After the events that had taken place that night, Charles found it difficult to sleep, even though he was still the arms of Maxine. They lay in bed together and the muscular giantess was also still awake. However, this wasn't just because of everything that had taken place. She also wanted to make sure that he was safe since he had almost been killed that night. At this point in time, she didn't think that she would allow him out of her sight ever again. Even for something as mundane and private as going to the toilet.

Even so, she was just happy to see that he was uninjured, and she felt the desire to protect him was stronger than ever. Almost like he was some kind of lost child, and she was their guardian. His back was to her, and she simply enjoyed having him in her arms. That way she knew that he was safe.

"Maxine are you awake?" asked Charles with a quiet tone. He thought that he would get an annoyed grant from her, but he was more than surprised to discovered that this wasn't the case at all.

"Yes, I am," replied Maxine. Her voice was also quiet and soft. It was a tone that he wasn't used to hearing from her. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah everything's fine. It's just that…" He paused for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say. "Were you really going to cut off his penis? With how you came across, I don't know whether you were acting or not."

"At that moment in time, no I didn't. However, if he had seriously hurt you then I don't know what I would have done. I only acted like that so that he would be more willing to go along with whatever I said. I'm sorry I spoke to you in the way that I did, I just wanted to make it seem like I was going to do it."

"Ok I see… Have you ever cut a man's penis off?"

"No, I haven't, but believe me there have been several times when I've been tempted to do it. Why, are you worried about your own?" There was a slightly playful tone to her voice, and she felt him shake his head. "You needn't worry about me doing anything like that to me. As far as I'm concerned, you'll never have to be afraid of me."

"That's reassuring. But do you trust our new companion? What's to say that he won't try and betray us?"

"I can't answer that question. It was up to that princess whether he can be trusted or not. If he decides to stab them in the back, that doesn't concern me. All that matters is that you're safe. If he tries to stab you in the back, well let's just say that it would be a very bad idea." If he had been able to see her face, he would have seen an evil grin on her face that could send a chill down anyone's spine.

"You know you can be a little nicer to Asla. I know that she lied to you and how much you hate that but saying that she doesn't matter makes me feel like you see her as being less than human."

"I don't see her as less than human, I see her as less than you. Since we've been together you've helped me to no end and been honest with me. She was able to employ us under false pretences and put us in danger. Whether she reclaims her throne or ends up dead in a ditch, it matters not to me." There was a coldness in her voice which showed Charles that she meant every word that she was saying. It reminded him to never get on her bad side.

"Can you at least try to be nicer to her for me, please. I'm not asking you to like her. Just to treat her better than you are now?" There were several seconds of uncomfortable silence, and he thought that her mood might turn.

"For you I'll try but I can't make any promises. Now, try and get some sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be another eventful day."

"O-Ok."

With that, Charles closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. This was still something that was difficult for him, but he could feel the expansion and retraction of Maxine's chest on his back. This was happening simply because she was breathing, and it did have a relaxing feeling to it. His mind did begin to drift off and eventually he did fall asleep.

Unfortunately for both of them, they weren't able to get the sleep that they needed as morning came far too quickly. It was a knock on the door that woke them up and someone outside telling them that they needed to move on. They both woke up at around the same time and neither of them had gotten enough sleep.

Charles was the first to get out of the bed and he needed to stretch himself for a moment as he tried to fully make sense of everything. His mind wasn't completely back to reality just yet and he would need a few moments in order to do this. Maxine remained on the bed and simply stretched her arms and legs out. When she did this, she completely took up the entire bed. Just a sign of how large her frame actually was.

With some reluctance she rose to her feet, and she forgot how low the ceiling was as a loud thud could be heard along with a grunt of pain. It was clear that it had caused her some discomfort and some dust even fell from the ceiling. Quickly she sat on the bed and began to rub her head as the impact had dazed her. She would be fine in the end, but it was just a reminder that she was a little too big for the world she lived in.

Around half an hour later, the group found themselves just outside of the inn. It was around mid-morning and all of them were still tired after the events that had taken place. The intruder from the night before was amongst them and when he looked at Maxine, he couldn't help but be afraid. It was also the first time that he truly saw her in her armour.

In his mind, the armour only made the muscular giantess seem bigger than she already was. To him, he thought that she was invincible as she was strong enough to knock any man down and her armour was so thick that he didn't know how anyone could land a lethal blow. He also noticed her sword and the sheer size of it. It was one that he had seen others wield but they always needed two hands to do so and from what he could see, he thought that she would only need one.

