The Reason

Holvaeth is quiet, but the silence is in the room is loud.

The daughters all look amongst themselves, seemingly waiting for the answer Terra is looking for.

A few more tends moments go by, but there's still no answer.

The sisters begin to get slightly agitated with eyes darting around quicker than usual. The silence just continuing to grow even louder.

Eventually, Terra asks again, albeit with a much stern tone, "Well? Why are we here?"

Holvaeth and Myssera look at each other, both with hesitant looks in their eyes. This continued hesitance just annoys Terra even more, until she eventually slams her hands on the table, startling everyone, "Are you two serious?! You've done all this, invited us all here, and for what?! Just to not tell us why the hell you invited us here in the first place?! Is there even a reason?! Or did you just want to have a damn family dinner?!"

"Terra..." Kiera says, attempting to calm Terra down.

"No! I've had enough! So, Father, you have one last chance... Why are we here?!"

Holvaeth remains quiet. His eyes actually begin to quiver, and he seemingly wants to desperately tell her, but the answer remains caged within his mouth. Terra sees that he's no closer to actually answering, so she just scoffs, "I should've known! There was no problem was there?! My friends and I could've been out helping people with real problems, but instead, you and your selfish desires brought us here for nothing! This is the last time I will ever step foot in this wretched place! Never contact me again!"

Terra shoots up from the table and starts storming toward the door. As she gets a few feet from leaving the room, Myssera finally speaks, "The Giant Queen demands a sacrifice."

Terra and everyone looks at her in shock with Apollita asking, "What do you mean, Mother?"

Myssera then takes a moment before explaining, "Long ago, your great grandfather made a deal with the Giant Queen. She was to leave Mulvenscroll and Muprosyll alone, recinding all claim to its land. In exchange, she would be able to call upon a sacrifice from your grandfathers lineage anytime she desired. For well over the last hundred years, she hasn't made any such call. However, she has now decided that it is time for us to honour that deal."

The entire room falls back into silence, but this time it's because of the shock that is shown on all the now-knowing faces.

MEANWHILE:

The group are following behind Remar who talks about the paintings on the walls, "This one is Holtaer Tarron, Holvaeth's great grandfather. He was a former soldier in the Unified Elven Front. He was discharged due to an injury he sustained during a large scale battle with the Orc Battleseekers. He eventually returned to the estate and began to learn from his father. When his father passed, the estate was obviously passed onto Holtaer, and he made sure that the estate would thrive for generations."

"Uhh, is there any ancestors that weren't so boring? Surely one of them was a mad humper?" Amilia asks as she practically drags her feet along, regretting her decision to come along.

"Well, there was Hunmar Tarron, Holvaeth's great, great uncle. He was rumoured to have sired over a hundred children. The exact number is unknown, but the legitimate children was thought to be in fifties. He was quite known for having many a mistress, so that number could be higher."

Amilia laughs, "Sounds like my type o' guy! He keep a journal or something?"

Kyuala shakes her head, chuckling at Amilia due to her suddenly perking up.

Eventually, they come across a large doorway which prompts Remar to say, "This, is the library. As Miss Myssera said, the library holds over a thousand books. It has been quite the archive for history, magic, and even some of Miss Kova's works."

"I think we'll pass on reading those," John comments.

Remar chuckles, "I don't blame you. I'm not fond of romance books myself. Plus, if I know Miss Kova, they will be filled with terrible clichés that would make even the most romantic of hearts regurgitate."

"Speaking of Kova, she seemed unable to stand Sydna whenever she spoke, why?" Lani asks.

