Chapter 1
Alayna set down her water glass after taking a long quaff from it.
The day was only half over, and she was already tired and ready for bed. She blinked the tiredness out of her eyes and rubbed them as she leaned over the counter. She was only allowing herself to do this because the bakery was currently vacant. The morning rush was finally over and all of the stragglers had gone, taking about half of the work she’d spent last night working on. Her “too tired to care” mood she called it. Fortunately, one of her friends was supposed to stop by today, so hopefully that would raise her mood rather than make her more irritable, because honestly? It could go either way.
Layna finally sat up and absently started wiping down the counter she’d been leaning over. Cleaning while working was a habit she was proud of, really, though right now she wasn’t thinking much of it. She leaned over to pull a basket out of the display case in front of her that was emptied of the rolls that had been in it and set it in the back as she pondered what she’d do that night. She’d have to get tomorrow’s baking done before sunset, and she planned on making pretzels. She didn’t want to do anything after that, just sleep.
She glanced out the window expectantly, wondering at exactly what time he planned on showing up.
...
A tall man moseyed his way down the rocky streets, his hands in his pockets.
Can’t be too late.
Wilroc was glad the streets had emptied out as little. It wasn’t pleasant having your boot slip into horse crap when there’s no room to move out of the way.
Will eventually made it to the solid-looking wood cabin that was his good friend Alayna’s home. He stepped up to the door, giving it a few brisk knocks
At the knocking sound from the next room, Layna turned towards the back wall and pushed open the swinging double doors into the second building after tossing her towel on the counter.
Finally.
She walked through the hallway, taking the moment alone to take a deep breath. She let it out and unlocked the door, pulling it open and looking up at the man. She huffed a breath out as she politely smiled, stepping aside so that the visitor could walk in. “Took you long enough,” she said jokingly. “The morning rush was over ages ago, so I don’t have much to offer you, but you can try to find something to eat out of the other room.” She mentioned to the double doors, through which lay the bakery.
“My bad,” chuckled Wilroc, giving her a warm smile and heading toward the back room. It smelled warm and yeasty, wooden shelves holding a variety of bread loaves and pastries.
Will selected a croissant and an apple fritter, scarfing down the croissant in a few bites and heading back to the front room.
“So,” he began. “How’s this little plan of yours going to work?” He took a bite out of his fritter, brushing the crumbs off the front of his shirt.
Layna slumped against the counter again and dangled her hands over the front edge. “I don’t know,” she said sullenly, her expression becoming more aggrieved. “I don't even know who to target, to be honest.” she frowned at the soiled wooden floor where Wilroc had just walked. “We’re not in the wild, mate!” She said, offhandedly changing the subject. “You can’t just trample mud around in here! I’ve got an image to keep up.” Layna sat up and stomped through the double doors and grabbed a mop leaning against the wall. She began scrubbing at the floors next to Wilroc vigorously. “You do this about every time,” she complained, “whether snow or rainwater or whatever.”
The tall man blinked. “Right, my bad,” he said apologetically.
He stepped out of Layna’s way so he didn’t encumber her mopping.
“Hmmm… obviously we have to target someone important to make a difference,” he mused. “
But not too high profile, because we don’t want to destroy the entire world. Yet.” Will ran a hand through his messy black hair, tapping his foot thoughtfully. He tipped his head towards Alyana. “I think I’d need to be more familiar with the officials here though.”
Alayna scrubbed on in silence for a moment, running what Wilroc had said through her thought process.
“The soldiers on either side of this ridiculous war would mirror the beliefs they project, right?” She said absently, pulling herself up straight and gazing around the room with half-focused eyes as she thought. “I mean, yeah, I know either side would.. do that,” her gaze hardened,” but I’m not looking to wage war with the whole world right now. Just half of it. Or a third of it, technically.” She waved a hand dismissively towards the west wall of the bakery. “Whatever. I just don’t know how to find out who it was. We’re close enough to Freedman that it could be any number of the king’s supporters or just some soldier from down South.” Layna sighed.
