(Announcement: Due to external circumstances we must unfortunately inform you that A Broken Fairy Tale will be going on hiatus. While we do not currently have a return date, we will be back as soon as we are able and remain eager to share the rest of our story with you. Thank you for all your support thus far it is truly and deeply appreciated. In the meantime please enjoy the latest episode and feel free to check out some of RoxyHana’s other work using the links below. We hope to see you back once we return to our regular schedule but until then take care and thank you once again.)

After a time Alastair was able to refocus on his duties, at least for the most part. Over the last couple days he had fallen into a more familiar routine, and while the odd jobs and manual labor were still a regular part of his day it seemed the owner had softened to the idea of having an extra set of eyes. Not that it meant he was off any sort of leash. Any perceived distraction was still met with a quick threat of termination and the designation of a new and often strenuous task. As such Alastair kept his glances and greetings brief though his eyes did linger a moment or two longer whenever his eyes fell on the elven maid.

For her part, Sinine slipped easily back into her own routine. While she would spend most of her time on the same duties as the other maids, being off for so long had created quite the waiting list for her other service. In fact the inn was busier than usual as travelers had put off departures waiting for the healer to return.

It had been a  successful sales pitch on the owners' part that convinced them to extend their stays, the man’s pockets swelling with the extra food and drink he was able to sell. All based on the promises he made about the inn’s healer. Because of this Sininer found herself in high demand as the guests lined up eagerly next to the door of the small clinic. The patients, mostly male, gave broad smiles as she greeted them, any concern they had about being gouged fading when they saw her beauty. 

She wasted no time, making quick work of the line showing that the owner's sales pitch, while aggressive, had not been untruthful. Sinine was the most talented healer he had ever seen, and while he would never tell her such, it was a sentiment he’d heard shared by several guests considerably more well traveled than him. Their endorsement gave him all the justification he needed for the inflated price he put on the service.

Not that the injuries she treated demanded the steep cost. Mostly it was complaints of sore joints, muscles and other ailments that could have just as easily been addressed by a massage or salve. Despite this, Sinine treated each guest with the same smile and gentle zeal regardless of how dubious some of the complaints may have been. As expected a few of the patients had tried to push their luck  but found themselves gently rebuked and sent on their way to have their bruised egos healed with drink and the attention of the other maids.

In all Sinine had cured the waiting list in a couple hours leaving her free to assume her other duties. During this time she was able to greet her fellow maids who were only too eager to share in the gossip she missed while away. Unsurprisingly this was mostly related to Alastair and the mystery about the man. 

“No one ever stays here,” one girl had said. “I mean they stay at the Inn but no one ever STAYS here. Heck most people who come back twice don’t even remember the place so why would he want to stay here when he could make twice as much in an actual city” It was an intriguing question, the last outsider to have moved into the village was Sinine and that had been six years prior and not of her own accord. 

The village almost seemed adverse to changes and new additions as if rejecting them like a living body rejects an infection. As the maid had said, no one ever stayed or even kept the town in mind after leaving. Sinine knew personally  of several guests who on their second or even third visit seemed surprised to have even found the place not even remembering their prior visit till they had stayed at least a day or two. 

Because of this it was truly intriguing to have someone new come to such a place and while there may have been questions about his motives Sinine had no answer and no speculation to add. Besides, there were other rumors about the man that caught her interest more. 

“He says he’s a bouncer but that first day he came in I’d say half of what he was toting were books and not small ones either big leatherbound things like you’d find at a library or a university.” Sinine heard this whispered by another maid named Daria as they hunched in the cellar collecting a few bottles of spirits. 

She immediately perked up at the mention of the books, her heart actually beginning to race slightly. “Did you see what they were?” She asked with a not so slight eagerness in her voice. 

Daria had shaken her head, “No but I know I caught him reading one in the storeroom the other day. Smaller than the ones I saw him carrying but definitely a book. He tucked it away when I caught him but I didn’t say anything about it. A little strange that someone so big and dangerous looking would be so obsessed with reading like that. But I guess it's true what they say about books and covers.”

She smiled, amused by her own unintentional joke and nudged the other maid playfully “Maybe you should show him some of the ones you always have your nose in.” Sinines love for the written word was well known amongst the other girls and she was often playfully teased for her preference of reading over other forms of entertainment. 

Before she could ask anything else a call came from above, “Sinine got a few more patients.”

The voice was Lucia’s and with a disappointed sigh Sinine made her way back up behind the bar where she was waiting. As she popped back over the counter she scanned the room without thinking, noticing Alastair was no longer at his post along the back wall. 

“Something wrong love?” Lucia asked, noticing the look of concern on her friend's face. The question brought sinine back and she looked up at her friend giving a small smile and shook her head. 

“No, I’m fine Lucy, just a long first day back is all.” 

Lucia regarded her friend for a moment with a less than convinced expression before nodding seemingly satisfied. “Well your new patients are waiting by the office.” 

Sinine thanked her and crossed the room where she greeted the guests and got to her work. Just like the morning, none of the injuries were too serious, the worst being a swollen knee on a man who had been thrown by his horse. The day was growing thin by the time Sinine finished and so was she. Every time she healed it took a bit of her energy and while nothing had been too serious that day the volume had caught up with her. She wasn’t quite bad yet but Lucia recognized she was beginning to feel the work.

“Days almost done, why don’t you get some fresh air, I’ll cover if the big guy asks.” Sinine nodded to the request and placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder affectionately. 

“Thanks Lucy,” she said with a smile, not noticing the smallest shade of pink that rose on the woman's cheeks as she leaned in a little.

Making her way across the room she exited the back door, the cool evening air having an immediate effect. She felt the haze subside as a slight rush of energy returned. It wasn’t quite dusk yet but the sun was falling quickly and she followed the beams of yellow and orange against the shadows till her eyes fell on the storeroom door. 

It was open with a small bit of light spilling from it onto the shaded ground. It wasn’t unusual for a maid to leave the door open when retrieving something but it was frowned upon and maintaining the storeroom was Sinines responsibility. Not wanting to feel the owner's wrath should anything end up damaged or stolen she made her way over to the small building making a note to herself she would probably need to do inventory in the next couple days. 

Once at the door she opened it wide to get a look inside and gave a slight cry as she ran directly into a man's chest. The man reacted with his own shout as his arms wrapped around Sinine to prevent her from falling as she reeled back. Caught off guard, she allowed the arms to pull her back upright as her hands came to rest on the man's broad chest. It took a moment before she thought to look up and as she did she found her gaze meeting directly with Alastair’s.