The common room remained in a shocked state of silence for a good moment. Nothing above the sounds of Tayell’s whimpering could be heard, as villagers all turned to glimpse at Annallya. The young Titan herself was so jarred by the boy’s sudden outburst and realization, that she failed to replace her hood back on her head. Not that it would do her any good, she soon grasped. With everyone’s attention on her now, covering her face with a hood would only confirm that she had something to hide. By now the crowd had begun to murmur amongst themselves. Close to Annallya’s left stood Gaelin, his face gave away nothing as he stared back towards the crowd. Off to her right sat the Whistler upon his stool. His eyes were now transfixed solely on her. The wild and eccentric look had vanished entirely from them. Now they were acutely studying her, though nothing on his face told her that he felt any fear at the mention of the word Titan.

Turning back to the crowd itself, Annallya noted a very significant change among the people. Realization had slowly dawned on all of them, as they recognized her unique features and dress. Very carefully, villagers began to back away from her until those furthest in the back touched up against the far wall. Their whispers came to her ears, sharp and frantic.

“She’s a Titan! I recognize those clothes!”

“I heard her speak! Only Titans talk like that!”

“Why has she come here! We’ve already given them their Offering! What more do they want?”

“Was she sent to spy on us?”

“She looks just like the one who comes to collect the Offering!”

They were all speaking so rapidly that she could not discern all of the remarks. It made her head reel just to try. The whispering quelled, however, when a lone man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. He was the single darkest man she had seen among the humans. He was almost as tall as Gaelin, with a similar plain white shirt, worn beneath a worn tan vest, pants, and boots. His hair was very short and neatly cut, and his beard only framed his mouth without traveling up his jawline as Gaelin’s does. The sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up to the elbow, and his arms looked powerful from years of hard work. His eyes, much like Gaelin’s were dangerously dark. He carried no weapons on him, yet the way that his fingers flexed while at his sides, gave the impression that he wished that he had some form of armaments.

“Why have you come here Titan? We’ve already given you your Offering for this half of the year.” his hands clenched into fists, but he made no move other than that. His voice never rose in volume, but had a natural rawness to it that reminded her of the drill commanders of Thylara, who spend their whole lives screaming orders. It was a powerful voice nonetheless. “We’ve given you much. What more do you want from us?”

Annallya could vaguely sense the growing hostilities in the room. She needed to diffuse the situation before anyone resorted to violence. The last thing she wanted to do was bring any more harm to these people. So she raised her hands to her shoulders, palms out, in a pacifying gesture.

“Peace,” she told them, or tried to. It came out much more mumbled than she had intended. “I on- . . . only . . . I-”

She tried to take a step forward and found balance to be seriously compromised. Annallya leaned heavily on the table as the entire room began to sway before her eyes. The sight of the walls and people being tossed about as if on a ship hurt her eyes.

“What is happening?” she whispered.

She became vaguely aware of Gaelin’s presence beside her and his hand on her shoulder. “It’s the wine. You’ve had too much for your first time.”

The wine did this? How much did she drink? Recalling the number of times the serving girl had filled her cup was difficult. Her mind was lost in a fog, where thoughts slipped through her fingers before she could fully grasp them.

“Val’ Saida.” came Lyal’s even voice again.

Gaelin looked up to find the man’s glassy eyes focused on him.

“You brought her here, Val’ Saida?” he asked.

The people of the common room turned a plethora of gazes towards Gaelin. Some of them were fearful, others confused, and some were downright livid. Gaelin, to his credit, faced them all without so much as a twitch of hesitation.

“I escorted her here, yes.” he plainly stated.

“Did you know she was a Titan?” Lyal asked.

Gaelin nodded. “I did.”

Lyal’s fingers twitched, yet his voice remained eerily even and restrained. “Why?”

“She wanted to see people with her own eyes.” he answered. “She wanted to meet us. Maybe help us.”

“She’s a Titan.” was all that Lyal said.

Gaelin closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed to stand up taller. His sheer willpower fought back against the turmoil of emotion that the rest of the common room was directing at him with their stares.

“This is Annallya Rhaolin,” he quietly declared to the common room. “And she’s my apprentice.”

