Chapter 28
"A confron-... Oh… OOH!" Hiccup realized it too now. "But isn't that dangerous?" He knew she probably needed a swift way to deal with the whole situation but purposely goading the man hadn't been what he'd expected. "Is this actually going to work?"
"As long as he's not a Noble, which I doubt he is, then yes," Astrid answered.
"What exactly is your plan?" Hiccup questioned. "It's not like you can face this Julius person head on. He's in a fortified castle and probably has more troops."
"A fortified castle that I know the layout of," Astrid countered. "As well as all the secret entrances and escape routes,"
"There is still the question of manpower," Hiccup stated. "He'd probably outnumber your knights. Maybe you should wait for reinforcements,"
Astrid frowned at the suggestion but did think it over. She ultimately shook her head negatively which surprised Hiccup.
"Can I talk to you for a moment privately?" Hiccup then asked. Astrid nodded and both walked out of the cottage's back door to talk. Neither the knights nor Atali said anything to stop them.
"Astrid, are you sure about this?" Hiccup asked. "The numbers alone….."
"I know… I know…" Astrid sighed as she leaned against the bark of a nearby tree.
"Don't you think it's better to call for reinforcements?"
"It's not as easy as you think Hiccup," Astrid muttered. "This isn't like Berk where you claim to be from. You can't just call up warriors to arms in the kingdom,"
Hiccup frowned for a moment. "Why not? The Nobles have their personal Knight orders."
"Yes we do but there are extenuating circumstances here," Astrid grimaced. "While the Nobles have a lot of knights in their employ, mobilizing them for a military campaign still needs permission from the Crown,"
"And since you offended the Crown prince previously your chances of getting that approved are slim." Hiccup realized.
"It's not just that," Astrid said though she nodded at Hiccup's earlier comment. "If word gets out that a Noble let some interloper take over their castle, and needed military force to get it back… well… that would be very damaging to one's honor. And for a Noble, honor is one of the most important things. I'd basically be the laughingstock of Society then and father would have all the ammunition he needs to petition to become Head of the family or to install Edwin as a puppet!"
"You mentioned that Berk values women as warriors when you explained my grandmother's origins to me," Astrid muttered. "Though you were hanging off of a balcony ledge at the time…. I wondered just how different our cultures were. I've no doubt grandmother would have been horribly depressed when she came to live in this Kingdom."
"My mother probably faced the same scrutiny when she was awarded a Noble title and the rights of a man to do business," Astrid crossed her arms as she leaned further against the tree. "Me having inherited her power did nothing but turn the Noble's daggers towards me, for how dare a woman be active in the world of men. She couldn't possibly be competent….."
"But…. at the ball…." Hiccup started to say.
"People are two-faced Hiccup. I learned that the hard way." Astrid uttered. "They will congratulate and compliment you to your face while talking bad behind your back!" Afterall, she had even overheard the whispers at the ball. Some had been discreet and the butler and maids had informed her after the fact but others… they were quite blatant. She'd walked past and they hadn't even quelled their tongues. Spitting barbs at her because she was a woman now in charge of the most profitable mines in the Kingdom. One man had even questioned her competence openly. So yes… Astrid knew…. She knew what obstacles she'd have to face.
Hiccup was quiet as he mulled her words over. There had been a lot of spite in those words and he realized Astrid just wanted to be accepted in a world that was biased. "So these tunnels….." he then asked and caught a glimps of Astrid's smirk.
This is what led them to their current situation. Making their way through a dark forest. For the plan, Astrid had split her forces up in three parts. A third of the knights would safeguard the convoy that was directly heading for the next village. She wouldn't risk the supplies in this confrontation. Another third accompanied her and her carriage to the castle while the other group secured the entrance to the escape tunnel within the forest. They had long since abandoned the carriage at the opposite end of the woods for when Julius's forces would start their manhunt come dawn.
