Giant

The floor was cold.

Yuna fell back, embracing the lonely planks. With the loss of hair, she felt exposed. A painful wince escaped her mouth as she reached behind to touch the back of her neck. The injuries she sustained forced an unbearable rebound. A flood of pain paralyzed her body. With no one beside her, Yuna's shallow pants were released throughout the cold, lonely night.

It left her wanting to crawl out of her skin.

…

Yuna woke to a lovely sunrise and a kick to the arm. She shot up, ready and alert. Her drowsiness disappeared as anxiousness and fear took over.

Her face hurt; not from the ripping pains in her body, but from dagger-like glares. The butler stood tall before her, spreading the overwhelming feeling of a mountain.

In the butler's lazy hands were a set of folded clothes.

"Put this on," he ordered, throwing them at her.

Yuna didn't dare catch it when it hit her face, in fear of triggering the butler, yet his only response was the condescending click of a tongue. The moment it landed in her arms, she rushed off to the bathroom.

While unfolding the pile of clothes, she witnessed an unpleasant sight. An uncomfortable look passed over her eyes as she scrutinized the medieval men's underwear. After a second of deliberation, she put together her courage and put it on.

Although she was disguising as male, she had guessed she'd at least be wearing ladies' underwear. It was a wonder how far they were going to take the charade. This aside, the clothes weren't much different from the ones she was wearing before, so it didn't take long before she finished changing.

The second she came out, the butler left the room, not bothering to wait nor hold the door; not even bothering to explain what she'd be doing. At this point, it was hard to tell who the servant was. With the speed he walked, she was almost left behind.

Yuna was taken back through expensive golden halls which leaked money and vases of bright, blooming flowers. A beautifully carved door came into sight. The butler swung his hand and, like magic, it opened itself. Yuna's curiosity rose at the strange phenomenon.

A bright glint beyond the door shone brilliantly, making her squint. After adjusting to the light, a magnificent garden appeared in sight. Odd trees of dark logs and purple leaves released twirling petals in the air, painting a magical atmosphere. A soft wind passed by; few maids, butlers, and knights wandered the open corridors. The butler didn't stop to enjoy the view and kept a steady and speedy pace. Yuna couldn't stop to admire the beautiful garden and went into a light jog to keep up. They passed through a couple more halls until coming to a stop at an open space.

Straw dummies stood tall under the sun; archery targets stood up on the floor. The stomped out ground and little vegetation made up a palace's training grounds. The first feeling that came to Yuna was dread. She saw how much they were in a hurry to push her into Winston's role.

It was understandable however, for if the prince of some kingdom was absent from his normal duties for a few days, some rumors would surely start popping up.

At this moment, from a storeroom on the side, a large, burly man appeared. He was almost thrice Yuna's size, and was even more overbearing than the cold butler. Standing at more than six feet tall, the giant man's large chin was ripped with a vicious scar. His prestige was kept in a trimmed beard, and his eyes were noticeably aged; one could only guess the kinds of things they had seen. He looked like a gangster, but maintained the aura of a knight.

The butler held a different attitude towards the man, "Greetings, sir Callahan. This is 'his' replacement."

Like a fierce tiger, the man stared down with the largest pressure Yuna had ever felt. It felt like an elephant was pressing down on her shoulders. There was little resistance when she fell. Though her eyes were on the floor, she still felt his piercing gaze.

"Pathetic," he spat, "What am I to do with such a weak child? To train this worm offends my family name. His limbs look as brittle as sand, yet you say this thing shall be my new student?"

"Yes," the butler replied readily.

The man named 'Callahan' stared back at her and scratched his head roughly, "Fuck, damn it all. Is this what the kingdom has come to?" he sighed heavily, "Whatever. I'll train him."

Yuna felt nervous under his temperament, and felt a bad premonition of what was to come. But under the butler's presence, she didn't dare show fear or cry. She got up with a solid posture and did her best to prevent her legs from shaking.

Callahan hummed, "Well, I guess I don't need to abandon all hope."

"The king mentioned that you didn't need to restrain yourself," the butler added while nodding in satisfaction, "I will fetch the boy in three hours."

He left with a polite bow, and the door slammed behind him.

The dead silence in the room made her anxious. Combined with the lack of light and the burly man's uncomfortable, scrutinizing gaze, she felt like she was about to be torn apart. She watched carefully as he walked over into the open room in the training area.

'Weapons?' she thought, her skin covered in a cold sweat. Was he going to beat her like the others? Was this what he meant by "training"? As she was lost in her own thoughts, Callahan came out of the room, with two wooden swords; one long, the other short. This was it, he was going to beat her, she thought. Like that, she braced herself for the incoming blow.

"What are you doing?"

Yuna paused and opened her eyes, staring at him dumbly.

"You think you can fill the role of the prince in your current state? Quit daydreaming and catch this," he clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw the shorter sword over.

Yuna caught it clumsily. She was shocked with the weapon's heavy weight, though it was made of wood. It wasn't long before sweat started dripping down the sides of her head. Eventually, her arms gave out, lacking the strength to keep it raised, and dropped the sword to the ground.

"Lift your sword," he ordered.

With great effort, she obeyed his command and held it out in front of her body. Her muscles tensed, and her arms violently shook as she did her best to keep it up in the air.

Callahan scanned her body, "Pull it closer to your right side.... Raise it close to shoulder level. Get into a sturdy stance with your left leg in front and a slight bend in your knees..." he paused, suddenly facepalming, "Ah, I forgot that you're three or something. How should I put it into simpler words..."

But before he said anything else, Yuna followed his instructions and got into a good stance.

"Oh, you're smart. Well, I guess this will make things easier," he smiled, using his long sword to adjust her posture and her hold on the sword. He could see how much the sword was shaking in her hands. Taking his time, he told her to take a step forward, "Now, bring the sword down in a straight line and hit me."

Yuna hesitated, but followed through and hit Callahan's shoulder.

He smiled happily with surprised expression on his face, "Wow, color me impressed. That was the weakest, most pathetic hit I've ever felt in my life. It would be a complete lie if I said I've felt worse," he took the wooden sword away by the blade, "I'd bet everything that even a baby could hit harder than you."

The sweating and tired Yuna looked down in shame and embarrassment. It wasn't her fault she was so weak and malnourished! What more could she possibly do in her condition?

He expressed all distress and mortification in a deep sigh, "Looks like we have a lot of work to do."

...