Siesta sat in her room aboard the Ostrand and quickly wrote down all she knew in her small diary. Over the first three days of the expedition everything had gone pretty well, especially considering she was basically in charge of a group of nobles, and she a mere plebeian. But one thing kept catching her attention, the third child of the Vallière, Louise Vallière. Of all the nobles that were working under her in the kitchen preparing the meals each day, she seemed to be hiding something, where all the others only hid a dislike for working under her. Siesta could tell that there was animosity between the Vallière and Zerbst, but both of them hid it well, but that wasn't it either. What was unnerving her so badly wasn't the way anyone was acting toward the Vallière, but how she was acting to everyone on the ship at all times.
From what she knew, the Vallière was a high ranking family in Tristania, so high in fact that they apparently were friendly with the queen herself. Because of this, it was expected that a Vallière would not only excel in all that they did, but also respect everyone around them and make intelligent conversation, at least that's what Siesta had been told. But Louise Vallière did none of this. She didn't try to get better in the kitchen, only doing the bare minimum she had too, and did not speak to anyone else unless she needed to. Siesta had even watched her shy away from conversations with people when they weren't working, leaving for her room immediately. But that wasn't what was truly unnerving her, what unnerved her was Louise's hair.
Her bright pink hair was always done into a large ponytail, something that suited her well, but apparently was unheard of for a Vallière to do. While she often heard people on the Ostrand wondering why she had her hair in a ponytail, she knew something else was amiss. On the first day of working in the kitchen she could swear she had seen grey rope, or some kind of wire inside of Louise's hair, and in the days following she confirmed it, catching glimpses of silver and purple rope or wire mixed into the hair. No one else seemed to notice this, but the more Siesta noticed this, the more it worried her. This along with Louise Vallière's sudden addition to the crew, caused Siesta to be nervous whenever she was near her. And she had to do something about this, like bring it to someone's attention.
Siesta stood in front of the door to the Ostrand's main upper cabin and rapt on the door hard, almost hurting her hand on the doors solid structure. After a few moments the door's latches clicked and one of the two slid open, revealing a young girl, slightly shorter than Siesta standing In the doorway, her blond hair curling down her shoulders and sides elegantly.
"Yes? Oh, Siesta, hello." Montmorency Margarita la Fère de Montmorency said as she noticed Siesta in front of her.
Siesta smiled to her. "Good morning, Lady Montmorency, Is your mother or Mr. Colbert in?"
Montmorency nodded, returning Siesta's friendly smile. "Yes, but they are a little busy at the moment, won't you come in and wait with me for them?"
"I would be honored to, Lady Montmorency." Siesta replied as she followed her into the main cabin. Inside the doorway Siesta found that the room almost looked like a cross between a dining room, and a meeting room. A large but low table sat in the middle of the room, and around its sides were many cushioned chairs, much better quality than Siesta got to see often. Following Montmorency past the table the two of them took seats on a small couch that sat directly in front of the cabin's window.
As Siesta opened her mouth to speak Montmorency lifted her hand and shook it. " I'm going to stop you there Siesta. The walls of the cabin are thick enough no one outside can hear us, and the only other person allowed in the main cabin beyond Mr. Colbert, my mother and myself is my mother's personal maid., Its safe here."
Siesta smiled and nodded to Montmorency. "Thank you then, Momo."
"Don't thank me silly. Why should you have to act so formal toward a friend?" Montmorency said as she picked up a cup of tea that was on the windowsill before them. "Would you like a cup?"
Siesta shook her head and looked out the window before them, massive snow-capped mountains passing by them slowly. "You're the reason I was put on the crew, aren't you?"
Montmorency put down her cup and crossed her legs as she turned to Siesta. "Why do you think that?"
"We've been careful to not let your mother or anyone else know about our friendship, but when your mother spoke to me as we lifted off she was very familiar to me, and said that Mr. Colbert had suggested I come."
Montmorency nodded. "He did, but I also suggested it. Which led to my mother asking questions."
"Wait, then . . . . . . . ?"
Montmorency nodded once more. "Yeah, both Mr. Colbert and my mother now know of our friendship. But don't worry, she approves of it completely"
Siesta looked shocked for a moment before sighing and hanging her head. "What was the point of keeping it secret then?"
"You know the answer to that, Siesta." Montmorency said as she glanced behind herself. "They are taking their time in there though."
Siesta turned around and followed Montmorency's gaze, to three doors at the back of the room. "What are they doing?"
"Mother and Mr. Colbert are going over the flight route. They want to make sure that we don't encounter or get seen by any elves if possible."
"Oh, I see. So one of the rooms is a map room then?"
"Yes, and the other two are my mothers and mine." Montmorency said with a smile, knowing exactly what Siesta was going to say next.
"Then, where is Mr. Colbert . . . . . he isn't?"
"Yes he is. He and Mother are sleeping together."
"But what of your family's name?"
"What name? Since my father died years ago no one has taken our family seriously. And my mother has been over his loss for years now. I'm sure they know what they're doing."
"I guess so. But still, wow."
"I know, right. What did you want to talk to them about anyway?"
Siesta locked down to her lap and gripped her long skirt. "I'm not sure if I should be worrying this much or not, but one of the nobles on the kitchen staff bothers me."
"Why is that?" questioned another voice, causing Montmorency and Siesta to turn around again to see Lady Montmorency and Mr. Colbert standing a few feet behind them.
Siesta suddenly stood up, brushed herself off and bowed before Lady Montmorency. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you, Milady, I,.."
"Enough of that, you're a friend of my daughter, you don't need to be so formal." Lady Montmorency said sternly as she walked around the couch and leaned against the window. "Now, which noble is worrying you?"
Siesta sat back down and returned to staring at her lap, nervously clenching her hands. "Louise Vallière."
