Sir Gabriel and Ashley have just reached the outskirts of Oakvale, heading towards the tavern where it is rumored that Sir Olric now spends most of his time drinking. Sir Gabriel still can't believe the rumor that he has just recently heard. A knight as honorable as Sir Olric, a drunkard? Sure, even the honorable knight does believe that the occasional drink or two is okay, but he was always against drinking in excess. Surely the old man must be mistaking Sir Olric for someone else.

     The tavern that the courting couple is approaching is known as The Dented Flagon, the establishment set up way outside of Oakvale. A lot of the regulars would often complain about how far it is outside of the town not liking the long distance that they would need to travel just to get a drink. But its placement is actually quite intentional. The tavern's location is to help prevent drunks from wandering into town and causing unnecessary problems.

     Ashley kneels in the grass, remaining close to Sir Gabriel. "So this is where Sir Olric is at?" Ashley asks, taking a good look at the building. The tavern itself isn't that large since it only receives so much business from the small town. It looks like it has been around for a while with the walls looking quite weathered. The only thing notable about the establishment is the sign that bears its name, which looks like a flagon with a huge dent in it. Almost as if it was used to bash something in.

     "Yes, this is the place." Sir Gabriel is hoping that Sir Olric really isn't in there, that the old man has him confused for someone else. He knows Sir Olric, he would never drink while he is expected to perform his knightly duties. He would need to keep his wits about him. So there has to be a rational explanation for this. Before he can think about it, he notices a patron leaving out of the tavern.

     He looks to be a young man, staggering out of the bar. He has just become legal drinking age, or at least he hopes the drunken man is at least eighteen years of age and has apparently wasted no time in getting drunk as if it is a right of passage for him. Walking out of the bar, he notices the knight who is watching him leave the tavern. He salutes Sir Gabriel with a goofy grin on his face, thinking his action to be on the humorous side. He then stops when he notices Ashley, the giantess who is kneeling next to the knight. His eyes trail up her body until he can see her face, unable to believe what he is seeing. A woman who is literally as big as a house? "That's it," he says with a drunken slur, a clear indication of just how much alcohol he has had to drink, "If I am going to be seeing giant women when I go out drinking, then no thanks. Drinking is not for me. Its a sober lifestyle for me."

     He starts to stagger back towards town, dismissing the sight of the giant woman as some sort of drunken hallucination. "Most people see pink whatchamacallits. Me, I gotta see giant women. Huge even." Only getting so far, he stops and bends over, vomiting in the grass before he falls forward and passes out.

     Sir Gabriel sighs while shaking his head, unable to picture Sir Olric like that. He looks back at Ashley, smiling up at her. "Well, guess I will head inside and see what Sir Olric is up to in there."

     Asley places a single finger on Sir Gabriel's shoulder, not wanting him to part with her. "Please don't take too long."

     He turns his head, gently kissing the maiden's large finger as a loving gesture. "It shouldn't take me that long. I highly doubt that he is even inside. Once I see that Sur Olric is not in this tavern, I will be right back out." With that he starts to head for the tavern's entrance, looking back at Ashley as he is about to push the door open. He can't help but notice how she looks a bit sad as if she misses him already. He knows that she is unable to follow him inside due to her stature, and it is something that can not be helped. Her unique stature does have some unique advantages, but some disadvantages as well. Not being able to follow him inside a building is definitely one of the latter. All he can do is be as quick as possible so that he can return to her side. Truth be told, he doesn't want to be away from her either.

     Entering the establishment, Sir Gabriel hears a familiar voice coming from the back towards the bar, one he is wishing that he is not hearing. "And he says, he says, 'That's no horse, that's my wife!'" The sound of uproarious laughter along with that of a tabletop being hit quickly follows that series of words. A result of the punchline that the knight does not get since he was not present for the start of the joke.

     Sir Gabriel heads towards where he heard the familiar voice come from, hoping that the voice does not belong to the man he thinks it does. As he is approaching, he can see exactly who it belongs to. The man looks to be in his mid-forties, the top of his head completely shaven and a scruffy red beard that looks as though it is starting to gray from age. Without his armor, it is easy to see that he has a bit of a gut on him, losing any hints of the fit body that he once had. The one thing that Sir Gabriel notices, the one thing that he simply cannot believe, is that the man has a flagon of ale in his hand. "Sir Olric?" he says in disbelief.

