To the southernmost borders of Kal, The sea never slept. Day and night, the waves rolled lazily onto the white sands of the Free Coast, each one carrying stories from lands no Bramblefolk had ever seen. The tide left gifts behind with every retreat. Smooth shells striped with impossible colors, driftwood polished by distant currents, and sea glass that glittered like scattered jewels beneath the morning sun.
The Bramblefolk believed the sea was generous. If you treated it kindly, it always returned the favor. Today, it had returned a reason to celebrate.
Music drifted across the shoreline long before the sun reached its peak. Fiddles, flutes, and hand drums blended with laughter as hundreds of Bramblefolk gathered along the beaches. Colorful cloth banners danced in the ocean breeze between weathered docks and homes built atop sturdy stilts overlooking the water.
Children darted through the crowd carrying woven baskets overflowing with sweetberries.
Merchants shouted over one another. Fish roasted over open fires. Someone had already begun a drinking contest before breakfast. It was shaping up to be a wonderful day.
"No!"
A tiny voice rang across the beach.
"You moved it!"
"I most certainly did not."
"You absolutely did!"
A crowd had formed around an overturned barrel serving as a table. Three seashells sat upside down upon its weathered surface. Behind them stood Haffold. The traveling merchant folded his arms and wore the most offended expression he could muster.
"I am wounded."
He placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"Truly wounded."
"You cheated!"
"I negotiated."
"You hid the shell under your hat!"
"I strategically relocated it."
The children groaned in unison.
"That's cheating!"
Haffold leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Only if you get caught."
The oldest of the children lunged for his hat. Haffold yelped and stumbled backward. Within seconds the entire crowd had joined the chase. Laughter erupted as he sprinted down the shoreline, weaving between market stalls with surprising speed for someone whose legs barely reached the height of most benches.
"You'll never catch me!"
A little girl tackled him from behind. The momentum carried both of them into the sand. Another child piled on, then another. Soon half a dozen laughing Bramblefolk were stacked atop the unfortunate merchant.
"I surrender!"
"No mercy!"
"I have valuable merchandise!"
"You have seashells!"
"They're rare seashells!"
"They came from your own beach!"
"That," Haffold declared while attempting to free one arm, "is entirely beside the point."
Even the adults couldn't help but laugh. The children dispersed after gaining their lost funds back from a defeated Haffold as he caught his breath from far too much of a giggle. An elderly fisherwoman wandered over carrying two mugs carved from driftwood.
"You've been swindling children again."
"I've been educating future merchants."
She handed him one of the mugs.
"You've been losing to children again."
Haffold accepted the drink with mock dignity.
"I allowed them to win."
"Of course you did."
"They're my best customers."
The old woman smiled knowingly.
"You planning on staying long this time?"
Haffold took a sip.
"Long enough to eat everyone's cooking."
"And after that?"
His smile lingered. For just a moment too long.
"...We'll see."
She studied him for a moment. She'd known him since he was barely old enough to carry a satchel. She knew that look. But she also knew better than to press. Instead she simply patted his shoulder.
"Don't wander too far."
"When have I ever wandered too far?"
The old woman laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
"Oh, Haffold."
She walked away shaking her head.
"You've been trying to wander your whole life."
Haffold laid back in the sand with a smile and a deep breath. Once he knew the children were far enough for his own safety, he returned to his table.
The music grew louder as the afternoon wore on. Circles formed upon the sand. Hands clasped hands. Feet stomped in time with the drums. Soon nearly the entire shoreline danced together. Haffold was pulled into the nearest circle before he had any chance to protest. Not that he intended to. He spun beneath linked arms. Missed a step. Laughed louder than anyone. By the time the final song came to an end, his hair was full of sand and someone had somehow tied ribbons around both of his wrists.
The crowd cheered. Children chased one another toward the surf. Families gathered around cooking fires. The festival settled into the easy rhythm of evening. Someone waved him over.
"Haffold!"
"You'll miss supper!"
"I'll be there in a moment!"
They waved and disappeared among the gathering crowd. Haffold watched them go. The smile remained on his face. Until they were out of sight.
Then...
It slowly faded. He looked out across the endless ocean. Beyond the horizon lay cities he'd only heard about from passing sailors. Silver towers. Mountain kingdoms. Forests that glowed beneath the moon. Places where every face was unfamiliar. Every road led somewhere new. He had spent years listening to travelers tell their stories. Selling them trinkets in exchange for tales of the wider world.
Yet...
