Chapter 1- Welcome To Derse

Jake English – heir to the throne on the golden planet of Prospit – flipped through his novel with a small scowl on his face. He wanted to finish it before he was sent to Derse to be seduced by the Strider princes.

You see, Jake didn't want to go. He didn't think he needed some prince to make his dreams come true. But his grandmother had different thoughts. She wanted to stop the 100-year civil war between the two planets, and the mysterious king of Derse had only complied to the idea of one of his sons marrying the handsome Prospitian prince. Once they were married, the kingdoms would prosper in peace, and the suffering of their peoples would finally be over. Jake hardly thought this was fair, however. He had to be some piece in a game of war, and even worse, they were manipulating his entire future.

"I know you're upset, Jake," his grandmother had said at dinner a few nights before, "but you must think about what is right for our kingdom. Princes and princesses were forced to marry one another all the time in the medieval days."

"But these aren't the medieval days, Grandma! What happened to carving your own future!? Why can't Jade go?!" Jake complained. His grandmother sighed.

"Jade is far too young, Jake. And besides, the king specifically requested that you stay with them. I don't want to make him upset – not when we're this close to ending this war." She hissed. Jake had huffed and rose from the table, retreating to his room to control his anger.

Jake heard a knock on the door as he remembered that night, losing interest in his novel. He folded the page and closed the front cover, throwing it into his suitcase along with some of his other belongings. He opened the door and scowled unintentionally at the person behind it.

"I'm sorry you have to go, Jakey." Jake's 10-year-old sister Jade skipped into the room, plopping down onto his bed. Jake joined her, her sudden intrusions being normal to him. "It's not fair at all."

"Thanks, Jade. I know it's not fair." He agreed. He fixed Jade's hair and she looked up at him with wide, emerald-green eyes that were similar to his.

"You're coming back, right?" She asked timidly.

"As soon as that month is over, I'll be back at home, and I'll read you bedtime stories again." Jake insisted. Jade smiled and let out a small giggle.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heat."

"Okay, good…" Jade hugged her brother and squeezed his ribs. Jake chuckled slightly and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine, and I'll send you letters every day. Have Bec come to visit." Jake smiled for the first time in days.

"I will. He'll be excited to see you." She claimed. There was another knock on the door.

"Ready to go, my prince? Your grandmother is waiting for you outside." Said Karkat in an annoyed sort of tone. Jake was used to this as well – Karkat was always tired, or otherwise upset about something.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jake deadpanned. He gave Jade one final squeeze and zipped his suitcase shut. "Be good, okay, Jade?" Jade nodded and watched him walk out with a small frown.

"How are you feeling?" Karkat asked, rolling Jake's suitcases down the main hallway.

Jake sighed. He hugged his chest, squeezing his arms to keep his temper down. "About as good as you without coffee." Karkat didn't find this funny.

Neither of them did.

Jake walked outside, where his grandmother was waiting by a violet limo. Instead of wheels, the car had jets that spit out a small amount of flames and smoke. Jake kissed his grandmother goodbye and hugged her tightly.

"Remember to be polite, and dress nicely." She reminded. She frowned when she saw Jake's expression. "Cheer up. Happy days go by faster, Jake. Don't try to be a total shut in – the sooner you fall in love with a Strider prince, the sooner you get to come home."

His grandmother's words haunted Jake as he stared out the limo window. He watched the stars fly by, wishing that he could be there with them – pretending not to exist. Once they arrived, he stared up at the purple Dersian castle with distaste, but he took a deep breath and collected himself once again.

"Prim and proper, Jake, prim and proper." He imitated his grandmother in a low whisper as the door was opened for him. At the top of the grand violet staircase stood two blonde teenagers, which Jake assumed they were the princes. The taller one was wearing a purple and black striped vest that was marked with the small emblem of a half-empty, pink heart in the corner. He was wearing sunglasses that were spiked at the end and his hair was gelled in an unnatural way. The smaller one was also wearing a purple and black striped vest, but the heart emblem was replaced by a red gear in the same corner. His sunglasses were round, and his blonde hair waved in front of his face. In the middle of the two was a tall figure draped in a purple robe that hid his face, along with the rest of his body. Jake assumed this was the king.

Jake almost smiled. The princes were handsome, he had to admit – though he didn't understand why they wore sunglasses on such a dark planet.

"Welcome, Prince English. It is lovely to finally meet you." The king greeted, shaking his hand.

"Please, Your Highness – call me Jake." Jake forced a smile, wishing he could toss himself down the staircase. He eyeballed the people that brought his bags into the castle.

"Alright, Jake. Please, come in. We've been very excited to have you, and we hope you will find your stay most enjoyable." The king invited him in with the wave of a hand. Jake reluctantly followed, watching the princes walk in after him out of the corner of his eye. He was looking forward to seeing his room so he could stay there all month.

The Dersian castle was almost exactly like the Prospitian castle, but it was colored in different shades of violet instead of the golden color Jake was used to. Dersian servants with black colored skin roamed the halls – some with cleaning tools, and others with trays and carts. Jake watched as one approached him and bowed. He pat it's head and gave it a small smile, making the Dersian grin with delight before fleeing to the next room.

"You're quite kind, I hear." The king spoke up once more. Jake could see the glimmer of a smile from beneath his hood.

"I have to be. Citizens don't want a cold-hearted king ruling over them. They want someone who listens and gets involved with their lifestyle so that the king can learn to respect it." Jake replied. The king let out a hearty laugh.

"You sure know what it takes to rule a kingdom, huh?"

"Indeed, sir. If I didn't, I couldn't call myself a prince." Jake continued walking as the king stopped, his mouth ajar with awe.

"Quite the prince, huh, boys? Maybe Jake can teach you some things." The king's voice echoed through the hallway. Jake paused and looked back at them with a stone expression.

"Dad!" The taller one huffed with embarrassment.

"Oh, relax, Dirk, I'm only teasing you."

Dirk, huh? Well, Jake still wasn't keen on the idea of marrying either one of the princes, even though he knew one's name. They seemed quiet and shy – nothing like the adventurous and spontaneous person Jake was. But he mustn't judge too fast, he guessed. The king walked up next to him, still showing his excited, toothy grin.

"Well, Jake, I'll show you to your room. We'll see you at dinner time, then?" He lead Jake down another hallway, and the tan boy watched him wink at Dirk and the other Strider prince. Jake rolled his eyes secretly and quickly walked along down the hall. "Your things are already in here for you. Biggest room in the castle – and with a great view of the stars." The king opened a door that lead Jake to a high-roofed room. It was all violet like the rest of the castle, except for the golden suitcases that lay neatly in the corner. He looked towards a tall, glass window that laid out a sky full of shining stars and purple skyscrapers before him. It was… dark, to say the least.

"We hope you will be comfortable living here, Jake. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. See you at dinner!" The king closed the door behind him and Jake listened to his footsteps padding down the hallway. The Prospitian prince sighed loudly and plopped down on the purple sheets of his bed. He couldn't help but be freaked out by the fact that the king spoke for his sons. Jake had only heard one word from either of the princes, and he only knew one of their names so far… Jake stared up at the cold, stony ceiling and pulled his hands behind his head.

"It's going to be a long month."