The Hunt for Sviederbach

Disclaimer: I do not own Shake it Up

A/N: So here's the sequel to Flames of Love, takes place eighteen years after. If you haven't read the original, you probably ought to read it. I don't think this story will be as long as it's successor, and I really hope and believe you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 1 (State of the Country)

An anxious redhead stood before her grandmother, holding up a dress in each hand. She was tapping her foot and glancing back and forth from the red dress with the v-neck collar, short sleeves, and purple skirt, to the blue strapless dress with the open back, and full pleated skirt that flowed down towards the ankles. "Okay Grandma, which one? I really like the red, but the blue is so pretty." The red dress had a lace trim at the bottom and a floral design on the skirt. The blue dress wouldn't be so bad, her curly hair always felt nice against her bare back and shoulders.

"Relax sweetheart, you'll make it. No matter when his plane arrives, he said he'd wait for you to get there, did he not, Aveline?" Aveline smiled at her grandmother and lifted her shoulders carelessly. She wasn't usually so anxious, and god forbid she would ever be dainty or girly like the common conception of a 'Princess' was. When it came to love, she still wanted to look nice, like everyone else. "Go for the red dress. You're eighteen, and I think you're still much too young to be wearing something like the blue dress that shows off too much cleavage. What kind of message do you want to send this boy?"

"Grandma!" Her cheeks grew bright red as she stared down at the dresses. Grandma Hessenheffer was right, the red dress looked much more appropriate for this occasion. "Besides, I'm pretty sure this guy won't be like the suitors mom and dad find. I've known him for how long now?" She hung the blue dress up in her closet as Squitza started to laugh. The woman hadn't changed much over the years, she still looked the same as she did eighteen years ago, except for the fact that she had much shorter hair, a couple wrinkles on her face, and thinner faded hair.

"I know sweetie, you've been dating this guy for a few years now. He sounds like a very respectable man, I just wish I could meet him. Your grandfather and I understand, however. You know, your mom and dad did the same thing." Aveline turned around with mild agitation, she'd heard the story a million times now, and did not want to hear it again. No offense to her grandmother, whom she truly adored! She was just antsy. This man she was dating was exactly two years and eleven months older than she was. They'd been dating in secret for about three years now.

"I know! Secret relationship and so forth, but I think we have more reason to keep it under wraps. Don't we?" Sviederbach law states that a Prince and a Princess, especially the Crown Prince/Princess had a requirement to marry quickly. It had been that way for three hundred years. Most heirs to the throne produced children either in their late teens or early to mid-twenties. She didn't see a need for a rush, especially since her father had twenty-six more years to rule the throne! Unfortunately, with the law being said, many men all over Sviederbach, and the world, had come each year to take her hand, and she wound up turning each and every one of them down. For the most part, her mother understood due to the fact that several of those men only wanted her for status, money, or the most common, sex. She didn't want to marry for any of that, she wanted to marry someone she loved.

Unfortunately the person she was seeing now, while she knew her heart was with him, it was who he was that she thought people might have a problem with. Therefore, the only people that knew they were together were her grandparents, and his grandparents. Kashlack had figured it out almost instantaneously, to which, Aveline had no clue how he knew. "Okay, thanks for all your help with me getting ready, I have to get dressed and run. I love you grandma!"

Soon after getting dressed, Aveline was on her way to her siblings where she was sure all of them were playing some random video game. While most nights, she could hear them running all over the castle, this was their 'television night'. Here they were allowed to watch television or play video games, usually this was two or three nights a week for just a few hours. It was in order to promote outside activities, rather than sitting around lazily with nothing to do.

Aveline had four siblings, two of which were twins. Her oldest sibling, Astor Hessenheffer, was twelve years. He'd been named after their ancestor, the short term King who got the most done for the nation. The twins were Michael and Mia, eight years old, and just as stubborn and obnoxious as Aveline and their parents were. The youngest was Kuno, he was four years old this year, and spent all his time following his siblings around. These four usually got into a lot of trouble around the castle, though Astor tried to steer them right, he often was the one that got them into trouble in the first place.