He had never seen any of it for himself. The sea breeze tugged gently at his coat. Haffold let out a quiet sigh.
"...One day."
He slipped his hands into his pockets and began walking along the shoreline, leaving the music behind as the waves washed over his footprints almost as quickly as he made them. The laughter faded behind him until it became little more than another sound beneath the endless rhythm of the sea.
Haffold breathed deeply.
Salt.
Seaweed.
Roasting fish.
The Free Coast always smelled the same. He loved it, he knew he always would.
Still...
There were mornings when he wondered what the air smelled like beyond the horizon. He kicked a shell into the surf. It skipped once before the next wave swallowed it.
"I wonder where you've been."
He imagined it washing ashore from some distant kingdom. Perhaps it had drifted beneath towering cliffs. Perhaps it had crossed waters so deep no Bramblefolk boat had ever dared sail them.
Or perhaps...
It had simply come from the next beach over. Haffold laughed quietly to himself.
"That's usually how these stories end."
He continued along the shoreline, hands buried in his pockets. The festival was little more than colored specks behind him now.
Ahead...
Only the sea, sky, and the endless stretch of white sand. A gull cried overhead. Haffold glanced upward just in time to watch it wheel sharply before flying inland.
"Giving up already?"
The bird ignored him.
"Rude."
A second gull followed, then a third, all three abandoned the shoreline.
Haffold frowned.
"...That's odd."
Normally the gulls lingered around the beaches until the fishermen packed away their nets.
Today...
Every one of them seemed eager to leave. He looked toward the water. The tide had begun pushing farther onto the beach. Foam curled around his ankles before retreating once more. Something drifted just beyond the breakers.
A log.
He barely spared it another glance. Storms washed driftwood ashore all the time. He took another dozen steps, then stopped.
"...That's a strange-looking log."
He squinted. One end rose above the water. Rounded, too smooth.
Another wave rolled beneath it. The shape turned slightly. Haffold's stomach dropped.
"...Oh."
The "log" had fingers. Very large fingers.
He froze.
Every story his grandmother had ever told him came rushing back at once.
If you ever see a Jotuun...
Run.
He didn't. He simply stood there, blinking.
Surely it couldn't be. The thing drifted closer with the tide. A massive arm surfaced. Then tangled black hair. Then the unmistakable outline of a face. Even lying motionless in the surf...
She was enormous. Haffold slowly took one careful step backward, then another.
"Nope."
Another step.
"Absolutely not."
He turned to leave. Made it three strides, then stopped. He sighed.
"...You always do this."
No one answered. He looked back. The giant hadn't moved. A wave washed over her face. She didn't react.
"...Oh, come on."
Another wave, still nothing. Haffold rubbed both hands over his face.
"If you're dead..."
He pointed accusingly toward the body.
"...then this is going to be a very embarrassing conversation with myself."
He started toward the water. Each step was slower than the last.
The closer he came...
The larger she became.
By the time the waves reached his knees, he realized her hand alone was nearly as long as he was tall. He swallowed hard.
"...Definitely the biggest mistake I've ever made."
He waded closer. The water reached his waist now, each wave threatening to knock him from his feet. The giant lay half submerged where the tide had dragged her ashore. She wasn't moving. Haffold stopped beside her hand. It was enormous. Each finger was half the size of his arm.
He cautiously reached out and pressed two fingers against the inside of her wrist.
Nothing.
"...Right."
He had absolutely no idea what he was looking for.
"I've seen travelers do this."
He frowned.
"I've also seen them be wrong."
Another wave rolled over the giant's face.
Still...
Nothing.
Haffold grimaced.
"Oh, I know that look."
He climbed onto her forearm. The climb alone left him breathing heavily. By the time he reached her shoulder, he had already decided rescuing giants was vastly overrated.
"Who builds people this large?"
He grabbed a fistful of wet hair to steady himself.
"I mean honestly..."
Another climb. Another slip. Eventually he reached her neck. He leaned close.
"...Please be breathing."
Silence.
He listened harder.
Nothing.
"Oh..."
His shoulders slumped.
"I really am too late."
He started climbing back down.
Then stopped at the faintest sound.
A wet...
Rattle.
Haffold whipped around. Her chest rose, barely, then fell again. His eyes widened.
"You're alive!"
He looked down at the impossible distance between himself and the beach. Then back at the giant.
"...Now what?"
He stood there for several seconds. Thinking, thinking harder, then snapped his fingers.
"I've seen this!"
