The Key Lies Between Both Worlds

Chapter 17

Narrator

   Sir Parker leads the three of them towards the hall, going all the way down it. The door all the way down the hall to the left was the kitchen.

   Sir Parker opened the door, holding it open for them. Leaf happily walked through first and then Jack but Jack took the door from Sir Parker, holding it open for Amy. Sir Parker just gave a gentle smile and let Jack while he walked away. Jack held the door as Amy walked through and Amy mumbled under her breath. "Thanks." Jack just kept his head high and acted as if he didn't hear her thanks.

  Amy was suddenly wowed by the size of the kitchen. Surprisingly the room wasn't filled with all kinds of books, you could actually see the marvelous light blue walls. The whole room was a full kitchen, the room had to be bigger than the living room. The kitchen counter tops were a white marble, the stove being a dark jet black. The flooring in there was the same as in the living room but the floor actually matched with the theme of the kitchen unlike in the living room.

    Sir Parker sounded serene as he asked jokily. "I would guess that you have never seen a kitchen before?" Amy gave a smile as she sounded kind of salty about it. "Yes, I have seen a kitchen before, just never a kitchen like this one." Leaf snickered loudly. "Wow ma lady is having some attitude today." Jack muttered under his breath. "She is." Amy went silent, she hung her head as she stared at the ground. Amy mumbled under her breath. "Sorry." All three of them heard her words but all three of them was surprised by her sudden change in attitude.

    Sir Parker cleared his voice. "I say we don't wait any longer to cook dinner." Amy's head snaps up so violently, Jack feared she might actually break her neck. "Wait it's the morning. Why are we making dinner?" Sir Parker looked at Amy but smiled. "Why don't we have a brief history lesson as Jack teaches you to cook a recipe that is special to us?" The word us was questionable on the tip of Amy's tongue, what did he mean by that?" Amy went right ahead and asked. "Are you Jack's dad?" All three of them started laughing and Amy stayed stone faced, finding nothing funny. Sir Parker declared as he stopped laughing but still smiled big. "No, I am not Jack's dad, but I grew up taking care of Jack and being in the same household as Jack." Jack explained as he entered the kitchen. "Sir Parker is the brother of my commander. My commander took me in as an orphan and trained me to be a solider. But no Amy, I have no parents or siblings, my parents died in a fire when I was small. But my commander has always been like a father to me, and Sir Parker has always been a big brother to me." Sir Parker smiled as he explained. "I also see the questioning look you have about how I know Leaf and how Jack knows Leaf?" Amy nodded, wondering how Leaf fitted into the picture.

    Leaf took on the conversation and explained. "The rules they have in this world is that if your orphan, you can either be a solider or have to have a job. If you refuse to do either of those things then they will have your head at any gate of a town. I grew up in the same household as Jack with Sir Parker and the commander. I choose to be a solider and trained with them for years." Jack growled. "You choose to be a shop and hunter rat then to be a true blooded solider, that's the most dishonorable shit I have ever heard or seen!" Sir Parker snapped at Jack. "We do not speak such language or way in front of the princess like that!" Jack calmed down a bit and hung his head as he muttered. "I'm sorry for my language." Leaf muttered as he looked sorrowfully to Amy. "I quit as a solider before my first mission because I did not believe we ever accomplish it. Our first mission as new soldiers were to find you ma lady." Amy was speechless as she stared at Leaf, his eyes were full of sorrow and regret.

    Leaf went on and explained. "Because I back downed as a solider and because I refused to do such a mission, it was a dishonor in the kingdom. If you ever back down as a solider and take a job career then you must have a master because you have no commander to watch over you." Amy asked. "Why do you have to have commanders or masters?" Sir Parker explained as his eyes flickered to Jack. "Because until you're the age of 18 you must either have a commander to watch over you as a solider. Or a master that watches over you and you work for them as a job career. But if you back down as a solider and choose a job then you only get one chance. If your job master dies and if you can't get another job master then your beheaded or punished." Amy asked. "Then why was Leaf so afraid of losing his job master?" Leaf shrugged. "Because I backed down as a solider, I was marked as dishonored. I was very lucky that someone even hired me on as an animal help, but my master died by being slayed. Its already hard to get a job when you've been dishonored. But to be dishonored and have your recent master killed, it is nearly impossible to have anyone hire you on" Amy asked. "So that's why you threatened me and wanted me to be your master?" Sir Parkers eyes snapped to Leaf and he snapped. "You what!?" Jack swore under his breath, hoping I wouldn't bring that up. Amy asked quickly. "Why what's wrong with Leaf asking me to be his master?" Sir Parker rubbed the bridge of his nose as his voice boomed. "Because to have a dishonored worker be hired on by a royal has never happened before, especially the princess of the King and Queen. It makes the regular royals look bad for doing such a thing, so to have the princess do such a thing is not spoken or even thought of." Leaf sputtered hoarsely. "Well at the time I didn't know that ma lady was the princess!!" Sir Parker snarled. "You haven't changed one bit since the last we have been all together. So reckless." Leaf asked. "How was I supposed to know that Jack actually found the stolen princess that a million soldiers has tried to find before and failed?!"

Sir Parker stayed quiet as he knew it was true.