Born Andromeda

by K.M. Watts

Genres: YA Steampunk

Synopsis

She was destined for a royal life—until galactic pirates changed the course of destiny.

Being eighteen is difficult, especially when you're a cyborg and heir to the entire kingdom of the Moon. Disillusioned with royal life, Princess Andromeda dreams of nothing but freedom and adventure outside the protective dome of royalty. But when her parents arrange her marriage to an Earthen prince, she is forced to put her kingdom before her dreams of independence.

While traveling to Earth, Andromeda's ship is attacked by galactic pirates led by her father's sworn enemy, the Lord Captain Bran. Taken prisoner, Andromeda realizes that her captors are unaware of her true identity and sees an opportunity: To best her enemies, she may have to join them.

Born Andromeda, the action-packed debut from K.M. Watts, is perfect for fans of Aurora Rising, Daughter of the Pirate King, and Crown Chasers.

 

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Release date: November 15, 2022

Publisher: Interlude Press - Duet Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

CHAPTER ONE

It is said, in the Princess Handbook, that a princess should be courteous and well-mannered. She should exude grace and dignity, be the face of the monarchy for which she stands. A princess should never steal the spotlight from those above her station, nor should she strive to be in any spotlight at all, for that matter. It is for the best, really, that she maintains a background role to those who know better than herself. But above all else, a princess should behave in her private life as she does in public. A standard must be upheld, for a princess is the example which all others will strive to emulate.

Or rather, that’s what a princess handbook would say if there were such a thing. As it is, any books on royal etiquette have long since been tossed aside in preference for oral repetition, passed down from mother to daughter. Perhaps if there had been a book, with clearly detailed instructions and easily recognizable points, it would have been some help to Andromeda. If she had been able to tear out a page and stick it to her bathroom mirror, she could point to it and say, “This. This is what I should be.” But as it stands, there is nothing so easily identifiable. Because why would anyone make anything easy?

So really, it’s her family’s fault that she was now tucked beneath the engine of an SG8 Moon Cruiser. It took up half her bedroom, the expensive armoire her uncle gave her for her tenth birthday shoved back beside the bed to accommodate it.

“Damn it, just turn!”

Andromeda used both her hands to force the wrench to move, and little by little it did, until with a final grunt the bolt came loose. A sigh racked her body as she allowed her arms to fall to either side of her. A bead of sweat slid down her temple and found its way into her ear.

“Ah, gross!” She rubbed her ear against her shoulder, and when that didn’t work, used her knuckle to wipe out the moisture.

She finished unscrewing the bolt and set it beside her head as the sound of her door being opened alerted her that someone was coming. Two pairs of feet approached, then stopped beside her. A

moment later, a face appeared in the gap between the floor and the engine.

Andromeda smiled at the dark eyes of her handmaiden, Korra. “Hey, perfect timing. Could you hand me that screwdriver?”

Korra raised her eyebrows as she got onto her knees, her black braids swishing against the floor. “I thought your father told you not to bring any more machinery into your room?”

Andromeda shrugged and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Another face appeared beside Korra’s, this one featuring green eyes and golden locks. Emmi, her second handmaiden, scrunched up her face. “How could he not notice you having a giant motor brought to your room?”

Andromeda slid from beneath the engine, her shirt hiking up and exposing the smooth skin of her stomach. “As it turns out, kings have more important matters to worry about than disobedient daughters.”

They helped her to her feet, and Emmi tugged at Andromeda’s grease-covered shirt with a wrinkled nose. “What about your mother?”

“Oh, you know my mom. As long as I’m falling in line with their plans, she doesn’t care what I do with my free time.”

Emmi and Korra glanced at each other, then Korra nodded and turned to the princess. “So, it’s still happening?”

