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Chapter 2
Estelle was not a morning person. Then again, she wasn’t sure if anyone in her family was. As ordered, before dawn, the maids had woken her up and began the normal preparations for the day. Though she was able to fall asleep, few would count it as restful, and the Princess had hoped the solicitors would be few that day. And in a sense, as she stared out her window at the pouring rain, she would get her wish. But it was also eroding her own resolve. Still, she had to stick to her plan and after a quick breakfast, Estelle dressed simply, a cloak covering a plain gown, with a blade strapped to her hip.
Carrying a weapon was not frowned upon Qalendor as most of the military had once been mercenaries and still were recruited to the day. Though it was odd to see a lady carrying a blade, many figured it was because she walked alone. And as she joined the long line of solicitors as the dawn broke, few even looked her way. Many such individuals had travelled for days in hope of seeking help from the Court. It was best to be prepared on such travels.
As the day wore on, the rain did not let up, the droplets raining harshly down on the line. Other folks stuck mostly inside, running quickly through the rain when needed, otherwise trying their hardest to stay dry. Estelle kept her hood up, her hair carefully braided into a tight bun on top of her head when she had been getting ready. Her family had multiple redheads, and often drew a crowds’ attention, even in such horrid weather. So, she kept her hood low, using the excuse of shielding her face from the rain as she waited, the line shifting forward ever so slightly every few minutes. As the day wore on, Estelle noticed the line seemed to be moving faster. It wasn’t because of the build up of heat from the sun- the storm clouds kept it well hidden. No, people were leaving the line, having suffered long enough under the torrent rains. It seemed they would try another day to talk with the Court. It made the Princess smile as it raised her own chances of seeing her father today.
It was hard to distinguish the time as the sun was well hidden, though Estelle assumed it was past lunch as her stomach growled awkwardly. Still, she saw the main entrance to the Courts ahead and knew it would be within an hour or so for her to be standing in front of it. She regretted not packing a snack for her wait, and glancing behind herself, she realized the line was still quite long. It would be foolish to step away so close to the finish. Steeling herself, she stood straighter, ignoring her hunger pains and mentally prepared for the debate she would have to have soon enough. Luckily, below her coat in a beeswax treated case, the documents she had gathered sat, dry away from the rain.
In what felt like an eternity and a flash, she was soon next to be seen. The great entrance way kept the King’s guards and admittance staff dry as they took the next solicitor’s name. They all looked bored and slightly relaxed, as if they too would rather not be stuck outside in the rain, even though they had cover. One of the heralders beckoned Estelle over. With a deep breath, she approached.
The heralder didn’t even look up, a large ledger sitting in front of him. It was 2/3 of the way full, a quick name and statement as to why they wanted to speak in front of the court today. Though Estelle had been taught such practices in lessons, she had never stood before the evaluation before. In her lessons, the position of heralder seemed honorable, a wall between the people and the Court. But this man looked bored to death. Blatantly, she wondered how many of her lessons were sugar coated, never expecting a member of the Royal family to be in a position to question them.
“State your name and business for visiting the courts.” The heralder’s voice had a droning sense to it, like he didn’t want to be there. It stiffened Estelle’s shoulders, but the red head let out a quick breath, relaxing her posture. She wasn’t here as a Princess today. She was a representative of the West.
“My name is Estelle, and I have concerns about events in the West.” She figured a simple answer was best, but an odd energy developed. The guards seemed more at alert. The other heralders, even with their own solicitors, perked up, as if curious about what was about to go down. The one in front of her sighed, adjusting his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. For some reason, her statement had upset the man.
“Please, do not use fake names when soliciting the Court. Using false information does not gain any favors in there and will just draw His Majesty’s ire. So, what is your name?” The heralder finally looked up from his ledger, but the hood of the Princess’ cloak was deep, making him only see shadows. Estelle felt herself frowning at his statement, confused.
“My name is Est-“ Before she could continue, the other person raised his hand, cutting her off.
“Try again.” His tone was brisk, and his eyes almost glared at her. She imagined a lesser person withering beneath such a gaze, but this was Estelle, the 3rd Princess who had spoken against her father The Majesty multiple times in her life. Instead of bowing down, the concealed young woman stood straighter.
