Hello, sorry about the super late update. I'm working at a summer camp this summer and I'm allowed 45 mins off a day (and that includes shower time), so I haven't had much time to write. I will finish this story and updates will hopefully be quicker. I have chapter three half done already. That one should be up no later than Aug 16th. Also feel free to review or message anytime :)

Chapter 2:

"Oh Emmaline, please stop crying." I beg, rocking my crying girl in my arms. I glance out the window and look up at the dark night sky. Some part of me misses the time when I slept at night. I start singing a sweet lullaby but Emmaline continues to cry. I check her diaper once again but it's dry. I grab a blanket from the crib and wrap her up in it. Emmaline's cries become louder and I sit down in the rocking chair. I attempt to feed her but she only cries louder and squirms in my arms. I hear the door open and I lean my head back against the chair and close my eyes. "Ames?" I hear Maxon whisper. I open my eyes and look up at my husband who's standing in front of the chair. "Maxon, she won't stop crying. I tried feeding her twice, I changed her diaper, I burped her and I tried calming her by singing. I don't know what to do." I cry. Emmaline continues to cry as I stand up from the chair and rock her. "Let me see her America." Maxon says as he holds out his arms for her. I hold her closer but Maxon sighs and motions for me to hand her over. I reluctantly put her in his arms. I feel bad for Maxon and for him having to deal with this. He had a late meeting and only got to our room at 11:30. I glance at the clock, 1:37. Maxon holds Emmaline close to his chest and places a kiss on her head. She slowly stops crying and snuggles up to Maxon's warm chest. I sigh in relief and I start to cry. "So she stops for you." I mutter, wrapping my robe closer around me. "She knows you're tense and tired." He replies, cradling his daughter. I hold out my arms for my child. Maxon shakes his head and holds Emmaline closer. "My darling, you need some sleep. You've been awake for over 24 hours and I know that. Mary said that you didn't sleep at all. I'll watch Emmaline while you rest." He states. I sigh and I start folding some clothes on the dresser. "Maxon you're tired too. You had meetings all day with more tomorrow and we have the celebration tomorrow. You need to be well rested more than me." I bargain. Maxon shakes his head and walks towards the door to our suite. "America, you need sleep. I'm fine, I can cancel the meetings but you can't cancel being a mother. Come on, I'll watch the baby but she's almost asleep as it is." Maxon opens the door to my suite. I look over at him and sigh. "Alright but wake me if you need me." I whisper, careful not to wake Emmaline up. Maxon nods and follows me into my suite. I lie down on the bed and curl up in the blankets and pillows. I fall sleep before Maxon can place Emmaline in the bassinet.

I wake up to Maxon rubbing my back. "Where's Emmaline?" I ask, sitting up and scanning around the room. "She's in her bassinet. She's hungry but I think she fell back to sleep since she's no longer crying. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" I demand leaving the bed and rushing over to my daughter. "She's asleep now so you should sleep some more while she' fine." Maxon suggests, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. "What time is it?" I ask, my eyes not leaving my blond haired child. "Around 5" He whispers in my ear. "Have you slept?" "No, not since I took Emmaline from you." He confesses. "Well you should. I've slept enough to last me for the day. You have a meeting at 9." I state. Maxon sighs and places a kiss on my lips. "Wake me up at 7." He mutters reluctantly. Maxon gets into the bed and within seconds I hear his breathing evening out. I sigh and look down at Emmaline who is still fast asleep. I quietly walk to the bathroom, attempting not to wake up the sleeping bears. I quickly use the washroom and attempt to brush out my knotted hair. I hear stirring in the other room as I accidentally drop my hairbrush on the countertop. I tiptoe into the bedroom and glance into the bassinet. Emmaline seems undisturbed at the moment. I sigh of relief and sit down on the bed. I watch Maxon who is sprawled across the bed fast asleep. It's been a while since we've actually both slept at the same time.

