Sir Gabriel and Ashley have just finished eating the meal that Heather had lovingly prepared for each of them. They both enjoyed a nice meal, though Ashley's meal was only enough to satisfy her appetite. The stew that Sir Gabriel's momma had prepared for her was good, and it was a decent-sized portion for her, but it was only just enough for the giantess. She isn't complaining though, she knows that it is difficult for someone to prepare enough food for her if they aren't given enough notice about her.

     The entire family is eating outside, not wanting Ashley to eat by herself. The idea of her eating in the dining room is one that is impossible for her, with her being unable to fit inside the family's house, much less a room. The Darrold's family home was built with a normal-sized family in mind so it is incapable of fitting a fifty-one foot tall woman.

     "That was absolutely delicious," Ashley comments with a smile, "Thank you."

     "I'm so glad you liked it, Dearie," Heather replies as she starts to gather up all the dishes from the table. She will admit that she wasn't quite sure how Ashley would have liked the stew she made. Tasting it herself, it did taste somewhat on the bland side. This isn't because of her cooking skills. After all, her cooking is one of the reasons that Sir Olric proposed to her almost thirty years ago. The stew's lack of taste is actually because of the lack of ingredients that she had on hand. True, Heather had everything that she needed to prepare a good stew, she just lacked the proper quantity to give it the taste that she wanted from it.

     Laura leans in closer to her brother, as her mother heads inside. Speaking in a low voice she tells him, "So, not only is your maiden as big as a house, she eats enough to feed one too."

      "Knock it off Laura," Sir Gabriel responds in a low tone as well. He knows exactly what Laura is referring to, he has seen Ashley eat several times now and is fully aware of how much the large maiden can eat. But this does not deter him from being with her, he knows that he will be able to provide for her.

      "The Ghost Bandit got away from you, along with your reward?" Sir Olric asks.

     "Unfortunately, that is the case," Sir Gabriel answers.

     "I feel so bad that I let her go," Ashley says, sounding apologetic about the incident.

    "No need to beat yourself up over it, lass," Sir Olric says reassuring the giantess. "A good sob story can get to just about anyone, especially if they have a good heart like yours."

     "I know, but still..." Ashley still feels some guilt about letting the Ghost Bandit get away. Sir Gabriel even told her that he was disappointed in her. Not because she let Alex get away from her, but because she didn't discuss her concerns with him first.

      "Ashley," Sir Gabriel says as he looks up at the maiden, getting up from his seat, he walks over to the maiden, sitting in her lap. He leans back into her, getting comfortable. He can only imagine how odd this must look to his family, but he finds himself becoming quite accustomed to this type of situation. "Don't worry about it. You did what you thought was best. The fact that you sympathized with Alex so easily does show what kind of person you truly are."

     "A gullible one," Laura says under her breath, chuckling a bit.

     Ashley lays her hand over the knight, her palm completely covering his torso. She gently pushes him closer to her, with the knight offering no resistance whatsoever. She can tell that the knight is sincere with his words, doing his best to help her feel better about the actions that she chose. Ashley can't help but smile at his words, believing them to be true.

      "Well," Sir Olric says as he stands up from his seat, "I gotta get back to the tavern. I don't think a good owner would leave his establishment for too long now, would he? Laura, help your momma with the dishes, would you? I imagine that there must be plenty to do and she could most certainly use the help."

      "Yes Papa," Laura says as she reluctantly gets up from her seat. She was hoping to get some alone time with her brother, having every intention of extorting some coin from him. She highly doubts that she will have the opportunity to do so today. Both him and the maiden being inseparable.

     Sir Olric starts to head back to town towards the Dented Flaggon while Laura heads inside to help her momma with dishes. With everyone else gone Sir Gabriel and Ashley are the only two that are left outside now. Sir Gabriel hasn't noticed that it is just him and Ashley now because he is very content leaning into the maiden with her hand over him. He is very comfortable where he is at not even thinking about moving unless he has to.

      Ashley looks up and around at the property. When she was first walking up to the house, she dis notice how much land there is and she hasn't had the chance to look around. Even though she wants to continue holding Sir Gabriel, her curiosity is starting to get the best of her now. Besides, she has plenty of time to hold him close. She gently moves the knight off her lap, looking around at the surrounding area.

