Prince James Sirius of Gryffindor was not enjoying his day. It had started well enough, with a delicious breakfast in bed to celebrate his 20th birthday. But as soon as he was fully dressed, his Father King Harry James had knocked at his door with less than exciting news.

"Happy Birthday Jamie!" He grinned, "Twenty! Merlin, I remember being twenty! In fact, it was the first birthday I spent with your Mother."

James' Mother was Ginevra Molly Potter, formerly Weasley. From what the Prince had been told, their marriage had been a controversial one. His Mother's family were an old and noble family, but several generations ago had fallen into a dispute with the rulers of Slytherin. Since then, most people in high society had steered clear of the family. That was until his Father and Mother met.

Despite the council's attempts, none of the Ladies that they had suggested as prospective Brides, not even Lady Chang, a girl that James' Father had once been rather sweet on as a younger teen. Instead, he insisted that he was to propose to Ginny. Initially, the council argued against it. But Harry persisted so eventually they relented.

"Thanks Dad" He smiled back at his Father. The two had always been close. It was inevitable really, seeing as his Father was the King, and James was the Heir Apparent. The pair had always spent a lot of time together so the dark-haired prince could learn all the things he needed to so he'd be ready to take over from King Harry.

"Sadly, Jamie, I'm not just here to wish you a happy 20th. Today also happens to be the first Council Meeting scheduled now that you're Twenty, and so the Council members have decided that you should be in attendance." The older grimaced.

James sighed. On any other day it would have been okay. But he really didn't feel like it today. It wasn't that he was spoilt or anything – in his opinion, his parents had brought him up to be very aware and sensible. Even so, that didn't mean that he wanted to spend his birthday (in his eyes, the one day that he was meant to relax on) meeting with a bunch of stuffy nobles. But if the council members said he needed to go, it would come across as rude and petty to not turn up.

So, that's where he found himself currently sat on his Father's right-hand side. The council room was a functional room off to the side of the throne room. It was big enough to fit a large table with chairs surrounding it, but other than that there was no other furniture or decoration to the room. James' father didn't see the point of it.

The first to speak, following the initial small talk that was apparently necessary, was Aberforth Dumbledore:

"Prince James Sirius, I believe I have not yet congratulated you on your 20th Birthday." James nodded in thanks to this statement, "And I wish to draw your attention to the laws regarding your age and position in this Kingdom." Aberforth Dumbledore was the current Minister for International Co-operation. Consequently, one of his duties was that any new laws that were being considered were his domain and responsibility. Of course, the King had to agree with the law for it to be enforced, but it would only be brought to royal attention if Aberforth felt it was worthy. A second duty of Aberforth's was making sure that Gryffindor had a good relationship with the countries it shared a planet with. Therefore, it was no surprise that he was the minister responsible for ensuring what he was about to say was enforced.

"What laws?" James asked.

"It is expected that, upon turning 20 years of age, the heir to the throne of Gryffindor is to find a spouse by the age of 21."

That was the moment that James' day went from frustrating to terrible. "What? I'm not getting married!" He stood from his seat, causing the chair to scrape against the stone floor with a screech.

"I'm afraid, Prince, that you have little choice. That is, if you still wish to succeed your Father." The deep baritone of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of Law Enforcement, rang through the room. James frowned, and looked to his Father in an ask for help. However, by the grave look on the older man's face, he was not likely to find much help there.

"What? Of course I wish to succeed. I've been learning how to rule since I was born!" He exclaimed. If his siblings had asked, he would have denied that his voice was increasing in pitch as his distress also grew.

"Well then, you need to be married by the end of your 21st Birthday. The law states that in order to succeed you must be married by that time. Otherwise you will have to step down from your position as Heir and Prince Albus will assume the role." Kingsley stated with an apologetic tone.

"No! No that's not fair! Being unmarried doesn't make me a lesser ruler, you all know that I am fully capable to rule without a spouse until I feel that I am ready to marry!" James rushed out. He couldn't marry someone. How the hell was he supposed to find someone to marry that met the council's approval in less than a year! He didn't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience. He wanted what his parents had. Happiness and family. He couldn't do it!

