#new years eve in cordonia

[tessa-liam]

Royal Adventures

All Hallow's Eve

Chapter 1

Book: Choices, The Royal Romance Series Finale

A Smoke & Mirrors Series Alternate Universe

Pairing:

King Liam Rys x F!MC Queen Riley Brooks-Rys

Series Inspiration: Royal Misadventures Smoke & Mirrors series 1-shot 

Series Premise: 12-year-old Crown Princess Eleanor Rys of Cordonia has officially started her Royal education. Tutors that had been personally selected by His Majesty King Liam Rys and Queen Riley Rys were set to begin her royal lessons, and her days were packed full. The young princess was a natural leader, and the King and Queen could not be prouder.   

Rating:  M, not Beta'd-please excuse all errors    

Category: On-going series, fluff 

Warnings: swearing, drinking 

Most Characters belong to Pixelberry Studios 

Chapter Summary: Ellie enlists help from her uncles, Leo and Maxwell to pull off a Halloween prank on her uncle Drake...with two unexpected situations that may spoil her fun...maybe. 

Words: 2.0 k

Royal Adventures 

All Hallow’s Eve, chapter 1 

Cordonian Royal Palace

"Ellie, you're so funny," William howled in laughter. 

"It'll be great," Eleanor insisted, her eyes lighting up with excitement. After describing her plans to her brothers, she was determined to make her idea happen. 

"Drake will never see it coming," Stefan agreed, giggling. 

"Okay, now I need Uncle Leo and Uncle Maxwell." Puling out her phone, Ellie tapped -

Ramsford Country Club - Golf course, 11th hole

"Nice swing, Your Majesty," Drake smirked slyly. 

Liam chuckled, "I can't believe it took us so long to do this." 

"Yeah, well, ruling a country takes a lot of time," Drake laughed. 

Handing his club to his caddy, Liam sighed, "So, what do you think of the club? 

"I have to admit, it's pretty awesome." 

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."  Liam took a swig of water.

"I could get used to this," Drake replied, sipping on a cold beer. 

"We should do this more often." 

"That would be great, Li" 

Liam's phone vibrated, and he pulled it out to answer a call from his daughter...

'Hi, Daddy, can you give Uncle Drake a message?' 

'What is it, Princess?' 

'Tell him - Gotcha.' 

Chuckling, Liam replied ...

'Okay, sweetheart. I will.'

He put his phone away, with a puzzled look, and decided not to question her. 

"Ellie ... wanted me to tell you ... 'Gotcha'." 

Noticing Liam's expression --"What is it?" Drake asked with hesitation. 

"I'm not entirely sure, Drake. Give her a call later. Riley is planning a surprise party tonight for the kids."

Drake looked puzzled. "What the hell does that mean?" 

Grabbing another club from the caddy, Liam shook his head. "Yeah, well ... she has a costume waiting for me to wear."

"Really? ...they are going to enjoy an American tradition...New York style."  Drake chortled, "Knowing Riley, she will pull out all the stops."

Snickering, Drake added, "I want to hear all about it."

Liam raised an eyebrow, "That's a hard NO! Now, let's finish up our round." 

"Sure, Your Majesty."  Drake continued to snicker.

Meanwhile, in the clearing behind Drake's cabin. 

"Okay, Ellie, you're the mastermind, what do you need us to do?" asked Leo. 

"We're gonna need a ton of fake spiders, some black cloth, and lots of fake cobwebs." 

"On it!" Maxwell cheered. I had all the supplies dropped off after he left for the golf course.

"And the fog machine!" Ellie looked pleased, as Maxwell uncovered a cage beside it.

"That's diabolical!" Leo sneered as he opened a box of plastic bats and spiders.

"...and ... la meillure partie."  (the best part)...

"Perfect," she giggled. 

"What else, Ellie?" 

"Hmmm. I know, we can add sound effects for the bats, and the fan will swirl and make the spiders come alive." 

"How'd you get these ideas anyway, Ell?"

"From the best horror movie ever made," she replied proudly. 

"Which one is that?" asked Leo. 

"Nightwing." 

"That's an old movie, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it is," she replied, "but it's the best." 

"I'm surprised the nanny let you watch that," said Maxwell. 

"She didn't. Mom did, though." 

"Oh, man, your mother's gonna kill me," Leo groaned. 

"Don't worry, Uncle Leo, this will be so worth it," Ellie giggled. 

"I'm still not sure about this, kid. You really want to pull this prank on Uncle Drake?" 

"Trust me, Uncle Max, I promise I won't tell anyone," She insisted. 

"If you say so, kid." 

"All right, Ellie, we're ready," Leo called out. 

"Awesome, let's get started."

They placed the fake spiders all around the cabin and draped the black cloth over the furniture. 

"What's next?" 

"We need to put the real bats in the rafters." 

"The real bats? How did you find those?" Maxwell gasped. "That is so cool!" 

"I ...may have asked one of the menagerie guards in Valtoria." she replied proudly. 

"Damn, Ellie," Leo cackled. "I am so proud of you!" 

"Thanks, Uncle Leo. Now, let's get started." 

After their plan was set in motion, they hid behind the bushes and waited outside of Drake's log cabin. 

As the fog machine began to create a thick haze around the cabin, the lights inside flickered on and off, and the sounds of bats echoed throughout all the rooms inside. 

"Holy crap," exclaimed Leo. 

"It looks like the set of a horror movie." 

"It's perfect," Ellie beamed. 

"Wait until he comes back." 

"What do we do then?" asked Leo. 

"Hide, of course. I'll tell you when to jump out." 

"Sounds good to me." 

***

Drake was exhausted after his round of golf with Liam. He couldn't wait to relax by the fire with a cold beer and some good music. Not paying particular attention to the fog outside.

However, when he walked into the cabin, his entire body went rigid. 

He was met by a sea of cobwebs and fake, moving spiders. 

The lights flickered, and the sound of bats echoed through the air. 

"What the fuck?!" 

Trying the light switch, Drake felt something flutter on his head. 

"This is not fucking funny!" 

He searched the cabin but found no one. 

"Come out, now!" 

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut, and Drake was trapped inside in the dark. 

"This isn't funny anymore!" 

"Whoever did this is going to be grounded until their kids have kids!" 

"I'm serious, now!" 

Drake's blood was boiling, and he was fuming. 

"I don't have time for this bullshit!" 

Suddenly, the music began to blare, and the fog machine created a thick haze. 

The sound of bats echoed throughout the area, and the lights flickered on and off. 

Drake was furious, and he stomped over to the stereo, slamming his fist on the button. 

The music stopped, and the cabin fell silent. 

But the real bats kept flying, and the sounds of bat chirps were all around him. He grabbed a broom and began to knock them down. 

"Fucking bats!" he screamed. 

"Who the hell thought this was a good idea?" 

"It's not fucking funny, Ellie! If you're watching this, it's not fucking funny! Your dad is going to hear about this!" 

Drake was so angry that he didn't notice the front door open, and he was oblivious to the footsteps approaching. 

"Drake?" Liam called out. 

"Fuck!"  Drake jumped at the sound of Liam's voice, and his heart nearly stopped. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" 

"I came to check on you. I heard your yells when I dropped off your clubs on the porch. You forgot them in the SUV." 

"I'm fine," he grumbled. 

"Why is it so dark in here?" 

"It was like this when I came in." 

"I see. So, you're hiding from the spiders." 

"Fuck no! I'm not afraid of fucking spiders!" 

"Okay, then let's turn on the lights and get rid of these." 

"Fine."  Drake exhaled loudly.

Liam flipped the switch, and the cabin was bathed in light. 

"Better?" 

"Yes, much better." 

"Good. Now, why don't we have a seat and relax." 

"Fine." 

They sat on the couch, and Drake poured himself a drink. 

"So, do you have any idea who could've done this?" 

"Not entirely sure," Drake sighed, taking a sip of his whiskey. 

"Well, it was a clever prank." 

"A clever prank? It's not funny, Li." 

"Of course not. But, come on, Drake. You have to admit, it was creative." 

"It was not fucking funny. Someone needs to ground her." 

"Who? 

"Eleanor." 

"My Ellie? She did this?" 

"That's it?" 

"I think she had some help from Leo and Maxwell. She sent that message 'gotcha' to me, and I'm sure they helped her pull this off." 

"Yeah, that's it. And I know for a fact that this was her." 

"How?" 

"Because she's the only one who can get away with shit like this."

"Drake, come on, she's just a little girl." 

"She's twelve, Liam, and she's too smart for her own good. She is just like her mother." 

"Hey, I resent that." 

"It's the truth. Your wife is always coming up with some scheme or another, and now, Eleanor is doing the same thing." 

"Look, Drake, I understand you're upset, but I'm sure she didn't mean any harm." 

"You're not the one that was almost scared to death by bats."

"It could've been worse." 

"Yeah, well, it wasn't. It was just a stupid prank." 

"Look, Drake, I'll talk to her. But, come on, it's Halloween, and she's only twelve. Cut her some slack." 

Drake breathed out loudly, hanging his head.

"I'll make sure she apologizes to you, too."

"Well, I can't argue with that." 

"That's all I ask... now, I need a fucking drink." 

As the two friends relaxed by the fire, Drake decided to let his guard down and enjoy the moment. 

He couldn't believe Eleanor was able to pull off a prank like that. She had to have had help. He knew she had a mischievous side, but he never expected her to be so bold. 

"Well, I'm glad you find this amusing," Drake grumbled looking at Liam.

Liam, on the other hand, was amused by the whole situation. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the thought of his daughter scaring Drake. 

"Drake, come on, the princess just wanted to have a little fun. And, let's face it, you can be a bit of a grouch sometimes." 

"Gee, thanks." 

"It's the truth. And you know it." 

"Fine, I may have been a bit grumpy. But that doesn't excuse the fact that she scared the shit out of me." 

"Again, she's only twelve, and you were in no danger. I'll talk to her." 

"Good, thank you." 

As the two friends relaxed by the fire, Drake couldn't help but wonder what else the princess would get up to in the future.

"Here's to Eleanor Rys and her sense of humor," Liam said proudly, raising his glass. 

"May she always find joy in life, even if it's at the expense of others." 

"And here's to you, Liam, for putting up with me," Drake chuckled. 

"Cheers." 

They clinked their glasses together and drank deeply, enjoying each other's company. 

They had no idea that their princess had already hatched a new scheme in her head, and she was determined to get the upper hand on her uncle Leo. 

It was going to be a long Halloween season. 

As Drake and Liam enjoyed their drinks, the princess and her uncles were having a celebration of their own outside the cabin. 

"Did you see his face?" Leo chuckled. 

"That was epic," Maxwell added. 

"You were brilliant, Ellie," said Leo. 

"Thanks, Uncle Leo," Ellie giggled and hugged her uncles.

"Happy Halloween." 

@choicesficwriterscreations

@choicescommunityevents

🍁tags in the comments

[alj4890]

Snowed In

(Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis) in a TRR Christmas One Shot from the series Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

Song Inspiration: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Dean Martin

A/N Hello again! I think I might be back for good or at least will try to be back 🤦🏻‍♀️. The writer's block that has been keeping me away along with life has been slowly killing me. But look! Sound the alarms! I finally wrote something! I will get back to this crackship series starring these two and their complicated love story. For the time being though, here is a glimpse into the future and their first Christmas together as requested by @angelasscribbles It is chock full of fluff for the holidays.

