Jerome and Helga
After breakfast, Jerome went to his office to prepare a brief report for the King on what he had found while hunting for Alessandra. He needed to be careful with his wording; he could get away with being blunter than most due to his familial connection but couldn’t criticize the king’s policies in writings that others might see. When it was time to leave for his meeting, he wasn’t pleased with his report but slapped the word preliminary to cover any phrasing that could cause problems and headed to the garden gate. A pair of Kingsgaurd and an appointment secretary were waiting for him on the other side.
“Your Grace, the King is awaiting you in the family conservatory,” the secretary said with a curtsey. “The King has asked me to tell you that this meeting will be recorded as a family meeting and that you are to speak freely. He will be waiting for you by the pond.”
Jerome nodded an acknowledgment at the woman and followed her to the conservatory. He was unsurprised when the guards and secretary stopped outside of the conservatory. Making his way through to the indoor gardens, he saw the King lying on the ground. At first, he thought he was asleep, but the King tilted his head back as he approached.
“Good morning, Jerome. Did you enjoy your jaunt through The Wet?” the King asked.
“I can’t say that I did, Your Majesty, but the outcome looks like it will be good,” Jerome said.
“None of that, cousin. I thought I had told Maria to tell you this was a family meeting, no formalities here,” the King said while standing up and motioning Jerome towards a nearby bench.
“I always assume formality first, safer if someone else had shown up between your message and my arrival. Do you want a written report or just verbal?” Jerome asked while taking a seat.
“Verbal only; knowing you, my advisors won’t like what you have to say. Also, I think this is more personal than business from that adoption application that I got this morning,” the King said, also taking a seat.
“Unfortunately, it’s both. You have court soon. Are you sure you want to get into this now? It will take a while to get through,” Jerome said.
“It’s an informal court today, so it can wait. Most of the nobles attending today are pricks anyway; they can wait on the pleasure of the king. If they have to spend some time standing around in those impractical shoes that are all the rage right now, maybe the complaints and favor requests will go quicker.” Motioning at his clothes, the King continued, “I see that Helga is insisting that you attend from your clothes.”
“For the start at least, I have some meetings to attend after lunch. Let me give you an overview of what happened and why I think we will need an official meeting later.” Taking a breath, he continued, “It all started when Helga and I came through the city gate, and my Mage Beacon went off….”
****
After breakfast, Helga had a quick chat with the Archbishop and Investigator, in which she was informed that they had nothing new to talk about. The Archbishop was going to give Alessandra a bit of time to play before she spoke to her; she didn’t want the girl to feel like she was being lectured or interrogated. The Investigator was going to take a contingent of Inquisitors to sweep the brothels in the slums; some things Alessandra had said led her to believe that child prostitution was rampant down there. Helga felt she was too excited by the prospect of what would happen when the City Council and Guards tried to interfere, but that was her business. Helga took the opportunity to meet with Counselor Ufton about the meal plan for the next few days.
“I had the opportunity last night to do an in-depth scan of Alessandra’s condition, and it’s not as bad as I feared from other children that have escaped the Slums,” Counselor Ufton said. “If you will give your chef and me some time alone, we should be able to work out a more interesting menu than I had initially thought. To give you an idea of my thoughts, I want to add some light meats like fish, poultry, and reptile.”
Choosing not to linger on the menu, unlike many nobles, she and Jerome kept a simple table and were fine with whatever food the chefs preferred to serve; she asked about Alessandra’s overall health.
“You mentioned you did an in-depth scan of her overall condition. What were your findings?” she asked.
“I did. She is in an acceptable condition, with none of the lingering illnesses I would expect to see. However, I noted that she had signs of recent parasite infestations in her digestive system and lungs. Did you have a Death Mage treat her yesterday?” Counselor Ufton asked.
“We did, but she also noted the absence of any of the expected parasites or illness’,” Helga answered.
“Curious. She is a Death Mage, but she shouldn’t have been able to clear herself of anything yet. This may be out of bounds, but do you know her level of inherent control?” Counselor Ufton asked.
“We do; I won’t tell it to you, Jerome, and I want to keep that information secret. I will tell you it’s ridiculous.” Pausing to think for a second, Helga continued, “Her aura could explain why she did not pick up anything in The Wet, but self-cleansing is a difficult skill to learn, so if she did that, it was most likely instinctual. Did you notice anything else?”
