#oc garda

Even half-lying down, he had to crane his neck to see her stone-like face, with her head reaching the height of some of the older trees in the forest. Brown eyes stared down at him with an intensity that made him shiver, and her lips were pressed in a thin line. Was she angry? Hungry? Disappointed that her snack was so small?

Jack couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't stop shaking. He couldn't think clearly through the pounding of his pulse in his ears and the pain of his throbbing ankle.

The giantess knelt down on her knees. When a calloused hand reached toward him, he flinched. “No–please,” he gasped, throwing up his arms to shield himself. He couldn't help imagining how easy it would be for her to wrap her fingers around his entire body and how quickly she could kill him with just one squeeze.

The hand paused. Then the giantess spoke, her low voice clear and precise, with the hint of an accent Jack couldn't recognize. “You are injured.”

He blinked. He couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question, but he also hadn't expected her to speak to him at all. Giants didn't normally converse with their victims before killing them, did they?

“I can help,” she added firmly as she laid her hand palm-side up in front of him. An invitation. A choice.

Help? The word echoed through Jack's mind as he stared wide-eyed at the massive hand laying in front of him, gaping at how her fingers were as long as his arms.

Giants never helped humans.

This had to be a trick. A hoax to ease him into a false sense of security. A ploy to make him easier to kill.

Jack glanced down at his injured leg, wincing at the waves of pain that pulsed through his ankle. Then he looked back at the hand that could so easily kill him.

Not like I have any other choice, he told himself.

After a moment of hesitation, Jack sheathed his knife in his belt and held out trembling arms to pull himself onto the hand, holding back a shudder when her thumb crossed over his legs to hold him in place. He closed his eyes tight, bracing himself for whatever came next.

“I am going to lift you now,” she told him. “Hold on.”

He grabbed onto her thumb and held on tight, his stomach lurching when her hand rose slowly into the air. Then, just as slowly, he was lowered to the ground above the pit, where he immediately scrambled off the hand, crawling backwards with his good leg until his back hit a tree.

Even as she knelt over him, her presence was overwhelming, taking up his entire field of vision. He was close enough now that he could see the faint wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and the gray hairs scattered through the long black braid resting on her shoulder.

It was far too close for comfort. Jack struggled to take in a deep breath. He wondered if she could hear how loud his heart pounded in his chest.

She reached toward his injured foot. He flinched, jerking his leg away. “N-no–don't–”

She held her hand up in a calming gesture. “Be still. I am just going to look.”

Or she could be trying to rip it off to get a sample of the treat she just caught. It would only take a tug from her fingers…

“Take off your boot,” she ordered.

Probably doesn't like the taste of leather, Jack thought, hurrying to untie his laces with trembling fingers. He kicked the shoe off with his other foot, figuring that obedience was his best chance of survival. The last thing he wanted to do was make the giantess angry.

Two fingers grabbed his injured leg, and Jack couldn't stop the whimper from escaping his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers hard into the dirt, praying that he would at least pass out before he felt the pain of his leg being ripped clean off of his body.

For a brief moment, his leg was set gently onto the ground again. He heard the sound of branches snapping above his head, followed by the sound of ripping fabric. He tensed.

“I am Garda.”

Jack opened his eyes, blinking in surprise. Was that–did she–did the giantess just introduce herself to him? He looked at her face, which continued to focus on his leg, almost as if she hadn't even said anything at all.

“G-Garda?” Jack repeated quietly, testing the name. It felt foreign and heavy on his tongue, but it was humanizing. She had given him information, something he could hold onto. He noticed that he was suddenly shaking a lot less.

The giantess–Garda–gave a single nod as she used some sticks and strips of cloth ripped from her cloak to wrap his ankle in a splint. Despite the frightening size of her hands, he couldn't help but notice how slow and careful she was in her movements, almost as if he was made of glass. Had she really meant what she had said about helping him?

“I'm…Jack,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper. He wondered if she had even heard him until her eyes flicked up briefly to his face before she looked back down at his leg.

