So I started this before the announcement of the Heir. I love Eadlyn, she is a mixture of her parents perfectly. But I also loved the character I made, so I want to get Joshua's story going. This is an SYOC, the form is going to be on my page so if you interested head over there and check it out. And please review OC I am going to accept, but I would like it if you want a former 8 that was merged into 7 please PM me. I would like to keep those as a surprise. Next there are four chapters before all the girls are needed. So good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing some girls.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Selection.
Chapter 1: Spacey Prince
Things are moving pretty slowly with the caste elimination. Eights have finally merged into the sevens and have been sevens for about three years now. The people are still trying to get used to it though. We've never expected them to accept this quickly. It's a sudden change of life style for the former eights. They are so used to fighting to survive and doing anything to live. Now that they are sevens and getting support in adjusting; they are struggling, just like I would if I was taken from my life in the palace and placed in a far north providence as a six. I'm so used to sixes buzzing around me, doing pretty much everything. I don't really have to lift a finger if I chose to. But laziness will only cause my body to break down and that will only be bad for me and the people of Illéa. Who wants a fat and lazy person serving them? I wouldn't, but I'm a bit bias.
"Earth to Josh. Wake up and come back to us." I blink a few times and see my sister waving her hand right in front of me. She has red hair similar to mother's, but it's a bit orange with the blonde influence in it from father.
"Hey, sorry. I was thinking." I tell her as I notice her blue pale dress. Something important is happening today; my sister is wearing a dress and has her hair up in a bun. Normally, she's in a pant suit and her hair hangs free around her shoulders. "What's the special occasion?" I ask as she rolls her blue eyes at me.
"You forgot, didn't you?" She mocks me with a smirk. I guess I did. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.
"I guess I did." I confess and she punches me in the arm. "Ouch, Quinn." I rub my arm and we both laugh.
"Come on Josh, we both know that didn't hurt." She says as I get up off the ground. Today I found myself in the library sitting in the corner behind a shelf of books. I don't understand how or when I got here, I just did. Quinn stands up and moves out of the way so she can lead me out of the dark library.
"It's not Friday, is it?" I ask moving on.
"No, I think even Mister Oblivious would have notice the scatter of maids." Quinn says as we get through the doors and met the dead quiet hallway. "Still don't understand." I nod and she just shakes her head. "Mom and dad have special guests over for dinner." I remember now.
"Queen Nicoletta is here." I laugh at myself and she loops her arm through mine. "I forgot."
"I know." We both laugh as we walk through the dead hall. Normally when visiting royalty comes, the palace is a mess. But the queen of Italy comes to relax and spend time with mom when she's here. Something stressful must be going on there. "So… what were you thinking about now?"
"The Caste systems." I tell her without much thought and she nods.
"Yeah, there's a lot of stuff to think about." She says as we reach the private dining room for just my family and some close friends. Quinn stops us and turns and looks at me. "You look like you were riding through a storm." She states before readjusting my blue tie, flattening my shirt and rearranging my hair. This is the rare motherly side of her. Normally, she wouldn't care how things look. She's tomboy. "There, you look like the prince of Illéa."
"That's a good thing then." We both smile before I open the door for her. Inside we are greeted to Queen Nicoletta asking for more wine. She's going to drink herself into a stupor again. We walk into the room and I notice everyone already here, eating without me. I don't care though. Sometimes, I forget to show up. At the head of the table as always is my father, he is trying hard not to looks bored with Nicoletta. He is so used to her by now. Then there is my mother and her firry red hair hanging around her face with a huge smile on her lips at the new story Nicoletta is telling. She is sitting at the other end of the table with a wine glass in her and a fork in the other. She hasn't changed since the day I met her. Same tan skin and same loud and excited personality. That woman has pretty much always has a glass or bottle in her hand. That woman can handle a lot of alcohol. I then notice little Mona next to mom eating with her booster seat and hands on her food. My father is the first to notice me. He nods and goes to stand up. That causes my mother and Nicoletta to turn and look.
"There is the ever missing Prince." She laughs as she sets her fork and glass down and comes over to us and Quinn goes to her seat.
"Queen Nicoletta, it's a pleasure to see you here again." Normally, I would go to kiss the hand of the woman I'm greeting, but she is different. Nicoletta envelops me into a hug and she kisses my cheeks.
"Yes, I missed my favorite red hair fox." She laughs as she pulls away from me and loops her arm in mine and has me walk her to her seat. I can smell the wine heavily on her now. "I couldn't bear to be away from her any longer." I nod and help her into her seat again and push her chair in. "Thank you darling." That's when I look up at my father, who is standing there waiting for something.
"Yes, dad?" I ask him before going to my seat.
"I need to talk with you in the lounge. We will be taken our meal in there." I nod in understanding.
"Alright." I say before going over and kissing mom's cheek. "Sorry I was late." I tell her as Mona paws at me.
"It's alright." She whispers to me. "It's your father you need to apologies to." She was with a wink. I hold in a laugh before turning to the fast growing two year old.
"Yes, Mona?" I ask quietly.
"Hi." She says before giggling. I pat her on her bright red hair.
"Hello." I say before following dad out of the room and back into the hallway. Once the door shuts, he sighs and runs his hand through his hair. He's where I get it from.
"Where she find you this time?" Dad asks un-amused before leading me down to the lounge.
"In the far left corner of the library." I answer and he nods. "I was thinking about the caste system."
"What about?" My dad is used to me and how I think.
