Maybe, Probably, Yes.

Chapter 1: In lieu of these circumstances...

Hi. I'm sorry there isn't a lot of action in this chapter but the plot begins. Hope you like it. Tessa is 18 in this chapter now.Next chapter we meet Will and the other royals.Again, probably lots of mistakes. Sorry. Please comment and review. Love'd  to hear what you think.Thanks. Enjoy the story.3900 words——————————————————————-

Knock, Knock, Knock.

I wake up to a knocking at my door. I look at the clock confused and tired. My eyes squint in the darkness but I can make out that it says 12:13am. What in the world is goi...

Oh. It must be Soph.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

I roll my eyes. So impatient. "Coming. I'm coming." There's a lightness in the air as I get up. I shuffle to the door and yawn into my hand. I open the door and resist the urge to roll my eyes again. No one should be so excited to be up on a school night. Blearily, I stare at her, completely out of it.

Next to me, Sophie looks very energetic to say the least. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, and tapping a random rhythm on her legs, I want to be disgusted at how awake she seems. Has she forgotten about Charlotte's advanced politics and government test tomorrow? I lean against the doorframe exhausted from pulling an all nighter yesterday and now being woken up only an hour after having gone to sleep. I'm supposed to be catching up on my sleep so I'll be well rested. At this rate, I'll sleep ​through​ the exam.

I notice what Sophie's wearing. She's dressed in a nice green sweater that sets off her skin tone well and her hair is pulled up into a simple ponytail. Her ripped blue jeans are cute and very Sophie. Her eyes are sparkling in the dark and her scar has turned silver in the moonlight(The scar was from a few years ago when there was a riot Sophie was caught in the middle of). I give her a slight smile. She bites her lip and glances behind her like she's late.

"What time?" She stops biting back her smile and beams.

"We are supposed to meet at 12:45 and go for a walk." I sigh and smile at her. "Are you ever going to tell your parents?" I ask the inevitable question.

She scowls and tugs on her hair. "They wouldn't understand and would try to keep us apart. They are set in their ways. I mean, they hardly let them come as it is." I stare at her sadly, some of my bleariness having faded away.

Sophie is madly in love with Gideon Lightwood. Gideon and his brother Gabriel are foriegn diplomats of a sort and come from the Lightwood Kingdom. The feud between all of the four kingdoms is horrible but over the years, the Collins have reconnected a bit with the Lightwoods and are uneasy allies. Gabriel and Gideon are second cousins with the heirs: Alexander, Isabelle, and Max Lightwood. The Lightwood kids are all close but Gideon and Gabriel travel around a lot and visit kingdoms... the Collins Kingdom very much. Gideon and Sophie started going out about a year ago and sneak out to see each other all the time.

Jessamine and I are Sophie's official handmaidens. We were best friends as kids and when Sophie was getting busy with Royal business, she appointed us her handmaidens so we have excuses to see each other all the time and have rooms near each other. It's now been 12 years since I've met them both and we still are really close. As Sophie's handmaidens though, we were well aware when Soph began sneaking out. She confessed to us and we helped her cover it up. Sophie comes to one of our rooms when she goes out so that we know where she is at all times. Jessamine uses that time to make sure Sophie looks good for her date. At first, I was so confused how everyone couldn't see the way they looked at each other.

The fact that Sophie's parents don't know however, puts Jessie and I in a tough spot. We want Soph to tell them and we were sure Gideon wanted them to know too but she remained stubborn. I know Gideon loves her but he can't stay in the shadows for the rest of their lives. Jessamine mentioned this to her but she simply said it won't be for their whole lives, just for now. Jess and I don't know how to convince her to let everyone know. We know that kind of secret is something that could make or break their relationship.