Upon the death of his father, King Mildar of Elgon, twenty-five year old Alban inherited his throne. Though he never expected to return to his homeland, he was welcomed back by his countrymen, most of whom had had little admiration for his father. Mildar, according to many, had been king for far too long, and towards the end of his reign, he had grown increasingly unreasonable and, finally, tyrannical. He had even banished his only son and heir and, in a fit of rage, had revoked Alban’s royal status. So for Alban to find himself wearing the crown he’d never thought he’d get was almost too much for him to take.

He grieved but little for his late father; most of his happy memories involving the two of them were from his earliest childhood days. Mostly he was just overjoyed to be with his old friends again, and to finally be reunited with his mother, Marica, who had been but one of Mildar’s many wives. They had been apart for so long that they were almost strangers to each other, but Alban promised himself that he would spend as much time with her as he could. The Elgonians were also happy, to have a young, courageous, yet sensible man as their leader. Still, many of them were unsure how to feel about his wife, who had been one of the main reasons Mildar had banished him in the first place. This was probably because she stood 165 feet tall.

She was Valerie, Queen of Vandan, and the last known member of her giant race. For five hundred years she had been sleeping under the curse of a giant sorcerer, but Alban had managed to revive her, and, against all reason, the two of them had fallen in love. She had taken him with her to Vandan after his father refused to accept her, and they went to live in her castle. Not having anyone else for company, they decided to make the best of their lives as they could, and Valerie began to gradually restore the castle’s rooms and surroundings to their former splendour.

It was not long, however, before other humans came to her, mostly poor folk seeking shelter and food. They found her to be a kind and gentle giantess, quite the opposite of the monsters in their old stories, and before long a new village, called Rismark, had emerged, just outside the castle’s walls. More and more people came, and by the time Alban became king of the neighbouring land of Elgon, several thousand men, women and children had settled in Vandan, and Valerie could rightfully call herself their queen.

Now that husband and wife each had their own domain to rule, they decided that the two lands should unite under their common leadership, and that the same laws should apply to all inhabitants. Only a few objected to this unification; they were mostly supporters of the old king, and having a giant for a queen simply wasn’t an option. In the end, they decided to simply leave the land, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to face both Valerie and the hundreds of soldiers who were loyal to her. Peace settled over the kingdoms at last, and Valerie and her miniature husband could find some time for themselves, and hopefully begin to raise a family.

Their first child came when Valerie was twenty-three, two years after the unification of the lands. It was a baby girl, and they named her Belena. Not surprisingly, she was of a colossal size like her mother, even though she was only half giant. Valerie had to raise her all by herself for a few years, until the girl was old enough to realize that the tiny little creature she was clutching in her hand was her father, and not some sort of toy. But she managed it, and Princess Belena, upon the age of five, received the title of heir to the two thrones. (Though both kingdoms traditionally recognized only the monarch’s eldest son as his heir, Valerie decided that her eldest child, male or female, should receive this honour. No-one could come up with a good argument against her decision, and it was soon acknowledged as law.)

Just over a year after Belena came into the world, the queen gave birth again, this time to a son. Unlike his sister, however, little Prince Valdan was merely of normal human size. Valerie didn’t even know she was pregnant with him, until a week before his birth. She’d felt a faint tickling sensation in her belly, which grew stronger daily, and she realized that she was carrying a baby not a moment too soon. The birth was an extraordinarily delicate procedure, since she could easily have crushed her newborn son to death between her legs, without realizing it. Help was at hand, thankfully, and the pair of midwifes, overwhelmed by the whole experience though they were, presented the little boy to his overjoyed, relieved parents. At the time of his birth, Valdan was small enough to fit on his mother’s thumbnail, and she had to exercise the utmost restraint whenever she held him, for fear of hurting him. But she quickly learnt how to take care of him properly, and she was glad that Alban was able to help this time, as well.

Three more years passed before the royal couple had their third child. It was another girl, and once again she turned out to be giant-sized. She received the name Isylvine, though everyone soon began calling her Sylvie. Now that Valerie had two gigantic girls to look after, she decided to leave more and more of her country’s management to Alban, and to the men whom she had appointed to governmental roles. To the people of Vandan, however, she was still their leader, their protector and benefactor, and she always kept the good relationship she had with her subjects.

Apart from these concerns, Valerie still had a castle to maintain, as well as orchards and vegetable gardens (her only inexhaustible food sources), in addition to protecting her townsfolk from attacks by marauding bands of ogres, bandits, other assorted enemies, and the occasional giant bird or animal. Alban was able to help with some of these tasks, as were her servants and attendants, and her army, so that, in the end, she managed to cope reasonably well with the demands of her position. She was beginning to tire of the responsibilities of being a monarch, however, and she looked forward to the day when Belena was old enough to succeed her as Queen.

Twelve-year-old Belena began that morning, like any other, by reading. She suspected that it wasn’t quite normal for a girl like her to spend so much time buried in her books, but she couldn’t help it. Her life was enjoyable, of course (she was a princess, after all), but it didn’t seem quite as eventful as the lives of the characters in the stories she read. An unknown giant scribe had, centuries ago, collected a vast amount of tales from throughout the human and giant lands, and, to Belena’s delight, most of these books had survived, undisturbed in the castle’s vaults and libraries.

She much preferred to read stories from human authors, even though they always portrayed giants as cruel, malicious, bloodthirsty freaks. But most giants, she knew, really had been aggressive towards humans, and her mother had told her that humans used to be tortured and even killed in ghastly ways, right within these walls. She was therefore very glad that many humans of today had decided to give Valerie and her daughters, the last remaining giants, a chance to show that not all of them were worthy of resentment.

These thoughts had diverted her attention from the book, and she put it aside and got out of bed. It was a Saturday, which meant that she did not have any school lessons, nor did she have to spend hours working in the garden.

“Why don’t I take a stroll around the town today?” she said to herself as she got dressed. “I’m sure Mom and Dad will let me go alone – I have to be old enough by now!”

She slipped on a royal violet dress, with a matching girdle around her waist and shoes on her feet. It was important to look like a princess, she thought, even if she was 150 feet tall and larger than most of the fearsome creatures in her stories. People had to see that they had no reason to be afraid of her: she was only a little girl, after all.

She brushed her long, flowing hair and held it in place with a band. Unlike her parents and brother and sister, who were all blond, she had hair of a darker, reddish colour. This she had inherited from her human grandmother, who had passed away less than a year previously, and whom Belena never got to know well. Presumably the old woman had been too taken aback by the idea that her granddaughters were taller than the greatest trees, or else she might have been more accepting of them. Belena, never one to dwell on the past, figured she had better go out and get to know people as soon as possible, before everyone but her family ends up completely alienated from her.

Breakfast was no different than on any other day, except that Valdan said he was feeling a bit ill, and requested to go and lie down after he’d eaten what little food he could. Belena carried her little brother back to his room, built into a hollowed-out section of a thick castle wall. Normally he’d have to climb forty feet of steps to reach his door, but to his giant sister this was less than knee-high, and she could simply kneel next to the wall and place him on his front porch.

“Hope you feel well again soon!” she said, and she meant it. Belena was very fond of her tiny brother, though he was less accepting of her. Valdan always felt that it was massively unfair to be stuck at such a titchy size, while his two sisters towered above him and everyone else. He also hated being carried around by them, especially by Sylvie, who was still of an age at which she loved to play with her dolls, and considered Valdan as little more than one of them.

Sometimes he wished he could grow up quickly and become king (even though he knew Belena would inherit the throne, which he also thought was unfair), and sometimes he just wanted to live a normal life, away from this vast palace, and with a family who were all of regular size.

Valdan shut the door to his room and lay down on his bed. He wasn’t actually ill, though he did feel a bit under the weather, and he hoped to sneak out of the palace later and explore incognito. He and his sisters almost never went out beyond the garden walls, except in the company of their parents, and he envied the freedom that the boys in the town must have.

Belena, meanwhile, had gone straight to her mother after breakfast and asked for permission to go out by herself.

“I may be twelve, but I’m not a child anymore!” she insisted, after Valerie had hesitated in giving an answer. “I won’t cause any trouble, I swear, and…and I promise I won’t hurt anyone, or step on anyone, or…or break something, or…”

“All right, all right!” Valerie said, sighing. She put down the quill she was writing with and turned to face her daughter. “Belena, I know you won’t do any of those things, and I know you’ll always behave politely towards our tiny townsfolk. It’s just…”

“Just what? What is it, Mommy?”

“Oh, forget it! I suppose I can’t keep you locked up in here forever, but…well, you have grown up so fast, darling, and I sometimes can’t help but think of you as the little girl who would sit on my lap every evening and listen to me reading a story.”

“We can do that tonight, if you want?” Belena said, eager to please her mother, even though she also knew that she had long ago lost interest in that activity.

“No, it’s all right. I was just being silly, that’s all. You go out and have some fun. Only, be careful…” she called, as Belena had already begun to make a dash for the door. She halted, and turned back uncertainly.

“I know that nothing can hurt you out there,” Valerie continued. “But there are still some people who have a, shall we say, less than favourable opinion of giants. Especially giant young girls. I don’t want you spending any time with them, so if you…”

“Oh, don’t worry, Mom!” Belena replied lightly. “I’ll just pretend I don’t hear their squeaky little voices, or else I’ll tell them that they’re being a bunch of sourpusses, and then I’ll leave them alone.”

“That’s right,” Valerie said. “Daddy and I have raised you well, I see. Now go on, before I think of some chores for you to do.”

At the castle’s front gate Belena halted and considered where she should go first. Down at her feet, the gate guards bowed respectfully to their princess. She didn’t know these men at all, though she knew that Valdan liked to hang around them sometimes, so she simply smiled politely down at them. Resisting the urge to pick one of the guards up and talk to him, she carried on, and headed towards the town of Rismark.

Though she could see it clearly from the castle windows, it looked quite different than it did now, up close. It was roughly circular, about a thousand yards in diameter, and was surrounded by a thirty-foot high wall of wood and stone. Several thousand people lived there, in homes of various sizes, and from the town’s centre there stretched outwards six very broad streets, for the Queen to use when she wished to visit. In the centre was a small park, the meeting point of two streams, and a forty-foot statue of Queen Valerie. Belena smiled when she saw it: to the people of Rismark this was a great monument, yet it was little bigger than doll size to her.

As she approached the town’s gate, people began to react to her. Outside the walls, the farmers who were working in the fields ceased their activities and stared up at her. No-one came close to her; in fact, a small group of merchants who were travelling on the road ahead of her hastily made off in the direction of the fields. She made no attempt to head after them, and carried on along the road, until she reached the great gate. The guards stationed on the wall watched dumbstruck as she knelt down before them, before realizing that they should probably bow before her.

“Good morning,” she said, and they cautiously lifted their heads. “May I, you know, come in? I just want to take a look around.”

“Ummm…” one of the guards answered. “I…I’m dreadfully sorry, Your Royal Highness, but…but we…well, the queen told us…”

“Oh, don’t bother about that!” Belena laughed. “My mother gave me permission to visit, so I guess that means you will do so too. Right?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, of course! You…you may enter, Princess. We’ll open the gate right away.”

“Not necessary!” she said, and stood up again. Then she lifted up the bottom of her dress and easily stepped over the little gate. A part of her skirt caught on one of the guard towers, but she unhooked it, before she accidentally pulled the entire tower to the ground. She waved to the soldiers on the wall, who were still a little anxious, and then turned her attention to the town before her.

The reception Belena got surprised her quite a lot. She had expected the inhabitants of Rismark to either flee from her in terror, or fall down before her in obedience. Instead, they thronged by the side of the road, or leant out of heir windows, seemingly fervent to get a close-up peek at her. Many of them did look up at her with mild fear, but just as many others seemed rather excited to see her. The last time she was here, she was only six and was being carried in her mother’s arms, so to the people at her feet, she must appear almost as a new person.

She kept her eyes on the road before her, watching each step cautiously, and every now and then she’d stop and take a look around. But she really wanted to talk to the people and get to know them, so she carefully sat down in a convenient empty space, right in front of the town’s courthouse. The populace kept watching her from a safe distance, but she spoke up and asked them to come closer.

“Um, hello, everyone,” she said, trying to behave in a fitting manner for a princess. “I suppose you’re all wondering what I’m doing here, right? Well, as you might know, I am to be your Queen someday, and I…I thought I had better come and visit you, and learn about you, so that…so that you won’t have a complete stranger ruling over you someday.”

She smiled cautiously, but no-one had the boldness to approach any closer. So, to save time, she crawled forward a bit on hands and knees, reached with her hand into the crowd, and scooped up the (un)fortunate man who was closest to her. She then sat down again and addressed the tiny man who was kneeling in her palm. He seemed terrified of his situation, so she laid a finger against his back and tried to stroke him reassuringly.

Right at that moment a stern voice called out from behind her: “What on earth is going on here?”

Belena turned her head and saw a figure standing on the courthouse steps. She recognized him as Master Hillar, the town’s mayor, who often visited the palace. She didn’t know him all that well, though. Still keeping the man in the safety of her fingers, she turned around and looked down at the mayor and his attendants.

“Princess Belena!” the mayor exclaimed, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “What are you doing here? Does your mother know…”

“Yes, she does!” Belena interrupted. “Besides, Master Hillar, I am old enough to go out on my own now, and I may visit the town at any time I please. Understood?”

The people around her were stunned. They hadn’t expected so young a girl to speak in such a commanding manner, giantess or not. The mayor mumbled his acquiescence; he was just as amazed at how quickly this girl had grown up. She took another look at the man sticking out the top of her fist, and graciously decided to release him. When she stood up to her full height, she looked every bit as imposing as her mother, yet many still doubted that she would make as fine a queen.

“May I ask why you are here, my lady?” one of the mayor’s attendants asked.

“Like I said, I simply wish to learn more about you,” Belena said, pleased at being called ‘my lady’. “I don’t wish to be a nuisance, but I would appreciate it if I could simply walk around for a while. Oh, and sorry about grabbing one of you just now; I know how awful that must be for you.”

By now almost everyone had lost their fear, and the men and women of Rismark began to crowd around her feet. They all seemed to try and touch the bottom of her gown, and a few of them even began to climb, until they saw her giving them an angry look. One young girl of about sixteen began to cry out Belena’s name loudly, and also pleaded to be picked up. The people around her looked at her curiously, but Belena couldn’t pass up an opportunity to make a new friend, and carefully reached down for the girl.

As the rest of the crowd kept themselves busy at her feet, Belena regarded the young lass sitting in her palm. She was dressed in the most basic of clothes and was rather dirty as well. The girl seemed to suddenly notice this, and she lowered her face embarrassedly.

“Pleased to meet you,” the giant princess said. “I’m glad to see someone who’s interested in becoming my friend. What’s your name, miss?”

“Arily, Your Highness,” came her timid reply.

“And why were you so eager to talk to me, Arily?”

“I…I could be your guide!” the girl said expectantly. “I could show you around town, and we could talk and…only if Your Highness wishes to, I mean!”

“I would love to! Only one thing: if we’re going to be friends, you’ll have to start calling me Belena. I hear ‘Your Highness’ so many times, I’m beginning to forget what my real name is.”

She put Arily on her shoulder, where she promptly got entangled in Belena’s forty-foot long hair. She tugged on the strands that were hanging all around her, and managed to hoist herself up to Belena’s ear. Holding on as fast as she could, she began to tell her giant companion where she thought they could go first. Belena, however, wanted to visit the park first, so Arily slid down and landed on her shoulder. They reached the park in a few seconds, but Belena saw something else that caught her attention.

“Is that…a fire?” she asked, pointing to a column of smoke that was rising from the opposite end of town. Arily saw it as well, and gasped.

“Yes, it…it is! It must be one of the houses in the poor district – where I live! Maybe we could…hey!” Arily found herself being pinched by gigantic fingers, and an instant later she was down on the ground. She looked up, but the princess was already gone.

Belena ran as fast as was possible without causing any significant damage. A few large cracks appeared in the street, but that didn’t concern her: she was just glad there were no people on the giant street for her to step on. Quick as a flash, she reached the gate on the opposite edge of the town, and leapt over it. Then she was off into the fields, where there were no more little people to accidentally crush, and she could run at top speed.

The idea had popped into her head, out of the blue, and she had acted without thinking first. About two miles east of Rismark flowed a small stream, which was the size of a large river to the humans, and the nearest water source Belena could think of. She crouched down on the grassy bank of the stream, dipped her hands in the fast-flowing water, and sucked it up into her mouth. Then she was running back to the scene of the fire.

She knelt down just outside the town walls; the burning inn was right inside the walls, up against them. Closing her eyes against the smoke, she spewed out the 700 gallons of water in her mouth, drenching the flames. This nearly extinguished the fire, but parts of the lower floors were still burning. The roof had caved in, and Belena could see people still trapped on the upper floor, covered in soot. She rolled up her sleeve and stuck her arm into the smoking ruins, trying to grab whoever she could. After rescuing four people in the topmost rooms, she broke through the floor and began searching for survivors on the middle storey.

A man and a woman, trapped in one of the cupboards, were the only people left in the inn. They could see an enormous hand sticking through the ceiling and, thinking it belonged to Queen Valerie, ran towards it. Then they too were grasped tightly and lifted up into clean air.

Belena placed the choking couple down on the wall, while, below them, men and women with buckets of water were dousing the last of the flames. But most of the gathered crowd had their eyes only on Belena, who, even kneeling down as she was, loomed high above the great wall. It had taken her but a few minutes to put out most of the fire and rescue everyone trapped inside, and she was beginning to feel, for the first time in her life, as if she had done something great. The final confirmation came when the crowd began to applaud, and many of them got down on their knees to show respect. She began to blush, and wondered if she should say anything.

“I…I’m glad to have been of help,” she said, as the woman she’d rescued was embraced by her young son. “You don’t have to thank me – well, maybe I will think of something you can do for me, but that’s not important right now. I’m just happy that no-one was hurt, and I’m certain my mother shall be able to pay for the damage.”

“Oh, I think she could,” a voice behind her said. Belena turned her head, and saw the Queen standing behind her. She stood up, and Valerie smiled at her proudly.

“So, only your first day outside, and you’re already a hero,” Valerie said. “I hope this will be a recurring role for you, dear. Goodness knows I can’t do all the work around here!”

“I…I didn’t do much,” Belena admitted. It was true: what she had done had been of no effort to her, and she rather felt that she didn’t deserve much credit. But her mother simply laughed at her modesty.

“No, my darling – you simply saved the lives of six people, and stopped a dangerous fire before it could spread even further, and you’ve proven me wrong about keeping you inside the castle. Speaking of which, I we’d best head back, and later perhaps you can go and look for your brother and sister. They’re somewhere out and about, and I don’t want them running into trouble in the forest.”

Belena nodded and stepped lightly over the town wall, to look for Arily. She wasn’t going to leave her new friend, not without getting to know her first, and thought it might be a great idea to bring her over to the castle later. The people rushed to the side as she moved through them,, her gargantuan slippers adding yet more cracks to the road she’d damaged earlier. But she didn’t care about that: she knew that her mother would see to it, just like she always did.

Valdan was sitting on top of a large rock, overlooking the great river that flowed east of the castle. He knew that his sisters would think it was a small stone, on the bank of a small stream, but it all seemed so large to him. The castle was miles behind him, lost behind a forest of tall grass he’d spent hours struggling through. Ahead of him, across the river, grew another forest, this one of real, giant-sized trees. It looked very dark and dangerous out there, but Valdan still longed to reach it. If he were only half as large as Sylvie, he would wade through the stream and…

“Found you!” a high-pitched voice yelled above him, and the next moment he was dangling far above ground, caught be the back of his tunic. “I knew you weren’t sick! Just wait until Mummy hears about you!”

“Put me down!” he screamed, as little Sylvie rolled him around in her palm with her fingertip. “You…can’t…do this…to me! I’m older than you are!”

He scrambled to his feet and tried to find a way down, but she nipped him between her fingers, and he was trapped. Sylvie smiled sweetly at him, her loose golden hair hanging down in front of her face. He wished he could punch her right on the nose, but all he could do was glare at her.

“You are so in trouble,” she said, mimicking his glare. “In fact, I don’t think I’ll take you to Mummy at all. First, you’ll be my princess doll for a bit, and then, if you behave good…”

“Oh, shut up!” he yelled. “You can’t make me your stupid doll anymore, Sylvie – Mom and Dad said so! And if you try and do anything…hey! Hey wait! I’m not done talking…”

She’d stuffed him into a small pocket of her gown and was holding him down, her finger covering his mouth. Then, pleased with her superior size, she headed back home. She knew she’d be punished for this, perhaps even be locked in her room or have some of her toys confiscated, but she didn’t care. Being able to dominate her older brother like this was just too much fun.

Half an hour later, and Prince Valdan was, despite his most fervent pleas and protests, forced to wear a little doll’s dress, and pretend to be a princess in need of rescue. As he was being put into Sylvie’s miniature doll’s palace, he decided, on that day, that he was going to leave this place as soon as possible, for good.

“Look!” Karlo said to his friend Dillem. “There she is!”

Dillem had climb on top of a boulder to see over the surrounding long grass, but he was rewarded with his first ever sight of Princess Belena. She was standing with her back to them, clad in fine leather armour, her long red hair forming a cascade down her back. She was busy shooting arrows at a target painted on one of the giant trees, and Dillem could see several of those immense bolts planted in the ground, not far from him. They both agreed that a closer look was necessary.

Karlo’s family had come to Vandan from one of the kingdoms to the west of Elgon, several years ago. He’d had to leave a lot behind, including all his friends, which, for a young boy, hadn’t been easy. But he was a grown-up now, and his boyhood friend Dillem had arrived in Rismark just yesterday, along with his family. Ever greater numbers of people had come seeking Valerie’s protection, and the bounty of her lands, and several more settlements had sprung up around her castle. At the moment, however, Dillem was less concerned with starting a new life, and more interested in seeing one of the giantesses; it was apparently all he could talk about, so Karlo, who knew a bit about Belena’s habits, had taken him here, amongst the thousand-foot high trees that grew south of the castle.

The young men crept through the grass, invisible to the giant princess towering above them. Karlo kept thinking of what would happen if she did see them, while his friend could only gape up at the giantess’s gorgeous figure, all the while wishing he could climb it. They reached the spot where she’d stuck her arrows into the ground, where Dillem suddenly got a crazy idea.

“I’ll climb up one of those arrows!” he said excitedly. “Then, when she picks it up, I can climb onto her hand, and then unto her shoulder…”

“That’s foolish, Dillem! She’ll spot you, and then she’ll spot me, and we’ll both in trouble!”

“Oh, come on! We’re not little boys any more, you coward! If she does see me, I’ll simply tell her that I’m lost, and I need her help, and, oh, by the way, how I think that she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and how it would mean a lot if she could give me a kiss…”

“Yeah, yeah, like that will turn out well! Well, go on, then! She’s almost done with her archery practice.”