Andromeda pulled off her shirt and threw it to the floor, not turning to look at her friends. She knew what they were talking about and would rather not discuss it. The less she needed to think about the fast-approaching horror, the better. But Emmi and Korra were ladies of the court at heart, daughters of lords, and there was nothing they liked better than a bit of gossip. Given that said gossip was about herself, Andromeda found it exhausting.

“You mean my impending wedding to an unknown man? Yes, it’s still happening. Mother and Father are insistent about it.”

Korra rolled her eyes. “He’s not unknown, Andy. Eden is the crown prince of Someron.”

Andromeda pulled the clips from her hair and allowed her black curls to fall. That was easy for her friend to say—she wasn’t the one being auctioned off to the highest bidder. “Yeah, well, that’s pretty much all I know about him. He could have two heads and a drug addiction for all I know.”

Emmi laughed as Andromeda pulled off her brown work pants. “I’m pretty sure that information would have leaked.”

With a kick of her foot, Andromeda shoved her dirty clothes under the bed. “You don’t know that. Most people know little about my… affliction.”

Korra bent down to retrieve the dirty clothes and flashed her an annoyed look. “You don’t have an affliction. You’re just… modified. As it doesn’t affect your appearance much, I don’t think the media would be particularly bothered.”

Andromeda flexed her metal fingers. She very much doubted what Korra said. People on the outside had been trying to catch a glimpse of her for years, ever since her accident. Not that she cared if they saw her or not. They would undoubtedly tear her to shreds regardless of her appearance, as the media were known to do. Already, the headlines filtered through her head.

Princess Andromeda, Still Beautiful Despite Horrific Accident! It’s a Miracle!

Heir to the Celestine Empire Not as Horrifying as We All Imagined! Prince Eden Has Lucked Out!

Vain Princess Uses People’s Tax Money to Get Cosmetic Surgery! More on the Spoiled Child of Luxury at Six!

“Yes, well, I suppose they’ll finally get to see what they’ve always wanted once I marry Eden. The restrictions on royal children in the media will lift, and I will assume my place as a public figurehead.” Andromeda snatched a comb from the nearby table and ran it through her tangled curls. Her friends watched for a few moments before Emmi picked up a second comb from the bedside table and helped. Andromeda pressed her lips together. She wanted to say that she was perfectly capable of doing this on her own but held her tongue. Reprimanding her friends wouldn’t do her any good.

Korra seemed to sense Andromeda’s frustration. “Why don’t we go for a walk in the gardens?”

Oh, great. Another walk through the same gardens she’d been through a thousand times. “Fine. Just help me back into my dress. Mother and Father would die of embarrassment if I were anything less than a proper lady.”

As a child, she’d been allowed to wear jeans and shirts in public, but now that she was older, her parents thought it best for her to dress formally at all times.

Emmi pulled Andromeda’s dress over her head and tightened the laced-up strings on the back. “Didn’t your aunt just get caught swimming in a fountain, wearing nothing but her underclothes? I thought I saw that on TV, or was it just a dream?”

Andromeda smirked and straightened the sleeves of her dress. “No, that really happened. Father likes to pretend he doesn’t know her, his own sister.” She cleared her throat and spoke in a deep voice. “My sister does not represent the royal family in actions or beliefs. She is acting of her own ill-advised accord.”

Both of her friends laughed and adjusted the finishing touches on her dress.

“You do a pretty good impression of him,” Korra said with a smile.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.”

“OK, you look top notch. Now, let’s go.” Emmi tugged at Andromeda’s dress, leading her toward the door.

All three girls made their way out of the room and down the hall. As they walked, Andromeda glanced out one of the grand windows. Earth sat in the sky, green and blue and lovely as ever. God, how she wished she’d been born there instead of on this cold rock. She wanted to see the majestic mountains and vast canyons, to walk through the tall redwoods and swim in the ocean. It had always been her dream, but her father had never allowed her to go. She loved her home on the moon, but her soul yearned for Earth and all it could offer.

