Hello all! I'm so sorry I have not updated for a while, I've been occupied with school. Luckily for you, this chapter is considerably longer than the others, so hopefully that makes up for at least something. We will be getting an inside look at Birk in this chapter, I hope you all are excited! Let me know what you think about him, give me some of your thoughts about what's going to happen! I love the reviews :)
PLEASE READ: there a a couple foreign words that are thrown in at the end of this chapter. If anyone reading this speaks Russian, I'd love love love your input. I tried my best to make the words I chose sound authentic, but vernacular is tricky.
Lapushka~dear Mal'chik=boy do svidaniya=goodbye
ENJOY!
Chapter 7: Blackmail
Sofia awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day. She was up early, even before Clover got up to greet her, so she sat at her vanity and began brushing her hair. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like something was going to happen today, something big. It would be a good day today! However, there was something else about today that made her nervous. Wait, why was she nervous? What was there to be nervous about? Was there a test she forgot about? No, they just had a test last week. What could it be? Then she remembered her discussion with her mom. The thought of meeting her real father made her excited, but nervous at the same time.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye she saw her grey, lop eared friend climb out of the hole in her wall. "You're up early, Princess." Clover yawned as he hopped over to Sofia. She giggled as she patted Clover's velvety head. Clover just smiled at her sleepily, "How'd your talk with your mom go?"
"Well, it wasn't quite what I expected." Sofia laughed nervously.
Clover eyed her, "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked confused.
"Well," Sofia wasn't sure how to continue, so she was quiet for a long moment, searching for the right words.
"Come on, Sofia! I can tell something's going on, just tell me." Clover said sounding slightly offended.
"Ok! It's just…" Sofia sighed and thought for a second. Where should she even start? This wasn't the kind of news you went about casually. Sofia shook off her feelings of uncertainty and decided to be frank with her furry friend. "My real dad came to the castle yesterday and I'm going to be able to meet him soon." Sofia looked at Clover expectantly awaiting his reaction.
Clover stared blankly for a moment, and then shook his head apparently regaining his composure. "But I thought you said you didn't have a dad before King Roland."
"Well, yeah. I just didn't know about him until now."
Clover paused briefly, letting the news soak in. "So, your dad's come back after all this time... that's good. But why did he wait so long to do it?"
Sofia puzzled a bit at the question, "Well, my mom said she left him before I was born because he had a drinking problem and she was afraid he would be too dangerous for me." she said.
Clover looked skeptically at her, "Dangerous? Are you sure you should meet this guy?" he asked.
"My mom said that he's changed and that he needs a chance to prove himself, so that's what I'm going to do. It's just like when Lucinda needed someone to give her a chance." Sofia said confidently.
Clover didn't seem convinced, "Well, ok. If you're sure Sofia, but something smells fishy to me. If you need me, I'll make sure I'm right there for you."
Sofia smiled, "Thanks Clover," she said. Just then, a soft knock sounded at Sofia's door. "Sofia?" it was her mother.
"I'll see you later, Princess." Said Clover as he bounded back into the hole in the wall.
"Come in, Mom." Sofia replied.
Miranda slowly came in the door with a melancholy smile on her face.
"Your father will be here soon." She said slowly.
Sofia gasped lightly and sat up a little straighter. Wait, she was going to meet her father today? She hadn't expected it to be so soon. What would he be like? Would he be nice? Of course he'd be nice. Father's were nice, right? Roland sure was, and Roland had become Sofia's father figure. Sofia had never been sacred to meet someone new before; yet she was now, and the uncertainty in her mom's demeanor wasn't helping.
"You don't want me to see him." Sofia said sadly, her eyes downcast.
Miranda kneeled, touched her daughter's shoulders and fixed a steady gaze on her. Sofia thought she saw tears starting to form in her mother's eyes. "You don't have to worry about what I want. Whatever happened between me and your father," she sighed and glanced at the floor, then continued shakily, "He's changed since I knew him, and you're the only one who's going to be able to give him the second chance he needs. Okay?" Miranda put a hand on Sofia's cheek and smiled. "Roland and I will be right beside you. Now, get dressed and come down to breakfast."
Sofia nodded and her mother kissed her on the cheek. As Miranda left the room, Sofia saw her wipe away a tear from her eye. Letting the man who she was once afraid of around her daughter must have been one of the hardest things her mother could do, and it hurt Sofia to see her in so much pain. Maybe once she saw that Birk had changed, it wouldn't be so hard. Then again, Sofia hadn't even met him yet, so how could she be so sure he had actually changed? But... she hadn't met him yet, so how could she know if he didn't change? Sofia put the doubtful thoughts behind her and began getting ready. There was no use worrying about it now; it would only make things harder.
