Traintober Day 31: The New
ft. my headcanons about Luke and Ivo Hugh in this universe!
Someone once asked Skarloey what the most exciting thing that happened at the Skarloey Lodge was.
Many would have guessed the day Peter Sam and Sir Handle came to the Lodge, or the day Duke surprised the duo after a long period of separation. Those were both exciting days. Others might suggest the time Luke’s name was cleared because of a great misunderstanding that was cleared up. That had been a great relief as well.
But Skarloey had a different answer: the day Ivo Hugh officially joined the Lodge family.
It had been after the Blue Mountain Quarry incident. Mr. Roger Sam had announced that there would be a celebration, but he didn’t say for what reason, leaving everyone in a buzz. No one had any idea what it could be-it was certainly none of their birthdays, though down at the North Western Ranch it would be Edward’s very soon. But that wouldn’t warrant a celebration up at the Skarloey Lodge, would it?
Peter Sam objected. He had taken the job of running the guest bookings, and he’d never seen any requests that indicated that the North Western wanted to use the Lodge facilities.
But no one else could quite think of what the occasion was, and so while there were theories flying about, the mystery remained.
On the day of, both Lodge employees and guests gathered in the lobby, all dressed up for whatever event there was to be. There was a buzz centered around Rusty and Peter Sam, Rusty because he’d been the one cooking the feast with some outsourcing to Duck (“There were so many boxes!” Sir Handel complained) and Peter Sam because he’d been given instruction on what to tell the guests (“It wasn’t much. A lot of vague wording.”).
Oddly enough, Skarloey and Luke were also not present, nor was Mr. Roger Sam himself. ALl anyone knew was that they were bringing some guests from the Ranch. But they were also taking their sweet time, it seemed.
“They better hurry up,” Duncan grumbled.
“Oh stop your whining,” Rusty scolded. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon-”
“There they are!” someone called, and indeed there was Skarloey, with the Fat Controller, Thomas, Paxton, Victor, Diesel, and Edward from the Ranch, along with a few curious visitors. Winston, the Fat Controller’s butler, had come along as well, though he was panting from the trip up the trail.
“Sorry we’re late!” Skarloey called. “Some pigs got loose, and we stopped to help.”
“Well, did you catch them?” Sir Handel asked.
“Sure did, they’re all back in their field nice and safe now,” Thomas said cheerfully. “So, where’s this party I heard about at?”
“Easy, Thomas,” Victor chuckled. “Have some patience, my friend.”
“..Yeah, actually, where’s Luke?” Peter Sam asked.
“Well, this is as good a time as any, right Charles?” Mr. Roger Sam asked, and Sir Charles Topham Hatt agreed, the two men stepping forward to address the crowd.
“Thank you for coming, everyone. As you all know,” Mr. Roger Sam began, “here at the Skarloey lodge we pride our selves on a job well done. We are a family here-whether by blood or by choice.”
“And over the years, we at the North Western Ranch have found ourselves tied very closely with the Lodge,” Sir Charles added. “So much so that, when one of us is in need, the other comes to their aid.”
“The Sudrian standards of community and kindness are ones that are found all across this island. And recently, it was on full display, as an incident involving a misunderstanding that spanned much longer than it should have was brought to light,” Mr. Roger Sam said. “But it strengthened our connections and showed that when one of our own is in dire need, help will come. Winston, if you could please?”
Winstonn stepped back, behind some foliage. And then, there was Luke, in a shiny new Skarloey Lodge uniform minus the nametag, his windswept hair newly trimmed and a wide smile on his face.
“Hullo, everyone,” he said. “I’m very grateful to see that you’ve all come here today. Even you, Diesel.”
“Whatever,” Diesel muttered. Thomas snickered, then made a small noise as he was elbowed hard in the ribs.
“Some of you might have seen me before, out and about on the trails and keeping people from getting lost” the teen continued. “Others knew me as that one guy secretly living in a cave because he thought he committed manslaughter.”
Amidst gasps from the guests and snickers from the younger Lodge members, Rheneas choked on air. Duke hid a laugh behind a cough as he patted Rheneas’ back.
“Most of you know me as ‘Luke’. But today…it’s time I come fully clean to everyone and take off the final mask.”
The teen turned to Mr. Roger Sam, who pulled out the missing nametag from his pocket. He allowed the older man to pin it onto the uniform. It shone under the chandelier hanging from the roof above. He admired it for a moment, before turning back to the audience.
“I would like to reintroduce myself. My name is Ivo Hugh, The second-the first was my grandfather, Ivo Hugh Senior, who was one of the men who built this lodge many years ago.”
“Ivo Hugh contributed greatly to the Lodge during his time here,” Mr. Roger Sam took over. “He was a hardworking man, respected greatly by everyone at the time. I’m sure Skarloey and Rheneas can attest to that. Eventually, he had to move down the mountain for his health and retired in one of the cottages not far away. His children would eventually move to Ireland for work, but today…”
Mr. Roger Sam smiled as he placed a hand on Luke–or rather, Ivo Hugh–’s shoulders.
“Today, Ivo Hugh has returned home in a way none of us could really truly have expected. And I couldn’t be proud to call him one of my own.”
Ivo Hugh blushed as the audience burst into applause. Sir Topham Hatt threw his hat in the air as Ivo Hugh found himself soon surrounded by the other boys. The guests were applauding, and at some point, Rusty brought out all the treats prepared by himself and Duck.
Duke chuckled as he watched the scene unfold.
“A new pair of hands is always welcome,” he said to Skarloey and Rheneas. “But it’s even better that it’s not just a new friend-it’s an oil friend as well.”
The other two couldn’t argue with that.
