Thanks for all the reviews! I love reading all your theories and comments! 3 Makes my day! Hope you like the new chapter! Let me know what you think!

Winterprincess: Yes! The Salvatore brothers were my inspiration for Caleb and Damon in these arguments! You're about to see more and more! Thanks for the review!

Chapter 26: Awake

Damon's POV

I sat with my head in my hands by the edge of Rio's bed, waiting and waiting for her to wake up while Caleb stood on the other side of the bed holding her hand. I couldn't believe that she had been shot and had saved the life of one of our officers; it just seemed so surreal. On top of it all, Caleb knew about our affair, at least to some extent and here he was standing in the same room as me.

"So," Caleb said clearing his throat and taking a seat next to Rio. "How are we going to resolve this issue?"

I ran my hands over his face before looking up at Caleb, not in the mood to have this conversation. In all honesty, I didn't have a solution. I wanted to be with Rio no matter what the cost and I knew Caleb felt the same way.

"Caleb," I sighed. "We've already been over this. I'm not giving up on her. We have a connection and I really care about her. I don't want to hurt you but…"

"So you think breaking my trust and manipulating one of the selected didn't hurt me? The one girl that I told you could be the one?" Caleb interjected, his eyes glowing with anger. "You just had to go and charm that girl because you couldn't stand to see me have what you wanted!"

"I never manipulated her and you're jealous because I have that special charm," I said in a cocky tone, watching Caleb's body swell with rage.

I was angry at Caleb for being selfish. Why couldn't he see things from my perspective? He had more initial interest in Piper and Emilia than Rio and once he saw that she liked me, he chose her above the rest. Caleb had being doing that ever since we were young: going after the things I wanted. He was always out to be the star child, so naturally I would have to take a back seat and hand over my desires to him. It was normal for us, but I wasn't going to stand down on this one. It was my turn to be happy.

"I'm sure she is attracted by that attitude too," Caleb growled, his eyes narrow. "You're engaged Damon, Rio isn't even an option for you! Let it go and let the girl move on with her life. You are going to be king of Germany with a beautiful queen! Be happy with your life and stop trying to take over mine like you always do!"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Of course you would think that I was out to get you! Your evil little brother trying to take your glory again!" I said with an eye roll. I was pissed! "And in case you didn't hear me the last time, I don't want to be the fucking German king! If you think Nada is so fabulous, you marry her! I want to marry someone I love, not someone forced on me!"

"You're so immature, Damon! Love is not always an option for us royals! Grow up and do our family a service!"

"But its okay for you to get exactly what you want every time, is that right, Caleb? What about me? What about what I want?" I said standing up, my hands in fists. I wanted to give him another bruise on his face, but I tried to restrain myself. "Cadence and I are forced to marry crazy people to give us an 'alliance' that we don't need! How is that fair that you are the only one who gets to be happy? Now who is the selfish one?"

"You little brat, I never get what I want," Caleb hissed, walking around towards the end of the bed towards me. I stared him down, daring him to hit me again. "You have no idea what its like to be the crown prince!"

"Really, Caleb?" I laughed angrily. "We took all the same classes, and you had to sabotage me half of the time to make yourself look better. Don't think I don't know who spilled water on my reports or took them multiple times. You really can't stand to let me be happy can you?"

Caleb and I were standing face to face now, the tension in the room thick and heavy.

"You don't stand a chance against me, brother," he sneered. "Let her choose, and you'll see who will come out victorious!"

"She's not some prize!" I said, giving him a slight push backwards. "This isn't a game it's our lives we're talking about!"

Caleb pursed his lips and paced the hospital room for a few moments. As he moved, I let my eyes wander over toward Rio and her sleeping form. Even now she looked beautiful and I longed for those brilliant green eyes to open. I could only imagine the expression on her face when she saw me. I smiled at the thought.

However, the next thing I knew, Caleb was standing in front of me blocking my gaze.

"News flash brother," Caleb said with an acid tone, meeting my eyes. "She wont. Ever. Be. yours!"

