Chapter 5
“Where to now?” I laughed as the daylight hit my eyes.
The sky looked bluer than I’d ever seen, and everything seemed to sparkle. A land without electricity looked like a land without pollution to me, and I smiled as I took a deep breath that smelled like pine and freshwater.
“Only the finest bakery in town,” Babble replied as he leaned against the wall of Hildegard’s inn to get his balance. “For the finest yeast.”
“You’ll have to lead the way,” I said. “I still have no idea where anything is.”
“Just… give me a moment,” he replied and then burped.
While the gnome recovered from his morning beer, I looked around at the strange town where I now lived. Elves, dwarves, and humans walked along the streets as they went about their daily business, and carts moved slowly over the large cobblestone bridge that connected the two sides of the river. Smoke curled up from chimneys, and the breeze carried the first fall leaves along the roads.
It looked so surreal, and the only thing I could equate it with were old paintings of medieval life, except maybe set in a Dungeons and Dragons landscape. I could see elves trying to barter with leather merchants and humans haggling with fishmongers, and just a little further along, a group of dwarves had gathered beneath a banner to laugh about something.
“So where is the finest bakery?” I asked and turned to check on the gnome.
“Up here to the left,” Babble yawned as he finally started to move.
We started to make our way across the cobbles, and I passed dwarves and humans alike who looked at me and whispered things to themselves. Despite being of average height in Portland, it was clear that I was the tallest guy in Hagop. Everyone else seemed to be under five foot five, and it didn’t help me blend in that they were all dressed in tunics and leggings.
I glanced down at my jeans and t-shirt and realized just how out of place I really was. I tried to smile and look friendly, but that only sent people scurrying to the other side of the road. I was starting to feel like Shrek, and for a wild moment, I wondered what the town would do if I painted my skin green.
“Giants aren’t popular here,” I noted as we started across the bridge.
“Eh,” the gnome replied and waved away my concerns. “If you can make beer to rival that of Pyotr House, they’ll love you soon enough.”
“Oh, I can definitely do that,” I said as I nodded.
The whispers followed us to the other side of the river, and I’d stopped trying to wave to people by then. I decided to follow the gnome’s lead and just ignore the looks and sound of hurrying feet, and so I ambled along and drank in the amazing atmosphere of the place.
“That’s the bakery,” Babble hiccupped as he pointed to the right. “We can surely get yeast there. It’s where Hildegard buys all of her goods, and it has the best reputation in Hagop.”
There wasn’t much along that section of the road, but I finally spotted the faded sign with a picture of a loaf of bread. It was a small thatched-roof building with exposed beams that looked like it was being held together by faith alone.
“Perfect,” I nodded. “That’s exactly what we need.”
Babble and I strolled along the street, which wasn’t as busy as the other side of the river. I tucked my hands in my pockets and watched a couple of pigeons that were pecking at a crust of bread, and then Babble cleared his throat to get my attention.
“Look smart,” he said as he straightened his little green blazer. “They get a lot of customers.”
“Oh, um,” I said and tugged at my t-shirt.
The gnome shook his head and scowled at my clothing.
“We’ll need to find you something more presentable to wear,” he announced. “No one will take you seriously in that.”
“You did,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but you’d just saved me,” he replied, and the gnome shook his head again and then stepped up to the door of the bakery. When he opened it, the sound of birdsong drifted outside.
I looked around for the bird in the cage as I stepped inside, but then I was distracted by the most heavenly smell I’d ever experienced in my life. It was the classic aroma of butter and baking bread, but it smelled a thousand times better than it ever had before.
“Oh, man,” I muttered as I tried not to drool on the floor.
“They do a nice job here,” Babble said as he leaned over to sniff a basket of loaves by the door.
The bakery was a small establishment that must’ve only been ten by ten feet. There was a counter lining the entire back wall, and it was currently filled with bread, a few pastries that looked like they were made with berries, and a cake or two. A few of the pastries were still steaming, and the savory scent of rosemary and blueberry drifted our way.
Babble tapped his foot on the stone ground and looked around for an attendant. But aside from the bird, which I still couldn’t see, there didn’t seem to be anyone in the place.
“If you please!” the gnome shouted. “There are two customers willing to pay out here.”
