Gold meets the Deltic Prototype, Horatio and things become awkward. The City of Truro has a proposal for Flying Scotsman.
21 - The Proposal
Gold wasn't fond of attention so they were extremely glad when they were able to break away from the crowd of fans that surrounded the City of Truro and Flying Scotsman. A few of them followed them as they moved towards the sheds where the Deltic Prototype sat awaiting them.
Horatio. He was called.
Gold felt embarrassed. The famous Deltic, one that Gold looked up to as they looked up to the Steam Engines who came before them and they didn't even know his name. They at least knew Grey's name before meeting her. As rough as that first meeting was. They were still at odds with Corrie but for completely different reasons.
To say they were jealous and resentful towards the Beyer-Garratt was an understatement. They weren't even completely sure why, but for some reason they just hated Corrie.
It confused them deeply. They should be happy that Grey had reconciled with her best friend. But they weren't and it was a sticking point between the two.
"Hello Gold!" Came the voice of the man they had met at the Bluebell, Terry Ash. He was waving at them from the doors of the shed. "I'm thrilled you decided to come. Horatio's beside himself with excitement to meet you!"
'Why though?' Gold almost replied but held their tongue. It wasn't their place to question the desires of a famous engine. They simply gave a grunt of acknowledgement.
The man clapped his hands together eagerly.
"Right this way my friend!" He excitedly ushered Gold inside, bounding with joy and Gold felt nervousness fill their frames.
They weren't ready for this. They'd never be ready for this.
"Look at you big man!" A loud booming voice called to them and Gold almost jumped off their wheel trucks. They were so startled. "Oh, I didn't mean to startle you there big fella!"
Gold looked over and before them sat the sky-blue Deltic with white stripes over its chassis and a huge grin on its face. They looked gruff and unyielding.
"I'm Gold," Gold managed to introduce themself nervously. Truth be told they were petrified of meeting such a famous engine. "And I uh, don't identify with a gender."
"Ah that's alright! I apologise!" The Deltic Prototype still grinned at them. "Name's Horatio! I hear you've come all the way from Australia to support your friend. That's very admirable of you!"
Gold blushed a deep red. The Deltic was praising them. Them. Silly little them.
"It's-" they began flustered. "Nothing at all sir. Just doing right by my best friend."
"Well it's bloody good of you! I hear that they tried to get the Beyer-Garratt too but it would have cost too much," Horatio admitted and Gold found themselves scowling. "Glad they didn't, otherwise I'd never have got to meet ya!"
Gold didn't stop scowling. Corrie was supposed to come in his place? That annoyed them.
"Not a fan of the Beyer-Garratt?" The Deltic raised an eyebrow and Gold looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Gold asked defensively, unaware that they had been so obviously scowling.
"You got that scowl going on there bud, it's not a pleasant one," Horatio pointed out.
Gold immediately tried to flatten their expression and gave the Deltic a smile.
"Sorry I was being rude," They mumbled. "You are a hero of mine, Deltic Prototype One, I've longed to meet you, sir."
Horatio gazed at them for a second before giving Gold a huge smile. He didn't seem convinced but for the moment wanted to humour them it seemed.
"Please, it's just Horatio!" The Deltic gave a hearty laugh. "The feeling is mutual! Always wanted to meet an EMD design like yourself! Such a gorgeous shape and design! A real looker!"
Gold blushed and looked away, embarrassed.
"Please, I'm just a support engine for my friend," they admitted and Hortaio gave a tut of disapproval.
"You sell yourself to short Gold," he chided them and Gold just looked back at them. "You seem capable of much more. Surely you have fans of your own? The diesels here have rail enthusiasts, I'd assume that Australia has a few of their own."
"I'm just a support diesel, Grey is the main attraction," Gold insisted and Horatio frowned but said nothing. He looked disappointed but Gold wasn't sure why. Was he disappointed in them? Or that Australia didn't appear to have Diesel enthusiasts?