"Enough!" Said a groggy voice followed by a soft bang. Caleb and I immediately turned towards Rio only to find her sleeping peacefully.

"What the…?" I said looking around the empty hospital wing. It was dark and deserted considering that it was 4 am. I was exhausted but I needed to know what was going on.

"Who was that?" Caleb asked, our eyes meeting.

"Your mother," the voice said weakly.

Caleb and I both turned around to see our mother sitting up across the room in her hospital bed. She looked tired with huge dark circles under her eyes, but the life had returned to them. She looked so small and not like herself, but I knew that she was going to get better; she had to. I smiled before rushing over to her side.

"Mom," I breathed, wrapping my arms around her. I was happy to see that Rio and I had helped her. The doctor had been right, music was the key to her recovery. I would have to thank both him and Rio later for all their efforts.

Caleb stood over us watching until I moved away and he had his turn to embrace her. He seemed oddly distant from her but then I remembered that he didn't have the same relationship I did with her. Caleb had always been closer to my father and I my mother.

"So I get sick and everything goes to hell?" she said weakly with a small twinkle in her eyes. "I knew I couldn't leave your father in charge," she joked.

"Glad to see you're getting back to normal, Mom," I said with a smile, kneeling down next to her bedside. "We've missed you and have needed your guidance around here." That was an understatement. My mother was the rock of our family and without her we were crumbling and disintegrating.

"So what are you fighting over?" she asked, cutting right to the chase. It was so like her and even though she was tired and weak, she was the same women I had always known and loved. It was hard to believe that she hadn't been with us in over a month. It was time for things to start getting back to normal.

Caleb and I looked at each other, knowing that we would both be in trouble if she knew what was going on.

"Erm, you know, the norm," Caleb said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah right," Mother retorted, a small smirk on her face. "Is it that girl over there?"

"Damon's engaged," Caleb said trying to avoid the topic.

"You're engaged? To the German Princess?" Mother asked me with a small knowing smile. "How do you feel about it?"

I sighed and ran my hand over my face, not sure where I should start. I knew that I couldn't tell her that she was a crazy, manipulative woman who just wanted to marry me so she could rule her country. Plus she wanted me to love her after she smothered me and blackmailed me into our contract. If I broke it, she would make sure we were at war.

"He's leaving in a week," Caleb said with a small smile. "He'll be married within the next two weeks."

"What?" Mother said. "Damon?" She looked at me pleading dark blue eyes, begging me to tell her what I was feeling. I missed that look and her concern. "Are you happy?"

The pressure of everything in my life suddenly came crashing down on me. I had been emotionally avoiding how I felt about being shipped out of the country and now it was coming back at me full force. I had been hoping that everything would just disappear, but that wasn't happening and now I had a choice to make.

I knew that if I told my mother that I didn't want to marry Nada that she would do everything in her power to make sure I was happy. That would mean my family and my nation going to war and not just because of German. Caleb would never forgive me if Rio picked me over him. Our relationship would be past the point of no return. I could fight for the girl of my dreams and lose my family or I could fulfill my royal duty and make everyone happy.

My family or Rio. That was my choice.

"I'm ecstatic," I lied, putting on a fake smile. "I couldn't be more excited to held out to Germany"

My heart screamed with the decision I made but I knew that if I didn't comply with my duty that I would be miserable. To me, my family's happiness and bond was more important than my own desires. Caleb would win again.

Rio's POV

"Rio, it's okay. You're in the hospital ward," said Prince Caleb as soon as I opened my eyes.

The light of the room was accompanied by a dull throbbing in both my shoulder and ankle. And suddenly the events of the night came crashing back to me. My amazing night with Damon, the fight with Caleb, the rebel attack, the guard, and collapsing in the safe room. My head was spinning.

"What happened to me?" I asked in a groggy voice as I painfully sat up. As Caleb continued to tell me about the events of the evening, my eyes wandered across the room to Damon. He was sitting next to Queen America who was whispering to him. The handsome prince gave me a small sad smile before looking away. Had I done something wrong?

