A/N: Heres chapter 11! To answer your question, Sensitivity8, the boys are all biological brothers, so Marucs and Evelyn are their parents. Feel free to ask anything else thats confusing, it's always nice to see you interact with my story! Anyway, Enjoy!x

Chapter 11

We head north from the surprisingly tame market. I'd expected it to be busier, more rowdy. I had brought it up to Four, but he just annoyingly shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. Four's sides are longer than mine, so I have to speed up to keep up his pace. We cross the boundaries from civilization to a moderately sparse forest. I look up, finding that the tops of the trees make up for the sparseness. They only let a few beams of light through the canopy, keeping the green growth on the floor to a minimum. I look past Four, through the dimly lit forest. He seems to know where he's going, but I can't see anything in our path except woodland. I've already asked multiple times where we're going, but he's either ignored me, or told me to be patient. I don't know which one I found more infuriating.

My eyes wander back to the Prince just in front of me. I watch as he holds himself with prideful ease, his shoulders back and spine straight. I think about my own posture, making sure I, too, look just as sure of myself. I don't feel like I'm sure of myself, but maybe if I fake it long enough, I'll trick myself into believing it. What doesn't help me feel sure of myself, is standing out. When I got on the train this morning, I was surprised to see him dressed in his down time clothes. Universally, It's not protocol to wear such casual attire when performing royal duties. When walking through the market, everyone I walked past was wearing the same type of clothing, a t-shirt and trousers. Even though I'm a bit bitter about him leaving me out of the loop, I can't help but think about how good they look on him. His suits do look just as good, but Four in a fitted black t-shirt and a pair of jeans makes me see him in a different way. He isn't some daunting Prince, but just a young adult.

Thinking about being young, a question pops into my head. "Hey," I say, trying to get his attention. He looks over his shoulder as he slows down. "I never asked how old you guys are." One child a year for five years is mandatory for the crowned monarchs. The number of children is in precaution to preserve the royal line.

Now at my side, Four speaks, "Eric's the oldest, he's 20. Then Robert, 19. Me, 18. Al is 17; and the youngest is Peter, at 16. I'm sure you're not surprised he's the baby of the family. You can blame my Parents for letting him get away with way too much at a young age."

So Peter is my age. At least that will be a definite change from my life back in Athua; there's no way in hell I will be dating Peter.

"18, huh? What's it like to be an adult? Do you feel all important now?" I knock my shoulder into his playfully.

He smiled to himself, "Not much changes between the age of 16 and 18; at least, not for royalty."

Four looks at me then, his expression saying something I can't read. It's gone within seconds, a brick wall back in its place. The thought of Four being two years older than me makes me feel a tad apprehensive. I know I feel the most comfortable around him, but why would he want to hang around with a 16 year old? Knowing it's not his choice to be around me doesn't help my complicated feelings.

"Do you find it odd? Hanging around with me?" I ask, unable to deal with the constant self doubting by myself.

With furrowed brows, he looks down towards me, "Why would I?"

His confusion settles me slightly, "It's just that, you know. You're older than me. I don't think I'd be too thrilled being told I had to hang around with a 14 year old all day."

He chuckles, staring straight ahead. "I think there's a big difference hanging around with a 16 year old compared to 14." He stops and turns to me. "Two years isn't insurmountable in any way, Tris." He sounds sure of himself. I try to let his sureness wash over me, because this shouldn't change anything. We're still the same people we were 10 minutes ago.

I give him a tight smile, "Yeah, I know. I'm just being paranoid."

He nods, not looking too pleased with my response. I walk on in front of him, slightly embarrassed.

We walk for another 10 or so minutes through the forest, the trees becoming closer and closer together the further in we get. I'm unable to see the mountains in the distance now. But what starts to become visible is a long, open space. It stands out from the dense forest, more light being allowed in. As we get closer I see that part of the forest floor is covered in train tracks. The thick, black metal stands out against the greenery. The tracks look slightly overgrown, with vegetation coming up through the planks. I look around, searching for a station, or even just a sign letting people know where the train will stop. I don't find either.

"What's going on, Four?"

He gestures to the rails. "We're getting on a train."

I resist the urge to push him onto the tracks. "I can see that. We're in the middle of nowhere. Why would the train stop here?"

"That's because the train isn't going to stop."

My heart feels like it's missed a beat. It picks right back up, acting as if it needs to make up for it. "Excuse me?"