“Her strong aura could explain the self-cleansing. I did notice a few other things that you should be aware of. She has a few poorly healed broken bones and a lot of soft tissue damage. I have already started remedial healing of the bones; fortunately for those, she is young, so they are relatively easy to fix. The soft tissue damage worries me more. While easier to fix than the bones, it indicates that she has been beaten repeatedly and frequently. She may have some long-term psychological damage from the beatings. Counselor Rathmon is aware of this, of course, and will try to help her with any issues that arise,” Counselor Ufton said.
Sighing in relief that she hadn’t received any unexpected revelations, Helga responded, “Archbishop Octavia and I already expected that last part. That is one of the reasons we sent for you so quickly,” Helga responded. “If there is nothing else, please meet with the chef and work out that menu you talked about.”
At the clear dismissal, Counselor Ufton bowed and left.
After the Counselor left, Helga moved on to her next task finding a tutor for Alessandra. She had sent out a message to the Temple of Education before waking Jerome asking them to send over an Educator, and a page informed her that a couple had arrived during her meeting. She asked the page to send them in. The page led in two older men and a middle-aged woman dressed in the fashion currently popular with prosperous commoners, loose tunics with billowing sleeves and tight trousers for the men and a loose skirt for the woman. All were bearing an educator’s pendant.
Standing as the Educators came in, Helga greeted them, “Thank you for coming so quickly; in all honesty, I was not expecting you until this afternoon.”
“Not a problem, Your Grace; we often get requests for Educators from visiting nobles. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Chief Educator Lucius,” motioning to the older man behind him, who bowed, “This is Educator Yates,” gesturing to the middle-aged woman next, he continued, “And this is Educator Theron. I brought them along so that you could interview them. Both have experience Educating young nobles.”
Acknowledging the introductions with a slight nod of her head, Helga narrowed her eyes at the Chief Educator’s last remark and asked, “I appreciate the introductions, Chief Educator, but I must ask; did you even read my message or just see who it was from and come rushing over?”
The Chief Educators’ eyes widened at Helga’s question and replied, “I’m not sure why you ask that, Your Grace. I did scan it and saw that you had a new ward that needed tutoring and brought over the Educators most experienced in educating young nobles.”
“I see,” Helga replied. She leaned back in her chair and put on her most disarming smile. “You did not read it then. I am not in need of your services; please leave. I have no need of an Educator that will not educate themselves before offering their services.”
The Chief Educator gaped at Helga and quickly tried to salvage the situation, “Your Grace, don’t….”
“Guard!” Helga yelled. Helga felt that an example needed to be made of the Chief Educator; one did not argue with a Duchess when she dismisses you. When the guard opened the door, Helga pointed imperiously at the Chief Educator and said, “Remove this man from my presence; no need to be gentle.”
Without a word, the guard grabbed the Chief Educator by his arm and threw him into the hallway, knocking over the chair the man had been sitting in. Bowing slightly to Helga, the guard closed the door on his way out, blocking the Chief Educator's sobs of pain. Hiding a wince, the guard may have been a bit over-enthusiastic; she looked at the thoroughly confused and cowed Educators and said, “No need for you to be worried as long as you are polite. I am not in the habit of punishing others for someone else’s mistakes. I will summarize what I need. If you feel that you can fulfill my requirements, you will get the job. If not, I would appreciate your recommendations for someone who can. Is this acceptable?” The Educators enthusiastically indicated that it was, so Helga continued, “My husband and I have taken guardianship of a newly Awakened mage and intend to bring her into noble society. She is a young but smart girl. She has street smarts but is completely uneducated. I would want you to start her basic education, nothing about noble life; I will take care of that myself.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Educator Yates spoke first, “Your Grace, while I could handle the education part of your request, I don’t feel that I could handle a young child at my age. I respectfully withdraw my application.”
“I appreciate your honesty, Educator; please step outside; the page will take you to a sitting room and see your needs.” After he had stepped out, Helga raised an eyebrow and asked the remaining Educator, “And how about you, Educator Theron? Do you feel that you can do the job?”
