Thank you all so much- here is your story. By the way, I'm changing the title to Golden Delicious. Yes. That's all.
My clothes had dried, and Aster had cleaned up. We decided to make a stew out of the things that Aster had brought home, and to tell sooth, it was excellent.
"Aster, did you buy any apples? I want to try those apples you made when we first met." I stirred the meaty stew, to keep it from starting a thick skin on the top.
"No, But next time we get apples I can make you some. Actually, I can just give you the recipe." She offered.
I shrugged, and paused, leaving the wooden spoon in the pot. "Sure," I started, and watched as she cut up some celery for the stew. "Hey what did you say roasting apples was good for again?"
A knock on the door sounded, as Aster handed me a dish of cut celery.
"I'll get that." She murmured.
But before Aster reached, the door, a dirty Jessica pushed open the door, because Aster hadn't fixed the lock yet. I waved from my spot near the pot at the fireplace.
"Jessica! How goes it?"
"Well! However I'm starving and I know the children are too." She stepped in and Trinity followed her. And a girl about Trinity's age followed her, along with three boys I couldn't recognize. But the confusion went both ways. The girl who wasn't Trinity and the two oldest boys stopped short, the littlest boy, crashing into the small crowd, knocking them all off their balance.
Aster held in her laughter, but I just stood there like an idiot as everyone (including Jessica) attempted to untangle themselves from each other. "How now, Aster?" Jessica's muffled voice could be heard, just barely before one of the older boys shouted.
"Oh get off! You en't sneaking food, are you? Heavy as a boulder! Get off!"
"Are, are you all right?" I asked warily.
"Aye, they're fine," Jessica said calmly, starting to stand up. Her face was bathed in soot and her dress was frayed, torn, dusty, and stained. I felt uncomfortable, so I turned my head and stirred the stew again. It smelled good, and I bet my own portion of food, I heard other stomachs growling in agreement.
Aster rounded up the children, and ordered them to set the table. For Bayard, (That was the little one's name), she took outside to help her fetch water from the well (The same well that drenched me, not two hours before) and meet Pony.
After dinner, (Aster made them wash up, or she wasn't going to serve them) I requested to be alone, and talked with Cerdames. I know I should have talked to the kids and all, but I just kept thinking about Chenate.
I barely even knew him and I was wishing I could marry him… was that twisted and wrong? Yes, probably. But I was already at the legal marrying age and I was supposed dead.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, please show me Chenate." I sighed, wistfully.
The glass of Cerdames blurred into a mix of colors and then focused. He was with that princess again. Tavetina.
Tavetina was picking at her dress, pink, and filled with ruffles, frills, sequins, laces, silks, velvets, jewels, embroiders, strings, ribbons and beads. And that was on just one dress. Her hair was golden blonde, as usual, but done up so it resembled a throne.
So there was a big hairy chair on top of her head. I had to laugh. Both of them were outside, in what looked to be a garden. Tavetina sat on the stone bench, still picking at her dress, while Chenate, obviously forced into a suit that matched Tavetina's, (pink with ruffles and lace and baubles of every sort) looked incredibly bored.
This scene went on for a few seconds, and then as if struck by a wonderful idea, Chenate brightened and turned to the chaperone and started to talk.
"Hello, how goes it?" Chenate asked.
The chaperone shrugged. He didn't look as if he wanted to talk with anybody, but Chenate was probably bored out of his…suit thing in all its pinkishness. And Tavetina in all her pinkishness, so much that he probably didn't notice.
"Er, yes. Well, what is the name of thyself?" He smiled brightly.
The chaperone shrugged again.
"Are you a boy or a girl?" Chenate asked, in desperation of some conversation.
The chaperone shrugged again.
Chenate stood up, frustrated with this display of non-conversation. "I thank thee for thy speech" He mumbled, and then left. Chenate trudged into the castle door and began the long walk to his chambers. He walked straight and had long strides. I was kind of impressed. Then he turned a corner, where a row of lit torches illuminated the long hallway. He peeked, and seeing that nobody was in the hallway, (must have been a huge castle if nobody was in the hallway. There's always someone in the hallways.) Chenate got a really grumpy look on his face, and stomped down the hallway, slouching. I burst out laughing from my end of the mirror, just watching him stomp, slouch and have a grumpy look every time a hallway was deserted. He only did it about eight times, but that's very little compared to all the twists and turns of the hallways he had to take. I'm sure it took at least a quarter of an hour just for him to reach his chambers.
