Annah had travelled for three weeks to reach White Hold from the village of Quen.

  One, two, one, two she repeated in her head with every stride, it stopped her from thinking too much about what would happen when she got to the White Hold kitchens.

  She touched the steel hairpin that held her hair in place, checking it was still there. Her mother had given her the long steel hairpin as a gift before she left Quen, and told her never to remove it. She learned why in the first village she spent the night. It had a very sharp point. She accidentally scraped her scalp the first time she used it to put her hair up and it made her head bleed.

  She had one coin of fifteen left after paying the Good For What Ales Ya tavern keeper at dawn. The Baron of Lune had given her the coins along with a letter of recommendation to give to the head cook in White Hold. He had been impressed with her cooking.

  She’d learned to cook from her Grandmother who the village called a Hedgewitch. She once asked her mother what it meant. Her mother told her there’s no such thing. Her grandmother told her Hedgewitches could sense people’s emotions better than normal people. She said it in a whisper as if it was a secret. She missed her grandmother. Annah called her Nunu, just like the rest of the village children.

  Annah didn’t know if she was a normal person. She didn’t know the difference.

  A jackdaw glided down onto the flagstones to her right as she was walking towards the kitchens. There were people everywhere. No one smiled. Heat rushed to her face as she realised she had no idea if she was still going the right way.

  It was dusk when she finally walked inside the castle gates the night before. The guards had rushed her in as they were about to shut the gates. Three weeks of walking and nowhere safe to sleep had left her exhausted. There was no point dwelling on her journey and lack of sleep.

  “Come here, Prattle.” She heard a young man say to the bird. He was handsome, with disheveled black hair and full lips. He wore black leather that had been cut and fitted in a way she'd never seen before - not quite armor, not quite clothing.

  Their eyes met and he smiled at her. Before she could stop herself she smiled back; his face seemed so friendly. She quickly looked away. One, two, one, two she continued up the hill walking towards the tallest tower. She prayed that she was going the right way.

  She was out of breath when she reached the top of the hill. She looked around and saw guards dressed in two different colors. She didn’t know what it meant or who was best to ask, so she walked up to the nearest guard whose red beard glowed in the morning sun.

  “Excuse me, do you know how to get to the kitchens?”

  The guard ignored her.

  She was close to tears.

  She stifled a sob. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry!

  She looked up to the sky to stop her tears from falling, and saw another jackdaw. Or was it the same one?

  The bird glided down in front of her. “Kyaaa,” it said.

  She smiled and bent down.

  “Hey little bird you don’t happen to know where the kitchens are?” She figured the bird was as likely to answer her as anyone she’d met so far.

  The bird pushed off into the air, circled her once and then headed to the left. She decided that she may as well follow the bird as she had no other ideas.

  The jackdaw took her around to the servants’ entrance to the kitchen and sat on top of the lamp next to the entrance. There were many people rushing in and out of the door. She didn’t want to look like a crazy person so she smiled and nodded to the bird. He glided down, circled her once and then flew back the way he came.

  She opened her bundle and got out her letter of recommendation, took a deep breath and walked inside.

  ***

  Inside there were people everywhere, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. No Annah, she told herself. If they can handle this, you can handle this. But she’d never been in a place this busy before. People rushing, pans clanging, pots boiling and people yelling. It was pure chaos.

  She tripped over a cat who was scurrying out of the chaos and fell onto a man. She looked up and saw his red face.

  “What are you doing in my kitchen you incompetent girl?” He screamed, “get out, before I throw you out!”

  “I, I…”

  “Must I repeat myself? I said leave!” He said grabbing her arm, hurting her. She knew there would be a bruise there.

  She panicked but she had to say it. Had to. If she didn’t she would have just walked for three weeks and spent almost all her money for nothing.

  “I have a letter of recommendation.”

  The noise in the kitchen died down.

  Everything went silent. Fear hung in the air like a toxic cloud. Annah could feel it.

  You could hear the cauldron bubbling away.

  Annah was holding her breath and her hand shook as she held the letter out to the man who had yelled at her.

  The cat meowed.

  He snatched the letter, opened it and read. His eyes went wide as he read.

  “Right then,” he said, and held out his hand.

  Annah didn’t know what he wanted. She felt so afraid. She put her hand in his hand and immediately realised that she’d done something utterly stupid.

  “No you stupid girl. Give me the bundle you’re carrying.”

