His Highness Prince Vincent

Story: His Highness Prince Vincent

Chapter 8 The Mighty Thor

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

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Mature Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

Am I talking about the Norse God?

The Mighty Thor

The palace was beautifully decorated. There was the pungent sweet, woodsy smell of pine I instantly associate with Christmas. I decorated Aunt Benedikte's house. So did Vincent. Okay, the house staff helped us. I asked them, "It's Christmas! You know, once a year? The dust won't kill you to leave it there one more day, you can sweep, polish and all that." I said happily. "Christmas! Jul? Kommer en gang om året. Vi holder fest!" I said in Danish, telling them Christmas came once a year and we were having a party! Back at the ranch we had a party, and the hired hands decorated the house there. It was their home. They lived there.

I was standing on the fourth step up of the grand central, marble staircase. There were ten and I was determined to keep them. They had been a little stand offish at first. Until I made the whole kitchen staff laugh at one of Dad's favorite jokes. Now we greeted each other by name, and I made certain I remembered each. We went out and cut the evergreen pine. We only decorated the rooms we frequently used. That huge foyer (for yah) was a bitch! You came into the house through two double doors onto a large marble floor that had a circular with a design that looked like a starburst and overhead was a large crystal chandelier at the center. The staircase came down both sides and converged together creating a landing. Uncle Fred's great aunt didn't like corners because the elegant polished wooden banister curved on the right and left sides. Then a wide staircase carpeted red, spilled down like a waterfall and curved on the ground floor spreading slightly left and right. I thought it was very grand until when we draped garland bound by red ribbons. The great aunt had reflectors that we hung making the garland sparkle in the light. Those reflectors were normally placed behind individual candles to make it shine brighter. With no electricity yet, she needed a lot to entertain. People had to see! Now, they were stars as the light hit them.

Queen Magerete must have used all of the palace's staff or hired people from the street or both! Garland hung on the walls with the red ribbon, too. However, there were little golden bells hanging and shined in the light. Brass was my guess. She had small lights up there that added a sense of magic to the palace. She out did us, but I was big about it and was only little jealous. Next year; look out. The table with the white tablecloth was also decorated with garland and candles in the center of long table. Not blocking you from conversing with the person across from you. The dishes and silver were there with the crystal and added to the decorations. The first time I saw the plate with what I thought was another plate. Fortunately, Vincent was there, so I asked, "It's a charger." He tells me. "It keeps the tablecloth clean and it looks nice, don't you think?" Life was an education and I learned that day.

I looked over at Cousin Matilda and tried to get an assessment of her by observation. She was too proud and that was just for show. Fortunately, Queen Maregete had place cards for seating. I noticed the seating at the head of the table to King Fredrik was Vincent to the right of his father as his heir. Queen Maregete sat on her husband's left and Annabelle was beside her. Most of the time the queen sat at the opposite place at the table. I sat by Vincent. Beside me was Christian! I smiled at what the queen was doing. She was making a statement that her family was solid. If anyone suspected something between Vincent and me, or King Fredrik and Christian. She thought of Christian and myself as extended family, but close family members. I loved her now. Not that I hated her before. She just scared me! I had faced that angry face looking at me. I've faced snorting bulls who bowed their heads down charged at me with intent on goring me. She scared me even more than that!! Now she was so pleasant! There are some great ghost stories and weird happenings in this part of the world. I had read about Changelings who were what fairies exchanged when babies were taken and replace with a fairy child. They took adults, too. If she was a Changeling, I hoped the real Queen Magerete never comes back!

I noticed Cousin Tilda was down near the end of the long table. "Aunt Maregete," I said quietly across the table.

She smiled looking at me, "Yes, Dear."

I still had to adjust my thinking. I wasn't expecting that affectionate address, but I pressed on, "All these people are arranged. Are they all related to you?"

"Oh, yes!" Queen Maregete nodded. "These here live in Copenhagen." Her head nodded in a direction. It was impolite to point. "Next to Christian is King Fredrik's only surviving Uncle Galin. And across from him is King Fredrik's Aunt Kirstin," They were quite elderly. She did wave down the table but didn't point. "The others are the children of King Frederick and heir and plenty of spares," she shook her head, "Poor Queen Marie! She was pregnant every other year! Nine times!"

My eyes widened, "That's almost twenty years!"

"Unfortunately," Queen Maregete said very quietly in a near whisper, "She lost two. One was still born and the other died shortly after it was born."

"That's terrible," I said sincerely. Infant mortality was high around the world. The Pohogwe were good with many cures, but they had infant deaths, too. "Still, seven survived. I've assisted with several births. That's saying something, but her poor body."

"You helped with some births?" Queen Maregete in disbelief a little. She was not accusing me of lying, it was just unusual here.

"My late Grandmother was assisting with the actual birthing process." I smiled. "She was the Pohogwe Medicine-Woman. I began helping her when I was eight. I was her assistant and brought her whatever she needed, such as water and clean cloths. She told me everyone was born it's the natural cycle of life. Grandma was a kind of midwife. She had a reputation of success and delivered some babies that were difficult, but she knew what she was doing and the baby and mother survived." I chuckled. "One birth I saw, the baby just wouldn't come out! She said the baby wasn't in the right position." Now, I noticed Annabelle was fascinated. So were Christian, Vincent, and King Fredrik. I went on, "Grandmother stuck her whole hand in the mother and that hurt the mother very much. Grandma told me, there is a lot of pain giving birth. A little more and she won't die!" I nodded at their expression. Annabelle's lips curled a little sympathizing with the pain she couldn't imagine. "It took a few minutes, once in the position, the baby was born and screamed her cry! Mother and daughter are just fine."

Annabelle sighed in relief and sat back like she had gone through it, "Oh, Thank God!" She press on her chest over her heart which I guessed was beating too hard.

"My goodness," the queen said impressed. "Your grandmother sounds like a remarkable woman!"

"She was," I smiled. "She is missed by many people back in Wyoming."

"I didn't have those sort of problems with any of mine," She looked at Vincent. "He took the longest. Forty-three hours!"

I nodded, "He was your first. Grandmother said the first one is sometimes the most difficult."

She smiled at Vincent, "But he's here and healthy. I think it was worth it." She looked at Annabelle. "You only took about thirty hours, but you were the loudest!"

Vincent chuckled, "Some things never change."

Annabelle narrowed an eye at her brother, "Oh, be quiet."

"I wanted to be there by your side, but they wouldn't let me," King Fredrik said. "They are my children."

"Many midwives think the fathers will just be in the way," I said. "They can't help or panic and cause problems."

"Nonsense," the queen said. "I sweated and would love to have had someone wipe my face with a cool damp cloth. I was burning up!"

That's when the palace kitchen staff came out with steaming silver containers. They spooned out soup, excuse me, it was Bouillabaisse. That was a French word for a soup that had scallops and a little halibut and the chefs always did a superior job. It wasn't a lot. Dad would have asked where the rest of it was, he was hungry. I glanced at Cousin Tilda. It made sense why she was so far down. She was far down the list of relatives she was separated by three, or was it four, generations. Being a Baroness didn't give her added status at this table. The Baronial title meant she was royalty, but the lowest status of any. She was eating, but she didn't look happy. She was cunning. She had the brains enough to have her future husband sign a contract giving her full Baronial power at seventeen. We needed to be careful with her around. I remembered she lived in Berlin and would be going home soon.

Julefrokost was delicious. The company was good. I enjoyed speaking to Christian, even if we couldn't speak too freely. Vincent and his parents were very pleasant. The two surviving members were his Aunt and Uncle, a princess and prince, and they were both in their mid-seventies. Both were very proper, but friendly. They were quite fascinated by my heritage and my life at the ranch. I was more than happy to tell them about it. I was proud of being a cowboy and a member of the Pohogwe. The others were their children and grandchildren, but I couldn't talk to them without shouting. Queen Maregete would make me wear a gag if I did. I guess I was still scared of her. Oh, well. I minded all my manners.

As Julefrokost ended, but we didn't leave, but visited again. We talked to many guests. When Matilda came to us again.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Vincent asked her.

She walked around Vincent at a leisurely pace around Vincent. I got a feeling like I was watching a cat circling a mouse just to torment the mouse before the cat kills it. "Absolutely! Your mother is an excellent hostess and really has great taste!" She was beginning another pass, but I blocked her path this time. She merely smiled at me. She turned to Vincent. "I understand the tradition of putting guest according to how closely related they are to the king, but why does this American cowboy and that man whose always with King Fredrik get to sit with the family? While I, a Baroness and relative sit at opposite end?"

