Title: Seed of Darkness
Rating: T
Summary: A new threat descends upon Cloister and Jack must use the Crown of Erik to call on some unlikely allies. Fallon/Isabelle, Fumm/OC
Disclaimer: I make no money whatsoever off this story or any of the characters.
Chapter 13: A Delightful Reunion
Fallon knew he was doomed.
Around him was piled treasure stolen from a thousand kings. Diamonds split light into rainbows, staining the drab gray walls with hues of pink, green, and indigo. Statues wrought from gold and silver were scattered carelessly about like childrens toys, all sculpted likenesses of angels, monsters, and the heroes of mankind immortalized in majestic poses. He was surrounded by beauty and wealth, yet what held him in quiet awe was the sight of the human girl sleeping peacefully in his arms.
She lay with her head pillowed in his elbow, her lips partly open. One of her small hands rested lightly against his skin. For the first time, he was aware of her human scent mingling with his own. The combined scent was pleasant, suggestive of apples mixed with warm clay, and it somehow calmed him. It was a calm he sorely needed, because without it the giant was sure he would explode from inner turmoil.
I don't hate you, she'd said. Either of you.
He remembered the day Fumm brought her to him. She'd been laying unconscious at the bottom of the cage; a result of his clumsy brother having knocked her senseless while snatching her. Upon presenting his captive,, Fumm had backed away when he'd seen his leader's two faces; a result, Fallon supposed, of the fierce anticipation that must've shown in their snarl. At last! he'd wanted to shout, grabbing the cage from an irritated Fumm, who clearly hadn't wanted to hand over his prize. A chance for revenge! He'd taken his new prisoner down into the darkest dungeon, its floors still littered with the bones of past occupants, and hid himself in the shadows. He'd waited and watched, studying the small, frail, innocent-seeming girl - the first human he'd seen in centuries. And, for the merest second, something completely unexpected had happened. The rage churning in his hard heart had been replaced by something softer. It felt suspiciously like sympathy.
No! He'd railed against this violating emotion, neither wanting nor understanding it. She deserves to suffer! He'd feared, even then, that he was in danger of falling under the same spell his father had. The curse of loving one's enemy. It was in that dungeon he'd refused to even entertain the notion of showing mercy. After she'd woken, he'd been cruel to her. Threatened her. Killed a man in front of her. Even tried to eat her...all to destroy any trace of compassion remaining in her and, worse, in himself.
And it was all for naught, he thought glumly. For the first time, he understood why his father had been so captivated by his human princess. Fallon's heart felt soft and vulnerable, yet filled with peace. Melted. It was an intoxicating feeling. The girl had completely undone him with her insufferable kindness. Even if he devoured all of mankind, he'd never be able to eat the last of Erik's kin. The giant took his eyes off Isabelle long enough to send a meaningful look to his twin, the misshapen head that was forever stuck to his shoulder like an ugly parrot. "We've failed."
A rustling of feathers drew Fallon' attention to the golden goose. The bird was awake and watching him with it's head tilted ever so slightly. It's throat moved, making soft cooing noises that sounded suspiciously like warbling laughter.
Fixing the upstart fowl with a glare made of pure iron, Fallon growled, "What are you lookin' at?"
The goose didn't blink. Its big golden eyes were all innocence.
Tiny movements in the crook of his arm alerted him to Isabelle beginning to stir. Fallon expressed his feelings to the goose in a final menacing growl, then turned his attention to the princess. Such a little beauty, in her ragged finery. He took the opportunity to gently pet her until her eyes fluttered open into full consciousness.
The princess yawned, blinking sleepily. When she focused on the two faces peering down at her, color touched her cheeks. Her whole demeanor changed, becoming almost shy as she recalled how and where she'd fallen asleep. "Um...hello?" she said timidly.
"Good morn, little princess!" Fallon exclaimed cheerfully. His second head babbled its own incomprehensible greeting. A mocking undertone was in his voice as he added, "Sleep well?"
"Actually, yes." Isabelle stretched. "You're much more comfortable than a stone ledge."
The giant laughed. Any resentment he felt towards the girl was fast disappearing. He tightened his arms around her just enough to bring her closer to his belly. "We will not subject you to a cold stone bed again, princess. From this day forth, you will sleep in our arms."
The princess stared at him with wide eyes. "Umm...thank you." More shyness in her voice. Perhaps he'd let her sleep on his chest next time. He would look forward to seeing her reaction to that .
It was then that his stomach made itself known with a loud rumble. From her close proximity to his belly, Isabelle couldn't help noticing. She giggled."I don't like the sound of that."
"We must hunt up something for breakfast." Doing so meant he would have to part with the entertaining little female in his lap for a while. Not a happy prospect. But perhaps... "Want to come with us?" he asked. His second head echoed the question with a single hopeful word. Come?
Worry flashed in her eyes. It made her young, fine-boned face seem even more sweet and vulnerable. "You aren't hungry for humans, are you?"
We're always hungry for humans, he thought wryly. But admitting such a thing to Isabelle would be a sure way to lose any ground he'd gained with her. He no longer wanted her to fear him. "Dragons and livestock only," he said with a sigh. "Humans,,,we'll leave them alone. We promise."
Her face brightened. She smiled up at him. "Then I'd love to."
It was strange, the effect that smile had on him. His day just got a whole lot better.
}O}
Elmont's day just got a whole lot worse.
