Dragon Knights Fan Fiction ❯ Thatz's Quest for Food ❯ A Really Good Meal ( Chapter 2 )

This update has taken an awfully long time, I'm sorry, I've been writing it for ages, but the story refused to work properly. Sigh. I'm not sure if this chapter's up to scratch yet. It read okay, one day after the first draft was finished, but it might need more work. Let me know if another edit's called for.

Tetheus isn't working either. I might have to throw out what I've written so far and start again.

story so far: The Dragon Knights have a mission, to investigate a part of Dragoon from which no information has been received in the past few months.

Rath and Thatz eventually found Rune fast asleep in the garden. Rune loved sleep. It was almost impossible to wake him, but when you finally managed, he'd scream, moan and complain. He just didn't realise that he was a snoring bear of a sleeper and not a dozing butterfly. A minor distraction, calculated to awaken Rune gently, had already failed in its task. The repercussions from his disgruntled reaction still coated Thatz's body and he took the chance to brush off as much as possible, while Rath attempted to calm him down. The dust seemed to be glued onto Thatz and that, as well as the clawing hunger in his stomach distracted Thatz from most of their conversation.

"Soo hungry," he growled. "It's not fair that Rath destroyed my food. I spent hours preparing the Welcome Home lunch. I always have to pay when we're not in the castle and I was really looking forward to one big, free meal. Hmm," he said, as a sudden thought hit him. "Maybe there's some way that I can use Rune's good looks to save me the cost of room and board." He smiled widely. "I'm sure that Alfeegi'd agree with anything that'd cut down my expense claim. I wonder if he's any tips?"

Rath's voice finally piped through his introspection. "Thatz'll tell you what the Dragonlord said."
Thatz twitched, then noticed Rath gesturing behind Rune's back. His mouth gaped for a bit, before his mind refocused on his fellow Dragon knights. "We did say we'd leave straight away," he admitted. His stomach rumbled, its empty insides crying out for food. He looked down wistfully and patted it comfortingly. "I could do with a meal, but we spent quite some time looking for you, first. If Rath or I had known where you were, we could have eaten an hour ago." He looked up at Rath and added at his prompting. "The Dragonlord said it was really important and urgent."

Looking sideways, Thatz noticed Rune shaking, his fingers steepled and his eyes raised skyward.

"Did he hear me?" he muttered. He coughed and cravenly approached his friend. "Rune?" he said in a quavering voice. "Are you okay?"
"Okay!" Rune hissed. "We're meeting Tetheus in half an hour? No problem! I'm sure it'll be ... great! Looking forward to it. Lovely! I'll go pack, shall I?"
"Great?" said Rath.
"Great!" Rune echoed, hollowly. He sighed, briefly touched his head and set off for the Gate at a brisk run.
"Rath?" asked Thatz. "Is Rune okay? Does he know that we've got an hour and a half to get there?"
"Nah," said Rath. "You know how long it takes him to pack."
Thatz yawned. "We've got a bit of time," he said, clutching his stomach, as it cried out again. "I'll go and get something from the kitchens."
"You're hungry? But we've got to get moving." said Rath, petulantly.
"I'm getting some food," Thatz stated firmly. "While I'm there, I'll pick up supplies for the road, while they're free, unless you want to pay for everything. It is about time that you picked up the tab."
"All right," said Rath, with a smile. "You load up and I'll meet you at the North Gate."
"Put your hand in your pocket, or I'll do it for you," Thatz muttered. "Oh and you'd better not leave your purse behind again."

He shook his head and made for the kitchens. The mouth-watering scent of lunch had already faded from the corridors nearby, although it seemed the aroma of newly baked bread would permanently be floating in the air. Thatz inhaled deeply as he drew closer, hoping that the smell alone could fill his angry tummy.

He poked his head through the massive doors and looked around. The kitchen was enduring one of its few lulls of the day. With lunch out of the way, the hard-working denizens of the castle had their bellies full until a light supper that evening. Thatz scoured the area. No. No-one was eating late today. He'd have to scrounge some left-overs, or get someone to slap something together quickly, nothing on the scale of his ruined meal. With a small curse for his fellow Dragon Knight, he slinked into the room.

