Hey, guys!

So, I listened to what you all had to say, and I didn't update yesterday! But I'm back, so we'll see how this goes!

Hope y'all enjoy!


Chapter fifteen.

Brinley stretched and put down her book. It had been a week since the rebel attack, and things had finally begun to calm down. The bodies of the guards and maid had been identified and sent to their families for the funerals, and the palace had been cleaned of all signs that a rebel attack had happened in the first place.

She had noticed that her mother's harsh and cold attitude had continued even after the bodies were buried and the palace was cleaned. Although she couldn't figure out why. The words had been born out of a conspiracy theory, but it had bothered her mother more than she would like to admit.

Brinley stood, and walked out of her room. Now that everything had calmed down since the attack it was time to get back to business.

The walk to the great hall took much less time than she had anticipated, and she stopped in front of the door and inhaled. It was time to focus on the selection. No more hiding.

She opened the door, and smiled at the five selected sitting in the room.

"Hey," she greeted as she walked up to them. They looked up at her, each putting down their books or activities. "Let's go do something."

Ari grinned at her as he put his pen behind his ear. His smile snaked up his face in a small smirk that made Brinley smile back at him. "What are we doing, Princess?" He asked.

Brinley sat down beside him, the only open spot on the three sofas. "I'm not sure. This idea just came to me," she said, and then looked around at the four other men. "What do you think we should do?"

Iskander gestured to the window. Warm light flooded from the sun flooded in, and Brinley could see the vast, blue sky beckoning them outside. "It looks like a nice day outside, why don't we do something out there?" He suggested.

Peter nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is quite lovely outside," he said.

Brinley raised an eyebrow at Peter. He was always so formal. "Quite?" She asked. Her voice was a playful tease that she had been using on him forever. "So formal."

Peter rolled his eyes then stuck out his tongue at her, and Brinley couldn't hold back a chuckle. That was Peter. The perfect mix of too formal and too childish, and she loved that about him.

"I pride myself in being formal, my dear princess," he joked as he leaned back against the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

Brinley nodded. "Ah yes, because sticking your tongue at a princess is considered formal," she teased.

"We should go on a scavenger hunt or maybe a hike," Ignotus piped up, his words a sudden change in the teasing conversation.

Brinley looked over at him, and then nodded. "That could be fun," she said then grinned. "I even know where we can go!"

Brinley looked over at Levy. He had his whiteboard clutched to his chest, and Brinley thought he looked like he had something to say, but had no way of getting heard in the middle of the conversation.

"Mr. Atlin?" She asked, and then smiled at him when their eyes met. "Do you have anything to add?"

Levy smiled at her, and his shoulders relaxed before he hunched over and began to write something on his whiteboard as the rest of the group stayed silent.

Aren't there some woods around here that are really good for hiking?

Brinley hummed in thought, and then gasped as she realized which ones he was talking about. "The one with the waterfall?" She asked. "Oh, I love that one."

"Yes, we should definitely go there," Peter agreed with a nod. "It's so beautiful this time of the year. All of the red leaves and the waterfall should have the most flow right now."

"Waterfall?" Ignotus asked. "I'm down."

Ari nodded as well. "Count me in."


When Ari had agreed to go on a hike with Princess Brinley and four of the other selected, he hadn't realized that it was a long, ten mile hike to the waterfall and back.

Each of them had been given a backpack, each with a different necessity that could be needed. Ari's held multiple bottles of water for each of the selected, because even though it was now November, the sun hadn't gotten the message and was pouring hot rays down onto them.

"How's it going back there?" Princess Brinley called. She and Peter were leading the pack, and Ari wondered how many times the two of them had done this trail together. Since they had apparently known each other for years.

Ari looked at the selected beside him. Leviathan Atlin, although he apparently liked to be called Levy. "How's it goin'?" He asked.

Levy looked over at him, and then gave him a wide grin and a thumbs up.

Ari chuckled and shook his head. "Really? Because I'm dying out here," he said playfully. "My feet are going to fall off before we make it to this stupid waterfall, and then we will still have to go back home…"

Levy shrugged, and then pulled his backpack back up onto his shoulders, and then pulled out his whiteboard and began to write.

