Hiram sat on the grassy hill and watched the grey clouds over the calm seas. Winter was rolling in. While the days were still pleasant the nights were already growing cold. Sheep grazed peacefully on his family’s land, land they’d held since the first human settlers had arrived here hundreds of years ago, or so the stories went. Nothing had really changed here since then, and Hiram was certain his grandfather, his grandfather, and HIS grandfather had all sat in the same spot he was sitting in now, doing the same thing.

Kolstadt, the nearest town, was much like his family’s farm. The kingdom’s most northerly settlement didn’t even have a proper feudal overlord, instead choosing a mayor from the wealthier fur traders. Hiram didn’t go into town much, there was little the farm needed they couldn’t make, find, or catch on their own. Town was dull anyway, the most interesting thing that came out of there was the shouting matches his father got into with traders who were caught poaching on the property.

He wasn’t satisfied with this life, his father had always accused him of spending too much time reading of adventures and far off places. He’d been told that all young men had such thoughts, that he’d grow out of them like an old pair of pants. Still, he’d fantasized about simply packing his things and leaving one day, maybe joining up with a merchant caravan as a guard, learning to fight, seeing cities, REAL cities, exotic girls…

Hiram never had the opportunity, his father had twisted his leg chasing a fleeing sheep and illness had settled in his lungs during the recovery. Now a year later his father was still bedbound for much of the day, leaving him to direct his brothers and sisters in the farmwork. Supposedly there was elvish medicine that could fix such ailments, but it wasn’t something that was found often in a place like Kolstadt. Even if it was his family would never be able to afford anything like that anyway.

He allowed himself to stew in self-pity for a moment before standing up again. He had a hefty wooden spear and a bow over his back which he shifted as he moved. They were for wolves, but sometimes he liked to pretend a boulder or a tree was an orc or highwayman when he practiced.

He blinked as he thought he saw something unusual out at sea. Peering over the waves he tried to hone in on the source of rogue movement.

“A ship?” he muttered, making out a sail. Ships rarely came this far north, nothing near Kolstadt was profitable enough to justify the expense, and they’d never come this late in the year when balmy days could give way to blizzards with little warning.


As it got closer he could see it WAS a ship, and more than that it was headed right towards the jagged rocks that made up the shoreline. He spared a glance at the sheep and the dutiful pair of dogs panting and watching them a few dozen feet away. He decided to go down to the beach himself for a closer look.

By the time he got there the ship was almost to the shoreline. He gasped as he realized the sheer size of the thing. It had to be at least four hundred feet from bow to stern, with a sail that loomed over the rocks as the wind drove it to ground with a rough scraping sound.

Unconsciously he gripped the spear and bent his knees slightly, who could send such a ship like this here? Could it be an invasion? But from where? There was nothing to the north but ice and stormy seas. The ship itself looked as though it had sailed through hell. The sail which he’d found so impressive from far away was torn nearly to ribbons, and there were deep gouges torn out of the wood on the side of the vessel. Some of the damage seemed to extend below the waterline and while he was no sailor Hiram thought the ship had been lucky enough to make landfall at all. The only part that seemed untouched was the ornately carved dragon’s head that adorned the front of the ship, he wondered who could afford such a novelty, the carving was easily as big as a cottage.

“Hello?” He shouted as he walked closer. The only answer was the waves against the hull and he wondered if the sailors had abandoned ship… or perhaps were dead?

There was a groan of wood and he heard what sounded like heavy footsteps. There was a final creak as an enormous armored figure stood up and gently leapt out of the ship, causing an immense splash that echoed in small waves on the shore where he was.

“Gods above,” he swore as he saw the figure in full.

It was covered in armor, a face hidden behind a cruel carved snarling visage, with a pair of enormous horns stretching to the sky. In one hand it hefted a shield as large as one of his mother’s potato patches, in it’s other an axe that was probably as tall as his family’s barn.

He fell back into the coarse black sand as the figure took a step, ignoring the rough white waves that only came up to it’s ankles. The black empty eyeholes in the terrifying mask angled down and he knew instantly that he’d been spotted. Leaving his spear in the sand he sprinted back up the hills before it could reach the shore and follow him.

…

“It’s down on the shore!” Hiram shouted back to the assembled men, he’d run as quick as he could into town and told his tale to the Mayor. It had fortunately been a slow day for the fur-merchant and so, for entertainment if nothing else, he’d assembled a dozen men and followed the boy out past his family’s home towards the shoreline.

“I suppose your father won’t be joining us?” The mayor, a corpulent man with a thin mustache, asked in an amused tone.

“H-he’s sick,” Hiram said, trying to keep his wits about him.

“Sick with the brandy, the beer, or the whisky?” One of the mayor’s men chortled.

Hiram’s face burned and he fought the urge to shout an obscenity at them. The Mayor was one of those traders his father quarreled with now and again, and had evidently been spreading ill rumors about the “real” cause of his father’s absence from farmwork.

He led the party down to the shore and breathed a sigh of relief when the enormous shipwreck was still there. For a time he’d worried he’d somehow imagined it and was about to make himself the fool, but that meant the giant was real too…

The mayor evidently had similar thoughts, and with a gesture the men unslung weapons. Whatever conversations they’d been having went quiet as they nocked arrows or hefted spears. The mayor, fat though he was, drew one of maybe half a dozen swords in the town and took the lead from him.

“Boy,” the fat man hissed, “How big did you say this giant was?”

He was answered by the sound of clanking metal and thudding as the behemoth emerged from behind a black seaside cliff and peered at the party of men. There was silence for a moment until one of the mayor’s guards near the back simply threw down his spear and ran. That sparked a panic as some men followed his example, running back in the direction of town, and others loosed arrows. The giant almost casually lifted it’s shield, and all they were rewarded with was the dull *thunk* of the arrows hitting wood. With a skillful flourish the giant twirled the axe and began walking towards them. It was then that Hiram realized how foolish this was, this was a trained killer, a GIANT trained killer, this group would have struggled to fight him had he been only a man. Against a giant? It was folly.

Whatever bravery had persisted in the group vanished as they became a panicked mob, fleeing back towards the paths back up the beach. The giant was gaining on them easily by simply walking behind them. The mayor, flush faced from the exertion, glanced back and then at Hiram. He delivered a swift kick to the boy’s shins, causing him to cry out in pain and trip.

“No hard feelings boy!” The mayor shouted as he rushed past him.

Hiram wanted to curse the cowardly man but he fell silent as the shadow fell over him. Looking up at the giant warrior he felt himself struggle to breath. With a flick of it’s wrist it hurled the enormous axe into the soil next to him, causing the ground to shake. He fought back tears as he tried to scramble to his feet but he was simply snatched up by the giant gloved hand.

It smelled of leather and sweat, he tried to fight against the enormous digits but even the figure’s smallest fingers were as thick as his legs. Soon he was pinched between a leather clad thumb and forefinger, dangling helplessly as the giant brought him up to it’s face. He heard a crash as it dropped the shield to the ground with the axe.

“Hi!” a muffled woman’s voice called from behind the snarling mask.

He blinked, it was… a girl?

Her other hand came up and pulled the horned helmet free, a cascade of strawberry blonde hair tumbled down to the figure’s neck, and a pair of bangs framed her face, darkened and dripping with sweat. She was young, probably his age, and she had bright blue eyes and a bright smile that wasn’t at all what he’d expected behind such a frightening helmet.

“Look at you!” She said excitedly, “so there are humans on this side of the sea too?”

“Y-Yes,” he stammered.

“Great! I’m Gudrun,” she said excitedly, “What’s your name?”

“Hiram,” he said slowly.

