There were plenty of interested students gawking as the majority of the Royal family walked through the park on their way back to Addy's dormitory, but everyone on campus had been warned to expect royal sightings for the next couple of years, and there wasn't too much of a fuss made, all things considered.

The guards formed a loose bubble of protection at a respectful distance and intercepted any would-be autograph seekers. It wasn't that the royal family didn't want to greet everyone on campus, it was simply a matter of not having enough hours in the day. For the most part, the students and their families understood this and respected it, and it amazed Addy to be able to walk in public, with almost all of her family, and not be obligated to attend to other people. The walk from the library back to her dormitory was its own once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Magda, America, and May were still sniffling, recovering from an overwhelming moment back in the library. Rosie was patting her mother's hand, consolingly.

Addy thought it was pretty funny, actually. Everyone had been sure that she'd be the one to cry at some point as they'd wandered that amazing library, just like she had as a little kid at her very first public library visit. And, to be fair, she very nearly had cried when they'd found the gorgeous, cavernous fairytale floor. But Addy had held it together and, instead, celebrated with Rosie all of the different bedtime stories she could call and read to her baby sister during their impending separation.

No, the very first tears had come from Magda, and they'd started when the royal family ventured up to the history floor.

Stacks upon stacks of books, meticulously organized, ranging from historical reference tomes to biographies of long-dead leaders to amazing accounts of the civilizations that birthed modern political philosophies. People spent lifetimes studying the contents of a single shelf of this section of the library, and still never mastered it all.

When Addy turned away from one particular book, an incomplete history of the United States (incomplete, because its original date of publication was fifty years before the fall of the once great nation), Addy had found her grandmother in tears.

"What is it, Momma?" May had asked, squeezing her mother's hand.

"Gramma?" Lief was worried, his little arms crossed over his chest. If something was hurting his grandma, he wanted to know what it was so he could help. He was like Maxon in that way.

"I'm happy, little ones!" Magda had promised, kneeling down so that Rosie and Lief could see her better and know she wasn't sad. "I'm very happy."

Rosie had kissed Magda on the cheek, "I like the books, too."

Magda had chuckled and hugged her youngest grandchildren closely.

"Mom?" America had wanted more of an explanation.

May had helped Magda back to standing, and they'd all crossed over to an abandoned study table. Magda took a seat, and Lief and Rosie negotiated how to share sitting on her lap. Ultimately, Rosie won out and Lief settled for hugging Gramma's arm and standing sentry beside her. Maxon had pulled the chairs out for America, Addy, and May, and then looped his arms around America's shoulders, sparing a kiss for the top of her head. Jameson had sat across from Addy, sharing a puzzled look with her.

"Kids, did you know that every single one of the books on this floor used to be banned?" Magda had asked. "No one was allowed to read them, and you could get in big trouble just for having them."

"No way!" Rosie fervently did not believe it. "Daddy is the King, he makes all the rules of the world, and he loves them." she'd said of the books.

"Before your daddy was the King, it was different." Magda replied steadily. Clearly it was hard for Lief and Rosie to imagine such an ancient time as before their daddy was the King. Magda had explained, "The only reason these books are here today is because very brave people kept them hidden and safe for hundreds of years, until your daddy became King and changed the rules. Then, people were allowed to make brand new copies of the old history books and sell them to everyone who wanted to read them, and they could begin writing new history books about things that happened more recently. And that's how all the books on this whole floor of the library got to be here. Thirty years ago, I don't know what would have been here. Empty shelves. Cobwebs."

"Good job, Daddy." Lief said, shuddering at the thought of cobwebs. He had a particular fear of spiders and was proud to think that his father had helped to defeat them.

"Yeah." Addy marveled, smiling at her bashful king of a father. "Good job, Daddy."

The tears had been in Magda's eyes again as she'd said, to Addy and Jamesy especially, "Your Grandpa Shalom was one of those very brave people who risked life and limb to safeguard a history book. The Singer family guarded that one particular tome since the time of the Fourth World War."

"Wow…" Jameson's imagination had been captivated by the thought of it.

"If he was alive today, if he was sitting at this table with us…" Magda had gulped a lump in her throat, "He would be so proud of you, Addy. This is exactly what he would have wanted for you."

Andthat was when America and May had begun crying, too. "Oh, Mom…" May had sobbed.

"And he'd have been proud of you, Maxon." Magda had continued. "For changing the laws to make all of this possible."

Maxon wiped at his forehead to buy himself a moment. He was visibly overwhelmed. "Your Grandmother is right, kids. Your Grandpa Shalom was a wonderful man. You'd have adored him."

Something seemed to click in Lief's head. "I'm Shalom, too."

"Yes you are, baby boy." America had smiled with a sniffle, reaching over and affectionately patting his elbow (the only thing she could reach from across the table). "You are Lief Shalom Schreave, Shalom like Grandpa."

Lief smiled over at Rosie, "He's from the special bread. From Christmas."

"Oh!" Rosie admired, pleasantly surprised.

Magda had laughed at that, overjoyed that Shalom was remembered in this way, even by the grandchildren that he'd never gotten to meet. "Yes, my darling. We use Grandpa Shalom's recipe for the Special Bread every Christmas Eve."

