Chapter Three

I'd like to be princess on a throne

To have a country I can call my own

And a King

Who's lusty and requires a fling

With a female thing

Angeles, Illea

Friday, October 4; 8:00 pm

The following week came to pass in such a blur that Maddox hardly had time to register what drink he was throwing back. Not much had changed or occurred, mostly due to the prince's absence from family meals and Sully's absence from the palace property. Maddox had not yet been notified of Mr. Marlowe's plans for the Selection, though he could not deny that he had been curious to know. Of course, he would rather snort gunpowder while smoking than tell anyone that he was remotely interested in the life and plans of his father's lover, but still it would be nice to satiate his curiosity.

For an entire week, it was all Maddox could do not to mention Sully, his father, or the up and coming gameshow for his love life. For an entire week, the prince sat in a stupefied, sulking haze, making absolute certain that an alcoholic beverage was kept at arm's length at all times.

He hadn't yet spoken to his sister, and his sister hadn't taken Sully's advice to go and speak to him. He wasn't quite as furious with her as he had been about 5 days before, but to say that all was forgiven would be understandably false. The anger no longer resided in his heart, but the betrayal ran deep.

In the meantime, Brennan wasn't too positive that she was ready to bury the hatchet with her big brother either. In fact, the princess spent the abundance of her time that wasn't wasted in tutoring out and about with Sully as he made all of his pre-selection-move arrangements. She felt bad, of course, that Maddox was being forced into a Selection that he was in no way ready for, and in no way wanted, but at the same time, she could muster up no pity for a boy who spent a grand majority of his time lately pitying himself.

Eden, Sebastian, and Vivien were the only three people who saw the prince at all throughout the entire week before the report, aside from his butler, Lee. Sebastian was understanding for the first few days, considering Maddox was finally up for day drinking with him, but when the Prince's body odor became a bit too repugnant for his taste, he bailed.

"The man smells like Steve Buscemi looks: greasy and insectile," Bash had told Eden before leaving. She didn't agree with him, for the sake of loyalty, but didn't argue either as he ran from Maddox's pig-stye of a room.

Vivien stayed and was actually the one to coax Maddox into a shower and get him to leave the bedroom so that the maids could pick it up. Much to their surprise, he had protested, saying that he could pick it up himself, and he didn't need maids to do it for him because he was an adult. In the end, however, he did such a poor job that they made a quick task of sweeping him from the room so that someone could do it properly.

The King, meanwhile, busied himself with Selection preparations, making press releases and such, as well as sending out forms to the provinces. The Queen, similarly, kept herself from worrying about Maddox by picking out designs for Selected bedrooms, and making arrangements for the Opening Ball. Her husband thought it best to let her handle this, seeing as the duty would soon fall to Sully, and he wanted to hold off that volcanic eruption for as long as he possibly could. On the whole, everyone in the palace had found a way to escape he or she's individual problems, and was doing a fine job of avoiding them until The Report rolled around on the following Friday.

"That's it for our show everyone! You've been a wonderful audience, and we'll see you all next week when we announce the names of our beautiful Selected!" The crowd roared as the lights went pitch black and the royal family, along with their respective guests, left the stage behind the host, Mickey Marlon

Mickey Marlon had been the host of The Report for around 29 years and he was damn good at it. He had the kind of smile that made you feel like you were his best friend, and when you watched him, you wished that you could be. He wore a pinstripe suit just about everywhere he went, and had kept his head smooth and shiny for all 29 years that he had been Report host. Mickey was about as close to a father figure as Maddox could get, and it made him feel a million times better to know that throughout the whole gory process of trying to find a wife, his Uncle Mickey would be there.

