Chapter 2: History Lesson
Regina smiled as her father's carriage with its entourage left the family estate and set off for the border separating the Enchanted Forest from Fantasia. After they had ridden about half a mile, Regina's father looked up from the parchment that he was studying, and said, "You're probably wondering why your mother relented so easily when you asked her if you could accompany me on my inspection tour of our Kingdom's border. Why do you think that she did this, daughter?"
"I'm just glad that mother allowed me to come with you, daddy," said Regina with a glowing smile. "Magister Murgatroyd's lessons can be sooooo bo-ring!"
Prince Henry laughed, if a bit nervously, and said, "Indeed they can be, Regina. Indeed they can be. Why, I remember attending his lessons when I was your age. I take it that his methods of teaching have yet to improve?"
"His lessons always put me to sleep!" said Regina.
Prince Henry sighed. "And yet, sadly, as boring as Magister Murgatroyd's lessons may be, they are no less important." More seriously, he added, "And you have not answered my question, young lady . . . ."
Regina could not remember seeing her father so serious when it was just the two of them together. Regina took a moment to collect her thoughts, and said, "Is it because wherever it is that we are going has something to do with the lesson that I was supposed to have, today?"
"Very good, Regina," said Prince Henry nodding. "We're going to inspect the border that separates our Kingdom from the Realm of Fantasia. And the state of relations between our two lands was, indeed, the subject of Magister Murgatroyd's lesson for today.
"And now, what do you know about the state of relations between The Kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest and Fantasia?"
Regina said, "We once fought a war, long, long ago, and neither side was victorious. Now there's a treaty between our lands that has lasted for nearly a thousand years."
"Indeed, Regina," said Prince Henry. "And what do we know about the Realm of Fantasia?"
"Very little," said Regina. "We've had no regular contact with Fantasia since then. No trade or exchange of ambassadors. Mother says that we have a magic mirror that allows us to contact the Childlike Empress of Fantasia in case of emergencies. But we've said nothing to each other since The War ended except for the regularly scheduled tests to make sure the mirrors' spell still works."
"Quite so," said Prince Henry, suitably impressed by his daughter's knowledge. "And what else do you know of the terms of the treaty between our Kingdoms?"
"Our Kingdoms are separated by a strip of densely forested land that is three-miles wide, with a river running through the center. On each side of the forest, there is a strip of cleared land about a mile wide. We're using ours for farmland, and we assume that the Fantasians are using theirs for the same purpose."
"And are you able to tell me the purpose of this five-mile wide Demilitarized Zone, Regina?"
"It's to make it more difficult for one side to make a surprise attack against the other without them knowing in advance."
"And . . . ?"
"And I . . . I don't know what else, daddy . . . ."
Prince Henry said, "The combination of the tall trees in the forested zone and the distance between us prevents either side from spying on the other. Both sides are forbidden by the treaty to spy on each other with magical means. And both sides are forbidden by the treaty to erect any kind of watchtower capable of seeing over the border and into each other's lands.
"Now, for nearly a thousand years, this arrangement has worked well enough. But a few years ago, something happened in Fantasia that has given us some . . . cause for . . . concern."
Regina nodded. "Some kind of magic had engulfed Fantasia, and was approaching the Enchanted Forest. I heard mother talking about it. But she wouldn't tell me anything else."
Prince Henry shook his head. "We have no idea what had happened in Fantasia, Regina. Your mother thinks that the Fantasians may have been testing a new, magical weapon; something she referred to as, "The Dark Curse," and that it got out of control for a while before being reigned back in; for it vanished as abruptly as it had begun."
"Did we try to use the mirror to Fantasia to ask them what had happened?"
"We did, Regina. Your mother had used the mirror to contact Fantasia's Childlike Empress to ask her what had happened. But your mother never got to speak with the Empress. Instead, the Empress' spokesperson, a being named Chiron, replied by reading a terse, prepared statement, that stated that they ". . . had a 'situation,' in Fantasia that is now 'under control,' and that it 'presents no threat' to the Kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest." They refused to answer any of our questions, and basically told us to not contact them about it, ever again."
"Do you think that it was some kind of magic spell that they plan to use against us, daddy?"
"The truth is, Regina, we just don't know. And that has your mother worried. Ever since whatever it was that almost caused Fantasia to disappear had happened, the rulers of the Enchanted Forest Kingdoms have wanted to know what is going on in Fantasia; especially since the Fantasians have so-far refused to reply to any of our not unreasonable queries."
"Is that why mother let me come with you, daddy?" said Regina. "Does she want me to try to talk with Fantasia's Child Empress, girl-to-girl, to find out what happened?"
Prince Henry smiled and shook his head. "The Empress of Fantasia is the Childlike Empress, Regina. She may look like a young girl even as you are. But she is much, much older.
"No, Regina, your mother wanted you to come along to better appreciate the situation that our Kingdom faces with regards to the Realm of Fantasia. And what we plan to do about it."
"What do you mean?"
"Regina, our scholars may have found a way for us to espy the lands of Fantasia beyond the DMZ without resorting to magic or building a watchtower in violation of the treaty."
"But how can we do that?"
Prince Henry smiled nervously, and replied, "When we arrive at our destination in another few hours, all will become clear . . . ."
When Prince Henry's entourage finally arrived at their destination, Regina stepped out of her father's carriage, and stared wide-eyed in amazement at the sight that greeted her.
At first it looked like a large, high round tent, but what a tent!
It was nothing less than massive, and it towered as high as any castle turret that Regina had ever seen. It was dyed light blue-grey and shaped like an upside-down teardrop, with a small opening where the point facing the ground should have been. The opening was surrounded with a woven, ring-shaped wicker basket and the whole thing was held up over a large fire pit by thin rods. An iron flue directed the heat of the fire into the fabric teardrop, keeping the roaring flames away from the circular basket and the fabric itself.
