The first thing Hale heard were birds outside her window. With one eye closed, she glanced out the window to see a dark cloudy sky beginning to brighten as the sun threatened to rise. The birds persisted in their song outside, gradually pulling her out of her slumber. She sat up slowly and stretched her arms overhead with a big yawn before rubbing at her eyes. She took in a deep breath, swinging her legs around and sitting for a moment, taking in the details of her new room. It was a sparsely furnished room, with an armor stand holding her beloved full plate in the corner opposed from a small little desk with a chair next to a dresser. She hadn’t fully unpacked yet, the stress and energy of the day before brought her straight to the deepest sleep she’d had in a while.
Hale tossed off her sleep shirt as she stood up, going through the suitcase on her dresser to find her daily clothes. The padded coat was next, personalized by removing the sleeves to gave her arms the freedom to be seen. She buckled it tight before slipping on her hauberk and fastening the straps down securely. Next came the greaves and tasset, the gauntlets that protected her forearms. Leaning forward and touching the toes of her boots, she counted softly to thirty before continuing with the rest of her morning stretches. Although she usually looked forward to her morning run, her tired eyes made it hard to sacrifice extra sleep for the start of a routine.
She creeped out her room, moving slowly down the hall while doing her best to not clank her armor around. Thalia and Micah’s doors were closed, but Seek’s was cracked open. She dreaded the thought of waking up her new friends if they weren’t morning people like her. After an achingly slow tiptoe to the door, she was outside in the cool spring air and took in the campus's smell. The fresh smell of dirt and nature gave her a pang of homesickness, but a glance back at the forest behind her new home only served to disappoint. The trees were only two paces thick nothing like the Dragonsleg trees back home that dwarfed their village.
After another quick round of stretches, she started her morning run. The rhythmic clang of the buckles against her armor helped her keep time with her steps as she made her way down Victors Lane, past the homes of the older students. Some of them were already awake, working out in the yards, with a pair of elves still wearing sleep clothes sitting on the porch of the house next door, sharing a bottle filled with dark liquid. They waved, and she returned the greeting with a smile as she jogged past them.
The campus itself wasn’t so bad when it was empty. Lamps lined the paths and roads, giving everything a lovely orange glow in the gentle morning fog. It obscured things farther away than a few tens of yards, making it easy to let her mind drift. She wondered what her dads were up to, surely they’d been awake for a few hours now and were starting up the lumber mill. James was probably just finishing breakfast for her father, and they’d be sharing a black coffee over the meal while discussing the day’s plan. She made a mental note to send a letter home soon, updating them on her success and excitement of the day before, and telling them all about her newfound friends.
She couldn’t help but be a little jealous of the older students back on Victors Lane, having stories to tell about their adventures and making names for themselves. But she stopped the thought, reminding herself that she had plenty of time to leave her mark. She had to stay in the present, and focus on the path that lied before her. Her legs ached as she pushed herself a little harder, really feeling the burn in her muscles as she came to a slow walk by the dining hall. With a deep breath, all the smells of breakfast gave her stomach a soft rumble. She peaked inside one window, curious about the smell of fresh bread and sizzling meats.
The inside was empty, with none of the lamps on yet. The only light in the hall came from behind the counter, where kitchen staff busily split dough and baked it into bread at a rate she couldn’t believe. A few hogs roasting on spits lined the back wall, with two humans tending to the fires. She took another deep sniff, pooling up drool on her tongue as she finally acknowledged how hungry she was. She started back home, hoping to check the larder to see if it was stocked so she could cook her new friends a solid breakfast.
As she rounded the corner home, she allowed herself to slow to a jog, then a walk, as she approached their house at the end of the path. Long, purposeful breaths helped calm her racing heart as she started taking the run a little easier. A few of the other students had gathered to talk outside the first few houses, about what she didn’t know. They gave her a gleeful greeting as she passed, impressed with her time on her run, to which she could only manage a brief, “Thanks!” She paused on the road in front her new house and took in the peaceful scene. Buds covered the bushes out front that threatened to bloom into a rainbow of flowers any day now, and gave off a sweet scent as she stepped up the short set of stairs to the door. It smelled vaguely fruity, mixed with hints of mint and smoke. She sniffed again and realized she’d completely missed the column of thick smoke rising behind the house.
