“Do not worry, little princess,” Tao beamed cheerfully as he carried her towards the pair of peaks rapidly approaching on the horizon, a dark, jagged spire piercing the starry night sky. “I will treat you well; you don’t have to be afraid. I will treat you nicely, like a good pet,” he smiled, as if he had not just beaten her beloved dragon within an inch of his life, leaving him screaming and wailing to the night sky in agony, all to claim the princess as some sort of trophy. In truth, she wasn’t afraid of the giant at all; he was holding her firmly, but at the same time there was a certain tenderness in his grip, like she was a delicate flower. He seemed good-natured enough, chattering blissfully and humming under his breath when the despondent girl refused to answer. No, she did not fear for her life, but for the life of her guardian, her protector, her dragon.

As she thought of him, lying broken and bloody in the once-beautiful field now scored with dragonflame, the tears came rushing to her eyes again. She buried her face into her hands with a sob, shoulders heaving. Oh, please let him be all right, please, she begged whatever gods were listening. Tao was greatly unsettled by the princess’ repeated crying spells, and he paused at the base of the mountain to gently set her down on a rock and plop down cross-legged in front of her. As his massive bulk crashed to the ground, crushing a few unlucky bushes beneath his rump, the thunderous shudder sent Jang-mii a few feet into the air. Screeching in alarm, she flailed in the air, fearful of the rough landing, only to land safely in the giant’s outstretched hands. Slowly, he placed her back on the flat rock. “Sorry,” he giggled sheepishly. “I forget I’m so much bigger than you little humans.” Still sniffling, Jang-mii rubbed her eyes sadly. “Please do not cry. I promise, I won’t hurt you. I pinky-swear,” he pouted, holding out a pinky for her. It was as large as the princess herself, and she just stared at it grumpily.

“I’m not crying because I’m afraid of you!” she snapped, roughly shoving the outstretched pinky away. The giant looked hurt, his bottom lip quivering as he stared down at the angry princess. “You hurt my dragon! He could very well die because of what you did to him, and for what? Some bragging rights?” Furious, she whirled around so that her back was to him, and crossed her arms to make certain that her displeasure was clear.

“I’m sorry,” he moped miserably Jang-mii peered suspiciously over her shoulder, sensing genuine regret in her voice. “I just wanted the others to stop picking on me.” She heard a rumbling sound, and she turned slightly to find that the poor giant was actually crying, the shaking off his body rattling the ground. “They call me mean names and hit me, because I’m small. They said if I got a princess, I would earn their respect. I heard about the big dragon finding a princess, and I know it wasn’t right to attack him when he had never hurt me, but I was just so desperate.” Jang-mii stared up at the tearful giant, feeling slightly guilty for growing so angry with him. He must be no more than a child, she realized. As she peered closer, she could vaguely see bruises spotting the little giant’s arms and legs, dark blue under the moonlight. There were several healed scars, as well. The poor thing, she thought as she stood up on the rock, tottering over the rough surface to reach up and pat his hand. He brought his hands away from his eyes, tears and snot running down his face like waterfalls.

“There, there. I am sorry I assumed the worst of you,” she apologized sincerely, “but you must understand that it is not nice to take things without permission,” she added firmly. “Because you seem like a kind and gentle person, I will make a deal with you,” she offered. “You can take me back to your home and show me off to the other giants, so that they will stop picking on you. After that, you will return me to my dragon.” If the poor beast is still alive… She shoved away the thought, smiling kindly up at the sniveling boy-giant. She held up her pinky, as he had done moments ago. “I promise that I won’t try to escape, as long as you keep your end of the bargain,” she swore. Not that I could, she thought, mildly appreciative of the giant’s mass. She would never get anywhere with him chasing after her. Hesitantly, the giant touched her pinky, and then broke into a huge smile.

“Okay, little princess! I promise!” he conceded joyfully, hopping back to his feet. Jang-mii wobbled as the ground shook, and Tao found this exceedingly funny; however, his laughter just made the ground rumble even more, and Jang-mii had to wave her arms and flop back and forth to keep her balance. “Here, little princess, I will help you,” the giant mused, grabbing her around the middle and lifting her onto his shoulder. “I need my hands to climb, anyway,” he smirked as he settled her on his shoulder, and the princess gripped tightly to the scratchy fabric of his clothing as the giant began walking again.

