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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:34 pm
Welcome one and all!
This is going to be a collaborative undertaking by as many people as choose to join in on the fun. Following, you will find a list of character profiles. These characters are the ones that the story will center around. No character is exclusive to any one writer. Everyone has free license to use any of them in their entries. The only stipulation is that 1, you may not kill off the character and 2, you must keep to the characters profile. Do not make the innkeeper a slut or something similar. I think you understand my meaning. Also, this is medieval in nature, so please, no modern day machines or weapons. Let's try to keep it as pure as we can. Who knows, one day it may just be made into a book and everyone who collaborated on it will get equal credit. Speaking of which, I am going to post a question in the discussion thread, so please take the time to read it, and pm me your signed agreement if you agree with it.
You may bring in NPC's at any time, but understand that you are responsible for running them while they are being played in your entry.
You will find the setting for the story, but you are not restricted to that setting. If someone has not introduced a character into the story yet, feel free to have that character start out somewhere else and end up with the other characters.
Posting Instructions: When you are in the process of making an entry, please reserve the post, then go back and edit your entry into it. This will ensure that noone posts at the same time as you. It has happened once already. Thank you.
If anyone has any questions, there will be a discussion thread for this in the OOC. Just post your questions there and then wait for the answer to be posted.
Have fun with it and let's see where we can take this thing.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:36 pm
Character profiles:
Renfir: male/30/magician/human/elf/He has been practicing magic since he was 15 under his teacher Oberof. He has been traveling now for 10 years, looking for the elusive, Book of Light. He is dressed in brown leathers and carries a backpack stuffed with who-knows-what upon his back. To look at him, one would not guess his profession. He walks with a long staff, carved into the shape of a dragons head at the top.
Yosef: male/15/orphan/human/He has lost his parents and was unable to find work in the town he lived in and is now wandering alone, looking for some way to support himself. His clothes are shabby and his shoes have holes beginning to wear into the toes. He is a rather handsome youth, but it's difficult to tell that through the layers of dirt and grime on his face.
Robinton: male/65/bard/human/He has settled into life at the Dancing Dragon Inn and entertains the customers and regular guests there. His hair is long and snow white in color and he loves to wear his Harper blue robe when he is in public. He is very proud of the fact that he has been a Harper since the days of his youth and loves to tell anyone who will listen, stories from his youth. His instrument of choice is his beloved lute, but he has been known to pick up a violin or harp when the song or occasion demand it.
Ophelia: female/54/human/owner of the Dancing Dragon Inn/She is a woman of girth to put it politely, but she has the nature of a loving mother to those she considers her friends. She is quick to throw out anyone who causes trouble in her establishment and she has the strength to do it herself. She secretly loves Robinton, but will not admit it to anyone, so she lets him stay at the Inn free of charge in exchange for the occasional song or story. Her hair is the same snowy white as the bards, which she keeps pulled back in a ribbon, whenever she is seeing to the running of the Inn.
Eliander: male/105/Elven/He has left his people in search of adventure, for he was not content to live the quiet life of those of his village. He is a tree elf and therefore his clothes are of a greenish hue and made of deer skin. He carries a bow across his back and is a marksman with it. He also has a long sword in a sheath at his side, which he is also skilled with, but the bow is his weapon of choice. His hair is dark brown and flows down his back like silk. His eyes are a deep blue however, uncommon among his people. He is handsome for an elf and young too.
Miriam: female/19/human/She is Ophelia's daughter and she works with her mother at the Inn. She does the cooking and is famous for her dishes. She is a beautiful young woman and has many suitors from the town, but she is waiting for the one she has been dreaming of for the last 5 years. She has seen him in her dreams, so she will know him when she sees him. Her hair is strawberry red and full of curls, which she inherited from her father, who died when she was only 10 and her eyes are the color of a spring sky. She can sometimes be found sitting at Robinton's feet either singing along with him or listening intently to one of his stories.
Brekke: male/20/human/fighter and poet at heart/He is a mercenary and so he answers to no one but his current employer. There is no job yet that he has turned down, but he draws the line as assassination. He will protect and defend, but not kill for money. He has a strong sense of duty and honor and he lets that be known to any who would challenge him. He is unemployed at the moment and looking for work. His weapons of choice are his twin long swords, which he has become an expert with in his short life. His hair is cropped short to his head, so as not to get in his eyes when fighting and it's a dark black in color. He wears black leathers and a dark green cloak over top. His eyes are a striking green in color and when he looks at you, it's as though he were looking inside of you. He knows this and uses it to his advantage when necessary.
