I leave Aspen to deal with my half-sister since I have other things to accomplish. One of which I’m dreading immensely; America’s funeral.
“We’ve contacted the Singer Family,” Stavros says. “They will arrive tomorrow just before lunch.”
I don’t respond, staring at my hands as I fight to keep my emotions in check.
“We’ll give them the rest of the day to settle in and we’ll hold the funeral the day after tomorrow,” Stavros continues. “Will that be alright, Your Majesty?”
I nod, not meeting his eyes.
“Do you need anything, Maxon?” he asks quietly.
I look up at the use of my name. “I-I’m good,” I whisper, clearing my throat. “Thanks.”
Stavros nods, standing and bowing. My gaze returns to my hands as he exits my office leaving me alone with the guards standing against the wall.
Rubbing my temples, I get out a folder to look over it’s contents. I had hoped that my days of looking over tax reports would be over once Father had passed, but it was foolish to do so. Someone had to do the damn work.
I hear a knock on my door as I quickly make a note. “Come in!” I call, setting the pen aside.
“Officer Leger asked me to send this up, Your Majesty,” a guard says, bowing. He hands me a thick stack of folders and turns, about to leave.
“Wait!” I call.
The guard stops and turns back towards me. “Your Majesty?”
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Avery, Sir,” he replies, standing straighter.
I squint at him. “Have we met before? I feel like we have.”
Officer Avery nods. “I helped Officer Leger get you and Lady America to… uh, you know where a few weeks ago.”
“Right! I remember now.” I pause. “And Aspen trusts you?”
“I would guess so, Your Majesty. We were roommates before he was moved up here.”
I nod. “Alright. Thank you, Officer Avery. That’s all I needed.”
Avery bows, looking confused as he turns and leaves my office.
I take a quick peek at the first file and confirm my suspicions, quickly slamming it shut. That was much quicker than I anticipated, I think letting out a sigh before turning to the guards. “Leave, please.”
They all bow to me before quickly filing out of the room. Sighing as the door closes, I open the first file and begin studying the pictures.
A few files in I finally find her. “Brice Mannor,” I mumble, looking between her picture and the one of her mother. It was her, I would recognize the woman’s face anywhere.
Quickly closing the file, I shove the other files to a corner of my desk and quickly ring for a butler.
“Your Majesty?” a butler asks, appearing moments later.
“Please get Officer Leger for me,” I say. “And tell him I found it.”
-o-
I feel a strange sense of dejavu as I watch the Singers enter the palace from the same stairway that I had watched them from a few months earlier. Only this time America isn’t there to greet them.
The red hair… I feel my heart cracking once again as Magda and May meet my eyes.
I feel my knees go weak, but Aspen’s firm grip on my shoulder keeps me in check.
The pain is returning at full power. I feel like I’m back at square one.
With a gentle push, Aspen and I slowly walk down the stairs towards the Singers, Lucy quietly following behind us.
“Your Majesty,” Madga whispers, sinking into a curtsey. As she rises, I notice the bags around her eyes. She seems to have aged ten years since the last time I saw her.
“It’s good to see you again, Magda,” I respond, my voice wavering a bit. “You as well, May.”
May gives me a small smile, but it lacks the enthusiasm that I have seen from her the last time.
“I’m afraid I haven’t met the rest of you,” I say, turning to the rest.
“Kenna Orders, Your Majesty,” a young woman says, clutching a baby, as she gives a rough curtsy. She looks up at the man next to her. “This is my husband, James, and our newborn daughter, Astra.”
”It’s good to finally meet you,” I answer, shaking hands with James. “Congratulations on your daughter.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” James whispers.
I look down at the younger boy and give him a soft smile. “You must be Gerad. Your sister talked a lot about you.”
Gerad nods, but doesn’t say anything, shyly clutching Magda’s hand.
I turn to the man standing a few feet away from Magda. “And you are-”
“Kota Singer, Your Majesty,” he interrupts.
I try to keep my face impassive as we shake hands. “Right, the sculptor. America told me all about you.”
He doesn’t respond, pursing his lips as he catches my double meaning.
“It’s good to finally put face to name,” I say, looking at all of them. “I-I’m so sorry about Shalom and America… I…”
I trail off, clearing my throat as Aspen puts his hand back on my shoulder. “If you need anything don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve organized rooms for the duration of your stay. Aspen and Lucy here will help you find them.”
May gives Lucy a weak smile as she steps forward. “If you would follow me, please,” she says softly.
Kota, Kenna, James, Gerad, and May all follow her, but Aspen pauses for a moment. “You good?” he asks quietly.
I nod, taking a deep breath. Aspen studies me for a moment before nodding and following Lucy and the rest of the Singers.
“How are you, Your Majesty?” Magda asks once Aspen leaves.
“I’m healing,” I whisper, looking at her. “Are you okay with the arrangements of the funeral? I wasn’t sure if you were going to do it in Carolina or…”
”We’ll have another ceremony later in Carolina. Just without…” Magda trails off, tears in her eyes.
I put a hand on her shoulder, blinking as I try not to cry. I clear my throat again. “Er… There’s something I would like to discuss with you.”
“Oh?” she asks, wiping her eyes.
“I-I was going to choose America,” I whisper, taking a deep breath. “And I gave her a gift the night before, and I was wondering if you still want it.”
Magda gives me a confused glance as I hand her the framed picture.
“I bought the house for all of you. I thought America would have appreciated having her family close,” I continue. “If you don’t want it, I am willing to buy you a new house in Carolina. I don’t want you to worry about finances anymore. I-I want to help you in any way that I can.”
Magda blinks, tears in her eyes again. “Your Majesty-”
“Maxon,” I interrupt. ”Please call me Maxon.”
“Maxon, I appreciate you wanting to do this, but w-we can’t accept all of this,” she pleads. “You don’t need to do all of this for us.”
“Please, Magda,” I beg. “Let me do this for you. For her.”
She stares at me, still blinking back tears. “I-I…”
“Just think about it,” I whisper. “Talk it over with the others. I want to help you.”
“A-Alright,” Magda answers. “I’ll think about it.”
I apologize for not posting in awhile. I found myself taking a break from social media, which eventually extended to fanfiction as well. Since school as started up for me again, updates will at least slow down to once a week. As a side note, because of my break, I haven't been working on any other fanfictions, so if you are waiting on an update for any of my other fanfictions... well, it will be awhile since I'm focusing on this one. Thanks for being patient!
-theselectionseriesfan