“Well Hiram you’re my thrall now!”

His brow furrowed, “What’s a thrall exactly? I’m sorry Miss… Gudrun? I’m very confused-“

“It means you’re mine!” She said excitedly, she gestured around at the barren landscape, “All of this is mine now, consider yourselves conquered!”

“W-What?” this was getting more bizarre by the minute, “You can’t just declare yourself… Queen?”

“No I’m going to be the Jarl,” she corrected him, “The queen is back there over the ocean,” she gestured with her thumb over her shoulder to the sea. She rubbed her chin a moment with her free hand, “I’ll have to figure out some way to contact her, she could send soldiers to help and I could send her-“

She turned back to the ship which was now halfway sunk, the hull resting on the bottom of the sea.

“Hmm…” She muttered, “The crossing was a bit more… difficult than I thought.”

“Where did you come from?” Hiram asked, finding a bit of courage.

“Svenia,” she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Over the sea? Where else would a giant come from?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said uncertainly, “I’ve never ahh… that is to say I think you’re the first one I’ve ever met.”

Her eyes went wide, “So it’s just humans here? On this whole continent?”

“No,” he said suddenly, “there are orcs, elves, all sorts of creatures... Nothing as big as you though.”

“No giantfolk at all,” she mused, she turned to appraise the ocean in full. “I’m probably the first one around here in over a thousand years then huh?” She reached up and pulled a strap free on her breastplate, causing it to fall to the ground. Underneath her armor she was wearing a simple white tunic that clung tightly to her buxom form. She pulled the gauntlets off one at a time, switching which hand she held him in as she did so.

“Probably won’t need armor if it’s just you smallfolk running around,” she explained. With a thud she sat down on the beach and regarded him a bit more closely, “So Hiram here’s what’s happened, everyone back home said you can’t sail north, that the polar ice was impassable, but I knew there was SOMETHING here.” She grinned, “And by the law since I’m the first giantfolk here I get to claim as much land as I can hold and I get my pick of thralls, gold, livestock, whatever else you tinies have.”

“So… you’re saying I’m your thrall? You own me?”

“Yes!” she said as she placed him down by her feet. “Don’t worry though I’ll take good care of you.” She sighed and pulled off her boots, airing her feet, “Let’s start with a nice foot rub while you tell me what kind of stuff they’ve got around here.”

He looked up at her foot, which was half again as tall as he was, did she really expect him to-

“Hey!” she snapped, “You’re a cute one but don’t think I won’t give you a spanking if you don’t get to work!”

He gulped and began doing his best, rubbing the sides with his hands as hard as he could. After a minute he started pressing harder, hoping to make her happy. Her feet had slight sweaty sheen to them and she flexed her soles and toes as he continued.

“Ah that’s nice,” Gudrun sighed with a smile, “Back home a lot of ladies have a human that just does this, maybe that’ll be your job once we get everything up and running around here?”

“Up and running?” He asked, “Miss uh, Gudrun, what are you-“

“Well I’ll probably just find your king or emperor or whoever is running things around here, knock over his castle, then tell all the smallfolk I’m in charge. That’s how we ended up on top back in Svenia. Then once it’s over I’ll start giving you humans jobs and issuing laws.”

“Jobs?” He looked up at her and with a smile she pointed to her other foot. With a sigh he walked to it and began massaging it too. “Gudrun I’m actually a shepherd and-“

“Mistress Gudrun,” she corrected disdainfully, “I’ll allow that without punishment this time. Anyways a shepherd? No Hiram you’re adorable! You’d be wasted in fields, you’re a castle human if I’ve ever seen one.” She giggled a moment, “A consort even…”

“Uhh… Thanks?” he wasn’t sure how to respond to that, was she complimenting his looks?

“Of course we’ll have to get everything settled first,” Gudrun said, “Tell me does this region have any gold mines? Silver maybe?”

“We have sheep and furs,” he said, “potatoes too.”

She frowned, “Well… it’s a start.” She stretched, “I’m exhausted from my travel across the sea Hiram, I’ll make camp for us and we’ll go chase down those other humans tomorrow and straighten them out.” She smiled down at him, “I’m glad you’re taking this all so well, the sagas say that sometimes humans get very upset over this sort of thing.”

He didn’t respond, he was wondering if he should remain with her or try to run. She didn’t seem like she wanted to hurt him… even with her talk of punishments and conquest. Still he didn’t want to accidentally lead her back to his family’s farm. He’d stay with her tonight he decided, no matter how big she was there was no way even Kolstadt would just roll over and let her take over without a fight, let alone the entire kingdom. He’d play her thrall until help came.

She gathered some large piece of driftwood while he watched on the beach. Drawing two boulder sized pieces of flint from her belt she lit the dry wood. Soon there was a roaring bonfire in front of the two of them that reached dozens of feet into the sky. Next she pulled a few strips of dried meat out of her pouch, gently she broke off a piece and handed it to him. With a thanks he took it and started eating.
Gudrun’s massive form was silhouetted against the setting sun and she sighed contentedly, watching him devour the smoked cut of beef.

She paused and thought a moment, “Hiram, do you sing or dance or anything?”

“Ah, no Mistress Gudrun,” he said, “I mostly just work.”

“Hrmmph,” she gave a disappointed sigh, “a story then?”

He shrugged, “I’ll do my best.”

He tried to tell a story from his childhood that. His father had always regaled him and his brothers and sisters with one in particular before bed. It involved a young farmer who went on a journey, hoping to put a ghost to rest. As his father had he threw his voice for the various characters, and gestured dramatically with his hands.

Gudrun giggled and clapped excitedly as he went on, “What a delightful tale!” She said, leaning down next to him, “And you tell it so well!” She sighed, “Oh I can just imagine you performing it at a feast for guests… you are DEFINITELY a castle human.” She gestured with a hand bigger than he was, “Now go on, finish it.”

He shifted in front of the dying fire uncertainly, “Mistress Gurdun it’s a story you usually tell in two parts, one each night.”

She regarded him a moment, “Very well Hiram, it is late… We’ll pick up this story another time, now come here.”

He started as she grabbed him and pulled him close, “What are you doing?” he asked in a panic, seeing her look he quickly added, “Mistress Gudrun?”

“I’m keeping you warm,” she said as she unbuttoned the top of her tunic. He yelped in surprise and embarrassment as he was shoved inside. Looking down he was red faced as he realized he was being pressed up against her ample breasts. They smelled of dried sweat, the sea air, and something floral… a soap or perfume maybe? He found himself inhaling more, trying to get a feel for whatever that smell was. Her feet had carried something similar, was this just how giants smelled? Her breasts were certainly soft though… and soon that occupied his mind.

“There, comfortable?” she asked with a smile looking down her shirt at him. He nodded weakly and she sighed happily and buttoned the shirt back up, sealing him in. “I don’t understand how you humans survive without giantfolk to take care of you… just thinking about you out in this cold all alone upsets me.” She shifted and trapped him squarely in the space between her breasts, he had to admit it WAS warm… and comfortable.

He fell asleep quickly, dreaming of far-off places and exotic women… exotic and enormous women. The sunlight poking through the fabric of her tunic woke him up, and from her grumbling and yawning it sounded like Gudrun was awake too.

He heard buttons unsnapping and a hand groggily reached in and fished around, searching for him. The fingers curled around him and lifted him out of the shirt. He blinked in the morning sun as Gudrun gently placed him on the ground.

“Sleep well?” She asked pleasantly as she began putting her armor on.

“Yes Mistress Gudrun,” he said, watching her buckle the breastplate back on.

