Here's the Next Chapter guys! Sorry, it's late! Hopefully, the next chapter will be up by the afternoon or night.

More girls get to meet the Prince!

Isadora and Dyllan were created and belong to me

Everly was created by Cookiedoodles168

Alexandra was created by Fairytoto1

And I know that this VERY SOON but I promise that the ELITE won't be narrowed down until at least eight or fifteen chapters depending on how the story flows, but I want you to start sending me suggestions on who you want to be the Elite. I at least want ONE girl from each of the people who sent in OC's for Payton's Selection.

The Elites already chosen:

1. Eirelyn Leger created by MichaelXClaire1996 (me)

2. Vera Martinez created by Anastasia the Goddess of Drama

3. Catherine Zussledorf created by Smiley111

4. Alexandra Redmond by Fairytoto1

These girls were chosen because they are the only girls created by their respective authors. The six remaining slots for the Elite are open game for any of the OC girls. Just message me or leave a review on who you think should be an Elite.

If there is a particular girl you like and you think she should be in the Elite just message me or leave a review. Remember, look over ALL the girls, not just the ones from the newest chapters so you can meet them all before deciding who you want in the Elite.

Chapter 18- Meeting The Prince Pt. 2

Payton POV

Payton sighed, how many of the girls had he already met with? It felt like he was still nowhere near done. He knew that he still had a few more to go. He also knew that there were some that he was ready to let go of and some that he knew he wanted to stay. He still hadn't even talked to one of the girls he had really wanted to; she kept avoiding him somehow

"How are you doing?" He looked up to see his mother at his side, her gentle hazel eyes taking him in, "Have you had enough to eat through all of this?"

Payton chuckled, that was such a Mom thing to ask, "I have no worries there. I think I've had three dinners with three girls in an hour and a half."

Kriss smiled, "You're doing fine and you've talked to a good number of the girls."

"I still have more to go," Payton groaned, honestly he was tired and just wanted to go to bed. "How am I going to find my Princess, Mom?"

"You'll know when you get this feeling of warmth and intensity like that person is the only other person in the world. That she is your world." Kriss said, a smile on her face, "It may not happen right away, but you'll know when the time comes."

Payton smiled at that like she was his world huh, he really did hope he found her in this group of girls. He didn't know what he'd do otherwise. "I better get back to the girls."

"Good luck, and remember, to stay yourself," Kriss said before rejoining Maxon at the other end of the lawn.

Payton took a deep breath and one more gulp of his wine before he headed for a girl with black hair that was curled into ringlets. "Hello, my Lady." He said politely, he watched as she jumped before turning to face him, her dark gray eyes wide.

He noted that she had flawless fair, but tanned skin, probably from being out in the sun a large amount of time. He also noted that the dress she wore covered more of her skin than some of the other dresses that he'd seen, but it was no less elegant.

"Your Highness," She said looking up at him with rich dark eyes and a warm smile and he couldn't help but smile back. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Please, Lady Isadora, call me Payton." He said, flashing her his own smile.

Isadora POV

Isadora gave the Prince a quick glance over and was happily surprised to see how fit he was. The suit he wore hugged his muscled frame very nicely and his honey blonde hair caught the fading light in the perfect way. "If you want me to call you Payton, then I want you to call me Issie."

"Lady Issie," Payton smiled at her as they walked around the lawn, away from the other girls. "How are you enjoying the festivities?"

"It's really nice," She confessed, "The palace is beautiful and my maids are so nice. I even got a chance to talk to Prince Liam. and he said that you play many games on this lawn."

"Games?" Payton rose his brow at her and all Isadora could do was smile, "Yeah, like competitions, volleyball, soccer, sports. I love sports."

"Me too," Payton said, his grin widening. "I love spending time in the sun and I also love to run in the mornings before breakfast and if I can in the evenings too."

"I like to run too," Isadora said, stunned that she had something similar with the Prince, even if it was sports. "It's the best feeling in the world, isn't it? I always feel freer when I run."

Payton grinned, "We'll have to have a race sometimes. You better not hold back."

Isadora gave him a daring smirk in return, "I'd never hold back, not even to spare a little Prince's feelings." She teased.

He snorted, "Well then Lady Issie, you have yourself a race."

"Bring it." She said, staring straight into his light hazel eyes and feeling her heart skip a beat. He was extremely handsome and maybe, there was room in her heart to give him a chance after all.

