Nessa Of The Forest

  The barn was bright and quiet as Malken and Cayen approached. Both knights were clad only in light armor, mostly leather patchwork but they both had some chainmail woven in. Their garb was mostly green with a few splashes of midnight purple which seemed to cover up where battle had torn their outfits.

  Outside, the forest rustled in the soft breeze and the bright summer sun illuminated everything in dazzling clarity. The deep blue sky above showed no sign of clouds, yet the task at hand for both knight was grim.

  Malken was the older of the two. Slightly taller and with long black hair. His face was well battle scarred as he had seen much in their strange and wonderful land. Cayen on the other hand was only his apprentice. Just a knight in training with a short crop of blonde hair in a bowl cut. Both had their swords at the ready as they pressed on into the barn.

  Beams of sunlight gave sight to the almost invisible dust and pollen in the air, coming through small cracks in the roof high above. The maze of rafters high overhead held no onlookers, Malken noted. They were here looking for just one though, a mage.

  It was only into the first month, but the king had decreed that all magic users were to leave the kingdom. Some in the outlaying areas didn't take this order lightly and strongly voiced their opinion that they intended to stay. This was the home of one such mage.

  She lived on her own out in the woods and believed she was far enough from the castle and all other villages that she didn't need to go anywhere. However, it was still within the kingdoms boundaries and Malken was given orders to drive her away.

  As Cayen crept in behind Malken who was standing defiant and tall, the wooden barn doors slammed shut behind them. His eyes went wide and he swallowed hard. He'd never been in combat against a magic user before, and he wasn't looking forward to this encounter. Even though he knew the answer, he still ran to the doors and tugged at them. They were stuck.

  "Alright Nessa, come out and we will do this the easy way," Malken commanded. His voice was so confident that Cayen almost believed everything would be alright. Almost.

  Her voice seemed to come from everywhere and it was an echoing sound within the barn, "A knight and his whelp. Is this what the king thinks of me?" The voice gave a long bout of laughter, "You poor fools. I shall give you one chance. Lay down your swords and I shall open the doors for you. Tell the king I am gone and none of us shall speak of this day again."

  Cayen's sword shivered in his hands as he looked about to the rafters. He paced slowly to Malken's side and spoke, "Maybe we should listen. The two of us can't stand up against a mage in battle."

  "Nonsense! Nessa stop this! I do not wish to harm you, but if you want to make this into a combat situation I will put you in your place!" Malken demanded. Pointing his heavy sword upward and walking slowly towards the center of the barn.

  "Don't you think you should listen to your knight in training? He seems to know better than you to not underestimate an enemy," the voice laughed at them again.

  Malken lowered his blade, but did not drop it, "I do not wish to be your enemy. We are only here as messengers to come to a peaceful resolution of the king's request."

  "It's far too late for that," Nessa's voice was flat now, and right behind them. Both knights spun and raised their swords. There at the closed barn doors stood a girl wearing a knee length cloak, tied at the waist by a belt. The tan material had a few symbols woven into it's edges, just simple decorations but they added an air of mystery to her. She had the brightest blue eyes Cayen had seen, and long flowing white hair that puffed out in short bangs on her forhead.

  With his sword leveled at her Malken marched forward, "This is your final warning!"

  Laughter sounded from Nessa once more, shuffling her sandaled feet in the hay scattered upon the ground. "Do you really think so? Smallus inferious!" She cried out, hands pointed towards the unsuspecting knights.

  The light was blinding and Cayen dropped his sword in surprise. He couldn't see! His hands raced to his face and he began pawing at his eyes, hoping to rub whatever magic was on them away. Nothing. Now all he could see was darkness. Then the soft blur of the room coming back into focus.

  Giant wooden pillars reached up into the haze of sunlight high above. The room seemed blurry now, the ceiling a fuzzy distant appearace. That was when both knights realized they were only a foot tall and still dwindling down in size! They turned to their attacker and found a pair of long smooth legs stretching up into the skirt of Nessa's cloak.

  Her giant sandals crunched the once small hay that seemed now to be massive branches under each step as she made her way towards them. Cayen didn't dare to look up but Malken was pointing his blade towards the now huge Nessa and waving it at her scoldingly.

  "I asked you nicely," her voice once again seemed to echo, but this time it was just from her sheer size, "and you two wouldn't listen to me. Now you're just too tiny to get away. Too weak to stand up against me."