Their cousin, August, son of Uncle Ty and Aunt Tinka, lived on an upper level of the castle. He was twelve, and a major bookworm. Like his father, he was interested in the history of the country, so he spent many days in Sviederbach's museum. When he came home, he was getting caught up in the antics of the children. Uncle Flynn had married Mina Baldric about two years ago, they lived in the castle as well, but were considering a smaller place within another district. Mina was pregnant now, so Aveline was looking forward to the birth of another cousin!

Also living in the castle was the Chief Royal Guard, Rocky Blue-Reiner. A few years after the move to Sviederbach, Rocky met and married a member of the Guard, Rolf Reiner, and gave birth to two children. Wilbert, ten years old, and Karla, who was eight years old. Both seemed to be very protective of their family, and very dedicated to the training that their mom was putting them through. It wasn't easy sneaking out of the castle when Rocky was around and alert, so Aveline had to be exceptionally careful. Hell, the fact that her own mother, Cece, was still on Sviederbach's Law Enforcement, made it even more strenuous!

Though, she got a lot of help through her cousin and best friend, Estelle. Estelle was really her second cousin, daughter of René and his wife Madeline. Estelle was sixteen years old and lived with her parents in a small house near the castle. Most times she had to sneak out to see her boyfriend, she would simply say to Rocky, she was going to run about with Estelle. Seeing as how it was not uncommon to see the royal family walking around Sviederbach, she didn't need to be disguised or anything. However, if her boyfriend were around, Estelle would help her find a suitable disguise so no one would be suspicious seeing the Princess flirting about with a guy they didn't recognize.

"Hey, I'm heading out," Aveline said once she passed the children's room. Astor, August, and Wilbert were the only three in there. Astor looked much like his father, thin and with his father's eyes, and even the same hairstyle his dad had when younger, only his hair was red. August was dark-skinned with surprisingly light curly hair. He had bright blue eyes and always a wide smile. Wilbert had a similar, but darker skin tone, brown eyes, and jet black hair that he liked to pull into a small ponytail. "Astor, where are your brothers and sister?" Astor looked up from the television and hummed.

"Let's see," Astor had a slight nasally voice, and constantly hoped when he hit puberty, his voice would deepen. Aveline and Estelle often teased him for his voice. "Michael and Mia are playing in garden out back, and I think Mom's trying to give Kuno a bath. Emphasis on trying." She laughed and moved her hand towards her forehead. Kuno hated baths, and cried for hours if he had to get one. Nobody knew why, but the boy was sadly terrified of water.

"Okay, and what about Karla?" She had to make sure that Karla was busy, she would always tell her mother if she found Aveline sneaking out. Then Aveline would have to try and make up some story to explain to Rocky.

"With mom," Wilbert commented. "Karla's getting some extra training because she was sick the other day. So Mom and Karla are going to busy today."

"Okay good. Then I guess that's it, I'll see you guys later!" Astor rolled his eyes and Aveline hastened herself towards the front doors of the castle. As she made her way out the doors, she nodded to the two guards at their post. This was routine for her, and thankfully, the guards that often stood post at the door never seemed to be any wiser.

Estelle was waiting at the street with her green Volkswagen. She'd recently received her license, which made things so much easier on Aveline. The windows were dark-tinted on the outside, which allowed for some privacy. Her blond haired cousin tapped her foot with a rushed pace, motioning with her hand for Aveline to hurry it up. Once she made it over, the two entered the front of the car. "It took you long enough!"

"Sorry, I just had to make sure everything was clear to go," Aveline remarked. She relaxed in her seat and sighed as Estelle began to drive. She and Estelle were the same height, six feet-eight inches, and both weighed about 155 pounds. Only Aveline had a bit bigger build than Estelle did, her shoulders were broader and her arms were a bit bigger from exercise. As a Princess, she had to keep in top shape. Although, she couldn't count the times she'd nearly lost her father's treasured sword while trying to swordfight! It was hard to learn how to swing the blade without letting go of the handle altogether, she couldn't help it, and it didn't help that she laughed every time she nearly sliced something in two. She was more skilled at archery, something she took up with her mom. Her mom was a great sharpshooter, and since Aveline couldn't practice with guns, archery was the next best thing. It seemed Astor might wind up being the swordfighter in the family, not her.