Without another word, without so much as a breath of warning, Lyal sprinted across the room. In the blink of an eye he had grabbed Gaelin by the collar of his coat, and pushed him against the wall. Gaelin, caught off guard by the speed of Lyal’s assault, was unable to block the first punch the was directed at him, and endured a swift blow to the left cheek. As soon as another punch came his way, Gaelin managed to redirect it to the right of him, but Lyal countered by turning his punch into an elbow strike. Gaelin barely managed to get an arm up to protect his throat. Lyal followed up with a left haymaker, that connected with Gaelin’s head, despite his efforts to block. Lyal pressed on his advantage, launching quick uppercut punches at his stomach, before pushing him into a table. The momentum from the push allowed Gaelin to roll over the table top, putting at least one obstacle between him and his opponent. Lyal, however, was seething with rage, and not about to let his enemy escape so easily. Placing a booted foot on the edge of the table top, he gave a swift kick, sending the table sliding into Gaelin.

The table didn’t hurt him, but it did succeed in preventing the man from catching his breath. Lyal deftly vaulted over the table, swinging his legs towards Gaelin in a kick that landed right in the center of his chest. This time there was no table directly behind him and he was able to gain a little distance. Lyal was upon him in an instant, but Gaelin was able to duck beneath his next haymaker, then counter with a solid right to his stomach. The blow took a little air from Lyal, who pushed Gaelin passed him to give himself a moment of recovery now. A moment was all he needed, though, as Lyal turned back to face him and continue his assault once more. Gaelin, however, also only needed that quick moment to get his feet back under him. Lyal came at him again, throwing powerful and well practiced jabs. Gaelin was well experienced in hand to hand combat, but Lyal clearly had been in more fist fights throughout his life. Blade work was where all of Gaelin’s true talent lied, but he had no sword on him at the moment. So, thinking as quickly on his feet as he could, Gaelin stepped into the forms he had practiced every day of his life for as long as he could remember. The sword forms involved precise footwork, and wide sweeping motions that were meant to teach practitioners how to redirect a blade. Gaelin merely substituted his arms for a sword, using wide sweeps to push Lyals strikes in different directions, without having to match him muscle for muscle.

Although it was not a perfect technique, Gaelin succeeded in redirecting the majority of Lyal’s worst blows from himself, while allowing openings for counterstrikes. The two men now danced around the room, trading blows, blocks, and sweeps on a more or less even playing field.

“STOP! ENOUGH!” cried a loud voice.

Gaelin and Lyal saw, as well as felt, a massive and strong hand on each of their chests. With one powerful heave, the two men were literally thrown apart from each other. Lyal stumbled half way across the room, where he was caught by the crowd of onlookers, while Gaelin found support against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Looking up at who had separated them, he was struck speechless to see Annallya standing there at a height of almost nine feet tall. Though the young Titan still swayed a bit on her feet, her legs were spread wide, allowing her to maintain her balance. Her arms, far from feeble at her human height, had been powerful enough to force the two grown men apart as if they had been children. It was an impressive display of physical power, and it was not even at a tenth of the Titan’s full size.

The men and women in the common room didn’t dare make a move, though several quiet gasps could be heard among them. To their credit, they maintained their wits about them, not a one of them fainted or fled at the sight of the Titan’s casual display of strength. They had all seen Titans before at full size. They knew that nothing they did would save them, should she decide to turn on them next. Lyal, however, seemed to care little for her power. Or perhaps he cared little for self preservation, as he tried to leap across the room at Gaelin and finish what they had started. Four of the men around him quickly seized hold of him, before he could take more than a step.

“You lost your blazing mind, Lyal?”

“You can’t fight a Titan!”

“She’ll tear you in half with her bare hands!”

Lyal growled as he fought in vain against his fellow villagers. “You brought her here Val’ Saida! They’ve taken everything from us! EVERYTHING!”

The men holding him back started to drag their friend out of the building and to his home. His screams lingered after him. “TO THE FLAMES WITH YOU VAL’ SAIDA! I HOPE SHE DRAGS YOU BACK TO THEIR HOME WHERE THEY TORTURE YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS! JUST LIKE THEY DID TO EVERYONE WE’VE EVER LOVED!”

There was much anger in Lyal’s voice, but beneath all of it Annallya could hear true pain as well. As the last of his curses faded into the silence of the night, the young Titan looked around at those that remained. Not even five minutes ago these people had been laughing and cheering at the top of their lungs. Children had enjoyed real music that they likely have not heard in years. They had all been smiling, they had been happy. Now, all she could see were looks of tightly controlled horror. Little ones clung to their mothers skirts, or sought safety behind the bodies of their fathers. Husbands held the hands of their wives, as they looked on her the way one might look at a beast that was expected to devour them. She had not meant to take this night from them. Annallya sank to her knees before returning to her human size. Gaelin quietly approached her, offering her his hand which she accepted. He hauled Annallya to her feet, though her head remained downcast, causing Gaelin to drape the hood back over her face. The mentor gently laid an arm across his student’s shoulder, and lead her towards the door.