  Cayen stared forward and the icy blue painted toenails that rested on the soft sole of Nessa's fuzzy sandal material. The huge strap that held her sandal to her foot looked like a bridge now, arching from one side to the other. They had to only be about three inches tall now.

  The mage grinned down, "Do you like my toes, small knight?" She wiggled them to emphasize their enormous size. "Can you imagine that I could destroy you under just one of them? Knock you over with my big toe and squish you under it?"

  The apprentice knight quickly began scurrying backward and this only drew laughter from Nessa high above. Malken seemed too confident, but Cayen didn't share his feelings at all. Nessa was right, a meer toe could finish them at this size. Dragons weren't even this big! He'd heard of size changing magic before but never had he seen it used.

  "Well what do we do now mighty knights? Your swords can't cut me at that size. I guess this is just a simple game now. You play along and I'll go easy on YOU. If not, well, I wouldn't mind getting out my frustrations for the banishment of all magic users!" Nessa seemed very serious as Cayen finally ventured a glance and saw those stunning blue eyes staring down so very high in the air. He actually fell over onto his back the sight stunned him so much.

  Sitting up, Cayen noticed that Nessa was slipping her sandals off her feet and shuffling them off to the side with her toes. The soft crunch of hay being stepped on by the mage's massive bare soles gave Cayen's breath a shiver.

  Malken still stood ready and courageous.

  "Oh come on! You surely can't expect to do anything to me. Really, I don't want to do this. Put your swords down and I'll consider sending you back to the castle to tell the tale of how I went peacefully. Of course that will be a lie, but no one will need to know I stayed here." The offer from the giant sized girl sounded good to Cayen.

  Still Malken didn't budge. This drew some light laughter from Nessa but she actually felt kind of sorry for the apprentice. He was just following his teacher's orders and certainly didn't seem eager to be squashed under her bare feet.

  Her eyes were fixed on Cayen, "Stand back little one. I'll take care of our seasoned knight here and then we'll decide what to do with you."

  With his heart skipping a beat, Cayen was far too eager to run from Malken and let the two of them sort out the situation.

  This didn't please Malken at all. He thought he'd trained Cayen much better than that. For all he knew this was just an illusion. It would take a powerful mage to cast such a spell on two people at the same time as she had done. Still he steadied himself and continued to stare at Nessa's face overhead.

  "So that's it? Combat it is? You're going to attack my big mean toes and hope you can slay them?" Nessa laughed. She really had never seen this sort of reaction from a knight before. Usually when magic was involved, they knew when they'd met their match. This guy was really stubborn though.

  Spinning his blade once over, Malken began to pace forward in a sideways stance. His eyes fixated on Nessa's toes he approached her right foot and readied his blade. He raised it back and slammed the sword down in an overhead arch.

  The attack harmlessly bounced off, and Malken nearly lost his grip on the sword. This caused Nessa to roar with laughter and she placed her hands on her hips.

  "You actually tried? Congratulations to you little one, but you're not going to hurt me." She casually moved her foot forward, the massive ball visible under the arching toes, and grabbed his sword between her big and second toe.

  Nessa simply plucked the blade free, her clean bare sole exposed as she flicked the sword away, and went back to staring down at Malken.

  "There, that settles that. Now just back away and I'll take that as your sign of surrender," the giant sized mage offered.

  Still nothing. It was beginning to become obvious to Nessa that she may have to just step on her unwelcome guest. She didn't want to, but what else could be done if he wouldn't budge. Surely that would completely make the other knight in training surrender at least and he could be spared. This did seem to be what she would have to do.

  With her hands still on her hips, Nessa raised her enormous left foot high into the air. "Are you sure this is how you want your adventure to end? Squished under some poor farm girl's foot? All I ask is to be left alone and the only magic I will do is for my own sake and never against another."

  Eyes raised to the sky, Malken dropped his arms to his side and stood ready for Nessa's attack.

  Her huge toes wiggled, causing the massive smooth sole that hovered above Malken to wrinkle with gentle rolling folds. To Cayen it was an amazing sight. Something so beautiful was now being held over his teacher, ready to squish him if the whim overtook this mage. He found it difficult to turn away, enchanted by her smooth skin.