"Australia has Diesel enthusiasts," they quickly insisted. "I'll get the odd one come up and ask for a photo or something."
"Ay, that's grand," Horatio smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes though.
Gold grew worried now. They felt the need to defend themselves.
"Grey had a fatal accident, I'm there to help, through thick and thin," they quickly claimed. "I'll protect her, no matter what sir."
This time Horatio smiled and Gold felt at ease, thinking that they had convinced the Deltic.
"You're devoted to her," the Deltic chuckled. "You sound like an old married couple."
Now Gold was really embarrassed.
"We're not a thing!" He stammered, blushing profusely. "Grey's not into-"
Gold stopped and froze for a moment before looking away.
Grey was into women. She was into that Beyer-Garratt. She was into Corrie. She wouldn't look twice at them. They had no chance.
"It's not important," Gold puffed up annoyed now. "I'm sorry for bringing up personal stuff. I don't want to talk about it."
Horatio had been the one who had brought it up, but still.
"Ay, clearly hit a nerve there, sorry," the Deltic replied apologetically. "I've made this awkward now, how about we start again?"
Gold cleared their throat and gave an embarrassed look to the Deltic. They hadn't meant to come across as abrasive and defensive. The Deltic had struck a nerve but he could have possibly known.
"Let's," Gold agreed. "I'm Gold."
The Deltic laughed, feeling tension lift and the mood lightened once more.
"Horatio!" He reintroduced himself with a wide grin.
Gold gave a snort of laughter.
The was a brief pause before a sudden raucous cacophony erupted from outside of the shed. Gold was confused while the Deltic laughed.
"About bloody time those two finally did it!" Horatio guffawed loudly and Gold just raised an eyebrow. "Been dancing around each other for years, the worst kept secret on British Railways!"
"Oh," Gold realised with a smirk. Now he understood why Flying Scotsman and the City of Truro had been out there with the crowd.
Turns out they'd arrived just in time for two famous engines' big day, as it were.
Grey would be furious she had missed out. They just knew it.
Murdoch found his sister waiting for him at the claypits, eyeing the bagnall tank engines with an annoyed glare. They were giving her a wide berth indicating that she had probably snapped at them and they'd given a second thought to antagonising her. She was eyeing them suspiciously and they seemed frightened.
Murdoch for one, didn't blame Evening Star for her abrasive attitude. The Bagnall Bees were an effort and a half to deal with. Thankfully as daring as they were, they didn't seem to want to test their luck with her.
"Hello Evening Star!" Murdoch greeted his sister, Tydfil was coupled behind him safely. "It's good to see you again."
i"You saw me at Wellsworth when you came back from the mainland,"/i Evening Star grumbled before looking to Tydfil.
Tydfil was about to translate but Murdoch quickly cut her off.
"No, it's okay Tydfil, I want to try and understand my sister," he admitted before looking back at Evening Star. "I think, I think what you said was, I saw you at Wellsworth?"
Evening Star grinned.
"I got it right!" Murdoch cheered. Evening Star glanced at Tydfil who gave her a small smile. It didn't reach her eyes though and the 9F frowned, looking back at her brother.
i"What happened to Tydfil, why is she with you? Is she okay?"/i
Murdoch looked very confused but noticed Evening Star staring at Tydfil who was nervously sitting behind him and realised she was asking about the Saint Class.
"Oh yes! Sir Topham asked me to protect Tydfil," he explained. "Keep her safe until a few engines are off the island."
i"Good. I am glad to see he answered my concerns. You'll be safe with my brother Tydfil."/i
"I know," Tydfil piped up. "I'm just anxious I guess. King Edward I usually gets what he wants. And that Clun Castle-"
"We'll make sure nothing happens to you Tydfil, You just stick with us!" Murdoch insisted. He then eyed all the trucks sitting around the Claypits. "Plus, we could use an extra set of wheels moving this lot."
