Lèse-majesté

Part 29

Chapter 28

"A confron-.... Oh... OOH!" Hiccup realized it too now. "But isn't that dangerous?" He knew she probably needed a swift way to deal with the whole situation but purposely goading the man hadn't been what he'd expected. "Is this actually going to work?"

"As long as he's not a Noble, which I doubt he is, then yes," Astrid answered.

"What exactly is your plan?" Hiccup questioned. "It's not like you can face this Julius person head on. He's in a fortified castle and probably has more troops."

"A fortified castle that I know the layout of," Astrid countered. "As well as all the secret entrances and escape routes,"

"There is still the question of manpower," Hiccup stated. "He'd probably outnumber your knights. Maybe you should wait for reinforcements,"

Astrid frowned at the suggestion but did think it over. She ultimately shook her head negatively which surprised Hiccup.

"Can I talk to you for a moment privately?" Hiccup then asked. Astrid nodded and both walked out of the cottage's back door to talk. Neither the knights nor Atali said anything to stop them.

"Astrid, are you sure about this?" Hiccup asked. "The numbers alone....."

"I know... I know..." Astrid sighed as she leaned against the bark of a nearby tree.

"Don't you think it's better to call for reinforcements?"

"It's not as easy as you think Hiccup," Astrid muttered. "This isn't like Berk where you claim to be from. You can't just call up warriors to arms in the kingdom,"

Hiccup frowned for a moment. "Why not? The Nobles have their personal Knight orders."

"Yes we do but there are extenuating circumstances here," Astrid grimaced. "While the Nobles have a lot of knights in their employ, mobilizing them for a military campaign still needs permission from the Crown,"

"And since you offended the Crown prince previously your chances of getting that approved are slim." Hiccup realized.

"It's not just that," Astrid said though she nodded at Hiccup's earlier comment. "If word gets out that a Noble let some interloper take over their castle, and needed military force to get it back... well... that would be very damaging to one's honor. And for a Noble, honor is one of the most important things. I'd basically be the laughingstock of Society then and father would have all the ammunition he needs to petition to become Head of the family or to install Edwin as a puppet!"

"You mentioned that Berk values women as warriors when you explained my grandmother's origins to me," Astrid muttered. "Though you were hanging off of a balcony ledge at the time.... I wondered just how different our cultures were. I've no doubt grandmother would have been horribly depressed when she came to live in this Kingdom."

"My mother probably faced the same scrutiny when she was awarded a Noble title and the rights of a man to do business," Astrid crossed her arms as she leaned further against the tree. "Me having inherited her power did nothing but turn the Noble's daggers towards me, for how dare a woman be active in the world of men. She couldn't possibly be competent....."

"But.... at the ball...." Hiccup started to say.

"People are two-faced Hiccup. I learned that the hard way." Astrid uttered. "They will congratulate and compliment you to your face while talking bad behind your back!" Afterall, she had even overheard the whispers at the ball. Some had been discreet and the butler and maids had informed her after the fact but others... they were quite blatant. She'd walked past and they hadn't even quelled their tongues. Spitting barbs at her because she was a woman now in charge of the most profitable mines in the Kingdom. One man had even questioned her competence openly. So yes... Astrid knew.... She knew what obstacles she'd have to face.