, but because of the fear that ran down his spines from the giantesses was far too much. 

“ Good answer.” Marco replied as he gave a single clap. His worry seemed to dissipate. “However, it isn’t quite the answer I’m looking for.” He sighed. Prompting the rest of the table to watch in confusion. They all knew of their prince, of his customs. However, that was all they knew. He was a secretive man. Only granting the highest members of his nobility one of his secrets. “Well, more importantly. What's our plan now?”

“We need to make sure we follow through on our original plan.” Byrul asserted. Immediately. 

“Oh? Why is that?” The prince acknowledged but also questioned. 

Byrul made sure to calm himself down a little. He had to make sure that the plan he gave Leon was the plan Marvialasia was going to follow through with. 

“ As we’ve already said. The giantesses are horrifying. Now, they’re learning magic too? We can’t let them continue as such. We can’t subject ourselves to become victims of their might. We realistically only have two options. To surrender, or to continue fighting with the plan we’ve made. It’ll take too much time elsewise.” He made his case.

“To surrender, or to fight?” The prince repeated back. 

“ I’d prefer we surrender.” Byrul exclaimed. He knew this was something he would be mocked for. However it was the best outcome for him. If they’d just surrender, no one in Marvialasia would have to get hurt. His noble friends could stay the same. However, he knew the prince would never accept such a deal. So that left option two, which was to fight according to the plan. A plan he had leaked to Leon and the dwarf, a plan that would be worthless and lead to the downfall of the nobility of his land. For everyone, except him of course. 

“ In Marvialasia, we fight. We fight because we are strong. Because we have an example to show the world that we belong here on this continent of beasts. The eastern continent is full of weird creatures, inhumane creatures. The giantesses are one such example. If we surrendered, we would be losing our ways. It is our tradition to fight as we make right.” The prince argued. “Well, that and they’d probably ask for me as a prisoner. So that is a no go.”

“Right, of course. So we must fight with our plan. It utilises the magecrafted devices we have. As well as the mana canons that are prepped with hypnotic aromatics. They can shoot large distances and render the giantesses asleep. Making them easy to kill and capture.” Byrul argued further. He had already told Leon of this plan. About where the long distance mana canons would be positioned and where they would fire. Along with that, he had instructed Leon on how to make insomniac aromatics to lace over the clothes of the giantesses. Which would neutralise the effect. Keeping them awake anyway. “ Our mana canons are also full of explosives and such. Which we can use in a defensive situation.” 

The reasoning was simple. Hypnotic aromatics would make the giantesses fall asleep easier. It was more likely to damage the giantesses than an actual explosive fired from a mana canon would. Most giantesses in Ranate’s army had some level of magic competency so some level of a magic defense would apply to them. Hence, Marvialasia had come up with the idea of an aromatic compound that would put them to sleep once they smelled it. Making them easy targets. The explosives would then be reserved as a defensive weapon at close range where it would be easier to aim for weak points. 

‘Though that doesn’t matter. I’ve told Leon exactly where the mana canons will be for offence and defense. Such an advantage as well as prep time can make a big difference. Not to mention, I’ve told them the date the attack from Marvialasia will begin. They simply need to attack first for maximum impact.’ Byrul thought to himself. 

“Hmm. It appears you are right. Though, I’m not fully convinced that the defensive canons are in the best positions from our plan. Is it okay if I were to make some revisions there?” Marco with his piercing gaze stared deep into Byrul’s eyes. His face, his body. Watching for the slightest bit of nervousness, a small uncomfortable twitch that signaled worry of any form.

“I see, well I’m not the best suited for these tasks. So perhaps it would be wise to do so.” Byrul calmly replied. 

“... Well, that was merely a suggestion. I also am not sure. The plan was made by our own military and our own oversight. Maybe it's unnecessary to do so.” Marco continued. Now watching for any sign of relief. 

“If a change to our defensive position is needed, then it would be best we had it done.” Byrul stood his ground. While he did not show it, his mind was shaking in wanting the questioning to be over.

“I see. Though I’ve had a change of heart. It may be unnecessary.” Marco sighed. He was unable to catch anything out of the ordinary. “ You are all dismissed now. Please leave at once.”

