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Traveling around a giant's neck in a small satchel proved surprisingly comfortable. Isabella had moments she didn't even realize Rick changed directions or stopped moving. Though it was impossible not to notice each time he started mumbling about 'another annoying checkpoint'. As usual she tried to peek out of the bag amidst his grumbling, but a jolt knocked her to the bottom.
"Reason for visiting?" a guard asked. Isabella's blood ran cold and she barely covered her mouth in time to silence a scream. The voice… Obviously too loud, but far, far too similar to one of the men who hunted her. The one that had his leg broken by Rick. She needed this awful meeting to be over, she needed Rick to answer. "That pouch around your neck?"
Isabella bit her cheeks and pressed her hand even harder against her face. Images of the night crossing the divide flashed through her mind. She barely contained herself when the pouch opened and fingers reached inside. She knew them, knew they were Rick's, and yet seeing him pinch a berry made her eyes sting from tears. As he pulled it out she barely stopped a whimper.
"Berries I find along the path," Rick's voice rumbled through her. "Easy snack while traveling, need something more than dried meat."
The rising panic eased when she heard the practiced half truth. Rick kept her safe back then and he still did now. She didn't need to think that this voice would somehow lead to him handing her over. Even when his fingers reached into the pouch again and touched her instead of a berry.
"Looks pretty heavy to just be full of raspberries, is that really all you have in that pouch?" The guard's voice sounded too close. Rick's fingers moved around her, grabbing the berries that rested beneath her. He lifted a few more out to show the guard, at least she assumed that's what he did. A finger outside poked at the fabric hiding her, it barely missed touching her. Isabella swore she could feel the sigh from the guard. "Fine, you're cleared. Go ahead."
The berries fell on top of her as Rick gave them back. She grabbed one and held it to her face as though it were a pillow. Silent panic had her nearly squeezing it and causing the juice to drench her. Thankfully Rick resumed walking before she actually made a mess of herself. She heard the guard speak to someone who must have been next in line. A whimper slipped out that she both hoped and feared Rick would notice. If he did, he didn't acknowledge her.
As the comfortable silence settled around Isabella again, she realized how foolish her fear truly was. Even if that man continued to hunt her, he wouldn't suddenly be a giant. If something able to do that existed, Rick would have been grumbling about how he should go find it to stop carrying her around. Though she wouldn't like the idea of being made into a giant, they were so big and a part of her did like to dream of a way to visit home again. Despite the fact no one would be waiting for her.
Rick's gait helped to distract her from the darkness that thought threatened to drown her in. It wasn't as smooth as usual, as if he was struggling to keep his footing. Isabella tried to peek out again, this time managing to get her head out in the open. Spanning an unthinkable stretch ahead was a dirt road, covered in stones and boulder sized pebbles.
"Of course this village doesn't have a good path, no one goes here," Rick mumbled.
"What's so special about this village?" Isabella called out. Rick's sigh gave a strange feeling of comfort that helped to push the memories back to the recesses of her mind. Exactly where they belonged.
"It's a boring old village. Hot meal, an actual bed. The usual."
Normally Isabella would be suspicious with such a dismissive answer. Rick usually had a reason for any village he wanted to go to, especially if the trek there had any kind of difficulty to it. The idea of a bed, a warm meal, and maybe even a warm bath had her quiet. It would help her forget all the memories that voice brought up.
"I… never mind. It'll be a few hours," Rick said. Isabella nodded.
She fell back into the darkness of the pouch. It would be nice if they could talk about something instead of their usual silence. The memories scratched at her mind. If it were limited to the ones of that man it wouldn't be as bad. Instead the sounds and smells of the night she ran sat at the edge of her senses. Along with moments that she tried desperately to leave buried in the past. Unfortunately, the silence and rhythmic motion of the pouch made it hard to keep her eyes open.
She was back in the divide. Running through the night afraid and in pain. No one to help her, no one to save her. A voice echoing as she ran, revealing where she was. Isabella tried desperately to get away. Find safety, find Rick, find anything. The darkness closed in, voices she knew she'd never hear again echoed within it. Something grabbed her throat, before she could scream she found herself surrounded by fabric.
The frantic moment over, she knew it was some hint of a nightmare. Isabella remained safe in the pouch, Rick's breath as he walked a reassuring block to the memories. She forced herself to breathe in time with Rick. The few muttered curses while he stumbled over the uneven path helped bring a smile to her face. It allowed the terror to fade, but that same darkness of sleep clawed at the edges of her mind. It wouldn't set her free yet. Not from the nightmare, not from the ghosts of her past, and not from the memories that one similar voice scrounged up.
