When she was sure that the Assassin was unconscious, Maxine stepped over to him and looked down. She couldn't help but feel incredibly angry when she looked upon him as she knew that her current lack of height was because of him. Although it hadn't been his intention, the poison that he had used had caused her body to shrink. At this point in time, she had no idea whether she would ever become the giantess that she was before. To her, everything was simply unknown.

Asla too stepped towards the Assassin when she was sure that the threat was gone for the time being. It didn't take much thinking for her to realise that she had been mere moments from having her life taken from her. If Maxine hadn't of woken up and attacked him, it was likely that he would have succeeded. It was still a scary thought for her, but she did accept that her life was always at risk. Until she regained the throne, she would constantly have people trying to assassinate her.

"Are you alright your highness?" asked Taiyun as he approached Asla. There was obvious concern in his voice, and he saw as she lifted her hand up.

"I am unharmed," replied Asla. "Thank you for your concern." She then looked over to Maxine who was still holding onto her helmet. It was so heavy for her that she was having to hold it with two hands and it looked comically oversized in comparison to her. "And thank you Miss Martel."

"I'm just doing what you paid me to do," answered Maxine. She placed the helmet down onto the ground.

"But Maxine," stated Charles as he made his presence known. "You shouldn't put yourself at risk like that. Don't forget that you're…"

"I am well aware of what happened to me thank you very much." She interrupted him before he could finish what he was saying and this made him stand there in silence for a few moments. "And just because I'm smaller doesn't mean that I'm helpless. A knight is supposed to still be capable of protecting others, even when they're at a disadvantage." This guideline most likely didn't involve a knight who had lost a significant amount of height and strength.

"I-I understand." He still didn't think that she should risk her safety like this but he could also see how telling her that she shouldn't wouldn't get him anywhere. Despite her size, she was still willing to fulfil her duties as a knighted, even if she hadn't been knighted yet. "My apologises."

"Right now we have bigger concerns." She looked down at the Assassin lying on the ground. Jaxin too was doing to same thing and he couldn't help but feel as though he had been through this himself. "Like what are we going to do with our friend here? Got any more lands or titles that you can bribe him with?" She looked over to the foreign princess as she asked this question and her first response was a shaking of the head.

"No, not right now," answered Asla. "The most obvious answer to our problem is to simply end him right here and now. Are we all in agreement?"

"I don't mind, but as long as it's not by my hands." She crossed her arms and looked away for a moment. "I made a promise not to take another life."

The others seemed to be in agreement with her but suddenly they noticed that Charles had lifted his hand. This was something that Maxine didn't find surprising as he often showed mercy to others. Even those who had tried to harm him and had already attempted to kill the most important person in his life.

"I'm sorry," said Charles as he wanted to make his opinion known to the others. "But I just can't allow him to be killed."

"But this man almost killed your friend over there," answered Jaxin who looked over towards him in shock. "How can you want to spare his life?"

"Because I can't condone killing anyone." He remembered the inn that he and Maxine had stopped at and how he had killed an entire cult that was inside. That had been a matter of life and death but he felt that this was different. "It was the same mercy that ensured that you weren't killed when you attacked us."

Jaxin didn't know what to say as he hadn't been aware of this development. But he still thought that it was best to kill the Assassin so that he couldn't threaten Asla again. He knew that if he asked Taiyun, that he would agree with him a hundred percent. It was likely that Maxine would agree as well, but wouldn't want to go against the wishes of Charles. She respected him too much to do that.

Before anyone could say anything, Jaxin took out his knife and plunged it into the heart of the Assassin. Since he was unconscious, there was no reaction from him whatsoever and he had been complete defenceless. The strike was strong and accurate which led to a swift passing as the others could only stand there and somewhat gasp.

Seeing this was quite distressing for Charles as it reminded him about his time at the cult inn while Asla did turn away for the moment. She knew that it was for the best but she still didn't really want to see it. Taiyun and Maxine continued to look as both were somewhat used to seeing what had happened.

"There we go," said Jaxin as he stood over the dead body of the Assassin. "The problem has been solved."

"You didn't have to kill him," replied Charles with some distress in his voice. "There had to be another way."

