#*normal airport pain but at the tail end of twenty four hours of travelling from melbourne

[batcii]

i am in greece! here are some γάτες

[choicesfanatic86]

If Only:  Chapter 18

DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story.  Those belong to me. ;)

PAIRINGS:  Liam x Riley (MC)

SUMMARY:  And they're off to Cordonia!  Riley and Liam have a heart to heart about what to expect when they arrive in Cordonia.

TAGS - If you would like to be tagged for If Only, please message me.  I am reworking all of my fan fiction, and I know that a lot of people may no longer be in the fandom, or maybe they no longer want to follow If Only.  If that is the case, I didn't want to unnecessarily tag someone.  So please, let me know if you would like to be tagged for future updates of this piece.

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11/25/2019 - It has been over a year since I updated If Only, and I feel absolutely sick about it.  I apologize for not updating as regularly as I should have.  I came back in May with the intent to keep writing and bring new stories to the fandom, but my world got rocked with a horrible family situation.  I went MIA initially because I had a family emergency come up in September of 2018.  My father was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.  He became stable at the beginning of May which prompted me to feel a bit reinvigorated to write again.  We were thrown for a loop when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of May after a brief period of stabilization. His kidneys shut down and he went into respiratory failure.  Ironically, the cancer may have weakened him, but it wasn't his cause of death.  I was a wreck.  I've slowly gone through the grieving process and wanted to try my hand at writing again.  I can't promise you I'll be consistent, but I'm going to try. Thank you all for the amazing support and thoughts.  Thank you for your sweet reviews.  I will be going through all of them. <3

Chapter 18

Riley was certain of one thing – she would always find herself awestruck at being able to fly on a private airplane.  She hadn’t traveled all that much before, but when she did, it was a pain.  The astronomical cost of airline tickets, the long lines, the long list of TSA security no-nos that she could never seem to grasp . . . all of it made the whole prospect of travelling more of a nuisance than anything else.  Traveling with Liam, on the other hand, had been nothing but a dream since the moment they got to the airport.  Liam once again took charge guiding her to where they needed to check in.  Things at the airport had gone just as smoothly as they had when they left Las Vegas.  Actually, it had gone even smoother than Las Vegas since they were flying out internationally and that terminal had not been nearly as crowded as the domestic terminals.  Liam once again breezed by as Riley trailed behind him, still unaccustomed to the life of private jet-setting.  She still found the entire thing to be a bit surreal.  What normally would have been a two hour process had only taken them twenty minutes.  Apparently, the life of royalty had some major perks.

A little over an hour later, Riley found herself sitting on the private plane that was scheduled to take them to Cordonia.  She stared absently out of the plane’s window as she contemplated how differently her life had ended up than what she had planned out over the years.  For one, she never, ever saw herself sitting on a private plane as they waited for the all clear for takeoff.  For another, she never thought she’d get married to a complete stranger on a whim – in Vegas, no less.  Then again, she also never thought she’d ever meet someone like Liam.  She bit her lip lightly as she watched him joke around with the flight crew.  Apparently, he knew all of them quite well.  They weren’t treating him like a prince, but rather an old friend who they were excited to see.  But that was the thing about Liam – despite his royal roots, he seemed like such an average, ordinary, everyday guy.  He was genuinely a good guy - somebody you could sit around and have hours of conversation with and never got bored.  She smiled and watched as he fawned over pictures of one of the flight attendant’s newborn grand-daughter.  He never fell short of amazing her.  She had always pictured herself winding up with some sort of science geek, who, like her, had spent years focusing on his education to land the perfect job.  Liam was completely different.  The connection they shared was one in a million.  The time they spent together alone in her apartment had further solidified that fact.  She’d have been foolish to let him slip away from her in Vegas, and if she had, she’d likely never find that sort of connection with someone else ever again.  Their relationship wasn’t something that you could just dismiss as being a spur of the moment, one-time fling.  He made her feel alive again, and she loved how he had forced her to reevaluate the life she was living, and helped her to see that none of it was what she wanted.  It felt as if they had known each other for years instead of only a few days.  There was just something about Liam that brought out her desire for an exciting new adventure.  For the first time in years, she didn’t have a plan, and it scared the shit out of her.  There was no denying the fact that she felt like she was swimming in the deep end of the pool without any sort of lifejacket.  But, for some reason, she was okay with that, because she knew she’d have Liam by her side to help keep her afloat.  