“Good, I’ve taken a liking to you Hiram. Once we’re in town I want you to help me get things organized, it’s hard to find a human like you who talks to a giant easily and I think it’ll be easier if you explain things.”

As she slid the gigantic axe into a loop on her belt he began to feel uneasy. “Mistress Gudrun,” he said delicately, “Is there umm… any way I could convince you not to do this?”

“Do what?” She asked, absently sliding her gauntlets back on.

“Attacking the town?” He said uneasily, “Trying to conquer… well the whole kingdom I guess?”

She paused and glared at him, he saw several emotions flash over her face. “Hiram those other men abandoned you to me, you don’t owe them anything. Haven’t I been kind to you? Do you worry I would be a cruel ruler?”

“No,” he said, in truth he’d actually been enjoying his time with her so far in a twisted way. “I think you’re… well you seem warmhearted, but if you do what you say you’re going to do you’re going to hurt and kill a lot of people.” He gulped as her expression darkened, “I… I don’t want to see you get hurt either.”

She stared down at him for a minute and then looked at the wrecked ship on the shore. It no longer had the buoyancy to bob with the waves and the wind and torn even more of the sail away.

“I can’t go back across the northern sea,” she said quietly, “just doing it once nearly killed me.” She hefted her shield, “This is the way of my people, Giantfolk discover new lands, conquer them, and then civilize and care for the smallfolk.”

She gave him a soft smile, “You truly have a noble heart Hiram, to worry about your fellow humans… and myself.” She sighed and hefted her shield, “I don’t expect much bloodshed today, none if we’re lucky. I’ll knock down a few walls, knock over a few warriors with my boot, and then when they realize how hopeless it is they’ll give up.”

He was quiet for a minute as she finished suiting up her armor. She had a grin suddenly and she picked him up again.

“I have an idea!” she said suddenly, lowering her helmet to the ground. She opened a small steel hatch on the cheek revealing a set of tiny steps and a door. “Look you can ride in there and see everything!” Seeing his confused expression she gestured him closer, “A lot of giantfolk equipment has places for humans to ride in,” she explained, “I mean… normally you should take a crossbow or something into battle but like I said I don’t think this will be much of a fight.”

Her hand came up behind him and gently pushed him towards the opening in the helmet. Not sure what else to do or what choice he had he ascended the steps and soon found himself in a compartment. The door came up behind him and he heard a series of clicks as she sealed it shut again. It was a circular chamber, not much larger than a shed, on one side was what looked like a seat with leather straps he guessed were for arms, and across from it a slitted window let him see out.

His world shook as she picked up the helmet and placed it on her head. Struggling to keep on his feet Hiram peered out the window, and was rewarded with a view of the countryside.

“Beautiful,” he muttered to himself, he’d never seen it from this high up. The rolling hills going into the distance were stunning, but his heart sank as her head, and his view, turned in the direction of Kolstadt, just barely visible even at this height.

“Comfy in there?” she asked him. The world began to shake as she took one step, then another, towards town. He wobbled and struggled to stay upright, eventually giving in and sitting in the provided chair. After awhile she slowed and he stood up to peer out again.

She was standing maybe a few hundred yards from the outskirts of town now. Kolstadt wasn’t a large settlement, but from up here it looked even smaller. Hiram scanned the streets and realized they were packed with debris, furniture, boulders, it seemed as though an attempt had been made to fortify it. Men peered up at Gudrun fearfully, gripping spears, swords, even a few pitchforks. He spotted the mayor suddenly with his guards wheeling something in their direction.

“To all humans!” Gudrun thundered, “I am your new lord and master! Submit and there will be no violence!”

Hiram’s heart skipped a beat as he realized the mayor and his guards were preparing a cannon! Where had they even gotten one? The new weapons had been demonstrated for them by a pair of army recruiters years ago, and the destructive power had awed the townsfolk. War, so the soldiers had said, was moving away from swords and sorcery. With little war, swords, or sorcery happening in that part of the world Hiram had forgotten about cannons, until now.

He ran to the side of the chamber closest to Gudrun’s cheek and pounded it in a panic, “Gudrun!” he shouted, forgoing the “mistress” title, “You’ve got to get back!”

He felt her head tilt ever so slightly, “Hiram,” she said quietly, “You’re worried over nothing, if those men down there are preparing a spell Giantfolk are immune to magic.”

“It’s not a spell!” he shouted, trying to get through to her, “it’s…” he wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, there was a powder involved right? “Gudrun it’s a powerful weapon, it’ll go right through your armor!”

“That’s impossible,” he could hear the confusion in her voice.

There conversation was cut short by a deep *boom* and he heard the scream of something flying through the air. There was the sharp sound of impact and his vision went blurry as his world rocked, his ears were filled with Gudrun’s cries of pain. Outside a cheer went up from the crowd.

He stumbled to the small window built into the helmet’s cheek and gazed out. Gudrun was shakily trying to raise her shield, a moment later another cannonball smacked into it and there was a shower of splinters that reached even up to where he was.

“Just run!” he shouted to her, “Turn around and RUN! They can’t chase you with a cannon!” he was shouting himself hoarse. A third cannonball struck the shield, from the second cry of pain he guessed it must have hit her arm too.

The world spun as Gudrun turned and began walking, no- limping, away. The jeers from the townspeople grew louder, the only other sound Hiram could hear was a gentle sob from Gudrun on the other side of the helmet.

As they got further away from town he began to get nervous. He wasn’t sure how far she’d gone, or if she even had a destination in mind. She was swaying slightly, he wondered how bad her wounds were… and if he would survive in this compartment if she fell over. He glanced at the chair and the straps, surely whatever humans lived with these giants had accounted for something like this?

“Gudrun,” he said, with a sigh, “Mistress? A-are you okay?”

“No!” she whimpered angrily, “W-what kind of weapon was that? Do all humans here have them?”

“Well,” he began slowly, he wasn’t quite sure himself, “I know the army has them but they’re still somewhat rare. I was surprised they had one.”

She was quiet a moment, then his world shook again as she lifted the helmet off her head. He felt the momentum as she lowered it to the ground, and a moment later he heard a click as the compartment he was in was opened.

Gingerly he stepped outside and tried not to gasp. They were at the border of an old growth forest, the tall trees were the only things nearby which could rival Gudrun’s height. The giantess was laid out against a large hillside, panting and holding a hand to her left arm. Blood seeped from between her fingers, another wound bled on her leg.

“H-Hiram,” she breathed weakly, “I think…” she gave a pained smile, “I don’t’ think I’ll have a castle to keep you in. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, wondering what else there was to do.

“I think…” she muttered, looking over the landscape, “I’m going into these woods to hide, there’s no other place I can. Perhaps when I’ve recovered I’ll come and find you and we can determine what to do next, maybe come up with a plan to stop these cannons.”

Come and find him? Stop the cannons? Did she STILL think she owned him? That she’d be conquering anything? He scowled slightly.

“Well,” he said finally, “I’m going home. Try to take care of yourself Gudrun.”

“Mistress,” she muttered weakly, “Mistress Gudrun.”

He didn’t respond as he began the long trek back. He fought the urge to look behind him and see if she was pursuing, or even getting up.

“H-Hiram-“ she called once he’d walked far enough that she realized he was serious, “You should… I hope you will…” she faltered, it was clear she wasn’t sure exactly WHAT she’d wanted to say. He ignored her and continued on.

…

Hiram sat on the same hillside where only a few days before he’d seen Gudrun’s boat appear over the horizon. After the excitement things had mostly returned to normal. The Mayor and his cronies had made another trip out to the farm and had been surprised to find him alive. He’d been congratulated and hailed as a hero for “distracting” the giantess while the rest of the men had escaped.

