Andromeda woke to the sound of a bell ringing in the distance outside. From her window she could see the faint shape of a clock tower. Just behind it the sun was beginning to rise. She wiped away the sleep from her eyes and stretched. When she finally woke up enough to process what was around her she was slightly confused about the unfamiliar surroundings, then the memory of the previous night came back.

  She yawned and threw her feat over the side of the bed, she grabbed her bag and pulled out the change of clothes. Only to change into the clean shirt, leaving the rest inside.

  She grabbed her shoes and put them back on, then left the room. One feeling that she found was universal between worlds was that slight uncomfortable feeling of waking up early in a place that wasn’t your home. She took special care to walk carefully and not disturb any who might still be asleep, or waking up.

  She reached the stairs down to the main floor she could see that people a small number of people had already gathered, some were still waking up, others were bright and alert, and other still had the look of death on them.

  “Ah, young miss, take a seat.” Cain said from behind the counter.

  There was a younger man standing beside him cooking food on a stove.

  Andromeda did as she was asked and sat down at the bar seat in front of the counter. Before she had a moment to open her mouth to ask why there was a stacked plate of eggs, potato hashbrowns, and sausage in front of her. She was shocked to silence.

  It wasn’t uncommon for her to eat produce in her world. As it was important that they could support themselves with self grown food. So potatoes and the like were understandable. But eggs, and especially meat of any kind were rare. Only to be eaten on special occasions. All other nutritional needs were taken care of through supplements.

  She reasoned that in this world, being firmly on the ground with farms and animals, that this was probably common. But she couldn’t suppress her surprise.

  “I don’t hear the fork on the plate, is the food not up to standard?” Cain asked. The words escaped through his mouth and the young man standing beside him looked as if he was struck in the head by a boulder. He practically pushed Cain to the ground to see if there was any imperfections in her plate that might have been an issue.

  “No, its just…” She said. “I’ve not eaten anything like this in a long time.” She said.

  Cain and the young man looked confused for a moment, then the thought his Cain plainly and he nodded.

  “Ah, you said you lived on the sea most of your life. I can see why this might be special. Don’t worry about paying, guests eat free here. Ask if you want any more. But be careful. Hearty meals like this can sneak up on sailors when they aren’t careful.” Cain said.

  “Thank you.” She said.

  She picked up the fork and looked over her plate. Everything looked so neatly stacked and attractive that she didn’t know where to begin, the whole plate looked like a neatly made piece of art.. After some wandering around the plate she stuck the fork into a solid link of sausage and brought it to her mouth.

  It sounds a bit childish, to try and describe something as simple as a link of cooked meat as life changing. But Andromeda was at a loss to try and think of anything else that would properly explain how she felt in that moment.

  The flavor was full and warm, it impressed itself on her heard and soul, and she retroactively thought less of every morsel of food she had ever eaten before in her life.

  It took every ounce of her strength to avoid shoveling the food down her throat. Practically sweating over her need to savor and memorize every bite. More than once she even forgot how to properly breath and almost choked, only to be prompted to take a drink of water by Cain.

  In a strange way, it felt as if time stopped and sped up at once, once her plate was empty she felt as though she had aged 10 years, but also that she had came into and passed a wonderful moment in her life before she ever realized what she had.

  She was full, and more content than with any meal she had ever had before. She put her fork on the plate and pushed it away.

  “Did you get your fill?” Cain said. The man beside him lifting up a pan large enough to feed a small country to show her the sheer amount of food left.

  Andromeda started standing from her seat, but from over the counter Cain saw her fall down and hit the floor with a thump. A pregnant second passed and her hand gripped the counter and she pulled herself back up.

  “My legs fell asleep.” She said. Cain and the man could breath again and counter their blessings.

  “Gotta be careful when you lean forward on these seats, they cut off bloodflow.” The young man said.

  “I take it you enjoyed your food?” Cain said.

  “I did, it was amazing. I’ll be sad if I never had it again.” She said.

  Through the corner of her eye she could see a blush coming across the face of the young man beside Cain.

  None the wiser, Cain moved on.

  “Ah, I don’t think I’ve introduced you two.” Cain said.

