"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
America
I was surprised when Amber's maid informed me that she was eating breakfast in her room the next morning but then when I still hadn't seen her by lunch I was getting concerned. Amber never avoided me. She was my little girl and we even when we fought she wouldn't dare miss a meal.
"Amber?" I called against her door, knocking. "Amber, it's Mom." There still wasn't a response. "Okay, if you're mad at me for anything than please just tell me so I can properly prepare myself." When I still didn't get an answer, I cracked the door open and poked my head in. Her room was vacant, her maid being the only person in there. "Parrah, where's Amber?" I asked.
Parrah jumped at the sound of my voice and faced me, looking petrified. "Your Majesty, I am so sorry, she told me to just tell you that she was eating breakfast in here. She said she'd be back by now," she stammered.
My eyes narrowed. "Parrah, where's Amber?" I repeated, slowly and lethally. I looked over at her bed and noticed that the sheets were still in perfect order; she didn't sleep here last night. "Parrah, if you don't tell me where my daughter is…"
"I don't know, ma'am! She didn't tell me where she was going. Please, I know I should've told you right away but she made me promise…" Parrah was so upset but I couldn't bring myself to comfort her. She was right; she had loyalty to Amber and she didn't have to tell me Amber's whereabouts.
I stormed out of the room and down the hall to our study, finding only Marlee. She leapt up when she saw my crumpled up face as I tried to keep my emotions in check. "Amber's gone. She took off this morning," I told her, pacing across the floor.
"No!" Marlee gasped. "You're sure?"
"Her maid just told me." I put a hand to my forehead. "Marlee, where could she be?" I asked desperately, trying to wrack my brain.
Marlee held up her hands to me, trying to soothe me. "Okay, you start calling people and I'll go with Carter and Aspen to check all of the rooms. Where's Maxon?"
I had to actually think about his schedule, my emotions getting the better of me. "Um, a budget meeting down the hall. Oh my gosh, he's going to be furious."
"Let me go get him, okay? Everything will be fine, America. She's the crown princess of Illéa, she can't go far without people recognizing her."
"You mean she could be outside of the palace?" I exclaimed, that not even occurring to me until she said something about it. If she had really left…she could be in so much danger.
Marlee put a hand on my shoulder and handed me the phone. "Start calling," she instructed, practically running out of the room.
I dialed Lucy's number first, thinking that would be the first place Amber would run. Lucy was concerned and claimed that she hadn't seen her but she would keep her eyes peeled. Next was Georgia who also hadn't seen my daughter at all over the last twenty-four hours. I was dialing Kenna's number when Maxon walked into our study. I ran up to him and hugged him, wanting so desperately to fall apart in his arms but if I was going to find her I had to be strong.
"Nothing yet? Have you called Shay?" he asked. I shook my head and pulled away from him, calling Kenna who still had nothing to report.
"Where else could she have gone? I mean, Kriss would have called if she was there, right?" I asked as Maxon walked over to his desk to open his phone book.
"All of these people would have called but it pays to double-check," he said. I was about to press Send for Kriss's number when Maxon's phone rang. We both stared at it for a few seconds before Maxon grabbed it out of the receiver. "Hello?" he barked into the phone. "Derrick..." His eyes met mine and he nodded to me, signaling that she was with Derrick. "You're what?..., Of course, I know I'm not upset…she's safe though? Thank you…wait, you're where…sounds like her…thank you so much, we'll be there soon…Shalom is there as well? Okay. We'll see you later."
"Was that her?" I demanded before he even put the phone down.
He shook his head. "It was Derrick. They're eloping."
"They're what? Eloping?" I repeated. "This is a sick joke, right? No daughter of mine is getting away with eloping. We need to bring her back right now!"
"Dearest, they're already in Whites. We need to take the plane if we want to get there in time for the ceremony." He was trying to placate me but the more he told me, the more angry I became.
As angry as I was though, sadness started to creep in. My daughter was getting married behind my back. She didn't want to get married in front of me. What had I done to instill this behavior? "Maxon…" I whispered, looking at him.
