Chapter 8.
Two days later, Obran arrived early to Zico's stand carrying a cauldron full of ingredients. He wanted to prepare his stew at Zico's stand so it would be fresh and tasty. Obran had hardly slept the previous night. He had told himself to calm down, that he was just making stew for new friends—even if one was a beautiful raven haired princess with lovely green eyes. He didn't even tell Erkin anything about it, though he knew his brother sensed something was going on.
When he arrived at Zico's stall a few humans were already there drinking gnome coffee and eating choco crunchies. Good, he's got more customers. The fairy dust must help, Obran thought.
"Hey, Obran, glad you came back," Zico said, standing behind his stall and serving coffee.
"I promised I would," he said. "I'm ready to make you the best gremlin stew...".
But Obran didn't finish his sentence. He was caught off guard when he saw a fairy sitting on Zico's shoulder. The fae was about a foot tall, had blonde hair and blue eyes and wore a small green dress. Her clear wings, which looked like a cross between a butterfly and dragonfly, were tucked by her sides.
"Oh, hello," Obran said to her.
"Ahem," the fairy said, eyeing at Obran suspiciously.
"Oh, sorry dear," Zico said. "Obran, this is my wife, Mara."
Mara gave Obran a slight nod.
"It's my pleasure to meet you, I'm Obran," Obran said.
"A pleasure as well," Mara said.
Mara's voice was surprisingly loud for such a small creature.
"Zico mentioned he was married but I didn't know you were...".
But Mara didn't let him finish. Instead she jumped off Zico's shoulder and flew back to the prep station where some crunchies and bread were cooling. Mara hovered over a bowl, closed her eyes, and fairy dust fell from her wings, quickly creating a small mound of shimmering dust—even hovering her wings moved in a blur, just like a hummingbird.
"She can be a bit moody," Zico whispered. "But she's really nice once she opens up."
"Sorry I wasn't able to come earlier this week. I've been a bit busy," Obran said.
"Here, let me help you with that," Zico said.
Obran handed him the cauldron full of ingredients.
"I can't wait to try your stew and let me get you some coffee...on the house," Zico said.
Mara gave her husband a sideways glance.
"Zi, let these cool a bit longer before you sprinkle them," Mara said. "I'm gonna take a nap."
Mara flew behind their stand to what looked like a large doll house; Obran hadn't noticed it last time—perhaps Zico had kept it covered. Mara went into the small house and shut the door.
"Try to keep it down," Zico whispered. "She gets tired after shedding so much fairy dust."
"Okay," Obran whispered. "So how's business?"
"It's okay, getting better. I'm trying some new recipes—fusion stuff—and some regulars have been buying breakfast everyday," Zico said.
Zico handed him some coffee; when he sipped it Obran felt a jolt go through his body. Coffee and fairy dust, what a combination, he thought. No wonder the humans liked it so much. During the war he'd seen human officers consume fairy dust before a battle, believing it gave them energy, alertness, and fortitude. Maybe they were right.
"Do you plan to sell her fairy dust?" Obran asked.
"No, there's no shortage of interest I know, but just adding a bit to some dishes is enough. It tires Mara to make it and she only sheds a bit naturally. What I really want is for Mara to be the face of our business since people enjoy seeing her but she stays out of sight mostly; she doesn't like it when anyone stares at her or stares at us. But one day I'll have a real restaurant, where she can be a proper hostess and entertainer. You have to hear her sing."
"At the university I think they want to keep me hidden. So I guess I have the opposite problem," Obran said.
"Did you get the job?" Zico said.
"Um...not yet. I passed their test but I have to wait for approval or whatever but I'm hoping someone will help me," Obran said.
"Who?" Zico said. Gnomes like gremlins were rather curious.
"Uhm...you'll see. So, can I use your stove?"
"Of course," Zico said.
Obran took another sip of coffee and hopped back behind the stall. He felt a buzz and wanted to get to work so he grabbed an extra apron and added extra wood to the stove. They prepared the stew together and Obran found it fun cooking with another cook; it was as if they had an unspoken understanding, chopping and stirring in unison and before long the stew was simmering. Zico looked excited, smelling its aroma.
"Here, I hope you like it," Obran said, when he served him the first bowl; Obran was genuinely nervous about what another cook would think of his signature dish.
