I brought the coats outside with me, making sure the sleeves didn’t drag on the ground and get dirty. The three boys stood up, each grabbing their coats and putting them on.

“I think the pot is starting to boil,” Lionel told me. “The side of the pot is really hot, so the inside should get there soon as well.”

“Finally!” I cheered. “Did you guys finish with all the fruits? If you’re done I’ll pour in all of the spices.”

They nodded, so I lifted the basket of spices over the pot, tilted it, and shook the basket to get any stray spices that were stuck. All the spices plopped into the cauldron, and I watched them float around before sinking into the water.

“Okay, now we just cover the lid and leave it boiling for a few hours,” I told my brothers.

“So we can come back during the knight’s mealtime then?” Rex asked. “I still have some work I have to finish.”

I shrugged, replying, “Yeah, I’ll stay here at the fire and feed it if it starts to go down. I’ve got nothing else to do right now.”

“Me neither,” Isaac said. “Want me to bring you a book?”

“Can you go into my room and get me the one on my bedside table?” I asked. “Oh, and also get one from the top pile of books on my desk since I’m almost finished with the one by my bed.”

“You’re okay with me going into your room?”

“We’re all siblings here, and I don’t have any secrets in my room. It might be a bit messy there though…”

“I'll be back in a few minutes then.”

I waved goodbye to my brothers, who returned to their rooms, and sat next to the fire, bending down to take a look at if the flames needed more fuel.

I shoved another split log of wood into the fire before sitting down and waiting for Isaac to return.