"Don't overthink it," Mickey whispered to the prince backstage, "They're gonna be peachy one minute and catty the next, but you just gotta go with it. Women aren't hard if you don't overthink 'em." He gave Maddox a wink, like they now shared a secret or something. Despite the useless nature of the advice, Mickey's wink had made Maddox relax, if only for a second, before walking towards the entrance of the theatre to where his parents and sister were waiting. Eden and Vivien gave him little smiles of encouragement, but after a week of those same smiles, the effect wasn't as great as Mickey's wink.

The stage in which they had held the weekly Report for about 20 years now (it used to be held in the palace, but hosting a live audience every week became an annoyance) was justifiably named The Castle, but was truly named Donovan Hall, after Sebastian's grandfather who had funded it's construction. Bash wasn't too fond of the place, and did his best to avoid it whenever his family would allow him to, which is why he wasn't with them as they exited the theatre and filed into a limo out front. Flashing lights, aggressive questioning, and cheers that bordered on shrieks greeted them as they stepped out through the glass doors, but after years and years of this same treatment, not a member of the party blinked as they strode towards their awaiting cars.

"Prince Maddox, any comment on your father's alleged affair with Madelyn Montgomery?"

"Prince Maddox, why the sudden return from abroad?"

"Princess Brennan are you planning on going to rehab?"

"Eden! Eden! Do you plan on entering Maddox's Selection?"

"Prince Maddox over here!"

"King Maddox!"

"Your Majesties!"

The limo doors closed with a resolute click and all of the passengers suddenly became very much aware of their senses once more. Maddox, Brennan, Eden, Apollo, and Vivien sat in absolute silence as the car purred smoothly out of the drive and sped back towards the palace.

Maddox and Eden sat closely together at the end of the car, while Viven, Apollo, and Brennan sat spaced out in the center aisle. Apollo looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue for once and allowed his fellow passengers some peace.

Maddox watched Brennan closely. Her dress, a pale pink number that looked like a T-shirt, was dotted with random embellishments and jewels, and looked just classy enough to be worn to the report, but just whimsical enough to be worn by Brennan. Her short hair was slicked back in a very "vogue" sort of fashion, and her lips, pouty as always, matched the pale pink of her dress. Maddox smiled in spite of himself. The outfit exuded waves of Brennan.

They caught each other's eyes for a brief second before Brennan swiftly turned her head, her lips straightening adamantly as she tried her very hardest to look disinterested. Maddox gulped. Of course he was still hurt by her favoring of Sully, but she hadn't truly done something wrong. The entire week, he had waited for her to turn up at his door, not to apologize, but just to talk. The silence between them was so passive that it physically hurt him to be in the same room as her without some form of acknowledgement. For a moment he considered saying something, speaking up. But Eden beat him to it.

"Do you think we're required to go to the cocktail party? Because I for one would much rather stay in and get drunk." She gave a weak grin as if to feign joking, but everyone could tell she was just trying to start a conversation.

"Considering the sole reason for the party is my upcoming nuptial, I think that I have to make an appearance," Maddox said, his voice once again descending into a tone of self pity.

"Ok, so we get drunk after. Or before, if you just want to block the whole thing out." The blonde's tone came off playfully optimistic, but in truth, she was trying her damndest to hide her apparent aggravation with the prince. Maddox didn't sense this.

"If we get drunk before, the press will go nuts, and I'll be too tired after to-"

"For Christ's sake, Maddox," Brennan cut in, making everyone look up, "Why are you so determined to wallow in your misery. Eden is kindly offering you an easier alternative to small talk and canapes: getting wasted."

Maddox was caught off guard for a second by Brennan's sudden outburst, but quickly recovered saying, "I'm not wallowing. I'm just trying to get through this whole thing with as little drama as possible."

"Then stop stirring it up for everyone else!"

"I'm not stirring up drama for everyone else I'm-"

"You're sulking in your room, making everyone worry about you, refusing to accept help from anyone," she gestured wildly over to Eden who's eyebrows jumped off her face, "and for some odd reason - God knows what - you seem to be dead set on remaining miserable, thereby forcing us to remain miserable. So yes, Maddox, I think you are causing a tad bit too much drama already, and frankly, I think that maybe skipping the goddamn cocktail party to get hammered would do you some good. You might even grace us with a smile."

