Daughter of Death -Chapter 9 (Patreon)

 CHAPTER NINE

It was like any other evening the men had shared in the past two years as they entered what they’d christened “Brickwall Cottage” and put their work things away in orderly fashion before lining themselves at three water basins and cleaning off the soil and soot of their day. Then they moved splitting off for separate duties.

Most of them had now assembled into the living area sitting down in their prospective seats, some chatting, some grabbing books and one curly-haired member of the company picking up a sack that sat beside his seat and pulling out a knitting project from inside.

It was only a minute or two later that the otherwise calm quiet of the evening was broken up by an exclamation from the kitchen, “What is this? Someone’s been in the apples!”

“Now Hulbard what are you on about?” Wendall, a dwarf with dark gingery hair, called out from nearby him in the kitchen as he opened the bread box.

“It’s just as I said: somebody’s gotten into the—”

“Bread!” Wendall finished as he saw someone had torn off morsels from their loaf instead of cutting it.

“What’s going on?” the oldest, Rutger, asked as he and the twins Jakob and Wilhelm came to the edge of the kitchen to see what the fuss was all about.

“Somebody’s gotten into the apples.”

“And the bread looks like,” Wendall added onto Hulbard’s point.

“Don’t you dare think of blaming me,” Gus put in as he too joined in the commotion. Seeing the state of the loaf he added to his point, “I would never tear off bread from the loaf like that no matter how hungry I got!”

“And I suppose you’d care to explain the apple core left here on the countertop?” Hulbard challenged.

“I know right well where the compost is. If I was going to sneak food before supper or before breakfast or whenever you’re sayin’ this occurred why would I leave so much evidence? Be sensible, man.”

“He has a point,” Ulrich called out.

“No one is accusing anyone of anything,” Wendall interceded, “Look I was the last one to tidy up in the kitchen this morning and I know that none of us have done this. Someone’s been in our house,” he concluded in a quiet voice.

“What’s that then?” Ansel asked as he tried to worm his way to the front of the group now gathered in the kitchen. He wished he was taller like Ulrich who seemed to tower over everyone at Brickwall.

“Shh! Wendall— do you really think so?” Rutger wondered softly in a firm commanding tone still despite his lack of volume.

“Yes,” his friend confirmed quietly.

Immediately Ulrich who was still in the living room got up and went for his utility belt that hung on his hook at the entrance to the cottage.

The others too seemed tense and were surprised when Ulrich returned carrying his knife which then prompted Hulbard to do the same as he grabbed a carving knife in the kitchen. “As a precaution in case they’re still around,” Ulrich explained as quietly as he could to his companions.

Feeling this was sensible, the other dwarves began to arm themselves too; Wendall grabbed a heavy rolling pin, Wilhelm and Jakob a cast iron pot and pan each while Rutger and Gus both went back to their belts for their protection. Small little Ansel looked petrified; his pale face now bone white and his eyes widened in fear. Oskar who had gotten up from his knitting came over and gave him a gentle pat on the arm in reassurance.

“We should look over our home for any sign of him,” Ulrich murmured to his companions, “Split up strong and big going with the others. Oskar you can stay here to watch over Ansel. Three upstairs, everyone else outside in groups to check the west and east sides of the cottage and surrounding area.”

With the plan made, and an agreed signal established for any moments of danger or discovery of the culprit, the dwarves set off to investigate who had come across their cottage whilst they had been away from it for the day.

They did not expect to find a young woman ‘asleep’ across three of their beds in the upper room.

Feeling as though it would be fine to send one member off to alert the others to the find, Hulbard sent Wendall downstairs. Soon, all ten of the dwarves were upstairs as quiet as they could be to gaze upon the young woman who had taken refuge in their home. They were trying to communicate softly whether they should allow her to sleep on when she gave evidence that she had begun to stir.

Reina had been waiting with some impatience for the dwarves to come across her and then for the entire company to come upstairs once she heard them send someone to fetch the rest. Then, with much excitement she began her charade of pretending to wake from her sleep. Though none of them actually frightened her, she screamed convincingly causing the blonde Ansel to whimper and the kind Wendall to try and immediately reassure her that they meant no harm.

“Where’ve you come from, child?”

“Please I-I got lost in the woods I didn’t... Please...” she snivelled.

“We won’t hurt you,” Rutger reassured as he stepped forward; his kind green-hazel eyes softened as he spoke to this stranger. “You are a long way off from any road or the castle village. Where was it you were headed?”

Reina had debated this already long and hard; whether to deceive or tell the truth but her conclusion was that they should immediately be informed of who she was: “Please sirs I’ve come from the castle...I’ve... I’m a princess! I’ve been driven from my home in the palace!”

The dwarves exchanged looks of confusion, concern and curiosity.

“I-I was...” And it was here that Reina made her first big attempt at theatrics by bursting out sobbing into her hands. She had never been one moved easily to emotion and so although this felt unnatural to her, these ten men did not know that. And it seemed they were fully convinced by the charade.

Both Wilhelm and Jakob immediately moved forward with Ansel leading to comfort the crying lass. “Oh it’s alright!”

“Don’t cry!”

“Dear- dear princess don’t cry!”

“They tried to kill me!” she cried, making note to start trembling.

“Who tried to kill you?” Errol spoke up for the first time in any considerable amount since he’d arrived home with his companions. His piercing blue eyes gazed at Reina with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

“The huntsman and my-my mother! My step-mother had me killed! But I escaped before the deed could be done!” she exclaimed gazing up with a wild and what she hoped was a terribly frightened expression.

“Wait and you are—?” Hulbard interjected trying to make clear this situation.

“I-I am Reina. Princess Reina of Bayern; h-heir apparent and your anointed future queen!”

