My winter break project was rereading the entire Selection series, and I finished that today. I remembered why I wanted to punch myself in the face after reading The Crown the first time. It's not just that I adored Kile and was very upset at how he was treated (though that is part of it); the whole thing seemed a bit rushed /forced/ridiculously out-of-character and I could yell about it for ages. Point being, the end of The Crown caused me physical pain, and here I am, actually doing something about it.

Please don't take me too seriously.

Chapter One

I woke up gasping, clutching at my sheets like they were all that was tethering me to reality. Wait…this was reality, wasn't it? Not…oh god it sped up my heart (in a terrible, horrible, panicked way) to even think of it.

"Hello?" I called shrilly, looking desperately around for someone, anyone who could explain to me what was going on. My heart was still racing, my head still spinning. Horrible thoughts, blurs of memories ran through my head…Marid being an ass, my spur-of-the-moment decision to change the entire structure of the country, proposing to Henri's scruffy translator of all people…it was simply bizarre.

Well, actually, the "Marid being an ass" part sounded fairly standard, but really? The translator? That was about as un-Eadlyn as things could get.

Hearing my call, several people rushed into my room, the first being Neena, and she was followed closely by both Kile and Ahren. I leaped out of bed to hug all of them, but my legs promptly gave out and I fell on the floor. Ouch.

Kile scooped me up to set me back on the bed, looking just as worried as my father had when Mom had her heart attack. My god, the heart attack. Was that even real? My head hurt hurt trying to think about it, to think at all, really.

"You're all here," I breathed, reaching up to pat Kile's face and then Ahren's to make sure they truly were. "Kile…you're still here. Ahren…you're not in France."

"Well, I mean, I kind of tried to be," my brother joked, though there was still worry in his eyes. "But when I found out that in addition to my mother having a heart attack, my sister was in some kind of coma, I knew I really ought to come back home, at least until some of you were back on your feet."

"And why wouldn't I be here, anyway?" Kile asked, looking a little hurt and a lot confused.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to remember why I'd ever let that happen. It certainly didn't seem like a good idea now. I hoped it wasn't too late to change things. "I…I don't know. How long has it been?"

"What do you remember?" Neena asked softly. "It's been four days."

"The last thing I remember is…" Even when I concentrated, everything in my memory seemed like a blur, and an unpleasant one at that. "I was addressing my people. I was queen. I was- I was married!"

Everyone else in the room took in a breath sharply, presumably with horror. Neena looked at me with extreme worry. "That's certainly not happened. You're still the princess, still unmarried. Your mom had a heart attack, and you fainted. You've just been in a little coma, that's all."

It surprised me that she was so casual about a coma, but that was certainly not my biggest concern. "So…nothing's happened since my mom's heart attack?" I asked hopefully. "Everything's fine?"

Ahren chuckled. "I think 'fine' is a strong word. Mom's in a coma- the intentional kind of coma, but still- and Dad's an absolute wreck, I left France in shambles, and due to both you and Dad being out of commission, I am temporarily in charge of this country."

He was right. "Fine" was definitely a strong word. I took a shaky breath. "So it was all a dream. None of it happened."

"What's it?" Kile asked, wrinkling his nose.

I shuddered. "It's worse than words could ever describe. Kile, Ahren, help me up- I've got a lot to do."

"You shouldn't get up!" Neena insisted. "You need time to recover!"

"It's important," I told her, extending my arm so one of the boys could grab it. "I've just had the most horrible nightmare, and I've got to make things right before history repeats itself! Oh, this isn't working- Kile, just carry me! Ahren, will you stand next to him in case something goes wrong?"

Kile obediently lifted me bridal-style, and Ahren held out his arms nervously. "Eady, if you do fall, I make no promises to catch you."

"That's okay! Kile won't let me fall!"

He just grunted in reply, but I took it as confirmation that no, he would not drop me. Neena fretted behind us. "Oh, I'm going to get your father!"

She scurried off. I hooked an arm around Kile's neck to secure my position. "To Henri's room, please," I directed him. "I've got some terrible plot points to nip in the bud."