“Now lad,” the mayor had said with a smile when they were alone, “I understand it’s difficult to remember such a harrowing event but-“

“You kicked me and left me to die,” he said simply.

“Well yes,” the mayor admitted, “but it all turned out okay in the end didn’t it?”

He thought of Gudrun, bleeding on the hillside.

“I suppose,” he muttered.

“Well I was thinking,” the mayor had continued, “Why not simply put a more… heroic spin on those events? For the both of us?” The mayor seemed to wither under his cold stare, “I’ve acquired some of that medicine your father needs, if it could… smooth things over I’d be happy to part with it.” The fat man produced a small red bottle that almost seemed to glow.

Hiram had agreed of course, pride wouldn’t fill bellies or fix things around the house. He gave a small smile as he saw his father walking up to join him, leaning on a walking stick.

“You should be resting,” he called.

“I’ve rested enough,” his father waved dismissively, “that elvish stuff is already working wonders, I feel ten years younger.” The older man sat on a rock next to him, glancing out at the sheep, “You’ve done well while I’ve been… recovering.”

He nodded in thanks, glancing again at the sea. His thoughts turned again to Gudrun, he wondered if she was still alive. The thought of her succumbing to her wounds in the woods alone like that… he hoped she’d recovered. Maybe she was fine now?

“So the girl,” His father said, guessing his thoughts, “The err… big one. They said she kept you a captive overnight?”

“She did,” he admitted.

“They say she was ugly,” his father continued, “terrifying to look at, a real ogress-“

“What?” He exclaimed, had the townspeople thought her mask was her face? “She wasn’t ugly at all, she was…” He didn’t want to say she was beautiful in front of his father, and he didn’t want to say exactly how much of her he’d ended up seeing… and touching.

“Pretty then,” his father growled with a grin. “Gods above I wish I hadn’t been in bed.”

“Pretty yes,” Hiram admitted. “Beautiful even…”

He decided to tell his father everything, his first encounter with Gudrun, their night camping on the beach, her plans to keep him as a thrall. As he went on his father nodded, stroking his chin in thought.
 
“You know Hiram,” his father said when he was finished, “I always worried you’d run off chasing adventure, I never would’ve thought it would come to you…” He sighed, “There’s a bit of tragedy to the whole thing now isn’t there? She doesn’t sound so bad, just another young fool in over her head.”

“She came here to conquer us father,” Hiram said, “she was talking about giving us all jobs, I was supposed to be some kind of entertainment for her.”

His father chuckled, “Hiram, if another girl starts complimenting your looks and asking you to dance and sing for her… try not to get her shot with a cannonball.”

“I do wish there was another way it could’ve ended,” Hiram admitted. “I don’t know what I could have done though.”

“It was out of your hands,” His father said reassuringly, “you were literally being carried around in hers… But I think that maybe you could still change how this all plays out.”

He glanced at his father who gave him a wry smile, “I’m going to go back to the house and have your siblings load up our wagon for market.” He rubbed his chin, “All of the meat and potatoes we can spare, some of the spare linens, a barrel of strong mead maybe… then I want you to take the wagon and look for a buyer.”

“In town maybe?” He asked, not fully certain he grasped his father’s intent.

“No,” his father laughed, “I think you know someone who could use that stuff more than anyone in town… but you’re a man grown now, the decision is yours.” With that his father stood up and walked back towards the family home.

…

Hiram held the reigns of the draft horse steady as he drove the wagon towards the old growth forest. The wagon creaked and rocked steadily as he approached the treeline. Bringing the horse to a stop he stepped out and blanched when he saw a pair of rusty brown stains in the earth larger than his entire body.

“Gudrun?” He called cautiously. “It’s Hiram!” He leapt out of the wagon and began following the puddle sized drops of congealed blood into the forest. Not twenty yards in there was a clearing. Gudrun’s enormous form was sprawled on the ground, her armor and weapons discarded on the far side. He swore as he ran to her, and when he put a hand to her enormous cheek he sighed with relief as he felt a heartbeat beneath the clammy pale skin. She didn’t respond, simply breathing shallowly with her eyes closed.

Over the next few hours he unloaded his wagon. Looking at the woods and then back to the supplies he realized he would be here for some time. He unharnessed the draft horse to let it wander back home. He began the task of hefting things through the woods into the clearing. He was already exhausted by the time he was done, but with a sigh he grasped a bedsheet and pulled himself up on top of her ankle. Walking the length of her leg up her thigh he spread the sheet over her wound in a makeshift bandage, using a knife at his belt to cut away her bloodied clothes as needed. He repeated the process on the second wound on her shoulder.

Finally, with the sun beginning to set he hefted a barrel over his shoulder, the sloshing mead making it difficult to stay balanced. He forced himself up over her ankle again and walked up her torso. He found it hard not to stop and admire the view as he walked between the mounds of her breasts, even with her shirt on they towered over him. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

When he got to her neck he paused, he’d intended to get the barrel up to her lips and force her to drink something, but the cliff of her chin was too high to scale while carrying a barrel. He stood on her breastbone thinking it over when she moaned and began to shift. He struggled to keep his bearings but tumbled as she turned on her side.

He bounced off her breast on his way to the ground. As he got up and groaned, he was happy to see that at least the barrel was intact. Gingerly he walked over to her now accessible lips, opening the lid slightly he began to pour the mead into the slight gap between her lips.

“Hmmm…” she groaned, her tongue began to move and she licked her lips suddenly. Almost dreamily she opened her eyes and looked down at him.

“Hiram!” she said softly, “You’ve brought me some mead, you’re such a good thrall.” Her hand shakily came around and grabbed the barrel from him, pouring the rest down her throat. She let the empty barrel fall next to him.

“Gudrun!” he said excitedly, “I’m glad you’re awake, I’ve bandaged your wounds as best I could and-“

“It’s so drafty in here,” she muttered, blinking slowly, “tomorrow I’m telling the huscarls to leave the fire going a bit later…”

He blinked, was she hallucinating? She hadn’t felt feverish when he’d checked for a pulse.

“Hiram come here, I’m sleepy,” she muttered with a smile. She reached for him and before he could even think of fleeing he was wrapped in her strong fingers and pulled close to her face. “Hiram…” she muttered, “what in the name of the gods are you wearing? You know I don’t like you in clothes when we’re alone.”

“Wait what-“ he started but her fingers opened again and soon her free hand had come down and was pinching and pulling at his shirt. He tried to fight them off but was only rewarded with a tearing sound as she easily stripped it off him. With a sigh he let her grab his pants, easily pulling them off as well.

“Much better,” she mumbled as she tucked him next to her cheek. Her breathing slowed again as she fell asleep.

Naked and coiled in a giant woman’s, fist Hiram slumped and thought over his options. He was exhausted from dressing her wounds and trying to feed her, and the sun was going down anyways. Sleep didn’t sound so bad. While her hand wasn’t quite as comfortable as her chest it was still definitely warm, and he WAS naked… he glanced up at her sleeping face where a smile had formed. What dream or fantasy had she concocted for herself where she kept him without clothes? He caught a whiff of the familiar floral scent as he lost himself to sleep.

…

“Hiram?” Gudrun’s confused voice called.

He blinked as the sunlight shined down through the trees. Gudrun was still holding him in her hand. She was leaned up slightly against an outcropping of rocks and seemed groggy. She smiled when he met her eyes.

“I can’t believe you came back!” she said excitedly. She looked down at the makeshift bandages and the pile of food, “Did you… clean my wounds for me?” She asked, starting to gain her bearings.

“I did,” he said uncomfortably aware of the contact of his skin against her palm, “please eat something!”

