A Maiden and Her Knight

17: A Much Needed Break

     Ashley has been helping Daniel harvest his crops for several hours. All she is mainly doing is carrying empty crates out to the farmer so that he can load them up, then carrying the now full crates back to the barn; which is all she can really do to help the poor farmer out. With her extraordinary size, these crates aren't that heavy for her so carrying them from the field to the barn is an easy task for her; the maiden can only imagine how heavy the load would be for an average-sized person.

     With one field completely harvested now, Daniel takes a look at how empty it now looks. He feels a sense of accomplishment, and he feels very grateful for the help that Ashley has been able to give him. If it wasn't for her he highly doubts he would be half as far along as he is now. Her moving the crates back and forth may not seem like much help, but it is the biggest help he can receive from anyone.

     Daniel looks up at the maiden as she is picking up the last two crates that he has filled with his crops, watching as she is lifting them with relative ease, something that he still can't believe. He is watching her do so with a sense of wonder, imagining just how much easier his life would be if Ashley were to help him daily.

     Ashley looks down at the farmer, the crates in her hands. "So, is this it?" she asks hoping that his answer will be a yes. It isn't that she doesn't mind helping him out, but rather that she is getting a bit tired. The large maiden is just not used to this kind of manual labor. Yes, it is easy, but the repetition of the task is what is getting to her.

     "For now yes," Daniel shouts up at the giantess, "Once you place those two crates inside the barn, go ahead and take a break; I know I could use one." He looks back towards his house, knowing that both his wife and newborn son are inside and he misses them both terribly.

     "Sure, thanks." This isn't the answer that Ashley wanted to hear, she was hoping that she would be done for the day. But a break is good enough for her, as it not only will give her a chance to rest her feet, but also spend some much needed time with her knight, Sir Gabriel.

     She makes her way back over to the barn, getting on her knees so that she can easily, and carefully, place the crates inside. She doesn't need to crawl in as far as she had to earlier, due to her being able to drop each crate off a lot closer to the entrance. When she is done, she stands back up and looks around at the property, searching for a good spot so that she may finally sit down and rest. The property is large, sure, but there is a lot on the property that does not give a lot of clearing for her to be able to sit down comfortably.

     After some searching, she does find a spot that she can sit down and relax. She lets out a moan of relief as she can get off her feet, her appendages being sore from all the work and moving around that she has been doing. Granted, it could be considered light labor for someone of her stature, but she just isn't used to it. She stretches her legs out and wiggles her long toes, enjoying the break that she has.

     Out of habit, the maiden pulls her one foot closer to herself to take a look at the state her sole is in, frowning when she sees just how dirty it has become. Her sole is looking brown from how much dirt she has picked up throughout the day, something which cannot be helped. She brushes her hand across her foot, hoping to remove some of the unwanted debris that is on the underside of her foot, but it is proving to be very ineffective. She stretches her leg back out, sighing as she wishes that she had an ample amount of time to wash her feet so that they can be nice and pretty again.

     "So how have you been doing?" Sir Gabriel asks, walking up to the woman he loves.

     The maiden looks down at her knight, putting a smile on her face just for him. "Exhausted."

     He laughs slightly, smiling back at her. "Not used to this type of labor I take it?"

      "Actually, this is the first time I have done any kind of labor, so no."

     "Well don't you worry. You won't have to work like this anymore if you don't wish to. I will be sure to support you so that you can live comfortably."

     Ashley shakes her head at the comment. "So chivalrous I see. She then looks back at her feet, the word "comfortably" going through her head. "So you want to make sure that I am comfortable?"

     "Of course. It is a knight's duty to tend to his maiden's needs after all."

     "Well," Ashley begins. She sounds a bit hesitant, almost as if she is debating on if she should ask for such a thing from the knight. "My feet are a bit on the sore side."  She then leans her foot forward, bringing her toes closer to Sir Gabriel, hinting at what she is preparing to ask of him. "I don't suppose that you could give them a massage now, could you?"

