Atlas (A Selection/Hat Films Fanfiction)

~ Epilogue ~

The guard pulled back his shoulders and raised his chin when he saw me coming down the hallway. "Your majesty," he greeted with a respectful bow. I didn't blame him for looking tired when I knew he had been here since midnight.

"You're dismissed for the morning, thank you," I told him.

"Uh, but your majesty," he stammered, "the 6am guards won't be here for another two hours. . ." I still wasn't used to being called that, but I knew people now used it as a term of respect and not fear.

"I will handle that," I told the guard, "but thank you for letting me know anyway. You're dismissed." I didn't want to sound aggressive, but I also didn't want to answer any more questions. I had already spent a long time planning the logistics of how I would get away with it; I didn't need him taking up any more time.

It was my last rebellious act before I completely devoted myself to Illea. . . The country I was now directly leading.

"Y- yes, your majesty. Of course," he answered somewhat uncomfortably. He left without another word, and I made sure he had rounded the corner before pulling out the set of keys I had been given by the prison warden.

My life had been hectic since the wedding and coronation. There was a lot to do and everything had to be done quickly or the Southern Rebels would have succeeded as the country was plunged into unorganized anarchy. There were elections to be organized, constitutions to be drafted, and every previous government committee and council needed to be disbanded or transformed to fit the new system. Wars needed to be called off and troops needed to be returned home.

And there were a lot of funerals to be held.

The previous king and queen of this country had been killed that day. Although I didn't want to admit it, it made the transition of power much easier. The NSRF and their community allies had succeeded fantastically at gaining control of the province buildings, though the show of force was less necessary once the monarchs were declared dead. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly peaceful, and the country had a lot of healing to do.

Albany was buried in the Royal graveyard. Other Selected had been injured, but hers was the only death. I took that one especially hard, knowing that she had really grown during her time in the castle and would have done well for herself.

I wish it had all been fixed overnight, but the higher castes were predictably upset. Valeera was on tour right now, explaining our new transition process away from the caste system as a personal appeal. We had many sleepless nights and caffeine fueled days considering all of the steps necessary to pull this off successfully, and I was endlessly grateful that she was taking charge of that part of Illea's restoration so well.

Beckii and Carter were now the first casteless citizens of Illea. I tried to convince her to go back to modeling and dancing, but she said she was ready for a new chapter of her life with her new husband. She was now the press secretary for parliament, keeping in direct contact with the press every day and detailing every new law and proposal. We wanted to be completely transparent with the people, something the past kings were not fond of. I was happy she was staying close; she brought a wonderful energy to the castle that we desperately needed after all the tragedy.

We had arrested a shocking number of police chiefs and lower government officials, including Payne. The corruption was deep, but Ross has stepped up and was handling the organization of all provinces while the new representatives were being elected. He was a natural leader, and whenever I was stressed, he was there to support me, even with all of his other responsibilities. He was now engaged to Anouk, who was falling into her secondary role with him well. She was smart, and I could see her mood and temperament improving rapidly as the country also began to improve.