"Well, yes," Vincent said simply. "You are German. Your grandmother was a Dane. She's buried here, but her children went other countries and married and had her grandchildren where they were. Your four steps down." He looked at me and grinned, "Now, this guy," he threw his arm around my shoulders, brought toward him and kissed me on the forehead which I fought off. I'd seen guys on the same team do that after a win. "He was always my friend." Vincent looked at Tilda. "He saved my life. We became practically brothers after that. He is my closest friend and I love him. The others in the family do, too. Dad loves him, my mother loves him, and my sister adores him." He reached down and took my right hand, "I thought you knew about this. He wears the Ring of Trust." He touched my ring, "That trumps everyone else and makes him a part the family. I gave to him, and he can see me even if I'm in important meeting." He shrugged, "You are welcomed when you come, but if you didn't know that; you aren't from Denmark. Everyone here knows that. Even the guards know."

Cousin Matilda was looking a little annoyed.

"Dad gave one to Christian years ago," Vincent was smiling at her face. "I guess you don't have that in Germany. These men are the most trusted advisors." He did the chum squeeze again. No kiss this time. "He's Cambridge graduate and a genius. He was sent here by the Government of the United States because he speaks Danish and Norwegian fluently. He's lived over here so long people see him as a Dane..."

"No, we don't have those rings" she said sharply and interrupted. "The royals in the world are being forced to step down."

"I've heard that," Vincent said.

"Are you an advanced scout to make that happen?" I asked her, "find something wrong and grievous and atrocious..."

"Don't those two words mean the same thing?" Vincent asked calmly interrupting me.

I nodded, "Yeah, they do." I said as calmly. Not once did I raise my voice. "I just wanted to say what is bad here is very bad. I wanted a stronger impact."

"Oh," Vincent said, "If you bring any charges about me. You'll find the accommodations won't be up to your standards."

"Bring them up against King Fredrik," I looked at Vincent, "Do you still have a dungeon?"

"We do," Vincent nodded. "It's not really used now except for storage, but Dad can open it up again."

"Is there electricity or heat down there?" I asked.

"No," Vincent bounced. "When we used it for criminals, we used torches. It will be cold and dark."

She huffed and walked away.

"You did very well," I said to him.

"Thank you," Vincent smiled. "So did you." He sighed. "I better tell Dad. He and Christian had better watch themselves and Dad can have someone follow her while she's here."

We told King Fredrik, who was with Christian. We were telling him what happen and suggested she be followed, and he just smiled, "I already have."

I smiled at King Fredrik, "Of course, you have. You're not asleep on the throne."

King Fredrik smiled bigger, "No, I'm not. She has been a problem before. She confronted Christian."

Vincent nodded, "We heard about that. He told her to take him to court and prove it." Vincent chuckled. "But why is she allowed in?"

"Well, she is family," King Fredrik gave a slight shrug. "And what better way to find out what she's doing than for her to be here. She is welcomed. She has three of the best watching what she does, Majlis, Clara and Regna. They were very well trained. They are her Chambermaids."

"Women?" Vincent asked.

"Sure!" I said to Vincent with a big smile, "Women are great in covert operations."

"Yes, they are," King Fredrick nodded. "Of course, you know this, but I need to tell you not to tell anyone." He even did the finger shake at us like he was scolding us.

"No, sir," Vincent and I said together.

"We try not to do anything to let anyone know," Vincent said.

"We saw that," Christian chuckled. "That performance of two friends, in their late twenties, was priceless."

"We are friends." I said smiling.

"Best of friends," Vincent did the one arm hug men do. "I told her why and he was trusted."

"He's honorable," King Fredrik said. "Good choice, Son."

All this was just speculation. It was clear King Fredrik had no proof. Maybe, Majlis, Clara or Regna would find out something.

We were walking back to the house when some movement caught the corner of my eye. Moonlight made possible to see enough. It was small, dark on white snow and walking slowly. It was less than a foot high. Walking on snow was a Hell of a lot easier than ice. My legs did sink into the snow. What was walking was sinking too. It was clearly a small dog.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"A puppy," I answered. "I think." I approached it slowly and spoke softly in a soft reassuring voice, "It's okay. You'll be okay when we get you out of this cold." He couldn't run away. He could barely walk now. The puppy didn't even whine or cry. He was violently shivering a lot. He also soaking wet! There were ice crystal forming in his short fur. I looked up at long park built next to a channel of water. It wasn't far.

"What's a puppy doing here now?" Vincent asked. "Isn't it spring when a dog goes into heat?"

"Yes," I answered. "Is there a dog breeder around here?"

"Two," Vincent said.

"There are ways to induce heat for breeding," I opened my coat and put the shivering puppy next my warm body. "People will give puppies as Christmas presents. Here you go little guy. I'm warm and so will you be in just a few minutes. I got you." I assured softly. "I'd say a breeder did it to have puppies for Christmas that can be sold." I threw my arm my arm out. "Everybody loves a dog!" Then I remembered, "Except your mother because they make her sneeze." I shrugged. "Some of our bigger cities have more wealthy people and they will do that to have puppies to sell. Then after Christmas, get rid of the unsold puppies."

"That's terrible!" Vincent said and then stopped, "So, how do you know this?"

I turned looking at him in disbelief, "Yes, Vinnie. I suppose you found that huge kennel we had in Wyoming where we raise dogs as well as cattle." I turned and walked to get out of the cold to see what I'd rescued. "I read it the Chicago Tribune where there was a group protesting this barbaric business. They wanted to stop them from killing these innocent lives." I opened my coat and saw two eyes, "Who could do that to that sweet little face?" Okay, I spoke to the puppy in that voice. It was baby talk, but not where you purposefully mispronounce words. The puppy now responded with the signature helpless whine. Because he was helpless. He couldn't fend off anything. "I got you. You're fine." He was still shivering, but that could be from the fear as well as the cold.

"Your plans for the little guy?" Vincent asked with a hopeful voice.

"I'm going to take him home," I said. "I'll feed him, see if Amil is there because he knows animals, then we'll clean him up and name him."

"You're going to keep him," He said in a way that told me he was hoping I would, "You're not going to give him away."

I could see a much smaller Vincent stand with a stray he found asking his parents, promising to take care him. Telling his mother with her handkerchief over her nose she won't even know he's there. He was told no.

"Yes, Vincent," I smiled. "We're keeping him." I shrugged. "He's not a longhorn steer, but beggars can't be choosers."

When we got home, I realized that gorgeous foyer was only a little better than outside. The high ceilings where all the heat went. So, I took him to the warmest room in the house. The kitchen. I know, I know. Dogs shouldn't be in the kitchen, but this was an emergency.

There were two there at the moment, two women turned and smiled at us at first but when I opened my coat one was a little bothered, but the other one said, "Ã...h, den stakkels lille ting." Oh, the poor little thing. She rushed over to me. She touched a table, "Put him up here."

"We prepare meals there, Rebekka!" She said to the middle-aged woman.

"Which we aren't doing at the moment, Laura," Rebekka said sternly to the younger woman. "It will be cleaned." She took the puppy's head in both hands. "You're safe," she said. "No one will hurt you." She felt his body and extremities. "He's soaking wet!"

"I theorized that one other two dog breeders was getting rid of his unsold inventory," I said.

Rebekka blew an angry breath, "I'd love to put both of them in a bag with a weight and throw them both in the river!" She didn't even look, "Laura, instead of just standing the gawking, why don't you go get a used towel from the laundry room."

"Is Emil still here?" I asked.

She nodded, "I believe so. He went to carriage house to check on the horses."

"I'll go get him," Vincent left to do that.

I looked over the puppy and tried to get an idea what breed he was. He looked like a solid brown beagle puppy. There solid brown told me he wasn't a direct beagle breed. "How old do you think he is? Six weeks?"

Rebekka nodded, "I hope so. I'll bet he's hungry. I hope he's been weened." She snapped her fingers, "I know!" She hurried to the pantry.

I really like dogs. We always had one on the ranch. They were good sentries. Duke was friendly dog to everyone, but he was really a hired hand's dog and they loved each other. He went with them everywhere.

"Here you go, Eric," Laura said handing me a towel. "He is cute."

I nodded, "He is. I'll never understand Human cruelty." I laughed. "There was a time when I had a problem what we did at the ranch. I was eight. We were raising our cattle for slaughter! Dad wasn't mad, but he asked if I liked Mom's beef stew, hamburgers, or steak? I did and he asked me where did the meat came from? I knew, but I didn't really get it until then I didn't get it. Dad told me we were supposed to. We were predators. Our teeth said we were as they were like wolves. One day we may not have to." I began rubbing the puppy dry. He starting to whine a little. "No, no, you're fine. Or do you just want to be held again?" I picked him up in the towel. His head was near my face, and he started licking me. "You're welcome..." I looked at Laura. "I need to name him."

Laura smiled, "You're going to keep him."

"And I predict he will be a blessing to have around and a huge problem," I looked at the puppy. "Aren't you?"

Emil was great with animals and cared for the horses. That was important as with snow or no snow they were needed to get around. Emil was a very friendly man and was veterinarian. He was in his forties and gave up his practice and made more money working for the king. Rebekka came back with...mush?

