A Previous Selection

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Lady Wren."

I look up at the maid who hands me a note.

"Thank you," I say with a smile.

I unfold the note, and as soon as I read it, I get up from my spot in the Women's Room and walk out into the hallway. I find Oliver there, waiting for me. He smiles when he sees me.

"Wren!" he exclaims as he hugs me. "I'm so glad I found you!"

"Well, here I am. What's up?"

"I'm going to be playing for Mom, Dad, and Cameron in a little bit, and I'm freaking out! So I really need you to come run through some of the songs with me. You know, get a little more practice in."

"Of course. Let's go."

We make our way to the room that holds all of the instruments and sit down at the piano.

"What were you thinking about playing for them?" I ask.

"Well, I really want to play that one song you taught me. You know the one that you said was your older brother's favorite. But I don't know. It's really challenging, so I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"Of course you can do it. You did it the other day, and you did it perfectly. So I say that it's a yes for that song."

"Okay. Will you help me run through it a couple of times?"

"Of course. Just relax and play through it, and I'll let you know if I have any notes."

He plays through the song, flawlessly, and when he's done, he looks up at me with hopeful eyes.

"How was it?" he asks, and I smile at him.

"It was amazing, Oliver. So stop worrying. You're going to be great."

"Yeah, you're right. I was also thinking about playing this one for them."

He starts playing another song, and I lightly sing the words along with it. It's only been a minute since he's finished the song when Cameron walks in. He smiles when he sees the two of us.

"Hey," he says when he gets to us, and I smile back at him.

"Hey." He continues to stare at me, and I break eye contact when I feel the blush rising onto my cheeks. "So are you ready to hear the best performance ever?"

"Of course I am," he replies. "Are you playing with him?"

"Nope. I'm just his teacher. But this is an important moment for him, so I wanted to be here to see it and to support him through it."

He smiles at me.

"I'm sure it means a lot to him."

"I'm right here," Oliver says, which makes me chuckle. "And it does mean a lot to me. You know, Wren would make a pretty good big sister."

I glance over at Cameron, and he quickly ducks his head, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Is that so?"

"Yep. And I would love to have her be MY big sister. If only there were a way to make that happen. Oh wait, there is. You two could - "

Before he can finish, Queen Kimberely and King Harvey walk into the room, and I let out a small sigh of relief. Thank the Lord they walked in when they did.

"There are my two precious boys," Kimberely says before planting a kiss on top of Oliver and Cameron's heads. When she sees me, she gives me a smile. "And Wren. It's so nice to see you again."

"And it's lovely to see you again, your Majesty."

"So I hear that you've been teaching our Oli how to play the piano," King Harvey says, and I nod my head.