24 – The Most Difficult Quest

Some quests were easy. Others were hard. Yet, she pushed through them all the same. All for her pride. All for the streak. But as Alexandra discovered today’s daily, for the first time, she believed she was going to lose.

She sat back down on her bed, all her drive evaporating in an instant.

She dispelled her journal, and summoned it again. When she flipped it open, she groaned. She hadn’t misread.

Quest Journal

Daily Reset: 06:00 | Streak: 6 Days | 0% All Stats

Next Milestone: 10 Days

Daily Quests:

• Do your household’s laundry (0/1)

Life was unfair. Sometimes, things were going so well one could think they were the chosen one. Sometimes, one was faced with unexpected, life-altering moments that were hard to recover from.

This was one such moment.

With a sigh, she pushed on her knees to stand up. Fate had thrown a wrench in her plans, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t have breakfast.

She joined her hosts in the main room. They were already sitting at the table, dipping their bread into their usual soup.

“What’s the long face?” Lara asked.

Alexandra shook her head, and sat down. “Don’t mention it.”

Lara pouted. “I take it that today’s quest is not to your liking.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Alexandra dipped her spoon into the bowl that had been set aside for her. “Laundry. It wants me to do the laundry.”

Lara scanned her, her eyes going up and down the clothes that she was wearing since she’d arrived in Lanterne. Her trousers were covered in dirt, with traces of blood staining the fabric. Some of it was hers. Her shirt was in a better state, but only because her vest had taken the brunt of the abuse. “About time, I’d say.”

Alexandra rolled her eyes, and pulled her shirt. She looked at it, smelled it, wrinkled her nose. “It’s not that bad.”

Therion shook his head, and shared a glance with his wife.

“But if it was just that, I wouldn’t complain,” Alexandra continued. “It’s asking me to do the household’s laundry! Can you believe it? I hope you don’t have too many clothes.”

“Finally some good news!” Therion laughed.

Lara slapped his shoulder lightly. “Therion!”

“What? It’s about time she contributes.”

“I don’t mind Alexandra helping around. But all our laundry…” She paused. “The timing isn’t great. You did all our clothes yesterday.”

Therion shrugged. “But it’s for her quest, so I expect we’ll find our stuff cleaner than ever!” He turned to Alexandra. “You wouldn’t skimp on us, right?”

She winced. “Well, no…”

He was right. As much as she hated to admit it, it was for her quest.

“Then that’s settled.” Therion clasped his hands. “I’ll show you where the lavoir is after breakfast.”

Lara moved her mouth without a sound. “Sorry.”

Alexandra waved her hand. She was done for anyway.

Therion finished his soup, pushed back his chair, and stood up. “Ready?”

Alexandra looked at her bowl. Still half full. “Give me a minute.”

She finished her breakfast, pushed back her own chair, and followed him to the bedroom. He pulled a large wicker basket from under the bed and set it on the floor.

“Everything?” he asked.

“Everything.”

He opened the chest at the foot of the bed and started pulling clothes out. Shirts, trousers, a heavy wool blanket, two sets of bed linen. He folded nothing, just stacked. The basket filled quickly. He added a second blanket from the top shelf of the wardrobe and pressed it down with both hands to make it fit.

Alexandra looked at the pile. “This is a lot.”

“You said everything.” He lifted the basket without apparent effort and carried it to the main room. Lara added two more items from a chair by the door without being asked: a linen apron and a shirt. Therion accepted them and pressed those down too.

“Sure you don’t want my help?” Lara asked her.

She did, but shook her head. “I need to do it myself.”

“I’ll show her.” He looked at Alexandra. “Bring your own things.”

She gathered her vest, and the clothes she’d been wearing at the time of her summon, and bundled them under her arm.

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Therion was already outside.

She put on her gloves, raised her hood and followed him through the village, her bundle under her arm. He walked unhurried, nodding once to a man outside his house, stopping briefly to let two children cross the path ahead of them.

The lavoir was a simple structure at the edge of the village; a long stone basin set under a low roof open on three sides, with a wooden bench running along the back wall. Water flowed in from one end and out the other, clear where it entered and cloudy where the washing had been.

Two people were already there. A man, past fifty, lean, with forearms that suggested a lifetime of outdoor work. He had his back to them when they arrived, shoulders moving in a steady rhythm. And a woman, younger, somewhere in her thirties, broad-shouldered, her dark hair tied back with a strip of cloth.

Therion set the basket down at the nearest section and nodded at the two already there. “Mira. Cassin.”

Mira looked up. Her eyes went to Alexandra and stayed there. Cassin kept scrubbing but glanced over his shoulder.

“This is Alexandra,” Therion said. “She’s staying with us.”

Neither of them said anything.

Therion pointed at the first basin, or the last, if one followed the way water was flowing. “Worst of the dirt here. No soap. Scrub with your hands, wring it out.” He moved along. “Soap and brush here. Scrub hard, rinse in the third.” He set a cake of soap on the edge of the second basin. “Leave things to dry on the line outside.”

He picked up his empty basket.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, and left.