Characters, main plot and some of the conversations all belong to Kiera Cass - I take no ownership of them.
Chapter One:
MAXON POV
Mornings are always my most cherished time of day. It is a time with no worries, no stress and no duties, just myself and America in our own, carefree world. America always looks especially radiant in the mornings, although she likes to deny it. Age has only increased her beauty, emphasizing her fiery red hair and smooth, fair skin. After all this time together I still find myself growing to love her more and more each day.
As America wakes she leans in closer to me, with a hint of a smile on her face. I lean down and place a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead and watch her smile grow wider. Her crystal, blue eyes flutter open as she softly whispers, "Good morning, my Royal Husbandness." After a small chuckle I reply, "Good morning, my dear."
We both savor these last few moments together before we face yet another busy day ahead of us.
America and I both straightened at the sound of a knock on our door. With a smile and quick curtsy, our maid brought in two trays - breakfast for us both and a copy of today's paper. We both thanked her and she left quickly, knowing that we didn't like much company in the mornings. Once we were alone again, America pulled back the sheets after a quick kiss and went to begin brushing her hair. As I made my way to join her, the headlines on todays paper caught my eye - "Riot in Zuni - are the Castes really gone?
With a heavy sigh, I pushed the paper away and sat down on the edge of the bed. Hadn't we solved these problems when we abolished the Caste system? Isn't this what the people wanted? These kinds of headlines were becoming more and more common.
Sensing my mood, America joined me and began massaging my shoulders while quickly scanning the article herself. She gave me a knowing look and placed her hand in mine. I think we are both beginning to run out of ideas.
"I just don't know what to do," I began. "We've tried everything. Removing the caste system. Shelters and soup kitchens for the poor. More job options for more people. Better education systems. Pay rises and loans. What more can we do?"
America squeezed my hand sympathetically and replied, "You're doing your best, we all are. Let's just take things day by day. We'll eventually find a way to help calm the people."
"What if calming them doesn't work? What is there is nothing left we can do?"
America thought for a long moment, as if weighing up the options. She finally concluded, "You're right. We have tried an awful lot of things and it is becoming quite draining. Maybe we need an, um.. distraction while we sort out some options?"
"What kind of distraction?"
She gave me a look, and I instantly knew what she meant. "I never thought it would come to this, Maxon, and I don't even know if it will, but it feels like the only option. Remember how much media coverage there was last time? It's bound to cover up all this negative news!"
"I'm going to give it some serious thought," I replied while standing. With a quick hug, I told America "I don't want to force this on her. Maybe, hopefully, she will be excited about the idea."
America burst out laughing. "Excited? Try mortified!"
I joined her in laughing. Of course she will not be excited about this. "You're right. We should talk about it a bit more before we ask her, I don't want to rush into anything and cause more bad than good."
America smiled. "Sounds good to me. I really hope we're doing the right thing."
Picking up the newspaper and giving America a tight hug, I replied "Me too," before heading to my office to rack my brain for some solutions.
In the small town of Zuni, a riot has broke out following the burning of a restaurant. Owner, Khan Wilson, refused to promote waiter, Linley Durst, to a position as a chef. Durst complains he was promised a promotion but it was never delivered, and he is positive this is due to his families past. It is currently unknown who started the fire, but investigations will begin immediately as…
The brisk opening of my office door pulled my focus away from the article, after reading it for the third time. Eadlyn pranced over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Morning."
"Morning" I replied. "Did you see the papers?" I always worry about the stress Eadlyn will face once she becomes Queen. If we don't get this situation under control soon, it will only escalate and make matters harder for her.
"Yes. At least no one died this time."
"Thank goodness for that." Those were the worst - men, women and children all in the list of dead or missing. It was an extremely terrible position to be in. We all feel the loss of those people, and have to try and give our condolences without picking 'sides', all the while struggling to find out who is to blame. I am very lucky to have a great team who helps out, but the bulk of it always seems to fall upon me.
"I don't understand it." I took of my glasses and rubbed my eyes, feeling a headache coming on. They are beginning to get more and more common. "They didn't want the castes anymore. We took our time, eliminated them slowly so everyone could adjust. Now they're burning down buildings."