Riley’s smile grew as he chatted with a different flight attendant about their travel plans when they got to Cordonia.  He was going on and on about how he wanted to take her to their country house to show her the orchards of apple trees.  She looked around the bustling plane – apart from the three flight attendants she had seen, she had counted four more flight attendants and two pilots on their flight.  She shook her head in disbelief.  It was crazy to think that all nine members of the flight crew were aboard just for them.  It was hard to believe that this was her life now.  

Liam grasped one of the male attendants on the shoulder as he headed back over to where she was sitting.  “You look rather deep in thought,” he murmured as he sidled into the seat next to her.

She smiled softly.  “Just thinking about what a whirlwind this has all been.  I guess it’s just hard to believe that we won’t have to listen to crying babies or fighting for space for our carry-ons in the overhead compartment.”

“I admit, those are things I have never had to worry about when I traveled,” he smirked.  “But I can imagine those sorts of things would be rather inconvenient.”

“Exceptionally so,” she chuckled.  “You’re so amazing with people, Liam.  The way you talk to them and treat them with the utmost respect regardless of your status,” Riley looked at him in admiration.  “You’re just a genuine, sweet man,” she said, clasping her hand in his.

He looked at her adoration.  “I’ve known all of them for years – since I was old enough to travel with my father,” he smiled.  “They’re like another set of family members.  The older woman I was talking to?  Dolores?  She just welcomed her first granddaughter.  My father gave her some time off to spend with the new baby,” he explained.  “Being royal doesn’t make you any less human.  Having compassion and being respectful are just decent things to do,” he explained as he squeezed her hand back.

“Well, you don’t see a lot of that in New York,” Riley mused.  “And I’ll be honest, people can become a bit snooty when power goes to their head.  Trust me.”  She thought of the many rude people she encountered as she walked along the streets of New York City.  There was always some guy in a total rush with a cell phone pressed against his ear and a briefcase swinging from his hand pushing his way down the sidewalk trying to get the next available cab.  New York people were savage.

Liam chuckled at her observation.  “Quite true, love.  I assure you, that is just how I was raised.  I just couldn’t live with myself if I treated anyone with anything but the respect that they deserve.”

“You are one in a million, Liam Rys.” She smiled broadly, squeezing his hand tightly.

“As are you, Riley Rys,” he winked at her.  

She blushed as she changed the subject.  “So, do we have any layovers or are we landing straight in Cordonia?”

He shook his head.  “No stopovers, that’s not how private jets work, love.  The flight should take about eight hours tops,” he explained.  “We’ll be arriving in Cordonia at around 7:30 in the morning.”

“Wow, that early?” Riley asked.  

“The time difference will take a bit getting used to, especially since you’ve lived in New York your whole life,” he explained.  “The early arrival will be beneficial to us, I’m sure.  I doubt the press will have caught wind that we’re arriving that early.  It might give us enough time to get you to the palace without the mad rush of press on our tails,” he reasoned.

“The press?” She asked, her eyes widening.

Just as Liam was about to explain further, the pilot came over the loudspeaker announcing that they would be preparing for takeoff.  Riley inhaled deeply as she felt the power and speed of the plane push forward as it readied itself for take off.  She was momentarily distracted from the idea of the press and what exactly he meant about them being on their tails.

When they reached a comfortable elevation, the captain came over the loudspeaker again.

