A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I know the last one didn't seem so good considering I didn't really like the way I wrote it. Please R&R. Enjoy!
The other men were already seated around the fire by the time we got there. Most of them had their bowls filled with the stew in their hand, but none of them looked like they'd begun eating yet. Percy led me to a short stool by the fire. I noticed that I was the only one sitting on a stool. Every one else was either sitting on a log or the ground. It reminded me that I was still the princess and that meant I would get special treatment. I almost rolled my eyes at the stupidity of it all. Who said a princess couldn't plainly sit on the ground? I smiled appreciatively anyway, taking a seat on the stool. One of the men, probably Travis, handed me a bowl of stew. They looked at me expectantly. I fidgeted in my seat, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" I whispered to Percy. He looked surprised.
"Out of respect, we have to wait for you to eat before we do," He answered. I looked down, embarrassed and took a sip of the stew. It was surprisingly delectable. I glanced up to see that the men were also eating their stew and quietly sighed. At least now the attention was turned toward something else.
When I finished my bowl of soup, I set it on the ground beside me and turned to Percy. He was holding an empty bowl in one hand, and drinking from a canteen in the other. The other men were drinking from their own canteens as well. It was apparent that I didn't have my own.
Percy seemed to have read my mind because he said, "We could give you your own canteen. I'm certain we have extras."
I smiled and thanked him. One of the men handed me a canteen filled with cool water. I nodded in response and gave him a small smile. I'd manage to drain half the canteen before my thirst was quenched. Every one began to stand up, taking their bowls with them. Percy took mine as well, handing them to Travis. I gave him a questioning look. "Why are you all giving him your empty bowls?"
"It's Travis's turn to do the dishes," said Percy. "He takes them over to the river to wash them."
"I see," I responded. This was new to me, considering it wasn't how I saw our kitchen staff at the palace do it. More than one person helped clean our plates. Then again, our meals in the palace weren't necessarily simple.
By now, most of us had dispersed around camp. Percy and I were walking toward my tent. I noticed that mine was slightly bigger than the others'. I would've rolled my eyes at the concept of superiority. I didn't expect special treatment.
"Well, I find it best that you get your rest, Princess. We still have a long journey before us. Fortunately, the captain said that we've managed to travel a little ahead of schedule. We might be able to reach the Castellan kingdom in less than a week," he said, grinning.
"I guess I'll go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Percy," I said, turning to the entrance to my tent. I looked over my shoulder and saw Percy still standing there. He was staring at me, wearing a goofy smirk on his face. I laughed and shook my head before entering the tent.
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. After I threw on a dress, I headed outside. The sun was just rising. Nobody in the camp seemed to be awake yet. I could hear a few snores from the tents and even from the horses.
I walked over to the campfire. There was a satchel with different cooking ingredients by the ashen campfire. Sifting through it, I saw a large amount of bread and a small wheel of swiss cheese. There were some herbs and cooking utensils as well. Even though my parents would disapprove of it, I decided that I would treat the soldiers with breakfast. When I was young, I used to help Edna, the head chef at our palace, cook the simpler dishes. I knew the basics when it came to bread. Edna had even taught me a recipe for making delicious cheese toast.
I decided to take a seat on the log closest to the bag of ingredients. It didn't matter that my dress would get dirty. Frankly, the large dress was starting to irritate me.
Taking out the cheese wheel, I noticed it wasn't like the huge ones I'd seen the kitchen staff carry around. Despite the comparison, it was still a large size. I took out my dagger, which was strapped to the side of my leg, and cut out a sizable slice. A bowl and grater was taken out of the sack as well. I used the side with the larger blades and shredded the cheese until the bowl was filled to the brim. Putting the cheese to the side, I proceeded with the bread. I used my dagger to cut two loaves of bread into even slices, making sure each person had at least two to eat. I set aside the slices on a tray. I then remembered that I hadn't started a fire yet.
The fire was actually easy to start; it just took a few strikes of the sticks. Once the fire got going, I noticed that there was a rack placed over it. That had probably held the stew yesterday. It would be perfect for a tea kettle. Tea was a better drink for breakfast than plain water. I rummaged through the sack once again, this time for a kettle. Fortunately, there was a large one. It was enough to make tea for our entire company.
I emptied the contents of my water canteen into the kettle and hurriedly went to find a plant I could use to make tea of. There was a white fir tree nearby with abnormally large needles. Once I was at the tree, I held up the first layer of my dress to form a sort of pouch. I picked off the needles until my pouch was practically full. I ran back to the fire, but tripped and dropped a majority of the fir needles. Sighing frustratingly, I ran back to the tree. I hurriedly picked the needles again, making sure I kept a slow pace on the trip back to the fire.
When I reached the kettle, the water was slowly boiling. I dumped as many of the needles as possible into the kettle. I'd finished the tea so now there was only the bread to worry about.
The tray that kept the bread was ceramic. It was perfect for grilling the bread. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to oil the tray as to keep the bread and cheese from sticking to it. It took some time to oil the already occupied tray. Luckily, I managed to cover it entirely in olive oil. The tray was now over the fire, with the bread slowly grilling.