The table in unison replied, “Thank you, my liege.”  Which was followed by the sounds of a group of people pulling themselves away, opening a door and then closing the door gently. It was a sign of respect. 

**Creek**

All that was left was a lone man in the room with the oddly expensive table. He couldn’t help but sigh in exhaustion.

‘ The dukes in charge of our military and economy stayed silent. Good on them. Johmst Earlgrey and Lancy Schmitsy were keeping an active conversation as they normally do… However, Byrul. He was awfully talkative. He has voiced his disdain for the giantesses in the past due to fear, perhaps he got heated up today. Regardless, it’s something to note.’ Marco Mathias Marvialasia analyzed in his head. 

Marco was playing the conversation back, looking at all hints from everyone involved. However, he couldn’t help but reminisce as well.

‘They all know one of my many secrets. That I drank a sip from the blood of Margaret the immortal. The predecessor of Jade the cruel. The queen that took the throne of Ranate before the tyrant… Once she was felled, her body rapidly deteriorated. It disappeared into dust and finally into nothing... However, what they don’t know is the me from before I was prince.’  Marco clutched onto his emerald necklace. It has been 65 long years since. Perhaps longer, perhaps shorter, he found it difficult to remember. 

He was a mere peasant. His land’s territory was broken up recently from the collapse of a small kingdom that was a part of the Karkiman Empire’s many small lands, it was south west of their land. It was a reign of anarchy as many men claimed themselves ruler and the lands began fighting all for a chance of unity. Armies laid waste to peaceful villages for their resources and food, suitable kings fought one another for a chance of becoming ruler of the territory. It was a bloodshed of territorial dispute. 

‘At that time, I was 32 years old. My village was at the border of Ranate and our little neighboring lands. I was in awe of the giantess, Margaret the immortal. The goliath being had lived for an immense amount of time. I had no idea for how long exactly, but it was a number that went beyond human imagination.’ 

The words he thought of, ‘beyond human imagination’, terrified him. He at the time didn’t understand anything or how it was all like that. Rumour had it that Margaret had ingested a rare herb that was cultivated on elven soil that prolonged her life. 

‘So, when she passed on suddenly. It was a shock. The herb locked her age at 35 years permanently. She was essentially a war veteran, forever stuck in such condition. Ranate for many decades, long since before I was born had her as a ruler. However, it just so happened that she was walking to her envoy near the western countries, near my village. She had a plan to propose peace, providing resources and many other things to our war-torn soil. However, while I was out foraging near the border. I saw her stop. I saw her fall, and age rapidly. In her multiple centuries of living, she had passed on in a matter of seconds. Her body falling apart and her blood enriching the soil around her.’ 

So, the man, bewildered and shocked, came to her. He wandered up to the giantess. Perhaps due to his own confusion, or perhaps due to his fear of the unknown, to his fear of what was inhumane. He took a single sip of her blood. He pondered the idea that maybe he could become somebody, someone worthwhile. Someone note worthy.

‘Then… Nothing happened.’

The blood immediately began to evaporate, the amount that had pooled up at least. It didn’t even last a minute. Her body was rapidly decomposing and breaking away. The blood was evaporating, as Marco already noticed. But the remains of her were turning to dust. Though, he could hardly bear witness to the sight for any longer as-

'**Stomp...Stomp.**'

‘I heard stomps nearby. I figured it was another giantess so I ran away.’

Afterwards, the 32 year old man lived in poverty as the people near his lands pillaged and plundered. Years passed.

However, to the man in awe of the inhumanity surrounding him, he himself was taken aback by his own newly found supernatural prowess. 

He wasn’t ageing anymore. His body was stuck at 35 years of age. He was effectively immortal. 

‘At the time. I thought that was it. That was my breakthrough. I had the body of a 35 year old, a healthy one that would stay in top tier shape. So, I decided to conquer the warring lands.’ 

Uniting them all under a single name, he created ‘Marvialasia’. A mere principality. As it was then sanctioned as a lower land by the Karkiman empire. However, since then the country had won its independence from them. Yet, the tradition of keeping the Marvialasian prince title remained the same. 

‘However. It isn’t easy to unite everyone.’

Marco was a mere human. One blessed by opportunity. His whole life had been a compilation of benefitting from opportunity. He had no real understanding of how to truly unite the people. To really show people what leadership was. 

