A massive celebration was going on in Southampton harbor and for the life of her Queen Elizabeth couldn't figure out why. Not that she minded the ruckess. In fact she loved parties as much as the next ship. She was a Vista-class cruise liner for crying out loud. Pomp, dress, fireworks, and fun were part of her everyday life. But at least she knew what those celebrations were about. What was going on now was beyond her. So she turned to the ship beside her.
"Victoria, I don't understand. What's the big celebration about?" She asked. "Why it's to celebrate the return of a Blue Riband winner." The elder replied. "What's the Blue Riband?" Elizabeth asked innocently enough. However Victoria looked shocked. "You don't know what the Blue Riband is?!" She exclaimed. Feeling like she had committed some cardinal sin, Elizabeth sheepishly shook her head. "Well, we'll have to change that now won't we." Victoria sighed. Elizabeth, feeling a bit foolish, turned her attentions back to the celebrations.
The ship of everyone's focus was too brightly colored even for her extreme cruise ship tastes. Her bow had the largest bulb she'd ever see. Although it was more like a knife than a bulb. She seemed friendly enough if a bit overwhelmed by all the attention. Elizabeth knew she would too. She saw Mary come forward and the two chatters. Briefly, Elizabeth felt a bit jealous of her flagship's outgoingness. Elizabeth wasn't shy but she certainly wasn't a socialite. Not like Victoria or Mary. Maybe it was jut because they were older and had more practice. Maybe she should ask them. She filed the question away for the moment as the record ship came towards her.
She offered a friendly greeting, one that Elizabeth returned as did Victoria. Elizabeth noted that her fleetmate stood taller in the record holder's presence and she tried to mimic her. She didn't see how standing straighter helped anything. All of did was strain her back and make her neck ache but she bowed to experience. The other ship noticed this and her eyes twinkled. Elizabeth felt herself flush with embarrassment at the other's laughter. But the other ship said nothing and merely offered a polite dip of her prow before sailing on to her berth.
Mary turned to her fleetmates. "Well did you two enjoy yourselves?" She asked. Elizabeth nodded while Victoria gave her sister a hard stare. "Liz here doesn't know what the Blue Riband is." She said as said ship looked away half in embarrassment, half in annoyance. This "Blue Riband" was an award of some sort but she didn't see how it was that important although her fleetmates certainly thought so. "Well then we must remedy that." Mary said. "What do you know Liz?" "Only that it's an award." Elizabeth replied. "The Riband is an award yes but it's far more than that. It's a very prestigious gift earned by the ship that crosses the Atlantic in the fastest time. You'll hear the term a lot although today it's properly known as the Hales Trophy." "A stupid name." Victoria sniffed. Mary shot her sister a look before continuing.
"There are two versions. One for an eastbound record, and one for a westbound record. Usually a ship that gets one gets the other but the westbound is by far the more difficult and as such is seen as the more prestigious prize." Elizabeth nodded, beginning to understand. Speed was coveted, it made sense there would be an award for it. "Have-" She paused as she considered her question. "Have we ever won it?" She asked. "Yes, quite a few times. Cunard has always been renowned for its speed." Mary replied cheerfully. "Our mother was the last Cunarder to hold it. After her great races with Normandie she kept it until that upstart Yank snatched it from her." Victoria growled. Elizabeth saw Mary glare but it was half-hearted and she swore she heard her mutter "unladylike tramp" under her breath. She giggled. Watching the pair could make for great entertainment sometimes. Not that Elizabeth approved of sibling spats but Mary and Victoria had a way of arguing that made it seem like they were just teasing one another. "So, it's been in the family then?" Elizabeth asked, breaking them up for now. She still had questions after all. "Oh aye. Before her, Mauretania, the first Mauretania mind you, held it." "Now she was a greyhound." Victoria grinned. Mary rolled her eyes but left her sister to her fantasy. She doubted Victoria knew how much she sounds like an awestruck shipling when she did that. Victoria continued.
