Edelgard found herself awake at dawn per usual and she went through her morning routine with Juliane. After that, she went to her combat classes and headed down to Ueli's house. As expected, she saw the man making his rounds for afternoon feeding and she saw Aloisia following behind him. She did raise her ears and tails and barked twice before turning to look at Ueli. The man stepped out of the mews he was in and smiled. "Oh, good afternoon, Edelgard! How are you feeling? Think you'll be able to handle some tidbits today?"
"I'm fine." It was a lie. She was completely numb. Even with her having seen her siblings, she was completely numb. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get feeling back. It was only a few days, but she just felt so absolutely lost. She wanted her siblings back. She wanted her family back. If only she could find her mother and bring her back... Or at least the other women. She missed her family so much. "I think I might be able to." She at least didn't feel sick or anything anymore, but she'd have to see. Granted, there was no way she could handle quail carcasses. She might very well wretch up her couple of meals she'd had through the day if she had to deal with the headless corpses. Still she might be able to handle the tidbits. It still wasn't ideal, but she was going to work with things as best she could.
"All right. Lemme finish up here and I'll get you some tidbits and fetch Romy. Haven't fed her yet today, so she'll be good and hungry for ya." He tipped his hat to her and she nodded a bit. She headed inside and sat on the couch. Annika sat in one of the chairs and looked up when she entered the room. The older girl looked incredibly uncomfortable but went back to what she was doing—making a hood.
Edelgard felt her desire to be closer with her rise in her chest. Still, she had no idea how to approach her. Oh, maybe that... She got in her bag and dug out some of the sweets she'd brought with her. "Would you like some sweets?" She hoped that this might be the first step in getting to know Annika. They would be learning and working in close proximity to each other, so it'd be best for them to get to know each other. They were around the same age too... The only friend she had in the world now was Hubert and she missed having other people her age to talk to. She missed her siblings. She was so terribly lonely... She knew that she had to be discerning with who she trusted—any monarch or noble had to be—but she missed being able to talk to her siblings that weren't that much older or younger than her... Some were only a few years older or younger than her... Alina had been the youngest, five years younger than herself, but they had still been close…
"Uh, I don't know if I should—" Anika shifted uncomfortably, not meeting Edelgard's eyes. Edelgard tried hard not to frown. What was her issue with her? Ueli and Helen were fine with calling Edelgard by her name as well as treating her as if she wasn't their future sovereign. Ueli had still called her by title, but that was in public. She could understand that particular use case. Having a commoner call the heir apparent by name in public wouldn't do well at all. She didn't begrudge Ueli that much. But when they were in private like this? She saw no harm in it. She really didn't.
"I'm offering..." She trailed off a bit. She just didn't understand what Annika's issue was. She got in her little bag and pulled out some of the sweet baked goods. She saw the desire in Anika's eyes but it was immediately snuffed out by concern. "Really, it's okay..." She just... How was she supposed to get through to her? She didn't want to have to pull rank and force the other girl to become her friend. That wasn't a friendship; that was coercion.* She could never truly be friends with somebody that she'd told to be her friend. Tobias had had noble friends, but she was too young to befriend any of them...
Annnika reached out and took one of the brownies and one of the truffles, though her hand visibly shook. "Is it?" Her voice was quiet and Edelgard nodded.
"I'm offering. I bought it with the money Juliane gave me yesterday. I paid for it legitimately." She hadn't ripped anybody off. She'd legitimately bought the items and had paid for them. She hadn't ripped anybody off. She'd paid the asking price for them. Plus, she had probably gone a bit overboard anyway... She saw no reason not to share. Especially if it meant they might be able to start getting to know each other. They would have a working relationship in the future. Annika would be her falconer and possibly her children's falconer. ...She really didn't want to think about being a mother, but she would have to be the one to continue the imperial line.
She took a few more of the truffles and popped one into her mouth. Despite everything, she smiled. "These are really good! Did you get these from the royal chocolatier? I've never had anything from the castle before... It's a bit too expensive."
Edelgard shook her head. "No, they're from Sparrow Chocolates in the city. My brother took me there when I was younger a fair bit." She frowned. Past tense... Tobias had taken her there. It really hurt to use the past tense. But she knew she would never get those days back. He would never come back. He was basically just mentally broken at this point. She could still hear his voice ringing in her head. The tiny use of her nickname... She felt a few tears prick at the corners of her eyes but she forced them down. There was no use in crying over it right now, not in front of a stranger. "I don't really like the royal chocolatier. He's kind of mean and he makes it feel like he's waiting for me to steal something." She hated that man. He was awful and didn't like the royal family one bit, or at least not its children. At least the people familiar with Tobias were kind to her. Edelgard tapped her chin. "Maybe I could take you down there sometime?"
Annika blinked and tilted her head. "Can you go down into the city?"
"As long as I have Hubert with me, I'll be safe." Edelgard smiled legitimately and looked over at Hubert. He had sat next to her and was currently reading a book. Despite that, she knew his attention was still incredibly acute. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. But Annika didn't see the type to try anything. She seemed too afraid of Edelgard to try anything. Then there was Hubert whose very presence was a deterrent for most people. She really doubted that Annika would try anything with the heir to House Vestra sitting right there.
She did see Hubert's eyes raise from the book and Annika paled. "I-I can see how."
