Yaaawn…Mmmm*
Lucy yawned accompanied with a soft moan.
She slowly stirred in her cozy bed, some occasional sunlight filtering through the curtains.
Puurr* Freya purred while curling beside her.
Lucy stretched beneath her soft sheets, pulling them away and easing into the day.
Firstly after she stood up, she pulled the curtains covering the big windows away, letting the morning sunlight inside.
Freya, now fully wake joined her, getting out of bed and stretching.
„Goodmorning, sleepy princess. Took you a while. You ready?" Lucy said with a smile.
„Earn some XP, hehehe," she giggled, only to be interrupted by a loud grumbling of her stomach.
„But first eat something," she finished.
She forwarded down the stairs and going straight to the kitchen, where she found freshly harvested ingredients. Neatly packed and clean.
„Now that I think about it, it was surely the previous Lucy who harvested some of those ingredients," she muttered while looking at some lettuce and radishes.
„Ehem… Problem is… I don't know how to cook. I never cooked before," she said dispirited. „And I don't want to only eat some vegetables. Mhm, let's go with something basic, that's something I can do. Hopefully," Lucy said, taking out a pan and putting it on top of a fire place.
„Wait, huh? How do I start a fire? I don't see-," before she could finish her pondering, she was interrupted by a knock at the door.
„He's here? So early… he said that he wants to come in the morning. Gawd, how do I know when he will come here. There is no clock here," Lucy complained and walked to the door. „Oh, he wanted to bring the others. I forgot their names though. Alec and Melina? Something like that," she thought.
Unlocking the door, what greeted her was a group of youths.
In the front was a boy with warm- brown eyes and chestnut-brown hair. He looked around 8 years old and wore a deep blue tunic, covered by a miniature version of a breastplate. Adding to this attire he wears a belt, accompanied with black trousers and tall leather boots. This young boy was little Tom.
Beside him was a quiet little girl and a shy-looking boy.
The girl had dark brown hair with a hairpin and sleepy green eyes. She wore a dark green tunic and black cardigans with a satchel where she keeps some books inside. She wears comfortable shoes and a pendant around her neck. Her name was Melissa, and she was 7 years old.
On the left side of Tom was a thin and frail looking boy with pitch black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a knee-long black coat and a white shirt underneath, together with black pants and leather shoes. He was shakily repositioning his glasses, clearly insecure. This youths name was Alex and he was the same age as Melissa. And he looked just as feminine as her.
„Hii Lucy, I brought Melissa and Alex over, just as I promised. Look how excited they are!" Tom cheered as she gestured to Melissa and Alex, only to be met my silence. Melissa looked at Lucy, squinting her eyes, while Alex tilted his head, looking into the distance.
„Uhhh," Lucy was clearly overwhelmed by this uncomfortable situation. „How about you come in first? We haven't eaten yet," she said while a small feline cat poked out behind her.
„Okay, we will wait a bit longer then. Let me prepare the carriage and load the crops," Tom said. „You can first wait too, let me do it," he finished while looking at Melissa and Alex. Then, he gestured to Melissa. „Ladies first," he said.
Melissa blushed and walked inside followed by Alex, who still held his head down.
„Then I will go prepare, take your time, Lucy and…?"
„Freya," Lucy finished. „Thank you, oh, can you light the fireplace? I want to use a pan and don't have any means right now."
„Oh, sure. Here, take this flint and steel," he said while taking something out of his pocket. „Always prepared and ready."
Lucy simply took the flint and steel and closed the door infront of his face, not bothering about him anymore.
„He actually gives me the vibes of a knight," she mused. „This group in general. One looks like a librarian, or herbalist, while the other looks like a scholar, or maybe a future mage like me. What a promising group in found myself in," she thought.
„Okay, so will make some scrambled eggs now. Are you guys hungry too?" Lucy asked as she walked into the kitchen, past the living room where Alex and Melissa sat on a couch.
„Oh? Mhm, please…" Alex answered while looking down at the ground, unable to hold eye contact with Lucy. „I missed your cooking," Alex and Melissa said at the same time.
She could see them lick their lips unconsciously. „Don't expect something special now, alright?" Lucy thought.
First she lit the fire, putting some dry leaves into the fireplace before. Then she cracked some eggs into the pan, waited a bit and then stirred them. Adding some salt and pepper inside, together with some ham, she then mixed it again.