Payton looked like he was going to say something else when one of the Princess', Leandra she thought called out to him. "I better go see what she needs." He said sheepishly.

"What a devoted big brother," She teased, squeezing his arm without really thinking until she felt him stiffen and she immediately drew back. "Take care of your sister, Payton."

He just nodded and hurried off to what seemed like an increasingly distraught Leandra and when Isadora looked closer, she saw that there was a big bright red stain on her dress. She smirked again, the Prince was a truly good man after all.

Dyllan POV

Dyllan took a long sip of wine and let out a relaxed sigh. The palace wasn't so bad, but she'd met a handful of the girls here already and she had to say that they ranged from horrible, shallow and desperate to too timid to catch the Prince's attention. She was also sure that there were some who were just in the contest for the food and money, not the Prince.

"Take it easy, Cuz," She looked up to see her cousin Benjamin Taylor leaning back on a chair next to her. He had already talked to the Princess and seemed happy enough with the results; however, she hadn't seen the Prince yet and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Her cousin had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, golden tan skin and a well-built figure that had many girls swooning for him, it was too bad that most of them ended up being extremely shallow and only wanted him for his fame. "With your height, you'll be dead weight before you meet the Prince."

"If he really wanted to meet me, he'd have been here already. Maybe he's no different than anyone else." Dyllan muttered, her eyes going to Michael where he sat with five other guys from his Selection. "All boys think they're funny and have everything to offer but at the end of the day, they're just big disappointments that destroy your hope and leave you feeling hollow inside."

Ben followed her gaze and frowned, "Maybe you shouldn't be so hung up on the past, besides when did you get so negative? You do realize your favorite cousin is a man right?" His eyes then darted to the side and he smirked, "And, I'd put on a smile and at least try to be a bit more giddy than usual."

"What are you-" Dyllan began but was cut off by a deep voice from behind her, causing her to jump slightly in her seat. She turned in her seat to see Prince Payton smirking down at her, amusement dancing in those hazel eyes of his.

Dyllan quickly stood up and curtsied to him, "it's nice to meet you, Your Highness." She said, trying to sound as welcoming as possible.

"You as well Lady Dyllan and please, just call me Payton," He then turned his attention to Ben. "You must be Lady Dyllan's cousin, Ben Taylor. My younger Sister Leandra loves your show."

Ben smiled, "I'm pleased to know that such renowned people such as royalty watch my show, Your Highness."

Payton nodded before turning his attention back to Dyllan, "Would you like to take a walk with me Lady Dyllan?"

"Of course," Dyllan said, easily taking his offered arm and walking with him away from the table where Ben sat. She stayed silent as they walked around the lawn, going to the perimeter of where the tents were set up. Dyllan wondered if Payton was getting tired of the same system of taking the girls out of range of the dinner, it must be exhausting going back and forth.

"Are you enjoying the palace so far Lady Dyllan?" Payton asked, looking at her with kind eyes, a soft smile on his face and she had to take a moment to catch her breath. Why did he have to look so nice?

"I am," Dyllan said honestly, maybe Ben was right and not every guy was like Michael and the Prince was a jerk like she assumed. She had to at least give him a chance to show he wasn't a jerk. "I enjoyed the decor of the palace. I think I saw a few shelves and cabinets that were from East Asia, very traditional in the carvings."

Payton looked at her with surprise before a smile crept back on his face. "You know the different carpentry work of countries?" He asked, looking interested.

"Well, I'm a double major, I study public relations and I intern in Bankston but I also study medieval and ancient history at the university and I want to travel so I try to familiarize myself with the techniques of the old-world. You'd be surprised by how much of the new world techniques are actually from older history, found again." Dyllan said with a shrug.

"That's amazing," Payton said, "I've been able to see structures from almost every country and I don't think I could tell the difference between something that is authentically German to something that's New Asian."

Dyllan felt a spark of excitement go through her, "Do you travel a lot as the Prince?" She'd always wanted to travel the world so she was extremely curious about his travels.

"Well, I've spent summers in Italy, France, and Britain, a few getaways in Swendway," Payton said, a faraway look in his eyes. "Have you gone anywhere Lady Dyllan?"

