Lorek woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes. He was usually the first to wake, but ever since she'd been tasked with being Vandan's temporary queen, Belena had made sure to always be up at first light. It had been two weeks since Valerie and Alban had left and there had still been no word of them. They must be outside the kingdom by now, somewhere in the great forests of Evear or Namaa, north of Vandan. Lorek hoped they were doing fine – he may have lost contact with his real father, but the king and queen had accepted him as part of their family and he viewed them as his 'parents' now.

He climbed out from underneath a hollow in the vast blankets which covered Belena's bed. The princess slept beneath two blankets for warmth, but even one was much too thick for Lorek to be comfortable under. He usually slept on top of the covers, with his own blanket and pillow, or between Belena's breasts – which he enjoyed a lot more. By now he was completely at ease in her bed and he no longer felt any fear of being intimate with a giantess. Climbing up the mountainous folds of the blankets around him, he reached a good vantage point and saw Belena getting dressed by the side of her bed. She was wearing a lovely red and yellow gown – very royal-looking – and was brushing the kinks out of her hair. The scent of her perfume entranced him, even from this distance. He wondered if there would ever come a time when he would no longer think himself unworthy of the love of this magnificent young lady.

"Good morning, my little sugar-sweet!" she said, noticing his tiny figure on her bed. "Another early day, huh? Gosh, being the queen is really tiring..." She sat down carefully next to him and lowered her hand, so that he could climb on.

"You mean...you don't enjoy it? Being a queen and all that? I thought that was what you wanted."

"I don't know...nah, I'm just being lazy. I'll need to grow used to it, that's all. It would be great if Sylvie helped me out a bit more, though. She's almost never in the throne room or with me when I'm visiting the town. I bet she's still sleeping quite comfortably."

"Well, she's only fifteen, so I guess she isn't ready...but in any case, you're the oldest, so it's really you alone who should be in charge. Isn't that how things should be?"

They argued a bit more about how a monarchy is supposed to work. Belena had never before realized how much weight and responsibility the role of a monarch carried. She was used to a life that was a lot more carefree. She had also wondered if it was really fair that she should become the next ruler of Vandan, simply because her parents were the current king and queen. What if there were people out there – ordinary people, not royals – who knew how to successfully govern a kingdom better than she did? She'd read countless stories about unworthy princes who succeeded their fathers to the throne, only to ruin the kingdom because of their greed, cruelty or incompetence. She definitely didn't fall into that category, but one day the eldest child of the monarch might. There had to be a better way of determining who the best person to rule the kingdom was.

But for now that job lay with her and her siblings – or one of them, at least. By the time Belena had finished her breakfast and took her seat on the great throne in the audience chamber, Valdan was already waiting for her. They usually set out together to visit Rismark and other nearby settlements, but on certain days they would receive people from more distant parts of Vandan in this room. Valdan had a chair located at Belena's feet and people usually approached him first instead of her. Belena, despite being well-known for her kindness and unassuming nature, was still an immense giantess, and people naturally felt a bit apprehensive around her. She didn't mind it too much: Valdan had better people-skills than she did in any case. If anyone did wish to approach her, they could climb up a long ramp which led to a small table that stood next to her throne, at a slightly higher level than her knees. Lorek didn't usually join her for these throne room sessions, but today he decided he would like to sit on her shoulder or in her lap and keep her company. He hadn't spent a lot of time among the common folk of Rismark since marrying her, except for when he was training with the soldiers.

The day turned out to be much like any other, with the exception being that Sylvie decided to join her siblings in the throne room. She'd put a second chair next to Belena's throne and sat down to listen to the citizens as they came and asked for help with their problems or wanted the royal family's opinion on some matter. It was an extremely boring task in Sylvie's opinion, and she had made up her mind long ago that being a queen was much less fun than being a princess. She also didn't feel that she wanted so much responsibility, making decisions that will affect the future of the kingdom. She'd rather be a carefree teenager for a few more years.

