Chapter 10: Lunch

The next day

Gabrielle slowly opened her eyes. Feeling the cooling air dry her eyes making them water. She looked around her, noticing she was back in her room, tucked into bed.

'Did Ansel tuck me in,' a soft smile came to her face as she sat up, stretching out her arms and rubbing her eyes.

She tossed the covers off of her, swung her legs over, and got out of bed.

She walked over to her vanity mirror, letting out a yawn as she stretched her arms out. She looked at herself in the mirror, staring at her bed hair, and began running her fingers through her hair trying to fix it.

She continued to stare at herself, falling deep in a flashback.

In her flashback she saw herself resting her head against Ansel's chest, saying, 'I refuse to leave until you promise me you'll spend more time with me… I don't want to keep missing you.'

'Did I really say those things to His Majesty,' She thought as she continued to mindlessly run her fingers through her hair.

Knock, knock, knock

She heard a knock at the door that broke her train of thought, bringing her back to reality.

"Come in," She called out, watching as Josephine entered the room with a silver tray that had a metal covering on top in her hands.

"Good morning Milady," Josephine greeted, setting her tray on the vanity.

"Good morning Josephine," She breathed, continuing to stare at her reflection.

"Aren't you interested in where Cobsworth is and why he isn't here serving you breakfast," Josephine asked, squinting her eyes.

She looked at Josephine, her mind still in a loving daze.

"Ah yes, where is Cobsworth?"

"His Majesty has sent him off on a task," Josephine answered, giving a sly side eye.

"His Majesty," Gaberille swooned, "I wonder what task His Majesty sent him off to do."

"I was hoping you could tell me, since the task His Majesty sent him off to do is for you," Josephine pressed, waiting for an answer.

"For me," She marvalled, turning her head to look at Josephine, "Why would His Majesty send him to do a task fro me?"

"You tell me since some of the servants caught His Majesty carrying you in his arms last night," Josephine prodded, "So tell me what happened last night."

"His Majesty surprised me with a date last night," She blushed covering her red cheeks.

"A date? No way," Josephine shericked, jumping up and down, "You have to tell me everything. I need details."

"Well, Cobsworth and His Majesty tricked me. I didn't know that he would be coming but he did and the night was so…. So…. So…. Romantic," Gaberille breathed, reminiscing on her memories.

"Well how was it, was it everything to dreamed it would be, are you going on any more dates with His Majesty, did you guys hold hands? I have to know! Tell me everything," Josephine jabberted, swaying side to side.

Gaberille grabbed Josephine's hands, leading her over to her bed, and sat her down, sitting next to her.

"Well if you must know, me and His Majesty had a great time. We watched the fireflies, sat on one of the sitting stones, we held hands and… I… I kissed him on the check."

"No way," Josephine cheered, "No wonder His Majesty has been in such a great mood all morning, He's in love."

Gaberille put her hand up to her face, covering her smile.

"In love with me," She chuckled, "I don't know if he's in love with me but I will say, he most definitely swept me off my feet last night."

"Oh my goodness. You two are so perfect for each other! You have to go see him again," Josephine urged, grabbing on to Gaberille's hand, puling her up to her feet, "Lets go now."

Josephine lead Gaberille out of the room, walking her through the hallways.

"What are we doing," Gaberille asked, perplexed.

Josephine let go of her hand, turning around to face her.

"We're going to look for His Majesty, Milady," She answered, giving a smile.

"How do you know he's going to be in the hallways," Gaberille challenged, "Isn't he always so busy? He's got to be to busy to be mindlessly wondering around."

"His Majesty is always the least busy in the morning, which is why if we want to catch him, we better do it now," Josephine answered, "Besides, His Majesty is probably wandering the hallways now hoping to run into His beloved."

"Oh hush," Gaberille shushed, giving a light smile.

"Oh so you're shy are you," Josephine joshed, "You better get over that quickly because His Majesty is going to want to put his love for you on display."

"And what am I supposed to say to him when I see him," Gaberille chuckled, as Ansel walked behind her.

"Um maybe you should…"

Gaberille continued, interrupting Jospehine, unaware of Ansel standing behind her.

"Oh Your Majesty thank you for last night. It was so wonderful, come please and whisk me away in your wonderfully, muscular arms like you did on our romantic night, I'm dying for you to hold me once more. Kiss, Kiss, muah. I already blurted out that I wanted to spend more time with him, I can't take anymore embarrassment," Gaberille spilled.

Josephine's eyes widened, as she looked down.

"What's wrong," Gaberille asked, as she watched Josephine bow, saying, "Your Majesty."

"Oh ha-ha," Gaberille snickered, scrunching up her nose, "You really want me to believe His Majesty is,"

Ansel grabbed on to Gaberille's arm, turning her around, interrupting her mid-sentence.

"I thought I told you to call me Ansel," He purred, looking into her widened eyes.

"Well I'll just leave you two alone," Josephine said, walking away with haste.

"Your M-Majesty," Gaberille stammered, "I-I w-was j-just,"

"Ansel," He said, gently grabbing on to her chin.

"O-Okay, A-Ansel. I was just looking for you," She quavered.

