In Need of a Cobbler Chapter 2

The next morning, Princess Yum-Yum took extra care in readying herself for the day. Usually, her nanny helped her, but today she wanted to do it herself. She brushed out her thick, black hair until it gleamed and then settled her diadem onto her head, arranging the long veil that hung down her back. Then she put on her jewelry and settled her gauzy face-veil in place.

"Breakfast is ready, m'dear," Nanny said from the doorway of the dressing room.

"Thank you, Nanny," Yum-Yum said. She gave her appearance one last scrutinizing glance in the mirror, adjusted her veil, and then walked over to the old woman. "Oh, Nanny, the cobbler is sleeping in the guest bedchamber one floor down, at the end of the hall. Would you please go and get him? I invited him to have breakfast with us today." She'd have gone herself, but she had to maintain some level of propriety.

"Of course, m'dear," Nanny said. Yum-Yum smiled at her kindly caretaker and planted a kiss on her wrinkled cheek. "You seem very cheerful this morning. It's to do with that young man, isn't it?" she commented, her brown eyes twinkling behind her thick glasses. Yum-Yum blushed and Nanny chuckled as they left the dressing room.

While Nanny went to fetch Tack, Yum-Yum made her way to the terrace where she and her father took their private meals. It was a tranquil space, decorated with beautiful mosaics and fragrant flowers. Aside from the royal family, only a few others were allowed to dine there, including her nanny and, unfortunately, Zigzag. The Grand Vizier was mercifully absent that morning, but King Nod's new concubine wasn't. Yum-Yum restrained herself from rolling her eyes at the sight of the bright pink palanquin behind her father's seat. Sultry giggles emanated from behind the silk curtains and this time, she did roll her eyes. To be honest, Yum-Yum found the whole concept of a concubine to be fairly degrading.

"Good morning, Father," she said, pushing aside her annoyance and approaching the table, which was already laden with food. Yum-Yum settled down onto a green linen cushion in her usual place, at her father's right hand. King Nod awoke with a start and glanced blearily up at her.

"Oh… good morning, Yum-Yum," he mumbled, his eyelids drooping again. A shapely hand emerged from the palanquin's curtains and stroked the old king's shoulder.

"I've invited Tack to join us today," she said. She reached over to the closest platter and took some flatbread and goat cheese.

"Er, yes… who, my darling?" he asked. He woke up a bit as he suddenly seemed to notice the wide variety of food arrayed before him.

"The cobbler, Father," she reminded him patiently.

"Yes, well… you, er, found him, then?" the king asked.

Yum-Yum smiled. "Yes, Father," she said.

"Ah, er, very good." He turned his attention to his meal. Yum-Yum ate her flatbread, waiting impatiently. Finally, she heard a familiar sound from the doorway behind her—Nanny's quiet humming and murmuring. Yum-Yum stood up quickly and turned around in time to see Nanny walk in with Tack following behind her. Nanny went right to her seat at the table, but Tack hesitated in the arched doorway, looking like he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. The tacks in his mouth shifted uncertainly. Then his gaze landed on her and his mood seemed to lighten, his hunched shoulders straightening slightly. Yum-Yum beamed and walked over to him.

"Good morning, Tack!" she said.

He smiled in return, tacks swinging apart into an arrow shape as he waved at her.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

Tack nodded and then tilted his head at her.

"I slept very well, thank you," she replied, guessing at his meaning. His widened smile confirmed it and she felt a small surge of satisfaction; she was beginning to understand him better. "Come on, sit with me," she said, gesturing to the table. Tack paused again as they walked over to the table, his eyes fixed on King Nod. He sketched an awkward, uneasy bow, which the King acknowledged with a mumble and a bleary-eyed glance. The cobbler shrugged, as if to himself, and then followed Yum-Yum to their seats.

She sat down again and Tack perched on the cushion next to hers. He studied the food-laden platters on the table for a moment. Then, in a single, smooth motion, he reached out and took a pear from the nearest one. Yum-Yum's eyes followed his hand and a smile tugged the corners of her mouth. There was a strange sort of contradiction between Tack's hands and his feet; he seemed prone to clumsiness, but his hands moved so gracefully.

Tack then plucked the tacks from between his lips and tucked them into a pocket somewhere, and Yum-Yum couldn't help but laugh.

"I was beginning to wonder if you ever removed those things," she commented teasingly.