Years ago, a sailor had collapsed after nearly drowning.
One of the harbor masters had climbed onto the man's chest, then pressed down and water had come pouring out of the man's mouth until he breathed again. Haffold looked at the giant. Then at himself.
"...This is going to require significantly more climbing."
He slid down onto her chest. It was like standing on a small hill. He planted both feet, and bounced experimentally.
Nothing.
"Hm."
He crouched lower, then jumped again. The impact barely made her body move. He frowned.
"You're telling me I climbed all the way up here for that?"
He jumped again.
Harder.
Again.
Again.
Still nothing.
"I refuse to believe this is how today ends."
He took several steps backward across her chest. As far as he could. Then sprinted.
"FOR SCIENCE!"
He launched himself into the air. Both feet struck squarely in the center of her chest. The giant's body lurched. A violent cough erupted from somewhere deep inside her. Water sprayed high into the air. Haffold threw both fists upward.
"Ha!"
"I knew it!"
The celebration lasted exactly one second. The giant inhaled. Sharply. Every muscle in her body tensed. Her eyes snapped open. Bright blue, very confused, very alive.
"...Oh."
Haffold's smile vanished.
"This may have been mistake number two."
The giant bolted upright. The sudden movement launched Haffold high into the air. He had just enough time to scream…
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
before crashing into the ocean with a tremendous splash. The cold stole the breath from his lungs. Water rushed over his head. He flailed wildly. He knew how to float, sort of, but swimming?
Was another matter entirely. He kicked. Somehow managed to send himself deeper.
"Oh no."
He opened his mouth to yell. Sea water rushed in instead.
"This, is becoming an exceptionally bad day." he thought as he sank.
He flailed wildly, one arm, then the other. His feet kicked desperately beneath the surface, searching for the bottom that stubbornly refused to exist.
"Oh no."
He sank again. The fading sunlight fractured above him, dancing across the surface of the water. His lungs burned. His chest tightened.
"I've survived dishonest merchants..."
Another wave rolled over him.
"...angry gulls..."
He swallowed more seawater.
"...and Aunt Brimma's cooking..."
The world grew quieter. His frantic movements slowed.
"...I'm going to drown..."
Something moved beneath him, fast. Far faster than anything that large should have been able to move. Before panic could become surrender, enormous fingers slipped gently beneath his arms. The world lurched upward, air crashed into his lungs. Haffold exploded into a fit of coughing as he hung several feet above the water. He hacked and sputtered until his vision finally cleared.
Then he realized...
He wasn't floating, he was being held very carefully by the giant. She blinked at him. Her blue eyes were clouded with exhaustion, but there was no anger in them. Only confusion. She slowly turned him over in her hand, studying him from every angle. Haffold didn't dare move.
"...Hello?"
The giant tilted her head. Her brow furrowed, she looked from him...
To the beach...
Then back again.
"You..."
Her voice was rough, each word scraping against a throat still raw from the sea.
"...save?"
Haffold stared.
"...Maybe?"
Her expression softened.
A tired smile spread across her face. It was unexpectedly gentle. She lifted him closer to her own face. Haffold's eyes widened.
"...Oh."
"No, no, no..."
"This is how it happens."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"They smell you first..."
"...then they eat you."
Instead...
He felt something warm press gently against the top of his head. A kiss, soft, and brief. She pulled away, smiling. Haffold cautiously opened one eye.
"...I'm..."
He blinked.
"...still alive."
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Alive!"
Then, pointing first to him and then to herself, she managed,
"You..."
She placed a hand against her chest.
"...save Sanna."
She smiled proudly, as though she'd just solved a difficult puzzle.
"Sanna."
She pointed to him expectantly. Haffold remained frozen.
"You... want my name?"
She nodded again.
"...Haffold."
She tried to repeat it.
"...Ha..."
She frowned.
"...Haf..."
Another attempt.
"...Haf-fol."
"Close enough."
He smiled despite himself.
"Haffold."
She beamed.
"Haffold!"
She seemed delighted she'd gotten it right. Then her smile faded. She looked out across the ocean. Scanning the waves. Her shoulders slowly slumped. She whispered something in a language Haffold had never heard before. It sounded... mournful. He followed her gaze. Nothing but empty sea.
"...Looking for someone?"
She didn't understand. Instead, she kept searching the horizon. Whatever she'd hoped to find… Wasn't there. For the first time, Haffold noticed the splinter lodged in her shoulder. The rope burns around her wrists. The bruises across her arms. This hadn't just been an accident. She'd been through something. His fear began to fade. Replaced by curiosity. And something else.
