Order of the Gears

Chapter 2

Author's Note: 3 votes for an auto update? If not, it'll go to updating once every two or three days (this story is giving me a lot more trouble than I thought). I don't want to press, it's just to try this out :P This chapter feels a little longer, maybe because I took some time to show off Syl's new room.

Enjoy, comment and vote please!

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“What is it Marv?” I asked, sitting myself in a cushioned chair.

            “You’ve heard the Princess has been found, right?” Marv said and I nodded. “She and Prince Tom from Illicia are getting married in two months to strengthen the Army and hopefully win the War. Queen Helena requested an Engineer to come to the Palace and supervise the wedding plans, and afterwards to become a Royal Engineer. Someone’s Tom’s age to let him have a more down to earth friend, or in her exact words, ‘I want someone who is a good influence on Tom, not one of those spoiled brats who only know how to party.’”

            My heart was beating so hard I was surprised that Marv couldn’t hear it.

            “So…?” I was almost afraid to ask.

            “I recommended you,” Marv smiled.

            I’m not ashamed to admit that I squealed like a princess. Yes, even from a tomboy like me, I have an inner girl that only comes out to do something so high pitched.

            Marv released his ears, straightening himself. “Go pack up,” he winced but smiled nonetheless. “The Royal carriage will come for you tomorrow at noon.”

            As much as this excited me, I mean, a Royal Engineer was a huge honor, one aspect worried me. “I can still come back to here, right?” I asked. “I won’t be confined to the palace, will I? I can’t imagine living without Riles or you.”

            “That’s up to the Queen, but she’ll probably let you out,” Marv said. “Now, go. I’m sure you’re dying to tell Riles all about it.”

            How right he is.

            “Thanks Marv!” I went behind his desk and gave him a warm hug before running out to tell Riles.

            ****

            “You lucky, lucky girl!” Riles cried, hugging me tightly. “Royal Engineer at the age of eighteen!”

            I was sitting at my desk, packing up a few books. Riles came up to me, playing with my black hair. “I hope you at least clean up some of the grease off yourself,” she said.

            “Three showers every day and I still can’t get every stain off,” I smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ll scrub till my skin’s red and sore.”

            Riles gave into a small laugh. I knew she was worried for me, to be going off to the Palace so suddenly as well as the fact that I wouldn’t be with her.

            “I’ll write to you every day and I’ll make sure the Queen lets me come back here,” I put my hand over hers. “Promise.”

            She smiled. “You better or I’ll have to go and drag you out of the palace myself.”

            ****

            “I’ll see you soon,” Riles gave me a tight embrace, I returning the favor. “You promised.”

            “’Course I did,” I grinned and went over to say goodbye to Marv. I tackled him into a hug, causing the “old” man to wobble a little at the impact. “I’ll miss you.”

            “I’ll miss you too, Syl,” Marv had the same warm smile he always had. “Come on; don’t want to keep the driver waitin’.”

            I hugged Riles one last time before boarding onto the carriage, the door slamming shut behind me.

            ****

            I had, earlier, attempted to look my best so that when I arrived at the Palace I would make a good impression. Three showers later and I still had grease on me, and five trips to the wash room for my clothes still left a multitude of stains.

            Of course, I remembered that when was an Engineer truly clean? So I gave up, finding a simple white t-shirt, black jeans, and a small black leather vest, casual wear for an Engineer. I had another pair of dragon leather gloves, these fingerless and thinner than my work ones (thick and covers everything to the wrist) which I wore at all times out of habit.

            “The Queen will see you in an hour. Please, make yourself at home.” A maid had shown me to the room I would be residing in. She bowed and took her leave, closing the door behind her.

            I put down my luggage, just one suitcase. I didn’t have that many possessions.

            The room I would be staying in was nothing like the room I shared with Riles. It was large and perfectly circular, a giant bronze gear decorating the wooden floor. It was built for an Engineer, I thought, perfectly tailored to meet the needs for a builder. Tools hung on the wall, a bookshelf filled with notebooks and reference books, two desks pushed together for spacious work.

 Two more rooms were attached to this one. The one to the left had my name printed on it and turned out to be a bedroom, a queen sized cottage bed looking extremely soft and bouncy. There was a door that led to a small bathroom as well as a sliding closet.

To the right of the main room, there was a balcony, covered by large windows, for fresh air. It looked right into a magnificent garden maze.

            “Miss? The Queen is ready,” the same maid knocked and opened my door. The hour had passed quickly with me reading one of the books. I put it back in place, smoothed out my shirt, and, with a gulp, went with the maid.