Hi everyone!
I have returned with the first chapter of The Crown! As always, reviews are appreciated! Hopefully this one doesn't do the weird formatting thing that I always have to fix.
heartsandra - Thanks so much! I figured it would take a lot to rattle America's cage, and I hated the way the original pulled Ahren out of character to run away from his family. I had to fix that. He did still need to do something to keep the storyline, moving though.
Luuuiiisaaa - Aw! I'm sorry to pull the rug out. Yes, Ahren will be leaving the palace, but he will be in much better contact than the original work had him. Especially now, because he'll need Eadlyn to switch places and be his go-to for a sanity check.
To the guest that let me know about the formatting - I hope the update I made fixed it so you can keep reading. Thanks for reviewing!
Virtue01 - Yes! I wanted to make sure to show Maxon's frustration and fear in the moment. Because it wasn't so much that he was mad at Ahren for what had happened, more like he was afraid for his son possibly losing the love of his life by ruining her reputation and consequently setting a precedence for his daughter to do the same thing. Tense situation for sure. I needed the event to be so stressful that America would have her heart attack, so enough to get Maxon to yell felt about right. :) Thanks for reviewing!
To the guest that reviewed with no name - Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it! The thought did cross my mind to make my own all new Selection, but after the painful disappointment I had to face when finishing The Crown, I had to start here first. I am really enjoying writing this story. I have re-read The Heir and The Crown a few times just to be able to read this story, because I need all those little details to line up and fix the things that left me forlorn. I hope you keep reading and reviewing!
:)
The Crown – Chapter 1 – Re-Written
"I'M SORRY," I SAID, BRACING myself for the dirty feeling that would fill my stomach and chest from doing this. When my Selection started, I'd pictured it ending this way – with dozens of my suitors leaving at a time, many of them unprepared for their moment in the spotlight to be over. But after I started taking my Selection seriously, I had come to like all of them, and this mass elimination would be almost heartbreaking. They had been fair with me, and now I had to be very unfair with them.
"I know it's abrupt, but given my mother's precarious condition, my father has asked me to take on more responsibilities, and I feel the only way to manage that is to scale down this competition."
"How is the queen?" Ivan asked, swallowing hard.
I sighed. "She looks…she looks pretty bad."
My mind went back to my sitting next to her infirmary bed, holding her hand, listening to the metronome of her heartbeat keeping time on the monitor. The doctors had to harvest a vein from her leg to replace the one in her chest that had been worked to death. One of the doctors said they had lost her for a minute but managed to get her back.
"She's alive though. And my father…he's…"
Raoul placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Your Highness. We all understand."
I let my eyes flit across the space, my gaze settling on each of my suitors for a breath as I committed their faces to memory.
"I was honestly terrified of all of you," I confessed. There were a few chuckles around the room. "Thank you so much for taking this chance, and for being so gracious with me."
A guard entered, clearing his throat to announce his presence. "I'm sorry, my lady. It's nearly time for the broadcast. The crew wanted to check, um" – he made a fumbling gesture with his hand - "hair and stuff."
I nodded. "Thank you. I'll be ready in a moment."
After he left, I turned my attention back to the boys. "I hope you'll forgive me for the group good-bye. I wish you all the best of luck in the future."
There was a chorus of murmured good-byes as I left. I had to restrain myself from turning back to look at them, because I was already so close to tears. Even though there were many of them that I had already decided to eliminate, they were still amazing people that I didn't want to hurt and I would truly feel like something was missing when they were gone. Once I was outside the doors of the Men's Parlor, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what was coming. I am Eadlyn Schreave and no one – literally, no one – is as powerful as me.
The palace was eerily quiet without Mom and her ladies scuttling around. Nothing makes you quite so aware of a person's presence as the loss of it.
I held myself tall as I made my way down to the studio.
"Your Highness," several people greeted me as I come though the doorway, curtsying and moving out of my way, all the while avoiding looking directly in my eyes. I couldn't tell if it was out of sympathy or if they already knew.
"Oh," I said, glancing in the mirror. "I'm a bit shiny. Could you-?" I hadn't looked so shiny that I needed work, but I had to be strong for my subjects. Pity was not a luxury that a future Queen could afford. I had to be strong… for Dad…for Mom…for Ahren…for my country.
"Of course, Your Highness." A girl expertly dabbed at my skin, covering me in powder.
I straightened the high lace collar of my gown. When I'd gotten dressed this morning, black seemed appropriate, considering the overall mood of the palace, but I was second-guessing myself.
