≫ eadrik oneshots

"Hold me, Erik. Please."

Eadlyn's POV
All my life I'd been in control. I was destined to be queen and no one would ever be more powerful than me. That was the principal that guided me through my day and lulled me to sleep at night.

But as I watched my mother's unconscious form, I felt powerless. There was nothing I could do to help her, and it scared me.

"Eadlyn," my father whispered. "Go to your room, sweetheart. You need to rest."

"Dad, I don't want to leave her. If anything, you should be the one resting," I insisted. "You're still the King, you know."

He sighed and ran a hand through his already disgruntled hair. That's what he always does when he's frustrated. Mom once told me that she was surprised he wasn't going bald yet.

"Yes, I know," he said wearily. "But you have a Selection to run and a husband to choose. Those are your duties. Staying here with your mother is my duty. You can't neglect your's just as much as I can can't neglect mine."

I shook my head. I was not leaving. But suddenly a wave of tiredness washed over me, and I knew that I needed sleep. Reluctantly I stood up and kissed my father's forehead.

"Goodnight, dad," I said. "Try to get a little bit of sleep, alright?"

He smiled weakly. "Anything for you, dear."

Taking one last look at my mother, I walked out of the hospital wing toward my room. I took my time, admiring the many portraits that lined the hallways.

I stopped and giggled at one in particular. It was of Ahren and me when we were only about 2 years old. He was holding on to my father's leg and whining while I was perched on father's shoulders, eyes wide. Mom was just standing off to the side, bent over from laughing so hard. It was definitely one of my favorite paintings, even if I was too young to remember it being painted.

Suddenly my eyes welled up with tears. Ahren was gone. He'd abandoned me and left me all alone. Mom was recovering from a heart attack, dad was running on fumes, and I was in the middle of something I never even wanted in the first place; a Selection.

I lifted my hands to my face and cried. I cried and cried, not even caring if anyone heard me anymore. After what felt like an hour, I heard a quiet cough. My head whipped up, scared that it would be one of the boys. I exhaled in relief when I saw who it was.

Erik.

I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"Hold me, Erik. Please," I mumbled into his chest.

At first he felt stiff, but then he slowly relaxed and wrapped his arms around me. He gently rocked us back and forth, running a hand through my hair. It felt amazing to be held, and it was like the world disappeared around us.

"I somehow always manage to run into you while you're crying," he chuckled. "I hope it doesn't become a habit."

I laughed, too. It didn't matter what the situation was, Erik always found a way to make me laugh.

Suddenly my smile disappeared. We were really close. Too close. I blushed and awkwardly took a step back.

"Um, sorry about that," I mumbled quietly, unable to meet his eyes. How could have I been so foolish?

"Did I say something wrong?" Erik asked. He sounded hurt and when I dared a glance up at him, his eyes looked sad. Quickly I shook my head.

"No, it's not you," I insisted. "I'm just really confused right now." I ran a hand through my hair and smiled weakly at him. "I should probably get back to my room."

"Would you like me to walk with you?" Erik looked at me expectantly and held out his arm. At first I was hesitant. I was supposed to be spending time with the Selection boys, not cozying up to other people like Erik. But then I thought of how much I liked this boy, and I found myself looping my arm through his.

We slowly walked through the dark hallways, stopping once in a while to admire the antique furniture or beautiful paintings.

When we passed a portrait of my grandmother Amberly, Erik stopped. He looked at me, the painting, then at me again.

"You look exactly like your grandmother," he said smiling down at me. "A beautiful, graceful, successful young woman."

His voice implied that he was teasing, but his eyes were full of something intense that I couldn't describe. Soon my heartbeat quickened, and I couldn't stop staring at him.

Gently he placed his hand on my cheek after tucking a stray hair behind my ear. Erik leaned down so our faces were only inches apart, and I could feel his quick breaths against my nose.

"Eadlyn," he whispered. "We should get you to bed."

My eyes got wide and I nodded. Deep down I felt disappointment. What would've he done? Kissed me? But I knew that it was foolish to think he'd do anything like that. Besides, it must've been after midnight by now.

Quickly we walked up the stairs to my room. Once we were outside my door we turned to face each other. I didn't want to look him in the eye. Whenever I did, strange things happened to my heartbeat. So instead I stared at the floor.

"Well, it was really nice talking with you," I said quietly. When Erik didn't answer, I looked up. He was staring at me, his expression blank. Slowly he smiled, but I could tell he was trying to hide it.

"Hey, you have something on your dress," he squinted at my dress and pointed. I instinctively looked down. I didn't see anything. Suddenly his finger flicked my nose upward and I felt his lips on mine.

I was too shocked to kiss him back, so I just stood there for a moment, my eyes open wide. But then as I got used to it, I kissed him back.

I'd kissed boys before, but this was different. It held meaning, purpose, and something else. Love? Urgency? A longing for something that could never be?

Too soon we pulled apart. When he noticed my stunned expression he laughed. "Sorry if I caught you off guard," he shrugged. "I just saw an opportunity and took it."

For some reason, I laughed too. It was so cheesy, our first kiss. But it was special, and I knew that my life would be forever changed because of it.

Because of Erik.

A/N [future me]
I've decided to rewrite some of my author's notes because of how cringey they were... hehe... But, anyway, I hope you like my story so far!