Hi everyone!

I have returned with the next chapter!

Luuuiiisaaa - Yes! I did keep the original elite. I'm trying not to destroy a lot of the original work, but as the book progresses there will be a lot more that changes. :) Thanks for always reviewing!

heartsandra - Thanks! I felt like I didn't get to connect with Eadlyn very much because I didn't get to hear how she was feeling or growing while reading rhe original work, so I definitely had to change that. :)

Guest - I'm glad you like it!

Avocado - Yay! I'm glad! There will definitely be more character development. Starting after this chapter, I am going to have a lot more of all the characters, and some more Ahren before he has to go get married. :)

Enjoy!

:)

The Crown - Chapter 2 Re-Written

MOM'S HANDS FELT SO SOFT, almost papery in a way. The feeling made me think of how water smoothed out the edges of a stone. I smiled, thinking she must have been a very rough stone once upon a time.

"Did you ever used to get it wrong?" I asked. "Say the wrong words, do the wrong things?"

I waited for an answer, receiving nothing but the hum of equipment and the beat of the monitor.

"Well, you and Dad used to fight, so you must have been wrong sometimes."

I held her hand tighter, trying to warm it in mine. It made me think of when she was holding me in my bed, and I realized how desperately I wanted to be able to do that again.

"I made all the announcements. Now everyone knows that Ahren will be getting married and that you're a little… indisposed at the moment. I cut the boys down to six. I know that's a big cut, but Dad said it was okay and that he did that when it was his turn, so no one can get upset." I sighed. "Regardless, I have a feeling people will still find a way to get upset with me."

I blinked back tears, worried she'd sense how scare I was. The doctors had said heart issues ran in her family and that her stress levels had just reached a point where it triggered this problem. A few months ago I would have assumed the entire thing was Ahren's fault, getting the Princess of France pregnant outside the construct of marriage, but now I was able to recognize that while that must have been a shock for my perfect brother to have made any sort of mistake or have any kind of accident, it was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back. I had caused much more stress up to this point and had filled her to the point that Ahren's one stressor tipped her over the limit. If this were anyone's fault, it was mine.

"I should be going now," I told her, giving her hand an unintentional squeeze. "I'm going to run my first advisory board meeting as soon as Dad gets back. He says it shouldn't be too difficult. Honestly, I feel like General Leger has the toughest job of anyone today, trying to get Dad to eat, because he fought so hard to stay here with you. The general was insistent, though, and Dad finally caved. I'm glad he's here. General Leger, I mean. It's kind of like having a backup parent."

I held her hand a little tighter and leaned in, whispering. "Please, don't make me need a backup parent, though, okay? I still need you. The boys still need you. And Dad… he looks like he might fall apart if you leave. So when it's time to wake up, you've got to come back, all right?"

I waited for her mouth to twitch or her fingers to move, anything to show that she could hear me. Nothing. My heart sunk in my chest.

Just then Dad tore through the door with General Leger on his heels. I wiped at my cheeks, hoping no one would notice.

"See," General Leger said, "She's stable. The doctors would come running if anything changed."

"All the same, I prefer to be here," Dad said firmly.

"Dad, you were hardly gone ten minutes. Did you even eat?"

"I ate. Tell her, Aspen."

General Leger sighed. "We'll call it eating."

Dad shot him a look that would have been threatening to some but only made the general smile. "I'll see if I can sneak some food in so you won't have to leave."

Dad nodded. "Look out for my girl."

"Of course." General Leger winked at me, and I stood up and followed him from the room, looking back at Mom just to check.

Still asleep.

In the hallway, he held out an arm for me. "You ready, my not-quite Queen?"

I took it and smiled. "No." I took a breath and said, "Let's go."

As we made our way to the boardroom, I nearly asked General Leger if he would take me for another lap around the floor. The day felt so overwhelming already that I wasn't sure I could do this.

I am Eadlyn Schreave and no one is as powerful as me. I can do this.

I pulled the door open with purpose, General Leger trailing behind me. I made sure to nod at the gentlemen as I passed. Sir Andrews, Sir Coddly, Mr. Rasmus, and a handful of other men I'd know for years sat arranging their pens and paper. Lady Brice looked proud as she watched me sweep around to my father's spot, as did the general when he settled into place beside her.

"Good morning." I took my seat at the head of the table, gazing down at the thin folder in front of me. Thank goodness the agenda looked light today. Thank goodness the agenda looked light today.

"How is your mother?" Lady Brice asked solemnly.

I had been asked so many times that I could hardly count them over the past weeks, but it never stopped hurting when someone would ask. "She's asleep still. I'm not sure how serious her condition is at the moment, but Dad is staying by her side, and we'll be sure to update everyone if there's any change."

Lady Brice smiled sadly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She was always a tough one."

I tried to hide my surprise, but I didn't realize Lady Brice know my mother that well. In truth, I didn't know that much about Lady Brice myself, but her tone was so sincere, I was happy to have her beside me in the hardest of times I had ever had to face.

I nodded. "Let's get through this so I can tell her my first day on the job was at least slightly productive."

There were gentle chuckles around the room at that, but my smile quickly faded as I read the first page presented to me.

"Prince Ahren is already engaged to the Princess of France, why is this still up for discussion?" I said dryly.

"Because we do not feel it a wise move to surrender our Prince to France," Sir Coddly said confidently, "Given the circumstances."

"The circumstances are what makes it the right move. I assure you that Prince Ahren had every intention to marry the Princess when she deemed appropriate. I will not command him to break off the engagement that he suggested. The wedding will proceed as planned." I crumpled the suggestion to dissolve Ahren and Camille's engagement.

