A Train to Past

chapter 8

It has been 22 hours, almost one day completed in this train. After 48 hours, we will have to face the town, that holds uncanny secrecy,
I feel uneasy with the thought of it. Lucian went to wash up after me,  The pantry staff started taking turns with breakfasts, the lady who served us pasta before offered me a smile each time she passed by. My brain comes to its senses when I start thinking about how foolish it is to be on an unknown train, going to an unknown place. Something in me wants to leave all of this here with the next station, and go back to where I belong, but the strange curiosity of Liebetown ties around me. Most of all for Lucian's interaction with it. He heads towards me with a fresh pair of clothes, wet slicked back hair and a Chocolate Roll in his hand. He takes a bite before speaking, making it sound gibberish. “The granny in the pantry staff gave me this.” I nod, he removes another from his pocket and hands it to me. “Don't consider it as breakfast, please. It's just for the sweet tooth.” He clarifies.
“I don't have a sweet tooth, you can have it.” I offer but he declines. “How about we read— I mean you read and I listen again? We have plenty of time.” He suggests but the images of Elion, the Real Elion from my dream lingers. I look at the book kept upon the table struggling to exist with forceful winds. The idea of Making the story known doesn't seem that willing now, but I cannot stop in between, I started it. It was my decision to let Lucian hear the story, “I’m not in the mood to read right now.”
I tell him, hoping for a disappointed expression, or a response but instead Removing a Book— a journal from his bag. He sits next to me, on my berth instead of his. My thoughts startle, he's so close, there's barely a distance left, with hurried chewing he opens the journal, his hand brushing against mine, each page filled with ink, and words.  highlighted in blues, some doodles around the margins and strikes upon the wrongs. “What is it?” I let my curiosity win and he looks sideways to face me, he squints his eyes in fast chewing to explain, I huff a smile but he doesn't notice. “This…is…” he taps his palm of the book, “Liebetown.” A smile appears on his face, with a dimple on the right, “what..?” I think I understood him but I didn't. “This is Liebetown.  the information, the Hidden facts, all the names of the places that one existed,” he holds the journal between his fingers, “all of it, is in this journal.” he looks like he has acquired a treasure.

“You're talking as if that's the most valuable thing to exist.” I try to joke but his expression remains the same, “Remember this, History.. Is the most valuable thing to exist. What I have is bits of it, this is just the basics, not in depth.” He scrambles away the wrapper of the roll and pushes inside his pocket. “If you think what I've written is just some scraps from the internet, you'll be most probably wrong.” He smiles. The smile assures me that I don't have to be nervous. For a split second he seemed so serious, so dedicated, so defensive about what he has about history, it gave me chills.

When I don't say anything he says, “What I'm trying to say is, you're not the only one who has a story.” The confusion washes away, he's showing this to me to remind me of how little I know about that town, of course he won't let me read the ‘basic’ two hundred pages of Information without a reason. He wants me to continue the story, To figure out what waits for me in that town. But i don't want to read it, it kills the curiosity, or maybe I do. But only if he explains it to me on his own, damn that Egoistic cell in my brain. “Do you like what you found till now?” I question, “it's not satisfying enough, what I've gathered is just about the previous twenty to forty years, I know the reasons for abandonment but that's not whole, it has something more than that, maybe if I dig deep enough.” He explains while placing his journal right under mine.
“What do you think will happen in my story?” I ask with no further explanation. “I think, Just like Liebetown, your story has depth too.” I don't specify which story I'm talking about, But whatever he said seems right.
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{The celebration soon ends, the people leaving the Lionson Kingdom, Princess Alora looks happy, distracted from the rumors and her broken marriage. Once again kings and queens, princes and princesses left alone when Queen of Justice grabs the Attention. Prince Elion's Eyes turns towards her as she greets everyone with her presence, in the shades of gold and white she enters with a blood red gown touching the floor behind her. “Looks like Fun is already over?” Her Croaky voice echoes through the walls, “Welcome back, Prince Elion.” She stands tall in front, smiling down to him. “It's a pleasure you joined us.” Elion replies, no one dared to move their eyes from this interaction, Queen of Justice, Vasilia never greet crowded coronations, or anything that doesn't concern her.
“Our prince has mastered the swordship, of course I have to show some respect.” She speaks with no smile, with pure seriousness. Her gaze follows each of them, as if she's trying to unsolve a mystery, when her eyes meet king Orlo he asks, “I don't see your sons?” She smoothed her gaze “They're handling few cases in the kingdom.” She replies, Her princes of Justice, Abir and Valen, known as obeying and sharp among all of the others. The 2nd prince Valen, blessed with the power to detect lies, his power doubles when inside the kingdom, no one can utter a single lie. Rumors have it that the mouth of a liar won't open in the kingdom of justice, the only choice they have is to speak the truth. The princes investigates, while she punishes the criminals.
All of the kingdom are afraid to step inside, all of them have a guilt to hide. She doesn't force them to, she believes time will prove everything. Queen vasilia glances towards Queen Ceres, they haven't talked much, the inseparable lives at a distance now. “Stay for dinner.” Prince Elion steals her attention, she taps on his shoulder, appreciating his offer. “You're a grown up now, I hope you're never afraid to step inside my kingdom.” The words cause everyone to be nervous, she walks towards princess Alora, she stands still sharing glances with her father. “You're just eighteen, do not worry about marriage, cherish your youth before it's gone.”