Masterlist

December 21st, Lythikos, Cordonia...

The holidays were, in a word, complicated.

Olivia had spent the majority of her life alone with nothing more than a special meal prepared by good natured servants and a single gift sent over from her aunt. The gift wasn't something one would expect for a little girl/young woman. It was usually a reminder of the Nevrakis illustrious past, one meant to instill the rather harsh, no sentimentality allowed frame of mind.

And let's not get into what the brief time with her parents had done to her.

There was the one precious year Olivia spent Christmas with Liam and the Royal family. Queen Eleanor made certain the newly orphaned duchess received more child appropriate gifts such as a new doll holding a felt sword, a miniature porcelain tea set, and a leather bound collection of fantasy children stories. Olivia was encouraged to help Liam decorate a Christmas tree in the palace nursery and then put frosting on freshly baked Christmas cookies. The pair sat before their tree, eating their creations, and made plans for spending the next day playing in the snow.

It had been the closest to a perfect Christmas Olivia had ever experienced.

When little Olivia shared what all had occurred that particular holiday, Lucretia was beyond livid that the commoner queen was setting her niece up on a path of ruin with useless gifts and experiences. How was she to one day rule the country with an upbringing that included such ridiculous traditions?

It didn't matter. The following summer, Queen Eleanor was dead and Constantine sent Olivia back to Lythikos to remain under the strict supervision of her servants and a nanny he personally hired. They were tasked to keep the duchess healthy and schooled.

Nothing was ever mentioned or demanded that she also be made happy.

Life went on. Olivia learned to sneer and roll her eyes whenever she heard her peers gush over their holiday plans with family and loved ones. Christmas was nothing more than another day of the year. She had little time and even less patience to remain in conversation with the lot once December first rolled around.

She did allow a tree to be decorated in the main hall and accepted the traditional Lythikos Christmas Eve dinner of a turkey basted in their specially brewed Skull Cracker Ale with all the trimmings. Other than those two concessions, she ignored the holiday as much as she could.

She made certain though that her people had all they deserved during the Christmas season. The local orphanage was sent a shipment of toys that would put Santa to shame. Lythikos General Hospital also received gifts for not only their children's ward, but for each patient stuck there during the holidays. Any family/person struggling financially was gifted a tree and traditional meal.

It was, she decided, her duty to take care of these needs herself. After all, she was supposed to make certain her people thrived. For some odd reason she never quite understood, having a good holiday helped people look forward to a prosperous year. Who was she to question it?

Though she had the satisfaction of taking care of these minor needs, the Christmas following Liam's coronation and marriage was more difficult for Olivia to face.

Alone.

It was baffling that she'd become close to Liam's new bride, Riley. It was even more mind blowing that she'd also become friends with Hana and Drake. Riley and Hana were once her competition and she was convinced that Drake was Satan himself, but somehow she'd come to care for them.

Then...there was Maxwell.

One could only shake their head over the fact that Cordonia's most fun loving lord had been harboring a love so deep for the icy duchess that rivaled that of the new king's for his queen.

Jaws were still on the floor from the realization that she, Olivia Nevrakis, the very woman who made people tremble with fear of her waspish tongue and ability with a dagger, happened to have lost her heart to Maxwell Beaumont as well.

"It's been an odd year." Olivia muttered as she gazed out her window at the snowy landscape.

Even odder still was the fact that she was somewhat depressed. With the amount of snow falling, roads would soon be closed leading in and out of Lythikos. No one would be able to drop by for a visit.

No one at all.

"It isn't like I've never spent Christmas alone." She grumbled, turning away from her window. "What's one more year?"

But...

It did matter. There'd been talk of her new group of friends coming to snow ski and spend New Year's Eve together in her home.

Maxwell hadn't mentioned if he'd planned to spend Christmas with her. She hadn't asked him to. She only assumed he might since he bragged about the surprise gift he planned to give her.

Now though, the mail wouldn't even be able to get through to deliver it.

Olivia glanced over at her Christmas tree. One lone gift sat under it. She grimaced somewhat that she spent not only time but a great deal of thought in finding the perfect gift for Maxwell. Instead of allowing her servants to wrap it like she normally would have, she'd personally wrapped it herself.

Lost in thought of not being able to give it to him on Christmas Day, she jumped in surprise when the wind picked up out her window. A typical Lythikos blizzard was revving up with the immense power that usually left her in awe. Now, it made her heart drop even more in disappointment.

Christmas was going to be another lonely day after all.

**************

December 24th...

Snow continued to fall. The providence had already received well over four feet of snow. Temperatures dropped to dangerously low readings, keeping everyone within the cozy confines of their homes.

Olivia glared at her phone. It'd been nearly a week since she'd last spoken to Maxwell. He'd been in California for most of the month speaking to Hollywood execs about turning his best selling novel into a movie. Though she was secretly proud of him for such an accomplishment (especially since he wrote her so flatteringly), she also wanted to strike him down with all her might for not even sparing her a moment for a simple phone call.

He's the one insisting we do all the normal couple things! Isn't wishing a Merry Christmas to the one you supposedly love fall somewhere on that list?

I wouldn't answer the phone now if he did call. In fact, I don't think I'll EVER answer another call or text of his again. He can go straight to---

Olivia's eyes widened when she heard an unusual pounding coming from her front door. She knew that no true Lythikosian would step foot from their fireplaces in this weather. Death would greet that level of stupidity.

Setting her steamy cup of nog aside, she went to see what fool would dare be outside.

She should have known only her fool would do so.

Maxwell dashed past her and began to stomp the snow off his boots.

He was covered from head to toe in ice and snow. Shivering, he began to peel off the layers that were partially frozen to one another after dropping a caked in snow suitcase on the floor.

"It's cold out there." He told her with teeth chattering.

Olivia blinked a few times. She glanced back and forth between him and her door.

"How in the--What are you doing here?" She managed to say.

Maxwell paused in rubbing his numb hands together.

"It's Christmas." He told her.

"Yeah, I know." She placed her hands on her hips. "But there is a blizzard out there."

"Yeah, I know." Maxwell mimicked with a grin. "That's why I almost turned into a popsicle."

He grinned at her on his way towards her fireplace.

Shivering even more violently, he got as close as he could to the crackling flames without catching on fire.

Olivia followed after him.

"How did you get here?" She demanded.

"That journey is worthy of an Epic Poem." He began to rotate, letting each side of his body slowly thaw with the welcoming heat.

Olivia groaned. She wasn't in the mood for this type of conversation.

"Plane ride from L.A. to New York." He began. "Then onto London. I couldn't get a flight out of London to here because of the weather. Not wanting to wait, I decided to travel by train as close as I could. Train rides from there to Barcelona, then onto Rome. Don't ask me how many trains I had to change. I lost count after five. Then, I rented a car and drove the rest of the way."

He ended his explanation with a shrug then turned back to face the fireplace.

"But the roads and bridges are closed!" Olivia exclaimed.

"It's amazing how easy it is to move those barricades." He quipped over his shoulder.

"Okay, but there was no car outside." She reminded him.

"It couldn't make it up the mountain to your duchy." He turned back around to face her. "So, I walked."

"You walked?" Her eyes narrowed. "You walked in a blizzard up this mountain knowing you could slip off or freeze to death?!"

"Yep." He grinned at her. "It wasn't too bad."

Olivia walked up to him, gripped his shirt, and gave him a hard shake "YOU IDIOT! You could have died out there and we wouldn't have found your body! I wouldn't have known to look for you because you haven't called me in a week!"

"I tried to call." He explained. "But it kept going directly to voicemail."

She paused in berating him. "It did what?"

"I've been calling and texting all week. I checked with Liam when I couldn't get a hold of you and he told me the towers and phone lines were down in this region due to the weather."

Olivia's hands dropped from him.

"Oh." She mumbled.

Maxwell leaned down a little bit to study her face. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't make certain to spend Christmas with you?"

"I..." She folded her arms across her chest, averting her eyes from his.

The last thing she wanted was to reveal not only how vulnerable she'd been since they'd gotten together nor the fact he made her feel depressed with the thought of being unable to be with him on Christmas.

"I thought you would stay at Ramsford." She straightened her shoulders. "After all, this is the first Christmas with Savannah and Bartie."

"That's Bertrand's family." Maxwell reminded her.

"They're yours too." Olivia argued.

"Christmas is about being with the ones you love." Maxwell explained. "And you happen to top my list."

Olivia bit back scoffing at something so eye rolling sweet that she needed to hear from him.

He slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her close. He tilted his head down, resting his forehead against hers. His cold nose rubbed against her own, reminding her of how cold he still was.

"Let me get you a cup of nog." She took a step back, pausing when he tightened his arms around her.

"Wait." He softly pleaded. "All I've thought about since I left you was this."

Olivia moved closer within his embrace, arguing with herself she was only doing it to help him warm up. Surely she wasn't doing it because she'd missed being held in his arms.

He hugged her, sighing over how good it felt to have her near again. Nudging her chin up, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"I've missed you." He murmured between heated kisses.

"I missed you, too." She admitted with a resigned shrug.

His delighted, dimpled smile over her words brought an all too familiar fluttering to her stomach.

She pulled away, keeping her hand in his, and tugged him over to a nearby couch. She prepared him a hot cup of Nog and covered him with a blanket.

He insisted she sit close against him for warmth.

"I'll use any excuse I can to have you near." He teased.

Olivia snorted, unable to stop her smile from forming.

She rested her head on his shoulder, tucking herself within his side.

As she readjusted, she felt something hard against her hip.

"Almost forgot." He mumbled, digging into his pants pocket.

He pulled out a little blue box with a white bow.

"Merry Christmas!"

Olivia merely stared at it.

"Don't you want to open it?" Maxwell asked.

"Of course, but I thought we would wait until Christmas morning to exchange gifts." She explained.

"I can't wait! Plus I'm pretty sure it's Christmas Day somewhere in the world. Probably Australia." He placed the box in her lap. "This is something I promised you during Liam and Madeleine's engagement tour."

Olivia stilled in the midst of opening the box. Her thoughts drifted back to those tense months of trying to find out who had threatened both Riley and herself. She knew the night she reappeared in Venice was when the promise he was talking about was made.

"When this is over, I'm going to ask you a question." Maxwell told her as they stood on the Ponte degli Scalzi. "One that will once and for all decide the future for us."

She untied the ribbon and allowed the small velvet box to drop in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she cracked it open.

There sitting amongst the cushion was a ruby ring surrounded by a halo of diamonds.

"Maxwell?" She breathed, carefully lifting the ring out of the box.

"I want to spend every holiday with you." He replied. "And all the days in between."

She looked up at him. The vulnerability in his expression made her own seem not so silly.

"Will you let me?" He asked. "You already know I've been in love with you since I was seven. Don't you think it's about time you put me out of my misery and marry---"

"I will." She declared, cutting off his proposal.

