Land Of Giants (Discontinued)

Chapter 1

Malissa

"Malissa?" My mother called from down stairs.

I tore my eyes away from my book and closed it, setting it off to the side. I slid off my bed and dashed out of the my room and down the stairs, jumping off the last three steps.

My mother stood in the kitchen as she kneaded dough for bread. She glanced up at me and sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't do that."

"Sorry," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Well, I was hoping you would go out and help with the garden." She dumped the dough into a bowl and picked at the remaining flakes on her hands. "I don't want your sister getting hurt."

I hummed. "But, I thought they already finished and went to the market."

"No, not yet. The rain yesterday caused the worst mud puddles and it has been slowing them down."

"Must be pretty bad then," I muttered, turning to the door. I grabbed at the handle and pulled it open. "Yeah, I'll just ask and see what I can do."

Just as I was about to exit, my mother spoke up. "Are you alright? You seem... tired?"

"I'm just not exited for tomorrow and I think it's ruining my mood."

"Well, I'm here if you want to talk."

"I'm not up for talking."

I walked out the door and shut it behind me. I let out a heavy sigh and made my way towards the garden where I watched Chris, my eldest brother, pull at some carrots in the ground. My youngest sister, Betty, was pulling mud from the plants to make them easier to pull out. Then, there was Ester, the eldest of us all, sitting on the cart organizing the vegetables.

"Malissa!" Betty shouted, running up to me with muddy hands.

I jumped back as she tried to wrap her arms around me, pushing her a little from me at the same time. She only giggled as she fell into the muddy ground, turning to face me with a cheeky little grin.

"Did mom tell you to come help us?" Chris asked, brushing a small strand of hair from his face with his not so dirty elbow.

"Not necessarily," I replied. "Only doing it for Ester."

"Awwww." Ester placed a hand over her heart as though she were touched and I only rolled my eyes in response.

I knelt down and started pulling at some of the carrots, tossing them up onto the cart as I went down the aisle.

"So, what's happening with Prince Matthew?" Chris started up, trying to start conversation.

I wanted to stab myself. "I'm meeting him tomorrow."

"Are you excited?" Ester asked.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then."

It went silent once again and I let out a frustrated sigh.

Prince Matthew was supposed to be wed by the end of this month and because we don't have any close neighboring kingdoms, the king had proclaimed that every girl under the age of eighteen was to meet with him.

Many girls have so far had a day with him and some of the youngest were fourteen years old which I completely disapprove of because the prince is almost twenty-four years old. And, the reason for him to meet with such young children was because they were brought up in noble homes.

That's why I'm basically one out of ten other girls who have yet to meet with him. It's because I work on a farm and in the garden on the outskirts of town.

"Are you still going out tonight?" Chris asked, curious.

"Of course," I scoffed. "I'm not going to let a Prince stop me from enjoying my night. Besides, I'm finally going to head east. It's the only direction that I have yet to explore."

"Congrats!" Chris sounded so proud as he lightly clapped for me. "Hope you find something interesting."

"I'm sure I will," I smirked.

He smiled at me as we loaded up the last of the remaining vegetables into their baskets. Then, Ester and I watched as both Chris and Betty slowly made their way to town.