"Wow, this is great," Zico said, scooping up mouthful after mouthful. "Mara has to try it."
"Thanks, I hope she likes it too," Obran said.
"Hey, we should make some more and make it today's special," Zico said as he ate.
"You think it would sell?" Obran said. "I can't imagine any human wanting to eat gremlin food."
"It might just be a matter of branding. And you'd be surprised, you always get some human types dying to try exotic things from other races. You know, you should consider opening your own stand. You could corner the market on gremlin food."
"Maybe, one day. I'll be washing dishes for a long time first," Obran said.
"But seriously, think about it. This is really good," Zico said, gobbling down the rest of his stew.
"I can give you the recipe if you like but I'm sure you picked it up already."
"I doubt I could make this," Zico said.
"Ok, just one thing and I'll start making more stew. I'm meeting a friend here so could you add a pinch of fairy dust to the next batch. I think it would go well with the stew."
"Deal," Zico said. "But who are you meeting?"
"Um...It's kind of a long story," Obran said.
"I'm all ears," Zico said.
He was right; his gnome ears were almost as big as Obran's.
***
"Your wife is a fairy?" Tori said.
"Yes, your highness," Zico said. "Is it ok if I wake her? She would love to meet you."
Tori had snuck up on Obran while he helped Zico prepare gnome crunchies and bowls for lunch. She wore a dark cloak and hood this time and Obran chuckled thinking she could pass for a thief or a rogue. She was alone again so she had either lost her minders or been given free reign in the city.
"No, please don't wake her," Tori said. "I'll meet her some other time."
"Okay your highness but Mara would love to meet a real princess. She loves stories about kings and queens, especially the romantic ones and I'm sure you have many interesting stories to tell," Zico said.
"My life is quite dull now but I'd love to meet your wife," Tori said. "I've never met a fairy before."
"The honor would be ours, your highness," Zico said.
Zico seemed quite taken by the princess but Obran understood, her beauty and natural charisma made her quite appealing.
"She's usually awake after lunch if you can wait," Zico said.
"I can't stay outside too long, sorry Zico," Tori said.
Obran listened while heating up his stew for Tori, tasting it, and tasting it again, making sure it was just right. Before serving it he added just a pinch of fairy dust, which added a golden shimmer to the top of the stew.
"It looks and smells wonderful, Obran, thank you so much." Tori said.
"My pleasure, your highness," Obran said.
"Ok, cut that out, both of you. Just call me Tori; all my friends back home call me Tori and I don't expect anything less from the two of you," she said.
They watched her as she tried the stew.
"Wow, this is wonderful, Obran, thank you," Tori said.
"I'm glad you like it," Obran said.
"I'll get you some punch," Zico said.
"Thank you too, Zico. I hope I can try a choco crunchie for dessert. I've never tried those before either."
"Of course...any kind you like. We have a large variety...I'll get the menu...just a second..." Zico said.
"Thank you again," Tori said. "May I ask you, Zico, how did you meet your wife?"
Obran's ears perked up; he was curious about Zico and Mara too.
"It's a long story," Zico said.
"I'm all ears," Tori said. "Well not as much as Obran."
"Hey," Obran said.
"Just joking, they're cute ears," Tori said. "But go on Zico, please."
"Okay, well I'm embarrassed to say that my family used to own Mara," Zico said. "She used to be a house fairy."
"Really?" Tori said.
Obran knew that it was just another term for slave. He was taken a bit aback.
"Yeah, Mara has been with my family since I was a little kid. My father bought her as a gift for me. He thought it would make me more responsible and more outgoing since I was kind of a shy, chubby kid. So Mara and I kind of grew up together and we quickly became best friends; Mara didn't have any memory of her own family which I think made her feel like part of ours. At first my family kept Mara in a cage and we even sold whatever fairy dust we could collect, which wasn't much since she wasn't very happy then, but soon I made her a special room where she could fly around. I was still careful to make sure she couldn't escape but I filled her room with plants and flowers and made her a small pool too; I tried to make the room look like the drawings I'd seen in fairy tale books. I even took her outside, chained of course so she could enjoy the outdoors. Mara always loved those trips.
