How Baron Von Monocle Named His Airship
Author: Jon Del Arroz Type: Short story (outline) Length: about 530 words
How Baron Von Monocle Named His Airship is a short piece by Jon Del Arroz. It is written as a story outline rather than finished prose. It tells how the airship that became the Liliana got its name, and how Baron Theodore von Monocle met his future wife, Liliana.
Synopsis
Theodore von Monocle is already famous, and tales of his heroics have spread across the world. While he is aboard his airship, his engineer Harkerpal, described as "a young enthusiastic man", reports that they are running out of coal. The ship is near a mountain castle (called "Yountdale" in the text; see the setting note), one of the biggest coal-producing areas in the land. It is ruled by Duke Wesley Yount, who owes Theodore a debt from years past. Theodore tells his first officer about one of his past adventures, and the conversation reveals that the ship does not yet have a name.
Theodore marches into the castle with several of his men, expecting the Duke to grovel. Instead, armed men point swords at him, led by a young lady. Her father loved Theodore, but she has never heard of him. Wesley is dead, and she is now the Duchess. She and Theodore argue over the price of coal and what she owes him, and she refuses to back down. Feeling cheated, Theodore returns to his ship.
His first officer teases him for having a crush, which Theodore denies. He decides to take the coal himself and leads a team that raids the castle stores, wheeling the coal back in wheelbarrows. When they return, the airship is gone and the first officer is tied up on the ground: Liliana has taken the ship.
Theodore storms into the castle while Liliana is bathing, ignoring servants who try to stop him. She threatens to throw him in the dungeon as a thief and a peeping tom. He dares her to do it and demands to know why she hasn't. They stare at each other, then kiss, and spend the night together.
The next day Liliana still will not give way. She will return the airship if he pays for the coal he stole, at double the price, because the castle has suffered a coal shortage "because of thief activity". Theodore reluctantly agrees. When he reaches his airship, he finds that Liliana noticed it had no name and "took the liberty" of naming it after herself. Theodore storms off. When his first officer asks whether he wants to rename the ship, he says no.
Characters
- Baron Theodore von Monocle: airship captain and hero.
- Liliana: the new Duchess after her father's death; later Theodore's wife.
- Harkerpal: the ship's engineer, described here as young.
- The first officer: unnamed in this story. He teases Theodore and is tied up when Liliana takes the ship. (In Baron Von Monocle and the Island of the Fae, Theodore's first officer is Knut Monier.)
- Duke Wesley Yount: Liliana's late father, who owed Theodore a debt. See Minor Characters of the Short Stories.
Setting note
The text calls the castle "Yountdale". Per the author's ruling, the canonical location is High Mesa Castle, matching For Steam and Country, where Liliana is the Duchess of High Mesa.
Significance
The story explains the name of the Liliana: Liliana named the ship after herself. It was not named by Theodore in her memory. It also records how Theodore and Liliana first met.