A/N: This isn't really my best work, but it was important for the plot and at least it's kinda long.
It's been brought to my attention that, according to the books, the twins shouldn't have both gotten in. Guys, I haven't read the Selection series in years, and my memory kinda sucks, so I don't remember the details. But I actually really appreciate being corrected, so feel free to continue. Let me know on what I get wrong and the kinds of things that should come up in the future like the Elite.
Also, let me know which characters you'd like to see more of. You can't say your own character! If your character is your favorite, just review me your second favorite or something. And choose wisely; amoung other things, the first elimination will be next chapter.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: MeWithASideOfSprinkles, Silvertrue, Fryllabrille201, Booki, La Rosa, MastaGamerita, Jcuret98, Lady Crystal Beach, rysaspirit, and huge thanks to Middle Sister, who reviewed EVERY chapter. You're all really awesome.
Enjoy!
-M
Eliza's hand was throbbing horribly as she continued to wave at the citizens outside, the carriage jolting as they went over another bump in the road. Even though the Selection had just started, the king had insisted on parading them all through the streets, so here they were. Eliza didn't know how much more of this she could take. Beside her, Lia didn't look like she was doing much better. At first she had seemed genuinely happy just to be outside the palace walls, but now she just looked worn out and dreadfully tired. Two seashells had already fallen out of her brown hair, and her smokey-eye makeup was slightly smudged. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else they could do apart from wave and smile at the crowds; the whole thing was being filmed, and she doubted that slacking off was going to get the approval of the people.
After a long while, the carriage arrived at a small, broken-down looking village. Just a handful of houses and very few people who were brave enough to come near the carriage. Lia peered through the window, eyes suddenly alight with interest. The carriages slowed down, and Eliza couldn't help but feel that this was some sort of warning, or sign. Why had the king sent them all out here? Staring out the window, Eliza spotted a little boy with jet- black hair and tanned skin, watching their carriage with mild interest, clasping something tightly in his fist. Glancing over, Eliza saw that Lia had suddenly become very pale. "Stop!" she croaked out. At first, the coachmen paid no heed. "STOP!" This time, Lia was bold enough to open the carriage door and half fall out before the carriage finally came to a halt.
Eliza stumbled out next, immediately rushing to Lia's side to make sure she was all right. The girl just waved her concern away with a small smile and turned to argue with the coachman. Poor guy. As she turned around, she saw other Selected leaving their carriages, as theirs held up the line. Eliza was expecting protests but, as Alda got out, Eliza saw her gaping at the village. Bell looked just as bewildered and Eira, as always, refused to show much emotion. The twins came out of the next carriage, and it was almost comical how different their reactions were. Indie seemed frozen in horror and sorrow at first, but them immediately rushed to the nearest citizen (much to her guard's dismay). Cecily, however, just studied the place, her mouth set in a grim line. Sera's reaction was much like Indie's, but with less horror and more sorrow. Indie hadn't seemed to think that there could be anything like this in the world, but she was the only one. How shielded she was. Camille almost got in a fight with the guard- having not yet noticed her surroundings- because the ride was taking too long as it was. She was obviously not too happy about the delay. But when Nia tapped her on the shoulder, eyes welling up with tears, Camille finally caught on and dropped the poor guard.
Eliza turned her attention away from the Selected and instead focused on the growing crowd. All looked gaunt, aged and weary, and very reluctant to come too close. Their skin was burned from too much time spent in the sun, their eyes were glassy and their clothes were torn and covered in mud, grime, and sweat. Not knowing what to do, she searched the other girls for their reactions. Indie looked just as lost as the citizens, but then she fingered all her piercings, and started taking them out one by one. Next she abandoned her cream-colored heels, then the hairpins with pearls on the end that were pinning up her hair. She started to hand them all out- her necklace, her bracelets, and the little flowers decorating her dress. Adults surrounded her, taking the jewelry with a look of newfound hope in them. Children handled the small treasures with care, eyes wide with wonder at how beautiful they were. Two sisters took one shoe each and tried them on, stumbling about and laughing. Indie's face was aglow, but she soon ran out of things to give when she resorted to handing out ripped-off scraps of her own dress.