Pity.
Sanna was the first to break the silence. She pointed toward the sea. Her expression grew hopeful. Then she mimed something crashing through the waves with one hand. A ship. Haffold watched for a moment before realizing what she meant.
"You came from a ship?"
Her face brightened.
"Ship!"
She nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Ship!"
She turned back toward the horizon, searching once more. The smile slowly disappeared.
"No..."
She whispered the word almost to herself.
"No ship."
Haffold followed her gaze. The ocean stretched empty in every direction. Not even driftwood remained. Only waves.
"...Storm?" he guessed.
She looked back at him. He raised both hands and wiggled his fingers before making crashing noises.
"Wooooo..."
"Crash!"
Sanna blinked, then laughed. A deep, booming laugh that echoed across the shoreline. She set Haffold on the shore, then she copied him.
"Woooo..."
She slapped both hands together.
"CRASH!"
The force of it startled a flock of gulls into the air. Haffold couldn't help laughing too.
"Yes!"
"Exactly like that!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Storm!"
She held both arms wide.
"Big!"
She thought for a moment before spreading them even farther.
"Very big!"
"Ah."
"I think I've got that part."
After a period of silence, Sanna's stomach growled. Thunderously. The sound rolled across the beach like distant rockfall. Haffold stared.
"...Was that..."
She rubbed her stomach sheepishly.
"Hungry."
"Right."
He glanced back toward the village. The smell of roasted fish still drifted faintly on the breeze. His stomach answered with a growl of its own.
"...Me too."
Sanna smiled as she pointed toward the smell.
"Food?"
Haffold immediately shook his head.
"No."
"No no no no no."
She frowned. He sighed.
"You see..."
He pointed toward himself. Then toward her. Then spread his hands as wide as he could.
"You're..."
He searched for a polite word.
"...unexpected."
She tilted her head. He pointed toward the village again.
"They've..."
He mimed everyone screaming and running away.
"...never met someone like you."
She looked down at herself. Then back at him. Slowly...
Understanding appeared on her face. She lowered herself onto the sand until she was sitting cross-legged, making herself seem as small as a woman the size of a house possibly could. She placed both hands in her lap. Then looked at Haffold.
"I..."
She searched for the words.
"...scare."
It wasn't a question, but rather a realization. Haffold hesitated.
"...A little."
She nodded sadly. Then surprised him. She reached over and picked a tiny white flower growing between the dunes. It looked absurdly small between her fingers. She held it carefully, making sure not to crush it. Then she tucked it behind one ear. She smiled. A ridiculous smile. As if to say,
"See? I'm friendly."
Haffold burst into laughter. She looked confused.
"Why laugh?"
"No reason."
He shook his head, still grinning.
"I just..."
He looked at the flower.
"...don't think I've ever seen anyone your size wear something so tiny."
She looked at the flower herself, then laughed too.
For a moment...
Neither of them spoke. The waves rolled gently onto the shore. The festival music drifted faintly across the dunes. Haffold looked toward the village again. Then back at Sanna. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well..."
"This is either the best business decision I've ever made..."
"...or the last one."
Sanna blinked.
He smiled.
"Come on."
He started walking toward the village. After a few steps he noticed she hadn't moved. She pointed at herself, then at the village.
"Go?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
She looked uncertain. He walked back over until he stood directly in front of one of her enormous feet. Then placed a hand against it.
"You saved me."
"I saved you."
"I think that makes us..."
He thought for a moment.
"...friends."
She frowned. The word was unfamiliar.
"Friends."
He pointed to himself.
"Haffold."
Then to her.
"Sanna."
Then he clasped his hands together.
"Friends."
She repeated it quietly.
"...Friends."
A huge smile spread across her face. Showing every one of her pointed teeth.
"Friends!"
She stood so quickly that sand exploded in every direction. Haffold disappeared beneath it. He spat grit from his mouth.
"I should really start standing farther away when you do that."
She looked down at him apologetically.
"...Sorry."
He laughed.
"I'll survive."
With an encouraging wave, he motioned for her to follow. Together they walked the length of the beach. As they drew nearer to the village, the music returned first. The steady beat of hand drums. The bright melody of flutes. Laughter carried upon the sea breeze. Then came the smells. Roasted fish. Fresh bread. Sweetberries simmering in honey. Spiced cider. Sanna slowed. Her eyes wandered from one plume of smoke to the next as she breathed in deeply. For the first time since waking upon the shore, something other than grief crossed her face. Wonder. Neither of them noticed the fisherman. The old Bramblefolk had only returned to his cart to fetch another mug when he looked up. His eyes drifted past Haffold. Then climbed, and climbed. The mug slipped from his fingers. It struck the sand with a dull thud.
