Helga and Jerome

Helga was unsure what to think about Alessandra’s hurried explanation of events. She was sure it was truthful, but she was an experienced mother and knew that crucial pieces were missing. She figured that this was one of the instances where the child was using her undeniable cuteness to try and keep herself out of trouble by deflecting all the blame to the adults. To be fair, if there were anything to be mad about, the adults around her would bear more of the responsibility until Alessandra was more aware of the proper behavior that was expected of her. However, Helga decided to start letting the child know that phrasing tricks like this wouldn’t work.

“I see, so a Paladin was beating you for no reason then? If that’s what happened, it’s very concerning. If she was beating you for no reason, I need to know so she can be arrested and sent to the Life Mages. Is that what happened?” Helga asked Alessandra. Alessandra squirmed under Helga’s glare.

“No,” Alessandra said, scuffing her feet on the ground. “We were playing with toy swords, and she was winning,” Alessandra said in a small voice.

Glad to see that the girl seemed to understand that what she had tried to do was wrong, Helga softened her gaze and knelt to look the child in her eyes. “I know you can get excited, and what you tell me won’t always make sense, and you may accidentally leave something important out, but you can never try to get other people in trouble so that you won’t get in trouble. Do you understand Alessandra?” Helga asked the girl, who was on the verge of tears.

“Yes, Miss Helga,” Alessandra said, holding back tears, “I’ll try not to do that again.”

“You're not in trouble if you understand why what you tried to do is wrong, but you need to apologize to Paladin Arabelle for trying to get her in trouble,” Helga told the girl. She gently but firmly turned Alessandra towards the Paladin and gave her a push forward. After a bit of foot scuffing, the child looked up at the Paladin, who was doing an admirable job of hiding her emotions, and spoke.

“I’m sorry for trying to get you in trouble with Duchess Helga and Mr. Jerome earlier. I shouldn’a have done that,” Alessandra said.

“I’ll forgive you this time, child, but you can’t do it again,” Paladin Arabelle said with a suspicious twitch of her mouth.

Helga clapped her hands together and said, “Now that that’s out of the way, get another drink Alessandra, and we’ll head for the baths before supper. Caretakers, you need to grab a drink as well; leave all the gear here. Servants can clean up today. We can send a maid to grab new dresses for all of you on the way. Paladins, would you care to join us, or will you be cleaning up in the barracks?”

“I think we will join you, My Lady; it will give us a chance to more clearly understand what services you expect of us,” Paladin Arabelle replied.

“My Lady, please tell the maids to make sure that the dress brought out for Alessandra has no green anywhere; I do not want another fight tonight,” Caretaker Suzzane pleaded.

****

Jerome ruminated over his day as he made his way to the men's bath. His meeting with the king went well, though the short court that he was forced to attend was annoying as they always were. He was glad that the mystery of which God had Touched Alessandra was answered. He could have wished it was one of the lesser Gods rather than the Fates. At least it wasn’t one of the crazy Gods. He wasn’t that surprised that one of Alessandra’s other gifts had started to manifest, but two were concerning; he would have to start her magic training sooner than expected. He also realized that he would have to be on his toes with Alessandra, she was a clever one, and if he weren’t careful, she would have him wrapped around her pinky. Catching sight of Countess Moor, he called out to her.

“Kathrine, if you have nothing going on right now, you should join Helga and Alessandra in the baths; I’m sure the Caretakers could use your help wrangling that child,” he said, “Plus, the Paladins were going to discuss their duties with Helga.”

“As My Lord commands, I shall subject myself to the horrors of a hot bath and an exuberant child,” Kathrine said with a bow that would have been perfectly correct from anyone else, but from her was mocking.

“You know if I were any other Duke, you would have lost your head by now,” Jerome stated.

“If you were any other Duke, I would have overthrown you by now,” Kathrine stated. They both chuckled at her half-joke, knowing full well that if she put her mind to it, she could probably pull off a coup, and went their separate ways.

Entering the bath, Jerome sighed, a little disappointed that he was alone while Helga had plenty of company. At the same time being alone was nice at times, just not today. Today he would have liked having someone to talk to.

****

Helga had forgotten how quickly a child's mood could change; on the way to the baths, Alessandra had been quiet and withdrawn, but as soon as they had entered, she started chattering away, telling Helga all about her day. Helga waved off the Caretakers and Paladins' attempts to help wrangle the girl telling them to relax. She didn’t voice it, but she wanted some Mommy-Daughter bonding time and let the girl chatter away, making appropriate noises. She wasn’t surprised when Kathrine entered, though she suspected the woman wasn’t expecting a half-naked arrow to the gut.

