There had been little fanfare when the Norberg reconnaissance group had departed the next morning from Avalor's shores, on schedule and aboard The Wayfarer.
That had been the intention though, as this was to be a somewhat covert operation, and it was the reason they were taking Scarlett's ship rather than the Royal Galleon. However, it was quite difficult to be covert when it came to Royals, especially when Esteban was spotted being dropped off by the Royal carriage with quite a few large trunks, that a few citizens instantly pointed and whispered as he boarded. Still, Naomi had taken the necessary precautions by sharing her good-byes with her friends at the palace last night.
At the very least, her father was able to come by and see her and her mother off.
"I really think you should let me go with you, Scarlett," He insisted again as the last few items were being loaded onboard.
"And as I said, I need you to stay and keep an eye on the Homefront as there's no one I trust more to be here than you." Scarlett planted her hands on her hips. "And I think you also know better than anyone to not defy your Captain's orders."
Daniel let out a deep amused chuckle.
"Then, safe travels to you, Captain Turner," Her father said, placing an obscenely dramatic kiss on her mother's lips.
"And to you as well, Captain Turner," He bent down and placed a kiss to Naomi's brow. He really wasn't going to let that joke go.
The two of them boarded with their heads held high, but watched him as he stood at the end of the dock until he was nothing but a formless speck.
The Voyage to Norberg took about a week to get there, even with the unusually great weather conditions. Though, Naomi could hardly be relaxed as trailing them the entire time was a ring of rolling, dark clouds. She placed an extra kiss to the lucky horseshoe her mother brought on each voyage just to be safe, hoping the clouds wouldn't trap them in Norberg.
Esteban had chosen to stay reserved in his Quarters pretty much the entire time. This only made Naomi curious to know what exactly he was up to. After all, there were only so many naps someone could take in a day. At least she knew he was still alive, from the occasions when he came out onto the Quarter deck, breathing in the salty breeze with an air of content she had only seen on a handful of occasions.
He was saved from her interrogations though, as her mother kept her busy, and Naomi didn't want to miss even a second of this golden opportunity of being able to see Captain Scarlett Turner in action.
Her father had entertained a small Naomi with bedtime stories of her fearless Captain Mother, who inspired and gained many loyal people to her wherever she went. And now with her own two eyes, Naomi recognized plenty of people from her mother's past voyages, who even though they were no doubt surprised by the last minute mission, chose to drop everything and be under her command once more. And even the new members, including the guards Gabe had assigned, were quickly pulled into Scarlett's charismatic grasp as she chose to dine in the mess hall with the rest of the Crew than her Captain's quarters, take on her fair share of watch shifts, and even play poker when there was the occasional down time, accepting her defeats with her gruff and low laugh.
Naomi would be lying though if she didn't admit that she was also happy that she had been finally relegated to official Quartermaster for this trip, proudly standing at the helm of this massive beauty of a ship. While she was nothing like Naomi's schooner and required a lot more muscle power and long hours of being stationary, the young Captain wouldn't trade it for any of the other positions she had previously had. Especially cabin girl. While, yes, she understood that every job on a ship was important, Naomi could still feel the phantom pains of swabbing the deck for hours on end.
The whole voyage had been such a surreal experience that Naomi almost - almost - forgot what kind of situation they were heading into. Her mother reminded the crew of this fact after dinner, instructing everyone to be on their guard and were not to leave this ship under any circumstances unless ordered by her, Esteban, or Naomi, and to get a good nights rest.
Despite her mother's orders though, when William had been looking rather green later on, apparently reacting badly to that nights clam chowder, Naomi happily offered to take his late night watch instead.
Now here she was, in the dead of night, standing closely at the helm, eyes peeled against the dark waves for any sight of danger. Except there wasn't any movement or even any sign of life, besides Marco, who was up in the crow's nest.
So, after a few monotonous minutes passed, Naomi decided to turn her attention to the barrel she had set up beside her as a makeshift table, where her trusty map laid on top. She carefully brought the burning lantern closer as it was her only light source. She then grabbed her pencil and consoled her map carefully.
It wasn't unlike any other map one might find, except Naomi had gone through and circling the locations that she had already visited. And upon reflection, it was almost humorous to see that even after three years of traveling, she had barely made a dent in the 17 seas.