Watching her, it was impossible not join her. Eliza took off her nude heels, her pearl earrings, and a small silver bracelet. Lia was next, saying that the shells were falling out of her hair anyway with a laugh. The citizens seemed more at ease around her. Soon most of the Selected lacked anything in their hair, on their wrists, and were barefoot. They handed out everything they had on them- Bellamy became popular with little girls very quickly seeing as she had some of the nicest stuff. Soon they were doing more than just handing out their goods. Nia started styling some of the woman's hair, and Sera followed suit (apparently it was a hobby of her's), Bell started telling a handful of small girls what it was like to be in a beauty pageant. Alda made conversation with a lot of the adults, telling them what an injustice this was. If she didn't know better, Eliza would say that she was a rebel. But it worked. Everywhere around her, the village suddenly came alive. Camille started telling all the boys stories about boxing, Lia gave someone a piggyback and described some of the sea creatures that she had saved. Eira would talk to anyone, saying things that, judging by their expressions, were comforting and inspiring. Unfortunately, she didn't stray too far from the cameras. Cecily did her best to talk, too, but mostly left that to her sister, drinking in Indie's words with as much need as the citizens.
Eliza spun in a circle, trying to find something to do. She found it when her eyes settled on the little boy she had seen earlier. He stood apart from all the others, intent on watching them. But, seeing as everyone already seemed to have a favorite Selected girl, she wandered over to him and caught sight of what he was grasping so tightly in his small fist. It was a doll, and it looked hand-made with sticks and pieces of cloth. "What's your name?" She asked, crouching so that she was his height.
Unlike usual, he didn't seem surprised at her sudden appearance, but more surprised by her. He blinked twice, as if trying to decide if she was real or not. "Are you an angel?" he blurted. Eliza laughed in surprise but shook her head. The boy looked down bashfully. "You look like an angel." With her deep blue eyes and mid-back length black hair, she wasn't exactly ugly, but an angel? This child was just too cute. "And my name is Zeen." He looked up at her, and when his bottle-green eyes met hers, Eliza was stricken at how horribly sad they looked. "My name is Eliza," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, Zeen." She looked over her shoulder when Lia called her name and saw that the Selected were all returning to their carriages, albeit reluctantly. Children were returning to their parents, and waving to the Selected, grasping their treasures in tight fists. She turned back to the little boy. "Where are your parents, Zeen?" She thought she already knew, but she had to ask anyway.
"They're dead," he muttered, suddenly very interested in his shoes. "They got sick… they never got better."
Eliza felt her heart plunge. No parents, no home… she couldn't just leave him... She took his free hand in her's and walked determinedly towards her carriage, daring anyone to stop her. Unfortunately, someone did. "You can't take him with you back to the palace," the guard informed her, seeming bored. Eliza did her best not to let that infuriate her.
"The boy has no home, no parents. I'm taking him with me." She rose to her full eight and tipped her chin up, hoping she looked more regal than she felt. The guard frowned and opened his mouth to argue. Eliza didn't give him the chance. "If he can't come, than I can't either. Do you really want to have to explain to the royal family why you lost one of the Selected?" He looked to another guard for help, but he only shrugged. With an unattractive grunt, the guard let her past and her and Zeen climbed in. Lia was already settled, but seemed surprised when she saw the little boy enter. "This is Zeen," Eliza said, hoping that Lia wouldn't ask why she had let him come back to the palace with them; she didn't really know why, just that she had to. Zeen's eyes wandered everywhere, and Eliza was impressed that his jaw stayed in place, because he was obviously awed. Without any hesitation, Lia reached over and ruffled Zeen's black messy curls playfully. He swatted her hand away with an annoyed snort, and Lia only laughed, which, in turn, made Eliza laugh, which coaxed a smile from Zeen.
"I'm Lia," she said, patting Zeen's head, probably just to annoy him. Eliza watched them, a smile lighting up her face as she watched Zeen and Lia playfully poke and swat each other. Honestly, they were like siblings! She knew that it may not work out, but she couldn't leave a child by himself to suffer. And as long as she had this little ray of sunshine in a rapidly darkening world, she felt that she could do anything.
As the Selected all made their way to the Great Hall, Eliza nervously squeezed Zeen's hand. She wasn't sure how the royals would react to what had happened- they were all barefoot, hair left down and messy, jewelry missing, and pieces of their dresses gone- or how they would react to the fact that she had brought a child back to the palace. When they arrived, most of the royal family were present.
