Queen Mother Andromeda Naya Schreave

Takes place at the end of Chapter 5.

It was late at night, but Andromeda couldn't sleep. All this Selection was tiring her more than she thought. It was the third Selection she was going through. The first one was when she was a Selected herself, competing for Prince Jaxon Maximilien Schreave's hand. It was a hard competition. She was only a four, and there were so many better girls than her. But she decided to work extra hard, and learn everything that would help her be better than the others: etiquette, proper manners, several languages. Yes, even that dreadful German! It had paid off because Prince Jaxon had asked her to marry him.

The second Selection was her son's when Oliver was still just a Prince. Though this Selection had been the shortest to date: only a month long. Oliver had fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful redhead Elinor rather quickly. She was a Six, but he didn't care. He loved her and that was what was most important. Andromeda remembered how she and Jaxon tried not to interfere too much, trying to advise their son on taking his time and going through all the options.

But now, with her granddaughter's Selection, she thought it would be a vacation, with lots of guests. Until her son and daughter-in-law decided to bring politics in it, and throw Eliza to the wolves. Andromeda vowed to do everything in her power to help Eliza. Because this was downright cruel. She had given a piece of her mind to Oliver, but he wouldn't back down. He said this was the best way to try to stop the Mongasian War.

Andromeda rubbed her temples and she slowly pushed the covers away. She never closed her curtains at night, loving the moon rays that lit her moon in silver tones. She went to the window and noticed the full moon.

"No wonder I can't sleep," she said softly. Even after Jaxon passed away, she continued to talk to him as if he was still there. And it had been fifteen years, already. She never planned to marry again. Jaxon was the love of her life, and he could never be replaced.

She wrapped the fluffy robe around her thin body, slipped on her slippers, took her iPad, and went down to the Kitchens. She knew they would be deserted at this time of the night. She passed some on-duty guards, her head high. Once there, she didn't turn on the light and went to her personal cupboard, taking out a box of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. This was her's and Jaxon's little pleasure when they couldn't sleep, or to brighten each other's mood. And this was just what she needed.

She turned on the tablet – given to her by her granddaughters on her seventieth birthday, because "a photo album was too archaic" they had said – and opened the photo App. She smiled fondly at the first picture that appeared: her wedding day. How young they both looked!

She then scrolled to the first pictures in chronological order. Eliza and Millie had taken the time to scan every single photo from her photo album, and found some more, and uploaded them to the Tablet. Pictures of her as a young woman in the Selection came up. She went through years of pictures, smiling, laughing, and sometimes crying.

She put the tablet down and nibbled on a cookie. She heard steps and stayed still. A lone person – female – came in and walked directly to the fridge. The cold light lit up her favorite granddaughter's face, and Andromeda smiled. She waited to see what she was going to do. She took a carton of milk, poured some in a mug and put it in the microwave.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

Eliza jumped and turned around, squinting in the dark. "Grandmother?"

Andromeda smiled. "Yes. At my age sleeping is a luxury in its own.

-x-x-x-

Ball night, Chapters 7 and 8.

Andromeda's heart broke when she saw how nervous and anxious Eliza was. The poor girl was practically trembling. Thank goodness Millie was helping her out. She wondered what those two girls were talking about. But when she arrived near the duo, Eliza seemed to be a bit calmer.

"Are you ready, Elisabeth?" Elinor asked her, squeezing her arm.

"No, but are we ever?" Eliza replied, and Oliver chuckled. Andromeda fought not to roll her eyes. How supportive her father was.

"It's going to be fine," Andromeda said, stepping in. "You look gorgeous, and if they don't fall at your feet because of it, then I don't know what else to do."

"What if I'm the one to fall? What if I spring my ankle or trip on my dress?" she asked anxiously.

Those were pretty legit anxious matters, so Andromeda decided to lighten the mood with a joke. "Then make sure you do so near one of the Selected," she said with a sly grin. "If you fall, they'll catch you."

Eliza chuckled nervously, but it was all Andromeda needed to hear. If only she could go in with her and hold her hand! But she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a strong woman and she could take care of herself. She needed to remember that.

Andromeda was announced after her son and daughter-in-law, and she walked down the steps and across the room her head high. She didn't really care about who was there, to be honest. She just prayed that Eliza could go through the whole thing without breaking down. She sat on her throne, to the left of the King and waited. When Eliza walked down the steps, Andromeda's heart burst with pride. She was gorgeous, held herself perfectly well, and smiled just enough. At some point, the Princess locked eyes with someone, and Andromeda followed her gaze.

Of course. Her Bodyguard. But she wasn't surprised. They had spent five years together in Waverly. Did she love him, though? She would have to find out. But for now, there was a Ball to focus on.

One after the other, the Selected were announced. Andromeda knew they were all way too young for her, anyway, but she had to dance with them. If she could only glean some information to help Eliza, the evening would be a success for her.

When Eliza chose the Prince of Monaco for the first time, Andromeda chuckled at Eliza's smart move. She couldn't do any damage with this choice! The country was way too small to be a threat, ally or enemy in the War. Even if they were one of Mongolia's allies, they weren't very heavy in the scales.

Andromeda had her first pick for her dance: the Belgium Prince, Sebastian Alexander Johan Frederick van Helms. Yes, she had memorized all the names beforehand, just like Eliza. He was surprised to be asked to dance with the Queen mother, but politely accepted.

She found out he loved animals and worked a wild-life conservation center. He didn't mind talking, and also told her that he liked playing soccer. Andromeda was surprised to hear him talk with a British accent, and he told her it was because he had studied in New England. She asked him why he had been picked to enter the Selection, and he said it was because his father, the King, had ordered it, but that he was fine with it.

Now she had to do that with all the boys. It would be a very long evening, but totally worth it.

Here's the second one! I hope you enjoyed it ;)

I know some of you wanted to write (or already have) one-shots with your characters, and it's really awesome! I would like to put them all in the same place (if that's okay with you) so they're not on lots of different accounts... So if you're writing a one-shot "Canon" to the story, please send it through PM, and I'll post it giving you all the credit! Just make sure to write when the one-shot takes place (before chapter 1 is totally an option, yes! or the specific chapter) so we can follow more easily.

That said, there's also a Pinterest Board called "TWIW Companion" but there isn't much on it yet. Mostly Salty Mille, and some Milliza aesthetics...

See you soon! (I need to get back to the main story... haha)