Birk was surprised when he got his summons to the palace the morning after he asked to see Sofia. He had not expected Miranda to get back to him so soon, and with such royal flare, "On this day, your presence is requested by King Roland II and Queen Miranda in the Royal Courtyard at ten o'clock in the morning." It was stamped with the King's insignia.
Birk walked through the village, reading the summons over again and then looked at his pocket watch. "Good, only 9:30. I should have plenty of time to get to the palace," he mumbled to himself. Birk looked back at the letter and discovered that the sweat from his palms had soaked through the thin parchment. He frowned and tucked the paper into his jacket as he wiped his hands on his coat. His hands always used to sweat at the thought of being around Miranda, her steady gaze and lithe body used to make him go weak in the knees. Now it sent a chill down his spine, causing a cold sweat tainted with a sense of guilt and dread. He figured this meeting was probably with the King and Queen themselves, an interview of sorts, to question him. He didn't blame them either. If some other man came to him and his wife, asking to spend time with one of their children, he'd be skeptical too. Maybe skeptical was too casual a term. He'd be downright hostile.
But, Sofia wasn't King Roland's daughter, she was his daughter, maybe offspring would be the better word. He wouldn't have been much of a father to her even if Miranda did stay. Birk sighed and buried himself deeper into his trench coat. Who was he kidding? It was a miracle he was even being summoned back to the palace. What chance did he actually have of seeing his first-born daughter at all? Well, if this was the kind of meeting Birk thought it was going to be, then maybe he'd actually have a chance of proving to Miranda that he had truly changed.
As Birk approached the castle, a guard stopped him at the gate.
"Halt, state your name and business." Stated the guard firmly.
"Birk Balthazar, I've been summoned by the King and Queen." Birk pulled out his letter and showed it to the guard who glanced over it.
"Very well then," said the guard, and then he opened the gate. "To get to the Royal Courtyard, go past the bridge, then bear left and you shall reach the courtyard."
"Thank you sir," said Birk as he bowed lightly to the guard, and then walked through the gate.
Even though Birk had been to the palace just yesterday, it still struck him with awe as he walked across the extensive bridge and through the majestic topiaries to get to the Courtyard. In the middle, there was a huge fountain where some swans were preening themselves.
Birk walked to a small table and sat down, pulling out his pocket watch. "9:58. Two minutes to spare." He mumbled. It would be just enough time to collect his thoughts and calm down before the Miranda, or the Queen got here. Birk breathed deeply and wiped his palms on his jacket again. Maybe if he left his coat at the inn he wouldn't be so sweaty—though, it wasn't really the heat that was making him sweat.
He massaged his neck and shoulders to ease his tense muscles, though it did little else except make them hurt more. Pulling out his pocket watch, 9:59. He then groaned as another sharp pain pinched his neck. He instinctively pushed on the sore spot with two fingers. "I shouldn't have tried to massage it in the first place." He grumbled to himself hanging his head low to try and stretch the sore muscle.
Faint footsteps sounded on the grass. Birk wrenched his head up and stood erect as he saw the King and Queen enter the courtyard with their uptight steward and two royal guards.
"Presenting your Royal Highnesses, King Roland II and Queen Miranda." Announced the gray haired stiff. Birk bowed low and counted to three in his head before straightening again to face the royal couple. He regretted it instantly. Even though Miranda did not show much expression on her face, she appeared to seethe at his very presence. Birk tried hard to swallow the lump in his throat, and then reminded himself to breathe. It was suffocating to have another person, let alone the Queen of an entire Kingdom, who also happened to be his ex-wife toss so much hatred toward him.
"Baileywick, please. There is no need for that here. Please, sit down Mr. Balthazar." Said the King calmly. Birk obeyed immediately. The King and Queen came and sat down at the table with him.
"Baileywick, would you be so kind as to bring us some tea and crumpets?" asked the King graciously.
"Of course, your Majesty," replied the steward who bowed and then made a swift exit.
Roland turned his attention back to Birk. "It's all right Mr. Balthazar, this is just a friendly meeting to get to know you better. With you being absent from Sofia's life until now, I'm sure you understand our reservations."
King Roland had kind eyes and a reasonable countenance, if Miranda didn't believe Birk's testimony at first, maybe this man would be able to convince her that he wasn't the same man she knew years ago. Birk relaxed a bit. At least this man wasn't boiling over, sending every ounce of hatred that was in his being like Miranda seemed to be.
"I completely understand, your Majesties. If my wife had an ex-husband that suddenly appeared after so many years, I'd have a lot more than reservations." Birk tried to smile, but it came out like a twisted look of confusion and fear.
Miranda's face suddenly softened ever so slightly, just enough so that she didn't look like she hated him quite as much. "Your wife?" she asked plainly.
"Well, yes. I remarried about four years ago. Although, she wouldn't marry me until I had been sober for a year." He answered honestly trying to break the tension.