But he couldn't just abandon Gryffidnor like that. He loved Al, of course he did, but his younger brother was not prepared to be King. James had been learning his whole life, whereas Al was being taught how to be a Prince, a Diplomat that would travel and form alliances. Plus, James knew that Albus had no intention of marrying so putting him in this very situation would be cruel. Merlin, what would he do?

Suddenly, James knew that he needed to get out of the stifling room. He needed air and space. How was he meant to make a decision that would change his life forever when all he had eight faces – ranging from looking at him with concern and sadness, to barely hiding their agitation – staring into him with expectation of his answer. So he pushed the chair behind him away sending it to the floor with a clatter that made Minister Vane jump, and walked out of the chamber, barely resisting the urge to run.

The next hour or so was a blur, but the oldest Prince did manage to recall that he had headed straight to the stables and mounted his dapple-grey stallion, Raud (short for Marauder). He had then ridden out to his favourite spot in the woods. It was a quiet little creek, a place he had discovered around 7 years ago when he had run off after breaking an heirloom. Since then the spot was a place he viewed as an escape from the world. The dark-haired prince was under no illusions that the place was secret – his family and the royal guard were well aware of his visits to the place. But they were also aware that when he came here it was to get away from them, so they usually let him be.

It appeared that that day he wasn't to be alone, however. Around an hour after James had arrived, King Harry followed on his mare, Hedwig. At this point, the younger male was still in turmoil about it. How was he supposed to choose?

"Jamie?"

"What am I supposed to do, Dad?" James didn't look at his Father. Something about looking at his expression would stress him out too much.

"That's up to you I'm afraid Jamie. It wouldn't be fair for me to tell you what to do. If you choose to be King, you're going to be making hard decisions." James knew his Dad was right, and saying that was probably a very sensible thing to do. But he couldn't help the anger swelling in him.

"Why the hell is this a Law? It's archaic and should have been abolished! You didn't have any problems with it, so why are they pushing it on me?"

"Jamie, you know that your Mother and I married when I was 19. The only reason it wasn't brought up was because I had already fulfilled the terms. By the time I was 21, your Mother was already pregnant with you." King Harry explained, trying to calm the fuming Prince.

"That doesn't explain why though!" He raged.

"To form alliances primarily and provide heirs. If you are married and have an heir when you assume the role as King, your claim is the firmest it can be. And if the marriage is politically smart, then it will prevent disputes with our neighbours. As much as I love your Mother, the marriage was not very political. And as you know, the consequences of that have been arguments with Slytherin, and sometimes even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Arguments that you could prevent by marrying smartly." The King's words did little to remove the stress of the decision for James, but the placating tone did give the young man a chance to take in what was said. He sighed.

"Will I have a choice? In who I marry?"

"Yes. The council will try and name a number of suitable spouses. You will be expected to meet all of them, but you don't have to decide anything yet. And it's entirely your choice who you marry really. As long as there is mine and your Mother's approval and they accept within the year, that is." The older man explained to his son.

James sighed again, his thoughts darting back to his younger brother. He knew Al wasn't ready, and didn't want to be King. Plus, James did want to be King. It had been expected of him since birth and he refused to let his parents down like that. He looked over to his Father, who was watching the water trickle through the creek silently.

"Fine. I'll try." He mumbled, glad that Lily wasn't there to tease him about the improper behaviour. King Harry smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. You know, your Grandparents met that way too. And from what I've been told, your Grandmother really wasn't a fan of your Grandfather, it was only about a week before his 21st that she agreed to marry him." Hearing this brought a smile to James' face. He loved hearing about his Dad's parents, but these stories were few and far between due to their death when King Harry was a baby. "I'll head back and let the council know that you've agreed to meet with their suggestions. But just know that your Mother and I won't force you into anything. If you don't find someone, then we'll know you've tried." Harry then stood and walked over to Hedwig, pulling himself into the saddle and riding off, leaving James to sit in silence and contemplate the year to follow.