A/N- Holy crap could I have waited any longer to add to this story? I've been so crazy busy but I finally had a little time last night to look it over. I forgot how much I'm enjoying it! I hope I can finish it up by January. My classes next semester are going to kill me with writing, so I doubt I'd have anytime to finish if I don't do it before they start! This chapter is really cute I think, but it is a tad short. I should get the next chapter out pretty quick, my weekend is almost homework free. Anyway, please enjoy! I hope it hasn't been too long that it's no longer interesting. If so, you should just reread the whole thing! That's what I did and it inspired me to write more! :) Thanks again for those who read. -Md

The Giant Beanstalk

"How's the leg Charlie?" El said as they walked slowly next to the stream.

Char laughed at the new name he'd been given. El had been insistent upon not calling him either by his nickname, Char, or his full name, Charming. She'd finally decided on Charlie, heaven knows why, and he just didn't have the strength to argue with her.

"It's not too bad, just hurts when I walk or sit…or stand…or pretty much do anything."

"Oh, so you're up for a quick jog then aye?" She smirked. " You know what, chances are we're going to run into someone or something that can heal your wounded leg pretty quick."

"Yes, and then said person or thing will try and kill us." Char laughed.

"Well that seems to be the pattern, but we'd make it out at the last minute." She assured him.

"Just to be safe though, how about we don't wander into anymore houses or run into any more COWs."

"Deal……" El's voice faded out as she spoke.

Looking up, Char noticed she was looking towards the depths of the forest with a look of confusion on her face. He turned and followed her gaze. In the midst of the thick brown trunks there was a green trunk, one that was twice the thickness of the ones surrounding it. They both turned their gazes upwards, searching for the top of the strange green tree but they couldn't see it. It rose high above the surrounding canopy of leaves and faded into the clouds. Without looking at each other, they both slowly walked toward the thing. When they came to it, El reached out and touched it with her fingers.

"It's a beanstalk." She whispered.

"Isn't it a little big to be a beanstalk?"

"It's a giant beanstalk."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a farmer, Charlie, I know these things. But how did it get so big? This is amazing!" She had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"I don't know farmer El, maybe because we are in an enchanted forest where all the weird things you can think of happen?" He retorted.

She shot a glare in his direction, but then shrugged, knowing he was completely on target.

The stalk had smooth, thick green skin. Spikes about six inches long protruded from it. El grabbed hold of one, hoisting herself up. She rested her right foot on a spike that was closer to the ground.

"Um, what are you doing?" Char questioned.

"I can climb it!" She yelled with a tone almost euphoric.

"Do you not remember what we just talked about?"

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes. "But this could be a great opportunity to find out where we are and how far this forest goes and WHERE HOME IS!"

"Explain."

"You know," She sighed, hopping down from the beanstalk, "for a man who is to be king one day, you are quite dense. But I always figured that to be the case, so why should I be surprised now?"

Char just raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

"Do you see how high this goes? If I can climb past the trees I can see how far they go and maybe even find the direction of town! The castle's spires are pretty high and I could pick them out easily."

"I don't know El. You think you can climb that high holding on to these flimsy things?" He flicked one of the protruding spikes."

Her face flickered of doubt as she looked up towards the sky. She began to chew on her lower lip, something Char had noticed she would do when she became unsure of herself. His mouth twitched into a small smile as he watched her quirk.

"Well, I, I think I've done harder things in my lifetime." She looked at him with a half determined face.

"No." Char shook his head. "This is ridiculous. The fairy told us to follow the stream, so we're going to follow the stream."

"Is that an order Your Highness?" She replied snidely.

"I will make it one if I have to."

"Well you don't. You stay here because of your knee. Keep an eye out. If I fall, then you can be the hero and catch me. Otherwise, just wait here and I'll be fine."

Before he could even argue she started up the beanstalk. He had to admit that it was a good idea, but he still didn't want her to do it. If it weren't for his injured leg it would be him going up that beanstalk. He paced, and limped, back and forth nervously as he watched her climb. She never slipped, which gave him some relief, but he assumed she'd get tired pretty quickly.

After ten minutes or so she'd made it to the top of the trees. She looked down and him, taking her left hand off the beanstalk to give him a thumbs up. The gesture made her loose her balance slightly and she quickly grabbed on to a spike again.

"Don't…..argh!" Char rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air.

After a few more minutes he could hear her yelling. She was too far up for him to make out what she was saying.

"I can't hear what you're saying!" Char yelled his loudest.

She stayed in one place for a few minutes and then began to climb upward again.

"What is she doing?!" Char asked himself out loud.

Before long she had climbed above the clouds and she was lost in a mist of white. Char cursed and yelled, but had no one to hear his complaints. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't think he could climb the beanstalk with his injured leg without falling to his death.

After another ten minutes past, he felt that something had to be wrong. He didn't have a choice anymore. He had to climb that beanstalk. He couldn't just wait there any longer, he had to find out where she'd gone. He knew she hadn't fallen.

He stretched out his arms and legs. Pain pierced his knee as he did so. He groaned but shook his head, determined to do it. He stood next to the beanstalk and grabbed hold of two spikes above his head. He pulled himself up, trying to bend his injured knee as little as possible. He smiled to himself as the feeling of success filled him for climbing one step.

"Well," He said as he looked up. "Just ten thousand more to go."

Char began his climb. With every step he'd wince in pain, but soon he got used to it. When his arms got tired, he shift most of his weight to his uninjured leg and rest for a bit, leaning against the beanstalk to steady himself. After what seemed like an eternity to him, he reached to canopy. He kept climbing and then stopped at the magnificent sight.

Every direction he turned, green trees expanded into the horizon. The sun was just beginning to fall towards the west. That meant he only had a few more hours to find El and get back to the forest floor. He squinted his eyes as best he could, trying to see farther. To the north, the direction they'd been walking in the first place, he could make out a tiny spire. It had to be his palace. He smiled to himself, feeling like there was hope of getting out of this strange place.

He took in a great breath and continued his climb.

He climbed higher and higher, the misty white clouds getting closer. Soon he could feel the dense wetness as he climbed through it. He couldn't see anything the deeper he went into the cloud. Breathing was difficult because it was almost like breathing under water.

"El?!" He called out, wondering if she may have gotten stuck there.

There was no answer. He continued on and soon he broke through the cloud. He was able to take it a fresh breath of air. There seemed to be a lot of fluid in his lungs however and he started coughing. He coughed so hard he lost his balance and lost hold of the spikes. He started to fall backward and he automatically began to scream. His shouts were stopped short as his fall was cut off by a cushy surface. He looked down in surprise and saw that the cloud itself it was stopped him from falling. That was strange. Clouds were just evaporated water, he should have fallen right though.

Char decided to just go with it and count his blessings. After standing up and steadying himself, he looked up for the first time. There was a giant castle in front of him. He laughed for a second as he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Then his smile turned into a worried frown.

This was a giant castle. Twenty times the size of his own palace back home. That's not to say that it was bigger in square feet. Everything about this place was literally giant. The door itself spanned at least thirty feet. He looked around, wondering how in the world he would ever find El. He was almost an hour behind her, and there is no telling what kind of trouble she got into in an hour. Especially in a place like this.

His only choice was to walk towards the castle and start searching immediately.