‘In the very year I created Marvialasia and claimed myself ruler. Many greedy pigs came to stir up my plans. They attempted to assassinate me, to remove me from power. People were after my head.’

To the man who had only just then been given power, he quickly came to learn that being a ruler meant to manipulate an ever changing web of wants and needs. Where if he wasn’t watching himself, he would be replaced. 

He was maniacal but calm, he was careful but cheery, he was accurate and detailed. Marco made sure to cover his bases in every way. To make sure no one could usurp him with ease. To be the one at the helm of it all, to him it meant to rule with so much power and respect that no one could take it away. 

As such… As such, regrettably so, he did the unthinkable. 

‘Declaring war on the giantesses. Capitalize on the fears of my own people, capitalize on their humanity and beliefs to have them fear the otherworldly giantesses. Tell them they’re grotesque. Tell them they are vile and beastlike. Finally, capitalize on their own queendom’s delicate political situation and wage war against them. Force them to take military action.’

He thought to make an enemy of nature itself. Or at least more accurately, an enemy of beings that were synonyms with nature itself. Why had he done this? For what reason? For what purpose? What brought such an irrational idea towards him?

‘If I want to stay in power, I need the citizens and I to have a common enemy. If I want to have my country stay united, everything needs to go exactly as planned.’

For the man obsessed with power, he lacked the agency to recognize his own powerlessness.

 If only he would think about what his people would want.

 If only he could think about what others had wanted. 

If only he was someone that could think of the needs of his people. 

Marco could do none of that. None whatsoever. Plagued by the curse of the crown, he reminded his subject’s of the lack of humanity his enemies had, an oddly ironic thing for a man immortal to be doing. 

Marco ruled his people for himself. For as strong as the megalomaniac he was, he lacked the agency to have any intrinsic power where it truly mattered. 

‘That was where it all began. I told everyone that Ranate attacked us. We fought back. Enraging their queen, Jade. Brainwashing the population, removing books and teachings about our history. Everything since is just history.’

He chuckled. 

‘It appears you and I, King of Vascar, may soon be in history too.’ He inwardly thought. Whether they be written as victors of justice or villains of war was something yet to be seen. 

– – –

“The king’s been captured!” I shouted. Biting my tongue and covering my mouth in embarrassment. “Eh, uh. Sorry. I meant the King of Vascar’s been captured? Really?”

Ana sighed. Visibly a little disappointed. “Yes, sweetie. Vascar’s king has been captured. The only king of ours here… Is this little guy.” She gently poked me. Pushing me I suppose was a better descriptor. As for where I was, I had been standing atop her palm. 

“ King consort, more accurately.” I rebutted. 

“ Many of our troops are heavily injured…” Ana added on. “All because of an order I gave out.” She whispered under her breath. Leaving for an odd couple seconds of silence.

“ You wanna talk about it?” I asked. There was an obvious answer to it, but I just needed to make sure. Ana simply nodded in response. 

“Their troops began retreating with the king at a skirmish we had at the border. So I sent some of our troops after them. Probably a dumb idea in hindsight. Now the eastern border is in constant high pressure with fighting happening all day. At the very least we’ve had to be very careful with scouts. We still captured the king but I feel like it might not have been the best decision.”  Ana wasn’t particularly sad or anything. I deduced that it was unlikely that the lives of giantesses were lost from the conflict. After all, Vascar wasn’t a strong country. That being said, many humans were probably killed. Many giantesses were probably heavily injured. I knew that those kinds of things weighed heavily on her. 

There wasn’t much for me to say in all honesty. I was a rather dumb grunt when it came down to matters such as this. However, that didn’t mean I was just going to stand around and do nothing. Instead, I began making way to her thumb which was extended outward, facing in an upwards direction.

**Hug**

It was a simple action. I couldn’t offer the real, proper thing due to how tiny I was in comparison. But it was the best I had, so I hugged her thumb. Even that, only to the best of what I could do. 

“ I can’t say whether it was the right or wrong choice. However, I know you’re someone that would always try to pick the option you felt was best for all parties involved. It isn’t like you’d pick the option that would be for killing them for the sake of death either.”