Remar sighs, "It was a terrible falling out. Sydna and Kova were incredibly close, being that they were twins after all. Everything they could do together, they did. I remember many a night where they would scolded for being up past their bedtimes just doing everything from school work, to drawing, to even just telling silly stories. This went on for years... until Sydna went to Nillork. Sydna went there for a personal excursion to get away from here for a while after Myssera's constant shouting eventually got to her. Kova couldn't go along unfortunately as she had already enrolled in a literature course at the University. Kova begged Sydna to not go, but Sydna still went. Sydna spent hours explaining why she was going, but Kova simply didn't listen. When Synda went, Kova became extremely angry and jealous. During Sydna's excursion, she had met Gilla Markana. From what I was told, it was absolute love at first sight. Holvaeth and Myssera were quite happy with this as Gilla is from the most prominent noble family in Nillork. Kova however, went from angry and jealous to filled with rage. Every opportunity she could get, she slandered Sydna's name, and that was before Sydna had even returned. When she did... that was when it got even worse."

Remar's next exhale is full of pain, "When Sydna arrived, I hadn't seen her smile like that since she and Kova graduated. Sydna was so happy to see Kova, but the same couldn't be said for Kova. She was cordial to Sydna at first, but as the night went on, and Kova got progressively more intoxicated, well... Drunken words are also hidden truths."

The group begin to understand what happened, but Remar continues on, "When Kova heard Sydna talking about her marriage to their sisters, Kova snapped. She started berating Sydna, saying that Sydna had 'ruined everything' Kova had planned for their lives. She even said her betrothal was 'disgusting' which broke Sydna's heart. Everyone was infuriated at Kova, but all Sydna could do was cry. She didn't shout, scream or even slap Kova when she said all that, but she soon hit her breaking point when Kova called Gilla, 'nothing more than a broken-in whore that's just been passed on by other nobles.' Sydna eventually snapped, and she attacked Kova. It took almost all of them to physically tear them apart, but it was young Erya who managed to put a stop to all of it by raising her voice. Everyone stopped, and Sydna stormed back to Nillork. Kova was reprimanded for weeks, but eventually that all died down. Sydna refused to step foot back in this house if Kova was here, but I assume Gilla convinced her to come even with Kova also attending."

"Where is Nillork by the way?" John asks.

"It is east of here. If you were to walk there, it would probably take around three weeks, if you were walking at a regular pace."

"I haven't heard much of it personally, but I know that most of the outskirts are populated with farmers. They do have quite a town in the middle as well. It was actually built in collaboration with the dwarves during a major trade," Lani explains.

"Miss Lani is correct. There are actually quite a few books about Nillork in the library if you are interested?"

"Nah, let's keep going. I wanna see if they've got a sex room around here, all rich folk do," Amilia says before walking forward.

Remar looks at the group, and they all just shrug in response before they follow the nosey catfolk.

BACK IN THE THRONE ROOM:

Everyone is still stunned at the revelation that their mother just dropped upon them.

There's been a few shocked and confused mumbles and murmurs, but no real follow-ups.

Terra, being the only one actually able to think, asks, "Sacrifice from his lineage?! Why the hell would he do that?!"

"No one knows, I'm afraid," Holvaeth answers, finals speaking. "He was an incredibly secretive man from the stories I have been told. He only told my father of the deal on the day of his death. My father was so confused that he sought answers in all of his journals, but he found nothing."

"Is there anything we can do to appease her?" Kiera asks.

Holvaeth drops his head, "Not that I know of."

Everyone is silent once again, unsure of what to say. Terra however, begins to get angry as she pieces together the reason why they're all here, "You brought us to here to sacrifice one of us, didn't you?!"

All of the sisters' eye shoot open in shock at the accusation. Holvaeth and Myssera's eyes also widen as Holvaeth responds, "No! No! I would never do that to any of you! You know that Terra!"

"I don't know what the hell I know about you anymore!" Terra fires back, "I've been away for five goddamn years! I left to get away from all of this crap! The lies, deceit, controlling, all of it! We never had our own lives until one of us stood up to your controlling horse crap, or have you forgotten?!"