  "I've done this before you know," Nessa's voice startled Cayen, "It's actually quite fun. First I hold them under the ball of my foot. It usually moulds down over them slightly, after all it is pretty soft. They squirm around under there and fight to get free but I just add a bit more pressure and keep my foot over them if they do shift around at all. Then with my heel flat against the ground I just apply more and more pressure, bending my toes upward so they can look out from under them and see me leaning over as I smile down from above."

  Cayen's breath was pretty shallow by now, his heart racing. Was that truly what she was going to do to the knight he had lived with for months now. Everything he knew Malken had taught him and now this girl was going to stomp him carelessly underfoot.

  He couldn't allow this and ran to Malken's side. With his sword held high, pointed towards the bottom of Nessa's foot, Cayen awaited her advance.

  With a bit more light laughter the toes over them wiggled eagerly again, giving small glances to the perfectly painted toenails. Nessa scrunched her toes down and lowered her foot, now covered in a rolling sea of wrinkles.

  A surprised yelp escaped Cayen who was hoping his threat would be enough. He was pinned to his stomach on the hard packed dirt ground and Malken was forced down onto his back. The two could barely see each other under the shadows of Nessa's foot and neither could reach out to the other. They were held fast under the girl's sole.

  The soft wrinkles meerly held them down though and Cayen began to wonder if that's why she had bent her toes down. Just to softly hold them underfoot and show them what their fate would be like if they didn't listen to her. It was strange, almost like fighting off heavy sacks of flour that just wouldn't give. Yet the feeling was so plush and not a squeezing pressure. Her textured skin was slightly shiney with light sweat from the hot summers day. The heat from Nessa's foot just made them all the warmer.

  Cayen looked down the length of his body towards more rolling hills of the upside down flesh cave that held up flat to the ground. His sword was laying harmlessly upon the dirt and trapped underfoot just out of reach.

  Nessa's muffled voice seemed to be asking them how they liked their new home and if they'd reconsidered their options yet. She seemed to be enjoying this. Maybe these magic users were more violent than Cayen had imagined. This one certainly seemed to be aggresive, but then again they were asking her to leave her land. He didn't know what to make of the situation, all he knew was he wanted out from under this girl's foot.

  Malken finally spoke, quiet rasps to his apprentice, "Don't give up Cayen. That's just what she wants us to do. She's testing us."

  Being under a giantess sized foot and considering that this could be how his adventures would end, Cayen didn't feel much like this was a test. The soft sole did feel like a gentle embrace rather than a threatening gesture, and he did feel some trust in Nessa, but he didn't know what she would do.

  "I think it's best if we just accept that this quest cannot be completed Malken. What good are we to the kingdom if we're just meer stains under this giant girl's tread?" Cayen finally surmised.

  The steely glare of Malken's eyes began to soften as he watched Cayen with his head sideways and held firmly under Nessa's wrinkled sole, "I suppose. But she won't let us free. None of them go peacefully. All these tales of easy exiles are just to keep newer knights like you from fearing our orders. All of the mages had to be dealt with and I expected nothing less here."

  Shifting slightly under the soft pressure, the wrinkles over Cayen twisted with his movements like they were some sort of slime monster. Bending with his bodies movements to make the wrinkles arch in his new direction.

  "So there is no way out of this? We just need to put on a good show and hope for the best?" Cayen said in dismay.

  Malken lowered his head a bit, "It's what you trained for."

  Cayen was pretty sure that enormous mage girls stepping on him barefoot wasn't in his lesson plans, but he understood his teacher's words. He didn't want to follow them though. Nessa had seemed to be willing to give him a chance and he'd instead decided to defend Malken.

  Finally the pressure lifted and the sole soared through the air and slammed down with a puff of dust in the distance next to Nessa's other imposing foot. To her it was a meer step, but it shook the ground to Cayen and Malken with a mighty thud.

  This was his chance. Cayen ran forward and forced his way between Nessa's big and second toe. His boots found a hold in the spongy flesh between her toes and he climbed up onto the top of her foot. Nessa's curious eyes watched his tiny movements as he fell down upon her foot and spread his arms, seeming to be trying to hug her.

  "Well, I guess one of you has learned from my example. Didn't enjoy your time under my foot little one? See it doesn't have to be this way. Now just stay there and I'll squish your friend so we can have some alone time," Nessa encouraged.

  Cayen felt horrible as his hands rested on the gentle skin he now lay upon. There he was, legs half hanging down between this giant girl's toes, and she was about to step on his teacher. He kept telling himself that it was either this or to join Malken in being squashed under this magic users sole. It just felt so bad. He'd turned his back on the one who had given him his knighthood. But could he really do much else if he wanted to live? Malken seemed far too eager to assume Nessa would give in. Cayen on the other hand felt much the opposite.

