Rou and Bou Special: Healthy Choices

Handsome and pristine though he was, King Alasdair had believed he had put on a bit of weight particularly around the waist. Although he examined himself numerous times in the mirror and had found no fault but his hair, the noblewomen in the court had stated otherwise. The commander had assured him the bothersome women were only chirping to force him into reprimand and she had advised him to ignore them accordingly. The young king nodded and went to find one of his beloved cheese scones to comfort his pouting mouth when he realized the women at court were teasing his eat habits and not his slender hips. He groused and secretly brought his scones to his chambers for eating when he met the commander on his way to the royal quarter of the keep. Since she was the only one who did not seem to fall prey to the sickness of sweets Alasdair charged her with venturing to the market district and procuring decidedly healthier choices to fill the larder.

The commander agreed to the king's order and as she was about to leave for the markets, The Den Asaan emerged from his lair and said he would accompany her. Before the commander could ask what brought on this sudden want to be in society, the giant claimed there was entirely not enough ice cream in the cooling room for his delights and was going along to make certain this precarious problem was rectified. The woman knew the giant's patience was surely to be tempted and she resolved to hurry as quickly through the market as the bustling masses would allow.

The Den Asaan remained close with his mate as they traveled out of the castle keep and toward the marketplace. As the giant walked toward the lane where all the breadmakers and confectionary provisions were on display, the commander turned and walked down the row with the vegetables and fruits instead. The giant's stern features bent in confusion and he turned back to follow his mate, studying the items she perused and inspecting that which she placed into her parcel for the king.  

"Why are we in this row?" the giant firmly asked.  

The commander laughed at her mate's hatred for raw vegetables and took to inspecting some
carrots as the Den Asaan huddled closer, repulsed by the very many dreadfully nourishing things about him. "You mean the row filled with wholesome things you'd rather not enjoy?" she teased.

The giant placed his enormous paw over the woman's arm and forced her to place the carrots back where she found them. "Traala, if these are things my brother would think are acceptable then I will not permit you to bring them into the keep."

The commander simpered and shook her head as the giant dared to compare his brother's nutritious tastes to those of his own. "If I promise to find you some ice cream to close your disagreeable mouth will you be happy?"

The giant glanced aside. "Perhaps," he muttered.

The commander rolled her dark eyes and looked about for a more sensible alternative to the detrimental and delectable guile of ice cream. She noticed a small cooling container to the side of the row and peeked inside to find a small casks that read 'frozen yogurt'.

"Here, Iimon Ghaala," she said to her mate, motioning for him to look inside and choose one he deemed worthy of his palate.   

The Den Asaan peered into the container and inspected the label with a disapproving fleer. "I can read your language, woman. That does not say ice cream," he demanded.

The commander laughed and examined one of the flavors carefully. "It tastes nearly the same," she supposed, "and there is dark chocolate."

The giant suddenly cooed in consent when he heard his two favourite words mentioned and pushed the yogurt favorably into their parcel. As the giant was slowly growing appeased by his more reasonable choice, the Den Asaan turned to find a rather stout and fat woman blocking his exit to the row. The woman was so large that she had difficulty managing herself around the corner of the lane and continued to block the giant every which way she went. The Den Asaan took to studying the things in the woman's parcel and noted that each item was either fried or riddled with fat. He was about to excuse her poor maneuverability due to the contents of her package until he saw the portly woman select a bread that was baked with no butter or salt. The giant thought such a thing to be strange considering she obviously had not cared about her burden and was going to let it pass until she got the baker's attention purposely to ask which bread was the healthiest of them all.

The commander noticed that the giant's patience with the fat woman had ended and as he collect his breath and primed for shouting at the woman to move lest he roll her out his way, the commander reached under the giant's draping furs and grabbed his small finger, holding him tightly within her rough palm.

"Please, Iimon Ghaala," she murmured, attempting to stifle her laughter at the situation. "I am begging you to hold in your nasty aspersions for until she is gone."

The Den Asaan closed his thick fingers around his mate's hand and exhaled with disdain as he tapered his eyes. "I will be waiting a long time," he moaned.

"I do believe she can hear you. I know you have no notion of how the talent of whispering works but I am asking to put what little knowledge of the subject you have into use."  

The giant did his utmost to hamper his multitude of insults and unkind thoughts he had saved for such a woman, and he glared at her as he shouted all of what he wished to convey in the privacy of his own infuriated mind. The woman argued for some time with the baker on which bread was the healthiest and once the woman was decided on one to take, she waddled out of the row, knocking things over as she went. Once she was gone, the commander released the giant's hand and he began to overflow with offenses aimed toward what he believed to be the most unwholesome creature he had ever had the misfortune of seeing.

"What is the purpose of obtaining only one item that is decent?" he shouted down at the ground in release. "I have seen your breadmakers, and that bread is not made with magic. It will not remove her weight by eating that along with everything else."

The commander laughed at the giant's frustration and rubbed his arm to soothe him. "I do find that amusing considering you probably consume a greater share of unhealthy things."

"I train my body every day as my duty commands, Traala," he asserted.

"And you perform a number of other vigorous activities as well."

The commander gave the giant a suggestive look and Rautu sighed, relieved that they were able to leave the row that disturbed him so. The commander took a few more items for the keep's larder and the giant continued on about the matters of exercise and routine, claiming that he had no need to change his eating habits due to his extensive regiments each day that permitted him to be as sculpted as he was.

The giant hurried his mate along for fear that his pretended ice cream would melt before he could taste its sweet succor and as they were leaving the narrow passages of the marketplace the Den Asaan suddenly found his path blocked obstructed by the same incredibly fat woman who had impeded him before. The woman grunted up at the foreboding giant and attempted to move around his massive legs but was not able to successfully do so as her girth would not allow for it.

"You're in my way," the fat woman grumbled.

The commander's eyes widened and she held her head in her hand, knowing the giant's tolerance had run out. The Den Asaan narrowed his gaze and tensed his maw as his fury was tempted. His first impulse was to kick the woman out of the way until he realized his large foot may become lost within the vast folds of her flesh and decided against such a measure. Instead he agreed to help the woman become thinner to save her from herself and Rautu took hold of her parcel, prying it from her hands. The giant took her package of fried doughs and fatty meats and heaved it to the far end of the market, landing it before the door of the church in donation of those who could use it well. The woman was going to chide the giant for such actions until he leaned over the stout creature and growled at her.

"You are too large for your frame," the giant bellowed. "I have been told to pity you. Instead I have assisted you. I have done better for you than you would have done for yourself and you will show me gratitude for my services and stand aside."

The giant suddenly reached into the parcel his mate carried and produced a large stick of celery. He placed it into the fat woman's plump hand and commanded her to thank him for placing her on the path of recovery. When the woman said nothing, the Den Asaan took hold of her shoulders and turned her over onto her side to roll her out of his way. Once the path was clear the commander hurried along before the woman could right herself and call the guards on the giant.

"There is no need to run, Traala," Rautu said. "Even if she could stand, she cannot run after you."

The commander turned back to see the woman's arms and legs wiggling freely as she attempted to roll back onto her feet. The commander clamped her hand over her mouth to silence her laughter and to save her from her unwanted mirth the giant placed his hands about his mate's waist and lifted her against him to shroud her with his thick fur cloak, dampening her unbridled laughter. The giant barely grinned and enjoyed watching the young children in the churchyard divide the mysterious delights that had appeared at their door among them.