  “Nope.” The young man said.

  “Well then.” Cain said. He pointed to the man beside him then slapped him on the back. A slap would actually be underselling it, as it made all the air in his lungs escape.

  “This one’s called Garret, he had the pleasure of throwing a man through my front window one night while drunk. Now he’s working mornings here to pay it off.” Cain said.

  “That was two years ago, either that windows was made of diamond or he just likes having me around.” Garret said.

  “I’ll have you know, curved glass if quite expensive.” Cain said.

  Both men laughed at each other’s foolishness, but it was clear they were good friends.

  “And with her, I found her in a dark place out in front of the castle yesterday evening. She’ll be staying with us until she feels ready to move on.” Cain said.

  Andromeda put her hand forward for a shake.

  “My name is Andromeda.” She said.

  “An-dro...” Garret started.

  “Me-Da.” She spoke through a clenched jaw.

  “Andromeda.” Garret said with fear guided laser precision.

  “There are a few more people you’ll meet if you stick around, but between Garret and the rotten trio you   have the basic picture. Let me know when your ready. We have somethings to talk about.” Cain said. Then he walked through the door behind him to a room she couldn’t see into well.

  “Alright, spill it, what’d you break?” Garret said.

  “Break?” Andromeda said, surprised at the sudden question.

  “Yeah, the old man only hands out keys when he people owe him a favor.” He said.

  “Is that so?” She said. “He offered me a key just last night. He didn’t say anything about a favor.” She said.

  “Really?! That’s unlike him. You must be an interesting sort then.” Garret said.

  “Oh no, not by a mile.” She said.

  “You say that, yet here you are.” Garret said.

  Before she could get another word in edgewise a small group who just entered the building flagged him   down for breakfast.

  “We can catch up later. I’ve still got a shift to work.” He said, walking off to his customers.

  Andromeda gave her legs a shake to get the blood flow back and wandered around the room. In all the   excitement and serious talk from last night she never got a proper look at everything.

  As she was told before, this was a guild hall. She wasn’t super familiar with the concept, but she knew from old story books that sometimes heroes would gather in guild halls and have fun between quests. Considered that this world was aligning pretty strongly with those old stories she assumed it would be similar.

  The main room of the guild hall was a wide open floor plan. There were tables of all shapes and sizes all around the room with variable numbers of seats.

  Assuming you stood in front of the front door, at the far right of the room was the back room that Cain had entered. All surrounding that far room was the counter where Garret was working, with several stoves and cabinets built into it. The far left of the room was the beginning of the stairway that let into the upstairs rooms, right near the stairway was a door that led out through the back of the guild hall, presumably into the backyard.

  In the middle of the left wall were dozens of framed pictures and drawings, as well as a few wanted posters. Next to it was a wooden notice board with countless pages attached to it with everything from nails to shards of glass. There were a few small groups standing around it mumbling to themselves and taking some papers from it occasionally.

  Against the wall right of the door was a more proper bar, though it was closed up this early in the morning. There were all sorts of different glasses and bottles. It was actually a pretty interesting sight all told because while there were some normal clear spirits or brown liquors,, there were just as many which were glowing, she could even make out one bottle that looked as if there was a pink cyclone raging inside of it like a blender mixing ingredients.

  On the right wall between the bar and the food counter was a door that led out to another part of the building. She hadn’t seen anybody go in or out of that room in the entire time she looked, despite how busy it was getting as the morning passed. It was probably just a closet.

  While she was musing, Martin and the others walked in front door and saw her wandering around the room.

  “How’d you sleep?” Martin said with a friendly wave.

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  The other two, who looked like they had been dragged out of the grave, wordlessly walked past Andromeda with just a wave each and plopped themselves down at the counter.

  “You never sleep your best on the first night somewhere new.” She said.

  “Fair point, hopefully it wasn’t so bad.” Martin said.

  He motioned for her to follow him and they sat down at the same table they all sat at the night before. Once they were sat his smile faded a bit.

  “I wanted to say, I’m sorry about last night.” He said.

  “What for?” Andromeda said.

  “I froze at a simple question, and I didn’t even wish you a good night.” He said.

