#Maxwells not gonna hurt him he just got hungry and wanted a snack :)

[anganoms]

Okay soooo

I made some more M4xw1l vore :) don't worry he'll be fiiiiine (probably)

[theblueskyphoenix]

Flipside: An Unusual Friend

William always looked forward to when his father came from book trades. It meant new material he could dive into and enjoy. Something to help pass the time whenever he had an asthma episode or something he could do while Jack was busy with schoolwork and couldn’t play with him.

I wonder if he got some magic trick books this time.

William was bouncing on the balls of his feet as his father came in through the front door, a huge amount of books in his arms and hand bag.

“Welcome home, Father!” William said, hugging his father’s leg. “Did you have a fun time at the trade?”

Milo smiled down at his son. He would’ve patted his head like he usually did if it weren’t for the amount books that were currently in his hands.

“Sure did. Got some rare ones this time, including some with Celtic legends.”

William’s eyes lit up at this.

“Something we can read together before bed?”

“I’ll have to double check the contents but I most certainly have some that qualify.”

“Yay!”

Milo chuckled before heading into his study, William following close behind. He set the books down by his desk, sighing in relief.

“Got a lot more than I was expecting.” He smiled. “Worth it though.”

He looked to his son, seeing his bright green eyes full of wonder.

“You can have one book while I get these all organized.” Milo ruffled his hair. “Till I do they will be off limits.”

“Okay!” William grinned, looking through the books.

He looked through at each one carefully. All seemed interesting. He wasn’t sure if he could just settle for one but he knew no matter of sad faces would change his father’s mind. His eyes were soon caught by one that didn’t have a title at all written anywhere on the spine or the cover.

The book was grey in color with black binding and on the front, was a big red “M” and… that was it. William picked it up, noting it looked a little on the older side.

“What’s this one, Father?” He asked, holding it up for Milo to see.

Milo looked at it, putting a hand to his chin.

“Oh yeah, funny story with that one. The person who gave it to me said they found it randomly in their shop one day. They weren’t really sure what to do it with it and wanted to get rid of it since it was taking up space so they gave it to me for free. Didn’t say what the contents were though.”

“Maybe I could look through it? If it’s anything bad I’ll just shut it right away.”

Milo hummed in thought before taking the book for a moment. He flipped through it quickly, seeing images of creatures that seemed other worldly.

Must be one of those fact books on fantasy creatures that are really gaining traction these days.

He closed it handing it back to William, seeing no harm.

“Let me know what you find.” Milo smiled.

“Okay!” William grinned before running off to his room.

He plopped down on his bed, holding his toy rabbit close to him.

“Okay, Judy. Let’s see what this book has.”

He made the toy nod its head before opening the book.

Inside… William wasn’t sure what to make of it. There was not a lick of English in the book. Some weird scrawl like markings of another language he had never seen before in his life. He kept flipping through, trying to see if there was any. He could see pictures of creatures but he had no idea what they were.

They look really creepy… Especially those completely blacked out ones. They look like they’re gonna jump out at any second.

He decided to flip to the beginning of the book, hoping for some kind of title page. What he found looked like a list of names under one big one that was in English.

“Maxwell…?” He said out loud. “Who’s Maxwell?”

Is that what the “M” on the book stands for?

“The traitor. That’s who he is.”

William jumped, looking up from his book, noticing the room had gone dark. His eyes widened in alarm at the creatures that were now hanging around the walls, looking at him with hungry glares. They looked exactly like the blacked out creatures in the book.

“T-Traitor?” William gulped, backing up as much as possible. “W-What do you mean?”

One of the creatures sneered.

“He dared to disobey commands. All because he was growing soft for… Bleck! A human and his family! We thought we got it all out of him the day we killed his brother but no…”

William was trembling.

“I-I don’t understand…”

This is gotta be a dream. Gotta be a dream. Or… a… a nightmare…

The creatures all grinned at him, laughing, amused at his fear.

“We don’t expect you to understand, child. We’re just here because we can be… and you also have that book… So… No apologies for what we’re about to do.”

They all lunged for William, the boy covering himself, letting out a shriek.

“FATHER!!”

A loud choruses of shrieks were heard before everything went silent. William was shaking, not wanting to look. He was expecting pain but it never came. He waited another moment before looking up, eyes widening in shock.

In front of him was a new creature. It was humanoid in appearance but it was no human, that was for sure. It was black all over, had claw like feet and hands and a tail. Its hair had a flow to it as well, like a flame. It was tall too, probably as tall as Milo if not taller. The only articles of clothing it seemed to have was a crown and a long flowing grey cloak.

William swallowed hard as the creature looked to him with its glowing white and grey eyes. He whimpered, backing away.

“D-Don’t hurt me…”

The creature frowned at this, kneeling to his level.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” it said, giving as gentle of a look as it could. “Would seem wrong to hurt you after saving you from those nightmare monsters.”