Dillem crept over to the arrow furthest from Belena and jumped up to grab hold of it. The shaft was about sixteen inches in diameter, and he wasn’t the fittest of men, so climbing it proved arduous. He was just about to give up and climb back down again when he felt a sudden lurch, and nearly let go. The next moment, he was soaring through the air, holding on to the arrow shaft for dear life, as the unaware giantess made ready to take her final practice shot for the day.

Belena fitted the arrow into her bow and drew back the string. She had seen the tiny intruder, so she wasn’t really planning to let the arrow fly, but she wanted to see how the little man would react. And, to her amusement (though she didn’t show it), he began to scream and shout, loudly, to catch her attention. Letting loose a laugh, she plucked him from his precarious position on the arrow’s tip and dropped him onto her gloved hand. He was quite clearly a new arrival, because he lay down flat on his stomach, face buried in the leather, his legs stretching nearly to the base of her fingers. Only now did she feel a little guilty – then, a second later, not any more.

“Still want a kiss?” she asked sweetly. “Or has that moment passed?”

Dillem looked up at her, his heart nearly freezing and his face deep red.

“You…you heard me?” he whimpered. She laughed again as she stooped to pick up his equally flustered companion.

“My ears may look a long way off from down there,” she said, “but believe me, my hearing is quite good.”

Karlo swallowed hard; this was his first time in the princess’s hand too, and he had no idea what the proper etiquette for such a situation might be. He began to babble an apology, but Belena shushed him.

“It’s not a crime to approach me, you know,” she said, brushing a strand of hair from in front of her turquoise eyes. “I’ve been trying to become friendly with the people in Rismark, and the other towns as well, but even after six years, it seems I’m still just too frightening to even talk to. Pity – and they say I’m such a pretty girl, too!” She winked at Dillem, and he blushed again.

A fortnight shy of her eighteenth birthday, she was indeed very beautiful, even more so than her mother, some said. She was definitely taller than Valerie, standing 175 feet tall barefoot, and most men would have agreed that she was one of the most stunning girls they had ever seen – if she were of normal size, that is. Belena sometimes wondered at the strange position she and Valdan found themselves in: he only wanted to be a giant, so that his family and everyone else would look up to him, while she wished she were human-sized like him, so that she could get a boy to fall in love with her. The two young men in her hand, each no bigger than her thumb, were staring up at her with obvious lust, but she didn’t think either of them would want a long-term relationship with her.

“I’d best be heading home,” she said, gathering up her archery equipment. “I’ll drop you fellows off at the town gates, then…I think I’ll have a relaxing swim in the river, perhaps. I don’t really like archery, you know: it’s more Sylvie and Valdan’s thing. But, Mother’s orders, so what can I do?”

Dillem watched her luscious lips moving as she talked, hoping that she might remember that kiss she’d promised, but she didn’t seem interested anymore, and he didn’t dare ask. A peasant doesn’t ask such a thing of a princess, no matter how nice she might appear to be. Soon after, she put them down just inside Rismark’s main gate, and they watched her head towards the castle, wondering if she’ll ever talk to them again.

After a quick swim and a change of clothing, Belena ran into Sylvie, who had just finished her school lessons for the day. The girls and Valdan had a private tutor, an old man named Ilan, who had once been their father’s teacher as well. When he was done for the day, one of the girls would carry him back to his residence in Rismark, since he was too old to walk such a distance twice a day.

Sylvie was fourteen now, 160 feet tall, and didn’t consider herself a child anymore. But, as Belena knew well, she could still behave in a very childish manner every now and then, especially towards her brother. Valdan wasn’t at home right now, though. He was staying at the castle in Elgon, after he had begged his father not to force him to live here any longer. While King Alban had agreed, the Queen had been very upset, mostly at her youngest daughter for all the things she had done to Valdan.

Sylvie had been upset as well, but that was several years ago, and she had returned to her old self soon enough. In place of Valdan, she had found other children in the town who were willing to be her friends, though she had to promise her mother that she would treat them with much more decorum than she had treated her brother. She’d kept her promise, for the most part, and of course there were many young girls in Rismark who loved spending time with their princess, even if their different sizes did make things a bit awkward at times.

As it happened, Sylvie had just heard from her mother that Valdan would be returning in a few days’ time. The girls hadn’t seen him since last year, when they went to visit their father and him in Elgon, a week’s journey by foot from Vandan and deep in the lands of the humans. Whenever the sisters visited any of those parts, they never stayed long, simply because there were no places where they could stay, apart from sleeping on the ground.

“Do you think he’ll be glad to see us again?” Sylvie asked, smiling happily. “He was so sick last year that we never had a chance of talking properly.”

“He wasn’t feeling sick. He just didn’t want to spend any time with you, little sister. But then, who can blame him…”

“Oh, shut up! I think he’ll be delighted to be back, him and Dad both. And Mum too – she’s really missed them, I think. Anyway, I’d best be taking Master Ilan back home, or else Mummy will give me another ‘talk’.” She made distasteful expression with her face. “By the way, your little roommate wants to talk to you. She sounded rather anxious, maybe you ought to go right now.”

Belena’s best friend, Arily, was grown up now as well, and living with Belena at the castle (in a doll’s house in her room, in fact). She had almost forgotten her previous existence as an orphan on the streets of the town’s poor district, and was living a comfortable and happy life in the company of her giant friend. Lately, however, she and Belena had been spending much less time with each other. Arily seemed to prefer being amongst the common folk more than she did living in a giant palace, and she was usually seen only at mealtimes.

Belena entered her magnificent bedroom, large enough for dozens of human-sized houses to be built within its walls. In one corner stood her old dollhouse, a human-scale replica of a four-story villa. Only a few mansions in the kingdom could match its size and splendour, and it was as richly furnished as any of the rooms in the castle itself. She knelt down next to it and carefully removed the detachable roof. Arily, wearing a dress just as fine as Belena’s own, was lying on her bed, in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and she sat up as Belena picked her and the bed up and placed them on her bedside table.

“What’s up?” Belena asked, still kneeling so that she and Arily were at each other’s eye level. “I heard you wanted to talk to me. It’s not often that that happens anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Arily said, rather despondently, Belena thought. “It’s just…well, there have been some changes in my life recently…I guess you know what I’m talking about.”

“It’s Rykar, isn’t it?” Belena’s gaze and voice made Arily a little uneasy. “Oh yes, I know about you two…”

“Then you know that I love him, Belena. And that I want to be with him…go and live with him, I mean. In Rismark.”

“So you want to leave?”

“Well, yes, but if you’re going to be all upset about it…”

“Who said I was upset?”

“Oh, come on! It’s so easy to see when you’re upset!” Arily raised her voice, but she still felt insignificant before the giant princess. “It almost never happens, but I can tell you’re very upset now!”

“Well, I’m not the one shouting, am I?” Belena said, raising her own voice. “So tell me, why can’t your boyfriend come and stay here, with us? Or do you no longer need someone like me around, someone who gave you everything, and only wished to be your friend?”

“When you fall in love, you’ll understand why! Not that that’s going to happen anytime soon!”

Before Arily knew what to say next, Belena’s giant hand lifted her up, still sitting on her bed, and brought her up to her face. She could easily crush the bed with one hand, Arily knew, and her along with it. But she didn’t. She simply put Arily down on the floor, and turned her head away. Arily got up, walked over to her friend, and climbed up the slope of her knees and into her lap. She sat down just below Belena’s hips, a miniscule figure beneath the towering cliff of the princess’s body.

“I’m sorry I said that,” she whispered. “I don’t know why…I was just so angry, I guess. You were right, though – I do owe you everything, everything that I have, and more. You’ve been the best friend I could ever have and you know that. But I really do love Rykar and…and I want to marry him, and share my life with him – even if he is just a farmer’s son! He wouldn’t be able to live here, Belena, it’s too grand for his taste! And while I would love to keep on living here, with you…well, I’m a grown woman now, and we all have to move on sometime.”

When Belena looked down at her, Arily was shocked to see tears flowing down her face. Giant fingers encircled her, and gently and delicately lifted her up. Then she was up there, right next to Belena’s face, and the waterfall of tears was pouring over her. Arily didn’t know what to say, so she simply pressed herself against Belena’s cheek.

“I’m so jealous of you!” Belena said, her voice barely overcoming her sobs. “The one thing I want, the one thing that would make me truly happy, and you’ve found it. But I’m acting like a selfish child! I ought to be happy for you – I am happy for you – but…I don’t want to lose you! You mean so much to me, Arily, and I don’t want you to leave!”

“You mean a lot to me too, my princess. And I wouldn’t want to lose you either. Will you promise that…that you’ll come and visit us? That you’ll still be there for me? I know Rykar and his folks are still so frightened of you, but he doesn’t know you like I do…”

“No-one knows me like you do,” Belena said, managing a smile. “Of course I’ll come and visit you, as often as I can. But first, promise me one thing.”

“Anything, Your Highness.”

“When you get married, I…I would like to be your maid of honour. And I would be honoured if you would marry here, in the palace, so that everyone could see how much your happiness means to me.”

Arily was stunned by what she heard, and there was no possible way she could refuse. Belena lay down on her bed, placing the tiny woman comfortably on her chest. They talked for hours, mostly about the preparations for Arily’s wedding, even though that was still a long way off. Belena also couldn’t help wondering if she herself would ever get married.

“Of course I will,” she told herself later, when she was alone. “Mum and Dad found each other, and they couldn’t have been more different at the beginning. I will find my prince too, someday – but not if I just lie here and feel sorry for myself all the time! I am a Princess of Vandan, and if there’s one thing I’m not going to do, it’s give up! No matter how long it takes, I will find my true love, and live happily ever after, just like the princesses in all the old tales…”

She didn’t know it yet, but her dreams were about to come true, though not at all in the way she'd expected them to.

Prince Valdan sat next to his father in the palm of his mother’s hand. He got onto hands and knees and looked down at the view stretching out below him. Even though Valerie was holding them at waist level, they were still able to look out over the rooftops of the city of Rismark. In the six years that Alban and his son were away this place had grown greatly in size and population, and it was now amongst the larger cities of the entire region. It was because of this that Alban had felt the need to move back – or so he told everyone. The real reason had been that he’d missed his wife too much, and he didn’t want their time together to be limited to her short, infrequent visits to Elgon.

Sixteen-year-old Valdan had been less willing to return, even though he’d missed his mother as well. There were just too many bad memories of his time in Sylvie’s company; he could only hope and pray that she hadn’t told anyone of how she’d treated him. But he’d been too worried, it turned out. Sylvie was a lot more ‘grown-up’ now, (she was almost as tall as her mother), and when she’d greeted him, she’d almost shown him the respect he deserved as a prince, and as her older brother. He in turn hadn’t brought up bygones whenever they were talking, yet he still couldn’t see any future for himself, as long as he stayed here – certainly not any future he’d like to have.

“It’s wonderful to be back,” Alban said. He was reclining on Valerie’s fingers, and was running his hands across the band of her giant gold wedding ring. “Don’t you think so too, Valdan?”

“I suppose,” came the not-so-enthusiastic reply. “Not really much to do here, though. But then, you don’t want me to go off on my own…”

He drifted off into silence, and Alban looked up at his wife with a resigned expression. Valerie giggled.

“Just like you at that age, isn’t he?” she said, winking. “Valdan, darling, if you’re not happy staying here, you need only tell us. It breaks my heart seeing you so miserable, or to think that we’re keeping you here against your will.”

“Oh, give it a rest, my love,” Alban said. “Our son is just being his usual moody self. Tomorrow he’ll be feeling as happy and lively as can be.”

Valerie had walked some distance into the forest, away from all the settlements, and had reached a small clearing. She sat down on the long grass, as green as the gown she was wearing, and let her husband and son disembark her hand and settle down on her knee. While Alban seemed content to lie down in her lap, in the folds of the skirt between her thighs, Valdan kept pacing in circles on top of her knee.

“Did you mean what you said, Mom?” he asked, facing Valerie. “Would you really allow me to leave, if I don’t want to stay?”

“Well, I…”

“No!” Alban interrupted, getting to his feet. “No, we won’t, not until you’re older. And then only if you promise to stay within the boundaries of our kingdom. I won’t have you running off thoughtlessly into the wilderness, like…like…”

“Like you?” Valdan replied sharply. “Like when you went off deep into the lands of the goblins, to look for all those legendary riches…”

“That was different! I had companions who went with me, skilled warriors and loyal friends, and we knew how to deal with the dangers that lay before us. You just want to run away because you can’t get along with your sisters, when instead you should be spending your time with them, sorting out your differences.”

“I don’t want to spend time with Sylvie! She’s just pretending, being nice to me and all! Mother, you said I could leave if I wanted to!”

“Valdan, you’re acting like a child! Stop it!”

“Both of you stop it!” Valerie shouted, louder than she’d meant to, but it got the job done. She sighed. She also thought Valdan needed to grow up a bit, but perhaps that meant letting him make his own decisions from now on. She held out her hand for her son to climb into.

“So you want to go off on your own, is that it? Well, while I don’t think it’s a particularly good notion, I do believe that each of us has the right to follow our own path. If I hadn’t rebelled against my parents and refused to harm humans, I wouldn’t be alive today, and I certainly wouldn’t have found such a loving husband and raised my own family. Your father may not approve, but if it were up to me, I’d let you leave whenever you wished to.”

“You…you’re serious?” Alban exclaimed from his perch on her knee. “That’s ridiculous! You send him off on his own, and he’ll end up either dead from starvation, or at the hands of…of whatever beasts may lurk out there!”

“Oh, he’s not going off by himself,” she reassured him. “I happen to have someone in mind, someone I can trust to look after our only son. To keep him safe, as it were.”

“Who?” Valdan cried out. He was standing right on the edge of her hand, as if he couldn’t wait to jump off. “Is it a knight? An company of knights? Will they follow me wherever I wanted to go?”

“None of those, in fact,” Valerie smiled. “No, I was actually thinking of your little sister, Sylvie.”

Valdan was so shocked that he missed a step, slipped, and fell off, only to land in her other hand. Laughing, Valerie placed him on her shoulder, where he just sat, not saying a word.

“Shall we go home?” she suggested. “I’ll make us a grand dinner, and then you can ask Sylvie what she thinks of this idea. Though I’m sure she’ll be as delighted as you are!”

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Princess Belena, having long forgotten about the story she was reading, was daydreaming. Her eighteenth birthday, Arily’s wedding…the next few weeks promised to be quite eventful. She wondered if anything else might happen thereafter – her being crowned Queen, perhaps? Mother had spoken often about the subject during the previous weeks, but Belena couldn’t imagine the great Queen Valerie abdicating in favour of her daughter anytime soon. The people loved their Queen, but most of them still knew little to nothing about Belena, and she herself didn’t think she was ready for such responsibility yet.

“But I’m all grown-up now!” she said to herself. “I don’t want to waste my time reading books, and learning archery and…and tending the gardens anymore! Oh, gods, I wish I could just shrink down to normal size, find a wonderful and loving husband, and be as happy as Arily. I’d give away all my royal privileges, all that I have, if the man of my dreams would just come and fall into my lap, right now.”

Deciding that it was past time she headed home and helped her mother with making dinner, she yawned and stretched her arms and back, preparing to get up and leave. As she did so, the tree she was reclining against gave a slight wobble - it was only a tree from the human lands, though quite a large one. She heard a startled cry above her in the branches and then, to her utter amazement, a tiny man fell out of the blue and landed with a plop right in the centre of her breasts.

For a few seconds she could only stare, frozen in place, before she decided to help him get out of her cleavage. Prying him out with her finger, she brought him up to her eyes and saw that it wasn’t a man, merely a boy a few years younger than her. Judging by his unkempt hair and unwashed attire, he was one of the poor folk of the city. These were generally the people who mistrusted her and her family the most. While she hadn’t as yet managed to endear herself to the city’s needy, Belena did help her mother out whenever she could to try and make their lives better.

The boy was hanging onto her fingertip with both arms, trying futilely to get his legs up as well. She set him down on top of her book and watched with amusement as he tried desperately to find a way down, while seemingly on the verge of bursting into tears.

“Nope, you’re not getting away that easily, you little pipsqueak!” she said mischievously. “I’m afraid I’ll have to take you back with me, as a prisoner. You do know that spying on a royal princess, without her being aware of it, is a criminal offence, don’t you?”

“I wasn’t spying!” he cried, falling to his knees and clasping his hands together. “I…I…I always c-come here…”

“So do I! Extraordinary coincidence, isn’t it?”

He didn’t answer; he merely lowered his head and resigned himself to his fate.

“Oh, I was just teasing you!” she admitted, not wanting to see him cry, which he looked ready to do. “Just for fun, you know? Goodness knows I have little enough fun in my life right now. What’s your name?”

“Lorek, Your Highness,” he mumbled. “I…I live Rismark.”

“Of course you do. Care for a ride home?”

“N-no, no, that’s…that’s not necessary…I…”

He fumbled for the correct words, and looked so awkward that Belena had to laugh. This was how most of the commoners she’d met had behaved in her presence; most of them saw her as some sort of goddesslike figure, who wouldn’t hesitate to squish them if they so much as uttered a wrong word. This boy in particular seemed to be mortally afraid of her, so she decided on the spot to linger a while and have some fun with him. She gripped him lightly by the waist, and could feel his skinny body trembling between her fingertips. Then she tilted her head backwards and placed him right on top of her nose, between her eyes.

Lorek squirmed and scrambled, desperate not to fall off and land somewhere even more uncomfortable. He glanced sideways and saw a giant sea-green eye, the size of a large barrel, watching him intently. Mesmerised, he tried to reach out and touch her eyelashes, only to lose his hold and slip. He fell off her nose, landed on a soft cheek, the fell away into empty space, screaming. Next thing he knew he was back in her hand, only to be brought up to her face again. This time she brought him right before her lips, and when she spoke her warm breath blew through his hair.

“That wasn’t very nice of me, was it?” her lips said, the only part of her he could see from this close. “I’ll make it up to you, though. Just relax and enjoy.”

‘Relax’ was the last thing on Lorek’s mind, but, once her exquisite lips began enveloping his body, there was nothing else he could do. He was powerless against the force of her kiss. The seconds seemed to stretch on forever as he felt the tip of her tongue prodding him, while he himself nearly got sucked into her mouth. When she broke off he barely had time to compose himself, before she set him down hastily on the ground and walked off.

“Oh dear, what have I done?” Belena thought, thoroughly embarrassed by her actions. “How could I just go and kiss some peasant boy like that? What will Mom and Dad think when they find out? And that poor boy – he must be terrified out of his wits! Just because I was so damn desperate to have my first kiss! Now…well, I suppose I’d best go and apologize to him, and beg him not to tell anyone…”

Lorek watched as the princess turned around and advanced on him, until she stood before him, looming mountainous in her blue dress and sandals. He felt like a tiny worm before her feet, and he wondered what she had in store for him now.

From Belena’s viewpoint, the tiny figure at her feet was barely visible, but she didn’t want to stoop or pick him up, fearing that it would upset him even more. She lowered her head until she was staring down at her own chest, and spoke in a tone that clearly showed how mortified she was.

“Forgive me,” she said. “I should never have done that, Lorek, and I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you or embarrassed you or anything like that. You see, I…well, you’ll probably think I’m totally pathetic, but I’ve never kissed a boy before, and…and you were right there, in my hand, and I just couldn’t stop myself. Please don’t tell anyone, I beg of you. I’ll give you whatever you want – money, jewels, anything, just please don’t tell anyone what I did, alright? I won’t do it again, I swear!”

After an uncomfortably long silence, she finally heard a faint voice from the ground below her: “I…I won’t tell anyone, Your Highness.”

“Oh, thank you!” she burst out, falling to her knees and scooping him up in delight. She very nearly kissed him again, but she gathered hold of herself just in time. Instead she simply squeezed his body gently, before putting him down for good this time. He was by this point completely flummoxed, and though he wished he could simply leave, he didn’t dare to do so. To his relief (and Belena’s as well), a man on horseback came riding up at that moment. She recognized the rider as Satos, a servant of her father’s.

He dismounted, ignored the peasant boy standing nearby, and went straight to the feet of the princess.

“Good morning, my lady,” he said politely. “Forgive my intrusion, but the King wishes you to return to the palace at once. A very important message has just arrived, or so I’ve been told.”

“A message…for me?” She wondered what on earth it might be, and who it was from.

“Yes, my lady. I’m sorry, but that is all I know…”

“Very well, I’ll be off then. Satos, would you mind taking this boy back to his home in Rismark. It’s quite a way from here, and his parents must be worried about him by now…”

“They’re not!” Lorek objected, but he fell silent when he saw her gazing at him. Thinking it wise not to start an argument, he climbed behind Satos on his horse, and was soon being taken off in the direction of the town.

Belena watched them leave, glad to have made a new friend (of sorts). She wondered what Sylvie would say if she told her she’d actually kissed a boy today. But she was more eager to learn what the message for her was, so she gathered her books and began walking back home.

Belena’s parents were waiting for her back at the castle, and they asked her to join them so they could talk in private. Inside the Queen’s bedchamber, Valerie read out the message, which had been delivered by a courier less than an hour past. Belena listened attentively, but afterwards she kept standing still, so surprised was she by what she’d just heard.

“To His Majesty, King Alban of Vandan and Elgon,” the message went. “It is my knowledge that your eldest daughter, the Princess Belena, is soon to come of age, and that she must also soon be wed to a suitable husband of royal blood. My eldest son and heir, the Crown Prince Argo, is as chance would have it not yet betrothed to a bride. Thus it is my wish that the two of them should, for the sake of uniting our realms and forming a new, formidable royal lineage, be joined in marriage. My son is already en route to your palace, and by the time you’ve received this message his arrival should be imminent. Please accord him the hospitality and respect befitting a man of his noble status.” This was followed by a signature which read: “HIH Malmo VI, High Emperor of the Lands of Solis and Rheir.”

“Well then,” said Alban, breaking the uncomfortable silence after Valerie had finished reading. “What have you to say to that, Belena?” He was sitting on Valerie’s shoulder, a few strands of hair tied around his body, as usual.

“I…I don’t know what to say,” his daughter answered, quite taken aback. She sat down on the bed next to her mother and took her by the hands.

“Mother, does this mean…must I really marry this Prince Argo? What if I don’t like him? What if…what if he doesn’t like me? Does he even know that I’m…you know…a giant…”

“I suppose so,” Valerie said, trying to sound reassuring. “Whether or not you’ll like each other, though – I suppose we can but wait and see.”

“Solis is a great maritime empire, far to the west,” said Alban, who had once been there when he was still a teenager. “Its riches and might are legendary, and few are the rulers who would dare to declare war on its armies.”

“But I don’t want that!” Belena cried. “I just want a husband who would love me, the way you love Mom, and who wouldn’t mind being with me, even though he’s only the size of my little finger!” She seemed so upset that Valerie took her and held her tight, cradling her head against her own chest.

