A crescent moon rose over the seemingly never-ending forest, spreading a blanket of dim light over the treetops. It was well past midnight. At least, that was the time that Bryony assumed it to be. The person named Bryony was a dwarf. She was a female dwarf of sixteen years, blessed with a nice figure from her mother and long, healthy hair from her father. Unfortunately, her parents had also been quite short, even for dwarves, so Bryony had ended up with the same miniscule height. That wasn’t a problem, though; what she lacked in height, she made sure to make up for in brute force.
Things like flowers and dresses had never interested Bryony, though the latter was her namesake. She had had a goal since she was young. It was an important goal, so much that she spent all of her time out of school and chores to train herself for that goal. When she was hardly more than a baby, her entire family, except for her and her older brother, had been stepped on by a giant. There were no witnesses, so by the time Bryony’s older brother had found out about their fate, it had been several days after the event happened. The two dwarf children were left to fend for themselves.
When the older brother finally told her the truth of their family members’ deaths, she was outraged. The fact that someone as large as a giant could be so careless around people smaller than he was made no sense to her. It was then that she made a promise to herself. She would work hard until she was stronger, and then hunt down the giant who had ruined her happy family and lay him to rest. To most, her goal seemed laughable. A shorter-than-average dwarf killing a taller-than-average giant seemed to be something out of a fairytale. Bryony, however, was quite serious. Unlike her brother, who was a rather gentle soul, she had a burning desire for revenge.
She had trained herself with a human sword she had stolen from a traveling merchant. There was no way a dwarf-sized weapon would work on a giant. The sword, which she wore strapped onto her back, stood almost an inch over her head when its tip was placed on the ground. The fact that she could swing it without injuring herself was practically a miracle. It took a great amount of effort to wield that sword, so she preferred to use a dagger, which she kept hidden in a sheath attached to her belt. Her hair, which tended to be bothersome on the battlefield, was pulled back into a tight braid, and her clothing was that of a traveler. Weapons and food aside, she didn’t need more than a shirt, pants, a cloak, and a pair of boots on her feet.
“Sleep as little as you can” and “travel light” were words that Bryony kept close to her heart. Her brother had discovered her sneaking out of their home on that night she had chosen to start her journey. Instead of trying to stop her, her brother simply embraced her for a final time and told her to stay safe. He had known that he wouldn’t be able to convince her to stay, so he had let her go. Part of Bryony wanted to toss her weapons aside and stay home by her brother’s side when she had seen his tears, but she had been preparing for her quest for so long that doing such would be throwing all of her hard work away. From that moment on, she began to block out memories of her past. There was no need for them anymore.
She was currently on the run in the middle of the forest. She was being pursued by a band of thieves who had thought that a young, female dwarf would have been easy to jump and knock unconscious. They hadn’t counted on Bryony being completely prepared for such a situation, or that she may escape with ease. However, they had the advantage because of their species. Their legs were longer than Bryony’s, and their bodies were stronger.
With her chest heaving and her long braid flapping as she ran, Bryony dashed left and right. The weight of the sword on her back was slowing her down, and her sides ached to the point that it was almost unbearable. She squinted, doing her best to ignore the cold sweat stinging her eyes. Her heart was beating faster than ever before. “I won’t be able to keep this up for much longer,” she thought, beginning to panic. Her eyes widened. What would happen if she got caught? She couldn’t let her journey end so early. “I won’t get caught,” she decided to herself, quickening her pace despite the pain that shot through her limbs.
Bryony was both mentally and physically exhausted. She didn’t even notice when another figure began to close in on her. She gasped for breath, not bothering to look back. Her eyes were glued to the path in front of her. She was brought back to her senses when a voice broke her concentration.
“Hey, what are you running for?”
Bryony ignored the voice. Her problems didn’t concern any outsiders, nor did she want anyone else to get involved in her problems. However, the owner of the voice very much wanted to be involved. That or he was too dense to realize that Bryony was in danger.
