Summary: Prince Adam is about to turn twenty-one, and because his son has shown no signs of wanting to court anyone, King Randor has decided to bring back an old tradition to push his son in choosing a future bride. At first, Adam is shocked and confused, but eventually he decides he is ready to find love. He just has to find the right girl.

Disclaimer: I do not own He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Filmation and BCI Entertainment do. Also, the premise of this story was derived from the Selection trilogy by Kiera Cass. Despite that, this story does have a different plot so it isn't plagiarism. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due since those novels did inspire this.

Adam's Choice

Chapter One

Something is going to happen today. I don't know what the event will be or even when it will occur precisely, but I can tell something important and perhaps life-changing is on my father's mind.

I'm sitting at the breakfast table. This-in and of itself-is a normal occurrence. For the past twenty years or so, my family, Cringer, and I have settled in this room every morning to discuss our upcoming day or what has occurred throughout the week, so the feeling I have now has nothing to do with where we are. Rather, it deals with the intense look of concentration on my father's face. While it is normal for the king to have a lot on his mind, it isn't normal for him to turn his inquisitive stare towards me. He has been watching me unrelentingly since I walked into the room earlier and that was a good twenty minutes ago. I know if I want to find out what is going on, I will have to say something, so I do.

"Father, is there something wrong?"

My voice sounds concerned and I know everyone can hear my reluctance to ask. My mother turns to my father and drives her elbow lightly into his side. When he looks at the queen, he frowns and then turns to face me once more. "No, nothing's wrong, really," he assures me quickly. "I was actually thinking about your birthday."

"My birthday?" I question.

This isn't a topic I expected. What about my birthday would cause such contemplation? Then, I smile knowingly. "Are you planning on throwing a party for Adora and me again?" Surely that has to be it.

"Not exactly," the king states softly. He turns his gaze to his plate as he stirs his scrambled dragon eggs. When he finishes, he looks at me again and explains, "You're turning twenty-one, son."

He said it like that should give me some kind of explanation as to what he's talking about, but it doesn't. "Yes, Father," I agree, questioningly. Then, Father states something I would never have expected.

"Another year older and another year passed alone. Tell me, son, when do you plan on getting married?"

The question startles me so much that I almost choke on the egg in my mouth. I see that Teela almost spits her drink across the table-it would have landed directly on me. "What?" I gasp as I gape at my parents and then I notice from my peripheral vision that even Teela and Man-At-Arms have turned shocked expressions to the king. At least I'm not alone in the feeling!

Father doesn't seem to notice our reaction. He merely states, "It's an easy enough question, Adam. While I know you have no plans on getting married tomorrow, I do think it's time for you to start looking for a possible mate. I'm growing older and I'd like to see you married with at least one child before I step down."

I hardly know what to say. While I've always known I was expected to get married and produce heirs, I never thought my father would push me on the subject right now. I'm still young and have plenty of time to find someone...

When I remain quiet, Father continues to speak. "I must admit I'm a little concerned. While I do see you interact with the young ladies of the kingdom sometimes, I rarely witness you showing any interest. I'd like to know why. Are you uninterested in courting in general right now, or do you not like any of the available young ladies in Eternos?"

Instinctively, I turn my gaze to Teela. She's also looking at me, and I feel a heat rise to my face. "I...I...don't know, Father."

"You don't know?" He says it as if he doesn't believe it.

I look at Mother and say, "Well, I like the ladies in court well enough. I just don't feel like I have much of a connection with any of them."

Father nods and replies, "That's what I thought. It's all about finding the right one." He smiles at Mother and I know he's thinking about when they met. When he finally looks at me again, he leans closer and whispers, "Maybe I can help you with that."

I have no idea what he's talking about, so I ask, "How?"

He grins happily and sits back. "The Seligere."

Immediately, I gasp, but before I can say anything, I hear Teela question her father. "The Seligere? What's that?"

So I don't have to respond to my father right away, I explain. "The Seligere was an old way for royalty to meet potential spouses in the past. Ladies or gentlemen across the planet-royalty and peasant alike-were asked to send in a picture and a small autobiography of themselves if they were interested in courting an of-age heir to the throne. The prince or princess, along with his or her family, would then choose fifteen possible candidates and invite them to the palace. From that point forward, the prince or princess would spend time getting to know each person and eliminating those he or she doesn't like as time goes along. By the end, the prince or princess chooses whom he or she wants to marry. That's describing it briefly, but the Seligere is rarely done anymore..."

With this last sentence, I turn my attention back to my father. Swallowing nervously, I ask hurriedly, "Do you really want me to host a Seligere, Father?"

The king didn't hesitate in his reply. "Well, I do think it would speed the process along and you'd be able to meet some nice young ladies who you would feel you could be interested in."

I spare a look at Teela again, but I see that she is no longer looking at me. She's staring at her plate as she eats. I turn my attention back to my father and question worriedly, "If I do this, what will happen if I don't like any of them? Traditionally, the heir will have to choose someone when it's over. No one has ever not chosen a spouse."

The king shrugs and replies, "What are the odds of you not choosing someone? You will research these young ladies before they even arrive at the palace, so you'll have some idea of whether you'll like them or not. Clearly, this is a better option than what you have been doing."

At his obvious insistence—I can tell he genuinely wants me to do this—I turn my attention to the silverware in my hand. I hardly know what to do or what to say, but then I notice Teela staring at me once more. When I meet her eyes steadily, she says softly, "I think you should think seriously about doing it, Adam. If the ladies in court aren't what you're looking for, this seems like the best alternative. You have to get to know people somehow and this way, your choices do not necessarily have to be royalty..." She then looks down at her plate again.

For reasons that I won't contemplate, my heart drops when she finishes speaking. I feel like I can't breathe, but then I pull myself together. Turning back to my parents, I say reluctantly, "I'll do it if that's what you want, Father." I can barely squeeze the words out, but fighting against Father's wishes seems pointless now...

And, I can't help but notice Mother's reaction to my decision. She widens her eyes and then questions, "Are you sure, Adam? Once this process starts, it can't be stopped."

I grit my teeth together as I fight to not look across the table yet again. "I'm sure," I mumble.

"Excellent!" Father cries. It's obvious that he approves. "I will make the announcement today."

After this, I find that I can't eat anymore. My stomach is churning, so I stand slowly and announce, "Well, I have a busy schedule today. May I be excused early?"

"Of course, of course," my father replies, "but make sure you arrive to court on time. We'll be announcing the Seligere right away."

"Yes, sir," I reply reluctantly. I walk out of the room without looking at Teela or anyone else. Once the door closes, I wonder what I was thinking and what I had just gotten myself into.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX