A Royal Christmas in Space

Book 1: Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - and now, the end is near, and so i face the final curtain

"I love you, Pluckie, no matter what."

"Thanks Dad." Pluckie held the payphone receiver tight in her hands and tried her best not to cry.

"When are you coming home?" her father asked. "When are you coming back to Earth?"

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure her disguise was still working. No one in the busy spaceport had noticed her.

After the gladiator battle, she'd dumped her borrowed armor as fast as she could. That left her in the clothes she'd been wearing for the better part of a week, her faded blue jeans and her green I <3 the Status Quo T-shirt. It was those clothes, along with her face and hair, that made her recognizable to the authorities. For her protection, she'd supplemented the ensemble with a pair of sunglasses and a large, floppy hat. So far it was working perfectly. No one stopped her when she left the stadium or entered the spaceport.

"I got a job on a space mailboat headed to Earth," she told her dad. "I'll be cleaning toilets."

"It's honest work," Patrick Smythe said. His voice sounded far away, as if 745,645,431 miles separated them. "And nothing feels as good as honest work."

"I'm not sure this is going to feel all that great." Pluckie couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I really messed things up, Dad."

"Do you still have your mother's necklace?"

She placed her hand on her chest and touched the mystery jewel her mother had treasured. "Yes, I have it right here."

"Then you haven't messed things up too bad," he reassured her.

"You always know what to say." She sniffed a few times while she got her emotions under control. "I should get going. The mailboat leaves in ten minutes. I can't miss it. The longer I stay on the rings of Saturn, the more likely it is the peace officers will find me and arrest me."

"Stay safe, Pumpkin," her father said. "See you soon."

"Bye Dad," she whispered and hung up the phone.

It was a perilous walk through the spaceport. Pluckie kept her head low and tried to act nonchalant, but on more than one occasion she had to duck into a closet to avoid the patrolling peace officers. Thank goodness the Revingrad Intergalactic Spaceport had so many closets.

It was a relief when she caught sight of The Celestial Sønderknuste, her ride back to Earth. She could see the old captain standing by the gangplank. He pulled out his holographic pocket-watch to check the hour just as two peace officers strolled around a corner. There were only a few minutes left before the mailboat departed. It wasn't enough time to wait for the peace officers to pass. Pluckie had to go now or she would lose her chance.

With her eyes firmly planted on her feet, she tried to make her stride the right balance of quick and casual. She should have been less focused on her walk and more focused on where she was walking. It was a complete surprise when her face collided with a familiar, masculine chest.

Drak certainly wasn't expecting Pluckie to walk full speed into him. The force of the impact sent her careening sideways into a marble pedestal. The Prince managed to catch her in his arms before she fell, but the Ming vase on top of the pedestal wasn't so lucky. It, along with a placard reading 'On loan from the Revin Family Collection,' toppled over and smashed against the linoleum floor.

Pluckie, still in her sunglasses and floppy hat, gazed up at Drak. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry and there was a giant lump in her throat. "Oh no."