A/N: When playing Fable I think of it as a sort of Steam punk themed world and I've tried to incorporate it in this story, so whether you guys like it or ot just comment and let me know. Hope you'e enjoying it so far!

Ren

CHAPTER ONE

The Way Things Were

FOUR YEARS LATER

"Sir Walter! Sir Walter!" came the panicked cries from the hallway leading into the castle kitchen. The man whose name rang out through the stone walls was sitting at the large oak dining table that sat in the centre of the huge kitchen, a rag in one hand and his rifle in the other as he sought to rid every trace of dirt on his precious weapon. The kitchen staff flurried around the old hero in an almost frantic energy, they had to prepare the breakfast and one did not simply keep King Logan waiting.
The sound of hard soles of shoes penetrated the air and it was soon followed by a small yet regally postured man entering the large room, his eyes immediately latching onto the old War-hero sitting at the table.

"Sir Walter there you are! Did you not hear me calling you?" the elderly man asked as he tried to calm his ragged breathing and as he mopped his overheated brow with a white hand-kerchief. The large soldier continued his ministrations as he spoke, not once lifting his eyes from his work.

"More like tuning you out," he replied causing his pursuer to make a sound indignation before continuing. "What is it now Jasper? I'm assuming it's something of great importance for you to be ranting and raving across the entire palace."

"I do not 'rant and rave' Sir Walter and you would do well to remember that," huffed the old butler momentarily loosing the frightened energy that lit up his eyes, until he remembered his purpose for seeking the assistance of the grisly soldier. "And it is a matter of importance! You see it seemed like an ordinary day as I awoke and advised some of the servants to their daily chores, the maid Elsa had mixed the chemise sheets with the satin and well His Majesty would be most displeased so I..."

Walter carefully placed his equipment onto the table besides him before pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, he was certainly feeling the beginnings of a migraine pounded through his skull, no doubt from the raving of the old fool before him.

"Jasper would you please just cut to the chase," Walter ordered whilst holding up an open palm to discontinue the butler's rambling.

"The Princess is missing!" Jasper finally exclaimed with a nervous energy, his face once more turning the same shade as the apples that resided in a wooden bowl which was placed on the centre of dining table.

"Oh is that all?" Walter replied in a nonchalant voice as he picked up the cup of coffee that sat on the table and taking a deep swig.

"'Is that all?' The Princess is missing and all you have to say 'is that all'?" Jasper repeated his face morphed into a horrified expression. "She could have been kidnapped! Tied up in some dirt infested warehouse," The butler cried as he began a frantic pace on the tiled floor. "They'll want a ransom, threatening the King with disembodied parts, Oh what's the King going to say!"

"Will you just shut up you daft bat!" Walter ordered as he raised his voice rising in volume and causing passing servants to stop and stare for a moment before continuing their morning duties. "I'm sure she isn't kidnapped, I mean was there anything misplaced in her room?"
The old butler stooped in his tracks and stared at Walter with a frown marring his features.

"No, everything was in its place."

"And have you checked Queen's old study?"

The frown deepened and a sheepish light appeared in the old codger's grey eyes.

"I had not thought to."

Sighing whilst leaning back in the old rickety chair, Walter placed his hands behind his head and smiled slightly.

"Well I say we'd better check yes?" The soldier advised as he stood up from his seat with a groan and rubbed his hands upon his brown leather trousers. Jasper nodded in agreement before stating he needed to speak to the guards before hurriedly going off to do just that.

[※ ※]

Evelyn Blackmere was considered an unusual girl to be reigning as Albion's Princess. Instead of wearing regal dresses that were made out of the finest silks which complimented her pale complexion, she preferred the comfort of her sparring clothes that were made from dull colours of brown cotton. Instead of conversing with the nobility in the garden she was stuffed inside the castle's library reading a collection of non-fiction books based on academic purposes; rumours of why the Princess was locked away inside Bowerstone Castle emerged when she was nine years old, the same time her mother had passed. Some had said the young Princess had contracted the same disease the Queen had suffered and had been left with lifelong effects on the poor girls health, others had said that she had an unworldly beauty that captivated and brought the most cold hearted and dastardly of men to cower and behold her benevolence on their knees so the King had her locked up for her own protection, while the other story simply said that she had died alongside their Queen. No one had ever seen the Princess, except for those who attended, worked and resided in the Castle. The simple truth was Evelyn was a prisoner within her own home, ever since her last successful escape attempt from the castle grounds when she was a girl of mere thirteen, Logan had discovered the absence of his only sister and had waited in her room for her return alongside Walter and Jasper. When her small form had stepped foot on the threshold of the room, she was greeted with the cold silent anger of her brother.