“It’s all right, my darling,” Valerie murmured. “You are a young lady now, not a child, and you can make your choices as you wish to make them. Whether or not you marry Argo isn’t important – what matters is that you follow the choice which brings you happiness. Forget about those riches and all those armies your father was talking about, and let’s focus on what’s really important. Your eighteenth birthday, for example.”

“I agree,” Alban added, as he looked down into Belena’s watery eyes. “When Prince Argo arrives, I shall receive him, alone. I shall tell him all about you, and explain to him exactly how you feel about the situation. If he still wishes to marry you, I’ll introduce you. So just calm yourself, sweetie, and think about how you wish to celebrate the most important birthday of your life.”

“I will, Daddy. Please forgive me, I didn’t meant to get so worked up about this. It’s just that…well, I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!”

Valerie gave her a kiss on the forehead and reassured her.

“We understand, dear, and we won’t leave you to sort things out on your own, rest assured. But, one day, you will be queen, and you’ll be forced to deal with much harder decisions than whether or not to marry some foreign prince. So consider this a test, to prepare you for the trials of adult life, and an opportunity to learn more about yourself, and what you are capable of. All right?”

Belena nodded, still not completely at ease, but feeling a bit more confident. She left, and the King and Queen exchanged looks.

“Do you think it’s too soon for her?” Valerie asked. “Perhaps we should tell this emperor that she’s not ready to be married off yet. I’m sure he’ll understand…”

“Valerie, she’s a grown woman now, not a little child. If she’s not ready now, when will she ever be? We have to expose her to these kinds of situations, or she’ll never be able to rule after you and I are gone. I know how protective you are of her, but it’s not just her future we should be concerned about – the future of the kingdom is at stake as well.”

“Now you’re being a bit melodramatic – but you’re right, of course. Let’s just wait and see what’ll happen…I’ve got a feeling that our ‘little’ Belena may yet surprise us.”

Valdan sat on the windowsill of the dining room, and watched the sun set behind the distant trees. It had taken him half an hour to climb up here, and he didn’t know how long it would take to get back down, but right now he just wanted to savour the peaceful moment. He turned his gaze eastwards, where he knew the great Cairnaon Mountains lay, beyond the horizon: his destination – or, rather, their destination.

Yes, he would be travelling with his little sister Sylvie, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. His mother was adamant about the matter, and Sylvie herself was as eager to get going as he was. The only difference was, she was actually looking forward to spending some ‘alone time’, as she called it, with her ‘teeny-weeny baby brother’, while he was dreading the thought of having to be carried by her, day and night.

They were leaving after Belena’s eighteenth birthday – an event he was actually looking forward to, since he’d agreed to help his older sister plan the event. They would miss her friend Arily’s wedding, though – but then Valdan had never been that close to the girl anyway, and Sylvie, though she would have liked to attend, was just too ecstatic about travelling the wilds, with Valdan in her possession, to really care.

“Daydreaming again?”

The loud voice in Valdan’s ears nearly caused him to fall off the edge of the windowsill. He whirled around, and there was Sylvie, grinning broadly, her long golden hair hanging in an untidy manner, as usual. She knelt down and rested her elbows on either side of him, leaving him no chance of escape.

“What do you want?” he asked, trying to sound commanding. “Shouldn’t you be preparing for the journey?”

“Oh no, I can do that later! There isn’t much to prepare for anyway – all you want to do is go trudging around in some dull mountains! Why can’t we go somewhere nice, like the sea? I’ve never been to the sea…”

“Well, that’s too bad! Dad said I get to decide where we should go – but if you don’t like my choice, then don’t come along! You can stay here and play with your stupid dolls some more!”

“Aww, you are SO cute when you get angry!” she chuckled. “Did you think you could get rid of me that easily, you little baby? If I’m not there to protect you, you’ll get eaten by the first troll you meet. Oh, and you might not know this, but I’ve stopped playing with dolls years ago!”

She darted her hand toward him and he ducked down instinctively, even though he knew it would do no good. There was nothing he could do once she’d grabbed him, and he knew better than to try and fight back. Then she would probably just humiliate him even further.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that!” she implored, as he glared up at her, caught between her finger and thumb like a piece of meat between two chopsticks. “Let me guess – you’re going to tell me I need to grow up, right?”

“Why bother?” he spat back. “You’re NEVER going to grow up!”

“I think you both need to grow up!” a girl’s voice interrupted. They looked down and saw Arily standing right next to Sylvie’s left foot. Still pinching her brother tightly, the young princess reached down and picked her up. She then put Arily and Valdan in the palm of her left hand, and began walking to the kitchen.

“You shouldn’t treat him like this, Sylvie,” Arily said as they walked. She looked over at Valdan, who had an utterly embarrassed and dejected look on his face. “A princess must be kind and courteous to all those around her, no matter what their size is – especially if they’re family.”

Sylvie looked guilty for a moment, but she quickly thought of a way to shift the blame.

“I know…but he’s the one who’s always being rude to me, and bossing me around, like I’m his little slave girl…”

“Shut up!” Valdan yelled. “Stop lying about me! Arily’s right – you’re always the one who’s looking for trouble! I’m glad you’re not the eldest, ‘cause you’d make the worst queen in the history of…hey…hey what are you doing? Sylvie, no! Don’t…”

Without listening to a word he was saying, Sylvie laid her brother on top of her wrist. She then rolled up the sleeve of her dress, wrapping him tightly inside it, all the way up to her elbow. Valdan was now trapped inside a cocoon of fabric, and he could barely be heard. Sylvie looked back at Arily, and her grin disappeared when she saw the look of disapproval on her friend’s face.

“What?” she said innocently. “He was yelling at me. You heard him, didn’t you?”

Arily sighed, glad she didn’t have to accompany these two on their upcoming excursion. She didn’t think she could handle even one day of having to babysit Sylvie.

“Well, I hope you can sort all this out on your trip,” she said at last. “Good luck on your journey, Princess – looks like you two are going to need all the luck you can get just to make it past day one!”

Sylvie sniffed. She knew exactly what Arily meant, but she was determined to prove her wrong.

“I’ll soon teach Valdan to behave himself,” she thought to herself. “By the end of the trip, we’re going to get along just fine.”

A few weeks later, after Valdan and Sylvie had already departed, Prince Argo of Solis arrived at Vandan Castle, along with his entourage. This consisted of several young noblemen, a few priests of Solis’s sun-worshipping religion, and about two hundred soldiers of the Imperial Guard, clad in impressive-looking armour, and surrounding their leader and his friends quite effectively. At the back came a procession of slaves bearing gifts from the Emperor Malmo.

Alban directed the slaves to a side entrance, where Valerie would be receiving their gifts. The priests and fifty guardsmen accompanied them, after a command from the crown prince. Argo himself then rode up to the front door, with his aristocratic friends and all the remaining soldiers following. Alban had been expecting his daughter’s suitor to be a remarkable young man, but he was still taken rather aback. The crown prince was almost seven feet tall, he guessed, handsome and well-built, and wearing the finest royal garb, adorned with the coat-of-arms of his empire. He had short, dark hair an appeared to be in his early twenties.

“Welcome”, the King said, as Argo and his nobles dismounted. “I am Alban, king and co-regent of this land. You must be the crown prince…”

“Of course I am!” the young man announced. “So you’re the king, eh? I’m sorry, I was expecting someone a bit…bigger. What with this enormous castle and all…”

“Then I’m sorry to disappoint you. This castle was built by the long-gone race of Giants – my wife and daughters are their only known living descendants.”

“And you like having a giant for a wife?” Argo sounded dumbfounded. “Were there no normal women for you to choose from?”

“There were – quite a few, too – but once I really began to know Valerie, I knew she was the one for me. In any case, seeing as how you’re here to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage, I’d imagine the notion of having a giantess wife appeals to you as well.”

The prince simply gazed silently at him, and Alban began to wonder if it would be a good idea for him and Belena to meet. As they passed through the 250-foot-high wooden front door and began making their way towards the throne room, the men from Solis grew quieter and quieter. They all felt, Alban imagined, like insects on the floor, dwarfed by the gargantuan furnishings around them. He was glad that Sylvie wasn’t here: though she could be sweet and polite when she wanted to, his youngest had an unfortunate tendency to frighten foreign visitors, just for ‘a little joke’, as she put it.

Beneath one of the giant tables Argo saw an immense, thirty foot-long wooden figure, almost like a fallen statue, and clothed like a soldier. He asked Alban about it, and was told that it was just one of Princess Sylvie’s dolls, which she must have dropped there and forgotten about.

“She can be so thoughtless sometimes,” the king laughed. “I’ll have to have a talk with her when she returns from her ‘adventure’. In any case, a fourteen-year-old shouldn’t be playing with dolls anymore, but she just can’t seem to grow out of it…”

As he spoke one of Argo’s friends pulled him aside and whispered in his ear.

“Perhaps we should return home, sire,” the man insisted. “I have a very bad feeling about this. The princess…”

“Is only a girl!” Argo interrupted. “And I am not frightened of a young girl, Riros. I will make her my wife, and that shall be the end of it! I am not letting my father think I am a coward. Understood?”

“Yes, sire, absolutely…but what if…”

“Shut up! I think we’ve arrived.”

The great throne room was five hundred yards long, with a staggeringly high ceiling. Most of its length was covered by a vast red carpet, and it was along this that the men walked. They eventually approached the Queen’s throne, 150 feet tall and intricately decorated. Alban bid the prince and his company to wait, while he went off and fetched the princess.

“Won’t…won’t you be here as well?” Argo asked.

“Oh no! Forgive me, Your Highness, but I have other pressing duties to attend to. Furthermore, my daughter has requested that I be absent during your meeting. She is quite nervous, you see, and doesn’t want me to ruin her special moment by making an inappropriate comment. I believe she is eager to prove, too, that she can conduct herself regally, and that her father’s worries are all for nothing.” He winked and smiled.

“But…but…but…” the prince babbled.

“Calm down, Prince Argo!” Alban said, gripping him by the arm. “She is no different than the maidens in your own great city. If you find her great size to be too much, just relax. You will get used to it. She is just as full of anxiety as you are, believe me, and she seems eager to start off on the best of terms. Now, excuse me for a moment, and I shall fetch her for you.”

Belena turned around in front of the mirror for the hundredth time, making absolutely sure that her appearance was as perfect as could be. She wanted to make an impression on Prince Argo, and was convinced that the tiniest imperfection would lead to his great disappointment. She had spent all day getting her makeup and hair flawless: ruby-red lipstick, not too much eyeliner, tasteful jewelled earrings, a golden band to secure her hair…the list of necessities went on and on. She had chosen a magnificent orange gown to wear, which hugged her figure nicely and showed just the right amount of cleavage, while still giving her a royal and splendid appearance. Along with this came high-heeled shoes, velvet gloves and a sash, in matching colours. The final touch was a giant pink flower, five feet across, which she tucked into her hair.

She turned towards her tiny handmaidens, who were standing on her dressing table, and who had helped her to prepare.

“How do I look?” she asked nervously. “Not…not too bad, I hope?”

“Your Highness,” said Carina, a short, pretty girl of seventeen. “You look lovely beyond words. Every man I know would be speechless just to look at you.”

“Really?”

“No question about it, Princess,” said Merinette, Carina’s fourteen-year-old sister. “The prince will be smitten the instant he lays eyes on you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” added Arily. “You’ve never looked as beautiful as you look now, Belena. Go on, and don’t be afraid. If he doesn’t fancy you, the fault lies with him.”

At that moment another servant girl came running into the room. She stared at the princess for a few seconds, before remembering to deliver her message.

“The prince awaits you, Your Highness!” she said excitedly. “He’s in the throne room!”

Belena gave a little gasp, but managed to stay composed. She lifted her friends carefully off the table and set them down by her feet. Then, looking down on them from her great height, she said “Wish me luck!”, and hurried out of the bedroom.

She entered the throne room from a side door, behind the great throne, so she did not immediately see the prince and his entourage. But then she noticed the small crowd of men, waiting near the foot of the steps leading to the throne, and she nearly turned around in shock.

“I thought it would be just the two of us,” she thought to herself. “But there’s so many of them! What do I…no, I won’t turn back. I will be brave, and talk to him, and I won’t let them see how nervous I am!”

When the men saw the giantess approaching them, many of them gasped and even screamed. Two or three of the noblemen fainted, several dozen of the soldiers instinctively drew their swords, and Prince Argo himself turned deathly pale and gripped the nearest bystander by the arm.

“No…no…no…” he babbled. “No, I…I can’t…I can’t do this! I…we…I mean, I can’t…we…we have to go home! We have to…leave…”

He swallowed hard, as the immense young princess came ever closer. She towered above them, like a pillar of fire, and even after she had gracefully knelt down before them, she was still as tall as a good-sized tree. The men retreated slightly as she leant forward a bit. The face looking down on them was as beautiful as that of a goddess, but it was twenty-five feet from forehead to chin.

While the sight of such an enormous person might be upsetting to most men who had never seen one, the fact that this giant was a woman – no, a girl – was more than Argo could possibly tolerate. He knew at once what his men, his soldiers, his subjects, would think of him if he married her – and they were right. No worthy man of Solis would ever let his woman, naturally his inferior, surpass him in anything, particularly not such masculine attributes as strength and martial prowess. He would be known as the king who needed his wife to protect him from the eager hands of their infant daughter, and that was simply not an option.

“I’m never marrying her,” he swore to himself. “She’s not even remotely human. And I won’t let myself be ordered around by her – I won’t!”

“Greetings!” said the princess, a charming smile upon her lips. “Welcome to Vandan, my lords. I am Princess Belena, and it is a great honour for me to finally meet you. Which one of you is the prince?”

There was no answer for several moments, before one of the men stepped a pace forward and responded with “I…I am Prince Argo.”

Belena looked down at the tall, attractive man. He certainly looked like one of the princes in her stories, but he did not at all act like one. Instead of being the courageous yet romantic hero she’d been expecting him to be, he instead stared up at her with what appeared to be a mix of mistrust, fear and repulsion. She felt her heart sink in her chest, but remained determined to try and win his approval.

“I know how I must appear to you, my lord,” she said. “But I am not in the least a monster like the giants of old. Your size does not mean that I cannot love you, and I beg you not to reject me based upon my size either. If you would care to know me a bit better, I assure you…”

“I’ve seen enough!” he interrupted. “And I’ve made my choice. Did you think I’d consent to living a life…with you? You’re not in the least bit my idea of a…a wife! You’d have more luck if you tried to marry an ogre!” He began to laugh, and several of his men also.

“I mean, just look at you!” he continued. “Would any of you men even consider marrying something like…like this? I’m sorry, but I won’t allow myself to become a giant’s plaything, like your father.”

She simply stared at him in mute shock, unable to understand why he was being so callous, her expression close to tears. Prince Argo, feeling more than pleased with himself for putting this stupid giant girl in her place, carried on belittling her.

“How sad it must be, to be the last of such a monstrous race,” he said. “You’ll never experience the pleasure of having a man between your legs, will you, ‘Princess’? Hell, I’d wager an ogre would start to look very tempting not too long from now…”

Her oversized hand began to descend towards him, and he hastily stepped back a few a few paces and drew his longsword.

“Do not dare and touch me!” he yelled furiously, waving his sword about. “I am not your little doll, you brute! I am a crown prince, and you are not my equal! The only possible use I could have for you would be to work in one of our mines – although, being a girl, you’d probably do nothing but cry and complain…”

He kept on yelling at her, but Belena didn’t listen to his words. She couldn’t. She was beyond the point where she cared. Of course, she’d always considered the possibility that her prince wouldn’t be able to love her, but a true gentleman would still tell her so in a respectful manner, and this little louse was anything but. Her heart completely in pieces, she wanted nothing more to run back to her room and cry and cry, until she felt better. The beginning of a tear formed in her eye, but suddenly disappeared, as her will changed.

“I won’t let this happen!” she convinced herself. “I am a lady and a princess, and no man has any right to treat me like this – not even a king! If I just let him leave, this so-called ‘prince’ will continue to treat other women like dirt if they don’t please him. Well, I’m going to teach him a lesson, and if he doesn’t apologize afterwards he’ll regret it!”

Once more she reached for him with her hand, and once more he waved his sword at her and yelled. But she pinched the blade of his sword between her fingertips, yanked it out of his grip, and tossed it into a far corner of the room. Then, gently (but not too gently), she wrapped her fingers around him and, to his utter dismay, picked him up. She stood up, and watched in satisfaction as the soldiers on the ground scurried about like ants, unable to help their prince in any way: they were too afraid to even come near her.

“Put me down!” Argo kept shouting, amongst a multitude of curses. He was completely immobilized – only his head and shoulders stuck out the top of her curled-up fist – and his great strength was less than nothing compared to hers. “You…can’t…do….this! Lieutenant!” he called down to one of his soldiers. “Attack her! Make her put me down!”

Belena silenced him with her fingertip, twice as large as his entire face. Seeing how helpless he was made her feel a lot more confident, and she spoke to him casually and without a hint of nervousness.

“Not so bossy now, are you, little prince?” she said. “I don’t know what exactly you men from Solis are famous for, but it obviously isn’t chivalry. Your men might think you to be an awesome leader and all that, but from up here it’s obvious that you’re nothing more than a nasty, spoiled little rodent. I mean, how low must you be when even a young girl could overcome you so easily?”

Turning around, she left the soldiers and noblemen and headed back to her room. Her tiny captive began struggling even more intensely, but she held him firm.

“No need to be afraid, ‘my lord’,” she said nonchalantly. “I’ve never hurt a man before, not even one as deserving as you are. That being said, if I find that my lessons don’t teach you to behave courteously to a lady like me, I might have to make an exception to that.”

As the last remnants of the day’s heat began to give way to the night’s freezing cold, Valdan was thankful for the heat provided by their fire. Of course, it was Sylvie who’d built the fire in the first place, but he didn’t see any reason to thank her for something he could have done himself. Sure, his fire would just consist of dead twigs and leaves, instead of entire tree trunks, but that wasn’t the point.

After several days of travelling the two of them had left the realm of Vandan and were back in the surrounding lands where everything was human-sized. They hadn’t met many humans yet, though, because they were journeying through the inhospitable mountainous region that lay east of their homeland. Here it was always cold, often snowing, and the steep climbs made Sylvie complain to no end. Valdan didn’t care: he wanted to see what lay beyond the mountains, and if it made his bratty sister complain – well, that was a plus.

While the enormous fire blazed brightly, Valdan waited for Sylvie to return from her ‘hunting trip’. She never took very long, and tonight she’d manage to capture three very large black bears – enough for a nice supper for herself – and some sort of pheasant or ptarmigan-like bird for Valdan. She had brought her own provisions along, carrying them in her rucksack, but she didn’t want to use them when there was other food available. She scraped out a few coals for Valdan to cook his food on, and soon afterwards they were eating their first supper away from the comfortable environment of their own land.

“This is just perfect!” Sylvie remarked, as she struggled to chew the unsavoury bear-meat. “I mean, could this waste of a trip get any worse? Valdan, I swear, if you don’t get us somewhere nice and…and warm soon, I’m going to…”

“Oh, shut up! Just leave me and go back if you don’t like it here! Then I won’t have to listen to your whining.”

She gave him such a glare that he was almost certain she was about to physically injure him. But she ate on in silence, leaving him to wonder if she was planning to pay him back for that sometime. Eventually, the flames died down and the embers began to die, and the two of them had to find somewhere to sleep.

For Sylvie this was no problem. Already wearing a warm fur coat, gloves and trousers, she had also brought a thick blanket along, and could use her rucksack as a pillow. Her large body size kept her from losing heat as well, but for Valdan this was a problem, even though he was just as warmly dressed. He unrolled his mattress as far from his sister as possible, making her snicker with amusement.

“You’re not really going to sleep over there, all alone, are you?” she said. “What if another bear comes for a visit?”

“I’m not scared of bears,” he retorted. “Besides, where else am I supposed to sleep? Next to you? Don’t be an idiot!”

“Oh, I see! You’re scared I’m going to roll over you in my sleep! Well, Your Tinyness, looks like I’m going to have to take extra measures to keep you safe, just like Mummy said I should.”

She got up and crawled over to where he was lying. Valdan groaned inwardly when he saw he grasping hand coming towards him. What is she going to do to him now, he wondered. He wanted to protest, but decided it was smarter to keep his mouth shut, or else she might do something even more humiliating to him. She wrapped herself up in her blanket and held her elder brother firmly between her hands.

“Nothing to say, hmm?” she giggled. “You’ve finally realized Big Sister is always right, haven’t you? Good. You just keep being a quiet, obedient little mouse, and do what I say from now on, and we’ll get along great. Now, I’m going to keep you safe and close, where the big, bad bears won’t be able to get you. Nighty-night, baby brother!”

Sylvie reached in underneath her coat, found an inner pocket, and tucked him snugly into it. After waiting a few minutes to make sure he wasn’t trying to escape, she lay back, looked up at the clear, starry skies for a little while, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Despite being trapped next to his sister’s body, Valdan couldn’t deny that it was pleasingly warm and comfortable in her pocket. He wanted nothing more to lie down and catch some sleep, but his sense of pride was too strong.

“I’m not her little puppet – she can’t make my decisions for me!” he insisted to himself. “If I want to sleep outside, by myself, without her ‘protection’, I will do it!”

He waited not more than fifteen minutes before he began to feel her chest moving rhythmically beneath him. She had gone to sleep, and he could escape. He struggled to find a way out, feeling almost suffocated beneath the thick layer of fur above him, eventually emerging right beneath her neck. A fortuitous full moon meant that he had plenty of light to see by. Taking care not to touch her exposed skin, he clambered across her chest and lowered himself down her shoulder. Her huge, childlike face overshadowed him; her expression was calm and peaceful, and little wisps of frosty breath escaped from her nostrils and mouth every now and then.

The fire had completely died out, and the cold was overwhelming, but Valdan stubbornly made his way to his mattress. Suddenly he remembered that there were bears in the area, and he went and fetched his sword from his things. When he turned around, however, he froze in his tracks, and he felt a chill running through him.

A shadowy shape had appeared out of nowhere, he was sure of it. About thirty yards away there were two pine trees with a gap between them, through which one could see the sky. But something was standing there now, standing absolutely still. Something big. When he moved forward a step, he could have sworn that the shadow moved forward as well, for it grew a tiny bit larger. Then he realized that he was completely exposed, directly in the moon’s light, and that whatever it was, it was probably watching him.

Though he was good in a hunt, Valdan had never killed anything larger than a deer before, and that shadow looked twice, maybe thrice his height. He was all of a sudden deathly afraid, and he looked longingly back at the sleeping Sylvie, whose protection he had unwisely abandoned. He began to creep slowly back towards her, keeping his eyes on the shadowy unknown beast, when, without any warning, a bloodcurdling growl broke the silence. Valdan dropped his sword and ran at full speed back to Sylvie – and, for once, he was glad that she had awoken.

