CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Wednesday, January 4th
9:30 AM
Daddy and Jackson left today, half an hour ago actually. Now I was sad and I only wanted to stay in my room and cuddle up to Shane all day and be sad about them not being here anymore. But, I couldn't, I had more meetings today; more meetings to fight for me and Shane to be together instead of having to be with someone like Bradley Franklin. I still had that image of Shane, me, and a little baby girl with his dark hazel eyes and dark hair and tan complexion. I was fighting for that, for me and Shane to be able to create something so beautiful out of our love.
"I'll be right here all day." Shane promised, his fingers playing with the ends of my hair.
"It must be really boring to be a bodyguard." I mused and he laughed. "All you do is stand there and watch me all day, you don't even get to do anything."
"I get to look at you all day, I'm never bored when I'm on your guard." Shane replied and I blushed.
"But, you're gonna be real bored today, you get to stand outside a closed door." I pointed out and he shrugged. "Where's Trevor today?"
"Little brat ditched me for his friends." Shane replied and I laughed at the look on his face. "Guess I deserved it though, had to work all the holidays." He mused.
"I'm sorry." I whispered, feeling guilty, if it weren't for me Shane could have been with his little brother on Christmas.
"His decission, I asked him what he wanted to do for Christmas and he blew me off for a girl with a cabin in the mountains." Shane shrugged and I laughed again. "And by the way, Babe, I'm never bored since I met you." He leaned down and kissed me chastely. "I'll see you when you've kicked Parliments ass." He said and I smiled, he really believed that I could do this. Then again, the alternative was double heartbreak and me marrying someone else.
"It'll only be another four members, hardly the collective."
"Better four more than four short." Shane replied and I smiled again. "I love you, Princess." He whispered before he reluctantly stepped away from me and I was left feeling cold and empty again.
"I love you too." I kissed him one last time before I pushed him a little further away, actually creating space between us this time. "Now let me tell the rest of the world, one stuck-up person at a time."
"Your wish is my command." Shane grinned, moving back so his back was to the wall and I glanced at hime one more time before I slipped into the office I'd acquired for the meetings.
Princess Miley
9:45 AM
"Lady Lochnell, thank-you for coming." I smiled at the woman, despite the all-business vibe she gave off an aura of motherhood and caring.
"It's an honor, Your Highness." Lady Bridgit Lochnell said and we exchanged a few more pleasentries."I'm going to suppose this meeting has something to do with the meeting you had with Andrew yesterday?" Lady Lochnell guessed and my eyes widened, how did she know? " Lords and Lady's talk, Your Highness, when you work with people they become your friends."
"Oh." I blushed, I probably should have realised that. "Uh..."
"Who is this boy you want to break constitution for?" Lady Lochnell asked and I was surprised, none of the Lords from yesterday had asked me who Shane was. "No matter what you may think, who you marry will have a great influence in this country, and though you do have the right to marry for love, just as anyone else, the future of Cyrus also lies - even in slight - with who you wed."
"Shane Gray." I whispered, and I couldn't stop from smiling as I said his name. "I-I met him at Prince Arthurs Prep, and-" Lady Lochnell just shook her head and smiled.
"The guard boy?" She questioned and I nodded slowly.
"I-I tried to move on, to love Marcus Hawthorne, to not think about Shane, but..." I sighed, Shane's smile flittering through my mind. "I can't help it, Ma'am, I just-I love him."
Princess Miley
11:00 AM
"I have listened to your plight, Your Highness." Lord Stephan Cooper said thoughtfully. "And I have decided, I will vote in favour of your constitution change." I shot my head up sharply, unable to keep the hope out of my eyes and off my face. "I will vote in your favour, if you can successfully conquer me in a game of chess."
"Chess?" I think I must have heard wrong.
"Correct." Lord Cooper confirmed and my smile turned into a frown.
"But, I suck at chess." I said, still trying to figure out if this was legitamate.
"Then, you should hope to improve." Lord Cooper replied with a small smirk.
"But, what does chess have to do with anything." I shook my head, trying to figure it out.
"Chess is a game of the mind, strategy, what to move, what to sacrifice, when to surrender..." Lord Cooper explained and I kept frowning. "Succeed over me and I will know you are capable of being the future of Cyrus."
"But... Love isn't a mind game." I denied, furrowing my brow. "Love is with your heart, not your head. Chess may be strategy, but love is unpredictable and amazing and not something you can plan for." I listed, unable to stop a dreamy sigh when I thought of Shane.
"But, how am I to know you can Monarch Cyrus without the propper guidance of a man at your side?" Cooper said and my eyes narrowed and I glared at him.
"With all due respect, Lord Cooper, that's sexist; saying that I need a man to do what I was born to do, that I need a man to fullfill my birthright, as if I can't do anything for myself or to benefit Cyrus on my own because I'm a woman. That's completely sexist and I refuse to adhere to your stupid, sexist ideals." Lord Cooper just looked at me, calm and calculating.
"Win a game of chess and I will vote for your change." Lord Cooper repeated.
"Love is a game of the heart, and I refuse to play your stupid mind games and submit to your sexist attitude." I stood up and glared down at him. "Good day, Lord Cooper." I dismissed.
Princess Miley
12:15 PM
"It seems you're making a name for yourself rather quickly." The King observed as we sat down to lunch. I looked up at him from playing with my salad. He looked pale and guant and like he hadn't slept in a long time. "I've recieved a few praising messages about you since yesterday. Am I to expect more?"