A pretty apprentice attacked some dough with glee as he glided past. She was attractive and usually Thatz stopped to chat with her, but looks weren't as important as culinary skill to Thatz right then. He passed another cook, yelping a bit and sucking on a thumb. Judging from the sharp knife and the carefully diced vegetables nearby, he wasn't the greatest either. Thatz moved on past the bubbling cauldrons, too. Soup is hard to keep, when you're on the road. Eventually, he found himself at the pantry doors. Thatz sighed, thinking once more of his ruined feast, before letting himself in and stocking up on all the dry goods that'd fit into his bag. He was nearly finished when a floury paw grasped ahold of his shirt and pulled him out.

"You!" screeched the head cook. "Just why are you showing your face in here again?"
"Ahem," coughed Thatz. "You're looking well, my dear. Have you lost weight?" The plump chef glowered down at him, while he gamely continued in a light-hearted vein. "I didn't want to bother you, so I'm putting together my own lunch."
"Oh really?" she said, lowering her face and bringing it close to Thatz's, filling his field of vision. "And what about the giant basket of goodies that I saw you run out of here with, not two hours ago? This must be a new record, Thatz."
"Actually," said Thatz, still keeping a cool head, in the face of her dragon breath. "There was a tiny accident with that and it was destroyed."
"Not that suckling pig?" asked the cook, smoke hissing out of her nostrils. "The one you were so kind to help with? The one that was supposed to be the centrepiece at the high table? The one destined for the Dragonlord's taste-buds?"
"Actually," squirmed Thatz, turning away from the flames licking out of her nose. "It's funny you mention him. I'm about to go on a mission for the Dragonlord, so I'm just getting rations for myself and the other two knights."
"I don't think so," she said slowly, enunciating each word. "Not until I get that pig back." A burst of flame signed the eyebrows of the luckless knight. "Smoked."
"Of course," said Thatz, smiling and patting at her sleeve, while he stepped to her side. "Let me see what I can RUN!"

He dashed under her arm, but the head cook was expecting something tricky. Learning from past mistakes, she ignored Thatz's nimble body and struck where it hurt. She grabbed his bag of food and clung on for dear life. Thatz yanked and pulled, twisted and hauled, but couldn't dislodge her grip.

"You were saying, Thatz?" she said, with a giant smile, as she reached out and gained a better purchase on the cloth bag.

Eyeing her creeping hands, Thatz did the only thing possible. With a whimper and a stomach rumble, he let go of the bag and fled from the kitchens. The cook held the bag closely and laughed. "I finally won!" she said. Smirking still, she handed the food over to another and told him to put it away. "Thatz is banned from the kitchens," she announced, before bustling about, tasting soup, examining cut onions and poking dough, once more.

"Damn," Thatz panted, "with the kitchens off limits, how'm I going to eat?" Though he was far from the cook's reach, he kept running. "I could play the dragon fighters for snacks, but I don't have anything to ante and I am under time pressure." He pulled up a bit and sighed heavily. "There's nothing for it. I'll have to go into town and pay for it." He wearily plodded on, before brightening a little. "On the other hand, since I'm officially on a mission, if I save the receipt, I should be able to get Alfeegi to reimburse me."

His feet took him automatically to Master's. Even though he didn't steal for a living anymore, he still liked to visit his old haunts and catch up with his old friends. Ha! Even though they'd known each other since Thatz was a babe, even though they were such good friends, he couldn't get even a simple sandwich on credit. Thatz muttered bitterly to himself about Master's stinginess, as he fumbled in his pockets for loose change. Then for folded notes. Finally for a purse. He found nothing. I had it yesterday. Where did I put it? In a bag? Not the bag I left in the kitchens?

"Gah!" he exclaimed. "Oh well, maybe Rath can front me a two course meal. If we both get to the Gate early, I'll ask him for the loan."

