Tin Soldier
|| The Giant ||
“Flynn.”
The voice whispered into my thoughts like the smooth melody of a harp. It enchanted me, charming me with its hypnotizing strings. My heart fluttered behind the cage in my chest, begging me to open my eyes, tempting me with sweet promises of the one thing that I most desired. Darkness wrapped around me, enveloping my body in a tight cocoon, and I squirmed impatiently in discomfort.
“Flynn.”
Gold flickered in the darkness, threads of honey glimmering beneath the light of the sun, and for a moment I felt placate. My hands, broken and ugly, reached out instinctively. The irresistible urge to brush the tips of my fingers against the silky strands of beauty was at the forefront of my mind.
The icy chill of a winter’s breeze nipped at my skin, sinking its teeth into my flesh like a starved animal until I was left a shivering mess. Chattering bitterly, my teeth ached, longing for warmth. The warmth of the voice that naturally danced alongside it. But I felt nothing. Nothing of the familiarity that I had painted with that harmonic tone.
“Scarlett?” I breathed.
She melted from the darkness, shrouded in the darkest of shadows. Her eyes, as bright and luminous as ever, blinked rapidly; almost staring past me as if I wasn’t there. My tongue ran over my lips at the sight of her, remembering the taste of her honey sweet lips.
“Flynn,” she whispered.
Tears laced the nymph’s voice as she peered at me with her leaf green eyes. Slowly she held her hands out to me, palms facing the heavens as if in surrender. The motion froze my thumping heart, shattering it instantly as my gaze trailed down her once pale arms.
Crimson painted her delicate hands, dripping its bitter tangy liquid at her stained feet. Each second that passed, I could feel my head get lighter, undeniably distraught at the sight of my crimson Scarlett. Her innocence was tainted, and the thought itself was enough for my heart to despair in grief.
Sorrow wholeheartedly filled the empty crevasse of my body, spilling out of my tin armour in a disgustingly thick stench. Scarlett’s frail body pleaded for my love, her fingers stretching as far as they would go as she took a small step forward, but I merely looked down at her bloody fingers; my face void of all emotion. I watched my Scarlett as though she were a stranger, tilting my head slightly as if examining a new species. My sorrow had evaporated, the last of it drifting into the cold darkness until I was left without remorse.
I watched without a care, as Scarlett’s smile broke. An uneven web crawled its way along the nymph’s soft flesh, cracking like the porcelain that her beautiful skin resembled. And as I gazed at the girl without so much as a care, she gave me a small smile. The last I would see as her body fell to ash.
“Flynn!”
My eyes snapped open at the shock, my arms whipping out mechanically as my instincts of war kicked in. My heart thudded in my chest, and I could feel the damp mess of tears and sweat streaking my face. The droplets tickled down my face, falling to the rosy cheeks of a frightened young girl as I hovered menacingly above her.
Unwavering, I glared, baring my teeth as the child gulped nervously beneath the blade of my knife and relishing the moment as her frightened eyes captured the wrath of my blood hungry snarl.
“Who are you?” I growled, deep and throaty, the impulse of war still plaguing my thoughts.
I waited for the girl to answer, grinding my teeth the longer she trembled without a word. Snapping my teeth at her, I pressed the knife a little deeper, only loosening my hold slightly when she gave a high pitched squeak of terror.
“I-I s-saw you o-over here sh-shaking really bad,” she stuttered, her eyes brimming with fearful tears. “I th-thought you might n-n-need help.”
Tearing my eyes from the quivering girl, I chanced a glance at my surroundings, releasing a growl when I noticed the bars of metal caging the two of us together. Still, the bars only held my attention for so long before the imminent danger caught my eye.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I snapped, my head whipping back down to the girl in dislike.
My hand was steady as she remained pinned to the ground, and the simple act seemed to have calmed her down slightly. Her shaking had stopped, and her quivering lip had straightened to a tight line.
“Daisy, sir,” she whispered obediently. “Daisy of Grimlock.”
I nodded, pulling the knife back an inch. “And where am I, Daisy?” I asked through gritted teeth.
The girl shot me a look like I was stupid, the exasperated roll of her eyes stunning me into swallowing an awkward lump of saliva. Her attitude had changed dramatically, switching from a clumsy kitten to a feral cat in an instant. The sheen in her eyes mocked me with sarcasm, and all I could do was stare back dumbfounded.
“Aerostle,” the girl stated, all traces of her fear dissolved. “Duh.”
