AMERICA'S POV

"What's going on up there?" Maxon asked checking his watch. "We've been down here for almost twelve hours!" It had been a horrible attack and we had no idea what was going on. Thankfully, we'd had a large dinner before the report so we hadn't needed to break into the rations yet, but another hour and we would.

Every two hours Shalom woke up crying, we tried to soothe him and be as calm as we could but with each passing moment it was getting harder as the tension rose in the room. It was completely different being in here as just two of us and a baby, instead of twenty-something girls, a king and queen, and a prince. It felt wrong somehow; it was too big and sounds echoed all around the room. Where twenty beds had once been was now just a bare wall. The thrones of the King and queen were now ours, as was their bed, and there was a cot by the wall.

Of course, we had been down here since the Selection ended many times. But never had we been here for so long or even with our son. Maxon was getting a little stir-crazy and angry at his lack of being able to do anything or know anything that was happening upstairs. That was one of the worst things about the safe rooms: they were soundproof.

"I know, Maxon. But there's nothing we can do. At least they can't get down here this time." No sooner had I said this did we hear the slight click of footsteps outside the doors. I held my breath and even Maxon stopped pacing for a moment. The person had stopped by the door and Maxon caught my eye. We said "I love you" with our eyes as we wondered if the person was friend or foe.

"Mer? Maxon?" It was Aspen.

"Thank God." I said quickly as I hugged him.

"What's happening? Is it over?" Maxon demanded of him. Aspen nodded.

"We needed to get it cleaned up a bit as some things they left were very…disturbing. It was a horrible attack and we lost a few soldiers but everyone else seemed to get to the safe rooms in time – your friend August is to thank for that – but the damage seems to have been cosmetic for the palace rather than fatal for the troops. Anyway, we have finished our checks now so it's safe for you to return upstairs. In the corner, Shalom was beginning to stir and I was glad we could take him back upstairs so he could return to his usual routine – or else he probably wouldn't sleep for a week!

Aspen led the three of us back through the dark and narrow underground corridors that I had become all too familiar with in the past couple of years and we emerged on the third floor, opposite to our chambers. Aspen said goodbye to us there as he had to re-join the guards around the palace.

"What time is it?" I asked Maxon, I knew it had been about twelve hours since the report but I hadn't really slept due to worry and Maxon's incident pacing and so the world was not quite all together in my brain.

"It's about eight in the morning." Maxon said. "Shall we try and sneak a nap in before our meeting with the council." He winked at me.

"Only if you're talking about sleep only." I warned him.

"Of course, my Queen, that will be perfect."

We dropped Shalom off in the nursery, he was wide-awake and ready to play – I only hoped that the nurse-maid shared his enthusiasm and energy – and Maxon and I went off for a nap.

I woke an hour later as Maxon changed into fresh clothes he hadn't slept in or sat in for hours on end. I sighed, stretched, and stood up too.

"Don't say that I don't have to come – you know you want me there." I told him before he could tell me to go back to sleep.

And he did. He needed me in the meeting where we were having a very serious and animated discussion about how we were going to deal with the removal of the castes. It had taken us a long time to get them to agree to it in the first place and had decided to tell the country before they could change their minds. Now we had to get them to agree on one plan.

"Just remove them all at once and be done with it!" One exclaimed. He removed his glasses and rubbed his temples to show how stressed he was.

"OK. So if we tell everyone in the country they can do anything they want now, no numbers or labels allowed, how many sevens are going to want do the jobs of old twos? And how many twos are going to want to do the jobs of old sevens? Would you go out and clean and tend to the horses in the stable? Would a seven be able to just become a general in the army with no prior training?" I asked him. He was one of the advisors who were dead-set against this in general and wanted it to fail. They only seemed to agree so that I would shut up. "We have one shot at this, ladies and gentlemen, it needs to be so careful that no one can feel us moving the very Earth beneath their feet."

"We predict that the sevens and eights will rejoice at being the same caste – seven – and even the sixes will be glad to have them join. It gets a little complicated after that." Maxon started. We'd had this discussion, practised this speech so many times that I could almost recite it with him. "Whilst we suspect the fives will have no issues with joining with the new sixes on a moral level, there is a very different type of work between these two castes. An artist may struggle with the physical intensity of the work of the lower lower castes but those who have done nothing but this are unlikely to know how to paint, sing, dance, or play a musical instrument."

"After many discussions, therefore," I started "Maxon and I realised that I have not started my philanthropy charity yet. Since my original idea was to dissolve the castes, we have decided to offer community schools that are free for everyone that teach them things like playing instruments. We thought that we could then slowly begin to add management classes as fours begin to join the casteless and teaching courses etc. as we go further up the scale."

"Before you ask where we're going to get the money to build these schools," Maxon continued – like I said we had practised this so much that we were practically one person saying it. "Remember that my mother's philanthropy charity was also based upon education, our hope is to simply extend this for the changing world." I smiled, I was proud of the fact that we were continuing Amberley's legacy in this way, I liked to think she would be proud of us.

"Very well. You both sound like you know what you're talking about and how to do it. I agree." The man from before told us. I nodded in thanks and looked around the room to see the rest of the advisors nodding as well.

Maxon had another couple of issues to discuss with the council about other issues within the country but I had my own work to do and that started with visiting the guards down in their headquarters to see if I could find out anything more about the rebels, what they did, and what they wanted.

There was so much energy flying through the huge room that took up much of the first basement floor as guards and soldiers flew around computers and spoke to different people. I was half way to the general's office before someone noticed who I was.

"Your Majesty." Someone called, and a few around me bowed before returning to work but one man stayed. He had a strange shifty glint in his eyes and couldn't quite look at me.

"Would you like me to take you to the general, your majesty?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, I can manage. I know where I'm going and I can see you're all busy." He nodded, stopped for a moment as if he might force me to accept his help before running off again to finish whatever it was he was doing.

I knocked on the general's door and entered. There was no one else in it and the phone was safely in its cradle – I'd checked through the window before I entered. As soon as I walked in, however, I got my wish. I discovered just what it was that no one would want to tell me about the attack and it was plastered all over the general's walls on screens that he quickly shut down but not soon enough. I'd already seen the photographs of the walls. Of the messages written in blood. DEATH TO THE QUEEN

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review whether you loved or hated it (criticism is welcome so that I can improve) and I'll see you all again soon – chescaannie xx