Daniel

"Damn those asses and their waste," sighed a tired Daniel who realized that he was going to have more work to accomplish that day. "Can they ever stay off our pasture?"

The pasture that morning was not a fair sight for the eye. Daniel knew he would receive a lecture if nothing had been done about what lay in the rich land. Yes, the poor soul found himself sitting on a stump of a tree with a sweaty hand over his head whilst he rolled his eyes at the sight of a bottle of rum that lay on the ground next to him. For a moment, a thought occurred to him that perhaps he should pray for peace and guidance. He too also needed a hint of wisdom. He needed this every day.

"Already off to a lumpy start this morning?" asked a familiar voice.

"Are most mornings not lumpy?" He responded scratching his nose while putting his hand off his head. "But yes, good morning to you Roseline. I imagine that your morning is well. Better than mine I hope?" 

"Same as every morning I suppose," she sighed. "Much fruit to pick and nowhere to find it."

Daniel's face quickly lit up once he noticed a couple of apples on the ground. Picking both of them up, he handed her one. The poor girl was dumbfounded at this gesture.

"I will strike you a deal. If I finish this apple before you can finish it, I will pick the fruit and you will clean the pasture. Does that sound fair or not?"

Roseline had no chance to respond, for Daniel was nearly halfway done with his fruit. A sense of strange energy rushed throughout the boy's body leaving him to want to eat the apple quicker with every second. There was no self-control. And to Roseline's disappointment, she had lost to a deal she had not agreed to. Before she could complain, a loud noise of a bell came from a distance. 

"Damn that bell. Our stepmother and the treasurer are having breakfast this morning. Outside of all places." He took a moment to glance at the fouled land before speaking once more. "It has been fun playing with you, but I must let you in on a secret now. I have already picked plenty of fruit for this special morning. The basket is in the usual spot. All you must do now is clean the waste. If you excuse me, I have breakfast to serve."

"How is your son?" asked the stepmother who sat with the treasurer waiting for their breakfast while they drank tea. "I do believe he is of age? Has he become a knight?"

"Yes, he is of age," the treasurer put his cup of tea down with a loss of desire for a sip. "He was a knight for almost a week before he and a dozen others laid down their helmets before the king."

"Oh my. The king did not punish them? Seems quite odd."

"No, the king did not punish any of their souls. It is the least of that idiot's concerns right now. As treasurer, I can surely say that we can hardly afford many knights. We cannot afford much of anything. The king is preparing to raise taxes a second time this year, but I fear for the worst."

"Lady Maggie," Daniel carelessly interrupted while pushing the cart that held the food for that morning. "Your breakfast has arrived." 

"Yes, good. You appear to be having a slow morning. Might I remind you of all that you have not finished yesterday? I expect everything to be finished by sundown."

For a moment, Daniel almost wished that the food had been poisoned. Perhaps he should have poisoned it. Perhaps now would have been a perfect opportunity to throw the wretched lady against the table. Sadly, this daydream put a pause on serving breakfast.

"Daniel, did you not hear me?" Maggie snapped her fingers. "You have much work to do today. I do not believe that I need to remind you that I can much easily send you back to the undesirable land with your people. Is that what you would like?"

"No Lady Maggie, it is quite alright."

Daniel's heart began to hurt at the thought. A temptation came upon him to cry, alas the tears needed to be kept in. He could not bear to disappoint his papa who had worked hard to get them out of the lands. To send him back, would put all of his work in vain. The only thing he could do was serve breakfast. And he did such. On both plates, he served fish, sliced strawberries, a dash of pudding, and more tea for their cups. Once he finished serving, the boy slowly took the cart away.

"Did you hear of the death of the prince?" questioned the treasurer.

The prince was dead? Daniel surely needed to hear more of this. His chores could wait. Neither of them was giving much attention to him. Slowly pushing the cart from a decent distance would surely not bring much harm to him.

"No, I am afraid I have not heard of his death?" Was this recent?"

"I am afraid so." The treasurer seized a bite of his strawberry. "His soul departed from us early this morning. Many of us were with the king last night while the doctor looked at the poor boy. It truly was devastating to hear."

"What did the prince die of?" Maggie could hardly eat with this surprising news.

"It was a new form of The Great Plague. The prince foolishly traveled to the western lands where they are dealing harshly with this disease. Thankfully, not a soul can get it here on the island."

"Such sad news indeed. I can only fathom how many more knights will be lying down their helmets because of this matter." There was a silence between them as it almost seemed that respects were being paid. "What of the king? Is he in good health? Has there been talk of who might replace him?"

"All that remains is his daughter the princess. She has recently become of age. Some speculate that she may rule the kingdom. Unfortunately, this may likely not be, for she is but a woman. She may have to marry a prince.

This concludes the second chapter! It appears that Daniel is a bit nosey. lol. Hope you did enjoy this chapter. Be sure to comment and vote. A new chapter returns next Saturday!

Thoughts on Daniel and Roseline? Lady Maggie?

Does the kingdom sound like it is in bad shape?

Can the princess rule the kingdom without a prince?