“Who let the
dogs out?”
Cruella
de Vil* #quote
You know,
everyone keeps asking “find x”. Is x a wanted fugitive? How big
of a bounty is on his head for everyone to be talking about it?
Anyway onto the flash fiction!
The Tastiest
Food
The king of the
Golden Grasslands, the wealthiest kingdom known, desired a food
tastier than any he had before. He'd eaten many delicacies and the
most basic of foods as well, eaten anything for the flavor. He
enjoyed planning conquest, studying the books in his library, and
trying to eat something different for every single meal. He became
moody when he ate the same meal within a year.
His name was
King Abborn, though his was called either The Merciless King in war
or the The Giving King in peace. He offered rewards for various
things, often technological advancements. Since he desired a food
tastier than the many he'd eaten before, he offered a massive reward
for it. However his merciless nature showed itself in the way he
offered the reward. Ten years of prison time faced whoever wasted his
time.
Over one
hundred people rotted in cells because of their arrogance in thinking
they could top what the king had already found through his many years
of paying the top chefs in the kingdoms to make.
The last one to
take the challenge was an odd candidate. He showed no signs of any
cooking experience. But he wore a nervous smile, with a hint of
deviousness, along with the tattered clothes of a peasant who worked
a meager living.
“It will take
me seven hours to prepare the meal,” he told King Abborn.
“Seven
hours!?” The king yelled, “That's crazy!”
“Yes, and
it's a big one, so don't eat anything in the meantime. Do I have your
word Milord?”
The king glared
at the peasant, “You've got a lot of guts talking to me like that.
Demanding my 'word'. Fine, you have my word. But if this is a waste
of my time, the cell you rot in will be extremely unpleasant.” The
king looked at the scroll that showed the peasant's name, Carn Kein,
and took note of it in case he needed to specifically give an order
to give the man a difficult sentence over other peasants.
The king waited
the long seven hours, even having to sleep. Since the last meal he
had was yesterday's lunch this made it about fifteen hours since he
last ate. He felt hunger. Abborn never felt this as king, even from
youth. He always had food and comfort. He kept his word before the
meal, and when it was announced he rushed to the dining hall, only
keeping royal composure when he entered.
The peasant put
on the table the only thing he knew how to serve, bread and water.
King Abborn
didn't comment on it he merely went to the table and began eating. It
was the most delicious thing he'd eaten. After eating it he demanded
more and Carn did, having put another few servings aside for the king
to demand again and again.
Carn Kein won
the reward, though the king never desired to have food that way
again. He also appointed Carn advisor in his court, the peasants
insight allowed him to make improvements in the kingdom, and the
experience of starvation caused empathy for the king. He released
those he put in prison for failing the challenge to give him the
tastiest food at the request at Kein. With advise from the peasant
King Abborn gained another nickname, Abborn the Wise.
