KATRIN+SEVDA; squandered opportunities
Who: Top bitch & mini-bitch
When: SOMETIME ... in the later part of July
Where: Katrin's office, Hold
Rating & Warnings: G, none!
Her wounds had healed. Ten rakes that started at the top of her spine and ripped downward, the outermost two barely scratches. They'd bled and oozed and itched, but now they were only scars. Katrin's head was twisted to look at herself in the mirror, and, satisfied, she shrugged her tunic back on and buttoned it up to her throat. Grey had lasted far longer in memory than she'd hoped he would, both in her own injury and in the grief that her niece bore for him. She pulled her gloves on, tight over each finger.
"Send for Sevda," she said softly to one of her attendants, and the girl bobbed her head with a quick, "Your Highness," before she hurried away. Near all the servants in the Hold were in her purse; she'd listened curiously as one had, weeks ago, confessed to bringing in a Guardswoman for the Princess Sevda to meet with. The girl hadn't been able to repeat what had been said between the two, but Katrin could guess. Her own children - or very nearly her own - had begun to doubt her. Disappointing, but not unexpected. They were children, after all. All children of a certain age questioned their elders... but not their aunt, not the Duchess. She'd sighed and dismissed the girl and considered sending for the Guardswoman herself, but she knew that would be useless. Cosimo would hiss accusations of her, Katrin would strike her down, and the situation would only worsen and repeat itself. She had to go to the heart of the matter, to Sevda's distrust. If she could win the girl back, it wouldn't matter what the Guards hissed in her ear.
The governess had been mid-sentence on the importance of a certain stitching technique Sevda had not bothered enough attention to catch its name when the servant girl came for her. The call was not completely unexpected. Sevda had sworn, in Katrin's presence, to avenge Emilian's death. It was almost nearing a month since then and she had yet to make any progress. She felt frustrated, cornered, and ashamed. Now Katrin would bring her failing to light and find disappointment in her.
She reined these feelings inside, allowing the servant girl to lead with forced composure in her step. The words of the two guardswomen were a distant thought, not the center of her attention, but nevertheless lingering. Perhaps Katrin had heard of this, too. She honestly had no idea how the duchess would take it.
The guards outside Katrin's office announced her presence and opened the doors for her with Katrin's acknowledgment. Refusing to show uncertainty, Sevda stepped inside and curtsied. "Your highness."
She turned at the sound and smiled, copper hair glinting in the firelight. "Dearest. Come, sit." She motioned her attendants away with a brief wave of her hand, and when the doors had closed behind them Katrin settled her full attention on her niece. The girl did not look nervous. She was stoic for her age; it might signify nothing, or it might mean that she'd been wrong to suspect her niece harbored doubts against her.
Resting one ankle against her other knee, the Duchess' head tilted before she spoke. "I have heard, Sevda," she said softly, kindly, "That you have been mirroring your brother's... investigations. Inviting Guardswoman Cosimo to the Hold. Contacting the others, I've no doubt." A guess, but one she suspected to be true. If her family wasn't so taken with their ledgers it might be easier for her to pay servants to take a look at their writings, but so far they'd kept them close and safe. A boon, really. Better the Royal children were careful rather than careless about who saw their private conversations. "Now, I suspect the Guard has hastened to give you their opinions regarding their ongoing investigations... and those that are now closed." Katrin smiled gently. "Do I have it right, dearest?"
It wasn't that Katrin was questioning about her investigation that surprised her, but that she was apparently 'mirroring' Arman. Her brows knit together. Arman was investigating Grey's death, too? Since when?
"Yes, you're highness. That's correct," she said, looking directly at Katrin as she always did. "But I was unaware that Arman was also inquiring of Sergeant Grey." Did that have any weight on their reluctance to come forward? Two did, sure, but two of how many?
Sevda's frown didn't go unnoticed; was she unhappy Arman had his nose in the Guard's dealings as well? The two had seemed tense in each other's company as of late. Katrin wondered idly if they'd fought, and decided she would be happy if they had.
"He is not, solely. Arman wished to assist the Guard to gain insight into their workings; your father and I allowed it. Yet you have not asked permission," Katrin pointed out gently. "I do commend you for pursuing answers so fiercely, dearest, but I wonder what made you keep your curiosity hidden from us."
