The door to her bedroom creaked as Gigi peered inside, hesitantly surveying the room. Seeing only the prone form of the man on the bed, she crept into the sun-drenched room. She pulled up a chair, taking her normal position as she picked up her book. Her mother told her to make sure the man kept breathing. At least until he wakes up, then he would be someone else’s problem.

For the last three days Gigi had done that and more. She fed him while he slept, though her first attempt ended up as a fiasco. It had seemed such a simple task to feed a man broth. She put in a spoonful to discover it would just drip out the side of his mouth. She tried holding his nose to force him to swallow. He did for a moment but then began choking wildly. She had to make sure he was still alive after that. She changed his bandages, but his limp form made it difficult. She tried hard to be gentle with him, but humans seemed more delicate than goblin toddlers.

She didn’t find humans especially attractive creatures. However, the tattoos this one possessed were unlike anything she had ever seen. They fascinated her. Goblins had been tattooing for centuries but it was nothing like the ones covering the sleeping man’s flesh. She couldn’t place her finger on why, but they seemed special. She spent one afternoon just tracing the ones on his hand with her finger.

The memories from their first night were foggy, but she reeled them in from her mental fog. She figured she must be pretty heroic when she was drunk, considering she had dived in to save him. She blushed a little as she remembered he was, for whatever reason, naked that night and, subsequently, the next morning when Gigi awoke next to him. Gigi managed to stretch the coppers her mother gave her to find some second-hand clothes later that day. The tailor mentioned they had come off a corpse, a hunter of some kind, but this guy didn’t need to know that.

“GIGI! KITCHENS! NOW!” her mother called from down the hall, causing her to almost drop the book.

Gigi sighed as she closed it. She set it on the chair before cursing under her breath then slammed the door on her way out.

***

Drake awoke with a start as the bellow of the door rang out in the small room. He was still alive. He touched his chest to make sure it wasn’t a dream. The immediate pain he felt in his back alerted him it wasn’t. His hands flew to the covers and flung them off; he was still naked. He was also alone. Where did the pretty green woman go?

He put a hand to his head. The river, that was the last thing he could remember. The form swimming toward him, could it have been her? That would make sense. He felt guilty for being a burden on whoever this kind stranger had been. Perhaps it would be best if he made a quick exit. He stood and looked around the room for something to wear.

“Gigi, are you in here? Mom’s looking for you.”

The door swung open and he froze like a bear in a trap. It was one of Gigi’s sisters. Their eyes widened as they both screamed, Drake trying to cover himself, before the young goblin dashed back into the hallway.

***

Gigi’s ears shot back as her sister’s shrill cry pierced the air. “Damn the old ones, she could break glass.”

Her sister came racing past Gigi to their mother in a huff. “Mother! A…man! There’s a HUMAN man in Gigi’s room!” cried Gigi’s sister.

That was not good. The entire house would be at her door in moments. After she had painstakingly spent days hiding him. Gigi blew past her sister, black hair whipping her sister in the face. By the time Gigi was at her door, her multitude of siblings were crowding it. Gigi pushed past with extreme prejudice.

“MOVE!”

She pushed the last of them out of her way, seeing the clearly scared man. He had retreated to the bed and pulled the covers up over himself, looking out of the blanket like a makeshift cloak and cowl.

“Sorry,” he bleated.

The small apology struck Gigi as equal parts strange and sweet. What had he to apologize for? She shoved one of her sisters into the others, forcing them all backward, then shut and locked the door. Griselda could be heard on the other side ushering her curious brood away and back to their duties. Despite their chorus of disappointment and questions.

Gigi turned to the man cowering in her bed. He was definitely an unusual one. She regarded him for a moment. He seemed a mass of contradictions. He had the ropey muscles and the hard scars of a soldier and the tattoos of a barbarian, but there seemed to be something childlike about him. She didn’t believe in the greenworm wash about the eyes being the windows to the soul. Gigi knew liars could train their eyes as well as their tongues.

However, she knew when someone was scared. He had the same look in his eye her brother had of the dark. Was it because she was a goblin? Maybe he had never seen one of her kin before. They weren’t really that common in Epesia.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Gigi said reaching out her hand. He swallowed hard and shifted backward. “Is it because I’m green? I’m-”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here,” he cut her off.

Gigi folded her arms. “You’re not going anywhere. Look, I don’t know who you are, but by the old ones you must have a death wish. I dragged you out of the river you know...”

He pulled the comforter off and smiled at her warmly. She was taken aback. Had she said something funny?

“Thank you,” he said, bowing his head. “The best way I can repay your kindness is by leaving, I’m-”

“Not listening! That’s what you’re doing. Now, if you try and leave, I’ll break something else, understand?” He shut his mouth and nodded. “Good. I’m Gigi.”

She stuck out her hand. He stared at it for a second, before taking it nervously with his tattooed hand. He shook it firmly like soldiers do, taking the goblin completely by surprise and causing her to giggle. She shook back vigorously as he smirked. Perhaps this was a human addition to the handshake. She took her hand back with a smile and sat in her chair facing him.