Thatz carefully wound his way towards the North Gate. It took longer than it should have, as there appeared to be a gaggle of foreigners slowly striding along the closest road. Thatz pushed his way through the crowd of locals curiously waiting for them to pass. Looking over some heads, he could just see that the parade was led by a precariously balanced cartload of luggage. Bags regularly fell from the top. He picked one off the ground which had landed by him and handed it to a small child who seemed to be part of the festivities. The boy smiled at him and threw the bag back onto the cart. It hit the side of the pile and slid right off. Someone else must have picked it up, because it was soon launched upwards again. This time it managed to stay on, swaying dangerously as the cart rolled on. Thatz smiled and sidled away from it. The trail of foreigners was quite long, but the crowd seemed to concentrate itself at the cart and Thatz found it easy to make his way through. Turning his head, he could still see the baggage wending its way down the road, shedding its load and getting hit by clumsy tosses as it went. He fingered the purse now resting in his pocket and smiled again.

"I think that I might treat Rath instead," he said. "What a fine show that was."

Once clear of the strangers, he quickly reached the North Gate. Rath was waiting there, in fine brooding form, but there was no sign of Rune or Tetheus.

"Ho there, Rath," said Thatz, cheerily.

Rath nodded and walked down to meet him.

"We're both early," he said. "I'm surprised that Rune's not here yet. He really is slow."
"Have we got time for a meal?" asked Thatz, generously. "Let me treat you to the finest inn in town. We can tell Rune what he missed, when he finally shows up."
"Sure," said Rath, putting aside his mood a little. "I've worked up an appetite."

The pair of Dragon Knights made their way through the town. There was no sign of the gaggle of strangers now and life had returned to its usual bustle. Thatz skilfully avoided two pickpockets and a cutpurse before delivering Rath to the best inn in town, The Dragon's Head.

Thatz gleefully led Rath inside. The mouth-watering aroma of hot food wafted through the lobby, which was looking quite snazzy this afternoon, with freshly-cut flowers standing proudly to attention. The inn was bustling, with many guests strolling out past the Dragon Knights. Thatz turned to Rath with a huge grin on his face.

"The kitchens are still open. Doesn't that smell good?" he asked.

Without waiting for a reply, he bounced up to the maitre d' and said, "Table for two, please."
"I'm sorry, sir," the man replied. "The kitchen is closed to the commons, right now."
"It's all-right, we'll take a private table," smiled Thatz, as he took out his new purse and shook it. The glorious sound of coins rustling against each other enriched his ears.
"I'm afraid that there are no private rooms either. We have a large party booked in and they've taken every table we've got." The maitre d' smiled apologetically and continued. "There are some other good inns that I can recommend."
"Actually," said Thatz, thinking quickly. "This large party, they're the..."
"...the Vanhall party?" supplied the maitre d' helpfully.
"Exactly," said Thatz. "They're friends of ours. We were supposed to meet them, but I thought that was later. We must have gotten our wires crossed. Upstairs, is it?"

He turned Rath around, pushed him past the dapper maitre d' and towards the stairs at the back of the lobby.

"They've already finished their main course," he called after them, a slight tinge of worry in his voice, but other, hungry new-comers stopped him from following.
"Thatz," whispered Rath. "How's this going to work?"
"Easy," Thatz replied, with a smile. "Large groups never know everyone. We simply sit down at a table, as if we belong there and everyone will assume that we're part of their group. The best part is that we shouldn't even have to pay."

The smile on his face broke further ground and he spun his new purse on his finger, as he led Rath into the largest of the inn's private rooms. Laughter spilled out as he opened the door and Thatz's suspicions were apparently confirmed when he saw the huge mass of people filling the room. He squeezed Rath into a vacant spot at the corner of a large table and ignored his alarm when an elderly grandmother started talking to him in a loud voice.

