10

Chapter 6: A Strange Morning

It was a seemingly normal morning when Cinnamon woke up. She smiled to herself as she heard the birds chirping their morning songs.

'It was just a dream.'

She thought. Then she brought her hands together and stretched them down and then up and out in front of her on their way up over her head. She gave a quiet moan of pleasure as she stretched. Only as her hands were directly out in front of her she felt her something brush against her. Or rather she brushed against something. Her "Mmm" turned into a "Hmm?" and her eyes sprung open. Instead of seeing her ceiling, and the wolf howling to the full moon poster that was above her bed, there was canvas. The canvas of a tent. Cinnamon groaned. It was real. She'd been sucked into a magic portal in her toilet and brought here. Wherever here was. 'Where is here any how?' she thought.

Before she could ponder that thought any further a hand brushed aside the tent flap and a twenty something year old woman stuck her head in. "Good morning Cinnamon." she said seeing Cinnamon awake. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh...uh...yes. Thank you... Muriel?" Cinnamon replied hesitantly.

Muriel smiled and said "That's good."

Cinnamon carefully sat up and gave her a shy smile in return. "Thank you for letting me sleep here last night." she said gratefully.

"Oh you're quite welcome. May I come in?"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Cinnamon exclaimed. "Of course you can come in. It's your tent after all."

Muriel gave her a wry smile. "Well after last night, we thought you'd appreciate a bit of privacy."

Cinnamon looked down as she felt her face flush with embarrassment at the memory of the night before.

Not wanting to embarrass the girl further Muriel changed the subject. As she crawled into the tent she held a bundle to her in one arm. "Harnley found some things that I think belong to you." she said waving the elbow of her arm holding the bundle at Cinnamon.

Cinnamon looked up surprised. "He did?"

Muriel nodded and settled down facing the bed roll. "Yes, we believe these belong to you." and she held out the bundle in her arms.

Cinnamon gasped and took them. They were the clothes she'd planned to wear yesterday to school. She hugged them to her breasts while pressing her face into them. She could still smell the scent of the fabric softener on them.

"Oh Muriel!" she cried. "How am I going to get home?" Then she broke into tears.

Muriel moved forward and embraced the sobbing young woman, pulling her to her breast. Cinnamon wrapped her arms around her and cried harder. "I want to go home!"

"I know Cinnamon. I know. And I promise we'll find a way to get you home. There, there, shh shh. It'll be alright." Muriel told her while gently rocking her and stroking Cinnamon's long hair down her back. "It'll be alright."

When she'd run out of tears, Cinnamon slowly pulled away and rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said.

Muriel looked at her and gave her a gentle smile. "There's no need to be." and gently kissed her on the forehead.

Cinnamon blushed and gave her a shy smile. "Thanks. Muriel what's going to happen to me?"

"Well, if you're agreeable, we plan to take you to High Priestess Ila in Avondelle" Muriel replied.

"Can she help me get home?"

"I'm sure she can." Muriel told her. "And if not, I'm sure she knows who can." Then at Cinnamon's crumbling look she took both her hands and said "Don't worry Cinnamon. The Goddess works in mysterious ways. We may not know the reason why you are here yet but the Goddess does have a purpose for you here. So do not worry. She watches over you."

Cinnamon just nodded her head reluctantly and sighed. "I'll try."

Muriel kissed her on top of the head and said "Good girl. Now how about some breakfast?"

At that Cinnamon's stomach rumbled in agreement. Cinnamon blushed with embarrassment. She

crossed her arms over her stomach while Muriel laughed. "I'd say that's a yes." She turned and looking back over her shoulder added with a grin. "Hurry and get dressed. I'll save some breakfast for you if Harnley and Sharmon haven't eaten it all already." The tent flap closed behind her.

Cinnamon hurriedly looked through her clothes. They were all there. Cinnamon sighed with relief. She didn't want a repeat of the night before. She quickly grabbed her panties and pulled them on under the covers. Then feeling more covered, she crawled out of the bed and tied the tent flaps closed. She paused for a minute listening to make sure no one was near and then, with her back to the tent door, she hurriedly lifted off her nightshirt and grabbed her bra. She hooked the straps under her breasts and then spun it around her body until it was the right way round. Then she slipped her arms into the shoulder straps and lifted them to her shoulders. She quickly settled her modest breasts into the cups and then pulled on the pink t-shirt she'd planned to wear followed by her favorite pink pullover sweater. The one her mom hated and kept trying to throw out because she'd worn holes in the elbows and cuffs.

