A shift was all it took. The hydrant was toppled over and a spray of water began to shower over the tip of her black boot.

Kyla was in a foul mood.

So far she had inadvertently knocked over a tree, then crumpled a bicycle, course she’d also crushed part of a side walk under her boot.

“Patience love,” said Sienna from behind.

“I think perhaps we should stop,” replied Kyla.

“Nonsense! You are doing fine considering it’s the first time you’ve walked through a mini town.”

Kyla looked down at her boots watching as the mini’s cut the water, stopping the flow to the fountain she had created.

By the Gods! Mused Kyla, my boots alone are taller than the Mini buildings!

Making her all the more nervous was the fact that the little people were lined up along her route into the center of their town, much like they would be when she visited Governor Baroun this coming Tuesday.

Kyla just couldn’t bear the guilt should she take an errant step and accidentally hurt one of the Minis. These people trusted her to watch out for them.

The little people looked on with some trepidation as a giant black boot rose before them. The clasp of which was pure silver, embossed with the Rising Phoenix, symbol of the empire. Even with the dampers fully functioning, the little town shook with every one of Kyla’s footfalls. Windows rattled, pictures hanging on walls fell, and plates rattled on shelves as Kyla, and Sienna made their way single file to the center of town.

Another reason Kyla happened to be in a bad mood was it was supposed to be a lazy Sunday, and here she was wearing her weekday uniform.

To her, it was just the daily uniform, high collared white tunic, black belt, with silver buckle engraved with the rising phoenix, Form fitting black pants with gold stripe, and shined black boots which nearly reached her knee. She imagined the Mini’s below probably couldn’t even see her face at this angle.

To those below, the Imperial Uniform as worn by the Viceroy was a stark reminder of the power Kyla held over all of them. It was also well known that the Viceroy had no qualms about using the powers granted to her by the Empress.

Before Kyla could move clear an adorable little automated trolley smacked directly into the tip of her boot. Thankfully it was going very slow, but still she imagined it jostled the passengers somewhat

“Everyone okay?” Kyla called down, while inwardly a string of expletives flashed through her mind.

“They’d probably be better if you moved your big foot.” Sienna said from behind.

Those in the trolley watched in awe as the gigantic boot lifted, then held on to each other in fight as the trolley they were riding in passed directly under its huge sole.

“There you go…” Sienna almost cooed as the trolley went on its merry way. The look Kyla gave her wife was damming. As usual Sienna smiled back serenely.

The black leather gloves squeaked as Kyla balled both her hands into tight fists. Anger taking hold for a moment taking a full heavy step forward, Kyla halted, consciously working to keep her temper in check. She was the Viceroy, it was unbecoming for her to act like a spoiled brat in front of her people.

Fixing a forced smile on her lips, Kyla stepped forward again, this time more delicately. Sienna following gracefully behind, having more experience in dealing with Mini towns.

Kyla’s smile became genuine at seeing little Amarice in the town square absolutely beaming with excitement. The little one was standing as tall as she could, proud to be acting the part of Governor Baroun in this rehearsal. Inwardly, Kyla was much impressed by the fact that Amarice did not flinch one bit as giant boots thudded down directly in front of her.

“Read the script.” Prodded Sienna from behind. Jolting Amarice out of her trance she was in caued by looking up at her most beautiful Viceroy.

“Oh!” Amarice fumbled about her pockets hurriedly. Causing both Kyla and Sienna to smile, enjoying this moment of levity as much as the Minis within the square.

“On behalf of the people you see here before you and for our people—“

“Amarice.”

The mini looked up from the minuscule pad she was reading.

“Yes Lady Sienna?”

“You must speak up girl, project your voice as it is a long way from your lips to the Viceroy’s ear.

Amarice blushed and nodded her understanding.

“Um… The mini found her place again and was sure to speak loudly. “Our people...” Amarice searched then found the correct spot,”….scattered throughout your lands Viceroy, I hereby welcome you to our fair city of Krazów.”

This part Kyla knew by rote having to attend so many diplomatic functions as Viceroy.

“On behalf of our Empress, and of our Empire it beings me great joy to appear before you I look forward to renewing and further building the bond between our two peoples.”

Amarice turned and stiffly moved to stand before the statue of the Empress high on its pedestal. The sculpture was made of stone covered by gold leaf. A perfect representation of the Empress dressed Ancient Roman armor. Kyla had been before many such statues, but none were quite like this. This representation of the Empress barely rose up beyond her boot clasp. The figure itself, just a tad longer than one of her fingers.

Kyla watched as the mini placed a bit of incense in a censer wisps of white smoke rising up before the statue. Then Amarice knelt, as every mini in the square following.