Bryony felt a strong hand grab on to the hood of her cloak, causing her to jerk to a stop. She opened her mouth to yell, but all that came out was a dry choking sound caused by her cloak’s clasp digging into her throat. She slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder at what she assumed to be an attacker. Her eyes grew as large as saucers. He was tall and powerfully built, possessing a thick body and standing several feet over her. Unable to take in his massive height, Bryony muttered the one word that came to her mind: “A g-giant.”
The “giant” let go of her cloak and drew his hands back, suddenly aware of the fact that he had unintentionally hurt her. He stepped back, his shadow engulfing the shaking Bryony. “Oh no,” he gasped. “I’m s-so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I just…!”
Bryony was terrified. “S-step back, giant... Step back……!” Her hands dropped to her sides as her eyes began to roll back. With a squeak, she fell backwards, having blacked out in fear.
“Oh n-no, p-pull yourself together!”
* * *
As Bryony came back to her senses, the smell of hay filled her nose. For a brief moment she felt relaxed. That feeling disappeared as her memories came back to her, and her eyes popped open as her hands went down to draw the dagger from her belt. “It’s gone…” She bit her lip. “Has the giant taken it?”
“So, you’ve woken up.”
Bryony’s head jerked to view the owner of the voice, who was, to her relief, a rather frail looking old woman with snowy white hair, dressed in a floral gown. She was a gentle-looking individual. Despite not having said a single word to the woman, Bryony had the feeling she’d be safe with her.
The old woman knelt down beside Bryony with a wide smile spread across her face. “How are you feeling?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“F-fine,” Bryony stuttered. She sat up, and clasped the old woman’s wrinkly hands in her own, looking deep into her eyes. “Thank you very much for rescuing me! I might’ve died if it weren’t for you!”
The old woman tilted her head in the other direction, a look of confusion settling on her face. “Rescuing you? From whom?”
Bryony’s hands drifted back down to rest in her lap. “The…giant...”
“A giant, you say?” The old woman frowned. “There aren’t any giants around here. I’m afraid that you must be mistaken.”
Bryony furrowed her brow. “I’m absolutely sure there was a giant,” she thought, biting her lip. “Perhaps…she’s on his side and is covering up for him? That would explain why she’s taken my weapons.”
After a moment of silence had passed between them, the old woman slammed a closed fist down in the palm of her opposite hand, looking quite sure of herself. “Of course, I should’ve guessed! There are a lot of people who would look like giants to someone your size. You must be thinking of my grandson.”
Bryony looked up. “Your grandson is a giant? But you’re so…” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh, no, we’re not related by blood.” The old woman smiled. “But I still consider him to my family.”
“I see,” muttered Bryony. “Where is he…? Your grandson, I mean.”
The old woman leapt up with surprising speed for her age, and stumbled through the door in front of her. “Hold on, I’ll go get him!”
Bryony nodded, despite the old woman’s having already left. Now that she was alone, she began to look around and take in her surroundings. She was lying in what appeared to be a bed made of blankets and hay, set up in the stall of a large barn. The walls that led up to the ceiling were tall, and covered in cobwebs and dust. Light shone down from one of the windows, causing the hay scattered across the dirt floor to appear as bright gold. In the stall across from her, she could see a pig curled up with its offspring. She could hear the sound of horses feeding several stalls down from where she was resting, and birds chirping outside of the barn. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She had been on the run for so long that she had forgotten how nice it was to sit and enjoy the sounds of nature. She hadn’t had the time for that when she had been listening for bears and thieves in the night. It had been a long time since she had been able to feel peace.
Bryony froze, her eyes widening as she heard the barn doors open. Her body tensed up, and her hands began to quiver. It was him at last—the giant she had encountered in the forest. She gulped, slowly turning her head to bring the “giant” into her view. She wondered what kind of terrible face he’d have. She also wondered if she had angered him somehow. Fear filled her until she finally happened to see his face.