After a few minutes the dish was already ready. She put out some utensils and plates out of the hanging shelves, and put them onto the desk in the living room.
Bringing the pan with her, she divided the portions. Her getting the biggest one, as Alex and Melissa already ate before.
Freya, on the other side, got some milk and ham to eat.
After eating to their hearts content, they got up and went to the garden through another door in the living room.
There, Tom already waited with a small Carriage, clearly meant to be pushed by youths, loaded with radishes.
The Carriage stood in the middle of the farm, on the bigger pathway that divided it into two halves.
The Stone Gate in front was already wide open, the doors tied to the mossy stone wall.
„So you finally finished. Took you guys long enough. I am all ready over here too. Then, if everything is ready… Then lets depart!" Tom said aloud as the two front wheels of the carriage rolled on the ground.
…
The road from the Paddington's over to the Clearwater Village marketplace takes about 20 minutes if you go there. With a small loaded carriage and a group of kids, it should take around 30 minutes or a bit more.
„Oh, by the way, why do you guys even help me with this stuff? I mean, you don't get anything out of that, right? Tom's reason is that his mom forced him and he couldn't risk making her angry. And because he's such a honorable knight," Lucy said, the last sentence being more sarcastic.
„I want to look at the marketplace there to get a bigger view on the prices there and what kind of herbs are more in need right now," Melissa said. „My parents want to go to the Clearwater Forest in a few days time and they want to take mit with them. To learn a bit, they want me to do my own researches."
„So she's an alchemist or herbalist of some kind? Another merchant maybe? I befriended some potential bigshots," Lucy thought to herself.
She then shifted her attention to Alex, who, under her inquiring shining yellow eyes, looked away.
„I-I just wanted t-to spend some time with you guys again. Mom said I should go outside a-again. Dad also wanted me to go meet Old Man Gerald to help you with selling crops," Alex stuttered while never lifting his head up again.
Lucy stared at him a bit long, only tl make him getting redder and redder.
She then looked away when she saw the small gate of Clearwater Village. A teasing smile still visible on her lips.
„Ohh, goodmorning little miss Paddington. Together with her entourage, a pretty rare sight for the last weeks," One of two guards said to the other. The guards had simple armor, looking slightly more advanced to Tom's armor.
„Be safe and don't let this old geezer scam you guys. Tom, protect them if needed!" the other guard added, laughing.
Clearwater Village was circular in form, being surrounded by a 5 meter tall spiky wood wall. The City had one Entrance, the Gate where the group passed right now.
There is one road leading into the center of the Village, where another circular area was. This area was a bustling marketplace. Leading from the main road, different smaller roads connected different parts of the village.
A training compound in the west, where youths of different ages trained. They used long range weapons like spears and bows, or close range weapons like swords and axes.
Another section of this training compound was a shuttled down area where mages trained. But differently than knight, mages are a rare sight. Seeing them train and use their spells is even more rarer, as most mages want to use their time for mediation to achieve more power.
Lastly but not least, there is a mansion on the end of the main road. The mansion is just as big as the Paddington's House including its garden. It's Outline alone could be seen from the marketplace.
When the group of 4 arrived at the entrance of the marketplace, Melissa separated from the group, starting her own research on herbs that would be profitable for her family.
Little Tom, while being in a dilemma on who to follow next, decided to follow Melissa as she was all alone, leaving Lucy in the company of the shy Alex.
„T-then follow me, okay. Keep up close, L-Lulu," he mustered his confidence to say, even mentioning the nickname Tom always call her.
„Okayy, I am right behind you~" she said, giggling to herself.
Freya, who was sitting on the carriage looked over to her, as if saying „Leave this boy alone, he's a good one… ."
They then walked on a cobblestone path that lead them to a house with a dark oak wood door, with a sign on the outside that stated „Thornfield Caravan". The sign hanged on the second floor of the house, that was supported by wooden pillars. The larger second floor acted as a roof for the entrance to the shop. Another pathway lead to the back of the shop where a cobblestone courtyard was located. Carriages of all sizes were stationed. There you could hear the people haggle over prices, shouting so loudly that you could hear them upfront.
When Lucy and Alex arrived at this said courtyard, Alex mustered up all his left Courage and entered the shop.
After a few minutes he left with a blank expression, his head hung low.
„S-sorry, Lucy," he said, calling her by her real name.
„This Old Man Gerald is really something else…"
…