"Tell me, Jack. When exactly did you outgrow me?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jack look at me for a long moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you seemed awfully keen on getting rid off me at the house."

He looked away, guiltily, I suspected before turning to the horse to pet it a few times.

"I'm sorry. I just-" He let out a breath and when I turned to him, I saw his shoulders sag. "I'm eighteen, Ada. I don't need you follow me everywhere!"

"Jack, the last time you went to get groceries, you were two hours late. Do you remember why?"

Jack mumbled under his breath.

"I didn't catch that."

"I got stuck." He said with childish spite.

"Yes, you got stuck in a hole in the ground and it took three kind souls to get you out."

"That was a low blow, Ada." He muttered after a long moment of silence

I laughed lightly. Teasing Jack was always my favourite thing to do, whether he was eight or eighteen.

"Yeah, well. You're my little brother, which entitles me to that. It also means that looking out for you is my job."

"I think you pronounced 'being a pain in the neck' wrong." Jack retorted with hint of a smile on his lips.

I gave no hesitation in punching him in the arm.


The rest of the journey was filled with childish banter and at one point, I managed to get him to piggyback me after he passed a remark about my height. He would never let it go that he was a foot taller than me. When my father took him under his care, he was tiny, barely at my shoulder. And then his growth spurt came and I couldn't even reach his. An entire foot taller than me and he'd never let me live it down.

"Have you gained weight?" Jack asked as he pretended to flex his back.

I gave a look of mock affront.

"Ohhhh, you will pay for that comment." I warned. Jack just laughed at me and continued on with the horse.

I looked around at the crowded street. It had been a while since I'd been here. I usually helped out around the house while Jack went out. Of course, with nothing left but the horse in the household, I hadn't much to do. There was a drought lately and everyone was getting the brunt of it.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard horses. They weren't hard to spot, even in the distance. The king's guards. They sat high upon their horses in their shinning armour. Well maybe not everyone was suffering from the weather's temperament.

"I bet those horses are better fed than us." I commented softly to Jack.

"Well maybe if we were as content with hay, we'd be as well off as they are." He whispered back.

"You've become really bratty, did you know that?" I said with narrowed eyes.

When Jack didn't respond, I followed his eye line. He was looking at a sign advertising a play. It was a story that Jack knew by heart and could probably recite backwards. It was about the legend of King Erik and The Giants. I must have read the book to him more than twenty times. His parents had read it to him too and he seemed to cling to the story as though it was the last remaining connection to them.

"I suppose you'd want to go in?" I asked, jerking my head towards the small tent.

Jack looked from me to the horse to the sign.

"I'll watch the horse. Just don't take too long."

Jack gave me a smile, a smile that seemed to set him back ten years before ducking under the tent. I caught sight of all the children that sat seated in the front and a glimpse off the midgets on stage. I couldn't help but smile. Jack was always such a child. I tied the horse to a post and stroked its mane.

"So, just you and me now" I said to it quietly. "I'm sure we'll find you a good home. I promise, if the buyer looks like he's gonna eat you, we won't let him have you. You're a good boy, you deserve better than that."

I stopped myself.

Talking to a horse is this what my life had come to? Then again, it was far less bratty than Jack. I looked up back to the tent, expecting to see him come out soon with that ridiculous grin on his face. Instead, I saw a cloaked figure back out and Jack's back peeping out slightly.

I frowned. Then again, while I preferred him to stay out of trouble, I could never have too many 'I told you so' moments when it came to him. And then I saw him fall. Almost on instinct I left the horse's side and ducked under the tent. Jack was pulling himself up and I saw three men in front of him looking less than pleased. I pulled out the small knife I always carried with me with one arm and pushed Jack behind me with the other.

"Back off." I said, trying to sound as menacing as possible.

Luckily, they did. But then they bowed; and so did everyone else in the tent.

"There's something behind us, isn't there?" Jack leaned in to whisper.

The two of us whipped around and I found a sword at my throat.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept the weapon." The knight said.

My eyes widened. I knew that voice. I followed the length of the sword to see who was at the end and sure enough, it was the leader of the king's knights. What was his name again? It sounded like almond. Belmont was it?

Either way, I sheathed my knife and put my hands up, placating. He looked at me for a moment longer before shifting his sword back slightly and between me and Jack. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. He didn't recognise me.

"Is there something wrong with your knees?" He asked.

My brows drew together and just as I was about to let out a very offended 'excuse me?', I felt Jack pull me down to my knees.

