[A Fractured Song] - Chapter 6 - Fantasy, Isekai (Portal Fantasy), Adventure
Edana thought she could smell smoke, and eggs being fried. Shaking her head, she buried herself deeper into her pillow. It couldn’t be. There were no servants in her little house. She deliberately made sure it was away from the bustle of the capitol. There was only Frances and she should be sound asleep at this hour.
She took a deep breath, and blinked, the dawn light peaking right behind her blinds and streamed into her room. Edana realized that she could indeed hear the sizzle of eggs, and someone humming an unfamiliar tune.
“Who is cooking—” Edana brushed her black hair out of her eyes, rolled out of bed, grabbed her staff and walked out of her room, still in her linen night shift. It was chilly, so she grabbed a worn woolen bedrobe before she put her slippers on and walked down the stairs.
As she entered the kitchen, the sound of her slippers against the tiled floor, alerted the cook to her presence.
“Good morning, Master,” said Frances cheerfully.
Edana rubbed her eyes and stared at the table. Fried eggs and a side of grilled pork belly were plated on the set table. It smelled heavenly, of her home before the war with the human Kingdom of Lapanteria. Before she had joined the war.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Good morning, Frances. This smells delicious. What are those?” she asked, pointing to two stacks of what looked like flat plates, piled on plates next to the woodstove. Frances appeared to be frying one in the iron griddle.
“They’re pancakes.” Frances blinked. “Wait, you don’t know what pancakes are?”
“Never heard of them. What ingredients do they need, and how do they taste?”
“Flour, water, eggs, milk, and butter. They’re quite sweet, and usually go well with maple syrup.”
“Okay, that I have heard of, though, usually they are used with crepes.”
“Oh! Well, pancakes are basically thicker crepes.” Frances turned back to the skillet and gave the pancake a practiced toss, flipping the pancake. “Nearly done. Uh, I used a jar of milk and a tab of butter Master. We’ll need to replace those.”
“You need not worry, supplies are regularly delivered here,” said Edana, sitting down at the table.
Frances nodded, sliding the pancake onto one of the stacks and bringing both plates to the table. She set one in front of Edana, who took in the smell and smiled.
“This smells delicious, Frances. Thank you for all your hard work.”
The girl smiled. “My pleasure, Master, and it was not too hard. It took a little longer because of the different kitchen equipment, but I do this every day at home.”
Edana just managed to catch herself before she narrowed her eyes. Something about what her student said rang very wrong. Cooking breakfast for one’s family was common, particularly amongst commoners in Erisdale. But if Frances cooked breakfast for her family, then why was she so thin? After all, none of the Otherworlders were poor, and from what the White Order had gleaned, the world they came from was wealthy enough to provide children with public education from as early as age seven.
“Well, sit down then, before this gets cold,” said Edana, smiling as widely as she could.
Somehow, Frances didn’t notice and happily sat down across from her.
“By the way, Frances, would you mind if we say grace?” Edana asked.
“Oh, um, to whom?” Frances asked, intrigued.
“Amura and Rathron,” said Edana with a solemn tone. “They are the twin gods we humans worship. Amura the father, and Rathron the mother. Granted, if you are not comfortable worshipping our gods, I understand.”
Frances pursed her lips, “If it would make you happy, Master, then of course.”
“Alright. Clasp your hands and close your eyes,” said Edana. Frances obeyed and the pair closed their eyes. The mage took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Father Amura, Mother Rathron, thank you for this bountiful meal and the produce that forms it.”
And guide me in helping my newest student, begged Edana silently.
As Edana spoke, her voice took on a distant, formal intonation that Frances found herself in awe with. She didn’t know these gods, but Edana inviting her to participate in something she clearly deeply believed in was both strange, and yet, comforting.
“Your humble servant asks you to bless this meal and the chef who cooked it with such care and devotion. I can tell that she must have woken up at the crack of dawn to accomplish such a feat.”
Frances’s eyes snapped open and she stared at her mentor. It wasn’t entirely true. She’d gotten up shortly after dawn broke. But she’d never been blessed, or for that matter, thanked so sincerely, for cooking breakfast before. Or at least, not that she could remember.
“Thank you and va tollentus,” finished Edana, saying the ending words to the prayer.
Frances quickly shut her eyes, before Edana opened them. Luckily, the woman didn’t notice.
“Well then, let’s eat.”
Frances nodded and opened her eyes. “Yes, Master.”
[hr]
A jaunty tune filled the forest, along with the whistle of a gust of wind. The cause of both? Frances, singing her heart out as she blew the fallen leaves on the path to the house clear, whilst under Edana’s close eye.
Running out of breath, Frances let the spell dissipate. Her hands rubbed her arms, just over the worst of her bruises. They weren’t gone yet, but that didn’t alarm her too much. It usually took at least two weeks for the bruises to disappear.
“Everything alright, my student?”
Frances swallowed. “Yes, Master.”
And she was only partly lying. Frances’s arms and back continued to ache, and they did bother her.
However, that was more than offset by the fact that she hadn't had so much fun in such a long time. Yesterday, she’d made a rock fly! The morning wasn’t over, and she was blowing leaves by controlling the wind! What would tomorrow bring? Flying? Potion-making? She had good food, a nice bed, and lots of books to read. It was near to paradise as she could imagine.
Frances straightened and smoothed out her dress. All she needed to do was to make sure she didn’t give her master reason to discard her. She was on probation after all.
“Take a short rest. You deserve it. You’ve nearly cleared the entire path,” Edana chuckled.
“Yes, Master. Um… can I—” Edana handed Frances a flask, which she gratefully drank from— “Thank you, Master.”
“You’re welcome,” said Edana. “Now, I am going to show you how to move water.” she reached out to Frances’s shoulder, intending to guide her to the stream nearby.
Only for Frances to suddenly flinch away and take a step back.
The two stared at one another. The student with wide eyes, knees slightly crouched and shoulders braced. The teacher, hand out, frown on her face.
“Is there something wrong, Frances?”
The girl shook her head. “No, Master. Sorry, you just surprised me.”
Noting that her student seemed to cringe at her narrowed gaze, Edana shut her eyes and forced herself to smile. “Alright then. Let’s head to the river.”
As she led the way to the river, though, Edana couldn’t help but wonder why her student seemed so jumpy. There were just too many instances where Frances had flinched, jumped or otherwise looked as if she was bracing for someone to hit her.
But why?
Author's Note: 6th Update! Hopefully, this will mean certification! YAY!
Hopefully, you all are managing in this trying time. As always, feel free to comment and ask me questions :)
Posted Mar 27, 2020, 7:54 PM UTC · edited