Newly Broke Heroine! [Book One Complete, Cozy Fantasy Adventure]

There was one thing that had been sorely missing in Fiona's life the past week or so, and that missing item made its presence known the second she walked through her apartment door.

The missing item was also angry, and more than a little moody.

Fiona nearly toppled over as Tucker blink-jumped to her shoulder, draping himself over her. He then started biting at her hair while purring excitedly.

"Ow! Tucker, it hasn't been that long! You booger, don't eat my hair!" she protested, wobbling from the extra weight, and had to be steadied by Doug. But, even so, she stroked the loyal feline's fur gently. "Oh, I missed you, too, dear. Mommy is home and taking a break. For like, at least a weekend."

Everyone settled in a few minutes later, with Bonnie working in the small kitchen area. "Fi, how do you normally take your coffee? With cream and more sugar than is healthy for any three elves?" she called out from the counter.

Fiona put her hand up lazily. "Yes, please. I'm not sure what's in the icebox. I know I left the key with Granny, so those little icy spirits probably have been lonely…and lazy." Tucker kneaded on her lap, still unwilling to let her have any space.

Bonnie peeked into the ice chest and let out a sound of surprise. "Girl, this is so bare bones! What have I got to work with? Sweet rolls, some greens that still look fresh…wait." She saw Bonnie take a sniff, and her face lit up. "Hey, I think Granny stocked your icebox! Oh my, I'm moving in! Oh, wait, sorry, Greg!"

"Oh, I don't take much offense. This place is well maintained, for such an eccentric shopkeeper," Greg replied, a faint crease of a smile emerging.

A loud, urgent banging sound emanated from the door. Greg got up from his seat to investigate, and Fiona listened intently. She swore she heard someone humming just outside the door. But she couldn't quite make it out.

It almost sounded like a hum from a nursery rhyme…

She narrowed her eyes when she picked up the tune. "It's the she-devil. Let her in, Greg."

His eyebrow arched. "How do you possibly know that?"

"She's humming 'Kissing under the tree' out there," she said with a tinge of annoyance. Doug's scales stood on end almost by instinct, giving him a ruffled appearance.

Greg took one look between her and Doug, who sat uneasily on the seat adjacent to her. "Uh-huh. That makes sense." He opened the door wearing a warm smile and was nearly bulldozed by Darla as she rushed in, still humming. Kali waved politely, having arrived just after her.

Darla stopped mid-tune when she saw the state they were in, and especially when she saw Fiona. "Darling? You look like you got in a fight. Or several."

"Good Galahein, Miss Swiftheart! If you won that fight, I'd hate to see the state the other person is in," Kali gasped.

Fiona let out a soft, deflated sound. "Oh, you know. Sometimes, business can be pretty cutthroat." She rose slowly to get a firm hug from Darla, dressed in a cute black sweater with a hoodie and cutouts for her horns, too! "Hey, sorry you missed the action."

"Fiona, you're the warrior, not me. Though I do know my way around a fight or two." Darla swiveled her head and pointed an accusing claw at Bonnie. "Hey there, magical fox girl. Cooking and coffee are my specialties. What have you done to those beans?"

She gently nudged Fiona aside to take a spot in the kitchen, shooing the anxious vixen away from the counter. Darla took a sniff of the air and nodded satisfactorily. "Okay, that's decent, Bonnie. Hmm…I don't have the machine I need here…oh, of course!"

Darla wagged a finger through the air and drew a square in the air. Fiona saw the air split and glow in reaction, and then, Darla traced a single C-shaped signal through the air, still humming merrily. The seam formed into a more solid outline for this shape, and she wrapped her hand around it, pulling it open as if she were opening a cabinet out of thin air.

Fiona stared at a dimensional space where Darla had, much to her surprise, just about every food prep item and dishware she could need. It also included a small icebox with frost elementals making small wooosh sounds as they darted around it.

