Portrait of HRH Prince Geoffrey, Duke of Hayford, in his Imperial Air Force captain's service dress, long before years of frontline service take a toll on his youthfull tenderness.

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Prince Geoffrey, Duke of Hayford (in full Geoffrey Alexander Reginald Frederick Arthur) and his twin Brother Arthur, Duke of Sundvall were born in Norchester on 23 March 736. Being the first sons of the reigning Emperor Alexander II of Nordenfeld, the pair spent most of their childhood within the safety and comfort of the Norchester Citadel, occasionally spending time in the royal family’s summer palace on Alabaster.

On their fourth birthday celebration, Geoffrey was named the heir apparent to the Nordenfeld throne after losing a coin toss to his twin brother, an affair that caused a huge row within the royal family and across the Empire. As they grew older, though, the twins showed no regrets or judgements when they finally learned about their status as the heir and the “spare”, Geoff and Art – as the two princes refer to each others – continued to stick together as brothers and soon enough, were joined by a baby sister – Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Alabaster.

At the age of 17, Geoffrey moved out from Norchester to attend the University of St. Michael in the seaside town of Staton-upon-Brent, pursuing a degree in Naval Architecture. During his time in the university, he took a lot of interest in flying and joined the Imperial Air Force Volunteer Reserve under the 1345. (University of St. Michael’s Reserve) Squadron. He took the weekend flying course religiously and soloed the T-9 Finch basic trainer at the age of 19, earning his preliminary pilot's wings.

It was also around this time that Geoffrey was acquainted with a whitetail doe by the name of Isabella Fawn, the Prince’s two years junior and the heiress of a wealthy landed lord in Queensberry. The two met during one of the university’s charity events and hit it off quite well, eventually becoming lovers.

Upon graduation, Geoffrey was enrolled at the Imperial Air Force Academy in Avalon, undergoing further pilot training and earning his commission shortly thereafter. After being awarded his wings, the now-lieutenant Geoffrey served with the 142. Squadron as a fighter pilot, flying the Nordenfeld F-6 / Goshawk biplane fighter.

The Aviator-prince, as he became known within the IAF circle, was stationed at Imperial Marine Air Station Craigmore on the Eastern Provinces’ southern coast for a short period of time until the squadron was moved to their permanent base at Imperial Air Force Station Braisenville. Even then the conditions were less than ideal, and the squadron’s Goshawk fighter, born out of the armed and re-engined T-11 / Gosling biplane trainer, was quickly nearing obsolescence at the time of rapid technological advancement in the fields of aviation.

Helped by his connections to the Imperial Air Force high commands, the now-Captain Geoffrey returned to Avalon in 762 to co-establish the Imperial Air Force High-Speed Research Flight with Avalon’s station commander Air Commodore William Atfield. The purpose of this establishment was to accelerate the development of aviation technologies in the Nordenfeld Empire and consolidate research gains from numerous aviation firms across the nation.

In his capacity as the flight’s patron, Geoffrey was introduced with Nordenfeld Aviation’s chief designer Dr. Francis “Frank” Reynolds, who had previously designed the Prince’s steed, the Goshawk fighter. He learned that the company’s revolutionary XFR-9 prototype, that won the Carlston National Air Races in 761, had to be axed due to lack of funding from the Ministry of Defense’s Bureau of Aircraft Production, citing “too radical and uses largely unproven technologies”. Seeing the potential of the sleek monoplane fighter, Geoffrey asked for the project to be continued under funding of the High-Speed Research Flight.

In the following year, Dr. Reynolds proposed a much-refined descendant of the XFR-9 to compete in the Concord Cup International Air Races. After a high-profile public campaign led by Prince Geoffrey and backed by the Imperial Air Force and industrialist J. Walter Mitchell, three Nordenfeld “R-9B”s were built, nicknamed the “Red Comet”, “Snow Goose”, and “Black Swan”.

“Red Comet” and “Black Swan” took part in the 763 Concord Cup, competing against several contingents from the Kingdom of Sheval, Union of Non-Aligned States (UNAS), and the United Terran Republics (UTR). “Red Comet” had to pull out of the race due to mechanical failure, but “Black Swan” was able to finish first place and broke the absolute airspeed record of 408 mph. The R-9B racers would later lay the groundwork for the legendary Nordenfeld F-9 / Mallard, the Imperial Air Force’s war-winning fighter-interceptor.

When the border crisis broke out in November 770, Geoffrey requested to be transferred back to the 142. Squadron, now flying the Mallard fighter that he had fought so hard to get into production. His request was initially denied by the high court and the royal family until, in a strongly-worded communique, he submitted the instrument of abdication to his father the emperor, effectively handing over his right as heir apparent to his twin brother Arthur in order to fly combat duty with his comrades. In his letter he stated that:

“It is the right and duty of every citizen of the empire to defend the land of their birth, be he comes from an ordinary life, or a member of the royal family”

It was also worth noting that throughout all these times, despite being seen together with several ladies of nobility. Geoffrey kept a secret long-distance affair with Lady Isabella, who at the time managed her parents' estates in Queensberry. Their interspecies relationship has been frowned upon by the royal family as their potential marriage would leave the prospective king most certainly without an heir –

– the upside was the two lovebirds could have it as wild as they wish during their secret rendezvous, without fear of consequences