It had begun well enough. Fye seemed in a better mood than usual, insisting they were following a strong scent this time. Elmont had no idea what Fallon smelled like and wasn't about to ask, but he trusted Fee and Fye knew their business when it came to hunting. Or at least Fye did. Just the day before Fee had gotten distracted by a herd of mountain goats. Watching the simpleminded oaf blunder about trying to snatch the goats as they leaped from rock to rock would have been funny if Elmont hadn't been hanging from the giant's shoulderguard, holding onto a chink in the iron armor by his fingertips while yelling for Fye to get his brother under control. Now every time Fye glanced his way, Elmont got the impression the stone-faced giant was trying hard not to laugh.
It's an improvement, I suppose, Elmont had thought while being lifted up to his precarious perch on Fee's shoulder. I'd rather have him laughing at me than trying to kill me. Elmont's stomach was tied in a knot before Fee had taken his first lurching step. He'd made a deal with Fye to search for three more days. The knight doubted he'd be able to push the giants any longer than that.
If we don't find Isabelle soon I'll have no choice but to continue the search alone...and these two maneaters will go back to Cloister where they could raise seven different kinds of hell. Elmont had been unable to sleep wondering if Fumm would keep his word and not let the kingdom be attacked. He prayed that Jack had things under control there.
Dawn broke gray and cold. Wind played with the long strands of Fee's hair, blowing the stuff in Elmont's face and making him wish for the hundredth time that he had a horse to ride instead of a giant. Overhead, clouds piled on top of each other like sheets of thick wool. Fye never stopped sniffing, leading them through a gap between two sheer rock walls. From somewhere a bird gave a high, clear cry that echoed eerily.
"I don't like this place," Fee whimpered. His hand dipped down to touch the wooden handle of the flail looped to his belt, making the ball and chain jangle like a pouch full of coins. "It smells bad."
Indeed it does. Elmont wrinkled his nose while cupping a hand over his mouth. There was a rank stench in the air reminiscent of flyblown meat. Dread filled the knight as he swallowed a lump in his throat. Whatever smelled that bad couldn't be alive.
When they found the graveyard the knight got the first inkling of what his day was going to be like. Grim-faced, Fye slapped a hand over his nose and mouth as he made his way across the stony field, wading through the unburied bones of slain giants. Elmont whistled, impressed. King Erik's people certainly hadn't gone down without a fight. Signs of an ancient battle were everywhere. Skeletons of giants lay where they had fallen, some still with remnants of bronze and iron spears embedded in their torsos. Scraps of pearl-white mist clung to some of the bones like translucent rags. The whole place had a haunted, hollow feeling, as if at any moment the hard ground would crack open and bleed out the angry shades of a thousand dead warriors.
Elmont was startled out of his reverie by Fee, who had stopped dead in his tracks. The poor giant was blubbering like an overgrown child, pointing a stubby finger down at a huge skull that sported a splintery hole in the middle of its forehead. "His brains came out!" This place is really scaring him, Elmont thought, patting the giant's shoulder. I didn't think his ilk were scared of anything. But Fee definitely was. His whole body trembled, all twenty-four feet of him. As much as he hated giants, Elmont felt a twinge of pity for the big lug who'd been his only friend on this mad adventure. The knight was about to say something reassuring when Fee gagged, choking out, "I think I'm going to be sick!"
And he was. Fee doubled over, grabbed his knees, and vomited up the entire flock of sheep he'd had for breakfast that morning. Elmont was thrown from the giant's shoulder, cursing loudly, barely managing to twist in the air and roll upon contact with the ground to avoid the giant pool of sick. Coming out of his roll, he lay stretched out next to a thighbone longer than his body, staring up at the sky. His armor had taken the brunt of the fall, but underneath the leather his ribs felt bruised. An ache, he suspected, that would only worsen as the day went on. Elmont turned to the giant, who was wiping greenish-yellow slime from his lips, and thought of all the colorful things he'd like to say to him. And just as quickly realized he couldn't say any of them, because Fee gave him the most pitiful look a maneating giant could muster. His big, dopey eyes were so wide and round Elmont could see his reflection mirrored in their shiny black pupils. Tears streamed down the creature's dirty cheeks as he raised a forearm to wipe the last dribbles of snot from his nose.
Still sniffling, Fee tilted his head to the fallen human, mumbling, "Sorry."
Soon enough Elmont found himself once again riding Fee's shoulder, trying to remain intact as miles of steep, rocky highland passed beneath him. The giants seemed perfectly at home in the mountains. Their long strides cleared man-sized boulders as though they were no bigger than pebbles; they treated stands of spruce and pine like tall sticks, stepping over them or shoving the taller foliage aside. A grudging respect was growing in Elmont for the giants' immense strength. They'd make a hell of an army, if only they could be controlled..
That line of thought led him to wonder about the Crown. When last he'd seen it, it had been flying away in a dragon's claws; where could it be now? At best, it was lying forgotten in a dragon's treasure hoard somewhere. At worst... Elmont would rather not dwell upon the at worst.
Fumm fears that the dragons' could use the Crown to enslave the whole giant race. If that happens...Good God, Roderick had been bad enough.
"Halt!"
Obeying his brother's command, Fee stopped so suddenly Elmont was nearly thrown from his shoulder again. "What the-" The question had scarcely left Elmont's mouth before he saw the unmistakable, three-clawed shape of a dragon's footprint stamped deep into the ground.
"There." Fye pointed. At the end of his finger were masses of boulders resembling pottery fresh out of a kiln. Extreme heat had melded them together into lumpy gray mounds, with faint wisps of smoke still curling from the tops. As the giants cautiously approached, Elmont saw beyond the melted rocks was a jagged hole blasted into the mountainside.