She crashed through the front door in a clamor before tripping on the threshold, sending her sprawling into the common room of the house. The window on the backdoor had a fiery orange glow to it. It would have easily been mistaken for the rising sun had it not been on the western side of the house. She rushed to stand, grabbing the basin of water from the counter as she sprinted across the kitchen area, ignoring the searing achiness of her legs. She threw the door open, expecting to see the back wall of the house in flames. To her relief, it was just Seek, who smiled and waved from their squat at the edge of a firepit. They placed a spit over it, and roasted a few cuts of meat that Hale could recognize were quality. She felt a weight drop from her shoulders, dropping the copper basin in a splash.
“Mornin’ Hale,” the half-elf greeted.
“Thank the gods, I thought there was a fire,” said Hale.
“There is, though?” Seek tilted their head, confused. They went back to poking at the fire with a stick, and a dripping of hot fat from the meat flared up.
“Not what- What’re you cooking there?” asked the devilborn, as she crouched down next to the half elf.
“Just some meat from the larder, looked good, so I figured I’d cook it.” They poked at the meat with a fork, displeased at its reaction. “Taking ages to cook like this, though. The wood’s not burning as hot as I’d like.”
Hale wondered where they even got wood from, there was no firewood pile nearby, and the grounds crew kept the woods behind the house pristine and clear of too much underbrush.
“Whatcha got for a pairing?” asked the devilborn.
Seek raised an eyebrow, visibly unsure of an answer, and asked, “A what?”
“You can’t eat just meat! There’s got to be grains, starches, fiber, some fruit, y’know, a whole meal’s worth!” she exclaimed.
“I don’t… Meat’s filling enough, though? Shouldn’t we make the rest stretch?”
Hale’s eyes widened, wondering when the last time they’d had a meal was.
“You tend the fire, I’ll go start on the rest of breakfast.”
Before Seek could protest or ask, Hale was back inside, browsing the stock of the larder. She grabbed some oats, a bundle of apples, and the sack of potatoes. She got to work rounding out Seek’s breakfast, humming a soft worker’s tune she’d heard her dads sing a thousand times. Outside, the clouds were mostly over the ocean, and the fog started receding. A brightening sky gave warning of a sun slowly creeping up the other side of the Gray Spine mountains to the east. Micah came down the stairs, his hair somehow messier than before, and let out a big yawn as he scratched his stomach.
“What’s cooking?”
Hale waved as the fire of the stove flared up at some spilled oil, spooking her with a yelp.
“Oh! Seek’s cooking some… I want to say it’s pork belly, but I’m honestly not too sure. I figured I’d help round it out, make a more complete meal.”
Micah took a seat at the table and laid his head in his arms before giving her a thumbs up.
“Smells good to me.”
Hale put a coffee kettle on the stove and filled the top chamber with coffee milk. She stirred around diced potatoes in a pan while monitoring the bubbling of the kettle. Seek came back in with the spit and pushed the slabs of meat off onto a cutting board. They casually started cutting it into two inch wide strips, letting the smell mix with the rest of Hale’s cooking and drawing out a rumble from the table as Micah’s stomach protested his sleepiness. The kettle whistled as Hale grabbed a few mugs from the cabinet above the washing area to pour.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The aromatic coffee finally got his attention. Micah sat up, rubbing at his eyes and holding a hand out over the table with a yawn. Hale carefully handed him a mug before leaning back on the counter and sliding another down the counter to Seek. She cautiously sipped at the hot drink as they carefully sniffed at the drink.
“What’s this?”
Micah took a drink from his mug with a pleased sigh.
“Coffee! The lifeblood of scholars, students, and sailors!”
He brushed his messy mop of hair back with his fingers, trying to smooth it out as he woke up.
“And that is?” they asked, curious to what they’ve been given.
Hale lifted an eyebrow as she tested the potatoes with a wooden spoon, asking “You never had coffee?”
Seek gave the pair a shrug, wincing a little as they held the mug up to their nose and took a sniff.
“Smells… Awful. You both really drink this?”
Micah laughed as he set his mug down, leaning back on his stool carefully.
“Yeah! It’s a little rarer out east, but my, whenever I could get my hands on it, it was always a treat.”
“My dads always kept our cows well fed to keep up the coffee stock back home. Definitely one of my favorite morning treats, I’m really glad they stocked it for us.”
Hale plated the food and passed it out before noticing Thalia’s absence.
