Dress like Jackie, act like Audrey, inspire like Lilly, and party like Gatsby.
I did not sleep much the rest of that night. I could only think about Maxon…the pain he had to be in at the same moment. I could only think about the pain he was putting himself through for me. I could only think about Maxon so much that I had completely forgotten about Queen Amberly's journal.
I heard my maids bustling around my room preparing my clothes and toilette for the day as the sky outside started to turn gray. Closing my eyes, I hoped to sleep for at least a little while before I had to wake up. Sure enough, the next time I woke up the sun was streaming through my window. All of the windows to my room were open as well as the doors to my balcony. My maids were playing cards at the table in the corner.
Trying to go back to sleep, I rolled back over in my bed. The sound of a feminine laugh completely woke me up. It wasn't any of my maids; I knew what their laughs sounded like. A few seconds later was a more masculine laugh and I knew that laugh anywhere. Maxon. Tearing my robe from the end of my bed, I ran to the balcony and saw him walking through the gardens with Kriss.
Something in me started to cry. The gardens had always been my place with Maxon. It was where we first met. It was where we seemed to end up for our dates. They were walking away from me but I could tell that their conversation had gotten serious by the way he led her to a bench. I noticed how carefully he sat down but was still awestruck by the lack of pain he was actually showing.
From the angle I was watching I could see both of their faces from the side. She lifted her fingers to her mouth in a gasp, shaking her head. Maxon moved his hands around, conveying something that must have been difficult for him to explain. Then it occurred to me. Was he telling her about his father's abuse? That had to be the topic of their conversation. Nothing else would make Kriss react like that unless he was proposing but from the look on his face, I thought he was suppressing the urge to throw up.
She moved a hand to pat his shoulder but he quickly grabbed her hand and pushed it away. He laughed nervously but she still seemed overwhelmed. She stood and paced back and forth for a few minutes. She stopped and put her hands on her hips. Shaking her head, she said something that made him bow his head and nod, clearly devastated. I watched her walk back to the palace alone and wondered what had transpired between them. As I watched her walk through the door, I decided that I needed to talk to him.
My maids dressed me in record time and it took all I had in me to not run through the hallways to get to the gardens. The doors to the gardens were also sitting open and I walked down the gravel path to where I had seen Maxon sitting earlier. As I rounded the corner, I nearly ran into Celeste who was coming from the opposite direction. "Excuse you." She snarled, bumping my shoulder purposely.
When I looked away from her back and down the pathway, I saw Maxon was still sitting on the bench with his head in his hands. I sighed and approached him warily. "Maxon?" I asked hesitantly, standing beside him. "What's going on?"
He looked up at me and sighed. "Sit down America." I took the spot next to him on the bench which had not too long ago been occupied by Kriss.
"How's your back today?" I ventured.
He shrugged, just a small lifting of his shoulders. "Killing me. I got the bandages switched like I was instructed but it doesn't seem to help the pain. The doctor is going to prescribe me some pain medicine that I can take."
I nodded and watched him carefully. "I saw you out here with Kriss." I admitted. "You told her?"
"Yes." He moaned. "She took it well." A hint of sarcasm was detectable. "But really, she called me an idiot for not telling anyone sooner and for not standing up to myself. I guess I can't explain to her why I don't stand up to him."
"I guess not." I folded my hands in my lap and sat in the quiet Angeles air. "I'm sorry you even have to deal with this." I said genuinely.
He shrugged. "I've been dealing with it since I was eight-years-old."
My heart broke all over again for him. I was going to say more but then a guard approached us. "Pardon me, Prince Maxon, but the queen would like to talk to you."
"Thank you, tell her I'm on my way." He told the guard, standing up. He looked at me. "Duty calls." He smirked and added, "You should go get ready for the ball tonight."
I laughed. "Yay." I said sarcastically. We parted ways there, Maxon heading to the east exit to get to his mother's office faster. I went back to the main doors for the gardens and was on my way to my room when I heard Celeste and Kriss talking down a back hallway. I stopped around the corner to listen.
"He really showed you?" Celeste asked. They were talking about Kriss's conversation with him that morning.
"Yes, it was awful. Sickening really." Kriss answered. That was a total lie.
There was a long pause. "He's such a coward for not fighting back."
"He said he had his reasons but wouldn't elaborate on what those reasons are." Kriss explained. She sounded annoyed. "I just spoke to his mother. I think its best that she knows."
Kriss told his mother? "I can't do this Kriss. I'm not marrying a coward and a liar. He should have been upfront about this from the beginning."
"And what would he have said? 'By the way ladies, my father abuses me.'" Kriss mocked. "Don't leave me here with America. He's got to make a decision soon anyway."
"I'm only here for the crown, I thought I've made that perfectly clear to all of you. I could honestly care less if he was mutilated. " The sound of heels clicking down the hallway followed.
Kriss was laughing quietly to herself. "Too easy." I heard her whisper. I walked around the corner and saw her standing by herself in the hallway with her hair done for the night but she was just in a robe and her heels. "What do you want?" she demanded.
I held up my hands as a sign of peace. "I just want to get to my room so I can get ready for tonight." I brushed past her but turned and said, "Take it from me that betraying Maxon's trust is the worst thing you could do in your relationship with him."
"You would know all about that, wouldn't you?" she snapped. "I have nothing to worry about. It's you that should be concerned."
I rolled my eyes. "If you say so."
My maids did an incredible job in getting me ready once again. They put my hair in a low side bun with curls framing my face. My dress was green with silver beading on the bust. It did wonders with my hair and skin color.