"Don't worry about him too much. He's loyal to me and he won't hurt you unless I tell him to." Well, she wasn't sure what he did behind closed doors and out of her sight. He might very well go against her orders and do things she didn't like. She didn't know. He was around her most of the time, but he had time during her combat classes and after they parted for the night to do whatever he saw fit. She really didn't know what he commanded once they were apart. She knew that Hubert was far from harmless, but he was loyal to her above all else. She sincerely hoped that he wouldn't directly disobey orders... But who knew what he did. He would never tell her.
Annika didn't look too convinced but she nodded. "Well, maybe we can do that someday... I have Sundays and Wednesdays to do whatever I want to. Maybe we go out one of those days...?" She really seemed hesitant. Edelgard desperately wanted to get to know the girl because she would have that working relationship with her someday. How could she ignore a relationship so important? She really couldn't. She wasn't sure what Juliane's relationship with Ueli and Helen was, but she hoped it was a good one. Let alone what her father thought of the pair. Then again, Ueli had said that her father was indifferent to them... They probably went hunting once in a while together and that was it. Though with her father's decreasing health (from what Juliane had said), it wasn't likely that he'd be going out hunting with his eagle again anytime soon.
"Sure. I have combat classes everyday, but if I want to skip a day here or there, I can do that." Juliane didn't make a fuss about it when she skipped a day once in a while. Sometimes, she simply wasn't mentally well enough to handle combat classes. Some days were incredibly bad for her. She backslid and couldn't leave Juliane's room again. She hasn't had a day like that in a while, but she would probably have another one... It'd only been three months since she'd been released from the dungeon underneath the palace. She really hated those days, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She hoped Ueli never had to deal with her like that, but she just... Her mind was a fickle thing and really hated her sometimes.
"But they're paying the teachers good salaries... Won't missing a day go against the point of paying them?"
Edelgard shrugged. "It's not like I'm doing it all the time." She was a good pupil and studied diligently. She practiced whenever she had the chance, though with Ueli taking her under his wing, she really didn't have a lot of chances to practice outside of classes. She probably should've taken time after she had dinner with the family to practice, but it was usually seven, seven thirty by time they finished eating. She needed the little remaining daily to make sure she could run through her routine with Juliane. Bathing by lantern and candle wasn't something she was fond of. She saw no issue with taking a day off here or there as long as she didn't make a habit out of it. "Have you ever trained in combat?"
Annika's eyes widened and she shook her head. "The only time I've touched a knife is to cook. I've never held a weapon in my life! Well. I know how to take prey out, but that's about as violent as I get. I kill quail, but I hardly think that's violent. It's just feeding the birds." Edelgard nodded a little. She had never killed anybody before either. She didn't want to, but she'd be attending Garreg Mach in a few years' time. She'd probably be forced to take lives while there. She wasn't sure what all happened at the monastery, but it was called the Officer's Academy for a reason. They were training people there in combat…
"Would you like to learn some basic self-defense?" Mother Katinka had taught her some basic self-defense as her earliest form of combat. Anselma had been against Edelgard learning combat, but with her long out of the picture...Juliane really had taken over as her mother. Juliane's policies really did clash with a lot of Anselma's but Edegard really did prefer Juliane... She loved her mother, but she just... She couldn't help that she preferred the Empress. She was so much warmer and kinder than Anselma had been.
"I mean it might not be bad to learn... I'm not a target for people hurting me like you are. Er, I, uh." The color rained from Annika's face.
Edelgard sighed. "I mean you aren't wrong. I'm the last remaining member of House Hresvelg. People really want me and the rest of the line dead..." She wasn't sure where her father stood with the common people, but there would always be dissent and displeasure among nobles and the general populace alike. The Seven had completely stripped away her father's power... She wouldn't be surprised if Hubert had stopped assassins at any point without telling her. Yeah, she really wouldn't be surprised. He kept her in the dark about a lot of things he did for her... He still didn't have the shadow guards under his command, though... That still belonged to his father.
"You're...not mad at me for pointing that out?" Annika's voice shook. She could hardly blame the girl. This was probably her first time really interacting with a member of House Hresvelg. Plus, Hubert was looming over her shoulder. She couldn't see what Hubert was doing since her back was to him, but she could imagine him occasionally looking up at Annika threateningly. He was pretty intimidating. She didn't fear him, though... She'd known him her whole life, so yeah, it made perfect sense to not be afraid of him. But still. To anybody else, he really was like a living nightmare.
Edelgard shook her head again. "Nope. It's just the truth." It really was. People would want her dead for her entire life. She would be consolidating power that the Seven would want back. She had ideas for what she wanted to do when she took over as Empress. She would have Hubert by her side when she took power, and he would see to it that her wishes were carried out. She wouldn't always know how he did things, but he simply would do them no matter what. Assuming he didn't disobey her direct orders at any point, of course...
"Okay... It'd probably be good to learn a little bit then... What weapons do you know?"
"Dagger would be best for self-defense." She leaned down and got in her boot, pulling out a dagger that was concealed in a sheath there. Annika looked incredibly alarmed. It really wasn't too uncommon for people of all status levels to carry daggers like that. She knew Juliane always had at least one dagger on her at a time. Same with her combat instructors. "They're easy to hide and they can be learned decently well. It still takes a long time to master, of course, but if you're willing to put in the time, it's worth it. Plus, you're a falconer. You probably usually have a knife on you, right?"
