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The warm greetings in the Valkyrie dormitory were a stark contrast with the sadness in my heart. Stina’s plan worked perfectly and I was more popular than I’d ever been, but I didn’t enjoy it.
There was nobody here that I wanted to talk to.
“Great party yesterday,” a second-year said. Her eyes were red and she looked like she’d slept in the gutter, but her wide smile said she had the time of her life.
Another first-year dared approach me and chirped. “I had the best time.”
More people greeted me in the hallway, all showering me with compliments and attention. The energy was up and the dorm was more united than ever. The collective hangover was wearing off and people were getting ready for their usual Sundays. Late brunches, runs around the school grounds, whatever else they were into. Slowly but surely, the Valkyrie dormitory was coming back to life.
All I wanted was to lock myself in my room and not speak to anyone around me. I had to figure out what to do next, but I had no idea how to put everything in motion. I needed Stina to pay for what she’d done and now that I had Doctor Wagner on my side, I finally had a leg to stand on.
I wanted to fix my friendship with Thea too, but that would have to wait. Finding justice was more important, unfortunately. After that, I could figure out a way to make it up to her.
I sat down at my desk and pulled an empty letterhead from my drawer. If I was going to set this all in motion, I had to write to Grandmamma. A terrifying task.
«Dear Grandmamma, I write to you to request a meeting. Signed, Brynhild.»
I stared at the words, dissatisfied with the way they came out. If I sent a message like that, I could be waiting until summer before she would see me. No, I needed to make it clear it was urgent. Much more urgent.
I crumbled the letter in a ball and threw it in the bin, where it missed and landed on the floor.
«Grandmamma, I request a meeting for an urgent matter. Signed, Brynhild.»
Lame... That was just as pathetic as the first one, even if it was worded a bit more strongly.
No, that was never how I would get a message across. I couldn’t ask, I had to demand. That was the only thing she ever listened to.
A new ball of paper joined the first on the floor and I tried again. I had enough letterhead paper to last me a lifetime, all stamped with the official East seal and my name.
That gave me an idea.
I brought my pen down, the nib shrieking as I wrote a third and final message. One that would certainly infuriate her to no end, but one that she wouldn’t ignore.
«Matriarch, I write to inform you of my arrival. We will meet at noon on the third day. Signed, Brynhild, Heir of the East.»
I stared at my new letter, hesitant and concerned. This was so much bolder than anything I’d have ever dreamed of writing to Grandmamma, but necessity demanded it. I couldn’t waver or cower, not when it was more important than ever that I was heard.
With trembling hands, I folded the letter and fiddled it into an envelope. I could’ve just licked the glue to stick it shut, but this required more. It needed an official seal, even though I’d never bothered before.
From the drawer, I pulled the wax seal kit that had been there since I came to the Academy. Carefully, I laid out all the items. A silver spoon, a candle, a couple bars of wax, and a heavy stamp with an ornate B.
I grabbed the lighter from the vase and lit the candle. I’d seen Grandmamma stamp hundreds and thousands of letters, so this shouldn’t be hard.
With a small knife, I cut a couple of pieces of wax and dumped them in the spoon. I heated it gently over the candle until it was all melted and dripped it over the envelope flap to seal it. The red wax pooled slowly, almost hypnotizingly, down on the paper.
When I was satisfied I had enough, I placed the silver spoon down on a spare piece of paper and pressed the stamp down. The red wax curled up around the edges and hardened within seconds, leaving a beautiful seal. A statement.
Perfect.
Now I just had to send it, but there was no way that I was meeting with the Headmaster myself. I couldn’t stand to look at that man for another second.
No, I had another idea.
With the envelope in hand, I ventured out into the hallway to the room at the end.
“Stina?”
Thudding and running feet sounded from within the room and the door was swung open almost immediately. I didn’t even have to knock.
Stina appeared, her eyes unfocused. “Yes?”
“I have correspondence that needs sending.” I held out the letter to her, secretly amused by her surprised face.
“You... You want me to send your mail?”
“Well, Heike can’t do it, can she?”
“But...” She stared at me, no doubt thinking this task was beneath her. Of course, she couldn’t say no and with a disgruntled smile, she accepted the envelope. “I will take care of it.”
“Immediately,” I ordered, forcing my voice to be louder than normal.
She seemed even more confused and bowed slightly, something she hadn’t done in a long time. Not unironically, anyway.
“At once,” she replied, hurrying away with my correspondence. Even she wouldn’t dare break the seal and if she somehow managed to read the contents of the letter, it wouldn’t reveal anything.
I strode away, suppressing the guilt swirling in my stomach. I shouldn’t feel bad for doing what I was trained and groomed for my entire life, but I did. This was no way to treat people, but Grandmamma would have insisted that it was the only way that worked. From the results, it was hard to argue. Still... I didn’t like the role I had to play.
With a heavy heart, I paused to stare at my reflection in the window. My back was straightened and I didn’t recognise my own eyes. They were hard and distant, just like Grandmamma’s.