Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1776
A trail of fiery red hair flowing behind the young woman as she darted through the mist, the faint crackle of twigs beneath her bare feet breaking the silence in the forest. Panting heavily, the woman leaned her freckled arm against the bark of a birch tree, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. Her face was flushed a shade of red to match her mane, the auburn curls sticking to the sweat of her forehead. In the distance, a faint rustling was growing ever louder, and the woman began to sprint once more into the thicket of trees.
The first rays of dawn began to poke through the branches as a platoon of red coats charged into the woods, closing the distance between the woman ahead of them. Their bayonets glinted in the early sunlight, droplets of morning dew dotted across the razored edges of the blades. Catching a glimpse of their target, a lieutenant cried out for the men to take formation, and a wall of smoke erupted from the barrels of twenty rifles within seconds. The balls of lead zinged off the thick bark of the trees, with one well aimed shot tearing through the woman's forearm. The platoon reloaded as the sounds of a feminine scream echoed through the otherwise silent forest.
"Shit, that stings!" The woman cupped her right hand over the wound, stumbling further into the forest as a ring of maroon began to swell out into the sleeve of her nightgown. The trees began to thin into a clearing, the grass reaching up to her waist as she dashed across the open ground. A small wooden cabin was nestled at the far end of the field, shielded almost completely from sight by a pair of unusually large trees on either side of the building. Changing her trajectory, the woman sprinted haphazardly towards the shelter, her feet beginning to falter from the blood loss. Just a few more seconds, and she would be safe...
Tears ran down her paling cheeks as she heard a voice behind her call out, "fire!" An instant later, a searing pain shot through her shoulder, and she collapsed face first into the grass, fighting to remain conscious as her vision began to darken. The dull thundering of footsteps grew louder, drowning out the ringing in her ears from the gunshots. As the woman began to mouth a silent prayer, she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. An order to reload was given, followed shortly thereafter by the chilling command to fire. Preparing for another volley of deafening explosions, the woman squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears, her lower lip trembling in a mix of pain and terror. But the sounds of gunfire never came, only a series of metallic clicks as the hammers of the muskets slammed into the primers.
"Men, bayonets!"
The rustle of boots tramping the damp earth was fuzzy as the woman's consciousness faded. She could heard the footsteps stomping closer with every second, her sense of time skewed by the loss of blood. The commotion grew louder, then suddenly the air was still, save for the faint rustle of the morning breeze through the bent blades of grass around her face. Turning her head weakly to the side, the last image she saw before passing out was that of a figure wrapped in a grey cloak kneeling beside her. A lock of golden hair drifted in the gentle wind, brushing against the woman's eyes as the world for her faded into darkness.
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"Woah, easy there," a soft voice cooed. "You've lost a lot of blood, take it slow."
The woman slowly opened her eyes. The flickering light from a fireplace danced upon the shingled ceiling, casting a warm glow throughout the room. She sat up slowly, wincing at the ache in her shoulder and forearm. The cloaked figure sat beside her, gracefully folding the hood back to reveal the face of her rescuer. A flowing head of golden blonde hair billowed out against the fair cheeks of a young woman, whose pale blue eyes were soft and endearing as she gazed into them.
"What's your name, my child?" The stranger asked, gently placing her palm on the woman's knee.
"Ru...Ruby," she faintly replied, her vocal cords weak from dehydration. As if she sensed this, the stranger reached over to the mantle of the fireplace, and passed a metal cup to Ruby.
"Here, drink," the stranger said softly, her voice giving Ruby an unusual sense of peace. She accepted the cup, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the mug with both hands. The fragrant scent of herbs and mint filled her nostrils as she sipped the warm beverage, feeling the liquid massage her throat as it trickled down within her. Ruby continued to gulp down the tea, tilting her head back further until there was nothing left in to consume. She let out a contented sigh, and smiled weakly as she passed the cup back to the cloaked stranger.
"Who are you?" Ruby asked suddenly, forgetting her manners for a moment. She cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered an apology, to which the stranger chuckled.
