A Maiden and Her Knight

19: At Her Most Vulnerable

     With Sir Gabriel on her shoulder, Ashley is heading away from the town of August eager to head towards her next destination. She looks back towards the small town, glad that she was able to use her size to help out Daniel with some farm work. 

     Sir Gabriel, who is looking at the giantess's face, is noticing something about the direction in which they are headed. "Ashley, we should be heading west not north. Aren't we heading to Creek's Crossing?"

     "I know," Ashley responds as she begins to look ahead once again. She is watching where she is stepping, knowing just how hazardous her feet can be to anything, and, more importantly, anyone on the ground. The deep imprints that her bare feet are leaving behind are an indication of just how heavy she is. The maiden isn't overweight by any means, her weight is because she is fifty-one feet tall. "But I need to make a quick stop first."

       "What is out there that you need?" Sir Gabriel is having a hard time imagining what could be out this way that is capable of accommodating a woman of Ashley's stature. 

     "A lake," Ashley begins to blush, turning her head slightly as she continues, "I really need to bathe." With all the work that she performed on the farm, she did work up a bit of a sweat. She does feel dirty and can only imagine how bad she smells as a result. Plus, her biggest concern, how dirty her feet have become from walking on the farm's land. 

        She would have liked to bathe before leaving the town of August, but without a suitable body of water, she can't wash up properly. One of the many inconveniences that she has to deal with. 

     The giant maiden is looking towards the horizon as she continues to move forward. With the vantage point she has, she can easily spot a body of water from a good distance away. 

       Ashley feels as though she should be coming across the lake soon. Daniel told her that it was a long walk to the north from his farm. Of course, that is a relative distance. A long walk for everyone else is only a short stroll for her; her long strides, due to her size, allow her to cover more ground in a shorter period. 

       Just like she had anticipated she can soon see the lake coming into view. The giantess picks up her pace, eager to clean herself up. Her quickened pace causes her passenger to be thrown back slightly, Sir Gabriel grabbing onto the maiden's hair to keep from falling off her shoulder. 

      Arriving at the lake's shoreline, Ashley takes a look. It does look as though it is large enough to accommodate her needs, though she won't know if it is deep enough until she enters the water. 

       The area is wide open giving a nice view of the land. This also means that prying eyes can easily see her, a woman of her size being easily visible from a long distance. She normally bathes early in the morning or late in the day when it isn't bright enough for her to be seen so easily. With dusk being hours away she has no choice but to take a chance.

     Lifting her hand to her shoulder, Ashley gently lowers her knight towards the ground, only letting go when she is certain that his feet are firmly on the ground. Crouching in front of her knight and smiling at him she rubs her finger against his cheek,  simple token of her affection but one he appreciates and shows by kissing the tip. The couple can't help but smile at each other. While these simple gestures may not seem like a lot to most, they mean everything to the maiden and the knight who do their best to show their unique love for each other. 

      Standing back up at her full height, Ashley turns to face the lake as she begins to reach behind herself so that she can untie the string that is keeping the back of her dress closed. She fumbles a bit while blindly searching for the knot using only her fingers for guidance. This does not take her long since she has done this herself more than a hundred times before and this time is no different.