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zaffrenotes · 6 years ago

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Sojourn:Her Song

Pairings: Drake x OC (Alyssa), Katrina x Liam Rating/Warnings: PG (language) / angst / discussion/memory of death of a loved one Summary: Drake plays guitar and recalls the memory of someone from his past Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Original characters are mine, with the blessing of their namesakes * Inspired by the song “Where We Wanna Be” as performed by Ben Barnes * Part of the Sojourn series, where Katrina and Drake are friends/roommates while they both work on getting their degrees. Timeline falls between Books 2 and 3 of The Royal Romance. Includes @endlessly-searching-for-you February Fluff prompts 19: I don’t care. You are my family now and 30: You’re something else. * “Umma” is Korean for “Mom” Word Count: +/- 2200

Tags at the end – this was supposed to be a cute thing for February Fluffy Fridays but…this is where the song took me, okay? Bittersweet and I couldn’t rewrite it if I tried. Thank you to @ooo-barff-ooo for the musical guidance!

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in February, and Drake was alone in the apartment. Katrina and Alyssa were on some sort of mini spa day as a reward for their recent efforts at school – Alyssa won a debate with her advisor over her thesis topic; and Katrina celebrated a win at the law office – she’d given up last weekend to work overtime and assist with an important case, even though it meant postponing Valentine’s Day with Liam.

Drake glanced out at the view of the city through the sliding glass doors. Large, fluffy snowflakes drifted down like they were trapped in syrup, gusts of wind swirling to life from the white specks suspended in the air. His eyes drifted to the Gibson guitar in the corner. Liam bought it on a whim during one of his visits, intending to take it up again, and conveniently left it in the apartment since he had his mother’s guitar at the palace. Drake knew Liam left it there for him to play as well; they’d both received lessons from Liam’s mother when they were boys, though they only learned a handful of chords before… Drake shifted his eyes back to the scene outside, blinking back the wisp of that particular memory.

He picked up the guitar from the stand, carried it to the couch, and strummed his right hand over the strings once, feeling the vibration against his fingertips. Drake swept his fingers over the strings again, tilting his head to listen to them, making minor adjustments to the tuning keys. He plucked at two strings, adjusting the tension to get them to play the same note, the tip of his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

Satisfied with his efforts, he positioned his fingers on the neck of the guitar, and strummed the strings with his right hand again. He flexed the fingers of his left hand, trying to remember the positions for the chords. He winced slightly, stretching and bending his fingers, clumsily pressing strings down to play the notes, knowing he was forcing it too much. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, drummed his fingers in the air to relax, and picked up the guitar again, hearing a familiar voice in his ear. This one is a little like a bear claw. He pressed his fingers into position and tried again, the notes ringing true, and the edges of his eyes crinkled as he smiled to himself.

Drake spent a few minutes warming up, slowly remembering the chords he learned over the years, a pleasant pain and numbness in his fingers as they absorbed the vibrations of his movements. He hummed along, the melody of the song in his head slowly being cleared of cobwebs after years of being hidden away.

Closing his eyes, Drake let his muscle memory take over, the fingers of his left hand fretting the strings, using his other hand to strum a delicate tune. Tilting his head ever so slightly, his shaggy locks brushed across his forehead as he began to sing.

The sun is shining on the sea today / You’re living your life the easy way / You’ve left behind / The world again / So be a tourist / Hear the call / Now you’ve been saving your money / You can spend it all / And you can come away / With me today

Drake’s lip twitched, his voice thick with emotion, and he stopped playing. He didn’t think that the words would come to him so easily, recalling the way the song took on an ethereal quality to it the way Liam’s mother sang it. Taking a breath and positioning his hands again, he tried to pick up where he left off, hitting the strings too hard, and clamped his hands down to quiet them. Too tense, little goseumdochi (hedgehog). Take a deep breath, strike softly; the notes will play on their own.

A sad, silent laugh escaped his lips as he recalled the nickname she bestowed upon him – Goseumdochi. You pretend to be a prickly little man, but there’s a gentle side you show the few that take the time to know you. Drop your shoulders. He released the tension that held his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and let his shoulders drop. “Yes, Umma.” Unclenching his jaw, Drake closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and out, imagining the notes in front of him, scrolling past like film in an old movie reel. He opened his eyes, glancing outside at the snowflakes falling outside; they drifted and whirled like dancers in the wind, waiting for their song. He flexed his fingers again, sliding his hand against the resonant wood with new determination. From the top, you know what to do.

Drake played the song from the beginning, his fingers finding the notes easily this time around. A smile played on his lips as he sang; he bobbed his head as his voice carried through the apartment, imagining Liam dancing with his mother the way they used to when it was Drake’s turn to practice.

All your life you’ve been running from dreams / From the blue and red and the orange and green / The times have changed / But you’re not free / Take it all in you may never be back again / Living your life where you can do anything, anytime, anything

He played the song over and over again, the memory of it possessing his hands. It was a song he and Liam knew well, as Liam’s mother played it often. They’d stumbled across her singing one afternoon while they were trying to hide from Bastien and Jackson for damaging one of the security cameras after a spirited game of indoor soccer. Liam stopped in his tracks when he heard the music; until that day he only knew that his mother played guitar. The pair of them stood in the hall, the door to the music room cracked open; out of view they listened to her sing.

Free from all you’re meant to be / Come on baby feel the breeze / Cause today / We can be right here where we wanna be / Come away / Come away / Get away

It was a secret – one of many they would share growing up together – they kept to themselves, long after her passing. Drake said nothing that afternoon as Liam listened to his mother’s hauntingly beautiful voice while she sang. Nothing about the way Liam’s eyes brimmed with tears at hearing his mother sound exquisitely sad. Drake didn’t know if she was just conveying the words of the song, or if it was her own way of expressing her sorrow of being Queen.

Young Drake heard the concerned conversations his parents had late at night over Queen Sophia. She’d been born a commoner outside Cordonia. She’d done her best to fulfill the role of Queen to the best of her abilities, but she was happiest doing things outside that particular title. Being Queen was secondary to being with Constantine, and she preferred the simpler titles of wife, Umma, teacher, and – just for Liam, Leo, and himself – giver-of-hugs. She’d been happiest during the secret music lessons to the three of them; taking Liam to libraries; and enjoying long stays at Applewood, away from the eyes of the court.

Drake sang until his voice grew hoarse, and he played the rest of the song without any more words, fearing his voice would crack under the weight of the memories pouring forth in his mind. He strummed the guitar with a final flourish, letting out a long exhale, and wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes.

“Drake Walker, you are something else.”

Drake whipped his head around to see Alyssa standing at the end of the hallway, her glowing, post-spa face lightly streaked with tears. Katrina was standing next to her, glossy tears streaked down her cheeks as well. “What are you two doing back so early? I thought you were doing your spa thing until dinner.”

“It’s after seven, Drake,” Alyssa replied. “How long have you been singing?”

“I told you he could sing,” Katrina added, nudging Alyssa’s shoulder with hers.

“Shit, ah…” Drake trailed off, looking outside. The sun had already gone down. He’d completely lost track of time. “Wait,” he said, turning back to the ladies. “Bailey, what are you doing with your phone?”

“Nothing,” Katrina answered innocently, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. “I’ve only heard Liam play a few bars of that tune. What is it?” She started tapping at the screen.

Drake stood up from the couch and laid the guitar on the cushion before rounding the back of the furniture, and then quickly made his way over to them. He grinned softly and planted a gentle kiss on Alyssa’s lips, wrapping one hand around the back of her neck while his other hand rested on her hip. Alyssa smiled against his lips and pulled him closer, so that Drake didn’t see her stretch her leg out to the side to push Katrina away. “Go, go now!” Alyssa laughed.

“Huh?” Drake pulled back to look at his fiancée, only to see Katrina take off towards her room, still tapping on the screen, when Drake caught sight of her attaching a file to an email. The image was the back of his head. “Bailey! What are you doing!”

Katrina ran towards her room, Drake trailing behind her. “Just wanted to share that with Liam!” she called out over her shoulder.

“Don’t you dare!” He felt Alyssa tugging on his wrist to slow him down. “Méli! What are you doing! I need to stop her!”

Alyssa giggled as she planted her feet to the floor, slowing down Drake’s pursuit. “Sharing is caring!”

Drake sighed as he saw Katrina duck into her room and heard her click the lock in place. He turned to face his Bee Charmer, shaking his head at her with mock disapproval. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You’re supposed to be on my team now, Stiles.”

“I know, but that song was heart wrenching and beautiful,” she replied. “I had no idea you could sing like that. Don’t you dare hold out on me like that again.” She tilted her head up to kiss him. “Besides, you know how it goes – sisters before misters,” she teased, winking at him.

“Nuh uh,” Drake grinned. “I don’t care. You’re my family now, or you will be very soon.” He laced his fingers with hers, pulling her left hand up, and kissed her knuckles. The engagement ring on her finger sparkled before him. “None of that ‘sisters before misters’ or…what’s the other weird one you two use?”

“Ovaries before brovaries!” Katrina called out from behind her bedroom door.

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Drake snapped back. Alyssa covered her mouth as she laughed heartily. “You two are thick as thieves,” he sighed.

“No worse than you and Liam.”

Katrina opened her door and rejoined her friends, just as Drake’s phone started to vibrate. He pulled the phone from his pocket and saw that Liam was trying to video chat with him. “Bailey, what did you do?” he asked nervously, swiping to answer. It was the middle of the night in Cordonia; Drake worried what she could’ve sent that would wake his best friend and cause him to call. “Li? Everything okay? It’s late over there.” Drake studied the image on the screen – Liam’s eyes were tinged pink, and it looked like he was walking through a dim hallway in the palace.

“Trina just sent me a video,” Liam answered, his voice wavering. “You were singing her song.”

Drake rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, feeling his skin prickle with heat. He walked over to the couch, shooting a frustrated look at Katrina before shrugging his shoulders at Liam. “I know, I…I’m sorry, Liam. I don’t know what made me think of it today. Your fiancée is too sneaky for her own good, I didn’t know she was going to record me and then send it to you.” He turned to look at Katrina again, mouthing “seriously?” before looking at his phone. “Where are you?”

The screen on Liam’s end shifted and then lit up as he turned on a lamp and he set his phone down. “You know what today is, right? Today in Cordonia, at least.” Liam’s voice called out from somewhere out of view of the camera. Drake looked at the image on the screen and held his breath; Liam was in the music room. He saw his best friend – his brother – settle in front of the camera once again, tuning the strings of his mother’s guitar. Drake sat on the couch, picked up the Gibson, and propped his phone against a stack of books. Alyssa sat across from Drake so she could watch him, and Katrina sat off to Drake’s side, watching Liam on the screen. Liam’s fingers strummed over the strings a few times, picking up the same notes Drake played earlier. He looked up from where he was sitting. “One more go, just for her?”

Drake nodded. “For her.”

“Happy Birthday, Umma,” Liam said quietly, looking up to the ceiling.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Tagging: @likethetailofacomet @ooo-barff-ooo @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @mind-reader1 @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @the-everlasting-dream @akrenich @ao719 @debramcg1106 @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @innerpostmentality @aworldoffandoms @blackcoffee85 @darley1101 @jovialyouthmusic @thecordoniandiaries @umccall71 @nikkis1983 @ritachacha @jlouise88 @littleblossom-18 @alj4890 @annekebbphotography @bella-ca @bowful @cordonianredruby @fullbeaumonty @hhiggs @liamxs-world @marywrites-things @missevabean @pixieferry @romanticatheart-posts @sarwin85 @smalltalk88 @wannabemc2

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zaffrenotes · 4 years ago

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[TRR] A Tot Debate

Pairing(s): Liam x Katrina, Drake x Alyssa Stiles Rating: G Author’s Note: Here’s my belated birthday fic for @cocomaxley based on a conversation we had with @ao719 and @the-soot-sprite with oddly impeccable timing 🙃 * Happy Birthday to my fellow stubborn ram baby, Gen! I am so happy to be friends with your sarcastic ass, lol and I hope we spend more years coming up with random inside jokes about rice and half a dozen other things 💙 Author’s Note 2: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Katrina Bailey is my MC, Alyssa Stiles is one of my OCs * Many, many, MANY moons ago I wrote a fic where Katrina is pregnant again, expecting twins after she and Liam already have four little princes * Creative liberties were used for canon character birthdates for the sake of this one shot * This is a bit of silliness and my submission for @wackydrabbles Prompt 87: No offense, but I’m not interested. * Word Count: 1099

It was a rare Saturday afternoon in the Cordonian palace, where King Liam and Queen Katrina were gathered in a sitting room with their friends, free of appointments and scheduled appearances. Katrina’s feet were perched upon a plush footstool while she rubbed the small swell of her belly, and she grinned when she felt a flutter from one of the twins.

Liam and Maxwell were in the middle of a discussion over what to watch next, while Drake and Alyssa replenished their drinks and assembled a small plate of snacks. Katrina opened Pictagram on her phone and scrolled through the latest posts, tapping on images she liked, when she paused on a comic. “Huh,” she murmured, looking over the image.

“What’s that?” Drake asked, peering over her shoulder before returning to his seat.

“Comic strip about what kind of potato you are, based on your horoscope.” Katrina scoffed at the screen. “I am not a plate of curly fries!”

“What am I?” Maxwell craned his neck, curious to their conversation.

Katrina looked at the screen again. “Potato chips,” she giggled. “Lyssa's sweet potato fries, Liam’s sweet potato mash, and you,” she paused, pointing at Drake, “are a big bowl of mashed potatoes.” Katrina pulled up a web browser and typed away at her screen, quickly reading through the lines of text. “It’s okay, with the new star signs I’m now a Pisces, and I accept my new fate as a bowl of ube ice cream.” She grinned brightly at her friends.

Everyone’s brows furrowed at Katrina. “The what now?” Drake inquired.

“According to the new dates with the thirteenth astrological sign, I’m a Pisces,” she repeated. “You haven’t heard about it? It was a whole thing last year.”

“Wait. What? Why would they need to add a whole new sign to the zodiac?” Maxwell pulled his phone out of his pocket in search of answering his own question.

“It’s always been there,” Katrina replied. “NASA looked into it, and I guess the ancient astrologers omitted…” — she looked down at her phone screen — “off…offy…?”

Drake held his phone in his hands, having pulled up a similar article about the 13th sign, and glared at the name. “This is crap,” Drake added. “There’s no room for it because I can’t even spell it, let alone pronounce it.”

Liam leaned over to look at Maxwell’s screen, peering down at the name in Greek. “Ophiuchus,” he repeated, stressing the last syllable. “Or perhaps off-ee-yoo-kus?”

“That sounds like a weird cross between Ryu’s dragon punch and mucus,” Maxwell chuckled. “Why would they leave out an entire constellation?”

“It’s easier to split up three hundred and sixty degrees into twelve even pieces and match up with calendar months,” Alyssa answered.

Katrina looked down at the article. “With the new signs, Max would be a potato salad Capricorn, Lyssa’s an oven roasted potato Virgo, Drake gets to be twice baked potatoes as a Gemini, and Liam…” Katrina stopped reading and glanced up at her husband, smiling awkwardly as she bared her teeth. “You’re the new sign, and have no potato representation.”

“Pardon?”

Alyssa stifled a laugh as Katrina held out her phone to Liam so he could read the screen. “Looks like your birthday falls in between Scorpio and the new sign, so you could go with either.”

“But neither of those are the sign I’ve grown up as!”

“None of us fall under the signs we’ve grown up with,” Alyssa replied. “I am not a Virgo.”

“I don’t like this new zodiac. I refuse to acknowledge it,” Liam said, shaking his head.

“Li, it’s okay, you can be any kind of potato you want to be this way!” Katrina bit back her smile as she spoke.

“Don’t patronize me, Trina,” Liam quipped. He glanced back at Maxwell’s screen. “Why does Scorpio only get a week to make room for this…this…what is that symbol even supposed to be?”

Alyssa squinted at Katrina’s screen. “A man wrestling with a snake, apparently.”

“Cordonia won’t acknowledge this information, even if the rest of the world decides to. I won’t allow it.”

“Don’t you want to be a modern leader? Someone the people can look up to and admire for taking steps towards becoming an innovative country?” Katrina tucked her lips between her teeth, but the corners of her eyes crinkled as she restrained her amusement.

“No offense, but I’m not interested.” Liam rose from his seat and pulled his phone out from his pants pocket. “I need to speak with the head of our space agency as soon as possible…today, if need be,” he spoke into the phone. “It’s important.”

—

Half an hour later, Liam paced back an forth in front of one of the large palace windows, running a hand through his dark hair while the other pinned his phone to his ear as he engaged in a heated discussion with the head of the Cordonian space agency, with a look of utter disbelief across his face.

Drake and Maxwell had gone back to scrolling through movie options on the screen, having lost interest in the constellation conversation. They were more interested in debating over whether the group could handle the four hour Snyder version of Justice League.

Alyssa smirked when she turned her head to look at Katrina, who was holding a bowl of the purple tuber ice cream between her hands. “Y’know,” she began, leaning over to nudge her friend’s shoulder, “would’ve been easier to just ask for the ice cream if you had a craving. You didn’t have to make your poor husband’s brain implode.”

Katrina shrugged, pleasant smile on her lips as she withdrew the spoon from her mouth, savoring the cold, creamy dessert as it melted down her throat. She felt another flutter from one of the babies. “I take joy in knowing I've blown your minds about astrological signs solely because I don't wanna be a curly fry. Ooh!” She sat up a bit. “Fries would be great with ice cream!”

The ladies looked over at Liam, who continued to pace in front of the window and spoke rapidly in Cordonian. “Should you tell him now, or after his phone call, that NASA eventually debunked the whole thirteenth sign thing?” Alyssa cast a wary look to Katrina.

Katrina pushed herself up off the sofa. “You call down to the kitchen and ask for extra crispy fries and whatever snacks you and the guys want, I’ll make sure Liam doesn’t fire the poor guy on the other end of his phone call,” she giggled. “I’ll blame it on the babies.”

#Happy Birthday Gen!#birthday fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #trr fanfiction #choices fanfic #play choices fanfiction #liam x mc #king liam x mc #liam x trina #trr morsels au #trr morsels series #i love my fraaands #liam rys x trina bailey #zaffrenotes writes #wacky drabbles

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zaffrenotes · 4 years ago

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[TRR] Netflix and No Chill

Book: The Royal Romance Pairing: Serendipity AU Liam x Trina Rating/Warnings: PG (subject matter) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * 31 days of ficlets and one shots using Jasmine’s Situational Summer Prompts – pedicures * Also fulfills Slice of Life Prompt 34 from @blackcatkita – somewhere you don’t want to be * Word Count: +/- 1570

Perma/TRR Taglist: @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @loveellamae @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries // @aestheticartsx @aworldoffandoms @bascmve01 @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @lovemychoices @missevabean @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @the-soot-sprite

Friday Afternoon

Katrina leaned back in a plush chair as she soaked her feet in the attached footbath. In the chair next to her, Eleanor Rys took a sip of water from a glass with mint leaves and a slice of lemon in it. She smiled warmly at Katrina before breaking the silence between them. “Thank you for doing this with me,” she began, reaching her hand across the way to tap Katrina’s hand. “It’s not often that I get to have company when I get a mani pedi, having two sons and all.”

“I’m happy to go with you anytime,” Katrina replied. “Josie and I are a little more DIY since she likes to use me to practice her nail art.”

“She’s doing okay, staying with her friends in Boston?”

“Yup…she said she would’ve been fine on her own, but…”

“You worry, just as you should, being her big sister,” Eleanor replied.

“Force of habit,” Katrina shrugged.

“It’s a good habit, but you deserve to relax now and then. You can’t help others unless you make time to take care of yourself. Even if it comes in the form of getting your nails done.” Eleanor cleared her throat and looked at the wall of nail polish. “I’m thinking of something coral today, how about you?”