Stolen novel; please report.

“You know, normally, when someone introduces themselves, the other person does the same.” He pointed at himself. She grinned and nodded.

“Uh, it’s Drake,” he said sheepishly, looking at the ground.

“Well, Drake, how in the seven hells did you end up in the river with a giant cut like that across your back?”

“I...don’t remember.” He avoided her eyes.

“Wow, you are a terrible liar,” she snorted. “Don’t worry, that’s a good thing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So, what were you really doing?”

“There was a battle not far from here-”

“You’re a soldier! I knew it!” she said. A fire burned in her eyes now. “Are you strong? Have you been in many battles?”

Dismay returned to Drake’s face. “Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged. “What do you do?” He paused and thought for a moment. “Is this where I live now?”

Gigi tilted her head. What was with this guy? She had never met a soldier who didn’t love to boast. Here she was, a captive and beautiful audience, and he seemed to want to talk about anything else. Is this where he lives now? What kind fo question was that? Perhaps he had hit his head as well?

“This is a bakery. In case you wondered why everything smells like bread, including me,” she sighed, “that’s why.” She thought about whether he did live here now. “Umm, I, well, I guess you can stay here. At least until that nasty wound heals. I would say you owe me that much.”

“I owe you my life, Lady Gigi.”

He looked at her with watery blue eyes. Something stirred inside her when he said her name. It was just a slight flutter, but it was definitely something. It made her uncomfortable but her face was beginning to flush.

“Lady Gigi, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, of course.”

Drake fiddled with the comforter, his own tanned countenance was beginning to turn a light red. “That night you saved me. I remember we slept in the same bed.”

Gigi felt her soul leaving her body. She tried her best to hide her panic behind a nervous smile. Of course he remembered. He hadn’t had an entire cask of mead. She wondered what she had done to embarrass herself.

“Lady Gigi, are you my wife now?” he asked earnestly.

Her brown eyes widened and she struggled for breath. If this had been an ordinary human, she would have assumed he was making fun of her. However, it was becoming abundantly clear that Drake was far from normal.

He waited for her answer with curious, pleading eyes. She pondered his question. Did she want a human husband? Did she want a husband at all? If she said yes, she suspected he would believe her. Besides, her aunt had abducted her husband and they seemed happy. Lying to this man didn’t sit well though. It felt like tricking a dog. Drake seemed somewhat simple, sweet, and helpless.

Gigi smiled softly and shook her head no. Something was definitely not right with this guy. He didn’t seem dangerous though. It was actually the opposite. This man seemed to need her protection.

“What kind of soldier are you?”

“I don’t do that anymore,” he said quickly.

“Okay, what kind of soldier were you?” Drake’s eyes darted back and forth looking anywhere but at her own. Gigi crossed her arms again. “No lying, remember? I can tell.” Drake nodded. Gigi imagined even a greenworm knew when this guy was lying.

“I’m...a special soldier. There aren’t many like me.”

“Oh! Are you like a slayer?!” Gigi jumped up again. They supposedly had white hair, but perhaps blonde was the truth of the legend.

“What is that?”

“Come on, you have to know about the slayers! Everyone in the realms knows about them.”

Drake turned red with embarrassment. “Tell me about them.”

“The slayers were a mythological group of warriors created in the image of the cursed elves! It’s said they wielded blades that could turn their enemies to stone! Allegedly, they were unmatched on the battlefield,” Gigi said, wildly animating with her hands as she spoke.

“They could turn men to stone?” Drake asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

“That’s what the legend says.” Gigi nodded vigorously.

“I don’t think I’m one of these slayers.” Drake looked at his hands then back at Gigi. “I can’t turn men to stone.” He looked back up at her. “I can only whisper to the shadows.”

Gigi was once more baffled. Drake was dropping from simple and sweet to worryingly delusional in a few words.

“Whisper to the shadows? Umm. Do they talk back?”

Drake laughed. “No, but they do listen.”

“That’s nice,” she said, pasting on a plastic smile. Had she brought home a lunatic?

“I’m not allowed to whisper when I’m not on the battlefield. The captain says it’s a waste.”

“The captain?” Drake’s eyes darted to hers with fear. He shut his mouth firmly, jaw tense. “Who are you?” she asked more to herself than the stranger in her bed.

“Want to see a trick?” he asked excitedly.

“Umm, sure?”

Drake patted the space on the bed next to him for her to sit. She glanced away a moment as she sat next to him, a little more red highlighting her cheeks. Their backs were to the window, allowing the sunlight to cascade in front of them. Their shadows were long on the floor and stretched against the far wall.

Drake shut his eyes and began muttering to himself. Gigi couldn’t make it out, but it sounded like a chant of some kind. Then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning to the shadows, she noticed they were gone. Gigi jumped off the bed.

“Drake!” She turned to him. He had opened his eyes and was looking at her, smiling. He raised his arm and pointed at the far wall.

There the pair of shadows were painted. Only they were not stretched and warped; they were perfect copies. Gigi’s mouth gaped as she looked at her shadow waving to her from across the room. She waved back.