Queen Kara was wearing a large red gown, blonde hair pinned up in an artful up do and normally charming hazel-gold eyes glistening with fury. King Drake stood beside her, dark hair impeccable and icy blue eyes as uninviting as usual, but was the picture of calm compared to his wife. Prince Ethan and Prince William stood to the left of Queen Kara, looking identical with their mother's eyes and father's hair. Jax stood closer to the king, concern wrinkling his brow, and grey eyes unusually warm and dark hair a mess. Prince Aaron was nowhere to be seen. The king's mouth twisted into an ugly smirk. "Lady Indie and Lady Eliza, thank you for your time, but you may leave now. Your bags have already been packed, you leave in the morning."
Though Eliza and Indie stayed silent, Lia, Cecily, Sera, Camille, and Nia started protesting. Instead of arguing with them, Eliza looked to Prince Ethan for his reaction. His face was frozen in shock; he obviously hadn't known this was happening, either. For some reason, Prince Jaxon also looked disoriented by this news. His hands were balled into fists and his teeth were clenched. Unable to help it, Eliza followed his gaze to Indie, who was staring right back at him. Not sure what else to do with this, Eliza ignored it and focused on the queen. Her mouth was fixed in a triumphant smile and her hands were clasped in front of her. She didn't even pretend to be sad to see them leave. Prince William just stared at his feet and shook his head as if to say, 'what a shame…' Despite their arguments and desperate pleas, the king ignored the Selected, instead eyeing Zeen, who had wisely decided to hide behind Eliza. Camille looked about ready to punch him, and Nia stopped arguing long enough to hold her back. Eliza almost had to do the same thing to Lia, and the guards were starting to get restless.
Thankfully, Prince Jaxon saved them all from Hell breaking loose. "I do not think that that would be wise, my king." King Drake eyed him with malice, obviously none too happy about his son defying him. Eliza briefly wondered if Jaxon usually referred to him as 'king', or if he usually called him 'father'. "That may cause even more civil unrest after what they did." Civil unrest? Around her, she saw Selected glance at each other uncertainly. So she hadn't been the only one that didn't know. Prince Jaxon swallowed, realizing his mistake too late.
Even so, what he had said worked, much to Queen Kara's disappointment. "Fine." Eliza felt her shoulders relax and Lia let out a relieved laugh, murmuring 'thank God' under her breath. Nia finally managed to calm Camille down and Sera smiled. Cecily didn't look as happy as Eliza would have expected, but more like she had dodged a bullet. Indie cocked her head at Prince Jaxon, but turned away from him to smile at her friends before he could react. Prince Ethan was gaping at his brother, eyes full of both sorrow and surprise. Jaxon looked away from Indie long enough to catch him staring at him, but immediately looked the other way. Were all royals this confusing?
"However," the king continued, causing everyone but is wife to stiffen, "the boy has to go." Eliza felt her heart plummet and Zeen's big, bottle-green eyes became even wider, filled with fright. She looked to Prince Jaxon again, hoping he would defend her, but he seemed content to let it happen until Indie stepped forward to defend her instead.
"Wait," Jaxon said, cutting off Indie. "The people won't like you kicking out one of the Selected or the civilian. They completely drank up the scene from earlier." The king grit his teeth, but Eliza could tell that it was just because he knew his son was right. Just when she was desperate enough to get rid of the silence that she almost spoke, the king dismissed everyone but Prince Jaxon. And judging by Indie's expression, Eliza wasn't the only one worried about him.
Without really knowing why, Indie returned to her room with images of mysterious grey eyes following her the whole way. Though she was sure her behavior was suspicious, she waved away any concern with the lie of not feeling well after the scene in the Great Hall. Once she got to her room, she tried to busy herself with one of the many hobbies she had picked up from doing things just for the experience of them. She tried to sketch something, but couldn't find anything to sketch, reading wouldn't work because her mind was too restless; she tried to make a new dress but kept seeing the faces of those starving citizens, hungry for scraps. When she tried to write something she just ended up staring at a blank page for five minutes, she tried to paint but when she realized that she was painting eyes and that they would most likely become grey with a few more brushstrokes, she had to stop. What was wrong with her?
Suddenly, Molly burst in, usually impeccable dark hair coming loose from it's short ponytail. The small Asian girl motioned her out the door, then disappeared. After a half-second of gaping, Indie followed Molly, closing the door behind her. The maid dashed about the palace halls, never glancing back to see if Indie was keeping up. For a woman with such short legs, she was fast.
When she paused long enough for Indie to catch up to her, Indie whisper-yelled, "Where are we going?" Molly just placed a finger over her lips and ushered her forward.
