I apologise profusely for my time away from this story. I had year 12 things to do and then exams to complete before I could find myself back here. So here it is, a long chapter for you all who are following this...
xx Faithinfools
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, Keira Cass does.
AMERICA
I woke up to the sweet smell of bacon, turning over I saw Dan cooking on the small stove in the bunker. He heard me and smiled.
"I thought I'd make some breakfast." I smiled in return and got up.
"Need any help?" I asked.
"Sure, why don't you start with the eggs and when we finish we can wake Cam up." I nodded in reply. Quietly we cooked the breakfast, deciding to make a feast out of it, besides, who knew, the rebels could find us at any moment.
"Cameron honey, wake up Sweet." I said, gently shaking the small boy. He looked up at me with sleepy eyes. I smiled. "Breakfast." And with that one word, he was wide away, clambering out of the bed and onto the small chairs available. Dan and I laughed. We all sat down and ate our hearts out in what was a hearty but sombre meal. We all knew what would be waiting outside our small bunker of peace. Bodies, bright red blood on the walls, books stolen, everything upturned or taken, who knew, maybe even the rebels were still there. We quickly washed up and afterwards, we sat down quietly, contemplating what to do next.
"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to go out and sneak around quietly to see if the rebels have left. If they're still here and I'm not seen or there's no danger I'll come back and knock on the door with a secret knock. If I don't come back within two hours you are not to open the door to anyone for at least another 24 hours, after which you'll have to come out and investigate." Dan said resolutely.
"But Dan –"
"No America. I'll be alright."
"Truly?" I asked.
"Truly. I shall come back before you know it." I nodded bravely, trying to smile. "And you little man, stay safe." He said kissing Cameron on the head gently before moving towards the door as Cameron and I hung back on the furthest wall from the door. Quickly he opened the door and left silently as a mouse before I quickly ran over and locked it again. I looked at Cameron and sighed.
"Now all we have to do is wait little one, wait and pray."
An hour later we heard the secret knock we had made and cautiously I opened the door to see Daniel standing there, a grim smile on his face. I grabbed his arm, helping myself out of the bunker, taking my guitar and then helping Cameron out. I hugged Daniel tightly, taking him by surprise and to my surprise he hugged me back.
"I'm so glad you're safe. I was so scared for you." I said quickly, smiling at him, my smile dropping when I saw the hidden horror in his eyes. "What? What is it?" I asked whispering, so that Cameron couldn't hear.
"So many guards and people have died. The bloodshed is awful." Tears ran down from his eyes. "My good friend in the stables, Nathan, he's gone."
"Oh Dan." My heart melted, giving him another hug. "Stay strong. Let me know if there's anything I can do anything for you through Lucy. If there is a small funeral let me know, I will turn up if I can."
"Thanks America." He said quietly. We stood in silence for a moment, just watching Cameron play with the falling leaves of the trees. "We better get going. I think Tod would be beyond worried by now."
"Come on Cameron." He came running over and I picked him up while Daniel held my guitar for me. Together we all walked in silence towards the stables. We walked through the barn door and I gasped. There was stains of blood all over the walls, the bodies had been cleared and almost half the stables were empty, the horses slaughtered or stolen. We walked through the eerily silent barn through to the other end, opening another door to head to the servants' quarters. We walked together and normally they would have stared but today they were all counting the family had and the family they didn't. Some were grieving, tears running down their faces in sadness and others from joy of all their family being together. We walked through the corridor, stopping at the last door to the right where a small room with two beds lay, an old man, his hands on his face, crying quietly by himself. I quietly knocked on the door.
"Excuse me? I think I have something that belongs to you." I said with a small smile. The man looked up and gasped in astonishment and happiness.
"Papa!" Cameron squealed.
"Cameron!" The old man kneeled down, arms wide, ready to welcome the little boy running into his arms. Both Daniel and I began to cry at the beautiful sight. I turned to him and hugged him tight.
"Thank you Daniel. Go, your family would be sick with worry." He coughed quietly.
"I don't have a family, they all died when I was really young. I… I've never known family. The servants here and my friends at the stables they're my family."
"Oh Dan, I'm so sorry." I hugged him again. "But now you do. You've just inherited a new sister whether you like it or not." I smiled at him.
"Thanks America. You better go though, the whole palace will be looking for you."
"Doubtful." I muttered under my breath but smiled at Daniel. "Thanks. You should probably stay here and explain. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, I'm sure Tod will want to say thank you sometime. Come visit us when everything's back to normal."
"I shall try my hardest."
I calmly walked out into the hall from the servants' quarters and there too was it quiet. The silence was deafening. I turned to go around the corner and hit something hard, something moving. I started to fall backwards but something caught me just in time before falling to the floor.
"America?" He asked astonished.
"Aspen?"