"You can feed him the occasional carrot, but cut it down very well into small pieces," Rebekka instructed. "He's just a baby, but he should be able to eat this." She put it in front of the puppy. "This is leftover roast beef finely chopped and uncooked oatmeal. Meats should always be cooked to avoid any parasites in them." She sighed contently. "We can introduce things like those carrots and corn. It's good to add, after we see if he tolerates this protein."

Vincent smiled at Rebekka, "How do you know all this?"

"Oh," Rebekka chuckled. "I've always had dogs. I still do. My father raised dogs and taught me. It's a fine thing you did, Eric."

"I couldn't let Thor die!" I shrugged.

"You named the puppy Thor?" Vincent asked amused.

"Doesn't he look like a Thor?" I held my hand out to the puppy who sniffed the mush and then began eating it. "He's a credit to his species! He escaped watery grave somehow, swam in icy water, and walked where we found him! He's miracle! He's a Dane!"

Thor ate all his dinner, and we gave him water. Now when I talked to him, his tail would wag. Emil put the Berlingske, Copenhagen's daily newspaper down in the mud room. He had just eaten, and drank water, but he couldn't go outside. It didn't take too long before he peed and pooped. Then Emil got rid of immediately to avoid a stink. The bath. I used a mild soap him warm water in the kitchen sink. He cried at that, but I reassured him he wasn't going back into the water. Dried him off and I swear one of his parents was a beagle. He had a beagle face and head, but his color was brown. From nose to tip of his tail a chocolate brown.

Vincent held Thor who licked his face, and he was talking softly and sometimes in babytalk. What is it that puppies make us all do that? And why did it take five grown adults to take care of a puppy? I looked at Dad's watch. "It's three in the morning! Go home. It's Boxing Day! Thank you so much for the help."

They said it was their pleasure and it would be nice to have a dog around the house.

Royalty love dogs. Queen Victoria had several dogs, even at the same time. Just because Queen Maregete was allergic they didn't have one, I know if she weren't there would be. We took the back stairway the house staff used.

"This is fun," Vincent said as he still talked babytalk to Thor who was eating it up as his tail was going very fast, "We have to be more aware of our surroundings with Tilda here."

"Why?" I asked carrying our two coats. Who knew staying warm outside would be so heavy? "We only kiss in an empty room and everything else behind locked doors."

"We can't even be seen going in the same bedroom," Vincent said. This situation with his cousin had really shaken him up. More so that I thought.

When got to the top of the stairs; I stopped him, "There are four people involved here. And soon to be five. Angelica and Harald have made some great sacrifices to be together and so have we. We don't even know she's up to anything." I took his arm and pulled him farther down the hall. "We need to get to our room, or I'll have to put these coats down. They're getting heavy." That made Vincent chuckle.

We got to our room, and we locked it as was our habit.

"Where's that robust cowboy strength you had at the ranch?" Vincent chuckled.

"Sez the man carrying six, maybe seven pounds," I threw both coats on the bed and sighed. "How can you hold Thor up?" I had been carrying a few pages from the Berlingske. I went to the corner and put that down. "Just in case." I smiled at Vincent. "I don't know what Matilda's goal is. Who is she working for?" I waved at the door, "There are limited amounts of hiding places in the hall. Even if she had one, she would be arrested for breaking and entering. Your father asked me to be the Ambassador here. He's letting me use this house to do that. It's sort of guarded now. It will be heavily guarded when the U.S. Marine Corps arrives. I'd like her to try to get past them." I waved at the house. "How many rooms does the house staff clean and change sheets for?" I held my right index finger up. "One." I answered my own question. "You know the house staff knows and won't say a word. There was certainly a lot to talk about at the palace! I think we took care some suspicion with that school chums routine. We did it in Oslo. We do that here. A majority will think we're just immature. Good friends together usually are." I came closer to him. "Everything in my body tells me, we are meant to be together." I leaned in and kissed him. I felt Thor move between us. "And you, Thor," I put his head into my hand and gave him a playful and gentle shake. "Not a word to anybody about what you see here. Okay?" I bent down and put my face in front of his. I got several licks as an answer.

Thor was put on the bed, and we got ready for bed. It would be a while before he jumped down. In a year, he should be able to jump up as well. He did whine the first time we disappeared into the bathroom because we left him. We left the bathroom door open so he could see and hear us, but he wasn't with us.

"We'll need to get him a thermal covering it we take him outside," Vincent said.

"I haven't seen many hounds in Denmark," I shrugged "Or Norway. Hounds don't have the undercoat needed for cold climates."

Vincent grinned, "They don't, thus the thermal covering."

"I walked into that one," I smirked. "You get the point this time."

We went to opposite sides of the bed. Thor didn't know which to go to, so he sat, but then we started to turn the bed down and Thor had never in his six weeks of life seen this! I picked him up and put him down on the blanket.

"Why the name Thor?" Vincent asked as he slid into the sheets under the blanket. Thor came over and greeted him again with a couple of licks. "Why do you like Vikings so much?"

"Okay," I waved my fingers in the give it to me gesture. "I'll take that point back. I do it because of you. I fell in love with someone whose country is made up from people that were Vikings. That includes you. I love Denmark." I slid in. "I couldn't name him Spot. He hasn't got any!" I realized I hadn't gotten his input. "I'm sorry, Vincent. He's not my dog, but our dog. Is there a name you prefer?"

Vincent shook his head and chuckled, "No, Thor is perfect." Thor walked over and licked Vincent, "I love you, too, but it's time for little dogs and big dogs to get some sleep." He patted the bed next to him. Thor had a busy, wet, and cold Christmas. It only took a couple of times for him to understand what he was to do. He was a social creature and so were Humans. He was now a part of a pack.

Vincent woke up in time to see Thor getting ready to hike his leg up and he grabbed him up and hurried him over to the newspaper.

"No, this is where you do that," Vincent said in his soft voice and tapped on the paper and the floor. Thor just wagged his tail.

I chuckled. Having a dog was perfect for Vincent. He was very patient and didn't raise his voice. "He had an adult male dog in his short life."

"Sure, he's here," Vincent stated the obvious.

"No," I said. "Not that, but male puppies don't usually hike their leg up until father or the alpha teaches them how. Otherwise, they squat."

"Aren't you a wealth of information?" Vincent said and tapped the paper on the floor again. "Come on. I know you need to." He looked up, "Now I need to." He snatched up Thor and went in the bathroom. We didn't close the door to pee, so I heard Vincent go. Then he came back and put Thor down again. Tapping the paper again, "Now, it's your turn. Do it here." Vincent tapped the newspaper again. It only took two more; maybe seeing Vincent do it he knew or just because he had to go, he did.

"Yes!" Said in quiet victory. He scooped up Thor and kissed him on the head, "That's a good boy!" He kissed Thor on the head again. "That's a very good boy!" And Thor again was just eating it up as his tail wagged quickly.

"So," I grinned. "Who's cooking?"

The look on his face was priceless. He' never had to cook before. It had been a while for me, but I still remembered how to make breakfast.

It was a big house. So, there was a lot of room for Thor to get his exercise. We changed and were going to the kitchen. I put Thor down in the hall, "Let's go, Thor." I said and began to walk on. I took Vincent by the arm and pulled him with me. Thor just sat there at first. He even let out whimper, "Well, come on, Thor." I looked at Vincent. "He needs to learn the commands." I held up the newspaper Thor peed on to get rid of. "You did great with the first housebreaking. Now he needs to learn to follow when called." I looked back and he was still sitting there. "Let's go, Thor." I said a little firmer. He got it and ran to catch up. "Good boy!" He was a smart dog.

We carried him down the stairs. He wasn't ready for those. We made sure all doors were closed from the kitchen to the rest of the house.

"Watch him," I said pointing at Thor. "He just peed, but dogs love to mark their territory. He will too. It will be just a little and I don't care, but he can't just pee."

"You don't think there was any harm to him being as cold and wet as he was?" Vincent asked.

I shrugged, "Emil is a veterinarian. The trauma in his mind at what happen to him is healing with us." I said getting the eggs out of the large refrigerator. I also saw where the kitchen staff had sliced up some pork belly for bacon. "Was he part of a litter? I bet he was. Were they included in that sack? I don't know, but if I find out who did this, I'll break his nose."

Using a cast-iron pan, I whipped up bacon and eggs. I even made toast!

"This reminds me of that cattle drive with your Dad," Vincent said smiling.

"We had this every morning on the cattle drive," I chuckled. I spotted Thor about to squeeze between two cabinets. "No, Thor!" I raced over and picked him up. "You can't do that. It could be dangerous." I lightly used the scolding finger and tapped his nose lightly. I'd never hurt him. "He was just exploring."

"How is this going to work?" Vincent laughed. "You've got a job; I've got a job..."

"I'll be working a lot from here," I smiled. "There's an office I can use where the Parliament meets and the Prime Minister has his office. I'll prefer what I have here. He can come with one of us or we hire someone to watch him that Emil approves of." I put Thor on the ground. "We need a leash or harness." I said as Thor was going right back to where he was when I stopped him. I got back up and got him again. "No, no, no." For Thor this was just noise for now, but he would learn. "What do you say about discipline?"