I heard a flurry of sound from the back room and the clashing of metal pans. The whistling abruptly stopped, and a moment later, a woman hurried into the room with a tray of buns.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman said as she smiled. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Well,” Babble huffed and ran a hand over his coat again.
I probably should have said something useful, but all I could do was stare at the rosy-cheeked woman. I didn’t know if it was the smell of the fresh bread or just the sight of her that made me feel high, but I’d never felt such an instant need to be with someone before.
Some part of my brain noted that she wore a burgundy colored cloth dress with sleeves that came to just below her elbows and a skirt down to her ankles. Her dark blue apron was covered in flour, and a small dusting of the ground meal had also found its way into her blonde hair, despite the fact that she’d tied it back into a messy bun. The tip of her nose and one cheek were dabbed with flour as well, which somehow made her more endearing.
But what I really loved was the deep, almost navy blue of her eyes. I could have stared at them for hours without saying a word, except that the gnome stomped on my foot.
“I’m so sorry,” she laughed as she set the heavy tray on the counter. “Our cart broke down, so we’re behind schedule. Everyone who isn’t baking is out making deliveries.”
I didn’t even know what to say. I’d only seen a woman like this in paintings, so of course, I grinned like an idiot when she smiled at us.
“Hello,” I almost choked. “Ummm...”
“Oh,” she said and then quickly looked away. “I heard there was a giant in Hagop.”
“I’m not a giant,” I assured. “I’m, uhhh, here to buy… something.”
“Well, we have plenty of bread,” she said and looked up at me shyly. “Or perhaps a tart?”
“Uh...” I muttered.
“We’d like to buy some brewer’s yeast,” Babble said as he stepped forward. “And we’ll need a lot of it.”
“A heavier strain, for making an ale,” I added.
The woman’s deep blue eyes widened, and she placed her hands on her hips. She threw a brief glance at Babble before looking back to me in amazement.
“Yeast,” she repeated as if in a trance. “Of course…”
Babble looked up at me and back at the baker girl. He rolled his eyes as he watched us for a moment, and then he stepped firmly between the two of us.
“What’s your name?” Babble finally asked.
I tried not to slap myself across the face when I heard the question. But I needed to wake up and focus on my brewing business, and not mooning over every pretty girl in Hagop.
“My name?” she asked blankly and then shook her head before throwing Babble a look. “Oh, yes. I’m Flora. And who are you?”
She glanced between the gnome and I and furrowed her brow. I could tell that she was confused, and not just because of the extreme difference in our heights. I guessed it was unusual in Hagop for humans and gnomes to hang out together, and she was trying to figure out why we were there together and what we intended to do with so much yeast.
“My name is Tyler,” I finally said when I found my voice. “I’ve just traveled here from a place called Portland.”
“Oh,” she nodded as she batted her eyelashes at me. “I haven’t heard of… Portland. But I’m sure it must be very… unusual.”
She glanced at my clothes for a moment and then turned her attention to the buns on the tray. She shuffled from side to side as she adjusted the bread before she turned back to Babble.
“So, let’s see, you need...” she murmured.
“We’re looking for brewer’s yeast,” Babble announced as he rolled his eyes. “As I just said. I imagine you have a lot of it here.”
“Of course we do,” Flora shot back at him. “We sell it to all the brewers. But how much yeast exactly are you looking for?”
“We need enough for two barrels of beer,” I said.
“Beer?” she almost gasped as her dark blue eyes fluttered in my direction again.
Beer. Brewing. I had to remind myself of my mission here in this strange place, or else I was just going to get lost in the beauty of this woman.
But how couldn’t I? I was a human man. And I knew that there were other beautiful and exotic creatures around here, but a human man couldn’t resist a pretty girl who smelled like freshly baked bread of all things.
“A gnome and a human,” she said as she studied the two of us. “And you want a brewing amount of yeast? I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It’s true,” I said. “We plan on producing our own beer.”
“My friend here is a brewer in Portland,” the gnome added.
“Humans brew beer in Portland?” she asked.
“They do,” I assured her. “The best beer you’ve ever tasted.”
“Huh,” she said and looked between us again.
“So… will you sell us some yeast?” I asked hopefully.
“Usually we keep that reserved for dwarves,” she said as she looked down at the buns.
