Book 4: Nicholas
Chapter 1
“You will take over the throne duty, the appearances, and meet with the House of Lords on Tuesday, then, while we are occupied,” Alexander said, glancing to his younger brother, Nicholas, across the table. “It's a duty that you used to do often when I was King. I have no issue with it.”
“But not until Tuesday,” Nicholas replied, raising an eyebrow. The dragon lord, Second Prince of the planet Umora, was calm about it. He even had a smirk on his face. But his head was calculating exactly how many hours it was until Tuesday morning.
“Yes, I just said that,” Alexander, the current prince regent, his older brother, and the former king before their eldest brother Peter returned from the Other, the Dragon heaven, sighed. “Honestly, Nicholas, one would think that you aren't listening at all.”
“I'm listening!” Nicholas protested. “I just want to make sure that I have heard you right so you aren't wondering where I am on Monday. I will be here on Tuesday, then.”
“Why? Where are you going until then?” Alexander asked. Nicholas gave his easy smirk.
“Does it matter? You are prince regent now that Peter is back. All the dragons, all the wolves, all the shifters, have to come to you if they can't get to the king, no matter where I am. I have business to attend to, on some of the outer realm planets that has been pushed to the side since we started this mad hunt to find Father. And, frankly, Alexander, I am not sure he is still here. He returned from the Other, yes, but it's been quiet for months. There is nothing to say he couldn't have slipped back into it.”
“That is wishful thinking, Nicholas,” Alexander waved his hand. “But for now, it is allowed. Go if you have business to attend to, and try to slide back in the door before 9 on Tuesday morning, hmmm?”
“8:59, it is, Brother,” Nicholas smiled, heading straight to the antechamber. The antechamber of the throne room was the easiest vortex not only to Earth, but to the other planets in the galaxy. The universe was filled with shifters of all kinds: dragons, wolves, bears, lions, and more. Some of them were more prominent on certain planets than others. There were also witches of various varieties, sorcerers, prophets, physics, mages who used magic of types he couldn't even begin to remember. Earth, water, black magic, ancestral magic; the list went on. At the top of the chain, however, were the dragon princes, fueled by magic and ruling for thousands of years. In a lot of ways, he was just a blip in the spectrum, a moment in time. But this moment of freedom was his.
“Nicholas.” His sister-in-law, Ariel, almost ran into him. Ariel was Alexander's wife, a once marriage of convenience that was turning out quite well. Raised on Earth and working mostly as a dancer, the fiery redhead also happened to be the queen of the carapaces, magical beings that could suck magic from anything around them. The carapaces and Ariel had a broken relationship, and although she hated them for abandoning her as a child, she ruled them as queen by being the daughter of the two most powerful families. She was mouthy, confident, strong, and Nicholas' favorite sister-in-law. She had been dragon queen in their equal opportunity society until Peter married an Earth girl. Now, crown princess suited her just fine. “Where are you going? Off to visit your secret girlfriend?”
“My secret girlfriend who no one knows about,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And even though I am the worse secret keeper in the world, I've managed to do it for years.”
“Of course,” Ariel replied. “Are you going to Earth? I have some things you could take.”
He paused for a moment, horrified that his secret was out, and then realized she must have guessed that from the way he was dressed. The dress on Umora was much different than Earth, but he kept a regular stock in his closet of clothes that would help him fit into various planets. Today, he was wearing dark dress pants and a white shirt, overlaid by a grey vest. His brown hair was swept back, and he had taken care to clean up his scruff this morning. His eyes, with a hint of dragon yellow, were dulled against the white shirt, and he chose black cufflinks to offset the outfit. He could be just a well-dressed businessman, off to attend to affairs.
“Sorry, precious. I don't have time to be running errands on Earth,” Nicholas said. “Next time, perhaps?”
“Mm,” she shrugged. “I'll get Cole to take them when he takes Enya.” Cole, the youngest prince, was also married to an Earth girl, and they visited regularly. “You're lucky I like you, or I would accuse you of rushing off.”
“Accuse all you want,” he said. “It won't make me like you any less. I'll see you on Tuesday, yes?”
“Bye.” She was used to him running off. Having been married to Alexander for over fifteen years, she was closer to him than the other girls. He also enjoyed her company more because she never pried or judged. If he was running off to some important task, she wasn't going to stand in his way.
Once she was gone, he closed both the doors. He listened for a moment, making sure no one's desperate footsteps were coming toward him. It was common for dragons to burst into the antechamber to transport themselves various places with their magic.
