We feast, we dine, days on end, 
twirling around and around,
let us pretend, night never stops.

It took me a while to get out of bed. I ached everywhere. I ached as I slowly crawled out of bed, and groaned when I crashed on the floor, unable to move my limbs as I intended them to. I wondered how long I was asleep for. There didn’t seem to be any sort of clocks hung up anywhere.

“Roxanne! Are you okay?” Stella said nervously as she helped me up.

“I’m okay. Just really sore,” I said staggering as I stood up.

“Really? Are you sure? I can bring the food up to you.”

“No it’s fine. I would like a moment to steady myself. Then I’ll be fine,” I said with nervous laughter.

When I was finally stable we made our way slowly downstairs.

“Danica!” Stella screamed as she walked down the stairs. “Our new little one is awake! I hope the stew is nice and hot for her. And for me! I’m hungry! I have discovered her name! Her name is Roxanne! Such a nice name.”

There was an old lady sitting by the fire, stirring a large pot. Her hair was milky white and her eyes were just like Stella’s. Yellow and shining.

“You’re always hungry. My, my, my. Look what we have here. Roxanne huh? It is a nice name. Skinny little thing though aren’t you?” Danica chuckled. “We’ll have to fatten you up I suppose. Can’t have you doing any housework on skin and bones now can we? Now the honey butter rolls are not finished yet, so you’ll have to wait a bit, but the stew is done,” she said kindly. I blushed and looked away, my hands fidgeting about. I was not used to people looking at me so much.

“Stew, stew, stew, stew!” Stella sang as she went towards the pot.

“My, my, my, that boy didn’t tell us she was just a little one. A bit shy isn’t she?” Danica said.

“Well, I would be scared of you too, if I didn’t know you so well,” Stella grinned and smelled the stew. “Smells amazing!”

Danica hit her with her ladle. “Newcomers get to eat first. Where are your manners? Go and find her a bowl!”

Stella muttered under her breath and then went to the door besides the table. She came back a minute later with two bowls and two spoons.

“What little boy are you talking about anyway? His royal highness?”

“Astin, Astin,” Danica said scooping up a bowl from her and piling stew into them. She motioned for me to sit down and then placed the bowl in front of me. Stella handed me a spoon, and then proceeded to scoop up her own stew.

“Astin is as much of a child as I!” Stella said laughing and sitting down to eat. Her laughter made the room seem a lot more brighter than when I first walked in.

“You are both very much still children, silly little children,” Danica said clicking her tongue.

Suddenly the castle shook. My bowl of stew trembled and shuddered off the table, shattering across the floor. The pot of stew shivered, threatening to spill out its contents onto the raging fire underneath. I clutched on to the table as everything trembled. Danica and Stella did so as well, until everything finally settled.

Then there was a loud groaning that sent me in a shiver. I pressed my hand against my ears until it stopped.

Danica and Stella looked at me concerned.

“Are you alright child?” Danica asked.

“Yeah, you alright Roxanne?”

“Yeah… what…” I said, still shaky. “What ha…happened?”

“A castlequake we like to call them,” Stella said with a sigh. “Nothing to be alarmed about. The castle is just very angry about something it seems. We haven’t had a tremor like this in a very long time.”

“The castle?” I asked confused.

“Yeah, the castle… I guess it must be having some sort of an argument with his majesty. Oh!” She exclaimed, noticing the mess on the floor. “Let me get that cleaned up.”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t…”

“Oh, nonsense, it’s not your fault child,” Danica said giving my hand a pat as Stella rushed forward to pick up the pieces. “I suspect you’ve never lived in a living building before. Don’t you dare move from the chair, we will get this sorted, and I’m sure the honey butter rolls should be done by now.”

Danica walked into the other room and minutes later came back with a new bowl with a freshly baked bread roll in it. She handed me the roll and filled up the bowl with stew.

“Such skin and bones you are. Let old Danica fill you up, you poor dear. Maybe we should see about getting you a new dress soon.”

I looked down at the dress I was wearing. Mother made this dress. I did not want another dress.

Danica saw the look on my face and instantly understood. “There now child. You can wear a warmer dress over your pretty dress if you like. We could just give it a quick wash to get rid of the stains. You don’t have to throw the dress away or anything like that. It’s a beautiful dress. Who made it?”

“My mother,” I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.

“I suspected as such,” Danica said. “There’s naught but a mother’s love in every stich of that dress.”

I nodded, thankful that she understood.

“Now come, eat. The stew is warm,” she said encouragingly.

I complied putting a spoonful of it in my mouth. It was delicious. I bent over the bowl, spooning more stew into my mouth. It reminded me of mother’s cooking. Would I ever be able to eat her food again? My tears fell into the soup as I ate, and the two ladies did their best pretending not to notice.