Prince Noah's POV

It was always very important to make it to breakfast. Breakfast was one of the few times a day the whole family was together. During lunch someone was usually doing something making it not count as family time; with dinner you never know what was going to happen. Pretty much all I'm trying to say is we are all forced to wake up at an ungodly time in the morning just to eat together.

When my butler, Harrison, came to wake me I let out my traditional groan into my pillow and rolled onto my back. "Harrison how can you possibly be up early enough to wake me each morning?" He just chuckled and went to set out my clothes. I remained in bed for a few minutes dreading having to get up until Harrison threw open my curtains. The bright rays of light hit my eyes and I threw my hands up trying to block it. Grumbling my annoyance of having to wake up at the crack of dawn I slowly got out of bed.

I crossed the room to my en-suite and freshened up. After a quick shower I came back out with a soft towel wrapped around me and then changed. I wore a dark gray suit but I didn't tuck in my navy shirt and my tie with a soccer ball pattern was done very loosely. Harrison would always try to attire me crisply but that just doesn't fit my taste. I gave Harrison my thanks and then headed down to breakfast.

I hurried down the wide staircase and turned a corner where I bumped right into a maid knocking her down. She had been carrying a tray of tea which managed to spill onto each of us. I hissed as my shirt soaked in the hot tea and hopped in place a bit in discomfort. I looked down to find the maid shakily trying to gather everything that fell together and I bent down to help her. Once everything was back on the tray I helped her back up and she was definitely making sure to avert her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she hastily told me sounding as if she thought I was about to have her caned. I laughed, "Please, don't worry it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." She finally looked up at me with her dark brown eyes and gave me a small smile, "Still. Now you have hot tea down your front." I shrugged my shoulders, "Yes well at least I'll smell good. Tell me what kind of tea was it? I think I'm getting a whiff of peach." A silent laugh shook her small shoulders, "Peach and blueberry." I gave her an odd look with one lifted eyebrow, "Tell me I misheard you. Who would drink peach and blueberry tea?" "Silvia. In fact I really should go make more before she wonders where I've gone."

She turned to go and I called after her, "Just tell her it was Prince Noah's fault if she asks." As I continued going to the great hall I realized I didn't know the maid's name. It seemed I didn't know many servants' names thinking about it. I only knew the ones who worked closely with me and a lot more of the guards. The next time I run into a maid I'll ask for their name I assured myself.

The guards standing in front of the great hall opened the massive doors for me and I entered the room. As I presumed they would, my family was already all seated at the table. They had already started their breakfast and it took a moment for my mother to look up at me as I walked in. I saw her eyeing the tea stain on my shirt but she must have decided it wasn't worth mentioning. "Good morning, Noah." I went up to her and kissed her on the cheek, "Morning, mother." I sat in my chair by my father and Imogene. My sister leaned over, "What took you so long?"

"I had a little run in with a maid." I informed her and she snorted which had our father glancing at us suspiciously. "So I'm assuming that's why you're covered in tea?" I gave her the 'what do you think look' and she just shook her head with laughter. I dug into my breakfast and ate it greedily. As much as I don't like waking up early, I always happen to be starving by that time. Across the table Dashton was slurping his breakfast and making noises close to those of a pig. Yes, he was quite the little prince. My mother always tried to get him to behave more mannerly but as a six year old it all seems to go in one ear and out the other. Thankfully, Evelyn had managed to learn some manners so my mother didn't have to keep such close eye on her during meals when visitors are over.

Once we had finished we all dispersed to go do our own things. Imogene and I were making our way to the sports fields when we realized we had followers. Evelyn and Dashton were trying to sneak behind us but were failing badly. "What are you two doing?" I asked them and they giggled. Evelyn stepped up, "We want to play with you." I smiled at them, "Well then, you could have just asked. Come on then."

We all decided on soccer so we set up the field and got ready. I shrugged off my coat, pulled my tie off, and tossed them on the ground. Imogene was wearing a day dress that went to her knees so didn't have to worry about tying it up. She just kicked her shoes off and put her hair up. Evelyn copied her older sister and threw her shoes off. "Immy will you put my hair up like yours?" Eve asked Imogene and she gladly obliged. Once Eve's hair was up in a high ponytail like Imogene's we were ready to go. "What are the teams?" Dashton wondered and Eve hopped up and down shouting girls versus boys.

All of us started in the middle not really following normal soccer formations. Dash kicked the ball first and so we were off. Our game consisted of much laughing and squealing and going against many of the rules of soccer. Imogene had tackled me many times and Eve had found that wrapping herself around my knee slowed me considerably. I was bringing the ball towards the net and right after I kicked it to Dash, Imogene jumped onto my back and we went tumbling down. "Man pile!" Dash screeched and jumped on top of us. Immy and I groaned at the added weight and tried to convince Eve not to join her twin but it was futile.

