Drage Herrogard

[Valcan Drage]

Barely any conversation had been exchanged between Valcan and his granddaughter, the latter seeming to evade the former whenever it was possible. The old man was not too entirely opposed to this take of action. While finding it necessary to make some sort of connection with his grandchild, no matter how small it was, he was still angry with her over the events of last summer. Like one who had suffered injury he had been left rendered without a crucial extension of himself, as if he had lost an arm. On certain occasions he had the impulse to light an object on fire, though he was slapped back into reality with each experience of forgetfulness. He did not take those slaps too lightly, still sore by the mere fact of losing something that had been so much a part of himself all of his life. The questions about change in his eye colour had stopped, of course; but each look in the mirror was a solemn reminder of what he did not have.

He had managed to bring Estrella to the Herrogard without any vocal complaint, though he did not have the slightest idea how to locate Sophia. He did not know what he would do once he found her- providing that she was still alive and well. Having since found out that the prophecy he had heard years ago was fake, a ploy to lead him in another direction, he was not feeling entirely too merciful. But he was patient. That was one thing that he was incredibly grateful for. Not being able to hold one's own composure in a public situation was man's greatest folly. Now, he was more concerned with molding his grandchild as he saw fit, although he was beginning to see that as a more difficult task as she grew older. He still found it a pity that he had not taken her in from the moment her mother had died.

Normally, he would not have been so concerned with the life of his grandchild. It was clear and simple- he needed an heir. Tristan had failed him indefinitely, Sammael, whom he had been leaning towards to succeed him, was dead, and he was not quite satisfied with the turnout of Lief and Brunhilde. Estrella was the next oldest in the family that he had to hope for- and if everything turned out right, he would have his way. In any case, his options were running quite low.

Knowing that Sarah had run off to take a bath or do something of the sort, he found himself reading a Norwegian newspaper, his eyes scanning the pages. He sighed heavily- there was nothing new. Never, anything new. He hoped that the Death Eaters, who were slowly regaining some of their old fire, would take the boredom out of the news and replace it with livelihood. Now, that was something the press would love to eat up. He hated the press almost as much as he hated muggleborns. And how funny, it seemed to him, that he was putting stake in his half blood granddaughter.

 

[Estrella Drage]

After being swept off her feet at the Yule Ball Estrella had begrudgingly returned to the Herrogard, wishing avidly that she had been able to stay behind at school. There, she would have someone to talk to. Here, she had a few house elves, a grandfather with an icy disposition and of course the woman he was carrying on a love affair with. She had not had much of an opportunity to converse with Sarah, but it was not much matter to her. The girl was quite eager for the two weeks she spent here to whirl by, relishing the opportunity to jump back into her studies. However, fate was not being entirely gracious. She had not endured two days in this place and yet she felt as if she had spent an eternity within the confines of the small fortress.

Boredom was of course occupied by restlessness, and Estrella found herself unable to focus on any book for more than a few sentences. Reading was usually her escape but today she was shut out, forced to scramble for another way to alleviate the tension rising within her. She soon found herself out of her room, reveling in the opportunity to stretch her legs. Chances were, she wasn't going to run into anyone and she could hopefully exert the majority of her pent up energy. She wondered if there was anywhere suitable to play Quidditch. Despite her desire to have such a place she could not bring herself to seek out her grandfather, the distant paternal figure that seemed reluctant to socialize.

The fifteen year old girl fought the urge to skip as she moved down the hallway, her eyes scanning the decorations with little interest. She figured that she would make a rounds, and go out to the courtyard eventually. First, she would have to procure a warm jacket. Fresh air was always something that invigorated the mind. Wishing avidly that she was back at Hogwarts with Jaken, or Lily, or someone that seemed to possess a likeable personality, she moved around in a trancelike state, taking a moment to realize that indeed, she was not alone as she moved into the dining room. Snapping to attention, she stopped in her tracks, quite surprised that Valcan was not off at work. While she was not on the best terms with her grandfather she decided that it would be best to be respectful. "God morgen, Bestefar," she stated in a rather sloppy attempt at Norwegian, hoping that she could shirk out of there with that. She remained rooted to her place, awaiting a reaction, whether dismissive or not.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan looked up from the newspaper, able to tell from the footsteps padding down the hallway that it was not Sarah who was going to grace him with her presence. His expression was little more than a blank slate as he observed the girl. She had not had any enthusiasm to return here for the Holidays, he had noticed. He regarded her with an aloofness, his ice blue eyes reflecting only a bit of emotion. "God morgen," he corrected her, in an attempt to be at least cordial. Her accent was sloppy- that would need to be fixed. He also noted that he should probably take a stab at instructing her to be at least proficient with his native language. Heritage was something that was quite important to him, and language was no exception.