At the Rys House

Liam was sitting on the couch in the living room, scrolling through movies on an app, when Leo plopped down next to him. He snatched the phone from Liam’s hand and looked at the list of titles he’d saved. “Leo! Jesus, give me back my phone!”

Leo rolled away from him and started using his legs to push Liam away as he kept scrolling. “What the hell are all these movies? Me Before You? Letters to Juliet?” He grimaced and tossed the phone back to Liam. “The Notebook?! Seriously?!”

Liam exhaled sharply through his nose and shoved Leo’s arm away. “I’m looking for a movie for Trina and I to watch later, we’re going to have a date night.”

Leo raised his eyebrows and shimmied in his seat. “Oh, planning to use the ol’ Rys charms while the parental units are at dinner with their friends?” He beckoned Liam with his hand. “Phone. Gimme.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Liam asked, clutching the phone to his chest. “No way!” He used his other hand to point an accusatory finger at his brother. “And you’re still keeping your date tonight!”

“Of course I am!” Leo chuckled. “Look,” he sighed, “if you need a movie to set the mood for tonight, I have the perfect one in mind for you to rent.” He motioned to the phone again. “Gimme, loser.”

Liam handed the phone back to Leo, and then pulled his hand back. “Nothing scary,” he warned. “She doesn’t like scary movies at night.”

“Promise,” Leo said, crossing an X over his heart, “nothing scary.” Liam handed over his phone and Leo typed something into the screen. “Finger,” he prompted, holding the phone so Liam could press his finger to the sensor to approve the purchase.

Liam craned his neck to look at the screen as he pressed the pad of his finger to the sensor. “Original Sin?” His brows pinched together.

“Trust me,” Leo replied. “It’s a little dark, there’s some mystery and intrigue, but it’s sexy. Hasn’t failed me yet.”

Friday Evening

Liam and Katrina made themselves comfortable on the sofa in the living room, having just finished dinner. Leo left earlier that evening to go on a date of his own, and Constantine and Eleanor followed not long after, ready for a night of dinner and dancing with a few of their friends at a country club. One of the family dogs hopped onto the couch next to Katrina, turning in circles until he found the right spot. She patted his head softly as Liam brought over drinks and turned on the television.

“So, what’s the feature film tonight?” Katrina pulled an afghan from the arm of the sofa and opened it up, laying it across her lap.

Liam sat down next to her and she tugged at the afghan to cover his lap. “A little period drama romance and some mystery.” He winked at Katrina and cast the movie from his phone to the television. She snuggled up to his side and Liam stretched his arm behind her shoulders, pulling her close. The screen dimmed as Angelina Jolie’s voice began to narrate the opening scene.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, the scene changed and the leads began kissing, before changing to a lovemaking scene. Beside him, Katrina tensed up at the sight of Angelina Jolie’s bare breast being fondled and the leads began making love in bed. Liam gently squeezed her shoulder, and she let out a tiny “oh” as the scene continued.

Liam turned to face her, and moved to cup the side of her face, when the dog hopped off the couch and left the room. Then he heard the sound of the front door unlocking and opening, and the dog barked in greeting. Liam froze as he heard Constantine and Eleanor’s voices from the front of the house. “Oh. My. God,” he whispered, quickly drawing his hand back.

“What are your parents doing home this early?” Katrina whispered. She looked at the naked actors on the screen. “Stop casting! Stop casting!”

“Oh god,” Liam groaned, hurriedly reaching for his phone. “Oh god, oh god, oh god, make it stop,” he muttered, tapping harshly at the phone screen.

“Leo? Liam? Katrina? Are you home?” Eleanor’s voice called out, sounding closer with each question. “We’re back early, the Jensons weren’t feeling too great after dinner, and you know we can’t stand the Millers if we don’t have the Jensons as a buffer. Do you feel like… oh! my!” Eleanor stopped in her tracks as she crossed the threshold into the living room.

Liam had paused the movie while the leads were still in bed. Antonio Banderas’s bare ass was on the screen.

“I’m just going to uh, leave this room,” Eleanor giggled. “Dad and I are going to bed early! Be safe! Goodnight!”

The room was silent for several moments, until Liam and Katrina heard the master bedroom door shut loudly. Katrina sputtered and coughed, trying to stifle embarrassed laughter. “P-please,” she wheezed, covering her mouth with her hand. “For the love of all things holy, get that man’s ass off the screen.”

“Do you think if I wish hard enough, I can travel back in time and undo what just happened?” He sighed, falling back against the couch cushions. “I’d rather be anywhere but here right now.”

Katrina picked up Liam’s phone from the cushion and stopped casting the movie to the television. She scooted closer to Liam, gently stroking the side of his face, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Have you never been busted by your parents while watching a sexy movie?”

Liam laughed softly in response, rubbing his fingers over his eyes. “Sure I have, once or twice in high school.” He shook his head. “But never with a girl in the room.” He sighed again. “The only other girl I’ve brought home for them to meet was senior year, and she only came over to study, until I asked her to be my prom date. This?” He waved his hand towards the TV. “She knew exactly what was going on.”

Katrina crossed her arms and smirked at Liam. “And what was going on?”

“I, uh, well…” He sat up, looking slightly flustered. “I mean, I wasn’t trying to imply that…and you…”

Katrina tilted her head at him, doubting his poor attempt at an explanation. “Were you trying to set the mood with this movie?”

A flush crept up Liam’s neck and cheeks, and he dropped his gaze to his lap. He rubbed the back of his neck, and Katrina tipped his chin up with her finger. Slowly, he opened his eyes to meet hers and grinned bashfully. “Maybe?”

She giggled silently as a close-lipped smile spread across her face, and she shook her head. Liam shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “Nice try,” she laughed, pressing her lips to his with a soft kiss. “For future reference, I don’t need graphic sex scenes to get me going.”

“Oh?” Liam pulled her closer; Katrina swung her leg over his to straddle him. “Any suggestions you’d like to share?”

Katrina shrugged. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Troy…”

“Those are Brad Pitt movies!” Liam’s brows pinched together and he pouted.

Katrina giggled at his annoyance. “Atonement.”

“The…war movie with the little girl that lies about what happened? Isn’t it depressing as hell?”

Katrina bit her bottom lip before answering. “There’s a scene, before the big dinner and when everything starts to unravel,” she began, breaking eye contact with Liam. “Where Cecilia and Robbie to go the library to talk, and..”

“The bookcase,” Liam finished. He arched an inquisitive eyebrow at her when she looked up, and Katrina felt her cheeks warm. She nodded silently in affirmation. “We should go back to the lake house,” he breathed, gently tossing a lock of hair behind her shoulder. He dragged his finger along her collarbone, tipped her chin up to look directly into her eyes, and winked at her. “There’s a bookcase like that in the study.”

#31 days of summer #the royal romance fanfiction #trr fanfic #trr fanfiction #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfic #king liam x mc #liam x trina #trr college au #Serendipity series #trr serendipity #college liam x mc #zaffrenotes writes

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zaffrenotes · 4 years ago

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[TRR] Waterloo

Book: The Royal Romance, Sojourn series Pairing: Liam x Trina Rating/Warnings: PG (suggestive language) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * 31 days of ficlets and one shots using Jasmine’s Situational Summer Prompts – Super soaker battles * Word Count: +/- 2000

Perma/TRR Taglist: @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @loveellamae @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries // @aestheticartsx @aworldoffandoms @bascmve01 @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @lodberg @lovemychoices @missevabean @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @the-soot-sprite

Liam sighed listlessly as he swirled the single malt whisky in his hand, before knocking it back in one swift movement. He swallowed hard and felt the liquor warm his insides, setting the empty glass on the bar, before turning back to the bright green felt and colorful balls on the billiard table. Drake stood off to his side and wordlessly handed him a pool cue. Liam pushed his sleeves up again and took the cue from Drake, walking around the table to determine his next move.

He narrowed his eyes on a target, lined up his shot, and struck the cue ball. With a clack, a solid ball rolled into a corner pocket, and he nodded his head to Drake to take his turn. When he wrapped his hands around the top of the cue stick, he wobbled ever so slightly, and reached out to grab the edge of the table.

Drake’s brows pinched together as he rubbed chalk on the end of his stick, looking over to Liam. “You alright? Should we order some food?”

Liam’s lips curved down and he waved dismissively at Drake’s suggestion, walking over to take a seat. “I’m good.”

Drake laughed softly on the other side of the table, still playing the game. “No you are not,” he chuckled. “Your face has been turning pink for the last half hour.”

Liam scoffed at the claim. “It’s August in New York and these lamps are warm. The whole city is warm.”

“You’re turning into a sour drunk,” Drake chuckled again. He turned his attention to the bar and waited until he made eye contact with a tall brunette, mouthed the word water, then flashed her a peace sign. She smiled and nodded as she finished wiping down the glass in her hands, plucked two fresh ones from the stack she’d been cleaning, and filled them with ice, before filling them with water. She called out to a waitress passing by and set the glasses on the bar, and the waitress brought them over to Drake and Liam, along with a fresh bowl of peanuts.

Liam smiled politely at the young woman that set the glasses of water in front of him, and cracked open a few peanuts, popping them into his mouth. “Are you going to take your turn or what?” He looked over to Drake, who was still circling the table.

They’d been hanging out at The Whiskey Ward all night, just so Liam could get out of the apartment for a while. Even though he and Katrina had his visit on both of their calendars, her schedule changed on the fly, depending on her workload as an intern. Sometimes she kept regular office hours, but other times, when the firm acquired an important client, she stayed in the bullpen late into the night to do research or organize data for the lawyers. It was what she needed to do, to accrue the knowledge and firsthand experience while she pursued her degree, and Liam supported all of that…but it was human to feel the pang of disappointment when their plans would fall through.

So Drake took him to one of his favorite bars. Drowning his sorrows at Copper & Oak was out of the question, even if he could have access to a plethora of high end liquor; the small space of Drake’s workplace didn’t offer much in terms of claiming a seat for hours at a time. Whiskey Ward had a larger space, with real tables and chairs that weren’t bolted to the floor, with the added bonus of a pool table.

Liam’s meetings at the Cordonian Embassy wrapped up earlier that afternoon, and he’d scheduled the rest of the week to himself to spend time with Katrina and Drake, since they’d stayed in the city for another summer. He’d intended to go to dinner with Katrina, but something came up with a case; as part of the intern team, she and four others had to compile something for one of the partners. She promised to make it up to him before he had to go back to Cordonia.

“Make your move or give up the table, there’s at least two people staring at us to finish,” Liam said, taking a long drink of water. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket as Drake took his turn. Pulling the phone out from his pants pocket, the screen flashed with the time as he pressed his finger to the back to unlock it; it was nearly midnight. There was a new text from Katrina: wrapping up in an hour or so, late night snack when you get back?

He texted her back a reply, and took another sip of water from his glass. Eventually he and Drake finished up their game and walked over to the bar to settle their tab. “Put your money away.”

Drake elbowed him lightly. “Your money’s no good here, Li.” Liam pulled a twenty from his wallet and then cursed in Greek. The rest of the bills were Euros. Next to him, Drake laughed quietly as he pulled cash from his wallet to cover the difference. “Told ya.”

Liam chuckled and rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Skáse, malakia,” he laughed again.

“I will not shut up, asshole,” Drake grinned. He handed over the bills to the brunette bartender from earlier, waving his hand with a small motion for her to keep the extra twenty he’d included as a tip for their drinks. “Thanks Leigh, see you next week!”

Liam and Drake made their way out of the bar and began walking down the street. “Next week?”

“Some of the other bartenders and I get together when our shifts line up and we grab a slice to unwind, or find someone else’s bar to get a drink,” Drake explained. “Just to decompress after slinging drinks and playing therapist for seven or eight hours,” he added. “Speaking of slices, you hungry?”

“Trina mentioned getting something to eat once she gets home from work, but I’m not sure if she meant fixing something at home or picking something up.”

“We’ve got plenty to graze on, but we can stop at the bodega just in case.” The two of them walked back to the apartment and chatted, with Drake catching Liam up on some of the weekend trips he’d gone on with Lyssa; Liam caught Drake up with what was happening with their friends back in Cordonia. They stopped at a bodega near the building and picked up a variety of snacks – mostly chips, along with a pint of ice cream for Katrina.

Liam sighed quietly in the elevator, leaning his head against one of the side walls and yawned. He and Drake walked down the hallway with their shopping bags, and Drake unlocked the door, but he didn’t move from where he stood outside the threshold. Not paying attention, Liam bumped right into his friend. “The hell?”

“Dude,” Drake breathed out quietly. “Why in the FUCK does my home look like Dexter’s kill room right now?”

Liam peered over Drake’s shoulder, and his eyes went wide. The main living area at the end of the hall entryway looked disturbing. Clear plastic tarps were laid out over the floor and most of the furniture, and the entire room was cast in neon green light from one of the light strips behind the television. “Is that a note on the door?”

Drake pulled an envelope taped over the peephole and scanned over the note, written in Katrina’s handwriting. “I’m hiding somewhere in the apartment. You have five minutes to change into clothes you don’t mind getting wet. Your weapon can be found in the coat closet. When the lights change to pink, it’s time to go to water gun war! PS – Drake, there’s a gun for you if you want to play too. XOXO, Trina.” He shook his head and tucked the note back into the envelope. “Your fiancée is so. Goddamn. Weird!”

Liam clapped him on the shoulder, wide grin spreading across his face. “I hope her work thing wasn’t an excuse to plastic wrap the apartment.” He stepped inside ahead of Drake and slipped his shoes off by the entry way, walking carefully across the plastic in his dress socks. He worked quickly to put the snacks away, stuffing the ice cream in the freezer and piling the chips together on the counter.

Drake followed him into the kitchen, holding up a pair of water guns he found in the coat closet. “I repeat. Weird.”

Both of their phones buzzed, and they went to read a text message from Katrina.

You both love me for it. I didn’t use work as an excuse. FOUR MINUTES, GENTLEMEN!

“Okay seriously, where could she be hiding?” Drake shook his head. “She didn’t tarp the rooms or the bathroom, and there aren’t many places to hide!”

“You’d be surprised at how flexible she is to get into small spaces,” Liam grinned.

“Ohmygod I didn’t need to know that!” Drake tossed a gun at Liam.

Liam tried to stifle a laugh but snorted instead. He fiddled with the gun to open the nozzle and filled it with water from the kitchen sink. “You in?” he asked, raising a brow at Drake.

“Not like I’m doing anything right now,” he chuckled. “See you in four!” He walked off at a brisk pace towards his room.

Liam finished filling his water gun and took it with him to Trina’s bedroom, where he quickly changed into a pair of grey shorts and a black undershirt. He left his phone in the room for safe keeping and went back out to the main living area, where Drake was standing. He’d changed into a pair of swim trunks and a grey shirt.

The lights in the apartment dimmed, and the LED lights from the tv bathed everything in an odd green light. Liam and Drake looked at each other, unsure of what to expect next, before the lights switched to neon pink and pulsed. Katrina seemed to be enjoying the remote control lights. They both held their water guns close to their chests, ready to fire, muscles tense and alert as they both scanned the room for some kind of spot where Katrina had hidden herself.

The wireless speaker in the room began to blast an all too familiar 70s pop song of the Swedish variety. Drake and Liam closed their eyes and laughed.

Their eyes flew open when they heard the large pantry door swing open, and Katrina aimed her gun at Liam, even though Drake was a closer target. She had a wild smile on her face as she shot water at him, and then Drake, who screamed out of shock at how cold the water was.

The three friends spent several minutes chasing each other and firing their water guns at each other to the tune of ABBA’s greatest hits. Liam’s sides hurt from laughing too much, and only when all of their guns were devoid of their aqua ammo was he able to get within reach of Katrina. She was standing on the couch, nearly eye level with him, and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, before kissing her, his lips spread into a smile the whole time. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she replied. “Thought this might make up for having to work late tonight.” Anything else she tried to say was silenced by Liam kissing her again.

“I have such weird friends, with HORRIBLE TASTE IN MUSIC!” Drake sighed. He was starfished on the floor, half soaked from the fight.

Katrina pulled herself away from Liam’s lips. “You LOVE IT!” She shook with laughter and kissed Liam again. “Break for snacks, and another round?”

“Might as well make use of your effort to tarp half the apartment.” He smiled again and kissed the tip of her nose. “Salty or sweet?”

“Sweet…for now,” she answered, winking at him. He grinned at her and playfully bit at the air.

#31 days of summer #trr fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #choices fanfic #liam x mc #king liam x mc #liam x trina #sojourn series #sojourn:her #trr fanfiction #the royal romance fanfiction #zaffrenotes writes #gawd it took me until 11pm to finish this and now I have to write tomorrow's post too #why do I do this to myself lol

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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elpída: part ii

Book: The Royal Heir, Future Rating/Warnings: PG (language) / Character death(s) will be mentioned Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them, along with some canon text from TRH Book 1 (Last Apple Ball) * OCs are my creation * Set roughly 20 years into the future of the TRH timeline. I was inspired to write this based on an ad I saw last November, and the recent chapters of TRH (prior to the duel/drone debacle) * elpída is the Greek word for “hope” * Word Count: +/- 3200 MY ANGSTY MUSE WILL NOT SHUT UP NOW

Perma + TRR/TRH Taglist: @annekebbphotography @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @desireepow-1986 @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @loveellamae @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @alj4890 @aworldoffandoms @bascmve01 @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @kingliam2019 @lodberg @lovemychoices @missevabean @mskaneko @rainbowsinthestorm @ramseyandrys @superharrietsuper @the-soot-sprite @omgjasminesimone @kimmiedoo5 @texaskitten30 @princess-geek @queenjilian @gardeningourmet

After her sister and brother leave the room to give her some space to reflect, Crown Princess Eleanor Theodora Bailey Rys carefully walks over to the balcony in her ballgown. It’s a shade of deep blue, like Cordonia’s coastline; it was one of her mother’s favorite colors to wear for royal functions, and one of her father’s favorites as well. She looks out to the gardens from where she stands, seeing some faithful members of the court strolling through them before the evening begins.

It’s been nearly a decade since she last set foot in the capital, let alone in the palace that was once her home. It’s been just as long since she remembers seeing her parents alive, and the memory of them threatens to cause more tears to form. Her throat closes and she grips the marble railing, eyes to the heavens, and she repeats her breathing exercise once more.

The night has barely begun and she needs to keep her emotions in control. It’s an important evening, and she wants to honor the former King and Queen to the best of her abilities, not to mention her living family members. Teddy recalls one of the lessons King Liam taught her when she was a child.

.:.

“Daddy, what does it feel like when you have to make a speech, with all the people staring at you and taking your picture?” Eight year old Teddy looked up at her father from the kitchen table, pencil clasped tightly in her hand as she worked on her homework.

Liam looked at his daughter from the seat across from her, casually setting the budget reports in his hands onto the table, giving her a reassuring grin. With a quiet exhale and a tilt of his head, he flicked his eyes down to the paper in front of her, quickly scanning the text at the top. “Are you nervous about delivering your report in class later this week? Mama says you’ve been working very hard on your presentation.”

“Mama said Auntie Hana finished making my hanbok,” she answered, smiling up at him. “But what if the other kids think I look funny? Or I mess up my words?”

“You can practice what you want to say in front of me and Mama,” he answered. “When I have to make a speech, I read over what I have to say, and memorize important parts. Mama even highlights the important parts in bright colors so I don’t forget,” he chuckled. “It’s okay if you make mistakes when you have to speak in front of people, we all have to practice, and it takes time not to feel nervous.” Liam watched as Teddy nervously bit her bottom lip. “But do you want to know a secret about me?”

“Okay,” Teddy answered quietly.

Liam leaned forward on the table, beckoning with his hand for Teddy to do the same. She leaned forward a few inches, and he held a curved hand to one side of his mouth, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Sometimes I still get nervous when I have to speak in front of large crowds.”

Teddy’s eyes widened in surprise. “But you never look nervous, Daddy!”

