Urraca took the letter in her hands with apparent calmness, though inside, a whirlwind of emotions was unleashed.
Her eyes scrutinized the lines of the message with a serene expression, but a slight furrow in her brow betrayed her confusion.
For a moment, a shadow of concern crossed her eyes, as if she sensed something unsettling between the written words on the paper.
A barely perceptible unease settled in her heart, suggesting that something was not quite right, though she couldn't yet identify what it was exactly.
She decided to push aside those thoughts for a moment and addressed María, the head servant. "María, please go and tell the cooks they can start preparing the meal now," she ordered with a calm yet firm voice.
María nodded respectfully and hurried out of Urraca's office to fulfill her task. Her footsteps echoed softly in the corridors as she made her way to the kitchen.
Upon reaching the kitchen, she found the cooks busy preparing utensils and organizing ingredients.
Approaching the cooks as they ordered and cleaned the kitchen, the noise had slightly subsided, allowing their conversation to be heard more clearly over the background of clinking utensils and the crunch of cutting boards.
"Where's Diego?" María asked urgently, searching for the head cook to convey Urraca's instructions.
Diego, the head cook, responded from the storerooms, "I'm here! Coming right out!" his voice echoing from a distance.
Diego hurriedly emerged from the storerooms and approached María with curiosity. "What's going on, María?" he asked, noticing the worried expression on the servant's face.
María handed him Urraca's message and explained, "Lady Urraca has requested the cooks start preparing the food immediately."
Diego received María's message with a gesture of understanding and nodded. "Alright, let's get started right away," he responded determinedly, hurrying to gather the other cooks to set Urraca's orders in motion.
Diego addressed the gathered team of cooks in the kitchen and communicated the tasks to be done: "Alright, guys! To begin with, we'll prepare a delicious onion omelette. Pablo, you peel the onions and dice them finely. Miguel, you'll beat the eggs and season them properly. Carlos and Martín, make sure all additional ingredients, like parsley, are ready."
"Furthermore," Diego continued, "we'll prepare some exquisite wild boar ribs. Martín, marinate the meat with the proper spices and let it rest for at least an hour. Carlos and Miguel, prepare the grill and ensure it's ready to cook the ribs perfectly."
"Lastly," Diego added, "we're going to make a tasty wild boar stew. Javier, cut the meat into small pieces and season it with spices. Pablo, prepare the pot and make sure it's ready to cook the stew slowly for several hours. Carlos and Martín, ensure all additional ingredients are ready and available to add to the stew as needed."
Diego, after giving the instructions, listened attentively as Martín mentioned, "Diego, I couldn't find any wild boar in the pantry. We'll have to send someone to buy it."
Diego frowned, aware of the importance of having all the necessary ingredients. "Alright, Martín. Any idea how much it'll cost us?"
Martín pondered for a moment before replying, "As I recall, the last time we bought it, each Roman pound of wild boar cost us around 20 silver coins."
Diego nodded, mentally calculating. "Alright, send someone immediately. We can't prepare these dishes without the wild boar," he stated firmly.
Martín nodded and left the kitchen to carry out the assigned task. Meanwhile, Diego hurried to coordinate the activities of the other cooks to ensure everything was ready when the wild boar arrived.
Martín hurried up the stairs leading to the second floor of the castle, where the main steward's office was located. With each step, he felt the urgency to resolve the situation as soon as possible to ensure the cooks had the necessary ingredients to prepare the dishes.
Upon reaching the second floor, he headed towards the imposing oak door marking the entrance to the main steward's office. He knocked decisively and waited, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.
After a few moments, the door opened, revealing the stern face of the main steward. "What do you need, Martín?" he asked authoritatively.
Martín took a deep breath, gathering his determination. "Sir, we need to buy wild boar for today's meal. Could you provide me with the money needed for the purchase?"
Pedro nodded solemnly. "Of course, Martín. Wait here for a moment," he replied before briefly disappearing into the office.
He returned with a cloth bag that tinkled with the sound of coins. "Here you go. Make sure to get the best quality wild boar available," he instructed, handing over the bag.
Martín nodded gratefully and hurriedly took the bag. "Thank you, sir. I'll make the necessary arrangements immediately," he said before leaving the main steward's office and making his way towards the castle gate.
He hastened through the cobblestone streets of the village, the bag of coins rhythmically tapping against his thigh.
Upon arriving at the butcher's shop, he greeted the butcher, a robust man with a blood-stained apron. "Good morning, sir. I need to acquire a good amount of wild boar meat for the castle," said Martín.
The butcher looked at Martín with interest. "Do you want a whole wild boar or pieces? I just received one weighing about 180 Roman pounds, are you interested?"
Martín nodded at the butcher's suggestion. "Perfect, I'll need the whole wild boar. How much would it cost?"
The butcher responded with a smile. "The whole wild boar would cost 72 gold dinars, but since it's you, I'll make it 70. Do you want me to help you carry it?"
Martín considered the butcher's offer and acknowledged that carrying over 180 Roman pounds would be a difficult task for him alone. "Actually, that would be a great help, thank you," he replied gratefully.
The butcher, seeing Martín's need, called his son to stay and watch the shop while he accompanied Martín to fetch the wild boar. The son nodded in understanding and stayed in the shop, ensuring to attend to any customers who arrived while his father assisted Martín.
Martín and the butcher made their way to where the wild boar was, located at the back of the butcher shop. With skill, the butcher lifted the imposing animal by the shoulders, while Martín held onto the hind legs to assist in carrying it. Together, with effort and determination, they carried the wild boar to a sturdy cart that the butcher used to transport large pieces of meat.
Carefully, they placed the wild boar in the cart, making sure it was well secured. Martín thanked the butcher for his help as they prepared to take the precious ingredient back to the castle. The butcher nodded with a smile and wished Martín good luck with preparing the meal.
With the wild boar safely in the cart, Martín and the butcher set off back to the castle.
Upon reaching the castle gate, Martín spotted the guards standing watch. With determination, he approached and explained the situation: "We need helpto transport this wild boar to the kitchen! It's for the meal Lady Urraca has ordered to be prepared immediately!"
Upon hearing the urgency in Martín's voice, the guards nodded and hurried to assist. Together, they lifted the cart with the wild boar and began to carry it inside the castle, navigating through the corridors until they reached the kitchen.
While the guards carried the wild boar into the kitchen, Martín approached the butcher to complete the transaction. With determination, he took out the cloth bag that the main steward had given him and counted out the 70 gold dinars agreed upon for the wild boar.
"Thank you for your help and for the high-quality wild boar," Martín said as he handed the coins to the butcher.
The butcher accepted the payment with a grateful smile and nodded. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Martín. I'm sure the meal will be a success," he responded sincerely.
Martín nodded with a smile and added, "After we've taken the wild boar to the kitchen, we'll return the cart to you. Thanks again for your cooperation."
With the payment completed and the deal done, Martín hurried to join the guards in transporting the wild boar to the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Martín and the guards carefully deposited the wild boar near the cooks, who immediately began preparing it for use in the delicious dishes that would be served later.
Martín thanked the guards for their help as he watched the cooks get to work with the newly acquired ingredient. With the wild boar successfully delivered, Martín felt relieved to have completed his task and set about continuing to assist in the preparation of the meal under the watchful direction of Diego, the head cook.