“You can try heading down towards the Rebel base to see if you can figure out anything,” she said, leaning on the mop handle as she looked over at Will. “And I can send someone up North to check around there. I know it’s not safe, but I trust you. And I can’t go anywhere myself until we have solid information cause someone might need my help.”
"You're right. Process of elimination." he gazed up at the roof. "Yeah. I can do that."
Wilroc paced to the window that faced the street, leaning his elbows down on the sill so he could peer outside. “Tonight?” he asked.
“Sure,” Alayna shrugged. “Just, y’know, be careful. Per usual. I’ll go out tonight and..” she trailed off just as two men strode into the bakery, chatting with each other. The first one nodded agreeably to Wilroc as his shorter companion continued talking; “I mean, if y’have a good ‘un, I really wanna take it out an' try my hand. I’m not gonna ruin it or anything!” He elbowed the other man, who chuckled and placed his hands down on the counter, and leaned over the edge.
Layna quickly swept around the counter and placed a hand on the cash register, glancing between the two. “What can I get you?” She asked. “Two apple strudel things an a few muffins,” the taller man said nonchalantly, then turned back to his companion. “How’d I know ye aren’t gonna ruin it?” He questioned in a good-natured tone. “Will took it out the other day an' scratched the livin’ daylights outta it while hunt in’ those things!”
Alayna grabbed the requested pastries and wrapped them in a paper while listening to the two’s conversation. Her ears perked when he heard the name “Will,” and instantly thought of the other man in the room. She knew it had to be a coincidence though. The name Will was popular anyway.
Hmmm.
"Good talk," Will said, giving Layna a hearty pat on the back. Rather than looking at her, he was eyeing the two men who had just walked in. "Guess I'd better be off, it's getting late."
He lingered while though, pretending to observe a painting of a fox hunt that hung on the wall.
“I dunno. Maybe. Let me think about it first.”
The shorter man rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, then turned to Wilroc out of curiosity. “What do you say?“ he asked, “do you hunt?”
Alayna looked over at Will as she rang up the pastries.
The day was only half over, and she was already tired and ready for bed. She blinked the tiredness out of her eyes and rubbed them as she leaned over the counter. She was only allowing herself to do this because the bakery was currently vacant. The morning rush was finally over and all of the stragglers had gone, taking about half of the work she’d spent last night working on. Her “too tired to care” mood she called it. Fortunately, one of her friends was supposed to stop by today, so hopefully that would raise her mood rather than make her more irritable, because honestly? It could go either way.
Layna finally sat up and absently started wiping down the counter she’d been leaning over. Cleaning while working was a habit she was proud of, really, though right now she wasn’t thinking much of it. She leaned over to pull a basket out of the display case in front of her that was emptied of the rolls that had been in it and set it in the back as she pondered what she’d do that night. She’d have to get tomorrow’s baking done before sunset, and she planned on making pretzels. She didn’t want to do anything after that, just sleep.
She glanced out the window expectantly, wondering at exactly what time he planned on showing up.
...
A tall man moseyed his way down the rocky streets, his hands in his pockets.
Can’t be too late.
Wilroc was glad the streets had emptied out as little. It wasn’t pleasant having your boot slip into horse crap when there’s no room to move out of the way.
Will eventually made it to the solid-looking wood cabin that was his good friend Alayna’s home. He stepped up to the door, giving it a few brisk knocks
At the knocking sound from the next room, Layna turned towards the back wall and pushed open the swinging double doors into the second building after tossing her towel on the counter.
Finally.
She walked through the hallway, taking the moment alone to take a deep breath. She let it out and unlocked the door, pulling it open and looking up at the man. She huffed a breath out as she politely smiled, stepping aside so that the visitor could walk in. “Took you long enough,” she said jokingly. “The morning rush was over ages ago, so I don’t have much to offer you, but you can try to find something to eat out of the other room.” She mentioned to the double doors, through which lay the bakery.
“My bad,” chuckled Wilroc, giving her a warm smile and heading toward the back room. It smelled warm and yeasty, wooden shelves holding a variety of bread loaves and pastries.
