The midday sun filtered through the thin curtains that covered the inn window, the room being much brighter than Ren would have liked. The light assaulted her eyelids as she threw an arm over them, hoping to block out the harsh wake up call, but the sounds of the bustling city below mingled with the sounds of her tired groans as she resigned herself to the inevitability of having to get up.
That's not to say she had any intention of doing so very quickly. As she lay in bed, it crossed her mind that it was rather odd her mother hadn't come in to wake her up yet, and judging by the amount of light in the room it was well past dawn; the time Ren was usually dragged out of bed to help heat the coals in the forge.
Curious and slightly suspicious, she raised her arm and opened one eye. Only, she wasn't in her bed. Nor was she in her home. Or any place her sleep addled mind could recognise for that matter.
Her eyes widened in panic, heart thumping in her chest and muscles tensing as she tried to recall what had happened the previous night… she would have to had drunk an awful lot to have no memory of how she got here…
At least there's no one in bed with me… She thought with a sigh of relief, frantically patting the space next to her, just to be sure.
She'd probably murder the unfortunate soul and then slap herself repeatedly for being so stupid; getting blindingly drunk and doing something regrettable wasn't exactly on her repertoire.
Finally, her brain caught up with the rest of her senses and she recognised that she was in 'The Anchor Inn and Alehouse' in Wistal, having been to the Open Castle Day yesterday and her examination for Apprentice Court Blacksmith happening tomorrow at the palace.
Feeling a little stupid at her own panicked reaction, Ren's arm flopped back down over her closed eyes, wanting to rest a little longer and enjoy this rare opportunity to sleep the day away.
Unfortunately her stomach didn't agree, judging by the rumbling sounds it made, which matched the sounds of a heavy cart passing over the cobblestones below. It was very loud. And persistent.
So Ren flopped out of bed, the sheets that were once tangled in her splayed limbs now dragging along the floor, and she stumbled over to the bathroom, not even pausing to register the birds' nest that was her hair every morning.
She soon found herself down at the bar, relatively presentable with her cloak wrapped around her and hair loose (apart from the two braids joining at the back, she never took those out when in others company). There was a woman behind the bar who looked to be around the same age as the barman she'd met yesterday, and judging by the ring on her left hand Ren guessed she was married to him.
"Excuse me," Ren asked, "But could you tell me where I could get some food?"
"Well the bakery just down the road has all sorts, sweet and savoury, so I'm sure you'll find something to your liking there." The woman replied after a little thought. She had a quiet voice, especially when compared to the barman's yesterday, but it still held an indisputable authority.
"Do they have any sourdough?" Ren asked, tilting her head a little.
"Yes. Though if you're not too desperate you could always wait a while for the next batch. There's nothing better than a warm loaf of bread to start off your day, I find."
Ren nodded in agreement, saying that she would stay down here and wait as she took a seat at the bar.
She chatted idly with the barkeep, and learnt that she was indeed the barman's wife and that they owned the inn, managing it along with their daughter, Erisa, who was around Ren's age.
The woman was very plump and could probably be quite imposing if she wanted to be, which would be useful for dealing with rowdy patrons, and she had a few white streaks in her black hair, running into the loose bun at the back of her head.
The bar was very quiet this time of day, it being early afternoon, but there were a few people scattered about, nursing a tankard as sunlight filtered through the latticed windows, illuminating the dust motes which hung in the air. Despite this there was still a pleasant atmosphere in the bar, and likely would be whatever the time of day was, created by the warm tones of the wood and stone which made up the interior.
The woman was cleaning the surface of the bar when she inquired as to why Ren was staying in Wistal, and at her reply there came a deep, derisive chuckle from the man sitting at one of the tables behind her, followed by:
"A girl? A blacksmith? My my my, you sure have deluded yourself little girl. Why don't you run back home and sit pretty like a good little darling, you've no hope of succeeding in a man's profession, let alone at the castle!" He finished with a vulgar cackle, squinting at Ren's back as he leant over his half-finished beer.
But Ren would not give him the satisfaction of retaliation, nor would she even turn to acknowledge the man; the greasy lowlife wasn't worth her time, and she would soon prove him wrong anyway… not that it would change a man like that, because even if a woman ruled over Clarines alone, he would probably still dismiss her.
So Ren sat still, and only the barkeep could see her fists clenching on the bar in front of her, her jaw ever so slightly tensing, and only her eyes glancing to the side in his vague direction.
