"MY FATHER," LOUIS repeated when I failed to successfully acknowledge his words the first time.

It must have been blatantly obvious from my blank expression and lack of words that I had no idea what he meant, for he just stood and stared at me expectantly. His father – that could have implied anything! Louis gave me a few more moments to think it over but I continued to remain clueless. Obviously annoyed that I hadn't been able to piece it together quicker, he sighed.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I don't understand. What exactly do you mean by that?"

Louis groaned, almost as if speaking his thoughts out loud was painful for him. Perhaps it was, considering everything that was going on; he couldn't be sure who to trust anymore. That could drive even the sanest people mad. "Do you recall that time when you asked me about my parents and I told you how my father is not best pleased with my line of work?"

I nodded. "Vaguely. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, he hates the idea of science. He's a very strong believer in 'the things we were given at the beginning is enough,' so the mere mention of the new and wonderful, of discoveries and ... just anything of the sort gets under his skin. As I grew up and my interests veered towards just that, he's been rather ... let's say unable to mask his displeasure. I never followed in his footsteps quite the same way and because I turned my nose up at the idea of being a stereotypical prince who would take a telling and be formal all day and night, he's come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with it is to just ignore anything I achieve outside of my royal duties. He just waves it off, doesn't care in the slightest..."

"Oh, Louis, that's awful," I said. If my heart could have literally shattered, if would have been right then, for him.

He nodded. "It's infuriating because from the moment I was able to read and write he expected me to sit and go through every book in the library until I could describe to him perfectly what it meant to be a prince and how to rule a kingdom. He hired private tutors to come and lecture me day and night and he even wished for me to ascend to the throne at a much younger age than I am now.

"I mean ... it's not right to put all that pressure on a child and I guess in the end it all got too much because I turned to my mother and said, 'I'm interested in learning how our world works, not how a king makes it work,' and she told me to follow my dreams and do what I wanted to do." He took a deep breath and looked up at me.

Still listening intently, I told him to continue. I'd never heard him delve into so much detail about his royal duties and it was utterly fascinating. Unfortunately, it was also upsetting. I wasn't naive; it didn't take an idiot to know that being of royal blood wouldn't be all fun and games. The way Louis spoke sometimes made it sound more like a chore than his life. I suppose in a way it would seem like that if you were born into such a lifestyle.

What made the whole thing hit me even more was the fact that Louis and I were roughly of the same age and the thought of having to heave around all that pressure so young left me in awe. He'd come so far and all the while being loaded with so many responsibilities, not yet ready to take them on. It was amazing what he'd achieved.

"When I felt brave enough, I told my father I wasn't ready to take on the crown, at least not so soon and he was so mad that I thought he'd never calm down. It wasn't just the sitting on a throne and making strategic decisions that bothered me, it was the little things too, like the arranged marriage and the inability to do anything in my spare time and the fact I was practically going to be throwing away my youth. Why would I choose all that just to rule a kingdom which, quite frankly, already has a great king? My dad is a great ruler, I'll give him that."

Out of everything he'd already said about his father I was pleased to hear one positive thing. But being good at his job didn't fix the distanced relationship between him and his son.

"If he's such a great king then why is he so determined that you take over from him so soon?" I asked. "Why the rush to replace himself?"

Louis just laughed and told me, "When I asked him he said he wanted to retire."

"Oh," I laughed. His dad almost sounded like my boss at the supermarket. "Isn't that a little selfish though?"

Louis mulled it over. "Perhaps," he eventually said, "but at the same time, my father has been in power for so long, he's bound to need a rest."

"So dumping the same problems on you is how he's going to deal with it?"

"I... Flora, I know it sounds awful of him – and I suppose it is – but I'm the heir to the throne. He has nobody else to give the crown to so of course it has to be me."

"I understand that, Louis. It just seems so unfair. Then again, he probably thinks that you're being selfish for not becoming king sooner."

His face fell at my words and I instantly felt bad for being so blunt.

I'd always appreciated those who could be brutally honest with me; I valued the opinions of those closest because sometimes you needed a clear head to come to a conclusion. However, there were times where it was more appropriate than others and clearly right then had not been one of those moments. Awkwardly, I glanced down at my fidgeting hands before looking back up to find a small, almost guilty smile creeping onto Louis' face.