Mine too if we don't get a break.

"So, what did they put in your backpack?" Ari asked as he stepped closer to him. "It keeps slipping off of your shoulders. Is it too heavy?"

Levy wiped his whiteboard clean with his sleeve, and then began to write. Ari couldn't help but admire his handwriting. It was clean, and bordered between cursive and regular print. It made his letters look formal, as if a king or ruler had written them. Ari's looked like if a dog got a hold of a pencil.

Food.

Ari gasped, and then looked at him. "Wait, you have had food this whole time, and you haven't told me?" He asked. "I am offended, man."

Levy laughed, but it was silent, as if someone was watching a movie and just muted the volume.

Sorry, Ari, but no one is eating any of this until the princess says. But trust me, I'm just as hungry.

Ari sighed, and then scraped at the dirt underneath his shoes. He was so hungry, so hot, and so tired… This waterfall had better be worth it. "Traitor," he teased as he crossed his arms.

"So, what do you think of the princess?" Ari asked. There was no reason to add bored to the list of things that he felt, not when there were a couple of people for him to talk to.

He watched as Levy looked up at the sky for a moment, clearly in thought, and then began to write. After a moment, he flipped his whiteboard towards Ari.

She's a great person. She seems pretty reclusive, but she's sweet and didn't kick me out just because I can't talk. What do you think of her?

Ari hummed for a second as he remembered the feeling he had while watching her dance with Peter. A feeling of jealousy that he still hadn't been able to shake. Especially now that she and Peter were once again hanging out at the front while he was in the back. He didn't want Peter to win. He wanted Brinley.

"I came here for an adventure. I wasn't sure how long I would last, and I still don't know how long she'll keep me around," he said, and then looked over at Levy. "But like… I'm not just here for the experience anymore. After seeing her dance with Peter during the ball… I want to be the One, you know?"

Levy smiled, and then nodded. After a moment, he wrote on his whiteboard again. Ari was surprised that his marker hadn't gone dry yet.

Well, good luck, Ari.


Peter watched as Brinley's ponytailed curls swished back and forth in the wind and with every step she took. He had forgotten how beautiful her hair was in the sun. It reminded him of Autumn, like the falling leaves and pumpkin pie.

"We're finally getting close, Bryn," he said. Their conversation had lulled into silence awhile back, and had been taken over by the sounds of their steps and the birds singing to each other.

Brinley looked behind her shoulder and smiled at him. Her cheeks were pink from exertion, but she didn't look exhausted or sweaty, she just looked beautiful. "Yeah," she said, her voice coming out in a breathless exhale.

"It's been so long since we've been up here," he said as he looked around. Most of the tall trees around them had lost all of their leaves, which left them vulnerable to the hot rays of the sun. "Do you remember when we took Isaiah and Connie up here and we pushed them into the river?"

Brinley turned around, but continued to walk as if it was just as easy to walk backwards on an uphill trail. "You pushed them in, Peter," she said. "And if you also don't remember, we brought clothes for them to change into afterwards so they didn't get too cold on the trip home. And that it was also summer when the river was at its lowest, it's at its highest right now."

Peter sighed. "Geez, Princess, I wasn't thinking we would do it with your selected, I was just bringing up a fond memory," he said. He had to admit that Princess Brinley had matured a lot since the last time that they had seen each other. The last time they had been together, she had no problem pulling pranks on her sister and Isaiah. Had it really been that long?

"So, how long have you and Princess Brinley known each other?" Ignotus asked as he sprinted up to Peter.

Peter shrugged. He didn't actually know when he had met Princess Brinley, he just… knew her. "Our parents met a long time ago," he said. "It's possible that we've known each other since we were babies."

"Why did you enter?" Ignotus asked after a minute.

Peter smiled, and looked at Brinley. She had her arms stretched out to her sides as a cool breeze blew towards them. She was so beautiful. She wore a pair of olive green shorts that buttoned at her waist and went most of the way down her thighs. Her tan shirt was tucked into her pants, the shirt hugged her frame, and showed off her curves and build.