"Dragon lair." Fye cracked his knuckles. "Finally, some action!" Fee growled in response, curling his upper lip to expose his dirty, chipped teeth. The lanky brute reached down to pat the flail again, making the chain rattle ominously.
Elmont didn't like where this was headed. A battle required proper planning, not reckless abandon."We don't have time for this." Yanking a handful of Fee's hair, Elmont tried to steer the giant's attention away from the cave. "We have to find-"
A low growl from Fye cut him off. "You humans brought us down to Albion to fight dragons, didn't you?" The giant swung his burly arm, gesturing at the signs of dragon-induced carnage around them. "I want to have some fun!."
"Me too!" Fee crowed, his huge frame jiggling with excitement. Elmont sighed.
They approached the dragon's lair, two growling, lumbering hulks hungry for blood. Fye threw a punch that landed just above the lair's entrance, sending up a cloud of gray dust. Both giants took turns trying to force their way in, battering the mountainside that separated them from their prey. "We can't get to it," Fee said, panting. His face was streaked with dust and sweat. "The cave's too small."
It was at that point Fye fixed Elmont with the sort of grin one only reserved for very nasty jokes, and the knight realized with a sinking heart what was coming. It hadn't escaped his notice that Fye hadn't willingly spoken to or even looked at him since they'd passed the field of giants' bones. The sight of that bleak place had turned Fye's normal remoteness downright frosty, and now he saw a chance to get some nice, cold revenge.
"Send the human in as bait."
Bloody giant sounds perfectly reasonable, Elmont thought archly, and not like he's pronouncing my death sentence. "Wait a moment! I don't think-" But he was already being whisked through the air and placed on the ground by Fee, who then crouched down to talk to him excitedly. "Don't worry, little man! It'll be easy! You go in there, wake the dragon up and make it chase you, and we'll be waiting out here to smash it!"
"And me along with it?" Elmont grumbled under his breath. "How am I supposed to-" But Fee's hand was already pushing him toward the gaping slash in the rockface. Darkness and heat wafted out from within the monster's lair, raising beads of sweat on Elmont's forehead. With a huge, I-must-be-a-daft-fool sigh, he headed into the cave.
All he could see in front of him was vast, impenetrable black. Nothing moved. Even the air felt still and heavy. His footsteps sounded unbearably loud. Taking a shaky breath, Elmont stopped to lay a hand on his sword hilt. The light from the exit shone behind him, making him a perfect target.
Maybe there is no dragon. It seemed a slim chance. Still, he'd love to break the news to the two idiots outside: The cave's empty, and you two beat your knuckles bloody against a rock for nothing. That would wipe the smugness right off Fye's ugly face...
Something wet hit Elmont full in the face and landed with a plop at his boots. Don't look, he told himself. But of course he did look. The light from behind was enough for him to make out the grisly thing: a human hand and forearm, covered in triangular teeth marks from something that had a mouthful of steak knives, and soaked in thick, yellowish goo that reminded Elmont of what came out of a horse's mouth after a hard ride..
The dragon had spat it's dinner at him.
"Bugger," he muttered, then turned and ran for the exit.
He sensed the dragon coming behind him on a rush of hot wind and scales rasping against stone. There was no need to turn and look for him to know that it was big and ugly and not very happy about being disturbed. The exit, though only a few feet away, seemed impossibly far. When he burst out into fresh air and light, he'd never been more relieved to see such a barren, .gray, half-melted landscape.
His relief was short-lived, because it didn't take long to realize something crucial was missing from that landscape.
Fee and Fye were gone.
Of course they are, a droll voice inside him mocked, but Elmont didn't waste time listening. He got as far from the monster's lair as he could before flinging himself behind a hill of misshapen rock. Hear radiated from the warped stone, warm enough to penetrate his armor. Forcing himself to ignore it, he pressed his back hard into the rock, then sidled close to the edge. Hurling silent curses at giants, dragons, and all the stupid legends which had brought them into his life, he leaned his head around to get a quick look at whatever nightmare was emerging from the mountain.
It was mostly all neck, with a large triangular head crowned with spikes. Eyes the color of sunstones flashed as the head swung back and forth. The reptile appeared dazed after lying in the dark for so long. Small stones clattered around its feet as the dragon squeezed itself through the opening. Once through, it unfolded its wings with a snap and screeched, proclaiming a drakonian challenge to all and sundry.
Wonderful, Elmont thought. He quickly ducked out of sight. Where the bloody hell are the giants?
Sounds of scraping and slithering floated to him as the dragon began to hunt among the mounds of slag. Elmont crouched, tense and sweating. He felt the way Crawe must've felt hiding with only a tree between him and a terrifying enemy. Something crunched and snapped uncomfortably close. The hairs on Elmont's neck stood up.
Flames shot around the sides of his rock, bathing the already half-melted stone in even more heat. Elmont held his breath as fire buffeted the air around him, turning everything orange and yellow. Just as he was close to passing out from heat and smoke, the onslaught stopped, leaving him gasping. Then the spearpoint of the dragon's tail sliced neatly through the rock above Elmont's head. With a muffled curse, the knight threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the superheated piece of rubble when it fell. It splatted into the ground like a ball of sizzling-hot lead.
Leaning on his sword, the knight staggered to his feet. Completely exposed now, he looked up to see the dragon eyeing him like dinner. Flame still dripped from its mouth. It lifted a forepaw, talons spread and glinting, ready to attack.
