Nightshade

I slammed my bedroom door behind me, leaping onto my sprawling bed and allowing the soft mattress to consume my body.

I had been sent to my room - without dinner mind you - for speaking out of turn and expressing my personal thoughts towards trade; again

Being the third son of the king and queen of planet Gilldon was certainly a more bothersome task than I could have ever imagined, considering that my opinion mattered far less than those of my two older brothers.

Gideon was the eldest, heir to the throne, and currently engaged to the pompous daughter of the king and queen of planet Val-dern. He also believed that being the eldest allowed him special privileges such as putting me back in my place when I had stepped out of it even for a mere moment.

Hilden was far kinder to me in the way of brothers, and yet he still managed to gently correct me when I had spoken too much or too soon. Still, he always apologized to me later and would bring me sweet rolls from the kitchen after all the lights had been put out.

What about myself you may ask? I was the “rebellious” Prince, the one always choosing to lash out with my tongue rather than hold it, making my opinions and standings very clear.

My parents, King Lawrence and Queen Vinia, were benevolent to us children as well as their subjects. Unfortunately, they were also quite blind to the goings-on of other planets and their rulers, hence my reasoning for loathing the monarchs of Val-dern. It seemed as if their only goal in life was to suppress the weak and gain more power and prestige for themselves.

When I was a mere ten years old I had uncovered a plot to assassinate my father and had suspected from the beginning that the royal family of Val-dern had been behind it. My suspicions were proven to be correct, but all evidence had been completely erased from all the data files and no convictions were made.

Since that day, I vowed to protect other people from their tyrannical rule and watch over my family from the shadows.

Five years later, I’m still determined to do so, my fury only rekindled after I had overheard that the king, Xander, had been smuggling illegally trafficked slaves to his planet to work in the palace kitchens and dungeons; an offense that is punishable by death in most quadrants.

It had angered me to the point where I almost went after him myself; but while I am outspoken, I’m not stupid.

Instead I have been watching and waiting, keeping my senses tuned for any kind of slip up. Suddenly, the light crystals are extinguished and I jump from my bed to retrieve my “evening” attire. Once fully prepared with my dual ion pistols, several laser cartridges, my stealth suit, and my grapple gun I make my way down the secret staircase behind my book shelf.

I smirk as I descend and pull my hood over my black hair. “Prince Garrem of Gilldon moonlights as the renegade, Nightshade. Whatever would mother and father think of me?”