"I take it you are finding everything to be suitable?" he drawled, his English suffocated by his thick accent but clear enough for the girl to understand. The old man closed his newspaper with a sigh, figuring that he could use it to fuel the fire. Trash, trash and more trash. He expected her answer to be a poor explanation, knowing that she would water down what she really felt. He knew that she was bored, but at the moment he didn't have any suggestions for alleviating said boredom and was not particularly pleased with her in the first place.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella blinked back at her grandfather, wishing that she could just turn and leave, just as she would have done to a rude first year. She was not entirely sure whether to take his brash correction offensively or not. Shifting her feet, her dark eyes were downcast to the polished wood floor, focusing on the grain. Her gaze flickered up to him as he spoke to her, surprising her entirely. Valcan had not so much as engaged with her in idle conversation since she got here.

Clearing her throat, she stated, "I suppose. Is there somewhere I could get rid of some energy? Somewhere to fly perhaps?" She imagined that there would be some extra brooms hanging around the place- she had entirely forgotten her Amethyst Streak at school. She really wanted to go outside, to go beyond this island and see some more of her home country, but the chances of that happening were thin.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan frowned. As common sense rendered it, the general rule was that one didn't fly outside of the Herrogard after the coming of October and then not until at least April, if it was a good year. There was not any designated place in his home for flying. And no one would fly outside in such frigid temperatures; not unless they wanted to die. Something inside Valcan, pity perhaps, poked at him.

"I am afraid flying is not an option during the winter months- not unless you wish to die of course," he replied slowly, gazing with speculation back at her. "And I do not recommend going outside unless you have adequate supervision." He could not have his granddaughter losing herself in the forest and freezing to death- if something didn't get her first. It would penalize him as a guardian, raise questions in his Ministry and on top of that, it would not do to lose another heir.

He sat prostrate in his chair, looking back at her. What was there to give her? If he was smart he could try to establish some trust. But how to go about it?

"Is there anything else you wish to do?" he asked dryly, though with a hint of curiosity lacing his voice.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella's gaze fell as Valcan told her that flying was practically not allowed, during this time of year anyways. In such a big place, why wouldn't there be a place for flying? Deciding not to press the matter she decided that if he wanted to know what she wanted to do she would tell him. "A walk outside would be nice," she started, hoping that she wouldn't come off as asking too much of him- although she really thought that she wasn't- keeping her gaze on his, feeling a bit more than a little intimidated. "Although actually, I've always wanted to visit the land. I mean- the rest of the country itself, not just the island." If she really was going to be stuck in this country for the rest of her teenage life she might as well experience it.

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

Sarah walked down to the dining room, extremely relaxed after having taken a long hot bath. She noticed that Estrella was in the room, along with her love. She crossed the room, giving a quick kiss to Valcan before moving to sit down in the chair on his left. "Good morning darling. Good morning Estrella. I take you are adjusting well?" she spoke first to Valcan, then turned to look at Estrella. She wanted to help build trust between all of them, and knew that being as kind as possible to her would be helpful. "Anything planned for today?" she asked with a gentle smile, as if she was speaking to her own grandchild, which she secretly hoped that Estrella would be one day.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan's lip pursed as he considered Estrella's suggestion- if that was what it took to gain an ounce of trust from her, then so be it. "I will have the day off starting on Wednesday," he mused, "So that should not be a problem. Did you have a destination in mind? Oslo, perhaps?"

He smiled broadly as Sarah moved into the room, returning her kiss and his eyes following her as she sat down. He kept his mouth shut as his eyes trailed to Estrella, appreciating greatly Sarah's help on this matter. Kindness was not one of Valcan's winning traits. He was quite grateful that he had his love around. Quite comical to think about was that last Holidays, Sarah and himself were at each other's throats.