He swooped in to kiss her, knocking the ring out of her hands.

"Wait!" She said in the midst of a laugh. "I don't want to lose it."

"Who cares?" He kissed her again. "I'll buy you all the replacements you need for my impulsive behavior."

"Yes, but I want that one." She mumbled against his lips.

He groaned, pulling away to find her ring.

He got down on his knees and found it under the couch. Grinning at her, he slid it over her ring finger.

She held her hand up to admire it, watching the firelight set the precious stones aglow.

Maxwell cleared his throat and lifted an eyebrow in expectation.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Your gift! It's--"

"You." He climbed back on the couch, covering her with his body. "You officially agreeing to marry me is the best gift ever."

Olivia pulled him down for a deep kiss. "You know? I actually did buy you a present."

"Thank you." He kissed her again. "But it will never beat this one."

[angelasscribbles]

Maxwell Pairings

Day 5 of Maxwell Beaumont Appreciation Week: Romantic Pairings. MBAW hosted by @maxwell-beaumont-appreciation

Max x Alec: This relationship only happens in Hinge. Alexandros Eliades, aka Alec, is Liam’s personal guard, handpicked by Drake to replace himself when Liam assigned him to Riley’s detail. They become a couple in “New Year’s Eve in Valtoria” and you see them together in “Summer Breeze”. They are just sweet and fluffy. I love them.

Max x Liam: I first put Max and Liam together in Bad Romance but then I found @dcbbw Laxwell and I fell head over heels in love with this ship. In any universe I create where Riley is with Drake and not Liam, you can just about bet that Liam is with Max. I’m giving away twists here to anyone that hasn’t already read them, but they are a couple in Star Crossed and end up married in Lavender and Crimson.

Max x Riley: I most frequently put him with Riley. I have a few one-shots that are just Max and Riley, but he has most often ended up with her in some type of poly or secret love affair situation. It’s implied in Unbothered that he’s with her when Drake (who is married to Riley) mentions that Maxwell introduced him to the concept of hot wifing. He shows up in Secrets (as a secret hahaha) and I’m not sure yet if Unexpected will end with just Riley and Max or some sort of triangle with Liam.

Max x Riley x Liam: Likely my favorite pairing/story. In Bad Romance, Liam and Max start out as romantic rivals for Riley’s affection, but we later learn that Max has always had a romantic interest in Liam. When things come to a head, Riley comes up with a unique solution to break the tension. This leads to the three of them becoming a throuple.

Face Claims:

Max - Xavier Serrano

Alec - Dominic Zamprogna

Liam - Daniel Henny

Riley - Barbara Palvin

Tagging under cut

All Things TRR:

@nestledonthaveone  @karahalloway  @tessa-liam  @belencha77 @lovingchoices14

@21-wishes @secretaryunpaid @lunaseasblog  @princessleac1 @bebepac

@emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @73geenalove  @sillydg @twinkle-320

@queen-arabella-of-cordonia @tinkie1973 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @jared2612 @mainstreetreader

@amandablink @harleybeaumont  @xpandass420x @ladyangel70 @twinkleallnight

@dcbbw  @indiacater @queenmiarys @phoenixrising0308 @gabesmommie1130

@kingliam2019 @3pawandme @bascmve01

[angelasreblogs]

December 2023

Things posted in December 2023

Chapters:

All I Want for Christmas Part 1

All I Want for Christmas Part 2

The Dark Kingdom Chapter 7

The Dark Kingdom Chapter 8

Unexpected Chapter 9

Auld Lang Syne

Ball Drop

Extras/Visuals:

Christmas at the Palace

Christmas Queen

Winter Wonderland

Sexy Santa

Mythical Filter

One Horse Open Sleigh

Winter Adventures

Christmas with Liam

Christmas with Drake

Christmas with Max

Christmas with Rashad

Scenes from Cordonia

Sexy Santa Part 2

New Year's Eve

NYE Drake and Riley Edition

Auld Lange Syne Extra

[zaffrenotes]

Sojourn:Them

Players: Drake, Liam, Alyssa, Katrina, Kiara Warnings: PG (language) Summary: Alyssa’s in Cordonia for Christmas, and she and Drake attend the New Year’s Eve ball at the palace. She meets some of the ladies at court and Drake has something up his sleeve. Author’s Note: *All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them* 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 Fluff prompt 49) I want to hold your hand *blows an air kiss* My last official fic for 2018, Happy New Year, Idgie! Word Count: +/- 3100

Alyssa stepped out the front door of Drake’s family cabin, her arms already crossed against her chest as she rubbed her arms to take the chill of the night air away, even while wearing a jacket. Drake followed behind her, locking the door, and pecked her on the cheek before he extended his arm to help her down the steps to his truck. His eyes lit up as she grinned at him, allowing her to get situated before walking around to the driver’s seat. Tonight was going to be a memorable night.

Drake and Alyssa spent the last several days hiding from the world in his cabin, after spending time with Liam and Katrina at the palace on Christmas Eve. They spent long, lazy hours together – cooking, talking, laughing, loving, and everything in between. He found it difficult to leave the bed each morning to make coffee and get wood for the fire, preferring instead to curl up against the bewitching woman with the curly red hair, waiting for the moment he could stare into the deep blue pools of her eyes in the early morning light. He wanted so many more days to follow to be like the ones he’d spent with her.

Liam – bless him – excused them from the Christmas Day events at the palace, knowing Drake would want to have the holiday to make memories of their own. They spent most of Christmas morning in bed together, Drake slipping out of the warm cocoon of blankets to make Irish coffee and get wood for the fire to keep the cabin warm. The only reason they left the bedroom altogether was out of hunger, and then Alyssa surprised him with Christmas gifts. She gave him a jar of honey made from her beehive back in New York, along with a vintage set of drafting tools. He’d given her a keepsake box that he made, carving an intricate design on the lid.

Drake glanced over at his Bee Charmer, who looked rather nervous as he drove to the palace. Alyssa was wringing her hands together, staring blankly at the road ahead. He reached over with one hand, gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “You okay, méli?” He’d been calling her “bee” not long after they started dating.

“Just a little nervous about being around a bunch of nobles that I don’t know,” she replied. “Wondering what they’ll think of a commoner like me.”

“First of all, you are anything but common,” he said, squeezing her hand. Alyssa turned to look at him, giving him a small smile in response. “Second, you’ve got me, Trin, and Liam vouching for you. If anyone – anyone – is rude to you…” he exhaled slowly, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart. 

Alyssa patted his hand. “I know, it still makes me nervous to be around all of…this,” she explained, pulling her hands away to gesture in the air.

Drake chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, hun. We’re just going to have a good time, if you feel like leaving ten minutes in, I won’t complain, and Liam and Trin will understand. Just try to have fun, okay?” He brushed his fingers against her cheek, tucking a curly lock of hair behind her ear.

.:.

The ballroom had been transformed into a glitzy celebration for New Year’s Eve, and a live orchestra, complete with jazz ensemble, played music as nobles glided across the dance floor and mingled between tables. Katrina greeted them as soon as they arrived, Liam not far behind her as he wrapped up a conversation with a duke from one of the coastal duchies. Katrina had Alyssa twirl in place to get the full effect of her dress – she’d worn a vivid green gown, an off the shoulder fit and flare silhouette with beaded embellishments and collar. It hugged Alyssa in all the right places and Drake’s heart raced every time she walked, admiring the way the fabric swished with her body.

Moments later Maxwell appeared and after a brief introduction, Maxwell being Maxwell, he whisked Alyssa to the dance floor to chat with her. Drake watched from the edge of the dance floor as Alyssa tried to keep up with Maxwell’s impromptu dance moves to the orchestra, garnering several disapproving looks until he switched to a foxtrot. Even her introduction to Olivia went well, though Drake could probably credit that to Liam and Katrina talking to Liv ahead of time.

While Katrina introduced Alyssa to some of the other ladies, Drake went to the bar to get another drink. As he waited, he could sense that he was being watched. He turned slowly and sighed, knowing exactly who was looking at him. Her brown eyes locked on to his, and her lips turned up in a smile as she walked towards him. Kiara.

Drake turned to retrieve his drink from the bartender, raising the glass as she stood before him. “Lady Kiara, Happy New Year,” he said, his voice devoid of feeling.

“What happened to your friend in the green dress? Was it already time for her carriage to turn back into a pumpkin?” Kiara stroked the sleeve of his jacket.

Drake pulled his arm back. “You mean my girlfriend, Alyssa? She’s talking to Hana and Penelope with Katrina.” He took a long draw from the glass, letting the amber fluid burn his throat more than necessary before swallowing.

Kiara looked over her shoulder to the group of ladies several tables over, turning back to face Drake with a flirty smile on her lips. She raised her hand in an attempt to stroke his face, but he pulled back before she could make contact, and withdrew her hand. “I see living abroad has caused you to forget how to shave,” she scoffed. “You seem to be enjoying your time living with the King’s fiancée and dating a commoner.”

Drake narrowed his eyes at her. “Whatever you’re insinuating, you’re wrong, and I suggest you hold your tongue before saying anything worse. I’m serving as an extension of the Kings Guard to make sure that Katrina stays safe, and you know that.” He took another sip of his drink before continuing. “As for Alyssa…yes, I am very happy with her. She happens to love my beard.”

“Pity,” Kiara replied, clicking her tongue. “Mon dieu!” Kiara’s face contorted into a look of annoyance as she was bumped from the side.

“So sorry,” Alyssa said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Drake stifled his laughter from Alyssa’s hip check. “Hello there, stranger,” she crooned to him, taking the glass tumbler from his hand to down the rest of his whiskey. She slipped her arm around his. “Trin said there’s a dance coming up that we should watch.”

Drake straightened up his posture. “Right, the ah…Cordonian Waltz. Liam will start it off with her since it’s close to midnight. We should get closer to join them.” He bowed his head curtly at Kiara. “If you’ll excuse us, Lady Kiara, I intend to dance with this lovely woman in my arms.” He turned and walked with Alyssa towards the dance floor before Kiara could respond.

The orchestra started playing a familiar melody, and Alyssa watched intently as she and Drake walked to the edge of the dance floor, standing next to Maxwell and Hana. She stood in front of him, Drake wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her close, and he breathed in the scent of her perfume. She giggled as his beard tickled her ear.

Liam and Katrina stood in the center of the floor, eyes for only one another as he held her in a perfect waltz frame. They stepped off in unison, floating and gliding across the floor like professional ballroom dancers, the light layers of her gown trailing behind her as they moved. Alyssa let out a quiet gasp as Liam twirled Katrina into the intimately close embrace for several counts, their bodies pressed against one another closer than the dance required. “That’s…different,” she whispered.

“It’s a very old dance,” Drake replied. “It used to be the only way couples could flirt with one another at court.” They watched on as Liam twirled Katrina out of the hold, back to the original waltz frame, before turning to everyone to take a small bow and urging others to join them. “May I have this dance? Oh, shit…do you even know this dance?” Drake chastised himself for forgetting how to teach Alyssa the one dance he knew the steps to.

Alyssa shook her head with a knowing smile. “You’re lucky Trin’s my friend too,” she answered. “She and Hana taught me the steps, but…I thought you didn’t dance.”

