Alliances Offered, Part Twelve

"Ah, lady Andiras." The Abbess Hilda Sturmgart looked up from her desk, then sat back in her chair. The halfling priest Birno backed quietly out the door; he would wait in the antechamber until Jacqueline emerged. "Welcome."

Lady Jacqueline Bouvier, still pretending to be her own maiden companion lady Tabitha Andiras, offered a delicate curtsey, and the Abbess motioned for her to take a seat in one of the comfortably-padded chairs in front of the desk. That was yet another unreality, a lack of formality that would never have happened at court, but Jacqueline found that she was growing used to such things now. She seated herself without any fuss. 

"What brings you to my office?" asked the Abbess, kindly enough. 

"I don't--" she began, and then twenty years of deportment lessons fell on her head all at once. Be precise. Be definite. A noble daughter knows exactly what she wants and what is expected of her. She stopped, and began again. "You said I should come and speak with you."

"So I did," answered the Abbess. "Let's begin more simply, then. How do you find life here in the Temple?"

Jacqueline hesitated, then reminded herself that honesty had brought her farther in this place than anything else had. "If I were given gills and sent to live among the merfolk," she said slowly, "I don't believe I'd find it much more strange than this."

The Abbess laughed. "No, I suppose not. I have little experience with the High Court myself, since the priesthood of Helios always held pride of place there, but I know that the court is in many ways its own small, isolated world. You feel out of place, here?" 

She nodded. "Very much so."

"Well," said Abbess Hilda in a considering tone, "for whatever it's worth, nobody would know it to look at you. Sister Tiva tells me you have a surprisingly good understanding of finances for a lady's companion, and that your help with her books is most welcome. The others reported your success in stopping the assassin Thesean. And, of course, His Majesty is grateful that you brought him warning."

"Abbess..." Jacqueline swallowed. "I do have some questions." 

"Ask, then." 

She thought for a moment, but one question -- one incredibly stupid question -- was pressing to get in line in front of the others, and for all that she didn't want to ask it she couldn't seem to let it go. "Is it true that you sleep in one of those tiny little cells?" 

Abbess Hilda didn't laugh; instead, she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Yes," she said after a moment. "It's true. I can show you, if you like. But it's fair to say that that's also somewhat misleading, as all I do there is sleep. Most of my work is done in this office, which..." She gestured around at the well-crafted desk, the comfortable chairs, the paintings hung on the walls. 

"I mean... there's no shame in sleeping in a small room, here, is there? No... loss of status?" 

"Ah." The Abbess shook her head. "No. None. Anyone who sleeps alone, sleeps in one of the small cells. Those who sleep together have larger cells, but only enough larger to be comfortable. The Temple was built to be a citadel as well as a place of worship, and the sleeping-rooms are a matter of practicality rather than status."

Jacqueline nodded slowly as she took that in. Anica had explained and she'd believed, but... it was still a relief to have it confirmed by the Abbess. She considered for a long moment, then asked: "When we killed Thesean... everyone keeps saying it was good work, it was a good job, I did well. Abbess... I dropped a Freezing Sphere in that room and very nearly killed Tarric. And they all know it. Why... Why aren't they angry? Why doesn't Tarric hate me? Why do they keep saying I did well? I didn't do well. I was as much a danger to my allies as our enemies were."

The Abbess was silent for a long, long moment. Finally she said, "That is really something you should ask them, but I'll tell you what I think: I think it's because they're used to it. Magic is dangerous. Divine magic, arcane magic, it's all dangerous. It takes some practice to learn how to use it to harm enemies without hurting friends. You're surprisingly powerful for a mage who's never seen battle, but your mistake was exactly the sort of miscalculation they'd expect from a mage who had never seen battle before." She paused, then leaned forward. "And you're allowed to make mistakes. That's how you learn. That's how everybody learns."

Jacqueline swallowed. She was surprised by just how close to tears that absolution brought her, and she took a moment to compose herself before she asked her last question. "The last time we met... when the two of you identified me... His Majesty handed you some gold after I tried to teleport out. I think I understand that. It was some sort of bet, right? That I wouldn't trust you. And you were right, I didn't. So you won." 

The Abbess nodded. 

"But after I explained about my father, you handed two gold back to His Majesty. What did that mean?"

Abbess Hilda sighed. "I told Tavros that you'd grown up in the court, and that you'd never trust us. He said you'd at least be willing to listen, and I bet him five gold that he was wrong. Then I pointed out that we'd never be able to trust you either, and he bet me two gold that we could." The Abbess offered a warm smile. "And... well... after what you told us, I thought he was right." She leaned forward again. "I still do."

Jacqueline gaped at her. "You think I-- What--?" She stilled herself, drew a deep breath and released it, then drew another and released it as well. Finally, she said: "You trust me?" Why would you do that? 

"Yes," said the Abbess Hilda Sturmgart. "Because you've shown yourself worthy of it. We took you in; you didn't try to spy on us. The warnings you brought us have all proven true. You stopped one of your father's-- one of your lady's father's assassins yourself, and you worked with Tavros' friends to do it, and you didn't take advantage of what I'm sure was a wonderful opportunity to stage a tragic accident for one of my paladins. You could have made any amount of mischief in working with Sister Tiva's accounts, but you didn't do that either." The Abbess took a long, slow breath. "At some point you just have to accept that people are who they show you they are. And what you've shown to us... merits our trust."

For a moment, Jacqueline couldn't breathe, her chest was so tight. And then everything inside her came loose, so suddenly that she almost fell out of the chair. Her mind was blank; she couldn't think of anything to say. The idea that somebody might just trust her... more, that she might deserve that trust... she didn't know whether to scream or cry. 

The Abbess waited patiently, giving her time and silence to try to work through those thoughts, these feelings, this revelation. 

No, whatever happened, she was not going back to her father's court. And Tavros was already on his way there, if he hadn't done the deed already. So long as she does not forget her faithful servant, lady Fontaine had reminded her, and it was past time to get lady Tabitha and the others out of the path of the storm. 

She reached into her pouch, set the stone on the Abbess' desk in plain sight, and laid her hand over it. "Tabitha, tell the others to scatter. Then use the scroll hidden behind your headboard. Do not wait. I want everybody out now."

The reply came immediately: They're here already. I'll do what I can.

"It seems," said lady Jacqueline Bouvier, "that Tavros and his friends have arrived in Wellfort."