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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Epilogue pt 4

For three months after Princess Noriene's demise Evelyn had helped the rest of the Princess' servants close up the estate. After that she had no plans whatsoever, though as many of the other servants had, she considered taking the long journey from Newport to Graddin to see if the royal family had need for her at the castle. She had spent several years in the service of Prince Regent Thaddius and even though it was well established that he'd stepped down from the throne she believed that her familiarity with the castle would provide her good standing to be hired again. Her brother, however, would hear none of it.

The severance paid by the Princess' estate had been useful in putting a roof over their head but she she'd been readying for the journey to Graddin since her meager savings would have to stretch far further than the cost of a room at the local inn. Shortly after the sale of the Princess' manor several men from the University came to the inn where she'd been staying with her son. There were still two days to go until the wagon train left and Theo had sent them to collect her and her belongings. Little did she know that he meant for her to stay for more than those two days.

Evelyn had never had a reason to visit the University and so her first introduction to its hallowed halls was by the side of her brother, Professor Theo. The robe and sash suited him quite well and she said as much, maintaining a courteous distance from him so as not to embarrass him in the halls of learning. He would have none of it, however, going so far as to embrace her and kiss her on either cheek before picking up his nephew and carting the young kit around the foyer on his shoulders like the proud uncle he so obviously was. She somehow managed to hold herself together and avoided crying until the three of them were alone.

The elder Theo had shown her into the guest room where she'd be staying and no sooner had the door closed than she broke down, bursting into tears. Her wonderful brother had been pointing out the wonderful view of Scholar's Square and made his way back from the window to take one of her paws. "You don't like it? I'll have the floor steward find you a different one."

Laughter mixed with her tears as she fought for control over her sobs so she could speak. "No... NO! It's... it's so very nice! It's finer than even the castle!"

Theo lowered himself into one of the chairs at the small sitting table and she matched his movement to do likewise. He was smiling; even after all the years that had passed she remembered that smile from when they were kits living at home. "I'm sure Castle Graddin had hundreds of rooms finer than this one, Evie."

She smiled a little more, tears subsiding enough thanks to his good humor that she could speak. "But not one in which I would be a guest."

Her brother's smile widened. "You will not be a guest in this one either."

She glanced askance at him, not fully comprehending. "Why... are you showing it to me?"

He practically vibrated in excitement; his tail certainly did, floofed out just like when they were young and he was dreaming up something truly naughty to do with a caught bug from the garden or pilfered meat pie from the kitchen. "Because it's yours."

She couldn't wrap her head around the announcement. "...mine?"

He nodded, taking her paws in his. "I make far more than I need as a Professor. A number of the councilors here tell me that most Professors spend their salary on their family and since you and little Theo are my family I wanted you to have as much as I could give."

Evelyn was stunned. "Oh Theo...!"

He brought their combined paws to his muzzle and gave her fingers a kiss. "There is a room in the back there for little Theo and I am just across the hall."

She still had no idea what to say, but her son saved her the trouble by jumping up and down on a long, padded bench set up by the window. He was pointing out of it shouting excitedly. "Unatee! Unatee! Lookit! Lookit!"

Unatee was the name Theo the Younger had chosen for Theo the Elder-- quite likely a combination of 'Uncle' and 'T' since it was far easier for the kit to say but, with his usual affable nature and happy attitude Professor Theo had taken it all in stride and simply told her "Names don't have to make sense, Evie... if I'm Unatee then I'm Unatee-- no need to overanalyze."

It was a fairytale... an ending to all of the horrors and uncertainty in her life and a beginning in the next step toward whatever wonderful future awaited. The weeks turned to months and the months into seasons, and the seasons into two years. Her brother made it a point to join them for dinner nightly-- sometimes in her room and sometimes in his.

The two siblings picked up their lives where they'd left off and despite being older and more worldly it was as if time had barely passed. Theo said he'd wanted a family, and she was happy that he could be there in a way for her kit in a way that his true father... THEIR true father never could. That truth remained a secret, and one often thought about discussing with her brother but she realized it would cause nothing but heartbreak and so she kept it to herself.

By the second year of her stay at the University Evelyn had grown tired of being a homebody. Since Theo Younger was old enough to start taking part in the kit-in-garden pre-education classes it freed up more of her time and with Theo's blessing (and financing) she started attending a few of the general instruction seminars designed for students interested in what the University had to teach. Her father had once told her that she was a stupid girl who would have to find a stupid husband who wouldn't see all her faults; the instructors disagreed and her student ratings showed it.

