Of Steam, Sordid Affairs, and Sweethearts (RI & Blackwings)

[RelentlessImp]

Tradewind City. A sprawling mass of pipes, cobblestones and people. Built into the side of a mountain and surrounded by cliffs, it is easily the most defensible city in all of the Grand Kingdom of Zalaris. From here, the Council of Eight rules with a fair, but iron, fist; a benevolent dictatorship devoutly loved by all of its citizens, save for the few dissidents that believe anarchy is the way to go. Lord Abriel, Grand Councilman of the Council of Eight, has just taken a new wife, and to safeguard her, has promoted Guard Captain Ilsive DeViain to become her personal bodyguard.

A guard force without a Captain, however, quickly falls apart with nobody to give them orders. Guard Captain Ilsive DeViain was, without a doubt, the best Guard Captain the local military force had ever seen to give them orders; even if he was a sniveling crook that pinched more money from the city coffers than a hundred embezzlers could ever do.

Enter Knight-Captain Zephyr Goldwind of the Steam-Knights, age 17. Prodigy of sword and gadgetry, creator of the mechanized sword used by the majority of the Steam-Knights, a minor noble by virtue of his rank. A peasant boy, in truth, who had dreams of grandeur that eventually became reality.

...

The Knight-Captain drew rein astride the monstrously large white horse that bore him down the cobbled road toward Tradewind City. The gates rose before him, massive wrought steel held guard by two footsoldiers - and several dozen archers upon the ramparts of the wall. Blue-black hair tied back into a tight tail that fell halfway down his back, his silver eyes studied the guards at the gate, and those at the rampart. The vast majority of them - elders, seasoned - dozed at their posts, while the younger looked down at him, curious but not alerting others to his approach.

"Pitiful," the Knight-Captain breathed in a sonorous, rich voice. Dismounting, and calming the warsteed with a light stroke across its broad nose, Zephyr Goldwind approached, the mechanized sword sliding free of his belt. Single-edged and wrapped in tight links of toothed chain, he approached the gate with the sword's tip pointing to the ground, unthreatening, his silver eyes blazing with open animosity.

He was able to come within five feet of the gate before one of the now-terrified younger sentries was able to call out for him to stop and stand down. Zephyr's eyes lifted, fixing his baleful gaze upon the sentry - eighteen? nineteen? Blue-eyed and blond-haired, a steam-powered crossbow in his hands aimed down at his chest. If the boy pulled the trigger, no less than six bolts would shoot through his heart in a second.

Zephyr raised his hands in mute surrender, sliding the mechanized sword back onto his belt. The boy seemed to relax, but the Knight-Captain wondered what harm he could do to the boy with a blade from this distance that had made him so nervous.

"State your business!" the boy called down, the shout finally starting to rouse other guards. Zephyr suspected it was more the tension in the air that brought them out of their slumber than anything else - a good instinct, if honed, he thought.

"I am Knight-Captain Goldwind of the Steam-Knights, and you will permit me passage into Tradewind, seat of power and law, where I have been summoned by Lord Abriel to take charge of your order!" Zephyr's voice, raised, held the rich, powerful quality of a man used to giving orders, seeming to carry his entire being in its inflection and tone. He raised one hand to show the golden emblem of his office - a mechanized sword crossed with a blunderbuss, marked with six silver stars.

"Forgive me, Lord Goldwind!" the boy cried out, quickly putting the crossbow away. "I shall open the gate for you immediately!"

The gates began to swing open before the boy's echoes had died away, and the Knight-Captain crossed the threshold into the city. It took a moment to compose himself - not for gaining entry, but for it had been long since he had been in a civilized city. The soft, constant hum beneath his feet, of large gears grinding beneath the city to carry the coal to create the steam that powered all else, the soft hissing of steam rushing through brass pipes buried into the ground and running through houses, the explosive hissing as overbuilt steam escaped its confines at release points. The sounds of civilization, sweet music to his ears.

The boy that had apprehended him at the gate rushed up to him, bowing deeply. "Please forgive me, Lord Goldwind. We had been informed of your coming, but we expected someone..."