      "Ashley?" Sir Gabriel asks. He watches her stand up to her full height, needing to crane his neck to do so. He jumps slightly as she lifts her foot to step over him. "Hey!" he shouts, making sure that the giantess can hear him. "Where are you going?"

     Ashley looks behind her and down at Sir Gabriel. She points ahead of herself, "I wanna take a look around." She starts to walk forward again, with Sir Gabriel needing to run just to keep up with her. At her size, she is able to move at a quick pace, even while walking.

     There isn't much to the property that she can see, and from her perspective, she can see a lot. Sir Olric and Heather have a decent amount of land but haven't done too much with it. There is a large area that is fenced off with a cow that is grazing along with a barn that is close by as well. One area, in particular, does catch her interest. It is a small area that is just about completely fenced off. Kneeling on the ground, she can see that it is clear, save for a couple of targets and what looks like a scarecrow. The scarecrow does look a bit odd to her because instead of it wearing old clothes to help it look like a person, it has a sack over its body with a bullseye on it.

     "I see you found the training area," Sir Gabriel says. His breathing is a bit on the heavy side because he practically to run just to keep up with Ashley.

      "Training area?" Ashley asks. Looking at it again, she can see it's purpose now.

     "Yeah," Sir Gabriel answers as he steps inside the fenced-in area. He grabs a wooden sword, swinging it a bit so he can get a feel for it. It has been a while since he has held it, the training sword being much lighter than his actual blade. "I used to spend a lot of time here, honing my swordsmanship while I was squiring for Sir Olric."

     "You must have mastered the sword if you spent that much time practicing." Ashley can picture Sir Gabriel going up a horde of bandits. Each one going down with each skilled swipe from his blade. Felling each foe until only the knight and the bandit leader remains. A climactic battle plays out in her head, the two foes trading blows until Sir Gabriel delivers a finishing blow.

      "I am no master," Sir Gabriel admits, pulling the daydreaming maiden back to reality. He swings at the training dummy a couple of times, the wooden sword merely striking it and causing it to sway a bit since it is not sharp a sharp weapon. "It takes years to become a master, and even then, it takes the teaching of a master to reach such a level. I am only highly skilled when it comes to the blade."

    "Well, I still believe that seeing you wield your sword would be a sight to behold."

     "Perhaps," Sir Gabriel responds. "Though it would depend on the opponent I am facing, to be honest." He switches to his left hand before he continues to strike at the dummy.

      Ashley watches as the knight is now swinging at the training dummy with his off-hand and she can't help but be impressed with his skill. "I had no idea that you were ambidextrous."

     Sir Gabriel stops swinging at the dummy, staring up at Ashley with a confused look on his face. The last word that she had used sounded outright foreign to him. "Ambi-what?"

     Ashley laughs slightly. "Am-bi-dex-trous," she repeats, slowing down the pronunciation so the knight can understand her a little bit better.

     "I have to admit that I am not familiar with that word."

     "Here is the best way that I can explain it to you. Most people are right-handed when it comes to some things, while a few are left-handed. Being ambidextrous means that you can use either hand. In other words, I am saying that you can wield your sword skillfully with either hand."

     "I wouldn't quite say that," Sir Gabriel admits. "I am still learning how to wield the blade properly with my left hand." He swings at the dummy a couple more times. To him, his movements feel a bit slow and sloppy, as if he is still learning how to wield a blade with his off-hand.

     "So you are teaching yourself to be able to use either hand then?"

     "Correct," Sir Gabriel answers, "Sir Olric suggested that I should become skilled with the blade in either hand. That way, if I ever find myself in a situation where I am unable to use my right hand in a fight, I need to be able to hold my own in combat using my opposite hand."

     "Gabriel Ian Randal!" Heather shouts, walking towards her son. Laura is following her, a gleeful look on her face since she knows that Sir Gabriel is in for it now. Sir Gabriel cringes the moment he hears his momma yelling. The fact that she is using his full name is a clear indication that she is not happy with him. "I go to grab your clothes from your duffle bag so that I can wash them, and I find this!" She is holding up a sizeable, yet familiar-looking, piece of cloth that is practically brown in color. "At first I thought that you may have just fallen in some mud. But to find both of your shirts like this surely means it was no mere accident."

     Sir Gabriel recognizes the shirts that his momma has in her hand, the same muddy shirts that he had used to off wipe off Ashley's foot earlier that day. "There is a good reason as to how those shirts got so muddy."