I pick up a magazine that is sitting on the bedside table. "First daughter born of Schreave bloodline" the headline states boldly. The media has gone on frenzy ever since hearing that the heir is a girl. I can't imagine the happiness Amberly would feel if she was here with us. Clarkson would probably enforce that she wouldn't receive the throne in 20 years but her brother would if she were to have one. I flip through the magazine looking at different articles. I hear stirring coming from Emmaline's bed. I gently set the magazine down and tip toe over to her. I look down to see her bright blue eyes staring up at me. "Hello baby girl." I coo. I lift her out of the bassinet and carry her into the nursery. "We better stay in here so we don't wake daddy. He's had a long night." I curl up in the rocking chair and place a kiss her soft forehead. I feed Emmaline and quietly sing lullabies until the sun rises.

"Okay you're Majesties, just step up onto the trailer. It will be pulled by the truck ahead and you will be doing the entire parade route." Silvia explains as we stand in the garage of the palace. Gavril walks over and bows. "You're Majesties; the report camera will be on your left just past the mayor's house. The truck will stop for a few moments for you to get an official photo and then move on to finish the parade." Maxon smiles down at me and places a kiss on my head. "Do you think you're up for this Ames?" he asks as I try to stifle a yawn. "I'm fine Maxon; I'll rest after the parade and before the party tonight." I groan. "Queen's don't pout." Silvia glares. I shake my head and turn around at the noise behind me. I watch Aspen and Carter walks up in guard uniforms with 6 guards behind them. "Here's you're float guards including Carter and myself." Aspen states as he strides over towards us. I notice Lucy walking behind the group with a pale pink dress on that shows off her tiny 4 month bump. I walk up to her and give her a big hug, careful not to squish the babies between us. "How's it going?" I ask, admiring her bump. "Well its going pretty well considering the morning sickness is over and cravings are just starting to kick in." she smiles. We turn and watch Aspen instruct the guards on where they'll stand. "Sometimes I wish Aspen had a normal job. Even though we would be sixes, I would know that he was safe from guns." Lucy whispers. She continues to stare at Aspen as she continues. "I know he's doing a good deed by protecting you but now that we have a child on the way, I just want him to be as safe as you two are like if he had a guard in front of him." I sigh and pull Lucy into a side hug. "No one in the palace is 100% safe Lucy, even with a hundred guards in front of them."

The truck pulls us out into the street and the crowds start screaming. Thousands of people seem to be standing alongside the road today as the royal family parades by. I pull Emmaline closer to my chest but still hold her in a way that the cameras and people can see her tiny face. Maxon wraps a strong arm around my waist and waves to the citizens with the other. I watch the crowd and see many mother's holding up children and pointing to the baby. I wonder if some of those mothers think that someday their son will marry the princess. Maybe they want to see her married off for an alliance. I shake my head at that thought and continue to smile and wave at the crowd with my free hand. We pass city hall with the mayor and his wife standing proud. Many young children hold signs congratulating me on the princess. Aspen is standing to my side, ready to move in front of me if need be. "We should give Aspen a slight bonus." I mutter to Maxon. "We both know how expensive baby stuff is." Maxon nods and smiles down at me. "Sounds good to me Ames." He places an unofficial kiss on my head. I laugh as I know Silvia is having a heart attack over it. Sometimes I think that everyone forgets that we are the boss of her and not the other way around.

We approach the report camera and the royal photographer that will take the picture that will be put in history books forever. I adjust Emmaline so that her face and lacy white gown are visible to the camera. I'm wearing a cream coloured gown similar to the one I wore for the photo shoot during the selection. Instead of the cap sleeves it has long sleeves with a scoop neckline and the red sash is replaced with a royal blue one. My hair is in a fancy bun with cream flowers in it and my crown rests on top of my head. Maxon was wearing a white official suit with a blue sash and his medals. We've practiced our pose for this picture. Maxon moves a little behind me so that my back is pressed against his chest. I hold Emmaline in the crook of my left arm with my right supporting her from the bottom. Her oversized white gown flows over my arm. We turn to face the camera that is angled to our right. We both smile bright and try to stay at still as possible. The photographers take many pictures and then wave us on.

