Imperial Orders

♕The Crown Prince♕

"So you're gonna be Emperor now? You should make us knights, and buy us a brand new ship to go on quests in!" Nut literally jumped for joy at the news of the Prime Minister's scheme. The large iron clasps on her crisp overalls- the only outfit in her size that they'd been able to find on the ship- nearly came undone for the third time. 

"I don't think that's how that works..." Hugo gave a tepid reply, fiddling with the comically large brass buttons on the officer's coat that had been hastily allotted to him. It wasn't the pompous royal regalia he'd had in mind- though the Prime Minister assured him that there would be plenty of that later- but at least it looked more princely than his dirty Ikmanonite mesh poncho. 

"A knight? That's boring. I want to be a Minister!" Dot chimed in mid-somersault. 

"That's definitely not how that works. And stop jumping on the bed!" Hugo glared murderously at Dot and Nut, who reluctantly dismounted the bare cot. The Hominan military clearly wasn't into excesses: the finest suite on the warship was little more than a large, metal room with an uncomfortably small bathroom attached. There was barely enough furniture for all the Peenutz to sit down at the same time, but they supposed it was nice in a neat, minimalistic sort of way. 

"Hey," Tuofah yawned, leaning on Hugo's shoulder so that her head rested in the crook of his neck. "Let them be kids, for once. They deserve it." 

Nut and Dot listened appreciatively to her proposal, looking at Hugo with pleading eyes. "I just don't want you guys making too much noise," Hugo shook his head. "First impressions are important, you know."

"You're an Auricle!" Dot protested. "You can keep all the sound we make inside this room."

Hugo groaned, finally giving in. Clearly, he was out of excuses. "Alright. Just this once." 

"Thanks Cap! I mean, Your Highness," Nut giggled, front-flipping off the side of the bed into a low bow. 

Hugo turned his head to see Tuofah's legs hanging over the side of the couch as she sighed softly, her breaths slowing down to a relaxed, even pattern. She had brushed her wavy, brown hair more meticulously than usual and the soft locks were spread over Hugo's chest. Unlike Hugo's baggy officer's uniform, her sleeveless green tunic and tight black pants fit her perfectly, complementing her small but beautiful frame. If it weren't for the mounting numbness in his shoulder, he could've stared at her forever. 

"You better not fall asleep like that," he warned. "I won't be able to feel my arm when you wake up."

"I'm not," she whispered groggily as her eyes fluttered closed. She looked so peaceful that despite his warning, Hugo didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead, he raised his right hand and began to weave a translucent sound barrier in the air in front of him, watching with contentment as the younger Peenutz' joyous whoops faded to silence. Now, they could only bother each other with their yelling. 

"I haven't seen much of it at all, but your world does not seem so different from that of Earth." 

It was Aikoro. She wore a surprisingly loud yellow leather jacket over a crimson cocktail dress and was standing behind him, leaning on the back of the couch he and Tuofah were sitting on. Hugo couldn't help but be a little shocked; this certainly wasn't what he had expected the demure young priestess' style to be. Then again, she had probably been waiting her whole life for the chance to wear something other than nondescript white robes with mesh mosquito netting. 

"Oh," Hugo laughed, wrapping his arm around Tuofah, who was now soundly asleep in his lap. "I think it is." 

"Not fundamentally, no," Aikoro spat cynically, crossing her long, pale legs over each other as she stood. "Do you really think they're going to let you be with her, now that you're their 'prince'?" she asked, gesturing to Tuofah. 

This was a thought that had plagued Hugo's mind ever since the Prime Minister had first made her proposition, but one he'd chosen not to address. After all, Remy had mentioned him paying for Tuofah's college education- didn't that mean she accepted the fact that Tuofah was going to stay a part of his life? But how big of a part, and what kind?

"Why wouldn't they?" came Hugo's hesitant reply. There was something dark and almost jealous about the way Aikoro eyed him and Tuofah, sitting together on a tiny couch on a Hominan warship and, for the first time in a long while, looking entirely at peace with themselves. 

"Because politics is the same everywhere. A ruler's child must associate strategically, not freely. From now on, your life will not be dictated by your own will. It will be one neverending game of chess, fighting to keep your advantage when you don't even know what winning means. You will be asked to give up everything for a cause you barely understand. That includes freedom, choice... and love. Your story will be the same as mine, only for you, there's no larger, better world to escape to. This is your only world, and you will face it forever."

"So what do you want me to do?" he couldn't deny it: the Ikmanonite was beginning to get under his skin. It was best to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible. 

"I'm only saying that you should have elected to go to prison, Hugo Lennez Pearce," Aikoro pressed her lips together. "I know nothing of Celatysian prisons, but they cannot be worse than what is in store for you." 

"Maybe you're wrong about this world." So Tuofah hadn't been sleeping so deeply after all. She rose to a sitting position, fixing her hair as she yawned softly. "Maybe it's not all so similar to Earth. Our situation is very different from yours- the Prime Minister needs us as much as we need her." 

"No. She needs him," Aikoro glowered at the pair, pointing straight at the back of Hugo's head. "Us? We're just incentives." And with that, she walked silently out of the room back to the adjacent suite she was sharing with Ben. Hugo and Tuofah were left alone as they watched each other thoughtfully. 

"You don't actually believe her do you?" Hugo asked tentatively, gazing with concern at Tuofah's ashen face. "The girl's been through a lot. Probably had a traumatic childhood. You can't blame her for being a solid pessimist."

"She has a point, though," Tuofah replied. "Once you're securely installed on the throne...what happens to me? Is it straight back to my shop in Nardysk? Like none of this ever happened?" 

"Tuofah," Hugo said gravely. "I believe I've made it abundantly clear to the Prime Minister that the Peenutz are a package deal. Either she gets all of us, or she gets none of us. I'm more than willing to go to prison if things go bad- it can't be worse than being raised by Nexetra Serpis and the First Legion." 

Tuofah. It took her a minute to realize why that sounded so wrong. The very first day they'd met, Hugo had dubbed her 'Tuo' against her wishes. This was the first time he had ever addressed her by her real name, and she certainly didn't want it to be the last. 

"Then we'll stick through this together, Prince Arafien?" she grinned. 

"As always, my princess."