"I don't know," Vincent shrugged. "I don't have any experience with any pets."

"Okay," I smiled. "He'll need to be startled when he does something wrong. Don't see he's done something, go find him and discipline him. He won't remember what he did. We need to find something flimsy and light to pop him on the nose."

"Hit him!?"

"Not to beat him into a bloody pulp," I chuckled. "Never to hurt him but startle him. It needs to be done right at that moment. A single sheet of newspaper would do, but I want him to associate that with potty time. I hope he never cowers from either of us." I shook his snout lightly. "I never want him to be afraid of us." Thor gave his first play growl to me and fend me off with a paw. He knew it was play.

"Do you think he'll be a big dog?" Vincent asked chuckling as Thor was responding with his tail wagging.

"His paws aren't that big," I held a paw out. "May two and a half the size he is now."

"That makes sense," Vincent nodded. "People are keeping them in their homes. Even in the Summer."

"Maybe I should have named you Loki. He is the Norse god that was always causing mischief," And this time, Thor was kissed by me.

Dogs usually eat once in the morning and once at night. This time I gave him shredded cooked chicken, some oatmeal and some carrot chopped finely. Oh, and a bowl of water. Then we did as we did the night before with the newspaper. This time he didn't that much coaxing. He was learning.

I knew this was a big house, but I never saw the whole thing. There was a big difference in the feel of the house with no one here but the three of us. It felt so empty without the house staff. That could also be just in my head.

Vincent suggested we see every room. I was pleased that Cousin Tilda's Great, Great Grandmother thought about Tilda's Great, Great Grandfather. There were two rooms towards the back of the house that were definitely masculine. Dark wood paneling and large polished wood furniture and plenty of ashtrays. A Smoking Room. A room where the men could retreat when dinner was over and have a cigar or smoke a pipe. Vincent nor I would be doing that. The Smoking Room had an arched doorway that led to a room with large green table. I saw the red and white balls on the Billiard Table. No pockets. I knew Pool, I didn't know Billiards. I only knew Eight Ball. What I didn't expect was the Steam Room. Those rectangular containers were where you put the volcanic rocks and poured water on them once they were heated up. It was apparently for the men only as it was in this portion of the house. We were constantly watching for Thor. Something would catch his attention and he wanted to investigate. There were a couple of places he marked his territory. It wasn't much. His little bladder wasn't that big! Mostly, he just followed behind us. He'd be fascinated with something, look up and see we moved on and ran to catch up. He seemed very happy. I just hoped he didn't remember what happened yesterday. Dad said, we can't know a dog's mind. Thor did alright with his warm bath. We'd have to see.

There was a grand office, also in the men's portion of the house. A beautiful wooden desk and wooden cabinets behind it. I wondered what it was he did here.

"My Uncle Klaus was a Privateer," Vincent said.

I was startled as I turned to Vincent, "Under what flag? During what war?"

"Germany's, Denmark's and Sweden's," Vincent grinned.

"I know you were at war with England in the early 1800s," I said.

"He sort of freelanced," Vincent shrugged smiling more. "He flew whoever's flag paid him."

"Legalized piracy!"

"Yep," Vincent nodded and he said with a little pride.

"That explains a lot of the money," I muttered. "Profiting from war? That's..." I sought the right word.

"Isn't it?" Vincent agreed with whatever word I chose.

"They were some of the most dangerous!" I said. "They had no loyalties."

Vincent was nodding as his smile grew, "I know!"

"He was an honorable Privateer?" I asked.

"No one knows," Vincent shrugged again. "Those that do were killed. He would be gone for two, three or four years at a time. His cargo hold would be full!"

"Who kept an accounting of it?" I asked. "Did he give all of it?"

"Again, no one knows," he waved at the house. "It could be in all this."

"And your great whatever agreed with him marrying his daughter!?" I asked in disbelief.

"He was..." Vincent thought a moment, "A gentleman pirate?"

We both heard this whine and looked back at Thor. He had simply sat a few steps back.

I chuckled at him, "This has been the most walking you've done in your life, huh?" I walked back and picked him up.

"Shouldn't he have energy to burn?" Vincent asked.

"And he will," I said kissing Thor on the head. "Yesterday he was probably with his mother and any siblings in a kennel. I doubt he had a lot of room to play. Then yesterday he walked a good way for a puppy. It's amazing he didn't freeze to death. We've been walking at a normal pace and he has to run to keep up." I waved at the interior, "And this is a big house. He's still a baby." I smiled at Thor. "I'd say in a week, we'll have trouble keeping up with him. We need to get you a ball and some chew toys you can attack." I looked at Vincent. "So, this great Klaus guy had good manners. Why would any king let his daughter marry him?"

Vincent smiled and shrugged, "Because he put a lot of it in our Treasury. Aunt Benedikte fell in love with him."

"That does explain a lot about Cousin Matilda," I muttered. Then I looked glared at him. "And why did you look so happy about it?"

"How many people can claim a real pirate in the family?" Vincent smiled again and shrugged as if he couldn't help it.

"So, he did both?" I asked.

"That's the story," Vincent said. "He made more money as a pirate, but kings looked the other way with him being a privateer if he gave them some of it."

I thought about what he said, "I'm not necessarily seeing that as good thing." Then I looked at Thor, "And you are going to be healthy and grow big and strong. We are going to just love you to pieces!" I said squeezing him gently in a hug and kissing his head again and felt his tail wag again and he licked my face. Then I handed him to Vincent. "They grow very fast. You might as well enjoy it while you can."

Vincent grinned taking Thor, "Who's a good boy?" Held Thor up so he faced Vincent and Thor's tail practically disappeared and he licked Vincent's face happily.

It was just a shame Vincent didn't have a dog when Vincent was younger. Thor would be spoiled rotten. I couldn't wait. We would have to keep watch over him. It wasn't a question of if he would pee and poop where he shouldn't, but when and where.

That day, we spent doing nothing really. There was a pet store in Copenhagen. We would go the next day and bring Thor with us wrapped in a blanket, of course. Most will think it's silly, but he was our dog. That made him special.

There were things to do, but Vincent and I were so used to being on the way somewhere. Having nowhere to be that day did make me a little antsy. I did go to the Carriage House to see what Emil had there. To my delight I found tennis rackets and tennis balls. Where were the tennis courts? I also got a riding crop. Thor wasn't a cat, but he could chase the end of it.

Vincent built a fire in the Smoking-Room fireplace and put the screen up to keep Thor away. I wasn't kidding about Thor growing up fast, so both Vincent and I sat on the floor and played with the puppy who tried to catch the ball that was being rolled between Vincent and me. He tried to bite the ball, but his mouth wasn't big enough and his puppy teeth couldn't sink into the ball. I would take the riding crop and tickled him gently on the side, or on his belly making him try to get it. I didn't let him get it long and it turned into a game of Tug of War with him giving his puppy growl as he pulled.

"He doesn't bark," Vincent stated.

"He will," I smiled. "Any time now. When he's ready." Vincent rolled the ball to me that was passing Thor who charged the ball knocking it off course making it roll away. I had to get up to get it.

There was a faint pounding heard I recognized the echoing sound of the heavy door knocker at the door.

I tossed the ball to Vincent and threw the crop to him, "Since I'm already up. I'll get the door."

"We'll stay here," he pointed at Thor who was looking at the ball Vincent had with great interest.

I jogged through the house to the door which I opened. This hooded, cloaked figure burst pass me as it entered.

"I'm sorry for just coming over," the figure said as it lowered its hood and removed the cloak. I recognized Annabelle's voice, but now I saw her.

"Hello, Annabelle," I said as I closed the door. "How are you? Won't you come on in?"

She ignored that and turned to me, "I just had to get out of that house!"

"You'll always be welcome here," I hugged her.

Annabelle's horns again showed as she asked, "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

I grinned, "Not at all. Vincent is just playing with the baby."

Annabelle's reason for coming over was temporary forgotten, "Baby!? What baby?" She asked stunned.

"I'll introduce you," I motioned for her to follow me. "Come on."

"Who's baby?" Annabelle asked.

"Vincent's and mine," I simply said as we walked to the Smoking Room. "I warn you, though; he was severely traumatized last night. Don't speak loudly or rush at him and it will be fine."

Annabelle's expression became more confused as we walked.

I opened the door for Annabelle who walked in and saw Vincent spreadeagle on the floor by the fireplace with Thor playing Tug of War with Vincent complete with the puppy growl.

"Don't scare him," Vincent grinned at his sister.

Annabelle's eyes widened and then did what most women did as her eyes softened as Thor melted her heart and pressed her chest to avoid any gushing from that heart, "Oooh," she crooned, "It's adorable!" She walked slowly forward and sat by Vincent. She held her hand out toward Thor. "Hi, Little One." She said lightly. Thor, who let go of the crop and walked to Annabelle and sniffed her fingers. She scooped him up and held him to her chest. "He is so cute!" She then was receiving licks to her face which she didn't stop. "How do you have a puppy? And this time of year?"

