When the train stopped at Hardrada Plaza, Ed and Owen stood up and meandered off the train. Out on the platform, other passengers weaved past them, conversing loudly to cope with the volume of the engines huffing away.
Ed was used to the assault on his senses, the noise, the heat, the vibrations felt beneath the feet. He thought Owen was too, but he was edgy, unnerved and his already pale skin was further turning the same colour as the smoke floating through the air.
Owen was about to wander off without saying a word when Ed reached for his shoulder, "Seriously, what's up? I know all of this stuff with the Slayer is scary, but you'd tell me if there was something else right?"
"I'm fine, honestly, nothing to worry about," he said.
Ed sighed, "if you say so. Look if you need to talk, or just destress, let me know, we can grab a drink or--"
"Didn't you hear me, I said I'm fine!" He snapped back, his features becoming sharper along with his voice.
Owen shrugged Ed's hand off his shoulder, his satchel whipping around as he turned and stormed away.
Ed felt livid that Owen spoke to him the way he did and mumbled insults under his breath as he went in the other direction. He'd never seen Owen demonstrate so much hostility, but obviously, something was wrong, so rather than allow himself to become more enraged, he calmed down and told himself it was a one-off, that Owen was obviously upset about something and he didn't mean it. Ed then marched off, exiting the platform through the revolving doors and entering the plaza, if anything would calm him it would be the familiarity of one of his favourite places.
Hardrada Plaza was the heartbeat of the city. It doubled both as the centre of the rail network, a home to which all lines throughout the city converged, as well as the central shopping and leisure district. By day, on one side steam came from machines used to transport citizens to any destination within the confines of greater Jorvik and by night, from the other side, steam came from atop the heads of drunken patrons frequenting the many bars and restaurants that called the plaza home.
It was the largest man-made structure in Jorvik, towering far higher than most other buildings, but it was far more than simply a gross statement of human ingenuity. It was a feat of engineering that set the bar far too high, and far too costly, to be challenged. For Danelaw natives, it became a source of pride, knowing that the standard of life in Jorvik evoked envy within visitors from elsewhere in Britannia.
That's what Jorvik had become nowadays, the envy of the seven states of Britannia. Over the last 100 years, huge industrial and technological strides emerged from the capital of Danelaw to the point not even the birthplace of steam technology, the former royal kingdom of Mercia, could keep up.
Having left Owen in such negative light, Ed hoped meeting Freya would lift his spirits, as it always did.
Freya was his closest friend, confidante and occasional mentor, or at least she'd like to think.
They'd met by chance one evening, while both were escaping the city, to be alone with their thoughts and their sadness.
Ed was still struggling with grief after his grandfather's passing and Freya had trouble at home, she'd never specified anything but Ed was okay with that. He'd been going through enough personal problems himself and didn't have the time to take on the sadness of another. The night they met, they aired their fury, their grievances, their pain and quite literally screamed from the roofs.
The two bonded that night, finding the escape from their torments relieving. Ever since that evening, they met once a week, at first for emotional release, but it became more than that over the 2 years they'd been meeting each other. Discussions of the world, bad jokes, airing their grievances and the occasional fun and games.
Ed departed the smoggy cover of Central Station to clamber through the cacophony of the plaza's main hall. It was always busy, but never overcrowded, though still an inconvenience sometimes though. The worst part about navigating through the crowds was negotiating the space between himself and the comparatively well-dressed, upper-class. Frequently Ed found it difficult to tell who may have a problem with a simple urchin like himself, but nevertheless, he went about his business without a care for what others thought of him.
With the aid of one of the plaza's plentiful elevators, reaching the fifth floor from the second and still making good time was far less breath-taking than a jog up the stairs would be.
As the elevator rose, air fluttered through steel beams and the entire plaza could be seen below. Botanical gardens boasting the rarest of flora, food on offer from delicatessen carts, call's from taximen and shoe shiners offering their services, the plaza had it all. Admittedly, if someone wanted to purchase the 'all' they needed to be rich, but for Ed, that didn't take away from the wonderment the plaza made him feel. He loved the laughter, the light and the scent of food masking the pollution of the steam rail, all of it.
On the fifth floor, bars, eateries and restaurants attracted folk at all times of the day. Eateries were the busiest, ladies midday lunching, whereas bars hosted those needing a quiet break and a taste of pricey whiskey. Whenever he observed the downtrodden sorts that occupied them, Ed often wondered if that would be him in 20 years' time, whether or not his fate would lead him there or toward something better.
At the end of the fifth-floor concourse, to the rear of the plaza facing the river Ouse, a hallway led to the sky deck. Overlooking the entire city, it was high enough to be free of the pool of human noise below, occasionally causing the weak of mind to collapse from vertigo.