For now though, she focused on the couple of charted courses she had drawn out. All just in case they really did need to make a speedy getaway from Norberg. Which included: where they could stop if they ran out of food, where to stop if they ran out of water, and where they could stop if they needed extra ammunition. Again, just in case.
Honestly, she couldn't do any more planning until they got to Norberg and she could scope out for the finer details. In particular, how high the castle walls were and how long it would take to scale them.
Suddenly, the sound of squeaky door hinges pierced the air. Naomi circled on her heels, her hand flying to her dagger.
It turned out only to be Esteban.
However, rather than giving her any kind of remark, he completely ignored her as he didn't even so much as look over at the helm and instead went over to the side of the bridge deck. He propped up his foot like some kind of swash buckling adventurer and started staring out into the distance.
Naomi silently moved to look around him, but didn't see anything.
When a few more minutes stretched on, Naomi decided to break the silence. "You know it's bad for you to stare too deeply into the water."
Esteban jumped with a start and Naomi could have sworn she actually heard him swore in Avaloran.
When the Chancellor realized it was her, he quickly released his chest that he had been dramatically clutching and sighed in annoyance while he stuffed something into his pocket.
"Miss Turner," He said standing extra tall. "I did not realize this would be your watch."
"I switched with William." Naomi eye's turned back to the dark sea ahead of her. "Not a problem with that, is there?"
"Not at all."
She expected him to leave at that juncture, however, she didn't hear the sound of his footsteps. But, if he wanted to stand here in silence next to her, it wouldn't bother her. It wasn't unlike the silence back when the two of them would arrive early to those first few Council meetings, waiting for Luisa and Francisco to show up on time, and Elena to show up late, and there hadn't been enough good natured snark built up in their repertoire yet.
"You're going to break Elena's heart if you leave so soon."
Naomi turned to him sharply and saw that he was looking down at her map.
"Oh, no I was just doing some last minute planning for Norberg. You know, doing what Elena assigned me to do. Besides, I'm not planning on leaving today, or even tomorrow, or..." Naomi let herself unintentionally trail off, but quickly recovered. "And we both know how strong Elena is, so I didn't think you would be so concerned."
"Of course I would," Esteban said proudly. "I have always had to be the one to look out for her. She was always the immature one, even during the time when we were once closer in age."
"And here I've heard that you were the one that was the handful."
"And who exactly did you hear that from?" Esteban scoffed.
"Your grandparents."
"Ah," He said, his mouth hanging open. "Uh, well...they tend to exaggerate like most grandparents, as you know."
Naomi actually didn't know, having lost her last living grandfather to a Sirena attack before she was even born, which left her with an already very limited family tree.
Esteban knew this and caught himself. He avoided her gaze awkwardly. "I apologize."
"It's fine," Naomi said hastily.
A maddening pause began to grow.
"Just, don't think of me as being so cold-hearted Esteban. There's no way I would leave without telling Elena and she fully understands my lifestyle. I just like to keep an open mind."
"Well, just for your information, if I were to go plan an expedition, I would follow the ancient Silk trade route." Esteban said unprompted.
He grabbed the pencil and began tracing a new path. "While Avalor, or what was ancient Maru, is in the middle of it, you can follow it downward to Aciloth. There, you can enter the city under the colossal statue of the Sun God Baodith, that is supposed to be over 300 feet tall. Then you follow it to Edesa and it would actually be best if you could leave your ship docked and travel inland to what remains of the Great Sky library. Most of the books were destroyed during the Burning Siege, but the building it still there. Then, you can make your last stop in the Kingdom of Wuni. It's best to be your last stop, since it would require a bit of traveling from the shore to be able to visit the Great Wall. And really what's the point of going there if you don't go see that. And finally you can catch the Purple Sea currents which will carry you back to Avalor."
Naomi looked down at the map, her mouth agape. She had of course heard about all these wonders of the EverRealm, but had never known of this great route that perfectly encapsulated everything! She was actually feeling the itch for travel again.
However, Naomi's ingrained skepticism took over and she looked back to Esteban curiously. "That's quite a lot of planning to have on a whim."
This seemed to catch him off guard. He placed down the pencil and loudly cleared his throat.
"Yes, well, I've taken several classes for my Royal training, including Geography and History, so I'm just incredibly knowledgeable." Esteban placed his hands behind his back. "So I thought I would at least offer you this insight to places you haven't been to yet, and help expand your mind. Plus, you wouldn't want a repeat any of the troubles you've gotten into in the past."