If Julius was a sane enough man then he wouldn't send his men chasing after them in a forest at night where Astrid and her knights might have the advantage. He'd wait for dawn and that was what she was banking on. They'd have regrouped with the other third of her knights by then and their opponent wouldn't be the wiser. The premise of the plan wasn't to facce Julius in the forest at all though. Phase two consisted of misdirection. Having the search parties comb over the South of the forest while they were regrouping in the East.
Hiccup sat behind Astrid on horseback as his arm was now in a sling. She had guided her knights to the other group that had secured the hidden tunnel. Hiccup was surprised though. He'd never expected a tunnel here. The trees were densely packed and the horses had to travel in a line. The tunnel in fact was a small hole, large enough for a person to get out of. As he dismounted the horse with some difficulty he noticed a small set of stair going down. The whole thing had been covered in foliage from the trees as well. If Astrid hadn't marked it on a map for her knights they would have completely overlooked it.
The knights had torches lit. They were deep enough into the woods to not be immediately noticed. Astrid though was still cautious. She ordered her men to rest now for they would begin their trek through the tunnels before dawn broke. Which was in a couple of hours.
Come dawn nothing remained of the makeshift military camp except for a few smoking embers from the firepit and two sentries hidden near the tunnel as lookouts for any potential dangers. Astrid's main force had already entered the tunnel system and were steadily making their way below the castle through narrow passageways.
The escape tunnel led them to the catacombs beneath the castle which housed too many spiderwebs for Atali's liking. She was equipped with a mace one of the knight's loaned her as she had refused to leave her mistress' side. But even she grimaced at the condition of the catacombs. The underground tombs had a plethora of spiderwebs and rats and disgusting water that came to their knees.
Once at their destination, which was a crude set of stone stairs leading up to a dark abyss, the knights looked to Astrid to confirm that they were in the right place.
"These stairs should lead to a wall hidden behind a tapestry on the ground floor of the keep." She answered and then moved to walk up the stairs but did so with great difficulty. Her dress was waterlogged. Having had no change of clothing she had entered the tunnel with what she had been wearing at the time, which was a dress made of cotton. A now rather cumbersome dress.
Hiccup had extended a hand to help both Astrid and Atali up the stairs while the knights insisted that their mistress take up the rear as to keep her out of danger.
The Knight Captain had taken the lead and was slowly pushing the stone blocking the stairs away with the help of one or two of his men. The stone was heavy but soon light filtered into the hidden stairs. There was cloth hanging over the entrance which would have belonged to the tapestry Astrid had indicated. The Captain took the risk of moving the tapestry to check if the coast was clear. So far the ground floor was quiet. He indicated for the others to follow.
"Remind me to invest in a pants shop for women," Astrid grumbled as she got through with some difficulty. Atali raised a brow curiously at her once she too was out of the tunnel. Her mistress' idea might be all well and good but getting society to accept it would be another matter. It wouldn't be the men that would voice the greatest opposition though but the women. Many older women were set in their ways and had great influence over their daughters and nieces.
"Your Ladyship, your orders please," The Captain asked once the area was secure.
"Have three men go secure the portcullis. I want the gate closed and the drawbridge up." She stated. If Julius's men came back they would be in for a rude awakening. She then walked to one of the suits of armor displayed near an archway and grabbed the axe it held. "The rest of you will follow me. The study and the master bedroom are on the third floor."
"Milady isn't it odd?" Hiccup said once the group had found the stairs. He, like Astrid had taken a weapon from a suit of armor. A short sword that would be lighter and easier to wield because his other arm was in a sling.
"What is?" Astrid questioned.
"A castle as big as this…. And yet we've seen no servants," He remarked causing Astrid to pause mid-step. It was odd. She had to agree with Hiccup on that. Had the mercenaries chased away all the servants? Was that why rooms in the castle they had passed were in shambles?
"We must hope for the best," Astrid whispered more to herself than the others as a chill ran up her spine suddenly. A lot of the servants working in this castle had been hand selected by her mother. Astrid knew them to be loyal vassals. The castle was their home as well and they would have done anything and everything to save it.
As the group reached the third floor hallway they heard a loud clatter and some muffled shouts. Astrid frowned. The shouts seemed to be coming from the study that was connected to the master bedroom suite.