Eventually, they arrived in an unoccupied bedroom with a balcony, which Molly pushed Indie towards. Once she was close enough, she saw a tall figure waiting patiently outside, hands in pockets. Jaxon? Indie bit her lip, realizing that she had forgotten his title. He was still a prince. Spinning around, Indie saw that Molly was already gone. That sneaky maid! What was she supposed to do now? Climb down from the balcony? Swallowing, she realized that that was exactly what she was supposed to do.
Smoothing her nightgown and quickly braiding her hair over her shoulder, Indie took a deep breath and swung one leg over the balcony, trying to find a foothold in the wall. Once she found one, she did the same thing with her other leg, lowering herself down slowly and mentally reassuring herself that her fingers wouldn't slip. Thankfully, they didn't, and she got three- quarters of the way down before jumping because she couldn't find another foothold.
Running over to where Jaxon was waiting, she prayed that no one was watching; prince or no, this was still treason. Even if it didn't really mean anything… Indie slowed down a little, doubt building in her chest. Did it mean something? After all the fantasizing and Jaxon saving her neck just hours before, she had assumed that it did. But what if it didn't, what then? Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she met Jaxon in the small forest right outside the palace.
Once he turned around, Indie noticed that he was wearing dark jeans and a grey hoodie that matched his eyes. And she smiled, glad that she wasn't too under-dressed in her nightgown and white flats. "Hi," she said, still smiling, still wondering what this was about. "What's going on?"
Prince Jaxon scratched his right ear with a nervous grin. "I don't know, I just wanted to see you again." Then he suddenly became serious. "And I wanted to warn you. You should really try not to bring so much attention from the king to yourself."
Confused, Indie frowned at him- not something she did very often, for fear that it would make someone dislike her. She knew it was ridiculous, thinking that if she wasn't the perfect, happy, problem-solving girl for just one second, everyone would suddenly hate her, but she couldn't help it; that was what everyone loved about her. And if that changed, would she still be so likable? She had never had the guts to find out. "Why?" she asked, bringing herself back to reality. "What's wrong with the king?"
He swallowed, not meeting her gaze. "I thought he was just delusional, but now…" Shaking his head, he brought one tightly-fisted hand out of his pocket and held it out to her. Once he opened his palm, Indie had to blink twice to realize that what she was seeing was real. It was silver, with a delicate leafy pattern, and small enough to fit one of her small fingers. A ring. She had never been a huge fan of jewelry, but between letting Ruby pierce her ears, and now this from Jaxon… she'd never been given jewelry before until now, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. Jaxon took her hand and dropped the ring into her waiting palm, closing her fingers around it. "This is if you ever need to talk. Twist the ring, and I'll try and meet up with you as soon as I can. Even as we speak, this country is falling apart. No one can be trusted, and nowhere is safe. Not anymore." His deep grey eyes met her sea- green ones. "But I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire. Stay safe." And just like that, he was gone.
Alda paced the length of her room restlessly, trying to suppress her anger. All her life she had truly believed that the monarchy was good for this country, but after what she had seen today, it was clear that that was not the case. Poverty and hunger and despair had ruled that village, no savior monarchy. The public was being told that nothing was going on, but everything they believed in was built on lies and deceit. People deserved to know what was happening to the country, yet they were being left in the dark.
Knowing that she had to burn off some anger before she could think straight, Alda left her room to do just that. A lot of interesting things had seemed to be happening during her time in the Great Hall, and since she wasn't so great at asking questions, she would have to find out some answers another way. She was on her way to the king's office, hoping to listen at the door or look through a window, when she saw blonde hair disappear behind a corner. Rushing to follow, Alda caught sight of a dark-haired maid rushing around the halls. That wasn't really too suspicious. What was suspicious was the girl tailing her. She seemed to be one of the twins, though Alda couldn't tell from the back.
Staying where she was, Alda waited for the two to turn another corner before following, staying far enough behind that she would only catch glimpses of them before following again. Finally, the two entered a room and Alda hid behind a large decorative plant. Not long after they had entered, the maid left, dashing off with a more relaxed stance than she had had before. The blonde didn't leave.
Slipping into the room, Alda saw pale fingers grasping the edge of the balcony. Ducking under a desk, she caught a brief look at a pair of greenish eyes. Definitely one of the twins. Indie, maybe? Probably, as she was wearing a short sleeved nightgown instead of a long-sleeved one and didn't seem leached of happiness. Once the fingers disappeared, Alda emerged from her hiding space. Thirty seconds later, she got tired of waiting and climbed over the balcony, managing to get down the wall easily enough. After that, it didn't take her long to find Indie again.
