[hider=Charlotte Flashback][color=lightgray][h1][b][color=red][center]FLASHBACK[/center][/color][/b][/h1]
[center][h3][b][color=D0B4EC]1723[/color][/b][/h3][/center]

The train rumbled through the countryside toward Veirmont, the setting sun streaking gold across the plush seats and polished wood.

Six-year-old Charlotte Vikena, perched on her knees on the seat, was peering determinedly over the edge of the window, her hands gripping the sill as her nose pressed against the glass. Her blue eyes sparkled as they darted over rolling hills and distant farmhouses, taking in every detail.

[b][color=D0B4EC]“I do believe we are going entirely too slow,”[/color][/b] she proclaimed into the glass, her voice slightly muffled. With a huff, she twisted to face her father with indignation, [b][color=D0B4EC]“Papa, we [i]must[/i] tell the conductor to go faster.”[/color][/b]

Before anyone could reply, she sprang to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Buttercup is all alone! He’s probably so, soooo sad!”[/color][/b] The defiance in her tone was only matched by the sheer heartbreak she imagined her beloved beagle was enduring in her absence.

Walter Vikena sat across from her, looking as rakish and amused as always. His hazel eyes sparkled with mischievous warmth as if they held the secret to every joke worth telling. Brown, tousled hair framed his face with an unruly elegance. [b][color=8882be]“Ah, but my dearest Lottie,”[/color][/b] He drawled dramatically, leaning forward as if he were about to reveal a grand secret, [b][color=8882be]“Do you know what happens if a train goes too fast?”[/color][/b]

Charlotte’s eyes widened, intrigued despite herself. [b][color=D0B4EC]“What?”[/color][/b] she whispered.


Walter glanced around as if making sure no one was listening, then gasped dramatically. [b][color=8882be]“It takes off.”[/color][/b] He then gestured with both hands like a bird taking off, grinning ear to ear.

Charlotte blinked in disbelief and repeated, [i][b][color=D0B4EC] “Takes off?”[/color][/b][/i]

[b][color=8882be]“Yes!” [/color][/b] he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly and spreading his arms wide. [b][color=8882be]“Straight into the sky! Pfft—like a bird! Off it goes! Whoosh! And then we shall be riding the train among the clouds, dodging wayward geese and sky pirates.”[/color][/b]  He waggled his brows. [b][color=8882be]“I, for one, forgot my parachute, so I really must insist we keep it at a reasonable speed.”[/color][/b]

Charlotte gasped, [i][b][color=D0B4EC]“Sky pirates?!”[/color][/b][/i]

[b][color=8882be]“Indeed. I fought one once.”[/color][/b] Walter sighed wistfully, shaking his head. [b][color=8882be]“Lost a hat that day. Fine hat, too. Tragic.”[/color][/b]

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He was lying. She knew it, but it was a good lie. [b][color=D0B4EC]“I want to fight sky pirates.”[/color][/b] She crossed her arms defiantly.

[b][color=8882be]“You?” [/color][/b] Walter grinned. [b][color=8882be]“Little Lottie versus the most feared sky pirate of the seven winds? Oh no, too dangerous.”[/color][/b] He tsked, shaking his head.

[b][color=D0B4EC]“He would lose.”[/color][/b] She declared matter of factly. Her brows rose as if she were challenging the man here and now, [b][color=D0B4EC]“Then I’d be the best sky pirate ever!”[/color][/b] Charlotte tossed her dark curls back, sitting up tall.



Walter let out an overly dramatic gasp and grabbed his chest as if he’d just been mortally wounded.

