Stepping out of the purple glow of the portal, Jaden found herself on the other side which looked to be a kitchen of a restaurant judging from all the cookers, sinks and cooking appliances hanging from hooks. That was all she was able to take in before hearing a tiny voice from just below her feet.

"Oh, uh, hello 'human I don't know.'"
Jaden looked down at her feet and was not at all surprised to find a blue rat talking to her. "I'm Remy, and…you look like you're listening to me! Wait, you understand me?" The rat exclaimed happily, finally pleased to have someone to talk to.

"Of course I do, I can understand everyone here. My name is Jaden, but I can't say I've ever spoken to a rat before. At least not while sober anyway." Jaden muttered under her breath.

"Hey, we're just like humans. Well, not all of us anyway. Let's just say, I'm kind of a unique rat. Sorry to cut this chit-chat short, but I gotta get moving. The dining room's filling up and most of my staff is out sick. Plus, there's a food critic visiting tonight! And I've gotta make a good impression…if he gives our food a bad review, it'll be a disaster!" Remy panicked, frantically running across the floor.

Jaden grimaced. "Ugh. Critics are the worst!"

Remy somewhat agreed. "Some, sure. But every now and then you find one who really gets food and that can change your life! Have you ever worked in a kitchen before?"

"I'm a master chef." Jaden stated proudly.

Remy directed Jaden over to a sink piled high with dirty dishes. "Right now, I need you to wash all these dishes for me."

Jaden rolled her eyes. "Ever heard of a dishwasher, rat?" She said testily.

"Yes and ours is broken. The repair person will be here tomorrow. But for now, it's a sink, water, soap and elbow grease." Even Remy looked somewhat disgusted at the idea, but Jaden reasoned, he was only a rat, he can only do so much without the help of a human.

So, doing as she was told, Jaden walked over to the sink and eyeing the huge pile of dishes got to work. It wasn't until she actually started did she come to the realisation how hard this was with only one arm to work with. She was ready to give up and call it quits when an idea popped into her head. Casting her magic, she closed her eyes and summoned the royal watering can and tested it on one of the many dirty plates. Within the blink of an eye, the plate was completely clean, just as if Jaden had scrubbed it herself. So this thing was actually useful for something that wasn't gardening? Good to know, Jaden thought.

Remy approached her just as she was finishing up. "Hey, as long as you're still here…how do you feel about cooking?" He asked her.

Shrugging her shoulders, Jaden replied, "I haven't really thought about it to be honest."

"A lot of people don't and that is a shame. Here, let me show you how amazing cooking can be." Remy moved her over to one of the cookers when she agreed. He handed her a small list of meals that he needed to get done to serve to the waiting customers seated in the dining room. He handed her all the ingredients and equipment she needed to get started and told her to do what she thought was right, to maybe get inspired in what she was about to prepare to the customers.

Within thirty minutes, Jaden had cooked the few meals asked of her with unexpected effort that left Remy impressed by her cooking skills. "Clearly you know your way around the kitchen." Remy said with approval. "But we need to hurry! The food critic is getting impatient out there, are you ready to make something a little more complicated?"

Jaden nodded. "Anything for you to come to my village." She told him.

Remy seemed puzzled. "Your village? So you're a recruiter?"

"Uhh…something like that." Jaden verbally stumbled.

"Well, let's get through tonight first. Next order is a three course meal. It'll be tonight's prix fixe. And hey, you can even design it. First choose an appetizer: hearty salad or bell pepper puffs?" Remy tilted his head at his own question.

Jaden decided on the hearty salad, getting started before the rat could even tell her the ingredients she needed. But before that, she went out to the dining room and handed out the meals she prepared earlier to satisfied customers. Within two hours, mage and rodent were cooking together, making many meals throughout the night for their many hungry customers. Remy even allowed Jaden to cook his special ratatouille as the final meal for the food critic, to which Jaden was grateful for.

The pair waited with bated breath as the food critic made his final judgements on the food. Remy burst into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. "The food critic gave five stars to the ratatouille! What a relief! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Remy wove around Jaden's feet in excitement. "You know, Jaden, you are a very talented chef. Any chance you want to come work for me?" The rat asked hopefully, pressing his tiny hands together in glee.

Jaden smiled down at him. "Actually, I have a restaurant for you in my village! We could cook together again if you'd like to come along."

"I'd like that! We make a great team, I'm sure Colette and Linguini can manage without me for a little while." Remy paused to consider the offer that was presented to him. Jaden understood that this was a big decision for the blue rat and one not to be taken lightly.
After a while, Remy spoke up. "You know what, I'll do it. I'll go to your village and help with your restaurant!" He stopped in his mid-excitement, a thought suddenly coming to him. "Wait, does this job offer come with housing? I can't sleep in the kitchen, that wouldn't be hygienic. I'll definitely need a house before I can go." Remy said, almost looking disappointed that he'll have to turn this job offer down.

Thankfully, Jaden had him covered. "Of course. I'll go arrange that for you." She told him before leaving the kitchen and stepping into the portal that led back to the castle. Upon arriving back in Dreamlight Valley, Jaden greeted Goofy who was just walking around outside the castle entrance. They exchanged a few words before Jaden set off to the plaza, looking for the perfect place to put Remy's house. She took the time to look around before deciding that the area behind Scrooge's shop would be best, as it was just opposite the restaurant which would be convenient for the little chef.

After a short discussion with Scrooge about building the house, the duck gave her an estimated two weeks for the property to be built. Jaden thanked him and returned home, only to find Merlin standing outside her front door waiting for her.

"Ah Jaden! You've returned and none the worse for wear, I see."

