Hello everyone! For this one-shot, we have a KOTLC x The Selection crossover.
If you haven't read The Selection, it is a middle-grade series about a girl who competes with thirty-four other girls to win the prince's heart. In this series, Tam will be the prince in question, but he won't be falling in love with any of the thirty-five girls (duh).
I was scrolling on Tumblr today when I saw that @that-glasses-dog made a Kam fanfiction The Selection crossover. I did not read the fanfiction, but the title gave me the idea to make this one-shot. I just wanted to quickly clarify that the Kam/Selection crossover WAS NOT MY IDEA. If you're a fan of Kam and want more content about them, go to Tumblr and check them out.
If this turns into a series, the ships will be Kam, Linhella, Sophella, and single!Dex. I know, I know, you guys want Dex to be happy with Fitz. But I can't currently think of a way to add our favorite Wonderboy into the story without making it seem forced. Don't worry, I have many stories with background Fedex to binge ;).
VonToasty was the one who told me to write some Kam. Shoutout to them for bringing me back to supply a quick one-shot!
________________________________________________________________________________
✩Tam's POV✩
My twin sister, Princess Linh, was sad to go away the night before the time of the Selection.
Our parents wanted her out of the way. They didn't say it, but they thought we were too close. More specifically, they thought we were close enough to mutually hate our parents together. So for this "special time of my time" (their words, not mine), they shipped their daughter off to a tropical island just under a dormant volcano.
Linh didn't mind the curious choice of location. She was happy to be near the beach for a while, however long the Selection would take. She made me promise to not be too hasty in choosing so she could at least enjoy a good scuba diving expedition. Our parents didn't necessarily approve of their precious little princess swimming in trenches with hungry sharks, but they should've thought that through before choosing where Linh was going to spend her days.
If Linh liked something, I liked something. Correction: if Linh liked something, I put up with something. And she deserved to have fun. When I was done with the Selection, it was time for her to be shipped off with some rich guy from another country that treated women like dog shit on a sidewalk.
Needless to say, I was going to drag out the Selection as much as possible. Best case scenario, both my parents have spontaneous heart attacks and Linh gets to marry whoever she wants.
I remember the night of Linh's thirteenth birthday party clearly. I was resting in my room, reading a book, and she slammed the door closed behind her and burst into tears. I ran to her side, hugging her tightly, reassuring her that I was here.
"I'm here," I whispered to her over and over again. We both knew the second part of that sentence. Your parents aren't here, but I am.
For a young girl like Linh, that wasn't enough. It never would be. But it was what she had.
"I'm not normal," she sobbed into my shoulder, crying out the words repeatedly like a broken record. "I'm not normal, I'm not normal, I'm not normal," she chanted until she was too tired to say another verse.
Once she stopped crying, she collapsed on the bed and we stayed like that for another hour. She looked up at me with bloodshot silver-blue eyes, with the version of her that her suitors never saw, that our parents didn't want to see and that I was entrusted with seeing.
"I don't want them around me," she whispered hoarsely. It was hard to tell who she meant by them. The shameless paparazzi who kept the normal childhood Linh deserved just out of reach? The disgusting men years older than her who hung around her a little too closely at her party, looming over her like hungry vultures? Or her parents, who kept everything they told her and everything they did to be locked behind closed doors, to never be opened?
I wouldn't blame her if she meant all three.
"I know," I whispered back. "It'll all be over soon."
When I said that to Linh, I wasn't saying what you were thinking, although both of us knew that was a possibility Linh and I thought of the daily. How easy it would be to end all the suffering just by one swig of drugged wine or with one push of a high balcony.
I smirked inwardly when I thought of how angry our parents would be when they found out that both their heirs had...taken their own lives. They would probably find a way to make the public think that our circumstances were our fault.
"They were foolish children who didn't know what was best for them," Father would say to the camera.
But then they would win. We couldn't let them win. We wouldn't let them win.
No, what I meant when I said those words to Linh was very different. In five years, I would inherit the crown as king. If I could gain the approval of the population- more approval than my father, the power would rest in my hands. In our hands.
I was seventeen now. Just one more year.
That was the one sentence keeping me from ending my own life. One more year. One more year. When the year was up, I would find a way to get Linh back from the clutches of other kings. Together we would rule. Together.
I don't think there is a more beautiful word than that.
