Even when the afternoon turned to evening and became morning again, Maxine continued to sleep. On more than one occasion, there had been an attempt to try and wake her up but that had proved to be a task that was more or less impossible to accomplish. Every time that an attempt was made, she would just continue to snore away as if she was just having a pleasant sleep.

This did worry Charles a great deal as he knew that it wasn't normal for her to sleep for this long. He was more than worried to think about what might happen to his friend if she were to not wake up. The fact that she was growing weaker wasn't lost on him and he dreaded the thought of going back to her family and telling them that she had passed away.

He refused to believe that she would give up so easily. Even when the poison from the Fatal Frog was coursing through her body, Asla said that she had no chance of survival. But Maxine had pulled through, although it could be said that the poison was finally killing her. It just took a lot more time than had been expected.

While she slept, she wasn't kept where she was for the entire time. At one point, Charles did carry her on his back again and the group was able to make some more progress on their journey. The bag that he would normally carry on his back was instead held by Taiyun who wasn't too pleased with this extra task. But it was something that had been asked of him and he would have to do what was wanted of him.

It wasn't until around noon the following day when Maxine finally began to wake up. However, rather than lying down on the ground like she had done when she had fallen asleep. Instead, she found herself on the back of Charles who was walking with some pace in his step. The group were very close to their destination and because of this, there was some eagerness to get there quickly.

"W-Where am I?" asked Maxine as she began to open her eyes and realise that she was being carried.

"Maxine you're awake?" replied Charles with a mixture of both surprise and happiness in his voice. "Oh thank the gods."

"Y-Yes I am awake now." She yawned loudly and to her there wasn't too much amiss, besides her lack of height. "How long did I sleep for?" To her, she felt that it had only been an hour or two since she had fallen asleep.

"You've been asleep for almost an entire day." He wasn't sure how many hours it was exactly, but he knew that it was significantly longer than what was expected for a person to sleep.

"Wait what? You've got to be joking." Charles didn't answer and this made her realise that what he was saying wasn't a joke. "I-I've actually been asleep for that long? Why didn't you try and wake me up?"

"I did, but you just wouldn't wake up. Believe me I tried practically everything but each time, you would just remain asleep. I even promised you some pie and that didn't work either." He had even considered slapping her on the face to try and wake her up, but hadn't gone that far as he didn't want to seriously harm her. In her current state, she was a lot more fragile than she had been before. A simple slap from him could cause a great amount of damage to her.

"W-What?"

Almost immediately a sense of worry went through Maxine's body. She still felt very tired, even though she had sleep for close to a day and she worried what this meant for her. She also guessed that her small body had become even smaller while she had been sleeping and she wasn't sure exactly how much she had shrunk during that time.

Eventually, the time did come when the others stopped to rest and it was around this moment when Maxine was able to compare herself to the others. As expected, the gap between herself and the others had only increased and she didn't want to hazard a guess what her exact height was. Even Asla who was barely five feet in height towered about her by at least half a foot. A clear indication of how small she had become.

It was quickly decided that she was not going to walk at any point during the rest of the journey while she was like this. If she were to exert herself too much, it was likely that she would tire herself out too quickly. Then she would likely have to sleep for another extended period of time or worse.

Since Charles was her squire, he felt that it was his responsibility to ensure her safety. Because of this, he was the one who wanted to carry her on his back and hopefully find a way to make her normal again. Although as far as he was concerned, their options were incredibly limited.

After a short time of resting, the group did begin to carry on with their journey. They knew that they were close to their destination and it was likely that they would arrive the following day. That way, Asla could return to her homeland and be able to take the throne that rightfully belonged to her.

"How are you holding up there?" asked Charles as he continued to walk with Maxine on his back. It was still hard for him to believe that not long ago, she was nine feet tall and strong enough to crush a man's skull with her bare hands. Not it seemed as though she couldn't crush an ant.

"As well as can be expected, given everything that's happening to me," replied Maxine. She was holding onto her tone was slightly weaker than it was the previous day. Her voice was still calm, almost like she was assessing the situation.