When I was older, coming of age, my family expected me to apprentice with an uncle who was a traveling merchant; this is common for gnomes; it's a way to learn about business and trade, and to see the world too. That way we gain experience and can look for new opportunities and contacts to expand the family fortune. I insisted I wanted to bring Mara with me but my family didn't approve. They started to think I spent too much time with Mara and not enough with my siblings or any other gnomes. I insisted and they relented because they knew how attached I was to her and because they thought my feelings for her were what you might feel for a pet, like a dog or cat. But by then I think we both started to feel more and in the end we didn't travel too much since the war got in the way. I was actually glad when slavery ended even though I expected Mara to leave me once she was free but she stayed or at least stayed with me, told me she always loved me just like I always loved her. And even after visiting her own lands, which I insisted she do, she came back and said I had to ask her to get married. So here we are."
"Wow...that's the most romantic story I've ever heard," Tori said.
"Yeah, sounds like something out of a fairy tale or myth," Obran said.
"Yeah but it wasn't so easy. We had to get married in the Martyr's church since no Roman temple or priest would marry us and my family disowned me too of course. That's why we decided to try our luck in the capital, together."
"Seems everyone here has an interesting story and life," Tori said.
"But really Mara tells it much better," Zico said.
"Did Obran tell you he's a war hero?" Tori said.
Obran's ear shot up. Tori smiled and began to eat a choco crunchy.
"What?" Zico said. "You fought in the war?"
"Yeah, I did. But I don't remember telling you anything about that," Obran said to Tori.
"Well, it wasn't too hard to find out," Tori said. Tori turned to Zico, "Obran was a decorated gremlin in the war, awarded several laurels and medals for courage and bravery."
"It was a different time, it seems like ages ago now," Obran said.
He didn't want to go into details about it all. Those were not memories he was fond of.
"I had thought of volunteering but Mara would have none of it," Zico said. "Gnomes weren't conscripted but we still had to pay a substitute fee if we didn't fight and I think only a few of us did fight but we helped in other ways. We kept trade going and helped keep the army fed and paid too."
"We didn't have so many volunteers in our army." Tori said. "Maybe that's why we lost."
Obran spoke up emotionally, "I only fought because they promised to free all gremlin slaves if we won. And my brother Erkin was a slave, a house gremlin, if that sounds better. For me fighting in the war, winning the war was just a chance to free him and all other enslaved gremlins."
Obran was getting emotional; he felt tears well up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I brought it up, Obran, really I am," Tori said. "We don't have to talk about the war if you don't want to."
"Yeah, sorry Obran," Zico added.
"It's ok. I'm sorry I got so emotional," Obran said.
Obran regained some of his composure. He always cried when he thought about Erkin being a slave.
"But I guess that's why I always feel a need to look out for my little brother, Erkin. I can't wait for you all to meet him. He has his head in the clouds with his studies and inventions but that's ok with me since he seems happier than ever. He has what he wants now: his freedom and his work and his studies."
Obran handled Erkin's compass, feeling it in his pocket, feeling it would always point him in the right direction.
"And what do you want, Obran?" Tori said.
"To be the greatest gremlin chef in the kingdom?" Zico teased lightening the mood.
"I think he already is," Tori said.
Obran wanted to say, "to not dream and think about the things I've seen and done, to really move on." But he just said, "I want to see everyone I care about safe and happy."
Tori reached out and stroked his hand.
"I'll pray to the gods," Tori said.
"Thank you," Obran said.
They sat quietly until she finally said it was time for her to return to the castle.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Zico and thank you both for the delicious food," Tori said.
"Come back anytime," Zico said.
"Of course," Tori said.
"Oh one last thing," Obran said. "Uhm...I wanted to invite both of you to my home tomorrow, your wife too of course, Zico."
Obran had thought about it the last couple of days and seeing that Tomas was already coming Obran thought why not make it a party. He had been nervous about the idea but decided to go for it.
"I'd be delighted," Tori said. "and I'd be delighted to meet your wife Zico, and your brother, Obran."
"My wife will be delighted to know you were here: royalty in our small stand," Zico said. "Though she might get mad that I didn't wake her and that I told our story without her."
"Then she can tell it to me again, tomorrow," Tori said.
"Thank you," Zico said.
They agreed to meet the next day and visit Obran's gremlin burrow.
"You won't have any problems getting away?" Obran said.
"I don't think so. If the Romans had any fear of me running away I think it is gone now. And I think I'm about to convince the king to let me enroll in the University. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. You can start to work there whenever you want, Obran."
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