We wouldn't need romantic partners, but we could still have them. Together, we could choose who we wanted to marry. Together, we could choose which gender we wanted to marry. Together, we would change everything.
It's easy to get lost in a fantasy of 'whens' and 'ifs' and forget none of those things have happened yet.
I adjust the silver crown on my tousled head of silky black hair. When I become king, I would have to wear a gold one. It's a shame. I look much better in silver.
It should be time to meet the girls soon, I think to myself. It's a tradition that the girls have one day to adjust to their new rooms and surroundings before meeting the prince. They have already been here for a day, and I am to be expected at lunch. Adjusting my crown once more, I walk out of my room and down the hallway, to the dining hall of the thirty-five girls.
Since I was eleven, I knew I would never be happy with a girl. But until I become king, I would have to put up with one for a little while. Just until the rules could be changed.
The dining hall is pristine and elegant. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, coating the plates of sandwiches and cakes with a soft golden light. The wooden table is long and narrow, with seats lining the two sides and one especially regal chair at the far end of the table. The one that was supposed to be for me.
The girls are all dressed in a rainbow of various colors of dresses that ranged from seductive reds to cutesy pinks to lively yellows. Their hair is trimmed and styled to perfection. For some reason, the lavishness of each girl's looks makes me feel uncomfortable. Out of place, even. Father would say that is ridiculous. This is my castle, after all.
One girl catches my eye especially. Biana Vacker. She's a One, in a reasonably renowned family. But she's not completely stuck up. Sometimes I look out my window at night and see her climbing into the window of the room next to me. I smirk and roll my eyes. It's only fair Linh gets to have some fun at her age. And Biana seemed half decent.
I smile at her. Half to be nice, but half to test the waters of Biana's contestants. Biana smiles back nervously, and the girls around her whip their heads to glare at her. I barely resist snorting with amusement. They seem pleasant, I think to myself, shooting Biana a quick look.
Biana glares at me as if to say, Yeah, no kidding.
Lady Galvin sighs. "The girls are almost done with their lunch, Prince Song. If you could come back at a later date-"
"I'm done," Biana says abruptly, slamming her silverware onto the table. She unsurprisingly receives more glares.
Lady Galvin eyes Biana, then me, and Biana again. She lets out another sigh. "Fine. Miss Vacker may talk with the prince first."
The first time the prince meets the girls, he must take a few minutes each to get to know them. Biana has volunteered, even though we know each other well already. I lead her over to the couch and she takes a seat, smoothing her dusky purple dress over her knees.
"I'm sorry," Biana blurts out immediately. Her teal eyes are wide with distress. "I didn't want to enter. I don't want..." She vaguely gestures to me and the other girls and the walls around us. "This." She dips her head in shame. "My Father made me. He said if I enter I can-" Biana's words catch in her throat, and her dark skin pales.
"He said if I enter, he wouldn't make me marry a man of his choosing," Biana whispers. Tears well in her eyes. "And all the men he had his eye on were-"
"His friends?" I guess. A wave of sympathy washes over me. I am lucky to be the one choosing who I married in this situation.
"What happens if you don't get picked?" I ask. Biana sniffles and grips her knees tightly, like she's bracing herself.
"He'll get his choice," Biana answers hopelessly. "I know you aren't going to pick me, but I didn't know what else to do."
I gently place my hand on hers. "Don't worry. I know what you mean. I'm on your side. I will drag this out as long as I possibly can to keep you from facing your father. I promise."
Biana manages a small smile. "You would do that?"
A blush makes its way onto my cheeks. "Yes, of course. You'll be the last to leave. And when I become king, it will all be different. You'll be able to marry anyone you like after I get the crown. Be it, prince or princess."
Biana smiles and blushes slightly crimson. "Um, is-"
"Linh here?" I smirk. "No, unfortunately. She's swimming with the fishes."
Biana's eyes widen and her skin pales even more. I chuckle. "No, sorry! That's not what I meant. She's away at our summer mansion, scuba diving next to a volcano."
Biana chuckles weakly. "You're insufferable, Songbird."
"You too, Beauty Queen."
Lady Galvin clears her throat and glares at me. I glance over at the other girls, obviously staring at us with daggers for eyes. I've been talking to Biana for ten minutes at least.
Biana slunks off to her chair, giving me one last smile. I smile back, glad to have a friend in the game that isn't trying to get in my pants.
"Who's next?" Lady Galvin drones. "Um, Miss Foster?"
