Ruby and the Honey Cakes

Ruby lifted the serving cloth and found only one golden crumb where the honey cakes had been.

She blinked at the empty tray. A moment ago, she had carried it from the warm castle kitchen, holding it carefully with both hands. The cakes were meant for the royal table in the festival courtyard, where musicians played fiddles and drums, streamers fluttered between the towers, and hungry guests were finding their seats.

“Where did they go?” Ruby whispered.

Cook Bell was stirring a pot of apple soup. “The cakes were right there, weren’t they?”

Ruby nodded. She had brushed each one with honey and sprinkled the tops with little bits of chopped nuts. Now there was only the crumb—and a faint, sweet smell.

“I promised to bring them to the festival table,” Ruby said. She felt her cheeks grow warm. “I should find out what happened.”

Cook Bell handed her a clean napkin. “Look closely, Ruby. A good helper notices small things.”

Ruby bent beside the tray. The crumb had a tiny bite mark. Near the kitchen door, a streak of honey shone on the stone floor. Ruby followed it to a basket of folded tablecloths.

A corner of blue cloth stuck out from under the basket. It had a sticky spot on it.

“Someone carried a cake this way,” Ruby said.

From the courtyard came a cheerful tune. Guests clapped along, and someone called, “Is supper ready?”

Ruby peeked through the kitchen doorway. The courtyard was bright with ribbons and busy with people. At the royal table, a row of empty plates waited beside a silver pitcher of milk.

She could have hurried out and said the cakes were missing. Instead, Ruby looked again at the honey streak. It led past the baskets and toward the small side passage used by the castle pages.

“Maybe I can find them before everyone sits down,” she said.

Cook Bell gave her a little basket. “Take this, just in case.”

Ruby stepped into the passage. She found another crumb near the wall, then a second one beside a stack of empty baskets. The trail stopped there.

The passage was quiet, but from behind the baskets came a tiny hiccup.

Ruby set down her basket. “Hello?” she called. “I’m looking for the honey cakes.”

A pair of shoes poked out from behind the baskets. Then a small boy scooted into view. He was Wes, a page who carried messages between the castle rooms. A golden crumb sat right on the tip of his nose.

Ruby looked at the crumb. Wes looked at Ruby. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Wes said at last. “I thought the cakes were leftovers for the helpers. They were sitting on a tray in the kitchen, and I was hungry.”

“Did you eat them all?” Ruby asked.

Wes’s ears turned red. “I shared some with two pages. I saved one for later, but then I ate that, too.” He brushed his nose, and the crumb fell onto his sleeve. “I didn’t know they were for the festival.”

Ruby felt a small pinch of worry. The guests were already gathering at the tables, and the royal plates were still empty. But Wes looked so sorry that she could not stay cross with him.

“They were for everyone at the festival,” she said. “I wish you had asked first.”

“I should have,” Wes said. “Can I help fix it?”

Ruby remembered the clean basket Cook Bell had given her. “There are more cakes in the kitchen. We can carry them together.”

They hurried back—not too fast, because honey cakes were easy to tip. Cook Bell lifted the kitchen cloth and showed them a second batch cooling on a wooden board.

“Good thing there were extras,” she said. “Let’s make sure every guest gets one.”

Ruby lined the cakes in the basket, and Wes counted them aloud. When they reached the courtyard, the music paused. A few guests turned to look at the empty royal table.

Ruby’s hands felt a little shaky, but she stepped forward. “The cakes are here,” she called. “One for each guest!”

Wes held up a small card he had made from the back of an old list. Ruby wrote the words on it in big, neat letters: “One for each guest.” Together they set the sign beside the basket.

Cook Bell carried the tray to the royal table. Ruby and Wes began passing cakes along the rows. They watched as guests took one each, and the basket slowly grew lighter. No one was left out, and soon the courtyard filled with happy munching and pleased little sighs.

The fiddles started up again, and the festival found its lively rhythm. Ruby and Wes stayed beside the table, making sure the sign could be seen. When a guest reached for a second cake, he noticed the words and smiled. He picked up a cup of milk instead.

Wes leaned toward Ruby. “I’m glad you found me.”

“I’m glad you told me the truth,” Ruby said. “Next time, we can ask Cook Bell before tasting anything.”

Wes nodded. “And I can help carry the cakes the right way.”

He demonstrated by holding his hands out like a tray. Ruby placed an empty napkin on them. Wes took one careful step, then another. The napkin stayed perfectly flat.

“Excellent carrying,” Ruby said.

“Excellent napkin,” Wes replied, and they both laughed.

The guests ate and talked beneath the streamers. A child at the end of the table broke her cake in half and shared a piece with her grandmother. Across from them, the castle musicians played a slower tune, one that made even the busy courtyard seem ready to rest.

Ruby brought the empty tray back to the kitchen. Cook Bell gave her a small cup of warm milk and thanked her for solving the cake mystery kindly. Wes helped wipe the honey from the side passage, and Ruby folded the blue cloth and set it in the laundry basket.

When they returned to the courtyard, only one honey cake remained. Ruby looked at Wes.

“You take it,” he said. “You carried all the others.”

“You helped bring them,” Ruby answered. “Let’s share.”

They split the cake down the middle and sat together beneath the courtyard lanterns. The music had quieted, and the last guests were finishing their cups. Ruby tasted the honey on her half. It was sweet and warm, with a little crunch from the nuts.

Wes brushed his nose, just in case another crumb had landed there. Ruby giggled, and he giggled, too.

Soon the courtyard was tidy, the baskets were stacked, and the streamers stirred softly overhead. Ruby walked back through the castle beside Wes, carrying the empty tray between them. In the kitchen, the fire settled low, and Cook Bell turned off the lamps one by one.

Ruby was glad the cakes had reached the table—and gladder still that she and Wes had shared the last one. With the castle quiet around her, she curled beneath her blanket and let the day’s music fade from her thoughts.