Lisbeth Quintraill had just finished feeding the cattle and poultries that night. She was about to go back inside when she heard a faint whimper, a deep purring sound from something behind the stable. It was weak, but definitely doesn't come from a small beast. She walked slowly, knowing that in this world, there are magical beast and, even worse, monsters. She slowly raise her lantern, and the light reflects on something. A glistening greenish-black scales.
A dragon, but by the size of the beast, it may as well have been a wyvern that was led astray, and crashed itself to nearby civilians houses.
"By the sevens....." Lisbeth rushed to the dragon, checking if any beating sounds in the chest were still available, there was a faint sound, albeit weakened.
She scrambled around her belt to check her tools and purses with medicine. A few bottles of liquid in the colors of green marked "Peppertail oil", red marked "Centaurian blood" and white with "Liquid Shadow" were mixed all together inside an empty flask and in a few minutes while waiting for the mixture to react, she finally made a liquid in the colors of gold.
She quickly hover herself above, where there was a visible wound that was assumed made from the swing of a sword, cut deep, poured the mixture gently over it while hushing to soothe the pain,
The dragon jolted, their wings flapped and generated a gust of wind. It almost flung its own body by the maple tree behind them.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy, sorry, I know it stings a lot from the Peppertail, but it worked, right?!" She reassured the dragon in panic.
The dragon looked over, and in a few minutes, the scars on his back were slowly covered with a glistening gold that would soon enclose it and left a healed wound. The dragon, whose eyes were unable to stay open, suddenly bewildered by what they just experienced.
"Ah, thank goodness.... I'm glad you're okay, I heard dragons have fast healing properties if they drink the right medicine.... So...." she twiddled with her fingers, looking down upon the road scattered with hays.
As she stopped, she took the napkin she was wearing on her apron and wiped the remaining blood that was staining the scales. The dragon just let the blonde maiden before them do as she pleases, it made Lisbeth felt more reassured that the dragon has trusted her.
Lisbeth then stood up, she dusted the hem of her skirts.
"Can you talk? If you can't, it's alright..." She looked around, there was a mountain of haystacks for the horses to eat that was clobbered due to the dragon being restless. But then her eyes found a dried blanket, then warped the scattered hays with the cloth.
"Sorry I'm in a hurry, I have a night shift at the tavern, you can rest here until you healed! Oh and--" before she continued, she grabbed a pack of blood in her bag. "Though I have no fresh meat, I hope the blood will suffice.... that's all, I'll see you later!"
Lisbeth gently put the pouch on the ground and quickly runs off out of the stable after locking the gate. She ran as fast as she could to the main road. Not waiting for the resting dragon to reply, the emeralds around its eyes just stares into the distance as she went further away.
—
The sign that carved "Brightdraught Tavern" has the bell below it ringing relentlessly. Inside, it was lively today, a group of traveling adventurers and scholars were having a drinking party to celebrate something that wasn't familiar with Lisbeth. Not to mention tourists from another city came by.
"And table six needs four more refills on the beer! Don't forget to take table twelve's order! Has the roasted lamb pie been done yet?!" An older bartender was yelling out in the open bar.
"Y-yessir!" Lisbeth frantically took the heavy jugs of beers and served everyone by the orders, even the cook behind the serving hatch was multitasking trying to chop the vegetables while holding his skillet. It was hectic, but it's like any other day on the weekends.
When the hour finally hits three o'clock, Lisbeth and the chef behind finally breathes out a loud sigh, she holds the mop by her hand with a drowsy face. Lethargic after the adrenaline rush of serving multiple customers in one sweep.
The crowd gets thinner, the voices are slowly mellowing out. As she was busy gathering her breath, The bartender tapped Lisbeth's shoulder and handed her over a drink.
"You know, you messed up the table orders today, I counted three mistakes, the two scholars got their drink wrong and so was the blacksmith..."
"I know...." she sighed, "I hate weekends, why would people want to spend their time wasting their energy! It should be time to rest!" She frowned.
The bartender just hovered a glass of drink above her head in a playful manner. "You say that again and you may not get a paycheck enough for your experiments." He shook his head.
"Uuu, come on... Cut me some slack, I worked years with you." She said as she took the cup, then slowly drank the content inside.
It had the taste of blood-orange, infused with lavender, mint and honey. The sweetness of the honey balances out the sour taste. It was refreshing, the perfect drink to end the hellish shift she just went through.
"..... okay i won't complain, for now." She gulped more and more until she was halfway.
The bartender just laughed, then made a mess on Lisbeth's blonde hair, she frowned playfully yet laughed together with him, the cook behind the kitchen finally appeared with a loud sigh and the bartender also offered him a drink.
The night before dawn was full of murmurs, the cook just gossiped about the people from the market, another was about scandals between the Lectors, a high-order of the country's government.
"Eh, why care, not like we will ever be in those people's place..." she said as she wiped the table.
"Aww you're no fun Lizzy, what's more entertaining than seeing people from the higher ups flocking around like headless geese?"
"I guess? But talking about them isn't really affecting how we get paid." She said as she threw the cloth to the bucket, "Though.... rather than them, I wish I could just attend school there." She smiled, bitterly.
"..... Still hung up on that scholarship?"
She stopped wringing the cloth to the bucket, there was a pause before replying, a hint of sadness pangs on her eyes that wasn't visible to anyone, then she lifted her head and smiled.
"Nawh, I got over it." she continued, "besides, dad needed us, and Gale has worked in a better position, as long as he's getting better, we're good like this." she said while pressing the cloth against the table a little harder than usual.
