A/N Did you miss me?

"I don't know if this is going to be good enough," I moaned, staring at my reflection in my mirror.

Behind me, I heard Anne sigh. "For the thousandth time, Lady America, you'll be fine. Don't worry so much." She pulled the ribbon on the back of my dress tighter, and moved aside for Mary and Lucy to put the finishing touches on my hair.

I trusted my maids, but that didn't stop me worrying about tonight. I had spent time with the king before, but this was the first time since his threat to me. I think my maids could sense something was wrong, despite not knowing what had happened. I'd noticed that every time I'd stressed about it to my maids, they didn't sound entirely convinced that everything would be all right. They were doing their best, though. I looked stunning in my green dress. It dropped down to my ankles and the skirt flared slightly, but it still was modest and simple, just the way I liked it. Good enough for dinner with the royal family.

Or so I hoped.

"Let's go over this one more time," Anne said, sliding a few more pins into my hair. "Keep conversation light, don't speak unless spoken to. If the king asks you about politics, keep it vague but sound like you agree with his views."

"No matter what," Mary added sternly, handing me a pair of flat shoes.

"Most importantly, don't pick a fight." Anne spun me around by my shoulders so I was facing her. She gently lifted my chin so I was looking into her eyes. "Do you understand, Lady America? Don't pick a fight, no matter what that man says to you."

I nodded, feeling numb. The butterflies in my stomach had left some time ago, leaving me feeling oddly detached from everything. This was happening and I couldn't avoid it. The one comfort I had was that Maxon would be there with me.

...unless by some cruel twist of fate, the king changed this to a one-on-one meal.

No. I pushed that thought far to the back of my mind. Don't think like that. Everything would be fine. I slipped my shoes on and gave myself one final check in the mirror. Everything would be fine. Saying it over and over in my mind was causing the words to lose their meaning. I needed to switch tactics. Maxon will be there.

I thought about that for a moment, letting my thoughts linger on Maxon. If he knew how stressed out I was, he probably would have put his arms around me. I closed my eyes, imagining the fabric of his suit pressed into my cheek, the smell that was unmistakably him surrounding me. If I made it through the night with the king present, I'd get a little bit of alone time with Maxon at the end, that was for sure. There was no way he'd leave me for another girl after my night with the king.

That thought brought a small smile to my lips. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

My maids finished getting me ready, and I paced around the room, nervously, waiting for someone to come get me. Anne, Mary and Lucy, who usually busied themselves with sewing or card games, couldn't even find it in themselves to reassure me. They sat huddled in the corner, staring at the door, whispering among themselves. Occasionally, Anne or Mary would throw out a helpful comment about dinner etiquette. It wasn't anything I didn't know-Sylvia had spent a good portion of the afternoon with me, reminding me of my table manners in the presence of the King and Queen.

When I was sure I had paced a hole in my plush rug, the knock came on my door. I turned to answer it, but Anne shooed me back, muttering something about the queen wouldn't answer her door. I waited, nervously, thankful that the length of my skirt covered my knocking knees.

Aspen was standing on the other side of the door. Anne and Mary nodded at him, but Lucy began to giggle and blush. I couldn't blame her- Aspen was in a new uniform, a deep blue that brought out his eyes- I turned away, forcing myself not to stare at him.

Lucy, on the other hand, couldn't look away. A throat clearing from Anne got her attention. Her face turned

"Officer Leger, did you get promoted?" Mary asked politely, stepping forward to cover the fact that Anne was glaring at Lucy.

Aspen's movements were stiff. He shot me a nervous look. "I did. Due to security increases, I'm part of Prince Maxon's personal guard."

"Congratulations, Officer Leger," said Anne. The three ladies turned to peer at me, waiting for me to add something. I ducked my head.

"Congratulations," I said softly, my mind reeling. Aspen and Maxon would be spending a lot of time together. I trusted Aspen not to say anything about our past, but that didn't stop me from worrying. What if Maxon somehow found out? Even though I had told Aspen we had to stop, it would still get us into trouble. I suppressed a shudder, imagining the look of malicious glee on the king's face if he found out.

The only thing that made me feel better was knowing that this would prevent Aspen from trying to sneak off to visit me. Being part of Maxon's personal guard, there would be certain death for both of us if we got caught. Aspen would never risk it. I felt a sense of relief upon that realization.