     Sir Gabriel will admit that he is a bit stunned by the maiden's request. Such a task for him is daunting. He has seen just how big her feet are, which are almost twice as long as he is tall, he doesn't even know how to begin with what us being asked of him.

      Noticing how Sir Gabriel is being on the hesitant side, Ashley decides to persuade him. "Well, I really could use a foot rub." She then spreads her toes and flexes them helping to emphasize her need. "You did say that a knight does tend to his maiden's needs, right?" Ashley's tone sounds hopeful as she says this, implying that she is only making a request as opposed to an outright demand. Using her size to impose her will is something that she would never do, it just wouldn't be right, but using her feminine charm is a different story.

     Sir Gabriel looks up at her, smiling, seeing just how important this is to the maiden. It would be wrong of him to deny her such a simple request. "Of course I did. I will be more than happy to alleviate your sore feet."

     Ashley smiles again, half expecting Sir Gabriel to turn down her request due to how large her feet are when compared to him. But the knight does love her and he is willing to show it, so such a request should be nothing for him. Standing in front of the enormous walls of flesh before him, Sir Gabriel contemplates how he should best approach this. "Don't mind how dirty my feet are," Ashley comments, feeling slightly ashamed of the state her feet are in. "I am a bit embarrassed about it."

     Sir Gabriel pokes his head around Ashley's large foot, smiling at the maiden. "Even with all the dirt I see, your feet are still very pretty." Ashley can't help but smile at the simple comment, even if a part of her knows that he is only being nice to her. He turns his attention back to Ashley's soles, seeing all the dirt that has collected from her walking around in her bare feet, he can even see how it has collected between her toes. Regardless of how dirty Ashley's feet have become due to the work she has been doing, this does not deter the knight.

     The knight places his hands on the giantess' sole, once again noting just how soft her skin is, proof that she does take great care of her own feet. He is still surprised about how immaculate her feet look. Anyone else who would go barefoot for as long as Ashley has would have rough and calloused soles, yet her feet are in such an immaculate condition he can't help but have some admiration for them. He ignores this observation as he begins to knead her flesh, massaging her appendage the same way that one would massage someone's back. He knows that he is so much smaller than her, he can only hope that what he is doing is enough for the giant woman.

     Ashley leans her head back and closes her eyes, the knight's hands on her sole feeling so good to her right now. She has rubbed her own feet on several occasions, but to have someone else do it is something else entirely. "You are really good at this," she says, not only encouraging the knight but also informing him of how good a job that he is doing.

     Sir Gabriel can't help but smile at the comment, glad that he can give her some relief. He continues to rub and knead the large sole that is before him knowing that he is making a real difference. He looks back over to see the content look on the maiden's face, encouraging him to continue with what was asked of him. Before long, he decides to move on to her other foot. He notices how this sole is just as soft as her other one. He can only imagine how much attention and effort that Ashley must give her feet to keep them in such a condition.

    Anyone else doing this would be wondering just how long it would take to satisfy such a large woman, but since he absolutely loves this woman the only thought Sir Gabriel has is to continue for as long as she needs him to, even if he has to rub her feet for hours so she can feel some relief.

     "Gabriel, do you really think that my feet are pretty?" Ashley asks.

     The knight does not stop what he is doing as he is asked this seemingly simple question. Sure, he could always answer with a simple "yes" or "you have the prettiest feet that I have ever seen," but these answers would only carry so much weight no matter how honest he is being. Ashley is looking for validation, and one has to give a good answer in a situation like this, otherwise the same question will keep popping up very frequently. He looks at the maiden's large foot that is before him with a single answer coming to mind. It isn't so much an answer as it is an action. An action he never thought he would be performing. Yet, it is one that he can justify, and one that he knows will make Ashley very happy.

