The Duchess and The Lord: Prologue

The Nevervault Jorvik, England - 1001 AD

Queen Pearl stood uneasy, still not used to the rather severe decor of her second in command’s pet project, and still aching from a recent injury. “What is wrong, my queen?” Baron Riley chimed in.

Pearl took a breath, her pregnancy was starting to show, and will several of her advisers had pestered her to take a less front line role in the war that had just passed, Baron Riley never did, he never thought to question her. Lord Jim, swaggered into the vaults control room, he had designed the so called Nevervault as a way to store the myriad of dangerous and magical artefacts that he and his compatriots had stumbled across in their adventures, and up until quite recently had kept the entire vault, at the very end of time. For while Pearl, the so called Queen of the Exiles, was beloved by her subjects, as well as feared by her enemies, there was one thing few, out side of her high council knew, she was not from this time. Many years ago, due to some sort of space time shenanigan, she had ended up transported from her home time, the late 1690s, to the mid 70th century, she acquired the means of taking more controlled trips in time, and when she found her self being nursed back to health by a thief of all people, she decided to stick around and help herald the locals into a premature enlightened age. Said thief, now going by Lord Jim, despite Pearl pointing out that he is actually more akin to an archduke, was studying the impassive mood on her face. “She’s worried Riley” the Scottish thief turned noble answered, “She’s worried that things are going too well now, she is worried that I will some how break time, with this little trip”. Pearl gave Jim a look that could boil a kettle at 50 paces. “I am worried that you’ll get your fool self killed… again.” Riley’s eyes moved from Pearl to Jim, like someone watching a very wordy game of tennis. Jim looks serious at her statement for all of a second before his usual shit eating grin returned “That happened one time. I’m not going alone anyway” Jim held out his hand and low thrumming sound filled the room as Lord Jim’s spear, the so called spear of destiny, flew through the doorway to his hand. “I’ve got my spear. I’ll be fine”

Pearl looked at the spear and then to Riley as if asking for his opinion before cutting him off and giving Jim hers. “He has a spear too, the same damn one. He’s you. You idiot boy!” Jim took a second to formulate an appropriately witty retort but was cut off. “Council Chamber, now”, Duchess Aeiln’s voice rang out in the Nevervault’s control room, and while both Pearl and Jim out ranked her, her tone did not suggest that she was making a polite request.

Jim’s plan was to use the Nevervault’s capacity as a functional time machine to track down his older self, now going by the mysterious alias of Mr L, and get information regarding a dark cloud that had appeared on the horizon as of late. Some sort of time God, Chronos, it had made its presence know a month prior by possessing Lord Jim and warning the Exiles that, in no uncertain terms, it would bring ruin to them all, starting with Aeiln. Aeiln had joined the Exiles, not long after their formation, and from that moment, she and Jim had been madly in love, unfortunately, neither of them seemed to notice for the first few months. Both Jim and Aeiln, despite finally realising their mutual adoration, had a nasty habit of trying to go it alone, so as to not risk the safety of the other.

Pearl winces as she sat on her chair in the council table, but waved off any of her hand maidens who had tried to help her. The council sat in session; Queen Pearl, Lord Jim, Duchess Aeiln, Baron Riley and Lady Bella. Pearl had allowed only one person, not on the council, to stay, Jack the Alchemist sat awkwardly at the far end of the table. “Lord Jim” the queen’s voice resonated, “Explain your plan to the council”. Jim stood and cleared his throat theatrically “My plan, boss, is to track down Mr L, find out what he knows about this Chronos fellah, and figure out how he won that fight, back when he was me” Bella perks up “How will Mr L know, I thought your time lines had split months ago”. Aeiln’s eyes seem to be trying to burn a hole straight through Jim as she speaks “When the Danes took me prisoner, the followers of Chronos had infiltrated the prison, one of them, that Stone guy, said my story was coming to an end, and that L would tell me everything. I think he was just toying with me”

“Never the less” Jim interjects “I’ll track L down and find out for sure, then we know what to expect”

Aeiln’s eyes flash a dark crimson, as they often did when she was angry, “Alone though? You’re going alone? You arrogant, pig headed prick. He will know you are coming and will be prepared” Jim’s eyes flash gold, for a similar reason to Aeiln’s “I’m arrogant, you and Pearl knew what L was about long before you told me, and I’m sorry but if your life is at risk, I don’t want to put you in harms way because I love you, you fucking arse” Pearl clears her throat and everyone turns, she stands and steps around the council table seemingly to leave. She stops. She turns. She addresses her quarrelling advisers “Muppet 1 and Muppet 2” she points to Jim and Aeiln “You are both going, track down L, get the information and get back here in one piece, everyone seems ready to give their thoughts on the matter only for Pearl to respond before they can “That is my order,Lord Jim, Duchess Aeiln, see to it, I will not be defied.” She turns to Jack, “Jack, help Jim modify his fancy smart watch to allow them to travel” She looks at Jim, “you are not dragging the whole pissing vault with you, if my right and left hand are leaving me, while I’m pregnant, I may have use of it.” Pearl turns and continues out of the room. Jack smiles is creepy, weird smile at Jim and Aeiln.

“I never didn’t want you to come duchess” Jim offered, Jack was still tinkering away on Jim’s wrist mounted temporal shifter, and Jim and Aeiln stood in his workshop awkwardly avoiding conversation until now. She looked at him”Clearly, and don’t ‘Duchess’ me, I’m annoyed at you. Did you really think I’d let you go gallivanting across time by yourself.” Jim tries to respond only to be cut off by Aeiln. “and don’t give my your usual, somebody has to protect the queen nonsense, we have a full fucking standing army, and a bunch of mercenaries that are paid up for the next 6 months. I am much more useful at your side, especially if you’re in danger.” Jim, looks somewhat lost for words for the first time in his life, “I know Aeiln, I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to come and look after me, and put yourself in harms way” Aeiln stomps over to Jim and throws her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek “If I am with you, I’m as far from harms way as I can be, just as if you’re with me, nothing is going to hurt you.” Jack interrupts the tender moment by clasping the temporal shifter around Jim’s wrist. “So where are you crazy kids off to first?”.