The Royal Escape (or Lack Thereof)

Finn sprinted through the streets of Brasshaven, dodging steam carts, leaping over crates, and narrowly avoiding getting flattened by an automaton carrying a stack of anvils.

Behind him, the gold-plated royal guards were in full pursuit. Zephyria, Captain Vespera, and Tess were chasing too—though none of them were trying to help him.

Zephyria wanted to beat him up.

Vespera wanted to kidnap him.

Tess? She was just enjoying the chaos.

"Stop him!" bellowed the admiral. "The Ironblood Prince must return to the palace!"

Finn yelled over his shoulder. "I AM NOT A PRINCE!"

A mechanical horse galloped up beside him, its gears whirring. Zephyria was on its back, eyes burning. "You ruined my reputation, made my father think I'm engaged, and now you're royalty?! GET BACK HERE!"

She grabbed a grappling hook from her belt and launched it at Finn's leg.

He yelped, jumped, and accidentally landed on a passing delivery drone, which immediately went haywire. "NOPE! THIS IS WORSE!"

The drone, overloaded from the weight, beeped angrily before spiraling out of control. Finn crashed through a bakery window, landed in a three-tiered steam-powered wedding cake, and exploded out the other side, covered in frosting.

A crowd of random citizens gasped.

A priest standing nearby blinked. "By the holy gears, a cake-covered prince? This is clearly a sign from the heavens."

A noblewoman swooned. "So dreamy…"

Zephyria facepalmed. "I cannot believe this is happening."

Vespera, perched on a rooftop, casually stole a cinnamon roll from the wreckage. "I love this city."

Tess wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Finn, buddy, I think you just got engaged again."

Finn, lying in a pile of broken cake gears, let out a muffled groan.

Then—

BOOM.

The ground shook. Steam pipes burst. A massive shadow loomed over the city.

Finn slowly peeked up through frosting-covered eyes. "Oh, come on. What now?!"

From the sky, descending in a cloud of black smoke and crackling blue lightning, came an enormous warship, its cannons humming with energy. The Imperial Dreadnought—the largest warship in the kingdom—had arrived.

A woman in a long black dress, wearing a monocle with a red-glowing lens, stepped onto the deck.

"All forces, capture the prince."

Finn's soul left his body.

Vespera whistled. "Well. That's new."

Zephyria groaned. "Oh gears, is that—"

Tess gasped. "Empress Automatia?!"

Finn sat up in the cake. "WHO?!"

A dozen mechanical soldiers leaped from the warship, landing in perfect synchronization.

The empress' lens flickered as she analyzed Finn. Then she smiled.

"Ah. So you are the Ironblood Prince." She stepped forward, towering over him. "I must admit… you're rather pathetic. But no matter."

She leaned down.

"You will do nicely… as my husband."

Finn screamed internally.