Tydfil looked around at the trucks and her lips drew into a thin line.
i"Pulling trucks isn't so bad Tydfil,"/i Evening Star told her but the young engine didn't look convinced.
"It's boring though!" Tydfil complained. She then stopped herself and looked away. "But, it's better than sitting around in a shed all day I guess."
"It's not boring when you have good friends or a good crew!" Murdoch put in and Tydfil looked between the two siblings.
"Well, it's not just that, it's sometimes I don't feel invested in my work so I kind of space out," Tydfil admitted. "Jobs that don't interest me make me feel bored and uninterested."
Evening Star gave her a sympathetic look.
"You know, Green Arrow often felt the same way about his work," she told Tydfil and she looked at the 9f.
"Really?" She asked. She had thought it was just her.
"And yet he's one of the most reliant workers I know," Evening Star praised. Tydfil looked away sadly. "It took him a long while for him to work through his issues though. But he did and I think you can too."
Tydfil looked at her buffers. Murdoch sensed the young engine feeling down on herself.
"One little step at a time Tydfil," he assured her. "If you need help then we're here for you."
The was a moment of silence before Tydfil finally replied.
"Thank you," she said in a small voice. "Right now I think getting through today will be an achievement in itself."
"You can do it," Evening Star assured her and Murdoch gave an exhale of approval.
"You'll have two of the UK's strongest and most powerful engines to escort you around," he assured her. "Nothing will happen to you if you stay with us!"
The young engine looked between the two siblings and gave them a smile.
"Okay!" She seemed to be putting on a brave face but it was something.
"I think we should put Tydfil in the middle while we're on the ends of the train," Murdoch said but Evening Star frowned.
"She'll be lonely, I'll go on the front and she can sit behind me," Evening Star insisted.
"Um… I think you said you want to go to the front?" Murdoch tried to make sense of what his sister was saying.
"She'll go in front and I'll sit behind her," Tydfil explained and Murdoch's face flushed red.
"I'm sorry, I clearly need more time to understand you clearly," he conceded, embarrassed.
"At least you're trying to understand me, the only other engine who ever spent time to do that was Green Arrow,"/ Evening Star lamented sadly. "So thank-you for even trying."
"You're happy I'm even trying?" Murdoch asked and Evening Star smiled in confirmation. "I'll do my best then!"
"Thank-you brother."
Their conversation stopped as the foreman for the claypits approached them.
"The train is all ready, two in front one at the back for this consist unless you want a change," he explained to the crews.
"No, no, no change," Murdoch smiled. "The girls can go in the front, I'll bring up the rear."
"Alright then, the diesel shunts will take the train from Vicarstown in an hour and a half," the man nodded to them. "A big strong crew like yourselves will have no trouble."
"Yes sir!" The engines and their crew chorused.
"I am not asking, Ms Parsons, I am ordering," the Sudrian Controller demanded as Ms Parsons towered over him, trying to intimidate the shorter man, with her two guards. He was unmoved and unimpressed, however.
"You would always host my husband no question asked!" She shrilly threatened as the two men advanced towards the man.
"Your husband was invited as a guest and a dear friend to Sir Robert and myself, you are not," Sir Topham stated coldly. "Your engines are not authorised to be here and have been drawing resources away from my railway. We will no longer pay the thousands of pounds that you have helped yourself to. You are to leave Ffarqhar station and move your operations to the west coast or we will have no choice but to have you removed by force."
Ms Parsons stubbornly sneered down at him.
"And how do you propose to do that, Fatman?" She goaded him.
"I will have you arrested for trespassing on railway property. I will inform Mr Corbyn of your unauthorised actions with his engines and I will have you sued for the resources you have taken from the North Western," Sir Topham unflinchingly declared. "I do believe that Sir Robert will have his own personal issues that you can contend with too."
Ms Parsons looked furious.
