The Tavern on the Water had the weather to thank for it’s good business that night. Alys adjusted the kerchief keeping her curly red hair out of her face and looked around to see if anyone needed a refill or anything of the like.

The room was loud, and laughter and chatter filled the space. The majority of the noise came from a group of rough-looking men on the other side of the room, but they were mostly behaving well, so no one seemed to mind.

Alys topped off a few people’s drinks then walked over to the counter with the register and started wiping off the crumbs that had ended up there from all the food she had served.

Then she heard someone trying to open the door from the outside, but before she could go and help, the wind banged the door against the wall as it flew open.

In the doorway stood two people. They had dark cloaks on with the hoods up, which generally wasn’t a great sign as to the type of person wearing the cloak, but Alys wasn’t worried. It was raining buckets outside and a person would have to be insane to be out there without a cloak. Even with the cloaks, the pair was soaking wet and dripping all over the floor.

The taller of the two newcomers managed to shut the door again before both walked over to where Alys was wiping down the counter. The shorter person pushed back their hood and Alys tried not to show her suprise.

It was a girl. A teenage one who looked about Alys’s own age of eighteen. Women in general almost never came through the tavern, and when they did they were all older and rougher. This girl had wavy brown hair (although it was a little frizzy from the rain) and dark brown eyes that looked nervous and hopeful at the same time.

“Do you have any rooms available?” She asked softly. Alys could barely hear her over the group of rowdy men on the other side of the room.

“I- I don’t know,” Alys said, frowning thoughtfully. She thought they might have one open…

“Hey Thia,” Alys called, and her twenty-two year old coworker looked over from her place at the bar. “Do you know if we have any rooms left?”

Thia shook her head. “The only open beds in this place are in the servants quarters with us. And you know the rules, anyone who stays there has to work for it.”

Alys sighed. “I’m sorry, we don’t-“

“We’ll take it if we can,” interrupted the still-hooded member of the pair of strangers. With the flick of a wrist, the taller stranger pushed his hood back, spraying water droplets across the room and revealing straight black hair and the same dark eyes as the girl. He looked a little older, maybe nineteen, and was relatively good looking if Alys had anything to say about it.

“That is, if you don’t mind working tonight,” the… definitely not boy, Alys thought… guy asked, looking at his partner, who Alys was starting (and, alright, maybe hoping) to think was his sister. They did look pretty similar.

The girl shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “ ‘course I don’t mind, anything is better than sleeping out in the rain. Is that alright with you?” The dark-haired girl suddenly asked, turning to Alys.

Alys shrugged. “Hey, I don’t mind. Besides, this might be really good for us. Can either of you cook? Because our cook is out sick and Thia isn’t really the person to cover for him.”

“I can,” the girl answered, with another small smile. “I was practically raised in a kitchen.”

“Good,” Alys said, relieved. She loved her older sister, but seriously, Thia could burn water. “I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying, and you can change out of those wet clothes before you start.”

Alys started to turn and walk away, then realized something. “Oh! I’m Alys. What are your names?” The young waitress asked, turning back to the pair.

The two were quiet for a moment before answering.

“I’m Elle, and he’s Rohan” the girl - Elle - said, gesturing to her companion. “He’s my brother.”

So I was right, thought Alys happily. They are related. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both,” She said with a smile. “And welcome to The Tavern on the Water.”