Unsure how to react to Daisy’s careless persona, I pressed the knife back into her throat, my teeth clenching tightly when she didn’t show the fear that I had expected. Already I could feel the frustration growing in my chest, only becoming more infuriated as the girl’s smile widened into a smug smirk.
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” the young girl snickered, unconcerned for the knife buried into her skin. “My step-mother starved me, my father abandoned me in the woods, my brother got eaten by a witch and I’ve been imprisoned by giants. You really think a knife is going to scare me?”
All I could do was glower at her, reluctantly releasing my hold so I didn’t accidentally push the rest of my blade into her throat. Daisy, however, seemed to act like that had been her plan all along. As if I hadn’t almost slit her throat on the cold metal floor of this surprisingly clean cage. Annoyance laced my brow as I crossed my arms over my chest, my knife merely a hands length away if I changed my mind again.
“So how did we get here?” I asked in a low voice, narrowing my eyes at the world outside.
Daisy didn’t answer immediately as she picked herself up and brushed her cotton skirt. Now that her game was over, the grin had left her face, replaced instead with a devil-may-care shrug. Following the direction of her finger, my eyes travelled to the corpse of a massive creature, splayed out across a wide flat surface.
“Is that… the Kraken?” I murmured.
I shuddered at the sight of the creature, so clearly outside of its element, and by now I could barely grasp the fact that the monster was now lying lifeless on a kitchen bench. Recollections of Cook and his sinking ship flashed into my thoughts like a daydream, memories of my falling body as it tumbled into the waiting jaws of the Kraken. Yet here I stood, and there it lay.
Daisy nodded, shrugging her shoulders as she planted her hands on her hips. “You actually came out swinging,” she replied. “All crazy-eyed. Gave them a few paper cuts. And I can safely say that you’ll probably be eaten first.” She beamed brightly as if it was the best news that I could possibly hear but I only turned away with a roll of my eyes as a distant sound of thunder beat rhythmically in the ensuing silence.
The thundering steps grew louder as the giant approached, and I swallowed impulsively as a female entered the kitchen. I’d never seen a giant before, and never in my life had I ever thought that I’d end up as their dinner. Then again, I’d never imagined I’d survive the deadly jaws of the Kraken either.
She was larger than I’d expected; a mountain walking on two legs, but in all appearances she looked human. Warm eyes scanned the shelves that lined the brick walls, her fingers sifting through the various jars and plants they held. A small smile softened her face, obviously comfortable in her kitchen as she pulled down an assorted range of canisters, and displayed them onto the counter before bringing a knife to the Kraken’s carcass. The whole process tugged at my heart, reminding of a distant memory that I’d have rather forgotten.
“So your brother was eaten by a witch?” I asked, brushing a hand through my hair in vexation. Honestly, I couldn’t care less, but the cage was beginning to play on my insanity.
“It was his fault really,” Daisy answered lightly, apparently oblivious to the immediate problem at hand. “If he hadn’t eaten so much, he might have run faster. Suppose he couldn’t be blamed though. The house was pretty tempting.”
My lip curled at the corner as the girl spoke casually of her deceased brother. I could only wonder how long it had been since she had been left alone, but I supposed it had been quite a long time. Leaning against the bars of the cage, I tilted my head at the young girl, my brow rising in question.
“You might think after such experiences, that you would be a little more grateful that you’re still alive,” I mused.
Scoffing loudly, Daisy crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at me slightly in offence. “I didn’t get out because I was lucky,” she snapped. “That stupid old cow was blind, so it didn’t take much to slip past her. Of course, I bided my time, waiting for the right moment. She ate Luke first. Then when it was my turn, I pushed her in the fire and ate her for dinner.”
By the time Daisy had finished her story, I had lost interest. My mind drifting to my beautiful Scarlett. The one I would most likely never see again. My heart thudded in despair at the mere thought of her; the feeling even deeper after the strange dream I’d had and I could feel the renewed determination to escape being fuelled by her memory.
“Don’t you think I’ve tried that already?” Daisy huffed, noticing that I’d stopped listening.
I pointedly ignored her, testing the stability of the bars in my grip, but I stopped as soon as a second giant stormed into the kitchen. Face red with anger, the male advanced on who I assumed would be his partner, and I watched with intent wariness as he snapped at the unknowing woman.