"I guess you're right," he said sadly.

To further the conversation, I asked him, "So, what happened after you told him?"

"He kind of gave me the silent treatment. Sometimes he'd choose not to acknowledge me or he'd zone out if I began speaking about work. Funnily enough if I brought up plans I wanted to carry out when I became king, he listened. But no, anything else and he didn't give a damn. Why is it so hard for him to accept that I want to be like everyone else - to go out and meet new people, to work hard and earn like others – not have it there, already waiting for me? I like to earn things, not simply own them."

The way he spoke with such melancholy made something in my heart shatter. He really hadn't been joking that time when he'd told me he thought he'd been born on the wrong planet and into the wrong family.

But I was confused because all Louis was talking about was his father and how he disapproved of his work.

"What does all this have to do with Klaru?" I desperately asked.

Displeasure was one thing but the life of your child was completely different. Surely the king cared for his son's well-being more than his incompetence to accept Louis' choice of work. If he cared for Louis at all, he would have Klaru thoroughly punished. "Why would it matter?"

"Because," he started, a frown creeping onto his face, "I disappoint him more than you may think."

I disappoint him.

His words rang through my head like an echo in a cave, never-ending and torturous. I knew what that felt like, to let a parent down and it was one of the most unbearable feelings in the world. To feel so emotionally detached from one of the two people you considered closest was not only scary but heart-breaking.

I took his hand in mine and tugged it so I could have his full attention. "Hey," I said to him. "I know what that's like. When I told my parents I was bisexual, my mum had the most trouble dealing with it. I'm not quite sure why because the idea never seemed to bother her until then. I guess the idea of her little girl possibly fooling around with other girls made her realise she wasn't keen on such ... intimacies." I laughed, the aghast look on my mother's face evading my thoughts once again. It had been an interesting evening around the dinner table that night. "It's difficult when you think you've let a loved one down like that, especially when it's you revealing who you truly are. But Louis, believe me when I say they still love you at the end of the day. A parent's love for their child is one of the strongest bonds in the world. Just because your dad doesn't agree with your choice of work doesn't mean he's stopped caring for you. That would be absurd."

Louis hung his head like he'd been rejected a large plate full of strawberry covered pancakes. He looked positively lost, his voice coming out in a whisper. "Sometimes it feels that way."

I hadn't heard a lot about his father. All I knew was that he disapproved of Louis' work and that he was a great ruler of Junito. A negative and a positive. I didn't know what he liked to do in his spare time or if he had a good sense of humour like his son. Unfortunately the more Louis told me, the more I grew to dislike his father and it wasn't often that I judged a person before I got to know them.

"Louis," I mumbled, unsure what to say to make him feel better. "He loves you. You know he does. One little thing like a job won't change that."

"You don't see the look on his face, Flora. You don't see the way his eyes bore into mine with such superiority and ... disappointment. It's like he would rather have me be unhappy for the rest of my life rather than live it to the fullest. It's unbearable."

"I get it," I lied, rubbing his knuckles with my free hand. I only partially knew how he felt; I didn't have the weight of royal duties sitting upon my shoulders or a life of fancy clothes and silverware. I had a bottle of wine and a magazine at home, a boring job at a supermarket, away out by the seaside where next to nothing happened. I'd always thought nothing of it - the simple lifestyle where I only owned what I needed. All the time I'd been taking it for granted, there was Louis, up on Junito craving the kind of life I lived. "It's difficult, I know."

"But you don't," he argued with a shake of the head. "My mother is so understanding, so patient so different compared to him. I don't understand how they are so good together when they are such opposites. My mother was the one who encouraged me to do what my heart desired, to explore and discover such wonderful things while my father expects so little yet so much of me."