Before the doors opened up to the world, however, a service entrance was neatly nestled in the corner. Walking up the steps would take you to a door, reinforced with magic and sealed with a cypher rune that only plaza staff knew the combination to. On the night he and Freya met, it was already unlocked. On a whim, Ed took his chances, looking for somewhere secluded and he found it.
Freya was a particularly gifted mind, capable of conjuring any number of magic and following their introduction wrote a sub-verse in the runic text to allow secondary access, meaning they could meet up there whenever they wanted.
All Ed had to do was activate the lock by releasing a small bit of mana into the doorknob, the mana would then reform into a series of translucent green cypher disks and wait for the correct code to be inputted before unlocking.
Britannia, unlike the Roman Empire which carefully controlled who could wield magic, allowed its citizens to freely make use of the mana living within them. Britannia didn't have to quell possible uprisings from the magically proficient and saw it only as a benefit that magic was freely studied and practised.
Beyond the door, sat with her legs dangling over the ledge of the level above, Freya's honey blonde hair whisked in the wind as her eyes reflected the colour of the sky on which they rested. When the door clanked shut, her gaze dropped as a smile rose and she brushed aside the hair in her eyes behind her ear.
"You're late."
"Couldn't be helped, I was talking to a friend." shrugged Ed, as he went up to join her.
"You have friends? I thought I was your only friend," replied Freya.
Ed chuckled, "Of course, I have friends other than you, his name's Owen, he's nice. Doesn't seem to get on with most of the others but I suppose I'm just too damn charming."
"Ouch. Okay, your tardiness is forgiven, but the assumption of your charm isn't," she took a sandwich out of her lunchbox and took a bite of it. "Jush dohn be lay ugain."
"Don't chew with your mouth full, didn't they teach you that at posh school?"
Freya stuck her tongue out, bits of food still shoved into her cheeks like a hamster.
She'd never confirmed it, whenever he asked she'd skillfully deflect, but Freya was from a fairly rich family. The cut of her cloth, her glass-like unblemished skin, as well as her mannerisms and speech, Ed could tell, she was way above his social standing. Not to mention she'd clearly been tutored in magic. It never mattered to them though.
Atop the rooves of Hardrada Plaza, where their paths first intersected, the entire city was within view. The smog of industry in the distance, ferries floating down the river up close, a sea of never-ending buildings in between. Bridges, spires and buildings populated by the busy-bodies below at work. Steam billowing into the sky as engines fuelling the city produced power.
Ed unpacked his own lunch, sourdough and kipper sandwich, a personal favourite of his.
"I think I saw the Slayers latest kill today" said Ed abruptly.
Freya's head whipped around as horror filled her face, "you saw the Slayer kill?!"
Ed furled his brows, "no, of course I didn't actually see him. I was passing by on the train, saw a house with a bunch of policemen being sick outside it, a woman screaming and crying, a mob forming. Shouting about the Slayer."
Freya sighed, "you scared me for a second there, jeez," she turned her attention back to her food. "I hope the murdering stops soon."
Scoffing the final piece of his sandwich, Ed hoisted himself to his feet, "so, you know that trick you showed me last time? Check this out."
Closing his eyes and concentrating on his source, Ed entered a trance-like state, gathering mana into his legs. Having completed his preparation, with precision and speed, Ed hopped forward, placing his foot on the rail in front of him and from the ball of his foot, burst upward into the air. He wasn't very advanced with magic, nor had he been learning very long, but he'd become enthralled in its practice. Rising 10 metres into the air, at the pinnacle of his leap, the wind fell silent as he maintained focus. Upon landing softly, without a sound, his knees bent fully from absorbing the impact, Ed turned to face the girl in his company.
Gleefully Freya clapped, laughed and whistled, "you finally did it! I'm so happy for you!"
"Right! I thought about what you said about maintaining a constant stream of mana and working it like a yoyo and then I got it," he replied.
"See, I told you, I'm a great teacher," said Freya, smug with herself.
"It wasn't easy, your analogy about the yoyo was a bit off, but I made it work. Mana carries you up, then settles you down, right?"
Freya pouted, visibly disapproving of Ed's criticism of her teaching methods.
Ed addressed her displeased manner, "don't get moody on me now, you know as well as I do how cryptic a yoyo analogy is to explain mana control. Just be happy for me, okay."
"Fine, you did good, well done" she reluctantly stated.
Neither one of them could recall when it happened but for a while now, Ed had been receiving second-hand tutelage from Freya on mana control and execution. He'd never told her, or his colleagues for that matter, but it had become handy with his job. A physically challenging day was always made easier when mana was involved. Speedy deliveries and even speedier muscle recovery.
Using mana to enhance his physical abilities only provided a subtle uplift since he'd only just started learning, but in the evenings when he was tired and his legs were sore, he'd practice circulating mana through his body.
Ed enjoyed its practice for two reasons. It improved his control, but it also meant that he'd be able to work almost twice as hard on the job.
