Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 37: The Prince

Daedalus woke early to take the princess her breakfast. He dreaded what the day would bring. He felt nothing for the princess, and the idea of getting with her was...disturbing. He wasn't sure why, as she was a fairly pleasing person on the surface. There was just nothing there.
He retrieved her breakfast tray and went to her room, where she was already waiting. She had remained in her nightgown, which was a seductive white linen and lace. Her intentions were quite clear to him, but he wanted nothing more than to not get involved.
She was lying in her side when he walked in. "Please, come sit," she drawled, patting the mattress beside her.
Daedalus sat the tray down and pulled the chair from her desk and sat beside the bed. She responded with a small grimace that he wouldn't sit by her.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news," she warned. "My father has found me a husband, and we're to marry tomorrow."
The Foundling was flabbergasted. "You're getting married tomorrow?"
Rotella sighed. "Sadly, yes. And once the ceremony is over I am to move in with my husband."
Daedalus tried not to seem affected on the outside, but on the inside he was panicking. If he was going to kidnap the princess it had to be today. He had no plans, nothing lined up with his team, nothing.
"I don't want to seem forthcoming, but I feel like we have something, am I wrong?", Rotella confessed as she slithered off her bed and placed herself on Daedalus's lap.
He had no choice but to go with it. Placing a hand on her back, he murmured, "Definitely not."
She smirked. "I have an idea, a truly terrible one, but I think it would benefit the two of us."
The Foundling was frightened. "And what is this grand idea of yours?"
She stood from his lap and began walking to her closet. "In Zygerrian culture, women are tied to their husbands the same way that slaves are tied to their master. A bond is formed between the two that cannot be refused by any others." She entered her closet and came out holding an ornate, elaborately tailored wedding dress. "What if we got married?"
Daedalus couldn't think of a worse scenario. "I—,"
Rotella rushed to him and placed her hand over his mouth. "Before you say anything, hear me out. I would belong to you, and you could order me to leave this wretched place with you, and I, still being princess, could emancipate you from the clutches of slavery. It's truly a win for both of us."
The Foundling had an idea. "So we could run away?"
The princess nodded. "Just us, two forbidden lovers." She planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "What do you say?"
Daedalus didn't like the idea of being married to her, but what choice did he have. If she were to be married tomorrow, he would lose any advantage he had to get the princess from the castle. By marrying her, they could leave together without any criminal prosecution, if what she said about Zygerrian wives becoming their own form of slave to their husbands.
"I do," the Foundling marveled.
Rotella pulled him in, kissing him more fiercely than he had ever experienced. "It's official then." She pranced over to her closet. "Whatever shall we wear?"
Daedalus rose and joined her in the closet. "We don't want to be too obvious. The marriage licensors shouldn't know that it is the Rotella Scintel being wed to a slave."
"Why, you're totally right. We must be invisible." She retreated into the deeper sections of her wardrobe. "Perhaps these would do?" She held up nearly matching robes, both a deep azure with gold highlights.
"Perfect," Daedalus lied.
They slipped on their robes, and Rotella covered her face with an ornate headdress, leaving only her eyes visible.
"Ready?", she asked, grasping his hand.
"I was born ready," he mused.
This behavior I was exerting for her was tiresome. He couldn't wait until he was back with his team and in his armor with a million credits to spend.
The two walked proudly from her room and made their way to the city courthouse.
The whole process only took a few minutes and minimal bribery. They walked out of the courthouse within the hour, husband and wife.
"How does it feel to be the prince of Zygerria?", she quizzed as they made their way around town.
Daedalus hadn't realized that this marriage meant more than getting the princess out of the city. He was now royalty. "A little scary, honestly," he confessed as he grasped her hand. "When we're you thinking we leave this place?"
"I'm fine with leaving from here. I'll miss my closet, but that's a small sacrifice to make for freedom."
The odds were in the Foundling's favor. "Then let's go!"
The two locked hands and ran out of the city, abandoning their disguises at the gate. Daedalus wondered just how this next part would go. He hoped Rotella wouldn't be too caught off guard by his betrayal. He may not feel any romantic feelings towards her, but she was still a good friend.
Daedalus thankfully remembered exactly where Gayle had landed their ship, and he was quite honestly very excited to reunite with his crew. It had been almost three weeks since they had last met face to face.
The couple continued running through the blowing sands and jagged rocks, until they were forced to stop. Standing in their path was a cloaked figure, with a large semiautomatic blaster pointed directly at them.
"You're going to come with me and you will not resist, or I won't resist to blow you to bits," they threatened.
Something about the voice was familiar, but Daedalus couldn't put his finger on it.
With no other option, the hunter put the two of them into handcuffs and began escorting them to their ship.
It wasn't until the vessel came into sight that Daedalus knew who he was dealing with, as he could recognize the iconic red and white starship from anywhere.
It was Lyra.