Fiona
I was getting really tired of breaking pitchers.
Not only were they a pain in the ass to make, but the shards got everywhere. Not to mention it was a waist of good.. well, passable, ale.
"One of these days," I grumble as I dump an apron full of broken crockery in the trash.
"One of these days what?" Mable asks with a chuckle. "You're going to finally kick their asses?"
"One of these days," I continue with a teasing grin. "I'm going to pack my shit and head to the coast. Find a nice beach and park my ass in the sand and live a nice relaxing life. And you'll be stuck here with all these grabby men."
Mable shrugs, "fine by me. Sometimes I grab back." She gets a thoughtful look, "maybe I could move the tavern to the beach. I bet there's no seaside taverns like this in that dream of yours."
"There's whatever I want in it," I tell her. "That's why it's a dream. Because it isn't real and never will be."
"Fi," she says, her voice boarding on sad. "I know this isn't the life you dream of or the life you want, and I'm sorry for that."
"It's not your fault. You've been my savior in more ways than one," I tell her sincerely. "Who knows where I'd be without you."
Truth was I knew exactly where I'd be without Mable and the tavern-
Dead.
I'd always known that I was born in the wrong body. My mother always joked that she'd wanted a girl and my father wanted a boy so the gods had gotten confused and put a boys mind in a girls body.
When I was little it had been easy enough to explain why I was in boys clothes. We lived on a farm and mother didn't want my dresses to get destroyed. But as I got older, it became harder, especially when I started school.
The dresses made my skin itch and burn and most times I'd wear my pants under them, but that didn't stop the soul crushing feeling every time I had to put those dresses on. Dresses that immediately got stripped off the second I stepped into the house.
My mother tried to understand, tried to help the best that she could, and she was the only reason I survived those few years of school.
And then my mother died and my father lost himself. He became violent and made friends and enemies with the wrong people. He lost everything that he'd worked for, our home, money, everything except me. And that was only because the brothels he tried to sell me to said that I was too young and to try again once I reached maturity.
The day is gotten my first period, he'd smiled happily and went out to make a deal with nearest brothel. By the time he'd come back, I was long gone. I don't know what happened to him and I don't care. I'd like to think that the person he was going to sell me to had made an example of him and had tossed him to the same men that were waiting for me.
"I'd be dead without you," I say softly. "And that's the truth. This place might not be what I dream of, but it's home. I don't plan on going anywhere."
"Maybe you should," she says heavily.
"Kicking me out already?" I joke.
Mable shakes her head, "never. I just.. want you to be happy. To be free to be.. who you are. And that ain't Fiona the Barmaid.. is it?"
I give her a small smile, "Fiona the Barmaid isn't so bad. But you're right.. she's not me."
Mable swallows before asking, "so who are you?"
Just as I open my mouth to answer, Sam comes rushing into the kitchen, "there's a crazy orc here!"
Mable and I exchange a look before she demands, "what are you talking about girl?"
"There's a large green orc here," she says again. "Actually there's two but only one is acting crazy. Talking about how knows we have his mate and if we don't bring him out he's going to come get him!"
Mable sighs and grabs a large iron ladle, "Sam, go back up there and get the girls. I'll be there in a moment."
Mable and I follow Sam to the door and once Sam has disappeared through it, we look out at the crowd.
It wasn't hard to spot the orc, he towered over the crowd.
His green skin looked almost black in the dim light, his tusks a stark white with the tips a shiny gold. Long black hair cascades down his back, braided into a thing rope. The scars across his chest look vaguely familiar, but all orca have scars, don't they? I can't see his eyes but I could imagine how dark and cold they are.
There's another, larger orc standing behind him, his arms crossed as he watches the smaller one. An amused expression is on his face as if he thinks all this is funny. They look almost exactly alike, so maybe they were related. Brothers probably.
I glance over at Mable and her white knuckle grip on the ladle, "I think you're going to need a bigger spoon."
"Is that the one you woke up with?" She asks, her eyes glued to orc.
"I have no idea," I admit. "I never saw his face." The orc in question lifts something to his face and he inhaled deeply, his eyes roaming the room. My gaze goes to his hands and I groan, "that stupid orc is using my boot like a bloodhound."
"Did you fuck him?" She asks curiously. "Sam said he was looking for his mate."
"Do you think I'd be able to walk if I fucked him?" I deadpan. "I don't know what the whole mate thing is about. I never even talked to him. Hell, I never even saw him before this morning."
"Hmm," Mable grunts. "Alright here's what we are going to do. I'm going to go talk to them and you are going to stay here."
"What?"
She nods, "yeah, sounds like a plan. Stay here."
She dips out the door before I can respond and I watch her walk through the crowd to the orcs. They watch her approach, the bigger one with a curious look and the smaller one with an almost wild worried look.
I watch her talk to them, her arms animated as she shakes her head to their questions. Things seem to be going alright until several things happen-
The front door opens, sending a gust of wind through the room. Mables hair moves in the breeze and the big orc stiffens, his nostrils flaring as he breathes. He's on Mable in a flash, grabbing her.
Or trying to.
Mable hits him with her iron ladle so hard that the thing bends in half. The large orc appears dazed but only for a second.
"Mable!" I yell, rushing from the kitchen as the bigger one grabs her and buries his head in her neck.
The smaller one sees me rushing towards them through the crowd and he bellows, "MATE!"