Day 3?
Really the only things that I've been doing was helping scale out herbs for Thomas and have Rael come by to say hi. The room that was provided for me was small but the cot was extremely uncomfortable. I was sleeping on a wooden rack with a slightly puffed up blanket. My back was killing me.
Since I arrived I finally was able to really analyze the situation I was in. For some strange work of fate, I am now in my favorite video game; Dragon Age and as to why I was there? No clue.
"These are the wrong ones!" Thomas argued with an herb gatherer. The only thing I was able to do is sit around waiting for Rael to come and tell me about his day. At this point, I haven't even gone outside into the city properly. The date was still lost to me but the problem at this point wasn't that I couldn't communicate; it was that I couldn't read.
Dragon Age letters are weird, dwarven-like type letters. Big and blocky and are semi-familiar yet at the same time, completely unreadable. I have just become illiterate. As Thomas argued with the gatherer, Rael slipped in and went into my room.
"Morning Nia! How's your health today?" He asked.
"I'm fine." I shrugged. The events from the past days were still haunting me. It was going to take more time to get used to everything.
"Perfect. What do you say to a walk out in the city? You must be tired being all cooped up in this room. Not only that, we need to find you a job so you can help pay back Thomas with me!" Rael winked and laughed. I gave him a deadpanned look. "He saved your life you know?"
"I know…It's just…" I sighed. "I'm still getting used to all of this." I rubbed my face. Rael pulled up a chair next to my cot.
"Ok I understand that. You lost everything and your way home but you can't stay here and not do anything either. As much as I hate it, this world revolves around coin and trust me when I say Thomas will kick you out unless you start paying him back. Now, what did you do before you got caught in that shipwreck?" Rael asked. His eyes bored into me. He was serious in helping me and I would be stupid not to take that offer.
"I was a cook, mostly pastry but I'm good with everything." I explained. Rael rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. He snapped his fingers.
"I know just where to go! Come on." Rael grabbed my wrist and we went out the back door. I was finally out of that house and we walked through the alleyways. They were tightly packed but I saw a few roads leading to spacious centers. Rael let go of my wrist and I followed him closely. There were many people out and about surprisingly. There were always reports of Denerim alleys being full of thugs.
"Ok I'm only going to ask because I'm confused but where are we going?" I asked, almost tripping in a pot hole.
"I've always done odd jobs here and there throughout the city so I'm always seeing what's different and changed. There was a bakery that lost one of its hires because she gave birth. I know the store owner so, as long as you have experience, you'll be hired." Rael nodded and gave me a thumbs up. I gave him a deadpanned look.
"I really hope you know what you're doing." I sighed.
"Well you're not supposed to trust strangers and I'm not supposed to trust humans but the world isn't so black and white." Rael chuckled. After many twists and turns, I ended up in a street near the marketplace. Rael gave me a confident smile and went inside. I followed quickly after and I heard a bell ring when I opened the door. I was hit with warmth and the familiar scent of sweets and flour in the air. It smelled like home.
There were various racks with different types of bread. Baguettes, rolls, some with anise, some that were baked as different figures. Loaves were all over the place, different colors, smells, and that was not even getting to the rack with the sweet bread. I was in awe that something like this existed in Denerim. Of course bakeries were everywhere even since the middle ages back home but to see it in person was amazing. There was a woman cleaning the counter, a big set woman with her auburn hair in a tight bun.
"Ah Rael, came to try to steal some bread again with your fancy smile?" She laughed. Rael chuckled and shook his head.
"Actually I'm here to see if you still needed help." Rael walked behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, pushing me to the front. "She's young, fit, and pretty to bring in the customers!" She gave me a calculating stare.
"Hmm, does she know her way around a kitchen?" She frowned at me.
"I've had experience working." I nodded. "I swear I will work hard!" I bowed really low.
"Hmph, we'll see about that. Get back in there girl and we'll get you started. My name is Gretchen or, in your case, ma'am." Gretchen said. Rael slapped me on the back.
"Just do what you normally do. I'm going to work at the port and come to pick you up! Good luck!" Rael smiled at me really big before leaving. I swear he lives at his own pace but it was good to have him around. When I followed Gretchen back into the kitchen, it was amazing. They had a rotating deck oven! Racks were everywhere and there were tons of bowls containing dough. The bags of flour and sugar were all strewn about and there was another man sweeping up the remnants of the day.
"We baked off our pars for the day and the dough is resting for tomorrow. Do you know how to make Orlesian Eclairs?" Gretchen asked.
"I've made them from time to time." I nodded hesitantly. Gretchen gave me a recipe and we went over to the stove. The man threw in some wood to get it going. It reminded me of what my grandmother had a long time ago.
The day was passed with me mostly making back up of some of the sweet cakes they were selling. The other man was called Dirk. We passed the time with mostly Gretchen showing me everything in the kitchen, the orders we get in the morning, her recipe book, as well as the storage they had in there. After she showed me everything, she gave me a handful of bread and led me out. Gretchen gave me a hard stare before patting me on the shoulder.
"Keep up the pace that you showed today from now on. Here, something for the work you gave today. Come in a few hours before dawn and I'll show you more." Gretchen smirked. I felt that ball of pride within me and I nodded vigorously, making sure the pouch I had in my hand didn't fall with my bread. Gretchen and Dirk went their separate ways while I stayed behind near the bakery.
I saw the position of the sun and realized it was getting close to late afternoon and I've been here since morning. I shuffled my feet and moved the bread to a more comfortable position. I had no way of knowing when Rael would be coming for me. I wouldn't even take my chance trying to find my way back to the clinic.