Her eyes widened. Permission? She hadn't...? With a flush, Sevda realized that in her zeal to find out what the truth was, she had completely forgotten about regulations. "My most sincerest apologies, your highness," she said, genuinely ashamed. "I was so caught up in..." No, excuses were just that -- excuses. She bowed in her seat. "I humbly ask forgiveness for my oversight."
Katrin nodded. "You are forgiven." The girl in front of her was not acting, she could tell that much. Whatever the Guard had hissed in her ear, her niece still respected her.
"Tell me what you've learned."
"Thank you, your highness." Sevda raised her head and thought about it, though the duration was short. She had already come to the decision long ago that she would not betray her word to the guards that trusted her enough to speak, even if what they said was baseless and made in anger. If she were to have any hope in discovering the truth of who betrayed Grey, she needed to forge some semblance of trust between her and those she questioned.
"Frustratingly little," she said, brows furrowing once more. "The Guard does not wish to share information with me."
A lie, but one that Sevda found pardonable. If she could figure out the truth, bring to light Grey's betrayer, she could throw the accusations of the Guard against her aunt back in their faces and kill two birds with one stone. The duchess would understand.
"Curious news," Katrin murmured, her eyes narrowing. "Even after you summoned Guardswoman Cosimo to your rooms, she would tell you nothing? You should not suffer such disobedience lightly, dearest. The Guard are our subjects as much as any other in Tyrol. If they defy you, you are well within your right to have them punished."
She drew a deep breath, then let it out in soft disappointment. "If they will tell you nothing, everything I know is yours." She smiled briefly. "I trust your discretion and, between you and I, I suspect your judgment to be far superior to your brother's in these matters."
The duchess' permission to hold authority over the Guard was mildly surprising, though also very encouraging. More over, the comment of basically dissing her brother stunned her into silence. Sure, she felt that her opinions on Grey and the Others were superior to Arman's, but it was a whole other thing when the duchess said so, too. Sevda was quite unsure what to make of it.
The duchess was opening herself to questions? Gracious, but Sevda wondered why. If Katrin knew of anything about Grey, wouldn't she have already acted on it?
"I have...been trying to find out who might have known of Sergeant Grey's Otherness prior to the incident." She found herself more and more unwilling to call it a betrayal, even if an attack on the royal family was, by the book, a clear one.
Katrin nodded, one gloved hand curling to rest lightly against her chin, index finger at her temple. She knew, of course. Cosimo had known what Grey was. Aguilar had seen. She doubted the others had any idea; Grey had been a guarded sort. She'd long trusted him as one of few men whose information could not be bought. Otherwise, she would never have allowed her niece to grow so close to him.
"There had long been rumours of an Other within the Royal Guard," Katrin said quietly. "It was what I called upon Grey for, that day. To question him, if he knew about who it might be. More than one of his colleagues knew what he was, and had known for some time." The Duchess' head tilted. "Though Cosimo is the only one I can be sure of. Have you more leads than that, dearest?"
"No." Katrin knew that Cosimo knew? She looked down at her hands, frowning, then looked up at the duchess again. "Why did you not call Cosimo instead of Sergeant Grey?" It would have prevented the attack, Katrin would not have been wounded and Emilian might have been left his life, she thought.
"I did not trust Guardswoman Cosimo," she replied, her smile apologetic. "Now, or then. To both our misfortunes, I trusted Sergeant Grey." When she leaned back against her chair the scars on her back pulled and stretched uncomfortably, and Katrin bit back a wince. Her smile was all teeth when she spoke next, her voice both harsh and wistful. "Would that I could interrogate each and every Guard in our service. But such methods would bring distrust... and we cannot afford that." Her smile softened when she seemed to focus again on Sevda.
"Tell me, does the Guard still believe I conspired to murder Myron?" Time to learn exactly how bold they'd been with her niece.
Sevda held back a sigh. Cosimo. She had hoped the guardswoman would be an ally in finding Grey's betrayer, but her anger was (in the Sevda's opinion) grossly misdirected, rending her problematic more than helpful.
She paused. Even if she felt her word to the Guard was of key importance to hold, Sevda still felt guilty for lying to the duchess. "No, your highness, there was no mention of Myron." Another pause, this one much shorter, as she made to change the subject. "Is it all right, discussing this?" she asked, a hint of concern in her face. "The King advised me not to trouble you with these matters..." Katrin did sound a bit strained.