     Sir Olric looks at the knight who said his name, smiling at the sight of him. He has not seen the young knight in quite some time so he is a welcome sight for the old man. "Sir Gabriel, my boy! It's been too long since you last visited your papa!" Sir Olric looks around at everyone who is sitting at the table with him. "Everybody! My boy, Sir Gabriel Ian Randal has returned from his many journeys! The next round of drinks are on the house!" A loud steady cheer is heard throughout the establishment upon hearing that offer.

     Sir Gabriel slowly approaches the man he knows as his father, still trying to comprehend exactly what he is us seeing. This is not the knight that grew up squiring for. Not the same man who raised him."Sir Olric, can we... Can we talk for a moment?"

     "Alright, alright you all heard the lad," Sir Olric says, talking to the small crowd around him. "The lad wants a word with me. Off with you, you bunch of drunks." Sir Olric chuckles at what he just said, now being the only one remaining at the table.

    Sir Gabriel sits across from his father, still staring at him with a sense of disbelief. There is only one question on his mind. One question that he hopes will be answered with a no. "Sir Olric, are you actually drunk?"

     The old knight scoffs while shaking his head at the question. "Not a 'Hello', or a 'How are you doing?' Just leading off with an outright accusation," Sir Olric answers, sounding quite offended. "Well let me tell you something." He cracks a smile, leaning closer to his son while holding his index finger and thumb less than an inch apart. "Maybe a wee bit."

     "A little bit?! I thought that you didn't like to drink in such excess amounts. You always said that drinking dulled one's senses and could hinder one from performing your duties as a knight."

     Sir Olric takes a drink from his flaggon, before looking back at Sir Gabriel. "Aye, that is true, lad. But, I am now retired. So being a wee bit drunk is not an issue for me anymore."

     "Wait, retired?!" Sir Gabriel can't believe what he has just heard. Sir Olric is now retired? He remembers how his momma would often ask Sir Olric about retiring, which he would often dismiss the idea, saying that he would be needed til the day he dies.

     "You heard me right. Though I didn't have much of a choice in the matter." He slaps his left leg, drawing attention to it. "About a year ago I took an arrow to the knee. Bit of a nasty accident that was." He can see the look that Sir Gabriel is giving him. Almost as if he had just said that he only had days left to live. "Now, don't look at me like that, boy. True, it is a fate that many a knight does dread, but it is better than being maimed or killed. That is what your momma told me anyway, and I can agree with her. I am still around to enjoy life and family. But not to worry, I can still knock a few heads together if need be."

     "So you just sit in a tavern and drink all day then?"

     "No, no. I don't drink all day. Can't manage this tavern if I'm drunk as a skunk now, can I?"

     "You work here now?"

     "I sure hope so. I do own the place after all. I still have to keep an income to support both your momma and sis, don't I? It seemed like a good investment at the time, and has proven to be exactly that." Sir Olric takes yet another drink. "Now then, enough questions from you. Since it seems like we are skipping over pleasantries, I have a question for you. Who is she?"

     "Sorry, what?" Sir Gabriel is taken by surprise by how vague the question is.

     "I know that you didn't come all this way on some account of some rumor about me being some worthless drunk. Which can only mean that you have managed to rescue some fair maiden and make her yours. So, who is she?"

     "Well..." Sir Gabriel is thinking for a moment, trying to think of the best way to describe Ashley. After all, how does one talk about a fifty-one foot tall woman who they have been courting without sounding like a madman?

     "Is it her?" Sir Olric asks, pointing towards the window.

     Sir Gabriel looks over towards the window where Sir Olric is pointing, expecting to see Ashley's face peering in. He can just imagine seeing her smiling face as she is waving at both him and Sir Olric. Not to mention all the shocked faces from everyone who is seeing a large face peering in through the window. He feels some relief when he doesn't see Ashley peering in through the window, which means that she is still patiently waiting for him outside.

     Sir Gabriel turns s gaze slightly to see that Sir Olric is pointing at a bar maid. She isn't bad looking, with long auburn hair and a nice smile. Along with a voluptuous figure and a freckled complection. "No, that's not her."

     "A shame," Sir Olric responds sounding a bit disappointed, l "I think she would make for a great daughter-in-law. Is it her?" The old knight points towards another woman, wondering if she is the one who Sir Gabriel is courting. The woman he is pointing to tvis time is getting a lot of attention, but this is due to her having an ample-sized chest with very little coverage for it.

     "Not her either,"Sir Gabriel answers without looking away from Sir Olric.

