Gone But Not Forgotten

Ch 9 - A New Chapter

They arrived in a limo. The windows were darkened so nobody can seem inside. The skylight on the roof is pulled back and one of the boys, Nolan Carr of Ottaro, is standing with his head poked through the roof. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Silvia purse her lips in distain as she welcomes the first group of boys into the palace. I fight the urge to laugh.

The first group of boys, Noah's group, climb out of the car. They're then taken to the Men's Parlor where they will be 'beautified' by their maids. I step away from the window, sure that all of the other boy's arrivals will be the same.

The doors to my room open and Maxon comes in, a smile on his face. This is new...

"I finished all the plans for our 'honeymoon!' I know you'll absolutely love it!" he says enthusiastically.

I stare at him in surprise and disbelief. "Maxon, honey, you have enough to do as it is. You should've let me take care of our 'honeymoon.'"

He smiles and says, "That would've ruined the surprise! I want you to have the full effect when you walk in the door." I chuckle. He's certainly excited. Maxon continues, "I've arranged for the kingdom to be taken care of while we are gone...all we have to do now is have dinner with the boys and get on our way!"

"What should I pack, since I don't know where we are going?" I say with a sly grin.

"Mary's packing your bag right now," he says with a satisfied smirk. I silently pout. I was hoping to catch him unaware. I should've known he'd be a step ahead of me. Maxon knows me too well. "I have to go to an emergency council meeting now, I'll see you at dinner."

I offer a small smile and he kisses the top of my head. "I'm not giving up that easily Maxon!"

Maxon smirks over his shoulder as he walks out of the room, "I know, but I'm always one step ahead of you."

* * * *

Mary still hasn't come to fetch me from the Woman's Room. She was supposed to get me and bring me to my room to prepare me for dinner over an hour ago. This isn't like her...next time I see her, I'll talk to her.

"I guess I'll escort myself," I say to nobody in particular, and walk out of the Woman's Room.

Once I'm outside, I notice that a boy in the hallway, probably one of the Selected looking a bit lost. He reminds me a bit of me on my first day...I bite my lip. Technically, I'm not supposed to meet the Selected boys until dinner...but he needs my help now. I start down the hallway.

The boy has curly brown hair that is piled neatly on top of his head. He's tall and skinny, almost fragile looking. I approach him slowly, as not to scare him. He whips around and stares at me. Then he starts cracking up. I stare at him in confusion. What's wrong with him? He's the one lost in the palace.

He suddenly finds his manners and offers me a deep bow. "Your Majesty," he says in a deep, husky voice that doesn't quite fit his body.

I find my voice, "What's your name?"

He smirks at me, "Pasily Fisher, Your Majesty. I'm from Hudson."

"Pasily, you say. Hmm. Why aren't you with the other Selected boys?"

Pasily's smile grows larger, "Because Princess Eadlyn just kicked me out." I'm lost for words. Eadlyn kicked him out already. Why, she barely even knows the guy.

I find a smile, "This is a joke right? It's not appropriate if it is."

Pasily grins back. How can he be so calm (especially if he's telling the truth)? "It's not a joke, Your Majesty. Princess Eadlyn just kicked out me along with 10 other boys. It wasn't even private, she just tapped you on the shoulder, and there you went. She was deadly," he grins as if he finds the whole thing amusing. "Well, I better go, Your Majesty. The carriage awaits." He pauses for a moment. "Umm...where does the carriage await exactly?"

I laugh. "Just follow this hallway until you reach a painting of Queen Amberly. Then turn left. The front doors shouldn't be far," I pause, thinking carefully. "Goodbye Pasily. I wish things could've ended better between my daughter and you."

He smiles. "No, it's fine. Princess Eadlyn isn't the one for me." Mystified, I open my mouth to ask him what he ment, but Pasily is already gone. Going home to whatever his future holds now. I'm not worried, though. All the Selected go home and marry someone important. I hope Pasily finds someone worthwhile.

* * * *

I open the door to my room slowly, as to not disturb my maids. Mary is the only one of my original maids that is still serving me, and she is now head maid. I also have two other maids, Caroline and Audrey, who are identical twins. They're adorable, and they do absolutely everything together. I rarely ever see them apart. That's why Audrey's tear-streaked face, Mary's sorrowful one, and a new maid, who I don't know the name of, take me by surprise.

Mary immediately jumps to her feet, apologies rushing out like a faucet turned all the way on. Audrey follows suit, her voice trembling a little, as she begs for forgiveness.

Before they can force out another round of apologies, I clear my throat loudly. They fall silent. "Girls, can you please tell me where Caroline is?" I say in my most commanding voice possible.

Mary and Audrey stay silent. "Fine then. I'll go find Nobrey and Emma and ask them what happened...maybe Marlee and Carter. They'll tell me what happened."

Mary and Audrey stare at each other until Audrey steps forward, "Miss, last night while Caroline and I were running errands, visiting shops, getting more thread and fabric, the usual, a group of young men corner us outside of town. I remember holding Caroline's hand, she's very fragile, and whispering 'Don't worry Caroline, I won't let them get us.'

"I remember ducking under the outstretched arms of the leader and then running. I ran so fast, why, I could hardly see where I was going," Audrey's voice broke. "I remember stopping and turning to Caroline and saying 'See, I told you I won't let them get us.' But she wasn't there. I spent the rest of the night looking for her, but I couldn't find her.

"The next morning, once I was back at the palace, I went straight to Mary and told her what happened. And I...and I...I broke into tears. I've been crying in this room all day."

Mary piped up, "That's not true! Around noon, give or take, you fell asleep. That's when I went and got Zoe here. Zoe used to work as a laundry maid, and I knew her from past experiences. I asked her if she would like to serve the queen, and she said that she would love to. So I took her up here, gave her one of Caroline's old uniforms, and now, we've come in a complete circle."

I smile politely at Zoe. "Well, I'm really sorry about Caroline, and I'm really glad to have met you Zoe, but don't we have a dinner to prepare for?"

Mary exchanges a look of horror with Audrey and Zoe, "Miss, we're so sorry! We completely forgot about the dinner tonight! It must've just slipped my mind!"

"Well, I guess now's the time to start!" I say with an overly cheerful attitude. As Zoe turns to braid my hair into an elaborate knot, I add, "A new chapter to my story."

"Pardon, miss?" Zoe asks with small smile.

"Nothing, nothing," I say, but I think she heard every word.