"...Jotuun..."
His voice barely escaped his lips. Nearby merchants turned. One after another, conversations died. The music faltered. Heads turned across the beach. No one moved. Not for a single moment.
Then…
"JOTUUN!"
The cry tore across the shoreline. The festival exploded into panic. Parents snatched children into their arms. Merchants overturned stalls to form makeshift barricades. Fishermen seized harpoons, oars, and boat hooks. The musicians abandoned their instruments where they stood. In only moments, laughter had given way to fear. Several fishermen charged toward the giant. Haffold threw himself between them.
"WAIT!"
No one listened. Three harpoons leveled toward Sanna.
She looked from the weapons...
To Haffold. Then remembered.
People are afraid.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She lowered herself to one knee. Every movement was careful, deliberate. She removed the beaded bracelet from her wrist, the only possession the sea had not stolen from her, and gently placed it upon the sand. Then she raised both empty hands. Open palms. No weapons. No threats. Only surrender. The charging fishermen slowed. Confusion spread through the crowd. No one had expected the giant to kneel. A small voice broke the silence.
"...Haff?"
The little girl from the shell game peeked around her mother's skirt.
"...Is she your friend?"
Haffold smiled.
"She is."
The girl looked up at Sanna. Sanna offered the smallest smile she could manage. Then gave an awkward little wave. The movement stirred enough wind to send an old fisherman's hat tumbling across the sand.
For a moment, no one moved. Then the little girl burst into laughter. The old fisherman chased after his hat, grumbling loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I've only got three hairs left and that giant nearly took those too!"
A few chuckles escaped the crowd. The fear loosened. Only a little. But enough. The elderly fisherwoman stepped forward. The same woman who had shared a drink with Haffold that morning. She ignored Sanna entirely. Instead, she looked only at Haffold. Her eyes searched his.
"Do you trust her?"
"With my life."
He answered without hesitation.
"When I fell into the sea..."
He looked back toward Sanna.
"...she had no reason to help me there."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Instead..."
"She saved me."
The old woman studied him for another long moment. Then nodded once. She walked toward Sanna. Every Bramblefolk watched in silence. She stopped before the kneeling giant. Looked up. Then inclined her head in a respectful bow.
"...Welcome to the Free Coast."
Sanna blinked in surprise.
Slowly...
She returned the bow. The old woman turned back toward the gathered villagers.
"Well?"
She folded her arms.
"Who's going to let our guest go hungry?"
For a moment, the silence hung
Nothing.
Then someone laughed. Another merchant righted his cart. The musicians looked at one another before cautiously lifting their instruments once more. A fisherman lowered his harpoon. Another rolled a barrel of cider toward the giant. Children were the first to approach. They always were. One little boy reached out and gently touched Sanna's enormous hand.
"...She's warm."
Another little girl stepped closer.
"Can I climb on her?"
"Mira!"
Her mother gasped.
"What?"
The little girl shrugged.
"She looks nice."
Sanna looked uncertainly toward Haffold.
He grinned.
"I think that's permission."
Very carefully, Sanna lifted the little girl onto her shoulder. The child stared across the village with wide eyes.
"Oh my!"
She burst into delighted laughter.
"I can see everything!"
Soon another child wanted a turn. Then another. Within minutes, the giant who had nearly caused a battle had become the tallest playground the Free Coast had ever seen. Someone handed Sanna a roasted fish. She took one cautious bite. Her eyes widened. She looked at the fish. Then at the cook.
"...More?"
The old fisherman barked out a laugh.
"I like her already!"
More food arrived, fresh bread, fruit, honey cakes, and barrels of cider.
Music swelled once again across the beach. By night's end, Bramblefolk and giant alike danced beneath the stars. Long after the celebration had faded into quiet conversation and glowing embers, Haffold sat outside the shelter the villagers had hurriedly built for Sanna. She slept soundly beneath a patchwork of blankets far too small to cover her completely. The waves whispered against the shore. Haffold rested his elbows upon his knees.
All his life...
He had dreamed of leaving the Free Coast to discover the wider world. He smiled to himself.
Maybe...
He had been looking in the wrong direction.
Maybe the world...
Had found him first.