Defiant, Elmont raised his sword. The blade shone faintly red, like it'd been newly forged. "C'mon," he sneered. "Let's see which of us burns in Hell!"
The dragon hissed steam. Then it paused, it's hackles raising like a reptilian cat. A fringe of spines along its neck raised and stood taut in alarm, and the beast retreated a step.
Elmont sighed. "There's something behind me, isn't there?"
"Get out of the way, fool!"
Elmont was swatted aside with such force his whole skeleton rattled. The world swirled into a confusing blur of green, gray, and white as he flew through the air. Instinct took over, and the knight braced himself before bellyflopping into the ground, all the air rushing out of him in a painful huff. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard roars and clashing metal: the sounds of two behemoths locked in combat. Groaning, he rolled onto his back, and through blurred vision saw the outline of a giant grappling with a twisting, hissing opponent. Fye, he thought blearily. Elmont rubbed at his eyes, willing them to focus. When they did he almost wished he was back in the dragon's lair, because the giant he was looking at most definitely was not Fye. It had one too many heads.
Fallon. Elmont gritted his teeth. Of all the bloody times for him to finally show up.
He'd been knocked far enough away that he was in no imminent danger of being crushed underfoot. Even so, he watched the battle with his senses on high alert, ready to move instantly if the fighting shifted his way. The dragon had reared onto its hind legs and was clawing at Fallon's chest, scratching furrows into both skin and armor. The serpent opened its mouth, lunging and blowing steam, and for a heartbeat Elmont thought the giant would get a faceful of fire. Then Fallon's fist plowed into the dragon's snout, deflecting the fireball so that it shot harmlessly into the sky.
Disoriented, the dragon became a snapping, writhing dervish. Clouds of steam billiard from its jaws, but for now it seemed unable to breathe more fire. With both giant and dragon wreathed in vapor it became difficult for Elmont to judge the fight's progress. He felt the tiniest bit of satisfaction that the dragon was giving as good as it got, what with it battling his least favorite giant.
Then a break in the clouds let Elmont see Fallon had managed to wrestle the serpent to the ground. Sweat and dirt caked both of Fallon's faces. His larger head was snarling like some hairless, humanoid bear.
Fallon had one meaty hand on the dragon's neck, crushing it, when a round, metallic blur streaked like a meteor over his shoulders. It whipped around, hitting his smaller head on the side of its helmet, making the two heads knock together with an audible smack.
The air sizzled from a fiery explosion of Gantish curses. "Give us that!" Fallon roared at a dark shape standing just behind him. Through the haze and smoke, it took Elmont a moment to make out Fee. The lanky giant passed the round, metallic object to his leader, and Elmont realized it was the flail: Fallon's weapon of choice.
Elmont almost felt sorry for the dragon. A flick of Fallon's wrist sent the iron ball crashing into its reptilian face. Spikes cracked and splintered as its head caved inward, the dragon's skull neatly split. Fallon swung the ball again, cursing. He kept swinging until the dragon's head was reduced to a mush of blood and bones.
With the dragon thoroughly dead, Fallon pulled himself off its carcass. It took a moment for the giant to free his legs, which had gotten tangled up in the dragon's tail. Once the last scaly coil fell away and the giant stood at his full height, Elmont decided it might be wise to move elsewhere. He tried to crawl away, but found he was laying in a dragon's footprint.
The two-headed monster ignored him completely, instead focusing his attention on Fee, who looked down at the ground with a guilty expression. "I suppose we should be glad to see you. You returned our weapon to us." Fallon's countenance looked pained. He rubbed the side of his second head, who squawked at Fee indignantly.
There was a heavy footstep, and Elmont saw a bulky figure step up beside his smaller brother. "Fye," Fallon said, dipping his chin in acknowledgement. "My thanks for leading me here. I would've let you strike the final blow but..."
Fye shrugged. "The human was in danger."
Fallon nodded, then called out to something over his shoulder. "You can come out now, little one."
Elmont stared, his dazed mind working frantically. Does he mean me? Surely the monster wouldn't speak of him with such...affection?
A small figure in a tattered gold dress emerged from behind a boulder, and all thought in Elmont's head temporarily stopped. Then recognition hit, and Elmont was pulling himself out of the enormous footprint and standing on shaky legs, fueled by a surge of energy. "Isabelle!"
Hearing his voice, the princess turned, saw him, and for a second looked as surprised as he felt. Then she was moving. Elmont felt a jolt of apprehension as the girl actually ran between Fallon's legs. It quickly passed when she collided into him, laughing and crying and hugging him like she was nine years old again. "Elmont! Oh, my god, it's good to see you!"
When the hugging lessened enough for him to breathe, Elmont patted the girl's back, chuckling. "I guarantee that feeling is mutual!" He held Isabelle at arm's length, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Let me look at you. Are you all right?"
"Yes! Are you?"
"I took a few severe beatings, but no worse than usual." Her fully human, good-natured laugh was the best sound he'd heard in days. Despite some rips and tears in her gown, some scratches, and tangled hair, she still managed to look like a princess. "What happened to you?" Elmont asked, eagerness making him forget all propriety. "I've been looking every-"
A shadow loomed over them. Before Elmont could react, Isabelle was snatched up and away from him by a very angry two-headed giant. "The girl stays with me, knight." Looking up, Elmont felt the weight of Fallon's twin glares trying to flatten him. The larger head wore a fierce scowl while the smaller stared at him with pursed lips.