  Annah handed him her belongings. Her spare shift, the apron Nunu helped her make, her wooden comb, the precious seeds, and Nunu's ale spoon—the last thing her grandmother gave her before she died. Would she get her things back? She didn’t know.

  But she slowly handed him the bundle.

  He snatched it.

  He pointed to a wall with aprons hanging from hooks, “put one of those on, and show me why the Baron of Lune sent you to be a nuisance in my kitchen!”

  Annah walked over to the wall, took an apron down and wiped the tears from her eyes she could no longer stop.

  As she was putting the apron on, a man walked behind her, she could sense his sadness. It tugged on her soul. She turned to look and noticed people who passed him bowed and called him “your highness” she’d never heard that term before. She didn’t understand what it meant. Her face brightened as she realised she knew exactly what she was going to make!

  She had no idea where anything was. Everyone was busy, but she stood to the side, and looked around. She wished the bird was here. One of the cooks rushed over, and looked around as if she was doing something illegal.

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  “I can’t help you much, but what are you looking for?” The older woman asked nervously.

  “I need flour. And honey, butter, eggs and spices.”

  The woman took Annah over to the pantler in charge of the pantry. She couldn’t detect his emotions. It was like he was blocking all his feelings.

  “Tell him what you needs. Old Tom here will get it for you.” The woman said quickly and left.

  “Nice to meet you Tom,” Annah said with a big smile.

  Tom did not return her smile. He just kept staring at her.

  “Tom, I need flour, butter, honey, eggs and what spices do you have?”

  “How much flour, honey and butter do you need?”

  Annah then realised she had no idea where she was going to work. “Tom, I guess I forgot to ask where I can prepare the food. Do you know where I can work?”

  Tom didn’t answer her and just stared at her.

  She felt as small as a pea rolling around on the floor and about to get squashed.

  “I’ll be back.” She tried to sound confident and optimistic.

  She went back into the kitchen searching for the friendly cook who had helped her.

  “Where can I make the food?” Annah asked desperately.

  The friendly woman looked around nervously. There was no space in the kitchen. They were all working around a large square table in the middle of the room.

  “Let me finish these pastries then you can use my space while they’re in the oven. Get everything you needs ready, because I’m almost finished.

  Annah rushed back to Tom.

  Without a word he handed her a bowl and put the flour in it, he turned around and added some honey.

  “A bit more honey please.” Annah asked politely.

  Tom glared at her, but added a bit more honey.

  “You need to go find the lady for the spices and go to the larder for the butter and the eggs.” Tom said matter of factly.

  “Thank you,” she said politely with a warm smile.

  Annah felt defeated. She had no idea who to talk to or where to go. She took her bowl walked back to the friendly cook.

  “Where do I find the lady and the Larder?”

  “You’ll find the lady over there,” the woman pointed, “and the larder over there” she pointed in another direction.

  “Thank you so much, I appreciate you helping me.” Annah said as she rushed off to the larder with her bowl.

  After getting her spices from the lady and the butter and eggs she needed, she got there just as the friendly cook took her pastries to the oven.

  Annah immediately set to work making the cookies her Nunu taught her. The castle needed cheering up. Everyone around her felt afraid and worried, and these cookies would do just that.

  Annah finished making her cookies and they were ready to go into the oven. The friendly cook, she learned her name was Julia, showed her where to put them in the oven.

  When they were cooked Julia showed her where the cooling rack was, and Annah put the warm cookies onto the cooling rack.

  ***

  Annah stood off to the side, waiting for her cookies to cool so she could get the angry man to try them.

  But before the cookies had cooled the man full of sadness walked past the cooling rack and mindlessly took a cookie and proceeded to eat it. Annah held her breath.

  She saw the angry cook staring at the man taking the cookie and instead of screaming at him, his face went red and he stormed over to her.

  “You silly girl, what have you done? You’ve just poisoned his highness!”

  Annah’s mouth opened up and she couldn’t speak. She didn’t know what to do.

  She saw his hand move back, she flinched, he struck her face.

  His fingers hit her like a whip, and the sound of him hitting her rang out over the bustle of the kitchen.

  It stung where he struck her, she tasted blood. She was too surprised to cry out. Her eyes were wide staring at the man.

  He reached back to strike her again.

  Someone grabbed the angry man’s wrist. It was the man full of sadness. Annah’s eyes went wide with surprise.

  “What are you doing?” The man said angrily.

