Eden used the cover of the music to run over and stand by Lucy and Roderick near the fireplace. Nearly everyone had joined in with the singing now, and the sound reverberated around the Great Hall until the stone walls rang.

"Well done for getting the fire going," she whispered to Lucy.

"Oh, I nearly didn't! Did you see?" Lucy said with a little giggle.

"And you didn't think rehearsals were necessary," Roderick said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"You said it would be hot in here, but it's freezing!" Eden said, shivering.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "Once the fire gets going the hall will warm up really quickly. I forgot that there's a little wait, and I always get hot trying to light the fire."

"Here, take my jacket," Roderick said, shrugging a white fur-trimmed jacket off his shoulders and chivalrously offering it to Eden.

"If you're quite sure," Eden said, hesitating to take it.

"Yes, I'm used to the cold now," Roderick said. "Besides, boy's clothes are always thicker and warmer than girl's clothes."

"Thank you," Eden said, sliding her arms into the jacket and hugging it around herself. 

She immediately felt a bit warmer, and could see that servants were already lighting other fires in the massive fireplace, which went the entire length of the room. Vivid flames crackled, and the smell of wood smoke was in the air. Firelight mingled with that of lamps and candles, creating fascinating shadows that danced across the ceiling.

The music rose to an exuberant crescendo, and finished with a flourish as everyone positively shouted the last line: "Welcome, Yule!"

"Yes, welcome, Yule!" said the grey-haired man in the crimson robe with a wide smile. "May all of its thirteen nights be merry, and its twelve days be bright. I'll now pass you over to King Bernard and King Philip."

He stepped back, holding out one hand to usher Bernard over, who was out of his formal attire and wearing a dark green suit, and Pip, who was in primrose yellow. They both smiled and waved to the assembled crowd.

"Thank you, Brother Bellamy," said Bernard. You would never guess that he had the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders as he looked around the room and beamed. "Welcome, Yule!"

"Welcome, Yule!" everyone yelled back. A few people let out whoops of excitement.

"I know you're all eager to start enjoying yourselves, but I thought I'd run through a few things, for the benefit of people new to the palace, and our esteemed visitors," Bernard said, nodding to Eden with a smile.

Pip waved to Meriadoc, who was on the other side of room, standing with Dorothea. Eden  hadn't seen her father since she got back from the markets, and he didn't look at all happy. She hoped he wasn't annoyed with her for being with Lucy all day. 

"At Yuletide, everyone at Camden Palace becomes an equal, which means there are no royal or noble titles at this season," Bernard was saying. "That means from now until the end of Yuletide, we are no longer King Bernard and King Philip, but Bernard and Pip. We'd be so pleased if you would call us that."

"We know that can be hard to get used to," Pip said, "so by tradition, we ask that the newest person to join the palace come forward and help demonstrate." He looked around, as if waiting for them.

For a moment Eden thought Pip meant her, but then a small group pushed a wiry boy of around sixteen or seventeen forward, saying, "Go on, they won't bite," and other helpful encouragements. The boy nervously pushed his dark hair out of his eyes.

"And who might you be?" Bernard asked kindly.

"My name's Marco, Your ... Your Majesty," the boy stuttered. 

"Glad to meet you, Marco," Bernard said gently. "Please, call me Bernard." 

The boy looked around as if waiting for rescue, so Pip stepped in. 

"I know, Bernard can be a bit scary," he said with a warm smile. "You work in the kitchens, don't you, Marco?" 

The boy brushed his white uniform vaguely and said, "Yes, I'm a scullion, Your Majesty. I come here just after Winter's Eve."

"You know, I used to be a scullion too," Pip said to him. "Are they treating you well?"

The boy stared, as if this was a rarefied joke above his head, but said, "Yes. Although Monsieur Leroux can be a right old grump sometimes."

There were giggles from the rest of the staff as Pip smiled. "Head cooks are usually quite strict. But I have met Monsieur Leroux, and can assure you he is very charming and warmhearted away from the kitchens."   

"He's not a bad sort," Marco said fairly. "Were you ... did you really work in the kitchens, Your Majesty?" 

"I did indeed," Pip said. "Do you think you'd be able to call me Pip now - as one kitchen lad to another?"

Marco gulped, and said, "I think so ... er, Mister Pip, sir."

"Good enough," Pip laughed, holding out his hand. "Let us shake and be friends."

Marco shook Pip's hand, still looking rather awestruck. The rest of the kitchen staff gave a ragged cheer. 

"And this is my husband, Bernard," Pip said, introducing them so that Marco found himself shaking hands with the king of Lindensea, and saying, "Nice to meet you, Mister Bernard, sir." 

"Lovely to make your acquaintance, Marco," Bernard said. "We're very grateful for all the hard work the kitchen staff have done preparing tonight's meal, and thank you for taking part in this little presentation. You can run back to your friends now."

Marco scampered away, looking elated that the terrible ordeal was over. Other kitchen staff slapped him on the back, proud that he had represented them without disgrace. He'd even had the cheek to call Monsieur Leroux 'an old grump' before the whole palace!         

"During Yuletide, we'll be having all our meals together in the Great Hall," Pip said. "Of course, you're welcome to eat in the staff quarters or your private apartments if you like, but we hope you'll join us in the Great Hall as often as you can."

"And on that note, I'm sure you're all very hungry, so let's sit down to high tea!" said Bernard, gesturing to where long tables had been set up. They were covered in crisp white tablecloths and set with cheery yellow crockery. Each table was decorated with red and white candles, evergreens, pine cones, and holly leaves.