"Older? Taller? It matters not, boy. No forgiveness is needed, as you were doing your duty. See to my horse, and have all the guards gathered at your barracks in two hours. I'll be needing to administer a tongue-lashing for their lack of discipline. I must report to Lord Abriel." With that, he swept off down the cobblestone streets, leaving the boy to stare at his retreating back. His strides ate up the ground with each stretch of his long legs, carrying him through the densely-packed buildings, the music of the city only growing louder. Soon joined by the cries of merchants hawking their wares, laughing children playing in the streets, chattering women and boasting (drunk) men.

Once he reached the inner city, his pace slowed, deciding to take his time to venture up to the Council of Eight's manor. Lord Abriel could wait. It had been forever since he had set foot in a city of steam, and he planned to reacquaint himself with the sounds, smells and tastes of the city. How he'd missed civilization!

 

[BlackWings]

News of Lord Abrielâ??s new wife had spread far and wide. It had even reached the distant Lands of Pykal. The news was welcomed to the ears of one single soul, Zia Moonset, a once happy citizen of the great city that the Lord ruled over. In those days, she was young and carefree. She never suspected that one day sheâ??d be forced to live her beloved family to ensure she didnâ??t become Lord Abrielâ??s second wife. Sheâ??d been gone from Tradewind City several years. Sheâ??d been only fourteen when sheâ??d left and now was seventeen and on her return trip home, finally.

The trip was long and grueling from the Lands of Pykal to the Lands of Zalaris. One foot it was a good monthâ??s trip but luckily, Zia had been able to obtain a horse before sheâ??d departed. The buckskin mare moved smoothly over the rough roads but the pace was to slow for Zia. Desperate to see the family she hadnâ??t seen in over three years, she put her heels into the horseâ??s sides and sent her into a run. It wouldnâ??t be long now. Zia had been traveling for days now. Tradewind City would be appear in the distance very soon if the mare could keep at this pace for long enough.

â??Just a little further,â? Zia said excitedly to the horse.

A shape began to rise in the distance from the trees. At first it was just a bluish shadow, but soon it began taking on more shape as Zia drew nearer. Tradewind City was right there in front of her. Finally, she was home.

Not wanting to draw more attention to her than necessary she slowed her horse to a calm walk and approached the front gate. Her eyes glanced over the sentries on duty as they watched her approach. Some appeared curious, others were wary of her.

Zia pulled down the hood of her cloak and looked up at the men on the wall then to the foot soldiers posted on each side of the gate with her rich, amber eyes. She gaze a gentle tug on the reins of her horse to bring her to a hault at the gate. A younger man standing at the gate addressed her first.

â??What is your business here?â? he demanded in a stern tone, his hand casually resting on his weaponâ??s hilt.

Zia calmly responded. â??I once lived here, good soldier, and wish to see my family once more. I am Zia Moonset.â?

The soldier stepped away from his post to get a closer look at her. Seeing she appeared not to be a threat he allowed her to pass.

â??Thank you,â? she said with a sweet smile as she passed through the gates. She dismounted her horse and led her through the streets as Zia headed for the market, her old home lie just on the other side of the market.

Zia pulled up the hood of her cloak once more over her long, silky brown hair that hung to her knees and moved on enjoying the familiar sounds of the steam hissing through the underground pipes and up into homes. The sound was soothing. Zia was finally home.

 

[RelentlessImp]

Zephyr moved almost lazily through the streets, his body drifting around people and carriages as he walked. His eyes were everywhere, soaking in the sights, tracing the pathway of each brass pipe that coursed through the streets. He breathed in the sweet, almost cloyingly so, scent of the steam that breathed life into the city. The long coat danced about his legs as he moved, growing moist from hissing steam at ground-level striking it.

His slow, long strides carried him into the market, the babble of steam overridden by the busy marketplace. This, too, he had missed, and though the words were different, the overall sound was the same. Shouting merchants begging people to buy their wares, laughter of gathered housewives discussing the latest gossip, cries of 'thief!' as beggar children hoodwinked food merchants.

And, too, the humming buzz of zeppelins, as importers came loaded down with wares to sell to eager merchants needing a restock of their various wares. His lips danced in a merry smile, and he had to fight the urge to dance about and scream out that he was home. Instead, he moved toward the fountain in the center of the market square, easing himself down into one of the myriad benches that surrounded it, leaning back in the seat and throwing his arms upon the back. The mechanized sword he laid on its point against the bench, content for the moment to simply soak up the city.