He came to me and put his hands on my shoulders, kissing my forehead tenderly. "We shouldn't stop this," he whispered to me, his lips brushing the skin on my forehead. "I think they've shown us that we can't stop it."
I nodded, agreeing. "Then we have to do everything we can to make it special for them. Go down to the kitchens, tell the cook to whip up a cake. Call my mom and make her call our families and tell them to be over here later tonight."
"What are you going to do?" he asked as I walked to the door.
"Every bride needs a wedding dress."
"Are you really okay with this?" Maxon asked as we walked down the street in Whites. It felt strange for us to be walking casually down the sidewalk and I could see that he was nervous with the way he looked over his shoulder every few minutes.
I looked over at him and saw the worry lining his face. When it came to matters of foreign policy or diplomacy, I was unable to hide my emotions. When it came to our children, I was the rock and Maxon was the open book. I could pretend to be okay with this all I wanted but Maxon couldn't hide that he wasn't happy with this wedding. "Do I have a choice? Clearly she's going to do this anyway," I told him, still trying to walk faster to keep up with him. Sometimes he forgot that he had longer legs than me. Win, Khalil and Annie were somewhere behind us with half of the guards from the palace surrounding them.
We arrived at the chapel after what seemed like a century of half-walking, half-running. Guards ran in ahead of us, holding the doors open and Amber was right in the doorway, a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. "Mom! Dad," she exclaimed, clearly shocked to see us both there. After all, she was planning on doing this in secret. "Look, I know this seems crazy…" she began but Maxon cut her off by hugging her.
"There's no need to apologize," he told her, kissing her cheek.
"Come with me now, Amber. We don't have much time," I urged, grabbing her elbow and tugging her to a door. She looked confused, even more so when she saw the rest of her siblings run in.
She looked around at this impromptu family reunion like a deer caught in headlights. "I'm not in trouble? What's going on here?"
"You're getting married!" Annie squealed loudly, her voice octaves higher than normal due to her excitement.
"You didn't think we were going to miss our big sister's wedding day, did you?" Win asked, hugging her from the side.
Amber laughed excitedly and pressed a hand to her mouth, looking at me with misty eyes. "You're not angry?" she asked, seeming to be utterly terrified of me.
I shook my head and smiled at her, taking the opportunity to tuck some of her long red hair behind her ear. "I'm not angry. At least for now I'm not because we do not have much time to get you ready."
She pointed at the garment bag in my hands. "Is that…?"
"C'mon, your father wants to be surprised when he sees you in your dress," I said, practically dragging her into another room with Win and Annie hot on our heels.
Amber didn't even flinch when I told her to strip down to her underwear so she could put on the dress. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. Instead of being the traditional white it was a dark ivory with cream lace covering the scalloped mermaid skirt sporadically. Win set right to work on her hair as Annie worked on detangling a string of pearls for Amber to wear around her neck.
Annie and Win, who were already dressed in dresses that were similar pinks, ran out of the room to go give Maxon and the other boys the five minute warning. "Now, I know that this is a rather unconventional way of getting married but I do want to abide by some traditions. Luckily I was able to scrape together some presents for you," I told my eldest daughter.
We sat across from each other on a loveseat and she looked at me expectantly. "Mom, I'm sorry…"
"Hey, didn't your father tell you not to apologize for anything?" She smiled guiltily at me and nodded for me to continue. I pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to her. "This is the very first present your father gave you. At least, it's the first one I count. I figured it could count as your something borrowed and as your something blue."
She drew in her breath as she opened the box, revealing the blue bracelet Maxon had brought me back from New Asia. "Wow, my gosh Mom," she sighed, lifting it with shaky hands.
"I'd like to reiterate that it's your something borrowed, meaning that you have to return it to me as soon as possible. That bracelet has been through a lot and I'm not ready to part with it yet." I still wore the bracelet on days where I didn't have to be dressed up. I was wearing it for my father's funeral, when Maxon and I had been engaged the first time, I wore it the day I found out I was pregnant with Amber and Shay, the day I gave birth to Khalil. It had seen me through many big milestones.
