Tilting at Windmills
a Princess Tutu fanfic by Klondike Aura
"You dare stand against me, fearsome Giant?"
The towering creature says nothing to the Knight, satisfied just glowering down at his audacious challenger. And it's all the breath the Knight wastes talking to his foe, who comes at him with madly swinging arms. Before his lumbering steps which quake the ground with every move could hinder him, the Knight puts down his lance. He takes some stones from the ground, his Lady's favor a makeshift sling. And just as David fell Goliath, the Knight's aim is true and hits the Giant dead between the eyes.
A great cry of pain from the hulking beast makes the very earth tremble, but still the Knight doesn't hesitate. He takes his lance up again and makes for the Giant as he dangerously staggers back. Risking immediate death, he rushes towards the foot and pierces through at the Giant's ankle. The Knight's reward is a howl of agony. Working quickly, he withdraws his lance and retreats far enough to watch the Giant fall back. The injuries combined with the impact knock the Giant unconscious. The Knight returns to the Giant's feet and uses his lance to pin one of the huge, crude shoes to the ground.
His enemy fallen, the Knight hurries to the tower that had been under the Giant's guard. He raises his shield against a swarm of bats that fly frenzied at him.
"Is that you, my Brother?" a voice from higher up calls.
"I fell the Giant, dear Sister," the Knight returns. "We must hurry out of this place."
And he begins up the worn stairs before she could warn of their age and hidden traps. It's not long before one caves beneath his foot, temporarily trapping him down to his knee. A bare hand on the next reveals nails hidden in the step, causing him to recoil from the sting but thankfully not impaling him.
"Are you all right?" his Sister asks, worried.
"A minor setback," the Knight reassures.
With a careful reach and the assurance that the step after is safe, he pulls himself up and climbs over the nail step. A cautious ascent later and he reaches the top and his Sister.
"Have you been hurt?"
"I'm all right but my hands and feet are bound."
His lance still with the Giant, the Knight uses the edge of his shield to wear the rope keeping his Sister tied. A wall-rumbling groan from outside lets them know the Giant is on the cusp of wakefulness.
"We must move quickly, while the Giant's still out."
Despite the traps, they fly down the stairs, as each one begins to crumble below them. The Knight's sure memory is able to guide them safely, his shield still protecting from the flurry of bats. They arrive at the foot of the tower just as the Giant begins to stir. Now all they have to do is outrun the pinned down Giant before he can pull the lance from the ground-
"Fakir! Raetsel! Have you seen the saucepan and lid?"
Fakir adjusts his helmet, the telltale handle in the back bobbing. But it's for naught, as a hand from behind lifts the pan up and off.
"What adventures did the Knight go on this time?" Charon asks.
"He fought a giant and saved me from a tower," Raetsel answers, holding a hand out so Fakir can give her the shield.
"And how did you defeat a giant?" Charon continues, taking the lid Raetsel offers and putting it on top of the pan.
"I threw a rock at it and then stabbed it in the foot," Fakir grumbles, wishing he could be back fighting the Giant. "And then I pinned his shoe to the ground."
"That's quick thinking. Good to know you can handle any giants that come around."
And with that, Fakir reluctantly joins his family so they can get started on dinner.
Author's Notes: Another little fluffy thing as a giftie for someone else feeling blue, this time Dreamicide. For some reason I keep thinking about Don Quixote, though I doubt Fakir would like such a comparison.