"Hey fellas, we're putting in some overtime," Darla purred. She pulled out several items, including mixing bowls, milk, cream, what Fiona thought was chocolate, eggs, and a few other items. She let one of the icy elementals wrap around her finger before it darted back to the icebox, a dollop of cream held in its hands. Darla quickly ground some coffee and was at work in minutes.

Fiona took an inventory of the ingredients. "Wait. Are you making tiramisu?! How do you know what that is?"

Darla looked at her with an amused flicker from her golden eyes. "Hey, you're not the only gal who brought some imports from Earth. This one's been around a bit. It's a favorite of mine, and I should put this into the shop when I get the chance. The only challenge? Baking is time-consuming. I'd need to hire more people, and I don't know if I could do that at the emporium."

"But, Tiramisu! I'm an Italian girl! Or, elf, as may be the case!" Fiona clasped her hand to her chest, giddy about this treat. "Darla, you're the best!"

"Hey now, I'm not the one picking a three way fight–or a four way fight between Glados, some king who is not quite a king, and a dragon who has a revenge complex against his brother," Darla called out, busily mixing and whirling about the kitchen at a speed Fiona didn't think was possible. "Bon-bon, pass me the eggs?"

"You got it!" Bonnie helped the industrious darkling, and Fiona heard another tap at the door.

"Hey, is there room for one more?" a muffled voice called from the door.

Fiona gasped and sprang up fast enough that her injuries protested at the motion. She forced back a shudder with a pained smile before walking to the door, despite Greg trying to be gentlemanly. She flung the door open and had to look up.

Jake was at the door, weary, but still smiling faintly. His fur still looked a little ruffled from earlier. "Sorry, I had loose ends to tie up. After you guys left, I had a few logistical things to finish up with Barrimeth. The less said about that, the better--oof!"

She hugged the fluffy wolven so tightly that his ribs creaked, despite his status as a brick of a folk being. "So, uh, hi…oh my goodness, this place is a mess, I haven't cleaned, I look only slightly better–"

Her words trailed off as Jake laughed softly, and he craned his neck around to examine the room and its occupants. He zeroed in instantly on Darla, waving politely. "I see Darla beat me here."

"Hey there, handsome," Darla called out, now working on creating the whipped cream. Bonnie was busily helping with the ladyfingers. Fiona had no idea how she got those done in such a short time. She figured it was one perk of cooking with magic. "Still got time for friends?"

"Always do," Jake answered warmly, and Fiona guided him inside, where he grabbed the recliner–the only currently unoccupied seat in the house. He looked around, letting out a sound of surprise. "This looks nice. You've brought some life to this place, Fiona."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"With how things have been lately, it's been mostly a place to rest my head," Fiona laughed anxiously. Doug had to guide her back to the couch, where he wore a contented smile. "So, Jake, I think there are some things we–"

"Nah, no work, no defending the kingdom, no solving problems for one night," he pushed back, waving his hand gently. "I think we've all earned that for a day. I've got Sanya and Mack running things for the evening shift at the guild. Darla, need a hand in there?" he called over his shoulder, and turned to look at her in the kitchen.

"You guys sit back and relax. I'm about to be done in…eh…like ten minutes." Darla's golden eyes were even brighter than usual, and Fiona smirked.

"Oh, you two are a thing now? I thought you were married to the job," Fiona teased him. "And she-devils need to be less vague about who they're dating!"

"Oh, are you a little bit jealous? Sounds like someone else has been busy lately," Darla called out, licking her lip gently, her gaze shifting to Doug.

The poor kobold's eyes went wide, and his pupils were pinpricks again after being put in the spotlight. "We, uh, ah…what's the term you use for, we're not sure?" he asked Fiona for reassurance.

Fiona chuckled softly. "On earth, we call that 'it's complicated.' Let's stick with that one, for now."

"It's not complicated, from where I'm standing," Darla said, making a small kissy face behind the counter. Fiona shot her a molten look.

"Your dating records are pretty bad, Darla. You set me up with Glados."