“What…what was that?” she muttered sleepily. “Valdan…what…what are you…”

“Something’s out there!” he yelled, running right up to her face. “Wake up, Sylvie! There’s something there!”

Sylvie was completely awake now but, rather than listen to her brother’s pleas, she snatched him up and began to scold him.

“So,” she said snootily, “little Mr. Scaredy-Cat needs my help after all! After sneaking out like a naughty little boy, too! You are definitely getting punished…”

“Whatever! Look, we don’t have time for this! There’s some kind of creature out there!”

“Where? I can’t see anything.”

“Over there, by the trees! It’s…hey, it’s gone!”

Sure enough, he could no longer see the hulking shadow. The clearing between the trees was empty again, and nothing was moving about in the moonlight. He searched in vain, but eventually had to admit defeat. Sylvie was looking really cross with him, and he tried to explain, but she silenced him with a fingertip.

“I really ought to teach you a lesson for running away like that,” she said, “but I guess whatever you saw has already done so. The next time you disobey me, I’m not going to bother helping you, understood? Now, are you going to lie still in my pocket, or would rather sleep beneath my butt?”

“Listen, I’m sorry, but there really was…”

“Just shut up, Valdan! You don’t have to tell me how scared you are of everything. Now go to sleep!”

She stuffed him roughly into the same pocket and lay down again. This time it took her a little longer to fall asleep, since she was so exasperated by his behaviour. Valdan also struggled to drift off; he was absolutely furious at her and banged his fists against her chest beneath him, even though he knew she couldn’t feel him beneath her clothing. But he stayed put this time, and at last the two of them went to sleep.

So it was that neither of them saw the massive snow-troll stroll past them. The beast was searching for the little human it had seen running around in the moonlight, before the giantess’s movement had scared it away temporarily. There was no human here now, and the troll, since it was only the size of a kitten compared to Sylvie, left her alone and wandered back into the forest.

Two days later Sylvie found herself standing on top of a high hill, looking out over a snow-covered river valley. Across the valley lay yet more hills, getting gradually higher and higher, until they became the Cairnaon Mountains, which even she had to admit were pretty high. But she was tired: tired of having to climb about all day, while her little pest of a brother got a free ride in her pocket; tired of sleeping on cold hard ground every night, and eating whatever vile beast was easiest to catch that day. She wanted to go home, and sleep in her warm bed again, and take a warm bath too, and eat fresh bread and juicy apples at every meal.

She took Valdan out of her pocket, holding on to his feet, and dangled him upside-down at arm’s length. The slope of the hill was 200 feet below him, and he felt a sudden attack of dizziness. Above him Sylvie’s arm reached over to her distant shoulder, but she spun him around and showed him the view.

“See that?” she said irritably. “More nothingness! That’s all there ever is – more nothingness! This is it, Valdan – tomorrow, I’m turning around, and we’re going back. The two of us are going back home, and I won’t hear a single word of complaining from you!”

“No…” he began to argue, but at that moment she let go, and he was falling through the air. He was so scared he couldn’t even scream, but a split second later he fell into the soft hollow of her gloved hand. He lay gasping as she brought him higher, and watched as her face gradually filled his view.

“Oops,” she said, without a hint of apology. “I almost forgot how fragile you are, baby brother. Not that I would have missed you if you fell, of course. You’re so small and useless anyway. Well, I’d best start building the fire, and find some food, and do everything else you’re too small and weak to do.”

Back into her pocket she put him, and there he stayed, except when she took him out for supper and toilet duties. Valdan could sense that his sister’s tolerance for him had reached its end, and he could say the same about himself. While Sylvie slept that night, he stayed awake, debating in his mind what he should do, going over and over each possibility.

“If I stay with Sylvie, I’ll always be in her shadow. She’ll never let me be my own person, no matter what Mom and Dad say to her. But, if I leave her now, I’ll never see them again, or Belena…but at least I’ll be away from Sylvie. I can look after myself in the wild, I know I can. And as soon as I’m over those mountains, there’ll be more people to meet. I can make my own life there, and I won’t have to worry about Sylvie finding me ever again.”

By the time he’d reached this conclusion the night was almost over. The sky was beginning to brighten in the east, and he carefully crept out of her pocket, just like he’d done before. He fetched his sword, but decided to leave all his other effects, since they’d only slow him down. Taking one last look at his sleeping sister, he turned and headed down into the valley. As he did he wished Sylvie well: though they all but hated each other, he knew she was a good person in her own way, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

He was running down a steep snowy slope when all of a sudden he tripped, lost his balance, and stumbled. He began to roll down the slope, crying out in pain, until he reached the bottom and plunged into an ice-cold stream. The shock nearly caused him to faint; as it was, it was several minutes before his senses came back again, and by that time the stream had grown in size and speed.

Valdan futilely tried to reach the riverbank, but the current was too strong, and his muscles had been crippled by the intensely cold water. It took all his energy just to keep his head above water. He was about to make one final push for the shore when he saw the river coming to a sudden stop right ahead.

“A waterfall,” he thought, and his soul sank. “It can’t be…but it is. Maybe…maybe Sylvie will save me…no, how could she? I left her behind, and she’ll never know how her baby brother died…” The cold proved too much to handle, and he passed out, right before plunging over a hundred-foot cliff in a torrent of raging drops.

At the bottom of the waterfall was a large lake, and it was along its shores that two young boys were preparing to catch the day’s fish. They belonged to one of the many mountain tribes, about whom almost nothing was known to the more ‘civilized’ people of the western lands. Still, they shared common ancestry with the men of Elgon, and their languages were strikingly similar.

These two boys happened to be the sons of the chief of the nearby village. Rett, the eldest, was seventeen, and his younger brother Knut was twelve. They were both expert hunters and fishers, but something other than fish was attracting their attention that morning. They both stared at the object as it floated by, and wondered if it had come down the waterfall.

“It…it looks like a body,” Knut exclaimed. “Is…is it…dead?”

“I don’t know…no, wait! Look! It’s moving an arm! Quick, give me the net!”

Rett took the net by one end and tossed the other end as far into the water as he could. The floating body’s arm got entangled in the cords, and the two boys pulled with all their strength. They were surprised to see that it was another boy, about the same age as Rett. He was dressed in fur clothes like they were, though his were considerably finer-looking, and he had a sword attached to his belt. They dragged him onto the shore and tried to revive him, but got only a few faint signs of life.

“Almost dead,” Knut whispered. “What do we do?”

“I…I guess we take him back to the village. Maybe a warm fire will help him, or some food…”

“But where does he come from? There aren’t no villages upstream, and he doesn’t look like one of us anyhow.”

“Don’t know. Maybe if we can wake him up, he’ll tell us.”

They half-dragged, half-carried the unconscious Valdan back to their village, hoping it wasn’t too late to save him from death.

“Harder!” Belena called out, pressing her foot downwards a bit. “Rub harder, little man! I can barely even feel you!” It took a few more prods before her captive complied; she felt him rubbing his entire body against the sole of her bare foot. She lay back against her pillows, popped another strawberry into her mouth, and gave a weary sigh.

Disciplining Argo had been harder than she’d expected. At first she’d made him carry small articles of hers across the room (small on her scale, of course), but once these became too heavy for him to carry, the foreign prince had simply declined to carry on, and he began to speak rudely to her again. In desperation, Belena had taken off her shoes, lay down on her bed, and told him to start massaging her feet and toes. When he disobeyed, she’d pressed down on him with her sole, just enough to make him extremely uncomfortable, then repeated her instructions. This time he obeyed.

To add to the humiliation, she’d also told him to take off his expensive clothing, leaving on only his undergarments. This he flatly refused to do, so she had to do it for him, undressing him like a doll. The nasty curses he yelled at her were quite shocking for her too hear, but she remained convinced she could turn him into a well-behaved little gentleman by the end of the day.

“That feels wonderful! Keep on doing what you’re doing now, and I might just reward you, my little prince.”

With her gargantuan foot looming above him, ready to crush him if he misspoke again, Argo kept his thoughts to himself. The skin beneath her feet was actually quite smooth, and rubbing his bare body against it was almost pleasant – but that didn’t matter one bit too him. She was going to pay for this, he promised himself. He would see to that, and nothing and no-one would stop him from killing this insolent giant girl in the most brutal, terrible way he could think of.

Belena had had enough fun for the moment, and she lifted her foot up. Then she caught Argo between her two big toes, and, with a little jerk, flung him upwards towards her head. He landed on the soft contours of her bosom, bounced once, and rolled down her chest into the hollow of her neck. She laughed as she picked him up with ease. He might be a giant among men, but in the delicate grip of her fingers he was pitifully pathetic. She took another strawberry and held it next to him, just out of his reach. He looked at the juicy-looking four-foot-long fruit with longing.

“Oh, are you hungry?” she teased him. “You do look hungry…but I’m not sure you really deserve this. After all, you did say some rather nasty things to me not so long ago. So, let’s try again. Say you’re sorry, beg me to forgive you, and ask me nicely and politely, and I’ll let you have this strawberry. I might even consider letting you go.”

She winked and smiled at him so sweetly that it was too much for Argo to take. He was about to explode into a fit of rage, and tell her exactly what he thought of her, when the bedroom door opened. Belena sat upright with a shock and dropped the tiny prince into her lap. Into her chamber strode a very angry looking Valerie.

“Where is he?” the queen demanded, holding out her hand.

“He? Oh…I…I don’t know. He, uh, he fell…”

Belena fumbled around in the folds of her gown, eventually finding Prince Argo and handed him over to her mother. Valerie took one look at the half-naked, bewildered figure in her palm, and sighed deeply.

“Clothes?” she said, and Belena jumped up at once. She ran over to her dresser table, found Argo’s clothes and handed them over as well. After verifying that everything was there, Valerie cupped her hands to her breast and walked out without a word. Belena could hear her mother’s skirts swishing as she walked off down the hallway, and she knew that she was in big trouble.

“But he was so horrid to me – she has to understand!” she said to herself. “She can’t punish me, because…well, what else was I supposed to do? Just let him insult me like that?”

It was almost an hour before Valerie returned, looking even angrier than she did earlier. Belena couldn’t face her mother’s gaze, so she simply sat on the edge of her bed and hung her head, hoping she wouldn’t be chastised too harshly. The queen sat down next to her daughter and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Would you like to explain to me what just happened, dear?” she asked. “And please be honest – I’ve already heard one side of the story, and I can’t say I’m exactly pleased at your actions.”

Belena wanted to protest her innocence, but she knew it would do no good. Being the queen’s daughter didn’t make her exempt from punishment in her mother’s eyes, and lying to the queen was definitely not a wise choice. So she told Valerie everything.

“I know I behaved badly, Mother,” she admitted after telling her story. “And I know I should be punished. I promise you, I will never forget my place again.”

Valerie sat silent for a few moments, then said: “Actually, the way I see it, I don’t think any punishment would be necessary.”

“I…I’m sorry?”

“Belena, I won’t lie to you – what you did was wrong, and very much so. You forgot every rule of courtesy I taught you, only so you could have the satisfaction of teaching Prince Argo a few, admittedly well-deserved, lessons. But it was a…a natural thing to do, I think – I mean, if I had been in your place today, I probably would have done the same. That man needed to be brought down a peg or two – though I don’t think what you did to him really changed his attitude that much. If he doesn’t return with the full might of his nation’s armies, demanding payback for how he was treated, I’d be very, very surprised.”

“Mom, I’m really sorry…”

“It’s all right!” Valerie said reassuringly. “Don’t you worry about Prince Argo from now on. I’ll take care of whatever mischief he might throw at us – it’s my job, remember? I wouldn’t be much of a queen if I couldn’t handle a spoiled, arrogant prince every now and then. All I want you to do is to…to reflect on what happened today. The real world is seldom like the one in those stories you’re so fond of, and I think what happened today was a bit of an eye-opener for you in that respect. Still, there is one thing I would like to hear from you.”

“What?” Belena asked, as Valerie stood up and got ready to leave.

“Promise me, the next time a suitor treats you in such a despicable manner, that you’ll come straight to me and tell me about it, instead of turning him into your personal foot slave.”

Belena managed a smile and a nod and, satisfied, the queen turned and made for the door. But Belena interrupted her and said: “There won’t be a next time.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Valerie said, stopping and turning.

“I don’t want another suitor, Mother. I don’t want to go through all this again, because it’ll just end the same way, every time.”

“Belena! You can’t say that…”

“But it’s true! Face it, Mom, there isn’t another man anywhere who’d want to marry me!”

“Belena…”

“I’m not a fool, Mom! I know that no man would ever love me as his wife. Men don’t want to be small and weak compared to their wives; they want to be in charge, and make all the decisions, and…and they could never love me, because I’m just so much bigger…I’m sorry, Mom, but I don’t want to listen to another nobleman from far away tell me how he’d never marry an inhuman monster like me! I’d rather be alone!”

At this point she succumbed into tears, and Valerie rushed to comfort her and hold her. The queen felt very sad as well. This was supposed to have been Belena’s great day, but it has come to a miserable end. As she held her sobbing daughter, Valerie promised herself that she would spend as much time as possible with Belena from now on. The girl needed someone to support and guide her, now more than ever, and Valerie was realistically the only one who could do that. Nothing meant more to her than her daughter’s happiness, she knew that, and she would do whatever it was in her power to do, to ensure that Belena had the content and happy life she deserved.

Almost a week later, and in one of the castle’s endless hallways, little Merinette and her big sister Carina were walking by themselves. They were still Princess Belena’s handmaidens, but their work in this capacity had been little of late. They seldom ever saw the princess, for she kept to her room; and whenever she was out – in the gardens, for instance – she would remain quiet, and shun the company of her friends. The girls all knew the reason for this, and they did feel sorry for her, but they were all of the opinion that, sooner, or later, this melancholy behaviour had to end.

“She’s just being a baby,” Carina said as they walked. The two of them were heading back to the town, to spend time with their parents and friends for a few days. “She was only rejected once, for gods’ sake! That’s nothing to get all worked up about!”

“Oh, Carina! You know Belena’s different than you and me. The boys may be falling over one another to get your attention,” (Carina sniffed at that description) “but to her – it must be unimaginably hard…”

“Whatever. She’s just…ugh, you’re right! I don’t know what I was thinking. Still, she can’t stay like this! There has to be something we could do…hey, what if you and I work together, and try and get her a boyfriend! Maybe one of the boys at school…Merinette? Are you listening to me?”

“Shhh! Did you hear that?”

“No, what is it?”

“Over there, by the armour. I’m sure I saw something…”

To their right stood a gigantic suit of armour, one of many which lined the hallway. Each of its steel boots was thirty feet long and sixty feet high, and any human who looked at it could only imagine how terrifying an army of such armoured giant soldiers must have been. The two girls ran over to it and began looking around where Merinette said she’d seen something. Then they both heard a tiny clang, and rushed over to the right boot’s heel.

“I knew I saw something!” Merinette exclaimed in delight.

“You want to explain what you’re doing here?” Carina said in a harsh voice. “Or do you want us to call the guards?”

In front of them crouched a frightened figure. It was a teenaged boy, rather short and skinny, who looked as if he’d spent the day crawling about in the dust. He slowly got to his feet, but didn’t have the courage to look either of the girls in the eye.

“Well, go on!” Carina urged. “Out with it! Who are you, and what are you doing in the castle?”

“And how did you get in?” her sister added.

“My, uh, my name’s Lorek,” he began. “Please…please don’t tell the guards, or…or anyone! I’ll leave…and I’ll never come back!”

“How did you get in?” Carina asked, unmoved.

“I…there’s a passage…well, more of a crack, really. In the wall. I…I crawled through…” He began to brush the dirt off of him, and the girls looked on in distaste.

“Come to steal something, didn’t you?” Carina said.

“No! No, I would never! I would never steal anything, my lady! I just wanted to…” He faltered, and they could see his face turn red in the dim light of the hallway.

“Yes? You were saying…”

“I wanted to…to…to…”

“Merinette, call the guards. Tell them we’ve found a burglar.”

“…to see the Princess!” he blurted out. There was a dead silence, before the girls both broke out into laughter. The boy turned even redder and regarded his own feet with intensity.

“Why?” Carina asked, still laughing. “Why do you want to see Princess Belena?”

This time there was no answer, but it wasn’t too difficult for them to figure out why. Carina just began to laugh anew, but Merinette grabbed her by the arm and hastily pulled her aside.

“I think,” she whispered, “I think he’s got a crush on Belena.”

“Really? You don’t say, little sister!”

“He must have seen her when she visited the town sometime…”

“Yeah, I guess so. And?”

“But don’t you see? This is perfect!”

“It is?”

“Yes! You said we should find her a boyfriend, and look who came along!”

“What!? Him? Are you kidding me? Look at him, ‘Rinette. Does he look like the man of Belena’s dreams – of anyone’s dreams, for that matter? He’ll probably faint as soon as he sees her!”

“But what if he doesn’t? Maybe…maybe they’ll like each other. You know Belena said she didn’t care how rich or…or famous a guy is…”

“All right, fine! We’ll introduce them…but if the Princess never wants to talk to us again, I’m blaming you!”

They each took one of Lorek’s hands and began to tug at him insistently. He wanted to leave, but Carina frightened him into obedience by listing a few (completely made-up) methods they used to torture intruders here. They kept on walking, with Lorek remaining sullenly silent, through the vast and, thankfully empty, passages that led to the bedrooms.

“You’re the one who wanted to see the Princess, so why do you want to leave?” she said, as he resumed his protests once they’d reached the door of Belena’s chambers. “This is your chance! Are you going to be a man and talk to her, or would you like to see how the dungeons look like?”

“The last thief they caught was eaten by a giant rat in the dungeons,” Merinette said with a straight face. “The Queen caught one or two of them in traps, but there might be more…”

“All right, I’ll go!” Lorek yelled. “But…but I don’t think she’ll…she’ll want to t-talk to m-me…”

“Too late!” Carina went to the foot of the massive door and tugged on a rope which hung in the air. They heard a bell ringing somewhere far above, and a moment later a voice came from the other side of the door.

“Who’s there?”

“Carina and Merinette, Your Highness!” the older girl called out loudly. “We, um, well, we’ve brought you a visitor! Someone who desperately desires to speak with you!”

Slowly, almost hesitantly, the door opened. Belena, barefoot and wearing a simple green dress, looked down at the tiny figures kneeling on the carpet. She got down on her hands and knees for a better look, and when she saw who the ‘visitor’ was, she let out a sudden gasp.

“Lorek!” she exclaimed, almost not believing what she saw. The boy looked up at her shyly, his long hair hanging over his eyes. He seemed even more frightened than when she’d met him in the forest, and he could only manage a feeble greeting of “P-Princess.”

Carina, just as bewildered as her giant friend, looked back and forth between the two of them.

“You’ve met?” was all she managed to say.

Valdan sat in front of the hearth’s blazing fire and counted himself lucky. If those two boys hadn’t been out so early, he would have carried on floating downstream, and eventually succumbed to the cold. But he was alive, thanks to them, and was eating a bowl of meat-and-vegetable soup, while warming himself by the fire in the chief’s hut. The chief’s wife, mother of the two who’d found him, had kindly taken him in, and they were all relieved when he’d recovered. They’d even lent him some clothes to wear, since his were soaked, and were busy drying outside in the sunlight.

And then, of course, came the questions. They wanted to know where he came from – he obviously wasn’t from around here, since no sane person would go swimming in the river like that, and his clothes and well-crafted sword gave him away as well. He knew that lying to the villagers now would only cause problems later on, when they inevitably discovered the truth. So the truth is what he told, and the expected laughing and scoffing followed.

“Oh, that’s a good one, that was!” the chief’s wife, Dara, said. “Prince of Vandan, indeed! And with a giant as a sister, too! Hah! I’ve heard finer nonsense from this little one here!” She clapped her youngest son, Knut, on the back.

“He must be rich, though, Mum,” Rett said, examining Valdan’s sword. “Look, his sword’s got jewels in it!”

“Must have stolen it,” Dara sneered. “Tell the truth now, boy! Who are you really?”

“I’ve told you who I am!” Valdan insisted. “You may not believe me, but what I’ve said IS the truth! Listen, if…if I could stay here with you…”

“That’s for my husband to the decide. He’s out hunting – there’s been told of a troll that’s been killing folks’ cattle, and him and our hunters are out tracking it. But he’ll be back before long, and when he does…”

“Oh, let him be, Mum!” Rett complained. ‘He’s harmless – I’ve took his sword, and he’s got nothing else. Knut and me will look after him for now, until Dad gets back.”

“All right, son, you do that. But I don’t want to see him causing no trouble, or I’m feeding him to the dogs!” She stood and went off to fetch some more wood for the fire. The other women and children in the hut gradually left as well, leaving Valdan alone with the two boys. Rett suggested they head back up to the lake and finish their fishing, which Valdan had unintentionally interrupted earlier.

“I believe you,” Knut said to Valdan as they walked through the village. It was just a collection of simple thatched wooden buildings, without even a wall surrounding it. Only the chief’s hut, which was the only stone building, was of any great size. Valdan wondered how the people even managed to survive in these inhospitable conditions, and if he would be able to fit in here eventually.

“Shut up, Knut!” his brother said, though not in an unfriendly way. “You don’t know nothing!”

“I know about the giant Queen of Vandan, though – we all do. Didn’t know she had kids, though.”

“If she had kids, they’d all be giants too! Does Valdan here look like a giant to you?”

“My father, the King, is a human,” Valdan explained. “I suppose I take after him, while my sisters got my mother’s giant size.”

“Well, that’s just not fair!” Knut said. “I wouldn’t want no giant sisters either. Girls shouldn’t be giants, anyhow. Only boys. We’re the ones who are good at fighting and hunting and stuff. Girls should just stay at home, and make dinner and wash clothes...”

“Now you know why I ran away,” Valdan said. He was beginning to like this boy. “Sylvie was a real pain in the neck, and if I never see her again, it’ll be too soon. Let’s…let’s just hope she doesn’t find your village…”

“If she does, we’ll deal with her – giant or not! Won’t we, Rett?” Knut exclaimed, swinging his fists comically. His brother gave a contemptuous laugh.

“Huh! I’ll be the one dealing with her – you’re just a kid, Knut! But she won’t find us. She’s probably running back home by now.”

“Sounds like you believe me then?” Valdan asked.

“I didn’t say that! Now, are we here to catch some fish, or are we just going to stand and talk?”

Meanwhile, further down the river, chief Grun and twenty of his finest hunters had managed to locate the snow-troll they’d been tracking. It was living in a small cave across the river, hewn into the foot of an enormous cliff. Outside the cave entrance were scattered piles of bones, and trails of fresh cattle blood could be seen on the snow. The troll itself was standing in plain sight outside the cave; it hadn’t seen the hunters, who were hidden among the trees on the other side of the river.