"Look at you, all bending your will to the orders of that little girl!" She hissed and Sir Topham raised an eyebrow.
"Olivia Gresley is not a little girl," he defended. "She did not give us any orders and there is no reason for you to mention her here. You seem paranoid that Olivia has more reach than she does. The museum hasn't been in contact for the past few weeks."
A look of worry briefly flashed across the elder woman's face, but it was gone as Ms Parsons straightened herself up and tried to square off with Sir Topham but he knew he had her rattled.
"And tell me why I must move Clun Castle and King Edward to this… Harwick?" Her voice taking on an arrogant and uptight tone.
"Because these engines have been delaying and causing disruptions to the Ffarquhar branch line and my engines have had enough," Sir Topham Hatt snapped. "You have 6 hours to move your engines to Harwick or I will call the authorities in to arrest you for trespassing! Good Day Ma'am!"
Without another word, the Sudrian Controller and his assistants turned heel and left the old sheds that Ms Parsons and her crew had set up shop in. Ms Parsons gave the retreating man an ugly sneer but said no more.
"You still haven't paid me and I want no part in this," Aaron demanded as he watched Sir Topham's car sped off, almost running off the road with his haphazard driving.
"I don't have the funds to pay you right now," Mrs Parsons waved him off dismissively.
"We had an agreement! I risked my job for your stupid little trinket!" Aaron was furious. He did not like to be led around by this old crone.
"This stupid little trinket is the key to immortality! That will be worth more than a mere 10,000 pounds when I am done!" Ms Parsons snapped back and Aaron stared at her as if she was insane.
"I have a wife and daughter!" He snapped angrily. "You're risking my job for some stupid fantasy?!"
"I'm not the one who forced you to steal that whistle, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to do so?" Ms Parsons snidely remarked and Aaron looked furious.
"You promised me 10,000 pounds for my daughter's tuition!" Aaron snarled attempting to get up in her face but Ms Parsons just frowned at him.
"I'm not responsible for your family or your choices in life," she coldly dismissed and turned from him moving to address the engines.
Aaron felt his anger rise and went to move to block her way but he was blocked by one of her bodyguards who quickly put himself between them. Aaron stared up into the man's face and was surprised to find his eyes were eerily lifeless.
"You need to leave," the man barked at him, his voice hollow and devoid of emotion as he gave Aaron a rough and pointed shove towards the door. Something about this man unnerved him to no end. It was almost like he was soulless.
Aaron found himself so preoccupied with the bodyguard that he didn't even notice that he had been roughly shoved outside of the cottage and it wasn't until the door slammed in his face that he snapped out of his trance. Just what on earth was going on with these people?
"We are moving out," Ms Parsons declared to King Edward I and Clun Castle ignoring the furious museum security guard.
"You said there would be no more delays," King Edward I claimed annoyed. "Time is of the essence."
"I am well aware of that, engine," the woman scowled at him. "But it appears that Sir Topham's hospitality has run out."
"I told you alerting Scotsman and the museum was a bad idea," The King Class chided. "Seems the Gresleys have taken up favours and forced us out of our base."
"We will be relocating to Harwick," Ms Parson explained with a glare at the King class who now looked worried.
"They're cornering us," King Edward I scowled. "If we get caught then there is no quick way off the Island. The entire island will be between ourselves and the mainland, this is no coincidence."
"It will be fine," Ms Parsons arrogantly dismissed. "Once I gain immortality and you get your precious Golden Soul, there will be nothing that can stop us."
"So that's why you decided to help me with my little troubles with Kinlet Hall!" Clun Castle exclaimed in delight. "That little sneak was always getting in my way."
"I helped you with Kinlet because she was getting too close to figuring out the truth behind Lady of Legend," King Edward I scoffed. "That little Hall almost lost us Maindy Hall, that silver soul of hers is vital. I have no interest in dealing with personal spats you have with other engines!"
Clun Castle gave King Edward I a sour look before grinning at him snidely.
