The Selection AU

{should we ts?

{yeah. To the plan or did you have a better idea?

{the plan sounds good.

Iris chewed on her lower lip as she waited by the door. This was it. She had tried to visit Sebastian as much as she could but most of the time she would leave quickly. She hated to see him hurting. She glanced at Camden, who gave her a simple nod. The plan was in action. She sat down in one of the two chairs and tried to calm her breathing. Declan shifted in the guard uniform. Camden had them sent a day ago so they could have disguises when they went to take Sebastian. He had insisted that his father stay behind with their mother. He was the older brother; he was supposed to be the one looking out for Sebastian. He waited until he heard the beginnings of the ceremony before he bolted down to the prison area. Most guards were gone to guard at the ceremony so it wasn't too difficult to get past anyone if they didn't seem to recognize him. He stepped into the prison and took out the keys he had. "All right little brother. It's time."

Sebastian was lying in his cell near the door. He had just stayed there for the past few days It hurt to move, and it was hard to talk to Iris in the corner of the cell. He was sure by that point that his wound was infected, and he was surprised that he had lived so long. He knew that he was sick from the infection, and he wasn't sure how they would help him back at the rebel camp. He was sweating even though he felt like he was freezing, and he coughed too much. When Declan came to him, he looked up. "D-Decl-" he was cut off by coughing. He moaned in pain soon after, and he held his hand on his wound. His hand had stayed there for the past few days as well.

Declan let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. He had expected Sebastian to be pretty bad but he hadn't expected him to be that bad. "You'll be fine once we get back to camp," he told him. Unlocking the cell door, he threw it open and reached out to help Sebastian up. "It's not going to be...enjoyable, but we are going to have to hurry. I was told we had approximately ten minutes to get you out of here and to get to Iris," he said, throwing a glance over his shoulder. He wished for more but the ceremony couldn't be too long. Hopefully Camden was good with stalling.

Sebastian wasn't too sure about his words. Unless the camp has magically gotten the supplies they needed, he wasn't going to be okay. He would more than likely be dead. "Dad...he isn't here...is he?" he asked him, breathing heavily, but it hurt to breathe. He cried out in pain when Declan helped him up. He tried his best to push the pain out of his mind by thinking of Iris. She needed to think that he was going to be okay. He hated to give her false hope, but what more could he give her? He wasn't going to make it. "Get me out of here, but don't think I'm going to make it," he told him.

Declan shook his head at his question. There wasn't room for much conversation. Speaking was wasting precious, precious time. "You won't make it with that attitude," Declan muttered in response. He fixed him with a hard gaze. "Camden sent supplies to the camp along with the guard outfits. He thought we may need it, and he was right," he stated before helping Sebastian walk towards the door. "Try to make it fast," he told him as quietly as he could muster. They needed to get out of there before it was too late.

Sebastian was trying his best not to cry in pain, but that was all he could do. It would be an understatement to say he was in agony. He just wanted the pain to end. At that point, he didn't care if he lived or died. As long as the pain went away. He was trying to breathe. "De...," he said quietly, but he knew that his protests would mean nothing to him. He closed his eyes as pictured Iris. Her beautiful flowing hair and her perfect eyes. Her soft skin. Everything about her was perfect.

Declan placed a finger to his lips to indicate that Sebastian needed to try to be quiet. It would ruin the entire thing if he gave it all away now. He moved down the hall as quickly as physically possible for Sebastian. He stopped at the secret entrance and turned to Sebastian. "This is the difficult part. We have to get you out unnoticed. It wouldn't be so bad if we had more rebels to spare," he sighed and shook his head. "I am going to create a diversion so you can get past. Once the diversion starts, Camden will be on his way over to help you the rest of the way to the van. We are going to make sure you live either way."

Sebastian was trying his best to keep quiet for the plan, but he couldn't seem to. He sucked in a few breaths, trying to keep from screaming. "I don't know if I can," he said after he had explained the plan escaping. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was going to have to work hard and not pass out. He leaned against the wall and looked at his brother. "Start your diversion," he said quietly. He wasn't really sure if he was ready, but he couldn't back out. He was going to have to stuck with it. It was either that or die.

Declan nodded Sebastian's way before he gave him one last long look. "Just hold out until we get home. We can fix you up then," he said. But even then, it wasn't a positive fix. There could still be a possibility that he will die. He turned and headed off towards the ceremony. He wasn't a moment too soon. There was only one person he wouldn't feel guilty harming. He pointed the gun at the king and pulled the trigger. That created the diversion needed. The rebel guards began to run for Iris, and the palace guards were running for the king and attempting to find who had shot him. And Camden had disappeared at just the right time. Camden cut out on a run and made it to Sebastian. "I don't know how much time we have. But if any guards come, get behind me. They can't hurt me," he instructed before pulling Sebastian up once more.