Drake lifted his hand to cup one side of her face, pulling her in for a kiss. “Maybe I want to hold your hand and dance with you tonight, for everyone to see just how much I love you.” The hand around her waist laced fingers with hers, and Drake saw Alyssa’s cheeks start to flush with color. “Liam and Trin aren’t the only ones in love,” he whispered, nudging her onto the dance floor.

.:.

Drake and Alyssa stood in position as others joined them on the dance floor, waiting for Liam and Katrina to start off the sequence once more. After one round through the steps where Drake was happily surprised at Alyssa’s abilities, he twirled her out of the close hold and they switched partners. Katrina tilted her head with a small smile at Drake, as Liam took Alyssa’s hand.

“So,” Katrina started, Drake guiding her around the dance floor. “Are you ready?”

“More than ready,” he answered. “Do you think she knows?”

.:.

Liam smiled warmly as he took Alyssa’s hands in his own. He lead her gently as they danced, his eyes flitting over to Katrina chatting and laughing with Drake. “Have you been enjoying your time here? Have you seen more than a hundred paces outside of Drake’s family home?” he joked, his warm brown eyes lighting up as Alyssa bit back a chuckle and her cheeks began to flush.

“Cordonia’s beautiful, from what I’ve seen of it so far,” she answered. “Also…no comment.”

Liam tilted his head back, his laugh echoing over the music, as they moved across the floor with ease.

.:.

“If she does, she hasn’t hinted at it.” Drake twirled her in place before continuing the steps. “She’s just been texting how much she loves being here, even if you’re just hiding out in your cabin,” she added with a wink.

Drake smirked at her. “Like you wouldn’t do the same with Liam if you had the chance.”

Katrina laughed. “I never said that,” she replied, spinning round so that her back was facing him. “But take the poor girl out to get some air, take some horses out or something.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Where are you going to talk to her?”

.:.

“Here’s the tricky bit,” Liam warned, twirling Alyssa around so that her back was to him. Her hands nervously warmed in his, though he kept a respectable distance between them compared to the way he held Katrina earlier. He glanced up to see Kiara throwing daggers with her eyes at Alyssa, then Drake, as she danced with one of the other noblemen. “Seems you’ve made a bit of an adversary there,” he said, tilting his chin in Kiara’s direction.

“She doesn’t scare me,” Alyssa replied. “She can stare all she wants, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Liam agreed. He cast a glance at Katrina and winked.

.:.

“I thought we’d slip out to the side balcony before the fireworks, even if it means missing Liam’s speech.”

“Isn’t there somewhere more personal you could take her?” Katrina winked back at Liam.

“I dunno,” Drake said, mulling over places in the palace. “Well, maybe one spot.” He thought back to Liam’s social season, dueling with Neville, and the small courtyard within the palace walls where he celebrated his victory. Drake’s chest swelled with pride as he recalled the memory of that night.

“Take her there, whatever place you’re thinking of now.” Drake spun her out of the hold to the standard waltz frame. “If it’s within earshot of the ballroom Liam’ll set you up with the orchestra when they play a song at midnight, just tell him what they need to play.”

.:.

“Come with me, I have something to show you,” Drake said, tugging on Alyssa’s arm after the waltz had ended. They made their way to exit the ballroom, Alyssa walking ahead of him as he gently urged her through the doors with his hand on the small of her back. He looked over his shoulder to see Liam and Katrina standing near the center of the dance floor once more, Liam holding a microphone in one hand. Liam looked over and gave Drake a knowing nod, while Katrina beamed a smile with an encouraging thumbs up as he exited the ballroom.

They walked through the hallways until he reached a side door, opening it for Alyssa to step outside first. Slipping off his jacket, he placed it on her shoulders to keep her warm as she slowly walked into the small courtyard. “What’s this place?”

Drake looked around at the courtyard once more. Marble benches and flowerbeds surrounded them, along with a fountain – though it was shut off for the winter to prevent the water from freezing in the pipes. They could still hear the muffled sounds of Liam’s voice as he started his speech in the ballroom. “I came here after dueling with one of the nobles before I came to New York.”

“You did what?!” Alyssa’s eyes went wide as she stared at Drake.

“I don’t back down from a fight,” he explained. “Especially to the asshat that challenged me.” They sat down on one of the benches, and he took her hands in his. “It was a matter of honor, to me, and to my friends.”

Alyssa continued to look at the man before her with awe. “Safe to assume you won?”

Drake glanced down at their hands with a shy smile, before looking back into her deep blue eyes. “Suffered a scratch, but I definitely won. First Cordonian to win a duel in over a hundred years, so I’ve got that going for me.” His thumbs moved over her knuckles as he took a breath, his heart starting to pound in his chest rapidly in anticipation. “I brought you here to say something important, Stiles.”

Alyssa swallowed hard when Drake called her by her last name. It wasn’t often that he did that after giving her a nickname – he only addressed her that way when he had something important on his mind. “Okay,” she croaked out, unsure of where the conversation might lead.

“You’ve been charming me since day one, when you bumped past me on campus during one of your runs,” he began. “I never thought that I’d meet someone like you in my lifetime. In any lifetime. You somehow manage to make my heart race and come to a standstill at the same time…though right now it’s beating like a thoroughbred’s at the Kentucky Derby,” he chuckled. “I read something in one of my classes that stuck with me, and I didn’t understand why until I met you,” he continued. “There’s this Jewish concept called Tikkun Olam that talks about repairing the world with acts of kindness…and repairing one’s self as well.”

He looked into Alyssa’s eyes, which were already brimming with tears. Her mouth twitched as she wondered whether or not she should smile, and he squeezed her smooth hands with his calloused fingers. “I was very much a broken man when you met me,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Losing my family, living in Liam’s shadow, wondering where my place was in the world. I thought I would always feel broken and alone…until I met you.” Drake could feel his eyes watering as he spoke, overcome with the feeling of love as he looked at the beautiful woman before him. “Alyssa Stiles, you have managed to piece me back together with your kindness, your love, your absolute weirdness, and your fighting spirit. I know life has broken you down as well, and I might not be able to repair you, but I’d like to spend the rest of my life trying to fill those gaps to piece you back together the way you have with me…if you’ll let me try.”

A solitary tear rolled down Drake’s cheek as he looked into Alyssa’s glistening eyes. He pulled his hands away and reached into his pants pocket, drawing out a small green box. Alyssa gasped and drew her hands to her mouth, tears now streaking down her rosy cheeks. Drake opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. “Would you do me the supreme honor of marrying me and being my wife?”

He looked into her eyes once more, searching the silence between them for an answer. Alyssa looked into the eyes that made her knees weak and her heart flutter, her ruby lips pulling into the widest, brightest smile she could possibly manage, uttering a resounding “YES” into the air as she bounced on the marble bench. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you!”

Drake exhaled and returned her smile as he removed the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. Then he placed his fingers in his mouth, blasting out a short series of whistles back in the direction of the ballroom balcony. Alyssa’s brow furrowed with curiosity and she looked up to see one of the Kings Guard’s on the balcony, pressing his fingers to his ear and talking into his shirt cuff. They heard everyone counting down to the new year, and Drake pulled Alyssa up off the bench.

“FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Above them, fireworks started to rise into the sky, and they heard people inside cheering. Then Alyssa heard the orchestra start to play a song as Drake leaned in and kissed her. One hand wrapped around her waist as the other tangled in the hair at the back of her neck. “Happy New Year, méli,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. “I love you.” The two of them started to sway to the music, Drake softly singing along with the orchestra from above.

And, baby / The way you move me, it's crazy / It's like you see right through me / And make it easier / Believe me, you don't even have to try

Oh, because / You are the best thing / (You're the best thing) / You are the best thing / (You're the best thing, baby) / You are the best thing / (You're the best thing, ooh) / Ever happened to me

Tagging: @likethetailofacomet @ooo-barff-ooo @brightpinkpeppercorn @mind-reader1 @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @sleepwalkingelite @alj4890 @angelicfangirl @annekebbphotography @aworldoffandoms @bella-ca @bowful @blackcatkita @cora-nova @darley1101 @blackcoffee85 @coldcollectornight08 @cordonianredruby @fullbeaumonty @furiousherringoperatortoad @hhiggs @hopefulmoonobject @i-choose-liam @liamxs-world @marywrites-things @missevabean @mynameiskaylabella @nekkidmolerat @pixieferry @romanticatheart-posts @sarwin85 @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @umccall71 @jlouise88 @littleblossom-18 @jovialyouthmusic @nikkis1983 @ritachacha @akrenich @debramcg1106 @innerpostmentality @wannabemc2

[sfb123]

Christmas in Cordonia - Part 2

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Catch up here.

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Liam and Riley celebrate Eleanor's first Christmas.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,192

I am participating in @choicesflashfics holiday prompts. The prompt What's wrong? Do you not like your gift? will appear in bold below.

A/N: Thank you @txemrn, as always, for pre-reading!

“His majesty King Liam, her majesty Queen Riley, and her highness Princess Eleanor,” the herald announced as the ballroom doors opened. 

Liam and Riley entered the room arm-in-arm with Riley carrying Eleanor on her opposite hip. The young princess took in the crowd that was clapping for her, and she began giggling and clapping back much to the delight of the attendees. 

The royal family walked across the dancefloor to the stage. Liam stepped up first, extending his hand to guide Riley up the steps. They stood for a few moments posing for photos before Liam stepped up to the microphone. 

“Good evening, everyone,” he began, “I would like to thank you for celebrating with us tonight.” Liam paused, turning to Riley and smiling when he saw Eleanor nestled into the crook of her neck. “This is certainly a milestone holiday for Cordonia, but most importantly, for my queen and myself as we celebrate Princess Eleanor’s first Christmas. 

“It has been a difficult year, faced with many challenges. But we have come together as a country, and now we are stronger than ever.” The crowd applauded, and Liam stepped away from the microphone, signaling for Riley to step up. 

“Tonight is not about treaties, or policies, or politics,” the queen began. “There will be plenty of time for all of that in the new year. Tonight we invite you to eat, drink, dance, and be merry. With that being said,” She continued. “I would like to invite my husband to join me in opening the dance floor for the evening.” 

Riley stepped to the side of the stage where Regina was standing and handed Eleanor off to her. She then turned to her husband, taking his hand. The two stepped off the stage and into the center of the dancefloor. Once they had taken their positions, the band started playing “White Christmas”, and they began moving across the floor as the members of court looked on. 

“You were perfect up there,” Liam beamed. 

“I learn from the best,” she smirked at him, and he chuckled, pulling her closer. 

As the evening progressed, everyone seemed to be having a great time. The atmosphere was much more laid back than a typical royal function, which is exactly what Liam and Riley had hoped for. When Riley first came to Cordonia, events like this were very rigid and formal. They still were, for the most part, but for Christmas, she wanted everyone to just relax and enjoy each other's company. 

Riley used to spend Christmas Eve at her aunt’s house. It would be packed full of friends and family, and it was her favorite night of the year. They would all sit around laughing, eating, and telling stories. She knew that it wasn’t going to be exactly the same here, but she wanted to bring a little of that at-home Christmas spirit to the Cordonian court. 