"Need I remind you that you should be at work right now, Kanbe?" The older woman said, eyes narrowing at the man and even more authority slipping into her voice, still as quiet as before.
The man, Kanbe, simply grunted dismissively, saying "Yeah, yeah…" as he turned away from the women, tossing a coin on the table as he left the alehouse.
Ren sighed, relaxing slightly now that he had left; she probably would've punched the guy, but she didn't want that kind of reputation here, seeing as this was her new beginning and all.
"Thank you… err…" Ren murmured, blushing slightly when she realised she hadn't exchanged names with the woman behind the bar.
"Maya." She said, pausing in her cleaning once again as she offered her hand.
"Ren." They shook.
"And don't worry about it Ren, that man always causes trouble. It's a miracle he listens to me as it is." Maya said, eyeing the door distastefully, as though he was still standing there.
Before Ren could reply, a clock chimed behind the bar and Maya said, as though completely forgetting about the incident, "Ah, if you leave now you should be first in line for those fresh sourdough loaves."
"Oh, right. Thank you very much… Maya." Ren said, having almost forgotten about her meal and feeling more than a little awkward calling the older woman by her first name; it just didn't seem very respectful to Ren, but it was the only name the woman had given her, so she supposed it must be alright…
The sun was still high in the sky when Ren emerged from the bakery, sourdough loaf in hand; another one of her weaknesses, anything sour. She pulled small chunks off the loaf, tossing them into her mouth as she pondered what she would do for the rest of the afternoon. She would eat what was left of the loaf with the last pieces of partridge she had saved when she got back to her room, but after that… she supposed she would have to study for the examination tomorrow.
But what was the point? She didn't have a clue what the test would be! Sure she could make a few guesses, but what if she studied for nothing?!
A sigh escaped her lips, yet memories from the previous afternoon came flooding back to her; her joy, the people, her pride at the thought of working in the princes court and finally, her wish.
I can't rely on a wish! I have to work hard at this, be prepared for anything if I want to stay in Wistal! She thought, adding with distaste, And if I'm going to prove certain people wrong, I have to study hard.
And so, she spent the rest of the afternoon going over everything she knew about blacksmithing in her room at the inn; she even went over how to make nails, just in case. She studied her sword, committing every detail to memory and going over and over the steps she took to create it; it was a perfectly balanced, light weight blade, which could cut through wood like butter (though she'd only ever done that once, as she didn't want to keep damaging the blade every time she did it). She did all this with a calm determination fuelling her, and before she knew it, the sun had begun to sink below the sea, far beyond the harbour.
She was starting to feel hungry again and decided she would go down to the bar in search of something to eat, sweeping on her cloak because she didn't really feel like socialising with any of the barflies down there; especially after that brief encounter earlier with Kanbe. However, she kept the hood down to keep a few manners, and she'd probably draw more attention with it up, acting all mysterious and lonesome.
As she came to the bottom of the stairs and started to walk towards the bar, she saw the innkeeper she'd met yesterday, pouring drinks and laughing with his patrons, and a girl about her age who must have been his daughter; she was of average height with long, black hair the colour of the darkest, moonless nights, and she was also very curvy, much like a younger version of her mother, Maya.
Unfortunately these curves, stunning features and doe like eyes were attracting the unwanted attention of a group of men in their late twenties and early thirties, who were sitting at one end of the bar. Ren could tell even from a distance that they were harassing the younger girl, and it was clear to Ren that she was uncomfortable, despite the smile she put on.
The alehouse was packed this evening, loud chatter and ruckus laughter filling the large, open area and there were very few tables and seats unoccupied.
As Ren got closer she noticed three more things: 1) the men only harassed the girl (Erisa, if Ren remembered correctly) when her father was turned away and was serving people at the opposite end of the bar. 2) She kept politely asking them to stop and told them she didn't appreciate their comments. And 3) there was an empty bar stool at one corner of the bar, the same side the group of men were sitting at.
Ren took that seat.
She called the barmaid over, getting both her attention and the groups.
"Hi, can I offer you the Special from today's menu and a pint of our very own Anchor Ale? It's the best in town!" Erisa asked. She had a loud but friendly voice and looked relieved for a little respite from the pestering men.
"What's today's special?" Ren asked.
"Steak and kidney pie. My mother's secret recipe." She replied with a conspiratory wink.
