Chapter Text
The sun was hot. Like hotter than usual hot. Killian rolled her neck and shoulders, trying to release the tension that had built up over the course of her busy work day. She’d pulled up to the ranch around 4:30 am to get started with the animals and harvesting before the sun was too hot overhead, but it was noon and the rays were just about unbearable.
She peeled her lightweight, once-white button down off her damp skin, grimacing at the amount of sweat that quite literally dripped off of the shirt. At one point in time, the shirt had been crisp and free of stains- those days were long behind them. Killian wore it mostly to protect her skin from those harmful UV’s and to keep cool, but also because it was just about the nicest thing a farm gal like her owned. She liked a little class in her work day.
She slung the damp, fruit stained shirt over her shoulder as she trudged through the field towards the farmhouse, taking the long way through the orchard. As soon as Killian passed the threshold from beating sun to shaded wood, she let out a sigh of relief. She needed to bring a bigger canteen out with her, she idly thought, looking down at the bottle that carried a little under 20 ounces of water. She could go through the bottle in minutes at the rate that she worked.
Reaching up, Killian plucked a ripe orange from the tree, smelling the rind and smiling before turning around and staring at the field in front of her. There were acres of land sprawling out in front of her, a patchwork quilt of lettuce and berries and squashes. Today she’d worked in the strawberries, picking them deftly with her nimble yet large fingers. She’d been born to a life of brutality and aggression, but rather than continuing on that path she opted to use her brute strength for a more fulfilling career: she was the sole farmhand at Growing Pains, a 47 acre ranch complete with produce and livestock. It was tough work, especially by yourself, but she didn’t mind it. She got to work alone, got paid very handsomely and there was no judgement passed on to her. The owner of the farm, Merle Highchurch was a moderately wealthy dwarf with a few screws loose and two kids to take care of after the passing of his wife, Hecuba. Killian had been hired for a few odd jobs around the farm before the dwarven menace had passed, and had avoided her like the plague due to her comments about Killians… ferocity.
Luckily though, Merle was raising the kids to be much more open minded now that his domineering wife was gone. Mavis, his older daughter, often sat in the trees and read Killian stories and poetry of heroic daring, strong heroes and happy endings. Mookie, on the other hand, was a speed demon, often zipping through the trees scaring ducks and rabbits. It was helpful for the most part, and got Mookie to drain some of his endless battery.
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She had a fondness for the two kids, Merle could see, and that got people pretty far in his book. He’d hired Killian at the suggestion of a pal, Lucretia, who owned a book shop in town and sold some of his absurd amount of chicken eggs. Killian had done some handy-work around Lucretia's shop, and the book-keeper had been thoroughly impressed. The toilet hadn’t flushed that smoothly in seven years, she’d told Merle. His late-wife, Hecuba, hadn’t been all that pleased with Merle inviting another woman to their home, gods forbid an Orc woman. He’d known Hecuba had a slight misgiving towards Orcs after her brother, Gundren had been slain in cold blood on his way back from a flea market by a band of orcs- but that wasn’t reason for her to harbor feelings of resentment towards his newest employee.
Before Killian, the ranch had been desolate. They had their orchard, which Merle had maintained meticulously as a stress relieving activity, and a few plots of easy-to-grow plants like sugar peas and butter lettuce. But a 47 acre property deserved more than that.
After 4 years of working for him, Killian had turned the farm into a total success. Merle provided the materials and money, and Killian built it from the ground up. The girl didn’t have a ton of experience, but she had a good head on her shoulders and extremely keen common sense. After 4 years of working for him, Merle was ready to give her the biggest responsibility he could bestow.
Killian approached the house, eating an orange slice and tossing the peel she’d pulled off in one go, and sat down on the bench. She stared out at the beaming skyline, admiring the mountainous barren hills and cloud-dotted sky, only realizing she had company after hearing the bench creak next to her. Glancing over, she saw Merle with a glass of water, sipping contently.
They sat in comfortable silence before Merle spoke. “You know, Killian, this place has really changed since you got here,” he said in his soft yet gravelly voice.
Killian shrugged. “I’on know, you had everything you needed to build more, I was just the hands.”
Merle shook his head and patted her large bicep, subtly grimacing and wiping his hand off on his cargo shorts. The gal could sweat. “See, that’s where you’re wrong kid- you got a good brain in that head of yours, full of a lot ideas and stuff I never woulda thought of,” he began. It was true. Sure Merle was pretty good with numbers and keeping things on schedule, but he never could quite get on track with the productivity side of things. “Killian, when my parents passed away and left me this property, all it had was a little orchard full of dying trees. I managed, in twenty years, to move that up from small orchard of dying trees to small orchard of living trees and two plots of lettuce. And yeah, that’s better than before, but look at what you’ve done,” he gestured to the open space full of vegetation and grazing livestock, “Look at what you’ve done in four years. And all the while you were under my thumb,” he sighed. “Listen Killian, this is somethin' I’ve been wanting to talk to ya about for a good while now but…” Merle paused- He knew the effect of a dramatic pause held special power- “I don’t want this place anymore. I mean of course I want it but I could never run it like you can.”
Killian's head whipped to the side, her eyes boring holes in to the dwarfs thick skull. “Shit Merle, you gonna sell the place?” She said in a panic. This was the first job she’d managed to hold down without much fuss, and he was gonna take it from her just like that. For a moment, a look of unbridled rage passed over her face, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and listened for Merle's reply.
Merle laughed. “Sell this place? Hell no, kid! Makes me too much money!” He continued to guffaw as Killian looked at him in confusion. “No, no you got it all wrong Killian. Here’s the thing, Mavis is real tired of having to go to Boarding school in Neverwinter, and I know I know, I could drive her there every morning and pick her up, but two hours? Every day?” he sighed. “Anyways, I uh, decided that I’m gonna move me and Mookie on over to Neverwinter. My late wife had some townhouse in her name that she left to us, so we’re gonna make home there and as for the farm…” He trailed off and looked up at her. “Well as for the farm, I want you to take charge of it Killian.”
Killian blinked. And blinked again. And she continued to blink. She sat in stunned silence for a few moments. Merle raised a hand up and waved it in front of her eyes. “You okay, kid?”
She blinked a few more times before shaking her head and looking down at him. “You’re just gonna leave? Just like that?” She said in the quietest voice Merle had ever heard her use. The strong, powerful orc woman that sat before him seemed to shrink back, a wave of anxiety coming off of her.
“Well, I mean I’ll come back and visit pretty often just to see how my farms doing but yeah, Killian. I gotta do this for my kids, I mean soon enough Mookies gonna be goin off to school and well, I’m trying to be a better dad to them, y’know?” Merle explained, resting a hand on her forearm. “But listen, kid, you’re full of tough stuff. Plus, you don’t have to be all alone if you don’t want to, the house has three bedrooms- hire some more help!” With that he hopped down from the bench and ignored the look of horror on Killians face. She really was not a people person. “We’ll work out all the details later this evening, but its too hot for you to keep workin out in this heat like ya have been. Can you do a delivery for me?”