Alessa awoke on a fragrant pile of soft straw with quite the clatter around her. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked around her. She was in the corner of what appeared to be a large kitchen. Servants were hustling about, stirring steaming pots, hauling platters of sliced fresh bread, and chopping raw carrots and turnips. A small girl wearing a blue dress was on her knees only meters from Alessa's head scrubbing the stone floor vigorously. The smell of hot food made Alessa's stomach give a growl.
The young girl looked up, "Ai, She is awake!" the child cried out in excitement. The kitchen momentarily fell quiet. All of the curious eyes staring at her made Alessa feel most uncomfortable, and she tried to scuttle back into the straw. Shortly a tall thin gentleman wearing a blue fine embroid