     "Come on, you didn't even look at her, boy."

     "I don't need to, because Ashley is waiting outside for me."

      "Ashley is her name then. A lovely name for who I assume is a lovely maiden. But why is she outside? Shy, is she?"

     "You can say that." He knows that Ashley is only waiting outside because she is unable to enter the tavern. "The thing is..."

     "Well then," Sir Olric says, standing up from his seat. "I can fix that, I will bring her inside so that the three of us can have a nice meal and a good drink. By God, I will drag her inside this establishment myself if I have to! She has no need to be shy around me!"

    Sir Gabriel is watching as his father is standing up. "Sir Olric, there is something important that I need to tell you about her." He can only imagine his adoptive father's reaction to the large maiden, one that he really hopes to avoid.

     "She can tell me herself, lad." Sir Olric is making his way to the tavern's exit with his flaggon still in hand. He is limping slightly, due to his bad knee, but he isn't letting it slow him down one bit. Stepping outside, he begins to speak. "Ashley, there is no need to be so shy, you are more than welcome to come... in... side?" His speech slows when he realizes that he is looking right at a woman's torso, finding that he needs to crane his neck just to look up at her face.

     "Ummm... I don't think that there is anyway that I can fit inside," Ashley answers, looking at the confused man.

     Sir Olric is staring at Ashley, unable to believe what he is seeing. A woman who is taller than a tree? Is he starting to see things? Is the all alcohol that he has been drinking finally getting to him. He looks back down at his flaggon, taking a big swig from it before looking back up at the smiling woman.

     Sir Gabriel finally comes out behind Sir Olric, seeing that he has already met Ashley. He sees how the old knight os stunned, the same reaction he had when he first met the msiden. "I was trying to tell you about her before you walked outside."

     "I can't be that drunk," Sir Olric says to himself in disbelief. "I guess it's about time for me to quit drinking."

     "And you are not that drunk, I can assure you," Sir Gabriel says reassuring his father.

     "You don't know what I am seeing right now boy."

     "You are seeing a woman who is fifty-one feet tall." Sir Gabriel slaps his hand onto Sir Olric's back. "Sir Olric, this is Ashley. The very maiden who I have rescued and am now happily courting."

     "Hi," Ashley says in a friendly tone. "You must be Sir Olric. Gabriel has told me so much about you."

      Sir Olric laughs, which confuses Ashley by a great deal. "So you are real and not just a trick of the eyes. Good, I wasn't quite ready to give up drinking to be honest." He laughs a bit at his remark before continuing, "You'll have to forgive my reaction to you. I was not expecting to see a lass who is so... So..."

     "Tall?" Ashley chimes in, finishing Sir Olric's sentence for him.

      "I was going to say lovely, but your words not mine." Sir Olric looks back at Sir Gabriel. "This is the lass that you managed rescue?"

     "Yes she is," Sir Gabriel says with sense of pride. "I know that she may not be your typical maiden, but she has my love all the same."

     Sir Olric looks back at Ashley, smiling at her. "It is nice to make your acquaintance Ashley. I must admit that there must be something absolutely special about you to have the lad here so smitten with you."

     "Well I..." Ashley blushes, not expecting this kind of reaction from him. "That is..."

     Sir Olric laughs, "No need to say anything more. If Sir Gabriel loves you as much as I think he does, which I believe to be as much as any man can love that one special woman in their life, then that is all I need to know. I am sure that you are a lovely lass."

      "She has a kind and gentle soul," Sir Gabriel says, stepping close to Ashley. "That is what has drawn me so close to her."

      "Aye, a good woman can do that to any man." Sir Olric pats his stomach. "That's how Heather got me to propose to her. Every day, when I would patrol this town here, she would have a hot meal waiting for me. You could say that I am living proof that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He lets out a hearty laugh, slapping his stomach to help illustrate his point.

     "So, you have no objections to Gabriel courting me?"

     "Any objections? Of course not. Whatever would make you think that?"

     "Well, I am taller than him, a lot taller actually, and most people don't exactly look too keen on the woman being so much taller than the man."

     "Is that it? Bah. As long as he loves you, then there is nothing wrong with your relationship in my eyes."

     "I am glad that you are so accepting of me."

     "But I do have to ask, and I don't mean to be rude or impolite, but I am just a bit curious here. How did you get to be so tall?"

     "I honestly don't know. I just started growing and I didn't stop until I hit fifty-one feet."

