Part Fifteen: Jalo's Confession
May. 15th, 2020 05:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sigridharemThe next morning, Sigrid woke from vaguely unsettling dreams to find Sasha already dressed while Klaus slept on beside her, face screwed up in a skeptical pout.
“I see you’re prepared,” she remarked, pushing aside Klaus’s arm so she could sit up properly.
Sasha nodded resolutely.
Sigrid sighed. “Come here and give me a kiss.”
She saw a bit of tension ebb from his features as he smiled at her before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers gently.
“I’m not scared,” Sasha whispered. “But my stomach’s all twisted up.”
Sigrid stroked his hair, trying to find the right words. I understand seemed likely to provoke him into pointing out that she really only had the faintest idea of what he was going through. My poor sweetling likewise might make him bristle for treating him like a child with a stubbed toe, although it was her first thought.
So instead, she pulled him closer and said softly, “No matter what he says or does, I will be there with you.”
Sasha bit his lip and nodded before turning away, blinking his eyes a bit too frequently. “Thank you.”
They let Klaus sleep on for a bit as Sasha helped Sigrid dress. She had meant to do it herself as she usually did, but Sasha was just a bit ahead of her to take everything out, and when she tried to gently push him aside by reminding him that he didn’t need to do any of this for her, he simply looked at her with those sad eyes and said, “Please, just this once.”
She didn’t have the heart to refuse him.
Sasha was fastening Sigrid’s cloak around her shoulders when Klaus stirred with a yawn.
“What’s going on…? Hey, Sasha, you’re not a butler.”
Sigrid turned but Sasha laughed before she could speak.
“You’re thinking of a valet. Have you ever seen Karl dressing Lady Sigrid?”
“I guess not…” Klaus mumbled. “What’s a valet?”
“Never mind that,” Sigrid interjected lightly. “You’d better get dressed yourself, it’s almost breakfast time.”
“Breakfast!” Klaus brightened, sitting up at once. Then, with a grin, “Hey Sasha, will you help me get dressed?”
“No.”
“You’re no fun!”
After Sigrid convinced Sasha that he did indeed need a fresh set of trousers and would be better off not re-using yesterday’s (“What? It only smells a little!”) they made their way down to the dining hall.
While Klaus ate heartily, Sigrid tried to calm her nerves and get down a reasonable portion for appearance’s sake if nothing else. Lord Hofn appeared mostly focused on devouring anything that was put in front of him, but it would be a mistake to think he wasn’t watching her movements
When the plates were taken away, Klaus noticed Sasha’s, which was virtually untouched.
“Hey Sasha, are you feeling sick or something?”
“Sort of,” Sasha said vaguely, not quite looking at Klaus. “I mean, yes.”
Klaus frowned. “Maybe you should skip the meeting and go lie down. I’m sure Lady Sigrid will-“
“No.” Sasha tossed aside his napkin and pushed back his chair, giving Sigrid a meaningful glance.
With a sigh, Sigrid stood. “As that’s settled, we should go.”
She heard rather than saw Klaus follow suit at the same time as Sasha, and though she suspected Klaus very much wanted to press Sasha further, he evidently sensed that this wasn’t the place, and they all walked to the audience chamber in silence.
“Something’s going on,” Klaus said suddenly, just before they entered. “Lady Sigrid, what aren’t you telling me?”
Sigrid hesitated. Of course he’d noticed, but what could she say?
Before she could think of a reply, Sasha spoke. “She did tell you. She freed that man from slavery.”
Sigrid’s stomach dropped. Klaus isn’t stupid. Don’t lie so easily to him!
Klaus opened his mouth, then paused, frowning. “I don’t think that-“
“The Princess Sigrid!”
The doors before them swung open, and Sigrid exhaled. I suppose the truth will come out soon enough anyway.
Lord Hofn was waiting for them, though fortunately Jalo was not at his side. Once Sigrid took her seat, Hofn grinned ghoulishly at her.
“Before I send for your petitioner, any thoughts?”
“I have a few questions to ask of him.” Not of you. “Why, do you wish to share anything?”
“Only that I must confess, I am greatly surprised to discover he is honest.” Hofn laughed, though Sigrid couldn’t see what was amusing. “I only brought him before you to shut him up.”
“His story may be true,” Sigrid said shortly. “But that does not necessarily make him honest.”
This time she was prepared for Hofn’s laughter. “Very true, your majesty! Very true. Alli! Bring in Jalo!”
Jalo walked in through the door closest to Hofn, accompanied by a guard and very nearly smirking. It was so clear he thought he had won that it made Sigrid want to slit his throat.
So she let him stand there for a long time in silence as she scrutinized him, waiting for the smile to drop off his face before proceeding.
“A question,” Sigrid said coldly. “Jalo, were you aware of a slave by the name of Kai?”
Jalo’s brow furrowed, and for a moment she thought Sasha had been mistaken, that he would deny all knowledge or had simply forgotten whatever incident Sasha wanted to remind him of. Then, “Oh, of course, the spy.”
This was news to Sigrid, but she didn’t let it show. “Go on.”
“Well, he was a troublesome one. Took weeks before Master considered him disciplined enough to wander freely,” Jalo said, so matter of fact he was almost cheerful. “Then he tried to run off, so we executed him.”
His nonchalance made Sigrid’s stomach turn. “You’re implying a murder was committed.”
“Murder?” That seemed to shock him. “No, no, he was a thief and a spy. He would’ve brought valuables and information to a foreign power. Master couldn’t let that happen, you see?”
“Vigilante justice,” Hofn said with distaste.
Jalo bristled. “It most certainly was n-“
“Where was the proof that he was a spy?”
“What?”
“Proof?” Sigrid repeated. “How did you know he was spying?”
“Master said so. I heard him speaking his foreign language once, too,” Jalo added, as though that were a crime. “He was a sneaky one.”
Hofn made a disgusted noise.
“You do realize this Kai could have merely been a person from another country, or even a person of this country with some knowledge of other languages?” Sigrid frowned. Potentially a person of importance either way, as commoners don’t tend to be bilingual. “What language did he speak?”
“Rússneska.”
The room went dead silent.
Murder was bad enough. The potential murder of a man from Rúsland was downright dangerous.
“You see, it was much safer to dispose of him quietly once it was clear he’d never be fully tamed,” Jalo continued blithely. “Really, you should have thanked Master for saving you the trouble, your majesty!”
“There is absolutely nothing on this earth that woman could have done to make me thank her for it!” Sigrid spat, unable to control her rage. “And you… you have no idea what you have just confessed to, do you? You colossal callous idiot!”
Jalo stared at her.
“Accessory to murder,” Hofn supplied. “I’m afraid I can’t have someone like you in my service in any capacity, Jalo.”
“What? But…” Jalo started to turn his head, then quickly turned back to Sigrid, then threw himself on the floor. “It wasn’t my… I didn’t… all I did was obey Master’s orders! Have mercy!”
“You’ve had plenty of choices since then,” Sigrid said grimly. “You haven’t chosen well. Hofn, I want him dead by sundown.”
She felt Klaus flinch, but she couldn’t give him her attention now, not when she was worried what would come out of Jalo’s mouth now he had nothing left to lose.
Jalo’s head whipped up and he glared at Sasha. “You! This is your doing, isn’t it, bratling?”
“I’ll thank you not to speak to either of my men,” Sigrid snapped. “Unless you want a death that is painful as well as certain.”
“I should have died with my Master. Better than being left to the whims of a twisted lunatic like you!” Jalo lunged for Sigrid, at the same time as Sasha threw himself between them. One of Hofn’s guards caught hold of Jalo before he could strike Sasha, hauling Jalo backwards with great effort, but Sigrid could feel Klaus trembling beside her. Sasha, arms spread out, did not move.
“Well, well, this has been surprisingly entertaining,” Hofn remarked. “And you’ve certainly earned your death sentence, boy. Attempted assault on a royal? Quite mad, boy.”
“You’re the mad one!” Jalo shouted, thrashing about so that Sigrid couldn’t tell if he was yelling at her, at Sasha, or even Hofn, though the latter seemed unlikely. “You think you can keep this up forever? You think no one’s going to find out?”
“That’s quite enough from you,” Sigrid said, standing up. “Although I can’t imagine what he means, I would consider it a courtesy if your men would gag him, Lord Hofn.”
“It would be my pleasure. He’s starting to give me a headache.” Sigrid didn’t trust Hofn’s smile, but so long as her orders were carried out she decided it mattered very little.
Jalo did not resist the gag, except to spit on the floor while glaring at Sigrid. Indeed, he seemed to have gone almost limp between the two guards as he was taken away.
Sigrid felt a slight pang of regret. She really would have preferred a non-lethal solution, but, she reminded herself, he’d given her little choice.
And now it seemed she had a Rúsland mystery to untangle as well.
“I see you’re prepared,” she remarked, pushing aside Klaus’s arm so she could sit up properly.
Sasha nodded resolutely.
Sigrid sighed. “Come here and give me a kiss.”
She saw a bit of tension ebb from his features as he smiled at her before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers gently.
“I’m not scared,” Sasha whispered. “But my stomach’s all twisted up.”
Sigrid stroked his hair, trying to find the right words. I understand seemed likely to provoke him into pointing out that she really only had the faintest idea of what he was going through. My poor sweetling likewise might make him bristle for treating him like a child with a stubbed toe, although it was her first thought.
So instead, she pulled him closer and said softly, “No matter what he says or does, I will be there with you.”
Sasha bit his lip and nodded before turning away, blinking his eyes a bit too frequently. “Thank you.”
They let Klaus sleep on for a bit as Sasha helped Sigrid dress. She had meant to do it herself as she usually did, but Sasha was just a bit ahead of her to take everything out, and when she tried to gently push him aside by reminding him that he didn’t need to do any of this for her, he simply looked at her with those sad eyes and said, “Please, just this once.”
She didn’t have the heart to refuse him.
Sasha was fastening Sigrid’s cloak around her shoulders when Klaus stirred with a yawn.
“What’s going on…? Hey, Sasha, you’re not a butler.”
Sigrid turned but Sasha laughed before she could speak.
“You’re thinking of a valet. Have you ever seen Karl dressing Lady Sigrid?”
“I guess not…” Klaus mumbled. “What’s a valet?”
“Never mind that,” Sigrid interjected lightly. “You’d better get dressed yourself, it’s almost breakfast time.”
“Breakfast!” Klaus brightened, sitting up at once. Then, with a grin, “Hey Sasha, will you help me get dressed?”
“No.”
“You’re no fun!”
After Sigrid convinced Sasha that he did indeed need a fresh set of trousers and would be better off not re-using yesterday’s (“What? It only smells a little!”) they made their way down to the dining hall.
While Klaus ate heartily, Sigrid tried to calm her nerves and get down a reasonable portion for appearance’s sake if nothing else. Lord Hofn appeared mostly focused on devouring anything that was put in front of him, but it would be a mistake to think he wasn’t watching her movements
When the plates were taken away, Klaus noticed Sasha’s, which was virtually untouched.
“Hey Sasha, are you feeling sick or something?”
“Sort of,” Sasha said vaguely, not quite looking at Klaus. “I mean, yes.”
Klaus frowned. “Maybe you should skip the meeting and go lie down. I’m sure Lady Sigrid will-“
“No.” Sasha tossed aside his napkin and pushed back his chair, giving Sigrid a meaningful glance.
With a sigh, Sigrid stood. “As that’s settled, we should go.”
She heard rather than saw Klaus follow suit at the same time as Sasha, and though she suspected Klaus very much wanted to press Sasha further, he evidently sensed that this wasn’t the place, and they all walked to the audience chamber in silence.
“Something’s going on,” Klaus said suddenly, just before they entered. “Lady Sigrid, what aren’t you telling me?”
Sigrid hesitated. Of course he’d noticed, but what could she say?
Before she could think of a reply, Sasha spoke. “She did tell you. She freed that man from slavery.”
Sigrid’s stomach dropped. Klaus isn’t stupid. Don’t lie so easily to him!
Klaus opened his mouth, then paused, frowning. “I don’t think that-“
“The Princess Sigrid!”
The doors before them swung open, and Sigrid exhaled. I suppose the truth will come out soon enough anyway.
Lord Hofn was waiting for them, though fortunately Jalo was not at his side. Once Sigrid took her seat, Hofn grinned ghoulishly at her.
“Before I send for your petitioner, any thoughts?”
“I have a few questions to ask of him.” Not of you. “Why, do you wish to share anything?”
“Only that I must confess, I am greatly surprised to discover he is honest.” Hofn laughed, though Sigrid couldn’t see what was amusing. “I only brought him before you to shut him up.”
“His story may be true,” Sigrid said shortly. “But that does not necessarily make him honest.”
This time she was prepared for Hofn’s laughter. “Very true, your majesty! Very true. Alli! Bring in Jalo!”
Jalo walked in through the door closest to Hofn, accompanied by a guard and very nearly smirking. It was so clear he thought he had won that it made Sigrid want to slit his throat.
