Ninth Euclid's Prince
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I backed up to the door and continued into the hallway, softly closing the door to the lady’s cabin after me.
It was one of the hardest things I’d done in my life, standing up to the prince like that, but I knew it was the right thing to do. For years, Lady Redwing had been a part of our lives, flitting in and out randomly, inconveniently. The prince had worked around her almost like a pet. And, to my shame, I’d aided and abetted.
But, after our recent trip to New Rome, I couldn’t sit by and watch the silly game any more. Willow taught me a few things about what it meant to be a princess, and I respected Phoenix too much to deny her the chance to be as much of a lady as Willow.
I realized I loved Phoenix, too, just not the same way. She deserved a prince, and I was in a position to deliver one to her. How many people could do that for someone they loved?
Staring at her door, I stood in the hallway, immobile, for a long time, smiling. After a while, Lady Redwing opened the door and peeked out. She smiled broadly when she saw me, and swung the door around some more. Reaching out, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer.
Looking up at me with dewy eyes, she whispered, “Thank you, Euclid,” and tugged on my arm. I bent lower and she stood on her toes to kiss me lightly on the cheek before disappearing into her cabin again.
Chapter 25
Paradise Found
IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO that I’d wake up today in Greengarden, basking in the warmth of its two bright suns, and looking forward to breakfast with Lord Oswald and Lady Redwing, I would have said ... well, I’m not sure what I would have said, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been nice.
I watched the spectacular dualing sunrise in awe, as I had every day for over a month, as the twin orbs fought their ways into the sky side by side, brilliant colors stretching, crashing, fusing, coalescing, fading. It was an incredible sight, and I thanked whoever listened to me for the gift.
Once the suns were sufficiently exposed to settle the light show into a uniform blood red, I turned and joined Lord Oswald for breakfast at the other end of Vere’s palace.
“Good morning, Euclid,” Lady Redwing whispered behind me, arriving just after me.
“And a beautiful one, as always,” I said, glancing over my shoulder, “just like you, Phoenix.”
Lady Redwing blushed and giggled lightly.
“Good morning, Oz,” I added while I poured myself some Greengarden appleberry juice, a taste I’d acquired in the last few weeks. “Everything’s set for the wedding. This Thursday, don’t be late.”
“Three o’clock. Got it. Wouldn’t miss it, my boy.”
Lady Redwing squeezed the prince’s arm and smiled broadly.
We all sat down and munched happily on our breakfasts.
“Noir’s still at large,” Lord Oswald said between mouthfuls of sandgoblin eggs. “But New Rome officially named him an enemy of the Empire this morning. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about him for a while, even if he does turn up alive.”
“Daddy says Prince Vere is doing a good job,” Lady Redwing said casually, “and he says he’s not sure you should come back.” She smiled sweetly and winked at the prince.
Of course he was effective. After we left Oasis, I sent a message to Willow to have her find Valeria Ogden. A better administrator I’d never trained, and her father’s stupid loss was Oasis’s gain. Valeria had stepped into the role enthusiastically, and she was now as valuable to Prince Vere as I was to Lord Oswald.
“Oh, we’ll go back all right,” said Lord Oswald, smirking, “but I’m not sure I’m giving up this place, either.” He sat back and dabbed a napkin at his mouth. “I like it here.”
At the rate Vere was going, it would still be another three or four months before he’d gotten Oasis back into shape, and Lord Oswald seemed to grow more reluctant to leave Greengarden every day. By the time Vere was ready for us to return to Oasis, Lord Oswald might not be willing to go at all.
I couldn’t say that I blamed the prince. I liked Greengarden, too, but something inside me itched for Oasis. My family was still there, working the farms, and I felt a little guilty for abandoning them. And I missed them. And Willow was there. I felt torn between the two places, but I knew I’d have to make a decision one way or the other sometime. For now, though, I tried not to worry about it. Vere still had a lot of work to do on Oasis.
In the meantime, we’d been busy molding Greengarden’s legions into a more suitable shape for our tastes. Oswald’s Angels were fit and ready for action, their ranks swollen to capacity again, and new Greengarden legions were being recruited daily. Lord Oswald had already reached a tentative agreement with the governors about how the tribute would work while Lord Oswald was in charge here.
Life was good.
“I really can’t thank you enough, Euclid,” my Lord said. “You may have saved my life.”
Lady Redwing squeezed my hand. “Yes, thank you.”
I blushed and looked down.
One of the servants cleared his throat. We all looked up at him. He fidgeted for a second, then announced a visitor. “Miss Hannah Ancel, my Lord.”
My heart jumped, and I followed, nearly upsetting the chair behind me. Hannah raced over to me and wrapped her arms around me in as much of a bear hug she could manage, her eyes closed and a big smile on her face. “Nine,” she said, squeezing me, “it’s good to see you again.”