  “That- I mean, don’t worry, I wasn’t bothered in the slightest. I’m actually sorry myself, I shouldn’t have pried… However I did it.” She said.

  “You didn’t do it on purpose right?” He asked.

  “No! Of course not!” She said.

  “Then no hard feelings. You’re probably just as confused as I am.” He said.

  “That is an understatement.” She said.

  “I did want to explain though, it wouldn’t be fair to leave you in the dark about that.” He said.

  “Oh no, there’s no need for that. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about it then you shouldn’t force yourself.” She said.

  “This is more for myself, I haven’t had an excuse to talk about it in a long time. If you aren’t comfortable with it then we can leave it here.” He said.

  “In that case, I think I can lend a shoulder.” She said. Martin’s smile returned, he was hiding a bit of pain behind his eyes. But he was happy to hear the go ahead.

  “That’s good.” He said. Martin pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table. Andromeda picked it up and was surprised to see a very detailed drawing of the woman she saw the other night.

  “This is…” She started.

  “My mother. We commissioned an artist back in my hometown to do this drawing before she got too sick. Just that little paper was a month’s of wages in the caverns, but it was worth it.” He said.

  Martin was looking the other way, but when he looked back he saw that Andromeda was staring blankly at the paper. He shook her slightly and that roused her from her daze.

  “Andromeda?” Martin said.

  “She was a kind woman.” Andromeda said.

  “She was… Wait.” Martin said. “Why do you say that?”

  “You said this was worth a month’s wages. How much was that? Exactly?” Andromeda asked.

  “I’m not sure exactly, it was a long time ago. Something like 50g.” Martin said.

  Andromeda stared at the drawing in her hand.

  The memory flashed through her mind as if it were her own.

  The scene was that of a willowy woman with white hair sitting on a stool. A man in robes standing in front of her holding a bag of gold and scowling.

  “It wasn’t enough… He threatened to have her thrown out…” Andromeda said. Andromeda’s voice took on a monotone tone and her eyes stared blankly at the table.

  “Andromeda?” Martin asked concerned.

  “This is a pittance, I wouldn’t draw on a napkin for this amount.” Andromeda said.

  “Cain!” Martin yelled from his seat.

  “Oh please sir, my son has nothing to remember me by, can’t you find the kindness in your heart?” Andromeda said. Cain and the others gathered around her, only to see that she was in a trance.

  “You insult my very practice with such words. Kindness does not pay my bills, I can not pay tax with good will!” Andromeda said.

  “Martin, what have you done to her?” Cain asked.

  “Nothing! I showed her a drawing of my mother, and she went dark.” Martin said.

  “Sir, if it might please. I could offer my ring. It might be worth just enough.” Andromeda said.

  “Wait… No…” Martin said.

  “Is that a diamond? It is possible... I might be able to afford the smallest parchment I have for a portrait. But do not forget my incredible generosity.” Andromeda said.

  Andromeda dropped the paper from her hand and blinked. She looked up and saw everyone around her, Martin looked as he did the night before and everyone else was in various states of confusion or concern.

  “Uhh…” She said, not able to find her words anymore.

  Cain clapped his hands together once and gathered the attention of everyone in the building.

  “Alright people, anybody who doesn’t work here needs to find something else to do today. We’re closed until tomorrow.” He said. Everyone started filing out until it was just Him, Martin, Oren, Circe, Garret, and Andromeda.

  “What’s wrong?” Andromeda asked.

  “I can tell that this situation is perhaps a bit more serious than I suspected. Follow me.” Cain said. He said, then he started walking toward the toward on the right of the room.

  Andromeda followed him, fully expecting some kind of punishment for whatever she did.

  Once they entered she found that it was not at all as she expected. There was a long table with chairs lined all along it on either side, as well as two on each end.

  “Take a seat.” Cain said. He walked to the other side of the table and waited for everyone to sit down. Once seated he cleared his throat.

  “This shouldn’t have waited. We need to talk about the situation last night Andromeda.” He said.

  “I promise, I won’t do it again!” She yelled reflexively.

