And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon... (scrooge and minnie)

[princesswhatshername]

It wasn't as if Minnie had intentionally gone through with this with the idea she'd do it alone, but after the first couple of people she asked for help seemed appalled and aghast at the very notion of what she was doing, she gave up and decided she'd go at it herself.

Although, to be fair, months ago she would have been appalled and aghast herself at the notion. Giving away things from the castle? It was unheard of. But that had definitely been Scrooge McDuck's influence, which not everyone approved of. One of the things Minnie had learned from him was the usefulness, and connected to it the uselessness, of certain material items. If she didn't need them, nor did any of the servants, why not hand it to someone less fortunate? (At least Scrooge had finally convinced her to stop calling them "commoners". Now that had been a struggle.)

It was a lovely day outside, so instead of being cooped up, Minnie brought the - rather heavy - trunk outside to rifle and check through, with paper and ink quill in hand. All employees of the palace were free to come and go in her gardens, so she wouldn't have minded any company.

Currently, she was finishing folding away some very unique, and sparkly, dresses that she could tell would never fit her. "Mm-hmm." She said out loud, jotting something down. "Away that goes."

Comments

[richestduck]

Donald was having some trouble adjusting to what Scrooge had revealed to him, so he was asking his closest friends for advice. His mind still reeled that the pendant his mother had left him before she'd passed provided a direct link to Scrooge McDuck as his uncle. If he so chose and if Scrooge's inquiries into the fate of his other sister didn't bear fruit, he'd be the sole heir to the vast McDuck fortune. (However, Scrooge had assured him that he would not be in charge of McDuck Enterprises, knowing the lad was ill-equipped for such a monstrous task. Even the massive fortune would be managed by someone who understood money better than the poor lad.)

However, the young Musketeer felt torn. He was happy to know he had a biological family to go with his found one, but it was bittersweet. They'd lost so many years, and Scrooge likely didn't have all that many left. They'd become friends before Scrooge had learned the truth, but they were still trying to figure one another out.

[princesswhatshername]

Minnie froze where she stood, hidden from the boys.

What in the world had she just learned?!

Scrooge was Donald's uncle?! But... all this time... those three had grown up as orphans! Poor orphans struggling to survive! Scrooge had all that money, all that power, and he'd just let Donald grow up in that kind of environment? Minnie's little body began to shake, and then she fled the scene, grief and rage boiling inside her like nothing she'd ever felt before. She felt sick. She felt awful.

"Where is Scrooge McDuck...!" She finally called out, demanding attention from any and all nearby servants.

[richestduck]

Needless to say, the servants immediately directed her to Scrooge's office in the palace. As much as he didn't like Versailles, maintaining the financial minister's office until he found a proper replacement was a necessary evil.

Scrooge had no idea about the pink hurricane pointed in his direction.

[princesswhatshername]

The door to his office was slammed open, and if Minnie had been a bigger person it might have been knocked off its hinges with that force.

"How could you!" She blurted out, having been unable to think of what to say on the way over.

[richestduck]

By this point, he'd gotten used to nobility storming in to yell at him. It being Minnie this time was a bit of a surprise, but Scrooge calmly slid his quill back into its holder and set his current calculations aside.

"I'll need some context first," he told her, folding his hands on the desktop.

[princesswhatshername]

Oh dare he look so calm and collected! Had what he done not bothered him at all? Was his kindness all an act before?

"Do you have any idea what it was like for those boys to grow up without a family?" She barked, furious. "Cold, starving, alone, they had no one but each other!"

[richestduck]

Scrooge's heart dropped into his stomach as his face automatically went as neutral as stone, a reflex after decades of having to hide his emotions from others.

"I'm aware," he said softly, knowing that there were likely servants and nobles listening in to the princess's screaming. "Princess, please lower your voice."

[princesswhatshername]

And he wasn't even showing a trace of emotion! He really didn't care! How could she have worked with such a cold man?!

"How dare you show up after all these years! Where have you been? How could you abandon your own flesh and blood?!"

[richestduck]

Scrooge slammed his palms down as he rose to his feet to meet her halfway across the desk. The old McDuck rage came back as he roared, "Princess, if you have any ounce of respect for your friends, you will lower your voice!"

His reputation could take a hit, but the reason he and Donald had chosen to keep the matter quiet was because Donald needed to decide whether or not he even wanted the McDuck family. Her screeching the truth at the top of her lungs would do Donald no good and force the young Musketeer into a decision he might not want.

[princesswhatshername]

The gall for him to yell at her about respect...! She breathed hard through her nose, her eyes blurry.

But... she did reach behind her to close the door. It clicked quietly behind her, and the air was frozen all around them.

"You've been here for so long, and only just told him... what is he to you? Just... another pawn in your fortune? I thought you were different than all those snotty, snooty nobles I have to deal with day in and day out!"

[richestduck]

Scrooge slowly sat back down, his face taking on that serious face he used when working on the budget or closing a deal. "So Donald told you. I suspected as much from your screeching.

