During the book 'Squire' Raoul is romantically linked with a giantess. This is my take on that story, with a tinsy winsy bit of Raoul and Buri fluff. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I of course own nothing. Well except my imaginings of the giantess, but apart from that nope! sorry!

Enjoy!

"Tell her about the Giantess who fell in love with you that year."

"Aw, Buri!" he protested.

"Giantess?" Kel asked wide eyed. "Come on, tell!"

With a small grunt of annoyance, Raoul began his tale. "The day was hot and sunny and I was st…."

"Tell the truth Raoul! It was pouring it down that day. This is not a fairy story you are telling. It's real life, however much you want to coat it in sugar…" blurted in the indignant Commander of the Queen's Riders.

"Very well! Now where was I, before I was rudely interrupted!" shot back Raoul.

"The weather conditions sir," chirped in an eager Kel.

"Umm, well, I must admit it was not exactly ideal weather, but me, always forward thinking, I had decided to take a stroll early that morn. If I had known what the day had in store for me, I would never have left my nice warm bed at the crack of dawn to go on that Gods forsaken walk! Well, I was running towards these trees that I could see, trying to get out of the worst of the rain, and wait the storm out. I had almost reached them when something started coming out of the tre…"

"Aw, your one true love!" murmured Buri mockingly.

"Buri! How can you say that!" As soon as the words left his lips he realised the reality of what he had just said and his ruddy cheeks turned redder than usual. He tried to forget what he had just said, and turn the conversation to a better topic, even if it was one about a Giantess.

Clearing his throat and avoiding looking Buri in the eyes he continued. "So, coming out of the trees was something that looked like a walking tree. You see Kel, female giants are not at all romantic. This 'woman' was wearing large pieces of bark crudely sewn together with long dried grass. Her feet were covered with moss.. And, oh Gods, the memory shall never leave me! She had obviously heard about face paints, and tried wearing paints she had made herself. You know like your Yamani friends? Alas, no rice powder, lip paint or eyebrow colour for her! No! She had collected lichen and strategically placed it above her eyes and on her lips! Let me tell you, the look was……well, not pleasant!"

Here his audience laughed.

"Well, I stood there, dumbstruck. Staring, even if it was very rude, and I dare say my mouth was open too…… Well she suddenly sees me and changes, that's the best way that I can describe it. Before she was kind of scurrying along, but when she saw me staring, she straightened up and started fluttering her big lumpy eyelashes, covered in that lichen, at me! Ughhh! Even the memory makes me shudder! She must have thought I was staring because she was so … well, pretty! Well, she walks towards me, and I had no horse, so I couldn't even run away, so I thought to myself, 'what will happen if I stay really still?' So I tried it but, she was still walking towards me, (took her two steps). I underestimated her. Well she bent down to look at me and I got the shock of my life when she picked me up with her large fingers and placed me in her hand. I had no idea what to do! Staying still had done nothing, and I still had no bright ideas but she did! Gods, she brought me up to her mouth and kissed me! Being kissed by the biggest slug covered in mould would not even nearly compare to that experience! It was horrible! And I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

"So as she was dripping all this saliva on my I heard horns. I almost died. You see I didn't care about being found I was more concerned about who was going to find me! Luck was not me. I could tell by the horn pattern that it was King Jon, the Queen and Alanna. Well, the giantess got a bit protective of me when she finally noticed we had an audience. She roared at them, Alanna laughing, pretended to roar back. I was so embarrassed, I could hear them all laughing at me. And I am absolutely certain as well that they could tell that she had kissed me (obvious to me afterwards that they could, I was green and wet!).

"To this day, I have no recollection of how they saved me from her. Quite frankly I have no wish to know how. I was (now) just so grateful to have been saved but was still embarrassed. They made fun of me the whole way back to the palace.

"Well, now squire, you know the whole story of the 'Giantess that fell in love with me'! Now, off to bed with you!

Kel left the room, with only one set of giggles at her Knight Masters past misfortunes and whilst fighting of the yawns.

Buri rose to leave but Raoul quietly asked, "please stay. At least for a little while…."

For the first time since he had accidentally hinted that he loved Buri, he looked at her. In her eyes. He was swept away with the realisation of how much he did love her, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Buri," he mumbled, striding over to her, "I… I love you."

"I know," she whispered, before she fell into his arms and her lips merged with his.

Well, there you go! Thanks for reading!