Chapter 1

I pace up and down in front of the hospital doors, my mind a blaze of thoughts. It has been hours since my mom's heart attack and we've heard nothing. If it was possible I was starting to get more nervous. With a small sigh, I stop pacing and look around the room, we had sent the selected boys back to their rooms ages ago and only a few people remained in the waiting room hospital wing. I look over at dad, who's leaning up against the wall. His head is bowed but I can still see his face and the tears that are flowing down his cheeks in a steady flow, my own eyes well up just at the sight of him like this, but, with a shake of my head, I push them down. Tears will do nothing at this moment, they will help no one.

Across from dad stands General Leger with his arms wrapped around Mrs. Lucy, both finding comfort in each other. Next to them stand the Woodwork's, Mr. Woodwork is hugging his wife trying to calm her down, she, like dad, hadn't stopped crying since we received the news. Then there's was Kile. He is the only selected boy allowed to stay because he is kind of like family and it's only right for him to stay with his parents. Looking around at all their worried face sends a wave of tiredness over me, so, shaking slightly, I walk over to the door and sit down next to it, pulling my legs up to my chest and resting my head on my knees. The moment I close my eyes the tears I have been holding back for so long come unbidden to the surface.

I'm still crying when I feel an arm wrap around me, strong and comforting. I open my eyes to see Kile sitting next to me on the floor, looking into my eyes and in that moment I just forget ever thing else. I don't care about my image anymore, don't care if it's improper, I just want someone to hold me and Kile is right here. I just fall into his open arms and cry into his chest, clutching at his shirt as my body shakes with sobs, and he just holds me stroking my hair and whispering calming things to me and, like always, here in Kiles arms I find peace and comfort I feel nowhere else, and with that peace all around me I feel myself calm down, my breathing becoming slow and deep and soon I slip into darkness.

I wake up when I feel Kile shift underneath me, and I blink as I look around, my mind still trying to wake up and figure out why I'm in the hospital wing waiting room. Then the event of the last few hours came flooding back to me like a tidal wave. I look at the clock on the wall and find that it is around five in the morning, suddenly my senses came back to me and I jump up from the floor and look for dad. He's in the same place as last night, sitting on the ground his eyes closed and his head against the wall. I look over and see Mrs. Marlee sleeping in a chair with her husband next to her also asleep. General Leger and Mrs. Lucy are also there, both sitting next to each other, their heads leaning on one another in their sleep.

Suddenly a strong arm wraps around my waist as Kile moves to stand next to me. I look up at him and he looks at me, his bright blues sparking as they always do. I give him a weak smile and he returns it with his lopsided grin, though it doesn't look playful or mischief as it usually does. I shift my gaze over to my dad and my heart sinks at the sight of him, looking so distressed even as he sleeps.

"How do you feel?" Kile asks softly in my ear and I give a small shrug.

"How I feel right now doesn't matter. All that matters is that mom's okay and that she's going to make it through this" I wince slightly at the sound of my horse voice.

"She will make it through this Eadlyn, your mom is strong, she'll be alright" I want to believe him. Want to believe

I want to believe him. Want to believe that mom will be fine, that she's strong enough to make it through this but even I can hear the slight edge of doubt in his voice.

Just as I'm about to answer the doors fly open and the doctor comes out. Docter Cowen has been working at the palace for years, his hair, with used to be as black as the night was now speckled with gray, though it was still slicked back as it had always been. He is a tall, kind man that I respect greatly. Dad is awake and on his feet so fast the if you had blinked you would have missed it, and I am just as fast and at the doctor's side.

Dad is awake and on his feet so fast the if you blinked you would have missed it, and I am just as fast to get to that doctor's side.

"How is she?" Dad asks frantically.

We all crowd around the doctor Cowen, waiting to hear what he say. Docter Cowen clears his throat and speaks, "The Queen has had a mild heart attack, but she is out of the woods for now and is stable and awake, so you may go in now."

The minute the words are out of the doctor's mouth me and dad start running past the great glass doors into the hospital. I round the corner and stop dead in my tracks. There, in one of the many hospital beds, lays my mother. Her normally bright glowing skin is pale and pasty, there are dark circles under her eyes, her hair lays draped in droopy dull strands around her head and even it's bright fierce color seems to have faded. She doesn't look like my mom, she looks like death.

Slowly I start walking again, by this time dad is at her bedside holding her hand and kissing her forehead in a loving way, whispering soft words to her as his tears of relief drop slowly from his face. I watch as mom reaches up to a hand that is shaking slightly and brushes the tears away, smiling softly and saying something to dad that makes he give a short laugh. When I get to the bed mom looks up at me and gives me a weak smile, but I can't smile I just can't smile with my mom looking like this.