She stood as the premier student in three of her four classes and that earned her the support of the instructors to be considered for admittance into the University of Progressive Understanding. Although many of the entry requirements into the institution were still widely male-biased there had been some widening of acceptance for female scholars and she managed to find a series of courses that not only held her attention but also played to her strengths. She considered acceptance into the UPU one of her greatest accomplishments, not just because she had done it, but because she had done it on her own merit.

Life had been going well for her but it had also been kind to the rest of the household. Theo the Younger was blessed in that no sign of his cursed parentage had dulled his mind and he kept pace in studies with the rest of the kit-in-garden class. He made friends easily and was well liked by his caretakers. Professor Theo had been tapped as a resource as one of the retiring Deans called for him as a replacement. The University's education programs slowed for the summer season which meant that she and her son would have more time together.

At first she'd expected to spend it with her son wandering the University grounds or taking strolls through the finer parts of Newport, but her brother surprised her with a trip. A journey across town or an errand to the docks was not all that abnormal for the Dean since he preferred to be out and about as much as he enjoyed time in his office or the classroom but when Evelyn discovered that he'd hired a carriage her interest was truly peaked.

The three Ermines had a two day journey across the countryside. Despite the pleasant company and the calm ride some part of Evelyn thought back to the last time she'd been in a carriage; her life had been in danger. Her brother was astute enough to tell that something was bothering her. He reached a gloved paw across the distance between them and set it on her forearm. "Are you unwell? If so I can have the driver--"

She waved away his concern and offered a reassuring smile. "No, Theo... I'm just... well... a little out of sorts. It's been absolutely ages since I've been on the road."

Although Evelyn knew Theo could tell there was more to it her brother courteously refrained from questioning further-- instead he started up a discussion, speaking frankly for the first time about their journey. "I know you've been enjoying the lectures in Professor Portt's class so I took the liberty of planning this excursion."

She knew exactly to which lectures he was referring. "To think that a small flask of the right chemical combination could provide locomotion to something as large as a caravel? It is absolutely mind-blowing."

He smiled at her. "But completely plausible."

Feeling just a little ornery she playfully disagreed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Evelyn sat back in her seat, stomach no longer in knots and even her tremors had appeared to have subsided; the conversation was already doing her some good. Theo the Younger was dressed in a fine junior scholastic suit but it was bunched up around his legs and his tail due to the fact that he was almost hanging off of the window, staring at everything that went by. He stuck one arm out and gaped. "Mom! Over there!"

She glanced past her son's head-fluff and almost fell off her seat. A large, three story stone building rose from the countryside. While the blocky-tower was rather unspectacular the sight that caught her son's attention and (in a split second) hers as well was an enormous wooden ship held aloft by a gigantic metallic bladder of some kind, affixed in place like a sea-going vessel against a pier by dozens of mooring ropes... only the pier was a tower and the sea was not but the sky. "It's... that's a-- is that a--?"

Theo younger put it into words. "It's a SHIP, Mom! A FLYING ship!"

Dean Theo's comment was dutifully smug. "So you believe it now, do you?"

The ride up to the base of the building was fraught with dozens of questions as Evelyn stared out the widow just as surely as her son. Her brother did an amazing job of answering all of her questions without actually answering them and she was kept in the dark by his skilled evasions... but also by the enormous shadow of the airborne vessel. It wasn't until the carriage came to a stop that she managed to get her emotions under control, at which point she looked to her brother. "I thought the University gave up!"

Dean Theo smiled, nodding when she looked his way. "For the most part, yes. Newport's outrage at the destruction by the Albatross set the program back. It was all but abandoned until it found a champion among some of the more die-hard supporters."

He motioned to a silver-furred Wolf making his way to greet them. He was tall, and appeared to be in his mid-20s but he walked with a faint limp, using a surprisingly urbane walking staff considering the rather rural surroundings. The man wore casual work clothes but Evelyn didn't miss the fact that he had the shoulder sash of a Fire Scholar-- all the more curious that he also wore the waist sash of an Air Scholar. He stopped just beyond reach of the carriage's open door and nodded his head. "Dean. Ma'am."

Theo Younger climbed out first and ran straight for the building. Theo Elder stepped out quickly thereafter. "You'll get to see everything in a moment, young man. Wait for us, please."

He was understandably impatient. "Uncle T-- it's a FLOATING SHIP!"

The muscular scholar standing before them called back to the kit. "All ships float, kit-- that ship FLIES."