The “giant” was a rather awkward-looking individual who, though being quite tall, was nowhere near as threatening as Bryony remembered. He was dressed in a flannel shirt and pants slightly too small for his large body, and had light blond hair that curled around his round face. His eyes were gentle, his cheeks slightly pink, and his lips pulled into an awkward, tight smile. He had rather thick brows, scrunched up in a way that made him look like he was nervous about something. His strong hands were clasped around each other tightly and pulled up to his chest as if he were trying to make himself appear smaller.
“Finlay! Stand up straighter and apologize!”
At the sound of the old woman’s stern voice, Finlay winced visibly. He gulped, anxiously swaying side-to-side as he tapped his fingers together. “I’m…sorry about the other day… I’m sorry if I hurt you. I…forget my strength sometimes. So…I’m really sorry...”
Bryony nodded, pulling the blanket she had been given up to her chin. She blinked. He wasn’t as scary as she remembered. There was nothing about him that stood out in a negative way or convinced her that he might be a threat. She was still, however, intimidated by his height. Most dwarves were frightened by large people, and enough though Bryony was braver than most dwarves, she still held true to her roots.
“You know,” the old lady said suddenly, “You would’ve had a cleaner bed last night if Finlay would’ve given up his own bed and slept in here. I guess it can’t be helped though. He’s afraid of horses! Isn’t that right, Finlay?” She punched him on the arm, chuckling to herself.
Finlay merely nodded, his gaze falling on Bryony as he continued to wait for a reply to his apology.
Bryony’s eyes fell down to the floor. Had she really been afraid of that boy? Once his height was taken out of the picture, he seemed so helpless it was almost laughable. She bit her lip. “I should be happy that he’s no threat, but isn’t this too much? He’s afraid of horses, of all things? He should be able to crush a horse thanks to his size.”
“It’s…alright,” Bryony muttered. She looked up and met Finlay’s gaze. “People make mistakes sometimes.”
For a brief moment, Finlay looked relieved.
“However,” Bryony jabbed a finger at Finlay, her face twitching with rage, “there isn’t any excuse for hurting people smaller than you are because you were being careless! I passed out, thanks to you! What would you have done if you had accidentally killed me?”
“I…” Finlay, who looked rather startled, struggled to speak.
Bryony scoffed, crossing her arms under her chest. “That’s just the kind of response I’d expect from someone like you. You know what?” Bryony stood up, pausing to brush some strands of hay off of her clothes. She took several wide steps until she was barely inches away from the target of her verbal attack, causing him to take a step back. Their eyes met—hers filled with pain and his filled with fear and confusion. “Your carelessness,” she whispered coldly, “will get you and others killed.”
For a moment, everything was silent. Bryony was facing Finlay, her fierce gaze sending shivers down the tall boy’s spine. He was completely still, eyes wide and mouth open slightly. The old woman merely stood in the background, looking somewhat concerned but also interested in what had unfolded before her.
Finlay was the first to break the silence. He lowered his head until only the top was visible and let his shoulders droop. He was breathing heavily, his wide chest heaving with each ragged breath.
Bryony stomped one of her feet, yelling angrily, “You’re laughing, aren’t you? Why are you laughing?” Had she been able to reach his face, she would’ve slapped him. The mocking laughter and ridiculing expressions of those who had poked fun at her goal filled her mind, driving her into a further state of rage. “Stop laughing!”
It was then that a low sob sounded from Finlay’s throat, causing both Bryony and the old woman to jump; they both came to a rather strange realization. The large boy was not laughing. He was crying.
Bryony drew back, her angered expression twisting into one of confusion. Had she made Finlay cry? Was she the one responsible for his tears? She had simply been telling him of his mistakes, so why did he have the right to cry? That’s what she wanted to ask. Instead, she simply stood frozen in shock as the boy before her cried quietly, his broad shoulders quivering and fists clenching. “Why…are you crying?” Her voice, which had been thunderous and strong before, was now reduced to a rather weak whisper. “I…” Why was she feeling guilty? Could it have been that she said too much? After all, she was the kind of person that would let her anger take control of her.