The sound of Kian's laughter rang out through the field and I couldn't help but chuckle. "A little help, Kian!" Imogene called out her voice muffled by the two little bodies on top of her. Kian continued to laugh but he came and grabbed the twins throwing them over his shoulders. They were screaming so loudly you would think they had seen a rebel somewhere. Imogene and I pushed ourselves back up and looked down at the damage we had done to our clothes. The mud that had been left over from the day before was now caked onto us and we couldn't imagine what our mother's face would be when she saw us.

Her reaction wasn't left to the imagination for long though because I looked up to see my mother and father running towards us. Immy and I looked at each other in dread and Kian put the twins back on the ground. "What's wrong?" America worried frantically and we all glanced at each other confused. Maxon noticed our expressions and filled us in, "We heard screaming." Realization crossed my face, "That was Eve and Dash. They were just being silly." Kian nodded and then flipped his strawberry blonde locks that stopped just above his ears, "I was just throwing them over my shoulders."

America visibly took a relieved breath and the furrow between Maxon's brows disappeared. "Why were you so worried? We're just outside." I noted implying that they might be hiding something. Maxon hesitated before suggesting, "Why don't we bring the twins in and then go to my office?" Kian, Imogene, and I nodded a bit nervously before doing just what he had said.

No one ever knew why we were in our father's office. It could mean a number of things. We could be about to be praised or scolded or there could be news. Usually though, the office itself meant bad news. Maxon sat down at his desk with America by his side. He put his head in his hands and then looked up at the three of us. "There have been recent developments involving the rebels." My eyes widened in shock, it had been three years since the last time rebels were a true threat in the country. Perhaps it was too much to wish for, but we had hoped that they had fallen apart. "Northern or Southern?" I urged and my mother responded. "Both."

"We don't know what either of their intentions are, all we know is that we have seen them active out in the provinces. The Southerners have burned the Province Halls of Midston and Allens and Northerners have been raiding libraries steadily making their way to Angeles. Soldiers have been sent out to try and intercept them but we must be careful. Especially with your Selection coming up, Noah." Maxon reported to us.

Kian, Imogene, and I all looked at each other worriedly. Yup, the office was definitely a place of bad news.

Makayla's POV

I hurried back to the kitchens after my little run in with the prince. I couldn't believe my rotten luck. Of course I would be that maid to pour a pot of hot tea down the crown prince's front. There was that moment where I was just frozen in plain terror. Sure, I've walked by him in halls but never actually ran into him. I didn't know how he would react. Would he get mad or would he take it graciously? It was a mystery to me until he burst out laughing. My relief at his laugh was so immense it felt as if I was finally able to breathe after being immersed in water for far too long. As a maid, I felt like I had to much riding on being polite and, well, invisible. Burning his highness with tea isn't my definition of invisible.

Normally I was as invisible as is possible for a human being. Always walking on the edges of the hallway with my head down, only speaking when spoken to, using back ways through the palace, and really anything to remain unnoticed. But of course, I was right in plain view today. Once I got to the kitchen the chef got one look at a few of the drops of tea on my uniform and set right to making another peach and blueberry tea.

Silvia ought to be wondering where her tea is by now but I was hoping she wouldn't say anything. If I told her I poured it onto the prince she would have a heart attack. When the kettle began whistling the cook pulled it off the stovetop and handed me the tea. I placed it neatly on the tray and brought it up. I made it to Silvia's quarters with no further incidents and put the tray on her desk nearby where she was working.

I couldn't have been more thankful that she was so engulfed in her work that she didn't bother to question me. I stepped back and folded my hands in front of me, "Do you need anything else, miss?" Silvia looked back at me and shook her head, "No thank you. I will be good for the rest of the day so if there's anything else you need to do you can." I bobbed a polite curtsy to her and quietly left her room. I made my way back down to the lower levels of the palace and went to the laundry room. It was a good place to catch up with the other maids and the daily gossip.

My closest friend in the palace, Katie, was seated in a corner of the room washing the clothes of the advisor she assisted. I grabbed a basket with some of Silvia's clothes and went to clean it by Katie. I sat on a stool by her and dumped the clothes in the bucket full of soapy water. I fished around for a piece of clothing and then began rubbing it back and forth against the washboard. "You'll never guess what happened to me earlier," I told my friend while doing my work. She glanced up at me, "Did that guard, Rogers, talk to you?" "What? No! He's not even all that nice. I ran into the prince earlier."