“That’s because I have a special trick that my mother taught me when I was a young boy,” he answered, and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “And I’ll share it with you, if you’d like that.” Liam let out a low laugh when Teddy rapidly nodded her head in agreement. “Close your eyes and imagine seeing all your feelings in your mind – happy, sad, angry, scared, nervous – and turn them into something colorful that you can pick up with your hands.”

“Umm, like flowers? I like flowers,” Teddy replied, her little eyes closed.

“Maybe something different,” Liam suggested. “When I close my eyes, my feelings look like balls. Sometimes small blue marbles if I’m a little sad, or great big yellow soccer balls if I feel happy, like when I see you and Minty and Liam and Mama every day. Can you think of something like that?”

Teddy pressed her lips together, swinging her legs under the table as she tried to turn her feelings into a different shape. “What about…balloons? Like tiny water balloons or the big ones we see at parades?”

“That’s good, little bear,” Liam grinned. “Now, pretend you’re in a room filled with all those balloons, all your feelings. What color are the nervous balloons? How big are they when you think about making your speech for school?”

“They’re…umm, grey. Lots of grey. And they’re big balloons, bigger than a beach ball.”

“Imagine gathering them up into your arms, every single one you see. Can you do that?”

“There’s a lot of them, Daddy,” she began to whine, her voice wavering. “My arms are too little.”

“Imagine…you’re grown up like me or Mama, so your arms are bigger, and you can pick them all up. Don’t forget to breathe,” he added. “Take as much time as you need to get them, no one is rushing you.”

Teddy tried to see herself as a grownup like her parents, and in her mind she somehow managed to gather up all the grey balloons she could see, leaving the rest of the colorful balloons in the room. “I have them.”

“Now, imagine seeing a great big door to a closet,” he instructed. “It’s already cracked open, so all you have to do is nudge it with your foot. Can you do that?” He waited until Teddy nodded in response. “Keep breathing in and out, and push all those grey balloons into the closet, and close the door when they’re all packed in there.”

“Now what?”

“Pull out the key from your pocket, and lock the door,” he instructed. “Then take another big breath in, let it out, and open your eyes.”

Teddy locked the door with an old iron key in her mind, and breathed in as deep as her lungs would allow, before exhaling slowly and opening her eyes. She blinked several times, seeing her father with a calm but expectant expression on his face.

“How do you feel now?” Liam’s eyes searched his daughter’s face for a reaction.

A small, tiny smile spread across Teddy’s lips. “Better. Not so nervous.”

Liam smiled softly at her, reaching across the table to hold her hands. “Whenever you’re feeling nervous, or angry, or scared, and you can’t let out your feelings right away, just do that. Imagine all those balloons in your head and gather them up, and hide them away in the closet until things calm down. We can’t always show how we’re feeling in front of others, because they could turn it into something negative.” He sighed, knowing the burden of having to remain uncharacteristically even-tempered at all times in the public eye.

“Like in front of reporters, and all the people you and Mama have to talk to at big meetings and fancy dinners?”

“Yes, little bear,” he replied, gently squeezing her hands with affection. “We don’t want them to think your daddy’s always angry, or so nervous he wants to hide behind the drapes with Minty and little Liam, right?” He added a cheeky wink at the end of his question to show he was joking.

“Well, not all the time,” Teddy giggled.

“So that’s what we do,” he repeated. “We hide those feelings away for a little while, but when the scary thing is over, or you can get away to your room or somewhere safe, don’t forget to open the door and let those feelings out. Don’t ever feel like you can’t have those feelings around your family, or people you trust, okay?”

“Like you and Mama, and Minty and Liam?”

“And even your uncles and aunts, your cousins, and your closest friends when you get older,” Liam answered. “You should never have to feel like you have to hide your feelings from the people you love.”

“Okay,” she smiled.

Liam released his grip on Teddy’s hands and rose up from the table, before taking two steps to go around to where she was seated, and pulled up an empty chair next to her. “So,” he said, taking a seat as he grinned at his princess, “tell me what you know about your family tree for your report.”

Before Teddy could begin, the door opened with boisterous laughter from the rest of her family. Katrina swung the door open, carrying several grease-stained paper bags in her hands. Minty and Liam ran in behind her, joined by Drake carrying more bags of food, and Hana, who had a small garment bag in one hand. A flash of bright blue was visible in the garment bag’s vinyl window.

“Hey you two,” Katrina smiled. “Homework away, Theíos Drake brought burgers and fries from our favorite spot, and Auntie Hana’s joining us for dinner too!”

.:.

Teddy imagines turning her feelings into balloons in her mind again, and she works to collect as many as she can into her arms. She gathers up all the sadness in her heart, the fear in her throat, and the anxiety running through her veins, locking them behind a door in her mind. She inhales deeply, taking in the scent of roses and night-blooming jasmine from the gardens. She exhales slowly, composing herself like the princess she is, and the queen she’s about to become.

There’s another soft knock against the door before it drifts open, and her guardian stands on the other side. She turns to greet Leo, gathering up layers of her gown in gloved hands to make her way to the door, and he smiles at her. His blue eyes glisten with happy tears, and her empathetic nature means her eyes are blinking back fresh tears once more. “Theíos,” she grins, then falters, noticing his arms aren’t outstretched to embrace her in a bear hug in his usual manner. “What’s going on?”

Leo nods gently and clears his throat, heading to the loveseat in the front of the room. He motions for Teddy to join him, and she follows. Her expression is curious and slightly worried, taking in the serious expression on her usually lighthearted uncle’s face. “It’s an important day for you, Eleanor,” he says, reaching for her hands. He only addresses her by her given name when she’s in trouble, or when he’s being serious. It makes her anxious now, unsure of what he’s preparing to tell her. “I thought about waiting until after the ceremony to give this to you, but I think it’ll help you get through the evening.”

He reaches into his tuxedo jacket and pulls forth two envelopes, handing them over to her. She flips them over in her hands, noticing the wax seals and her father’s handwriting on one, her mother’s on the other. She looks up to Leo, brows creased together in silent question. “Read the one from Liam first,” Leo suggests, voice wavering as he utters his brother’s name. “They told me they wrote that to you during the Last Apple Ball, just before you were born.”

Teddy runs her fingers over the front of the envelope while Leo stands and walks over to the desk, retrieving a letter opener. She slices a long edge to open it, taking a shaky breath as she pulls the paper from within. Her chin quivers, unfolding the ivory sheet to see her father’s handwriting at the top of the page – Dear Baby, We’ve been looking forward to your arrival, and we’ve been counting the hours until your due date. We can’t wait to hold you and see your face for the very first time. Tears threaten to spill over for the fourth time since she started getting ready, but she bites her tongue and blinks them back, reading on. Leo hands her a tissue from the gilded box on the coffee table and she gives him a sad smile of thanks, dabbing at the edges of her eyes. Ruling Cordonia will seem like a big job…but your mother and I have every faith in your ability. In spite of the hardships you may face, know that Cordonia will appreciate all the creativity and heart you bring to each challenge. We’re already proud of the wonderful things we know you’ll do, of the person we know you’ll be. And we couldn’t love you more. Love, with all our hearts, Mom and Dad.

The door in her mind rattles, sad blue balloons pushing to the front, threatening to splinter it open in spite of being locked. Before she breaks into tears, she slices at the second envelope, now with her name written on the front, and pulls the letter out, unfolding it to see her mother’s handwriting. She dabs at her eyes again, and Leo gives her hand a reassuring squeeze before she starts to read.

To our darling Teddy,

We wish we could be there for you on your coronation night, to stand on either side of you while you make promises to guide and govern Cordonia above all else. We wish we could help you rebuild what was lost, with your father’s sage wisdom and my creative charm. Your aunts and uncles will have to guide you in our absence. Listen to them; learn from them.

Leo will teach you how to love with all your heart – let yourself fall in love, even if it hurts in the end. Drake will teach you humility. Even with gold and jewels at your fingertips, don’t forget that while you’ve been born into a line of kings and queens, I was born a commoner, and a humble beginning is still an honest one. Olivia will teach you how to be strong, both figuratively and literally. Hana will teach you to be true to yourself, despite the responsibilities given to you as our firstborn child. Maxwell will teach you how to squeeze every ounce of joy from life, though you may think that feat impossible right now.

They’re our family; our closest friends that have sworn to protect you, Amynta, and Liam, while we take steps to safeguard your futures. It breaks our hearts to have to leave you like this, but Auvernal gave us no choice. Your father and I are fighting for your safety and your freedom. We promised each other that you and your siblings would never have to go through what Daddy did to find a partner, even if it was a blessed twist of fate that Mama fought for and won his hand (and heart).

You should all have the freedom to love and marry the one you choose to be worthy of being your partner in life. No piece of paper should force that upon you. That’s the reason your father and I made the decision to go to war. We know you’re all too young to fully understand our reasons behind this, but freedom is worth fighting for, darling daughter. Freedom to love who you want a future with, and freedom to give your child every chance at an earnest life, defending that possibility with your own life, as the case may be. You’ll understand when – may you be so blessed in the future – you become a mother yourself.

Tonight, just remember that you are a Rys – full of fire and kindness – descended from warriors. Your blood runs red with wise ancestors, and that of Kenna Rys, who was a force to be reckoned with during her time on this earth. You are also a Bailey – a long line of strong-willed men and women in their own right. We know that you will succeed in whatever you set out to do.

May Cordonia welcome you back with open arms and love you as much as we do.

Love you always, Mama and Daddy

Teddy sniffles and dabs furiously at her eyes, praying that her makeup holds. She hands the letter to Leo to read over as she stands, walking over to the full length mirror in her bedroom, and carefully wipes away the tears that refuse to stop falling.

She knows the reason behind her parents declaration of war on Auvernal, so many years ago. She knows what Bradshaw and Isabella did to force them to sign away her future to their son Isaac, before she’d even been born, and how they refused to leave Cordonia as a result. Her uncles and aunts reminded her – and Amynta and little Liam – that Liam and Katrina had to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike against Auvernal, even if it meant years of collecting intel and secretly assembling a plan of attack, waiting to strike at the right opportunity. All their plotting didn’t stop them from becoming parents two more times to welcome Amynta and William to their little family, nor the decade of carefully setting their plans into motion.

She remembers leaving Cordonia to stay with her Theíos Leo and Theía Katie in America for the summer, while Amynta and Liam went to stay with their Uncle Drake, who eventually headed to Texas. Leo would’ve kept them all together, but with his own twins with Katie running around, it would have been difficult staying under the radar with five children.

And then it happened.

There was a surprising double assassination on foreign soil in the middle of the night. A king and queen were extradited and accused of violating war treaties. Two small countries went to war.

There were weeks of living in different cities with her uncle, aunt, and cousins, while images of home flashed across television screens. Bombings that reduced towns and cities to rubble. Troops invaded Cordonia and Auvernal in droves. Citizens cried in panic and pain, because of a marriage treaty Auvernal refused to revoke, even when Isaac and Lyra of Auvernal became casualties in an attack on their palace, negating the entire betrothal contract with the loss of Auvernal’s heirs.

Auvernal’s entire reason to extend the war was to fight out of spite.

Weeks turned to months of keeping a low profile and using a different name; Leo grew a beard and Katie changed her hair so they wouldn’t be recognized, even in remote towns in America, while the fighting back home continued. There were news updates of the royal assassins escaping before their trial was set to take place, while Teddy and her siblings wondered about their own safety, thousands of miles away.

Months blurred into years of wondering what happened to their parents, with sporadic visits from her uncles and aunts for courtly education and training as her only consolation, preparing her for this very night. The war slowly came to an end, with aid from Cordonia’s allies and Auvernal’s eventual surrender, having depleted all of their stolen resources.

Her home country was left to be governed by Olivia Nevrakis, in the absence of their King and Queen, with a young Crown Princess in hiding. Queen Olivia gave her lessons in diplomacy and trained her in weapons, while trusted noble houses kept her informed of legislation and restoration efforts, in between physics labs and calculus exams. It was a long, slow process to restore order and instill faith after what happened. Olivia ruled with steadfast resolution, which was what Cordonia needed to heal. Olivia was up to the task, even with the knowledge that her time on the throne would end sooner rather than later.

Tonight would be a night for change.

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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Under Duress

Pairing: Liam x Katrina Rating/Warnings: PG (language) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Set within canon of Book 2 of The Royal Heir, immediately following the events of Chapter 1. Intended to be a one shot but it might become an ongoing series with the creative liberties I’ve added in. * submission for @choicesjanuarychallenge2020 day 26 prompt: Murder * ETA - thank you to my resident thieves for their input on that scene 😉* Word Count: +/- 6000

Perma/TRR/TRH Taglist: (if I continue with this and you’d like to be tagged, let me know!) @annekebbphotography @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @desiree---1986 @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @janezillow @lolablackwrites @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @alj4890 @aworldoffandoms @blackcoffee85 @burnsoslow @client-327 @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @kacie-0156 @kingliam2019 @lovemychoices @missevabean @mskaneko @rainbowsinthestorm @superharrietsuper @the-soot-sprite

“Repeat that to me again. I must be hallucinating.”

“Trina, Love, I had no oth—”

“No. NO.” Katrina closed her eyes and raised her hand to make him pause, slowly curling her fingers into a fist. She dug her nails into her palm, pressing the side of her index finger to her lips; lips that her traitorous husband had just kissed. She felt her jaw tick as she clenched her teeth together in silent rage, feeling like her throat wanted to close up. “You will start from the beginning, and tell me ev-er-y-thing.” She spoke her words slowly and calmly so as not to disturb their daughter. Katrina opened her eyes and stared at their newborn princess in her husband’s arms, unable and unwilling to look him in the eye.

“You passed out,” Liam answered quietly, taking a few shallow breaths. Eleanor stirred gently in his arms but remained quiet. “I had no idea what was going on, and we couldn’t rouse you,” he continued. “I thought I was going to lose you. I thought we were going to lose our baby.”

Eleanor made tiny cooing noises in his arms and Katrina’s heart ached at the sound. This was supposed to be a sweet, happy moment of relief with my family. What the fuck was he thinking?

“Doctor Ramirez was stuck outside the palace, Olivia and Bastien couldn’t disarm the security protocols to open the doors…you…” Liam’s voice wavered with worry and emotion, and he reached over to hold Katrina’s hand.

She flinched to pull her hand away, too angry to touch him more than she had to. Liam closed his fingers into his palm at her recoil, but moved to grasp her hand again. Squeezing her palm, his own hand trembled as hot tears filled Katrina’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

“All I could think about was saving you and our baby,” Liam whispered. “I would have sold my soul to the devil himself.”

Katrina’s jaw clenched again and she kept her grip loose even though Liam gave her another tentative squeeze. “You might as well have,” she muttered, barely shaking her head. This room is too warm. I feel too warm.

Beside her, Liam let out a long, weary sigh. “I left the room to get an update, to see if any of our guests had a semblance of medical training that could be useful. And if I’m being honest…” He sighed again, pulling his hand away from Katrina to adjust his hold on their baby. “I wanted to find something to smash against a wall because I felt small and helpless.”

A tiny, piercing cry startled them both, and Katrina looked over to see their little girl twisting her face in anguish, letting out another cry. At the very sound, Katrina felt her heart ache again. Liam stood up from the couch and gently started to sway from side to side, rocking Eleanor in an attempt to calm her. “Shh, shh, little one,” he hummed, the low timbre of his voice soothing to Katrina’s ear. Eleanor’s cries continued and increased in volume. Liam turned around to face Katrina as he rocked their baby in his arms, his brows wrinkling together. “Maybe she’s hungry?”

Katrina took a steadying breath and let her gaze wander up to finally meet Liam’s. There were bags under his eyes, faint purple crescents from the evening’s events catching up to him. She wanted to comfort him, but her blood boiled at the sight of him, even now. “Let’s see if she is,” she replied, stretching her arms up towards Eleanor. Liam handed their crying infant to her, clumsily maneuvering their arms and hands against each other during the handoff, trying to keep Eleanor’s head supported while she wriggled in the baby blanket. “Wait, wait, take her out of that,” Katrina urged, handing Eleanor back to him.

Liam gave her a quizzical look as he took Eleanor back and knelt down on the ground, gently placing their baby on the couch. He untucked her from the blanket and Eleanor cried again, her face blooming crimson with each tiny, trembling cry. Wagering a glance up at his wife, he watched as she unfastened her robe and moved fabric to expose one of her breasts, and he tried to bury any libidinous thoughts. Scooping Eleanor up into his hands, he raised her up to his wife like an offering of peace.

Katrina cradled their daughter in her arms, moving Eleanor to help her find her nipple with her mouth. After a few seconds of heart-wrenching panic, Katrina gasped at the sensation of a tiny little tongue against her skin. She looked down to see Eleanor starting to relax as she suckled, the room filled with nothing but the quiet sounds of her feeding. She tucked her lips between her teeth at the surprising amount of pain throbbing through her each time Eleanor suckled on her, like she was drawing the very life out of her through a nipple.

“I was running around nearly in a panic.” Liam spoke softly, moving to the other side of the couch to sit next to Katrina so he could watch Eleanor as she ate. He reached over and held his finger out to stroke her tiny forearm, and Eleanor curled her impossibly tiny fingers around his, making his heart swell with love.

“No. No,” Katrina whispered. “Do not ruin this moment with excuses. We are taking a time out until she’s fed and burped and settled.”

Liam felt his stomach twist at her words. He closed his eyes for a moment and channeled a little of his stoicism. “Of course, Love. How…how does it feel?”

A ghost of a smile flashed across Katrina’s face. “It feels…really weird,” she answered, letting out a shaky breath. “You know that scene from The Princess Bride, where—AAH!” she let out a strained cry as Eleanor suckled with more enthusiasm. “Where Westley’s in the Pit of Despair, and the Count has him hooked up to the machine?” Liam nodded, urging her to continue. “And part of him’s connected by his nips? Yeah, it feels like that right now.” They both sat in silence, watching Eleanor eat, the air heavy with the discussion they’d started. Once she started to squirm and pull away, having had her fill, Katrina moved around to cover herself up again. “Take off your sweater and shirt. You should get some bonding time with her, and you’re gonna burp her.”

Liam pulled his finger away without a word, grateful for the opportunity to hold Eleanor again, and pulled his sweater off, setting it aside on the arm of the couch. His fingers flew over his shirt buttons to undo them, and he grabbed a burp cloth from the diaper bag Hana had been find enough to put together earlier that evening, draping it over one shoulder. “Ready when you are.” He smiled nervously at Katrina as Eleanor started to fuss, Katrina handing her over to him like she might break. Sitting up straight, he held Eleanor against his chest and positioned her chin against his shoulder, supporting her weight with his arm. After rubbing circles against her back with his palm, he gently started to tap her back a few times, nervously waiting for some kind of reaction. “Anything?” he asked, looking over to Katrina.

Katrina held her attention on the baby, listening for any sign of a burp in between half-hearted whimpers. “Keep trying, Doctor Ramirez said some babies might not need burping, or—”

Eleanor made a tiny hiccupping noise and ticked her face towards Liam. Katrina tried to stop the grin forming across her lips as she took in the horrified expression on Liam’s face, knowing the reason behind it. He let out a shudder and continued tapping Eleanor’s back, taking the hem of his shirt to wipe the spit up that landed on his bare chest. “Oh she needed to burp, alright.”

“You’ve been christened,” Katrina chuckled callously.

They spent the next half hour in an awkward, forced dance with one another as Katrina tried to feed Eleanor from her other breast and Liam burped her again. After bundling her up in a blanket and settling her down to sleep, Liam pulled on a fresh shirt from a clothing bag before putting Eleanor into a baby carrier. He was about to ask Katrina if he could get her anything to eat or drink when there was a light knock at the door.

Someone one the other side turned the knob and swung the door open a few inches. “You asked for me, Katrina?” Regina stepped inside, her eyes going straight to the baby carrier.

Katrina set her phone down on the couch. “Yes, thank you, Regina,” she replied coolly. “I’m sure you’ve been dying to meet your granddaughter, and…Liam and I need to have a conversation louder than a whisper right now.”

