“WHAT IN KING SKYBEAK’S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?!”
Kepler jolted from his sleep and stumbled to an approximation of attention as the thundering screech echoed through the small tent. He was barely able to get his vision to stop spinning when Hauptmann Silverwing pressed his beak against his muzzle and pinned him in place with a withering glare.
“Explain to me right now why Vizefeldwebel Windcutter was asleep in your cot, pony.” While the white tercel was no longer screaming, his tone was no less dangerous as Kepler’s heartbeat skyrocketed. “Did you pull some kind of batpony magic and control her or something? What are you planning, you little grass eater?”
“Hey!” Gloria called out as she climbed off the bed and pushed her superior out of Kepler’s face. “Leave him alone! He didn’t put me under a spell or anything. We were just so tired after talking all day, and most of the night, that we passed out in the cot together by mistake, sir.” The honorific was seemingly added as an afterthought, as the angry hen placed herself fully between Kepler and the larger tercel.
Silverwing let out a huff and turned around. “Be glad I’m in a good mood, or else you’d be in the stockade for that little act of insubordination, Vizefeldwebel. We have an important guest this afternoon, so make yourself and the pony presentable, or there will be far worse in store for both of you.”
Kepler shared a glance with Gloria before he turned to Silverwing once again. “And who is coming to visit?”
“King Skybeak,” was the simple reply. “He has heard about your wreck of a ship and is curious as to what all the fuss was about. He is coming to inspect the ship for himself and also to question you. Apparently, your story was so extraordinary that he nearly had the messenger executed for perjury, until Oberst Talonedge corroborated his tale.”
That got both of their attention, and as the tercel made his exit, Kepler met Gloria’s gaze and found the same fear he was feeling reflected in her sapphire eyes.
“This is bad,” Gloria whispered. “This is really bad.”
“So, what do we do?” Kepler asked. “We can’t do anything about the king visiting, and we both know trying to run would only get us in more trouble.”
Gloria sucked in a breath and held it for a second before letting it out in a rush. “We do what we can to stay on his good side. I’ll go over some basic etiquette so you don’t insult him, but understand that there is absolutely nothing I can do if he decides he doesn’t like you.”
Kepler’s head fell. “I know. I got that picture from how Silverwing was talking about him. I’ll do my best, and we will just have to hope that it will be enough.”
Gloria nodded. “Then the first thing you need to know is – ”
The two spent the remainder of the morning going over what little Gloria knew of royal etiquette, although it was painfully obvious that there was no way Kepler was going to remember all of it in time for the king’s arrival.
It was roughly a quarter past noon, if the small rune clock the enchanters had set up was to be believed, when a large platoon of gryphons flew in from the direction of Fort Sandclaw. Of the dozen or so individuals, only one of them wasn’t wearing plate mail, and all of them were armed with the same primitive firearms Kepler had seen hanging in Oberst Talonedge’s office. Kepler was standing beside Gloria in the center of the makeshift camp, with the respective teams of scientists and enchanters off to either side. Silverwing and his soldiers were right behind them in a semicircle, reinforcing the idea that there was no way for them to back down from what was coming. Kepler did his best to keep his heart in his chest as the group of armored gryphons came in for a landing, his eyes locked with the largest and fiercest looking of the bunch.
His body appeared to be part bald eagle part panther, his bright white head the only part of him that wasn’t as black as the night sky. There was an almost iridescent quality to the feathers that hung partly out from under his dark blue uniform and cape, the light of the sun creating ripples of blue and green along their edges as he moved. Yet much like the rest of his species, it was his eyes that captured Kepler’s attention. They were a deep emerald green, almost jade, and they held the weight of a hardened warrior as they traversed the gathered beings before him.
It was all Kepler could do not to flinch as those eyes landed on him, and he remembered just enough of Gloria’s lessons to avert his gaze and bear his neck to the royal.
King Skybeak nodded once, his eyes shifting to Silverwing as his deep voice rolled over them. “It would seem that the ponies can be taught proper manners. Well done, Hauptmann. There may be a promotion in your future for your efforts teaching this herbivore how to address his betters.”
Kepler could feel his hackles rising as the silver-feathered cretin nodded his agreement, blatantly ignoring the fact that Gloria had done all of it herself and without orders from her superiors. He was just about to say something when he felt a very light touch on his left side. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Gloria’s wingtip touching him, her eyes warning him not to act.
While it burned inside that she was so willing to bend to others of her kind, Kepler knew that was sometimes how things worked, especially in the military. So, he swallowed his pride and held his tongue, keeping his eyes forward as the king began walking around them both.
“So, tell me little hen,” The king’s tone was dripping with sarcasm as he walked around their right side, “what is so special about this little bat that you thought to pull it out of the water like a half-drowned rat, instead of leaving it to die?”
Either Gloria was too terrified to say anything in response, or she was doing her best to keep her temper in check as she had instructed Kepler to do moments before. She bared her neck and saluted as the king stopped directly in front of them, his huge frame dwarfing the hen next to Kepler as his jade eyes bore down on them both.
“Your Highness,” Gloria stated in a clipped but clear tone, “I was on patrol in the middle of the night when I stumbled upon the wreck that you see behind us. I went in to investigate and found this pony in the lower levels, mildly injured and uncertain of his surroundings. I thought that it would be best if I took the pony back to Fort Sandclaw in order to question him and learn more about the wreck, in the hopes of preventing an attack, if one was imminent.”
Skybeak nodded once, his eyes turning to Kepler as his beak curled in disgust. “And what is your name, little pony? I have been told that you speak our tongue and that you have a rank. State it now.”
Kepler bared his neck and saluted as best as he could. “My rank and name are Leutnant zur See Kepler Hans Wolff, Your Highness.”