When she finished her tirade, the princess fell right back in her seat, not even realizing that she had been inching upward in her fury. Apollo gave a low whistle, causing Brennan to roll her eyes and Vivien to grin in spite of herself. Eden stayed silent and stared fixedly at Brennan, mostly to avoid looking at Maddox.

"Maybe you're right." Everyone stared at the prince.

"I'm sorry?" Brennan appeared just a mystified by his words as the rest of their party.

Maddox could hardly comprehend what he was saying either, because some part of him was angry with Brennan for saying all those things. A very large part. But another, significantly smaller, yet stronger, part of him felt guilty. Poor Eden was sitting stiffly beside him, as if fearing he would suddenly explode out of nowhere and she would be the first to experience the blow. Brennan, his sister and possibly his best friend, hadn't spoken to him in a week, only to scold him now for not getting drunk with his friends. It wasn't right. None of it was. And it killed him to think that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't his father that was causing all this turmoil, but a fraction of the blame might belong to himself.

"I didn't mean to… you know…"

"Be a dick," Brennan finished for him. Apollo let out a snort of laughter.

"Maybe not the word I would've used," Maddox said a little tightly, "but I guess it works."

"It does."

"We're not arguing anymore Brennan, so stop getting defensive."

Brennan opened her mouth to argue back, perhaps to ironically protest that she wasn't being defensive, but Vivien cut her off.

"Look, Maddox, we all know that you're under a lot of strain with this whole Selection thing," she spoke softly, and Maddox flinched when she said Selection, "and it's completely unfair to you. We all get that. But…" She trailed off and glanced around the limo for some help, but Brennan had already resigned herself to listening and Eden wanted absolutely no part of any conflict. Apollo, however, stepped in saying, "But as much as this is hurting you, hurting the rest of us, including your sister, isn't going to make the situation anymore tolerable."

"I know it isn't," Maddox complained, not as taken aback by Apollo's sudden strike of maturity as the others, "but am I not allowed to, I don't know, mourn?"

"Of course you are," Vivien consoled swiftly, "Of course you have a right to be upset, and we're fine with that. But once this thing gets underway-"

"Then you should really put the pouting to rest," finished Apollo. Maddox looked at the two crossly, jaw clenched and elbows on knees. He glanced over at Brennan who was gazing almost defiantly back at him. After an entire week of avoiding him, it was like something inside her had finally snapped and now she was ready to challenge him head on. Despite his annoyance, he had to respect her for it. Through all of this, Eden remained silent and still, and it was this silence and stillness in his best friend that made him sit back up and sigh.

"I know," he said finally, keeping eye contact "I'm sorry. I should have been more... considerate."

"It's really fine," Vivien said softly.

"Yeah, seriously, we get it," said Apollo. Brennan stayed silent, her eyes falling back to her hands. Maddox felt a pang of guilt. They shouldn't be like this. They should be on the same side.

"I never gave you your birthday present, you know," Maddox said to Brennan, making her look up. "For a minute there I thought that you just didn't get me one. Or you had thrown it away," she replied with that same touch of defiance in her voice. Maddox chuckled.

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not cruel," he said, giving her a tentative smile. She returned it a little slower than he'd have liked, but she did return it.

"Aw, this is good! This is really good, cause now we can all get drunk together and not kill each other!" Apollo gave a mocking applause, regaining some of his former immaturity, and earning a kick to the shin from Brennan. "Ow!"

"So what is it," she asked, now smiling broadly. Maddox grinned at the thought of it. He had found something perfect for her. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"I don't like waiting."

"Well patience is a virtue I think that you could stand to learn."

"Don't be an asshole now I've just forgiven you." Maddox decided to let that one slide. He sighed and turned back to Eden, who was now watching the scene unfold, no longer as stiff as she once was. She met his eyes warily. "You think Sebastian could stand to be in the same room with me now," he asked. She smirked.

