Cell 421

chp 5

Today was the first time I made breakfast. I went an hour early because I still don't know which cell I had to deliver to. When I got to the kitchen it was busy with kitchen staff probably because the attack yesterday devastated many parts of the castle. Women yelled in the kitchen and ran around with plates. One of them the head chef, Mrs. Dewberry was an exceptional cook but she had a temper.

I prepared my tray with two slices of bread, raspberry jam on the side, warm mushroom soup, and fresh chopped vegetables. When I presented it to Mrs. Dewberry shook her head, "Missy! You are using too much food! Put some back" her finger waved in my face.

"But Duke Jasper told me that my prisoner was starved for over a month." I argued. She placed her hands on her hip, her face was turning redder by the second.

"You dare to argue with the head chef?" She questioned me. Afraid of what she'd do to me, I put a slice of bread back and the vegetables into a container. When a young boy walked in with a crate she yelled at him. I carefully waited for her to busy herself with the young boy and slipped the slice of bread back onto my tray. I took the container with me too and ran off. When she saw that I hadn't put the food back she yelled at me but I was already out the kitchen, she didn't dare chase me. Soon enough I reached the garden, I smiled as I breezed through the beautiful scene. Hoping the smell of the flowers stayed on me throughout the day, I walked closer to them.

At the gate of the dungeon, I quickly prayed to the Gods for protection and safety. Following the path of the carvings on the side of the tunnel, I soon enough arrived at the cells. The prisoners were quieter this morning, probably because the attack had probably forced the security level in the dungeon. There were extra gemstones above the cell meaning that more magic was used to prevent them escaping. My light footsteps soon found cell 421. Despite having delivered food to criminals, I was still nervous and afraid. My breathing became uneven and my vision began to blur. My hands shook and the soup spilled a bit of its content onto the bread, sweat glimmered on my forehead so I wiped it with my sleeves. I took a deep breath before stopping in front of cell 421.

"Hello." A deep voice greeted me. I nearly dropped the tray but the soup was still hot, the towel stopped my hands from slipping. I placed a hand over my chest. Inmate 421 was the only one who was on the eighth level, the highest level. It made sense because he was the worst prisoner of them all. He must've done something incredibly wrong to be this isolated. I tried to place the tray on the platter but I could see his muscular figure waiting for me at the bars.

"Move back." My voice shook. He grinned, "You're afraid of me." I look at him in disbelief.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" He looks shocked at my outburst. With a bit more energy, I put the tray on the platter and he sees the amount of food on his tray.

"That's quite the amount.." his voice trails, "I'm not hungry." He pushes the tray away and it teleports back out here, he sits down on his mattress cross legged.

"I prepared all of that for nothing?" I scoffed. He shrugs, "I didn't tell you to prepare that much food. Don't even bother trying to feed me." The nerve!

"Mister, I don't have time for this childishness. Eat. Up. Now." I push the tray back onto the platter. He looks at me, raising an eyebrow. He eyes the food before picking up a piece of bread and studying it.

"Are you mad? I'm not trying to poison an inmate."

"You never know." He takes a bite of the bread then spits it out in distaste. "That's disgusting. It's stale." He fakes a cough. This guy was starting to get on my nerves. First he tries to instill fear in me, next he refuses to eat, then he makes a fuss with the food.