Progress of Fears - Chapter 2: Homecoming

How does one define home when you don't really own a place of your own, Mephala often wondered. Cauri had offered her to call the castle of Rathir to be her home. But when you visit it once every few centuries or so, can you really call it home? True, it was a place familiar to her. A place that, she thought, would never change. The inhabitants did though. Humans had that downside of not living as long as elves, after all. And that wasn't all, the bond between the two sisters changed as well. Mephala's thoughts drifted back to when Cauri took the throne, as the oldest surviving sibling. Mephala never did doubt her sister's ability to lead, and acknowledged her intelligence and charm, both important in ruling a nation, no matter how small. And yet, the two often clashed, mostly due to differences in views. Cauri enjoyed earthly pleasures too much, which Mephala feared would distract her from leading the nation. They also held differing view on the treatment of humans, who were at the time generally considered inferior to their elven counterparts. Mephala went as far as attacking Cauri in the end, and it had cost her her vision in one eye. Thinking about it made Mephala rub her hand over her right eye. In the end, she had been proven wrong on all accounts, and realizing that had caused her to mend bridges with her sister, who had at the time already proven to be even better a queen as Mephala had ever expected. While the relationship between the two never ended up being really warm, there was at least mutual respect, and at least they cared. Which was progress.

Progress. It's how the humans called all these inventions. From the humble steam-powered weaving machines to the mighty trains, everything was labeled as progress. But for Mephala, it was just too much, too fast. She glanced out of the window of the carriage once more. They had crossed the border into Rathir, and were now standing still at the last stop before the capitol itself, in the town of Riven Springs. Mephala closed her eyes, recalling the last time she crossed through it. Back then, just a few decades ago, she was on horse. It had about twenty homes, if that, and was surrounded by farms. One of the many villages out on the countrysides, falling under the protection of a nearby big city. Now, however, Riven Springs looked to be as big as most of those cities themselves, and few traces of the farmland were even left. While she couldn't see much of it all from her seat in the train, she did see building was going on, enlarging the city even further. Riven Springs had become a city for workers, those of the mines on just half an hour walk away from the city's borders, or one of the factories erected in the direct surroundings. Rathir City was too busy for those factories to be located there, so the surrounding towns and cities became home to them. Mephala didn't know this, of course. She just saw that even the small towns were completely overtaken by this...progress.

As the train slowly started moving out of the station, Mephala was joined by a man taking the seat opposed to her. She noticed it had become a lot busier, plenty of people using the train between Riven Springs and Rathir City instead of the carriage that used to go between the two. She glanced at him, taking in his appearance. He looked almost like a nobleman to her. Black cloth pants, a shirt and a jacket made from appearantly fine fabrics, and a top hat. But she realized at the same time that due to the inventions of the past decades, clothing was much easier to mass produce, and even the common man was now able to dress in fine cloth. This was one of the very few advantages she herself could see and actually appreciate. She still prefered her old-fashioned clothing though. Old habits didn't tend to break, especially not with her. At the same time, he looked at her, taking in her rather out-of-place appearance. It took a few minutes before he spoke up, a voice sounding cracked from spending so much time in the dirty factories. "Excuse me Miss, ah, I realize this may sound a bit rude, but I couldn't help but notice your rather unusual appearance. It's not often we see people dressed like you, I couldn't help but wonder if you have, uh, past connections here, so to say." Mephala looked up. Past connections, it's something she heard before. This was often a term humans used for elves returning to lands that were once theirs but now predominantly occupied by humans. While an elf did rule this country, almost all of the people were still humans here, she reminded herself. "Yes...you could say that. Although I wonder...do those connections still exist when you cannot even recognize your own birthplace." Her voice sounded sad. It made the man nod in understanding. "I get what you mean...I have seen the changes happen as well, though I was but a small lad when it started. I cannot imagine how it is to someone who was already all grown up when the changes started." All grown up and then some, Mephala thought. It did give her a bit of a new perspective though. She could clearly see in the way he spoke that he did miss the way things were when he was a child. Whether that was looking through nostalgia for a lost youth or an actual feeling, that she didn't know. "It's...hard to adapt. That's for sure." She answered, her glance turning back to the window. More factories. More buildings. Much less nature. No, she didn't like it.

