This is my first fan fiction so please bare with me. I would love it if you commented on it. Tell me want I should work on, what you liked, want you disliked. I really want to improve my writing skills.

POV: Clare

The town's office was extremely busy. Packed with eager young women sending their portfolios to the palace. Word of a new selection was released on the report a few days ago. Women between the ages of seventeen to twenty-three that were wanting a shot at romance and being the next queen where impelled to register.

I wasn't interested in the romance or becoming queen, but I knew if I won or was part of the elite it would give my family a better life. We are currently living on the outskirts of the kingdom. It's been decades since the number system was squandered but our family of sevens were never able to find work. They moved to the outskirts when they heard that there were jobs mining in the caverns. But the outskirts are not very safe.

My parents are constantly worrying about the next attack, bracken, theft. It's all we every think about. We have loose floor boards that hind away anything of value that's too precious to loss, pictures, spare money, birth certificates, old family air looms, and the radio we listen to the report on.

I asked for the day off at the cafeteria. I wouldn't call if a job its more community service, but I get to take home leftover food for my family. The nearest town's office was four hours away. I had to hitch a ride with a stranger, but that's not new for me. Whenever our family goes anywhere we always hitch a ride. Now four hours later with a vanilla folder in my hand I'm waiting in line for a chance to compete for the prince's hand in marriage.

"Next!" an older man behind a large desk calls out.

I walk up to the desk silently. Laying all my registration information in front of me.

"Name and age young lady?" He's asked not paying much intension. I could be a ten year old boy and he wouldn't notice.

"Clary Eger. Eighteen."

He doesn't look up. He stamps the folder, puts it in a giant pile of vanilla folders, and yells next. He mostly likely been doing this for days. I turn to leave but I'm stopped by a picture on the wall. A picture of the royal family. I never seem a picture of them before. There are no portraits in the outskirts, and no one owns a television. It's the first time I've seem what they look like. My eyes were drawn to the prince. He was stunning and sophisticated. Dark brown hair, green eyes that light up his charming smile. He had brood shoulders and was tall compared to the queen. The royal family had some good genes. All of a sudden I got a pit in my stomach. I looked around at the beautiful woman registering. How am I ever going to compete with them? I come from a poor family and am not beautiful like most girls. My hair is an award mix between blond and brown. My skin is as pail as it comes. I'm scary skinny, because of the lack of food available. My teeth aren't perfected. I have nothing really going for me. How am I supposed to win the prince's heart and give my family a better life? I felt like I already lost and failed my family.

It was late evening. I walked along the road for an hour before I was able to hitch a ride and they were only able to bring me so far. I had to walk the last hour. I was walking by the cafeteria and decided to hop my head in.

"Clare!" I knew that voice anywhere. Daphne was ready walking away from the serving tables to come talk to me. Her raven black hair was pulled away from her face and an apron rapped around her petit body. She and I volunteered here together for years. First serving meals, then cooking in the kitchen. Although cooking didn't last long for her. Everyone quickly learned Daphne she was not a gifted cook and she was back to serving meals. I on the other hand did really well in that area and I would like to think I'm good at it.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"Are you really asking me what's up? You know what I've been up to. Where have you been? You can't leave me alone here. I'll have no one to talk to expect Garry"

I waited to make sure she was done talking. Daphne you were never sure if she was giving you time to answer one of her hundred question or if she was just talking a breath. When I realized she was waiting for me to answer I finally told what I've been up to.

"I wish I could enter the selection." She moaned. Daphne just turned twenty four making her ineligible to enter. "The clothes, the food, the beds." She went on naming all the luxuries of a palace life.

"The drama, the obligations, the rules, the heartbreak." I cut her off. "Truly I have no idea why I entered."

"You know exactly why you entered. I know why you entered. A competition like that is the only thing that's going to get you and your family out of this place even if to don't win."

"Please don't tell my family that I entered. I don't want to get their hopes up." I begged.

"I'm not good with secretes girl, but I'll try."

We chatted for a while longer. I started serving meals and helped clean after, and I made a few plates of food to take home. Daphne went on and on about what it would be like to live in the palace. Want dresses she'd wear. What her room would look like. What food she'd eat, of course hiring me to cook for her. I started to wonder myself. What if I did get picked? What would it be like to live in the palace? The kitchen must be a palace of its own, and the produce must be amazing. Once I realized I was day dreaming I snapped out of it. I didn't want to much hope, because I knew I would be let down in the end.

POV: Jeremy

I never imagined what the perfect girl would look like or act like. I don't really know what I look for in a girl, I always just knew what not to look for. A girl that compliments, praises, and flatters me just so they could get something out of it. All everyone every wants is something from me because of my title. Girls only want something they can go gossip about to their friends. The worse part about the selection is not about having my personal life broadcasted for the entire kingdom to watch, it's the fact that the only girls registering are the girls that I despise. I would like a wife someday, someone to share a life and family with. Expect I only get to choose a girl that only wants a prince to love her not me.

I begged my father to just marry me off to a daughter of a noble family or princess to another country. At less that way I won't haft to deal with love sick puppies. He wouldn't buy in to the idea. He always just said that the kingdom needs the distraction. That the selection would keep their minds off the fact that the borders are becoming unsafe with enemy armies.

The selection has not been a mandatory thing for decades, but it seem like there's one whenever the kingdom's in trouble and the people need a distraction. That's all it ever is. A distraction, and the people fall in to it every time. They're gullible, and I'm the one being punished.