Charles continued to hold onto the back of his head as he was still feeling the pain from Maxine's strike. It had hurt him more than he'd like to admit and it even brought him close to shedding a tear or two. However, he kept this in as he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of her and her father. It was just another reminder to him just how strong she was and how she could seriously hurt him if she wanted to.

Nothing was said for a moment before Jane knelt down and picked up the flowers that had been dropped onto the ground. These weren't damaged at all but she brushed off any dirt that was on them and then passed them up to Maxine. She was a little confused as she took the flowers off of her sister.

"Your squire and I picked these for you to welcome you back home," said Jane. "I hope that you like them." She smiled up to her older sister and Maxine couldn't help but be touched by this. It was one of the few times that she smiled back at anyone as she looked at the flowers. She admitted to herself that they were pretty.

"Thank you, Jane," replied Maxine. She placed her hand on the shoulder of her younger sister. "You always know what the best gifts are."

"If you don't mind, I've had a long journey and I'm starving," said Sir Tucker. "Why don't we sit down for dinner?"

"Of course," replied Jessica. "Carrie should be cooking up something as we speak." She held out her hand to her husband and he didn't hesitate in holding it. They had truly missed each other even though Jessica had grown somewhat accustomed to Sir Tucker being away for long periods of time.

No more than half an hour later Charles found himself sitting at the table along with the other members of the Martel family. Sir Tucker, Jessica, Maxine and all of the other siblings were sitting at the table. They had plates of food in front of them with the women and girls in particular having large plates. Most of them were eating meat with some vegetables on the side.

Maxine wasn't eating this as Carrie had specially made her a pie. This was something that she found unusual as she didn't think that her sister would do something like that for her. They had never seen eye to eye as Carrie believed that what Maxine was doing wasn't right. As a woman she thought that Maxine should be more focused on more lady like qualities such as cooking and becoming a mother. Not only that but her own dream of being whisked away by a prince and living in a castle was just a silly fantasy in Maxine's mind. She wanted Carrie to have a more realistic dream.

The pain that Charles had experienced from Maxine's strike had subsided and like the other members of the family he had meat and vegetables on his plate. There was some talking amongst the siblings but one thing he did notice was the fact that she hadn't tucked into her pie yet. He would have thought that she would have devoured the entire thing by then and be asking for another one.

"Sir Tucker," said Charles after he had taken a sip of the water that was in front of him. "I was just wondering how you became a knight." He remembered to call him Sir Tucker or else another strong strike from Maxine would have come into contact with the back of his head. "If you don't mind answering."

"Oh, not at all," replied Sir Tucker. There were a few sighs from some of the children who had heard the story more times than they could count. Maxine was one of those who had heard the story many times but she always loved hearing it. "You see, I was taking part in a tournament at Indigon and in the second round I faced the now Lord Tyrone Howlett. We had a good scrap and he eventually got the better of me. Despite my defeat his late father decided to knight me for my skills and he even did it at the post tournament banquet. Since then I have been Sir Tucker Martel although these days, I don't really perform that many knightly duties."

"You've earned your rest," added Jessica who put her large hand onto the hand of her normal size husband. She smiled at him and he turned and smiled right back at her, although they had been married for some years, they were still in love with one another. "At least I don't have to worry about you trying to take on bandits or perform at any other tournaments. You're much more needed here."

"Yeah, although it would be fun to go on another quest." He saw his wife glare at him and he laughed. "I'm only joking, I can't do that when I have all these kids here wanting my attention."

This got a chuckle from Maxine who cut open her pie and ate some of it. She thought that it was unusual for her sister Carrie to go out of her way for her. For as long as she could remember she had always been at odds with her younger sister but unlike people she met on the road she couldn't simply overpower her. Instead she would have to just take things a little easy and relax at home.

As she took a bite out of the pie, she suddenly realised that something tasted off about it. At first, she couldn't put her finger on it but as she looked inside of the pie and she saw something that horrified her. It was something that was long, thin and a greenish white colour. Her eyes widened as she realised that this was something that she absolutely despised, it was onion.

Almost immediately she spat out the piece of pie in her mouth but she had turned her head away from the table when she had done this. Her actions quickly got the notice of everyone at the table and Maxine quickly glared over at Carrie who was sitting at her seat and just eating the food in front of her.

"You did that on purpose!" said Maxine in an angry voice as she continued to look over to Carrie. Her sister was acting innocent as she merely glanced over at her.

"I did what on purpose?" replied Carrie as if she had no idea what Maxine was so angry about.

"Don't play coy with me! You purposely put onions in my pie!" The others did have a look at the pie and although they couldn't see the onions, they definitely knew that this was going to lead to another sisterly argument.