The orchestra I'd hired for the formal part of the ball was already playing several dance songs when I entered the main hall. The décor was parallel to nothing I'd ever seen in the palace before. Everything seemed to shine in gold and silver. Everything was sparkling: wine glasses, dresses, jewelry, platters of food, the chandeliers, and even the flowers had a celestial look about them. Kota and I had planned it all but even I could not deny how magnificent it looked.
Men and women turned to look at me as I entered alone, but suddenly Aspen was at my side with his arm looped through mine. "More bait for the sharks." He whispered to me with a chuckle.
"More of a distraction for the sharks." I whispered back. "Thank you anyway."
He nodded in response as he escorted me to the side of the dance floor. A few of the women I had met from Germany were there and greeted me warmly. "Lady America, I'm glad to see you are still here."
"Thank you. I'm glad to be here." I assured them and continued walking until I could find myself some champagne. There were couples dancing but it seemed that most people were talking. I had no idea where to even start with talking to these people. They were all royalty and tycoons and wealthy. They were talking about stocks and shares and I had no idea what either of those were.
I caught sight of Maxon across the dance floor, talking to his new allies from Italy. New allies thanks to Kriss and I. He caught me staring and smiled wide, shaking hands with whoever he was talking to before he walked to my side of the room to greet me. "You look absolutely stunning." He said, kissing my cheek. "May I have this dance?"
"You may indeed." I granted, allowing him to lead me to the dance floor. The music transitioned to an easy waltz, for which I was grateful. "How are you on this divine evening, Prince Maxon?" I asked formally.
He laughed. "I think calling tonight a 'divine evening' was a bit much." His smile grew wider as he pulled me closer. "I am quite joyful though, you?"
"I guess that's one way of saying it." I said softly as I looked deeply into his eyes. I was aware of his father staring from across the room but I pretended not to notice.
"Does this bring back any memories?" Maxon whispered in my ear, his hand slipping down lower on my back.
I shook my head. "You may need to remind me." I answered flirtatiously. "I think Kriss is looking for you." I commented, nodding in her direction.
"Yes. I suppose I should greet her. We'll talk later?" he proposed.
"Of course." I said it as if there was no question. I went to get more champagne and stood, watching his conversation with Kriss.
I returned my attention to Maxon and Kriss. Maxon's expression had turned angry. Kriss looked apologetic and stroked the sleeve of her jacket. Then he turned and looked at me and I realized in that stare that all of his anger was focused on me. He stormed toward me and grabbed me by the hand roughly. "Maxon?" I was confused. His mother was looking at us leaving with great sadness in her eyes. "Maxon, what's going on?" I asked as he pulled me out of the main hall. There were only a few people milling about in the corner.
"How could you?" he demanded, abruptly letting go of my hand and pushing past me.
I turned and faced him. "What did I do?"
"You told everyone!" he shouted. "You told my mother, you freaked out Celeste…Kriss told me what you had said to her. You said that I'm a coward and need to stand up for myself. I've explained to you over and over why I don't…"
"Wait…" I held up a hand. "You think I spread your secret around?"
He laughed darkly. "I know you did it! You've betrayed me in the worst way possible." There was a crowd gathering at the doors leading to the main hall. Queen Amberly was among them, standing toward the front with a hand over her mouth. "I was willing to give you some clemency after the Report fiasco but enough is enough. I can't trust you at all America!"
"Maxon, I didn't do it! You have it all wrong!" I argued. "Kriss told Celeste, and then told your mother. Kriss lied to you!"
He shook his head and gestured to the guards in the corner. "It's over. Kriss is my pick." He waved them forward and soon I was surrounded by four guards. "Go pack your things. I never want to see your traitor of a face again!" he yelled.
I blinked away the tears in my eyes and nodded. "Fine. Take this." I took off the blue bracelet and threw it at him. I waved away the guards and started to ascend the steps myself, picking up the front of my dress so I would not trip. I turned when I was halfway up and saw that he was still staring at me. His mother had tears in her eyes as she looked up at me. Marlee was in the corner holding a serving platter. She was crying too.
"I hope you're happy with your decision." I told Maxon. "You deserve that. I know you deserve to be happy more than anyone on this planet. You'll make a great king one day, and Kriss will be an even better queen. Just remember, who it was you would go to when you needed help the most. Remember who you trusted with all of your deepest secrets in the first place. Remember who was there for you when you had no one else to go to." With that said, I got one last look at the smug expression on Kriss's face and then climbed the remainder of the steps.
I held back my tears until I closed the door to my room. I pulled my little suitcase out of the armoire where it had been since the last time I had been sent home. My maids appeared, all of them in various states of shock and despair over what had just transpired between Maxon and me. They helped me pack what little possessions I wanted to take with me.
It was no surprise that Aspen was the one who agreed to escort me out of the palace. I was quiet in the hallway on the way down. I was instructed to go out the back doors into the enormous courtyard that had a gate to the city in it. The king met me by the doors with an envelope. "Your final payment, Lady America." He said, holding it out to me. As I took it out of his hand he surprised me by grabbing my hand and pulling me close to him so he could whisper in my ear, "See how easy it was for me to break him? See how easy it is to fall, no matter how high you are seated?"
I pulled my hand away aggressively. "Do you see how it easy it is for me to leave?" I retorted. Aspen placed his hand on the small of my back as he led me to my car. It started to rain as he opened the door to me. I took one last look at the palace and up at the balcony of the main hall. Maxon was standing there, watching me as the rain started to come down hard.
He tugged his ear, as if that was a suitable way of saying goodbye to me. I turned my face away, wanting to stay strong in front of him until the very last moment of our time together. As the car pulled around the courtyard I looked out the back window and saw that he was still standing there, his expression haunted.
Oh no! Again, I've had this written for a while. From here on out I have bits and pieces written already so updates will be a little consistent but hey, that's better than no updates at all!
