First Voyage

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I was startled awake by the sound of rustling in my sheets. That wouldn't have alarmed me, had it not continued even though I was lying completely still. I jolted myself out of bed.

Sporting what I'm sure was the worst case of bed-head in all of Aurelia, I backed away from the covers with a look of bewilderment. I didn't even have time to grab my glasses from the small end table, and I was almost completely blind without them.

I was just able to make out a small lump on the bed with my poor vision. It rustled wildly underneath the covers. Unless blankets in this could magically move on their own... I was convinced my room was haunted, or more likely...

Playing a prank on the new guy? I see how it is.

"Pon-Pon!" The small lump made a strange sound.

Did that blanket just SPEAK too?

I blindly scanned every surface for something I could use to protect myself. I settled for a hairbrush, left by the last person to call this room home.

"Come on out... Nice and easy, now."

My heart pounded as I crept towards the lump on the bed, making certain not to startle it.

Carefully now…

My thoughts hadn't had the proper time to settle with how quickly I sprang up. I was acting entirely on impulse. However, I was stopped in my tracks. My big toe abruptly hit something solid, sending shockwaves of pain shooting up my leg.

"Owwwwww! Ow! Ow!" I hopped around on one foot until I stepped on the rug covering the hardwood floors. I felt it give way beneath my feet as I landed on the ground with a loud crash. "Uggghh that hurt... Wait, jackpot!"

As luck would have it, I landed right next to the table holding my glasses. I quickly put them on, feeling my vision readjust itself as I did. As I looked to the bed I felt a sinking feeling hit me. The lump...

It's not there anymore!? Where the heck did it—

I turned around ever-so-slowly, coming face-to-face with an adorable, unusual creature.

—go?

"............" I squinted at the thing.

"Pon-Pon?" It stared right back at me with its beady black eyes.

"Ahhhh!!" I backed up against the wall as the small animal perched itself on one of the bed posts. It looked more like a stuffed animal with its fluffy black fur. "What in the world is that thing!?"

In all the ruckus, I hadn't heard the door open. Princess Amber had entered the room.

"He's not a thing. His name is Pon-Pon! He's my familiar." Amber skipped over to where the creature was perched and began to pet his head. “Adorable, isn't he?”

"Princess!? Erm—I mean—Amber…?" I remembered our conversation from the previous day, and quickly corrected myself. Lest I incur the wrath of a lecture so soon after waking up. "You surprised me. He's a... familiar?"

And did she really name him after the sound he makes?

"Yep! Right, Pon-Pon?" She scratched his chin, and he hummed happily in response. "Everyone who attends Morningstar Academy learns how to summon a familiar. It's day one kind of stuff."

"Pon-Pon!" The creature sang as if agreeing.

I don't know how I'm supposed to know any of that, but I guess he is pretty cute...

"Hey, hold on a second! Was this the special alarm clock?" I asked.

"Maybe, maybe not." She gave me a smug grin. Pon-Pon tried to imitate the same mischievous look that his master was giving me, but his face lacked the same kind of irritating effect. "Your reactions are always so funny, I couldn't resist. Hehehe..."

I stared back at Amber in disbelief, but I couldn't maintain my annoyance. Funnily, it reminded me of my chaotic morning routine back on Earth. It was enough to make me feel a bit nostalgic.

"You sure seem chipper this morning. What happened to meeting at the gate?" I yawned, stretching my arms.

"What happened to waking up at a reasonable hour? Jeez, you're so lazy." Amber complained. "I hope you're at least ready for some training..."

Ah yes, training. She mentioned magic and combat during our previous discussion, but she failed to elaborate on what that would entail. Just imagining the sorts of things she had planned caused my anxiety to swirl into a frenzy.

"I have to change out of this nightgown." Amber started walking toward the door. “I'll leave you to freshen up.”

"Nightgown... You just got up too, didn't you!?" I accused, pointing my index finger at her. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!"

"Well, that's... besides the point!"

Right on the money.

"If you're not out soon, I'm going to send Poppy in to bring you out. She's never been big on personal space. Hope that's not a problem!" She waved, hastily making her way out of the room with a chuckle.

"Pon... Pooooooon!" The familiar took flight with its too-small wings and followed Amber outside. I could hear her laughs grow fainter with every step.

Best not to tempt fate as far as Poppy is concerned.

One rude awakening was more than enough for one morning, and there was hardly any chance of going back to sleep now. The pain in my toe had finally subsided, and so I got up and threw on my clothes for the day.

Most of the outfits in the walk-in closet were a tad too fancy for me given the itinerary for the day. I settled on the white button up shirt I typically wore at school, and the slacks that went with it. They had been washed while I was unconscious during my first night in the castle.

……………………….

I made my way into the courtyard where I had encountered Count Cleishay less than a day earlier. Amber stood next to the gazebo expectantly, but I was caught completely by surprise when I saw the outfit she had picked out.