A flash of understanding crossed Regina’s face as she looked at Katrina and then Liam, before settling her gaze back to the carrier. “I’m told you named her after Liam’s mother, Eleanor, is that correct?”

“Yes, and I’m so appreciative Katrina agreed to it,” Liam answered, handing over the carrier with their slumbering princess inside. “We’ve decided to call her Teddy around close friends and family.”

A warm smile washed over Regina’s face as she took the carrier from Liam. “Teddy. Sweet little girl already,” she murmured. “You let me know when you’re ready for her, she’ll have plenty of eyes on her while she naps.” Katrina and Liam both smiled politely at Regina as she carried Eleanor out of the room, nothing but silence around them as the door clicked shut.

“Can I get you anyth—”

“Explain. Now, Liam.” Liam turned to see Katrina with her arms crossed against her chest, fire in her eyes as she now stared him down. “Explain to me like I’m a child how you, the goddamn King of Cordonia, could yield to the demands of those Auvernalian asshats.” I swear to god if he corrects me by calling them Auvernese I’ll…

Liam sighed softly to himself, shoulders dropping in a combination of defeat and exhaustion. “Katrina,” he breathed, dropping his gaze to the floor. “I was at my wit’s end.”

He let it slide. “How, Liam? How?” she insisted, leaning forward to grab the plate of snacks he’d arranged and left on a coffee table. She popped a cube of cheese in her mouth, chewing too fast to savor the tangy creaminess before continuing with more questions. “We’ve spent months working on a way to prevent this from happening with them and Amalas, and you go and betray me like this? You’re supposed to be my advocate, you’re supposed to fight for me when I can’t!”

“I did fight for you!” he snapped back, voice louder than intended. There was a tiny pang of guilt in his chest when he saw Katrina flinch, but he set his jaw in place and took a moment to center himself again. “There was nothing I could do! No royal training or lessons from my childhood that could’ve prepared me for my pregnant wife going into labor in the middle of a palace lockdown,” he stressed, counting out the night’s course of events. “After Godfrey fucking Duke of Karlington ran off like the treacherous weasel that he is. Not only for the blasted system he set in place, but he played a part in killing my mother. My MOTHER, Katrina!” Blood pumped rapidly through Liam’s veins, and he did nothing to try and keep himself calm. “You were unconscious, our baby was in distress, and there was nothing I could do to undo any of it!” He’d somehow made his way the few feet closer to the sitting area, and he reached for an apple sitting in the fruit bowl. “I know you told me to save the baby if it came down to it, but how could I? How could I make that kind of choice? I just found you, how was I supposed to just let you go? How was I supposed to live with the possibility of our child growing up not knowing her own mother?” Liam gripped the apple in his hand and hurled it with all his might at an opposite wall; the apple shattered into pieces with a wet squelch upon impact, leaving a noticeable dent.

“What did those motherfuckers say to twist your arm, then? To just hand over our daughter like…like…some goose that lays golden eggs!”

Liam angrily raked his hands through his hair, clasping his fingers around the back of his neck before letting his hands drop to his sides again. “Our child is not a goose to be stolen away, nor our resources to be squandered. As I said, the doctor was outside the palace,” he gestured his hands to one side of him. “And you were inside the palace, just like the rest of us,” he continued, gesturing with his hands to his other side. “We couldn’t disarm the damn security system. You saw what it took for Olivia to get through ONE set of doors just to get out of the ballroom.”

“Yeah, can we please fire Mara once the dust settles? Why didn’t they test the system before the ball? Why the hell did Godfrey even have access to the controls?” Katrina scowled and broke a pretzel in half. “I’m gonna kill him. I swear on everything holy, I will murder him myself for all his meddling.”

“How’re you…how are you eating while we’re discussing this?” Liam’s forehead wrinkled with frustrated confusion across his face.

She looked at him incredulously and popped the pretzel into her mouth, chewing pointedly. In her mind, she was pummeling his perfect face into oblivion. “I just gave birth. I just fed our daughter. I’m starving, so lay off and stick to the topic at hand, Your Majesty!”

“We’ll figure out the staffing and security issues later,” he quipped back. Liam had begun to pace about the room, frustrated they were having this conversation now. He wanted to wait until later in the day, after they’d both had a chance to sleep and eat like normal people. He didn’t want to be on the edge of an argument on the day of his daughter’s birth. He didn’t want any of this. “Bradshaw and Isabella approached me while I was searching for help in the ballroom and told me their Honor Guard could break down the doors, but it would come at a price.” He spat the words out like they were laced with venom.

“Eleanor,” Katrina answered, her voice full of dejection.

Liam stopped pacing and his head dropped. He shook his head back and forth, wishing the action could undo everything. “I had to promise our child would be betrothed to one of their twins,” he finally eked out, his usually steady voice strangled with conflict. “All I could think about was keeping our baby alive…keeping you alive,” he added, chest heaving as he took small, shallow breaths. He walked back to the couch, falling to his knees in front of Katrina, and placed his hands on one of her knees. “If there had been any other way to get through those doors, I would’ve done it.” His bottom lip trembled, chin quivering as he looked up to Katrina’s brown eyes. They were alight just moments ago when Eleanor had been with them, but now they were dark and cold. He’d never seen her like this before.

Katrina set the plate of food to her side and swallowed whatever she’d been snacking on. Her nostrils flared as she took in slow breaths, her eyes darting around Liam’s face to take in his beaten expression. “After everything I’ve been through to be with you,” she started. “The sabotage, the lies and accusations, the pain of seeing you with that…that…weasel’s daughter on your arm…” Her bottom lip began to tremble. “After…fucking Anton,” she added, voice cracking as she uttered her former press secretary’s real name. “Knowing you stood by my side through all of that…how you didn’t want to rule like your father. How you didn’t want a political marriage, and all those nights we spent talking about how we don’t want a life like that for our child…I just don’t understand how, Liam.” Katrina blinked back tears already threatening to spill forth from her eyes, trying to focus on counting the number of petals on one of the flowers on her robe to keep herself from breaking down.

“I was between a rock and hard place, Trina,” Liam answered, his voice soft. He gently squeezed her knee. “I saw no other alternative, and I was running out of time to get you the help you needed. You know I don’t want our child to go through life the way Leo or I did. I want her to marry for love. But they knew they had an advantage, and they forced my hand.”

Katrina turned her legs and pulled away from his touch. “You listen to me, William Ambrosios Nathaniel Dae Rys,” she growled through her teeth. Liam’s eyes widened at the sound of being called by his full name. “That’s right, I’m using all of your stupid names right now. You need to fix this. We need to fix this, for the sake of our daughter. What else are they going to demand if they got you to agree to this?”

“They won’t ask for anything else.” His tone was firm, despite the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

“Are you sure about that? Was that another promise? I know you uphold your promises when you make them, but do they?”

“I…” Liam trailed off, unsure of how to reply.

“Are they going to drop in, unannounced, whenever they feel like it, now that you’ve promised them our daughter’s hand? Like a weird pair of annoying in-laws, oblivious to the fact that they’ve overstayed their welcome? Because of a promise you made while your wife wasn’t even conscious to know what was happening?” Katrina’s voice held a bitter sharpness Liam had never heard before. Callous, upset Katrina he could reason with; this version of her was cold and borderline mean, the way she kept repeating promise to him. He was annoyed with her, and he was never annoyed with her.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything like that, Tri—”

“Because they didn’t pull that while we were on our honeymoon last year, refusing to leave our palace until they had an audience with you? Hmm?”

“That was a ridiculous power move and as I recall, we left them wai—”

“And Bella didn’t pull the same dick move when she essentially summoned me to Auvernal in the middle of Savannah and Bertrand’s wedding preparations, trying to ambush me?”

Liam breathed in and out of his nose sharply. “You handled that with grace and apl—”

Katrina rolled her eyes. “And it’s certainly not like the move they pulled during the baby shower, with Bread-for-Legs trying to talk me into a deal right before—”

Liam abruptly rose to his feet. “Listen here, Katrina Julienne, you will let me speak!” He raised his voice sternly, drawing up his full height while she remained seated on the couch. Katrina’s eyes followed as he stood. “I am the King of Cordonia, and while you are my queen consort and the woman I love, I am the only one in this room with royal blood coursing through their veins. I am the one with centuries of power bred into their DNA, born from a line of kings and queens blessed by deities as old as the earth itself! You will listen when I speak! Your blood pressure was dangerously high, you needed medical attention, and I did what I had to to get you the help you needed! It was either make a promise to Auvernal, or risk losing my wife and child, and I wasn’t about to put your lives at risk!”

“THERE HE IS!” Katrina shouted back, haughty smile across her pale, dry lips. She waved her hands pointedly at him. “About fucking time, King Liam!” The King and Queen stared at each other, breathing hard from their outburst, daring the other to speak first.

A gentle but insistent tapping at the door caused Katrina and Liam to turn their heads sharply to the door. Liam took in air in shallow puffs through his nostrils as if he’d been running, disconcerted by the invigorated feeling coursing through his body; he felt alive in the worst possible way, after yelling at the love of his life.

“Uhh, guys?” Maxwell’s voice meekly came from the other side of the door. “You okay? Heard a little commotion in there.”

“We’re FINE, Maxwell!” Liam hollered towards the door, taking long strides across the floor. He swung it open with force, causing Maxwell to shirk backwards into the hallway. “The Queen and I are, we’re…” he gripped the doorknob so tight his knuckles turned white, and took in the alarmed look on their friend’s face. His jaw ticked and he paused with regret. With a lower, gentler tone of voice, he spoke again. “I am explaining the actions that transpired to break down the doors and get the doctor into the palace, my friend. Please, just look after Teddy and our guests for now, and…do what you can to keep the rooms and this hallway empty for the time being, yes?” He clapped a hand on Maxwell’s shoulder. “My wife and I aren’t done talking.”

Maxwell peered over Liam’s shoulder, raising his brows as he watched Katrina take a sip of water from the couch. She forced a tired, tight-lipped smile at him, mouthing “it’s alright” before taking another sip of water. He leaned back on his heels and looked at Liam, taking in his tousled hair and flushed cheeks; there was a weary expression in his eyes to assure him this wasn’t the conversation he wanted to be having with Katrina. “Right,” he answered, clicking his tongue. “Keep the hallway clear. Teddy’s great, Regina’s already taken about two dozen photos of her sleeping. You uh, you just let me know – let any of us know – if you need anything.” He peered over Liam’s shoulder again. “Okay, Little Blossom?”

“Thank you, Maxwell!” she called out from within the room.

Liam shut the door again and let out a tired exhale before walking towards Katrina. “May I sit with you?” he implored, ticking his chin at a spot on the couch.

“You may,” she answered flatly.

“Trina,” he whispered, reaching for her hand.

“I have one thing I need to say, before you continue.” She splayed her fingers out across her lap against the soft fabric of the robe, light reflecting off her engagement ring to catch her eye. She stared at the rings on her finger and what they represented; promises to love, honor, and trust one another. To see the other as an equal half, balancing the fine line of a king marrying a commoner; to work together as one.

Katrina turned her neck so she could look at Liam, who nodded silently at her. His sprightly brown eyes were dull and heavy with fatigue, rimmed red from lack of sleep. “I can understand why you did what you did to get the doctor here and make the best of a truly awful situation. This whole night has been a mess, with finding your mother’s hidden room and all the secrets that came to light…for all the secrets still waiting to be told.” She pursed her lips together in a feeble attempt to keep her emotions in control. “But I say this as Teddy’s mother, and not as a queen.” Her chest tightened as she formed the words in her head. “Whatever promises you made, whatever agreement happened between the three of you for a marriage alliance…you are going to undo it. We are going to undo it. Our daughter is not about to be betrothed before she can speak for herself, Liam. I won’t allow it. I mean no disrespect to your mother, but if I have to sneak into their goddamn country and kill them to negate this thing, I will do it. Alone, if I have to.”

“Trina, you wouldn’t have to—” Liam’s voice cracked and he reached for her hand, grasping it tightly in his. She squeezed her hand three times, and a relieved smile broke out across his face; a warm tear fell from his eye onto her thumb. “I love you too, my love. My heart.”

“I will fight that ridiculous desk jockey of a king with my bare hands if it comes down to it,” Katrina grumbled. “The sheer audacity of that man!”

Liam shook his head and broke out into a fit of tired chuckles beside her, using his free hand to cover his mouth. His shoulders started shaking as he continued to laugh, and he pulled his hand away from Katrina to completely cover his face, making wheezing sounds as he struggled to breathe between laughs. Katrina watched on in mild shock, unsure of what had come over him, flinching for a second when Liam snorted and started laughing to himself once more. It went on for more than a minute, until no sound came out of him and he just sat there, shaking and waving a hand in the air like he was trying to dismiss the laughter.

“What…what’s so funny?”

Liam wiped the tears from his eyes, his full lips pulling back into a smile in between stifled giggles. When he locked eyes with Katrina, a semblance of the light and mischief had returned to his, and he broke out into another round of giggling. He cleared his throat and began to take slow, drawn-out breaths in through his nose and out his mouth to compose himself. “I’m sorry for laughing right now, I didn’t mean to,” he answered, biting his tongue to stop another chuckle from spilling forth. “It’s just…when you called Bradshaw a desk jockey, I…” Liam paused and sucked in air through his teeth. “All I could see was a shrunken version of him in full jockey silks, smacking the desk with a riding crop and shouting orders at everyone.”

Katrina snickered as the image appeared in her head, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth. She bit her tongue to suppress laughter, her mind flashing another image of Breadford getting red in the face as he shouted at some faceless staff member, his cap tilting askew on his tiny head – and she snorted. Liam’s eyes widened and the sound set off his laughter once more, and the pair of them fell into a fit of noisy, then silent giggles until they were red in the face and breathless.

Liam turned his body towards Katrina and he raised his arms as she wiped the last of her tired, giggle-infused tears from her eyes, silently asking to hug her.

She mirrored his movement, and they embraced one another, Katrina momentarily pulling back. “Sorry, my breasts, they’re…god, they hurt right now,” she murmured into his ear. “Everything hurts.”

“I’m sorry, Love,” he replied softly, slowly pulling back from their embrace. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “We’ll figure this out, I will promise you that.”

“Did you sign anything?” she asked, dabbing at the corners of her eyes again.

“What? No, nothing like that, there wasn’t time to draw up papers.”

Katrina blinked several times and looked at her husband. “No evidence of this agreement?”

“It was a verbal agreement, one that several witnesses can attest to,” Liam answered, his shoulders falling in defeat once more.

“But there’s no other record of it. Nothing tangible. Not even scribbled on a linen napkin.”

“No, my love. If we try to refute the agreement or negate it solely for being a verbal contract, they’ll fight back.”

Katrina narrowed her eyes, lines of text running through her mind like rapid, scrolling marquees. “Let them fight us, then. You’re king of this country, and your wife is a lawyer.” A determined grin tugged at her lips. “I wasn’t in the right state of mind…hell, I was unconscious! To soundly negotiate any sort of agreement, and you were clearly under emotional duress when they approached you with their political agenda. We can work with this.”

“Trina?”

“We’re fighting this, Liam. For Teddy. For our future children and grandchildren, and their children, and heirs to the Cordonian throne long after we’re gone.” Centuries of marriage deals and alliances be damned, our children will get to choose who they marry.

Resolve washed over Liam upon hearing his wife speak with determination about their family line. He would stop at nothing to keep their daughter from enduring what he had to in the name of love. “You’re right,” he nodded.

“You need to write down your account of the events while they’re fresh in your head,” she instructed. “On paper, a secure laptop, whatever. Write it down.” She reached up and cupped the side of his face with her hand, Liam relaxing into her touch. “And you need a shave,” she grinned.

“I’ll see if I can get to my office,” he replied, turning his face to press his lips to her palm. “Is there anything you need before I leave?”

“Just our little girl back in the room.” She smiled softly at Liam and he nodded again, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

Liam leaned closer and tucked a few stray hairs behind Katrina’s ear. “Would it be too soon to ask if I could kiss you, Trina?”

Katrina dropped her gaze into his eyes, feeling her eyelids grow heavy as the adrenaline left her system once more. “This doesn’t mean you’re completely forgiven, you know.”

“I know,” he admitted. “But at the end of the day you are the woman I love, for better or worse. You and Teddy are my entire world. The two of you come before any crown.” He looked at her with weary eyes, searching her own for understanding.

Katrina’s eyes welled up with tears, returning his gaze with a small, trembling smile. “There. There is the man I married. Liam.” She sniffled and vainly blinked back her tears, feeling one roll down her cheek. “Remember being this version of yourself.”

Liam nudged the tip of her nose with his, a sad smile across his lips as she let out a tiny shudder. He pressed his lips to hers with nervous relief, feeling his tears leave a hot trail down his face in their wake. They mixed with Katrina’s as the apples of their cheeks pressed together, feeling the cool trails of her own tears, and he tried to express everything he couldn’t quite put into words into their kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers when they finally pulled apart. “Se agapó,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Katrina sighed back. She gave him a tiny, hopeful smile as he rose from the couch and left the room to recount his confrontation with Auvernal, hearing his voice grow faint as he addressed someone in the hallway. Katrina sighed and plucked a strawberry off her plate, popping it into her mouth as she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She glanced at the time displayed on the screen and quickly counted the hours back. Almost 6pm on the West Coast. With a nervous tap of the screen, she hit the call option and pressed the phone to her ear, hearing the trill of the line as it connected.

“Hello? Katrina?” The sound of the caller’s voice on the other end of the line sent a rush of nervous energy through her.

“I know I’m not supposed to call unless it’s an emergency,” she began. “That contact is…decidedly not good for either of us, but I think I might be in over my head with a legal issue, and I need your expertise. Or your advice, parent to new parent.”

The line was silent, save for the caller’s steady, faint breathing. “Boy or girl?”

“A little girl, Eleanor Theodora.”

“Congratulations, Katrina. You and Liam must be over moon to have her there with you.”

“That’s…part of the reason for this call. I can go into details when we can both sit down and discuss it at length and once I get the full account from Liam, but umm…I may need some help arguing the legality of a verbal agreement while I was unconscious. Or a good defense lawyer in the event that I decide to assassinate two heads of state, take your pick.”

A muffled choking sound came from the other end of the line, along with a distant cry from a young girl. “Daaaaaad, where’s my soccer uniform? I need it for tomorrow!” Katrina heard a shuffling noise, like the caller was pressing the phone to their chest or covering the microphone with their hand.

“On top of the dryer, Lulu!” Though his voice was muffled, it still rang out through the speaker loud enough for her to pull the phone away from her ear. “Sorry, my daughter’s got a soccer game in the morning but I’m getting ready to drop her off for a team sleepover.” He added a warm, nervous laugh. “I um, I have a prior commitment this evening so I’m afraid discussing things tonight won’t be a good time…hold on,” he paused. “Katrina, it’s nearly 4am in Cordonia!”

“My daughter decided to make a very late-slash-early appearance, what can I say?” Katrina laughed softly, feeling her cheeks warm at his concern over the time.

“I can cancel my evening if you need to talk, as a client or as a…friendly parent, to parent.”

“No, go have a fun evening, I just…” Katrina sighed, reaching for the glass of the water on the table. She took a quick sip before continuing. “A lot has happened tonight, and I’m just…getting my ducks in a row, if you will. Preparing for calamity and hoping I’m just being overly cautious.”

“You’re sure?”

“I have a palace full of people looking after me.” A busted palace, with incompetent security and unwelcome guests I want to strangle. “Text me when you’ve got an hour or so to catch up, and we can go from there.”

“I’ll do that. Congratulations again, Katrina. To you and Liam, and your little girl. She’ll be such a blessing to you.”

“Thank you, Thomas. I’ll talk to you soon.” Katrina ended the call just as there was a knock on the door. She plastered on another weary smile as Hana walked in with the carrier in her arms, along with Alyssa and Olivia. “Hey, ladies. How’s the newest member of our little gang? And where’s Drake and Maxwell?”