"Did I?" She still acted as if she had no idea what her older sister was talking about. "It must have gotten in there by mistake."

"Mistake my giant ass!"

"Maxine!" stated Jessica with her own annoyed tone. "We do not use such words at the dinner table. Now settle down and get something else to eat from the kitchen, there's bound to be something in there."

"But mother."

"Now Maxine." There was an annoyed grunt as Maxine picked up her pie and took it away. Jessica glanced over to Carrie who seemed to have a smile on her face and she knew what had happened. "Don't think that you're getting off with this as well, we'll talk about this later."

Throughout all of this Charles had sat at his seat and said nothing as he just watched what was taking place. He had never seen anyone shut down Maxine the way that Jessica had done. The matriarch of the household had been able to stop what seemed to be a sure-fire shouting match between Maxine and Carrie. He didn't think that such a thing was possible but after giving birth and raising a number of children she was more than capable of ending a dispute.

"Is it always like this?" asked Charles quietly to Jane who was sitting next to him at the table. Even sitting down the height difference between them was obvious for anyone to see. He watched as she nodded her head at him.

Charles continued to sit there and eat as Maxine returned with a plate that had some vegetables and a small scrap of leftover meat. She was still annoyed with what had happened but she couldn't do anything about it. Although she wanted to break every bone in the face of Carrie she simply had to sit there and take it. Going against the will of her parents would not look good on her and would be a bad influence on her younger siblings.

"So, Charles, when are we expecting wedding bells?" asked Sir Tucker as he took a bite out of his meat.

"What?" replied Maxine and Charles in shocked unison. Neither of them had expected such a question and they watched as Sir Tucker began to laugh.

"I'm only pulling your leg, but tell me Charles. How did you first meet my daughter? She's not really the type to take a travelling companion."

"Well sir," replied Charles. He could see that Maxine was happy that he had called her father Sir. Just like he was supposed to. "I was working in a tavern when unfortunately, I ran into a bit of trouble with some of the patrons. If Maxine hadn't been there to put them in their place, I'd hate to think what would have happened to me. Since then I knew that I had to serve her as her squire, we have helped each other a great deal during our time together and I hope to serve her for some time to come."

"Oh, so it's like a life debt of some kind. I'm not too surprised with that, just don't let her be too harsh on you. She might have a rough exterior but she still has a good heart, isn't that right Sugarplum Fairy?"

"Yes father," replied Maxine who blushed a little in embarrassment. He had been calling her that for as long as she could remember. She felt a little embarrassed with him using it in front of Charles. But she wouldn't stop Sir Tucker from saying it. Even though she was anything remotely like a fairy.

Eventually dinner was over and with night falling upon them each of the Martel family members began to make their way to bed. The younger ones were getting the most attention, particularly Jaime who got a bedtime story from Jessica. Baby Rina slept in the crib inside her parents' room and was more than happy to remain asleep for the entire night. Jessica did enjoy having her husband back and cuddled him while they were in bed together. She was even tempted to ask if they should have another child but she thought that it was best to let him rest for the night.

Inside Maxine's room the tall woman herself had gotten changed into some of her old bedclothes although now they were a bit of a tighter fit than they had been before. Charles was given some of Sir Tucker's bedclothing as he was going to be sleeping in the same room as her. He had been given a pillow and blanket to keep him comfortable but he was used to sleeping on the ground.

Even though Maxine's bed was much larger than an average bed her feet still dangled at the end. This was something that she hadn't forgotten but she sat on her bed and for a moment she looked at her armour that was in the corner. She had yet taken it to be repaired but she this was what she had expected.

"Charles," said Maxine as she saw her squire about to lie down on the floor. His pillow was in position and he was preparing to put the blanket over himself. "First thing in the morning we are going to my Uncle's forgery and having my armour repaired. I am going to need you to help me carry it all."

"Yes ma'am," replied Charles. He was preparing to lie down onto the pillow but he did watch as she still looked at him.

"And Charles, I'm sorry that I struck you earlier. I should not have done that and I apologise. A knight should lead by example, not strike their squires."

"It's alright ma'am, I should have addressed your father with the correct title. You don't need to apologise."

"I will not accept that. I let my anger get the better of me and it never should have happened." She gave a sigh as she truly regretted what had happened. She thought that she would have to make it up to him and an idea did pop into her head but they would have to do it once they had left the Martel farm. "Now best for us to get our rest, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"As you wish ma'am."