There was a slosh of water as she dropped her clothes in surprise. "You mean Prince Dashton?" I shook my head, "No. As in the crown Prince Noah." Katie's jaw dropped, "And how did that go?" I chuckled a bit, "Well considering I dumped searing hot tea down his shirt I think he took it well. He just laughed." Her jaw inched closer to the floor and I reached over to close it, "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies."

"You poured Silvia's tea on Prince Noah? Oh Mak! You've had an eventful day!" Katie exclaimed with a laugh and I sighed. "Thank goodness that doesn't happen every day. I was terrified at first." Katie's shoulders shook with laughter, "I wish I could have seen it! You must have looked like a deer in headlights!" I covered my face with one of my hands while holding the clothes in my other. "I made a fool of myself in front of the prince."

Katie was going to respond but Miss Taryn, who was in charge of the palace maids, came up to us. "You two, could you just come with me please?" Katie and I looked at each other nervously before following her. It wasn't usually good to be called by Miss Taryn. What we weren't expecting though was to be brought to a room with about a hundred other maids.

We all couldn't possibly be fired. Miss Taryn took a spot at the head of the room and addressed all of us. "You have all been chosen to be maids for the Selected. Until the Selection starts you will continue doing what you are now, but when it begins someone else will take your current position. Please come up to receive the province of the girl you will be serving." Katie and I got into the line where many maids were already chattering away.

Miss Taryn handed us a sheet that had our name with the province next to it. I received Allens and Katie received Angeles. "That's a good one to get," I giggled and Katie smiled. "I wonder if I'll be serving someone I know," she mused and I tilted my head thinking about it. "Would that be good or bad?" "Depends on the person. I wouldn't mind it so much if it were you. You did enter right?"

I nodded, "Yes, but let's be real. Maids aren't chosen, especially the ones who spill tea on the prince." We laughed our way back to our small room we shared and talked about random little things. Once we got to our room we were able to change out of our uniforms since we were done. I wore a simple shirt and jean shorts. As a six, I don't have much else.

After I was dressed, I told Katie I would be right back and left the room. There was a phone at the end of the hall that maids and guards were free to use. I got to it and dialed the number of my family's house. My older sister, Samantha who was like my best friend, picked up. "Hello?" "Hey, Sammy!" I said and I heard an excited about from Hope asking if it was me. "What's up Kayla?" I shrugged forgetting how they couldn't see me, "Nothing really. I'm going to be a maid for one of the Selected."

I could imagine Sammy nodding taking in the news, "That's cool. Do you think that will be better than serving that Silvia?" I thought about that, "I don't know. I'm kind of used to Silvia and we are sort of aqua acquaintances. Now I have to get to know the girl I'll be serving but at least I'll be around the same age as her." I heard Hope, my ten year old sister, begging to talk to me. Sammy succumbed to Hope and gave her the phone.

"Hi Kayla!" I laughed at her enthusiasm, "Hope, you sound good. How are you?" "Good. I miss you, when are you coming to visit?" she asked me curiously. "I'm not sure. I'm going to be very busy for the next few months." I told her with a sigh. "Aw, that's alright. Besides you would need to plan that with mom and dad and they're at the hospital with Chris." I though I misheard her, "Wait, Hope, did you say the hospital?" "Yeah, I did. Here Sam wants to tell you I think." I could then hear the phone being passed over.

"So when were you going to tell me Christopher is at the hospital?" I barked at her. " I was going to tell you but Hope took the phone." she objected and I rolled my eyes. "Just tell me he's okay." "He is. They're coming home later actually. His leg just acted up is all. He's fine though."

My twelve year old brother, Christopher, had a bad leg which greatly disabled him. He got an infection in his leg years ago that we couldn't afford to fix. The doctors we can afford to send him to say it will only get worse until he passes. To heal him would cost far to much money for us to afford. I want to do something to help him, but there's not much I can do. All of the money I earned went to my family but as sixes we can't scramble the money together. I would do anything to try to heal him, and per say I did get selected for the Selection maybe I could afford to fix him.

Okay sorry this took so long! I've been on vacation so there was no time for writing. I struggled to get this chapter up because I didn't have any time! I really wanted to finish this though because I have to warn you I won't be adding another chapter for a week. I'm going camping so there will be no technology...at all. I know, the horrors! I will try to post again next Sunday but I'm afraid there won't be anything before then. Buuuut after that we should be able to get the girls to the palace! I only need four girls now so I'm hoping I'll get them while I'm gone. Thanks for reading!