I bent down and kissed her on the cheek, then let her go and introduced her around.
“Hi, Oz, Phoenix,” she said, demurely, “I’m so happy for you both, and thrilled to be the maid of honor!”
Lady Phoenix laughed. “I never really had many friends; I was so young when Daddy sent me to Adrian, you know. And your brother has been the best friend I ever had.” She beamed at me. “It just seemed right.”
“Well, I’m honored, whatever your reason.” She threw out her hands, indicating the wide expanse of gardens around them. “And this is the perfect spot for the event!”
We settled into small talk about the wedding plans, but I kept finding myself distracted.
Ever since the incident in New Rome, I’d had a feeling nagging at my brain that some problem hadn’t been addressed yet. I didn’t know what it was, and it didn’t really seem to matter much in the euphoria following our relocation, but it still nagged me occasionally, a small whisper in my subconscious.
Sitting around the breakfast table, engaged in pleasant conversation with my prince and his lady, I hadn’t quite placed the feeling. But, now, somehow, my sister’s presence made it clear to me.
I didn’t even know I had a yearning for something more until the desire revealed itself, and then I knew I had to have it. Hannah had always been a fiercely independent spirit, and I respected her for that. But she also reminded me that I wasn’t as independent as I wanted to be.
For a decade now, I’d lived in Lord Oswald’s shadow, acting as his secretary, running his planet, being his friend. In New Rome, I was always in the background. I wasn’t Ninth Euclid Ancel, I was Prince Oswald’s secretary.
It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the opportunity, but I felt that I could do more.
Wasn’t I the one who got the prince freed? Wasn’t I the one who resolved his problems with Lady Phoenix? Wasn’t I the one who saved us from perishing on Oasis? Wasn’t I the one who foiled Noir’s plans?
My metaphorical wings itched to spread wide, to take in the air and propel me higher, to heights I’d never experienced. That was the nagging in my brain.
And, suddenly, I knew the solution.
“Oz?” I asked. “What if you didn’t return to Oasis?”
“What?” The prince looked at me, puzzled. “Why not?”
“Vere should be done there in a few months, and we certainly need to take it back then. But ... you said it yourself, you’re not sure if you want to go back.”
“I know, but—”
“So, don’t go back. Let me go back instead. Alone.”
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The prince stared at me. Lady Redwing stared at me. Hannah stared at me.
“I’ll send Valeria here. I can train someone new.”
“But,” Lady Redwing said, “what about Prince Vere?”
“What about him? They’re not too fond of him here, you know. We’ll petition for a new planet. He can start anew. I’ll help him, too. It’s the least we can do if you keep Greengarden.”
“Why don’t you just petition for a new planet yourself?” asked Lord Oswald.
“I want Oasis; it’s my home.” I smiled at Hannah and squeezed her hand in mine. “What do you have to lose?”
Lord Oswald shrugged. “Why not? I’ll talk to Vere and see what he thinks.” He smiled. “He might even agree to do it. Overlord Ancel. Has a nice ring to it.”
The prince winked at me and laughed. Soon, we were all laughing, even Hannah.
“You know,” Lord Oswald said, cautiously. “there’s only one thing missing from Greengarden.”
“What?” I asked, genuinely curious what flaw he’d found in this paradise, then added, perhaps a bit too sarcastically, “The Shaved Kitty?”
My Lord cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, saying nothing for a heartbeat. “No,” he said, finally, glancing at Phoenix with a spark of mischief in his eyes. “I guess there’s nothing missing here at all. Turns out I don’t miss the Cat Tongue.”
Ninth Euclid’s Prince
Chapter 1
Meet Ninth Euclid
Chapter 2
Oswald's Oasis
Chapter 3
A Bomb of a Starship
Chapter 4
Redwing's Rescue
Chapter 5
A Lady’s Charms
Chapter 6
Arrival in New Rome
Chapter 7
Vere's Hunt
Chapter 8
Announcing Succession
Chapter 9
Jewel's Bedchamber
Chapter 10
Noir's Threat
Chapter 11
Jealous Redwing
Chapter 12
Accidental Kidnapping
Chapter 13
Willow's Passenger
Chapter 14
Calming Redwing
Chapter 15
Fighting Cocks
Chapter 16
Return to New Rome
Chapter 17
Poisoned
Chapter 18
Noir's Revenge
Chapter 19
Jail
Chapter 20
Freedom from Secrets
Chapter 21
Paradise Lost
Chapter 22
Stranded
Chapter 23
Engaged
Chapter 24
Surrendered
Chapter 25
Paradise Found
About the Author
By day Dan Hoyt is a mathematician, by night he writes science fiction and fantasy and occasionally music. His stories have been published in Analog, Dreams of Decadence and several anthologies. He lives in Colorado with his wife, novelist Sarah A. Hoyt, his two sons and an embarrassment of cats.