"Please sit anywhere you like," Pip added with a smile, "and if you don't know the person next to you, introduce yourself and make friends!"

Bernard and Pip sat down at the first table, but were careful not to sit at the head, or to appear to take a superior role. They took their seats in the middle of the table, and everyone else followed, finding places as quickly as they could. There was very little disagreement, and much giving way, for it would be terrible to begin the first night of Yuletide arguing over a seat at the table.

"Come on, Eden!" Lucy said, holding out a hand.

Eden grinned, and was very ready to be led to the table, except that her father pounced on her. Meriadoc was not given to pouncing on people, and in this case did so only metaphorically, but it definitely felt like a pounce.

"Hello Eden. We haven't had a chance to talk. Enjoying yourself?" Meriadoc asked. His tone was more serious than this casual opening warranted.

"Um, yes thank you, Father," Eden replied. "And you?"

"I'm in a very comfortable room," her father said. "And Dorothea gave me a tour of the palace, before I had a bit of a chat with Bernard this afternoon. I must say, I was rather alarmed by what he told me about you."

"Please don't be, I'm perfectly alright," Eden said hurriedly.

"Look here, if your bodyguard led you into danger, I'm going to put in a pretty stiff complaint, even if we are guests in this kingdom," Meriadoc said, his usually placid face flushed and angry.

"It was me who led her into danger," Eden admitted. "I'm sorry Father, but I behaved pretty stupidly. I was only trying to help a little boy at the markets who is in the most frightful trouble, I'm sure of it."

Eden quickly explained to Meriadoc about what had happened as they sat down at the table together. Lucy had sat down opposite Bernard and Pip, and Nurse May and Nurse Melia seemed to have found Lucy, sitting on her other side.

"So you see, it's all my fault that Maeve got robbed, and my money was stolen," Eden concluded. "You can take it out of my allowance, if you like."

"Oh my dear girl – the money isn't important," her father said, giving her hand a little squeeze. "My only concern was for your safety. If anything had happened ... I can't lose another ... I can't afford to lose you." His voice shook slightly at the end.

"You won't," Eden said quietly, squeezing his hand back. "I promise".

They stopped talking, because footmen in red uniforms were bringing in dishes and laying them on the table. It was that really proper form of high tea, which consists of all the usual things you'd eat at tea, such as sandwiches, scones, biscuits, and cakes, but also the sort of dishes you might have for supper or even breakfast, such as cold chicken, grilled kippers, and bacon and eggs.

Everything was piled onto the table on long trays or hot covered dishes, and people helped themselves as they pleased. Nobody minded if you started with crumpets and honey, then went on to cheese tarts and salad, and finished off with a cup of tomato soup. It was the jolliest sort of meal imaginable, with everyone laughing and talking at once, plenty to go around, and a mood of being extra nice and polite without worrying about manners in the least.

Eden put a sausage roll and a stuffed jacket potato on her plate, and Lucy squeezed onto the side of it a plump slice of treacle cake.

"You must try this, it was Daddy's favourite," Lucy said. "Here in Lindensea, it's called a Peterkin in his honour."

Eden promised she would, then looked across the table, where a man sat next to Pip, on his other side from Bernard.

Nearly everyone in Lindensea seemed big compared to her, but this man was powerfully built as well as one of the tallest people she'd seen. He had brown skin several shades darker than her own, curly hair cropped short, and a neat beard. She guessed he was about the same age as Bernard and Pip.

However, what she chiefly noticed was that the man was looking at her in a very penetrating way. It reminded Eden of her tutor's expression when she was late turning in an essay, or had let slip a number of errors in her algebra calculations. Not cross, but as if she needed a close eye kept upon her.

Eden was just wondering how to ask Lucy who the man was, when she hear Nurse Melia whisper loudly, "Miss Lucy dear, who is the handsome gentleman sitting opposite me?"

"That's Iggy Zidane, the Captain of the Guard," Lucy whispered back. Seeing that Eden was listening, she said to her, "He's Pip's personal bodyguard, and an old friend of his."

So this was the Captain of the Guard who had informed Bernard of the events at the markets this morning, and who had the power to dismiss Maeve. Eden didn't care for the idea of being under his scrutiny, and rather lost interest in her meal, although she was careful to eat every bite of her Peterkin cake, and praise it to Lucy.

"Foreign gentlemen do have a way about them," Nurse Melia said thoughtfully. "They possess a certain air of intrigue."

Nurse May gave an indignant snort over her potato cakes and said, "Captain Zidane is not a foreigner, Melia. He is Lindensea born and bred, the same as me."

 "It was a compliment to the gentleman, I meant no offence," Nurse Melia said placatingly. 

"Of course you didn't," Lucy said. "Iggy's people were originally Moors from Castile - but you know, Nurse Melia, a lot of people in Lindensea have Castilian blood. I do myself."

"I remember now," Eden said to her. "You told me your royal house descends from a great queen of Castile."

"That's right, the House of Luna-Encantador," Lucy nodded, "founded by Queen Leonora the Charming of Castile, and King Beornhard the Vigilant of Lindensea. He was an outlaw, you know." She took a bite out of her buttered muffin.

Eden smiled and said, "Outlaws are awfully splendid. I'd like anyone who had an outlaw  as their ancestor. You should have told me that the first day we met."