She shook her head, "No. I've never gotten the chance to leave the country," She noted that there was a note of jealousy in her voice and cleared her throat, "I plan to though when I graduate from school. I've read so much about the cultures and want to experience it myself."

Payton looked thoughtful, "The countries are so nice, I really hope you get to one day. How did your family take it when you got into the Selection?" He asked, changing gears.

"My brother almost lost it," Dyllan said laughing at the memory, "I'm still his little sister in many ways and I didn't tell him I was entering, so it really surprised him. He's a bit protective."

"I've already assumed that I'm on many older brother's hit list. I doubt many of them like their sister dating someone who's dating thirty-four other girls." Payton said, leading her back to her table. "What else do you do?"

"I swim and do some other sports," Dyllan said, "But I love swimming, more than anything. My brother used to joke that I learned to swim before I could walk."

Payton laughed, "Better that then what Liam did as a toddler," He leaned in close and Dylla just knew she was going to love what she would hear, she also couldn't ignore the smell of his cologne as it wafted off of him. "He ran around the palace in nothing but his diapers, from what I heard, no guard or maid could catch him and he somehow ended up in the council room during a meeting."

Dyllan felt her eyes widen before she burst out laughing. How could none of them catch a toddler, she didn't even want to think about what look King Maxon had on his face. "What did your Dad do?"

"I don't know," Payton confessed, "But I think he kinda just rolled with it until my Mom got Liam. My Grandpa was furious though."

"Kids, you never know what loop they'll throw you for," Dyllan said, thoroughly enjoying herself. She wanted to know more about the Prince though, What do you do for fun? Run around in your boxers?"

"Only on Saturdays," Payton chuckled, "Honestly, I like to do carpentry, it helps me relax and I like the idea of making something myself. Is that boring?"

"I think it's amazing," Dyllan shook her head, "And it must take a lot of patience. I just read classics on Saturday and Sunday, nothing special."

"I think Hemmingway is fantastic," Payton noted as they arrived at her table, Ben glancing up at them curiously. "But I think Poe and Dickens are both better Authors."

"Let's agree to disagree," Dyllan said, smiling at him as he left before turning to look at Ben who had a huge grin plastered on his face. "Wipe that look off your face before I smack you."

"So does he have your approval? You were smiling and I've never seen you smile at a guy on your first meeting." Ben said enthusiastically.

"I'd hardly treat the Prince badly," Dyllan scoffed, rolling her green eyes, but there was still a smile on her face. "But I guess you can say he's not the worse guy I've met. On a scale from one to ten in decency, I'd say he's about a two."

"Ouch," Ben said, wincing at her scale and harsh judgments.

"Hey," Dyllan snapped, "At least he's not in the negatives, that's still better than most guys," even as she said this, there was still a hint of a smile on her face. Against all odds, the Prince had been able to make her laugh and that won her over. Slightly.

Everly POV

Everly was sitting with Alyssa and Reese, talking to the two girls with growing warmth when she saw Prince Payton approaching their small group. He looked completely dashing in his charcoal suit and navy shirt and she felt her heart speed up. Finally. She was finally able to speak with the Prince again. She couldn't wait.

She wondered if he remembered her just by looking at her. She knew that they hadn't exchanged names five years ago when they had met that night on the streets of Angeles. She was just a twelve-year-old girl who had run away from her foster home and he had been a stranger who took time out of his day to comfort a girl he hadn't known. She hadn't even known he was the Prince at the time. She wanted to talk to him more than anything. Wanted to know if that night was as special to him as it had been for her.

"Ladies," Payton said, smiling at them all and Elle could feel her heart skip two beats instead of one; she couldn't help but notice that his smile was slightly crooked but it looked absolutely perfect. For a moment she thought he was going to sit down but then her heart went into overdrive when he turned to her and held out his hand, offering to help her up. "Lady Everly, would you like to go for a walk."

Everly almost let out a squeal before she quickly stifled it. As calmly as possible, she took his offered hand and stood with as much elegance as she could. As Payton started to lead her away from the table Everly gave a quick glance back and noticed that Reese and Alyssa both had slightly jealous looks on their faces but she knew that they had already both talked to Prince Payton already, it's what they had been telling her about.

"Are you making friends Lady Everly?" Payton asked, bringing her thoughts back to the present.

