A World Apart

8. Making Peace

In the end, neither Sedric nor Ector came down to dinner. Elena was just readying herself to head back down after Bree placed the last pin in her hair when Sarai huffed up the stairs to tell them the princes would both be dining with the king in his chambers tonight and the kitchen would bring supper up to her directly.

Elena felt a pang of disappointment but tried not to show it. Today had felt like a breakthrough with Sedric and his treatment towards her.  She had already planned how the evening might pass more enjoyably than the last with the frosty tension between them now gone, only to be told it would not happen at all.

When dinner came on a tray carried by a very winded kitchen hand, Sarai left with a pout but Bree stayed, offering to teach Elena cards and she couldn't say yes fast enough. The last thing she wanted to do now was wallow up in this tower alone with no one to talk to. Bree shyly pulled a pack of worn playing cards from the pocket of her apron and Elena looked at the crude drawings, so different from playing cards in her world. Winged beasts, brave kings, and beautiful goddesses adorned most and there wasn't a spade or club in sight. Clearly, they were not about to play poker, which was just as well because Elena had never learned how to anyway.

She ended up sharing half of her dinner with Bree, who clearly did not eat nearly enough as evidenced by the way her dress hung off of her. The plate brought up from the kitchens was so wide and piled so high Elena didn't even know where to start. An entire game hen roasted to perfection still sizzled on the plate, accompanied by an elaborate concoction of squashes and root vegetables and in the very last place, a heaping slice of Meg's brazzenberry pie.

Bree refused a single bite until Elena, exasperated, grabbed her hand and put the fork in it, closing her fingers around it. "Eat," she ordered, "Or it will be thrown out which is a terrible waste."

They ate sitting on the huge four-poster bed, taking turns playing cards and spearing great hunks of meat and vegetables into their mouths, saving the pie for last which they devoured in one turn of their card game. When Elena saw Bree yawn for the first time she bid her go to bed, in spite of her many objections. Finally, the young girl gave in, carrying the tray with little more than bones and smears of brazzenberries left down to the kitchen on her way to bed.

Elena went to sleep shortly after, sinking back into her pillows with a contented sigh after a well-cooked meal and a full day that had left her ready for sleep with the exception of all the new thoughts left running through her head. Her restlessness was no match for Meg's cooking though and soon after Bree left Elena found herself drifting off on top of the covers, still wearing her dress that smelled of an afternoon in the gardens.

When she dreamt, she was being chased through the orchards by some unseen figure, a shadow that darted from tree to tree without shape or form. She tripped on a gnarled root again and this time when she felt Sedric's saving grip on her arm and turned her head up to him she saw the shadow just over his shoulder, a face beginning to take shape. She opened her mouth to warn him but nothing came out and she woke with a start, searching frantically around the room for moving shadows. Sleep was a long time coming after that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning at breakfast when Bree was brushing Elena's hair a knock at the door startled them both. "Come in," Elena called tentatively, wondering who it could be since no one ever visited her here except Bree and Sarai, both of whom were already with her.

The door creaked open with a loud groan and Twm, the lad from the stables poked his head through.

"Milady," he addressed Elena with nervous eyes that stared at the floor, "The prince wishes you to ride out with a hunting party this morning."