"Don't be so apathetic Merfyn," she sneered at him. "A Golden Soul might make you powerful, but you'll still need allies."
"They certainly won't be as someone as disliked as you Meredith," The King Class sneered back. "Be careful you don't end up as an exhibition piece like Kinlet."
Clun Castle now looked livid but before she could retort, Ms Parson interrupted her.
"Enough of this nonsense," she snapped before looking around at the sheds. "Where is the LNER engine that was with you?"
"Oh he went off to pull trains for Sir Topham," Clun Castle informed her. "The homeless engine no one wants. Poor baby."
"You'd best keep an eye on him," King Edward I ordered. "He knows too much and I don't think blackmailing him with information will be enough. He might try and run."
Clun Castle gave a loud laugh.
"Not if I have anything to do with it!" She smirked. "He's such an insecure thing, he's fun to mess with. I'll bring him back, don't you worry."
"No," Ms Parsons said coldly. "The Peppercorn is irrelevant. Go and find Lady of Legend and bring her back."
"But," Clun Castle looked nervous now. "What if she's with that 9F? That stupid girl will smash me to bits if I even get near her!"
"You won't come back to us without Lady of Legend," Ms Parson warned the Castle Class. "If you do I'll make sure you're made into an exhibition. Or worse."
The threat was enough to silence the engine.
"I see I have your cooperation. Off you go, you'll return to the sheds at Harwick when you've found her," Ms Parsons smirked and Clun Castle pulled a sneering face in return. The engine said nothing more, backing out of the shed and slinking away, extremely disgruntled.
"You'll get your Golden Soul, engine," Ms Parsons sneered at King Edward I before turning heel and leaving.
"And what about Great Northern?" The King Class asked of the once powerful leader of the LNER's express fleet.
The woman paused and looked back at the Great Western King.
"We'll leave him here, he's no use to us and he's not in any condition to wake up and start talking," she dismissed before leaving.
King Edward I wasn't so sure about that, but nevertheless whatever remained of Great Northern was no longer of any concern to them.
And what remained wasn't much, if anything at all.
The journey to Vicarstown was surprisingly quick. Once again, Tydfil found herself in the good company of Evening Star.
For the first time in her life, Tydfil felt like an equal, she felt welcome and protected. It was saying something that her previous wards, the two King Classes, had only ever made her feel on edge or down on herself. Taught her that she was better than everyone else yet they treated her like garbage.
Sure there had been moments of calm, moments where King Edward II was kind to her, made sure she got trains, taught her how to be a proper engine and had the best runs but her memories of them were now dark now that she had experienced true kindness, true friendship.
She waited as the trucks were uncoupled from the both of them and sent to be split up for their respective trains.
"I know you don't like Green Arrow, but I think the both of you would get along really well," Evening Star piped up after a while and Tydfil looked at her.
"Maybe, but I did cause him to be in a serious accident," Tydfil ruefully muttered. "I don't think he likes me and I don't blame him."
"Well, he talked to you last night, if he really didn't like you he would have kept quiet, even with myself around," Evening Star explained. "He makes it quite obvious when he does not like someone."
"Still," Tydfil was unsure. "I think I'd like to leave it for a little while."
Evening Star gave a humm, she wanted to try and get the two of them to be friends but obviously did not want to push it.
"Venus, you're running low on water," Merrick warned and Evening Star looked annoyed.
"I can't leave Tydfil," She argued.
"I know but there's no room for the both of you in the siding," Her driver regretfully told her. He looked at Tydfil who was staring off into the distance.
"Well, we need to help Henry after this so we can't delay, Where's Murdoch?" Evening Star asked.
"It's okay, I can wait at the station," Tydfil assured the larger engine. Evening Star frowned, she was not convinced.
"I would rather wait for my brother," The 9F insisted but Tydfil pulled a sour look.
