Page 76 of Grounded By Love
Claira wiped herself dry with a towel and thought about humans and giants producing children. There really wasn't all that much different between them, other than the fact giants were larger and stronger. If children couldn’t be produced she would be surprised.
Even though she knew a future with him would be near impossible, she couldn’t help but dream about one. If they could make it work, she would be thrilled, yet the problems between them kept growing.
She bent over and flipped her hair over her head so she was able to dry it with the towel. After wringing out her hair a bit, she walked over to the fire and sat down before it.
Claira used her fingers to comb through her long golden hair, the fire throwing light onto the shimmering curls. When her fingers were finally able to sift through her hair without encountering a single tangle, she stood up from where she sat and made her way over to the clean clothing Kaeldar left for her.
He left her pants and a shirt. She smiled, it must’ve been the only clothing he could find on such short notice, but she was glad for it. Clean clothing was clean clothing.
As the clothing ran over her dry skin, she shivered with absolute delight. Clean clothing was something she’d been wishing for for quite some time now, and she was glad to finally have some.
Right as she finished adjusting the shirt, a knock sounded on the door. Before she was able to answer, the door opened and in came a bustling giant woman.
"Hello?" Claira prompted, as the woman dropped a large bundle of fur and cloth on the bed.
The giant woman looked up and cast her eyes up and down Claira’s body. "Aren't you a tiny thing."
Claira had no idea what she should say to that statement, so she placed a shy smile on her lips.
"I've never made any clothing for a human before, but I will do my best." The woman said, as she grabbed a tape measure.
The giant woman bustled her way over and threw the tape measure around Claira's neck. She tensed.
Sensing Claira’s apprehension the giant woman tried to calm her. "Dear, if I harm you, Kaeldar would have my head, and I wouldn't get paid. Without you alive, there is no reason for him to pay me for some useless dresses."
"Makes sense." Claira reasoned. Maybe Kaeldar’s position could keep her safe among his people. Time would only tell.
The woman grunted, as she took the measurements she needed to make dresses for Claira.
“Are you full grown?” The giant woman’s eyebrow rose, as she looked at all the measurements she was taking down.
“Yes.”
“Interesting. You are so small, like a child for us.”
Claira pursed her lips. She wasn’t that much smaller. Her head came up to Kaeldar’s chest.
Within minutes, the woman was done and said no more about her height or size.
"I have brought several samples of some of the cloth and fur I have, hopefully, you will be able to find a few you like. When you have decided, hand them over to Kaeldar, and he will give me the samples." With that said she promptly left the room.
Claira just stared after her. At least, the giant woman hadn't acted like she despised Claira. It was a step in the right direction. One person, other than Kaeldar, was willing to put up with her existence.
Looking over at the samples laying on the bed she realized why the giant woman would be willing to accept her. The seamstress had given Claira quite a few expensive looking furs and fabrics. Kaeldar had to be paying a pretty coin for her dresses.
With a sigh, she headed over to the bed and sifted through all the squares of samples. Her fingers glided over the soft furs.
He didn't have to spend this kind of money on her, yet he was willing to. She hoped that spoke of some sort of volume about his feelings. If he thought she was worth this kind of money, then he must have feelings for her. Then again he might just feel it was his duty to keep her clothed.
As she turned away from the fabrics, Kaeldar strode into the room. "How did your time with the seamstress go?"
"Everything went well and much more quickly than I expected." Claira sat on the bed and drew a few of the fabric samples onto her lap. "She left some samples, and I must admit I was quite surprised by the quality of them." She gave him a broad smile.
"Hopefully, there will be something there that will catch your fansy."
"I've noticed giants tend to wear more furs than fabric. Why is that?” Claira asked bewildered.
He sat before the fire. "Raids. Of course, we also make our own fabrics, but most of it comes from raids on human villages. We find fur to be more pratical, especially when winter comes, because it requires less layers to keep a body warm. Fur is also practical in the rain as well. The water beads up and rolls right off, while fabric just sucks it in.”