Annika looked sobered up at that. "T-That is true... Especially out on hunts. I have a big hunting knife I carry with me almost everywhere." Anika got into her pants and pulled out a large hunting knife. It was different than Edelgar's much more slender dagger, but the concepts would likely be the same. They probably wouldn't wouldn't need to edit things too heavily. Annika would just have to learn the power and range behind her hunting knife. Edelgard could at least remember the lessons she'd been taught about the dagger more vividly than her other weapons, so she felt confident she could handle teaching Annika about the dagger.
"Plus, I can also teach you about unconventional weapons. One of my classes is all about making sure I know how to defend myself even if I don't have a legitimate weapon me." Yeah, that was the scary combat class she had. She knew how to hit people in places that would be lethal even if it seemed like somewhere that might not be so... She could do almost anything to dismantle a person. Some of her combat instructors were pretty scary and she wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alleyway. At this point, most people wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alleyway. She was short and, even if someone didn't know she was heir apparent, she would still be likely to be targeted for her stature. Annika was taller, about 5'5" so she had less to worry about in that regard. Still, a woman on her own was ripe for targeting. "Do you go out into the city by yourself at all?"
Annika shook her head. "Not unless it's to somewhere I know how to get to. My parents don't like me going out too much. It's just too easy for someone to prey on me." That was entirely fair. Annika wasn't much older than Edelgard herself, maybe two, three years? Perfect for somebody to prey on. Even if she was older, she'd still probably be pretty easy to prey on. Women were just less muscular and strong than men. They could be plenty strong, but she just knew it to be fact that women didn't have the same strength that men did. She did make a face. "That probably means we won't be able to go down into the city now that I think about it..."
"Hubert, do you have any shadow guards loyal to you?" She wasn't sure. She knew House Vestra had control over them, but she really didn't know how they operated. Maybe he had gained the loyalty of some of his father's men. All of them would eventually be transferred over to Hubert, but for now, his father remained in complete control of the shadow guard. If they had even two or three shadow guards in tow when they went down to the city, it'd probably make Ueli, Helen, and especially Juliane feel better about it. It had been way too long since she'd been down to the city for more than a short excursion. She could still remember the days she and Tobias would spend down there when he thought she had been studying too much. She would forever miss those days...
"A few of them listen to me over my father, yes. I can get them to come with us should you wish to foray down into the city. I know it would make Her Majesty feel better if we had some with us." She looked over at Hubert and saw him smiling, though she also saw Annika tense up. The older girl looked entirely off put. Edelgard shrugged internally. It wasn't Annika's fault if she had a problem with Hubert. Then again, most people did. He was fairly intimidating and like a walking nightmare. Even she could admit it. But she was used to it by this point, so she had no problem with him.
She could see Annika wanted to say something but the girl pursed her lips. "What is it?" Edelgard tilted her head and Anika shook her head. "It's okay, really. If it's a comment about how Hubert's creepy, well... Yeah. Even you don't deny it, right?" She looked at her friend who nodded as well.
"Quite. People do find me...intimidating to put it lightly. I have no qualms with being called creepy or such." He laughed a bit and she saw the color drain from Annika's face. Yeah, that was a pretty creepy sound. Again, though, Edelgard was used to it. He wasn't a bad person... He did a lot of shay things, but in her mind, he wasn't bad at all. She wasn't sure what all he'd done in her name or the things she would have him do in her name once she took over the Empire... There would probably be more than a few... disappearances during her reign that she knew she would order him to commit. She wasn't looking forward to it, but if the Empire needed somebody disappeared, she would have them disappear.
"It just feels so...unsightly to talk to nobles like that." She could understand why Annika was so reticent now. Plenty of nobles (probably like Duke Aegir) would imprison or possibly even have her executed. People really ought to be allowed to speak as they want without fear of being imprisoned. She wished she could enact reforms like that but...the church probably wouldn't like it. She wanted Rhea dead, but she doubted she could really get herself to do that. The countless losses it would cause... Yes, there were plenty of sufferers underneath the current laws, but she just... She didn't want to cause countless deaths. Plus, how would the leaders of the Kingdom and Alliance react? There were too many things that could and would probably go wrong should she ever declare war on the church.
"Well, we don't mind. Or, at least I don't mind." People could and should talk how they wanted. If they had criticisms, they should be able to voice them. Honestly, a policy of free speech would be good to some degree... If she could learn the qualms people had with the nobility, she could see if she could do anything to change it. Granted, actually changing the nobility would be a hard thing. Things were so set in their ways and rhythms that getting any change without major reforms or purges would be hard. She was going to purge the Seven that had betrayed her father and Juliane. That much she knew she would do. She knew the slitherers also wanted her to be their puppet Empress, but she wouldn't allow that to happen... After seeing her father stripped of his power... Well. She wouldn't let that happen to her. Aegir and his lot would suffer. They could not be allowed to remain alive. Hubert needed his father dead so he could take over House Vestra and she needed the rest of them dead so she could take over the Empire smoothly and not have interferences like that.
Annika nodded, though she still looked very uneasy. Edelgard did blink. "Oh right... I did talk to Mother Juliane last night and she gave your family a raise. An extra gold piece per month." To her, that was barely pocket change, but for a family of commoners, it was a huge lift. Of course, Annika's family was already pretty well off due to working for the royal family, but she hoped that Helen, Ueli, and the kids would appreciate it. They might already be stretched thin by feeding herself and Hubert each night. She really shouldn't have been eating with them, but she was enjoying learning to cook... Helen and Ueli hadn't said anything about the price of food or anything of the like though.
