Lucky Rabbit

Pandy wanted to ask who the man was, but Augustus’s hand had come to rest on her elbow, and when she glanced at him, she saw that he was bowing. Oh! That was a thing, wasn’t it? In fact, one of Pandy’s favorite screenshots – which spent a solid two weeks as her phone backdrop – was of Clara, wearing the gown from Avington House, offering a deep, graceful curtsey to Queen Louisa. It was an image so perfect that it made Pandy sigh every time she looked at it.

Augustus nudged her again, and Pandy realized she still hadn’t actually done anything. Soft murmurs and quiet tittering were starting to arise around them, and Pandy grimaced. She had no idea how to curtsey, and if she tried – well, she probably wouldn’t fall down, not with her Agility, but it certainly wouldn’t be pretty. Besides, she was wearing pants. So, rather than do something that would make her look like she was an idiot, she matched Augustus bow for bow, bending over slightly, with her right arm crossing her waist and extending her left arm down and to the side, just as he did.

Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to do either, because the murmurs rose in volume, though the laughter died. Was that better or worse? Why hadn’t she used one of the books in the library to gain a few points in Etiquette or Eloquence? Even Politics would have been helpful, and that was a stat that she usually didn’t bother with unless she was chasing Edgar. Even Kaden only required a few points of it, and Dorian and Bastian didn’t care about Politics at all.

Another nudge at her elbow pulled Pandy from her rather morose contemplation of her adorable boots. At least if Louisa ordered Pandy’s head removed for rudeness, she would un-die while wearing cute shoes. Looking up, Pandy saw that Louisa’s brows had moved a solid quarter of an inch closer to her hairline, and Kaden had a hand over his mouth, looking distinctly amused. A glance at Augustus told her that he, too, was twinkling, so at least there was that. She didn’t want the rest of these pompous people laughing at her, but she didn’t mind if Augustus did it.

“Lord Blackwood,” Queen Louisa said, her expression settling back into tranquil imperturbability. “I trust you are aware of why you have been summoned?”

Augustus didn’t even attempt to prevaricate. “A Bound was brought into Falconet during our morning meal,” he said, cool as a cucumber that had been stored in the freezer for several hours.

A new round of murmurs swept the room. Louisa ignored it, but Kaden sent a quelling look at the gathered crowd, and they fell silent. Yes, he already had the gimlet stare of his in-game counterpart down pat. Most of the time Kaden was the perfect gentleman, but then he would do or say something that reminded you he was a bit of a hidden sociopath.

“As chancellor, your job is to protect and educate our children. This is not the first time in recent history that you have failed to do at least the first part of that. Explain yourself,” Louisa said, and Pandy felt her non-heart sink. The queen definitely wasn’t pulling any punches. Though the Mystery Malefactor behind her didn’t look particularly pleased, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as Pandy thought.

Augustus swept another bow, this time holding it as he said, “I have no excuse, Your Majesty. I knew Lord Forrest had a personal disagreement with me, but I never expected him to take it so far.”

“Continue,” Queen Louisa said, urging Augustus on with a graceful wave of her hand.

So he did. Without naming the boys, he explained how no one had stepped up to be the guardian of two ‘orphaned children’, but he was a distant cousin and had been friends with their parents, so he felt that the least he could do was look out for them. Only after he said he would be their guardian did Lord Andres Forrest speak up, claiming that he had precedence as a first cousin, in spite of the fact that he’d never met either child.

Louisa nodded along to all of this, though obviously it wasn’t news to her. Augustus didn’t bring up the fact that she herself had been involved in deciding – or rather, not deciding – who would be the boys’ guardian, and Louisa didn’t mention it either.

“So you believe that Lord Forrest, simply because he wished to become the guardian of these children, decided to violate the most sacred laws of our country by creating a Bound from his own mother, then bringing that Bound to Falconet? During breakfast?” Louisa said, and now Mystery Malefactor gave a single nod of satisfaction, as if things were finally back on script.

Augustus glanced to the side, not at Pandy, but past her, and gave a small nod of his own. A Knight of the Royal Eagle stepped forward, holding a thick folder stuffed full of papers and tied with a fine red ribbon.

“I cannot be certain what Lord Forrest’s end goal was, though I could venture a few guesses. What we do know is that Lady Forrest must have passed away around the same time as her brother. The last time she was seen in public before today was about a week before her brother’s death. The documents in your hand show that upon her death, Lord Forrest’s elder half-brother would have become Baron Forrest, with full control of the family estate and fortune. It’s well known that Lord Randolph Forrest is not inclined toward charity where his brother is involved.

“Using a Bound to replace Lady Victoria delayed his brother’s inheritance, though of course the ruse would have been discovered as soon as certain inevitable changes began to occur within the body. Still, Lord Andres gained some time, and then the news came that his uncle had died, leaving two underage children heir to a wealthy estate. Not wishing to seem too eager, Lord Andres waited, certain that the guardianship would naturally come to his mother, and thus to him. When he heard I had agreed to take on the children, however, he was forced to move more openly.”

Augustus nodded to the knight, who handed more papers to Queen Louisa, who barely glanced at them before handing them to Kaden, who immediately started reading. “Lord Andres then reached out to the Shadow Exchange, who are known to be… less than selective in the jobs they take on. He asked them to uncover any evidence that I was not fit to be the guardian of two children. They found what they believed to be that evidence, and Lord Forrest came to me this morning, in front of the entire student body, as well as the staff and teachers, in order to publicly humiliate me with this evidence.”