“Your Majesties, thank you for joining us this afternoon.  We expect the flight to take roughly eight hours, and we are expecting clear skies and smooth travel.  Should you need anything, please let any one of our staff attendants know and they will be glad to assist you with whatever you may need,” the voice boomed.

“Was he talking to me, too?” She asked, her eyes widening once more.

“Well, yes, love.  You are the future Queen of Cordonia.  It is only right that he address you as such,” he explained.

Riley knew that marrying Liam automatically meant that she was royalty, too, but having someone actually refer to her as one was crazy.  

“Your Majesties, would you like a beverage?  Wine?  Or champagne perhaps?” Dolores, the attendant Liam had been talking to earlier asked.

“Love?” Liam asked.

“Um, maybe just some water?” She asked quietly.

“Of course, Your Majesty.  Prince Liam?”

“I’m fine, Dolores,” he smiled brightly at the older woman.  “Maybe when we have our meals I’ll have a bit of scotch,” he added.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she acquiesced as she poured Riley a glass of water.

“This is surreal,” she murmured, mostly to herself.

“Love, this is what you have to look forward to each time you travel,” he laughed.  “With our busy schedules, it only seems right that we travel as comfortable as possible.  After all, we don’t know when we’ll have a spare moment to ourselves again,” he said knowingly.

She nodded nervously, her hands fiddling about in her lap.  That’s actually what was worrying her.  What was life going to be like now that they were heading out of their Las Vegas and New York bubbles?  

Liam leaned over, clasping his hands around hers and smiled.  “You’re fine, love,” he murmured encouragingly.  “Now that I have you held captive in an airplane . . . ” he trailed off, eyeing her a bit nervously.

“What?” She asked; worry once again coursed through her body.

“Are you ready to talk about what you’ve signed up for?” He shot her a nervous smile.  He looked as if he were waiting for her to jump ship . . . or in this case, plane . . . any second.

She eyed him suspiciously, taking a large gulp of her cold water.  “You act as if I just signed up to go to war or something,” she chuckled anxiously.  “I know you don’t want to scare me, Liam, but I think I can handle whatever they’re going to throw my way,” she said.  Think being the operative word.  She talked a good game and tried her best to calm the quaking nerves inside of her, but in truth, she was absolutely petrified.  She had no clue how to be a princess . . . let alone a queen when that time inevitably arrived.  How on earth was she going to manage it all while still getting to know her new husband?

“I don’t mean to sound so cryptic,” he explained apologetically.  “I suppose I just wanted to prepare you for what might happen when we arrive,” he said vaguely.

“Are you expecting a grand welcome?” She arched an eyebrow.

“Well, possibly,” he admitted.

Her eyebrow arched a bit higher.  “Oh,” she said nervously.

“To be quite honest, I’m not sure what to expect.”  He ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck, and looked at her bashfully.  “Our early arrival does buy us some time as I mentioned, but I’m honestly not too sure what the Cordonian people have been told.  I’m not sure if they’ve publically announced the end of my engagement to Olivia,” he said uncertainly.  “In fact, I’m not sure if they even announced that we’ve gotten married.”

“And if they have?” Riley asked.

“If they have, then you can expect the press to be hounding us until they get a printable story,” he sighed.  “It’s the nature of the press, love.  They have a hunger for a scandal . . . the more prominent the person, the more desirable the story,” he said glumly.

“And being the heir to the Cordonian throne, any story about you would be explosive,” Riley said, understanding where he was going with his explanation.  The press wouldn’t let the story rest until they had every single detail about the end of his engagement to Olivia and their subsequent marriage in Vegas.  They were in for one hell of a welcome if that were the case.  She shook her head hesitantly.  The idea of being hounded by the press wasn’t something she was particularly looking forward to.  She had never paid attention to those sordid, trashy tabloids back home.  She had always thought that it was grossly negligent to publish half-facts and over-exaggerations.  This was the conversation that she had been worried about.  Up to this point, everything had been a vague and distant idea that she had formulated inside of her head, but as Cordonia loomed closer and closer in front of them, at some point they’d have to discuss the elephant in the room, and apparently, Liam had decided that “some point” was right then and there.