After making their rounds and sharing a few more dances, Liam and Riley invited their guests to sit down for dinner. As the first course was served, the ballroom doors flew open, grabbing everyone’s attention. 

“Merry Christmas, Cordonia!” The former crown prince announced as he entered the room. He was clad in his full royal regalia, and donned a headband that dangled a sprig of mistletoe over his head.

“Leo?” Liam said in disbelief, as he stood from his seat. “What are you doing here?”

“What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?” Leo jested as he approached his brother, extending his arms out for a hug. 

Liam stepped forward, embracing his brother. “No, it’s perfect. I just didn’t expect to see you. I thought you were traveling.” 

“I was,” he clapped Liam on his back before pulling away. “But I decided to surprise you. Besides, I couldn’t miss my niece’s first Christmas.” 

Leo leaned down to Eleanor’s high chair, lifting her out and kissing her cheek. “First rule of Christmas, El, this is mistletoe.” He pointed to the small plant suspended over his head. “If you’re under it, you’re getting kissed.” He peppered kisses all over her face as she giggled in delight. 

Once Leo had said the rest of his greetings, he settled into the newly set place beside his brother, and everyone tucked into their meals. 

As the last of the plates were cleared, the guests began pairing up and making their way to the dance floor. 

“Whelp,” Leo began as he stood from his seat. “I think it’s time to work off that meal by dancing with my favorite sister.” He bowed to Riley, who was still seated beside Liam. 

Riley rolled her eyes as she took his hand. “Leo, I’m your only sister.” 

“Semantics.” He shrugged before leading her out to the dance floor. 

Riley and Leo glided effortlessly across the floor. “Look at that, you’ve still got it.” 

“Pfft… it’s like riding a bike,” Leo said as he led her into a spin. “So, how are you holding up?” 

“I’m fine. This royal function stuff is all old hat at this point.” 

“Ri, that’s not what I meant,” Leo responded, dipping Riley with a flourish. “Liam mentioned you’ve been missing your family. I know you’re close with them.”

“Yeah,” Riley sighed. “I mean, I have to be okay, right? Besides, I’ve got my Cordonian family. It’s my daughter’s first Christmas. I’m not going to ruin that by being all Grinchey.” 

Leo laughed, and twirled his sister-in-law once more. “That’s too bad; you look good in green.” 

The pair turned their attention when they heard a throat clearing behind them. 

“May I cut in?” Liam asked, smiling at his wife. 

“Aww… little brother, I thought you’d never ask!” He stepped away from Riley and took Liam’s hand. “I’ll lead.” 

Riley burst out laughing as Liam slapped his brother’s hands away. “Would you get off of me! I want to dance with my wife.” 

Leo sighed playfully. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” He said as he wiped away a fake tear. “Excuse me while I go drink my pain.” 

Liam chuckled as he pulled Riley close. “I’m glad Leo was able to make it for Christmas.” 

“Me too.” She smiled up at her husband. 

He could see the sadness in her eyes. “Riley…”

She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over, and shook her head quickly. “It’s fine, I’m good.” She looked around the room before looking back to Liam. “Hey, did you lose our kid?” 

Liam leaned down, kissing her on the nose. “Nope.” His lips moved to hers, kissing her again. “Savannah was bringing Bartie up to the sitter, so I asked her to bring Eleanor as well.” 

He smirked when Riley’s brow lifted in curiosity. “I thought we might be able to slip out for a bit,” he said, as his hand traced her curves, landing on the small of her back. “Perhaps take an evening stroll through the maze?” 

“Would it be a true royal function if we didn’t?” She smiled.

Liam leaned down, kissing her softly on her lips once more. “True.” He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear. “Follow my lead.”

“Yes, my king.”

*****

Permatag:

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TRR:

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Liam:

@amandablink @cordonianprincess @custaroonie @jared2612 @xpandass420x @yourmajesty09 @zaffrenotes

[bbrandy2002]

Little Shit:

Part 1: Wrapped Around A Finger

This is for week 96 of @wackydrabbles prompt: I can't -- I have a deadline. Prompt will be in bold.

Okay, so I couldnt fit all of this into the 2000 word limit and had to break it up and didn't have the heart to cut.

@kingliam2019​ you made a request for a Little Shit story on New Year’s Eve and it only took 5 months to come up with something, so this one is for you.

If you're unfamiliar with the Little Shit series (because it has been over a year since I wrote anything for it) Nikolas is Liam and Riley's 5 year old mischievous son who just can't help from wreaking havoc, especially toward Drake. He enjoys getting a rise out of him even if he does love his Uncle ... for the most part.

Warning: Crude Language. Mention of Covid and vaccinations.

Word count: 1928

-----------------------

Returning from the stables one afternoon, Drake was stopped at the palace door by security -- again -- for not wearing the required mask to enter.

“Mr. Walker, I’m afraid you need to have a mask on before I can allow you inside. I have to tell you this every day.”

“That because I fucking live here,” Drake grumbled as he snagged the offered surgical mask from the guard. 

“Not in the common areas, Mr. Walker.”

“You know this whole virus thing is just a conspiracy and Liam is using it to control all of us, right? He’s gone mad. This shit’s never gonna end.”

“I understand, sir.” The guard waited patiently as Drake begrudgingly slipped the mask over his face. “Perhaps, though, there is an alternative, one where you wouldn’t have to wear one anymore. They’re offering free vaccines in room 105 today. If you get the shot, you won’t need to wear a mask when you come inside,” the guard cajoled.

Drake let out a humorless laugh.“I’m sure that’s exactly what Liam wants: make a guinea pig out of me. Pump me full of that radioactive shit and in five years I’ll have a tail growing out of my face. No thanks.” Drake disregarded the information and moved past the man.

“But, sir .. .they’re giving away bottles of whiskey to the first 100 recipients. Last I heard, they were close to reaching that number. Top of the line stuff too.”

Drake turned on the heel of his work boots, glaring back, before asking skeptically. “Whiskey? They’re giving away alcohol to get this damn shot?” The guard nodded in response.

“Glenfiddich -- 1955, I believe. The King paid for it himself.”

Drake’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s a $90,000 bottle! And they’re just giving them away if you get this shot?”

“I … um … yes. His Majesty wants to reward those who are doing their part to create a healthier and safer Cordonia. He won’t rest until every last citizen is vaccinated from this dreaded virus. We can all fight this … together. What do you say, Mr. Walker? Will you help stop the spread?”

“For a $90,000 bottle of whiskey? Hell yeah! I’ll grow two tails out my heads for -- hold on a damn minute …” Drake burrowed his eyes into the guard who was sweating bullets, desperate for him to leave. “Where the hell is Nikolas at? This whole thing reeks of him..” Drake’s eyes began darting around the perimeter in a feverish search for the little prince’s battery operated car. “That little shit is blackmailing you, isn’t he? I should have known.”

The guard straightened and answered in a solemn tone, “I’m a serious professional, Mr. Walker. And I take your accusations of being anything but, demeaning to the loyalty and oath I’ve given to the Crown. How dare you stand there --”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise.” Drake ran a hand down his weary face in frustration. “It’s just that kid is the bane of my existence. I’ve had a long, hard day at work and I’m in no mood for his fucking stunts.”

The guard waved him off. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve heard all about the stuff he’s pulled on you.” He leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed tone, “Between you and me, he’s a little pain in my ass too; always coming down here acting like he runs this place. If you ever need help teaching that kid a lesson, I’d be happy to help.”

Drake arched a brow. “Loyalty to the crown, huh?” The man regarded that retort with an awkward shrug. “Yeah, he needs his ass busted, that’s for sure. Liam thinks he just needs a little more love. I’d like to show him the Bianca F. Walker way of love.” He slammed his hands together.

The guard chuckled. “I’m with you on that. He needs something done; he’s out of control … Anyway, you should probably head on up there and get your shot -- and whiskey -- before they’re all out. I wish I’d have waited to get mine until today.”

Twisting his face in doubt, Drake walked around the corner and leaned up against the wall as he pulled out his phone. Something just didn’t feel right, and he determined the safest thing to do was shoot off a quick text to his best friend.

Drake: Liam, are you really giving away Glenfiddich, 1955, to get the Covid vaccine?

He waited a brief moment until a response came through; he looked down at his phone and read:

Liam: Yes.

Drake: Is that all you have to say about that?

Liam: Yes.

Liam: I am in meeting for Cordonia.

Drake tilted his head to the side and scratched at it as he stared at the odd message. He typed out another response.

Drake: What kind of meeting for Cordonia? And with who?

Liam: Top secret. Can't tell you.

Drake: Uh-huh. Where’s Nikolas?

Liam: With Riley and baby in Vallteria

Liam: Shit. Valtoria

Drake: What’s the capital of the United States?

Liam: Damn it Drake I’m in a meeting!

Drake: Then hurry up and answer

Liam: Washington D.C.

Drake: Who shot me at the costume ball?

Liam: You son of a bitch. IM IN A MEETING!

Drake let out a heavy groan and decided to just call Riley. He knew without a doubt Nikolas took Liam’s phone again. If he called Riley, though, there was no way the boy could pretend he was her.

Picking up almost instantly, Riley answered cheerfully, “Hello. Queen Riley speaking.”

“Riley, it’s Drake. I was just wondering if you and Liam were really giving away whiskey for getting this shot? Sounds a little fishy to me.”

There was a moment of silence, then a clicking noise, followed by a long beep, before Riley replied. “Yes. We. Are. Giving. Away …. Whiskey. Get.The.Shot.Drake.”

“The hell is wrong with your voice?”

“I.Am.In.Valtoria.”

“Riley, why the fuck are you enunciating every word?”

“I. Have. A. Cold. And. Must.Talk.Slow. Nikolas.Is.With.Me. And. I. Must. Get ... Going. Bye. Drake ...You. Ass. Hole.” 

Drake rolled his eyes and slipped the phone in his back pocket. “He’s got her phone, too. Damn that evil-ass kid.” He hesitantly made his way down to room 105; it wouldn’t hurt anything just to open the door and see if there was anything legit about this. As he approached, a lovely lady he knew from the kitchen exited with a big smile on her aging face and a bottle she cradled in her arms; he recognized it almost instantly as the Glenfiddich.

“Miss Milly,” Drake greeting kindly and held the door open for her. “You’re looking as lovely as ever.”

“Oh, you.” She laughed bashfully in her grandmotherly voice as she stepped into the corridor. “You’re always flirting with me, Drake. One of these days, I’m going to make you take me out on a date, buy me dinner, and give me a peck on the cheek at the end of the night.” 

Drake smiled back fondly at her. “You just tell me when, Miss Milly, and I’m there.” He motioned to the bottle in her hand. “Say … couldn’t help but notice that bottle of whiskey you’re carrying around; where’d you get that at? That brand doesn’t come cheap.”

“Ohhh, I know. But I heard they were giving shots in that room right there.” She pointed with a crooked finger. “And they said I was the 99th person to stop by, and gave this to me after getting my shot. I couldn’t believe my luck. And they only have one bottle left. I can finally put my grandson through college.” 

