OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 27

Warning: Mention of death, mention of mourning, strong language

    It had been a week since the two had returned from their trip to the General's camp. The kitchen was incredibly busy that day. Darryl, who had all but taken over as Head Chef, was running himself to the bone. The old Head Chef sat in the corner, where he claimed he was supervising, but everyone knew he was napping.

    " C'mon Station B," Darryl called to a group of chefs on the far side of the room. " I need that pork ASAP!"

     The brunette wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. His friend, Tess, one of the 4 assistant chefs, scooted over to him. " You're doing great, kid. I knew you'd be a perfect head chef."

     " Calm down, Tessy," Darryl chuckled. " I'm still the Apprentice Head Chef until grandpa over there retires."

     Darryl let out a small yelp of surprise when an ice cube was dropped down his shirt. He turned just in time to see Callahan snickering. The brunette smiled and rolled his eyes. Callahan's little pranks were quickly becoming a part of Darryl's day, keeping his spirits high even when the work was hard.

     The man picked up the vegetables he'd finished chopping and handed them off to another chef, who slid them into a soup. Darryl took a moment to step back and admire the inner workings of the kitchen. It was a well-oiled machine, one that he took great pride in every day.

     Finally, once the dinner rush was over, and the Royals had finished their meals, Darryl slid some smaller pastries out of the oven. These, however, wouldn't be for just anyone. He set them on a plate and carefully dusted them with powdered sugar. He filled one of them with jelly and covered another in whipped cream. When he was done, four specially made pastries shown back at him.

     He set them on a silver tray, and cleaned the sugar off his hands. Callahan walked passed, eyeing them hungrily, but he knew better than to steal something Darryl had prepared from scratch. The brunette hung up his apron and hat next to the billion others that belonged to the chefs of the kitchen. The only people left in the room were the Assistant Chefs and the old Head Chef, all of them finishing cleaning up their stations.

     As Darryl headed for the door, finished with his chores already, he grabbed the tray and said his goodbyes to Callahan and Tess. The desserts released a beautifully sweet smell that would make anyone's mouth water, and that was exactly what the chef had been going for. The brunette weaved through the halls and up several flights of stairs, until he stood in front of a tall, wooden door.

     The two guards posted in front were used to his nightly visits by then, and they hardly glanced at him as he pushed into the room. An older man sat in his bed, a book on his lap and reading glasses on his face. A fire crackled in the fire place, but other than that, it was silent. He was so immersed with his book, he hardly realized Darryl was there until the smell of sweets filled his nose.

     He practically threw the book across the bed as the two brothers smiled at each other. Darryl crawled over to him and set the tray down. The King dug in immediately, grabbing the nearest pastry and stuffing his face. He noticed that Darryl hadn't joined in and blinked. 

     " What's wrong," he asked, but his brother just shook his head solemnly, a sad smile on his face. " I think I can guess what you're reminiscing about."

     " You probably can," Darryl sighed. He picked up a pastry and stared at it for a moment. " I wonder what Dad would think of us now?"

     " I think," the older of the two started. " That he'd be very proud of us. It's not every day a kingdom enters its Golden Age, and I think we've both done a fairly good job of keeping it that way."