"Terra... I-"

"Save it! Because I already know everything you're going to say! 'I always loved you, Terra. I just wanted to do what was needed for us to survive and for you to thrive! I would have never forced you to do anything you never wanted to do,' except you did! Time and time again! This is just another one of those times! Except you want one of us to die for you because you're too damn weak to man up and do anything yourself! How can you sit there and actually think we would be okay to sacrifice ourselves?! You didn't even think about your daughters who have children! Your grandchildren! If you don't understand how selfish that is, then there's no hope for you! Fix your damn problem, yourself!"

Terra storms toward the door, expecting to hear some bullshit excuse from her father or some scolding remark from her mother, but she got neither. Terra is instead shocked as she hears, "You're right."

Terra stops in her tracks again before turning around and looks at her Father, "You are right."

Everyone then looks at Holvaeth who just continues, "I have been a horrible father. I have pushed you all to do what I wanted, not because it was right, but because I thought it was necessary. My father was the same way, and I just bought into his belief that the patriarch knew what was best for the family. I have known about the deal with the Giant Queen since I was twenty summers, and I have thought about how to tell you all, every day, for the past seventy-six years of my life. I acknowledge my failings... but I will never apologize for them."

Holvaeth then stands up, "If you all wish to hate me... go ahead, but it doesn't change our predicament."

"Our predicament?! You brought us into this!" Apollita shouts.

"You will lower your tone when you talk to your father! He has told you what you wanted to hear. Now, you will all help us find a way to avoid this sacrifice!" Myssera practically commands.

"We have to help find a way?! We didn't even know about this until Terra forced it out of you!" Sydna responds.

Kova then defends her mother, "Like you would help anyway! You're just a selfish whore! Just like your wife!"

Sydna's eyes fill with fury, "Talk about Gilla like that again, and I'll personally feed you to the fucking Giant Queen myself!"

"I'd like to see you try! I don't actually think you can do anything without her by your side! Shame she's back home getting rammed by half of her guard!"

Sydna's anger reaches an all-time high as she leaps over the table, tackling Kova to the ground. The other sisters, apart from Terra and Erya, all rush over, trying to separate the two.

The twins cling to each other with vice-like grips, trying to tear at the other. The eight other sisters manage to physically separate them, but the insults keep flying.

"WHORE!"

"SLUT!"

And a few other very charming words of a similar variety are tossed back and forth. Holvaeth and Myssera try to get involved, but that only seems to add fire to the flames with the other sisters beginning to shout as well.

The shouts bounce all around the room, beginning to echo outside of the room as well as the tour group stop on their tracks.

"Are you all hearing that too?" Amilia asks the group who all have concerned looks.

"Kinda hard not to," John comments.

"Is that coming from the throne room?" Lani asks.

"This is why they don't have frequent family meetings," Remar comments. He then sighs, "Let us put a stop to it."

The group begin rushing down the hallway, heading to the last door.

Back in the throne room, the shouting has only increased and seems to have no stopping point. During all of this, Terra is actually trying to act as a peacekeeper, but ends up being brought into the shouting match.

Erya, is quiet through all this, but her entire body is shaking. A silent rage fills the girl as she hears her family bicker back and forth like wolves howling at the other over a fresh kill.

Erya's shaking gets more and more intense. The woman then grabs hold of a chalice, but the chalice actually begins to be crushed by the seemingly weak hands of the youngest sister.

Erya's breathing becomes more intense, her nostrils flaring with each exhale. Eventually, the chalice is completely crushed like a can in the hands of a bodybuilder.

Erya eventually reaches her own breaking point, and she begins to change. Her eyes begin to becoming completely coated with a deep shade of blue, but both iris' turn almost ruby red.

"ENOOOOOOOOUGH!"

Everyone freezes in shock as they hear a deep voice rumble throughout the entire room, and its volume practically muffles the last echoing shouts.

Everyone turns around, and that's when their very cores are shaken as they see Erya's changed eyes practically beaming at them.

They all can't believe their eyes as they look upon the youngest person in the room, and fear builds within them all.