That surprised her. He never expressed about caring about her travels any time she visited before. So how did he know? Unless...
"You've read Mercedes's stories? The ones about my travels?"
"Of course I don't read those ridiculous, bloated, and dis-proportioned stories that are being sold in that book store. I, at least, have class."
Naomi sighed, concluding that his arrogance must had made him have a lucky guess.
Another silence started again, and Naomi felt this stopping and pausing was starting to annoy her, so she took another stab at some conversation.
"Elena would still probably want to be here right now."
"I know she would, but she made a smart decision."
Naomi knew where this was going. "Because it was partially your idea?"
"This is true," Esteban said, lightly stroking his beard. "But, I've lost my family more than once, I don't intend to let that happen again if I have the power to stop it."
Naomi smiled at that. It was nice to hear the moments that he sounded like an actual caring human being.
"It was probably a bit a luck though that we got her to agree to stay in Avalor," Naomi continued. "With enough grit and determination, Elena would always jump in to help an ally, even if she was about to give birth."
"Now that would truly be the stupidest thing she could possibly do."
Naomi rolled her eyes at his exaggeration. Esteban had in fact quite the list of what he deemed the stupidest things Elena could do over the years.
Esteban continued, "Besides Elena and the child's safety, if her child was born in Norberg and not Avalor, it could cause some controversy."
Naomi's eyebrows furrowed together. "How so?"
"Well, let's say this child grows up and is ready to ascend to the Throne," Esteban said as he leaned against the railing. "If another Royal Avaloran family would rather take control, they could make a claim that because the child was born in Norberg it is truly not a Avaloran child and therefore would have no claim to that seat of power."
"Even though the mother and father are of Avaloran descent, not to mention the rulers?" Naomi scoffed, "That's quite the leap in logic."
"People will use anything they can in order to acquire power, especially other Royals," Esteban said plainly. "And it's not like it hasn't happened in the past, Avalor is an Absolute primogeniture."
"Meaning?"
"The Crown is passed down to the Monarch's eldest child, so even a drop of Royal blood could get you in line for the throne. And as Chancellor, you learn who is connected to who in every possible way to boldly defend the monarch against these scrupulous legalities. Thereby singlehandedly keeping the entire Kingdom in balance."
Naomi shook her head, the whole thing sounded so ridiculous that Esteban was probably just making a big deal out of nothing as usual.
"Wow, so you actually do have a job at the Palace," Naomi retorted sarcastically. "I just thought you spent most of your days having lover spats with Doña Paloma."
"Lover?" Esteban visibly shuddered. "Please don't insult me, Miss Turner, I have much better taste in women than that. And, I wouldn't willingly go near that woman even if I was on fire and she had the only bucket of water in the entire Kingdom."
Naomi laughed. "Well said."
The sound of a bell then rang out from the Crow's nest. Two rings.
"Looks like it's time to be changing watches soon," Naomi stated, feeling a sudden fatigue washing over her and already imagining the warm hammock she had set up for herself in the Captain's Quarters.
"Then I will retire back to my Quarters as well, I have a few more things to go over."
Esteban promptly began to walk away. However, he suddenly turned around and was back at her side.
"Thank you for the company and good night."
He said this with all the stuffy formality that he normally had, but is mouth was not quite in such a firm line and the furrow between his brow not quite so prominent.
She decided to respond to what seemed like a genuine response with a small smile. "Anytime, and a good night to you as well."
"Land ho!" Marco's voice crowed out.
Everyone immediately came to attention as The Wayfarer passed Gibsbeak Island and the Kingdom of Norberg came into view. It was a completely cloudless day, the bright blue sky stretched for miles and miles and attached itself to the crystal snow capped mountains, which were so clear that Naomi could've of sworn she could see every detail of the mountains even without a spyglass.
Naomi had only ever been to her "home country" only three times in her life, and only two she could remember.
The most recent had been a few years ago during the Kingdom's big family day celebration, with beautiful decorations and general merrymaking.
From a distance, it didn't seem that different. But the closer they got, the more Naomi got a gut feeling that something wasn't right, and she had been to enough ports in her life to back up this feeling.
Most of the ships docked seemed to be eerily deserted and the barnacle build up on the hull's suggested they had been that way for a while. And while there were sellers in their port-side shops, everyone seemed guarded, choosing to stand behind the stalls and in the doorways rather than out on the streets, yelling and hollering about their amazing products.
