Hey (anyone who reads this) the fanfiction will be told in America's POV. It takes place after the Selection. Apparently, a month after their marriage, the country falls into chaos. I may add my version of the beginning of the fanfiction in here...but we'll see what it turns out to be.

Chapter 1:

I laugh as Marlee, dressed in fiery red, tells me a joke. It is Halloween, this brings back many memories from the Selection. I can almost see Celeste dancing gracefully across the floor in her gorgeous peacock dress. Thinking about her makes me sad that she isn't here. Knowing her, she would probably charm every advisor here. My own dress has dark blue and black feather designed fabric. Mary and Lucy worked hard to find out the design. A diagonal pattern of thin gold feathers cross over the dress.

My family is here, even Gerad came in a green hunter's costume. May is wearing a white ball gown with a light pink that Mary made for her. She has a crown on her head and looks like a princess. Mom is wearing an elegant yellow dress that looks like a marigold. I wish Dad was here. He would've loved the party. I am interrupted from my thoughts as a hand pulls me into strong arms. "Hello, dear." He says into my hair.

"Maxon, I know we are married, but do not call me dear," I scold. He laughs gently and begins slow dancing across the floor. I try to follow the rhythm of his feet, but end up tripping over myself. Twice Maxon had to catch me so I didn't end up on the floor. The music becomes more festive and the dancing is more wild. I do my best to try not to mess up but end up laughing as I dance with Marlee. Loud bangs come from the music and I smile. This is a new style; I've never heard it. More bangs come, followed by screams.

I turn around quickly to see rebels pouring through the doors. They leap over tables and aim at officials and advisors. A rebel looks around before finding me paralyzed by the scene. He aims his gun and is about to shoot before Aspen knocks him over. "America!" Maxon yells and he takes my arm. "We have to go to the safe room!" I shake my head. "My family!" I reply. He tries to stop me as I dive in the crowd and find May, Marlee, a scared Gerad, and Mom. "Follow me!" I shout, and they obey. Maxon pushes the doors open and we sprint through the hall.

"Keep your heads down!" Aspen commands. He fires a gun behind us. Two unarmed rebels run to us and Aspen is cut off with my family and Marlee. The rebel comes to hit me but Maxon blocks him with his arm. The other rebel prepares to hit me but I lash out and kick him on the side of his leg. He grunts and falls back; my heel must of hit him hard. The rebel attacking Maxon brings out a knife. He swipes at Maxon's side, and I attempt to kick him away. The knife draws blood and Maxon gasps, clutching the wound. Angry, I punch the rebel in the stomach and help Maxon up. We run to the safe room but I am still worried for my family.

A guard next to the safe room opens the door and we step inside. "Be careful, Your Highness and Your Majesty."

"We will, Officer Tallen." Maxon says as the door closes with a thud.

"Oh my god," I say and help him lay down. In the corner there is a first aid kit. I open it, unsure what I was looking for until I found a roll of bandages. When Gerad was young, he fell and scraped his knee. It was bloody and he was crying, but Mom cleaned it up with alcohol and a bandage. "Lift your shirt up," I command. He carefully does, gritting his teeth in pain. I did the same for Maxon, and he winces once I wipe the disinfectant. I bandage it up and he sighs. A gunshot echoes through the hall and he pulls me to him.

"Maxon," I whisper. I flinch as I hear another gunshot echo down the hall. He pulls me closer into his arms.

"Yes, Ames?" He murmurs.

"I'm scared," I curl up tighter as footsteps run from the safe room. I can hear rebels shouting and guards yelling.

"Everything's going to be okay," Maxon says and lightly strokes my hair.

"What about my family? And Marlee?" I say and rub the dress material. I just realize that this safe room was from the Selection. Immediately I regret thinking about the Selection. I think about Celeste again, and the horrifying battle. Quietly I pray that it wouldn't happen again. My family is fine, I reassure myself. Aspen, Lucy, Marlee, and Carter are all fine in a different safe room. The room isn't entirely soundproof, but it muffles the chaos.