She reached over and plucked a whole cured ham out of his pile of supplies, with a smile she popped it into her mouth as easily as he might a peanut. She chewed a moment and then swallowed before turning back to him.

“Ah that’s good,” she muttered, reaching for series of sausage links.

“Uh… I’m glad you liked it,” he said, he wondered how long the pile of food would last… it suddenly looked very small.

Seeing his expression she laughed, “Don’t worry Hiram, we giantfolk eat much more than you humans do but not quite so much as you would expect… this should last us a few days at least.”

She regarded him curiously as she wolfed down more of the food, “You’ve done very well Hiram,” she said approvingly. “Once I’ve recovered my strength we’ll figure out a new plan of attack, when we take the city you’ll be handsomely rewarded!”

“Gudrun,” he said with a sigh.

“Mistress Gudrun,” she corrected.

“No,” he said firmly, “It’s just Gudrun. No more of this Mistress stuff.”

Her face darkened, “Hiram,” she said in a hushed tone, “You’re a thrall and-“

“No I’m not,” he said defiantly. “You have to conquer a place to have thralls.”

“I AM going to conquer it!” she snarled, he was squeezed tight suddenly and he worried she’d crush him to pulp. Seeing his pained expression she scowled, but loosened her grip.

“No,” he said, breathing in a bit, “I think you’re licked Gudrun. I think if a town like Kolstadt can send you running with a single cannon you haven’t a chance at all of subduing the kingdom.” Seeing doubt creep into her face he continued, “There’s nobody coming from over the sea for you, and you can’t go back. I think you’re stuck here. You’re alone, wounded, and you don’t have any other options or plans.”

She blinked and he saw a tear go down her face, he wondered if he’d been to harsh and suddenly she started bawling. It was an ugly cry, being beaten over the head with things she had to have been thinking herself, and by someone small enough to hold in her hand no less, had broken her resolve.

He tried to say something about how it would be all right but he found himself brought up to her face as she wept. Still imprisoned in her hand it didn’t take long for the tears and her runny nose to soak him. He grumbled to himself as he waited for her to recover. When she finally paused in between sobs she looked down at his now disheveled form.

“S-sorry,” she muttered with one final sniff. “Why did you come back here then?” She almost wailed again, “Oh gods what am I going to do!?”

“I came back because I didn’t think it was right to let you succumb out here on your own,” he said, “As for what now…” he tried to give her an optimistic grin, “I’m sure we’ll think of something. Here put me down so I can try to change those bandages.”

She lowered him to the ground and giggled as her hand pulled away, “Hiram why are you naked?”

He quickly ran over to his pants, laying where she’d tossed them the night before, “Do you not remember?” he asked.

Her eyes went wide, “Oh ummm… I’m sorry. I was out of sorts, I didn’t think it was real…”

He decided to leave the question of why she was dreaming about disrobing him in the first place for another time. He’d only packed one spare shirt, as he put it on he wondered if it would last.

The day passed slowly, mostly he changed her bandages and tried to clean her wounds as best he could. She was too weak to move much, but color was coming back into her cheeks. That night he gathered as much wood as he was able to move and tried to set an appropriate sized fire for her. It was still far smaller than the roaring blaze she’d so casually lit for them on the beach a few days ago, and their somber attitudes reflected it.

“Hiram,” she said quietly as the stars began to blink awake above them, “Could you… finish that story? The one from my first night here.”

He looked up at her, “If you want me to, but I’m not sure where we were.”

“The part with the wolf,” she said, “It was caught in a trap and the farmer went to feed it, even though he worried it would devour him.”

He remembered that part of the story well, and he imitated his father’s scratchy voice for the beast as he picked up where he’d left off. The wolf was a key part of the story, for against all odds the farmer and the wolf would become friends. As the tale ended with the ghost put to rest and the farmer and the wolf retiring by the fire he looked up to see Gudrun gleefully looking down at him.

“And then what?” She asked eagerly.

“Well that’s it,” he stammered uncertainly, “I suppose the wolf lives on the farm and they stay friends?”

Gudrun crossed her arms and frowned, “It’s a fine tale, but… a wolf is a wild thing, if the farmer and the wolf are to remain friends they’ll need more adventures won’t they? He can’t spend all his days curled up by a fire!”

Hiram had never really thought about it before, it was just an old children’s story anyways, why was she so invested? He put it off as boredom. With a stretch he yawned and got up to get his bedroll from the supply pile.

“Oh no you don’t,” Gudrun giggled. Her hand stretched out and snatched him up again. “You’ll get too cold down there on the ground.” She started unbutton her shirt again. A part of him stirred, remembering how this had played out last time, but for modesty’s sake he tried to object.

“Gudrun my bedroll is perfectly warm-“

“No it isn’t,” she insisted, shoving him into the warm embrace of her breasts, “I don’t know you humans are surviving out here, the way you act about sleeping with giantfolk you should all have frozen to death by now!” The light from the fire and the stars above was blocked out as she buttoned the shirt back up, sealing him in. “Good night Hiram!” she said sweetly as she lay down on her side, crushing him between her breasts. The familiar mix of her sweat and that… was it a perfume? Washed over him. Again he tried to place it, a flower maybe? He also wondered exactly how much heat she thought a human needed before the warmth and rhythm of her heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

…

As Gudrun had assured him the food, which was enough to feed his family for a week, lasted them about three days. He dutifully changed the bandages and brought her meals, she was able to stand up to her full height again by the time the food ran out. He was honestly impressed by how quickly she was healing, if it had been him taking similar wounds he doubted he would be on his feet at all. As he returned one day with another wagon full of food he saw her upright and felling a tree with her axe. He watched in awe as the tree, nearly a hundred feet high and as thick around as a dozen men, creaked and fell to the ground.

“Well I think it’s safe to say you’ve got your strength back,” he said as she smiled down at him.

“All thanks to you!” she said as she lifted his entire wagon up. He watched nervously as she carried it into the clearing and set it down.

Her eyes lit up, “Hey Hiram!” she said eagerly, “I found a nice little hot spring in the woods, want to come see it?”

His brow furrowed, was there a hot spring in these woods?

“Of course,” he said, “should I walk or-“

She picked him up and gently placed him on her shoulder, “Try to hang on to my hair okay?” she said, handing him a silky strand.

He soon realized why nobody knew about the hot spring in question. The path she was taking was up and down several rocky cliffs a normal man would take hours to climb, when the growth got too thick she just stomped or kicked it away easily, or swiped a few limbs as thick as Hiram was out of the way with her axe.

After maybe a half hour trek for her that would take any human days at least they came into one last clearing. There, as she’d said, was a hot spring the size of a small field, steam rising from clear blue waters. She’d called it small, and perhaps it was to her, but he was amazed that something like this could exist out in these woods without anyone knowing.

“Let’s take a dip!” she said as she walked down to the shoreline. Gently she placed him down on the ground to disrobe.

“So is this is just another excuse to get me naked?” He asked jokingly.

“Hiram you silly little human,” she said sweetly, “If I want you naked I’ll just strip your clothes off.”

The casual way she said that made him suddenly nervous, as did the hungry expression in her eyes.

“No, this is more of an excuse for you to see ME naked.”

Gudrun unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt, never breaking eye contact with the tiny man standing between her boots. She started by bending down and pulling the laces on each, stepping out of them and planting her bare feet purposefully on either side of him. With a flourish she lifted her shirt and smallclothes over her head in one fluid motion and dropped them to the side.  His mouth gaped as he saw her standing shirtless before him, she smiled in approval at his reaction as her thumbs hooked her trousers and brought them down as well. The now naked goddess of a woman gently pushed her pooled pants to the side with a foot bigger than a horse.