"Wait, you did that?" Annika's eyes once again widened.
Edelgard nodded. "I forgot to mention it to your father. But yeah... I don't know how much you guys make a month, but with you guys feeding me and Hubert...I figured you could use a bit of extra money." It wouldn't be forever, of course, as she'd have to eventually get back to her lessons. She really needed to start being in court at some point. She had almost no time to learn to take over before she went to Garreg Mach. And with her father's failing health... Well. She had heard some of her teachers talking in hushed voices. There were talks that he wasn't going to last too much longer. Maybe ten years at most. She wasn't sure how true any of that was, of course. She couldn't be sure because she hadn't seen him since being released from her confinement. She really did miss him... She hoped that she'd be able to see him again soon, but something told her that wouldn't happen. Juliane had promised to speak to him, but that was as far as it went.
It was then that Helen walked into the room. "Oh, Edelgard! Why didn't you come get me? I was just in the back. Here for furniture lessons?" The woman smiled broadly and Edelgard nodded.
"Yeah. I just got caught up talking with Annika a bit. I do have some news. The Empress will be raising your family's salary by a gold piece each month." She smiled a bit shyly, hoping that it wouldn't come across the wrong way. She didn't think they were poor in the slightest. She was just so worried about them not being able to feed themselves with having two extra mouths at dinner. At least they weren't there for every meal. They would need a lot more food if they had to feed Edelgard her extra meals each day. She still wasn't terribly hungry but she forced herself to eat. She knew she couldn't afford to lose anymore weight. The year and a half of captivity had really done a number on her body.
Helen blinked. "Wait really? What brought this on? I knew the Empress was a generous woman but this came out of nowhere..."
"I asked her to. I'm...admittedly worried that you might have to stretch a little bit to help feed me and Hubert. Plus, you're being so incredibly kind and gracious toward me in general..." She wanted to give back to them. They were so warm and welcoming. Ueli had been a little grumpy on their first meeting, but she was only thirteen... He had no way of knowing she was the heir apparent. She doubted he knew what Hubert's father looked like, so it didn't seem likely he'd recognise Hubert or House Vestra on first glance. They were obviously nobles, but that was about it... Noble brats could cause a lot of trouble from what she knew. She'd never much interacted with other noble kids outside of her family or Hubert, though. She knew Duke Aegir had a son but that was about it.
"Honestly, I hadn't even thought about that. It's...incredibly generous and kind of you to ask for that, Edelgard. We definitely would've noticed the expenses next time we went to the market, though. Which will probably be tomorrow. We are running low on supplies. We mostly eat quail meat, but still... Meat's so incredibly expensive at market. Quail grow pretty fast, so they're a plentiful source of meat even if they are small. We have several groups we rotate between." Helen smiled. "Actually, would you like to see them?"
Edelgard blinked. She hadn't expected that. They were supposed to be talking about money. But she wasn't really upset by the change in subject. "Sure." She really wasn't against it. But she hoped she wouldn't get attached to them... She would one day (hopefully) be butchering them and feeding them to the eagles and other birds of prey. They really did need to eat. There was no getting around it. She needed to get used to tidbitting, but for now, she was going to see the quail and focus on furniture with some small lessons about Romy.
Helen led the way out of the house to a pavilion a fair ways away from the house. Each had a fenced-in enclosure with a roof. It was pretty tall, enough for a man to get into fully standing. With her reduced height, she could quite easily slip in the gate. But she did see small birds pecking around the ground and moving about. There were five different enclosures in total, each with several hundred small birds. They...were really kinda cute. But she stopped that particular thought. She couldn't get attached. These were food for the birds...and the family. "So yes, these are our different groups. We keep them under a pavillion and roofed over so that way wild birds of prey don't make them easy pickings. No good when a wild accipiter realises it can get an easy meal through our meat. Less for the captive birds to eat." Edelgard nodded. That made sense. Yeah, she wouldn't want Evelin or Romy to not have enough to eat on any given day. Plus, the family relied on their meat too…
"That does make sense. Any other reason for the pavilion? Wouldn't a roof do just fine?" Each enclosure was made out of sturdy wood paneling that extended about six and a half feet tall. There was a notable area that was completely boxed in. She wasn't sure what for, though. Either way, wouldn't that provide more than enough shelter and protection from wild birds of prey? The pavilion was pretty big and seemed like it'd be a lot of upkeep... It was completely wooden too... How long had it been there? Quite a long time it seemed.
"To protect them from weather. They do have the nesting area, but still... The maily's kept quail like this for generations. We replace parts as needed or repair things when they break. The quail get a pretty good life before they die. They really don't know hardship in the slightest. They get wind but rain? Unless a leak springs, they don't know rain. Of course, they don't know sunshine either but..." Helen shrugged. Yeah, it didn't seem like a horrible thing. They had easy lives. Still, the pavilion was pretty nice to sit under when it was hot and humid and the sun was shining as strongly as it was today. She felt like her pants and shirt were sticking to her... At least her combat classes were in the morning when it was slightly more bearable and less hot.
"I see." This was definitely outside of her comfort zone, but she did think they were pretty cute. She looked up at Helen. "HOw do you have it in you to kill them?" Yeah, that was still going to be a pretty big sticking point for her. She had no idea if she'd ever be able to kill an animal. She could easily just rely on Helen and Ueli (or maybe even Annika) to take out prey, but she'd still just rather do it herself. She was a noble so she really shouldn't need to worry about getting her hands dirty like that. Animal viscera should be above her, but she really did want to do it.