She looked like she had been pulled directly out of some pirate movie. She wore a fancy black tailcoat with a red sash tied around the waist and black leather boots. On her hip was a long curved scimitar blade with a wooden hilt.

The surprises didn't stop there. Resting atop her head was a large hat with a feather, and just below her large chest sat several flintlock pistols.

"What the heck are you wearing??" I scanned her from head to toe as I came walking up. "You look like you’re about to pilfer all my rum, and do those pistols even work?"

"What? You don't like it?” She gave a little twirl, sounding just a tiny bit offended. “I thought this was high fashion on Earth, or at least it was the last time Aurelia had access to The Crossing..."

I couldn't say I disliked the outfit, it suited her figure pretty well. I supposed I simply wasn’t used to it. Something she said concerned me a bit, however.

The last time Aurelia used The Crossing... I wonder how long ago that must have been.

If the keys took hundreds of years to exchange hands in a full cycle, then my hopes of getting home were incredibly slim without pushing the issue myself. Amber interrupted my thought.

"You called these pistols, right? We call them hand-cannons here in Aurelia. Standard issue for the royal navy.” Amber explained. “We borrowed the idea from sailors on Earth. Honestly, we had no clue how they worked. So... we improvised."

"Improvised? How does a hand-cannon work, then?" I asked.

"Easy! We use wind magic." She took a small ball bearing from a pouch on her belt and loaded it into the chamber of one of the hand-cannons. “I just aim it like this, and…”

With a loud snap, the bearing sailed across the courtyard, denting a tree in the process.

"Woah, watch out! Have you ever heard of trigger discipline?" I sighed. "Still, that's kind of amazing... I assume that's where you got the idea for those giant ships as well?"

"Correct! We call those cruisers. They make up our entire royal fleet, and some are larger than others." She smiled proudly. "We have a smaller vessel coming to pick us up right now."

"Wait, you mean we'll actually get to fly around in one of those things? For real??" I was excited at the prospect of taking a ride, but my fear of heights kept me from being completely elated. "Weren't you going to announce our pretend-engagement to your mom today? And something about a ball, what happened to that?"

"The engagement ball can wait until after we get back from where we're going, and I want you to be there with me when I make the declaration," she explained. "Speaking of our ride, here it comes."

A huge wooden ship soon drifted over the wall into the courtyard, casting a long shadow on the castle wall. The ship didn't make an attempt to land on the ground, but let a long rope ladder unroll itself in front of us.

This is a ‘small’ vessel?

"Here she is! This is Aurelia's Tear, the finest miniature cruiser in the entire fleet. They can't make a safe landing on the castle grounds so I arranged a pick-up." Without hesitation, Amber began ascending the rope ladder. “You coming?”

"What's this training going to involve anyway? You never did tell me." I called up to her, with a bit more anxiety than I intended to display.

"That's a secret. Why, what's the matter? Afraid of heights, perhaps?" she taunted.

Why yes, I'm quite afraid of falling to my demise. That sarcastic thought nearly escaped my lips. She looked at me with her classic smug grin, seemingly reading my thoughts.

"Alright... I'm coming up." I hesitantly accepted her urges, seeing no other choice.

"That's the spirit! If you feel like falling, just hang onto me. I promise not to sock you... probably." She laughed. In doing so, she eased my worries if only for a moment.

And so, we began our ascent up the rope ladder. I would soon come to find out what the Princess had planned on this cruise through the skies.

4.2

The warm afternoon wind swept through my hair, nearly knocking my glasses off my face. I had underestimated just how fast a ship this size could move through the air, but wind magic was an amazing thing.

Wow, we're higher than Mount Asahi up here! I wish Yuki and Jun could see this...

I knew for a fact they would enjoy it as much as I was, probably more so since neither of them shared my fear of heights. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. The sound of footsteps broke my moment of zen.

"You took to flying quicker than I thought. So what do you think?" Amber asked, approaching from behind my shoulder.

"I never knew it could be this exhilarating. Speaking of flying, where’s Pon-Pon? I haven't seen him since this morning." I noted.

"He's actually up there in the crow's nest taking in the sights. He likes to spread his wings and pretend he's some large creature." Amber gave a slight chuckle, putting her hand up to her mouth. "He can only materialize when I call him out, but that uses up quite a bit of my mana."

"Mana?" I asked.

"You don't even know that? Well... That's how you use magic. Everyone has an available source of mana, and once you run out—poof—no more magic until you get some rest." she explained in simplified terms.

"Interesting... So I can use it too, then?" I made a pose like I was some wizard with a wand, feeling a bit excited at the prospect.

"Probably, but you're not ready for anything crazy yet. I don't want you accidentally blowing a hole through Aurelia's Tear. Mother would never let me hear the end of it."

I would never do something like that... Or at least I think I wouldn't.

"What are you louts doing? I thought I told you to swab the deck!" A man in a gruff voice shouted from elsewhere on the ship. "Start port, and work your way starboard. That's an order!"

"Yes, first mate!" A handful of other sailors responded with a sense of urgency.