The crowd parted for the two of them without a word. No one wanted to be the one to prevent the Titan from leaving. Together they walked along in silence until they had traded in the village scenery for the trees beyond it. After several minutes of walking in silence, Gaelin finally spoke up.

“Well that went better than I thought it would. How are you feeling?”

“Sick to my stomach.” she spat.

He grunted. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you drink too much.”

“It is not the wine.” she retorted.

“Look, don’t take what Lyal said to heart.” he assured her. “He was drunk, and not in his right mind. Plus the man’s a temper on him like you wouldn’t believe. How he had the patience to be a craftsman I’ll never know.”

“That is not the point Gaelin!” she cried out, walking out of arm’s reach. “All of my life I have been raised believing that you all were monsters! That I was the virtuous one who rescued you, gave you homes, and cared for you. Now I find that it has all been the reverse. You are the innocents attempting to scrape out a life in peace, and I am the monster that mothers tell their children about to frighten them!”

“Annallya, that’s not true.” he protested.

The Titan turned to face him. “Oh really? Do my people not come to that village in the night and snatch away their loved ones?”

Gaelin froze as he realized that there was no possible way he could deny that. To Annallya, his silence was more than confirmation.

“As I suspected!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air while turning away from him. “All of these years I had believed that we were good people, doing good things for poor creatures!”

Suddenly her voice softened, as she began to break down. “I had believed that I was a good person.”

“You’re going to stand there and tell me that you’re not?” Gaelin challenged.

“What have I done for those people?” she responded, turning to face him. “I have taken away the only happy night that they have had in a long time, while their friends are being kept in the same palace that I live in!”

“I’ll tell you what you’ve done,” he asserted, striding up to her. “You gave Andrill a friend at a time when he needed one more than anything else. You cared enough about him to run off into the woods to find a flame kissed hermit who had already threatened to kill you once, on his instruction. You cared enough about people to let a group of robbers go after they tried to hurt you. And you were the first Titan I’ve ever heard of that wanted to learn about humans instead of kill them. If you ask me, you’ve shown more humanity than the majority of the people in that blazing common room.”

Annallya was silent for a moment as she allowed his words to fully process. Eventually she threw her arms around his body, holding him in both gratitude, and for comfort. Gaelin, for his part, hugged her back,

“Thank you.” she wept. “I wish very much to believe that, Gaelin.”

Gaelin pulled away just enough to allow the two of them to face each other. As softly as he could manage, he used his fingers to brush the loose locks of hair that had fallen around her face.

“I believe it Annallya,” he assured her. “You’ve shown a level of compassion that I’ve never believed a Titan capable of. Whatever horrible acts your people have committed in the past, you don’t have to bear the burden of guilt for it. Your people don’t define who you are.”

Annallya wanted to thank him for his kind words, but could not find her voice. Standing there in the woods, basked in the light of the full moon, she could only gaze at him. His eye, which had always seemed so dark and cold during the day, seemed to finally shine beneath the moonlight. Perhaps it was a trick of the shadows, or perhaps it was the wine, but Annallya felt as if she were seeing him for the first time all over again. Only, there was no fear or anger between them as when they had first met. There was only comfort, and bliss.

Gaelin, for his part, was memorizing every detail of her face. Under Sun and Stars, he had always thought that she was beautiful, ever since he had seen her stumbling through the forest by herself. Try as he might, though, he couldn’t force himself to see passed the fact that she was a Titan. Old, bitter feelings do not die easily. But now? None of it mattered. She was a good person. Of that he was certain.

Before either of them were fully conscious of the action, Gaelin leaned in towards her, and she stood up to meet him. Their lips locked and sealed the two in place and in time. How long they stood there like that, neither of them would ever remember. And if they had had their way, they would have stood there for the rest of their lives, locked in a perfect moment. When the two finally parted, they were both equally surprised at what they had done. Annallya felt her heart attempt to beat its way through her chest with how quickly it was racing. Never before had she received a kiss in such a way. When Titans kissed, it was always a light peck on the cheek, brought on by seeing a very close friend or relative. This had been something else entirely.

Turning away from Gaelin, Annallya proceeded to violently spew the contents of her stomach all over the grass coated ground.