Kaden was frowning as he flipped pages. For a minute, the loudest sound in the room was paper rustling, as the entire gathered mass of nobles leaned in like they were watching a live reenactment of their favorite play. Shaking his head, the prince said, “This asserts that while you listed nearly a decade of military service on your application to be chancellor of Falconet, there is no record of any such service.”

The Mustachioed Malefactor allowed himself a malevolent smile before Queen Louisa calmly said, “Which is, of course, as it should be. There are positions within the Crown’s service that do not produce records susceptible to disclosure. I am aware of your service, as was my husband, which should be more than sufficient.”

A swell of conversation rose as the people in the well-dressed peanut gallery turned to each other, barely bothering to whisper. Louisa ignored it and continued, not raising her voice, though her words reached every part of the gathered crowd. Magic or acoustics? Pandy would probably never know.

“Knowing as you did that this accusation would not withstand scrutiny, and would be dismissed the moment it reached me,” the queen said, “I trust you advised Lord Andres to withdraw at once, at which point his Bound was revealed. I find myself extremely curious how that Bound was freed, but I believe we have settled the matter of culpability – for now.”

Her gaze shifted to Pandy. “That leaves one final question. Lady Avington’s name has been mentioned to me several times as someone involved in this affair. How, exactly, did that come about, and what role did she play?”

Without so much as a moment of hesitation, Augustus reached out and took Pandy’s hand, drawing it through the crook of his elbow. “Eurydice – Lady Avington – and I have become close since she arrived in Knightmere. She has a unique talent for… stumbling across things which others might prefer to remain hidden. As one of the few friends she has here, she came to me with some concerns about her house.” Here, the Mustachioed Mystery Malefactor went still, his gaze locked onto Pandy. “In turn, I spoke to her about my worries for my wards. She offered her assistance, and I accepted.”

He stopped speaking, and everyone waited with bated breath. When it became obvious that no more information was forthcoming, Queen Louisa said, “Go on.”

Augustus gestured, and the knight handed over the final batch of papers. This time, Louisa looked through them herself, at first quickly, then again with more focus. Then, just as Pandy was about to burst from impatience, the queen stood and calmly said, “Court is over for today. Lord Blackwood, Lady Avington, attend me.”

Turning, she walked straight toward the heavy velvet curtain that hung on the wall behind her throne. Just before it seemed she would run into it face first, the curtain moved aside, revealing a door which already stood open. Louisa strode through, never bothering to look back to make sure her commands were being obeyed. Kaden followed, with Augustus – still holding onto Pandy’s hand – right behind them.

The queen said nothing as she glided down a short hallway lined with doors. Pandy, Augustus, and Kaden trailed along behind her, but it didn’t take long for them all to notice that they weren’t alone. Trotting along behind them, like a wolf trailing the scent of blood, was the Malcontent Malefactor. Pandy really needed to know who he actually was, if only so she could give him a proper name in her thoughts. She was already starting to run out of ‘M’ words. Also, she didn’t have any actual proof he was a villain, even though he looked like a caricature of an Evil Grand Vizier.

When it became obvious that Louisa had no intention of acknowledging his presence, the bearded man hurried forward, ignoring Augustus and Pandy while giving Kaden a smarmy smile, and grasped the queen by her elbow. Kaden immediately tensed, but he didn’t threaten to remove the man’s hand with a hedge trimmer and mail it to him if he didn’t release Louisa, so obviously he still needed a few years to grow into his more murderous tendencies.

“Sister,” Mustachioed Malefactor hissed, “you can’t mean to-”

Louisa stopped in her tracks, meeting his dark eyes as she pulled her elbow from his hand. “Milton,” she said, and Pandy very, very nearly allowed a giggle to escape her lips. Milton the Malevolent Malefactor. Mustachioed Milton. Milton the Mysterious. It just wasn’t the name Pandy had expected a villain to have. Unless she and Keros were completely wrong about him. Did Milton have an identical twin brother? Maybe Morton?

The absolute chill in Louisa’s voice cut through Pandy’s relief-driven silliness. Augustus hadn’t been arrested and Pandy wasn’t about to turn into a rabbit right there in front of the popcorn-eating nobility, so she’d thought the worst was over. The cold, bitter fury in the queen’s voice instantly disabused Pandy of that notion.

“I have done enough,” Louisa said, lowering her voice so only their small group could hear her. “I have given the family thirty years of my life. This is where I draw the line. The people of West Altheric deserve better. Iand my children deserve better.”

Milton the Maleficent drew back, eyes narrowing. “Remember you wouldn’t have those children if not for us.” Flicking a dismissive glance at Augustus and Pandy, he turned on his heel and stormed away, while Kaden looked like he was reconsidering the idea of mailing him his own hand.

Turning back to the others, Louisa suddenly looked much more like the woman who had visited Pandy at Avington House; the one who was terrified for her daughter, and was only making the best of the limited choices available to her.

“Here,” she said, gesturing to the door by which they stood. Kaden opened it, and Louisa led the small group into a well-lit room decorated in green and gold. Gesturing to a couch covered in forest green silk, she said, “Sit down, and tell me where to find Bryan Conroy.”