I could tell that she was trying not to look at me, and I realized that I had more power here than I had previously thought.
“I know,” I said. “But I’ve come to the city of Hagop from my foreign land… just to brew beer. And I know that you have the finest bakery in town, which means you probably have the best yeast in town.”
“This is definitely, without a doubt, the finest bakery in town,” she said as she fiddled with the buns some more.
Her cheeks flushed bright beetroot pink, and she turned on her heel and disappeared into the back room again for a moment.
“She hates us,” Babble sighed, and he shook his head and looked down at his tiny gnome feet. “Maybe we’ll have to go to a different bakery.”
“I don’t think that’s the case,” I whispered. “She definitely likes us. Well, she likes me. I’m not sure what she thinks of you.”
“I’m sure she hates me,” he sniffed. “All humans do.”
“I don’t,” I reminded him.
“Yes, but you’re from this strange place called Portland,” he said. “After you’ve lived here long enough, you’ll probably hate gnomes as well.”
“Won’t happen,” I assured him.
We heard something thump in the backroom, and a moment later, footsteps moved quickly toward the front of the store again.
“You said enough for one batch?” the baker asked as she peeked around the corner.
I could tell she had pulled back her long blonde locks into an even tighter bun because her skin looked stretched and she looked at me with big flying saucer eyes like I was an alien. But even though she was obviously trying to be discreet, I knew that she couldn’t keep her eyes off of me. And I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her, either. This bakery visit had turned into a real game of cat and mouse, and it was funny to me that Babble had to watch all this.
I told myself I couldn’t just get distracted by any ladies who might swoon over me, but this girl had something about her. It was like she couldn’t even contain herself, and I thought that it was cute as hell.
“Yes,” I repeated, and I tried to hold back a smile. “If you can spare it.”
Flora looked like she was about to reply, but then a small stout man in a white apron and a white hat appeared beside her.
“Hello,” he announced. “You’re the man who wants yeast?”
“Yes, Sir,” Babble and I both said at the same time, and the baker patted Flora on the arm.
“Get this man the yeast he wants,” he shrugged. “The dwarves have already bought the lager yeast they need, so we have ale yeast to spare.”
“Of course,” she said, but the blonde beauty couldn’t tear her eyes from me.
We stared at each other for a moment, and I drank in her beautiful plump arms and ruddy cheeks. I couldn’t peel my eyes from her if I tried, and every second she stood in the doorway was another second I was in heaven.
“Well, go on and get it, Flora,” the baker snapped.
“Oh, yes,” Flora said and disappeared again.
“Thank you,” Babble said as he furrowed his brow.
“What do you need with the yeast anyway?” the baker asked. “You’re not planning to make your own bread are you?”“I’m a large man,” I heard myself saying. “Who needs a large amount of yeast.”
The baker and the gnome both stared at me like they weren’t sure what the hell I was talking about, but they were saved from having to respond when Flora returned with three jars of gray-white goop.
“This is active yeast,” she muttered as she held out the jars, and then she looked up at me and blushed. “Is that all that you need?”
“Yes,” I said with a smile as I held up the jars. “This is perfect, thank you.”
“Five silver pieces,” the baker said.
I looked down at Babble, who still owed me for the last fight, and he shrugged and pulled a small pouch out of his pocket.
“Remind me to put this in my books, protector,” he muttered as he counted out five silver pieces.
“Well, enjoy your yeast,” the baker said and then returned to the back of the shop.
The gnome handed Flora the coins, and she quickly counted them and then dropped them in a small drawer in the wall. Then, she leaned against the counter and looked over the pair of us again.
“I’ve never seen anyone like you in town before,” she finally said to me. “And you come from… where is it? Portland?”
We might’ve gotten our yeast, but I could tell that she wanted to talk. And as much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I was powerless to a woman like this. She just seemed so wholesome, and hell, I needed to get to know the locals didn’t I? I knew that it was just an excuse, but I could tell myself whatever I wanted.
“Yes,” I answered. “Portland. It’s very far from here. And very different, too.”
“I’ve never heard of it,” she said. “Is it in the East Country?”
“No,” Babble answered. “He came down the river.”
“Oh,” she nodded as she pushed a strand of hair from her face. “So the West Country?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But it’s far from here. I’m staying at Hildegard’s inn down the road. Do you know it?”