“They left with Liam to get to his office for something?” Olivia answered, pouring herself a glass of champagne. Alyssa cast their friend a dubious glance. “What? It’s not like she can drink it, she’s nursing now,” Olivia answered dryly. “It’s one glass to take the edge off the night. I’m your personal guard since Mara’s doing fuck all right now.”

“Language! Tiny ears can hear you now!” Hana hissed.

Katrina laughed again. “I told him to write down an account of his conversation with those…those...” she paused, holding her hands up in front of her. Her fingers curled like claws and she shook her hands out of frustration. “Them.”

“We heard,” Alyssa replied, taking a seat next to Katrina. She rubbed her friend’s shoulder reassuringly. “Need me to choke someone? Brad’s a hel—heck of a lot smaller than Leo, I can take him.”

Katrina chuckled again. “I don’t think we’re there yet, but I don’t want to take any chances. I’m going to need my girls more than ever.”

#the royal heir fanfic #TRH fanfic #playchoices fanfiction #the royal heir #choices January challenge 2020 #choices the royal heir #king liam x mc #king liam x queen trina #trr fanfic #trr au #the royal romance fanfic #choices fanfiction #choices crossover fanfic #fix it fic #god I can feel the angst oozing from this #I am SPENT #legit exhausted after this refused to leave my brain

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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*sigh* messing with my own headcanon to make this work...

King Liam and Queen Katrina announce the arrival of Crown Princess Eleanor Theodora Bailey Rys

to those in their inner circle, she’ll be known as Teddy ❤️their strong Little Bear

#the royal heir #choices the royal heir #king liam x queen katrina #liam x trina #my HC is they had baby boys #the first of which they named Thaddeus and nicknamed him Teddy #so there's that #how am I *not* gonna include Eleanor in that little angel's name #after Liam made that face?#YOU try not adding his mother's name in there as a Liam stan without feeling guilty #and the animal nickname thing was a thing I already thought of when I was dreaming up their brood of boys #bears and elephants and monkeys and owls #plus two more but I haven't figured out those names yet #heh whoops

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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The Feast - Part 2

Pairing: King Liam x Queen Katrina Rating/Warnings: PG-13 (language, lemon-lime activity) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Follow up to The Feast, Part 1, where a very hungry, very pregnant Queen indulged in a weekend of food with two of her friends. * Takes place within TRH/Morsels AU * Word Count: +/- 2200

Back at the palace, Katrina reviewed expense reports in her study, idly nibbling on water crackers as her peppermint tea cooled. She rubbed her belly as the baby gently kicked, continuing to narrate the details of the report as though she was reading a nursery book. A tiny grin blossomed on her face when Lucky perked up from the dead of sleep in his dog bed, scrambling over to the front door just before she heard the lock click. The grin morphed into a soft smile as she gently maneuvered herself up from the office chair and heard Lucky’s claws tap against the smooth flooring – he was doing his happy dance as Liam opened the door.

“Who’s a good boy? Did you look after our favorite lady while I was gone?” Liam’s questions were met with an enthusiastic yip! from Lucky, as he shook his rear and let his tongue loll out one side. Liam rewarded him with belly rubs.

Katrina leaned against the hallway arch, smiling at her husband and their dog, and Liam turned his head. His eyes lit up upon meeting her gaze, and he stood up from his crouched position, smiling at her with outstretched arms. He wrapped his arms around her frame as best as he could, given the swell of her belly, and rubbed her back gently. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he murmured into her hair.

“So glad to have you home again,” she mumbled against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. Liam leaned down to kiss her as she pressed her toes to the floor to meet him halfway, Katrina trapping his full bottom lip between her own, and felt him smile before they pulled apart. He shrugged off his jacket, Katrina taking it from him as he started to undo the buttons on his shirt to roll up his sleeves. “How was the dinner? Were you able to talk to everyone you needed to about your trade proposals?”

Liam loosened the knot in his tie before pulling it off completely, tucking it into a jacket pocket and wandered into the kitchen. “I believe we’ll get enough support from our allies at the next European summit. They appeared to be enthusiastic about negotiating new terms, which is better than last year.” He poured himself a tall glass of water and gulped it down, setting the empty glass on the counter before turning to face Katrina again. “But that’s not what I want to talk about right now.”

“Oh?”

He walked past Katrina and wheeled his carry-on suitcase to the couch, spinning the numbers on the combination lock and unzipping the case as he motioned for her to join him. She made her way to the couch and he held her hands as she eased herself down onto the cushions, looking on at him as he rifled through the impeccably packed case before him – and then her eyes began to water when he offered her several bars of chocolate. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. Liam had a sheepish grin across his face as he looked on at her. “I know I’ve been rather stringent with you about sweets lately, Love,” he began. “Which is rather hypocritical of me, given my own weakness for baklava.” Katrina let out a small huff in agreement. “So these are just a small offering of my apology. I know these are your favorite.”

Katrina wiped a stray tear that managed to fall from her eye and smiled at Liam, taking the chocolate bars from him into her hands like they were oversized playing cards. “You’re a sweet, sweet man, you know that, right?”

“That’s not all,” he replied. Katrina looked at him curiously as he sat next to her on the couch. “I know that you haven’t been able to indulge in as many of your cravings lately because I’ve been rather, ah…overzealous…”

“You’ve been like the soup nazi over my diet these last couple of months,” Katrina grumbled.

“The who?” Liam’s brows pulled together in confusion.

“The soup nazi,” Katrina repeated. “From Seinfeld. With one wrong comment or a strange look and he denied soup to his customers. Any time I’d mention wanting to eat something slightly unhealthy you’d give me a look, or shake your head at the staff, warning them not to make dishes that were too sweet or too fatty. I’ve seen the memos, Liam.”

Liam simultaneously inched away while reaching out to hold her hands. Damn. Must speak with my PA about exercising more discretion on my personal memos to the staff. “I’m sorry, Trina, Love. I am, truly. I just…I worry so much about you and our little one, and I’m afraid I fell off the deep end.”

“Just remember this when I’m pregnant with this little one’s younger brother or sister down the road,” she replied, pursing her lips into a thin line.

“I won’t make this mistake again, believe me.” He planted a sweet kiss on her forehead, then to her temple, before kissing her softly on the lips. “But the chocolates aren’t the only treat I brought back with me. I thought a grander gesture was in order for my actions.”

“What have you done?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I know you’ve been going on about another particular craving, and how our chef hasn’t been able to replicate the perfect New York slice, even before you were pregnant. So I made a few cal—”

“What did you doooo?” Katrina gasped.

“I had water and a chef flown in from New York, and he’s already cooking in the palace kitchen to make sure everything tastes authentic. Frankly, after a weekend of posh British food, a slice of pizza sounds like the best thing in the world to me as well.” Katrina’s bottom lip quivered and she began to cry, trying to hold in her guilt-ridden sobs in front of Liam, but it was a wasted effort. He rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong, Trina? Are you in pain?” Oh gods, what now?

She cried against his shoulder, fat tears rolling down her cheeks onto his dress shirt as she struggled to slow her breathing enough to speak. Liam gently stroked her arms and strained to make sense of her words when she paused to speak between breaths. “You…kind…pizza…” she uttered, coughing to clear her throat. “Cheesy… Drake…meat sweats…” she muttered again, before mumbling “stupid cock sneezes!”

My wife is speaking gibberish now, wonderful. “Did you just say ‘meat sweats’ and ‘cock…sneezes’? Do I even want to know what any of that means?” Liam asked, now rubbing gentle circles against her back. “Should I have gone with the Korean chicken wings instead? Or I’ll ask the chef to make all the pies you want!”

“I can’t do it again!” Katrina whined, starting to sob once more. She covered her face with her hands as Liam continued comforting her, completely bewildered by her reaction.

“Again?! What do you mean ‘again’?” She left with Drake. To see Maxwell. I’ll lock them both in the dungeons for a wee...a month! A solid month!

“I…ugh,” Katrina sighed, wiping away more tears from her face. Her lower lip trembled as Liam used the pad of his thumb to brush away a stray tear, and he stroked her cheek. “While you were away, I sort of…did something.”

A wave of panic washed over Liam and his face froze for a millisecond, seized with fear, before returning to his normally calm expression. Years of training were hard to break, even now with the woman he loved before him. “Alright,” he finally uttered, patiently waiting for Katrina to explain.

“I’ve had so many cravings, and I know you’re just concerned for my well-being, and keeping an eye out for gestational diabetes and all that, but Liam…sometimes I just want to eat cake. Or an entire pizza. Or...the spiciest damn noodles in the world.” She looked up and over to him through her lashes, her lower lip trembling again. “So I…sort of…had a junk food weekend, while you were away.”

Liam exhaled slowly, relief halting the cold sweat that had started to form at the back of his neck. “Is that what you did with Drake?” I don’t have to kill him or lock him in the dungeons.

“And Maxwell. But I…overdid it. I’ve been drinking mint tea and nibbling on crackers since I got back, and all I really want is one of your fruit smoothies. Max tried to recreate one, but it just didn’t taste the same.”

Liam kissed his wife’s forehead. “If it’s a smoothie my queen wants, a smoothie she shall have,” he whispered. “As long as I can still have pizza for dinner. If I have to sit through a proper meal right now I…I’d rather go to bed hungry,” he chuckled.

“Aren’t we scheduled to have dinner with some of your advisors to go over your talks during the trip?” Katrina sniffled and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

“That can wait until Monday. Right now I want to make my wife a smoothie while I wait for a pizza to be delivered to our front door.” He pulled out his phone and fired off a short text. “But if you’re not going to eat any, I’m adding sausage and mushrooms.”

Katrina grimaced. “You’re gross. Mushrooms are gross.” Liam smirked at her. “Maybe…a small cheese slice? Y’know, since he’s already making pizza anyway?”

Liam grinned and fired off another message. “As you wish.” He kissed the top of Katrina’s head as he got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen, pulling an array of fruits from the fridge, along with a container of Greek yogurt, almond milk, and a handful of ice cubes from the freezer. Katrina leaned against the back of the couch, watching with admiration as Liam prepared her drink, both of them smiling as he tossed a few blueberries in the air for Lucky to catch.

A few minutes later, Liam poured her a tall, pink drink with a bright blue straw and offered it to her. She took a sip and smiled, and felt an exuberant kick from their baby. “So you’re not mad that I had a binge weekend?”

Liam leaned back against the couch cushions, propping one ankle over his knee as Katrina curled up against his side. She offered him the glass, and he took a sip before handing it back to her. His hand played with a few strands of her hair. “It’s not the healthiest approach, but I’m not mad, Love. Your blood sugar levels are within range, anyway, so I don’t see why you can’t indulge in whatever you’re craving more often. Truce? I won’t be so strict over menu planning, as long as it’s not pizza and burgers at every meal?”

“Ugh, agreed,” Katrina sighed, snuggling closer into Liam’s side.

“I’m still curious about something though.”

“Ask away.”

“What on earth did you mean by cock sneezes and meat sweats?”

Katrina let out a wry laugh as Liam combed his fingers through her hair. “Meat sweats,” she began, sticking out her tongue, “is when your best friend consumes nothing but steak and burgers over the weekend and proceeds to sweat it out during the car ride home.”

Liam’s shoulders trembled as he closed his eyes and shook his head, keeping his mouth in a tight line to avoid laughing. He blinked several times before speaking again. “And the, ahem, other thing?”

Katrina shook her head and giggled. “Maxwell and Drake thought I nodded off during one of the movies and started talking about guy things, and that came up. I guess it’s when you, y’know…” she gestured in the air with one hand. “…before you mean to.”

Liam’s eyes widened with curiosity. “And one of them did? Who? When?”

“I’ll never tell!” she replied, in a sing-song voice.

“Oh, I’ll get it out of you, my queen,” he growled, taking the drink from her hand. He set the glass on the coffee table before turning to hover over Katrina, assaulting her neck with amorous kisses, smiling against her skin when she sighed. His lips traveled down her neck and along her clavicle, both of them laughing lightly when she arched her back towards him and her belly prodded him backwards. Liam pulled the fabric of her wrap dress away from her bodice, nimble fingers ghosting over smooth nylon and pebbled skin. He peeled back the wisp of fabric against her skin, glancing up to see her bite her bottom lip. “Still think you’ll hold out?” he whispered, warm breath against her breast.

“Do your worst, Your Majesty,” she teased. Katrina’s eyes fluttered shut and she bit her lip between her teeth as her king took her in his mouth, tongue swirling around one hardened peak while his hand slipped under the fabric of her dress to roll the other between his fingers. She giggled and sighed again, Liam growling against her skin in response.

Outside the King and Queen’s private residence, a nervous staff member stood before the door, service cart loaded with two pizzas. A hand was raised in the air, preparing to knock, when Katrina’s giggles could be heard from the other side of the door, along with Liam’s voice threatening to leave her begging for mercy. The staff member knocked on the door loudly three times – loud enough to have it echo in the hallway – and called out “Dinner service!” over their shoulder before rapidly walking down the hall, back to the kitchen.

---

Taglist: @annekebbphotography @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @cocomaxley @cora-nova @desiree-0816 @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @janezillow @likethetailofacomet @lolablackwrites @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @alj4890 @aworldoffandoms @beardedoafdonutwagon @blackcoffee85 @client-327 @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @kingliam2019 @lovemychoices @missevabean @the-soot-sprite @the-everlasting-dream @burnsoslow @texaskitten30 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @omgjasminesimone

#the royal romance fanfic #trr fanfiction #the royal romance au #the royal heir fanfic #trr au #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #choices liam #liam x mc #king liam x mc #savor every morsel series #liam x trina #TRH fanfic #added a lil sumthin sumthing just for Anitah and Gen and Anya #bahahaha

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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The Feast

Players: King Liam, Queen Katrina, Drake Walker, Maxwell Beaumont Rating/Warnings: G Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Like the old saying goes – While the cat’s away, the mice will play. If the mice include a very hungry, very pregnant Queen in search of satisfying certain cravings. * October Creative Prompt from @playchoicesficidea for Hangover, requested by @burnsoslow * Takes place within TRH/Morsels AU * Word Count: +/- 2300

Liam set his suitcase down near the front door, heart twinging at the sight of his very pregnant wife pouting as she walked into the foyer. His suit jacket was in her hands. With a heavy sigh, she held it up to him, motioning for him to turn around. Silently, Liam turned on his heels, reaching his hands back into the sleeves, and shrugged the jacket on as Katrina brushed her hands over the shoulders and tugged lightly on the lapels when he turned around to face her. Her eyes were already glossy with tears, and he caught the tiny trembling of her chin when she pressed her palms to his chest. He gently tilted her chin up to look into her glistening eyes, sad smile on his lips. “I’ll call you as soon as I land, we both knew this day was coming.”

Katrina tried to smile. “Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you while you’re gone.”

Liam pulled her as close as he could, given the beautiful swell of her midsection, and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll miss you as well, Love.” He kneeled down and caressed the curves of her belly, pressing his lips above her bellybutton. “And I’ll miss you too, little one. Don’t give your Mama too much trouble with the late night kicking and twirling.” He stood up to rise slowly, taking a slow breath before meeting his wife’s gaze once more. “It’s an honor to be invited to one of Queen Elizabeth’s state dinners, and you know I’d turn it down under different circumstances.”

“It’s too important not to go,” Katrina sighed. “I know it’s an opportunity to talk to the other guests invited for Cordonia’s benefit…I just wish I wasn’t a flight risk to join you. At least you’ll have Hana by your side to keep you on your toes.”

“I’m grateful she’ll be there with me as well, but she pales in comparison to you in terms of keeping me on my toes,” he replied, hint of a grin on his face. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Just a few days, right?”

“Four days. Three if I can get Spain to squeeze in a meeting a little earlier. You sure you’re up to making the drive to Ramsford on your own later?”

“I talked Drake into joining me, since Alyssa is still visiting her sister stateside.”

Liam gathered up his phone and tucked a file into his attaché case. “Good, I’m glad you’ll both get to spend some time together.” He checked the time on his watch and frowned. “Love, I…”

“You have a plane to catch, get going,” she answered, hugging him once more. Liam leaned his tall form down and kissed Katrina tenderly, cupping one side of her face with his hand. “I love you,” she whispered, just as their lips parted. “We love you, and we’ll miss you.”

“I love you both as well,” he whispered back, letting his gaze drop to her belly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He left with his things, headed to the airport with Hana and Bastien, leaving Katrina in their new private apartment added within the palace, complete with a brand new nursery for their little prince or princess. She lowered herself onto the couch and wiped away an errant tear or two from her eyes while she scrolled through messages. It was the first time during her pregnancy that Liam would be away from her for more than a day.

There was no doubt that she missed him. Even with just a few minutes passing, her heart ached to see him and hear his voice again, but she blinked the rest of the tears away and rocked herself up from the couch to head back to the master bedroom. Drake would be there in a few minutes, and she needed to finish packing.

.:.

“I feel like you’re cheating.”

“You are a serious stick in the mud right now. I never should’ve asked for your help.”

“I just don’t understand why you’d do something like this…with Beaumont.”

“You don’t get it, Drake,” Katrina sighed, leaning her head against the glass of the passenger side window. “Liam’s been great, don’t get me wrong, but he’s so…worrisome. He hovers. And most of the time it’s sweet, and I get it – I worry about the baby and what I’m eating now that I can hold down food, but I want flavor. Salt. Processed sugar.”

“And we have to go out to Ramsford because…?”

“I’m positive Liam’s instructed the kitchen staff not to make anything unhealthy for me, or even stock the kitchens with anything that isn’t organic at this point. I need Ultra Feast weekend, and if you’re not gonna keep qui—”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Drake chuckled, glancing over from the driver’s seat. “As long as there are burgers and steaks for me to eat, I know nothin’ bout nothin’.”

Katrina grinned back at him. “Okay then.” Her eyes lit up as Drake slowed down, and the Beaumont estate pulled into view. Maxwell was already waiting for them on the front steps, waving excitedly.

Drake rolled to a stop and popped the trunk open, just as Maxwell bounded over to Katrina’s door, huge smile on his exuberant face. “Little Blossom! And Baby Bud!” he exclaimed, reaching out to help her swivel out of the seat. “Are you ready for this weekend of indulgence?”

Katrina smiled at him as Drake pulled their luggage from the trunk. “First I need a bathroom, because this little one is kicking my bladder.” They walked up the front steps and into the foyer, where Katrina sniffed the air, and hummed happily. “I smell fried things,” she whispered to Maxwell.

“I’ll put your things in your old room, you know where the powder room is,” Maxwell called out over his shoulder, already ascending the grand staircase to the second floor. “We’ll meet you in the formal dining room, everything’s set up!”

.:.

Katrina’s eyes lit up with glee when she opened the doors to the formal dining room. Laid out along the table were trays upon trays of meal one of the many food cravings she’d had over the last couple of weeks – all the indulgent, unhealthy things she craved, but Liam wouldn’t keep stocked at the palace. She clasped her hands over her mouth as her eyes took in the sight of fried chicken and biscuits, sliders, coleslaw and potato salad, steak fries, and serving dishes piled with baby back ribs and brisket for Drake. Half a dozen different pies and strawberry shortcake were set aside on one end. Her eyes started to well up with tears just as Maxwell and Drake joined her.

“What’s wrong? Did I forget something?” Maxwell’s eyes darted back and forth from the table to Katrina. “Not enough? Too much? You wanted to start with pizza? Or did you want chips? I can get chips!”

Katrina laughed before draping an arm over Maxwell’s shoulders, pulling him in for a sideways hug. “Breathe Maxwell, breathe,” she replied, smiling at him. “It all looks wonderful, I’m just happy to see delicious, solid food in front of me that isn’t salad. Or broiled or steamed something or other.”

“What’s that about solid food?” Drake quirked an eyebrow at her.

Katrina clicked her tongue. “I have to start each morning with a smoothie to get all my nutrients. The fruit ones aren’t that bad, but Liam’s been insisting on green ones these last couple of weeks and…sometimes I just want a plate of bacon. Or hash browns. God I miss hash browns,” she sighed. “But he doesn’t want me eating anything fatty or fried, not even in small portions. If I didn’t love him so much I’d strangle him in his sleep.”

