"I'm sorry, what?" Keeley asked, taken aback. She had heard her mother clearly, but it just wasn't registering.
"You heard me," Her mother, Diane, said sharply. "You are going to host a Selection."
Keeley glanced up at her mother, who was standing over her, hands on her hips. She didn't know what to say or do. She didn't want to host a Selection. Marriage scared her to no end, and given how her parents went on, it was no surprise. The endless screaming matches, violent outbursts, and scathing looks, it was a small wonder Keeley and her sister were even born.
Diane raised an eyebrow and Keeley supposed she ought to say something. "Of course, mother, whatever you say." Keeley mumbled out, tucking her brown hair behind her ear.
"Now, now, stop acting like this is a death sentence," Diana scolded. She sat down beside her daughter and grabbed onto her shoulders. "This is the first step to you becoming the future Queen of Illéa."
"Yes, I know," Keeley said quietly as she slumped in her seat. Suddenly, her mother's nails dug into her shoulders, and she immediately corrected her posture. She breathed out a sigh of relief as her mother released her grip on her.
"Run along now." Diane said with a wave of her hand.
Keeley nodded as she stood. She glanced back at her mother on her way out of the room, she knew this day would come sooner or later, but still it was a hard pill to swallow. She found herself feeling envious of her younger sister. Sloane wouldn't have to go through a Selection, she'd face no pressure to marry or have children. Keeley was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly bumped into her father, Prince Consort Ezra. He reeked of alcohol already, and it wasn't even noon. A smirk found its way onto her father's face, and Keeley resisted the urge to take a step back, feeling uneasy.
"I take it your mother told you the news?" Ezra questioned, tilting his head to the side.
"She has," Keeley confirmed.
"Congratulations, Princess, I'm sure one day you'll make your husband as miserable as your mother makes me," Ezra commented dryly.
"I will not!" Keeley protested indignantly.
Ezra chuckled and grabbed his daughter by the jaw. "Oh, but you will," He hissed in her ear. "Because as much as you try, you're going to wind up just like your mother."
Keeley looked down and stilled as her father leaned in and planted a kiss on her head, before he unhanded her and walked away chuckling to himself. At least I'm not an alcoholic, she thought as she ran a hand through her hair.
Keeley found her younger sister, Sloane, in the library sitting on one of the lounge chairs, nose deep in a book. Sloane's safe haven was the library, as their parents hardly ever went in there. Keeley cleared her throat and the blonde looked up at her.
"What is it?" Sloane asked, seeing the nervous look in her elder sister's face.
"I have to host a Selection," Keeley revealed as she sat across from her younger sister, smoothing out her skirt as she did so. She rested her chin on her hands and bit the inside of her cheek. She opted not to tell Sloane about the conversation she had had with their father.
"I'm not surprised, but I am sorry about the whole thing," Sloane said, rather bluntly. "But remember, you're in control the whole time, if someone rubs you the wrong way or does something wrong, just send them packing."
Keeley shook her head as she stood, either unwilling or unable to sit still. She fiddled with her fingers as she paced back and forth. "That's not what I'm worried about…" she trailed off.
Sloane gave her sister a knowing look. "You're in charge of who you marry, I can assure you the chances of your marriage turning out like mother and father's is slim."
"How can you be so sure?" Keeley questioned, turning to face her sister.
"Because I know you," Sloane said.
Keeley smiled nervously. "Thanks, but I just…I don't feel ready for all of this!"
"Not to sound harsh, but you'd better get ready for it, because whether or not you like it, it's coming for you." Sloane said. "Now, the Report's tomorrow, you'd better go figure out what you're going to say."
"Right…" Keeley trailed off. She could also tell her sister just wanted to be left alone, so she left the room. Unsure of what to do, or where to go, Keeley found herself walking towards the gardens. On her way she realised Sloane was right, she needed to figure out how to announce her Selection to the nation, and most importantly how to not make a fool out of herself while doing it.
Welcome to my SYOC! I thought it would be an interesting idea to see what would happen if Abby became a Queen in her own right, taking advantage of the near death Gregory Illéa to make her Queen in her own right after the death of her husband Justin. She still goes through and marries Porter Schreave, though reverts back to her maiden name, and becomes the first Queen Regnant of Illéa.
Abby is happy enough as Queen, though her relationship with her husband grows tense, and they only produce one child - a daughter named Diane. Diane takes over the country after her mother passes, and she become aware of just how fragile power is for a female ruler. She passes many laws to ensure Illéa remains a matriarchy and becomes obsessed with power and maintaining it. But there's one thing she doesn't have power over, her daughter's Selection.