A/N: Wow, I can't believe this book is coming to a close! Since I am so close to finishing (and you are almost done reading) I would love to hear your opinions on the characters and the plot of the book! Constructive criticism is welcome and I would love to hear your thoughts on how the book turned out!
I woke before Nella, her body pressed closely against mine and her hair tangled around her face. I smiled, her beauty even in sleep was breathtaking, and I carefully pulled my arm away from her without waking her.
"Have you heard anything from the outside?" She asked with a yawn, pulling her hair over her shoulder and rubbing her eyes with a lazy movement.
I shook my head, using the wall to keep myself upright, my crutch was hopelessly lost in the chaos of returning.
Without another question Nella swiftly stood and I helped her button the back of her dress. She twisted her hair in her hand and pulled it over her shoulder to be out of my way as my hands slowly made their way up her bare back to button the dress. My fingers brushed her skin and electricity sparked between our touch. She titled her head just enough to give me a knowing look beneath her thick lashes before I limped over to the canned foods to try and find the least horrible thing for Nella and I to eat.
Once I decided that none of it was going to be good and picked a random can, I sat back on the floor when Nella had spread out a sheet to sit on and I handed her a can.
"How are you, my dear?" I asked softly as we began to eat. My own mind was foggy and unsettled. Nothing felt real in this separated room.
She smirked slightly, but her eyes still looked slightly nervous, as if she were afraid we were still in danger.
Her smile fell quickly and she pursed her lips in thought. "I'm fine, are you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
I was quiet for a moment. I naturally wanted to say yes, of course I was okay. That would be the prince thing to do, but in this room with only Nella, I was no longer a prince.
I was just James.
I shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't seem real. My parents. . . I even saw my brother Charles on the floor, I don't know if Ana saw him or not but-" my voice caught as I thought of my baby brother's body resting on the cold stone floor. My mind vividly wandered to the thought of his hands no longer being warm, and his eyes never opening again. He was so young.
I quickly sat down my can of food to hide the fact that my hands were shaking.
Nella nodded and took my hand. She squeezed it tightly so it would stop trembling, and I was satisfied with the reassurance that my calm would always be in the center of the storm.
"I understand. . . I felt the same way when my father died." She said softly.
Before I could respond, a rattling from the doorway breaks our conversation.
Nella stands quickly, her hands at ready, and then helps me stand.
I wrap my arm around her waist and she does the same, both of us supporting one another as we waited to see if friend or foe was about to enter.
Then the stone wall slips open and real light floods the room, I squint my eyes at the brightness.
"James!" Yelled a voice and I was suddenly in a bone cracking hug and realized it was August.
I pulled apart to look at him, my words suddenly seemed to have escaped me. He had disappeared so early in the chaos that I had feared the worse.
"August!" I said in a shocked whisper. "Thank skies you're safe." I say as I pulled him in for another tight embrace. He smelled like sweat and burning embers and I wondered how long he had been searching.
August was silent for a moment before he pulls apart and clears his throat. I noticed he was wearing a frayed army uniform and hat over his messy curls of red hair.
If seems he has taken command in my absence. Now that is a prince.
"I am so glad you're alive, James," he turned to Nella and blushed scarlet. "And I am glad you are as well, m'lady." He adds with a small bow of his head.
Nella nods to him with a smile, obviously pleased with his comment.
"What is happening? Where is our other siblings? What is the state of our kingdom?" I ask all in one long breath.
"The Waterwalker's were destroyed. Once. . ." his voice trailed and I could tell he was almost unable to finish his thought. "Once Mother and Father were shot the people rioted. It seems the Waterwalker army hardly made it across the river." Relief flooded me and I braced myself for the next answer.
"Ana is still missing, but I believe she is hidden in one of these safe rooms as well as Prince Arthur. Alex and Philip stayed with me... Philip didn't make it, neither did Charles." He said in a whisper.
I stumbled for a moment, luckily Nella was there to support me or I would have fallen to the ground.
Charles and Philip are gone. I almost didn't believe it. I wouldn't of believed it if I hadn't seen the evidence.
I brushed a tear from my eye before it could fall. "Is Alex...?" I knew Alex would be even more devastated than the rest of us are over the loss of his identical twin.
Alex without Philip is like Alex without half of his own personality.
August shook his head sadly. "He went into shock. His leg was injured fairly bad in the battle, but nothing the doctors can't fix. Though, I'm not sure he will ever be the same." August trailed off, staring at an empty space just to the left of my head, and I knew he wasn't talking about Alex's leg being the same but his own personality.