     He looks over at Sir Gabriel, before turning back to look up at Ashley once again. "I hope that my son was courteous to you when he first met you."

      "Oh he was. He was the first knight who didn't scream and run off or try to attack me."

     "Truth be told, I was actually stunned by the sight of you," Sir Gabriel responds, "Much in the same manner as you, Sir Olric."

      "But still, you did treat me like a woman as opposed to some outlandish creature  You were the first person to answer my questions, and truel accept me for who I am." Ashley reaches out for her knight, picking him up and wrapping her arms around him to hold him close. The sight surprises Sir Olric, not only because he has never seen a grown man get picked up before, but also because Sir Gabriel was acting as though it is completely normal for him. "After that, I decided to be with you always."

     "This chance encounter between you two must have really been something then," Sir Olric comments. "Surely there must be one heck of a tale behind it."

     "Well, there isn't too much to say," Sir Gabriel begins, "Have you heard anyone telling tales of a beautiful maiden being locked away in a castle?"

     "Wait, this is her?" Sir Olric replies out of disbelief while looking very surprised. He then points at Ashley. "The very same maiden who was being held by some great and terrible beast?"

      "Wait, a beast?" Ashley asks out of confusion. "What is this about a beast at my home?"

      "Ashley," Sir Gabriel begins, trying to think of the best way to word his explanation. "When knights retell the tales of their exploits, they sometimes embellish them a bit. This is so that their deeds seem grander, or when they need to save face because of a failure."

     "You mean, people were calling me a monster?" Ashley's eyes begin to tear upon reaching this conclusion. She knows that she can be intimidating to people, and she understands why the knights who entered her home were so frightened. But to be calling her a monster.

     "Ashley, I can understand why you are hurt right now, and it angers me to know that those knights are going around spreading such rumors about you. But I know who you truly are, and you are the furthest thing possible from a monster. You do need to remember, when I came to my senses after meeting you, I didn't run away. I took the time to talk to you and I got to know you."

     "Aye," Sir Olric chimes in. "I wholeheartedly agree. Whoever is spreading such lies about you, deserves to be stretched at the rack, hung at the gallows then beheaded."

     "Isn't that a bit harsh?" Sir Gabriel asks.

     "A wee bit. But you gotta admit, it did sound pretty impressive." He laughs loudly

     Ashley is still looking a bit concerned. "But, that doesn't change the fact that these lies are being spread about me."

      "Well don't you worry about that. I do own a tavern. Do you have any idea how fast tales and rumors can spread when they are started at a tavern? All I need to do is claim that there is no beast, but a woman of immense proportions. Who has already been rescued by a brave knight."

      "Really? Will that work?"

      "The initial tale lead Sir Gabriel to you, didn't it? Therefore adding onto it and correcting it will clear up any misunderstandings people may have about you."

     "Thank you," Ashley says sounding very grateful. "I think I can see why Gabriel here holds you in such a high regard.

      "Ah, think nothing of it," Sir Olric says out of modesty. "I'm just a man who knows right from wrong is all. I spent a good portion of my life upholding it. Which I continue to do to this very day."

     Both Sir Gabriel and Sir Olric can hear a growling from Ashley as she places her hand on her stomach. "Sorry," Ashley apologizes, sounding embarrassed. "We kind of skipped breakfast this morning."

     "Well then, I bet you two could use a hot meal and a drink. It's on me."

     "Are you sure about that? I mean, surely you can imagine how much I can eat."

     "That won't be a problem. I'm sure that we can whip something up to satisfy your appetite."

    "A barrel full of apples will be just fine."

     "No, no," Sir Olric disagrees. "A proper meal is what you are getting. A barrel full of ale and whatever you want."

     "Well, if it isn't too much trouble, I suppose I could really go for some shepard pie."

     "It won't be too much trouble. Though the chef may think he is getting ready to feed an army. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that it is just for one woman." Sir Olric laughs as he heads back inside the tavern.

      Ashley looks down at Sir Gabriel, who seems to be quite content in her embrace. "I am surprised by how accepting he was of me."

     "Just wait until you meet Momma," Sir Gabriel replies, looking up at her.

     "If she is anything like Sir Olric has been, I won't be too surprised."

     "Oh, she will end up treating you as if you are already family." Granted b his momma was the one who taught him to love someone for who they are despite their appearance. So he knows that she will accept Ashley for who she is regardless of how big the maiden is.