We exit the train station and pass into the airship hangar that’s attached to it. A cavernous, imnse building that can hold a single airship at a ti for servicing and storage, but today is empty. A scant few airwon and airn mill about the sides of the hangar, toiling away on the boilers and steam generators that service the facility, preparing themselves for the next ship to occupy the space. I suppose the current international situation ans most of the fleet is on patrol or stationed sowhere closer to our borders.
We pass through the center of the hangar undisturbed until we reach the massive entry doors of the building. A few airwon were giggling amongst themselves on their break until they saw our group approach, rising promptly to stand at attention and salute as I pass. “At ease,” I tell them. They exhale, relaxing their shoulders and tails in unison.
“Oh, it’s just you, Princess,” one says. I smile back and acknowledge them. Mom likes to see the dedication to service, but I’m far less strict about it.
A great wind whips around us as we walk outside and are greeted to the sprawling Municipal Aerodro — Varecia’s hub for comrcial, civil, and military airship operations. Ships of all types and sizes dot the expansive grass fields around us, but the one we were interested in — our family’s private airship, the Blue Daemon — is waiting for us right outside the hangar.
This is why Duncan is so trusted by mom — he knows how to get stuff done. If I had been allowed to carry out my original plan and do all the trip planning myself, it would have taken a week and the ship would’ve been parked on the opposite end of the airfield. In a ditch.
We approach the side of the tall, aptly colored blue airship and head up the tal stairs to board, following Duncan’s lead. The ship was designed by a famous industrial designer for our family and has all the newest bells and whistles, packaged into a sleek modern design. I don’t know a lot about airships and flight, but I do like how the craft looks. Lots of flowing lines and curves, resemblant of the petals and sepals of a flower.
Duncan stops in front of the entrance to the pilot’s deck and turns back towards , “Princess, our trip today was only possible because of my good friend Maximilian. He so generously volunteered his piloting skills on short notice to make it happen.”
See what I an? The dude has connections. I peer past the door of the flight deck and see a lanky Ringtail in a faded, tan pilot’s outfit, hands and feet at the byzantine array of knobs, switches and levers.
“Aw, shucks!” he drawls in a thick Greenwater accent, pulling up his aviator cap to see us better.
“It’s nothin’, really. Duncan called up and says The Princess Herself needed an experienced pilot, and I ain’t had nothin’ better going on this afternoon so I says to myself, ‘Heck, why not?’ Never t a Princess before!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Duncan grinning from ear to ear, causing to do a quick double-take. “Ah! Well, I appreciate it very much Mr. Maximilian. I’m sure Duncan ntioned just how important this trip is to , personally.”
He chuckles under his breath, “Oh, of course. Y’know, I ain’t never piloted a ship this fancy before. I got to the Aerodro and the guy led here and says, ‘This’uns it.’ And I just about fell over! You’ve got one nice ship, Princess! A real Lucketts Special!”
Well! He sure is a… character. How did he and Duncan beco friends, I wonder? I smile and nod my thanks again.
“Princess," says Dunc, motioning with his arms to lead into the rest of the ship.
We continue boarding with Calypso behind , passing through a set of doors into the passenger compartnt. Unlike the tro car we took earlier, this space is designed for our family, and the attention to detail shows. Individual green quilted leather seats line the edges of the compartnt, flanked by ornate, hand-carved wood-trimd windows and thick, plush curtains. A thick, woolskin rug runs down the center of the aisle, inlaid with gold inserts in a complex floral pattern. This is the section of the ship our family sits at during flights, but I won’t be staying here this ti. I have a ntal Note to act on.
Just then Duncan turns around, looking ready to tell sothing. Hold that thought bunny boy, you can tell about it later.
"Duncan, could you join in my private compartnt, please."
His ears fold back, surprised by my sudden shift in tone. Correcting himself, he bows his head in respect. "Yes, of course, Princess,"
Calypso noticed it too. He rushes to my side and stands at attention, anticipating my orders. "Princess?"
"Privacy, please. No interruptions."
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He gives Duncan a sidelong glance. "Yes, Ma'am."
I'm so casual all the ti that in the unusual instance I need to get down to business and give soone an order, it tends to make animals sit up and notice.
We pass down the hallway of the ship and turn left at one of the doors. Inside a large window dwarfs 2 bench seats opposite of each other on both sides of the compartnt. I store my bag on the luggage rack above the bench and gaze out the window to observe takeoff conditions: Clear skies, with clouds on the horizon. Should be a smooth flight today.
In the distance two warships are idling their propellers, waiting for our priority departure so they can have their chance to take off. It’s patrol duty for them, most likely. An island near the border with licola Province has been drifting into Ellyntide territory, and last week mom announced she was claiming it for us. licola still considers it a part of their territory, so tensions have been unusually heightened the past few days. It’s almost like Mom wants another war to break out.