I look her up and down, she is shaking a bit and her eyes are clouded over slightly like she isn't even here. I am about to run out the room or burst out crying when I look at dad and see the pleading look in his tear-filled eyes, asking me not to have a meltdown, not here with mom. So I do the one things I thought was impossible at this time, I smile.

"Hello darling," mom says weakly and her voice cracked a bit, but even then she still sounds like my mom and that gives me strength. No matter what happens she's still my mom.

"Hi, mom. How are you feeling?" I ask softly, sitting gently on the edge of the bed and taking her hand in mine, it's still warm and soft like it always has been.

"I'm fine dear, just tired. I have had a long night and I will probably have a long week too"

"I'm so happy that you're alright. I was so worried," I whisper back, my voice cracking slightly as the tears come again. I shut my eyes tightly and feel mom's hand on my cheek, brushing the hair from my face in such a loving way.

"Shh darling, it's alright. I'm alright, I'm not going anywhere." I nod slightly and open my eye to look at my mom through the haze of my tears.

"Come now let's not worry about what we have no control over. I'm alright for now and that's what matters" Mom says softly and I nod again as I wipe that tears from my eyes.

"Well, all this has given me a chance to think," I say and both my parents look at me with interest.

"About what" Mom asks.

"The selection, I've been thinking about it and... And I'm going to start taking it seriously. The past month I've just been playing along to give you guys sometimes but now I see how important this is. No more pretending or just putting on an act. I'm going to start taking this seriously and really giving it a chance. I can't promise you that I'll find someone, but I can promise you that I'll try, and try for really this time."

Mom and Dad study me, I guess they're trying to see if I am joking or not, but I have never been more serious about anything in my whole life.

"Eadlyn are you serious? This isn't just some sort of joke." Dad asks, looking around as if he thinks my brothers are just going to pop out from behind one of the beds with a video camera and yell 'Got y'a'.

"Yes, dad I'm serious. After everything that has happened. I...I think I finally understand how important it is to find a husband and not just a husband, but someone I can love and who can love me. If I could find love anywhere close to what you and mom share I would be more than happy"

Mom and dad look at one another and smile. I know if I can find someone who loves me like dad loves mom or Ahren loves Camille I couldn't ask for more, for me or my family.

Before they can answer Kile and his parents enter the hospital, looking nerves that they're interrupting us. Mom smiles at Marlee as she walks up and that all the insistent she needs before she's running toward the bed. I stand up from the bed and Kile comes to stand next to me as Marlee grabs mom's hand, asking over and over if she's alright. I smile to myself when Kile takes my hand in his, guessing currency that I need some reassurance right now standing here with my sick mom.

The Woodwork's stay for a little before my mom insists that they go get some sleep, I need some sleep too, but I don't want to leave mom. Kile surprises me by gives me a quick kiss before saying goodnight to my parents and leaving with his parents. I watched them go and once again I wonder what game are me and Kile are playing. I don't hate him, but am not sure I could marry him either, but then there are times like these where he is just so sweet that I wonder how I ever hated him and I wonder if maybe marrying him isn't crazy.

Mom studies me as I watch Kile go and when I turn back there is a small grin on her face.

"What?" I ask suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing dear. Why don't you go to bed as well you look as tired as me"

"But I don't want to leave you," I say looking at her with wide pleading eyes.

"I'm fine, and you need sleep. I won't let everyone lose sleep over me, go to sleep darling and I'll see you in the morning." I want to stay. Want to fight and just stay with mom but I know it would amount to anything.

"Alright I'll go to bed, but I won't sleep a wink with you still down here." I lean over and kiss her on the forehead. "I love you, mom, see you in the morning"

I turn and walk out of the hospital, my heels clicking on the floor all the way to my room, my heart heavy. The doctor had said that she was fine, that she was out of the woods, but after seeing her, I had to wonder, how many more conversations I still had felt with her.

PLEASE READ. IMPORTANT!

Hey, guys. So I know I discounted this story but after a lot of thought I have decided to continue it. I know I have had a lot of back a forth with this story but things have changed and I now have more time so I am now committed to finishing this story.

I will start by editing all my chapters so far. I might add a few chapters here and there if I feel that there needs to be something more in between the original chapters.

I added a few things to this chapter and also just fixed all the problems with it so feel free to reread it. I will be uploading new/uploaded chapter ever Saturday until I get to the end of this story. When I reach where I stopped the story last time I will be uploading brand new chapters so if you don't want to reread the chapters then just wait until then.

I may or may not upload more often than once a week. It really just depends on how fast I can edit a chapter but if I finish one sooner I'll update it.

Until next week.

Cara