Sokeefe AU: The Farmer's Daughter

Part One

Keefe hadn't wanted a job.

He didn't need one. Elves had a birth fund that set them for their entire life. Why would he work if he didn't need the payment? What was the point of that?

But it was always hard to say no when his father wanted something. Always hard to say no for Keefe, in general.

"You need to learn respect," Cassius had insisted. "And responsibility."

As if living with him hadn't already taught him that. As if respect was something to give to people who didn't deserve it.

Still, he didn't say no. He never could, not to his dad, not to his mom, who only tolerated him because he was good at doing things. He was good at being someone to yell at. He was good at being useless. He was good at staring at the ground and mumbling a quiet, "Yes, sir," when his father demanded he get a job.

He was good at those things.

Not much else, though, he decided later, laying in bed while the rest of the world slept. I'm not good at much else.

His father had just told him so earlier.

°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°·°

Keefe's fingers shook as he stared at the crystal his father had just handed to him. He swallowed thickly. He didn't know where it led.

"Go on," his dad snapped, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Keefe, you've got to stop being so dumb. Take the stupid crystal and get out of here."

Keefe winced, like words could actually hurt. "Where will it take me?" He had to know.

Cassius sighed, like an old man who was severely disappointed in the way the world had turned out. "Grady Ruewen needs help on his farm." He crinkled his nose, as if having something as strange as a farm would taint his perfection by only thinking about it. "I signed you up."

Keefe stared, anger brimming ever so slightly. "You signed me up for a random job without asking? With people I don't even know?"

Cassius paused, staring at his son, and then brought himself up to his full height, and even though he was only a few inches taller, Keefe felt like he might be the tallest man in the world, and he the shortest. He shuddered.

"Yes." The word was cold, hard, and sent a chill down Keefe's spine. A single syllable that made him want to scream and cry and laugh all at once. How was that possible? How could one word hold so much emotion? He didn't know.

He simply nodded, instead of arguing, and quickly raised the crystal up to the light. He stepped into the beam before his dad could say anymore.

The field he glittered onto was beautiful, with bright green grass that was so unreal it made his heart ache. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air that shifted the plants around him a little, and he loved it. He liked it there, he decided, as he started walking towards the house that sat on a hill. The smell of the ocean filled his lungs, and he grinned.

The house, Havenfield, was pretty. Much better than Candleshade, in Keefe's opinion. It sparkled in the morning sun, temporarily blinding him as he walked up to the door.

His hand shook as he knocked, one thought circling through his mind: This is too fast.

And it was. Too fast and too strange that he was suddenly going to work at a job he hadn't had the morning before. Too fast that he was already there, knocking on a door and not knowing what he was going to say when someone answered.

If someone answered. For a moment, he almost though no one would, but then the door flew open, and Keefe found himself face to face with a tall elf with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had the start of a harsh beard, like he had shaved a couple days ago and the hairs were just growing back in.

"Who are you?" The man asked, not exactly unkindly but not exactly kind.

Keefe swallowed. "My name's Keefe Sencen, sir," he said. He figured being polite would be best. "My dad said you had a job for me? He signed me up."

The man stared for a moment, realization dawning in his eyes. "You're Cassius's kid?"

Keefe reluctantly nodded, wishing he could say that No, I'm not, but instead he forced out a simple, "Yeah."

The man stared some more, and Keefe was shifting from leg to leg as silence settled like a heavy blanket on top of them. Then the man stepped aside, holding the door, and said, "Come in."

Keefe only hesitated a moment before stepping into the house. It was prettier on the inside, he thought, as he scanned the walls. His eyes settled on a painted picture of a girl with blonde, each hair and cool blue eyes. He knew it was Jolie, who had died in a fire when he was just a small kid.

He swallowed hard and tore his eyes away from the picture, trying to keep himself from fidgeting as the door shut behind him with a clank.

The man led him to the kitchen, and told him to sit on one of the metal stools. He did. The man stood across from him.

The room slipped into yet another uncomfortable silence. With every second that passed, Keefe got more antsy.

Why doesn't he say anything? Keefe thought, before he realized that maybe the man was waiting for him to speak.

He cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say that would lead the conversation in the right direction. He opened his mouth to speak, but the man beat him to it. He didn't want to acknowledge the relief that flooded him. "Are you really looking for a job?"

Keefe nodded, even though he didn't even want one. "Um. Yes."

The man nodded, taking on a contemplating look. Keefe fidgeted with his hands under the table.

The man said, after a moment of studying the boy in front of him, "I'm Grady. But you may call me Mr. Ruewen."

Keefe nodded again. "Okay, Mr. Ruewen."

Grady actually smiled at that, slightly and Keefe felt his spirits rise a little bit. "When can you start?"

Keefe's jaw dropped. "You mean you'll actually hire me?" He asked before he could stop himself. He covered his mouth.

Grady shrugged. "If you'll be hired," he said simply.

Keefe stared. Then nodded, slowly, and shrugged. He had never considered when he could start working, because he had never considered getting a job. But he had a lot of downtime. And the more he was away from Candleshade, the better. "I can start now, if you want. I'm mostly free everyday."

Grady looked almost surprised, but didn't question it. "If you can, that would be great."

Keefe nodded, because he didn't know what else to say.

Grady nodded, too, and started walking to the door, and Keefe followed silently.

"It's hard work," he told him. "You'll have a lot to learn."

Keefe shrugged. "Okay."

Grady turned to him, eyebrows raised in surprise like Keefe's response had startled him.

He only shrugged again, and Grady turned away, smiling to himself, and the two of them walked back outside.