Lady Montmorency and Mr. Colbert quickly exchanged glances, surprised that someone was worried about her as well. "Why is she worrying you?"
"Things I've heard about the Vallière family don't match up with her, but that's only partially the reason. I keep seeing silver or purple, things, in her ponytail."
Mr. Colbert walked over to the nearby dining table and sat down as he spoke. "What sort of things?"
"I'm not really sure. It looks like rope, or maybe wire, but they move like her hair, and I only catch small glimpses of them. Though I'm sure I've seen a bit that looked like an edge." Siesta admitted, unsure how her words were going to be taken.
Lady Montmorency placed her hands together as she thought for many moments before looking to Siesta. "Colbert and I have been wondering about the Vallière already, and this just adds more fuel to the fire. We'll look into it, but keep your eyes open for anything you could tell us or Montmorency, okay?"
Siesta nodded quickly, happy that she was believed. "Yes!"
"Good. Now it's almost time for lunch so you should probably get going.
"Oh no, it is!" Siesta exclaimed as Montmorency took and showed Siesta her pocket watch.
"Montmorency, please escort her out would you?" Lady Montmorency said.
Montmorency nodded and quickly followed Siesta out of the room, leaving Mr. Colbert and Lady Montmorency alone.
"So what do you think of it?" Lady Montmorency asked quietly.
"I think they are good friends, how did they meet?"
"My daughter saved her from Count Mott. They've been friends ever since. But that's not what I meant and you know it!"
Colbert shook his head and shifted in his chair. "First, we get a strange message from Duke Vallière getting her on the expedition that had at least ten things wrong with the way it was written, and now this as well. I don't like this at all, something is up. Do you think the Vallière know of the expeditions true purpose?"
Lady Montmorency shook her head. "I'm sure that only myself and you know of it. The Vallière would have tried to stop the expedition if they knew of its true purpose."
"I suppose so. I just hope we're paranoid. The last thing we need is problems occurring." "Colbert said as Lady Montmorency walked over and rested her bosom on Colbert head and shoulders, his cheeks flushing immediately.
"Indeed. But now that's over with, shall we take a, rest?"
Colbert could not help but smile. "You 'tire' quite quickly, don't you?"
"Working out routes and tactical information for the expedition is tiring. What do you say?"
" . . . I think I could use a 'rest'."
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Karin, Cattleya and Eleonore Vallière all walked into the main foyer of the Vallière mansion, and right away noticed something was amiss. Not only was the Duke Vallière not in the foyer to great them like he always would, but all the servants and guards they could see merely shuffled around aimlessly, and a small pool of water sat to the side of the stairway, splashing whenever a servant shuffled through it.
Walking a few more steps into the foyer Karin stepped up to a guard who stood beside the grand staircase and looked him in the eyes. His eyes were bleak grey and did not focus on her, instead glancing in every direction while his eyelids fluttered like he was drugged. "Something is very wrong here, and we're going to found out what. Have your wands ready for anything, we're looking for your father first."
Both Cattleya and Eleonore slipped their wands out of their pockets and held them steady as the slowly followed their mother up the staircase and through the upper levels of the manor. Looking through every part of the manor the finally came upon the last room on the upper floor to check, the Dukes study.
Swinging the door wide open and stepping inside, the three women found the duke laying backwards in his chair with his head to the side, a small pool of drool on the floor as saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth. The duke's eyes were gray and unfocused, and his hair and clothing disheveled, as if he had been in a fight or struggle.
Karin looked at the Duke for a moment and took in how bad he currently looked before walking up beside his desk. "Dear? Wake up!"
The duke did not move.
"Wake up!" Karin yelled, calling upon her magic to the point that the two windows in the room shattered from the force of her voice.
The Duke did still not move, budge or even twitch, though his hair and clothing was more ruffled than before.
Concerned with the lack of response, Karin stepped forward and swung her arm out towards the duke, the back of her hand striking his nose, and sending his body sprawling out of the chair and into the wall beside him.
The duke did not move for a moment, causing Karin to prepare to hit him again, but then slowly began crawling onto his back. "Aw, my head. I, what happened I-,"
"Ahem!"
The duke turned around to see Karin and his two daughter standing in the doorway to his study. "Karin? I thought you weren't to return for another three days?"
"I'm on time, dear. You're the one who was sitting there like a corpse, completely unaware of anything!" Karin declared.
"I- I was unawares?"
"Yes, just like every guard and servant on our property."
"But that's. . . . . Where's Louise!" The duke suddenly roared, causing all three women before him to look at him in shock.
"Louise returned?" Cattleya asked quietly.
The duke scrambled onto his feet and brushed himself off, growling as he did. "Yes, she returned. Strolled right in the front door like she owned the place and began making demands of me! She even stated I was nothing more than a slave!"
"What? There no way Louise would do that!" Eleonore countered.
"Well, she did!"
"What happened then?" Karin said.
The duke looked at the three women for a moment before his head hung low. "I'm not sure, that's the last thing I remember before waking up on the floor."
Karin looked at him and sighed. "I see. Go get yourself cleaned up, you look terrible. Eleonore, Cattleya?"
"Yes?" Both the girls answered.
"Go around the manor and wake everyone out of the stupor they are in. Make sure no one is hurt and see if anyone remembers anything."
Both girls nodded and left the room, the duke following after them a moment later, leaving Karin in the study alone with her thoughts.
"Louise doesn't act like that, so either it was someone else capable of impossible magic, or. . . . Or what? Regardless we must find out what has happened here. At any cost!"
Author's side note: on a side note I have made a large scale poll on my profile for information about what kind of Familiar of zero fics people are interested. (as it would seem I'm not bad at them.) it allows up to five choices so if it behooves you, please check it out. It will be up for long past betrayer and border so there's no hurry.