“This…” Kyla moaned aloud. “Is going to be a disaster.”

“Now, don’t be worried,” Sienna placated. “Remember I’ll be right behind to guide you.”
After a long and very pained sigh. Kyla, slowly, moved to take a knee.

Every mini within the square held their breath as the hundred plus foot Colossi knelt before the comparatively tiny representation of the Empress.

With a grinding of metal, Kyla’s boot took out a street lamp.

“I thought you were guiding me,” huffed Kyla. Her exhalation of breath ruffling Amarice’s hair and dress, and nearly knocking down both mini and incense burner.

“Well…” Sienna began while making sure no Mini’s were hurt. “You are really big Viceroy, but no real harm done.”

Far more gracefully, Sienna knelt mindful of the heels on her feet and the shimmering green long dress she wore. She had to wear such, a shorter skirt would give the minis a show Sienna was sure would be long remembered, and for all the wrong reasons.

For some moments Kyla was still, thoughts on how the Empress would laugh at the sight of her Viceroy kneeling before a teensy statue.

Oh gods! Kyla came to the realization that the Empress would see this, as undoubtedly the whole event would be on the news of the Empire.

Her mood soured even more as she looked at Amarice expectantly.

“Oh!” Amarice exclaimed again much to Kyla’s renewed amusement “With the aid of our gods, long may our wise Empress rule.”

Sienna always hated the smell of the incense, it always made her….

Before she could catch it, Sienna sneezed. And while it was a small sneeze she still managed to blow down the incense burner a portion of the crowd of mini’s nearest, and poor little Amarice who’d borne the brunt of it. The little mini had been lifted off her feet and deposited square on her back.

The gold statue of the Empress had shifted due to the force of the wind, now it toppled backward, crashing to the ground before Kyla could reach out to catch it.

“Are you all okay!?” Sienna was mortified.

All looked to be fine by Kyla’s estimation, all except the statue which had broken into bits.

“Here I thought I would be the one to make some major faux pas,” Kyla lectured gleefully. “You just blew down an Imperial Governor…” She winked playfully down at Amarice, “The town leadership, and the statue of our Empress.”

Sienna turned so red, her face matched the color of her ginger hair.

“Sorry…” she said embarrassed.

“It is okay Lady Sienna,” Amarice spoke up, “no real harm done.”

Then the rarest thing ever happened, the fearsome Viceroy began to laugh. A full throated, laugh which rolled over the whole of the Mini town.

“It is not funny!” Sienna defended she being quite irate as the two of them rose to their full daunting height before the Minis.

“Yes it is.” Replied Kyla. Her words caused Sienna to bop her hard on the arm.

The minis watched silently amazed at this display of… of … humanity! They were so used to only seeing the stoicism of the Viceroy, they’d never heard her laugh. Certainly none of them would have dared to bop her on the arm as Lady Sienna did. (That is, if they could have reached her arm.)

Amarice couldn’t stop it… she giggled… then began to fully laugh. The crowds surrounding her gradually doing the same.

Sienna tried to remain mad, but when Kyla took her hand in hers and kissed it, she couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Thankfully, our Empress is even bigger than I am.” Kyla whispered in Sienna’s ear. If she were actually Mini sized you’d have just blown her away.” The mental image of that caused Sienna to laugh even more.”

**
Alaric watched as the burning ball in the sky dipped low. All day he had wandered, before being found by people the same size as he.

“This Nirvana of yours is all fakery.” he pronounced as the healer splinted his broken arm.

“Why do you say that my friend?”

“Have you not been to the outside?” replied Alaric. “To the world beyond this one?”

“Why should I?” replied the healer. “Here we have peace, here we live free to raise families, and here we are in a world scaled to our size.”

“It is all an illusion!” Alaric responded.

Silently, the healer stood, moving back to allow the high priest to sit in the stool beside the bed.

“Is the water flowing in the great river fake?” the elderly man asked. “Is the food you consumed fake? The trees, the animals?”

“No, but you are kept as if pets, unable to leave this prison.”

“I once thought as you do.” The high priest scratched at his beard absently. “I remember my time in the outside, stuck in a world so big that I was in danger of death at any moment. No, friend, here is a place where we and the ones we love, may live without fear.”

“But I must return to my tribe!”

“If it is as I remember, they have already chosen your successor Alaric.”

“The Raven Goddess will—“

“Is that what you call her?” The old man scoffed. “Can you stand?”

“Yes, it is only my arm which is broken.”

“Walk with me then, great chief.”

The two left the healers hut, to wander through the village, eventually reaching the rock temple. Alaric followed the high priest into the inner sanctum.

