We were soon flying through the mountain range and Saniel maneuvered through the rocks as we made our way across. After a few minutes, we saw a village within the canyon, but this village was much larger than any I've seen. The mountains around them looked small compared to the houses and markets, even though the mountains did tower over the village.
Saniel started to fly down, and once we reached the entrance to the village he landed on the path. I slid off of Saniel's back and onto the packed dirt of the ground. I looked up at the massive buildings and people who walked through the streets ahead. I expected that giants would be like barbarians but they seemed like regular people with so much height that we were just dolls compared to them.
The ground shook with every step they took, and they wore material in simple and civilized fashions. May then flew next to me, happily. "Yay, we're here! Let's go see if we can find my friends! You wait here Saniel." Saniel sat down as a dragon loaf and May started to fly into the village. "Try not to get stepped on!" I followed her with one hand on my sword and said nothing as I looked up at the giants who didn't seem to notice our presence.
I walked through the market where the crowd thickened, and I had to dodge out of the way of giant feet that were about to crush me. I turned to see May easily flying through the town and fought to keep up with her. After a few minutes, I finally got through the chaos and to a clear area where May was already talking to someone.
The giant she spoke to was a woman with long brown hair and was sitting at a table with a few others across from her. May had flown up to speak to her at her eye level and they were both smiling brightly. "It's good to see you again, CherryMay." May held her hands behind her back as she answered. "You too, Cecile! And everyone else as well!" She waved to the others and I approached them.
The giant called Cecile noticed me stop at the base of the table and her smile changed to surprise. "Is that the prince?" May flew down next to me and nodded. "Yep! I'm helping him on a quest." I rolled my eyes. "How is it that everyone knows what I look like?" The giants stared in confusion for a split second before Cecile answered. "...The marks on your neck, of course."
I hesitated. 'How did the creatures of this world find out about my tattoos? I expected to be recognized every once in a while but it seems like everyone in the forests knows me exactly... Because of my tattoos? I wonder why that is.' May continued speaking like she didn't feel the suspense in the air. "We're here because an item we need for the quest is a magical harp said to be in this village. Have you heard of it?"
Suddenly, everyone around us stopped what they were doing and gasped. They stared down at us in shock and I raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me they have." Later, we had gotten up to stand on the table so it was easier to speak to the giants as everyone gathered around us. "That harp has been nothing but a nuisance to our village." Cecile shook her head and the giant standing next to her spoke next. "Ever since that harp showed up we've received nothing but bad luck!" I scoffed. "Bad luck? Is that it?" The others started to chime in.
"I lost a finger while making soup!"
"I've had my foot stuck in this bucket for weeks!"
"We haven't been able to grow any crops!"
"I've been kicked twelve times today already!"
"I have lobsters in my shirt!"
May and I turned to the last guy with confused looks on our faces. He then lifted his shirt to show us hundreds of lobsters crawling on him. Everyone shuddered at the sight and Cecile turned to us again. "It's been hard on all of us... Some more than others..."
May looked up at her with curiosity. "If the harp is such a bother then why not get rid of it?" Cecile sighed. "We can't. None of us have been able to get to it. It seems the closer we get, the worse our luck. Many have almost perished going after it. It's also very high and nearly impossible to reach." I rested one hand on my hip with mockery in my voice. "Do we have to climb a beanstalk to get there, too?"
Cecile's expression remained serious as she turned to me. "This time of year? Yeah, right." I shut my mouth in irritation and May continued. "Well, you don't have to worry any longer. We're not affected by the harp so we'll take it away with no problem!" Cecile seemed relieved to hear that but there was still concern on her face. "Be careful. The harp affects those around its presence for too long so you need to get there fast. It lies at the top of the tallest mountain in the gorge."
I had already started to walk back in the direction of Saniel as May said goodbye to everyone. I slid back down to the floor by one of the table legs and May followed behind me and waved back to them as I walked. "We won't let you down!" Once we reached Saniel we got onto his back again and started to fly towards the tallest mountain.
I saw a cave near the peak and assumed that was where we needed to go. After a while, we landed on a ledge outside the cave and dismounted Saniel again. I held my hand at the ready for my sword as I approached the entrance, and May skipped behind me. The cave was dark and damp, only lit by the sunlight that fell into the opening.
By the time we reached the end, the cave was faintly lit. There, at the end of it was a large statue of a woman in robes playing the harp. Her expression seemed lost as her fingers were positioned in front of a small harp in the shape of a u. Unlike the statue, the harp was made of gold and shined in the dim light. "That must be it," May said as she peeked out from behind me.
I lowered my hand from my sword in annoyance. "Yeah, no shit." I then slowly approached the statue but May stopped me before I reached up for the harp. "Wait. Do you think we should touch it?" I rolled my eyes. "It's fine, I'm wearing gloves." I then reached up and grabbed the harp. Nothing happened as I wiggled it out of the statue's grip and brought it down to hold in front of me. After a moment of silence, I sighed in relief. "See? There's no such thing as bad luck. Those giants were just blaming their problems on this."
I then turned to walk out of the cave but immediately tripped over my own feet as I turned around and fell to the ground. "Ah!" May then gasped. "Oh no! You're affected!" I stood up immediately after. "No, I'm not!!" We heard a loud crack after I said that and I quickly moved out of the way as a giant boulder crushed the ground where I used to be standing. "Okay, that was just a coincidence."