by Kyle Larson
As they walked back into the corridor to head for the shipping dock where Kelvin’s ship awaited him, all that echoed in his mind was the man’s voice. The man sounded afraid, truly afraid. Fear was all Kelvin heard from the man, especially when he said…
The Pirates of Mercury.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sir Ristep Aker was much taller than Kelvin expected. Kelvin had been expecting a bulky, stocky man like many of the knights he’d seen earlier, but Sir Ristep was lean and tall. His godfather stood patiently at the shipyard dock as Kelvin and Queen Eleyn walked slowly across the platform. The dock itself was more of a bridge between the castle and the Monarch, which made a special trip down from orbit, just so Kelvin and Amelia wouldn’t have to take a bumpy shuttle ride up to their new home.
Kelvin couldn’t quite see what the Monarch looked like completely. All he could see was a massive wall, at least a thousand feet high. This was just one side of the Monarch, and it completely obstructed the normally beautiful view of the landscape outside the Royal Palace. The Monarch cast a shadow of its own against the Royal Palace. Kelvin had done a little study, but the Monarch was the second largest structure ever constructed on Earth, with the largest being the Royal Palace in which most of Earth’s population resided. Kelvin thought it was remarkable to the two structures stood next to one another.
Queen Eleyn had said nothing about the ceremony and the man that called himself a Lunar Guardian. Kelvin could tell it was still on her mind, but that she had pushed it aside so she could say goodbye to him. The king seemed like he was much more bothered by it than anyone else. After the ceremony ended, Kelvin saw his father having what looked like a very serious conversation with Amelia’s father, Benito. Both men departed quickly to the upper levels of the Royal Palace.
“Who was that man? What is a Lunar Guardian?” Kelvin finally asked his mom, hoping to get answers before leaving on his ship.
“It's complicated, Kelvin,” Queen Eleyn started. “You'll have to trust me when I tell you not to worry about it now. You'll get your answers, but I don't exactly know how to tell you because I don’t even know what that man wanted.”
“And the Pirates of Mercury?”
“A legend, Kelvin. I thought you'd heard it by this age,” Queen Eleyn replied. Her tone became dismissive. “A legend, nothing more.”
The legend had not been lost on Kelvin, he only wanted his mom to repeat it to make sure he'd gotten it right. Since they’d left the balcony, Kelvin remembered the schoolbook stories he’d heard about the Pirates of Mercury. They were similar to ghost stories kids told each other about things that didn’t really exist. To hear a grown man interrupt his speech with warnings of the Pirates of Mercury was puzzling to Kelvin and made him wonder why a legend that outlandish had been repeated as if it were fact.
The Pirates of Mercury, the legend, has been around since humans were able to travel from planet to planet. The story is that the first ship, the Pirate, set off from Earth thousands of years ago, headed towards Mercury. A few days later, it vanished without a trace and it was never seen again. According to the story, just before the ship disappeared it sent a transmission saying they were being chased by another ship. A ghost ship. The legend was so old that no one really knew what was true, but when Kelvin had first been told the story as a child in school on Halloween, his teacher showed them that there actually was a ship that had been lost, thousands of years ago, called the Mercury. Every few years, when a ship went missing, people would jokingly blame it on the Pirates of Mercury.
The man at Kelvin’s ceremony was the first person he'd heard speak of the legend as if it were real. He wasn’t really sure what to think. Despite how crazy the man looked, Kelvin couldn’t help but see how it affected his father. Something the crazy man said really got to the king, and Kelvin hoped it wasn’t some sort of bad luck before he left Earth.
“You, your father, and I have enough on our mind. We don’t need to worry about what the ramblings of a crazy old man might mean,” Queen Eleyn said, giving Kelvin a look that said drop it. Kelvin was wise enough to listen to his mom.
“Why is the ship called the Monarch, mom?” Kelvin asked, taking his cue to change the subject.
