Content Warning: This chapter contains brief mentions of abduction, rape, and death.

The next day, Mattie headed west and took the road into the woods, following the directions the tailor had given her to get to Pavel's house. As she walked, Mattie had a lingering feeling of guilt for lying to Ivan; for telling him that she would be with Natalya and the girls, but only remaining at Natalya's home long enough to leave without the possibility of being caught.

But she felt like she had to do this. She needed to know the truth, but didn't want to hurt Ivan by asking him about it.

Turning left at the whale ribs, as the tailor had instructed, it was not long before Mattie found the house. He was right about not being able to miss it. The house was about the size of hers and Ivan's house, but it was decorated in bones and skins of mainly animals. The yard was littered with bones of all sizes and shapes; the surrounding grass long dead from all the rot that must have taken place. Above the door of Pavel's home was a human looking skull sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out down the faded path to the home. Two big wolfhounds laid on the small porch in front, one raising its head to watch as she drew nearer.

Mattie was rather uneasy at the sight of the cabin; it was an eerie looking place and definitely didn't seem very welcoming. She hesitated for a few moments, debating if she really would rather talk to this person than to the doctor before deciding she may as well try this person since she was already here.

The wolfhounds were a bit intimidating and she approached the porch slowly with much caution, not sure how they'd react to her presence once she got closer. She quickly learned their response was an unwelcome one as one began to growl and the other started to bark. Mattie stopped where she was immediately, startled and admittedly a little afraid.

The front door then slammed open, almost coming off its hinges. A man that looked to be in his fifties came storming out with a knife in his hand, looking battle ready until his eyes fell on the woman, his expression then becoming more of an annoyed gaze. "Stay." He spoke roughly to his dogs and they quieted to a soft growl. Putting the knife away, the man had a slightly softer look on his face. "You're a tall one for a woman, what do you want."

Mattie took an involuntary step back at the way the man had appeared, but didn't go back farther than that. Giving a timid smile, she replied. "I am. I have a question I wanted answered, but I wanted more than just rumors. I've been told you are one of few who know more than just the rumors and I thought I'd come see if you would be willing to answer my question."

"And that question would be?" Pavel crossed his arms.

"I was wondering how Ivan got the scars on his back."

"Ya want the long version or the short?" He clearly did not want to stand out here all day.

"The long version please… if that's not too much to ask."

The man groaned, a scowl on his face. "At least tell me why and who the hell ya are."

"My name is Mattie. I've been living with Ivan since I arrived here about a year and a half ago."

He stared at her for a long while and almost seemed to ignore her. "Get inside."

Mattie hesitated for a moment before walking forward, glancing down at the dogs warily as she passed them and went inside.

Pavel sat Mattie down in his living room, which turned out to be more of a trophy room than a living room. She sat, glancing around quietly. More pelts covered the inside of the house, and skeletons of various animals as well as one great skull sat over the mantle on the fireplace; it was twice the size of a grown man's skull.

As the old man sat in a fur-covered armchair across from her, Mattie turned her attention back to him. "Now then. Ya know of the three words, yes?"

She nods once. "I've seen them, but I can't read, so I don't know what they say."

The man counted with his fingers as he spoke. "Monster. Murderer. Giant. The three words were branded into his back with hot iron the night after his grandfather, Tamerlane, was found dead in his home."

"Oh." She frowned sadly at the words. "His grandfather had a… heart attack, right?"

"That is what the doctor said." She nodded a little and remained silent. He lifted an eyebrow before standing. "Oh? No other questions? That certainly did not take long."

"Ah, sorry. I do have more. I just didn't want to interrupt if you had more to say." She apologizes.

Pavel sat back down with a huff. "Ya want to know what happened without the rumors. Ya want the truth, but it is blunt and to the point. I will answer only what you ask so be blunt. Just know that I will not take whining. If you don't like what you hear, then leave. I do not care if it hurts your feelings."