There are times, Elmont thought, when a knight's chivalry outweighs his common sense. That, plus the fact that he had reached his absolute limit of being pushed around by mythical creatures, made him shout, "Put her down!"
Up in the giant's hand, he saw Isabelle shake her head frantically, mouthing a silent No!
Fallon growled down at him. "You do not give us orders. Not anymore."
Elmont reached for his sword. In hindsight, he would admit this was a tactical mistake. The giant reached down, snatched him up, and held him dangling in the air faster than he could think. He managed to pull his sword free, but it was no sooner drawn from the scabbard than Fallon was ripping it away with his teeth and spitting it on the ground. This close, he had an excellent view of Fallon's snarling faces, and could look straight into their hard, cruel eyes. Nearby, he vaguely registered Isabelle's screams. "Fallon, no!"
"Perhaps we should remind you," the giant's voice rumbled low and deadly serious, "that I am a General. By the laws of my kind and your own, I outrank you, knight." The giant said the last word with all the malice a dog might say flea. He lifted Elmont a little higher, then paused. Seemed to remember the princess in his other hand, glancing at her horrorstruck face. Something passed over Fallon's face, a conflicted expression that was gone so quickly Elmont almost doubted it ever existed. His second head gibbered something, sounding unhappy. Then Fallon fixed the knight with a withering look. "You have a fool's courage, so we will pardon your insolence this time. But draw steel against us again and we will skewer your heart upon that sword and eat it while you lay dying."
Logic told Elmont to leave things at that, for a death threat was preferable to actual death, but boiling hatred for this particular giant overrode his common sense. He spat. "Pity you didn't show Crawe the same courtesy."
Fire flashed in the monster's eyes, and Elmont was certain he was about to become personally acquainted with the inside of Fallon's stomach. He was steeling himself to go down fighting when Fye shouted, "Brothers, look!"
All eyes turned to the other giant, who was pointing at the sky. Overhead, a line of dark winged shapes flew below the clouds. Occasionally, bright red-orange specks would illuminate the scaly underbellies as fire streaked around them. Noting the direction, Elmont judged they were heading for the lowlands.
They watched until the last dragon was out of sight, then Fallon roused himself. Without a word, he knelt and dropped Elmont a few feet above the ground. The knight landed painfully on his backside for what had to be the fifteenth time that day. He had enough dignity not to cry out, instead just lay glaring up at the giant who resumed his full height.
Ignoring the human at his feet, Fallon growled. "I will tend to my wounds. Then we follow them."
{O}
Isabelle's reflection was pale and scared.
Fallon had sniffed out the closest source of water. Now he knelt, with forearms plunged up to the elbows in a fast-flowing mountain stream, while the others waited for him to return. With the water too fast and deep for her to venture in safely. Isabelle resigned herself to pacing up and down its mossy banks. Small, loose stones were everywhere, the kind that could easily turn an ankle on an unwary foot, but the princess was too strung out to care.
How could I have been so stupid? Her recent adventures had certainly changed her opinion of the giants, Fallon in particular. She no longer saw him as a heartless monster, and he definitely seemed to have grown softer regarding her. She was beginning to feel safe with him, was even starting to like being with him. But how could she have been so arrogant as to think she'd tamed him? No matter how hard you tried to control them, giants couldn't be tamed!
What just happened with Elmont had been so much like the time Fallon had captured her and Jack in the palace she'd been certain her most loyal knight was going to die. Unless Elmont had hidden a magic bean up his sleeve, he would've been helpless, completely at Fallon's mercy.
A smooth stone shifted underfoot, and nearly sent her sprawling. She stumbled, picked herself up, , then gathered a handful of pebbles. Carefully weaving her way around patches of mud, she crept up beside the giant and tossed the entire handful at him. Hardly enough to really bother him, but it had the desired effect.
"Ow!" His heads swiveled around, looking for the source of the attack, then spotted her. Both of them wore identical bemused looks. "What?"
She had to shout to be heard over the river. "Before we set out this morning you promised me you would leave humans alone!"
Fallon knit his thick eyebrows, confused. His smaller head tilted to one side and whimpered. "What?" Then her words sunk in, along with understanding. "Oh." He shrugged one shoulder, then splashed more water over an open gash in his chest. "The little man needed to learn his
place."
For a moment, the princess was so angry she was speechless. Then she tried again, needing to make him see. "But...the way you acted...I thought you were going to..." I thought you were going to kill my friend.
Fallon sighed. He picked up some of the pebbles she'd tossed at him and used them to scrub at a long claw mark splitting his cheek. He gazed into the rushing water as he spoke. "We won't harm the knight as long as he does as he's told and stays out of our way. Will that please you?"
Isabelle gaped. When exactly had pleasing her begun to matter to General Fallon? "I don't want you to hurt him at all," she muttered. She didn't look at him, but at her reflection in a murky puddle. "I don't want you to hurt anyone."
The giant stood. Water dripped from his huge armored body like rain. He gazed down at the girl, who barely reached the height of his ankle, and it took every bit of courage Isabelle had left not to back away. "My princess," he said softly. "I will try. For you."
[O]
Things could be worse.
That was what Elmont kept telling himself, over and over again. Isabelle was alive and unharmed. He was alive and -well, not exactly unharmed, but still functional. The sky was cloudy, but not raining. The wind was brisk, but not unbearable. Yes, things could always be worse.
