A Maiden and Her Knight

21: Hunger Pains

After a good night's sleep, Sir Gabriel begins to stir. He is hesitant to wake up, laying with the woman he has so quickly fallen in love with. He opens his eyes, still hearing the sound of the rain against the roof of the barn; sounding like it is still coming down and could last for several more hours. He takes a deep breath and nestles his head in what he believes to be the most comfortable place in all of Albion, Ashley's chest.

He turns his gaze upward, watching as the giant maiden is still fast asleep. Her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath she takes a rhythm that pairs nicely with the sound of her beating heart. Her arms ate still around him in a loving embrace, keeping him close to her body. The knight can't help but smile, feeling lucky to have met such an amazing woman.

Sir Gabriel decides to close his eyes and enjoy the spot which he is privileged to enjoy. When Ashley has a hold of him there is no escaping her loving grip. Besides, there is no point in trying to wake her right now, the rain keeping the two of them confined to the barn which they have taken shelter in. The structure is sizeable, but it is not large enough to accommodate Ashley's large size, leaving the massive maiden to feel slightly cramped. Laying down she has to pull her knees up just so she can fit.

A rumble coming from the giantess's stomach reminds him of the other reason he wants to let her sleep. Her hunger. The two of them had no choice but to skip dinner due to the weather; the lunch Ashley had was not holding her over too well. The knight rolls over to get more comfortable, ready to go back to sleep. That is until he realizes that something is wrong.

He is actually able to move. Normally Ashley's embrace on him is tight, not so tight that he is uncomfortable just tight enough to keep him in place. He normally has to wait for her to wake up before he can get up himself; often having to wait a couple of hours. The fact that she is not hanging onto him tightly like she normally does, worries him.

Sir Gabriel's mind moves to the only possible reason as to why this could happen, but her skipping a single meal shouldn't cause this kind of weakness. Could it?

If that is the cause he can only imagine that it must have something to do with her extraordinary size. Because of this single aspect he can imagine that the giant maiden's body would need a lot more nourishment just to sustain herself. Skipping a single meal could have more drastic consequences for her than anyone else.

"Ashley," Sir Gabriel calls out with a sense of urgency in his voice, "Ashley!" The maiden continues to sleep, undisturbed by the sound of the knight's voice. Either the maiden is a heavy sleeper or the sound of his voice is not loud enough to rouse her from her slumber. Either way, Sir Gabriel knows that he will need to attempt something else to wake her up.

He begins to squirm his way out from the giantess's loving embrace. With her grip on him bring looser than it tends to be he is able to slide out from underneath her arms. Still taking some effort, he manages to free himself as he crawls along her body to reach the ground. This is an odd experience for him, the softness of her chest not making for a stable surface to move along. His hands and knees sinking into her flesh and throwing off his balance.

Firmly on solid ground, the concerned knight rushes over to Ashley's face. With her head turned he finds himself standing in front of the still sleeping maiden's face. Kneeling, he can feel her breath on his body, inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm. "Ashley," Sir Gabriel calls out once again. He is pressing his hand against her cheek, his palm sinking into her flesh. He is desperate to wake her up, worried about her well being.

Ashley groans as she begins to stir from her slumber, Sir Gabriel's attempts to wake her finally succeeding. Slowly opening her eyes, smiling when she is greeted by the sight of the man her heart belongs to. "Morning," she groans. Still half asleep she attempts to stretch, stopping when her hands and feet hit the walls before she can completely stretch them out. Her eyes fully open, she puckers up her lips expecting a token of affection from her knight.