“Jack,” she responded with another nod as she carefully tied the cloth in a knot. “This will do for now. I will be able to do more for you at home.”

“Er–home?” Jack looked up in alarm. A horrifying image came to his mind of a family of giants as enormous as Garda, fighting over who could eat him as an appetizer before dinner. He laughed nervously and shook his head, pressing himself harder against the tree. “That–that won't be necessary, really. I can…I can manage.”

Garda didn't say anything. She didn't need to; the raised brow and deadpan look said it all: Do you really think I'm going to believe that? It reminded Jack of a mother catching a child in a very obvious lie.

As if on cue, a roar sounded in the distance.

She laid her open palm on the ground next to him again and waited, looking at him expectantly. He stared at the hand, thinking of the squirrel and the fox and how terrified they had been of Garda's presence.

She hasn't killed you yet, Jack reminded himself.

He sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he grumbled, crawling back into her hand, muscles tensing when Garda pressed her thumb over his legs like before to hold him in place. He held on tight as she slowly stood to her full height. When he looked down to see the ground far below, he tightened his grip and stifled a gasp at the sudden wave of dizziness. He was up so high…

“I will not drop you.”

Startled, Jack looked up at Garda's face to see her staring down at him with the same intensity as before, eyes narrowed and jaw set. Determined.

Turning her eyes forward, she cupped her other hand underneath him before she began to walk, her thundering footsteps shaking the ground and the trees around them. A reminder of her power and strength. A reminder of how small he was in her hands.

“Why are you helping me?” He asked, studying her face. She had to have a reason to keep him alive. She likely needed him for something. No giant would ever rescue a human out of the “goodness of their heart.”

Garda glanced down at him before looking up ahead. “Because you are hurt.”

Jack scoffed and looked away, but he didn't push any further. It wouldn't be a good idea to anger the giantess that held him in her hands.

She's definitely hiding something, he thought, watching the trees around them tremble with every step she took. His stomach churned as he wondered what she had planned for him once they arrived at her home.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking around. Thin beams of sunlight peeked through the trees, coloring the forest in various shades of gold and green. He couldn't see any vicious beasts. No looming shadow of a giant. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought the forest looked peaceful. The only growling he heard now came from his stomach.

Right…food. With his meager rations nearly gone, he needed to somehow find something edible that wouldn't kill him. With nothing but his stupid knife.

After he covered the smoldering ashes of the fire in dirt, Jack slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed his knife before standing on weak legs. He had to take a moment to steady himself when a wave of dizziness came over him.

Food. I'll feel much better once I find some food, he reminded himself. He staggered forward, putting a hand out against each tree he passed to keep himself upright. There was hardly even a path anymore this far in the forest; so much foliage covered the ground that he couldn't see his own feet through all of the leaves and bushes that covered the ground.

As he walked, he kept his eyes moving, both to search for food and to look for signs of danger. The last thing he needed right now was to be jumped by another savage squirrel.

Or run into the giant.

Jack suppressed a shudder at the thought. With something so large, there was no doubt that he would be able to see evidence of the giant's presence before it would ever notice him, right? And the forest stretched for miles in every direction, so it was entirely possible for Jack to stay out of its way as long as he stayed in his corner of the woods. He would likely never even see the giant if he was careful.

He stopped when his foot hit something firm in the bushes. Curious, he knelt, carefully pulling back some of the branches to have a better look.

He swore under his breath.

A dead fox– as large as he was–lay on its side, its mouth half-open in a snarl that revealed sharp, jagged teeth that could have easily torn his arm off. Thorns, twigs, and leaves covered its fur in a sort of wooden armor that would have served as perfect camouflage in the forest.

Then Jack noticed the bloody hole in its chest–a clean and precise stab straight through its heart.

He slowly stood and backed away, his mind reeling. It hadn't been killed by another animal. Only the giant could have done this.

Had the giant really been hunting this close to his campsite? The thought made him shudder. What if it had seen him?

What if he was next?