That he and Isabelle were both virtual prisoners of a gang of violent, destructive giants certainly counted as bad. But Elmont was doing his best to stay positive. After their initial hot-tempered confrontation, Fallon appeared to have completely forgotten he existed, which was just fine with Elmont. Up on Fee's shoulder, he could keep an eye on Isabelle, who was currently perched on the General's massive shoulder like a butterfly. With Fallon leading the way, Elmont had a chance to study her and the monster together. She seems to have mastered the art of riding a giant, he mused. Of course, she does have something solid to hang on to. He was mildly surprised Fallon's smaller head let her cling to it's neck without complaint. Pity Fee doesn't have an extra head. Then I'd have something to grab besides hair and loose metal.
But things could always be worse.
His mantra was growing less comforting the further downslope they went. Because by Elmont's reckoning, he and the princess were heading straight into a brawl between giants and dragons. That definitely qualified as worse.
Maybe we can slip away while they fight. Recent experience had taught him not to trust Foe or Fye to protect him. He wasn't sure Fallon was quite so careless with Isabelle. He'd been around enough giants lately to see the General was fiercely territorial when it came to her. Which, Elmont thought with a sour taste in his mouth, explains why she's still alive.
The landscape got progressively greener as they left the mountains behind. Patches of dirt and tall grass grew more frequent, as well as stands of spruce and pine. The going became slower as the giants would pause to push the taller foliage aside. Some trees they would just rip out by the roots, which made Elmont cringe. This lot would give a forester nightmares.
Fallon stopped, motioning for the others to stop with him. "I smell fire," he growled. "We are close." The giant cast a quick glance at the princess sitting on his shoulder. Elmont was no expert at reading nonhuman facial expressions, but he thought he saw a flicker of worry in Fallon's dark eyes. Could he be having second thoughts about bringing her into a battle? He should be.
It wasn't long before Elmont also smelled fire, even fancied he heard the crackling flames. They came to the edge of a wood full of nothing but charred stumps. Crispy brown grass turned to powder wherever the giants stepped. Coughing, Elmont clutched at Fee's hair, his throat and eyes burning from acrid smoke. Noticing Fee's puffed out cheeks, he realized the giant was holding his breath. Huh, Elmont thought through a foggy head. Maybe he has some sense after all.
Beyond the blackened forest, they encountered a village. Or what was left of a village.
Everywhere Elmont looked, he saw destruction. Clusters of small, thatched huts burned merrily to the ground. The air was clogged with soot, and swirling with little white flakes that looked deceptively like snow. Elmont had to constantly brush them off while swallowing his disgust. From somewhere, a goat bleated mournfully, it's plaintive cries seeming lost among the other, louder, sounds of lives burning uncontrolled. "All together," Fallon said. The giants gathered around their leader, whose heads took turns looking, taking in every horrifying detail. Elmont scanned Fallon's shoulders for a glimpse of Isabelle. Though he tried, the knight could barely see her through the smoke, but he imagined she was coping with the scene about as well as he was.
They were peasants, he thought miserably. Hillfolk. Living peaceful lives, relying on the mountains to shield them.
The mountains hadn't been much use against enemies with wings.
"All the humans are dead or carried off," Fye said, gruff as ever.
"No doubt," Fallon agreed. The monster reached up to pat something between his two heads. Elmont struggled to see through teary, stinging eyes. Was he comforting Isabelle?
Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. All eyes turned skyward to see the dragons circling overhead, mockingly out of reach. Enraged, Fye picked up the smoldering remains of a burnt-out hut, hefted it, then hurled the entire structure at the sky. Elmont watched, dumbstruck, as the flying house climbed, lost altitude, and sailed over the horizon. The dragons merely circled higher.
"Stand down, Fye," Fallon snapped. Fye grumbled, but didn't send anything else into orbit.
Shaking his main head, Fallon beckoned for Fee and Fye to follow him. "There's nothing more to be done here. Come. I will lead you all back to the castle."
"Castle?" Fee asked hopefully.
Castle? Elmont thought, his mind full of dread.
The castle turned out to be as inviting as the one he'd seen on Gantua, meaning it loomed over him like certain death. He had to admit the entrance sculpted to resemble an open, hungry mouth was a nice touch; it made the place look extra terrifying to human eyes. Fee and Fye were overjoyed at the sight, with Fye actually cracking a genuine smile for once. "I didn't think anything was left from the old days."
"Needs repairs,"Fallon grumbled.
"Can I pick my own room?" Fee asked, grinning.
"Take one with a fallen roof. Maybe you can make a bed out of the rubble." Elmont couldn't tell whether Fye was joking or not.
The giants all agreed it necessary to assess the extent of the damage before taking up full-time residence. Fee and Fye ventured inside eagerly, leaving Elmont at the top of a very wide staircase. Fallon hesitated before setting Isabelle down beside him, saying, "We will return for you soon." He shot Elmont a warning glare before turning his broad back on them and disappearing into the castle.
"Hard to believe proof of the old legends was hidden up in the mountains this whole time," Isabelle said, munching on an apple she'd produced from somewhere. Elmont wondered if a giant had found it for her. She sat down beside him at the top of the stairs.
Elmont smiled. Having her close was doing wonders for his mood. "If you had known when you were little, you would've climbed the whole mountain on your hands and knees, and Crawe and I would've stubbed our toes and broken our backs trying to drag you back down"
She laughed. Together, they shared a moment simply taking in everything in quiet wonder. Up above, the sky was growing darker with approaching nightfall, the clouds turning mixed shades of gray and purple and black. The wind was getting friskier too, and the altitude didn't make it any warmer.