"I don't know," she said teasingly, "You don't stink anymore but your personality is still an issue…" Maddox poked her in the side, causing her to immediately slap his hand away and break into that smile that he loved so much.

"Bash might actually break into tears of joy if you walk into his room and ask to skip the party and get drunk," Vivien said, laughing along with them, "He might even kiss you."

The car was filled now filled with warm, jovial laughter as they all relished in the chance to finally enjoy their time together as the kids that they were. Everyone cackled at Vivien and Apollo's endless jabs at Sebastian, and no one - no one except for Maddox, that is - noticed the faint blush that rose to Brennan's cheeks at the mention of Sebastian kissing someone. It was, however, the first time in a week that he had been able to laugh freely with his sister, or even laugh at all. So, in the interest of preserving some of his final moments of freedom and carelessness, he let it go, and resolved to deal with it another day.

Angeles, Illea

Friday, October 4; 9:46 pm

"Where are they? They were supposed to get here ages ago." The King's eyes darted around the room frantically while his wife, who was too busy smiling and greeting guests to respond, sat reluctantly through her husband's complaining. The cocktail party had been in full swing for about an hour, and Maddox, Brennan, and all their friends had not so much as stepped through the door. Instead, they had opted to hide up in Maddox's room with a couple of bottles of Indian Single Malt Whiskey, from his father's private stock, and play strip poker.

His father didn't know that though.

"I'm sure they'll be down soon, darling," the Queen whispered through gritted teeth.

"What if he's gone back to Paris or-"

"He hasn't gone back to Paris."

"Then where do you suppose he is?"

"In his own country, would be my first guess," Donatella said with a taunting grin. Her arm, which was draped through the King's, squeezed his just enough to make him wince. They continued to stroll arm and arm through the candlelit ballroom, looking like the perfect couple. He side-eyed her for a split second before smiling charmingly at yet another guest.

"I haven't seen a certain 'royal tailor' here either" the Queen whispered, "Did you two get in a cat fight again?" Her tone sounded conversational but the King knew better. His jaw shifted.

"I'll have you know that he chose to sit out on this particular party for Maddox's sake."

The Queen made a sound almost like a scoff and reached for another fluke of champagne off a passing tray. "Ah yes. How selfless of him to put our son's best interests above all else. Especially since it's his fault that Maddox is in this horrid situation in the first pla-"

"Shhh," the King cut her off briskly, his tone dangerous, "Keep your bloody voice down, Dona… and it's not his fault Maddox is having a Selection."

"Oh, silly me, you're right. It's not his fault, it's yours."

Just as she was about to take another sip from her fluke, the King snatched it out of her hands before anyone could see, and said harshly, "I think you've had enough of this." The queen was rendered speechless and unable to react, seeing as about a dozen onlookers were whispering and glancing their way. The King rested the stolen glass on another passing tray and whispered menacingly in her ear, "Don't you ever speak of Sully like that in public again, do you understand me?"

Donatella, not having decided whether she would loudly protest or nod meekly, was saved from having to choose by a certain blonde haired, red lipped woman that looked stunningly like her daughter.

"Celine! You never cease to stun me- you look divine," King Maddox said pleasantly, turning away from his wife to kiss the cheek of Celine St. James. She was slender and dressed elegantly in a cream colored jumpsuit and matching stilettos. Her dirty blonde hair fell in waves, and her twinkly, almond shaped eyes (blue-grey like her daughter's) darted curiously between the royal couple. However, in a fashionably raspy voice, she said, "Don't flatter me in front of your wife, Maddox! She'll begin to suspect something! Oops- I've said too much." They all chuckled good-naturedly at her supposed quip.

"We weren't sure if we would see you," said Donatella, recovering from her lightning-fast spat with Maddox.

