Rachelle stood still, sighing, while Robin Hobb and his merry men surrounded her and began slashing the bottom of her long skirt, which was already cut into bannered strands on the end. They fought the dangling cloth like they were fighting a war, showing no mercy for its soft fabrics or gentle touch.
“We don’t have time for this,” Kendira said. “Sir Robin Hobb, I must ask you again. Would you kindly depart so that we may continue on our journey? We don’t want to hurt you.”
“Ah, alas, I cannot,” Robin said in the midst of a sword thrust. “For you see, beggars cannot be choosers. We, who must beg for money by force, cannot choose the path we take. We do what we must, one for all and all for one.”
“So be it… Rachelle.”
“With pleasure,” Rachelle said, pulling out her trusty mace and raising it to the sky. “Lights and Heavens of Dai Celesta, I call upon thee to smite these foes!”
Her mace, which was long and slender with a crystal embedded in the top structure, eclipsed the glaring sun for a moment. Then, as the rays of light caught the prism, that glare intensified. A blinding and laser-thin beam of light shot downwards from the crystal and struck one of the merry men. His clothes were instantly set aflame.
“Yoooowch!” he screamed, running in place. He fell to the ground, still kicking his legs and dragging his body around in a circle as the fire crawled up his neck and through his hair. He wasn’t so merry anymore.
Rachelle shifted the angle of the mace, causing the beam of light to burn slowly across the ground like a fuse towards another of the tiny thieves. He noticed it a little too late, as it scorched his arm from the elbow to the shoulder. His sword fell. He fell too. Screaming in agony, he landed next to his friend and they begin kicking up dirt as their bodies simmered in flames.
Again, Rachelle rotated the mace, bringing the magnified light towards another of the merry man. This one, though, saw what had happened to his friends and threw down his sword. “I’m out of here!”
He took off for the Enchanted Forest, but Kim quickly drew back her bow and sent an arrow whizzing at his little figure. It struck him directly in the spine, though his body wasn’t enough to stop or even slow down the projectile. With the arrowhead through his back, he rocketed through the air and finally slammed into the stump of a tree, breaking his nose on impact. Then the arrow, its force still built up, pierced straight through him and skewered him to the tree.
Only Robin and one of his merry men were left, but they had both dropped their weapons and raised their hands as Rachelle lowered her mace and Kim nocked another arrow.
“We admit defeat,” Robin said, still so proudly.
Kim closed one of her eyes, aiming to get the perfect crosshair on his heart with her next shot. “I’ll admit it for you.”
“No,” Kendira said. She put a gentle hand on Kim’s wrist. “We only kill what we need to. There is no reason to hurt these men further.”
Robin tightened his fists in the air, but held up one finger. “A wise woman, indeed. It is clear to see how you become the apprentice of Master Luna. You share in her geniality.”
“And it’s easy to see how you men became so low in the world,” she answered. “All you do is fight and measure each other by the lengths of your swords. Is it any wonder that women rule the world now? We know how to be civilized. Isn’t that right, Kim?”
Kim looked down at her arrow, again at the perfect sight she had on Robin, and lowered her bow with a sigh. “Yes, you are right.”
“Good,” Kendira said. She turned to Robin. “If you wanted some money, you just have to ask politely.”
“Can we make them beg instead?” Rachelle whined.
“Sister Rachelle, I am shocked to hear you, a devoted partisan of Dai Celesta, say such things! Did you forget that we’re on this journey to give equal rights to Men and Women? We mustn’t treat Men like they are that much lower than us or else nothing will change.”
“According to the teachings of Dai Celesta, Men were originally created to serve Women, but it was only by the actions of the Dark Lady Sorena that they fell so low in the world.”
“But your religion forsakes Sorena. She is the fallen angel.”
“Yes, and though we condemn her and what she did, Men will never be equal to Women. We’re just too different.”
“Master Luna doesn’t seem to think so…”
“No doubt Master Luna is a great Mage and by far the strongest human in the lands of Neverquest and you are so very lucky to be her chosen apprentice, but even you must realize that her views are old. She is old. We have to look ahead at our future…and that means Men will remain where they are. They’re only servants to us, Lady Kendira. No more.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t believe that. And you shouldn’t either! Sister Aisha believes in equality.”
“Sister Aisha is only a Cleric… She does not understand the teachings of Dai Celesta yet. …But please forgive me if I have upset you. I do not mean to say that I do not love all creatures. I do. I just will never see Men as equals to Women. They are most inferior in every way.”
“Yeah, we definitely should’ve stuck with the Cleric,” Mundo whispered from Kim’s quiver. Quentin and Isaac nodded.
Kendira also nodded, but she hadn’t heard the guys. “I understand, Sister Rachelle. There are times when it’s hard for me to see Men as equals as well, but I will stand beside Master Luna in her views. I believe we can bring uniformity to the two races.”
Robin and his last merry man were still on the ground, standing between all six of the girls’ legs with their hands in the air. The girls had seemed to forget about them, but rather than seize that opportunity and make a break for it, Robin decided to speak up.
“Ah, Lady Kendira,” he said, “I have misjudged you. You truly are a blessed person—even moreso than a Priest!” He shot a nasty glare at Rachelle. “I did think you were joking about defeating the Dark Lady Sorena, but I can see in your lovely blue eyes that you mean to do so.”
“I mean to try,” she answered.
“And I will try with you,” Rachelle said. “We may differ in our views of Men, but all our religions and beliefs and views see Sorena as the enemy. For that, I am yours, for as long as Sorena still breathes.”
“Then you must forgive me for my thievery ways,” Robin Hobb said, taking off his hat and doing something between a bow and a curtsy, much to the disturbance of them all. “We mustn’t cut the strings of the few ladies in this land who seek to help us.” Then he pushed his merry man forward. “Say something, Little John.”
Little John clapped his hands together and bowed to each of the girls.
“Next time, just ask if you want some money,” Kendira said, reaching into her robe pouch. “Now, here, have some…hey, where did all my gold go!?”
Mundo and Isaac snickered from inside Kim’s quiver as they counted their gold loot.
Giantess World