One thing that he still couldn't believe was everything that had actually taken place. Originally, he was in Angleland in order to kill Asla, now he was working alongside her and was going to be rewarded with a lordship when she returned to the throne. He was still trying to reason with everything that had happened, but it was taking longer than he expected for his mind to process everything.

When the group did eventually begin their walk, it was the three foreigners who were at the head of the pack. Taiyun stayed close to Asla as he still intended to protect her. The intruder from the previous night did stay relatively close. However, Taiyun didn't entirely trust him so wanted him to keep a small distance away from the exiled princess.

He couldn't help but glance towards Charles and Maxine who were walking a short distance behind them. He could see Charles remaining close to the giantess and when he looked up to her, she did notice him and gave him a scowl.

"Eyes front," stated Maxine with a commanding tone. It was clear that she hadn't forgiven him for trying to kill Charles and quickly he turned his eyes back forward and focused on where they were going. He said something in his native language under his breath and this was picked up by her. She didn't understand what he was saying but she could tell that it wasn't anything nice. "What was that?"

"N-Nothing," replied the Intruder from the previous night. He had told his name to Asla and Taiyun but had yet to mention it to Maxine and Charles. From what he could see, it was likely that she didn't care about his name whatsoever.

It was a good few hours before they finally stopped in order to take a rest. During this time, they mostly ate but Maxine also wanted to give Charles another lesson in swordplay. Although he was reluctant to do so, he still went through the lesson as he knew that she trying to teach how to protect himself. Especially after the events of the night before, it only made her more keen to teach him.

Her lessons were somewhat harsh and from the outside it did look as though she was punishing him in a way. Her strikes were coming strong and fast, and he was struggling to block them in time. The truth was that they weren't her strongest attacks but by the standards of a regular person, they seemed to be very powerful.

"Don't just be on the defence all the time," said Maxine as she continued to strike at him. Although he was struggling, he was able to block each one just about. "You need to find an opening and then attack."

"I-I'm trying," replied Charles. His arm was getting tired from the constant attacks. He could tell that her swings were much slower than she was capable of. On more than one occasion he had seen her unleash attacks that would be impossible for him to block. "Y-You're just attacking too quickly."

"And an opponent won't do that?" As she was attacking, she left several opportunities for him to attack but each time he failed to do so. This caused her some annoyance, but she still kept up with the lesson. Eventually one strike came too close to him, and she had to quickly pull her attack so that she didn't accidentally hurt him.

This was noticed too by Charles who had to dart back words and he was breathing deeply. It wasn't just the shock of the strike that had done this but generally because he was fatigued. Asla and her companions watched on with some astonishment and they didn't seem to be noticed by the armoured giantess. Instead, she was completely focused on her squire and she sheathed her sword once more.

"Are you alright Charles?" asked Maxine. Her tone wasn't as caring as it had been in the past as she still sounded as if she were trying to teach him.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine," replied Charles. He knew that she wouldn't harm him, but she had gotten close just then. "I-I'm just really tired."

"You are, I think it's best we end the practical part of our lesson today." She could see a look of relief on his face after she said this. "But there's still a lot of room for improvement. I left myself wide open several times there and you could have tried to counterattack. Instead, you stayed on the defensive. An opponent isn't going to give you that many opportunities. When you see one, you have to take it by the scruff of its neck because it might be the only way to walk away from the battle."

"I-I'll try and remember that." He was still tired, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared while the lesson had been taking place. Any normal person wouldn't particularly like the idea of facing off against someone like Maxine. This wasn't what he was afraid of however, instead it was the fact that he was wielding a sword. Before he met Maxine, he never thought that he would ever do anything like that and yet here he was. "I-I'm sorry if I disappointed you."

"You haven't disappointed me; you just have a lot to learn." Her tone was softer than it had been a few moments before, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I won't always be around to protect you, so you need to be able to protect yourself. Sword fighting isn't in your nature, I know that. But it is still for the best that you perfect it to the level that you can defend yourself from an attacker."

"I-I understand ma'am." He was still tired, but he didn't think that he would be even passable with a sword.

"And you needn't call me ma'am. Even when we're having a lesson like this. You will continue to address me as Maxine."

"As you wish." She continued to look at him and she couldn't help but give a sigh. She knew that he was trying in their lessons, but she was beginning to doubt that he would ever competently swing a sword. Her expectations for him weren't too high but even so, she had expected better.