Jaden frowned at this. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

Merlin scratched at his beard nervously before replying. "Well, there may have been a slim chance you wouldn't come back. To be stuck in the realms with the others…ahem. Forever…"

Jaden took an involuntary step back, her eyes widening in shock. "Um, excuse me!?"

"Did I forget to warn you? No matter. It was but a trifling danger, nothing to fear! As I always say: nothing ventured, nothing gained. And now that you've returned safely, we know that it won't happen."
Jaden was quite shocked to see that Merlin could brush this off so easily. Had something like this happened before? And if so, what was the likely chance it could happen to her? But, she chose not to dwell on the subject as to not make her paranoid.
Merlin continued. "Now, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. You may have noticed the giant pillars scattered about the village."

Jaden nodded. "They're rather strange."

"That may be, but it's time you understand what they are. We'll start with the one in the meadow. Follow me."
Merlin walked down the path leading away from Jaden's house, looking back over his shoulder every now and again to make sure that Jaden was still following. After a short walk, he led her to the meadow over by Goofy's house where one of the pillars stood.
"This pillar is just one of the many scattered around the village," Merlin informed her, "for as long as I can remember, the pillars protected the valley and kept it safe from dark magic." He shook his head, "but no longer. I'm afraid the pillars are broken, Jaden." He said sadly.

"What's wrong with them?" She asked him.

"Well you see, they're no longer whole. A vital piece of each has gone missing and it's those pieces you'll need to find. Each pillar once contained an orb of virtue. The orbs are filled with powerful magic and each one stood for a virtue around which the old ruler built the valley. These virtues are some of the most powerful kinds of magic there are…trust, friendship, power…just to name a few." Merlin listed off the different types of magic with his long, bony fingers.

"Power is one of the virtues?" This got Jaden interested, her eyes shining like disco balls.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, power can be virtuous if its wielded wisely…which I'm afraid it rarely is. That's how we've ended up with such a magical mess on our hands." Merlin sighed regretfully.

"So, what happened to the orbs?" Jaden asked curiously.

"When our ruler disappeared, some were lost…some were forgotten…and others were stolen for their magic." Merlin sighed wistfully.

Jaden stood up tall, determination written all over her face. "I have to get the orbs to retrieve all that magic for myself!" She stated selfishly.

Merlin gave her a saddened look. "Oh dear, I'm afraid that if you're thinking of yourself you'll never be able to restore the pillars." He cleared his throat before moving on. "Now, this pillar held the orb of friendship, one of the most powerful orbs in the village. That orb is now tangled in a Night Thorn fiercer than any you've encountered before. Since the orb got stuck, the well in the meadow fell prey to a curse and we can no longer use it. You must free the orb from the thorns by proving that you have the power of friendship."

"Haven't I proven myself enough!?" Jaden huffed.

Merlin shook his head. "Friendship isn't about proving yourself, it's about sharing your heart. Small acts of kindness go a long way. You know, like giving someone a gift just because you think they'd like it. Spending time together…what do you modern kids call it? 'hanging out'? So talk to the villagers to get to know them. Most importantly, let them get to know you. Once you understand this, the orb of friendship will be yours. Return it to its rightful place and the curse of the well will be lifted."

Jaden sighed. "This is going to take a while."

"In the meantime, you should go home and rest. When was the last time you've had a decent night's sleep?" Merlin asked kindly, giving Jaden the once over as if for the first time. The woman's posture was slouched and her eyes held that haunted, tired look. He hadn't forgotten the house fire that had happened just a few hours prior.

"Probably never, but…" Jaden ended with a yawn, covering her mouth in the process.

Seeing the exhaustion first hand, Merlin gently took Jaden by the shoulders, being mindful of her missing right arm and guided her back towards her house.
The house looked so much better after the events of the fire. It was actually clean for once and minus the scorched walls, looked as if nothing disastrous had happened that same morning. She had to hand it to the old man, Merlin had really done a great job with the place. There was even a bed tucked in the corner of the small bedroom that delighted Jaden to no end. She could finally ditch the dirty clothes on the floor for a proper night's rest.

Merlin gestured for Jaden to sit on the bed when he let go of her shoulders. She did as she was told as he gave her a bottle of painkillers for her broken arm.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to get away with not taking the medication, she shook the bottle and swallowed down a few, a little more than she should have taken but at this point she didn't much care.

Merlin's voice broke into her thoughts. "In order for you to rest properly, you will stay here until Remy's house is built. That should give you enough time to actually heal and rest." The wizard instructed her.

Jaden frowned. "You're kidding? I'm fine. A broken rib and a missing arm won't stop me from doing my damn job." She complained.

But still, Merlin wouldn't budge. "The village needs you at your best, Jaden. You need to rest."

"This is crazy. So, am I even allowed to leave at all?" When Merlin shook his head, Jaden laid herself back on the bed, her back resting against the pillows. "Wonderful…" Two weeks of being locked in this house. She was sure she'd go crazy by the end of it all.

Merlin turned away from her, looking behind him to cast a final glance at Jaden. "I will check up on you in two weeks." He told her.

She waited for a few moments until she was certain the wizard had gone. She got off the bed and walked over to the door, hoping the old man wouldn't have had the brains to actually lock it behind him.
Unfortunately for her, it was locked. She tried using magic to blast the door open but the spell bounced off the door and hit Jaden right in the centre of the chest, sending her flying across the room. That wouldn't do wonders for her broken rib.

Jaden groaned painfully as she slowly pushed herself back up to her feet. "Bollocks…"
Exhausted, in pain and with nothing else to do, she dragged herself back into bed. She can think of a way to escape in the morning.