I shook my head. "None of us will be."
August began to lead Nella and I out of the safe room and I squinted at the light. The hallway was a wreck in itself. Broken furniture pieces scattered the hallways, broken stones covered the floor and dust so thick it was visible through the light floated through the room. I coughed when in inhaled the polluted air, and my noise caught the attention of several guards who gaped at mine and Nella's appearance.
"What about our kingdom?" I asked after a moment.
"That, I'm afraid is going to be quiet a problem to restore. The people are devastated that so many members of the royal family..." he trailed off again and shook his head as if refusing to voice the fact that our family is now only four when it used to be eight. "They want Ana to take position as Queen as soon as possible, and they want better protection on the boarder of the Waterwalkers."
I nodded as August listed off the many things that needed to be restored in our kingdom.
The only person to do it is my little sister, Queen Anastasia Lucendent Adela of the Five Kingdoms.
As we walked down the hallways of the castle, August pounded the stone walls to try and find some secret door.
I noticed other soldiers were doing it as well in an attempt to find their Queen.
After nearly twenty minutes I was beginning to become nervous until Nella pushed in a stone that made a rumbling sound and I kissed her cheek in joy.
The door fully opened to reveal Ana standing in the safe room with a can of food gripped tightly in her hand as if she was prepared to use it as a weapon.
When she realized it was me she dropped the can and ran into my arms. "Oh James!" She cried in relief and I hugged her tightly against me.
Then she pulled away quickly with a panicked look in her soft hazel eyes. "I need your help! Arthur is hurt! I tried to-" she seemed to loose her words and I rushed into the safe room with her.
She fell to her knees next to Prince Arthur.
The prince seemed to be unconscious. His eyes were closed, but he moaned and tossed his head as if he were having a nightmare and sometimes they would flutter open with a feverish sparkle in them.
I noticed Ana had made a makeshift bandage around his upper body, but it was becoming red with blood.
I almost couldn't believe how resourceful Ana had been. I suppose she was learning how to govern a kingdom and save lives while I was running laps with the army.
The prince's face was flushed and slightly covered in sweat, most likely from fever. I may not know much about medical conditions, but that immediately struck me as a bad sign. Nella must have thought so too, because her face paled and a small crease formed between her eyebrows like how they do when she's worried.
"August, go get a stretcher and the doctors! He needs medical attention immediately!" Before I even finished my sentence August was sprinting down the hallway to fulfill my command.
Ana stroked the prince's face and whispered to him too softly for me to understand. I realized that her words we not meant for me to hear.
I have never seen her that way, ever. Something had happened between her and the prince that change everything. I could tell by the way she held her breath every time he moved and trembled when she placed the back of her hand on his forehead.
"You and the Prince were here together? All night?" I asked, slowly looking from Ana to the prince, cocking my eyebrow innocently and giving Ana a small smile to try and comfort her.
Ana stood and slapped my arm. I jumped and rubbed my shoulder even though it was a light and playful movement.
"Nothing happened, James," she said in a whisper through clenched teeth. "Skies, look at him he's hardly breathing!" She adds, her face was becoming red and I somehow managed a snort and held my hands up in surrender.
"Ok, ok. I believe you." I replied with a smirk. Ana's face didn't loose its flush, but she broke her glare at me to direct all her attention on Arthur.
Just then two doctors ran in with a portable bed between them.
I helped them lift the prince carefully onto the bed. Ana stood by him whispering encouraging words the whole time and I realized she was tightly holding onto his hand.
Before they took him away Ana leaned down and planted a firm kiss on the prince's lips. It was slow and passionate and I never have seen Ana ever do anything like that before. I almost wanted to turn away to give them privacy, but before I could Ana pulled away.
"You better not die on me," she whispered fiercely, her face the set determination of a warrior and a Queen all in one.
The prince seemed to gain consciousness for this and smiled weakly. "Yes ma'am," he croaked before the doctors rushed him out the door and Ana reluctantly released his hand.
She watched where he had disappeared for a moment and was silent. Her hand was still reaching out as if she was still searching for the prince's hand.
"I know he will be fine, Ana." I say putting my hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
Ana nodded, not looking up at me or even moving from my touch. She just continues to stare at the empty space Arthur had disappeared from. "I know he will. . . I know he will."
***
After we had opened all the safe rooms and released any survivors that were hiding. We slowly began to restore the palace from the ashes and after three weeks of construction I walked around the castle with Ana and explained everything we have to do to restore our kingdom.
Ana's coronation had been only two days ago and she was now officially the Queen.
