He stood out looking over the food which boiled and relled in front of them. He looked back towards his large cauldron of soup and cleared his throat. It had been a long night of making his dish for the kings competition. The one who won the head to head duel got the others full restaurant. The keys, the staff, the menu, the dishes, the whole lot. The showdown was between himself, Adrien Von Tel, and across the grand room, Lady Demclay. He knew that he was going to have problems when he spied her earlier in the competition. As soon as their eyes met she assaulted him with every vulgar insult that one could think of in four different languages.The king sat elevated above the room. A small decorate table was place in front of him that each dish would be presented on. He was a young looking man, but don’t let his handsome looks fool you. This guy up there led armies through the kingdoms, conquering everything around and bringing peace to the land. All while he cooked and made dishes for his army. He became known as the demon chef and his kitchen of hell. One could only imagine what his tongue had tasted as he ravished the lands. He had just finished Lady Demclay’s dish. A blue rell cod baked in oil from olive trees and seasoned with spices from far north. The king smirked when he tasted it. No one knew if his expressions were good or bad. Adrien produced a cauldron of stew and placed it on the table in front of him.He then poured a bit in a bowl and moved it forward.
“I present you a dish, but it is not mine” The crowd started to rustle and the king put his hand up to silence them.
“What game do you play? if this is not your dish, who’s is it?” the king said.
“Lady Demclay’s” Instantly, vulgarity was being sprouted at his direction from across the room. “This” He scurried to the outside room and pulled another large cauldron onto the table “Is mine” He poured the orange stew in a bowl and pushed it forward. The king moved forward peering at the two bowls.
“Explain”
“Gladly” Adrien cleared his throat “The dish is Tar meat, seasoned carrots, potatoes with a mixture of ivy song and duck tears. The two bowls are of the same dish, but the first has been tampered with” He shot a glance at Lady Demclay. The competition was fierce. Everyone cheated. He saw everything. Turning up heat at critical moments, switching salt for sugar and vice versa, and drips of bodily fluids where no bodily fluid should be dripped. It was all fair, unless you got caught. “Lady Demclay has put sea serpent salt in the first bowl. One taste, it would be so foul that you would need a day to recover.”
“I know of sea serpent salt, I have used it before” Adrien rose his eyebrows. Of course he had used it. “How do you know it was Lady Demclay?”
“I caught her flaking it into my stew a fortnight ago”
“That is a lie” she screamed coming into the middle of the room. “Trying to sabotage me, you “
“But I can prove it” the room went silent. “lady Demclay, would you let the king smell your hands?” her face went white and she looked up at the king. He gave a smile and picked up the second bowl and took a few spoon fulls. Only the sound of the king putting the spoon down on the table could be heard. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned back.Then he started to laugh.
“Lady Demclay” she straighted up and started to say something, but he waved her off “You have lost this duel. Your dish was bested, but even if it was not, you were caught” He leaned forward “Sea serpent salt rubs off on everything. I could smell it on your dish.” He clapped his hands and rose “Adrien Von Tel, you have won this duel and the rights of Lady Demclay’s restaurant are yours” With that he left the room and the crowd dispersed. Adrien walked back into the kitchen off the main hall. He had survived this test, but what about the next.
Inspired by Though of a Tournament arc of Medieval Food