The Alcora Chronicles

Merralie

Merralie

The castle had been sleeping when I'd left in the morning. Now, with only two hours before luncheon, it was alive and loud with activity. The Queen's guards were looking for me and Carthos knew that Mother would have severe words with me if I were caught sneaking back into my rooms.

I had made it inside the outer gates easily, but slipping past the inner gates required an amount more stealth. However, once inside, I found that it would be impossible to enter the castle through the front doors. There were two guards standing directly before the large, ornate, cherry-wood slabs that marked the difference between my successful infiltration and my embarrassing demise. At this moment, failure felt considerably more imminent.

Crouching behind an abandoned cart of fruit, I watched the inner courtyard, searching for a path inside the castle. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me from behind and I froze. My body stiffened with fear and I silently cursed myself for being caught. But when I slowly turned around, still crouched low, I found that it was a servant who had discovered me; an elf who had come to retrieve the fruit cart.
"If you wish to remain undetected, Princess, I humbly suggest you follow me," she whispered. As she took hold of the cart handles and began to slowly push it away, I shadowed it, ensuring to always keep the cart between myself and the guards at the door.

We entered the welcome coolness of the castle and as I straightened, I found that we had emerged in the storeroom attached to the kitchens. I thanked the elf girl, whose name I learnt to be Haylia, and walked through the light, crooked door into the main kitchen. It was brightly lit with several candle sconces covering the walls and a wooden chandelier hanging from the bare rafters. The floor was cobblestone and the large ovens were brick. There was a tall elf with dark red hair working at a wooden bench in the centre of the room; beside him, an iron pot bubbled on the copper stove.
I made to leave through the door to my left, but the elf, without looking away from his task, said, "I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you like the cold, Princess."

"Why? What lies through this door?" I questioned.

This time, the elf did turn, wiping his hands on his apron. "The ice room, Your Highness."

I unwittingly grimaced at the sound of my title. "Please, call me Merralie. I truly hate the snobbishness of the name that has replaced my true self."

The elf raised an eyebrow and walked toward me. Extending his arm, he offered me a handshake and his name. "Miss Merralie, I am Ember Kell, head cook of Stone Castle."
I stared for a moment at the hand outstretched before me. It told Ember's story; he was pale from working in the kitchens for Carthos knew how long, without even so much as a window to let in the sun. It was also still covered in a generous amount of flour, telling of his profession, which is normally that of a woman. However, his hand was also covered in callouses. He worked hard and I allowed my mind to wander for a moment to how his chest would appear if there were no shirt to hide it.

I blushed at the nature of my thoughts and shook my head discretely. I grasped Ember's warm hand and shook it firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Kell."
When I made to remove my hand from his, I found that Ember had not let go. "Your hands are so different to what I expected..." he marvelled, trailing off in what I perceived to be awe. I blushed yet again and glanced away from the handsome man in front of me. His hazel eyes were a most appealing shape and the way they watched me made me forget that there was anything else of importance in the world.

"If you don't mind, Mister Kell, could you tell me how to get back to my rooms? I wish to avoid a confrontation with my mother's guards."