Hi everyone! Here comes the second chapter! I will now be accepting entries for Emelie's Selection! Men and Women, of course, and the application guideline will be in my bio. Be sure to include lots of info, I want to write your character/s as well as I can! You can enter up to two Selected, one female and one male. The sooner I get me some applications, the sooner I can write the next chapters! Happy reading!

"So, Emelie, tell me... you've got some big news, am I correct?"

I flash a dazzling smile at Robert Giorgio, Gavril Fadaye's young replacement. "You certainly would be correct! I've been waiting for a while to give all of Illea not one, but two very special pieces of news! Just like my mother, Queen Eadlyn, I am ready to look for someone of my own, who can rule next to me as my spouse. So, Illea, the palace will once again be hosting a Selection! However, there will be a twist. I'm very proud of who I am, and thankful for my loving and supporting family. They have helped me accept who I am, and my feelings, which was important when I was trying to figure out what my future would look like. I now know that I would be equally happy having a wife, as I would having a husband, as I am capable of loving both women and men. I'm bisexual. Ergo, my Selection will be open to both the young men and women of Illea. I hope you'll continue supporting me in my journey to find love, and I urge all citizens of Illea all to remember that who someone loves, doesn't determine their character, their worth, or how they should be treated. Thank you, Illea, I love you." I sign off with my usual remark, trembling with nerves. My hands are actually shaking. I press them into my crimson dress as I walk back to my seat, listening to the crew and my family applaud me.

"That's right, Illea, this will be a Selection to remember! Entrants can be man or woman, betweeen the ages of 17 and 22. As the usual number of Selected is 35, and we now have more than just the one gender entering, the number of Selected will be raised to 36-meaning one province will have two candidates, that being Angeles, the Princess's home province, of course- to ensure an even number of men and women, and to give our dear Emelie as much choice as she may get! Each province will have a male entry pile, and a female entry pile. A female and male candidate will be selected from each prom vice. Emelie will then select, at random, which 17 provinces will take the female entrant, and which 17 will take the male entrant. The last province to be selected will offer both their male and female candidates! We'll be filming the whole event, so don't worry if you missed any of that, folks! More details will be available at your provincial office. I absolutely cannot express my pride for Princess Emelie, and I'm honoured to be hosting her Selection. I hope the rest of Illea celebrates with us the coming events! Goodnight Illea, we'll see you next Friday, on The Report." Robert closes off, and the main lights blink, signalling that we're off air.

My father strides towards me, and envelopes me in a hug. As he steps away, I see his eyes are shining with tears.

"I'm so, so proud of you, Em. I love you, and I hope that you're Selection is as good as- well, it wasn't really my Selection," he chuckles. "But, I sure did find the woman of my dreams through that experience." My father winks as he walks away, and I beam back at him.

"What a heartwarming night," Lucas grins at me, humour in his eyes.

"Shut up! That was terrifying!" I half-complain, half-joke at him.

"I know. I love you. Our family loves you, the palace loves you, Illea loves you, everyone loves you. I don't know how you do it, Em." He laughs heartily, and hugs me. His embrace reminds me of my father's, their figures being so similar. I feel a small frame wriggle in between Lucas and I, figuring it must be Ben.

"You were so cool up there! I wish I could be an actor when I grow up!" His voice pipes up at me.

"Please, Ben, you know I'm not an actor! That performance was all me; completely real." I smile at him, feeling like my eyes are leaking sunshine. My family has helped me so much in the past months, and I don't have enough words to tell them how much they mean to me. I link arms with Maja and my mother, who are standing beside us, and we walk back to Maja's room, her excited babble about the guests we'll soon be having blocking out any doubts in my head. I am beyond excited for my Selection.

Two days later, helping decide the details of two different recreational rooms for my Selected, this did not seem the case. Nerves come and go each day now, like the tides of an ocean. Today is an especially stressful day. What would the men want in their room, what would te women want in theirs? Should I make them the same, to be fair? Lucas is helping me "design" the men's room, and I see him flick a glance at me, concern in his eyes.

"Em, I can do this if you want, and I'm sure Mum and Maja wouldn't mind helping with the women's room. You look like you're about to pass out."

"What if no one enters? I mean, I know people will, but what if they do it for the wrong reasons and I have no idea? What if women enter just for a chance at the crown, not because they're interested in falling in love with me? What if men come just to see some girl-on-girl action?" A few of my worries and doubts come tumbling out in a whisper.

"You can't be sure or any of those things, Emelie. No one can be sure of any thing, and that's the beauty of falling in love. You'll know it when it happens." Lucas's tender voice catches me off guard.

"Since when did you become such a love expert? Have you ever been in love? You're sixteen!" My hiccuping laughs indicate that I'm less anxious.

"No I haven't been in love, but it's not like I haven't though about it. Oh, and I was wondering, can I have any girls you don't want, and conduct my own mini selection with them?" Lucas raises his eyebrows and smirks at my gasp.

"No you can not have my rejects! That's terrible. You're terrible. If you weren't being such a help, I'd make you leave, you know."

I grin at him, and he flops down- in a very unprince-like manner- onto the nearest sofa.

"We need more entertainment in here, that's what. Books, another TV- you can't expect 20 men to want to watch the same show- and maybe some board games or something. We should also have sports and outdoors' equipment available to all the Selected, so they don't die of boredom or lack of vitamin D inside the palace." Lucas's usual smirk returns to his face, and I can't help but laugh back at him.

Thank goodness for family. I think, with the help of them, I'll be able to make it through this Selection, a whole lot more easily than I'd thought.