Theo Younger didn't so much as miss a beat. "It's a FLYING ship! Mom! Come on!"

Evelyn accepted the Wolf's assistance down from the carriage and he inclined his head to her as he spoke to her brother. "You brought your sister, I see."

She noticed in his smile that his teeth belied his mixed heritage; he had the look of a Wolf but his dental structure said Dog. She'd known a few Wolf-Dogs in her life and despite what many Purists said she'd found them all to be quite pleasant. "Good morrow, sir."

Once she was settled on the ground he released her paw and offered a formal bow. "A very good one, Miss. And to you as well."

Theo Elder descended next and offered formal introductions. "My sister, Miss Evelyn Vinson. Evie, this is Professor Roland Silverfang."

She concluded the pleasantries with a polite dip into a half-curtsey. "A pleasure, Professor Silverfang."

Apparently the Wolf-Dog didn't miss the fact that her eyes had already traveled back to the ship. "I take it you have an interest in The Joshew, Ms. Vinson?"

She continued looking up at the vessel. "The Joshew?"

Roland chuckled. "The air ship, Miss Vinson. All sky worthy vessels should be named."

The casual flare with which the Wolf-Dog used the term that should have been 'seaworthy' gave her pause only a little less than when he referred to 'vessels' in the plural sense. "There's more than this one?"

Professor Roland glanced to her brother before looking back to her. "Well, Joshew there is a prototype-- ornery, uppity, prone to occasional violent flare-ups, but if you understand him then you'll see that there's still lots to love."

Evelyn continued staring at the ship hovering next to the tower and an inane comment escaped her before she could stop it. "I thought ships were called 'she'."

The Wolf-Dog laughed, making his way up to where Theo Younger stood impatiently. "That's sea going vessels, Ms Vinson... far as I'm concerned air ships are men, through and through."

She glanced back to her brother, who offered her his arm with a smile. "No arguing with him, Evie... he IS the project head, after all."

Professor Roland motioned to the front door before speaking over his shoulder. "Thanks for being on time, Dean-- glad you could be here for the bachelor voyage."

Evelyn glanced to her brother, "Bachelor voy--"

Theo Elder grinned. "It's a maiden voyage except airships are male."

She would have commented further but at that point her son had a hold of her wrist and was bodily tugging her toward the tower. "We're gonna fly! We're gonna fly!"

The Wolf-Dog stood to the side of the tower's entrance and held the door open. "We'll head out at the top of the hour-- should make it to Graddin before nightfall. Lehsunia looks entirely different from the air. You'll never look at it the same way again."

Evelyn reached back to take her brother's paw and give it a gentle squeeze. She stepped boldly toward what awaited her, realizing that she was ready for whatever changes were ahead as long as she had her family... and she did.

* * * * * *

Aodhan and Sister Aurelie had only played a bit part in rescuing the Sisters from the Cathedral of Newport but the two had been hailed as heroes after finding their way back to the Convent. Their return was celebrated for a constant week and the Sisters Divine held them in highest esteem. They accepted the praise in good order and constantly elaborated on the half-tale that had made its way around the Convent, providing corrections to the story which was rapidly growing out of proportion into something far more epic than it had felt as they lived it.

They were both in attendance through the service held for the dear departed Sister Antoinette and remained with the Sisters Divine long enough to watch the courtyard's central large tree Grand-pere bloom; he had promised his Eyara they would and he kept it. Beyond that there was no commitment for the Wolf to stay, no duty that bound him to the Convent, and no requirement that he call it his home. Eventually the time came when he approached Sister Aurelie in a painful reimagining of when he had said his goodbyes all the years past.

He told the Cat that he would leave and, as with before he held out a paw and asked his Eyara to come with him. The script changed when Aurelie's paw joined his; they left the Covenant together. Trevosse was a large kingdom and it was beautiful at all times of the year and so they traveled it for months so he could show his Eyara all that he had seen in his years of wandering. They headed North, then swung back around toward the sea until they agreed on a clear spot along a southern-pointing isthmus; it was there they built their cottage and there they called home.

The time from late afternoon to early evening had always been a favorite for Aodhan. The Wolf sat outside their small cottage peering at the clouds strewn across the sky creating bright pink streaks amidst the vibrant gold and rich oranges of the sunset. In the past Aodhan had usually been more interested in dawn but recent weeks had increased his interest in the setting of the sun... and not just for the beauty.