“Well Hiram are you going to strip or were you serious about wanting me to do it for you?”

He’d never taken his clothes off so fast.

The hot spring was deep, with a sharp drop off that would have made swimming anywhere but close to the edge difficult for a human. Fortunately this let Gudrun completely submerge herself, she gave a relaxed sigh as she manipulated him close to her in the water, cupping her hand gently below him.

“Gods knew I needed to bathe,” she said happily, “the only washing I got was a bit of freezing rain when I sailed here from Svenia.” She wrinkled her nose, “It must have been miserable for tiny little you to be so close to me!”

“Not at all,” he said, still trying to take her in. “You smell fine!” He cringed as he said it, and she giggled.

“Humans do seem to have certain… predilections towards giantfolk. Still I think you might be flattering me.” She thought a minute and with a grin reached for her boot that still sat on the shore. Holding it above the water.

Seeing her intention he tried to swim away but with two fingers she plucked him up by his back leg and lifted him out of the water. He shivered as he was pulled upwards into the cool air.

“Oh no Hiram you’re shaking,” she said in a teasing voice, “Here let’s get you out of the cold.” She held him above the boot and dropped him in. He tumbled down the leather sides and landed at the worn cushioning at the bottom. The smell hit him hard, at first there was the stale sweat you’d expect in any worn footwear, but then that flowery light smell he always caught a whiff of when he was in contact with her. It was stronger here, and he realized that it wasn’t a perfume, it was just her and always had been. He felt himself growing aroused and couldn’t quite place why, he wondered what she meant by humans having certain “predilections.”

“Well how is it?” Gudrun’s giggling face appeared at the top of the boot as she tilted it slightly to get a better look at him.

He crossed his legs slightly, hoping she wouldn’t notice his excitement, “It’s um…” he was honestly at a loss for words.

She smiled and rolled her eyes as she tilted the boot again, causing him to tumble down into the water with a splash. She tossed the boot back to the shore with her other things and regarded him. Seeing his somewhat confused expression she laughed.

“Supposedly the Gods made giantfolk smell good to you humans, the story goes that the gods wanted you to be relaxed around us and do what we wanted… we always argue back home if you humans are telling the truth about that or if you’re just being nice to us. There are poems about it even.”

“Poems?” He asked, swimming closer to her again.

“Yes, romances usually, humans trying to woo us.”

He blinked a few seconds and gathered some bravery to ask a question that had been on his mind for some time now.

“Is it… unusual for a human to court a giant?”

She laughed so hard she almost snorted, “Well of course not Hiram! Who else would we… be with?” Her eyes went wide as he looked at her quizzically. “Oh I didn’t realize… Hiram there are only female giants, we NEED men from the smallfolk to ummm…” she blushed in spite of her nakedness, “propagate.”

Somehow her explaining this made the situation all the more real. This wasn’t some novelty for her, or simply her interaction with another race… he WAS a man in her eyes, at least in THAT way…

“It must be…” he gulped, treading water under her now amused gaze, “Difficult, physically I mean, for the menfolk there,” he tried to laugh nervously but couldn’t manage it.

Her smile widened, “Indeed physical prowess is a must, otherwise you couldn’t hope to satisfy a giant… Farm labor would probably be a good way to build up the needed resilience.” she lowered herself in the water a bit, submerging herself up to the neck so she was closer to his level. Despite the gesture he was keenly aware of her hands cupping in the water beneath him just a few feet down.

“You don’t need to worry though Hiram,” she said softly, “we can also be quite… gentle.”

The cupped hands came up, the water seeping through her fingertips as she pulled him out of the spring. Slowly he was brought to her face where she was pursing her lip, as though to kiss him. He held up a hand in front of himself, but as her face pressed down on his naked form he realized it was like trying to hold back an avalanche. Her pursed lips enveloped his member and she began to slightly move them back and forth. A moment later he shouted in pleasure as he came, she giggled and pulled away, making an exaggerated show of licking her lips.

He was still panting as she carried him to the shore, “G-Gudrun,” he moaned, he tried to stand up in her cupped hands but the surface was wet and he was still jelly-legged.

“Don’t move,” she said softly, “plenty of time for that in a minute. As she stood on the shore she lowered him in one hand down past her breasts, then her hips, finally he stood face to face with her womanhood. Gently she opened it with her free hand and he felt himself being pushed towards the opening.

He gasped as he was pushed inside, the wet folds enveloped him and he felt himself being aligned by her hand until with a final push it left him and he was within her. At first he held his breath, but as his lungs burned and he opened his mouth he realized that, somehow, despite everything, he was breathing fine. Or he was, until a sudden contraction nearly knocked the wind out of him.

Somewhere he heard Gudrun moaning in pleasure, and his world began to rock. No matter where he pushed against her it seemed as though she molded around him. Each thrash caused her to cry out again in pleasure. The walls massaged him gently, and he was erect again before he realized what was going on.

Deciding to make the best of this he began to move his body in what he hoped was a pleasant rhythm. The wetness around him increased and he felt his body sliding deeper within her as the thumping of her heartbeat picked up. He gasped as it was working for him too, it was as if her womanhood, seemingly eager to close around him, had found what to do to please him.

Finally, this built to a crescendo and he felt his body stiffen as he shouted in pleasure at the same time as Gudrun did. The world went bright for a moment and then it felt as though his strength left him. The walls of her womanhood squeezed him one final time before he felt a pair of oversized fingers grasp his ankle and pull him free. He slid out with a wet sound and dangled, half conscious, in front of Gudrun’s beaming face.

“A good start!” she said.

“S-Start!?” he exclaimed.

…

When she’d finished with him she’d gently washed him off in the hot spring before laying him next to her to dry. The air was chilly, but not so bad that he couldn’t stand it, and he lay on the grass utterly exhausted.

Gudrun was humming softly to herself, practically glowing as she put her clothes back on. He was completely drained to the point where he wondered if he could move, she was practically skipping and overflowing with energy.

“Shhh,” she said sweetly as he tried to sit up, “Don’t try to move too much, you already did more than enough.” She finished dressing and looked down at his still naked form, seemingly pleased by how out of sorts he still was. “Don’t worry I’ll carry you back to camp,” she said, scooping him up gently. Weakly he reached for his piled clothes but her fingers came down and plucked them up, he followed her hand up as she stuffed them in her pants pocket. “You can have those back later,” she said.

Later at their camp she laid him down and handed him some dried meat, encouraging him to eat. The two of them watched the sun beginning to disappear behind the trees as the fire kept them warm. He sat in her lap, his back against her lower stomach.

“This really is a beautiful country,” she said as the morning star appeared. “I wish we could just…”

“Stay here?” he asked with a smile, “We can’t just keep raiding my family’s larder.” He sighed, “I think we might have to… go.”

“Go where?” She asked, “I know nothing of this continent Hiram, and pardon the offense but you don’t strike me as far traveled yourself.”

“I’m not,” he admitted, “but how bad could it be out there? The two of us can handle ourselves right?” He looked up at her grinning face, “Well you can handle us I guess…”

“A life of adventure on the roads then?” She murmured, stroking his head with a single finger, “There is a certain romance to it…”

“It’s settled then,” he said, “We’ll head south. I’m sure that there’s SOMETHING we can do to earn money. If nothing else you’ll put a logging camp out of business in a fortnight.”

“From a conquering warrior to a wandering beggar and hired hand,” she muttered, “Well… I still managed to take the best prize this country had to offer.” She grabbed him in her fist suddenly, surprising him. He was held up to her face and she gave him an amorous grin, he returned it and realized he wouldn’t be sleeping for some time yet.

