To Break a Curse

Chapter 7

The sun streaming in through the window woke Will up the next morning. He lay there for a few moments trying to work out where he was and then remembered everything in a rush. He jumped out of bed and began to get dressed and washed.

He put on a pair of coarse trousers and cotton shirt, which he fastened with a belt around his hips. He considered mentioning the idea of loop holes for belts to someone in the hope that they might invent them quickly but dismissed the idea.

After washing from the jug of water that was perched on the windowsill, he felt his stomach remind him that it would like some attention as soon as possible please, so opened his door to see if anyone else was up.

Knowing Rose was likely to be up early too, he knocked quietly on her door, 'Rose?'

'Just a moment!' she called through the door, the thick wood muffling her reply.

Will leaned against the wall while he waited. After a minute or two, Rose came out dressed in much the same clothes as Will, except she had swapped the trousers for leggings and had put the belt around her waist, not hips.

'Ready for our first day of work?' she grinned at him, tying her hair up with a piece of ribbon Storm had lent her.

'Why are you excited?' Will laughed. 'It's going to be just like mucking out the stables at home.'

Rose waggled her finger playfully at him, 'difference being, you don't own the horses and can't boss anyone around.'

'I don't boss anyone around!' Will protested. He saw Rose's face and relented, 'ok, well, only a little, then.' His face darkened, 'and we might not own the horses for much longer anyway.'

'What do you mean?'

Oliver cut off Will's answer by emerging from his room.

'Morning,' he yawned, stretching.

'Morning,' smiled Rose. 'Is Tom up? We could go for breakfast together then.'

Oliver knocked on Tom's door, 'Tom?'

'I'm coming!' Tom opened his door, wearing the same clothes as Oliver; they had been given a pair of trousers and shirt with the Camelot crest embroidered on yesterday for wearing in the kitchens.

'Ready for breakfast?' asked Will.

'Yep,' Tom closed his door behind him and they all set off towards Gaius' chambers.

During their bowls of porridge, Gaius warned them not go anywhere alone in the castle in case anyone else who had been affected by the curse tried to attack them.

'Is that likely?' Will asked, finishing the last of his porridge.

Gaius frowned, 'it is difficult to tell, some people are fine, and others may have been corrupted by the king and queen, or even the wizard who cast the curse in the first place.'

Will nodded, 'that's alright; we'll just stick together.'

A few minutes later, they were on their way to the kitchens where Gaius would introduce Oliver and Tom to the chef.

'Good luck,' said Rose to Oliver.

Tom rolled his eyes and grinned, 'oh, yes, I'll be fine too, thanks for asking.'

'We are here,' Gaius interrupted any retort that Rose might make. He turned to her and Will, 'wait out here whilst I take Tom and Oliver in.'

The chef, who was as wide as he was tall, narrowed his eyes at Tom and Oliver, 'ever worked in a kitchen before?'