"Give me my Romeo. And when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars. And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with the night." - Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Amber

I held on to Derrick's hand as we walked through the front doors of the military airport. The last few days with him had been unreal but then today came and reality hit me in the face with the force of a truck. He was actually leaving. This was happening. Now I found myself holding my breath and counting the seconds until I inevitably had to let him go.

"Are you sure you have everything? Toothbrush, deodorant, rations?" I asked, trying to find anything to talk about besides his departure.

He smiled at me like he knew exactly what I was doing. "I think they give me rations. And for the fourth time, I have all products that make me practice safe hygiene."

I nodded and looked out the doors to where his plane was waiting. Other soldiers were saying their goodbyes to family members but it seemed like none of them were quite as broken as I was. Maybe they just had more practice with this kind of stuff although I couldn't imagine ever getting used to saying goodbye to Derrick. "I love you," I said quietly, focusing on his nametag that now said Schreave.

"I love you too," he answered fervently, putting both of his hands on my face to make me look at him. "Say it. Say what you're thinking."

"Please don't make me a widow before I've hardly been a wife," I pleaded.

He shook his head. "I will not do that to you. I will never leave you, got it? You are the love of my life, okay? And you are the most important thing in my life. Death itself could not take you from me."

"I'm just not ready to say goodbye."

"Me neither."

I threw my arms around his waist and clung to him, breathing in the smell of his bodywash while I still could. "I love you," I whispered again.

I felt his lips touch my hair as his hands rubbed up and down my back. "I love you. You're my forever, Amber Schreave."

"You're my infinity," I answered, this becoming our little thing that we tell each other. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always." He saluted half-heartedly and then picked up his duffel bag. "I'll see you soon, okay?" He patted the side of my face and I nodded at him, smiling sadly. Then he pulled away, clinging to my hand until the last possible second. I watched him walk into the sunlight and to his plane, finally disappearing up a ladder into what looked like the cargo hold. And then he was gone.

How many times had I imagined going to the annual palace Christmas party with my husband? Surely it wasn't possible to count. But of course, as fate would have it, I finally had my husband but couldn't go with him to the party. Rather, he couldn't come with me.

As I walked down to the party I ran into Shalom checking his tie in a mirror in the hallway. "You don't have to wear a tie, you know," I told him. "It's just family and friends here."

"I don't need your opinion either. Just because you got your happily ever after doesn't mean that you can boss me around," he snapped. He aggressively took off his tie though and left it on a chair for a maid to pick up later.

"It's not happily ever after," I mumbled, thinking of my husband who was on the other side of the country, probably freezing in a tower guarding a base that didn't really need to be guarded.

Shay rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You got to see Derrick two days ago. Don't be all bummed that he actually couldn't come here on Christmas."

I crossed my arms. "You know, I don't get it."

"Get what?" he growled.

"Get why you're still so upset with me. Why did you help us elope? Clearly it wasn't an act of love for your sister."

He closed his eyes and opened them slowly. "I did it for my best friend Derrick. Not my sister." Then he brushed past me to the staircase and descended downstairs to where the party was being held.

I followed behind him slowly, not really in the festive spirit. Mom was always a bit somber on Christmas but that's just because to her, it will always be the day she had to bury her father. I could only imagine how I would treat the day if I were in her position. Maybe she and I could sulk together.

"Which photographers are you trying to impress?" Annie asked when she and Win caught up to me.

I looked down at my mint green dress and smoothed the skirt with my hands nervously. "Oh, um, none. I just wanted to look dressed up."

"At the expense of making us feel severely underdressed?" Win cut in. I just shook my head at them as they ran ahead, too excited for presents and food to stay back with their boring older sister. In truth, I had been trying to look presentable all of the time in order to impress Dad and let him know that I was committed to being a good queen, even if it meant spending all day in heels and uncomfortable dresses. I remember the first time I walked down these steps in real heels was the most terrifying thing; I was sure I would face plant. Luckily Shay was there to lend me his arm to make sure no broken noses occurred.

