After their first restless night in a alley in Tiramdal, the group of seven returned to The Rotten Tankard just before the sun came over the walls. As they entered Jack said "good, at least you seven know what is best for you. Now, I want you three"-he pointed at Alexander and the two boys-"to help with some of the heavier work, I've got some new stock coming in today to replenish what you stole yesterday. Whilst you girls can go with Linda over there and help her with what she needs help with" before pointing towards one of the maids.
For the next few weeks the seven of them spent their days helping in the tavern. Jack turned out to be happy with their work during the first week so he let them sleep on the floor in the storage room. After all, he was certain that they wouldn't dare to steal again. During this time they managed to learn some things about the city. They learnt that the area that the tavern was located in was one of the harsher areas, controlled for the most part by different gangs. To get any kind of safety they would have to travel towards the centre and northern part of the city. It turned out to have been only by pure luck that no one had stumbled across them and done something to them during their week in the alley.
After a month and a half had passed Jack told the group that they would be free to go now, but if they wanted to continue sleeping in the storage they would have to do the same work. One of the boys decided that he didn't want to stay, he said he would rather try to make something of himself so he left the group. Other than that nothing really changed for the rest of the group. They continued to work and sleep at the tavern. A few months later one of the girls said she had fallen in love with one of the patrons and was to marry him. At this Jack just sighed, but said nothing. And so the group became five.
It was another month or so before anything else note worthy happened. One of the three remaining girls didn't come back after going out to do some errands. A few days later one of the maids told the group that a girls body had been found in an alley. Asking her what had happened, the maid refused to go into detail, only saying that they shouldn't walk out alone, even on an errand. Thus leaving the group down to four. A week after this the two remaining girls didn't dare stay in this area of the city any longer, and ended up running of somewhere, not even telling anyone that they would leave. Jack had at this point grown a little fond of the children so he asked around for a few days to see if he could learn anything about the two girls, but heard nothing.
Another week passed with only Alexander and the last boy, Bernard, being left of the group. At this point Jack told the two that he would let them move into a room he had managed to prepare under the staircase leading up from the tavern floor to some bedrooms. There wasn't much space in the room, but it was enough for them to sleep without too much difficulty, and it was a clear improvement from the storage room.
They continued helping Jack at the tavern for another six or so months, making Alexander now seven years old, or so he thought at least. Bernard was probably closer to fourteen or fifteen, so he decided it was time to see if he could find an apprenticeship. Given that they had been working for Jack for the last year, Jack was kind enough to put in a good word with a tanner he knew outside the city. At first Bernard wasn't too keen on becoming a tanners apprentice, but after a few days of thinking he found that it was the best option he had, even if he would have to live at the edge of any city, town or hamlet. After all he would have a profession, and he might even be good at it.
And so it was that Alexander found himself alone, at least in a way, for the first time since he had been found on the stairs of the church some six years ago. Being the only free worker Jack had, Alexander ended up getting more work to do, but both Jack and the maids working in the tavern was starting to grow more fond of him. So he spent the next few years helping with heavy lifting around the tavern, doing any and all jobs Jack set him to. For most of the days he would be busy, so he didn't get any time to look around the city. Most of what he learnt of the city was from the various patrons of the tavern who would start talking about anything when they drank enough. He learnt how most of the patrons were workers, who spent most of their coins there, and how they hated the middle and upper class.
When Alexander reached the age of ten he was starting to get quite good at all the odd jobs he would be doing around the tavern. However, since all of the other children from monastery had split, he didn't really have any one he could call a friend. So given that he was starting to have some more free time with the proficiency he started seeking out children around his own age in the area. There weren't really that many children out, but there were some so he made some friends that he could have fun with and play during his free time.
Nothing much really happened for the following years either, other than every once in a while one or two of the children of the group of friends Alexander had made not coming back again. But such events could be because of so many different things that neither he nor any of the other children much cared. Sure they felt a bit of a loss, losing a friend of sorts, but they were for the most part just meeting to have fun and play.
As Alexander was reaching the age of fourteen he heard talk in the tavern of war coming to the lands. It was being said that any man that wanted to join could. He would be paid a weekly wage of one silver coin. Hearing this Alexander instantly started to pay attention. This was perhaps his chance to go somewhere. To experience something new, of course seeing that he had already died once, he was somewhat afraid of dying again but it still might be a chance to get his own money. For the next few days he decided that he would be going towards the centre of the city to see if he could hear any more solid evidence about this. Listening to drunks in a tavern wasn't always the safest way to be sure of what was true or not.
Getting to what was the main square of the city he could see multiple criers shouting news and proclamations. In one corner of the square he could spot what appeared to be a soldier, at least it was a person in uniform. So Alexander decided that he should approach this crier and hear if it was true about the possibility of serving the army. Stopping in front of the soldier Alexander took a few deep breaths before asking "is it true that I can sign up for the army for a wage of a silver a week?" The solider looked Alexander up and down before giving a bit of a lacklustre response "it is true that you can sign up for the army yes, but looking at you, the wage wouldn't be more than fifteen copper a week. And I can imagine you have no coin, so for the first few months you would probably not get any copper either as you would have to pay for own gear."
Alexander wasn't too happy too learn that it wasn't more than fifteen copper a week, and that he would have to pay for his own gear. But still, he thought to himself, it was a chance of a different life. And so he asked the soldier where it was that he would have to go to sign up. The solider didn't really seem to care much, but said that there was a recruitment camp set up outside the east gate of the city. He said that every would be recruit were to meet there before the end of the week if they wanted to enlist in the army. Hearing this Alexander decided that he should return to The Rotten Tankard and tell Jack that he would enlist.