“That’s great! And you said there is still one more bottle left?”

She nodded her head. “Yes. But you better hurry. One of the chefs is on his way here for a shot as well.”

Drake hurriedly kissed her on the cheek and opened the door. Thank you, Miss Milly!” He stepped inside, then stopped and whipped his head back out the door. “Milly, wait. Have you seen Prince Nikolas today?”

“Yes, he left with the Queen after breakfast this morning. I believe they mentioned going to Valtoria.”

Drake rubbed his hands together anxiously and thanked her. He’d known the cook for years, she’s the sweetest person he knew. There was no way she would cover for Nikolas, and Drake couldn’t imagine the boy would have any dirt to hold over her head.

When the door shut, Nikolas grinned mischievously from a dark alcove where he was parked in his black 12V Mercedes Benz S63. “This is the day I’ve been waiting for.”

He set his laptop and both parents' phones in the passenger seat and slowly pulled out. He paid $100 to Milly and asked her to put the bottle back in his father’s liquor cabinet and rolled a few paces to room 105.

======

After filling out medical forms, the palace doctor ushered Drake behind a curtain where a long rectangular table and folding chair sat. Taking the seat, Drake watched the doctor slip on a pair of gloves and pull a small tube of lube out of his lab coat pocket. Drake furrowed his brows in confusion. “Heh. What’s the lube for?” he chuckled lightly. “I’m just here for a shot, man. Nothing else is going in me.”

“Just relax, Mr. Walker. It’s all part of the process.” A squirt of clear liquid was squeezed onto the doctor's two gloved fingers as he held them up. “On your medical forms you denied having a physical exam in the past year. I just need to do a quick exam and check for rectal polyps.”

Drake started laughing in amusement, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got to be shittin' me. So let me get this straight. I can’t get a shot until you stick your fingers in my ass to check for ‘polyps?’ Yeah, that’s happening. What a bunch of horse malarky.”

The doctor let out an annoyed huff. “I see you didn’t read over the information forms. They never do,’ he mumbled. “Look, if you want me to wait here all day while you figure out what to do, I can’t -- I have a deadline to finish here. Now if you’ll move along, I have another patient waiting; you’re free to go.”

And Drake knew he was. But that expensive bottle of Glenfiddich was calling his name. He glanced over to that one last beautiful bottle sitting atop a desk on the far side of the room, calling his name. Selling it for even half of what it was worth would afford him enough to move the hell out of the palace and get the freedom from Nik he desired. Rubbing a hand over the scruff on his chin, Drake's timid gaze turned from the bottle to the doctor. He could handle a finger or two in ass for a few seconds if t made him $90,000 richer. 

“Okay. What do I need to do?”

Nikolas quietly typed on the keyboard of his laptop from the opposite side of the curtain. The images from the hidden cameras plastered on the wall where Drake was seated popped into view on his screen. Feeding a link to, and overriding the broadcast feed at the CBC, Nik crouched down low and waited with little beady eyes for the exam to begin. “Perfect ...Okay, Doc, let’s see if you can get a hole in one.”

----------

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[lovealexhunt]

2022: ☆ January ☆

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU]  [Red Carpet Diaries]

For the Love of Coffee: Alex runs into Thomas at a Caffe before their set call time while filming The Last Duchess in Cordonia. ☁️

The Bogart Diaries #26: Life of the Pawty: Bogart is ready to celebrate the new year! [+ pictagrams]☁️🐾

Feel Better: Thomas is feeling under the weather and his family is there to help make things better. (with Felicity, Vincent, and Bogart) ☁️💛

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley [Open Heart]

Falling: Bryce has gotten himself into a situation and needs Liv's help. [with Keiki]☁️

Just like the First Time: Sometimes something so small can say a lot about what is meant to be. This is part of my “a Hand to Hold” series.☁️

Queen of the Slopes: Olivia, Bryce, Keiki, and Jovie hit the slopes for a day of fun but it doesn’t go exactly as expected. [+pictagrams] ☁️🐾💛❄️

Distracted: Olivia and Bryce are making dinner when they get a little distracted. [with Keiki aka the real MVP] ☁️💋

Bryce Lahela + Keiki Lahela [Open Heart–Prequel]

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year): Bryce has the perfect way to celebrate New Year’s Eve with Keiki. ☁️🎆

Ethan Ramsey x Ellie Shepherd [Open Heart]

Working Late: Ellie finds Ethan in his office working late.☁️💛

Levi Schuler x Laura Day [Mother of the Year]

No Matter the Distance: Levi knows how to make Laura feel good, even when on tour. 🔥

☁️=fluff; 🐾=pet fic; 💋=steamy but sfw; 💛=comfort;🔥=nsfw

Commissions and edits below the cut

Cheebs Alex + Thomas with heart hands by @weetlebeetle

Thomas + Alex at the park by @/_raccoonart_ (on Instagram)

Mal + Daenarya in the rain by @cashweasel

Bryce + Olivia at the aquarium by @/artbyainna (on Instagram)

Bogart Hunt's Instagram Profile

[tessa-liam]

Turning the Page  

Now and Then

 - Chapter 9-

Choices, The Royal Romance, AU 

Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 

Turning the Page Series Masterlist 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!OC Riley Brooks 

All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belongs to this series. 

Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression. Cross-over fic with Choices, Perfect Match. 

Rating: M🔞Warnings - Series will contain crude language, NSFW material – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 

Words: 2498

Now and Then – 9 

Chapter Summary: Riley and William arrive in Cordonia 

Title & Music Inspiration: 

Now and Then, The Beatles                                       

When You Love Someone, Gretchen Peters, Bryan Adams 

Wherever You Will Go, The Calling 

A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found.  

A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week#67, prompt #1 - “Nothing could ever change how I feel about you.” 

A/N3: My submission for @choicesjanuary2024, prompt Day 25 - ‘Remembrance’ #choices monthly challenge @lilyoffandoms #choicesjanuary2024 

A/N4: Damien Nazario has been assigned as William’s personal bodyguard. 

In Flight, Cordonian Royal Jet, above the Mediterranean Sea 

Looking out over the vast expanse of water below her, and under the clear blue skies above the Mediterranean Sea, no clouds were in sight ... not a white cloud, nor a black cloud. 

Riley gazed out the large passenger window of the private jet, in solace, with her memories. Everything felt calm; almost too calm. The flight from New York to Cordonia was eight hours in duration, and even though they left early in the morning, they would not arrive at the palace until late in the evening with the change in time zones. 

Trying to and not getting any rest, her thoughts returned to the events over the holidays.

...Remembering when Liam arrived at her door, in New York on Christmas Eve, a short week ago. The expression of elation on his face as she opened the door for him... 

[‘Hello, my love,’ he tenderly smiled; He was standing there with an exquisite bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, as uniformed delivery drivers from the toy store waited patiently at a distance behind him, as the Royal guard performed a security check. 

Liam stepped over the threshold, leaning down to draw her in for a kiss on the cheek, as she accepted his gift. ‘Oh Li, these are gorgeous; thank you so much.’ 

At Bastien’s prompt, the delivery people entered the brownstone with prewrapped gifts and placed them under the Christmas tree, also filling the extra space in the living room very quickly. 

Chuckling, Riley watched as Liam thanked them with a generous tip, as he closed the door after them. 

“Our son will be so thrilled at what Santa brought him; wait till he wakes up tomorrow.”  

Liam laughed, moving quickly to put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. “Who says all these gifts are just for him? Hmmm?” Riley turned her head towards him, as Liam bent to capture her lips in a passion-fueled kiss. 

“Ah yes, your gift is right here.” Liam slipped his hand inside his coat to reveal a small box, wrapped in gold with a red ribbon. “This is for you.”} 

Riley breathed out, shaking her head. 

...Remembering wanting him so badly that evening ...as he kissed her forehead to say ‘good night’ before turning to the guest room; Leaving her feeling so confused, once again. 

...Remembering how excited LiLi was when he saw his father again Christmas morning ... and the look of pure joy in Liam’s expression as he watched his son blissfully playing with his new toys. 

...Remembering the look of adoration between Liam and his son; a private and sacred bond established between the two ... a bond only meant for them. 

Riley looked down at her phone and smiled fondly at the picture of William. He was proudly standing beside his gingerbread house gift for Liam, alongside Daniel and Matteo, to smile at the camera. Riley marveled at how unequivocally her son loved his father, so quickly. As if two loose puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. There was never a doubt in her mind that William needed to be wherever his father was. The connection between father and son was undeniable. 

...and with those thoughts, she agreed to return to Cordonia.  

And now, she found herself on the Royal jet headed back, leaving behind her New York world for the place that shattered her ‘happily ever after,’ again. 

Liam, being the new, ever-doting father was pointing out to his son the shores of Cordonia through the window. She saw the look of marvel in Liam’s eyes, as he watched his son’s reaction to seeing Cordonia for the very first time. They were sitting in seats across the aisle from her as she glanced over. 

Catching Riley’s eye, Liam responded with a wink and a smile. 

"Welcome home, love." 

Riley smiled in return, as her heart skipped a beat. 

Home... 

It had been a while since she had felt this way about Cordonia. Another lifetime; so much has changed, and yet remained the same. 

***

Damien Nazario, the Interpol agent who was now permanently assigned to be William Rys's personal bodyguard, was reviewing the Crown prince's dossier, and his duties to the Cordonian crown, his new employer. Bastien took a seat beside the young agent to answer any questions he may have, as head of the Royal guard, at the rear of the plane's cabin. 

"So, Damien, any questions for me?" 

"No, sir. I believe I have a handle on the situation.” 

"Good, because you are now the official head of the security detail for Prince William, the future king of Cordonia." 

"Understood, sir.” Damien was well aware of the complexity of a constitutional monarchy. 

"Now, there's one more thing I need to discuss with you,” Bastien eyed the young agent. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Madeleine Amaranth, the former queen of Cordonia. I have forwarded her updated dossier to you." 

"Yes, I've read it through.” Damien paused, waiting for more information. 

"Good, because she has expressed malicious intent towards Prince William and Lady Riley, should they return to Cordonia." 

"Understood. I'll ensure her movements are tracked and reported inside and out of the country, sir." 

"Thank you, Damien.” 

"My pleasure, sir.” 

Bastien, looking pleased, leaned back in his chair, checking the time on his watch, as he felt the plane begin its descent. 

Cordonia, Capital 

The jet touched down smoothly on the tarmac, as the engines powered down. The cabin door opened, and the stairs were lowered. 

Riley could feel the warm breeze blow past her as she stepped off the plane. 

Taking a deep breath, Riley looked around. The air was different here. It was fresh and clean. She closed her eyes and let the wind brush her cheeks. 

Liam followed, with William sleeping in his arms.  

"Is everything alright, love?" Liam’s brows were raised in concern, noticing her hesitation. 

"Yes, I'm just taking it all in." Riley, looked down, unable to keep eye contact. 

"Are you sure, Riley? You've been very quiet throughout the entire flight home." 

"I'm fine, Liam. It is just a lot to process. I'm just a little overwhelmed." 

"All right, I understand. Let us get to the palace, so you and William can get settled and rest ... okay?" 