He looks at me like I'm the odd one for asking questions. "This is the only way to get to the Dauntless compound. It's made this way so that not just anyone can come and visit."

This doesn't seem right? "How do the King and Queen visit?"

He shrugs, "They'd have to jump onto the train. But they choose not to, so we have City Hall over by the cliffs."

The mention of the cliffs grabs my attention. "Are you talking about The Silent Cliffs?" The cliff's are legendary, even to me. They're the most dangerous cliffs in the world, the jaggad black stone so sharp one miss footing will lead to certain death. It's unsurprising why Dauntless wanted to settle here all those years ago.

I think back to my world history school book. The odd thing about Tosken's deathly rocks, is that from the top of them, they are completely silent. The waves make no sound as they hurtle themselves against the spikes. Hundreds of Erudite scientists have studied them for years, many losing their lives in the process. No one has come up with an answer to the phenomenon. It's like the cliff's just drag you down and drown out your screams.

Four nods. "Mum and Dad don't like it, but are unable to share their distaste with the fear of upsetting the Dauntless." He doesn't look impressed. "That's what happens when both of the country's leaders are from Abnegation." For some reason, that surprises me. They don't really seem like the Abnegation that I've met, which, to be fair to them, isn't a whole lot. "When they took over the position, they had to morph into monarchs, not just royals from Abnegation. They can't act wholly Abnegation anymore, it's not who they are. But, even still, you never lose where you come from, not completely." He looks far away, I wonder what he's thinking about.

"Have you always wanted to be Dauntless?"

He shakes his head. "No."

The train horn blasts from the south, it comes at us with ferocity, not looking at all like it will slow down.

Four kneels down, suddenly at my feet. "What-" I begin, but he's already ripped off my long black skirt. I gawk at him as the fabric falls to the ground, laying around my feet like a dark halo.

He pops back up, smiling. "There's no way you'd be able to jump onto the train with all that fabric wrapping around your legs." My free legs do nothing to make me feel anymore prepared, my now thigh high satin skirt slapping against me just making me feel unprepardably exposed.

"You had no idea if I had an underskirt on under this thing." Is all I can think of saying back.

He shrugs again, grinning mischievously. He starts to job backwards down the tracks, "Better get moving, Princess."

Looking behind me, the train is only a few hundred metres away. I instinctively start running behind Four. Running has never been one of my strong suits, and I'm sure it never will be. But the thought of being left behind is enough to push my legs that little bit faster. I'm just about keeping up with Four, with him a few steps ahead of me. I can hear the train behind us now, coming up on my right. A couple cars pass us before Four shouts to which set we're to get in. I look behind me quickly, the end carts coming into view. I push all my thoughts out of my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Four looks to his right, grabbing the handle and pulling himself up and in. I look to my right and see the handle is just out of reach. The thought of pushing harder is nauseating.

There's a hand in arms reach. I grab it without thinking, my feet lifting off the ground. His other arm grabs my other upper arm, hauling me into the carriage. The momentum pushes us backwards, my body slamming into his as he stabalises himself. Unable to think properly, I try to catch my breath. My throat feels tight and my legs feel unstable. When I finally feel like I'm not about to collapse, I realise Four's hands are still wrapped around my arms. My own hands are splayed across his chest. He looks down at me, grinning, "Fun, right?"

My mind feels jumbled, so I take a step back. I look around the carriage and see it's a hollow storage cart. "I'm sure it could be fun," I say, "If I actually had the strength and stamina to do it." I feel a bit deflated, knowing if Four hadn't grabbed my arm I'd still be on the forest floor.

"I had no doubt that you could have grabbed onto that door, Tris."

"Why'd you pull me in, then?"

He just does that annoying shrug, his eyes averting from mine. The door down the carriage slams open, making me jump. Four spins around, then relaxes when he sees the people moving into the carriage.

There's two girls and one boy, who all look vaguely familiar. The boy is slightly shorter than the girls, with brown skin and dark eyes. The girl's are both pretty looking, one with her light brown hair in a high ponytail, the other's black hair hanging loose above her shoulders. They make their way towards us, all with friendly smiles on their faces.

"Finally!" The boy exclaims, clasping the Prince on his shoulder. "I thought you'd never show." Four clasps him back in greeting before all their eyes travel to me.

