As the Intruder slowly began to come to and he was struggling to remember exactly what had happened. The last thing he could remember, he was attacking someone who had startled him. The next thing, he felt something big grab him and then throw him against a wall with such force that he was surprised that he didn't break through it.

His head was spinning but he soon discovered that he was no longer lying on the ground but rather sitting on a chair. As a natural reaction to his situation, he went to raise his arm and rub his eyes, but this was impossible to do so. Instead, he found it tied down to arm of the chair and it seemed as if nothing he did could release him.

It wasn't just his arm that was tied to the chair but so was his arms and legs. His body too was tied to the chair and whoever had done this had made sure that the ropes were tight. He could barely breathe in them and his he could still feel some pain. As far as he was concerned, he had been attacked by a bear, it was the only creature that he knew about in this area that was strong enough to do what it did.

The first thing he saw in front of him was a man who he vaguely recognised. For the moment he couldn't put his finger on who it was but as his memories continued to return to him, he realised that it was Taiyun. He didn't know him by name but knew him as one of the exiled Princess's bodyguards.

"Ah I see that you're awake," said Taiyun. The Intruder was able to look around a little more and he could see Asla sitting on a bed next to a man that he didn't recognise. He didn't realise that this was Charles and that he had tried kill him a short time earlier. "I was afraid that you'd been killed."

Rather than speaking in the language of Angleland, the Intruder responded with the tongue that only Asla and Taiyun could understand. This wasn't too surprising for them, and it would make speaking to him more difficult from Charles's point of view. He could hear the Intruder saying something and it annoyed him that he couldn't understand a single word. Luckily for him, Asla continued to sit there and quietly translate for him.

"He's asking where he is," said Asla quietly to Charles. Her voice was too quiet for the others to hear. "Taiyun is telling him that he's lucky to be alive."

"Thanks," replied Charles. He was still shaken by what had happened, but he felt safe where he was right now. "Has he said why he's here?"

"No not yet, but I think he might have a bigger problem."

Suddenly a huge hand came down onto the Intruder's shoulder and he looked up slowly as he was terrified with what it was. As his head craned up, he could see the face of Maxine looming over him as she stood behind the chair.

Despite having time to change, the muscular giantess was still in her undergarments and it her physique could clearly be seen. What shocked the Intruder was not just her height and muscular frame but the fact that she was a woman. This was probably the biggest shock out of all of this. He could see that she was far from happy, and her scowl sent a shiver down his spine.

"Don't think that by only speaking your language that I don't know what you're saying," said Maxine. The truth was that she didn't understand what he was saying but she got a basic idea from his mannerisms and body language. She could see how terrified he was right now, and she knew that she had him where she wanted. "You tried to hurt my squire, if not for his mercy, I would have snapped your neck like a twig."

"I think he gets the message," answered Taiyun when the Intruder didn't respond to Maxine's words. He felt confident since Maxine was the hulking figure who could scare any man into talking. He was just glad that this time, he rage was not focused on him or the woman that he was sworn to protect. "Do you speak the language of this land?" The Intruder didn't say anything for a few moments but felt the pressure on his shoulder increase as Maxine tightened her grip.

"Y-Yes I do," replied the Intruder. He had a thick accent, and it was a little hard to understand him. But his words were clear, and the muscular giantess began to loosen her grip on his shoulder.

"Good, now tell us why you're here." He already could take a guess why the Intruder was there, but this was the line of questioning that Asla wanted and he would ask it to the best of his abilities.

"I-I was sent to kill Princess Luxina. B-Believe me, it's nothing personal, it's just a job." This was a simple answer but one that wasn't too unexpected. At least they knew that he didn't have any loyalty or political reasoning for his actions. He was simply an assassin who was paid to do a job.

"And my squire, why did you attempt to kill him?" asked Maxine. Her voice was commanding, and it was a tone that Charles recognised. It was when she wasn't in the best mood and was making commands rather than requests. If the Assassin was wise, then he would answer the question.

"H-He was getting in the way, so I tried to take him out. If he didn't try to interfere, he would have been safe." Suddenly he felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze tighter as she still wasn't happy that he had tried to kill Charles. The Intruder cried out in pain over this but for the moment, Maxine remained silent. "It's true, I'm not lying!"

"I know but maybe if I break your shoulder, you might learn a lesson." She increased the pressure on his shoulder and the Intruder continued to cry out in pain. Taiyun did nothing but watch as he didn't mind seeing the Intruder getting injured. Not after what he had just admitted to them.