All was calm, and Ariel seemed far enough away to use his magic at full strength.
He closed his eyes, letting the magic swirl around him. He wanted to do it carefully, undetected, which took a little bit more time and energy. The last thing he wanted was someone following him.
He felt it swirl from the tips of his feet up to the top of his head. With one long breath, he waited until he was completely engulfed and then flicked his wrist.
When he landed, he had to blink twice to make sure he was in the right place. It was a vortex he had never transported to, even when it was open before. A year ago, the carapaces had raged war and closed many of them, sucking the magic out of the ground, thanks to their newfound numbers. When the veil had dropped between this world and the Other, it brought back many who had died, including tyrants like his father. These days, they had no idea where his father was, and at the moment, he didn't really care. He knew that some carapaces had died as a result of his returned father's attacks. Their death meant the vortexes they had been blocking were now open, which was at least one useful thing that heinous old man had done since he returned.
He was in the middle of a large city, but it wasn't his final destination.
He wished he could transform into dragon form and just soar there. But ever since Peter had revealed himself one too many times on Earth as a dragon, they had to be extra careful. So instead, he got his bearings and headed toward the train station.
He reached into his pocket, turning on the cell phone that he got specifically for his time on Earth. He didn't expect there to be any messages or calls, but he did want it on just in case.
He was in luck for the train schedule, and boarded right before it left. It was a four-hour trip, and Nicholas' heart beat faster every moment. He had waited a year; he thought four hours would be easy. However, the hours ticked by, and he thought he would die of anticipation before he made it to his stop.
Finally, the conductor announced the stop. He practically flew off the train, his feet hitting the pavement.
He looked at his phone, the glaring numbers telling him that it was almost two o'clock
Slow down, he told himself. You have plenty of time. You have two hours to spare.
He knew he had to get there before four o'clock or it would be too late. He only had this one location, this one bit of information.
When he had researched it, it had said the place he was looking for was only a four-minute walk from the train station. The street names threw him off, however, and he got lost for at least fifteen minutes before he found his way.
He had seen–from his research–that the place he was looking for was inside a mall in the center of town. It was a small town, and the shopping center seemed to reflect that. There was barely anyone inside it, which made it easier to navigate his way into the men's wear store.
He had been born a prince, and so pre-made clothing was hardly something that suited him. All of his clothing was hand-stitched by a tailor, made to fit him like a glove. Even the clothes he was wearing now were made for him, bought nearly two years ago on his last trip here. Men's fashion on Earth, it seemed, hardly changed, and so he could pass it off as brand new.
“Can I help you?” came a voice. He spun around to find a rather tall, thin woman, staring him down. He supposed he had been staring too long at the vest in front of him. Really, he just wanted to kill time, but he supposed he had been a little suspicious about it.
“Yes, I'll try this on,” he grabbed it, having no idea if it was his size. But she simply pointed to the back where the fitting rooms were.
“Someone will let you in.”
“Excellent,” he said, trying to calm his beating heart.
In the back was a row of fitting rooms, pristine, white, and shining. There was a girl with short hair, cut like a pixie with her back to him. She was sitting on a stool, putting clothing from a table where people had flung reject items back onto a hanger.
“How many?” she asked, and he stopped moving.
“Just one, love,” he said.
She spun around so fast that she nearly fell off her stool. Her large eyes met his, and she nearly cried.
Nicholas bit his lip to hold back his emotions as well. It had been a year since he had seen Rosa–the longest year of his life. But now, she was right in front of him.
“There's always been just one,” he said softly.
She slowly reached for the Number One to hang on his door, sliding off her stool. On shaky legs, she indicated he should follow.
“I'll just give you this one,” she said, her voice low. She waved him toward one of the larger stalls, and he stepped in. Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, she stepped in behind and shut the door, and then she flew into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
He kissed her furiously, his hands everywhere at once. He could kiss her forever, holding her tight against him like they were made to fit together.
“Rosa, Rosa, I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too, my love,” she said, in between kisses. She wanted to melt into him, to never let go. “We're safe here for a moment. There are no cameras here.”
“Good,” he said. “Oh, I was so afraid I wouldn't find you. After they moved you, I was lost. I found out you worked here, but I couldn't find where you lived.”
“I knew you would find me again somehow,” she said.
“Give me your address,” he said. “I will meet you there when you get off at four.”
“And never leave?” she asked, pleadingly. He leaned down to kiss her again, wishing it were so.
“One day, my love,” he said softly, placing his chin on her head as he held her. “One day, the world will be safe for you and me.”