Alyssa looked anxiously among the various wooden portable structures that line up beside her. The soldiers were pulling levers and moving parts as the Captain, as she came to find out, paced impatiently to begin. The Queen watched all this with a look of both determination and hesitancy. She trusted her royal guards when they claimed she was immobile, but a sliver of doubt grew in her when she saw her actual size firsthand. They also claimed she was a dangerous monster, but when she saw this 'monster' it didn't take her long to realize she was in fact a young girl. She was conflicted in her order to pursue stronger tactics in interrogations. She was an enormous, imposing creature… but she was, still, what appeared to be a scared little girl. Her motherly instincts were fighting to change her mind. But in the end her royal duties to protect her land won out.
"Please, mister…." Alyssa pleaded. "I promise not to hurt anyone. I'm not a bad person."
The tiny Captain was about to bark back when another guard came and whispered to him. He smiled and turned to face Alyssa. "Now, monster….. we find out what you know." He moved closer to her face, causing Amara to push further into Alyssa's hair in hiding. "Who sent you here?"
"I told you…." Alyssa wept. "I was on a boat and it sank…. Then I woke up here."
The Captain smiled as he raised his arm up. "Is this your final word?" Alyssa just looked around for anyone to help her, but all the tiny people looked intent on seeing her punished for something. The Captain quickly dropped his arm. The soldiers awaiting signal pulled their levers and the wooden structures sprung long spear projectiles. They struck Alyssa's arm and left side, causing her to yelp out. The Queen cringed when they impacted and turned away. Turning back slowly she saw that every spear was on the ground in splinters. Not a blemish was to be seen anywhere on the giantess' young skin. The entire crowd stood in silence with mouths agape at the monumental failure of the attack. Alyssa was wailing despite not being injured in the least. The very fact they were attacking her scared her to the point of sobbing. She fought against her bindings in an attempt to get away from her attackers. The Captain, completely flustered, ordered a reload.
"Please!" Alyssa pleaded. "Somebody, please!"
The ballista shot again and again they shattered and fell useless. The Captain gulped hard. He suddenly thanked the various gods that this monster was tied down. He raised his arm again and it was visibly shaking. He lowered it and again splintered spears.
"Please! Stop! I'm sorry I'm so big!" Alyssa screamed. Amara, huddled in her shoulder length locks, cupped her hands over her ears. Both to block out the deafening volume of Alyssa's cries, but also to close herself off from the atrocities against this helpless girl not much younger than herself. The Captain raised his hand again.
"Stop!" The cry this time came from the throne. The Queen had stood and was practically leaning over the edge of her platform. "That is enough!"
"B-but…. Your Highness, we…" the Captain stammered.
"I said enough." The Queen said behind clenched teeth. The soldier backed off and bowed. The Queen regained part of her composure and realized she should not appear sympathetic to a possible enemy. "We can ill afford any further waste of munitions, Captain." She sat back in her throne and straightened her robes nervously. "We will continue again tomorrow." She waved her hand and the men surrounding her platform rushed to grip their stations and lift it off the ground to return her to the castle. As the throne slowly turned the queen made eye contact with Alyssa who was slowly coming down from sobbing. For an instant, on the Queen's face, there was sympathy and regret that broke her royal demeanor. Alyssa never saw it being that she was so tiny and at a distance, though.
The soldiers gathered themselves, leaving the ballista and marching back led by the defeated Captain. A few were left to stand watch and were, for the moment, down by Alyssa's feet. Amara emerged from her hiding spot and refused to look Alyssa in the face from shame of what her people had done to her.
"Amara… are you ok?" Alyssa whispered as she dealt with the last of her tears. The words made Amara stop in her tracks. The words stung. She turned and faced the huge concerned eyes on her. Alyssa saw that she too had red eyes from crying.
"Giantess, I…." She searched for words as she rested a hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "I am… so sorry." Alyssa was almost brought to tears again from a combination of her new little friend distraught and remembering what had just happened.
"It's not your fault, Amara." Alyssa assured. "But…. please help me. Maybe you could untie a few strings for me."
Amara's hand drifted to one of the 'strings' that was in fact hardened hemp rope practically as thick as her wrist. She glanced down at where it was anchored and doubted she would be able to wrench it free. She knelt and tried, anyway. Alyssa's eyes widened seeing her attempting to free her. She craned her neck to see where the guards were and they were still by her left foot talking. She returned her attention to Amara who was pulling with all her might. The tiny girl was amazed that with her enormous size that Alyssa couldn't simply snap these like the strings she claimed them to be. Standing out of breath she kicked the anchor with her tiny sandal clad foot in frustration. Even if she had something to cut the ropes with, there were maybe a hundred criss-crossing the giantess' body. Alyssa looked back down her body and gasped.
"What is it?" Amara asked.
"The guards are walking back up here." Alyssa whispered.
Amara almost thought to dive back into the long locks of golden hair. "I can not let them find me!" She whispered back. "I am sorry, Giantess…. but I have to leave you."
"No, please! Stay with me!" Alyssa whispered trying not to raise her voice.
"They will find I am missing from the slave camp if I do not return." Amara walked to Alyssa's face and rested her hand on her giant chin. She wiped a large tear away that was now drifting down Alyssa's cheek. "I will be back, Giantess. I promise you." Alyssa's lip trembled but she nodded. As much as she didn't want to be left alone, she also didn't want her little friend to get into trouble. Amara hugged Alyssa's cheek and scurried off low to the ground until she reached the cover of the nearby brush.
Alyssa watched until she was out of sight and sniffed back tears. She saw the guards come into view beside her left hand. "H-hello…." Alyssa said trying to make new friends. But all her friendly greeting did was frighten them as they raised their spears and back away further from her huge hand. Ship wrecked in a strange land, her family possibly gone, tied down as a prisoner, but it wasn't until now with Amara gone that she truly felt alone.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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