Gaelin, taken aback by the sudden reaction, could only sigh. Yeah I guess I’m a little out of practice.

Annallya continued to wretch before looking back up at him. “Perhaps it . . . was the wine . . .”

Pulling out his flask, Gaelin proceeded to finish the last two sips remaining. “There’s a stream not too far from here with fresh water. Come on I’ll show you.”

But the Titan only shook her head as she gagged again. “I think I shall . . . wait here for you . . .”

Gaelin only nodded, and proceeded towards where he knew the small stream would be. Under normal circumstances he would be reluctant to leave anyone alone in the woods at night. A Titan, however, would literally have little to fear from the predators around here. Still, he didn’t want to keep her waiting for too long, and quickened his pace. He found the water he was looking for after only another minute. He took a minute to first wash out his flask, so as to rid it of any residue from his previous drink, before filling it up with water, and capping it. Before he could take a step to leave, however, he felt a distinct vibration through the soles of his boots. The vibration was followed by the sound of crashing and rustling, and it was heading in his direction. The seasoned woodsman knew all too well what this indicated. He tried bolting for cover, and succeeded in making it all of ten steps, before the figure of a Titan came into view through the dense wall of trees. Instantly he froze, trusting in the darkness of the night, as well as his black coat, to hide him from her sight. It was of no use though, as she had already seen him take his last step before stopping. The Titan glared down at the tiny man from her full height of 90ft, with all of the haughty air of power possessed by a resident of Thylara.

“You! Halt!” she demanded.

Without even waiting for an answer, the Titan reached a gigantic hand towards Gaelin. Years of training and instinct took over, as Gaelin lept into motion at the flick of a mental switch. He sprinted away from the Titan as fast as he could without sacrificing his footing on a hidden branch or stone. Running in the woods at night is all but impossible, given the uneven terrain. Gaelin, however, had no time for caution, he needed to time this perfectly. Once the shadow of her hand eclipsed his whole body, he dive rolled forward. His gamble worked as her fingers clutched empty air, where her prey had been a moment before. Coming up to his feet, Gaelin continued to hunt for shelter from his pursuer.

“Accursed insect.” the Titan swore. “Surrender yourself to me, or else.”

This time, the shadow that hovered above his body was just to the right of him. Trusting his movements to instinct, Gaelin jumped and used his right leg to push his body off of a tree trunk and to the left. The thunderous crash that came from behind told him that he had narrowly avoided being stepped on. It was all the motivation he needed to keep running. He needed to find shelter. He needed-

Suddenly the sight of a missle over head brought Gaelin to a halt. A boulder twice his size crashed not twenty feet in front of him. Had he not stopped, it would have killed him.

“Get back here!” she called again, stomping over to him with her arm stretched out, reaching for him. For the moment, though, luck seemed to be on his side. Off to his right, the land sloped downwards at a steep enough angle that he was able to slide down the grass and foliage, again narrowly escaping the giant woman’s clutches. When he had reached the bottom, Gaelin picked up running again, feeling better now that the path before him was flat and even. He sprinted for all he was worth, followed closely by the crashing of her footsteps.

*******************************************************************************************************

Rhollan finished wiping off the last table of the night, before stepping back to admire the now empty common room. Despite the sweeping that needed to be done, among other things, the sigh he let out was one of contentment. As if materializing from thin air, a figure approached his side, wrapping weathered, but strong arms around him as she stood by his side. Rhollan reached a course hand up to stroke one of her hands, enjoying the sensation of feeling her soft skin against his, while she rested a weary head against his shoulder.

“We haven’t had a night like this in a long time.” she noted.

He nodded. “It was good to see life back in this place again. With Ol’ Klin gone, I’d all but given up hope on us ever hearing real music again.”

“He left you that fiddle of his for a reason.” she reminded him.

“Can’t touch the thing.” he replied with a grimace. “I ain’t got it in me.”

“I still can’t believe it.” the woman said, with noticeable heat in her voice. “I cannot believe what that man had the gaul to do.”

“Peace, Anda.” he sighed. “We don’t know why he did what he did. No harm came out of it.”

“No harm?” she questioned, the heat in her voice rising towards malice. “He knowingly brought a Titan in here, told no one, and ended up ruining the whole night for everyone! How can you defend that?”

“As I recall, that girl did nothing but speak respectfully to everyone around her, sit quietly by herself, and enjoy the music like the rest of us.” Rhollan reminded her. “Had that boy not noticed she was a Titan and make a scene about it, I doubt she wouldn’t have done anything the whole night.”

