"We're not letting you skip this, Adrienne Schreave!" Meri tugged Addy's hand hard.

Addy scowled from where she sat at her kitchen table making flashcards for herself, "I'm not going. I'm busy." she yanked her hand free.

Kile leaned against their kitchen counter with his arms folded, "You have the rest of your entire life to be too busy for fun, Addy. You're going. We're not taking 'no' for an answer."

"Come on, Addy. This is gonna be so great! And this is our last chance to enjoy the Halloween festival as the Palace kid gang, before all of you graduate and leave me behind!" Meri pretended to pout spectacularly, "I'll have to go with other people next year."

Luke emerged from his room in a pair of dark jeans gifted to him by Addy's mother and a light cable-knit sweater appropriate for the chill in the air. He'd just showered and the whole room instantly smelled like spices Addy didn't know the name of but would recognize anywhere as her housemate's soap. "Any luck?" he asked their friends.

"She's too stubborn." Kile reported as if Addy wasn't even in the room.

"I'll help you finish your cards when we get back." Luke promised her. "We'll only be gone for a couple of hours, and after the terrible autumn we've had…"

Addy leant back in chair, annoyed that he was using the tension between England and Swendway to blackmail her into going to a party.

"What if there are cameras there?" Addy asked, fidgeting with her yellow highlighter. The last thing they needed this close to Andrew's coronation and their confrontation with King Thorvald was another royal scandal.

"No one can take pictures of you on campus and sell them to the press without being expelled." Meri reminded her.

"That didn't stop the last guy!" Addy reminded them.

"Well even if someone did, what's scandalous about going to a school Halloween party unless you plan to strip down to your underwear in the middle of campus and start making out with a boy?" Kile pointed out.

"It's night and we're going to the park Addy, there won't be enough lighting for any incriminating photographs." Luke promised.

"Look," Kile stood up, patience lost, "If the paparazzi gets a photo of you and tries to invent a scandal, Luke will go streaking in front of the building where all the journalism students are studying. The public will forget that you exist basically forever."

"I'll do what?" Lucas challenged, but Addy laughed at the idea anyway.

As her last feeble excuse she said, "I'm not dressed for a party."

Meri pounced as if she had been waiting for just such an invitation. Before Addy could stop her, Meri had Addy in a pair of tight black pants, a soft orange v-neck shirt, her favorite Italian boots, and her reddest lipstick. "Gentlemen, I give you the Queen of Halloween." Meri announced as Addy emerged from her room, ready to be dragged to the party.

"Orange is not my color." she muttered mutinously, still trying to think of a reason to stay home. "Redheads can't wear orange." It was weak at best. Her mother looked absolutely radiant in orange.

"Give up Adrienne, you're being kidnapped and that's that." Meri insisted, handing Addy a light black jacket to tie together her whole halloween-themed ensemble. "Now let's go."

There was nothing else Addy could do except stop by the front door to put on her tracking bracelet and inform her team of where she was planning to go so that they could station guards at all the necessary checkpoints. Once the four of them were out in the crisp night air, walking from streetlight to streetlight on their way to the park, Addy was glad she'd been dragged away from her studies. If she failed her test, she could always tell the people of Illéa to blame Meri.

At the entrance to the big park in the middle of campus, students were manning a booth where they handed out glow-in-the-dark necklaces, bracelets, and packets with additional glowing jewelry that they ordered Addy not to open on pain of death. Addy grinned as Meri crowned her with an orange glow necklace and then Addy crowned Meri with a purple one. When everyone in their group was sufficiently lit up, and they all had their unopened packets, they joined the rest of the student body in the park for some carnival games and snacks.

Kile and Luke waited in line for little round cinnamon doughnuts and paper cups of apple cider, and Addy and Meri waited in line for caramel popcorn. The four of them reunited at a wooden bench nearby and shared their bounty. That's where Meri's boyfriend met up with them, fresh from a stand selling chicken tenders.

Luke had never had chicken tenders before, and his delight was more than enough to entertain the group. By the end of their impromptu junk food dinner, he had a new favorite dish.

Their finger food meal was rushed so that they could participate in the main event of the evening, the reason everyone had gathered in the park after dark on Halloween. A stage had been erected next to Gregory Illéa's statue, large speakers placed on either side and a slew of abandoned instruments set up in the middle.

A student with a bullhorn jumped up on that stage and called everyone to gather around. Addy and her friends joined the hundreds of students packing the space. Excitement was palpable in the air, and Addy caught herself smiling the biggest she'd smiled in months.

The student on the stage, who Addy now recognized as the president of the senior class, raised the bullhorn back to his mouth and said, "Welcome to the 10th annual Kings University Halloween Zombie Hide and Seek Tournament!"

The crowd of students cheered, and Addy joined in with a laugh.

"In a minute, I'm going to be blindfolded and I'm going to count to sixty. All of you will run and hide anywhere in the park. If you leave the park, no one will come looking for you and you'll be hiding in a bush all night for no reason." he warned them, and was rewarded with a few knowing laughs in the crowd. Apparently, such a thing had happened in recent memory.

"For the purposes of this game, I am a zombie." he continued. "Whoever I find will also become a zombie and join me in my quest to turn every student on campus into a mindless, brain-eating monster!" he laughed as a few overly-hyped first years squealed loudly at the prospect. "When you walked in, you were all handed a packet with a red glow necklace inside that you didn't activate. Once you're found by a zombie, pop that necklace and put it on. Everyone with a red necklace is part of our undead hoard. Got it?"

He was greeted with agreement from the students.

"The rules are simple, zombies can't use flashlights and must wear their red necklaces so that they can be recognized. In return, the living can't take off their glow necklaces or bracelets so that zombies have a chance of finding them sometime before sunrise. The game is over when the last human is turned into a zombie, and that person gets a coupon for a free ice cream cone from the dining hall, another coupon for half-off at the diner, but mostly lots and lots of fame and glory. Once we're all zombies, the monster ball will begin so don't hide too well!"

The student set aside his bullhorn and wrapped a large blindfold decorated with jack-o-lanterns around his eyes, tying it tight. He groped around for the bullhorn for a moment and then raised it back up to his mouth. "Ready? Set?" and then he started slowly counting to sixty.

Addy and her friends figured they'd have a much easier chance to survive until the end if they split up. That way when a zombie found one of them, it wouldn't find all of them. Addy dashed as fast as she could, grateful she'd spent so many mornings jogging with the guards, and once she was in an out-of-the-way corner of the park, she launched herself up a tree.

She figured she still had a few seconds before the first zombie began to infect others, so she wiggled around to a part of the tree that still had a good amount of leafs on it. They were orange and red, but that matched her shirt and hair, so she thought it was pretty good camouflage. She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets to keep her fingers warm, but it had the unexpected benefit of hiding her glow-in-the-dark bracelets. It wasn't really cheating, she figured, because she was technically still wearing them.

That's when the first shriek rang out across the quiet park full of hiding students. Someone had been found and turned. Addy laughed as silently as she could when, about twenty seconds later, she heard a loud roar from the other side of the park and lots of laughter. The undead were adding to their hoard.

Despite the total silliness of the game, Addy felt her breath hitch with anticipation when she spied a red necklace twenty yards away from her. Whoever it was, though, they didn't think to look up high enough, or stare for long enough, to find her orange crown glowing through the branches.

More and more screams of discovered students turned into giggly growls as zombies slowly began to outnumber the living. The park was much louder now that more people were out of their hiding spaces and moving around, which allowed Addy the freedom to breathe a little easier without having to worry about being heard. She even sneezed once, and was sure she'd be discovered immediately, but no one came to claim her.

Addy didn't know how long she'd been hiding in her tree, maybe twenty minutes, maybe more like thirty. She was just congratulating herself on finding the perfect hiding spot when a red necklace came shambling down the walkway, then paused and turned her direction.