Grun was a big and powerful man (his sons liked to joke that he was half-troll himself), but he knew how vicious these creatures could be, so he decided to stay cautious. They would attack with bows first, hopefully driving the troll into the cave, where it could be cornered and killed. Before his bowmen could do this, however, a long, drawn-out, incredibly loud yell was heard from the top of the cliff.

“Vaaaaaldaaaaannn!!”

They all looked up in alarm, just as the most enormous beast they had ever seen leapt down from the top of the cliff, right unto the spot where the troll was standing. It appeared to be wearing a pair of massive leather boots on its feet, but none of them, not even the chief, dared hanging around any longer to look up at the rest of it. They turned around and fled back to the village, looking behind every now and then to see if that thing was following them.

“Urghh, what is that…thing? Gross!”

Sylvie was looking at the sole of her boot, which was covered in blood, fur, and unidentifiable parts of whatever it was she’d stepped on. She’d jumped off the little ridge without looking, not seeing the white, furry troll on the snowy ground below her, and now she felt as if her day had gotten even worse. She began to scrape her boot against a rock, while vowing to make Valdan suffer a similar fate if she ever found him. All day she’d been searching, calling his name as loudly as she could, but her little worm of a brother had somehow managed to give her the slip. Forgetting about breakfast, she’d set off at once to look for him, the minute she’d found out he was gone.

“I hate him so much!” she said aloud, frantically scraping her sole against a rock, as if it would make her feel better. “I’ll make him lick my boot clean – every last bit of it!”

“Vaaaaldaaaannn!” she yelled again. “Valdan, where are you?! Come back, or I swear I’ll…I’ll…” She coughed loudly, her voice sore from shouting all morning. Feeling utterly downhearted, she sat down by the river’s edge and wanted to cry. But that would just be letting him win, and she would never, ever, let him win. She was going to find him, she told herself over and over, and then she’ll make him wish he’d never been born.

As she sat and sulked, she noticed something in the distance across the treetops. It may have been faint, but there was no mistaking the tiny columns of smoke that were rising into the sky. Sylvie stood up to get a better look.

“It…it has to be a town…or a village,” she thought. “Maybe they’ve seen Valdan, and know where he is…or maybe not. But then I can still get them to help me find him.”

This sounded like a good plan to her, so she jumped carefully across the river and headed into the forest, trying not to push too many trees over. A short while later, and she was looking down on the oddest collection of small houses she’d ever seen. Not one of them was even as high as the tops of her boots.

“Huh! Well, this doesn’t like it’s going to help me much,” she thought. “There aren’t even any streets! I bet I could fit all of them into my bedroom – like little doll houses…”

While she was wondering whether or not she should stay a while, a band of armed men had formed in the village below, and were massing together to defend their homes and families. They were all roughly clad, and carried a variety of weapons. They halted about fifteen yards from where Sylvie was standing, and looked up at her.

Chief Grun looked around at the men who stood by his side, and didn’t think he’d ever seen them this afraid before. But then, he himself had never been this afraid. The monster which stood before them was one of the biggest he’d ever seen – only the dreadful wyvern of the high peaks was close to it in size – and he didn’t think they stood any great chance of defeating it The giant was clad in heavy fur garments and had a gigantic dagger strapped to its belt. And yet…

“It’s…it’s a little girl,” he stammered, looking far up at her grinning face. “A girl…the size of a small mountain…”

“What do we do, Chief?” asked his right-hand man. “We attack?” The cry of ‘attack!’ was taken up by several others, but the chief silenced them.

“Not yet,” he cautioned. “We should…we should try talking first. G-greetings!” he called up at the young giantess. “What…what is your business here, o giant?”

The sight of all those tiny, terrified men at her feet was too comical for Sylvie to bear, and she collapsed into a fit of giggling. She knew this wasn’t very polite, but, after Valdan had just ditched her like that, she was in no mood to be polite. She lifted one of her feet and held it about twenty feet above the warriors’ heads. Shrieks of fear and futile spear-throwing followed, and she kept on laughing.

“Oh my! I’m really sorry,” she said, when she had calmed down a bit, and put her foot back down on the ground. “You little fellows are so funny, with your teeny little swords and stuff! But seriously, you don’t want to attack me – I could squish you, all of you, just like that.”

With the men having given up trying to wound her, she decided she had to announce herself.

“I am Princess Isylvine of Vandan!” she called out, making sure everyone in the village could hear her. “That means you should bow to me!” The group of warriors instantly dropped their weapons and did so. Sylvie giggled again: she was so great and powerful compared to them, and no-one could stop her from making them do whatever she wanted.

She sat down, making sure there was no-one behind her who could get squashed under her bottom. Then, placing a stretched-out leg on either side of the group of men, she effectively trapped them. All she had to do was bring her legs together, and they’d all be obliterated. Not that she wanted to do that, of course, but the thought of how much power she had was exhilarating. She picked out the one she thought was the leader, and swiftly snatched him up in her fist.

“It’s all right, little guy!” she laughed, as Grun struggled to free his arms from the grip of her fist. “Don’t be scared! I won’t hurt you – unless you refuse to help me, of course!” She poked her fingertip against his head a few times, laughing as he tried in vain to escape.

“What do you want?” the chief cried, his fear already giving way to anger. “Please, name it, and leave us in peace!”

“Uh-oh! That sounded like a little ant giving an order to a princess! Did you really just order me, little ant? Then I guess I’ll have to let you go…from up here!”

She let him dangle in front of her face, upside down, holding on to one of his legs.

“No, please!” he cried, continuing to struggle. “I didn’t mean no offense! Please, I have a wife…and children!”

This last comment brought Sylvie back to her senses. By now the warriors were no longer the only people she could see: other men, women, and, yes, even children, had come out of their homes. They all looked frightened to death, but they were ready to defend themselves and their home against what they still believed to be a threat. And here she was, acting like a mean bully instead of a dignified princess. With a barely audible apology, she put the man down and drew her legs up to her chest, so that they were no longer trapped.

“Uh, listen, could any of you perhaps help me?” she asked. She tried to be friendly, but her anger at Valdan didn’t exactly make her want to be pleasant to these humans. “I’m looking for my brother, Valdan – or Prince Valdan, as I expect he’d like to be called. He’s about this big,” she held her finger and thumb about six feet apart, “and he’s got blond hair, and green eyes, and…and he’s a real little sissy, who’s always whining and complaining, and he doesn’t want to accept that I’m always right, so he ran off like a little baby!”

“That, uh, that’s all?” the chief asked hesitantly. He was still unaware of Valdan’s arrival earlier that morning. Sylvie wanted to add a few more things, but a large, stout woman pulled the chief aside and whispered in his ear. So she waited patiently, amusing herself by folding her arms around a nearby house, and picturing herself lifting it up and carrying it away easily.

“I’m so much stronger than these people – I could be their queen,” she thought to herself. “Maybe…maybe I could ask them? I could make them serve me, and look after them – but then I’d have to live here, in this wasteland. And I couldn’t do that. Oh, I wish I could go home right now…I’d give my right arm for a nice, slow, warm, relaxing bath!”

Grun listened to his wife’s story, and wondered what the right course of action would be. He wanted nothing more than to see this giant leave: his people seemed were looking up at her in fear, even though she might very well be just an inoffensive child. But he also couldn’t ‘make’ the boy Valdan go home with his sister. Whatever else they may be, his people didn’t turn their back on strangers in need.

“Uh, excuse me, uhm, Princess?” he called up to her. She was playing with a nearby tree, shaking the snow off its branches and catching it in her hands. “I…I have made my decision. Your brother…well, he is gone out with my sons, but they’ll be back soon. But…”

“Really?!” Sylvie squealed. She fell down on her knees (the villagers could feel the ground shake) and grabbed the startled man with both hands. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Thanks, little guy…uh, I mean, thank you, sir! Can I have him when he gets back?” She saw the chief struggling for air in her grasp, so she put him back down again.

“Let’s…umm…let’s wait till they return, alright?” Grun said weakly. “Maybe…maybe he’d rather stay with us, hm? He does seem to prefer living here, my wife tells me.” The giant girl’s smile turned into a glare, and he regretted his words at once.

“But I’m sure your brother would love to go home with you!” he quickly added. “In the meantime, is there…you know…anything, anything we can offer you?”

Peeking around the corner of one of the houses, Valdan watched, terrified, as the village folk offered up baskets of fruit and bread to Sylvie, who gobbled it up eagerly. He had no idea how she’d found him this quickly, and was at a complete loss as to what he should do. Running away again might work, but he was reluctant to do so after having found a place where he could stay without having to worry about surviving in the wild. And staying here would only result in Sylvie catching him and stuffing him in her pocket again. But could there be a third option, he wondered.

Rett and Knut were also staring at the princess from their hiding place. The looks on their faces were almost comical, Valdan thought; they were clearly utterly gobsmacked. He hastily pulled them back behind the house, and began to explain his plan.

“You two go out and talk to her,” he said, trying to get them to listen, when all they could think about was the fifty-yard tall girl they’d just seen playing with their dad like a toy. “Go and tell her that we were on the way back, when a bear came out of the trees and attacked us. We tried to run back to the village, but I tripped over a rock, and it got me…”

“That’s a lame story!” Knut interrupted. “I ain’t scared of a bear! Only a coward would leave his friend behind to get eaten!”

“Really? You’re not scared of bears? How about giants? Would you kindly go and attack Sylvie, then? You know, draw your sword and chase her away?”

“I would! And Rett would too!”

“No I won’t!” Rett retorted. “Don’t be an ass, Knut! I say we follow Valdan’s plan – I mean, it’s all we got, and we need to get rid of that girl giant quickly, before she eats all our supplies.”

As they went over the plan once more, a small child came out of a house a few yards away. She saw them, and recognized Valdan, since she’d seen him earlier that morning. Without thinking the twice, the little girl ran to raise the alarm. Valdan cursed and dashed out, trying to stop her, but it was too late. He was out in the open, in plain sight of the whole village and his sister. Feeling sick to his stomach, he lowered his gaze just as he saw Sylvie looking at him. It was over – his new life had vanished in an instant.

After Carina and Merinette had left, Belena found herself alone in her room, with Lorek still standing uncomfortably in the doorway. Neither of them seemed to know what to say, so Belena knelt down and offered her guest a hand to climb into. As he did so, she couldn’t help but notice his less-than-adequate dress and bearing; he was about as far removed from Prince Argo as you could possibly get. She set him carefully down on the book she was reading, which was lying on a little bedside table, and took a seat on the bed beside him.

“So, Lorek,” she inquired. “Why have you come to see me? Is it really true, what those two have told me?”

“My lady?”  he said nervously, his legs dangling off the edge of the book. “I-I don’t know what…what you mean…” Each word came out with more and more difficulty, and Belena couldn’t help but feel rather sorry for him. It must be unbelievably awkward for him, she thought, finding himself in this situation. At the same time, she wished he would just get over his fears and shyness, and relax. She was dying to know what he was doing here, but she probably wouldn’t find out, unless she could get him to talk, and to be at ease.

She lowered her hand and waited for him to hop on. In the palm of her hand he looked so small and puny, but Belena nevertheless found herself strangely attracted to him. A tall, strong, commanding man was always the type she’d wanted to meet and fall in love with, but, if what Carina had told her was true, this young lad was secretly in love with her, and for Belena, that was now the only thing that mattered. She held him right beneath her face, while he looked up at her fearfully.

“I can imagine how you must feel right now,” she said, smiling. “But, really, I’m nothing to be scared of. Forget about who and what I am, all right? Right now, I’m just a girl named Belena, who’s very curious about the sweet little guy she’s holding, and who wants to get to know him a bit better. So, how about it? Shall we each tell the other who we are? I’ll begin, just to show you how easy it is.”

She told him all she thought he needed to know, leaving out only a few awkward moments of her life, such as the whole business with Argo. She didn’t want to upset him, or make him think that she treated all her potential boyfriends that way. Afterwards it was his turn. Naturally he still spoke very awkwardly, and she suspected he felt rather ashamed to tell her who he was. Lorek’s mother had died when he was ten, and he’d been raised singlehandedly by his father since then. His father was a potter, and they lived, as Belena had guessed, in one of Rismark’s poorer neighbourhoods. Orlak was his father’s name, and according to Lorek, he was one of the most fearless men he knew.

“I’m…I wish I was more like him,” the boy admitted, blushing like a young girl. “And he wishes it too…but I’m not. I’m…well, you can see…not much, really…” He laid his hand upon hers, then quickly withdrew it, as if he felt he was unworthy to touch the hand of a princess.

As he kept telling his story, Belena couldn’t help but feel ashamed over her recent behaviour. Lorek had almost nothing, while she lived in luxury, and she’d been the one sulking and moping and complaining. She promised herself that, starting tomorrow, she would visit the poor folk as often as possible, and do everything she could to give them the possibility of a better life. And, as for Lorek, she just wanted to keep him with her, to take care of him and make him hers. She didn’t even realize that, while he was speaking, she was drawing him closer to her, to her mouth, until she felt his body being smooched by her lips, and she snapped back to reality. She quickly put him down on the table and stood up.

“I’m…feeling a bit warm,” she said, feeling as embarrassed as he must have been. “Shall I…shall I get us something to drink? Just wait right here, and I’ll be back.”

She rushed out, not even remembering to put on some shoes, and headed straight for the kitchen. There she found a pair of oranges, which she cut in two, and began squeezing the juice into a glass. All the while she was talking to herself, out loud, without really being aware of it.

“Oh dear, I…I can’t be falling for him? Am I? I mean, to fall in love with a boy I barely even know…I don’t even know if he loves me back…but, he’s just so lovely and adorable…and such a pretty face…but Daddy would never approve! Oh gods, what is wrong with me?”

“Everything all right, sweetie?” a voice behind her said. Belena shrieked and spun around, nearly dropping the glass.

“Mother!” she exclaimed. “What…what are you doing here?”

Valerie was standing by one of the tables, peeling vegetables for supper. She had entered while Belena was busy, and the girl had never noticed her.

“I happen to live here,” the queen said, amused. “Or don’t you remember?”

“I…I’m sorry…I just…I have to go…”

Belena made for the door, but Valerie blocked her path. Taking her daughter by the arm, she drew her aside, and made her sit next to her on a bench. Belena, surprisingly, didn’t protest or throw a fit; she just sat silently, her head lowered, and felt extremely self-conscious.

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t meant to hear that,” Valerie said. “And I don’t wish to meddle in your private life, Belena. But, if at any stage you want someone to talk to, or need someone to guide you…well, I guess you know  what I mean.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’d like to tell you, but…”

“But?”                                                                                          

“I…I’m afraid you’ll think badly of me.”

These words were spoken so softly that Valerie could barely hear them. She put her arm around Belena’s shoulders, while the latter considered whether or not she should tell her mother all that has happened today.

“I guess it makes no difference – she’d find out in the end, anyway,” Belena thought. If she told Valerie how she felt about Lorek, it might make her feel less insecure. Besides, she knew her mother very well and trusted her completely; she knew that whatever she told her mother would stay between them – not even her father would hear of it, unless Belena wanted him to.

“Mother,” she began, “I’ve met this boy, and…and I think…maybe…maybe I’m in love with him.” She began to tell her tale, about how she and Lorek first met in the forest, his reappearance today, and how she’d kissed him on both occasions. She told her Valerie who the boy was, and why she thought she and Alban wouldn’t approve of him, but that she couldn’t help feeling strongly about him.

“I know it’s all rather sudden,” she confessed. “But I really do care about him. He’s not rich or noble or powerful or strong, but he is kind and gentle, and he seems to like me too, even if he is too shy to say so.”

Valerie nodded, understanding perfectly. She was glad to see that her daughter realized what were the most important things needed for a happy relationship.

“Still,” Belena added, “I don’t want to rush things – I’d like to know him a bit better before we, you know, move on. And if…if it turns out that…that he doesn’t love me back…well, I’d still like to remain his friend, if that’s possible.”

“Of course,” the queen said. “Belena…I must say, I couldn’t be more happy for you. You may have your little issues now and then,” she smiled, reminiscing, “but you really are the kind of girl a mother can be proud of. Of course I won’t stop you from seeing Lorek, and neither will your father, no matter what his opinion of the boy may turn out to be. Now, hurry back! I’m sure your new friend is wondering what became of you.”

They both stood up, and Belena gave her mother a hug.

“You’re the greatest, Mom!” she said happily. “Thank you…for understanding.”

“Any time,” Valerie said. “Say, your little friend wouldn’t like to stay for dinner, would he? It’d be a wonderful chance for your dad and I to meet our future son-in-law…”

“Mom! He’s only fifteen – we’re not getting married right now!”

Valerie began to laugh, and Belena soon joined in. It was amazing, she thought: this morning she’d woken up as glum as usual, and now she felt as if she were filled with sunshine. She was still smiling when she got back to her room, and presented her little boyfriend with the drink she’d promised. Lorek had to climb up the ladder of her fingers to reach the lip of the glass, and she had to be careful not to tip it too much, or he might drown in orange juice.

“He’s so cute…” she thought, sighing, watching him trying to balance on top of her finger. “Why can’t I just tell him how I feel about him? But then he’d probably think I’m much too desperate, or that I’m mocking him, or that he’s not worthy enough for me to love him…oh, why does it all have to be so complicated? I love him, I know I do, and he deserves to know it, so here goes!”

“Tastes good, doesn’t it?” she asked, her own throat feeling very dry. She took a huge gulp of juice, then turned her attention back to him. “Let’s lie down a bit, shall we? You can sit on my chest, and we can talk.”

Sinking back into her pillows, she placed him gently on her right breast. He shuffled around a bit, but she told him to lie down as well, so he did, flat on his stomach, his eyes transfixed on her face. She laid her hand on top of him, being careful not to overburden him.

“You know, Lorek,” she said, delicately stroking his back. “It’s not every day that a young guy like you comes sneaking into the palace, wishing to see me. I know you won’t tell me why, but I still have to ask: do you…feel, you know…attracted to me?” She tried not to stammer or to blush, but it was impossible. Here she was, the future queen of a great nation, yet still as shy as a timid little girl. Her only comfort was that Lorek was undoubtedly a lot shyer and much more timid.

“I…” he began, but stopped. It was so hot here, under her hand, next to her breast, he thought. Her lovely, stunning face was so close, even though it was over fifteen feet away, and the look in her eyes suggested she was keenly interested in him…but he knew she was just toying with him. What could a girl…no, a goddess…like her find interesting about him?

“I’m so sorry!” he squeaked, as he could no longer keep his feelings from bursting out. “You’re so beautiful, my Princess, and…”

Belena held her breath. She never thought he’d open up first, and she waited desperately for him to continue.

“And I couldn’t stop thinking about you!” he said, after gathering his thoughts. “Please don’t be angry! I never meant to come near you again…and I’ll leave at once, I swear! I just wanted to…to…hey!”

She had picked him up and was dangling him right above her open mouth. Inside he could see her giant-sized tongue, with the dark cavern of her throat behind it. She began to lower him.

“Oh no!” he whimpered. “Oh, please don’t eat me, Your Highness! Please…”

“Eat you?” she exclaimed. “Eat you?! You stupid little fool! I am madly in love with you, and I wanted to kiss you – not eat you! That was the absolute last thing on my mind…how could you even think that?”

“I…you…what?”

“I love you, Lorek! I would never harm you in any way, ever! You’re the only guy I know who seems to like me even a little bit – but that still means a lot to me!”

He was staring at her as if she were one of the gods themselves.

“I know the two of us are so…so very different,” she continued, “and if you’d rather be with a human girl, I’d understand. But if you just give me a chance, I could show you how much I love you. I can’t promise that I’ll make you happy…I barely even know anything about you yet…but I will try my very hardest to make our relationship work, I promise. Would you…would you give me that one chance, Lorek?”

He hung between her fingertips, still too dazed to speak. In the end, all he could manage was a tiny nod, a weak laugh and a sigh, before fainting.

“Oops,” Belena said, feeling just a little badly. “Maybe I overdid it…but it was the truth, and I’m glad I could tell him. We can talk when he comes back round, but for now, I guess I’ll have to hold him close to me.”

She tucked him underneath the top of her dress, between her breasts, hoping he wouldn’t faint again when he woke up. Still, she could scarcely be more glad: she had finally found someone, a boy, who loved her. Their relationship would require a lot of work and effort, but she welcomed it. From now on, she knew, she and Lorek would be inseparable – and if, in the end , it doesn’t work, at last she’d have felt, however briefly, what true love felt like.

“Well, well, well, what have we got here?” Sylvie said, as Valdan walked through the crowd towards her. “Thought you’d seen the last of me, hmm? Well, I’m sorry, but it’s over for you, baby brother. I’m taking you straight home, and then I’ll think of something to make you pay for disobeying me!”

“I’m not your ‘baby brother!’” Valdan replied. He was standing just outside her grabbing distance, and he was seriously considering just making a run for it, and damn the consequences. “And I’m not going back – not unless I want to! You think that because you’re bigger than me you get to boss me around?”

“Duh! Of course I get to ‘boss you around’ – you’re nothing but a little bug compared to me, and it’s time you accepted that. You’ll always be my baby brother, and I’ll always get to do what I want to you. Now, unless you think your new friends here can help you, I suggest you give yourself up to me now.”

Valdan looked around him in despondency. The crowd of villagers had their eyes fixed on him. Many – most of them, in fact – had looks of sympathy for him, but he could tell that they were all scared of Sylvie, and therefore hesitant to step in and help him. His spirits sinking even further, he turned back and faced his sister, when, suddenly, he felt a small hand grab his own. He looked down and saw Knut tugging on his arm.

“Don’t go!” the boy said. “Don’t go with her, Valdan! She can’t make you go! Come with Rett and me, and we’ll protect you!” Then, turning to Sylvie, he yelled: “He’s not going with you, you big beast! You’re gonna have to deal with me first!”

Valdan looked up and saw Sylvie gazing at him in amusement. Knut kept yanking his arm, while his brother stood uneasily by his side.

“That’s very cute, baby brother, but it’s time to go now. Come on…” Sylvie reached down to grab him, but Valdan and Knut made a dash for it, and disappeared off into the crowd. At the same time Rett grabbed a spear from a nearby hunter and, with all his strength, threw it up at Sylvie’s face. It hit her in the face and actually stuck fast, and she yelped.

“Quickly! This way!” Knut yelled, with Valdan running right behind him. “In here! We can hide in the basement!” They went into a decent-sized nearby house, and Knut closed the door behind him. Then he made for a wooden trapdoor in the floor, Valdan following, and they both went to hide in a little underground room, hoping Sylvie’s giant hands wouldn’t fit in here.

Sylvie, meanwhile, pulled the spear out of her cheek and threw it away. She looked down, and was annoyed to see that several other villagers had also raised their spears, ready to throw them if she came closer. Others had drawn their bows, and a few were brandishing tiny swords and axes.

“Please! Do you really think you can hurt me, you tiny little ants? That was just a lucky hit, and it didn’t hurt one bit. Now stand aside, or I’ll crush you!”