Just then, the door opens up, and in walks the group who are immediately stunned and stare in shock at Erya's sudden change.

"E-E-Erya...?" Terra asks shakily.

Erya doesn't respond to Terra, but eventually continues, "Ever since you all arrived here, all you have done is argued, squabble, and insult each other! I have had enough! You wish to know the real reason why the Giant Queen is after our bloodline?! It is because of this!" Erya points at herself, "It's because of the Giant's Eye!"

The entire room goes silent again, with everyone just staring at the changed Erya. Terra is once again the person to speak as she asks the question that is on everyone's mind, "What is the Giant's Eye?"

Holvaeth then takes a shuddering breath, "It is why we have sheltered her so much."

Holvaeth and Myssera then head on over, both holding Erya with an embrace that the other sisters don't remember ever getting.

"Remar, if you could get the book from my study."

Remar simple nods his head, "As you wish, sire."

Remar then leaves the throne room, leaving the sea of shocked faces.

A FEW MINUTES LATER:

Everyone is sat around the table once again, all in the same seats as before. However, this time, Holvaeth has a book on the table in front of him, and slowly opens it up.

"My father referred to this book as the 'Index of Giants.' He was fascinated with giant's, actually, it would be more apt to say that he was obsessed with them. He spent more money on the research of giants than most people spend in ten lifetimes. When he passed, I must have inherited over a dozen chests full of research and notes on them. This book in particular, is one that I have read over and over again."

Holvaeth then turns a few pages, "It details everything we know about the Giant Queen, everything he could read, decipher from glyphs, and even stories he managed to pry out of my grandfather. Out of everything in this book however, is just one single thing that I was enamoured by... 'The Giant's Eye.' It isn't a well-known thing about the giant's, but the people who do know about it barely agree on what it is exactly. However.... we do."

Holvaeth then stops turning the pages as he lands on the one he seeks, "The Giant's Eye is often thought to be a crystal or an orb akin to a Seer's. The real Eye however, isn't a physical object... it is a curse."

The hearts of all the Tarron's simultaneously drop, and the others are just shocked by the whole situation as Holvaeth continues, "It is said that if a deal is made with the Queen, then the Queen can, and most likely will, use the power given to her by said deal, to curse a member of the family. The Giant's Eye is used as collateral, and that the person who makes said deal... has to willingly accept the potential curse."

"Wait! So grandfather knew about this?!" Kiera asks.

Holvaeth just nods.

"Hold on, so that old dumbass didn't think to tell his fucking kid that his kids might get cursed? H'nod, this whole family's fucked up." Amilia bluntly states.

"Amilia! Now is not the time!" Terra scolds, but Amilia understands that it wasn't the best time.

"Amilia is correct. Our family is not exactly... Great." Holvaeth comments.

"So, is there anyway to get rid of this... Giant's Eye?" Diane asks.

Holvaeth sighs, "From what the book says, the curse can only be removed in two ways. The first way, is to make good upon the deal with the Queen, which would mean..."

"Sacrificing one of us," Sofia says, causing the room to go quiet.

John then asks, "And what's the other way?"

Holvaeth sighs, "It says that 'to remove this curse without making good on your side of the deal. The current Queen must either make a deal to forgo her end of the deal, or... She must be vanquished. Unfortunately, for whomever has the terrible fate of choosing, both feats are as difficult as the other.'"

The entire room goes deathly silent once more, the trio of options seemingly immeasurably bleak. After some moments of silence however, Lani asks, "Mister Holvaeth, does it mention anywhere about how long we have to make a decision?"

Holvaeth flips the page, "That it does. It says that 'from the first signs of the curse appearing, the person has two months to decide which option to choose. If they haven't made a choice by the end of the two months...'"

Holvaeth's hesitance to continue to immediately noticed by everyone, but it's Erya who eventually asks in her usual soft and innocent voice, "What will happen to me?"