She definitely made an impact walking into the room in a jaw dropping golden dress with a fierce look in her eyes as she swore her loyalty to the Kingdoms.
"The people will fully look to you now, Ana." I said, though she was still looking behind us at the door of the private room where Prince Arthur was healing.
The prince had healed nicely, Ana's quick thinking had saved his life, but he was still quite weak.
He was allowed to move around and be active only to an extent and still needed quite a good deal of rest. Ana made it a point in her day to be with him while he rested even when he slept.
"Ana?"
"Yes," she responds, turning to face me again, the first sign that she had even barely payed attention to what I was saying. "I know they are."
I had noticed she had begun to dress like a Queen and act like one since the ceremony.
Gone were her fluffy knee length dresses fit for a princess. Now she almost always wore long dresses and a crown to show her status. Every now and then I could catch her in a casual day dress, but those chances were slim.
Today she was wearing a blood red dress that fell behind her in graceful sweeps and wore our mother's favorite golden tiara over her loose curls.
"James?" A voice called, waking me from my thoughts.
I turned to see Nella briskly walking up to me, and I smiled at the sight of her.
She had a nervous smile on her face and I must have been showing the same one because Ana looked between the two of us and smirked.
"I will let you two have your privacy," she said with a nod to Nella and a wink to me.
From what Nella has told me her and Ana have become quite close. She mentioned that she would regularly visit Ana just to talk and I was relieved Ana still had a woman figure in her life she could talk to like that.
Ana was always close to both of our parents, but she would tell our mother nearly everything. With mother gone I was afraid Ana wouldn't be able to function. She had always been the type who had to talk to someone when facing a problem and now that she is Queen she is facing plenty of those.
Ana has helped me prepare for this moment all week, and even though I could see she wanted to watch, she gave us our privacy.
Before she left she leaned close to my ear.
"Good luck!" She whispered before exiting the hallway as quickly as she could without it becoming unladylike.
The sound of her heals clicking down the hallway began to fade and I turned my full attention to Nella.
"Hello, my dear! I was just about to go look for you." I said leaning down and giving her a brisk kiss on the cheek.
Nella played with her hands nervously before looking up at me, "James, I have something to tell you." She said softly.
Her expression made me nervous. It was a mix of excitement and fear, but I could tell she was so happy she couldn't think straight.
She bounced on the back of her heals, "I'm pregnant, James." She says softly. "I have been showing symptoms and went to the nurse and..." she shrugged, her small smile never leaving her face.
I was quiet for a moment before I practically yelled, "that's amazing!" I swooped her off her feet and spun her around. I assume probably half of the castle could hear my celebrating.
She laughed, but hit me playfully when I sat her down. "James! We aren't married!" She said in a low whisper as if afraid someone would overhear, but she had a large grin on her face.
I laughed, I was so happy I couldn't even think straight.
I am going to be a father.
Those were word I never thought I was ever going to think, much less be excited about.
I took my hidden ring from my back pocket. "Well, then let's change that." I said slowly and slightly awkwardly getting to one knee with my prosthetic foot.
Nella gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She started crying, but the smile never left her face.
"Nella, will you marry me?" I ask.
Nella laughed. "Of course I will marry you!" She cried, running and hugging me.
I kissed her and wished I could hold that moment forever. I didn't even realized until later that her tears had made the kiss salty and wet.
When we parted I cupped her face in my hands. She looked so beautiful, and I could already picture her in a white dress.
***
The wedding was stunning, with white flowers and banners hanging all along the outdoor pavilion.
I had a messenger send for Nella's mother and siblings and they arrived the next day, a bundle of excitement from the news of our marriage.
Nothing was as beautiful as Nella when she entered. I think I may have teared up when I saw her.
Ana and Marygold were her brides maids, they both looked stunning in their violet dresses that hug elegantly off their shoulders, and Nella followed with the grace of a princess.
She was about to become my princess.
Her dress was similar to a mermaid tail, fitted and shimmering at the top and pooling out into waves of white fabric around her feet.
Her hair was put into an elegant bun with small golden curls framing her heart shaped face.
Her vail was connected to a crown, and had small pink flowers throughout the delicate fabric.
She had asked August to walk her down the isle, and he had excepted with great excitement.
Nella reached me and I slowly pulled the vail from her face.
"You look so, so beautiful." I whispered.
She smiled, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "Thank you, and you look so handsome."
I brushed her face softly with my hand, my heart felt like it could burst as I gazed into her violet eyes.
The whole service I only thought of the kiss that would seal us as husband and wife.
And when it finally came, I felt like the happiest man alive.