Tedros, still peeking back at the front door, suddenly whipped his head forward. “Wait. Next to Sophie? No no no no no—”
But it was too late. Sophie and Rhian were already up and out of their seats as they saw their friends coming towards them, with Rhian in his blue-and-gold suit, freshly cleaned, and Sophie perfectly matched in a shimmering blue-and-gold gown.
“Aggie, darling! Who knew you even ate in restaurants,” Sophie teased, kissing her on both cheeks. “And you’re wearing a dress! And lipstick! Without my help! We really are in a fairy tale. Oh, you look marvelous, darling! I messaged Brone to bring my dress all the way from the ship to the Forest, even though the poor thing has a broken leg. But I just had to wear Camelot colors alongside Camelot’s newest knight—” She finally glanced at Tedros. “Oh. Hello, Teddy.”
Tedros barely smiled. “Hi,” he said before quickly turning to Rhian.
Sophie nuzzled up to Agatha. “Aggie, isn’t Rhian a hunk? I can see why Teddy wants him as a knight. With Rhian behind him, he’ll look a bit more regal, won’t he? Don’t give me that look. You know I love you both. While we’re on the subject, we should talk about the wedding. It’s only a few weeks away and now I have a date! But let’s focus on you. For the cake, I’m thinking . . .”
Agatha tuned out, trying to hear Tedros and Rhian next to her.
“How’d you get your suit so clean?” Tedros was saying to him.
“Fairies! Moment I took my shirt off, they came fluttering into my treehouse, offering to help,” Rhian chuckled. “Boy crazy, that lot . . .” The knight saw Agatha watching them. “Hi, I’m not sure we’ve really met,” he said to Agatha, cutting off Sophie midsentence. “I’m Rhian.”
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to intrude on your date,” Agatha said self-consciously.
“Not at all. Let’s pull our tables together,” Rhian insisted, about to bridge the gap between them. “We just finished ordering—”
“No, a little distance is just fine,” said Tedros, pushing Agatha into a seat and jumping into one of his own. “Please, don’t let us distract you.”
“Won’t even notice you’re there,” Sophie said tartly to Tedros, before winking at Agatha and sitting back down.
Tedros reclined into his chair and exhaled. Before Agatha could speak, a handsome fox appeared with two menus. Agatha read hers in the chandelier light . . .
BEAUTY and the FEAST
Special Menu for Sophie & Friends
APPETIZER SAMPLER
Sophie’s Dewy Skin Cold Soup:
Pureed sea cucumber infused with fairy-churned sparkle butter and egg-white fireworks followed by
Callis’ Forest Herb Salad: Kyrgios pea shoots, enchanted mushrooms, and a poached golden goose egg with magic-bean dressing followed by
Wish Fish Crudo: Delicate mermaid pearls and royal lily pads swirled with jellied sunshine and served in a pirate treasure chalice followed by
Doom Room Dumplings: Savage Sea urchin shells stuffed with white-swan gold caviar and peacock egg-cream CHOICE OF ENTREE:
1. “Edgar and Essa” Duo of Lamb: Emerald-dusted lamb shank embossed with foamed pixie’s breath and a mahogany-smoked lamb pillow with a wood-nymph essence reduction
2. Agatha’s Gold Fingerglow Fondue:
Sumptuous yak cheese aged in a siren’s cave, melted and served with spheres of stardust cream and okra foam meringues, in a levitating leprechaun gold pot 3. Dean Dovey’s Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie:
An arrangement of silk-fed roast chicken cubes dipped in rainbow glow and topped with moon-glimmer gravy DESSERT SAMPLER
Evers’ Snow Ball Mousse: Ethereal clouds of white chocolate enriched with opal tapioca, topped with Frostplains crystal snow tuiles followed by
Hester’s Gingerbread House Br?lée: Altazarra buttercream pudding crusted with petrified blood orange and sprinkled with eau de white rose followed by
No-Ball Dancing Jelly: Bewitched hazelnut gelatin mold with a princess-pea granita and sweetened dragon-fire beads FLAT PRICE:
20 gold pieces per person
“Lucky Robin gave us some of his gold,” Tedros murmured, patting a satchel in his coat pocket.
“Lucky Robin’s house had one of Marian’s old dresses that fit me and that the vendor at Sherwood Suits recognized you or else we’d be eating in a pub somewhere off a menu I could actually understand,” said Agatha.
They both looked up and snickered.
Silence lingered, each of them waiting for the other to continue the conversation.
In the void, Agatha could hear Rhian and Sophie talking—
“My name is on your map?” Rhian asked, surprised.
“Yes! The Quest Map made by the Storian,” said Sophie. “But that’s only possible if you’re a student at the School for Good and Evil.”
Rhian chewed on his lip. “Maybe my mother hid my Flowerground ticket after all.”
“Rhian is a beautiful name, by the way,” said Sophie, as their fox waiter brought a basket of buttermilk bread. “Where did you get it from?”
“My father named me.”
“After the Good School Master? The one Rafal killed in the Great War? That’s what his twin brother was named.”
“Was it?” Rhian laughed, biting into a roll. “Better change my name, then. A bit too much to live up to. Sophie fits you perfectly, though.” He winked at her.
“Not sure that’s a compliment, but I’ll certainly take it as one,” she said archly.
Agatha noticed Tedros listening too, but now their waiter reappeared.
“I’ll have the chicken,” said Agatha.
“I’ll have the lamb,” said Tedros.
The fox took their menus and glided away.
Agatha smiled at Tedros, trying to reset.
“Feels like our first date,” she said shyly.
“Most of our relationship has taken place in times of war,” said Tedros. “We’re still figuring out how to do peace.”
More awkward silence.
“You’ve been through a lot today. More than any of us,” said Agatha, trying to force the same intimacy she’d seen between him and Rhian. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Tedros put his hand through the gold drops from the chandelier, which magically passed through his palm. “I’d rather talk about other things. Like why you didn’t write me when you promised you would.”
“I didn’t want you to worry about me,” Agatha sighed. “If you knew what we were dealing with on our quest, you’d have panicked.”
“I see,” said Tedros, not looking at her.
“But my point is you can confide in me, Tedros. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past six months. You can tell me things. Anything. About how you’re feeling. Don’t try to protect me—”
“Says the girl who wouldn’t pick up a pen to tell me how she was feeling because she was trying to protect me,” said Tedros, his gaze settling on her again. “And then you wonder why I don’t tell you things.”
Agatha didn’t know what to say.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Tedros said, getting up.
Agatha fidgeted with the tablecloth as he left. In the silence, she could hear Rhian and Sophie again.