So she let him stand there for a long time in silence as she scrutinized him, waiting for the smile to drop off his face before proceeding.
“A question,” Sigrid said coldly. “Jalo, were you aware of a slave by the name of Kai?”
Jalo’s brow furrowed, and for a moment she thought Sasha had been mistaken, that he would deny all knowledge or had simply forgotten whatever incident Sasha wanted to remind him of. Then, “Oh, of course, the spy.”
This was news to Sigrid, but she didn’t let it show. “Go on.”
“Well, he was a troublesome one. Took weeks before Master considered him disciplined enough to wander freely,” Jalo said, so matter of fact he was almost cheerful. “Then he tried to run off, so we executed him.”
His nonchalance made Sigrid’s stomach turn. “You’re implying a murder was committed.”
“Murder?” That seemed to shock him. “No, no, he was a thief and a spy. He would’ve brought valuables and information to a foreign power. Master couldn’t let that happen, you see?”
“Vigilante justice,” Hofn said with distaste.
Jalo bristled. “It most certainly was n-“
“Where was the proof that he was a spy?”
“What?”
“Proof?” Sigrid repeated. “How did you know he was spying?”
“Master said so. I heard him speaking his foreign language once, too,” Jalo added, as though that were a crime. “He was a sneaky one.”
Hofn made a disgusted noise.
“You do realize this Kai could have merely been a person from another country, or even a person of this country with some knowledge of other languages?” Sigrid frowned. Potentially a person of importance either way, as commoners don’t tend to be bilingual. “What language did he speak?”
“Rússneska.”
The room went dead silent.
Murder was bad enough. The potential murder of a man from Rúsland was downright dangerous.
“You see, it was much safer to dispose of him quietly once it was clear he’d never be fully tamed,” Jalo continued blithely. “Really, you should have thanked Master for saving you the trouble, your majesty!”
“There is absolutely nothing on this earth that woman could have done to make me thank her for it!” Sigrid spat, unable to control her rage. “And you… you have no idea what you have just confessed to, do you? You colossal callous idiot!”
Jalo stared at her.
“Accessory to murder,” Hofn supplied. “I’m afraid I can’t have someone like you in my service in any capacity, Jalo.”
“What? But…” Jalo started to turn his head, then quickly turned back to Sigrid, then threw himself on the floor. “It wasn’t my… I didn’t… all I did was obey Master’s orders! Have mercy!”
“You’ve had plenty of choices since then,” Sigrid said grimly. “You haven’t chosen well. Hofn, I want him dead by sundown.”
She felt Klaus flinch, but she couldn’t give him her attention now, not when she was worried what would come out of Jalo’s mouth now he had nothing left to lose.
Jalo’s head whipped up and he glared at Sasha. “You! This is your doing, isn’t it, bratling?”
“I’ll thank you not to speak to either of my men,” Sigrid snapped. “Unless you want a death that is painful as well as certain.”
“I should have died with my Master. Better than being left to the whims of a twisted lunatic like you!” Jalo lunged for Sigrid, at the same time as Sasha threw himself between them. One of Hofn’s guards caught hold of Jalo before he could strike Sasha, hauling Jalo backwards with great effort, but Sigrid could feel Klaus trembling beside her. Sasha, arms spread out, did not move.
“Well, well, this has been surprisingly entertaining,” Hofn remarked. “And you’ve certainly earned your death sentence, boy. Attempted assault on a royal? Quite mad, boy.”
“You’re the mad one!” Jalo shouted, thrashing about so that Sigrid couldn’t tell if he was yelling at her, at Sasha, or even Hofn, though the latter seemed unlikely. “You think you can keep this up forever? You think no one’s going to find out?”
“That’s quite enough from you,” Sigrid said, standing up. “Although I can’t imagine what he means, I would consider it a courtesy if your men would gag him, Lord Hofn.”
“It would be my pleasure. He’s starting to give me a headache.” Sigrid didn’t trust Hofn’s smile, but so long as her orders were carried out she decided it mattered very little.
Jalo did not resist the gag, except to spit on the floor while glaring at Sigrid. Indeed, he seemed to have gone almost limp between the two guards as he was taken away.
Sigrid felt a slight pang of regret. She really would have preferred a non-lethal solution, but, she reminded herself, he’d given her little choice.
And now it seemed she had a Rúsland mystery to untangle as well.