Will selected a croissant and an apple fritter, scarfing down the croissant in a few bites and heading back to the front room.
“So,” he began. “How’s this little plan of yours going to work?” He took a bite out of his fritter, brushing the crumbs off the front of his shirt.
Layna slumped against the counter again and dangled her hands over the front edge. “I don’t know,” she said sullenly, her expression becoming more aggrieved. “I don't even know who to target, to be honest.” she frowned at the soiled wooden floor where Wilroc had just walked. “We’re not in the wild, mate!” She said, offhandedly changing the subject. “You can’t just trample mud around in here! I’ve got an image to keep up.” Layna sat up and stomped through the double doors and grabbed a mop leaning against the wall. She began scrubbing at the floors next to Wilroc vigorously. “You do this about every time,” she complained, “whether snow or rainwater or whatever.”
The tall man blinked. “Right, my bad,” he said apologetically.
He stepped out of Layna’s way so he didn’t encumber her mopping.
“Hmmm… obviously we have to target someone important to make a difference,” he mused. “
But not too high profile, because we don’t want to destroy the entire world. Yet.” Will ran a hand through his messy black hair, tapping his foot thoughtfully. He tipped his head towards Alyana. “I think I’d need to be more familiar with the officials here though.”
Alayna scrubbed on in silence for a moment, running what Wilroc had said through her thought process.
“The soldiers on either side of this ridiculous war would mirror the beliefs they project, right?” She said absently, pulling herself up straight and gazing around the room with half-focused eyes as she thought. “I mean, yeah, I know either side would.. do that,” her gaze hardened,” but I’m not looking to wage war with the whole world right now. Just half of it. Or a third of it, technically.” She waved a hand dismissively towards the west wall of the bakery. “Whatever. I just don’t know how to find out who it was. We’re close enough to Freedman that it could be any number of the king’s supporters or just some soldier from down South.” Layna sighed.
“You can try heading down towards the Rebel base to see if you can figure out anything,” she said, leaning on the mop handle as she looked over at Will. “And I can send someone up North to check around there. I know it’s not safe, but I trust you. And I can’t go anywhere myself until we have solid information cause someone might need my help.”
"You're right. Process of elimination." he gazed up at the roof. "Yeah. I can do that."
Wilroc paced to the window that faced the street, leaning his elbows down on the sill so he could peer outside. “Tonight?” he asked.
“Sure,” Alayna shrugged. “Just, y’know, be careful. Per usual. I’ll go out tonight and..” she trailed off just as two men strode into the bakery, chatting with each other. The first one nodded agreeably to Wilroc as his shorter companion continued talking; “I mean, if y’have a good ‘un, I really wanna take it out an' try my hand. I’m not gonna ruin it or anything!” He elbowed the other man, who chuckled and placed his hands down on the counter, and leaned over the edge.
Layna quickly swept around the counter and placed a hand on the cash register, glancing between the two. “What can I get you?” She asked. “Two apple strudel things an a few muffins,” the taller man said nonchalantly, then turned back to his companion. “How’d I know ye aren’t gonna ruin it?” He questioned in a good-natured tone. “Will took it out the other day an' scratched the livin’ daylights outta it while hunt in’ those things!”
Alayna grabbed the requested pastries and wrapped them in a paper while listening to the two’s conversation. Her ears perked when he heard the name “Will,” and instantly thought of the other man in the room. She knew it had to be a coincidence though. The name Will was popular anyway.
Hmmm.
"Good talk," Will said, giving Layna a hearty pat on the back. Rather than looking at her, he was eyeing the two men who had just walked in. "Guess I'd better be off, it's getting late."
He lingered while though, pretending to observe a painting of a fox hunt that hung on the wall.
“I dunno. Maybe. Let me think about it first.”
The shorter man rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, then turned to Wilroc out of curiosity. “What do you say?“ he asked, “do you hunt?”
Alayna looked over at Will as she rang up the pastries.
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