Duncan slides the door to the compartnt closed with a heavy thunk. “I was just about to ask you the sa thing, Princess.”
“Oh?”
“To talk in private,” he says, taking his seat across from . “You want to know how I was able to convince your mother so easily this morning, don’t you?”
“That’s right,” I nod. “I’ve never chartered an airship, but you plan these sorts of trips regularly. Success is expected of you… but that isn’t the only reason, is it?”
A tallic clatter reverberates through the skeleton of the ship as it’s freed from its mooring anchor, shifting us about our seats. I brace myself against the edge of the windowsill out of habit, as if we were passing through turbulence. It’s no cause for alarm though, noises like this are routine when taking off in an airship.
Max’s voice cos over the ship’s loudspeaker. “This is your pilot Max up in the catbird seat, just sit tight and keep your tails warm, we’ve been cleared for take-off by the Aerodro and will be out to the Eastern Weald in a jiffy.” The drone of the engines grows louder through the compartnt as the steam propellers begin spinning up to flight speed.
“As you’re aware, my job is to handle the finer details of the state’s affairs for the Queen,” says Duncan, raising his voice to match the rising noise. “Arranging etings, condensing intelligence reports, planning trips such as this one, so on and so forth. Participating in your family’s personal affairs is not one of my duties, but because of the proximity to your mother, I sotis find myself invested in them.”
Yes, this much I know about Duncan’s position. Foreign or dostic, when it cos to matters of state Duncan’s the one who’s always on top of it with her. It makes sense he’d get the occasional whiff of what’s going on in private between us and the extended family.
He pauses to gather his thoughts, clasping his hands in front of his face, then continues, “It was a few weeks ago. Your mother and I were up past 10 working on the situation with licola. Sleep-deprived and frustrated, she confided in sothing personal; She does not consider you an adult yet.”
“What?!” I hiss. “She thinks I’m still a child?”
“I-I don’t think she would characterize you quite like that,” he stamrs, quickly trying to save face. “But she’s disappointed that instead of taking a bigger role in helping her govern, you resign yourself to your muses. Volunteering in the garden, reading books about plants, helping your brother with his hobbies. In her words, she finds these tendencies, ‘escapist’ and ‘regressive.’”
So that’s what this is about. When mom was my age, she began helping my grandmother, Beatrix, with the day-to-day affairs of the Kingdom — now she wants to do the sa for her. Heck, I bet she’d like it if I practically ran the entire Kingdom the way Sarlain’s Princess does. But it’s not like I haven’t tried to help her!
“Mother may say those things, but the truth is she doesn’t want my help,” I chide. “You rember it — the coal miners that went on strike in Rhl last year? I told her every morning at breakfast I wanted to help her with the official response.”
Duncan’s whiskers twitch. “You were for the union, as I recall.”
“And Mother wasn’t. She brushed off every single ti until one morning, she exploded and told to go outside and play in the mud. Mother is only interested in my help when she thinks I’ll agree with her politics.”
“I’d have to agree with that.”
…Huh?
I state at Duncan in bewildernt. “…You would?”
A gentle force pushes against , easing into the compartnt seat. I flick my eyes to the window and spot the horizon line dipping below us.
We’ve departed.
Duncan straightens himself up. “As you’ve observed, the Queen has contradictory desires for you. When I pointed this out to her she was not… particularly amicable. But she did admit she often plays to your muses when it’s convenient to do so.”
Wait, what?
“You talked back to my mother about ?!” I gasp.
“I may have been mildly tired and frustrated myself that night, but…“ he trails off, shrugging his shoulders with a sly grin. “More or less, yes.”
I can’t believe it! “Why!? Why would you stand up to her about ?!”
Oh, my goodness. It’s one thing if I raise my own voice against mom — I’m her daughter. I can get away with it because we’re family. But soone outside our family doing it? And the animal in question is a noble trying to defend my behavior? I feel like I’m going to tumble out of my seat.
“Asha,” he says, relaxing his ears. “Do you rember the first ti we t each other?”
Eh? Why did he change the subject? And why is he addressing by my first na? I an, it’s not like there’s so rule where he must always address formally as ‘Princess’ or ‘Your Majesty’. I just don’t think he’s ever done it before.
But I do rember where we first t. “It was when you took over as head of staff from your mother. We were in the state dining room, and my mother ca out to introduce you to everyone… I couldn’t have been older than Sofl is now. Why, how co?”
“Think back farther,” he grins.
“Really?! Oh gosh,” I say, staring off at the ceiling trying to probe my mories for sothing farther back. Did we et at so state event that I just forgot about? I search the recesses of my mories for a few monts, thinking back through years past, but nothing cos to mind. “I’m sorry, but I can’t rember anything else. Did we really et each other before then?”
Duncan takes his bag and says, “I have sothing to show you.” He unhooks the brass latch that holds it together and retrieves a small sheet of paper from inside. He gives a quick glance, smiles, and hands it across the compartnt to .
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