  “King Jorvan, I… I…”

  “You don’t strike staff in MY kitchens,” Jorvan said firmly. Then he looked at Annah and his face softened. “Did you bake those cookies?” His eyes pointed to the cooling cookies. Her cookies.

  “Yes, I did.” Annah knew she needed to call him something, but she couldn’t remember what the angry man had called him. She bit her lip.

  “They’re amazing. The best I’ve ever had.” Jorvan said with a kind smile.

  “Thank you” she said and bowed. Did I hear the angry man say King?

  Jorvan looked at the cookies, “what are these cookies called?”

  “Oh, they’re, um, called, um, cookies of joy.” Annah struggled to remember after such a stressful day.

  “What’s your name?” Jorvan asked with kindness.

  “Annah.” She said nervously.

  “That’s a pretty name, and those cookies are really nice. You have real talent as a cook. You’ll go far in the palace and I’ll make sure of it.”

  Annah didn’t know what to say. She smiled nervously.

  Jorvan turned to the head cook, “I want these cookies delivered to my apartments fresh, daily before breakfast, is that understood?”

  “Y… y… y… yes, your highness.” The head cook stuttered.

  “Oh and Walter, I’d like her to bring them to me.” Jorvan said, looking at the cook.

  Jorvan turned to Annah and gave her a warm smile “Thank you Annah for these wonderful cookies.”

  “My pleasure” she paused uncertainly, then tried “your highness.” And looked at Jorvan questioning if she had the correct title.

  He nodded and walked away, humming a cheerful tune as he went.

  He no longer felt sad.

  ***

  Once all the chores were completed late into the night, the servants pulled out blankets from the chests and found a space to sleep. Annah was too tired to care anymore.

  She had impressed the king. Maybe that would count for something. The other cooks in the kitchen had congratulated her on making something Jorvan liked. She didn’t know what to say.

  She took a blanket and found a spot on the floor. She lay down to sleep.

  In a panic she felt for the coin she had hidden in the pouch under her clothes. At least that was still there.

  And just before she drifted off to sleep, she heard purring and four feet leaning into her with the cat’s full weight. It hurt, but she didn’t want to make a fuss so she counted one, two, one, two as the cat drove each paw into her. The cat circled a couple of times and then curled up on top of her.

  Annah drifted off to sleep with her fingers resting lightly against the hairpin holding up her hair, just to be sure it was still there.

  In her dreams she saw a young man with messy black hair wearing strange black clothes and a jackdaw on his shoulder. She smiled and sighed as she drifted off into happy dreams.

  ***

  Annah woke with a fright. The cat was gone. Around her, sleeping bodies breathed and snored. She could sense the emotions their dreams evoked washing over her in gentle, formless waves.

  But something else cut through. Sharp. Focused. Close.

  She'd felt this before—in that first village. The man who followed her to her room.

  She kept still, keeping her breathing steady.

  Her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness but still she couldn’t see anything.

  It wasn’t easy to pretend she was still sleeping. Then she saw it. Movement. Not someone moving in their sleep. Someone standing over her.

  She froze. Her hand was still on the hairpin where she placed it when she fell asleep. But she had to be certain before she used it.

  The person kneeled over her, and lay a hand on her hip. She still didn’t move. Clutching the hairpin a bit tighter. He was testing to see if she would stay a good little girl. The man in the first village whispered that to her.

  He was going to be disappointed.

  Satisfied that she wouldn’t move he started lifting the blanket up. She knew she had to be quick.

  She moved her arm and stabbed down on what she hoped was his foot.

  A stifled sound came from the man. He jabbed a finger hard into her ribs, a silent threat. She didn't make a sound. It hurt, but was bearable. She still held onto the hairpin—stuck in flesh or leather, she couldn't tell.

  She yanked it out.

  Another grunt. He stabbed his finger further into her side, then removed it.

  She lay still, feeling the wrongness fade as his footsteps retreated—uneven, favoring one side. The anger radiating from him grew distant, then disappeared entirely.

  Her heart raced.

  A few minutes later the cat returned, purring at her and rubbing its face against her cheek. The warmth of its simple contentment washed over her like sunlight.

  She sighed and straightened the blankets.

  ***

  When the kitchen was lit the next morning she noticed a drop of blood as she picked up her blankets and bedding.

  The kitchen was in full swing by the time Walter limped into the kitchen.

  Julia walked over to her and whispered in Annah’s ear “you did well last night. No one has stood up to Walter before.” She nodded, gave a quick half smile of approval, dropped her eyes to the drop of blood and hurried back to her station.