I sat at the table and marvelled at all of the glorious food around me. I had decided to wear a pretty yellow gown from the wardrobe and I was playing with the material under my fingers. I was looking around and trying to decide how I should act. I did not remember ever having such a glorious feast before. I was not entirely sure what to do.

Jameson sat across from me and he looked just as uncomfortable as I did. He however did not gawk like I did. He simply sat staring at me. It was like he was trying to say something to me, but was not able to get himself to say it.

There were two chairs on either side of me and two chairs on either side of Jameson and then a chair at each end of the table. The end to my right had a magnificent chair. It was almost like a throne. It was made of dark wood that matched the table and had a cushion made of a deep purple color. It looked very comfortable. I assumed that was where the prince would be sitting.

"Will the prince be joining us?" I asked Reginald who was standing just off to my left.

He shook his head at me, "I am afraid not, miss. He does not like to be see. He will take his meal in his chambers."

"Oh," I said. I was a little disappointed, even though I knew I should not be shocked. He had not shown himself to us yet, why would he do it just for dinner? "He does not have to do that. We can eat in another room if this is where he normally eats."

Jameson looked at me wide-eyed. I could tell that he did not really agree with what I was saying, but he did not say anything to disagree. Reginald laughed and said, "It is no problem at all. He has not had a meal in this dining room for at least two years. He was never a fan of formal dinners."

I nodded my head as if I understood, but really I was confused by this. The more I heard about Prince Wyatt the less I understood him. He did not like any of the things I always thought a prince would enjoy. He was definitely odd, but instead of making me nervous, it intrigued me. I thought about it for just a few seconds when Reginald said, "Please. Eat. Mary would be sad if all of this food went to waste."

Both Jameson and I nodded and started to dish up our plates. I quickly went for the dish of corn pudding. It was one of my favorites growing up and this one looked so fancy and tasty. It had sprigs of rosemary sitting on the top giving it a classy look. Then I dished up a large portion of what looked like a pork roast and potatoes. I topped it off with a scoop of fresh salad. I recognized the radishes and carrots in it. They were from our garden. As was the peas in another dish.

I smiled as I ate. All of the dishes were delicious and I was sure it all because of Mary's skill. Eating all of the foods that I recognized from the garden made me miss my mother though. It was hard for me to eat it, knowing that she was not at home tending to the plants. I hoped that Annalee would remember to take care of the garden. I did not expect my father or Katrina to do any of the work, but surely Annalee would remember how important it was.

"This is all so wonderful. Your mother's produce with Mary's cooking skills makes a meal that I just cannot stop eating," Jameson said.

I laughed. He had a fork in one hand and a knife in the other and I was impressed that he had stopped to say anything at all. He had a look of pure joy on his face and kept dishing more food onto his plate. I was sure that he did not normally have table manners like that, but we had a long day and I was sure that he was hungry. He probably ate so much more often than I did, and we had skipped lunch in our haste to get to the castle.

I nodded my agreement with him and said, "It really is marvelous. I wish Annalee could taste some of this. She would love the corn pudding just as much as I do."

Jameson made a face at me. "Corn pudding? That is the dish you like the best?"

"Of course. It has always been my favorite," I said matter of factly.

"I would probably have to say the roasted potatoes are my favorite. I could eat potatoes all day long," Jameson said with a dreamy look.

I laughed at him just a little. He could really act like such a simple child. It was hard to believe that this silly man was the man always fighting for my attention and trying to take care of me. I smiled at him fondly. I really was glad that he was here. It made it so much easier to relax, even if he did annoy me from time to time.

After we had eaten our fill of dinner, the table was cleared by Mary and Reginald. Then Mary brought in the more beautiful cake I had ever seen. It was frosted with a fluffy white frosting and all around were thin slices of oranges. The oranges were so thinly sliced that it was more like looking through glass that was shaped and colored to look like orange slices. Drizzled on top was a thin caramel sauce. It looked so divine.

"Mary! That is so beautiful!" I exclaimed. Jameson just bobbed his head in agreement.

"Thank you. I picked the oranges from the orchards here. This is my favorite cake to bake," she said with pride. Her face was just glowing at seeing how thrilled we were to be eating her food.

She dished up two plates with large pieces of the cake on them. The cake itself was white and there was a bright orange filling between the three layers of the cake. I took a small bite at first. I did not want to be overwhelmed by flavors. It was delicious. It had a sweet and soft orange flavor with hints of butter and vanilla. It was the best cake I had ever tasted in my life. I ate the rest of the slice quickly, even if I was completely stuffed.

Jameson was just as thrilled by the cake. He even asked for a second piece. Mary laughed and cut him a considerably smaller piece and placed it on his plate.

"And for you dear?" she asked me, smiling.

I shook my head and laughed. "I could not possibly eat another bite, even though I want to. It was just all so delicious. I ate much more than I should have."

"Good. Just as I like to hear," Mary exclaimed.

I shook my head in wonder and said, "I hope we are not going to eat like this every night. I will not fit into any of my gowns eating like that."

Jameson agreed with me, "I have to loosen my belt already." He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Mary laughed a little. "No. It will not always be like this. I made is extra special tonight. You will get used to it eventually."

Reginald nodded behind her. "Soon you will get better at eating only enough and not stuffing yourself. I had to train myself the first time I ate her cooking too."

Mary blushed a little at the praise and started to clean up. She busied herself with clearing plates and wiping the table down.

Jameson and I decided that we should not stay very much longer. I wanted to get to sleep and Jameson said he wanted to look around a little more. He walked me back to my room and said goodnight. He did not do any awkward overly emotional things this time and I was grateful for that.

When I looked around my room I noticed a beautifully wrapped box on the table. Curious, I walked over to it and saw a note on top.

Roslyn,

This is one of my favorite books. I thought you might like to read it when you get a

chance to relax.

Yours,

Wyatt

He left me another gift. I raised my eyebrows in wonder and thought about all that Jameson had said. This had not happened at all the last time I had stayed here and I wondered what had changed this time. I would have to talk to the prince again sometime soon and see if he did know anything about my mother.

I slowly unwrapped the ribbon bow wrapped around the box. It was a beautiful green color. It reminded me of the plants in my mother's garden. Bright but naturally beautiful. I opened the small box and saw a small novel bound in leather. I lifted it from the box and read the title. Fairy Tales of the Land. I laughed a little to myself. I never did believe in fairy tales. We had heard many stories of curses and spells in other kingdoms, but I had never really read any type of book telling those stories.

It made me a little uncomfortable because now that I had seen magic first hand, I was not entirely sure what it would be like to read about it. Would that make it all too real? I did not know, but I was touched at how thoughtful the prince was being. I decided to read a little before I went to bed.

I dressed in a nightgown and tucked myself into the covers. I read the first story in the light of the fire. It was the story of Cinderella. It was all about a girl and a shoe. There were times I laughed and times I cried. It was all so real to me now. I could tell that now. I finished the story and thought about reading another, but while I was thinking about it I fell asleep.