On each slice of bread, I sprinkled a bit of cheese. The bread was warm enough to slightly melt the cheese so that it was now stuck on the bread. Though Edna had taught me that if I pressed the side of the bread to the pan, or in my case tray, the cheese would crisp, giving the bread a better toasty taste.
I was finally finished with making breakfast. The tray of bread was taken off the rack to cool off but close to the fire to keep them warm. I'd moved the kettle to the side of the rack that had the least amount of fire. I took out tin plates and tea cups from the satchel. Everything was set up. All there was left was to wait for every one to wake.
Suddenly, I became aware of my appearance. The preparation had made me look revolting. My hair had almost fallen out of its once tight bun. My dress was dirty, especially the hem and had a few white fir needles stuck to the front. I noticed that I was sweating slightly, and my hands were sticky from all the activity I'd done. This was a good time to clean myself up. Taking one last look at the food, I made sure nothing was at risk of burning.
I ran to the stream nearby to wash my face and hands. The dress I was wearing was already dirty so I dropped to my knees, getting myself closer to the stream. I first washed my hands in the water, then used them to splash water on my face. I leaned closer to the water so that it was easier for me to wash my face completely. Unfortunately, I leaned a little too close. The next thing I knew, I was in the stream. It didn't have a very strong current. I managed to climb out of it, seething. This day had turned into an utter disaster.
I trudged back to camp, entirely drenched. Percy came out of his tent just as I walked past it. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
"Not a word," I growled. I marched on to my tent. Once I was inside, I quickly dried myself. I changed into the dress with the least amount of layers. I then pinned my golden locks into a half ponytail, leaving my hair down while keeping it out of my face. Once I was decent enough, I walked towards the campfire where all the men were already seated.
Percy was serving every one by the time I reached them. They looked excited and happy, as if my cooking had suddenly given them energy.
"Did you make all this?" asked Percy. He was still serving breakfast.
"Yes, I did," I replied.
"Well then thank you, Princess, for a wonderful breakfast," he replied. I smiled and served myself the toast and tea. I went over to my stool and looked over the ones around the campfire. All of them were waiting for me to take my first bite, and most of them looked very impatient. I bit into my piece of toast and they erupted in cheers. They began munching enthusiastically on their breakfast. There were grunts and moans and hums of approval. A person would most definitely tell these men hadn't had a breakfast like this in a long time.
The tray was passed around, evenly distributed amongst everybody. Once I was done with my breakfast, I brushed the bread crumbs off my hands and handed the tin plate and tea cup to a man who already had a few stacked beside him. About all the men were done by now and they were all sitting on the logs, stretching and rubbing their stomachs.
"Let us thank the person who made us such a wonderful meal!" exclaimed Percy. I was mumbling protests, but he ignored them altogether.
"To the Princess!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "To the Princess!" the men cried in unison, some mimicking what Percy had done.
"Thank you," I said. I blushed and looked down on the ground. By the time the color had drained out of my face, the captain had already sent everybody to pack up camp. Only Percy was still seated on the log beside me, staring at me.
"You were really generous to make us breakfast," he said softly.
I replied, "It was the least I could do for you guys. You're all putting your lives at risk to protect me. I guess it was my way of showing my gratitude."
He nodded and stood up. I stood up as well, saying, "So we're about to leave soon? Should I go pack up my belongings?"
Percy shook his head and chuckled. "That won't be necessary. Someone would have packed your things by now. You are the princess. It shouldn't be right to have you do any work. We've got everything under control. Don't worry."
"Then what about you? Shouldn't you be packing?" I looked up. Only then did I realize that Percy was slightly taller than me. I only reached up to the bottom of his nose.
"I already packed this morning. I'm all set. Stop worrying, Princess. We can handle it," he laughed. We both looked in the direction of the horses. Most of them were already carrying full saddlebags. Percy turned back toward me.
"I think it's time for you to get in the carriage," he said. I nodded and followed him to where the carriage was. On the way, I greeted Blackjack and pet his snout. He whinnied in response.
Percy was already waiting at the carriage, holding the door open for me. I climbed into it and sat by the window. Percy mounted Blackjack, who was standing by the window I sat by. The captain yelled, "Company! Journey on!" The men erupted in cheers. These are some enthusiastic men, I thought.
The carriage began moving with a jolt. I folded my arms on the ledge of the window and rested my chin on them. The scenery zipped by as we continued our journey. I looked over the land we passed: mountains, plains, and meadows. Soon, I felt my eyelids get heavier. The last thing I saw before I drifted to sleep was a sign saying Welcome to Grace County.
"Princess Annabeth! Wake up!" a voice murmured softly. Someone was gently shaking me awake. My eyes fluttered open to the sight of two green orbs. I jumped a little and realized that Percy had shaken me awake, and his face was only a few inches away from mine. I blushed and looked around me. I was still in the carriage, but it had stopped moving. Percy was halfway through the doorway.
