Prince Ben

That earned a slight chuckle from him as he headed over to the sitting area and plopped down on the sofa. “So you need to figure it out soon.” Less a question and more a statement, but still mostly true.

If I chose to, the Selection could have gone on for months more. There was no pressing need to choose right away. My family, advisors, they all understood this delicate process.

But I knew in the end, I couldn’t extend this for much longer. Because I knew I was in love with Elle, Lia, or Viv. The question was with who.

So I reiterated this out loud, my feet beginning to shuffle across the floor in an anxious pace. “I want to yes. I know I... I know I love them, but like mom said I don't-I need to figure out which one I love in the way I should love her, like in love you know? Which is hard and makes my mind go nuts because they're so great, I hate thinking about hurting them and—” my sigh cut me off. My thoughts were starting to feel as scrambled as my ramble.

A quick glance at the currently more level-headed Schreave lounging on the couch revealed a raised brow, sitting up straighter. Wyatt stared at a random space on the wall, thinking for a moment. “Have you considered talking with dad?”

“I did,” I admitted, several hundred times, “But... well, I wanted to talk to you.” That was the simplest way I could put it.

He hummed and looked back to me. “Talk to me about them first. I’ve missed on a couple of things.”

My lips pressed together. Trying to sum up everything about my— no, not my girls. Not in any possessive way, at least. More like they had each wedged a little piece of my heart to carry around in their pockets, so it felt like they were mine somehow. And I was theirs too.

The words came out in a strange, jumbled rush. “I know how you feel about Ophelia, but even though she's... well, you don't always see eye to eye, she's kind and has something about her that sets her apart. Elegant. And with Danielle, God, I can't believe how far she made it, how far we made it I mean. She was so grumpy, and still kind of is, but she's so much more, you know? 

“Viv is all her own person. She's been through so much and still manages to be who she is, it blows my mind. Same goes for Lia, but in different ways. They just…” I had begun to pace again, though I stopped in front of the couch, facing Wyatt head on. My shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

He stared at me for a beat. A look I couldn’t decipher until he stood up and clapped his hands once.

“Let’s try an exercise.”

My brow rose. “Uh… what?”

He then proceeded to explain he would pretend to be me and I a Selected. I didn’t understand why until he dropped to one knee in front of me and looking entirely like the over dramatic, actor-in-another-life sibling I knew all too well.

“My love, my life, my everything,” he began, hands over his heart. I shot him a flat look and he snickered before sobering and clearing his throat.

“Insert romantic monologue of how much you love her, probably some crying and then down to the real, stroke-inducing moment.” He glanced around, searching. In a few seconds, he settled with using the ring on his right hand and held it up, expression sincere. /Why is he weirdly good at this?

“Your laugh…” Deep and sincere. Elle never wasted one.

“Your eyes…” How I could always read Viv, the wonderful parts she hid but revealed through her stare.

“Your smile…” Lia’s is… warm. Sweet.

“They all encompass everything I love and want to see every day for the rest of my life. First thing in the morning and last thing at night. In the end, it all comes back to you.”

There was a ringing in my ears, my breaths becoming short. It wasn’t Wyatt pretending to propose anymore, but me.

I was kneeling in front of her, saying everything she was, except the image of her was suddenly becoming clear. It all comes back to you.

That was it.

“And so, my absolute dear,” a touch of sarcasm I couldn’t quite catch, overwhelmed by the realization that my heart was yelling what my head had just begun to grasp. “Will you do me the highest of honors of marrying me…?” Wyatt’s voice trailed off in the silent question that I would fill the space with her name.

There she was.

Soft hair and the safest of hands and a pillar of peace I couldn’t even begin to describe how much I was thankful for, smiling in a way I had only ever seen her do for me.

She loves me. And… I love her.

