I lay down to rest next to the cemetery at midnight, my faithful cat, Fred, at my side. Whether to go on, that is the question before me.
Perhaps I should explain.
My name is Leonora, Princess of the Realm of Grelumina. Grelumina is a shining city on a hill, at least that’s what my father calls it. He’s biased, of course, but he’s not wrong. During my father’s reign, Grelumina has entered a golden age of prosperity and enlightenment.
It’ll all go to pieces when my brother takes over.
Which brings me to my dilemma.
The thing about being Princess of Grelumina is it’s kind of pointless. I’ll never rule the realm because I have a brother. He’s a moron and everything he touches turns to dust, but that doesn’t matter. He’s the boy.
Being a princess is pointless, but I’m also an inventor. That is considerably less pointless. My coolest invention to date is a machine that can fly. That’s what got me in trouble.
When I first built it, I flew my machine above Grelumina and all the surrounding realms. I gave free flights, too. It was all fun and games until the day I flew too high, broke through the sky, and entered a realm I never knew existed.
After landing, I emerged from the machine and took off my helmet and goggles. A young man was standing nearby, staring. The dude was seriously hot!
“Where am I?” I asked.
“You’re in Serenica, of course. The real question is where did you come from?”
“Grelumina.”
“Welcome. I’m Prince Felix, heir to the Throne of Serenica.” He extended his hand.
“Princess Leonora, inventor and heir to nothing at all.” I took his hand. Only instead of shaking my hand, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it.
Normally, corny stuff like that makes my skin crawl, but not this time. Did I mention Felix was hot? Smoking hot, to be precise. When he offered to show me his realm, how could I say no?
We walked around for hours. Felix showed me the castles, cathedrals, farms, and forests of his realm. Turns out Serenica’s beautiful. A river winds serenely through the middle of the realm, and rolling hills form a backdrop. The best thing about Serenica? It’s ruled by a queen. Felix’s mother. She didn’t have to sit on the sidelines while her incompetent lout of a brother took over.
“You’d like her,” Felix said as we strolled along the river in front of the palace. “She’s an inventor of sorts too. Or she used to be. Ruling the realm takes up a lot of her time. I wish you could meet her.”
“Why can’t I?”
“She’s away, negotiating a treaty in another realm.” Felix sighed. “I wish she’d delegate some of her duties. That’s what I’ll do when I become king. I’m also going to have a queen to rule by my side. After my father ran off, my mother had lots of suitors, but she turned them all down.” He turned to face me. “Leonora, will you marry me and rule Serenica with me?”
If only he hadn’t been so damn charming! I might’ve said no.
The wedding was set to take place a month later.
My doubts about the engagement took a few days to surface, but once they did, they were relentless. Would I have time for my inventions? What if my cat hated his new home and ran away? Would Felix’s mother, the inventor queen, really welcome me with open arms? How often could I see my family? Most importantly, what was I thinking? Why had I agreed to marry Felix without thinking about any of these issues first?
Now, it’s the day before my wedding. I’m still undecided.
I leave Grelumina Castle after dark with my cat, Fred. We stop to rest here, next to the cemetery. Do I continue this journey to the Realm of Serenica to rule by Felix’s side or do I stay here to invent more cool stuff?
Fred meows impatiently.
My brother arrives on a motor scooter. One of my inventions.
“Dad says to come home, Leonora. He says it’s undercunning for a princess to hang around by the cemetery at midnight.”
“You mean unbecoming.”
“Well, whatever he means, Dad says you have to come home.”
Just like that, my decision is easy.
“Sorry, Caleb, but no. I’m going to another realm.” I scoop up Fred. “My prince awaits.”
Jenna Hanan Moore is the founder and editor of Androids and Dragons. You can find out more about her than you ever wanted to know here.
Loved this! Especially the ending.
She made the right choice.