Chapter 2: Life at Garreg Mach Monastery
Well what do I do now? Audrey thought as she sat on the bed in her dorm.
She hadn't had much stuff to do ever since she was relieved by Seteth not too long ago. A lightbulb then popped up in the twenty year old's head as she pulled out her smartphone and turned it on. Much to her surprise, her smartphone still worked as it was at forty four percent. But even though the phone still worked, Audrey still did not have much to do as since there was obviously no internet in this world, she could not access some of her favorite apps such as Snapchat and Youtube.
So she instead decided to go straight to the notes app to jot down everything that just happened to her. While she was jotting down however, she heard a soft knock coming from the door followed by a young girl's voice. "Audrey, are you in there?" The voice asked as Audrey got up from where she was sitting, put her phone away and walked on over to the door to her room. She opened the door only to be greeted by Flayn standing on the other side of the door. "Why hello there Flayn, I did not expect to meet you here" Audrey greeted. "Hello there Audrey, I talked it over with my brother and I was just wondering if you were hungry and maybe wanted to go grab a bite to eat with me over at the dining hall?" Flayn asked.
Well now thinking about it, I am starting to get pretty hungry. Besides, I am honestly curious as to what this world's cuisine is like. Audrey thought.
"Um… sure why not?" Audrey replied. "Great" Flayn cheered. "Well just come with me and we will be at the dining hall in no time" she replied before the two began to make their way out of the dorm and towards the dining hall. While walking to the dining hall, Audrey looked around as she noticed a fishing pond in the distance and she saw two men, one with orange hair and the other with brown hair and a mustache fishing there.
Eventually, the two finally arrived at the dining hall as Audrey could not help but admire the facility's interior. She really liked the whole sense of the place as it looked a whole lot nicer than her college's cafeteria. Flayn and Audrey then both headed on over to the counter where from there they looked up at the three choices which there were to offer. There was the fish sandwich, Garreg Mach meat pie and finally, the Gautier cheese gratin. "Oh great! They have the fish sandwich, that is my favorite food here!" Flayn cheered. "What are you going to order Audrey?" Flayn asked.
Let's see here. Well the fish sandwich sounds good to someone who loves seafood at least because the only seafood I ever enjoyed was calamari. The Garreg Mach meat pie also sounds good but I don't know what kind of meat is in there so the Gautier cheese gratin sounds like my best bet here. Audrey thought.
"I guess I will go with the Gautier cheese gratin" Audrey replied. "Oh now that is good" Flayn happily said before the two ladies both placed their orders. After a while of waiting, the food was finally ready as Flayn and Audrey both grabbed their dishes before beginning to try and find a place to sit down and eat. Along the way, Audrey could not help but enjoy the savory aroma of her food.
This sure smells good but it doesn't beat the smell of father's legendary broccoli cheese casserole. Audrey thought.
Once the duo sat down, Audrey immediately grabbed the wooden fork in which she grabbed from the counter and instantly began to dig into her food. Once she took the first bite, she was instantly in food heaven.
Oh my gosh! That is so good! Audrey thought.
"So Flayn, what is life like here at the monastery? I mean, is there any fun stuff that goes on here?" Audrey asked as Flayn took a bite out of her fish sandwich before turning to face Audrey. "Oh there is a lot that goes on here such as fishing tournaments and even fighting tournaments as well. Speaking of fighting tournaments, I really want to join the Officers Academy here but my brother won't let me join" Flayn replied. "But as for life here at the monastery, well it is actually really soothing considering how here I feel safe as I am surrounded by the strongest warriors in all of Fodlan and this place does look absolutely spectacular during the evening" Flayn added.
"So Audrey," Flayn began. "I was just wondering as to what your home is like. Do you mind telling me about it?" Flayn asked. "Well," Audrey began, pondering over her next few words carefully. "The place where I come from, Long Island. Is very different from Fodlan as to how our technology is so advanced to the point where we can use cars for transportation. Of course the object that I arrived in, back in the Holy Mausoleum was a car" Audrey replied. "Also the cuisine is pretty similar but only a little more diverse with cuisines from other nearby lands mixed in" Audrey finished.
"What kind of seafood does your home have?" Flayn asked. "Well my home of course has fish and it also has calamari which is essentially fried squid. There is also sushi which is essentially raw fish wrapped up in rice" Audrey explained. "Mmmmm… now that sounds good" Flayn replied, her mouth watery.
