Luisa rolled over, and sleepily opened an eye.  The blurry image focused into a large windowless room with walls of carved stone. Clearwater’s softly breathing frame was curled up in a woven basket and in the grand fireplace a fire crackled.  Luisa opened her hand; her pendant lay in her palm. 

Her heart ached from the day before, but at least the abbot and Clearwater had told her the truth.  If they had wanted to kill her or eat her they would have done so when she was asleep.  She sat up quietly and tip-toed out of bed.  She had got as far as the double doors to the dressing chamber, when she saw Clearwater stretch, and her big eyes snapped open,

“Oh Princess! Good morning!” 

“Hi,” said Luisa.

Clearwater pulled herself up, she was wearing a white sleeping nightie her night cap quite askew, “I’m sorry! Oh dragons, I slept in, it won’t happen again Princess! Let me set your clothes and food! Please princess what would you like for breakfast?”

Luisa couldn’t help but smile,

“You have nothing to say sorry about, and I don’t mind Clearwater, I’ll eat anything.”

Clearwater hurriedly threw on her black smock and ran out the door. While she was out Luisa pulled on the doors to her dressing chamber, the room that lay beyond looked like it belonged in a costume shop.  There was an assortment of strange clothes, fur pelts, chainmail, lace blouses, pantaloons, flung around in no particular order.

She poked about for something to wear and came across a dress that caught her eye, she tried to lift it, it sparkled with gems, and was embroidered with detail, it was also seriously heavy.

On a wooden rail Luisa found a selection of relatively normal looking dresses.  She put one on and it fitted her perfectly. It was made from a red corduroy and had a large collar with over sized black buttons down the front.

  Luisa looked down at herself, she looked like something out of Austin Powers. In a wooden box, was a mismatch of shoes, riding boots, pieces of armour and a pair of black dolly shoes. She pulled out the dolly shoes and slipped them on. 

Further in the room lay a long black chest, like an Egyptian sarcophagus. It was covered in deep scars and scrapes. Luisa traced her finger along the chipped seam, there seemed no clear way of opening it. She got her fingernails under the seam and pulled at the lid, it was sealed shut. Locked from the inside.  Her exploration was cut short by Clearwater’s entry carrying a tray.

“Ahh!” said Clearwater distressed, “You have dressed yourself!”

“Oh sorry, am I not allowed to wear this?”

“No, no, of course, they are all yours Princess” Clearwater sagged.

“I have brought you some breakfast.”

On a plate there was a kind of cake and some vegetables.

“Oh umm, thanks, Clearwater this looks nice.”

 Luisa sat and bit into the cake, it was tough, and heavily spiced.  Her face twisted with the flavour,

“Wow, that’s um, really nice…” she tried one of the vegetables, it was kind of like a black potato, boiled and so strongly herbed it made her eyes water.

“Oh these are great too, thanks Clearwater. Um, where do these go when I am finished?”

“Back to me Princess.”

Luisa handed them back Clearwater who bowed and exited. Luisa saw her shadow linger under the door. She crept forward and pulled the door ajar carefully. Clearwater was carefully wrapping the cake in a napkin and put it in her pocket and furiously pushed the vegetables from the plate into her mouth and then licked the plate clean.  Luisa cleared her throat and Clearwater jumped and let out a shriek.

“Clearwater calm down… come back inside.”

 Clearwater obeyed, and entered, distraught.

“Oh Princess, I am an awful handmaiden, I slept in, I didn’t dress you, I stole food! You are going to get rid of me, I know it!”

Clearwater, stared down, wringing her smock in her paws.  Luisa took the catain’s paws in her hands and spoke softly.

“Clearwater, I am not going get rid of you.  I don’t need a handmaiden… I need a friend. What the heck is going on?”

 Clearwater looked up with some hope.

“There is such little food to go round Princess, my family they…” before she could say more there was a triple-rap on the door. Human and catain jumped apart.

The abbot entered with a smug smile,

“So! You decided to come back, I am most pleased. Let us wipe away all that has gone before, for today is a new day, today is a good day, today you begin your royal rites. Like every prince and princess before you. You shall learn all you need to rule Cataindar. If you are ready, we can go.” 

Luisa exchanged a look with Clearwater and nodded.

Luisa walked alongside the abbot as he slowly made his way through the corridors. They passed busy catains, who upon seeing the princess stopped their work to bow and gossip with one another in excitedly.

The abbot explained, “You will spend a day with our six core guildens that make up Cataindar, and after that you will begin your regular tutoring by both the readers and… the scougers.” 

The abbot stopped outside a set of double doors.  By the smell wafting out Luisa guessed they led to the kitchens. 

“And first Luisa, the life-blood of Cataindar, the kitchens.’”

The abbot pushed open the doors, the thick smell filled the air, Luisa looked as the stone corridor descended into a steam so thick she could not see where the corridor led. 

“Are you coming?” said Luisa

“Umm, no,” the abbot said, putting his paws in his robe and looking down. “The kitchens really are Ms. Chopland’s domain, I shall see you again, tomorrow.”

He turned and began to shuffle away.  Luisa slowly descended down the slope into the steam and continued towards the kitchens alone.  She could hear the noise of catains cooking, but could see nothing more than a few yards in front of her.  A young catain bumped into Luisa.

“Ahh!” yelled the catain and dropped a large clay pot she was carrying, it smashed to pieces on the ground.

“Rats! Chopland will have my head…” She looked up and saw Luisa her eyes widened with shock. “Oh rats! I mean, oh, Princess!”

She curtsied unsteadily, and looked down.

“So sorry for my language Princess, so sorry for breaking a pot princess!” She darted a look up to Luisa.

“No, no, I am sorry,” Luisa replied, “I can’t see very well in this smoke, its my fault, let me help.” Luisa helped the catain pick up the broken pot pieces.

“Do you know where Ms. Chopland is?”

“Yes Princess, keep going ahead and through the main kitchens there is a red door, that’s her office in there.”

“Great, thanks.”

Luisa continued down the corridor which opened out into the main kitchen, a huge hall filled with fog so thick the roof was quite out of view. Catains buzzed around with clay pots and baskets, their fur clumped wet in the atmos.  Each catain that saw Luisa did a double take before launching into a bow or curtsy.  Several more pots were dropped and baskets filled with rooty vegetables upturned before Luisa had managed to negotiate her way to the rear wall of a kitchen. 

To describe the door as ‘red’ was a stretch, what would be more accurate was to say that the door had some red paint on it, all of which was in an advanced stage of being steamed off.  To make up for the lack of paint what it did have was an abundance of heavy locks all of which were currently open.  Luisa knocked, and when no one answered, she turned the handle and entered.

 She stepped in and inhaled the fresh air.  The door opened up into a private kitchen, it had shelved walls stacked with urns, and pots.  It was steam free and a welcome relief from the thick air and clanging sounds of the kitchen.

“Hello?” she said quietly.

There was no reply, but Luisa could hear a manic thumping that was emitted from a pantry door on the far side of the room.  Luisa walked towards the noise and passed what must have been Ms. Chopland’s desk. She noticed several small empty glass vials were scattered on its surface, Luisa took one and sniffed it, she recognised the smell as sky the strange drink that Clearwater had given her the night before. She walked closer to where the thumping was coming from. It was quite loud.  Flour was all over the floor and it was covered with catain paw prints. It must be a flour cupboard. Reaching out she carefully pulled the door open, and what she saw made her reel in shock…

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Uh oh! Cliffhanger! :-)

I'm off to Vegas this week so I am looking forward to having some time to read the wonderful stories in my library. By the pool... or in the club.

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