( A/N: When you think of the dresses and cloths, think of cloths out of Beauty and the Beast or better yet out of Lord of the Rings, the cloths the people of Rohan wear. I hope that gives you a better idea of what I see. If you don't like it that way, then I guess you can imagine it your own way if you want. Ok, bye for now. On with the show-- story--diary thingies-ma bobber--blahh) P.S.- If you haven't finished The Immortals, or are planning on reading it, there is a spoiler in this chapter. If you don't like spoilers, do not read this chapter. I am not to be held responsible if the book is spoiled for you.

Chapter six: First day

Wow. Well... uhh...my first job. I don't know what to think of it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good job, but... well… let me start from this morning.

Elenni woke me up at the break of day to get ready to start my first day of work. She had already picked out a 'suitable' dress to work in. (Yes, she did teach me how to sew and we hemmed most of the dresses... Okay she did most of it...fine, she did all of it. When I tried to do it, she had to take it out and redo it. It was really frustrating. After my fourth try she looked like she was going to bite off my head, but instead, she handed me a piece of fabric and told me to practice with it, instead of the dresses.) The dress was a faded brown with a dark cream under dress. It looked old and raggedy, but when I questioned her, she said I would understand after the day was through.

Elenni also did my hair. It was different this time. She parted my hair and did pig tail braids that braided into one braid after it left my scalp. She didn't put make up on me today. She said I "looked fine with out it" and I "had natural beauty". I think that she just doesn't want to waist the make up.

When she was finished, she personally escorted me to the Dancing Dove. She didn't come in with me though. She had "stuff" to do. So I walked in all alone. I had a basket with an apple and an orange in one hand and my nervousness in the other. It didn't help that most of the faces I saw now were unfamiliar; even those of the women working there (Granted there were only three women out sweeping the floor and a few left over drunks just waking from the previous night). It was then that Solom walked out of the kitchen with a loud, warm, friendly greeting.

"Gweniver, my girl, so good to see you here this early. How are you?" He took me into an embrace that almost smothered me in his chest.

"I'm fine. As fine as I can get at this time in the morning. It's not even been past dawn for an hour yet. Will I be waking up at this time in the morning everyday?" I probably would not have asked, but because it was so early in the morning, I wasn't in my right mind. But he didn't seem to mind that I asked. In fact, he was happy I did because I reminded him of what he wanted to ask me.

"That reminds me," he said. "What times are you going to want to work?"

"Excuse me?" I wasn't sure of what he was asking me.

"I said I was always in need of girls, but I know that you'll also be working with Mistress Cooper, and I'm not that desperate for onr time or the other, so I was thinking somewhere along the lines of half days; one morning, one night."

"All this information is new. So you want me to work half days. So for example: this morning, 'till, say about two or three, and tomorrow from two or three 'till closing time, and so on, right?" I was really confused but he said I was correct on that. I would be working from six-thirty, seven-ish to three on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and from three to eleven or twelve on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays if he needed me. He said I would not work on Sundays and only sometimes on Saturdays. I was like a fill in for someone.

I addressed the next question. "What do you mean 'working for Elenni'?"

"You know, helping her with her herbs, mixes, stuff around the house. Those kind of things." He answered the question like everyone knows that but me.

All I said was, "Oh."

After a moment of silence, he said, "Well, now that we have your work times all squared off, let me take you to meet our good Mistress Tyler. She's quite a lovely woman, she is. I'm sure you'll get along with her well." He started walking away to the kitchen, so I followed.

I thought about telling him that I had already met Mistress Tyler, but I didn't. I figured, for a man who works in a bar with yelling drunks, women, and customers all day, silence was golden.

As we walked he was pointing out the cooks and naming them, and how often the dishes should be washed and when I would cook. Really, I wasn't paying the much attention. I was sort of (if it's possible) half sleeping as I walked. I sure did wake up when Solom and I were standing in front of M. Tyler though. She was barking orders out to the cooks and the ladies like she was talking to children. I think she was trying to demean them for something they didn't do. But I wasn't the only one who noticed. Solom did too, and wasn't going to stay quiet about it.

"Eleanor, is there a problem with your ladies today?" He did say it in a very friendly way. Maybe he already knew why she was in such a temper.

"Well sir," she hesitated. "No sir. I just didn't have a good mornin' with my husband." She spoke very quietly so that only Solom could hear, but I heard, too, because I was right next to him. After she said that, her eyes flickered to me, and her face turned to stone. She was emotionless, except for that look that people get on their face to confuse you into not knowing how they feel about you.

"G'day young Mistress, umm, pardon me, but I have forgotten your name."

"It's Gweniver Collins, Eleanor." Solom so graciously provided the information.

"Mistress Gweniver. Now I remember. You're here early. Well since your here, might as well show you the ropes, huh." She took her gaze from me to Solom. "I think I can handle her from here, thank you."

"I'll be on my way, then. And Mistress; if I catch you in a temper like that again, I wont be so forgiving in my mind. And you know what's on my mind, usually come out of my mouth." That last part was said quietly and was directed at MT.

