Standing downstairs in the kitchen, Kaelyn was talking to one of the cooks while she waited for new orders. While most of the ladies in waiting sat and sewed or gossiped during their free minutes, Kaelyn preferred to go down and talk to people of her own social class. She had been born a village girl to a family which by no means had any sound income. Her father worked odd jobs and her mother stayed home taking care of her numerous brothers and sisters. When Kaelyn was 10, her father had decided it was time she contributed to the family income and sent her to work as a maid in the Butcher's household. However, discovering that she was more or less sold in slavery to a strict mistress and a drunken master, she ran away and somehow ended up being found by a gentle old woman who cleaned her, fed her, and took her back to the castle. The old woman, Lady Isolde, had worked in the castle as a nursemaid and subsequently took care of all the young babes in the castle until they reached the age of schooling. It was she who took young Kaelyn under her wing and somehow worked her up the ranks until she was an educated young lady working for the queen herself.

However, no matter how graceful her walk, how poised her posture, and how dainty her speech, she could not help but feel more comfortable with the women who worked hard and got their hands dirty rather than the ladies upstairs who had lived a life of privilege and worked for the queen, not as a source of income, but as a way of bringing power to their families. That is why she was down in the kitchen chatting up a storm with Gretchen, the red haired fireball who would take your words and spit 'em right back at you before you even realized what had happened. Kaelyn was nibbling at her apple and the conversation followed.

"Gretchen, do you think it's true what they are saying?" Kaelyn spoke softly, not particularly wanting to be heard by anyone else who might be listening in.

"What, that there's some kinda rebel rousers movin' out there tryin' tah break the peace? Afer our poor queenie? Nah, cannah be true," said Gretchen, with full confidence in her words.

With some relief Kaelyn replied, "I do hope you are right. I love the Queen ever so much and I pray to the Gods every day for her safety and health. I know sometimes she can be cruel like her father and mother, but I think she goes against her heart to do it. She always has a sad look in her eye, unless she's in the garden which looks absolutely beautiful now! Personally, I think she is one of the most kindest, gentlest women that ever lived."

"Thas cuz yur a good girl there Kaelyn, a fine miss. Yur heart is made o' gold. Yah ought to be gettin' yurself married one o' these days too, mind you."

Kaelyn laughed, "I think not. This kingdom is full of drunken fools and warriors and some of them mixed. I would much rather remain here in the castle for all of my days waiting on Queen Mytorane." She smiled. Not a smile of sarcasm but a smile as if she was truly dreaming about living in the castle for the rest of her life, growing old, and never having a man tell her what to do. No, she wasn't like most women. She didn't dream of getting married and having children but rather of being free to make her own decisions and living a life that was fully hers. Unlike most of the other girls, she hadn't given up her virginity for a bit of fun or a new pearl necklace; she had remained chaste and her thoughts pure. But this was not something she and Gretchen talked about because it was a very touchy subject with the middle-aged cook who had been through some hard times in her life and at one point had to resort to some very despicable things in order to feed herself and her young children.

Finishing her apple, she decided it was probably time to go back up to the Queen's chambers and see if she was needed. Although there were about 20 other girls just waiting around for orders, sometimes the Queen requested a specific person to do a specific job and Kaelyn wanted to make sure she didn't get in trouble for being down in the kitchen again. Young ladies of the court were not supposed to be down in the working area.

"Well, I have to go. It was lovely talking with you, Gretchen. Perhaps I will come around after dinner and I can tell you some of the gossip about the other girls!" Laughing, Kaelyn went out the door and heard Gretchen yell after her, "Oh, get on with you then!"

With a light heart and a skip in her step, the 17 year old girl went up the stairs and followed the complicated hallways to the chamber that held the great Queen Mytorane. While walking, she wondered what sort of happenings were going on right now. There was always something going on, such as a plot against the Queen which turned out not to be true or a new romance between a guard and one of the ladies. Thinking a bit too deeply, she stumbled on the top step and fell down hard on her knees. Picking herself up again, she took her time to brush herself off and make sure her dress wasn't ripped or torn. "Blast it all!"

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LiZi wuz hurr. (Don't you just HATE gangster talk?)