A low growl sounded behind him, interrupting his thoughts. Jack felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Slowly, he turned to see a living, breathing, thorn-coated fox snarling at him from a few feet away, its eyes dark and wild with vicious hunger.

Jack bolted.

Branches whipped at his face and the forest became a blur of brown and green around him. His lungs burned, and his pulse pounded in his ears as he pushed himself forward, dodging and weaving through the trees. He didn't dare look over his shoulder, but he could hear the pounding of its paws on the ground and its snapping growls as it drew closer.

He could feel its hot breath on his back. Sharp teeth grazed his arm, ripping through his sleeve, drawing blood.

Jack jerked away, stumbling forward, planting a foot down in front of him to steady himself–

The ground collapsed from under him in a cascade of branches, leaves, and twigs. He flailed, reaching for something to grab onto, but he could only fall straight down, landing hard on his right foot. He felt something snap in his ankle, his vision blurred, and he screamed out a curse when he felt a sharp, burning pain radiating through his leg. Gritting his teeth, he took deep breaths before pushing himself up to a sitting position.

When he looked up, he saw the fox crouching far above him at the edge of the pit, teeth bared and ready to pounce.

Jack dragged himself up to the opposite dirt wall, pulling out his knife with a trembling hand. He braced himself. He just hoped his death would be as quick as he'd been promised.

Suddenly, the fox stopped growling and looked up over Jack's head. It shrank back in fear, ears twitching. Then, letting out a faint whimper, the creature turned around and tripped over itself to run away from whatever it had seen.

Jack watched the creature's strange behavior, squinting in confusion. What could have possibly spooked it so much? It reminded him of the feral squirrel he encountered the day before, and how it bolted in response to hearing the giant nearby.

Wait…

That's when Jack felt the tremors in the ground.

Footsteps, Jack realized, his eyes going wide. No. No, no, no, no.

Any relief he felt from the fox leaving vanished, replaced by cold dread. It had to be the giant that scared it off, and now it was coming for him. At least the fox could have given him a quick death. The giant would probably think of plenty of ways to make him suffer before it killed him and ate him for dinner. The phrase “out of the frying pan into the fire” went through his mind as he looked around frantically for an escape, clawing desperately at the dirt. He tried to find a handhold, a root, anything, to pull himself up, but with his throbbing ankle and the steep dirt walls, there was no way he could ever climb out on his own.

The ground shook harder. It was getting closer.

“A man who meets a giant is a dead man…”

Jack could only breathe in quick, shallow gasps, his heart hammering within his ribs. Gritting his teeth through the pain in his leg, he pressed himself as hard as he could against the dirt, praying that he could disappear. Knowing there was nothing else he could do, he grabbed his knife tightly in his hand and waited.

On the opposite dirt wall, he could see a shadow begin to emerge as the footsteps drew closer–first a head, then broad shoulders. The shadow almost looked human, but it kept growing larger. Finally, the footsteps stopped just above his head and the shadow swallowed the entire pit, blocking out the rest of the light.

No one moved. An ominous silence settled in the air.

Jack tried to take slow, steady breaths to calm his rapid pulse. He couldn't stop himself from trembling as his mind played over every possible way this giant could kill him.

Swallowing hard, he looked up, praying it hadn't seen him yet. He gasped.

Chapter 1: The Exile

Chapter 2: Footprints

Chapter 3: Reflections

Chapter 4: The Trap

Chapter 5: Garda

Chapter 6: Safe

Did giants play with their food? Did Garda plan to fatten him up before eating him or would she wait until he let his guard down to strike? He didn't believe for a second that she was helping him just “because he was hurt.” She was a giantess, so she had to be keeping him alive for a reason. She had to have some sort of use for him, he just didn't know what. It almost scared him more than if she had gone ahead and killed him right away.

Jack tensed when he saw Garda approaching again, one hand holding a bowl while the other gripped something he couldn't see.