Emina Vikena, sitting beside them with a gentle, knowing smile, turned the page of her book. [b][color=a38ddf]“Walter, do try not to recruit our daughter into piracy before she’s even finished her elementary studies.”[/color][/b]

Walter turned toward Emina with a mischievous grin, [b][color=8882be]“Elementary studies are important, of course,”[/color][/b] he said, leaning back in his seat with a flourish, [b][color=8882be]“but imagine how impressive her resume will be with [i]Sky Pirate Queen[/i] listed under her achievements. I’m just saying, it’s forward-thinking.”[/color][/b]

Emina chuckled softly, closing her book for a moment to give him a pointed look. [b][color=a38ddf]“And I’m just saying, perhaps we aim for something a bit more grounded first. Like arithmetic.”[/color][/b]

Walter sighed dramatically, waving a hand. [b][color=8882be]“Arithmetic, smarithmetic. Fractions won’t help when she’s fighting rogue airships.”[/color][/b]

Emina rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the affectionate smile tugging at her lips. [b][color=a38ddf]“You’re impossible, Walter.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=8882be]“Impossible? No, no, my darling Emina.”[/color][/b] Walter slid over to her side of the carriage with the grace of a man who could charm the moon from the sky. He knelt dramatically before her, taking her hand in his as if she were a queen being serenaded. [b][color=8882be]“I am but a [i]man[/i]... bound by fate, cursed with [i]devastating[/i] charm, and… utterly helpless in the presence of your beauty.”[/color][/b]

Emina’s laughter was soft but genuine as she tried to pull her hand back. [b][color=a38ddf]“Walter, the children—”[/color][/b]


[b][color=D0B4EC]“What about the children?”[/color][/b] Charlotte piped up, clearly delighted by her parents’ exchange. She hopped down from her seat, placing her hands on her hips and looking between them with an exaggerated air of authority. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Mama, you should listen to him.”[/color][/b]

Walter turned to Charlotte with an exaggerated look of gratitude. [b][color=8882be]“Ah, my loyal first mate! Thank you for your support. Together, we’ll rule the skies!”[/color][/b]

Emina sighed, shaking her head with exasperation, though the corners of her lips betrayed her amusement. [b][color=a38ddf]“You’re both incorrigible…”[/color][/b] She reached out, brushing a curl away from Charlotte’s face before turning to Walter with a small, knowing smile. Leaning over, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek and straightened his slightly askew cravat. [b][color=a38ddf]“I am simply saying we should keep her grounded in reality. You’ll have her saying such things so often, that some might tell us to send her to the sanatorium.”[/color][/b]

Walter stared as if betrayed and retorted with playful indignation, [b][color=8882be]“Next, you’ll be suggesting we don’t let her design her own pirate flag!”[/color][/b]

Charlotte’s face lit up. [b][color=D0B4EC]“A pirate flag! BLUE! And Buttercup’s face! So everyone knows it’s mine!”[/color][/b] She raised her fists triumphantly in the air. [b][color=D0B4EC]“And everyone will know I’m coming! For [i]ALL[/i] the gold! Even the biggest, shiniest ones!!”[/color][/b]

Emina pressed a hand to her temple, laughing softly despite herself. [b][color=a38ddf]“Walter, I swear, one of these days—”[/color][/b]

But before she could finish, the compartment door slid open with a sudden clatter, and Gideon stumbled inside, his arms laden with a balanced pile of plates. 

[b][color=Burlywood]“Blueberry scones!”[/color][/b] he announced triumphantly as he wobbled down the aisle. [b][color=Burlywood]“And they’re still warm—Wally, you have to try one. They’re—”[/color][/b]


His sentence was cut off as the train jolted, and he barely managed to steady himself, plates teetering in his grasp. Walter leaned back casually, one leg crossed over the other, and watched the scene unfold with amusement

[b][color=8882be]“Oh Giddy! Bestow me a [i]SCONE[/i]!” [/color][/b] Walter’s voice took on a singsong quality as he had suddenly bellowed.