"Oh please, darling, of course I came! I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Is Bianca here as well," the King asked, referring to Celine's wife; Eden, Apollo, and Allegra's other mother.

"Unfortunately she couldn't make it," Celine said, running a hand through her hair, as if straightening an imperfection that wasn't there, "She's working with Allegra on a new lip kit formula. Honestly, the woman never rests- something she undoubtedly passed onto Allie. If only the gene passed onto Apollo as well." She rolled her eyes in exasperation and laughed along with the King and Queen.

"Nonetheless, I'm glad they're both doing well," said Maddox.

"Oh yes, yes, my children tend to do fine when left on their own. They're always off somewhere in the world doing something or other that I'm going to read about in the next day's paper."

"I know the feeling."

"I know you do," said Celine, her voice suddenly sobering, "How is Maddox anyway? I mean a Selection... the poor boy must be squirming. Is that why he's not here?" The royal couple shared a brief glance, causing Celine to raise her eyebrows a fraction of an inch.

"Nothing gets past you, Celine," King Maddox said with an indulgent, sheepish smile, "Getting some cold feet, Maddox. I did too when I was in his position, but of course I got over it. Met Dona and that was it for me." He gave his wife an affectionate peck on the cheek, and to any curious onlookers, it looked remarkably like a sweet gesture from a loving husband to his beautiful wife. And yet Celine, who had known both of them for years, saw the accumulating tension in Dona's jaw, and the hesitation in the King's movement. The two were suffocating in that room together, and it made Celine's heart hurt. However, touching up her flippant smile, she said, "Well aren't you two sweet! But might I steal Dona from you Maddox? Haven't seen you in so long-"
"Oh please please, by all means, ladies," the King said, taking his arm away from his wife so swiftly you would have thought that she burned him. Besides the fleeting look of hurt that flashed across the Queen's face, the party was more than happy to disperse, and they went their separate ways, the two women's arms now laced through each other's, and the King wandering off to find a more preferable partner.

"Charming man your husband," Celine said blandly.

"Isn't he just."

"Quite frankly I'm surprised you two lasted that long together without someone's arm being torn from its socket."

"Quite frankly I was about to do exactly that," the Queen said, laughing humorlessly. The two women found their way to the balcony and away from the prying eyes of reporters everywhere. When they finally reached the railing overlooking the garden, Donatella closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath. "I was drowning in there."
"Sometimes I think you're always drowning," Celine said softly, squeezing Dona's arm comfortingly. Dona smiled a grim, joyless smile that made Celine's heart ache for her friend.

"Sure seems like it, doesn't it?" The Queen opened her eyes and slipped her arm from Celine's to turn back around and look at the party. Her friend could smell the putrid stench of alcohol on her breath and cringed.

"Your daughter and my son have become inseparable," the Queen said out of nowhere, "It makes me wonder whether she signed up for the Selection herself."

"She wouldn't," said Celine, turning to lean back against the railing with her friend, "Eden's not impulsive. She overthinks everything, and I can practically guarantee you that the thought has not left her mind long enough for her to actually fill out the form." Dona nodded dazedly, only partly comprehending what her friend was saying.

"She loves him."

"Indeed she does."

Dona was silent. Celine cleared her throat. "And does he love her?"

Dona blinked and made no indication that she planned on responding, before saying, "I don't think Maddox is entirely sure what love is."

"Are you?"

Silence. Dona breathed in and said softly, "I think I need a drink." And with that she made her way inside.

Angeles, Illea

Friday, October 4; 12:35 pm

Four hours had passed since they had begun their game of strip poker, and Maddox wasn't entirely sure they had finished it. By the time 10:00 had rolled around, Sebastian was already 6 flags to the wind and stark naked - both of his own volition. Apollo, who, as it turned out, wasn't very good at holding his liquor, was right up there with him, while Vivien, Eden, and Maddox were only slightly tipsy and watching the boys with thorough amusement.