 

[Estrella Drage]

The teenaged girl's eyes trailed between her grandfather and his consort, not entirely sure what she felt about the pair of them. Not to mention, she had been absolutely appalled by them last year- it would be hard for her to ever erase the events of last Christmas at the Sigurds out of her mind. "For today?" she stated with a weak smile, attempting to be friendly back. At least, Sarah was courteous. "I don't know about today, but maybe in a few days." She wished she had something to alleviate her boredom with now, but it seemed that she would just have to wait. At least it was better than nothing.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan nodded to Sarah, adding, "And you are more than welcome to come with, dear." He would have used a different name but in Estrella's presence he figured that that would unsettle her only a bit too much. "Saturday then, we shall go." He still had not bought anything for either Sarah or Estrella for Christmas, nor his son, his wife and his other two legitimate grandchildren. It seemed that he would be quite busy on that day of the week, just before the Holidays.

~~~A Few Days and A Night Later~~~

Saturday seemed to zoom by for the three. Valcan was rather pleased that Estrella had been able to enjoy herself, even if it mostly consisted of her wandering around and viewing the scenery. He had brought her and Sarah into Oslo and then took them to some more scenic sites. Overall he was satisfied as he had gotten more than enough presents for his family. After getting something to drink he had made his way to the library, some hours after they had arrived back at the Herrogard.

((Sorry for rushing this-- we have only a few days to finish up, thought I'd fast forward a bit. Hope that's okay with you Sarah. ))

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

((( Just fine by me. )))

Sarah had a fine time shopping with her love and his granddaughter. She bought a few things for her daughter and her and Valcan's grandchildren. She and Daisy had started to work things out, and she hoped to be able to visit and give her grandchildren presents for Christmas soon. Her relationship with Valcan was a sticking point with Daisy and Lief. Sarah only hoped that the pair would soon be able to accept them as a couple, even if it was odd for her mother and his father to be together in their eyes.

She was happy that she had found a wonderful present for Valcan as well, and had stashed it before she headed to the library to pick out a book to read for the night. Soon as she walked through the doors, she smiled. Valcan was sitting in his favorite chair, settled in to read himself. She slipped onto his lap, and took his face in her hands to give him a kiss. "Hello my love. Have I thanked you properly for today as of yet? I really did enjoy this little trip."

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella was in a considerably better mood as she returned to the Herrogard, the ability to get out and stretch her legs making her think more highly of her grandfather and his consort. From the way they acted around another she wondered if Sarah would end up her grandmother. She decided not to think too hard on it as the situation was quite confusing- and it would be much worse for Daisy and Lief. She had bought a few interesting things and taken a lot of pictures, figuring she would stick them in a photo album later. If she ever got them that was.

After they had arrived back she made her way to the balcony of the library, deciding to curl up with a book before she would head to bed. She underestimated how tired she really was, however, crashing with the book on her lap. However, her slumber was not to last long. It was hard enough for her to adjust to different beds, and something in the couch was poking into her back. She woke up, fumbling and disoriented as she attempted to gather her surroundings. The library. Right.

It took her well over a minute to fully wake up, groggily looking at the page she had stopped on. It had something to do with the family history, with an old ancestor. She stopped short as she recognized the two voices, not sure whether her stomach should be turning or not. The two seemed to carry on as if they were teenagers in puppy love. How was she supposed to sneak out of here? Or at least, walk out without it being awkward? For the time being she remained glued to the couch, waiting for a more opportune moment to make her quiet exit.

 

[Valcan Drage]

"No, you didn't," Valcan stated as Sarah entered the room, slipping onto his lap, "But it is fine by me." He craned his neck forward to give her a warm kiss on the lips, pulling back and smiling broadly. "As did I my love, as did I." Sarah had brought a little bit of light back into his life that had been left with first Helena and then Iduna, although this time there was something substantial filling the hole in his heart. The feelings were mutual. Where he had married the mothers of his children for convenience, he had a deep affection for Sarah. Lief and Daisy would have to get over it as far as he was concerned- Lief was his son and the Master of the Herrogard definitely did not answer to his inferiors.

