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Crown Prince Everett Schreave

Everett walked away from Bella's door with a small satisfied smile. Hopefully the photos from the date would be enough to stave off his father's rage and appease the public. He'd had a good time as well, so that was a bonus.

He felt his face starting to ache again, and he was reminded of the morning and the apology he needed to make. It was long overdue.

Sighing and squaring his shoulders, he headed upstairs and found a familiar door. He knocked politely.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Everett said in the friendliest voice he could summon. "Can I come in?"

There was a stretch of silence. "Fine."

He eased the door open and found Cal sitting at his desk, book cracked open in his lap. His brother regarded him shrewdly, eyebrow raised.

"Can I help you?" he asked, voice carefully controlled and even.

Everett cleared his throat awkwardly, taking a seat on Cal's bed.

"I came to- to thank you for helping me this morning," he said. "I don't really know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me."

Cal studied him, expression thawing slightly.

"It wasn't a problem," he said at last, dipping his chin.

Everett recognized he could technically leave now if he wanted. He'd gotten the okay from Cal. If he left now, things would go back to the same way they had always been.

But he thought maybe they could do a little better than 'before'.

"And I wanted to apologize," Everett admitted, making Cal's head snap up. "For the things I said back on the Report. It was never your responsibility to protect me from Dad, and I know I'm been a huge fuck-up of a brother for the last seventeen years. What you've done is completely justified."

Cal stared at him, and then a disbelieving laugh escaped him.

"I think I'm the one who's supposed to apologize," he said, shaking his head. "I said some really… well, I'm not going to take what I said back, but I think I got out of line. And there were things I could have done about Dad before this, but I was just too afraid. I'm really sorry, Everett."

"We both could have acted differently in the past," Everett agreed. He paused for a second, trying to summon the words he was thinking. "Do- you think we can maybe-... Well, never mind. Forget I said it."

"Do I think we can move past this?" Cal guessed, and Everett idly wondered when his brother had gotten so good at reading him. "Sure. It's going to take some effort from both of us, but I think we can at least try."

Everett looked at him, really looked at him for the first time in a long time. The will in Cal's eyes was strong. Stronger than he ever remembered noticing. He wasn't just the quiet, spineless bookworm Everett had labelled him as for the past years. He'd just never taken the time to realize his little brother grew up.

He took a deep breath and offered half a smile. It was time to grow up.

"So, what are you reading?" he asked, and Cal smiled wide, really smiled.

"It's called Eirwen," he told Everett, grinning. "A friend of mine recommended it to me."

"Friend?" Everett repeated, eyebrows shooting up. "Who's this friend?"

Cal went a little pink, but he didn't shy away. "It's Kalee Myers. She's a girl from your Selection."

Ev's mind went blank, and it was his turn to go pink as he tried to put a face to the name. "Uh… Kalee… Kalee..."

"From Hansport?" Cal tried. "Blonde, likes reading? Her eyes are blue, but kind of like a steely blue?"

Everett arched an eyebrow at the description, but it helped, and he remembered the girl in the pale blue dress with the cutting gaze.

"Yeah, I know her. How'd you two meet?" Everett asked casually. He would be interested to see if this friendship was anything more.

"We met at the library after interviews, and she recommended this book to me," Cal recounted with a fond smile. "She was right, it's really good."

Everett scrutinized his younger brother, trying to decipher the open smile Cal wore. It didn't look flustered, which he knew Cal would definitely get if it was a crush. He'd have to keep an eye on this.

"I was serious about what I said, you know," Everett told him slyly. "The girls of the Selection are not off-limits to you if you're interested."
Cal flushed darker this time, but he shook his head.

"It's not like that- I mean, we don't even know each other that well," Cal deflected, shoulders hunching. "We're just friends, Everett. Really."

"Uh huh," he nodded, winking conspiratorily. "Well, give your friend my regards the next time you see her."

Cal groaned and buried his face in his hands, making Everett laugh. Then the younger's shoulders stiffened and he glanced to his clock.

"Oh shit," he swore softly, making Everett's eyes nearly bug out of his skull. He'd never heard his brother swear. In fact, Everett hadn't known he even knew swear words. Cal caught his look and rolled his eyes. "For god's sake, I'm seventeen, not seven. And I read a lot of books."

"I just wasn't expecting-,"

Cal shooed him to his feet. "Never mind that. You should go, I told her to stop by my room right about now, and I don't think she'd take too kindly to seeing you."

"What? You don't want me to meet your girlfriend?" Everett teased as he was yanked to his feet and escorted less than gently out of the room.

Cal scrunched his face up. "She is not my-,"

There was a knock at the door, and the brothers exchanged glances of pure horror and glee respectively.

"Oh, look at that," Everett grinned, tilting his head. "I wonder who that could be?"

Cal blanched. "Everett, no."

"Everett, yes," he insisted playfully. "Let me get that for you."

"No, please don't-,"

It was too late; Everett had swung the door open. Kalee stood there with a book in hand, beaming up at him.

"Hey, Cal, I-," She stopped as she realized it was Everett and balked. "Y-Your Highness. Oh my, I'm so sorry, I must have gotten the wrong room, I didn't mean to-,"

"You got the right room," he assured her smoothly. "I was just having a chat with my brother. How are you finding it here, Kalee?"

