The project of the harbour was coming together nicely with the active help of Beryl. The still-mourning widow of Vernon was adamant about leaving the project to her. Aoi and I only fine-tuned the design on the fly. Before we had conceived a design of how the military complex should look, beyond Norfolk’ish, she had created a masterpiece of a project without anyone's input.

  She certainly wasn't fucking around...

  It was a naval fortress that stretched into the lake. The complex encompassed everything I could think of and more. I don't know how but she, somehow, managed to recreate Kungsholms fort and Norfolk or, more precisely, she took their best parts and upgraded them to Avalon's standards. The massive piers and mooring spots were arranged in a way that everyone approaching Avalon's civilian harbour had to pass under the guns of the Royal Navy's warships and look directly into the coastal batteries that were seated in a line of bunkers that would easily shred any sail ship. The fortress' walls, a five-story-tall administration fort building, and an impressively tall and proud-looking spire of the Avalon's Air Control Centre overlooked the waterway and both harbours. The cherry on top was a majestic, circular basin scaled perfectly to house Victory. The piers would easily allow the entirety of the First Fleet to moor while also leaving enough space for the Home Fleet. Beryl even considered the need for maintenance and repair docks capable of taking ships even larger than Iowa-class dreadnoughts.

  The in-lake piers were connected to the main fortress by a series of drawbridges, while a new external wall held two massive water gates, huge enough for Dauntless to pass without a single worry. That new wall, of course, allowed us to place even more weapons on top and two large bastions on the edges of the wall. However, the wall didn't fully close the harbour. It protected it from the front in a very unlikely scenario that an enemy could reach the artillery positions thereby allowing them to reach the harbour. The sides were very unlikely ever to be endangered due to the construction of Avalon itself. Beryl even managed to include a place for the Marines' training grounds and a spacious park. The last but not least building for the military complex was the barracks. Its five-story-height and two-and-a-half-kilometre-length was designed not only as the perfect accommodation for over twenty-five thousand soldiers but it was also a part of the fortifications.

  It was absolutely perfect and astoundingly beautiful.

  The civilian harbour was subtly divided into cargo and passenger areas while its basin was closed from one side. It was only accessible by a wide channel overseen by the fortress, towers, and numerous gun emplacements. I couldn't be sure by just glancing at the plans, but knowing Beryl, she perfectly hid the fort's weaponry in plain sight. Once we built it, the cannons and point defence would be noticeable but not so overwhelming that guests visiting Avalon would feel threatened. The piers were capable of mooring ships of various sizes; from the tiny yachts to Iceleonian carriers. However, what made the harbour so unique was its infrastructure. The cargo hubs, hangars, storage areas, and easily accessible points like the metro station and passenger terminal made it a perfect logistics hub. Separate dry docks and a shipyard allowed any civilian ship to be repaired or even built if necessary. Beryl even thought about a lighthouse at the harbour basin entrance and lights that would illuminate the harbour at night.

  "Damn, girl..." I shook my head in disbelief as I gave Beryl a stare full of respect.

  "I love it." Aoi leaned over the plans. "I want it!"

  "I'm happy to hear that, Your Majesties." Beryl softly smiled. "Vernon oftentimes dreamed about airships..."

  Her voice faltered and Aoi placed her hand on the Dwarfess's shoulder to console her.

  "I'm sorry..." I said quietly but she just looked at me.

  "That wasn't your fault, my Lord!" She shook her head and forced a fake smile and lowered her gaze at the plans. "Do you approve of the plans, Lord Theon?"

  "Yes." I stiffly nodded as the sad memories resurfaced again. "We are going to build it, Beryl."

  "Thank you, my Lord!" Beryl smiled warmly and patted the plans. "Vernon and I made these plans together. I'm glad to hear that the dreams we had will come true."

  Aoi and I only smiled at her because there was little we could say or do.