“Well, I can ask the chef to make hash browns and bacon for breakfast tomorrow, along with whatever else you want, but today’s all about barbecue! Hungry?” Maxwell rubbed his hands together in excited anticipation.

“Famished!” The three of them made their way to the table and started piling things onto their plates. “Movie marathon?” Katrina asked, adding a scoop of potato salad to her plate.

Maxwell and Drake paused and looked at each other with wide eyes. “Wick?” they asked, voices in unison.

“WICK!” Katrina bobbed her head in agreement. “Only…skip the beginning with the puppy, unless you want to see your very pregnant friend cry.”

.:.

Several hours later, Katrina, Maxwell, and Drake were stretched out in one of the smaller living rooms in the estate, a small pile of dishes stacked up on a coffee table. They were watching the second John Wick movie, having to pause whenever Katrina needed to use the bathroom or when anyone went back to the dining room to get another helping of food, until Drake filled a bar cart with some of the dishes and drinks. When they finished the second movie, Katrina went to her room to take a short nap while Drake and Maxwell offered to clean up.

They loaded the bar cart with their dirty plates and glasses, wheeling it into the kitchen. “I’m seriously stuffed,” Drake whispered, walking past the staircase. “I’d be amazed if she’s got any room for dinner in a couple hours.”

“Do you know nothing about Ultra Feast weekend? The goal’s not to eat as much as possible in one sitting, just to keep eating, like a never ending feast, my friend!”

“I’m going to need some antacid then,” Drake groaned. “Leftovers for dinner?”

“Nope,” Maxwell replied, pulling out his phone. “Katrina asked for…” he paused to scroll through the memo on the screen. “Pizza and wings. And dessert sushi while I eat actual sushi for her,” he chortled.

“Liam’s totally gonna kill us if he finds out about this weekend,” Drake chuckled. “I can feel my own arteries clogging.”

“It’s just one weekend, man. Besides,” Maxwell replied, holding the door open to let Drake pass through. “Are you willing to risk getting on her bad side by telling her not to eat any of this stuff?”

“I said this wasn’t a great idea, but I’m not stupid,” Drake laughed again. “I learned a long time ago you don’t tell Bailey what she can and can’t do, unless you want a metaphorical or sometimes actual middle finger waved in front of your face.”

.:.

Two days and many meals later, Katrina groaned as sunlight pierced through her closed eyelids. She winced when one of Maxwell’s peacocks assaulted her ears with its shrill cries from somewhere on the property. “Maxwell,” she croaked, trying to swallow away the dry lump in her throat. “You know I love Reggie, but I swear to god he’s worse than a rooster crowing at dawn.” She squinted one eye open, eyeing the glass of water on the coffee table. “Water. I need water.”

Maxwell slowly blinked his eyes, stirring from sleep. “On it, I’m on it,” he answered on autopilot, rising up to a sitting position on the couch. He leaned over to reach for the glass before setting it back down, noticing Katrina was having trouble sitting up. “Here,” he uttered, standing up in front of her. He took hold of her hands and helped her shift to sit on the couch before offering the glass of water to her. Katrina took long, deep sips, nearly finishing the contents before handing the glass back to Maxwell. He set it down on the coffee table and helped her stand up. “What do you feel like for breakfast?”

Katrina waved a hand in front of her and shook her head. All around them were the remnants of the previous night’s binge. Maraschino cherries swam in small pools of melted ice cream, and crinkly packaging from Maxwell’s international snack subscription boxes were strewn about the table and carpet. They’d played snack roulette for most of the night, until Drake made a beeline for the toilet after sampling haggis chips; he rapidly turned an odd shade of green before heading to his room for the rest of the night. “Nope, nuh uh, I’m tapping out.” She grimaced when she swallowed again, followed by a sour taste in her mouth. “Ultra Feast has bested me, all I want is water and maybe…god, I hate him,” she sighed. “I want one of Liam’s breakfast smoothies.”

“Seriously?” Maxwell looked at her with a shocked expression before stifling a yawn. They started walking in the direction of the kitchen. “Well, what’s in em? I’m sure we have enough fruit on hand to make something close to it.” He slowed his pace, wrapping his arms around Katrina’s shoulders, and she leaned her head against his shoulder as they crossed the foyer. “At least you lasted longer than Drake, he’s gonna have some serious meat and whiskey sweats after this weekend,” Maxwell chuckled.

Katrina’s shoulders lurched forward at the thought of being in a car with Drake. “Don’t mention sweats again or I’m gonna puke all over this marble floor,” she groaned. “He might be sleeping off the whiskey, but I feel like I’ve got a food hangover.”

“Maybe a little peppermint tea and some toast?” Katrina nodded in response, and they continued walking to the kitchen. “We’ll fix you up, don’t you worry Little Blossom. If you’re up for it, we could walk to the pond and get a little fresh air.”

“That’d be nice,” she mused, rubbing a comforting hand over her belly. “At least now I know this kid really likes chocolate, and samosas, and…pretty much everything but the deep fried oreos, which weren’t as tasty as I thought they’d be. Deep fried Snickers on the other hand…” she grinned at Maxwell.

“Dangerously delicious,” he replied, grinning back at her.

---

Taglist: @annekebbphotography @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @cora-nova @desiree-0816 @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @janezillow @likethetailofacomet @lolablackwrites @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @alj4890 @aworldoffandoms @beardedoafdonutwagon @blackcoffee85 @client-327 @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @kingliam2019 @lovemychoices @missevabean @the-soot-sprite @the-everlasting-dream @burnsoslow @texaskitten30 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @omgjasminesimone

#the royal romance fanfic #trr fanfic #the royal romance au #trr au #choices fanfiction #choices liam #liam x mc #king liam x mc #savor every morsel series #liam x trina #choices october challenge #writing prompt challenge #the royal heir fanfic #TRH fanfic

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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The Bet

Pairing: Liam x Katrina Rating/Warnings: M+ / 🍏🍏 Pretend those are limes Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Inspired by a Nonny Ask on what would happen if Liam used a remote controlled vibrator on MC – ask and you shall receive! * fulfills @client-327 Slice Of Life Prompt 29 – Genuine Laugh – as requested by @ao719 * borrowed a few lines of dialogue from the Council meeting in The Royal Heir, Chapter 3 * Word Count: +/- 4200

Katrina marched silently into the master bedroom, breathing heavily out of frustration. She kicked off her heels and left them at the edge of the closet, her fingers working quickly to unbutton the front of her blouse before she peeled the light fabric off of her. As she continued to undress, Liam entered the bedroom and locked the door, loosening his tie as he cast a knowing glance in his wife’s direction.

"Love,” he began, cocking his head to the side.

“Don’t.” Katrina warned. “Do not even start with me.”

Liam tried to keep a straight face as he looked on at his wife, standing before him in a pencil skirt and lace bra. She pulled her chignon loose, her hair falling in dark waves past her shoulders. She shimmied out of the skirt, clipped it to a hanger, and waved a finger at him. “I’m going in there to take a bath and relax, and you are not to follow me, are we clear?”

Liam bit back the grin on his lips. Katrina was trying to threaten him, but all she managed to do was entice him further, standing there in nothing but her underwear. The tone in her voice was enough for him to know now wasn’t the time to press his luck. “Crystal, Trina love. Have a soak, and I’ll ask the chef to have dinner ready by seven. Butter chicken or biryani?”

Katrina sighed and walked over to Liam, the expression on her face softening with each step towards him. He rubbed her shoulders once she was within reach, and she unbuttoned the rest of his dress shirt, running her fingers over his ribs as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, I’m sorry," she mumbled into his chest. “I just can’t believe I nodded off like that…in the middle of Godfrey’s tirade. As if that man doesn’t have enough grudges against me.”

Liam pressed his lips to the top of Katrina’s head and wrapped his arms around her. “I advised you to ease into your official duties slowly, at least until you had a better handle on the jet lag.”

“Is that your polite way of an ‘I told you so’?” Katrina tilted her head up and smirked at her husband as Liam grinned in response.

“I’m simply reiterating my advice, my love.” There was a twinkle in his dark brown eyes, and he slipped his fingers under Katrina’s bra straps, letting them fall off her shoulders. Eyes trained on one another, she silently dared Liam to continue, and he reached behind to undo the fastenings as she let her arms fall to her sides, letting the bra fall to the floor. She crossed her arms, bare breasts on display, and Liam felt himself stiffen in his pants at the sight of her. He leaned forward, preparing to kneel before her and take one of her hardened buds in his mouth, but she took a step back. Liam groaned in response.

“That’s an ‘I told you so,’” she repeated, pointing a finger to his chest. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband of her underwear, Katrina tugged them down as she continued walking backwards in the direction of the master bath. She broke her gaze from Liam’s eyes to steal a glance at the growing silhouette in his pants, and a mischievous smile flashed across her face. “I changed my mind…you can follow me into the bathroom, but you’ll only be allowed to watch.”

Liam raised an inquisitive brow at her as he continued to strip out of his clothes. “What will I be watching?”

“Bring the phone with you,” she grinned. She paused to remove a small vibrator from a nightstand drawer. Katrina made her way to the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub as she let the warm water flow, hearing Liam utter a triumphant ‘yessss’ as he ran to his nightstand and retrieved a phone.

Katrina added bath powder and bubbles to the water, sinking in slowly as Liam sat on the edge of the marble, clad only in his boxer briefs. His eyes roamed up and down her body in the water, his fingers hovering over the phone screen. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation, eyes fixed on Katrina as she inserted the discreet vibrator between her legs, waiting for her to nod and bite her lip to let him know she was ready.

As soon as she tucked her plump bottom lip behind her teeth, Liam opened the app on the phone and selected one of their favorite patterns, giving his wife his undivided attention as she started whimpering and writhing in the water. While Liam preferred a more hands-on approach to pleasing Katrina, it was enthralling to watch her feel so much pleasure from a tiny device. The fact that she trusted him enough to control the device for her turned him on just as much as actually being inside her.

.:.

Katrina and Liam were in the middle of a late dinner on the balcony of their bedroom; they were both dressed in bathrobes, after a long bath and shower together. Katrina’s cheeks still held a rosy glow, and her eyelids were already heavy with sleep. She spread brie on a cracker and stared out towards the starry landscape before them.

“I was thinking…” Liam began, ripping off a chunk of bread from the charcuterie spread on the table. “I might know of a way you can fight off your jet lag if it’s still giving you problems by the next Council meeting.”

She leaned back against the arm of the chair she was in, her legs dangling off the other arm while she sat sideways. “When’s the next meeting, and what’s your idea?”

Liam sliced a fig in half, reaching across the table to offer part of it to her. Rather than using her hand to take it from him, she leaned forward and opened her mouth so Liam could feed it to her, wrapping her lips around his fingers in the process. He hummed softly in response, grinning at her. “Tuesday. We have to listen to proposals to start planning for the Festival of The Five Kingdoms.” He watched as she swung her legs off the chair and turned to face him, piecing together a slice of feta and tomato on a slice of baguette, drizzling it with olive oil. “My idea to help keep you awake and entertained, should you need it…” his right brow arched up with a knowing look. “Is to make use of the little toy that entertained you tonight.”

Katrina’s eyes widened as she bit into her food, surprised at his suggestion. She took a moment to chew her food and swallow before responding. “You want me to wear that…in the middle of a Council meeting?”

“Tell me you wouldn’t be more alert, knowing I could switch it on at any given moment.”

“Are you trying to entice me or threaten me with a public orgasm?” she laughed nervously. “Cause right now I’m not sure.”

Liam chuckled loudly. “I would never use the premise of pleasure as a threat, agápi mou.” He reached across the table for her hand, planting a soft kiss atop the wedding band on her finger. “Think of it as…incentive not to succumb to something so private in front of the other nobles.”

Katrina stared at Liam, narrowing her eyes as she puckered her lips to one side of her mouth, considering his words. “Challenge…accepted, my king.”

.:.

Several days later, the King and Queen of Cordonia assembled with the Council. Katrina took a seat next to Liam, crossing her legs firmly to make sure the tiny vibrator remained discreet and in place. She looked over the agenda for the day, laid out in front of all the seats with the rest of the meeting materials – they would need to spend most of the morning going over tax reform and standard living wages, in addition to preparations for the Festival of The Five Kingdoms after a break for lunch.

Katrina made pleasant conversation with Kiara and Duke Langdon as other members of the Council filtered in. Maxwell appeared in a suit, ready to make his presentation later that day, and she waved at him while she finished conversing with Duke Langdon about the possibility of another charity polo match. Drake sauntered into the room, and she smiled at him as he gave her an acknowledging nod with his chin before heading to the coffee cart.

Once everyone else had assembled and started taking their seats, Katrina took a sip from the cup of coffee Liam slid in her direction, and he started the meeting.

Despite the adequate night’s rest and the caffeine now flowing in her system, Katrina struggled to stay awake. She glanced at her watch, though she didn’t need to. This is ridiculous. I’ve been back in Cordonia for three weeks now, I shouldn’t be struggling with jet lag. Always at 10 AM. What I’d give for a powernap right now. She bit the inside of her cheek in a poor attempt to wake herself up, and straightened up in her chair as Duke Godfrey continued droning on about keeping tax rates at their current level. You’ve endured years of early morning classes on global economics and finance, get it together Rys! Listening to God-awful whine about his tax bracket is nothing compared to the gauntlet of international financing and analyzing transaction contracts!

Drake shifted in his seat just as Godfrey paused to draw breath. “This isn’t just about you,” he seethed. “What about the Cordonian people? The commoners that you’re supposed to represent – they’re the ones most likely to suffer if taxes fluctuate too far in one direction.”

“They’re not going to be concerned about managing two summer homes instead of four,” Hana added.

“That’s right,” Drake agreed, staring across the table at Godfrey. “They’ll be worrying about being able to feed their families or whether they can afford their mortgage!”

Even with the heated discussion happening around her, Katrina felt her head tip forward when she blinked her eyes shut. The blink seemed to happen in slow motion, while her head bobbed forward faster than she thought possible, as she fought the urge to sleep. She jerked her head up and blinked several times, hoping everyone was too focused on the debate between Drake and Godfrey to notice that their queen nearly nodded off. She shivered with surprise as the vibrator in her underwear sent a pleasant buzz to her center, and she shot a look at Liam. He winked and pocketed the phone before clearing his throat.

“Gentlemen, thank you both for bringing up important points regarding the change to tax guidelines. I assure you both that your arguments will be taken into consideration. For now, why don’t we move on to a discussion on raising the living wage for our farmers, now that apple crops are starting to flourish again?”

.:.

Following lunch, Katrina returned to her seat with a cup of coffee and ice water, determined to fight through the exhaustion that seemed to take over her body. Liam buzzed her awake several more times before they broke for lunch, even going as far to suggest she retire for the afternoon to take a nap before carrying on with the rest of the day’s schedule after the Council meeting. He laughed when she yawned, even in the middle of turning down the offer. “You’re being stubborn, more than usual,” he chuckled, his voice low as he moved to sit down.

“I prefer tenacious,” she replied smugly, taking a sip of her ice water. Katrina’s hand shook as Liam delivered another jolt from the app on his phone, and she chewed on an ice chip as she composed herself. She shot him a warning look, though her eyes gave away a playful expression, and she cleared her throat. “Maxwell, I believe you wanted to start off the discussion of the Festival of the Five Kingdoms with a presentation?”

Maxwell leapt up from his seat enthusiastically, drawing a small stack of notecards from his breast pocket. “You’re correct, thank you Katrina. Err…Your Majesty? Ma’am?”

“Max, it’s me, Katrina’s fine.”

“Just give me a minute to set up,” he replied, pulling an easel from the corner of the room.

Katrina covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, followed by another one, and the feeling of dread washed over her when Maxwell lowered the lights in the room. No no no, this won’t help me stay awake at all! She took another sip from her ice water, letting one of the ice cubes slip into her mouth. She hoped the cold would help keep her awake, as the effects of the dark room and her post-lunch fatigue set in with the exhaustion she’d been fighting all morning.

She noticed Liam as he pulled the phone from his pocket, glancing up to see him biting back a grin while Maxwell started his presentation. Upbeat electronic music played through the speakers in the room, along with an array of colorful lasers. Did he bring in a laser projector for this thing? Liam had the phone in his hand under the table, about to press a button, when Olivia elbowed him from the other side.

“Skata!” he hissed under his breath.

“Quit dicking around with your phone and pay attention!” Olivia warned.

The vibrator in Katrina’s underwear switched on again, catching her attention. She cast a sideways glance at Liam when the buzzing continued, longer than his usual playful jolts. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Liv elbowed me and I dropped the phone…it’s somewhere under the table.”

Katrina closed her eyes as the buzzing continued, frustrated at the new dilemma that was literally in her pants. Then her brows furrowed as she noticed the buzzing sensation seemed to be following a pattern. It was adjusting to the sound of the music…playing in Maxwell’s presentation.

“…And you’ll see that opening the festival onto the palace grounds has increased attendance by eight percent every year, with the potential for a ten percent bump now that we have an official queen.” Maxwell paused to gesture at Katrina, before tilting his head at her.

Katrina bit back the moan caught in her throat and clenched her legs, balling one hand into a fist. Tucking her lips between her teeth, she forced a smile at Maxwell as the device made her walls flutter. “P-please continue,” she stuttered, ignoring the confused glances from her friends. “s’riveting data you’re sharing, wha..what are you proposing to add?” Next to her, Liam straightened up in his seat, having failed to lean down in his chair far enough to reach the phone. She tensed her jaw as the music changed to a faster beat and the device matched its rhythm, as Maxwell innocently continued his presentation for the group, listing new events and vendors to add to the festival lineup. Katrina sat up in her seat, elbow on the table, and let her forehead rest on the heel of her palm. She started rocking in her seat, unable to concentrate as the device made her walls flutter again.

“Are you feeling alright?” Drake placed his hand on Katrina’s shoulder and she jerked away at his touch, stifling a moan into a loud cough.

“I’m fine, fine!” she whispered loudly. Drake just stared at her curiously. Katrina took a few deep breaths and coughed again as she felt her body starting to warm, and her pulse quickened. She felt the unmistakable sensation of her muscles tightening as the pleasant pressure in her center started to build. She turned her head sharply at Liam, whose shoulders were shaking as he tried to stifle his laughter. His lips were pressed into a tight smile as he stared at the hardcopy of Maxwell’s slides in front of him. “Liam!” she hissed. “Get. It.” She exhaled pointedly from her mouth, her expression forcibly rigid as she fought the urge to roll her eyes back. “NOW.”

Liam’s face was nearly red and he was trembling from holding back his laughter. “I can’t,” he wheezed. “It’s nearly dead center under the table.”

“Gaejasik!” Katrina swore in Korean, thudding her fist on the table. Liam’s eyes widened at her outburst of uttering “motherfucker” and he coughed to suppress his laughter. “Stupid round table gaesori. Just do it. Do. IT!” she hissed again. Knights of the Round Table BULLSHIT. That’s not even Cordonian history. Both her elbows were on the table now, hands cradling her head as she stared down at the notes in front of her, and she started rocking in her seat once more.

“You look like you’re about to lose your shit, literally, Bailey,” Drake whispered, leaning close to Katrina. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I…you know what? No, no I’m not,” Katrina muttered, quickly rising from her seat. Another wave of pleasure hit her as the device’s vibrations intensified, and she gripped the edge of the table for balance, placing her other hand over her abdomen to feign stomach pains. She glanced up at the door, on the far side of the room, then back to the side door to one of Liam’s private offices, hidden within the wall. She remembered there was a half-bath connected to it.

Katrina grabbed her clutch and skirted behind Liam’s seat, making her way to the door disguised as part of the wall. She pushed the panel until it clicked, then opened and shut the door, leaning against it. Muffled voices came from the other side in the meeting room – Maxwell asking if he should continue, over the sound of the infernal techno music that the device was still synced to. She took a step towards the bathroom door when it happened.

