Chapter 4 - A New Day (1)

Amos awoke to the sound of birds chirping from the nearby window. Sitting up slowly he let out a soft yawn and rubbed his eyes, looking down at Astra. 'Guess I fell asleep.' He thought to himself and stood up, stretching his arms above his head.

"Guess I'll go see what I can round up for breakfast," he muttered under his breathe before leaning down to kiss Astra's forehead. When that was done, he told the maids outside to let her sleep a little longer.

Making his way down the hall toward the pantry, Amos passed a nearby library. Pausing for a bit, Amos debated going inside. He decided to put that off for now and kept making his way around.

Finally arriving in the kitchen, Amos started pulling all kinds of ingredients out of the pantry. It wasn't long before passing maids started to get a sniff of this heavenly smelling food. Much to their surprise, their new Lord Amos was the cause of this heavenly smell.

The head chef hovered around Amos to watch him work and was completely baffled at Amos' cooking methods. Putting the finishing touches on everything, Amos smiled at the maids.

"Gather everyone in the dining hall for breakfast and start setting the table," Amos ordered and hurried down the hall to fetch Astra from her chambers. Knocking gently on the door, he pushed it opened and saw little Astra being helped into her dress by her attendant. "Good morning, my sweet little Astra," He said sweetly to her and she smiled wide.

"Good morning, Lord Amos. How long have you been awake?" She asked innocently while staying perfectly still for the dress designer.

"I've been up for awhile, since before the rooster sounded. Also, you don't have to call me Lord Amos now. We're family, remember. Now come, I've made breakfast for everyone. I'll wait here for you and we can go together," He replied, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

As the maids dashed around getting Astra ready, Amos sat there smiling at her. Astra reminded him of his own daughter he lost years ago. Amos wasn't a fool, he knew Astra wasn't his daughter but he would treat her like his own.

Meanwhile in the treasury, the guards watched vigilently as merchants and traders rushed around the treasury counting and appraising the gold and artifacts. Just as Amos ordered, they were dividing up the treasure to sell.

Outside the town walls, the architect was measuring and marking out where the foundation should be placed in order to start construction. Nearby, dozens of horse drawn carts were seen coming and going carrying materials and goods.

Back at the castle, the cooks were hard at work trying to mimic Amos' recipes he gave them. A loud bell was rung three times as Amos and Astra walked into the huge dining room. Junichi and Rigel were already seated and waiting for their new King.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Amos apologized and looked at Astra, a soft smile on his face.

"Yes I apologize, too," Astra mimicked Amos' apology and took a seat closest to him.

"There's nothing that need be forgiven, my Lord," Junichi said respectfully with a bow of his head.

"Yes, quite right. Well spoken Junichi," Rigel piped in as Amos took his seat at the head of the table.

"Please enjoy. Everything before you was prepared by me. I hope it's to your liking, gentlemen," Amos spoke, a hint of pride in his voice. The two men looked at each other and then at the food in front of them. It smelled so divine. Without any more hesitation, both men dug into the food in front of them. After one bite they couldn't stop and continued to chow down on Amos' food.

"Your majesty this is simply exquisite. Where did you acquire such technique?" Junichi pondered as he savored the food in front of him.

"Don't worry, gentlemen. The cooks are hard at work learning my techniques. Soon they will be able to make things even better then my humble offerings," Amos grinned as he watched his plan start to come together.

Everything was proceeding accordingly. Turning to Astra, he burst out laughing and the other two stopped and looked at Amos confused. Poor little Astra had managed to get syrup all over her face but she was grinning and eating regardless.

Reaching out his hand, Amos proceeded to wipe of Astra's face. "Pay attention, sweetie. Eat more lady like, alright?" He asked and she started nodding in agreement at his request. Looking at everyone's plates, they had all been cleaned and then some. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I want to make it official with you two. Astra is now my daughter and therefore now the direct heir to my line. Her life is to be considered as important as mine. Junichi, I want you to find the finest tutors in our realm and recruit them to begin Astra's education. Rigel, I want four of your finest men with Astra at all times and two undercover guards who never leave her side," Amos demanded and both men nodded in agreement.

"Your will be done, Lord Amos," They both said in unison before standing up to take their leave. Astra had managed to squirm her way into his lap, tears in her eyes again.

"Di-did you really m-mean that, Lord Amos?" She asked with disbelief in her voice. Amos nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course I mean it, Astra. Why wouldn't I?" He asked her as she clung to him tightly.

"Then, can I call you...poppa?" She asked shyly and Amos' heart got caught in his throat, almost crying himself.

"Of course you can, silly," He wrapped her up in a warm hug, starting to cry himself now.