O:
Amy scooted around the massive kitchen, in search of warmth from the hearthfire. She tried to stay out of the way of the bustling staff but accidentally bumped into one of the maids.
"Watch out there, miss! Whatcha doin' here anyway?" she huffed, balancing a basket full of vegetables on one hip.
"I'm just... I got wet and I'm very cold. I just want to sit by the fire," Amy stammered.
"Shouldn't you ought to go to your rooms and put on some dry clothes?" the maid asked with a critical eye at Amy's drooping finery. Amy shook her head. Better to not be sent wandering through the palace. "Well, get to it then," the maid said with a dismissive gesture.
Amy finally made it over to the hearth, and was pleased to find a small clean handwoven rug sitting on the stones. She arranged herself upon it and sighed gratefully as warmth touched her back.
After seeing her dead father courtesy of a genie, being turned into a ghost, magically transported through a mirror and narrowly escaping capture by a painted man, Amy's chills were as much about her strange situation as they were about the rain. As she warmed, she found the homely busy'ness of the kitchen to be quite comforting. Here was something she could understand - something familiar that made sense.
What am I doing here? she thought, What is this place, and who is that man in white? What does he want with me?
"Hello, love," a man in an apron said, smiling, "You look awfully far away. Let me get you some soup."
"Mat, that's Irena's maid," the woman from earlier said, "Mind your manners."
"I know that," Mat said, "I've seen her in the garden with Irena. Our little Princess is a handful, isn't she?" Mat handed Amy a mug of warm broth and a chunk of bread.
"She is!" Amy said, sipping thoughtfully. "This is lovely. Thank you." He smiled at her and returned to his work. Amy felt herself warm a little inside. If she could find friends, perhaps she could get her footing in this strange place, and maybe figure out how to get home.
All the stories she had read, at least about the British upstairs and downstairs, said that the servants always knew everything about what happened in a Palace. Perhaps her new friends could tell her something?
What avenue of inquiry should she Pursue?
Ply the maid for information about her role in the palace.
Prod Mat to find out if he knows anything about the man in white.