Addy tried to keep as still as possible, adrenaline bursting into her bloodstream even though this was just a game, when she heard a laugh she'd have known anywhere.

"Luke! Don't turn me!" she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

Luke laughed again, "Ah but Princess, I have a hunger for brains." he began climbing the tree to join her. "And you see, yours are by far the best brains on campus."

Addy pouted, "How did you find me?"

"I'm simply that good at game theory." he preened.

"Really?"

"No. We used to climb trees together every time you came to London." he reminded her.

"So? This park is full of trees."

"I saw you head off this direction, and I knew you were wearing your necklace as a rather fiery crown. That really helped."

"That should be cheating." Addy griped.

"You really don't want to become a zombie? You'd rather sit up here on that cold, hard tree branch all evening?"

Addy swung her legs, "I like my tree branch."

Luke sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree so that he was reclined next to her. "Alright then. We'll just wait here."

"Isn't this cheating?"

"We're wearing our glowing jewelry. We're still in the park." Luke shrugged, "Those were the only rules. Nothing says I have to eat your yummy, brilliant brains just because I found you."

Addy grinned over at him, "If you were really a zombie, would you eat my brains?"

"No."

"Too hard-headed?" Addy joked.

Luke shook his head ruefully, "There is nothing, no force either natural or supernatural, that could ever compel me to turn against you, Adrienne. It is so impossible, it beggars even the most expansive imagination."

Surely Addy had been struck by lightning. Surely every hair on her head was standing straight up, just as goosebumps had gathered to cover her arms, blessedly hidden from view by her jacket. She couldn't even blink as his words swirled through her mind making figure eights, always returning to start all over again just as they finished, but twisting in the middle to keep her off-kilter and unable to fully digest them.

At his birthday party two years earlier, the night he'd all but confessed that he had feelings for her, Addy had stopped him because she couldn't bear to lose him. If their relationship had unraveled and imploded like Astra and Andrew's then she'd have lost the most precious thing she possessed, the special connection she and Lucas had always shared.

Luke remembered too. After a year and a half, he'd rehearsed what he should have said that night, and now she'd been foolish enough to give him an opening to say it.

"Oh yeah?" Addy swallowed hard.

"Yeah." he insisted matter-of-factly.

Addy knew better, though. There was nothing, nothing in the world that she couldn't destroy if left to her own devices, even her relationship with Lucas. She knew better than to trust herself with something so irreplaceable. Addy knew she was fully capable of becoming, herself, the greatest disaster of all time. Look at what she'd done to Weaver. Look at what she'd done to Martin. Look at what she'd done to her own public reputation. She hadn't even come into her full power as Queen, and she already had a body count. All she needed was to let her guard down for a second and Hurricane Adrienne would leave no survivors in her wake.

"I think if I win this way, the students will protest." Addy said, hearing her voice from a thousand miles away.

"I should go ahead and bite you then?" Luke asked, as if completely unaware of the effect his earlier words had had over her. As if they'd been talking about the weather or joking about their dads.

"Yes, I think so."

"Alright then Princess Adrienne, it's time to join the ranks of the undead." Luke leaned forward and tapped her shoulder gently to officially claim her as a zombie, and then he began climbing back down the tree. "Kile's off looking for Meri and Trevor. We could go and help him."

"No, I want Meri to win!" Addy insisted, beginning her own descent.

"Fine, then let's go hunt down as many of her competitors as we can find." Lucas agreed easily, stopping at the base of the tree and turning around to help Addy down the final few feet.

The leap down from the tree was fine, except that Addy felt like she was still falling well after her feet hit the ground. It took a moment for her to realize that that was because Luke still had his hands on her hips and the firm but gentle pressure of his grip had made her stomach swoop. It didn't help at all when next his fingers brushed gently against her collarbone as he activated her red glow necklace.

"There." Luke said softly, his warm breath puffing against her forehead, "Now we can begin your reign of terror."

Addy gulped hard, absolutely furious at herself. Her heart was racing, her cheeks were burning, and her palms were all sweaty. How could her idiot heart possibly be this stupid?! What was it about this dumb boy? What was it about sneaking away for a moment alone, at night, outside by the light of the moon? Her stupid, thundering, moronic heart could behave itself and beat at a normal pace through every other confluence of circumstance but this.

This wasn't just betrayal, it was treason. It threatened Illéa's entire alliance with England, which technically made her heart an enemy of the state.

"Let's try this direction." Lucas suggested, pointing off to a relatively quiet part of the park full of bushes as Addy resolved that she would never allow herself to be alone, outdoors, at night with Lucas ever, ever again in her life.

"Sounds good." Ever.

"What's your best zombie growl, Princess of the Death Walkers?"

Addy gave it her best shot, though the louder she got, the higher her pitch needed to go. Luke laughed with his full chest.

"What?" Addy demanded, wounded.

"You sounded more like a mewling kitten than any kind of monster I've ever heard of. Adorable."

"No, I'm scary." Addy seethed, but at least her breath was returning to normal now that their moment at the tree had passed.

From down the walkway, Zombie Kile waved to them.

"Any idea if Meri and Trevor have been turned yet?" Luke asked as they approached.

"No idea. I guess we should just patrol around until we run into them?"

"Okay, but we can't turn them. I want Meri to win." Addy insisted for Kile's benefit.

Kile rolled his eyes, "If we turn them, I'll buy Meri an ice cream and a burger, it's not that good of a prize."

"It's about the glory, Kile! Don't you know anything?" Addy complained.

"Fine." Kile laughed at how important this silly game had become to her, especially when they'd had to drag her from her house to participate in the first place. He easily gave in to the whims of his future queen, just as he would do thousands of times in the years to come.

The three of them patrolled the park as it continued to grow lousier with zombies. Addy even got to turn a few students who did not look at all disappointed to get tagged by the Party Princess of Illéa. It wasn't so bad being a zombie when she was with her friends, all things considered.

They finally found Meri and Trevor hiding out behind the cabin where the groundskeepers kept their tools. Addy was scandalized to discover Meri with her back against the cool bricks, hands on Trevor's waist under his shirt, in the middle of a prolonged make out session.

"America Grace Leger!" Addy scolded as Kile hid his eyes, making a face like he was fake-puking, and Luke squirmed a little in proper English discomfort at the display of affection.

"Is it over? Who won?" Meri asked, looking dazed and oxygen deprived.

"Give me your necklace, I'm turning you into a zombie right this second." Addy demanded with a petulant little stomp of her foot. "You were supposed to be hiding separately! Now you're both out."

Meri offered Trevor a wicked grin that told Addy that they did not care about the game in the slightest.

Addy activated their red necklaces with malice and then handed them back. "If all you wanted was to kiss your boyfriend tonight we could have stayed home!"

Meri rolled her eyes and put on her necklace, then said, "Of course that's not all I wanted. You're being silly."

Addy knew that was true, but she also felt strangely scorned. If her best friend was going to hide with anyone, why not hide with her? Didn't she and Trevor spend enough time together? Addy and Meri only saw each other a couple of times a week because their class schedules were so different, and once Addy graduated next semester they would only see each other on holidays when Meri came home to visit her family. Everything was about to change for them forever, and all Meri wanted to do was put Trevor's tongue in her mouth.

"Come on. I'm sure the game's almost over by now." Meri grabbed Trevor's hand, then grabbed Addy's hand and led them all back to the center of the park where the concert would begin as soon as the last human had been found.

"Were you kissing that whole time?" Addy asked, anger replaced now by reluctant curiosity.

"Of course not, silly. We were hiding for half an hour, if we'd been kissing that whole time our lips would have fallen off with exhaustion."

This made Addy feel strangely better. Meri hadn't abandoned Addy for kissing. Kissing hadn't been the intention when Meri and Trevor had gone into hiding, it had just been something they decided to do to pass some of the time while they waited to be discovered.

"Well, don't make a habit of it. Your dad is not ready to be a grandpa." Addy warned.