"Well, you're not getting one from Franklin or Cooper any time soon." I muttered darkly with a shrug. Sexist idiots. The King looked surprised, but didn't say anything for a minute.
"Have you given thought to how you will present your petition to Parliment on Sunday?" He asked and it wasy my turn to look surprised.
"Sunday?" I asked, that was only four days away.
"Parliment meets on Sundays, I thought you would want the petition on record as soon as possible for your votes to start counting?" The King said conversationally and I looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Why are suddenly helping me? You're the one that refused to help before." I pointed out and he sighed.
"Miley, there are many ways to view my refusal to Knight Mister Gray, one of which could be that pushing you to petition would gain you favour with the people of Cyrus for standing up for your beliefs." King Altiyan said and my jaw dropped. He'd done that just so I could demand a bunch of stuck-up Parliment people change the law?
"You couldn't have told me that?" I demanded exhasperatedly and he chuckled.
"You are an intelligent, passionate girl... If you hadn't figured it out by New Year I would have subtly suggested it." The King dismissed and I rolled my eyes. "Now, you will want to have the petition be on official records as soon as possible, as soon as the petition is on the record the members of Parliment can start voting and your will become more reachable with every meeting."
"So... You're... Helping me?" I was still sightly confused about that.
"Yes, Miley, I do want you to be happy." King Altiyan confirmed, smiling easilly. "Even if it is with Mister Gray." I forwned slightly, but I couldn't hold it.
"So what do I do?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.
"You're doing it, gaining favour with people." The King said, smiling and I smiled too. "I will give you help when you need it, but you have done a remarkable job with everything the last month and a half."
Princess Miley
1:30 PM
"Lord McEnroe, thank-you for coming." I forced myself to smile, this was getting tedious, but I'd sit through a million tedious meeting if I even got to spend ten minutes with Shane.
"It's an honor, Your Highness." Lord McEnroe smile charmingly and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, everyone always said that. For once, I want it to not be an honor. "What can I do for you, Your Highness?" I sighed, this again.
"Help me change the constitution." I said straight out and I opened my mouth to elaborate when there was a knock on the door. "Yeah?" I got up and opened the door, I started to smile when I saw Shane before the panicked look on his face set in.
"Princess." I cooed sadly and I knew something was wrong.
"What happened?" I questioned, almost not wanting to know. "Shane?" I pressed when he didn't say anything, just opened and closed his mouth a couple of times.
"The King." Shane whispered and I felt my blood run cold. "He-He... The King collapsed." I pushed Shane out of the way as soon as the soft-spoken wordsleft his mouth and I ran down the hall. "Princess!" I heard Shane run after me and he grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop.
"I have to see him, Shane." I told him and he sighed.
"It's this way." He gestured down a different hall and I nodded, letting him leave me.
"What-what happened?" I asked, feeling a little faint.
"I don't know, I was just told to tell you." Shane shook his head. "He's going to be okay, Princess." An empty comfort, I knew, I'd heard it a lot and they weren't okay, they died. But, I still squeezed his hand thankfully.
"Just-just take me to him." Shane stopped and nodded at the door we were stopped at. "Here?" I whispered and he nodded, he squeezed my hand comfortingly and ran his thumb over my knuckles. I stared at the door. I kept staring at the door. I let go of Shane's hand and pushed the double doors to the Hospital Wing open. The entire back wall was curtained off and there were four guards standing outside the white wall of fabric. I took a slow breath and started forward. As I got closer the guards shared a look and one of them nodded, stepping aside so I could pass through the part in the curtains.
"Sir?" I whispered, he looked worse than at lunch; paler, I could see his blue veins. "G-... Grandfather?" It was the first time I'd called him that out loud. King Altiyan opened his eyes slowly and looked over at me.
"Miley... What are you doing here?" King Altiyan asked softly.
"I'm told you collapsed and you think I wouldn't come?" I scoffed incrediously. "What happened?"
"It was nothing, I just over-exerted." He dismissed and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, well, over-exerting isn't exactly a good thing, especially not when you're sick." I sighed and sat down next to his bed. "It's getting worse, isn't it? And you didn't want to tell me 'cause I was mad."
"I'm not dieing before April, Miley, don't you worry about that." The King said and I frowned.
"You're dieing and you really think I care about April?"
"You have so much ahead of you, and I want to see it all." King Altiyan said and I smiled a little.
"Then live, and see it." I said simply and he laughed, turning into a cough and when he brought his hand away there was blood. "I'm so sorry." I whispered.
"Your Highness." The Doctor came in and I looked up, I felt like crying. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I need to do some tests on His Majesty." I nodded and stood up. I smiled at the King and bent down, kissing his pale, cold forehead lightly before I left.
"Tell me." I whispered to the Doctor, turning my big blue eyes on him. "Please, just... Tell me?" I begged before I left.
Sorry for the wait!
Please ignore the latest review I recieved for this story in chapter one from an author labeled Decruex'ed. It's repulsive, disgusting, and abhorent to the rules of fanfiction. I've reported the user, the review, and contacted fanfiction directly and they haven't done anything about it.
Gonna start on my promised Miam sex-one-shot in a few minutes, so that'll be up soon.
Thank-you to all my reviews and reviewers :D I love you guys :D
5 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!
15 Days till my 19th Birthday!
5 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!
XOXO
Peace, Love, Miley!