A canon-divergence fic that began when Heather woke on her first night at Cloud Mountain and spotted a cloaked stranger roaming the halls. Updates on Wednesdays.
Heather’s head hurt. She pulled the covers further over her head, but it didn’t matter. The light still made its way into her eyes. She sighed, giving up and staring at the illuminated walls. The painting of the forest hollow comforted her, but it didn’t ease her exhaustion. Why had she let herself lose sleep two nights in a row?
She sighed again, getting out of bed and stretching. Well, there was nothing to do now but find something productive to do. She found her blue dress folded neatly on the cabinet, but her cloak was a heap on the floor.
Yawning, Heather got dressed, then opened the door. She squinted, her headache coming back, and walked down the bright corridor toward the Savory Den. The clatter of pans and Gort’s voice sounded from the kitchen, but there wasn’t anyone eating in the dining cave. Heather must have slept later than she’d thought.
She walked to the counter, waving at Gort when he spotted her and bustled over, wiping his hands on his apron. “Ah, Heather! How are you late this fine morning?”
She smiled at him. “Good, thanks. A little tired. Do you have any breakfast left?”
"Ah, perhaps.” He turned and called, “Cicely, get over here!” A brown-furred doe hurried over, nodding to Gort. He motioned at Heather. “Here, get this doe some food; I have to check on the bread.”
The brown doe, Cicely, smiled at Heather. “Follow me.” She turned and ducked through the kitchen door. Heather followed, unsure of herself as she stepped into the bright, bustling room. The brown doe continued through the kitchen, exchanging words with the bucks and does working at various stations. Heather ducked past a buck with a tray of bread and skirted around the table where a doe was peeling an enormous heap of potatoes.
Cicely reached a chair in the back and motioned to it, “Sit down and I’ll get you some leftovers,” she said, then spun away to receive instructions from a short buck.
Heather sat, trying to take up as little space as she could. She watched as rabbits hurried to and fro, cutting ingredients, washing dishes, and mixing food. Gort especially seemed to be everywhere at once. He left a counter filled with rising dough, examined the dishwashers’ progress, then sampled a spoonful of stew and grimaced. “What did I tell you, Saff? Take it easy with the salt, is what I said.” The yellowish worker buck nodded.
Heather startled as Cicely returned. She set a tray of seasoned potato mash and biscuit before Heather. Before she could leave again, Heather nodded at her. “Thank you.”
The doe smiled, brown eyes bashful. “You’re welcome. You’re Heather, right?”
“That’s right.”
Cicely ducked her head and hurried away. Heather ate slowly, enjoying the food and the friendly chaos of the kitchen. Once she was done, she’d have to figure out her next destination. Should she try to find the story-tellers’ guild? She didn’t know where it was, or if she wanted to find it. Where was Picket right now? Emma was probably at work with the healers, but what about Kyle? Where did he work?
She smiled, remembering the magical cave of stars they’d found. It hadn’t brought her any closer to her goal of following the cloaked rabbit, but maybe that was alright. It was like a dream, beautiful but unreal compared to her waking reality.
Her tray was empty now, but something inside her wasn’t satisfied. She felt restless, longing to do something meaningful. As Cicely passed, Heather waved her over.
“Can I help out somehow?”
The brown doe tilted her head. “I suppose. Here, come get an apron and wash your hands.” After Heather was outfitted, she was set to washing a mountain of breakfast dishes. The work felt good. It wasn’t like magic out of a story, but it was productive and familiar. Rabbits worked on their own tasks around her, each contributing to the kitchen’s collective progress.
Gort’s laugh made her look up from a particularly stubborn stain. “Why, Heather, I had no idea you were still here!”
She smiled at him. “I’m happy to help.”
“Glad to hear it, but don’t spend all day down in these dreary caves!” He winked. “If you’re inclined to return, we always need more help for supper.”
She laughed. “It’s lovely in here, Gort! I’ll certainly come back, if you can use my help.”
“Go now!” He flapped his hands in a shooing motion. She laughed, letting him herd her toward the door. Leaving her apron on one of the counters, she exited into the large dining cave.
Heather immediately felt chilled. The silence felt oppressive, and her head was beginning to feel light again. As she continued toward the stairs, there was no one in the tunnels except the lone daytime guard. Besides the Savory Den, there wasn’t anything of interest to most rabbits in the lower level. She followed the light to the stairs, pausing by the tunnel she and Kyle had begun to explore. It seemed so dark during the day.
In hopes of finding Picket on the village green, Heather decided to take the stairs to Lighthall. She didn’t know what else to do with her day, but maybe together they could figure something out.
A/N: I work in a kitchen irl, so maybe Heather'll be spending a lot more time there! This was kind of a breather chapter after the excitement of last time. Also I spent way too much time trying to find a word that means 'warm light' for the title. This one's kind of strange but it's fine. Next week: Maggie Weaver!