In a way, she wasn't too surprised at this revelation. Charles wasn't a fighter like her and always tried to find the most peaceful way to resolve a situation. Fighting with a sword was simply not in his nature and she simply had to accept that. It didn't mean that she wanted to stop their lessons, but she also wanted to be sure that he could protect himself.

"Ms. Martel," stated a voice. It was a voice that she recognised, and she became annoyed. Quickly, the armoured giantess turned around and looked at the woman who was barely as tall as her leg.

"Yes, is there something you want?" replied Maxine. Her tone made it seem like she was being disturbed while performing an activity. Asla looked up at her and although most people would be intimidated by the giantess, she stood strong and convicted.

"My companions and I are about to cook some food; we were wondering if you wanted to some as well."

"No, I'm…" Before she could finish what, she was saying, she felt Charles's shoulder being nudged into her leg. This reminded her of the conversation that they had the night before and she couldn't help but grunt somewhat. "Thank you for the offer, my squire and I appreciate that. We'll be over in a few minutes."

"You're welcome, we appreciate what you've done for us so far. It will be an honour to have you with us."

Several minutes later Maxine and Charles found themselves sitting down near a fire that had been created. There, Asla and her companions had been cooking food from their native land. It let off a smell that was unfamiliar to Maxine and Charles and each of them simply sat there and waited for the food to be served.

As expected, Charles sat next to Maxine as she made sure to keep him close to her. On her other side the assassin who had joined them sat there as well. A cold sweat ran down his back as he glanced up to the armoured giantess. When he did this, he saw her glaring back down to him and this struck more fear into him than anything else he could ever imagine. The previous night he had been manhandled by her and he didn't need to be reminded just how large and powerful than he was.

A wooden bowl was given to each of them and eventually some food was placed within as well as being given two sticks in order to eat them. Both Maxine and Charles looked at it for a few moments and they both held the sticks that they had been given. Charles did glance over to Asla who was using her sticks to pick up the food and then eat it.

As he observed, he placed the sticks between his fingers and attempted to pick up the food. Although it took several attempts, he was able to do this, and he placed the food in his mouth. Almost instantly, he was attacked by a wave of flavours that were completely alien to him. They were unlike anything that he had eaten before and although it was strange, he was actually enjoying it.

Maxine too tasted the food but rather than using the sticks to do so she simply threw them to one side and simply lifted the bowl and tipped its contents into her mouth. Like Charles before her, she was able to taste the food but had a far different reaction to it. She could feel her mouth beginning to burn but it wasn't from the temperature from the food. She still chewed and swallowed the food, but she began to blow out of her mouth and waved her hand in an attempt to cool her mouth down.

Although watching her do this was quite comical, neither Asla nor her companions laughed as they feared her reaction. There was a chuckle, but it came from Charles, the only person who could laugh and get away with it.

"W-What was that I just ate?" asked Maxine after she had swallowed her food. She was still trying to cool down her mouth.

"I take it that you've never eaten anything spicey before," replied Charles with a slight chuckle in his voice.

"If it means setting the inside of my mouth on fire, then no!" He could see that her face was red, and sweat was running down her brow. It only made the whole thing seem more comical from his point of view.

"Well, I guess there aren't any dishes from round here that has any spices. I bet you would eat it without question.

Maxine didn't answer and simply removed some of the sweat that was on her forehead, and she was just glad that her sisters weren't present. Carrie in particular would probably laugh at her intensely because of this. At least when Charles was laughing, she knew that there was no malice behind it.

The three foreigners too also found it funny but tried their best not to laugh. They knew that Charles could get away with it, but they couldn't. If they did, they feared her reaction and thus they simply kept their head down and tried to eat their food. However, it was still hard for them not to look at the nine-foot woman who was struggling to eat food that consisted of spices.

In the end, the giantess couldn't eat the food as it was simply too spicey for him and Charles was more than happy to finish it off for her. A part of her thought that Asla had done this on purpose and made her meal extra spicey. However, she thought that this was unlikely, and it was simply that she couldn't handle it. She did look at Charles as he ate her portion and she thought that he had a mouth of iron.

When the meal was over, the group had to continue moving as they needed to reach the East Coast of Angleland. Maxine and Charles weren't exactly sure what was going to happen when they got there. All that they knew was that Asla had paid for them to take her there and although Maxine didn't want the money anymore and preferred to walk away. Charles was still determined to help. Like her, it was likely that he didn't want the money when all was said and done.