After the two were done eating, they both returned their dishes back to front of house before walking out of the dining hall. Once outside the dining hall, Flayn turned to face Audrey. "So Audrey, what do you want to do now that we are done eating?" Flayn asked. "I don't know actually, do you mind giving me a tour of this place so that I can get a better sense of its layout?" Audrey asked. "Of course" Flayn happily replied before skipping off with Audrey following suit.
Flayn then brought Audrey to what the latter assumed was the entrance to the monastery. She looked out past the staircase leading up to the main building of the monastery to see many vendors set up around the place selling all sorts of goods from weapons to even medicine as well. She figured that this was some sort of market district. Flayn then began walking towards a helmeted soldier standing dutifully right by the building and Audrey followed suit.
"Hello there Gatekeeper!" Flayn happily greeted as the helmeted soldier turned to face her. "Greetings Flayn! Nothing to report!" Gatekeeper replied as Flayn then turned to face Audrey. "Audrey, this here is Gatekeeper. He guards the monastery" Flayn said as Audrey turned to face the gatekeeper. "Um hi. I am Audrey and I um… just started working here as an assistant professor at the military school here I guess" Audrey introduced herself as Gatekeeper turned to face her. "Why greetings Audrey! They call me Gatekeeper and I am in charge of guarding Garreg Mach Monastery from any potential threats. That is why they call me Gatekeeper" Gatekeeper replied. "Is your name really Gatekeeper?" Audrey curiously asked. "Well actually, my real name is Milo but everyone here just prefers to call me Gatekeeper instead. You know because I guard the gates to the monastery" Gatekeeper replied. "But really any name is fine" Gatekeeper finished.
"Alright Gatekeeper. Well Audrey and I must be going now as I am showing her around the monastery" Flayn said before she and Audrey both left to go head in the direction of the stables. "Farewell Audrey and Flayn!" Gatekeeper called after the two ladies, giving them a salute.
Audrey and Flayn both arrived at what the former assumed to be the stables. "This here is the stables. Where the knights keep their mounts" Flayn said as Audrey looked around to observe her surroundings. She was surprised about how there were just regular horses here and no pegasi like the one she saw flying in the sky earlier on in the day.
While walking through the stable area, Audrey accidentally bumped into someone while walking a gasp elicited from the person whom she bumped into. "Oh sorry" Audrey said as she then turned to face the person whom she bumped into. The person appeared to be a student at the Officers Academy judging by the outfit in which she was wearing. She also appeared to have short light blue hair with a few blue locks poking out. "Oh no, apologies on my part. I should've been more careful" the girl replied as the horse near her began to sniff at Audrey. Audrey then chuckled as she began to pet the horse. "Aw it looks like Dorte likes you" the girl said with a small smile growing across her face. Audrey then followed Flayn away from the stables area and all the way to a quiet empty section of the monastery that featured a gazebo.
The two ladies both took a seat at the nearby bench and they both stared off into the distance.
"So Flayn…" Audrey began as Flayn turned to face her. "I have just been wondering, what is Fodlan like in terms of politics?" Audrey asked. "Oh actually Fodlan is not a country but is instead a continent. See this continent is composed of at least three nations" Flayn began as Audrey was just shocked to learn that Fodlan is not a continent and not its own nation. "There is the Adrestian Empire to the south, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus to the north and finally, the Leicester Alliance to the east" Flayn finished.
"And which one of three countries are we in?" Audrey asked. "We are in Garreg Mach which is neutral territory located right in the center of the continent, it is owned by the Church of Seiros the dominant religion of the land" Flayn replied. "Hmmm… this religion sounds pretty similar to another religion back in my homeland" Audrey replied as she put a finger on her chin.
"As for politics however, here is what I have managed to learn. What all three nations have in common is that they all share the same nobility system. But here are their differences" Flayn began. "The Adrestian Empire is a hereditary monarchy with rigid monarchy. The country is of course ruled by an emperor. Next, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is ruled by a king and finally, the Leicester Alliance is a league of multiple noble families who do not serve any king or emperor but instead have roundtable conferences as the dukes who participate in these conferences are all called the Five Great Lords and they are all led by one single noble house" Flayn finished.
"Oh Audrey… what is your nation's politics like?" Flayn curiously asked. "Well see, my country is a lot different than what you just described to me. For one there is no nobility where I come from and instead we select our leaders through elections that are held once every four years. See I come from a democracy" Audrey replied as Flayn had a curious look on her face. "Oh… so this must all be new to you" Flayn just simply said. "Yes, it sure is," Audrey replied.