"For her," he answered after a minute. "Forget a crown or a title, she's the real prize."

When Ignotus didn't answer, Peter caught up with Princess Brinley. He smiled at her after she turned towards him.

"Hey, Princess," he said, and then playfully bumped his shoulder into hers. She laughed and Peter found himself relishing the sound like it was an ancient violin cadenza and not just the tiny laugh of a princess.

"Hey, yourself," she greeted, and then wiped the sweat off of her brow. "Remind me not to let me go on a walk during the hottest November day ever," she said. "Next time we'll just kick around a ball in the courtyard or something that isn't so stupidly long while it isn't so hot."

Peter chuckled,and then nodded. "Will do, Bryn," he said, and then stepped over a tree root that had come out of the path. "Although, it's almost winter. You won't have to worry about that much longer."

Brinley laughed again, but it wasn't the sweet one that he had heard just a few minutes ago. It was loud and she sounded almost like she was in shock. "Peter, didn't you live here for almost your entire life before moving to Allens? We rarely get snow. In my entire life, I've only seen snow once in Angeles!" She said. Her tone was playful and joking, the same way it had always been with him.

"True, but snow or not, it still gets much colder," he said. "Although the cool weather might be nice for hikes. Definitely better than this heat."

"You all said that this would be a good idea!" Brinley exclaimed. She flung her arms out to the sides as she spoke, as if to bring her point home. "No one knew from looking out that window that it was really a billion degrees both fahrenheit and celsius! And that it would be so ridiculously humid!"

Peter nodded. It was true. When he had looked out the window, it had seemed like the perfect weather for hiking, but now as sticky sweat dripped down his neck and legs, he couldn't help but agree with what a stupid idea this had been. But it was time with Princess Brinley that other selected wouldn't have.

"Well, at least the waterfall will be nice," he said, and then shrugged when Brinley raised her eyebrows at him. "It's true."

She sighed, and then once again wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she answered. "But I'm never going on another hike again."


Despite the hot and miserable weather, Levy was actually enjoying the group activity. Ever since the ball he had been hoping to spend more time with Princess Brinley, and even though he was dripping sweat the way someone drips water after being caught in a downpour, he was happy that he had been chosen for this activity.

The walk uphill for him had been rather quiet, and he had only had a few moments of conversation with Ari and Iskander, but he had enjoyed listening to the sounds of the birds overhead and the bugs beneath him. Winter was coming soon and he wasn't sure when he would be able to hear those sounds again.

And then he heard what sounded similar to the wind on a windy day.

"Oh, thank god," Princess Brinley said, and then took off running. Peter looked behind at the rest of them and shrugged before following her in his own sprinting manner.

"Let's go!" Ignotus shouted as he also followed their lead.

So he did.

His cheeks burned from the exertion, and even though there was a breeze that cooled him off he ran, his head threatened to burst from overheating if he didn't slow down. But he had never felt so free.

When he caught up with the others, he was blown away by the view. Even though his feet hurt, and he had to take in deep gasps of air to get enough oxygen through all of his body, it was worth it.

In front of him was a large waterfall, and beneath it was a lake that emptied into a river. The lake had what seemed like almost no sharp rocks and looked more tempting than cookies were to a toddler.

"Fuck it," Brinley said as she tossed aside her backpack, her hat, and her footwear before running over and jumping into the lake with a loud splash.

"Ahhhh…" She sighed after she came back up for air. She began wring out her long curls. "Totally worth it."

Peter crouched down beside the lake so he was eye to eye with her as he laughed. "I thought you didn't want any of us getting wet, Princess," he teased.

She looked up at him, and then began to laugh with him. "Forget what that Princess Brinley said," she said before looking at the other selected. "Come in! Trust me, you don't wanna miss this."

Levy looked over at the others, and then grinned before putting down his whiteboard and taking off his shoes and jumping in.

When he hit the water, he wanted to sob in relief. The water, which was freezing cold, reminded him of when he was younger and would be playing outside in the hot weather and then be given an ice cream cone to have for a snack. The cold water gave his skin the same kind of freeze that ice cream had given his brain.

