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"Oh, Rubeus!" Emerald's voice called, her shrill giggle echoing off the walls of the small spaceship. Rubeus groaned. "What is it, Emerald?" he replied, feigning civility. "Prince Diamond wants you to be at his palace tomorrow at noon. He has something for you." she replied, appearing before him. "Such as?" Rubeus inquired, his interest rising slightly. "I caaaan't saaaaaay." Emerald replied in a sing-song voice. "Not some useless trinket, I hope." he replied, shuddering as Emerald let out yet another infernal giggle. "Of course not. I believe you'll like this one." she said, her body fading, slowly disappearing. Rubeus walked to his console and set the navigational controls to arrive at the Prince's home the next day.
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As Aegea was lead to the large main hall of the palace, she wondered what was happening. Guards had burst into her room earlier that day and dragged her off, which wasn't unusual; her father wasn't very popular with anyone -- good OR evil. But this couldn't be a kidnaping, they had treated her too well. She was dressed in fine silks and velvets. For all she knew, she was to be a sacrifice for some primitive god. Aegea shuddered at the thought. The guards on either side of her brought her into a large, dimly-lit hallway. On a throne sat a young man in a white suit. A man with fiery-red hair stood beside him. "How nice of you to join us, Lady Aegea." the white-clad man said. "Prince Diamond! I should have known! What do you want? When my father hears of this---" "Your father already knows. You are his gift to me." "What?!?" "And you are my present to the newest member of the NegaMoon family." Prince Diamond replied, looking at the young man standing beside him. "She's yours, Rubeus." The red- haired young man looked surprised, but stepped forward to inspect her. "Hello. I'm Rubeus." he said, extending his hand. She eyed him cautiously, then took it with as much dignity as she could muster. "Aegea. How do you do?" he smirked. "Fine, thanks." Rubeus answered. He then walked around her, sizing her up. "So, how old are you, Aegea?" "Fourteen." she replied, her gaze locked on the floor. "Alright, fine, Prince Diamond. Have her sent to my chambers. We can discuss the details then."
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After a couple of hours of discussing details, Rubeus went to his quarters, half-expecting Aegea to be cowering in a corner. She wasn't. He looked around the room until he spotted her. Aegea was laying on his couch sound asleep. The tray of food he had sent to her was now empty and laying on a table nearby. Rubeus sat on the floor next to the couch and looked at her, recalling part of the conversation he'd had with Prince Diamond. "You have two choices, Rubeus. You can marry the girl, or keep her as a slave." he had said. "Marriage would help save face." "Save who's face, Rubeus? Yours?" the prince had asked, eying him incredulously. "That would require having some dignity to save, Your Highness. No, hers." "Very well. You'll be married tomorrow. Until then, don't kiss her. She won't be ready yet, and the result could be disastrous." Rubeus jerked away from Aegea as he realized, with a start, that he had been about to kiss the girl. He didn't trust anyone, but something told him to listen to the prince's advice. So, he rested his elbow on the edge of the couch with his chin cupped in his palm and began to doze.
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Chapter 2 : The Visitor