With that Maxine blew out the candle that was lighting up the room and over the course of several minutes both of them fell asleep. Both also began to dream but they didn't make too much sense. In their eyes their dreams made sense while they were sleeping but if they stopped to think about it, they would realise how insane the scenarios would be. It didn't really matter much to them as they would likely forget their dreams come the morning. Unless they were particularly memorable.

Not everyone in the Martel Farmhouse was asleep though. Baby Rina was constantly waking up during the night and either Jessica or Sir Tucker would tend to her. This was something that they had gotten used to after having so many children. They were annoyed of course as they wanted to sleep but as parents, they knew that they had to do what needed to be done.

Between them both Jessica and Sir Tucker were only getting a few hours of sleep each. Come morning they were still mostly tired although they could still function for most of the day. Although a short nap was probably in store for them. They were just happy that they were back together as Sir Tucker had thought about his very tall wife throughout his time on the road.

One thing that he had seen while in Flea Bay was several women but they were all of average height. After marrying Jessica and producing several children he was now used to being surrounded by women who towered above him. Being around women who were not as tall seemed abnormal to him. This only showed him the unique household that he lived in and how his family were not like others.

Charles was still fast asleep until he heard a voice. It seemed to be quite sharp and it seemed to register to him on level that he could understand. Even when he was asleep, it was Maxine's voice calling his name. When he heard this, he began to wake up and he could see her sitting up in her bed. He considered asking to let him sleep for a little longer but he knew better than to ask such a question.

"Is it morning already?" asked Charles began to get his wits back to him. He yawned loudly as he still felt a couple more hours would do the world of good for him. "It seems like I've only just gotten to sleep."

"Yes, it's morning," replied Maxine who ignored his second statement. "My Uncle's forgery is opening soon, we need to be up and ready for then."

"Can we have breakfast first?" His stomach was growling, although the dinner they had the previous evening had been very large he was hungry once again.

"Very well, but try and be quiet as well. The other members of my family might not be awake just yet."

With that Charles slowly began to get up from the spot where he had been sleeping. He didn't notice that Maxine had yet to get out of her bed and slowly he wandered through the door. It was only then when she fully got out of bed and walked behind him. The size difference between them was incredible for anyone to look at. The fact that she was more than three feet taller than him and had a much more muscular frame only made their pairing seem even more abnormal.

This was something that for the time being no one else would see as they made their way to the forgery. It was only a short walk away from the farmhouse and as they approached, they could already see that it was up and running. Smoke was bellowing out from the chimney and they could already hear the sound of hammers coming down on hot metal. It was a sound that Maxine had heard often when she was living here and she couldn't help but get nostalgic while she heard this.

In her arms she was carrying the majority of her armour while Charles carried whatever was left over. They didn't think that they'd need it all but they thought it was for the best that they took them. He in particular found the armour to be heavy and it made him wonder how she was able to move around while wearing it. In his mind it was just another indication of how strong she was.

Eventually they reached the door to the forgery and rather than going inside straight away Maxine knocked on the door and only had to wait a few moments for it to open. It looked more like a barn door rather than a regular door and when it did open, they both saw a man standing there. He was around average height but was quite muscular. He wore a rubber apron and what looked to be goggles around his eyes. His beard was a thick black and his hair was fairly long. He seemed happy to see the super tall woman standing there and he smiled up at her.

"Good morning Maxine," said the Man. He took a step out of the door and it seemed like he hadn't noticed Charles standing beside her.

"Good morning Uncle Mike," replied Maxine. "My armour has been damaged during my travels. I was wondering if you could repair it."

"Of course, I can, if I can't fix it then it can't be fixed." He then began to look down and he saw Charles standing there with some of Maxine's armour still in his hands. "And is he your helper or something?"

"My squire to be precise. His name is Charles and Charles this is my Uncle Mike." Charles was sure to greet him and he expected another strike to the back of his head but none came. This was when he knew that everything was alright.

With this out of the way the pair entered the forgery where they could see other people at work. Another of Maxine's uncles were also working along with a couple of her cousins who were all hammering away at some metal. None of them really noticed them enter as they were too engrossed in the work that they were doing.

Eventually the armour was placed on the ground and the first thing that Mike saw was the huge dent in the chest plate. He picked it up and gave a small whistle since he was surprised with what happened. He couldn't help but pick it up and begin to examine it, to him it was quite heavy as well but his years as a blacksmith had given him above average strength. It took him a few moments to examine it while Maxine stood there with her arms crossed as she simply watched him.

"Hmm," said Mike as he thought to himself. He then looked over to his large niece with a look of curiosity. "How exactly did this happen?"

"I took a cannonball to the chest at point blank range," replied Maxine. She didn't feel like it was anything to boast about. Especially since she was still feeling the effects of the impact. "It was only a small one though."