"We should sneak away. Now. Find someplace to hide until dawn, then make our way back to Cloister." He knew it was a bad plan even as he said it, but he felt he should say something.
Isabelle shook her head. "We'd never even make it down these stairs. Besides, I can't leave Fallon. I promised him." Her mouth snapped shut.
Elmont didn't like the sound of this. "What did you promise him?"
She was edging away from him now. Also refusing to look at him. Not a good sign. "If we have a hope of defeating these dragons, we need his cooperation. I don't want to see any more villages burnt?" A very nice attempt not to answer the question; however, Elmont was familiar with that tactic after years of dealing with her escape attempts from the palace. He knew his king's daughter - knew her better than she thought he did - and understood giants enough to guess the type of promise Fallon would accept.
Elmont really didn't like the sound of this.
"Isabelle," he said gently, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him, "please tell me you didn't agree to hand yourself over to that monster."
Her hesitant reply told him everything he needed to know. "I-I was desperate..."
"Isabelle," he whispered through a tightening throat, feeling like Fye had just dropped a house on him, and sat on it for good measure. "Jack's alive. He's waiting for you."
Isabelle's eyes were wide and bright, full of hope and sorrow. "I-I have to..." Whatever she'd been about to say was drowned out by the heavy thump of giant feet. The princess tore her face out of Elmont's hands and scooted away from him just as Fallon stepped through the castle doors. "I think we'll have to continue this conversation later."
Oh, we will, Elmont thought. Without saying a word, Fallon loomed over them, swept Isabelle up in one hand, and carried her off, growling as he went. In the spot where she had been lay a chewed-up apple core. Elmont thought it the most depressing piece of fruit he'd ever seen.
The knight was so deep in thought he didn't notice Fye's approach until the giant was standing over him. "Come with me." Fye's scowl was back firmly in place. "Fallon says I can't kill you yet."
Try not to sound so disappointed, old friend. "Where's Fee?" Of the two, Elmont trusted Fee more not to bake him in a pastry. Well, not on purpose, anyway.
"Fee has a job to do." The giant didn't elaborate, and Elmont didn't expect him too. He gulped as Fye's huge hand reached for him. "You're stuck with me tonight."
Elmont had just enough time to mutter a prayer to God, the angels, and anyone else who might be listening before Fye's hard, heavy fingers closed tightly on him.
[O]
When they were far enough away from Elmont, Isabelle smacked the back of Fallon's hand.
"Stop that," she said, referring to his constant, low growling. "He wasn't bothering you."
"His mere presence is enough to irritate us," the giant grumbled, but he stopped making angry sounds.
Within his grasp, Isabelle watched the floor pass by far below her. It was broken in places, resembling a giant stone puzzle board. She expected Fallon to take her down into the treasury again, but instead he chose a different passage. A few braziers along the walls had been lit, sending up gouts of flame that could broil a whole ox. Everything about the castle was so large, Isabelle felt almost invisible.
The passage ended at the foot of an ascending staircase. Fallon began to climb, up and up and up. Just when he'd carried her so high Isabelle feared the top of her head would go spinning off, he reached the landing and used his free hand to push open an ornate brass door.
"These quarters are the most hospitable in the castle after so many centuries." Which wasn't saying much. A great stone bed was shoved up against the far wall, covered in a blanket that appeared to be a patchwork of various animal pelts. A pair of high, narrow windows overlooked the room, letting in bursts of icy wind. A huge chest was situated beside the bed, made of polished stone and decorated with bits of bone. Glancing down, Isabelle saw more bones scattered across the floor - she didn't look close enough to tell if they were human. Overall, the princess felt as though she'd entered some long-forgotten tomb.
Fallon set her down on the bed, right in the middle of the ancient fur blanket. She sneezed as a huge dust cloud billowed up around her. Needs airing out, she thought. Years of it. Still, the wind blowing into the tower room was cold enough to make her teeth rattle. If I looked outside, would I see nothing but clouds? If so, then she was grateful the windows were too high up for her to up a corner of the blanket proved too hard; the thing was too stiff and weighted with grime. Hunkering down, she tried to make herself as comfortable as she could.
Fallon had taken an interest in the stone chest. He had the lid thrown back and was trawling through its contents, muttering to himself. Now and then, he would find something that truly interested him, such as a gold coin or a piece of armor. From the bed, Isabelle watched as he examined a pair of rust-covered gauntlets. "Need a good scraping," he mumbled, then tossed them back in the chest.
Turning away, Fallon appeared to lose all interest in the chest and began pacing the room. He seemed full of nervous energy, muttering to himself, using both human and Gantish words so that Isabelle soon gave up trying to understand him. His flail, once again securely looped at his side, jangled menacingly. Gazing up at him always made her feel small. Now, as his huge footsteps thumped throughout the room and she sat completely exposed, she almost wished the bars of her old cage were between them.
"Do you know," Fallon rumbled, finally turning to her, "what that boy of yours has done?" He began stripping off pieces of his armor as he spoke, snapping the straps and links carelessly. "Fye informed us," he growled, sliding off a wrist guard and throwing it down. "He said-" here he removed his cuirass and let it fall "-that Jack-" he tore off his second wrist guard, only this one he hurled against the wall "-allowed the dragon's to carry off the Crown as a trophy!" He stopped, breathing hand, wearing nothing but his armored skirt and a scowl that would turn the bravest knights pale. Isabelle covered on the giant bed, shivering, unable to meet his fiery glare. "I-I'm sure he didn't mean-"
Looking down on her huddled form, the giant suddenly softened. "You are cold."
