Eavesdropping

Finding the throne room was not as easy as Alaron had thought. The Castle Valiant was an intricate pattern of rooms, but the prince had grown up knowing how to navigate it. These caverns were a mix of natural and gnome-made. They were unpredictable. Add to this the fact that he had no bearings because he was underground, and Alaron was utterly lost.

His nose caught the scent of food, and his stomach growled. If the prince was lost anyway, he may as well not starve. But then Alaron remembered that the real Lukoss was heading to the royal kitchen. If this were the same place, that could be a problem. "If it happens, I will deal with it," the boy muttered.

Quietly, Alaron crept into the large cavernous kitchen. There were trays of food on the counters that a dozen beautiful ladies were preparing and plating. Alaron stuffed some of the contents of one of the plates in his mouth. They were so delicious that the boy groaned. One of the ladies looked his way, but seeing that he appeared to b