Hey guys!

So, I'm pretty sure that the next chapter is gonna take awhile. Sorry about that.

I hope you enjoy.

Chapter twelve.

Estrella woke up late that evening to the sounds of banging on her door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she jumped out of bed and wrapped a robe around herself. What in all of Illéa was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?

Estrella opened the door, a tall guard bowed before her. "Your Highness, I'm so sorry to wake you up at such an hour, but you are needed in the medical wing urgently." He said, his words coming out in between gasps, he had obviously been running.

Estrella felt the blood rush to her feet and she struggled to stand. She knew what this meant. Something had happened. "Thank you." She told him, then began to run.

When she reached the medical wing, she was met with chaos, guards, maids, and doctors ran around and shouted at each other. She ran over to where Queen Kiara stood, her face ashen and filled with worry.

"Mother, what's going on?" She asked as she grabbed her mother's hand. Something was horribly wrong. She could feel it. "Is Father okay?" She knew that this was what it was about. Something was happening to her father.

Before Queen Kiara could answer, Doctor Tailon walked up, he was pale and his eyes were glassy. "Your Majesty?" He said softly, standing a few feet away from the two of them.

"Yes?" Queen Kiara answered, her skirt billowing around her as she turned towards him.

Doctor Tailon cleared his throat, then looked down at the floor. He spoke in a hushed tone, but Estrella caught what he had said.

"No!" Estrella cried as tears formed in her eyes. She felt like someone had punched her in the chest and she couldn't breathe. This was all a nightmare! It had to be! "You're lying!"

A small shake of his head was all that it took for her tears to cascade. "I'm sorry, Your Majesties." He told the two of them, then kneeled before Estrella.

The room hushed, the staff turning to the three of them, turning to Estrella. They kneeled in unison, their heads lowered in respect.

"Long live Queen Estrella." They said, the words resounding off of the walls and echoing around her.

She turned to her mother, who's face was stained with tears, but after a moment, she gracefully fell into a deep curtsy, then looked up at her daughter. "Long live Queen Estrella." She said, a small smile playing at her lips in this bittersweet moment.

Estrella could hardly breathe, her head spinning as the words continued to echo in her head.

The King was dead.

And in her nightgown, with tear streaked cheeks and a secret illegitimate child growing inside of her. She became Queen Estrella Arlynn Schreave of Illéa.

•••

Edmund stretched in his bed as he rubbed his eyes. The sun had yet to come up, but he was wide awake.

He stood up and walked into the closet, the sheer amount of suits made his jaw drop. He wasn't ready for this life...

He reached out to touch a pair of cufflinks, they were golden and shone when the artificial light of the closet hit them. He grabbed them to take a closer look.

"Sir?"

Edmund jumped, then turned around, dropping the cufflinks on the ground. "Sorry!" He shouted as his hands flew up into a sign of surrender. He was pretty sure he wasn't allowed in the closet.

The servant, Peter, shook his head. "No need to apologize, Sir." He said, then cleared his throat. "Her Majesty is requesting you in the Great Room." He told him.

Edmund stilled, his heart skipping a beat or two. What had he done wrong? What could be have possibly done wrong in the past twenty-four hours that warranted a visit from Queen Kiara? "Did Her Majesty say when?" He asked as his hands began to fidget.

"As soon as possible." Peter told him, then grabbed a black suit. "You should wear this."

•••

Sullivan frowned when he saw all of the boys gathered in the Great Room, but no sign of the Queen. It was still so early, on a normal day he would still be sleeping. He wished he was still sleeping.

"Hey." Edmund said as he walked up to Sullivan, playing with one of his cufflinks as he did. "Do you know what's going on?" He asked.

Sullivan shook his head, then looked around. "Does something seem off to you?" He asked Edmund. There was a feeling that had been draped over the castle, a thick heavy silence that no one dared to break, an avoided topic. Something was going on.

Edmund nodded. "Yeah." He said, then pushed up his glasses. "I mean, why did Queen Kiara want to see us?" He asked, and Sullivan nodded. He had no idea why she would want to see them. Sure, they were the selected, but she didn't really have any reason to mess with them.

After a few more minutes of deafening silence, Queen Kiara walked in with Estrella at her side. Both of them looked like they had been through hell and it was only five a.m.

William walked up to the two of them and exchanged some words before bowing. After a few more words, he walked away.

Estrella turned towards them, her black dress bringing out the puffiness or her eyes. She cleared her throat. "My dear selected." She began, her eyes scanning the crowd. "I'm afraid that I have gathered you all here under awful circumstances." She told them.

Sullivan frowned. Hadn't Queen Kiara gathered them here? What was going on.

After a pause, Estrella continued. "My father, the amazing King Adrian, passed on in the middle of the night." She said, then wiped away a few stray tears as the boys gasped. Sullivan couldn't believe what he was hearing! The King was dead!?

"He was a kind and generous man." She said. "He gave everything to make Illéa a better place for all of us."

Queen Kiara placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder, causing Estrella to look up at her. It struck Sullivan as a way for Queen Kiara to talk while seeming motherly. "And even though he isn't here, he would have loved to spend time getting to know all of you."

"We haven't planned the funeral yet, but more details will be announced soon." Estrella told them, then grabbed a handful of her skirt. Sullivan could see the dark bags that had appeared under her eyes, and he knew it would only be worse when she began queen. "Also, there is to be a special airing of The Report to announce his death to Illéa at six this evening." She told them.

After a moment, she sighed. "And if any of you don't want to become king..." She began, then looked from her mother to the selected. "Then I suggest you leave."

So, I killed the king. Yeah... Please follow, fave, and review! Tell me what you thought!

Thanks for reading! Love y'all!