The thunderous sound of giant footsteps echoed through the mountains. Each stomp shook the ground and sent flocks of birds fleeing. Five half-naked giants, with wild hair and clothes that now looked more like picnic napkins than armor, stomped their way toward the castle—faces full of rage, shame, and just a hint of confusion.
Giant #3, still chewing on a leaf stuck in his teeth, grumbled in a deep, slow voice,
"We're gonna SMASH 'em! They blew up our house! Turned us into freaks!"
Giant #1 scowled.
"That stupid potion was our fault, not theirs."
Giant #4, always a little behind the rest mentally, raised his hand and asked in a sweet, childlike tone,
"Can we, like, eat something first when we get there? I'm super hungry…"
Giant #5—who had recently started calling himself "King Two"—shouted,
"Silence! An army needs discipline! The attack must be strategic and precise!"
Meanwhile, from a distance, Fayra, Ethan, and the rest of the crew were spying on the giants through a "magic scope" (which was really just a cracked magnifying glass taped to a stick).
Fayra burst out laughing.
"Oh my god! Look at 'em! It's like they're marching to a birthday party!"
Selena snorted.
"Dude. One of them's wearing a jingly hat. Where the hell did he even find that?"
Alice, chillin' on a rock while munching on some enchanted chips (each bite changed flavor), said casually,
"If the king really wants that potion… he better be ready for a big, slimy froggy surprise."
Ethan blinked.
"Wait—froggy surprise?"
Fayra gave a devilish grin.
"Oh yeah. That 'X-Ray' potion he's after? I gave 'em a test version instead. I call it… Slimy Kiss. You drink it, boom—you're a frog. A French-sounding frog."
Ethan just stared at her, jaw hanging.
"You're a crazy genius, you know that?"
Back at the castle, the guards spotted the towering shadows on the horizon and panicked, running inside.
"Your Majesty! There are five GIANTS approaching! With leaves! And… is that a jingle hat?!"
The king, busy practicing his royal smile in the mirror, turned and drew his sword.
"Bring them to me. I wish to speak with them."
A few minutes later, the giants stomped into the courtyard, smashing tiles and cracking stone. One smacked his head on the archway.
"Ow! Forgot the door's tiny…"
The king stepped forward with a dramatic stare.
"What do you want? Why have you invaded my castle?"
Giant #2 shuffled forward.
"We… we want the X-Ray potion or, uh… wait… no, YOU gotta give us—uhh, wait—"
Giant #5 jumped in and shouted,
"We came to complain! They turned us into giants! We just took one tiny sip and now we can't even fit in our beds!"
The king rubbed his temple and sighed deeply.
"Where's the X-Ray potion? Just give it to me, and I promise I'll leave you alone forever."
The giants, clearly confused, fumbled around until one of them pulled a shiny vial from his pocket.
The king smiled like a man finally getting his crown back. He held it up.
"At last… the power to see the truth of everything is mine…"
He popped it open right then and there and chugged the glowing purple liquid.
One second passed.
Two…
Three…
Suddenly, a loud ribbit echoed through the courtyard.
His skin turned green. His eyes bulged. His tongue snapped out… and POOF! Just like that, the king was now a messy, bug-eyed frog.
The giants screamed. The guards just stood there, mouths hanging open. The royal frog leapt onto the throne and then—plop—onto the crown.
Giant #4 gasped.
"Whoa! Green looks great on you, Your Frogginess!"
Giant #5 threw his fist in the air.
"LONG LIVE THE FROG KING!"
Far off in the forest, Fayra sipped a glass of enchanted lemonade and sighed.
"Well… time for Phase Two."
The king-turned-frog's croaking echoed through the royal courtyard like some kinda twisted symphony. There he was, perched on his own crown, puffing up his froggy cheeks, trying to bark out orders in amphibian:
"Ribbit… ribbit ribbit ribbit!"
One of the giants, now awkwardly squeezed into a soldier's uniform, bowed respectfully. "Your Frogginess, it's dinner time. Would you prefer flies or mosquitoes?"
The frog-king leapt off his makeshift throne, hopping aimlessly around the royal pond.
Just then, the sound of confident footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Enter Prince Aldric: tall, draped in a black cloak with a collar that screamed "look at me." He shot a cold glance at the frog. "Father? That you?"
The frog blinked twice.
Aldric sighed, flicked his cloak dramatically, and turned to the still-stunned staff. "As of now, I am your king. Dear old Dad needs some… quality time with nature."
Without a hint of emotion, he pinched the frog between two fingers, strutted over to the royal pond, and—plop!—dropped him right in.
The frog-king floated among the lilies, eyes wide with betrayal.
Somewhere, a random bard (who nobody invited) started playing a sorrowful tune.
From a grassy hill nearby, Ethan and his crew watched, eyes wide.
Alice, munching on her magical ever-changing-flavor chips, muttered, "Well… that took a dark turn."
Fayra, still giggling, added, "I mean, I turned him into a frog expecting some heroic rescue… not a dunk in the pond!"
Selena, brows furrowed, said, "That new king gives me the creeps… something's off about him."
Luna, with a mischievous grin, chimed in, "Maybe he's just power-hungry. Now that he's king, maybe he'll leave us alone."
Ethan shrugged. "Well… at least we're free. And the royal frog is getting swimming lessons!"
They all chuckled, deciding it was time to head back to their forest hideout.
The new king, Aldric, ordered the giants to stay in the castle.
Giant number five, still calling himself "King Two," puffed out his chest. "I'm a king too!"
Aldric approached him calmly. "Sure… you're the king of the giants. I'm the king of humans. So, we're allies now. But maybe… stop eating the castle walls?"
The giant grinned. "Got it! We'll stick to pillows! Promise!"
Ethan, Fayra, Selena, Luna, and Alice made their way back to their cozy forest home. The trees whispered, birds sang, and for a moment, everything felt… right.
Alice dozed off mid-walk. Selena counted stars. Luna whipped up some pumpkin soup.
Ethan sighed. "Thought today was gonna be weird, but this… this was a full-blown comedy show!"
Laughter filled the air.
But far off… under the pale moonlight… a mysterious voice whispered:
"The true king… shall return…"