Her mother Scarlett must of noticed this change in atmosphere as well, maybe even more than she herself did, based on the visible clench of her jaw.
"Have you ever seen it like this before?" Naomi asked her.
"Once." Scarlett said flatly. "And even then, it wasn't this bad."
"Captain Turner. Miss Turner." Esteban came up the stairs to join them, taking his place right in the exact spot he had been in last night next to Naomi. "I would wish you a good morning, but I see that it would be wasted."
"How does this change our plans?" Naomi asked, her mind already beginning to spin with the possibilities.
"It doesn't. We have a formal request from Queen Abigail. We just need to play it safe." Esteban stated coolly. "However, just to make sure we all leave here with our heads, let me do most of the talking, and will get out perfectly unscathed."
Naomi and her mother shared an unconvincing look, but decided that now was not the time to bruise his ego.
Surprisingly, docking had been easy enough, no troubles finding a spot or dropping anchor.
It wasn't until the gangplank was down and Naomi, Esteban, her mother, and two of Avalor Guards were heading down that they were greeted by some Norberg Royal Guards on the dock.
"State your business." One of the them said gruffly. No traditional Norbergian politeness was going to be found here today.
"I am Chancellor Esteban Flores of Avalor, along with my compatriots, Captain Scarlett Turner and Naomi Turner." Esteban reached into his pocket to produce the distress letter. It was rolled up to not reveal the contents, but still was able to present the Royal Wax seal. "We received a letter from their Royal Majesty to come at their behest."
The guard leaned forward to examine the mark, his eyes betrayed him as they widened slightly. However, they snapped back to attention and began to now examine the group with intense scrutiny. His eyes then were drawn up to the top mast of The Wayfarer, where the Avaloran flag flapped slightly in the breeze.
Seemingly satisfied with his assessment, the guard than said, "Follow me, we have a carriage that can take you to the Royal Palace."
One uncomfortable carriage ride later and the small party arrived at the Front Doors of the Palace. Their Guard "escorts" ushered them inside at a fast pace. But Naomi was at least able to note that while the brick wall that surrounded the castle was high, it was at least all ground level with the rest of the Kingdom unlike Avalor. Count that as a plus.
Everybody remained in a tense silence though as they were led down the extravagant hallways. Naomi tried to keep her focus ahead, but couldn't help but cast an awed glance to the glimmering chandeliers and exclusively crafted paintings of the lush Norberg woods, the same woods and trees that built every building in the Kingdom, including the Palace. Naomi had only ever been in two palaces before, Avalor and Nueva Vista, that it baffled her how different of a feel this one from either of those two. It was more woodsy and wild.
Naomi was so entranced that she almost ran into Esteban as they stopped right in front of the throne room doors. Their escorts opened the doors, and moved out of the way to allow the group to pass first.
With one collective breath, Naomi, Esteban, and Scarlett entered as one with the Avalor Guards flanking their back. After a week of traveling and worrying, they would finally get to talk to Queen Abigail and get to the bottom of this potential threat.
As they approached though, there was a woman in servants clothes standing in front of the throne, her back was turned to them and she was blocking whoever she was talking to on the throne.
"Chancellor Esteban Flores of Avalor, Captain Scarlett Turner, and Miss Naomi Turner," The Norberg guard announced in a booming tone.
The woman straightened up and moved out of the way, revealing not Queen Abigail or even Princess Chloe, but instead, a young man around Naomi's age, maybe even younger, sitting on the throne. He had long, loose ash blonde hair and stormy blue grey eyes that took their time looking at each one of the group. He was also in fine clothing, but something only as fine as Naomi had seen on visiting monarchs.
The trio looked to one another in confusion.
"Where is her Royal Majesty, Queen Abigail?" Esteban asked.
The servant suddenly looked visibly distressed at that question, looking like she wanted to say something, but no words came out.
"You are dismissed Gilda," The young man said with a wave of his hand.
Gilda looked positively grateful at this as she bobbed a small curtsey and quickly disappeared out of the throne room.
The young man shifted in the throne, throwing his long hair back similar to a horse throwing his mane, and showing that he had a long sword attached at his side.
"So, I'm going to assume you all haven't heard?"
Their hesitance answered his question quickly.
"I'm afraid to inform you all that Queen Abigail passed away a month ago."
All the air felt like it was immediately sucked out of the room, rendering them all as speechless as Gilda had been.