"Looking for me," He chirped, "What a coincidence because I will looking for you."

"Looking for me," She blushed, "Why were you looking for me?"

He pulled her arm, bringing her in closely. He put his lips up to her ear.

"Because I don't want to keep missing you," He whispered softly in her ear.

She pulled away, her face turning red from shyness. She looked away.

"Must you always tease me," She sulked, covering her red face with the back of her hand.

"If I don't, who will," He chuckled, giving a side smile.

"Well if you keep teasing me, then I'll disappear," She snickered, folding her arms as she gave a soft side eye.

"Well if you disappear I'll come and find you," He hummed softly, pulling her in closely.

Her eyes widened as he looked into them.

"No matter where you go, no matter where you are, no matter how far you are away from me I will find you. I will always come to your rescue from now on, and I will always make sure you are safe. Where you go I will go, you will never be without ever again," He promised, watching her eyes begin to water.

'How can he promise me such things… Does he love me… No… How could he…'

She looked away, fighting to hold back her tears.

"I need to go find Josephine… She's probably looking for me right now," She said, pulling away from him, feeling her heart beating against her chest.

"Josephine? But she already knows that…"

"I should get going," Gabrielle interrupted, walking away, "Goodbye Your Majesty."

Away in the distance Hattie stood, watching their interaction, listening in to their every word.

"I hate her so much," Hattie muttered to herself, "How can she walk away from someone so perfect… Let's see how she acts when she doesn't look so perfect."

Gabrielle walked through the castle hallways. The thoughts of Ansel's promise continued to play through her mind, distracting her.

'He sounded so genuine when he promised… But how could he… Why would he want to… I want to believe him… But how would he love someone like me…'

She continued to wander, mindlessly wandering through the castle.

THUD, crash

She bumped into a servant man making him drop a tray of food on the ground, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, helping the man to his feet.

"It's alright Milady, I should've been watching where I was going," He replied, deceit hiding in his eyes.

She looked on the floor, seeing food, broken plate shards, and the metal tray, scattered across the floor making a mess.

"Oh look at this mess," She gasped, her heart dropping, "I made you drop everything."

"It's okay Milady, I just hope His Majesty isn't upset, seeing this was his lunch. He's sure to get extremely crabby from not having his lunch on time. This is such a horrible thing," He graveled, hiding his sly grin, "I'm sure to get a harsh punishment."

"Here how about this, you tell His Majesty that I was the one who made you drop his food, and I'll be making him some more," She comforted, touching the man's shoulder.

"Oh Bless you Milady. You are so kind," He thanked, giving her a quick hug, "I'll clean this mess up. His Majesty loves bell pepper so be sure to make him something with a lot of that in his dish."

She nodded, heading to the kitchen, as he watched her with a smile.

'Easiest money I've ever made,' He thought, cleaning up the mess.

Gabrielle rushed to the kitchen, making it there in haste.

In the kitchen she stood, deep in her thoughts.

'A bell pepper dish for Ansel… Hmm… I have just the idea.'

She looked all around her, finding all the dishes, ingredients, and seasoning she needed to make lunch. She started cooking, seasoning everything to perfection.

She pulled out a metal tray, placing a bowl of bell pepper soup on it, and covering it with a metal top.

'I hope he likes it,' She thought, picking up the tray.

She walked towards the door, getting ready to leave the kitchen, but before she could she bumped into the same servant man from earlier.

"I'll take that," He grinned, taking the tray away from her, "I'll let His Majesty know it came from you."

"Thank you," She responded, watching him walk away.

He walked to the King's Office, seeing Hattie and Nylah standing outside.

"Did she make the food," Hattie said, with a fiery smile.

"Yes, and I told her about the bell peppers," He answered.

"What an idiot," Hattie giggled, "Go ahead and give it to His Majesty. I'm sure he'll hate it as much as I hate her."

He nodded, walking up to the door, and knocking on it.

He entered the room, seeing Ansel sitting at his desk. The servant man bowed, walked over to Ansel, and set the tray on his desk, saying, "This is complimentary from the chef."

Ansel removed the tray, being hit with the strong aroma of bell pepper.

'Who would cook me bell pepper, knowing I hate it,' Ansel thought, reluctantly eating a spoonful.

His eyes widened, as he swallowed the food, and hurriedly took another bite, eating until his bowl was empty.

"Amazing," He uttered, looking at the servant man, "Who is responsible for this amazing dish, I have to know right now."

"I am," Hattie said, entering the room with Nylah, "I'm responsible for the dish you love so much."

Ansel raised an eyebrow, staring at her, watching as she and Nylah bowed to him.

"I'm so glad you liked it," Hattie breathed, slowly looking up at Ansel.

'She's lying,' He thought, seeing past her deceit.

He looked at the servant man, "Was it she who made this dish," He asked, raising an eyebrow.

The servant man bowed, responding, "Yes Your Majesty, she bumped into me earlier making me drop your original lunch and was so kind that she decided to make this dish for you."

'Do I really have such liars working for me,' Ansel thought, looking away.

"Your Majesty, I wanted to make sure you had a dish with care," Hattie said, giving a soft smile.