When Solom left, she turned toward me. She looked me over a few times then said, more to herself then to me, "You'll do, girl. You'll do."

She turned to where the dishwashers were, and called a girl over to us. When I looked at her, she was shorter then I was. She was a very light skinned young woman who had black hair coiled in a hair net and she was wearing and already soaked apron that matched the color of her light gray, gray eyes. She would have made an excellent Goth if she were depressed. Somehow I don't think that was the case though.

MT told her something and walked away. It was the girl and I. She, too, looked me over a few time, and I returned the favor. She must have thought that was funny because her eyes started to dance. "Hello there, Gwenever. My name is Lillian, but you can call me Lili. I work here, at the dishes mostly but sometimes you'll see me out there." She pointed to the door, so she probably meant out side tending to the people.

"Okay. You can call me Gwen. I like it better. You know, you remind me of someone. I can't place my finger on it, though." I really couldn't, and still can't. I guess I'll either find out sooner or later, or never know. Oh, well.

After I said that, she shrugged her sholders and started to point at things and tell me what to do. She called them stations and said I was lucky that I was going to be serving most of the time. She said it was funny, but very risky. She told me to make a mental note about the drunks. If they become too drunk to where they become violent or just stupid and annoying, she said to bring his ale back here and give it to the dishwashers. They would put a bit soap in it. She said it never fails to make them sicker then dogs. (Do I really have to worry though? I mean, I've got George to look out for me.)

After about five minutes of talking, Lili was called back to washing dishes. I didn't know what to do so I stood in a corner like a wallflower for about five minutes. A middle-aged woman came up to me and handed me a rag. "Make yourself useful, girl, and go wipe down the tables and get those men out of here." She must have been talking about the men who I saw that were leftovers from last night's batch of heavy drinkers.

When I walked out, though, they were already gone. In their place were George, Solom, Rispha, a girl whom I hadn't met yet, and a boy who reminded me of someone also, but couldn't be placed. I wasn't going to interrupt them, and just do what I was told to, (clean the tables) but George saw me first.

"Gweniver, come meet some friends." He made a hand gesture for me to stand next to him.

"This is Rispha, as you know already." He looked at me with a knowing look in his eyes. She smiled, and then nodded. " Rispha is going to Carthak for a while on some business." I wasn't going to ask about what she had to do because I wasn't sure if the rest of the company knew of the Rouge.

"This is Anastasia. She is going to fill in for here while she is gone." She, too, nodded but she didn't smile. She was tall and strong looking. She must have been George's age. Maybe a little bit younger. Her hair was a dark brown with eyes as brown as her hair, and as cold as a winter night. In fact, they were so cold, that when we met eye to eye, a shiver went through my spine.

When our eyes broke, I look back at George, waiting for him to announce the black hair boy that was standing in front of me. "And this will be Rispha's guide to Carthak—"George was cut off by the boy.

"I am Arram Drapper," He took my hand and turned it over. Slowly he placed a kiss on my palm and continued, "I am a learning mage in Carthak." I think he was trying to impress me by telling me he was being taught in Carthak, but I was too shocked to do anything. I mean, this is one of the future saviors of Tortall, and to be husband of Validaine Sarrisri. Here he was, Numair, standing in front of me...young! I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Mistress Gweniver?" Numair (Arram? What am I supposed to call him now? Naram... Amair...no scratch that last name.) took me out of my shock.

"I'm sorry. I though you were someone else, but your not." What was I supposed to say? ' Hey I know you, but you don't know me. Your going to save Tortall and marry someone fourteen years younger then you.' I don't think so.

"Sorry to interrupt the introduction here," It was Rispha who spoke. " But, Arram, we must be going or we'll miss the boat." He then walked backwards to get her bags, all the while keeping his eyes on me. (It was funny because he almost tripped on a chair.)

We all (Solom, George, Anastasia, and I) walked Rispha and Arram (Numair) out. When they were out of view, we walked back inside.

"So are you hungry, Anastasia?" George asked her.

"A little." She sounded so innocent. It was a false innocence, of course. If she was going to be a substitute for Rispha, she had to be tough. Part of a trusted part of another rouge probably. Innocent isn't in the rouge dictionary.

George looked to me. "Since it's your first day here, lets see what you got." He went to a table, pulled out a chair for A, and then sat in his own. "I'll have biscuits and gravy, and she'll have..." he looked to her.

"I'll just have some potatoes and eggs."

"Do you want anything to drink?" I looked at George to avoid Her eyes.

"We'll have orange juice. That okay with you, Anastasia?" she nodded.

"Okay, I'll go get that for ya." I went back to order their food. Surprisingly, the food was ready with in five minutes. I gave them their food, they ate, and George went off with her. I guess he was going to show her around.

That was mostly how my morning went. They order, I get them their food, they eat, they leave, and it starts over again. That was for the morning hour. I heard the evening was a little more hectic.

Oh yea. You know that dress I was wearing, the yucky brown one. I figured out why Elenni had made me wear it. Lets just say that tomorrow morning, I'm going to learn how to make an apron.