The Selection (Troyler AU)

♔Part IX♔

Important: If at any point there is an italicized section, it's an overview of the Selected girls, when neither Tyler nor Troye are present. They may be a full chapter, they may not. They probably won't be too long, but it'll help flesh the story out, hopefully.

Overview

It was a momentous day for thirty-five young women in the nation of Illéa. After four days worth of preparation, for what was to come and what there was to expect, their excitement and anticipation reached new heights. An advisor from the palace visited the homes of the girls, to give them background information on the first few days, a bit of information about the Royal Family, and to ask a few mandatory questions.

The girls each gawked, when their advisor asked them the first question out of their mouths: Were they a virgin? It took them by surprise, not only because most of them had never even had a boyfriend before, but because sex was prohibited until marriage anyways. Besides, even then, only Threes and up could get protection of any sort. Fours and under, there was no way of getting protection, so there was no way to really control pregnancy, other than simply not having sex. Nonetheless, they all answered yes to the bizarre question.

They went through the rest of the questions, that were already on their forms that they submitted, such as full name, age, Caste, occupation(s), and skill(s). They went through them, each baffled at how simple and predictable the questions were, after starting out with such a random one.

The advisors left their homes soon after, the ones departing from the houses of Twos pleasantly surprised by the regality of the living spaces; the ones departing from the few Fives, however, were simply glad to finally leave such rundown, disordered homes, that clearly had no ventilation systems. Over the three days after that, the thirty-five girls bid their goodbyes to their loved ones, some giving tight squeezes, some teary-eyed departures, and some simply smiling and saying,'See you later,' clearly not expecting to last long in the competition, or even a few joining more for the money received for their families, than to actually marry the Prince or even be of the throne.

Many of the girls didn't even consider much why they entered, but a few did ponder the idea. Did most of them truly believe that they'll be the One? Or did they have other motivations involved, such as Bethany Mota, who, while being the adored of many and envied by most, has never felt that she's quite reached her full potential, with what she could accomplish. Or Rosanna Pansino, who really wants to learn a thing or two about how the palace kitchens work, in working to become a professional chef one day ( though being Queen sounds nice too ). Or Zoella Sugg, who has missed her younger brother - one of the guards of the palace - deadly, and wishes to see him again, even if it's just brief glances. Though, she does suspect that she'll find love at the castle; it just might not be where she originally looks for it.

The majority, however, just go because... Well, why wouldn't they? Free food, glamorous gowns and accessories, glittering jewels, their own maids, compensation for their time sent to their families, an opportunity to visit and live in the palace, a chance to become a One and marry the future King of Illéa... What more could you ask for?

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Finally, the day came that they were to finally be sent to the palace. The girls were visited by an escort, who took them to the airport, where they would each meet some of the other girls whose provinces were near them. On the way, the streets were crowded with celebratory parades, the people cheering and dancing and waving to the Daughters of Illéa. There were cameras watching the girls being transported to the airports, recording their reactions; the entire Selection would be documented for the entire nation to see, from their TVs, if they had one. And while some girls were completely oblivious to the fact that they were being viewed by anyone in the audience or at home, others took that attention given to them to their advantage, having perfect poise, waving in a posh manner, and even blowing kisses into the crowd.