Rise Of The Peasant King

Chapter 6

The kitchen was busiest in that slot of time right between lunch and supper. The staff had to clean the used dishes while simultaneously cooking enough food to feed a small village. They were not, however, feeding a small village. They were feeding a hundred or so seats of the royal court. The Head Chef barked orders at his assistants, who then turned around and repeated those orders to the rest of the chefs in the room. Darryl didn't have much time to think over what he was doing, he just had to do it. A fish needed frying, he would get it fried. Bread needed buttering, he'd get it buttered. When it came to the picky appetites of the castle royalty, there was no time to dawdle. Darryl had started cooking when he was around ten years old. He'd always been fascinated with the culinary art, but it never really went anywhere until a maid thought it would be cute to give him lessons. After that, he read books, studied, and practiced until he was finally old enough to apply to be a castle chef. Maybe it was because of his title that he got accepted into the position, or maybe it was sheer luck. Either way, he got the job, much to his brother's distaste, and worked his way through the ranks. Now, he was proud to say he was the youngest employee to ever become an Assistant Chef. There were a total of four Assistant Chefs in the entire castle. Besides Darryl, the others that held the position were usually middle-aged or even older. Needless to say, the brunette chef was very honored to be where he was. Taste test," Darryl called. The chefs he was supervising all turned and offered him their spoons. He tasted each one with care and efficiency.

Too much salt, Jane, and Ulric I warned you not to go crazy with the paprika!" The chefs returned to their stations to fix any mistakes the Assistant Chef had brought to light. The kitchen was a well-oiled machine, and Darryl was extremely proud to be a part of it all. Not a day went by that he didn't enjoy it, and it helped him forget about his.... Other issues, as well. "Woah, woah, woah! What is this?!" Darryl overheard the Head Chef yelling at a few servants as he was kneading dough, and he couldn't help but listen in. " There's one too many table sets here! What are you doing, you lousy pests! That dead countess won't be coming to dinner again for a long f*****g time! Get this cleared off right away!" Darryl shook his head, ignoring the chill that ran down his spine at the thought of the dead countess. The little servants scampered away to fix their mistake, and the Head Chef returned to whatever he was doing beforehand. One of the other Assistant Chefs scooted closer to Darryl. This particular man was probably the closest to his age, though he was still in his fourties. The man, Tess, had a mischievous glint in his eye. " Hey kid, you wanna know what I heard?" What did you hear, Tessy?" Darryl teased. The older chef rolled his eyes. "For the last time, only my daughter is allowed to call me that," he complained. He paused the conversation to put the cucumber he'd just cut into a bowl, before grabbing another. " Never mind, what I heard is that the Head Chef is getting a little old for his position." Darryl raised an eyebrow, a smile growing on his face. Every chef in a ten mile radius knew what that meant. "Oh?" Tess nudged the younger chef. " I heard that you're the most likely candidate, kiddo." Really," the young chef hummed, grabbing and handful of flour. " Do you have a source?" "Well, I heard it from a servant, who heard it from a lady-in-waiting, who knows a friend of the Head Chef's wife," the man replied." And that servant told me that the old Queen is demanding the Head Chef pick an apprentice so he can step down." How did you come to the miraculous conclusion that I'm the prime candidate?" Darryl clicked his tongue." There are three other Assistant Chefs he can pick from with twice the experience!" Tess shook his head, gesturing to the two other Assitant Chefs. " It makes sense, see! We both know ole Valerie is the same age as the Head Chef, and Dante has been pressing all of the big guy's buttons up until now! It's a miracle he still has a job!"

"I suppose," Darryl said. " But what about you. You're not old or annoying." Warms my heart to hear that from ya, kiddo," Tess sighed. " But ever since I burnt that soup a few months ago, the Head Chef hasn't trusted me enough to even flip an omelette. Much less take over the kitchen!"

"Don't be like that," Darryl tutted, taking a moment to pat his friend on the back. "If the Head Chef cared that much about messing up, Valerie's arthritis wouldn't have been overlooked." Tess chuckled quietly, "You're cute, kid. Can't wait to see you running this place." Darryl finished work at the same time as he usually did after the dinner rush, leaving him a few hours of free time to meet up with Zak as he had promised. The young chef ran down the hallways, making sure to avoid royalty and servants alike. The last thing he needed was to be summoned by his brother with more orders. The brunette exited out of a small glass door and emerged in one of the many gardens. He headed to a small brick wall, which was the only blockade between the outside world and the garden. As per usual, he made a b-line for the roses, where a single gardener was trimming the leaves. The gardener turned as he heard the chef approach, but said nothing. Upon closer inspection, the gardener had shaggy brown hair and a little burn mark covering one side of his face. Yet, the man held himself with pride, not even slightly embarrassed of his complexion. Darryl smiled at the sight of the young gardener. "Hey," the brunette greeted, but was given no response. There was a brief and awkward silence, before the gardener turned on his heel and walked towards the roses. He took one gloved had and pushed one bush to the side, careful not to damage himself or the flowers. With the plants out of the way, a little hole could be seen, just big enough to fit one person. Darryl opened his mouth to thank the gardener, but noticed him counting down on his fingers. The young chef hurried through the hole right as the gardener hit zero and let the bush snap back into place. Part of him wondered why the man was so rude, but the other half of him knew better than to ask.towards the trek ahead of him. At the end, he knew Zak was waiting for him. Zak and Darryl sat underneath the tree, swapping work stories like excited little kids. The younger boy told Darryl about someone at work using olive oil in place of butter for bread, and then getting fired, and they shared a good laugh. Okay," Darryl giggled, trying to regain composure. " I understand that olive oil can taste a little like butter if you put it on spaghetti, but bread?!"

"The customers were so confused, it was hilarious!" Zak's face hurt from how hard he'd been smiling. It had been ages since he last experienced that. "Okay, okay, your turn." Darryl shrugged. " Nothing really happened at work, but my friend told me that they're considering me for the next Head Chef." Zak's eyes widened and he grabbed the older man by his shoulders. " Oh my god! Isn't that, like, super important?!

"Yes," Darryl chuckled. " But it's just a rumor for now, don't go telling everybody!" Are you kidding?! How are you so calm?! That would make you the most important chef in the entire kingdom!" The younger boy fell backwards into the grass." And I'm over here working at a small-time café, an orphanage, and a bank!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Back up, I've never heard about this bank job!" Zak waved his hand. " It's nothing, really. I'm just a night guard. It's the night job I mentioned, remember?" "I do," the brunette hummed." That's still quite impressive. You must be fairly strong if you're a guard." The shorter boy hopped to his feet and flexed his muscles. " Yep, I'm the strongest there is!" "Oh, are you now?" Darryl laughed, also standing up. He rolled up his sleeves and crossed his arms. " Then, would you be interested in a little fight?" Zak nodded and the two moved to a clearing a little ways down the hill. They stood opposite each other, Darryl gave them a little countdown, and they charged. The younger boy wasn't sure what he expected, but being immediately pinned to the ground was not it. Darryl smiled at the boy underneath him. Neither of them had time to lose their breath, or sweat a bead before the fight was over. "You are terrifying."

"Oh, shut up, you didn't say you were that good," Zak huffed. He tried to get up, but Darryl had the boy's hands pinned above his head, and he was sitting on his legs. " Get off and fight me fairly!" The older boy laughed and they returned to their previous positioning. Darryl counted down from ten. And Zak charged.