"I look too serious," I worried aloud. "Not respectable serious, but worried serious. This is all wrong."
"You look beautiful, my lady." The makeup girl swept a fresh splash of color across my lips. "Like your mother."
"I don't look anything like my mother," I lamented.
"That's not what I mean." The girl, warm and round, with wisps of curls falling across her forehead, stood beside me and gazed at my reflection. "See there," she said, pointing to my eyes. "Not the same color, but the same determination. And your lips have the same hopeful smile. I know you have your grandmother's coloring, but you're your mother's daughter, through and through."
I stared at myself. I could almost see what she meant. At this most isolating moment, I felt a little less alone.
"Thank you. That means a great deal to me."
"We're all praying for her, my lady. She's a tough one."
I giggled in spite of my mood. "That she is."
"Two minutes!" the floor director called. I walked onto the carpeted set, smoothing out my gown and touching my hair. The studio was colder than usual, even under the lights, and goose bumps prickled at my skin as I took my place behind the lone podium.
Gavril, slightly dressed down but still very polished, gave me a sympathetic smile as he approached. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'm happy to deliver the news for you."
"Thank you, but I think I have to do this myself." Ahren was right. My people needed to see the real me. I needed them to see me hurting and still working tirelessly for them. I needed to show that I was a cold bratty princess that thinks only of herself. I needed to show them that I can be strong and courageous. I had to do this.
"All right then. How's she holding up?"
"Okay as of an hour ago. The doctors are keeping her asleep so she can heal, but she looks so battered." I closed my eyes for a moment, calming myself. I didn't need to cry again. "Sorry. This has me a bit on edge. But at least I'm managing better than Dad."
He shook his head. "I can't imagine anyone taking this worse than him. His whole world has hung on her since they met."
I thought back to the wall of photos and mentally thumbed through all the details they'd only recently divulged about how they got together. It seemed so unfair that they had fought through countless obstacles only to be left powerless to fight to be together now.
"You were there, Gavril. You saw their Selection." I swallowed, still unsure. "How does this process really work?"
He shrugged. "Yours is the third I've seen, and I can't tell you how it works, how the lottery can bring in a soul mate. Let me say this: Your grandfather was not exactly a man I admired, but he treated his queen as if she was the most important person to walk the planet. Where he was harsh with others, he was generous with her. She got the best of him, which is more than I can say for…Well, he found the right woman."
I squinted, curious about what he was omitting. I knew Grandpa had been a strict ruler, but come to think of it, that was the only way I knew him. Dad didn't talk about him much as a husband or father, and I'd always been much more interested in hearing about Grandma.
"And your dad? I don't think he had a clue what he was looking for. Honestly, I don't think your mother did either. But she was his match in every way. Everyone around them could see it long before they did."
"Really?" I asked. "They didn't know?"
He made a face. "Truthfully, it was more that she didn't know." He gave me a pointed look. "A family trait, it seems."
I tilted my head to the side. "What does that mean?" Did Gavril see something I was missing? Was someone in love with me the way my father loved my mother and I didn't know it?
"Ten seconds," the floor director called, and I nearly told them to hold everything so Gavril could answer my question.
Gavril patted my shoulder. "I think you'll figure it out, Your Highness."
I nodded, still wishing he would have been direct in his answer. I squared my shoulders in front of the camera, trying to look calm as the light began glowing red.
"Good morning, people of Illea. I, Princess Eadlyn Schreave, am here to address some recent events that have taken place in the royal family. I shall deliver the good news first." I managed a smile, because, though the circumstances were frightening and I didn't want him to leave, my brother would be marrying the love of his life. "My beloved brother, Prince Ahren Schreave, is engaged to Princess Camille de Sauveterre of France. They will be wed in the upcoming month. I hope you will all join me in wishing them both the happiest of marriages."
I paused. You can do this, Eadlyn.
"In sadder news, last night, my mother, America Schreave, queen of Illea, suffered a very serious heart attack."
I paused. The words felt like they had created a dam in my throat, making it harder to speak.
"She is in critical condition and is under constant medical supervision. Please pr-"
I brought my hand to my mouth. I was going to cry. I was going to lose it on national television, and while I wanted to show the more human side of me, I didn't want to appear weak.
I took a breath and hoped the whole country could see the tears that I was refusing to let fall… all for their benefit.
"Please pray for her speedy recovery, as we all adore her and still depend on her guidance."
Breathe in, breathe out. You can do this, Eadlyn.