…

Awkward was the way I’d describe the mood right now. However, that was simply my own perspective. 

“Thank you.”

Those simple words gave out a rush of warm feelings to my heart. There was something precious about the emotional vulnerability. It quickly became a feeling I’d choose to cherish. I had guessed she simply wanted some emotional validation about her decision. Emotional validation from someone that wouldn’t simply praise her actions from a militaristic perspective alone. That someone was me.

“ We’re all only people. We can’t expect us all to be perfect either. It’s not like everything can always go according to plan.” I voiced. Trying to keep my voice calm but heartfelt, not like I was trying to lecture her. 

“Yeah. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy at all.” I noticed her say, though she never said aloud what part wasn’t easy. That didn’t really matter at the moment however. What became clear was that the time we spent apart revealed that we were only just people. 

People that needed others to talk to. People that needed others to have that sense of comfort with. It was impossible for either I or Ana to suddenly become cold and calculating. It didn’t matter that there were no severe casualties or that we lost no lives on our side. War as it was shouldn’t be celebrated. Dehumanising the enemy was not something to be celebrated. So simply getting swarmed up with that trail of thought could be enough to make Ana disappointed in herself. It was something I needed to consider. 

“ Yeah, I hear you. There’s no way it could have been easy.” I replied. There were many parts of Ana Darlington-Bliss she had hidden away as a person. However, if she were to show anybody those parts of herself, It’d probably be me. As someone who was weak, clueless and rather insecure. All I could offer to my wife was to be someone that could at least hear her out. 

In a matter of mere seconds, my world began to shake as I was suddenly tossed in front of her rosy lips once again. 

**Smooch**

My whole body, covered by a kiss. I know I said I felt warm before, but now I really did. Both metaphorically and literally. 

“I know I can rely on my little stress toy. Cute as you are, you really shine when it’s just us two alone.” She gently whispered. Softly was not enough to describe it. The gentle breath I felt as she exchanged her words had me feeling relaxed. 

For me to be blushing was an understatement. My whole face must have been flushed a tinge of red. That being said, I wanted to remain on topic. 

“So, where is their king then?” 

“Vascar’s king is currently jailed in our castle’s prison. We’ve got a little cage for him… Do you want to see him?” Ana surprisingly asked. I was a little taken aback. I suppose she realised that I may have some words I’d like to exchange with him. A talk, a conversation that I might like to have. 

Though, that wasn’t exactly true. 

“No… If anything I don’t want to see his face right now.”

“Really?” Ana was a little shocked. I could tell from her face. “ I’m sure you have a lot to say to him.” 

“ I really don’t. What’s done is done.” I replied. 

“... I see. Well I won’t force you. However, I may need to have a talk to our little prisoner, and I’m not leaving you out of my grasp. So, hope that’s alright.” Ana suggested. Implying she’d keep me around her body when she’d visit the king for whatever purpose she’d need.  I simply nodded in response. Offering a tired smile. “Look. At. You. Must have been exhausting the whole past month. I’m sure you need some time to rest.” 

“Y-yeah. Will do. However, right now I need to tell you about our intel.”

“Don’t force yourself either. Though I won’t be complaining if you’re giving information now.” She chuckled wryly. “The king of Vascar and his soldiers suddenly got magical aptitude, they had people learning and casting spells. Albeit low level ones.”

“Huh? In Vascar?” I was taken by surprise. 

‘Since when did Vascar have magic?’

I was a nobody. Someone barely worth anything in Vascar. Basically a peasant but not quite. It's likely I was simply out of the know, but that didn’t seem right either. What made more sense is the information I’d gotten from Marvialasia. 

“You’ve probably already deduced this, but from my own scouting it does seem like Marvialasia had at some point taught Vascar some basics of magic.” Letting go of my shock for a moment, I regained some composure. 

“Unfortunate. If it wasn’t for that, we’d have less trouble at the eastern border.”

“Other than that…” I began revealing everything.

– – – 

“That’s a lot to take in.” Ana bit her nail, specifically her thumb’s as she processed the information. I couldn’t help but admit it was a rather cute sight. 

“Overall, their plan is to bombard us with a frontal attack from all across their border, except for a few key locations. They have some mana canons, some other artillery. They’ve got all sorts of problems in their land. Like an obsession with war against us specifically.”  

