My Hero- A Selection Fanfiction

Chapter 2

I woke to the sound of the door opening. Someone poked their head into my lonely safe room. It was Aspen. "Mer!" he cried. I ran to him. "I'm so sorry Mer. I took so many people to safe rooms yesterday morning and then when the rebels finally retreated I couldn't remember which safe room I put you in, so I ran around like a crazy person when Queen Amberly asked to see you..." he rambled. I just hugged him and cried. Yesterday was the worst day of my life and I don't know what happened outside these walls.

"Aspen please take me to Amberly" I said quietly. He nodded sadly and led me out of the safe room and up the stairs to Amberly's office. Everything we passed was in disarray. Tapestries torn from the walls, windows shattered, curtains ripped, and furniture burned or turned upside down. When we finally arrived at her study I flung open the doors.

There sat the beautiful queen, my personal role model, with puffy eyes and tear marks down her cheeks. Instead of sitting tall at her desk, Amberly was curled in a ball on the couch on the opposite side of the room. "Amberly" I said. Her face turned to me and she opened her arms. I fell into them and we wept together. "My son. My husband. My family." she would whisper. Clarkson must have passed a well. I didn't care. We stayed like that until I felt her slowly drift off into a sad sleep. I got up and tiptoed outside again. Suddenly the castle walls seemed to close in on me.

I rushed out to the gardens, and wandered them lost in thought. Without realizing it I came upon Maxon's and my bench. Or, at least, what was left of it. I guess in the chaos some of the rebels must have come out here because the bench is destroyed. Bullet holes scatter the wooden part and the metal arms are bent and dented beyond repair. "Oh Maxon" I said.

Suddenly I felt a tentative hand on my shoulder. "I thought I would find you here." said a voice behind me. I turned around to see my best friend. "Marlee" I breathed. She hugged me and gave me a small smile. Behind her were Carter and Celeste. I'm so glad they are all safe. "I... I think you may want to see this." says Marlee. She hands me this morning's newspaper.

"TREMENDOUS TRAGEDY STRIKES THE PALACE!" screams the headline. It goes on to tell about the loss of King Clarkson and Prince Maxon. I tear up again, thinking of Amberly now all alone. The rest of the story read like this:

"The attack by the rebels is reported to have started just minutes before the Prince's proposal. Rebels dressed as guards appeared to sneak into the ceremony. They put on red bands and began shooting. Selection member, Lady Elise Whisks, was the first casualty, but she was followed by many guests and palace staff. A full list of deaths is at the end of this article."

"Speculation surrounds the fact that since Prince Maxon did not get to propose, there is no longer an heir to the throne. Witnesses say he only talked to Lady Kriss before the ceremony began and that she would have been the princess today. Other witnesses claim one of his highness's last actions was kissing Lady America, the people's favorite. Meanwhile, advisors are already insisting our beloved Queen Amberly quickly appoint an heir because there is concern for her health after this traumatizing day."

"We send our thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palace. Hopefully these horrible days will soon pass and we will be able to move on and make this country a better place."

"Move On!" I growled. "They want us to move on! Maxon was my life, my whole world, and he's dead now! Marlee, he's dead!" Tears stream down my face. Celeste and Marlee rub my back comfortingly while I cry. "Shhh..." said Marlee. "You're not done reading yet." I frowned and turned back to the paper to read the deaths list.

The list was arranged by caste. Maxon and Clarkson's names were on the top, followed by one of they're advisors. Bariel had been killed in the attack and a few other former selected. I recognized only a few until I got to the fives. "Magda and Kota Singer" it read. I cried out, but kept reading. The sixes were just as devastating. Lucy and Anne were both killed. This wasn't right. Anne was such a perfect and kind maid and Lucy had Aspen... Aspen. Oh no!

I broke out of Marlee and Celeste's arms and sprinted back to the castle. As soon as I got inside I started screaming. "Aspen! Aspen!" Tears flew off my face as I raced down to the guard's quarters. "Mer, what is it?" cried Aspen from the end of the hall. He had his gun drawn and his green eyes were fierce. He would have looked menacing if his cheeks weren't stained with tears. "Aspen, I'm so sorry" I said before wrapping my arms around him.

When I looked back up at him I saw tears in his eyes. He saw me watching him and smiled a little. "These... these are manly tears okay?" he said. I laughed. It felt like a small weight was lifted from my chest. Then my tears came back and a buried my head into his chest again. I was an orphan, my love was gone, and two of my best friends were gone as well. No one could possibly understand how I feel.

"Hey" Aspen said softly. He cupped my face with both hands and brought me up so I was looking up into his eyes. I couldn't even remember the last time he did that. "It's going to be okay. We'll get through this together", he said. Then he smiled and let me go. As I walked back to my room I realized something. I'm not alone. There is someone who understands me. Someone who lost their love, probably a lot of their friends, and their parent, though that was a while ago. And he is my ex-boyfriend