Hello world. I have been really inactive for a very long time and I realized that I need to start writing again. Just note that I am really bad about keeping up with writing so if there are long periods in which I don't write, I am not dead.

For this particular story, I'm not actually sure if I want to make an SYOC but I can be convinced otherwise. If you think that I should make it an SYOC then say so in the comments or PM me.

Do people actually read this? Oh well.

All rights belong to Kiera Cass. I just made the characters.

EDIT: I just changed a couple of really small character things to set a better timeline

Chapter One:

Kieren's head hurt. He almost couldn't remember a time when it didn't hurt, but he had learned not to mention it to anyone lest they drag him back to the hospital and pump him with enough medication to kill a cat. He closed his eyes and tried to tune out his advisor as she droned on and on about something or other. Probably trade deals with the African Union. Couldn't they realize that five months of learning statecraft could only bring him so far in preserving a relationship that had been deteriorating for decades?

He gripped the bridge of his nose to dissipate the headache, but the action only made the tremors in his left hand that more salient. Yet another thing that wouldn't go away, serving to remind him of everything he had lost.

He remembered what it felt like to wake up in the hospital room. He had initially panicking, not remembering where he was or how he had gotten there. The only other person in the room burst into tears as he hyperventilated.

"Oh my god, Kieren." she sobbed. "It's okay, I'm here. It's me, Ada. I'm here."

"Ada?" Her name felt heavy in his mouth, like he couldn't remember how to speak. But even the sound helped to calm him down.

"You're awake. I thought you were going to die, too."

"Whe…"

She squeezed his hand. "Don't try to speak. The doctors said that you suffered severe brain trauma. They said it's a miracle that you survived."

The moment she mentioned trauma, Kieren noticed that his body felt like it was on fire. Now that he was calmer, he looked around the room. Obviously he was in a hospital. Something terrible must have happened, for he was hooked up to dozens of different machines, each displaying information that was completely lost on him. There was a TV mounted to the wall in the back corner of the room and in its reflection, he could see multiple bruises and gashes on his face. His head was completely shaved and there was a long line of stitching down the side.

He didn't even have to ask the question because she seemed to understand what he was thinking. She grabbed a remote from the bedside table and turned the TV on. It was already tuned to the Report. Kieren was so used to seeing Roland Camarillo's contagious grin on the show that it took awhile to realize that he wasn't smiling.

"This is a rerun of last week's Report." Ada explained.

"... that Princess Sophie, wife of the late Crown Prince Rhys Schreave, died Monday morning in the hospital from the injuries she sustained. Her family was with her when she passed. In the wake of this tragic news, we hold out hope and pray that Prince Kieren will pull through. Princess Ada and the castle staff ask that the public give them privacy during this hard time."

Sophie was dead? That couldn't be right. He was just with her. Rhys and Sophie just got married. That had just happened. There was no way…

"Ada, can you get me reports for all of them?" The words slurred together as he struggled to get them out, but he knew she understood so he didn't elaborate.

She hesitated. "It'll be easier if I just tell you what happened."

"No, I… I need to see them."

She brought him more than he expected. Newspaper clippings, police investigation reports, photographs, doctors reports, even mortuary records. Kieren could tell that she had all of this gathered beforehand, trying to piece together everything that she had to have already known. The opinions and perspectives and questions posed differed, but they all pointed towards the same facts.

On Wednesday, January 16, the royal limo containing King Brant, Queen Kerttu, Prince Rhys, Prince Kieren and Princess Sophie crashed en route to Sophie's parents home.

Brant Schreave: Dead on site.

Kerttu Schreave: Dead on site.

Rhys Schreave: Dead on site.

Sophie Schreave: Received at Angeles Hospital on Wednesday, January 16 at 9:42 PM. Fractured skull, broken ribs, pneumothorax, spinal fracture, lacerations on face and hands. Comatose state in ICU. Died in ICU on Monday, January 21 at 11:07 AM.

Kieren Schreave: Received at Angeles Hospital on Wednesday, January 16 at 9:37 PM. Craniocerebral trauma, broken ribs, broken leg, internal bleeding, multiple lacerations on body. Comatose state in ICU.

He couldn't remember it. Everyone in the car except him died and he couldn't remember any of it. He didn't know their final words, or remember seeing them in their final moments. The only person who could give testament to their final thoughts had nothing to say. The realization had all but destroyed him.

"Your Majesty. Kieren!"

He opened his eyes, realizing that he had fallen asleep at his desk in front of Nylah Price, one of his advisors. Only six months ago, if he had been caught asleep at his desk, he would be scolded. Now, they looked at him like he was going to keel over at any second.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. What were you saying?"

"Your Majesty. You need to give more concern towards this country's affairs. You are the King now-"

"Which I never wanted to be." He remarked.

"And every decision you make has major impacts on your people. It's not a matter to take lightly."

"Nylah, you realize I don't know what I'm doing, right?"

"All the more reason to pay attention."

Kieren sighed heavily. "I can't solve all of this country's problems in a day. I wasn't taught how to manage the affairs of a country. I didn't go on diplomatic trips to meet with foreign dignitaries. I don't understand all the nuanced workings of the economy. I'm not ready for this."