An unfamiliar girl stands up. She is tall and thin, almost as tall as me with golden blonde hair to her elbows. She wears a bloodred dress and a timid expression that reminds me of a scared little bird. She sets herself onto the couch carefully and turns to me with nervous brown eyes.
"Um, hi. My name is Sophie Foster," Sophie mumbles. I nod and flash a kind smile.
"You seem nervous," I notice. Sophie grants me a weak grin.
"A little," she admits. She looks at me, and bursts out in hysterical laughter. I join in, ignoring the dagger-like glares behind us.
"Sorry, I'm just...weird, I guess," Sophie apologizes sheepishly.
"You and my sister would be good friends. I don't know what she's talking about half of the time," I say honestly. Sophie snickers.
"So, tell me about your home life," I say. I know I'm supposed to at least pretend to be interested in the girls. Do you have a strategy? Linh would ask me. Yes, I would say back. Find the most tolerable girls of the bunch and go on friendly dates with them so my parents think I'm making progress. Slowly cross names until I get to Biana's and someone else's.
A thought occurs to me. I could just marry Biana. It would only have to be for a little while. Then, once I'm king, I change the divorce and same-sex marriage laws so Linh and I can get married to whomever we please. I'd also change the laws about arranged marriages as a thank you to Biana for pretending to be in love with me.
I'll think about that later, I tell myself. When I'm not pretending to be a heterosexual.
Sophie sighs, alerting me back to reality. "I grew up as a Five. I'm pretty decent at singing. Decent enough to keep food on the table. I have a best friend, but his family went to work for the castle four years ago. I write him letters, but it's not the same. You probably don't know him."
I raise my eyebrows. "Dex Dizznee?"
Sophie's eyes widen. "How did you know?"
I shrug. "He's my assistant. He talks about you quite a lot."
Sophie beams. Then her smile fades, and she frowns. "Am I being too forward by asking to see him?"
I shake my head. "I wouldn't mind. He should be cleaning my room at the moment, but I would be happy to arrange a date between you two. I will tell him you're here as soon as I can."
Sophie flashes me a grateful smile. "Thanks. That means a lot." She glances back at the long table where the other girls were. "Sorry, I better get-"
"I get it," I say understandingly. "It looks like we got an extra hostile bunch this time around." Sophie nods in agreement and pops back into her seat.
Lady Galvin nods approvingly. "Next, er- Miss Redek?"
A third girl gets up from the table. She is shorter than Sophie but just as thin, with a head of frizzy red hair that goes to her ears and a low-cut black suit. She wears black nail polish and makeup and stares at me with the most uninterested expression I have ever seen in my life like I'm a piece of wet cardboard.
She slumps toward me and sits down. "Hi," she says in a low voice.
"What's your name?" I ask her politely. She groans.
"Marella. Marella Redek. Not Mare, not Ella. No nicknames." She pauses. "So I'm supposed to like, talk to you now? Ughhhh."
I chuckle. At least she's honest. A breath of fresh air from what I have to deal with on a daily. Even Dex treats me like a god sometimes, despite my objection to his obnoxious formalities.
"You don't have to," I offer. "If you're tired, I'm sure the maids have your room ready by now."
Marella manages a grateful smile and groans again. "No, it's okay. I just want to let you know that my parents, like, forced me to be here even though I have a...boyfriend." Marella's attention flickers back to the tables. "And, er, he's, like, one thousand times better than you in every way and she- sorry, HE-"
I chuckle. "Don't worry, I get it. You can drop the act."
Marella's jaw drops. "What, um, act?"
I wave my hand in a casual gesture. "You know. The whole 'I have a boyfriend thing'. I won't make any advances towards you in case your 'boyfriend'-" I make quotation marks with my fingers. "-gets miffed. Just make sure to enjoy the palace." I glance at the table of girls. "Oh, and if you want to sneak into your boyfriend's room tonight, take the route behind the suite buildings and past the terraces."
Marella's jaw has dropped to the floor by now. I roll my eyes with amusement. "Next, please."
Lady Galvin raises her eyebrows but doesn't object. "Next: Miss Chebota?"
***
The rest of the afternoon was a blur. I talked to the rest of the girls and held conversations the best I could. Other than Biana, Sophie, and Marella, most of them were a little too forward, a little too boring, and also a little too- well, wrong team for my taste. I rushed to my room as quickly as I could, to prepare for dinner. I was most likely expected to take one of the girls on a date tonight.