Meri laughed at Addy and said, "Baby bird I don't know how to tell you this, but kissing is not what makes dads into grandpas."

Addy laughed too.

Even though she was missing the palace Halloween party for the second year in a row, Addy couldn't remember having a more fun Halloween. When the last human was found and given their coupons and praise, the band that started playing was sufficiently loud and had sufficient rhythm that their amateur mistakes went completely unnoticed by the crowd. The zombie ball began.

There was no ballroom dancing in elegantly designed gowns that doubled as costumes, it was just Addy and her friends jumping around in park on a dark, cold night. But it was the most carefree she'd seen Luke since before he'd come to Illéa to study, Meri radiated happiness completely separate from the plastic glowing jewelry she wore on her head and neck, and even serious, practical Kile looked like he would just as soon have tomorrow never come.

"We should do one of these at the Palace during the Halloween ball." Addy shouted over the music to Meri, who was bobbing next to her.

"Yes Addy! That would be so much fun!"

It would be fun, but it would never be the same. Addy might live for another 100 years but she would never be this young again; surrounded by her friends and separated from her responsibilities, with all of her biggest personal life choices and her entire reign ahead of her. That night would become one of her very happiest memories from her time at university, and all future incarnations of the zombie ball at the Palace would be a sentimental echo of what she was experiencing right then. Addy realized with a jolt as she looked between the faces of Lucas, who would be moving back to England for the rest of his life in the spring, Kile, who would be following Astra to cities around the country and designing amazing, iconic buildings everywhere he went, and Meri, whose entire future was still a blank page of exciting possibilities far away from Illéa Palace, that she was jumping up and down in the middle of the good old days.


Fridays were Addy's favorite day of the week this semester, because by sheer coincidence she didn't have any classes that day. Originally she'd planned to use this day to work on projects or catch up on homework, but recently she'd started cramming all of that into a really late Thursday night so that she could have all of Friday to herself to do whatever she wanted, or even to do nothing at all and just laze around in her pajamas all day.

On one particular Friday in the middle of November, Addy awoke just as the sun began to turn the sky blue. She hurried into her running clothes and joined Luke's guards on a run through campus. Everything was quiet, most of the students were still sound asleep, and it had rained the night before so there were little ice crystals everywhere, making the whole world sparkle. It seldom got this cold in the part of Angeles where Addy had grown up, and it almost never rained. She was glad she hadn't overslept and missed this.

Her lungs burned with the sharp, cold air but when she made it back to her house she felt completely invigorated. She took a long hot shower and then headed back out to the now awakening campus to find breakfast.

She was just deciding between a cheese bun and an egg bagel at the bakery, having already placed her coffee order, when the captain of her guard walked through the door and approached her. Addy checked that her tracking bracelet hadn't fallen off, but the silver bird charm that matched the necklace her mother had given her was still in tact. What could this be about?

"Apologies, your Highness." Officer Huang lowered his chin just a bit in lieu of a bow. Addy was glad, she'd die of embarrassment if any other students caught someone bowingto her. "Your mother called the house a few minutes ago and has asked that you return her call as soon as possible." Before Addy could panic, Huang continued, "She asked us to stress that this is not an emergency, she just wants to speak with you."

Addy wondered for a heart-stopping moment if there was another scandal, but what could that scandal even be? Addy hadn't stepped a baby toe out of line since being allowed to finish her education after last time. And last time, her mom had come all the way out to campus to tell her the news in person.

Addy chose the cheese bun with bacon crumbles inside and took her breakfast back to her house. She hurried up the stairs and waved to Lucas, who was in the kitchen warming up beans for his toast over the stove. She took off her jacket, nibbled on her cheese bun, and dialed the number for her mother's direct telephone line.

"Hello?" her mom answered almost immediately.

"Hey Mom, is everything okay?"

"Everything is wonderful, Sweetheart. I tried not to scare you with my message. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I wasn't scared." Addy knew her mom knew she was lying.

"I just wanted to let you know that Aunt May is having her baby."

Addy breathed in so fast she choked on a crumb of bacon. America giggled as she waited to find out if the heir to Illéa would be assassinated by her own breakfast. Addy took a long swig of her hot, cinnamon-flavored coffee to clear her throat. "Mom, that's amazing!"

"Amazing doesn't begin to cover it. The doctor thinks her labor started this morning, really only a few hours ago, so we should have a long time until the baby is born."

"How is she? Is she okay?"

"She's doing great. She's much less worried than all of us are."

"What is she doing now? I mean, I know you liked to work when you were having Lief—"

"Well, it helps to have something else to think about. You don't want to let yourself get too anxious about everything." America explained herself. "Aunt May is already in the hospital wing so that she can have her heart monitored properly."

"Oh."

"She's not in too much pain yet, she's just bored and ready for the baby to be delivered and in her arms."

"Mom, this is crazy." Addy said. "Aunt May is having a baby! Now!"

Luke's stirring spoon clattered against his pan as he rounded on Addy, eyes wide. Addy nodded in his direction as the biggest grin spread across his face. For a moment, he didn't seem to know what to do with himself in his excitement. He paced around the kitchen, stuffed his hands in and out of his pockets, and then remembered that he was cooking and returned to the stove.

"I know exactly what you mean." Addy's mom sighed happily. "I'm going to sit with her for a little while and keep her and Ryland company. My first meeting isn't until this afternoon, so I've got some time."

"What about Lief and Rosie?"

"They're in lessons for the day, and Aunt Kenna's already here to lend a hand. We figure we'll tag in and out until May is sick of us."

"What can I do? How can I help?"

"You don't have to do anything, Bird, I know you're busy at school. I just wanted to update you."

"Well yeah, but Mom I'm not gonna be able to concentrate on anything else today. I've got to come back to the Palace and meet my new baby cousin!"

America's smile was evident in the sound of her voice, "Alright then. If you're sure, we'll send Uncle Carter to pick you up. But Addy, this baby may not even be born until tomorrow. This is May's first baby, it's going to take her body some time."

"If I'm there then I can watch the Littles and you and Aunt Kenna can both be there to support Aunt May at the same time. Even if that's the only way I can actually help her, I've got to do it. Mom, she's having a baby!" Addy repeated for emphasis, as if her mom didn't understand the concept.

America laughed, "You are such a good girl, Bird. I'll see you when you get home. I love you."

Addy hung up the phone and sank down at the kitchen table in a daze. Luke joined her there with his tea and toast.

"What do you think having a baby feels like?" Luke asked, just as gobsmacked as Addy.

"Mom said it's kind of like cramps… but way, way worse."

Luke shrugged.

"Oh, right." Addy remembered that he'd have no way of knowing what cramps felt like. "You know after you workout when you have muscles so sore you have to limp around? I guess it's sort of like that in your stomach, in a way…"

"What? I had no idea." Lucas was disturbed. "And this happens every month?"

"Oh yeah, I guess you don't have any sisters." Addy shook her head at his blissful ignorance and sipped her warm coffee, "You're so lucky that you don't have to have cramps."

"Apparently."

"The thing is, sometimes cramps are so bad that they make you vomit. Sometimes the pain is so bad, it makes you dizzy. I can't even imagine worse than that…"

Luke looked deadly serious now, "She'll have medications though, won't she? The doctors will ease her pain?"

Addy tilted her head to the side, "Yeah, I think so. I know my mom didn't use any pain medicines when she had Lief or Rosie, but that was because she had a bad reaction to them when she had Maisy. It didn't have anything to do with her heart condition, so I bet Aunt May will be able to try them."

Luke sipped his tea, "I think your mother is stronger than anyone gives her credit for, do you know that?"

Addy thought about everything she'd learned about her mother since first watching her dad's Selection tapes. "Yeah, you're probably right."


When Addy arrived at the Palace, her mother greeted her in the kitchens with a sandwich and some sliced apples for the two of them to share.

