♞ Ivy's POV ♞

I'm sure the Elites were having a fun time trying to figure out a way to help my failing memories return the next day, which just so happened to be October 22nd. It was Odette's seventeenth birthday.

I was sat in a chair in the middle of the training center, my face still bruised and aching and my ribs still making it hurt to breathe. I was dressed in not much more than my pajamas and my favorite maroon coat since it was getting colder, my fluffy socks becoming a subject of teasing once I had stepped foot in the training center. Early morning light creeped in through the high windows, illuminating all of the training machines and weapons.

All of the Elites had gathered around me, some looking genuinely worried while others seemed to laugh and poke fun at me.

"What if," Fuse, one of the more sarcastic Elites began, "we hit her really hard on the head? I saw it work in a TV show..." His eyes sparkled with the idea, which I immediately shot down. Several Elites tried stifling their laughter, others, like Isla, had only glared at him.

"You hit me, I will personally attach all of your homemade bombs to you and blow them up in your sleep." I threatened, my cold small little figure huddled in on itself not making much of a threatening image. Fuse rolled his dark eyes and smiled before getting back to work organizing some multicolored wires for his explosive projects.

He had been found shivering and suffering from severe frostbite in winter just outside of the city when I was seven, and when he had been taken in by us, we had asked him what his name was. He seemed thoughtful about it, like he could create a new identity for himself and was settling on a good name for this new person.

'Call me Fuse.' He had told us. We never understood why he decided to be called that until we had found him not more than two months later building firecrackers in the back of the Manor gardens, and the name had stuck. He was Doniya's Elite.

"What if we try retracing your steps? Go back to the place you were attacked? His Majesty did say he dropped you off at a bar in the city and found you in an alley." Astra, Waliyha's Elite, suggested. She had been brought here after running away from an abusive Chooser when she was sixteen, and sadly she still had some scars from that terrifying experience. She was a beauty with her long dark hair and matching eyes, but her emotional burdens had taken their toll on her.

I shivered involuntarily, my poor head getting a headache as I tried remembering what had exactly happened that frightful night at the bar. "I don't know if that would work."

I sighed as I ran my hands through my hair, as if that would somehow fix my jumbled memories.

And, in a way, I suppose it did.

Suddenly something was triggered in my brain, a flood of memories from that night rushing back to me.

"They're going to take away the country's most powerful person. They believe that if they can get rid of that one sole royal, they can control the Empire. The Maliks will be left in a frenzy, it will only be a matter of time before they break."

My eyes shot open, a gasp escaping me as I processed everything coming back to me. The Elites seemed a little startled, watching as their commander remembered everything.

The atmosphere grew thick with tension as Aaron casually sucked in on his cigarette again. "As for you, Ivy Salvatore, I can't say you'll be able to even make your report back to the King after tonight."

My eyes shut again as more painful memories resurfaced.

I moved to attack, go on the offensive, when a hard fist knocked into my forehead. I immediately saw stars, my legs feeling like jelly as I crumpled to the hard concrete. God, that hurt.

I suddenly remembered everything, and Aaron's actions sparked a fire in me I wasn't even aware existed until just now.

"That bastard!" I screamed, catching some of the Elites off guard. I got up from my chair, making my way over to a rack of knives that hung on the wall. Several soon were gripped in my hands, my arms swinging and launching them at targets across the room. The knives stuck perfectly in the center of the target, all within millimeters of each other.

The Elites seemed cautious of their leader, Isla slowly approaching me with her hands up.

"Commander, are you okay?" She asked hesitantly, eyes wide and careful like I was some crazy animal. I must've looked crazy, hair wild and frizzy from being bedridden and my eyes darting from the target to the Elites. I let out a weak laugh before explaining myself.

"He thought he could make me forget the Revolution's plans...how wrong he was."

My tone suddenly became serious, some of the Elites smiling when they saw I was back and ready for revenge.

"We have to be ready for a Revolutionary strike. They're planning to assassinate the king, and we must be alert at all times." I warned them. My serious tone was soon replaced with something more happy and exciting.