Constable Malloy: male/50/human/ex-soldier/A veteran from the drow wars, the constable is well versed in weaponry and saw a great deal of action in his day. That day however is over and he has settled down to a life of maintaining order in Breminger. His hair is graying, but still plentiful; eyes are a dark brown with rather large eyebrows framing them. There is a scar on his forehead he does not like to talk about and it's a sore spot with him. He carries one broad sword on his right hip, which he uses with great skill in his left hand. There are also various daggers hiden upon his body for use when needed. His throwing skill is par none.
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 2:37 pm
Story Setting:
The Dancing Dragon Inn is set on the outskirts of a town called Breminger. It has a common room for eating and socializing, a well stocked kitchen, a bar to sit at and rooms upstairs to rent. There is a stable out back, but patrons are responsible for caring for their horses as there is currently no stable boy to do it.
There is only one road leading to the Inn and it goes into town and off into the open country in the opposite direction. Travelers coming to Breminger have to pass the Inn on their way into town from the West.
It's a quiet town on most days and the constable likes to keep it that way. There is a jail just in case he has to lock some troublemaker up for the night or longer.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:11 am
A storm had just settled over the small town of Breminger, sending the people out on errands back towards their shelters. Others that couldn't wait for the storm to pass scurried from one end of town to the other. It was such a small town. The only reason why they ever got visitors was because of the inn. That and the town was on one of the safe main roads.
The gray clouds swirled relentlessly and the rain fell unendingly. As other figures ran through the rain, one walked slowly and carefully through the mud. He held his cloak close, walking across the road towards the Inn, his current destination. He watched everyone, his brown eyes watching for anything that might be out of place. He muttered something as each step brought him closer to the inn, his boots squelching in the mud. It didn't take him long to walk to the door, push it open, and walk into the warm fire light of the active inn.
It seemed that most of the town was there, waiting out the storm, and a few strangers. Malloy eyed then carefully and then walked over the table he almost always sat at. He removed his cloak and draped it over an empty seat. he rearranged his broad sword and settled into his seat. His eyes scanned the crowed again, recognizing everyone from town. There was Robinton, tuning his lute. Miriam was carrying a tray of drinks back and forth between the inn goers, and there was Ophelia. Malloy's eyes focused on Ophelia. Malloy's hand tapped the table quietly as he watched Ophelia.
He had been in love with her even before the drow wars, but had never brought himself to do anything about it. Especially after she had married and had Miriam. Even now, when all she had was Miriam, he did not approach her. He would only admire from afar. Perhaps at the spring festival he would ask her to dance. Yes, maybe this year he would pluck up enough courage to ask the beautiful Ophelia to dance.
"What would you like today Constable Malloy?" a sweet and melodious voice asked from next to him. His eyes left Ophelia and focused on her young daughter.
"My usual Miriam. And perhaps a pint to keep me warm," He said as he tapped the table again, an old habit.
Miriam nodded and wandered off towards the kitchen. She knew what the constable liked. She knew what everyone in town liked, since everyone seemed to come in once a week for her cooking. She giggled softly and started mixing up ingredients for the Constable's meal. "Must be a bad storm," Miriam said as her mother came into the kitchen.
"Why do you say that dear?" Ophelia asked as she grabbed up a tray and several mugs.
"Constable Malloy is asking for a pint. Only happens when a bad storm comes in," Miriam said as the food sizzled.
Ophelia frowned slightly. "Well, I'll get the rooms ready. I don't want to send good folk out into a nasty one," Ophelia said as she left the kitchen and headed back into the front of the Inn. She passed Robinton and deposited the mugs and drinks out to the various inn goers of the evening. As she approached Robinton she smiled and leaned close to him.
"It's going to be a long night, how about something to cheer us up?" She asked as she continued on. She smiled sweetly with her back turned to the old harper.
Robinton heard her fine as she passed and he sighed very softly. 'A bad one huh?' he thought as he strummed his lute. 'Perhaps something to keep the mood light?' he debated with himself as he strummed out cords to be sure his precious lute was tuned. After grabbing the attention of those closest to him, those that knew the sound of him preparing to perform, he strummed the first cord of a merry jig that always made the town folk clap along. After a few measures of just music, he added his voice. The song was of a spring day with children dancing and life was merry.
Though there was still talking taking place in the inn, the music floated above everyone. Most would stop at this or that point to listen, some even joined in to sing along. Even with the storm picking up and becoming worse, the atmosphere in the inn stayed merry.
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Ethril the Dragon Mother Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:01 pm
Yosef was tired. He was tired and hungry and in desperate need of a change of clothes. His back was slumped and he swayed slightly as he walked. His eyes were cloudy and his lips parched and he couldn't remember his last meal. He had been wandering from town to town since his parents had died three years ago and his wanderings had brought him to Breminger.
