Queen Isabella led Gena and Roxanne into her chamber room, stepping past the unmade bed, the man still trapped in the birdcage, and the great wardrobe that stood against the wall. With a brush of her hand, she pushed back a gentle waterfall of silky pink curtains and stepped out onto the castle balcony. Gena and Roxanne followed, with Narsis getting a mouthful of silk as the curtains fell over his face. But he was pulled through them by Roxanne. She still had a tight hold of his leash.
“I like to look out here sometimes,” Isabella said, putting her palms against the railing of the floating veranda. It was fairly high up, especially considering the castle stood atop a steep hill on this side and the balcony stretched over it like an overhang in a cliff. They could make out swarms of bodies below, like ants, crawling through the busy city streets.
“It is beautiful,” Gena said, resting her snakelike staff against the railing. But she didn’t dare move that close to the edge. “…Not like back home.”
Isabella feigned interest. “I don’t imagine the lands of the Forsaken are quite so breathtaking.”
“We aren’t from Forsaken land, Your Highness,” Roxanne answered quickly.
That was enough to catch the sparkle in Isabella’s eyes. “I didn’t think so. You said you were from a place far, far away, but you don’t look like Forsaken natives to me. And I know you’re not Amazons…”
“Where we come from isn’t important,” Gena said. “But it’s not a beautiful place. Not like this. Not in the least.”
“Mm…” Isabella turned around. “So be it. I am not one to pry and press.” She paused for a minute, taking in the view. “…Are there men in your kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“What are they like?”
“Very foolish. Very stupid. Very unworthy to share the same air and water and earth as us.”
“…Men are like weeds. They’re scattered all over the world and, wherever you find them, you can rest assured that they’re being pests. It’s up to us to mow, chop, or stomp their down to size.”
“Your mother doesn’t seem to think so.”
“My mother doesn’t know how to run a kingdom!” Isabella snapped. “…If I was the legit queen, men would be slaves and nothing more. It’s a disgrace that my mother thinks of them as people. Can you believe some of the nobles of this kingdom are actually men?”
“They are?”
“Well, courtroom jesters and such… But they get to eat at the same table as the royalty! It’s terrible.”
“That is pretty awful.”
“Where are the men anyway?” Roxanne asked. “We’ve only seen girls since we arrived.”
“Oh, they’re around,” Isabella waved her hand loosely. “You just have to know where to look. The ones that want to live usually stay in the shadows and live off crumbs. It’s a system that’s worked well since the days of my ancestors.”
“But—don’t mind me asking, Your Highness—but wouldn’t it be more fitting to force these men to work?”
“Oh, some of them do! Those are the ones my mother feels a need to treat like human beings. They usually work behind the scenes—you know, cleaning the stables and such. Jobs that a respectable peasant woman wouldn’t be caught doing.”
“Of course.”
“Still…” Isabella said through her teeth. “I can’t stand the whole lot of them.”
“I know what you mean,” Gena said. “Men from back home weren’t much better and they were given even more rights than your people here.”
“Oh, how dreadful! …I do hope you’ll tell me a lot about your homeland. I would love to hear your stories. You can’t imagine how terribly boring it is in the castle, being treated like a royal Princess by every person I come across.”
“Yes, uh…that does sound terrible.”
“Simply terrible!” She drummed her fingers on the railing. “But…you’re an adventurer, right? You must’ve had quite an experience traveling all the way to Ellewyn. You must tell me all about it!”
“…Honestly, Your Highness, I can’t remember much. It’s all a blur, like…like some faint dream, fading into the wake of the morning.”
“That is too bad…”
Gena looked at Roxanne. “Do you remember how we got here.”
“Not the faintest,” she answered. “I…think we walked.”
“Yeah, a lot of walking.”
“Something about a helmet too…”
“A helmet?” Isabella echoed. “But you seem to have lost your helmet, Black Knight.”
Roxanne touched her flowing black hair. “I guess you’re right… I could’ve sworn I had a helmet on.”
“Perhaps you bumped your head?”
“But both of us?” Gena asked. “I don’t think so.”
“Perhaps, then, you just don’t want to tell me…”
“No, Your Highness! We would tell you if we could. It’s just…so faint…”
Narsis looked up at the three girls, his head turning from one to the next as they spoke in turn. He jumped around, trying to get their attention. “You idiots! How can you forget how we got here!? I know how! I know, I know!” But with his muzzle still on, none of his words were comprehendible.
For the first time, Isabella looked down at the strange impish creature. “Does your pet have to use the bathroom?”
“He does look jittery,” Gena pointed out.
“Stupid girls!” Narsis hissed through his muzzle. “We come from the real word! It’s a virus! A virus, I tell you! Don’t be fools!”
“Ugh,” Isabella said. “He’s rather annoying. Why do you keep him?”
“…Another good question,” Roxanne said. “Why do we, Gena?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’d be happy to take him off your hands for you,” Isabella said. “I’m sure I can find him a nice home.”
“As long as it’s not too comfortable,” Roxanne laughed.
“Oh, of course not!” Isabella cooed, stooping down and rubbing her nose against Narsis’ muzzle. He tried to bite her face. “We wouldn’t want the wittle impy wimpy to live happily ever after, now would we?”
“He is pretty wimpy,” Gena said aloud.
“And wittle,” Roxanne nodded. “I mean, little.” She handed the leash over to Isabella. “He’s all yours.”
“Thank you,” Isabella said, rising back to her feet. Her puffy green dress again towered over Narsis. “Now, if you two will excuse me. I have a meeting to keep with my Lady Lucilla. The life of a Queen is dreadfully busy!”
“Of course,” Gena said. “We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting. She’d probably have a cow.”
“A cow? Why…would a Paladin desire a cow?”
“Forget I mentioned it, Your Highness.”
“Oh, okay then! I thank you again for this imp…thingy… I only hope you will come visit me again before the Tournament of Champions. I would love to hear some of your stories.”
“We will return,” Gena assured her. “Count on it.” With that, she spun around, her black cape flapping in the wind. She pushed back the curtains, followed by Roxanne, and Isabella and Narsis were left alone on the balcony, the one smiling down and the other growling up. Dark clouds blanketed the horizon.
Giantess World