  “What? No. Do you think I’m admonishing you? You performed the impossible more than once.” He  explained.

  “What?” She said.

  “It’s clear that you don’t understand much about your abilities. This by itself is worthy of questioning. But if this is a surprise to you then you must know even less than the basics.” Cain said.

  Andromeda put up a half hearted defense for a moment, but her words failed her again.

  “You’re right. I know practically nothing.” She said.

  “This fact, in and of itself, is also amazing.” Cain said. “Healing in any form usually comes from years of study and practice. It is one of the hardest things a person capable of magic could attempt to learn. Yet you, with no knowledge of it, are not only able to use it, but use multiple forms.”

  “Is that strange?” She asked.

  “Healers have different types. Some heal broken bones, some heal broken swords, some even heal broken hearts. But none do more than a single type. They are just incapable of it. It would be like teaching a rock to breath, or a fish to burst into flames.” Cain said.

  “I’m not sure I understand, is it not all healing?” She asked.

  “It is, but not quite. I am no healer myself, but I have known quite a few over my many long years.” Cain said. “Like I said, there are healers of flesh. These are called ‘Medea’. Then there are healers of substance, these are ‘Menders’, and even still there are Healers of Soul. ‘Saints’. There are more that I am unsure of. But the single through line between them is that you can’t use more than one kind of healing.”

  “Than me being able to do multiple kind is unique?” Andromeda asked.

  “I have never, not once in my entire life, ever heard of a magic user use more than one kind of magic.” Cain said.

  “Then, that makes me special?” Andromeda said.

  “Yes, you have an instinctual affinity for healing, that is already rare and precious in healers, but to be able to do multiple kinds is unheard of.” Cain said.

  “If that’s the case, then what should I do?” Andromeda said. “Surely I should share this as best I can.” 

  “As noble as that is, and I commend such an authentic healer mindset, you would put yourself in danger. Certain healers as it is are prone to being ‘coerced’ into unpleasant situations simply for their blood. If you were to advertise your skills there might be a war for your hand. A real war.” Cain said.

  “That would not be ideal.” Andromeda said, the reality of what she just heard slowly dawning on her.

  “Indeed.” Cain said. “No matter what you do, I will not reveal this secret to anyone, nor will they. You must make the decision on what you will do from here on. Lack of prudence could be catastrophic.”

  “I see, thank you for telling me this. Do you have any suggestions for what I might do?” She asked.

  “No matter how I try and mull it over in my mind, I only have one selfish suggestion. If you would support me and my guild, I can provide a place to live for as long as you desire.” Cain said.

  “Cain!” Circe yelled from the table. “You just told her that her skills would be sought after!”

  “I know, I know… It makes me no better than the sharks that might descend on her. But I would be a the greatest fool in the history of the world if I didn’t ask.” Cain said.

  Andromeda weighed her options.

  On the one hand. She had a plain and simple offer here, free room and board, as well as free meals, for as long as she wanted. But that ran the risk of being caught up in the war the king might start, and if she is found out, and her secret makes it back to the king, then there is no telling what may happen to her.

  On the other hand, if she refused and left on her own. She could make space between her and the king, but there would be no guarantee that she would survive on her own. She has no knowledge of the world besides its most basic details, and worse yet if her secret was found anyway by less savory characters than her outlook would be even worse than if she stayed.

  Both had their benefits, both had their downsides. But there was only one thing she needed to worry about in this moment.

  He had asked for her help.

  “I’ll stay and help you.” She said.

  “You will? That is wonderful.” Cain said.

  “Andromeda, you need to consider your options carefully. This is a major decision.” Circe said.

  “Do you need the help?” Andromeda asked.

  “I mean, yes, but-” Circe said.

  “Than you have my help.” Andromeda said.

  With all the pomp and circumstance of asking about the weather, Andromeda agreed to join them in the guild.

  It wouldn’t take long, but through her deeds and abilities, as well as her resolve to help others, she got a reputation that would not be matched for many years to come.

  Many years later, particular individuals would look back on that day with various emotions. Joy, fear, anger, sadness, hope. The only consistent detail between all outlooks was the comical beginning of “Because you needed my help.”