"My lady, you cannot do that," Sir Andrews insisted. "The relations between Illea and France have been tense for years."

"That is more on a personal level than a political one," Lady Brice offered.

Sir Coddly waved his hand in the air. "Which makes this all much worse. Queen Daphne is brandishing more emotional suffering on the royal family under the assumption that we will not respond. This time we must. Tell her, general!"

Lady Brice shook her head in frustration as General Leger spoke.

"All I will say, Your Highness, is that we can have troops in the sky and n the ground within twenty-four hours if you command it. Though I certainly wouldn't advise you to make that command."

Sir Andrews huffed. "Leger, tell her the dangers she's facing."

He shrugged. "I see no danger here. Queen Daphne has been very accommodating, considering her daughter's spotless reputation is hanging in the balance."

"A reputation that she thinks our country has blemished!" Sir Coddly defended loudly.

"Enough," I said with finality. "Prince Ahren made the choice of his own free will to marry Princess Camille, and with her mother's blessing, they will be wed. I will not revoke the blessing from my family because of some past feelings or personal drama. Next item." I was proud of myself for grasping command of the room. I would be the Queen one day, and they will need to listen to me.

"The Queen has been lying in the hospital unconscious, so she hasn't given her blessing," Sir Coddly muttered to Sir Andrews.

"But your King and future Queen have," I corrected him. "They do not require more than that."

Sir Coddly slammed a fist on the table. "No one will take you seriously if you do not act decisively."

There was a beat of silence after his voice stopped echoing around the room, and the entire table sat motionless, unable to so much as breathe, waiting for my reaction.

"Fine," I responded calmly. "You're fired."

Sir Coddly laughed, looking at the other gentlemen at the table. "You can't fire me, Your Highness."

I tilted my head, staring at him. "I assure you, I can. There's no one here who outranks me at the moment, and you are easily replaceable."

Though she tried to be discreet, I saw Lady Brice purse her lips together, clearly determined not to laugh. Yes, she was an ally to me for sure.

Sir Coddly lowered his chin and squinted. "Don't you think you're being too emotional about this?"

I stood, my chair screeching behind me as I moved. "I'm going to assume that you aren't implying by that statement that I'm actually being too female about this. Because, yes, I am emotional, but I am also your future Queen." I strode around the opposite side of the table, my eyes trained on Sir Coddly. "My father has placed me in a position of power because he is emotional right now, watching my mother lie in a hospital bed with tubes down her throat, yet you would be foolish to question any of his emotions at play."

Stepping across from him, I continued. "I have two younger brothers to calm in the wake of all this, a twin to marry off to the love of his life, a country to run, and six boys downstairs waiting for me to offer one of them my hand."

Sir Coddly swallowed, and I felt only the tiniest bit of guilt for the satisfaction it brought me.

"So, yes, I am being emotional right now, Sir Coddly, and I am, for all intents and purposes, your Queen. I will not be bullied in my boardroom, and I assure you, I will not be treated as your inferior because I am a woman."

The color drained from Sir Coddly's face and I turned to General Leger as I walked back to the head of the table.

"General Leger?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Is there anything on this agenda that can't wait until tomorrow?"

"No, Your Highness."

"Good." I turned back to the table and stare pointedly at each advisor. "You have less than twenty-four hours to remember your place and return here with an attitude befitting your Queen. You are dismissed."

As soon as I finished, everyone other than Lady Brice and General Leger rose and bowed – rather deeply, I noted.

I stepped from the room with General Leger and Lady Brice at my heels.

"You were wonderful, Your Highness," Lady Brice insisted once the three of us were alone.

"I was terrified the entire time," I told her honestly, clutching my hands together to stop them from trembling. I needed to maintain this aura of strength.

General Leger put his arm around me. "Those old goats have been trying to bait your father into war with France for years now. While Queen Daphne may be manipulative, she certainly does not want Illea as her enemy." He tapped my cheek with his knuckle before returning his arm to his side. "And your father would have been proud of you for the way you handled yourself."

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

"I think I might just go tell him," General Leger told me.

I was desperate to hear the sound of Mom's heart monitor beeping as a reminder that her heart was still working, but I had to continue with my day so that Dad could be there with her. "Please, bring me an update as soon as you can. On his and my mother's conditions."

General Leger gave me a wink and walked off.

Lady Brice looked at me pointedly. "Feeling better?"

I shook my head. "I knew this role would be a lot of work. I've done my share of it and watched my father do ten times what I did. But I was supposed to have more time to get ready. To start the job now, because my mother might die, is too much. And within fifteen minutes of my first meeting I have to threaten to fire someone in order to get the respect I am owed? I'm wasn't quite prepared for that."

"Okay, first things first. You don't have to be perfect yet. This is temporary. Your mom will get better, your dad will come back to work, and you will go back to learning with this great experience under your belt. Think of this time as an opportunity."

I let out a long breath. She was right. This was my chance to test the waters before I had to dive right in in a few years.

"Besides, it's not all completely up to you. This is what your advisors are for. Granted, they weren't much help today, but we're here so you aren't navigating without a map."

I nodded.

"You should start surrounding yourself with people you trust, as well. Your father has had years to develop his support system and now you must use it temporarily and develop your own at the same time. It is important to trust the people that you need to support you." Lady Brice advised me.

Again, I found myself seeing her in a new light. She'd stayed in her role longer than anyone; she knew what Da would decide in most situations; and she was, as the very least, another woman in the room.

Lady Brice stared into my eyes, forcing me to focus. "Who do you know will always be honest with you? Who will be by your side, not because you're royal, but because you're you?"

I smiled, absolutely positive of where I was going once I left this hallway.