Big Appetite

The next morning, Baldur awoke in a giant bed as he heard footsteps approaching. Soon after he sat up in his bed, he heard a knocking sound on the door to his room.

"Prince Baldur. Are you awake?" A female voice asked from outside of the room

Baldur was still learning the language so he didn't understand what she had asked. And since he could not understand her, he just sat in the bed.

After not getting a response, the maid opened the door slightly and peered inside.

"Ah!" The woman cried out when she saw Baldur's grey eyes staring at her face. She was not prepared to see him.

Her scream immediately attracted the attention of several guards but she told them all it was a misunderstanding and let them know that there was no danger.

They all gave her strange looks before they turned around to return to their posts.

After taking a moment to compose herself while patting her chest in order to try and calm her heart rate, she walked into the room and smiled at the boy.

"Hello, Prince Baldur. Apologies for my... embarrassing moment. I was startled," the woman gave a small bow and apologized

Baldur didn't say anything but he thought the woman was very annoying because of the loud noise that she made.

The maid saw that he didn't say anything so she looked up and saw him just looking at her.

'They said he doesn't speak much but he truly doesn't talk at all. I wonder if the boy is a fool,' the maid couldn't help but think that Baldur had some mental issues.

Baldur appeared to be around 5 years old but he couldn't speak which made her thought process very natural to most. She wasn't aware that Baldur wasn't even a week old at that point and most of his time was spent in a pod alone.

"I'm here to dress you and bring you to the dining hall. Would that be alright with you?"

Baldur simply looked at her and didn't say anything. She took that as a yes and helped him off the bed before bringing him over to the wardrobe.

Queen Jendi had ensured he was given a bath the previous night while maids brought some of the crown prince's old clothes for him.

So when the maid was dressing him in blue trousers and a matching shirt, he looked exactly like a young noble.

"You're looking very cute, Prince Baldur," the maid complimented him with a smile.

"Are you hungry? Breakfast has been prepared," the maid held out her hand to Baldur for him. Baldur took it and she led him through the giant castle.

Along the way, the woman pointed out various interesting points or different rooms for Baldur, slowly introducing him to the castle.

She was doing it just to pass the time since he couldn't speak but Baldur was taking everything in and memorizing the layout of the building.

By the time that they had reached the dining hall, Baldur already had a pretty good understanding of the castle, mentally filling in the blanks for the areas that he had not been introduced to.

"I have brought Prince Baldur," the maid announced as they stepped through the frame

The 7 individuals sitting at the table turned and looked at Baldur. After seeing him 4 of those individuals turned around immediately while Queen Jendi, her husband, and the crown prince all watched as he walked over to the table.

Baldur sat on the side of the table where the queen was, sitting on her right. There was an older man on her left but he was one of the few that ignored him.

Across the table was the woman that the queen had warned him about the previous night, an older woman with graying hair, and the boy at from the previous night as well.

The king and crown prince sat at opposite ends of the table, showing that they had the most authority in the room.

Baldur saw the plate of food in front of him before looking around and observing how the others were eating.

Once he had a good idea of the process, he picked up a knife and fork clumsily before he started to cut apart the slice of meat in front of him.

Baldur was able to cut it perfectly, surprising Queen Jendi who was prepared to help him. The young queen began to pout in her seat, much to the amusement of her husband.

Queen Jendi glared at her husband when she heard his chuckle, instantly causing him to cough to try and cover it up.

"So, Baldur. How did you sleep last night?" The king asked, wanting to divert attention away from himself. But unfortunately for him, Baldur was the worst person to go to for help. The boy simply looked up when he heard his name was called before digging into his food once more.

Queen Jendi laughed at her husband's poor choice of an ally, instantly forgetting about Jim laughing at her.

"Baldur, let me introduce everyone to you. I am your mother and my name is Jendi.

The man with the beard is your new father, Frederick. Sitting next to you is our son and your eldest brother, Edward.

The seniors at the table are your grandparents and Frederick's parents, Mallory and Raymond.

And across from us is your father's... lover. You can just call her Alice. Next is your half-brother Cedric."

Baldur looked at each person, remembering all the words and piecing together who was who.

"Baldur," he spoke his name before diving into his food. Baldur quickly finished his food but felt that he was still hungry.

He looked over to Jendi who was speaking with Edward amd tugged at her sleeve. Jendi looked down and saw Baldur pointing to his empty plate, immediately understanding what he wanted.

"You're still hungry after finishing that whole steak? You have such a good appetite," Jendi pinched his cheek while laughing before turning to a nearby maid. "Bring a plate of 10 more steaks."

"10 steaks? Are you not afraid of turning your little savior into a pig?" Alice asked with a sharpness in her voice

"Not at all. This boy was able to defeat over 60 men by himself. That surely uses up a lot of energy that needs to be refilled," Jensi dismissed her words. "Besides, so what if he doesn't finish them all? We can save the leftovers for his lunch."

Jendi was by no means one of the nobles that wasted food. She had originally come from a knight household so she was actually pretty strict.

Jendi had a feeling with Baldur though. She could sense that he was more special than just being a fighter so she planned to spoil him a bit in order to test his limits.

But her and all the others surprise, Baldur was able to eat all 10 of the additional steaks and had even requested for more. It wasn't until he had eaten 17 steaks total that Baldur finally felt full.

"Wow," Jendi was shocked by his appetite but didn't find it shocking. He had already killed 40 men by himself so him having a large appetite wasn't enough to truly shocked her.

Over the next few weeks, Jendi had assigned many different teachers to Baldur who quickly surpassed them all. Everything that he was taught from academics to sciences to athletic and martial skills, he turned into a young prodigy that surpassed even their best professors and knights.

Baldur became a small legend among the castle but few outside of it knew about the latest prince. But that would all change 6 months after he arrived. For that was the time for the Grand Banquet.