Sebastian watched as his brother ran off, and he held on to the wall tightly. He heard the gunshot, and he started to get a but worried, but he knew his brother would be okay. He just had to be. He looked at Canden as he came toward him, and he winced as he was forced to run. He screamed a few times, but he managed to keep quiet for the most part. At one point, he ended up tripping. He fell and stayed on the ground, unmoving. He couldn't move. Everything hurt, and darkness was consuming him.

Camden came to a halt when he realized Sebastian had fallen behind. He turned and went back to him. "We can't stop n-" he began but his words were cut off short. His father grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and forced him to turn around. "Helping the enemy are we?" he asked, seething. This had not been apart of the plan. He was at a loss for words. Declan hung back in his hiding place before he pointed his gun at the king. He would need to find the right time to hit him before he went to get Sebastian.

Sebastian's vision was hazy and unclear. He could tell by his voice that the king had found them, and hat was not part of the plan as far as he could remember. He knew that he was going to hurt Camden if he didn't do something. He narrowed his eyes and forced himself up. He took a deep breath before grabbing the king and pulling him down. It hurt to do every moment, and he even screamed, but it worked. He wasn't sure how much the stalling would work, but it would work a bit.

The king turned on Sebastian the moment he fell on the ground. "Who would have thought," he said icily. He was about to order a guard to seize Sebastian when he felt a pain shoot down his spine. Declan stepped from the shadows and grabbed Sebastian's arm. "No questions, we are leaving," he snapped before he half dragged, half carried Sebastian away.

Sebastian glared at the king the whole time, despite the pain that was running through his body. He held on to his brother tightly and only took one glance at Camden. He really did hope that Declan killed the king. Sebastian was a nice guy, and he would never wish death upon someone, but the king was an exception. He was willing to kill Iris and his family, and no one touched his family.

Declan made it to the van; it was a good thing too because it was hard to run while carrying an extra weight. He carefully set Sebastian down and glanced back at where the king had been. "We are good to go," he stated as he climbed into the driver's seat. Iris had been waiting for them. Most of the rebel guards left in different vans. Only one stayed to make sure everything would go okay. As the van started, she turned to Sebastian. "Is everything okay? He didn't hurt you any more did he?"

Sebastian managed a smile when he saw Iris. He ha been waiting for her for who knows how long. "I'm okay...don't worry about me," he said, and he took her Han lightly, but he knew that he wasn't going to live. He could feel himself slipping away, especially since he was lying down. He could sleep and be peaceful, and the temptation to speak was getting greater and greater.

Iris held his hand tightly in her own and bit back the tears. "Don't lie to be, Sebastian," she whispered quietly. Her grip on his hand tightened slightly. She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him. "Please, hurry," she said to Declan, who only muttered a few words under his breath in turn. She caught the words "too fast" and "can't go any faster". She sighed and turned back to Sebastian.

Sebastian looked up at her, and he managed to place his hand in her cheek, even though everything hurt. He wanted to at least pretend that he was okay, but he knew that she probably knew he wasn't okay. As they were driving, they hit a bump. Sebastian screamed in pain and held his wound tightly, but at least he woke up. He held his wound tightly and tried not to look like he was in pain. He knew that he should stop it. They knew well enough that he was in pure agony.

Iris bit her lip nervously when he screamed out. She held his hand a bit tighter if it were even possible. She wished they could get there faster. She hated seeing him so hurt. He was basically dying right in front of them, and there wasn't much that they could do. Eventually, they made it to the rebel's camp. Declan managed to pull Sebastian out of the van and brought him to the hospital area.

Sebastian held Iris's hand tightly. He kne that she was probably terrified, and he could blame her. He was dying right in front of them. He held on to his bother as he carried him to the hospital wing, and he managed to speak. "Don't let Dad it Mom see me. Not like this. If they see me, I'll be dead or well," he said, and he cried out in pain once more. He felt like all the breath was being taken out of him from the pain. It was all he could feel.

Declan sighed as he lied him down in one of the beds. "Are you sure? Maybe they should see you...," he said, trailing and letting out a long sigh. It wouldn't be fair if he died, and their parents didn't get to have any last words for him. He stepped back to allow the nurses to do their work. He could only hope that a miracle would happen, and they would manage to make him better.

Sebastian shook his head the most he could. "They shouldn't have the burden of seeing me like this," he said. The nurses soon took him, and they began to work on him. His scream could be heard all around the camp, but they died down as they nurses sedated him. After about an hour, they were finally finished and went to Declan.