"Thank you Mom," Amber said, throwing her arms around me.
When I released her I placed a small gift bag in her lap. "Sorry for wrapping. Your father wrapped it."
She eyed me with suspicion as she pulled out a box and opened it. She almost immediately gasped and slammed the lid back on. "Mom!"
"It's tradition!" I defended, holding my hands up.
"Lingerie?" she asked in disbelief.
I raised my eyebrows at her. "What were you planning on wearing? Your plain bra and underwear? Let me tell you that while men may seem to be accepting with sex whenever they get it, sometimes it does a little good to make it special by dressing up for them." She kept gaping at me, her chest getting red with embarrassment over this conversation. "Also, I believe the proper term for it is trousseau."
She rolled her eyes and hugged me again. "Thanks." We sat for a while looking at each other and I waited for her to ask me what she had on her mind. Finally she asked, "Is it okay to be this nervous? Were you like this?" She held up her hand to show how badly she was shaking.
I nodded affirmatively. "I mean, it was a televised event hundreds of guests watching me and I was also being coronate but marriage is a huge step. When your Uncle Kota was getting married he said that he knew it was the right time because it didn't scare him."
"But I'm so nervous."
"Nerves are very different from fear. Nerves are natural. If you're scared I am sure we can find a back door somewhere around here and make our escape quickly and quietly."
Amber laughed and looked down at her hands. "I love you Mom. I'm sorry for being a handful."
I sighed. "What did I tell you about apologizing?"
"I know! It's just…I haven't been the best daughter lately yet you still did all of this for us. I mean, really, how much did you and Dad sacrifice simply by coming here today and dropping everything? I know this isn't what you had imagined for your first child's wedding but you're still everything you can to make it perfect."
"Amber, someday when you have kids you'll understand that at the end of the day, no matter what they do, you just want them to be happy. It's love, remember? The bond that parents have with their children is unique and not something easily understood for people who don't have children of their own. But remember, we knew you for nine months before you knew us. We spent months preparing for you and dreaming about what you would be like in the future. We stayed up at night worrying about how we would mess up. As a mother, it is far more scary to imagine yourself making mistakes than it is to think about your kids making mistakes." I pulled her close to me then, thinking back to the days she spent in my lap or Maxon's while I worked in our study. Now my little princess was getting married. Soon she would be having little princesses of her own. "I love you little girl," I whispered.
"I love you too Mom," she answered.
The door opened and Aspen stuck his head inside, his face instantly splitting into a wide grin when he saw Amber. "Well, I must say Amber, you are the third most beautiful bride I've ever seen," he told her, offering her his hand. I smiled as I watched her accept his hand. Even after twenty years, it made me so happy to know that Aspen was not only still my best friend but Maxon's and that he was so close to the kids.
"That is quite the compliment," I informed Amber. "He's putting you before his sisters."
"What makes you say that? You don't know that Kamber or Celia booted you from the top three," Aspen jested, earning a playful punch on the arm from me.
Looking over Amber's shoulder I was able to catch Maxon's reaction when he saw his daughter emerge in her wedding attire. He looked up at the ceiling and back down quickly, something he always did when he was trying not to cry. It was a lost cause though. He was already crying more than he did on our own wedding day. But today he was crying for completely different reasons.
"My little girl," he whispered as she walked up to him with a shy smile. They embraced for several moments as he told her something that was surely sickeningly sweet that I couldn't hear.
"Ames, I think that's our cue," Aspen said. Of course he was walking me down the aisle again. Maxon had to take Amber, Shay would be with Win and Khalil would be with Annie. "We're making a habit out of this, aren't we?" he asked sarcastically as the doors to the chapel opened and he guided me to the front where Maxon and I would sit with Aspen, Lucy, Carter and Marlee.