“Your grandfather, King Diogo, studied entomology. That is the science of insects. He was always fascinated with butterflies, so he named the ship after his favorite, the monarch. The word is also used when a government refers to royalty or a head of state. So, he christened the ship, Monarch.”
Kelvin could see the top half of the ship, like a massive dome, rise above his view. The other half was just as large, and the ship itself resembled a sword in its shape. Kelvin could see thousands of windows, lit up, with the shadows of the crew busily working inside. The wingspan, once he knew what was behind the name, looked very much like a butterfly. The ship itself was nearly half the size of the Royal Palace and only got bigger as Kelvin walked toward it.
“Did you know it was the same ship your father took, when he trained to be a knight?” Queen Eleyn said. “And that Sir Ristep was with him when they were both about your age. Just like Amelia is going along with you, your father needed a friend. He and Sir Ristep were best friends. I don't think your father would trust anyone else with you.”
“Why have I never met dad’s best friend?” Kelvin asked.
“Lord Ristep is captain of the Monarch. He rarely leaves the ship. When people have been in space as long as Sir Ristep, dealing with gravity like Earth’s can be a difficult thing. Your father isn’t exactly the most social person, so that doesn’t help keeping in touch.”
Kelvin had read all the tales of his father and Sir Ristep, exploring some of the uncharted regions of the outer asteroid belt. They conducted several historic rescue missions in the asteroid belt called Antioch, which was where Princess Aren disappeared. Kelvin wondered if that’s why his father blamed himself so much, because of the time he saved so many others the belt but he couldn’t find his own daughter. The rescue efforts lead by the king and Sir Ristep were legend in Kelvin’s history classes. He always felt a little awkward the teachers often spoke of his dad, but there was also a great deal of pride. It made Kelvin feel good that his father thought him that worthy to send his best friend along.
Sir Ristep was very serious, but he nodded in recognition to Kelvin, and he bowed properly to Queen Eleyn. Sir Ristep might have been old friends with both her and the king, but he always showed his respect to their royalty. He knew they would have done the same for him, and that the crown was bigger than any person or name.
“Lord Kelvin, welcome to your new home,” Ristep said, as pleasantly as he could muster. He gave a little grin, which looked forced, but Kelvin didn’t take it personally. Kelvin could tell the man just wasn’t used to children and he was doing his best, so he nodded his head in respect.
“Permission to come aboard, Sir Ristep,” Kelvin said, just as he’d rehearsed. Kelvin continued to be impressed with how well he’d remembered all the ceremonial greetings and requests he was supposed to make.
“Permission granted, and we’re going to get along a lot better if you start calling me Riz. They’ll be none of that nonsense aboard. You’re the only one with a title, my lord. Just call the rest of us by our names, it gets a lot easier. Think of us as your family now, my lord. Your mother and father are still your family, but it’s going to be us for the next few months, or as long as the Queen of Mercury keeps you. What’s her name, again?”
Riz’s guard was down, and he seemed much more relaxed. He relaxed his shoulders as he lead Kelvin and the Queen toward the Monarch.
“Evet,” Kelvin replied, after a few moments of silence as they made their way into the ship. “Her name is Evet, the Queen of Mercury.”
“Queen Evet. That’s a nice name,” Riz said. “I hear she’s an interesting woman. Some said she reminded them of your father. Shouldn’t be much of a challenge for you, then?”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Kelvin said.
/> “Your highness,” Riz said, bowing his head to the queen. “It’s an honor to have you and the prince aboard the Monarch. Your staff delivered Lord Kelvin’s luggage and school supplies less than an hour ago. His quarters are prepared and the Monarch is ready for departure, as soon as Lord Kelvin gives the order.”
“It’s good to see you again, Riz,” Queen Eleyn said. “How about a quick tour of the Monarch before she launches? I haven’t been aboard since before Kelvin was born.”
“Of course, your highness,” Riz said. “Let me be your guide.”