William gave a surprised look.

“You… You stopped them?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t be right for them to hurt an innocent child like yourself.” The creature reached a claw hand forward. “I promise, I’m not here to cause you any harm.”

William hestated before placing his hand in the creature’s.

“T-Thank you I guess… Who are you?”

The creature gave a small bow.

“Maxwell. The traitor those monsters mentioned.”

William’s eyes got wide.

“Are you the same Maxwell of this book?” He asked.

“I am.” He frowned. “I’m sorry they wanted to hurt you for finding the book. I really didn't mean for that to happen. Though… I have to thank you for opening it. I never thought I was going to get out of there.”

“You… were stuck in here?” William held up the book.

“Yes… Some traitor sealed me in there when they usurped me from the throne.” Maxwell hissed a bit. “He had an idea that he could make a better king than me.”

William’s eyes filled with wonder.

“You’re a king?”

“Was…” Maxwell sighed, sitting down. “Sadly, that title no longer belongs to me. It belongs to someone else.” He lowered his head. “Not sure if it’s the same person who overthrew me but… who ever they are I don’t envy them. Being king isn’t exactly really being king.”

“How do you mean?”

Maxwell looked at William carefully. He shook his head, patting William’s head.

“That is something I don’t think I could bear to tell someone as young as you. To be honest without giving details, you’re more of a slave rather than a ruler.”

“Oh…” William frowned. “That sounds awful.”

“It is…” Maxwell sighed. “Not sure what I’ll do now… Doubt I can go home. I won’t be welcomed there, as evidenced by the nightmare monsters and I’m sure my people would also not be happy to me either…”

“So you have nowhere to go?”

“Not really… and I am bound to the book. Can’t go too far from it. It’s a ball and chain for me…” Maxwell ran a hand through his flame like hair. “I guess… I'll just spend the rest of my days in it.”

William hummed in thought before speaking up.

“What if you didn’t have to?”

“Hm?”

William gave an innocent look.

“You seem really nice… Maybe… you could stay with us.”

Maxwell was taken aback by this.

“Pardon?”

“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to but I think it would be fun to have another person around. My father, mother and brother are busy a lot and those nightmare creatures might come back. I think I’d feel better if you were here. So… if you want.”

Maxwell thought it over.

He has a point. The nightmare monsters are not known to give up after one attack… and…

He looked at William, warmth and nostalgia coming over him at the innocence he could see in the boy’s eyes.

He has the same kind of look in his eyes Lux always had…

Maxwell thought about it for another moment before extending a hand.

“I probably won’t make myself known to your other family members but… I wouldn’t mind acting as a guard for you against the nightmare monsters. And… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a new home… so… under your terms and my own, I shall remain here. Do we have a deal?”

William nodded, taking his hand, giving a shake.

“We sure do Mr. Maxwell! Oh! Before I forget, my name is William. William Carter!”

“William eh? Nice name.” Maxwell chuckled, making himself comfortable on the bed, his tail swishing in amusement. “So… what would you like to do first?”

William hummed in thought.

“Hm… You ever go digging for crystals?”

“Digging… for crystals?”

“Ahuh! It’s really fun! Oh! And we can swipe some of Mother’s snacks before we do. She made some really yummy cookies!”

“I… guess we could do that.”

“Yay! Come on then!” He picked up the book. “I mean, might wanna make yourself invisible or something but follow me!”

William hurried down the hall, Maxwell following after him, making himself invisible to others. He wasn’t really sure what to make of this new situation but… maybe it wouldn’t be all bad.

I don’t have to serve anyone anymore save this little boy but… he’s not going to torture me like They did… and… I can’t let Them get him either…

Maxwell smiled to himself, nodding.

I’ll do just that then… To make up for all I did.

oooooo

So I decided I wanted to throw my hat into the ring with writing snippets and well here we are. I don’t plan on doing an epic with Flipside but snippets sounded like a whole lot of fun as a means of telling some parts of this AU. So, to kick it off, the meeting of Maxwell and a very very young William Carter. Quite different from how they met in the canon eh?

Maxwell, protect this boy with your life. He is too pure and needs to be protected at all costs. Capiche?

See ya next time~

[geminidarksidehasawoken]

Hello everyone!

I am back to writing again... I sincerely apologize for the delay and hope you all can forgive me for going away for so long.

Hana and I spent the evening on the nature reserve, simply watching the panda cubs falling over themselves while playing. We couldn’t bear to be indoors, it was as though we were suffocating.

“Do you remember this?” Hana asks as we play with the cute little panda cub.

“How could I forget?” The words are bitter, the memory of this place hurt more because this was the first time he had ever chosen to let me slip away. It was in Shanghai that I had discovered the plot against me had been by no other than Liam’s father.

