Nico's POV

When I woke up, I was still in the clothes I had worn yesterday. I could barely remember what had happened last night, I was pretty sure I just fell into bed and went to sleep. The day had been exhausting, dad and I had visited a bunch of companies. I hadn't realized that it was still possible that I could get as tired as I did yesterday.

Most of breakfast had already gone by, and since I was hungry, I quickly changed. I jogged down the halls and stairs of my home, waving at the maids and butlers. I was in a good mood.

I strode into the dining hall, grinning. Everyone's heads turned, staring at me. I smiled, but a slight blush prickled onto my cheeks. I noticed that my dad wasn't in his usual spot.

"Hey Nico," Zane said. "Overslept?"

"Yeah," I answered, sliding into the seat next to his. He had saved it for me, and I dug into the plate of food in front of me.

"You do not know how much work I did yesterday," I said in between bites, pointing my fork at my friend. "What happened yesterday."

"Adam went on a daaaate," Bree singsonged, making my twin blush and look down at the table. I almost spat out my food.

"Wait, what? Who he go out with? What happened?"

Everyone looked toward Adam, which made him blush redder and curl in slightly.

"Joy," he muttered, picking at what was left of his food. "We went to a n-nature park."

"She kissed him on the cheek," Ella added, smiling mischievously.

"Oooooh," I teased my twin, feeling like a schoolgirl. I didn't expect Adam to go on a date so fast, it didn't seem like him. I was glad he was getting out of his shell though. "I gotta up my game. Would you mind if I took someone out on a date today?"

"No," he said.

"Who are you going to ask out?" Lena asked, leaning forward with a smile on her face. My cousin loved this kind of stuff. Scratch that, the whole squad loved this kind of stuff.

"You'll find out with tomorrow's news."

Most of the squad (besides Adam, Eliza, and Astrid) groaned at my comment, Bree and Lena rolled their eyes playfully.

"C'mon, tell us," Zane said, leaning back in his chair.

"Again, you'll find out. So, what else happened yesterday?"

Breakfast started to end, and I scarfed down my breakfast just in time. I ran after my twin. He was talking with Eliza, as he was doing most of the time.

"Hey, Adam!"

Both of the two turned around.

"Where are you going?"

"My room," Adam said.

"Can I come with? I need to get something."

Adam looked Eliza, a question in his eyes, and she nodded.

"I was going to go back to my house anyway. I'll see you two later." She waved, skipping down the hall.

"Did she leave because of me?"

"Oh, no. She didn't. She has to go get her tablet."

As soon as we started walking up the stairs together, I popped the inevitable question. "So, how was the date? You have to give me all the details? What'd you talk about? Is she cool? I know you talked to her at the ball, but did you two get closer?"

Adam's face turned light pink. It seemed to never stop doing that since the Selection started.

"The date went really well," he admitted, smiling a bit. "She talked most of the time. I listened. Which is good, because I don't really like to talk. Unless it's someone I'm close to. Anyways, she talked a lot about skiing. It was really cute. We also talked about Harry Potter. And climbed a tree. The view was beautiful."

"Awwwww, that's romantic," I said, making Adam more embarrassed. I regretted nothing. "When did she kiss you?"

"A-After the date. When I had walked her to her room," he mumbled.

I mercilessly teased my twin as we walked together. When we got to his room, he immediately changed the subject. "W-W-What did you need?"

"One of the Selected's forms."

"Oh, so you can know more about her? For the date?"

I grinned at Adam. "Yep. You know me so well. Where are the forms?"

My twin promptly handed me a paper bag, which I started digging through. Her form was near the bottom, and slightly wrinkled. Then again, all of them were wrinkled.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll see you later!"

I walked out of my twin's room and into my own, and sat down to read through her form.

About a hour later

I stood in front of the couch, waiting for the girl I had asked out to arrive. I had read through her form, and this date seemed like something she would like.

The two elaborately decorated doors opened, and Lady Izara Karlsson walked in. She was wearing a white halter top, a slightly oversized sweater, denim shorts, and black slippers. Her curly dark hair fell naturally (and beautifully) over her head like a halo, and she didn't look like she was wearing any makeup.

"Good morning Iz," I greeted. "You look gorgeous this morning."

She smiled flirtatiously. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. May I ask where we are?"

"We're in the lounge," I answered. "It's where my family, and our friends hang out. I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie with me?"

"Of course, Nico," she said. Iz took a step forward, batting her eyelashes. 'What movie?"

"It's called Strictly Ballroom," I told her. "It's about ballroom dancing, it's a very old movie. But it's good. I think you'll like it."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Iz grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the couch. We sat down, and pulled the blankets over us. It was a chilly day, even in the palace. I turned the giant T.V on, and started to play the movie. I pulled the bowl of popcorn that the cooks had previously popped onto my lap, and Iz ate some. I smiled. She looked beautiful.

