First Flight from Pax Publica

Leo's memory

It was the first trip Little Leo ever took away from Castle Hill with his father. Leo was born in Pax Publica, but he had no memories from his time on the Isle of Pax. His father had been a powerful Duke and a leader of the Parlamentor movement. 

Little Leo remembered being excited to see a proper city for the first time. He was dressed in his finest little tunic. It fit him more like a dress. He rather liked how it fit. His father had not. He said he looked like a girl in his wig and long tunic, but put up no more of a fight than that. That was to be considered a small victory. 

They had ridden in a carriage, as airships were still new and too risky for Dukes and Princes just yet. Little Leo paid much attention to their surrounding as he was forbidden to bring his books with him. They rode past the Chaff Sea and the Darkwood, past the hills and the valleys, past the lochs and the winding rivers, past the farming towns and large villages. Eventually, they rode a ship across the sea, leaving Kelton behind entirely. From there, they took yet another carriage much farther than the first. They rode past ruins of ancient castles and great villages, past tall towers that shot up into the clouds and statues of men a hundred feet high, past fields of grain and seas of blue, until they finally arrived. The whole journey took more than three days. Leo really wished he had been allowed at least one book.

 The trip there was something novel, but the ride back was sure to be boring. 

As they came over the bend in their carriage, Little Leo saw it for the first time. He looked out on Pax Publica, the first city. Its massive stone curtain wall rose well over seventy feet high and completely encircled the seaside city. It was by far the biggest thing Leo had ever seen. It might be the biggest thing. Leo would have to find out. 

Yet even still towering high above, reaching to the clouds and scraping the sky, was Publica Towers. That was the new largest thing Little Leo had ever seen. It was a magnificent mess of different materials, designs, and patterns. Structures jutted out in every direction. Leo was certain the tower could not support itself. And yet it seemed to. It was beautiful chaos. It hung over the largest settlement Æurea had ever known. Thousands and thousands of houses and structures hung below. 

They approach a set of gates big enough for a warship to pass through. As they rode through the heavily guarded giant gates, they entered into the city's commercial district. The district, which stretched all the way from Greatgate Markets, where they currently were, to The Docks, on the far side of the city. 

Little Leo had never seen so many people either. Everywhere he looked were more people. Men, women, children. Light-skinned, dark-skinned, and everything in between. Aureans, Felene, Dwarvik, and even some peoples Leo didn't recognize. Leo loved his people, in his own way, so he loves the city. He told his father such. 

"Unwashed masses. They think they own the place cause we freed them from the land. Best we hadn't, but Yorrif insisted," his father grumbled. 

Yorrif was Lord General of the Pax Isle, Mayor of Pax Publica, his father's old war buddy, and the husband of his aunt, Auntie Mary. He was a kindly, rotund, little dwarvik. He had a big bushy red beard that went down to his legs, and his skin was as dark as anyone Little Leo had ever seen. He was bald, much like Leo's father. 

Uncle Yor was not so much a warrior as his father had been. He was the financier of his father's revolution. He had fought, aye, but mostly on a ship or from behind the battle lines. He was likely the richest man in all of the Isles, owning more than half the ships in the harbor and more still at sea. 

Uncle Yor always gave Little Leo great gifts when he visited. This time, it was a stack of illuminated Histories on the Arch Druids and the Progenitors. His father frowned disapprovingly as he received the gift, but both Leo and Yorrif ignored the look.

"Thank you, Uncle Yor. I will read them on the carriage back," Little Leo promised.

"Not like, Little Prince," a familiar voice injected to deny. Only one person called him that. 

"Uncle Earl! What are you doing here?" Little Leo exclaimed before jumping into his Uncle's feathers and being spun around, laughing all the way. Uncle Earl set the boy down.

"Follow me, your father and Uncle Yor have much to discuss. I also have a surprise for you. I don't know if it is quite as exciting as some illustrated tomes..." Uncle Earl trailed off, building Little Leo's anticipation further.

Little Leo followed Uncle Earl into a cage that carried them up the many levels of the Publica Towers to near the very top. It would take many thousands of stairs to reach this height. The cage operated using the same new rare ores that the new airships used. The cage opened, and they walked out.