"That would be great, thanks." Ren said with a smile. She was fairly relaxed, her forearms leaning on the bar in front of her. She was nowhere near as curvy or as busty as Erisa, but her green tipped locks and mysterious nature somehow made men see past her frizzy hair and crooked nose; she wouldn't question it, men didn't often make sense to her.
Whilst she still didn't want the reputation of picking fights here, she refused to do nothing; these jerks would be the kind she'd beat up back in her own village, its where her reputation came from, and she wasn't about to let these ones get away.
She would just have to use her wit, instead of the anger which usually fuelled her fists; that was the only reason she won fights, in reality she was awful in combat and relied on surprise and her opponents reluctance to hit a girl (they were, more often than not, rather sexist) and usually someone stepped in before it got out of hand. But Ren would take all the punches in the world to stop them from harassing people.
Her pint was delivered by Erisa, but Ren knew she had the men's attention as she took a large swig out of it.
Wow, Ren thought, this beer really is great.
"Hey, sweet cheeks, why don't you bring that stool over here? Get a little closer to us men."
It didn't sound like a question.
"Yeah, there's no need to be afraid of us, we'd never hurt a woman such as yourself."
The deep chuckles of his friends seemed to disagree.
Ren turned her head to acknowledge them, blinking slowly, and her reaction was a wolf whistle followed by more chuckles; she was barely controlling her rage and disgust, but managed to put on an innocent expression as she asked:
"Who? Me?"
"Yeah, you. I appreciate a dame who drinks proper alcohol, none of that fancy wine stuff. Why not come drink with us, it'll be my treat." It was the same man who had spoken first, apparently the group's leader.
"Well, alright," she said "but who should I sit next to?"
Erisa brought her food over, setting it in front of her as she gave Ren a quick look of gratefulness, confusion and worry. She looked at the men with distaste as she went to serve another patron.
"Come sit next to me, I'll show you a good time." A thin, gangly fellow replied, his mouth stretching into a creepy smile, his grimy teeth revealed.
"Hey! I'm the leader, and I'm the one the lovely lady should sit next to." The first man said, confirming Ren's thoughts.
"How come you get all the fun? Give us a chance with the ladies or you'll find yourself on the cold hard ground one of these days." A balding man in his thirties threatened.
"You'll scare her off you idiots!" whispered a man at the back harshly, breaking up the potential fight, the men's eyes narrowed at each other in anger. "These stupid teenage girls are sensitive! We need to be careful to get this one."
They all turned back to Ren, the leader asking, "So, who do you want to sit next to, sweet cheeks?"
Perfect, Ren thought, these jerks are just as idiotic as the rest.
What no one noticed, however, was that the young man who was sitting just around the corner of the bar, nursing a shot glass with a bottle of whiskey next to him, was listening to the whole ordeal, occasionally glancing at the group.
"Oh, why I don't know! A silly girl like me couldn't possibly make that decision for myself!" Ren said, acting confused and helpless, "But… I would like the strongest man by me, to protect me you know? I am just a defenceless girl after all." She tilted her head and fluttered her lashes at the men.
Ren was their quarry and they wouldn't hurt her in such a public place. The men's discord and competition only aided her. She had this in the bag.
The men had been shouting about how strong they were as Ren looked on, and had even began pushing each other, so she said:
"There must be some way you can prove your strength to me… some way to prove that you can fight off the competition and protect me…"
As she had spoken the men had paused to look at her, but at the word fight, their tiny brains overloaded with testosterone and the punches started to be thrown.
It wasn't long before it turned into an all-out bar fight, the small group of men breaking tables, throwing stools and chairs and plates, some patrons ducking under their still intact tables whilst others rushed to try and break up the fight; though they ended up getting involved in it instead.
Ren watched as the innkeeper rushed towards the scene, off to throw out the trouble makers. A small smirk of victory found itself on her face.
She looked at Erisa, who stood in front of her behind the bar, her mouth slightly agape and a light blush upon her cheeks.
"Sorry about the mess." Ren said, a little sheepishly.
She put the money on the counter and gave the barmaid a tip as she flicked her hood over her hair, the shadows concealing her face. She picked up her plate and tankard, one in each hand, dodging flying chairs and ducking underneath limbs as she made her way over to an empty table in the far corner of the room.
She walked past the man who had been listening in on the ordeal, heading over to sit in a chair by a latticed window; as it was now dark outside the corner was partly in shadow.