  The building process started the same day. Hundreds of workers were employed to help create Beryl's masterwork. I bought enough land to expand my city and created a truly enormous lake in which I carved and moulded the future harbour. I wasn't confined by the laws of nature so the solid rock islands in the shapes of piers and passages between them rose straight from the lake's bottom. The harbour’s basin was slightly deeper than necessary but that gave us a solid margin of error if we ever decided to build a monster heavier than the current dreadnoughts. While I could have made it deeper anytime, that would have created unnecessary problems we could avoid by making everything right the first time. I did keep in mind the possibility of building submarines one day, so the deeper harbour certainly wouldn't hurt. Once I disassembled the walls of Avalon and rebuilt them in their new location, the craftsmen could begin their work.

  The buildings' foundations were laid quickly and the workers proceeded tirelessly to finish the piers and moorings for the Navy. They would take some time, of course, but it was fascinating to watch the work progress move so quickly. Skills and magic changed everything I knew about construction. At this pace, the piers would be ready to moor the first ships in just a couple of days.

  Meanwhile, I prepared for an upcoming NATO meeting.

  ???

  Fiona finished brushing her teeth and smiled at herself in the mirror. It was nice to visit her mom and dad while they worked on the Array. However, she mainly wanted to see the ocean and the beautiful beach Tommy had spun legends about for days. Unfortunately, she was really tricked by him. Well... Maybe not intentionally because the beach was really nice. It was wide, spacious, and the sand was soft and quite pleasant. During any other time, she would have certainly loved to play in the water or look for shells or other small treasures among the coastal sands. But not today... The most important thing that the Prince had omitted was the fact that he wanted to see the naval trials of Dauntless. During an enormous storm that, admittedly, scared her. She watched the Arcadian flagship thrown around like some cloth doll by the merciless waves and it was frightening.

  She giggled to herself remembering the picture of a furious Diana who was splashed by the stormy water once they got to the beach; it was priceless. It was the same expression of betrayal that she must have had once she realised that her hopes of playing in the water were futile, only amplified. The only thing that saved that day was the presence of Goddess Kaal'nai who had brought them beautiful shells as gifts and spent most of the time with the two. Thomas was surprisingly quiet and thoughtful while he stood in the furious water so she had no courage to ask him what he was thinking. When they were about to leave, he turned his cheerful self again so it was awkward to dig into what was bothering him earlier. They spent some time with her parents until very late in the evening and then returned to Avalon.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  After a good rest and a quick clean up, she left the bathroom and noticed Diana was idly pressing the side of the mitre shell she received from Goddess Kaal'nai. The shell rattled over the glass table as it moved under the Wolfkin's gentle touch. The shell itself was probably very precious due to its sublime shape and complex pattern of checkered red and white squares. Fiona, however, preferred her abalone shell as it shimmered like a rainbow on the outside with an amazing blue gradient on the inside.

  "Shall we go?" Diana asked with a dreamy voice and stifled a yawn. Her wolf-like ears twitched funnily, making Fiona giggle.

  "Sorry for keeping you waiting!" The young Human chirped.

  "We still have time." The Wolfkin girl shrugged lazily as she took a glance at the wall clock but she stood up and walked to the door.

  "Have you heard about the new harbour?" Fiona asked.

  "Yes." Diana nodded eagerly as they closed the door to their dorm. "I can't wait to see it! I already asked Tommy if he knew anything about it and he..."

  They chatted as they walked towards the training hall of the University. Even though they had attended the University for a few months now, their presence was still a novelty for the regular students. After all, the University was intended for young adults and adults who had already finished their earlier education. However, the Arcadian system was too young for such hard rules and it was based on merit anyway. In terms of accomplishments, Fiona and her friends had nothing to be shy about. They weren’t considered prodigies and geniuses without reason. However, even then, some people still openly disregarded their achievements or challenged their claims. Not everyone dared to openly challenge Fiona or Marie, not to mention the Prince, but other people had it much worse and bullying wasn't unheard of. Fortunately, the worst of that was already over.

  After a huge scandal involving the abuse of noble authority, the following investigation, and subsequent regulations, though some called head-hunting, had uprooted the established order. In Fiona's opinion, the situation was extremely hypocritical. All of those people, those new nobles of the Arcadian Empire, had not so long ago complained how the Cridian or Bernan nobles abused their power. Oh, how quickly they forgot how it was to be on the receiving end... But, Imperial justice would inevitably punish those who deserved it even if the Empire was busy with something else. And so, some people were removed from the most prestigious school in the Empire, and possibly in the world, and their parents lost their status. The remaining students got the hint and, suddenly, everyone behaved decently.

