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

Snowfall drifted in little swirls along the path to Perrier Way, the wind of the early winter storm carrying the chill of the north, long overdue to the City of Fiefdala. The denizens of the city were prepared as ever, bundled in coats, winter fur, or the occasional fire elemental that would tag along. Though this was only somewhat successful, as the fey spirits tried to chase the wild ice elementals descending from the storm clouds, flitting about and flinging snowballs like the carefree children on the ground.

They rarely found their mark, and the mischievous spirits would giggle and fly away as soon as someone started yelling at them. An elven child of no more than eight chucked a snowball and hit a wolven boy full in the face. He sputtered and growled playfully, wiping the clinging snow out of his dark brown fur.

"Hey, no cheap shots, Maddie!" The boy called out and grabbed a hunk of snow between his dexterous paws, licking his lips as he made a snowball the size of a small cannonball. The girl danced about between lines of snowy walls, sticking her tongue out and wagging her long ears, though not for long, because she gripped them to keep them warm.

"Oh, like you get to complain, Rory! You've got fur that'll keep you warm during a blizzard! My pointy ears are going to fall off!" The girl chattered and hugged her coat closer to her body. She reminded herself that she'd been in such a hurry to play outside that she'd forgotten her little hat with the lengthy covers for her elf ears.

The humans didn't have a problem like that, and her best friend, Tina, was a shy human girl with brown eyes and brown hair. She patted her on the shoulder softly before smiling. "We could just go back and get it."

"No way! Mom will give me grief if I stomp in covered in snow, and especially if she knows I didn't finish my chores! At least this way I can have a little–"

A snowball exploded on her chest, and her wolven friend let out a deep laugh. "Haha, that's what you get for skipping chores, Maddie!"

"Oh, that tears it! Tina, gimmie ammo, I'm gonna make myself a snow wolf!" the girl shouted with fury, already grabbing a handful of snow. But that motion also left her ears exposed to the icy wind. "Brrr…I can't take this for long! My ears are going to be little icicles!"

Something warm and fuzzy dropped on her head, and bright red fabric dropped in front of her eyes. She reached up to feel the gift from above–it was soft and warm. It even had covers for her ears! Where did this wonderful gift come from?

She spun to look for her benefactor, and saw an elven woman with bright red hair and green eyes bundled up in a coat, and a bright red kitsune woman with darker markings on her muzzle and leg standing next to her, her ears poking through cutouts of a dark red witch hat. Both of them must have come from the adjacent walking path. The elf smiled at her proudly, then knelt and patted the gift on Maddie.

"There ya go, kiddo! You can borrow it for the day, but I need it back before I head home. Drop by my shop, it's down the road! I think I can also get Darla to give you a sample of the cocoa she just got in over the weekend!"

Maddie put a hand to her face, in awe at the beaming elf before her. The words wouldn't form on her lips–surely it must be the cold weather, numbing her brain! And the rest of her, too!

Tina nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey, you should say thank you!" she whispered insistently. "You're gawking!"

"I'm not gawking, Tina! That's the heroine of Fiefdala! Ohmigod!" The little girl let out a squeal of delight and hugged the woman tightly, nuzzling against her cozy coat. "Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Miss Swiftheart!"

"Bah, if I got a copper coin every time my mom told me to remember my hat, I'd have…well, a lot of coins!" The woman let out a soft sigh of delight as the girl let go. "Well, Bonnie, my work is done here. Guess we gotta open up the shop."

"Oh, oh! It's the witch! I mean, the enchantress!" Tina poked her fingers together, looking down anxiously as if it were a cardinal sin to look upon the sleek vulpine, dressed in a light jacket and paws dressed in specially designed boots. "Miss Bonnie made my mum a little enchantment for her utility wand! Now she can stir the cooking pot without having to attend to it! It just spins and spins!"

The vulpine let out a barking laugh. "Oh, goodness, that's just a small task, girl! You don't need to shy away, I don't bite!"

"Yes, you do," Fiona laughed. "Or nibble a little, if you get what I mean."

"Fiona! Not in front of the kids!" the kitsune hissed through the narrowest of gaps on her muzzle, before shooing the elven away for a second. "Don't mind her, she has a funny sense of humor."

"Oh, oh! Can you do a magic trick? We've got no marks, and I can't lift more than a teaspoon with my nascent magic," Rory said, looking at the witch with keen interest, and a gust of wind ruffled his fur. He chattered in the cold wind. "Ohh, I think I hit my limit. Too cold without a thicker jacket!"

"Well, I've got a small one that might be handy," Bonnie smiled, pulling a silver wand out of her pocket. She motioned for the body to give him her arm. "Now, this won't last long, mind you. You need runes or gems or other magical crip crap to make it permanent, but this should last for a few hours."

The boy looked on in awe as little golden threads of light danced from the wand, wrapping around his coat sleeve, and then slinking around to wrap around the coat, a bit at a time. After several seconds, the color faded, and Rory let out a shout of delight. "Oh man, that's so much better, thank you!"

"Anytime, kiddo!" the kitsune said with a small high-five to him, before she dusted off a bit of snow she'd kneeled on. "Alright, there, Fiona, guess we'd better go start the day, huh? Wonder what I gotta do to get the title of 'heroine' around here!"

"I-I…I think witches are cool," Tina said softly, her face blushing red. "I love your hat, it's so cute, and I'm blurting out words, a-and–"

Bonnie cackled heartily. "See, she gets it! This hat does hat tricks, too! See how there's no snow on it? It's my own personal umbrella, and not getting soggy fur! Your wolven friend knows about that," she added before gesturing. He let out an exasperated groan in response.

"Don't I know it! See you, Miss Revere!" the boy called out.

Within seconds of the duo leaving, Fiona heard the children resume their snowball fight with enthusiasm, and fragments of snowballs ricocheted off trees and haphazard snow forts. "Ah, I love this city. It's a melting pot, isn't it, Bonnie?" Fiona cooed. She hugged her scarf around her neck, the durable yet soft maroon and gold-striped material keeping her warm.

"You know the kingdom's been around conceptually since at least five hundred years ago," Bonnie commented as she tossed her wand up into the air, where it gave off small bursts of icy fractals that disappeared within seconds. Fiona couldn't help but feel the vixen was showing off as she held a conversation. "Greybeard's family only traces back about two hundred years. He inherited the throne from a vote from the Council of Guilds, not by any hereditary claim. I always thought that was cool."

"It's a weird hybrid mix of political organization," Fiona admitted as they walked around an icy patch. Fiona's boots were lightly enchanted to keep their grip in the snowy conditions, and Bonnie's cute vixen boots were a work of magic. "Back on Earth? We had so many different governments. Some were great. Some…uh…not so much."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Like what?"

"Well, we had kings. Some of them didn't serve the people. They intimidated the people. Sometimes, worse than that," she said softly, before clearing her throat. "Not all of them, though."

"The guilds have been around longer than the kingdom, probably at least a thousand or more years. But, it was a loose organization." Bonnie waved to a couple hurrying into the small cafe on the corner of the street. Up ahead, Fiona saw the familiar hanging sign and beautiful old-kingdom building that housed their emporium, beautiful brick and glass panes looking bright even on the dreary day.

Fiona saw Greg brushing snow with his little paper golems–though it was with some limited success, as the automatons would get soggy after a little while. Then Greg would have to dismiss them and grab a shovel to finish the job.

"Hey there, handsome! Thanks for getting up early!" Bonnie called out, and she hugged him briefly before heading inside. Greg went rosy-cheeked as she did so and smiled politely. "Who else is in early on account of the snow?"

"Darla's cooking up a storm on the grill. Customers piled in to get out of the cold." Greg cupped his hands and blew into them to regain some warmth, even though he'd worn heavy gloves. Indeed, Fiona could smell the distinct sweet and savory scent of bacon. She could smell something else in the air. Was it–fresh-baked bread?