"My name is Angela, dear," she replied as she stood up and strode across the earthen floor. "And this is my home!" She gave a twirl at those words, spinning the grey cloak from her shoulders effortlessly. Ruby watched in awe as the woman moved gracefully on her feet, almost as if something magical carried her through the room. Angela began to remove ingredients from a cabinet, and placed them next to a black pot on the table in the middle of the room.
"Those men," Ruby asked, "where are they? How did you scare them off?"
Angela smirked, and continued to place more ingredients on the table. Carrots, beets, potatoes, herbs, and a small glass jar of salt piled around the pitch black pot. Finally, Angela closed the cabinet doors, and sat back down next to Ruby, a small filet knife in her right hand.
"Well, you see," Angela began as she picked up a potato, "I didn't exactly scare them off..." Ruby's eyes grew wide, and her face paled.
Angela chuckled at the poor girl's expression. "But they won't cause you any more trouble." Her nimble fingers twisted the knife in a myriad of directions, the fluid motions almost hypnotic to watch.
Ruby directed her gaze back up to Angela. "What do you mean?"
Angela placed the potato in the pot, and laid the knife down next to the carrots. "You seem like a smart girl, so I'm going to start off small. Please try not to scream, I promise no harm will come to you."
Ruby felt her heart pound in her chest a little stronger at Angela's statement, her face still bearing a confused expression. That expression morphed into one of wonder and awe as Angela waved her hand over the knife, causing it to levitate before them. With a snap of her fingers, the vegetables followed the knife into the air, lining up to be sliced above the pot.
Ruby leaned forward, gingerly extending her uninjured arm towards the floating vegetables, her mind in disbelief of what her eyes were seeing. A short gasp escaped her mouth as her fingertip tapped the hovering carrot, and she recoiled her hand to her side. Her jaw hung limp, a gaping hole for a mouth as she sat dumbfounded by what she saw.
Angela smiled towards her awestruck guest, and waved her hands over the pot. The remaining vegetables plopped into it with a dull thunk, and Angela shooed the pot towards the fireplace. Ruby watched in amazement as the handle of the black pot lifted slowly, hanging itself on the hooked embedded in the mantle, directly above the pile of smoldering logs.
"How... how did you do that?"
Her warm smile still spread across her face, Angela sat down next to Ruby. "It would take days to even scratch the surface of 'how' I do it," she said sweetly, resting her palm on Ruby's shoulder. "The important thing for you to know is that I'm not going to hurt you, and I won't let any harm come to you as long as you're here." Angela pulled Ruby closer, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting hug.
"I know you don't have anywhere to go, my dear," Angela whispered, "so you're welcome to stay with me as long as you wish, till this dreadful war blows over at the very least."
Ruby's eyes began to well up with tears. It had been weeks since she had a roof over her head where she was welcome. An orphan since she was a toddler, this offering of shelter was almost too good to be true.
"But... you still haven't told me how you got rid of the soldiers, Miss Angela."
"Ah yes, those dreadful red coats. Where did I put them...ah! Follow me, my dear."
Angela stood up, and beckoned for the young woman to follow her to the kitchen. Ruby cocked her head to the side, and slowly stood up. Her shoulder and arm still ached, but the pain was gradually dying away. She hobbled after Angela, one hand braced against the hard oak counter for balance.
Angela stood on her tiptoes and reached up into the top cupboard, the various contents rattling about as she rummaged through it. Finally, she pulled out a small wooden box, ornately decorated with floral patterns, seemingly etched into the grain of the wood itself. Setting the box down before Ruby, Angela undid the latch on the lid, and folded it back on its hinges, revealing the contents of the box.
Ruby leaned over, curious as to what a small box might have to do with being rescued. Inside was a toy soldier, about an inch tall. The detail on it was immaculate, more intricate than anything she had ever seen before.
"Pardon my ignorance," Ruby said quizzically, "but how on earth did little toy soldiers scare away the red coats chasing me?"
Angela smiled, and nodded towards the box. "Take another look, my dear Ruby. They is a red coat."