Uncle Earl led Little Leo to the floatdock, apparently the newest addition to the Towers. It was a place specifically designed to dock these new airships Leo had been reading about. It hung out far past the tower and was exposed to the wild, winding wind that was so powerful at such a height. Leo's wig and tunic began to dance, and he grabbed onto his wig to ensure it didn't fly off. Leo tried to look down, but the ship and the dock obscured most of his view. He gave up for fear of falling.

Waiting for them was the most magnificent ship Little Leo had ever seen. It was just hanging in the air in front of them, like it could sail on clouds as easily as the sea. Only a few ropes tethered the free spirit to the Towers. Otherwise, it was totally free.

The airship had a hull black as night and then some. The sails tried up on the two masts were the purest of silky whites. The contrast was beautiful, or so Little Leo thought. He instantly fell in love with that airship. 

"I'm thinking of calling it the Sky Whale," Uncle Earl revealed. No doubt after the whales who had gotten tired of the sea and taken to the sky. When Little Leo stared at the clouds, it was these whales he most hoped to spy. Leo stuck out his hand and felt the blackened wood. He petted it as he would an animal. He was touching the sky. 

"You know what you should call it?, You should call it the Knight's Whale Uncle. Because only a true honourable knight could have a whale so beautiful," Little Leo let out without much thought. Uncle Earl took the boy under his wing and gave him a good squeeze.

"That I might, Little Prince. That I might," Uncle Earl let the boy down and they made their way to the top of the tower to find his father and Uncle Yor's in his office. 

When Little Leo and Uncle Earl entered into Uncle Yor's office near the precipice of the tower, his father and Uncle Yor were shouting at one another. They had once been the closest of friends, though not while Leo was alive. Some said his father was merry to marry Mary, and not his mother. People joked that his mother was the "Icey Queen" 

Little Leo ran off to find someplace quiet to start in on his new books. He found some stairs and emerged on a balcony at the very top of the tower. Leo walked over to the edge and looked down. He saw the massive arch of the Greatgate and the colourful fabrics of the tents at the Markets, and the Docks, and the tiny ships coming and going. The houses and people looked like little specks. From up here, everyone looked the same to Leo. There were no classes, titles, species, or genders.  They all looked like tiny bugs. Leo looked and looked so long and so hard that he began to feel dizzy and had to back away from the edge.

Little Leo settled under the cover of the turret above, but still in the sunlight enough to read. He began in on "The Arch Druids of The Deepwood: Geomancy and More," though soon he drifted off to a light sleep. He had had a long journey. He dreamed he was a knight of the people sailing his Whale through the clouds. He fought dastardly dragons and evil emperors in the name of everyone. He was the Little Leo, knight of the clouds. 

Uncle Earl came and found him and woke him when it was time to go. When they returned to Uncle Yor's Office, Little Leo was not the only prince. There were now two more. They were brothers. The younger of the two was a quiet boy, no older than 10. The older, was loudmouthed and around 14. Both had the brightest blond hair Leo had ever seen. Uncle Yor was at his desk, quite red of face. Leo's father had already gone. Leo and Earl said their goodbyes to Uncle Yor. 

"How do you do. Prince Leo Welles of Castle Hill. Uncle Yor calls me Little Leo. You can too if you like," Little Leo introduced himself and bowed respectfully. He was not often around those with equal title to his. 

"Nice to meet you, Little Leo. Prince Charlie Orre of Orre Isle, and my tongue-tied brother is the Young King Jamie Orre of the Orre Isle," the boy replied, returning the bow. Uncle Yor chuckled when the Prince called his brother King. The older boy hardly looked at Leo, but laughed and said something under his breath before stomping off. Prince Charlie bid Leo adieu and followed.

"Don't mind that boy, Little Leo. They are lucky to be alive after all their father did. Your father wanted them hanged, but I talked him out of it. Well, I won anyway. Those boys are to be banished. Pay them no mind," Uncle Yor told Leo as they hugged goodbye. 

Little Leo gathered his book and followed Uncle Earl to the cage. They didn't go nearly as far down as Leo expected. They met his father at the floatdock already aboard the Whale. He was in a sour mood. Leo knew not to talk to him in this state. 

Their journey home was only more beautiful. Little Leo hardly touched his books, other than when he was to be abed that night. He watched from the deck as they passed over the very same landmarks. The journey took only a single night, and they beat the sun home.