“In all honesty, I think I could. I am going to turn the job down, however, Your Grace,” Educator Theron replied. She indicated the overturned chair opposite Helga. Intrigued, Helga nodded her permission. Setting the chair upright, Educator Theron continued, “I’m turning it down because I feel that the Chief Educator’s actions may have tainted your impression of me, Your Grace. I am not so in need of a job that I will take a position with a client that has the slightest mistrust of me. However, as you requested, I have a young Educator in mind for the position. He is a younger son of a Landed Lord with no political ambitions. He runs classes in the main Fluffy orphanage twice a week and wouldn’t want to stop, so if you can work with that, I can send him over this afternoon.”
“He sounds like the type of Educator I asked for,” Helga replied, “If he is interested, send him over. Please wait a few minutes while I write out a gate pass and initial employment offer for him.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Educator Theron said.
Picking up her pen, Helga sighed. Even when trying to hire an Educator, social climbers, and politics reared their heads.
****
“….and with that, we became her temporary guardian, awaiting the outcome of the Investigation. That’s the situation as of this morning, Nico,” Jerome said, finishing up his story.
“Sounds like you have had an interesting vacation so far. I knew that the City Council was up to something in the Slums, but I hadn’t heard that they were letting diseases run rampant down there. The state of the food they are allowing the merchants to sell there is just as concerning to me. I think I will send a few Knights down there to ‘encourage’ the wholesalers to sell better food to the local merchants,” the King said, frowning. “When the investigation surrounding how you rescued Alessandra is done, send over the final adoption paperwork for my approval; I’ll sign it immediately.” Glancing at his watch and seeing that it was near eleventh bell, he stood and said, “Come on, let’s go piss off a bunch of petty nobles by holding a short court and dismissing them before they can pester me.”
Following the King thru the palace to the throne room, Jerome ruminated on the King’s response to his revelations about the situation in the Slums. He wasn’t surprised that King had some idea about what the City Council was up to, but his response puzzled him. Usually, the King would go head-hunting if he heard about someone abusing commoners on his private lands. He was probably planning something dramatic once he had enough evidence. He chose not to voice his suspicions and followed behind the King in silence. Arriving at the back entrance to the throne room, he turned to head towards the main entrance when the King grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.
“And where do you think you’re going, Duke Halrond?” the King asked.
“I was going to go to the main door. Is that a problem, King Nico?” Jerome asked.
“Today it is. I want to send a message to these useless hangers-on about their place in the power structure. You entering with me will let them know who has my ear,” the King answered.
“Very well, let’s go poke some noses,” Jerome said, resigning himself to an hour or two of politicking. He had been hoping to cough on Countess South Lake and sneak out, but that was out of the question now. Jerome thought that if he had to get dragged into a Court day, he would play the part as best he could. Time to be the dour face in the background.
The chamberlain, having announced the King and the Duke of Halrond, entered. The King entered and waved the chamberlain over.
“I will not be hearing any requests today, only reports. I have no patience for sycophants today,” the King said in a stage whisper.
“Very well, Your Majesty,” the chamberlain said. Turning to the crowd of nobles, the chamberlain raised his voice, “Court is now in session; the King has decided that today’s Court will be for reports only. Requests will not be entertained. You have been warned; disobey at your own peril.”
Jerome sighed silently and prepared to be bored.
****
Jerome was pleasantly surprised that a little less than a bell and a half passed before the last report was given, and the King dismissed the Court. Making his excuses to the King, he hurriedly made his way through the Courtiers and passed by Countess South Lake, coughing in her direction as he passed. He was pleased to hear her screech and run off in the opposite direction, the snap of one of her heels audible.
Having taken care of Helga’s business, he talked to the few nobles with whom he was on good terms; he then made his way out of the throne room as quickly as propriety allowed. He quickly made his way through the garden gate back to his townhouse, where he was met by a messenger from the Educators Temple complaining about their Chief Educator returning from a meeting with Duchess Helga with a broken arm, collar bone, and three broken ribs, and numerous bruises. He replied curtly to this message, sending back if they didn’t want their Educators returned damaged, then educate them on how not to piss off Duchesses.
Making his way back to his office, with a detour to the kitchen for a meat stick and ale, he settled down to write a more diplomatic report of his activities for the Guild and King's advisors. After about half an hour, he was interrupted by his door opening, admitting Helga and a young man he had never met before. As there was no more than the regular guard outside his door, he assumed that he was no threat. Glad for the interruption to his Gordan damned paperwork, he set it off to the side and said, “Good afternoon, dear. Whom might this be?”