"I'm not going to whine and I've gotten plenty used to hearing things I don't like. And quite frankly I'd rather have my feelings hurt than be stabbed in the stomach again." She snaps with a frown. She paused for a moment after that, her frown disappearing as she realized she'd lost her temper for just a second there. "Sorry. Um… why did they hurt Ivan if his grandfather had a heart attack? It wasn't Ivan's fault that his grandfather died, right?"

"No. It turned out it wasn't, but no one knew what had happened until the doctor had a look at his body. Everyone had thought that Ivan had finally succumbed to his animal nature and strangled the old man."

Animal nature? She frowned a bit at that. "Why do so many people hate him?"

"Because of his father really. For most, that is more than enough of a reason to chop his head off."

"Why?" She tilts her head to the side a little. "I haven't heard anything of his father. I've only heard about his grandfather and very briefly about his mother."

"His father was a giant, the first one seen in a hundred years on these lands." The old man started, relaxing in his chair like he was about to tell a grand story. "A small one really, in comparison to the old bones of the ones found before. Or maybe it was just a juvenile. Nonetheless, within a month, he had destroyed three farms and seven buildings, stealing livestock and whatnot. But no one had ever seen more than a shadow in the night. By the time anyone had realized that it was a giant's doing, a number of people had gone missing, even more before we found the giant. Seventeen women and five men had been taken. Most were killed and some were even eaten."

"What does that have to do with Ivan?"

He shrugged, looking indifferent. "Nothing, he's just the bastard son of the giant."

"But that doesn't make sense. It's not his fault that that's who his father was. Why punish him for something that's not his fault?"

"Punish? An odd thing to say, is that what they are calling it now?" He shook his head.

"What word would you rather I use? Hate? Injure? Insult?"

"Because he is a giant, or rather a half-breed, cripple is the word I'd use."

"But that's not his fault. He didn't choose to be one."

"Is there something that you hate or dislike just by looking at it? You may not know why, only you know that you don't like it and want it gone. It is the same thing. Like rats."

"I suppose… though most things that I dislike, I know why I dislike them. Like the way people treat Ivan, the way some people treat me, and the way some people assume he treats me harshly when he doesn't."

"Have you anymore questions?"

She went quiet for a moment, considering whether or not it would be a good idea to ask something or not. "Well… I do have one, but it's more of a what if question."

"And that is?"

"Well… Ivan and I are in a relationship." She says slowly. "If I were to get pregnant, how do you think the townspeople would react to that in general, and how do you think they would react if I were to die like his mother did?"

The man simply pointed to the skull of the fireplace. He was utterly calm about it and did not take his eyes off her. "His head right next to his father's. The child too perhaps."

She grimaces at that. "And… if I were to live?" She asks tentatively.

He brought his hand back to rest on his lap. "I believe no one wants another giant around, yes?"

"...Yes." She nods and stands up. "That's all of the questions I have. Thank you for taking the time to answer them for me."

Pavel just raised his brows. "Need help getting out?"

"As long as your dogs will let me past them, I think I can manage on my own thank you."

"They will so long as ya don't run."

"I will make sure to walk then." Mattie says, walking to the door and exiting the house. She made sure to walk until she was out of sight of the house and then hurried until she'd gotten back to Natalya's house. She went back to playing with them until it was time for Ivan to be back from fishing, but made no mention of her visit to Ivan or anyone else.

)*(

About two days later, Mattie was standing in the doorway of the doctor's study on her own. She was out and about yet again when she was supposed to be at Natalya's; it was time to ask the doctor what he knew.

"Is there something else you need, Mattie?" The doctor asks in a slightly annoyed tone as he sat at his desk, in the middle of writing out a document.

"I… wanted to know about Ivan's past. The tailor suggested I ask you."

He stopped writing and looked up at her before pointing to a chair in front of him. "Sit." As Mattie took a seat, the doctor set his things aside and then neatly laced his fingers together. "I have been waiting for you to show up here with that question in mind for some time now."

"You have?"

"You and Ivan are engaging in fornication are you not?" He said bluntly just after her question.

"... I do not believe I was ever taught that word."