Lief nodded, finally understanding exactly who they were talking about. "Yeah, I like Grandpa Shalom, he's good."

May had sobbed heavily at this, and Maxon sprung into action at the sound of the crying girl, digging a handkerchief out of his pocket and patting her soothingly on the back. He'd brought more than one hanky, knowing this would be an emotional day, but the rest of his extras were back at Addy's dormitory.

"I want Special Bread." Rosie had lamented, agreeing with her Aunt May's overall mood.

America had blinked, returning from her reveries about her father to the present, "You're absolutely right, Rosalynn, it's lunchtime. Let's head back to Addy's little house and see what the others want to eat."

And so they had. Now, as they rounded the corner to the street that led to Addy's dormitory, Addy fell into step with Jamesy, who'd been remarkably quiet throughout most of the tour.

"Everything alright?" Addy asked.

"Yeah."

"What do you think of it all?"

Jamesy ran a hand through his hair, mussing it until he was the spitting image of his father on a day off of work. "It's good. I don't know how I'd like the classes, but I think I'd have fun living here."

Addy nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. The social part of this place is amazing."

"I know I'll have more work around the Palace while you're gone, but I think maybe I'll ask Mom and Dad if I can join a club or something, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Maisy gets to be on a team, right? So I could probably join a club or something, too."

"I'm sure you could."

"Yeah." Jameson nodded, bolstered by the fact that she agreed with him. "Only, I probably wouldn't play soccer. I don't really like running."

"What would you want to do?" Addy was curious. Her brother was normally really easygoing, so on the one hand, he never complained about anything, but on the other hand, he had a hard time speaking up when he truly wanted something.

"I don't really know," he shrugged, "I haven't thought about it much before today. I guess… hearing about all of those student clubs, all the different things people can have in common… There might be something like that, close to home, with kids my age."

Addy grinned, "I'll bet there is, Jamesy."

"Maybe camping or hiking or something. I know it would be a pain for the guards, but it'd be fun to spend some time in the woods."

"Definitely talk to Mom and Dad about it. Even if they can't release you completely into the wild, maybe the Palace could host campouts in the forrest on our grounds… there's room for compromise there." Addy encouraged.

"Yeah." Jamesy nodded brightly, not having thought of that before. He scrunched his nose as he looked up at the bright, clear sky. "I could learn to start a fire with flint."

"Why would you need to do that?" Addy giggled.

"Want, Adds, not need. For fun. You know, fun? You should try it sometime." he teased.

Addy knew that her brother had no idea that 'fun' was code for a certain English prince, so she just stuck her tongue out at her brother and cast a glance to the sky above, hoping fate would hear her and help resolve her mess of complicated feelings and impulses before they got completely out of hand. "Not interested." she insisted, wrapping an arm around Jamesy as they continued their walk back to Addy's housing.

When the Schreaves had, at last, returned to Addy's student housing, they found Carter and Marlee in the downstairs suite along with Mary, Silvia, and a handful of guards.

Spread out before them on the dining table was a wide array of charcuterie and risotto, along with several bottles of Italian wine and sparkling water. It was a fine dining feast completely out of place in a dorm room.

"What's all this?" Maxon asked, greeting Carter with a handshake.

"Don't ask us. It was being delivered when we got here." Marlee said, releasing America from what seemed to be a much-needed hug.

"Your Majesties," Silvia curtseyed, "Her Highness, Princess Adrienne's godmother wanted to make certain that you were all taken care of today."

America and Maxon laughed at the absurdity of the Italian Queen, on the other side of the world, finding a way to deliver gourmet Italian food to Addy's room just in time for lunch.

"Auntie Nic sent this?" Addy scrunched her brow in surprise.

"I don't know all of the details, Princess." Silvia confessed. "The food is sourced from a local restaurant run by an Italian family, recent immigrants. Apparently, the Queen of Italy spoke with them at length on the telephone, to ensure they met with her exacting standards, and when it was clear that they were capable of giving you what she wanted you to have, she paid them exorbitantly for this feast."

"We'd have taken it upstairs," Mary added, "But it seemed quite a lot to carry up there, and we were fairly sure you'd want to share with the guards…"

"Of course!" Maxon grinned. "The more the merrier. Carter, help me move some chairs from the living area, we'll have a feast worthy of the Palace."

"Yes, sir." Carter grinned, liking his orders very much.

"I'll call the Legers, let them know to join us. Meri might be on her tour at the moment, though…" Marlee added, hurrying off to the telephone.

"Addy, Kile's upstairs. Why don't you run up and get him to carry some chairs down from your dining table?" Carter suggested.

"Sure." Addy shrugged, gently maneuvering through the crowded group, breaking free when she made it to the staircase.

She'd expected to find Kile fairly easily once she was up there, but she looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. Not in the common area, not in the bedroom she'd chosen to sleep in, nor the smaller, single bedroom that Silvia seemed to have temporarily turned into a closet whilst Addy and the royal family had been out on their tour. She was beginning to think that Carter had lost track of his son, maybe he'd been confused and Kile had run out to take care of an errand while Addy's tour finished up, but then she noticed the closed door.

