You might think that the safest place for me in a moment when my mother's crazed fanatics were banging down the door was in the presence and safety of three commanders. Apparently, Doc had other ideas.

My great-aunt immediately pulled up a live map of the compound. Security footage filled the screen on the wall. I could see the giants gathered outside, holding large human machine guns and rifles aloft. 

"Gia sent the children into lockdown, and the trainees are preparing for an assault," Cato said. "We both know Half Circle is weak since nearly all the troops are at Snowdon."

"Alana, use the smuggling hole," Doc said. "Take Terri to a safe location and stay there overnight. Leave at dawn. We'll hold off pursuers."

"Where am I taking her?" Alana asked. "We can't go into the human world here."

She was right, of course. The nearest portal led into Antarctica. I had no desire to be a half-human popsicle. We were on the edge of Jontun, so the only other option was further into giant lands. 

"Take her to Cargate," Doc said. "You have people you trust there, Alana."

Cato raised an eyebrow. "You're putting your faith in giants, Doc? Even if they're Alana's people, we can't trust someone else won't turn Terri in. That price on her head Finn Hassan'son and Ellenora are offering is big."

Figures there was a bounty on my head that nobody was mentioning. No wonder Doc and Alana were so obsessed with keeping me safe. 

"They've managed one problem for us so far," Doc said. "Hopefully, Theoden can help us with one more tonight."

Cato opened his mouth like he wanted to argue but thought better. Doc nodded at Alana and strowed from the room, leaving Cato to chase after her.

Alana led me out a side entrance and into a small hallway branching away from the conference room. She grabbed my wrist so I could keep pace with her as she ran.

"Who's Theoden?" I asked. 

"Theoden Aragon'son is my father," Alana said. "And Doc must be desperate if she's ordering us to spend the night with Theo."

I frowned. "Aren't those names from Lord of the Rings?" 

"Some giants are obsessed with modern human popular culture," Alana said as she steered us down a staircase. "Nobles like more classical human things. Their god-like complexes cause them to name themselves after mythology and such. While that's popular with common nobles, it's equally as common for modern pop culture names to be used. You don't question it once you start meeting giants with names like Picard or Chewbacca."

I hadn't really thought much about giant names so far. However, with names like Hellene, Andromeda, or Osiris, I supposed there was a pattern. 

"You're telling me there's a giant named Chewbacca?" I asked as we barreled through an industrial kitchen. 

Alana nodded. "Honestly, the younger giants think the classical names like Finn or Skadi are boring. Sometimes, they even rename themselves."

She pushed aside a portrait on a wall, revealing a tunnel. We crawled a distance until I could feel the icy wind, and we were dumped into the snow. 

The two of us walked for quite a distance. When I turned, I could see Half Circle fading into the distance. I wasn't sure where we were going, but Alana used a map on her wrist communicator. 

My teeth chattered, and my thermal gear did little to protect me from the cold. Alana's spiked hair gathered icicles, but she barely shivered as she pressed forward. 

We ducked down behind snow banks when we passed the occasional home or a herd of large multicolored sheep hunkering in the cold with a giant acting as a shepherd. 

"Where are we?" I asked above the wind.

"The edges of Cargate territory," Alana said. "House of Speed is known for producing the finest cloth in Jontun. My father moved here with his wife after they left their former noble because he wouldn't approve of their marriage."

I had a feeling there was a story there, but Alana stiffened as she heard a piercing whistle in the distance. She gestured for me to get down and pushed me behind a snowbank. 

A giant of about eight feet walked through the snow with a large two-headed dog at his ankles. He had bleach-colored hair like Alana, and smile creases surrounded his purple eyes. 

Alana stood, and the giant looked her over, and his face contorted with surprise at first but then curved into a smile.

"Hey, Pop," Alana said. 

"Little light," the giant walked forward. "Usually, you tell me you're coming."

"I'm in a bit of a bind," Alana said. 

The giant frowned. "Don't tell me you did something I would do. "

"Theo," Alana said, and she pulled me back to my feet. "This is my friend Terri. We need a place to crash for a bit."

"Do I want to know?" Theo asked. 

"Probably not," Alana said. "Sorry for the imposition."

Theo led us down a cleared path in the snow. He wore thick corduroy pants and a heavy wool overcoat. The dog ran ahead, barking as we approached a small cottage at the end of the cleared path. 

Alana and I followed the man into the house. The three of us pulled off our shoes at the front door, and Theo handed us each a pair of thick-knit socks. 

The home was cozy and strangely familiar. The single room had a bed pushed into one corner and a table and chairs in another corner. A loft above had two more beds. The only thing that ruined the cozy vibe was a string of curses, each more colorful than the last, echoing off the walls. 

A large stove stood in the center of the room. A purple-haired woman stood beside a pair of legs sticking out of the stove door. 

"Cheerful words only, dear," the woman said. 

A string of familiar curses rang from inside the stove. My jaw dropped as the woman turned towards us, and I realized I'd seen this exact scene yesterday in my dream. 

"Theo," the woman smiled. "You brought guests?"

"Sorry to drop in," Alana said. "Terri, this is..."

"Selena," I said, dumbstruck. 

Alana looked at me strangely. "Terri, are you feeling all right?"

I shook my head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I saw Selena yesterday in my vision. It's nice to meet you."

It was weird to be told you were seeing the future, but reliving the moments I'd already seen was even stranger. Somehow, it was all real down to the exact detail. 

The pair of legs kicked out from the stove, and a familiar boy in a green beanie excavated himself from the oven. Milo McDonald was covered in ash and brandished a metal pole like a weapon. He looked like he was about to have choice words with Selena until he saw his sister. 

"What is she doing here?" He demanded, adjusting his fingerless gloves. 