She didn't know that much about dogs than Vincent did. So, I explained the induced heat in the females and how we got Thor.

Annabelle's eyebrows came together as her anger grew, "How dare whoever it was?" She demanded lightly. "He's just a baby and he is so affectionate. Any creature capable of love deserves to live."

"That's just a theory," I said. "We made judgements based on what we found."

"And judgements you made that make sense," Annabelle replied. "Breeders would know when to induce heat when for there to be puppies available for Christmas. And it makes a sick sense to get rid of the unsold puppies. Otherwise, they would cost you to keep feeding them. You lose money."

I nodded, "But Thor won against all that and survives."

"Someone should do something about it," Annabelle stroked Thor who once again was just eating it up. He wagged his tail.

"What can we do?" Vincent asked. "If the owner doesn't want the dog..."

"What? He kills it? He can give them away." Annabelle challenged, "But no if he did that the ones that bought a puppy would get upset. That is so cruel! So, why not kill Thor now?"

"Because he was thrown away and we own him now," Vincent said. "We say no. He's already a member this household. He charmed three of the staff last night."

She laughed and kissed Thor on the head, "I know he did. I think it's immoral! It should be outlawed," Annabelle said firmly.

"Too bad you don't have any pull with the king," I grinned at her as I sat, too. "There are animal rights protesters in the United States now. They established the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. That was formed a few decades ago. They also had charges and fines instated for anyone even neglecting animals."

Annabelle nodded, "That's what I'll do. I'll talk to Daddy." She smiled. "In fact, I'll bring him over and talk to him." She looked at Thor, "Once he sees this face he'll have to agree." Yes, it was babytalk again.

"What happened that made you leave the house?" I asked. "Do they know you're here?"

Annabelle put Thor down again and Vincent resumed with the ball making Thor growl at it and pounce. That ball was not getting away! Vincent laughed at him urging Thor to "get it!" Thor was a Christmas gift. To both of us. Right now, Vincent was really enjoying Thor.

"There is nothing but a few staff at home, so I'm Matilda's best friend now!?" Annabelle said in disbelief. "She was down to one chambermaid and I'm the only one she can talk to!?" She asked, "I don't think so. I told Dad I was coming and he didn't object." She looked at Vincent, "He usually objects with my going outside alone, so I had one of the guards walk with me."

"We're within walking distance and he knows us to be reliable," Vincent answered. "What did you tell him?"

"That I had to get away from Matilda and her interrogations," Annabelle answered. "That I was going to my brother's house. He agreed quite easily. Why?"

"Because she's up to something and we want to know what," Vincent answered.

She nodded, "I just bet. More than usual?"

"That's what we need to find out," I said.

There was a light yip as Thor was about to pounce on the ball. Then he yipped again.

"Aw, he's growing up!" I said happily. "His first bark!!"

Thor was proving to be a delight to have around. His actions with the ball made us all laugh. His attempts at behaving like a big dog made what was cute even cuter. The horrible moments in the past seemed to have been forgotten. The behavior was predictable. A dog can dream. I've seen a few times with my cousin Jacy's dog when the legs would twitch, and Duke would sometimes let out a muffled "woof" that said he was barking at something he saw. It was that realization made me angrier. Thor was so amusing and smart. It had to be one of the breeders. However, it could have been an owner that wanted to breed his dog. Completely out of season? A breeder had to be responsible. Thor was obviously a mixed breed. A mut. To breed one that was not a pure breed didn't make a lot of sense. Just like with women who live together, their menstrual cycles often synchronize. Depending on how many females had their cycles started, Thor's mother might only have been stimulated by the other females and the male that impregnated Thor's mother wasn't an intentional target. It might be impossible to know what had happened. Little did I know about the local animal lovers.

What I did know, was Vincent had fallen in love with Thor and Thor just adored Vincent. I was a little jealous. Annabelle had fallen in love with Thor, too. I had a feeling we'd be seeing her a lot. Again, it wasn't Queen Maregete's fault pets made her sneeze. The allergy did not get passed on to her children and they loved playing with Thor. Thor would lower himself on his front legs and got ready to lunge and now he barked at the ball as it passed and literally pounce on the rolling ball making him tumble over the ball as he growled. But his tail wagged before he did this and he loved the game! He would stop if he didn't like it. It was a higher brain function that got enjoyment from play. Human children learn how to be an adult from play. So was Thor!

We lost track of the time. Once again, there was the faint sound of the door knocker.

Vincent got up, "You got it the last time," he said. "It's my turn."

When he returned, I was surprised. King Fredrik was with him.

"I came over to see what happened to my daughter," he grinned. "Now, I know." He waved indicating Thor.

"Yes, Daddy," Annabelle smiled as she picked Thor up. "This is Thor. Vincent's and Eric's new little friend." Annabella waved Thor's right paw at the king. "Say hello to the king of Denmark, Thor." Thor gave her a few licks as his tail started up again.

King Fredrik smiled and knelt by his daughter. He took the paw that Annabelle had waved for Thor, "It's nice to meet you, Thor." The king chuckled and shook Thor's paw, "I always pictured you, Thor, as being a little taller." He stroked the puppy's head gently and shook . "And blond!"

I grimaced, "I know your pain." I waved at Copenhagen outside the house, "All these descendants of Vikings and you, Uncle Fred are the only blond around I've seen!"

"There were a few in Norway! Harald?" Vincent then looked at his father, "Wait a minute. Mom isn't with you. You left her with Matilda!?"

"Your Mom left me!" King Fredrik said back, "Christian left to do..." he tried to think of a word for it, "whatever. He really left to leave me to deal with Matilda and your mother went to her room that no one would dare to enter without knocking...not even me...for the same reason. I wasn't going to be trapped with her, so I came here

I frowned, "Doesn't it occur to her that people leave when she approaches?"

The king shrugged, "I don't know." He rubbed Thor's head again and played with a floppy ear and then stood. "I'm sorry, but I can't get on the floor like you can and get back up again without the sound of cracking. I'll sit in a chair." He lowered himself into a plush, cushioned chair.

I patted him on the shoulder, "That's okay, Uncle Fred. We love you anyway."

Annabelle then explained what she wanted to do because of what happened with Thor.

King Fredrik frowned when she told him what I theorized about what happened to Thor, "There is a group pushing for an Animal Welfare Act. I'll bring it up again at the next meeting of Delegates. I'll also send a letter to the breeders in Copenhagen."

"It will be difficult to enforce," I said sadly. "We have to catch them in the act."

"Matilda has to have poor self-esteem," Vincent said as Thor was put back on the floor and sort of ran to Vincent who had the ball in his hand. Thor mouthed Vincent's thumb to get the ball. Vincent grinned at Thor and rubbed him over backwards and rolled the ball to Annabelle. Thor raced after it. "She does it to herself, but I would have a low self-esteem if I saw people avoided me."

"If it's a cause she believes in," I shrugged. "She may view it as worth it."

"The only cause for Matilda is Matilda," Annabelle shook her head, "She's not that smart. This is what she's done for so long, she might not realize it."

"I would like to know more this von Lobenstein," I said. "She gets him to sign a contract? He dies in two years falling down a staircase he took every day. I know he was drunk. But took it every day and probably several times a day. Being drunk was a condition he was use to. It could be an accident, but did he have a history of such accidents? He was home!"

"She has an alibi," Vincent reminded me.

"Yes," I nodded. "She does have one that says she wasn't there. That doesn't rule her out of involvement." I looked angrily at no one, "And what did he have to hide that he had to marry her? What did she have on him to make him do that?"

"You think she blackmailed the Baron into marriage?" King Fredrik asked.

"I don't know anything," I stated. "I think she's capable of many things. She's trying to find something on the two of you to get something from you. She knew there was something, we just don't know what that something is and she needs evidence or a corroborating witness."

I would have invited them for dinner, but it would have been leftovers from previous meals. Vincent and I couldn't go to dinner with them and leave Thor alone and we couldn't bring him because it would bother Queen Maregete.

And it was bound to happen. We both knew it would. I knew it. Vincent knew it. I'm grateful there was no rugs involved. We found a puddle. It wasn't water. Just pee. It was our fault. We had gotten distracted telling King Fredrick and Annabelle good-bye. I picked up Thor and had him face me.

"I can't punish you," I sighed at Thor who just licked me and continued to wag his tail. "You probably don't know you did anything wrong. Really, you didn't, but we don't want you to go inside the house without the paper beneath you." I handed Thor to Vincent. "Just so you know," I smiled at Vincent. "Ammonia and baking soda will get the urine smell out and disinfect." The floor was marble, so it wouldn't stain. It was a quick clean up. I rinsed the cloth out and hung it up to dry. I leaned back on the sofa as Vincent played with Thor on his lap. "Having a puppy has good things and bad. He's an animal. He doesn't really do anything on purpose to make you angry." I remembered when Jacy's dog got mad that he had been left behind and acting out from being left, a revenge token was left. "Maybe when he's older. Maybe. Once he understands what you want him to do. He will learn to manipulate you. I just don't want to become the only one to discipline Thor. We both should do that."

