Chapter Text
The RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The largest ocean liner in service at the time, Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board when she struck an iceberg at around 23:40 on Sunday, 14 April 1912.
Out of those 2,224 estimated passengers, only 706 are known to have survived.
-
9:30 AM, April 10, 1912
When the car stopped, silence overtook the vehicle. Nothing could be heard but the driver exiting to remove the luggage from the trunk. There was a lump in Edgar’s throat he couldn’t snap out of, something about being in a car with his mother for an hour and a half made for a dreadful experience, even if not a single word was spoken. He never liked or even admired one bit of how he and she were so similar. Their clashing happening one too many times often, causing Edgar to grow a resentful aftertaste in his mouth.
Normally, if you had discovered you were attending the “ship of dreams” as a first class passenger, you would be thrilled, excited to step foot in a world full of luxury, well prepared food and dancing, as he lived a life many had been willing to die and suffer for. But to Edgar Valden in particular, this ship was nothing but a convict ship sending him in a gag and chains to his death.
The door cracked open, releasing a gust of thick crisp air through his lungs, he stepped a foot outside the car, tipping his hat to the driver and handing him a twenty as he made his way to the other side of the vehicle to escort his mother.
“It doesn’t look as big as the Lusitania.” The painter had remarked to the woman next to him, clearly distasteful and unimpressed.
The strong winds of the afternoon could blow him away further than the trivial state of the boat could, but regardless of what he thought his mother didn’t exactly seem pleased to hear her son’s negativity.
“Well, it isn’t the experience we are boarding for is it?”
A glare to her followed when she spoke, although being more than correct, however Edgar didn’t want to be reminded another time why he’d been going on the Titanic in the first place.
A colorful array of men, women and children waited outside the boat for the boarding of their proper class, all clinging for dear life onto their tickets. They blended together like thousands of mice for what appeared as an outsider, all as excited at the next. Sometimes, Edgar wished to learn what life was like in their world. He wanted to enjoy the cruise, but how could he?
It wasn’t long before they were following Edgar and his mother onto the ship. The entrance was the lobby of the first class dining room, an elegant aureate staircase with a marble base, pillars following its glory creating a circle around the lobby, the elevators already packed with new and old money as the first class passengers were given the luxury to avoid the crowds by boarding first. The cramming of the room was already excessive, he didn’t want to stick around long enough to find what would make of it when second and third class would board.
An elevator had become available, Edgar and his mother had quickly occupied it before it shut. It had a patterned floor and a golden gate that matched the trim of the grand staircase, the room number had been labeled on their tickets, fortunately they were only a few floors down from the dining room so the silence in the elevator wasn’t too excessively awkward with a brewing tension between the two aristocrats.
“In time you will thank me for this, Edgar. I know you’re unhappy but this is what’s best for you and our family,”
Edgar did not pay her a response. Not in an attempt to start a fight, more of not knowing what to say in reply to the credit she was giving herself.
“It’s extremely impolite to ignore me, I am your mother.”
She still did not receive the sassy remark or pessimistic interjections she normally would, only silence.
Growing rather irritable, she left the elevator first when it came to a stop.
The corridor to their room wasn’t much of a walk, the fifth or sixth down to be exact, Edgar took the initiative of opening the door as he was the one with the key. Luggage and attendants already took up most of the space in the room, clearly they had been awaiting their arrival. It was a luxurious estate with a living space, a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a balcony with an auxiliary tea spot, sure it wasn’t as big as their vacation homes but it would have to do for their journey.
The living room was spacious and open, completed with two couches and scattered chairs. Peeking through the door to his bedroom lay a queen bed sheathed with a velvet duvet cover, next to it a bedside table with a piano lamp resting atop of it.
Already cluttered with packages and suitcases of his mother’s most prized possessions, he searched through each labeled bag to find his things. He did not pack much, not nearly as much as her at least, if anything of his took the most room up it would indefinitely be his favorite paintings he could not stand to leave for the voyage rather than his clothing.
Running a few delicate fingers across one of his works he tried to position it on the walls to where he saw best fit as most if not all of them were bare with a white crown. The color of the deep red walls complemented his artwork quite nicely, giving it a gentle and warming feeling in contrast to the dreary subject.
It was nice to still indulge himself in his art even when he was overseas, perhaps it made a smile creep across his lips whenever given the opportunity to admire his paintings.
But, per usual, that feeling of bliss is only temporary.
“You know I can’t stand it when you give me the cold shoulder.” Edgar’s mother declared, resting herself in an armchair as she leaned over to an attendant in a short whisper which demanded that tea be brought to the cabin.
This very sentence seemed to have hit a nerve, he sat the painting against the door and turned around to face her with a scowl on his face. “I think that forcing your son into a betrothal when he has no desire for it is a rather cruel thing to do, no?”
The calm expression that was once on her face turned into a displeased frown, setting her hands into her lap and furrowing her brows, she gave Edgar a deathly stare, clearly meaning her words.
“You are behaving so selfishly. I understand you are gifted, your work has brought much prosperity to the Valden family, but we are losing so much. Your bride’s family comes from some of the wealthiest old money in America, you will be able to offer her and your future children a very comfortable life, and most importantly your own family.”
The mere thought had repulsed him.
“How could you say such a thing to me? You want me to sacrifice everything I’ve built for myself and my family just because you’re losing a little money? With my talent I can bring back the money that we lost, you just won’t give me a cha-”
“The wedding is occurring whether you like it or not.” She cut him off, raising her voice slightly.
Edgar shut his mouth and returned that uninviting stare, feeling entirely conflicted, torn to how he should react to her bluntness.