The party was in full swing by the time I made it down to the Women's Room. Dad was in a lively conversation with Uncle Aspen and Uncle Carter and Mom was preoccupied with Aunt May's newest little baby. "Where's Grandma?" I asked Aunt Kenna when she approached me.

A shadow flickered over her face as she answered, "She couldn't make it."

"Okay," I shrugged, choosing not to pursue it further. I left her by the drink cabinet and wandered over to a window, looking out the window and dreaming of the snowy landscape in Clermont. The one that Derrick face every night now. Our time together a few days before had been too brief. I has happy to see him the first few hours and then spent the rest of the time despairing over his inevitable departure.

"Penny for your thoughts?" someone asked from behind me. I turned and saw a man standing there, looking at me expectantly. He was tall and lean but built well with broad shoulders. His hair was practically bleached blonde by the sun and there was something deep in his blue eyes that seemed sad but accepting. Like he was used to pain and wished there was something he could do to take it away but also knew that there was really nothing he could do. Dozens of childhood memories flashed before my eyes and suddenly I knew who this man was.

I shook my head, my face breaking into a smile for the first time in days. "Kile. Wow. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, I know. Between med school and then studying abroad I haven't been around much." He smiled pleasantly at me. Something about that smile felt like home. It felt like lazy mornings eating breakfast in bed and nights spent with Derrick in front of a roaring fire.

"Studying abroad? I didn't know you were doing that."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "It was kind of last minute. Another student had dropped out of the program and I thought, hey, who wouldn't want to spend a semester in Namibia?"

"Namibia? As in Africa?"

"That's the one."

My eyes widened. "Isn't it dangerous there?"

"It's dangerous in most third world countries that require medical aid from even unqualified doctors," he said, trying to make a joke out of it. I didn't think it was much of a joke. Africa was avoided by our country and most of our allies, mostly because the religious wars there were too messy for us to get involved in. The world was essentially split into two: those who fought in New Asia and those who fought in Africa. We got the lucky end of things with New Asia. To fight both would cost countless lives and would be more detrimental than helpful. "Don't worry, I'm not going back."

"I'm not worried," I said fast. It felt wrong to be worried about another man's safekeeping, not while my husband was a guard.

"I'm actually going to start working here with Dr. Ashlar. An internship or residency, I guess you could call it."

I nodded. "That's awesome. Much safer."

"Yeah." There was an awkward moment of silence before he said jovially, "So I heard you got married! That's pretty…pretty amazing. I mean, when my mom told me I didn't quite believe it at first. Here I thought I would always be the one marrying you."

I gasped at his words but then I remembered all of the fake weddings that Shalom officiated between me and Kile while we were kids and just playing around. "It all happened kind of fast."

"You're happy though?" he asked, his gaze clearly measuring my response.

"Couldn't be happier."

Kile smiled and nodded in approval. "That's good then. If not, that husband of yours would have to answer to me." He frowned and bit down on his lip. "Not that…not that I have any claim on you. I just, you know how I feel about you."

"You love me like an older brother," I said to him in a measured voice.

He lifted his drink and nodded. "Like a brother," he repeated but there was something in the way he said it that told me he was lying. There had always been something between Kile and I. I just couldn't bring myself to think like that anymore. Not with a husband out there. He stood there for a few more moments and swirled his drink around in his glass. "Well, feel free to call me if you have any pressing medical concerns in the future," he said as a form of goodbye.

I nodded. "I will definitely remember to do that."

Kile stepped toward me and I was terrified at first that he was about to kiss me or even hug me. But then he just patted my shoulder awkwardly and brushed by to go greet Uncle Gerad. I took a deep breath and tried to muster a somewhat flat expression as I walked over to where Mom was ogling over Aunt May's new baby.

