Well Beyond

15

The kitchen was just as inviting as before, stocked with an abundance of fresh ingredients. I decided to make something hearty and comforting. After perusing the pantry, I settled on a classic chicken pot pie. I gathered the ingredients: chicken breasts, carrots, peas, potatoes, onions, and a mix of herbs.

First, I diced the vegetables and set them aside. Then, I heated a large skillet, adding a bit of oil before searing the chicken breasts until they were golden brown. The aroma filled the kitchen, making my mouth water. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed it from the pan to cool and started sautéing the vegetables in the same skillet, letting them absorb all the delicious flavors.

While the vegetables were cooking, I prepared a creamy sauce, mixing butter, flour, and chicken broth until it thickened to perfection. I shredded the chicken and added it back into the skillet along with the sauce, stirring everything together. The combination smelled heavenly.

Next, I rolled out the pastry dough and lined a deep pie dish with it, pouring the savory mixture in before covering it with another layer of dough. I carefully crimped the edges and made a few slits on top to allow steam to escape. The oven beeped, signaling it was ready, and I slid the pie in, setting the timer.

As the pot pie baked, I cleaned up the kitchen, humming softly to myself. The anticipation of sharing this meal with Jasper filled me with a sense of purpose and excitement. When the timer went off, I pulled the pie from the oven, the crust perfectly golden and flaky.

Just as I was setting the table, Jasper walked in, his presence filling the room. He took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious scent of the pot pie.

"That smells incredible," he said, his eyes lighting up.

I smiled, feeling a warm blush spread across my cheeks. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

Jasper took a seat at the table, watching me with a look of admiration as I served him a generous slice. I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and happiness, knowing I had made something special for him. We sat down to eat, and as he took his first bite, a satisfied smile spread across his face. 

"This is amazing, per usual. I'll definitely have to hire you."

"Thank you," I replied, my heart swelling with joy.

I slid into my seat with my plate in hand, immediately digging in as a comfortable silence grew around us. After a minute, my curiosity got the better of me. I had been out of the loop for quite a while and needed to know more about everything that had transpired.

"What was the rebellion like?" I asked abruptly, causing Jasper to pause mid-bite.

He grinned, clearly weighing his response. "Bloody. Violent."

"How did you guys even get to the Queen in the first place? She always seemed well-guarded, no?"

"She went to watch a woman be wrongfully put to death for attempting to kill her. The rebellion had installed several guards in her ranks, and we just got lucky they were on assignment that day," he explained.

"Wrongfully? So they tried the wrong woman?" I clarified.

"It wasn't her," he confirmed. "It was the leader of the rebellion. The woman they tried to punish, Adaline, was pregnant at the time, but no one knew beyond the walls of the Council Palace and the rebellion, of course. The previous Council was as corrupt, if not worse, than the Queen herself."

I leaned forward in my seat, my eyes widening. "You guys overthrew the Council, too?"

"We had to," he nodded. "We had a few insiders for a while, but one of them was a Lycan."