This chapter is based on a Selection idea I had for a potential story for the longest time. I've had the idea since at least 2017 but never wrote it because I was never in the mood for it and then I lost interest so I chose to scrap the story and make it a one-shot. More information on that will be at the end.


Photo #120: An Illegitimate Child

Eadlyn doesn't have time to process the next photo before something distracts her. She feels her body go still as a chill creeps over her shoulder. Eadlyn looks towards the door since that's where her gut says it came from. She wants to take a step closer or call out but her insides have tied themselves up into a knot.

"Eadlyn!"

She knew someone was calling her name. She calms down but remains on her toes because she wonders who that is. The voice was feminine which doesn't really narrow it down. It definitely couldn't be her mother no matter how much she wanted it to be. Could it be Miss. Marlee? Miss. Lucy? Her mother? There was no title before her name so it had to be someone she's familiar with.

Eadlyn continues watching towards the door she left open, hearing footsteps approaching. She hears heels clicking against the wooden floors like clockwork, getting louder with each step. Eadlyn knows she should step out but, despite feeling nervous, her heart rate matches the steps.

When Eadlyn sees a shadow starting to appear on the floor, she presses against the photo wall, trying to flatten herself to avoid being seen. She should've closed the door but it's too late now. Eadlyn holds her breath in anticipation, crouching a little to increase her chances of being seen.

"Eadlyn."

The tone is softer, fragile but still stern. Eadlyn's body eases a little as the shadow comes to life at the doorframe. The woman sent facing Eadlyn and doesn't even look her way, but Eadlyn knows who it is.

Lady Brice.

Eadlyn almost reveals herself but her feet feel cemented to the ground and eyes glued to Lady Brice. She can see the stress and worry on her face. Her expression is dropped as she runs a hand through her thick dark hair. Illéa is falling apart and the royal family is either scattered or hospitalized. And the people don't even know…

Eadlyn should step out but she can't deal with this the way she should. She can't be the princess they need now.

Eadlyn straightens and backs away from the wall when she sees Lady Brice continue to walk down the hallway in search of her. She looks back at the photos, straightening out any that she may have messed up. At least none of them fell to the ground. As she readjusts, she looks through to find the photo she left off on.

Eadlyn's eyes land on a photo where she's a baby. She sees that she's being held by a young girl who couldn't be more than a few years younger than she is now. Eadlyn tried to get a closer look at who it is but can't pin it down because she's looking at the baby. Eadlyn feels frustrated because there's something familiar about that girl and the thick dark hair but she can't pin it down.

Eadlyn turns away, looking back at the door. Her gut had a feeling that Lady Brice came back but there's nobody there. When her eyes return to the photo, she continues guessing who that girl could be.

Little does Eadlyn know that Lady Brice will be Auntie Brice…

-o-

The moment Maxon had time, he knew he had to find her. If he wasn't so busy with the kids and the kingdom, and if he wasn't doing this alone because he didn't know whom to confide in, it would've been done faster. America tried to help the best way she could because Maxon told her everything, but there wasn't much she could do if she only knew the same information as him. She did her part from trying to piece together the information he might've looked over but she mostly did administrative work and distracted other officials when Maxon would work on it.

He didn't know who else he could tell with a secret this big.

Maxon knew the scandals that would headline every newspaper and article that would come out if someone found out. He couldn't bear that burden on his family, especially since they wouldn't have ever asked for it. People already had their thoughts based on what they knew, true or not. Maxon only asked and wanted one thing out of this and, when the moment finally came, he knew it was worth it.

And when he lowers his camera, he sees his (technically half) sister, Brice Mannor, holding her baby niece in her arms after she held Ahren who was now in America's arms.

They were in one of the libraries on a day with low staff. The fewer people around, the better. Maxon brought Brice in through the back entrance and through some old tunnels until they ended up at the library where America and the twins were already there. After the welcoming hellos and refreshments, Brice met baby Eadlyn and Ahren.

It was unbelievable that she existed, let alone that she was here. She's eleven years younger than him which is almost as long as he knew about her. They don't even look the same. They look like they could be on the same family tree but their branches are further apart than they really are. It's hard to accept the good things when their lost ones, the ones they loved, hadn't lived to see them. He even wishes his father was around to see his grandchildren, as wicked as the man was. He did give him a sister, after all, even if they didn't share a mother. On paper, she's illegitimate but in real life, she's real.

It was tough … but seeing Brice meeting her niece and nephew made everything better.

"Brice can never be known as my sister, America," Maxon whispers to her, turning his back to Brice as she rocks Eadlyn. "Only the three of us can know."

"I know, Maxon, I get it," America responds. "Your father is dead but he still has a legacy that sits on your shoulders - our shoulders. The kingdom is still adjusting to the caste abolition so this wouldn't sit well, no matter what you do or say about it. You would get the backlash if this came out and Brice would have it worse."

"And Brice." He turns back to look at her. Brice looks up at him for a second and smiles before returning her gaze to Eadlyn.

"And Brice … but, Maxon, thank you for telling me about all this."

Maxon glances at her. "I couldn't have done this without you."

America smiles softly as she watches Maxon sit beside Brice and Eadlyn. She knows Maxon wants to talk about Brice but not bring up where she came from and how she got here. Sometimes, America would ask him more questions he's trying hard not to think about because he'd choke on truths he'd rather forget. He wanted to control his emotions but not avoid them. He wanted to feel them, understand them, but not lose it.

Whatever is make-believe can become real instantly. Just because his bruises aren't visible anymore doesn't mean they're not there.

Maxon had to be the person he needed when he was younger. A hero. A caregiver. A sibling.

And that's what he is…


The ages are probably wrong but I tried based on my memory and Wikipedia. This was also the first chapter where someone else was at the start.

So I wanted to write a Lady Brice novella with this title just to put my take on an origin story. I don't know if any are out there but I was really interested in writing one. The part in this chapter where Brice meets the twins was something I had planned for the story. Now, I'm happy I chose to do this instead.