Chapter Eighteen
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Chapter Eighteen
Queen's Day Express Railroad, Arborview to Eastvale - October 6, 9:13 a.m.
Before my mother unveiled her identity days before, this change in events would have been unimaginable, this newfound sense of adventure, but it had fallen into place with the shocking events leading up to it. I didn't even think I'd ever get a chance to be onboard a train like this, the rain pitter-pattering outside.
The knight from Eastvale. When he appeared, I thought he was a warlock. An ally of the Dark Council, another phase of what seemed like my eternal prison in underground Arborview. Fighting him in retaliation never occurred to me, I had given up. I was fortunate that his identity was of a knight and not of a Dark Council member.
Had my wish come true? Days ago, I wished upon the afternoon sun that, like the seasons, my life would shift. My life now glimmered in animation like the rainfall against the locomotive passing.
I rested myself on the suede sofa. The cabin smelled of autumnal fragrances; cinnamon and pinecone. "But still," I pondered. "I wonder why the knight wanted to help me get out of that place. What was his reasoning? Why me?"
"Oh hey, it's about time you woke up," a voice made me startle with its suddenness. "You fainted and were out cold for a while. You alright?"
"Yes," I murmured, peering out and away from him to conceal my bewilderment.
I shuffled on the couch and waited for him to either sit down or leave, scoping the soaked trees passing by, washed in hues of dawn sunlight and droplets.
His hand shifted, offering me a drink with bubbles. "I got you something from the dining car, I bet you must be thirsty."
"No thank you." The East Mint Cola appeared lucrative, but I didn't feel comfortable accepting a drink from this cryptic stranger.
Out the window, the gleam of passing trains blurred with the October showers, a downpour flowing with gust, sliding about the glass.
"I figured you might say something like that. You aren't much of a talker, are you?" The knight placed the drink down at the table and then sat across from me.
"It isn't that, it's just…I'm so confused. Can you please help me understand this whole situation? And how can I know if you're to be trusted?"
The knight's eyes kept glancing at the fizzing drink, those eyes. He shrugged, "Well in this situation, I guess you're forced to trust my word. I was sent to rescue you by the order of Queen Helenia of Eastvale, who is pretty much my highest-ranked boss. I just follow orders."
Queen Helenia? - The Eastvale Queen? Rescue? My ears resonated at the sound of the queen's name. Had the queen herself personally demanded my appearance in Eastvale, among all of the much more worthy academics and entrepreneurs?
I fell into a deep trance, envisioning why the queen would request the presence of me - was it because of my bright and shining future that the standardized country examination depicted over a year ago, did she wish to rescue me from the Arboview backwoods to fulfill my academic potential? Did she wish to interrogate me about my mother and her secret life as an occultist? How would she know?
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" A child and her father paraded down the cabin hallway, humming a song while trying to find their assigned seats. I nodded at the knight.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm taken aback by why the queen herself, someone so prestigious, would send an Eastvale knight to Arborview to rescue me. There's plenty of other people in danger, why me?" Placing my hand over my chest to emphasize the fact that I had been selected among hundreds of thousands of other victims to be rescued, I could feel my heart fluttering nervously at the thought of being noticed by the queen herself.
He opened his mouth to elaborate but then stopped himself. "You'll find out soon enough. It's not my place to explain her business with you."
"Oh." I wanted to say more, the anticipation of the queen's potential reason for requisitioning me left me speechless. I felt nothing short of socially awkward and tried anything to pique his interest in a conversation, conversing wasn't a well-polished skill of mine in the first place.
It dawned on me. "Sir…could I ask you something?"
"Sure, go for it," he said.
"It's about your eyes…"
In that moment, a look of dread filled his face. He appeared as troubled as I felt inside, and gritted his teeth as though I had pointed out something offensive or insulting. Those garnet eyes.
I carried on, trying to find my voice. I gently proceeded, "It's just that…"
The doors slid open and a plethora of new passengers boarded the train, their shoes soaked with rain squeaking garishly atop the wooden floor. I closed my mouth in awareness of the obstructed conversation and I observed individuals I'd never encounter in Arborview; strange fire elemental sages with fiery hair and garments and droves of wandering salesmen, and they all filled up the once vacant cabin.