“You don’t have to call me ‘little princess,’” she told him as she bobbed up and down with his motion. “My name is Jang-mii.”

“Jang-mii! What a nice name,” he smiled. “Very well, I shall call you Jang-mii. I am Tao!” he huffed proudly, banging on his chest. Jang-mii laughed slightly as she slid back on his shoulder, her tight grip the only thing keeping her from tumbling down his back. I always thought giants were rude and barbaric, but they are almost human, she mused. He may be reckless and childish, but there are plenty of knights I know who could hold a candle to him.

“How many giants live on the twin mountains?” she inquired, glancing up at the pair of peaks. It was really one mountain, she realized as its massive black form loomed closer, but split down the middle so that it looked like a pair of peaks. She wondered what could have occurred to split the mountain in such a way, or if it was just a natural formation. It was also much, much larger than she had anticipated, so high that its peak seemed to gore through the moon.

“Oh, just a clan of us,” he explained as he tromped through the trees, sending up startled birds with every step. “About fifteen. I live there with my mother, and her sister and her husband live down the way, and farther up lives another giantess and her family. She’s our clan leader. It’s her sons that pick on me,” he moped grumpily. Strange. Giant families are matriarchies? She thought in surprise. I’m learning more and more about the creatures of the wilds every day. “I like my mother’s sister’s son, though. We play together a lot. One time, we went to go try and catch the roc that lives on top of the mountain.” At the mention of the gigantic predatory bird, Jang-mii shuddered, feeling the phantom of her shoulder wound pulse uncomfortably.

“Well, it’s nice that you have a friend,” she smiled at him, and he nodded enthusiastically. As time went on, Jang-mii was finding that she rather enjoyed the giant’s company, despite their raucous and rude first meeting. As he marched toward the mountainside, he told her a great deal of giant life, and the princess found that it was not much different than the common life her subjects led. They all lived relatively close together, in humble abodes built inside massive caves they had excavated or found. The men went hunting for food, scoring the wilds for herds of deer- or, if a farmer was unlucky, herds of cows or sheep- but they never took more than they needed. Every night, the entire clan joined together for a large meal. The females of the race were responsible for much of the domestic life, making clothes and cooking and maintaining the household, but they were also the primary warriors of the species, and were actually larger than the males.

“My mother is one of the most feared giantesses in the wilds!” Tao had boasted proudly. Jang-mii found the dynamic fascinating, and even allowed herself a fantasy of attaining knighthood, becoming a warrior princess feared and respected by all. I could turn Baekhyun into a pincushion, she thought with an evil smile, and she imagined poking the prince with the end of a sword, watching him squeal and beg her forgiveness for ravaging her countryside. And I, in all my wisdom and grace, would gladly pardon him and send him back to his kingdom shamed. With several scars.

Tao talked a little less when it came time to scale the mountain. To her amazement, giant stone steps had been carved into the rock, and were worn down with generations of giant feet. “Giants have been living here since your people lived in little bands, traveling constantly and living off the land,” the giant huffed as he began ascending the steps. “Sometimes the clan changes, when one comes along and pushes another out, but still, there will always be giants here.” Not if Baekhyun has anything to say about it, she thought. Though she had only recently heard the news, she was beginning to realize just how dire of a threat the prince was. Greed was a powerful thing, and she was sure that he would not stop with just taking her throne. He will raze this beautiful country to the ground for resources, to build his war machines and sell to neighboring lands, while all the peaceful creatures here will be cast out like unwanted stray dogs. She thought she had a responsibility to her people, but she was beginning to understand that she had a responsibility to all the lives in her nation, not just those that were human.

Up and up they went, climbing the stone stair. The air began to grow colder, and the princess huddled close to the giant, grateful for the large amount of heat pouring off of him. Huffing and puffing, Tao marched higher and higher. As they neared the middle of the mountain Jang-mii began to see various orange glows flickering in the caves nestled in the rock, with the hum of conversation drifting into the night air. Occasionally there would be a bout of booming laughter, or the sound of pots and pans banging, or even the angry screech of a housewife. Jang-mii found it quite charming, and was too busy admiring the scene to notice that Tao had exited the stair and was tottering joyfully to one of the caves.

