Chocolate treats
A few days later, the day arrived when Molly’s visit was to be expected. Kettricken ate fast, Verity looking at her with one raised eyebrow and laughing, saying that he was not the only one being eager to get back to work.
Once they were finished, they both left early, Verity kissing her before climbing back to his tower.
Kettricken walked fast back to her room, afraid that she might miss her friend’s visit. But once she entered, she found her room empty. Disappointment swept through her, and her shoulder slumped.
Closing the door behind her, she noticed that the candles were different than the ones usually lit. A flowery smell caught her attention and she padded closer to a candlestick. The smell got stronger, and Kettricken could distinguish roses, and forget-me-not. The candles were dyed pale blue, as the flowers, and in the wax were stuck little petals of roses, some had the colour white but here and there stood a red one.
The Mountain Woman felt her cheeks heating, and tears piling up in her eyes. She took the candlestick and sat with it in her cushions, in front of her small table. There, sweet cakes were displayed, along with a pot of tea. There was no doubt about who brought them here, as the candles. Kettricken looked closely at it and thought that maybe Molly made the scented candles only for her. That she wanted them to be a message, of affection.
“Forget-me-not”, whispered Kettricken. The feeling of heat in her face increased, and she berated herself for having such foolish thoughts. How lonely was she, to long after one friend. Could she really believe that Molly was missing her, or even thinking about her. Molly just did her job for this week, and Kettricken was sure she would find the same candles in other nobles’ rooms.
She did not. The other noble that usually ordered from Molly had their usual candles. The Queen-in-Waiting hid the rose scented candles during the day, feeling jealous of other people seeing or smelling them. The thought of other people asking her where she got them, so they could buy them was upsetting her.
Kettricken couldn’t help herself but to worry. If Molly was ill the previous week, why didn’t she came herself the last time? Why leave tea and sweets if she wasn’t there to eat them with Kettricken? Was she feeling awkward because she stayed the night with Kettricken the last time they saw each other? Was she trying to leave Kettricken and Verity some time alone, what if she was avoiding Kettricken on purpose so that she was alone with Verity at night.
Did someone in the Castle see Molly leaving her room in the morning? Maybe Molly’s lover heard about it, and threatened her. Maybe he told Molly that he would reveal the truth to everyone if she kept seeing Kettricken.
The Queen-in-Waiting was mad at herself for not talking to Patience, or leaving a note in her room for Molly to find. Or for anything, that would let Molly know that it was alright for her to come and visit again, if she wanted to. After spending one afternoon lost in thoughts, watching at the sea from her window, she decided to take action.
She ringed a page, and Todd came running, a beaming smile on his face. She gave him sweets and asked him to fetch Lady Patience. “And ask her to bring her maids, because I promised to teach them some knitting. And say that I have some candles to order. You will be clear on that, right, Todd?”
“Maids, knitting, candles. I will be swift as the wind, your Majesty my Queen!” Todd bowed and ran into the halls of Buckkeep.
Kettricken left her room to walk briskly to the kitchens. People waved and saluted her on the way, and she replied to each and every one of them with a smile. It was one of the things she tried to maintain : to keep a nice and engaging behaviour with all of her so-called subjects. The formality of the court weighed on her, and she missed the casual warm familiarities of the mountain.
As she arrived near the kitchen, an aid noticed her and bowed in front of her :
“Good day, your Majesty. Can I be of any service?”
“Good day, my lady,” Kettricken replied gently. “I am organising a tea party at my appartements. I need to get food from the kitchens, will you be so kind to lead me there?”
The young maiden blushed, bowed again, and started to walk Kettricken along the hallway that led to the kitchens. “I am not a lady, your Majesty. But only an aid at the kitchen.”
The Queen-in-Waiting turned to the young girl and asked eagerly “And what does it imply, to be a kitchen aid?”
“Well, it depends, your Majesty,” the girl started to enumerated. “This, I helped knead the bread. Then I watched the cooking of the stew for the guard. Before midday, I used to churn the butter, but some younger aids do it now, and I just make sure the food is brought at the right temperature in the Great Hall at lunch time. Now, in the afternoon, I have a very important job. I have to check that everything that was ordered and bought during the morning market is there, and put in the right place. See, we buy food from the market two times. The first time very early in the morning, for lunch. Then one time right before midday, for the dinner. But someone else checks the early morning purchases.”
“All of this! You really are busy!” Kettricken exclaimed. “So you are having one of the most important role in this place, then, if you are the one taking care of all this. What is your name?”
“My name is Azèle your Majesty,” squeaked the aid, “But i’m not that important. We are many to work in here.”
“My name is Kettricken, nice to meet you Azèle. Can i ask you a favour?”
The two young women had stopped before the kitchen door. They kept chatting gently in a corner, not to disturb the flow of people entering and leaving the room.