"-Y HASN'T THAT WENCH BEEN FOUND?!" could be heard once the group got closer to the source. The knights instinctively formed a defense around their mistress as more shouting could be heard from the study. "Is this all your scouts have to offer?! They can't even find some woman in the forest?!"
"My men are searching as they speak. They have found the carriage abandoned." An unknown voice uttered.
"Fat lot of good that does." Julius could be heard saying with derision. "You and your men are supposed to be worth your weight in gold and the only news this pigeon brings back is that they found her carriage!"
"If you refer to my hawk as a pigeon one more time…" The other threatened. Outside in the hallway the Captain ordered half his men to enter through the Master bedroom while the other half would enter through the door of the study. Astrid, Atali and Hiccup were asked to wait behind the knights.
"Don't you dare take that tone with me!" Julius warned.
"I'll take whatever tone I wish," Astrid and the others heard from outside. She hadn't yet given the signal to enter mainly because the conversation was intriguing. "Don't forget, you're not my employer. I only treated you with respect because I was ordered to," No one could see Julius's reaction though they could all guess it was anything but happy.
"We need some way to lure that woman out! She can't make it back to the Capital. Not alive at least," Julius could be heard saying.
"And what do you suggest we do? My men are armed to the teeth combing the forest already," The other stated.
"I know!" Julius's tone seemed to perk up somewhat at his sudden idea. "Have your remaining men drag the maids from the dungeons and hang them from the parapets! Let's see how long that woman stays quiet while her people suffer!"
"You sicken me you know," The other uttered while Astrid, who had heard enough, ordered the Captain to proceed. The door to the study was kicked in, startling the occupants while the other half of the knights rushed in from the Master bedroom cutting off any means of escape. Or so they thought. The hooded stranger that had been speaking with Julius wasn't shocked for long. He unleashed a smokebomb which spilled out into the hallway. No one could see much with the dense smoke and Astrid had to cover her nose at the smell while her eyes watered. Hiccup and her knights weren't fairing any better.
"Wait! Take me with you!" Julius could be heard shouting. That's when Astrid realized what was going on.
"HE'S IN THE HALLWAY!" She shouted as she realized that the mercenary boss had fled right past them. Leaving Julius to the knights she rushed back to the stairway that led to the ground floor from which they came with Hiccup and Atali following closely behind her. However, she could see no sign of the mystery merc. "Damnit!" Astrid exclaimed in frustration.
"Your ladyship," The Captain coughed as he called out to his mistress. "The cretin is in our custody."
"But?" Astrid asked. There was always a but.
"In his last attempt at pettiness he set fire to the documents on the desk." The knight informed. "My men are trying to salvage what they can but it does not look promising."
'Just great,' Astrid thought as she walked back to the office to assess the damage. Two knights were frantically trying to quell the fire while trying to save as much evidence as they could. Meanwhile, Julius was shoved down to the floor in front of Astrid with two swords across hos neck to hold him in place. He looked rather smug for a man defeated.
"Do you think you've won just because you burned some documents?" Astrid asked with a raised brow. She was rather calm given the whole situation. So calm in fact that Julius had to blink in confusion.
"Or is it that you think your partner is going to get you out of this?" Astrid then asked. That got a more direct response from Julius. A look of derision was directed at her and he spat at her feet before proclaiming she had no evidence.
Astrid actually laughed before pinning Julius with a glare. "Normally I would never do this but do you really think you will leave my domain with your neck intact?" She asked him. "I know that cretin Thuggary is involved somehow. All I need is the illusion of evidence and guess who is made into a scapegoat," She uttered rather sweetly. "I would much prefer having actual evidence to prosecute you but having your own partner do the dirty work for me… well.. Seems kind of poetic. No one's ever going to come and save you,"
"What should we do with him milady?" The Captain asked with a short bow.
"Hang him from the parapets by his ankles," Astrid proclaimed with a smirk as everyone watched the color drain from Julius. "The servants, once freed, can decide what to do with him,"