Chapter 5: Be Alright

"'Beer, Wine, or Spirits'? Nils, you can't ask the Selected about their preferred form of alcohol when you meet them!" Gunnar was sitting across the room from Nils, looking through the list of questions he and Kat had come up with.

"That one was definitely Kat. Besides, it is a good question. We are going to be having parties and balls, might as well know what people like. It could also be good information for dates."

"But as a question you ask them when you first meet them?"

"Fair point. How about 'What is your favorite drink'?"

Gunnar gave him a funny look. "Um…I guess as a last resort?"

"Well, what are your suggestions?" Nils fell back into his chair, defeated but laughing.

"'What do you like to do in your spare time?' Things like that. Things a normal person would ask."

"What? You think I'm not normal?"

"Hmm…you live in a palace, you grew up going to balls, your parents ruled a country, your cousin rules another country, and you are now a King in your own right. Does that sound normal to you?"

"Point taken," Nils laughed, "Seriously though, I have no idea how to do this. I don't know how to be romantic. I've never even dated anyone, let alone kissed someone. I don't know how to do any of that."

"I won't be much help on that front, but you have Kat. I'm sure she could teach you a thing or two."

"Right," Nils rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious, she and Claudia have a pretty good thing going, and there is always Ian. We are here for you. I might not know much about romance, but I can help with other things. And just because you aren't experienced doesn't mean you can't do it. And just because they have experience doesn't mean they will be any better at it. No two relationships are the same."

"Okay, but how do I even ask someone out? Do I just go up to them and be like 'Hey, you wanna go on a date with me?'? Plus, I have to manage thirty-five people. It's not just dating one person, it's dating thirty five people. I have to make sure people get equal time, at least in the beginning."

"Ya, but you can eliminate people pretty quickly too. There is the initial elimination after the welcome banquet, so that will narrow things down a bit."

"That's true, but it's still twenty-some people. I don't know how Sigrid did it. She seemed so confident. She never seemed stressed or overwhelmed. I don't know how she did it."

The two fell silent, focusing on the task at hand.

A knock came from the door, and Nils looked up to see Åsa standing in the door.

"Hej, we are about to leave." She smiled sadly, playing with her dress.

"Oh," Nils's face fell. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Okay."

Åsa turned and walked down the hall in the direction of the entrance hall. Gunnar turned to Nils and sighed before standing up. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder and walked out of the room to follow Åsa. He loved his cousins of course, but he was not as close to Åsa as Nils. He knew how hard it would be for them to say goodbye.

A few moments later, Nils stood as well and hesitated a moment before following Gunnar out of his room. He walked slowly down the hall, running his fingers along the wall. He had so many memories of this hallway. It was one of the places he spent the most time as a child.

...o0o...

3073, 18 years ago

"Åsa, kom inge!" Nils ran down the hall, holding his cousin's hand while his sister counted.

"Ett…två…tre…fyra…"

Nils and Åsa ran down the hall, turning this way and that, looking for a place to hide. Nils let go of her hand and turned to open a small, hidden door that lead to a dark linen closet. He could hear Åsa running further down the hall, but he had a plan.

After sitting in the dark closet for several minutes he heard Sigrid coming down the hall. He held his breath, Sigrid did not know about this particular linen closet, so he hoped if he stayed silent, he would be able to stay hidden.

Once the sound of her footsteps faded, Nils stuck his head out the door and looked down the hallway in the direction she had been going. Deciding the coast was clear, he darted out of the closet and down the hall in the opposite direction.

He kept running until he looked back for a moment and ran straight into something.

"Nils! What are you doing?"

"Mama! Me and Åsa and Sigrid are playing hide and seek. I'm hiding from Sigrid."

"Well, you don't look like you're hiding to me!"

"Well…I was hiding…"

Sonja laughed, "Come with me. I have the perfect place. I'll even hide with you."

