Chapter 2: A New World

When the airship from Sadal Suud arrived, the Iron Beetle factory workers elected Ena's father to be their spokesperson, and went together to receive their share of the shipment. They had been given a team of prancers, several pows, a dozen fantail ducklings, and an assortment of seeds, as well as instructions on how to care for it all. They set out within the week, accompanied by a handful of imperial soldiers ordered to protect their caravan and show them the way to their new home, Altair Valley, across Nihal Desert.

As elected headsperson, Ena's father drove the prancer cart that held the caged ducklings, seed, and the villagers' valuables that hadn't been stored in magnus. It was Ena and another girl's, Taite's, job to herd the pows through the desert; although there were only a few of them, it was difficult for the inexperienced shepherds. Once, Ena fell asleep while on watch and when she woke she had sand in her long brown hair and all the pows had wandered off. She and Taite searched frantically for them, until they found them just over a dune, corralled by a lone oliphant. As they urged them back towards the group, Ena noted that the oliphant was surprisingly good at herding and encouraged it to come along.

After several days under the rocky desert mountains, they finally reached the outerlands, the area surrounding the fallen island. Ena had spent her childhood in the dusty city of Azha and moved to Mintaka after her mother was killed in a mining accident; she never could have imagined that a place like this existed. She stopped in her tracks as she watched the waist-high grass sway in the breeze. It was almost taller than Mora, and the pows chewed at it gratefully. Ena noticed the oliphant hesitating at the edge of the sand. She called after it and pointed towards the pows, who were disappearing into the grass. The oliphant seemed alarmed and ran after them. Ena smiled and followed him into the sea of grass.

The next day, the caravan turned and began to head towards the end of the mountain range. "Mama, I'm tired," Mora whined, tramping down the grass. "When are we going to get there?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Kalia replied.

Just then, a soldier walked up to the prancer cart and began to talk to Ena's father. "On the other side of the mountain range, a little way up, is an empty building we used as a base while we were exploring this area," Ena heard him say. "You should find provisions and building materials there, as we stockpiled them before we left. The emperor suggests you use this building as a meeting place, and construct the village around it. At your current pace, you should arrive by nightfall tomorrow. It is time for my troops and I to return to Mintaka."

"Thank you for all your help," Ena's father replied as the soldier blew his whistle and motioned for his troops to regroup and turn around.

The caravan came upon the outpost near dusk the next day. It was made of cob, a sturdy mixture of sand, straw, and clay, and thatched with grass from the plain they had just crossed. The settlers opened the heavy wooden doors and found a large main hall, with three smaller rooms on either side. The back four were filled with the building materials and provisions the officer had mentioned; the front two were empty. Ena's father had her unharness the prancers and lead them to one of the empty rooms while he and the other men unloaded the cart. Taite and the oliphant herded the pows into the other empty room. When the two girls met in the hall, they shared a sigh of relief that their journey was over, and returned to their families.

That first night, everyone slept in the main hall. In her family's corner, Ena had a hard time falling asleep. The dirt floor was hard and the noises of the country were so different from the ones she was used to; no steam gushed out of jets in the wall, no soldiers marched by outside, only crickets chirped and bugs buzzed. Eventually, however, exhaustion set in and sleep did find her.

Ena got up with her stepmother and helped her prepare breakfast. After eating, she stepped outside with her father to survey the area. In the morning light, the building looked quaint against the mountainside, which sheltered it on two sides. The grass here was shorter, and higher up was a band of apple trees, which stretched along the mountain range. Nearby, a clear, shallow stream trickled down from the mountain peak. Ena followed its path with her eyes; it went down through the valley below, ever widening, until she could no longer see it. She shivered; it was certainly cooler on this side of the mountain. What a strange land, she thought. Grass as tall as children, trees, no sand, and water aplenty. But maybe we can survive here on our own after all.

The next months were busy times. The villagers built a barn, a coop, and a corral with plenty of room for their herds to grow, they began tilling the dark, rich soil of the valley, and they helped each other build new homes, all the while diminishing the stockpiled supplies. It wasn't easy, but the whole town felt proud of what they had accomplished.

