“You know as well as I that my father’s birthday is approaching,” Selina continued, earning a few nods from the diligent guards. “Out of all the things we have gotten him over the years, Coralyn and I searched high and low for the best present. Something no one has ever thought of before.”
The guardsman’s shoulders lowered. “Princess, respectfully, would you get to the point?”
Selina’s arm snapped out around Maggie’s shoulders. They were suddenly as close as best friends, with the Princess’s chin leaning affectionately against the top of Maggie’s head. “This is Maggie Hart, the most talented chef in all of Neverland. You wouldn’t know the boy – he’s simply her assistant. We have acquired them for the day, guard, in order to surprise my father with the most delicious meal he’ll ever experience. You wouldn’t want toruinKing Neptune’s wonderful day, would you?”
The guardsman cleared his throat as he lowered his long, glinting spear. The other guards followed suit, their high alert status dropping into something much more at ease. A few of them continued down the hall, walking along their predisposed path and keeping an eye out for any more odd strangers wandering the palace. Selina’s arm never once loosened from around Maggie’s shoulders.
“You’re going the wrong way, Princess,” the guardsman said with a placid smile. “Would you prefer a guarded escort to the kitchens?”
Uh-oh.
Selina’s painted nails dug into Maggie’s shoulder as a smile stretched across her face. “How kind of you, sir,” she forced out through clenched teeth. Her gaze snapped to Maggie for a split second.
There was nothing else to do but follow the guard through the palace halls. The golden halls studded with rubies were left behind, along with the Treasure Room. Maggie tried to memorize the twists and turns at first, but it was forgotten in moments. The halls were innumerable it seemed, spanning on for ages and riddled with doors at every other corner. How on earth were they expected to locate it again, if they were under the disguise of surprise cooks?
Well, at least there’s one plus to our predicament.Maggie tried her best to hide her growing anticipation to see the mermaid’s kitchen. It reminded her of seeing her restaurant for the first time, when the Lost Boys and their King led her through Cricket Hollow to find it. Knowledge untapped, questions unanswered, all waiting for her and her alone. It was far more exciting than any heist, at least that was the case for Maggie.
“You’re looking forward to this, aren’t you?”
She glanced over at Peter to see his teasing expression. He was already pinching her elbow, the corner of his lip tugging upmischievously. “Oh,” Maggie drawled, trying to playfully push him off, “you’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculouslyright.” Peter grinned. “You wanna cook for the King. Admit it.”
“It’s just a ploy, Peter! We’re here for the –”
“Hook’s statue,” he finished, giving her a long nod. “I’m surprised you remembered! You know, with the kitchen looming and all.”
Maggie’s laughter blurted out before she could stop herself. She clamped a hand over her mouth in the same instance, cutting the sound short. But it had already bounced off the walls, and the guardsman looked over his shoulder, one brow raised ludicrously high. Behind him, just slightly obscured in his blind spot, Selina starkly dragged her hand across her neck, shaking her head profusely.
Don’t!
The guard slowly faced forward again, continuing on his conversation with Selina, whose polite smile had quickly returned.
Peter leaned over, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. “Someone got in trouuubleee,” he teased, his sing-songy voice making the hair stand on the back of Maggie’s neck.
“All thanks to you, King of Neverland,” Maggie mumbled, smiling.
Of course she was excited to see the kitchen. To cook for royalty was a great honor in the human lands, and it felt like even more of one on Neverland. The King of Atlantis sounded like a great pain, one that Maggie had her fair share of. She knew more than anything that all it took was a good bowl of food seasoned with love to cure an ailment like that.
The guard halted in front of a pair of swinging doors. “Here you are, cook. The servants are getting ready to prepare the King’s lunch, so I’m sure they’ll be ready for any furtherinstructions. Princess Selina,” he paused to bow, one arm striking across his sternum respectfully, “please allow me to escort you back to the throne room. I am sure His Majesty would like to see you.”
Selina didn’t stop smiling. She glanced in Maggie’s direction, giving them a short nod before readily following at the guard’s tail. As he pressed on, Selina took a quick look over her shoulder, mouthing:make the lunch!
Maggie was almost delighted to see her say that. She bit down on her lip as a smile threatened to crack across her face, very much aware of Peter’s presence close behind her. If all she had to do was make a good meal for the King, one well enough to get them to the Treasure Room, how hard could it be? Maggie was in the kitchen more than any other place on most days. Sometimes she imagined being born on the kitchen tiles, being raised between the oven and the sinks. She knew it more than anything else. What else was she good at, if not running a kitchen? She would leave the thieving and sneaking to the Lost Boys.
Maggie confidently swam into the kitchen.
The wide room had about ten or eleven merpeople working around the countless counter spaces. As soon as they entered, their eyes rose, clinging to Maggie as she came closer. Maggie’s mouth opened and closed a few times as her eyes scanned the room. Most of the appliances looked familiar, if not changed or adjusted in a way for the merpeople to call it their own. It wasn’t that that had caught her eye. Any food that she did see, which wasn’t too much, wasn’t anything she was used to cooking with. There were exotic fruits, harvested nuts, cured and smoked meats.
Maggie drew in a breath as Peter touched the small of her back. “You’ve got this, chef,” he murmured in her ear.
And even if you don’t,she thought to herself,do it anyway.
“Good afternoon, all.” Maggie strode further into the kitchen. “The daughters of King Neptune brought my assistant and I in today to cook a surprise lunch. We are a bit more recognizable on land,” she quipped with a wink.
A light chuckle rippled through the cooks as they readily approached her. Effortlessly, they were ready to take in whatever orders she was about to give. A few even raised their notepads, armed with quills and ink.
“If you all don’t mind,” Maggie began as she struck her arms through the waves, pushing over and around their diligent eyes, “I’ll take a look at what you already have to offer.”