Eventually the gentle sway nearly pulled her down again. The flashes of her nightmare enough to startle her awake. She couldn't stay like this, not while those memories kept threatening to claw their way out. She tried to climb out of the pouch, enough to see the path again. Maybe she could convince Rick to carry her outside of it for a bit or at least talk to her about something. She couldn't go back to sleep.
"Finally, we're here," Rick's tired exclamation made her fall directly on a berry. Her weight crushed it enough to coat part of her dress in the sweet juice. She groaned, apparently loud enough that fingers pulled the pouch open as a palm came up beneath her. "You upset I woke you up, Bell?"
"You made me fall on a berry, my dress is covered in it," Isabella pouted. "I need to clean it immediately, when are we going to the inn?"
"In a bit. I need to-to do some shopping first. Just… just wait for a little. Don't go poking out either, if you want something tell me now or-or later on."
The nervous way he spoke made Isabella more anxious. The faint fear of him handing her over at the edge of her mind. It's insane, there's no way that was really that same man. Rick wouldn't hand me over. He proved that a long time ago. I need to stop worrying over one quick interaction, she thought.
"Fine," Isabella crossed her arms and looked away from him. Trying to focus on her dress instead of the way her mind kept screaming about a danger growing too close.
Rick let her and the pouch fall back against his chest. She tried to focus on how awful and sticky her clothes felt. The color made scenes of that night play in her mind. Bits and pieces of nightmares she tried to hide away. She let the growing sound of the town invade her mind while Rick's steps caused a slight sway to the pouch.
Shouts offering wares firmly grounded her in the present. It faintly reminded her of the first village Rick visited after he ripped her dress. She smiled at the memory while the calls to view wares continued unabated. A part of her wanted to see it, the safety Rick offered now made it more enticing. The shadow left by the horribly similar voice kept her still.
Rick grumbled as he moved through the noise. His usual curses and soft complaints comforted her. Emboldened her actually. Each time he stopped she got a bit closer to poking her head out of the pouch. She did want to see what this place looked like if Rick was so interested in it. He always said she would be safe if he was with her.
The pauses slowly grew in length. Each one gave her a chance to adjust her position in the pouch. A few times he moved suddenly and she fell back into the slightly crushed berry. The sticky, red coating made her more desperate to see outside the pouch. A true reminder of where she currently existed.
"Take a look, I promise it's all a reasonable price," a woman said. Rick made a noise that made Isabella truly brazen. She would see this place they visited.
"Ow! Fuck!" Rick hissed right as she managed to poke her head out. She paled when she came face to face with the cause of his curse. A knife. A sharp, glistening, metal knife. A trail of red slipped down the edge until a single drop of red fell to the table below. She flinched when it made impact and she swore it echoed so loudly the entire market should have gone silent. Rick moved, but she had no idea why.
"Oh, you have a tiny!"
Isabella barely registered the words. A scream caught in her throat as a hand slammed her into Rick's chest. She tried to be reasonable. No one pulled the pouch from his person. It made no sense for a stranger to be the one holding her tightly against them. The labored breathing as he ran only supported that knowledge. Yet fear that she'd been taken remained at the forefront of her mind. If it threatened to fade, the sound of the drip crashed into her mind and pushed her to believe that things from that night were happening all over again. A bell chiming broke her from her stupor.
"Ro-Room, pl-please," Rick said.
"You alright?" a man asked.
"Fi-fine, just a room, pl-please."
The echo of the drip drowned out the next words. The giant, Rick she reminded herself, started walking again. An almost painful drone of silence replaced what must have been a near constant murmur of voices. A door creaked open, slamming seconds later. The hand around her pulled her away from what had to be Rick's chest. Still in the pouch, she found herself on a hard surface.
"Bell, I-I told you to stay-stay out of sight. Just- just stay here," Rick said. "I'll be right-right back."
Isabella's heart raced at the mere thought of being alone. The similarly voiced guard would come after her. That woman would find her. The drip would get closer and louder and louder and louder. Rick's steps vibrated through what she assumed was a table. She tried to climb out of the pouch. The cloth became an endless maze as she fought to be free. Something warm slammed down near her.
"At least you can-can clean your dress," he mumbled.
She clawed at the pouch trying to get free. By the time she got her head out Rick was turned away from her. She fell as she climbed out trying to find the words to stop him. The massive form only grew farther and farther away. Right when the door shut she found her voice and managed a pitiful, "Don't go."