"You're unusually calm about all of this. If I were in your shoes, I'd be panicking right now."

"My father taught me that panicking doesn't help matters whatsoever. Only by keeping a clear mind at all times can you see the whole picture and make the best decisions. Believe me, I feel like I should have abided by those words on more occasions than I would like to admit."

"I guess that's true." He was referencing the first part of her statement, rather than the second.

"Now do you mind if I ask you a question?" The tone of her voice changed slightly and if anything, it sounded as though she was slightly annoyed.

"Of course, what did you want to ask?" He didn't pick up the change in her tone and simply answered without hesitation.

"You didn't say anything about yesterday."

"What about yesterday?" He knew exactly what she was talking about but he felt as though he couldn't really answer. This only annoyed her further and she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, I admitted to you something that was very difficult for me to do so. I poured my heart out to you and yet, you've said nothing about it whatsoever."

"M-Maxine…" He was still finding it truly hard to comprehend everything that she had said to him the previous day. More than anything, he wanted to give an answer to her but his mind was turning a blank. Almost as if his tongue had been forcefully been removed from his mouth. "I just really don't know what to say."

"It's easy, either tell me that you love me or not. There are only two answers, it's not that complicated." In her mind, her heart was beginning to break as she thought that he couldn't answer a simple question.

"It's not that, believe me. When I first saw you, I thought that you were some kind of brute who thought as me as something that she found at the bottom of your shoe. But over time, I began to see that you weren't that, instead you were a woman who was driven to achieve their goals. You've shown compassion where others would be merciless and you actually took the time to protect me when I needed it the most. Never did I think that you would ever tell me what you told me yesterday."

"And why is that?" In a way, she felt a little hurt by the last part of his statement but she couldn't help but feel curious as well.

"Because I always thought that you'd be the kind of woman who would want to be with a strong man. Someone who could physically match up to you and could take down a small army by themselves. Someone who was actually brave."

"Charles, if I was looking for a man who could physically match up with me, I would be searching until my dying days. Besides, strength and bravery come in many forms. Strength isn't determined by how much you can lift or bravery mean that you run into a situation without fear. You've shown me strength and bravery that until then I didn't know existed. That's why I said to you what I did, because you're the only man I can see me spending the rest of my life with. No, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with." She was able to take one of her hands off of his shoulder and grab onto his hand. "Even if I have to give up my goal of becoming a knight, I will do if it means that I get to stay with you."

Charles found himself falling silent as he took in everything that was being said to him. To hear all that coming from her was a lot for him to take in. To know that she would give up attempting to become a knight if it meant that they would be together was truly shocking for him to hear. He knew how that was her life's goal and how much she had worked towards it. To simply throw it away for his sake was something that he had never considered.

"D-Do you really mean that?" asked Charles as he wanted some clarification and to give her a chance to think through what she had said.

"Yes I do!" replied Maxine with a stern tone in her voice. "This is something that I would never joke about. Every word I'm saying is the truth, please I beg of you. Don't reject me!" Her sternness seemed to be replaced by a sadder tone as she couldn't help but shed a tear. "I don't think I can survive being rejected by you."

"Maxine, please don't say things like that. I would never reject you, you know that."

"Wait does that mean?" A wave of joy did become to overcome her as she began to realise what he was saying.

"Yes, I admit that before I met you. I didn't know there could be a woman who was a powerful as you and yet was honourable and just. You're someone who I'd like to settle down with as well and maybe start a family." He didn't think that she would be the kind of woman who'd want to become a mother. Normally that was the goal of many women but she was unlike any woman in Angleland.

"Y-You'd actually want to start a family with me?"

"There's no other man I would want to do that with than you." She continued to hold onto him with some tightness to show her affection. "If I survive this, I'm never going to let you go."

"What do you mean if you survive? You'll make it through all of this, you don't need to worry about that." He wanted to chuckle but he knew that it would sound nervous and thus, he kept quiet for the moment. If he could see her face right now, he would have seen that there was a stern look upon it.