When he got to his door, he groaned like a donkey and stomped his foot again, just as a laundrywoman walked by. She dropped her load of clothes and stared at him in bewilderment.
Chenate tried to save himself by smiling. "Ah… hello, my name is Chenate." He greeted.
"Mmm…uahhhh!" The laundrywoman screamed, stuffed the laundry back in the basket and kind of waddled/ran off.
Chenate looked around, making sure nobody saw, and then bolted inside of his room.
He flopped on his rather large bed and groaned. I looked around at the room as best I could. The walls were painted dark red, with gold trimmings around the ceiling. There was a writing desk, with loads of paper and four bottles of ink. Not to mention six quills. Beside the bed was a table with a pitcher and glasses. It looked like his room was as big as the cottage I was staying in with Aster and Jessica and the kids.
I looked longingly at Chenate. I felt bad for him, that there was nobody good to talk to in Cavereta. I would have given him laughter and conversation. Without warning, he got up off of his enormous bed and walked over to a fancy mirror. I sighed and kept watching.
All of a sudden, Chenate started talking. "Mirror, mirror on the wall…"
I leaned forward in anticipation. Chenate had a fairy mirror! I listened hard to hear what Chenate was going to say next. "Please show me Annabelle."
Next thing, I was face to face with Chenate through our mirrors.
Both of us, I think, were so stunned that neither of us said anything. My eyes widened and I started to laugh nervously, though my throat seemed to crack and I coughed. When I recovered, Chenate and I just stayed where we were, staring. "Can you hear me?" I asked, timidly.
Chenate seemed to find his senses again and shook out of whatever reverie he sunk in. "Annabe- Snow!" He smiled slightly. "Yes, I can hear you… What… how are you talking to me? Have you got a fairy- mirror? What's going on? Diana's lips. I think the world has gone round."
He looked so confused.
"Ah, yes, I do have a fairy mirror, not twenty minutes ago I asked Cerdames- that's my mirror, by the way- to see you." I squeaked.
Chenate's smile faded and he blushed. "So… how much of me did you see?"
I laughed at him. "Since you asked your chaperone whether he was a boy or a girl." I replied, smiling.
His freckles seemed to pale and his curls seemed to sag. "Oh." He said dully. "So you saw my parade through the hallways?" He referred to the slouchy, stompy, grumpy phase of him.
"Aye," I nodded. "Never knew you did that." I tucked my hair behind my ears to make sure I looked all right. "How's Cavereta?" I changed the subject. "I heard they're great conversationalists." I said, grinning.
Chenate snorted. "Yes. They're terrific conversationalists if you like the sort of people who shrug themselves into oblivion."
I shrugged, until halfway I realized what I was doing and just sat. Suddenly, Bayard came in, though Chenate didn't see him because the mirror was on the same side as the door. "Hello Bayard." I greeted.
Chenate's eyes looked surprised but then quickly hardened. "Who's Bayard?"
"He's a friend of mine. No, no I have no romantic interest in him." I said, quickly to Chenate's guard. Bayard then walked in front of the mirror, but only the top of his head skimmed the reach of the mirror.
"Is he a dwarf?"
I raised my eyebrows. "A dwarf? Imagine me, living with dwarves! No, He's a little boy."
"I'm not little!" Bayard's voice defended.
"There's more?" Chenate asked.
"Yeah... seven people. Isn't that fun? There's um… Bayard, Trinity, Jessica, Norbio… um… Draco, Aphen…I think that's her name. And Ast…" I paused, not knowing whether I should give him the news of his sister who… like I had run away and were believed to be dead.
"Chenate, I have to go." I said bluntly, and I could see his features look crestfallen. "But why don't we talk tomorrow? Same time?" I offered.
He nodded enthusiastically. It was adorable.
"Good bye milady."
"Your highness" I said, teasingly.