Celestine was just so industrial. Beautiful and shiny and stream­lined, but completely and utterly fake. As her eyes moved down to

look at the city that lay beyond the palace walls, all she could see were sleek, straight-edged buildings and numerous ships flying in between. Nowhere out there would you find a naturally grown flower or a blade of grass that hadn’t been artificially curated. There were no grand forests or powerful oceans. Every nook and corner had been planned and placed just so, with no need to set out and discover something new. Not at all like on Earth.

Earth did as it liked. She had watched the films about horrible storms that had thrashed the land and left terrible destruction in their wake. As a child, she’d read countless books about how water and wind worked for thousands of years to build massive canyons. Oh, what she would give to feel wind.

By the time they had made their way onto the royal grounds, she’d worked herself into a mood. Annoyance at the artificial life around her wasn’t uncommon, but she’d learned to keep her mouth shut on the matter. They had made it clear when she was young that everything would go more smoothly for her if she accepted the status quo.

The front lawn stretched out for nearly a mile, broken up by fountains and hedges every thirty feet. Andromeda was sure that whoever had put them there had measured it down to the millimeter. Beyond the front lawn, Andromeda could make out the soaring iron gates that separated the palace from the rest of the city. Above and around them sat the massive dome that protected Celestine from the harsh emptiness of space, its presence no longer noticeable after so many years. The appearance of clouds and a light blue sky gave a feeling of comfort, even if they were just images projected above them. There was, of course, no true atmosphere on the moon. Just the one her ancestors had created. Everything here on Celestine was created by man, forged to look like a copy of Earth, from the green grass that stretched as far as the eye could see, to the oak trees that gave them shade, to the sky above them that made them feel safe. All fake.

The gardeners and groundskeepers scattered throughout the gardens barely looked up as the trio passed, only nodding and mumbling a, “Hello, Your Highness” or “Good afternoon, Princess."

Andromeda nodded but paid them little mind. They were as much of the norm as the statues they polished.

Andromeda glanced back at the castle as they moved through the garden, her eyes tracking upward to the soaring towers of glass, artfully designed to hide the steel that held it all in place. At least, one would assume it was glass, given its transparent nature. In reality, it was clear polycarbonate, constructed to appear delicate while actually able to withstand massive impact. They had built the main bulk of the castle with white stone and steel to allow privacy to those who lived within while still maintaining a classic look of regality. Andromeda had always thought it looked too dramatic, as though it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a relic of the past or a beacon of the present.

As the three made their way into the grove of trees, Emmi grabbed Andromeda’s hand. “Look, there’s Carson!”

Andromeda looked ahead, and sure enough she saw the gardener. Though he was in his mid-thirties, he was handsome. Blond hair and a strong jaw set him apart from the rest, and Emmi had developed a bit of a crush on him.

Korra frowned at Emmi. “Don’t act like a fool.”

He smiled when he saw them approaching. “Good afternoon, Your Highness. I hope you’re having a lovely day?”

Andromeda nodded and smiled back. “I am, thank you for asking. And you?”

He tilted his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t com­plain. Getting to see your lovely faces certainly helps.”

A slight blush rose to Andromeda’s cheeks. She’d known Carson since she was a child, and he had always had a familiar attitude toward her. But now that she was older, she thought his words perhaps held a different meaning. If her father ever heard him speaking to her in that manner, he would likely have him thrown out of Celestine.

“You are too kind. But if you’ll excuse us, we were just on our way for a walk through the gardens.”

Carson bowed and held out his arm. “Of course, Your Highness. I wouldn’t want to keep you.”

“Oh, he’s so handsome!” Emmi squealed once they were out of earshot, her eyes bright with adoration. “I think I might be in love with him.”

Korra huffed and rolled her eyes. “You are not in love with him. Besides, he only has eyes for Andromeda.” She gave Andromeda a playful poke to her ribs. “Have you two been sneaking out for rolls in the garden?”

Andromeda’s jaw dropped. “Of course not!”