"But still I'm surprised that you're still standing after that. This of course will take the longest for me to repair. There are some other spots on your armour that need tending to as well. Unfortunately, I can't focus all of my effort on this as I recently had a large order come through. But I should be able to have it done by the end of the day tomorrow, can you wait that long?"

"If that's what it takes, I'll be more than happy to wait. I'd rather you do a good job rather than a quick one."

"Couldn't have put it better myself. If you ever decide that trying to be a knight is not for you then you can always work here. You have the physique which would be perfect for blacksmithing."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now when it comes to payment as you know since your family, we do the work for free. However, we still need to charge you for the materials though, unfortunately that is simply something that we can't get around."

"That is fine Uncle Mike. Do you still have any tungsten still lying around at all? It could be useful."

"Sorry but you used it all on your sword. But if you bring some more here, we could possibly use it on something else for you."

The conversation between them continued on for another couple of minutes before Maxine decided that it was best for her Uncle to get back to his work. She left the forgery with Charles as she knew that her armour was in good hands. In her mind there were no finer blacksmiths in the land than her Uncles and their offspring. They were the ones who had forged her swords and armour.

When she was deciding what type of armour to have, she had considered light armour much like her father had. However, she considered defence to be more important than speed and thus had gone for the heavy armour option. Her decision seemed to have worked out for the best as her armour had saved her life on a few occasions.

As they walked towards the farmhouse there was some more activity taking place there as the family were beginning to wake up. One thing in particular that Maxine could see was her brother Adam who was seemingly swinging a sword at a couple of men who were made out of straw. These dummies were perfect for practice and from what Charles could see he was doing what Maxine likely did when she was younger.

The boy stabbed and slashed at the dummies with what seemed to be a practice sword and for the time being it would do. They watched as he practiced and for the moment it seemed like he didn't notice them. Charles was impressed by what he was seeing while Maxine was not as impressed as him. She could see her brother performing many mistakes, one noticeably was the fact that he hadn't noticed her.

Rather than shouting over to him instead the nine-foot woman picked up another practice sword that was sitting close by and approached her brother. Even then Adam didn't notice her arrival, that was until she used her practice sword to strike his legs and cause him to fall to the ground. He was confused but he soon felt her large foot step onto his chest and her practice sword against his throat.

The sword itself looked comically small in the hands of Maxine but it was more than capable of getting the job done. The impact and fall had not hurt Adam but he was a little dumbfounded by what had happened. Just moments ago, he had been practicing by himself and now he was on the ground and looking up to his nine-foot older sister who seemed to be somewhat unhappy with him.

Charles said nothing and just observed what was happening. He even decided to get his book out and his pencil. He thought that what he was going to see what worth documenting for future reference.

"What have I told you Adam?" asked Maxine. Her voice had a slight edge to it and it almost seemed like she was annoyed.

"T-To always keep my eye on my surroundings," replied Adam who didn't seem to upset with what had happened. Instead he was more startled than anything and was still gathering his bearings.

"Exactly, I was able to sneak up on you and knock you to the ground. It's not like I can sneak around easily which means you're getting sloppy. If I was an enemy right now, you'd be dead right now."

"I know Maxine, I'm sorry." He still seemed a little nervous but his sister did remove her foot from his chest and took her sword away. Her oversized hand came down towards him and was held out for him to grab. With minimal effort he was helped up onto his feet and he brushed the dirt off of his clothing. "I've been training everyday and I've gotten a lot better than when you were last here."

"If that's the case then why don't you have a sparring match with me? That way I can see of myself if you've improved."

"O-Ok." He was a little nervous to have such a match with his oldest sister. But he knew that if he wanted to train to be a knight, he would have to go through with it. "Since Dad injured his back, he can't spar with me anymore."

"One day, hopefully he can properly train you again. But while I'm here I will help you the best way that I can." She then looked over to Charles who was standing a short distance away. "Charles I might be here for a few minutes, go back into the house and see if my mother needs help around the house."

"Yes ma'am," replied Charles. He would have liked to have seen Maxine sparring with Adam but he dared not disobey her instructions. Because of this he simply went into the house while she remained outside.

Maxine took a few steps away from Adam who looked a little nervous with facing off with her. The size difference between them was great, it was something that he was used to as his mother and sisters were all extremely tall as well. None of them were as muscular as Maxine but since she couldn't grow in size like the others, he didn't have to worry about her suddenly growing even bigger. It wouldn't be the first time that such a thing had happened but all he saw was the figure of his sister suddenly darting toward him at speeds he didn't think were capable for someone of her size.