     "Oh really?" Heather puts her hands on her hips, talking to the full-grown knight as if he is still a child. "And what reason would that be? Because the only reason that I can think of, that would cause you to get these shirts so filthy, is if you were rolling around in the mud like a pig. It's not that easy to get stains like these out. You could have at least rinsed these shirts off in a river. Shirts aren't exactly cheap, you know."

     Laura giggles a bit. "A pig. That's what he was doing."

      Heather looks back at her daughter, "Enough out of you young lady. Now go back inside and finish up those dishes."

     "But Momma..." Laura protests. She is intent on watching her brother getting lectured. Finding it to be quite entertaining.

     "I said NOW, young lady!" Heather points towards the house, not particularly in the mood for dealing with her daughter like this.

     "Yes Ma'am," Laura says, recognizing the firm tone.

     Heather turns back to face Sir Gabriel as Laura heads back to the house. "Well, I'm waiting for that explanation."

     Ashley finally speaks up, grabbing the displeased woman's attention. "It's not entirely his fault that his shirts are muddy. I am the one to blame."

     "How is that?" Heather asks. Her tone is calmer now. She has no reason to be upset at Ashley. If what she is saying is true, then the reason for her son's shirts being so muddy must be a good one.M

     "Well," Ashley begins, sounding a bit nervous. "I stepped in some mud on the way here, and it was bothering me. I did my best to tolerate it, but your son could see just how much I was bothered by it. So Gabriel offered to wipe the mud off my foot. I tried to tell him not to use his shirt, but he was  insistent about it, saying that he had nothing else to use to wipe the mess off my foot."

     Helena looks back over at her son, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is what Ashley is saying true?"

     "Yes Ma'am," Sir Gabriel answers respectfully.

     "Well, I guess I can understand that." Heather sighs, looking over the ruined articles of clothing. "Maybe a couple of washes will at least get these close to white again." She then looks back at Sir Gabriel, who is looking like he is still expecting a lecture from her. "I'll be sure to leave out a large piece of cloth that you can pack. That way you have something more ideal to use in case she steps in something again."

     "Thanks, Momma. That would be a lot better since Ashley has a strong displeasure with her feet becoming excessively filthy. I am sure that she will greatly appreciate having something that will be designated for such a use"

     "See, Gabriel even agrees that I have pretty feet," Ashley says with a big smile on her face. The resulting comment causes Sir Gabriel to blush. The maiden is lying, the knight has told her that her feet are pretty.

     "Do you truly think that about her feet?" Heather asks.

     Sir Gabriel is at a loss for words. not sure about how he should answer the question. Most would find such a claim to be too embarrassing to admit to. He looks back at Ashley, hoping that she will say something to help him out. He can see that she is just smiling at him, no doubt waiting to hear his answer, one that she knows he will undoubtedly give. "I can honestly say that I do agree with Ashley when she claims to have such pretty feet."

     Heather takes a couple of steps forward, getting closer to Sir Gabriel. She then reaches up and pinches his cheek, "I did raise you well if you are willing to treat her like she says you did."

     The moment that his momma lets go of his cheek, Sir Gabriel is rubbing the area that was being pinched. "Now then, it is getting a bit late now," Heather points out. The sky is starting to turn orange, with the horizon looking red as the sun is starting to set. "It's about time to settle down and get ready to turn in for the day." She looks over at Ashley, looking a bit concerned. "I wish that I had a bed to offer you, dear."

     "That's okay," Ashley says cheerfully. "I am fine sleeping outside. It will be nice to sleep out under the stars again."

     "Are you sure about that, Dearie? You won't be uncomfortable laying on the cold, hard ground?"

      Ashley shakes her head. "As long as I have Gabriel in my arms, I will be fine sleeping just about anywhere."

     "Wait, you two are sleeping together?"

     "Momma, it's fine," Sir Gabriel says defensively. He knows his mother's views, and he is aware of the fact that she doesn't approve of an unmarried couple laying together. "We just cuddle, that's all."

     "I know all too well what cuddling can lead to," Heather replies. "You were raised on good values and you should know better than to share a bed with a woman you are only courting. Such privileges are reserved for those who are married."

     "I see nothing wrong with laying with the woman I love. The woman who I plan on being with for the rest of my life," Sir Gabriel responds. "What is so wrong if I lay with her now or after we are married?"