Ed had grasped the basic principles of mana control and applied it to physical magic a while ago now, but only recently had he been able to exert it at such intensity. Having mana form into a spell through memorised principles was easier than the physical application of it.
Creating enchantments, charms, spells and the sorts followed set instructions that mana adhered to, such as chants or texts, but physical enhancement required a more acute control within oneself. In short, more skill, more discipline.
"Hey… Ed." Freya lay down her food, placed her hands on the railing and cushioned her chin. "Do you think it's right that parents get to decide their kids' futures?"
"Not a problem for me, remember? Never knew mine."
"You know that's not what I mean," her eyes narrowed.
Broaching the subject didn't sway Ed in any way, he just enjoyed messing with Freya.
"I suppose since I've never had that be a part of my life, if someone was to magically sweep in and tell me I can't choose my own future, I'd be beside myself," Ed leaned into the railing, looking out at nothing in particular. "But I think, knowing you have a family that wants you to succeed in your future would also be nice."
"It would be nice if it were for me, rather than for their own aspirations."
Ed turned to Freya, sensing the sadness in her voice, it was a sadness he'd heard before when she spoke of her family.
A moment passed, no words uttered, everything was still. Seagulls flew, boat horns blared, the wind ceased its wisp. Freya took a deep breath, turned to Ed and prepared to break the silence.
Ed could sense what was coming, he knew the day would come at some point. From what little she divulged, she'd always toiled with her family obligations and Ed was aware upper-class families were obsessed with that sort of stuff.
"You're smart Ed, I know you've probably figured it out by now."
He huffed as he slouched and turned to face her, "Military or Engineering?"
It made sense. Her vast knowledge of magic wasn't something that could be self-taught and no one is tutored to the extent Freya was without reason. Military or engineering, it was one of the two and given Freya's gifts with practical magic application, it wouldn't be the latter.
"Military."
'Damn'
"Yeah but you don't want to, right? I mean, that's how this entire friendship started. My grandfather, you and your family drama," he took a step toward Freya. "It's what you've been trying to decide this entire time and you've made it blatantly clear which you'd prefer. Just refuse them."
"More complicated than simple family drama. You don't understand. I've already committed myself now, there's no turning back."
Ed pleaded, "yeah, but you can run away, surely? Dammit, you can live with me if you really want to, but we both know this isn't what you want--"
"I'm being deployed in two days."
And just like that, he became the same Ed that she'd met the evening his grandfather died. Afraid, fearful of the impending loneliness he knew would consume him. Freya was his closest friend, his lifeline in many ways. There was no one at home for him, his parents died when he was young and he was raised by his grandfather, Alden.
Alden came from money, enough to buy a nice house, start a small business in a new city and still live comfortably, but not the amount needed to own and maintain a country estate or anything like that. The house was left to Ed, but it always felt too big for him, even when there were two of them. Nowadays it just felt twice as big as it used to.
"Where?" he asked.
"Denmark. Liaising for Britannia with the Norse Alliance forces to protect the border."
'Double damn.'
"Dammit, Freya," he was mad with her, with the military, but all he could express was sorrow. "That's your first deployment? The Roman Empire has been trying to take that peninsula for a decade, half of the people who go there either don't come back or come back with holes in their bodies and their souls. Bit much, no?"
Freya stood, approached Ed, her hand reaching out for him.
"You've seen what I can do. What I know. I'm strong and my family have made sure the military values that strength," she squeezed his arm. "I won't be the same person you knew, but we'll see each other again, I can promise you that."
It was a miracle that Denmark had been held for so long, the border of it was a vicious warfield. The Danish peninsula was the gateway to greater Scandinavia and Rome had been pining for it since the fall of the Francia Republic to the south almost a century earlier.
Ed's concern for Freya was completely valid. He'd seen worse reactions when soldiers were leaving the city from relatives, friends and spouses alike, regardless of whether their destination was Denmark or Francia.
There was no point arguing, he wanted to but he just couldn't do it. Ed understood Freya had made her decision, he wanted to respect it, no matter how difficult it was going to be. So, he hugged her, knowing it would probably be the last time he could for a while. Ed couldn't control whether Freya left or not, that's her choice, but he could control how they left things.
"Write to me when you can, please."
She lay her head against his chest, "You didn't even need to ask."
For what little time they had left, they sat and enjoyed their lunch, the view and the spring sun warming their skin. When it was time to go, they hugged one more time.
"When you get back, I'm gonna be stronger, maybe even stronger than you," said Ed.
"Yeah right, you're still 20 years of my strength, at least."
"Well, don't go getting yourself killed and I'll prove you wrong, alright?"
Freya chuckled slightly, "whatever you say."
When they locked the door, Freya went to the right at the bottom of the steps. She was going toward the sky deck, maybe to meet someone else, a friend, a family member. Ed turned in the other direction, on his way to the bottom floor, where the guild HQ was. They waved one last time and turned their backs, hoping soon, they'd seen each other again.