She was with a dark- haired bloke that Alda couldn't get a good look at. Doing her best to stay out of sight, Alda mentally relaxed and started listening in on their conversation.
"Why?" Indie questioned, seeming nervous. "What's wrong with the king?" Impossibly, Alda became even more interested. What was wrong, indeed? Was the king sick? And if he was, what did this man know about it, and how did Indie know to meet up with him?
"I thought he was just delusional, but now…" The man trailed off, his voice sounding slightly familiar. But Alda wasn't so worried about that as she was about what he had said. If this was about the king previously being delusional, and now there was something wrong with him… was the king mad? Alda shook off the disturbing thought, but at the same time wanted to curse. The country was being ruled by a mad king? How had this not gotten out?
"This is if you ever need to talk," the man said, and Alda had to resist the urge to reveal herself to find out what he was talking about. "Twist the ring, and I'll try and meet up with you as soon as I can." A ring? Was Indie romantically involved with someone other that the prince? If so, this was an act of treason, not just getting information from a spy. "Even as we speak, this country is falling apart. No one can be trusted, and nowhere is safe. Not anymore." Well he was certainly right about that. "But I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire. Stay safe." He sounded like a love interest to Alda. She had heard enough.
Careful not to be seen, she dashed out from behind the tree and back towards the palace, retracing her steps back to the room she had exited from and quickly, though perhaps not so gracefully, climbed back up and over the balcony. It wasn't long before she found herself back in familiar hallways and was able to make it to her room easily enough, trying to calm her racing heart along the way.
Opening the door, Alda almost screamed when she saw someone waiting patiently, perched on the end of her bed. Closing the door behind her, but never turning her back on the intruder, Alda reluctantly approached the woman. She hadn't screamed because she wanted to hear her out, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't scream bloody murder if the panic in her chest spread much further. She was surprised that she had managed to hold it in at all.
The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties with dark skin and short black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape. "Hello," she said, her voice soft and quiet, yet strong and wise at the same time. "My name is Zandri."
Trying to get her voice to work, Alda came closer to see caramel eyes with dark blue flecks. "I go by Alda," she said simply, her voice sharp and prim. "What is your business here?"
Zandri smiled, rising from her sitting position and Alda was intimidated when she had to look up to meet her gaze. "Actually, my business here is you. It has been brought to my attention that some of the Selected might have been affected by the carriage ride in such a way that they felt that the monarchy was no longer trustworthy." She paused long enough to look for a reaction, but Alda did her best to keep her's covered up beneath a mask of calm. "So far you seem to be the only one affected so. Though I assume you already know this, there is a rebellion at work, though it has been kept secret for quite some time. My job in this movement against the monarchy is to expand our numbers." Alda's heart skipped a beat as she realized what she was saying. "So, Griselda Layfield, would you be interested in joining the rebellion?"
Alda thought back to all the civilians she had seen at that fateful carriage ride. She had become witness to the wrongdoings of the monarchy, and on top of that, the king was suspect of madness. Who knew what more was being hidden, what other horrors were out there, with no one to stop them. She knew her answer, and judging by the small smile on Zandri's lips, so did she. "I would be honored."
A/N: Yeah, that just happened. This was such an eventful chapter, and so much fun to write! Let me know what you think of Zeen in a review. Also, about the Indax... Jaxdie... wow, Indie's and Jax's names are hard to mix. Can I get some help with that? And Alda became a rebel! I know her creator hadn't meant for that to happen, and I only didn't ask because I don't like spoilers... but, this could be really great for the plot!
All the SYOC spots are taken, but I mentioned in the AN last chapter that I was willing to make two exceptions- two characters that would take the place of characters who got eliminated. One of those characters has already been created, so if anyone would like to make a character, this is your last chance! For real, this time.
On top of that, it would be really helpful for you reviewers to mention who your favorite and least favorite character is. I personally love all of them, but some of them will need to go soon. Keep in mind that I don't want to get rid of characters like Eira because they're good for drama. Once all of those are gone we'll just be left with all nice characters. Not that I don't love nice characters, but they're not always brilliant for the plot. Also, it would be great if you could keep telling me who your favorite prince is, just because it's interesting.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: MeWithASideOfSprinkles, Silvertrue, Fryllabrille201, Booki, La Rosa, MastaGamerita, Jcuret98, Lady Crystal Beach, rysaspirit, and huge thanks to Middle Sister, who reviewed EVERY chapter. You're all really awesome.
-M