"So Ave, is this going to be more routine now that your guy's moving here?"

"It's only for two semesters." The man was taking a cultural class in college, and was given the choice of what country to visit. So, he chose Sviederbach. There were two reasons, he loved the country, as it used to be his home, and knew quite a bit about it from his mother and father. Then, he wanted to come and be close to Aveline. Before this college class, the times they were able to see each other were three times out of a year. He would come to Sviederbach every summer for one month with his grandparents, as Henric and Gloria truly loved reconnecting with their home. During the Christmas season, he would come with his grandmother and grandfather for one week while his parents stayed back. Then Spring Break, Aveline was making the trip to America with her mom and dad. Cece's father, Grandpa James, had moved to Chicago because Gunther would often visit their old family friends that were there. Sadly Grandpa James was unable to make the move to Sviederbach, he had too many ties to too many gas stations around the country and just could not leave.

It was during one of these visits that Aveline met her secret lover. She hadn't started going to America with her parents until she was ten, so she knew the boy, then one day he worked up the nerve to ask her out, and she couldn't say no. The only thing, they didn't really know how their fathers would react to such a relationship, and obviously she didn't know how Sviederbach would react! Still, it was great to see him and to know she could trust him, more so than she trusted any of the boys that had come around her.

He was not the first boy she dated, there were a number in particular that started coming to her as early as twelve years of age. Even now, she'd go on 'dates' completely uninterested in the guy, and even when she would turn them down, or politely state that she was interested in someone else, they would try to make a move on her! So much like her father before his rule began, she never really liked the whole royalty concept.

That was not to say she wasn't proud. Over the years, in her father's term, Sviederbach had become lush and vibrant again. Great-Great Grandpa Anders Brustrum would be proud of what her father had accomplished in eighteen years! The economy was financially in the best shape that it had ever been, though some old wounds from Hans Brustrum were still there, healing slowly but surely. The creeks were full of water, the skies full of life. This was a place where people were happy to live in now, and not at all fearing for their lives. One of the biggest changes was the police force. While yes, having their Queen on the force, still Cece was given no special treatment, she still managed to influence the law enforcement to treat the citizens properly. She'd risen through the ranks, but never wanted to become the Police Chief, she was fine living out her own mother's legacy, and remaining Queen, she didn't want to force the extra burden on the officers by becoming their Chief as well.

"Most likely we'll have to meet in secret more regularly, but who cares?" Estelle started to point at herself, only to smile back and laugh. Aveline understood her cousin didn't actually mind helping, but it was odd enough driving around at night all the time. "I promise you, we don't and won't do anything. He's like the one guy on this planet that isn't a disgusting pervert, or in it for status."

"That is admirable, I guess. I, for one, wouldn't mind having all those guys flocking around me."

"Try having to put up with it on a regular basis, then come talk to me."

"Fair enough."

She moved her head onto the window and gazed out with a tiny smile. Pride and excitement swelled up inside her as she gazed at the landscape. Growing up, she only knew stories about how bad it was. For the first five years of her life, the economy was still moving slowly, but it was still hard for her to remember Sviederbach as a dying country. "Plus, as one suitor apparently told me…marrying the daughter of the King who saved the country is quite the prize. All I am to these guys is a damned trophy!" She smacked her hand forward and looked over to Estelle with a frustrated grunt. "How does anyone expect me to marry, if every potential suitor is some greedy, self-loving, bastard that's only interested in marrying a princess? I'm not fucking Snow White or Cinderella, I'm not a goddamn prize, and I'm not going to sit around and settle for any guy that can't keep up with me!"

"Keep up with you, Ave?" Estelle raised an eyebrow as she started to pull into Sviederbach's airport pick-up zones. "Well, I guess you are moving about a lot."

"My mother and father were dancers on that one show. Mom's a police officer, Dad's royalty. Grandma, Mom's mom, was also a police officer…so yeah I'm active as can be, and I can handle myself. I'm not sitting around, waiting for some guy to come along and 'complete' me, I want a guy that can keep up with me, can handle me, and treat me the way I deserve…not like some trophy to stare at! Hell no!"

"Ah yes, when you're a Princess, guys like that come once in a million. You need the tough, but compassionate type, right? Strong, not greedy, actually cares about you, and is loyal to a fault?"