“I wish I could say that this will be easy, love . . . but it won’t.  I wish I could take the burden of the scrutiny of the press and the people and my family away so that you would never have to endure a single unpleasant moment.  But having lived this life in the limelight for as long as I have . . . I know that many will have . . . reservations,” he explained hesitantly.

“Reservations?” She asked, slightly confused.

“They may publish some untrue things about you . . . they may suspect we got pregnant out of wedlock, hence the quickie marriage . . . they may even publish some nasty, untrue remarks about your friends and family . . .” he trailed off.

She winced a little.  She had never really had a thick skin growing up.  She had always been sensitive, and she didn’t like to be teased or taunted.  The idea of having a whole nation scrutinize her every move, made her physically ill.  The idea of having someone critique how she acted, what she wore, who she spent time with . . . it all felt too much.  But to have that extend to her family and friends?  She couldn’t imagine dealing with that on top of everything else.

Liam continued.  “Olivia was a well-liked Duchess, and although the marriage was arranged, I’d imagine that many may not take kindly to the broken engagement . . . and our subsequent union,” he reasoned.  

“Like Bertrand,” she arched a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes, like Bertrand.  Some of the people of Cordonia are traditionalists.  They may not be so welcoming to the fact that I have married someone not of the country.  Not of Europe for that matter,” he explained.  “But I have no doubt that once they get to know you . . . the you I fell in love with . . . all of their reservations will disappear,” he said optimistically.

“I hope so,” she said meekly.  “I know it’s going to be tough . . . I just don’t want people to hate me, you know?”

“They won’t hate you, love,” he chuckled.  “How would they hate the most amazing girl I’ve ever met?”

Riley sighed, leaning closer into him.  “You were engaged, Liam.  To a woman you have had a friendship with for most of your life.  Are you telling me that she’ll warmly open her arms and welcome me to the palace?”

Liam grimaced in reply.  “Well, obviously not.  Olivia will prove to be a difficulty.  Of that, I’m quite sure.”

“And your parents?”  Riley added.  “You got into quite the tiff with your father before we left.”

“As did you,” he reminded her.  “My father and stepmother will come around.  Once they realize that Cordonia’s future will not be in any jeopardy and that the monarchy will continue, they will warm to the idea of our marriage.  It will take time, love.”

She nodded.  She sucked in a long breath.  She needed to be strong.  As long as she had Liam by her side, she knew they’d be able to overcome whatever difficulties that were headed their way.

“We’re going to get through all of this together, Riley.  I will never forget how much you’re giving up for me . . . for us,” he said passionately.

She leaned in for a soft kiss.  Liam deepened the kiss before pulling himself away.  “I have such a hard time controlling myself around you,” he said breathily.

“Let me distract you.  Tell me about Cordonia.  Not about the press or the bad stuff we might encounter,” she shook her head.  “If I’m moving to a brand new country, I should know everything there is about it.  The internet wasn’t too helpful.  I guess it’s so small that not a lot of people actually know a whole lot about it,” she frowned.

He nodded.  “It is small, but I assure you it has a rich history.  A history that you and I are now a part of,” he smiled.  “I’ll happily answer any questions you’d like about Cordonia, but I think that the best way to get to know our beautiful country is to experience it first hand in person,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everything,” she agreed. After a brief moment, she asked another question. “So, can I get a job when we get there?  Or is that sort of not allowed.  I just don’t want people thinking I’m some sort of gold-digger.  Your friends already accused me of being a crown-chaser, and I don’t want people thinking that I don’t want to work . . . because I kind of do?  I mean, I don’t really know what I could do considering I have a degree in Biology   . . . and I’m a medical school drop out . . . but there has to be something right?” she rambled out