…

Hiram drove the wagon back to the farm and reflected that this time he’d probably have to walk back without the horse. He’d decided to return everything and say farewell to his family, it would be difficult, but he was sure his father at least already understood. He told himself he’d come back to see them someday, he’d tell them too, but he had a feeling it would be best to make the goodbye count.

He frowned as he saw his father and his siblings running about in the yard, grabbing up tools and herding animals in a panic.

“Father!” he called, “What’s going on?”

His father looked at him with an ashen face, “Hiram, you’ve got to get out of here-“

“Oh on the contrary,” The mayor said, emerging from the family’s home with a pair of burly men at each side. “He’s just who I’m here to see.” The mayor unfurled a parchment, from where he was sitting in the wagon Hiram could see the king’s seal on it.

“Father?” Hiram asked uncertainly.

“It’s a draft notice,” his father scowled, “there is a mob of orcs headed this way and instead of evacuating this fool wants to fight them.”

“It should be child’s play for the man who defeated a giant,” the mayor said dismissively, “The King himself wrote me and authorized me to make these decisions, he assures me the orcs are terrified of cannon fire.”

“And how many cannons do you have?” His father asked with a scowl.

“Just the one,” the mayor admitted.

“And how many orcs are there going to be?”

“No more than five hundred,” The mayor said. “And I’m told they’ve a stone golem, but how large could it be? If the cannon killed a giant surely it will work on a golem.”

“You’d better hope they’re really damned scared of cannonfire,” his father muttered.

The mayor sniffed and turned to Hiram, “Come along boy, we’ve got several other farms to stop at. We’ll get all you lads outfitted, but I don’t expect this to be a difficult fight.”

Hiram sighed, “Can I say goodbye to my father?” he asked. The mayor just shrugged and turned to speak with his two men while Hiram walked over.

“He’s delusional,” his father muttered in a low voice, “if those orcs are coming this far north they already defeated the garrison at Lostadt, there’s no way in hell there are only five hundred. I was hoping to take your mother and the rest of the children out into the hills somewhere.” He swore angrily, “I tried to volunteer in your place but… I’m not back to full strength yet and the mayor knows it.”

Hiram thought a moment, “Father,” he said quietly, “The old growth forest, you know why I’ve been going there?”

His father smiled, “I’ve an inkling yes… I’ve been feeding the rest of the family lies but they’re all suspicious.”

“Take everyone there,” he said firmly, “she’ll protect you even if the orcs get that far.” He sighed and looked over at the Mayor and his men. “Tell her… Tell her I’m going to try to slip away and meet you all.”

“All right time to go Hiram!” the Mayor shouted.

With a last look back at his father Hiram followed the Mayor and the men.

His thoughts went to Gudrun, he’d find a way to get to her somehow… He only hoped she wouldn’t do anything rash when she found out what had happened.

…

The defense of Kolstadt was a more competent affair than Hiram had initially expected. He’d been grouped with mostly other young men grabbed off farms, along with a few merchant’s sons. Most of them were people he knew in passing at least. The city streets had been barricaded for the second time in as many weeks, women and children were huddled indoors while the men manned the makeshift walls. The Mayor of course sat with his cannon atop a hill of piled dirt intended to give the gunners a clear line of sight.

As the sun had set Hiram had hoped that maybe things would go as the Mayor said they would. A few hundred orcs scattered by cannonfire, all of them heroes, and then everyone would go home. As the first torches appeared in the late hours of the early morning Hiram’s heart sank. Five hundred orcs had certainly been a low estimate, it looked more like a thousand, perhaps more.

The cannon boomed and everyone held their breaths. The torches paused, and then continued forward. Every eye in the town turned to look at the Mayor, the torchlight reflected on his pallid skin and he gulped nervously.

Out in the darkness suddenly a pair of green flames appeared. They hovered above a larger green orb. Thunderous footsteps echoed and for one brief moment Hiram almost thought it was Gudrun, then the creature started to become visible in the early dawn rays. Seeming like a haphazard collection of rocks in a vaguely human shape the rock golem was immense, easily clearing 100 feet tall. There was an audible gasp over the crowd, magic was rare enough in Kolstadt but golems weren’t supposed to be able to be that size, what mad wizard had created it? What mad god allowed it to exist?

As it lumbered toward the town the cannon rang out again and again. Looking back Hiram could see the two gunners desperately reloading it and firing it as quick as they could. Each time the creature would raise one arm, protecting the glowing core. The cannonballs would strike it and cause an explosion of stone but the pebbles would seemingly just crawl themselves back into place. Men began to throw down their weapons and flee as the golem reached their blockade.

Hiram was one of the last to go, though he kept a tight grip on his spear. He looked back one last time to see the orcs cheering and beginning to surge forward behind the lumbering automaton.

…

The cathedral was made of stone, with heavy doors and a thick oak bar. Orcs playfully knocked on the exterior, from his spot by the altar Hiram could see smoke rising in the windows. Every now and then he heard screams and the sound of crumbling stone as the rock golem smashed another building, searching for hiding people. The cannon still sat in the town square, now unmanned… almost mocking them all.

Dawn was in full swing now, and it seemed unfair to Hiram that his last day would have such a beautiful sunrise. He looked at the other men bracing themselves against the door and wondered if his family had reached the forest. Gudrun would be more than enough to keep them safe, he reassured himself, they’d all be safe… maybe that was the best outcome he could have hoped for. He breathed in and could almost taste the smoke in the air… but there was something else. A smell like wildflowers carried on the western wind.

His eyes went wide, he looked out the cathedral window where the stone golem stood menacingly over the remaining houses. There was a glint of steel in the early sunlight before an axe three wagons long flew through the air and buried itself in the golem’s head. It stumbled backwards and an armored figure he recognized well lumbered towards it, pulling the axe free and readying for another blow.

“Gudrun,” he breathed, then with a fire he’d never felt before he shouted, “YES!” He turned to cathedral door, “Come on!” He practically screamed as he pulled the bar free. The other men cheered and followed him back out into the battle. All over the city the same cries echoed and trumpets sounded as the humans of the city rallied.

…

Gudrun snarled swears in a dozen dead languages as she slammed her axe into the monster again and again. Sparks flew and occasionally the axe even buried itself in the creature’s rocky flesh, but as with the human cannon before every bit of gravel she carved off simply slid through the air back into place.

She yelped as the creature regained it’s footing, grabbing her by the wrist and forcing her back. The fiery green eyes came up and stared at her dispassionately, at it’s full height it loomed over her. She struggled and lifting her leg in a kick that caused her old wound to ache she managed to get some distance and free herself. She circled it, an easy feat here where it had already knocked so many buildings down. She felt her muscles ache from the assault and wondered if this thing could be killed.

The golem seemed to lose interest in her and turned towards a large inn. From the screams inside it had to contain a great many women and children. The golem raised a massive foot over it, the intention obvious.

Gudrun threw down her axe and ran at it. She grabbed it around the torso just as it’s foot came through the roof in the building. The creature paused, seemingly annoyed at her. From the hole in the building below she saw a dozen screaming faces looking up at her. The golem’s hand came back and gripped her helmet, with a pull the straps on it snapped and the thing crumpled it between stone fingers.

Below the people in the inn seemed to pause, whatever they’d expected her to look like a pretty young woman wasn’t it.

“Move!” She shouted, hoping to get them to leave the building, “Run!” her arms quaked as she tried to hold the golem in place, but the panicked people were trapped in the building. With a sigh and a swear Gudrun shifted her weight and pulled the golem backwards, causing both of them to tumble to the ground.

