Noblesse oblige

Part 8

Chapter 8

Astrid pursed her lips as she entered the expansive Royal gardens. The Queen's garden party was already ongoing and ladies from all walks of Nobility were milling about. None came with male escorts as only women were allowed in at these parties. The men had their own social gatherings where women were not allowed entrance so when Queen Valka ascended the throne, along with her husband, she decided to implement several social gatherings for women. When the Royal court ministers had begun to protest she had shut them up with but a single glare, so the story goes.

Astrid still remembered her father griping about these gatherings when her mother attended and later when she was old enough to attend, namely at 13. The parties were fun but they were also ripe with gossip. Things that the men had no idea women talked about. Things that made Astrid blush when she had first heard them.

"Lady Astrid please smile. You look like you will kill the next person that greets you," Minden whispered. The three ladies in waiting were also accompanying Astrid as they were also Nobles. Astrid put on her best business smile but she was still worried about several things. First off was Sierra's position. She had known Camicazi since they had been children. Something must have been desperately wrong if that woman gave someone a helping hand. It also didn't seem that Sierra was lying. Astrid had introduced her to Stormfly and Toothless just to be certain. Toothless ignored the maid and went back to sleep while Stormfly ended up trying to preen her. Her dragon didn't turn anyone into a strainer so the girl was no threat. The other thing bothering Astrid was that this was her first social debut after getting out of prison. She was sure she would be the highlight of conversation. Camicazi and several other snobbish women were also attending and Astrid wondered if they would use this opportunity to shame her more. Her engagement hadn't been made public yet as there were several documents both she and Hiccup had to go through so her status as the future Crown Princess was still unknown. Basically no status means you're a free feast for the vultures.

The music was light as women socialized. There were all types of sweets present along with tea, wine, champagne and other exotic drinks. Several ladies had taken to playing a game of Polo on the wide open field. Astrid held her light blue parasol lofty as she strolled past. Her hand tightened around the handle as she heard several older ladies gossip very loudly about her.

"Oh my my...."

"What is she doing here?"

"She's not a Noble anym...."

"The nerve of her...."

"Showing her face...."

"Disgrace...."

These were some of the things Astrid heard. Her Ladies in waiting were close by and she spotted the three women sending murderous glares at several older women. The gossip quieted down somewhat when Queen Valka greeted Astrid heartily with a hug. Most women blinked in shock since the Queen had never hugged anyone at the parties before. Astrid was ushered to the Queen's table where other high ranking Noblewomen sat, now including Camicazi. The blond, and future Duchess Jorgenson, was quiet though as Astrid noted Cami simply observing her.

Astrid gave her polite greetings to the table and sat down. Camicazi sat to the Queen's left while Astrid sat to the Queen's right. The other ladies at the table seemed to be the widowed Duchess Larson who was a connoisseur of the fine arts, 'and men' Astrid's mind supplied. It was well known that she took over as head of the family after Duke Larson's passing, refusing to remarry and instead becoming the patron of several now renowned artists. Astrid also recognized Countess Berta, Camicazi's mother. The woman had a severe face but Astrid actually liked her. Underneath all that severity was a mother who doted on her daughter and loved her husband very much. Countess Berta was not meeting Astrid's eyes and if she had to guess, the woman felt guilty for her daughter snatching Snotlout on Astrid's wedding day. The two seats next to Astrid were empty but next to Countess Berta sat Marchioness Stormheart. Nikora Stormheart was something of an enigma in the Noble social circles. The territory the Stormhearts governed lay all the way on the northern tip of the Berkian island. That area supplied 70 percent of Berk's fish so they had a large fleet of ships and several ports there. Astrid knew since she was small that this woman could be ruthless. She had a reputation and everyone knew she was loyal to only Queen Valka. What the Queen had done to earn such loyalty........... Now that was a mystery.