"Well, for us commoners, it's more common for us to be able to kill animals. I didn't start out a falconer, but I'd killed chickens and other animals before. I didn't eat me a whole lot since the animals were far more valuable for their products than their meat. Even so...once a chicken got too old to produce eggs or a rooster was too old to be viable, we offed them. That's just how life is for us." Helen shrugged. That made sense, she supposed. She'd never been able to really be around animals other than horses before this. It was her first time even able to pet a dog (which she still hadn't done yet). Getting her hands dirty was going to be really difficult. She really was incredibly privileged.
"I still want to be able to do it... I just can't right now." She had nearly passed out upon seeing the headless quail bodies. She hoped that she would be able to do it someday... Though she did think of something. "Mabe seeing you butcher them could help me..." She really didn't know if it would or not, but it was worth trying out at least once. Holding the tidbits and dealing with the dislodged meat from the bones were working toward helping her. She really wasn't sure but it was worth a shot.
Helen looked down at her. "Maybe we should wait a while on that one, honey... You're still not really used to tibitting or anything yet." Edelgard nodded but sighed. Helen was probably right about that unfortunately. She was at least trying to get herself acclimated to being able to handle dead prey. It was the damn mental and emotional blocks that came from what had happened during the Crest experiments. She had mental scars from it that may very well never heal. She hoped that wasn't the case, but with as deep as the trauma went, she doubted it. And it wasn't like there were people that could heal the mind like they could heal the body. She wished there were, but it seemed impossible. The mind was too complex and vague for anybody to understand like the body.
"Okay." Yeah, she was feeling discouraged, but she had only started with this a few days ago... About a week. It was hard, but she had to acknowledge her limits.
"Now why don't we go inside and let Ueli get you set up with Romy?" Helen smiled and put a hand on Edelgard's back. They returned inside and they saw Ueli sitting on the couch with Romy on his fist. The bird's feathers were poofed out and she had one foot up. Edelgard sat down next to Ueli who handed her the glove.
"Here ya go, Edelgard. I haven't fed her today, so she'll be good and ready to feed." He tied Romy to her glove and handed her a small bag filled with tidbits. The bird looked a little frustrated for some reason. What was it? She really wasn't sure, but something felt off. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was to trust her intuition.
"She looks angry." Well, that was kind of the default expression for birds of prey due to the little protrusions over their eyes and the general shape of their eyes. But even so, she could feel tension in Romy's feet. She was afraid to make a move. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was just getting subtle signals that something wasn't quite right. She could mostly feel it in the feet. She didn't know anything about animals, but she just had a feeling that, if she attempted to feed Romy, she would really regret it.
Ueli was quiet for a few moments until he nodded slowly. "Just let her sit there for a little while. She was comfy then I moved her, so she ain't happy." That would definitely do it. Edelgard knew she didn't like being moved when she was comfortable and could get grouchy at times. She always rose at dawn, but even so, there were some mornings where it was difficult to move immediately. Juliane at least humored her for a few minutes on those mornings, but she did have to get going to court sooner rather than later. It was just difficult to move when the bed was so comfortable and she liked being tucked up against Juliane. The woman was kind and generous despite her own son being suffering from a fractured mind…
"Okay. I'll probably get attacked if I even touch her, won't I?" She was not going to attempt anything that would get her hurt. She already knew that a raptor's talons were dirty and could cause infection if they punctured her skin. The glove wouldn't do anything to protect her against a bird that wanted to foot her. Romy's talons weren't too tight on her at least, but she could feel tension in them. They could and very well might puncture her skin should the bird make any moves to do so. She really did not want to risk her own health and safety being the last member of House Hresvelg.
"Yup. She's pretty dun angry, so just relax. Animals feed off your energy so don't get anxious. Just remain calm and she ought to calm down herself." Edelgard nodded, still a little bit tense. But she forced her breathing to slow and her shoulders to relax. She didn't want to do anything that might set the bird to attack. Hopefully getting her body relaxed would help. She was still a bit on edge, but that hopefully wouldn't translate to the bird too much. The red-tailed hawk was none too happy to the point that even Edelgard could pick up on it. The signs were subtle, but they were definitely there. Mainly the tension in her feet.
Eventually, she felt the tension leave Romy's feet and her feathers puffed up noticeably. She looked at Ueli and he smiled. "There ya go. Good job being calm. Now she's good and relaxed. Go ahead and tidbit her." Edelgard reached into the bag and pulled out a tidbit, putting it between her fingers like Ueli had shown her. Romy bent down and ate it. For a little while, they repeated the process until she reached the end of the tidbit bag.
"Is that it?" It didn't seem like a whole lot to feed the bird. She could see a slight bulge where Romy's crop was but it wasn't as large or engorged as it obviously could be. She was confused. Shouldn't she let the bird fill up? It would hopefully help give her positive associations with Edelgard and start to build the bonds of trust that they would need to hunt in the field together. She was trying so hard to make sure that Romy would work well with her once the time came. Granted, she wasn't sure if she'd be hunting with her when the Horsebow Moon came or not... She still wanted to get Evelin flying free if at all possible.
"Yeah, it is. I normally let the birds get real fat during the summer while they're molting, but I'm going to need to let you fly Romy free. Weight management is an important principle in falconry. If a bird's too fat, they won't fly, let alone hunt. You have to gently take their weight down and make sure that they're at the proper weight to fly. Romy's high since I was letting her molt, but I need to cut her down now that we're going to be working toward flying her."