"Yes, thank you, Liam." 

Liam glanced over at Riley with concern as he personally buckled his son into the car seat. It was quite easy for him to see and feel the apprehension in her mood. She could not hide her emotions from him as well as she always thought she could.

Riley had remained noticeably quiet during the ride to the palace as well, looking out at the passing countryside. Liam could not help but wonder if she was having second thoughts about returning to Cordonia, and/or to him. 

As they pulled up to the palace gates, Liam looked over at Riley, noticing a small smile on her face. 

"What is it, love?" Liam spoke softly, reaching for her hand. 

Riley returned his touch with a squeeze. "This place...it's beautiful." 

"Thank you, that, it is. Welcome home." 

“William will be so excited when he wakes up.” Riley glanced at a still sleeping William as the SUV slowed to a stop. 

"I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me.... to have you both here." Liam confessed. 

"You're welcome, Liam. It's the least I can do."  

Liam's heart sank at her words. He hated the distance between them. He wanted to take her in his arms and make everything right, but, for right now, he knew that was not the best strategy. 

He had to accept that things had changed, and their relationship was different now. He had to be patient and give Riley the space she needed. 

But he also had to make her see how important she was to him. He had to show her how much he had missed her ... that he wanted a future with her and William in Cordonia. 

As the SUV door opened for her, Riley felt a sense of Deja vu. This was where she had started her journey with Liam in Cordonia all those years ago. And now, here she was, back again. 

"Do you want me to take you and William to the guest wing, or do you want to stay in my chambers?" 

"I would like to stay with you, if that's okay." 

"Of course, Riley. I would love that." 

It was surreal for Riley as she walked the pristine palace halls towards the Royal Chambers. Liam carried William, who was fast asleep in his arms beside her. 

 The memories of the past times she was here flooded her mind and her heart ached as she pushed the painful memories aside. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. 

As they reached the large double doors of the entrance to the Royal east wing, the guards opened the doors for Liam and Riley to enter. 

Riley stepped inside; the same chambers where she had spent so much time before. The familiar scent of Liam's cologne filled the air, sending a wave of longing for a past time through her mind. 

Walking into her room ... it was exactly as she remembered it. Everything was in its place, from the elegant chandelier hanging above the bed, to the intricate paintings adorning the walls. 

Riley took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked around the room, taking in every detail. 

 She felt a pang of sadness as she remembered those past times. 

After tucking William into his bed in the adjacent room, Liam came in and sat down next to her. He gently placed his hand on hers, and she looked up at him, their eyes meeting. 

"What are you thinking about Riley?"  

"I'm okay, Liam. I was just thinking about how much things have changed since I was here last." 

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. "I know it's a lot, but I'm here for you, and I'll help you in any way I can," Liam whispered. 

"Thank you, Liam." 

He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes intently. "You're welcome, Riley. Always. Nothing could ever change how I feel about you.” 

He moved in to press his lips to hers, and she melted into his kiss. 

It was soft and gentle, and full of longing. 

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. "God, Riley, I've missed you." 

"I've missed you, Li." 

He leaned down and kissed her again, deeper this time. 

His tongue swept across her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to him. 

Their tongues tangled together in a dance that was familiar and yet new. 

They were no longer the same people they were when they had last been together. They were both older and wiser, and the passion between them burned even brighter. 

Riley pulled away and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her palm. 

"Liam, I..." 

"Shhh." 

He placed a finger over her lips. "Don't say anything, Riley. Just feel." 

His lips found hers again, and the world disappeared. There was nothing but the two of them, lost in each other. 

She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

She moaned into his mouth as he slid his hands down her back and pulled her closer. 

He broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. 

"Riley," he breathed. "God, I want you so much."

“Liam, I ...” 

Liam pulled back and looked into her eyes, “stay with me tonight.” 

📌All fics & edits: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234

📌Liam x Riley, OC: @emersyn-in-cordonia @mainstreetreader @belencha77 @walkerdrakewalker @iluaaa @mysticalfangirl @queenwalton @bascmve01 @umccall71 @choicesfrog @amandablink @ownworldresident

📌Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @choicesjanuary2024

[sincerelyella]

Accidental NYE Kiss Chapter 2 - What Happens Next

Book: The Royal Romance (AU)

Pairings: Liam x Ella; Leo x Ella

Song inspiration: What Happens Next by Tori Kelly

Characters belong to Pixelberry; MC Ella Brooks belongs to me. I do not give permission for anyone to copy my MC or her likeness, copy paste my fics/moodboards on tumblr or any other websites.

A/N: This is the continuation of my little drabble from NYE that @bbrandy2002 requested where Ella drunkenly kisses Leo … eeeep!

Catch up here 

Warnings: Adult language

Words: 648

Liam had been trying to get in touch with Ella all night. He wanted to apologize profusely for not being there on New Years Eve like he had promised. He was in Sweden and a storm had hit just as they landed for the conference. All flights were grounded but thankfully it had cleared up a bit and they allowed him to fly home the next day. Why isn’t she answering? Cordonia was an hour ahead of Sweden, so he knew it was already the new year where she was. He felt terrible for leaving her alone, especially on a holiday. I really have to make this up to her.

Bastien appeared next to Liam. “Your Majesty, the staff has already been alerted for our flight tomorrow. They needed to prepare for the next morning so they are on the royal jet tending to things as we speak.”

Liam nodded, “Thank you.” He bowed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Liam had tried calling Maxwell and Drake earlier but there was no answer.

His phone suddenly made a noise, he quickly grabbed it and saw a text message from Maxwell.

Maxwell: Hi Liam! Sorry it was loud in the bar we were at. We’re fine! Drake, Ella and I are headed back to the palace.

Maxwell: Happy New Year!!

Liam: Thank you Maxwell, does Ella have her phone?

Maxwell: She does, but she’s … indisposed at the moment. She drank a tad too much tonight.

Liam: Alright, I’ll be heading home tomorrow so I’ll see you then. Thank you for taking care of her.

Maxwell: No problem buddy! See you tomorrow!

*****

“Ella …” Why did that name sound familiar? Leo looked down at the woman he had just kissed and found himself getting lost in her eyes. “You okay?”

Ella nodded quickly, grabbed her head and winced. “I’m dizzy.”

Leo had this pull to her, he wanted to know everything about this woman. He really wanted to kiss her again. He leaned down and captured her lips, slowly testing to see how she would react. He felt her start to kiss him back and when she sighed softly he almost lost control; he grasped her waist harder and pulled her to his chest tightly. He reluctantly pulled away from her and stared into her eyes again. “You wanna get out of here?”

Maxwell and Drake suddenly appeared next to them. “Oh, Leo! I didn’t know you were in the country! You met our Little Blossom!”

“Huh?”

“This is Ella, she’s marrying Liam!” Maxwell said while clapping his hands.

Drake eyed both of them. “Why are you holding her like that, Rys?”

Oh shit! Leo immediately let go of Ella’s waist and she swayed sideways like she was going to fall over; Drake caught her quickly. “Well, she was … cheering for the new year and almost … fell off the barstool.”

“Mmhmm,” Drake glared at Leo. “What did you do?” He demanded through gritted teeth. He hoisted Ella into his arms and carried her bridal style. “Stay away from her Leo, she’s not some random drunk chick at a bar. She’s your brother’s fiancé.”

Ella let out a loud laugh and grabbed Drake’s face with both hands. “Shhhh just relaaaax my marshmallow protectorrr!” She poked Drake’s nose. “BOOP!” Maxwell put his hand over his mouth to hide his giggles. It didn’t work.

Drake wasn’t amused. “Let’s get you back to the palace, Brooks.”

As Drake and Maxwell were about to walk off, Ella waved at Leo enthusiastically. “Goodbyyyyyye good sir! Thank you for the kissing! I can’t go home with you though.” She patted Leo on the chest. “Oooh. Hard chest.”

Maxwell and Drake looked at Leo wide eyed, then Drake shook his head. “Leo, you’re a dead man.” He chuckled and walked out of the bar with Ella and Maxwell.

Leo rubbed a hand over his face as he watched them leave. Fuck!

[angelasscribbles]

Hinge: New Year's Eve in Valtoria

Series: Hinge.

Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairings: Drake x Riley x Liam, Leo x Olivia, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x Alec (OC)

Rating: M themes I guess, but pretty much fluff

Warnings: mild language, drinking, mentions past drug use briefly

Everything else: Master List.

A/N: This series portrays a polyamorous relationship. See author's note on Polyamory and more. if you're interested in learning more.

A/N 2: This follows New Beginnings (Christmas in Valtoria) and Thanksgiving in Valtoria. These all happen in the same year. Right after the events in TRH3.

A/N 3: I've linked stuff in the body of the chapter for those who want to see what it refers back to.

Olivia burst through the door waving a bottle around, “Put away whatever swill you were planning to serve, I brought booze from Lythikos! We’ve got wine, ale and the best damn beer in Cordonia!”

“Hello to you too Liv.” Riley laughed as she took the bottle, “You know that Bert and Savannah sent over a case of wine and a case of champagne from the Ramsford vineyards already, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m sure your liquor cabinet is already stocked with the best whiskey money can buy a la Drake Walker, but people should have choices and those choices should include the superior product so here I am to provide it for them.”

Leo came through the door huffing as he struggled with a crate of bottles, “How much alcohol do you think we’re going to need tonight, Livvie?” He demanded.

Olivia shot him a grin, “Stop complaining, you love doing my bidding.”

He sat the crate down with a thud then turned to Riley with a grin, “She’s not wrong.” He said as he swept his sister-in-law into a giant embrace.

“We all know!” Riley laughed as she hugged him back.

“Where is everybody?” Leo asked, looking around as he pulled away and started removing his coat.

“Liam will be back soon; he’s dropping Ellie off with Regina for the weekend. Max is setting up the DJ booth in the ballroom, Hana is around here somewhere and Drake-“

“LEO! LIV!” Drake’s voice boomed out as his feet pounded down the stairs, “You’re early!”

“We had to get out of Lythikos before the storm set in or we might not have made it at all.” Leo explained as the two men did a quick, grasp hands, lean in, not letting their bodies touch, pat each other on the back then release greeting.

Olivia rolled her eyes, “We had hours before it got that bad.”

Leo laughed, “You call a blizzard a flurry and I’ve heard you refer to nine feet of snow as ‘a little snowfall’.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point, Elsa, is that the cold bothers the rest of us! Seriously, her duchy looks like eight tons of cocaine exploded everywhere.”

“You would automatically see cocaine.” Olivia smirked at him.

“I do not deny having thoroughly enjoyed my misspent youth. What?”

“Let’s move this into the ballroom.” Riley instructed, “Drake, could you help Leo with that crate?”

“I don’t need any-“ Leo started as he lifted the promptly dropped the edge of the crate, “Yeah, hey Drake, your help would be much appreciated.”

“Jesus, how much liquor is in here?” Drake asked as he lifted the other side.

“Don’t you start too.” Olivia glared at him.

“I was just asking.” He said in a conciliatory tone, then slid his glance over to Leo, “Don’t worry, I have a bottle of Macallan ready for tonight.”