And coffee. She'd have died twice if she had found out Cepalune didn't have coffee, which fortunately, they did. Fiona glanced around and saw Kali running inventory and assisting a few early customers on the weekend traffic. Even with shorter hours, the place was packed. Adventurers from the guild milled about the stands, some of them on a priority line to get winter gear for missions.

"Greetings, everyone, welcome to the emporium!" Fiona announced, and received several smiles and a few suggestive whistles from the kids accompanying their parents. "Gosh, you guys are early risers!"

A flap of wings filled the air, and Fiona saw Doug glide in and land at the front door, his hands burdened with a small package. Kali saw him struggling with the door and let him in, his red feathers and scales accented in patches of ice. He was shivering uncontrollably.

"P-p-package for a manic elf and a bouncy kitsune! Before my wings freeze!" he chattered. Fiona walked over to him and knelt to give him a warm hug.

"Aw, thank you, Doug! You weren't kidding when you said you hate the cold! I still can't reconcile how a fire-breathing dragon doesn't like the ice!" She took the package out of his hands while Bonnie used a quick spell to put a warming breeze around him. Bits of melting ice flickered off his wing onto the floor. He let out a sigh of contentment as he warmed up.

"I think it's just me," he said with a coy smile. "Surprised you walked in the cold, with your magical teleport spell and all."

"Bah, I needed to stretch my legs, and Bonnie would've been lonely," she said with a wag of her hand. "You know when a magical ability fails? When you treat it like it's always going to be there. Complacency is the bane of any adventurer. Or merchant now, as may be the case."

"Quite right," he glanced around, looking puzzled. "It's quite busy today, goodness! I'd have thought we would have less traffic, not more."

"Oh, Doug, you have to spend more time in retail. Cozy cold days like this, with a setup like ours? They hang out and have coffee, rustic food, and they linger a while," she said with a toothy smile. "Darla, coffee, hit me! I can't have my favorite historian chattering!"

She put out an outstretched hand, and Darla's tail gently handed her a mug of steaming hot coffee–with elf berry notes, too! She took a sip before smacking her lips. "Love it, dear! This passes the Swiftheart test!"

"Oh, which test is that?" Doug challenged, leaning in and smirking softly.

"The one where I steal the first sip from someone I like," she replied with an impish grin, before handing it to him. "Alright, that's us accounted for…where's our new girl?"

"Good morning, Miss Swiftheart!"

Fiona turned and saw a teenage girl with mousy brown hair and brown eyes wearing a blue cardigan sweater manning the kiosk, already ringing up a young ocelot and a darkly feathered avian, holding a small stack of alchemical supplies. After a moment, she sent them on their way, where they chatted eagerly about alchemical lessons during the winter session.

Fiona frowned and marched to the new girl. "I see you're settling in. Any issues, Greg?" she asked, knowing he would give her a straight answer.

"None that can't be course-corrected. Remember, we must show charm and grace when working with our clientele. It improves sales," he reminded the new hire.

"O-oh! I'm sorry, was I not smiling enough?" The girl blushed softly when she saw Fiona. "Ohmigawd, I still can't believe you went from beating up monsters to running a store! I-I mean, I love the job, it's just…oooh."

Fiona got the impression that this girl was trying to imitate a slime monster, the way she seemingly melted at the register. She smiled warmly at her, attempting to reassure her. "Tami, take it from me. Hunting down the next fashion lineup was fun for a while, but I couldn't do it forever! Seriously, six months on the job gave me enough scars that I figured I'd need to retire soon! Or, I'd likely put some monsters on an endangered species list!"

This assurance only caused her new cashier to melt a little further, eyes going wide at that mention. "I see. Maybe I should dissuade my boyfriend from ever taking that kind of job."

"Yes, it sounds quite dangerous," Kali called out from the row over, writing down numbers on his datapad before smiling softly. "Then again, Swiftheart here has more than one talent, lucky for her. Oh, by the way, we're almost out of that alchemical starter."