"But Louis, if he's so desperate for you to become king and to have you ruling the entire planet, don't you think he would want you to be able to do so without any danger lurking around the corner? If you tell your parents about what Klaru has been doing, there could be guards stationed at every door, extra staff looking after you as she gets charged with treason. That's why I don't understand-"

"He loves Klaru," he cut me off firmly. The look in his eyes was all fire, rage. "He adores that woman; thinks the world of her. The moment he realised she was of age to wed he practically sent a ship halfway across the planet to pick her up himself. There was no other princess he'd rather have me marry than her. It's because her father is a family friend and he and my dad are so close they're like brothers. It was a moment of joy for him when he decided we'd be betrothed."

"What makes her so special?" I practically spat. It made me wonder what did make her so unique. She had fiery red hair like me, longer and sweeping to a stop just above her backside, with high cheek bones and full lips. In my eyes, all she had going for her was a great appearance. Screw her personality - it was bland and splattered with evil. Yet Louis had spoken so fondly of her back when everything had been good. Just like something from a fairytale. "Nix told me she isn't even a proper princess."

Louis's eyebrows disappeared under his swept hair, a smirk slowly removing the sorrowful frown. "So you were given a history lesson on your way up here? Does the history of Junito excite you?"

"More than you can imagine," I laughed. It was hardly time to talk about Junito and all its glory, so I said, "Your father can't pick what he thinks he knows about Klaru over the truth. Are you telling me that he would be more likely to believe Klaru over you, his own son?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't deem it implausible."

"Well..." I trailed off, unable to further my argument due to lack of words. It seemed that nothing I could say or do would sway his opinion of his father's distaste. An irritated sigh blew past my lips as I realised that Louis' stubbornness would only minimise my chances of persuading him into talk with his parents. Then there was also the problem with the 'golden child' Klaru and how she could do no wrong in his father's eyes. It looked like it was going to be more difficult than I'd first thought.

Klaru, the definition of the word evil, I thought grimly.

Everything seemed to be going down-hill and we hadn't even formulated a Plan B. If Louis couldn't convince his parents to step in then we were all screwed. No matter how hard I tried to manoeuvre around the problem, I kept coming back clueless as ever. There had to be another way to solve the problem, there always was.

Louis was still looking at me with a glum face, like he'd finally lost all hope. Chin up, I wanted to tell him. He could believe what he wanted; that his father despised him and Klaru couldn't be defeated but I knew deep down that he was aware of his forced pessimism. His father did love him and no matter how long he gave Louis the silent treatment or told him his work was useless, it would never break the father-son bond.

And then an idea hit me. I grew frustrated when realising it should have come to me long before then.

"Louis?"

He raised his head to meet my eyes. "Hm?"

"Do you remember one of the first things I asked you when we met?"

His face scrunched up in thought, his eyes wandering to the ceiling as he racked his brain.

"You asked me if I were alright," he said, more like questioned.

"Think harder," I gently pushed.

He sat and mulled it over in his head, finally giving up with a shrug. "I don't know... There were a lot of things you asked me."

"Well, the thing I remember most is the time I asked you to use me as your evidence," I slowly reminded him.

His eyes lit up at the memory and he softly said, "Ah, yes."

"I asked you to consider taking me to Junito as proof to show you had discovered life on Earth. And you know what? I think it's time we educated your father."

The happiness on his face was brief. As soon as I dropped that suggestion on the table his entire face seemed to fall. He'd been upset earlier but certainly not to the extent that he was right then. His eyes widened once he picked up on what I was intending, his head shaking from side to side so fast his features became a blur.

"No," he snapped instantly, not even allowing me to delve into detail. "Absolutely not."

"Louis-"

"Flora, you can't. I'm not saying this to be irritant but for your own good. My father would have you killed! He disapproves of my work - yes - but putting that aside, he's very like the Councillors when it comes to the subject of life outside of Junito; he won't entertain the possibility. He doesn't believe it. So if I stood you in front of him and told him I'd brought a human to our home he would – oh, my. He would have you slaughtered. No, no, no this won't do. No, my decision is no."

"But Louis," I complained. "It's the only way for you to prove that you're telling the truth. Plus, you'll finally have your moment! Me standing there in front of your people proves your theory of life on Earth was correct. Kill two birds with one stone, for goodness sake. And if you don't mind, Your Highness, I would rather it be me standing out there being shouted at or poked with sticks instead of you being called a liar."