“ Any clues on why they won’t accept a surrender? Or at least a truce, a ceasefire. Anything.” Ana commented. With a frown. 

“Nothing. I heard from someone of a higher up status that they hated us. They hated our lack of ‘humanity’ and that we were the cause of this whole conflict.” 

“ They call my people inhumane… And have the gall to continue this pointless war?” Ana scorned her tone as she spoke. She was serious. “It’s always in extremes. Either your land is strong enough to defend itself, and it can pillage other lands. Or your country is weak, it gets plundered.” She sighed. Her warm breath provided relief from the colder atmosphere around me. 

“I’ve already told you how they treat their peasants. It’s like brainwashing. Any sane person would be living in a constant state of fear with how their military works. Yet…” 

“So I was right after all.” Ana, for once, seemed glad. It was in a bitter sense however. “ I was right about their people.” 

Her face was one I couldn’t describe as content or angry. More a stare into nothingness. I wasn’t quite sure what she was referencing, but I could tell whatever it was towards, she knew she made the right choice. 

“I will add, the person that gave us this plan. Byrul, who wishes to be spared once the war is over,  also is not fond of us. He’s betraying his land out of fear of what we’d do to him if Marvialasia lost.” 

“ This isn’t a trap?” Ana questioned.

 “It seems unlikely. On our way back, Anglo the dwarf inspected some details about the border before we took to the caves. They’re definitely setting up something.” I removed the insignia that Byrul gave out, holding it for Ana to bear witness to. 

“I see…” Ana paused, seemingly convinced. “The date of this attack was?” 

“In about 3 weeks. We have time to prepare. As long as we attack before that date.” 

My wife interjected. “Best we have is 2 weeks. Attacking a day prior won’t make a difference as they’d basically be set up for their attack regardless. Sooner we attack, the less they’re prepped. Of course we can’t rush things on our side either.” Her tone was a little relieved at how long we had. 

“Still, two weeks. We need to set up a defense at the border. Prepare the final stage of the plan to intimidate their side, have them surrender. Handle things on our end with Vascar too. We’re juggling quite a lot of things.” 

“Sadly, one more to that list. Though it should be wrapping up shortly.” Ana briefly commented. 

“Hmm?” I was a little confused. It sounded like it came up out of nowhere. “Is there something else?” 

“Well-“ Ana began, but was abruptly cut off. 

**Knock-Knock. Knock-Knock**

“You may enter.” Her voice loudly declared.

It was another giantess. Someone who I hadn’t seen in a long time. My own face widened with surprise at the sight. 

“The librarian, Maria? What are you…” 

“Apologies for the sudden visit. I have something to inform you of, my queen.” Her voice also seemed surprised to see me. She must have been in a hurry. 

“Speak it.” Ana commanded gently. 

“ The deed is done. We’ve investigated the lead from what Rheas described. It led to a shoddy place in Egulba. Near the giantess district if memory serves me right. Turns out, the owner was smuggling humans from the border since who knows how long ago. The trail went straight to Lisa’s pockets. She’s been smuggling humans!” Maria summarized haphazardly. 

“Rheas cracked under the pressure. She finally gave in. With the war wrapping up and our western and eastern borders in turmoil. She needed to either speak now or stay silent as Lisa’s accomplice… Finally, It’s over. Those two, or at least Lisa, are finished.” Ana smiled. Properly happy about some news. Though I could tell there was a smidge of sadness that such an act was going on under her nose. 

“We’ve arrested her. She’s been held captive at the castle dungeons. Ready for questioning and trial. Though, we can’t exactly have it be known that a council woman was participating in such an illegal affair.” Maria in a rather matter of fact way spoke out. She seemed a lot more friendly towards humans from the last time I talked to her. Also having some animosity towards another giantess wasn’t something I was expecting. 

“Egulba is the city of trade and commerce. A fierce market. We’d outlawed such things and yet the market still chose to sell things as it’d see fit. Makes you realize, businesses aren’t selling for the best of us ever, are they?” Ana calmed down a little as she spoke. Offering some insight on her thoughts. “When they want coin, and are surrounded by other furious competitors. People, markets, companies. Everyone’s driven to do the fastest, cheapest option. Ethics and quality become a luxury. Unless we change the attitudes of almost everyone, such products won’t ever disappear.” 

