Noblesse oblige

Part 29

Chapter 29

The Queen sat at her desk in her private study and tapped her pen with frustration. She was trying to compose a missive to the future Duchess Jorgenson but everything she had tried to write sounded more like her being overly paranoid than was necessary. She already had finished her missive to Dr. Thornston, asking her to look into the disease that was making its way from the harbour areas into the city, stressing that her husband was thinking of calling on the good doctor to spearhead the operation to eradicate the sickness on the day of the garden party.

A knock on the door startled Valka out of her thoughts and a sharp "Enter" from her saw the door being pushed open by a fairly young knight, the boy might have even been recently promoted from squire, enter while struggling to hold several scrolls.

"Your Majesty," The young man bowed so low that the scrolls slipped out of his grip and he then flushed from embarrassment as he quickly tried to pick them up. Valka bit her lip so as to not laugh. The elder knights usually sent the younger recruits to her so that they can become acquainted with the presence of royalty they will one day be protecting. Valka told the young man that there was no harm done and then proceeded to inspect the scrolls. They were, as she expected, copies of letters sent between Duke Jorgenson and the Regent of the Southern Isles Lars Westengaard.

"Your Majesty, I am supposed to also relay a message from the Vice-captain of the guard." The young man added as Valka perused the scrolls. "He said that given the nature of the content that he could not send them on their way."

"Indeed," Valka frowned as she read one of Spitelout's letters. This changed a lot as the subject matter suddenly got more sinister. While snatching another scroll a sealed envelope fell out of the pile. The Queen looked at it with a frown. She had instructed several knights to intercept Duke Jorgenson's messages, not Lady Camicazi, yet here a letter was and specifically addressed to her as well.

Unto Her Majesty, the Queen of Berk, the letter began formally as Valka read. Lady Camicazi Jorgenson nee Bog sends greetings. There is an urgent matter that needs to be brought to your attention as a life may be on the line. This line was disconcerting unto itself and Valka read further. Lady Jorgenson expressed her concern for a maid in her new household that might have familial ties to Duke Jorgenson and thus also have ties to the Royal family. The letter went on to detail the horrifics the maid endured and Lady Jorgenson implored her Majesty to give shelter to the young woman at the palace. Valka wouldn't immediately believe the rumors of an illegitimate Royal but she would order Mala to investigate this girl's origins. The Queen was also pleasantly surprised when Lady Jorgenson detailed her acquisition of the House Seal of the Jorgenson family and her initial foray into the accounting books where according to the Lady something seemed to not be quite right yet she couldn't put her finger on it. The Queen was never so glad to hear this as in her own missive she was trying to find a way to ask Lady Jorgenson to look into the budgets for her without raising a red flag.

The Queen asked the young knight to summon Captain Heather as she immediately composed a reply letter to Lady Jorgenson. Thinking of what else she needed she also composed several other letters.

One to Countess Berta who could sway her husband, the Minister of Finance, if the Queen needed an emergency fund and one to Baroness Hofferson who through her merchant family connections could discreetly deliver any supplies needed.

A longer letter was composed to Duchess Larson who was known to sponsor several artists. However, these were no mere artists but in fact Master forgers. Duchess Larson had an incident a couple of years back where the curator of the museum she was sponsoring an exhibit at, had hired these men to make forgeries of the paintings the Duchess provided out of her own collection. Now normally no one would have spotted the fakes but the Duchess had a keen eye for art for as long as the Queen could remember. Things came to a head and the curator was arrested. Instead of pressing charges on the forgers themselves she instead decided to sponsor them if they were to create original art pieces. Valka still remembered the Duchess' response at one of their usual tea parties "It would have been an awful waste of talent, I say!" the woman had remarked when Valka had asked for her reason. To this day the artists had been loyal to the Duchess and Valka would need their help. There was no way she would let Spitelout communicate directly now with Lars Westengaard if the contents of the letters were as they seemed. The three letters were sealed in envelopes and the Royal Berkian seal was pressed in wax upon them before they joined Lady Thornston's letter.

Her last letter of the night however, was an informal one. She had just started the letter with 'Dearest Nikora,' when Captain Heather knocked on her study door before slipping inside.

"You called your Majesty?" Heather asked.

"Heather, Windshear is one of the swiftest dragons amongst the knight corp. I need these letters delivered fast and discreetly." Valka stated as she wrote the last letter under the lamplight. "There is no one I can trust more with these right now."

When the garden party finally did happen Valka did her rounds of schmoozing and rubbing shoulders. She was glad that Countess Berta, Duchess Larson, and Baroness Hofferson had accepted. It was a little code she and the ladies used. If they accepted a proposal between them they would show up to the party. If they did not accept they would not, feigning illness usually as an excuse. It was a neat little system that required no talk that could be overheard. Both Lady Jorgenson and Lady Astrid also seemed to have caught onto something and with a few more social gatherings they would soon also master the ins and outs of the system.

Once Valka had a chance to slip away from the party she went in search of Nikora whom she spotted near the cordoned off part of the botanical garden. This was Valka's own section that she cultivated and no one would dare to intrude on the Queen's private place unless personally invited.

Both women conversed as they walked arm in arm into the garden. Mostly talking about their personal lives, mostly their husbands.

"He promised you the world Valka. He promised you love, happiness, a family of your own. I chose to step aside willingly." Nikora said somewhat sadly at some point during their walk. "With the way things were in my family at that point, I could promise you none of that. I'm actually happy with what we have right now. Even if this is just platonic. I wouldn't trade my friendship with you for the world."

"Even if I were to ask you something that might be near impossible?" Valka queried.

"Always," Nikora winked and smiled.

"I will need you to kill Stoick and I," Valka deadpanned which caused Nikora to sputter, losing some of her composure, before exclaiming "WHAT KIND OF HAIR-BRAINED SCHEME DID YOU THINK UP THIS TIME?!"

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AN:

Vala: (Watches porg scramble into the microwave) "HARRY YOUR PORG WENT INTO THE MICROWAVE OF HIS OWN VOLITION!"

Harry: "What?!"

Vala: (holding microwaved pizza) "What could have scared the Porg that much?"

(Increasing amounts of meeping can be heard at the windows)

(A flock of stalkerish and horny female Porgs assault the windows)

Harry: "Ah, it's the season,"

Vala: (groans because cooking the Porg now would mean getting bitten by that whole flock)