Authors Note: I hope you enjoy my story. If there are any errors you spot please let me know and I will correct them.
Annie plucked her teddy-bear, Tibbers out of the mud on the roadside and held him close to her body. She was searching for a pub that a stranger a few miles back had said she could rest for free so long as she had something to offer. Unfortunately, for the charred corpses around her; the stranger never mentioned that this particular road was a constant victim to robberies and murders.
Bandits had caught eye of this little girl skipping along the road humming to herself. She was a mere child, small in stature; easy prey. However, Annie's powerful fire magic inherited by her parents kept her safe under any situations. And even worse, Tibbers, her guardian bear was magicked. With the slightest effort she could turn it into a large, powerful grizzly bear swarmed with flames and a bad temper. She held her bear out in front of her. In this simple doll form it had it was beaten, missing an eye, and some fluff. Now her most precious friend was covered in filthy mud too. Annie was furious, but it was raining and she knew she needed to make it to the pub before nightfall. She may be mad, but even more so was she tired.
She walked for another mile before she saw the faint light of the pub sitting on the side of the road. The rain was deafening, but as she neared she could hear the sounds of chatter, glasses clanking, and hearty laughter. As she entered the pub half of the noise in the room died down as the customers looked over at who had entered. They all saw a small girl with red hair, soaked purple garments, torn up shoes, and a ugly teddy-bear that she held in her right hand; hanging at her side.
The noise returned and the consumers went back to their merry enjoyment. Annie scanned the room to find the host of the evening. Suddenly, a great, gutty laugh erupted from near the bar table as a large, obese, shirtless man approached her. He gestured to a pub maid as he walked up with a gentle smile on his face.
"What's a youngster like yourself doing in a place like this?", his laugh shook the room. "Ah, no matter. You're soaked! Maria come help clean this kid up!". Annie's expression was blank with confusion. Moments ago she was under siege by bandits and the like, but now she was being warmly invited into a place for adults. She didn't know how to feel, but the mans laugh was intoxicatingly funny. It was a sort of laugh only large men could make. The kind that shook rooms, made presences known, and created merriment.
The maid took Annie upstairs into a private room and helped change her into a white gown suited for her diminutive size. Annie was embarrased, but she could tell the maid was trying her best to make her comfortable. "I'll have these washed, dried and returned to you by mornings rise!". The maid attempted reaching for the dirty teddy-bear, but Annie pulled away with a frown. "I'll wash Tibbers," she said panicked. The maid smiled gently, "Tibbers...that's a cute name for a bear", she chuckled and walked out of the room. While leaving, the maid hollered back one last time over her shoulder, "When you're ready Gragas would like to speak with you deary"!