Liam stared at her as if she had three heads.  She supposed it was a silly question.  Did royalty work?  She tried to think back on the lives of various royal figures - did Princess Diana have a job? What about Princess Eugenie?  How about Duchess Kate?  Surely an independent woman such as Duchess Megan Markle kept a job?  She frowned, she was being ridiculous.  Of course they didn’t have jobs.  They were too busy jet setting alongside their husbands.  She frowned at the thought.  She had never seen herself as being a woman who relied on a man to do all of the hard work.  She hadn’t liked when Liam’s friends had thought of her as being a crown-chaser, and she certainly didn’t want the rest of the public thinking the same thing.  Shouldn’t she be able to prove that she’s way more than just some woman that Liam met in Las Vegas?  She wanted to contribute in someway . . . even if she didn’t know exactly how she could contribute.

“You don’t have to work, love.  I told you that.  You will want for nothing the moment you set foot inside the palace,” he assured her.

“That’s such a strange concept,” she frowned.  “Not working . . .I mean, I went to college, got my degree, held quite a few jobs over the years, and now I just . . . do nothing?” she pursed her lips.  “I don’t want people to think that I married you for anything other than love,” she said softly.

“Being Queen is a job in itself Riley,” he explained.  “You’ll be expected to plan social functions, attend political meetings, coordinate various social programs, meet with different international figures . . . although the compensation process might be quite different than what you’re used to, you will very much have a job in Cordonia,” He rationalized.  

She nodded, although she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the whole concept.  “So the whole social functions thing . . . is that like party planning?”

“Oh, love.  It is far more than just a party.  Why don’t I give you a brief history of Cordonia and some perspective on the monarchy and perhaps then you’ll understand a bit more about how important the social season is to the Cordonian people?”

She nodded eagerly, sitting up in her chair.  “I’d like that a lot actually.  I feel like I’m jumping out of a plane without a parachute when it comes to knowing anything about Cordonia.  I really don’t want my first impression with your family to be me clueless about the country I’m now a resident of,” she gave a nervous chuckle.

A few hours later, Liam had recounted a not-so-brief history of everything about Cordonia.  Riley had no idea how Liam was able to remember all of it.  She guessed having grown up there gave him an upper hand, but still.  He was able to recount every single monarch and every single duchy that.  He could even rattle off population stats that all sounded like a bunch of mumble jumble to her.

“Lords and Ladies . . . palaces  . . . waltzes . . . balls . . . court . . . my head is spinning, Liam,” she frowned.  She needed some aspirin, or maybe a stiff drink.  She hadn’t expected her Cordonia 101 class with Liam to be easy, but she had hoped that she’d be able to at least glean some information to help her survive her first few days there.  Instead, she felt like she had nothing but information overload.  She couldn’t tell you who anyone was or what city was what because all of the names and places started to merge with one another after a while.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’re doing remarkably well,” he said encouragingly.  “Hopefully some of the notes you took will help,” he smiled.

Yes, she had taken notes, but she had no clue what was important and what wasn’t.  She hadn’t even known Cordonia even existed before meeting Liam.  Now, she suddenly needed to know everything there was to know about the tiny country.  How on earth was she going to remember everything?  

“Trust me, love.  In time, all of this information will become second nature,” Liam beamed at her.

She snorted.  She didn’t want to tell him that she was more of a math and sciences sort of girl as opposed to being a history buff.  She couldn’t imagine a time when all of these Cordonian factoids would become second nature.

“Here.  Let’s test some of your knowledge now.  I’ll give you an easy one,” he said excitedly.  “What is the capital of Cordonia?” Liam asked expectedly.

Riley licked her lips nervously.  Her eyes scanned the notes in front of her, but she could barely make out half of her short hand.  She paused, uncertainly.  “Valtoria,” she half-asked.