She had been sentenced to a three months of imprisonment within her room; the only times that were excusable were her lessons and meals, however whenever she left her room she was escorted by a royal guard. For the first month the Princess searched in futile for ways to escape, the second she wallowed in self-pity whilst refusing to talk to her brother and however it was within that last month that had her strange and unusual interest of alchemy and sciences had started.

It had all started on one ordinary and not so important day, during a summer in middle of the third month of Evelyn's imprisonment. Whilst Jasper fussed over her attire, the young Princess had complained for at least the hundredth time that day that she was bored, feeling somewhat pity for the girl the butler had excused himself momentarily before shortly reappearing with a rather large and old book in his hands. Presenting it he gave the tome to the young girl that stood before him.

"A book?" Evelyn asked in wonderment as her emerald eyes stared up at Jasper from beneath her dark lashes.

"A very important book," Jasper corrected as a small smile graced the corner of his mouth. "In fact it belonged to you Mother. See the inscription here?"

Carefully opening the leather bound book the spine cracked in protest as the cover had not opened its secrets for so many years and there at the top right hand corner of the yellowed aged page, in an elegant black inked hand, was signed Sparrow Blackmere. Closing the book once more the fading golden letters read 'Basilius Valentinus presents The Wonders of The Earth'.

"What's it about?" asked the curious Princess her little fingers tracing the golden letters.

"Your Mother was a very intelligent woman," Jasper began as he placed his hands behind his back. "She particularly enjoyed the theories of science, her and Master Garth would sit and debate a range of subjects such as could a human being mimic the skeletal structure of a birds wing so eventually we could also fly or whether coal was more efficient than oil."

"It all sounds rather boring to me."

"Ahh but you see Princess it holds the secrets of magic in there."

"Magic?" emerald eyes lit up with unconcealed excitement as she stared at Jasper in wonderment.

"Yes, did you know that if you combined crushed Luna Moth Wings with the essence of Elderberries you've created a potion of invisibility?" Evelyn responded by vigorously shaking her head her mouth slightly open an eyes wide and round. "Well you can learn that from this book."

It took Evelyn a further three months to finally finish the book, every second of everyday her face was hidden behind the musky pages of the tome. She became fascinated in the way things worked, and often requested her brother to beseech books on alchemy and mechanics. It wasn't until she wasn't till her fifteenth that Logan had unlocked her Mother's study, a room full of books, papers and strange glass equipment consistent of tubes and vials. No one truly understood her curiosity or thirst of knowledge, except for those close to her.

Today was no exception as Evelyn stood behind the table that held a labyrinth of tubes and glass containers, which contained a strange purple bubbling liquid. Beside her stood Elliot, both wore a pair of round black goggles that blacksmiths tended to wear protecting their eyes.

"So you're telling me that this will create heat?" Elliot asked as he peered into one of the containers whilst Evelyn jotted down some observations in a small leather bond journal she kept.

"Exactly, with the use of Nightshade mixed with Marsh sap creates a paste that when applied onto skin can create instant heat, however the theory is if we boil that mixture so it's then transformed into more of a liquid and then apply a small amount of fire salts that heat the ingredients produce can be created into steam which then leads it to heat and warm the air around us," Evelyn explained as she checked that everything was stable and going according to plan. Shaking his head in disbelief with a smile on his face Elliot stared at Evelyn in admiration.

"And how exactly did you think of that?" he asked. Discontinuing her ministrations Evelyn glanced at Elliot with a beaming smile.