Unfortunately, just as they became accustomed to the area's unfamiliar climate, the seasons began to change. Since the nation had been floating above the rotating earth for so long, no one in Alfard could have predicted what was to come. As the temperature dropped, the stream began to shrink and slow, and snow collected on the mountain tops. When the wheat was almost ready to be harvested, it froze and died in the ground. The ruined harvest was fed to the animals, which grew fat while the villagers grew thin. Not all of the crops were lost though; those that grow under the ground, such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes survived to replenish the village's food stores.

Ena shook the snow off her boots as she stepped inside her new cob home, grateful for the fire's warmth after a long, cold day looking after the pows. The oliphant she had named Ollie came in after her, and sprinted straight for the hearth. "That damn emperor," Ena began, "trying to freeze and starve us to death!"

"Ena!" Kalia said, shooting her a look of disapproval while continuing to stir their meager supper.

"It's alright, Kalia. Let her say what she wants to, as long as it's her honest opinion," said her father, who had just come in behind her. "Nobody could have predicted that this would happen though, you do know that don't you?" he asked Ena.

"Yes," she admitted. "But still!"

He chuckled as he sat down. "Alright, let's eat!"

The industrious village of Altair survived its first winter, but just barely. When the stream began to thaw, Ena's father rode one of the prancers to Mintaka to report to the emperor on how the village had fared the unexpected weather change. He returned a week later with fresh supplies and more seed to try the ground again. Their second year proved more fruitful than the first; their herds grew, and the villagers now had fresh pow milk and duck eggs to supplement their diets, as well as a baby prancer to care for. Kalia also found out she was pregnant again. This year, the wheat was ready for harvest before the first freeze, and, although they were a long way from feeding the empire, they had some extra to take to Mintaka to sell. That winter, while just as cold, was much easier than the last one.

When spring came again, Ena's father went to Mintaka again to deliver another report to the emperor. One day, not long after he returned, Ena was walking to the barn with Ollie to milk the pows when she noticed one of the men tilling the fields looking at her. She recognized him as another former factory worker's child, Asher. His green eyes met her blue ones, and he smiled as she blushed. Ena turned her face to the dewy grass and hurried on towards the barn.

That afternoon as the pows were grazing peacefully in the valley, Taite came to relieve Ena from her duty. The two girls had grown close over the past two years, and Ena mentioned the encounter she had this morning to her. "Oh, Ena!" Taite giggled. "How cute!"

"What? What's cute?" Ena said.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't understand," Taite replied. Ena didn't say anything. "Well, I'll just say that it's about time you found a boyfriend!"

"What?!" Ena screeched, startling the pows, who soon resumed their grazing. "No way, it is not like that! I don't even know him! I mean, he just looked at me…" Ena trailed off. She plopped down on the grass, confused.

Taite sat down beside her. "Just think about it, mkay?" she said with a wink. "He might start to grow on you." The girl giggled at something, but Ena didn't understand what.

"But what should I do?" Ena asked. She knew Taite had at least some experience with boys.

"Nothing!" Taite replied lightheartedly. "The easiest way to get a guy to like you is to ignore him. But if he tries to talk to you, don't run away!" Ena squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of Taite's advice. Seeing she was having some trouble understanding, Taite added, "Listen, guys only want one thing, and they want it more when they think they can't have it. And the more they want it," she continued, "the more they're willing to do for it. See how that works?"

Ena nodded. She felt like she understood that at least."But what do they want?" she asked.

Taite giggled again. "Oh Ena…" was all she said.

Ena stood up. "Well, thanks for the advice," she said, and headed back home.

The next morning, Ena noticed Asher working in the fields again, and slowed her step to get a good look at him. She watched the muscles in his arms as he raised the hoe, and watched his light hair come down over his eyes whenever he let the hoe fall. He stood up to wipe his brow, saw her looking at him, and a smile came over his freckled face. He is kind of cute, Ena thought. In a little boy way though! she quickly added as she took off toward the barn once again.

