I sat quietly in the front row beside Alekai, my dress similar to the Queen and a simmilar greiving black veil covered my face.
For the past week I had taken care of funeral plans for the dead King while he and his mother greived.
The guests from the party was still there and everyone had been searched and questioned.
No one was missing from that day and no poison was found in the kitchen.
Now ahead of me was the priest blessing the King's body, the Queen to my right clutching my hand and crying.
Since the night I had helped her she had become like a mother, ignoring all of her ladies in waiting, and Linnate, and we had stuck close together.
"May his reign live on..." the preiest trailed off and the funeral guests continued "For evermore!"
With that came the precession to the royal catacombs where the king would be preseverd in his sarcophagus.
It was a little ancient egyption for my liking but all kings are buried that way, their queens cremated and placed in the rose bush behind it in the end.
After a few hours the funeral was complete and everone went to either have a light meal or to their rooms.
As the grieving, Queen Arabess and Alekai had to go to the throne room while people exspressed their deepest appologies and so forth.
That was where we were now.
Alekai sat on the throne for the King and Arabess sat on the one deigned for the Queen. I stood between them, each clutching my hand for comfort.
"I am so sorry..."
"Please accept my..."
The list of words said to them were all the same and insincere.
None of them meant what they said, they just wanted to gain favour with their future King.
The line finished and everyone milled around, talking in hush whispers and sending fake sympathetic gazes towards the throne.
"When was the last time you two ate?" I asked quietly, sitting on the arm of Alekai's throne and playing with his hair.
That seemed to comfort him as he leaned into my touch, my heart fluttering happily.
"Last night." Said the Queen.
"I don't remember." Alekai's reply was sad and I smiled gently at them.
"Would you like me to make you something?"
They both nodded.
When Arabess had learned I was in school for cooking, she instantly asked me to cook for her and Alekai, only trusting my food.
I had agreed happily since they both needed to keep their strength up.
Slowly getting up, the three of us left the room and went straight to the kitchen.
A corner had been set up for the three of us to eat by a window that faced a garden.
The mother and son duo sat their while I went to work on making a simple grilled chiken with strawberry dressing salad.
It was light and energizing.
Something the two needed.
Half an hour later we were all eating while the staff continued to make the food for the rest of the guests.
Even the staff had a band of black either on their arm or as a bandana as a sign of grievance and respect.
Word has spread quickly of the king's death that night and until the remainig royals took off their black clothes, the whole country will be in mourning.
The silence was deafening and their mood were somber. I couldn't help but take their hand lightly and ask
"Would you like to relax in the feilds by the library with the pups?"
Arabess's face lit up at the mention of Coal and Prisma. The two dowerwolves had become her companions when I couldn't be there for the widdowed Queen.
"But we can make some treats before we leave the kitchen. I know you wanted to learn how to bake Mother." Alekai spoke up and I smiled. His voice still held some pain but he was trying to get past that.
"That sounds like a plan. Lyra would you help me?"
"Sure." I exclaime happily helping her off the chair.
"Why don't we make something easy, cholate chip cookies." I smiled as I took the recipe book I had made with recipes I grew up with from memory and opened to the chocolate chip cookies.
"We need;
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of melted butter
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 and a 1/4 cups of flower
1 and a 1/4 cups of chocolate chips." I read out the recipe while I preheated the oven to 375ºf and had Arabess measure things out.
I showed her how to mix the dough.
We took a decent size icecream scoop once the dough was done and placed the round balls on the tray with parchment paper before flatening them and putting them in the over.
"Are the cookies done yet?" Alekai asked in a childish way, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek.
"Eight minutes Kai."
"Okay Songbird."
In a few minutes the timer dinged and the cookies were taken out to cool.
"Now can I have one."
"No!" Me and Arabess said in unision, causing the two of us to laugh while Alekai pouted.
Carefully I place the cookies in a basket and grab a carton of milk and three glasses.
We make our way to the library through the main halls, opening the doors and having the pups greet us with their wagging tails.
Instantly we head towards the terrace and relax at the table under the big shaddy umbrella.
"Noooow can I have a cookie?"
"Yes." I giggle as I hand Alekai a glass of milk and two cookies, geting a passionate kiss as a thank you.
When we parted, the Queen was giving a happy smile.
I handed her a glass a milk then poured my own before taking a cookie.
"These are amazing." I heard her gasp as I nibbled on my own.
"We can keep cooking if you want. I can teach you."
"That would be great, thank you Lyra."
It was clear that she was wreary of eating food that was prepared for her by other people.I guess this gave her piece of mind.
For the rest of the afternoon we ate the cookies and played with Coal and Prisma before going back to the kitchen to make a quick dinner and into the suits for a movie.
I guess destractig the two from the recent deaths was the best thing I could do for them.