Derrick smiled at me, looking rather dapper in his guard uniform. The doors opened and I watched my four youngest walk down the small aisle together. The pastor who was officiating looked nonplussed by the congregation that had gathered. Obviously he was planning a simple elopement. He probably never imagined that he would be dealing with the entire royal family.
Finally the pianist started playing the bridal march and the doors in the back of the chapel opened, revealing Amber. I watched Amber who seemed to have only eyes for Derrick, her gaze never once wavering from his as she held on to Maxon. He gave her away, kissing her on the cheek one last time before sitting by me. As soon as he was in his seat he grabbed my hand and held on. He really was putting on a brave face through all of this. I knew it couldn't be easy for him to have to say goodbye to his little girl so suddenly.
As the ceremony continued, I kept sneaking glances over at Maxon. Our daughter was getting married. After this she wouldn't be our daughter anymore. She was going to be someone's wife. She would officially be separated from us. After a long eighteen years of gradual separation, the last cord was being cut today. I locked eyes with my own husband, both of us recalling the day we were wed and also reveling in this moment that we never dreamt would come so soon.
The officiate announced Derrick as man and wife and they kissed to seal the deal. It was official. Per royal custom, Derrick was actually taking Amber's last name but she was linked to another person with a bond stronger than being our daughter. I could still sense some tension between her and Shay and I hoped that would be resolved sooner rather than later. Especially since he was such a vital part to today. After all, he had run away with her and Derrick.
We all stood and took turns offering them our congratulations. Aspen, Maxon and I hung back so that everyone could gush over Amber. "She looks beautiful," Maxon whispered in my ear. "Thank you for doing all of this for her."
I smiled at him and just took his hand again, giving it a squeeze. When we finally got a chance we told Amber that there was a small reception waiting for them at the palace. "Also, I have this," I told her, passing her a key.
She blushed, instantly recognizing it as the key to one of our vacation houses on the coast of the Mediterranean. "How long do I get it?"
"Until Derrick has to report for duty. Besides, you still have other responsibilities. Like college?"
Amber smiled bashfully. "Mom, about that. I don't think college is really for me."
I nodded. "I figured that."
Then she looked between Maxon and I and added, "I think I'm ready to start training to be queen."
Maxon tried his best to keep his face smooth but the corners of his mouth still lifted just a little bit. "Okay," he agreed. "We can discuss that once you guys get back." He put his arm around my shoulder, squeezing it because I knew he was really freaking out at her agreeing to be queen.
We flew back to Angeles and joined our families for a reception. Mom had even gone the extra mile and had tracked down Derrick's mother so that guards could fly her down here. She was completely in shock and in utter awe over the whole affair but it felt good to finally meet her seeing as our children had just gotten married.
The night wound down quickly and suddenly Maxon and I found ourselves on the steps of the palace, saying goodbye to our eldest daughter as she left for her honeymoon. I hugged her and then gave her time to say her goodbyes to Maxon since the two of them were so much closer. "Thanks for everything Dad," she said quietly.
He smiled and told her he loved her. "It's not goodbye forever. You are coming back this weekend," he reminded her.
"We'll be good," she promised, ushering Derrick into their waiting car, flashing the key at me to show that she still had it. "Love you guys!"
Maxon wound an arm around my waist as we waved to them, the sun setting over the walls surrounding the palace. I rested my hand on his shoulder and sighed. "And there they go. Off into the sunset," I whispered. It was strangely anticlimactic. Part of me wished that I could've given Amber the proper princess wedding but after the day we'd had, I realized that this was the best possible option for her.
"Let's go inside," Maxon suggested, steering me back through the doors. We found the rest of our kids in the music parlor where we had left them. Khalil was playing the piano as Shalom and Win tried to hopelessly teach Win and Adaline some ballet moves while Attica, Abigail, and Daylin laughed so hard they were crying.
Shalom sobered immediately when we walked in, trying his best to appear mature but I could tell he was struggling. "We're just here to thank you all for your cooperation and help today. Have a good night," Maxon wished them.
