Gregory Johnson, or "Greg" as he was known by entered the ice cream shop with eleven-year-old daughter, Jane. The forty-five-year-old only got to see her every Saturday for two hours. He hated the arrangement, but there was nothing he could do, the courts had sided with his ex-wife during the custody hearing. She often tried to sabotage their visits and he hoped that today wasn't going to be one of those days. He walked up to the counter with his daughter and ordered her a scoop of birthday cake ice cream and a scoop of cookies and cream for himself. Once they had their ice cream they walked to the park where they sat on a bench.

"I really miss you, dad." Jane said as she licked her ice cream. "Living with mom is such a drag."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do your mother won the custody battle," Greg said with a sigh. He hated that he couldn't spend more time with his daughter, he knew it was hard on her as well. He just wished that there was something he could do. He had already tried to appeal the court's decision with no luck.

"I know, I just wish I could live with you." Jane said with a sigh.

"I wish you could live with me too, sweetheart." Greg said as he took a bite out of his ice cream.

"Did you watch the Report last night?" Jane asked excitedly. "The Queen's holding a Selection!"

Greg smiled, "I did, I'm glad she's moving on, she's a wonderful queen and a very beautiful person."

"I think you should apply." Jane said with a smile.

"You do?" Greg asked shocked. This was the first time they had talked about the possibility of him dating, and he was surprised to hear that his daughter wanted him to.

"Yeah, I want you to find a new wife. I want a nice new stepmom," Jane replied.

Greg thought for a moment, "I wasn't really planning on applying, but if you want me to, I guess I could," he said. "Though, the chances of me getting in are slim to none."

"But there's still a chance!" Jane said. "And if you get in you get to go to the palace and meet the Queen and the Princes."

"That would be interesting, I might even be able to bring you for a visit," Greg said, though he wasn't sure about that part, but it couldn't hurt to say, what were the chances of him actually getting in?

"That would be so cool!" Jane exclaimed. "The palace looks so cool, I'd love to meet the royal family."

"Maybe we both will one day," Greg said as Jane finished her ice cream.

"Can you push me on the swing?" Jane asked as Greg polished off his ice cream.

"Of course I can, sweet heart." Greg said as he stood. He followed Jane to the swings and smiled as Jane hopped on. He stated pushing her on the swing as they talked about her schooling and how things were going with her friends. For the most part she seemed happy and he was glad. Now, he had to focus on his own happiness. If his daughter was telling him to get married, that was surely a sign that he had to move on. The Selection seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so; he just wasn't sure that he would be a fit for palace life. But there was only one way to find out if he was.

Jerry Newton tipped the delivery driver then took the pizza from the young man's hands.

"Thank you very much, and have a great night," Jerry said as he waved to the young man. He closed the door then walked towards the kitchen carrying the box of pizza. He set it down on the table and called his son into the kitchen for dinner. Caleb, Jerry's twenty-one-year-old son, appeared in the kitchen a few moments later and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. He glanced at the letter from the royal palace, which he knew contained his father's application for the Queen's Selection. He wanted to suggest that his father apply, but he didn't know how to bring it up without hurting his feelings or his mother's memory. Caleb shook his head and sat down at the table across from his father and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"You know." Jerry said as he reached for his slice of pizza. "If the queen can get over her dead husband after five years, maybe I can too, after fourteen years?" His wife had died suddenly of brain cancer fourteen years ago, and Jerry had been devastated to say the least. The first few years had been the hardest, but he had always tried to put Caleb first. Maybe now it was time to put himself first.

Caleb's eyes lit up with excitement, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Yeah! I think that's a great idea. And even if you don't end up marrying the queen – which is a very long shot, if you want my opinion – at least you'll put yourself out there again."

Jerry chuckled; his son was right. There would be thirty-five other Selected, and that's if he even got chosen, "I just– I really don't want to replace your mother."

"No one can do that, dad." Caleb said. "And I'm sure mom would want you to be happy again. She knows you love her."

Jerry nodded, "So what did you think of the game last night?"

Jerry smiled as Caleb launched into a spiel about his thoughts on the football game. The two talked about the game as they finished off their pizza. When they were done Jerry washed the dishes while Caleb dried them.

"Do you really think I should do this?" Jerry asked one last time.

"I do," Caleb replied as he grabbed the letter off of the fridge and handed it to his father. Jerry sat down at the kitchen table and grabbed a pen. He opened the letter and started filling out his application form. I really hope you're okay with this, Rosie, he thought, thinking about his deceased wife as he filled out the application.

Jeffrey was in his room, working on his math homework when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" He called. He frowned when Rupert stepped into the room. He was supposed to be at one of his lessons with his uncle, but sine his mother said he didn't need to go he hadn't bothered to.

"You're supposed to be in my office," Rupert said in a disapproving tone. He was surprised that the teen had disobeyed him, he thought he had more sway over the boy than that.

"Mom said I don't have to go," Jeffrey said as he put his pencil down. He had been relieved when his mother told him that he didn't have to go, but he hadn't taken into account that his uncle wouldn't care what his mother had decided.

"Did I say our lesson was cancelled?" Rupert questioned.

"No," Jeffrey answered. "But mom said-"

"I don't care what your mother said!" Rupert snapped, raising his voice slightly. "If I tell you that you have a lesson with me, then you have a lesson with me."

Jeffrey sighed, "But you don't even let me do anything!"

"And what would you like to do? Sit in on meetings? Offer your opinion on those pesky little rebels?" Rupert asked as he stepped towards the prince. "You need to work your way up to that, Jeffrey. I'm trying to teach you how to rule the way your father would have wanted."

Jeffrey frowned, all he wanted to do was live up to his father's legacy, but everything his uncle taught him seemed wrong somehow. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he wasn't sure what to do, he had enough lessons without the heightened workload from his uncle, but he really wanted to start attending meetings.

"It's my job to ensure that you're prepared to rule and that you will do so successfully," Rupert said as he sat across from Jeffrey. "I need you to trust me during this process, and to do that I need you to get your mother off my back so I can have more time to focus on preparing you to rule as well as governing the country."

"What do you want me to do?" Jeffrey asked.

Rupert grinned, "I need you to have a little chat with your mother and tell her that you wish to continue your lessons with me uninterrupted. She really should be focused on her charity work, anyway."

Jeffrey nodded, he didn't see what the big deal about these lessons were, and he really didn't want his mom arguing with his uncle over him, and if the lessons were going to help prepare him to rule then maybe he should start taking them seriously.

"So, you'll talk to her, then?" Rupert asked.

"Yeah, I'll talk to her," Jeffrey agreed.