The King's Three Sons ONC2023

Pawel: Duck, Duck, Goose

Pawel spent most the next day in the garden, fashioning a life-size doll out of bits of vegetation. He stabbed corn silk into a radish with a stick, it's green head he bound into the body with twining from vining plants. He couldn't forget how she looked in that moment before she slapped him, and by the end of it, he could see the emotions she held in his work, but none of her actual appearance—the impression, not the person. In other words, Pawel had just enough talent that it might work but not enough to feel secure.

That was the moment he felt true peace over the whole situation. Not because his brother said this would suit him, showing faith in the outcome, but because at heart this was one of the wildest risks he'd ever gamble his life on.

He spent the night out under the stars, sleeping in cabbage leaves.

~~~

The next day Pawel brought the doll up the table leg with the help of vines while the harp mediated a fierce argument tween Isolde and the giant Gainard. For now, hiding it in an overturned bowl close to the center of the table was sufficient—that was near the only place that the cage could fit without clearing the table.

Not too long in and Isolde agreed to something Gainard wanted, as long as he placed the cage on the table and let the harp soothe him to sleep.

Pawel couldn't help thinking what a dumb-ass! as the giant complied. The cage was neatly on the table, latched, the harp in Gainard's hands.

Pawel went to the front door and wedged it slowly open until anyone but the giant could fit through the crack. His back, legs and arms still shook from that effort as he climbed the table leg yet again to nearly pass out on the surface for a break. He gave himself maybe half an hour.

The cue for the next stage began when the giant's deepening snore competed with the goose's. Pawel dragged the doll out from hiding and carefully unlatched the cage's door as he shoved his treasures in, then had Isolde hold the door shut while he strapped the doll to the large bird's back as securely as he could manage. Then he took Islode's cape and tied it around the neck of the doll.

He lead the woman outside the cage: it was time to hide Isolde under the same bowl. "I will come back for you, alright?"

She nodded and let the bowl close down on her.

From here on? A bit of luck.

Back into the cage with the door tied wide open, Pawel crawled behind the damn bird and pulled out one of it's flight feathers.

It squawked and honked as it beat around the cage for a moment before dashing through the open door.

The harp started singing, "Awake master, awake! The goose is loose!"

The giant startled and dropped the harp from his hand to the table as he went to grab his precious bird. It took him a second longer to notice the cape. "Isolde!"

Monster and beast crashed around the kitchen. Chairs went flying. The kitchen cauldron tipped over and put out the fire.

Then the goose saw the door was open and made it out without dislodging the doll, but the cape came off. The giant picked it up in his fist, clenching it before he threw the door open so hard that it came off it's hinges and shuddered before slowly tilting against the wall. "Damn it, Percy, get back here!"

Pawel wrapped the lyre in a napkin and tied it to his back with his garden-made twine, then helped Isolde out from under the bowl.

A mad dash off the table, out the door, through the garden, and down the right beanstalk led them to another hour of climbing to get past Isolde's house. They were silent, breathing heavily, and still had a third the way to go. It was a quiet terror because the giant had to figure this out soon.

That's when the goose crashed to the ground. It passed them by with a neck broken at an awkward angle, spinning around at terminal velocity.

That's when they heard the giant's bellow. "Jack! Jack? You're a real man for stealing my family!"

Isolde and Pawel scampered faster down the vines. Here they were thicker, with less space for careful climbing, and they often found themselves sliding until they hit the budding fork in the dwindling branches. Honestly, he thought they'd fall to their death quite a few times, but if anything the woman threw herself down all the faster each time they fell. She was more scared of the giant than of death.

They finally made it to the ground when there was a sickening crunch and bellow above them. The giant found Isolde's house with his foot, and stabbed himself with the splintering boards. The whole of the beanstalks shook under his wrathful dance.

Thankfully Stony was nearby and came at Pawel's whistle. He tossed Isolde up and climbed up behind her, then rode like hell for where he entered this world.

They just cleared where the giant landed, cursing, flailing arms around to try to get the splinters out of his feet. It wasn't long before he'd get back to them, so he let Stony take their terror as a reason to full-out run. Pawel pushed Isolde as low over the horse as he could manage, to keep the center of gravity more on the horse.

The giant's feet shook the ground by the time they made it to the door. Pawel got down and opened it, swatting the horse and woman through before he also left this world.

But the giant reached the door before it could close.