Royal 3 (Book three in my Selection Series)

Chapter 27

The prince approached a coffin, eyes diverted to the ground. He hadn't become very close with the girl lying in the coffin, but the guilt that her death had brought.

His father touches his shoulder and the prince stiffens.

"She's going to wake up soon and realize one of her only friends here is dead." Prince North mutters. Some of the girls wept, but none of them gained the attention of the prince who thought of the one selected not in the room.

"She's strong." His father tells him.

"Because she's had to lose so many people. It's not fair for her to have to lose one more." He breathes out and finally looks at the pale girl in the coffin. "It's not fair."

"I know." The king says quietly. They were both approached by a girl, one of the selected. She had golden blonde hair but her dark roots were growing through it.

"Your highness, your majesty." She curtsies toward both of the royalty. The king nods and walks away. The young girl sobbed and clung to the prince's arm.

"It's tragic isn't it?" She looks up and asks him. The prince didn't respond.

"I have to go." The prince states and walks away toward the entrance. He didn't want to sit through a service with a girl he didn't even care about hanging onto his shoulder. North stood by the door during the service, but as soon as it was over he left to his room to shower before visiting the hospital wing.

As North opened his door, a maid nearly runs right into him.

"Your highness." She curtsies quickly. "It's Lady Rosalyn."

The prince immediately stiffens. His heart fell without her even finishing the sentence. North knew the chances of her death, but he wanted more than nothing for it to be wrong.

"She's awake." The maid's voice was barely a whisper. The prince didn't expect to hear that and immediately pushed past the young girl to the hospital wing. He made it quickly through the hallway and made it to the door faster than he ever had before. His parents stood at the door, both stiff with an emotion he couldn't place.

"North, Wait." The queen says gently and puts a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.

"I thought she was awake? That maid told me she was awake." The prince says frantically.

"She is, but—" the queen looks toward her husband, her heart heavy. "She doesn't remember the last few weeks. She has amnesia and we don't know what all she remembers.

"I don't understand." North says tentatively.

"She doesn't remember the Selection. She doesn't remember you." The queen's heart broke, but not as much as her son's.

When the prince finally gathers the courage to go inside and talk to the doctors, he could barely stay back. In fact the only thing that held him back was his mothers hand.

"I can't be here." He murmurs.

"North," his mother says quietly. "You have to stay strong."

North hears her but wanted more than anything to not have to be there. His heart felt like a block of stone and didn't know how long he could handle it.

A/N

Happy New Years!! Just in case you guys didn't understand, this is a flashback along with the last chapter 🙃