That was impossible. They had just gotten the letter. They had just traveled all this way.
"Abby has passed and no one has thought to send word!?" Her mother shouted.
"That's a pretty informal way to speak to a Royal, even as decorative of a sailor as you are Captain Turner," The man rested his hand on his chin. "Especially for someone who infamously threw away a perfectly good noble title and married a fish monger."
Now it was Naomi's turn to yell. "Hey! You can't speak to my mom that way!"
"And you should not shout at a Royal."
The three of them turned to this new voice entering the fray. A much older man came forth from a far corner of the room that was nothing but wall, implying that he had been there the whole time, even though Naomi could've sworn she hadn't noticed him. His posh clothes and powdered wig made him resemble any other noble Norbergian, though there was almost some kind of very light greenish tint that gave away that he was not from Norberg himself. But it was the monocle over his right eye and the way he stuck his chin up to show his prominent jawline that gave him an extra air of pretentiousness.
"Isn't that right, Esteban?" He said, mimicking an Avaloran accent perfectly.
Naomi turned up and was taken aback to see Esteban in a way she had never seen him before. Completely petrified.
There was no doubt then that this was in fact the Northern Isles Royal that Queen Abigail had written about. And based on Esteban's reaction, he had to be no good.
Regardless though, this man was waiting for an answer as his pale blue eyes bore into Esteban. Naomi gently nudged Esteban with her elbow.
"I agree," He said in a strangled tone before composing himself. "I agree. But it was still very rude to not inform the other allied Kingdoms as soon as possible of this unfortunate predicament."
"You say that, Chancellor, and yet, Queen Elena did not write to inform us that she would be sending a Avaloran envoy to Norberg." The older man gave them a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Or better yet, if it was of some grave importance, why she didn't come herself."
"My cousin, Queen Elena is in a...delicate situation."
"Well, from what I have heard, the Queen is anything but delicate."
"Ah yes," The younger man cut in. "The young, fiery-tempered Queen with a magic scepter and some unruly emotion magic last I heard."
Esteban's eyes narrowed. "Not as unruly as you would think."
"Who even are you?" Naomi then asked, cutting off the nonsensical back and forth.
"My apologies," The pompous man gestured a hand to the young man, who instantly sat tall and firm in the throne. "May I present Edward of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. And the rightful Ruler of Norberg." The man than bowed grandly. "And I am his faithful advisor and servant, Oswall Thornbuckle."
"Rightful ruler?" Scarlett asked.
Edward jumped up from the throne and headed over to another set of doors. The two butlers standing there quickly opened the door for him.
"Follow me, and I will enlighten you all of what has been going on in our glorious Kingdom these past few weeks, it's quite the tale."
The trio shared another look, deliberating what to do.
"Don't worry, I know this castle like the back of my hand," Scarlett reassured them. She then turned to the two guards behind them and gave strict orders. "Just stay close to us."
With no other choice, the group moved to once again be at the mercy of following, this time led by the mysterious Edward and creepy Oswall down another long and impressive hallway. They must have been on the southside of the palace, as the rows of large windows showed the back of the estate of open fields and those glorious mountains. Naomi noted though, that the flag poles that lined the hallway didn't have the usual eight-pointed star against a burgundy backdrop in the corner, with blue and white stripes, one stripe for each of the brave Norbergian families that had first settled here. Now, while there was still the stripes, the corner was decorated with a black raven in flight against a blood red background.
Had those flags been down at the docks too? Naomi wished she could remember. But her pondering was cut off as Edward began talking.
"I was just a simple noble, growing up in our great house up around the mountains where we were in charge of mining and producing coal for the Kingdom." Edward pointed out the windows. "And while most children grew up rolling in the grass and climbing the trees, I played ball a top hard jagged stones and could count the days when it was not gray and cloudy on one hand. Not the most ideal place for a happy childhood, but I'm not one to complain," Edward said with a chuckle, but no one returned the laugh except for Oswall.
"And then over three months ago, while I was high up in the mountains, taking a trail I had taken a million times before, I was suddenly blessed with this!" Edward spun around to them and unsheathed his sword. Everyone flinched back and their hands flew to their weapon hilts. But this peacock didn't do anything but hold it high in the air, giving everyone a full view.
It looked like an ordinary sword, except for the blade, which was the color of pure white snow. And then Naomi could hear it, feel it. She had only experienced it once before, at the Crystal Well of Takaina. The presence of overwhelming, concentrated magic.