"I hope so," Everly said, smiling shyly back up at him, "I feel like it'll be difficult to keep friends though. We're all trying to be with you. I feel like jealousy and bitterness may grow." She confessed, honestly she was terrified of that possibility. She had always had a hard time making friends because of her history in the foster care system, but here, she had gotten along well with Reese and Alyssa so quickly, she'd hate to see their budding friendship crumble.

"Well," Payton said, looking slightly uncomfortable at the subject and Everly instantly regretted voicing her worries to him on their first official meeting. She was supposed to be connecting with the Prince, "If they're real friends they should understand."

"Maybe," Everly blushed, "How about you Prince Payton? Do you keep in good contact with your friends?"

Payton smiled, "I have a few, most of them are either nobles or other royals from other countries. Evelyn is one of my friends, she's the best. Her older brother is my best friend I'd have to say, but I made friends in some of the guards." There was a sad note to his voice at that moment and Everly was curious. Why would he be sad if the guards were his friends?

There was silence between them then and Everly freaked out a bit, what if they never had anything to talk about? What if she couldn't connect with her Prince? "I'm a Kindergarten teaching assistant." she blurted out and winced. Why did she just say that?

Payton smiled, "How is that? Being able to be around the next generation of Illéa?"

Everly smiled back, "They are the most adorable kids I've ever seen. They're so energetic and honestly, it's sometimes tiring. The kids can also be a bit…. well mischievous I guess is the right word."

"What's the worst thing they've ever done?" Payton asked, his smile growing as he looked at her with his warm light hazel eyes. She could stare up at them for hours she thought.

"Well, one time, one of the boys tangled a large ball of gum in my hair. I actually had to cut three inches off to get it all out." Everly said, wincing as she remembered the incident, she was just lucky that she liked to keep her hair long.

Payton laughed and Everly felt warmth shoot through her. "That's the worst thing that's happened?"

"Mostly," Everly smiled back, "I mean there are just the everyday things, don't run with scissors, don't pull your classmate's hair. Oh," She laughed as she remembered one more incident. "I caught this group of kids about to eat a 'stew' that they made during recess. A stew of pebbles, twigs, and dirt, somehow they even had two worms in the mix. I almost had a heart attack when I saw them. I was so glad I made it in time to stop them. Have you ever done anything foolish as a child Prince Payton?"

Payton paused, a frown on his face as he thought back to his childhood, "Well I know Liam has, but…. I remember dressing up in one of my Mom's dresses as a kid with army boots and red lipstick all over my face. I think there's even a picture."

Everly burst out laughing, "I'd love to see that picture," She just could picture him in her head, "I bet you looked really good."

"Unfortunately not, what about you? Any good childhood stories?" Payton asked.

At the question, Everly froze as she remembered all of the horrible experiences she had as a foster child. All the bad homes and yelling foster parents who only wanted to keep her around for the money they got. "I was in the foster system," she finally said, "I ran away from a lot of my foster homes, I even lived in Angeles for a bit five years ago." At the last part, she met Payton's eyes, searching to see if that sparked anything in his memory. Why couldn't she just ask if he remembered her? It would be so much easier but she was too scared to ask.

Payton's brow furrowed as he looked back at her, he seemed to be studying her back too. "I think…." He started to say and Everly felt her heart skip a beat, did he remember? "I'm sorry, I've heard that the foster system isn't the best."

Everly bit her lip, a bit disappointed, she was sure he was going to say he remembered her. "Well, I was adopted at twelve, and they are a wonderful family."

Payton smiled, "Well I'm glad to hear that," He said as he lead her back to the table where Alyssa and Reese sat, "Maybe you can tell me the next time we talk."

"I'd love to," Everly said a smile forming on her own face again when he said next time; it hinted that she would be staying past their initial meeting, and she couldn't help but feel thrilled. He dropped her off at her table and started to walk towards a curvy blonde but before he looked back at her and smirked.

"By the way Lady Everly, call me Payton." He said before fully turning his attention away from her.

Alexandra POV

Alexandra felt like she could almost swoon when she heard the Prince tell her in his deep voice that she could just call him by his name after she had called him 'Your Highness'. It was amazing. Never in a million years did she think that she'd be able to call him just Payton. "If that's what you want… Payton." She hesitated on his name.

Payton laughed and offered her his arm and she took it eagerly, she noted almost immediately that his arms were thick and well-muscled. "So tell me, what do you do for fun? Freetime?"