At lunchtime, Ena sat down beneath a tree not far from the grazing pows. Halfway through her mountain apple and pow cheese, she saw a figure approaching from the village. Thinking it was Taite, Ena paid it no mind. It wasn't until he was nearly upon her that she noticed it was Asher. Oh gods, what do I do? Ena panicked. Nothing, that's what Taite said, right? She watched the boy as he approached, and stood up to smooth her skirts once he was within speaking range.

"Hey," Asher said awkwardly. "How're the pows?"

The boy was nearly a foot taller than she, so she had to look up at him when she replied. "Umm… They're fine." She paused. "Eria just had her litter, so she's still in the barn, but the rest of them are fine," she added.

Ena noticed Asher's eyes seemed to sparkle when he laughed. "I didn't know they had names," he said.

"Umm, yeah. That one's Afon, that one's Meilyr, that one's Sayer, and that one's Guto," she said pointing them all out. "Taite and I haven't named any of the new piglets yet."

Asher shifted his weight to the other foot. "Speaking of Taite, do you think you could meet me at the stream once she comes to take over?"

'Don't run away,' Ena remembered Taite saying. She managed an "O-okay."

Asher grinned. "See you then!" he said as he hurried away.

When Taite heard what Ena had agreed to, she squealed just like the pows. "I'm so excited for you!" she said. "Tomorrow you have to tell me everything that happens, okay? Now go, don't keep him waiting too long!"

Ena smiled nervously at her feet as she headed towards the stream. She heard the running water and looked up to see Asher smiling at her. He strode over to her, and took her arm in his. "I was hoping we could go for a walk together this afternoon," he said.

"Oh, I've been on my feet all day," Ena complained. She saw the smile fall from his face. She didn't want to disappoint him; it was the first time any guy had asked her out, so she quickly added, "so maybe just a short one, okay?"

The light returned to his eyes as he looked down at her and nodded. "I'll take what I can get!"

The two of them walked along the stream, past the fields where Asher worked, past the hill where Taite was watching the pows, and into the sea of grass. They were holding hands now; his strong one entwined with her gentle one. As they walked, Asher talked about how they were trying three different types of wheat this year, to see which one would do best. Ena responded quietly when appropriate, and replayed her conversation with Taite from the day before in her head. After a while, they came upon a break in the grass, in the middle of which was a single, stunted tree. "Would you like to rest for a while?" Asher asked.

"Yes please," Ena said, relieved. As they sat against the tree, Ena removed her boots; her feet felt like they were on fire.

"You're just not afraid to make yourself comfortable, are you?" Asher chuckled.

I guess I should have left my boots on, she thought.

"You are so cute when you blush," Asher said as he scooted next to her so their outstretched legs were touching. Seeing that she didn't flinch at this, he put his arm around her, and gently pulled her closer to him so that her head was on his shoulder. Ena tensed at first, unsure of what to do, but then relaxed as she remembered to do nothing. They sat like this for a while, watching the grass sway around them. Ena closed her eyes, and may have fallen asleep, had it not been for a hand on her chin and a pressure on her lips. Ena sat up, startled, and looked at the boy. He moved a piece of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear, then brought his hand back to her chin, pulled her mouth to his, and gently kissed her again.

When he released her this time she was breathless, whether from excitement or nervousness, she couldn't tell. She quickly scooted away and began to put her boots on, glancing over to catch a glimpse of Asher's wounded face. "I should probably be getting home," she murmured, standing up.

The boy composed himself and stood up as well. "Alright," he said. "May I walk you home?" Ena nodded, and the two silently returned the way they had come. When they got to Ena's house, Asher paused. "I'm sorry about that," he said. Ena didn't reply. "If it's alright with you though, maybe we could go on a walk again some other time?" he asked hopefully.

That was actually really nice, Ena thought. "I'd like that," she said, smiling.

Warning! The next chapter contains quite a few adult themes, which in my effort to follow the rule of 'show, don't tell,' may be disturbing to some younger readers. I will provide a brief (clean) summary of what happens at the beginning of the fourth chapter, so feel free to skip it if you want to.