"I'm not an infant!" She crossly huffed. "I can wait in the station. Lots of people will be there! No one will be able to do anything!"
Evening Star did not look at all convinced and took on a stern look.
"I'm not a child!" Tydfil insisted, her voice irritated. "Stop treating me like one! You're starting to sound like them!"
Evening Star winched. She didn't want to come off as abusive or controlling towards the young engine. But she was worried. Something could happen, and Tydfil might end up in danger.
"It'll be alright," Tydfil's driver Victoria piped up. "We'll be in the station. Murdoch's right next to the station in the yards and won't be far. If something happens I'll take responsibility."
Evening Star looked unsure but eventually agreed. She knew that a well-bonded crew would protect their engine no matter what. From Tydfil's perspective, Victoria and Neil had only been with Tydfil since her move to Sodor, she had bonded well with them which was always good.
"I'll be fine Ms Venus," Tydfil smiled reassuringly at her.
"You had better be or I will be very angry," Evening Star warned.
Tydfil simply tutted and moved off, the 9f watching her with great concern.
Evening Star had a very bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.
Reluctantly she moved off to refill her tanks, keeping an eye on Tydfil as she sat on the spare platform at the end of Vicarstown station. Murdoch was less than 50 metres away, yes, but still, she was nervous.
Tydfil however was none the wiser. She sat at the station watching the little red shunter totter around, greeting all the engines passing through.
"Hello there!" A bright cheery voice called to her and she almost jumped off the rails in fright.
"I'm just waiting for Evening Star, leave me alone!" She shrieked in a panic.
"Take it easy, I just wanted to say hi," a cheery voice called to her. She looked over and found a large strange-looking engine with a square boiler. She was painted a brilliant eye-searing yellow and a bronze black nameplate that read Tangmere. The Saint class frowned.
"Oh," Tydfil mumbled, embarrassed now. She eyed the engine's paintwork with ire. "Did you choose to be painted so loudly?"
"Yes, I did! Do you like it?" The engine asked with a brilliant smile.
"It's hideous," Tydfil replied coldly. To her surprise, the engine laughed.
"It's not often that someone is so honest with me!" She chuckled. "I'm Tangmere, but you can call me Rebecca."
Tydfil gifted the happy engine with a small smile, surprised at the engine's happy nature.
"Tydfil," the young Great Western introduced himself.
"Pleased to meet you Tydfil, I hope you've been liking Sodor!"
"It's alright I guess," Tydfil mumbled. She had very mixed feelings on the island. She had mixed feelings about a lot of things right now. "It's okay."
"That's-" Rebecca was about to reply but she was interrupted by the sound of two very large steam engines approaching them. Rebecca seemed to recognise them.
"Spencer?" She asked confused but was quickly cut off by the engine that was accompanying him.
"Thank goodness you're here and safe young Lady of Legend!" Came the booming voice of King Edward II.
Tydfil immediately went white in fright and her pupils turned into dots, her frames immediately began quaking terribly.
"Get- Get away from me!" Tydful screamed at him. She backed away from him but King Edward II pressed forward.
"Please little Tydfil, you're in danger! You need to stay away from my brother-"
"I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME!" Tydfil screamed, shuddering so violently that she shook her crew from her footplate.
"Tydfil no!" Her driver screamed as the young engine pushed herself back, taking advantage of the fact that her regulator was still open.
"Tydfil please!" King Edward II tried to stop her but as he approached her she panicked and forced herself to speed back down the line as the guards and railway workers began to shout.
"Runaway engine!" Came the shout of the stationmaster but Tydfil was already out of the station and down the line in a state of complete distress.
The young engine raced past the water tower where Evening Star was stopped and the 9F almost broke the intake tube in shock.
For the first time in decades, Evening Star found her voice but the occasion was anything but a triumph.
"TYDFIL!"
Grey was parked near the station, on guard but her outside appearance was otherwise calm and collected. She was ever so good at masking her anxiety. She hadn't expected to be as high-strung as she currently was but she attributed that to the fact that Gold wasn't with her.