Four moves to my side, his hand on my lower back, pushing me gently towards the Dauntless in front of me. "Guys, this is Tris. Tris, these are my advisors and my closest friends."

I nod along, smiling back at them. The boy speaks up first, moving closer to me and Four. "Zeke." He extends a hand. I shake it, hoping it doesn't come across as weak as it feels. "It's great to finally meet the lost Princess! What a relief it wasn't Nita after all!" He looks around jokingly, the two girls both look as if they're holding back smiles.

The lost Princess. That ederly Erudite woman said the same thing. What does it actually mean? "Lost Princess?" I look up at Four, feeling my eyebrows draw together. He looks just as confused.

The girl with the ponytail pushes him on the shoulder playfully, laughing. "Four wouldn't know about it, it's an old wives tale that only the people of Tosken share about." Her pretty face turns to me, her hand out to shake. "I'm Shauna." SHe introduces herself, "I think you've met my sister." I take a closer look at Shauna, figuring out she means Lynn. They both share the same face shape and colouring. The only difference is that the older sister's features don't stand out as much as Lynn's do, thanks to her shaved head.

I can't help but smile, thinking about meeting Lynn. "You're sister is definitely something."

Shauna laughs back, nodding in agreement. "She is! If she was rude to you, I'm sorry. She's been terrible for the past couple of months." Her eyes are sympathetic and I almost laugh again. If Shauna has to live with Lynn, I should be the one sympathising for her.

Zeke butts in, talking too loudly to be ignored, "Uriah told me just last week she tripped him up on the path of the pit- he dislocated his shoulder." They all laugh lightly, including Four. I don't know if there's something wrong with me or them? Is this something the Dauntless find amusing?

The girl with the jet black hair speaks up for the first time, pointing at Zeke. "Do you remember last summer when she shoved your face into your Dauntless cake? I think it was after you dumped that drink over Marlene's head."

Zeke sighs, looking up wistfully, "How could I forget, Lauren? I never told her, but it's always been a dream of mine to drown in Dauntless cake." I laughed at that one, because it was actually funny.

"Alright, alright. Enough of reminiscing on Lynn's angry spurts. Lauren, do you have the bag?" Four cuts in, looking towards Lauren. She's twisting one of her eyebrow rings absentmindedly.

"Huh? Oh yeah! It's in the other carriage. Thought the Princess would like some privacy." Lauren looks me up and down, looking upset. "It's a shame the dress didn't last, I'm sure it was beautiful."

I nod, "It was." I glare at Four, seeming he was the one to ruin it.

"You'd still be stuck in the forest if I didn't rip that thing off of you."

I wave him off, "Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night." Shauna and Lauren start moving to the door at the end of the carriage, gesturing to me to follow. I catch up with them, hopping over the open space between the carriages. I shut the door behind me to keep out the warm draft. I look and see the side doors are also closed.

Lauren hands me the bag they've been talking about. "These will be more practical than your dress." I thanked her and opened the bag. I pull out some balck cargo pants and a long sleeved top. The material doesn't feel the thinnest, which is weird for the climate. I only feel the fabric for a few seconds before Shauna says, "It's colder in the compound, you'll be thankful for the warmer clothing."

I put the clothes on quickly, Shauna and Lauren chatting quietly to each other down by the door. When I'm finished, we walk back into the other carriage with the boys. I pull a hair tie off my wrist, braiding my hair to keep it out of my face. The boys look up as we walk in, their conversation ceasing. I feel Four's eyes look at me from head to toe. His lips part like he's about to say something, but he seems to be fixed in place.

I feel my hand reach for my necklace, starting to feel uncomfortable. "Do I look that bad?" I wouldn't normally wear this type of clothing, no one royal would be seen out in public like this. But if this is what will make the people of Dauntless more inclined to accept me, then it's easily enough done.

He seems to come out of his stupor, shaking his head. "No no! You look great- uhh- I mean, you look Dauntless."

Zeke, when he finishes grinning at Four, turns back to me. "You'll fit right in, Tris. You look like you belong in Dauntless."

I smile unsteadily at the both of them, still slightly uneasy about Four's reaction. "Thanks, both of you." I walk to the open doors, the humid spring heat blowing into the air conditioned carriage. I hold onto the handle, letting my other arm hang out, feeling the wind resistance against my palm. I close my eyes, letting myself relax for a few moments. I know as soon as I get into the compound, relaxation will be a distant memory. Xav used to describe Authua's Dauntless to me, saying the faction never slept.