     Ashley leans forward, getting on her hands and knees so that she can get close to Sir Gabriel's momma. "Heather, please. I was raised on these same values as well. I know how important it is for a maiden to retain her virtue until the day she is married. But I see nothing wrong with holding your son, the man I love while falling asleep. Besides, even you know that Gabriel will be marrying me one day, so what is wrong with us enjoying a little bit of intimacy early in our relationship?"

      Heather sighs, she figures that she really can't argue against a woman who is ten times bigger than her. "Alright," she responds, still not agreeing with the two laying together, but she knows that they are both adults and that they have a right to choose. "I've said my piece, and that's all I can do right now."

     "Thank you for understanding," Ashley says.

     "It's not an understanding," Heather says. "Its more like, I will be able to hear you two if you do decide to go too far. Along with half the town, I'm sure." The couple both blush, realizing exactly what Heather is implying. "Goodnight you two."

     "Goodnight, Momma" Sir Gabriel says, now feeling very awkward about everything that she had just said to the both of them.

     "Goodnight," Ashley chimes in. The giant woman gets up, only to move to an area that is large enough for her to lay at. She lays down at a clearing that is large enough for her to lay down and stretch out, getting as comfortable as she can on the ground.

      Sir Gabriel walks up to Ashley as she is getting comfortable. Standing by her side, he debates on the best way to climb up on her. Even with her laying down, his head is the only thing that is above her side. He looks down her body, his eyes trailing down to her bare feet. Climbing up on her ankles then walking up her leg would make for the easiest way to climb onto her. Though walking all the way down then back up would make for a bit of a walk.

      "Here," Ashley says as she leans up on her side. She reaches for the knight, wrapping her fingers around his body, "Let me help you up."

     Sir Gabriel feels himself being lifted into the air, only to be placed on the maiden stomach. He lays down on the giantess, resting his head on her chest. Like last time, he is very comfortable where he is laying. Finding it to be more comfortable than any bed he has ever laid on. The knight looks up, his view of Ashley's face partially obstructed by her breasts. Though he can imagine that she is smiling back at him right now.

     Ashley wraps her arms around the knight, being sure to hold him close to her body. She is looking down at him, seeing how content he looks laying on her. "You comfortable?"

     "Very much, yes. How about you?"

     "As long as I have you, I am content to lie just about anywhere." Noticing where the knight's head is at on her, she thinks back to what Sir Gabriel had told her earlier today. "Are you able to hear my heartbeat?"

     "Quite easily, yes."

     "You really do enjoy listening to it, don't you?"

     "Oddly enough, I do. It's very soothing to listen to. It's a bit hard to explain why though." He isn't quite sure why he enjoys listening to the rhythmic thumping in Ashley's chest. Most people don't think about listening to one's heart, much less falling asleep to the sound of it.

     "Well, I think it is very sweet that you find it so relaxing."

     "I will admit that I look forward to laying with you like this. For one, I love you and it is a great way to be with you. Not to mention that you are absolutely comfortable to lay on."

     "You forgot to say that me holding you shows just how much I love and care for you."

     "I can tell that by your embrace, it is just so loving." Sir Gabriel yawns as the sky continues to grow darker, Ashley's body helping him to fall asleep.

      "Gabriel?" Ashley says looking down at the comfortable knight. Sir Gabriel only groans in response, already falling asleep in Ashley's embrace. "Are you that sure about marrying me?"

     "Of course I am," Sir Gabriel answers. "What brings up a question like that?

     "I don't know." Ashley shifts a bit as if she is nervous about something. "I know that we are far from being a typical couple. An so far we have had to improvise on a lot of things most couples do. I think I am worried about how certain things can be accomplished with our differences in size."

     Sir Gabriel immediately knows why Ashley is asking such questions now. He figures with what his momma was implying they were going to do tonight must have brought up some questions about the "how to" aspect when it comes time. "Ashley, everything that we have done together has been wonderful. The way we kiss and the way you hold me may seem to be a bit odd, but these are things we both enjoy. When it does come time for such intimate actions we will find a way to do so. Right now, I love you and that is all that should matter right now."

    Ashley smiles at him, happy with the answer that she was given. She leans her head up, trying not to disturb Sir Gabriel too much as she kisses him on his head. "I love you too." She starts to get comfortable, or as comfortable as she can while laying on the ground. With Sir Gabriel in her arms, the maiden closes her eyes, looking forward to another day with her knight.