"Very well, I think that'll be enough for today," Belena said many hours later, as the day was drawing to a close. She had just promised to help one of the smaller villages in the kingdom's southern regions with a water shortage they were having, by altering the course of a nearby river. Sylvie had been made to promise her help as well, despite not looking forward to spending several days shovelling dirt. But it was for a good cause, so she couldn't simply say no.

"As you wish, Your Highness," replied Lord Henick, an old nobleman who essentially served as Alban and Valerie's chamberlain. He had held this position for over twenty years, since before Valerie became Queen, having served under Alban's father before that time.

Henick began to escort the remaining visitors out, asking them to return tomorrow if they still wished to see or speak to the royal family. As the last of the villagers were leaving the castle through its great front doors, a lone rider on horseback came charging in, dodging the guards who were busy escorting the people out. He made it all the way to the door of the throne room before being stopped, and when apprehended, he said that he had an urgent message for Princess Belena.

"Elgon is under attack!" he yelled out, hoping the princess would hear him. "An army is attacking the city...an army of men...and giant ogres! The people are being killed...please, let me go!...you must send help at once!"

"All right, all right, let the man go!" Lord Henick exclaimed, running as fast as he could towards the scene. "Come quickly, their Highnesses were just about to retire. Elgon is under attack, you say?"

"Yes, my lord! An army...at least twenty thousand men...carrying the banners of Solis, I believe. I couldn't get a good look at them, I only just escaped with my life to warn you. Our city's guards were no match, especially once the ogres began to climb over the walls. The size of those monsters...it was unbelievable...we stood no chance!"

The man, whose name was Sildar, was escorted to the throne, where Belena, Lorek, Valdan and Sylvie were still sitting and talking. Valdan met the messenger and led him up the ramp and onto the table at Belena's side, with Henick and several other advisors to the royal household following behind. Belena watched the group of tiny people with surprise. She could see that the messenger was still shaking from whatever events had befallen him.

"Princess Belena...your Highness...Elgon has been attacked!" he repeated, looking up at the seated giantess. "An army from Solis, under the command of their new emperor, Argo."

"Argo...really?" Belena gasped. She still remembered the young prince who had been her first suitor, how rude and unpleasant he had been to her, and how she had taken him to her room to teach him some much-needed good manners.

"Surely he...Argo, that is...can't be the emperor of Solis yet? Isn't his father still in good health?"

"I had assumed the same thing as well, my Princess," Lord Henick said. "But, as you know, we have not maintained relations with that empire for several years now, and news travels slowly from that region of the world."

"Nevertheless, it was definitely Argo who was leading the soldiers," Sildar said. He had more-or-less calmed down by now, and he explained what had happened at Elgon as best he could.

"It happened yesterday at noon. That was when we first saw them on the horizon...the ogres. They were not like the kind that used to live in these lands, but bigger...much bigger. Some of them must have been a hundred feet tall! The guards of the city were no match for them, and soon many were dead. Then the ogres went into Elgon itself, climbing over the walls, and capturing anyone they could find. Many people managed to escape from the city, but they were met by Argo and his army. I was on top of the south wall at the time and saw everything. I only escaped by jumping from the wall and landing in a cart filled with hay. In the confusion I managed to slip away – perhaps others did so as well, I don't know. In any case, I hurried here as quickly as I could."

Belena, Lorek and Valdan listened to his story, horrified. Sylvie, who had left the throne room as soon as the session was over, had come back to see what was happening. After Sildar had finished telling his tale, he was taken to the courtyard barracks for some food, since he hadn't eaten in his haste. Belena, meanwhile, was deliberating what to do next. She knew she had to do something, but what?

"We should go and help them," Valdan insisted. "There are still about a thousand soldiers in Rismark and its surroundings. If we catch them by surprise..."

"No!" Belena interrupted. "No, that won't be necessary. There wouldn't be anything you could do, anyway. One thousand soldiers against an army twenty times bigger? You would only get killed – not to mention the ogres. Who knows how many of them there could be? No, the only option is for me to go, alone. I'm the only one who could do anything to help."

"But what are you going to do?" Valdan asked. "You've never been in a battle, Belena."

"That's true...but what other choice do I have? Mom isn't here, and who knows when she'll be back? We can't wait for her, while Argo and his forces continue to attack other towns, perhaps even Rismark itself, killing who knows how many..."