"About how the former eights feel now. It must be a huge culture shock to them." I state as I look off into space again. "They are being treated like humans now and are probably so confused by it." I state.
"Hey, don't leave me just yet. We haven't even got to the lounge." My dad says as he shakes my shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you, just thinking back." I tell him as I turn and look at him. "It would be similar for me turning into a six for a while and treated terribly." I add.
"Expect it's the complete opposite." I shake my head.
"No, it's not really." I correct him. "It's really more similar than you think. I'm used to a certain life style, everything done for me and all that. And it's all done by sixes. Most of the things I've read were all about how badly they've been treated in the providences and it would have more of a culture shock for me that would be equal to their shock." My dad thinks for a moment and then agrees.
"I guess if you look at it that way." He states as we get to the lounge door and I open it for him and let him walk in first.
"I'm sorry I was late again." I state before shutting the door and finding my dad already lighting up a cigar and offering me one. I decline. Normally I don't smoke, but when their diplomats or someone similar, I don't turn it down. It would be rude, but I still only take one puff. It tastes nasty. I sit down in the normal arm chair I sit in next to the unused fire place.
"I had to be in there as Nicoletta talks about things I would rather not know." He says as he sits down in the arm chair in front of me. "I'm just glad that Mona doesn't understand." I nod and look at the empty fireplace.
"Fortunately, I'm never there." I state and my dad agrees.
"I am too. The things she talks about I didn't find out until after I was married." He says before snapping his fingers and making me look at him. "I need to talk with you, Joshua. So please pay attention." Dad says before setting his cigar down in the ash tray and leaning toward me and the table between us. "You just turned 19." He states. "When I was your age my father had me start my selection." I nod. I expected this to come, but really hoped to push it back. "I want to do the same with you."
"Is there any way we can push it back until I'm 20?" I ask. "I don't think I'm ready." Dad shakes his head no.
"I didn't think I was ready, until after it was all done." He says firmly. "I can't postpone everything, son." Dad pushes one of the folders on the table towards me. "This is one I can't." I pick up the folder and see a form inside. Basic questions to find out about a person, Hypothetically. You don't know the person by reading a piece of paper. You have to talk with them.
"The selection form, why?" I ask him not understanding.
"I wasn't prepared for mine. My father gave me a chance to look over the girls before the report and I decided not to and it made me nervous." I look up at him when I got to the third page.
"You get nervous?" I joke before looking back at the forms.
"Quiet." He says with a hint of a smile. "And yes I was. I didn't see any of the girls that night and I panicked the rest of the time." Dad admits. "And knowing you, you need to be prepared."
"Then I ask again. Why show me the form?" I ask him.
"You need to see the form and be familiar with it." I nod in agreement as I look at the last page.
"You can't learn a girl over a few questions she asks." I state. "This is really pointless."
"It's so I'm aware of it mainly. You don't have to look at the girls forms, but it would be the best so you have some understanding. You haven't really been around girls before." Dad informs me.
"What about Veronica? She's a girl." I tell him. Quinn doesn't count because she's blood.
"Veronica is different because she's known you all your life, you're nothing exciting to her. These girls will be fighting over you." Dad explains as I put everything back in there places.
"Sounds terrifying, can't Quinn just do the selection. She's the oldest." I ask as I lean back in the chair and see dad's smoking again.
"No. Quinn doesn't want the crown." He says in between a puff of smoke. "Plus, It's tradition for the prince to succeed the king. You are the most fit."
"But I don't think I can handle 35 young ladies in the palace really fighting over me." I tell him with a little fear. "Please just postpone it."
"No. I'm not budging." He says while looking at his cigar. "You will have to do it." When dad says that then there is no fighting him. I really don't want his anger towards me right now anyway.
"Fine, when will it take place?" I ask in a bored tone and I turn and lay with one of my legs on the arm of the chair and slouch.
"In a month." Dad says and I groan.
"A month?! You're not planning on dying are you?" I ask a bit sarcastically. "I don't think I'm ready to get married and become king just yet." Dad sighs and looks at me bored.
"My case was a special one. My parents died and there needed to be a king. That's the only reason why your mother and I got married quickly." He says before blowing out smoke.
"No, I heard it that you were king within hours of their death and you married mom so she could become queen and that you too couldn't wait." I state and I see my dad smirk with the cigar in his mouth.
"That too, but you would too if things happen the way for you as it did for your mother and I." I shut my eyes and rest my hands on my stomach.
"I don't know. Mom is a pretty unique woman." I state and dad laughs.
"Yes she is." He says before moving on. "Now, take the form. It's not final. I know there are certain things you might want to know about these ladies, so write them in where you want them and give it back to me in a week so we can finalize it and get them ready to send out."
"Yeah, okay." I sigh. "This is the last think I want to do." I mumble. "I don't think I'll live through this, dad."
"I did, your grandfather did, and many more before him did. So you will have to do it to." He's right, but I don't really want to.
"Can't I just give the throne to Mona. I'm sure you will change the rules by the time she's 19." I suggest half heartedly and Dad just laughs.
"No, I don't think the people will be able to handle much more than what we're already planning on doing, son." I groan and look at him.
"Getting rid of the castes will cause a stir." I agree with him. That's when there is a knock on the door.
"Come in." Dad says clearly and a maid comes in with a cart with our food on it. She curtsies before setting the trays down and removing the lids. "Thank you Bethany." My dad says that because of mom, he's learned that it's important to know the names of the people working with and for you. From what I heard, the selection really changed my dad's life, not just my mom's.
So there's the first chapter. I hope you like Josh!