  "Still not going to budge little guy?" Nessa asked down to Malken who had risen to one knee and forced himself to stand. He felt exhausted but sure that if he remained true to his cause, this mage would have to listen to him.

  Glancing over to Cayen, whose eyes were now shut tight as he accepted his betrayal, Malken didn't blame him. He had only had light experience with mystical creatures and this seemed to be a simple quest. A girl living alone on a farm seemed innocent enough to be a peaceful encounter. Meanwhile they were now being played with by her bare feet as she just laughed at them from above. They were meerly a game to her now, and Malken was playing his part.

  Nessa sighed, "Well I guess I better get this over with. You're not making it easy so I don't think I will either. Unless you're sure you don't want to join your friend. It's no shame you know. He's just hugging my foot. It's not like he's denouncing your king or anything. He's just showing an innocent sign of respect."

  Malken didn't budge. Regardless of the implications of what Cayen was doing, it was still giving up. That was something he just couldn't do. Even if it meant he would be squished slowly.

  "You, dear lass, are the one who doesn't have to do this. More knights will come to avenge us and your magic can't save you against all of them. I think it's time you return us to our normal size and go on your way," Malken gave his final ultimatum.

  Nessa tilted her head to one side and softly replied, "Aww, I really thought I'd take my offer this time. I'm going to enjoy this you know. After all, you've driven so many of my people from our land. You're just going to be underfoot now, like dirt. Walked upon by a mage, so helplessly small that you squish under my sheer size. But I guess that's what you want."

  Malken waited for Nessa's attack. His gloved hands were at the ready to try to grab onto her toes. It would be absolutely hopeless, but he wasn't going to give up. "Well? Have at it then mage!"

  The giant mage girl couldn't help but laugh. She moved her massive toes of her right foot forward and pressed two of them to Malken's tiny hands. It was funny to feel him pushing back against her. The pressure was there but her toes didn't move in the least. It was like he was just touching her. Meanwhile far below, Malken was putting all his effort into shoving back the advancing foot. It did no good.

  "Come on. This is your last chance. Are you really going to die for some stupid rule your king came up with?" Nessa looked down with a sad expression on her face. She'd actually enjoyed playing with these two so much she didn't really want to squish Malken. However she didn't want a pet that would just be a pest either.

  Nessa's toes arched upward and paused. The foot hovered above Malken, a sole stretching far down to the heel in the distance that was slightly dug down into the sandy floor of the barn amidst loose strands of hay. He couldn't walk out from under it. This was for his king! Malken steeled himself and waited for the final blow.

  "Fine, have it your way then," the mage responded in an exasperated tone. The soft sole lowered down and pinned Malken on his back, his struggling form held down underfoot. His armor would do nothing against this being such light chainmail. It dug in against his chest as the textured foot covered over his body, his head forced down by the ball of her foot. With one sudden increase of pressure, Nessa was grinding her foot flat against the ground with just a wet splotch under it. She drug it back against the floor, wiping her foot off in the dirt.

  Cayen was frozen in place. He was still laying on top of Nessa's other foot, half hanging down between her toes. His heart was beating so hard he couldn't tell if it was his chest or the pulse from the girl's foot that was thumping through his body. The sounds behind him told the story well and he knew that Malken had been squashed by the mage girl's giant dainty foot. A casual squish for her, the feeling of a giantess' weight to Malken.

  He knew she would turn her attention to him now. Already Cayen could feel Nessa's eyes upon him. It was obvious that she had focused upon him. So what would it be now? Was this all just an innocent act and really this evil mage delighted in feeling people squish under her feet? Or would she really respect his decision to give up and surrender to her?

  "Now. You seem to still be accepting your new position in life," Nessa commented high above as a gentle squeeze from her toes hugged Cayen's waist, pulling him down to the ground. He sat there for a moment after he fell from her foot. It was incredible to imagine that he was actually sitting between Nessa's toes. The wall of flesh before him was just something that normally the thong of her sandal would be covered by. Now it was almost a two story wall.

  Slowly pacing backward, Cayen tilted his head back to stare upwards at the amazing giantess. He took a deep breath and stood his ground as the air rushed in a whirl around him with the movement of her foot that had squished Malken coming back to rest by the other.