"Mauretania was Lusitania's twin. I trust you recollect her?" She asked. Elizabeth nodded. She knew enough of Cunard's history to know the infamous liner. "So she..." "She survived the war. Held the Riband for 22 years. That's a record. And when it was taken from her she nearly won it back. Came within 4 hours of it but fog cost her. Still though, she beat her own record by 6." Victoria explained. "When was this?" Elizabeth asked. How had she not heard about this before? She had to know more! "1930 I believe... yeah 1930." "Mauretania was born in 1906... she was 25 years old and beat her own record?!" Elizabeth asked, stunned. Now she really wanted to know more. Breaking records was hard enough at a young age... "As I said, she was a greyhound. People might laugh and call me a mockery of a Cunard ship but I'm proud to be her granddaughter." Victoria smiled. "I didn't know you were..." "Mauretania had the original queens." Mary explained. Elizabeth nodded. That made sense to her. Did that make her related to her fleetmates? Mary and Victoria were obviously Queen Mary's children. But did that make her Queen Elizabeth's? She didn't remember much but she could've sworn she was born before being taken to Scotland. She tried to remember, picture her mother's face. But all she could discern from the cloudiness were a pair of warm garnet eyes and a soft voice that assured her all was safe as long as she could hear it.
"You're thinking too hard." Victoria's voice interrupted her thoughts and she showed her displeasure. Victoria started back from her glare. "Mary what did you do?! You've created an evil twin!" She cried. Mary's sly look was the only warning Victoria for before she replied "I thought I arrays had an evil twin." "Now you're just being mean!" Elizabeth used the argument as a means to slip away quietly. She was amused but not enough to stick around. After all, she had some studying to do before going on a crash diet. She would win the Riband back for Cunard.
Chapter 3: To the Races
Mary found that her mornings were best spent away from the waterfront. The crisp morning breeze brought the fog with it and a thin layer hung over the water. But Mary wasn't bothered. The birds were out singing their joy at the sun's arrival. Mary was bothered however at seeing the one ship she had least expected to see.
Elizabeth was known for a lot of things but an early bird was not one of them. Still, her fellow Cunarder seemed wide awake, focused even on her task. Whatever that was. Elizabeth's course didn't hold straight for long as a series of sharp turns quickly became her hallmark. She crossed over her own wake, deliberately making her turns tighter with each successive turn. Mary had no idea that the smaller ship was that maneuverable. Sure she was smaller but she was a cruise ship, designed more for comfort than brash actions. She was a bit clumsy but otherwise her actions were fluid and flawless. Mary considered herself dully impressed. Still though, the question remained. What was Queen Elizabeth doing? Mary wanted answers.
She started forward but halted in her tracks as Elizabeth suddenly gunned her engines. She put on the power so quickly that her stern dropped a bit somewhat like a speedboat. Her bow clipped through the waves with ease. The sea was churned up from her previous actions and its white froth slapped her sides harshly. Mary noticed how Elizabeth winded at that. But to her fleetmate's credit, she didn't slack her pace. Mary estimated she had to be going close to 27 knots. She slowed only after passing a marker buoy that Mary determined to be some kind of finish line.
Feeling it was safe now to approach, Mary came alongside. She heard Elizabeth muttering. "26, not good enough. Must go faster. She looked up at noticing her fleetmate though. "Hiya Mary." She chirped. "What are you doing?" "Getting into shake. I'm fat and lazy." Elizabeth replied, still cheerful as ever. Mary blinked. "Where'd you hear that? Were the people being mean again?" "No!" She exclaimed. "Well, no more that usual." She looked down, shifting her weight back and forth. It was the same thing that Mary had seen in Victoria when she was nervous. "They're so much alike it's scary sometimes." Mary thought. Sighing, she moved forward and pressed her bow gently to hers. Elizabeth leaned into the contact, offering a soft hum. Her predecessor used to do the same thing and Mary had to force back the memories. "What's wrong?" Damn Elizabeth was just as observant too. Mary forced a smile. "Nothing kiddo. Just, don't push yourself too hard okay?" "I won't!" But Mary had a feeling she would. She suspected she knew what this was about and vowed Victoria would hear about this. Her little sister just couldn't keep her fat mouth shut could she? Going on about Mauretania like she was a goddess. One worshipper was bad enough. Wor-ship... heh... Slapping herself mentally over the head for the pun Mary set off in search of her sibling.