"Any baby yet?" Addy asked hopefully.

"Not yet. Not even close." America giggled.

"How's Aunt May doing?"

"She's healthy. Her doctors have made a plan and if her heart starts to show any signs of struggling, they'll take her in for an operation."

"That sounds scary."

"They know what they're doing. Aunt May has a team of specialists who have helped with very complicated, high-risk births before. Aunt May is an easy case for them."

"Good." Addy took her half of the sandwich and took a bite. As she chewed, she studied her worried mother. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"Hm? Oh! No, Bird. Aunt May is doing great. She's just… she's starting to feel it, that's all."

"Starting to feel it?" Addy asked, confused. "What? The baby?"

"Labor. It's getting harder for her to keep a straight face during her contractions. This part can be really scary, because the pain moves much faster than the baby does."

"Well Mom, you can go be with her. I can eat lunch by myself." Addy pointed out, taking a sip of the lemon tea her mother had made for them.

America shook her head, "I really do have to get back to work… unless…" America looked over at Addy hopefully, "Bird, do you think there's any way that you could be me today? I had Silvia move everything to Monday that she possibly could, so it shouldn't be too overwhelming for you."

"You want to know if I can be queen for the day?" Addy asked, grinning sardonically. "Yeah Mom, Illéa's in really bad shape if I can't pull that off at this point."

America set aside the food she'd hardly touched and rounded the table to squeeze her daughter in a tight hug. "Thank you. Oh, Addy… you've just given me the greatest, most irreplaceable gift…"

"I have one condition though." Addy said in a serious tone of voice.

"Oh?" America knew better than to take her at her tone.

"Finish your lunch. I know you probably skipped breakfast once you found out the baby was coming, and I know you won't leave Aunt May's side again until after the baby's born."

America grinned and began hurriedly shoveling food into her mouth like the former Five she was.

There was just enough time after lunch for Addy to stop by and visit Aunt May and Uncle Ryland. Aunt Kenna had stepped out to eat her own lunch and update Magda, so it was just the four of them in there.

Aunt May looked gorgeous with her red hair in a messy bun, her smile was warm when she spotted Addy in the doorway. Uncle Ry looked like a nervous wreck, but he was smiling too. Addy hugged Aunt May and then perched on the bed beside her and squeezed her hand.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I'm having a baby." Aunt May shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm glad you decided to come home, though. You're gonna look great in the pictures your dad takes of you holding the new baby. I just hope you get to meet that baby tonight and not tomorrow." she shuddered at the thought of not having the baby until tomorrow.

"Mom said they might give you a surgery? Would that help or hurt?"

"Both." Aunt May shrugged. "If they took me back for surgery now, the baby could be here within the hour. But it's not necessarily what's best for me, longterm. Recovering from surgery is really hard, and getting cut open is not exactly gentle on the heart. I'm just gonna do whatever the doctors tell me and not worry about it."

"You have enough to be worrying about right now." Uncle Ry agreed, placing his hand on her stomach and rubbing it soothingly.

Aunt May tightened her grip on Addy's hand just a little and winced hard, clasping her other hand on top of Uncle Ryland's.

Uncle Ry glanced up at the clock, "Ten minutes. That's the fastest contraction yet."

They sat there for a long moment, Addy gently stroking Aunt May's hand with her thumb, America soothingly rubbing the top of Aunt May's back, and Uncle Ry softly massaging Aunt May's stomach. After a long moment of studying her face almost unblinkingly, Uncle Ry whispered softly, "Breathe baby."

Aunt May let out a frustrated huff of air that she'd been holding in her chest, then gasped in a little moan of pain. Addy supposed, under the circumstances, that counted as breathing.

America perched at the top of the bed near Aunt May's head and continued gently rubbing her upper back, ready to distract her from the pain. "I have some good news, May. Adrienne is going to take over my schedule for the day. I get to stay right here with you for as long as you want me."

Aunt May gasped in another breath and turned to look up at America with wide eyes, "Really?"

America pressed a kiss to the top of May's head, "That's right."

Aunt May breathed in through her nose, then slowly out through rounded lips.

"Better now?" Uncle Ry asked.

"Ugh…" Aunt May waited another few moments and then replied, "Yes, better. Am I crazy or was that one longer?"

"Maybe just a little longer," Ry allowed. "Definitely worse though."

"Yeah." Aunt May sighed and relaxed back on her pillows. She gave Addy's hand a little squeeze of gratitude. "Sorry Bird, we thought we had more time before the next one."

"That's okay." Addy promised her. "I don't like seeing you in pain, but it doesn't scare me. I did this with Mom when Rosie was born, remember?"

"Yes I do." Aunt May shook her head, still catching her breath now that breathing was easier. "I was so mad that I was traveling for that."

America stood up and moved behind Addy, wrapping her arms around her daughter from behind and squeezing, "That was the last time I was in this room."

"Me too." Addy said, looking around slowly. She'd been so focused on her mom that she hadn't noticed the windows or the sofa on the far wall last time. Had there been flowers on the nightstands then too?

"Yeah, this room isn't a place I'd want to visit too often." May complained. "Labor hurts. I can't believe you did this five times, Ames, you're a mad woman. Don't get me wrong, the kids are great, but sheesh." May rubbed her belly, wounded just thinking about it.

America chuckled, but she checked her wristwatch from her view over Addy's shoulder and sighed, "You need to head up and check in with Silvia so that she can get you ready for the meeting. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, it's really no problem." Addy promised. "I'm just glad I can do something useful. I'd be losing my mind if I couldn't find a way to help right now."

Uncle Ryland stood up and stretched, "Your ice chips are melting, Beautiful. I'll make my hourly visit to the outside world to get you a refill."

"Thank you." May smiled weakly up at him. "Don't rush, we've got ten minutes and Ames isn't going anywhere now. Enjoy your break."

Ry winked at her, then paused near Addy. America released her firstborn so that Ryland could have a turn hugging her. "Thank you for your help, Addy. Seriously. May and I have never been through this before, and your mom is such a pro… everything feels better and calmer and safer with her around."

"Just remember this when my birthday rolls around next month." Addy teased.

"We will." Ryland promised with a laugh, and then went to enjoy a few minutes out of the hospital room.

"Is there anything else I can do for you before I go?" Addy asked, leaning down to kiss Aunt May on the cheek. "I might not get to see you again until you're a mom!"

Aunt May smiled, "You've already given me unlimited time with my big sister. That's something I haven't gotten since before she entered your dad's Selection, and I'm getting it right when I need her the most."

Addy smiled and stood up, "Okay then. Good luck."

America kissed Addy on the forehead one more time and then sat down at the end of May's bed and started giving her a foot massage as they made fun of Maxon to take their mind off of the countless contractions still to come.

As Addy slowly, quietly closed the door behind her, she wondered if she'd ever get the chance to be a calming presence for Maisy, Rosie, Astra, or Meri if they ever had children in the future. Would her job as queen make her miss out, just like it had almost driven her mom away? As she headed off toward her mom's office, she began counting all the people she'd have in her life to help her on those days. A husband who she planned to choose explicitly for his ability to be a good Prince consort, Jamesy who could certainly be deputized to make decisions in her absence, and even Maxon who could come out of retirement for a few meetings if Addy begged him hard enough. Anyway, Addy figured her mom owed her one now. If her sisters needed her, their family would find a way for her to be there for them.


Addy listened to reports from a few of her mom's charities and thanked them for their work. They told her how much money they would like for the next year, and she told them when to expect word from the Queen's office about funding. Addy and Aunt Silvia got to go down to the kitchens and try a few dishes that the Head Chef was proposing for Addy's birthday party, which barely counted as work in Addy's mind. Addy really liked the spicy noodle dish, but Silvia suggested that eating noodles in a ballgown might be difficult. They went for a less drippy option: a prime cut of steak, goat cheese potatoes au gratin, and a bittersweet kale salad.