“Is that your goal? If I may be so presumptuous to ask?” Maria voiced. Smiling. 

She smiled. Ana did not answer directly. Instead she presented me with her open palms towards her. Only then speaking afterwards. 

“ How can it ever be okay… to deprive people like this brave little man the chance to live with their own rights on our soil, when they haven't done anything wrong?” 

“…” 

Maria stared. 

“I suppose. Maybe there is some merit to you after all. Truly, I didn’t expect you to return in a month's time.” She spoke directly to me. “I apologize. Your majesty, on behalf of the giantesses of this land. I’m sorry for doubting your bravery.” 

I wasn’t expecting it. I really wasn’t. However, just for a brief moment. I felt a sense of wateriness in my eyes. 

It was recognition. It was acknowledgment. It was satisfying. 

I couldn’t recall the last time I’d felt something so special. Maybe the first couple days I’d met Ana? 

Right as I was lost in thought. My wife began speaking. Her colossal form took charge. As it usually does. Dwarfing my tiny human body. Though I was okay with it. I've been okay with it for a while now. If anything, I’d been missing it for the past month. 

“ I don’t know who it was off the top of my head. But someone in our lineage decided we would house our monarchy with a system of deciding who was most suited through candidates. We live in a system of change. When Leon first met us, he thought of us as beasts who ravaged the humans. I’d like to change that image. To do that, I’d want to impact on as many people as possible. Both the misguided humans of today, and the troubled giantesses of our home.” 

I couldn’t help but stare up to the sky. My sky, being Ana’s face. Her lips would part as she spoke, her expression light up as she smiled. Mesmerized was an understatement. I was enthralled to her very being. 

“… Regardless, we will await further orders from you at the castle.” Maria took it all in, but returned to a neutral expression in the end. She seemed satisfied with the response Ana gave. “Please, excuse me.” 

Maria left, disappearing into the dark ambience of the watchtower corridors. It looked as if she was simply on an errand, as otherwise it would be normal to accompany us to the castle. Though, she was a librarian and not a guard so maybe it just wasn’t in her job description. 

“Well, now we have doubly so reason to visit the dungeons.” Ana cut the silence in the air. 

“Wait. Another thing, I need to go see the alchemist in charge.” I interrupted, as I suddenly remembered one more thing Byrul told me. 

“ The alchemist? I’m afraid they’re rather busy at the moment. The lady is positioned at an outpost near the western border, ensuring enchantments for humans are all up to date.” She replied. 

“Then… Is there anyone else that is familiar with the processes of alchemy?” 

“... Well, there is Sarina. You remember her? The lady that taught you magic.” 

“ Sarina!” I sighed in a way that really showed how annoyed I was at that information. “ It can’t be helped. I have an important order to give her.” 

“Which is?” Ana prompted. 

“Marvialasia is gonna make aromatic explosions that will put everyone in their nearby blast radius to sleep. They aren’t going to risk fighting us when we've learnt some degree of magic. They plan to use their natural herbs and medicines to their advantage.” I urgently voiced. I was completely out of my element talking about the intricacies of alchemy, or niche skills apart from that class of work. I was somewhat familiar with enchantments, somewhat familiar with some other things involving mana and magic. However, on this topic I could only regurgitate back what was told to me by Byrul.

“What fools.” Ana scoffed. “Thanks for the information, but they’re picking against the wrong people for this kind of stuff.” She declared proudly. 

“Huh?!”

“ Still, this needs to be mentioned to Sarina asap. We’ll go to her first, and then we’ll see what she can do. I’m guessing this Byrul fellow asked to make some sort of Insomniac aromatic compound right?”

I simply nodded. 

“ Right. Well chances are she won’t listen to you, so I’ll explain it.” Ana started getting ready to move. However, she stood still for a moment. Leaving me confused. She had just moved me to her shoulder, and had begun undressing her top. “It’s time you went back to your home too.”

“M-My home?” I started freaking out a little when she said that, it could be interpreted in many ways. “Where-”

Suddenly, in a flash. In an instant. As if a hundred things just happened at once, too fast for me to rationalize. I was flung and falling. 