“Mrsf Kertf, I mefsdg you today,” Alessandra said, her voice becoming clearer as Helga pried her away from a gasping Kathrine.

“Alessandra! Look what you did to Lady Kathrine. You could have hurt her. Hugs are ok, but be more careful,” Helga scolded.

Alessandra noticed Kathrine was just getting her breath back and looked at her with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was excited,” Alessandra said remorsefully.

“It’s alright, Alessandra; I just wasn’t expecting such an…. enthusiastic greeting,” Kathrine said with a fond smile. “Next time, please don’t headbutt me, though.”

Helga wrangled Alessandra back over to the changing benches and helped her finish undressing and started on herself. The Halrond court was unusual among the powerful nobles as they didn’t have servants helping them do every little thing like dressing or wiping their behinds in the toilet. Helga had thought it was odd when she first married Jerome but had quickly seen the wisdom of doing the little things herself and appreciated the time away from prying eyes. She was going to wean Alessandra from the help as soon as she felt the girl could handle the complex, to her, clothing herself. She hoped she could dismiss the Caretakers within the year but wouldn’t send them off until she was sure Alessandra didn’t need them.

“Are your duties done for the day, Kathrine, or are you just taking a break?” she asked as she hung up her dress.

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“More or less done, Helga. Jerome suggested I join you and the Paladins here to join your discussion,” Kathrine replied.

“I thought that might be the case. Let us relax for a bit. Alessandra, why not tell Lady Kathrine about your day? I am sure she would like the tale of your epic battle,” Helga said, feeling only slightly bad about sending the girl to bother the other woman while she finished getting ready for the bath; the Paladins and Caretakers were already rinsing off, and she wanted to soak.

Alessandra happily pranced over to Kathrine and immediately started her disjointed telling of the Battle of the Playroom to her while Kaathrine was quickly disrobing. When both women were ready, they moved to the bathing chamber and helped each other, and Alessandra rinse the worst of the day's sweat off. When Alessandra mentioned her shadow-walking, Kathrine gave Helga a concerned look that she acknowledged with a slight nod. Slipping into the water, Helga let out a sigh, just relaxing for a bit until she had to get back to business. Her relaxation didn’t last long, being rudely interrupted by a small body causing a large splash.

“ALESSANDRA! DO NOT JUMP INTO THE BATH!” Caretaker Suzzane yelled, being the only person far enough away from the impact not to be inundated.

Spluttering, Helga reached out and grabbed the projectile in question and hauled it over to her side, and pretended to glower at the child.

“We do not jump into the bath, Alessandra. We only jump into the water when we are swimming …. And before you ask, we do not swim in the bath,” She gently scolded.

“ All right ,” Alessandra said in an unrepentant, sing-song voice. She did settle down, so Helga decided to let the matter rest. Using a towel as a pillow, she settled in, letting the stress of the past few days melt away. After a few minutes, she was relaxed enough to deal with the Paladins' questions about their duties quickly.

“Paladin Arabelle, you wanted to talk about your duties? Countess Kathrine is in charge of our personal guards, so she can handle any general concerns. Did you have any specific concerns?” she asked.

“I had a couple of specific concerns; I met Countess Kathrine yesterday and dealt with the general concerns. Firstly, though, please just call me Arabelle. I have found that informality serves better when I live with those I’m protecting.” Helga nodded her acceptance of Arabelle’s request. The Paladin continued, “I wondered what things you want us to pass on about Alessandra’s behavior. I assume you want to know about any manifestations of her magic.” Helga nodded her agreement. “What about her general behavior if we catch her lying or starting fights? General childhood issues like that?” the Paladin asked.

Expecting something like this, Helga had already prepared an answer, “I don’t want you to spy on her, nor are you her Caretakers. Unless it threatens her safety or you notice her Caretakers leaving a concerning pattern of behavior out of their reports, I don’t expect or want you to report on stuff like that. Keep her safe but allow her to be a child. Let her fall out of trees or jump off a rock and break an arm. Don’t let her jump off a cliff or try to chase a rabid dog. I trust your common sense, Arabelle.”

“Fair enough, stealing cookies is ok; stealing money is not,” the Paladin said with a smile.

“ Stealing is wrong! I won’t ever steal from Miss Helga or Mr. Jerome! ” Alessandra declared, slapping the water for emphasis. “If you steal, the Guards will send you the Life Mages. I had to hide in The Wet ‘cause I stole. I never want to do that again,” she said in a quiet, fear-filled voice.

