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Chapter 7 – Nathan

I cracked an eye open and raised my hand, and Ro, from the water. My fingers curled around her left leg, assuring me I wouldn’t accidentally drop her. Her eyes widened and I couldn’t help smiling.
“I not drop you,” I murmured. Her face scrunched up and she started tugging at her leg. So much for trusting me. I released her leg and she swung it over the back of my hand.
“I know,” she said with a child-like grin before diving from my hand. My heart froze as I prayed I hadn’t held her too far out of the water. She didn’t come up right away and I felt a gnawing worry in my stomach. Slowly, I sat up a little more, not wanting to make any waves that would carry her small form away from me. Looking into the water, I spotted her floating above my belly button. My eyebrows rose as I watched her look over my torso. Seeing her like that really impressed on me how much larger I was… not that holding her in my hand hadn’t done the same thing. Her head turned and she swam closer to my hips. My head twitched to the side as she inspected my red plaid boxers. A corner of my mouth twitched up as she touched the elastic-encasing top. Suddenly, she turned and kicked off me, surging toward the surface. One of my hands trailed her through the water, supporting her as she broke the surface, panting and sputtering.
“Thank- thank you,” she panted from my hand, still trying to catch her breath. My eyebrows furrowed as I watched her.
“What you try do?” I asked, really wishing I could ask why she was trying to drown herself.
“The streams,” she answered, breathing evening out. “I was seeing if I could reach them now.”
My eyebrows and hand rose, lifting Ro clear of the water. “Streams?”
“Further down, water comes out in streams,” she explained. “I didn’t make it… again.”
I watched her carefully. Her voice had sounded… off. She seemed sad for some reason. Remembering the jets that were massaging my back, I shifted slightly, lowering Ro back into the water.
“I help,” I said, her eyes snapping to mine. “Hold your breath.” I cupped my other hand over her, completely hiding her from view. Lowering my hands toward the jet, I felt her hands and feet brace against my hands. I opened my hands by the jet and watched as she swam closer, almost reminding me of a tiny mermaid. I chuckled as she reached into the flowing water. When she started swimming back up, I cupped my hands under her and helped. After my hands reached the surface, Ro just lay there on her back, knees bent and arms spread. My eyes narrowed and I brought her closer to my face.
“Ro?” I asked.
Out of nowhere, she curled up and started bawling. Oh, God, what did I do? What should I do? I felt helpless as she cried. What was I supposed to do? She was four inches tall! I couldn’t hug her, at least not well. So I did the only thing I could think of: I started stroking her back, tracing my pointer down her spine. I could feel every shuddering breath she took.
Eventually, her breathing started evening out and her sobs became hiccups. I hoped she didn’t misinterpret my finger. If a giant was doing that to me, I don’t know how I’d react.
“Are you okay?” I asked in English, just wanting to use it.
She nodded, sitting up in my hand. I followed her with my finger, hoping it was actually comforting.
“Are you sure?” I pressed, finger pausing.
She nodded again and wiped at her cheeks. “Just some bad memories,” she answered, voice hitching a bit. She looked so small, so dejected, sitting in my hand. My heart went out to this small woman and I couldn’t help wanting to comfort her, protect her. She looked so vulnerable, head down and eyes closed. Almost subconsciously I lifted her closer, her head less than an inch away from my mouth.
“Oh, Ro,” I murmured before pressing my lips against the top of her head. Her head jerked away, but I pressed her forward again. This time, the side of her face was pressed against my lips. My eyes slipped closed, wanting to remember this moment. Slowly, I pulled away, keeping my hand as steady as possible. Looking down at her with soft eyes, I lifted my other hand and wiped at her jewel-like tears.
Without warning, her arms wrapped around my thumb and she buried her head in it. I could feel her murmur something against it.
“Why you sad?” I asked in her language, wishing my thumb had ears. “Is because I help?” Honestly, it worried me that I might have upset her somehow.
“Neh-then,” she sighed, seeming to refuse to let go. “It wasn’t you. It was my past.”
I kept my eyes locked on her as hers suddenly darted up. For the first time, I was able to tell what color they were: a deep honey brown. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. I willed her to tell me, knowing I wouldn’t be able to say what I truly wanted to.
After what felt like an eternity, Ro started talking. While not able to understand everything she said, I could tell she’d had a bit of a rough life… especially compared to mine. She had lost both her parents in less than a year. One of them, her mother, she had tried to save by coming here and trying to get to the jets. Her words were laced with sorrow, like she hadn’t been given the opportunity to mourn. In a way, it made sense. She had had to move on with her life, figure out how to live alone. My eyes probably showed how much I wanted to comfort her, how much I wanted to hold her, and not just in the palm of my hand.
All I could do was wrap my hands around her and pull her closer to my body. Weird hug, but a hug none the less. She squeezed my thumb in return.
“Not alone,” I murmured, hoping she could feel how much I meant it. I almost wondered if she had anyone else to turn to besides me. Probably, I hoped. I felt her move in my hands, probably trying to look at me.
“You are not alone,” I repeated squeezing her slightly. Suddenly remember where we were, I lowered her into the water and opened my hands. Her arms slipped from my thumb. I couldn’t help staring at her, but it seemed she was having the same problem with me. I just couldn’t get over how incredibly small she was, how vulnerable.
Without a word, she left my hands and swam toward shore, my eyes trailing after her. So that’s it then, I thought glumly as she climbed behind a rock on shore. I was a giant to her, what was I expecting? Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair. Man, it could do with a decent scrub. Now free from worrying about what my movements would do to Ro in the water, I ducked under, submerging completely. I stayed under, counting the seconds. I resurfaced, remembering the count and shaking my head. I scrubbed at my scalp, trying to get some of the grease and grime out. My eyes wandered to the rock Ro had hidden behind and my heart fell a bit. Sighing, I waded out of the water. I made sure to stay away from Ro’s rock, just in case.
I sat on the shore and stared at the trees around us, just letting the water drip off me. All the trees were probably ancient, but only a few were as tall as me when I stood. As I dried, my eyes kept wandering back to where Ro was. Sighing, I finally grabbed my T-shirt and started drying myself off. Of course, that would leave me shirtless, but I wasn’t exactly thinking ahead. Slipping my pants back on, I eyed my socks and shoes. I should probably wash those, I thought glumly. Kneeling by the shore, I scrubbed my socks as best I could, figuring I could go barefoot for a while.
I looked over at Ro’s rock. She still hadn’t come out. Was she even there anymore? I crept closer, not wanting to startle her. She had been so vulnerable in my hands before; would she even let me hold her now? I looked away, not sure what to do. Should I talk? Should I keep my mouth shut? Should I -
“Neh-then,” came Ro’s quiet voice. I immediately looked over. She was fully dressed and walking close to my hand. I felt her feather-like hand on mine. Biting my lip, I lifted my hand and curled it around her. Again, I could feel every move she made. My fingers twitched, causing her to gasp and back up. Slowly, I retracted my hand and put it in my lap. I didn’t belong here, not when I could so easily hurt someone.
“Neh-then?” I heard her ask. “What is wrong?”
“I am,” I answered quietly.
“Neh-then,” she sighed. “You aren’t wrong.”
“Yes, I am,” I said, looking over at her with hooded eyes. “Too big.”
I watched her crawl onto the back of my hand. She sat down, cross-legged, before looking up at me with a smile. “You are big,” she said. I looked away, careful not to move the hand she was on too much.
“But not too big,” she added. I felt her stand up; her tiny feet pressing into the skin of my hand. I smiled a bit. That was the first time she had been able to stand on my hand. I laughed a bit. Her feet felt weird on my skin.
“Neh-then,” Ro crooned, moving closer to my wrist. “You are not too big. You are as the Kings wished you to be.”
“Then why is everyone afraid?” I shot back, eyes drifting to her.
Ro sighed and patted my arm. She didn’t have an explanation for me. All I wanted at that moment was to be back on Glory Daze with my uncle. Heck, I would have settled for someone my own size to talk to.
“Neh-then,” Ro’s voice called me back. “Is there nothing you fear?”
I blinked. She was looking right at me, but her eyes were so intense it was like she was looking through me. I nodded slowly and my hand twitched a bit.
“I’m afraid I’ll hurt you,” I murmured. Ro giggled from my hand and rubbed my arm a little more.
“Not what I meant,” she laughed. “I mean is there anything from where you came from that you fear?”
“Yes,” I answered, “there are things that scare me back home.”
“And there are things that people fear here,” she replied with a small smile. “It’s normal.”
I sighed and looked at my damp T-shirt. It wasn’t the same, no matter what she said. Sure I was afraid of spiders and a few other creepy crawlies, but it wasn’t the same as the rational fear of a giant. I reached for the shirt and crumpled it in my lap. Ro leaned her weight against my arm.
“Pick me up,” she murmured, rubbing my arm. Without looking, I reached over with my other hand, wrapping my fingers around her without a second thought. I felt her small hands grip my fingers and grimaced. Lifting her to chest height, I focused on anything but her. My hand was probably a foot away from my body, partially folded around Ro’s small body. Again, I could feel her breathe; feel her adjust in my grip.
“Neh-then, look at me,” Ro’s voice drifted to me. My eyes slid back to her.
“Lift me closer,” she insisted. I complied, bringing her up to my face. My hand was still curled around her and she couldn’t move much in it. I debated opening my palm before Ro motioned me closer. I leaned in, eyebrows lowering slightly. Suddenly, her feather-light hands were running over my lips and chin. My breath caught.
“You are not wrong,” she assured me. “You are from the Kings. They sent you here for a reason.”
I didn’t want to talk with her this close to my mouth. Heck, I barely wanted to breathe. My eyes drifted downward, but she was too close to see. I pulled her away and lifted her higher. Now I could see her if I crossed my eyes. Her tiny hands started stroking my nose and she giggled a bit. My eyebrows rose slightly.
“Are you afraid of me?” I breathed, focused entirely on the small woman in my hand.
“Not as much,” she answered, looking in one of my eyes at a time.
I wilted slightly, inadvertently pulling her away from my face. “I see,” I murmured.
“Neh-then!” Ro yelped. I felt her starting to slip from my fingers and instantly tightened my grip. It wasn’t enough to hurt her, I didn’t think, but it was enough to keep her in my hand. I felt her small chest heaving as she gripped my fingers. My other hand came up and hugged her to my chest again.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I need to be more careful.”
She rubbed my chest. Suddenly, I was very aware of the fact that I was shirtless with a girl pressed against me. Clearing my throat, I pulled her away and set her on my knee. I quickly pulled my T-shirt over my head and looked back at her. She had this sly little grin on her face. I couldn’t help but give a shy smile back.
“I was wondering when you would put your shirt on,” she teased. I blushed and reached for her again. As my fingers were about to wrap around her again, I hesitated. She was tensed up, obviously preparing herself to be in my hand again. Slowly, I lowered my hand, holding it level beside her.
“Well, I don’t want to make another bad first impression,” I tried to laugh it off. Ro looked from my face to my open hand and back. I willed her to understand that me picking her up was optional, something she could say no to. She hesitantly edged toward my hand, placing her own on the edge of my palm. I wanted to say she didn’t have to, that she could walk if she wanted, but she climbed on before I got the nerve to.
“Thank you,” she said, almost too softly to hear. “Thank you for everything.”
I nodded before lifting her from my knee and standing. Carefully, I bent over, stuffing my socks in a shoe and picking up my shoes. During all this, I had somehow managed to cup Ro closer to my chest. She pushed at it a bit and I held her out in front of me. She looked slightly rumpled, but otherwise fine. She leaned against my fingers and smiled up at me. Her head cocked to one side as she looked at me. One of my eyebrows quirked up. She looked away suddenly. I shrugged and started walking back to the road.
Ro had fallen back in my hand as I walked. I could feel her watching me, and couldn’t help wondering why. I glanced down at her every once in a while, just to check that she was all right. She always smiled up at me.
I was just looking back up as I entered the village. People were lining the road, gawking and pointing. I felt like a monster again. A few of them called out “Kings’ sah-mee-loh.” I made a mental note to ask Ro what that meant later. She moved in my hand, scooting closer to the edge. My other hand came up, cupping under the other. As we neared what I assumed was the center, I saw more of the purple guys. One of them yelled up at me to get down, so I knelt. I carefully lowered my hand so Ro could climb off.
An arrogant-looking man sauntered up to her. He looked up at me, then turned back to the men in purple. Deciding that I didn’t want to hear them insult me, I looked around the village. The crowd had followed me. I recognized the black-haired man from earlier. There was a young woman with him that looked like she was trying to decide what she was feeling. The most obvious at the moment were fear and relief.
“Heeg-see-nah maw-yeh!” the arrogant man suddenly yelled. A roar came from the crowd. I looked to Ro. She was whooping just like everyone else. Whatever a heeg-see-nah maw-yeh was, it was apparently a big deal. People scattered quickly… except the black-haired man and the fearing-relieved young woman. Ro took notice of them and ran over, hugging the young woman and joking with the other. I smiled and shifted slightly. The other young woman’s head came up and she hastily whispered something to Ro. I held up my hands and stood.
“The inn by the forest!” Ro yelled up at me, pointing to her right. I nodded and carefully stepped over the buildings to get there.
My eyes wandered the forest just beyond the inn where Ro apparently lived. She and a friend had disappeared inside what felt like a millennium ago. My eyes wandered to the inn, wondering what window she was behind. Just as I was about to look back to the forest, one of the windows opened and Ro leaned out. I smiled and knelt closer. My breath caught as I saw her fully.
She was in this amazing dress that just barely touched the ground. The sea-green fabric flattered her skin and hair. The halter-top hugged her slim waist and emphasized the curves her tunic had only hinted at. It was covered in ornate stitching too fine for my eyes to see, but what really struck me was Ro herself. She was practically glowing.
“You look,” I began in her language, but I didn’t have the right word in her language. “Gorgeous,” I finished in English.
“Gorgeous?” she asked. “What is gorgeous?”
“Gorgeous means… gorgeous means,” I searched for the right word in her language, “very pretty, but more.”
“More than very pretty,” she repeated. Her friend walked up behind her and gripped her arm.
“You are pretty as well,” I told her. She just edged further behind Ro. Ro whispered something to her and she quickly vanished from my view.
“Kye-lah is just a little scared,” she told me, leaning out the window.
“Of me,” I added, leaning so my eyes were level with hers.
“But she is happy I am alive,” Ro replied, reaching out to pat my nose. “We celebrate tonight with the Kings’ meat.”
“Kings’ meat?” I asked.
“Heeg-see-nah,” she answered with a smile. “I have not had it since before I lost my parents.”
I nodded and offered her my hand. She smiled and climbed on. Whooping and laughter from the where we had been drew my attention. The men in purple, plus some of the villagers were hauling back what looked like wild boar… except they were huge! Comparatively speaking. Each one was at least twice as long as the men were tall. And there were four of them.
“Wow,” I breathed. “Impressive.”
“Have you never seen heeg-see-nah before?” Ro asked from my hand.
“Only on TV,” I answered, before hastily trying to translate it. I gave up after a minute or so and Ro’s confused expression. My attention turned back to the boars. Several large fires had been started and the boars had been spitted. I watched as a handful of men tried to get the largest situated over the fire. Carefully setting Ro on the ground, I reached over and gave them a hand. Mostly I lifted as they maneuvered it over the fire. Two openly gaped at me and one of the others shouted something to everyone else that this one was mine. I smiled as Ro walked up and started helping some others set up tables.
By the time the sun was setting, the boars were cooked and everything was set up. The pompous man sat at what I assumed was the head table. A few other important-looking people sat near him. Surprisingly, Ro was among them. Pompous Man clapped his hands and the boars were promptly carved and served. A handful of men once again tried to lift the largest boar, and I helped. Considering it was mine anyway, I could just as easily serve myself. Large trays of food were brought from table to table, starting at Ro’s. At the same time they were served, someone else brought a tray of similar food to me. I gratefully took about four or five of them, figuring I could get a couple mouthfuls out of each one.
Pompous Man started eating after the last tray had disappeared from sight. At first, the feast was silent. After a while though, when it had become clear I was eating the food they had given me and not them, conversation started up. I couldn’t catch most of it, but overall, it sounded happy. Children started running around and, surprisingly, climbing all over me. I leaned back, supporting my weight on my arms as three or four boys decided to climb up my shirt. I chuckled, watching just in case one lost his grip. Some others, both boys and girls, were crawling around on my hands.
Pretty soon, the adults started milling around as well. A few of them picked up some instruments and started playing. Careful of the children, I leaned in closer. I wanted to see the instruments a little more clearly. The musicians glanced up at me, but made no move to run away. I felt, more than saw the children run off to do something else. One of the musicians, a man with red-tinted hair, stood, strumming what looked like a mix of a guitar and mandolin. He smiled up at me, obviously pleased with my curiosity. A woman with straw-blonde hair played a clarinet-thing with two openings at the end. The music itself sounded like a mix of Celtic and Eastern, exotic and spirited. I smiled at the musicians and swayed a little, knowing that if I danced it would probably cause a panic.
“Neh-then!” Ro called. “Pick me up!”
My attention turned to her and I complied, cupping her in both hands. She smiled up at me and pushed at my palms. Curious, I held them flat, forming a platform for her. She slowly tried to stand on my hands again. I held as still as possible, barely breathing as she got to her feet. Still smiling, she looked up at me and started dancing. For what felt like forever, my world was just Ro dancing in my hands. I didn’t hear the people talking and laughing, didn’t see how out of proportion everything was. All I saw was a beautiful woman dancing and smiling up at me.
Sooner than I would’ve liked, she stopped and motioned for me to put her back down. I smiled softly and let her off my hands. A few men were rolling barrels out of the tavern and inn. I sighed a little as they offered tankards to the people. One man rolled an entire barrel over to me. I took it only because I didn’t know how they’d reacted if I didn’t. The last thing I wanted was to offend them, so I cracked the barrel open and took a swig. How people could drink this stuff was beyond me. It tasted like soap and smelled like hand sanitizer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ro accept a tankard. How old was she anyway? I chuckled slightly as she grabbed her friend and started dancing again. Finishing off the barrel in one gulp, I decided to head out a little early so everyone could enjoy the party without a giant looming over them.I was sitting with my back against one of the larger buildings listening to the celebration that was still going strong in the main square. It had to be past midnight, but the villagers didn’t seem to care. With a sigh, I lay down. My eyes were sliding shut when I heard someone coming closer. I propped myself up and looked over at the sound of drunken laughter. Narrowing my eyes, I was able to make out Ro’s slender figure. She was staggering slightly, hitching her dress up every now and then.
“Neh-then! Where’re you?” she slurred. So she had had something to drink after I left.
“I’m right here,” I murmured as she searched. Her eyes found me and she started giggling again. How much had she had? She staggered forward, running right into my thigh. “Hokay,” I murmured, switching to English. “You have had waaay too much.”
“Have not!” Ro laughed, using my thigh to support herself. Sighing, I sat up and reached for her. She just giggled uncontrollably as I scooped her up. I couldn’t help smiling down at her. She sprawled across my hands, giggling. Suddenly, she started talking up at me, but I could barely understand her.
“How much you drink?” I interrupted in her language.
She pushed herself up in my hands, sitting and counting on her fingers. As she did, her skirt hitched up slightly. I shifted her to one hand and pulled it down. She giggled again and held up all ten fingers, then flashed them.
“Oh, Ro,” I groaned, lifting her closer. She fell back in my hand and started talking again, playing with her short hair. She giggled again and motioned me closer. Raising an eyebrow, I complied. She pushed herself up again and pressed her lips against my bottom one. My eyes widened and I pulled back. Ro fell forward in my hand, looking up and motioning me closer again. Hesitantly, I leaned in again. She had only surprised me after all. She pressed her lips to mine again. My own lips pursed and I kissed her back with a soft smile. I love you.