Hulbard who had seen a portrait of Queen Imogene many times several years before when he’d lived in the village with his wife suddenly recognized the resemblance of this young woman to the kingdom’s late queen. Immediately he got to his knee and bowed to her. “Your Royal Highness.” When his companions looked to him in curiosity, he spoke to explain, “It is indeed the truth I see the resemblance to our late queen.”

Knowing of his past and the likelihood that he would recognize such things as truth, they too all began to go to their knees to bow to their princess. 

Reina hid a smirk. She hadn’t yet used her powers of persuasion yet; wanting to delay it for as long as possible simply to amuse herself. Instead she spoke in a shaky tone, “I-I thank you all for your reverence and I apologize with contrition for my unauthorized entry into your home. But I have been wandering for days without food or drink,” she lied, “and I was too hungry and exhausted to obey propriety. Please, do forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Majesty—” Ulrich put forward in a voice more tender than his companions had ever heard him utter. He was the tallest but also the most rugged and hardened looking of the bunch of them.

“Highness,” Errol corrected him softly. Reina was not yet Queen and therefore the title had not yet changed to Majesty.

“Please; no formal titles here! I have trespassed upon you and as this is such an informal meeting I am most embarrassed that you should attempt to pay respects to me in a moment such as this by using titles.” She tried to imagine what a humble, timid young princess might utter to gain sympathies. Her manipulative mind was correct in thinking this tactic would work; they were all immediately taken aback by this ‘humbleness’.

“You are most kind, Highness, but we cannot forego our own propriety as it were towards you in return for yours,” Oskar declared gently.

“Yes as was said there is nothing to forgive; your impropriety is completely and utterly understandable in these dire circumstances such as you have laid out to us!” Wendall proclaimed.

“So...your stepmother tried to have you killed?” Ansel spoke up timidly.

“Yes! She sent a huntsman from I know not where to come after me here in the forest! I fled and hid.” She let out a whimper feeling pleased with her own performance.

The assembly of dwarves looked between one another trying to digest this information. 

“Rutger: what do we do?” Ulrich inquired. All of the dwarves looked to Rutger the most often of anyone for leadership as he was the oldest and the one in charge of their mining operation.

Rutger sighed and closed his eyes. The sudden tiredness in his face made him seem older than his forty odd years. “I do not see what we can do,” he muttered finally. “If The Queen Mother- forgive me: The Dowager Queen is thus so evil and we but humble miners here in the forest I do not see how we might go up against such a person. Her Highness is not yet of age to succeed the throne. If we were to go back and tell our story who would help us? Princess do you know of anyone that you could trust with relaying your tale to?”

“N-no,” she stammered unhappily, “It is why I fled. I was afraid for my life and I did not think going back would have kept me safe. I do not know whether The Council agreed to this or no. I’ve no one that I truly trust except for my beloved Ferdinand who is a noble from another kingdom; the man I intend to be betrothed to. But he is away...he left Bayern weeks ago for his country and I do not know whence he shall return. Whoever planned this attack upon my life was clever enough to carry it out with foresight of seeing that Ferdinand was away. And now I have no one; no place to be!” she shrieked before burying her face in her hands again in sorrow.

“Come now child such is not the case. You may stay with us,” Wendall assured before glancing nervously at his companions. None of them refuted him.

“M-might I?” she blubbered. “A-at least until I can recover enough to travel and...and perhaps find Ferdinand...”

“You may stay with us,” Rutger agreed, “We will see to your recovery and in the meantime perhaps between us we can come up with what to do about this tragic change to your livelihood and your immediate future. It-it is most startling to learn that there is danger to The Crown and its future. But there must be a pathway to justice and your former birthrights being reinstated to you.”

“Oh bless you! Thank you!” Reina exclaimed offering both hands out to Rutger who took them and she kissed his knuckles in gratefulness before turning to each dwarf in turn to pay her thanks. All of them were moved to emotion and humbly allowed Reina the opportunity.

The Princess took this time to acquaint herself with each of these dwarf men through her senses alone. Looking at each of their faces and gently inhaling as she pressed a kiss to each set of hands she soon discovered which of them might appeal to her tastes most. All of them smelt poorly; she was used to court rituals of bathing and hygiene, however she could tell that the ones whom she would later learn were called Errol, Ansel and Wendall had the most appealing natural bouquets from the aromas issuing from the pores of their hands. She had come to find in her time since her partial transformation that each person had a unique scent and some were more appealing than others; those with more appeal also tasting better when she came into contact with their blood. These dwarves would hold no exception.

“We will of course have to arrange a bed for you,” Hulbard pointed out seeing as Reina still had three of the beds pushed together.

“Some of us can take turns on our divan until such better arrangements can be made,” Rutger decided. “We will furnish these three beds together as best we can for you, Princess, that you may have comforts and luxuries as best we can provide you in our humble abode.”

“You are most graciously kind. I thank you all,” she exclaimed –meaning it with some degree of truth in her heart. She had not had to demand anything yet using her powers of persuasion and she was impressed by the humble and fortuitous nature of these men. It pleased her to be provided for without question especially because they were not used to a life of waiting upon nobility much less a princess at that.

But there was one thing she could use her influence for now. “I am still hungry. All of you may go downstairs save for you,” she declared pointing and looking directly at Ansel. “I have told you I am still in need of rest. You have provided me with a hearty meal and may now go back to your previous endeavours while I rest upstairs. You will not notice anything peculiar about his absence.”

They all acknowledged her in some form or another; many wishing her a pleasant sleep or sweet dreams before each dwarf bowed in respect to her leaving Ansel and Princess Reina alone upstairs.

“Come here and sit beside me,” she bid him with a sly smile.

Young Ansel was only too happy to obey. Too bad.