Part 9: "Missing Pieces"

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The White Castle (North)

"Where is it?"

Damaris wanted to pull out a handful of his thick, dark hair as he dug through the cabinet. He'd already pulled out every drawer, looking for the etched board he had designed for the cake-topper. 

This wasn't the first thing he'd lost today--it seemed every time he went to make a dish, the ingredients themselves weren't where he left them, and he'd had to improvise at breakfast because they didn't have any of the oranges he had planned to use for the pastries. His favorite cast-iron pan was missing, too, so he had to be extra-careful when frying the eggs and he ended up almost burning the bacon because the flimsy pan didn't distribute the heat from his hands correctly.

Oranges and pans were one thing, but the cake-topper? That was the last straw!

The young man stood in the middle of the disorderly space and tapped his chin. What else could he use for the top of the cake? His eye fell on some extra baking chocolate leftover from tonight's dessert. A smile crept over his face as his thoughts worked over a new plan.

Damaris anchored his stance as he held the bowl of chocolate chunks in his hand. Summoning a faint whisper of heat, he carefully tilted the bowl over the parchment, letting a thin stream of melted chocolate drizzle out and form the word Zayra in elegant, looping cursive. Once he had the letters formed thick enough to stand on their own, he set the parchment on ice blocks to harden, and surveyed the massive tower of cake covered in buttercream, meringue, and macarons before him. A light touch on a glossy meringue button, and the surface crusted perfectly into the crunchy, flaky texture he needed it to be. Damaris stepped back and sighed with relief. Everything was ready for the celebration tomorrow.

"Damaris?" Anahita called from the kitchen door.

He was too excited, he met her at the foot of the stairs. "Come see!" He pulled her by the hands over to the chilly corner where the cake would stay cool until it was ready for the big reveal. "I just finished it."

Anahita gazed upon the wonderful masterpiece and her mouth even dropped open a little bit. "Oh my!" She gasped, her eyes drinking in all the exquisite details. "Damaris, that's beautiful!"

He blushed, flicking little sparks between his fingers as he did whenever he felt nervous. His eyes traveled down to her own hands. "What," he quipped, "no ink-stains today?"

Anahita's eyes squinted, and then she noticed her hands and understood his meaning. "Oh!" She laughed lightly. "I was just in Princess Zayra's parlor, as usual, but though I waited for almost an hour, she wasn't there. I think she's getting more anxious, thinking that no one wants anything to do with her birthday." She summoned a glob of water from the air to wash away some crumbs from the counter in front of her. "So many times, I've felt the urge to tell her, if only to help her feel better!"

Damaris chuckled, thinking of seeing the Princess' face when she laid eyes on the birthday cake that was designed especially for her. "Do you think she'll like it?"

Anahita smiled and grasped his hand. He relished the cool touch of her skin against his. "I think she'll love it!" She tilted her head. "Didn't you make a cake topper for it, too?"

Damaris rubbed the back of his head. "I, well... It's missing, somehow--I must have carried it somewhere, or someone else found it, or something... I don't know. But instead, I made a new one!"

The young girl glanced at the stained bowl still sitting next to the washbasin. "Out of chocolate?" she guessed.

Damaris walked to the icebox. "Yes! I have it right--" He stopped.

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