I should take Biana, I think to myself, now taking a shower to relax before the first dinner of the Selection. Warms drops of glistening water trickle down my skin. I do need to talk to her about my new plan. If only Linh were here, then I would have someone to gossip with. I sigh, rubbing vanilla-scented shampoo into my hair.
I hop out of the shower and put my suit back on. The door slams just as I fix my bangs and a skinny boy in an apron hurries in. As usual, he has a bright smile on his face.
"Tam!" Dex squealed, almost wrapping me in a hug but catching himself at the last second. He flushes with embarrassment.
I smile. "It's fine." I don't usually like physical touch, but Dex and Linh have always been the exceptions. "Is everything okay?"
"More than okay!" Dex grins. "I ran into one of the contestants in the hallway. And guess who it was!"
I chuckle. "Sophie Foster?"
"YES!!"
"Do you want to spend a little time with her before dinner?" I ask him. "I know you've always been close."
"That would be AWESOME!" Dex's grin falters a little. "Actually...I was wondering if I could be her assistant for her stay. Would you m-"
"Would I mind?" I pretend to think cautiously. Dex hasn't had a break from me in months. It's an obvious decision. "No. Duh. Go hang out with your cousin."
Dex bolts towards the door before I can look up at him. "Wait," I say sternly. "I do need to come with you, to take Sophie's current maid as my own."
"Oh, right! Sorry, T- er, Prince Song!" Dex apologizes sheepishly.
I sigh. "Are you ever going to stop calling me Song?"
Dex grins again. "Probably not." He races down the hallway and I elegantly trail behind with my hands behind my back. We arrive at Sophie's suite soon enough, bathed in sunlight from the light coming in from the massive windows lining the opposite side of the halls. Sophie opens the door with the speed of a cheetah with arms.
"DEX!" Dex gets wrapped in a bear hug that makes me wonder which arms and legs are whose. After an excessively long cute-squealing-cousin-moment that makes me miss Linh a little too much, Dex pulls away.
"TAMMY SAID YES!" I grit my teeth at the choice of nickname. Sophie just screams in delight.
"Alright, Dex, you are going to need to do your work. I hope you know how to style dresses."
Dex tilts his head to the side. "Of course I do. Who doesn't?" He studies his cousin cautiously for a moment. "I think you would look good in red."
Sophie squeals again and ushers Dex inside, almost slamming the door on me before looking behind her and facepalming.
"Oh, right! Keefe, you don't mind trading, right?" Sophie asks someone out of my line of sight. The sparkles in her eyes state clearly that she is giving him a one-answer question.
A voice sighs. "Yeah, sure. Don't miss me too much, Foster." Another man steps out into the doorway. He is tall and rather good-looking, with a smirk plastered above his chiseled jawline that makes me want to slap him. His ice blue eyes rake over my silver crown.
"Foster, you didn't tell me I was going to work for the prince. A pleasure to meet you in person, Prince Song." He greets me sarcastically, granting me a slight bow.
"A pleasure," I repeat drily. "Let's get going."
"Aloof much," Keefe remarks with a smirk. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be good friends."
I sigh. "You're new here, I assume." Keefe nods.
"How did you know?" Keefe slides up next to me. I notice how he carries himself; confidently but casually. Usually, the exact way you shouldn't act around a prince.
"You have the feeling," I say coolly, keeping my eyes forward, not daring to look back at him.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Do you want it to be?" I forget to resist the temptation to look at him directly. Keefe shrugs.
"Maybe," he says with a sly smile. "I usually like it when cute people enjoy my presence." He winks.
I feel my face warm up and turn away as quickly as possible, forcing my eyes back on the hallway ahead.
"You better really enjoy your time off, Dex," I mutter to myself, unfortunately, loud enough for Keefe to hear.
"Uptight much?" he retorts playfully. I grit my teeth.
"Keep talking and I'll give you a day off and let you unclog the toilets. I heard a couple of the contestants have irritable bowel syndrome," I snap.
Keefe snickers. "Did you just tell a joke?"
I scoff. "No, of course not. What part of 'I'm a prince' do you not understand?"
"Princes can't tell jokes?"
"They can." We stop in front of my royal suite and I use my silver key to unlock the door. "I just don't."
This'll be enjoyable, I think to myself sarcastically as Keefe and I walk into the suite.