Esteban must have felt it too, as he broke composure to pinch the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut tight like he was in some kind of pain.
"This is the Ancient sword of Fragarach."
"That can't be possible," Her mother interjected, though her eyes didn't leave the weapon. "That sword has been long gone for thousands of years. Everyone knows that, whether you heard it from a nursery rhyme or a tavern drinking song."
"Very good, Captain Turner," Edward said, giving them a brilliant smile, his straight white teeth matching the color of the blade. He then placed a hand to his breast and began to recite, with the sword still held high:
Good King Cole had a mighty sword
When slashed threw the wind sang a mighty good cord
And the rocks on the ground couldn't help but dance around
Good King Cole than laid down to rise no more
But the sword flew away, so high it soared
Claiming it would only come down when came it was afford
"So don't you see! It wasn't just a story, it was a prophecy!" Edward claimed in a excited tone, putting away the sword. "I was given this sword for a reason! And I was so overwhelmed and ecstatic that I didn't know what to do." He then gestured to his advisor. "Luckily, Oswall here happened to show up to be passing through our home the same day and was able to guide me. Told me that I should bring it and present it to Queen Abigail and cousin Chloe as soon as possible."
"How fortunate," Esteban said sarcastically, before Naomi had a chance to say the same thing.
Naomi suddenly halted slightly in her steps. "Wait, wait a second. You're Chloe's cousin?"
"On her father's side." Edward than cast his eyes downward. "We've unfortunately never been close because of complicated family matters. And I only got to know her for a short amount of time before she disappeared."
"Chloe's gone too!?" Scarlett exclaimed.
Naomi pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling like a headache would be coming on from how many loops this was all throwing them through, she couldn't keep up.
Oswall took over this part of the story. "I'm not sure if you were unaware, but Norberg was afflicted with what were the beginnings of a Plague that started showing up not too long after we arrived. Taking a few several people in it's wake. Queen Abigail, being one of those unfortunate."
"And when my beloved aunt Queen Abigail suddenly passed, bless her soul, where was dear cousin, the heir?" Edward asked. "No where to be found. She simply vanished into thin air. This situation was apparently too much for her delicate sensibilities to handle."
"So, in a time of crisis, his majesty was simply following the lead of Avalor," Oswall turned to them, an unnerving gleam in his ice pale blue eyes. "We were truly inspired by Queen Elena's perseverance to march in and take the throne from an unfit ruler."
Oswall then swung out his arms out wide. "But then, his majesty went to the people, revealed the sword to all, stabbed it into ground, and demanded that this plague take no more of these great people. And then, in only one night, the plague was expelled from this land. And so, chosen by fate and the people, his grace was proclaimed King Edward two weeks ago this Sunday."
Naomi felt nausea roll through her stomach like waves during a typhoon. This Phony King and his slimy henchman, had weaved such a lengthy and what they had thought was an inspiring and clever, and not to mention very, very rehearsed, story. But, Naomi knew the truth from Queen Abigail's letter, so this fabrication was easily unraveling right in front of her eyes.
"Plus, it's not like my cousin was anything great. Not athletic to be a warrior, not a master of any of the finer more feminine arts, couldn't even be a ship without being sick. And she was always a bit...socially inept."
Anger sparked within Naomi. She had just about enough of their prattling.
"Since when is being awkward a sufficient reason for treason!?" Naomi burst out, bringing everyone's attention immediately to her. "Honestly, this whole thing just sounds a little too suspicious to me."
"Miss Turner," Esteban hissed through gritted teeth. "Stop talking."
Naomi refused to listen to him. She may not have many attachments to Norberg, but she despised liars and snobs.
"You may have dragged these innocent people here into your little con, but it will never last, not if I have anything to say about it!"
Scarlett then grabbed a hold of her arm. "Naomi." She said in a very low and reprimanding tone. Naomi instantly felt like a child at the sound of that voice.
"Is that so?" Oswall asked, tilting his head slightly. "Miss Naomi Turner was it?"
The man took a step towards them.
"The same Naomi Turner that had been serving on Queen Elena's Grand Council for three years? Who convinced Captain Turner to turn down a Admiral position in the Norberg Coast Guard? And the same one who spent the last three years roaming the 17 Seas and reporting it all back to Avalor? The Queen's favorite? That Naomi Turner?"