Their voices rumbled through the air, vibrating in a foreign language like the roar of thunder. Tension laced their bodies, and I was surprised to see that the woman seemed to hold herself strongly against her partner, but for whatever it was they fought about, I didn’t know.
Unable to decipher the giant’s language, my gaze shifted to the source of a prickling feeling that niggled at the back of my neck. Eyes watched me from the corner of the room, revealing themselves to belong to that of a smaller giant. My eyes widened; the sight of the child more interesting than that of his parents simply because as a child he was still fifty times my height.
A small grin stretched sloppily across his face, sinking deep into his baby fat cheeks. Mischief twinkled in his bright blue eyes like glittering swimming pools but I would not be fooled by his innocent look. Frozen in place, I hoped beyond anything that the giant child would turn away. That he would stop looking at me as though I were a chew toy.
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as the child slowly edged towards the cage. He was smart, I would give him that much. His eyes switched continuously between his parents and his goal, showing intelligence that I hadn’t expected a child of his age might have, and when he reached the cage I was stunned.
Peering down at me with wide blue eyes, the giant gave me a knowing look before quickly hiding the cage behind his back. His actions had stumped me; leaving me uncertain and confused, and I wouldn’t admit that I’d felt a warm safety at being hidden from view.
Until the cage jerked roughly.
Tumbling to the cold metal floor in a heap, I attempted futilely to brace myself, but another jerking motion had me stumbling again. I was on my hands and knees, my tin breastplate rattling against the motion.
“Flynn?”
Daisy’s voice whispered, so different from her cocky attitude from previously. Flattened against the ground, fear shook her small frame, desperation filling her tear streaked face and an instant sense of protectiveness urged me to crawl towards her; wrapping the girl’s body in my arms in an attempt to comfort her distress.
With a final forceful push, the child’s chubby hands sent the cage tumbling over the edge of the table. Gravity took over; the metal bars diving into the depths below, and I couldn’t have felt more afraid. We were not going to survive this. I would never see my dancing Scarlett.
My body pressed into the top of the cage, reacting much slower than the heavy prison that trapped us. My arms wound tighter around Daisy’s tense form, her feared screams piercing into my ears. I was glad she couldn’t see; her eyes were clamped tightly shut, her head buried into my neck. I was glad. Because I didn’t want this child to watch as we hurtled into the blazing fire below.
The voice whispered into my thoughts like the smooth melody of a harp. It enchanted me, charming me with its hypnotizing strings. My heart fluttered behind the cage in my chest, begging me to open my eyes, tempting me with sweet promises of the one thing that I most desired. Darkness wrapped around me, enveloping my body in a tight cocoon, and I squirmed impatiently in discomfort.
“Flynn.”
Gold flickered in the darkness, threads of honey glimmering beneath the light of the sun, and for a moment I felt placate. My hands, broken and ugly, reached out instinctively. The irresistible urge to brush the tips of my fingers against the silky strands of beauty was at the forefront of my mind.
The icy chill of a winter’s breeze nipped at my skin, sinking its teeth into my flesh like a starved animal until I was left a shivering mess. Chattering bitterly, my teeth ached, longing for warmth. The warmth of the voice that naturally danced alongside it. But I felt nothing. Nothing of the familiarity that I had painted with that harmonic tone.
“Scarlett?” I breathed.
She melted from the darkness, shrouded in the darkest of shadows. Her eyes, as bright and luminous as ever, blinked rapidly; almost staring past me as if I wasn’t there. My tongue ran over my lips at the sight of her, remembering the taste of her honey sweet lips.
“Flynn,” she whispered.
Tears laced the nymph’s voice as she peered at me with her leaf green eyes. Slowly she held her hands out to me, palms facing the heavens as if in surrender. The motion froze my thumping heart, shattering it instantly as my gaze trailed down her once pale arms.
Crimson painted her delicate hands, dripping its bitter tangy liquid at her stained feet. Each second that passed, I could feel my head get lighter, undeniably distraught at the sight of my crimson Scarlett. Her innocence was tainted, and the thought itself was enough for my heart to despair in grief.
Sorrow wholeheartedly filled the empty crevasse of my body, spilling out of my tin armour in a disgustingly thick stench. Scarlett’s frail body pleaded for my love, her fingers stretching as far as they would go as she took a small step forward, but I merely looked down at her bloody fingers; my face void of all emotion. I watched my Scarlett as though she were a stranger, tilting my head slightly as if examining a new species. My sorrow had evaporated, the last of it drifting into the cold darkness until I was left without remorse.