After her sweater was on she pulled a thick pair of white cotton socks onto her feet. Then she wiggled into her favorite pair of jeans. They weren't skin tight as you would suppose, merely comfortable. However putting on jeans in a small tent that you can't stand up in does require some wiggling no matter how tight or loose the jeans are.

Once dressed Cinnamon lay panting for breath for a minute and then sighed happily. While she was far from over being worried she at least felt less exposed, and a lot more comfortable now. As she lay there she tried to imagine how her clothes had managed to come with her. She'd placed them on the edge of the bathroom counter by the toilet. She gasped.

"That's it!"

she thought. "They were on the edge! And I must have pulled them in with me when I lost my grip!" She giggled insanely at that thought and then immediately sobered.

"Oh Lord please don't let me lose my grip!"

she prayed. Then Cinnamon turned over and got onto her hands and knees and, after undoing the ties on the tent flaps, crawled out of the tent and stood up blinking in the bright morning light.

As soon as she stood up she heard Muriel call, "Cinnamon we're over here."

Cinnamon quickly walked over the dry grass and up onto the large slightly sloping flat rock they had their camp fire on. She was still a little nervous around them but since they hadn't harmed her she was beginning to trust them.

Vanessa and Ernon smiled at her in greeting and moved to make room for her. Cinnamon smiled back shyly

.

Lancos smiled as well and said "Good morning sleeping beauty. Ye ouch!" as Muriel accidentally spilled something that smelt like coffee on his hand. He jumped away from the fire and Muriel waving his injured hand in the air.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" she apologized, quickly putting the kettle down and grabbing for his hand. "Let me heal it for you."

He yanked it back and said "I think I'll just soak it in the stream." He said.

Muriel frowned. "Are you sure? It's just a quick spell."

"No it's ok. I'll be right back." he replied backing up before turning and making his way down the rock and through the trees.

Muriel stood there shoulders slumped looking dejectedly before taking a deep breath and shaking herself out of it. Then she put her hands together and began a quick prayer.

As Cinnamon sat watching all this with amazement and concern, Vanessa leaned over and whispered, "Don't mind them too much. They're like this all the time."

Cinnamon turned to Vanessa, her eyes wide. "They do this all the time?" she asked.

She heard Ernon sigh behind her and say, "It seems that way."

Vanessa giggled and said "I think it's sweet."

Ernon just grunted and went back to his breakfast.

Before Cinnamon could say anything more Harnley broke in, "Jus don sit there lass! Git yor self somthin to eat. I'm starvin and Muriel won let none of us have seconds until you've eaten."

Cinnamon jumped, startled by his out burst. "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" She stammered and reached for a tin plate.

At that Muriel hurried over. "Oh let me do that Cinnamon. Would you like eggs? They're fresh. We also have sausages and oatmeal."

"Oh! Um...yes please." Cinnamon replied not knowing what she wanted but wanting to hurry to keep Harnley from getting angry at her.

Muriel smiled and began to dish up her plate while Harnley laughed. "That's the spirit lass! Eat up! We've got a long walk ahead of us!"

Cinnamon gave him a shaky smile and then smiled gratefully at Muriel and thanked her as she accepted her plate and sat back down. Just before she started to eat she apologized to Harnley for crashing his tent and thanked him for finding her clothes.

Harnley seemed to blush and said "T'weren't non yor fault lass. Wizards outta know better. And I weren't able te find yor shoes."

Cinnamon looked confused at this news and then she slumped as she remembered her mother's rules. "It's ok. They're still by the front door. Mother won't let us wear them past there."

Ernon nodded. "Many households are like that."

"Don't worry about shoes Cinnamon." Muriel told her. "Sharmon is making you some."

"She is?" Cinnamon asked surprised.

"Yes. She may not look it but she's actually an accomplished cobbler." Muriel replied.

"Oh! That's cool." Cinnamon said uncertainly wondering what pies had to do with shoes.

Muriel and the others looked quizzically at her. "Don't worry she apprenticed under her father who owns a shop in Avondelle." Muriel said.

Cinnamon arched her eyebrows at that. "Oh. That's cool?" she said again.

"Are you cold Cinnamon?" Ernon asked, confusion in his voice.

Cinnamon looked back at him confused. "No. I'm ok."

"Uh...yeah. That's good." Ernon said, although his tone of voice said he doubted her.