"America!" He hugged me tight, not letting me go.
"Aspen! What are you doing?!" I whispered harshly. "If someone sees us that could be it!" He pulled back to look at me.
"Mer?"
"Aspen please." I whispered. "I don't want to get caught and have you punished." His eyes hardened.
"Fine." He pulled me up and turned to go.
"Aspen please. I am happy to see you, it's just that –"
"I know Mer. I get it. You didn't want him to see you with me." His fists clenched.
"You know just as well as I that I am bound to play this game until I get kicked out of here." I said.
"I know." He sighed. "It's just that… I was so scared that we were going to go out to find you today and all we'd be coming back with was your lifeless body. You have no idea what that feels like. It's terrible. To not know where someone you love is and whether or not they'll be dead when you do find them."
"I'm sorry but –"
"America?" I turned to see Maxon running down the staircase. "Good Lord America it is you!" He ran up to me and gave me the tightest hug and I hugged him back, grateful to see that he was still alive. From behind his back I saw Aspen's eyes harden and fists clench once more. "Thank you Officer Leger, I shall take it from here. Please tell the others that the hunt is off." Maxon said graciously while Aspen nodded and bowed, locking eyes with me, once more, pleading but I shook my head once. I had had enough excitement for the day. Aspen's head and shoulders dropped and he walked away.
"Where were you going to in such a rush?" I asked him curiously.
"To find you of course." He said seriously. "God America. When you didn't show up in the safe room, I panicked, I didn't know what to do, what to think. What if you had gotten taken by the rebels? Or worse, had died in the cross fire? I would never have forgiven myself if you had." He finished quietly.
"Oh Maxon." I hugged him again, relieved. "I didn't know you still cared." He pulled back shocked.
"Of course America! Of course I care! How could you –?" He started but stopped. "The hallway is not the place to talk, I do believe that we best get you back to your room. There are three worrying maids in there to take care of you and I need to inform the palace and my parents of your safe return." I nodded in reply. "But do not be mistaken America. I will have a full explanation when I come see you later."
"Of course Maxon. I expect nothing less."
"Come." He said, placing his arm around my back, leading me to my room upstairs. "Ladies, look who I've brought back with me?" Maxon said with an easy smile but as I watched him I could see the exhaustion and tiredness plainly on his young face.
"America?!" Anne asked, running towards me, the other girls following her. They all hugged me at once, all bursting into tears.
"I'll leave you ladies alone." Maxon said quickly, walking out to find his father. I smiled and comforted all of the girls until they were ready to hear my tale. So as I lay in the bath I began to retell my sorry tale to three eager maids.
MAXON
It was finally morning. The bloodcurdling screams of the guards who were defending our lives with theirs echoed in my ears. I had not been able to sleep all night, tormented by constant visions of America hurt, America stabbed, America bleeding, America dying. It was awful. By the time morning came, I was a bundle of nervous, overtired energy. I needed to find her. I woke to the sounds of the door opening and quiet whispers of guards talking to the King. I sighed. Then my eyes widened. America. I jumped to my feet and started towards the door. As I walked past Father, his hand shot out to grab my shirt. My shoulders dropped. I knew he wouldn't make it this easy. I turn towards him, a fake smile on my face.
"Yes Father?"
"Stay here for a moment Son. I need to talk to you for a moment." To the guard he said, "Excuse us." The guard nodded and left. I struggled against my father's hold as he started to move us to an abandoned hallway of the castle. He made sure no one was looking before taking me by the scruff of my collar and shoved me against the bloodstained wall. "Where did you think you were going?" He snarled.
"To find America." I said simply. He smiled sickly back at me before backhanding me across the face.
"You impertinent boy. I don't know what I did to deserve an heir like you. You will not go after her. You will stay here. Comfort the lovely ladies that are still sleeping, then you will keep moving on with your life as if she never existed. Besides," he smirked, "she's probably dead anyway." My rage was so great at this point that I could have punched that stupid smirk off of his face. But I didn't. I knew better than to do so.
"No."
"No? What do you mean no?"
"I mean no. She is as much a lady as any of those other girls in there that you hand-picked. Don't lie. I know you did it. She is a better lady than you could ever know or learn to appreciate. So no. I will not stay here. I will not comfort the other ladies. I will however, go and find Lady America. Because she's important to me. You're just lucky no one is here to see how terribly you treat your only son. Thank God you only had one. I would hate to see how you treat the others. I don't even want to know how you treat mum." I continued smoothly, "I shall not play to your rules Father. I will play to mine." His face was exploding with rage.
"How dare you?! I am the King! You cannot disobey my orders, I am your Father." He whispered harshly at me.
"Perhaps. I am the King's son. I am your son. But I am my own person and this is how I choose to be."
"Why you –" He started.
