The Consort

Chapter 9: Dinner

"Will you please help me in the kitchens tonight?" Emma begs, giving me some very convincing puppy dog eyes.

The King is having some important guests over, apparently for the first time in a while, and all the servants are stressing out about it. I heard that they are Royals from a small kingdom to the East, but am not sure if there's any truth to that.

Nonetheless, everybody has been running around making sure that the castle is pristine. I spent all day yesterday cleaning up the room that they are to stay in, and even still there is more that needs to be done.

I sigh, already knowing I'm going to say yes. "Do you really need my help?"

"We really do!" She says, voice rising in pitch. "The Royals are going to be here for dinner and we need all the help we can get to make sure everything goes smoothly. I heard from John that you used to help out occasionally in the kitchens."

I haven't seen the King since he helped clean my wound, but he's been keeping his place pretty neat, making my job easy and giving me back a lot of extra time. I should be able to finish early enough to help out in the kitchens for dinner.

"I'll try to finish up as quickly as I can today and come down to help." I promise.

Emma squeals, pulling me into a tight hug. I hold back a wince as the movement causes the healing cut on my neck to tug, and quickly return her hold before pulling away.

"Thank you so much! I owe you one." Emma says, a large smile on her face.

We continue chatting for a couple of minutes before departing to get started on our day. I find John chatting up some girls outside the women's bedroom, and wave my hand to grab his attention, gesturing towards the main hallway. He gets the hint and excuses himself to walk over to me.

"Time to head up." I say, shoving my hands deep into my pockets.

I glance down at the ground and shuffle my feet slightly. Not sure what else to say, I pull my hands out of my pockets, clap them together, and give John some finger guns. I regret the motion as soon as I do it.

He gives me a slight chuckle, taking pity on my awkwardness, and begins walking out of the servant's area.

John got word yesterday that the King's empty wing is going to be clear in three nights' time, and things have been a bit awkward between us since then. Neither of us is really sure what to say to one another- do we go on like normal? Afterward, do we pretend as if nothing happened?

He told me the news last night and, despite my excitement at finally getting a time and place secured, I find myself pretty nervous.

"I'm going to finish up early to help in the kitchens for dinner, so we won't be able to walk back down together." I say to him, voice quiet as we walk through the hallways.

"Sounds good, thanks for letting me know." John responds, giving me a friendly nudge on the shoulder.

The gesture makes me smile, and I feel some of the tension between us fade. John's a good friend, and I appreciate him keeping things easy between us.

We continue our walk in silence, both of us keeping a watchful eye on the Beasts as we pass them.

The King's chambers are empty when I arrive, just as they've been for the last couple of days, and I'm pleased to see that they are pretty clean. It even looks like the King cleaned his own dishes last night!

As suspected, I manage to get through everything pretty quickly and rush down to the kitchens in record time. I enter through the servant's door and look around for Emma.