“No!” Rett called out loudly, not budging an inch. Several of the older warriors, the chief included, were inspired by the boy’s courage, and they stood their ground as well. Even after Sylvie rose to her full height and held her foot above them, threatening to bring it down on them, they didn’t flee.

“Fine!” Sylvie shouted, thoroughly exasperated and also a bit humiliated. She felt almost tempted to carry out her threats, but she just couldn’t do it. Killing people was wrong, she knew that, and the thought of actually stepping on someone, even someone she didn’t like one bit, made her feel horrible inside.

“I’ll just have to step over them,” she thought, and, stretching her legs as far as they could go, she passed over the crowd with one giant pace. Heading straight for the house into which Valdan disappeared, she began calling for her brother, using the same threats she’d told the villagers earlier.

“This isn’t funny anymore, Valdan!” she pleaded. “Please come out now! You’re being an idiot!” She tried squeezing her hand into the doorway, and only succeeded in breaking the door off its hinges. Her wrist was too thick to fit properly and, when she tried to pull her hand back out, found that her arm was stuck. She yanked her hand back, and a large section of the wall disintegrated into rubble. Now angry beyond words, she stood up and placed her boot on top of the house’s roof.

“Valdan, if you don’t come out right now, I’ll kick the house down, and then you’ll be sorry!”

She lowered her foot and the roof began to creak and groan. But Valdan still stayed in hiding, and Sylvie, not knowing whether or not there were other people in the house, stopped trying to knock it down. Feeling quite miserable and even more humiliated than earlier, she tried one last time to coax Valdan out. She got down on her knees and put her hand into the hole she’d made, trying to find any opening in which he might be hiding.

“Please, Valdan!” she cried. “I’m really sorry, now please come! You know I can’t go back without you! Mum and Dad will be so angry! They’ll punish me, Valdan, if I don’t bring you back home safely – and they’ll punish you too. Mummy will come all the way her, and drag you out, and then she’ll make you pay for being such a baby!”

But there was still no response from her brother, and she felt small tears of despair forming in the corners of her eyes. How could he have outwitted her, she thought bitterly – how could he just go and do whatever he wanted to, without caring about how it would make her feel?

“He’s not coming out,” the chief said, bravely advancing towards her. “Go home, girl – we don’t want you here! You clearly don’t have the stomach for fighting, but we do, and we’ll fight you if we have to.”

“Yes, go!” another warrior said, and soon all the men were shouting it at her, waving their weapons in defiance. They’ve realized how completely empty her threats were, and that she didn’t have it in her to actually crush them or their houses. But the giantess, enraged as she was, was still a daunting, if not terrifying, adversary.

“Fine!” Sylvie screamed, her eyes pouring tears. “But I’ll come back! And then I’ll…I’ll…aargh!”

With a cry of rage she kicked her boot against the house Valdan was hiding in. It collapsed into a thousand pieces of debris, some of which flew off across the trees of the forest. Then, without another word, she ran off into the forest, and they could hear her crying even after she’d vanished from sight. Once it was clear she wasn’t coming back, the men began to search among the rubble of the house. Thankfully no-one had been inside when Sylvie smashed it, and they merely had to clear a few stone blocks away to open the trapdoor leading to the cellar. A very grateful Valdan emerged, and he immediately promised to help repair the house, and do everything else he could to repay Grun and his folk for their kindness, and for refusing to give in to his sister’s demands.

Meanwhile Sylvie was storming through the forest, knocking over trees indiscriminately, not even bothering to look at the ground to make sure she didn’t step on anyone. Over and over she kept telling herself how nasty and mean those people were, and how much she hated them, and especially how much of a selfish, snivelling little bastard her brother was. She reached the river she’d crossed earlier, and saw a row of fishing boats moored alongside its shore. With cries of anger, she smashed the lot of them under her boots, except for the biggest one. This boat she snatched and threw across the river. It hit the top of the cliff on the opposite side and broke apart.

“I hate you!” she screamed back in the direction of the village. “Do you hear me, Valdan? You and all the rest can just go and die!” Then she sat down in the snow and began to cry anew.

By the time she finally stopped crying, it was late afternoon, and she was starting to feel unbearably hungry. There was nothing to eat here, so she jumped across the river and began to look for her pack. It took her an hour to find, and she tucked into a loaf of bread voraciously. Afterwards she felt a bit better, but not much. She imagined Valdan eating a hearty dinner in some warm dining room, and the thought made her sick. It almost drove her to go back and apologize, and beg the villagers for some more food, and perhaps a warm place to sleep. But she felt much too ashamed to do that and, the more she thought about what happened today, the more she regretted her actions.

“I shouldn’t have been so rude,” she thought, getting a fire started from a few large logs. “Belena would never have done what I did – I guess that’s why Valdan likes her more than me. But it’s still his fault – and I’ll get him back, no matter how long it takes. If I just go back now, without him, Mummy really will kill me. Ohh, I’m so tired…and thirsty…”

She got up and filled her water flask at the river, then lay down and prepared for the long, cold night. She wondered where Valdan was sleeping tonight, then decided that she didn’t really care. If she had been just a bit stronger-willed, she would get up now and solve this mess she’d made. But she was just spoiled, obnoxious, fainthearted little girl, she thought ashamedly, and she didn’t have the first idea of what she should do. She even began to doubt if she and Valdan would ever speak to each other again.

“Maybe he’ll come to me,” she wondered, her eyes heavy from encroaching sleep. “Maybe, tomorrow morning, he’ll be right here, and we can talk, and work things out…and go home…”

Sylvie couldn’t believe her eyes when she realized what it was she had discovered. She’d been camping out in the forest for almost a week, and was on the verge of abandoning Valdan to his fate, and going back to her home. Every day seemed colder and more unpleasant than the one before, and the supplies she’d brought along were running very low. Also, she hadn’t had a bath in ages, which made her present discovery the most welcome sight she’d seen since leaving Vandan.

Tucked away between the high peaks of the mountains was a large pool, almost a lake, fed by a hot water spring. Clouds of steam were rising from its calm surface, and Sylvie could only imagine how nice it must feel to lie down in that water. Taking a quick glance around to make sure she was alone, she began to undress. Soon she was standing naked and shivering in the snow, but once she’d climbed over the rocks and into the pool she felt pure, unbridled bliss.

“It’s wonderful!” she said aloud. “I can warm up and get clean at the same time, and there’s no-one here to hurry me along…”

The pool was just deep enough to cover her body completely while lying down, and the water, while uncomfortably hot by human standards, was just right by hers. She rolled around, soaked her hair in the pure water, and generally just enjoyed herself for the first time in what seemed like forever. Eventually she decided to finish her bath, so she reluctantly climbed out. Not having brought any towel, she simply lay down on a large, warm, flat rock by the pool’s edge, and let the sun dry her.

“I’m getting thinner,” she thought, running her hands across her naked chest and waist. “No wonder – I haven’t had something decent to eat since leaving home. Oh well, at least I’ll be able to do that when I get back. Valdan can stay here and eat raw fish and tree bark, see if I care.”

She went and fetched her clothes, wincing as the cold air of the mountains hit her once again, and hurriedly got dressed. Once more in her by-now quite dirty garments, she went off to find some wild animal for dinner, having firmly decided that tonight’s camping site would be right next to the hot spring, and that tomorrow she would begin the journey back home.

All of a sudden she heard what sounded like a hoarse roar coming from somewhere above her. She looked up, but could see only the mountain’s steep, rocky cliffs, towering above her. Then she heard it again, and this time she did see something. What looked like a large, fast-flying bird was flying down the mountainside, almost touching the cliffs. But, as it flew closer and closer, and appeared larger and larger, Sylvie realized it was no bird. She watched the beast curiously, until she saw that it was heading straight towards her, and that it was almost as big as she was. She ducked down in fright, and the enormous winged reptile flew overhead, without pausing. Sylvie caught only a quick glimpse, but she knew what type of creature it was: a dragon, or something very like a dragon.

“Whoa, it’s big!” she thought, as the monster flew down into the valley. “Thank goodness it didn’t attack me. But I wonder where it’s going? There’s nothing down there, except…oh no! It must be going towards the village!”

She got up at once and began making her way down the mountainside, but then stopped and reconsidered.

“Why should I go and help them? They’ve been nothing but mean to me, and it’s their own fault if they decided to live near a dragon’s den. Besides, they were all boasting about what great warriors they were…and Valdan was always going on and on about how he wasn’t afraid of anything. They don’t deserve my help, and that’s that! That dragon…thing is too big for me to kill anyway.”

So she headed back, but once more her conscience was uneasy. She remembered when, many years ago, her mother, the queen, had risked her own life to fight off a giant-sized wolf that was attacking the villages of Vandan. Sure, Queen Valerie had been armed with a bow and arrows, and was wearing protective armour, but what she did was still very dangerous, and she hadn’t for a moment thought about leaving the little humans to their fate. And if Sylvie went home, and her mother found out that she’d left her brother and an entire village at the mercy of a ravenous dragon…

“Ugh, why does it have to be me?” she said to herself. “Of course I can’t leave them alone…they wouldn’t stand a chance. And there are children and…and little girls, and babies too. I can’t leave them to be eaten! But what can I do? I’m not a warrior, and I’ve only got this little dagger…”

She drew it from its sheath, and once more set off in pursuit of the winged beast. Every step she took made her more afraid, but she couldn’t turn back. She was going to prove to everyone, Valdan included, that she was a Princess of Vandan, in deed as well as in blood. If anyone could have a hope of slaying that monster, it was her – little Sylvie. But, if she could somehow succeed…

“Then Valdan will have to respect me – and he will come back with me. And no-one will ever treat me like a child again!”

Valdan was watching from the safety of the chief’s hut as the monster the villagers called a wyvern was wreaking destruction throughout the town. It had come out of nowhere, bearing down upon them with terrible ferocity, and not even the bravest among had dared to stand up to it. The flying serpent had gone straight for the easiest prey – the villagers’ cattle – and was gorging itself, while everyone tried to remain hidden in their homes.

Valdan had never seen anything quite like it. It looked a lot like the dragons in the storybooks his mother had read to him long ago, but it seemed much more terrifying than those in the pictures. It only had two legs, but they bore vicious-looking claws, and from its head sprouted a myriad of horns. That head alone was over fifteen feet long, held aloft by an endless serpentine neck, and its colossal wingspan must have been two hundred feet. It looked quite ungainly as it stalked about on land, and it didn’t breathe any fire like the storybook dragons, but it was horrifying to behold nonetheless.

“Can’t we do anything?” Valdan asked the chief, who was cowering in a far corner of the room. “I mean, what if it decides to break into one of the houses? Hasn’t anyone ever tried to, you know…kill it?”

“Of course!” Grun answered. “We are not cowards, Prince Valdan! I myself tried a few years ago, but, even though it was smaller then, I could not defeat it. I lost two of my best men, good friends, and the wyvern suffered nary a scratch. Its hide cannot be pierced by swords or spears, or anything at all!”

“But there must be a way…”

“Oh, shut up, you foolish boy!” Dara yelled, becoming exasperated with Valdan’s attempts to prove himself braver than them. “Come back here, away from the windows, or it’ll smell you. Do you want to end up like them unfortunates who thought they were heroes, and ended up in the beast’s belly?”

“Yes, Valdan, get back here!” Knut added. ‘There’s nothing you can do, really! Yes, it’ll probably…probably k-kill someone…but then it’ll leave!”

“But we have to do…something!” the prince exclaimed. “I mean, if it comes back every year like you said…then very soon there won’t be a village left!”

“I know, lad,” the chief said, his voice heavy with regret. “But what can we…hey! Hey, hold on now! Don’t go…”

But it was too late, and Valdan, in a fit of courage (or perhaps it was insanity), had climbed through the window, and he drew his sword as he stared up at the enormous wyvern. His heart nearly gave way in fear, but he couldn’t bear to think of that creature devouring a helpless person, while he remained safe and sound in the biggest, strongest hut in the village.

“It must have a weak spot!” he thought desperately. “All the dragons in Mother’s stories did – but then, those were only stories, and they always had happy endings.”

The wyvern was busy scratching itself with one leg, but as soon as it was done it turned its attention to a nearby thatched hut. With one snap of its jaws it bit a gaping hole in the roof, and a woman’s screams could be heard coming from inside. It was too much for Valdan to bear, and he screamed loudly as well, hoping the thing would notice him.

“Come and get me, you devil!” he shouted. “Come on! Let’s see if you can face me, you big stupid worm!”

With an ear-splitting snarl the monster whipped its head in the boy’s direction. Valdan tried to duck for cover, but he’d underestimated the wyvern’s speed, and he stopped in his tracks as its head lashed out at him, its jaws snapping shut mere feet from where he’d been standing. He swung his sword wildly against the creature’s snout, but its scales were immensely strong, and he only succeeded in blunting his blade. Then came another attack, and he dodged backwards. As he did so he stumbled over a stone and fell on his back. Lifting his sword, he waited for another lunge.

Suddenly, he heard someone cry his name, and looked back across his shoulder. There, standing with her hands pressed to her face, was his little sister. She was watching in horror, but he still felt relieved – now that Sylvie was here, they had a real chance of defeating the wyvern. But, in his relief, he’d lowered his guard, and, quick as a bolt of lightning, the giant wyvern’s jaws descended from above and engulfed him. When the beast lifted his head, only Valdan’s sword remained lying on the ground: he had vanished into its mouth.

Sylvie screamed, as the enormous serpent spread its wings and leapt in her direction.

It was on her in a second and, still screaming loudly, she fell to the ground. The wyvern sunk its claws into her back, and Sylvie scrambled this way and that, desperately trying to shake it off. Thankfully it had only gotten hold of her coat and she managed to break free, while the beast began tearing up what it thought was its prey. Getting back to her feet, she pointed her dagger at the wyvern and waited for it to attack again.

“You come  and get me!” she screamed, her voice barely distinguishable beneath her crying. “You may have killed my brother, but I’ll make you pay! I’ll kill you, you nasty piece of shit!”

To any of the villagers who were brave enough to sneak a glimpse outside their homes, the sight must have been an extraordinary one. A 160-foot girl, screaming with rage and despair, waving a dagger the size of a small tree, throwing herself at an equally large and equally enraged monster.

Sylvie swung out with all her strength, but her foe had managed to evade her, and it lashed back with its immense tail. This it wrapped around her neck, and she sank to her knees, choking and crying out in pain. The razor-sharp barbs which lined the tail tore into her skin, and she struggled to breathe. It might have ended then and there, but Sylvie thought again of how bravely Valdan had fought, and she found her strength return for a brief moment. She grabbed hold of the tail and pulled as hard as she could. The wyvern struggled, but it was not as strong as the young giantess, and she managed to grab it by its neck.

“For…Valdan…” she said, and thrust her dagger into its chest, completely piercing its scaly hide. It roared in agony, and its tail came loose from her neck. Sylvie collapsed and gasped for breath, but had scarcely recovered when the wyvern struck again. She ducked down as fast as possible and, instead of her throat, the monster’s jaws latched onto the top of her head. She cried out as its teeth bit into her scalp, and tried to shake it off. Eventually she managed it, but only because the wyvern itself had let go.

That attack had been the last, desperate strike of a dying beast. The dagger had reached its heart, and its black blood was flowing out of the hole in its chest. Sylvie watched in horror as it writhed around on the ground, its wings and tail and neck flailing around erratically and knocking over at least two houses. At last it gave its dying breath, and it lay down across the snow it had stained black with its blood.

Exhausted and worn-out, and shattered at the thought of Valdan’s death, Sylvie lay down on her back and struggled to stop her tears. She massaged her aching neck, and saw that her fingers were covered in blood. The pain was tremendous, but she didn’t care. There was only one thing she could think about, only one image which lingered in her mind – and, if it hadn’t been for her, if she hadn’t called out his name and distracted him, he might still be here. With her coat torn to shreds, the cold was beginning to affect her. She almost welcomed it. Maybe, she thought, it would make the pain and the sorrow go away. Maybe, as it got colder and colder, she would feel less and less, until it finally got so cold that she could feel nothing at all…

“That would be good…then I could see Valdan again…if he ever wants to see me again…oh gods, I’ve been so horrible to him…and now I’ll never get the chance to say I’m sorry…what kind of a monster am I…I’m no better than that thing over there…all I had to do was to be nice to him…now Mother will never want to speak to me again, or Father…or Belena…but…but maybe…maybe there is one last thing…one last thing I could do…yes…I won’t let Valdan rot in there…I’ll take him out, and bring him back…and then I’ll go away…forever…”

Slowly, agonizingly, she crawled over to the wyvern’s body and pulled the dagger out of its chest. There were voices coming from all around her, but they were small and faint, and she didn’t want to listen. Sniffing loudly, she stuck her blade into the thing’s stomach, but immediately regretted it, for the resultant smell was sickening. But she kept on carving the beast open, then rolled back her sleeves and, fighting the urge to be sick, she stuck her hand into its belly.

The contents of that awful place she didn’t dare imagine, but she knew how big Valdan’s body would be and, feeling around, she found him at last. By now the revulsion she felt was too great to resist, and she threw up, though only a little bit. Several of the men of the village had dared to approach, and they watched in dumbfounded silence: none of them could recall having ever seen anything like what had happened today. Once she felt a little bit less nauseous, Sylvie returned to the matter of her brother.

It was Valdan she was holding, there could be no doubt of that. His clothes had disintegrated into slimy rags, and the wyvern’s stomach juices had made his hair fall out, but the rest of him still looked…almost alive. For a moment Sylvie dared to hope that there was still some life left in him, but she couldn’t feel his heart beating. She began to sob loudly again and held him right beneath her eyes, as if she could wish him back to life. It was then that she saw the faint, almost imperceptible wisps of frosty breath emerging from his mouth.

“Oh, Valdan!” she cried out, praying that she really did see what she thought she saw. “Oh, Valdan, please don’t be dead! You can’t be dead, you can’t! I don’t want you to be dead, I don’t, please! Oh, Valdan, I’m so, so sorry! I’m so very sorry, Valdan…for everything!”

Without thinking twice, she got up and began to run, as fast as she could, back up into the mountains. Not long after she reached that marvellous pool she’d bathed in less than two hours ago, though it felt like a lifetime. She knelt down by the pool’s edge and ever so carefully lowered her hands into the heated water, until Valdan was completely immersed, except for his head. Then she began to wash all blood and slime and filth off of him, as tenderly as she could. No part of his clothes remained in good condition, so she tore off a part of her sleeve and wrapped his naked body in it.

By now the sun was setting, and Sylvie, in no mood to build a fire or prepare a supper, sat with her back to the cliffs surrounding the hot spring. She was holding Valdan gently against her breast – he was alive, she knew that, but he hadn’t moved or spoke since she’d pulled him out of the wyvern’s stomach. She knew she had to look after him, but she didn’t know how, and he could very well die of starvation or cold if she didn’t take care of him properly. She began to despair, but suddenly she remembered the village, and decided it might be best to let them look after her brother for now.

Though they were supposed to be helping with cleaning up the corpse of the wyvern, Rett and Knut couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Valdan during the battle. Of course they had been inside when Sylvie showed up, so they didn’t know what really took place, but they imagined that, after killing the monster, the giant princess had taken her brother to safety somehow. Some of the other men were claiming that they saw the prince being eaten by the beast, but surely that couldn’t be true? He must have managed to escape, and perhaps he’ll be back at any moment. And where was the giantess now?

“Look!” Knut called out suddenly, as they were searching by the edge of the surrounding forest. “There’s something coming!”

“It’s…it’s her!” Rett exclaimed. “Valdan’s sister! Quick, we gotta go back, before she sees us!”

But Sylvie had already heard them, and, emerging from the trees, she called down to them to wait. In the shadowy twilight her gigantic form seemed even bigger than usual, but the two boys stood their ground, and wondered what she wanted. She sat down, beckoned them closer, then lowered her hands and unfolded them, revealing a still unconscious Valdan.

“He’s still alive,” she said, before they could ask. “That dragon-thing swallowed him, but I managed to…to save him. But he won’t make it through the night, it’s too cold! Could you…could you please look after him for me? Please? I just want him to get better, but I can’t do it by myself…”

Her voice had carried over into the village itself, and more and more people were congregating below her. They carried burning torches and drawn swords, but, once they realized why she had come, made no move to attack her. Sylvie, feeling as if she was going to cry again any moment, managed to explain everything to the chief, and she repeated her wishes to him and his wife.

The men and women were all astonished by what the giantess was telling them. They couldn’t believe that the selfish child who had coerced them to feed her, and threatened to stomp on them if they didn’t obey, had actually risked her life to protect her brother, and them all, from the wyvern’s attack. It must have been the sight of her brother being taken by the monster’s jaws that had changed her, but what she had done was still remarkable. She had accomplished what countless warriors throughout the centuries had failed to accomplish. An now, now that all was over, she was once more a child in nature – only this time, it was she who was pleading to them to help her.

“I’m sorry for everything I did,” she was saying, as Valdan was carried off by some men back to the village. “I’ve been really rude and unpleasant to all of you, but I won’t ever be again. I’ll leave you alone, I promise, and I won’t come back until Valdan is ready to go home.”

“That…that could be a while!” the chief’s wife, Dara, said. “We don’t have any healers in our village, and we’ll only be able to feed him and keep him warm. It could be months ‘till he’s fit again – or it could never happen at all!”

“That’s true,” the chief added. “Are you sure you want to stay, Princess? We’ll give you what food we can, but, honestly, we don’t have much for a girl as big as you. Maybe it’s best that you return home…”

“I’m staying!” Sylvie insisted. “I can find my own food, and there’s a warm place up in the mountains where I can sleep, but I’m not leaving Valdan alone! I don’t…I don’t want him to keep on hating me! I just want things between us to be all right again!” Right then she did begin to cry, and Dara, her motherly instincts taking hold of her, took one of her enormous fingers and wrapped her arms around it.

“There, there, it’s all right,” she said. “Don’t cry, Princess Sylvie. We’ll look after your brother, and we’ll see what we can do for you as well. You’ve both been so brave, and I doubt any of us will ever forget what great things you’ve done for us today. Now come along, and we’ll see what we can get you to eat – unless you think you’ll be able to catch anything on a dark night like this.”

Sylvie didn’t think she would catch anything, so she carefully picked the woman up, and agreed to take her back to the village. Her husband and sons followed behind, and they all went off to find something for her to eat. In the end they found they could only spare a few of cattle, but Sylvie wasn’t that hungry anyway, and three roasted cows satisfied her appetite. By the time she’d finished eating it was very late indeed, and very cold as well, so she decided to head back to the pool. After being reassured that Valdan was well looked after, and promising to return tomorrow morning to help clean up and rebuild, she headed off into the night, hoping with every step she took that everything will turn out all right in the end.