Emmi raised a skeptical brow. “No? Well, what about that girl from court? The daughter of that one lord. She seemed to take a keen interest in you.”

“No,” Andromeda said firmly. “There’s nothing going on between me and anyone.”

Just the thought of it made her chest burn. It was distinctly forbid­den for anyone of royal birth to sleep with anyone outside of marriage, and it infuriated her. She’d grown up watching television shows about girls and women being who they wanted to be, discovering themselves and the world around them. They were heroines and adventurers and free. And that was something she would never be.

It was easy to recall the first time she’d realized her entire life was already planned out for her. She’d been ten years old, dancing around her room while her mother hummed and wrote in her journal. She’d had a lesson that day about the expeditions into deep space, about the founders of their current civilization and those who still ventured out to map the stars. It had been with the joy and naïveté of a child that she had told her mother that when she grew up, she wanted to be an explorer on one of those ships. Her mother had looked at her so sharply, the crease in her brow deep.

“No, Andromeda,” her mother had said. “When you are grown, you will be queen. That will be your job.”

She remembered the sinking feeling in her stomach as her mother went back to writing. As she realized she’d have no part in the

choice of what her life would be or who she’d become. It was clear that was not up to her.

Andromeda shook herself from the memory. “Come on, I want to put my feet in the water.”

She ran to the nearest of the massive marble fountains and lifted her dress, swinging her left leg over first, then her right. She sat down on the edge of the fountain, and despite her best efforts, the front of her dress dipped into the crystal-clear water. Andromeda wiggled her toes and watched as the water moved around them.

Korra watched her with a quizzical frown. “I’ve always wondered, why do you still like doing this? When you were younger, sure, but ever since your accident… I mean, can you even feel the water?”

Andromeda considered the question. “It’s not that I can’t feel it, I just can’t feel it the same.” She leaned forward and placed both hands into the water. “On this hand,” she said, wiggling her right elbow, “the water feels sharp and almost burns. I can feel how the water moves the tiny hairs on my arm and goes into my pores.” She turned her head to her left and looked down, wiggling her left shoulder. “But this one, it feels cold, but it’s dull. It’s like it knows it should be cold, but it doesn’t care, so it’s not trying too hard.” She removed her hands from the water, staring at her left hand. She opened and closed it, turning it from wrist to palm up. It always amazed her how the synthetic skin over robotic fingers looked so much like her own.

Korra nodded. “Hmm, that’s interesting. Then tell me, how does this feel?” She dipped her hand into the water, and with an upward motion, threw a handful of water into Andromeda’s face. Andromeda shrieked and leapt up.

“Oh, that’s it!” She scooped up as much water as she could and flung it at Korra. To avoid being soaked, Korra fell backward off the fountain and onto the grass. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t quick enough, and most of the water still found its way onto her. The three of them jumped into the fountain and spent the next several minutes chasing each other through the knee-deep water, kicking and splash­ing, their laughter carrying through the garden.

By the time they made it back into the castle, all three were soaking wet and starving. Andromeda attempted to contain her wet mass of curls, but it was really no use. What she really needed was a dry dress and perhaps a warm pastry. Chef always saved her some from the morning spread, and today wouldn’t be any different. But before they made it halfway to the kitchen, a voice called to them.

“Your Highness!” Johan huffed, taking hurried strides as he approached. He was her father’s assistant, and it wasn’t uncommon to see him rushing about the property.

“Johan,” Andromeda said with a smile, “is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine, Princess. Your father has requested to see you immediately.”

Andromeda raised her eyebrows. “Did he say what for?”

“Not to me, Princess.”

“Very well. I’ll see you two back in my room in an hour?”

“Sure,” Korra and Emmi said in unison.

