Emma woke up as the sun was lighting up her balcony. She took a deep breath and remembered the importance of the date: Her eighteenth birthday.

She was choosing appropriated clothes for that especial occasion; after all she was a princess. She needed to look good, especially for that. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"May I come in, honey?" She would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Happy birthday, Em!"

"Thank you so much, mom" Emma smiled while her mother kissed her head.

"Guess who is getting breakfast in bed today?" Her mother said when her father entered the door with a tray on his hands.

"Happy birthday, babe! I can't believe you're 18 already!"

-"Me nether dad. I still remember when we used to play swordfight around the castle."

Emma looked at her parents.

"I love you guys" she hugged both of them.

"David, let's let the princess eat." Snow said while Emma sat on her bed when she looked to the plate. It was a chocolate cake. Her favorite.

-"Emma, we have to talk to you. But eat first; we will be waiting for you downstairs at the salon." He grabbed his wife's hand and left her room.

Emma finished to eat the delicious cake and chose a pink dress and beige little heels for going downstairs. She didn't want anything much fancy; she was going to talk to her parents after all.

While walking to the salon, she thanked a few servants of the castle that congratulated her. She found her parents sitting on the table at the salon.

"So, what's the big deal?"

"Emma, you might want to sit down for a little bit" Said her father.

Emma sat on the chair in front of her parents. She was getting a little nervous.

-"Your father and I have been thinking, you're already 18, and at that age, I was already married to your father."

Oh no, that talk again.

-So?

"Well…you're 18, and you still don't have any suitors. Your mother and I are getting old, and you need to get married, so you and your husband will rule the kingdom together. You can't rule by yourself, and most girls at your age are at least engaged."

"Yeah, but does it really matter? I mean, it's not like I'm going to succeed the throne tomorrow."

"Emma, you're going to need heirs someday too" Emma's mother said, but she wasn't amused.

"Anyways, we were thinking: you don't have any suitors, but we don't want arranged marriage either. So, what do we do? We thought about doing the selection."

-"What? Are you kidding me? That old thing that I studied on my History classes? How's this supposed to not be arranged?"

"We get that you're upset, Em. But we have no choice, it's this or arranged married with the Prince from the northern islands."

WHAT?!

Charles. She met him a few years ago in royal conferences to discuss treaties. They were only teenagers at that time, but she just didn't really like him. She couldn't imagine to get married to him. Ew.

"No way! Never!"

"Calm down Emma, just listen" Her father said.

- So as I was saying, the process works like this: we're randomly choosing 35 boys from age 18 to 21 from each place of the kingdom, no matter which walk of life, to be living here in the castle as long as you want them. You're going to choose who you want to be your husband, so you'll be eliminating those you don't want, until there's only one left. This is going to be good for our kingdom too; people will be satisfied when they hear that the beloved princess will get married. I believe in true love, but as a king, I also need to believe in the welfare of our people.

Damn. He's right. She was loved by the people, mostly because of being Snow White's daughter, who freed them from the hands of the Evil Queen.

"And you expect me to believe that I'm going to find my true love like this? You are trying to ruin my life!"

"Please, Honey. It's for the good of our people too. They will have something to entertain them, so they won't be scared of the Evil Queen's threats to our kingdom."

Of course, I'll be some kind of entertainment to our people so they won't worry about the recent threats of The Evil Queen, who keeps saying that she is going to reclaim the throne that Snow White had stolen from her.

She loved her parents and wanted to gratify them, but she didn't want this. She wants to go on adventures, have fun, not being trapped in a castle forever.

"Emma?" Her father's voice got her out of her thoughts.

"Please, only think about this. We have to do this. It's the only way. We can try for just some months and if you don't feel interested in anyone we stop the whole thing."

"No, please no, I don't want any of this!"

"Just consider it as option, Emma, please"

"Are you kidding me? I'm only 18! I don't intend to get married; I'm not ready for such a thing like this! Don't do that with me, please!"

Snow White reached for her daughter's hands on the table.

"Emma, honey, we won't force you. As your father said, if you don't feel interested in anyone, we quit the process." She said calmly.

"I don't want to get married!"

"Honey, we know that we're asking too much, but think about it, alright? We will give you some time to think." Emma's father suggested.

"Do I have a choice?"

David took a deep breath, thinking.

"Well honey, you actually have thirty five."

How can they be doing this to me?

"Please, just leave me alone." Emma said trying her best to not start screaming with her parents.

"Em…"

"Let her, Snow."

They both left the room.

Emma was angry. Angry at her parents. Angry at the people. Angry at The Evil Queen.

No. She wasn't going to give up so easily. She was no one more worth or less worth than Emma Swan, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She was going to fight for what she wanted.