Bella sat there with tears rolling down her face and would not stop. Zane took hold of the book and she did not stop him and opened it up to her book mark and started reading outloud.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THE VALIANT LITTLE TAILOR: cont:
Then the Giant said, "Since you are such a brave fellow, come with me to my house, and stop a night with me."
The Tailor agreed, and followed him; and when they came to the cave, there sat by the fire two other Giants, each with a roast sheep in his hand, of which he was eating.
The Tailor sat down thinking. "Ah, this is very much more like the world than is my workshop." And soon the Giant pointed out a bed where he could lie down and go to sleep.
The bed, however, was too large for him, so he crept out of it, and lay down in a corner. When midnight came, and the Giant fancied the Tailor would be in a sound sleep, he got up, and taking a heavy iron bar, beat the bed right through at one stroke, and believed he had thereby given the Tailor his death-blow.
At the dawn of day the Giants went out into the forest, quite forgetting the Tailor, when presently up he came, quite cheerful, and showed himself before them.
The Giants were frightened, and, dreading he might kill them all, they ran away in a great hurry.
The Tailor travelled on, always following his nose, and after he had journeyed some long distance, he came into the courtyard of a royal palace; and feeling very tired he laid himself down on the ground and went to sleep.
Whilst he lay there the people came and viewed him on all sides, and read upon his belt, "Seven at one blow."
"Ah," they said, "what does this great warrior here in time of peace? This must be some valiant hero."
So they went and told the King, knowing that, should war break out, here was a valuable and useful man, whom one ought not to part with at any price.
The King took advice, and sent one of his courtiers to the Tailor to beg for his fighting services, if he should be awake.
The messenger stopped at the sleeper's side, and waited till he stretched out his limbs and unclosed his eyes, and then he mentioned to him his message. "Solely for that reason did I come here," was his answer; "I am quite willing to enter into the King's service."
Then he was taken away with great honor, and a fine house was appointed him to dwell in. The courtiers, however, became jealous of the Tailor, and wished him at the other end of the world.
"What will happen?" said they to one another. "If we go to war with him, when he strikes out seven will fall at one stroke, and nothing will be left for us to do."
In their anger they came to the determination to resign, and they went all together to the King, and asked his permission, saying, "We are not prepared to keep company with a man who kills seven at one blow."
The King was sorry to lose all his devoted servants for the sake of one, and wished that he had never seen the Tailor, and would gladly have now been rid of him.
He dared not, however dismiss him, because he feared the Tailor might kill him and all his subjects, and seat himself upon the throne.
For a long time he deliberated, till finally he came to a decision; and, sending for the Tailor, he told him that, seeing he was so great a hero, he wished to beg a favor of him.
"In a certain forest in my kingdom," said the King, "there are two Giants, who, by murder, rapine, fire, and robbery, have committed great damage, and no one approaches them without endangering his own life. If you overcome and slay both these Giants, I will give you my only daughter in marriage, and half of my kingdom for a dowry: a hundred knights shall accompany you, too, in order to render you assistance."
"Ah, that is something for a man like me," thought the Tailor to himself: "a lovely Princess and half a kingdom are not offered to one every day."
"Oh, yes," he replied, "I will soon settle these two Giants, and a hundred horsemen are not needed for that purpose; he who kills seven at one blow has no fear of two."
Speaking thus, the little Tailor set out, followed by the hundred knights, to whom he said, immediately they came to the edge of the forest, "You must stay here; I prefer to meet these Giants alone." Then he ran off into the forest, peering about him on all sides; and after a while he saw the two Giants sound asleep under a tree, snoring so loudly that the branches above them shook violently.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Bella had stop crying as she heard him read the story to her and curled like a kitten in his arms.
Zane used his voice to calm her down after that woman tried to control her. He had to stop thinking about it.
When he got to a stopping point he closed the book and carried his beauty to have a bath. He washed her and her hair. When she was clean and rinsed off he combed and dried her hair.
He then carried her into bed. This time when he covered her up she would not let go of his hand.
"Bella dear, I'll be right back let me change into my sleeping pants. I promise to come right back." He said.
She smiled and let go. He quickly changed his cloths. He had planned on working in the study tonight but he had promised himself no matter what Bella would come first.
He quickly got into bed and covered up. Bella snuggled up close and laid her head on his chest to fall asleep listening to to the rhythm of his heartbeat.