The Knight of Avalon
Chapter 3

I made my way to the ballroom, which I believe was on the second floor. This place is so huge that I sometimes get lost. As I opened the doors, I could see that it was already being cleaned. The curtains were taken down, the windows were in the process of being wiped, and the chandeliers were being dusted. In the midst of it all, there was Prince Frost , his sleeves rolled up and a duster in his hand. “Good morning, sire, I see you’ve been busy,” I said as I approached him. “Ahh... I see you got my message, Alexis. “Why don’t you get yourself a cobweb brush and start cob-webbing?” he suggested. I grabbed a brush and proceeded to the chandelier that hung over the stage. “So, what do you want to talk to me about?” I inquired. “I want to apologize for last night; I realize I was wrong to snap at you like that, and I’m extremely sorry,” he stated. “It’s okay; I would’ve done the same thing, but I know you didn’t simply ask me to come here to apologize,” I added, staring at him. “I need to ask you a favor,” he began, his eyes pleading with me. “So, what exactly is it? Would it happen to be related to the letter? ” I inquired. “Actually, the letter stated, and I quote, ’Prince Frost, I, Queen Amber White of Snowman’s Land, desire to have an audience with you to discuss the future of our two kingdoms; therefore, Princess Amity and I would be visiting three days after this letter has been delivered,” he stated. “I don’t see anything wrong with it,” I said.

“Well, you see, I haven’t hosted the Queen or the Princess in a very long time, and given that you’ve been around a lot of places, I figured you’d know what to do,” he continued, rubbing his palms. “Is that the truth, or are you just nervous to meet Princess Amity?” I said. “No, don’t be ridiculous,” he replied. “All right, I’ll help you, but only on one condition,” I said. “What is it?” he inquired. “Luke needs to accompany me when I run errands for you,” I said, extending my hand. “Hmmm... that’s a tough one, but if that’s what it takes for you to help me, then so be it,” he said as he shook my hand. “What happened to the cheerful fellow?” Prince Frost inquired. “Oh, he made a detour at the stables, and don’t worry, Alan is keeping an eye on him till I get back,” I said. “Oh, I assumed he went to the garden to chase some rabbits,” he said, dusting about with his back to me. I was so focused on my task that I didn’t notice the huge spider that had come down and latched itself to the Prince. ” “Sire, don’t move a muscle; there’s a spider on your back,” I warned. He didn’t seem to hear me, so I crept up behind him, daring not to make a sound for fear of scaring the spider away. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a glass jar with a lid. I grabbed it and untwisted the cap, all the while the prince was busy and not paying attention to glance back. In one swift movement, I caught the spider in the jar.

“Sire, I have a little present for you,” I remarked as I placed the jar in front of his face. “Ahhh... get that creature away from me!” he exclaimed, his hands flailing around. “Wait, are you scared of a little spider?” I said trying not to laugh. “No, I’m not afraid of it; I’m just being cautious,” he replied. “Righttt... So you say,” I respond, chuckling. “So, sire, how do you intend to welcome Queen Amber?” I quizzed him. “I’m not sure; I was considering throwing them a feast as a welcome,” he stated. “Umm, don’t you think a feast is a little overkill?” I answered. “All right, then, Ms. Know it all, and what did you have in mind?” he inquired. “Perhaps a simple dinner is a tad better, and it’ll be a lot better than the feast as they’ll be quite exhausted from their journey,” I replied. “Hmmm...Good point. We can prepare Queen Amber’s favorite dessert, Enchanted Forest Trifle,” he suggested. What about Princess Amity, though? What dish is she a fan of? I queried. “Let’s see, she has a lot of preferences, but I think Enchanted Garden Salad is her favorite meal,” he said, scratching his head. “All right, then, I’ll notify the chief,” I replied. We kept dusting and cleaning, and by the time we were done, the lunch bell had rung. All the staff stopped what they were doing and proceeded towards the kitchen to get their lunch.

“Hey, Sire, it’s lunch; you can stop dusting now,” I remarked as I approached the door. “It’s OK; I’ll finish these windows first and then go grab lunch,” he said. “Okay, have it your way; I’ll just tell the chef you’re going to arrive after you’ve finished,” I said. I made my way to the kitchen, which was on the same floor, and grabbed my lunch of ‘Dragon’s Breath Chili and Mystic Mango Punch’. “This is a hot one for today, Michael,” I said as I grabbed a bowl and glass. “Oh, I noticed that the place was a little unusually cold today, so I cooked something to warm everyone up,” he said as he filled a bowl. “Where is His Highness?” he inquired. “Oh, he’ll be down in a bit; he’s just finishing cleaning some windows,” I said as I approached the door. I sat down on the stairs in the backyard and ate my lunch. As I sat down to enjoy the steaming bowl of chili, I was struck by the comforting aroma that rose from it. The aroma of the warm, flavorful stew combined with the spices and herbs cooked over a dragon’s fire provided a feeling of coziness and warmth. It gave me nourishment and comfort, filling me up with its richness and warming me from the inside out. As I ate, I saw snowflakes softly falling on my clothes and in my hair, adding to the winter atmosphere. I sat for a moment, taking a deep breath, and let the wintry air fill my lungs, making me feel refreshed and awake. After I finished my meal and returned inside, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the snowfall and the peace it brought to my day.

I returned to the business at hand after eating my meal. The sound of my footsteps echoed through the halls as I walked towards the kitchen, adding to the stillness of the situation. “Hey Michael, where should I put these?” I inquire. “Well, just put them in the sink; I’ll wash them later,” he said, stirring something in a saucepan. Given that he was busy, I took it upon myself to wash my dishes and whatever else was in the sink. “You didn’t have to do all of that,” he murmured as he approached me. “I observed you were busy, so I simply did it,” I said. “So, what are you making for dinner tonight?” I inquired. “Pixie Pudding with Pixie’s Pesto Pasta,” he said. “Oh, and speaking of supper, Prince Frost instructed me to inform you that, being the Queen and Princess’ favorite dish, he would like you to prepare “Enchanted Forest Trifle and Enchanted Garden Salad” as a part of the meal for them.” Well, that sounds perfect; I’ll just add that to the list, he said.

“Has Prince Frost come to get his lunch?” I inquired about Michael. “No, he hasn’t; I’m not sure what’s taking him so long,” he answered. “I’m heading that way; I could drop it off for him,” I offered. Michael looked relieved at the offer. “That would be wonderful; thank you so much,” he said. He handed me the bowl of chili and a glass of punch. As I made my way towards the ballroom, I couldn’t help but wonder why His Highness hadn’t come down. It was unusual for him to be so late for lunch, especially after working so hard all morning. I pushed open the door to replace him cleaning a chandelier. When I walked in, he glanced up, his face flushed with sweat. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the kitchen retrieving your lunch like 5 minutes ago?” I asked. “I was getting ready to leave when I heard footsteps approaching, so I guessed it was you bringing my lunch,” he explained. “Well, your guesses were correct, since I have your lunch right here,” I said as I handed it to him. His face brightened with joy. “Thank you very much,” he replied as he took the bowl and glass from me.

As he sat down to eat his lunch, I couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you, sire?” He looked up from his lunch, his expression thoughtful. He looked up at me with a grateful smile on his face. “Actually, there is something you could do for me,” he said, setting down his spoon. “You could go to the throne room and start cleaning there,” he said. I was taken aback for a moment, as I had not expected such a request. “Uhhh.... Sire when I said I’d help you, this isn’t what I meant,” I said with a raised eyebrow. The prince chuckled at my remark and said, “I know, I know. But I figured I’d give you a task that even a knight like you could handle.” He flashed me a grin, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.