"Having sex."

"I wasn't taught that word either."

The doctor looked a bit bewildered for a moment. "Do you know what a penis or vagina is?"

"I wasn't taught those words either."

He gave her an odd look and opened one of his drawers to pull out two papers. Both were diagrams of the human body, one male and one female. He set them on his desk facing her. "Please tell me that you know the difference between these two pictures."

She nodded and pointed at the female one first. "That body is like mine, and that one," She pointed to the male one. "Is like Ivan's."

The man then pointed to both sexual organs. "Men have a penis and women have a vagina, when a man's penis is in a woman's vagina, that is fornication, sex."

"Oh." She nodded in understanding while he sighed and put the diagrams away carefully. How has she not been told of any of this? "Again with my original question, have you and Ivan been interacting with each other in such means?" When Mattie nodded in response, he hummed in thought and then stood. "So, what would you like to know about Ivan's past?"

"Just more about it. I've already been told about his father and how he got the scars on his back by Pavel."

"Pavel? You've spoken to Pavel already?" The doctor looked surprised.

"I have."

"So you are here about his mother then?" He gestured for her to follow him.

"I suppose so." She says, standing up and following after him. "All I know about her is that she's dead."

"Then ask your questions, whatever they are I will answer." He looked at her as he spoke and walked slowly down a hallway.

"Well... Pavel stopped at how many were kidnapped and I suppose I don't quite understand how she ended up pregnant...?"

"That is quite simple, she was raped by the giant." He says, glancing at her. "Forced to have sex against her will."

"I thought babies were a choice though...?" She asks, a bit confused.

"No, not always. Men have been known to force their children into unwilling women. Ivan is such a case; his mother did not choose to have him, and she was forced to."

"Oh..." Mattie frowned unhappily at this, going quiet for a few moments before tilting her head a little. "What was his mother like?"

"A strong and happy woman; the village loved her deeply. She was preparing to become a full member of the church and to care for the children there, as a sister and mother to them, and to all."

"I see." She nodded. "Is that part of why the village hates Ivan so much? Aside from what his father was I mean."

"Yes, that is a part of it." The slow walk continued down the hall. "More questions?"

"Did she... hate Ivan too...?" She asks slowly, seeming reluctant to use such a word.

He was silent for a moment, but his expression became hardened. "No, oddly enough she did not... She was scared of him for a very long time, coming and going from here over any little thing that happened during her pregnancy, but in the end, all she wanted to do was hold him. I remember her speaking to him while we were working to stop the bleeding and the nurse was trying to take him away from her."

"What was she saying? Do you remember?"

"I was not paying attention. The nurse that was working with her may still remember though if you really wanted to know."

"Where can I find that nurse?"

"You may be surprised to know, but she is Natalya's grandmother. You are friends with that child, yes?" He looked at her, remembering how much that child had visited her while she was injured.

"Oh!" Mattie gasps in surprise. "Yes, I'm friends with her. I was actually going over to visit after I talked with you."

"Hm. Are there anymore questions you wish to ask of me?"

She shook her head. "None that I can think of. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions."

He stopped and turned to her. "Very well, you know where to find me if you... need anything."

Mattie thanked him before turning around to leave, but the doctor reached out and grabbed onto her upper arm. "Ah, just one more thing before you go."

She jerked away from his hold before turning to look at him. "Yes?"

"I could help but notice, that for a woman with such small hips, you have quite a bit more rotation in your walk." He smiled a little for the first time and spoke softly. "I look forward to seeing the child you two form together."

She stared at him uneasily, before turning and quickly leaving without saying another word. She gave a shudder after she was away from the doctor's home; his words had unnerved her greatly.

)*(

Natalya's mother answered the door when she arrived. "Oh, hello Mattie. Are you here to see Natalya?"

"In a little while yes, but I actually had a few questions for your mother first if she's not busy."

"Oh..." She blinked in surprise, certainly not expecting that sort of request. "No, I don't think so, come in Mattie."