We finish the parade without any incidents and pull back into the garage of the palace. "You did great you're highness." Silvia smiles. I hand her Emmaline as we exit off of the trailer. Lucy comes rushing over and gives Aspen a huge hug and kiss. Marlee comes around the corner with Kile in her arms. "You guys missed the excitement back here." She smiles as she hands Kile off the Carter. I look at her puzzled and accept her hug. "It's not my story to tell but I'm sure Mary knows all about it." She smirks. Maxon walks over to me with Emmaline in his arms. "I have a few meeting to go to Ames but I'll be back before the party to have a light dinner with you around 3, before we have to start getting ready." He places a sweet kiss on my lips and starts to walk away. "Hey mister King, aren't you forgetting something?" I nod to Emmaline but Maxon only shakes his head. "I'm sorry but the Queen needs some rest so therefore the King must look after the princess." He smiles and continues to walk away. Marlee claps me on the shoulder and smiles. "Well I think you should enjoy this while it lasts. Once she becomes a teenager, you're going to have to deal with boy drama, not Maxon." "Oh yeah." I cheer sarcastically.

I plop down onto my bed and kick off my shoes. After trudging upstairs I'm exhausted and kind of glad Maxon is looking after Emmaline. I close my eyes and allow my worn-out body to sleep. I wake up to a strange sound of glass breaking. I sit up and bed and look around. I notice from the clock that I have been asleep for over 3 hours. Emmaline should be hungry soon. I stand up from the bed and walk over to the vanity to make myself look presentable before going to find Maxon. I hear banging coming from Maxon's room. I figure it must be him looking for something and decide to go and see him. I'm almost at the door when a guard barges in from the hall door. "You're Majesty, we're" his sentence is interrupted by the rebel alarm. The guard grabs my arm and pulls me over to the corner of the room where the secret passage to the safe room is. "Emmaline." I whisper. "The Princess will be fine my Queen." The guard states before closing the door.

I run down the passage as best as I can. I hear gun shots from the other side of the wall and I move a little bit faster. I reach the door of the safe room where Maxon is standing, waiting for me. I run into his arms and he kisses me firmly. He holds me tight to his chest and buries his face in my tangled hair. "Thank God you're okay." He whispers. I place my head against his chest and listen to his heart beating. I pull awake from his chest and look him in the eyes. "Where's Emmaline?" I demand. Maxon nods towards the safe room and I escape his embrace, racing for my daughter. As we enter the room and the door is locked behind us, I see Emmaline in Lucy's arms. Lucy notices me and meets me halfway. I carefully take Emmaline in my arms and see that she is sound asleep and undisturbed by the attack. I feel Maxon's arms wrap around my waist and I lean back against him. "She cried when the alarm went off and while we were on our way down here. Lucy managed to keep her calm while we we're waiting for you." Maxon whispers in my ear. I look around the room to only see Lucy in the room with us. I stay in Maxon's arms for a little while before walking over and sitting beside Lucy. "Thank you Lucy." I smile. She smiles back and wraps me in her arms. I look up at Maxon who is standing in front of us. "Maxon, why are we in here?" I ask. Maxon runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly. "I don't know love; I was talking to Lucy and Aspen when the alarm went off. We were in my study at the time." "I heard glass breaking and someone going through your room but I didn't think much of it at the time." I admit. Maxon looks at me with a scared face before he starts pacing. I unconsciously pull Emmaline closer to me. She starts stirring but my mind is focusing on Maxon, who is now about to wear a hole in the floor. Emmaline starts crying and Maxon snaps out of his trance. I start feeding Emmaline as Maxon comes to sit beside me on the cot. "It's going to be fine Maxon." I whisper as I place my head on his shoulder.

Three hours later the door of the safe room opens. Aspen walks in with several other guards by his side. Lucy runs to him and hugs him tight. I stand up and follow Maxon across the room. "Leger, what happened?" he asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Aspen sighs and nods towards me. "Silvia asked me to tell you that guest should be arriving any minute for the ball. She said that she'll use the excuse of you feeding the baby as you're reason to be late but she expects you to be there as soon as possible. The advisors are waiting for Maxon in the conference room to discuss the attack." Aspen explains. "What! Are we really still having this celebration literally a few minutes after an attack on the palace? As Queen I cancel any celebrations tonight in the palace, it's not safe." I freak. Maxon sighs and looks at me. "Ames, we have to act like nothing happened in front of the guests. Its fine, I'll join you after the meeting." He puts a fake smile on his face. I sigh loudly and start walking towards the stairs. Partway up the steps I turn to see Lucy and a guard following me. "I'll help you get ready, America." She smiles. I nod my head and continue up the stairs. "So what was the excitement here during the parade?" I ask, remembering Marlee's excitement earlier. Lucy blushes and turns to look at me. "Mary's engaged. Her knight in shining armour propose this morning!" I pull Lucy in for a hug. "I'll have to congratulate her later."

