Princess Evelyn Trevelyan sat behind a fine oak desk that was almost as old as her family name. Her hair was scraped back from her face, held back by a thick white fluffy headband so the mud her features were coated in wouldn't get into her hair, and whenever she moved she had to do so very carefully so that none of it flaked away and floated down towards the stack of documents before her. This hour, almost smack bang in the middle of her week, had been hard fought for - by Aveline, because she would (and could) never do so of her own accord - to try and give her a moment of rest amidst everything. Unfortunately, there was just too much to do, and so she was spending it trying to get some odds and ends done while the gunk on her face would hopefully at least make her look rested.
That was the really important part, wasn't it? A bit of tiredness had never killed anybody, not while they were still in their twenties anyway, she could deal with that, but looking tired was notably worse. Looking tired demanded a reason to be tired, and the general state of the world would not count as a good reason. She could not provide any other reason without being seen as either explaining or, worse, complaining - two big no-nos in her world - and that lack of explanation could then be deemed secret-keeping. Secret-keeping denoted something to hide, and that hinted at scandal. Scandal was bad.
It was that final thought that had too much of a voice that was not her own, and she brushed it away, renewing her glare at the documents before her. Mercifully, a knock sounded at her door, and the gateway leading down that treacherous path of thought was blocked.
"Your Royal Highness, I'm very sorry for disturbing you, but-" Aveline was already talking when she received the call to enter, and then frowned at her "Oh. I thought you were resting, ma'am."
The very inviting set-up of the thick fluffy blanket, iPod, the chaise lounge, and the fireplace at the other side of the office remained undisturbed and unsettled-into. Evelyn gestured to the face mask with a sweeping motion of her hand.
"I'm not sure that counts," Aveline murmured ruefully.
"What's wrong, Aveline?" Evelyn asked.
"Nothing - nothing's wrong, ma'am. In fact, something may be right."
"Oh?"
"I…believe I may have found a solution to one of our problems."
"There aren't enough words in the common tongue to fully emphasise how much I love hearing that," she sighed wistfully, setting her pen back and leaning back in her chair.
Aveline offered a pleased smile, brandishing a file "May I?"
"Of course."
The file was set down in front of her, Aveline even taking the trouble to open it to the first page for her. That was how Evelyn knew she was excited. It boasted a number of documents inside.
"No doubt you'll remember the scandal in Kirkwall with Meredith Stannard, ma'am."
Evelyn grimaced and muttered the affirmative. There'd be no forgetting about that. Those who pined for the Marches to become the Free Marches had taken great delight in spreading whatever photos they had of members of her family interacting with the disgraced former Knight-Commander. Apparently standing beside one another for all of five seconds constituted a friendship and a stamp of approval for whatever the woman saw fit to do. And she'd seen fit to do some terrible shit.
"We got a request from this charity - a charity founded and run by one Cullen Rutherford. Have you heard of him?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"He was the former Knight-Commander's subordinate. In the wake of all that happened in Kirkwall, he left the order and founded One Day Soon."
"This charity, I'm guessing?"
"Yes, ma'am. In that file you have their details, their mission statement, and a short summary of their plans and ambitions going forward."
Not a great name - for the charity, not the man. One Day Soon. It was stamped atop the pages she sifted through in warm orange lettering, the font bold but simple. A reference to a hymn, yes, which made it fitting for an organisation aimed at former Templars, but a bit on the nose, wasn't it? It sounded almost like a threat, too. The title of some sort of horror film. She kept those comments to herself, though, as was usually wisest.
"They aim to help former Templars battle and overcome lyrium addiction, something that many fall prey to after having spent so long in the Order. I've had our people go through all of their accounts with a fine tooth comb, everything is very much above board and in order."
Another giveaway for her personal private secretary's excitement.
"That's what I like to hear."
"And it would be prudent, ma'am, what with Mr Rutherford's former ties," Aveline continued energetically "It has less the sense of a cover-up, and more the impression of two people trying to build something good, something positive, after a senseless tragedy."
"It does sound ideal."
"It respects the Royal Family's ties to the Chantry, it's far from a controversial cause, it's a sign of progressing from the Kirkwall incident, not brushing it under the carpet but stepping forward - learning, and-"
"Aveline."
"I- yes, ma'am?"
"I like the sound of it. If you're bringing it to me, everything must check out nicely, so all that's left to do is decide if I have a personal interest."
Or if she should be seen to have a personal interest. That was the way these things went. Bringing it to her would be the last port of call before it was brought beyond the family.
"Yes ma'am," Aveline nodded.
"I'll have to run it by the King first, but if he hasn't got a problem…" Evelyn paused, watching Aveline's expression shift "Yes?"
"We've already gotten the King's approval on the matter, ma'am. We didn't see the point in wasting your time otherwise."
"Oh. Well. That saves a bit of time, then. Right - set up a lunch with the founder and whomever else he thinks should be there. I'll be there, obviously, but you should be, too, so you'll know everything that goes on and everything that might need done afterwards. It'll break the ice, as well, people can get so tongue-tied around me at times, hopefully Mr Rutherford won't be too shy."
Aveline stifled a smile and Evelyn tilted her head in question.
"Er…Mr Rutherford isn't the sort to be star struck around royalty, so to speak, ma'am. From what I can gather, you'll have rather an uphill battle with him as far as your status is concerned."
At that, Evelyn let loose a real smile - and she felt her face mask crack in response to it "Even better. It won't be awkward, then. It could even be fun."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll make all of the arrangements and inform you when it's all set up."
Aveline was halfway out the door when Evelyn called after her.
"Oh, and Aveline? The lunch - maybe simplify it a bit. Still respectful, and comfortable, but if Mr Rutherford is iffy about our lot, he mightn't appreciate the whole song and dance, you know?"
"Understated," Aveline nodded.
"Understated. Yes. Exactly."
The redhead nodded her understanding before taking her leave and Evelyn took up her pen, regarding the file for another few moments before finally closing it. The last thought she had regarding the matter of this new charity before other business drew her attention was that if this Cullen Rutherford really proved to be such an anti-snob, this could actually be enjoyable. Maybe Andraste was taking pity on her after all.
A/N: I'm really excited to get into this story! This chapter was a wee bit shorter than chapters typically will be. Oh, and my tumblr name is esta-elavaris, if you want to seek me out on there!