As this was going on, a scholar was speaking with Regina's father, guiding them closer to the towering object. As they got closer, Regina saw soldiers adding more wood to the fire as other soldiers were operating several large bellows that were surrounding the stone fire pit, encouraging the fire to burn hotter and hotter as with a blacksmith's forge.
Off to the side, still more soldiers were winding rope around a massive windless of the type used to raise and lower drawbridges in castles. But the amount of rope being wound had to be miles long – far more than was needed to raise and lower a drawbridge or a portcullis.
Regina also noticed other men attaching thin tubes to the railing of the circular wicker basket that she soon realized were telescopes and more men were attaching what looked like bags of sand onto the sides of the basket attached to the massive bag over the fire pit.
And then Regina gasped in amazement. What she had taken to be thin rods holding up the basket and the large, fabric bag were actually ropes that were straining to hold the basket and bag down! Regina realized that the basket and bag were actually trying to fly away!
"What kind of magic is this . . . ?" said Regina out loud to no one in particular.
"No, daughter, not magic," said Prince Henry. "What you see here is being done by the forces of science."
The scholar then spoke. "Princess Regina, if it pleases you, this conveyance is called a "hot air balloon." It comes from the far-off Land of Oz – a gift from the Wizard of Oz, himself."
Prince Henry added, "The Wizard of Oz is as worried about what recently transpired in Fantasia even as we are. But the Land of Oz is far, far away from the border of Fantasia, so he is not able to use this 'hot air balloon,' himself. Because of this, our two Kingdoms have undertaken this joint-venture to find out what it is that the Childlike Empress of Fantasia is hiding from us. Indeed, the other Enchanted Forest Kingdoms from as far away as Agrabah and Arendelle are also interested in what we may find out, and are cooperating with us in this venture as well."
The scholar continued, "Basically, air that is hot is lighter than the cooler air around it, and so floats skyward, in the manner of smoke and ember rising from a campfire.
"What we do here is to catch the hot air rising from the fire in the fabric envelope, creating sufficient "lift" to carry the balloon, the basket with four men, as well as the tether-rope that anchors the craft to our side of the border, aloft for about a half an hour; before the air within the envelope once again cools to the temperature of the air around it.
"Then, once at the desired altitude, the men shall observe what they may over the border, make drawings, and provide us with our first view of what lies within Fantasia in almost a thousand years!"
Prince Henry said, "And as no magic is used, and no permanent watchtowers are being constructed; our treaty with the Fantasians remains unviolated!" The prince turned to his daughter, and said, "And that's why we are here, Regina – to witness the first flight of our new observation platform."
"This is exciting!" said Regina with girlish glee.
"And the best is yet to come!" added the scholar. "My colleagues and I believe that the day will come when not only will a tether to the ground be unnecessary, but that such a platform may be made dirigible – that is, steerable – and able to travel where it will without being at the mercy of prevailing winds!"
Prince Henry added, "And then, the skies – yes, even the skies above Fantasia - will be ours!"
Regina turned to her father, and said, "Daddy, may I step aboard the basket where the men will ride? I want to feel what it is like to fly without magic!"
"Well, Sweetheart," said Prince Henry. "These men are very busy preparing the balloon for its first mission. It would be best if we were to stand well-out of their way . . . ." But when Regina looked crestfallen, Prince Henry turned to the scholar, who simply shrugged as if to say, "why not?"
"Now, Princess," said the scholar. "You may step aboard the basket and take a quick look around, but I must caution you to not touch anything while you are aboard. Please be brief, Princess; we hope to have the tether cable attached and the final preparations made to be able to make our first flight within the next hour."
Princess Regina nodded solemnly, and then climbed up the stairs to the platform where she could step into the basket that swayed slightly against the ropes restraining it to its place above the fire pit, almost like a small boat at a dock. Regina could feel the heat rising, but was too excited to notice as she stared up at what the scholar had called the "envelope." To Regina's amazement, it was all fabric – there was nothing else inside – not even a framework of thin wood – to hold the envelope's shape. The hot air filling it was doing it all by itself.
Then Regina turned her attention to the basket itself, which was fastened to the envelope by ropes. As Regina looked around, she was impressed by how everything seemed to be designed with the intention of keeping the weight down as much as possible. The telescopes mounted on the basket's railing seemed to be made out of paper, instead of wood or metal, which would be stronger, but much, much heavier. Regina also noticed that no provisions of food or water were being carried. Well, the scholar did say that the balloon's riders would only be airborne for about half an hour, so Regina guessed that such provisions would not be needed.
As Regina walked around the basket, she was vaguely aware that she could feel it moving, no matter how lightly she stepped. But she was so amazed at the novelty of something that people could actually fly without magic that she did not watch her step as well as she should have, and when a light gust of wind caused her to lose her footing, Regina grabbed for a nearby handle that she only saw because it was painted red, and stood out from the light blue color of the balloon.
When Regina caught the handle, she felt the floor of the basket slip out from under her, and fell down. Regina was still gripping the handle tightly as she tried to get back to her feet, only to find that she had a problem getting her balance. Below her, Regina could hear the panicked shouts of men . . . .
Once she managed to stand, Regina then realized that she was about fifty yards up in the air, and going higher and higher.
Below her, on the ground, Regina saw her father, the scholar, and the soldiers moving about as though they were ants. It was then that Regina realized that she must have accidentally launched the balloon when she grabbed for the red handle. Worse, she could see that the tether line mentioned by the scholar had yet to be attached. Near panic, Regina called out to her father on the ground below, wondering if he could even hear her from so high up.
And as Regina called desperately for her father, she thought that she could also hear a boy calling out in panic for his mother . . . .