Warprize

hot, overcrowded and cluttered. Here Anna the Cook reigned in all her glory. She was standing in the middle of the room, directing serving staff, cooks and footmen like the skilled general she was. A huge, fat woman, whose apron was covered in food stains, she tolerated nothing and no one. I noticed with envy that all her straight black hair stayed in its bun. Wielding her wooden spoon, she was a force to be reckoned with. Nothing escaped her scrutiny. Including me.
    She took one look and gave an exasperated snort, which set all of her chins wobbling at once. “Child, look at yourself.” Her voice boomed across the kitchen. Some of the staff looked up and glanced at me with sympathy, but then continued on with their work. Anna made her way over, scowling, her keys to the spice cupboard rattling as she moved. “You look like a ragged pilgrim.” She threatened me with her spoon. “You haven’t eaten, have you.” Her voice carried easily over the noise and confusion.
    “Anna, you can read me like a book.”
    “As if I would waste time reading a book.” She bellowed something out and before I knew it, she and I were seated at a corner of the large, battered wooden table amidst the dishes, eating fresh hot bread with her special honey butter slathered all over it. My bundles had been added to the dirty rag pile, and my basket sat on the table. She kept a stern eye on the staff as we ate and occasionally erupted into admonitions when things weren’t being done to her standards.
    She sighed. “Have you been out working all this day?”
    I stuffed my mouth with a bite of bread and waggled my eyebrows at her. Anna leaned back in her chair and let out a laugh that set her whole body to shaking. Anna, Goddess love her, knew how to laugh. She caught her breath, laid her fat arms on the table and looked at me shrewdly. “His Mightiness pulled the army back within the walls this day, against Warren’s wishes. The Warlord’s men are before the walls.”
    “I heard as much in the market. Is that true?” Not that I doubted her. Anna always seemed to be the first to know.
    “Aye.” She leaned forward and snagged the last of the bread. She turned her head and bellowed at someone over by the fire. Then she looked at me. “I hear tell that Warren was saying that His Mightiness panicked.” She sniffed. “Blood tells.”
    “Anna.” I scolded her. She hadn’t liked the foreign queen and didn’t like Xymund and never had. But Anna was an institution and Xymund loved his comfort and his meals. So there was a truce of sorts. He stayed away from her domain, and she let him run the kingdom with a full stomach. She shook her head, setting the chins to wobbling. “Heard tell he’s sent a messenger to ask for terms.”
    My eyes flew open at that. I thought that the battles had been going well, but perhaps Xymund’s pride would not allow him to admit to anything less. For Xymund to even agree to talk to the man who had beaten him so soundly, so recently, was a sign that things were bad. A plate appeared on the table, this time with slices of toasted bread and cheese, with roasted onion. I dug in, getting a piece before Anna could reach for one first. The cheese was still hot and bubbling on top, and I blew on it, eager for a taste.
    Anna inhaled her piece, impervious to the heat. She reached out a fat finger and prodded my basket. “
    Does he know that you were out there again today?”
    I shrugged, my mouth full.
    “I suppose you charmed your way past that son of mine.”
    I shrugged.
    She tapped her finger on the table, which caused ripples to move up her fleshy arm. “Watch yourself, child. Xymund is not Heath, to be wound around your finger. You are a thorn in his side, and you can only push so far.”
    “Look whose talking.”
    Anna focused a serious look on me, but said nothing more.
    The doors to the main dining hall opened and in walked Othur, Anna’s husband and the castle seneschal. A great barrel-chested man, he made his way through the servants toward us. He was sweating, his brown hair plastered to his skull. He looked very tired and very pleased at the same time.
    “Anna, my love.” He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a hearty kiss. “You did a wonderful job as usual.”
    “Goddess spare me from High Courts.” She grumbled, but I could see that his praise had pleased her. Othur grabbed a chair and sank into it with a sigh. He snagged the last slice of bread and cheese. “And you, young