Helga took a seat before answering and motioned her guest to the other chair.
“This is Educator Declan, of the House of Nalain. He has been recommended as Alessandra’s tutor. As he is from a noble house that does not swear fealty to us, I did not want to officially hire him without you meeting him. I am reasonably convinced he is not going to break the confidence of anything he might overhear,” Helga explained.
Leaning his chair back, Jerome studied the young man sitting across his desk. He showed only a little nervousness at being in the presence of the two most powerful nobles in the Kingdom. Jerome was unsure if that spoke to his bravery, confidence, or stupidity. Only one way to figure out which one it was.
“Lord Declan, while I don’t question my wife’s judgment in offering you the job of tutoring my new ward, I would like to hear your reason for wanting the job?” Leaning his chair back forward, Jerome looked the young noble directly in the eyes, “As I have never heard of your house, and I assume you are a younger son.” At the Educators nod, he continued, “If you are hoping to be rewarded for your service with your own fief for your service, let me disabuse you of that notion now.”
Lord Declan didn’t flinch from Jerome’s gaze and answered, “Duke Halrond, I accepted this interview on the advice of my mentor, who had an interview with Duchess Halrond this morning. I did not come here to make a political connection for myself or my family. I have voluntarily stepped away from family politics. As you have guessed, we are an inconsequential House from the Duchy of Lorand, though we only answer to him through our Count. I had more than enough noble scheming growing up and joined the Educators Temple at the earliest opportunity. I only want an honest wage for honest labor out of this arrangement. The challenge of Educating a child fresh from the streets intrigues me. Hopefully, I can give her a good foundation to work with by the time you return to your own lands.”
Standing and extending his hand, Jerome said, “Good answer, Educator. If the terms offered by the Duchess are acceptable, you are hired.”
Taking the hand, a bemused expression on his face, Educator Declan replied, “They are, My Lord. I must ask, though, why only the one question?”
“As my wife brought you to meet me, I don’t question your qualifications as an Educator. I just needed to see if there might be any political considerations in seeking this position. Your quick, concise answer cleared that up. I will be keeping an eye on you, of course, but not much more than any other new employee,” Jerome answered. “If that’s all, I’ll have a page take you to the seneschal to sign the Gordan be dammed paperwork, and you can start your work whenever you and Helga agreed.”
“That is all, My Lord. I look forward to working for you,” the Educator said.
Jerome summoned a page, instructed her to take the Educator to the seneschal, and dismissed them both. Unsurprisingly, Helga stayed behind. She waited until the Educator and page had shut the door before speaking.
“So did you get to annoy Countess South Lake?” she asked.
“Yes, I did. She broke a heel running from me,’ he answered with a small chuckle. “I’ll check and see if anyone happened to capture the scene with a spell.”
“OOOHHHH, I hope so. I would love to see that. I am sure Victori would like that as well; she hates her more than I do,” Helga said with an evil grin.
“Is that all you want to know about my morning? No question about my meeting with the King? No question about court gossip?” Helga shook her head no. “Well then, I do have a question about your morning.” Chuckling, he picked up the message from the Educators Temple, “What did the Chief Educator do to piss you off enough to get himself, and I quote, a broken arm, collar bone, three broken ribs, and numerous bruises.”
Before Helga answered, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Thankful for the interruption, Helga quickly said, “Enter!”
Jerome’s secretary poked his head in and said, “Sorry for the interruption, but Archbishop Octavia is here, and she says it's imperative that she speaks to you now about Alessandra.”
“Well, please send her in then,” Helga replied.
The Archbishop entered the room, and Jerome noticed that she looked very pale. He quickly got up and helped to his chair, figuring that it would be more comfortable for the shaken woman. She didn’t even seem to notice where he had led her and looked at them both with a worried gaze.
Helga broke the uncomfortable silence, “Is Alessandra ok? Is she hurt? Did she kill someone?”
This broke the Archbishop out of her fugue, “She’s fine, for now. In the future, who knows? I can tell you with absolute certainty now that she is not God-touched.” Jerome and Helga visibly relaxed at her answer. The Archbishop shook her head at that and continued, “It’s much, much worse for her and you than that. She is Fate-touched.”