The soft, comforting scent of fresh cream and simmering veil permeated the air of the Fortitude's kitchen. Nose-enchanting spices and the healing scent of herbs stimulated the appetites of all those who walked near the kitchen door.
Polnaz was helping.
To the pleasure of the other cooks.
Polnaz' dextrous knife work was a sight to behold, and drastically cut back on preparation time.
".....Ah!"
Polnaz took a long satisfying sniff at his work with the greens and dumped everything on his board to the pot full of cream and young goat meat.
"You look like you've been around the kitchen, young sir?"
Said one of the cooks. A big burly mustachioed man.
"Sir?...Ah, yes! I have been! Indeed, sir. But…"
"Oh, what's wrong? Did I offend you?"
"Umm…No, sir…It's just…I'm no sir."
The cook's eyebrow twitched. "Hahahah!"
"Well, I'm not much of a sir, myself! Heavens lad, it's common courtesy no need to get so tied up about it. Besides, you're a companion to the Sasan lordling Our Prince is always with, right?"
Polnaz nodded.
"As far as we're concerned here in the kitchen? You might as well be a knight! Or a Panza!"
Polnaz closed his eyes and wore a smile.
A bit of a sad one.
"Oh, wait! Let's get back to work! Let's chat some more some other time, lad!"
Polnaz meekly smiled. And softened his shoulders.
"I'm really glad to be here…"
Polnaz and the cooks resumed work and finished the stew in magnificent fashion. They also baked fresh bread and made some fruit jellies for dessert.
Polnaz set up a tray and some bowls and filled it up with fresh foodstuffs.
"I'll be taking this up to milord now!" said Polnaz.
"Come back later, okay!? We've got to prepare dinner!"
.....
Polnaz carefully walked out of the kitchen and around the ship's many quarters to take the tray to Nuriya's room where he knew Isetzar was. Dodging each oncoming obstacle of a busy warship and all the steps in between the kitchen and the room Lady Nuriya was in.
When he got to the room, he carefully placed the tray around left arm and freed his right to knock.
The scent of the food in his hand warmed his belly and made him happy.
"Milord?" said Polnaz.
"I'm here, Pol. Come in."
Polnaz opened the door and saw his lord sitting on a chair by the Maiden's side. His hand holding hers and his face wearing an expression of utmost tenderness.
Polnaz was a little taken aback by this. His lord hardly interacted with the Maiden in the Capital. He had no idea their relationship was so warm.
"I've brought a little more in case Our Lady wakes up," said Polnaz as he unloaded the bowls to the bedside desk.
"Nah, I don't think she'll be waking too soon from that…"
"Oh, I see…"
Polnaz nodded.
"But, it would be a shame for the food to get cold. Join me. Let's eat!"
Polnaz smiled and grabbed a chair.
"I was getting hungry!"
The Sasan lordling and his companion had a hearty meal together next to the sleeping Nuriya. Isetzar had stepped out of her side for a bit to dine more efficiently and Polnaz was busy warming himself with some soup.
The room smelled heavenly.
"Uwaah! This bread is so soft and fluffy!" said Isetzar as he tore a bun and dipped it into some of the creamy soup. "You and the cooks have outdone yourselves!"
"Thanks, milord!" said Polnaz. "Really, it means a lot."
"You know you guys can just call me Setzya, right?" said Isetzar. "At least when we're not in formal situations."
Polnaz waved his arms in front of him. "No, milord! I can't! I can't just yet!"
"Ehh?" Isetzar gulped what's left of his soup and washed it down with the water in front of him
Polnaz drank some water as he glimpsed at the sleeping Maiden of Mille-Sezanse.
"Beautiful, ain't she?" Isetzar said.
"!"
Polnaz got jerked into attention by that sudden comment.
"Milord?"
"It's all right, Pol! We're just having a chat."
Isetzar put a hand to one of his knees and leaned closer with a huge grin on his face.
"Yeah…She is." Polnaz answered honestly.
"What a birthday, right?" Isetzar laughed. "If we survive this whole affair, this is bound to be something to remember for a long time."
"Come now, milord! Let's not kid ourselves," replied Polnaz "There's no way someone like you is gonna die."
"Oh, you'd think, right?" Isetzar crossed his arms now and turned up his nose. "You'd be surprised! There are ways, you know? I wouldn't be caught in the whole cycle of rebirth if there weren't ways to kill me. I can distinctly remember it happening a few times–but the details get fuzzy. On the count of death."
"You could remember our past selves, right?"
"I can, Pol. You were dear friends of mine…"
"I wish we could remember you too, milord," said Polnaz. "Who was I?"
"No, Pol. Trust me. I've been through this before. It's better for everyone to start fresh every incarnation. You're you. You don't need your former lives muddying things up."
"...mmhn…"
Nuriya stirred in her sleep.
"Except her…I promised I'd explain everything to my sister when she woke up. I wish I didn't have to, but seeing as how my latest efforts to keep her safe didn't exactly prevent our cunning grandfather from figuring things out–I might as well take her up on her offer to be my accomplice in this pig's breakfast of a circus ."
"To be honest, I thought you two didn't get along," said Polnaz. "We all did."
Isetzar took a pause and looked up to remember.
"Niya has…unfortunate tendencies. When she agreed to be the Maiden of Mille-Sezanse? That was one. When she agreed to marry someone at our grandfather's urging? That was one."
"You mean…The Prince? I thoug–"
"No!" said Isetzar. "Not the prince. Valri wasn't even a candidate until I begged him to present himself."
"Sounds messy…" Polnaz smirked.
"It was…All because of me." Isetzar said. "I…didn't know how to react."
Polnaz stared at his lord, who right now felt a tad more humane in his eyes despite the darkness that supposedly follows him. "I shouldn't have distanced myself from her the way I did…but I was angry."
"I'm sure Our Lady will understand once you explain, milord,"
"Once I explain that bit about our father? I'm not so sure of that, Pol…This is gonna be a long conversation."
They took a pause from talking to resume their meal. Polnaz looked at Nuriya and then turned to face his lord directly "So this is her."
"Yes, her."
"The Maiden of Mille-Sezanse"
"Indeed."
"The one in the parades?"
"And on certain Feast Days. At least over the last year or so."
"Nah, I've seen her even when she was still the Maiden of Sasan," said Polnaz. "If I may be so bold to say, even as an attendant to a senior maiden your sister was easy to notice, milord."
Polnaz looked at the empty soup bowl in his hands.
"How could I not notice all those beautiful temple girls? When my family relied so much on the bread and bags of grain they gave away?"
Isetzar smirked. And lightly tapped Polnaz in the shoulder.
"Hey? You're out of there now. You don't owe anyone shit, got it? You sought me out? And I agreed. I help out your family? And you help mine. We had a deal."
"Yes…"
"It is mutual," stressed Isetzar. "And it is honorable. Your father would have been proud of you."
Polnaz's lips curved into a pained smile.
"Regardless how my father would have felt…I owe you, milord. So I'm afraid I can't drop the honorifics right now. No matter how much you request I do. My gratitude for you coming into my life is deep and immense." Polnaz said. "Especially after I tried to kill you–."
"Pol?"
"Ah, yes?"
"Enough. Drop the subject. It's fine."
Polnaz nodded.
"Good. Now go get me some more soup."