 

[BlackWings]

Zia laughed softly when she was forced to stop abruptly as a pair of young children ran by. The pair was oblivious to the world around them as they played tag. Their merry laughter warmed Ziaâ??s hear to the very core. If only she could have enjoyed her childhood as those two did.

Shaking off the thought, Zia moved on. She stopped at a merchantâ??s booth who was selling fruits and vegetables. Hungry from her long journey with little food, she purchased a few fruits and munched on them happily as she headed toward the stables. She paused there only long enough to pay the stable keeper to watch after her horse.

Turning back to the market, Zia scanned her surrounds. Some many things had changed over the years but some much was the same as well. She wondered, as she ate, if her parents were still here. What if theyâ??d passed away? That thought sent a chill down Ziaâ??s spine. Pushing the thought away, she headed toward the fountain. It appeared larger than it used to be and better kept. Of course, she was small that last time sheâ??d been around. Maybe it only looked bigger because she was grown and itâ??d been so long sense sheâ??d seen the soothing sight.

Zia sat down on the edge of the fountain and sat sideways so that she could still see the goings-on in the market as well as the falling water. She dropped back the hood of her cloak once more. She felt more at ease. There was no need to hide anymore. She was finally home.

 

[RelentlessImp]

Zephyr's eyes continued to roam the marketplace as he sat, trying to lay to rest the soldier's instinct that had been drilled into him since first joining the Steam-Knights at the tender age of nine. His mind drifted back from that memory, remembering what had led to that. His dreams, of course, had led him to seek out a greater station in life, but there was something else that had driven him to it.

Oh, yes. Her. The entire year before had been one confusing mess, as he'd started to notice girls around then. And then there she was, always around him, going everywhere together. He'd made her a promise... if only he could remember what it was! And then he'd left to find his place in the world. She'd always been there, in the back of his mind; that he'd come back here, and find her. But that had been so many years ago. Surely she was married by now, probably with whole hoards of children.

"This is depressing," he muttered to himself, forcing himself out of the bench and replacing the mechanized sword back in his belt. His eyes drifted back toward the fountain, briefly drifting across the girl sitting upon it, then back to her, a double-take. Eyes closed, opened. Then he shook his head.

"Imagining things. She hardly looks like her. Quit it, Giz. You're just going to make yourself heartsick." Mumbling to himself, the great Zephyr Goldwind drifted away from the fountain, unable to keep his feet from passing him across her field of vision, heading toward the zeppelin docks. He'd always been fond of watching the great balloons come in as a child, and it always soothed his mind as a child. He was in need of much mind-soothing now.

 

[BlackWings]

Zia finished her fruit and licked the sweet juices from her fingers absentmindedly just as she would have as a child. Itâ??d been so long sense sheâ??d enjoyed a simple piece of fruit so much. Not sense she was young and still lived in Tradewind City. To remove the remaining stickiness from her hands, she dipped them into the fountainâ??s pool and shook her hands briefly before wiping them dry on her shorts. Just as she finished drying her hands she caught a glimpse of someone walking by with a very familiar hair color. Instantly, her attention was on the retreating figure.

The young woman sat frozen for a long moment as her mind tried to figure out if she was seeing things of it was really him. Finally, she got up and went after him. Of course Giz would look somewhat unfamiliar given she hadnâ??t seem him in years but his hair color was so unique. Sheâ??d yet to meet another with blue tinted black hair. It was longer than it used to be but that didnâ??t matter.

Zia picked up her pace to a quick walk then to a light job. She rushed up to the man walking away and spun to a stop right in front of him forcing him to stop or else run right into her. Her amber eyes were wide as she studied the otherâ??s face for a long intense moment before launching herself at him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, her head pressed to his shoulder. Even now he was taller than her but she didnâ??t mind.

â??Giz!â? she squealed excitedly. She released him to take a few steps back, her eyes studying him, a huge smile playing across her elegant features. â??Oh my god, Iâ??ve missed you so much. You have no idea. How have you been? What have you been up to?â? Her words spilled from her mouth in a rush. She was helpless to control herself at the moment. Zia hugged her old friend once more.

 

[RelentlessImp]

Zephyr pulled to a stop as the girl he'd glanced at skidded to a stop in front of him. Eyes narrowed slightly, one hand sliding down to the mechanized sword. She was so familiar, but it couldn't be her, could it? Just as he was about to order her out of his way, she flung herself at him, her arms going about him and sparking off a chain of memories.