"Of course," she said emphatically, frowning. Was Ishmael trying to keep something from her? She would get it out of him later, whatever it was. "Your father is easily troubled," Katrin said with a thin smile. "I am not."
She tilted her cheek against her hand again, eyes narrowed. "I find that exceptionally surprising, but I know you would not lie to me, dearest." Katrin looked away for a moment, forehead furrowed in worry. Sevda was lying to her. Even without her guilty pause - and Katrin had learned to catch such things when to miss them could mean a betrayal - she knew the Guard held no love for her, and would leap at the opportunity to have another Bharquites ear. No doubt they did the same to Arman. "Do you have any other questions, Sevda?"
She sucked in her bottom lip. Perhaps she should have told Katrin but asked her to keep it a secret instead -- ah, but it was too late now. There was no reason to overly worry. The duchess would understand. Her aunt would understand.
"No, your highness. But..." Sevda exhaled deeply, then continued, voice unsure, "No doubt they will spring up in the future. May I write to you then with them?" Even if Katrin made it clear that she was all right with discussing the topic of Grey's investigation, Sevda still felt a little guilty for disobeying Ishmael. If they were to communicate with the ledgers, perhaps he would catch wind of it.
Katrin looked back, examining Sevda for a moment before she smiled. "You may. Anything you wish to know, dearest." She straightened up again with a soft sigh. Her back ached already, itched, and she turned her stare to the fire to ignore it. Sevda was not lost to her. That was good. Her niece had doubts... but all children did, and in time she would understand what Katrin had done, and why. That was all she wanted. Not forgiveness, but acknowledgement.
"Now, back to your lessons, Sevda," she said quietly. "I've detained you long enough."
Another sliver of worry went through her when Katrin straightened. It made her feel even more guilty for not being honest with her. Still, when the duchess called for her leave, the worry turned into relief. "Thank you, your highness," she said, rising and curtsying.
She couldn't help but feel frustrated, though, like she had wasted a good opportunity. It would bother her for days afterward. Not for the last time did Sevda wish she had a personal bond to a guard like Arman did with Seneschal.
When: SOMETIME ... in the later part of July
Where: Katrin's office, Hold
Rating & Warnings: G, none!
Her wounds had healed. Ten rakes that started at the top of her spine and ripped downward, the outermost two barely scratches. They'd bled and oozed and itched, but now they were only scars. Katrin's head was twisted to look at herself in the mirror, and, satisfied, she shrugged her tunic back on and buttoned it up to her throat. Grey had lasted far longer in memory than she'd hoped he would, both in her own injury and in the grief that her niece bore for him. She pulled her gloves on, tight over each finger.
"Send for Sevda," she said softly to one of her attendants, and the girl bobbed her head with a quick, "Your Highness," before she hurried away. Near all the servants in the Hold were in her purse; she'd listened curiously as one had, weeks ago, confessed to bringing in a Guardswoman for the Princess Sevda to meet with. The girl hadn't been able to repeat what had been said between the two, but Katrin could guess. Her own children - or very nearly her own - had begun to doubt her. Disappointing, but not unexpected. They were children, after all. All children of a certain age questioned their elders... but not their aunt, not the Duchess. She'd sighed and dismissed the girl and considered sending for the Guardswoman herself, but she knew that would be useless. Cosimo would hiss accusations of her, Katrin would strike her down, and the situation would only worsen and repeat itself. She had to go to the heart of the matter, to Sevda's distrust. If she could win the girl back, it wouldn't matter what the Guards hissed in her ear.
The governess had been mid-sentence on the importance of a certain stitching technique Sevda had not bothered enough attention to catch its name when the servant girl came for her. The call was not completely unexpected. Sevda had sworn, in Katrin's presence, to avenge Emilian's death. It was almost nearing a month since then and she had yet to make any progress. She felt frustrated, cornered, and ashamed. Now Katrin would bring her failing to light and find disappointment in her.
She reined these feelings inside, allowing the servant girl to lead with forced composure in her step. The words of the two guardswomen were a distant thought, not the center of her attention, but nevertheless lingering. Perhaps Katrin had heard of this, too. She honestly had no idea how the duchess would take it.