He was quite glad that Estrella had been eager to go off on her own for most of the time, as he got to spend more of it with Sarah. And he was quite glad that his granddaughter was not younger- he would have hated to cater to a little kid all day. He never had and never would have a deep fondness for children. One didn't need to be a Death Eater in his eyes to find children annoying. They were so, needy, and asking incessant questions all of the time.

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

Sarah smiled down at her beloved, curling herself up in his lap, placing her head on his shoulder. "Well, I do believe that you will receive my full thanks later tonight." She moved her head, kissing his neck, and leaving no doubt as to what she was planning for later on that evening. "I think Estrella had a good time as well," she said as she settled her head back down. She snaked her left hand behind Valcan's back, and her right began to play with his inner arm, stroking over the sleeve and tracing where his mark was located at. She started to slip her hand inside the sleeve. "So, what were you planning to read?" she asked slyly.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan gave Sarah a mischevious and knowing smirk, holding her close to him. While he was broad and large she was rather slender, although that did not bother him one bit. She was the perfect fit. He nodded, his lips meeting hers softly. "Hmm?" he mumbled, as her hand trailed up his large arm. "Oh, nothing in particular. Nothing that will keep me up all night in any case." Giving her a rather insinuating grin he pressed forward, continuing to kiss her.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella's lip pursed in a grimace as she heard Valcan and Sarah talking, attempting not to imagine what they were insinuating with each other. It sure was something to stimulate the gag reflex. She had to escape now, before something rather unpleasant she did not want to be around for occurred. But how? She moved over to the edge of the balcony, knowing that Sarah would not see her unless she looked up.

Her eyes narrowed as they focused on something dark on Valcan's arm. A sharp gasp tore from her throat as she recognized it for what it was, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the railing. It took all she had to jump backwards and out of sight before someone discovered she was there. No. He couldn't be. This just wasn't right! The fifteen year old girl was snatched up by a whirlwind of emotions, unsure what she was going to do next. How could he betray her like this? He had been lying to her all along!

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

Sarah leaned her entire body closer to Valcan's as they kissed, moving her hand further up his arm, sliding the sleeve up along with it. Her fingers found the mark that they loved to trace, the powerful image that she was privy to knowing about, but barely anyone else knew existed. Suddenly, she heard a sharp gasp from above. She pulled back quickly from Valcan, whipping her head around and up towards the sound. Her eyes focused just in time to see a bit of movement from the balcony railing. "I think we have company love. Is there another way down?" she spoke softly, motioning her head in the direction of the upstairs.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan smiled as he pressed Sarah closer to him, his enjoyment dissipating as Sarah spoke. His eyes widened as he realized that his sleeve had ridden up his bulky arm, the Dark Mark bared for anyone observant to see. It was clear and unmistakable on his forearm. The Disillusionment Charm he always placed on it had worn off for the day. He should have been more cautious but he never saw any need to worry about covering it at his own home. Frowning, he pulled away from Sarah, looking up to the balcony.

"No, love. The only way of exit besides the stairs is of course, to jump." He wouldn't condone leaping from the railing either, turning his head towards the source of the gasp. The only person it could be was Estrella. And in that case he would have to act quickly.

Still holding onto Sarah, he stated firmly, "We know you're here. Come out where I can see you."

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella had hoped avidly that both Sarah and Valcan would be too preoccupied to notice her. If possible, her face drained of even more color upon hearing Sarah's observation, a hard knot forming in her throat as she heard Valcan's demand. There weren't any other ways to get off of this balcony. Unless, of course, she were to jump. But she wasn't willing to break her neck or uproot any well being that she still had left.

Gravity seemed to take a complete hold of her as her feet gained the consistency of lead, unwilling to let her move efficiently. Breathing harshly she managed to drag herself from behind the bookcase, her movements slow and laborious as she made her way to the top of the staircase, gripping the railing of the balcony as she looked down upon the two. Her brown eyes welled with tears although she cursed herself for it- she didn't want to give either of the two the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She had already fallen for Valcan's ruses, his lies and deceit, and she didn't want to give him anything else.

