The little chef rummaged through the contents of an old barrel, looking for additional items that her new friend would soon be in need of. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally found them. Slipping them into her apron pockets, she ascended to the roof and transferred the gifts to a half-hidden picnic basket.
It was a warm night. Too warm for baking. She moved to the garden outside the bedroom and seated herself on a stout branch that had fallen from one of the overhanging trees the day before. She loved the garden -- her refuge and place for quiet reflection -- and, oh, how she loved Serpent's Hold, her heart's home. She and her younger sisters had lived in many areas of the realm, and she had recently persuaded them to move back with her to Serpent's Hold. It hadn't changed much in the years she'd been away, other than the fact that it was no longer as busy as it had once been. Former residents had all moved on a long time ago and the jungle had since swallowed up the ruins of their former homes.
She sat motionless for a long time, gazing into the starlit sky and remembering...
Finally, she whispered, "Wherever you are, Lord British, we miss you. We will always miss you."