He’d plotted against me, set me up, ruined my image… then to make matters worse he couldn’t come forward to clear my name, and the king couldn’t marry someone with a tarnished reputation.

“I admired your strength, coming back to clear your name, fighting for love,” Hana says as she holds the cub on her lap patting its head absentmindedly.

I laugh, “I was foolish thinking I could win; in the end, I was pregnant and scared,” I say blocking out the memories… there were too many. Watching Liam across a room, our eyes holding while he held another. Stolen moments that were never enough.

“I need to tell you something, it’s why I left the first time…”

“Okay.”

Her hands shook, her eyes blurred with tears and I knew whatever was going to come next would move the ground from beneath my feet.

“I left because I found out I was p...p…pregnant, and I wasn’t too sure what I wanted or if D…D…Drake would want a child with me, but I later lost the baby because I was out of the first trimester. Ectopic pregnancy.” She whispers, hand moving to her belly.

And I was right. Pain so real; loss for the child I never got to know felt as though it was about to rip me to pieces. What does one say to something like this?

“Hana, I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been there for you,” I say as she rests her head on my shoulder and I wipe away the tears.

“You were, you just thought I had a ruptured appendix,” she says with her chin wobbling. Even through it all, she tries to smile.

“I may not be able to have children” she sniffles batting her eyes to stop the tears. I was completely floored, as I pulled her into me and held her. No words were needed; we just shared her pain like I would have if I had known about this a year ago.

Our heart to heart was emotionally draining. We decided to skip dinner, Instead, we had popcorn and soda, cheese snack, and ice cream. We ate until we were both too full to move, playing games trying to make a lighter note from the pain.

“Oh, by the way, did I tell you I saw Maxwell and Olivia?” she asks with a giggle.

 “Seems Maxwell may have broken through her icy facade,” she comments wistfully as popping a kernel into her mouth.

“Lucky them,” is all I say as I dive into my rum and raisin ice cream with gusto.

“Think we gonna be okay?” She asks when the room has gotten too quiet, each of us retreating into ourselves.

“We’ll just learn a new normal.” After twelve years when your heart still yearns for another, it’s time to learn a new normal do or be something different.

“I’m going to tell him about Leanna…” the words flow right out of me, making my heart race.

“Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not but it’s time to move forward. He should know. Let him make a decision; whatever happens, I won’t stand in your way anymore.”

I realize that my fears of his rejection were nothing compared to what Hana and Drake were feeling right now, both broken because of me. While Hana said it wasn’t my burden to bear, there was no way I could leave it all on Drake. This was part me, after all; he was only trying to protect me.

“I love you, Hana.” I tell her this, knowing the truth; that I would cross the oceans just for her chance at happiness.

“I love you more,” she says as she tackles me into a hug, and we are laughing on the floor with chips and popcorn scattered on the floor.

It’s just after 10 am when there is a knock on my door. I open it to see a smiling Leanna and a disheveled Drake. Leanna hugs me as though she hadn’t seen me in a week.

“Hey Baby!” She felt so good in my arms, her silky hair brushing against my face.

“Mommy!” She squeals and I feel her smile against me as she kisses my cheek.

“Daddy has been cranky” she complains as we enter my room.

Drake gives me an unsure smile; there is an uneasiness in the way he carries himself, and I pray that he and Hana can fix this, or I’d die trying.

“Where’s Aunty Hana? I want to see the exotic animals” she gushes as she toes off her sneakers and falls into my unmade bed.

“She’s still sleeping… we had a girls night. Are you hungry?” I ask and she rolls over with a grin on her face.

“Yes! Is Grandma Lorelei here? I love her cherry milkshakes” she lights up.

I was amazed by their relationship. The Lees were hard on Hana, needing her to be an overachiever. After my fall from grace, they had demanded a halt in our friendship. Hana did the scariest thing possible: she stood her ground, and she chose to follow her own path. One that had cemented our lives together for the last twelve years.

It had been hard on Hana, yet she stood by me until her parents finally came around; by the time the baby came, we were all one family.

Lorelei adored Leanna who seemed to bring out a softer side in us all.

While Leanna went to check for her, Drake finally turned to me. “I…” He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. There is a look of utter dread on his face.

On instinct, I move into his embrace. “We’ll fix this. I promise.”

 His next words floor me. They floor me, causing the ground beneath me to swallow me whole.

“Liam knows…”

***Liam***

The room around me spins. My head pounds. My stomach quivers,  rebelling as I move towards the bathroom. The last time I was this hungover was throughout my honeymoon. While the world thought we were going at it like bunnies, most of the groans heard were from my hangover, my roiling stomach.

She still cries every year on your wedding day. Drake’s words haunt me making me sick. I liked it better when I thought she had moved on; this reality felt as though it would break me.