“Of course I do,” she said as she nodded. “Everyone in Hagop knows Hildegard. We supply bread to her every day, even when the cart breaks down.”
“I heard,” I said and chuckled. “She mentioned you were having a few issues today.”
“Today, yesterday, every day,” she sighed.
Babble tapped his tiny gnome foot impatiently on the floor, but I didn’t want to leave just yet. Something about Flora compelled me to stay and talk, and five minutes of my time wouldn’t have been too much.
The baker woman peeked into the back room before gesturing at Babble and I to come closer. We exchanged a glance before making a few steps toward the counter, and I leaned down to hear what Flora had to say.
“Try one of these buns,” the gorgeous blonde whispered, and she pointed to the tray. “It’s a new recipe that I’m trying out, so they’re not on sale yet. They’re made with dried rose petals.”
I smiled at her and grabbed one of the buns from the counter, which I handed to the very short Babble. Then, I took one for myself and bit into it.
The bun was amazing and unlike anything I’d ever tasted in the human world. I could taste the rose in it, but there were also hints of cardamom and caraway seeds. I moaned happily as the flavors danced around my tongue, and then I popped the rest of it into my mouth.
“This is delicious,” I said as I chewed it down. “Flora, you’re a genius.”
The baker woman smiled up at me and flushed bright pink. Then, she twirled around and nodded before walking from behind the counter to the middle of the bakery to join us.
“I want to join the bakers’ guild,” she whispered. “But for now I can’t. I just heat the stoves and knead the dough. I’ve known the sound of a rooster’s call since I was fourteen years old. It’s been eight years since then, but I think that if enough people taste my buns, they’ll surely buy them.”
“I agree,” Babble laughed, and he started twirling around as well. “That was heavenly. You’ll be the finest baker in Hagop!”
“Sshhh,” Flora hushed, and she brought her finger to her mouth. “Don’t let the boss hear you say that. He’s very competitive, and he doesn’t like it when anyone else challenges his recipes.”
I looked down at the blonde, who blushed at me again before she made her way behind the counter. I’d never met anyone as passionate and silly as her, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
“We should move on,” Babble said as he nudged me in the shin. “We have other business to attend to as well.”
“These were obviously made from very fine grains,” I said, and I gestured at the rose buns. “Do you get them in town or are they imported?”
“Oh,” she laughed out loud. “Of course the grains are from Hagop. We get them from the Rover Mill at the edge of town!”
Babble tapped his little foot on the floor and nodded at me, and I knew where our next destination was. We needed the hops for sure, but if we could stop along the way to get the other ingredients, then I could get everything that I needed in no time.
“The Rover Mill?” I repeated as I leaned across the counter. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s very, um, very close,” Flora insisted as she bounced from one foot to the other. “If you’re interested in buying grains, then you should definitely visit our local mills. They’re the finest in the country!”
“I bet they are,” I smiled, and for another moment, I became lost in her deep blue eyes.
Until I felt a tug at the bottom of my jeans, of course. I looked down, and Babble was jumping from side to side and flashing me another graveyard toothy smile.
“We need to go to the Rover Mill as well, it seems,” he insisted. “It would be a fine day trip. And to peruse the grains, surely.”
“Umm, of course,” I added, and I shot a look at the jars and then back to Flora. “Do you possibly have anything that we could carry these in? I seem to have forgotten, um…”
“A basket,” Babble replied. “If you could be so kind.”
“Of course,” Flora said, and she gave herself a slap on the ruddy cheek and turned toward the back of the bakery. “I can get you one right now.”
As she disappeared through the door, I felt another tug at my jeans.
“Yes?” I sighed as I looked down.
“I sense something between you two,” he said. “And I’m not sure I approve of this. Not when we have brewing to do.”
“Something is brewing for sure,” I said under my breath before Flora appeared with a large wicker basket in her arms.
She placed the jars in the basket and covered them with some cheesecloth before placing it on the counter.
“This should be good for traveling,” she said without breaking eye contact with me, and I smiled and nodded.
“Thank you,” I said. “This is very helpful.”
Oh, man. I didn’t want to tear myself away from the beautiful baker woman, but I also didn’t want to waste any time on getting my beer ingredients. But if she’d been here since she was fourteen, then I was sure that she would be here tomorrow, so I decided to continue my shopping spree so I could start my batch right away.
