Melchior’s Grand Tour [1]
There is a saying in Finisterre: if a mother breaks a mirror while expecting, the newborn will have cracks in the soul.
Lady Qirina Zontis is sure she didn’t break anything while she was waiting for Melchior, and yet her son came into the world with all the indecisiveness and restless melancholy of a shattered reflection.
The boy never excelled but never embarrassed himself either: to him, every subject or activity is enticing and boring at the same time. There has been a whirlwind of tutors and preceptors passing through Mel’s rooms, and he listened to them while looking out to the Ocean, thinking about other subjects he could be learning at that moment (and that would eventually bore him just the same).
Melchior, called Mel by almost everyone, is the third son of Lord Ruper of house Zontis, Marquis of Finisterre. The mark is the westernmost land of the Holy Infernal Empire and all the continent of Axam, a place far from everything, a cliff at the end of the world, before it only the Ocean and the sky. There’s nothing in the Zontis’s possessions besides this boundless horizon, and that is what calls visitors here.
At least once a year, the noble Zontis family hosts exuberant explorers that are sure to reach the other side of the Ocean. Slurping fresh oysters and drinking lavender wine, they tell the Zontis family of some innovation in naval engineering that will make them go beyond the horizon and back. The lady and the elder son nod and encourage politely, offering more delicacies and topping the glass. Better they enjoy the meal, it’s their last proper one, after all. Nobody ever comes back.
Some brave and doomed travelers are just a little older than Melchior. They decided that their Grand Tour, the year-long travel that marks their coming of age, must have the “grandest” destination of all: the other side of the world! The lady and the elder son flatter these young men and women for their heroic ambitions while serving them some Kraken carpaccios or savory pastries. Better not to discourage them: these expeditions need a lot of supplies and provisions, good business for the family.
Melchior has seen many reckless and idealistic young people follow their passion to their certain death. Now it’s his turn to choose a destination.
Today it’s the first day of summer. Today it’s Mel’s 18th birthday. He is of age now and has to embark on his Grand Tour.
But where to go?
Not into the Ocean, that’s the only thing he is sure of: he fears it.
Many mirrors and souls are cracked here in Finisterre because of the Ocean: its wind can throw open windows and rattle what is inside, literally and metaphorically.
Maybe, one day Mel will embrace the fascination that lies beneath the fear, but not now: he has to find himself before getting lost.
Griffina, Melchior’s elder sister, seems like the perfect lady: three kids, a loving husband, good taste, business acumen, and only a few extravaganzas. But her Grand Tour was wild: she ventured south in exotic, thrilling, and dangerous places. Nobody knows the details, but she indulged in many vices for sure. They say there’s a brewery in Mizani that has her name.
She tells Mel to go to KIMARIS, where their aunt lives, and embark from there for the southern lands.
Melchior follows her advice.