The Wolf reached to the Cat beside him and slid his paw over that of his companion. Sister Aurelie looked to him immediately; his Eyara, as usual, knew his mind. "You're thinking of Lehsunia, aren't you?"

Aodhan truly was. Although it had been almost three years since they'd left the docks of Newport the Wolf found his thoughts drawn back to the nation more and more. "I find myself wondering what it had been like before the chaos."

Sister Aurelie turned toward him, attention fully focused on the Wolf's words. "Exquisite, I would imagine. It was beautiful even during the turmoil."

Smiling, he gave his Eyara's paw a gentle squeeze. "I heard word from the West... King Malcom has declared independence from the Ilysean Trade Federation."

One of the Cat's eyebrows raised, a certain indication that Sister Aurelie was trying to figure out if Aodhan was attempting some kind of joke; he was not. Once his Eyara figured that out a concerned response was forthcoming. "How? Why? Doesn't Lehsunia need the protection? I can imagine Wyra was pleased to hear that."

Aodhan stood up from his position on the stool on the porch of their cottage, raising his lover with him. "Wyra WOULD have been pleased except I also heard that King Malcom withdrew free docking rights for the Wyranese Navy."

This time both of the Cat's eyebrows raised; his Eyara definitely knew he wasn't joking around. "What? That's crazy! Everyone knows Lehsunia relied on both of--"

The Wolf cleared his throat. "Wyra declared war a few months ago."

Sister Aurelie's fur puffed up at the announcement. "Where did you hear all of this?"

Aodhan's eyes drifted back to the west. "Sister Vanesse found me in town today while I was buying rope... she told me that the Sisters had been petitioning until recently for Trevosse to send aid."

The Cat was, as usual, astute. "You're thinking of going."

The Wolf let out a quiet breath. "If you do not want me to I will not."

Sister Aurelie pulled him closer and embraced him around the abdomen. "You take your sword and I'll bring my halberd."

Aodhan's ears raised. "Why? The war is over."

The comment brought the Cat to a halt. "What?"

Smiling, the Wolf brushed an errant ribbon of his Eyara's fur back behind an ear. "Wyra invaded and met the combined force of Lehsunia's army along with Templars from the Church, Musketeers from the University, eight tribes worth of warriors... and some kind of flying galleon belching fireballs from the sky... or so the stories go."

Sister Aurelie's muzzle showed both disbelief and relief and it was several seconds before the Cat spoke. "That is NOT the Lehsunia I remember."

Aodhan's lips spread wide in a good-humored smile. "Apparently King Malcom is quite the diplomat... and loved by his people more than he his detested by his foes."

Laughing, Sister Aurelie renewed the hug and remained there for a long, content sigh before pausing. "If everything is fine then why would you want to go?"

Aodhan leaned forward and kissed his beloved. "Because, my Eyara-- you said it earlier: it would be Exquisite."

There was no further objection and no more questions needed to be asked. Three days later the two were aboard a caravel named 'The Wave Rider'. Aodhan spent much of the journey at the bow, long, curly mane left to dance among the sea breeze as the salt spray whipped up like liquid freedom into his face. Sister Aurelie remained at his side for the duration, eyes gleaming in the morning and glinting at night. They were out on their newest adventure with no idea what awaited them.

In the end, Aodhan realized that was the greatest call he heard that beckoned him to Lehsunia. Life itself was an adventure and sometimes not knowing what was coming next was the best part. They'd had their time to stop and catch their breath and it had been wonderful but he was already looking forward to what lay ahead.

For the majority of the journey the sailors were all but invisible, tucked away handling navigation or crawling through the ship's rigging high overhead. It wasn't until the shore of Lehsunia was within sight that any of them so much as bothered speaking, but as the tan-furred Prong Horn approached him Aodhan was surprised that he hadn't recognized Tobias Severna sooner.

The Antelope scholar was still a proper gentleman in manner but his choice of clothing and even his bearing had a much more casual edge to it. Joining him was Dr. Brownell, who, dressed in britches and tunic with her hair pulled back and secured by a bandana was just as different in her appearance. Aodhan couldn't help but smile when their casual reintroductions came to an end and Tobias concluded things by offering a passionate kiss to the Mouse.

The two couples joined up again once the gang plank had lowered to the dock. Stepping off into Newport Aodhan realized in a sense he was returning to adventure yet at the same time returning home. With fire in his soul, courage in his heart, friends surrounding him, and his Eyara on his arm Aodhan stepped forth, knowing far down in the deepest part of his being that, despite all that had happened the best was yet to come. He was not mistaken.

The End