The music changed again – fast, heavy bass beats. Katrina fell back against the wall, hitting it with her fist as she exhaled loudly and clamped her other hand over her mouth as she came. She was still riding out the wave when Liam rushed in, hurrying over to her side. “Trina, are you alright? It sounded like you fell down.”

“You,” she panted. “You did this!” Liam started to laugh, until she lunged at him, kissing him hard. She grabbed the hair at the back of his neck, tugging hard as Liam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. The quiet vibrations from the device buzzed against his cock, and he stiffened at the sensation. Katrina bit his bottom lip and he moaned softly into her mouth. He leaned down and kissed her again, his hands hiking up the hem of her dress, and he slipped one hand into her boyshorts, his thumb hovering over the button to turn the device off. “Wait,” Katrina breathed. “I’m about to have...another...one.”

Liam let out a throaty moan at the thought of Katrina coming undone once more, and he quickly grabbed the back of her thighs, picking her up and setting her on the edge of the desk in the room. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing herself against his pants, feeling his hard length against her wet core as the buzzing continued. Liam planted heated, wet kisses along her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. “Let me hear you, Trina,” he whispered into her ear, setting her nerves on fire.

Katrina thrust her hips towards him and gripped the back of his shirt collar, pulling her face up to meet his. She drew circles with her tongue on his neck and sucked at his skin, drawing another quiet groan from Liam, before she drew back and started panting in his ear. “I wish…you were…inside me,” she breathed. “Oh god, Liam…oh god!” Katrina’s body tensed and she bit his shoulder, and then she started to relax as the wave passed. Liam pressed the button to turn the device off and he pressed his forehead to hers, listening to her catch her breath while he tried to slow his own.

They could still hear music from Maxwell’s presentation on the other side of the wall, grinning at one another as they pulled apart. Liam smoothed his hair down and adjusted himself in his pants as Katrina straightened her dress, pulling the vibrator out from her underwear and went to wash it off in the sink. He stood behind her and looked in the mirror, straightening his tie before smoothing out the light bite mark on his shoulder. “It’s a good thing you don’t wear lipstick,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m not sure how I would’ve explained you marking my shirt if you did.” Katrina looked up at their reflection in the mirror and smirked at him. “Go on back to our quarters and take the rest of the afternoon off, I’ll tell them something didn’t agree with you from lunch. At least you stayed awake for most of the meeting, right?”

She let out a wry laugh. “You try wearing this during a meeting of your peers next time, see how you feel after a few hours. How much do you want to bet they all think we’re having a nooner right now?”

Liam looked at Katrina’s reflection in the mirror, eyes wide with surprise at her suggestion. He pulled away from resting his chin on her shoulder and burst into laughter, bowing his head as he put his hands on his hips, trying to reign in the absurdity of the situation, knowing everyone in the room likely thought the two of them were up to no good together. His shoulders started to shake again as he laughed silently, Katrina biting back her own giggles. A knock on the wall door made them both bite their tongues to quell their laughing fits.

“If you two are done fu—ow, Liv! I have ribs there!”

“Remember who you’re talking to, Drake! And who’s still here in the room!”

“Liam…” Drake’s voice called out from the other side of the door. “You two okay? Max finished his presentation and we, uh, we’re taking a five minute break.”

Liam motioned for Katrina to use the other door leading out to the hallway to make her exit. “Go on back to our quarters, I’ll cover for you,” he grinned, kissing her on the cheek.

“I…okay, well here, you hold on to this then,” she replied, slipping the small vibrator in his pants pocket. “I can’t walk around with it out there. I’ll tell Nic to grab my meeting materials.”

“I’ll see you as soon as this meeting is over.” Liam kissed her again, and they turned in opposite ways to leave.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Katrina said. “I am never going to hear ‘Like a Boss’ quite the same way ever again.”

Liam let out another boisterous laugh as Katrina waved and snuck out of the office. He took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back, exhaling slowly before unlocking and opening the door to the conference room. He was met with a curious look from Drake, and an annoyed expression from Olivia.

“Where’s Katrina?” Olivia inquired, craning her neck to look behind Liam.

“She wasn’t feeling well after lunch, something upset her stomach. I’ll debrief her later.”

Drake choked back a laugh while Olivia scoffed at him. “I’m sure you will,” she answered dryly, raising her eyebrows at him.

Liam’s mouth opened when he realized the double entendre in his response. “That’s not what I—” he tilted his head down and chuckled. “I hate you both.”

“Here,” Olivia replied, laughing lightly. She tossed the phone that controlled the device in Liam’s pocket at him. “And upgrade your phone, for goodness sake. That thing’s at least four years old. I thought you had a 10.”

“I do, she’s just happens to be resting in our private quarters for the afternoon,” Liam smirked, and Olivia rolled her eyes at his joke. He slipped the phone into his shirt pocket. The other council members filtered into the room and started taking their seats. Liam was about to sit down as he checked his actual phone to see a text message from Katrina; it contained an image of her dress on the floor of their bedroom, with the question “how quickly do you think you can end the meeting? I’m all hot and bothered now.” Liam swallowed hard and pushed his chair back to the table, gathering the small stack of documents in front of him, along with the stack of notes at Katrina’s seat. “Ladies, gentlemen, there’s an urgent matter I need to handle. Any other festival proposals can wait until the next meeting or you can see my assistant to schedule something.” He hurriedly left the room, leaving the rest of the lords and ladies looking perplexed as they refilled their coffee cups and milled around for a few minutes.

Drake looked over at Olivia, raising his brows at her. She huffed and begrudgingly opened her clutch, slipping 50 Euros across the table to him. Drake gave her a smug smile and slipped the bill into his shirt pocket, rising from his chair slowly. He waited until most of the other members left the room, and they took their time walking out together. “Told you he’d end the meeting early so they could go at it.”

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

Text

Sojourn: The Unbirthday, Part 2

Players: Liam x Katrina, Drake x Lyssa, Olivia, Hana, Maxwell, Anitah Rhys Rating/Warnings: Mature 18+ / 🍋🍋🍋 alert! (lol this means you @dcbbw no reading in a work meeting!) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Appropriate that I posted part 1 on @ao719 ‘s birthday and now part 2 is posted on @the-soot-sprite ‘s birthday 😂* Word Count: +/- 5000

Trina quickly recapped the rules for Anitah, before giving Liam and Drake the simple instructions of having to prepare lemon bars as a dessert. They were given recipe cards as a safety measure, and the two men scrambled in the pantry to gather their ingredients in the allotted sixty second time limit. Drake made sure to grab gluten and dairy free options after scanning the ingredient list on the recipe card. He and Liam filled their baskets with lemons, eggs, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar, but he eyed Liam’s basket and noticed extra items like almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract. He glanced at the recipe card at his station – there was no mention of the extra ingredients Liam had in his basket, nor the container of strawberries he spied as well.

Once more, a palace staff member wheeled in a small service cart with three silver cloches on the top tray, and Trina walked over to stand behind it. “Who’s ready for a little sabotage?” she asked, grinning at Drake and Liam.

“Gods, here we go,” Drake muttered under his breath.

“As a reminder, Liam has a little over sixteen thousand left for bids, while Drake has…” Trina paused to look at the numbers written on the notecard.

“Nine grand!” Maxwell hollered from the table. Drake drew his hand over his face while Liam smirked. “Oh he’s dead where he stands,” Maxwell laughed.

“This is gonna be good,” Olivia added, crossing her arms over her chest.

“First up,” Trina announced, lifting one of the domes, “a little something we’ve called Sugar, Sugar.” Underneath the dome was a box of sugar packets, and Drake’s face fell a little. “Win this bet and your opponent will have to surrender their sugar supply and measure out what they need out of these itty bitty packets.” She waved the box in the air. “Bidding starts a—”

“Eighty-five hundred,” Liam smirked. Drake pelted him with a lemon from his basket as their audience stifled their laughter.

“Counter offer, Drake?” Trina asked.

“Eighty-six hundred,” he grumbled back.

“Eighty-nine hundred,” Liam offered.

“Eighty-nine hundred…and one,” Drake countered, shaking his head.

Trina shook her head, biting back another smile, and looked on at Liam. “Going once…going twice…and sold, to Mr. Walker, for eight thousand nine hundred and one dollars,” she giggled, tossing the box in the air towards Liam. He rummaged through his basket and removed the small bag of sugar, handing it to Trina when she walked over to his station. “Well this sort of takes the fun out of the rest of the sabotages,” she smiled half-heartedly.

“Does that mean we can skip ‘em?” Drake asked. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Not a chance!” She held her hand over one of the remaining domes on the cart. “Next up, Not So Easy Bake!” She removed the dome to show a small photo of an Easy Bake oven. “Uhh…instead of being able to use the standard oven, Drake here’ll have to make use of a toaster oven. Bidding starts at two thousand?” Her voice rose as she asked the question, looking at Liam.

“Two thousand it is,” he chuckled, counting out the money.

“I hate you so much right now,” Drake uttered out of the corner of his mouth. A staff member plugged in a toaster oven near his cooking station and shut off the oven.

“Lastly, we’ve got Lemonheaded,” Trina continued, lifting the last dome on the cart. Several boxes of lemonhead candies were underneath, and Liam already started counting out his money to hand over to her. She walked the tray over to Drake’s station before taking another two thousand from Liam.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” Drake looked at the boxes of candy before his eyes went wide as Trina went digging through his basket of ingredients.

She forced a half-smile, half-grimace as she pulled the bag of lemons from his supplies, opening it to hand him a single lemon. “You have to use the candy as your source for lemon, uh…juice,” she replied. “In addition to this single, fresh lemon which you can use for the zest, and whatever juice you can get from it.”

“Are you kidding me? This stuff is like, ninety percent sugar with lemon flavor!”

“Not my problem!” she called out over her shoulder. “Are you boys ready?” she asked, setting the timer on the tablet for 45 minutes. “On your mark, get set….bake!”

Liam and Drake set to work as the timer on the screen counted down. Liam calmly stood behind his station, ripping open several packets of sugar at a time into a measuring cup, while Drake hurried around his station, setting saucepans on the stove. He poured water into one and set the heat on high, then dropped a large spoonful of coconut oil into the empty saucepan. He then took the lemon candies and dropped them into a Ziploc bag and covered it with a towel, before taking a mallet to it, crushing the candy into smaller pieces. He ignored Maxwell shouting “candy crush!” at him as he poured the pieces into a glass bowl and set it over the simmering pot of water, along with pouring a bit of water into the bowl. The coconut oil saucepan was set to low heat, and he measured out ingredients to make the crust as both items heated up.

He was already whisking ingredients together, drizzling the melted oil into the mixture, while Liam was still ripping packets of sugar open. The King’s forehead beaded with sweat as he worked on what looked like a futile task of filling a cup with sugar, even as he tore several packets at a time. Drake grinned to himself, thinking there was still a good chance at victory as he packed the crust into two small pans to bake in the damnable toaster oven. He set a kitchen timer and got to work on making the filling while one crust baked in the tiny oven.

Several quiet minutes passed as the two men worked on their baking challenge. The ladies and Maxwell spoke in hushed tones at the table, making pleasant conversation until 15 minutes passed on the clock. Liam was checking on his crust – finally having finished measuring out his sugar and somehow caught up to Drake – when Trina cleared her throat to get their attention. “Oh my gods, what now?” Drake groaned, stirring the candy water mixture on the stove. He made a face when he tasted the contents.

“Twist in the final sabotage,” Trina answered, handing out a small stack of money to Maxwell, Anitah, Olivia, and Alyssa. A staff member handed her two garment bags, while another pair of staff carried in what looked like a wood railing. Both Liam and Drake paused what they were doing to look at the odd additions in the tent. “Birthday boy and guests will get to do the bidding, along with Liam, and the winning bidder gets to choose who wears what color.”

“What color of what?” Drake hissed.

“So glad you asked, my friend,” Trina answered. While you’re making these lemon bars, you’ll have to work with this barre during the rest of the challenge. Meaning when Maxwell hits a buzzer, both of you will have to come over here and execute three pliés before you go back to cooking.”

The ladies all grinned, while Liam and Drake’s faces fell as they cast a glance at each other. “You mean…”

“There’s a pair of black tights and a shirt in one bag, and a pink unitard in the other,” Trina smiled, her eyes lighting up with mischief. “Everyone has twelve thousand to bid with, to make things even…sort of,” she giggled, looking at the sour expression on Drake’s face.

“Melí, baby, help me out here,” Drake called out to Alyssa. He turned to stir the lemon reduction on the stove again.

“I dunno, you forgot about me when you were cooking the last challenge…” Alyssa quirked her lips to one side, narrowing her bright blue eyes in Drake’s direction.

“Five thousand!” Liam called out, whisking eggs and sugar in a bowl.

“Seven thousand!” Olivia replied.

Anitah, Maxwell, and Alyssa all chimed in, driving the bid to ten thousand, with Liam in the lead. Anitah started whispering in Maxwell’s ear, and a huge grin spread across his face. “Anitah and I are combining our funds and we bid… twenty grand! Boom!” He slammed down a stack of fake bills onto the table.

“You can’t do that! Can he do that??” Drake asked.

“I mean, this is his party, I think he can do whatever he wants to,” Trina answered. “Sold! To Team Maxitah for twenty grand!”

Anitah clapped her hands together and a wide smile swept across her face, and she and Maxwell whispered to one another before Maxwell picked up the garment bags, handing one to Liam and the other to Drake. Drake rolled his eyes as he took the bag. “Like I even have to guess which one you stuck me with.”

“Never know, it could be your color, man,” Maxwell grinned.

“How are we supposed to change, love? We’re both in the middle of cooking,” Liam asked.

“There’s a makeshift changing room just outside, and neither of you are using your ovens right now. Drake can set his…lemon juice…” Trina coughed in a poor attempt to stifle her laugh. “On low heat. I’ll stir it for him so nothing sticks. We’ll pause the timer until you both return. Off you go!” She took the spoon from Drake and lowered the heat, stirring the mixture in the saucepan.

Liam and Drake exited the tent to change, while Trina continued stirring Drake’s lemon concoction. Maxwell excitedly held on to a small buzzer in his hands, chatting away with Anitah and Alyssa to either side of him, while Olivia glanced through her phone. A couple minutes later, Liam walked back into the tent, wearing a pair of black tights and a fitted white shirt. Trina subtly bit her bottom lip as she took in the sight of her fiancé’s muscular build in the form-fitting clothing, his kingly endowments barely hidden by the dark fabric. A warm blush crept up her neck and across her cheeks as he walked the width of the tent, back to his station, essentially on display in front of their friends. He cut his walk short and turned in her direction, grinning at her. He wrapped one of his strong arms around her waist and lifted her up while lowering his head and kissed her deeply, hard enough to make her exhale with a breathy sigh and blink slowly as her feet returned to the ground. “Uh, Liam, sweetie?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you not wear one of the dance belts in the bag?” She flicked her eyes down to his waist, where a more significant bulge appeared.

Liam straightened his posture and cleared his throat, looking down at himself and then to his queen-to-be. “I am wearing one of the belts.”

Trina giggled and bit her lip, lowering her voice. “Walk quickly and think of unsexy things then. Tax laws. Council meetings with Godfrey. Madeleine.” Liam shook his head and walked briskly back to his station, just as Drake poked his head into the tent. All eyes turned to him.

“Fuck it,” he muttered under his breath, before striding into the tent. He stopped in his tracks, pointing at Liam, who was standing behind his counter, hands behind his back. “Why in the hell does he get to wear that, and I have to wear this? I look like a peep!”

“Pink suits you,” Olivia quipped, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Do both of you know the proper form for a grand plié?” Trina asked, giving the saucepan another stir. Liam and Drake nodded silently.

“Let’s test that, shall we?” Maxwell pressed the buzzer in his hands, and both men walked over to the barre, Drake looking like he wanted to stab Maxwell, while Liam remained his calm self. They both placed a hand onto the barre, pressing their heels together with their toes pointed in opposite directions, and slowly bent their knees to lower themselves into position. Liam swept his free hand out to finish the movement, and both men repeated the action two more times before releasing their grips on the barre.

Their friends stared on, with Alyssa dropping her jaw as she looked at Drake. “When did you…how did you…? I had no idea!”

“It helps with agility and speed,” Drake replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Helped improve my football – soccer – skills,” he corrected. “Though it would help with American football as well.”

“Max, hit it again! I need to see that again!” Anitah tried to talk through her teeth quietly, but her request was louder than she thought, and Liam chuckled softly when he caught her. She punched the buzzer in Maxwell’s hand and Liam and Drake sighed, taking position by the barre again. “Hand slipped, sorry,” she smiled awkwardly at them.

“No harm done, Lady Anitah,” Liam smiled, going through the sequence of positions again to perform three pliés. They returned to their stations and Trina walked over to the tablet, tapping the screen to continue the remainder of the time while they worked on their challenge. Drake tied a half apron across his waist while Liam set to work, undeterred.

As Liam stirred in the rest of his ingredients into the mixing bowl, Drake tasted the contents of the bowl and made another face. He set it aside to cool while he mixed the rest of his ingredients for the filling, and Maxwell hit the buzzer again. He hit the buzzer twice more while they continued mixing and pouring their custards onto the crusts they’d prepared earlier, and during the last set, Liam winced as he finished his set of pliés. “Sore already?” Drake smirked.

“It’s been…a while, since I’ve practiced,” Liam replied, setting his lemon bars into the oven. He turned the dial on a timer and set it on the counter as he started cleaning up his station. “You seem to be faring well.”

“I’m still taking classes in between practice,” Drake shrugged.

“Do I hear dance off challenge?” Maxwell’s eyes lit up.

“No, no you do NOT, Beaumont!” Drake’s eyes went wide and he barely shook his head back and forth.

“We don’t have the space, Maxwell,” Liam added.

“We’ve got the entire palace grounds, what’re you talking about?” He hit the buzzer again, and Liam and Drake sighed. “Unless you want me to spend the next twenty minutes hitting this thing,” he laughed. Drake shot him another warning look. “It looks like that vein in his neck is gonna pop, who thinks Drake’ll Hulk out before the end of this challenge?”

“I HEARD THAT!” Drake cast a menacing look at Maxwell, but the threat was useless when it came from a man wearing a spandex unitard. A pink, spandex unitard. He gripped the barre and started pliéing.

“What about one of those twirly things?”

“A pirouette?” Anitah suggested.

“I’m not doing that,” Drake breathed, bending his knees low. “This whole thing is ridiculous enough as it is.”

“Fiiiine, we’ll stay in the tent,” Maxwell sighed.

The rest of the time passed quickly, with Maxwell and Anitah hitting the buzzer frequently as Liam and Drake waited for their desserts to finish baking. They’d set their trays out with just moments to spare before time ran out, and left to change back into their regular clothes while Trina texted Bastien and Hana to return to the tent. “So unfortunately these babies need to cool for an hour or two before Hana can judge them,” Trina explained. “Which is why we get to have a late, leisurely lunch with all of you before that happens! But we can go inside to eat, where it’s a lot cooler.”

.:.

The group sat around the table in the private dining room, enjoying a variety of iced drinks after lunch. Anitah had regaled them with tales about her friends and their husbands causing a ruckus in New Orleans, and Trina told her about the time Leo dropped in to one of their Christmas parties where Liam accidentally fed them pot brownies. They traded stories back and forth, laughter bouncing off the walls. During a lull in conversation, Liam quickly raised his eyebrows at Trina and ticked his head to one side, and she returned his actions with a small nod.

Liam idly scrolled through his phone for a moment, furrowing his brow as he pretended to skim through a message on the screen. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I need to make a phone call. I’m never quite off duty, it seems,” he stood and bowed his head to his friends before turning to leave, winking at Trina on his way out.

After several minutes, Trina rose up from her seat. “Anitah, make yourself comfortable, everyone else treats this place like a second home. I’m just going to make sure the staff know they can start clearing out the tent. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She smiled politely at her friends before leaving the room.