"And what would that have been? If we left him alive, he would have continued to track us and eventually finish the job. At least he barely felt a thing."

"B-But…" In his mind, Charles was still trying to rationalise what had happened but he was still close to a state of panic. However, he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked over, he could see Maxine standing there. It was still odd to be looking down at her rather than up.

"Charles it's alright," replied Maxine. "You don't need to look." She agreed with what Jaxin had done but knew that Charles had not wanted to see it. Ideally she would have wanted the Assassin to be taken away and then killed. Unfortunately this had not happened and she thought that this might cause a problem.

"Get rid of the body," commanded Asla as she too didn't particularly want to see the body. Her command had been to Taiyun and Jaxin who quickly got to work in carrying out what had been asked.

During this time, Charles lay back down on the ground with Maxine wrapping her arms around him. Although she was much smaller than she had been before, she was still able wrap her arms around him and attempt to comfort him. She could see that he was in a state of panic as the memories came flooding back to him.

Even if she had to be awake for the entire night, she was determined to be there in order to comfort him and reassure him that he was safe. She hadn't been able to protect him when he had been alone and facing an entire cult that wanted to sacrifice him. But she was determined to be there for him now.

The rest of them didn't get too much sleep either as the events made them too alert to be able to slumber properly. One thing that was on Asla's mind was what would happen if the authorities were to catch wind of what had happened. She was sure that like in her kingdom, killing a person would likely result in the death penalty. But after a short while, she knew that the courts of Angleland wouldn't really care.

If they had killed a person from Angleland, it was likely that the full extent of the law would be thrown at them. However, this was different since it had been a foreigner who had killed someone from their own kingdom. It was likely that whatever law enforcement existed in Angleland would look the other way.

The fact that Jaxin had also killed without her command did also plague Asla's mind. She knew that he too had been an assassin but she thought that with everything that he was being given that he would listen to her. Although she couldn't fault his logic, she still would have preferred for there to be another way.

The Assassin's body was hidden in a bush not too far away from the abandoned farmhouse. Unless someone was to stick their head into the bush itself, it would be very difficult to see the body. It wasn't supposed to remain there undetected for the rest of time. Just long enough for them to get away far enough that it would be too late for authorities to do anything about it. That was if they cared at all.

For most of them, morning came too soon and everyone was late stirring. Rather than getting up straight away to have breakfast, they instead remained lying on the floor for the time being as they were all still tired. Charles in particular hadn't slept and he still felt himself in the arms of Maxine.

She had remained with him the entire night and her presence did help calm him down. No matter what size she was, she still wanted to be there for him when these terrors plagued his mind. She knew what he had been through and could only feel great sympathy towards him. As far as she was concerned, no one should feel the terror that he felt. Not even her worst enemy.

Eventually as the morning wore on, the group had no choice but to get up and be on their way. They did have some food before they got back into the cart and carried on their way. The old horse that was pulling the cart was the only one of them to be able to get a decent night sleep. Although it had been sheltering from the rain, it had still been a little cool for its liking.

Everyone was feeling groggy as it was clear that none of them had gotten enough sleep. Charles in particular felt tired and yet he was the one who was steering the cart. Maxine sat beside him and she could see him beginning to nod off every now and again. When this happened, she would give him a prod in order to ensure that he stayed awake. She even kept a hold of the reins so that he didn't accidentally steer the horse in the wrong direction.

There was mostly silence between them as they thought about what had taken place the night before. Although now, they didn't have to worry about the poison based Assassin trying to kill them, it didn't mean that they were out of the woods just yet. It was likely that there were more assassins out there who were trying to track them down. There was even a chance that bounty hunters of the local variety might try their hand. If word got to them about Asla and how much she was worth, they would begin to try and capture her as well. Something that none of them wanted to happen.

"Are you alright?" asked Maxine as she continued to help Charles steer the cart. His head had dropped a couple of times and she thought that he was about to fall asleep. Thankfully he was able to stay awake but looked far groggier than he would have liked would. There were bags under his eyes, and he looked as though he could slumber at any moment.

"I-I'm fine thank you," replied Charles. His speech was slower than usual, and he was feeling light headed. "I-I just didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Why don't you lie in the back and get some sleep?"