"The Princess." He whispered, jerking his head subtly to the woman on the back of one of the horses. I looked up at her. She was prettier than I imagined. There must be something in the royal blood because the queen was beautiful as well.

I looked at her possibly longer than I should have before I ducked my head like everyone else in the tent. Seemingly satisfied, the knights quickly trotted off. I sprung up as soon as all turned away and ducked my head out of the tent, watching them leave. Then I turned back to Jack, with my arms akimbo.

"I leave you alone for two minutes and you start a fight and meet a princess." I gave him a smug grin. "And you say you don't need me to follow you around everywhere."

Jack looked offended.

"I was protecting her honour!" He insisted as we walked out of the tent.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw the horse and he looked towards it as well.

"Jack, the cart's gone."

"I can see that."

"Jack, you lost the cart."


I told Jack to continue to try selling the horse while I looked for the cart. We didn't have much time left before we had to start heading back. I started off with high hopes of finding it, it wasn't exactly something someone could just tuck under their robes, but as time went on, the chances of finding it decreased.

I knew it really wasn't Jack's fault. It was just a series of somewhat unfortunate events. If anything, it was probably my fault. I should have stayed with the cart. Jack's a big boy and he probably could have handled himself. Additionally, when I say big I also mean physically. Well, he's not exactly muscled, but he'd fair better in a fight than I would.

Eventually, with my hopes utterly diminished, I gave up. Might as well go help Jack sell the horse. As I walked in the general direction that he had set off in, I heard a commotion off to my left. A monk was trying to escape capture on a horse. Wait. That was our horse!

My heart skipped a beat and I immediately started running, calling for Jack over and over. Finally I saw him near the center of the courtyard. He held a little pouch in his hand and I felt relief flush through my body.

"Is that the payment for the horse?" I asked when I got in front of him.

He hesitated before handing me the pouch. It was awfully light and I started to get worried Jack was given far less than the horse was actually. worth. Pulling the rim of the pouch, I opened it and poured the contents onto my hand.

Well that was certainly less than the horse was worth.


I told Jack that I'd take responsibility of the loss of the horse and cart but of course, he was Jack. All noble and dumb. Before I could say anything, Jack blurted it out. How he'd lost the cart and the monk took the horse and gave some beans in return.

I couldn't do much but stand aside as my father chewed him out and I hated that. I had always told myself I'd protect him, especially from my father. It wasn't that he was a bad man but he was always jealous of his brother, Jack's father. He had a son that was able to work in the fields and his wife had died at my child-birth, leaving him with just a daughter. Then when his brother died and Jack came under his care, I think he expected too much from a eleven-year-old. Not only that but all the loss in his life had made him bitter.

Either way, that resulted in Jack getting the brunt of his anger. My father thought him to be naïve and incapable and lazy because he'd rather stay in the house to read than go out to the fields. I'd like to think that he still loved Jack, but he found it hard to love him like his own son.

I cringed when he swept the beans off the table before getting up and moving over to the chest of belongings that was left of Jack's parents. Jack protested, but my father didn't care.

"Father.." I began, but he quickly cut me off with a harsh 'Stay out of this, Ada.'

I knew he was angry at me too. I said I'd look after Jack and yet we still came back mostly empty-handed. I watched as he took anything of worth and shoved it into a bag before heading out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"You shouldn't have done that, Jack." I said softly.

He gave a shrug.

"I couldn't let you take the blame." He replied easily.

"We both know he wouldn't have been as angry had it been me."

Jack took a seat across the table from me. putting the pouch of beans in front of him.

"You can't protect me forever, Ada." He gave me a smile. One full of reassurance.

I let out a sigh.

"Maybe you're right."


Of course it rained that night.

The world probably wouldn't have accepted any other ending to the day. The sun was setting soon and father still wasn't back. It wasn't overly worrying but worrying enough for me to have gone after him. He was getting old and a torrent of terrible scenarios had played through my head.

By the time I reached the city, it was dark. There were far fewer people than when I had been there that morning. I would have taken this to meant that finding my uncle would be easy but after an hour of searching, there was still no sign of him. That's when it started to rain. Just a little at first and I didn't think much of it but the drops quickly got bigger and more in numbers and I had little choice but to find a little crook at the side of the building to hide under while the rain past. I hoped that Jack was handling the rain okay back in the house, especially with the leaky roof.

I pulled my cloak tighter around myself in a vain attempt to ward of the cold that was already starting to seep into my skin. When I realised the rain didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, I sat down on the damp floor. It really wasn't my intention to fall asleep but the longer I stayed there, the more I felt my eyes beginning to close. It wouldn't hurt to rest my eyes for a bit, I reasoned. I'll go back to looking for father as soon as the rain lets up.