Over the course of the movie, Iz slowly cuddled up to me, until she was pretty much laying in my arms. I had never been so intimate with someone before her, but I didn't mind it. It was nice, and she looked content.

"Do you want Red Vines?" I asked her, showing her the box.

"You're really going for the full movie experience, huh?" She reached for the box anyway.

The movie flew by quickly. Before I knew it, the movie had ended, and the credits were rolling.

"That was a good movie," Iz said. "I love the costumes, especially the gild one. The part where the two leap in is really cool, and so are the two kids."

"I'm glad you liked it."

I started to get up, but Izara tugged on my shirt.

"Stay," she purred, stroking one finger across my arm. I sat back down.

"What do you like to do?" she asked, snuggling in closer.

"I love to write. Not stories, but political stuff. You might not like it, not many people do. I'm going to be King, so I have to like it. I love to play chess, and board games. Monopoly is fun. I also like to read, and talk to people. Especially when it's about topics that I'm passionate about."

"I love socializing too," she said. "Although chess isn't really my specialty."

"What is your specialty? Or specialties. You must be very talented."

She grinned. "I love yoga. My mother is a yoga instructor, after all."

"That must be nice. Do you spend time together?"

"Not much, to be honest," she admitted.

The new silence became awkward, and then I spoke. "Tell me more about yoga. It sounds interesting."

Iz perked up considerably. "It can be relaxing, but it is hard. The positions can be hard to stay in, you have to have strength and balance."

"I would do horribly then."

She laughed, and playfully bumped her shoulder into mine. "You wouldn't be awful."

"Really? I exercise, but not a lot. I can't balance for my life either."

"Yoga is more then balance," Iz said. "It's over 5,000 years old! Yoga means union. It can help people with diseases, and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. Yoga can also control diabetes and asthma. It improves your immune system in general, improves memory, helps people quit addictions, and helps you live longer. It's also very fun!"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Wow. I didn't know that. That's impressive. You know all this stuff because your mom is an instructor, right?"

"Yeah, you're getting to know me already! I grew up with yoga, I mostly do it in my free time. What do you do in your free time?"

"I work," I answered. "Sign forms. Study previous rulers of the country. Everyone thinks it's boring, besides one of my cousins. Julie and I both find it quite fun."

"It doesn't sound fun," Izara said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"It really doesn't. Again, you wouldn't like it."

"I wouldn't think anybody would like that kind of stuff, but I guess I was wrong."

I snorted, which made her giggle. She ran one hand carelessly through her curly hair, making it bounce.

"You're an interesting guy, Nicholas Schreave," Iz declared. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a prince."

"I'm glad I'm meeting your expectations."

"Am I meeting your's?"

"I wasn't sure what to expect," I said.

"Haven't dated many girls, huh?" She sat up, so she wasn't leaning on me anymore. A playful smile was on her face, and she looked up at me through her long dark brown lashes. Iz was very flirtatious. I liked it.

"Nope. Not many. I'm around girls a lot, if that counts."

"You're around your family and family friends. That does not count. What I mean is, have you dated anyone?" she asked, a certain look in her eye that I couldn't place.

"Yeah," I said. "A politician's daughter. It didn't work out. There were no hard feelings, we were just better of as friends."

"I would be surprised if you hadn't dated. You're a nice guy, much nicer than most I've met."

"Thanks. You're a nice girl too. Very nice."

"I'm glad."

Iz leaned back on the couch, and grabbed the last Red Vine.

"Hope ya don't mind." She bit into it before I could do anything, and raised one eyebrow at me in challenge.

I quickly checked my watch, and groaned. "Damn, it's almost time for lunch. Penny will kill us if we're late. We gotta go."

"Awww," Iz complained. "It's comfy here."

Even so, we both got up. I stuck out my arm, and she looped her's through mine. We walked back to her room together.

"Wait for me, kay?" She skipped into her room, and stuck out her tongue a little. After a few minutes, she walked out of the room wearing a bronze dress going to her knees and ivory heels. Iz did a little pose, and I clapped.

"You look gorgeous," I said.

"Thanks! Lets go!"

She took my hand. We walked down the stairs, and into the Dining Hall. We weren't late, but everyone else was already there. When we walked in, everyone stared. Iz seemed to prosper in the attention, holding her head high and smiling.

I turned around, bowed, and kissed her hand. "Today was fun, Lady Izara."

With her other hand, she fanned her face while giggling. "Awww, you make me blush. Thank you. I had a great time."

She curtseyed, and we both went to our seats. I already could see some of the Selected interrogating Izara, much like the squad were going to interrogate me.

I had barely sat down when the questions started.

"That's Lady Izara, right?"

"Oooh, whatcha do?"

"How was that date?"

"Is she nice?"

"Is she into you?"

"Iz is great. We had a good time," I answered.

"Come on," Bree groaned. "Details! I wanna know who my cuz is daaaating!"

"We watched Strictly Ballroom," I said, starting to eat. "It was cool. We talked, ate snacks, and cuddled a little. It was really fun."