Riz took out what looked like a mobile phone or one of Kelvin’s gaming devices. With a few swipes, two-halves of a small glass dome rose up around them from the platform, sealing them in. Air started to come in, which relieved Kelvin, since how they would breathe immediately became a concern. He saw Riz do a few more swipes, and where they had just been standing suddenly became a ship of its own as it floated quickly above the Monarch. They were hundreds of feet in the air, but were still not past the top of the giant ship.
Eventually they rose far above the craft, and from a distance, Kelvin could tell how his grandfather had it built like a butterfly. Twin wings, both front and back, that were curved like a butterfly’s. There was a large hull, in between the wings, with tall skyscrapers and buildings shooting out of it. It was like a floating city, and Kelvin couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have that ship take him where he needed to go. The Monarch was beautiful.
“Something else, isn’t she, my lord?” Riz said with a prideful grin. Riz loved his ship and seemed honored it would be shuttling Kelvin around. The chance was something Riz had been hoping for, for a very long time. He hadn’t been there to protect Aren, but he swore to his king and best friend that he would keep Kelvin safe. “The Monarch is a big ship, but don’t let that fool you. She’s capable of all sorts of maneuvers and she’s still the fastest ship in the Nine Kingdoms.”
“You mean you’ve never raced against anyone?” Kelvin said, puzzled.
The queen and Riz exchanged an awkward look. Kelvin could tell the question made Riz uncomfortable.
“I’ve raced…but it’s been a few years. The traders that come in and out of the spaceport tell me all I need to know. No one builds better ships than Earth, and Earth has never built a finer ship than the Monarch. There’s rumors that Venus builds faster ships, but they don’t have a navy, so I find that a little hard to believe.”
Suddenly, the glass bubble they floated in swooped back down and within a few seconds they were inside of the Monarch. Kelvin wasn’t sure where exactly they had entered, but it was definitely on the top of the ship. Underneath them, a virtual city filled up the Monarch. There were homes and small buildings, as well as trees and vegetation. The skyscrapers he had seen outside the ship still dominated the space, but the rest of the open interior looked like a city. It was like its own little world.
“This is the Monarch. 3,745 good souls all waiting for the day their ship would sail. Some of these people have spent their entire lives up here, in orbit of Earth. You’ve made a lot of dreams come true today, my lord. You will never find more grateful subjects,” Riz said, in all seriousness. Kelvin hadn’t thought of that possibility, making the crew of the Monarch excited to set sail. The welcome was a good way to start his journey. “The same should be said for you, my queen, as well as the king.”
Queen Eleyn nodded in respect.
“I’ll take you both down there soon enough. First, let’s see the bridge of the ship.”
The glass bubble floated over to a large door that opened as soon as they got close. It was a giant hangar, filled with smaller ships that could fit one person. Kelvin had heard of these little ships, which were called Star Divers. Another dream of his was to fly them someday. The glass bubbled floated over the ships and Kelvin could see pilots looking up at him and waving.
“How many Star Divers are there?” Kelvin asked, excitedly.
“A few hundred, I honestly haven’t counted in a while,” Riz said. “You want to fly one of those?”
Before Kelvin could answer.
“Um, no,” Queen Eleyn said, shaking her head. Riz chuckled and Kelvin realized it had been a little joke. “When you’re older, Kelvin, when you’re older. Don’t get any ideas until then.”
It was Earth law that you couldn’t train to operate a Star Diver until you were sixteen years of age.
“But mom, I’m old enough to get a permit. There’s got to be some pilots here that would teach me to–”
“My lord, it’s best we don’t argue with queens aboard the Monarch,” Riz said, gently. “It’s even better that we don’t argue with mothers. You’ll have plenty of time to fly Star Divers. When your mother and father approve, I promise I’ll teach you myself. And there’s no finer pilot in the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun.”
The glass bubble floated into another room, at the far end of the hangar, which was much smaller. It had about ten people, moving busily around a bunch of computer stations. In the center was a giant, wooden steering wheel, similar to what Kelvin had seen in history books onboard ancient sea ships. The glass bubble unsealed and the three of them stepped out.