"Ames," Maxon says after a while. "Why did you attack that rebel?"
"What?" I ask. I was falling asleep but this jolts me awake.

"You got so violent all of the sudden."
I shake my head. "It's not being violent, Maxon. I'm just tired of sitting around and being the damsel in distress. Sometimes I want to fight too."

He's quiet as he considers this. "I just want you to be safe, okay?"
"Okay." I reply.

"You should get some sleep," he says.

"But you're the one who's hurt. You should sleep." I insist.

"No," Maxon says. "You already helped me. Let me help you."

Hesitantly, I snuggle up next to him and close my eyes. One last time I pray that everyone will be safe. That the rebels will be forced to surrender and we make sure this doesn't happen again. It has been at least two months since a rebel attack and we were growing hopeful that we scared them away. Clearing my head, I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake up, the safe room is empty. Maxon is gone, and I try opening the safe room's door. It's still locked. I look around, confused. "Maxon?" I call out. I bang on the safe door. "Maxon!" Quickly I search the room for any hint or note left by him. There is nothing but a small pistol, which I pick up and point at the door as I hear knocks. The door swings open, and I expect to see Maxon or a guard. Instead, a rebel group of four people led by a grinning leader stand in my way. I prepare to fire. "I'm sorry, Miss Schreave." Their leader smiles. "I don't think you want to shoot."

He steps away and my hand tightens on the gun. Behind him, two rebels hold an unconscious Maxon by his shoulders. I lower the gun. It is for Maxon's life; it is worth it. Dropping the weapon, I kneel to the floor in quick defeat. The leader laughs and waves his hand at one of the two rebels. He brings out his gun and shoots, straight into Maxon's head. I scream, and fire my gun rapidly. They killed Maxon. Bullets fly everywhere and the scene dissolves into another scream that isn't mine. "Ames! Ames, wake up!" Maxon shakes me, worry written all over his face.

"Maxon? What-I thought you were-"

"It was a dream, sweetheart," Maxon says. "Just a dream."

I breathe a sigh of relief but I'm still troubled by it. What if that happens? What should I do? "Maxon," I whisper. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
He smiles. "You did a good job, Doctor America."

I laugh halfheartedly at his joke. "Is the attack over?"

He nods. "I believe the guards will be opening the door soon. The gunshots and fighting stopped and Officer Leger said that he would be back."

I know he can still see that this news is only mildly calming for me. "What was the dream about, Ames?" He asks gently.

My hands shake a little as I describe the short nightmare to him. His face shows many different emotions, but I don't know which one he feels. He was angry when I told him about the cocky, smiling rebel leader. He was concerned when I was by myself. And he covers his emotion for when I try to save him. "America." He says quietly and he squeezes my hand. "I can tell you right now that this will never, ever happen. You will never be put under that situation. I will not allow it. When I married you, that was part of my promise."
I smile a little at his protectiveness. "Thanks, Maxon."

We sit in silence until we hear knocks on the door. I wince because it sounds like the rebels. Maxon notices it and whispers, "it's okay. Don't worry, I'm here." The door swings open and Aspen's serious face appears. "Your Majesties," he says as he bows. "The rebels are gone and we lost five guards. We believe that-"

"Officer Leger," Maxon interrupts. "Please escort Queen America to her room. We will talk about the results of the attack once she calms down."
"No, Maxon," I insist. "I have to help you. It's the Report and the people deserve to see that everything will be fine."
"But America-"
"No." I say, crossing my arms. I should be there for him.

He sighs, fixing his tie and attempting to straighten his wrinkled suit. "Fine."

Maxon is taken to the infirmary by a couple of guards. Aspen still takes me upstairs to my room. When I open the door, I rush into Mary's arms. She hugs me tightly as Aspen kisses Lucy. "Are you okay?" he asks, pulling a stray strand of hair from her face. "Yes," she smiles. "Everyone is safe."

"Is Lady Marlee fine? And my family?" I ask her.

She nods, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "They all made it to a safe room just in time."

"Where are they now?"

"Resting, my Queen. They plan to leave tomorrow." Mary says.

