I woke up late the next day, everyone was already up and about. Liam, Bravo and Troy were helping Jack build a house for him and Holly, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were helping Diana fill a cart with metals to bring back to Riverhold in the coming days, and Maddie and Holly were teaching Jake how to cook.
I took a few steps out from the front door, and saw Conner walking around, hand on his sword.
"Good morning Prestin." Conner said, when he looked over to me.
"Ah, good morning." I responded, "on guard duty this morning?"
"That's right." He started, and then leaned up against the town hall, "But to be honest, not much is happening today. It's pretty quiet."
Taking a moment to breathe and take in the scenery, I noticed the same thing. Aside from the rustling of the leaves and the work of the others, nothing was going on in the forest.
"But I know that the one time I slack off would be the one time something happens, so I should stay on guard." Conner said, standing up from the wall. "So what are your plans for today? Gonna work on that house you were talking about yesterday?"
"Yep, I'm going to go to where I set up the foundations yesterday in a bit." I sniffed the air, "Maybe after seeing what Jake is cooking."
"I might have to do that later too," Conner said, looking over to where the savory smell is coming from, "He's been learning from Holly and Madeline for the past few days, and he's a surprisingly fast learner for how much he dislikes doing things."
A silence hung in the air for a moment, signaling the conversation had ended, so Conner said, "I'll see you around Prestin." and continued his patrol.
I took a deep breath through my nose to get as much of the smell as possible as I walked over to where Jake was cooking. The smell got stronger and gave away that he was cooking fish, fried in oil, seasoned with garlic and cilantro. Usually the type of thing you'd serve with rice and a slightly sweet drink, its smell reminded me of my grandpa's diner back home, as this dish was easy to make and was one of the more popular dishes served there.
Maddie was the first to notice me heading over, "Oh hey Prez," she waves, "you wanna try some of this? Its like what your grandpa makes."
"It definitely smells like it." I said, "Hey Holly, how're you doing?"
"I'm doing well." she said, "Jack's been working on a house for us an our child since the early hours of the morning, so I've been thinking about how to decorate the interior."
"That's great, do you have any names for the baby yet?"
"Not yet," Holly said, "Its hard to decide, but we have time to figure something out."
There was a moment of silence, so I turned to Jake and asked, "So, you're cooking now?"
"Yeah," Jake responded awkwardly, "I didn't have any skills, and I started to feel bad about not being able to do anything, so I asked Holly to teach me to cook, then Madeline jumped in and taught me this recipe once I had the basics down."
"Nice, mind if I have a taste?"
"Sure." Jake said, "Go ahead."
"It's supposed to be like the fried fish your grandpa makes," Maddie added, "so it should taste similar."
"Have you guys tried it yet?" I asked.
"No, not yet. It's just finished as you came up, so..." Jake trailed off.
"I get it," I said, "I'll see how you did."
When I took a bite of the fish, I held it in my mouth for a moment, before chewing and swallowing, and said, "Woah. You guys were really close, but there's one thing missing to it."
"Wait what?" Maddie said, "What is it?"
"That's as secret." I made a motion on my mouth to say that my lips are sealed, "but," I continued looking to where Diana was prepping a cart to go back to Riverhold, "I'll bring some of it back from Riverhold. I've a feeling they're gonna ask me to go anyways to keep everyone from getting lost."
While Maddie made a pouting face, Jake smiled and said, "Thanks Prestin, that means a lot. If it's not too much to ask, could you bring a recipe or two back as well? I'd like to make some food that reminds me of home."
"Sure thing," I said, "By the way, do you have a lettuce leaf? I'd like to take some to go."
"You got it." Jake said, as he made a fish wrap with the leaf.
"So you're gonna make your house today?" Maddie asked, and when I nodded, she said, "Do you need any help with that?"
I shook my head, "Thanks but I'll be fine, I've got it all planned out an prepared, so it should be done by the end of the day."
"Are you gonna use the amber thing?"
"Yeah," I responded, "I've never done anything this big, so it may take a while, but it shouldn't be too strenuous."
We then said our goodbyes for the time being, and I took a bite of the fish wrap as I walked to where I set up the seeds.
'Damn, even though its missing the hint of wasabi, its still really good. Grandpa would lightly coat the pan in wasabi before adding the oil, giving it the slightest spice, but this is a bit more tame, but isn't lacking in flavor. Maybe Jake is a prodigy with cooking.'
I continued thinking to myself as I walked to where I had set up the seeds the previous day.
'How should I set up the house? I want it to open into a living room and kitchen. A smaller room to store various things would be nice. My bedroom will be upstairs, I could also put some fruit tree seeds in a room later, so that'll go on the first floor...'
By the time I got to where I had set up everything, I had thought up almost the entire floor plan of the house, but something still felt off about it. I couldn't place my finger on it for a while, and I just swatted down staring at the seedlings until I took another bite of the fish.
'That's it! It's not the house itself that feels off, but the location. Why would I want a house here on the outskirts of town, when I could have it be on the shores of the sea?'
I started picking up the seedlings and started talking out loud as I went over to the shore and quickly found the spot. "It's perfect." I said, placing the seedlings back in the ground, "The dirt is fertile and stable, so the seeds will grow and not shift around, and there are rocks to hold the dirt in place. I could add a pier and its closer to the rest of the town."
I clenched my fist and focused on growing the seeds into trees. There were enough of them that it could be an almost complete wall of wood. I made sure to grow the trees with some gaps to form windows and I left a gap to add a door later. I paused and found that I was drenched in sweat from head to toe and the sun, which was high in the sky when I started, had almost fallen to the horizon. I looked around and found Maddie and Conner looking on.
I took a few deep breaths and sat down, looking at how much I've done. The main room is finished, and doorframes for the front and back doors, as well as the storage and drying rooms were ready, just needing the rooms themselves to be added.
'I'll need to get more seeds for the side rooms, but what I need now is a break.'
I looked over and saw Maddie walking over with a towel and something wrapped in cloth. I nodded as she came over and she handed me the towel.
"Thanks Maddie." I said, wiping the sweat off my hair and face.
"Of course, you've been at this for hours. I also brought you something to eat." Maddie said, unwrapping the cloth, revealing dried meat and fresh fruits, and setting it down next to me.
Picking up a piece of fruit I said, "Oh wow, thanks again Maddie." while having the trees' roots grow larger and deeper into the ground and finishing the roof. "Do you want to keep me company while I finish?" I asked, and Maddie stuttered for a moment before saying, "Oh, I-I'd love to, but I promised Holly I'd help with something," and leaving.
"Ok then," I said as she left, "Bye."
I sat and ate the food Maddie brought me, while finishing up the stairs to the second floor and the walls to the side rooms, which I decided to just grow up from the roots underground. I then added the walls and ceiling to my bedroom just as I finished the last piece of meat, and decided to stop once the sun set.
I went inside my house for the first time and couldn't help but smile. 'I did it. All of it. I still need to finish up the roofing on the side rooms, but it feels like home.' I went up the stairs to my bedroom, which was the same size as the one back in Riverhold, and looked out the window towards the rest of town. I then grew a pillow on the floor from leaves packed together, and once I laid down and closed by eyes I fell right to sleep.
I remember the dream I had that night vividly, because I dreamt that I made the roofing on all the floors from a thick layer of leaves, with a shallow angle on the lower levels but a much sharper angle above my bedroom, almost enough to make an attic. In the dream I then grew a bed from the floor, and stacked leaves to make it comfortable compared to the wooden floor. I them laid down on the bed in the dream, and woke up in real life. When I did, it was morning, and I was in the same bed that I fell asleep in while dreaming.