She surveyed him with guarded eyes. "It's lovely, thank you. I can come back later, if-,"

"Nonsense, I think we're done anyway," Everett nodded. "You two have fun, then."

He stepped neatly around Kalee and gave Cal a wink and a thumbs up for luck. The prince immediately went red, and Kalee glanced over her shoulder in confusion.

"Bye," Cal said meaningfully and closed the door on him. Out in the hall, Everett shook with laughter.

King Jonathan Schreave

"Well?"

Captain Fields inclined his head. "The information retrieval was successful."

Jonathan nodded approval and steepled his hands together. "Mission report?"

"We followed the leads up to Baffin and found Eights in several towns holding meetings after curfew," Fields explained. "We sent one of our men in to infiltrate one. The mole reported hearing what sounded like a union meeting."

"A union?" The king asked, leaning back in his seat. "And what would this union be working towards?"

"I believe they were discussing possibilities of getting better wages, sir," Fields answered. "And better living conditions."

"Living conditions? What is the state of their living conditions?" Jonathan frowned, tilting his head. He hadn't bothered to check since… his coronation. Goodness, it had been a while.

"Filthy, sir," Fields reported grimly. "They're cramped, shoddy camps put together with whatever spare material the Eights can find. Most of them house thirty or so families, and they seem to live in their own waste."

Jonathan wrinkled his nose, remembering why he didn't check in sooner. Truly the state those Eights were in was disgusting.

"What do you think, Fields?" He asked tilting his head. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

The young captain shifted uncomfortably.

"I mean… they're not asking for very much, sir," Fields started hesitantly. "The country's coffers are not barren, it might not hurt to at least try to help them out. If only to hold a rebellion at bay."

An incredulous laugh escaped Jonathan at the suggestion. "At bay? What good does 'at bay' do for any of us? If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. Next they'll be wanting more rights and then it's dissolution of the caste system. We can't allow that, Captain, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Fields said after a moment, looking down. "I understand, sir. What are your orders?"

"Eliminate the leaders. The rest might scatter, but imprison as many as you can. Either which way, they should be sufficiently afraid not to organize for a while," Jonathan said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good, then you're dismissed," Jonathan said, shooing him away. Fields nodded and exited quietly.

Jonathan sat back in his chair, scanning the paperwork, before he felt the sensation of eyes on him. He looked up, surprised when he met the stoic expression of his wife in the doorway.

"Oriana," he remarked. "What are you doing here?"

She was silent for a moment, eyes solemn and grave.

"Well?" he asked crossly. "What, woman?"

Oriana seemed to snap out of it, and a wavering smile rose to her lips. "Nothing, dear. I just came to let you know that Everett's date went well and the photographer got some excellent shots."

Jonathan's lips twisted at the thought of his eldest son. God, a headache was already coming on.

"You deal with that," he grumbled, looking away. "Dismissed."

After a moment, he looked up, finding she wasn't leaving. He exhaled sharply, frowning. "What now?"

"We need to talk about last night," she said quietly. "Everett nearly didn't make it up this morning. People might have speculated."

Jonathan pressed his lips together, knuckles whitening as he clenched the edge of the desk.

"That boy," he spat, temper simmering, "-dared to disrespect me in my own house. I was not simply going to stand for it."

"Jonathan, you're going to kill him one of these days! What lie will you spoon-feed the public then?" Oriana asked, her voice growing stronger. "You can't just attack him, he is your son and the crown prince! If someone found out, you could be dethroned."

Jonathan drew up to his full height, furious.

"Who is king here!?" He shouted, veins standing out. "I am! I am king! I will always be king!"

Oriana flinched back, expression growing horrified. "You're killing him, Jonathan!"

"I am holding this country together," he snarled, standing up so quickly his chair flew back. "I am the backbone of this country, and your son will never be able to do that!"

"Our son! Our son!" Oriana corrected, volume rising. "When will you admit Everett is part of you?"

"I will never admit relation to that disappointment," Jonathan snapped. "You are dismissed, Oriana!"

Her pale cheeks filled with heat. "Everett is not-!"

"YOU. ARE. DISMISSED!"

Something terrifying and angry appeared in her ice-cold eyes for one moment, and then she dropped to a low curtsy, gazing up at him with an unreadable stare.

"Your Majesty," Oriana murmured, frighteningly soft.

She made her leave in a swirl of skirts. The door clicked closed in an almost eerie way.

Jonathan righted his chair and sat in it, breathing heavily. His heart was beating a little faster. The memory of Oriana's piercing gaze rested heavy in his mind, keeping him from working. He couldn't stop seeing that low curtsy, sardonic and mocking in its own subtle way.

At last he could stand it no longer.

"Rafael!" He demanded, and his secretary came scurrying in.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Enquire upon the health of my eldest son," he said. "Do not tell him I sent you."

Rafael nodded without hesitation and headed off. Jonathan rested his chin on the heel of his hand, feeling wearier than worlds.

"Oriana, that you would look kindly upon me again," he sighed to himself. "I only do what I must to hold Illéa together. If only you could see that."

And in agreement with this declaration, Jonathan turned the page of his paperwork and began reading once more.

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I know I said the next chapter would have the girls in it, but I figured this might be a good time for Schreave family drama. Report episode next chapter!

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