"Awwh..." the cook put his hand on her and then just leaned his left elbow to her right shoulder, hovering his other hand up in the air. "Well, I mean, schools are expensive anyway! Even with the scholarship, you will have to work harder than you did now just to stay afloat, one mistake and you are probably in debt, or dropped out."
Lisbeth as she just nodded at everything he said.
"Now don't throw your awful ass experience on Lisbeth, Finnick boy, at least she has more willpower than you, who kept busy kissing other patron's ass." The bartender snuffed.
The cook, named Finnick, had his face turned red and he pointed at the bartender. "Hey! I know my awfully beautiful poetry and voice has captured many hearts out and about! I was a proud student from the Glasya course too!"
"..... But I ended up as a cook, but at least i get to make people smile! And I am satisfied with that, hmph!" He looked away, Lisbeth can't help smiling at their banter while being dragged by Finnick.
"Ah well, it's getting late.. I'll turn in my shift early if that's okay, dad is alone at the house now."
"Oh, he's finally released from the hospital?"
Lisbeth just nodded, and the boss and Finnick just looked at each other.
They turned their backs to behind the counter and whispered to each other, albeit Lisbeth can clearly hear what they are trying to say, she pretends not to.
Finally, as they finished rummaging behind, a big basket wrapped in cloth was put on top of the counter, she leaned her head to the right, wondering what this might be.
"Open it!" Both Finnick and the Bartender shouted in unison.
As she peeked inside what it was, it was her salary wrapped in an envelope, but with more bonus than she expected, along with some dried herbs, tied with a bow for medicinal purposes and high-quality preserved fruits, vegetables and meat inside a jar.
"Thank you but– Wha- what's the occasion?"
"At least for you not to worry about food and budget for a week, well accidents can be a pain in the arse, i feel him." The boss replied in his usual stern, yet caring voice.
Lisbeth was too stunned, but she smiled gently.
"T-this is so much though, are you guys sure? I–I uh, I'll tell him soon." she fidgeted.
"Nawh take it, mama was kind enough to pitch in, she's--" before Finnick could continue, a raspy, pleasantly-voiced woman cut through.
"Give only the best for my dear Lisbeth? Why of course, thank you finny."
The click of a heavy heel was heard coming from upstairs, there, a lady in a purple blouse and satin dress, with sleek, braided black hair greeted her, Lisbeth and Finny took a surprise while Boss just gestured, pinching the temple on his forehead.
"You've always been great to us ever since we hired you, though, today I feel like acting as your aunt, is that not allowed?" she smiled, gently cupped her cheeks.
"Uhm, but… I am just the same as the rest of the guys who works here, no?" She puts her hand on the back of her head.
"Lisbeth, honey…." she sighed, gently returning her palm to her cheeks. "We're a family, remember? I don't mind paying for his recovery without his daughter working for me, truthfully speaking, you never needed to work this hard."
The rest of the crew just looked at each other except Lisbeth, it was awkward, but Lisbeth once again, just smiled while gently holding the coarse yet tender hand on her cheeks.
"It's okay mam--Auntie, I mean, I don't think father will be okay with charity, he's always been like that..." she shrugged. "And I don't mind at all, really."
Stubborn, mama thought, While she took back her hand that was on his niece's face just now, she gently tapped her own cheeks with the tip of her forefinger, she yielded, "ah the two of you are not so different," she sighed.
"Oh well, now off you go, it's hard to talk with you here acting as my employee, come back when I can talk with my niece." She flipped her fan. Knowing it was a jest, Lisbeth just giggled.
As she wore her working messenger bag along with holding the package inside the basket she received, she bid farewell to the others who were still in the tavern.
Lisbeth walked outside the door with the bell clinging once again while the symbol of the sun and a glass of beer made from glass was reflecting the light from the lantern above it. The skies slowly became brighter but the sun hadn't gone out, she quickly donned her red robe and walked through the streets with the baskets, making her look like a character from a fairy tale.
She made it back home right as the skies are colored in purple blue hues. She entered her house, statics from the television can be heard with the light seeping through the walls. Finally turning it off, she was taking into account that it was probably been like that before she went to work. She then put the basket on the kitchen counter and sighed.
The tapping of her feet from the wooden floorboard to the stairs, was quiet enough as to not alert anyone to wake while she tries to walk to her room.
Before she arrived, she checked on her father from the gap of the unclosed door and he was sound asleep. Which made her feel relieved. No sign of Gale, her brother going out yet, and madam Bertha, the caretaker, is not scheduled this early, so she has a few hours of free time before sleeping.
She then finally entered her room, full of books on the topics of medicine, a hanging herb by the green–striped wallpaper, and unlabeled bottles were scattered on her working table, the bed? Was surprisingly tidy, the only place she would keep clean despite the hurricane of items inside her room.
While she threw herself to the bed, she noticed another light was flickering on her table. She would dismiss it as the bottle reflecting the light, but… The reflection was blinding, it was unusual.
She stood up once again, and checked on the unusual light. And to her surprise…. A heaping stack of what seems to be dragon scales was neatly placed on her table. The glistening scales in the colors of black, green and teal hues.
It took her by surprise when she realized that the window wasn't shut, it was no wonder that the dragon might have flown to her room, and put it at the place most visible to her.
She took one of the scales then sat down for a while on the edge of the bed. A warm feeling was seeping through her chest and it rose to her cheeks, a thankful, and finally, a smile she doesn't need to force once in a while.
Then an idea dawned on her, with how valuable it is, she took the chair from her working table and lit the lantern with her fingers, keeping herself awake until the sun rose. While unknown to her, the dragon was secretly still hanging on one of the branches of the tree near her room, a face of satisfaction was made, but hint of curiosity from its emerald eyes was also visible.
And from that day on, their fate has intertwined, for better or for worse.
—