“What are you–what are you doing?” He asked, pressing himself harder against the stone wall as she knelt in front of him and set down the bowl and her supplies–a cloth the size of a blanket, along with what looked like giant-sized bandages ripped into smaller, human-sized strips. Just like when she had knelt over him in the forest, he felt his pulse quicken as her entire form took up all of his personal space.

“Your arm is bleeding,” Garda answered. “It must be cleaned.”

Jack looked down at his arm. Sure enough, a rip in his sleeve opened to show a crooked red gash that almost wrapped around his bicep above his elbow. “Oh.”

He had been so busy fearing for his life that he had forgotten that the fox had grazed him during the chase. Then he had hardly felt anything other than the overwhelming pain of his injured ankle and the paralyzing fear that the giantess would kill him.

Even now, he had difficulty drawing in a deep breath with her sitting so close. Sure, she hadn't expressed any intent to hurt him (yet), but that didn't change the fact that he felt much more comfortable when she was on the other side of the room. At least when she was over there he wouldn't have to worry about any misstep that would result in his flattened body staining the cave floor.

Garda dipped a cloth into the bowl full of liquid before reaching out her other hand. “Let me see.” Jack looked between the massive hand and his arm, then up at the giantess. He pulled his arm close to himself. “Can I, uh, do it myself…please?”

Garda studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment before setting the damp cloth down next to him. “Very well.”

He sighed in relief when she stood and walked back toward the table, pulling the cloth toward himself. He tried to stifle a gasp at the sting he felt when he pressed it against the wound in his arm.

“I will make some food,” Garda said. “You are very thin.” She grabbed some more things off the table before sitting by the fire pit at the center of the cave.

Jack's stomach growled. He realized he hadn't eaten since…had it really been a whole day? With all the excitement that had happened, he had completely forgotten about his hunger.

He set down the cloth, now stained with blood, and reached for some of the bandages that Garda had placed next to him. Carefully, he began to wrap his arm.

“Tell me, Jack–”

He startled, looking up to see the giantess setting up some sort of animal carcass on a spit to cook over the fire. Her eyes were fixed on the meal cooking in front of her as she spoke.

“What were you doing alone in the forest?”

He stiffened and looked away, biting his lip as he thought over his answer. If he told her he was sent here to die, would she take that as an excuse to finish the job? Would she feel relieved that no one would come looking for him to interrupt her plans? Would she keep him as a prisoner if she knew there was no one for him to return to? Perhaps the less she knew, the better.

“Got lost,” he mumbled. When he glanced up, he noticed that she was giving him that look again–the raised brow and piercing eyes that he felt could see right through him, silently calling his bluff.

“You seem rather young to be traveling alone,” she commented, turning back to the fire.

He stopped wrapping his arm for a moment and scowled. “I'm not that young.”

Garda leaned her head to the side, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “Young enough to argue like a child?”

Feeling his face heat up, Jack opened his mouth to protest before closing it just as quickly when he realized that doing so would just prove her point. In truth, he didn’t know exactly how old he was. No one had ever cared that he was most likely a few years shy of adulthood. The children's home didn’t think he was too young when they decided to “release him early.” Something about needing less mouths to feed.

No one had assumed he was too young to join the guard, although the captain had narrowed his eyes in suspicion before muttering about “recruits looking younger every year.”

No one had thought Jack too young to send him off to his death, either.

So why did she care? If he didn't know any better he would have thought she almost sounded…concerned.

No. She was most likely disappointed at the lack of meat on his bones.

Jack huffed and looked away, turning his attention back to wrapping his arm. Once he was finished, he sat back and glanced around the cave, finally taking in the details of the giantess's home.

The light of the fire danced over the scarce furniture and the surrounding stone walls, covering everything in a golden orange glow. To his left, the back wall held enormous barrels and crates stacked below shelves far above his reach, all full of pots, jars, bowls, and other massive containers made of wood and bone–all large enough that Jack could easily fit inside them. Tools twice or three times his size hung from hooks or leaned against the wall.

The table across the room towered too high for him to see its contents from his position on the floor, but with the absence of any place to sit, he guessed that its purpose was for work instead of eating.

