Heyo...

:)

What's dis? I updated?

Well most of this chapter was already written, I just had to finish it. So while I was working on this, I came up with some pretty good ideas for the last installment of this trilogy (as well as ideas to re-write it as an original work). Please stay tuned. This story has a chapter or two left. :)

Now, before the chapter begins, I want to thank all of you for being so understanding of my dilemma, and SibunaMockingjay, thank you for being so sweet and giving me advice. You're all so kind and amazing and loyal. xx

Enjoy!

"I'm pondering whether or not I should share my findings with you." Jerome sighed, sitting beside Eddie in the gazebo as the sun set behind them.

Eddie shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I'm getting married tomorrow and the woman I love is leaving the palace for good."

Jerome licked his thin lips. "Wouldn't hurt to know, I suppose."

"I guess not."

"We found your parents."

Eddie's head whipped around so fast, Jerome was afraid his neck snapped. "You didn't."

"Did. They're looking for you. Still looking for you." Jerome told him.

Eddie swallowed thickly, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, as he considered this information. "So what do you want me to do?"

"What I want you to do has nothing to do with this."

"Well, I don't know what to do, Jerome. So tell me what to do."

"If it was me in your position, I would meet them." Jerome gripped Eddie's shoulder. "Eddie, meeting them isn't going to change who you are, or your duty as royalty, but it might give you some closure."

Eddie dragged a hand over his face tiredly. "Alright. Let's go."

"Right now?"

"I'm getting married tomorrow. I won't have time."

"What are we going to do? Braid each other's hair?" Patricia scoffed, sitting on the edge of Amber's bed stiffly.

Amber shook her head in amusement. "It's my bachelorette party, Trish."

Patricia noticeably winced and she started to nervously twist the silver ring on her middle finger.

"I mean, I just really want to spend the night with my friends." Amber explained.

KT sat beside Patricia and linked their arms as silent comfort.

"Patricia," Mara began, "We all want nothing more than for you and Eddie to work out."

Patricia almost rolled her eyes, but thought better of it. "All due respect, your highness, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen."

Amber tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, twirling a strand of her long blonde hair around her finger.

Poppy opened her mouth to say something when a knock sounded on the window behind Amber. At first, they thought it was just the rain pounding on the glass, but then it happened again. All five girls went silent immediately and Amber shot out of her seat, backing away from the window while Mara was ready to run to the door and call for help. But Amber stopped her.

"Alfie!" She exclaimed, swinging the window open.

"I'm going to be beheaded for this," Alfie huffed, hauling himself up through the window and collapsing on the floor in a rain soaked heap, panting heavily after his climb up the side of the palace.

"No one really beheads anyone anymore," KT pointed out with a shrug.

Amber sank to the floor and lifted Alfie's head into her lap. "What are you doing here?" She asked fondly, stroking one of her fingers up his wet cheek.

Poppy brought a blanket to him and he thanked her quietly.

"You couldn't have just come through the front gates?" Patricia asked with a light chuckle, thankful for the interruption.

"I wouldn't be allowed to see Amber," he replied.

"He's my stable boy," Amber giggled, looking down at him lovingly.

"Oh, I see," Mara nodded in understanding.

"I know you're getting married tomorrow, Ambs," Alfie whispered. "I just needed to see you one last time. I brought Rosebud with me."

"Oh, you've taken good care of her, haven't you?"

"Of course," he smiled.

"Would you two like a minute alone?" Poppy asked knowingly.

"Do you mind? We'll be really quick." Amber promised.

"Her Highness is banishing us," KT sighed dramatically.

But the other girls left quickly, leaving Amber and Alfie alone in her room.

"You're going to catch a cold," Amber said, leading him to a chair in the corner of the room. She sat on the foot rest and linked their fingers together to warm his hands. "You're so sweet, Alfie."

"I just kept thinking about you. I did find someone else, like you told me to, but I couldn't be happy when I'm still in love with you."

"Everything will be fine, boo."

"How do you know?"

"Don't you trust me?" She smiled, gray eyes gleaming with something akin to mischievousness.

Alfie narrowed his eyes but nodded his head slowly.

"Come. I'll take you somewhere you can stay for the night." Amber said softly, pulling him to the door.

"Are you sure they're my parents?" Eddie mumbled, following Jerome down the hallway of the inn.

"You're wondering if they have bad intentions." Jerome said knowingly. "Trust me, they had no idea you were their son."

"Are they good people?"

Jerome stopped outside their door and turned to his best mate. "From what I can tell. You come from a good family, Edison. Isn't your character proof enough?"

Eddie rolled his eyes and motioned to the door. "Let's get this over with."

Jerome rapt his knuckles on the wooden door. "Eric? Diana?"

When they didn't answer for several minutes and Eddie began to get anxious, fiddling with the hilt of his sword, Jerome turned the knob, swinging the door open.

The room was empty without any signs that anyone had been living there.

Jerome's eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe they're out."

"Or maybe they don't want to meet me."

Jerome cast an incredulous look back at Eddie over his shoulder. "After all those years of searching for you high and low, you think they'd just leave? I told you, you come from good people."

"I'd probably do the same if I was in their position."

"You would not." Jerome scoffed. He huffed when Eddie turned on his heel and started making his way back down the hallway. "Eddie."

"I need to get some sleep. I'm getting married, remember? Thanks for the bachelor party."

Jerome gritted his teeth in frustration, pushing his fingers through his hair. He noticed the inn keeper walking down the hallway after leaving another room, counting the coins in his hand. "You, there, where did the couple that was renting that room go?"

The man stuttered in shock of seeing the prince in his inn and his eye flitted to the room Jerome was pointing to. "I don't know, sire. Last night, I came up to get their payment, but they were gone and the money was sitting on the table."

Jerome thanked him quietly and walked slowly to the exit, running the conversation he and Mara had with Eddie's parents over in his head, trying to find a reason they would have left when they finally found their son.

So if anyone noticed my profile photo...I MET JULIET AND ANDY AT WARPED TOUR. Juliet's signing was rained out because I live in Missouri and Missouri's weather is awful...but my dad knew which bus was Juliet's so when we were on our way to the parking lot, we stopped by her bus to wait for her and my dad asked her for a picture and she was all like, "of course!" and Andy told me he liked my shoes (they're Joker hightops) and I got a picture! And Juliet told me that her shirt looks great on me and asdfghjkl; IT WAS BRIEF BUT I WAS SO HAPPY I CRIED ON THE WAY HOME. My dad is the best. Literally the best day of my life!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Also, go check out the Spotify playlist I have for this story: A Love like War - Inspiration Playlist.

"Pull me down, under water, I wanna fight to breathe. Lay me on a bed of roses and push down till I bleed. I'm true to my virtue, I'm worth being abused. Light me up like a flame, and burn me to the ground. Break the skin a little more, I know that you know how. But you never want to, I are you so cruel?" -No Mercy, Sick Puppies

-Rachel