"Must go faster. Must go faster." Elizabeth's chant continued oblivious to her audience. Not too far off but conspicuously hidden amongst the other ships in the harbor sat Mary and Victoria. They watched their fleetmate perform her laps. Both ships did not like she was up to and talked to her about it only for her to sharply rebuke them. Mary had never heard such a shark fine from the usually reserve Elizabeth. "She must really be focused on this." Mary frowned. Elizabeth was becoming more and more like her predecessor every day. When QE2 got an idea in her head, not even the Commodore could stop her. The Cunard flagship had learned the hard way nor to interfere with Queen Elizabeth's plans. She wasn't ready to see if the same rang true for her successor or not.
"Happy now?" She asked her sister. Victoria sighed. "You still think I'm behind it?" She asked. "She's trying to lose weight to go faster. She wants to win the Riband. Now who put that idea into her head hmm?" "I never said she should try it!" Victoria cried. "Like mother like daughter, Victoria. You should've known better." Mary growled. Too late did she realize what she'd said.
"So its true then? Liz did have a child?" Victoria murmured. "Yes. She had her in Dubai and as soon as she was weened..." "Cunard took her." The younger finished with a sigh. "Have you told her?" She asked. Mary shook her head. "She was too young to remember. And she's too young to understand. I went through the exact same thing she did and I don't understand. Don't know how to feel about my mother... I don't want that for her or for Elizabeth. Better for her to live in ignorance." "Well, I won't tell her if that's what you want." Victoria said. "Thank you." Mary sighed but Victoria wasn't finished yet. "On one condition." Mary looked up. "That you tell her before the year is out. Or I will." And with that Victoria sailed off. She was as stubborn as Queen Mary before her. "Like mother like daughter indeed." Mary thought with a light laugh. Still she knew her sister was right.
Elizabeth came up to her, her excersises finished. She was panting hard, hull dark with sweat, foamy in some places. Mary could see she had lost weight. Her ribs were beginning to show through her once chubby flanks. It gave her a lean appearance but Mary knew it was only temporary. Elizabeth would turn herself into a walking skeleton before she admitted defeat. It was just who she was. Mary sighed. "Enjoying yourself?" She asked. "Very. It's invigorating." She replied. "Just be sure to come to me if you need help." Mary said. "I know." Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you Queen Mary." It wasn't often anymore that Elizabeth used her full name and it left the liner staring in shock after her.
The weeks passed and Elizabeth continued her hard workout regime. It was beginning to take it's toll on her. She still performed then but with a style more akin to a gritty harsh performance verses just enjoying herself out there. "You know you can always quit." Mary said. "Can't. Gotta win it." She panted. Mary sighed. Enough was enough. "Elizabeth listen to me, all you're doing is hurting yourself. You are a cruise ship, not an ocean liner. Even if you were out on the trans-Atlantic run you couldn't hope to go at 40 knots. You've achieved 30 and I'm impressed by that. But there's a limit. Be satisfied with what you've achieved." Elizabeth sighed and nodded, conceding defeat. She was too tired now to argue. She leaned on Mary as the older liner took them back to the terminal.
Mary was up with the dawn, ears attuned to the sounds of birds and early motorists. But something seemed different. Mary looked around her, trying to figure out what it was before she looked down at the culprit. The sleeping bundle at her side that was Elizabeth. She'd gotten so used to the liner's early exploits. Elizabeth was snuggled into her side, looking absolutely adorable. Mary smiled. "Rest kiddo." She hummed, nuzzling her. Elizabeth purred at the attention, huddling closer to the bigger ship's side. Mary smiled. All was right with the world.