Muriel and Vanessa just looked at each other and shrugged. Harnley paid none of them any attention as he helped himself to thirds.

Cinnamon had just finished her seconds, Harnley was starting on his fourths, when Sharmon came walking up out of the forest to stand in front of Cinnamon and said, "Give me a foot."

Cinnamon looked up startled. "What?"

"I said give me your foot." Sharmon repeated a little crossly.

"Um...ok?" Cinnamon said uncertainly and lifted her right foot.

Moving incredibly fast Sharmon grabbed her by the pants leg and lifted her foot higher, forcing Cinnamon onto her back with a startled cry. Fortunately for her she had finished eating or she'd have had her breakfast all over her.

Sharmon inspected her foot for a few moments and then dropped it saying, "Alright. They're a little rough but I think these will suffice until we get to Morovale."

And with that she dropped two objects in to Cinnamon's lap. Cinnamon held one up and gasped. They were hand made boots. They were made out of a soft yet tough leather with a flat sole that felt like tree bark but was flexible like rubber. Cinnamon looked at them over with awe

for several minutes before Sharmon said "Well aren't you going to put them on?"

Startled Cinnamon said "Oh! Oh, yes! Of course! Thank you! They're beautiful."

Indeed they were, despite they're being crudely made just that morning. Cinnamon quickly dusted her feet off and began to put on her new boots.

Sharmon seemed to blush at the praise and looked away uncomfortably. "Yeah well I just hope they fit. We don't have time for me to make another pair. It's past mid morning already."

Cinnamon looked up from pulling the boots on

and apologized but Sharmon just waved her off.

She quickly finished pulling them on and then laced them up. They came up to about mid calf, a couple inches higher than her socks, and they felt so soft and comfortable. "They feel great!" Cinnamon said as she smiled happily at Sharmon.

Sharmon looked off to the side and ran her hand through her hair. "Try walking around in them."

Cinnamon immediately obeyed and started to walk around the campfire. She even jumped off the two foot drop on the other side of the rock. Then she walked through the grass a bit, before she climbed back up and ran over to Sharmon and gave her a hug. "Thank you Sharmon! They feel amazing!"

Sharmon stiffened in surprise and then relaxed a little, letting her arm go around the younger woman and saying "You're welcome."

Then quickly blinking away tears Sharmon said "Now why don't you help break camp. We need to get going."

Cinnamon took a step back and said "Um, ok?"

Ernon and Vanessa stood up. "Come on Cinnamon. You can help us take down the tents." Ernon said.

"Um, sure ok." Cinnamon said following. At the edge of the rock she turned and said "Thanks again Sharmon." and waved a foot. Sharmon just nodded and waved her off.

"That was a very nice thing you did, Sharmon." Muriel said softly.

Sharmon grunted and asked, "Is there any breakfast left or has the pig eaten it all?"

"Pig?! Ha! We dwarfs naturally must eat a lot to keep up our strength." Harnley told her.

Sharmon grunted again and replied, "We'll if you ate my breakfast I'll have to eat you."

"Sure thing lass!" Harnley replied with a laugh. "I'll feed you my meat anytime!" He then had to dive to the side as a frying pan flew past his head, narrowly missing him.

Chapter 7: A Strange Walk

As Cinnamon followed Vanessa and Ernon to the tents she mentally slapped herself.

"Idiot!"

She thought.

"It's no wonder Muriel looked at you like that. She meant cobbler as in shoe maker, you dummy! Pies indeed!"

"Ugh" she grunted in disgust to herself shaking her head.

"Are you ok Cinnamon?" Ernon asked.

Cinnamon looked up startled. "What? Oh! Yes, I'm fine. So what do I do?"

"Well, let’s start with rolling up the bed rolls. Then we can take down the tents and pack up." Ernon said.

"We’ll start with our tent." said Vanessa holding out her hand, "I'll show you how to roll them tight, so they make a smaller bundle."

Putting her hand in Vanessa's, Cinnamon said, "Um ok." and together they walked over to the tent she'd slept in and then crawled in.

A short while later, although longer than if Ernon and Vanessa had done it themselves, everything had been packed up and they were ready to go.

"Are you sure my pack isn't too heavy for you?" Sharmon asked concerned that it was. Her pack was not the largest of the group's, it was about the size of a large school back pack, nor was it the heaviest, that one being Harnley's. However it still held all the things she needed to survive in the wilderness for weeks at a time, both in the various pockets, or strapped to the outside of it. And now it also included Cinnamon's nightshirt and sweater as well.