I can hear the Dauntless' loud chatter behind me, them laughing and messing about. Unexpectedly, it makes me feel removed from them. I have never felt like I haven't fit anywhere. Back at home, I always fit. I fit in with my family and my friends and my day to day life. But today, on my way to Dauntless, surrounded by its members, I feel isolated. I know this would have always happened, even back in Athua. I have never come from a faction that I know of, making all the factions strangers to me. A realization hits me, reminding me that no matter who I marry, I'll never truly belong with any of them.

We get to our stop after 40 minutes on the train. I spent most of it sitting on the floor, dangling my legs out the door. It brought me a small rush, knowing with one push of my hands I would hit the solid floor beneath me. Four joined me after a while, sitting down next to the other handle. We sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the wind rushing past us.

The train didn't stop again, so we all had to jump off. Luckily, it was going slower than when we jumped on. Impressively, I was able to stay on my feet when getting off. It was a relief, knowing how embarrassed I would have been to fall over in front of this group of high ranking Dauntless. Four looked impressed when he realised I wasn't sprawled out across the floor, which in turn made a dopey smile appear on my face.

As soon as we got off the train, a glass building came into view. It's huge, attaching itself to the mountain. I can see figures milling around through the glass, getting on with their daily tasks. We walk towards the heavy looking metal door at the beginning of the building. Zeke opens it, propping it open with his foot to let the rest of us pass through. It slams behind him when it closes, making the people minding their own business drop what they were doing to look around. When they took us all into account, they went straight back to their work.

I find myself at the back of the group, following the members through the maze of glass. At the end of the hall I can see the light grow dimmer. Red flickers here and there, lighting up parts of the dark hallway.. Four looks back before he takes the staircase downwards. "Prepare yourself," he tells me, "It's a long way down."

He wasn't wrong. The stairwell felt never ending. When you came to one landing, it just led to another set of staircases. And then, when the staircases finally finished, the slope downwards was treacherous. The path had no railings and nowhere to hold on to. Random stones littered the path, making the way down even more unsteady. I looked over once, but the height was nothing like I've ever experienced. I'm not scared of heights, I don't think. But the feeling of being one simple step away from a staggering death was overwhelming.

The pathway, at last, ended. The story Zeke had told on the train enters my mind. I think about Lynn pushing Uriah off the path, wondering how high up they were when she did it. It does nothing to quell the uneasiness that I'll most likely forever feel walking across those paths. We had come out into a large cavernous space. This time, it's more densely filled. There are a few shops dotted here and there, what looks like a leisure centre and a few restaurants. People gather in groups, some laughing, some fighting. There are a couple open bars placed in the large space, all full of rowdy Dauntless.

We bypass all of them, taking a few hallways and another lot of stairs up to a large corridor. In the middle, to the left, are a set of double doors. There looks to be carvings on them, it looks to be some type of scene playing out. I don't have enough time to look further before they've been pushed open.

There's a large wood table sat in the middle of the room, filled with Dauntless members. They all turn to us as we walk in, many of their eyes staring at me. "Tris!" Someone says. I look to the left. Standing next to a blonde haired boy is Chirstina.

The rest of the room seems to disappear as I see my best friend move towards me. I didn't realise how much I missed her until this point. I hold back the sob that wants to come out of my mouth, moving towards her just as quickly. We embrace tightly, my arms around her midsection. She squeezes me firmly, "I've missed you."

I pull back slightly, grinning up at her. "It hasn't even been a week, Christina."

She narrows her eyes at me, "Don't act like you didn't too."

"Maybe just a little bit."

She ignores that, holding me at arms length. Her smile broaderns as she looks at what I'm wearing. "Look at you! You look amazing!"

"Thanks! At least you don't give mixed signals." I say, looking pointedly over to Four. When I look at him, I realise the whole room is staring at us.

"Oh, yeah." Christina mumbles under her breath, looking at me apologetically.

I roll my eyes, turning back to the group of Dauntless. "Hi?" Four comes over, appearing amused. He holds onto my upper arm, directing me to a few empty seats at the top of the table. I watch Christina take her place back over by the good looking blonde boy. They talk under their breaths, seeming caught up in the conversation. I look at them briefly, wondering how long Christina's been here.

Zeke, Shauna and Lauren take seats around us, and one of the men at the other end of the table speaks up. "Welcome to Dauntless, Your Highness. I hope Dauntless has treated you well so far." This faction can't treat me badly, as it seems that no one will talk to me.

The man who spoke is older than me, looking around early 40's. He's got dark brown skin and short hair. He looks important. "I'm Max, one of the elected members on the Dauntless council."

I nod my head at him, "You can all just call me Tris. I know you're all not very formal here." They all seem pleased with that, which adds to my confidence. I feel myself sitting a little straighter, smiling over at Max.

"I know there are quite a few people in this room," A man next to Max says. He only looks to be a handful of years older than me. He's tanned skinned, with unruly hair and kind eyes. He smiles at me as he speaks. "I may as well introduce everyone quickly for you." Without waiting for a response, he starts pointing at people down the table. "To my right is George," He pats George on the leg, looking at him affectionately. "There's Hanna," Hanna looks to be around the same age as Max. She smiles warmly at me when our eyes meet, and I can't help but smile back at her. She seems welcoming, the type that I've only ever felt coming off of my mother. I squeeze my fists together, my nails digging into my palms. Luckily, before I can fall too far into thoughts of my Mum, Amar moves on. He points to the other side of the table, "Harrison." He's a big man, his white, scarred skin enlarged with muscle. He's bigger than the rest of the room, looking more like a bodybuilder than a politician. He nods to me, but keeps to himself. "Tori and Bud usually sit in those seats," Amar looks pointedly at the group of three sitting next to Max. I realise that Lynn's sat in one and Marlene is sat on a boy's lap, in the other. "But they're working today, so were unable to meet with us."

I open my mouth to say I've already met them, before we came to the compound. I'm stopped by a hand squeezing my thigh. Four looks at me, his eyes hard. I picked up his hand, moving it back to his own lap, getting the memo. I see him tense when I speak up, anyway. "I already know Marlene and Lynn." I suppress my grin when I feel Four glare at me, knowing I've gotten under his skin by messing him around. "But I haven't met…?"

The handsome boy underneath Marlene's lap grins at me, repositioning the girl. "It's Uriah." Uriah also looks familiar, but I can't place it this time.

Zeke nudges me, sitting on my right, "That's my brother." The conversion on the train comes back to me now. I look between him and Lynn, then Marlene between them. A couple reasons for her behaviour towards Uriah pops into my mind.

Uriah points behind me, to Christina and the boy. "That's Will, he was too slow to grab a seat." I can tell Will's not too bothered about standing, not with Christina at his side.

"Don't get too comfy there, Uri," Will says humorously, "you know once Tori and Bud come, those seats will never be yours again."

Uriah looks unbothered, "You can just say you're jealous, Will."

Will waves him off and Christina says something in his ear. He smiles and looks as if he's forgotten about the conversation already.

Max, at the other end, clears his throat. "Yes, well, none of you kids should really be here at all, you know that." He says it with feigned authority, pretending to sound tough.

Uriah pouts, "My mother and brother are here. That makes me belong here by association."

Hanna looks unimpressed, "That's not how it works, Uri. You keep quiet and you'll get to stay, got it?" Uriah quiets down, slumping a bit into his chair. Marlene pats his cheek in solace, leaning her back against his chest.

"Actually," Amar starts up, "I've got something you kids can do to make yourself useful." He flips through the stack of pages in front of him, pulling out one in the middle. "Marlene." He says, pushing the paper in her direction. "Take your friends and show Tris her Dauntless quarters."

A place of my own in Dauntless? That was the last thing I was expecting whilst visiting here. The Princess normally only has a home in the faction she grew up in, being it her family home. I've never had a faction I've grown up in, so no faction home. "That's, oddly nice of you?" I try not to sound ungrateful, but I find it weird that Dauntless, not known for their kindness, is the only one to offer this to me.

Harrison speaks up for the first time. "We've discussed it, and think there's great potential with you in Dauntless. We want you to feel welcome to stay with us whenever you'd like."

"Thank you." I say, my throat tightening up once again. I see the younger lot get up, so I stand too.

Four tugs on my hand and I look down at him. "I'll meet you at your apartment." I nod, moving away reluctantly. His hand falls and my own suddenly feels cold.

"Okay. See you later." I give him a tight lipped smile, then walk out of the room. The door shuts behind me and I look to see the group of people waiting. Uriah, Marlene, Lynn, Will and Christina all look at me expectantly. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."