Her lips spread apart as she attempted to speak, but when she took another breath she could not find the words. Conflicting emotions raged within her, rendering her speechless. Her mind could not decide whether to be taken over by incredible rage or sadness. She wanted to curl up in a ball and waste away. How could she be so stupid? And why had Valcan made her go through this again? What purposes did he have? The mark on his arm was a solemn reminder of her own stupidity, stinging of betrayal. Now, she just had to figure out what her best option was: beating up herself mentally or lashing out at her grandfather.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan placed Sarah gently into the seat next to him, knowing that he would have to forsake his closeness to his lover for the time being. He would have to act quick, and be convincing about it too- he was a politician but this issue with his granddaughter was quite different than one with the general public. With an almost apologetic look to Sarah, he turned to Estrella. Whom, at the moment, was not moving. His eyes narrowed as he marked the anger in her eyes. The old Norwegian man knew he would still have to keep a certain level of trust with her. That would be immensely difficult to restore now. Tugging his sleeve back down to cover the Mark, his voice was stern as he looked to her.

"Come. Sit," he said with a bit of grit in his voice. He had been anticipating this moment for a while now, and had a whole story fabricated already. He trusted that Sarah would play along.

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

Sarah settled herself into the chair where she was placed. She did not know what exactly Valcan was planning to tell his granddaughter, but she knew whatever it was, she was going to agree with him. When Estrella didn't come down the stairs right away, she decided to go and get the girl. She stood slowly, and with a smile, walked over to the stairs. Glancing up, Sarah saw that Estrella was still at the top, seemingly frozen. She walked gracefully up the stairs, placing her arm around the girl's shoulders. "What is wrong? I apologize. We did think that we were alone in the room."

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella could not help jumping a bit in surprise as Sarah came up to her, attempting to console her. Her eyes narrowed in anger. While normally an action like that would have comforted her it was not enough to quell her rage. Snapping her neck around to glare at her grandfather, with no little amount of poison in her voice she spat, "You lied to me." She had not been this angry for quite a long time. Turning to look at Sarah, she slipped out from under her arm. "And you knew about it all along." Hot tears were beginning to well in her eyes. Everyone had known all along about Valcan being a Death Eater, everyone except her. She was pretty sure that even Sophia had known. She wasn't certain who to be angrier at, herself for being so blind or her grandfather for keeping her in the Dark.

 

[Sarah Hildebrandt]

Sarah walked back over by Valcan, standing behind his chair. "What are you referring to? What has your Grandfather lied about?" She knew that Estrella was referring to the Mark on his arm, but decided to play dumb, and make her tell them what was going on. She didn't want to jump to conclusions about what she had seen, as this could have simply been a situation of her being upset that they were in an embrace. Teenagers seem to think that adults are not allowed to have a romantic relationship.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"You know exactly what I'm referring to," Estrella spat, her glare returning back to her grandfather. "How about you pull up your left sleeve, Bestefar?" She shook her head, pacing slowly down the stairs, her face getting redder as she went, not knowing that this was characteristic of the very man she was hissing at. "You lied to me about being a Death Eater this whole time. And I trusted you!" She was on the verge of crying although she did not want to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her tears. She was unsure what he was going to do now considering that she knew. His little gig was up. Now, she was not sure whether to be scared of him or not. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, not coming any closer.

 

[Valcan Drage]

Valcan frowned as Estrella treated Sarah none too nicely, in any other case he would have reprimanded her. Children were not supposed to talk to their elders like that. If she had been one of his children he would have made her pay for her words, and while legally she was this was quite a different situation. He watched as she moved down the stairs, remaining silent as Sarah stood behind him, quite glad for her presence. If he had been alone this may be much harder- he did not have the comforting presence of a mother nor the tolerance of one.

He sighed heavily, knowing that his love would play along with his ruse. He grasped the edge of his shirtsleeve, sliding it up his arm to reveal the mark. "You mean this old thing?" He started, giving her a weak smile, trying to muster as much pleasantness as he could. "If you're referring to it- which I'm thoroughly positive you are- yes, I will not deny it. I was one of Voldemort's followers at one time. But I am not anymore. Not for over thirty years I haven't been." Technically, as the man was dead, he was not one of his followers, but he was still a Death Eater. He only hoped that the girl would eat up yet another one of his lies- and he hoped that with age she could be tolerant.