Amelia’s Adventure

Cardinal Gibson stared out the window at the city, "Are those buildings made from obsidian? How long have they been building this city? Ten years? I thought the girl was barely into her twenties?"

Cardinal Pujols nodded with a serious expression on his face, "She has been here two years, Bob. She made all of that happen in two years. "

"Albert... Do you know what this means? She really is that kind of figure!" Cardinal Gibson fell down into chair looking white as a sheet.

Cardinal Pujols nodded and said, "Bob, I believe Lord Léon Jean Reno guided us both here, to this place at this time. Guided us here to find that girl and see with our own eyes the kind of figure that can create millennium-long dynasties. Why else would we both end up here and suffer challenges that made us question our faith in him? Bob, I believe that we have the chance to tell a new story just as our founders Peter and Paul had done three thousand years ago. Bob Gibson and Albert Pujols won't just be two names forgotten in a sea of names, no we will be remembered as two of the greatest Cardinals in history!"

"Albert, are you suggesting that we start a new Church for this girl, even as she is living?" Cardinal Gibson looked shocked.

He nodded and said, "That's right Bob. I have already thought of the name... Our Lady of Connaissance."

*****

Amelia was huddled in the corner naked, shivering as the interrogators prepared a set of silver tools on a tray speaking to each other in Kreussian laughing and smiling, most likely about what they had done to Amelia over the last few hours. Suddenly one of the doors to the room burst open and the gaudily dressed young man, Nicolas entered angrily shouting in Kreussian, "Great work, now, act like you are being scolded and then walk out the north door like you have been chased off!" The young General Gorki followed behind Nicolas and pointed to the door he meant.

Nicolas took his jacket off and covered Amelia speaking in Langlish, "I'm so sorry, Lady Earnhardt, I wasn't fast enough, I managed to get a stay of the interrogation. They won't be able to hurt you for now. Come, I'll bring you somewhere safe. No one can hurt you as long as you are with me."

Amelia nodded her head taking his hand and standing up on shaking legs. She put the jacket on and buttoned every button on it. She said in a soft stuttering voice, "Th-they ruined m-my clothes."

Nicolas looked concerned, "I'll get you some new clothes, are you hungry? Do you need food or water?"

Amelia leaned against him heavily, "Please, get me away from here. I want to go home." She started to whimper, "I want to go home, I don't want to adventure anymore."

Nicolas held her tight and said softly, "Just give me something Lady Earnhardt, if I can give them the way to make that gas they need, all of this can end and I can secret you away to Langland."

Amelia started sobbing again, "I don't know how to make it, I stole it from my teacher. He tried to teach me, but I never listened, it was too hard." She broke down shaking as she cried, "Please, just send me home. I'm not really an inventor, I just said that because people respected me more when they thought I was an inventor."

Nicolas gently ran his hand over the back of her head, "Shh, don't worry. I'll think of something. They took your balloon apart already and we are very far from Langland, I'm afraid if we don't think of a way of getting it to fly again, we won't be able to get you home."

Amelia shook and then looked into his eyes, "Hydrogen! I know how to make Hydrogen! You just boil iron filings in water and use it to fill the bags!"

Nicolas smiled and nodded, "That can be used instead of the Helium you had?"

Amelia nodded, "It's better than the Helium for lift, it's just a little more dangerous is all... Can you help me get to my ship? We can put it together and fly away from here!"

Nicolas nodded, "Yes! Can you take me to Langland with you? It will be dangerous for me here if I stay after helping you escape, my friend Gorki, he will help us too, can the three of us escape in your ship to Langland?"

Amelia started to sob, "Yes, yes, yes, I can bring you both away from this horrible place!"

A knock sounded at the door and Nicolas looked worried. He whispered to her, "They are coming, I need you to hide here in this closet, be very quiet. Don't worry, I am going to help you." He quickly brought her into a closet and hid her under some blankets.

Once the door was closed he smiled and walked over nonchalantly switching back to Kreussian, "Gorki, you are right on time. She just gave me the secret to the Hydrogen gas. We are going to use her to go see her teacher in Langland and get the secret for the Helium gas next. After that, we come back here with the secret to a balloon airforce and conquer the world!"

Gorki grinned and said, "While we are in Langland, we can learn more about other useful technologies as well. We can even visit the enemy nation of Connaissance and see just what we are fighting."

Nicolas patted him hard on the shoulder, "Gorki you fucking genius, no wonder I made you my General."

Gorki looked around, "Where is the girl?"

Nicolas, "Hiding in the closet, she is too annoying. I'll let her hide there for a while longer and then tell her that it is safe to come out." He walked over and poured two glasses of Vodka giving one to Gorki and taking the other himself, " Did you let them know to put the balloon machine back together?"

Gorki nodded, "They had already built a better version that we can use. Much safer for you to travel in."

"Good, good! Will the girl suspect anything?"

Gorki shook his head, "No, not at all. they destroyed her original making it look like they damaged it by taking it apart. The new one will most likely impress her rather than make her suspect anything. She is fairly stupid after all."