"Well, I love to paint, I'm not sure that I'm very good but I always do it when I have free time. It's the best way for me to express myself." Alexandra said as she tightened her grip on his arms. "I also like to play with Jelly Bean." She said this time a bit more sheepishly, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Jelly Bean?" Payton rose his brow, amusement in his light hazel eyes and she couldn't help but notice that there was a hint of green in his eye. "Like the candy?"

"Like the candy, Jelly Bean is my cat," Alexandra nodded, her own smile on her face. "I love candy, any type. But I have to say sour candies and jelly beans are my absolute favorite."

"I don't eat much candy," Payton said, ruffling his hair as a habit from his Dad. "I mean, I'll eat it if it's there, but I don't really look for it. Anything else?"

"I like listening to pop music, " Alexandra said, it was a favorite past-time when she was reading or painting. "I'm also learning about some fashion in school."

"Fashion? That's an interesting choice to study. Is it hard?" Payton asked, looking at her intensely like he was really listening to her.

"Kinda, you have to look at colors and the different sizes in the waist and chest and when you bring in make-up there are so many different shades that it can be confusing because you have to look at skin-tones," Alexandra explained. "So I guess, I know what the maids go through when they make our dresses and help with make-up. What about you? What do you like to do in your free time?"

Payton paused, "Well, I really like to run, whenever I can, around the palace grounds, I like doing sports whenever the possibility arises too. I also like to study the history of different cultures and languages, I'm very interested in world relations and family relations in different countries. Is that boring?" He asked, looking uncertain.

"I don't think so," Alexandra said, shaking her head, "I mean, that just means that you're really smart in that area."

Payton looked relieved, "There are some other things, I like to fence, my Dad and Mom actually let me do it along with archery. I also like a bit of calligraphy and I like to whittle, a bit."

"What's whittling?" Alexandra asked.

"Wood carving," Payton said broadly, he didn't look annoyed that she didn't find that she didn't know. "Still not boring?"

"Not at all," Alexandra promised. He really was one of the best if not the best man that she had ever met. He was clearly sporty and athletic, but he was showing himself to be extremely sophisticated and smart as well.

"I had better go," Payton said, gently pulling away from her and straightening his suit, his eyes focused on a point to the right of them.

She followed his gaze and saw an extremely beautiful girl with dark red hair that cascaded over her right shoulder. "Of course Payton," She curtsied to him, but couldn't help but feel some bitterness and jealousy build in her; she had thought they had really connected. He was proving himself to be the man she thought he was. Why couldn't he just stay with her?

Payton flashed her one more smile before taking off for the redhead and as she watched him leave Alexandra felt her determination renew inside her. She wanted to be his Queen. She would be his Queen, even if she did have to take some drastic measures to ensure that she would win.

Eirelyn POV

Eirelyn took a deep breath as she stood with a girl with wavy dark brown almost black hair and dark blue eyes named Raleigh, she was a ballet dancer from Denbeigh and Catherine was standing on her other side, looking thrilled that she had been able to talk with the Prince.

"He's so nice and handsome," Catherine said happily as she told her about the Prince, "He has a great laugh."

"He's also really smart," Raleigh noted, "I mean, I would never have guessed that he does calligraphy or whittling. What do you think Eirelyn?" Both girls turned to her and she blushed at their curious gazes.

"I haven't spoken to him yet," She said, no way would she tell them that she had called the Prince a conceited pig the night before.

Catherine furrowed her brows at her, "If I remember right, he tried approaching you a few times and it looked like you were running away from him."

"That's not true," Eirelyn said, wincing when she noticed that she sounded a bit too defensive. "He just hasn't sought me out."

"Really?" Raleigh smirked and her dark blue eyes went over Eirelyn's shoulder and she suddenly felt her heart drop. She knew what was coming next, "How has the rest of your night been Payton?" Raleigh asked.

Slowly, Eirelyn turned around and met Payton's light hazel eyes and she could tell that he was daring her to run away from him when he was standing right in front of her. "It's been going fine, Lady Raleigh, Lady Eirelyn is one of the last girls I have to speak to." He offered his arm to her and Eirelyn took it, allowing herself to be led away from her safety net.