Lorek climbed up to the roof of his house to get a better view. On an ordinary day he would see nothing but the rooftops of the houses around him, stretching all the way to the city wall. But today the view was different. Princess Belena, the girl whom he loved, was visiting Rismark’s poorer districts; she had done so for several days, talking with the inhabitants, asking them if they were in favour of the Queen’s strategy for helping them improve their lives. The entire slum section of the city would be demolished, and, while the people stayed temporarily in the castle, it would be rebuilt, larger than it was before, with spacious houses, well-paved streets, and better access to food and water for those who lived there. Lorek and his father, Orlak, were among those who would be getting a new place to live. He was excited, but his father was not – the man was still mistrustful of the giant he only reluctantly called his queen.

It was for this reason – that all-too-common loathing of giants, which so many men from the lands of Elgon still possessed – that Lorek hadn’t told his dad about his relationship with the princess. He and Belena had been seeing each other for several weeks now, and were gradually becoming more comfortable around each other. No-one knew about them, except for Belena’s parents and a few of her female friends. While Lorek constantly dreaded the day his dad found out about their relationship, he didn’t want to end it, not for anything. He still found it impossible to believe that the princess, who in his eyes was nothing less than a goddess who walked the Earth, saw in him the man (though he was still a boy) she wanted to love, marry, and live with. He always tried to act casual about it whenever they were together, but it was all just too overwhelming for him. If Belena hadn’t been such a loving and patient girlfriend, he was sure she would have rejected him by now.

But she was loving and patient, and whenever they spent time together she seemed to enjoy herself immensely. She would take him for walks in the forest (he loved to ride on her shoulder and admire her gorgeous face from up there), and she was also teaching him how to read, which he’d ashamedly admitted he couldn’t do. Of course, very few people in the poor districts, adults included, could read, and when Belena told her parents about this they’d both agreed that something must be done. Several new schools were to be built in reconstructed area, and Queen Valerie would recruit many of the richer, educated men and women of Rismark to act as teachers at these schools.

Lorek, meanwhile, was content to be in the embrace of his beautiful princess for now, and he was not looking forward to the day when their relationship would inevitably be made public. He didn’t know how all the people he knew – mostly friends of his dad and their families – would treat him if they knew. Would they still remain friends, or would they turn on him? He mentioned this to Belena once, and, as always, she understood and sympathized with him. She promised – only half-jokingly – that if he ever got into any sort of trouble or difficulties, he need only send word to her, and she’d come to his rescue at once. She was the stronger one in the relationship, and it was her duty to look after him and keep him safe. Lorek couldn’t argue with that, and he was incredibly grateful towards her.

All these thoughts were in his head as he sat on the tip of his roof and admired what he saw. The towering Princess Belena was walking down a street about two hundred yards from him, her elegant pink dress soaring high above the rooftops, and occasionally getting caught on a peaked gable. She would then stoop and carefully free herself, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Every now and then she leant forward, presumably to talk to people on the ground below, invisible from Lorek’s point of view. Sometimes she would even pick several of them up and hold them right beneath her face. He could just about hear her lovely voice, though he couldn’t make out the words she said. He also wondered if she’d be able to see him from such a distance. Maybe he should go to her – but could he risk anyone finding out about them?

“Lorek!” his father’s voice bellowed somewhere below him. “Have you fetched me that water yet? Where are you, you useless little piece of…”

He slid down the sloping roof and onto the muddy ground, not wanting to hear any more. Of course he’d forgotten to fetch the water from the aqueduct, and of course “I’m sorry, Dad, I just wanted to look at the Princess,” would never work as an excuse. Sure enough, he got a cuff on the ears, and was told that if he wasn’t back in five minutes, there would be no supper for him tonight. He grabbed the two large pails and ran off. As he ran, he would look up through gaps in the buildings around him, and would occasionally be rewarded by the beautiful vision of Belena’s distant face, seemingly floating in the sky above him. It had been some time since they’d last been with each other, due to the circumstances. Maybe he could see her again next week, he hoped.

Next week came, and, while Lorek went out to their designated meeting spot every day, Belena was never there to meet him. She’d also stopped visiting the town, and he was starting to feel anxious. Was she no longer interested in seeing him? He could never believe that – she had to be too busy in some way, but he wished she would just send someone with a message, or something. After a whole week of disappointment, he went home one afternoon feeling pretty miserable.

When he arrived at his house, he saw that there was someone at the door, talking to his dad. It was a young girl in expensive-looking clothes, and he recognized her as soon as he saw her. It was that friend of Belena’s, the one who had ‘persuaded’ him to actually go and talk to Belena on that day he’d crept into the castle. Carina, he remembered, was her name. But what was she doing here, visiting them? Was she telling Orlak about his relationship with the princess? He prayed that she wasn’t.

As he was deciding whether or not to step forward, she turned to leave. She looked straight at him, and he immediately looked away, hoping she wouldn’t call out to him. Thankfully she didn’t: she played dumb and just walked past him towards a waiting coach. Once she had gone he went on to his home. His father was busy looking at a scroll of paper – Orlak couldn’t read either, but Lorek had seen that girl Carina reading the letter, or whatever it was, to him.

“There you are,” Orlak said, not sounding pleased – which was normal for him. “Where the hell have you been, boy? And what do you know about this?”

He waved the piece of paper in Lorek’s face.

“What is it, Dad?” the boy asked cautiously.

“What is it? Are you blind? Can’t you see our King’s sigil there at the bottom? That’s his signature too, I’ve been told. We’ve been invited to the palace tomorrow night.”

“We? Invited? The both of us?”

“That’s what I said – can’t you listen properly? That lass in the fancy dress didn’t say why, but she insisted that we should both come. She dropped off some clothes for us to wear, too. I suppose we’d better go – who knows what that…that freak that calls herself ‘Queen’ will do if we don’t. Probably lock us up, I imagine. Can you believe what a man can get thrown in jail for these days…”

Lorek had stopped listening. He couldn’t believe what he’d just been told. But it was real, and he knew what that meant. Tomorrow night, his giant-hating father would find out that his only son, whom he already considered a great disappointment, was planning on becoming husband to one of those ‘oversized man-eating bitches’, as he called them. He imagined it was Belena’s idea, and he wished she hadn’t thought of it, not now.

“But if not now, then when?” he thought. “I can’t keep Dad from finding out forever. At least the King and Queen will be there too – I hope. I’m sure they’ll be able to explain the whole thing to Dad, without him getting angry, and…and killing me…oh, Belena, I hope you know what you’re doing! Gods, I hope I know what I’m doing! How on Earth will I survive tomorrow night…”

Tomorrow night, and poor Lorek’s fear and anxiety had grown tenfold since yesterday. He and Orlak were both dressed in the fine-looking tunics they’d been lent, and were waiting for the same coach to come and pick them up. It arrived about half an hour after sunset. Orlak began peppering the driver with questions, but the young man knew nothing, except where he should take them, and even that he wouldn’t reveal. So the father and son climbed in, Orlak continuing to voice his opinions about the giant women he was presumably about to meet, and Lorek trying to keep from sweating too much. The coach set off, passing through the city gate and off towards the castle’s entrance.

It continued on once inside the castle, and the two passengers peered out the windows, amazed at the immense size of the dimly-lit rooms and hallways they were passing through. After some time they finally entered a brightly-lit room, and, to their great surprise, ascended up a long ramp and onto what looked like the surface of a gigantic dinner table. The coach stopped, and the bewildered men climbed out to see an astonishing sight. They were actually walking on a vast red tablecloth. The table was colossal, stretching off into the distance, but only small part of it was set with plates, cutlery, glasses, and dishes of food, all mega-sized. Once the coach had driven off, only one other person was left on the table’s surface besides the two guests. The lone man walked closer, and Lorek and his dad both gasped when they saw who it was. It was King Alban, and they quickly went down on their knees and bowed their heads.

“You may rise,” the king said, not at all unfriendly. “I am pleased to see that you’ve accepted my invitation, and that both of you are here on this special night.”

“S-special night?” Orlak babbled, getting back on his feet. “I…uh…Your Majesty…I…I do not understand, for-forgive me…”

“That’s quite understandable, Orlak…it is Orlak, isn’t it? I imagine Lorek hasn’t told you much, knowing how apprehensive he is about the whole affair. Please, be seated. My wife and daughter should join us in a moment, and we can enjoy all enjoy the wonderful meal they’ve prepared for us. Don’t be upset, I shall explain the whole situation to you.”

“What the bloody hell is he talking about?” Orlak whispered angrily to his son, as they sat down on a regular-size table which had been placed on the giant one. “Do you know something that I don’t? If you’re in trouble here…if you’ve been hiding things from me…”

Lorek didn’t know what to say. He doubt his father would do something drastic with the King and his family present, but he had a feeling that things could get unpleasant nonetheless. At least Belena would soon be here, and she could protect him…but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. His dad did care about him, however brutal he could get sometimes, and he would understand in the end – he had to.

A moment later the royal giantesses entered the dining room, and the tiny men on the table craned their heads upward to gaze at them. The queen was wearing a white satin gown, and her face looked as lovely as it always did. But, to Lorek at least, she couldn’t compare to the sight of her daughter. Belena, who was clearly taller than her mother, loomed above them, all sixty yards of her. She was also wearing a satin gown, dark grey and with a golden leaf pattern on it. Her flowing red hair was tied back with white ribbons, and her features were as exquisite as those of any fairy-tale princess. She was almost too beautiful, Lorek thought, though perhaps she just appeared so to his eyes, since he knew she was just as beautiful a person on the inside. The giant ladies sat down, facing the three men and their ‘little’ table. Valerie smiled and welcomed her guests warmly, while Belena looked down at Lorek with obvious affection.

“Welcome, sir,” the queen said to the flabbergasted Orlak. “And to you too, Lorek, my dear. We’ve met only once or twice before, but I hope that this night will be first of many, and that you’ll both come to feel a part of our family in time. Please, help yourselves to any of the food before you. I think we’d best eat first, before getting on to the more important business later.”

Orlak began stacking his plate with food, but had only had a few mouthfuls before he could take it no longer. Ignoring the queen and her daughter, he turned to Alban, who was sitting beside him, and mustered up the nerve to ask his monarch just what the reason for all this was.

“I beg your pardon, my king,” he said, trying to sound polite and courteous, “but may I ask just why, exactly, my son and I are here? I’m just a potter, from the slums, and you treat me like I’m a part of your damned family – pardon the language. Have I done something to offend you?”

“Hmm? Oh no, not at all! Quite the contrary. This occasion is, I hope to all of us, a joyous one. I myself was disapproving of it at first, but Belena’s sincerity has convinced me of the justness of the situation.”

The words went right over Orlak’s head, but he didn’t like the sound of it all. Whatever was going on, it couldn’t be ‘just’, not if one of those female…abominations was involved.

“Very well, I suppose I can’t put it off any longer, so I’ll explain. My eldest daughter, Princess Belena,” Alban motioned up at the nervous and excited-looking girl, “and your son, Lorek, have been…seeing each other for over a month. To make a long story short, they’ve…fallen in love, and on this night, we, their parents, give our blessing to their future union. Lorek has told us that you have a…a low opinion of giants, but we are certain that you’ll change your mind by the end of the evening.”

Orlak choked violently on the piece of meat he’d just ingested. He spat it out, much to Alban’s surprise, and turned suddenly on Lorek. The boy nearly fainted when he saw the expression on his father’s face, and he knew at once that here would be no blessing from him. It was over for Belena and him, just like he’d known it would be.

“What?!” Orlak yelled, after he’d recovered from his choking episode. “Did…did I hear right? Lorek, if this is…if this…”

He couldn’t even complete that sentence, but pushed back his chair and advanced towards the frightened Lorek, who was too scared to give his dad an answer. Orlak ignored Alban’s commands to sit down, and when he felt a hand on his shoulder tugging him back he broke free violently. He grabbed Lorek by the hair before the boy had a chance to escape, and threw him down to the floor.

“That’s enough!” Alban ordered. “Sit down, Orlak, and let’s discuss this rationally. Your son is not to blame for anything here, only you are. Step back and sit down, now!”

Once again his words were ignored. Orlak had by now pinned Lorek down against the table top and began striking him on the face and in the stomach. Lorek tried to fight back, but he was no match for his father’s superior strength. When he heard the boy cry out in pain, Alban decided to intervene. He was unarmed, and Orlak was a strongly-built man, but he couldn’t allow this despicable behaviour to continue. He stepped forward, but before he could do anything the enraged Orlak suddenly flew upwards into the air, shouting in terror.

It was Belena; she had grabbed the man by the back of this tunic and was holding him fifty feet above them. With her other hand she formed a protective dome across her petrified boyfriend. Then she turned her attention back to his father. She tossed him up and caught him in her open palm, then clenched her fingers around his vulnerable body, leaving only his head and neck protruding from her fist. Her anger plainly visible on her gigantic face, she began to squeeze the screaming, cursing Orlak.

“You miserable little worm!” she yelled at him. “You horrible, horrible man! How could you treat your own child like that? Don’t you have any sort of…of humanity in you? I’ll make you regret what you just did!”

“No, you won’t!” Valerie said loudly. “Let him go, Belena, right now!”

“Why…”

“Right now! I am not going to ask again!”

Belena knew better than to disobey her mother, especially when she sounded so utterly furious as she did now. She put the traumatized Orlak back down on the table, right next to a completely stunned King Alban, who had clearly not seen his daughter act so viciously ever before. Valerie stood up and laid her hand on Belena’s shoulder.

“I’d like you to leave us for a bit, dear,” she said, calmly but firmly. “Go upstairs and take Lorek with you. Your father and I will try and sort things out, and then I’m going to have a long talk with you.”

“But…”

“No, don’t argue. Just take Lorek and go. We’ll do the apologizing.”

“Well, I’m not going to apologize…”

“Now, Belena!”

She didn’t need to be told again. Lifting her left hand, she found Lorek curled up beneath it, still completely terrified. She gently picked him up and dropped him into her cupped hands, holding him as if she was afraid she might break him. Then she got up and left silently, but once she was upstairs and had reached the passage which led to her room, her anger burst forth again.

“What an awful, dreadful, vile excuse for a man! How could you even stand to live with him, Lorek? I know he’s your dad, but he’s still a monster! If he ever hurts you like that again, I’ll…I’ll hurt him far worse!”

“No, Belena, don’t…”

“I mean, what gives him the right? So he doesn’t like us giants – does that mean he wants everyone else to hate us as well? It just makes me want to step on him and crush him slowly, or swallow him alive…maybe then he’ll leave us alone, the foul little cockroach!”

“Belena, stop it! You’re scaring me!”

“Oh, am I? Am I really scaring you, Lorek?! You’re scared of me now, is that it?”

“Yes!” he screamed. “I don’t like it when you’re like this! It sounds like you want to…to kill me or something! Just…please…stop!”

Belena was completely taken aback. She had no idea how things had fallen apart so quickly, but she forced herself to accept one thing – that a great deal of it was her fault. She had been too…in love to handle the situation with more tact, and now the damage was done. Once again her parents had had to come to the rescue, and she hoped that they would be able to restore the peace. But even if Orlak accepted their relationship eventually, she still doubted that he would ever see her as a person, and not as a subhuman freak. But, most of all, she was concerned for Lorek. This whole thing must be a nightmare for him, and she wondered if even her love and devotion would be enough to comfort him.

She walked on past her room, and headed instead to a small turret with a winding staircase. At the top was a little room with a balcony which looked out over the city, hundreds and hundreds of feet below. Belena pulled a small couch out onto that balcony, which was bathed in the light of a bright moon. She lay down on it and drew her legs up to her chest. Holding Lorek, who was still upset beyond words, in her folded hands, she gazed down upon the wide lands she would one day rule. Lorek wriggled out between a gap in her intertwined fingers and dropped down onto her dress. She thought he wanted to look as well, so she put him on her shoulder.

“It’s…beautiful,” he whispered, and she thought it sounded like he was struggling not to cry. “It must be amazing to live here…for you, that is.”

“Only if you’ll live here with me,” she replied. “I can’t imagine being Queen someday, and not have someone I can share my life with. All of the empires and riches in the world would mean nothing to me then.”

She wanted to continue telling him how much he meant to her, but didn’t want to sound like she was laying it on too thick. Once again, the great princess was humbled by how little she knew about life and love.

“What happens when you become Queen?” Lorek asked, lying down on the soft fabric of her gown. “I mean, what’ll happen to me? Will I become, you know, a king?”

“Well, yes, if you want. You’re not descended of royalty, so you won’t become a king just like that, but, as Queen, I will have the power to make you one. We can rule together, you and I, and you won’t ever have to address me as ‘Your Majesty’.”

She laughed softly, and Lorek couldn’t help but smile. His feelings for her, damaged by what had happened earlier, grew stronger again, and he remembered again why he had fallen for her in the first place.

“I don’t really want to be King,” he said. “I have no idea how to…to rule, or how to make people listen to me and obey me, and I’m not any good in a battle, or at making laws, or looking like royalty…”

“You couldn’t look more royal to me, my love. I’ve met other ‘royals’ before, and, believe me, you are much more a gentleman than they are. As for being a great warrior…well, that doesn’t matter to me either. I won’t have you – or any human soldiers under my command, for that matter – going off to fight a war which I can win more easily by myself. I am a giantess, after all, and it’s going to take quite a big army to defeat someone as powerful as I am…or will be. You know, once I’ve learned to be a bit more…tough and ruthless, I suppose.”

“But that’s not really fair, is it? You don’t have to do everything! Your mother…I mean, Queen Valerie…she doesn’t go off to fight whenever a city gets attacked. That’s not a lady’s task…”

She turned her head to look at him. Stretched out on top of her shoulder, he looked so sweet and adorable that she easily forgave him for that ‘sexist’ comment. In truth, Belena was not at all looking forward to taking part in any battles or fighting off hordes of enemy soldiers. She was just too kind a soul for that, and she didn’t care if anyone thought she was weak because of it. But she was, at least in her enemies’ eyes, monstrously large, and if she could face an enemy army and scare them into submission just by acting like a tough, merciless warrior-queen, she would have no hesitation to do so. She might even send in her own army if all else failed. But the one thing she would never do was send Lorek off into battle as well. He belonged here with her, safely in her possession, and if others had a problem with that, she’ll tell them where they can go.

She tilted her head downwards so that her mouth came to a rest on his body. Using her lips, she picked him up and straightened her head. His entire body could be held lengthwise between her two moist lips, and she loved the touch of his minute arms and legs as they reached down into her mouth and prodded the tip of her tongue. To them, this was what kissing would be like; Lorek might still have the option of kissing a human girl open to him, but Belena would never know anything other than pressing her lips against his tiny body and smooching on him as if he were a sweet. After kissing him for a long while, she dropped him into her hand. He was all damp and smeared with lipstick, but it was worth it to experience her kiss.

“Please forgive me, baby,” she implored him. “I should never have just forced all of this on you. You should have told your dad about us when you were ready, instead of having him find out like this.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he replied. “You shouldn’t have done what you did – you should have been more considerate.”

Belena grew tense. It was not like Lorek to stand up for his own opinion so strongly. Was he that mad at her?

“If…if he doesn’t want me to keep on seeing you…”

“Then I won’t listen to him. Belena, I forgive you, and I love you. I’ll always love you…always. My father can’t make me stop loving you, not now or ever. I’ll try and win him over to our side, and I’ll keep on trying, but if I have to choose…Belena, I’d choose to be with you.”

The young princess could feel all her doubts evaporating as she listened to his words. What a wonderful man she had found, who would give up everything he had for her sake! Her heart began to beat vigorously.

“Could you hold me…next to your heart?” he asked, amazed at how confident he suddenly felt. He was, as if by magic, no longer even a tiny bit afraid of her, nor shy or insecure or uncertain about her feelings for him. He knew now that she wanted him, more than anything else.

Belena didn’t wait to be asked twice. Closing her fingers around him, she drew her arm up inside her gown’s long sleeve. When her hand was drawn up against her body, she opened it and pressed her beloved against the soft skin of her bosom. Lorek found himself held securely above her left breast, his legs and torso resting on its upper slope. It was dark in here, but also warm and snug, and the feeling of being held near such a private area of her body was stimulating, to say the least. But the best thing of all was that he could actually feel her heart beating, its mighty rhythm making his comparatively little body tremble ever so gently. He wanted to stay right where he was, and he never wanted to leave. Where only hours ago he had feared they would never be together again, he now knew that they would never be apart.

With looks of delight and relief on their faces, the King and Queen of Vandan looked on at their eldest child from the shadowy turret room. Belena was completely enraptured by the miniscule boy she was cuddling, and she had neither seen them nor heard them coming. They had managed to appease Orlak for now, but he had still left without approving his son’s relationship with their daughter. In fact, he had vowed that he wanted nothing more to do with the boy, and that he was moving back to his old home in a small town near Elgon. If Lorek wanted to return to him, he had said bitterly, he would have to come to his senses and leave Belena forever. Queen Valerie was very upset as she watched him leave in the coach, and she and Alban had gone to find the young lovers and bring them the bad news.

Seeing them so happy and content, however, Valerie suddenly had no desire to ruin what could be a perfect evening for them. She looked at her down at her little husband in her hands, and simply shook her head. Alban understood. He took one last look at his daughter and saw that she was no longer a child anymore, before letting his giantess wife slip him into her cleavage and take him with her to bed.

Much later that night, Belena headed downstairs to the dining room. While she wished she could have held Lorek like that for an eternity, she hadn’t had anything to eat since the previous morning, and she felt very hungry. Lorek was hungry as well, so she took him to get a bite to eat, with him lying happily on top of her head, her luxurious hair making for a very comfortable ride. Only one pair of candles were still burning, and next to the untouched food Belena found a note. It was from Valerie: it didn’t mention anything about Orlak, but said that it was necessary for Lorek to stay in the palace tonight.

“My dad must have gone home by himself,” Lorek said, after Belena had read him the note. “Maybe…maybe he doesn’t feel like talking to me right now.”

“If you’d rather go home to him, I can take you.”

“I…I don’t really want to…but where am I supposed to sleep tonight?”

Belena sat down and began helping herself to the food. Though it was unfortunately cold by now, the supper she and her mother had prepared was still delicious, and she let Lorek have as much as he wanted. While they were eating in silence, she had an idea.

“I’ve got an old dollhouse in my room, which I don’t use for anything anymore,” she told him. “Arily used to live there, but she’s moved out, so…if you’d like to sleep there…”

“You…you wouldn’t mind? What about your parents?”

“Oh, they don’t have to know about it! Mom said you had to stay here in any case! Besides, it’s not like we’re sleeping together or anything like that…”

A silence fell, and once more they were both thinking their own thoughts. Sleeping together wasn’t something either of them had given much thought to before, but, now that she had brought it up, Belena couldn’t stop thinking about it. She was especially worried about how safe such an activity would be to her tiny husband-to-be. Of course she knew that her mother and father slept together (she wasn’t that naïve), but she had yet to gather up the determination to ask her mother how she, being a giantess, was supposed to make love to a man small enough to get lost inside her while doing so.

