*****Chapter Two: Adelina Plumb, Palace Pastry Chef****
It was still an odd feeling for Adelina to be standing in this kitchen. However, she did not know if she should call it a kitchen really. This 'kitchen' was huge and glamorous. Pristine marble floors and counter tops gleamed with polish, and made her feel guilty each time she stepped on the floor with her shoes or dusted the counter tops with flour.
As it had turned out, the sour faced young man that had visited her bakery was the Prince. He invited her to bake and cook her confectioneries for the King. It was an honor, he had said to her. But all she could think about was the money she could make from such a position. Surely it had to be more than the amount she had been earning now. Adelina's head rushed with the thought of all the good she could do with that money.
She accepted the offer without much thought and was working at the Palace kitchens within two days' time. She had servers and people to command and tell what to do.
Adelina had never ordered anyone around before.
She caught on very quickly.
The kids often would visit her house now and the few without homes spent a few nights at her house each week. This was the most fun and the happiest she had been since her mother died. Adelina also helped the older ones obtain jobs as her assistants in the King's kitchens.
To her own surprise, Adelina and the Prince became friends after a few months' time of her being at the castle. The Prince often visited the Kitchens to sneak a pastry or two before going on hunts and other escapades. Sometimes he would try to steal dough or fillings from her copper bowls, earning him a resounding 'whack' from Adelina's trusty wooden spoon.
One thing she had learned during her first days at the Kitchens is that the King really did not care about excess. He would have so much left over food from his feasts every night. And it was all to go to waste.
It had left a foul taste in her mouth.
Adelina decided that she would sneak out the leftover food and give it to the other townspeople. Very early in the morn she left it in baskets outside their doors, covered with a white napkin.
After a few weeks of this, the town and its people became more cheerful and hearty she noted, pleased. Some had opened their doors to the beggar children and adopted them into their families. Smiles were no longer uncommon and somehow, the air itself seemed warmer. It was like the wintry weather that had plagued their valley for years would melt away into spring. She hoped so anyway.
However, Adelina was not the only person who had noticed the change in the people and he was certainly not pleased at all.
The King thrived on others' misery. That was a fact. His own son's face had become softened and that made him all the more bitter at the cause of all this. He had not yet figured out how to get rid of her for good but he would. Yes, and he would have to do it now before the people grew accustomed to things like hope or comfort.
Author's Note: This took longer because I have been writing the other chapters and figuring out how I want to tie things in. Thanks to Nightfury18 for the review and I am glad I helped inspire you! That is awesome! Good luck with your story! Send me a link!