The two men laughed and then Nicolas said, "Alright go arrange the supplies we will need for the trip. We'll have to work on your Langlish during the trip. I know you understand it now, but I need you to be able to speak enough that you will be of use to me once we get to Langland."

Gorki nodded, "I will bring my books as well."

Nicolas walked over to the door, opened and then closed it before walking over to the closet and opening the door switching to Langlish he said softly, "It's ok, Lady Earnhardt, they have gone, come meet my friend Gorki, he was the one who stopped the soldiers from hurting you and brought you to see me before."

The young General bowed formally to her and said in rough Langlish, "Hello Lady Earnhardt, my name is Gorki Kuznetsov, forgive please, my Langlish not so good."

Amelia looked around the room with frightened eyes. She looked at the young General and nodded seriously, "Thank you, for saving me."

Nicolas brought out a tray of food and three glasses of water setting it down at a table in the corner of the room. Amelia sat down at the table as Nicolas looked at her, "I thought the water might be better for an upset stomach if you can't eat I understand." He looked at both of them still speaking in Langlish, "Gorki, were you able to get us access to the balloon machine?"

Gorki nodded and said in his broken Langlish, "Yes, but Lady Earnhardt's machine is no good. Broken. They are building second machine, maybe she can see if it works for us?"

Amelia was timidly taking small bites from the food and sipping the water, she looked over at Gorki with tears in her eyes, "I'll do whatever it takes to go home."

Gorki nodded seriously at her and then said to Nicolas in Kreussian, "She is like a little squirrel, look at her. Those big sad eyes the way she is huddled there eating in tiny bites. Are you sure she will be able to fly that thing?"

Nicolas smiled at Gorki and replied in Kreussian, "We need her alive for now, Gorki. I want to meet this teacher of hers. From him, we will learn to build real balloon machines." He switched back to Langlish and said, "My friend Gorki said the machine looks like it is just missing gas for the balloon."

Amelia nodded and said, "We will need a cauldron of water and a few pounds of iron dust. We boil that and trap the steam that comes off, that will be the gas for the balloons. I think if we add some acid it works better but I am not sure what kind. Maybe we can try with what we can find there?"

Nicolas and Gorki looked at each other and then Nicolas smiled at her and said, "Gorki and I will guard you while you fill the bags if you need our help to carry anything we will assist you. We know that this process will most likely take some time, when should we go over? Gorki said the building will be empty soon."

Amelia's face brightened, "We can do it right now? This very night?"

Nicolas and Gorki nodded, Gorki spoke up in his broken Langlish, "We need to go fast so not be catched."

Amelia's knee started to bounce anxiously, "You can get what we need?"

Nicolas spoke up this time, "It won't be a problem. The shop has all of that since it is where our blacksmiths work." Nicolas spoke in Kreussian, "Gorki arrange for a guard on the door that we can pretend to knock out so that she thinks this is real."

Gorki nodded and replied in Kreussian, "I'll go now, bring her there in one hour." He then quietly left the room in a hurry.

Nicolas said to Amelia in Langlish, "Gorki is going over to make sure everything we need is there. He said to give him an hour to get everything together and then we will go. How long will it take to inflate the balloon?"

Amelia started to shake with anxiety, "I think... I am not sure... Maybe three hours? Six at the most. Can we get into the air before daylight if it takes eight hours?"

Nicolas grinned and said, "Kreussian night lasts ten hours before the sun rises this time of year."

Amelia started to nibble on her fingertips, "Yes, we can make it then."

*****

Princess Teslaimia curled up in bed with Emily lightly stroking her cheek, "Why is it so important to you that these people are all happy with the choices you make?"

Emily pouted cutely, "You trying to say that I am doing this just to be loved?"

Teslaimia chuckled and then poked the tip of Emily's nose, "I am asking you if you know why this is so important for you. The meeting you had today, I felt like it was a bunch of nonsense truthfully. You should be more like a Queen, an Empress. You should tell the people how things will be and then enforce your rules. Why do you need them to love your ideas and support your vision?"

Emily sighed and then cuddled up closer to Teslaimia, "My father once said to me that a great ruler is one that the people approve of and that the people want as their leader."

Teslaimia softly asked, "Do you feel that this People's Revolution thing means that you are a bad leader?"

Emily pursed her lips, "I don't think that, so no. I am just worried that maybe I haven't really considered the people in the short term as I race to make the long term happen ahead of its time. I want to build the city my father used to tell me about. He said that the future should have things like flying machines, tall buildings, the ability to communicate with people anywhere in the world from anywhere you are. He said humans would be able to leave planet Hanston and visit the stars. That we would defeat all illness and be able to concentrate on the things we want to do instead of what we have to do."

Teslaimia smiled and said, "Those are amazing dreams, but did he tell you that all of that had to be done within your lifetime or that you had to work yourself and your people to death to make it happen?"

Emily frowned a bit, "No, he didn't say any of that. I just.. I guess I just want to see these things for myself."