“Rhollan you saw what she did yourself.” Anda breathed. “She’s dangerous, just like the rest of them.”

Rhollan cast his eyes down towards the floor. “I saw what she did to protect him, yes.”

Anda’s features softened, as she walked back up to him. She gently placed her hand against his cheek, caressing it and providing all of the comfort she could. “You protect him too. That’s got to stop now, love.”

“He saved my life,” he said quietly. “Those men would have left me to die if he hadn’t come along.”

“And because of that I’ve forgiven him.” Anda explained. “I’ve forgiven the fact that he uses our village, trades with us, eats our food, and takes our drink. All the while he refuses to tell us where he lives, and doesn’t participate in the Offering. He wants to be apart of this community? Fine. He can live up stairs if he got nowhere else to go, and I’d cook for him every day myself. But in return, he has to include himself in the Offering. Otherwise, he should be banned from ever coming here and trading.”

“You do that,” came a voice from the bar. “And I’ll pack my things right now and be off to the next village I can find.”

Anda and her husband turned to see the Whistler stand up from the bar, the bells on his vest still jingling with every little movement. He strode up to them, the movement of his lanky limbs almost betrayed how much he had been drinking, if he didn’t walk like that all of the time.

“Master Tull,” she addressed him. “Forgive me, but I believe the affairs of our village are our business only.”

He cast a quizzical gaze over the Mistress of the Inn, as if he didn’t quite understand the words she had just spoke. The Whistler was without a doubt a man of many strange mannerisms. Rhollan supposed one couldn’t become as talented an entertainer as he, without some small manner of madness. Eventually he broke out into a small grin.

“I’ve never before heard of a man bringing a Titan with him to a common room in for a few glasses of wine.” he explained. “Tell me something about this man. Gaelin Val’ Saida was it?”

Rhollan shrugged. “He lives somewhere out in the woods. Only comes round here when he’s looking to trade or have a drink.”

The Whistler nodded. “And does he always come in such company?”

Anda sniffed. “No, but it doesn’t surprise me he keeps company with Titans. Believe me when I say, he’s not a man you want to associate yourself with.”

“Oh I don’t know about that.” The Whistler murmured with a knowing look in his eye. “If anything he’s exactly the kind of man this village needs. Or will need very soon.”

Rhollan frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing of any consequence at the moment.” The Whistler assured them, waving a dismissive hand. “I think I’ll be retiring to my room now. Pleasant night to the both of you.”

The two of them watched him stride up the stairs, not saying a word.

“You know I’m right, Rhollan.” she said at last. “The whole village resents that he uses us, but doesn’t offer himself up with us. It’s why Lyal reacted the way that he did.”

“Lyal hasn’t gotten over the last Offering.” Rhollan lamented. “He needs time. One more loss won’t do anyone any good. It won’t bring them back, Anda.”

“Maybe so, but it’ll certainly settle the score between us all.” she countered. “He’s always going on about how he pays for his own, whenever you offer him a free drink. We’ll I think it’s time he pay the price we’ve all had to bear.”

“He told me that he would once.” Rhollan said almost to himself. “He mentioned that he owed a debt to the village, and the Titans. Said he planned to pay it in full. Had something to do first, but he never told me what it was.”

Anda wanted to question Rhollan further, but the look in the man’s eye told him that he was far too lost in his thoughts. Deciding it best to leave her husband to his contemplation, Anda strode off into the kitchen to make sure that all of the dishes had been cleaned to her liking.

Whatever demons are chasing you, Gaelin, the In-keeper thought. I hope you can find a way to make peace with them, before it’s too late.

**********************************************************************************************

Gaelin tried to make peace with the Stars above, for it seemed as though he truly had nowhere else to go. He had been running along a fairly straight forward path in an open area of the forest. What appeared to be a blessing quickly turned out to be a trap in disguise. The Titan Catcher pursuing him had toppled over two large trees as if they had been twigs stuck in the soil. The two massive oak trunks had landed at the perfect angle to coral Gaelin into one spot, trapping him between their great mass, and the oncoming Titan. The huge monolith of a woman loomed menacingly closer to him, staggering in her scale. There was no longer anywhere for him to go, he had been caught. Knowing that her prey was well and truly within her grasp, the Titan encroached upon his position, reaching a gigantic hand to snatch at his body. Gaelin, for his part, prepare himself for the worst.