…

Hiram panted and looked around the town square, they’d retaken it and oily black blood dripped from the tip of his spear. He’d led the charge, and in the absence of the Mayor or his men the others seemed to be looking to him for orders.

As much as he knew he should focus on defending the town though he was watching the love of his life fight for hers against a monster. He felt his heart flutter and stop every time the thing made contact with her… worse yet she was losing. It wasn’t happening quickly, and there was still fire in her eyes to match the green flames on the monster, but she was tiring, and her equipment was being torn apart. He gasped as the monster pummeled her breastplate, crumpling it and forcing her to abandon it. She was down to just her gauntlets and her shirt now, the same one he’d cut the sleeve off a lifetime ago when treating her cannonball wounds.

The cannon! He turned to see it still sat in the middle of the square they’d just recaptured. He ran up to it and almost shouted in triumph when he saw the fuse was prepared, signifying that it was loaded and ready to fire.

“Does anyone know how to aim this thing?” he shouted at the men who were taking renewed defensive positions. One of the burly men who had come to his father’s farm to draft him the day before appeared suddenly and tossed the sniveling mayor at his feet.

“W-why Hiram!” the mayor said nervously, “I’m so glad to see you unharmed. I’m beginning to rethink your father’s evacuation plan, now if we-“

“The cannon,” he said harshly, “Help me with it now.” No threats were necessary, the mayor took one look at him and stumbled to his feet.

“Well, ah,” he began, “there’s a lever here on the side to adjust it upwards…”

The two of them pushed the cannon in the direction of the ongoing brawl between Gudrun and the golem. He swore and tried to think of what good one cannon blast would do, they’d already hit it with so many… and Gudrun had hit it how many times? He tried to force himself to be calm and look over the monster… the eyes maybe? He gazed lower and paused on the glowing crystal on the thing’s chest. When they’d fired at it before it had always moved an arm to protect that…

Gudrun was nearing her limit, she swung the axe in an arc that was too wide and too slow. Instead of a shower of sparks like she’d hoped the creature merely caught the axe and ripped it from her weakening grip. It’s other hand came up to grab her arm and soon the two were locked in a struggle as it tried to force her to her knees. She looked up into those burning green orbs and realized it’s next blow would be the killing one. She grunted with exertion as she pushed back against it, a drop of sweat dripped down one of her bangs to the street below as the grunt became higher, nearing a squeal of pain.

“GUDRUN!”

Her head snapped up, Hiram? He was alive! She looked around eagerly, renewed strength letting her push the monster back, if only slightly.

“GUDRUN!” he shouted again, louder this time. She spotted him several streets over in the town square, he was standing next to the cannon!

“The thing on the front! Give us a clear shot!” he was shouting so loud he was afraid he’d go hoarse, but Gudrun shot him a smile that lit a fire in his chest and nodded.

With her last ounces of strength she gave a cry and shifted her weight, drawing the thing’s arm with her and leaving it’s midsection exposed. Hiram brought the lit torch down on the cannon fuse and a moment later it barked loudly and smoke obscured his vision. His ears rang and he couldn’t see anything, desperate he waved his arms frantically, hoping to clear the air.

The green crystal on the stone golem’s chest had shattered like glass on impact. Gudrun was still standing next to it, but it had stopped struggling with her. The twin flames of it’s eyes flickered once, and then blew out with the wind. It stood there like a statue for a moment, until with a heave Gudrun put her shoulder into it and knocked it to the ground, where it shattered into a million pieces.

A hush fell over the town as all fighting stopped, every eye, orcish and human, was looking up at her. With a growl she looked to where most of the orcs were and hefted her axe. With a hateful snarl she pointed one finger at them.

“You!” she shouted, pointing out of town next, “Go!”

The orcs didn’t need to be told twice, tossing down weapons and sacks of plunder they fled in a squealing mess. The humans cheered and people began to come out of hiding. Soon a large crowd had gathered before a panting and exhausted Gudrun. Hiram forced his way to the front.

Gudrun looked like she’d been through hell, she was bleeding in several places, and bruised in others. Her clothes, already not in the best condition, were muddied. Despite all of that she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. With her soft smile and silky strawberry hair illuminated by the early morning sun she could have been a goddess.

“H-Hello everyone,” she said uncertainly as she leaned against the town’s bell tower for support.

The humans in the crowd made no reply, some fearfully grabbed their weapons as she grunted and hefted her own axe.

“I…” she searched for the words, “I think we may have all gotten off on the wrong foot.”

There was a cracking and crumbling sound as the stone bell tower began to give way under her weight. She cried out in surprise as she suddenly found herself falling to the ground. Looking at the ruined structure she panicked and sat up, one hand in front of her

“That was an accident! I swear on the gods!”

…

The process of rebuilding the town looked to be long and arduous, though it was made easier with the help of a giant who could carry them all the lumber and stone they needed in a day or two. As a show of thanks the townspeople had done what they could to sew her a new set of clothes, though her armor was unfortunately ruined beyond their ability to repair.

Hiram’s own part of the defense had been celebrated too, but despite offers and insistences he didn’t have any desire to join the town guards or be a soldier. He’d quietly gone back to his family’s farm, where they waited for him, unharmed. They’d found Gudrun easily enough they explained, and when she’d heard he was in danger she’d lit off at once to find him. They were all quite taken with her, and while his mother, father, and siblings were all glad to have him home there was an air of expectation that he would be leaving soon with the giantess. When the last goodbyes were said he’d packed a bag full of a few things and slung it over his shoulder.

He sat now in the same place he had when this had all began, on a hill overlooking the sea, his bow slung across his back and a spear leaning against his shoulder. He heard the thundering footsteps before he saw her, and he smiled as a shadow fell over him. He felt a giant hand press into his back as a pair of enormous fingers hooked under his arms and lifted him as easily as if he were a doll.

“Are you ready to go?” Gudrun asked with a smile as he dangled in front of her face.

“All the crying and goodbying is done yes,” he said.

She nodded approvingly, “Well, perhaps we’ll come back someday. Who can say?” She grinned, “Hiram it’s too cold out here for you.”

“What?” he exclaimed with a laugh, “It’s positively balmy!”

“No, I won’t have you catching an illness the first day we’re journeying together,” Gudrun said as she began to unbutton her shirt. When she was done her other hand came up to grab his weapons and his knapsack, stuffing them into her own pocket like they were pebbles. “You’ll have to journey somewhere warm and safe,” Gudrun said with fake thoughtfulness, “But we don’t have a wagon? Where could a little human like you ride…”

Hiram tried not to laugh as he was lowered once again into her cleavage. The women in town had evidently sewn her a new brassier to match the shirt, and he was held tightly in place as the smell of blooming wildflowers washed over him. A single finger extended and made contact with the top of his head and began to push him lower into the soft globes. Just for fun he tried to struggle a bit, but he only fell further between her breasts. He looked up to see the buttons being done up again, trapping him in the darkness of her shirt.

“Now then,” she said as much to herself as to the trapped human, “Let’s be off!” With an easy step that would no doubt jostle her “captive” further into her cleavage she began walking south, towards a new adventure.

…

Gudrun and Hiram’s tale long survived them as history became legend. Adventure seemed to find them wherever they went, and they became a bane to the wicked, and an inspiration to the just. Stories of their feats were told in every tavern in a dozen kingdoms, and stories of their romance and love for one another were favorites of young maidens.

What became of them in the end is difficult to say, for every kingdom claims some lineage of theirs or tells that they settled within it’s borders when their days of adventure came to an end. The only thing that can be said for certain is that wherever they went, they went together.