Even with his eyes blurry from hunger he could tell that there was no one around him on the streets. Obviously, since it had just started to rain and would likely get worse.
Yosef knew that he had to keep walking in search of shelter, but he was so tired.
Then he saw a light up ahead; at first he thought that he was dying, but then as he looked closer he saw that the light came from lamps shining through the windows of an inn.
Yosef quickened his pace just a little bit and headed for the door of the inn. As he reached the door he slipped on the doorstep and fell forward onto the door pushing it in and landing passed out, half in and half outside of the inn.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:46 pm
Ophelia jumped when she saw a poor boy slump into the inn. Those around the door helped him up, sitting him in a chair. Rushing to the kitchen, she fetched a clean rag and asked Miriam to throw together a bowl of stew. Returning to the boy, Ophelia shooed off the few towns people that were curious, so she could get a good look at him.
His clothes were in rags and the rest of the boy hadn't seen a good cleaning in a year, at the very least. She could tell he wasn't very old as she wiped dirt off his face. Suddenly, he came to, his light brown eyes glancing around frantically not knowing where he was.
Before he could jump up, Ophelia put her hand on his shoulder, saying "Calm down now honey, your in no danger here. Just sit down and rest a bit. It's been quite a while since you had a meal, ain't it sweetie? Don't worry, I'm having some stew cooked up for you as I speak."
Now none of this had been missed by Constable Malloy, frowning as he wondered about what a vagrant like that was doing in his town. Though now that the boy was being taken care of by Ophelia, he couldn't do much. She was like a second mother to most of the kids in town, always protecting them if they got into any mischief. Huffing, Malloy put the thought out of his mind and turned back to Robinton to hear the rest of the song.
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:01 pm
She knew all the boys in town, even the ones who believed she didn't know they existed, but this boy was definately a stranger. He seemed overly skitish, so she didn't ask him any questions. When Miriam came out with the bowl of stew, she took it from her and taking the boy by the arm, lifted him from the chair and ushered him out of the room and upstairs. What he needed was a hot meal, a hot bath and a good nights sleep; all in that order and she was going to see that he got it. Downstairs, Miriam had come out of the kitchen carrying the constables dinner. She placed it on the table in front of him along with his pint and turned to see to the other patrons. Robinton had just finished his jig and he called her over to him. "Miriam, why don't you sing for everyone?" he asked her. Those closest to him eagerly encouraged the young lady to oblige, for she was known throughout the town for her fine singing voice. She acquiesced and Robinton began the song. After a few bars of music, she began, "Sunlight dances.. through the leaves
Soft winds stir.. the sighing trees
Lying in the warm grass
Feel the sun.. upon your face....
Elven songs and.. endless nights
Sweet wine and soft.. relaxing lights
Time will never touch you
Here in this.. enchanted place
I've traveled now for.. many miles
It feels so good.. to see the smiles of
Friends who never left your mind
When you were far away...
From the golden light of coming dawn
Till the twilight.. when the sun is gone
We treasure every season..
And every.. passing day
You feel there's something calling you
You're wanting to return
To where the misty mountains rise and friendly fires burn
A place you can escape the world
Where the dark lord cannot go....
Peace of mind and sanctuary.. by loud water's flow
We feel the coming of a new day
Dark gives way.. to light a new way
Stop here for a while.. until the world
The world calls you.. away
Yet you know I've.. had the feeling
Standing with my.. senses reeling
This is the place to grow old 'til..
I reach my final day
You feel there's something calling you
You're wanting to return
To where the misty mountains rise and friendly fires burn
A place you can escape the world
Where the dark lord cannot go...
Peace of mind and sanctuary.. by loud water's flow" As she finished the song, everyone in the Inn began to clap. She took a quick curtsy and hurried off to the kitchen before Robinton could ask her to sing again. Ophelia was coming down the stairs as Miriam rushed into the kitchen. She guessed from all the clapping what the old harper must have done. She smiled to herself, knowing that her daughter was secretly reveling in all the attention, though she would never show it openly. Malloy watched as Ophelia came back downstairs and called her over. "So Ophelia, another waif for you to coddle? What's this make...10 now over the last few years?" "No constable, it makes 11 if you must know." She smiled and sat down at the table with him.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:11 am
(wow...that is an amazing song ^^)
Yosef was bewildered by everything that had happened and was just beginning to straighten it all out in his head.
All he really remembered was being cold, wet, and hungry; stumbling toward the inn door in the rain, slipping on the doorstep and then passing out.