I enter by bedroom and kick off my pink heels. My suite is dimly lit and the moon is shining through the balcony doors. The celebration went perfectly without anyone even remotely guessing about an attack on the palace just mere moments before they arrived. Maxon never did show up at the celebration and Mary took Emmaline up early this evening to put her to bed. I sit on my bed and glance at the clock. It's almost midnight and I'm wide awake. I can't help but wonder about the attack. It's the first attack in months. I thought we were safe. I walk over to my closet and change from my pink gown and put on shorts and a baggy t-shirt. I remove the clips in my hair and let my red mane fall down my back. I look around my suite and sigh. "Who knew my life would end up like this." I whisper into the darkness. I walk across to the door connecting my suite to Maxon's. I open the door and peak in. I see glass still shattered on the floor from the attack. Apparently no one decided to clean the King's suite. But then again they had to clean the part of the palace that guests would see tonight. I close the door again and lean back against it. I sit in silence lost in my thoughts until I hear my door open slightly. I see Maxon walk in silently. He doesn't notice and continues walking out to the balcony. I stand up and follow him out. "A penny for your thoughts." I whisper, walking up beside him. Maxon turns his head and grimaces. "They don't know who attacked us, it could be anyone. Yes we analyzed some of the bodies but none of them have connections to each other or past rebels." I grip the railing and tense my body. I feel Maxon slide his hand over top of mine and squeeze it. We look out over the city in silence. "What are we going to do?" Maxon shakes his head. "Right now just more guards and repairing the damage that has been done. We know for a fact that they had men come through my balcony windows and how they managed to get up this high. My room won't be fixed until tomorrow so we'll stay in yours for tonight." "You mean this morning." I smirk. Maxon looks at his watch and laughs lightly. "Yes, this morning. How was the celebration?" I sigh and Maxon pulls me into his arms. "Everyone was either looking for you or talking about how cute Emmaline is. I think there were still some guests down there when I left but Silvia was about to shoo them out." Maxon laughs and places a kiss on my forehead. "I wish I could've been there with you." He whispers. I smile and lean up on my tiptoes. "Well sometimes being King has to come first." I kiss Maxon and he moves his hand to the small of my back. He dips me and continues the kiss. We break for air and I play with his tie. "You should get changed while I check on the baby." I state as I leave his embrace. Maxon laughs and follows me inside. "Alright, I'll meet you in the nursery in a few minutes.

I walk in the nursery to see Mary sitting in the rocking chair sewing in the dimly lit room. I walk over quietly and Mary looks up at me with a smile. "The princess is fast asleep, I'm sure she'll sleep for a while yet. I fed her a bottle not too long ago and she went straight to sleep." I tiptoe over to the crib and see Emmaline fast asleep. "Thank you Mary, you are free for the remainder of the night." I smile. Mary nods and quietly leaves the room. I slowly pick Emmaline up, hoping not to wake her, and carry her into my suite for the night. I put her gently in the bassinet as Maxon exits the ensuite. "Is she sleeping?" he asks as he walks up behind me. I nod my head and suggest quietly "Let's get some sleep before she wakes up." Maxon takes my hand and leads me to the bed. We get comfy in bed with my head on his bare chest. "Maxon, how are we going to continue pleasing the people? We both know we have to keep going with the caste removal." I feel Maxon groan as he plays with my hair. "I'm not 100% sure my dear but we'll figure it out. Don't worry." Maxon statement runs through my head but I can't help but to worry.

I hope you guys liked that chapter. I'm going to do a time jump in the next chapter. This story is going to have a much larger timeline compared to my first story. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next update should be anytime before Aug 14th. Until next time

-SelectionGirl0723