In the end Lorek agreed to her proposition. His only alternative was to sleep in Valdan’s room, but he said he’d feel safer knowing that she was nearby. The mention of Valdan made Belena suddenly miss her miniature brother…and her troublemaking sister Sylvie as well. It felt like a lifetime since the two of them had left on their journey, and, with all that’s been happening since then, she’d almost forgotten about them. But she thought about them now, and longed for them to return home safely. Being in love for the first time was terrific, but Belena loved her siblings as well, and she hoped they were doing fine, wherever they were.

The dollhouse – more of a doll-mansion, actually – stood in the corner of her room. She took a candle and went over to it to remove the roof. Kneeling down beside it she put Lorek down in the best bedroom on the upper floor, the one Arily had stayed in ‘till not so long ago. Unfortunately for him, it was quite clearly supposed to be a girl’s bedroom, all pink and flowers and fluffy pillows. Belena chuckled at how uncomfortable her little boyfriend looked, while he looked up at her as if to say: “Really?”. Not only was it a girl’s room, but the scale was too large as well. The bed was sixteen feet long, eight wide and five high, and Lorek looked positively ridiculous as he clambered on top of it and climbed under the heavy blankets.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, baby!” Belena said, laughing merrily. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise! You can sleep in one of the other bedrooms if it bothers you, really.”

“No, it’s fine,” he said. “I don’t mind. Sleeping in a dollhouse is embarrassing enough, so this isn’t going to make it worse.”

“Awww, you look so cute in there! The future King of Vandan…what will your subjects say, if they ever found out! Sweet dreams, my little Lorek!”

“You too…my princess.”

She blew him a kiss before replacing the roof, leaving him in the dark. Before she went to bed, she dragged the doll-sized mansion over to her bedside, so that her little love could be closer to her during the night. Then she closed all the room’s curtains, slipped off her elegant dress (secretly hoping Lorek was peeking through his room’s window), blew out the candles and went to bed.

His hair had begun to grow back, and all but the most serious of his wounds had healed, but Valdan still felt extremely weak. Even sitting upright in his bed took a lot of effort, though he could feel his strength returning, little by little, day by day. He didn’t know how long it’s been since he was nearly eaten alive by the wyvern. It must have been weeks, and he’d spent most of that time in a coma-like sleep. The chief’s wife, Dara, along with some of the other women of the village, had been looking after him, feeding him and tending to his wounds, and many of the villagers, including his friends Rett and Knut, had been along to visit him in his room in the chief’s house. He was seldom alone, though he did feel rather lonely from time to time, and he realized that it was his family whom he missed.

As for Sylvie, he hadn’t seen her once since his near-death experience. Before setting off on this journey, the thought of being rid of her unwanted attentions was all that he wanted, so not seeing her for several weeks should have made him feel great – but it didn’t. He’d been told how she had saved him by killing the wyvern, at great risk to her own life, and how she had tried desperately to revive him when she’d discovered he was still alive. She was still around, Rett had told him, helping to rebuild what the wyvern had destroyed, and protecting the village from the occasional snow-trolls and bears. She hadn’t left him to go back home, even though she couldn’t wait to get back the whole time the two of them were travelling together. It didn’t sound at all like the Sylvie he knew, and he wondered if seeing him nearly die had really changed her as a person.

One day, feeling stronger and more able than he had in a long time, he decided to find out. The chief and his family were all out somewhere, leaving him alone in the house. His clothes had all been destroyed in the wyvern’s stomach, and, so far, the only replacement he’d been given was a cloth to tie around his waist and hips, enough to cover his nudity, but not enough to provide much warmth. Still, the bed he lay in boasted several warm blankets, and he wrapped one of these around him before attempting to get out of bed and walk around. Finding his feet again wasn’t as hard as he’d thought, and he was soon walking around with relative ease. The room he was in only had a few small windows, but it did have a door which led to a small balcony. He opened this and went outside, wincing at the cold and drawing the blanket closer around him. He needed to talk to Dara about providing him with proper clothes, he thought.

Outside, the villagers were busy with their daily tasks, and not many paid attention to him. Those who did occasionally waved and greeted him, and he waved back. He still felt pretty feeble, and cold as well, and he soon decided to head back inside and maybe find something to eat. While he was still looking down at the peaceful scene before him, he heard a gigantic thud right behind him, and spun around to see what it was.

Sylvie had sat herself down next to the house, looking down at him, delighted to see him. Even while sitting she dwarfed the relatively large hut. She rested her arm on top of its roof, being careful not to press down too hard, or she might crush the house. Valdan looked up at her as if she were a stranger. Her hair had grown even longer and more tangled than it had always been, and she looked a bit thinner than he remembered. She had managed to work the shredded pieces of her fur coat back together, so that she had something warm to wear again, even if it did make her look rather wild. But apart from that she seemed fine, and he actually felt glad to see her again.

“Oh, uh, hello,” he blurted out. “I didn’t see you…I mean, you startled me…”

“Did I?” she said sweetly. “Ha, you always were frightened of me, little brother!”

“No, I wasn’t!” he yelled. His happiness quickly turned to annoyance after hearing her tease him, just like she always used to do. “I’m not scared of you, you hear me? I thought you’d changed – that’s what everyone told me – but no! You’re still the same immature…”

Sylvie sat there quietly, listening to his angry tirade and feeling awful. She didn’t think one little comment like that would get him all worked up – until she remembered the lifetime of grief she had caused him, and how she had never even once sincerely apologized to him before the whole incident with the wyvern. And now that he was up and awake again, she had gone and done it again. What should have been a happy reunion had turned into just another bickering session, and she didn’t want it to. Resisting the urge to simply grab him and stuff him in her pocket or her boot – the way she’d always ended arguments – she instead slammed her hand down on the roof, causing the house to shake, and told him to shut up. He did so instantly.

“Look,” she said, trying to remain calm, “I know you still hate me, Valdan, and I know why…but, please, let’s just stop all this fighting, all right? I’m sorry for everything I did to you! I was such a bully, and I never said sorry, but I’m saying sorry now! You don’t know how worried I was for you, Valdan! I didn’t dare go back home, because…because any day might have been your last…and if I wasn’t here…”

Valdan listened, and felt ashamed for lashing out at her just then.

“I don’t want you to be angry anymore!” she went on. “I know you’ll never forgive me, and you’ll never really like me, and that’s fine…but you’re my little brother, Valdan, and I really care about you! Yes, you are! You are my little brother, even though you’re older than me…because that’s what you’ve always been to me, and I can’t change how I feel about that. All the things I’ve done to you…that’s just the way I am…or was. It doesn’t mean I don’t respect you, or don’t love you…I do love you, Valdan, and I don’t ever want anything bad to happen to you! I’ll never hurt you again, or grab you and humiliate you, ever again! Just know that…that I’m so, so sorry, and…and…and I can’t think of anything else to say…”

“It’s all right, Sylvie!” he interrupted. “Take it easy! You don’t have to apologize anymore! I’m the one who should be sorry!”

He took a deep breath. She looked at him, clearly distressed.

“I’m sorry for being so nasty just now,” he said. “They’ve told me how you saved me, and…well, all I can say is I think you were amazing. Sure, you’ve been a pain in the butt sometimes – all the time, actually – but that doesn’t mean I can’t forgive you, Sylvie. Thank you, for saving my life, and for proving me wrong.”

“You…you mean it? You’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Well…yes, I am, a bit. You still haven’t…look, can we continue this somewhere a bit more private? I get the feeling everyone’s staring at us.”

Sylvie looked out across the village, and it was true. Everyone who had been busy with something before was now looking at them. They must all have heard her as well. Without asking his permission first, she picked her brother up and hurried away quickly. A little later she arrived at her camping spot, right beside the hot spring she had discovered all those weeks ago. Valdan had heard about this place as well, and he was amazed when he saw it for himself. Sylvie put him down on a convenient flat rock and took off her warm clothes, since it was much warmer in this area than outside in the cold.

“This is where I’ve been staying,” she explained. “I sleep over there, on that patch of ground, where I won’t freeze to death during the night. And I can take a nice hot bath whenever I want!”

“Sounds like you’re not doing too badly, then. What do you get for food?”

“Oh, whatever I can find, you know. There are lots of things living around here, believe it or not. Sometimes the people in the village bring me some of their food too, though I try not to eat too much. I would really, really love some fresh fruit right now, though, and bread, and cakes and sweets, and even that vegetable soup Mom always makes in wintertime.”

Valdan had been well fed during his recovery period, but he too missed the food he got back home. More than that, he missed the rest of his family, and the familiar environment of the castle and the town of Rismark. He still wanted to traverse the great mountains to the east – what he had set out to do in the first place – but he didn’t want to do it now. And he didn’t want to drag Sylvie along, she didn’t deserve that. He was now convinced that she had indeed had a change of heart, that she was no longer sticking around just to torment him, but because she actually cared about him. He was going to remind her of several of the more unpleasant things she had done to him – making him wear a doll’s dress, for instance, and trapping him in a jar for an entire day when he had dared to talk back to her – but doing that might just make them both dislike each other again.

“Then let’s go back,” he said, walking over to her hand and grabbing one of her fingers. “There’s no need for me to stay here any longer. I’ll say goodbye to everyone, and tell them that I’ll return soon, and then we can go.”

“But…aren’t you supposed to still be in bed? You can’t be completely healed yet. That’s what Dara had told me, just yesterday.”

“Yeah, I guess so…but I’m not going to be doing anything anyway. You’re going to do all the walking, and I’m sure you have what it takes to keep me safe until we get back…right, little sister?”

“That’s right…big brother.”

They both laughed. She picked him up again and embraced him with her arms…being careful not to injure him, of course. After weeks of constantly worrying about him, and fearing that he could die at any moment, Sylvie was overjoyed to have her brother back. She had been a horrible sister before, but now she only wanted to move forward, and prove to him that she did indeed regret everything she had done to him. Maybe they could even go on another adventure someday, together…those mountains still lay before them, unexplored. If they did, she swore to herself that she would take care of him, so that something like this didn’t happen to him again.

After the sun had set, Sylvie returned to her camp with their food for the night. She had been down to village and had told them that Valdan was fine, and that he would be staying with her tonight, since they had a lot to talk about. She also said that they might be leaving the next day, but only if Valdan was feeling strong enough. Grun and his wife accepted what they heard, but his two sons weren’t altogether happy to see their new friend leave just as he was feeling better again.

“You can come with us, if you want,” Sylvie suggested. “I’m sure we could find you a place to stay in the castle, and you will get to meet my parents.”

The boys did want to see the great land of Vandan, but they were a bit hesitant about actually meeting the king and queen. Also, they didn’t like the idea of Sylvie carrying them all the way there – they weren’t as used to it as Valdan was. In the end, they decided they’d rather stay behind, and maybe travel there with Valdan, should he ever return here first. Sylvie told them she was certain he would – he really did seem to like it here, in spite of the cold and the rather basic way of life.

By the time she’d returned to her camp, Valdan was nearly asleep. He was lying on top of her folded up blanket, but he got up and began eating the food she’d brought. Even more welcome than the food, she’d also brought him some proper clothes, having convinced the chief’s eldest son, Rett, to part with some of his spare clothes, just for the night.

“These fit great,” he said after he got dressed. “Thanks, Sylvie, that was really nice of you.”

“That’s what big sisters are for,” she said, smiling. “Hey, are you going to eat the rest of your food, or did I bring you too much?”

“Huh? Oh, no, thank you, I’ve had enough. Do you really need to eat my food? I can’t think it’ll help much – you know, to a big girl like you.”

“No, it doesn’t…but…I’m just really hungry! There is so little to eat here some days…most days, actually…I try not to let it bother me, and to pretend everything’s fine, but it’s getting too much for me, Valdan! And I’m not going to go begging the villagers for more food…I’ll probably eat all that they have in a day or two!”

“Oh no…is it really that bad?”

“Is it…Valdan, I could almost eat you right now, and I mean it!”

She lifted him carefully off her blanket and wrapped herself up in it. Even in this relatively warm spot the nights could still get very cold.

“Will you…will you be able to make it back?” Valdan asked, suddenly concerned for her wellbeing after what she had told him. “It’s a long way for you to walk…”

“Well, if I don’t try and make it back home, I can stay here, and starve to death…”

“Yeah, I see your point…Don’t worry, Sylvie – I’m not going to let you die of hunger. You saved my life, and I’ll do everything I can…”

“Oh, just go to sleep!”

“But…”

“Valdan!”

There was no point in arguing. He went off to look for a comfortable sleeping spot, not too close to her. She didn’t usually roll around in her sleep, but he wasn’t taking any chances, considering with the irritable state she was in. In any case, neither of them got much of any sleep that night. They were both aching to return home, and the first light of day couldn’t come soon enough.

Sylvie fell down on her hands and knees and dunked her head into the cool waters of the little stream. Her own supply of water had run out two nights ago, and her thirst was almost unbearable. There was still a little water left over, enough for Valdan’s needs, but he felt unable to drink it while his sister had to suffer. That ordeal had come to an end, thankfully, and the two of them could also wash themselves and rest for a while, before continuing the journey home.

Unfortunately, neither of them remembered the route they had taken up into the mountains, and Sylvie had had to guess the way back. She figured that, as long as she kept descending in a general westward direction, she should eventually reach the old Giant Lands. She has been walking for over a week, though, and her food supply, like her water, was used up already. Her legs ached continuously and her feet were covered in blisters, but she couldn’t give up. She reminded herself constantly that the alternative to pushing on was death in the wilderness, for both herself and her tiny brother. Valdan had more or less healed by now, and was actually in better health than she was, but the distance was far too great for him to walk, and she wouldn’t last the time it would take him to go and fetch help.

“That…was the best feeling…I can ever remember!” Sylvie sighed, after she had gulped down several thousand gallons of clean, sparkling water. She lay down on the grass, soaking up the warm sunlight – another pleasant feeling she had almost forgotten about. Her warm clothes had been discarded several days ago. She now wore only a ragged tunic and trousers, and looked the complete opposite of the royal princess she actually was. Valdan came and sat down next to her ear, in the shadow of her head.

“Don’t rest too long,” he reminded her. “We’re nearly home, and if you lie here much longer, you’ll never want to get up again.”

“Almost home?” she exclaimed. “Valdan, we have been walking – no, I have been walking down this awful valley for days, and we haven’t seen one other person, or any sign of the giant lands. How much longer do I have to go before you realize that it’s hopeless? We’re going the wrong way!”

She wanted to cry, but, if her time in the wild had taught her one thing, it was that she was a much tougher person than she had realized. Crying was not her thing anymore. Instead, she simply sighed again and closed her eyes. She knew he was right, but for once she just decided to ignore him, and to try and get some actual rest. Valdan looked up at the weary expression on her face, and decided not to push her any further. He would be of much more help if he could scout ahead, and see if he could find anything which would help them get back home.

“I’m going to climb that ridge over there,” he told her. “Maybe I’ll be able to see a familiar landmark or something. I’m almost certain we’re close to home. Also, is it just me, or does all this grass seem a bit…oversized?”

Sylvie barely heard him, having almost passed out due to fatigue. He let her be and headed off. After swimming across the great river, he began searching for a way to reach the top of the ridge. Viewed from up close, it looked more like a cliff than a ridge, being over a thousand feet high and incredibly steep in some places. They had to be in what used to be the realm of the giants by now: the scale of the surroundings pretty much confirmed that. He gathered his strength and began the daunting climb.

Many hours later, an exhausted Valdan crawled up the side of a large boulder and collapsed on the top. His arms were burning with pain, and he’d had more than a few close shaves on the way up, nearly falling to his death once or twice. But if Sylvie could find the strength to keep going day after day, so could he. After catching his breath, he struggled up the last few yards, and took a look at what lay beyond the ridge. When he saw what lay before him, he was so overjoyed that he nearly lost his footing and fell all the way down again.

The great forest which stretched down to the plains far below was definitely giant-sized: some of the trees were over 400 yards high. From his lofty vantage point, however, he could see straight across their tops. And there, in the far distance below, lay the unmistakeable sight of a ruined city, with only one building left intact – the castle that was his home. It had to be over a hundred miles away – he could barely see it even though the air was clear – but that was no more than a few hours’ walk for his little sister. He knew that she had pretty much reached the end of her strength, but maybe if he told her how close they were to home, she would feel motivated enough to get them both back safely. There wasn’t a moment to lose, though. He still had to climb all the way down again, and with his body already tired out from the climb up, taking a wrong step would be much more likely than it was before…

Her parents had gone to bed some time ago, but Belena still found it difficult to fall asleep each night. Constantly worrying about Lorek didn’t help matters much. She would much rather have him staying here with her, in her room, where she could keep him safe, but her parents were adamant that they would have to get married first. So she responded by moving their wedding date as far forward as she could: a week after Lorek’s sixteenth birthday, which was the minimum age at which boys and girls could get married in Vandan. That day was still many months away, though, and she knew she wouldn’t get a decent night’s sleep until it came. In the meanwhile, Lorek was staying at the home of the mayor of Rismark. His father, Orlak, was still unable to accept the choice his son had made, and had moved back to his old home in Elgon, leaving Lorek behind to look after himself.

As she thought about all these things, Belena made herself a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table. Just as she took her first sip, she heard a sudden knock on the door. She jumped in shock, nearly dropping the cup, and wondered who it could be. It was a giant-size door, of course, and, since her mother was fast asleep, that left only one person it could possibly be. She ran over and opened it, only to be knocked back, as her little sister Sylvie fell into her arms. Belena shrieked aloud.

“Sylvie!” she cried out. “Oh, Sylvie, you’re…you’re back! You’re home! Are…are you all right?”

Sylvie merely muttered something inaudible. Belena, seeing that her sister was in need of help, laid her down carefully on the kitchen floor, and rushed off to wake her mother. The two of them returned as quickly as possible, and found the tiny figure of Valdan sitting on Sylvie’s chest: she had been carrying him in her hands, but Belena hadn’t noticed him earlier. Valerie immediately knelt down and lifted him up to embrace him.

“Oh, my beautiful children!” she exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. “You’ve come home – you’ve both come home! And you’re safe! Oh, how glad I am to see you…”

“It’s great to see you too, Mom,” Valdan gasped, as his mother squeezed him against her bosom. “But you have to help Sylvie – I think she’s fainted…”

Sylvie had indeed passed out on the floor, and was lying there peacefully, as if she were sleeping. Belena ran and fetched a glass of water, and the cold liquid helped to revive the young princess, a little. She managed to greet her mother and sister, but she was still very weak, and on the edge of slipping off into unconsciousness again. Valerie put her son down on the floor, and took hold of Sylvie’s shoulders.

“Help me carry her upstairs, Belena,” she ordered. “She needs a bath and fresh clothes, and a meal. Would you mind preparing some food, while I help her clean up?”

Carrying the young girl between them, they headed upstairs, leaving Valdan alone. Not completely alone, though: a figure came walking out of the shadows, and, before anything could be said, Valdan had run up to his father and gave him a most uncharacteristic hug.

“I missed you, Dad,” he admitted.

“So have I, Valdan. I have missed you both, and I couldn’t be happier that you came home – and not a moment too soon, it appears.”

“Oh, yeah…Sylvie. She hadn’t eaten anything in days. We’ve got to go and help her, Dad! What if she doesn’t make it?”

“It’s all right, son! There’s no need to panic! Your mother and sister are taking care of Sylvie, and there’s not much we tiny men can do to help. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to get yourself looked after as well.”

“Dad, I’m fine…”

“Really? You’re covered in dust, you’ve got bandages all over your body…how did that happen, by the way?”

“It’s…a long story…and I’m really tired. Can it wait till tomorrow?”

Alban hugged his son again.

“Of course it can. I’m just overjoyed that you’re back. Come, let’s get you something to eat first, and then you can go and rest. But I’ll expect a full account of everything that happened to you as soon as you’re up tomorrow, understood?”

“Yes…Your Majesty.”

They both laughed. Valdan was indeed happy to be home, but the desire for adventure had by no means left him. He knew he’d want to go on another journey again soon – perhaps preparing for it a bit more thoroughly this time – and he still needed to talk to his parents about the villagers he’d met, and who wanted to become part of the Kingdom of Vandan. Just then Belena came down the stairs, and she greeted Valdan excitedly. She gave her father and brother a lift to the kitchen table and offered to make Valdan something to eat.

“She’ll be quite all right,” she said, after Valdan had asked about Sylvie. “She’s not in as bad a condition as she appeared to be. She managed to take a bath before Mom sent her to bed. I’ve got to make her some food now and take it up to her.”

“Ah,” said Alban. “So we do have time for the tale of your adventures, Valdan…”

“Tomorrow, Dad!”

While her concerned family sat around her (minus Valdan, he’d already gone to sleep), Sylvie ate what was probably the best-tasting meal she’d ever had. Six slices of bread with honey, two whole apples and a bowl of soup later, she felt like herself again. Still, she couldn’t help remembering the terrible hunger she’d had for the last few days, so she ate yet another slice.

“Oh, this tastes so good!” she said with a mouth full of food. “Thank you so much, Mom!”

“Thank Belena, she’s the one who made it for you.”

“Thanks, Belena.”

“You really should learn to take better care of yourself, baby,” Alban said. “If you don’t think you’ve got enough food for the journey, rather turn back. Not reaching your destination is a lot better than dying of hunger, believe me.”

“Oh, I’m not doing anything like this again, ever!” Sylvie exclaimed. “Valdan can go by himself the next time; once was enough for me. Although…there were a few parts that were kinda fun…”

“Another story for tomorrow?” Valerie asked.

Sylvie nodded, and her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek. The young girl, feeling like a princess again, could barely keep her eyes open. Alban said goodnight as well, as did Belena. They promised her that she could lie in bed as late as she wished tomorrow, and that there would be a huge breakfast waiting for her when she did get up.

“I guess I’m gonna have to go away more often, if this is the welcome I’ll get when I come back each time!” she laughed.

“Sweet dreams, my little princess.”

“Thanks, Mom…thanks for everything.”

“I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to,” Belena said, as they all got up to leave. “I’ll bring Lorek along, then I can introduce him to Valdan and you.”

“Who’s Lorek? Your boyfriend?”

“Actually…he’s my fiancé.”

“What?” Sylvie yelled, suddenly sounding a lot more awake. “You…you’re getting married? You?”

“Yes, I am…but that’s another long story. Just go to sleep, little sis. We’ll catch up on everything tomorrow.”

Sylvie was burning to hear about Belena’s upcoming marriage, but, despite that, she fell asleep almost as soon as her family had left the room. A pillow feels so much better beneath one’s head than a cold hard rock, she thought, and absolutely nothing could compare to a warm comfortable bed – so it was a great surprise to find that, deep down, she actually missed travelling with her tiny brother.

“Maybe my adventure’s not over yet,” she thought. “Maybe…”