Once they were a good distance from the tents and Eirelyn was sure that they wouldn't be heard she immediately let go of Payton's arm and turned to face him. "Your Highness, I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior last night," She began nervously, she was a bundle of nerves. She had been avoiding him because she was afraid of the consequences of her actions may have brought onto her but there was no avoiding them now. "I should never have said all those things about you or called you a conceited pig."

"You were in an emotional state last night," Payton shook his head, "I also should apologize to you, when I thought over what I said, I realized that I implied you never cared about James because you're here. I'm sorry if I've offended you."

"Are you going to send me home?" Eirelyn didn't know why but that was the first thing to leave her mouth because she couldn't think of anything else. Her mind had gone blank when the Prince apologized to her; it was the last thing she had expected.

Payton blinked his eyes widening at her question, "I….. wasn't planning on it. I actually wanted us to start over if you wanted to. I'd like you to stay, but if you really don't want to be here, I'll send you home."

As he spoke, Eirelyn could see the sincerity in his light hazel eyes and she couldn't look away from him. He was being so sweet right now and if she really thought about it, he was never in the wrong last night; had never tried to insult her. She had been the one that was wrong and it seemed like she had completely misjudged him. She could also see a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he gazed back at her. "I…." She swallowed, "You want me to stay?" She asked, his words finally fully registering to her.

Payton looked away before meeting her eyes again, a small smirk forming on his face, "Maybe I'm crazy, but I liked how you were direct with me. How you told me how you really felt. You stood up to me even though I am the Crown Prince."

"I was angry," Eirelyn said, blushing.

"Maybe, but I'm willing to bet that you're like that even when you're not." Payton said, "That's why I'd like to know you if you're willing to give me a chance." His smirk became uncertain then and she couldn't ignore the hope in his eyes, it showed how serious he was. How much he wanted her to stay even though they were complete strangers.

Eirelyn bit her lip, her Mom and siblings had told her to give the Prince a chance, to not turn him away because of James. But what did she want? Did she want to give this Prince a chance while her heart was still recovering from the loss of James? What if she fell in love with him and ended up having her heart shatter again? She didn't think she'd survive.

"Lady Eirelyn?" Payton asked when she continued to stay silent.

Finally, she looked up and her bright emerald green eyes met his light hazel eyes again and she couldn't ignore the hints of green in those eyes. "If I'm staying, you have to stop calling me Lady. Eirelyn or Eirey is just fine with me."

Payton broke into a grin at her words, "Then you have to call me Payton, not Prince Payton or Your Highness."

"Deal." Eirelyn smiled back at him. Ruefully she had to note that Raleigh was right and that he was extremely handsome. "I've already heard a lot about you from Raleigh and Catherine. Is there something that you haven't told anyone?"

Payton's smile widened, "I try to write poetry once in a while but I'm really bad at it." He paused before continuing. "I make Liam read them all the time and he hates it."

Eirelyn laughed, "I love astronomy. There's something about the stars that always calm me down. They're just so bright and beautiful."

"They are," Some stars were actually starting to appear in the sky and Payton looked back down at Eirelyn. "One other thing I never told the other girls was that I didn't want to have this Selection. I am or was in love with the French Princess. So I'm not over my first love either. You and I are on the same boat."

Eirelyn blinked at that, "Then why not marry her?" She asked curiously.

"Because Illéan law dictates that royalty marry commoners, it's a tradition." Payton said, "And Victoire never knew I liked her because I never told her. As far as I know, she was always ignorant of my feelings." He looked at Eirelyn then and smiled, "But now I have you girls and you're all so sweet and funny and kind, I just hope I find the girl I can love for the rest of my life."

"I'm sure you will." Eirelyn said, "One of them has to be here, you have so many choices and I'm sure that whoever you choose will love you with her entire heart and you'll love her."

Payton snorted, "You sound more confident in that fact then I do."

Eirelyn paused, "You'll know Payton. Maybe not at the first meeting but you'll realize when you love her. You can look at them and feel warmth spread through you every time you touch. They're always on your mind and even when you know something not okay, you believe with every ounce of your being that everything will be fine because the person you love is with you. When you're with the person you love nothing is boring, even if all you're doing is lying in bed and talking. You'll know you've met the person you love because they'll literally be your other half and it'll feel like they complete you and when they're gone, there's no way for you to recover."

Eirelyn blushed when she realized that she was rambling, she looked at Payton but he was looking directly at her with an awed look on his face as if he was seeing her for the first time. "Payton?" She asked.