Darla cringed at that. "Oh, believe me, Jake told me that one. I was ready to march to the palace. Let's say I wouldn't have been as polite as you. I think that little viper must have done the switcheroo between when I set that up and when you met with him. I found it odd when Theo acted like he had no clue about your date. I figured he might just be shy."

"Wait. So, who did Theo meet with? As I recall, you set up a blind date," Fiona pointed out.

Darla tapped a horn, pursing her lips as if deep in thought. "No idea. Little Blondie must have intercepted him afterward. Get her to talk, I guess. You can borrow my knife set if you need it." There was a glint of fire in her eyes, and Fiona stammered that it might not be necessary.

Fiona figured if she let herself, she'd probably do worse than that if she wasn't interested in preserving decency. Glados would sing eventually, now that the good times were over.

Several minutes went by while Fiona got up to speed on what she had missed in Fiefdala–which wasn't all that much, except for the fact that the Santinos had been spreading the fake gold again, and that everyone was slowly hunkering down for the cold, snowy winter that was already at their doorstep.

Fiona saw big, fluffy snowflakes drifting outside, illuminated by the arcane lanterns that lit the walkways. Folk quickly shuffled toward their homes, with little kids running around, giggling and shouting for joy as they stomped through the snow layer, and attempted to make snowballs.

She wanted to do the same as well.

Darla and Bonnie set out the impromptu dessert a short while later. Feeling famished, Fiona dug into the sweet tiramisu, tempered well with all the flavors perfectly balanced. It was perfect, and just the right amount of fluff to the cream.

Darla lived up to her talent, with the coffee flavor hitting just the right spot, and cut with the sweetness of the rest of the cream. "Oh, man. Oh, that is so good. I know we run an emporium, but that deserves to be in a bake shop or a restaurant, Darla!"

"Heh. Yeah, I suppose there's a limit on how much we can do." Darla bowed and smiled proudly. "We missed you, you know. I know you weren't gone long while cracking heads in Vale, but people noticed you were missing in five minutes." Darla twirled a fork between her fingers, enjoying the meal as she sat next to Jake, her tail draped over his shoulder, her body posture relaxed. "It's good to have you back."

"Likewise. Though it sounds like Evil Barbie and her patsy, Barry, have left us more work. And I'll be broke, again," Fiona groaned.

"This seems to be a recurring theme," Doug said dryly, having settled down next to her and not anxiously fidgeting in his seat, like he needed to give her an extra few inches of space. "You know, you made me realize something earlier, Jake. I, too, haven't been in this apartment. I think our resident elf has good taste, no? I love the rafter work. Feels rustic."

"Don't dragons prefer caves?" Jake asked slyly. Doug muttered something incoherent, but Jake diffused that with a gentle chuckle. "Sorry, I know. One of the guys in the guild, Liam, actually lives on a farmstead when he isn't doing work. Talk about a juxtaposition."

"I think I know who that is," Doug said, sounding surprised. "At any rate, I had to spend six months excavating that lair in the Fenras swamp to get it cozy enough. And believe me, mosquitoes can be a nuisance even for dragons," Doug sighed. "Also, I wasn't aware you knew of my situation."

"I've heard enough of the story that I now understand Karlin Fierkraag and Glados, both of whom instigated the recent troubles. We were a leading cause of some of your current distress." Jake bowed his head at this slight, as if he felt he bore some responsibility.

"Oh, I know. Though I have this feeling this manic shopkeeper will find a unique way to tip the scales back into balance," he nudged her with a wing, and she felt flustered.

Now he was leaning into it?

"Jake, I might need a favor. You have connections with the other guilds. Do you know anyone from the judicial guild?" Fiona asked abruptly.

"Uh, yes, I do, but why?"

She glanced at Doug and thought of that ornate key still in his possession. She realized that with everything going on, maybe they both needed answers. "We have a little field trip to make. Doug's mother left him something to find, but it was sealed by a court case lockdown. We think that was instigated by Karlin. We need to know if this estate case is no longer sealed. And I want to do it soon, before we're back in the chaos."

