Loreena Grey

A character within Season 4 of ValheimRP.

## The Grey Family's Heir

“A child born under a full moon is one gifted with the abilities of magic,” the mystics of Loreena’s father’s court told her father. Whether or not that was true didn’t matter because her father believed them anyway. He forced Loreena to learn how to use magic. For years, she was taught how to enchant items and mix potions. The only issue? Loreena was not gifted. She was five when it was finally decided that her potions were nothing more than fancy waters and her enchantments did nothing to the items she touched. Loreena was not gifted with magic.

From that point on, her father would be disappointed in everything she did. She learned to ride horses, and her father only scoffed. She learned archery. Loreena became a dangerous shot on the back of a horse, her teacher told her father once. But it didn’t matter. Loreena’s father only shrugged and said, “What use is a daughter to me who can shoot arrows? You can teach any child that.”

When she was eight, Loreena found her way to the kitchen. There she met the head chef, Alba. Alba was an older woman than Loreena’s mother, and was quite rotund and jolly. Her cheeks were always red and her face always smiling. She often spoke of her own children as Loreena sat and listened to her stories. The woman told her stories of wizards and blood moons and a monster big enough to create the ocean separating the two continents. This all mixed with her stories of her young ones causing her trouble, like her youngest getting his head stuck in a staircase banister or her eldest daughter being a talented dancer.

One day, Alba was kneading some bread and offered Loreena to give it a try.

“Me?” Loreena was surprised.

“Yes, child, give it a try, like this,” she showed Loreena how to knead the bread properly and Loreena copied her actions.

The next day, Alba had Loreena taste a soup she was making, “Does it have enough salt, my child?”

Loreena shook her head.

“Here,” she handed Loreena a salt shaker, “add a little more then, child,”

She did as she was told, but added too much. Still, it was a learning opportunity and every day, Alba had her help with something.

One day, Loreena was told to make something of her own. She made a turnip soup, and Alba was impressed with the flavors she had used. It was truly delicious for an eight-year-old to cook up on her own. Alba was proud and, for Loreena, that was enough.

When she was ten, Alba told Loreena she would be cooking everything for that evening’s dinner and it would be a surprise to her father. Loreena was nervous but excited. She cooked up some of the best boar meat available, seasoning it with herbs and rubbing it with salt. She made a vegetable stew, baked some bread, and had a salad prepared by the evening. It all went out at the same time, servants taking it to the table and placing it in front of her father and mother. After cleaning up and removing her apron, she joined them, and relished hearing her father complimenting Alba’s cooking and noting that it tasted better than ever before.

“Thank ye, sir, but t’weren’t me who cooked this meal tonight,” Alba smiled, folding her hands in front of her, “t’was yer daughter, Loreena. She’s got quite a gift for cooking.”

Her father’s expression soured, “Anyone can learn to cook. Besides, what good is a skill like that when she has people like you to serve her?” He threw his napkin down on the table and pointed a finger at Loreena, “I forbid you from the kitchens.”

Though he forbade her, Loreena disobeyed, going everyday down to the kitchens to cook more meals. This went on for several years, with her father forbidding her time and time again, and her disobeying time and time again, until she was fifteen. Her father, tired of her disobedience and disinterest in getting married, threw her out of the house. That’s when Alba took her in, helping her get a job in the next town over to be a cook at a local Inn. She worked there until she was eighteen, then decided that she would go travel, seeing if she could offer her cookings talents elsewhere. Somewhere where she didn’t have to hear about her father every day from the locals.

Loreena packed up her belongings, kissed Alba goodbye, and went off to see what lay in her future.