Finlay looked up. Fresh tears were streaming out of the corners of his eyes, rolling down his face, dripping down, and staining the collar of his shirt. His cheeks and nose had turned an even darker shade of pink, and his mouth was shut tightly as he tried to stop himself.
Bryony opened her mouth slightly, trying to come up with the right words to use in her current situation. Before she was able to even start her sentence, Finlay turned his back on her and dashed out through the barn doors. Bryony reached out, her hands suspended in mid-air as there was nothing for her to grab on to. “W-wait... I didn’t mean…” She lowered her hands to her sides. “Giants aren’t meant to be pitied. They are stupid. They hurt people. They are careless. So why did I make him cry? And why do I feel so terrible.”
“Now,” it was the old woman, “I can understand why you would be angry, but did you really have to be so harsh on him? He may not look like it, but he’s only a kid.”
“A kid,” Bryony echoed.
“That’s right. Because we adopted him, we’re not exactly sure of his age, but we have been able to confirm that he’s a lot younger than he looks.” The old woman sighed. “To think that all this has happened and we haven’t even introduced ourselves…”
“Bryony,” Bryony said rather gruffly. “I’m…sorry I was so senseless.”
“You’ve gone through a lot, haven’t you, Miss Bryony?” The old woman tilted her head, smiling. “My name isn’t special. Just call me Grannie. That’s what everyone else does.”
“Grannie…” Bryony squatted down on the barn floor, eyes trailing down to an ant hill. “I like the sound of that… I have been through a lot, Grannie.” She began to watch the ants scurrying in and out of the hill, eyes blinking slowly. “It’s been hard, but that’s no excuse for what I said back there. My anger got ahold of me. It often does that.”
“Where does it come from?”
“Where does my anger come from?” Bryony squished one of the ants with the tip of her thumb. “My family was killed, except for me and my older brother. They were stepped on by a giant, just like someone stepping on an insect. When I was younger, I would tell myself that I’d get revenge. I just kept telling myself that and here I am, years older, and not one step closer.”
“You anger is understandable. But could it be that it has hardened your heart?”
“If it has, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Bryony wiped the ant’s remains off of her finger and stared down at the dirt. “It’s been a long time since I talked to a person and didn’t secretly fear that they might try to trick me or hurt me. I’ve been traveling for a long time, and the more I see of the world, the less I like it. It’s harsh and cruel,” Bryony closed her eyes, “and it’s made me realize that I’ve been making myself a victim while other people suffer. I had a good life with a brother who loved me and more food than I could eat. I gave that all up to chase after a giant that I’ve never seen, much less even spoken to. I might as well try to catch my own shadow.” She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth together. “But I can’t give up now. If I do, I’ll have wasted my life. I need answers. I need to know why he was able to kill my family without turning himself in, or at least leaving an apology note at the scene.”
Grannie nodded, kneeling down by Bryony and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I see. But have you ever considered that the giant you speak of might have been more convicted than you thought?”
“Convicted?” Bryony asked. “You mean, feeling guilty…and afraid?”
“That’s right. You were young, so there’s no doubt that there could have been things you had forgotten from that day, or not been told by your older brother even now.”
“All this time I’ve always thought of giants as monsters,” Bryony muttered. “I wanted to justify my desire for revenge, so I made them out to be savages, and murderers. I was wrong about that, wasn’t I?” She blinked to keep herself from crying. “I thought of anything bigger and stronger than I was as evil. I thought that only the weak people in this world had a right to defend themselves, because that’s all they could do. But now…I’m the strong one in this situation, aren’t I? Finlay was the weak one, and I attacked him with my words like that…” Bryony smiled sadly, tears beginning to drip out of the corners of her eyes. “I’m the monster here. I’ve never felt so ashamed like this. To have hurt someone weaker than I am is unforgivable.”