Andromeda followed Johan and tried to calm the nerves that fluttered in her stomach. There were only a few things she could think of that would make her father call to her urgently, and at present, she didn’t want to deal with any of them. As they reached the large oak doors to her father’s office, Andromeda took a deep breath. Johan opened the doors and stood back, allowing Andromeda to enter. Her parents, King Alder and Queen Adella of Celestine, also known as the Moon Kingdom, sat behind a massive desk. As she walked in, Johan shut the door behind her. Her father looked up from his papers.

“Please have a seat, Andromeda.”

She did, sitting in the high-backed chair across from her parents. It felt as if she were about to be scolded, and she picked at her nails, anxious for someone to speak.

Her mother looked her over. “Andromeda, why are you all wet?”

She shrugged. “I fell.”

Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Fell?”

“Yes. Into a fountain.”

Her father frowned, but her mother let slip the smallest of smiles.

“So, why did you call for me?”

Her mother leaned forward onto the desk. “You’re eighteen now, Andromeda. We need to discuss important life decisions you will be making.”

“What, like my career path?” she prodded, being purposefully difficult.

Her father pursed his lips. “Andromeda, the only career path you will take is royal. You will be queen of Celestine someday, and you need to act like it.”

Andromeda blew a stray black curl out of her face. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

Her mother smiled. “As you know, you are promised to Prince Eden of Someron. Your father and his have been in constant talks over these past months, and they have come to an agreement.”

Andromeda stared at her parents in silence. She’d known this was coming. She had known it her whole life. Yet, that didn’t stop the wave of nausea from coming over her. She wasn’t ready. She needed time to grow up and experience life, to travel and see the great seas of Earth. To fall in love on her own terms. But none of this mattered, and it would do no good to argue with her parents. Every royal of Celestine was required to marry at eighteen to ensure many heirs and a strong marriage bond. She had known since she first learned to talk that she’d marry once she came of age. It just wasn’t until recently that she’d begun to fully understand what marriage would entail. She took a deep breath before speaking.

“I understand. When will he come?”

“He will arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

“Wha-What? Tomorrow? That’s too soon!” she protested. “I thought I would surely have at least a few more months, if not a year!”

“There’s no point in postponing it, Andromeda,” her father said firmly. “King Beckett and I are in agreement on the terms. Prince Eden will be here for five days, and then you will go to Earth for two weeks to meet his people and see his kingdom. After that, you will return home and wed here in Celestine.”

Andromeda bit her lip. In only two and a-half weeks, she’d be wed. She’d be a wife. Eugh, just the thought made her want to shudder.

“What if I don’t like him?”

“You will learn to,” her father insisted.

Andromeda flopped back in her chair. “How romantic.”

“You’d be surprised,” her mother said.

“He will leave Earth tomorrow morning and making the six-hour trip here. I expect you to look the part of a princess and greet him and his family with us.”

Andromeda sighed. “Yes, Father.”

“Excellent. That was all. You may go now.”

Andromeda stood slowly. Part of her wanted to scream at her parents, to shout that there must be some mistake. She hadn’t been born to be a wife or a queen or any of the other silly titles they attempted to assign her. In the end, she just gave them a simple curtsy before leaving.

The palace moved by her in a blur as she made her way to her room. Andromeda tried to slow her racing mind, but it was to no avail. Marriage wouldn’t suit her. She didn’t want to smile at a man she didn’t know and laugh at jokes she didn’t find funny. She didn’t want to be touched or looked at or told how lovely she was. But even as those thoughts swirled in her mind, she knew there was nothing she could do. Sure, she could pout and stomp her foot and threaten to not eat, but what good would that do? She’d still have to marry, only without a hint of dignity or grace. And if she had anything, it was that. She’d been raised to be a queen well enough that her fake smile almost looked real.

By the time she made it to her room, a persistent ache had formed behind her right eye, forewarning of a coming migraine.

“Andy!”

Andromeda spun to find both of her friends sitting on her bed. In her haze, she’d forgotten they would be in here.

“Well?” Emmi asked. “What did they want?”