Brennan had already left by the time Sebastian had begun to take off his pants, but before that point, Maddox had made sure to give her his long overdue birthday present: a first edition Chanel Little Black Dress that had been restored by one of his designer friends in Paris. She was ecstatic.

"I will never get mad at you ever again," she had said, squealing madly as she stroked the fabric, "Never again for as long as I live! I love you I love you I love youuuuu!" She had jumped up to hug him around the neck like she used to and he had felt all the air leave his lungs with the force of her embrace. It was worth it though.

Now, however, she was off somewhere doing god knows what, while Apollo was passed out on the couch, Sebastian was laughing dopily at some joke he had just mumbled to himself, and Vivien was still sipping her third martini of the night, not in the least bit perturbed by her company's behavior. Maddox laid his head on Eden's lap and she began to toy with his hair, humming something vaguely familiar, but not interesting enough to wonder about. His mind drifted aimlessly about as he listened to her indistinct song, the dim chuckles of Sebastian, and the clink of the ice in Vivien's glass.

"Tell us a story, Maddox," Vivien said out of nowhere. Maddox turned his head in Eden's lap to look at his cousin. She was gazing at him lazily, as if his answer mattered not to her. Eden, however, stopped stroking his hair and said enthusiastically, "Yeah! Come on Oscar Wilde, tell us a story." Maddox sat up.

"What kind of story?"

"Any story. A love story," Vivien said knowingly. Her eyes darted to Eden who rolled her own. Maddox groaned. "Love stories aren't my forte."
"Well then you need the practice."

"All of them are cheesy. Even the tragic ones- those are the cheesiest."

"We didn't ask for a pulitzer prize winner. We asked for a story. A love story. So tell us a story." Vivien had now set down her drink and was lounging back as if getting ready to listen. Maddox looked up at Eden with a "can you believe her" kind of look, but Eden just stared back at him, waiting patiently. In the background, Sebastian had finally drifted off.

"Fine." A love story. He had never written a love story. They didn't appeal to him. But to him, the first duty of a storyteller was to tell a story - no more, no less - and that is what he planned to do.

"Once upon a time-" he started.

"So predictable," Eden murmured. Maddox gave her a stink eye. "What," she protested, "You are and you know it." Maddox continued despite the interruption.

"Once upon a time… that's how all the best stories start: Once upon a time. There was a dockman who worked day in and day out at this dock by the sea shore. He would tie up ships and unload boxes and unload people, and he was happy. He was a people person, this dockman, and he liked to listen to them talk. People on ships like to talk a lot, you see, and these people who were unloaded off of these ships talked a lot. But the dockman liked it, because day in and day out, when all of these people coming off the big ships began talking, they would tell him stories."

"Where's the girl? Is there a girl for this dockman," Eden interrupted. It was something that she did often and it annoyed the bejeezus out of Maddox. "Just listen and find out," he said, and continued:

"They would tell him all these stories about the far away places that they had traveled to and the interesting people that they had met. They told him stories of adventure and mystery and danger, but best of all, they told him stories of romance."

"Finally," murmured Eden, but he ignored her this time.

"Beautiful, exotic women who stowed away on their ships, or gave them shelter in their grand palaces. Men who had fought in battles and killed beasts just to return to their loves. Stories of fantastic tragedy and epic romance surged through the docks like water in rapids. But every night, after listening to these beautiful, fanciful stories, the dockman would return home-up the shore and down the path- to his wife, whom he loved very much."

"Wow, that sure sounded enthusiastic," Eden mumbled, and Vivien laughed. Maddox shushed them both.

"As I was saying," he eyed them both, "He loved his wife very much, and every night she would sit on the porch, waiting for him to return to her, he'd tell her just that- that he loved her very much. In return, she would ask 'How much?' and he would respond with 'Around the world and back.' Every night they would have this exchange before going to bed. They were simple people, the dockman and his wife, with simple lives. But every day the dockman would return to the docks to listen to the stories of people who didn't lead simple lives, and the more he listened to their stories, the more he wished that he could be apart of them. But still, he returned to his wife every night and when she asked him how much he loved her, he would say 'Around the world and back.'