"Aww, Nico is a cuddler." Bree bumped my arm from her seat next to me. "Are you the big spoon or the little spoon?

"Shut up."

The whole table laughed. I did to, in spite of myself.

"So, tell me more about this Iz," Lena asked.

"Did Adam get interrogated like this after his date?"

"Yes," the whole table deadpanned, including Adam.

I rolled my eyes, but began to tell them about the date.

Ella's POV

"Astrid! Come down! You know we have to go talk to the Selected!"

My best friend Astrid stuck her tongue out at me playfully, grinning and giggling. She was perched up in one of the trees in the gardens, so high I couldn't reach her. I was pretty good at climbing trees, but she was impossibly good.

"You should go. I'll just babble or something. Wasn't Lena or Julie going to talk to them?" Astrid asked, her voice taking a more serious tone.

"Lena has to do schoolwork, and Julie and Nico are doing politics stuff together. Besides, I don't want to go alone. Come on, it'll be fun!"

My best friend rolled her brown eyes, but said that if I could reach her, she would come down and talk to the Selected with me. Now it was my turn to grin.

"Knew you couldn't say no to me," I teased. Astrid blushed, breaking eye contact.

I started to climb higher up the tree, branch by branch. I pulled myself up one branch, so I was directly below Astrid.

And I stumbled.

"Whoa-"

Before I started to fall, Astrid quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I blinked a few times, and smiled cheekily at her.

"I reached ya! You have to come now!"

Astrid seemed to ignore what I had said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great!"

"You almost fell," she said, hopping down easily from her branch so she could look me in the eye.

"Well, yeah. But you caught me. I knew you would. Now let's go!"

I could see that Astrid was still worried about me, so I bumped her shoulder lightly with mine and grinned wider. We started to climb down the tree, and Astrid only relaxed when we hit the ground.

"Why do you want to talk to the Selected so much anyway?"

"I kind of want to talk to other people. I mean, I love hanging out with you. But we never get to talk to others, especially those who around the same age as us. And the same gender. It'll be awesome and interesting!" I explained.

"If you say so," Astrid said, wrinkling her nose a little. It was adorable.

We walked through the halls of the palace, and into the Women's Room. The Selected must have finished with lessons, most of them were talking. Some were flipping through magazines, and some were just sitting.

A few noticed the door opening through the chatter of the room, and got up to curtsy. Astrid blushed, and I waved.

"Hi!" I said, offering a hand to one of the Selected. "I'm Ella, and this is Astrid."

"A-Alex," she stammered, taking my hand. We shook.

"It's nice to meet you. You're from one of the southern provinces, right?"

"Northern," Astrid finally said something. "I mean, I think."

"I'm from Yukon," Alex mumbled, pulling on her dress.

"Oh. Sorry, I thought you were from the south because your skin color is olive. Assuming, I know. It won't happen again."

We talked for a few more minutes, and then we ended the conversation.

"That was awkward," Astrid whispered as we walked away.

"Don't worry," I said. "We still gotta talk to some others. Nico and Adam want us to report back to them."

"Adam does?"

I didn't respond, instead grabbing her hand and pulling her over to two girls who were talking. One had short-ish brown hair, and the other had dark brown hair that went a little below her shoulders.

"Princess, Miss," the short-haired one said, curtseying. "My name is Giselle."

Even though she was being polite, she still sounded energetic. Her friend curtseyed as well, introducing herself as Riley Clark.

"Have you talked to the twins yet?" I asked.

"The twins? You mean the Princes?"

"Yep."

"I have! Well, one of them. I've talked to Nicholas, he is very nice."

I snorted. "You obviously haven't known him for very long."

Giselle and Riley laughed, and Astrid smiled a little.

"What's he like? From his sister and friend's perspective, of course?"

I looked at Astrid, who I could see was internally panicking for a second. She did start to speak though, so I stayed silent.

"He's okay, I guess? Nico's really devoted to his work, but he's nice. He will get tunnel vision though. When it comes to his goals. But he is loyal! Although he sucks at reading emotions. . ." Astrid explained, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"So, not your typical guy," I finished. "But he's okay. For the most part."

"I wouldn't expect a prince to be a typical guy," Riley said. "If he was, why would we enter the Selection in the first place?"

"Well, for the fame and glory."

"That's true. Personally, I wouldn't want fame if it meant I had to marry and have children with someone who's boring."

"I agree!"

Astrid and I would have good things to report to the twins.

Hellooooooo. Sorry this update was kind of late, and that the last part is a bit rushed. I hoped you liked Nico's date with Izara! She's pretty flirty, but nice.

I do not own the movie Strictly Ballroom, but do recommend it. It's pretty good! Again, if you have any ideas, feedback, or things you want to see happen, review or message me!

Do you want any specific person's point of view shown? I'm probably going to start showing the Selected (which probably contradicts a earlier statement, sorry if it does). If you do, please tell me! I'm open to suggestions.

Happy March, and thanks so much for reading!