It is... it's her. The embrace is the same...!

His arms shot up and around her in return, squeezing around her waist, holding to her even as she back away from him. His lips twisted into a smile, tilting his head down to study her face. She had changed - and not all for the worse, either.

"Zia..." he breathed, letting out a quiet chuckle and shaking his head. "You have absolutely no idea how good it is to see you again. In fact, I was just on my way to the docks to see if you were still hanging around, taunting the dockworkers." He grinned, reaching one hand up to ruffle her hair, squeezing her as she hugged him again. "You grew up," he said as they parted, running his eyes up and down her body teasingly, his lips holding a playful grin. "What in the world have you been doing with yourself?"

 

[BlackWings]

Zia laughed heartily as Giz spoke in a rush just as she had. Emotions overwhelmed him just as much as they did her at the moment it seems. Her smiled shined brightly as she met his gaze then she gave him a playful glare when he mentioned her growing up. â??Of course I grew up silly. Do you think Iâ??d stay little forever. Well, compared to you, I still am.â? She laughed warmly once again.

â??What have I been doing with myself?â? she repeated in a curious voice as she glanced down at herself then back up with him with a mock pout upon her gorgeous features. â??Do I look bad?â?

 

[RelentlessImp]

"Not that little," he said with a smile and a soft chuckle, ruffling her hair again. It felt so good to do that again; he'd done it constantly when they were children, and it always annoyed her. Now it was just comforting, reassuring himself that yes, it really was her.

"No, of course you don't. But that hood and cape don't suit you, Zia," he said with a little laugh, one hand going out to poke at the cloak. "You look like those silly mechanipriests that used to come by, begging for food and giving horrible sermons about the Techno-God." He still hadn't released her about the waist, hugging her close to him again as he realized it then letting her go. She looked so different - and sounded so different! - but she seemed to be the same old Zia.

 

[BlackWings]

Zia gave a soft growl as Giz ruffled her hair again. Glaring at him playfully, she combing her fingers through her hair to ensure he hasnâ??t tangled the long locks. She looked at herself once more, her features going from playful and warm to serious.

â??I had no choose, Giz, to wear these. I know I donâ??t need them anymore but Iâ??m so used to it that I canâ??t part with them.â? Her eyes wondering, looking away and down at the ground. â??After you left I became an empty shell. You promised you would return very soon but you never did. I waited years for you. Not a moment did I go without you in my mind.â? Zia closed her eyes to fight back the painful tears filling them. Her voice began to tremble softly as she continued to speak. â??I wondered how you were doing every moment of my life and prayed you were safe. Then Lord Abrielâ??s first wife passed when I was fourteen and he was on the hunt for a new wife. Heâ??d already torn through the southern part of Tradewind City without luck. My parents and I feared he would come to our area and take me away. I didnâ??t want that life, so I fled.â?

Zia looked back to Giz, sorrow and age old loneliness bright in her amber eyes. â??When I left, you where all I thought about. I wondered if Iâ??d maybe happen upon you and everything would be okay again but I never did. I even wondered at times if you where even alive anymore.â? Seeking comfort from her old friend, Zia hugged Giz tightly once more, sniffling softly with her face pressed against his chest.

 

[RelentlessImp]

His face slid into an expression of shock as she laid out the course of her life after he had left. Hot anger surged through him - anger at himself for being gone for so long without so much as a letter, and anger at Lord Abriel for never informing him of this. But, to be honest, Lord Abriel probably didn't know of the connection. He'd heard, briefly, of Abriel's hunt for a new wife; it'd spanned three whole years, after all, and the entire kingdom was waiting with bated breath, as Abriel grew older and still had no male heirs. Daughters aplenty, but no male heirs.

Still, to have been so close to the head of the Steam-Knights and never heard a single word of the horror that had been inflicted upon his dearest friend...! His arms coiled out protectively around Zia, hugging her tightly. He was aware of the spectacle they were causing - quite a few had stopped their shopping to stare, gossiping women giggling over the sight. At the moment, a large part of him didn't care, but decorum had to be upheld, regardless.

"I'm sorry for being gone for so long, Zia," he whispered, cursing his wandering mind that had forgotten the details. Slowly, having to force himself to do so, he pushed her gently back from him and smiled at her. "You should go see your parents. They've probably been worried sick about you. We can catch up later."