"Tommy-boy? You've shrunk. Tell Grandma what you're up to," she ordered. Rath shrunk back, afraid that "Grandma" would demand her rightful kiss, as well. He turned to Thatz, looking for some backup, but Thatz just pointed at the squash at Rath's table, shrugged and headed deeper into the room, looking for a place of his own. He found a vacant spot, with its own chair and decent arm-room, beside a large, fat man, with a loud opinion. He settled into the chair, scooted up to the table and inspected it for food. The bread basket was empty and the plates all around were filled with bones and fatty chunks. Vultures, he thought. Is there nothing of a buffet left? . He swiftly caught the attention of a waitress and turned back on his charm.

"Hi, I'd like to order now," he said, scanning the nearly empty plates of the other diners, trying to figure out what looked the tastiest.
"What?" the waitress replied, looked startled and a little stressed. "We're clearing plates at the moment."
"I know and I'm sorry," Thatz apologised. "I was detained and I got here late, but I'm really hungry."

He opened his eyes wide and tried as hard as he could, to reflect the desperate hunger in them. His stomach rumbled as he did so and Thatz got even hungrier.

"Well," the waitress said, pulling a notebook out of her apron. "I suppose part of that's our fault too. I'll see what I can do."
Wondering what she meant by that, Thatz opened his mouth to order.
"We've got broccoli pie left and maybe some crusty bread," she said, reading from her notebook.
"B..b..broccoli? What about the filet steak?" Thatz whined, his stomach recoiling at his least favourite vegetable.
The waitress leant in closer and whispered, "I'm afraid that your family ate all that for their first course. When they booked, they asked for broccoli pie to be on the menu, but only Grandma actually ordered it. So, we've tons of that left. Not much else, though." She smiled apologetically. "When everyone was late to show, we had to give most of the starters to the commons. Spring rolls get cold quickly, you know? With the special sauce, they need to be eaten quickly."
"I love spring rolls," moaned Thatz, the word "family" turning over in his subconscious, "but if broccoli's all there is, I'll eat it."

The waitress wrote down his order and left. Rath hated broccoli more than Thatz and he wondered how Rath was taking the situation. He looked up to see Rath devouring the last of a sublime piece of filet steak, saved by Grandma for her favourite grandson in the family, good old Tommy-boy. Rath felt Thatz's hungry eyes on him and smiled evilly as he chewed the last mouthful, before licking his fingers and turning back to his grandma. Thatz glowered darkly, but gave up when he received no response. Sighing, he pulled his new purse from his pocket and hooked the string with his little finger. He spun it round and round, counting each revolution until the waitress arrived with food. One...Two...Three...

"Elsie?"

The large mountain beside him, twisted in his chair and turned to Thatz.

"You're not Elsie?" he said. "What are you doing at my table?"
"Err," said Thatz, still spinning his purse. "I arrived late and..."
"Hey," said the man, with a gleeful yell. "That's my purse! You found it! Thank you!"

He snatched Thatz's ill-gotten gains from his spasming fingers and opened the purse wide.

"It's all still here. Man, I thought it was gone. This is such a great city, so friendly to tourists." He clapped Thatz on the back, nearly knocking him out on the table and smiled broadly. "Let me buy you a drink. Waitress, bottle of house red!"

Another harassed waitress pulled up with apologies. "I'm sorry, sir. The last bottle of house red was served to the Dragon Knight."
"Dragon Knight?" asked Thatz.
"Yeah," said the mountain. "We got our own, genuine Dragon Knight to welcome us to the city."

He pulled his chair out from the table, so that Thatz could peer around him and revealed the errant Rune, drunk as a fish and giggling wildly. A hoard of plates, covered in half-eaten, rich foods was spread before him and the table was heavily stained with spilt wine. Thatz's anger turned to horror, as the smiling Rune shuddered, then threw up all over the table. The family surrounding him laughed and Thatz's companion picked up the wine bottle and filled Rune's glass up to the brim. He turned back to Thatz and upended it over his glass. Two drops slipped out. Rune burped happily and Thatz stared enviously, as the waitress deposited a heaped plate of tasty broccoli onto the table before him.

Chapter the third should take place in the same time-frame for each story. After all, we've all met up now. Plotting it out should take a while, but when it's done, then these chapters should be written quickly.