“My bra, sweetie. It’s been too long. You deserve some rest.” 

The soft, comforting fabric welcomed me back. The sweaty aroma of her titanic tit was soon to engulf me in place.  Her nipple, if it were to come crashing down, would be pinned right to my being. 

I couldn’t even say a word, that was just how much in awe I was. I was left with a few moments of safety as Ana purposely was holding her bra cup right next to her breast. She was watching my every move, my every facial expression that I’d make. 

‘She must have loosened her bra…’ I realized. ‘Is she… Waiting for my approval?’

She had the power to do as she pleased. She had the size to do as she’d liked. She possessed the authority to act as she’d want. However, even then. It was the small things Ana would do that had me coming back, to be utterly infatuated with her person.

I simply nodded. 

**Tighten**

I could tell Ana tied up her bra behind her back. The cloth, that was slightly loose and giving me just a tinge of freedom, was now completely covered by the outer layer of Ana’s clothing. The bra itself hastened, it compacted in. Slamming me to a face full of her boob. 

I’d given permission for this to occur. However, I’d also forgotten what it was like. I must have. The sheer pressure of being bound, held up across the flesh with so much power that it's impossible to move at all. 

‘Shit… The enchantment’s acting up again. Haha’

The one that turned pain into pleasure was what I presumed. While the feeling I’d gotten wasn’t quite pain, it certainly wasn’t comfortable. At least not naturally so. As such, it must have been taking effect.

The weight of her breast, shaking as she took each step. My world would move in response. Rotating and bouncing every two to three seconds slightly. 

I didn’t need to breathe. That was covered by the enchantments. I didn't need to worry, that was covered by the love I had for this woman. Everything was in some sort of bliss.

I was tucked away. Hidden from the world. No one could see me, no one could tell I was here. As a mere human, this was my fate. As a pathetic creature of my size, being relegated to a toy by my wife was my fate. A fate I willingly accepted and adorned. 

Why?

It was comforting. It was safe. It was acceptable. There were numerous reasons. The single biggest one though?

This was my home. 

That was what I’d come to accept. 

An exile from Vascar, sent away to Marvialasia, returning to Ranate.

In reality, being bound prisoner to Ana’s being was enough for me. As my eyes closed, my consciousness drifted away. 

Her heart beat rhythmically thumped, her every step gave a sway of movement that was calming, her scent was one that removed all negative thoughts away from my head. Everything was replaced by her image, her form, her love. 

As such I fell asleep in an enchanted, heavenly paradise. Somewhere where the very definition of stress began to disappear from my mind.

‘To the old rulers, what did power entail?’

Ana pondered that question. She thought about it in her heart and soul.

Her nobility status was given from birth, however it wasn’t as simple as being born into power either. Giantess society dictated that power had to be earned, along with various qualifications being needed. It was far from a simple monarchy.

Yet, the kind hearted queen couldn’t separate that angst from herself. It became a question worth asking.

‘To some, power came from might. Others would say wealth, and few maybe reputation or resources. If everyone’s interpretation of power was different, how could there be such a visible sign of what a powerful country was, along with what a weak country looked like?’

The giantesses of Ranate were powerful by birth. Their land, maybe lacking in some resources, still had plenty to go around for the needs of the general populace. Not to mention, from pillaging and plundering with their might in the past, the country was rather rich.

However, Ana scorned that last fact. She disliked it somewhat. 

‘Is the fate of the weak to forever be condemned? To have their wants squashed and their needs plundered?’

She thought about Leon, like she normally did. About the miniature man tucked away in her violet bra cup. The man squirmed, yet could do nothing in retaliation. Every step Ana took may have been like an earthquake to him, as he was bouncing around with her breast.  

She found his size quite adorable. It was a rather natural thing for many giantesses of the modern era to think about. Gone was the attitude of constant cruelty and unfairness, instead it was replaced with teasing and loving domination. The concept of getting hurt was padded away with enchantments. It was the safety mechanism needed to finally give the giantesses a different perspective on humans. 

Ana wanted to protect him. To simply hide him away from the troubles of the world. To shackle his being to hers, to forever have him be available at her every whim. It was a selfish desire, Ana herself knew that. Which is why she would always restrain herself. 