"N-No I'm fine." He seemed quite adamant, but he almost fell asleep once again. It was only at the last moment that he was able to wake himself up and prevent himself from falling off. It was sudden but he was successful.

"There's no way around it, you're too tried to be steering this horse. Go to sleep and try to rest up."

"I assure you that I'm fine. There's no need to worry." It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than her. But as he looked at the face of Maxine, he could see a stern look on her face. When she had been huge, it would make her seem intimidating. But at her smaller size, it was effective in a different way but still made people take her seriously and not simply brush her off.

"Charles Ingram, although we see each other as equals, you are still my squire. It is a squire's duty to follow the commands of their mentor. Despite my recent shrinkage, I am still your mentor and thus, I order you to stop driving this cart and get some sleep. I will not allow you to carry on with sufficient rest."

"B-But I…" This sounded much like the old Maxine who saw him more as a glorified assistant rather than a friend and confidant. He wanted to argue back but he could still see the stern look on her face. It made it clear to him that no matter what he said, she wouldn't be changing her mind. At the end of the day, he knew that she was only doing this for him own good and so he gave a sigh. "Y-Yes ma'am."

This was the first time in a good while since Charles had called Maxine ma'am but since she was pulling rank, he felt that it was the appropriate term. It was true that they saw each other as equals but since he was her squire, she still had superiority over him. Because of this, he had to do what she told him, even if it was something that he didn't entirely agree with. Even if it was for his benefit.

With some reluctance, Charles handed the reins over to Maxine as he moved towards the back of the cart where the others were sitting. Not only were they there but the large suit of armour was still lying there as well. Unfortunately, this left little room for him and it was decided that Jaxin was to move to the front, next to Maxine. This gave a little more room but also made the small woman feel uncomfortable.

It wasn't lost on her how they first met. She had grabbed him and flung him across the room as he had tried to kill Charles. Plus she blamed him for the sleepless night and terror that her squire had experienced. This did annoy her but she didn't say anything for the time being as she didn't want to rock the boat.

More or less as soon as Charles closed his eyes, he instantly fell asleep. Whatever terrors he had experienced simply gave away to pure fatigue. He had been sitting next to Taiyun and he couldn't help but accidentally lean onto him. He wanted to push him away but when he looked at Asla, she shook her head at him. A clear indication to leave their friend be and much to his annoyance, he had to leave Charles where he was as he got some much needed sleep. Although it was likely that his dreams would be far from pleasant and would give him nothing but fright.

There seemed to be some tension in the air between Maxine and Jaxin as they continued to sit next to each other at the front of the cart. They barely spoke to one another during the trip and it was clear that there was still some uneasy feelings towards one another. If she was her full size, she would feel as though she had nothing to fear. But now that she was smaller, she feared that if he decided to kill them all that she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Did you really have to kill him?" asked Maxine as she took a glance towards Jaxin. Her hands were still on the reins and she remembered her father telling her how to steer a horse. She had rarely ever had to do this task as she was normally too big for such a thing, but at her shorter stature, she found herself able to.

"You lot were all sucking your thumbs," replied Jaxin who clearly had no regrets over what had happened. "So I decided to take the initiative and do what needed to be done. You would have done the same if you were in my position."

"Maybe." She didn't want to go over the promise that she had made to her mother. "But I would have done it away from where Charles could see it."

"He's not a baby, he's a grown adult. Or at least I think he is." His tone made it sound as though she was mocking him and this annoyed Maxine. However, rather than lashing out at him, she remained calm. She knew that losing her temper wouldn't help the situation and she remembered what Charles had been telling her.

"The point is that my squire shouldn't be seeing someone being killed in cold blood like that. He experienced something traumatic a while back and it's still weighing heavily on hm. Because of that, I prefer that you don't murder anyone in front of him. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, whatever you say." It was clear to her that she wasn't taking her seriously and this annoyed her a great deal. At her current size, it did seem to be difficult for others to take her too seriously, even if she had a good point.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear." Her tone changed and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I may have the body of a small woman right now but I doubt that it'll last for long. When I grow back to my normal size, I promise you that I will break every single finger and thumb in your hands. You know at my old size that I was more than capable of doing that. Just remember how I rag dolled you the last time you acted up. I'd be more than prepared to do it again."