My face fell. "Thank you, ladies. I would like to be alone tonight."

"Of course, my Queen." Lucy smiles reassuringly at me. "We picked a dress for the Report. It is on your bed."

I thank them again and slip inside. Everything is the same as it usually is. A gorgeous and elegant dress lies on top of my bed. Luckily, because I slept, I am wide awake. I walk to the bathroom and check my reflection. My hair is tangled from my fight with the rebels. The beautiful raven dress was smudged with dirt and Maxon's blood. I undress and take a quick shower. The water is pleasantly warm on my skin and I enjoy it. When I come out, I take the new dress my maids left me.

It is a deep red dress; the color reminds me of my dress from the Selection. The top is sleeveless and has a sweetheart neckline. The waist is covered by a white ribbon, and the skirt falls gracefully down to the floor. I smile to myself as I put it on. My maids have incredible taste when it came to dresses. I decide to go without jewlery, but I add a little makeup. As I zip up the back of my dress, I hear a knock at the door. Checking my reflection one more time, I open the door.

"Pardon me, my Queen," Lucy says, bowing. "The Report begins soon."
"Thank you, Lucy," I smile.

The Report is busy as always. Lights flash and there are cameramen yelling at each other. Gavril has a couple of stylists fixing his hair and suit. A couple of tailors check my dress for any blemishes. Hair stylists apologize as they twist my hair into a tight bun. Through all of the commotion, I can only think of Maxon. "Excuse me," I say to a maid. "Do you know where the King is?"
She nods. "His Majesty is a little hurt, and the doctor will require him to return to the infirmary after the Report, my Queen. He is sitting over there, my Queen."
"Thank you," I say.

"The pleasure is all mine, my Queen." The maid bows and rushes off to a cameraman, handing him a fabric. He cleans the lens of his camera.

I walk over to Maxon. A doctor hurriedly checks his bandages before leaving. Maxon catches my eye and smiles. "You look beautiful, my dear."

I scowl playfully at him. "Remember what I told you, Maxon. Please, don't call me your dear. How are you feeling?"
"Fine, actually," he says, unconsciously raising his hand to touch the bandages. "The doctor did a good job."

"Did he do a better job than I did?" I tease.

Maxon's face becomes serious. "In my opinion, you did it the best."
I laugh, and the cameraman begins shouting. "Now! Three!"

I rush to my seat. "Two!"

I put on the best smile I can. "One!"

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Illéa!" Gavril smiles. "Today we welcome you with good news. The royal family has made it through the attack. Your Majesty, how were the rebels?"
"They couldn't beat our forces, Gavril," Maxon reassures the crowd. "The rebels came with an unorganized attack and we were able to stop them. Currently there are ten rebels, including their leader, for questioning."

"Well done, Your Majesty," Gavril compliments him.

"Without our guards, I believe we wouldn't have been this successful," Maxon says. "They…"

I've heard this news before. Gavril would ask about an attack, then Maxon would make sure no one was panicked. Then, they would begin to talk about recent rebel activity and how the guards were on them. The camera lights shine brightly on my face and I can feel its intense heat. I focus on the camera lens, smiling like there was nothing wrong with the world. "Now, Your Highness," Gavril begins. I snap out of my daze and grin at him. "Some guards reported that you attacked the rebels. What do you think about this?"

I am caught off guard by his question and I hesitate. "Well," I begin. "The guards couldn't shoot or break up the fray without hurting one of us. I only protected myself and Maxon. The guards were able to take the rebels away after we managed to escape."

I can tell by the way Gavril smiles that he approves of what I said. "Thank you, Your Highness." He ends the Report and the camera lights turn off. Once Garil signals that they aren't recording anymore, Maxon hugs me. "You did well, my darling," he whispers.

"Thanks," I whisper back. "Do you have any other meetings?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he says with a sad tone.

"Hopefully it won't be to stressful. The rebel attack was a success because our guards are only injured and we have most of the rebels," I say, trying to be optimistic.

"Ames?" he pulls out of the hug to face me.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I have something to tell you…" he says cautiously.