The door to the room that contained Rosie's favorite bed, the door to the room that would be mostly unused all year long, was conspicuously closed. Addy frowned, not sure why Kile would cordon himself off in her dorm. Maybe he was working on a surprise for her?

She knocked once and opened the door, "Ki—" The name died in her mouth.

Kile was in there alright. And so was Astra. She was perched on the windowsill, her legs wrapped around Kile's back, both of her hands mussing his hair. As for his hands, they were lost somewhere halfway up the back of Astra's shirt. They both seemed to be solidly fused at the lips.

"Guys!" Addy exclaimed. Kile leant his face away quickly at the sound, apparently the first either of them had noticed of Addy's approach. It took a little longer to untangle their limbs. Both of their lips were obviously swollen and red, and their cheeks burst into red flames of embarrassment.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Astra rushed to explain.

Addy arched a brow, incredulous.

"Well, okay, it's what it looks like." Astra confessed. "But it doesn't mean anything!"

Addy lifted both brows high up, folding her arms in judgement.

"Fine! It means… something. But not what you think it means. It's just—"

Kile smoothed his hair as best he could without a mirror. "What's going on, Addy?"

"Your dad wants you to help carry some chairs downstairs. We're having a big, group lunch."

"Right." Kile nodded, swiping at his lips. "I'll grab a couple from the table and meet you down there."

"Kile?" Addy stopped him just as he was about to walk past her. "You might want to take another sixty seconds… for your mouth to look normal again."

Kile blushed furiously again, but he nodded and closed the door behind himself.

Addy waited for Astra to make a move.

"I… he… ugh." She slid from the windowsill to the floor and hugged her knees. "He's just… he's Kile, you know? And we were in a room alone together for more than two minutes, so it… it's like trying to swim upstream, keeping my distance from that boy. Sometimes I just get tired and let the current sweep me up…"

"It was just a kiss, right?" Addy crossed over and slid down, joining her cousin on the floor.

"Yeah… a really good kiss."

"It's not like the two of you swapped wedding vows, you know. It doesn't have to become a forever commitment just because you kissed him after a couple of years apart."

"I guess I thought I had more restraint than this. I thought I was… you know… over him. But I'm not." Astra sighed.

"If you're not, you're not." Addy shrugged. "Doesn't mean you won't ever be."

"It's just so sloppy!" Astra cried in despair. "I want to turn these feelings off. Or save them for later, when I'm ready to do something about them. Kile still has two years at school, and then who knows where he'll go?"

Addy considered her cousin for a minute, thinking through the predicament. "When he leaves school, he'll probably go to a major city. Maybe not in Angeles, but somewhere in Illéa, right?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't there professional dance companies in most of the major cities in Illéa? Couldn't the two of you pick one that works for both of you?"

Astra shook her head, "He needs to do what's best for him, and I need to do what's best for me."

"What if your professions aren't the only things you two should be considering, though." Addy suggested. "Maybe what's best for you, all around, is to be somewhere with Kile, dancing while he's interning at some architecture firm somewhere, sharing a tiny apartment and living off of cheap delivery food for a while. And if the dance company you're with isn't as prestigious as the Angeles Ballet, doesn't that just mean that you'll be qualified for bigger roles?"

It was obvious that Astra liked the mental image, but she shook her head to clear it out of her mind. She wasn't ready to compromise an inch of what she'd earned. Not yet.

Addy stood, then pulled her cousin to her feet. "You've got two more years until he goes anywhere at all, right? And you're planning to stay in Angeles and dance with the ballet until then, right?"

"In the corps or as a featured soloist, whatever they decide." Astra shrugged.

"Well, then you've got two years of Kile being just a car ride away. Maybe you don't need to plan any further into the future than that?"

"I don't know, Adds."

"What if he falls in love with someone else? It's obvious your feelings for him aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Won't you regret it if you lose him?"

"Sure." Astra admitted. "But… I just don't know if I'll regret it any more than losing focus on my career, just when I'm starting to get noticed. I don't know which regret I can live with for the rest of my life, I have to make a gamble. And my bet is that if I stay focused on dancing now, and if I'm patient and I work harder than anyone else in the company, there's nothing stopping me from becoming a prima ballerina, a superstar. But if I get distracted, if I start splitting my focus now, that momentum will be gone. I've got the rest of my life to fall in love, don't I?"

"Of course."

"Now still isn't the right time. It's just not convenient right now."

Addy thought about Astra and Kile, how, as kids, they'd always been happier together than apart. Maybe Astra was right, and there was no need to compromise anything. Maybe she could have it all, an amazing career and a wildly romantic love story. The uncertainty, the fact that it was a gamble and nothing was guaranteed, was what made Addy so nervous about it all. "I don't know, Astra… I don't know if love, true love, is supposed to be convenient…"

Maxon's voice called up from downstairs, they were ready to eat. The cousin-sister-princesses set aside their conversation for another time, and hurried down to watch Lief and Rosie try risotto for the very first time.

"I can't eat this part." Rosie narrowed her eyes at her bowl.

Maisy was back from kickball, victorious, along with the rest of Orders family and Uncle Gerad. Uncle Aspen and Aunt Lucy had arrived (with Addy's gift of a mattress cushion in hand), so now everyone was squeezed into the downstairs suite, guards and all, for this Italian feast.