To his right, Jack’s eyes fell on the single massive bed of furs next to the opposite wall near the entrance of the cave. A quick glance around the cave confirmed that this bed was the only one.

Curious, he turned his attention back to Garda, who was still focused on cooking dinner.

“Does anyone…else live here?” He asked.

The giantess froze, her eyes darkening as she stared into the fire, and for a moment, Jack wondered if he crossed a line.

Would she be angry at him for bringing up a touchy subject?

Why did he open his big mouth?

Then she let out a slow breath, her shoulders dropping. “No,” she answered quietly, looking down at her hands. “I am alone.”

Jack wanted to feel relieved. He didn’t know what he would do if he had to deal with a whole family of giants; being close to one was frightening enough.

But something about the way Garda said it told him that being alone might not have been her choice. She looked defeated, like a heavy weight had been placed on her shoulders. Instead of feeling relief, Jack couldn't help feeling sorry for her. He knew how it felt to be truly alone. Giant or not, he wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone.

That still didn't stop him from shying away from her hands when she came close to give him his food. He flinched again when she returned with a handful of furs and blankets that she set on the ground next to him–his bed for the night. He wondered if he would ever get used to being close to such a massive, powerful presence that could so easily crush him if she wanted to.

He wondered if he would live long enough to have the chance.

After eating his fill and sitting in his new bed, Jack fought to stay awake, watching Garda carving something long and wooden in her hands as she sat by the fire. As exhausted as he was, he wouldn't let himself fall asleep until she did. After all, who was to say she wasn't waiting until he completely let his guard down to do what she wanted with him? Feeding him and giving him a comfortable place to sleep could very well have been a way to lull him into a false sense of security.

Giants could never be trusted, after all.

But it was long after nightfall, and the giantess made no indication she would be going to sleep anytime soon. She showed no sign of fatigue. Jack, on the other hand, could barely keep his eyes open. The blankets beneath him felt so warm and soft, a welcome contrast to the cold hard ground he had slept on the night before. His muscles ached, and his head and eyelids felt so heavy…

He rubbed his eyes and tried to sit up straighter, fighting back a yawn.

“You can rest now.”

He blinked, looking up to see Garda watching him intently.

Her face softened, a flash of understanding in her eyes. “You are safe,” she assured him, her low voice firm, just as it had been earlier when she told him she wouldn't drop him. A promise.

Safe.

For a long moment, Jack didn't move. How long had it been since he felt safe? And now a giantess, of all things, was telling him he was safe in her home? What a paradox.

He wanted so badly to believe it. Deep down, another part of him knew it was too good to be true.

Finally, Jack slowly laid down in his bed of blankets and furs, wincing at a flare of pain as he shifted his injured leg. Maybe it would be fine to close his eyes for a little bit. He could sleep for just a short time, and he was sure he would feel the ground shake if the giantess approached him.

One final thought whispered through his mind as his exhaustion took over.

Giants aren't safe.

***

Garda glanced over at the sleeping boy, then at the stick in her hands, shaving off a few more inches with her knife.

There. It would be the perfect size for him now.

She stood up from her place by the fire and carefully approached the human, stepping softly to avoid waking him. Kneeling at his side, she gently placed the newly made crutch on the floor next to him. As she rose to leave, a small noise made her pause.

Startled, she looked down at Jack's face, worried she had woken him. His eyes were still closed. Good. He was still asleep. He would need the rest after all he had been through that day.

“...didn'tdoit…”

Garda leaned closer, noting the tight crease between his brows and the frown on his lips. His breath stuttered and he turned on his side, clenching the blankets in a fist, mumbling another phrase that was barely audible to the giantess.

“...swear I didn't–”

Ah. The boy was having a nightmare. It sounded to Garda like a memory from his past had trapped him in his dreams.

Her eyes softened and she reached a hand toward him. She hesitated for a moment before lightly pressing a fingertip to his forehead, just enough to ground him without waking him from his sleep.