Holvaeth's eyes begin to quiver, tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes, "It says that... 'the afflicted person or people... will turn... into a giant. They... will lose all attachments to their previous life. All relationships, all values, all personal goals, and set out to serve their new Queen. The newly formed giant or giants will have a new goal... to eradicate those who caused their transformation in a uncontrollable bloodlust, in order to not only follow the orders of their new Queen... but to also remove the last remnants of their former life before embarking on their new journey.'"

That sudden information once again quietens the room, but this time, Erya begins to tear up. She puts her hand over her mouth and soon after, she gets up from her chair before running out of the throne room whilst sobbing.

This sudden break from Erya is enough to make some of the others tear up in shock of their current situation. John feels horrible seeing the girl in tears due to factors out of her control. He begins to realize that her situation and his have some similarities, so he stands up.

"Beloved, what are you doing?" Kyuala asks.

"I'm gonna go talk to Erya, hopefully I can ease her mind a little."

John then walks out of the door, thinking about what the hell can he say to help her after being told she could eventually turn into a goddamn giant and kill her own family.

UPSTAIRS:

John gets upstairs and finds Erya's door. He immediately begins to second guess his decision, after all, what the hell did he know about consoling a girl? Easy, he didn't know a damn thing. He took a few breaths, trying to think of something to say, but since nothing comes through, he just decides to wing it.

He gently knocks on the door three times before saying, "Uhh, Erya? Hey... It's John. The guy who sits next to the big, scary orc woman. I, uhh... just wanted to talk... You don't have to if you don't want to, by the way. I can just go if you'd like?"

There's no response, but he can hear sniffles and muffled sobs. He stands there for a few moments, but realizes that he probably won't get an answer. He then says, "Okay. I'll leave you alone. I get that having a stranger at your bedroom door is kinda weird. I'll get one of your sisters."

John goes to walk away, but that's when he hears a faint, "Wait."

He stops in his tracks before returning to the door. Erya hears his footsteps, so she says, "Can you... sit by the door? I..."

"It's okay. I understand," John replies before sitting down, leaning his back against the wall next to the door. He also hears Erya move down before sitting against her door.

"I'm not gonna ask if you're okay, cause no way in hell would anyone be okay about all this." John says before continuing, "So I'll ask you this... What are you thinking right now?"

Erya sniffles a few times before answering, "I'm scared..."

"I'd be worried if you weren't," John replies.

John then lets out a single humoured chuff, "Y'know, as hard as it is to believe, I'm in a sort-of similar situation."

"Really?"

John chuffs once again, "Yep. You see, I was brought here not too long ago, and because of that, I apparently and accidentally kick-started some prophecy. Now, because of this prophecy, I was told by a powerful being that I have to get stronger and be an adventurer so that I can stop it from happening, otherwise... Well, let's just say... A lot of people could die."

Erya is silent for a few moments, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"You don't have to apologize, it's not your fault. Anyway, the reason why I told you that, is because I'm gonna make you a promise. I'm gonna do what it takes to help you and your family, not because it's technically my duty, but because your father will probably give us a shit-load of gold."

Barely a second later, Erya begins to laugh, which makes John laugh. The two then laugh for a few more moments, but eventually quieten down with John saying, "You feeling a little better now?"

"I do... Thanks to you."

John chuckles, "You don't have to thank me. You're Terra's sister, that means you're a friend. Anyone she cares about, my group cares about."

"Then I'm glad to have you as a new friend."

John chuckles once again, "Anyway, I'll leave you alone now. You want me to ask Remar to bring you up some comfort food?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, kid." John then stands up and goes to walk away, but quickly stops, "Hey, if you want to talk later, Kyuala and I are in the room down the hall. Just listen out for the sound of a snoring bear, and you're at the right door. Don't worry about Kyuala either, she is great at talking and listener, and she's like a big teddy bear if you ever need a hug."

John can hear Erya let out a light chuckle, "Thank you. I may take you up on that."

John smiles before walking back down the hall, and heads downstairs.