"Why can't you eat it, sweetheart?" America asked. Rosie was enjoying her meal from America's lap to save space.

"It's a weird vegetable." Rosie warned.

"You like vegetables." America reminded her. "Remember broccoli? And carrots?"

"This is not that." Rosie narrowed her eyes with something like hatred.

"What is it, then, Bud?" Maxon laughed. For his part, he had Lief in his lap and he was doing his best just to keep up with the fallen risotto that came off of Lief's spoon with every bite.

"I don't know…" Rosie puzzled.

"That?" Addy asked, cheerfully. "Oh, that's a mushroom, Bud. Mmmm." Addy took a big bite. "It's very yummy, I can't believe that's a vegetable. It tastes way better than asparagus."

"Is it good?" Rosie appealed to her best friend, Lief.

Lief shrugged, eyeing one of his own mushrooms. He sat aside his spoon and picked one up, sniffing it carefully, licking it, and then taking a nervous nibble. "I like it." Lief decided. "Daddy, will it make us big and strong?"

"Eating vegetables will always help make you big and strong." Maxon confirmed.

"That's true," Aspen added, "We don't even admit guards or soldiers to the army if they don't eat all of their vegetables. There's no point, because they won't be strong enough."

Lief studied the plates of the guards around them, then shoveled another mushroom in his mouth, nodding thoughtfully.

"At least taste it." America encouraged her youngest daughter.

"You can do it, Bud!" Leo cheered from across the table.

"Taste it, taste it, taste it!" Rogan chanted, and before long, the whole room was chanting and cheering Rosie on as she tried her first ever mushroom. She almost couldn't get it in her mouth because she was smiling so widely at the attention, but she made it in the end and the table grew quiet as they awaited her verdict. She smacked on the mushroom bite for a moment before announcing, "It's good!" and then the table erupted into cheers again.

When lunch was over, Mary pulled Addy aside upstairs for a moment.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here." Mary smiled shyly.

"I'm happy you're here!" Addy hugged her. "It's not the same, not having you at the Palace every day anymore."

Mary had left America's service nearly a year ago exactly, when her pregnancy had progressed to the point that she couldn't keep up with the physical demands of her job anymore. She was still a part of America's Queen's Council, and was still a frequent visitor to the Palace. Justin had kept on his job as Maxon's head butler, which meant that Mary and their baby son often came to enjoy lunch with him. Even so, Mary's absence was deeply felt every day, especially by America.

"I miss it, too. Maybe when Anthony is old enough for school, I'll find my way back as a Lady-in-Waiting. At least, that's what your mother and I daydream about when we're together."

"The whole Palace would be the better for it." Addy grinned.

"Now, listen Bird." Mary linked arms with Addy, drawing her toward the little room-turned-closet. "You may have noticed that most of the other students out there aren't exactly wearing couture."

"Yeah," Addy confessed, "I can see that those jeans and blouses weren't exactly hand-crafted from the finest fabrics by highly-skilled Palace-employed hands."

"They have their own charms though, don't they?"

"Casual clothes? Real casual clothes?" Addy giggled, "Yeah! Even when I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt to volunteer at my dog shelter, I'm well-aware that my outfit is probably worth more money than the shelter staff might make in a month. I always look different, even when I'm trying to blend in on royal tours. It would be amazing to walk into a room and realize someone is wearing the same sweater as I am. I'd feel so… I don't know… normal."

Mary nodded with a knowing smile, opening the door to the room and ushering the Princess inside. "I had an idea that you might feel that way. Earlier in the summer, I took Anthony on a little stroll around town for some fresh air and sunshine, and while we were out I took note of the styles and fashions in the boutiques and clothing stores. The ones that cater to your age group, anyway."

Addy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What did you do?"

"It was just a little project to keep me busy while Anthony was napping…" Mary confessed. "Here." She unzipped a long, loose clothing bag that took nearly one entire rack of the four that now lined the walls of the small spare room. On pulling the fabric protector away, Mary revealed her brand new creations.

Well. For starters, there wasn't a pantsuit in sight.

Floral summer dresses, with leggings and cardigans to layer when the weather turned chillier, soft jeans tailored to fit Addy's body perfectly, blouses and sweaters and t-shirts and cute skirts that would hit halfway up her thigh, and one piece that caught her attention especially. A hand-woven jumper with a black labrador needlepointed on the front. It was too heavy for daily-wear, Addy noticed as she softly ran her fingers over it.

"In case one of your classrooms is too cold." Mary said. "Or if it gets chilly in here at night. I though you might like a reminder of Wilberforth to keep with you."

Addy gulped down the lump in her throat, shoving away how much she already missed that sweet old puppy. "Thank you, Mary."

"You're being given a small allowance of money, right?" Mary asked, stuffing her hands into her dress pockets.

"Yeah. Actually, Weaver's keeping it all for me. I think it's a security thing… If there's a long line at a shop, I think he'd rather I wait somewhere less open."

"He's going to take good care of you." Mary grinned. "He always has."

Addy knew that much. Legend had it, Weaver had been her personal guard since before she was even born, and that after she was born he'd completely committed himself to heading her personal security team so thoroughly, Uncle Aspen had had no choice but to give him the promotion.