Silence settled in around her. Followed all too quickly by a drip. Isabella flinched, covering her ears to try and drown it out. She barely noticed the warm cup near her. A more sane part of her said to clean her dress, but the drip echoed again. Isabella did the only thing she could manage. She crawled towards the warmth that helped bring her a small bit of peace before she curled up in a ball with her hands covering her ears. Rick would come back and then… then she could have him do something to make it stop.
Suddenly she was back home. Sitting with a book in her hands while Dorothy stared at her. Isabella almost hoped she'd woken from some horribly long dream. At the same time it hurt to even imagine Rick only existed in a strange, painful fantasy. As she put her book down, once more ignoring the letter that caused so much anger that night, Dorothy moved.
Behind her stood Heinrich's men. At the front the very one Rick protected her from. A horrible grin sat on his disgusting face. She blinked and he was gone, Dorothy facing her with a worried look.
"Your highness, is everything alright?" she asked. Isabella nodded, words failed to form in her mind. "Good, I wouldn't want you hurt when you've finally come back after abandoning us."
"What…?" Isabella mumbled.
Drip.
"You ran. Quentin died and you've gone off forgetting all about us."
Drip.
"No, no I haven't-"
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"All those fantasies. Everyone always warned you how dangerous giants were. Yet you walk around happy to be called a tiny, be made less than human! Do you think your sisters would be happy this is what they died for?"
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"No! No! The giants call us that! I know I'm human, I know you are! I try so hard to be strong. I miss you, Quentin, and my sisters!"
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"No… you miss your easy life. You haven't even bothered to look at Quentin, he's stood beside you this whole time. I expected better from you, your highness."
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The title came out drenched in venom. Isabella slowly turned toward the sound of dripping. Quentin, with a sword struck through his middle, stood before her. Reaching for her with a look of anguish. Isabella stumbled back covering her mouth as she gasped. He couldn't… No…
"Over there!"
Drip. Drip. Drip.
That voice came from too close and sounded too loud. Isabella hugged herself stumbling away from Quentin as the very world she knew shook around her. Portraits of her sisters, their eyes scribbled out fell from the walls. She didn't remember them there before. She screamed as the tips of fingers crashed through the walls near the ceiling.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The roof turned to rubble from the giant hand closing around it in a fist. She looked to Dorothy, screaming when she found her maid stabbed the same as Quentin. She fell to her knees while bits of her ceiling crashed around her. Isabella only realized she should run when a large chunk of debris landed on her skirt.
"I could get a lot of coin for you." Rick's voice stabbed her through the heart.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The hand ripping through the roof finally pulled away. Isabella stared up to see who could be destroying her life again. How could a giant get here?! The knights should protect her kind…
Drip.
"There are no knights," Rick sneered. She couldn't even see him with the looming form of the human who chased her. The one who inadvertently helped her meet Rick. Giant, staring down at her, sentencing her to die like her sisters.
Drip.
"King Heinrich has been looking for you, princess," the man grinned showing off his teeth now. She shook at the bits of bloody cloth stuck in them. They reminded her of the dresses her sisters left in. "Though he said I could have you with how long it's taken. You aren't worth it for him anymore, not as a worthless tiny."
Drip.
"No… no please!" Isabella sobbed. "This isn't real! I… he's human like I am."
Drip.
"Quentin and Dorothy… they can't both be gone. The dripping isn't real! Make it stop!"
Drip.
Rubble from the roof filled the room. Isabella watched in horror while it buried Quentin and Dorothy. Gone. Like her sisters and her father. Rick gave her away, brought someone who wanted to kill her. The hand inched closer and closer and closer.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Isabella screamed sitting up to see the warm cup and a concerned looking Rick hovering over her.
"Bell…" Rick said softly. "Bell what happened?"
Isabella stared at him for a long time. It… it was him. The same face that once tried to make her believe he hated her. His hands sat nearby, shaking and uncertain. He kept pulling them back to keep himself from touching her. The wind that his breath caused came slowly. She could tell he felt as panicked as she did.
"Bell, did-did I hurt you?" Rick asked. "I-I got back and you were screaming. I tried to wake you up and you-you-"
Isabella dove for his fingers and sobbed. Rick flinched, but didn't pull away.
"It-it was," she tried. Her sobs cut her off. Only a dream. All of it. The drip continued nearby. That awful man's voice. Rick willing to abandon her or even hand her over. A dream… No not a dream, a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare.
"Hey," Rick said. "I'm here, you're safe."