Ansel stood from his chair, piercing Hattie with his eyes, he walked up to her, grabbing her by the arm.

"Since you claim to have made this dish for me, then you wouldn't mind making it again for me," He challenged, giving a half smile.

"Oh Your Majesty we are actually all out of the ingredients I need," Hattie replied, sweat dripping down her neck.

"Oh that's quite alright, you can just make me another dish," He grinned, continuing to stare into her eyes.

"Why should I," Hattie exclaimed, pulling out of his grip.

"Will you defy the orders of your King," He asked, raising an eyebrow, "There's a harsh punishment for those who defy the orders of a king."

"N-No," Hattie stuttered, "L-Let g-go r-right now."

Ansel grabbed the bowl off of his desk, leaving the room to the kitchen as Hattie followed behind him.

In the kitchen Gabrielle stood, finishing cleaning up her mess.

"There you are," Josephine called out, entering the kitchen, "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up," Gabrielle sighed, looking towards her, "I made a servant man drop Ansel's lunch so I had to make him another lunch. I hope he liked the Bell Pepper Soup."

"Bell pepper? His Majesty hates bell pepper," Josephine blurted, quickly covering her mouth to contain her words.

"What but the servant man said Ansel liked bell peppers," Gabrielle gasped, slamming her hand on the counter, "Well hopefully he liked it despite him not liking bell pepper."

"Yeah maybe there will be a miracle and His Majesty would like your dish so much he cleared his plate," Josephine joshed, giving a small chuckle.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Ansel said, entering the kitchen with Hattie.

Gabrielle and Jospehine bowed and looked at Ansel, seeing the empty bowl in his hand.

Josephine grabbed Gabrielle's arm, tugging her closely, "Look a miracle," She whispered in Gabrielle's ear, watching a growing smile on her face.

Josephine looked at Ansel, "What brings you to the kitchen Your Majesty," She inquired.

"I came here with Lady Hattie because she tells me she made this delicious soup and she wants to make me another dish," Ansel stated.

"Lady Hattie cooking," Josephine laughed, "Lady Hattie didn't make the first dish Milady did. Lady Hattie doesn't even know how to cook, let alone cook something with bell peppers in it knowing you hate bell peppers. She's never even stepped a foot into this kitchen until now. I don't even think she knows how to use the stove."

"Your Majesty, you actually liked the dish," Gabrielle exclaimed, "You cleaned your plate! I'm so happy you liked it."

His eyes widened, as he walked closer to Gabrielle, "So you made this wonderful dish," He asked, looking warmly into her eyes.

"Yes," Gabrielle confessed, gripping her dress, "I know I'm not permitted to be in the kitchen but I made a servant drop your original lunch so I only found it right that I would make you some more. I really love to cook and bell pepper soup is one of my favorite dishes. It's a comfort food of mine."

"It was amazing," He marveled, grabbing on to Gabrielle's hand, "I would like some more if you have any."

"I don't but I would be more than happy to make you some more," Gabrielle beamed, smiling from ear to ear.

Hattie stomped her foot, storming out of the kitchen unnoticed.

She stormed through the hallways.

"Who does she think she is," She grumbled, "She thinks she can steal my man I'll kill her before that happens."

She continued to storm, finally bumping into Nylah.

"Lady Hattie you have to see this," Nylah urged, handing over a newsletter, "I was going through His Majesty's desk and I found this in one of his drawers."

Hattie's eyes widened, as a heavy smile came to her face, "Come with me," She plotted, rushing away as Nylah followed behind her.

Nylah followed Hattie, being led into the guards chambers.

The Guard's Chambers was a large empty room that had brown wood floors, tall white ceilings with arches, and gold chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. On the brown walls were paintings, weapons, and high platforms that had full suited armor standing on them.

"What are we doing here," Nylah inquired.

Hattie watched, seeing a door from the opposite side of the room swing open, and a guard enter.

"We're waiting for a new recruit," She devised, walking over to the guard who wore a solid blue shirt, and dark blue pants.

"Excuse me," Hattie sang, walking up to the guard Nylah following behind her, "Are you new here, I haven't seen you around."

The guard nodded, looking at Hattie, desire filling his eyes.

"I am. I just got recruited today. What can I do for you," He purred, giving a widened smile.

She handed the guard the newsletter, saying, "I have someone who wants to have a good time with you."

He stared at the newsletter, reading aloud, "Come one come all for a night of fun with a rare beauty. All Kingdom Holden men invited."

He looked at her, raising one of his eyebrows, "This is from Holden, and that place was destroyed over a month ago," He grumbled.

"Yes but the lady in that picture is here in the castle and she's always looking for a good time with multiple men. So if I were you I would go for it," Hattie hummed, placing her hand on his upper arm muscles.

"But how do you know she's going to want to be with me," He asked, giving a dirty grin.

"Does it matter, she's used material. You can easily overpower her if she fights and I'll get you some servants to help you keep her in control. It'll be a huge party. So what do you say," Hattie asked, pushing for an answer.

"I'm in," He roared, "I love a hard challenge."

"Perfect, I'll get everything ready for you, just wait for me to give you the clear. Goodbye now," She purred and left the chambers with Nylah.