Addy's dad used to say that it was the most important job in Illéa, keeping the heir safe. And as far back as Addy could possibly remember, Weaver had been with her, doing just that.

"In any event, this is only half of the gift." Mary said, nodding toward the clothes. "The other half is this." she held up a neatly folded square of paper with tidy writing inked in dark blue. "You'll probably realize halfway through the semester that you could do with another pair of socks, or you'll lose a scarf and need to replace it, or that rickety old dryer in the basement will eat one of your shirts." Mary said. "I know you've hardly ever shopped for your own day-to-day clothes before—"

"Well, Aunt Waverly and Auntie Nic like to take me shopping whenever I visit them." Addy pointed out. She didn't want to seem completely inept.

"In that case, you've hardly ever shopped in your own country without the presence of a Queen." Mary amended with a giggle.

Addy couldn't argue there.

"There are a lot of clothing shops out there, especially now that the middle class is growing in this country and there's a market for casual, inexpensive clothing." Mary said, simply. "It can be intimidating trying to find a place that carries what you're looking for, because there's just so much out there that you've never had to wade through before, Princess." Mary held the paper out.

Addy tentatively accepted it, staring at it nervously, "What are those names?"

"These are the names of the stores that I browsed through for inspiration when I was making your new clothes. Or, at least, the ones that have alternate locations near your campus. It's a cheat sheet, Bird, a good place to start." Mary gulped, brushing a stray strand of red hair from Addy's face in a tender gesture. "You're going to have so much to worry about, being this far from your family, out amongst strangers, navigating the campus. You'll have to find a balance of getting enough to eat, enough sleep, and finding enough time to study and meet your obligations in between. The last thing I want you to do is feel helpless if you ever need something that we're too far away to give you. Finding a shop that will carry plenty of clothes for your size, age, and taste can be exhausting for everyone. So here's a head start." Mary closed Addy's hands around the folded square of paper.

Addy wrapped her arms tightly around Mary's shoulders, squeezing her in for a close hug. "Thank you." she whispered.

It was like a breath of fresh air, having a backup plan if something went wrong. Not that she anticipated all of her clothes going up in a plume of smoke, but what if they did? Her family would be hours away, and busy running the country. This was one less baseless anxiety to haunt her, come nightfall. Somehow, Mary had anticipated this one before Addy had. Maybe because Mary had dedicated a considerable amount of time to clothing both Addy and America over the years, and had developed an especial appreciation of what a comfort the right clothes at the right time could be.

Addy had a safety net, at least when it came to the clothing aspect of the basic necessities of human life. As for the other two, food and shelter, her godmother had seen to it that she'd have leftovers for days, and this whole dormitory situation seemed like it would work out just fine.

"You're so welcome, my love." Mary replied, returning Addy's hug with equal fervor.

Mary wasn't the only one with a surprise in store for Addy. Maxon, May, and America fairly banished Addy from the upstairs suite for an hour, insisting that she and Weaver go to the campus bookstore and look up the suggested study materials for the placement examinations Addy would be taking at the end of the week.

Aspen volunteered to go with them, but not in any ordinary capacity. He was going to follow behind ten or twenty feet and spy on them, taking notes for areas where Addy's security detail could stand improvement.

It was also a chance for Addy to get used to the new member of her team, Aaliyah. She was one of the first women to complete Illéan military training, and had been hand-chosen for Addy's team by Aspen, himself, because she looked younger than she was. This way, Addy would never go to a public bathroom or women's changing room unguarded. Not to mention, deceptively small Aaliyah would draw significantly less attention around campus than big, tall Weaver or the rest of Addy's middle-aged, male security team.

Aaliyah (technically known as Officer Veer), Commander Weaver, and Addy (and General Leger, creeping along the back) had a nice walk to the campus bookstore. Aaliyah showed Addy her favorite series of comic books, and Addy wandered through the extensive poetry section to her heart's content.

Addy found a beautiful book bag on display right next to the entrance examination study booklets. It was dark blue, not quite navy in color, with brown leather straps and bronze buckles, and though the durable fabric was clearly machine-printed, it had been designed to look as if an artist had hand-painted tiny, bright flower petals all over the bag. Addy made serious puppy-dog eyes at Weaver, convincing him to hand over just a little bit more of her allowance than they'd been planning to spend that day, to cover the cost of the bag. After all, she needed something to help her carry her materials around campus.

In the end, Addy, Aaliyah, and Weaver (and Aspen at a far distance), emerged from the bookstore with everything Addy would need until she took her placement examination and learned which classes she qualified for.

On the walk back to her dormitory, Addy was already planning for their next trip to the campus bookstore, when she would need to buy her textbooks. She was scheming ways to talk Weaver into letting her splurge on the extra cute notebooks for sale next to the study snacks. It was essential to be in a good mood while studying, and those colorful zigzags and polkadots would make Addy feel so cheerful every time she saw them. Or, at least, that was the sales pitch for Weaver that she was working on in her mind.

But whether she ended up with the notebooks or not, it was nice to be away from the serious Palace stationary and leather-bound folders stamped with official crests for once. Maybe, when she was Queen, she would decree that the Palace be filled with purple pens and notebooks with a rainbow of colorful lined paper inside. And pictures of baby animals on the covers.