“Mum! I’m home!” he called happily as he strolled into the cave. Jang-mii hid herself in the boy’s blonde hair, nervous as to hair the giant parents would react to her presence. She was a massive creature, so tall that her head brushed against the stone top of the cave, and head-to-toe thick muscle. However, Jang-mii could not say that the giantess was unattractive; she had luscious blonde hair, falling about her hips, and pretty blue eyes that swam with all the colors of the sea. She was leaning over a pot, bubbling over a fire, and glanced up grumpily when her son tromped into the home.

“Tao! Do you realize how late it is? I was beginning to think you would miss the clan dinner!” she scolded, shaking a large wooden spoon at him and stomping her foot. “Where have you been? Wait, how on Earth did you get all those cuts? Were you fighting with those boys again?” she screeched, fluttering about like a nervous hen. Tao blushed sheepishly as the woman stomped over to assess his cuts.

“Mum… Don’t be mad…” he started.

“Oh, I’m gonna be mad, whatever nonsense you tell me!” she snorted and whacked the boy on top of his blonde head with the blade of the spoon. He howled in pain, raising his arms to rub his head tenderly. “These look like bites…” she frowned as she peered at his arms and legs. Jang-mii found her anxiety growing in the face of such a strong-willed woman, and was quite terrified that the giantess would take one look at her and promptly squash her underfoot. Before she had time to voice her concerns to Tao, however, the giant grabbed her off his shoulder and held her out for his mother to see.

“Mum, this is Jang-mii. She is my princess pet,” he beamed proudly. Quivering, Jang-mii sat on her knees on the palms of the giant boy’s hands, squeaking as the sea-blue eyes dominated her vision.

“Oh, Tao, you didn’t go off and fight that dragon like those boys told you, did you?” the giantess groaned loudly, tilting back her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look at you, you’re a bloody mess, and this little thing is scared out of her wits. You imbecile!” she cried, whacking the boy once more with the spoon. Tao whined loudly under his mother’s assault, pouting.

“They wouldn’t stop picking on me!” he protested.

“You think they’re gonna stop picking on you because you went and beat up some winged lizard? If anything, they’re gonna pick on you more for being such an idiot! Only reckless fools tangle with dragons, son!” she sighed as she sat down in front of the boy, cleaning up his wounds and winding massive bandages around them. Still, as Jang-mii gazed down at the giantess, she found that the woman had the hint of a proud smile on her face. “There. Thankfully the wounds aren’t too deep. Giant hide is tough, even for dragons,” she mused as she patted her son’s head. She then put her hands on her hips and sat up on her knees, looking down at the princess. “I’m sorry this hooligan has put you through an ordeal,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“It’s quite all right, ma’am,” Jang-mii responded, giving the giant woman a respectful curtsy. “I’ve grown quite fond of him, actually. He did hurt my dragon, but he did it for good reasons. I’ve agreed to help him with his bullies, provided he returns me promptly to where I belong.”

“Well, at least you have some sense about you. You’re almost a man grown, yet you still act like a child! Soon you’ll be old enough to go on hunting ranges, and instead of working on your weapons, you go chasing dragons,” the woman snorted as she raised the spoon again, and Tao winced, expecting a blow. Instead, she went back to stirring her pot, shaking her head and muttering under he breath. What a charming little family, Jang-mii thought with a giggle.

After conversing with the giantess and her son for a long while, eventually the call for the clan to gather came, a deep horn that echoed through the mountainside. As Jang-mii perched on Tao’s shoulder, she glanced around curiously at the other giants as they marched up towards the split in the mountain. They came in all colors and sizes, but most of them were much larger than Tao. All of them had his mother’s stocky build, but some were shorter and squatter while others were taller but still muscular. The men sported tangled beards, and were quite loud, guffawing at jokes while the drank from tankards the size of ponds. The women walked beside them, but were nowhere near elegant; they too cackled and hooted alongside their men, and were their match in alcohol consumption. The children ran along happily, stomping over the stone and chasing each other with clubs. Jang-mii found the entire display intriguing, and looked around brightly.

As they climbed in between the peaks, the princess was amazed to find not a jagged valley, but that the entire mountain had been chipped away to leave a flat, table-like gathering place. A blazing firepit was in the middle, being tended by an older giantess that she could only assume was the clan leader. Her two sons were having a spitting contest over the side of the mountain, an activity that Jang-mii found rather revolting. As soon as they spotted Tao, they grinned mischievously and stomped over.