What neither of them had been prepared for, was the fist of another Titan crashing into the Catcher’s face. Annallya, now standing at her full height of 100ft tall, had shaken off the effects of the wine, and had thrown herself into the fray. The Catcher, so caught off guard by the assault from another Titan, was slow to respond to the powerful blow that had struck her cheek. She staggered beneath the impact of the punch, as was unable to defend herself when her hair was grabbed, and pulled directly into Annallya’s knee. The second strike sent her sprawling. Annallya pressed her advantage, attempting to leap onto her opponent. Unfortunately, the Catcher, through instinct alone, had anticipated this, and brought her feet up, to double heel kick at the midair Titan. Annallya was sent flying backwards a few feet, for her at least. To Gaelin, to appeared as if she had sailed a quarter of a mile through the open air. The terrain around him was torn to sunder by their mountainous strength. He should have been running for cover, but could not tear his eyes away from the battle that raged before him.

The Catcher ran towards Annallya who, at the last second, had rolled backwards, and come to her feet in a crouched position, right when the other Titan was right in front of her. Without a second of hesitation, she sprang from her crouched position, and locked arms with her shorter opponent. The two giantesses stood there, hands locked, in a battle of pure muscle. Muscle that could have literally moved some mountains. At the last instant, however, the Catcher, reversed her position, twisting her whole body 180 degrees, and throwing Annallya over her shoulder. Annallya landed on the ground with the crash of a tremendous impact, even for her. Gaelin was almost thrown from his feet from the resulting shockwave. The Catcher attempted to press her advantage, by pounding her opponent submissively into the ground. Annallya, however, anticipated this. From her back she managed to swing her legs up towards her head, and kick her opponent directly in the face with both feet. Cashing in on the momentum of her movement, Annallya continued rolling across her back until she was able to plant her hands on the ground, and push herself up into the air in a temporary handstand, only to land perfectly on her feet again. The movements had been so fluid and graceful for a figure that literally dwarfed the trees around her.

Annallya turned quickly, for her opponent was already back on her. She managed to intercept the next punch thrown, counter with two quick punches herself to the head, before finally grabbing the woman’s arm, and trapping it at a painful angle, forcing the other Titan to her knees.

“Shrink down!” Annallya’s voice thundered.

“Who . . . are you!” gasped the Titan Catcher.

“The woman who will snap every bone in your arm if you disobey what I instruct you to do!” she ordered. “Now! Shrink! Down!”

Annallya’s voice, normally so ordinary and pleasant to behold, echoed all around the little human. It came as a roll of thunder, that shook the very trees into submission to her demands. The other Titan, seeing as she had no choice, began to shrink down. Just before she had reached her smallest height, Annallya flicked her finger against the back of her head, just hard enough to deliver a smart blow to her most vulnerable area. The Catcher fell unconscious instantly, and now lay within Annallya’s grasp. The other Titan took a moment to ensure that her opponent had not been killed by her blow. When she had seen for herself that she was still breathing, Annallya exhaled in relief. She would quietly drop the Catcher off somewhere safe and unobserved within the city’s walls. Kneeling down, the Titan found Gaelin standing within the boundaries of the toppled trees, staring at her behind that stone mask of neutrality.

“Thank the Stars above I was not too late.” she breathed, reaching a hand towards him. “Are you hurt?”

Gaelin, without being entirely conscious of his actions, took two quick steps away from her hand, causing Annallya to freeze in horror. He was afraid of her. Just like the innocent little people at the common room. He was terrified that she, in all of her power and strength, would harm him. On some intellectual level, Annallya could understand this to be a perfectly reasonable reaction. She had just thrown an opponent twice the size of the trees around them, as if she had been a sparring dummy. On an emotional level, seeing her mentor fear her in such a way stung. It stung on a level that the young woman had never felt before. The fact that it was Gaelin, of all people, who now feared her, truly made her feel the monster of children's stories. By Sun and Stars but it hurt! When she spoke next, Annallya tried her best to make her voice sound as quiet and meek as possible.

“I am truly sorry. I had hoped that you would never have to see me in such a way an-” she grimaced. “I am sorry, Gaelin.”

With that, the living colossus stood up, and proceeded towards Thylara. Gaelin, for his part, stood in place and watched her stomp off into the distance. He had always known what she was. All the same, knowing something and witnessing it, are two vastly different situations. Turning back towards his hut, Gaelin headed home to crack open a bottle of something strong.