Prince Elias Kenneth Schreave the II walked confidently into his family's personal Parlor Room. He carried himself with the aura of a man fit to be king. Everything about him was perfect, from his luxurious dark brown curls to his emerald green eyes to his flawless tan skin. Even the freckles that dotted his nose were absolutely ideal. Everybody he met greeted him with utmost respect, undying love and support-

"S'up, nerd?" asked Brinley, his 15 year old sister, as she threw a small ball of paper at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugged and looked at her mother. Her curly dark brown hair swished around in a way that some had described as "bouncy" and "fun". Others, including Eli, referred to it as the mane of a lion that got stuck in an electrical outlet.

"Why did you call us, Eli?" Queen Georgianna asked. Unlike her youngest daughter, her hair was velvet and silky, falling in gentle waves to her elbows. Everything about her was soft. Her eyes were kind and a forest green. Her hands were smooth as a river stone.

She was tucked under the arm of her husband, King Hanson, who was looking at Eli with puzzlement. With good reason, too. Eli had asked for a family council all of twice in his entire life. Once when he'd needed money to enter the lottery. And another time when he'd wanted to protest the newly instituted law that Princes and Princesses under the age of 16 could not stay out later than 11:00. Neither of those had gone down very well for him.

Now, he stood at the front of the room, facing his mother, father, and three little sisters. He took a deep breath. "As you know," he said, "I have reached the age of eligibility."

"You've reached the age of stupidity," said Brooklyn, just a year Eli's junior. In an excellent show of maturity, he stuck his tongue out at her.

"As I was saying," he continued, "before I was so rudely interrupted, I am now 21 years old. That means that many young women will soon be throwing themselves at my feet."

"More like throwing up on your feet when they see your face," Stella quipped, to which she received a high five from Brooklyn. At the spritely age of 18, Stel was often commenting on the physical qualities that Eli may or may not possess.

"Let me finish," he groaned. It was so like his sisters to make a joke out of one of the biggest moments of his life. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to have a selection, alright?"

There was dead silence. He could hear the giant grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticking. The sound of faint laughter came from two floors down in the kitchen. Eli couldn't believe it. His family was never at a loss for words.

Yet here they were, quiet as the grave. Their faces appeared to be trying to process what he had said. He relished in their dumbfounded expressions and wished wholeheartedly that he had brought a camera.

Finally, his mother broke the silence. "That's wonderful news, honey," she said supportively, "but what girl in her right mind is going to volunteer for your Selection?"

The tension was broken. All went back to normal.

"I remember my Selection," King Hanson said wistfully. "I was so excited, so full of potential. I had no idea how awful the candidates were going to be."

Queen Georgiana shoved his shoulder. In response, he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap, where she was subjected to his forceful tickles.

"You're ruining my Selection announcement," Eli complained jokingly, but he was entirely ignored.

However, Stella brought up a note of seriousness. "When are you announcing it to the rest of Illea?" she asked.

Tapping his chin, Eli replied, "Probably this Friday. Hopefully I'll have the drawing the Friday after that. Then the girls will arrive Sunday, and we'll start the process on Monday. That should clip things right along." His parents nodded with satisfaction, and Eli felt a rush of warmth that they approved of his decisions.

Brinley flopped over her sisters' legs. "Just think," she gushed, "by next Monday you'll have met your future wife. Isn't that just incredible?"

All of a sudden, a sour look appeared on Brooklyn's face. "We're going to have to watch you flirt and date and make out with a bunch of girls, aren't we?" she asked with a considerable amount of disgust.

"Please, that's nothing compared to watching Dad's old selection," Stella announced. "Imagine watching him kiss some random ladies on the face."

Hanson began to reprimand her, but Georgianna cut in. "You think that's bad?" she asked. "I was there in person. I had to watch my future husband date 34 other girls right before my very eyes."

"You didn't know that I was going to be your future husband," Hanson scoffed.

"Oh, yes I did!" Georgianna exclaimed indignantly.

Eli grinned. He loved watching his family interact. He'd seen other Selections where there had been horrible fighting between parents. Or abuse between father and son. In particular, the Selection of his great-great grandfather, Maxon Schreave, had stood out to him. The King had physically abused his son until his death at the end of the Selection.

Nothing that major worried Eli. For the most part, he imagined he would have smooth sailing. The only concern he had was if his future wife would fit in. His family was quick witted, fast on their feet, and occasionally, downright mean. They'd scared away multiple mercenaries due to their seemingly harsh treatment of each other.

Then again, there was a reason he had a choice.

Please be perfect, my love, he prayed silently.

Hi everybody! This is my first fanfic so I'm not entirely sure about how this all works. Luckily I've got my best friend claramargaux helping me out. Go check out her selection story, The Price of Love. It's 10 times better than mine lol. If you want to PM me a character suggestion, fill out the form in my bio. I'm taking 10 characters (so your girl will end up in the elite no matter what). Ok that's all I will see you guys soon with another chapter!