(KBTCM) Ch 12: Worries Of A Giant Girl, Meeting Again!

The ground cracked beneath their feet.

Thunderous blows echoed through the forest like cannon fire, birds fleeing in great flocks from the canopy above. Rowena and Sylara traded titanic strikes, their immense bodies crashing into one another like warring gods. Each swing of a fist sent shockwaves screaming through the air. Trees, once proud and ancient, shattered into splinters. Earth erupted from beneath their feet as their colossal steps shook the very crust.

It was a sparring match—but anyone watching from a distance might've mistaken it for the end of the world.

Rowena ducked beneath Sylara's sweeping kick and countered with a jab to her sister's stomach. Sylara staggered back, grinning even as she winced.

"You're off today," Sylara said, planting her feet and brushing bark from her shoulder. "You're swinging like a rookie."

Rowena exhaled through her nose, steadying her breath. "My mind's distracted, that's all."

"I know," Sylara said, placing her hands on her hips with that smug little smirk she always wore after calling something out before Rowena could explain. "Your little prince."

Rowena's eyes narrowed.

Sylara grinned wider. "You'd think you'd be happier. Living out Mother's dream, all that tradition and royal bliss. First suitor and everything."

Rowena looked away, folding her arms. "I am happy... but also scared."

She kicked a boulder to the side—it rolled and tumbled down a ravine like a child's toy.

"I'm not exactly... normal," she muttered. "And men—by all traditions—are usually the strong ones. What if he doesn't like me? What if he sees me and—"

"Bolts for the border?" Sylara said, stretching her arms behind her head. "Yeah, that'd be smart of him."

Rowena shot her a look.

"I'm kidding. Mostly."

Sylara dropped to sit on the cracked remains of a fallen tree, propping her foot up. "Honestly, I don't get why you care so much about this romantic stuff. Tying yourself down, binding your fate to someone else? Sounds like a trap."

Rowena watched her sister carefully, lips quirking into a small smile. "You'll understand one day. No one can hide from love forever."

Sylara made a face like she'd just bitten into a sour lemon. "Gross."

Rowena chuckled, but something caught her eye—a faint shimmer in the distance, a flicker of motion that didn't belong to the crumbling forest around them. She turned her head sharply, eyes focusing like a hawk's. A familiar glint of metal caught the sun.

That hammer. She knew it anywhere.

"Kerren!" she called out, her voice booming like a bell tower.

A small figure was scrambling over the wreckage of toppled trees, boots slipping on uneven roots. The hammer—massive for someone his size—was plunged into the ground, and he clung to it as the earth quaked under the giantess's approaching footfalls.

Rowena dropped to a crouch, her red hair cascading like a curtain as she lowered herself to the boy's level. Sylara stood behind her, raising an eyebrow at the sight.

"Princess," Kerren said breathlessly. Then, seeing Sylara as well, he bowed with stiff awkwardness. "Or... princesses. It's an honor to see you again."

"You don't have to be so formal," Rowena said, brushing hair behind her ear. "We're alone out here."

Kerren stood upright, swinging the black hammer over his shoulder with a practiced motion. He looked up at her, trying to appear relaxed, but she could see the slight tremble in his fingers.

Truth was, he hadn't meant to get caught. He'd been hoping to slip through unnoticed, maybe get to his favorite thinking spot before someone saw him. But like most people, he underestimated just how sharp a giantess's eyes could be.

Sylara crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Who's this?" she asked with a lopsided smirk. "Your new toy?"

Rowena rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. He's a friend."

She turned slightly, eyeing Kerren. "We are friends, aren't we?"

Kerren's eyes went wide for a second, then a smile curved onto his lips. "Yes. Yes, of course we are."

Rowena's face lit up with a warm, almost bashful smile.

"So," she said, "where are you going?"

Kerren scratched the back of his head. "I was... just heading out to take a nap. Y'know, at that special place."

"Special place, huh?" Sylara repeated, nudging her sister with a knowing grin. "Sounds romantic."

Rowena ignored her. "It's dangerous to leave the kingdom gates by yourself. Even more dangerous with the forest all torn up like this, let me give you a ride." 

"I'll be fine," Kerren said quickly, already turning away. "I've made the trip a dozen—"

Before he could finish, Rowena reached down and scooped him up like a mischievous squirrel being plucked from a windowsill.

"I insist," she said with a grin, placing him gently on her shoulder.

Kerren's legs wobbled as he adjusted to the sudden height. He grabbed a fistful of Rowena's thick crimson hair for balance.

"Uh... okay," he said, glancing down at the distant ground and immediately regretting it. "This is... totally fine."

Rowena giggled, stepping forward with a renewed bounce in her step as the forest trembled beneath her stride. Sylara trailed behind, shaking her head with a chuckle and just the faintest curl of a smile on her lips.

Love, duty, and sibling chaos—it was shaping up to be a very long week.