“I have waited all day in the rain to be able to approach the Court with my issues. My name is Estelle but if you feel I am lying, feel free to put any name you desire. It won’t change what I have to say in front of His Majesty.” Her tone left no room for arguing, and after a silent debate through stares, the heralder sighed, and shook his head.
“It will be you insulting the court, not I. But fine, Lady Estelle, you will be announced shortly.” His tone dripped with sarcasm, but he had mentally moved on from the conversation. Estelle wished she could have caught the man’s name, maybe give him a taste of vengeance later. But as she saw an inner administrative member step out the pull of the next solicitor, she decided to drop it, turning on her heels. Still, her steps were measured and anyone who had been around any sort of nobility for a time could tell she had some etiquette training. The heralder caught her graceful exit, and raised an eyebrow, but waved off his concerns. He saw hundreds of people, many of whom would pretend to be relatives of the King to get ahead in line. Then again, the young woman had waited in line without protest, just to drop the name at the end…
“To the Court, I present, Es-“The herald of the Court paused as he finally read the proclamation, glancing behind himself at the cloaked figure, their hood still pulled firmly over their face, water pooling on the marble floor. His pause had stirred the members of the Court, even the King who had relaxed his posture sat straighter. Gulping, the man began to read the paper aloud once more, “To the Court, I present Estelle, with concerns about Events in the West.” As the name of the solicitor was read, muffled whispers began to circulate around the Hall. Estelle’s name was well known throughout the Kingdom, so having a child named after royalty may have happened, but everyone knew the 3rd Princess had yet to reach 18, so anyone with that name would have to be younger or lying. Most of the whispers wondered who in their right mind would be using it, wondering if they expected to curry favor with the King. But one person did not heed the whispers, and in fact sat at his full height now, studying the cloaked figure with a tense stare. But the person didn’t falter, and in fact began to approach the center of the Court. A thin pale hand came up, dropping the hood and the chatter began once again, louder this time.
Two sets of nearly identical brown eyes stared at each other from afar, as father took in his daughter. Etiquette was thrown out the window, though a few advisors bowed properly when greeting a Princess could be seen at the corner of their eyes. But Estelle hadn’t come to the Court as a Princess, but as a member of the Kingdom, and so she stood, silent, waiting until they settled back down. She didn’t give His Majesty a chance to speak, falling into a proper curtsy and completely silencing the rest of the Court.
“I greet you, His Majesty King Hyder, who blesses this land like Zolarius blesses Giara every morning.” He held her pose; head bowed. Her hair had kept in the tight bun, so she couldn’t use it as a curtain to peer unnoticed, but she kept glancing at her father for the sign to continue. It came a second past a normal expected delay, but after it felt like everyone had begun to hold their breath. A simple wave of his hand and the room collectively released their breath and she straightened. From her lessons and having experienced the line personally, Estelle knew the best thing to do was be quick and concise- dragging out the conversation would lose favor.
“Over the past few weeks, a flood of reports has come in from the West. At a glance, it would seem none of these reports were connected, but from the series, I believe a select few are indeed connected.” She pulled out her scroll case, uncapping it and grabbing the papers from within. She passed it to the nearest knight- she might be of royal blood, but this was The Court, no one could approach the members except an Honored Knight. He was hesitant to grab them, but only briefly, quickly moving them to the large table. The advisors all glanced about themselves, before looking over the paperwork. Most were quite familiar with the reports, having sent aid to those in need, and dismissing it otherwise. Soon, most of the documents ended up at the edge of the table, in the hands of Reilly Varvara, Master of Navigations. Unlike the others, something must have stirred in his mind as he studied the papers a bit longer. But Estelle couldn’t dwell on that now, instead, looking up at her father. “I request to the court to allow me to go an investigate. I will bring my personal Manservant, Sanders, and any knights you wish to accompany me. I would only need the support of rations and manpower only if you want. I would like to head out as soon as the rations are gathered. Thank you for listening to my plea.” Estelle ended her statement with another curtsy, bowing her head a bit lower in respect.