The young man smirked at her wit and at the group of vile men finally being thrown out, a few patrons helping the innkeeper and his daughter clean up the mess and return the furniture to its upright state. The young woman he had been watching kept her hood up, now settled in a chair and tucking into her meal, undisturbed and unnoticed, having slipped away during the commotion.
The man waited a while before he called over the barmaid, who was back to serving people, peace restored to the alehouse once more, and asked:
"May I have another shot glass please, Miss, for my companion."
"Of course."
Ren was enjoying her peace and quiet, savouring her meal and revelling in her victory; she hadn't lifted a finger and she found she liked this new method, it was much more entertaining.
Her peace was broken however, when a young man sat in the chair opposite her, placing two empty shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey on her table.
She looked up at him from the shadows of her hood, pausing in her eating for moment, the green flecks in her irises seeming to glow in the dim light. But she soon dismissed him, hoping he would leave if she didn't engage in conversation, and carried on with her meal silently.
"You dealt with those men well, Miss." The stranger said, "I have to say, it was difficult not to laugh at them, hearing you manipulate them so easily." He finished with a chuckle, an arm on the back of his chair and posture slouched. After a few minutes of silence, he still hadn't left.
"Yeah, well…" Ren said, anger bubbling up again at the mere mention of them, "I can't stand jerks like that. They have no honour, their selfish, foolish, and they think women are some kind of possession to be won-" with each word her fork stabbed harder into the steak and kidney pie in front of her, leaving a small chip in the plate beneath at her last statement, which was cut off due to her grinding teeth.
The man nodded placatingly, asking in a calm voice, "Couldn't the barmaid have dealt with them though?"
At the mention of Erisa, Ren calmed down a little, gently placing her fork back on the table and releasing a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
"Yes, but I think she was afraid of losing the business they were providing. After all, you're not supposed to upset your patrons."
Once again the stranger nodded.
"Besides," Ren said, looking over at the bar, "I think I gave her a little push in the direction she wanted to go in anyway. She won't need help anymore."
The stranger turned to where she was gazing, and saw that the barmaid was talking to the innkeeper. She was pointing to where those men had sat, explaining something to the man, who then gripped her shoulder before pulling her into a hug, laughing and shaking his head at her. It appeared as though the girl's worries of her father's expectations had been lifted; she would no longer have to tolerate harassment in the alehouse, not from anyone.
When the young man turned back to his 'companion', he saw a pair of eyes, surrounded by shadow, narrowing at him suspiciously. He remained unfazed when her gaze darted to the whiskey bottle and shot glasses, then back to his face.
"You can't have come over here just to congratulate me on manipulating a bunch of idiots. What is it you want?" she asked, trying to gauge his thoughts as she searched his face for a hint of his motive.
"Hmm? Oh, how rude of me! I'm Obi." The man said, placing one hand on his chest, the other still on the back of his chair, his head inclining towards her slightly.
"Ren." She said, tilting her chin upwards briefly in greeting.
"I just wanted to ask you," Obi said, leaning towards her, "Is your hair natural?"
Ren's fork stopped on its way to her mouth, but her surprise ebbed away when she realised that he must have seen it at the bar, when her hood was down; he had said he had been listening, after all, and it was likely he had glanced over a few times.
"I've never seen anyone with different coloured hair at the ends, so it got me curious." Obi continued, leaning back again "You see, I know someone with naturally red hair, bright as an apple, so I thought maybe you had naturally green-"
He had said it so casually, just a passing comment really, that Ren almost missed it. She suddenly had flashbacks to the previous day and her embarrassing encounter with a young woman her age, who had bright red hair…
"Red?!" She interrupted, looking up at Obi, "Like an apple?" Before looking down again, muttering to herself, "So it was natural then…"
Suddenly Obi was leaning forward, both arms on the table and his face very close to Ren's, his once care free expression now deadly serious and his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Ren's shadowed face.
"Taking an interest in this person?"
Ren leant back, confused about this strange line of questioning and the remaining scraps of her meal forgotten.
Seeing her confused expression, Obi elaborated accusingly, "Hair that colour would fetch a hefty price, and when attached to a young woman even more so, wouldn't you say?"
Ren's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she understood the accusation he was placing on her. And she was both outraged and mortified.
"What?!" she screeched, "You think I would sell a girl just because she has a rare hair colour?! I would never sell somebody, no matter the reward! The very idea makes me sick, it's awful!"