Addy had a particularly long call with the governor of Carolina, during which Addy's job was to take notes for her mother to read updating her on the state of the province. Apparently, they were concerned about flooding come the spring, having already had heavy snowfall this early in the winter season. Addy reassured the governor that they would have all of the resources that they needed to deal with whatever was to come. She knew it's what her mom would have said.

When the call was done and Aunt Silvia was done lavishing her with praise, there was a knock at the door that led to the King's office, and then the doors opened up to reveal Addy's dad. He looked tired, but happy to see her. "What a joy to hear your voice through these walls all afternoon, Bird."

"Dad!" Addy leapt up from her mom's chair and hurried over to hug her father.

Maxon chuckled, "I thought you'd grown out of running across the room to hug me when you saw me. I ought to send Jamesy and Maisy off to university, too. Then maybe they'd appreciate me again."

Addy rolled her eyes at her father's dramatics, but it was true that she appreciated her time with him even more now that she sometimes went all month without seeing him.

"At least Rosie and Lief still love me. Three out of five is more or less a win."

Addy ignored his demands for more affection from her teenaged siblings, "Are you done with work?"

"I am, barring some kind of emergency. What about you?"

Addy turned to Aunt Silvia, who was still standing from the curtsey she'd sunk into when Maxon entered the room. "That was the last meeting on the Queen's agenda for today." Aunt Silvia announced.

Addy turned back to her dad with a grin, "We're free."

Maxon returned her smile, but then turned to Silvia and said, "Have a wonderful weekend, Lady Silvia. Try to steal Gavril's newspapers and burn them so that he can actually enjoy a couple of days off."

"Yes, your Majesty." Aunt Silvia curtseyed again and this time she left the room.

Maxon laughed, "She used to drive your mom crazy when they first met, did you know that?"

"To be fair, I'm sure Mom did her fair share of the driving." Addy teased.

Maxon nodded, clearly grinning at a memory Addy did not have, "Now I don't think one could survive without the other. They've both changed so much since they met. During my father's reign, breaking protocol in a way that embarrassed the King could have gotten people killed. Silvia was a real stickler, even more than she is now, and your mom… well, she's your mom."

"Oh no." Addy giggled.

"Oh yes. But once I became king, the penalties for breaking protocol became much more lax. Now we really only worry about it when we have visitors. Your Aunt Silvia was able to become more lenient after that. Plus, she grew to love your mom and she's absolutely mad about you kids. Not to mention, I think Gavril really had a hand in softening her, too… she never would have consented to an office romance if her heart had given her any choice in the matter…"

Addy tried not to think about her English roommate, because having something like this in common with her Aunt Silvia was not an option. "You're all sentimental, Dad." Addy teased him to distract herself.

"I suppose I am. We're finally getting a brand new Palace baby after a long, long wait. I've been thinking about the day all of you Palace kids were born, and the day I met Astra, since I woke up this morning. I'm extremely happy and extremely nostalgic."

"Well come on, let's go pick up the old Palace babies from lessons and let them run around the tree castle to get some energy out before dinner."

Maxon nodded, then said, "I'll meet you out there. I'd like to stop by the hospital wing and get an update on how May is doing. I'm sure your mother has everything well in hand, not to mention May's medical team, but I just…"

"I get it, Dad. I made Uncle Carter drive to school and back to bring me home so that I wouldn't have to sit still at a time like this."

Maxon chuckled and pressed a kiss to Addy's head. "You get that from me, there's no question."


Addy played with Rosie and Lief outside for an hour, joined halfway through by their dad. Jamesy and Maisy added to the crew when it was time to eat dinner. For family time, they watched a brand new movie in the Palace movie theater. Lief and Rosie were especially excited for this new release because they'd seen an advertisement for it while they were out at a fundraising event with America earlier that month. They wiggled excitedly in their seats, Lief's legs barely able to touch the ground and Rosie's nowhere close, until the music started and the lights all around them dimmed. To celebrate the new baby (and because America was busy helping May deliver that baby and wasn't there to object), everyone got to eat chocolate instead of popcorn for their movie snack.

Later, when the film was done and the sugar high had worn away, Addy gave Rosie a nice long bath, though Rosie was old enough now that Addy mostly just sat on the edge of the tub and made sure none of the necessary steps were skipped. Rosie reenacted the high points of the movie plot with a rubber ducky and a pile of bubbles, and Addy liked Rosie's dialogue better than the real writing.

"Be gone, you mean bad guy!

Never! I'm too strong and you can't fight me.

Oh yes I can. And your mommy is mad at you!

No she's not!

Yes huh, you're in big trouble! You're going to be grounded!"

Before university, Addy would often help Lief out with bath time too. Now Lief bathed entirely independently, and he was a strong enough reader that he tucked himself into bed with his favorite children's chapter book a full half hour before bedtime. Maxon missed reading his youngest son bedtime stories and hated that if he went in for a bedtime kiss, Lief would complain the whole time that Maxon was interrupting a good part of the story. At least Maxon and Addy still had Rosie to snuggle at night.

"I think we should stay up to meet the baby." Rosie negotiated with her father as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and tucked her into her soft, fluffy blankets.

"We don't know if the baby will come tonight or in the morning." Maxon reminded her.

"I'm sure the baby will be ready tonight." Rosie insisted.

"Oh? Have you and the baby spoken about its plans?" Maxon smirked.

"Dad…" Rosie rolled her eyes dramatically at his joking, a bad habit she'd learned from Maisy, who'd learned it from Addy, who'd learned it from Astra, who'd learned it from television. It was enough to make Maxon want to ban all television.

"Instead of being tired and grumpy tonight, and then tired and grumpy all day tomorrow, I think it would be way more fun to get some sleep tonight and then have a nice breakfast with Aunt May, Uncle Ry, and the new baby." Addy encouraged. "Kind of like Christmas."

Rosie considered her sisters words carefully, "Time moves much faster when I'm sleeping."

"Exactly."

"So really, the fastest way to meet the baby is to sleep." Rosie realized in awe.

Maxon grinned back at Addy in gratitude, then pressed one last kiss to Rosie's cheek, "Exactly right, Bud."

"Huh." Rosie said. "Well okay, goodnight."

"Don't you want a bedtime story?" Addy offered.

"No, I want to sleep so time can go fast." Rosie said, squeezing her eyes shut tight to help herself sleep faster.

"Okay then." Addy realized she was out of luck; no little children wanted bedtime stories tonight. She bent down and placed a soft kiss on her little sister's golden hair. "Have happy dreams and before you know it, it will be time to hold the baby."

Rosie was smiling, still squeezing her eyes closed hard when Maxon shut the door to her bedroom with a soft click.

The waiting area in the hospital wing of the Palace was clean and well-furnished, as it usually only housed royals and dignitaries awaiting news of other royals and dignitaries. It didn't have the familiar touches of the family room in the King and Queen's suite, but there were enough Singers and Schreaves setting up camp there to give it the same function.

Addy and Astra played cards with Astra's little brother Leo, Gramma Magda, and Uncle Gerad. Leo's twin brother Rogan sat by a window with Maisy and Jamesy and they talked animatedly about sports, films, and the future of sports and films. Maxon and James paced, brows furrowed, wishing they could communicate telepathically with their wives who were in the delivery room with May, Ryland, and the doctors.

There was much excitement in the waiting room when a nurse briefly emerged from down the hall to announce that May had begun pushing, the last step before the baby would finally be born and they could meet the brand new addition to their family. Addy checked the clock and saw that it was already well after midnight. It was nice to know the baby's birthday after all these months of waiting.

It seemed like ages from the nurse's announcement to the moment a doctor emerged from the delivery room and came down the hall to tell them all, "It's a healthy baby boy: seven pounds and eight ounces, twenty-one inches long."

The room cheered so loudly that Addy was certain Aunt May must have heard them all the way down the hall.