"Maxine please stop," said Charles who stood up from where he was sitting. He looked over to his friend and almost immediately, she loosened her grip on the Intruder's shoulder and the pain mostly went away.

"Fine." There was some frustration in her voice, but she did what he had asked of her. His shoulder hadn't been broken but it was likely that her actions would leave a bruise. "It seems your luck is holding out tonight."

"You shouldn't have stopped," said Taiyun who was frustrated. "He killed Jinshu, he needs to suffer."

"I did what now?" asked the Intruder. Although he was still reeling from the pain, he did hear what had just been said.

"Don't play dumb, you heard me. You killed my colleague and friend earlier today and I want you to suffer for that."

"Wait, I haven't killed anyone today!" There was a small amount of panic in his voice as he didn't want Maxine hurting him again. He had already felt her wrath twice before and didn't want to experience it again.

"You're lying! How can we trust the word of a man who is paid to assassinate others?" If you ask me, if we killed him here, we would be doing the world a favour."

"No, it's the truth. I've admitted to being here to kill the princess. Why would I lie about not killing someone else? How did your friend die?"

"You already know that!" Taiyun's anger was increasing, and he was on the verge of striking him across the face. "You poisoned him earlier."

"Poison? Poison isn't one of my go to ways of killing my targets. Look, you've likely gone through my things before you tied me up. Did you find any poison on me?" No one answered as they had found knives on his person as well as a couple of other weapons. Poison was not amongst his personal effects. "See, I wasn't the one responsible for the death of your friend. So would you be kind enough to untie me?" He knew that this was simply wishful thinking on his part.

Both Maxine and Taiyun did believe the Intruder when it came to not assassinating Jinshu. They had thoroughly searched him before they had tied him up and everything that had been on his person had been removed. This didn't put him out of danger though as Maxine stepped in front of him. It was at this point in time when he realised just how huge and muscular, she actually was. Even if she hadn't of taken him by surprise, he knew that he had no chance in a one-on-one fight with her.

"Not quite," said Maxine. Her voice was quite sharp, and Charles recognised it as when she was making a point. It was a commanding tone which along with her stature made her an intimidating figure. "You attempted to harm my squire and that's something I can't forgive straight away. So that makes me ask a question, your hands or your tongue?"

"What?" replied the Intruder with fearful confusion in his voice.

"Which do you prefer to keep, your hands or your tongue?"

"What kind of question is that?" He knew exactly she was asking and what would happen if he gave a suitable answer. Before he could say anything else he felt a huge hand get thrust into his neck and he could feel himself be choked.

"If you don't answer then you lose both!" There was a look of intense rage in her voice, and it seemed as though she was serious. "Charles grab my hunting knife!"

"W-Wait!" He was struggling to speak, and he felt the grip around his neck get released. "C-Can't we discuss this?"

"Hmm, I could let you keep your hands and tongue. If you allowed me to turn you into a eunuch."

"What's a eunuch?" This was a word that he had never come across before and he wasn't sure if it had a translation into his own language.

"Maxine you can't!" stated Charles who was showing concern towards the Intruder. He saw her turn towards him and glare.

"Pass me my knife or else you can suffer the same as him!" Her words were sharp and scared Charles somewhat. However, he was beginning to realise something, and he nodded to her as he went to get the knife. She then turned back towards the Intruder, and she made sure that she loomed over him. "You tried to take what's most important to me so I'm going to take something that's most important to you. Something that is important to practically all men."

The Intruder was still confused for a moment, but he soon realised what the muscular giantess was talking about as he looked at his own crotch area and then looked back up to her. Sweat was beginning to drip down his brow as he feared what he was about to lose. His panic only increased when he saw the size of the knife that Charles gave to Maxine. To some it would be considered a large dagger but to her, it was nothing more than a knife and he could see the damage it could do.

"No, please," begged the Intruder. He would have tried to cover his crotch area but since his hands were still tied to the arms of the chair, this was something that was impossible for him to do. "I'll do anything you want, just don't cut anything off?"

"No, I have my knife now, besides it's been a while since I last did something like that. Believe me, it's not really worth having to begin with. I don't have a penis and I've been fine, so you should be no different."

"No!" His voice was more like a scream as he was sure that his life would more or less be over now. If he wasn't going to die here, he thought that he was going to lose one of his body parts.

"Hmm, seems like I got a bigger reaction than I expected. There is a way for you to leave this room whole."

"S-Sure, whatever you want." He was still in a state of shock but was also relieved with what she was saying. At this point in time, he was willing to practically do anything in order to not get anything chopped off.