Her face softened. "You know much more than you give yourself credit for. And regardless, you owe it to your parents and your brother to try."

He sighed and nodded, resigned. Picking up a pen, he looked at the papers on his desk, each one waiting for his approval. Lately, he hadn't even bothered reading through them. One, however, stood out from the rest, mostly because of one of the words printed in big letters in the heading: Selection.

He held it up to Nylah. "No."

"Your Majesty, now that you are king, it has to happen at some point."

"Nope."

"It would really increase moral among the citizens. Everyone is worried about the future of the country and they want you to find a match."

He crumpled up the paper and threw it on the floor. "Nuh uh."

"Your brother did it and he found a wonderful match in Princess Sophie. You don't need to be afraid.

He spun in his big chair. "Nada."

"Please, your Majesty."

He shut his eyes and jammed his fingers into his ears. "La la la la la la la."

"Your Majesty."

Kieren stopped spinning and looked up at her. "Look, I'm only nineteen years old and I'm really not looking to get married right now."

"Your brother was nineteen, too."

"Yeah, and now he's dead. And so is Sophie. The Selection didn't solve that, did it?"

She gaped at him. "Kieren!"

"What happened to 'Your Majesty'?"

She dropped into the chair on the other side of the desk and rubbed her face in frustration. "I swear. Do you like playing with people just because you know they're not as smart as you? Or do you just do this to me."

"I do this to people who insist on me having a Selection."

Nylah was quiet for a second, no doubt thinking how to convince him to put his people before himself. He devoted his entire life to his people. But there was a line that he didn't want crossed. That line was forcing him to get married.

When she finally spoke, she was reserved. "The reason isn't just for entertainment. There have been increased rebel presence in the southern provinces. People have been revolting. They see your reign as a weakness that they can exploit to further their agenda. Having a Selection could dissipate some of the turmoil."

He scoffed. "Is that the answer for everything? God, I feel like whenever something is wrong, everyone just says 'Let's have a Selection' like it's going to magically solve everything. We've had rebellion problems for as long as this country has existed. Even Rhys's Selection was partially meant appease the rebels. It didn't work."

"No, but the increased popularity of Rhys and Sophie lead to less people joining rebel groups. No one wants to overthrow a good king."

Kieren nodded. "I understand now. I'm not a good king until I have a wife." He mocked.

Nylah rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. This country is more confused than ever, losing over half of the royal in one day has left the country reeling, grasping desperately for something stable."

He looked down at the hand that he could no longer completely control. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I can do stable."

"You're not unstable. You're just..."

"Decrepit?" He offered. "Deformed?"

"Damaged."

"That's no better."

She took his hands in her own. "You are damaged, but in the same way that everyone has scars. Just because you lost some of your motor functionality doesn't mean that you are any less where it matters. I want to help both you and the country heal the rift that your family left behind and I really think that a Selection is a step in the right direction."

Kieren looked into her eyes. Nylah had been a family friend for a very long time. Her father had been an advisor for Kieren's grandfather and then she herself had been advisor for Kieren's mother before she died. He had grown up with her being a constant presence in his life. Nylah was like an aunt to him. And if she was telling him that he should have a Selection, then he could trust there was no ulterior motive behind the gesture and she truly did think it was the right decision.

But was he really ready to commit himself to a random stranger. Sure, it had worked out in the end for Rhys, but Kieren wasn't like his brother. He wasn't some teenage heartthrob who make people fall in love with him just by looking at them. He wasn't sociable or charismatic or exciting and he definitely didn't bring out the best in people.

Not only that, but having a Selection so soon after his family died and he became king felt equivalent to spitting on their graves. He didn't deserve to have fun or find a girlfriend when Rhys and Sophie didn't even get to spend one week married together before they both died. He should be dead with the rest of them. Maybe then he'd find peace.

Don't leave Ada alone again.

That one thought never failed to bring him back from the brink of despair. He couldn't just lie down and die, no matter how much the stress of running a kingdom and the thought of his parents and brother's deaths made him want to do so. He didn't care about his own happiness, but if having a Selection meant that he would be around for her, then it was worth it.

I am going to regret this.

"All decisions are up to me?"

She nodded vigorously, spurred on by his acquiescence.

"And if I really feel like I don't connect with any of them, I can send them all home?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know about that. Maybe? I'm pretty sure there is precedence for that. But if you send them all home then you have to do it over again until you find someone."

"Fine, fine. I'll sign the edict." Kieren turned back to his desk and found the crumpled up ball on the floor. "You don't by any chance have an extra, do you?"

Nylah smiled conspiratorially and pulled another out of a folder. "I came prepared."

Naturally, the whole country was in an uproar about the news. Millions of girls couldn't believe their luck. Two Selections within three years of each other. Many of those who had not made it into the first one were literally climbing over each other to submit their application for another shot at queenhood.

Some thought it too soon after the deaths of the royal family. Six months wasn't enough time for anyone to properly mourn. Others thought it should have come even sooner, eager for the chance to put the accident in the past and look towards a brighter future with a new king.

And others conspired in the shadows, ready to put this unique opportunity to good use…

Tell me what you think. I am always open to suggestions.

Again, if you think that I should make this an SYOC, just tell me. Depending on how many people tell me they're interested I might make it an SYOC.

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