A flourish of trumpets announced the head cook who set the birthday cake, a three-tiered affair stuffed with raisins, and nuts, glazed with the head cook’s renowned honey syrup before the King. Cook’s helpers followed with flat cakes of the same recipe. They placed one on each table and served those sitting along the walls. Greylen thought his piece rather small.

With dinner over, the people’s attention turned to the enter-tainers who quickly quaffed their last mugs of wine.

“Greylen’s here,” someone commented. “We’ll listen to some good songs tonight.”