"Milo, be nice to your sister," Selena said. "It's lovely to have you with us, Alana."

"Hello, Milo." Alana's voice was cool and neutral. "I see you're behaving as well as ever."

Selena looked at the stove. "If Milo was able to unclog the stovepipe, then I can heat you something to drink."

"Of course, I found the problem," Milo rolled his eyes. "We can't not serve precious visitors a hot drink. That would be a travesty."

Selena had Milo load the stove with wood from a box by the door. The young teen grumbled the whole time, but Selena took it in stride. She had Milo light the fire and operate the pump trough by the front door. 

Alana watched her stepmother work silently. I felt kind of bad that we were just standing and watching, but I had a feeling Selena wouldn't like it if we tried to help. 

"Alana, I'm curious why you brought the princess into our house," Theo said, reaching down to scratch his dog behind the ears. 

He didn't sound angry. If anything, he looked like he wanted to be prepared in case anything ruined his relaxed day. 

"You were the nearest safe house," Alana said. "You know the people after her. We'll leave around dawn, and no one will know we're here. Once we're back at Redwood, she'll be safe again."

"Why did she come to Jontun?" Theo asked. "I thought you said that you'd sent people to guard her. What's changed?"

"Moreno thought it was a good idea," Alana said. 

Theo's frown deepened, and I got the feeling he'd met his daughter's best friend. "That's a gamble with war looming."

"I know," Alana said. "But there's no resetting the board now. We're at a full-steam gambit."

"You've never beaten me at gambit," Theo said. "Care to try again, daughter?"

A bright gleam entered Alana's eye. "I've gotten better, Pop."

Theo chuckled and walked to a trunk at the foot of the bed. He pulled a worn game box from the trunk and brought it to the table. 

Curious, I stood behind Alana as she and Theo set up a cloth gameboard on the table. It looked similar to chess, except each side had three rows of pieces, and the board was twice as long and wide. 

The pieces themselves were intricately carved little statues made of stone. Each side had the same pieces, and Alana moved first. 

Selena came over with drinks after about twenty minutes. She handed me a mug of some hot red liquid and looked over the game board. 

"She's almost beating you, Theo," she said. 

Alana stared down at her pieces with strange intent. There seemed to be ten types of pieces, each with their own ways of moving. Theo and Alana traded off turns, moving several pieces on each turn. 

Selena nodded as Alana moved another piece into the center of the board to end her turn. Theo cocked his head and made three more moves in quick succession. 

"Your offensive strategies are getting sloppy, Pop," Alana said. 

"Take a look at the board at a different angle, little light," Theo said. "Breathe and open your mind. Don't see what I'm doing now. See where the game is going. You're still playing too reactionary. I have control of the board."

Alana's brow furrowed. She started at the board a little longer with great fervor before her jaw slacked, and she sighed. 

"How do you always manage to do this to me?" She asked. 

Theo smiled. "Play through the mistakes. You can see the problem now. Show me how you adapt. Keep working through it. When you can see a trap, it's no longer terminal. You have time to find a solution."

It was strange encouragement. She listened to her father like a coach and friend. Theo wasn't mean or hard on her. He was only trying to help her succeed but wouldn't throw the game for her ego. 

Alana thought longer about her next three moves, and Theo nodded as she moved her pieces into position. She was here to learn and get better, and she accepted his influence. 

"Do you play gambit, Terri?" Selena asked. 

I shook my head. "I assume this is a giant game?"

She nodded. "Theo is one of the best players I've ever met. He used to beat fellow prisoners at gambit for extra rations. He's been teaching Alana gambit strategy since she was six."

That caught me off guard. "Prison?"

Theo smiled. "My family has long had a tradition of leaving the giant world for the human world as a rite of passage. When we're brought back, we serve our prison sentence to build character. It's a tradition that's fallen out of favor, but my grandfather wanted my brother and me to learn about humans and giants."

"Why are giants so obsessed with humans?" I asked. 

Milo laughed. "Look at this house. The nobles keep giants in ignorance. They keep away technology. Giants want what they can't have, and because they think they're better than humans, they can't accept that, in fact, they aren't superior."

I stared at Milo. Even Alana gave her brother a side eye like she didn't know he cared enough to have an opinion.

"Some giants just crave a choice," Theo said. "And the laws of keeping Jontun exclusive makes our world feel small."

That made sense to me. The more people cracked down on rules, the more people chafed against them. Theo's family even had a family tradition that went against societal laws.

My father was fond of saying the only laws that needed to be followed were the ones that were just. I'd always found it a strange sentiment, but perhaps it came from his experience with Jontun. 

The door to the house opened, and a boy no older than Milo stepped into the home. He was wrapped in wool and furs, and ice stuck through his purple hair.

"I put the sheep in the pen since I think there's something going on up at the compound," the boy said as the door slammed behind him. 

"Erik, we have guests," Selena said. 

The boy removed his overcoat and knocked the snow from his boots before donning socks at the door. He looked over me with a frown, but his face quickly changed when he saw Alana. 

"Sis," he said. "You haven't visited in forever."

Alana actually smiled at that. "Terri, this is my other brother Erik Theoden'son."

Erik laughed and glanced at the gameboard between Theo and Alana. "Cool, you guys are playing gambit. And looks like Pop is lightyears ahead."

Alana grumbled. "Should we even finish playing?"

"There are no draws or stalemates in gambit," Theoden said. "We play to learn from our mistakes."

That I could appreciate. There was no backing out of life or, apparently, a game like gambit.

Hey friends!!! Alana is one of my favorite characters, and I really wanted to showcase another type of giant family. I hope you liked this chapter and let me know what you think of Alana's family. Until next time!!