“Sleep in peace, little one,” she breathed in her native tongue–words meant to be felt more than heard.

She watched the tension slowly melt from his face as he relaxed into a deeper sleep. The rise and fall of his chest slowed to an even rhythm. His hands unclenched, resting loosely at his side.

Garda pulled her hand away, but she did not move to get up. Instead, she sat and studied Jack's face, noting again just how young and vulnerable he looked. Too young to be surviving on his own.

She did not believe for a second that he had simply wandered into the forest. Something must have happened to him. She had noticed the lost, scared look in his eyes when he had been awake. Not just of her–of everything.

She felt something stir inside of her that she could not name as she watched the firelight dance over the boy's sleeping face. She did not want him to be afraid. She wanted to protect him.

Until his injuries were healed, he was her responsibility now. She would take care of him.

She would keep him safe.

Jack had grown up hearing stories of the war between giants and humans, and the devastation they caused. Even though the war had ended long before Jack was alive, the giants never forgot. Giants were known to hold grudges. They never showed mercy, especially to humans. “A man who meets a giant is a dead man,” was how the saying often went.

He never thought he'd have to worry about meeting one–most of them had fled to the mountains in isolation, cutting off all contact with outsiders after the war.

But now one was living here, in this forest. Closer to him than he ever wanted it to be.He thought about the prints he had seen, how massive they had been, and how enormous the giant could be. He imagined fingers long enough to wrap around his torso, a face as large as a boulder, an axe with a blade large enough to split him in half…

Jack shuddered, striking the flint harder.Finally, a spark fell onto the wood, starting a small flame.

Pulling his knees to his chest, he let out a sigh of relief as he huddled close to the growing fire. It reminded him of nights during his training when he and the other guards would sit around a fire pit and the senior officers shared stories of their time in service. He remembered the feeling of excitement when he first put on the uniform and armor a few months ago, the feeling that he belonged to something that mattered. Back when he, like everyone else, saw the mayor and the guards as heroes.

Jack grabbed a handful of leaves in his fist and threw them into the fire. How could he have been so stupid?

He had tried to ignore it. He had tried to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt. He had tried to turn a blind eye to the secret meetings, hushed whispers, the handshakes that sealed a forbidden exchange. His conscience had plagued him every night until he finally gathered the courage to approach the captain of the guard with his suspicions.

He remembered feeling relieved when the captain nodded solemnly and gripped Jack's shoulder, commending him for coming to him with the truth.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from Jack's shoulders. He had done the right thing. Justice would be served. Everything would be okay.

He remembered feeling nervous the next day in the courtroom. The mayor, the captain, and most of the guards and villagers were there, silent anticipation hanging in the air as they all waited for the trial to begin.

Then, the shock. The realization that the captain was pointing at Jack and accusing him of treason. Not Mayor Perkins.

He recalled all eyes turning to him. The gasps. The murmurs. Hearing the word “traitor” whispered through the crowd.

He had tried to plead his case. He had tried to tell them the truth.But the damage had been done.

He remembered the sick feeling in his stomach. The dread he felt when they gave him his sentence. The numbness that came over him as he saw the captain and mayor shake hands as the guards led him to his cell.

The realization that echoed through his mind that night. No one is on your side.

And now, here he was. Alone. Left to die a gruesome death by the horrors that lived in this forest.

I did the right thing, he reminded himself. Not that it mattered anymore. The forest didn't care. His eyes burned, but he couldn't tell if it was from smoke from the flames or from…something else.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Jack felt the exhaustion take over his body. He tried to stay awake, tried to stay alert, but keeping his eyes open was becoming a losing battle after the day's events. As he nodded off, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched…

***

In the shadows, not far from the campsite, a dark figure observed the human. He looked young. Far too young to be alone in these woods.

They could see the glowing, hungry eyes of bramble foxes lurking in the trees, circling the sleeping boy, waiting to pounce. One of them growled, a sound like snapping twigs.

Firm hands gripped a long, heavy spear.