Chapter 02: Unwelcome Guests and Unlikely Alliances
Roxie sat in a large, gilded chair that looked like it belonged more to a throne room than to a palace sitting room, her arms crossed tightly as she watched Prince Dorian pace in front of her. She wasn’t sure whether she should be irritated or flattered by how calm he was acting about her sudden appearance. If she’d landed in someone’s backyard by accident, they would have at least shown some signs of alarm, right?
But no, not Prince Dorian. He was already taking control of the situation as if nothing about it was out of the ordinary.
“Look,” she began, leaning forward, “I’m not exactly a threat. I didn’t mean to land in your royal palace or whatever, but this is a serious issue. I need to get back to Earth. Like, yesterday.”
“I understand,” Dorian replied, his tone cool but still not quite detached. His eyes—piercing blue, hard to read—never strayed from her for more than a second. “But, Miss Bennett, I need to understand the nature of your device. It’s highly unusual for a civilian to be capable of… this kind of teleportation.”
Roxie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. He wasn’t wrong, of course. She’d built the device with a mixture of trial, error, and a lot of caffeine. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and she’d never really expected it to work at all. But the fact that it had brought her to a royal palace on a different world… well, that wasn’t exactly something she could explain over tea.
“Look, I don’t know what happened,” she muttered. “But what I do know is that I need your help. I don’t have time to sit here and discuss the science of it. I just need to go home.”
Dorian’s expression softened, though he still stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back. There was an almost unspoken respect in the way he was regarding her. As much as he tried to play the part of the stern prince, it was clear that he was trying to make sense of her, just as she was trying to make sense of this whole strange situation.
“I will help you,” he said, finally meeting her gaze with a nod. “But we’ll need to be careful. Teleportation, especially one that operates on such an advanced level, is not something we can undo lightly.”
Before Roxie could respond, the heavy doors of the sitting room swung open, and a pair of guards stepped in. Their presence was immediate—tall, clad in sleek black armor, their helmets reflecting the soft candlelight as they surveyed the room with rigid authority. Dorian’s face didn’t change at the sight of them, but Roxie could feel the tension rise.
“Your Highness,” one of the guards said, his voice deep and formal. “There’s been a report of an unauthorized vessel entering our airspace.”
Dorian’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t break his gaze from Roxie. “I’m aware,” he said calmly, though his hands had shifted to the small of his back. He was trying to remain composed, but even Roxie could tell something wasn’t right.
The other guard stepped forward, his helmet dipping slightly as though to offer respect. “It seems the ship is heading straight for the palace. We have no idea what their intentions are, but they’re not responding to our signals.”
Roxie’s stomach twisted in sudden unease. If this was some sort of intergalactic invasion, she didn’t think her teleportation skills were going to be much help. She’d be lucky if she could even fix the device, let alone defend against—well, whatever was coming.
Dorian exhaled slowly, his eyes hardening as he turned toward the guards. “Prepare the defenses. I’ll handle this personally.”
The guards bowed in sync and left the room, but not before shooting a few wary glances toward Roxie. It was clear they didn’t trust her presence. She was the outsider, after all. She was the unknown element in all of this.
As soon as they were gone, Roxie stood up, her fingers tapping nervously on the armrest of the chair. “Did I miss something? What’s going on?”
Dorian turned back to her, his face tight with concern. “We are under threat. A ship coming from the asteroid field has broken through our security measures. It could be hostile, or worse, a rogue faction attempting to exploit our resources. But we don’t have time to discuss it in detail. You’ll have to stay here until we sort this out.”
Roxie frowned, crossing her arms. “And what am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for a ship to blow up your palace?”
Dorian met her gaze with a sharp look, but there was an odd softness beneath it, something that didn’t quite align with his royal persona. “I don’t intend to let anyone blow up my palace, but yes, for now, it is safer for you to stay here. Besides, we’ll need to keep an eye on you while we figure out how to get you back to Earth.”
Roxie couldn’t believe her luck—or lack thereof. Not only had she ended up on a completely different planet, but now there was a threat to the royal palace, and she had been thrust into the middle of it. She had no choice but to play along for now.
“Alright, fine. But once this is over, I expect your help getting me home.”
Dorian nodded curtly, then stepped toward the door. “Stay here. It’s the safest place right now.” But before he exited, he turned back to her one last time, his voice low. “And don’t try anything funny, Miss Bennett. I’ll be watching.”
With that, he was gone, leaving her alone in the sprawling chamber.
Roxie sat back down, her mind racing. She had to get out of this palace—she couldn’t just sit around and wait to see what the mysterious ship wanted. If she was going to get back to Earth, she needed to make her move now. But with a royal palace in lockdown, she didn’t exactly have many options.
She glanced at the large, ornate window nearby. Outside, the bright, unfamiliar sky stretched endlessly, dotted with floating ships and strange vessels. The stars gleamed like jewels against the blackness of space, and Roxie’s stomach churned with the realization that she was completely out of her depth.
Still, she wasn’t the type to back down. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was figure things out. And maybe, just maybe, this mess would lead to the answers she needed.
It was time to make an escape plan. Or, at the very least, find a way to prove she wasn’t some helpless, clueless outsider.