"Um, excuse me!" Sylvie chimed in. "Are you forgetting there's two of us, sis? If you're going to fight some ogres, you'll need my help. I can fight just as well as you can, you know! Besides, I've already killed a wyvern once, so I have more experience than you too."

"I'm sorry, Sylvie, but you have to stay here. Someone has to protect Rismark and the castle while I'm away, in case they attack here by surprise."

"Oh, Valdan can do that! Can't you, little brother? You're always so eager to fight everything, aren't you?"

"That's not true! And I'm not staying here, either. We should all go, then we'll have the best chance of winning."

"Okay, enough!" Belena said. She wished her parents were here to take charge, to stop Valdan and Sylvie from arguing like they always do, and to take the all-important decision of who should go to Elgon's aid.

"Valdan, I know how eager you are to help, but I'm afraid you and the soldiers won't be much use against those monsters. It would be better to leave them to me and Sylvie. Yes, Sylvie, you can come with me...but you MUST promise to be careful and to not do anything foolish, all right?"

"I understand," Sylvie replied. She seemed to have realized how serious of a situation this was. "I'll make sure I'm up early tomorrow morning."

"I'm afraid we can't wait that long. We have to get going as soon as possible, otherwise more people may be killed before we get there. I'll go and make some supper, and get some food for the road as well. If we leave in an hour, we could reach Elgon sometime early tomorrow – if we walk quickly."

Sylvie looked shocked, but she didn't argue with her sister. If going without sleep for one night meant saving the lives of even one person, she wasn't going to complain. She might make a bit of a fuss after everything was over – but who even knew if they were going to make it out of this alive themselves?

As his giant sisters left the throne room to make prepare for their journey, Valdan couldn't help but feel underappreciated, as he often did in this household. He knew that there was little he or any other normal-sized humans could do against the ogre horde that had invaded their lands, but that didn't mean he was completely useless. He was left on the table, along with Lord Henick, several other attendants of the King and Queen, and Lorek, who was still trying to process what had just happened. Valdan turned towards the chamberlain.

"Lord Henick, could you please send a message to Commander Ansur? I'd like him to meet me in the courtyard in an hour, along with as many soldiers as he can muster."

"I will do so, my Prince...but didn't the Princess order you to remain behind and guard Rismark?"

"Yes, but she's not my queen, Henick. She's my sister, and I don't think she's thought her plan through that well. She and Sylvie might be able to defeat the ogres, as well as any enemy soldiers outside the city – but they won't be able to deal with any inside the walls of Elgon itself. Elgon wasn't built with giants in mind. It doesn't have wide streets like Rismark does. It'll be up to us – the little humans – to deal with that."

"Yes, what you say makes sense. Shall I also inform Princess Belena of your plan, then?"

"No, please don't!" Valdan insisted. "I know she'll just try and convince me to stay. And even if I can make her see my point-of-view, she'll just spend the whole time worrying about me. Belena has always put the needs of other people ahead of her own, but right now she has a job to do, and we shouldn't interfere. We'll leave just after she and Sylvie have left, and we'll take a different road to Elgon, so they won't know about us."

"Can I come too?" Lorek asked suddenly. "I know I don't have much skill in fighting, but I want to help. If Belena doesn't know you'll be there, she won't know I'm there either."

"I...I guess I can't stop you if you really want to come," Valdan said, after a moment's hesitation. "But, please, for Belena's sake...try not to get killed. If you don't make it, she'll never forgive me, and she'll never be the same."

"I know...she really loves me...and I love her as well. That's why I want to go...so that I don't have to sit here and worry if she's still all right, or if she's still alive at all. I promise I won't do anything reckless – I just want to be there for her, to see her."

Valdan couldn't argue with him, not while so much was at stake. He wondered if he would ever find someone with whom he fell in love, as deeply as Lorek had fallen in love with his sister. Perhaps it was time he began looking for someone...but not right now. Now it was time to go to war, and to do whatever was necessary to stop this evil invasion. If only his parents were here, they would know what to do. He hoped he made it through this to see them again.