"I hope you all have some decent party outfits, because tonight you all will be attending Odette's birthday party."

I received quite the confused stare until Vesta spoke up.

"Wait...we're going to a party?" The fiery redhead asked, her face lighting up when I nodded. She turned to Siren, Zayn's aunt's Elite, and the two girls immediately squealed with joy.

"I have the perfect dress!" Siren exclaimed, and soon her and Vesta were off to their quarters to get ready. Fuse and some of the boys seemed excited, maybe they would catch the eye of a royal from another country. Bellamy seemed a little upset though, approaching me after all the Elites had excitedly ran to their rooms.

"A party? Are you sure about this, Commander?" He asked, worry evident in his face.

"Why not? Everyone should enjoy themselves a little bit." I assured him, but Bellamy still seemed worried.

"But shouldn't we be training? If someone really is planning to kill the king, shouldn't we be getting ready for battle?" He urged me to reconsider, but I already had other plans in mind.

"You all are more than ready for a fight. Tell the Elites to bring hidden weapons to the party. The last thing we need is a Revolutionary attack on Odette's birthday." I whispered, Bellamy nodding wordlessly before walking to his quarters.

♡ Odette's POV ♡

I was woken up by the feel of soft lips on my neck, a sigh of pure bliss escaping me as I opened my eyes to a smiling Zayn.

"Good morning, little swan." A lingering kiss was placed on my lips as I smiled. "And happy seventeenth birthday."

We were in his bed, covers laid over us as early morning light lit up his bedroom. I was still in his t-shirt and pants he had dressed me in from the previous day, while he had found some pajama pants and a long sleeved t-shirt to keep him warm last night.

I couldn't stop my laughter as Zayn rolled on top of me, hands tickling at my sides. I tried pushing him off, his smile only getting bigger as I tried to get him to stop. He eventually did, holding my hands in his as he leaned down to kiss me again.

"I have a special present for you tonight." He said, peaking my interest.

"Oh really? What is it?" I asked excitedly, Zayn only shaking his head.

"You'll have to come here after the party to find out." He smirked before getting off of me, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom to take a shower. Before he closed the door, however, he poked his head out to tell me something else.

"Oh, and our special friends from England are coming today."

***

The servants were busy setting up everything for the party in the huge ballroom. Golden shimmery streamers were hanging from the ceiling, a huge crystal chandelier sparkling as light reflected off of it. Balloons had been tied on table legs and into chairs, and the royal gardeners were busy bringing in countless bouquets of beautiful flowers. The chefs were preparing all of my favorite foods and desserts, a few pastry chefs rushing to me with bowls of frosting or a sample cupcake to check if the flavor was as I desired.

All of this attention was a little overwhelming, but it was also exciting.

And, to make things even better, today was the first day in a while Zayn could spend the whole day with me.

He watched on humorously as servants asked me for my opinion on everything from the color of the curtains hanging on the windows to the plates the food should be served on. I often didn't know what to choose, finding such tiny details unimportant. Zayn would only laugh before helping me out, choosing a design or color for me, considering my previous responses of 'I don't know' or 'You can choose whatever' nearly made the servants have a panic attack.

Soon enough, just as Zayn had said, Erica and Eli arrived at the Manor.

I dont think I had ever seen Erica happier, the gleam of her engagement ring unmatched to the sparkle in her eyes as she practically dragged Eli into the ballroom, enveloping me in a hug as soon as she reached me.

"Happy birthday Odette!" Erica exclaimed, holding me in a death-grip hug before releasing me. Eli wished me a happy birthday before offering me a hug of his own.

"You're so old now." Eli joked as he released me, my eyes rolling as he smirked.

"Hey, don't call my girl old, Eli." Zayn warned, a smile playing on his lips. Eli only rolled his eyes before apologizing, and soon Erica whisked me down the hall, begging me to show her my bedroom and closet so she could help me get ready for the big birthday bash in a few hours.

"Come on, it's time to turn you into a birthday queen."