Cinnamon wiggled and bounced a bit to settle the weight on her hips more evenly. Then she pulled the waist strap a little tighter before tightening the shoulder straps some more. Once she had the pack settled comfortably, she looked up at Sharmon and said "Yes I think it's ok." Then she took a few careful steps around.

"I think I'll be ok" she said with a small smile. Indeed, although it was heavy the pack felt much more comfortable than her school pack at home which was filled with all her text books, a couple of binders, gym clothes, and other needed school supplies. In fact Cinnamon was almost convinced Sharmon's back pack was lighter than her school pack. It was, almost, but the weight of Sharmon's pack being on her hips, and not her shoulders, made it feel much lighter.

Sharmon, not quite convinced, just nodded her head and said, "Alright, but if you need to rest let one of the others know."

Cinnamon nodded her head, in agreement. Just then Harnley came puffing up from the stream with his pack on, several, pots and pans, and a couple of axes, were clanking and clunking as they swung to and fro with his every step.

He waved his hand in greeting and said "Ah there you are lass. I've been meaning to ask ye, what manner of weapon be this?" With that he held up a slightly bent shower door handle.

Cinnamon's eyes widened and then she giggled and told him.

"Ah, I thought it be mighty strange looking to be a weapon but see'en as it's not from these parts I wasn't sure." Harnley said.

Sharmon gave him a look and said "Right" very slowly.

Harnley gave her a look that said he'd like to take his battle axe, which was within easy reach, and take a swing at her. Instead he growled, "Ye didn know what it was either wench."

Sharmon's eyes darkened and Cinnamon looked back and forth between them alarmed. Fortunately she was saved from being in the middle of a fight when Ernon came up and said, "Let's not start that now. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Lancos hefted his pack to settle it more and said, "Ernon's right. You can kill each other later." Then he jumped and stumbled a bit as Muriel discreetly kicked him in the shin with the side of her boot while walking past. Cinnamon bit her lip to keep from giggling at Muriel's completely innocent expression. And with that, they began to walk. Sharmon quickly out distanced the other's to scout ahead, to make sure there was no trouble waiting for them.

Other than to point out some sites or plants to Cinnamon, they walked mostly in comfortable silence for a couple hours, since holding a conversation wasn't easy when walking single file. When there was room for two or more to walk together quiet conversations broke out. It was during one of these that Cinnamon got another shock. She and Muriel had been quietly talking and comparing their homes when Cinnamon asked, "Oh, how I forgot to ask. How long will it take to reach us to reach Avondelle?"

Muriel looking uncomfortable didn't answer, however Lancos who was walking in front of them did. "Avondelle? About two weeks."

Cinnamon stopped in shock.

"Two weeks?"

The thought shook her to the very core.

Muriel who had looked away didn't notice Cinnamon stop. Neither did the others ahead of them. It was only when Harnley walked into Cinnamon, sending her stumbling forward and him into a fit of swearing, that Muriel turned and saw Cinnamon's terror stricken face.

"Two weeks?" She whispered, tears streaming down her face. Then louder with fear and anger. "Two weeks?! I can't stay here two weeks! I've got to get home!" she cried and started running. She quickly passed Muriel, who was cried out for her to wait, and Lancos, who looked rather stunned by her outburst.

On she ran past Vanessa who'd stopped to take a drink from her water pouch. On she ran, panting as the others hurried behind her, until she had just passed Ernon, who'd grabbed the hilt of his sword and asked if they were being attacked when she stumbled and fell onto her hands and knees in the soft dirt, sobbing. Muriel was there in an instant later pulling her into a hug.

Cinnamon sobbed, "I have to get home!" while Muriel stroked her hair and made soothing sounds.

"I know Cinnamon. I know. I promise we'll get you home. It's just going to take some time. We're heading to Morovale for supplies. Perhaps the head

priest there can help us." Muriel told her trying to comfort the crying teen.

Cinnamon sniffled. "Do you think so?"

"I'm sure he'll try." Muriel replied trying to sound hopeful while knowing what the priest would tell her. "But it will still take time to get to him, so please don't worry Cinnamon. The Goddess will help us."

Lancos hurried up to them and then bent over, his hands on his knees, panting to catch his breath. Harnley also panting, leaned against a nearby tree and demanded, "What's all the running about for?"

Muriel looked up at him and replied, "Cinnamon just realized how long she's going to be traveling with us and got scared and felt she needed to hurry."