She couldn't stop herself from giggling out loud at the thought.

While Commander Weaver and Aaliyah received their notes from General Leger, Addy climbed up the stairs to show off her new book bag to her siblings and cousins. What she found when she emerged at the top of the stairs, however, stopped her in her tracks.

Her dad, the King of Illéa, was staring at the wall between the bedroom she'd chosen and the nook with the bookshelves in it. His tongue was poked out the side of his mouth in concentration, his head fully tilted to the side, as he took in his masterpiece, noticed what was off about it, and stepped forward, adjusting a framed photograph just so.

"Daddy?" Addy squeaked.

From floor to ceiling there was now a collage of photographs of the best parts of Addy's life at the Palace. She saw the tree castle and the swimming pool, individual photographs of her family and people like Gavril and Silvia. There was a much younger Wilberforth, surrounded by the Palace kid gang shortly after they adopted him. There was a three or four year old Addy, her mother and father crawled into bed with her, reading her a bedtime story.

"Surprise." Maxon turned and smiled. "What do you think?"

"It's a tree?" Addy asked, finally managing to look past the pictures themselves and make out the artistry of the arrangement of the collage.

"It is!" Maxon beamed, opening an arm wide to her. "What do you think of it?"

Addy stepped forward and entered his one-sided embrace. "I love it."

"The frames were cheating, really." Maxon confessed. "It was a snap to hang them up while you were gone."

"Dad, why did you do this?"

"Well, little love… the pictures Uncle Aspen brought back from scouting this place were a bit bleak." Maxon kissed her temple. "You're going to be living here for a couple of years, and I wanted it to feel more like home. We can't paint the walls or make permanent alterations, but we're allowed to hang pictures. If you get tired of it, you can take it all down. Maybe you could replace the photographs with pictures of the new friends you'll make?" he suggested.

Addy shook her head, "I don't want to change a thing. It's breathtaking."

He smiled at her praise and the two of them took a few more moments to hold each other close and admire Maxon's new creation.

Then, from behind the closed door to Addy's bedroom, they heard applause.

"What—" Addy began to ask.

Maxon chuckled, "I'd guess your Aunt May and Aunt Kenna are done arranging their surprise. Let's go find out."

Bewildered, Addy followed her father over to the door as he knocked and begged entrance.

"It's ready!" Rosie's voice reassured him from the inside.

"Alright then." Maxon turned, offering Addy a hand. She accepted it and followed him in.

Gathered inside were America, Maisy, Rosie, Astra, Aunt Kenna, and Aunt May, somehow managing not to look at all squished in the little space.

Furthermore, it was clear that they'd all been busy. Addy's bed was now made with the cushion gifted to her by Uncle Aspen and Aunt Lucy securely tucked under her fitted sheet. Her shelves were arranged delicately with the belongings she'd brought from home, and it was all laid out with the sort of attention to detail that Addy associated with her mother. The window on the back wall, under which her bed was positioned, was now draped with bright, cheerful blue curtains. And on her ceiling, there were now several dozen ceramic stars.

"Wow…" Add looked up at them all.

Aunt May took Maxon's place at her side and swept her into a hug. "It kills me that they won't let me do a full mural in here. You kids have never lived in a bedroom that I haven't painted for you. I had a theme all picked out and everything!"

"What was it going to be?" Addy laughed.

"The Riviera at dusk," Aunt May enticed. "Lots of dark purples and a boardwalk, and little paper lanterns draped along one of the walls…"

"That would have been nice." Addy admitted. "Maybe you can use that one next time."

"Maybe." Aunt May pouted. Then she brightened, remembering her brilliant solution to the problem. "Maxon mentioned we could stick things on the walls, though, so your Aunt Kenna and I dug out some old ceramic supplies from Grandma's house and we got crafty."

The stars above were large and small, and sprayed with something that made them seem to be twinkling, even in the cheap, yellow overhead light of her dormitory.

"They remind me of the ones in the nursery." Addy admitted, thinking of the now unoccupied room in her parents' suite.

"Funny you should mention that." May grinned. "Rosie, would you do the honors?"

Rosie nodded, stood up high on her tippy toes, and flicked off the light switch on Addy's wall.

The stars on the ceiling (and, now Addy was noticing, also along the tops of her walls) glowed beautiful, pale yellow.

"That nursery is what gave me the idea." May confessed. "Those stars were the first mural I ever made for you kids, and I've always kept that celestial theme going in your bedrooms since then."

Addy realized this was true. Jamesy's mural was jungle themed, but it featured a big bright moon. Until recently, Maisy's had been an African savannah themed mural, with an orange sunrise seemingly bursting through the wall to shine on a series of adorable animal friends. Now it was soccer-themed, one of the walls painted bright green, with the same markings to scale as if it was a soccer field, and posters all over the place of her favorite players. Even so, in a ring above Maisy's ceiling fan, there spun out a swirling, gorgeous sun that seemed to flicker when the fan was on.

"It looks so much better in here." Addy half-laughed, half-sighed with relief.

"We think so." Aunt Kenna agreed.

"Do you like it?" Rosie asked with baited breath. Clearly all of the Singers and Schreaves in this room had had some part to play in the making of this surprise.