Azèle whispered, “Of course, Lady Kettricken, you can ask me anything. If you want special beverages I can help you. If you have trouble sleeping at night, or if you have discomfort in your belly. Or if you need help in more private manners…”
The mountain girl had no idea what the young girl meant, and didn’t wanted to find out. “No, see, I have a special friend and I want to do right by her. She offered me forget-me-not and roses, and I was wondering if you knew of a cake that would remind her of that?”
Azèle gasped. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes grew bright. “Your Majesty!” She fervently whispered. “I’ll take care of that. No need for help in private manners then.” She giggled happily. “Cakes and tea for how many, your Majesty?”
“Uh four persons, but, Azèle...”
“It’ll be delivered as soon as the water is hot. Good bye Lady Kettricken!”
The kitchen aid fled before Kettricken could say another word. She was left, dumbstruck, in the middle of the castle. She walked up the stairs toward her appartments, thinking about what the girl had said. Surely, she must have misunderstood something. A quirk of languages. A mishap in culture understanding. The longer the mountain girl thought about it, the smaller her chest felt. It felt ridiculous that air could even enter her lungs anymore, and she stopped climbing the stairs. After a few minutes of inhaling and exhaling, she found the strength to reach her rooms.
After long minutes of waiting, Patience and Lacey entered her rooms with much ruckus. Molly was following quietly, rolling her eyes.
“My, my! My dear! Is everything alright?”, bursted Lady Patience.“Young Todd arrived breathless and told us to come here as soon as we could!”
Lacey sat herself in one of the comfortable chairs around the small table of Kettricken’s room and smirked “He also said something about urgently needing a big long candle, is that right Pacy?”
Lady Patience snorted at these words while Molly made a face at Kettricken while becoming as red as her skirt.
The Queen-in-Waiting welcomed them and sat them all around the table, trying to be reassuring. “I’m so sorry, the poor lad is over-eager to do his job. I just wanted to invite you all to a late cup of tea… To repay for…”
“We don’t want to hear it,” cut Patience. “Please, no graphic descriptions, my dear, what happened in the sheets stay in the sheets.”
Lacey made a shrill of a laughter and caught Patience’s hand, as if to support herself from falling off her chair. Molly hid her face behind her hands and heaved a loud sigh. Kettricken’s face felt slightly hot when Molly raised her voice.
“Enough of it! Kettricken, I’m sorry. They found out I slept at your place once, and they are both acting like young children. You are in front of a to-be Queen, heir of a foreign kingdom, now stop this nonsense at once!”
The room felt silent. It was clear that Lacey and Patience were even more amused by this outburst, but they raised their hands and kept their mouth shut. Kettricken felt her cheeks were matching Molly’s now, and she couldn’t trust her own voice, so she said nothing.
Molly felt apparently content with this atmosphere, because she relaxed and started talking again. “See, they also told me you were worried about me. I’m so sorry, with all the stress I was under, I must have caught a bad stomach flu. Or something” She waved her hands in the air. “It lasted a while, and I still feel a bit weak. Nothing to be worried about, it will surely pass.”
At these words, Patience and Lacey looked at their hands. Kettricken frowned, but was glad of the change of subject so she said nothing. The four of them discussed for a bit of their daily lives and some late Keep gossips. Lacey told them the funniest story of how she punished a mean boy that was calling Todd “the toad”, by making him re-organize all of her needles. Which are all approximately of the same size. The story ended with the young boy going to the smithy to ask for new needle size he noticed Lacey was missing.
“Told you he was a good lad!” Pointed Lacey.
Lady Patience gently caressed Lacey’s hand, and whispered fondly. “That’s because every time he finished a box, she would feed him so many sweets, the boy had no choice but to love her.”
There was a knock at the door, and Azèle entered the room, carrying a tray. “My Ladies, your Majesty.” Azèle exchanged a puzzled look with Molly, that Kettricken could not decipher. She put the tray on the table, and left swiftly. Before closing the door, she winked at Kettricken and gestured toward the tray.
Kettricken, lost in her thought about all the strange events of the day, haven’t noticed that four cute chocolate mellow were displayed on a corner of the tray. The mountain girl served the tea and tried to speak casually. “I asked in the kitchen of a way to thank you, Molly, for the candles. Azèle, the girl that was there, brought these littles chocolate cakes. They are for you to take and eat later.”
Patience and Lacey seemed about to burst. Molly beamed and put them next to her on the table. “That’s so sweet of you, Ket’, my Queen! Oh do not worry I love making candles for you. It makes me happy to know someone appreciate them at their right value in here.”
The conversation trailed on after this. They stayed until dinner, at which Patience and Kettricken went together. It saddened every one of the girls, but Molly and Lacey went at their own lesser table to eat. Though, the Queen-in-Waiting was happy she had Patience to talk to during the dinner, or else she felt like she would have spent the whole meal day dreaming.