Hi everybody! This is the first chapter of The Biselection. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: All rights~ apart from the wonderfully imagined characters~ go to the fabulously talented Kiera Cass; thank you for sharing your words with us!

Angelina, I need you! My shoes. I may faceplant in them. We need to find lower heels!" I was becoming frantic.

Of course m'lady, not to worry!" Angelina flashed me what she had probably hoped would be a reassuring smile.

It really didn't help. I was stressing out, big time. If I couldn't even walk over to Robert, the Presenter of The Report, how was I supposed to talk to him and the rest of Illea with the news that followed? Of course, I'd always been a flawless actor, having had numerous classes on public etiquette since a very young age. Being royal certainly had its perks.

I look out the window, at another one of the perks, the palace pool. It was a wedding gift from my grandfather Maxon, once king of Illea, to my mother and father. I been told a few stories about what Illea used to be like, as well taught all about the old way Illea was governed. I'd also been told of the treatment my grandfather received from his father, once King Clarkson. My siblings and I were the first royal generation to be born into a constitutional monarchy, which meant there was much less pressure on me, the heir, compared to my predecessors.

My attention snapped back to the pool, which was filling up with leaves in the autumn winds. No doubt Lucas and Maja would be thrilled to help clean it tomorrow, if it meant they could jump in once they'd finished. Lucas, second in line to the throne, was now 16, but that didn't stop his delight in childish activities and fun. I don't mean that in a reprimanding manner, he should be able to live his life as a young man like any member of the public.

Still, it pained me as I was reminded I would never have the easy life he does. Where our social and public lives differ, we really are quite similar in our looks, both medium brunettes, with the same grey eyes as our grandmother. Maja, the younger daughter at 13, had received the beautiful red-headed gene I so badly wished to have, only similar to us with her eye colour. And then of course there's Ben, coming at the same three-year interval like the rest of us, being 10, who could pass as Lucas's twin, simply on a six year delay. We were a lively bunch, always teasing and playing- more them than me- and our love was absolutely unconditional. This I knew after last month's intriguing events.

At this moment, Maja rushed though my door, seeming almost more distressed than I. My hair and makeup finished, a new pair of shoes found, I turned to Maja with a questioning look on my face.

"Emelie, you've got to come quickly! Mum's about to absolutely lose her mind!" She grabbed my wrists, pulling me from my seat.

"Angelina, tell Marianne and Farah I'll be at the studio, no need for them to take me." I manage to rush my request out to Angelina, my favourite maid, and I barely see her curtesy as I'm rushed out of the door.

"I hope you're ready for an explosion, I don't think we've made it in time- Mum was ready to burst about five minutes before I got to her, so I've no doubt she's going to-"

I cut Maja off, my concern and curiosity at whatever the situation was interrupting her ran "Maja, please slow down, you'll ruin my look. And would you please explain whatever on earth you've been babbling about for the past minute? I don't have extra headspace for anything right now!" I was already strung almost as tight as a high wire, and desperately needed to calm down before The Report started. "You'll see in a second, we have to go to the dining hall." Maja was weirding me out at this point. An emergency in the dining hall? One that needed me?

She burst through the doors, with me still attatched to her skinny wrist, and suddenly halted. I looked to the left and blinked. The corners of my mouth twitched until I was almost doing full belly-laughs right there, with several maids and guards watching. My adorable, embarrassing family was standing on the table we usually ate breakfast and lunch at, looking like a rainbow. Mum's dress was purple, Dad's suit a dark blue, Lucas's green, and Ben's orange. Maja was hurriedly squeezing herself in between Ben and Lucas, her dress yellow- how did she manage to make yellow go with her hair and skin?- and then promptly ordered me to stand at the end of the line, next to Ben. My red dress added to the collection, we made the pride flag. I couldn't believe my family had done this, my beaming smile still plastered on my face as a photographer snapped a photo of my whole family grinning. We were radiant.

"We knew you'd need to calm down and have a good laugh before The Report tonight, honey. I see your father, as usual, was correct." My mother's eyes gleamed at me, and I looked over at my dad, who's eyes were gleaming with- well, pride.

"We love you, Emelie!! We know the rest of Illea will, too." Their chorus of encouragements lifted my spirits beyond words, giving me more courage than ever before. I beamed at them and we gathered in a group hug. Normally, I didn't really enjoy having photographers in my everyday life, but this was an occasion to be remembered, so I listened happily to the clicks of the camera.

"You're gonna be so splendid, Emelie! I love you, so every other person will too, since they don't know how annoying you can be!" Ben stood there, grinning up at me. My father wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and my mother took his hand. Lucas tried to hurry along Maja and Ben, who were now trying to piggyback each other down the hallway. I took in these sights and smiled, feeling unflappable. Together, my family and I made our way joyfully to the studio, ready for The Report, and whatever would come after it.

Thanks for reading everyone! I'm so excited for this story, and yes it will be an SYOC, details for that will come in the next chapter. The chapters will get longer as the story goes on, the first few probably 1k words, then gradually going up from there. We'll say that I'll sit from 2.5k-4k. Thank you again! Leave reviews- good or bad- so I can see how I'm doing and how to improve!!

~Jade Maulana