The guards outside Katrin's office announced her presence and opened the doors for her with Katrin's acknowledgment. Refusing to show uncertainty, Sevda stepped inside and curtsied. "Your highness."
She turned at the sound and smiled, copper hair glinting in the firelight. "Dearest. Come, sit." She motioned her attendants away with a brief wave of her hand, and when the doors had closed behind them Katrin settled her full attention on her niece. The girl did not look nervous. She was stoic for her age; it might signify nothing, or it might mean that she'd been wrong to suspect her niece harbored doubts against her.
Resting one ankle against her other knee, the Duchess' head tilted before she spoke. "I have heard, Sevda," she said softly, kindly, "That you have been mirroring your brother's... investigations. Inviting Guardswoman Cosimo to the Hold. Contacting the others, I've no doubt." A guess, but one she suspected to be true. If her family wasn't so taken with their ledgers it might be easier for her to pay servants to take a look at their writings, but so far they'd kept them close and safe. A boon, really. Better the Royal children were careful rather than careless about who saw their private conversations. "Now, I suspect the Guard has hastened to give you their opinions regarding their ongoing investigations... and those that are now closed." Katrin smiled gently. "Do I have it right, dearest?"
It wasn't that Katrin was questioning about her investigation that surprised her, but that she was apparently 'mirroring' Arman. Her brows knit together. Arman was investigating Grey's death, too? Since when?
"Yes, you're highness. That's correct," she said, looking directly at Katrin as she always did. "But I was unaware that Arman was also inquiring of Sergeant Grey." Did that have any weight on their reluctance to come forward? Two did, sure, but two of how many?
Sevda's frown didn't go unnoticed; was she unhappy Arman had his nose in the Guard's dealings as well? The two had seemed tense in each other's company as of late. Katrin wondered idly if they'd fought, and decided she would be happy if they had.
"He is not, solely. Arman wished to assist the Guard to gain insight into their workings; your father and I allowed it. Yet you have not asked permission," Katrin pointed out gently. "I do commend you for pursuing answers so fiercely, dearest, but I wonder what made you keep your curiosity hidden from us."
Her eyes widened. Permission? She hadn't...? With a flush, Sevda realized that in her zeal to find out what the truth was, she had completely forgotten about regulations. "My most sincerest apologies, your highness," she said, genuinely ashamed. "I was so caught up in..." No, excuses were just that -- excuses. She bowed in her seat. "I humbly ask forgiveness for my oversight."
Katrin nodded. "You are forgiven." The girl in front of her was not acting, she could tell that much. Whatever the Guard had hissed in her ear, her niece still respected her.
"Tell me what you've learned."
"Thank you, your highness." Sevda raised her head and thought about it, though the duration was short. She had already come to the decision long ago that she would not betray her word to the guards that trusted her enough to speak, even if what they said was baseless and made in anger. If she were to have any hope in discovering the truth of who betrayed Grey, she needed to forge some semblance of trust between her and those she questioned.
"Frustratingly little," she said, brows furrowing once more. "The Guard does not wish to share information with me."
A lie, but one that Sevda found pardonable. If she could figure out the truth, bring to light Grey's betrayer, she could throw the accusations of the Guard against her aunt back in their faces and kill two birds with one stone. The duchess would understand.
"Curious news," Katrin murmured, her eyes narrowing. "Even after you summoned Guardswoman Cosimo to your rooms, she would tell you nothing? You should not suffer such disobedience lightly, dearest. The Guard are our subjects as much as any other in Tyrol. If they defy you, you are well within your right to have them punished."
She drew a deep breath, then let it out in soft disappointment. "If they will tell you nothing, everything I know is yours." She smiled briefly. "I trust your discretion and, between you and I, I suspect your judgment to be far superior to your brother's in these matters."
The duchess' permission to hold authority over the Guard was mildly surprising, though also very encouraging. More over, the comment of basically dissing her brother stunned her into silence. Sure, she felt that her opinions on Grey and the Others were superior to Arman's, but it was a whole other thing when the duchess said so, too. Sevda was quite unsure what to make of it.
The duchess was opening herself to questions? Gracious, but Sevda wondered why. If Katrin knew of anything about Grey, wouldn't she have already acted on it?