“Suho, Sehun,” Tao greeted them coolly.

“If it ain’t Tao!” one of them sneered, the one called Suho.

“Take a tumble down the stairs again?” the other one cackled, pointing at the menagerie of bandages covering the little giant’s body.

“No,” Tao huffed defensively. “I went to fight a dragon,” he smirked as he puffed out his chest. The two giant boys glanced at each other, then burst out laughter.

“You? Fight a dragon?” Sehun laughed rudely, an arrangement of snorts and snickers that was unappealing to the ear. The boy’s howls soon attracted the attention of the other giants, and they wandered over, muttering to each other. “Go on, then. If you fought the dragon, where’s your proof?” Frowning deeply, Tao reached up to his shoulder and held out his palm for the princess. Resolving to stay true to her word, Jang-mii hopped down into his hand and tried to seem dignified as he held her out for the rest of the clan to see. A ripple of gasps traveled through the clan, and even the pair of bullies seemed mildly alarmed.

“My name is Jang-mii,” she announced formally. “What this giant speaks is the truth.” More surprised murmurs went through the crowd.

“You killed it, right? You must have,” one frowned worriedly.

“If he didn’t, it’s sure to come looking,” another shook his head.

“You foolish boy. You’ll bring a rain of dragonfire down upon us!” another tutted.

“Of course I killed it!” Tao snapped, though it was a lie. The clan seemed to settle down then, and after the initial excitement, Jang-mii was largely forgotten. The clan poured praised upon the giant boy for his bravery, giving him a seat of honor beside the clan leader herself. Tao tried his best to be humble, but he seemed positively giddy at all the attention. Though she was worried for the safety of her dragon, Jang-mii could not help but be happy for the little giant boy for finally gaining some respect among the members of his community. As she sat on Tao’s shoulder, nibbling at the little crumbs of meat and bread he handed up to her, she stared up at the stars and prayed that her dragon would be waiting for her, safe and sound, when the boy returned her home.

Jang-mii graciously agreed to allow Tao to bear her on her way the following day, as she did not want the boy stumbling around in the dark of night; regardless of size, it was dangerous for anyone. The boy made her a crude little bed out of some loose straw and cloth, in the corner of the cave where she was not liable to be trod on accidentally. As she snuggled into the bed, wrapping herself in the warm cloth, Tao frowned down at her.

“I really am sorry,” he apologized. “I used you, and that wasn’t fair of me. If I can ever do anything to repay you, Jang-mii, you best believe I will do it. Anything you ask of me,” he swore.

“I’ll hold you to that, then. But, there is no need to be sorry,” she smiled up at him. “I’ve had a lot of fun, actually. It was interesting, learning about your people, and you’ve helped me become a better princess.”

“Really?” he blinked, surprised.

“Yes. You see, before this, I had never been out of the capital. I loved my people, but as someone who lived a life of luxury, I never understood them. Being out here, learning about the various creatures that make the wilds their home… I’ve come to understand just what I need to protect. I want this land to stay beautiful, and free, so that people of all types can live in peace,” she explained, and the laughed, feeling like it sounded silly. “Is that strange?” Tao smiled warmly down at her.

“No, I don’t think that’s strange at all. I think that’s a noble thing. You sound more like a queen than a princess to me,” he remarked kindly, and that compliment meant more to Jang-mii than anything that had ever been said to her. Even long after the giants settled into bed and snores filled the cave, Jang-mii lay awake, staring at the cold rock ceiling and contemplating how to end Baekhyun’s tyranny of her people. No ideas surfaced, much to her frustration. She had just given up and decided to turn in for the night when she heard a rustling near the entrance of the cave. She sat up in her makeshift bed, peering in the sparse light the dying embers of the fire had to offer. A large, bulky form was creeping through the darkness, and for a moment, Jang-mii thought with elation that it was her dragon, come to rescue her. That joy died, however, as the rough hand closed around her, and her screams were muffled by the thick skin of the giant that had her in its clutches. Helpless, she squirmed around in the stranger’s grip, hardly able to breathe enclosed in the dank darkness of the hand.

Tao! Dragon! Kris! Lay!

Anybody!

Help!