I looked into the pouch that Gretchen gave me. There were three silvers inside. If that was for one day of work, I'm going to be in Denerim for a very long time. About nine months give or take and that's if I give up all the silvers I get to Thomas. The work wouldn't be too hard since it was something I was used to doing though the revolving deck oven and the stove powered by wood burning would take some time getting used to.
And once I pay off Thomas then what? I have no way of getting back home. There are ways of getting into the fade but physically? That's practically impossible! It took thousands of sacrificed people to even open a rift to allow the magisters to go in the first place. Then of course there was the Herald but I didn't know how long I would have to wait for that. I didn't know if I could even survive up to that point. I wasn't a fighter and the only reason why I was so good with knives was because of my job. Even then I almost cut off a finger twice and a knuckle once.
Exactly what can I do? And how would I go home? I couldn't stay away forever. I had to get back as soon as possible and get to my kids and my husband. It would be difficult without my paycheck. Yet nothing was coming to mind on how I would be able to begin to go home. This was going to be very difficult and the more I thought about it, the more overwhelmed I started to feel.
"Nia are you ok?" Rael panted. Sweat dripped from his brow and his cheeks were flushed. I nodded and he put his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I was late. Ever since that fire, work has been hounding me to get it clean." He chuckled and coughed at the same time.
"Did you run all the way here from the port?" I asked. He stood up and leaned against the wall next to me.
"Yeah I did! I couldn't leave you alone since you don't know your way back, just give me a second to catch my breath." Rael laughed. I chuckled and he gave me a gaping look. "You laughed! Ha!"
"I couldn't help it." I chuckled. "You look a little silly right now." Rael gave me a toothy grin and put his arm around me.
"Oh! Is that bread for me?!" Rael sniffed at it.
"You do know you're wiping your musky scent and sweat on me right now right?" I gave him an annoyed glance. Rael laughed and took away his arm. I gave him a loaf and he started to eat it.
"I'm going to need to come here in the early morning so I was wondering if you could give me markers on how we got here in the first place." I asked as I tried to remember the way back.
"You're going to come here around dark? That's dangerous you know?" Rael stated.
"I know." I sighed. "But Gretchen told me I had to wake up early to get the bread ready. I already have this job. I have to do everything I can to keep it." I adjusted the bread again. Rael seemed deep in thought.
"I might be able to stay over then if I give Thomas my pay for today so I can at least walk with you. I don't want you getting hurt of course." Rael laughed. I stopped in my tracks and he noticed.
"I don't get it. Why are you doing all of this for me? You don't even know me and, not only that, you're an elf. Aren't you supposed to hate me? What do you get out of this?" I bit my lip and shuffled my feet, holding to my bread tightly. It wasn't that I didn't trust him but good people like this didn't really exist anywhere. Even more since he's an elf and he's supposed to hate humans. Rael gave me a sad smile and looked down.
"I know how it feels to have nothing to your name and nothing to gain. I live in the slums, that's where elves are supposed to be. The Alienage is nothing but a soul sucking place with shacks so tightly built together that you can hear a person sneeze from the third floor. The chill moves in so quickly that we have people dying of pneumonia constantly in the winter time and there is no hope anywhere. The nobles push us around and kidnap our woman to have their way with them because they can." Rael explained, leaning against a stone wall. He always looked so peppy, full of smiles but now I see the lines on his face and that light in his eyes were gone.
"You have every right to hate me." I said quietly.
"I do. I really do. Humans have done nothing for elves except march against us and force us into Alienages…but I don't. My mother taught me that there is a cycle of hatred that is always turning. Humans hate elves and then elves hate humans. Then my people try to rise up, the humans slaughter them, causing more hate which we then teach our kids. Then they grow up and rise again and then get slaughtered again. No matter what we're getting killed like dogs which is why we need to find another solution. Everyone sees me as a traitor because I try to get friendly with humans but we have no other choice. This is the only way we can survive." Rael rubbed his face.
"So where does that bring me into the equation?" I asked. Rael chuckled tiredly.
"Well, we all have to start somewhere right? Truth is I was heading toward the dock to…to end it all. I lost my mother, more of my friends died in a stupid rebellion, and it seemed that nothing I did made any difference. Then I saw the ship caught fire and I started to help anyone I could see. At that point it didn't matter if I was an elf, people were dying and they needed me. Then I saw you collapsed in an alley and…for once I found a reason to not throw myself in the ocean." Rael confessed. It made me want to pat his head or hug him but I decided not to. "So I'm barely hanging on to just one reason to keep on living. That's the truth as to why I'm doing all of this. Sorry." Rael chuckled weakly.
"I do owe you my life so if you want to use that as a reason to keep on living then you can. That's fine with me." I nodded. Rael chuckled.
"Well, now that the depressing heart-to-heart chat is over, time to head on to Thomas'. With the bread you got, we'll have a decent dinner this time!" Rael pumped his fist and we both started to walk. I sympathized with him and his situation as best as I could. As of now the reality of my situation hasn't hit me but from what he explained I remembered that this world was not nice and good was hard to come by. I hoped that I would be able to find a way home soon.
Beta'd by the beautiful FearaNightmare!
So here we are in chapter two already! It took me some inspiration to finish this...so why Tabris? I was always curious to explore the other origins but could only explain a few in DoOL (Days of Our Lives) and some other ones later on. So there will be mention of the others, some happy, some not so happy.
As per old times I will update every 4 days. Any questions you have you can message me or review! I really hope everyone likes the changes that I have made and the story will get to DA:O eventually!