Mattie smiled a little and followed the mother to in the kitchen where the grandmother was knitting by the stove, seemingly watching the food while the mother had gone to the door.

"Mother, you remember Mattie? She has come to see you today." The elderly woman looks to Mattie for a brief moment before continuing her knitting.

Mattie greeted her with a smile and sat down in a chair near the woman. "Yes, I had a few questions. I've been asking around about Ivan's past. I've already spoke to Pavel and the doctor, but he wasn't able to answer one of the questions." She explains softly.

The woman glanced up at her. "You wish to know of his birth."

Mattie nods. "The doctor mentioned she was speaking to him while they were working and I was wondering if you remembered what she said."

"Ah, I remember it quite well. Not many births I have had to deal with in my lifetime that were like that."

"Would you mind telling me about it?"

"Do you want to hear the whole story or just what Helina had to say?"

"The whole story if you don't mind."

)*(

When the child was on its way, Helina screamed and cried; the poor woman was terrified. As was her father, Tamerlane. He was at her side for as much as he could, whispering to her, holding her as she wept. It was going to be a horrifying evening for them both.

Having devoted her self to God she had never had man in her life other than her father. With such, never had the thought of giving birth crossed her mind and she had little idea of what to expect.

Helina begged for help whenever she felt pain and the most the nurses could do was massage her aching body. The doctor had given her something to help with the pain after a while, but it did little to soothe her.

"Father... f-forgive me."

His words were gentle as the evening breeze. "There is nothing to forgive; you are still my strong, beautiful daughter, Helina." Tamerlane held firm to that reply, ever since they found her and the other survivors. "And that is what you will always be. Nothing could ever change that."

She closed her eyes and turned away from her father, new tears fell as she wept. "Oh God... T-tell me... Tell me why. Why have you chosen to let this happen? Is this the price I have to give for asking to live...? Why? What have I done wrong to suffer like this!?" Angry and scared, she covered her face with her hands; Helina's words could not be made out for more than pleaded mumbles; for mercy, for forgiveness, for a sign. She had so little faith, so little left. Having never felt more abandoned than she did now.

Time neared for the child to be born, she could feel it. How everything from before was nothing like this, this weird sensation that began to coarse through her whole body and how the pain changed. She knew. She knew and it was horrifying. "Oh God. Oh God, no. No, no, no, no... Please, I beg of you!" Helina then screamed in agony, but the pain did not last.

However... she could feel that there was more to come. It was written all over their faces. How her father's expression lost all confidence; the nurses that just stood by and watch her writhe in misery, now ran to find the doctor. "Please... God, help me..."

The doctor rushed in not a moment later, took one look over the situation before turning to the nurses. Point to them one at a time to give them orders, having in the end only about three permitted in the room. "Tamerlane, I-" The doctor started."I know what you are going to say and I'd like to see you try and remove me from my daughter's side.""That is highly improper..." He grumbled, knowing full well that he did not have the time or the staff to forcibly make the man leave.Tamerlane turned to him now and like a raging thunderstorm, his voice boomed. "And just what about this is proper!? Tell me, God damn you! My only child is being forced to give birth to a barbarian half-breed!"

"The child will still appear human, it might even be human. It is not as if it is a monster." The doctor replied calmly. If this man ever felt sympathy, he was poorly capable of showing it.

Tamerlane had much more to say, but his daughter's screams pulled him away from the doctor and to where he truly needed to be.

"I-I can't, I can't— F-father..."

Taking her hand in his and placing a kiss upon her forehead, his words were soft only for her ears. "Hush now, breath in slowly. You can, I know you can." He smiled as she followed his guidance and crushed his hand with the strength he knew she held. God be damned, only his love and daughter had the power to break his hands.

Many hours passed before Helina was able to birth the child, cries filled the room that once only held her screams.

"A boy." The nurse supplied gently as the child was handed to her from the doctor.

Helina, from where she lay now, could barely see. The nurse was cleaning the boy as he continued to wail; she saw maybe a foot or a hand. What does it look like...? Is it... is it human?