"I-I'm fine," Isabelle said, though it felt like snowflakes were freezing on her skin.
"You are a poor liar as well." He sat down beside her - Isabelle tried not to flinch when he did that - and before she had a chance to protest the girl found herself being picked up and dropped into his lap. She flailed around, trying to get her bearings, and almost lost her hand in his navel. The idea that she'd nearly stuck her fingers in a giant's bellybutton made her giggle.
He cupped his hand around her. "Warmer now?"
"Mmh-hmm," she murmured, leaning into him. This was the Fallon she cared for, not the stomping, raging brute of a moment ago. This was the Fallon who made her feel safe and protected. Without his cuirass, there was no metal separating her from his skin. His breathing pushed her up and down, and her mind wandered.
She thought of the Crown, lost, possibly in the keeping of the dragon's at this very moment. She thought of the sad little village they'd found, it's villagers all burnt or eaten alive. And felt a smack between the eyes as something became shockingly clear.
He's terrified, she thought, stunned. Another thousand years might go by before he'd ever admit to such a thing, but Isabelle knew she was right. He's afraid of being enslaved again. It had never seemed possible that anything could frighten the mighty General Fallon, the Terror With Two Heads and war chief of the entire giant race, but she could understand. No human master could ever be as cruel as one of the dragons, with their cold, reptilian hearts.
Compassion for him welled up inside her, even though part of her insisted he didn't deserve it. We've both suffered, she thought sadly. Something large and warm pressed into her back, trailing gently down her spine. He was petting her.
"It has to stop," she mumbled against his skin. Unsure if he even heard her, she continued anyway. "This war with the dragons, we have to end it. We have to win. For all our sakes."
"We know, little one." Rough fingers gently wrapped around her, and the princess found herself lifted up until Fallon's angular face floated before her like a moon. His second head squawked at her in greeting, a lopsided grin spreading across it's face. Fallon brought her close, bumping her with his nose, nuzzling and sniffing. He likes the way I smell, Isabelle thought, a tiny smile playing over her lips. Well, if it keeps him calm...
Impulse seized her. Very slowly, she reached out a hand, hesitated, then laid it against Fallon's cheek. His gray eyes widened at the contact, expressing shock, but otherwise he did nothing to discourage her touch. Under her palm, his cheek felt scratchy, covered in stubble. A cut left by a dragon's claw ended in a jagged line above her hand. She trailed her fingers over the damaged flesh. It had mostly scabbed over, but was still red and puffy around the edges.
"You should put some yarrow on this," she said, stroking the wound. Fallon said nothing, but rumbled deep in his chest. The princess recognized it as a happy sound.
Later, Isabelle would wonder where she'd found the courage to ask it, but somehow the question just came tumbling out. "Why did you kiss me that day in the garden?"
The giant growled. She continued to stroke his cheek, willing him to be calm. "Because I wanted to," he finally said.
Isabelle wanted to smack the end of his giant nose in frustration. "But why-"
"Enough." He pulled her away from his face. With her still clutched in his hand, the giant swung his thick legs up and lay full-length upon the stone bed. Isabelle was still reeling from all the motion when he dropped her. She landed with a soft plop on his bare chest. On her hands and knees, she gawked at the ridges and valleys around her.
The princess felt her cheeks grow hot. So much naked masculine flesh made her inner maiden want to swoon. "Do you like your new bed, Your Highness?" He sounded smug. Strike that. One look at his face told her he was smug.
"You're impossible," she muttered, curling up on a mound of muscle. She noticed with gratitude Fallon had removed the blood-dyed skull necklace he always wore. The sight of it had always made her skin crawl. Sleeping near it would've been unthinkable.
It wasn't long before Isabelle began to have trouble keeping her eyes open. Fallon's heart beat below her like a great thumping wardrum, slow and strong. A tendril of guilt took root inside her own chest. Fallon wasn't exactly a man, but he was close enough that it almost didn't matter, and here she was sleeping with him. What would Jack think?
But Jack became as distant as the monastery belltower when Fallon's fingers trailed lovingly down her spine. "When Fee returns, things will be different," he rumbled. Isabelle's half-asleep brain dimly heard the words. "Don't be afraid. We will keep you safe."
She was asleep before she could think to ask what he meant by that, or even wonder where Fee had gone.
{O}
It felt like only half the night had passed before Fallon plucked her off his chest, rumbling an apology she barely understood. Without dressing, the giant strode from the room, carrying her with him. In the passage outside, the braziers had burned down to stubs. Isabelle strained to see, and jumped when she heard Fye speak directly in front of them. "They're here."
What? A sleepy Isabelle wanted to ask, but was whisked along by Fallon, who marched purposefully towards the castle gates. Flanked by Fye, the General stepped out into the pre-dawn light.
Fee stood at the top of the staircase, grinning. Behind him was a line of ambling, humanoid shadows. Though she could barely see through the gloom, Isabelle knew they were giants. More were coming in single-file up the stairs - she could hear the clanking of their weapons and armor. Fye drew up beside his leader, and the princess saw clutched in his left hand was a very dazed-looking knight.
"I did it!" Fee cried happily. "I brought down the others!"
It was then Isabelle realized that in the chaos of dragon slaying, they all had forgotten about the beanstalk. Fully awake now, she felt her heart wanting to climb into her throat.
Bare-chested, Fallon raised a fist high. "BROTHERS!" he shouted, and his thunderous voice echoed throughout the mountains. In his other fist, Isabelle clapped her hands over her ears.
"WELCOME BACK!"