But the Wolven put a hand. "Fiona, your mission, if you want one? Make Fiefdala a ton of cash. Run your shop and run it like it's the greatest emporium in the world, because that's what I need," Jake replied softly.

"I'm telling you, leave the defense of Fiefdala from monsters and people conspiring against it, to us. You and Bonnie, Greg, and Douglas have now all gotten us further than we would have by ourselves. But as for the case of this estate? I can pull a favor. I think I owe you a lot."

"Bah, there's no favors here," Bonnie interjected, folding her hat and finally sitting down and relaxing next to Greg. Fiona watched him lean into it, holding her hand gently on her lap. "Just a bunch of crazy shopkeepers, miniature dragons, a bright-eyed young kid, and a few others relaxing after a long, difficult stretch of road. I still wanna know how Darla here managed to keep this one on the sly," she added, looking proudly at the two of them.

"Well, it was a long-term kind of thing. I got in the habit of visiting her shop. Though I guess it was a little harder to make a rendezvous when she started working out of the emporium," Jake answered. Darla smiled contentedly and leaned against his shoulder. "Turns out we have a few things in common, here and there."

"A few things in common, he says. We both love Battlemania. Nothing more fun than watching a bunch of knights and steely-nerved men duking it out in the arena, jousting. We met there a few months ago, before Karlin kickstarted an interkingdom incident," she explained.

"Aw, Darla, you could have told us!" Fiona protested. "We don't bite! I mean, much."

"Might be because I figured you'd try to get him to quit the adventuring life and settle down and do something even crazier," she teased.

"Like make all her adversaries and foes into workers and partners at her shop?" Kali laughed. "Greg told me how you guys handled Glados. Man, that must have been awesome, taking down someone so dangerous! We're just running a store!"

"Nah. I think we're running something a little bit more than a store," Fiona said with a warm smile. "I think…we're running a community, now."

"I like the way you say that, Fi." Bonnie almost purred the words out. "And by the sound of it, community might be a precious commodity we'll be selling a lot of in the coming weeks."

For the next few hours, Fiona and her friends conversed, got back up to speed on everything that had happened in Vale, and how the holidays were nearly upon them.

Fiona knew the calm couldn't last, though. She nudged Doug, who had started nodding off, and his tail went stiff as a board in reaction.

"Nope, I'm good! Sorry, it's been a long few days," he said, startled.

"Aw, but you looked adorable," she cooed. She found it amusing that while dragons and kobolds had scales, the colors of the scales shifted slightly in almost the same way as others when they got flustered or embarrassed.

"Oh, don't get cozy with me being tiny. We've got Glados in the slammer. I'm getting my magnificent body back. Oh, and I need to borrow some things from the shop. I'll make that witch talk," he added with a toothy grin.

"Oh no, get in line, tiny," Bonnie said with a chuckle. A yawn interrupted her next few words, and she stretched her arms over her head. "Alright, I think that's my sign, it's time to crash. Fiona, mind if Greg and I take the guest room?"

"It's what it's there for," Fiona answered. "Jake, Darla, Kali, you guys are welcome to stay, too."

"I appreciate that, Fi. But it might be a bit crowded with us here, too," Jake countered politely. "Besides, Darla's apartment is only a short walk from here. I think we'll be okay."

"Alright. But I'm making pancakes in the morning! Be here bright and early!"

With them departing, Kali took flight, and Greg and Bonnie headed to the guest room; it was just her, Tucker, and Doug in the room now.

Tucker nudged her hand to get her attention and peered right at Doug.

Oh, are you in on this, too? She narrowed her eyes at the feline.

Tucker blinked and pointed a paw at Doug for emphasis, who was otherwise fiddling with his small arcanist pad. Fiona froze at this bizarre gesture and stared back at the cat. I do not know what is up with this cat sometimes, but I think I'd better listen.

Even the cat knew she and Doug needed to talk.