Louis held his head high in a superior manner. "Flora," he warned, "I said no."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not?!" he spluttered, his arms flapping by his side in agitation. "With all due respect Flora, but are you stupid? Did you not hear a thing I just said?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?!" I challenged.

"You – I – what do you mean? Stop confusing me!" He ran his hands over his face again, his cheeks flushed. "I'm not letting you march up to my dad and go, 'I'm a human by the way, from Earth, nice to meet you,' and expect everything to be just peachy afterwards! You would be lucky to even make it into the same room as the king. I can't let you risk your life like that."

"Then why the hell did you bring me here?" I snapped. Blood was boiling beneath my skin, my ears ringing as I sized him up. We'd never had a proper fight before and I didn't want one to occur, especially given the situation. I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.

"I..." I stumped him that time. His eyes desperately darted across my face as he stood open-mouthed with no come back. Right then I began to question why he had agreed to take me with him – if not for proof, then what? I couldn't recall a time I'd been as flustered around Louis and the longer he stood there in silence the more I wanted to give him a whack.

"Cat got your tongue?" I asked, calmer.

Louis shook his head, his stony expression softening. He took a step closer. "No. But an Earthling does."

Momentarily speechless, I had only a moment to react as his hand came up to cup my cheek, his calloused fingertips caressing my flushed skin. His eyes caught my mouth and as he leaned closer I realised his lips were about to follow suit.

That's when I did give him a whack.

"Louis!" I shrieked. "What the hell? Why would you try to kiss me in such a stressful situation?!"

"I'm sorry!" he gushed, rubbing his cheek. A red hand-print was beginning to form on the surface and guilt instantly hit me like a tsunami. "I just want to get better at it!"

"I – you want to get better at kissing? Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but now is not the fucking time!"

"Yes, I agree. I apologise." Louis straightened himself up right, brushing a few loose strands of hair from his face. "I won't lie to you – I was also hoping to change your mind with intimacy. I just can't have you be seen by my father. I can't stand there and watch as you risk your life for me, not knowing what the outcome shall be."

Ignoring the way my chest tightened at the first half, I cleared my throat and replied with, "It's the only way."

"You told me Nix has recordings. Why can we not just use those? And band together some willing witnesses."

"You said yourself that they may not be keen to talk," I pointed out. "And the recordings alone probably won't convince your dad. If he's so in love with Klaru's good girl act then he'll say some shit like how they're fake or somebody else lent their voice to make it seem like she's a traitor. I've seen the movies, I know all the excuses of denial."

Louis chuckled at me, his hands coming to rest at his hips. "Do you really think there's no other way?"

Did I? Or was I just being stubborn? Nix and the team hadn't been able to come up with anything better and if five of us – Louis, six – couldn't think anything up then what hope was there? Louis was the only person who could fix everything but it all depended on whether he would make the move.

I nodded slowly, reluctantly. I didn't want to die but I was determined to help. I'd promised him I would and I was adamant on following that promise through until the very end whether it be happy or bitter. "I do."

He sighed deeply, scratching the back of his head. It seemed like I'd not quite convinced him thoroughly enough and so I prepared myself for another lecture. "Flora-"

He paused suddenly, his head tilted towards the door as if he were listening out for something. I strained to hear but there was only silence – to begin with. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong I heard them; footsteps approaching fast. I frowned when I realised it wasn't one but several pairs of feet. Something in my gut told me it was Klaru, most likely with a couple Councillors by her side.

My palms began to sweat.

"Hide, quick!" Louis gasped, gesturing towards the fireplace. I didn't even hesitate to throw myself behind the secret door, Louis giving me a nod as if to tell me it'll all be fine, before he pushed the wall back into place.

I'm sorry for the long wait - it's been a busy last few months at work. Sadly updates will continue to be slow until I stop getting landed extra shifts so bear with me! Thank you so much for being patient, you guys are amazing.

And thanks to everyone who supported me for entering The Wattys! Unfortunately I'm not in the running but ya know, fuck it  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Space joke: What do you call a homosexual extra-terrestrial? A gay-lien!

Cazza