Hey guys!

Wow, three chapters in 48 hours. It's been awhile since I've been this active.

Enjoy.


Chapter eight.

Estrella could hear the selected from the medical wing. They were so loud, it was a miracle that her mother could focus on the work that King Adrian was too sick to work on. Though, the more she thought about it, Queen Kiara probably needed her help.

Estrella sighed, then pressed a gentle kiss to her father's damp forehead. "Don't do anything dumb while I'm gone." She said, then brushed a few stray hairs back into their place. "You get that from Great-Great Grandmother America." She teased, then stood up and walked away from the medical wing.

"They sure are a loud bunch."

Estrella turned around, face to face with Nicholas. She rolled her eyes. "You're telling me." She said, then placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be getting your commentary on the selected ready?" She questioned.

Nicholas laughed. "I thought live commentary would be more interesting." He said, then winked. "I actually came to escort you to whatever place in the castle you were off to."

Estrella rolled her eyes. Nicholas practically made everything up as he went through life. Sometimes that was a bad idea, sometimes she thought he was a genius. "You always think that." She teased as she playfully elbowed him. She was glad that one thing was staying normal in her life. "And I have guards for a reason, Nicholas."

Nicholas smiled, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Had it been any other boy, Estrella would have thrown him off, but she leaned into Nicholas's touch. "I sent them away." He whispered. "If anyone gets to be your knight in shining armor, it's me."

She laughed. "Nicholas, you are not a knight in shining armor, you are a television host with a silver microphone." She said, but the hurt look on Nicholas's face didn't go unnoticed. She cleared her throat. "But I would be honored if you escorted me to my father's office."

Nicholas smiled, then linked his arm in hers. He had really bulked up since the last time he had escorted her anywhere, his large bicep did not go unnoticed by her. He might have had more muscle than the guards who had been following her around. "So, what do you think o-" Estrella cut him off.

"Do not ask about the selected." She warned. "I promptly forgot all of their names and have been spending too much time with my ill father to look at their names and faces."

"Okay..." He said, his voice edging on sadness. "I'll make sure to leave that out of tonight's Report. I would hate for them to think that the princess didn't care about the selection."

"Nicholas, please." Estrella begged. She had been much to focused on her father to make any mental notes about the boys. Or even remember their names. "Please don't be that way. You know I can't bear to see you upset."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, and Estrella giggled. "Please, you know that upsetting me is your primary goal in life." He said, then smiled. "You made me cry a lot as a child."

Nicholas and Estrella both looked over as the sounds of the selected got closer. "They're coming this way." She said as she looked up into his aquamarine eyes. "What do we do?" She asked playfully.

He smiled, then looked over to where he could see the first few boys walking into the hallway. "We run, Princess." He said, then grinned. "You're not allowed to meet the selected until tomorrow."

•••

Sullivan Regis followed the crowd of nineteen other boys through the castle. He stayed quiet as others "oooed" and "ahhed", he wasn't here to see the palace, he was here to become the next king of Illéa. At least, he thought that was why he was here. This had been one of his many impulsive decisions.

A few of the boys had tried to start a conversation with him, but after a glare, they all left him alone. He liked it better that way.

"Now, if you turn left here, you will head straight to the medical wing." The man in charge, William, told us as he pointed to his left.

He looked to the right, then chuckled under he breath as he caught a glimpse of a boy and girl run out of the hall and into that part of the castle, giggling softly as they did. "What's over there?" He asked William.

William's face darkened. "That is where King Adrian and Princess Estrella do their most of their work." He said, his voice filled with seriousness as he faced the boys. "That area is off limits unless otherwise specified. Another off limits area is the third floor."

"Why?" One of the boys in the back piped up, and everyone looked back at him. It would have been easier if he had just listened to William and just accepted that the third floor was off limits.

William looked at the boy, his brown eyes shooting daggers at the him. "The royal family has their private rooms up there, and any intrusion will not be tolerated, understood?" He meant business, Sullivan could tell. He knew that it wasn't just because the royal family deserved some sort of privacy, he knew that it was also a way to protect them. Especially the princess who was now the romantic interest of twenty men.

The rest of the tour went smoothly, but Sullivan didn't see the boy and girl again. He wondered who they were, they had seemed so happy together...

Now he was sitting in the Men's parlor and wondering what Princess Estrella would think of all of them? And what would happen if he was sent home tomorrow. Would he have gotten the adrenaline fix that he needed?

"Hi."

Sullivan looked up from the window he was looking out of. "What do you want?" He asked, looking up at the brown haired, glasses clad boy. The book tucked between his arm and side didn't go by unnoticed either.

The boy smiled, small dimples denting his cheeks. "I saw you sitting alone." He answered, then cleared his throat. "So I thought we could sit alone together. I'm Edmund Jenkins."

Sullivan looked up at him, suddenly he looked more familiar. "You're the boy that Nicholas called good looking." He stated, then crossed his arms. "Sullivan Regis."

Edmund blushed, his ears turning red. "Did he really call me that?" He asked as he sat down in the chair across from Sullivan. "My family when kind of crazy after my name was announced."

"I did." Nicholas said as he walked up. "And apparently, you're just as good looking in real life." He told Edmund with a smirk.

"Hey, you can't have him." Sullivan said as he leaned back in his chair. "He's Princess Estrella's."

Nicholas nodded. "Ah yes, what a lucky lady she is." He said, then winked at Edmund. Sullivan rolled his eyes as Edmund's blush deepened.

"Okay, I'm out!" Nicholas said, then grabbed a cookie off of one of the trays of food before walking out of the room like he owned the place.

"Well, that was interesting." Edmund said, then buried his nose in his book.

Sullivan only nodded before looking back out the window.

•••

Estrella looked up from her paperwork as Nicholas walked into the room and sat on the mahogany desk. "Wha..?" She asked as she looked up at him. He also had a chocolate chip cookie in his hands. "That had better be for me, Nicholas."

He smiled, then handed her half of the cookie. "I met the selected." He said, then bit into his cookie. "They're cute." He added through a mouthful of cookie, a few crumbs calling onto her papers.

"Hey!" She exclaimed as she dusted off the papers. "For starters, I get first pick out of the boys, and second, these are important!"

Nicholas leaned over to look at the papers. "Oh?" He asked. "What are they?"

Estrella pushed him away from them. "They're a peace treaty my father was working on before he fell ill." She said as she picked up the papers. "I don't want you to start a war because of cookie crumbs drenched in saliva."

"How is he doing?" Nicholas asked gently as he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She sighed, not really knowing what to tell him. "They haven't figured out what poison it is yet, but he's stable." She told him as she teared up. "I just wish that he would wake up..."

Nicholas nodded, then wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into the hug. "I know it's hard." He said as he gently rubbed her back. "I'm here for you, Princess. Always."

She looked up at him, then sniffled. "Promise?"

He smiled, then grabbed her delicate hands. "Promise."

She wiped the tears out of her eyes, then sighed. "Good." She said, then grinned. "Now, tell me about the selected."


So, the boys have arrived and Nicholas is flirty! Please follow, fave, and review! Tell me what you thought of the chapter!

Thanks for reading! Love y'all!