She had told them would have been fine and she genuinely believed that. At the time.
The truth was she barely travelled without them and being now suddenly alone made her realise just how much she actually relied upon them.
It was quite sad. A strong engine on herself being so codependent on a sweet diesel like Gold. It was unfair on both of them. It was unfair on them because it meant they didn't have much freedom to do their own thing if she was out. Unfair to her because she felt like she needed to cling to the Gold to even be able to run.
She wanted to run on her own and be free, but as always, her anxieties chained her down and forced her to be a shadow of what she once was.
"Hey, are you okay?" the kind yet inquisitive voice of the young Tornado asked as she pulled up alongside her.
"Missing Goldie I guess," Grey mumbled before treating Tornado to a wide grin. "It's a little scary being so far from home without me best mate you know?"
"Not really, but I think I understand," Tornado smiled. Grey chuckled anyway.
"Would you like to go somewhere Tornado?" Grey asked focusing her attention on the young iron. "Anywhere in the world!"
Tornado looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I think I'd like to go to Germany, see the other half of my engineering team and meet some of the engines, they say that a few of the German engines adopt me as their half-sibling because my boiler is German," she replied. "I want to go to Australia too. Pendennis Castle and Scotsman always say good things about your country."
Grey gave a joyous, hearty laugh.
"Ah, Pendennis! Good lad! I'd like to see him if he's around! We used to call him Rio Fe!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Good engine, the diesel's in the mines always had only the best to say of him."
Tornado gave a small giggle. "He's a very ridiculous Great Western."
"Ain't nothing wrong with that!" Grey laughed, her attention drawn elsewhere as she heard the sound of an engine approaching. The tornado began scowling as the newcomer approached them. "Oh hello you, come to try and have a go at me while I'm on my own? Well, you got another thing coming if you think you can go buffer to buffer with me, mate!"
"Oh heavens no, I want to do no such things!" The A4 Pacific Union was appalled. "I have come to express my apologies to you, valued visitor."
Tornado and Grey gave each other a sideways glance. There was no way in hell that this girl wasn't trying to pull something insidious.
"Alright, let's hear 'em then," Grey gruffly muttered, carefully eyeing the A4 Gresley Pacific.
"Thank you," Union expressed with an apologetic face. "I apologise for being incredibly rude and demeaning towards you when you first arrived."
Grey still glared at her suspiciously. "Hmm, I don't believe you. You seem like you aren't being genuine."
"I can assure you that I am!" Union asserted. "And as proof, I will allow you to take my train this afternoon."
"Why? So you can jump me while I'm on the line? I think not," Grey huffed. "I wasn't built yesterday Ms Streamliner."
Union frowned but then Tornado piped up.
"I'll go with you, just in case," Tornado offered and a scowl flashed across Union's face.
"You aren't supposed to do long runs," Union pointed out. "You have no crew and you've been having troubles with your faulty firebox."
"I am not faulty!" Tornado shouted at Union. "At least I don't look like a toaster!"
"Oi! Enough!" Grey quickly stepped in. "I'll be fine! I used to do the Newcastle Flyer in record time, I can do this cute little trip!"
Even if it was a trap, she really did want to start trying to have a little more freedom, maybe grow her confidence and stop having to rely on a back engine. If the incident on Gordon's Hill taught her anything, was just how much she had stunted her personal growth by relying so much on Gold.
"I'll find someone to crew me!" Tornado insisted. She looked over and say Chloe, the woman she had come with, talking to some silver haired woman. Grey could see the young iron thinking, clearly planning something. "Besides, I really want to double head with you!"
Grey looked unsure but she did want to try. Of anything she could at least start with pairing with other engines, it had to account for something. At least that way, Gold could have a little more freedom while they were here.
