As I began to relax for the first time in two days, I realized how surreal the situation I currently found myself in. Everyone seemed pretty blasé about a story of a young woman appearing out of nowhere other than concern for the poor girl. Oh, they were worried about me; I could see that. However, was this something that happens often?

Mayor Waymond and his family cheerfully debated, with little or no input from me, how all of this came about. All three had different opinions, from a noble kidnapping plot gone wrong, which I insisted I was not, much less a foreign princess that Frida, their daughter, was pushing, to a magical accident that sounded much more plausible. The mayor wife suggested I was an apprentice mage and had some sort of magical accident as I appeared in the shrine of the moon goddess, who was also considered the patron of magic users.

They even asked if I was an adventurer, to which I hesitated but still answered no. I worked for a game company and delved on my off days, virtually sure but not the same thing. Even so, the mayor thought I was relatively young to be an adventurer, so he asked about my parents.

Besides wondering how young I looked. My parents were perfectly normal. Mom’s a pediatrician, and my dad’s an accountant. Although neither the term physician nor doctor was familiar, so I went with Healer. However, thinking that would dissuade them from the whole kidnapping noble plot thing didn’t help, as healers were treated rather well in this world.

I was going to say something else when we were distracted by my stomach growling. That pushed any more discussion of my origin to another time. After offering me another meal and a place to stay for the night, the mayor and his wife returned to the kitchen, leaving me alone with their daughter.

Frida worked at the inn with her younger sister Revna doing a little bit of everything from waiting tables to cleaning the rooms. Both were in their late teens and had an older sister who had married the summer before and a younger brother running about somewhere outside.

“Don’t worry; there is more where that came from.”

She chuckled when I made a little face after taking a few bites of the porridge. It was bland, but the berries made it palatable.

“Dad always has a pot warming for those who want a quick meal. Usually, only merchants and adventurers want something fancier for a midday meal. Which usually ends up last night’s leftovers.”

“I wish I knew the berries were safe to eat. I wouldn’t have ended up half starving as I wandered the countryside,” I said, picking at the bowl, then looked up as another person took a seat in front of me.

“Well, if you live here in our lovely little village long enough, you either love night berries or hate them,” the young girl said with a grin.

“Hi Revna, done with the upstairs?”

She nodded, then motioned to the older man in the corner, who seemed to be finally moving, to disappear upstairs. “Didn’t take too long; we only had one traveler last night.”

Revna, having missed most of the conversation, wanted details on my adventure as she had plenty of time to listen, having little to do with the inn only having a couple of patrons. One of them being me.

“Wait a moment,” Frida says and disappears through the back hallway to return with three shawls.

“What, we’re going outside?” Revna asks.

“Well, since Alexandria is going to be here a while, I thought we could show her around.”

“Sounds lovely, Frida, but she has just spent two days walking. She might wish to rest,” Revna said, then turned to me.

Looking down at my empty bowl regretfully, I said, “No that's fine; I need to walk off this heavy meal anyway. And could you just call me Alex? Only my grandmother calls me by the longer version.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And she of course called me Alexander.

The air was a bit chilly still, at least on my arms, so the shawl was appreciated, although a new experience. As we headed back towards the bridge, I noted what I had missed on my speed run with the constable.

Besides a fruit orchard, most of the village's fields were communal. They worked together to feed the community, pay taxes, and the like. According to Frida, some of the grain went towards the beer the inn served. Also, most families owned small plots of land, mostly large gardens. Hunters brought in meat, but that could be a dangerous profession at times. Add chickens, pigs, and the errant milk cow or two; it seemed the people here thankfully don’t lack for food.

The rest of the village supported the merchants and adventurers who came through. Bargemen and their families have homes closest to the river, while a smithy, a small potions shop, and what appeared to be a general goods store lay near the inn.

“I don’t see a lot of travelers,” I comment as we head toward the second-largest building in the village.

“The passes are still full of snow, but we’re busy enough in the evenings, and dads’ friends always come by for a mug or two,” Frida explained. “A few months from now, you’d be lucky to find a place to sleep in the stables.”