If one thing was for sure he knew better than to keep the argument going, both of their stubbornness would result in a further conflict and she would offer any regard to anything he had to say. It was rather common that they did not see eye to eye on everything, but by far, this felt like a violation of himself.
And to his misfortune, there was not a thing he could do, he felt completely trapped, not having any say for himself despite being her only son. It was almost entirely suffocating how his family had managed to suck the life out of him for so many years only to repay him with such a dreadful commitment without his consent. It was beyond a betrayal, it just hadn’t been entirely fair, not for him and not for the woman he was to marry, as said before, there was absolutely no way out .
“..Yes mother.”
-
A brown haired young man extended an arm to remove a hat from his head, he looked up to see the colossal boat of luxury, squinting his bad eye so no sunlight could creep in. A few months ago, he would have never expected something like this, but when he thought deeper about all the things he could’ve been missing if he were to be locked away in a prison for the rest of his life he knew it was worth the risk. He had made the right decision.
Prior to approaching the beast of a ship, a specific bet between a prisoner and a guard had occurred exactly 30 days ago, this specific bet offered the young man a new life, more importantly a third class ticket on the RMS Titanic to America, but if he had failed, it could cost him everything he had left. But to this man, that wasn’t much.
For he had most if not all of his memory prior to becoming a convict, not a clue of where he had come from or what had put him in such a situation where he needed to be imprisoned for the rest of his life, but now, that didn’t matter anymore. He had made the better of his situation, striking gold through something unexpected.
As he arrived at the boarding station, the greatest number of the people were now on the docks, waiting for the Titanic to set sail to open waters. The doors were being closed and ramps removed as there was such little time left for him, how terrible it would be to lose something faster than you worked to earn it, but no, he wasn’t letting this opportunity slip away from him that easily.
Approaching a man in an all black uniform with graying hairs and a pair of spectacles, he began to pant in exhaustion from sprinting all the way there, a look of desperation on his face.
“Excuse me sir… Is it too late for me to board?” The former prisoner had asked kindly, his voice still rough and out of breath, as if the end of his world wasn’t depending on his answer.
He looked uninterested at first, but then reached out a hand.
“Show me your ticket, and what’s your name, young man? ” He asked promptly, blowing a thick cloud of cigarette smoke into the air.
“My name is Luca, I’m a third class passenger–” He began to trail off, but was cut short when the older man interrupted him.
“I can see that, I’m sorry but we just don’t have enough time, we’re preparing for sail away now and I’ll have to check your ID and passport and-”
His response was overwhelming, coming closer and waving his hands around as he listed every reason why he couldn’t let such a thing happen. Luca felt absolutely mortified when he heard him go on, he knew fairly well he had to do the unthinkable to get on this boat or it’s back to prison he’d go, mumbling to himself for a few moments more he blurted out something in a fit of anxiety.
“There’s no need..! I’m an American, please.” That was a lie.
He didn’t want to say something like that with the open possibility of digging a bigger grave for himself, losing his chance at a better life felt like the unthinkable, sure there was an inordinate sense of guilt left behind from his lies, but what choice did he have?
There was a brief silence, for a moment there Luca thought that he could see right through him, that was until he spoke once more, gently and silently.
“Go on, quickly.” He had stepped aside for the other to board, nodding his head in discernment.
Luca’s anxiety suddenly skyrocketed into joy, after thanking the man several times he bolted onto the ship in exhilaration, not stopping for a second to get his key and go down to his cabin. Sure the third class quarters weren’t as luxurious or lavish as first class was, but it’s not like it came as a disappointment to him. He knew he was awfully lucky to even be standing on the boat alone.
After entering his cabin and shaking the hands of his roommates very briefly, it wasn’t long before he was gone in another dash, passing each and every door in the extensive white corridor.
There were hundreds of people coating the railings of the vessel, making it near impossible to properly see the lines of people at the dock, but Luca could still hear the shouting and cheering even from a mile away, those attending the sail away on land seemed more excited than the people actually on the boat. Squeezing through the crowds was more than a challenge, however he still managed to get at least remotely close to the bars, watching as the ship made its way out of the harbor. Luca took a glance at the pure happiness on the passengers faces, the truly electrified thrill they were experiencing, waving off into the distance and rallying when the ship’s horn went off, not even realizing how much smiling he was doing himself.
This was finally it, a second chance. For once, there was hope left for Luca.
It wasn’t that much longer before they were on open waters, there was a vast sea of blue ahead of them, tightly knit under an enchanted sun that emitted its shine so brightly, making it hard to see. Luca stayed behind when the clusters of people finally settled, watching the waters pass by and the heat beat on his tan skin.
The bow was almost entirely empty, not a sound could be heard except for the moving water. All that remained were him and another, a man with long tied hair, his age, he wore a crimson coat and had a troubled aura about him. He looked to be in distress, eyes fixated on the ocean below but a pale expression across his lightly freckled face, as if he were numb to this pain he was feeling. You could tell he was from wealth by the expensive material he was wearing, his posture and well groomed appearance.
It perplexed Luca, still, he didn’t engage, not wanting to be a pest or bother to a first class passenger. He sneaked another glance or two at the other man but kept his head down, eyes on the waves circling the boat.
There was a quiet between them, only for a few moments longer before a woman came calling for him, speaking too stilly before he could catch the name of his fellow passenger. And with that, he had left, a part of Luca wished he had stayed despite words not being exchanged between them, he liked the small bit of company it was.
He waited a little longer before taking his leave to explore the rest of the unfamiliar ship, still bubbling with the same elation he experienced when first boarding.
For what a lovely retreat this was going to be. Or so it seemed.