“And where do you come from? One of my most trusted officers told me a tale that would normally mean the end of his career, and yet he swears it is the truth.” Skybeak leaned down until his face was centimeters from Kepler’s. “So, which is it? Are you a member of those pathetic herbivores across the sea, or are you something more?”
Kepler didn’t know what possessed him to do what he did at that moment, and for many years to come, he still wouldn’t be able to find an answer if asked. Yet he did it.
In the blink of an eye, Kepler’s lips peeled back to reveal his fangs, the king’s eyes widening sharply as Kepler leaped forward, his fangs closing around the king’s windpipe as his smaller frame somehow pushed the huge tercel onto his back. There was a flurry of motion, and Kepler felt something strike him across the flank, leaving a trio of claw marks. And yet, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Kepler was standing on the king’s chest, his teeth poised to rip his windpipe out as he stared into the king’s widened left eye. He could hear the other soldiers shifting slightly as he picked out several of them in the corner of this vision, aiming at him with their firearms. Yet even under the threat of being shot, Kepler stayed perfectly still, his gaze locked with the king’s.
For a minute or two, time seemed to stand still, until finally, Kepler released the king and stepped off his chest, whereupon he was immediately grabbed by two of the soldiers and pinned to the ground. Gloria stood to one side with her claws pressed against her beak in horror as King Skybeak slowly got his paws under him. There was no rush to his movements, and he even took the time to remove his cape and dust it off before placing it back over his shoulders. Only then, did his gaze turn to Kepler, although what he did next surprised everyone.
“Release him,” were the two words that no one expected to leave his beak.
Several of the soldiers glanced at each other but quickly moved out of the way when one of the king’s eye-ridges began to rise. The two that had pinned Kepler to the ground quickly removed their talons and stood at both of the stallion’s sides but did nothing more as Skybeak walked up.
At first, he simply stared at Kepler, who at that point wasn’t sure if he was pissing himself or not. Then, again, to everyone’s surprise, the king began to laugh. And this was not a simple chuckle, but a full-belly laugh that shook his body from head to tail. He had to wipe a tear from his eyes before finally speaking to the bewildered stallion.
“It would seem you have proven your mettle, little pony.” His tone no longer held the contempt it had previously as he outright smiled at Kepler. “You will be a fine addition to our ranks once you learn to control those instincts of yours. Teach my subjects everything you can about your ship, and I will personally see to it that you get command of the new version, once she is built.”
Kepler couldn’t believe his ears. “You mean, you plan on building a new Bismarck?”
Skybeak waved a claw through the air. “With a new, proper gryphon name, of course. But yes, I will guarantee its construction if you can provide us with the knowledge to build it.”
Kepler’s mind was awash with shock and joy, leaving only enough brainpower for him to salute with the biggest grin possible adorning his lips. “Thank you, Your Highness! I swear I won’t let you down!”
Skybeak nodded, his beak once again set in a grim line. “See that you don’t.” He turned his attention to Gloria, who had somehow managed to pry her beak out of the dirt. “Vizefeldwebel!”
The hen snapped into a petrified salute. “Your Highness!”
“See to it that your charge is airworthy by the end of the month,” Skybeak continued in a commanding tone. “No self-respecting member of my military is going to be ground-bound as long as I have a say in the matter. Also, if anything happens to this pony, it will be your head that will be adorning my throne room wall. Am I understood?”
Gloria swallowed thickly. “Sir, yes sir!”
The king nodded once. “Very well. I leave you to your duties. Perform well, and there shall be great honor and glory for all of you. For the Empire!”
A cacophony of screeches made Kepler’s ears fold as King Skybeak took to the air, the rest of his guards following behind him in bright flashes of metal and sunlight. It was only after they had disappeared from view that Kepler felt his body being crushed in a full-body embrace.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Gloria was both smiling and crying into his neck as she held onto him for dear life. “I was afraid they were going to shoot you when you tackled the king.” She pulled away and met his gaze with her own. “Why did you do that, anyway?”
Kepler shrugged. “I don’t know. It was like my body acted before it could even think. I don’t even really know what I did.”
“Well, whatever you did,” she retorted as Silverwing walked up, “you certainly got the king’s attention.”
“If it were my decision, I’d have you killed right here and now,” Silverwing growled, “but given you seem to have earned our king’s respect, there is nothing I can do. Vizefeldwebel, see to it that the King’s orders are followed to the letter. I expect weekly progress reports for both the pony’s flight lessons and your lessons on the wreck’s inner workings. Do not let the king down or it will be all of our heads.”
Gloria saluted. “Sir!”
Silverwing nodded before walking off, the rest of the gathered personnel going about their business as Kepler took a moment to gather his bearings. It was only as he felt a claw tapping him on the shoulder that he realized he had spaced out.
He glanced up at Gloria, who had a wide smile on her beak. “So, ready for another flying lesson?”
The absurdity of the statement after everything that had happened forced a laugh from Kepler’s lips. “Sure. Why not?”
Little did any of them realize they were not alone, as Gloria picked up the stallion and flew him off towards the cliffs at the edge of the water. A pair of shadows broke away from the edge of the camp and began to follow them, leaving no one the wiser as they trailed behind the odd duo. It was only when the sun began to set and neither of them had reported back, that a call to arms was sounded, and a search party dispatched. Yet even after looking through every hill and within every sea cave, all they found was a single feather as it fluttered into the open air above the ocean near the cliffside. As the moon began to rise over the gentle waves, a missing bird report was passed up the chain of command, while everyone cursed the names of the two presumed deserters as the search pattern widened to include the nearby settlements.
If only they knew what troubles had befallen the two, they might not have been so quick to anger.