Chapter 45: Lighthearted Survival

By the time Mia and Keithwood returned to the beach with their leafy loot and fruity plunder, the cooking was already underway. A makeshift kitchen had been set up, complete with a wooden stand erected above a crackling fire, atop which sat a fine metal pot. Inside, thick slices of fish simmered alongside shellfish and seaweed, making for a rather rich seafood stew.

“My! Stew!”

Mia gasped in delight at the sight. She’d given up on that dream, figuring even if they’d caught a hare, they wouldn’t have a pot to cook it in. Now, the door to exquisite hare stew had reopened. Once again, the rabbit population of the island was faced with the possible fate of ending up in her stomach.

“Nice. How did you manage to find a pot?” asked Keithwood, visibly impressed.

Nina replied in her usual stoic, expressionless manner.

“Our main priority when it comes to food is to ensure it is safe for consumption. To that end, most things are fine once you heat them thoroughly enough. Stewing or pan-broiling is easiest, and I figured having access to a pot would be convenient for such purposes. I then remembered that we’d brought one with us and suspected that a pot meant for serving many would not be blown away so easily. Fortunately, after a little searching, I found it caught on a nearby branch.”

Keithwood’s eyes grew distant as he listened to her explanation.

“Yes... Priorities... Of course. What you say is most sensible. How comforting it is to know that the preparation of our meals is in the hands of a seasoned, sensible cook like yourself,” he said with the emphatic relief of a wayward soul who’d found a fellow countryman in a foreign land.

Mia cocked a quizzical brow at him, but the matter failed to keep her interest and she soon gave an “eh, whatever” shrug.

“In any case, this is wonderful news. Now that we have a pot, we can stew hare, and we can even add mushrooms...”

The relief in Keithwood’s eyes waned, however, as Mia began rattling off a list of delicacies she’d like to try. The pot was big, but her ambitions were bigger.

“I must say though, seaweed is one thing, but how in the moons did you manage to catch all this fish? I don’t remember taking any fishing rods with us.”

“We found some branches to use as rods,” Abel answered. “As for the string, I’m sorry to report that we had to ask your attendant to sacrifice something precious of hers.”

“Huh? Wait, Anne?”

Mia glanced at Anne, wondering what he was referring to. She looked her maid up and down, then noticed the tail of her long red hair peeking out from behind her.

“No... You don’t mean...”

“Yeah... They do say a woman’s hair is her crowning glory, after all. I know it means a lot, but...” He bit his lip, but the gesture earned him an amused chuckle from Anne.

“Oh please. Hair grows back, and it’s not like it takes any effort from me. I’d have to cut it eventually anyway, might as well put it to good use! Besides, if my hair played a part in making sure milady can enjoy a nice, filling meal of fish, then that makes me happier than my hair alone ever has.”

“Anne...” Mia’s lips quivered a little at such a sincere display of devotion. In an effort to compose herself, she glanced at the spoils of her foraging trip.

“If we’re having seafood stew, I’m afraid the stuff we brought back won’t go very well with it,” she said as she laid out a number of wild plants and fruits.

“Whoa. That’s a lot. You picked all that?” Abel’s eyes went wide. Sion and Nina were equally surprised.

“It’s not that much. I’m sure any of you could have managed the same.” Her humble response would have been, well, humble, if she hadn’t said it with the very smuggest grin on her face. “And Keithwood helped.”

“No, it was all you, Princess Mia. I must admit that the vast knowledge you displayed has thoroughly impressed me,” he said with a deep bow before resuming his scrutiny of the distant horizon and muttering, “I only wish you could have...restrained your curiosity of mushrooms a little. That’s all.”

Mia, out of earshot, only frowned at him before her eyes drifted toward other more tasty-looking things. She would not sweat the small things, for she had a big heart—one as big as the pot of stew that now occupied her full attention.

“Oh, by the way, we found some fullmoon palm fruit too. Its juice is wonderfully sweet, and we might be able to hold something with the hard shell,” she mentioned.

“We only picked one,” added Keithwood. “If we manage to crack it open and find that it’s useful, we’ll go back and get more.”

Nina nodded firmly at the suggestion. “Thank you very much. I was just thinking we’ll need some bowls for the stew.”

She scanned the things Mia brought back with pursed lips.

“I’ll clean up these plants and add them to the stew. As for the palm fruit juice, I think I can use it as seasoning. It might add some extra flavor,” she said in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner.

Mia recognized that tone. It was the tone of an accomplished woman who knew what she was doing! Being something of an accomplished woman herself—in her own opinion, anyway—she grew wide-eyed at the implications.

“My, Nina, are you saying that you actually can cook perfectly well under these circumstances? I thought that was just Esmeralda being...herself.”

“I doubt my modest know-how can satisfy the refined tastes of royalty such as yourselves. I will make every effort to do so, but I apologize in advance for my insufficiencies.”

Nina lowered her head humbly, but Mia dismissed her apology, choosing instead to marvel at the pot of stew.

“You’re selling yourself short. Honestly, you’ve done more than enough, especially given the circumstances. Just look at this stew. It smells wonderful.”

“It certainly does,” said Keithwood who, having missed the initial preparation, was observing it with interest. “What did you season it with? Just salt?”

Nina shook her head.

“In order to ensure milady Esmeralda can always enjoy delectable meals, I’ve made a habit of carrying magic powder on me.”

“M-Magic powder?” asked a puzzled Mia.

Nina held up a small bottle that hung from her neck.

“This is a bottle of spices from overseas. One shake of this is enough to significantly improve the taste of almost any dish.”

“My! Are you serious! This?!”

Mia stared at the bottle, fascinated by its contents.

The atmosphere of the group was lighthearted, and everyone shared in the mirth. Everyone except for a chagrined Esmeralda, who proved to be no slouch at the business of chipmunk-ing her cheeks.

The similarities to Mia do not need to be pointed out.