     "Gabriel?" Ashley is a bit worried by the knight's silence, wondering why it is taking him so long to answer. He has told her before that her feet are pretty, on several occasions. So why is he being so hesitant when it comes to answering her this time? Her mind quickly becomes distracted when she feels a sensation in the middle of her sole. It is one that feels familiar to her, yet it can't be what she thinks it is. Surely Sir Gabriel wouldn't do something like that, most men wouldn't. She looks down at the knight, looking very confused about what she had just felt. "D-did you... Did you just kiss my foot?" she finally asks out of disbelief.

     "Yes, I did." Sir Gabriel can hardly believe that he did it himself, yet he did just that. He could easily justify what he had just done, not just because be believes that it was the best possible answer he could give, but her feet tend to be very clean from how often and thoroughly she washes them. Planting a kiss on them when they have a little dirt on them isn't going to hurt him. He can see the confused look on the maiden's face, hoping that he did not make her feel uncomfortable with what he has just done. What he has just done could be seen as a very odd thing to do by many, but he did not mind doing it because he loves her unconditionally. "Pretty feet deserve to be kissed," he adds with a smile on his face.

     "Pretty feet deserve to be kissed." This thought runs through Ashley's mind as she starts to smile. Are her feet actually pretty enough to receive a kiss? She had never expected such an answer like that from anyone. It is the sweetest answer Sir Gabriel could have given her and she loves it. He truly does believe her feet are pretty. She turns her other foot towards the knight, gently nudging him with her toes. "Is this foot pretty enough to be kissed?"

     Sir Gabriel feels a wave of relief wash over him. Not only was she okay with how he answered her, but she seems to love it. He looks at her toes, her longest ones easily being longer than the length of his forearm, which are right at his face. He smiles, knowing that what he did, and what he is about to do, is going to make her happy. Without any second thoughts, he plants a kiss on one of her toes.

      Ashley immediately picks up her knight, pulling him into a loving embrace against her chest. She can't help but smile at him lovingly, wanting nothing more to be with him for the rest of her days. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

     "I have a pretty good idea how much kissing your pretty feet means to you." Without his armor on, Sir Gabriel can feel her embrace, the softness of her body. There is nowhere else he would rather be right now, or at any other moment. A big part of him does wish that he could remain in her arms for the rest of his days. He looks up at her, feeling very comfortable where he is at. He knows that this can not last forever since there is still work that needs to be done. So he is enjoying this loving moment with her, resting his head comfortably on her chest. He can hear the sound of her heartbeat, a sound that he has learned to love. The past two nights he has fallen asleep while listening to it and he knows that he will hear it again tonight.

     "So," Ashley begins, her tone sounding a bit on the playful side, "Can my pretty feet expect to receive kisses from you regularly?"

     Sir Gabriel realizes that he has started something, but he does not regret this in the least. If kissing her feet every so often makes her happy, then he will continue to do it for her. "At least once a day, I promise."

     Ashley lifts Sir Gabriel even higher, kissing him. It isn't a quick peck this time, but rather a long and passionate one. The knight is surprised by how long it is lasting, but he does not mind it one bit. If anything he is enjoying the love and affection. He is trying to kiss her back, but with his entire face being enveloped by Ashley's lips, this proves to be impossible. When she finally stops, she looks at him, still smiling like the lovestruck woman that she is. A couple of days ago, if someone had told her that the sweetest man alive would love her unconditionally, she would have believed it to be a poorly made joke.

     "Excuse me, hi," a feminine voice says, grabbing the couple's attention. The woman is in a simple dress, her blonde hair, which almost looks white and is done up in a ponytail. She is holding a newborn baby, swaddled in a light blue blanket. "I'm Margret, Daniel's wife. I just want to thank you so much for your help today."

     Ashley smiles warmly at the woman, doing her best to look friendly. She may have approached her freely, but there is no telling how this woman truely feels about the giantess. "It is no problem at all." She then turns her attention to the infant, who is now starting to stir a bit. "Such a beautiful baby. What is his name?"

     "Well, his name is Matthew." She looks down at her child, giving him the same look any loving mother would, as she leans down and kisses him on the forehead. "Did you want to hold him?"