But one day, as he was unloading a box from one of the ships, listening as the crew jovially recounted their run in with a band of pirates, a man came up to him and asked if he had ever worked on a ship before. He told the man that he was but a simple dockman, and that naturally required him to stay on the dock. But the man persisted to ask, 'How would you like to work on a ship?'

The dockman, rather reluctantly, said that he had a wife, and that she needed him to stay on the dock. The man, who introduced himself as a captain of one of the larger ships on the dock, told the dockman that if he ever wanted to get off the dock, there was a place for him on his ship. The dockman thought long and hard about this- though not nearly as long enough or hard enough as he ought to have. But after thinking long and hard, he called out to the captain and ran off the dock and onto the ship."

"He left his wife," Vivien said softly, her eyes wide. He felt bad because she actually looked pretty heartbroken. Eden snorted. "Great story, Maddox. You're gonna make Viv cry."

"Fuck off, no he's not," Vivien protested, trying to harden her voice, but barely succeeding. She took a shaky sip from her martini glass and Eden gave her a 'yeah right' look but urged Maddox to continue anyhow.

"And so he got on the ship," he continued, "And he sailed off to some foreign land, trying his very hardest to forget that by the time nightfall came, his wife would be back at home waiting for him to tell her that he loved around the world and back.

The days came and went in a blur and he couldn't deny that he loved the feelings that the ship inspired. It was a merchant ship, and more often than not he would find himself unloading silks and spices off in different ports- just like he would have done at the dock. But still, whenever there was a huge storm; whenever they were being attacked by greedy pirates; whenever they made port in some foreign, exotic land, he found himself imagining the stories that he would tell. He couldn't wait to step onto land again and laugh about all of their tales with his mates and tell some simple dockman with a simple life all about his grand adventures.

And yet, as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, this dockman remembered his wife, sitting at home in their simple house, leading a simple life, without her husband beside her. And he remembered how every night he would go home to tell her how he loved her very much. The sea began to feel endless and the ports all looked the same to him, and as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, he found himself wondering how she would like to hear all of his stories,or whether she even remembered all the ones he told her when he came home.

But one day, some indefinable time after he had left, he arrived back on the dock. The ship had made port, and he discovered that they had found a new dockman- one who looked just as simple and just as happy as he had. When he unloaded the ship and trailed along after his mates- who were laughing, shouting, and regaling the dockman with tales of their adventures (rather different than how he remembered them, I might add)- he did not follow them back onto the boat. Instead, sat down on the edge of the dock, and watched as the ship sailed away into the horizon without him on it. And he sat there for a while, not talking or listening, but just looking.

And when nightfall came and shrouded him in darkness, he finally stood, and he walked away from the dock on the sea shore and down the path to his simple house, where his simple wife sat on the porch, watching him.

He stopped and said, with all the assurance and sincerity that one gets after thinking long and hard about something, 'I love you very much.' And his wife, not yet smiling, said, 'I don't think I believe that.'"

"Nor should she," Eden snorted. Maddox ignored it.

"'But you should,' said the dockman, 'Because I did what I always said I'd do.' And she just continued to gaze at him. 'And what's that?' she asked him. The dockman smiled and walked up the porch to greet his wife, whom he hadn't seen for a long, indefinable amount of time. And he said to her, 'I loved you around the world and back.'"

The two girls awwed at the ending and Maddox gave a joking little bow as they applauded. He was actually quite proud of himself. It hadn't turned too bad for something he had come up with on the spot.

"So she took him back?" Vivien looked just the slightest bit confused.

"Of course she did," Eden said, still smiling faintly, "She loves him too."

"Well she didn't ever really say that did she," Vivien said. She looked like she was contemplating it pretty hard now.