I loved them all. I knew I did, only in different ways. I saw myself becoming good friends with the other two, comfortable in that kind of love. Even if I did pick them for some odd reason, they’d make me happy. Except… I knew I’d spend the rest of my life looking back and wondering what my life could have been if she had been my choice.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wonder. She was here, if she would have me. And I was almost giddy with the thought that I had found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I smiled.

“Elle. It’s… Danielle.”

they danced and wes snuck them away to talk where they had their fiRST KISS ™ and wesla was born 

“because you’re… weirdly funny in a good way, kind, put up with me trailing you around. And you have this smile, like it’s permanently crooked”

*sHOOK* “are you flirting with me, princess?” 

“it’s possible. are you going to flirt back?” 

“is that a risk you want me to take?” 

“try me.” 

k i s s 

layla and wes were going back into the ball just as king chris was about to give the toast. wes got two drinks for themselves when suddenly hazel yells out “nO” 

she saw a servant slip something in prince aran’s drink, but twas too late 

he drank the drink 

and passed out 

as well as many other guests, including selected 

panic ensued, chaos broke out, people were shot or injured 

bc of hazel, wyatt sprinted after the servant to try and catch him 

ben, ofc, went after wyatt 

wyatt and the servant end up in a scuffle in a secret passageway and when the servant whips out a knife he sLASHES HIM

wyatt gets a little cheek scar TM

then w knocks the knife out of his hand “haHA U LITTLE HOE”

but the servant hits him to the ground

ben catches up, sees wyatt passed out and a t t a c k s (believing his bro is deceased) (also how he gets his bruises for those who remember in rps)

“we all die u either kill yourself or get killed whATCHA GONNA DO”

manages to knock servant out, wyatt gets up alive and well ™ and they take the guard to a cell 

they meet up with the rest of the fam and try to figure out why they were attacked since no one from the royal family was injured 

*insert time skip* everyone recovers eventually, etc. 

aran returns home to go to the funeral of his mentor/ambassador before returning to the palace 

turns out, rebels attacked to try and take out aran 

a small faction of illéans are still distrustful of the new alliance with new asia and illéa 

very tragic and sad ™ bc of other deaths (for real, it affected everyone in a lot of different, serious ways) 

butit did not deter aran 

AT ALL 

strong soft boi 

he remains in the palace indefinitely, further strengthening relationship with ben and the royal family 

(also, in the background, hazel and james, childhood best friends till the end, have their own sweet blossoming romance that I never wrote bc I suck and i’m sorry BUT THEYRE SWEET AND CUTE NKJSOWEIJG) 

*six and seven year old jazel* 

“I want to dance in the rain like the movies” 

“I can’t make it rain, but I can dance with you. which one this time?” 

“nutcracker, pas de deux.” 

“got it.” *he smiles and bows, and they d a n c e*

spoiler alert 

they dance together for the rest of their lives

on the following episode of keeping with the schreaves, ben and wyatt have their fight, which I will refer you to here since it’s not that long and gives good context 

(in the midst of all this, wyatt and gabriella have supah cute moments (he even dreams of kiSSING HER AGH)

(also aran and zara, omg purest of beans like HOLY COW)

they’re pretty awkward for a bit (ben & wyatt), barely talking 

until inspiration strikes ben (some help from selected) and with the help of his trusty not sidekicks/sidekicks (sisters), he puts together a gift for his favorite bro 

a gallery of thirty of wyatt’s pictures that he’s taken, which I will show below 

(essentially a collection of his candids that ben specifically chose when hazel secretly stole some of his film, and a couple ben or hazel took)

(layla helped set up the gallery)

(twas a room filled with all the pictures blown up to different sizes, hanging or on stands, all with their own spotlight)

(they’re beAUTIFUL PICTURES TAKEN BY WYATT AND FAM OKAY)

wyatt is t o u c h e d and they make up a bit, after ben also apologizes and explains himself ofc 

along with some more female guidance *cough* hazel/layla sisterly duo *cough* 

they’re finally on the mend 

all is well 

that is until ben needs to make his final decision…