"And May? Is she well?" Maxon asked as soon as things were quiet enough that the doctor could hear him.

"Very well. Exhausted, but completely healthy. She's spending some time bonding with the baby as we speak."

Uncle James high-fived Gerad and Addy's dad wiped away a few tears as he thanked the doctor and hurried over to hug Magda.

"Congratulations, Gramma." he teased her.

"Nine times a grandmother, and if I'm lucky my Gerad will make it ten sometime soon."

"Mom," Gerad laughed loudly at her, "Wouldn't you like me to at least get married first?"

"Honey, I'm getting very old, I can't afford to be picky about that kind of thing anymore."

James laughed hard, still able to vividly remember how picky she'd been about America's marriage. "Don't let Ames hear how soft you've gotten, Mags. It's entirely unfair."

"Life is entirely unfair. The only good part is grandchildren." Magda proclaimed, though it was clear she was just a little silly and loopy because of the occasion.

Aunt Kenna and America emerged from the delivery room, both of them with flushed cheeks and took turns hugging everyone in the room.

"May was so strong." America declared from her place in Maxon's arms.

"Like her sister, then. It must run in the family." Maxon pressed a kiss to America's forehead.

"And the baby is perfect!" Kenna exclaimed, smothering each of her children with kisses. "You're not going to believe it when you see him. He looks like the absolute ideal model of a baby."

"Is he a redhead, Kenna?" Gramma Magda asked.

"He's bald." America grinned as she hugged Maisy. "Only the littlest wisps of colorless hair."

"Let's hope he outgrows that at some point." James joked.

Maxon seemed to remember himself suddenly and said, "Ames, Kenna, I've got dinner for the both of you. Come along, you must be famished."

"Maxon, you're an absolute prince." Kenna joked, eager for a good long meal and a rest after the day she'd had.

America stretched her arms up and her back creaked, worn out from the hours upon hours of leaning over May that day, then followed her sister and husband out of the waiting room and off to an empty hospital room nearby where Maxon had ordered the food to be set up.

Addy and Astra cuddled up on one of the sofas together, taking turns making each other yawn with their yawns and picking very silly names for their new cousin, "Bobert." Astra declared.

"Timoth-eww." Addy giggled deliriously.

"Grasshopper." Astra said.

"Bamboo."

"Sizzle."

"Are we just saying the first words that come into our heads now?" Addy asked.

Maisy joined them on the couch and ensconced herself in Addy's free arm, "I've got one. Zichael."

"Michael with a 'z'?" Astra checked.

"Yep."

"Love it. We're naming him Zichael." Astra declared.

"Who's going to break the news to Aunt May and Uncle Ry that we've named their brand new son Zichael?" Addy asked.

"Jameson." Maisy declared, and Addy laughed as her brother looked up from his conversation across the room at the sound of his name.

"What?"

"Nothing. You have to tell Aunt May and Uncle Ry that we've named their son."

"Did you name him Robot-baby?"

"Robot-baby!" Astra and Addy cried out at once, memories of a very silly movie they'd watched as children flooding back to them.

"That can be his middle name." Addy declared.

"Zichael Robot-baby Singer-Rivers." Maisy giggled.

"A shame he can never be king." Addy lamented.

"I'm sure you could find some way to heir him up." Leo encouraged her.

"Citizens of Illéa, I present to you your undoubted sovereign, King Zichael Robot-baby Singer-Rivers the First!" Addy mocked the voice that the Archbishop had used on the tapes of her father's coronation.

"I go away for ten minutes and you've given away the monarchy?" Maxon demanded, reappearing in the waiting room now that Kenna and America were settled in with their meals.

"To a worthy leader, you'll agree." Addy defended herself.

Maxon yawned widely and squeezed in, taking the last possible remaining sliver of sofa next to Astra. "I'm too tired to disagree. What is it you've named your cousin?"

"Zichael."

"Good God." Maxon chuckled, and it turned into another yawn, which set off a chain reaction of yawns throughout the room. "That's worse than Astra 2."

"What?" Addy asked as Astra giggled.

"Your original name." Maxon explained.

Addy laughed too. She couldn't remember ever staying up so late with her whole family like this, and they were all absolutely silly with exhaustion. Addy was angry at her past, morning-self for waking up almost twenty-four hours ago and going for that jog with Luke's guards. If she'd known what the day would have in store for her, she'd probably have slept in.

Leo, Rogan, and Jamesy had devolved into making silly noises from their spots, laying flat on the ground. No one had words anymore. Aunt Kenna and America were back from their dinner, but it was clear they had sleep on their minds.

"How much longer do you think?" Maisy asked her dad, bleary eyed from where she'd been dozing against her Uncle James' shoulder.

"Any minute now—" Maxon was interrupted by the sound of the door to the delivery room opening and Uncle Ry appearing. He looked twice as tired as they all felt. "Hey."

Everyone congratulated him, but no one quite made it up to stand and hug him.

"It would seem my son is a night owl." Ryland beamed with pride. "He's not even sorry that he made us all stay up so late for his arrival."

"Charlatan." Astra teased.

"Addy? May and I want to bring you in first."

"Really?" Addy was surprised. She'd been certain her grandmother or her uncles would get the first chance.

"Your mom and dad can come too, but this is our way of thanking you for helping us out so much today. For letting your mom be there to support us."

"Uncle Ry," Addy heaved herself up from her spot wedged tightly between Astra and Maisy, "You don't need to thank me. This is what families do for each other."

"Still."

Addy wasn't going to argue with the man if he wanted to give her baby time, so she allowed herself to be ushered into the delivery room by her mom and dad.

Aunt May lay in the bed exactly where Addy had seen her last, though her hair was considerably more frizzy now that she'd gotten completely sweat-soaked and then dried off again. "Hey Bird."

"Hi." Addy whispered, unsure whether the baby was awake or not. He laid peacefully on his mother's chest, tiny little fists balled up by his ears. "How are you feeling?"

"I have no words." May admitted. "I've never been this happy or this tired in my entire life. There's nothing that even comes close. Tomorrow, once I've slept, all that's left will be the happy."

Addy grinned at her aunt and tiptoed closer. "Can I kiss him?"

"Of course."

Addy pressed a soft kiss to his chubby little cheek, "He's amazing, Aunt May. Good job."

"Thanks. And thank you for taking over for your mom today. Having my sisters with me was an absolute lifesaver."

"I can't believe you made this whole person." Addy said, perching delicately on the bed next to her aunt.

"I bet he's got a great sense of humor." Aunt May wrinkled her nose down at her son.

"I'll bet he's an artist like his mom." Addy said, tracing a finger gently along the perfect, tiny ear on her cousin's head. He opened and closed his mouth a little at the contact and Addy swallowed a squeal of delight.

"Do you want to hold him?"

"Are you kidding?" Addy grinned at her aunt. Very carefully, Aunt May shuffled the baby boy into Addy's arms. "Hello sir." Addy cooed down at him. "What a refined gentleman you are." she kissed his forehead.

From across the room, Maxon held America tight in his arms as they watched this exchange. America rested her head sleepily on Maxon's chest, which rumbled pleasantly as he said, "Wait until you hear what the kids have named him."

"Astra 9?" May guessed.

"King Zichael Robot-baby Singer-Rivers the first." Addy announced.

"You made him king?" Ryland chuckled, taking a seat at the foot of May's bed.

"Dad won't mind, will you dad?" Addy joked, leaning back and forth to rock the baby to the motion of her body.

"I suppose I've no choice, really." Maxon chuckled.

"Well, it's not that you've chosen a terrible name—" May grinned.

"Though you have." Uncle Ryland clarified, and Addy pretended to be insulted on the baby's behalf.

"It's just that we've already got a name in mind." May said.

"Oh?" America asked, intrigued.

May met Ryland's eyes excitedly and Ry said, "We want his middle name to be after my dad, Raynor. He died when I was really little, and getting to have his name spoken all the time… it's kind of like getting a part of him back."