Tack smiled wryly and gestured airily with his free hand, and then he blushed a little and ducked his head. Yum-Yum's heart fluttered—it was the first time she'd seen Tack smile without the ever-present tacks in his mouth, and it was something she dearly hoped she could see more often. She quickly busied herself with a cluster of grapes from the platter as her cheeks flushed red. Yum-Yum's nanny caught her eye over the table and gave her a knowing look, making her redden even more.

A few minutes later, a quiet squeak drew her attention. Yum-Yum looked over just in time to see the white rat pop its head out of a pocket over Tack's chest, blinking its beady, red eyes. Tack stopped in the midst of reaching for a piece of flatbread and glanced down at the rodent. It sank its claws into the rough-spun fabric of Tack's patched-up shirt and clambered up to his shoulder. Yum-Yum giggled at the sight. Tack's eyes widened and he grabbed the rat, shooting a nervous glance at King Nod. The old man was dozing off again and didn't notice.

Nanny noticed, though. "Oh!" she exclaimed. The old woman squinted through her glasses. "Is that a kitten of some sort?"

"Yes, Nanny," Yum-Yum said quickly, stifling a laugh behind her fingers.

Tack placed the rat on the ground next to his cushion and took some grapes from the platter. He swiftly removed each of the fruits from their stem and placed them in front of the rat. The little creature squeaked again and grabbed one of the purple fruits, sitting up on its haunches to nibble at its food.

After breakfast, Yum-Yum lead Tack to a garden courtyard adjacent to her summer bedchamber. She'd had a servant bring her broken shoes there earlier that morning; she had decided that if Tack was going to spend the whole day working, he might as well have someplace pleasant to do it. And this garden was one of the most beautiful places in the palace. And besides, here she'd have an excuse to stay close to the cobbler as he worked. Unlike the rest of the palace grounds, which were kept by the royal gardeners, these flowers were tended to by Yum-Yum herself.

"Well, here we are," she said as they stepped through the arched doorway and into the garden.

Tack stared around in amazement, then turned to her with a huge smile; the tacks swung wide, back in their usual place.

"You like it here, then?" she asked, amused. He nodded vigorously. "I'm glad! Now, my shoes are over here…" She brought him to the center of the garden, where the heap of broken shoes sat next to a trickling fountain.

Tack's eyes went wide as he stared at the pile. He turned his shocked gaze towards Yum-Yum, who clasped her hands behind her back and schooled her face into the very picture of innocence.

"These silk slippers are so fragile," she said lightly. "They break under the slightest exertion!"

Tack raised one eyebrow at her, the tacks shifting sideways in a half-smile. He clearly wasn't buying a word of it. Obviously, though, neither of them minded the lie. The cobbler sat down with his back to the fountain, folding his long legs in front of him with his feet pressed together. He picked up the first slipper and balanced it atop the curled toes of his sandals. Yum-Yum watched with interest as he dug various odds and ends out of his pockets—including the rat, which scurried down his torso, down onto his leg, and curled up on his right knee.

Yum-Yum busied herself with her flowers, filling a watering can with water from the fountain and going around from one plant to the next. But she stayed near Tack, watching him from the corner of her eye. She found it difficult not to, really. The quick, steady movements of his hands were mesmerizing, and again she saw a contrast—this time, between the awkward, hunched posture of his body and the sureness of his fingers.

She wasn't the only one having trouble focusing on their work; just like the night before, Tack kept glancing her way. There was a certain curiosity in his gaze—and again, was she just imagining the longing in his eyes? She hoped not.

Yum-Yum smirked to herself as this game of theirs went on. They seemed to be developing a pattern, here. It had been the same way when Tack was first brought to the palace, just a day and a half ago: then, as now, they had stolen glances at one another while Yum-Yum arranged flowers and Tack fixed her shoe (which she had also broken on purpose). And then, as now, they had both blushed whenever their eyes met.

As the morning went by, Yum-Yum found it harder and harder to concentrate on her flowers. She wanted to know more about her mysterious cobbler, but that wasn't going to be easy if he wouldn't talk… or if he couldn't. She wondered, not for the first time, if he was actually mute. Or perhaps he simply didn't like talking. Perhaps he was too shy to speak. Well, if he wouldn't speak, then she'd just have to keep learning how to understand him in his own way.

Turning away from trimming a rosebush, she walked over to Tack. He glanced up at her and his hands went still.