She flopped down in a chair in front of her mirror with a sigh. “Prince Eden is coming tomorrow.”

Both of her friends gasped.

“Tomorrow?” Korra repeated. “Will you be marrying right away?”

Andromeda tilted her chair onto its back legs. “Within three weeks.”

Her friends glanced at each other. After a moment Emmi asked, “What do you think about that?”

Andromeda shrugged and chewed her lip. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters!” Korra said as she leaned forward on her elbows.

A single curl twisted around Andromeda’s finger. “Not to my parents.”

“But… ” Emmi bit her lip. “Don’t you want to be happy?”

Andromeda felt like her friend had hit her in the gut. She leapt up from the chair, allowing it to crash backward. “Of course I want to be happy! What sort of stupid question is that? Who doesn’t want to be happy? Who doesn’t want to have the freedom to be who they want to be? But as my mother says, I’ll learn to be happy. That’s the price I pay to be royalty. I’ve always known it, so there’s no point in fighting it.”

Even as she said the words, they felt false. Like reading the script of a stage play you had read a hundred times and acted out just as often. They burned in her throat. She needed to calm down, so she grabbed the wrench off her dresser and turned to where her engine was. She froze. The engine, which had taken up a large corner of her room, was gone.

“What the hell?” She turned on her friends. “Where is my engine?”

Emmi gulped and looked at Korra, who was frowning. “There were some workers here a while ago, while you were with your parents. They removed it. They said it was on the orders of your father.”

Andromeda closed her eyes and turned away. She could feel the tendrils of a breakdown creeping around her consciousness. Her hands began to flutter and shake at her sides, a coping mechanism her body often took on when her mind became anxious or overwhelmed. She didn’t need them seeing this. A princess must always be put together.

“Could you guys go? I really need some rest for tomorrow.”

There was silence for a moment before Korra asked, “Do you need us to prepare you for bed?”

“No!” Andromeda snapped. She bit her lip, forcing herself to hold it together. “No, but thank you. I can do it myself. Please, just… please go.”

Andromeda turned away as they made their way to the door.

Emmi’s voice was gentle when she spoke. “If you need us, just call on the com.”

Andromeda nodded and heard the door open and close. She sank to the floor with a gasp that shook her entire body. The dizziness that filled her head was familiar. Not familiar like a family member

or friend, but familiar like that face you see often in a crowded space. A flash of eyes and a crude smile that makes your heart beat faster as you wonder if you have a stalker. She crawled backward until her back hit the bed. Her arms wrapped around each other as she silently cursed her traitorous mechanical heart that was pounding like it wanted to escape from her chest. Like it knew it didn’t belong there, it was only an imposter in place of something real.

Everything was happening too fast. She was getting married. She was going to devote the rest of her life to a person she didn’t know. Possibly someone unkind, someone who would also not approve of her working on engines or putting her toes in a fountain. She’d hand a piece of control over her life to a stranger. Perhaps not as large a piece as her parents currently had, but at least they had good intentions. This person could be evil for all she knew.

Her fingernails dug into her scalp, and the sharp pain of it grounded her. She opened her eyes and looked around in the dim

light of her room. In a matter of weeks, she’d no longer have her own room, but a shared one. The thought made her feel nauseated.

Then there was another part of her mind, a part she hated to even acknowledge. What if he didn’t want her? While she didn’t want him, being denied by someone she was being forced to marry would sting terribly. Andromeda knew she was considered conventionally attractive, so that wasn’t her worry. But her multiple disabilities would be enough to make anyone hesitant. Not only was nearly half her body made of metal and wiring, but her golden eyes that looked back at her in the mirror were a constant reminder that she was different.

She’d been born with moon sickness, an uncommon deformity that caused her to have bright golden eyes. However, what made Andromeda unique was that every other child born with it died within weeks of their birth. Somehow, she had survived. She’d asked her mother and father how they thought it was possible, but they had simply shrugged and told her she was special.