Edelgard frowned. "Aren't you starving her?" That didn't sound good. Keeping a bird's weight down on purpose felt really cruel and unnecessary. Wasn't falconry supposed to have some sort of ethics behind it? Tobias had really stressed the ethics of hunting when she'd gone with him on that particular hunting trip. He wanted to make sure the bird was cared for as well as possible and that even prey was treated with reverence. It had given its life for their sport and the bird's good, after all. She'd eaten of the animals that Evelin had killed those years ago. Nothing went to waste.
Ueli shook his head. "Nope, not at all. Think about it like this. You've been to feasts where you've eaten yourself to the point you don't really want to move, right?" She nodded. Yeah, there had been feasts where she really didn't want to move afterward. There was just so much food and she was expected to eat so much. It'd been a long time since she'd last gone to one, but she could still remember some from her childhood. "Well, a bird of prey is the same way. If the bird is full and fat, it doesn't want to move, let alone hunt. You technically are making the bird hungry but you aren't starving it. A bird won't hunt with a full crop because it has no motivation to do so. You eat when you're hungry, right? That's basically all you're doing with the bird. Giving it just enough motivation to want to feed itself. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, I guess so." She honestly had to eat even if she wasn't particularly hungry. Her body was just so worn down from being tucked away in the basement dungeons. She could remember being starving in the cold... It really wasn't pleasant. She hated the thought of Romy going hungry, but she guessed the point Ueli made had sense behind it. "So is a kill like a feast for a bird...?" She still wanted to understand more. She could see the logic behind it to some degree, but there had to be more to it than what Ueli had explained.
Ueli made a clicking noise and nodded. "Yup, exactly. We do use food to motivate birds, but we're not cruel about it. We're still giving her enough food to a bird hunts, we usually let them fill their crop up. After that, we trade them off to a tidbit. Mantling can be a real problem, but Romy's well trained and trusts humans a lot. Evelin will probably mantle if you can get her out."
"Mantle?" She had never heard the term like that before in that particular context. She was familiar with a mantle like above a fireplace, but not however Ueli was using it here. What did it mean in this particular context? It was just so foreign that she couldn't really be sure.
"Here, let's go outside. I'll take Romy back." They switched who had the bird and Ueli led her out to one of the mews. It had a brown bird with deep red eyes in it, though the bird was pretty small. The bucket of quail sat outside its mews. He tossed the quail inside and the bird spread its wings and tail feathers out over the kill. " That's mantling. A fairly unwanted behavior, but you can't prevent some birds from doing it. Romy's good and relaxed, but accipiters are much more high strung. I keep up on their weight management all year and hunt them even through the molt. They can get real aggressive if you don't know how to modulate it. I ain't letting you near an accipiter though. Really shouldn't let you even near the eagles, but..." He sighed and shrugged his free arm. She looked away a bit. She really did want to fly the eagles, though namely Evelin. It was why she was here in the first place. Evelin was really her eagle now... She still needed to figure out how to rescue her from the prison that was her mind... The bell helped, but she needed to figure out how to make use of that to free her.
"Anyway, why don't you go to Helen? We've got Romy good and fed up." Ueli smiled at her and she nodded a bit. She went inside and to the back room where Helen was. For the next several hours, she spent her time learning leatherworking underneath the woman as had become standard for her. She was definitely struggling a little bit, but she was doing her best. She was just glad she had such a strong grounding in sewing and embroidery. She already had the precision necessary to carry out these delicate tasks even if she was working with much studier materials.
Eventually, though, they wrapped up and headed into the kitchen. Helen got her started on chopping and she worked through the vegetables, then helped with the quail meat. However, Helen did hand her a piece of leg with skin on it. There at least weren't any *feathers* on it, but the skin remained. "Might wanna get used to taking the skin off at least. Feel up to trying?"
"I won't know if I don't try." She managed to give Helen an uneasy smile and the woman offered her a warm one back. With that done, Helen started to show her how to take the skin off delicately. She unfortunately took more meat off than Helen wanted, but she was still new to the knife. Her ork wasn't going to be as precise as somebody that had been cooking their whole life. Still... She thought she was doing all right, all things considered. She hadn't wretched up anything while taking the skin off.
Soon, they were all settled down to eat and Ueli smiled at her. "I think you're gonna make a great falconer one day, Edelgard." She blinked and looked up at him. What was causing this? She'd only been at it about a week... She was doing her best, but she still couldn't handle prey. She would probably completely pass out if she attempted to kill a quail. Or break down sobbing. She just didn't have it in her to kill anything yet. That sort of unkindness still didn't make sense to her. She understood that the birds needed to eat, but even so... It was hard to bring herself to slaughter something.
"Why do you say that?" She really didn't feel like she was making much progress. She had helped with Evelin's furniture, sure, but that was hardly something worth noting. She was really not doing well by her own measure. But she had only been at this a week, so she couldn't expect herself to master every step immediately. There was a process to this and she needed to go through it.
"Well, when it came to Romy earlier, you picked up on the subtle body language cues she was giving you. I haven't even taught you anything about raptor body language earlier. You could sense she was unhappy. It usually takes quite a while to develop the ability to tell that. I'm guessing you really paid attention to her feet?"