Tossing back two pills for pain, I crawled back into bed and stayed there. I didn’t want to think about the little girl who had no idea that I was her father. I didn’t want to think about how much I missed and continue to miss.

You decide, what do you want? If you want her, and not as a conquest, you’re gonna have to fight for her. And don’t start the battle unless you are ready to win the war, because if you hurt them, I will be charged for treason.

I sat on the rock watching the water crash into river bed below. The Forgotten Falls.  I often come here to clear my head, to feel grounded.

Years ago in the social season, I knew what I wanted; it had always been Riley. She had a way about her that made me dream, daring to hope, and believing my dreams would come true. She was fearless and bold. I had watched her win the hearts and minds of the people, of the press.

I’d also seen her hold her ground. Despite the rumors and scandal against her, she managed to smile. Always looking at the bright side.  Even more, she always managed to care about me, the man behind the crown.

Now, so many years later I was here because I was a father; father to a child that calls another daddy.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this was fate’s way of tying us together… did I have the right to even hope?

This wasn’t how I thought it would happen.  A king shouldn’t be brought to his knees for regret; a father shouldn’t weep for the child he doesn’t know.

I sat, a million things racing through my mind: how the hell did I get here? Where do I go from here? Was it fair of me to uproot her? How would this affect Sabrina? How would the kingdom react to my love child? What did this mean for Riley? As her name floated around my mind I felt conflicted; part of me understood the reason behind her silence, yet the other part was angry at being robbed of those precious years.

There was no doubt I was indebted to Hana and Drake for standing by her; for putting their lives on hold for her. It was clear from the interaction with Drake and Leanna that he loved her as though she was his very own. They did an excellent job of raising her. She was thoughtful and kind. She was beautiful. She was her mother’s child, sweet and intelligent.

My mind still foggy, I find myself at Madeleine’s grave with a bunch of flowers. Sitting on the ceramic tiled grave, I place the flowers on her tombstone where it was inscribed: 'Queen, Wife, and Mother. Madeleine Rys’

“Maddie, she’s back and she’s once again pulled the rug from beneath me,” I tell her.

 While Madeleine was not my first choice based on her calculated ways and seemingly aloof personality.  Yet she was a great listener; she was goal oriented but beneath all that, when our heads touched the pillow she was a friend. She was human and kind and considerate. I’d watched her evolve as she worked endlessly to become the Queen the people needed.

 “I’m not sure what to do” I whisper, laying back on the cool ceramic tile.

I just laid there, hoping somehow I could plan my next move; figure out a way that I could forge a relationship with my daughter, a way that I could work with her to make this happen but I couldn’t see a way out.

The clouds began rolling in as I caught her up what was happening at the palace. I told her about the passing of Bertrand and Savannah. I told her about Kiara and Penelope; finally, I told her about our child.

“'Brina has her first crush… what am I supposed to do about that?” I say aloud while I close my eyes.

I know there won’t be a response, yet it feels good to say it aloud.

“Thanks for listening.” I whisper to the emptiness as I leave for the palace, nothing clearer.

I return to my office, finding my journal. I wrote, hoping that by writing my thoughts I’d be better able to see a way through.

Returning to my quarters, I stop to check in on Sabrina who is so busy reading, she doesn’t hear me come in. I clear my throat and she looks up at me a ready smile on her lips.

“Father, did you have a good day?” She asks as I drop into the chair beside her.

“I had a lot of thinking to do today,” I tell her honestly.

“Does that mean you went to your secret place?” She asks curiously.

“Yes, I wanted to clear my head, then I went the cemetery,” I tell her.

“Did you bring mom flowers?” She asks her tone changing.

“I did. Now enough about me, what did you do today?” I ask her, as she climbs into my lap and I can’t help but smell her hair.

“Grandmother and I went to the stables, she bested me in a game of scrabble, then I spoke to Bartie, and found out Leanna is in Shanghai, I wish she didn’t have to return to her country,” she says sadly and I pull her closer.

“You’ve had quite the day. Did you take your medication?” She stiffens but nods her head.

“Alright, so… lowest part of your day?”

“Taking the medication, and finding out that Leanna is gone,” she grumbles, and I rock her.

She feels so small in my arms “Well, we know the medication is very important, but let me see what I can do about you spending more time with Leanna,” I tell her before asking about the better part of her day.

“So… what was the highest part?” She blushes and a little color tints her cheek. There is a real smile on her face.

“Grandmother says I mustn’t worry about you. That you will find love again, and someone who will love me for me, not just as a princess”, she says; she’s so happy at the prospect of having a mother I can’t help but smile at her.

“Well, in that case, I hope she is right.”

She laughs. “Thank you!”

“For?”

She hugs me and smiles into my chest. “Good night, father”

“Good night sweetheart,” I tell her as she climbs back into bed and snuggles in. I stay with her, listening to her soft snores before leaving to my bedchamber.

Still uncertain where to go from here.