Ruby gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth. The miniature soldier began to stir as the box moved, jostled them from their magic-induced slumber. As the soldier began to stand up, Ruby snapped the lid shut, a small wooden crack echoing through the room. The muffled cries from within the box concerned her, the slamming of the lid far louder to the soldier than to Ruby.
Angela reached towards Ruby, her soft fingers gliding across the back of Ruby's hands. She gently removed the box from Ruby's grasp, and set it on the oak table. Sitting back in her chair, Angela waited patiently for Ruby to process what she had just seen, the look of disbelief etched across her face.
After several silent moments, Ruby spoke. "You can turn people into toys?" Her eyes never left the wooden box sitting in front of her, listening to the tiny grunts and muffled voices leaking out from the crack between box and lid.
"Toys, pets, or whatever else I fancy them to be useful for," Angela replied. "There isn't much I can do about their actions, but bringing someone down to a more manageable size has its uses." She reached into the box, her slender fingers prodding around for a moment. Several confused shouts were heard, followed by a single scream as Angela lifted one of the soldiers from the box, and set him on the table.
"You look important," Angela mocked, "wearing that shiny hat and trousers. Tell me, are you in charge of the men I imprisoned?"
The small man raised his fist and shouted up at Angela and Ruby, though his words were too faint to hear by Ruby. She gasped as the man reached under his coat, and drew his pistol, but Angela swatted it from the tiny man's grasp with a swipe of her finger.
"I'll take that as a yes, seeing as your grunts didn't carry a pistol."
Ruby felt strange. She felt an anger boil up inside her as she stared at the toylike soldier in front of her. Her shoulder ached, reminding her of the pain he caused. It was this man who gave the order to fire, he was responsible for her injuries. Her fingers curled into fists, and she turned to Angela.
"You'll make him, pay, won't you?"
Angela flicked the soldier in the stomach, the tiny man doubling over in pain. She turned to face Ruby, and said, "I won't decide his fate, my dear. You will. He wanted you dead, not me."
Ruby hesitated, unsure of how to punish him. Thoughts raced through her mind of what to do. She turned back to Angela. "What would you do to punish someone when they're small?"
Angela sighed, and leaned forward towards the table. The tiny soldier had gotten back on his feet, and was making a mad dash for the far end of the table. Her hand closed around the red coat, trapping him in her fist.
"Sometimes I squeeze them like this," she said, flexing her forearm and clenching her fist. "Or I step on them, or even eat them if I'm in the mood."
Ruby pondered what she said for a moment, then reached out towards Angela's fist.
"I know what I want to do."
Angela smiled, and dropped the tiny soldier into Ruby's waiting hands. Without hesitation, Ruby turned and flung the red coat into the fireplace. A shrill scream left the soldier's mouth, silenced by the bone-shattering impact with one of the blazing embers. A few yellow sparks crackled up the chimney, shaken loose from the latest kindling added to the flames.
Angela watched as the fumbling form of a man stood up, then promptly collapsed again, consumed by the inferno raging in the fireplace.
"He can burn in hell," Ruby muttered, turning her eyes away from the fireplace. A few tears began to well up within her, and she leaned over to Angela, and wrapped her arms around her.
"Shh..." Angela whispered, as the redhead began to sob. "They won't hurt you anymore, and I will teach you how to protect yourself. You'll never have to be afraid again."
Ruby lifted her face from Angela's shoulder, and sniffled. "Re...really? You mean that?" She whimpered.
Angela brushed her index finger along the freckled skin of Ruby's cheek, wiping away a glistening tear. "I promise, little Ruby." She pulled the girl in closer for a hug. In her mind, she began to plan out how to train the young girl in the arcane arts, so that her promise would be fulfilled.
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
Let's just ignore how ridiculously late this chapter is. -.-
I decided to do a little flashback to Ruby's childhood, and how she came to meet Angela. Not as long (story for that!), but I decided it's better than leaving it in my drafts folder to die.
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I decided to do a little flashback to Ruby's childhood, and how she came to meet Angela. Not as long (story for that!), but I decided it's better than leaving it in my drafts folder to die.
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