I watched without a care, as Scarlett’s smile broke. An uneven web crawled its way along the nymph’s soft flesh, cracking like the porcelain that her beautiful skin resembled. And as I gazed at the girl without so much as a care, she gave me a small smile. The last I would see as her body fell to ash.
“Flynn!”
My eyes snapped open at the shock, my arms whipping out mechanically as my instincts of war kicked in. My heart thudded in my chest, and I could feel the damp mess of tears and sweat streaking my face. The droplets tickled down my face, falling to the rosy cheeks of a frightened young girl as I hovered menacingly above her.
Unwavering, I glared, baring my teeth as the child gulped nervously beneath the blade of my knife and relishing the moment as her frightened eyes captured the wrath of my blood hungry snarl.
“Who are you?” I growled, deep and throaty, the impulse of war still plaguing my thoughts.
I waited for the girl to answer, grinding my teeth the longer she trembled without a word. Snapping my teeth at her, I pressed the knife a little deeper, only loosening my hold slightly when she gave a high pitched squeak of terror.
“I-I s-saw you o-over here sh-shaking really bad,” she stuttered, her eyes brimming with fearful tears. “I th-thought you might n-n-need help.”
Tearing my eyes from the quivering girl, I chanced a glance at my surroundings, releasing a growl when I noticed the bars of metal caging the two of us together. Still, the bars only held my attention for so long before the imminent danger caught my eye.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I snapped, my head whipping back down to the girl in dislike.
My hand was steady as she remained pinned to the ground, and the simple act seemed to have calmed her down slightly. Her shaking had stopped, and her quivering lip had straightened to a tight line.
“Daisy, sir,” she whispered obediently. “Daisy of Grimlock.”
I nodded, pulling the knife back an inch. “And where am I, Daisy?” I asked through gritted teeth.
The girl shot me a look like I was stupid, the exasperated roll of her eyes stunning me into swallowing an awkward lump of saliva. Her attitude had changed dramatically, switching from a clumsy kitten to a feral cat in an instant. The sheen in her eyes mocked me with sarcasm, and all I could do was stare back dumbfounded.
“Aerostle,” the girl stated, all traces of her fear dissolved. “Duh.”
Unsure how to react to Daisy’s careless persona, I pressed the knife back into her throat, my teeth clenching tightly when she didn’t show the fear that I had expected. Already I could feel the frustration growing in my chest, only becoming more infuriated as the girl’s smile widened into a smug smirk.
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” the young girl snickered, unconcerned for the knife buried into her skin. “My step-mother starved me, my father abandoned me in the woods, my brother got eaten by a witch and I’ve been imprisoned by giants. You really think a knife is going to scare me?”
All I could do was glower at her, reluctantly releasing my hold so I didn’t accidentally push the rest of my blade into her throat. Daisy, however, seemed to act like that had been her plan all along. As if I hadn’t almost slit her throat on the cold metal floor of this surprisingly clean cage. Annoyance laced my brow as I crossed my arms over my chest, my knife merely a hands length away if I changed my mind again.
“So how did we get here?” I asked in a low voice, narrowing my eyes at the world outside.
Daisy didn’t answer immediately as she picked herself up and brushed her cotton skirt. Now that her game was over, the grin had left her face, replaced instead with a devil-may-care shrug. Following the direction of her finger, my eyes travelled to the corpse of a massive creature, splayed out across a wide flat surface.
“Is that… the Kraken?” I murmured.
I shuddered at the sight of the creature, so clearly outside of its element, and by now I could barely grasp the fact that the monster was now lying lifeless on a kitchen bench. Recollections of Cook and his sinking ship flashed into my thoughts like a daydream, memories of my falling body as it tumbled into the waiting jaws of the Kraken. Yet here I stood, and there it lay.
Daisy nodded, shrugging her shoulders as she planted her hands on her hips. “You actually came out swinging,” she replied. “All crazy-eyed. Gave them a few paper cuts. And I can safely say that you’ll probably be eaten first.” She beamed brightly as if it was the best news that I could possibly hear but I only turned away with a roll of my eyes as a distant sound of thunder beat rhythmically in the ensuing silence.
The thundering steps grew louder as the giant approached, and I swallowed impulsively as a female entered the kitchen. I’d never seen a giant before, and never in my life had I ever thought that I’d end up as their dinner. Then again, I’d never imagined I’d survive the deadly jaws of the Kraken either.