Revna added, “We usually get a couple of barges of travelers to spend the night every week. And besides the random adventuring party trying their luck around Malburg Heights, we get merchants and their guards passing through all the time. This is a safe place to cross the Alban, and the king’s tolls aren’t too bad once you reach Grimvick.”

More names and all unfamiliar, but the adventuring party, like the guild, piqued my interest. The girls interrupted my musing by trying to guess where I originally lived.

“Fairfax, Virginia.”

Revna frowned at my answer. “Is that anywhere near Coleford? From your coloring and dress, you’re from somewhere near Coleford or at least somewhere down the Mīmeli River.”

Both sisters were a bit taller than me, not as much as Dustin, but I felt relatively small in the company of these two girls. Their hair was also much darker, keeping it out of the way in simple pleats.

Frida leaned forward. “I can see that. We get a few adventuring parties from there every year. Your accent, I can’t really place it, though. Are you really not cold?”

“Not at all, other than my arms are a bit chilly,” I replied, both sisters wore woolen dresses, unlike my light cotton one.

“Maybe her dress is magical,” Revna wondered.

I gave her a rather unladylike snort in reply. The wind had picked up, causing the three of us to draw closer, but I really wasn’t cold.

“Good afternoon, girls,” a voice called out, interrupting our discussion on the weather. I had mentioned my interest in looking at the general store, and they wasted no time taking me there.

The second largest building behind the general store was a warehouse and was as wide as the inn but not quite as long. There was also a stable and, from what I could see, a place to park wagons. Over the store’s entrance was a sign that said Garthom Company. Inside, I could see all sorts of interesting things; too bad I didn’t have any money.

“Hello, Mister Conrad,” Frida cheerfully replied. “Hi, Njal.”

Revna then leaned over to me and whispered, “And now we know the true reason why my dear sister dragged us over here so quickly.”

A well-built teenage boy stood off behind the man pushing a broom. Cute but not my type.

Mentally I began to unpack that thought when Frida said, “Let me introduce Alexandria, although she prefers Alex. She will be staying with us for a little while.”

“Hello, you must be the one who warned us of the Dread Wolves,” Conrad turned to me and gave a small bow. “Thank you; we can pass that warning on to our merchants who pass through the Beldam woods. Although, from what Dustin tells me, he’ll see if the guild can have some adventurers take care of them.”

“They don’t normally come this far south, Miss Alex,” the boy said with a shy smile. “My aunt and uncle are on the road from Bagpath, so it’s a bit of a worry.”

Conrad chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. “They should be fine, Njal; if we’re lucky, we’ll see them in the next day or two.”

“Are they merchants?” I asked.

“Grandpa Merric was, but Uncle Gomes works for the guild; I mean the merchant guild,” Njal replied. “He and Aunt Eira manage the warehouse here.”

“How do you know they weren’t just Wolves?” Frida suddenly asked with a slight bit of snark.

I'm not sure why she chose that moment to interrupt; OK, I do know, but the kid wasn’t my type. Too tall, too young, and too male. Thankfully, Conrad came to my rescue as I didn’t get a good look at the monsters.

“Wolves are dangerous enough, but you couldn’t mistake one for a Dread Wolf,” he explained. “Size of a pony, short muzzle but with powerful jaws that can shatter bone. Ash grey fur, but it's their eyes; they almost glow red. horrible beasts.”

Yea, I remember the eyes.

Frida suddenly reached over, grabbed my hand, terribly concerned, and said, “You must have been terrified.”

Smiling, I gave it a bit of a squeeze. “Can’t say I was happy to run into them. Thankfully I had a tree to hide behind.”

A shout disturbed the quiet afternoon as a man ran towards the warehouse. Dressed like the guards on the bridge, he approached us at a run.

“Conrad, Goodman Gome’s party was attacked on the road.”

As a group, we began to move, Njal taking the lead while Frida, still holding my hand, dragged me along.