Aspen cleared his throat. "Are you ready to leave, Lady America?" I nodded, wordlessly. There was no way I could pretend to be sick to get out of this (Sylvia had already warned me that it would be highly offensive, and the king would win this round). I followed Aspen numbly out the door, pausing to wave halfheartedly at my maids.

Aspen seemed to sense my nerves; or maybe he was taking his promotion seriously. Either way, he didn't say anything to me on our walk down to the private dining room. He glanced my way every so often, maybe hoping that I would say something, but fear was winning. Neither of us could bring ourselves to say anything. We walked side by side, the sound of his shiny new boots clicking on the polished floors filling the silence.

I found myself wishing that the walk was longer, despite the awkwardness. I would take strained silences with Aspen over seeing the king any day. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the double doors to the private dining room. Aspen nodded at the two guards posted outside, and pulled the door open for me.

The royal family was already seated at the table, deep in discussion. Maxon's brows were furrowed as he talked to his father. As I entered, they stopped talking abruptly. I could see Maxon's shoulders relax a little as I came in. I curtsied, and Maxon rose to pull out my chair.

Nobody really spoke as dinner was served to us- bright red lobsters. I had never had lobster before- and had no idea how to eat one. Sylvia was thorough, but I don't think she anticipated me eating something so hands-on. I paused to watch how the Queen did it, and hesitantly copied her.

Queen Amberly was the first to break the silence. "Are you recovering well from the Rebel attack, then?"

"Yes, your Majesty," I answered softly, looking down at my plate.

"We were glad to see you come back to the Women's room." Amberly smiled at me, trying to make me feel comfortable. It wasn't working- right across from me, the King was ferociously cracking open a lobster claw. I was starting to wonder if he had chosen this dinner to try to intimidate me.

It was working.

"So," said the King, interrupting whatever else Amberly had been about to say, "Are you enjoying the entertainment here tonight?" He nodded towards the string quartet playing softly in the corner of the room. I hadn't really paid attention to them- I was too focused on not making a fool of myself. I glanced their way. They had polished instruments and beautiful costumes. I thought back to my days as a Five- using a very battered violin my parents had bought me as a birthday gift. They had worked hard for most of their lives to get here to the palace.

"They're very lovely," I said softly, avoiding the King's gaze.

"It's a funny thing, fate," the King mused, scraping white lobster meat out of its' shell. "They were in the right place at the right time, and now they're here at the palace." He paused. "Entertaining the royal family."

Beside me, Maxon's hand clenched tightly around his fork. Neither of us had missed what the King was implying about me. He glanced over and mouthed "Sorry," a pained expression on his face. I shook my head at him.

"It takes a lot of hard work to get here," I countered. "The palace only lets a select few through their doors."

"Somehow, we let a Five stay here for this long. Even our musicians come and go. Tell me, do you have entertainment value?"

"Father," interrupted Maxon. "Is this necessary? She's not a Five anymore."

"Will you continue playing after the Selection is over?" the King interrupted. I could tell he wasn't talking about music. ALl my lessons with Anne and Sylvia hadn't prepared me for this kind of abuse. I focused on the maids removing my dinner plate, bringing over bowls of chocolate mousse. I had to sit here and take it.

"I enjoyed the musical part of my life, so I will pursue it as a hobby when the Selection ends. No matter the results," I added fiercely before the King could interpret that.

"The arts are a wonderful outlet," the Queen finally spoke. "Maxon's photography has always made him happy. I know I myself enjoy painting."

I looked up. I hadn't known that about Queen Amberly. "I would love to see your work sometime, your Majesty."

"I'll show you sometime. I'm afraid I'm not very good, but it's wonderful to do."

"Nonsensei," said the King. I was surprised. From behind the king, I could see Aspen shoot me a look. Affection between the King and Queen were rare.

The Queen blushed, turning back to me. "I would love to hear you play sometime."

"How about right now?" Maxon suggested. He glanced my way, giving a small nod. I rose from my chair.

"I'd be honored to play for the royal family." I didn't want to, but I really wanted to avoid further conflict. I crossed over to the quartet, who had stopped playing. The violinist rose from his chair as I approached.

"We're rooting for you, Princess," whispered the violinist, handing me his violin with a flourish.