Silence overcame the bath with Alessandra’s declaration, everyone staring at the girl who was shaking in fear. Helga gently turned the trembling girl to face her and chose her words carefully. It was easy to forget, with her generally cheerful attitude, that Alessandra had a lot of trauma and fears, both rational and irrational, that she had to overcome and that one wrong word or action could trigger her.

“Alessandra, sweety, Arabelle wasn’t accusing you of being a thief. She meant normal childhood mischief, like grabbing two cookies when you were told you could have one. She may have chosen her words carelessly and will need to be more careful in the future,” she sent a meaningful glare at the Paladin and continued, “I promise you that Jerome and I will not send you to the Life Mages for punishment ever.” She pulled Alessandra into a protective hug and whispered, “You are safe with us.”

Helga held the now crying child and saw Kathrine move over to the Paladins and Caretakers, motioning them out of the bath, leaving Helga alone to comfort Alessandra.

****

Jerome was reading a book about the last Champion of Fate while waiting for the women to emerge from their bath. When the Caretakers and Paladins came out without Helga, Kathrine, or Alessandra, he was not concerned, already expecting such an occurrence, and continued reading. After five minutes without anyone else appearing, he closed his book, approached the waiting women, and noticed their concerned looks.

“What happened?” he asked, directing his question to the senior Paladin.

“I made a mistake, My Lord. I made a quip about stealing cookies, but not money, when asking Duchess Helga about what sort of behaviors to report, and Alessandra broke down in fear about being sent to the Life Mages. Duchess Helga is calming her down, and Countess Kathrine is waiting to help get Alessandra dressed. Alessandra’s Death Aura did not flare up,” the Paladin reported.

Rubbing his temples, Jerome reminded himself that it was early days, and Alessandra had not had any counseling. He had been warned that there would be issues and that this was no one's fault and not something to get upset over. Do not yell at the Paladin, he told himself; that won’t help. You are only upset because you can’t go into the bath and hold your wife and future daughter.

Having his initial reaction under control, he looked over at the gathered women and spoke, “I don’t know what your dinner plans are, but consider yourselves dismissed for the night. If you were planning on joining us in the main hall, wait for us there. If not, I will see you in the morning. No one is in any trouble, but I think it would be best for Alessandra to have a bit more time to calm down before she sees you again. Caretakers, after dinner, just head to your chambers. Helga and I will put Alessandra to bed tonight.”

A minute or two later, Helga, Kathrine, and Alessandra came out. Alessandra was dressed in a simple dark red dress without puffy sleeves, Jerome noticed. Helga looked upset but not angry, though Kathrine looked annoyed to be in an evening dress. Alessandra wasn’t quite clinging to Helga and seemed subdued. When she saw Jerome, she forced a smile and walked over and held up her arms, silently asking to be held. Jerome, feeling a pleasant warmth in his chest, obliged. He was surprised by the strength of Alessandra’s hug and had to gently loosen her stranglehold around his neck.

“Is it true that you won’t ever send me to the Life Mages to be punished? Even if I steal cookies?” she whispered into his ear.

“Never,” he whispered back, gently stroking her hair. Looking down at her as he gently rocked her, he saw a bit of purple in her raven-black hair. Great, he thought, more rapid changes due to the blasted Blessing.

****

While dinner wasn’t a somber affair, it was quick, as only Kathrine and Counselor Nadine joined the Ducal family. Helga made Jerome wait in the hall as she got Alessandra changed. After changing the girl, she let Jerome in and listened while he read her a story about one of his innumerable ancestors who had gotten himself killed in some border conflict or other, though he didn’t get that far before the child fell asleep. Upon leaving the chamber, one of the night shift Paladins stepped into the room to begin her vigil. A page passed her a message from Counselor Nadine that informed her that she would like to start her sessions with Alessandra in the morning. Penning a quick reply while she walked, she dismissed the page.

Entering their chambers, she turned to Jerome and asked, “Are we really ready for this? We knew she would have issues, but having a meltdown over a simple quip? And now we find out that The Fates have decried that we have to raise her while keeping her Fate from her. Can we do this?”

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Jerome replied, “We can. We don’t have to do it alone; we have resources no one else does. You are one of the most patient people I know and can wait out her tantrums and meltdowns. Know that no matter what, we have each other, and the boys that’s enough. It’s only been two days, and she is already hugging us and hiding in your skirts. That’s probably a good thing." He released her, went to the small dry bar and poured two small glasses of cognac, handed her one, and said, "Now let's relax and let’s get some sleep." Giving her a mischievous smile as he sipped his drink, he added, "Unless you feel up to some night fun?”

Helga slapped him lightly on the back of his head and downed her drink. Swaying her hips suggestively as she walked behind her changing screen, she called out, "Not tonight, My Lord, I've had enough excitement for one day."