"Sire?" An advisor had turned up at the far end of the corridor. Thank God. I was running out of things to say or do. I felt his grip on my shirt loosen as he smiled at his advisor.
"Yes Martins?"
"We are ready to start the council meeting Sire."
"I will be right there Martins. I was just telling young Maxon here that he ought to join us as he shall be running the country soon."
"Right you are Sire." Martins replied officiously.
"But I was just telling my Father that I better go find Lady America as she is part of the Elite." I smiled sweetly at my Father.
"Are you wilfully disobeying an order?" He whispered harshly, out of earshot from Martins. I pretended to think about it then smiled.
"Yeah. I guess I am." I pulled his hand away from my shirt and walked away from him. "Have a nice day Martins, Father." I walked through the halls as calmly as I could towards Lady America's room.
"Hello Ladies, have you seen Lady America?" I asked Lucy, Anne and Mary. My eyes widened in shock when immediately Lucy burst into tears. Mary went to comfort her while Anne took me outside America's room to talk to me quietly.
"We haven't seen her since the morning of the rebel attack when she left to play some music. Is it true? She truly hasn't stayed with the rest of the Elite and royals in the safe room?" I nodded sadly.
"It's true." Tears sprung to Anne's eyes but she looked at me determinedly. "You find her and don't you dare stop until you find her." I nodded and made to leave but she held onto my arm. "No Prince Maxon. Promise me. Promise me you won't stop until you find her."
"I promise." I said solemnly. Smiling at the audacity of the maid. She was so brave and especially when it came to those she loved.
"Thank you." She whispered. She curtsied and walked back into America's room. What now? I quickly looked around for the nearest guard. One was walking away from me. I quickly ran up to him and tapped on his shoulder.
"Sire!" He said as he bowed and capped his boots together.
"What is your name soldier?"
"Officer Leger Sir."
"Right Officer Leger. I need you to grab a small team of able-bodied men and arm yourselves. Make your way to the front foyer of the palace." Officer Leger raised one eyebrow at the request but said nothing.
"Yes Sir. And what are we doing Sir?"
"We are going out to find Lady America because I made a promise to a maid that I would not stop until I do find her." The Officer's eyes widened in what looked like recognition, one from knowing a person for a long time but I shook my head, I must have been hallucinating from lack of sleep.
"She didn't make it to the safe room last night?" He asked.
"No. So now we go find her. Assemble the team down at the foyer and I shall meet you there in five minutes, if I am not there in ten minutes, start without me." He nodded, bowed and ran like the wind. Someone was eager, I thought. Strange. But now was not the time to be thinking of such meagre things. I quickly ran up to my room and changed my clothes before grabbing a pack and stuffing it with things that I thought I would need. I was done in record time. I walked at a fast pace, smiling to those who I passed, trying to be more confident than I felt. I rounded the corner and was on the top of the stairs when I saw her. America. Safe. Talking with Officer Leger. They seemed to be in a deep conversation but I couldn't help myself. She was here. She was safe.
"America?" I called out excitedly as I made my way down the steps. "Good Lord America it is you!" She looked up at me and smiled warily as if I had seen something I shouldn't have. I ran up to her and gave her the tightest hug and she hugged me back. I didn't forget about Officer Leger who was standing there awkwardly next to us. "Thank you Officer Leger, I shall take it from here. Please tell the others that the hunt is off." I said smiling while he nodded and bowed. He walked away and I looked back at the gorgeous girl in front of me.
"Where were you going to in such a rush?" She asked me curiously.
"To find you of course." I said seriously. "God America. When you didn't show up in the safe room, I panicked, I didn't know what to do, what to think. What if you had gotten taken by the rebels? Or died in the cross fire? Or worse? I would never have forgiven myself if you had." I finished quietly.
"Oh Maxon." She hugged me again, relieved. "I didn't know you still cared." I pulled back shocked.
"Of course America! Of course I care! How could you –?" I started but stopped. "The hallway is not the place to talk, I do believe that we best get you back to your room. There are three worrying maids in there to take care of you and I need to inform the palace and my parents of your safe return." She nodded in reply. "But do not be mistaken America. I will have a full explanation when I come see you later."
"Of course Maxon. I expect nothing less."
"Come." I said, placing my arm around her back, leading her to her room upstairs. I had so many questions to ask her. "Ladies, look who I've brought back with me?" I said with an easy smile, watching their faces light up at the sight of their Lady.
"America?!" Anne asked, running towards her, the other girls following her. They all hugged America at once, all bursting into tears. It was a truly touching sight. But at the same time, I could tell that something was bothering her. Something that she was keeping deliberately from me.
"I'll leave you ladies alone." I said quickly, walking out to find my father. I would have to tell him that America was safe. He would not be happy.
Please R&R, I'm not quite sure where this story is going but stay with me!
xx