Besides, if she delivered everything to Hildegard’s tavern, then I was sure that I would run into her again.
“It was a pleasure to meet you,” she said, and she drew her left leg back behind the other and gave us a small curtsy.
Nobody had ever curtsied for me before, and I felt like laughing because this woman made me so happy. But once again, I felt Babble tug at my jeans, and then he pulled me out of the bakery.
“And you, too,” I called behind my back as I slung the basket over my arm and stepped out into the Hagop sunlight.
“I say, giant,” Babble started. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d accuse you of thinking she’s pretty.”
“What would ever make you think that?” I snorted as I started down the road before realizing that I didn’t know where I was going at all. “So where’s the Rover Mill?”
“Ha!” the gnome laughed. “It’s at the end of the main road, where the grasslands meet the cobbled street.”
“Okay,” I said as I studied the roads until I spotted what looked like a giant wheel along the river’s edge. “Down there?”
“Aren’t you clever?” he chortled as he danced down the road toward the mill.
The weight of the yeast in my basket made me feel accomplished, but I couldn’t get the blue of that girl’s eyes out of my head. Man, they didn’t make them like that back in Portland…
“Hello, Babble,” I heard a voice shout, and a fisherman down on the docks waved at the small gnome with a smile.
“You’re friends?” I asked.
“Fishermen are always friendly,” he said as he nodded. “And I’ve met a great deal of them in my time.”
“Are they gamblers?” I asked as we headed down the street.
“Oh, no,” Babble laughed. “They’re the most sensible humans in Hagop. But I meet a lot of people in town, and I make sure to be as friendly as I can to all of them. Gnomes have a bad reputation, but I don’t want to be part of that. I want to make as many friends as possible.”
I nodded and then looked around at the street. I hadn’t paid much attention before, but it was clear that most of the different races didn’t mix. I tried nodding to the elves we passed, but they ignored us, and the dwarves by the docks actually looked angry when I waved.
“It seems like everyone here sticks to their own kind,” I said. “I mean, I’m new in town, but is that how it is?”
I looked down at the tiny creature who walked along beside me, and I saw his cheeks flushed pink. He started to twirl and pull at his beard and shook his head.
“Yes, you’re right,” he admitted. “But not all of us feel the same way. See, you’re my protector, and you’re a human. And I’m friends with Hildegard, and she’s a human. We don’t need to be so separated all of the time.”
“I’d agree with that,” I replied. “Life can be pretty boring if you only talk to people who are just like you.”
“That’s so true,” the gnome replied. “It’s good to have a different perspective. Even from a head so high in the sky.”
“Or so low to the ground,” I laughed.
Babble laughed as well and did another twirl, but then he turned serious for a moment.
“And I do have gnome friends,” he insisted, even though I noticed that most of the gnomes we passed on the street didn’t seem to regard him as warmly as his human friends. “I just don’t really hang around those parts all the time. Gnome city is a very different place than the human city.”
“Well, the human city seems pretty sweet,” I said and shrugged. “I can understand why you’d want to stay here.”
It really was. There were horses and buggies, women washing sheets on the shore of the river, and fishermen laughing to themselves as they cast their nets out on the water. It seemed like a pretty ideal existence, even if all the races didn’t seem to get along too well. Maybe I would get sick of how picturesque it was someday, but for now, I thought that the place was perfect.
And better yet, I could live out my dreams here. I’d never have been able to afford the opportunity back in Portland, but in Hagop, it seemed like everything was possible for me.
“Wait,” Babble said, and he scurried over toward a shopfront.
I followed him and looked into the window. The shop was like every other building on the street, with a thatched roof and exposed beams. But it had a painted sign out front that said ‘Garb for Sale’ and an arrow pointing to the entrance.
“Do you need a new suit?” I asked, and he threw his head back and cackled.
“Not for me,” he said. “I have lived in Hagop all of my life, and I know how the people dress. But with all due respect, you look like a foreigner if I’ve ever seen one. And I know that old McNally owes me a few favors…”
He tugged at my jeans, and I crouched through the entrance and made my way into the store with him.
When in Rome, I thought. Or at least, when in Hagop.