Then suddenly he was inside the inn and a whole circle of people's faces were around him and then he was taken upstairs to a bathroom where he currently was and in the bathtub.
It had all just happened so fast and that it was hard for him to get it all into focus. But regardless of his confusion, he was grateful for the hot bath and the hot meal he had had a few moments ago.
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:30 am
The sun had set an hour ago and the moon was shining full in the night sky. He moved through the trees of the forest, swift as the wind and silent like a shadow. This was where he was at home; here among the trees. His father didn't understand why he wished to leave the safety of their home and he was hard put to explain it to him, but the yearning inside his heart drew him out of the treetop village and down to the forest floor. He'd been traveling for a week now, without any sign of life other than that of the forest creatures he was so familiar with. He had never ventured this far from home before and though he had lived over a century already, he was still very young for one of his people. The path under his feet began to widen.
Two hours later, the moon directly overhead now, he reached the edge of the forest. It had started to rain and he stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of the human village off in the distance. He had never seen one before and he marveled at the manner in which they built their dwellings; all on the ground. There were very few trees in sight and he wondered where they went for safety in the event of an attack. There was one building on the other side of the village, which sat off by itself and was larger than the others. People were coming and going from it, so he decided to get closer, to see if he could discern what sort of dwelling it was. He skirted the tree line, staying safely under the cover of the trees and made his way around the village.
There was another dwelling behind the main one and he could hear the sound of horses within. Strange that humans would build dwelllings for thier animals instead of allowing them to run free until they were needed. As he got closer, he began to smell food cooking. Now that was something he was familiar with and it had been a while since his last hot meal. Not knowing if these humans had ever seen one of his people before or not, he decided to risk entering the dwelling. He had left his home, his family and his people for adventure and standing here under the cover of the trees was not going to get him any closer to that adventure. Having seen the humans entering and leaving through a door on the other side of the dwelling, he went round and placing his hand on the round knob set in the wood, he pushed open the door.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:22 am
Robinton sighed as Miriam walked off to go help her mother. If the girl wasn’t needed in the inn, Robinton would have offered to take her on as an apprentice Harper. As his fingers lightly continue to play musical notes on his lute, his mind wandered. He could just envision Miriam in the blue Harper robe, singing ballads and entertaining people with her wonderful voice. Yes, it would have been nice, but Miriam was obviously attached to the inn and her mother. So Robinton had to be content in just teaching her what little he could while she was working.
‘Perhaps in the morning I’ll start teaching her how to play the lute,’ he thought as he glanced down at the smooth instrument. It had been his for so long, and it had always done him well. He took care of his lute and it played sweet music for him.
Robinton was just about to call out for requests when the inn door opened once more. Usually he ignored the inn door, since it opened so often. But this time, he indulged himself to look over at the new comer. There, standing in the door way, was a brown haired, blue eyed elf. ‘Strange for an elf,’ the words floated across his mind and his fingers faltered. He swiftly made the falter into an elegant flourish and then set the lute down. He leaned back in his seat and looked at the elf intently. They didn’t get many elves especially, if his assumption was correct, tree elves. Robinton was not the only one to notice the new comer.
Malloy had also seen the elf arrive. He started pulling out his pipe as his eyes looked the elf over. During the drow wars Malloy had often times come in contact with elves, so he was better at evaluating them. ‘Young, possibly just over 100. But elves typically don’t let elves that young wander. Perhaps he’s a little older then I think,’ which Malloy didn’t think at all. He was good at guessing ages, and he had made it a game that whenever he saw an elf he would guess the age.
Momentarily forgetting the food that had been set in front of him, Malloy stood and walked over to the elf. ‘Lots of strangers coming in tonight,’ he thought as he stood in front of the elf. “Best come in before all the warmth escapes,” He said as he nodded towards the table he had been sitting. Elves had saved him plenty of time during the war, so he counted them as friends.
Renfir rubbed his eyes tiredly as he poured over one of the recent books he had obtained. It wasn’t the one he was looking for, but it did have some wonderful information. The inn room was warm, and the woman that ran the inn had given him an extra lamp when he had asked. Just as he turned the page in the book, his stomach gave an ominous rumble. He looked down at his stomach and then back to the book in surprise. How long had he been reading? When was the last time he had eaten, yesterday?
Sighing, Renfir stood and placed the book into his bag. ‘Might as well head down and get something to eat. It won’t hurt any,’ he was hesitant as he lightly snatched up his staff. He looked at the dragon’s head for a moment, and then headed out of his room. He had left his cloak back on his bed.