Sonja took Nils's hand, picked up the skirt of her dress, and lead him down the hall to the library.

"We're hiding in the library?" Nils asked, clearly confused.

"Not exactly, mitt hjärta. Follow me." Sonja lead him to the back of the library, to a dark, dusty corner that seemed like it hadn't been touched in a century. Hidden in the corner behind a bookcase was a small spiral starecase. Sonja smiled to Nils and lead him up the stairs. At the top, he found a small, cozy room with couches, a few tables, and a crackling fireplace.

A smile spread across Nils's face and he turned to hug his mother.

"Isn't this nice?" she smiled, hugging him back.

"Yes! Will you read to me?"

"Of course. What should we read?"

"Ollie's Ski Trip!"

"Alright, go see if it is on the shelf."

Nils ran over to a bookcase that was clearly full of children's books. He looked for a few moments before finding the one he was looking for and bringing it over to his mother. After handing t to her, he climbed into her lap and situated himself comfortably.

"'On Ollie's sixth birthday, his father gave him a pair of new skis…"

...o0o...

Nils was pulled from his memories by chatter from below. He looked over the banister to see Åsa; her brother, Gustav; and her sister in law, Marta, talking with Gunnar, Kat and Ian. Nils shook his head, pushing away his thoughts of Sigrid, and walked down to see his family. Because the date of the Swendish Royal Family's departure had been kept a secret, there was no press present. They could say their goodbyes in private. Gustav looked up from the conversation he was having with Ian to see Nils as he walked over and opened his arms to his younger cousin.

"Nils, kom hit. I'm going to miss you!"

Nils walked over to hug his cousin. "I'm going to miss you too, Gustav."

At that, Gustav leaned down to whisper something in Nils's ear. "Do not hesitate to call me. I am here for you. I know what it is like to ascend unexpectedly. Even if it is just to talk, call me."

"Thank you. Truly." Nils pulled away and turned to his family.

Kat was talking with Marta and Ian, and Gunnar had started a conversation with Åsa. Nils smiled. He loved these people, his family. He loved them so much. But his smile faltered as he thought of the people who were missing. His mother had never gotten to say goodbye to her family. She and Gustav had been very close, and now she would never see him again. Marta was pregnant, his mother would never get to see their child. The child that would probably be named after her favorite brother. It was unfair. It was so unfair.

"Nils. Nils!"

Nils looked up from his hands to see Åsa standing in front of him, a worried look on her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Ya," he cleared his throat, "Ya, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Ya, I'm good."

"Okay. Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" She pulled him into one last hug before turning to say goodbye to Kat.

Nils glanced back down at his hands before walking over to say goodbye to Marta.

"Marta," he said, opening his arms to hug her.

"Oh Nils, it was so good to see you! You have to come visit us again soon!" She hugged him, squeezing him a bit too tightly.

"I would love to! And it was good to see you too!" He pulled away, smiling at her.

"Kom inge!" Come on! Gustav called from the door, holding a briefcase and motioning for a valet to load their luggage into the limousine.

Marta and Åsa picked up their own bags and walked out to the car, followed by Kat, Gustav, Ian, and Nils, all of whom were waving frantically.

"Hej då!" Goodbye!

"Goodbye, Nils!"

"Hej då, Kat!"

"Hej då!"

"Goodbye!"

As the limousine pulled away, Kat put her arms around siblings. "They really are the best cousins, aren't they?"

"Yes, yes they are."

Hey all! Sorry it's been awhile, I had this written, but I've been so busy I never got around to posting. I was organizing the climate strike in my town, which left me with very little free time. As you may have noticed, I am pretty busy, and I'm away from wifi pretty frequently. Because of this, updates can be inconsistent, but I try my best!

As of now, the SYOC is closed, but if you need a bit of extra time or something, just shoot me a PM and we can talk! I would like to thank all the lovely creators that sent in characters; I can't thank you enough. I am so excited to write all your amazing girls!