"You don't need to try and pull the wool over my eyes. I know that I'm dying."

"Don't say things like that, you're not going to…" A pinch made him stop what he was saying and he could sense the anger beginning to swell within her.

"The last thing I want you to do is to pretend that I'm an idiot. I know that my time is short and if I don't turn back to normal. If you can do anything for me, the least you can do is be honest."

Once again, Charles wasn't sure what to say on the matter. Although he hadn't given her the actual answer when it came to being in a relationship with her, that wasn't on his mind right now. Instead, he thought about how he was going to explain to her that everything that she had been saying was true. He didn't know for absolutely sure, but all the signs were pointing towards the fact that she was dying.

Every day she was growing weaker and weaker which also mixed with her decreasing height. At first, he had thought that she was simply shrinking, but now he was seeing that this wasn't entirely the case. Instead, it was her body slowly being sapped of all of its strength and stamina. Eventually, it would get to the point where she would be too weak to survive any further.

"Ok Maxine," said Charles after he had taken a few moments to think about it. "I fear that you are dying and I doubt that any healer would be able to help you. If you ask me, the only way that you're going to survive is if you get your strength back somehow. Right now, I have no idea how we're going to do that."

"You'll think of something," replied Maxine. "You always do." She smiled and placed her head down onto his back. There was confidence in her voice as she was sure that he would find a way to save her. Charles didn't share that same confidence as he continued to walk and keep up with the others.

After a few more hours, evening was approaching but that wasn't what had caught their attention. Instead, it was the fact that they could see the open ocean in front of them. For Maxine and Charles, this wasn't the first time that they had seen the ocean. But it was the first time they had seen it from the east coast of Angleland. They were still a few miles away but quickly it became too dark for them to continue on for the day.

Because of this, the group stopped to rest for the night and made camp just off the side of the road. Although Maxine had slept for a good chunk of the day and had barely walked a single step, she felt very fatigued. This did worry her, and she did everything she could in order to try and not panic.

Although she had confidence that she would survive, there were some doubts in her mind that she would not actually make it through. However, she knew that things always seemed their darkest before salvation and she was sure that this was the case as well. Or she at least hoped it was the case. Facing her own mortality was something that deep down was terrifying for her.

The group did make a fire for themselves and cooked some of the provisions that they had been able to pick up. All were tired and hungry but also thankful that their journey seemed to be close to a definitive end. They were hoping that by the next day that Asla would be on her way back to her kingdom while Charles and Maxine would be paid handsomely for their efforts.

The men of the group found themselves eating together and there seemed to be some laughter between them. Maxine and Asla sat not too far away, and they too were eating their food. The smaller of the two women was hungry but found her appetite to be not as great as she would have liked.

She knew that her body needed food in order to try and strengthen it. But she simply wasn't able to as she quickly became full. This was a sign that she still not on her way to becoming her true self. Much to her dismay, but Asla still sat next to her and wanted to be there to help her. There were other things that they needed to worry about as well but right now, her focus was on Maxine.

"How are you doing?" asked Asla once she had finished eating her meal and thought that it was best to check in on her friend.

"Not the best," replied Maxine. She looked at the food that was in front of her. Although she had the smallest portion out of everyone there, she still found it difficult to finish what she had been eating. "I want to eat, but I simply can't, and I feel like I've walked for miles and yet I've barely taken any steps today." She gave a sigh as she couldn't help but feel as though her situation was becoming hopeless.

"So, you're continuing to grow weaker?"

"It looks like it." A wave of frustration did take over her as she just wanted this problem to go away. "I don't know what to do, if someone could point me in the right direction then I'd do whatever I could to get back to normal. But I doubt that anything will and I'm going to die like this. You said that I was the first person to survive that poison, it looks like that won't be the case."

"You can't give up hope Maxine. I truly believe that before long, you'll find a way to grow back to your normal size and be absolutely fine." This was something that she truly wanted but she couldn't help but think that she might be telling a white lie.

