Tedros Learns to Cook

Tedros Attends his First Cooking Class

"Tedros, you idiot!" Agatha glared at the golden haired boy after looking at his freshman year schedule. Tedros, on the other hand, lounged on a bean bag chair in the Camelot College Common Room.

Other freshmen milled around, discussing schedules. Day one orientation had just ended, after all.

"What's the big deal? Are our schedules not similar enough?"

Agatha pinched the bridge of her nose. "I could care less about that. The problem is that this print out says that you're in the culinary arts program." Agatha promptly rolled off her green bean bag and began pacing around the common room.

"How are you ever going to rule Camelot with a cooking degree? Even magical finance would be better than this. I can't believe-"

"I'M A WHAT," Tedros practically screeched, flying across the room to snatch the schedule out of Agatha's grasp.

"You didn't know?" Agatha faltered.

Tedros double checked his schedule before hopelessly answering Agatha.

"Of course not! I just told my servant Kei, and I quote," Tedros then gestured with air quotes, "sign me up for the class that will prepare me as future king of Camelot."

"Well, your servant obviously has a great sense of humor," Agatha said dryly. "Just go and ask for a course change at the admissions office. They couldn't say no to the future king of Camelot."

——

"Absolutely not." Professor August Sader kindly told Tedros. "We admit students we believe will thrive within the programs they specifically apply for. Surely you can give the culinary program try?"

Professor Sader slid a business card with an email address across his glossy wooden desk towards the disheveled prince. "Give it three weeks. If you can't manage, email me and I'll be happy to transfer you."

"But I'm the future king of Camelot," Tedros said weakly, accepting the card.

"Three weeks and that's final," Professor Sader uttered knowingly.

——

Tedros half-walked/half-dragged his boots over to the culinary program's classrooms after a restless first night of sleep in his single person dorm room.

'Of course Agatha gets to go and be a political major, while I have to go and cook pancakes or whatever,' Tedros thought to himself angrily. 'When I get home I'm firing Kei.'

While dragging his shoes across the paved walkway, Tedros failed to notice a student to the left of him. On the other hand, the student failed to notice Tedros.

"Oof!" The student fell after trodding on Tedros' polished clump. Tedros paused his internal grumbling and turned to the student. "Hi! I'm Hort," Hort said in a tone too chipper for someone who had just fallen on the ground.

"Hello. I am Tedros, future king of Camelot." Tedros smiled.

Hort attempted to leer at Tedros like a proper Never, but only managed to pull off a half frown.  "Of course I know who you are. I read the Camelot Courier just like everyone else." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Anyways, where are you headed to?"

"Cooking 101," Tedros lamented. Hort instantly brightened.

"Me too! I'm so glad I can have a friend with me in the class! Or at least someone I know because you certainly don't know me. Just because I'm a Never doesn't mean that I'm against friends. I really need a frien-"

"I am not your friend."

"Not yet, anyway." Hort quipped.

——

Tedros pushed the large oak door open and entered the classroom. Hort followed sheepishly after being unable to open that same door.

'I need to get muscles like Tedros.' Hort thought. Tedros paced to the farthest right corner of the room. Hort attempted to do the same, but was saddened to realize that someone had already next to him. "Drat," Hort muttered under his breath.

Tedros slumped into the plastic chair. He proceeded to pull out a notebook and pencil helpfully provided by Agatha.

("Try to write down any good recipes you get!" Agatha grinned sarcastically before telling him seriously, "I better see you in the political science program in three weeks.")

Before the lecture even started, a face bombarded Tedros' vision. 'At least it isn't that Hort dude again,' he thought.

"Tedros!!!" The girl beamed excitedly. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"And you are?" Tedros questioned. The girl brushed down her sequin-studded dress before responding.

"Sophie of the woods beyond, of course!" Sophie grinned. Tedros groaned.

"I remember that name. You and Agatha were rivals or something in Gavaldon, right?" Tedros inquired. Sophie glowered and looked ready to snap a pencil in half.

"Lets not discuss my ex-friend and instead get to know you better," Sophie said sweetly. "For one, why are you in cooking school?"

"I could say the same to you."

"I'm here so that I can bring back some much needed recipes and culinary expertise to Gavaldon. They are in desperate need of some guidance in that area and I shall be the one to show them the way!" Sophie announced to anyone in the immediate vicinity. "That, and I'm also majoring in politics so that I can one day rule somewhere important. But more about you..."

"Why is everyone taking politics, but me?!" Tedros whined unhelpfully. "I think class is starting," said Tedros, motioning towards the front of the lecture hall. Sophie turned to the front and was displeased to notice that class had indeed started, with the teacher already writing her name on the board.

——

The chalk magically finished skittering across the board. The teacher looked up and faced her students for the first time in the semester.

"I am Professor Lenora Lesso, but you shall address me as Professor Lesso. Let's jump right in and go through the syllabus."

"Oooh I've heard that she's one of the most strict teachers in Camelot College," Sophie whispered to Tedros. She didn't whisper it to him to help him, but merely because she couldn't stand not informing everyone about how knowledgeable she was.

"The strictest teacher works in the cooking school? That's ridiculous," Tedros whispered back. He should stick with Sophie. At least she could help him do well for his three weeks here, well, as long as he didn't discuss Agatha.

'That won't be a problem at all,' thought Tedros foolishly.

Professor Lesso's face whipped up from the syllabus binder and looked directly into Tedros' soul in the back row.

"No talking during my lectures unless asked to." She stated.

"Y-yes mam, er, professor." Tedros gulped nervously. 'I guess I'm actually going to have to work in this class.' He thought sadly.

-END CHAPTER 1-