Forgotten Past

Making her way to The Golden Fruitcake, Mira was surprised at the amount of people that was in front of her. Approaching the queue, she asked someone if this was the line to sign up. To her surprise that was indeed the case. The queue was so long, that she could barely see the front of it. There had to be at least a hundred people standing there.

After a long while, she finally saw the interior of the store. Currently there were only a few desks with people behind it, writing things on papers. She assumed that they were signing up the contestants for the competition. Looking around, Mira saw a young guard, probably around her age. However he did not look common at all. Looking at the gear he was wearing, Mira was certain that this had to be some noble.

"Next!" Before Mira could even take a step, she felt a push on her back. Clearly people where tired of waiting and wanted to sign up as fast as possible. Stepping forward, Mira saw a female dressed in tavern cloths sitting behind the table.

"What is your name?" The woman asked.

"Mi… Mira!" She responded.

After taking some basic information from her, the female started to explain a bit more about the competition, "As you have noticed, there is a lot of interest for the competition. Therefore, to provide the absolute best on the final day, the brass has decided lower the amount of participants. For this, the participants have 3 days to come up with a desert of any kind and present it to the jury. I have also written down the date you have registered. So starting today, you have three days to come up with something delicious and present it at The Harvesting Bed inn."

"And if I make it?" Mira asked.

"If your food gets elected at the preliminary round, you will get an invite to participate at the final competition. There will be a total of 20 slots available for the final competition. So do your best!"

Hearing those words, Mira got excited and turned around to leave the store. The moment she stepped outside however, she froze. She had a big problem. What was she supposed to make? She had seen some cakes being baked in the brothel where she worked, however she never made something herself.

Having lost all her excitement, Mira decided to head back home, after quickly getting some groceries.

…

The sun started to set when she made it back to the shack that she called home. From the inside, she heard a weak voice call out, "You are late, did something happen?"

It was her mother that spoke. Looking inside the room, she saw her mother lying weakly in bed. Walking up to her, Mira leaned over the weak body and kissed the hands of her mother. After a moment of silence she finally spoke up, "Well something excited happened in the city today. There will be a cooking competition in five days and everyone is allowed to sign up. What's more, the winner gets 10 gold."

Mira told the story with excitement. She also mentioned that if she were to win the competition, she would be able to pay for the medical costs for her. However, she had a big problem, she did not know much about cooking. She prepared from time to time something to eat for herself and her mother, however it was not something grandiose.

As Mira put her head down, she felt tears piling up in her eyes. Frustration builds up on her, as this was the perfect opportunity for her in order to help her mother. However she was powerless and could do nothing about it.

Before any tear could leave her eyes, she felt a thin hand caress her hairs. Looking up, she saw her mother, who put up a weak smile. Her mother spoke u, "Have you forgotten who your mother is? How about the delicious desert I used to make you?"

That's right, her mother used to work for an inn before her illness. She was rather known for her deserts. With her help, maybe she would be able to have a shot in the competition.

Regaining the excitement in her eyes, Mira's eyes started to shine again. Looking at the frail woman in front of her, a smile build up as she excitedly said, "Can you teach me how to cook like you?"

Before she had to chance to finish the rest of her questions, she saw her mother nodding. Looking in her eyes, Mira saw that the eyes of her mother shone with passion. This was her chance to show the world that she was ready for anything.

…