The Ever Ater

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

I looked at the alarm clock and it read two a.m. If I went to sleep, I could still get four hours of sleep. The thunder had woken me up almost two and a half hours ago. I looked over at Maxon who was soundly sleeping for the first time this week. He had been under so much stress lately with the two new advisors coming to the palace at the end of the week. Maxon stirred and I prayed he wouldn't wake up. The bags under his eyes had become almost unbearable to look at in the morning.

"America." Maxon mumbled, he moved his strong arms to wrap them around my waist. I moved closer to his side of the bed. When his arms wrapped around me flashbacks from the last ten years came flooding back, every single time he had done this same thing. I let my mind travel through all the memories of our selection, the wedding, each birth of our children, and all the little ways Maxon showed his love for me.

Maxon twitched in his sleep, he must have started having a nightmare. "Maxon." I gently whispered his name. "Maxon wake up; please Maxon." Maxon grew nervous in his sleep and started to thrash in his sleep.

His tone was urgent and commanding "America! No, bring her back! No, stop that is your queen!" Maxon had grown more distressed during that spiel of commands. Knowing how often he had dreams of that brutal attack when he was stressed out, I knew I had to wake him up.

"Maxon please." I begged but he continued mumbling things about me and how he had to save me. I was becoming more nervous and upset that I couldn't wake him up. "Maxon please!" I cried out"

He jolted up in bed. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were wide with terror. "America! America! America, where are you!"

"Shh. Maxon I'm right here." I said gently,

His hands gripped my shoulders as I gently pulled him back to lay next to me in bed. "You want to talk about it?"

"Maybe in a moment." He just lay there with his arms seemingly protecting me from danger in his nightmare. "It just seemed so real. Like I was transported back to the attack, and you were shot, and Aspen took you away from me." Maxon said quickly prepared to ramble on about the same nightmare he had for the last ten years. Though nightmares had become very rare when he was as stressed as he is now he always has the same one, we are back in the attack, and he doesn't jump in time to save me, so I get shot, we get separated from each other, and he never sees me again or I die.

"I know. Why don't you try and go to sleep?" Although my tone was level my eyes were pleading with his distant eyes to please rest and go to sleep. "Maxon?" I questioned.

"Oh, right yes of course dear sleep sounds wonderful." He sounded like his normal self.

I started at the extremely detailed ceiling. A million thoughts ran through my head about how quickly he had moved on from that nightmare. I filled through all the memories of nightmares he had over the years he never seemed to recover and go back to sleep that quickly unless something else happened or was on his mind. That must be it the, the new advisors coming in!

"America I can practically hear your thoughts. What on Earth is keeping my America up at this hour?" His eyes said he was asleep, but that tired gruff voice told me he was awake.

"Oh nothing."

"America." I knew that with that tone he wouldn't go back to sleep until I answered his question. He shifted to see me better. I noticed his breathing had become more settled than it was before he woke up.

"Just wondering about your nightmare and if-"

"Darling, I'm fine."

"As I was saying if anything was bothering you." I was thankful that he had answered my unasked question about his wellbeing. As much as he hated me making sure he was okay, he always answered it because it gave me peace of mind and he knew that, so he always tried to be willing to answer my question.

"Well now that you ask, I am a little stressed out." He moved closer to me. If that was even possible at that point. "The new advisors Sir Colddly and Sir Andrews don't seem to understand the meaning of a peaceful reign." He looked down at my rings. "America, you don't understand how much I wish you could come to some of these meetings." The guilt was clear on my face when he looked back up. "I know that you have your own duties-"

"Duties of planning a birthday party." I cut him off.

"America, I know that you stay busy, and I love that you are the one planning my birthday party. I just wish that you could be here during their orientation."

"Well, tomorrow all I have on my to-do list is looking for a fabric and I already know I am going to use gold. Before you ask because the theme is entering the golden years." I had a smile on my face when I finished, and I could see a question in my husband's eyes.

"The golden years." He repeated. "THE GOLDEN YEARS." He said as he started to tickle me.

I caught his hand. "If you think you are going to wake up our children think again."

"America I'm only turning thirty." He said laying down with a laugh.

"I will make a deal with you, if we go to sleep now, I will think about changing the theme of the party."

"Will you really think about it." He said with a playful glare.

"No, but do you really want a tired Queen her first week back from maternity leave." I said with a mock tone of authority.

"The shortest maternity leave at that." He wiped his hand over his face.

We had already had this fight many times about how much time I needed verse how much he thought I needed. "Maxon this is the fourth child. I think I know what I am doing. Let's just sleep, please."

Maxon looked at me debating pressing the subject or not, but I guess he decided against it in the end. "Sounds like a wonderful idea to me dear." He wrapped both arms around me and soon his breath evened out and I knew that my precious husband was asleep. I relaxed knowing that I had a long day as well tomorrow. So, listening to the steady breath of my husband I went to sleep in peace.