"Thank you for saving me," I said to Caleb who had once again taken my hand. I smiled at him though something didn't feel quite right. "And I'm sorry about last night," I said softly.

"Its in the past, my lady," Caleb said with a charming smile before kissing my hand. "I am interested in how you are going to make it up to me," he teased.

"Oh yeah, well wait till you see my dress for tonight," I countered, still trying to decide who or what I wanted most.

"Lady Parker, please stop fidgeting. I need to sew on this side sleeve to hide your bandage," Ashley scolded me as I stood in front of my mirror coming back from my thoughts. I was in a full-length emerald green evening gown that hugged my every curve. It was a light silk and matched the earring Caleb had gotten me perfectly. I smiled as I admired them in the mirror and how Sarah had accented them with my hair. I looked like princess!

"Did I get any notes today from the prince?" I asked. I had scoured my room earlier looking of a trace of anything from Damon. He had promised that he would leave me a note last night and still I found nothing. Had Damon changed his mind? Maybe this was fate telling me to go with Caleb.

"I haven't seen anything," Ashley murmured as she continued to work.

After last night and this morning, I didn't know what I wanted. I knew that I had to prove myself to Caleb in order to stay but I was still drawn toward Damon. I kept waiting for that moment that would help me choose between the brothers, but it still hadn't happened yet.

"Lady Parker, are you ready to go?"

I nodded and turned toward the door to see Natalia waiting for me with a smile. She was dressed in a sexy red gown with no sleeves. Her long dark hair was curled lightly at the bottom and she looked like a movie star.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as we headed down the hall. "You certainly scared everyone."

"I'm fine," I said, ignoring the pang in my shoulder with every step. I had to make it through this report to prove myself to Caleb. "How was your date today?" I asked, knowing that she and Caleb had spent the afternoon together. I was a little jealous of him with my best friend.

"Oh it was wonderful!" Natalia gushed. "He took me a tour of the gardens and the stables and we had lunch. He gave me this necklace too!"

"Sounds awesome," I said, though part of me was jealous and the other relieved. I hated this confused feeling.

Natalia and I continued to talk until we reached the set of the report and took our places next to Piper, Emilia, Layla, and Zoey. They all looked beautiful and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I knew Caleb had said that I could be the one, but I didn't understand how. He had lost some faith in me and I needed to prove myself to him.

My eyes wandered over to Damon who was talking with Nada. He gently leaned in and kissed her cheek . He wouldn't even look at me. Damon seemed to be engrossed in Nada though I could tell they didn't have a real connection. Maybe he decided to choose her after all: I felt small.

I also noticed that King Maxon was wearing a small smile on his face as Cadence sat on his lap. He seemed like a different person now that the queen was awake again. It must be nice to know that the one person that you cared about most would be there with you forever. Who did I care the most for? That was the question.

I sat in my seat most of the report thinking about my state with the princes. However, I wasn't prepared when they called me up to be interviewed with Prince Caleb.

As I walked up to the podium, I watched as a very nervous looking guard walked up and whispered something in King Maxon's ear. Within that instance, he looked like his whole world crumbled as he fell to the ground on his knees.

"No. No…it cant be!" He said, losing his composure in front of the entire nation. "Where is she? Who did this?"

"Your Highness, what is going on?" Asked the host as I stood motionless.

"The queen has been poisoned again!" said King Maxon turning and glaring in my direction. "Arrest her!" he said pointing at me. "She was the last one alone with the queen in the room and it just happened a few hours ago!"

"No I didn't do anything," I said backing up, not believing my ears. "Caleb, tell him it wasn't me."

However, Caleb gave me a cold look as he turned away from me, allowing the guards to take me into custody. My eyes darted over to Damon but he and Nada were nowhere to be seen. What was going on?

"No please!" I cried trying to fight the guards. "I promise I didn't hurt the queen!"

Oh no! What did you think? That was another intense chapter and its going to keep on this rollercoaster! Please review!

~Kay