“Correct,” he smiled at her proudly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her hand.  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.  You’ll have Cordonian culture down in no time.”

She smiled tightly in response.  She hoped he was right.  She had been taking notes off and on during their discussion, but she didn’t really know how it would help her if she got ambushed by the press.  It’s not like she could pull out a set of flash cards when she was getting interviewed.  She didn’t think that’d earn her any brownie points with the Cordonian public.  

Liam continued to quiz her on questions during the last few hours of the flight, and Riley admittedly was starting to remember some of the major things that Liam had taught her, but she still felt that all of the information she had just gained were whirling inside of her head like a tornado.  She had never wanted to excel at something so much in her life.  She felt like she was back in school, trying to cram in as much information as possible.  She just hoped it stuck.

“What if I mess up?” She asked worriedly.  “It took me years to even learn all the capitols of the fifty states,” she frowned.  “And even then I still managed to goof up every now and then,” she said, her voice laced with a bit of panic.

“Riley, love, you’re a natural at this.  You may not be Cordonian by birth, but we will have you be a star pupil on Cordonian history in no time,” he said encouragingly.  “Like I said, you’re already doing so well.”

“I don’t know how I’ll remember all of this,” she said faintly.  “There’s a reason why I went to medical school.  Liberal arts wasn’t exactly my strong suit,” she joked.

“I’ll be there to guide you, and my friends, once they get to know you, will be more than happy to provide you with some help along the way.  I happen to know that Bertrand majored in history at our university,” he said.  “I’d be happy to talk to him about perhaps giving you some private lessons on Cordonian culture,” he offered.  “He’d actually be well-suited to help you adjust to court life.”

“Bertrand  . . . yeah, I don’t think he’ll be very much inclined to help me considering he wanted to have our marriage annulled,” she sighed.  “He also seemed to think that I would be the demise of Cordonia.”

“Well, yes, remember, Bertrand is a traditionalist.  His duty to country comes before all else.  But regardless, he’s still my friend, and as such, he’ll want me to be happy.  If I ask him to help you adjust to court life, he will do it.  Begrudgingly at first, but after he sees how well suited you are as my wife, he’ll come around.”

Riley sighed.  What an optimist.  As much as she wanted to believe that Bertrand would help her, she believed that he’d probably eagerly wait for the moment for her to fall flat on her face.  She was about to ask Liam a few more questions about Cordonia when she felt a slight rumble under her feet.  She felt the plane begin to descend, and looked at Liam a bit concerned.  “What was that?” She asked in alarm.

“We’re getting closer,” he explained as his eyes peered out the window.  “It looks like we’re descending a bit to prepare for landing,” he reasoned.  His eyes grew a bit brighter as he stared out the window.  “Well, Mrs. Rys . . . if you look out to your left you’ll catch your first glimpse of your new home,” Liam beamed proudly.

Riley leaned against the window, her eyes gazing out into the distance below her.  She could just make out the aerial view of the country.  A million thoughts ran through her mind.  They were here.  They were finally here.   Riley gazed out at the shimmering blue ocean below her.  Cordonia’s coastline was breathtaking.  The little information she found on Google did nothing to prepare her for the sheer beauty of the country below her.  

She turned to Liam in awe, and he greeted her gaze with a beaming smile.  All it took for her worries to wane was a single look at Liam.  She knew this move would be hard, and she knew that she would be faced with a lot of scrutiny, and although she still had reservations about what would be like as an outsider, she knew that as long as Liam stood by her side, she’d somehow manage to pull through all of this.  

“That’s our country,” he said, leaning over her, pressing a soft kiss on the temple of her forehead.

“Our?” She whispered, still a bit overwhelmed about the reality of finally being in Cordonia.  She turned to face him, his eyes fixed on her in admiration.

“Yes, love.  The moment you said yes . . . the moment you signed those papers . . . this became all of yours,” he said proudly.