“What manner of witchery is that!?” Alaric pointed to the round disk set in the floor. It looked to be made of some type of metal, it was engraved with words.

“This is how the keeper communicates with me.”

“Keeper?” Alaric asked confused.

“Goddesses as your backward people call them. Though this I am learning their language one word at a time.”

“Sorcery!” blurted Alaric. No one can discern the language of the Goddess.

“Hear it then.”

The priest stood on the disk and a word sounded in the chamber. The voice was that of the Big Spirit! Then as if by magic, flowing water appeared floating in midair!

“River” said the high priest while pointing.

Another word was spoken, an animal flashing into the air.

“Sheep.” The high priest repeated.

Alaric fell to his knees before the high priest. “Forgive me, I did not know of your power in discerning the language of the goddesses.”

“No Alaric, they are not goddesses. Here they teach me, and I teach the people. This is not sorcery, this is knowledge. By their intersession, the keepers are allowing us to learn, and by doing so my people gain understanding. It is my hope that one day we may talk with them.”

“On your feet chieftain.”

“We shall never be equal to the goddesses.” Alaric charged.

“You are right.” The high priest agreed. “Due to the limitations of our size. But someday, we will show these giant beings that we do posses intelligence, that we understand them, and that we want them to understand us.”

**
“Apple…”

Having changed into a pair of comfortable tights. Kyla watched amused as Sienna spoke into the recorder.

A picture of a red apple floated above Sienna’s data pad, as she linked the image to the word she had just spoken.

“Fruit…” Said Sienna before playfully sticking her tongue out at her wife.”

“Eat…” Kyla laughed out loud as Sienna mimicked biting into an imaginary apple.

“Seriously, you can’t believe those primitive specks in your habitat will understand.”

“Look at them.” Kyla did as Sienna bid, gazing at the screen, watching teeny people in their teeny village.

“See how they speak to each other?” Sienna asked.

“If you say so, sure.” Kyla said flippantly while crossing one leg over the other gracefully. “I’ve never heard a speck say one word.

“We are far too big to hear them, that’s all.” Sienna shifted, scooting over she knelt in front of her love as Kyla sat upon the couch. “It they can speak one language, they can speak any language.”

“I doubt that, but I will remain open to the idea that they can be taught.”

“You’ll see, someday your pad will light up with a message from your speck-sized people Kyla. Sienna smiled smug. “And then what will you do? Knowing beyond a doubt that these minute people are intelligent.”

“I’ll reply that their whole world sits on my side-table.” Kyla snarked, annoying Sienna. “And that I want to taste their apples so they’d better harvest a few thousand to place on the tip of my tongue.”

“You are such a pain.”

“And you love me for it.” Kyla wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Sienna smiled then was quiet a moment as she looked at the view screen and the people on it.

“My Viceroy hear my petition.” Sienna said soft while turning her gaze upward at her wife. Instantly Kyla sat up a bit.

“As it does within the land you rule, I know your will reigns supreme within this household, and within our marriage.”

Kyla sat silent, her expression inscrutable as she listened.

“I have always abided by your will, even when I have privately voiced disagreement.”

“Sienna, I have never once ordered you to do anything you did not wish to.”

“Though you easily could, and I am grateful to you for making our union as equal as you have.”

“Hear me,” Sienna swallowed hard mustering courage. “Do not spray his house and kill the specks. Please let my will prevail on this issue.

“Mynia told you, did she?” Kyla’s look became very stern.

“No, Viceroy. As you have many ears in the lands you rule, so do I within this house.”

“I see.” Kyla said flatly.

“They are people!” Sienna’s hand rose, finger pointing to the view screen. “Do not unleash a genocide upon them.”

“My love, if I do not spray, the house will not only be infested with specks, but also all manner of vermin you hate. Spiders will be the least of our worries.”

“Is there no other way?” Pleaded Sienna.

“There is no remedy which will not kill the specks, they are so small so as to be defenseless against any type of poison.”

“Gods know how many this will kill.” Sienna replied sadly.

“You can’t save them all my love.”

“I like to think I could, that we could, if only we tried. Are we so big and so powerful that we no longer care about those who need our help the most?”

“Sienna, I must also look to the greater good, The Miniatures must also be kept safe. The pests which are only an annoyance to us are a threat to them. Would you want to see little Amarice hurt?”

“No, of course not.”

“Perhaps we can compromise?”

Sienna looked up at her with such hope.

“Have the Haflings double the number of traps, all that are caught will be spared. After a weeks’ time the house must be sprayed.”

“Fair enough my Viceroy.”

“It pains me when you petition me in this manner.” Kyla took hold of both of Sienna’s hands.

“I know it does, and that just one of the many reasons I love you so.” Replied Sienna.