"I have...been trying to find out who might have known of Sergeant Grey's Otherness prior to the incident." She found herself more and more unwilling to call it a betrayal, even if an attack on the royal family was, by the book, a clear one.
Katrin nodded, one gloved hand curling to rest lightly against her chin, index finger at her temple. She knew, of course. Cosimo had known what Grey was. Aguilar had seen. She doubted the others had any idea; Grey had been a guarded sort. She'd long trusted him as one of few men whose information could not be bought. Otherwise, she would never have allowed her niece to grow so close to him.
"There had long been rumours of an Other within the Royal Guard," Katrin said quietly. "It was what I called upon Grey for, that day. To question him, if he knew about who it might be. More than one of his colleagues knew what he was, and had known for some time." The Duchess' head tilted. "Though Cosimo is the only one I can be sure of. Have you more leads than that, dearest?"
"No." Katrin knew that Cosimo knew? She looked down at her hands, frowning, then looked up at the duchess again. "Why did you not call Cosimo instead of Sergeant Grey?" It would have prevented the attack, Katrin would not have been wounded and Emilian might have been left his life, she thought.
"I did not trust Guardswoman Cosimo," she replied, her smile apologetic. "Now, or then. To both our misfortunes, I trusted Sergeant Grey." When she leaned back against her chair the scars on her back pulled and stretched uncomfortably, and Katrin bit back a wince. Her smile was all teeth when she spoke next, her voice both harsh and wistful. "Would that I could interrogate each and every Guard in our service. But such methods would bring distrust... and we cannot afford that." Her smile softened when she seemed to focus again on Sevda.
"Tell me, does the Guard still believe I conspired to murder Myron?" Time to learn exactly how bold they'd been with her niece.
Sevda held back a sigh. Cosimo. She had hoped the guardswoman would be an ally in finding Grey's betrayer, but her anger was (in the Sevda's opinion) grossly misdirected, rending her problematic more than helpful.
She paused. Even if she felt her word to the Guard was of key importance to hold, Sevda still felt guilty for lying to the duchess. "No, your highness, there was no mention of Myron." Another pause, this one much shorter, as she made to change the subject. "Is it all right, discussing this?" she asked, a hint of concern in her face. "The King advised me not to trouble you with these matters..." Katrin did sound a bit strained.
"Of course," she said emphatically, frowning. Was Ishmael trying to keep something from her? She would get it out of him later, whatever it was. "Your father is easily troubled," Katrin said with a thin smile. "I am not."
She tilted her cheek against her hand again, eyes narrowed. "I find that exceptionally surprising, but I know you would not lie to me, dearest." Katrin looked away for a moment, forehead furrowed in worry. Sevda was lying to her. Even without her guilty pause - and Katrin had learned to catch such things when to miss them could mean a betrayal - she knew the Guard held no love for her, and would leap at the opportunity to have another Bharquites ear. No doubt they did the same to Arman. "Do you have any other questions, Sevda?"
She sucked in her bottom lip. Perhaps she should have told Katrin but asked her to keep it a secret instead -- ah, but it was too late now. There was no reason to overly worry. The duchess would understand. Her aunt would understand.
"No, your highness. But..." Sevda exhaled deeply, then continued, voice unsure, "No doubt they will spring up in the future. May I write to you then with them?" Even if Katrin made it clear that she was all right with discussing the topic of Grey's investigation, Sevda still felt a little guilty for disobeying Ishmael. If they were to communicate with the ledgers, perhaps he would catch wind of it.
Katrin looked back, examining Sevda for a moment before she smiled. "You may. Anything you wish to know, dearest." She straightened up again with a soft sigh. Her back ached already, itched, and she turned her stare to the fire to ignore it. Sevda was not lost to her. That was good. Her niece had doubts... but all children did, and in time she would understand what Katrin had done, and why. That was all she wanted. Not forgiveness, but acknowledgement.
"Now, back to your lessons, Sevda," she said quietly. "I've detained you long enough."
Another sliver of worry went through her when Katrin straightened. It made her feel even more guilty for not being honest with her. Still, when the duchess called for her leave, the worry turned into relief. "Thank you, your highness," she said, rising and curtsying.
She couldn't help but feel frustrated, though, like she had wasted a good opportunity. It would bother her for days afterward. Not for the last time did Sevda wish she had a personal bond to a guard like Arman did with Seneschal.