After sitting down for a while, Flayn and Audrey both got up from the bench in which they were sitting and began making their way away from the gazebo. Eventually the two passed by a few more buildings which Flayn explained to Audrey were the Officers Academy building and the sauna before finally arriving at a door that ended up leading to a huge open space. There, Audrey saw many knights all sparring with one another and some of them were even practicing on training dummies. Audrey also noticed a tall blonde haired teenager who wore a blue cape around his black outfit and who appeared to be wielding a wooden lance sparring with a black haired teenager with his hair tied up into a bun and he was in the Officers Academy uniform. Plus he was wielding a wooden sword.
"This here is the training grounds. This is where the knights train with each other" Flayn said before she noticed the spar between the two teens. "Say, you want to check out that spar over there?" Flayn asked as she gestured toward the two teens sparring. "Sure I don't see why not" Audrey replied as she began to follow Flayn over to observe the spar. Eventually, the sparring match ended as the person wielding the lance emerged victorious.
"That was a fine sparring match. Wasn't it Felix?" The lance wielder asked. "Ugh… whatever boar" Felix replied before just walking away from the training grounds. "Yep, that is Felix alright" the lance wielder just simply said before turning to face Flayn. "Oh hello there Flayn, I never expected to meet you here at the training grounds" the lance wielder said. "Likewise Dimitri" Flayn replied as Dimitri then turned to face Audrey.
"Who is your companion over here, Flayn?" Dimitri asked, gesturing towards Audrey. "Oh, her name is Audrey. She just started working here as an assistant professor at the Officers Academy" Flayn replied. "Hello there, like what Flayn said, my name is Audrey and I just started working as an assistant professor at the Officers Academy here in Garreg Mach" Audrey introduced herself. "Why it is a pleasure to meet you, Audrey" Dimitri began, giving Audrey a short bow. "I am Crown Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. But you can just call me Dimitri. I am a student here at the Officers Academy and I am also the house leader of the Blue Lions House" Dimitri introduced himself as Audrey could not believe what Dimitri just told her. "Huh, is something the matter? What is with the shocked expression on your face?" Dimitri asked.
Oh crap, was my reaction really that obvious? Audrey thought.
"Well… I just never expected to meet royalty on my first day here" Audrey replied as Dimitri just chuckled in response. "Don't worry, everything is fine. You are not the first one to react to me saying that I am actually the crown prince of Faerghus like that" Dimitri reassured Audrey. "Oh so Audrey, since you will be working as an assistant professor at the Officers Academy then which house will you be working in?" Dimitri curiously asked. "Wait, there are houses?!" Audrey shockingly asked. "Oh yeah there are three houses in total. There is the Black Eagles House which is composed of students from the Adrestian Empire, there is the Golden Deer House which is composed of students from the Leicester Alliance and finally, there is the Blue Lions House which is my house that is composed of students like me from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Each house also has its own house leader and each house leader is the heir to their respective nation. And as I said, I am the house leader of the Blue Lions" Dimitri explained. "So anyways, Audrey, Flayn, I should be heading now to rest up a bit from all that training I just did. Audrey, it was nice meeting you and I hope that you will become an assistant professor for my house so farewell, both of you" Dimitri said as Flayn called after him and just like that he was gone from the training grounds.
I wonder when I will get to meet the other house leaders? Audrey thought.
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After a little while longer of showing Audrey around, Flayn had to head back to meet with her brother, Seteth so now Audrey was all by herself in her room. After a little while of just laying on her bed typing everything that she just learned on her phone, she heard her stomach grumble signaling that it was time for dinner. So Audrey got up and left her room to head over to the dining hall. Luckily, she remembered the monastery's layout pretty quickly so getting lost really wasn't a problem.
Once she arrived in the dining hall, she went up to front of house and decided to order something different which was the fish sandwich and once her food was ready, she began walking around the crowded facility, trying to find a table to sit at. Out of the corner of Audrey's eye, she saw Dimitri who was this time accompanied by two other people, both of whom Audrey assumed to be students of the Officers Academy judging by their outfits. One student was male and had brown hair with a single braid sticking out. He also wore a yellow cape and had an earring. The other student was female and had long flowing ghost white hair which was being held together by two purple ribbons. Finally, she wore a red cape. Dimitri then looked over and gestured for Audrey to come join him and the two other students.