Vincent gave a grudging nod, "Yes." He admitted reluctantly. "But you know what to do. I don't. You took the lead with this because you know what to expect."

"He's different than any livestock I've ever dealt with," I smiled and stroked Thor's head and took an ear in my fingers. "I believe he was sent to us for a purpose."

Vincent grinned, "You think God gave him to us?"

Thor took a couple of my fingers in his mouth and began to gnaw on them. It was a common thing for puppies to do. All babies did it. He got a better sense of world this way. It didn't even register with me other than a warm, wet gnaw. He didn't have adult teeth and it didn't hurt at all. "You have compassion and that is needed with Thor. I think he's doing very well considering what happen yesterday. He hasn't shied away from anyone in fear."

"He didn't understand what was going on, I bet." Vincent said.

"True," I nodded, "He didn't see anything in that sack. He was so small he couldn't produce much heat by shivering. He only had minutes to live, but he did." I grinned as Vincent smiled at Thor again. "I say you're doing a damned fine job with this little life. The Pohogwe don't own land and we don't own lives of others. I don't see that we own Thor. He belongs with us and we were given charge over his life, but he's our friend he is not our property."

The first day with Thor came to a close. We ate some stew left for us, fed Thor, and did the potty thing again with the newspaper. The expression on a beagle was precious. Thor was a happy little dog. It always seemed that a beagle smiled a lot. Thor had enough beagle in him that he seemed to smile all the time. When Vincent placed him on the paper and tapped again, "It's potty time again." He said to Thor who was listening and tried to make sense of the noise he was hearing as his tail wagged again slowly at Vincent's kind voice. "Do it here." Vincent said tapping the paper. Thor had heard this before and his beloved Vincent was making the same noise now. So, he did it again. That made Vincent and Eric very happy.

I was thrilled that Thor didn't show any signs of reliving what horrible thing happened to him.

Normally, dogs don't relieve themselves where they sleep. However, this was a big bed, so Thor looked for somewhere to do that, but when he walked around, Vincent and I felt him do that and heard him sniffing.

Vincent sprang up grabbing Thor up, "No, no, no, Thor." He hurried Thor over to the corner, "Not there, buddy." He rushed Thor over to the waiting papers and put him down on the papers. "Do it here," he tapped the paper, "You do that here."

"I'm jealous of you two," I chuckled at the two. "You speak and Thor listens."

"Thor loves you," Vincent grinned at me.

"Yes, he does," I grinned back. "He adores you."

"Maybe," Vincent nodded, "But he'll be spending a lot of time with you."

I shrugged, "As long as your mother isn't there, he can go with you."

Vincent tapped the paper again, "Here. You go here." And Thor did. "Good boy!" He scooped Thor up and hugged him making Thor very happy. "Only one mishap we know of, you're being so good!"

That was as good as it got until he could jump down and up again.

We showered and shaved. Of course, we included Thor. Not the shaving part, but the shower. Well, he didn't want to excluded so we brought him in the shower with us. He wasn't sure about this, but he was whining to be included. We let him. The previous night Vincent was reluctant to do anything intimate at first. I knew Thor was a baby and I didn't use a harsh soap. He could have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin and dogs didn't seem to go together. Dogs haven't been wild for tens of thousands of years. We had dogs that could hunt, large dogs to guard and stand watch, small dogs that could scurry into a rabbit hole and ferret prey out and Thor...well, his beagle breed was bred to hunt and sniff. What his other parent was I couldn't tell yet. It seemed to be a short haired breed. If Queen Maregete were to encounter Thor the dander that made her sneeze would be reduced having been bathed.

It seemed that Thor had us wrapped around his life. That's because it was! He was not the most important being in our lives, but he was a very important part of our lives now and any plans had to include him now. And I got an idea right after our shower. My grandmother said we Humans were all made out of the things that make up this world. Modern medicine identified things that are natural in the air our body suddenly identifies as abnormal flora (plant particles) and abnormal fauna (animal particles) and tries to expel them from our bodies by sneezing, coughing and seemingly have all the symptoms of a severe cold or break out in a rash; anything to get rid of whatever. Other adverse reactions tried to expel whatever it was out of our body. If she didn't know Thor was there, would she have symptoms? My grandmother cautioned me to never believe they didn't have allergies, they could.

"You are going to test your mother," I said.

"Test her!?" Blurted out as he pulled his shoes on and he sat up suddenly. "What do you mean test her? Why me?"

"The most important thing is she won't kill you," I smiled. "I just got her to be nice to me, so you need to do it. Test her to see if Thor will make her sneeze."

"As soon as she sees Thor, she'll cover her nose and face," Vincent said in a near panic.

"If she doesn't see him at first," I explained hopefully. "If she sees him, she will sneeze." I scooped up Thor from the floor. "He is clean now. There won't be a lot of dander or anything in the air. If any." I pointed out. "If there is something in the air, she should sneeze whether she sees Thor or not." I knew it was risky, "Then we do the big reveal."

"She'll be pissed," Vincent said smiling standing up.

"Yeah," I nodded and agreed. "She will, but she can't argue with the evidence. Thor might not bother her at all. He'll be able to come with us."

"It will be my funeral, not yours," Vincent chuckled.

"Why does it have to be anyone's funeral?" I asked. "Annabelle was fine, Uncle Fred was fine...maybe she will be, too."

"You hope," Vincent grinned and followed me out in the hall.

The stairs were going to have to wait a week or so. Going up would be easier than going down. We wouldn't let him fall down the stairs and we carried him into the kitchen. Laura and Rebekka saw us and immediately began speaking to Thor as they came over to pet him. We were forgotten. Thor was the star of the morning. He didn't get scared once.

Vincent dug in his pocket and pulled the tennis ball out and waved it where Thor could see it. Thor's tail suddenly went faster, and he yipped his bark. Vincent was going to play again! He yipped twice more and then let loose a longer "ooorr." The beagle in him was dominate.

"Er han ikke sød!?'Laura asked no one. Isn't he cute?

"Han er nuttet!" Rebekka nodded. He's adorable!

"Yes," I chuckled. "He is both. He had a great day yesterday."

"That was his first howl!" Vincent laughed.

I chuckled, "How else is he tell you he found something?" I pointed at the ball. "He sees that!" Our lives still went on. "Lord and Lady Haversham will be dining tomorrow night," I reminded Rebekka. "Has Lady Haversham confirmed her daughter, son-in-law and infant daughter will come?"

"She did this morning," Rebekka smiled. "Do they have a menu preference?"

"Beverly will be happy with what we give her," Vincent said.

"She will," I smiled at Vincent. "However, is there venison available?"

"Sure," Laura nodded.

"I am the American Ambassador and I'm Pohogwe," I grinned. "There is an excellent Pohogwe recipe for roasted venison, a squash and corn dish, fried bread...I know you have maple syrup. We need a good bourbon, too. There's a great Snow Candy dish for desert..."

"I don't know how to make those dishes," Rebekka protested.

"But I do!" I nodded, "Trust me! You're a great chef." I pointed at Laura. "Get enough venison to fed six adults. There is a chicken and corn dish that's good." I was thinking out loud.

"His mother made it and it was very good," Vincent said. "They were big on squash and corn."

"That and beef were what we had the most of," I shrugged. "That and potatoes. I'll have you cooking like a Native American!"

Emil came in to see Vincent and me, and Thor. Everyone liked Thor. Then he slipped us a note with an address on it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a pet and feed store not far from here," Emil said. "I just recommend you go there and see what's there." He shook his head, "I wouldn't suggest you buy anything from him, though. There is another I recommend run by a man named Lars Olsen. He has got products to sell. I've worked with him before when I was practicing more." He frowned. "The other man is Alberte Rasmussen. He's a breeder."

I frowned, "Is he the breeder you think bred Thor?"

"All I can say is," Emil began. "Everyone knew he had puppies last week. Now, he only has a few."

"You think he did this," I said.

"I don't know for a fact," Emil said. "But he specializes in small breeds. Such as beagles, terriers and...he's not very humane."

I recognized Vestend as a street nearby. Only a few blocks away. "I think we should pay him a visit, Vincent."

Vincent's eyes narrowed, "I think you're right."

Emil's business were animals. He specialized in horses, but he had a history in Copenhagen. If anyone had an accurate guess, he would.

We ate and then Emil hitched up a sleigh. Wrapping Thor up in a blanket we rode to Lars Olsen's Kæledyrshandel. (Pet Shoppe) Business had returned to Copenhagen as we traversed the busy streets. People rode horses, walked, or took carriages to where they needed to go. At the moment, it all looked peaceful and serene. It had snowed the night before so a lot of ground was covered with a new layer of white. Emil recommended Mr. Olsen.