The strictness in her voice makes Alora fidget her fingers together, she passes a smile to Queen vasilia, she doesn't return it, instead just caresses her hair before saying, “Looks like i should leave now.” She nods at everyone, taking a leave with a high chin. “Does she think she's better than us?” King of Kalopsia, Callum has spoken, with a despicable voice. “you're not the one solving the injustice, so you can think about it.” Queen Ceres replies, taking a stand for Queen vasilia. A strange relation, they don't talk, but then they don't stand the one who insults another.
This might be the second unsolved mystery among the kingdoms.}
~~~~~
The 10 o'clock  alarm goes off my phone, interrupting us, he shifts next to me, lifting his eyes from my writing, and looking directly at me. My heart catches some speed, I remove my phone from my pocket, he stares out of the window. His face under the sun is something that could be described as Ethereal, his black hair seeming red, his eyes, Reflection of the sun itself. “I really want to know what happened between Queen Ceres and Queen Vasilia.” He talks to the window, “you would know.” I assure but his face seems distracted by the air. From the corner of my eye I see someone pass by, of course. The lady with the baby searching for something under all the berths, she doesn't have her baby in her hand, where is it?

Lucian's attention falls onto her, he leaves my side without thinking twice. “What are you searching for?” He offers a pleasing smile, without thinking twice I follow him. I see the baby laying on the berth, without any support. “It was a pendant.” She hesitates “mirah- my baby, she just pulled my chain and it fell somewhere.”
Mirah. So it's a girl. “Oh it must be somewhere around here, we'll find it.” I don't know who's ‘We’ in this situation, because I'm definitely excluded. He gets on his knees, checking under the berths, I stand awkwardly, while they both try to search. Maybe I should do too. I try to look around when I notice, The baby— turning at the edge of the seat. She's laying on her stomach, if she turns, her head will directly hit the floor, i sprint towards her, almost Making Lucian fall, “hey—” he complains but stops midway. She falls right into my arms, her mother makes a loud gasp. Lucian joins me, a relief over his face. Her mother takes her in arms, “You should not leave a baby like that.” I explain, that came out too rude. “I don't know- I'm sorry, I mean thank you.”

“It's fine. She's fine.” Lucian reassures. I don't know how much more she can disappoint me, “apparently pendant was more important than baby.” I mutter to myself, Lucian runs my shoulder, “it's fine let it go, it's not her fault.” He tries to comfort me. Only if i didn't see her, she would have fallen, it could have been worse.
A pendant huh? Let me see how expensive it is. I begin the search, keeping my eyes on the baby that is in her arms now. A very calm child, she's neither uncomfortable nor irritated in this long journey. “I think I found it!” Lucian cheers, we all get up i make my way towards them, she snatches the pendant from his hand, sliding inside the pocket of her dress. “Woah— ah You're welcome!” Lucian says, i cannot believe this woman. It's not like Lucian will steal that pendant and escape from the running train. As long as he doesn't mind that behavior, it's no use telling him to stop interacting with her. She tightened her grip on the pendant, when my eyes met hers. “Let's go.” Lucian guides us back to our seats.

“I wonder what's wrong with her.” He speaks in a low voice, finally he can see that something is wrong with her. I try to agree on it but he says again, “She looks sad, awkward and scared all the time.”
That's not what i meant, from my point of view she looks suspicious, hiding something, avoiding people. What Lucian said is right, her eyes are all tired and sad. I wonder if like us, she also has a story to tell, since everyone does.