"Well, a few things actually and if you decide to lie to me or refuse to answer. Then you'll be losing a body part. Got it?" The Intruder nodded to her and right now everyone fell silent and just watched her.

Charles could tell what the muscular giantess was actually doing. He didn't think that she would actually cut off any of the Intruder's body parts but instead was using it as a way to intimidate him. It seemed to have worked as he was more than willing to tell them whatever they wanted. The fact that Maxine was still holding onto her large knife didn't really help with the situation from the point of view of the man strapped to the chair.

The way that she had spoken to Charles was really what tipped him off to the fact that it was an act. The way she had been demanding was more like the previous version of her and he didn't think that she would speak to him like that. Everything that she had done was to simply make herself as threatening as possible.

"Good, now for my first question," said Maxine. She still held onto the knife, and it seemed as though she was willing to use it on a moment's notice. "Are you working alone, or do you have accomplices?"

"I-I'm alone, if there is anyone else after the princess, they're nothing to do with me." She looked at him for a few moments and from what she could tell, he was telling the truth. Right now, she had him exactly where she wanted him.

"Ok, I believe you. Telling the truth wasn't too hard now, was it? For my next question, who sent you?"

"I-It's no one that you would know." There was a loud grunt of annoyance from Maxine as it was clear that she didn't like the answer that she had been given. If he said anything out of turn, it could lead to a lot of trouble for him. "L-Lord Shinpai, he's the one who sent me!" There was some panic in his voice, but his name was unfamiliar to her. Because of this, she turned her head towards Taiyun who had been quiet, but she could see a look of frustration on his face.

"Recognise that name?" Her tone wasn't as striking as it had been before, and she awaited the answer with some eagerness.

"Yes, I do, Lord Shinpai was one of her majesty's greatest supporters from our country. He was a good friend to her father. I simply don't understand why he would send someone to kill her."

"Allegiances can change, you'd be surprised with what a person is capable of when it involves saving their own hides." She glanced over to Asla who looked to be upset and was holding onto Charles as she began to cry. This did make her feel something that she couldn't put her finger on, but she continued to focus on the task at hand and try to put what she saw in the back of her head.

Maxine looked back at the Intruder and now she had another problem. This was exactly what should be done with him. Simply killing him was the easiest and most efficient option but it was one that wasn't on the table. Charles had stated that he didn't want anyone else to be killed and there had been the promise that she had made to her mother. These were two very important people in her life, and she didn't want to go back on her word to either of them.

"Now, I do have one more question for you," said Maxine. "What would you do if I decided to let you go?"

"I-I would make sure that you and your friends would never see me again. That I can promise you."

"But you're a man hired to do a job. If you return without completing that task, then your reputation will take a nosedive. Because of that, I'm not exactly sure what to do with you. My first instinct is to slit your throat from ear to ear. But then that would make my squire very upset. It turns out that he has far more mercy than me."

"T-Then what will you do to me?"

"Hmm, now that is the question. Since I'm not the person that you were trying to kill, then I suppose the decision isn't mine. It could be my squire, but again he wasn't your target. Like you said, he only got in the way." She then turned towards Asla who was still sitting next to Charles. She had remained quiet throughout this entire event as she was worried about how things were going. But now she was the centre of everyone's attention. A position that she had been in on more than one occasion. "Your majesty, what do you want doing with him? The decision is yours."

Asla stood up from the bed and began to walk towards the Intruder and in her mind, she was trying to decide what needed to be done. She soon found herself standing near Maxine and she always felt tiny whenever they were together. She was barely taller than the muscular giantess's leg but at this moment in time, she was the one in charge.

Taiyun did make sure he remained close to Asla. Although things had gone well so far, he still thought that there was still a threat. He had already seen his colleague die that day; he didn't want to see the woman he had sworn to protect suffer the same fate. However, for the moment he said nothing as he wanted to hear what she would say.

"You wanted to kill me, and you almost killed my friend," said Asla. "It's dangerous to let you simply walk around but I don't want you to die. Instead, you are to serve alongside me. One of my bodyguards fell while performing his duties, you will replace him."

"B-But your majesty," replied Taiyun. There was a huge amount of shock in his voice as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How can you possibly trust him to not stab you in the back the first opportunity he has."

"Simple really, I'll appeal to something that he can't deny." She looked back at the Intruder who was still confused about the situation. "If you help me safely return home and I reclaim the throne that was taken from me, then you will inherit Lord Shinpai's lands and titles. You will have no need to assassinate anyone anymore. As the rightful ruler of Abalise this is a promise that I make to you."

