I brushed back my hair as I went to take my place. Henri turned to me immediately.
“Hello today, Your Highness.” His blond curls were lifted by the breeze, and he smiled brightly.
I touched his shoulder. “Good morning, Henri. Call me Eadlyn.”
He scrunched his face, a little confused. “Say to you Eadlyn?”
“Yes.”
He gave me a thumbs-up, and I patted myself on the back for putting him beside me. In seconds he left me smiling. I leaned behind Henri, looking between the others to find Erik on the ground and gave him a thumbs-up, too. He smiled and put a hand over his heart like he was relieved.
I faced Hale. “How are you today?”
“Good,” he said tentatively. “Listen, I wanted to apologize again for yesterday. I didn’t mean to—”
I waved my hand, stopping him. “No, no. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is a bit stressful for me.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”
“I would want to be in yours!” I exclaimed, looking down. “I love these!”
“Thank you. Do they work all right with the tie? I like to experiment, but I’m starting to second-guess.”
“No. You make it all work.”
Hale beamed, thrilled to be past his first impression and on to the second.
“So, it was you who said you’d prove yourself to me each day, yes?”
“Indeed it was.” He seemed pleased I remembered.
“And how will you do that today?”
He considered. “If you feel the slightest bit unsteady, my hand is here for you. And I promise not to let you fall.”
“I like that one. You think you’ve got it bad, try this in heels.”
“We’re opening the gates!” someone called. “Hold on!”
I waved good-bye to Mom and Dad, then grabbed on to the bar surrounding the top of the float. It wasn’t too far of a drop if someone fell, but for the five of us across the front, there was a chance we’d get flattened by the float if we did. Hale and Henri were steady, just as I’d hoped, but plenty of the others clapped or shouted out self-encouragements. Burke, for one, kept yelling “We’ve got this!” even though all he really had to do was stand and wave.
The moment the gates opened, the cheering erupted. As we rounded the corner, I could see the first camp of cameras filming every second. Some people had signs supporting their favorite Selected boy or were waving the Illéan flag.
“Henri, look!” I said, leaning into him and pointing to a sign with his name on it.
He took a moment to understand. Then when he finally saw his name, he gasped. “Hey!” He was so excited, he lifted my hand off his shoulder and kissed it. Had anyone else done that it might have been unwelcome, but from him, the gesture felt so innocent, I wasn’t bothered at all.
“We love you, Princess Eadlyn,” someone called, and I waved in the direction of the sound.
“Long live the king!”
“Bless you, Princess!”
I mouthed my thanks to them for their support, and I felt encouraged. It wasn’t every day that I saw my people face-to-face, heard their voices, and sensed how they needed us. I knew they loved me, of course. I was going to be their queen. But typically, when I did leave the palace, the focus was on Mom or Dad. It felt amazing to have so much of the affection finally centered on me. Maybe I could be as beloved as my father.
The parade went on, with people calling our names and throwing flowers. It was turning out to be the spectacle I’d hoped. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, until we reached the final stretch of the route.
Something hit me that was clearly not a flower. I looked to see a runny egg dripping down my dress and onto my bare legs. After that, half a tomato hit me, then something else I couldn’t identify.
I dropped down, covering myself with my arms.
“We need jobs!” someone shrieked.
“The castes still live!”
I peeked out and saw a cluster of people protesting and hurling their rotten food at the float. Some held angry signs they must have hidden from the guards until now, and others threw disgusting words at me, calling me things that I’d never imagined even the worst of people saying.
Hale dropped down and lay in front of me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“I don’t understand,” I mumbled.
Henri got down on one knee, trying to hit anything that came near us, and Hale guarded me without wavering, even though I heard him grunt and felt him clench up when he was hit with something heavy.
I recognized General Leger’s voice shouting at the Selected to get down. As soon as everyone was low and secure, the float sped up, moving faster than it was probably designed to. People who actually cared about the parade booed as we hurtled past them, stealing their opportunity to catch a glimpse of the whole entourage.
I heard the float hit the gravel of the palace driveway, and the instant we came to a stop I pulled back from Hale and jumped to my feet. I hurried to the ladder and worked my way down.
“Eadlyn!” Mom cried.
“I’m fine.”