I stretched and yawned. "Where are we right now?"
"We are actually in Suez Town right now. It's already the afternoon and the captain decided we needed a break from all the riding. Most of the men have gone off exploring the town. We need more supplies anyway," he said.
I grinned at what he'd said. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get peasant clothes, clothes that I could actually run in easily.
"What are you thinking?" Percy asked slowly. I looked at him and smirked. "Shopping!" He groaned as I pulled him through town to find a decent clothing shop.
"Well, this looks like a nice place for me to find clothes," I said. Percy eyed the sign warily.
"Matilda's Dress Shoppe: The Finest and Most Comfortable Dress For You," he read. We entered the shop to find a woman behind a wooden counter. She looked middle-aged, probably around my mother's age, and she wore a warm smile when we walked in.
"What a pleasant surprise! Welcome Princess Annabeth. What brings you to my shop today?" the lady said.
"I'm looking for regular dresses. Ones that you could comfortably wear," I answered her. She frowned a bit.
"Certainly you wouldn't want to be wearing peasants' clothes! Look at your beautiful dress! Wouldn't you rather wear something like that?" she asked.
"I'm taking a rather long journey to the kingdom of Castella. I don't think my dresses are fit for that sort of event," I answered, rather irritated. Why didn't she get that I wanted plain, comfortable clothes?
"Well then, follow me, Princess. You can try on our newest collection in the back," she said, walking towards a doorway to the right of her. I trailed behind her and almost forgot about Percy. He was about to go with me through the doorway when I stopped him.
"You should wait out here," I told him.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I am going to be changing in and out of dresses. Now why would I let you follow me in there?" I said, jabbing a finger at the doorway. No way was I going to let this boy watch me change, even if he had to be at my side at all times.
He grinned suggestively and I gasped. I slapped him hard on his upper arm and he immediately grabbed it, cursing and rubbing the spot I'd hit. I huffed and gave him a nod before stepping through the red curtains that hung on the doorway.
The lady made me try on at least a dozen different dresses until I picked out five to get. All of them had brown skirts and different colored tops. I got the colors sky blue, burgundy, lavender, white, and a sea-green that looked very similar to Percy's eyes. The sky blue and burgundy were long-sleeved while the white, lavender, and sea-green were short-sleeved.
Along with the dresses, I picked out a white bonnet and apron, flexible leather shoes, and a grey shawl. I changed into the lavender dress and put on my new shoes. I tied the bonnet around my neck, in case I needed to shield my eyes from the sun. There was so much more space to breathe in these clothes. I sighed at the comfort of my new outfit. The lady placed the rest of my items into a box.
We walked out to the front of the shop where Percy was leaning against the wall, gazing outside. He straightened himself up when he saw us. But as soon as he looked at me, his eyed widened and his mouth went slack.
"You, um, you look, uh, great, no beautiful! Yes beautiful, Princess," he stammered, scratching the back of his head. His eyes were glazed as if he'd seen the most delicious pastry he's eyes ever laid on. I giggled and blushed, turning my attention to the lady.
She calculated the total to be exactly 20 shillings. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That was about how much my dresses costed, and those were usually the less expensive ones.
"But for you, Princess, I'll give you a discount. You'll only need to pay 14 shillings," the lady said. My jaw dropped. 14 shillings was a very small amount for how much I'd bought.
"Oh no. I couldn't do that. I will pay full price for it. 20 shillings, here you go," I said, handing her 20 coins from my money pouch.
"Thank you, Princess. Thank you," the lady said, sounding like she was going to cry at any moment.
"It was nothing really,…" I left the sentence hanging, implying that I wanted to know her name.
"Matilda, Princess. Matilda Grace," she answered. Matilda Grace? I thought. Thalia had an aunt by that name.
"Matilda, do you happen to have a niece by the name of Thalia Grace?" I asked.
Her eyes lit up. "Yes! As a matter of fact, I do. She's in town right now. Do you know her?"
I grinned and nodded. "I must see her! She's probably gotten better from the flu. Where is she right now?" I looked expectantly at Matilda.
"She's most likely helping her father at the inn across the street. It's called Amazing Grace," said Matilda. I thanked her and threw two more shillings on the counter. I grabbed the box of my new attire and rushed to the door, grabbing Percy by his elbow. He was still flustered from earlier, but managed to stay on his feet when I pulled him.
We were going to see Thalia, my best friend, again! I felt like I was seven years old, off to play with her. I felt like myself again. With my new clothes, for once I felt normal. And with Percy towing behind me, I couldn't have been happier.
A/N: Ok. So not the best ending I had in mind, but it still reflects the point of this chapter. This was my longest chapter yet. So, I hope you liked the amount I've given. I hope the chapter really showed you who Annabeth was. Don't worry, there's gonna be a lot more stuff in the next chapter, I promise. But until then, please review and give me your thoughts. Also, thank you so much for reviewing! You guys are really awesome readers. :)
storytella out!