She was larger than I’d expected; a mountain walking on two legs, but in all appearances she looked human. Warm eyes scanned the shelves that lined the brick walls, her fingers sifting through the various jars and plants they held. A small smile softened her face, obviously comfortable in her kitchen as she pulled down an assorted range of canisters, and displayed them onto the counter before bringing a knife to the Kraken’s carcass. The whole process tugged at my heart, reminding of a distant memory that I’d have rather forgotten.
“So your brother was eaten by a witch?” I asked, brushing a hand through my hair in vexation. Honestly, I couldn’t care less, but the cage was beginning to play on my insanity.
“It was his fault really,” Daisy answered lightly, apparently oblivious to the immediate problem at hand. “If he hadn’t eaten so much, he might have run faster. Suppose he couldn’t be blamed though. The house was pretty tempting.”
My lip curled at the corner as the girl spoke casually of her deceased brother. I could only wonder how long it had been since she had been left alone, but I supposed it had been quite a long time. Leaning against the bars of the cage, I tilted my head at the young girl, my brow rising in question.
“You might think after such experiences, that you would be a little more grateful that you’re still alive,” I mused.
Scoffing loudly, Daisy crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at me slightly in offence. “I didn’t get out because I was lucky,” she snapped. “That stupid old cow was blind, so it didn’t take much to slip past her. Of course, I bided my time, waiting for the right moment. She ate Luke first. Then when it was my turn, I pushed her in the fire and ate her for dinner.”
By the time Daisy had finished her story, I had lost interest. My mind drifting to my beautiful Scarlett. The one I would most likely never see again. My heart thudded in despair at the mere thought of her; the feeling even deeper after the strange dream I’d had and I could feel the renewed determination to escape being fuelled by her memory.
“Don’t you think I’ve tried that already?” Daisy huffed, noticing that I’d stopped listening.
I pointedly ignored her, testing the stability of the bars in my grip, but I stopped as soon as a second giant stormed into the kitchen. Face red with anger, the male advanced on who I assumed would be his partner, and I watched with intent wariness as he snapped at the unknowing woman.
Their voices rumbled through the air, vibrating in a foreign language like the roar of thunder. Tension laced their bodies, and I was surprised to see that the woman seemed to hold herself strongly against her partner, but for whatever it was they fought about, I didn’t know.
Unable to decipher the giant’s language, my gaze shifted to the source of a prickling feeling that niggled at the back of my neck. Eyes watched me from the corner of the room, revealing themselves to belong to that of a smaller giant. My eyes widened; the sight of the child more interesting than that of his parents simply because as a child he was still fifty times my height.
A small grin stretched sloppily across his face, sinking deep into his baby fat cheeks. Mischief twinkled in his bright blue eyes like glittering swimming pools but I would not be fooled by his innocent look. Frozen in place, I hoped beyond anything that the giant child would turn away. That he would stop looking at me as though I were a chew toy.
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as the child slowly edged towards the cage. He was smart, I would give him that much. His eyes switched continuously between his parents and his goal, showing intelligence that I hadn’t expected a child of his age might have, and when he reached the cage I was stunned.
Peering down at me with wide blue eyes, the giant gave me a knowing look before quickly hiding the cage behind his back. His actions had stumped me; leaving me uncertain and confused, and I wouldn’t admit that I’d felt a warm safety at being hidden from view.
Until the cage jerked roughly.
Tumbling to the cold metal floor in a heap, I attempted futilely to brace myself, but another jerking motion had me stumbling again. I was on my hands and knees, my tin breastplate rattling against the motion.
“Flynn?”
Daisy’s voice whispered, so different from her cocky attitude from previously. Flattened against the ground, fear shook her small frame, desperation filling her tear streaked face and an instant sense of protectiveness urged me to crawl towards her; wrapping the girl’s body in my arms in an attempt to comfort her distress.
With a final forceful push, the child’s chubby hands sent the cage tumbling over the edge of the table. Gravity took over; the metal bars diving into the depths below, and I couldn’t have felt more afraid. We were not going to survive this. I would never see my dancing Scarlett.
My body pressed into the top of the cage, reacting much slower than the heavy prison that trapped us. My arms wound tighter around Daisy’s tense form, her feared screams piercing into my ears. I was glad she couldn’t see; her eyes were clamped tightly shut, her head buried into my neck. I was glad. Because I didn’t want this child to watch as we hurtled into the blazing fire below.