The train station of Rathir City proved to be busy, even though only one train left every hour, if that. Trains had increased the mobility of people, and next to the harbor, it had become a massive transportation hub, despite the fact that trains only left in one direction: North. Though there were three routes available, each one cutting through a different part of the country before rejoining the border crossing track. None of that mattered to Mephala, though. She just wanted to get out of the station as fast as she could. As impressive as the steam engine looked, she didn't like the stench of it at all. While navigating her way out of the station, she recalled the first time she saw a train. She was traveling on horseback when she came across a train track. Curious to see what it was, she followed it, until a train approached from the other side. It spooked her horse badly, throwing her off its back and running away, leaving her behind rather startled. In hindsight she did consider it a bit funny, so at least there was that.

Eventually she made her way out of the steel-and-brick building, hoping to take a deep breath of fresh air...but she was greeted with the stench of the bustling city instead. Most coming from the harbor, where steamboats were slowly pushing away sailboats, but also from small workshops in the city itself. Sure, there were no big factories within Rathir City's borders, but that didn't stop smaller places from popping up in pre-existing buildings. She also noticed everything in general seemed a lot dirtier, to say the least. Soot all over the buildings, dirt and grease on the streets, and people just seemed to throw all kinds of garbage out as well. Rathir City was never the cleanest place to be since its rise to prominence, but its current state felt repulsive to Mephala. The people around her though didn't seem to have a care in the world. She noted that that wasn't exclusive to Rathir either, it had been like that in pretty much every other big city she had passed through in the past few years. She shook her head and looked up, to the hill looming over the city's north-west side. There, proud and tall, stood the castle. From there, Cauri ruled the country. And once, Mephala called it home. She was born between those walls...but she wouldn't die there, that she already knew.

On her way to the castle, Mephala passed through the main square of the city. At least the fountain was still there. One of the few constants, she noted. But a glance in the water told her it too was filthy, at least compared to how it used to be. People still drank from it, still sat on its side to meet with others. It still acted as a beacon of rest amongst the bustling city. It was still surrounded by taverns, pubs and hotels for weary travelers. And yet, even at such a constant, changes had happened, invisible to those who hadn't seen its former pristine state.

It made Mephala realize even more that she fell more and more out of the new times. Among all the changes, she tried to cling on to a past that would never exist anymore. She did wonder how her sister coped with it all. That thought had been what first drove her to return to Rathir. Though the closer she got to the castle, the more she started to doubt. What if Cauri had also cracked? What if she had stepped down, due to being unable to cope with the changes? If that happened...where would Mephala go? She didn't want to think about it. Her sister loved Rathir too much to just step down, she reasoned, and with that she pressed on, towards the gate leading to the royal grounds. She took off her gloves, and hung them from her belt. This bared her hands for the first time in a while, showing the scars of battle, but more importantly, the ring on her right ring finger. A solid gold ring with a silver engraving of the royal crest, identifying her as family of Cauri. Showing it would always grant her entry to the castle. And this day would prove to be no different. Leaving the city outskirts behind her, she walked up to the gate, where she was as expected stopped by a duo of guards. "Greetings traveler, please state your business at the royal castle of Rathir." The taller of the two guards stated. He kept his hand on his weapon - one of those accursed firearms, Mephala noticed. It sent a shiver down her spine, a painful memory flashing through her mind. "Miss?" The voice of the guard snapped her out of the thought. "Ah...I apologize. I am Mephala, sister of Queen Cauri, here to visit her." To prove her identity, she held out her hand with the ring. It took the guard only a quick look to realize she wasn't bluffing. "Ah, welcome, princess Mephala. Please, do go ahead, do you wish for someone to escort you?" Princess Mephala. Yes, it was her official title. One she never used, but she did hold it. She shook her head, but did manage to at least offer something of a smile. "No, that's okay, thank you. I do know the way, even though it has been a while." "Certainly. Please allow me a moment while I open the gate." The guard stepped back, unlocking the gate and opening it for her, allowing Mephala to enter the castle grounds.

The road from the gate to the castle wasn't particulary long. Just a few minutes walk through a well-kept garden. Every day, gardeners worked to keep it in good condition, but once more Mephala could see the dirt from the city was taking its toll. To the humans who were used to this, surely it would be impossible to notice. Though after her encounter in the train, she did realize that not all humans had already forgotten the old beauty of the world. Give it a few generations, she thought glumly while pressing on to the opened door of the castle. In just a few moments, she'd be reunited with her sister. Each time, each reunion had been different. She wondered, would she be able to take another change...