A New View

Singing and Plans

Iris and I headed down to the kitchen. When we made it there a woman named Jean told me to work on the bread with another girl. Jean gave me a sheet of paper with a recipe. Clearly, she hoped I could read. I tried to make conversation with the girl but she only looked at me. Confused I asked her if her name was Imogen. She nodded, and I gave her a knowing smile

"I was told about you." I say "I'm excited to share a room with you. You do seem like a nice girl."

She smiled a thanks at me. When the bread was rising Imogen and I went to work on the dishes. I never cared to do them but the punishments at home were nothing compared to the whipping here. Another girl came up to me and Imogen

"Here you can do my dishes too." She said to me "After all you are the new girl, and you should hold your load."

I already disliked this girl, but Imogen took the dishes before I could object.

"Lovely, see you later tonight!" she said "After all we share a room now,"

I recalled the name of the other girl that slept in the room with me. Her name was Lydia.

When the dishes were finished, Imogen and I went to the bread dough which finished rising and started to need it. We silently did our job and put the bread in the oven. While the bread was baking me and Imogen cleaned our station. While we cleaned I hummed the tune of a song that has been stuck in my head since coming here.

"Lovely song," said Iris from behind me. "What's it called?"

"Guaranteed," I say.

"Does it have words?" Iris asked.

"Yes."

"Will you sing them?"

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and start singing

(AN: If you want to listen to the song it's called Guaranteed by Eddie Vedder)

When I stop singing I take a deep breath and open my eyes. When I look around some of the servants are looking at me with varying expressions. I look at Iris and she looked back with amazement so did Imogen.

"Wow," said Iris, "you're good I was not expecting that."

"Thanks," I say embarrassed

"Alright, everyone," said Jean, "it's time to start serving."

Imogen and I were given a tray with soup on it. We waited a little bit for the go-ahead. When we got it Imogen and I entered the dining hall. This small dining room appeared to be reserved for everyday meals and more intimate affairs. It was designed to impress whoever ate here with an idea of Conner's wealth. The boys and Conor have already seated, Sage caught my eye before I could look away.

"Do you eat like this all the time?" Sage asked enthusiastically.

"All the time," Conner said. "Would you like a life of this luxury?"

"This exceeds any expectation I might have had for my life," I answered.

"It's a humble meal compared to a king's feast," Conner said.

"But who'd need a king's feast if they had all this?" Roden asked as his plate was served. Then he looked at Conner, knowing he'd made a mistake but not sure exactly what it was. He searched for the words to correct himself and failed.

Tobias took his opening. "I'd need a king's feast."

I waited till Imogen placed one of her bowls in from of Conor before I place mine in front of Tobias. I hear Sage ask Imogen what kind of soup it was. Sage waited for her to answer but got no response as I moved away from the table Conner prattled on, telling the boys what they could expect to eat for dinner that evening: crisp bread still steaming from the oven, glazed roasted duck with meat so tender it could be cut with a spoon, fruit pudding chilled from an underground cooler. My mouth watered at the Items listed when I accidentally bumped into Imogen when she went to refill Tobias's drink. She spilled it on Tobias's lap, Conneglared at her irritated. I looked at sage Just as he was about to say something but stopped when Imogen hurried out of the room. I followed behind her quickly.

"Imogen," I shout and she turners to look at me, "I'm sorry"

She nodded at me in what I hoped was an acceptance. I left her and headed back into the dining hall just in time to hear Conner start to scold Sage.

"You eat with your left hand?" Conner asked Sage. "That's unacceptable. Can you do it with your right?"

"Can you do it with your left?" Sage countered.

Conner sounded offended. "No."

"Yet you ask me to switch to my right."

"Just do it."

Sage switched hands but made no attempt to imitate Conner's delicate grip with this hand.

"No, Sage," Conner said. "Scoop the soup into your spoon by pushing the liquid away from you, like this." He demonstrated, and added, "That way, if you spill, it will go onto the table, not onto your lap."

Sage's right hand was sloppy, and as soon as Conner looked away, He switched back to my left. Conner noticed but said nothing.

Conner corrected Roden on how to hold his spoon: "It's not a hammer, boy." He lectured Tobias on leaning over his bowl: "Bring the food to your mouth, not the mouth to your food." He said nothing to Sage, I assumed he gave up correcting him for now.

As the meal went on nothing much happen Imogen returned to gather the dishes. and she glared at Sage a few times. I could tell her glare bothered him a few courses later conner made an announcement.

"Leave the room now," Conner ordered all us servants. "I won't need you again until we've finished our supper."

All the servants left the room including me. I knew what was going to happen, Conner was going to reveal his plan.