Miranda's expression barely changed, but Birk could tell she was surprised; it was the way her left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly that if he blinked, he would have missed it. Maybe she would be willing to get to know the new him.
There was a long, awkward silence. Birk felt heat creeping back up to his neck and he anxiously wiped his palms on his trench coat again. Miranda looked like she was about to say something, but then the tall, lanky steward returned with a rolling table full of tea and crumpets.
"Here you are, your Majesties, Mr. Balthazar. Enjoy." Said the steward.
"Thank you Baileywick." Replied King Roland. Baileywick served the trio quickly and then promptly disappeared. There was another brief silence.
"Well, feel free to dig in." Said the King.
"Thank you your Majesty." Birk replied, and then began cutting his bread to put butter on it.
"So, you said you re-married," said the King reaching for the butter. "Pray tell, how did you meet your wife?"
Birk had just taken a bite of bread, so he chewed and swallowed as fast as he could. "Well, to be completely honest, it was just a couple of months after Miranda left me. I was devastated, so the only way I knew how to cope with anything was to drink. Anya found me one day passed out on the street, took me into her barn and threw cold water on me. She said that I came through her garden the night before and uprooted most of her vegetables and herbs; told me that I needed to work for her to repay the damage that I'd done. I wasn't much of a gardener, so I mostly took care of the animals.
"She did a really good job of keeping me sober for the month it took me to repay my debt. I never saw any of the money I made for her, rightfully so, but she kept me fed and out of the taverns until she helped me get a job working for her brother, Viktor as a blacksmith.
"We saw each other occasionally, and I started developing feelings for her after about a year or so. She would shoot down all my advances, mostly because I was still drinking, not to the excess that I did before, but still drinking. She told me that she wouldn't even consider me a match for her unless I could be sober for one whole year. So, I bet her one date with me that I could do it. She took my bet, thinking I'd never be able to do it. But in the end, I won—I've been sober since then—and the one date turned into two years worth of courtship until we got married four years ago and moved to Ledstrana. Now we have a beautiful daughter who is just about to turn four and a little boy who just turned a year old." Sadness crossed Birk's eyes. "Although, I haven't seen any of them for a couple of weeks on account of my trip here."
Miranda had been listening intently to Birk's story. Birk felt her eyes boring into his as she searched them. "What are your children's names?" she asked slowly.
Birk smiled at her. "Anastassia and Ian." he replied. She just looked at him, a small smile touching the corner of her mouth. Instead of radiating hate, Birk now felt a sense of comfortable neutrality coming from his ex-wife.
"You said you now live in Ledstrana. What do you do for work there?" asked Roland chiming in.
"Work is somewhat difficult to find. Mostly I do odd jobs: smithing when there's extra work, construction on new buildings when the need arises, washing people's carriages, anything I can get my hands on really. Anya works her garden and we sell her herbs and vegetables. We don't have much, but we get by."
Roland smiled painfully, probably not able to comprehend the idea of not having...stuff.
Miranda's gaze softened even more. "It's nice to know that you're doing good for yourself, Birk." She said gently.
Birk smiled widely, "Me doing good? Look at you, you're married to a King!" he laughed.
Miranda managed an amused smile. "Indeed." She said looking at her husband fondly.
There was another silence among the adults, this time it was more due to the fact that they were all drinking their tea and eating their bread contentedly. After a moment, Birk decided to speak up.
"Mira… Queen Miranda. I am truly sorry for what I did to you in the past. Part of me wishes it didn't end that way, but hey, if you hadn't left my drunken arse when you did, you might not be here in this palace, and I might not have two other children of my own that I've been lucky enough to father." Birk paused and gazed into Miranda's eyes. "If you would be so gracious and allow me at least some time to get to know my daughter, I would be exceedingly grateful."
Miranda lowered her teacup from her mouth and held it in front of her as she gazed at it silently. Birk regarded her expectantly and noticed that King Roland was doing the same. It seemed like they both were waiting for the same thing: for Miranda to give Birk her blessing to meet Sofia. Roland gently laid a hand on Miranda's forearm; she looked at him, then back at her plate, then back at him and sighed. She then turned her attention to Birk.
"It appears I was wrong about you Birk. You really have changed, and I'm sure Sofia will be glad to meet you." She smiled at him, the same genuine, gentle smile he remembered all those years ago when she gave him the food he stole from her.
Tears started to form in Birk's eyes. "You, you really mean it? I-I can meet her?"
Miranda merely nodded, but it was enough to send Birk over the edge. "Oh, Miranda, thank you!" he managed to squeak out as he wept silently into his hands. He felt a large hand come touch his back. When he was done crying and wiping his tears, he looked up to see Roland regarding him kindly with reddening eyes.