"Amber, meet Cooper," Aunt May said, lifting one of his little hands in a tiny wave. She looked tired, not that I could blame her. She wasn't exactly spritely anymore and having a newborn was obviously wearing her down.

"Hi Cooper," I greeted tentatively, smiling awkwardly at him. I had absolutely no clue of how to act around babies, especially ones as young as Cooper. They didn't even react really to most things you said to them. What was I going to talk to him about? How enchanting the chandelier looked?

Mom cleared her throat and looked at me carefully. "I saw you catching up with Kile," she said meaningfully. She was no stranger to the connection Kile and I had as kids. She had actually signed a number of our marriage certificates.

"Did you know he was serving as a doctor in Namibia?" I asked her.

She nodded. "He's a good kid. We'll be lucky to have him as our palace doctor in a few years."

I nearly choked on the cube of cheese I had just put in my mouth. "Palace doctor?" I repeated, making sure I had heard her correctly. "I knew he was going to intern for Dr. Ashlar but I didn't know he was just taking over."

"Not for a few years." Mom waved a hand as if it was nothing and Aunt May smiled at me timidly. "He needs to be certified first but he's filling his residency here. Dr. Ashlar started here when your father was Annie's age; he can't stay here forever."

"Does that mean…" I trailed off, the thought too horrifying to think about.

Mom laughed at my exasperation. "Does that mean what honey?"

"Does that mean he'll be delivering my babies someday?" I asked in a quiet voice so that there was no risk of being overheard.

"You can get a midwife, you know. I found it was just easier for Dr. Ashlar to be in charge since he had all of my doctor's records on file. May brought in a midwife for her kids," Mom explained.

I shook my head, not even having a clue of where to go from here. The thought of one of my oldest friends being that close to me in such a platonically intimate way was unnerving. Why couldn't I just be a boy and be the supportive one that only had to hold his wife's hand and feed her ice chips? Shalom would have done much better as the girl twin. He was way more maternal and also in much better shape than me. Not to mention the whole ballet thing. "I think I need some air," I finally ground out between my teeth before making an abrupt beeline for the doors.

The hallway was pretty quiet. Most maids and butlers had the night off for their own Christmas festivities. The only ones still working were the ones taking care of the party and the ones that cared for the royal family. Finally I made it to the back terrace and walked outside, a guard following behind me at a close distance. He posted himself by the door as another one followed me outside, staying in the corner of the patio and pretending to not watch what I was doing. The constant lack of privacy was not something I ever got used to.

I heard the door open and close behind me. Believing it was just another guard I didn't even turn around to see who it was. So I was pretty surprised when a strong hand spun me around and a mouth was pressed to mine before I could even get a glimpse at my kisser's face. I didn't need to look though.

Something deep down in me came loose at the feel of his lips against mine. I didn't need to look in order to know that it was Kile. And for a while it seemed like that meant that we could just keep on kissing except for one tiny problem…

"Kile, I'm married!" I hissed at him, looking at the guards nearby and praying that neither of them were friends with Derrick. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should've done last summer when I was too scared to even talk to you," he admitted, breathing heavily.

I was backed up as far as I could go against the railing. He had me stuck in a corner and we both knew it but instead of being properly terrified and appalled…I was thrilled. "Why not?" The thought of someone being intimidated by me was nothing new but this was Kile. My authority never seemed to scare him. Maybe that's why he was always such a good friend to me.

"Because I love you, Amber. I thought you knew that but now I know you didn't. I thought that if I just went to Namibia I could forget about you and maybe move on, find someone new. But with every day that went by I just missed you more and more and here I am, professing my love to you when it's already too late," he spoke reverently. "Way too late," he reiterated. My parents weren't religious but I knew Dad's mother was. I imagined this was similar to what people sounded like when they spoke about their gods.

"Kile, I'm married," I emphasized.

He shook his head and waved his hands. "No, I know."