She asked the group, “Hey, Thalia okay? Yesterday was a little messed up, and I hope she’s not like… afraid of us?”
Micah took a long sip from his coffee, scratching his fuzzy chin with a yawn.
“Y’know, I was just thinking that too… Should we go and check on her?”
They all dodged eye contact as they mulled it over. She’d been a little dodgy and nervous, and after that display yesterday, they weren’t sure if it’d be alright to go in. Micah spoke up first.
“Well, I sure can’t go in, so its gotta be one of you two.”
“Oh c’mon, why not? Your whole thing was waking people up yesterday!”
“Well… like, it’s different now? A guy, going into a girl’s room, it’s like a sacred place, you know? I don’t want to intrude and make her less comfortable. I think you should go, Hale.”
Hale rolled her eyes with a sigh. “You’re dumb. Why not you, Seek?”
“What? Why me? You’re the tough one!”
“Well I mean like, you’re nimble! I ain’t exactly a paragon of speed.”
“Yeah but-”
Seek beat their chest, giving Hale a look of worry.
“You have armor! If she gets scared, I’ll die! You saw her weird shadow thing! You go, you’re tough!”
Seek was talking a little quicker than before, with a few extra words.
“Seek, you feeling okay?”
The coffee hit their blood a minute ago, and they could feel the caffeine giving them a burst of energy they weren’t used to.
“Yeah, doing great, just fine. Just fine!”
They were getting a little fidgety, taking a bite from the strip of meat with pointed teeth.
“I just think it’d be better for you to go in, you can take way more of a hit than me.”
Micah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought.
“I have an idea, let’s just… draw straws or something.”
Hale and Micah took cover behind the door, peaking into Thalia’s room. Seek perched up on the headboard of her bed, balancing on the balls of their feet. Thalia had a peaceful, relaxed look as she slept. The gang hadn’t seen her yet without an anxious unease. Last night, she rushed to her room to unpack, leaving little extra time to get to know her.
“Hey, Thalia, gotta get up. Wake on up, you’ve gotta get up.”
They poked and prodded at her face, with no reaction from the sleeping witch. Seek pinched her nose, hoping to get her to wake up from being unable to breathe. Her mouth dropped, and a snore rolled out. She swatted at their hand with a weakness only someone in a deep sleep could muster. Stubble on her chin and cheeks called out to Seek, who ran their fingers across it to tickle their sleeping friend.
“Guys, she’s not getting up. She’s out hard right now. No way to wake her up, none.”
Hale and Micah exchanged glances.
“Well, I guess we can get out and about and come back later to check on her. I just…”
Hale interrupted, agreeing with the plan, “I’ll go get her a plate, so she can eat while we’re gone.”
She hurried back down to the kitchen, and Seek hopped off the headboard to take cover with Micah behind the door. The two talked in hushed whispers, trying to come up with a plan to wake Thalia up. Downstairs, Hale carefully plated a meal, making sure that everything looked its best before heading back upstairs. She tiptoed through Thalia’s room, carefully setting the plate and tray down next to Thalia’s bed. The witch sat up with a start, screaming in fear. Micah and Seek took off running, and Hale stood there stunned as she threw Thalia’s carefully prepared breakfast all over the floor.
Thalia grasped at her hair, running her fingers through it with the wild eyes of a caged animal before sighing with relief. She pulled her knees up to her chest, sniffling a little before Hale piped up.
“Gods be, I’m so sorry Thalia I didn’t mean to-”
Her voice made Thalia jump, not used to someone being so nearby when she woke up. Thalia hid her face in her bed sheets, shaking her head. Her voice was rough, as she replied, “No, no! You’re fine! I just… nightmares, yeah?”
“By Sol’s Sun, that must’ve been some… Gods, everything alright?”
Thalia winced at her mention of the Sun God. Micah leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his eyes full of worry. Seek was peeking out of their room from behind him. Thalia looked up at Hale while running her fingers through her snowy white hair. She didn’t dare drop the sheet. Clearing her throat, she apologized, “Gods be, I’m so sorry for ruining breakfast, it looks like you worked so hard on it…”
“No worries! We cooked a ton, so there’s still plenty downstairs, still nice and warm. Take your time, get ready, and c’mon and eat. We’ll be downstairs waiting for ya!”