She noticed a few of the masters and advisors were nodding their heads, though if it was because of her delivery, or because of her request, she couldn’t say. Finally, the Speaker, Liha, spoke up. She was the oldest member, once being the Masters of Trades, but with age, she had stepped down. Still, as a well-respected member of the Court, no one wished to remove her entirely. So, she became the voice of the table. Her voice cracked from age, and had a softness to it, but she still spoke loud enough to be heard even across the hall. “Such a request will take time to deliberate, please rest in the waiting area while we speak briefly.” She raised a withered hand, pointing to a set of doors being pushed open by two knights guarding it. There was a brief pause, and a look of concern flashed in Liha’s eyes as she realized she had treated a Princess without using her title, but Estelle already was moving towards the door, smiling gracefully. She spoke, calming the older woman’s nerves, “Like I said before, today, I am Estelle representing the people of the West. I hope we can meet again and exchange proper titles.” Before walking through thedoors, allowing them to deliberate without the prospect being present.
Once she passed through the doors, they were pushed closed, and Estelle found a bench next to some refreshments. No servants were present, as this was not a common area to expect any form of nobility, so the young woman sighed, collapsing slightly onto the bench and resting her eyes for a moment. She worked her pale hands through the tightly wrapped bun on her head, gently massaging her scalp to release some of the tension that had gathered there. She was thankful her maids had suggested a tight updo, making it easier to hide who she was until the last second. And the Court didn’t instantly dismiss her case. In fact, they were talking about it now. She had done her part, and hopefully, she would be allowed to head West. None of the cases had stated any obvious signs of violence or assault, though a few people were missing. Most had recently had something tragic happen, and many assumed the worst. But not all. A few were younger members of the Kingdom, and the current assumption was they eloped with secret lovers or ran away to find a place to prove themselves. Much in a way Estelle was trying to do, by championing for the West.
“Lady Est-er, uh. Your Majesty, 3rd Princess Este-“A knight had pushed open the door, and a heralder had walked in, but being younger, possibly a page, the redheaded couldn’t help but smile as he stumbled on his proper etiquette. It had been a few minutes since she had come into the room, and had re-arranged herself, gently sipping on a water flavored with fresh fruit. Setting down the up, the princess rose, cutting him off with her words, and approached as he began to bow. She touched his shoulder, causing him to freeze, and a blush developed. In a huff of breath, he spoke quickly, “The Court will see you now.”
Estelle nodded, “Thank you for informing me…” and walked past, leaving the young man dumbfounded and uncertain. She noticed the knights who had watched the conversation glance at one another, but neither saluted her, which was fine. The princess never liked watching the knights suddenly standing at attention just to go back to their previous stance. It made her feel like a ripple of superiority. Maybe if she was dressed properly and wearing a crown, such actions would be alright. But not today, when she was still damp from the rain, in plain clothes.
As she found the spot before the Court, Estelle stiffened slightly as she saw her answer already written on many of the members’ faces. They were not looking her way, glancing away and avoiding eye contact. Liha was not standing, instead sitting in her spot and looking down slightly. Only one person kept their gaze steady on her. It was the King. He slowly rose, a ripple of heads turning, all clearly shocked he would speak instead of, well, the Speaker, but no one said anything.
“Estelle, I would like to thank you for your diligence to the people, even those on the far edges of our Kingdom. We have looked over the papers you have provided and cannot merit the actions you have requested. This was the decision of the court.” And with that, the doors leading to the exit were pushed open. Everyone held their breath. Arguments between the King and the 3rd Princess were not unheard of, many staff members reporting to have heard them from behind closed doors. No one could deny she inherited her father’s spirit. But it seemed time had finally matured the girl into a woman as instead of becoming angry and demanding to hear their reasonings, Estelle fell into a curtsy.
“Thank you for taking the time to hear my plea and considering my request. May Chonova stay far away from you and your households, and Dyrth smile upon you every day.” And turned. A few of the Court members responded with similar statements, as it was a common blessing shared when departing, but most seemed confused, as if expecting a fight. Even King Hyder looked slightly taken aback, his dark eyes watching Estelle leave the Court, pulling her hood up as a particularly bright flash of lightning cast her in a silhouette. She disappeared into the storm quickly, presumably to head back to the castle, and left the Court in whispers and side conversations. One person did not join though. Reilly still poured over the documents left behind, frowning. He had a feeling they were connected as well, but didn’t quite know yet.
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