As we started to head up to Maxon's room, Shalom chased us down. "Thanks for not flipping out on Amber," he said to us as he walked along side us.
"It wasn't the right thing to do," I told him simply. "Where's Shel?" He blushed and looked down. "Honey, you can talk to us about it if you need to. Especially since you normally go to Amber about it."
"She's just uninterested. After what happened at Halloween, I'm not sure I'm willing to bring her into this anymore. It's cruel to bring such a beautiful person into this spotlight."
Maxon smiled sympathetically. "I get it Shay, I do. But at the end of the day you have to do what will make you happy. Not what will make everyone else happy."
"Thanks, Dad." Shay looked around uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go to bed now."
"Okay. Thanks for being such a good brother today," I said, hugging him and then kissing him on the cheek. "I love you honey."
"Love you too Mom." He patted Maxon's shoulder and then ran past us to his bedroom.
We got ready for bed quietly. I sat in bed putting lotion on my legs and eventually asked Maxon, "Should we have stopped Amber and Derrick today?"
There was a long moment of silence as Maxon thought it over. Finally I heard his muffled voice from the bathroom. "We could have. But do you think Amber would ever forgive us if we had?" he asked, emerging and flipping out the lights. He crawled under the covers and kissed me softly before settling down on his side.
I twirled my rings absentmindedly, unable to quiet my busy mind. "Maxon?"
"Hmm?" he grunted. His eyes were already closed and I knew I only had a few more minutes before he succumbed to sleep.
"Do you ever wish that we could have raised the kids in a normal household?"
He was quiet and then sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Like as a family of Fives? As Max and Mer?" I nodded. "Not really. I love our family just the way it is. Why? Are you wishing we had?"
"Just with what Shay said tonight about not wanting to drag Shel into all of this. Amber used to say the same thing about Derrick."
"They are twins. Their thought processes are bound to be similar."
I rolled my eyes. "You know it's more than that. I mean, the press was never this aggressive with me while we were engaged or even the first few years of our marriage. Do you think it's because of us that they're so interested in our kids? Like, we're Prince Maxon and Lady America and that makes our kids equally amazing?"
"I think," he began, rubbing a hand up and down my leg, "that the press only laid off because of the attack and what happened with my parents. But Mer, remember, if we were Fives we would still be Fives now. We wouldn't have been able to abolish the castes."
I smiled and ran a hand through his hair, still silky smooth to the touch. "It is pretty incredible that we got to do that, huh?"
"Amber and Derrick have a tough act to follow." He lazily drew circles on my leg with his index finger. Then he looked up at me lovingly and tugged my ear lightly, just like he did the night we got married. I knew he was thinking about our wedding night as well. "Luckily, just like her parents, Amber was born into perfection."
I still don't feel quite right about that ending...meh, oh well. Hope you enjoyed reading, sorry it was a day late!
LadyAnj: you're not the first person to have that theory about me being Kiera Cass in disguise but believe me, I am not. Nor am I worthy of her awesomeness.
Carysv: wow. i'm a little scared about how spot-on you were with their reactions. *shrinks away from computer*
Someone the World Forgot: Okay, so do you read Laws of Inheritance by hushedhands? I'm assuming you do since you seem like a sensible person and if you had any sense about yourself you would read that Fic. Well anyway, every time I read your signature as just K i think about her Fic because of the whole K mystery...I actually screenshotted your review and sent it to her. -\('_')/-
LeftByTheGalaxy: hold on, stop, slow down the fangirl train...I am actually not a fan of John Green. He just writes good stuff for quotes. Oh, and there'll be more about the other kids later! just be patient, young grass-reader.
Guest: okay, i looked for the Love, Actually reference but i couldn't find it. could you refresh my memory? just because that's one of my all time favorite movies so if i didn't know i put it in there i'd be mortified.
prnamber3909: oh no, Shalom is not getting married...yet.
Thanks for the reviews lovelies!