"Do you mind if I sit here and watch?" she asked.

Tack shook his head and went back to his work as she sat down next to him. He smiled suddenly and turned towards her, holding up the slipper in his hands. His fingers moved more slowly, letting her follow his actions while he stitched torn silk back together. Yum-Yum smiled as well, realizing he was giving her a lesson in cobbling. After a few minutes, he held up the finished slipper with a flourish that made her giggle behind her hand. He set it down atop a pile of four other completed slippers.

Her smile dimmed slightly. "You certainly work quickly," she commented.

Tack nodded, glanced at the five slippers, and then did a double take. He looked at the heap of broken slippers, then back at the finished five. The tacks in his mouth swung downward in a frown. He picked up a sixth shoe, but he proceeded much more slowly than before. Aha, Yum-Yum thought. Unless she missed her guess, Tack had reached the same conclusion that she had—that their time together would be up as soon as his work here was finished. Yum-Yum pushed the thought out of her head for now.

Midday came and Yum-Yum called a servant to bring them lunch. As they ate, she contemplated how to go about solving the mystery of the silent cobbler. Finally, she decided on a question to ask.

"How long have you been a cobbler, Tack?" she asked him.

He paused with a piece of flatbread halfway to his mouth, lowering it as he considered the question. Then he smiled abruptly, put the flatbread back on the tray, and dug around in his pockets. He brought out a long loop of golden-yellow string. The two tacks went back in his mouth and he draped the string around his hands. His fingers flew in a pale blur as he wove the string in between them. Every so often he would bring his hands up to his mouth and use the tacks to pull on the string, tilting his head this way and that. Yum-Yum leaned forward, fascinated.

Soon enough, he held his hands apart and an image took shape in the golden string: it was a bundled shape, like that of a baby wrapped in blankets. He held the image up next to his face.

"That's you?" Yum-Yum asked.

Tack nodded and collapsed the shape. His fingers flew again and the tacks went back to work, and another picture emerged between his hands; this time, it was the bearded, square-jawed face of a man.

"Your father?" she guessed.

Tack frowned and shook his head. He quickly formed another string picture, this time of a shoe.

"Oh, I see, he was a cobbler. But not your father…" She put the pieces together quickly. "This man took you in as a baby?"

Tack nodded. He looked fondly at the string image, clearly reflecting on happy memories.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

Tack shrugged, his eyes downcast.

Yum-Yum gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oh," she said softly. He'd been an orphan. "I'm so sorry, Tack. I hope I didn't upset you by asking."

Tack gave her a reassuring smile and shook his head again. He spun another picture with his swift fingers, shifting his hands so that one hovered above the other and twisting the string into the shape of a small child. He moved his hands apart and the string-child grew taller. Yum-Yum laughed, amazed by his skill with the string. He wove the shape of a shoe again and she understood.

"This cobbler made you his apprentice when you grew older," she guessed.

Tack nodded again. The face of the bearded man reappeared, but his face looked thinner and more haggard this time. Tack frowned again and collapsed the image, the tacks in his mouth pointing downward.

"He died," she whispered.

The sadness on Tack's face confirmed it. Then he wove the shape of a building and held it up above his head.

"You inherited his shoemaking shop?" she ventured.

Tack smiled thinly. Then he stuffed the string back in his pocket and spread his hands wide. Done with his tale, he looked questioningly at her and inclined his head.

"You want to know my story?" she asked. Tack's smile widened. "Well, there isn't much to say, really," she admitted. "I've spent my whole life here in this palace. I pass my time reading in the royal library, tending to this garden, riding my horses… things of that sort. My mother died when I was very young—she became ill shortly after my birth. My nanny raised me in her stead."

Tack's shoulders sank and he gave her a sympathetic look; he understood her loss.

But Yum-Yum pushed away the dark memories. "Well, I think that's enough sad stories for today," she said dryly.

Tack nodded his agreement, rolling his eyes slightly.

"I have an idea. Let's take a walk after lunch. You can finish your work later," Yum-Yum suggested.

Tack's eyes lit up a little and he nodded again, looking relieved at the prospect of a break. They quickly finished eating, Tack making sure to feed his rat, and then they left the garden.

"Hmm, now, where shall we go?" she mused to herself as they strolled down the hallway from the garden. "Oh, I know!" She turned to Tack with a mischievous smile. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

Tack stared blankly at her.