We got to pet store and just seeing it made you feel good. Was it noisy? You betcha. Children had their noses pressed against the glass as the looked at some playful pups. They looked very well cared for. They were clean and seemed to enjoy looking at the children as much as the children enjoyed looking at them. Tails wagged and yips were heard.

A little girl about six rushed up to me, "Skal du have en hund?" Are you getting a dog?

"Nej, jeg har allerede en hund. Se?" I said. No, I already have a dog. See? I pulled the blanket back so they could see Thor. "Ro. Han behøver ikke at være bange." Calm down. He doesn't need to be frightened. I held Thor securely.

"English, Emma," A larger boy about ten reminded her.

I assumed it was her brother. Dark hair on both and there was a slight family resemblance.

Emma smiled at me, "Sometimes I forget."

I chuckled, "So, do I." He bent down so she and two others could see Thor better. "This is Thor. He joined our family night before last."

"Oh," Emma said. "He's so cute!"

"He's hearing that a lot lately," Vincent grinned. "I hope he doesn't get a big head."

Saying phrases in English the meaning didn't translate, but again Thor took everyone's attention.

"He doesn't look mean, Gyrth," Emma said to her brother.

"Mean?" I asked. "He's eight weeks old! He's a baby. Babies aren't mean."

"We have a neighbor that has a big dog that scares Emma," the brother explained.

"Oh, I see," I nodded. "He is guarding his home. I find that most animals aren't nice or mean; they just are." I covered Thor again. "I don't know of any animal that is mean. Wolves, bears, lions are seldom just mean." I smiled at Emma, "They often are staying alive or protecting their family. Mother bears can't take a chance that another predator won't hurt her young. Lions and wolves often provide for many others so they can eat and stay alive. What they do is seen as bad, but really it's more for protection or food."

"Thor doesn't have a mean bone in his little body," Vincent grinned.

The boy's eyes widened when he really saw Vincent, "Your Highness! Forgive me, I didn't recognize you until now." He bowed and hit his friend next to him. "This is Crown Prince Vincent Henrik of Denmark, Dummy."

"Who now has a puppy to call his friend," Vincent smiled. "And he is loved very much."

We went again through the American Ambassador and cowboy thing. People would have seen Vincent and other members of the royal family before as they passed. They knew me by reputation mostly. I was often seen with them. Mostly with Vincent.

"We're hoping our parents will let us have a dog in the Spring," the young man said happily.

I smiled at that, "I can honestly say there is nothing like loving one of nature's most loving creatures." I brought Thor up to my face, "If you win the love of one of them, it says a lot about you. Just make sure you deserve it. A puppy will be totally dependent on you. Where it lives, sleeps, its health, when it eats, and it will be totally devoted to you and won't leave you. Ever. A dog will never let you down. It takes a serious commitment. I'm from a people that doesn't think a person can own another life. See a dog as a friend; not someone you own."

Lars Olsen was a happy person. He was in his late forties and blond. What hair was left, that is. His midsection showed he was also fond of eating. He held a small dog himself. It wasn't a puppy. I recognized a Scottish Terrier and this one was solid black.

"Your Highness," he bowed to Vincent. "What can I do for you?"

The dog being held by Lars knew another dog and barked. Thor yipped a reply.

"We need to get a few things," I began. "A collar, a thermal cover for outside, some soap and shampoo for Thor..."

"And perhaps register Thor with the Animal Welfare Department?" Lars suggested hopefully. "It's a new way to help keep track of pets." He leaned forward, "Can I ask how you got Thor?"

"We rescued him from the cold near my house," I explained. "Why?"

"There is another man in Copenhagen that breeds dogs," he pointed at Thor. "He has some small beagles."

Vincent nodded, "We heard."

"Thor was found, soaking wet with barely the ability to walk," I hugged Thor.

"You think it was Alberte Rasmussen," Vincent said.

"I have no proof," Lars qualified. "But yes, I do." He shook his head, "He had puppies and then he didn't. Where did they go? He has prized beagles."

"And you think Thor is one of those pups," Vincent stated.

"Based on what I see," Lars pointed at Thor. "Yes."

I felt my anger rise, "And no one did a thing about it."

Lars shrugged, "What could we do? We asked him not to. He didn't break any laws."

"Not currently," I agreed. "Hopefully, King Fredrik will be changing that soon."

We did get some great treats for Thor. We registered Thor with the Department Animal Welfare complete with an identification number if he got lost. I dare say he would never be let out of our sight. We also got him a collar to hang his tag and bone shaped tag with Thor written on it. The collar pretty well swallowed his neck, and it was the smallest one Lars had. Or course, Thor had a little difficulty getting used to the collar and scratched a lot to get it off. We got him a roomy pet carrier. We also got him something to wrap him in that was quilted. There were even some canine shoes! To keep his four feet off of the cold ground. It would be a few months before he would do that. We got them, but he didn't wear them. A good mild soap and shampoo and he was set! We also bought him a brush and clippers for his toenails and some grooming items.

Lars was a very happy man! As I said, you saw it in his face. He was content. He also loved how we were devoted to Thor and how much Thor was devoted to us.

I had said it would hardly be possible to know what happened, but the community of animal lovers were apparently watching. Using the exact means, I had used to figure out what might have happened, they did the same. The two breeders were completely different.

Lars' Kæledyrshandel was clean and the center for all happiness. Alberte's Kæledyr Bizart, a bizarre for pets, while not exactly the canine version of dog Hell, it wasn't a place that claimed happiness. See how the same word is used for something? Pets! Kæledyr was Danish for pets! There are so many words that could easily be translated to English!

No! No rabbits. I hear rabbits made great pets, too.

"I don't believe in beating around the bush," I said to Vincent. "We should go in and tell him what everyone thinks he did."

"He can deny it," Vincent said holding Thor.

"Yet," I stopped the horses. "Everyone knows he did it."

Thor was for the first-time whining with us. He did that when he didn't know us, but something he sensed or heard was bothering him and he was scared.

"No, Little Guy," Vincent assured Thor and kissed him on the head. "You're fine. We've got you. No one will hurt you. We won't let them."

Entering the store, I guess Alberte knew to display the pets appropriately, but he failed with me. There were cages arranged with various animals in them. Mostly dogs. There were a few cats, but as Lars said most were small and most dogs had to lay down. I saw a few water bowls, but many were overturned because of the lack of room.

"Can I help you?" A man asked coming from the back.

What I also saw was Thor duck down and he was heard whining.

`This wasn't a good idea," I said to Vincent and stroked Thor gently. "He won't get near you, Thor."

"Take him," Vincent urged me and handed me a squirming puppy. "I think Thor just gave witness to what happened two nights ago."

I hadn't really seen the look on Vincent's face before. It was quiet rage and he was growing red in the face.

"This won't take long," Vincent said through gritted teeth.

"Your Highness..." the man stammered.

"Save it!" Vincent said quietly. It was like a volcano about to blow and deceptively quiet with deep rumbling. "I want to know who his mother is and who his father is." He advanced on the man who was backing up.

"Let's go, Sweetie," I said to Thor and walked out of this odd bizarre! "You're okay." I wanted to support Vincent, but I think being confronted by the Crown Prince was enough. "You're okay." I said again hugging Thor to me. I wanted to hear what was being said, but I couldn't make anything out other than muffled voices until...

"...and everybody that knows you knows you did it!" Vincent shouted. That I heard with no problem. Alberte said something else I couldn't make out. "I am Denmark's future king! That's why!" Vincent bellowed. "I love that dog! He is innocent! God knows how many other puppies you destroyed! He is a miracle! My sister loves him, my father, King Fredrik Henrik loves him and soon it will be illegal to do what you did! If you doubt that, keep it up. I will destroy you! You can't deny this, you and I are going through your inventory right now. We are going to record every single animal and their condition and when I return, they had better be in the same condition if not better or sold to a family that deserves them and they must be registered and addresses recorded that can and will be verified. If you don't, my family and I will ruin you and you will not be able to sell anything!! Now, show me my dog's parents!"

I was smiling after I heard this. It did take quite a few minutes before I saw Vincent leave the store. He tucked a piece of paper in his coat pocket.

"Sorry it took longer than I thought," Vincent climbed in the sleigh and sat by me.

"Don't you dare apologize for that. What you did in there was wonderful," I grinned holding Thor up. "He is a miracle."

Vincent chuckled, "You heard that." He nodded and picked Thor up and nuzzled Thor on the nose. "Who's a good boy?" Thor's tail wagged and he licked Vincent repeatedly. "I'm giving Emil the list of animals and I will come with him next time which will be in two days. He would be better at accessing their health." He looked at me, "Oh, Thor's father is champion beagle, one of those smaller ones. His mother is a combination of a Terrier from Norwich and West Highland Terrier. They don't shed and not much dander."

I hadn't noticed any hair or fur on the sheets, "Really?"

