Forever Yours

Chapter 6

Alec's POV:

Alec was standing outside the door of the formal dining room, shaking. He felt sweat trickling down his back. He ran a hand through his already messy hair. Inside the dining hall were 24 girls that he had never met before and one of them was destined to be his wife. 

Izzy had not stopped talking about one of the selected who she had met when the rebels had attacked. Apparently her name was Lydia and she had grown up a five. 

He walked into the dining room and all the heads turned to face him. Some of the girls were furiously blushing and some of them had weird smiles on their faces as they stood up and curtsied when he walked past them.

He walked to the front of the room where he sat down at the head of the table and began shovelling food into his mouth, not meeting any glances that were shot towards him throughout the meal. 

------------------------------------------------

"Oh my goodness! Did you see him! He's sooo hot!!"

"I know! I was like, how can a person that has such good looks live in the same country as me?!?"

Alec could hear snippets of the girls' whispered conversations as he walked out of the dining room. He felt a clenching feeling his stomach. How was he supposed to choose one of these girls if he didn't even lik- 

No. 

He couldn't think about that right now. He had a responsibility to his family and he couldn't let them down. 

He spun around and walked straight back into the dining hall.

He burst though the doors and froze. All the girls were already getting up to leave. 

"H-hello," He stammered, "I just wanted to say hello and to introduce myself. Of course you already know who I am and that's totally reasonable because I'm the prince...! Yeah and you already knew that too so... I'm just going to leave. Yeah. Bye."

He spun on his heel and rushed out of the room cheeks burning.

He was nearly running when he crashed into his cousin/brother, Jace.

"Woah, buddy. You okay?" He asked with a little smirk on his face, "You look like you were just in a room with 24 girls and got embarrassed in front of all of them!"

Alec sighed. "Unfortunately that is 100% accurate." He replied as his cheeks bloomed red yet again.

"Mother and Father wished to speak with you about something. I'm pretty sure it has to do with your selection." The blonde boy said with a serious tone that had replaced his mocking one. Alec groaned, ever since his parents had decided that he was going to have a selection, they had somehow become even more strict, calling Alec out on the smallest of mistakes.

"Alright. Thanks." Alec said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Don't mention it." Jace responded.

-------------------------------------------

Alec walked into his parents' chambers with his hands tightly knotted behind his back. 

"Alec dear," He heard his mother call, "we wanted to talk to you about something important. Can you please sit down?" She pulled a chair from under his father's desk. 

Alec sat down and nervously straightened his tie. 

"Alexander, your mother and I have decided that it is time for you to eliminate at least five of the girls by tonight." His father said with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?!? But they only just got here." He said with a bewildered tone in his voice.

"We know. That's why we narrowed it down to five! On her first night, your mother sent twelve boys home! We're cutting you some slack because we know how you have trouble with new people." His father said that last part with a bit of embarrassment embedded in his tone. 

Alec didn't blame him. How was a king supposed to rule his country if he couldn't even talk without stuttering in front of 24 people? 

Alec forced a fake smile and nodded his head. He then turned around, and walked out of the room without saying another word or waiting for his parents to throw another command at him.

---------------------------------------------

Alec sat in his study, twiddling his thumbs as he felt his heart thumping. The door slowly opened and in stepped a girl with a floor length gown that shimmered at every step she took. It was the colour of blood and it looks alarmingly like so because the edges were cut in such a way that that they looked like droplets of the warm scarlet liquid.

"I'm Tracy!" she giggled, as she sunk into a deep curtsy.

"Alexander Lightwood, at your service." he said as he inclined his head in acknowledgement.

She giggled once again as she sat down in the chair that had been set out for her. 

This happened with all the other girls until he came to the last name on his list.

"Lydia Fairchild." the girl said with a small smirk on her face as she stuck out her hand in greeting. Her blonde hair was falling out of her once perfectly styled bun that sat on the top of her head. Her green eyes matched her dress which was tight around her waist and chest. It hugged her body perfectly and it only reached around her mid-thigh. 

He took her hand and shook it firmly, lifting an eyebrow slightly as she sat down without being invited to do so. 

He knew in that moment, that this girl was going to be trouble. And yet, he intended to keep her in the palace, for as long, long time.