"As for why I didn't tell him, it's because I didn't know until recently."

[princesswhatshername]

That... did change things. Slightly. Though it was difficult to think things through logically when emotions were running high.

"How recently is recent?"

[richestduck]

"Remember when he was ill and was quarantined at my townhouse to keep it from spreading to the rest of the Musketeers? He wanted to repay me by giving me something his mother had gifted him: a nicer version of this."

He reached under his shirt and retrieved a well-worn pendant with chipped enamel paint and most of the gold plating rubbed off. Minnie would likely recognize the crest of Clan McDuck featured prominently on it. He turned it over for her to see a strange series of engraved lines on it.

"Clan McDuck has a tradition: every member receives a pendant bearing the family crest on the front and their name written in the Ogham alphabet on the back. The one that Donald wears had the name 'Hortense' engraved in it, his own name being scratched into it beside hers."

His control slipped for a moment as he choked on his sister's name.

"Hortense Duck nee McDuck was my youngest sister. I haven't seen her or our sister Matilda in twenty years. I discovered a few months ago that Hortense was dead."

And if Minnie had any sort of intelligence, she'd put two and two together: A few months ago had been when Scrooge had taken ill.

[princesswhatshername]

At first, Minnie was quiet as she listened and learned. For a brief moment, there was sadness, and pity, as she understood him grieving the loss of his sister - but that hadn't been the only math she put together.

"That was... months ago." Her fingers curled up. "Months ago! Why is he only learning now? He deserved to know the moment you did! He must have grown up all his life thinking no one wanted him!"

Her eyes felt hot and wet, and Scrooge's intelligence might have begun to clue him in that Minnie was perhaps mixing up his family with her own.

"Even a day longer not knowing the truth was just too cruel! He needed someone, anyone, to be his family! It doesn't matter how old he is, he deserves a family! He needed you to be there for him...!"

"Why... why weren't you there for me!"

Oops.

[richestduck]

"I didn't know he was her child until he came to my home! How could I tell him something I didn't even -- "

He stopped, mentally reviewing what she'd said.

He then lowered his head.

"Lass, I am not a good man. And I'm sorry I gave you that false impression."

[princesswhatshername]

Minnie had heard what she said too, but couldn't take it back. Grief had won over anger, and even when she pressed her hands to her eyes, she couldn't make the tears stop.

"That's... not fair... none of this... is any fair...!"

[richestduck]

"No. It's not," Scrooge said, his voice filled with so much guilt and shame. "Truly, lass, if I could? I'd have been a better son, a better brother, and a better uncle. Maybe even have reached out to you sooner in the process if that was the way the cards fell. When I finally meet my Maker, I'll have a lot to answer for and no good answers to give."

He rose from his desk, walking over to where a now-cold teapot waited. He fitfully poured himself a cup, watching the tea fill the cup.

"I set out to gather a fortune for my family, to ensure my clan never had to go hungry again. I succeeded, but the cost..." He braced himself against the side table, a teardrop sliding down his beak to fall into the tea. "I've tried to do better, but it'll never be enough. I told Donald he didn't have to acknowledge me as his uncle given everything. He's happy as Donald Duck the musketeer, and I'll not ruin his life further if I can avoid it."

[princesswhatshername]

For some reason, Minnie almost wished he'd yelled at her instead. Seeing the strong, powerful, confident Scrooge look so utterly broken... it added to her pain. She bit her lower lip, but hiccups and sniffles escaped her. It was taking every ounce of strength not to burst into full blown sobs.

She unsteadily walked forward, all of her energy gone. She grabbed Scrooge's sleeve, but that was all she could muster for now. "Mister McDuck..."

[richestduck]

He turned to her, his eyes seemingly dry. He stepped away from the table, giving her plenty of room to do as she pleased.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I'm so, so sorry."

[princesswhatshername]

Her strength was waning, and then it broke completely. She threw herself into his chest, sobbing as the weight of her past, and the cruelty of the world, bore down on her.

[richestduck]

He was surprised that she hugged him given all of this, but he didn't push her away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her swayed a bit to rock her.

"I know, lass. It's all right. I won't tell anyone about this. I promise."

[princesswhatshername]

What could she possibly say? What could she do? This wasn't right. She was supposed to be the most powerful person in France... and she was utterly helpless. This was something power and money couldn't fix.

Eventually, she lifted her head, her face wet. "... I'm... I'm sorry for yelling."

[richestduck]

"I yelled at you, too, so let's call it even," he told her. His smile was awkward as he looked at her. "You and me are more alike than you realize, Princess. The main difference is you've got time to fix your mistakes."

[princesswhatshername]

Minnie shook her head, trying to regain some of her sunny optimism. "It's not too late for you!"

[richestduck]

His smile was a bit strained but he refrained from reminding her of what they both already knew:

He was an old man and a man who'd lived for longer than most people did at that. He was more or less living on borrowed time.

"Well, regardless, we both have made plenty of mistakes. Similar ones, too. But we're both learning."