"The asshole in there considered Thor to be a breeding failure," Vincent said hugging Thor. "He's not a pure breed and that is just nonsense as I see Thor as a very smart, happy, and loving dog." He grinned at me. "I disagree with you, though. You told Emma there were no animals who are mean. We just met one! Alberte Rasmussen isn't just mean, he's also evil and just greedy."

I smiled more, "You won't get a disagreement from me."

"No," Vincent stated. "I thought of getting Annabelle over here. She would get away with breaking his nose. You might not."

Putting a small animal up to your face would scare some people and animals, but Thor was so happy!! His tail again was going so quickly it seemed to disappear and he licked Vincent's face almost as quickly!

"That's it," I chuckled. "I'm jealous."

Vincent gave me a mocking sympathetic look, "Don't be jealous." He held Thor up to me. "He'll lick you, too. He loves you!"

Of course, Thor did lick my face. I was jealous that Thor could express affection that I couldn't. There was no choice in the matter. I didn't like that Vincent and I were deceiving the whole world! We were!! Ignorance could be dealt with by education. That would just take longer than we had. I often refer to the good qualities of the Pohogwe. For the most part there were many things about them that were good. They were not perfect, but they were the most tolerant of others. All American Natives weren't always nice. There were a few that were quite blood thirsty and had been blood thirsty long before Caucasian men arrived. And who arrived where first when!? Who really knows? Educating a great many at once was risky. A few at a time fared better. Once people believe one version, getting them to see that was wrong is almost impossible. In Denmark, Norway, England, or the United States of America they hold to what they believe in even when confronted with the undeniable truth. It was far easier to die for a cause than live for one. Schools were opening everywhere. King Fredrik's explanation to Vincent just before he and Angelica married was very true. Children of Royalty were given the best of everything from food, healthcare, and education to get them ready to lead a nation. Now every child in any developed country went to school. There was the organized religions who preached more than Thou Shalt Not Kill or Steal. Religious held people under control threatening their eternity if they didn't comply with their rules. Rules to follow about what to eat, pray and even who you can and can't love.

"It's amazing to me how in two days' time," Vincent began. "How one small animal can charm it's way into the heart of so many adults."

Taking the reins, I got the horses moving again. "I hope it works with your mother."

Sneaking in any creature into the palace took preparation. My hope was renewed when I heard about Thor's mother. She was an ideal breed for people sensitive from exposure to anything an animal gives off. Thor still smelled like he had from the shower that morning. He still had the puppy smell, but it wasn't unpleasant. Humans spent thousands of years trying to rid themselves of odors that simply were a part of life. From Egyptian to Greek and Roman construction. Putting palaces and government buildings high above any other buildings you could see anyone approach, friend, and enemy. Congested on the city floor you were down where the smell of unbathed flesh, sewage and garbage were. Up high you got a cross breeze that was fresh and cool. The use of oils and perfumes were used to cover those natural odors. And who is to say what anything we smell wasn't what it was supposed to smell like? Good smells verses bad smells are subjective. We smell something we judge as wrong. Why? The smell could mean disease. Rotting flesh has a bad odor. Odors can be very complex! Yes, this is a rabbit, but we are presented a good smelling meal. We have a tendency to take the combination of things in it together as one. One smell! But there are spices and other ingredients that add to the odor! Paprika, oregano, peppers, onions...a plethora of things (Plethora. I seldom use that word. Like pontificate, I hardly ever use it. Plethora for a lot of choices and pontificate sounds better than calling someone a blabbermouth.)

It was a small rabbit. A bunny really! Anyway, we needed an inside man. Or inside woman. Or girl...it was Annabelle! We carried Thor in the blanket and waited for Annabelle in a room off the main entrance lobby.

"What's up?" Annabelle greeted coming in the room. "What's with the secrecy?"

Vincent grinned and pulled me over and pulled the blanket open.

Annabelle clapped her hands lightly and smiled, "Thor!" Her whole demeanor changed to one of calm and quiet affection. "Hi, baby!" She walked over closer, and Thor remembered her very well as he struggled to get from me to her! She reached for him, and he let everyone know how happy he was to see her as he yipped again.

I leaned closer to Vincent, "He still needs to grow into his bark."

"Look at you!" Annabelle said to Thor. He said he was happy with his tail going again. She touched his collar and tags. "You got him registered!" She smiled at Vincent and me. Thor said his hello as he licked her face.

"We did," Vincent smiled at his sister's acceptance at Thor heartfelt licks of affection. "We also found out who did this whole thing."

One of the things Vincent and Annabelle learned from their parents was to listen first. Her expression told us she knew what we were saying and what we were planning to do.

"Fine," Annabelle nodded. "I will go with Emil to be sure Alberte Rasmussen complies." She looked at her brother and me, "I won't promise to not break his nose." She then grinned. "I will bring Thor into the living area. Mom will be coming down for a late lunch. I will keep Thor occupied behind her for a while. If she starts to sneeze..."

"Then get Thor out of here!" I said quickly.

"I don't think she will," Vincent said.

"Be prepared if she does!" I said to Annabelle.

It was only a half an hour when Queen Maregete came into the communal room and smiled at us.

"I wasn't expecting you," she smiled coming over to greet Vincent with a quick hug and kiss.

Vincent chuckled, "Should we leave?"

"Of course, not," she said to Vincent and then she greeted me.

"We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd come by," Vincent grinned. All I could do is roll my eyes.

Annabelle was quiet, but Thor didn't understand the need to do that. He yipped at Annabelle. Queen Maregete spun around and saw Annabelle holding something wrapped in blanket. Whatever it was; it was alive.

"Sorry," Annabelle said

"No," I smiled at Annabelle. "He's being honest." I looked at Vincent. "I don't like lying." I bowed to the queen. "I will explain."

Queen Maregete nodded and folded her arms over her chest, "Please."

"You are not the woman I met years ago," I told her.

Her face had the look of regret, "I was frightened. I worried Vincent wouldn't do his duty."

I nodded, "I know." I shook my head. "You don't need to apologize. In nature the role of mother is quite deadly. The bear is very protective of her cubs. Cougars, wolves...a mother will fight any thing that threatens their young." I grinned at her, "I was scared of you! Uncle Fred learned to trust me first, but I would do anything to keep Vincent safe."

Queen Maregete nodded, "You made a friend." Her brows came together, and she pointed at Annabelle, "And how does that explain...that?"

I put Vincent between his mother and me, "Now you know why I was planning for you to do this." I whispered in a hiss. I looked at the queen, "I was getting to that." I chuckled. I explained about Julefrokost and when walking home and our rescue of Thor. "When you hugged and kissed Vincent, did you get any itch or burning in the eyes?"

"Think about it, Mother!" Vincent said excited. "Thor was sent to us! Five minutes earlier or later we would have missed Thor!"

"He is a dog," I nodded, "But he has ancestry is from dogs that don't shed." I walked over to Annabelle. "He had a bath this morning. Any dander was washed away."

"I held Thor most of the morning," Vincent threw his arms out helplessly. "I should be covered with his dander."

Annabelle hugged Thor, "And last evening I played and held this sweet little guy."

"It's not the shorthaired dogs that make you sneeze," I smiled at the queen.

"No, however, all cats do." The queen waved at Thor, "You named him Thor." She said nodding.

"Sure," I grinned. "He was born in Denmark. He could be loyal companion to Vikings."

The queen smiled at us, "There is another reason I said no to pets." She shook her head sadly. "They get sick and die." She looked at Vincent. "When you brought that dog home," she reached out and stroked Thor's head. "Examining him; he could have had worms, or many diseases carried by dogs." She chuckled, "That dog did make me sneeze and I could tell you were falling love with him. Its better I said no than have to break your heart later."

I nodded understanding now, "He's been seen by Emil. Having a veterinarian on staff was smart. Thor will be the healthiest dog in all of Scandinavia!" Thor began to squirm in Annabelle's arms.

"When did he go to the bathroom?" Annabelle asked.

"Right before we came in here," I replied. "It shouldn't be that." I held my hands out to show I would take him, and he came over and licked my face. I turned to the queen. "I say with nothing but observation. This," I kissed Thor on the head, "is the sweetest soul and is completely innocent."

"What's going on?" King Fredrik asked as he came in. He saw Thor, "Oh."

Queen Maregete laughed, "I was just about to give my approval."

Then Vincent and I told who did it and why. Both King Fredrik and Queen Maregete were appalled.

"The problem is there was no crime," King Fredrik groaned.

"It will be when you make it illegal," Annabelle bounced a little.

"That sounds like the perfect campaign for you," the queen grinned. "You will have to speak to Parliament."

"Me!?" Annabelle balked.

King Fredrik nodded, "You have the passion for it. That will add credence to what you want to do."

Annabelle looked down as she thought, "Sure, I can do that."

"You were never shy, were you?" I grinned at her. "And come early so those in Parliament will have a focus when you ask them to approve your law."

Annabelle touched Thor's head, who now wanted to go back to her.

"Make up your mind, Thor!" I kissed him on the head and gave him back to Annabelle. "This is going to work! A society will be held accountable for how we treat innocents like Thor."