There was a fine line that separated that love from selfish lust. One was more aligned to the state of the country now, and the other reminded Ana of the past. Of Ranate during a different era. 

‘The people who proliferated such archaic ideas… Some of them still remain today.’

Lisa Stonehall was the one who came to mind. The ex-warrior giantess of the past who still sat proudly in the council of today. Her wants and ideals were reminders of the Jade era of administration. A time period both Ana and her mother both disliked. If anything, it was a time period most giantesses now looked back on with a sense of disgust.

Which is why Ana couldn’t help but be grateful to Rheas. Who she had bumped into. 

“Thanks, Rheas. Thank you for the intel and for listening to the needs of the country.” Ana shook her hand, however Rheas was in a depressed gaze. It didn’t seem like she was too happy with her decision. This all had arisen from the pressure Ana put on her a little while back.

“...Yeah.” Was her only response. She stood in a daze. Same floor as where Lisa was, however she was outside the cell room and in the guard’s office instead. Ana had requested her to be there at some point so she could thank her. 

However, Ana had also noticed that Rheas wasn’t exactly too happy either. So she pulled her in a little closer and whispered in her ear.

“You know this was the best outcome. Deep down inside I know you think that. Why be dragged down with Lisa? I know you as someone better than that.” She quietly whispered. Perhaps it was a little manipulative. However, Ana knew this was needed. 

Lisa had slowly changed Rheas over the years. Lining her beliefs to be closer and closer to the corrupt woman rather than having her own. For years those beliefs went unchallenged. However, only when Ana put the slightest bit of pressure back did it shake up Rheas’ ideals.

The queen of Ranate had effectively threatened to eventually put the two of them in jail together, or to have Rheas sell out Lisa as to protect herself. 

‘Obviously, Rheas Goldstone protected herself. Her family name is rather important in reputation, no one would forgive her if she tarnished it.’

Rheas couldn’t help but give a sick, off handed look to Ana who put her in this position. However, the lady at the top of the social hierarchy, Ana Darlington-Bliss could only smile. One that was neither innocent nor devious. It simply gave out a message. One that spelt out-

‘Do not taint our country with your archaic ideals. Do not taint my love with your hate.'

It was a terrifying gaze. Ana had always planned to subdue Rheas and Lisa in the council. She needed them gone and replaced for her to enact her ideals. However, the moment they brought Leon into the equation, Ana was merciless towards them in the game of politics. 

**Creek**

The wooden, dungeon door opened. It was the door that separated the guard’s office to the cells of that floor. Ana had opened it as she walked into the giantess area. Obviously being a section dedicated to prosecuting giantesses. 

Many were here. The simple footsteps of her being caused many cellmates to give her the side eye. The reason? It was simple. Ana herself was the reason many of these people were stuck, rotting away in their cells. 

This specific floor was dedicated not only to giantesses, but giantesses that had offended Ana as a political opponent and simply wouldn’t quit upsetting her. Many people here broke rules and regulations surrounding the humanization of humans in Ranate society.  Methods to rehabilitate them were also unsuccessful, so they were all placed here while the council plotted around what to do with them. 

As such, they also had the worst cell floor. Only a single window too per cell, that was too thin to allow any giantess to cross through. Bars, made with reinforced strong steel separated freedom from prison. As for their toiletries and such, well, Ana preferred not to get into that here. 

“Let us out… Please let us out…” Voices murmuring could be heard. Enough to pull only the weakest heart strings on Ana. However, the words that came after would remove all such feelings. “Please… the humans in Rhasba Village. They’re my prey… They’re my-”

Such a display was disheartening to see at the very least.

‘Sure, it’s obvious that stuffing people in a shitty cell isn’t going to change their attitude. But seeing it upfront is still…’

Ana knew it was pointless to say that jail time alone would change people. After all, these people were jailed for punishment, rather than rehabilitation. Such a difference in intention would change the outcome and purpose of the jailing. It most certainly wouldn’t make the average inmate into a better person. At least not like how it currently was. 

‘Sadly… You can’t rehabilitate everyone either. So you end up with this dilemma.’

She sighed. Putting one foot in front of the other, she kept moving forward until finally-

“Oh… It’s you.” A soft, undirected voice called out.