"She had to have loved him. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked him every night. She… well she needed to hear that he loved her as much as she loved him."

"I'm glad that's what you gleaned from the story," Maddox said, smiling at Eden, "Because I just yanked that out of my ass and used repetition to make it sound good."

"Ok shut up you're ruining the moment," Eden laughed as the shoved him. Vivien looked at the two and smiled. Standing finally, she said, "I think that story's all I needed. I'm going to bed now." She grabbed her top bra that was lying casually on the floor by Sebastian's feet and carried that and her shoes out of the room. "Night." She kissed both of them on the cheeks and gave Maddox a hug. "Night, Viv," he whispered.

And he and Eden were left alone.

"It really was a good story," Eden said, "One of your better ones."

"Nah, I've written better. Plus it wasn't really a love story, was it?" Eden shook her head.

"No, it was," she said softly, leaning her head down on his shoulder, "Just not in the way that you imagine love." Maddox looked down at her, but as her head was on his shoulder, he could look her in the eyes.

"What you mean 'the way I imagine love'? Love is- I'm-" but he couldn't finish his thought. He didn't know what he was going to say anyway. Eden was being cryptic and vague- she tended to get that way when she was drunk. He sighed.

"I don't want a Selection."

"No shit."

"I just want to write stories… and talk to you guys…"

Eden was quiet.

"Mostly you, though." She looked up at him and he could finally look into her eyes. Blue-grey. Just as they had always been. But instead of gazing at her blue-grey orbs, his eyes dropped down to her lips - pouty and red as always - and he just couldn't help himself.

His lips crashed onto hers and his hands went straight to her hair. It didn't take long for her to respond, and she reacted enthusiastically. Their mouths attacked each other's, each wanting more, needing more, and struggling to get closer. They needed contact and reassurance and something that told them they weren't as alone as they felt. Far too soon, it ended. Eden pulled away.

"You're- you're getting married," she rasped, still clutching his shirt, as if any moment now she would drag his mouth back to her own, "You can't kiss me."

"Who says I can't," he said, and he brought his lips down on hers once more. She gave in for all of two seconds before pulling away again.

"Stop," he said, now hungry and lusting for more, "Just stop. Don't say anything. Don't push me away." Their eyes were locked together, hardly aware that behind them Sebastian was still passed out and drooling.

"One night," he whispered, his mouth centimeters from hers and itching to close the distance, "One night before I'm damned to a million nights without you."

And Eden nodded, allowing herself to be pulled from her seat, out the door, and down the hallway into another bedroom that did not have a snoring Sebastian in it. She allowed herself one last night of passion. She allowed herself to give into impulse without overthinking anything. But in the morning, as she lay awake, beside the future King of Illea, her best friend, she thought about everything.

She thought about the story and the woman who waited and waited in her simple life, for her adventure seeking husband to return to her. She thought about the girls that would enter the palace, and the one girl who would steal his heart and teach him what love truly was. She thought about the Queen, who drank her sorrows away for a man who she hated, because she loved him so damn much.

She thought about all this and more, because what else could she do? She loved a man who didn't know what love was; a man who maybe never would. Or maybe he would find out, and that would be the real tragedy. Because perhaps, on his journey around the world, the sailor would not return to his wife who sat patiently on the porch, and instead find another woman, who would journey the world with him.

I know it's been a hot minute, but I hope that chapter was worth it. I know there a few mistakes, but I'll go back and fix them later.

Quick note: AGGHHHH I love love love all the great reviews this story is getting, and I'm so grateful to everyone who put so much work into their characters. It will not go to waste.

The next chapter will be out on sunday (I figured I'd write it before I released this one and that way I would be struggling to get out chapters on time) and it will be the last one without the selected! Kind of… I'll mention a few because it'll be the report, but then you'll actually get to meet them! Yay!

Please review again, and I really hope you liked this chapter 3

Luv ya!