"Those are the tears of a repentant man and a true father if I ever saw them. Now, what do you say we you get cleaned up to go meet your daughter?" he said offering him a hand.
Birk smiled widely trying to suppress his sobs again and took the King's hand. "Thank you, y-your Majesty."
"Please, call me Roland."
"Uhh, ok your Majesty, I mean… Roland." Said Birk awkwardly as he grasped the King's hand. It felt so weird coming from Birk's mouth. He had never expected Miranda's new husband to be this welcoming or understanding.
Roland led Birk to a nearby well just outside the courtyard from which he drew water and gave the bucket to Birk. Birk gladly took it and drank some before rinsing his face.
"I'm glad Miranda was able to open up to you seeing Sofia. I guess you could call it father's intuition; part of me knew yesterday we had nothing to fear from you."
Birk laughed lightly, "yeah? What about the other part?"
"I was ready to support Miranda in whatever decision she made." The King smiled.
"You're a good man, Roland." Said Birk as he splashed his face once more with water. It still felt weird calling him by his first name.
Birk dried his face on his coat and looked at Roland, "She deserves you."
The King chuckled. "Well, most of the time, I just try my hardest to do what's best for her and our family, even if she sends me death glares about it occasionally."
It was obvious what he was referring to. "She didn't even want to see me again, did she?" asked Birk.
"No, but I can tell she's glad we did. And I know Sofia will be happy to to meet you." He replied.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Birk solemnly.
"Positive. She might have been a little nervous at first, but to tell you the truth, I think she was more nervous about how Miranda was acting rather than meeting you."
Birk sighed, "the way Miranda was glowering at me was be enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable."
Roland patted his back, "You'll be just fine Birk. I believe you're genuine and Miranda does too, even if she's not ready to admit it."
Birk smiled weakly, "Thanks."
Roland nodded and stepped back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go with my wife to get Sofia. We're going to meet in the throne room in one hour. Feel free to explore the grounds, then find one of the guards; they can escort you so you don't get lost on your way there."
Birk was slightly shocked. "Wait, I'm going to meet Sofia now?"
Roland chuckled, "Well, in an hour, yes"
Birk just nodded, completely dumbfounded.
"See you in the throne room." Said Roland.
Birk watched as the King walked away, still in shock. He was actually going to meet his daughter today. He remembered seeing her picture in the newspaper at her coronation. She was beautiful! That was a year ago. How much had she grown? Suddenly, Birk was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of his pocket watch buzzing. Startled at first, he fumbled for the watch and then cursed under his breath. That's right, he hadn't originally come here on his own accord. Vasilia sent him.
Birk glanced from side to side to make sure no one was around to see him, and then popped open the watch. Vasilia's broad, angular face appeared on the clock face, her dark brown hair done up in a braid that acted as a headband while the rest of it cascaded down her shoulder.
"Birk, lapushka, I hope you haven't gone all soft and forgotten the real reason you are in Enchancia." Vasilia purred.
"No… of course not." Birk replied disdainfully.
"Good. I'd hate to have to stop giving your precious family their rations while you're away."
"No!" Birk growled through clenched teeth. An image of his wife and two children sitting in a dark cell came up on the watch. "I'll get you the amulet. I just need time. I need to build their trust so that I might be able to get it to you without losing my firstborn daughter."
Vasilia's smug face returned to the clock. "Oh, Birk, tsk, tsk, tsk. Are you really going to value the daughter from the woman who left you, over the one who needs you to get home as soon as possible so that your children won't starve?" she said sardonically.
Her tone was maddening! He scowled, clenching the watch in his hand and let out a growl.
"Oh, you really must be more cooperative, or your family will pay the price." She said with a wicked smile.
There was no point in fighting her when she held his family hostage. All he needed to do was get one measly amulet. How hard could it be? Birk drew in a sharp breath, "Yes. My Queen." He said defeated.
"Good little mal'chik. Now, since you have seen the error of your ways, I will keep your family in good health for one month. After that, I will have to start decreasing their rations by half each week that you are gone so you have the right motivation to bring me what I desire. Are we clear?"
Birk nodded gravely, "Yes, your Majesty."
"Very good. Now, do svidaniya; I trust you won't disappoint me." With that, her face vanished in a puff of smoke.
Birk snapped the watch shut. "Damn it!" he said as he kicked the grass, and then touched a hand to his forehead. "One month." He sighed. "I have got to figure out a way to get the amulet without letting anyone know so that I can still come and see Sofia." Birk thought for a moment, "I guess I have one month to figure something out. Until then, I'm going to do things right."
There you go! Review! Tell me what you like, what you think could be better, thoughts on characters, I welcome constructive criticism! Thank you all for reading! I think I'll try and start updating every two weeks for those of you who are following. Thank you so much!