Edelgard nodded. "Her grip was tense enough to notice. I don't know what else tipped me off, but that sure did. Plus, it was just a feeling I got. She didn't seem too terribly happy. They do kind of look perpetually angry, but something about how she was holding herself just felt...off." Yeah, she couldn't really explain it. It was just insticitive. She could tell the bird had been none too happy to be taken away from where she'd been comfortable. She really had *not* wanted to risk *anything.* So she'd just had herself relax and and approach the bird on *her* terms, not human ones.
"Usually takes quite a while to pick up on the subtle tension in a bird's grip like that. I think with enough lessons that you'll make a fine falconer. Each bird's species and temperament do differ, but there are some universals to raptor body language that I'll teach you in due time." He smiled at her and she nodded. She hoped that she could learn more in due time... She was really doing her absolute best here. She wanted to be able to take the birds into the field and hunt with them. She would never be on the same level as Helen, Ueli, or even Annika, but she hoped that she could establish a good baseline for the birds and working with them in the field.
"I see. Will I get to play with Gerhard at some point...?" She hadn't really seen him all day and she hoped that she'd be able to get to spend time with him. She hadn't seen Aloisia either. The dogs had apparently been with Ueli or something of the like. She really wasn't sure. Gerhard was her puppy, so she probably ought to get to play with him. She would need to get to know him. They would work in the field together at some point, so if she didn't get to know him now, she wasn't sure when she would be able to.
"Of course. We'll take some time out from our lessons to let you play with him." Helen spoke up this time and Edelgard looked over at her, nodding again. "Ueli'll train him good, but mostly after you leave or while you're away in the mornings. Aside from that, he can be with us. How does that sound?"
"That sounds good." Yeah, that sounded fine to her. She really did need to spend time around the dog to get to know him. Plus, there was plenty of time she wasn't here... Ueli could use that time to train him. Though he had said that he'd need to take him into the field for at least a week in order to start getting him trained up for that sort of work. She wasn't looking forward to being away from the puppy, but getting him trained was imperative. Falconry season was only a few months away and she needed a dog that could function once she got into it.
"So what were you and Annika talking about earlier?" Helen spoke up again. Edelgard glanced at Annika who looked incredibly nervous.
"Well... We were maybe talking about going down to the city one day. I know you guys don't really want her going down there, but Hubert has shadow guards that could keep us safe without us even knowing." She didn't want to get the other girl in trouble. Hopefully talking wouldn't be enough to earn Helen and Ueli's ire. She just really wanted to get to know Annika, and something relaxed like being able to go around the city without too much issue would go a long way. She was trying to forge a positive bond with the older girl. They would one day work together, so they really ought to have a good working relationship. "Plus, I'm pretty trained in combat. I always have at least a few daggers on me and I know how to make just about anything a weapon."
Helen and Ueli glanced at each other. "Yeah, we really don't want her going down to the city by herself too much. I always have her with me," Ueli said. "We ain't much taught her in the ways of combat 'cuz we aren't too good at it ourselves. I know how to fight a bit, but Helen really don't. That...does leave us uneasy, but if there were shadow guards..." He stroked his stubbly chin. At least it didn't seem like the idea had gotten them into any trouble. She felt like having a day out of seeing the city would be good for both of them. She honestly felt pretty pent up in the castle. It had massive grounds, but she'd been damn near everywhere multiple times. Even the falconry area was becoming familiar for her…
Hubert put a hand up to his shoulder and offered a bow of his head. "You can rest assured they will be safe. I am Hubert von Vestra, heir to House Vestra. We have served House Hresvelg for generations and one of our primary concerns is their safety on any trip they take. I will not let harm fall to Lady Edelgard or any guests should she have them with her." She glanced at him, once again thankful for his general presence. He was pretty intimidating but he really only had her best interests at heart. He would do anything to keep her safe, especially after the Crest experiments and her having been spirited away to the Kingdom. She couldn't imagine the sheer distress her multiple disappearances had had on him…
"Heir to House Vestra, huh? I've heard the viscount-"
"That treacherous snake has no claim to be of House Vestra." Hubert's tone was dangerous and everyone glanced around uneasily. She could hardly blame Hubert for being so upset, though. His father had conspired against the house he had promised to protect. They wouldn't know that though. They probably knew more of politics than the average commoner, but they still wouldn't understand all of the intricacies and subtleties that came with it. They really had no room to speak of Hubert's father. Ueli seemed to be speaking through the rumor mill, so that would especially anger Hubert... People with preconceived notions like that weren't high on the list of people he liked. "Despite that, I will be happy to ensure your daughter's safety while she's under my watchful eye. I will allow no harm to come to her any more than I would Lady Edelgard."
She saw Ueli swallow but he nodded. "We do appreciate that. We always worry about her going down to the city. She'd be such an easy target." He looked at his oldest daughter, obviously incredibly worried. Edelgard couldn't blame him. Family was so incredibly important. Losing anybody would be hard, let alone a child... She still found it mind boggling how Juliane remained so kind, compassionate, and open. She'd treated all of the royal children like her own to Edelgard's knowledge (except for probably Helga's daughters). She was an incredibly resilient woman that seemed to know no bounds to her compassion.
"Honestly, if you would like, I could instruct her in the ways of self-defense. Lady Edelgard mentioned teaching her dagger or, in Annnika's case, knife, but I know a lot more than Lady Edelgard when it comes to combat. Plus, if you'd be willing, she could join Lady Edelgard in her combat classes during the mornings." He did glance at Edelgard, no doubt asking to know if she was okay with the idea.