"Hello there Audrey, thank you for joining us for dinner" Dimitri said as Audrey took a seat next to him and across from the student wearing the yellow cape. "Allow me to introduce you to Edelgard and Claude, the other two house leaders," Dimitri said as Audrey turned to face the other two students. "Hello, I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, leader of the Black Eagles. I am also heir to House Hresvelg, the ruling noble house of the Adrestian Empire" Edelgard introduced herself. "And I am Claude von Regan, leader of the Golden Deer. I am also heir to House von Regan, the ruling noble house of the Leicester Alliance" Claude introduced himself with a smirk on his face. "Well it is nice to meet you two, Edelgard and Claude. I am Audrey Dustin Archer and well, I just started working as an assistant professor at the Officers Academy here at Garreg Mach" Audrey introduced herself.
"Which house do you plan on choosing to teach? Because if I were you then I'd pick the Golden Deer" Claude said with a wide smirk on his face. "No way, pick the Black Eagles instead" Edelgard said. "To be honest… I don't think I get to choose which house I will end up teaching as I am pretty sure that decision is up to Seteth" Audrey added. "Oh okay then, well don't worry because I will try and convince him to put you with me and my fellow Golden De-." "I don't think that will be necessary but thanks" Audrey said as she took a bite out of her sandwich and even though she never really enjoyed seafood, she did however really like the sandwich.
I wonder what fish meat this is? Audrey thought.
"So Audrey," Dimitri began. "I was just wondering, which country do you hail from? Is it the empire, the kingdom, the alliance?" Dimitri asked as he then took a bite out of his Gautier cheese gratin. "Well see can I tell you guys all a little secret?" Audrey asked as the three house leaders all nodded yes in response as Audrey then began pondering over what she would say next. "Well see, the truth is that I am not from Fodlan but am instead from another land. A land far, far away. One that you all have never heard of. It is called Long Island" Audrey said as she looked around her to see that all her dining companions all had shocked expressions on their faces. She was expecting this reaction from the three students.
"If you are from this 'Long Island', then how did you get here?" Dimitri asked. "I was just heading to work until I got into a major accident along the way and then I woke up in-" Audrey pondered her next words very carefully as she remembered what Seteth had told her the other day in his office. So she just decided to lie. "I woke up in the outskirts of the monastery to Seteth and Flayn and Seteth just took me under his wing ever since then" Audrey finished.
"What is your land like, just curious?" Dimitri once again asked. "Yeah I wanted to know that too?" Edelgard added. "Yeah and while you're at it can you please explain to me how you speak Fodlanese so fluently? I mean your Fodlanese is quite impressive for a foreigner like yourself" Claude added. "Well see, my land is a lot more different than the countries of this land. For one, we have no nobility system where I come from. Instead we, the people, elect our leaders through an election that occurs once every four years. For two-." "Wait a minute!" Edelgard cut in, holding up a gloved hand. "Sorry for that but did you just say that your land has no nobility?" Edelgard asked. "Yeah, why do you ask?" Audrey asked. "Oh it is nothing, really. I was just intrigued as to how your land already seemed to be more different then this one" Edelgard replied. "Okay well then, for two, our technology is a whole lot more advanced than this land. For example where I come from, we have this amazing invention called an automobile which is essentially a big metallic horseless wagon as we mainly use it for transportation" Audrey tried her best to explain. "Finally, for three, our cuisine is pretty different even though it is similar to this land's cuisine. My land's cuisine however is made up of cuisines from all different neighboring lands" Audrey finished. "As for how well I know fluent Fodlanese, where I come from there is an identical language called English," Audrey said. "Hmmm… what an interesting language" Edelgard just simply said before the four resumed their food.
Well that went by more smoothly than I originally thought. But I don't know how long it will be till I will have to tell these people what I am from Earth. Audrey thought.
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Later that night, after dinner was over and after a little dessert which Audrey really enjoyed, it was finally time for the twenty year old to hit the hay. Audrey was now just sitting on her bed wondering about her circumstances.
Was this a one way trip? I mean there has to be a way back home. Or maybe this is some sort of coma dose hallucination. I mean it is not every day where you survive getting hit by a fucking mail truck. Audrey thought before she just decided to go to bed.
Well I just hope that I at least wake up in a hospital bed back on Earth and write this whole crazy experience off as some coma dose hallucination. Audrey thought.
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A/N: Hello everyone, well chapter two is finally here! Sorry about the long wait, this chapter was just pretty hard to write, plus I was a little bit lazy with this one. Sorry if this chapter felt a little rushed, I was just in a hurry to get this chapter out. Now I am going to read some reviews.
jonathan11197
Thank you. I am glad that you are enjoying this story!
Well, I hope that you all are looking forward to the next chapter! See ya, and have a good day!