  The day ran through Cayen's mind. It had been a quiet morning when they broke camp to make sure they'd arrive here by a decent time in the mid afternoon. The forest had been a quiet walk of rustling leaves and chirping birds. Malken had reminded Cayen of the need to drive the mages from the land since the king felt they could no longer be trusted. Then they saw it, a simple farm nestled deep within the woods. Everything was so blissful.

  Nothing had changed but the mood. With all his hate Cayen could not deny that Nessa was a beautiful girl. If he had seen her in town and not known any better, he would have gladly bought her a drink at the tavern. Now he stood shrunken at her massive bare feet which had just crunched his teacher under a soft and silky sole.

  He didn't want to be here anymore. This was all wrong. Things like this shouldn't happen. Maybe this was why the king wanted the mages out of the kingdom. This was unnatural. Fighting monsters in the forest was what knights did. Carrying on great battles for the good of their king! This wasn't any such thing. This was a lady of the woods, whom Cayen under any other circumstances would have considered an innocent.

  That was when a huge frightening thud burst overhead and Cayen couldn't help but fall backward. A crossbow bolt, the size of a caravan to him, was imbedded in one of the wooden pillars holding up the barn.

  Furious, Nessa spun. Almost forgetting the knight at her feet who narrowly avoided being crushed under her heel. Throwing himself into the dusty dirt on the floor, Cayen looked onward toward the door of the barn. It was now open just wide enough for the newcomer to get in.

  It was Amber, Cayen noted, a ranger from one of the neighbouring towns he and Malken had passed through. She was clad in leather armor and held her crossbow out at arms length, a new bolt already set and ready to fly. Her flowing chestnut hair flittered slightly in the breeze from the opened door.

  "You monster! I knew you'd destroy them! This is why we want mages out of our land," Amber growled as she took slow steady paces into the barn.

  Nessa winced. Shrinking two knights wasn't exactly the easiest spell in the world and it would take time for her to be able to cast another spell again. Other than giving this newcomer a few mean shocks of electrical magic, she was basically powerless.

  "Stand back or I'll turn you into a pin cushion!" Amber demanded as she continued her slow plod forward.

  Glancing down with a smirk, Nessa did as she was told. Cayen's blood ran cold as he realized where the warm and safe bare feet were going. He couldn't believe what he was thinking. He felt safer with Nessa. That was mainly because Amber didn't realize he was there.

  With a deep gulp, Cayen watched Amber approach and couldn't bring himself to run. He was just too exhausted as he watched the lighty soled leather boots pad foward. No matter how much he struggled he couldn't bring himself to stand.

  "Well I guess I'll just have to do what you say, now won't I?" Nessa questioned with a suddenly sultry voice.

  Amber checked her bolt and glanced from side to side. It was a bluff, the mage had nothing. Why did the mage have nothing? Of course, she had spent herself destroying those two poor knights!

  In the distance another boot step clomped down and created a small puff of dry dirt. Cayen leaned back and marveled at the size of Amber now. The girl must have been almost a foot shorter than he was at regular size, and now she was a towering giantess much like Nessa. He turned back and looked pleadingly to Nessa but she had no interest in meeting his gaze. She'd forgotten about him.

  With one more step Amber felt something under her boot. It struggled a bit and she felt it very well against her foot with the thin leather sole allowing her to feel where she tread. To Cayen he was pinned to the floor yet again and this time the canopy of leather material held him fast. It stretched out over him and he knew this time there was no escape. He must have been right under the ball of her foot, or somewhere near her toes. Her next step would bring his last breath.

  A light crunch sounded from under Amber's boot and she paid it no attention as she continued her slow pace forward. Nor did she notice when she stepped on the goo that was left of Malken. "I'm taking you in Nessa. You're my prisoner and they won't go lightly on you."

  "Oddly I'm not the only one at fault here. Yet you'll never believe that. Let's go, no sense in waiting around here," Nessa casually said as Amber forced her up against one of the wooden supports and began tying her hands together with coarse rope from her belt.

  "Silence mage! Your ramblings shall be your only comfort when you find yourself in the dungeons," Amber snarled in Nessa's ear. "It's a shame too, that Cayen was a handsome and brave warrior. I can't believe you hurt him."

  "I can't believe you did," Nessa sighed as she was forced towards the barns door, yet again the two knights were trod over as they left.