The Council room was full once more, even Archmage Balariz had torn himself away from his research to join them. A logical move, considering that there were likely magical entities or traps in the underground, and they would have to coordinate with the mages to move the majority of the dirt and rubble from the Tangle. Or as the natives called it, Rats Nest.
Roderick had to agree with the commoners on the name, it was perfectly fitting: a nest of vermin that needed to be eradicated. A pity the King and Queen didn’t see it the same way. In fact they were even going to raise one of those rats up to a lady! He took a drink of his wine, the very thought ruining the taste of it. Vermin... vermin and criminals. This woman could never be a real lady, no matter how much they dressed her up. His eyes flicked up as the main door opened, Madam Alodia escorting in a scrawny young woman with pale blue eyes.
He didn’t bother to stand, instead studying her from his position near the head of the table. She was dressed fine enough, not as befit a lady of course, but not the rags he had expected. He noticed the way she toyed with a tarnished old chataline as she looked around the table, and how pale she seemed under her tan. She was nervous, good. She was undoubtedly aware that she didn’t belong here and never would, no matter what the King and Queen said. At least the prince wasn’t here to advocate for more than what she was already getting.
Madam Alodia guided her to a chair set at the very end of the table and offered her a reassuring smile, speaking softly to her. “Everything will be alright, you’ve nothing to be afraid of.”
Roderick took another sip of his wine, suppressing the urge to laugh. Nothing to be afraid of, he’d have to see about that. But not here, not under the very eyes of the King and Queen.
The royal door opened behind the thrones at the head of the table, and the King and Queen entered. Holding hands like young lovers still, it was sweet and foolishly sentimental. But even as they aged he could forgive a certain romance, as long as it didn’t interfere with the running of the kingdom. Roderick stood along with everyone else at the table, a certain satisfaction growing as the young woman, no, the girl, at the end of the table paled further.
“Thank you for gathering here today.” King Cynewulf said with a smile. “Madam Alodia, if you would announce our special guest?”
“It would be an honor, your highness.” Alodia curtsied, her head dipping nearly level to the table before she straightened. “May I please present Lady Daniella of Aurum, native of the Tangle.”
The girl dipped into a sad approximation of a curtsy, obviously doing her best to immitate Alodia but lacking the practice to make it truly graceful. “A pleasure to meet you, your highnesses.”
To give her credit, her voice didn’t shake, and her street rat accent was barely noticable. Had Alodia been coaching her already?
“It is a genuine pleasure to formally meet you Lady Daniella.” King Cynewulf said with the barest inclination of his head. “We apologize for taking you away from your work, but we trust you will find today profitable regardless.”
King Cynewulf paused and looked around the room, his gaze meeting the eyes of everyone gathered. “We are here to witness the ascension of Daniella of Aurum, native of the Tangle, to the rank of Lady, with all the rights, responsibilities and privleges that come with that rank.” He pitched his voice to carry across the room, the tone of command clear in it. It was not a request or a suggestion, it was a royal decree that could not be argued with.
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Rodericks stomach turned as he looked at the girl, the way she seemed to shrink slightly under the decree, her eyes wide and hands clasped tightly together, knuckles white. He twisted his smirk into some semblance of a smile, and joined the others in bowing to the girl. He bowed exactly as deeply as he was required, no more or less.
“Lady Daniella, since you are a native of the Tangle, you are now appointed Lady of the Tangle. There is much that needs to be done for the people there, and for the kingdom as a whole. We have been told you know much about these tunnels that go beneath our city?” Queen Mirabel said.
Roderick could see the girl swallow, her voice holding the barest tremor now as she spoke. “Yes, your highness.”
“Good. we require your assistance mapping and exploring these tunnels. But you will not be alone in your work. We have assigned Madam Alodia to assist you in this task, you will be working closely with Archmage Balariz, the head of the city guard Sir Orrin, and High Priest Lavear to coordinate exploration teams. You will also need to work with Archmage Balariz to coordinate the excevation of some portions of the Tangle. We understand that these are peoples homes, but to our understanding much of the Tangle is unsafe as it is.” King Cyneful said.
“Our intention is not to run people out of their homes, but to make homes that are safe for habitation.” Queen Mirabel added with a gentle smile. “Speaking of homes, we would like to assure that the Prince’s invitation to stay in the palace remains in place. Your room is ready for you if you wish it, and we do recommend it. You will be having plenty to do here at the palace.”
“I- thank you, your highness. But I have family I’m staying with, and I have a job in the city.” The girl said softly, lowering her eyes. “I can’t just drop everythin’ and move to the palace.”
Lord Roderick nodded slightly. She didn’t belong in the palace anyways. Let her stay among her so-called people in the Rats Nest. And the less time she had to manage her duties as a new noble, the more chances he would have to push things through. “I can of course help the young lady with her duties, if they weigh too heavily on her head.” He said, earning a surprised look from Madam Alodia. He met her eyes with a slight smirk. “The duties of a noble aren’t for everyone.”
“That is very generous of you, Lord Roderick. Perhaps you and Lady Orlaith can help shoulder the burden, but any final decision must be Lady Daniella’s.” Queen Mirabel nodded slightly.
Roderick’s own smile grew, and he pinned an almost predatory smile on Daniella. “Of course, your highness. I wouldn’t imagine any differently.”
“Lady Daniella, we will leave you in capable hands, we suggest starting with what you know of the tunnel systems and people. The more information your advisors have, the better they will be able to advise you on what to do.” King Cynewulf stood and held out a hand for Queen Mirabel. The Queen stood gracefully, and the two royals left the room, their doors closing behind them with barely a sound.
Lord Roderick looked back to Daniella and sat back down. “Now, if we could begin?”
One of the servants stepped forward, rolling out a map of the city finished only yesterday by the court cartographer. Another, thinner piece of paper was rolled out over it. Small golden weights in the shape of the kingdoms coat of arms weighed down each corner. Roderick noticed how the girl looked at the weights, and made a note to make sure she didn’t walk off with any. Damn rats and their sticky fingers.
“Please mark any entrances that you know of on this map, we will start from there.” Sir Orrin offered the girl a pen, one of Balariz’s contraptions that somehow held an entire bottle of ink.
The girl took the pen, staring at the map for a long moment. She licked dry lips, but nodded. “Yea- yes, of course.”
Roderick found that he was enjoying the discomfort the girl was experiencing. The way her hand just barely trembled, the paleness of her face and fear in her eyes.
She was going to be fun to play with.