"Then why are you doing this? I'm happy with my husband, I'm happy with where my life is going! Why do you feel the need to come and ruin all of that?"

"Swear to me that you're happy," he growled, his face still impossibly close to mine. I could smell the sweet aroma of fine red wine and peppermint on his breath as it warmed my face.

I looked into his big brown eyes and swallowed, slowly nodding. "I'm happy."

Kile took a step back and looked out over the gardens. "Then I won't fight for you anymore Amber. At the end of the day, your happiness is more important than my own. That's what love is, right? So go be happy with your husband, if that's what you need. But he will never love you the same way I do." He turned and walked to the door, stopping on the threshold to say one last thing. "And never forget that you are more loved than you can ever imagine."

America

"Was that a good Christmas party?" Maxon asked as we walked up to our room at the end of the night. His arm was slung over my shoulders and we walked slowly, just taking our time. "I know this day has always been difficult for you. I worry about you sometimes."

"Sometimes?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows at him. "It helps to be surrounded by everyone, old friends and new ones too. I just wish Mom could have been here as well."

Maxon's hand rubbed against my shoulder in slow circles. "Maybe she just needed to have today to herself and Philip. It is a shame that Amber wasn't feeling well and left early."

"I think she's having a much harder time with Derrick's absence than she lets on. You know how she is with that stuff. I'm sure that her shadowing you is a welcome distraction but I do worry that that's all it is to her," I confessed.

"She'll be a good queen someday, regardless of her motives. And in a few years time Derrick's term will be up with the guard and they'll be free to live happily ever after properly, as king and queen. I doubt he'll let her terminate his position."

I frowned. "I doubt she'll be ready to be queen that fast." Officer Avery opened the door to Maxon's room and shut it tight behind us, nodding with understanding that he wasn't allowed to repeat anything he had just heard. "I know we became king and queen within a matter of months but had it been different, we wouldn't have been promoted for at least three years. Why throw Amber into the thick of it now?"

He shrugged as he pulled back the thick comforter of his bed, messing it up just like the way he liked it. It wasn't unusual for him to sometimes ask my maids to just leave his bed unmade. "She wants to be thrown into the thick of it," he argued.

"That doesn't mean she should be. She's still our daughter. We can't lose sight of that." I sat down on his bed to start removing my shoes as someone knocked on the door.

Maxon sighed and walked to his door, swinging it open to reveal Carter standing on the other side. "King Maxon, we have bad news."

My blood ran cold as I turned to watch them. This wasn't happening again. My whole family was just here with the exception of my mother. Not enough time had gone by yet for something to happen. But I still had a strange sense of déjà vu to the day I found out that my father had died. "What is it?" I demanded.

"One of our military planes was shot down by an enemy aircraft. Luckily it wasn't too far from base so we were able to launch a counter attack but we believe no one on board survived," Carter reported.

Maxon nodded and held his hand out for me so we could walk down the hall to our study. "Do you have a list of men on that plane?" he asked as I took a seat behind his desk. Aspen was already there passing a packet of information to him with his lips set in a grim line. Maxon rested his forearms on the back of the chair behind me as he read.

"James, could you go get Amber for me? I want her here for this," I asked my brother-in-law. It would be best if Amber could see what to do in times of crisis.

"Where is the plane from?" Maxon asked, squinting as he continued to scan the report.

Aspen stepped forward and flipped to the next page, pointing to a specific section. "The Clermont military base," he answered anyway. We both looked up at Aspen at the same time, asking the same question with our eyes. "We don't know yet if he was on the plane."

"How long until we find out who was on the plane?" I asked Aspen.

"Not long." He looked nervously at the door and then back to us. "Maybe it'd be best if Amber didn't come in until we know for sure that he's safe."

I looked over at Maxon who looked up from the report to have a long, silent conversation with me. Just as we had decided to keep Amber away she walked through the door. Her eyes were swollen and puffy like she had been crying. What had happened at that party to make her like this?

