The long walk from Burthorpe had been fraught with confusion as Poatos attempted to navigate by an unfamiliar map. He wandered through the town of Lumbridge, knowing no one and feeling the rumbling in his belly.
The only guide he had was the towers of the castle in the distance, so he made his way wearily in that direction. Passing many unfamiliar faces and loose chickens (causing him to cross the road several times), he passed through the threshold of the castle entrance on a quest for food. The smells wafting from the castle kitchen pulled him with irresistible force down the hall. Entering the kitchen, all he wanted was a little bit of everything. All he got was a questioning face.
"May I help you?" asked the Cook. "We're really kind of busy."
"Please - I've come a long way with no food," Poatos said. "May I trade my service for something to eat?"
"You have come at a very convenient time for me," said the Cook. "I need some help, and in exchange for food you can give it to me. I, in my rush to prepare, have forgotten three essential ingredients for the special cake I was going to bake for the Duke's birthday. Oh, woe! This was going to be a masterpiece, a triumph that would make the Duke see me in a new light. Will you help me?"
"Give me one of those biscuits as a down payment, and you have a deal," Poatos said.
"Wonderful! I need the following ingredients - extra fine flour, top quality milk, and a super large egg. All of these can be acquired here in Lumbridge. Please hurry - the Duke's celebration is today!"
Greedily chewing fresh biscuit, Poatos made his way back to the main road through Lumbridge. He had passed a wheat field and mill on the way into town, so he headed back in that direction. A youth spent on a farm had prepared him for this task - picking wheat had been one of his first memories. A quick trip to the mill (and some help from the maiden who lived there) and he was on his way back toward town with some extra fine flour. He had never really had a way with cows - the townspeople back home still chuckled telling that story - but the prized dairy cow he was shown to in the nearby farmer's field was as mild-mannered as his old sheepdog and a bucket of top quality milk was soon his.
His chicken phobia was threatening to keep him from completing his quest for cake; those beady eyes, those sharp beaks. The stuff of so many childhood nightmares. But the roiling rumble of a stomach not sated by biscuit drove him onward. At a chicken coop off the castle road, he saw many eggs. Covering his ears to shut out the horrible clucking, he entered the coop. Initially he thought perhaps there would be no hope for a meal in his future, as all of the eggs were the same size, a size one would never confuse with "super large." Just as he was about to give up and find out if extra fine flour could be choked down with a little top quality milk, he saw an egg larger than he thought possible sitting in a corner of the coop. He scooped it up quickly, sang at the top of his lungs to drown out the horrible clucking, and ran back to the road.
The torture of the coop of terror behind him, he gleefully made his way back to the castle, drawing more than a few curious looks from the fine folks of Lumbridge. Taking the castle steps two at a time, he strode quickly to the kitchen. As he entered, the Cook's eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face.
"You did it! And with plenty of time to spare," he said. "Please help yourself to anything we've prepared, and stay on as my assistant. I have so much to do and so little time. You can use the range whenever you wish. Will you do it?"
"I woum lum noo," Poatos said around a mouthful of roast beef and gravy. He thought perhaps life was taking a turn for the better - Lumbridge might be a place to stay for a while.