Grannie sighed, scooting closer to Bryony and wrapping her thin arms around the dwarf girl’s shaking form. “There, there,” she cooed. “You don’t need to feel guilty anymore. You’ve seen the error in your ways, so now all that’s left is to make amends.”
“Amends…?” Bryony sniffed loudly, burying her face in the front of Grannie’s nightgown. “I can’t,” sounded her muffled voice. “I’m too scared.”
Grannie chuckled slightly. “There’s no need to be frightened. My grandson isn’t the kind of person who would feel anger at someone who yelled at him. He probably feels guilty.”
“H-he shouldn’t, though,” Bryony grumbled, wiping her eyes with her hands. “I’m the one at f-fault. He should be mad at me.”
Grannie placed a hand on Bryony’s head, affectionately rubbing her hair. “You won’t find out until you find him. There’s a place he always goes to when he’s sad. I’ll tell you where it is, and you’ll go apologize to him, okay?” She brought her hands down to rest on the sides of Bryony’s tear-stained face. “Okay?”
Bryony nodded without saying another word.
* * *
Bryony ran through the woods, once again feeling the adrenaline of adventure pumping through her body. Unlike the previous night, when she had been chased by thieves, she found herself beginning to enjoy her position. The air was crisp, and the smell of wildlife around her was sweet. Had she not been so guilty before, she might’ve even been happy. However, the positive feelings and negative feelings canceled each other out, leaving her in a state of indifference. The only thing on her mind was finding the boy called Finlay.
Grannie had told her about the tallest tree in the woods surrounding their farm. It was an apple tree older than Grannie herself, possessing a trunk as wide as an elephant and a leafy top as large as a house. Despite its old age, it could still bear its fruit—large, red apples.
As the top of the apple tree came into view, Bryony felt her heart begin to pound so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest. She gulped, trying to rid her mind of cowardly thoughts. There was no running away, no matter how much she wanted it. She had to apologize and set things right.
Bryony slowed her pace down until she was walking slowly. “What should I say first? What if he won’t talk to me?” She groaned, yanking her braids in frustration. “And how should I approach him? I can’t do this…” She stopped moving altogether. Just as she was able to turn around and run away, a sudden rush of courage ran through her. “I can do this,” she thought. “I’ll be fine as long as I stay calm.” She picked up her pace, marching towards to the apple tree, determined to accomplish what she had set out to do.
* * *
The roots of the apple tree were just like its trunk and branches—huge. Where the trunk ended, the roots began; their thick, twisted limbs sitting partly above ground before disappearing down into the soil.
Finlay was sitting on top of the roots; his back leaned up against the tree trunk. He had stopped crying a while ago, though he still sniffled to himself every few minutes. There wasn’t anything particular on his mind. He wasn’t a big thinker. Instead, he basked in his emotions. For someone as large and intimidating as himself, he was emotional, and he cried easily. It wasn’t Bryony’s words that had gotten to him. If anyone started yelling at him with an angry expression on their face, they probably would’ve received the same reaction.
That didn’t mean he hadn’t thought about what she had said to him. He had thought about her words to the best of his ability. What she had said was true. He was physically bigger than she was, so he should have been more careful. It hadn’t been intentional, but he had hurt her. He was at fault.
He sighed, looking down at the apple cores surrounding his feet. He was getting hungry again. His eyes trailed up to scan the area in front of him for any pieces of fallen fruit. What he found instead was Bryony herself.
The dwarf was standing in front of him, her head lowered slightly and arms crossed loosely under her chest. “Finlay…” Her voice was a lot lower than before, and sounded somewhat nervous. “I want to apologize for the things I said earlier. Do you think we could talk for a bit?”
Finlay looked away, pulling his legs up to his chest. “Did Grannie send you? B-because…you don’t have to say anything you don’t mean if you don’t want to. You were right anyway. It was my fault.”
“We both hurt each other,” Bryony muttered. “But you didn’t harm me intentionally. You didn’t know what you were doing. I was fully aware of the things I was saying.”