  Some people, however, decided that being jerks was their life’s mission...

  "Well, well, well! Who decided to join us?" One of the older students snarled as they opened the doors to the training hall.

  Fiona looked at the young man who called out to them with a visible disdain. He was one of those dense cases who couldn't fathom why people he considered kids were attending university. She couldn't decide whether he was jealous or upset but Fiona was certain that she didn't want to have anything to do with him. That's why she walked by without even acknowledging his existence. Diana, on the other hand, still had problems with ignoring people she disliked. Normally she would copy Fiona however, this time, Marcek was going to have a very bad time. Not only was Diana looking volatile today, but unobserved in the shadow of the corridor behind him stood Tommy. He had concealed his presence and Fiona was sure that only she noticed him. He smiled at her and pressed his finger to his lips with a wink.

  "Some of us know how to use a clock, Marcek, so we don't have to guess when it's close enough to be on time." Diana sighed, bored. The fact that she couldn't ignore people she disliked didn't mean she was trying to appease them. "I know it's a complicated technology and probably a concept that is too hard for someone like you but maybe try to take some notes? I'm not sure how you managed to enroll in the University... Hopefully, one day, you will figure out how the clock works!"

  The young man turned red and raised his sword and resumed practising his swings. It wasn't particularly threatening but quite rude. It was probably what Tommy was waiting for since he emerged from the shadows and stopped behind Marcek. To Fiona's surprise, he was grinning and in his hands he held an official-looking scroll.

  "Marcek! Here you are!" He yelled and the man next to him side-stepped in shock.

  "Your Highness?!" The man may have disliked Fiona and Diana but he was trying to butter up his relationship with the Prince as much as possible.

  "You won't believe it but I have it!" The Prince raised the scroll with a wide grin and teased the man with it.

  "No way!" Marcek immediately sheathed his sword.

  "I asked my father and he said that if I believed that you were amazing then he would grant you your wish. Soooo..." The Imperial Prince theatrically cleared his throat and put on an overly serious facial expression. "By the order of his Imperial Majesty, Lord Theon Avalon, Marcek Dor is incorporated into the Guardsmen Corp as a squire recruit."

  "Yes! Finally! Thank you, my Prince!" The man dropped to one knee and pressed his right fist to his heart in a knightly manner.

  Thomas Avalon closed the scroll and handed it to the man. He crossed his hands behind him and, for a moment, he looked like a completely different person. Far more mature and far more dignified than any eight-year-old boy had a right to be. Fiona furrowed her brow and slightly tilted her head since she had no idea what was going on. She glanced at Diana whose eyes narrowed dangerously, but as she noticed her friend's stare, the Wolfkin shrugged and relaxed slightly.

  "Recruit Dor! Starting today you will be attached to the garrison of the Skybound Fortress Dungeon. Your unit will be dispatched tomorrow. You should inform the University about your new assignment before joining the detachment. Return home and pack your things. Tomorrow, at seven thirty, you will report to your Commander at pier eight and board HMS Longsword. Good luck, recruit!" Thomas said with a straight face.

  "Yes, my Lord!" Marcek stood up at attention and saluted.

  "Dismissed!" Thomas smiled and saluted back.

  "Yes, my Lord!" Marcek quickly dashed for the doors and disappeared behind them.

  Fiona looked at Tommy's expression, which screamed that he just got rid of a sucker.

  "Mind you explain to me what you just did, Tommy?" She asked quietly as the Prince fought a losing battle against keeping a straight face.

  "I couldn't stand his attitude anymore. So, you know... I asked my father if I could help Marcek fulfil his dream to become a Guardsman." He grinned widely.

  "But he will be just a recruit instead of an officer once he graduated..." She furrowed her brows as only then did she notice delighted Diana standing nearby. The Wolfkin was still watching the doors with a blissful expression.

  "Oh? What a shame..." He very unsuccessfully made a sorrowful expression. "What an unfortunate twist of events. A real tragedy-"

  "Right." She giggled and smiled at him. "Thank you, Tommy."

  "Don't mention it."

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG