A Maiden and Her Knight

03: A Big Visit

The townsfolk of Vershire are looking in the distance, watching as a large figure approaching their town. Sure, they can see that it is just a woman walking down the road which leads to their town, but what makes her so unbelievable is that she is absolutely massive. Someone like her should only exist in legends or children's tales. A human being who is about ten times bigger than any man shouldn't exist. Yet there she is, walking alongside the road with a big smile on her face as if everything is okay.

The few soldiers that have been stationed at the town have been standing with their weapons drawn, ready to defend the townspeople the moment they could see the giantess approaching in the distance. Their hands are shaking; they're obviously afraid of what they are about to go up against. These men are only used to settling minor disputes that have gotten out of hand and the occasional thief. But this woman is something that they are completely unprepared for, both physically and mentally.

The townsfolk themselves are in no better shape, only armed with whatever common tools they can find and use as makeshift weapons so that they can help defend their town. Those who are unable to take up arms, for one reason or another, are in their homes, hoping and praying for the best.

The soldiers finally have some hope, finally noticing that a knight is walking several feet in front of the giant woman. He may not be wearing his helmet, with it being tied to his waist, but surely he has enough experience to help protect the town from the perceived threat that is approaching. Everyone waits for the knight to arrive, not even giving any attention to the giantess who is following behind him.

As the knight reaches the edge of town, the giantess stops several feet behind him and gets on her knees. She is looking at everyone who has gathered at the town's edge, well aware of the commotion that her presence has caused. Right now all she can do is smile, with the hopes that she can make herself seem friendly.

"Knight," one of the soldiers says as he approaches Sir Gabriel, "are you here to protect us from her?"

"I am Sir Gabriel Ian Randal," he introduces himself, "and I am here to tell you..."

"That you are going to slay her before she can even set foot inside the town?" one of the townsfolk interrupts.

"No," Gabriel responds. "What I am trying to say is..."

Another townsperson interrupts the knight, "That you have subdued her and that she will be banished outside these lands?"

"No. What I am trying to say is..."

"That she was going to destroy our town, until you threatened to kill her?"

"No," Sir Gabriel responds, starting to sound somewhat annoyed. "Let me speak so that I can tell you..."

"She is a witch who used a spell to increase her power, but it backfired?"

Sir Gabriel is unable to get another complete sentence out, constantly being interrupted by one townsperson or another.

"Everyone please, listen to what Gabriel has to say," Ashley finally says. Her words cause everyone to fall silent since they are afraid she is about to retaliate against all of their wild accusations. She can see the looks of fear on the townsfolks' faces, realizing that she may have made a mistake when she had decided to speak out. "Sorry."

Sir Gabriel looks back at Ashley, who looks guilty about what she had just done. "It's okay. Your words were a lot kinder than what I was about to say." He turns back to the crowd before him, speaking loudly and with a sense of authority. "I, Sir Gabriel Ian Randall, am here to tell you that Ashley here means you no harm in any way, shape, or form."