When I woke up, it was still dark and I let out a sigh of relief at the fact I hadn't slept for too long. But then I noticed people setting up their carts along the street, something done usually at the break of dawn, I sprung to my feet. I felt guilt wash over me at the thought of leaving Jack alone the entire night. He probably stayed up the whole time too which definitely wasn't going to bode well for him when it came to doing his chores of today. I made it to the center of the market and that when I saw it.

A giant beanstalk, reminiscent of the ones in the stories about the Giants.

Then I realised the site. That was awfully close to our house. I thought back to the beans that Jack had gotten from the horse and the story that the monk had told him. But it couldn't be, those stories, they were just that, stories. Mythical tales that parents just read to their children before bedtime.

But there it was. A beanstalk that reached past the clouds, appearing overnight.

Without another thought of searching for my father, I made for home, pushing past the groups of people who had gathered to gawk at this spectacle. I remembered a shortcut through the forest. Father had always said not to take it, to follow the trail but it was faster.

The journey was half that of when I had gone towards the city and when I neared, I felt my stomach drop. It wasn't near the house, it grew from the exact same spot. That was also shown from the fact that the entire house was nowhere in sight.

This had to be a dream right? Things like this only happen in those books that Jack reads, not in real life.

As I neared, I noticed a motionless body at the base of the beanstalk. I felt my heart constrict, like a python had wrapped itself around it.

"Jack- JACK!"

I broke into a sprint, landing on my knees next to him. My heart was racing as I put my hand over his face, praying to feel his breath. That single moment was possibly the longest one in my life.

When I felt a small puff oh my hand, I let out a breath and my eyes slipped closed. Thank god. Thank whatever entity existed that was protecting this child over all these years.

I leaned back for a moment, letting myself gather my thoughts and to just breathe. After a few deep breaths, I leaned over Jack again, patting his cheek slightly. I couldn't help but smile when his brows furrowed and his eyes opened slightly before he squeezed them shut again.

"Time to wake up and tell me where our house has gone, Jack."

That made Jack's eyes snap open and he quickly got to his feet. He stopped when he stood up and squinted into the distance.

"I may have just hit my head harder than I thought but it sure looks like there's an army of men heading towards us."

I stood up and too and turned towards the direction of the castle. Apparently, Jack's head was fine because there was in fact an army of men on horses heading towards us.

"Jack, I left you alone for one night."


Me and Jack didn't know what to do with ourselves.

We would have tried to neaten up the house except that it was no longer here. We also considered hiding or running but we realised that they were obviously here for the giant beanstalk that just spouted out from the ground. Well that was what I thought until Jack said.

"The princess was here last night."

That got my heart racing again.

"And by here you mean-"

"In the house, yes."

"Are you telling me that the princess is in the house that is resting on top of a beanstalk above the clouds, possibly hurt and it's because of your magic beans."

"Well- well, yes." He stuttered. "But there's no way they'll hold me responsible. I mean, I didn't actually do anything wrong."

"Jack, a beanstalk grew up through our house. I'm quite certain that you've done at least something wrong."

He opened his mouth to form a response but snapped it shut when the army of men was in front of us. My eyes widened when I saw who led them. It was the King. The two of us quickly got to our knees and awaited them to address us. We heard the horses come to a stop.

"What are you doing with my daughter's bracelet?" The king asked.

I looked to Jack with wide eyes and only then noticed her bracelet in his hand. Oh, Jack, you blithering idiot. Jack looked up and then at the bracelet that he still clutched. I realise I shouldn't have been surprised when he made the well thought out move to stand up to hand it to the king.

Before he even got to his full height, two guards shoved him back to his knees, and one took the bracelet from his hand.

"Hm?" The King prompted.

"No, I didn't steal it, I promise. She showed up at my house looking for shelter and I was trying to help her, your majesty, and then..." He trailed off.

"And then?"

"Well, then this happened."

I dared to look up and I watched as the King looked to his knights and they exchanged vaguely confused looks. I realised, belatedly that it was the same knight, the one we'd seen the day before. For the life of me I still couldn't seem to remember his name.

"Wait a minute, I remember you two from the market." The knight drawled. "Let him up. You too." He said, jerking his head towards me.

"And where is your house?"

Me and Jacked looked at each other for a moment before he raised an arm, pointing to the top of the beanstalk. He hung his head slightly and I couldn't blame him. Had I not been in the presence of royalty I would have probably turned away and buried my face in my hands.