For the moment, Jaxin said nothing as he did want to just brush her to one side. But he did remember their first meeting and how she had been able to completely manhandle him without much effort. Like her, he wasn't sure whether she would grow back to her full size, but if she did, he didn't want to earn her ire.

As he looked at her face, he could see the stern expression that she had. No matter how big or small she was, it seemed to remain the same and made her quite intimidating to look at. Even if she was almost half the size that she had been before.

"Fine, I won't do anything like that again," said Jaxin as he reluctantly agreed to what she was saying to him.

"Good," replied Maxine. She wasn't sure whether to truly believe what he had said. But she knew one thing for sure, he was scared of her larger self. "Now, let's hope that we don't have this conversation again. Because of you, Charles could barely sleep last night and I don't know how long it'll take for him to calm himself down."

There was still concern within the mind of the small woman. She knew how the trauma of the cult inn was still causing Charles a lot of mental anguish. If she could, she would have loved to have simply ripped the memories from his mind and then allow him to forget that it had even happened.

Unfortunately, this was something that was impossible for her to do and the best thing that could be done was to be there for him. It was clear to her that the trauma wasn't going away any time soon. She hoped that it wouldn't lead him to doing something that he could never take back.

Eventually, the group was forced to stop when the old horse that they were using became too fatigued to go any further without a decent rest. It was clear to the entire group that buying it had been a bad investment. It also meant that they didn't have that much money to their names.

This was some concern for Asla as she couldn't help but feel that all but Taiyun would abandon her. At least when it came to Jaxin, he knew that his reward would come when she was sitting on the throne again. A fairly large sum of money had been promised to Maxine and Charles and she was beginning to doubt that she could pay them. All she could do was hope that those that she was planning to meet up with would have the funds in order to pay the agreed price.

Thankfully for them, the coast wasn't too far from their current location and it was likely that it would only take a couple of days for them to reach their destination. Then Asla would be able to be on her way and hopefully liberate her kingdom. If she failed then everything that she and the others had done would have been all for nothing.

The place where they stopped was just outside of another small town. However, no matter how much they tried to force the horse to keep going. The old beast simply stayed where it was and refused to take another step. This annoyed the group but no more than Maxine, once more she was feeling the effects of being small. If she had been her true size then she could have forced the horse to keep going. Unfortunately now, she lacked the strength to do so and this only annoyed her further.

This did give the group the opportunity to get out of the cart and stretch their legs. Charles wasn't amongst them as he was still asleep. On more than one occasion, there had been some consideration to wake him up, but the decision was quickly reversed. They thought that it was simply best to allow him to rest.

Asla began to stretch herself as the cart wasn't the most comfortable place to sit. She remembered years before how she had travelled in extravagant carriages. Rather than the common cart that she had found herself riding in. She couldn't help but feel that it was humbling and an opportunity for her to see how those who were below her lived their lives. The people of Angleland and her own Kingdom were very different in many ways, but in others they were very alike.

"How is Charles doing?" asked Asla. She could see Maxine approaching her and neither of her bodyguards were present. One was close by and could quickly run into action if need be. At no point in time was anyone not watching her.

"He seems to be alright for now," replied Maxine. There was a hint of worry in her voice as she stepped closer. At one point, she almost stepped onto the bottom of her dress. It was taking time for her to get used to wearing such attire and she thought that an outfit such as this didn't suit her.

"I'm sorry that he had to see what he saw. Even the most battle hardened soldiers can still wince at the sight of seeing someone be killed."

"I know, but the thing is, he's not a battle hardened soldier. He was just a man working in a tavern until he met me. Sometimes I feel that rather than accepting the debt that he stated that he owed me, I should have left him where he was. At least then, he would have been more or less safe."

Asla looked at Maxine and could see a lot of doubt on her face. It was clear that the thought that she currently had was weighing heavily on her. It was something that there was no clear answer for. However, there was something that the foreign princess did notice about the smaller woman. She wasn't sure whether it was just in her mind or if it was actually true. From Asla's point of view, she thought that Maxine looked even shorter than she did the day before.