Hale gave her a warm smile, rubbing Thalia’s shoulder in a way that she hadn’t felt in years. Just like her grandfather’s touch. She scurried out the room, pulling Micah and Seek downstairs for idle conversation, leaving Thalia alone again. She got up out of bed, tiptoeing over the spilled breakfast as tendrils of shadow snaked from the corners of the room to clean the mess. She checked on her robes hanging on the back of the door and sighed at the grease stain on the fabric from where a slab of meat had hit it.
She unfolded her trunk, digging through it for a more casual dress Amelia had gifted her. The sea of black fabric gave way to a light purple fabric near the bottom of the trunk. It came out easily, and when Thalia spread it out in front of her, it was exactly what she’d hoped for. It was a simple purple dress; it didn’t flare out the figure, and had a black shawl sewn to the shoulders from the same heavy fabric as her hat. The skirt of the dress hung down low and flowed, meant to cover and conceal the shape of Thalia’s frail body from the world. She slipped into it, buttoning up the back and tying a knot to keep it high on her shoulders. She headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Thalia’s always been her own harshest critic. Even in her youth, she only ever hid behind her parents, terrified of showing herself to the world. Spending a year at her grandfather’s at fourteen had taught her a confidence and pride that was stripped as soon as she returned home for her parents… She ran her fingers through her hair, letting it fall while she admired it in the mirror. It was her favorite feature about herself.
Long and thick, with soft gentle waves that fell down her back like hills covered in snow. Her hair wasn’t just a look for her, though. It reminded her of the freedom that moving in with her grandfather gave her. The thought of it being gone again, of reliving that nightmare, sent a shiver down her spine. She brushed through it, taking her time to brush the sleepy mess it always became out of its locks. She rubbed her fuzzy chin, sighing, before drawing water from the tap and lathering up her face.
One thing her father had taught her, at least, was how to shave. She’d done it every morning of her life, at least since the accursed extra hair began to grow on her face. She carefully followed the contours of her cheeks, taking enormous care to leave her skin as smooth as possible and without nicks. After washing up, she smudged some purple pigment over her eyelids, just as Amelia taught her.
It’ll help bring attention away from your chin, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Her aunt’s words went through her head every time she did this, and every time she prayed to any of the god’s who’d listen to her that it’d be true. As she finished up her routine and headed downstairs, she could help but feel a sense of apprehension wrapped around her throat. This morning was already embarrassing, between her outburst and the mess, but the others seemed kind and understanding. Still, Thalia could help but hold some shame in her heart.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she couldn’t help but relax. No one seemed to pay any mind. Hale gave her a warm smile as she served another plate of breakfast, giving her an understanding pat on the back. Micah and Seek were joking around about the merits of coffee, welcoming her like she’d only just woken up. Thalia joined in, cautiously, and slowly relaxed as the group ate and talked.
“Lyra be praised, Hale, where’d you learn to cook like this?”
Micah finished his plate, setting the fork down and patting his stomach. Hale laughed, tying her cropped hair back with a length of twine.
“Oh, it’s just somethin’ I learned from my dad. If you think that was good, just wait ‘till you try his cooking.”
Seek poured themself another cup of coffee eagerly, before Hale pulled the pot away from them.
“He always made us breakfast, somethin’ about it being easier to wake up in the morning and work hard with a start like this.”
“Man, I really hope they visit soon.”
Seek spoke up after they kicked back their coffee, with a bite of meat still in their mouth, “What’s the plan?”
“Well, I figured since we’ll have some classes together as a team, we should go find them, so we’re not totally lost on day one. Other than that, we’re pretty open, any ideas?”
“Oh! There’s the campus tavern, I’ve heard real good things about it! Supposedly, it's staffed by older students eager to make a quick buck, so it’s bound to be fun.” Hale seemed excited about the tavern, so the others agreed to go. Seek and Thalia hadn’t really been to one before, but new experiences were welcome. Everyone scraped their leftovers into the bin and cleaned dishes in the basin. They all then scurried upstairs, eager to pack whatever they’d need before heading off into campus proper.
The fog was gone, and the sun was hanging just above the mountains casting a warm glow over the ornate buildings and pristine gardens that sprawled across the campus. Students were more out and about now, going between dorms, class buildings, and the cafeteria. The four of them entered the main building to find where they’d have “Team Fighting Tactics 1301”.