"What a wonderful name." America said in her most soothing tone of voice. "Raynor Rivers."

"Yeah." Ry agreed. "He was Ray and I was Ry…"

Maxon released his wife to join his brother, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, "He would be so damned proud of you, Ryland. You've become a good man, a wonderful husband, and now you're going to be a great father."

Ry stared at the baby in Addy's arms, swallowing hard a few times to try to clear the lump in his throat. Aunt May took over for her husband, "And for his first name, we want to honor someone really important in both of our lives. Someone whose impact on our family has given us more than we could have ever dreamed of, and more than we could ever repay." May paused for dramatic effect, even though Addy and America were both beaming at Maxon, fairly sure they knew where this was going. "Maxon Schreave, meet baby Maxwell."

Maxon's smile was immediate, but he shook his head as if in denial. America gently rubbed tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes with her thumbs, "Now you know how I felt when Aspen surprised me with Meri."

Maxon laughed at the memory, then hurried over to his daughter and his sister-in-law. "May, Ryland… dear God, I'm so honored."

Maxon rubbed Addy's back as he gently stroked the baby's forehead with his thumb, "Hello baby Maxwell."

"We're going to call him Max." Ryland said.

Maxon choked on a sob that could have been a laugh.

"Want to hold him, Dad?" Addy offered.

"Are you done?"

Addy nodded with a smile and handed the baby over to her dad who cradled his brand new namesake like the absolute pro he was.

"Hello baby Max." Maxon said softly. "Hi, I'm your uncle. I'm your Uncle Maxon. You and I are going to have a lot of fun in a few years, once I retire…" Maxon trailed off and looked up at Addy, dumbstruck.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"This baby… he won't remember me as king. To him, you'll be the only Queen he's ever known until well into his adult life."

Addy blinked, surprised. Then she said, "Well, Uncle Maxon is very old so that makes sense, baby Max."

"You're grounded." Maxon poked her, but he was glad she'd broken the tension with a joke. It was just the kind of thing he always did.

Aunt May laughed, and her laugh turned into a yawn.

"Come on." America snapped to life, "Let's get the rest of the family through so that Ry and May can get some sleep. We'll be back and pestering them with Lief and Rosie by breakfast."

Addy nodded. She pressed one more kiss to the baby in her dad's arms, then a kiss to her aunt's cheek, then a kiss to Uncle Ry's cheek. "Congratulations. See you tomorrow." and with that, she and America quietly left the room to round up the remaining Schreaves for their visit with the newest member of their family.


When Addy returned to campus to finish up the semester, she received weekly photographs of the new baby courtesy of her dad, sent along with a regularly scheduled delivery of paperwork for the guards so as not to waste Palace resources. Aunt May and Uncle Ry were waiting for their first Christmas photos as a family to tell the world that May had been pregnant and introduce the baby to the public, so Addy had pictures of a top secret little cutie on her dresser to make her smile as she got dressed every morning. It was torture that she didn't get to hold him again until she returned home for her birthday celebration. He was already a different baby by the time she got back, a nearly one-month-old man.

The moment she walked through the Palace doors, Addy made a beeline to Aunt May and Uncle Ryland's rooms. She needed to relieve the stress of her final exams and only chubby little baby cheeks could help. Addy stayed as long as possible, which gave Aunt May the chance to nap in the next room, and the rest of the Schreaves a perfect excuse to visit baby Max in the middle of a work and school day under the guise of greeting Addy. Best of all, Luke had to ride back to the Palace separately because he had an exam to finish, so they got to do it all over again the following day.

The only reason Luke had any experience around babies and small children whatsoever was because of the endless stream of Schreave babies that had visited his family through the years, but he still took all the advice he could get from Addy, the consummate big sister, about how to hold the little squirmer.

"How are you today, Mr. Max?" Luke asked, once the baby was situated in his arms.

The baby waved a fist in the air and drooled.

Addy laughed and used a nearby terrycloth towel to dab up the drool.

"Me too." Luke said. "I just finished a horrible exam. I'm so glad we're on holiday now. How about you? When do baby holidays begin?"

The baby yawned and stared deeply into Luke's blue eyes. Addy knew exactly why her baby cousin was so mesmerized. She often caught herself staring just a little too long at Luke's eyes, too.

"What does that mean?" Addy asked Luke to translate baby Max's actions for her.

"I think that means baby's don't get holidays. Can't take a break from responsibilities when your responsibilities are learning to hold your head up and making sure your parents don't forget about you for too long."

"Well that's no fun at all." Addy sympathized.

"We must shower him with toys." Luke concluded. "It's the only remedy."

"Don't worry, baby Max. Help is on the way." Addy brushed her thumb along the baby's cheek and Luke bounced him in his arms, cooing a little at him absentmindedly.

If Addy could have spent her entire birthday in Aunt May and Uncle Ryland's rooms, cuddling her new baby cousin and teaching Luke how to change diapers, she would have done it. Unfortunately for her, her eighteenth birthday was an even bigger event than usual. It marked the official countdown to the beginning of her Selection, and starting tomorrow the census of eligible young men would begin.

Addy did not have a cute baby to take her mind off of her anxieties up in her bedroom, sitting in her comfiest robe while Bridget worked on her hair. She did get a visit from an extremely hyper Maisy, however.

"Please Addy."

"No!"

"It'll go perfectly with my dress! Mom said I could!"

"Mom said you could ask me, and I'm saying no."

Maisy scowled, "Why not?!"

"It's a national treasure, Maisy, it's not an accessory."

"You got to wear it when you were younger than me." Maisy folded her arms.

Addy rolled her eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer for patience, "Not as a fashion statement! When I wore it was symbolic. It was Queen Amberly's tiara that the King made for her to wear before she was coronated, then Mom wore it between when Dad proposed to her and when she was coronated, and then I wore it when I turned thirteen to show that I was the next future queen."

"Oh, so only queens can wear that crown?" Maisy accused, eyes narrowed.

Addy blinked, "Uh, yeah? That's literally how crowns work?"

The injustice of being born third was too much to contain and Maisy squealed with frustration. "I'm telling Dad." she played the only card left in her deck.

"What?!"

"Dad says you're not allowed to pull rank on us, and you're pulling rank to stop me from wearing that tiara, so I'm telling."

"Grow up, Maisy!"

"You grow up!" Maisy stomped out of Addy's room.

Bridget, who'd done everything she could to avert her eyes and remain out of the conflict while Maisy was in the room, let out a stifled laugh now that they were alone.

"You both sound ridiculous, your Highness." she pointed out.

"She makes me crazy! I don't get it, none of the others get on my nerves like she does."

"She's your closest sister, that's how it works. Rosie's too little to step on your toes the way Maisy does. But it also means Maisy's going to be your fiercest ally when you're grown."

"Not necessarily."

"Trust me on this one." Bridget smiled knowingly. Addy knew Bridget had an older sister and was probably speaking from experience, but all Addy could do was hope Maisy would get sent to a soccer boarding school in the German Federation because this Palace wasn't big enough for both of them.

Addy waited, incensed, knowing what would come next. It only took a couple of minutes for her bedside phone to ring and her for her tired father to ask her to explain herself.

"Dad, Maisy is a princess with a palace full of tiaras at her disposal. She won't die if she can't use that exact one. Anyway, Mom told her to ask me and I have made my decision."

"Bird—"

She knew that reproachful tone well, "Dad, you can't undermine me on this. She needs to respect my decisions! How is this going to work once I'm Queen?"

"This isn't about respect and you know it."

"That tiara is only for future queens. If Maisy wears it, everyone's going to think she's jumped the line of succession or something!"

"No they won't."

"Dad!"

"Bird, why is it so important that you keep your sister from wearing that tiara? I don't understand."

