Chapter Text
The earth had shaken the entire village with its rumbling, they had told her, as she sat with a tankard of ale that night at the local (and only) bar and inn. Once they realized she was a Jack, the townsfolk fell over themselves to tell her the tale.
A giant beanstalk-like plant had spontaneously sprouted out of the earth, miles away, through the other side of the forest – but it was so large that the earthquake that occurred at its growth still reached them in their homes. The cobblestone paths were left cracked and humped, and cottages sat askew. Though the earthquake had passed, they were still afraid of it. Not the plant itself – but of what could climb down.
Now with the next day’s early morning sun rays gently lighting up the sky, Rory broke out of the forest and into a clearing, stopping short as her gaze immediately landed on the forementioned beanstalk. You couldn’t miss it.
Normally she had to be wary of embellishments in fireside tales, but there was no embellishment here. The giant beanstalk’s base was so wide that ten men could circle it but still not touch hands. The rest of its heavy, leaf-laden stalk circled up so impossibly high it disappeared above the lower cloud cover.
It looked like an impossibility in the middle of the meadow.
It looked exactly like the kind of thing she’d been searching for.
Rory adjusted the sword at her back, making sure the straps were tight. If it were to slip lose as she climbed, she’d have no way to fix it, and she didn’t want to imagine facing whatever was up there empty handed.
The closer she got to the stalk, the more impossibly large it became. She was glad she’d eaten a hearty meal before leaving the inn, she needed every bit of her strength for this.
With one last glance around at the peaceful meadow, Rory made her ascent.
Finally, with what felt like days but was most likely only hours, Rory threw herself off of the beanstalk in the sky and tumbled onto… Earth?
She pushed herself up to her knees with wobbly arms, scraping her dark blonde hair off her sweaty forehead. Pieces of the ponytail had escaped despite how tight she had tied it back, and her entire body was now coated in sweat, especially down her back where her sword remained strapped. Despite wanting to address her aches and pains, Rory’s trained gaze took in the grassy meadow she’d fallen onto, the clouds above, a forest of strange trees on her left, and grass ahead that stood so tall it would tower above her head even when she stood.
Giant grass. She grimaced, trying not to picture what size other things on this land were if the grass itself freaked her out.
“I’m not freaked out,” she tried assuring herself. “I’m a fierce and noble hero. I’ve defeated horrifying beasts of legend, I’m not afraid of tall grass.” But the weight in the pit of her stomach grew heavier with dread.
She was a little afraid of the tall grass.
“Pull yourself together,” Rory muttered, rolling her eyes as she pressed off her knees to come to a shaky stand. “Find the source of the beanstalk. Find the girl. Get paid.” She brushed dirt off the knees of her trousers but paused, reconsidering. “I mean – be fulfilled from doing a good deed… But then still get paid.”
Plan in mind, Rory began the long trek through the forest of grass toward what she hoped was the right direction. The shapes on the left that she’d assumed were a normal crop of trees at first assessment actually appeared to be an impossibly ginormous vegetable garden. Pumpkins and cucumbers, beans and peppers – they all could flatten a house at their size.
Speaking of houses – Rory’s steps faltered as this one came into view. Or rather, it obscured her view. It was a cottage, which could’ve been described as quaint if it wasn’t so terrifying. She came to a stop at the front door, craning her head back to try to take in the entire scope of it, but gave up once a headache started to throb at her temples. It was wooden, with metal hinges and door handle that looked well-oiled and maintained. Opening it would be an impossibility.
Biting the inside of her lip, she scanned the bottom of the door, looking for a way in.
Her eyebrows rose as she spotted a splintered crack at the bottom, barely noticeable on the large frame but just the perfect size for her to squeeze through. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it, Rory lowered her head and crept through the crack.
The way the inside of the cottage opened up before her made her head spin instantly, and she leaned against the back of the door to get her bearings. The tall grass and insane garden had been one thing, but this – this cottage! Everything looked like what you’d expect in a cottage kitchen – pots and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, a kettle off on the counter, a humble wooden table and chairs neatly pushed into place – but hundreds times the size. The ceiling of the thatched roof rose so far above her she almost couldn’t see it, and the rest of the room yawned before her, shocking her to her core.
Her hands fumbled to check the sword at her back one more time, trying to steady her nerves with its familiar shape. But it didn’t bring her comfort this time, not while she stood surrounded by things that towered over her like this, completely in a foreign land.
With a quick shake of her head, Rory tried to pull herself together again. She didn’t want to be around when the thing that lived here returned. One part of her was a little surprised that a Giant would have a home such as this. She’d expected a cold, damp cave in a mountainside, with bristling bones scattering across the stone floor, human and animal alike – not this quaint, somewhat cozy-looking home with the scent of – was that lavender she smelled? – yeah, she definitely hadn’t expected to be smelling lavender in a Giant monster’s hideout.
“The girl. Find the girl.” Her whisper fell dead in the still air, the expanse of the room swallowing up her small voice. Pushing her fear aside, she made her way to the counter to the right of the kitchen, keeping to the edge of the walls so she didn’t have to cross into the wide-open space of the cobble-stone floor.
‘If I were a giant beast, where would I put a little girl?’ she thought as stopped below the counters, peering up the way they stretched above. Maybe up there. But that required more climbing. Holding back a groan, she started up again.
When she finally reached the top of the counter, she paused to take in the rest of the room. Now that it wasn’t towering above her, things looked a little less scary. But still scary enough to keep her heart thudding heavily in her chest. Unless that was from all the climbing.
Probably both.
Glass jars of dried foods and herbs crowded the countertop in a sporadic but still organized manner. Rory wondered if the girl was being held captive in one of these jars and shuddered at that image. She had to find her, and quickly. It had already been four days since her parents had begged Rory to find her and the creature had a head start. It took someone her size- a perfectly normal size mind you - a little bit longer to travel than a monster with giant feet.
Lost in thought, Rory almost didn’t feel the first light tremor. The second one shook the counter slightly and reverberated up her legs. She unsheathed her sword by the third, palm already slickening with sweat from fear, and rushed to hide behind one of the glass jars.
The Giant had arrived.