"I hope so. But at least now, I've made progress with Charles. If I'm to die soon, at least I know that I admitted my feelings to him. That's at least one thing I can't regret before I pass away."

"And what did he say?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure. He didn't outright say yes to me, but he didn't reject me either. I said I wanted to start a family with me and well, he didn't give me a straight answer about that. Maybe I should try talking to him later, I fear my opportunities to do so are dwindling."

"I see, I hope beyond hope that he accepts you."

"As do I." She began to chuckle for a moment before she could continue speaking. "It's funny really, I always thought that falling in love and wanting to be a mother was something that was for my sisters. For those who believed in fairy tales, but now I'm actually experiencing it myself. Just too bad it's probably too late for me to properly enjoy it for very long."

The conversation did stay upon Maxine's predicament, but it also moved onto Asla's kingdom. They spoke about what was taking place there and how she had been forced off of her throne. The truth was that it had been her father who had been removed after a few of his lords had betrayed him and attempted to take it for themselves. Only one had been able to successfully gain the throne and was now the current ruler of her home.

Maxine did want to outright believe her about everything that she was saying but there was still a linger of doubt. Although Asla had helped her out a great deal, she still had her own distrust of lords and royalty. She was also only getting one side of the story, for all she knew Asla's father could have been a mad emperor. Thus, the reason for his removal was simply because he was ill equipped to rule.

These were all things that she didn't want to question her friend about and instead just wanted to continue having a pleasant conversation. Although it was getting late, and she was becoming tired. The day seemed very short to her and that was because it was, she had been awake for a few hours. Even so, her body was still fatigued and to her, she felt as though she had been up for a very long time.

Eventually, it was time for them to get some sleep and with their journey so close to its conclusion, it was likely that this would be the last time that they would be camping together. This thought did cross the mind of Charles as he lay down on the ground and prepared to get some rest.

Before he could, he noticed someone approaching him and at first, he thought it could be an enemy. However, as they approached, he could tell that it was someone who was very small, and it took him a moment to realise that it was Maxine. She seemed to be walking towards him with some caution as it seemed as though she was unsure about what she was going to do or say.

"Do you mind if I lie with you again tonight?" asked Maxine. She was feeling tired but still thought that she had enough energy to do what she thought was right.

"Of course, if that is what you want," replied Charles. Lying together was something that they did often so such a request would not be unusual coming from her. He watched as she lay down on the ground and moved her body close to his. This wasn't just so that she could be close to him, but also because she wanted to stay warm.

"Thank you, Charles." She gave a small sigh before she continued to speak. "It still seems so strange having you be so big in comparison to me. I'm used to the one holding you like this. Not the other way around."

"Yeah, it's a little unusual for me too but don't worry. Soon enough, you'll be big again and be able to do all the things that you used to. Like lifting up horses and drinking enough ale to kill a man."

"Maybe, but there's one thing that I look forward to most when I become my old self again." She turned herself around and was able to hold onto him. "Being able to protect and train you. Unfortunately, our lessons have been neglected since I became like this. Guess I haven't been the greatest teacher recently."

"Don't worry about it. Just concentrate on getting better, all right. That's all I can ask of you."

Maxine couldn't help but blush as she felt his warm embraced and it did make her think that she was lucky to have him. Most men would not have considered travelling alongside a woman who was as large and to some terrifying as her. Yet he had stayed with her the entire time, even when he saw many of her more negative aspects.

Almost instinctively she held onto him tighter as she wanted to feel safe and protected. A feeling that was quite ironic as far as she was concerned but right now, she didn't mind. Instead, she just wanted to be close to him. Everything had been happening quite fast for her and the fear that she might indeed not live to see the next day was a strong possibility that she was considering.

"I love you Charles," said Maxine just before she slipped off to sleep. The man she was holding onto looked down at her and he could see that she was more or less knocked out. This just showed him how tired she truly was and if she were going to last as long as she could, she needed to rest.

"I love you too Maxine," replied Charles as he gave her a kiss on her forehead and then closed his eyes so that he too could get some much-needed sleep.