Brinley looked over at him and smiled. Her smile was sweet, sweeter than the ice cream had been all of those years ago. "Doesn't it feel great, Mr. Atlin?" She asked as she swam closer to him.

Levy nodded, and then gave her a thumbs up. His chest squeezed as he realized that he couldn't convey the emotions he had felt when he had hit the water, or the long-forgotten memories that had resurfaced with it. Not without his whiteboard.

Brinley grinned at him, and he realized that he didn't have to give the full explanation of how he felt because they were both feeling the same thing. Relief from the unforgiving sun.

"C'mon in!" She shouted at the other selected, her voice impatient as the wind carried to them. "Y'all can't spend a whole five miles complaining about the heat, and then not take the chance to cool off when it arrives!"

Ari nodded, and then jumped in. "Dammit!" He shouted after he resurfaced. He pushed his hair away from his face. "I forgot to take off my shoes!"

"Dude, you had one job!" Peter yelled over the roar of the waterfall as he untied his shoes. "That's gonna suck the whole trip back to the car!"

Levy laughed his silent laugh as the other selected also berated Ari for his mistake and Ari himself looked truly disgusted with himself for forgetting such a major detail.

After another few minutes, the remaining selected had entered the lake and were all enjoying it's cooling effects.

"Damn, this lake must have some sort of healing properties because I have never felt this good in my whole life," Ari said as he relaxed onto the side of the lake.

"Maybe," Brinley said, as she looked over at him. "But I doubt it. Sure, magic exists, but it isn't like that. It tends to do more harm than good most days."

Levy pursed his lips, and then looked down at the water. He could see his feet as they squished into the mud, and then his stomach clinched, the way it always did when he was sad. He thought back to when he wasn't able to see anything, much less the clear water of this beautiful lake. He wasn't sure if he could fully agree with Princess Brinley on her statement about magic, it had given him the ability to see after all. Even though it had taken his voice.

Oh, his voice…

His throat tightened at the thought of his missing voice. Why did all magic have to come with a price? Did he want to be blind? Of course not! No one wants to be blind, but it was something that he had been used to. Waking up to the same darkness that he went to sleep with had been something he had despised, but had gotten used to it. But he hadn't been ready to say goodbye to his voice.

He remembered the way he used to sing to himself when he was getting ready, and that his laugh wasn't just a silent shaking of his body. But he missed conversations the most. He missed having long conversations with his family and friends, or just a simple hello to a passing person who he felt like greeting. Now he stood around with a whiteboard held to his chest and hoped that someone would notice him.

Maybe magic wasn't good, but Levy wasn't sure that it was evil.

"Hey, I'm starved," Brinley said after a moment, her words breaking Levy from his thoughts. "Let's eat."

Levy nodded, and then began to pull himself out of the lake. The warm sun greeted him kindly, but the wind threatened to make him freeze. It was a horrible mix.

"Guys, look!" Peter said as he pointed towards Levy. His voice was playful and fun, but his face showed mock fear. "There's a sea monster! A Leviathan is in the lake!"

Brinley groaned, and then pushed Peter back in. "You're a dumbass, Peter," she teased, her tone just as playful.

Levy shook with laughter as he watched Peter resurface. He tried to think back to the last time he had had so much fun, but nothing instantly came to mind.

So as he watched Peter climb out of the lake with Brinley's help and the other selected pulled out the picnic blanket and the sweet fruits and savory sandwiches, he thought about everything that had happened, everything he had seen, and felt. The hot walk, and then the cold water, the jokes and the teasing. Princess Brinley herself diving into the water.

He didn't just want the memory to never fade, if he was being honest, he didn't want the moment to end.

But the best moments always end too soon.


So, I am not gonna lie, this has been one of my fave chapters to write so far, probably second only to the Halloween Ball chapter. The next chapter will involve another group activity and then at some point in the next couple of chapters there'll be an elimination. But anyways, please followw, fave, and review!

Thanks for reading! Love y'all!