Naomi felt her blood run cold. How did he know so much about her? Did Queen Abigail or Chloe tell them about her? If so, what else did he know about her?
"If anyone sounds suspicious here, it's most certainly you my dear." A grin than stretched across his face, revealing several hidden wrinkles that aged him considerably. "You know what I think, your grace, I think we may be in the midst of an Avaloran Spy."
"What!?" Naomi practically shrieked.
Edward gasped. "National Betrayal!"
"We are loyal to both. We've always had Norberg's best interests at heart as much as Avalor's," Her mother said defensively.
"Forgive me if I have a hard time believing your words, Captain Turner," Oswall said as he took off his monocle. He took out a lace handkerchief with a flourish and began to wipe the glass, even though there wasn't even a speck of dirt on it. "After all, don't think we didn't find out about you and your husband's Royal Pardon given by the late Queen Abigail. I highly doubt a trustworthy person would have ever required such a thing."
A Royal Pardon? Naomi had never heard anything about them receiving a Royal Pardon. Surely this must have been another trick.
But it was no trick, it couldn't have been from the absolute terror that was now shining in her mother's dark green eyes with her already pale skin now so white, she could have been translucent.
Seeing her mother in such an unbelievable state caused all the courage and strength to be sapped out of Naomi.
"Oh, I'm not sure how this Kingdom has survived all these years of corruption, dishonesty, and cowardice!" Edward said dramatically. "We will surely need to fix all this if we ever want to enter a Golden Age."
"I'm so happy you see this as well your grace," Oswall cooed, putting the monocle back on, the gold glinting in the light. "Which is why I think it would be best to bring Miss Turner in for questioning."
That seemed to snap Scarlett back. "No! You cannot take my daughter!"
"This girl is a citizen of Norberg by your blood, is she not? She therefore falls under his grace's jurisdiction to do as he sees fit."
Esteban put an arm out in front of Naomi. "Miss Turner is here under Diplomatic immunity from Avalor, you cannot take her so forcefully, despite what your grace thinks!"
Oswall raised one black brow. "Diplomatically? You're all claiming to be here diplomatically?"
"Yes." Esteban said firmly, straightening his back to size up against the Advisor.
Owsall then leaned in close, his face only inches away from Naomi. Close enough that she smelt the overpowering scent of mint on his breath. "And, pray tell, for what reason?"
Naomi felt her heart thump wildly in her chest. Her hand slowly sliding down to grab around the hilt of her dagger at her thigh, silently daring someone to step forward and try and grab her.
Naomi felt the bones in her hand as she tightened her grip and began to unsheathe her dagger ever so slightly. But she was stopped from unsheathing it anymore as she felt Esteban's hand press strongly on top of hers. She refused to release her hold though.
Esteban then said with absolute seriousness, "Prunes."
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him in immense bewilderment.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Avalor's trade agreement with Norberg for Prunes became expired about a year ago and we've unfortunately haven't had the time to formally revise that agreement."
Naomi had no idea how he knew something so significantly small. But he was right, trade agreements offered a form of protection around a traveler. So she would play along with him.
"He is correct," Naomi said, finding her shred of nerve to keep her voice steady. "We've had a recent influx in our Black pepper plants and would love to have the opportunity to trade our spice for...prunes."
"They cannot be serious Oswall," Edward said with bored disdain. Apparently he was all out of charm for them.
The said man though hadn't lost his composure or that gleam in his eye. He began rubbing his chin in frightening interest, as if he were playing a game of chess.
Finally, he shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose the Chancellor is right, if what he says is true."
Naomi let a small sigh of relief escape through her nose. But, it was short lived.
"However, we will be going to our Captain of the guards in order to draw up an official warrant in order to legally obtain Miss Turner for further questioning." Oswall inclined his head back. "If that is what you wish for, your grace."
"Yes, yes, of course, whatever you say," Edward said with alarming ease.
Oswall turned his gaze to Esteban. It was his move.
Esteban simply nodded. "Very well."
"Then we will see you tomorrow when you deliver Miss Turner and this inspiring trade agreement, Chancellor."
The advisor's head swiveled sharply back to Naomi.
"And if Miss Turner is anything like her parents, she's got a strong enough constitution to stomach quite a lot." Oswall gave her one more leering smile and looked at her so intently that Naomi could see her terrified reflection in his obscene monocle. "And I so look forward to getting to know her better."