Isabella sobbed harder. She hugged his finger as tightly as possible. As kind as he turned out to be, she didn't expect the moment a finger touched her back. He gently rubbed it, helping her breathe as she cried. All of it felt too real. Dorothy should hate her. The drip that haunts her came from Quentin's death. Her sisters all died and she's alive. Living out what could almost be a dream she had as a child.
"I… his voice," she tried again.
"Take it easy, Bell," Rick said. "You can tell me when you calm down."
Isabella nodded against his finger. She focused on her breathing. Rick's finger on her back changed rhythm, moving in a way that she could follow by taking deep breaths. It helped, but made her cry more at the same time. How could she have any kind of dream where he truly abandoned her to someone who would kill her?
"The-the checkpoint," she said. "his-his voice. It was so-so close to the man who-who chased me."
"He was a tiny, he wouldn't suddenly become a human," Rick said.
"He is human." Her voice was too quiet, Rick sighed.
"He's human to you, just like I'm a giant. Either way, he wouldn't be like me over night."
She stayed silent. He kept rubbing her back and she continued breathing to that rhythm. The warmth from his skin soothed her as much as knowing he was there. He did come back . Rick wouldn't suddenly leave her. That drip would stay in the past forever. She could keep living in the now.
"I… I dreamed of that night," she whispered. "When I-I had to run. It was so awful, Rick. I-"
"Hey, you're alive. You survived it," he interrupted. "It's not easy, but you're here. Someone wanted you to survive, right?"
"They blamed me… the ones who helped me run. It was my fault, they're both probably dead and it's all-"
"You didn't kill them, Bell. It's not- it's not your fault. So just… just stop crying."
Rick's awkward way of comfort managed to make her smile. She didn't let go and he didn't stop rubbing her back. When she tried to step away, she swore she heard the drip again. Isabella wound up leaning her full weight into Rick's hand. Anything to make the noise stop. He froze up, she almost thought he'd push her away. Instead he resumed rubbing her back and her sobbing started all over.
Time passed in a way she couldn't explain. For all she knew Rick comforted her like that for days. Either way, when she finally stepped back, the drip didn't play in her ears anymore. She managed to look up at him and almost smile. He looked away with a slight flush on his cheeks.
"Done crying?" he asked. The way he looked at her from the corner of his eyes made her smile a bit more. "Good I-I thought this would go bad by the time you calmed down."
"What do you mean?" she asked. Rick pulled his finger away to reach for a something out of her sight. He wound up placing a box in front of her.
"I heard some rumors so I thought we could stop here for a night."
Isabella tilted her head. Rick busied himself opening the plain box. It released a smell that almost made her tear up again. It reminded her of holidays from a time before her sisters were sent off to die. He pulled out a massive cake, covered in white frosting. She knew it couldn't be the same, but it made that nightmare feel so far away.
"A cake? What's special about it?" she asked. Rick didn't answer, cutting a piece from it and setting it down in front of her.
"Try it," he said. Again he looked away. It made her nervous, but she knew he wouldn't hurt her.
Isabella stepped up to the plate. She made a face when she realized she had to use her hands. Rick chuckled before dropping a small satchel in front of her. She looked up at him for a moment before carefully opening it.
"A set of utensils?" she whispered.
"Can't eat something like this with your hands," he said.
She forced down the tears that threatened to come back. He did something nice, there's no reason to be overwhelmed. Rick wasn't the rude, uncaring giant he pretended to be at first and she knew that. Isabella carefully cut a bite free from the massive piece of cake. The scent reminded her more of those days now that it was so close. Hesitantly she brought it to her lips.
After a quick count down from three she took the bite. Immediately happy memories flooded her mind, replacing the ones that haunted her. Nearly erasing her nightmares. Books she read with her sisters, times they taught her things that maybe weren't necessary. Fleeting moments of joy in a life where they all knew they were destined to die.
"Well?" Rick asked.
"It… tastes like cake I had at home," Isabella said.
"Guess the rumors were true," Rick stopped to cut himself a piece, leaving Isabella to have the massive slice all to herself. "I heard someone cooked food using Tiny recipes. Thought-thought I could give you it as a-a gift… for the holidays."
Rick's face turned bright red. Isabella stared up in awe. As the truth settled in she wound up laughing a bit. He made a few mumbled comments, but eventually took a bite of his own piece of cake. The shock on his face made her laugh more freely. She took another bite before he could threaten to take it away and smiled.
At least Rick could chase away the nightmares, maybe one day that drip would be gone from her mind too.