Like before, they continued to walk in the formation with Asla and her companions at the front and Maxine and Charles at the rear. Any kind of disturbance got an instant reaction from the giantess as she placed her hand down towards her squire and bring him closer to her. These disturbances were nothing that was a danger to them such as a bush that began to move. Rather than an assassin being there, it was just a squirrel who had been looking for some food.

Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed by Asla and her companions as they could see how protective she was of her squire. The Intruder from the previous night could see now how much of a mistake it was in trying to attack him. If anything, he was lucky that he hadn't been killed by the muscular giantess right there and then. It did make him fearful of her and the last thing she wanted was to anger her in anyway. Next time, he might not walk away with his life.

"You feeling alright now?" asked Charles as he looked up to Maxine. As she walked, he could hear the clanking of her armour and he watched as she looked down at him and although she looked flustered.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine," replied Maxine. Although she was wearing her helmet now, she could still feel some of the heat. "I'm still getting over what I had just ate. It's like someone lit a fire in my belly."

"I thought as much." He began to chuckle a little and he couldn't see that she was slightly blushing in embarrassment. "I thought that food would be a little too spicy for you. I take it that you're going to stick with pies from now on?"

"Most definitely."

"Then as soon as I can, I'll buy you a pie. Maybe a dozen, if the budget will allow it of course."

"We can make room in the budget for it."

"I forgot to mention that Jaxin is very sorry for how we met. He says that he hopes that you don't throw him around anymore."

"Who?" She was very confused as she hadn't heard the name before. As far as she was concerned, it was as if he was talking about someone who she had never met and thus had no idea about.

"Our new friend who we met last night."

"Oh him." There was an annoyed grunt that escaped her lips as she spoke as she knew exactly who he was talking about. "Wait, how do you know his name?" As far as she was concerned, Charles hadn't left her sight and thus she didn't see him interacting with the man who has tried to kill him.

"Asla spoke to me when you went off to relieve yourself. I understand your frustration but I'm glad that you ate their food. You might not have liked it, but you showed them that you were willing to at least were willing to interact with them."

"If it were up to me, I'd have nothing to do with them. If you weren't still so willing to help them, I would have walked away. Besides, I still want you to stay close to me, that other assassin is still out there. If you ask me, it's a miracle that they haven't struck again yet. We might have replenished our numbers, but they could more than easily take one of you down and stay hidden."

"We're being very cautious Maxine." He could see just how much she was worried about him and in a way, he found it cute. It was also very nice to have someone that cared so much for him that they were willing put their life on the line in order to protect him. A few months ago, he didn't think such a person actually existed.

"Not cautious enough. If you see anything remotely suspicious, you tell me as soon as possible." There was a stern tone in her voice which showed that she truly wasn't joking around on the matter.

"Y-Yes I will do." He wanted to say if about her protecting Asla as well but for now he said nothing. If she was in danger, he didn't think that she would simply stand by and do nothing. She would likely step in and do something in order to protect her but with her current temperament, it wasn't a guarantee.

Eventually the group came up to what seemed like an old bridge that stretched over a stream. The bridge itself looked to be quite small and fragile as if it hadn't been maintained in a good normal of years. Even with someone as small as Asla stepped onto it, the bridge began to creak.

Due to the doubts about the bridge's integrity, the group thought that it was best to step over one at a time. Out of the five, it was Asla who stepped over it first and it seemed that every step she took was with great care. Even though she was the smallest person in the group, it was still clear that the bridge wasn't long for this world. Give it another year or so, it was likely that it was going to collapse.

Next was Taiyun who like Asla was careful when he walked across the bridge. There was fear with every step he took as he was convinced that it was going to collapse on him. The fall down wasn't all that far but it was still likely that he could break a bone or suffer some other kind of injury. To him that would be a death sentence as he didn't think that he could get the medical treatment that he would need.

Each step was taken with great care and after a minute or so, Taiyun did reach the other side of the bridge. He was more than happy after he did this as he gave a sigh of relief and even rubbed some sweat off of his brow. It was more stressful than he had expected, and he looked over to the others who had yet to step across.

Jaxin too was nervous about crossing the bridge. Common sense was telling him not to walk across it, but he didn't want to be left by himself with Maxine. Although he was trained to kill people, he was still terrified of her. It was no secret that she didn't like him at all and now he was going to have to put his safety at risk in order to get there.

Even Charles did have some concern as he looked at the bridge as well. It wasn't himself or Jaxin who worried him. Since Asla and Taiyun had made their way across, he knew that it would be able to hold his weight. However, when it came to Maxine, she was far larger and more importantly heavy than they were. It only take time for them to see whether it was strong enough to hold someone of her weight.