Finlay nodded, watching in silence as Bryony seated herself next to him.
“I want to start over.” Bryony smiled at him. “My name is Bryony. As you can see, I’m a dwarf. When I met you, I was being chased by bandits. I hadn’t thought of it like this before, but you ended up rescuing me. If you hadn’t come along, they would’ve caught up to me eventually. I’d probably be dead by now, so thank you.”
“You already know my name,” Finlay grumbled. He was confused. First the dwarf girl yelled at him, and now she wanted to be friendly? He wasn’t sure how he should respond.
“I do,” Bryony replied, continuing to smile. “But I want to start over. You didn’t properly introduce yourself to me last time. Your Grannie did it for you.”
“She did, didn’t she?” Finlay glared off into the distance. “She could’ve left my fear of horses out.”
Bryony smirked. “Then that’s a good reason for you to redo your introduction. If you do a nice one, I might forget about that.”
Finlay looked up at her, his face flushed red with embarrassment. “D-do you promise? It isn’t something I’m proud of.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a promise.” Though there was laughter in her voice, Bryony’s expression was sincere.
Finlay relaxed his body, finally letting a small smile spread across his face. “I’m Finlay, and I’m human, I think. I was adopted, so I’m not sure. I live on that farm with Grannie, her husband, and all of their animals. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
There was a moment of silence, before Finlay started to speak quietly. “When we first met,” he whispered under his breath, “You started saying something about a giant, and you were afraid. I don’t really understand why, but…you could talk about it, if you wanted to. I’ve been told that I’m a good listener.”
“Could I?” Bryony propped her head up on her hands, briefly closing her eyes. “When I was younger, my family was killed by a giant. All he did was take one step, and it was enough to squish them all like bugs. That’s the reason I’m traveling right now. I told myself that I’d find that giant and lay him to rest.” She chuckled to herself. “You must think that it’s hilarious, right? Someone as small as me killing someone as big as a giant… It’s stupid.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” Finlay gasped loudly. “In fact, it makes sense. Of course you’d want revenge for something like that. But…,” he lowered his voice, “…could you really kill someone…?”
“I’ve been asking myself a lot lately,” said Bryony, leaning her back against the tree trunk and sighing deeply. “I’ve been telling myself I’d get revenge all these years, but now I don’t think I can do it. I have too many thoughts of doubt, and I’m afraid. When I see people bigger and taller than I am, I feel threatened. I want to curl up into a ball and cry because I get so afraid. If I were to stand before a giant right now, I’d probably faint.”
“I’m sorry,” Finlay murmured.
“You’re sorry?” Bryony frowned. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
“I must make you really nervous.” Finlay sniffled. “So…I’m sorry about that.”
Bryony reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him fondly. “You don’t have to apologize for something like that. It’s strange, but even though we’re sitting so close and talking like this...you don’t make me feel nervous at all.”
Finlay perked up. “R-really?”
“Yeah, really,” Bryony reassured him. “In fact, I’d say I feel safe.”
Finlay was beaming with delight. “I’m so relieved! For a second I thought I had been scaring you all this time.”
“Not at all,” Bryony said, an enlightened expression on her face. “And…you know, I don’t think I’m going to kill the giant after all… But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go after him. I want to find him and ask him if he knew what he did to my family.”
“And if he didn’t?”
“I’ll tell him about them. I’ll tell him about how kind and happy my family was. I’ll let him know what he did and I’ll give him a chance to apologize to me.” Bryony nodded to herself. “That’s what I’ll do. He’ll apologize to me…and I’ll forgive him.”
“Will you be able to do that?” Finlay asked in an usually serious tone. “After all, you’ve been planning on getting revenge until now.”
“I have, but that doesn’t mean I can’t change my plans. After all, my main goal is to find the giant first. I don’t even know if I’ll ever find him. I’ve never seen him or spoken to him. I don’t even know his name.” Bryony gazed up at Finlay, grinning proudly. “But I’ll try my best. And hopefully, we’ll meet one day.”