In the small, bustling town of Rivermoor, news traveled faster than a cart pulled by three overeager ponies. That day, the whispers carried the most extraordinary announcement: the Baroness of Rivermoor had finally given birth—to a baby boy.
For a town that normally concerned itself with the price of bread, the best butter, and which horse threw a shoe on Market Street, this was earth-shattering news.
"Did you hear the news?" Abbie asked, practically bouncing as she threaded her way through the crowded market.
"What news?" Mona replied, looking up from a pile of fresh loaves she was inspecting.
"The Baroness had a boy!" Abbie practically yelled, which earned them a few curious stares and one scowl from the vendor selling pickled herrings.
Mona blinked. "A boy? That's… great news, I suppose."
"Great? Great?" Abbie scoffed. "This is fantastic! The town is in uproar!"
Mona raised an eyebrow. "Uproar or overreaction?"
Abbie gave her a playful shove. "Both. Trust me. Now, come on. We need to spread the word before anyone else starts whispering lies about who will get the first slice of cake at the celebration!"
The market was alive with noise—merchants shouting, chickens squawking, and one particularly loud goose that had taken it upon itself to patrol the bakery aisle. Abbie and Mona giggled as they moved through the crowd, their chatter bouncing off the wooden stalls.
"Fresh hot bread! Get your bread straight from the oven!" the baker called, waving a flour-dusted loaf like a flag.
"Honestly," Mona muttered, "how can anyone hear anything over all this?"
"You just have to know where to listen," Abbie said with a grin. "Step one: locate gossip. Step two: overhear it. Step three: deliver it strategically. Step four: watch chaos ensue. And yes, step four is my favorite."
Mona groaned. "Step four is 'chaos'? Why is that always your favorite?"
Abbie winked. "Because it's fun, obviously."
By the time they reached the end of Market Street, the girls were practically sprinting, laughing at a cart overturned by a runaway pig, which seemed determined to deliver the day's news itself. And there, at the far end, stood The Copper Stag, Rivermoor's finest (and busiest) pub.
A loud crash echoed from inside.
"Another mug gone!" a man bellowed, banging on the counter.
"Give me a minute, Randulf!" Mrs Takashi, the pub owner, shouted without looking up from the jug she was filling.
The pub door opened with a creak, and two familiar voices called together, "Good afternoon, ma'am!"
Mrs Takashi's eyes snapped up. "Where have you girls been? Not gossiping, I hope?"
Abbie and Mona exchanged a guilty glance.
"Mm-hmm," Mrs Takashi murmured, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "It seems you've been gossiping—and ten minutes late to show for it."
"We're sorry, ma'am!" they chorused.
Abbie added quickly, "We… sort of got distracted on the way."
"Yes," Mona said, a little too sincerely. "By market… and things. Very important things."
Mrs Takashi narrowed her eyes, but instead of scolding, she simply sighed. "The pub is bursting today. I need both of you focused. No distractions. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," they mumbled, heading into the kitchen.
Abbie rolled up her sleeves and dove into the stack of dirty dishes with a determined expression. Mona struggled with her apron, tying and retying it in frustration.
"Careful with that knife," Abbie whispered, glancing at a half-cut loaf on the counter.
"I am careful!" Mona snapped, glaring at the loaf like it had personally offended her.
The girls were interrupted by Miguel, one of the younger staff. "Two plates of stew and a bowl of soup, please! And more beer—table five is thirsty again."
"On it," Abbie said, grabbing a clean plate. "Mona, you're on stew duty. Chop chop!"
"Chop chop?!" Mona muttered, stabbing a carrot with her knife as if she were in battle.
"This isn't war, you know!"
"Every day in this kitchen is a battle," Abbie replied, scraping a plate clean.
Mrs Takashi, balancing two jugs of beer, smirked. "Keep your ears open, your hands steady, and your tongues… well, let's just hope they don't start more trouble than the ale."
---------------The First Mishap--------------------
A commotion erupted in the pub hall. A young customer, trying to sneak a second serving of dessert, had accidentally bumped into a tray of pies, and one of them wobbled dangerously on the edge.
"Careful!" Abbie called, dashing forward. "The Baron's steward is coming this way!"
Mona scanned the room. "If that pie falls, he'll notice… and then Mrs Takashi will blame us for everything."
Abbie leaned closer to Mona. "Remember what the baker said? He always adds extra cinnamon to the pie the steward likes. If we can swap that one onto the tray he'll pick first, everything will be fine."
Mona smirked. "So basically… you want to use gossip to guide pie placement?"
"Exactly," Abbie said, nudging the pies with practiced fingers.
Moments later, the steward arrived, carefully selecting his favorite cinnamon pie as if guided by invisible hands. He didn't notice the near-mishap at all and even complimented Mrs Takashi on her "excellent organization."
Abbie and Mona shared a triumphant look behind the counter, grinning.
-------The Mismatched Socks Incident---------
As the girls wiped their hands on their aprons after the pie situation, Abbie's eyes caught a flurry of activity near the Baron's table.
"Uh-oh," she whispered, nudging Mona. "Look at Lord Percival over there."
Mona squinted. "What about him?"
Abbie stifled a laugh. "He's wearing… different socks."
Mona's gaze followed. One sock was bright green with tiny golden lions, the other a deep purple with silver stars. The Baron's steward hadn't noticed yet, but any appearance before the Baron himself with mismatched socks would result in a royal lecture lasting at least an hour, and possibly a dramatic loss of favor.
Abbie whispered, "If we don't fix this, he'll embarrass himself—and the pub. But if we… guide him… carefully…"
Mona raised an eyebrow. "You mean… intervene with subtle gossip?"
"Exactly," Abbie said, sliding closer to Lord Percival's table. "A well-placed hint can save the day."
Abbie leaned over to a nearby server. "Tell Lord Percival that the Baron's favorite color is green. Discreetly. Don't mention the other sock."
Mona, meanwhile, whispered to a young page, "If you see the purple one, make a comment about how it clashes with the tie. Do it naturally."
Within moments, Percival glanced down, noticed the clash, and muttered to himself before swapping the purple sock with a spare green one tucked in his satchel. No one else noticed. Not the Baron. Not the townspeople. And most importantly, not the visiting noble who would have laughed and reported the mishap.
Abbie and Mona exchanged high-fives behind the counter, grinning.
"We weren't trying to help," Abbie said.
"Naturally," Mona replied. "Purely accidental brilliance, as always."
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of laughter, spilled ale, and whispered tips.
By the time the sun dipped low over Rivermoor, Abbie and Mona had:
Saved a baker's pride
Reunited a lost cat
Prevented a very important noble from wearing mismatched socks to the Baron's celebration
And all of it happened quietly—except for the town, of course, which had already told half of Rivermoor about everything.
"We really should consider charging for this," Abbie said, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"For what?" Mona asked.
"Being heroes," Abbie said with a grin.
Mona just shook her head. "We're heroes because we gossip. That's… exactly how it works."
And so, Rivermoor went to sleep that night unaware that two small, mischievous girls had made their day slightly better—all thanks to a little curiosity, a little chaos, and a whole lot of gossip.