"I was looking out my window the other day and over at Bowerstone and was rather put off by the fact that contrary that we have all these factories that produce all that grey smoke from production, but also families also use coal as a source of heat when they light their fires, not to mention that all the smoke from coal isn't doing wonders for our bodies when we breathe in. So I thought to myself 'but what could be the alternative?' Wood is an unreliable source and oil is too expensive, then I remembered the recipe for the skin warming ointment in one of my Mother's journals and then researched the matter of Fire Salts in further studies," she answered in excited enthusiasm and she made animated motions with her hands as she spoke. Not only was this idea creating something that could be a new resource of survival but it would also be beneficial to her subject's health and lives.

"Has anyone ever told you you're utterly brilliant?"

"You've mentioned it once or twice," she smiled as she carefully moved the full beaker of the purple substance on a small circular metal mat that was held up by three small legs. "Now here's the tricky part, we have to use the correct amount of fire salts, if we use too much it will cause an overreaction to the Marsh Sap and produce too much energy, where as if we use too little of an amount it will thicken the substance like glue and just fail basically."

"What happens if it causes too much energy?" Elliot asked worriedly his brow creasing over the top of his goggles. Evelyn worried her lower lip with her front teeth before responding.

"You better go and stand in the furthest corner," she finally advised as she placed a pair of thick black rubber gloves on her hands. Swiftly Elliot left her side and stood in the advised spot and watched from a safe distance as Evelyn picked up a small jar that contained a large quantity of orange coloured salts. Uncorking the top the Princess poised the jar over the beaker.

"Ready?" she asked. Not daring to speak Elliot merely nodded.

Silence fell into the room, both held their breath as slowly, ever so slowly Evelyn created the tiniest of shakes as small crystals fell into the beaker underneath. Warmth immediately penetrated the air and the smell of musk entered their noses.

She'd done it, Evelyn had created a new source of heat. The pair beamed a smile of satisfaction at each other, a laugh of disbelief escaping Elliot's mouth. Everything was going so well when...

"EVELYN ROSE BLACKMERE!" Walter's booming voice was accompanied by the slam and thud of the opening of the study door. In her surprise Evelyn flinched and in doing so dropped more crystals into the mixture, both she and Elliot gaped at each other in silent horror and before Elliot could escort both the old soldier and butler from the door way a sound that resembled the form of thunder cackled in the air which was accompanied by a brilliant violet light. The room filled with a thick black smoke causing all four people in the room to cough violently. Quickly as she could, Evelyn opened the large bay window to let the smoke leave the room and into the garden. As it slowly filtered out, to Evelyn's amusement each person's face was the colour of soot, Elliot removed his goggles to find that round pale circles were left behind. An uncontrollable laughter bubbled in the Princess' throat but she had to contain herself due to the complete unamused expression Walter was giving her.

"Walter! So glad to see you," she greeted her mentor in a too high and cheerful tone, one she usually used to get out of trouble. "Is there something that you wanted?"

Walter's grey and bushy brows drew together as his eyes switched between the experiment and the creator, his mouth a firm harsh line under his large moustache as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't want to know what in Avo's name was happening in here or what you two were doing ad frankly I'm not going to ask, but I suggest you get cleaned up and meet me in the training room in exactly fifteen minutes do you understand?" Both Elliot and Evelyn nodded in silent agreement. "Good, now then Jasper I think the Princess needs a change of clothes." Was all Walter said before him and Jasper left the room and closed the door behind them. A few seconds past before both friends burst out in a roaring laughter, tears streaming down their blackened faces and their hands grasping at their sides.

"Oh Avo did you see their faces!" Elliot gasped as he grasped the table for support. Trying to regain some composure Evelyn removed her goggles and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Well at least the experiment wasn't a complete failure ," the Princess mused out loud. "But Walter's right I really must go get changed, we've missed breakfast I suppose." She pouted.

"Want some company in the bath?" Elliot suggest with a dimpled smirk and waggling of dark brows, causing the sound of angelic mirth to spill from the Princess' lips.

"Urm how about a no?" She retorted before kissing his sooted cheek and slipped through the door, "I'll see you at training," was all Elliot heard as she made her way down the corridor.