Payton snapped out of his daze, "I have something to give you," He blurted out like he couldn't think of anything else to say, his hand digging into his pocket and rummaging until he eventually pulled out her bracelet. "This is yours."

Eirelyn stared at the bracelet in his hand as he held it out for her. She reached for the bracelet, but instead, he surprised her by taking her hand in his and gently slipping the bracelet around her wrist.

She expected him to let go of her after that but he did something that completely shocked her. He stared right into her eyes as he raised her hands to his lips and tenderly and slowly place a kiss on her knuckles, all while keeping eye contact with her.

Eirelyn felt a burning heat go through her at his actions and when he let go, the two of them stared at each other in complete silence before she spoke, a blush on her face, "Should we get back?"

"Right," Payton mumbled, he offered her his arm again and she took without thinking as they made their way back to the tents. "So you want to stay?" He asked to verify her decision.

Eirelyn paused before nodding, "I'll stay. Besides, if I left after one day, I'm sure that Asteria would kill me." She added, trying to shake off the strange atmosphere that had settled over them.

"I believe it," Payton chuckled lightly as they reached the tent. He stepped away from her, "Have a good night Lady Eirelyn."

"Eirelyn." She reminded him, a soft smile on her face. "Have a good night as well Your Highness."

"It's Payton," He said back, his smile large on his face. He opened his mouth to say something else but shook his head and walked away without a second glance.

"So what do you think?" Eirelyn almost screamed when a voice spoke from behind her. She turned around and saw Asteria looking at her with an excited look on her face. "What did you think of the Prince?" She asked again.

"He's nice," Eirelyn said, softly, not able to say anything else, everything else seemed a bit too private to tell Asteria at the moment. She also couldn't believe how close she felt to him. He had proven himself to be sweet and not a pig as she had thought. But she knew with certainty that they wouldn't be together. Couldn't. She'd already met the person that she loved more than anything and no one, not even Payton could replace James in her heart.

Eirelyn Leger Character Sheet:

First and Last name (Middle name optional): Eirelyn Maxine Leger

Caste: 2

Age: 18

Province: Carolina

Personality: Eirelyn is usually a welcoming person but at the moment, she's just sad and grieving because of the death of her Dad and her boyfriend James. Eirelyn is naturally a person who is kind and always willing to stand up for the little guy. She loves her family and friends more than anything and is always willing to give people a second chance. However, she has her Mom's temper and at times can be quick to assumptions. She also doesn't care about the caste and is very intuitive and empathic to people around her.

Hobbies (Optional): She loves to play the piano, violin, and guitar and she also likes to sing and write music. She's also artistic, loving to paint and draw to help her de-stress, she also loves astronomy, she loves looking at the stars.

History (At least a slight background): Her life was very normal and as simple as it could be while being America Leger (nee Singer's) daughter. She had a loving family and friends and everything was going well until the death of her Dad (Aspen) and her first boyfriend (James) death during a rebel attack at the palace. She has three brothers (Lyndon, Harris, and Mykel) and two sisters (Francille and Brittanya) and they all grew up in a comfortable life even with many siblings. She has been best friends with Asteria Newsome and Corrine Loew for most of her life. However, when Corrine started dating her brother, she did not speak to Corrine for seven weeks, always having thought her brothers as "taboo-dating" material for her friends.

Job (Optional): She's a musician and artist

Hair color: dark red (loose natural curls)

Skin Color: slightly tanned, apricot toned skin

Eye Color: bright emerald green

Height: 5 ft 6

Any Other Information (Optional):

- She loves coffee, she needs at least five cups each day, she drinks it even at night, if she doesn't have coffee in the morning, she is a completely grumpy person who is terrifying to talk to.

- She loved sweets like her Mom, but interestingly enough, she does not like strawberry tarts, she loves desserts that are mousse or have some type of cream, in it.

-She used to have a boyfriend James before the Selection, but he died along with her Dad during a rebel attack at the palace only a few weeks before the Selection.

Motivation: She didn't send her application for the Selection, her best friend, Asteria and her siblings sent it in for her because they thought she needed the motivation to move on.

How did you like this chapter okay? Please leave a review for feedback!

And remember to send me suggestions for the Elite!

Next chapter is going to be Sara and her Selected!