"Well, if you get approved by your engineers and crew then… I don't see why not! Thanks there, Union, I think Tornado and I will take you up on that offer," Grey grinned at the A4.
The A4 didn't look at all pleased, obviously intending for Grey to have gone alone, but nonetheless smiled at the Australian engine in return.
"My pleasure," she sniffed, throwing Tornado a nasty glare before reversing herself out of their vicinity. Grey watched her go, a feeling of dread settling in her boiler. She ignored it though, determined to challenge herself.
She was the famous 3801 of the Newcastle Flyer. This shallow, all-flash and no-substance engine wouldn't scare her. Not at all.
"Now did you want to do this publicly, or in private?"
"Hmmm?" Truro hummed as he watched the Australia Diesel bustle away to one of the sheds where the Deltic Prototype sat waiting for him.
Truro was intrigued by the Australian Diesel engine. They were striking and gorgeous, their paint was vivid and spotless and they had a refined sheen to them that he couldn't help but be jealous of. Truro did hope that he would get to meet the famous Grey in person, she did seem wonderful if a little rough around the edges. The stories Scotsman told him of Australia… he was intrigued.
"Did you want to ask me your very important question in public or private?" The Scotsman's voice interrupted his thoughts and he glanced at the larger engine.
Instinctively, he wanted to ask the Scotsman privately. Only because he knew that some Great Westerns would have issues with it not being 'proper'. He frowned and narrowed his eyes.
To hell with them. He'd been forced into a position he hadn't wanted and forced to mask his true feelings in front of their judgemental scowls and snide remarks behind his back for decades upon decades.
He was tired of it all. He was free now. He didn't have to adhere to the Great Western Way's outdated and quite frankly discriminatory rules.
He glanced at Scotsman who was looking at him concerned. They both knew what was on his mind. He'd been thinking about it for days, nay, years now.
"We don't have to do it now if you're uncomfortable," he quickly assured Truro but Truro just grinned in return and gave a small laugh.
"No, no, this is perfect," The Great Western pleasantly smiled. "Maybe it'll let the other Great Westerns be a little more open-minded."
The Flying Scotsman frowned.
"Are you sure?" He asked, concerned. "The Great Western Way means a lot to you."
"Well, I thought it did," Truro sighed, looking back to where Gold had disappeared into the sheds. "But on reflection, it was more a case of being forced to act to an outdated code and not be my true self."
Scotsman gave a soft hum of agreement.
"I understand, it took me a while to figure that out too" he finally said after a while. "Well, what would you consider 'being true to yourself' as it were, Truro?"
"Marrying you," Truro replied without hesitation. He barely even noticed the crowd around them suddenly hush and turn their attention to the two famous engines.
They didn't matter. The only thing that mattered right now was Flying Scotsman.
The A3 Pacific's face was unreadable. Stoic. It was so unlike him. He was usually so ridiculous and easy to read.
Truro and Scotsman stared at one another, the moment stretching out for what seemed an eternity as the rest of the world faded away.
Truro could tell that Scotsman wanted to make a quip or a joke but was refraining from doing so, not wanting to spoil Truro's moment.
Finally, the famous Gresley A3 Pacific spoke.
"Of course Truro," he smiled warmly. "Was there any doubt? My answer is yes."
It felt like he'd been holding in his steam the entire time, despite not even being in steam, Truro gave a shaky breath of relief. He barely noticed the uproar of the crowd as they applauded and cheered, Flying Scotsman giving a piercing whistle in celebration and showering the crowd and Truro in steam, his laugh of glee intoxicating.
Truro didn't usually laugh out loud but this time he couldn't help himself. His peels of laughter joined Scotsman's as the blinding flashes of cameras went off in their faces.
Certainly, there would be a media circus about this.
But then again, wasn't there always every time the Flying Scotsman moved an inch?
It's been an age and a half since Truro spoke to Sir Nigel about asking Scotsman the question and here we finally are. Was there any doubt in Scotsman's answer?