People sat down and closed their umbrellas, sighing in relief at their refuge from the storm. After every new passenger had settled in their seats, a final passenger made the floor creak in thigh-high boots that begged for everyone to turn their heads at her, noticing her lengthy legs and risqué lower ensemble.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the person I was least expecting to see awake this early in the morning, let alone aboard the Queen's Day Express," she bent forward and scrutinized the knight, pressing her hands onto her too-short denim skirt as though suspicious of his actions.
She continued interrogating him and others turned to survey her making such a spectacle over spotting the knight, "Sir Orin Blackwell, Royal Guard of Eastvale. Of all places, a train?" His name was Orin Blackwell, or so this stranger said, it was the first time I had overheard his name; he never seemed concerned about exchanging names.
"I, uh, well, you know. I'm turning over a new leaf, getting into practicing my routine with waking up early and boarding the train like a normal person at a normal hour."
"A likely excuse," she eye rolled at him then her gaze turned to me.
An incriminating finger pointed at me and I tried not to make the knight's lie seem worse by speaking, remaining soundless felt like the smartest option. I was mortified. Was this rescue supposed to stay a total secret? Wasn't the knight willing to expose our train ride as part of his line of duty to ease the girl's mind?
"And who is this? You know Orin, your girlfriend is going to hear all about this and I'm so not sticking up for you, I'm not bailing you out this time," her finger waved at me, my skin flushed in nervousness.
Orin explained, equipped with a chuckle, "Oh come on, don't make me laugh, Sanura. It's obvious that she's just a long-lost relative I'm showing around town, it's her first time in Eastvale, she arrived this morning. Like I told you, I'm turning over a new leaf by getting up early and showing my hospitality."
"Yeah, right. Whatever." She crossed her arms and kept her eyebrow raised, clearly skeptical of his actions. I wondered what their relationship entailed, their interactions suggested a close friendship and the coincidence of them running into one another on the train appeared to perplex the knight.
"Would I ever wake up this early for any other reason? I wouldn't even wake up this early for my own girlfriend and you know that. Now come on, lighten up and take a seat, you're embarrassing yourself in front of my cousin." Sanura took one gander at the open space on the sofa next to Orin and settled down beside him.
The atmosphere of our train cabin brightened, crammed with chatter about taverns and music and comical people. East Mint Cola in its glass bottle straggled for sunlight as the condensation faded and the rain cleared. It was luminous even in the morning because the train headed east, the view of the surrounding countryside blending into hints of cityscape was spectacular with its foliage lining the railway path.
"Hey, sorry for accusing you. I didn't realize you were Orin's cousin. It's just that your cousin Orin over here, he sure has a way of getting himself in trouble over the most moronic things. Over the years I've had to cover for him," she tilted her face to address me and winked at the knight. He laughed apprehensively.
I stared down at my soil-stained slippers. "I understand. I didn't know of his troublesome reputation."
"Ha! See Sanu, my reputation isn't as notorious as you thought! Even my own little cousin wasn't aware of these rumors because they're false, obviously." He gave her a look of amusement, bursting out in unnatural laughter. "You always give me crap over nothing."
Her face lit up in an impish manner, "It's my job to give you crap, I'm practically family to you and the only person who can tolerate your antics."
"If I may ask, how did you two meet anyway?" I questioned. They appeared like two quarreling siblings, especially with their similarly light-colored hair. The look I gave the pair was one of genuine curiosity, and the knight offered his explanation.
"Where to begin…man, I don't even know. Sanura and I were in the same orphanage before I went for knight training at the Eastvale Junior Academy of Knighthood. She was the only kid cool enough in that whole place to keep up with me," his arms pointed at his old friend and she smiled fondly, reminiscing on their childhood.
"More like you were the only one decent enough to be part of my crowd," Sanura differed, I could tell she thought of herself as the more favorable one between the two. "Besides, if you hadn't sold yourself out to the oh-so-lame public service profession when we were kids, you could have harnessed your musical potential with my crew."
I saw Orin opposite from her on their shared sofa, his face filled with hints of resentment over sacrificing his childhood for knighthood. "At least one of us ended up with a job, Sanu. I know you're intent on becoming a vocalist and all, but my job is far more secure. You should just join an Eastvale Academy of Knighthood like me; you've got more muscles than some of the goons out there defending the capital, they'd love you, and you can sing on the side."
She grinned at him, flashing her white teeth residing behind the impeccable pink gloss of her lips, jade-gray eyes shimmered with enthusiasm. "Just you wait," she said. "No matter how helpless my current poor state may be, I'm going to make it big with my group of musicians and with the power of my voice. Everyone in Eastvale will know me by name."
"We'll see, Sanu. You talk big for not even having one gig yet--"
Interruption. The train rattled as it reduced in speed, the lady over the intercom articulated in a formal tone: "Good morning. We're now approaching Portwillow Passageway, Stop 142. Please claim all baggage and any other possessions that may belong to you and prepare to exit the train shortly. Thank you for riding aboard the Queen's Day Express."
The cabin hallway cluttered with passengers grabbing their belongings. Orin and Sanura's conversation ceased for that moment, like so many other times before when the intercom made an announcement.
"That's our stop," the knight broke the muteness.
"Getting off on Stop 142, eh? Fancy location you're exiting at," Sanura noted the stop by its number as if she knew every stop by heart. Arborview lacked any significant public transportation minus this railroad. This train journey was a once in a lifetime experience for me, but a daily happening for the girl sitting adjacent from me.
She lifted her arms up in the air, eyeing me. "It's been nice meeting a relative of Orin's and I hope you both have fun in Portwillow, don't let Orin pawn you off on one of those 'knight friends' of his. And just remember, I'm Sanura Soulstar, and you'll hear me on radio one of these days, I promise you that much."
Orin shook his head at his starry-eyed childhood friend.
"Just cut it out Sanu and give me a hug goodbye." We all stood up as the train halted. Orin embraced her effortlessly and tried to let go, but she patted him on the back.
Leaning her head toward his ear, she assured him, "Orin, we're orphans without much family, but we can count each other as family too. Take care of yourself for once and don't be a stranger."
I followed the knight's lead toward the exiting gate, wondering if escaping Arborview made me an orphan like Sanura and Orin. My family felt half a planet away from me, roaming a desolate underground sewer system, practicing noxious spells in red hues to cast on unsuspecting victims. My sorrow swelled.
Nobody spoke, not even to acknowledge the station worker who waited on the path. I dropped my head and fumbled with my hands, imagining that I too had a parcel to tote like the others in line. So far the knight hadn't said anything more to me, he expected me to shadow him. I could spot a sense of alarm on his face as he advanced ahead of me, as though he considered of the possibility that the station worker had been notified by Arborview officials of my disappearance and would then pluck me from the crowd.
The silence of the train exit discontinued when the railway station worker greeted every other person strolling past the gate. Everything had turned out well with the worker exhibiting no suspicions toward me as I passed by, his tawny hair kindled with the mid-morning sun. "Welcome to Portwillow Passageway!"
A forest of trees beclouded the sight of Portwillow, encompassing me in reddish blooms. I felt the soothing breeze of Eastvale brush against my cheek, and it awakened me the reality of this situation.
"Come on, stay close so you don't get lost," Orin looked back at me but I paused. I'd set foot in Eastvale, the capital of our country, a territory that my other classmates could only dream of, a location depicted lavishly on postcards and in books as a picturesque fantasy.
Everything emerged more brilliant and beautiful, from the leaves not yet tinted by autumn suspended from twigs and the flowers themselves to the characterful denizens exiting the train. Eastvale possessed the reveries of so many individuals in its promise and dignity, everyone wished to traverse to Eastvale to pursue their aspirations on this land, and now I stood on Eastvale ground.
Continue to Chapter Nineteen
Return to Chapter Seventeen
Notes
* (Yet another) blast from the past!: Moss' flashback in this chapter is actually all the way from Chapter One. What a long time ago that took place! I hope the flashbacks shown in both this chapter and in Chapter 17 successfully served as miniature re-caps as to what happened in the earliest of chapters as I know it's easy to forget past events.
* Reminder from last chapter: Both names will be embraced for the story: Eastvale and Through Her Eyes. I decided upon keeping it primarily as Eastvale because of course Moss isn't always present for her first-person interpretation of events. Chapters with first-person perspective will denote the sub-label "Through Her Eyes" in addition to the Eastvale title as demonstrated in this chapter.
Hugs!