Kelvin noticed immediately that all the noise in the room stopped and everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now standing at attention. As Kelvin and the queen stepped forward, they all bowed out of respect.
“You may continue your work. Thank you for welcoming the prince and I aboard your beautiful ship,” Queen Eleyn said, releasing the crew from their duty to salute. The crew smiled and went back to what they were doing, but Kelvin could still see they were watching him out of the corner of their eyes.
“Like I said, the crew’s very excited to have you,” Riz said, leading Kelvin and Queen Eleyn to the large wheel. “This wheel is capable of steering the Monarch. It’s from an old ship that used to sail the seas of Earth, exploring the world before humans had even crossed the oceans. We use computers to guide the Monarch now, since this wheel is only allowed to be used by royalty or the captain in an emergency. Someday, Lord Kelvin, you will steer this ship, just as you will steer your kingdom.”
Kelvin pictured himself, much older, in the same uniform as Riz, steering the Monarch through an asteroid field or giant nebula. The bridge of the ship was all metallic and looked spotless. Everything glistened, as if it were brand new. The instruments each person on the bridge operated made their own unique humming and beeping noises.
“As soon as you are ready, my lord, we’ll be off. You must give the order,” Riz said.
“Kelvin, why don’t you walk me out so we can say goodbye,” Queen Eleyn said.
“Goodbye?” Kelvin asked, puzzled. “But…aren’t you coming with me?”
Queen Eleyn and Riz exchanged sympathetic glances. Kelvin just assumed his mother would be going with him to Mercury. He knew she couldn’t travel to all the Nine Kingdoms with him, but he thought she would at least be able to make the first voyage.
“May we have the room for a moment, just the two of us, Lord Ristep?” the queen asked, courteously.
“Clear the bridge,” Riz said, nodding back to her. All the officers of the Monarch stood and walked quickly off the ship, with Riz being the last one to leave. As he left he said, “Take all the time you need.”
The bridge was empty, just mother and son. Kelvin had only assumed his mother would be traveling with him, but it suddenly occurred to him that part of his path toward the throne meant becoming more independent. Sadness crept into Kelvin, as he’d not prepared himself to say goodbye to his mother.
“Your father wanted me to say goodbye for him. You know, he seems like he’s starting to get better, but I think he has a long way to go, Kelvin. This is a lot for you to hear, but I’ve had to be strong for both of us since we lost your sister,” the queen began. “Your father is a good man, and very strong, but he hasn’t been able to do a lot of things. Losing your sister was too much for him, so I’ve had to take on a lot. There ar
e many duties I have here on Earth that I cannot tend to from this ship. There’s nothing more that I want than to come with you and watch you discover the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun. I have to stay here. I have to look after your father, and I have to look after Earth. When it’s time for you to wear the king’s crown, I want your kingdom to be the best it can be. Do you understand, Kelvin?”
It was not easy to hear the truth about his father, but Kelvin knew his mom was in a difficult spot. He didn’t want to make it harder for her.
“I understand, mom,” Kelvin said. “I just wish you could come with me.”
“I do, too, son,” the queen said, giving him a warm hug. “You’ve got Amelia. She’s your best friend and the two of you will need each other. She’s saying goodbye to her parents right now, too. She’ll look after you and you look after her. There’s nothing more valuable out in the stars than a friend you can trust. You will need friends like Amelia when you become king, so cherish her.”
Kelvin nodded and looked around the bridge. He couldn’t believe what was about to happen. Not only was he about to leave home and his parents for the first time, but he was headed into the stars. He was headed into a great unknown and starting a path towards his future.
“I think I’ve kept you long enough. Amelia’s aboard, as are your things, and I think you should get on your way. The longer we stay here the harder it will be to say goodbye, Kelvin.”
“I know, mom,” Kelvin said. He hugged her again.