Waiting several moments to make sure they were alone, Drake took out his wallet and placed 20 Euros on the table. “My money’s on Liam’s study.”

Olivia pulled a crisp 20 Euros from her clutch. “Dark alcove, they won’t even make it to his study.”

“He had a head start though, but I’m going to bet they’re in his office,” Hana chimed in, adding her own money to the growing pile.

“What’s going on?” Anitah asked.

“Oh, those two are like horny teenagers, always sneaking off to fool around,” Maxwell explained. “We kind of made a game of it, to go searching for them to find out where they’re going at it.”

“They do this often??”

“Basically since they met,” Hana replied. “You know Katrina came here as a suitor for Liam’s hand, right?”

Anitah nodded. “After some sort of bachelor party to New York, where she was your waitress. I just had no idea she’d be the type to ditch in the middle of entertaining guests to hook up,” she laughed.

Drake took a sip of his drink. “Oh you have no idea. I honestly think Liam’s gotten worse since the two of them got engaged.”

“She definitely hasn’t discouraged it,” Maxwell added.

“Isn’t that a sign of a healthy relationship?” Alyssa looked around the table. “They’ve been together for years now, and they’re still head over heels for each other?”

“Weren’t you the one complaining about them being head over heels the last time we agreed to go on vacation with them?” Drake raised a questioning brow at his girlfriend, knowing smirk on his lips.

Alyssa fidgeted in her seat. “Yeah well, it was a trip to Hawaii. Ha-wa-ii. What broke ass college student is gonna turn down an offer like that?”

.:.

Trina rushed to Liam’s office, locking the door behind her. She started to slip her feet out of her wedges when Liam looked at her from where he was standing in front of the window. “Leave them on, love. The dress can go, wouldn’t want to ruin that.”

“As you wish, my king,” she purred, undoing the buttons down the front of her long sundress. She slipped the light fabric off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor near the door, walking towards Liam in nothing but navy lace. He let out a low growl as he rounded the desk and set her on the edge, kissing her with feverish wanting. Trina let her head fall back and Liam peppered her neck with more kisses, his tongue traveling up and down her skin as she responded with breathy sighs and let her eyelids flutter closed. One of her hands reached forward for him, cupping his stiffening member over his fitted jeans. “Oh, this won’t do,” she murmured, already working to undo the button and zipper that confined what she wanted.

Liam moved to kneel before her, his large hands pressing into her thighs as he pushed them open on the desk. “I’m in the mood for a different kind of dessert first.” He planted a kiss to her inner thigh, then the other, before hooking his fingers into the waistband of her underwear, tugging at them. Trina lifted her hips off the desk as he slid them off her, his eyes heavy with lust as he looked into her eyes before taking in the treasure set before him. “Look at you, you’re so wet for me already,” he whispered. A devilish grin crossed his lips as he moved and began to devour her, tongue and lips moving swiftly to taste every drop of the nectar between Trina’s legs.

She mewled in response, head tipping back once more. “Liam, yes…Liam!” she whimpered, feeling warmth pool as he worshipped her with his mouth. He hiked her legs over his shoulders and she leaned back against the desk, and he inserted two fingers inside her, pumping them in tandem with the movements of his tongue against the firm bundle of nerves at her center. Trina dug her heels into his back at the sensation, panting above him. Liam curled his fingers into her and she bucked her hips in response. “Fuck, Liam! You’re going to make me…”

“Let me hear you, love,” he murmured softly, pulling away from her to speak. “Come for me.” His tongue danced across her skin while his fingers moved at an agonizing pace until he felt her walls closing in on him, and her legs tensed. He gazed up at the goddess before him, watching her shallow breaths as she approached ecstasy, and smirked when she bit her bottom lip, cursing in Greek as she came. Only when her legs relaxed did he stop what he was doing, licking his fingers clean.

“I need you,” she moaned softly. “I need more.”

Liam stood up and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it onto a leather chair nearby. “Oh, we were just getting started,” he reassured her, pulling his jeans and boxer briefs off.

She bit her lip again as she took in his naked form. “Do we have time?”

“Always,” he laughed softly, leaning forward to kiss her. Trina sucked on his bottom lip and he groaned into her mouth as he teased her entrance with the tip of his member, letting out a breathy laugh when she inched herself forward on the desk so he’d slip inside her. She was warm and wet and tight, and he wanted to stay there forever, joined to her. “My god you feel good,” he groaned into her ear.

Trina took hold of his waist, pulling him closer to her, deeper inside her, and let out a gasp as he filled her up and stretched her walls. “So do you, now…fuck me,” she begged.

Liam hummed and a lazy grin spread across his lips as he sheathed and unsheathed the full length of himself between her legs. “Oh, Bossy Trina’s here, is she? As you wish, my love.” He wrapped his fingers on either side of her hips, and drove himself into her, pulling her to him with each thrust. Trina gasped and gripped his forearm as he set a rapid pace, a pleasant aching between her legs with each movement and hip swivel. “You’re so beautiful, Trina,” he groaned again, slipping the fabric of her bra away to massage one of her breasts.

Trina wrapped her legs around Liam’s waist, locking her ankles together as he continued to fuck her, driving her wild as a tightening sensation began in her center. She let out another unintelligible whimper when he pressed his palm against her center, feeling the way he moved inside her against his own touch. Soon the room was filled with their mingled breaths and skin slapping against skin, the air growing heavy as they both moved towards oblivion. “You feel…so good…so good,” she panted, looking up at him through her lashes.

“You feel like heaven,” he answered back, between breaths. A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow and chest. “I’m close love, but I need to hear you again.” Trina propped herself up and they leaned in to kiss one another, before Liam pulled away to suck on her neck and earlobe. “I love hearing you come, let me hear you,” he urged. He dipped his head down and sucked on her breast, swirling his tongue around her hardened nipple, and gently took it between his teeth, tugging until she mewled and tugged his hair. He nibbled harder until she let out a loud gasp and dug the back of her heels into him.

“Yes, Liam, yes!” she cried out, bucking her hips forward. Her walls tightened and pulsed around him as she came again, breathing hard.

“That’s my good girl,” he growled with satisfaction. He felt a surge of liquid coat him from inside her and nearly lost control of himself, straining to keep their rhythm as she came down from her high. When her body finally relaxed and she released her grip on his hair, he set a rapid pace again, nearing his own release. “What about you?” she panted, urging her hips forward to meet his.

“I’m nearly there already,” he grinned. He eyed her bare torso in between thrusts.

“I know that look,” she smirked.

“What look?”

“That one,” she hummed. “I’m all yours, Liam…just not the face,” she giggled. “I wanna hear you come. I wanna see you come. All over me. I’m yours to claim, always.”

Liam drove himself into his beloved before pulling out of her completely. Trina let out a small whimper at the emptiness, wiggling to the edge of the desk as she bit her lip, watching her King. His chest heaved as he tried to hold on to the last threads of control over his actions, but it was a futile effort when he glanced down to the gorgeous creature before him, watching him with hungry eyes. He took hold of himself and aimed at her abdomen, calling out her name as she encouraged him with ‘I love you’s and ‘come for me’s with her sweet voice, and he let go. Pearlescent strings of his essence spilled forth onto Trina’s golden skin, tanned from long days spent on the Cordonian coastline already. She swung her legs back and forth on either side of him and hummed pleasantly to herself as he shuddered the last of his orgasm onto her.

“Th-thank you,” he uttered, his voice shaky as he fought to compose himself. He heard her giggling as he slowly opened his eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“I had the oddest realization, just now,” she giggled again. “I kind of feel like a human toaster strudel. Or a glazed donut,” she laughed a little harder, poking her finger against a drop of his seed on her.

Liam rubbed a hand across his mouth and laughed sheepishly, warmth creeping up the back of his neck. “I suppose you do rather resemble those things right now,” he chuckled. “Good thing I have a sweet tooth,” he added, dropping to his knees once more.

“What’re you...oh!” Trina moaned as she felt Liam’s tongue graze between her legs before moving up further. She glanced down at him with fascination as he began to lick her clean. “You don’t have to do…there’s a box of tissues over…ohhh why does that feel so good?” she moaned, closing her eyes as Liam pumped his fingers inside her again. A moment later he kissed her stomach and withdrew his fingers, slowly rising to his feet with a mischievous grin.

Without a word, Liam walked over to the half bath that joined his office, ran a small towel under the tap, and wrang it out. He gently wiped down Trina’s abdomen before wiping himself off, and slid her lace underwear back on, holding her hands as she hopped off the desk. She pulled a small pack of disinfectant wipes they kept stashed in a desk drawer for such interludes, wiping her prints off the wood as Liam got dressed. She grabbed her dress near the door and fixed her hair, walking over to Liam in the center of the room.

A small yelp escaped her lips when he picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as she steadied her arms on his broad shoulders, and kissed him. Her eyes shot open and she pulled back reflexively out of surprise when Liam delved his tongue into her mouth, along with a mouthful of himself. She kissed him back and swallowed his surprise, feeling him chuckle silently against her. When she set herself back on the ground, she swatted his arm. “That was a dirty little surprise,” she grinned, licking her lips.

“We should get back to our friends,” he chuckled. “You head back first, and I’ll follow in a minute.” He offered her a mint from a small crystal dish near the bar, and she blew him a kiss as she headed back to the dining room. After perusing through his text messages – mostly from Maxwell asking when he’d get off the phone, and Drake telling him to get his royal ass back to the group for judgement – Liam left his office to rejoin the group as well.

.:.

When Liam returned to the dining room, only Trina was there, along with the trays of lemon bars he and Drake had baked. She held a piece of paper in her hands, and he looked at her with furrowed brows. “Where is everyone?”

“Maxwell took Anitah for a tour of the gardens with Olivia and Hana, and Drake and Lyssa went to the stables to go for a ride. They judged without us,” she pouted, scanning over the note. “You won, Drake’s lemon bars were disgustingly sweet thanks to the lemon candy.” She held up 20 Euros in her other hand. “And he left us this to chip in for pizza because ‘there’s been enough crazy cooking today’.”

“All alone with my lovely fiancée for at least an hour, what shall I do with all this time on my hands?” Liam teased, wrapping Trina in his arms.

“I don’t care where we go, as long as you can bend me over something and have your way with me,” she cooed back.

Liam felt himself twitch in his pants at the suggestion. “As you wish,” he replied, scooping Trina into his arms. He carried her out of the room, back towards his office.

---

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zaffrenotes · 5 years ago

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Sojourn: Can’t Help Falling in Love

Players: Liam x Katrina Rating/Warnings: G/PG – fluffy and sweet Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * @playchoicesficidea October Creative Challenge prompt for Romance/Love, requested by @annekebbphotography * Liam surprises Trina with a weekend getaway Word Count: +/- 2000

Katrina sighed with relief the moment she slipped her heels off and her bare feet touched the cool wood floor. She wrestled with the stack of paperwork and textbooks in her arms, letting everything drop with a clatter on the dining table, dropping the leather carryall in the seat before her. As she pulled the pins from her hair, Drake emerged from his room and gave her a friendly nod on his way to the kitchen. A weary smile spread across her face as she heard the unmistakable hiss and clink of two bottles of beer being opened. “Adams?” she called out.

“Pumking,” Drake answered back, waving a bottle of Southern Tier ale in the archway. “I can’t believe you got me to like this stuff.”

“You love it,” she teased, taking a swig from the bottle he proffered in her direction. “Cinnamon and cloves in a beer, it’s like drinking Fall.” Katrina took a longer draw from the bottle, tilting her head back to allow the spiced brew to travel down her throat with ease.

“Easy there, Bailey,” Drake teased, grinning at his friend.

“It’s Friday, it’s happy hour, and I’ve had a hell of a day.” She stuck her tongue out at him, Drake responding in silence with raised brows and crossed one arm over his chest. “Arguing over trade tariffs and legislation in class, and next week there’s a mock trial at work. They’re giving me all of Monday off just to focus on the prep work.” She tipped her bottle back for another drink.

“Then I suppose my surprise is timed perfectly.”

Katrina coughed down her last sip of beer, turning around at the sound of Liam’s voice, and rushed over to him. He smiled warmly at her, arms wrapping around her lithe frame as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Tilting his head down, he kissed her and felt her smile against his lips.

“What are you doing here? I thought we wouldn’t see you until Thanksgiving!” She offered Liam her drink, but he shook his head.

“I had to rearrange my appointments, but I planned a little weekend getaway for us.”

Katrina frowned at the news. “I wish I could, but I have to get a head start on prepping for a mock trial, and…”

“Work just happened to give you an extra day off?” Liam’s eyes lit up with a mischievous sparkle.

Katrina puckered her lips in a weak attempt to fight off a smile. “You planned that, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps,” Liam replied, winking at her. “So, my love, what do you say to going for a drive with me to a surprise destination?”

“I…need to change, and a hint to where you’re taking me so I know what to pack.”

Liam nodded, tapping an index finger to his lips. “I’ve taken the liberty of packing a bag for you for the weekend already,” he grinned. “You just have to pack up your toiletries and makeup, though you won’t need much where we’re going.”

“Not even a tiny hint?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Just you and me, nothing too formal, jeans and boots and comfy sweaters.” Katrina pretended to pout but walked away happy, heading to her room to change into something more comfortable to wear for a long drive. Liam was already dressed casually in dark jeans and a grey sweater, and she could hear him chatting with Drake in the kitchen.

.:.

“Can we play twenty questions, and I try to guess where we’re going?” She drummed her fingers along the passenger side door, glancing over to Liam. They were still inside the city limits, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with the rest of the city trying to leave for the weekend.

“Why don’t you tell me about the case you have to prepare for your trial? As much as you’re able to disclose, at least.” Liam glanced over at Katrina and reached over to squeeze her hand.

“I don’t want to bother you with that, you’ve got more important things going on.”

“Love, I would rather listen to you go over the details of your day than hold a meeting with one more diplomat or ambassador. Even if all the highlight was Christian complaining about the lack of organic coffee in the break room again.”

“Well…” Katrina chewed on her bottom lip, hesitating to continue. “I do have some questions about maritime law that you might be able to help me with, being the ruler of a country with a prominent coastline.”

“Ask away,” Liam replied, his face lighting up at the challenge. “While I’m not the best at operating a boat, I’ve done my fair share of overseas trade negotiations.”

.:.

Liam drove down the long stretch of highway, classical music streaming through the satellite radio at a low volume so as not to disturb Katrina. After a lengthy discussion on the finer points of international law between two countries in relation to her case file, Katrina nodded off a few miles north of Philadelphia. He was already south of Washington DC, headed west on I-66, and quietly hoped she would stay asleep the rest of the way so he wouldn’t have to blindfold her.

The surprise he planned came from a place of love. Katrina mentioned how much she loved to witness the seasons change, living on the East Coast – the mild, fleeting spring weather and the way summer seemed to appear overnight with a heatwave, lingering like the humid air that came with it, until the slow transition into fall rolled in, just before winter settled in for a long stretch of time. While she loved Spring and the bounty of flowers, her second favorite season was Fall – Katrina loved the orange and gold leaves, the dip in the temperature that warranted colorful scarves, and warm drinks held in her hands. While Liam preferred the more temperate climate of Cordonia, his favorite part about Fall was admiring his fiancée in her many pairs of knee high leather boots. The fiery glow to the trees and skyline sunsets was an added bonus.

While he didn’t necessarily understand the appeal of colder temperatures and added layers of clothing, he understood the importance of family and holding on to pleasant memories of one’s past. When she mentioned her family used to take drives through a place called Shenandoah Valley when she was a child, he knew he had to try and get her to feel those happy memories one more time. At the very least they could make some of their own memories during a quiet weekend away from the world.

.:.

Katrina stirred gently, feeling like she was eight years old again, having fallen asleep in the car. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding on to the wisps of the dream playing out in her mind. She felt weightless as her father carried her from the car and into the house, where she’d nestle into her bed fully dressed, but blissfully happy. If she woke in the middle of the night, she knew she’d find a glass of water on her dresser, along with a clean set of pajamas. More often than not, she’d wake up long enough to change into the pajamas and check on her sister in the bed next to hers, tucking the blanket around Josie’s sleeping form before returning to her own bed.

This time Katrina woke to a dimly lit room with rustic furnishings. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, noticing a glass water on the nightstand, and stretched her arms above her head, catching the whiff of garlic and butter in the air. Padding down the hallway, she found Liam standing in front of the stove, inside a quaint cabin. “Hey,” she said softly, catching his attention.

Liam smiled softly at her as he stirred a pot. “Good evening, my love. You look rested.”

“What are you cooking? How long was I out?” She trudged over and kissed him on the cheek, craning her neck to see pasta in the bubbling water. She wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned against his side, and Liam squeezed her shoulder before returning to his task.

“A little pasta, garlic bread, and garden salad. A few hours, give or take,” he replied, stirring the contents of a saucepan. “And before you ask, we’re in Virginia.”

“Where in Virginia?” Katrina looked up at him with nervous anticipation, and Liam simply shrugged his shoulders in response, playful grin on his face as he drew a piece of pasta from the water and tasted it. She narrowed her eyes at him with a knowing smirk and started searching through the small stack of papers on the dining table, scanning pamphlets for a clue. She set the colorful papers down and turned to look at him. “Sh-Shenandoah? We’re in Shenandoah?” She blinked rapidly, looking around the open living area of the cabin.

“You spoke so fondly of your childhood trips here, and I know you’ve wanted to visit again…” He gauged whether he could leave his station at the stove to go to her, and lowered the flame under the saucepan, covering it with a lid as a precaution. Liam took two long strides to reach Katrina, kneeling before her as he took her hands in his. “We can leave right now if you’re not ready to be here, I’ll pack everything up.”

Katrina shook her head vehemently, pulling her hands away to cup either side of Liam’s face. “Don’t…don’t you dare,” she whimpered. Tears threatened to spill forth from her eyes, already blurring her vision. “You’re always listening, aren’t you? Always planning and plotting for some new way to make me fall in love with you.”

Liam smiled against her touch. “That wasn’t the intended goal, but it’s a bonus I happily accept. You’re not upset?” Katrina leaned forward and kissed Liam; gently at first, still overcome with the knowledge that the man before her had planned something so thoughtful. He leaned forward and kissed her back, his hands tangling in her hair as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip before pulling away with a hesitant sigh. “So…not upset then,” he chuckled.

“You are a sweet, sweet man,” she replied. “But I think you need to get back to chef duty,” she added, jutting her chin in the direction of the stove. Liam rose up from the ground and Katrina followed, and the pair of them assembled a late dinner.

“I took the liberty of packing your climbing gear with our things.” Liam tore off a piece of garlic bread, holding it in the air. “Or we could go horseback riding, in addition to driving through the park.” He popped the bread into his mouth, waiting for her response.

Katrina twirled pasta around her fork, considering her options. “Let’s see what the weather’s like in the morning. I wouldn’t mind climbing an actual rock face instead of the marked paths of an indoor gym.” After swallowing her food, she looked over at Liam again. “Wait, do you even know how to climb?”

“I’ve gone a number of times with Leo in Greece, yes. A few times in Athens and Crete, but Kalymnos is an amazing island for climbing.”

“And here I thought you wouldn’t know how to tie a Prussick from a figure eight,” she chuckled, stabbing a forkful of salad into her mouth.

“I’m well-versed with a number of knots,” he replied, adding a knowing smirk. “Perhaps I can show you some of my rope skills after dinner.”

“Well look at that, I couldn’t eat another bite!” Katrina smiled and bit her bottom lip, setting her fork down as she looked into Liam’s eyes. He smiled back at her and glanced over to the bedroom.

“You better run, I don’t plan on taking it easy on you…and we’re eight hundred meters away from the next cabin!” Liam pushed back on his chair, the wood scraping against wood, his eyes playful and wild with desire. A wicked grin flashed across his face, and Katrina’s eyes went wide with excitement as she pushed herself away from the table, sprinting towards the bedroom. If anyone happened to walk past their cabin, they would’ve heard high-pitched squeals of laughter mixed with Liam’s playful growls.

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