"Something like that, but I don't want a dog, Estelle. I want…" She pressed her lips together and let her mind wander to her boyfriend. Everything about the man matched everything she wanted in a man, and to top it off, he would likely be there as a strong leader when her Term came. Gazing outside, she saw him walking from the airport with his grandparents, there to help him with the move. His father was a baseball coach and history teacher at the high school, so he couldn't help with this move. The mother couldn't either, as she had to take care of the younger kids. He had two siblings, Noak, who was the same age as Estelle, and Astrid, who just turned twelve. Like her mother, Astrid was also on Shake it Up, Chicago.

Her heart beat as Estelle started to roll the windows down, honking to alert the man. He was wearing black shades, had on a brown coat with wolf fur collar, a black t-shirt beneath, and dark blue jeans that covered the top of his shoes. His stern, yet soft green eyes flickered happily towards her. She couldn't wait to get a hold of him and run her fingers through his soft, feathery brown hair. His hair covered the top half of his ears.

"Ander!" Aveline cried out with a joyous and triumphant shout. Ander bounced over to the car with his luggage in hand. Gloria and Henric followed close behind, they didn't have much in the way of luggage to carry, but still managed whatever they had. There were two of his college buddies there to help as well, his former roommates that would be keeping the dormitory clean for him.

Ander leaned into the car and smirked. "Hey Ave, I was beginning to worry that you might not make it! Are you my ride to the college?"

"Yep, do you need help with the luggage?"

"No, we got it, but thanks for offering." She nodded as Ander gave her a chaste peck on the lips. "It's good to finally be here with you. God I missed you."

"I missed you. It wasn't very hard to leave the castle this time. What does Mr. Bransford think about your being here?"

"Dad's fine with it."

After a few minutes, and saying his farewells to his grandparents, Ander got in the back seat of the car. Aveline moved back with him and cuddled close, resting her head on his shoulder. When he put his arm around her, she couldn't help but to sigh. She was relaxed, and warmth was filling up inside of her. "I'm glad he's all right with your being here. I just wonder what our fathers would do if they knew we were together."

"I don't know, kill us maybe?" He joked and kissed the top of her head as the car began to drive off. "Dad's actually considering moving back here now, anyway. I mean the ban's already been lifted years ago, but we stayed behind just because we had stuff there, but Dad's been looking for a reason to come back."

"If he did, then my dad might reinstate him as a noble, right?"

"Maybe." Granted they probably wouldn't be the highest noble family anymore, but they would sure come close. Roffe was still the president of Parliament, and his family had become the highest noble family. "Anyway, glad to be on land."

"Oh yeah, how was your flight?"

He meshed his brow together and looked down into her eyes. "Interesting. There's a group of the cultural students in my class that came along, minus my two roommates of course. Only one of them really talked, the other two just kind of sat and glared at us for the whole trip. Not sure where they're at now, probably heading to the dormitory."

"Strange…" Most college students were sociable, but it likely didn't matter. "You think they don't like you?"

"Maybe, I never really talked to them, so I wouldn't imagine they disliked me. They're a little older, well Mala's not. Mala's like one or two years older than I am. The other one was Martin, he's her boyfriend. Martin Lamont and Mala Nils. Kind of creepy." He shrugged his shoulders and put his arm around hers. "Not important though, what's important is you and I are finally together."

"Yeah! A whole year, and maybe if your dad does decide to come back here, it'll be permanent." She cuddled closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. This day couldn't get any better, though she probably should be concerned if she missed her mother's archery lesson later today. She was often late, or off causing mischief, and sometimes that made her late to her classes, which caused her to be in serious trouble. "We have about one or two hours before I have to get back to Mom. So, it's your first day in the country, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, I really just want to rest and get settled into my dorm…"

"Fair enough, Estelle and I can help you with that."

"Okay then."

So, what do you think so far? Anything surprise you here? We've not quite gotten into the bad part yet, but the antagonist is surely being seen. Surprised to see who Aveline's boyfriend is? You're going to enjoy this, I know you will, I have 17 chapters written thus far, and it is good. Now, I don't expect the story to be nearly as long as Flames, so no worries there, haha.