"I am the oldest of five children, I have to share everything I own. Except, of course, for my burdens and my responsibilities, those are all mine. That tiara is the only thing I can think of that's for me. For the future queen."

Addy could hear her father rubbing his face on the other side of the line. "Consider her point of view, my love."

"I don't want to, it's my birthday." Addy knew she sounded closer to eight than eighteen years old when she said things like that, but she felt completely outnumbered now that it was clear her dad was on Maisy's side.

"Can you try to see that tiara, not as some symbol of sovereign power, but just as an heirloom passed down from your grandmother? Who was Maisy's grandmother too? Maisy has it in her head that if she can look perfect tonight, she might be able to steal a little of the light away from you and impress her friends."

"Is that supposed to be a good thing? She wants to steal attention on my birthday? Dad, come on."

"Think of how cold and dark it must be in your shadow, Adrienne. Jameson thrives in the shade, and Lief and Rosie are too young to feel it, but Maisy's at an age when she needs to feel seen in order to feel important."

"And she can't feel seen in any of the other crown jewels?" Addy grumbled.

"Come on, Bird. I know your mother and I ask a lot of you, and I promise we'll find something that you won't have to share. How about we host an enormous Selection and invite young men from all over the country to stay here just for you, and you won't have to share them with your sisters at all."

"Very funny Dad." Addy rolled her eyes. Some part of her must have known the Selection jokes were coming, because he and her mom still made jokes about his Selection all the time.

"Well?"

"Fine." Addy wilted in her chair. "Maisy can borrow the stupid tiara."

In the background, Addy heard Maisy start her celebration.

"Your mother and I owe you, Bird." Maxon thanked her.

"Yeah, yeah." Addy agreed sourly as they hung up. She knew it was the right thing to do, and the tiara wasn't that important to her, but being a good big sister was hard. It made her want to get in the car and go back to school, back to her house and her friends and away from any irritating sisters.

When Maisy returned to Addy's room it was so Bridget could help her attach the crown to her hair and Addy scowled menacingly from the corner as they did.

Then, just when Maisy was about to leave Addy's bedroom again, she paused in the doorway and stuffed her hands in her robe pockets, "I'm going down to the kitchens to sneak some mini quiche, do you want any?"

"Yeah, the spinach kind." Addy replied.

"'Kay." Maisy agreed, and with that offering of a cheesy snack on a stressful day, their feud was ended.


Maisy really did look beautiful that night as she entered the ball on Jamesy's arm, Maxon's golden daughter in a golden gown, with a golden tiara on her golden head. America and Maxon watched proudly from the foot of the stairs where they'd just finished making their grand entrance, and Lief and Rosie peeked through excitedly, little feet dancing in place, as they waited to make theirs. Addy, as usual, would be last.

Bridget and the maids who'd helped create Addy's birthday gown were planning for the future with this design. The dress was gorgeous, but purposefully girly. The pale pink skirt puffed out like a bell, and the bodice concealed every possible hint of cleavage at the top. Addy felt like Rosie's idea of a ballerina princess, but she tolerated the design choice because she knew what was awaiting her at her next birthday ball.

The year she became eligible for marriage, the night before the start of her Selection, Addy would emerge in a gown that was all woman. The contrast would be stark, and the message would be crystal clear: Adrienne Schreave would be ready to be a woman, a wife, and a queen. But for now, Addy enjoyed the soft hiss of tulle on her gown, the little accent roses on her skirt, the click of her short heels on the stairs as she made her grand entrance and everyone in the entire ballroom except for her father sank down into curtseys and bows to acknowledge her.

Addy's first dance with her father was perfect; he didn't miss a step and he beamed proudly down at her, soaking up the moment. Her dance with Jamesy was disorienting because he was finally taller than her and she realized unexpectedly that, though she'd always be his older sister, she'd never be his big sister again. Lief surprised her with a silly song for his dance, something he must have coordinated with their mother ahead of time. Addy was certain they'd charmed the Kingdom with that one: all silly twirls, exaggerated poses, and giggles. And finally, when the men in her family had all had their turn dancing with her, Lucas arrived for his dance one year late.

"Your Highness." he bowed his head. "May I have this dance?"

"Only if you beg for it." Addy tilted an eyebrow at him and smirked.

"Oh Adrienne the Magnanimous, shed the light of your mercy upon me—"

"Shut up." Addy giggled at his ham-handed begging, hoping no reporters had overheard, and accepted his hand. "Bask in the light of my mercy quietly."

The orchestra began to play and Addy blinked, surprised. She'd been expecting another generic song, but instead she heard the unmistakable opening notes of her favorite waltz. Addy laughed. It was only her favorite because, one summer when she was six or seven she'd begged her mother to teach her how to play it on the piano. After an hour Addy was able to plunk out the main notes with her two fingers, and she'd showed off her new skill to everyone in her family, and then most of the English royal family when she'd gone to visit them the next week. To this day, it was the only thing she could play on any instrument. Luke had only been eight or nine years old when she'd played this song until their little ears couldn't take it anymore. Apparently, she'd scarred him for life.

There was something about being known like that, in a world full of people who assumed they knew her just because they'd seen her face so much, that caused Addy to grin against her will. It was as if this was Luke's way of saying, you may be growing and changing but I still know you better than most people ever will.

Maybe she should kiss him.

No! Addy you idiot. She laughed out loud at herself. Having a crush on a childhood friend was the most generic, bland thing she'd ever done, but no one had ever warned her how absolutely silly it would be. Or maybe she was just giddy from the music and the flashing camera bulbs, and her pulse racing from dancing for so long without a break.

Luke assumed her amusement was because of his banter. He was teasing her about looking like a dancer in a music box, but the way he said it sounded suspiciously like a compliment.

When the song ended, Addy sank into a careful curtsey, making sure to match the depth of Luke's bow to avoid an international incident. Then Luke looked up at her mischievously and sank a little lower, so Addy hurriedly curtseyed lower. Not to be outdone, Addy lowered herself even farther down, holding his gaze with wicked amusement. Now they both looked ridiculous, in a standoff that would only end when they were each sprawled out on the ballroom floor flat on their faces. Addy saw the laughter in Luke's eyes just a moment before it bubbled out of his mouth and he helped her up again.

"We'll call it a draw, Princess."

"I'll get you next time." Addy promised, accepting his hand and following him over to a glass of champagne for a quick break from dancing. She felt lighter than the bubbles in her flute and the world felt twice as sweet as the liquid when it passed her lips. Adrienne was happy. Everything was amazing. Why had she been so stressed out about this ball all day, when now that she was here she never wanted to leave? Nothing had changed, except that she'd spent half an hour dancing with some of her favorite people in the world. Even though all of her responsibilities remained, and her Selection still loomed large on her horizon, all the sharp edges of her life felt smooth tonight.

Astra came up from behind her and hugged her waist, and Kile followed behind his girlfriend with a plate of hors d'oeuvres. Lenore and Xavier appeared from the crowd to make fun of Addy's pink gown (Lenore) and compliment her on her dancing (Xavier). Meri carried Rosie on her hip as she joined up with the rest of the kid gang.

Seeing that her daughter had found a moment to enjoy her birthday party like a normal teenager, America hurried onto the floor and took the hand of France's ambassador, leading him out onto the dance floor so that the festivities wouldn't stall out.

By the time Addy turned around, there was a crew of Schreaves including Maxon, Jamesy, and Maisy all dancing with dignitaries, knocking out Addy's to-do list so that she could get to the cake-and-presents part of her birthday a little faster. This was one of her favorite gifts of the night.

"Well, old lady?" Astra asked, giving her cousin-sister a squeeze, "Do you feel ancient?"

"No, but I feel eighteen." Addy concluded, still beaming at her family on the dance floor.

"And how does that feel?" Kile prompted her.

Addy turned and looked at the faces of all of her best friends, gathered together just because they were glad Addy existed and wanted to celebrate. "Perfect. I want to be eighteen forever."