     Ashley is almost ready to say yes but is quick to stop herself. Holding such a small thing in her large hands might not be such a good idea. At her size she can only be so careful, so holding a newborn baby is definitely out of the question for the giantess. "No, I'm good, but thank you."

     "What about you?" Margret asks the knight, who is still being held by the maiden."

     "Sure," Sir Gabriel answers out of courtesy. As he is being lowered back onto the ground, he is feeling a bit nervous. He has never held an infant before and therefore has no idea what he is doing. All sorts of worries race through his mind, knowing that he is about to hold such a precious life in his arms. The only comfort he can find is that Ashley holds him all the time, and he is much smaller to her than little Matthew is to him. If such a large maiden can hold him with the greatest of care, then he can manage to hold an infant.

     Margret helps Sir Gabriel to hold her son, even going as far as to giving him some basic instructions. "You are going to want to cradle him while supporting his head, like so."

     Ashley watches as her knight is holding Matthew, noticing how natural the knight looks with a child in his arms. He is smiling and talking to little Matthew even laughing a bit. She can actually picture him being a good father to his children, their children actually. Then her mind starts to wander, a possibility in the future. Children.

     She would indeed love to start a family, but she never did think much about it. The reality of finding someone to spend the rest of her life with being one that had always seemed out of reach due to her size. What man would want to be with a woman who is ten times taller than he is? This was a reality that she felt she had to accept, no matter how much her heart told her otherwise. Then she met Sir Gabriel, a noble knight who easily accepted her as she is, extraordinary height and all. He has shown his love for her over the past three days that they have been together and he has committed himself to their blossoming relationship. Because of him, the idea of starting a family is no longer a farfetched dream for the maiden. It is now a possibility, a strong possibility.

     As Sir Gabriel hands little Matthew back to his mother, he looks back up at Ashley who is smiling at him. Her smile is a bit different. Instead of the warm, loving smile she normally tends to give, this one seems to be full of hope. "Might I ask what that look is for."

     "Oh, nothing," Ashley tries to say casually. She knows that her answer isn't very convincing from how Sir Gabriel is looking at her. "Well, watching you how you were holding the baby, I couldn't help but think..."

     "About children of our own?"

      "Well, not right now, but in the future. We have the rest of our lives and I have always wanted a family, it doesn't have to be now. We are still learning about each other and..."

     "Ashley," Sir Gabriel says, interrupting the maiden's nervous rambling. "It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself I know exactly what you mean."

     "Sorry," Ashley apologizes. She starts to blush a bit, embarrassed by how much she has just said. "Up until I met you, I never thought that I could have the chance to bear children."

     Sir Gabriel can see why Ashley would think that that way. He will admit that her size can be quite intimidating, even he froze up the first time he met the large maiden. So the prospect of her finding someone and starting a family must have seemed just about impossible for her. Now she has him and she firmly believes that she can have a family with him. All he can do right now is smile at her, walking up to her as he places his hand on Ashley's leg. "Well, someday we will have a family. I can promise you that."

     Before Ashley can say anything to what Sir Gabriel has just said to her, she hears a high pitched screech that grabs her attention. She looks up at the sky, watching as five silver scaled dragons are flying overhead. She starts to look excited, watching the pack of dragons fly overhead. The creatures look so beautiful flying overhead with their silver scales glistening in the sunlight.

     Sir Gabriel can't help but enjoy seeing the giantess so happy. He had only recently learned of the maiden's love for dragons so seeing a pack of Silver Wings flying overhead must be quite a sight for her. As he watches the dragons fly overhead, he starts to worry when he can see them descending onto the farmland. "Margret," the concerned knight says, looking over at the mother, "Get inside, quickly."

     Margret doesn't argue, nor does she question the knight's direction. She pulls her baby close as she hurries back to her house.

    "Gabriel," Ashley says with a huge amount of excitement. "Look! Look!" she exclaims, pointing at the dragons as they land, seeming like an excited child while doing this.

     "I can see them." He sighs, not exactly seeing this as an ideal situation. From what he has heard, and personal experience, he knows that silver wings can be trouble.