The Intruder couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just a few moments ago he was sure that his life would come to an end, now he was being given the opportunity to become a powerful lord. Normally he would call that person out for offering something that was impossible to give. However, this wasn't the case when it came to Asla. If she were to sit on the throne, then she could more than easily give him what she was offering.

There was a simple thought that she could simply go back on her word when she got what she wanted but he knew that was unlikely. As royalty, her word was as good as a signed contract as if she went back on it, she would be judged by their gods and punished. Royalty was supposed to be above the common folks and if their word couldn't be trusted then nobody's could.

"Y-You're offering this lowlife such a thing?" asked Taiyun who was still in shock over what he was hearing. "That would make him one of the most powerful people in the land if you gave him that."

"And yet I can't trust the man with that seat right now," replied Asla. There was some determination in her voice and Maxine couldn't help but respect her for the stance that she was taking. She knew that the smaller woman was someone of importance but now she was throwing her weight around. Something that the giantess respected. "If I gave you those lands and titles upon my return, would you swear loyalty to me?"

"S-So basically it's either help you and become a rich and powerful lord, not help you and get killed or maimed…" replied the Intruder. In his mind it didn't take him long to come to a conclusion. "Ok, you have a deal."

"Good, now you've made a promise to a royal. You can't go back on it without divine punishment." She had her arms crossed and it was clear that she was the most powerful person there, even though she was the smallest one there.

"I-I understand." He was still nervous about everything, but he definitely preferred to help rather than getting killed. "I will only use my blade and skills for your benefit. When I get what is promised, I'll never have a need to kill again."

"Very well." She then looked up to Maxine who was still standing next to her. It was still strange to see two women of very different sizes standing next to one another. "Ms. Martel, can you please cut our new ally free."

"As you wish," answered Maxine. She had thought about refusing her request but the way that Asla had worded it made it seem as though she had a choice in the matter. Also, she knew that she couldn't make Asla look weak in front of the Intruder. It would make it seem like she was less powerful, and he might be tempted to betray them.

Quickly the muscular giantess stepped towards the Intruder with her large hunting knife in her hand. He was nervous as he saw the weapon coming closer to him and he couldn't help but think that she was going to try and kill him. Instead, she simply cut the rope that had been tying him to the chair.

As soon as they had been cut, the Intruder could feel some comfort but also some aching. As he looked at his wrists, he could see bruising from where the rope had been, and he was glad that he was seemingly going to survive this encounter. However, he did feel a familiar hand grip onto the back of his neck.

Before he could do or say anything, he felt Maxine lift him off his feet and walk him towards where Charles was sitting. When they arrived, not only did she put him down but also forced him down to one knee. Asla and Taiyun could only watch as she did this as there was still a look of annoyance on her face.

"You still owe my squire an apology for trying to kill him," said Maxine with a commanding tone in her voice. "The Princess here might have forgiven you, but I haven't yet."

"I-I'm sorry," replied the Intruder to Charles. His words seemed to be quite rushed and there was a hint of hurry as if he wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible. However, he didn't see the scowl on her face as she was less than impressed with what she had just heard.

"Say it like you mean it. I don't care what's been promised to you, I won't hesitate to beat you black and blue if I so feel like it!"

"Ok." There was still some panic in his voice as he looked back at Charles who was still sitting on the bed. "I'm sorry that I tried to kill you. I now see the error of what I did and for that I apologise."

"Thank you," said Charles. He was still cautious about all of this, but he did appreciate what Maxine had done for him. In a way, it showed him how much she cared for him. He didn't think that anyone else that he had met would do the same for him.

"Good," stated Maxine as she still loomed over the Intruder with her arms crossed. "That's better."

"Can I stand up now please?" asked the Intruder. Rather than answering with words, she simply grunted, and this allowed him to stand back up on his feet. It was when he could really see the height difference between himself and her. She was more than three feet taller than him, and it was clear that she could snap him like a twig if she so pleased. "Thank you." He was still afraid of her, and he could see her arms folded.

"Do not thank me. Instead, you are to stay away from my squire. If you dare step anywhere near him, I swear I'll break that little neck of yours. I don't care what kind of agreement you've made with the princess here. Understand me?"

"Y-Yes ma'am."

As Charles listened to the Intruder, he was surprised by the tone that he was using. It reminded him of himself when he had been accompanying Maxine. In a way he was glad to see that she was taking his safety very seriously, but he also feared that she might be going a little overboard. Her concern was all coming from the right place but thought that it might lead to trouble in the future.