Steampunk Snippet
A bit of a deviation from my usual stuff, this is an excerpt from a longer story I was writing and never finished. Set in an alternate world at the end of its age of steam-powered technology and moving onwards towards modern tech, it follows the main character, Jeannot, and his sister as they arrive at the Isles as members of the crew of a Greatship. There he meets the son of the noble in charge of the Isles, Bastiaan.
This snippet is from shortly after they meet and Bastiaan takes him to the Royal Botanical Gardens to talk without his parents and their staff around.
I only lightly edited it from its first draft so beware, mistakes may lie ahead.
Bastiaan sighed, a smile on his face as he leaned his head back and looked at the glass ceiling of the hall, up to the sun far above them. Jean twitched a bit, unsure of how to act around the Archduke’s son. He knew he had essentially agreed to sit here when he hadn’t resisted much when he was dragged off by the other boy- how could he?
In hindsight however, he wasn’t sure this was the best idea. The nobility had a tendency to be quite stuck up and haughty, and Jean wasn’t sure he wanted to do something and unknowingly insult someone like that. Nor deal with their bull either in all honesty. Jean’s thoughts were quickly brought to a halt as Bastiaan looked over at him.
“What is it like Jeannot? To be on the sea and to feel the rock of the ship under your feet with the cool breeze caressing your heated brow?” The Earl said with a sigh. “I wish I could be out on the water more. To travel on a Greatship must be exhilarating!”
Jeannot shrugged a bit, biting his lip for a moment before answering, “Greatships don’t really rock; they’re too large to do that unless it was the worst of conditions. They’re also very hot on the inside due to the steam- but you’re right that the breeze is quite welcome,” he agreed; the upper decks were the favorite place for him and his fellow monkey wrenches to hide.
He continued onwards with his comment, “Then again sir, it might be a bit dingy for nobility like yourself. Maintenance is an absolute chore, you know, and even with a full staff we’d have difficulty keeping it clean,” Jean continued.
Bastiaan laughed, “Nonsense! It’s not like I’m nobility, I’m as much a commoner as you.” At Jean’s surprise, the young man quickly elaborated. “My father is the Duke of Vaans and the Earl of Gless. However, as I own neither land nor title I am no noble. I am only allowed to use the title by courtesy.”
Jeannot was a bit surprised by both the new knowledge of how the noble system worked in the Isles but also by the lack of frustration or indignation in Bastian’s voice. Perhaps it was just his bias after seeing the nobles of his home country, but he expected some resentment from the Earl.
As the conversation lulled into temporary, but comfortable, silence Jean looked around him. The Earl had dragged him to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which lived up to the impressive name. The central hall, arcing ever upwards, was massive! It had to be at least three or four levels high, with great creeping vines and trees penetrating the balconies that made up the upper levels. Exotic plants from across the islands filled the room with a scent that was nigh overwhelming at first exposure, especially for someone like Jean who was just used to the smell of ash and oil.
Come to think of it, when he was brought in, Bastiaan had led him to a bench in the middle of the hall quickly as if knowing he’d be overwhelmed by the stimulus. It certainly explained the floral tones surrounding the boy if he was used to this; Jean couldn’t imagine the amount of the time he must spend here to get that scent stuck to him!
Given how close the gardens were to the manor though, Jean in hindsight wasn’t honestly too surprised. It was a nice place to hang out- on the whole, the building was pleasant, despite the massive amount of sunlight that was required to let the plants grow. It warmed the entire place up almost as bad as the great metal hull of the Greatship. When he mentioned his observation to the Earl, Bastiaan’s eyes lit up.
“Its absolutely marvelous isn’t it! They use spring water to cool down the air- running the pipes through the natural spring this place was built over, of course,” Bastiaan said excitedly, “They use great billows to suck in the air and circulate it. This is one of the few buildings in the gardens that get that system but it’s a wondrous coolant for a wondrous environment!”
Jean was a bit astounded by the elaborate system in place to keep simple plants cool. The value they must hold for these plants for such an extensive system to be installed, “Are these rare plants? It seems like an expensive system for something as simple as a plant.”
The Earl shook his head, “No no, these aren’t that rare. Very few places have them in the same area, admittedly, but individually they aren’t. But that’s the wonder of this place, if you want my humble opinion on the matter.”
Jean looked at Bastiaan curiously, shifting a bit in his spot on the bench. He lived in a place of steel. He wasn’t around things like this to see whatever hidden beauty that the Earl had found. The dark-haired boy brightened as Jean sat up a bit straighter, seemingly excited to share his revelation.
“Its like humans Jeannot- We are reflected in these plants. Some are humble shoots, others are brightly colored and delicate, yet they are all plants. Individually they are not much to look at; but humanity, like these plants, can do absolutely wondrous things together,” He said finishing.
Jeannot looked at Bastiaan with wide eyes, having been caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic from plants to people. Perhaps it was just what naturally happened when you were holed up amongst the flowering shoots for so long, “I didn’t fancy you a philosopher.” A little red appeared on the other boy’s cheeks as he sheepishly grinned.
“You learn to do that when you’re alone in a place like this. It’s one of the few places where I could get some peace from the hustle and bustle of noble life.” Bastiaan said with a sigh, “Plus learning to become a ruler of the people sometimes draws out parallels and ideas in my head I hadn’t even considered till let alone to myself. It is good to take a moment to collect yourself after a long day getting stuffed full of useless manners and information.”
Jean frowned and brushed his blond locks out of his face, a bit confused, “You sound unhappy about that, like becoming a ruler is a bad thing.” The Earl’s head was leaning back again as if this was something he’d argued with himself many times.
Bastiaan let out a sigh, “Frankly it isn’t. You get a large manor with a stable income and servants for your every whim. Life couldn’t be simpler,” He said, sarcastically to himself.
Jean didn’t speak up. The other boy obviously was frustrated with someone who told him he should have it easy.
“It should be! I’m pampered compared to many! But,” he ran a hand through his hair, “You’re a Fulcian correct?” Jean nodded though he made it clear he hadn’t seen his homeland in years. Bastiaan waved it aside.
“I was engaged to the princess of the Fulcian throne when we were both young, too young to really know what that meant or even care. But because of that whole contract, which was never broken, I could be considered to have been next-in-line to the throne after the princess as the King had no other children. Even if indirectly, I hold claim to the throne that your Emperor took from her in his coup de’tat.” Bastiaan rubbed his head, “I worry we will be invaded to eliminate me.”
Jean’s head shot up as he stared wide-eyed at the young nobleman, “That’d never happen-!”
“Jeannot! It very well could! I could be seen as a rallying point for other monarchies who are desperate to stop the Fulcian expansion. It would make sense for the Emperor to kill me to secure a strategic and political victory.”
Jean wasn’t sure what to say. He certainly hadn’t expected to see the Earl so vulnerable so quickly. It wasn’t too hard to do, but Jean correctly guessed Bastiaan hadn’t spoken about this with nearly anyone and thus wasn’t sure how to react.
Thankfully, to his relief, Bastiaan pulled himself from his temporary hysteria on his own and with far more dignity and self-control than Jean could ever muster, “I’m sorry, that was out of line. It’s not even so much that I fear for my own life. I fear for the people. Wars are messy, but no one here would even think of giving me up to them to stop an attack. They would fight till the city burned and none were left to defend it.”
It was a melancholy mood that descended over the two as they sat there. Now, the garden’s wonder seemed all the more fragile, and all the more an indicator of how much could be lost to the world if Bastiaan’s fear rang true.