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Ethril the Dragon Mother Captain
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:51 am
He descended the staircase and entered the main room. It was packed with people and he had a difficult time finding a place to sit. Seeing the old harper alone at his table he approached. "Evening harper. Mind if I join you?"
Robinton looked from Malloy and the elf to the man who had just approached. "Please do Renfir. Company is always welcome. You just missed hearing Miriam sing."
"What a shame. Perhaps she will sing again later. For now, I just want something to eat."
Eliander looked around the room as he entered and stealed himself when the man approached. He saw the table the man indicated and followed him over to it, taking a seat. He wasn't sure how to start the conversation, so he just sat there looking around the room. Malloy could tell the elf was nervous, sitting here amidst so many humans, so he decided to try and put him at ease. "I'm Constable Malloy. I maintain the peace here in our little town. May I ask your name?"
Eliander brought his attention back to man as he spoke, "I am called Eliander. I am pleased to meet you." He was not sure if that was the correct form of speech to use, but the man didn't seem to take any offense.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:04 pm
Yosef had gotten out of the tub and had been staring at the clothes the lady had left on the bed for quite a while. She had obviously left them in the room for him but, how was he supposed to rapay her for the food, bath, room and now the clothes?
He went closer to the bed and touched the folded shirt on top of the pants, it was nothing to be considered even remotely fancy, just a brown top made of cotton, but it was clean.
A short while later he tossed the clothes on and went out of the room to thank the lady, maybe she would have something that he could do to repay her.
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:38 pm
He stood at the top of the stairs listening to the noise coming from the below. Slowly, he descended the stairs, stopping before he reached the bottom. He bent down and peered into the room. Suddenly, a young looking girl stepped around the railing and said, "Hello, I'm Miriam. I see the clothes Mother left for you fit. Come on, you can help me out in the kitchen and tell me all about how you came to be on our doorstep in this storm." She took him by the hand and pulled him along behind her into the kitchen.
"So, what's your name? You're not from Breminger, or I'd recognize you" said Miriam.
He hesitated just the slightest bit before answering, "My...my name's Yosef and no, I'm not from around here." He wasn't willing to offer up anything else unless asked.
"Well Yosef, do you see those potatoes over there? I hope you know how to peel them, because that's what I need you to do right now." She put a knife in his hand and left him to it. Yosef looked at the basket of potatoes and then down at the knife in his hand and walked over to the basket. Pulling up a nearby stool, he sat himself down and picked up the first of many spuds. Miriam came over and placed a large pot on the floor next to him, "You can put them in this. Fill it half full and then take the pot out back and run some water in it. You'll find the water pump out there."
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:44 am
Yosef's first impression of Miriam, she did things very fast. She had dragged him into the kitchen, given him an assignment and the tools to accomplish it with, and had left him to do it in...it hadn't even seemed like a minute.
Yosef sat dumbfounded for a moment taking everything in and then got to work peeling the potato.
He placed the knife near the top, dug it slightly under the skin and held it steady there as his other hand rotated the potato.
Since he had worked as a freelancer for the past three years, he was quite skilled at peeling vegetables having worked mostly in kitchens and such for a living.
Soon one potato was peeled and dropped into the pot, and only about 30 more remained.
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Shanra the Dragon Bard Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:58 pm
Yosef was on his sixth potatoe when the door to the kitchen opened and the innkeeper entered. He quickly turned his attention back to the potatoe in hand.
Ophelia saw him sitting there on the stool and looked over at Miriam. Her daughter just looked back at her and smiled. Ophelia walked over to the boy and said, "Well, I see my daughter wasted no time putting you to work. What's your name boy?"
He looked up at the woman standing over him and said, "Yosef maam."
"Well Yosef, I don't suppose you have any other skills besides peeling potatoes? I could really use a stable boy at the moment."
Yosef looked up again and quickly said, "I can do that!...Maam."
Ophelia smiled down at him and reached down, taking the knife from his hand. "Put that potatoe down and come with me." She led him out the back door of the kitchen into the back courtyard. Across the cobblestones was a stable of sorts and as they entered, he could smell the horses and the wet straw. "Do you think you can keep the stalls clean, the horses fed and watered and groomed if the owners want that?" she asked.
He looked up and down the aisle of stalls and knew he had found his niche. "Yes maam. I can do that." She looked at him and wondered if he would ever say more than five words in one sentence. "Well then, you're hired. I'll give you a dry place to sleep and three meals a day. There's a room at the end of the stalls down there. You can use that. You'll eat your meals in the kitchen. I don't have any other staff, it's just Miriam and myself, so you're on your own for whatever else you might need. You'll find the rakes down there in the last stall." She pointed to their right and then left him to get to work.
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