Anthony Blackshaw, 29 Aug '12

        Mori sat cross legged to one side of her bedroom door listening intently. The door was slightly ajar and downstairs the feast was in full swing, loud conversations overlapped one another, fiddlers and drummers played songs for dancing, and laughter filled the great hall and every stairway and corridor leading from it. She wished father had let her stay up.

        A loud creak just outside in the corridor cut through the clamour of the feast. Mori froze. Footsteps followed, quiet and deliberate. Realising there was nothing else for it, she leapt up, bounded across the room, and dived under her covers. No sooner had she pulled the covers over her head when she heard the bedroom door open.

        “Mori?” said a gravelly voice.

        She smiled, it was her uncle Benjamin. From under the covers Mori pretended to snore loudly but was almost immediately overcome with giggles.

        “Hmmm... I could of sworn I heard you leaping about, I was in the mood for telling a tale or two as well... Pity, perhaps another time...” said Benjamin turning to leave.

        “I'm awake” shouted Mori flinging back the covers.

        Benjamin paused in the doorway a large grin across his face.

        “Are you sure you're not too tired? I thought I heard snoring?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

        Mori pouted, but Benjamin just laughed, sat his large portly frame on the end of the bed, and placed a pillow at his side.

        “Tell me about giants.” said Mori, scrabbling out from under her covers to rest her head of wild black hair on the pillow.

        “Giants? hmmm... I'm not sure I know any tales about giants” teased Benjamin, scratching his thick grey beard and glancing at her out the corner of his eye.

        “You do!” protested Mori.

        “Well I suppose I know one, have I ever told you how the twelve giants of Prince's Bain came to be?”

        “No never” lied Mori.

        Her uncle gave her a knowing look and cleared his throat.

        “Well, as all know, giants no longer roam our lands, they have long since gone north over Graugs teeth and into legend. But there was a time when they roamed in great numbers along our northern borders, and even travelled south as far as here to Winters End.”