Princess. Hearing the title I hadn't officially earned yet struck me. I had started in the same caste as this man, and here I was dining with the Royal Family while he and his friends entertained us. For one brief moment, I felt overwhelmed. A simple decision brought me this far and now it was up to me to change everything. The musicians were all looking at me, wide-eyed. Hope. If I could leave my position as a Five and end up here, maybe things would look up for the rest of them.

I took the violin from him, tenderly, and tucked it under my chin. "For you," I said, bowing my head towards Queen Amberly.

I launched into a movement from Bach's Suite in G Major. It was an old song, one I usually saved for more elegant occasions, due to it's sound. I had once dreamed of playing it in grander places- maybe not in the palace, though. This was something beyond what I had ever dreamed. I was playing in the palace, but as a guest; not entertainment like the King said.

For a moment, everything slipped away as I was caught up in the sound of the music and being in the palace. The dining room must have been built with performances in mind, because the acoustics were fantastic. My audience was captivated- even the King didn't look too irritated. Queen Amberly was smiling, and Maxon was staring at me like he wanted to kiss me.

And then the spell was broken and the song ended. I handed the violin back to its owner, who was staring at me in awe, and returned quietly to my seat. Maxon rose from his chair to pull my chair out for me. "That was amazing," he whispered in my ear. I looked up to see the Queen smiling at me.

"Maybe you would have made it here eventually," the King said simply.

And with that, he returned to his mousse. I took that as a sign that the torture was over, and happily dug into my own dessert.

A guard entered, carrying a stack of papers. He handed them to the King. "For the Report tonight," he said quietly.

The King set down his spoon and flipped through the stack. He frowned, and handed the papers back to the guard.

"What's wrong?" asked Maxon tentatively.

The King sighed. "Some citizens feel that we aren't caring enough about the fire. Double the patrol," he said to the guard, "and I'll organize a memorial to be erected."

The words were tumbling out of my mouth before I realized what I was doing. "With all due respect your majesty, I think the people of your nation are looking for something different."

Maxon was glaring daggers at me; behind him, I could see Aspen doing the same. I regretted the words leaving my mouth.

The King had a smug look on his face, much like a cat cornering a mouse. He held up his hand to prevent Maxon from interrupting. "And what do these common people much like yourself prefer?" He raised his eyebrows at me, daring me to say anything.

It was too late for me to back down, though. I ignored his jab. "With all due respect, your Majesty, your people respect you, and understand your need for safety within your walls. But take it from someone who's a Five-" I hoped saying those words would help save me "-we would have even more confidence in your if you were to go out to the city. To show you're not afraid of the rebels, and that you really care about the city being burned to the ground. A memorial is also nice," I added hastily. "But a big event requires a bigger gesture."

The King squinted at me, sizing me up. I clutched at my dessert spoon, hoping he wasn't about to boot me out of the Selection. After another look in my direction, he turned to his son. "Would you like to take the lead on the Report tonight?"

Maxon looked baffled. After a moment of staring at the King, he finally said "It would be my honor, sir."

The King nodded and turned back to the guard standing beside him. "I need extra men. We'll head to Angeles within an hour. Wake the off-duty men so the palace is still protected. We can't let our guard down, even for a moment." With that, he rose, dropped his spoon on the table (I could practically hear Sylvia gasp), and strode out of the room. At the door, he paused and turned to me. "If anything happens, I will hold you personally responsible." And then he left.

I turned back to Maxon and Queen Amberly, who were both staring at me. "What just happened?" I asked quietly.

"He went with your idea," said Maxon. "We're going to the ruins of Angeles for the report." He rose from the table, his face remaining rigid. "It's a great idea, if executed properly. Now, if you'll excuse me." He passed by me, pausing to give me a small kiss on the cheek. "I have a few things to take care of before the Report."

I watched him leave the room, and then turned to the Queen. She was still eating her mousse, delicately. She glanced up at me, set down her spoon, and smiled, reassuring.

"He's just nervous, dear. Taking over the Report is a big deal- his father will be so disappointed if it doesn't go well." She picked up her spoon again. "You should go get changed into something sensible."

"I should," I echoed, wondering if Anne had thrown out all of my sensible clothing.

A/N This is un beta'd so I apologize for any mistakes.