"They're really on top of things around here. Everyone seems so busy that it kind of makes me feel bad for standing around..." I rubbed my neck sheepishly.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. These men are paid well to provide us with transport. That reminds me..." Amber gestured towards the back of the ship where the cabins were located. “There's someone I'd like you to meet.”

I followed her lead, passing by several sailors in the process. They gave Princess Amber a small nod of reverence, but I got some pretty disdainful side-eyes in comparison.

"I feel like a goldfish at a pet store, being gawked at so much. Did I do something to piss them off?" I whispered to Amber as we walked inside one of the cabins.

"Oh, don't mind them. They're like a bunch of older brothers to me. They're probably wondering what I'm doing with such a scrawny guy." She punched me on the shoulder playfully. "I've been flying on ships like these since I was a little girl, and the crews have always taken care of me."

"Oh, that's right. You mentioned at dinner that you wanted to fly in the royal fleet like your father, right?" I asked. “Is he still in military service?”

Amber paused mid-step.

"........The Captain's quarters should be just at the end here. Let's go introduce you." Somehow her monotone response left me a little wounded.

It seems I bumbled right into a land mine without realizing it. I had no idea what the situation was like with her father, but based on her tone and the way Queen Veranda reacted... I couldn't exactly assume the best. I determined that I should be more mindful of that topic going forward.

We entered the room at the end of the hall through a pair of fancy wooden doors. They each had a circular window in the center. The room inside was extremely cramped.

Decorating the walls were the heads of various beasts, old photographs, model boats, and antique clocks. It was as if a hoarder from one of those reality TV shows took their collection out to sea. Or sky in this context. Sitting in the center of the chaos at a small wooden desk was a single gentleman.

The pale-faced man had gray hair and a handlebar mustache. His captain’s outfit was navy blue, and many badges lined his chest. He reminded me of a certain cereal brand mascot from his appearance alone.

"Amber! I was hoping you two would stop by and say hello. I've been buried up to my neck in reports, else I would have come out to the deck sooner." the man said. "Is this the boy you mentioned?"

"Yes! Sakuta, this man is Commodore Azazel Flynn. He's one of the bravest men I've ever known, and pretty much like an uncle to me." Amber introduced the man warmly. "Oh, and this is Yamada Sakuta. He's the one that saved my mother's life."

Though he was on the smaller side, Commodore Flynn gave off an aura of power and confidence. His intense eyes scanned me over as if they were hunting for a sign of weakness but soon gave way to a friendly smile.

"She gives me far too much credit, but I indeed served with her father in the royal navy for many years. Long before he became king, even." I checked for Amber's response, but her polite smile didn't waver. "It's nice to meet you, Mister Sakuta."

"The pleasure is all mine. I appreciate you having us aboard your ship." I bowed.

"No need for formalities, truly! When my favorite niece sent a message asking for my help, I couldn't put a crew together fast enough. " Captain Flynn said.

"Not to change the subject, but where are we going exactly?" I asked.

"I guess Amber wanted to keep it a secret,” he chuckled. “There's a training yard the royal family owns along the coast. It makes for a great spot to practice magic, and get some sparring in as well. If you're planning to do something as crazy as sail to the demon capital—and survive—you'll want to be a lot less green."

Wait, he knows about the plan?

Reading the puzzled expression on my face, Amber stepped in to clarify.

"Don't worry, Sakuta. There's hardly a person I trust more with my mission than Commodore Flynn." She said proudly. "When I'm not being harassed by suitors, I've been sneaking off on expeditions aboard Aurelia's Tear to train."

"The bane of every pirate from here to Zephyr, she is! Isn't that how you got your nickname, the terror of—" The Commodore's words were cut short by a large boom. The impact sent Amber and me crashing to the floor.

………………………..

There's something... soft on top of me.

I hit my head pretty hard on the ground so I winced in pain. As I opened my eyes, another person filled my vision. I had succeeded in breaking Amber's fall with my own body.

She simply stared at me in shock without saying a word. The smell of fresh perfume filled my senses as our ragged breathing slowed to match one another's. Her stern facial expression betrayed the rosiness filling her cheeks, our hearts racing.

Huh? What's happening?

I was completely frozen as those deep pools of red stared back without retreat. A few seconds felt like lifetimes as her soft figure pressed against mine. Just as she began to lean in slightly...

"Hey! Are you two lovebirds gonna lay there like a couple of beached sea-drakes, or what? We've got ourselves a problem!" Commodore Flynn shouted making his way to the door.

That’s one moment ruined.

"LO—!?" Amber almost choked, palming my face into the ground to lift herself to her feet.

"Hey!" I complained, the atmosphere returning to normal. Whew, that was dangerous. I had almost gotten carried away. Even so... She didn't pull away at first either.

"What's going on, Az!?" Amber called in Commodore Flynn's direction. The curses and shouts from outside the cabin painted a picture of total chaos. Things had taken a turn for the worst on Aurelia’s Tear.

"It would appear that we're under attack." The man smiled intensely.