Edelgard nodded. "I'd be okay with that if you're willing. I learn archery, axe, sword, dagger, and even concealed weapons. It'd teach her a wealth of skills she might not learn otherwise." Yeah, that was a good idea. Annika worked for the royal family, so her knowing how to defend herself would be good. Plus, if she learned from Edelgard's combat instructors, it'd be easier than Edelgard trying to teach herself. Though Annika was starting from zero while Edelgard was already decently advanced despite having to more or less start from scratch after she'd left Juliane's room. She picked up on skills incredibly quickly and it made her a star pupil. Her combat instructors really enjoyed having her since she picked up things so fast.
"We don't have the funds for that." Helen sighed, then looked at Ueli. "We would love to have her but...we can't pay for such highly rated teachers. You're the future Empress . Annika's just a commoner. There's no way we could pay for your teachers to teach her."
Edelgard frowned at that. "I'll talk with the Empress about it tonight." She honestly never really thought about the cost of things since it simply wasn't a worry for her. She was royalty. Having money to spare was just part of it for her. She really hoped that Juliane would agree to the fact that Annika could learn with her. Plus, it'd be fun to have somebody else with her in classes. She would sometimes have squires learning with her, but her lessons really were private. The teachers had been hired just to teach her and nobody else. Revisiting skills was never a bad idea either. It'd give her time to hone her own skills by redoing basics. She really didn't mind going back to the beginning…
"Really? You would? We'd be grateful. Our little Annika getting a better education would be great." Helen smiled and Ueli returned the gesture. Edelgard kept her expression neutral but she frowned internally. Why was it only the wealthy could afford education for their children? Wouldn't it be best if everyone could learn basic things like literacy and arithmetic? Maybe she could figure something out with that once she ascended the throne. It was absolutely no fair that the commoners didn't get an education while nobles did. She hated the wide rifts in the world. It was so hard... Though if she wanted to introduce something for wider spread education... Would Rhea attempt to stop it? She hoped not... People ought to be allowed to rise and fall on their own merits.
"I will." Edelgard smiled at them. Maybe she could even convince Juliane to let the girl learn to read and write.. "Does she know things like math and writing?" That was probably the best thing to ask first. It would give Annika less time with her family, but it'd invest in them in the long run. It would let her family have somebody to teach them to read and write or at least at a higher level than they might know now. Thankfully, Juliane was a kind woman and would often let Edelgard do what she wanted. Getting Annika an education was just one of those things…
"We know some basics, but not to the point you likely can. We know just enough to be able to keep track of things." Helen spoke this this time and Edelgard nodded. Well, they were still better off than most commoners to her knowledge. Most couldn't even read or write at an absolutely basic level. She really did wish that they could better themselves through education. The family was far from suffering, but even so. She wished she could extend learning to everyone . She really hoped Rhea wouldn't shoot down that idea if she tried to implement it. It would help lift people further and allow them to go much higher than they would otherwise…
"I'll see what the Empress has to say then." Yeah, she really did hope that Juliane would be willing to listen. People deserved so much better than the destitution they lived in. Nobility had far too much power and wealth stored up. She really wished she could just get rid of Crests as a whole... They were nothing but rot and caused only suffering. Why should bloodline determine what place a person had in society?
"We appreciate it. But back to the original topic... If you do have some shadow guards with you, we'll let you and Annika go down to the city." Ueli smiled at the two girls and Edelgard grinned widely. She was mostly numb so going up and down like this was really strange. She tended to get over feeling things pretty quickly. The numbness moved swiftly. But she hoped she'd be able to feel this for a while. She was excited to get to go down to the city. Yes, she'd have Hubert with her, but she always had him with her. Well... Aside from sleeping and other things like that, but, for the most part, they were pretty much inseparable. And she really wouldn't have it any other way. He was a good friend and her protector... She was glad she didn't remember how lonely it had to feel to not have him while in the Kingdom.
"I'll speak to those loyal to me then. Lady Edelgard, simply let me know when you wish to go down to the city." Hubert dipped his head to her and she nodded, still grinning.
"Okay!" She was really looking forward to getting away from the castle for a while. She really missed her excursions with Tobias down into the city. They had always been highlights when they happened... She really, really enjoyed the excitement of exploring places she'd never been allowed before. Of course, they stayed to the more upscale parts of the city, but even so... It was nice to be able to go out like that again. She just hoped Annik uldn't really ruin it by worrying over her safety. The shadow guards were the finest warriors in all of Adrestia. They kept the royal family safe from the shadows and helped keep order wherever they were stationed.
Dinner wrapped up soon after that and Edelgard went back to Juliane's room. The woman agreed to allow Annika to learn underneath her teachers. "Just don't slack too much when you're learning with her, okay, El? I think about fifteen minutes per class out of your sixty is probably good. We are the ones paying the teachers so we would rather focus on them teaching you . Okay?"
Edelgard nodded. "Okay. That makes perfect sense. Hubert can probably build on what they're doing anyway..." She didn't know how all he was trained but she knew he was an incredibly formidable opponent. She would not want to meet him on the battlefield or cross him. She knew he had probably done his fair share of terrible things to keep her safe. But what they were, he would never tell her. She had long accepted that. They basically lived in two separate worlds despite being together so much.
With all of that out of the way, the pair curled up and fell into a peaceful slumber. The soft smile still remained on Edelgard's face.
