The Serving Girl
Pick Your Peril: The Hero of Mudtown
(This is part of a series of choose-your-own-adventure articles. If you want to start from the beginning, click here. If you want to revisit the previous chapter, click here.)
The crowd at the Stoneville Tavern is dense and bustling. You find it hard to keep up with the serving girl as you try to follow her through the crowd.
She’s navigating through the mass of people with surprising quickness, delivering drinks at one table, then instantly reappearing at a different table with a platter of food just as you’re finally able to break through the throng. She loads a tray with empty glasses and makes her way back to the bar.
Suddenly, a slovenly mess of a man appears from the crowd.
“Take this, wench!” He says with a laugh as he tosses an empty glass stein at the serving girl’s platter.
The young woman delicately snatches the airborne glassware with one hand while holding the serving tray steadily aloft with the other. The man that threw the glass at her is suddenly out of insults. She smiles at the dumbstruck buffoon and curtseys in overblown gentility.
“Why thank you m’lord!”
She places the empty glasses behind the bar and begins walking back through the crowd. As she passes by the unruly heckler, she bumps into the back of him, then instantly melds into the crowd. The ruffian looks around and shoves the nearest patron, causing a brief scuffle to ensue.
As everyone’s attention is drawn towards the conflict, you spy the serving girl at the edge of the crowd, feeling the weight of the newly-acquired coin purse in her hands.
She glances up as you draw near, tucking the stolen bag of money under her apron.
“Good day, what can I get you?” She asks with the kind of phony smile reserved only for potential customers. “Something to drink?”
The smile quickly melts away when you tell her about the missing villagers from Mudtown and ask her for help getting into the castle. She scoffs when you tell her about your plan to ask the King for help finding your family.
“Why would you go to the castle?” She gives an amused little laugh. “And how would I even be able to help you?”
“Jezebel!” The Innkeeper shouts from behind the bar. “Jezebel, stop talking and get back to work! We have customers waiting!”
Jezebel rolls her eyes and sighs.
“I’m sorry about your family, but there’s nothing I can do.” She starts to walk away. “I have to get back to work.”
You’ve seen Jezebel taking valuables from right under the noses of a dozen patrons, surely she would be of some support on your illicit expedition into the castle. Perhaps if you help her serve drinks, she’ll be more willing to help.
You could easily use Jezebel’s petty crime spree against her, maybe she’ll be more helpful if you threaten to turn her in to the Innkeeper. Jezebel wouldn’t like it, but she might not respond to anything else.
Or you could see if one of the tavern’s patrons would be more inclined to assist.
What will you do?