"Can... can I see?" She whispered as she pulled herself up by her father's arm. The nurse gave a frightened glance to Tamerlane, not certain if it was a good thing to do. "Please. I want— I need to know."

"Whatever she wants." Tamerlane says to reassure the nurse and with that, the nurse brought the newborn to her side.

Being held up by her father's arms, Helina hesitantly looked down at the child barely covered in a towel. She showed no reaction, only holding her gaze on the crying boy. Her first thought was not what anyone or herself would have expected. "You... you must be cold on a night like this."With that murmur from her lips and before anyone could stop her, she leaned over and pulled the child into a gentle embrace. He was not as heavy as she was expecting, but still difficult to hold, being as exhausted as she was. Helina was stubborn and lightly ignored her father's and the nurse's help. With him tucked in and against her breasts, his gaze locked onto her own and Helina smiled ever so slightly.

And just like that, his crying came to a stop; a few whines and hiccups were the only sounds Helina heard. Feeling his faint warmth and heart against her own, all her fear, her anger, and her sorrow felt so far away. Like everything was a blur as she felt more like herself than she had in a year.

Taking his tiny hand between her fingers ever so softly, she spoke to him quietly like any other mother would to their newborn. "You have a gentle soul, don't you? Not a drop of that monster in you, is there? Look at your eyes; they're just like mine, and your nose; like my father's."

The doctor gestured for the nurse to take the child. "Ma'am..." The nurse held her arms out for the child. But Helina's hold tensed up and shook her head; she didn't want to hand him over. This, son of hers, that she had given life to, was not what she was afraid of.

The nurse let it be and returned to the doctor's side. The doctor then whispered angrily in her ear. "What are you doing? I told you to remove the child from the room. She will not let it go if she bonds with it."

The nurse replied just the same. "He is perfectly healthy, I have no need to remove him from his mother. Helina is weak, she needs rest, not stress.""She has already informed me before that she does not wish to keep the child!"

"But she can change her mind! It is her son! I will leave this clinic before I separate a mother and her newborn child."

"So be it." The doctor turned to the last two nurses in the room. "Take the child into the other room and let her rest."

"No." Tamerlane said firmly as he laid his daughter back down on her bed, child in her arms.

"Tamerlane, you yourself said earlier-"

"What my daughter wants is what matters to me, if she wishes to hold it. So be it." The doctor stormed from the room, never had the nurses seen him so angry. But no one cared.

)*(

"—I had to help her nurse him for the first time, Helina was not able to move him. She kept saying, a little longer... just a little longer, whenever someone went to take Ivan from her and in the late hours of that night while it was only her father and I with her, she would continue to talk to him. About how he was a handsome boy, how strong he looked, how he would grow to be a kind and loving man..."

The old nurse took a small drink of water and then continued. "Then Helina named him, much to Tamerlane's shock and distaste. Ivan was named after his grandfather's birth name and his mother's own name as his last name. She asked if her father would help raise him, protect him, to help make him into the man she promised he would be.

Tamerlane agreed that he would do that for her. She had smiled with joy and then began to sing Ivan to sleep... her singing became humming... and as Ivan fell asleep in her arms, she too fell asleep with a soft smile of her face." The grandmother set her knitting down, her eyes still on the woven thread. "Helina... never awoke that morning, she had slipped away some time in the night."

When the story was over, Mattie; having been utterly silent the whole time was a bit surprised to find that she was crying and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you for telling me." She says softly.

The grandmother nodded and looked to Mattie. "Have you found all the answers you were looking for?"

Mattie nodded as well. "Yes... thank you."

"Take care then." She resumed her knitting once more.

Excusing herself from the room, Mattie went to go play with Natalya until Ivan would be back for her. Surprised to find the little girl quietly crying in the other room, Mattie quickly realized she must have been listening in on the story. The pair spent the remaining time in a long embrace and speaking soft words instead of playing. It helped them both recover from such a tale, and allowed them to appear happy by the time Mattie had to return home with Ivan.