The Chronicles of Tenroha

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Chloé awoke to a beautiful autumn morning. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the breeze was gently blowing through the trees. She started her day in her usual way. She washed her face and brushed her auburn hair. She broke her fast with some cheese and a biscuit from the day before. After she had eaten, she left her room and entered the tavern to begin her day's work. There wasn't much work for a young woman her age. She was late in her teens and with having no family in the town to care for her, she took up being a waitress in one of the taverns in the town. The pay wasn't much, but she got a free room in the back and could eat as much of the day-old food she wanted.

The dining hall was a mess from the night before. The local butcher had been accused of shorting a pig farmer after a slaughter and a fight broke out. She began by clearing the tables and then washed all of the dishes that remained. Once that was done, she set the place right and wiped the tables down, then she swept the floor. It was getting close to mid-morning, and folks were starting to arrive to break their fasts.

Chloé had moved to the city of Oaken Meadow in the spring for a new start. Her father was killed by a pack of wolves shortly after her birth, and her mother had been taken by an illness many winters before. She had been left with a friend of her mother before she went away to seek help with her illness. Her mother had never returned and she always felt unwanted where she was. She decided to move away and start over. It hadn't taken long for her to find work. She didn't care for the work, but it allowed her to meet and to get to know the townsfolk. She had been there about seven months and had gotten to know many of the people.

Mrs. Caroline Clary, one of the daily regulars to the Squirrel's Nest Tavern and Inn where Chloé lived and worked, had arrived about noon and began chatting with Chloé. She was an elderly woman who had lost her husband the past winter. Chloé had thought that she only came in the tavern so that she would have someone to talk to, but she wasn't too sure. Chloé did enjoy their visits and often went to her home for dinner. They had become very close in the past few months. Mrs. Clary had taken on a role like one of a meddling grandmother to Chloé, since she had moved to Oaken Meadow.

Oaken Meadow wasn't one of the largest cities in Tenroha, but it served as a major port for many regions of the land. Being not only centrally located, it sat at the fork wherein the Kilgor River flows into the mighty Quoe. Most of the goods to be traded throughout the realm went through the city before reaching their final destinations. The Squirrel's Nest Tavern even boasts that they send a dozen barrels of mead to the king every year. The city is naturally well protected from the south due the Kilgor River and to the east lies the Quoe. Barges flow up and down the river, bringing their wares from across the lands. The city also has a stone wall that wraps around the city to help protect from bandits and thieves. The walls are high and thick, and contain several lookout towers to keeping watch.

One evening, Chloé had left the tavern and went to Mrs. Clary's home for dinner, and some quiet time away from the tavern. Chloé set the table while Mrs. Clary finished reheating their meager meal of leftover beef stew with some fresh cornbread. "I believe a certain young man from town has his eye on you Chloé." said the meddlesome Mrs. Clary as she was bringing the stew to the table. "Who might that be Caroline?" asked Chloé trying to humor the old woman. She had an idea of whom she was talking about, but it really didn't matter to her. "Jeremiah." said Mrs. Clary. "It seems to me that he has been coming to the tavern more frequently since you started working there."

"I doubt that is true, Caroline." She said, hiding a faint smile. "He seems to be coming in just the same as everyone else." replied Chloé. "Not true Chloé. He used to only come in once or twice a week, but since you started down at that tavern, he has been coming in once, sometimes twice a day. Plus, I catch him staring at you constantly," said Mrs. Clary with a little wink and a smile. This made Chloé smile a bit and she blushed, because she had noticed Jeremiah too. "He's such a handsome young man with strong arms from working a plow," said Mrs. Clary.