"Again?" Fiona asked, sounding puzzled. "I swore we just filled an order for it."

"Word gets out when the ruby enchantress and the Hero of Fiefdala start up a business," Kali replied coyly. "You don't read the news much, do you, Fiona?"

"Uh…not really," she shrugged. "It's kinda weird reading about myself in the news. I am setting a good example for impressionable teenagers, right?"

Kali's beak cracked a smile. "Sure. Minus the purported snack thief of Fiefdala being wanted for the kidnapping of countless sweet rolls here and abroad." Fiona was unbothered by that statement. "Or the merchant with the five-flirt discount," he added, futilely holding back a chuckle.

Her eyes widened. "What?! Who says that about me!?"

"You said it. Repeatedly," Greg interjected dryly. "Remember?"

"Oh, by the Fates, it was a joke!" she fumed. Bonnie was sniggering beside her. "I think I know what to call you, Miss Ruby Enchantress."

"Hey, I didn't pick the name. I better not dye my fur anytime soon," she sighed contentedly, before clapping a hand on Fionas's shoulder. "Uh, our cashier is still puddling on the floor."

"S'okay, I'm good," Tami murmured, finally standing upright and blushing profusely. "A-anyway, will I get more job training today?"

"Yes indeed!" Fiona beamed. "Being a cashier is great and all, but it's not just about that, it's about the customer experience!" She clapped her hands together before surveying the room. "Well, enough introductions. Greg, what have we got on the itinerary today?"

Greg adjusted his tie, then glanced at his datapad. "Fiona, we have a tour of the Verserian collection at eleven, and I think they're primed to buy. We also have a delivery at 12:30 for more dwarven armor, and I believe we have a VIP accompanying the shipment who wants to extend the contracts on the combined effort enchantments. I think we have valuable time to spend on those activities."

"Perfect opportunity. Tami, this'll be a learning experience," she said, and the girl blushed redder than ever. "You should take notes too, because I make up a lot of this as I go! The art of any sale is that there is something that someone wants, for the right price. Half the battle is knowing what they want."

"And the other half?" Tami asked, her datapad appearing out of nowhere. She wrote at a hurried pace--and had good handwriting, Fiona noted.

"Asking for the right amount of coin," Fiona flashed a smile. She turned to Greg for agreement, but was puzzled to see that his jaw was clenched, and his eyes showed a little bit of shock. "What's with the look? Do I have breakfast in my teeth? Bad hair? I can't manage this hair, it has a life of its own, I swear–"

Greg didn't speak, but he did point toward the entrance. She turned and froze.

The royal automaton had pulled up on the street, just outside the door, and palace guards cordoned off the entrance and then stood at attention in a loose formation.

Fiona saw a familiar person emerge from the automaton, assisted by one of their guards, and a familiar gold circlet adorning their head.

One that fit the head it was on, for once.

Fiona could hear the high-pitched strain in Bonnie's throat, who tried to hum a Wintrymas tune that sounded like the worst rendition of 'Deck The Halls' she'd ever heard, in an attempt to keep herself from freaking out.

Especially not in front of the blue-eyed, powerful figure walking in the front door and packing a mutton chop cut of his beard that threatened to set a style trend.

Rikkard Greybeard was giving Fiona's shop an unannounced tour right now after they'd exchanged some very not-nice words the previous week.

Oh, Fiddlesticks.

Flap.

Wingding's sharp tap on her wrist indicated she, too, shared the same existential dread. Distantly, she heard Kali sigh. "Ten gold says this is not a publicity stunt to save face for that debacle a week ago."

"I sincerely doubt it," Fiona said between gritted teeth in an attempt at a smile. "Break out the welcome mat for the VIP. Darla, double coffee. I'm gonna need it for today."

The tail flicked into view with a cup of coffee already prepped, and a surly looking darkling stepped to her side, arms folded. "Well, at least it isn't the beardless one."

"Small consolation."