"What's going on?" she asked us when she saw us both sitting still and not moving, just staring at her. "What happened?" she asked again, her voice a bit more urgent this time.

"One of our planes was brought down by a New Asian aircraft," Maxon finally explained to her. "A military plane."

"A military plane? By New Asia?" She looked around the room. Everyone else was quiet and reserved, dealing with the tragic news in their own ways. "Why aren't we retaliating?"

I shook my head at her. "We can't. This was just a small thing. If we reacted to every single thing that happened, we would constantly be at war with someone."

"Dealing with these things requires patience," Maxon elaborated. "There's no room in this role to act brash."

Amber set her jaw and nodded stiffly, taking a seat across from us. "Any survivors?" she asked quietly but steadily.

"No," Aspen answered curtly.

"Did they get away?"

"No. The military base nearby was able to send out fighter jets that fought off the enemy craft. They were also brought down and the men on board were either killed or imprisoned," Aspen reported to her.

Then Justin burst through the doors, a paper in his hands. "Your Majesties, I have the list of men on board that plane from the Clermont military base."

"Clermont?" Amber repeated. Maxon and I stood to accept the paper. His hand shook as he took it, his eyes immediately jumping to the bottom where Derrick's name would be. "Soldiers from Clermont? Was Derrick on that plane?" she demanded, walking up to the desk.

I collapsed into Maxon's chair, staring at the large calendar on the top with papers scattered over it. Maxon leaned heavily on my shoulder and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Amber…" he began, neither of us knowing how to put this.

"Dad? Please, just tell me…" she pleaded, her voice breaking as she begged for the truth. But she already knew. We all did. As soon as we got the news about the plane crash we all knew the true tragedy that had occurred. After all, Christmas was a doomed holiday in this family.

Finally Maxon confirmed it. "I'm sorry Amber. Derrick is dead."

I know this was a bit of a shorter update but it was jam-packed! I've just been really busy dealing with the last few weeks of the semester and it was difficult for me to get this out to y'all today. I will try my best to get the next chapter out to you and trust me, you will not want to miss it! It may actually be another one solely from Amber's POV!

Thank you for all of the lovely reviews!

Someone the World Forgot: Well now we know who K is but before I was a little scared of what you'd do to me if I was ever late updating!

kuriyantako: if you want to be a writer, go for it! I know writing is a lot like acting or going into the music industry where people will always tell you that it'll be impossible to make a living doing it but you just have to do it. If you have a passion for it, there's no reason for you to not try. I don't know how old you are but if you're going to college in the next couple years, I urge you to try taking a creative writing class. I took one last semester and it really crystallized my desire to write for a living (plus it's a great gened class to take). I'd also suggest not necessarily getting a degree in creative writing though. Getting a degree in English will allow you take all of the necessary classes but will also leave you with a lot more options for what to do right after you graduate. But like I said, you've just got to have some balls and go for it!

Carysv: I am actually about 2/3 of the way finished a manuscript. It'll need a lot of work in the revising/editing area but as soon as I'm done this version I'm thinking about querying!

prnamber3909: Shalom is not getting married for a while!...yet. and the idea for the bracelet from New Asia as a gift was completely impromptu but made so much sense when i thought of it!

Me (Guest): I actually don't know. I made that up because I was actually too lazy to think of a last name for Derrick.

LeftByTheGalaxy: I'm not ready for the franchise to be over! I mean, it seems like it just began. Fun fact: i had a friend in high school who still hasn't seen the last Harry Potter movie because she refuses to accept that it's over. haha. but i could never do that. i have to see Part 2 just for all of the Everlark feels!

Guest: Oh my gosh, i totally know what you're talking about now! For the life of me I could not remember. I actually don't remember if I was thinking of Love, Actually when I wrote that but you're definitely right about them being similar.

LadyAnj: okay, i don't think Shelom will have fluff any time soon but they definitely will before the story is over!