"My mother held such a great respect for the Selection, which, as you all know, led to my parents' long and happy marriage. As such, I've decided to honor what I know would be her deepest wish and continue with my own Selection. Due to the stress placed on our household currently, I think it wise to bring my suitors down to the Elite. My father narrowed his field to six instead of ten because of extenuating circumstances, and I have done the same. The following six gentlemen have been invited to stay on in the Selection: Sir Gunner Croft, Sir Kile Woodwork, Sir Ean Cabel, Sir Hale Garner, Sir Fox Wesley, and Sir Henri Jaakoppi."
Reading the names was a strangely comforting thing, like I knew how proud they were of this moment and I could feel the flow of it, even from a distance.
It was almost done. They knew Ahren would be leaving soon. They knew my mother might die. They knew the Selection would carry on. Now…they needed to know what I was sure they didn't want to hear.
"With my mother in such a delicate state, my father, King Maxon Schreave, as chosen to remain by her side." Here goes. "As such, he has name me regent until he feels fit to reclaim his title. I will make all decisions of state until further notice. It is with a heavy heart that I assume this role but it gives me great joy to bring any peace to my parents. We will have more updates on all these matters as they become available. Thank you for your time, and good day."
The cameras stopped rolling, and I moved just off the stage, sitting in one of the chairs that were usually reserved for my family. I felt queasy and would have sat there for hours trying to regain my composure if I thought I could get away with it, but there was too much to do. The first thing on the list was to check on Mom and Dad again, then make sure Ahren was okay, then it was off to work. At some point today I would need to meet with the Elite and give them their new assignment as well. I realized when staring at the mountain of work that I had to do early this morning, I needed more than someone to pat my back and tell me everything was going to be okay. I needed a sounding board and someone that could help me come up with ideas to fix things. I needed to see who would be able to help me be the Queen I needed to be.
As I went to exit the studio, I stopped short because my path was blocked by a row of gentlemen. The first face I saw was Hale's. His expression lit up as he held out a flower. "For you."
I looked down the line and saw they all had flowers in their hands, some with roots till noticeably attached. All I could assume was that they had heard their names on the announcement, rushed from the Men's Parlor to the garden, and come down here.
"You idiots," I laughed, feeling some of the load on my shoulders lifting. "Thank you."
I took Hale's flower and hugged him. "I know I said something every day," he whispered, "but let me know if you need me to up it to two, okay?"
I held him a little tighter. "Thanks."
Ean was next. He winked at me as though he hadn't even noticed the other boys' presence and I had just walked across the stage to see him because I was so enamored by him. I did find myself wanting to hug him though.
"I took mine from a vase in the hallway. Don't' tell the staff on me," he whispered and kissed my cheek. "She'll be okay," he promised, and his flamboyant arrogance almost made me think that she really would be just because he said so.
Kile had pricked his finger on a thorn and held his bleeding hand awkwardly away from my clothes as we hugged, which made me laugh and was perfect.
"For smiles," Henri said as I added his flower to my messy bouquet and gave him a hug.
"Good, good," I replied, and he laughed at me.
Even Erik had gotten me a flower. I smirked a bit as I took it.
"You realize this is a dandelion," I told him.
He shrugged. "I know. Some see a weed; some see a flower. Perspective."
I hugged him as well, and I could feel him looking at the others, seeming uncomfortable to be getting the same thanks they had.
Gunner swallowed, seeming nervous to say anything at all, but held me gently when I hugged him for my flower. I could feel he was probably the one that felt the most surprise at being chosen. He had been very funny on the group date and was actually quite entertaining in our one on one dates, so I had wanted to keep him.
Fox had three flowers in his hand. "I couldn't pick."
I laughed. "They're all beautiful. Thanks."
Fox's embrace was tight, like he needed me to feel how grateful he was to have been chosen. Like he wanted me to know, beyond words, just how much this meant to him. What my statement of making him an Elite meant. He had a real chance.
In the beginning, the entire process of the Selection made no sense. Randomly choosing thirty-five boys to invade my home and force myself to spend time with each of them? It was preposterous that I would ever find true love. Yet, here I stood, looking at my line of suitors, having been swept away by their kindness, their generosity, their charm, their humor and their… dare I say it… love. My hope wasn't that I would find love now. I knew I would find it. What Gavril said was still in my mind, and if he saw that I was in love with one of these boys, I could trust that. I just had to hope that love would also overlap with my duty, and I'd find myself happy in the middle of all of this.
