His Royal Secret (8 page)

“Just take anything sentimental and essential. You can go shopping once we arrive in Mondorra,” the Prince advises.

Hey, I am not one to argue with shopping.

We finish getting dressed. The Prince is on the phone with one of his assistants. He orders that all of his belongings get packed and sent to “his plane.” He also gives the assistant my address.

“The motorcade should be here momentarily,” the Prince informs me.

A motorcade coming into an alleyway on Venice Beach?! This will be a sight to behold.

We walk outside and see about six Rolls-Royces packed in the alleyway in front of my apartment. The cars appear to be blocking some of the neighborhood traffic. And trust me, the neighbors are none too happy.

The two of us get into a white Rolls-Royce Phantom. The motorcade quickly takes off. I turn to the Prince and ask. “Prince Julian, why do you have so many cars with you.”

“Well, on care is for security. Three cars are for my belongings and we have another car as an emergency back-up.”

“It sounds like you are always prepared, Your Highness.”

“I try to travel with everything I need. You’ll see when we get to my plane.”

Wow.
His plane.
I bet the Prince has one of the nicest Gulfstreams in the world.

We get to LAX. The airport police escort the Prince’s motorcade to a special terminal. I don’t see many people around. Then I realize that this terminal is reserved for personal aircraft.

The Prince opens the door for me.

“Thank you, Prince Julian.”

“You are most certainly welcome.”

We walk into the terminal where TSA agents and customs quickly process us. After about two minutes, we are cleared and ready to go.

“Wow. That was the fastest security check I’ve ever seen,” I remark.

“It certainly beats flying commercial,” the Prince tells me.

We walk down the terminal. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows is a huge passenger sized jet with a painting of a crown and a bird on the tailwing. Oh my goodness. That can’t be the Prince’s jet.

“Here we are,” the Prince remarks as he leads me to the gate next to the large passenger sized plane.

“This is your jet?”

“This is one of them. Yes.”

My jaw drops. We walk down the jetway towards the massive plane.

The Prince leads me on-board his personal jet. The flight attendants bow as they say, “Welcome aboard, Your Highness.”

The Prince returns the bow and grabs a drink at the bar.

I am just looking around this plane with a dumbfounded expression on my face. This is unlike any jet I have ever seen in my life. The chairs are all large leather recliners with bamboo trim. The ambient lighting resembles more of a high end nightclub than an airplane. Then I look at the front of the plane and see a flight of strairs.

“This jet has a second level?!” I ask.

“Yes. This is an Airbus A-380. It is currently the largest passenger liner in the world. The second level is my personal quarters. Come on. That’s where all the fun stuff is located,” the Prince says as he leads me up the stairs.

I reach the top of the steps and see an elegantly laid out lounge complete with a full sofa, entertainment system, bar and recliners. The second floor doesn’t even look like the interior of a jet. The space is so wide and comfortable, I feel like I am inside a hotel room.

The Prince hops on the sofa and turns on the entertainment system’s stereo.

“Now this is flying!” the Prince says as one of the flight attendants hands his Royal Highness a drink. Prince Julian motions for me to sit next to him. I sit down and recline on the shoulders of my Prince. He puts his arm around me.

“Welcome aboard, your Royal Highness. I am Captain Pierre LaMonde. We will be flying non-stop from Los Angeles to the Principality of Mondorra. Our flight time will be 12 hours and 31 minutes. Prepare for takeoff,” the Captain announces.

The Prince buckles up. He then places a seatbelt around my waist. The massive plane begins to backup from the terminal. In under a minute, we are taxiing over to the runaway. I look outside and see the smoggy haze of Los Angeles. It doesn’t look like I’ll be seeing my familiar city for a while!

“Are you excited?” the prince asks me.

“I feel like I am living in a dream, Prince Julian.”

“This should be fun. I would love to see your first impression of my realm.”

“I can’t wait.”

The plane stops at the end of the runway. The jet fires up its four massive engines. The Airbus A-380 speeds down the runway and lifts up into the sky. I gaze out of the window as the ground below gets smaller and smaller.

My eyes turn to Prince Julian. We kiss. Then I look back at Los Angeles. The sprawling metropolis disappears as we rise above the haze and coast 35,000 feet into the sky. I am leaving my old world behind. I don’t know what lay ahead. I’m scared. I’m exhilarated. I can’t wait.

To be Continued in “Palace Affair.” The second installment of the “The Alpha Prince” Trilogy.