I watched as all the knights and the King craned their heads upwards, trying to find the top of the beanstalk before realising that it looked as though it didn't end. Then His Majesty turned to the knight beside him.

"Elmont,"

Elmont! Yes! That was his name! Sir Elmont!

"Assemble a team of your best men, men who can climb."

Sir Elmont gave a nod and a clipped, professional, 'Yes, Sire'

Another man slightly off to the side piped up.

"Your Majesty, I would like to accompany."

"With due respect, Lord Roderick, this mission is likely to be extremely arduous, best left to the professionals."

"Your Majesty," Lord Roderick started again. "I would like the chance to prove my worth to my beloved."

I swear I saw Sir Elmont practically roll his eyes. Wow, had I known being a knight allowed me to do that around nobles, I would have chopped my hair off, and learnt how to use a sword.

The King said something in return, but I was too distracted by my father running up to us.

"Ada, Jack! What have you done?!"

I closed my eyes and let out a slightly frustrated sigh. It's good to know our well being came after his house. Though, I must say I wasn't surprised. As soon as the King turned to him, he fell to his knees in respect. Well that wasn't something I saw often.

"Who is this man?" The King asked.

"He's my father." I said.

They turned to me and I immediately regretted my decision to answer that question.

"And who are you?" The knight asked.

"Jack's cousin." I said, trying as best as I could to have confidence in my tone.

"Your Majesty," Bless Jack for speaking up. I didn't do well under scrutiny. "I'd like to volunteer." No, wait, that wasn't something I wanted to hear.

"Jack!" I whispered harshly to him. He barely even turned to me before turning back to the King.

"Why don't we bring our wives and lady friends while we're at it!" The King quipped. Well, that was vaguely offensive.

"Let's not be hasty. He was the only one that saw what happened, perhaps he can shed some light on the situation."

"Your Majesty-" The knight started.

"No Elmont, he's right, He might be an asset. Now go, and may God help you bring back my daughter."

I looked from the King to Jack but the only thing I saw on Jack's face was relief. Relief! He was climbing a seemingly never-ending beanstalk and he was relieved. If my memory served, he was afraid of heights.

When the King turned to leave, the rest followed but as Sir Elmont turned, I couldn't help but run up to him and grab hold of his arm.

"Please let me come with you." I begged.

"Ada, no!" I felt Jack's hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off.

"Please, you have to bring me with you."

"Miss, I don't think I have to do anything. Besides, you'll be a liability on this journey." He said dismissively before leaving. I felt rage well up in me, but not at the knight.

"What are you thinking, Jack!" I almost yelled as I turned to him.

He pulled back in shock but then he stood his ground.

"I was thinking, that I could be of service to my Kingdom." He said with barely concealed anger.

"By climbing a beanstalk? Jack, do you realise how dangerous this whole thing is?" I said, gesturing to the giant plant.

He let out a sigh and his shoulders sagged. He looked away for a long moment before looking back to me. There was sadness in his eyes.

"You can't protect me forever, Ada." He said before walking off.


They had me and my father set up in one of the makeshift tents that they had put up. I explained everything to him and his only response was to bury his face in his hands. Then he let out a heavy sigh and placed a hand on mine.

"At least you're safe, Ada." He said with a small smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back but it quickly fell.

"But, Father, Jack isn't. He may get himself killed!"

"Jack is old enough to know what he's doing, Ada. He'll be fine. You have to stop worrying about him. Besides, what can you do? Follow him up?"

I paused at that. Well why not? Just because I couldn't go with the group of them didn't mean I had to stay here like a useless thing. Father mistook my silence for agreement and he patted my hand twice before he got up.

"I'll go see what I can do to get some food in our stomachs."

With that, he left the tent, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I doubted that they'd climb when the Sun had gone down. When night fell, I could sneak around the guards and start. If I climbed through the night, for the solid eight hours, there was a chance that I could catch up to them. I smiled to myself. This could work.


Okay so lately, I've been embracing the anonymity of the internet which basically means I can do things like post stories without being afraid people will judge me for it. I've been writing stories for a long, long while now but I've never posted anything or even let anyone read anything because every time I build up the courage, I'll re-read it and think 'No, I can't this isn't presentable.' Sorry- what I'm getting at is that constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

(Also, I know the 'L' in almond is silent and hence no longer rhymes with Elmont, but I figure no one's corrected her so she doesn't know)

(((And I'm really sorry for that chunk I just took from the movie, I hope it wasn't too painful to go through.)))