"I love it." Addy grinned, as Rosie gasped out a relieved breath. "It's perfect."

The rest of the royal family needed to be back to the Palace by dinner time, so all too soon Addy was hugging each of her family members 'goodbye'.

She begged Astra to keep an eye on Maisy, knowing Maisy might need a little sisterly-guidance if the teasing and bullying started again.

She made Jamesy promise to join an outdoorsy camping club, and swore that if he did, she'd guilt their dad into camping with him every once in a while.

She thanked her Aunts and Uncles for all of their help, and was lifted off her feet in one of the tightest hugs of her life, by her Uncle James.

"Be good, Bird." he whispered.

"I promise."

"Learn lots."

"Okay."

"We'll miss you."

"I'll be back." she kissed him on the cheek.

He forced a big smile and pretended he had something caught in his eye as he wiped at them on his way out the door, to the car.

The twins wished her luck, Uncle Gerad slipped her an extra twenty dollars for "pizza or something sometime", Silvia and Mary fussed until they couldn't fuss anymore and finally joined the others in the car.

Lief buried his face in her shoulder, not wanting to show everyone how sad he was. Addy hugged him close, "It's okay, Lief. I'm going to miss you, too. You know that feeling in your chest?"

He nodded, piteously.

"I have it, too."

"You should come home, then." he reasoned.

"I will soon. It's only a few weeks until Rosie's birthday, you know."

"Yeah." he sniffled, looking up.

"You know when Aunt May goes on an airplane far away, and she comes back in a few weeks?"

"Yeah."

"Pretend that's what I'm doing, and I'll be home to visit before you know it."

He rubbed his hair, just like a miniature version of Maxon. Then he waited for Rosie's turn.

"Bye bye, Bud." Addy heaved a huge sigh. She'd expected tears from the youngest Schreave at this point, but Rosie wasn't crying. Whatever the little girl was feeling, it went beyond tears.

Rosie placed both hands on Addy's cheeks and kissed her nose. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby sister." Addy kissed Rosie's nose, too.

"Don't forget my telephone calls." Rosie warned.

"I promise."

America swept Addy into an enormous hug. "I love you so much, Bird. More than words could ever say. More than numbers could ever count."

"I know. I love you, too, Mom."

America kissed both of Addy's cheeks. "I left one more surprise for you. It's on your bed upstairs."

"Okay." Addy smiled weakly.

Maxon took his turn slowly. He pressed several kisses to her forehead. "It's not fair." he said. "Not fair that you've grown up so quickly. I wanted another hundred years with you as my baby girl."

Addy sighed against her father's strong chest, listening for his heartbeat in there. "I'm still your baby girl."

"You always will be." he agreed.

This was Addy's last chance, she realized with a start.

She could undo everything with one word. She could climb in the car with her family and ride back to the Palace and be the kid she'd been just yesterday, again. It would be so easy.

But if she didn't move, if she stood here and watched them leave, there was no going back. It was the beginning of independence, of adulthood, and there was no undoing that. She believed that her time here at university would be wonderful, but she knew that it would change her and that she would have no control over the way in which she was changed. Probably in a good way. But no matter what, she'd be different when she was done.

From the doorway, Addy watched her parents kiss each other goodbye, then watched her father clip Rosie into her safety seat with a hair kiss and a wave to the rest of the car. Maxon's car left first and Addy stared after it until it turned left at the end of the road and disappeared. The guards stood sentry, listening carefully to their radios for the all clear, and then waved for America's car to follow. Now that the heir was in a secure location, the rest of the royal family could afford to stagger their trips more closely together.

The last of Addy's family, Uncle Ryland, waved to Addy from the front walkway as he and several other guards who'd only come up for the day returned to their shared car and drove off. Addy guessed Aunt May would be dropped off at the rental car center near the edge of town. She'd meet Uncle Ry there. They'd pick something fun to borrow for their date night, maybe a convertible like Kile had. They'd enjoy a moonlit drive back to the Palace and tomorrow Aunt May would take it for a drive around the city before returning it to the local rental car center.

Addy blinked back from her daydream, realizing she was alone.

Her guards were in their rooms behind closed doors, not making a peep.

She looked around, not exactly sure what to do next.

She had nowhere to be until Friday, when her examinations were scheduled. No meetings, no lessons, no family time, no volunteer work, no episodes of the Report to record, not even a Wilberforth to walk.

Not sure what else to do with herself, Addy turned around and went back upstairs.

It was eerie up there, so empty when it had been full to the brim all day long. Suddenly, the little student house seemed bigger than the Palace. Addy yearned for roommates to help her fill the empty space.

When she opened the door to her beautiful little bedroom, she found the final surprise her mother had left her. Elephanty, the stuffed elephant that Addy'd had since the day she was born, sat cheerfully on her pillow, waiting for her.

Addy gulped down a sob at the sight of him and dived onto the bed, not as plush as her palace mattress, but certainly soft enough to sleep on. She scooped Elephanty into her arms and hugged him closely, snuggling in.

