To think I was dumped on this desolate planet! How dare he!727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQProxS7SGf
I picked myself up and dusted off my black clothes, then I shook an angry fist at the sky. "I'll be back, Father!" I yelled. My voice echoed across the field of corn. The only reply was a twittering bird.
Grumbling, I trudged through the corn blindly until I finally made it out of the blasted field. What greeted me next surprised me.
A machine sped by and hit me with the full force of 100km/h.
Of course it hurt - no one can be hit by an object travelling at 100km/h and not feel a little bit of pain. So after being thrown back a hundred yards, I winced and pushed myself up off the ground. A girl got out of the machine and ran over, but she looked very surprised to see me sit up.
"Shit, you're okay?" She asked. She had long wavy blonde hair and light grey eyes. She furrowed her brow. "How'd you do that?"
"Do what?" I asked. It occurred to me that she spoke the Mothertongue - that would help me considerably.
"Not die."
I frowned. "I try not to die on a daily basis."
"No, I mean," She huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "You were hit by a car: my car. You scared the crap outta me. Usually, people die from that sort of thing."
"Oh," I patted my arms and legs. "Paludian thread," I replied. She looked confused. "Shock-absorbent fabric. Practically bullet proof." My suit was custom made, and very expensive. Excellent clothing to look stylish in a war. But I was a prince! They couldn't afford to let me die.
I smoothed back my black hair and stood. "Now, take me to your nearest starship base. I really must get back home," I said.
Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"Are you hard of hearing?" I asked. She crossed her arms with an expression akin to someone smelling at Drakling dung. "Take me to the nearest starship base, peasant."
She scoffed. "Look, emo goth dude, I ain't taking orders from anyone. I don't even know what you're talking about. So yeah. Good luck with that." She turned and headed back to her machine, which made an odd beeping noise when she clicked a button on a small device. The door closed and she revved the engine. It was only then that I realized she intended to leave.
"No, wait!" I said, running after her machine as she slowly started to pull away. "Why do you not listen? Is it because I don't have the royal insignia on my robes?"727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9HoVgCcGc
"What? No!" She glared at me through the open window of her machine. "You're acting like a bratty six year old that rules over all!"
That hurt. That really hurt. "My dear girl, I will rule Argonia some day," I mumbled. "I'd expect some semblance of recognition for the future King."
"Now I know you're crazy." She rolled up the car window and her machine sped up quickly. I ran after her, keeping up with the machine. I tapped on the glass to get her attention.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHFOPm1XYn
"Look, if you could just-" She screamed and swerved away from me, barreling into several hundred corn stalks before righting herself on the road and stopping abruptly. I skidded to a halt and tapped on the glass again.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoR4QMQUBx
"If you could just direct me to the nearest starship base, I'd be very thankful. You'd have the prince of Argonia in your debt," I said. I thought it was a very generous offer, one I would usually make to a duke or other nobleman. But the girl didn't reply with anything other than strangled noises.
"What?" I asked.
"You ran after the car."
I furrowed my brow. "Well, yes." Was that so strange? She blinked rapidly.
"Thirty miles an hour..."
"Excuse me?"727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNbnvkfv9N
"I was driving at thirty miles an hour." She fixed her fierce stormy gaze on me. "Are you some sort of superhero or what? You from Krypton?"
I was very, very confused. "I do not know what these superheroes you speak of are. And I have never heard of this Krypton. Is it a planet?" If so, then I would have to extract intel from this girl so Argonia could either colonize or destroy it.
"Yeah, Krypton's a fake planet," she replied. "It's where Superman comes from."
I didn't know who Superman was, but one part of the word interested me.
"Superman? Man? Am I on the planet of man?" I asked. The girl gave me a queer gaze.
"Um, this is Earth," she said. "Does that answer your question?"
Oh of all the horrors! I was stuck on this blasted civilization in the middle of nowhere! Leave it to my father to dump me on the only planet which knows nothing of Argonia. Not to mention, they had no interstellar technology - all of their little inventions were hopelessly outdated.
I wailed. "Nooooooo!"
The girl watched while trying to conceal a small smirk. "Look, Mr. Wail of Death, I can take you to the nearest town, maybe let Big Benny take care of you. But you get off then, and I ain't giving you money. Oh, and if you try to mug me, I'll strangle you with my judo skills."
"Judo? Is that some form of artillery?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. Take me to your leader!" I exclaimed. She snorted loudly. "What?" I asked indignantly.727Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04StEM5NyP
"Oh, nothing. Just never thought I'd hear that phrase outside of a space show." She opened the door and I slid in. The machine felt horribly small and compact. Where was the instant anti-gravity when you needed one?
"To Hope we go!" She yelled. I gripped the dashboard for dear life.
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