Charlotte, ever her father’s daughter, tilted her head and gave Gideon a sweet, overly innocent smile. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Uncle Gideon, did you bring Mama and I a plate too, or just Papa?”[/color][/b]

Walter’s grin widened, [b][color=8882be]“Clearly, Gideon’s here to profess his undying love for me through baked goods.”[/color][/b] He leaned toward Gideon, fluttering his lashes exaggeratedly. [b][color=8882be]“It’s alright, Gideon. You can admit it. We all know.”[/color][/b]

Gideon groaned, rolling his eyes as he carefully set the plates down on the small table between them. [b][color=Burlywood]“Walter, I hate to break your heart, but the scones aren’t for you.”[/color][/b] He smirked and handed a plate to Charlotte. [b][color=Burlywood]“They’re for your daughter. You know, the person who actually deserves them.”[/color][/b]

Walter did another of his theatrical gasps, slamming his hands on the table, [b][color=8882be]“Betrayed by my dearest friend! I thought we had something special. The stolen glances, the lingering moments—”[/color][/b]

[b][color=Burlywood]“Stolen glances?”[/color][/b] Gideon interrupted with a raised brow, barely holding back his laughter. [b][color=Burlywood]“Walter, the last time I looked at you for too long, it was because you had jam on your chin and refused to wipe it off.”[/color][/b]


[b][color=8882be]“Ah, yes,”[/color][/b] Walter sighed. [b][color=8882be]“That was a test of our bond, Giddy. And you failed.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=Burlywood]“You’re just upset because I’m taller.”[/color][/b] Gideon shot back, wiping his hands on a napkin.

Walter scoffed. [b][color=8882be]“Taller? By what, half an inch?”[/color][/b]

[b][color=Burlywood]“Two inches.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=8882be]“That’s debatable.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=Burlywood]“It’s really not.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=8882be]“I think the sun is warping my perception—”[/color][/b]

[b][color=Burlywood]“You’re just in denial.”[/color][/b]

[b][color=8882be]“Am not."[/color][/b]

Gideon smirked. [b][color=Burlywood]“Face it, Wally. Some men are just born to reach the top shelf, and some are destined to ask for help.”[/color][/b]

Charlotte cackled, clapping her hands. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Uncle Giddy wins!”[/color][/b]


Walter looked to Emina for support. [b][color=8882be]“Do you see what I endure? This cruelty? This [i]public humiliation[/i]?”[/color][/b]

Emina, who had been quietly enjoying a scone, simply patted his arm. [b][color=a38ddf]“Yes, dear. It’s tragic.”[/color][/b]

Walter sighed, utterly defeated, while Gideon smirked in victory and reached for a scone.

Then the door slid open again, this time with a sharp [i]thwack[/i] as Duchess Victoria stormed in, napkin in hand and fire in her eyes. [b][color=F0E399]“Gideon Edwards!”[/color][/b] she snapped, pointing the napkin at him like a weapon. [b][color=F0E399]“You left me and the children alone with that insufferable Lord Smith! He tried to explain his damn hat collection to us for twenty minutes! ”[/color][/b] She marched up to him and swatted his arm with the napkin. [b][color=F0E399]“And here you are, flirting with fucking [i]Duke Vikena[/i] again!”[/color][/b]

Walter barked out a laugh, leaning forward with both hands on his knees. 

Charlotte tugged on Victoria’s skirt with a mischievous grin. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Don’t worry. If Papa marries Uncle Giddy, you can come with us to be sky pirates. We’ll need someone to boss around the geese!”[/color][/b]

Even Emina couldn’t contain her laughter at that, covering her mouth with her hand as her shoulders shook. Victoria’s mouth opened and closed as if trying to form a response. Finally, she let out an exasperated huff and swatted Walter again with her napkin.

Before she could withdraw it, Walter leaned forward with unexpected speed, catching the corner of the napkin in his teeth. He let out an exaggerated growling noise, shaking his head like an unruly dog playing tug-of-war.

Victoria yelped in outrage, pulling back with no small amount of force, but the sheer ridiculousness of it caused even her resolve to falter. Her indignant glare softened ever so slightly as her lips twitched—whether in anger or reluctant amusement was unclear.

Across from her, Gideon’s expression was different. As the chaos unfolded, his lips curled into a quiet smile, subtle yet unmistakably warm. His eyes brightened ever so slightly as his gaze lingered. Just a second too long. A moment filled with something softer, something unspoken.

And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Gideon’s usual composed demeanor returned as he shook his head and murmured under his breath, still smiling. [b][color=Burlywood]“Idiot.”[/color][/b]
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