But Obi still hadn't backed down, so she added, "I was only interested because I met a girl with apple red hair at the Open Castle Day yesterday! I've never seen such a bright colour before and I couldn't believe it!" Her hands had started to flap about in front of her, "I was in such awe of it I-I complimented her aloud… which she clearly didn't want because she had it covered. I certainly wasn't thinking about selling her!"
Seeing her sincerity in both her eyes and her words, Obi relaxed, leaning back in his chair and one arm draped over the back again.
There was a minute of awkward silence between the two before Ren asked hesitantly:
"Why did you get so defensive and hostile about it? Who is she?"
"A friend of mine, who I'm… very protective off." He said with slight smirk, as though he was sharing a private joke with himself.
"So… have people tried to sell her in the past?"
"As far as I know… the Miss's hair has caused her trouble before, so I do my best to guard her."
"Ugh, that's disgusting. There really are a lot of jerks out there, huh?" Ren said, staring at the table as if it was one of these jerks.
"I'm afraid so." Obi said with a solemn chuckle.
"Wait," Ren said, looking up at Obi and leaning on the table, "If you're her friend that means you must know how she felt about the whole ordeal!"
"Well she wasn't here for-"
"No! Not that, the ordeal when I complemented her hair! I didn't stick around long enough for a reply… god that was so embarrassing." She said, hand running down her face.
"Hahaha!" Ren looked up, surprised to see Obi laughing so much, "It was fine! The Miss wasn't worried about it at all! Just a little confused as to why you ran off so fast. I have to say though, your embarrassment was kinda funny." He finished, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
"Ha ha." Ren deadpanned, unimpressed by his laughter, "It's a relief to know she wasn't offended though, with her hood up and all I thought I was being very rude."
"Nah," Obi said, his laughter finally dying off, "The Miss was actually happy to get a sincere compliment for once, not like the usual badgering she gets from jerks."
Ren smiled, and after a few moments of silence (a little less awkward this time) Obi asked, "Want a drink?" holding up the shot glasses and bottle of whisky, sitting up in his chair.
To his surprise, she said yes.
Upon seeing his slightly dumbfounded expression she laughed, saying, "I can see your honour and loyalty to your friend, and those qualities are hard to come by these days. I reckon I can trust you. That and I never turn down a free drink." She smirked as she took the offered glass from Obi, who gave a short laugh in return.
Each having taken a shot of whiskey, Obi asked whilst pouring their second:
"So, what are you doing in town, Miss Ren?"
"I'm here for the examination at the palace tomorrow, to become the Court Blacksmiths Apprentice."
"Is that so? Well, I wish you luck." He said, raising his newly filled shot glass. Ren raised hers, they clinked together and then the burning alcohol was thrown down their throats, warming their stomachs below.
The two spent the night drinking and joking together, enjoying the company of someone who could also hold their liquor, somehow finding a comradery in those few hours; talking, but never revealing much about themselves.
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Ren teased as Obi poured yet another round of shots, "Because I bet I could drink you under the table."
"I would never dream of purposefully getting a woman drunk." He said, laughing at her confident boasting, "But I guess we'll have to put that bet to the test one day."
At the mention of 'test', Ren remembered her own and found that it had just gone midnight.
"I... should probably go to sleep, I do have to get up early for my exam tomorrow." She said with a groan, "I'll never get up on time."
Ren stood with a smile, saying "It was nice meeting you, Obi."
She got a smile and a nod in return, and so started to walk back across the inn towards the stairs, her back to Obi and her hood still covering her hair and face.
But she hadn't gotten too far before she stopped, turning back towards him and brightly saying, "Thanks for the drink." Flipping a coin over to him and finally leaving without another word.
Obi caught the coin easily in one hand, looking between it and the receding back of the cloaked figure, quietly saying to himself:
"No worries there; the Miss is definitely safe. But if Miss Ren does get into the castle, I can always keep an eye on her, just in case."
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! It makes me so happy to see you enjoy it!
LilyAllycia: funnily enough i got your review just as I was writing this chapter! And of course there will be prejudice, no matter how it pains me to write it.
Next chapter will be the examination! I apologise if the plot isn't very exciting atm, but these first chapters are important to set up the rest of the fic. If anyone has any tips for me, plot wise or writing wise, please let me know! I will try to get the next chapter out next week as after that I'm going away for around two weeks with no laptop! So I'm warning you now just in case i don't have time to write it all up.
As always, thank you for reading and please leave a REVIEW!
-Limegreenarcher