It was quiet in her upstairs room. Not the peaceful kind of quiet accompanied by a gentle breeze or the hum of a ceiling fan; no, this was the kind of quiet that pounded. Addy's ears roared with the quiet. No brothers or sisters or cousins, no servants or assistants, nothing. She'd never known a nothing quiet before. She strained her ears, trying to hear the guards downstairs. The scrape of a chair, the opening of a door, anything. Whatever they were doing down there, Addy couldn't hear a single sound of it.

There was no telling how long she laid there with Elephanty, frozen with indecision about what to do next. It was too soon to call home, her family wouldn't have made it yet. She could go pick at the leftover risotto, but the mushrooms would make her think of how much she missed Rosie and Lief and everyone else.

At a certain point, it occurred to Addy that she'd done it.

She'd gotten what she'd wanted. The her of one year ago never would have believed it possible, but here she was. She, Adrienne Emlyn Schreave, was at university.

It was hard to believe that her wildest dream had come true, and all she was feeling was miserable. The reality was a lot more lonely than the dream, she realized.

On her bedside table, one of her loved ones had placed a copy of Addy's favorite fairytale, and Addy stuck a hand out to grab it and pull it close to the little roll that she, Elephanty, and the blankets had made. She started with chapter one, swiping at the tired, frightened, anxious tears that crept down her cheeks.

The sun was getting low out her window, there was hardly enough light left to read by. Aunt May and Aunt Kenna's stars were glowing brightly, and there was a lamp at her bedside courtesy of Aunt Silvia. Addy clicked it on and sniffled, piteously. She shouldn't have been so mean to Aunt Silvia. If she had it to do over again, if Aunt Silvia was standing in this room right now and there was a truck full of ostentatious Palace furniture out front, Addy would take it all.

Though the vases truly had been hideous.

Addy had just about made up her mind to go and have a drink of water (with Elephanty, of course), when she heard the first sound from another human being in what seemed like ages. A knock at the front door of the house.

Addy sat up, craning her neck to listen. Two low male voices, and then steps on the stairs. Addy threw the blankets off of her and hurried over to her bedroom door, cracking it open.

Kile appeared, silhouetted by the light from downstairs. The rest of the second floor had been neglected into darkness because, Addy was reminded with a jolt, there was no one else to do something as simple as turn the lights on or off. Kile knew what to do, though, he flipped the switch at the top of the stairs with practiced ease, and grinned.

"Yeah," he said at her puffy eyes and red nose, "I thought so." He also spared a glance at Elephanty, whom Addy had forgotten to leave on the bed. "Come on, Bird."

"Where are we going?" Addy was happy to obey, tossing Elephanty gently onto her bed and then joining Kile in the common area. Now that she could see down the stairs, she spotted Meri waiting for them at the bottom. Meri, too, sported the telltale signs of having spent some of her first few hours without her family in tears.

Kile and Addy joined her down there as Meri said, "Kile came to get me, too."

"We're going out for dinner." Kile answered Addy's question. "Grab a guard and let's go."

Addy glanced at the now congregated guards poking their heads around the staircase. Aaliyah grinned and took a big step forward before pausing and turning back to her commanding officer.

Weaver looked between Aaliyah and Addy, a war raging inside himself. He gulped, not sure if he was ready to let Addy go out, without her family, without him for the first time in her life.

"We'll be close." Kile promised, and it seemed to help Weaver that Addy was going out with the children of two fellow officers.

Weaver nodded ever so slightly, and Aaliyah pumped her fist in celebration, "Where to?" she asked, picking up a communication radio from a charging base near the front door.

"How do you three feel… about eating the best cheeseburgers in the world?" Kile said, dramatically. "There's this diner, it's about a fifteen minute walk from here, and I've been craving it all summer. They've got this magical sauce, and they slather it all over the burger and the fries—" He made a grunt of longing.

Addy let out a watery laugh, wrapping one arm around Meri and stuffing her other hand into her pocket. "Uncle Gerad gave me twenty dollars for food." she pulled it out to show them.

"Addy's buying!" Kile grinned, opening the door for the ladies to exit before him.

Addy paused just before crossing over the threshold and turned back, finding Weaver watching them go with the air of a nervous parent. Addy mouthed 'Thank you', and grinned.

Weaver shook his head, trying to bite back a smile and failing. "Go on." he waved her out, still shaking his head. As he closed the door behind them, Addy could hear him grumble, "They never trained us how to resist that smile."

Addy laughed as Meri laced fingers with her and tugged her down the front steps, telling her all about her new roommate as they went. "She's got two boyfriends, Addy! And it's not even a secret! They both visited today—"

"Were they cute?" Addy asked, breathing in the warm night air.

"Yeah," Meri confessed with a giggle, "They were gorgeous."

"We've got some secrets to learn from that roommate, don't we?" Addy joked.

"Can we not?" Kile complained. "I don't want to think about the two of you learning any kind of… romantic secrets." he shuddered.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Kile!" Addy teased, thinking back to his escapade with Astra earlier in the afternoon, but at Kile's widened death-glare/surrender, she let the matter drop.

Meri was only too happy to ignore it, telling Addy about her housemates and all the interesting things they were studying, and halfway between her house and this supposedly life-changing diner, Addy realized that the knot in her chest was loosening.

If she could make it through this night, she could make it through all the rest of them. And, more importantly than she'd ever realized before, she wasn't going to have to do it alone.