"Is there a way to regulate this?" Eadlyn asked. "Could we create a board to oversee grievances?" She glanced down to look at the photo again, and I could see the concern in her eyes. Although Eadlyn can act harsh sometimes, I know that deep down she truly cares for her people and just wants to do the best she possibly can. I love hearing her ideas for these situations, it's always good to have a second opinion.
I looked at her, asking "Is that what you would do?"
She smiled. "No, I'd ask my father what he would do."
I sighed, knowing that she must start to make these decisions for herself. "That won't always be an option for you, Eadlyn. You need to be strong, decisive. How would you fix this one particular incident?"
Eadlyn's eyebrows creased, and I could see the contemplation in her eyes. "I don't think we can. There's no way to prove the old castes were why the waiter was denied the promotion. The only thing we can do is launch an investigation into who set the fire. That family lost their livelihood today, and someone needs to be held responsible. Arson is not how you exact justice."
I shook my head at the paper. "I think you're right. I'd like to be able to help them. But, more than that, we need to figure out how to prevent this from happening again. It's become rampant, Eadlyn, and it's frightening."
I tossed the paper in to the bin in frustration, and made my way to the window. The garden has always been America's favourite place, and it has now become a place for me to seek comfort and clear my mind, too.
As much as this latest situation was stressing me out, there was still so much else to do. I have a meeting coming up this afternoon discussing relations with New Asia, a media conference to prepare for tomorrow, a meeting with Gavril to go through some last-minute notes, letters to write…
"Make a note for me, Eadlyn" I asked. "Remind me to write to Govenor Harpen in Zuni. Oh, and put to write it to Joshua Harpen, not his father. I keep forgetting he was the one who ran in the latest election."
I watched as Eadlyn carefully took note for me. My headache was feeling worse, I will have to head to the hospital wing for some pain killers before my meeting later on this afternoon.
"Dad?"
I straightened up at the sound of Eadlyn's voice. I don't want her to see the extent of my worry, she probably has a lot on her mind at the moment, too, and I don't want to add to the pressure.
"Why do you think this is happening? It wasn't always like this.
" It was a bitter-sweet thought. "It certainly wasn't," not sure if I even spoke aloud. "At first everyone seemed pleased. Every time we removed a new caste, people help parties. It's only been in the last few years, since all the labels have officially been erased, that it's gone downhill."
I looked back out the window, trying to clear my already throbbing head. "The only thing I can think is that those who grew up with the castes are aware of how much better this is. Comparatively, it's easier to marry or work. A family's finances aren't capped by a single profession. There are more choices when it comes to education. But those who are growing up without the castes and are still running into opposition … I guess they don't know what else to do."
I looked to Eadlyn and shrugged. "I need time. I need a way to put things on pause, set them right, and press play again."
I think I already knew how to achieve this, but I am still not sure if it's the best possible option.
"Dad, I don't think that's possible."
I chuckled, thinking back to when I was younger and my father was in my situation. "We've done it before. I remember …" I quickly stopped speaking, not wanting to give anything away until I've discussed the matter with America. I looked up to Eadlyn, really looking into her eyes, trying to figure out if she would want that.
"Dad?"
"Yes."
"Are you alright?"
After a brief moment of thought, I quickly said "Yes, dear, quite alright. Why don't you get to work on those budget cuts. We can go over your ideas this afternoon. I need to speak with your mother."
"Sure," Eadlyn replied. By the look on her face I knew this wasn't something she wanted to be doing, and quite frankly, neither did I.
I patted Eadlyn on the shoulder before racing off to find America. I, of course, found her just outside the women's room. She spotted me and stood, realizing the look on my face almost instantly. As I quickened my page and got closer, I could see the realization and ultimate acceptance of what I came to say.
We both knew what was needed. We needed a distraction, something big and exciting, in the hope of calming these riots. It wasn't our first option by any means, but the sympathetic smile on America's face told me that we were doing what was best.
We were going to hold another Selection.