“Thanks mate!” Leo exclaimed as a huge smile spread across his face.

Olivia had already followed Riley out of the room, but from down the hall she yelled, “I heard that!”

“Sorry.” Drake mouthed.

Leo shrugged, “Still drinking the whiskey.”

They made their way to the ballroom. Leo let out a low whistle as he looked around, “Wow. Wait, I thought it was just the nine of us.”

“Ten.” Riley corrected, “You and Liv, me, Drake and Liam, Bert, Savanna, Max, Hana and Alec.”

Alec was Liam’s personal bodyguard posing as his personal secretary.

“Didn’t give the poor guy the night off, huh?” Leo asked, raising his eyebrows at Drake.

“Somebody has to work it. Bad guys don’t take holidays, so neither does the guard.” Drake informed him drily.

Leo held his hands up, “Ok, ok, I can’t argue with that. You have kept my baby brother alive all these years, not to mention my sister-in-law.”

Drake’s hand went unconsciously up to rub the scar on his shoulder. “Yeah.”

“Let’s not dwell on that.” Olivia said, “Nothing like that is going to happen tonight, we’re going to have fun!”

“Leo! Liv!” Maxwell came bounding across the room to throw himself first on Leo, then Olivia.

“Oof!” Leo said as Maxwell hit him like a linebacker going in for the tackle.

“I have a knife, Max!” Olivia warned.

He froze, then leaned in and gave her a brief, gentle hug.

“I’m so excited you’re here!” Maxwell squealed. “I’ve been working on the playlist all week!”

The ballroom was decked out with black, gold and silver decorations everywhere, a disco ball hung from the ceiling, there were huge speakers set up throughout the room and black and gold balloons were everywhere.

“Are we sure this isn’t a bit of overkill?” Drake asked skeptically taking in the décor.

“Nonsense!” Olivia exclaimed, “It’s New Year’s Eve! We deserve a little extravagance tonight!”

“Thank you, Liv! Finally, someone gets it!” Maxwell said.

“There’s a champagne fountain!” Drake shot a glance over to Riley who just shrugged indulgently. She didn’t exactly encourage Maxwell’s antics, but she sure never discouraged them.

“Hey! You’re not starting the party without us, are you?” Liam’s voice called out as he and Alec entered the ballroom.

“Never my love.” Riley greeted him by standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Where do you want this?” Alec asked.

“What is it?” Riley asked.

“Vasilopita.” Liam answered, “Regina sent it. It’s a Cordonian and Greek tradition, it’s basically a New Year's cake. There’s a small coin baked into it. It’s believed that the person who finds the coin in their piece of cake will enjoy extra fortune in the new year.”

“We always had these at the palace growing up.” Leo said.

Maxwell reached toward the cake, “Here, let me help you, with the, uh, I mean, not that it’s heavy or anything, but I could carry it if you want. Not that you need help, you’re very strong, I mean, capable, not that you might not still like some help, I mean, who doesn’t? Everyone likes help once in a while, right?”

“Max, man, why you being weird?” Drake asked. He was always a little weird, but this was weirder than usual.

“Sure, Max, I’d love some help.” Alec handed him the cake with a sympathetic smile.

Riley and Liam gave each other a knowing look. Drake caught it, “What? What am I missing?”

“Nothing.” Riley said as she slid her arms around him and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. “Just behave. I’ll explain later.”

Drake shook his head. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on, but hell, as long as she was in his arms, why let it go to waste? He leaned down and drew her into a deep kiss.

“Ok, you two, cut it out, it’s revolting for those of us that have to watch it.” Olivia said disdainfully.

“Pretty sure that’s why he does it.” Leo smirked at her.

“Hey, you’re here!” Hana squealed as she made way into the room and placed a steaming platter on the buffet table.

“Oh, that smells delicious, what is it?” Leo asked.

“Chinese dumplings. A tradition where I’m from. They’re considered good luck to eat on New Year’s Eve! I also made spring rolls, another traditional Chinese New Year’s Eve food. Someone come help me bring them in?”

“On it!” Drake dropped another quick kiss on Riley’s forehead then bounded after Hana.

Riley’s phone dinged and she looked down at it, “Bert and Savannah are here! Now the party is officially started!”

“I’ll go greet them at the door, love.” Liam brushed a kiss across her cheek then hurried out of the ballroom back toward the front door.

“I don’t know how you do it Riley.” Olivia said, sidling up next to her.

“Do what?”

“Juggle two men. It’s all I can do some days not to strangle the one.”

Riley laughed, “Complain all you want. You’re crazy about him.”

“Eh. He’s tolerable most days.” She replied but her eyes were soft as she gazed at him across the room where he was deep in an animated conversation with Max and Alec about something.

Riley knew their relationship had been complicated, with starts and stops, on again off again when they were younger, but they seemed to have finally gotten their timing right. She had never seen either of them so happy.

“Are we the last ones here? I thought you said nine .” Savannah asked as she started hugging everyone.

“I did. You’re perfect! I know everyone probably already had dinner, but there are tons of snacks and appetizers and Hana insisted on preparing some of her family’s traditional foods for the evening, so everyone dig in! Also, I have sparking grape juice for you!” Riley told her.

“Thanks!” Savannah’s hands went automatically to her midriff at the reminder of her pregnancy.

“That’s very thoughtful of you Riley.” Bertrand said as he gave her a hug and a peck on each cheek.

Hana and Drake returned from the kitchen with the rest of the food and started arranging it on the buffet table. Alec was helping Max hang some last minutes decorations when a series of shots rang out.

Riley found herself on the floor, looking up at Liam who had just tackled her to the ground. Drake had pulled Hana down behind the table and was already moving across the room.

“Everyone ok?” He called. Everyone was on the floor.

Everyone called out that they were ok.

Max had been coming down the ladder when it happened. He felt hands grab him and jerk him off it, then he found himself thrown to the floor. He yelped as he hit the ground, then he looked up into a pair of mahogany eyes. “Sorry Max. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s ok.” Max breathed, “It kinda turned me on. Oh, shit! Did I say that out loud?”

“It came from outside. Alec, let’s go, everyone else stay put!” Drake ordered.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said-“ Maxwell started.

“Yes Captain!” Alec was suddenly on his feet, gun in hand, looking back down at Max he said, “Stay here, we’ll discuss that later.”

“We will?” Maxwell asked, “Wait. We will?”

Everyone made their way cautiously to the edge of the ballroom.

“There is a full security detail out there, I’m sure everything is fine.” Liam reassured everyone.

“Should we go check?” Leo asked.

“Do you have a weapon on you?” Liam asked him.

“I do.” Olivia replied, dagger in hand.

“It’s ok!” Drake called as he and Alec came back in the room. “False alarm. It was fireworks.”

“What? It’s not time for the fireworks yet!” Riley exclaimed.

“Kids. They snuck onto the grounds to see the peacocks, they got caught almost immediately but took off running from the guards and one of them managed to light and throw a string of firecrackers as they ran. By the time we got out there, they had already been escorted off the property.”

“That was more excitement than I needed for the night!” Savannah said.

“It’s ok darling, I’m here.” Bertrand soothed as he pulled her in closer to him.

“Ok everything is fine, let’s get back to eating, this all looks delicious!” Liam said.

Plates were made, drinks were poured and before long, the laughter was back. Max sat next to Hana, shooting nervous glances over to Alec.

“What is it, Max?” Hana asked.

“Ummm…remember how I told you I kind of have a crush on Alec?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I kind of blurted out that it turned me on when he threw me on the ground.”

“Oh! How did that go?”

“I….I’m not sure. He said we’d talk about it later.”

“He did?”

Maxwell nodded.

“Hmmm. That sounds promising, right?”

“Maybe?”

“Well, it’s about time. You’ve been dancing around each other for months now.”

“No, we haven’t. Have we? No. I don’t think he likes me.”

“Max, everyone likes you.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Do you want me to ask him?”

“What?! No! Of course not! We’re not twelve! I don’t know…maybe?”

Drake noticed Alec stealing looks at Maxwell every few minutes. “What are you doing Eliades?” He asked him.

“What? Nothing!” Alec answered.

“Why do you keep looking at Max?”

“I’m not!”

Drake followed Alec’s gaze, “You’re literally looking at him right now!”

“Oh, uh, I….” He gave Drake a sheepish grin. “Shit. I kind of like him, and I’m pretty sure he likes me.”

“You….what?!”

“I didn’t think that was a problem, sir. I was assured that the royal guard was very progressive and inclusive-“

“Shit, Eliades, it’s not that. I don’t give a fuck that you’re gay.”

“Then what-“

“I question your judgement because……Beaumont, really?”

“What? Have you seen the man? He’s gorgeous and he’s funny and he’s fun! He’s good with kids, he’s a really good friend, he treats everyone the same regardless of if they’re from the aristocracy or not and-“

“Ok, ok, ok!” Drake held up his hands, “I get it and….you’re right. Sometimes I forget the man he’s turned into, and I just see the kid I grew up with. Max would make a good boyfriend.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Drake laughed, “It’s not like you need my permission. You can date whoever you want.”

Drake shot a look at Riley. Now he understood what she and Liam were thinking earlier when they gave each other that look. How had he missed it? Oh right, because he really didn’t care about other people’s love lives.

“Time for that drink, Leo?” Drake called across the table.

“Time for a lot of drinks!” Olivia yelled back, “I brought the good stuff!”

“Pace yourself Livvie! It’s still an hour and a half until midnight.” Leo reminded her.

“I can hold my alcohol.” She informed him.

“That you can babe, I’ve witnessed it.” Leo agreed.

As everyone else drank, danced and laughed, Alec made his way across the room to where Maxwell was manning the DJ booth.

Maxwell turned to find Alec leaning against the wall watching him. “Uh…hey.”

“Hey Max.” Alec said.

“What….what are you doing?”

“I told you we’d talk later so…..can we?”

“S-sure.” Max flipped some switches then stepped out of the box.

“Maybe somewhere quieter?”

Shit shit shit shit shit! Maxwell thought, this is it! Either all my dreams come true or he’s going to crush me then it will forever be awkward and he’s always around and what the fuck have I done, I’m soooo stupid!

They stepped out into the hallway where the music wasn’t quite so loud. Alec couldn’t go too far, he was still on duty, after all.

“So….about what you said earlier….”

“Yeah…” Max shifted his feet back and forth as he studied them. “I…uh…didn’t mean to make things awkward-“

“Did you mean it?” Alec asked with an intensity that brought Maxwell’s eyes back up to his face.

“I mean…yeah. It was kinda hot, being thrown to the ground, you on top of me, watching you morph into secret agent mode…… please say something, I’m about to die.” Max felt himself flush.

“I like you, Max. I just didn’t think…I mean, I wasn’t sure…. You always seem to have a boyfriend.”

Maxwell shrugged, “Not really. I mean, not a serious one.”

“Not even the firefighter? Or the guy from your gym? Or the one you met at that poetry slam?”

Maxwell scoffed, “They were fun, but I haven’t been serious about anyone in a really long time.”

“Why not?” Alec asked, watching him closely.

He shrugged again, “I guess, maybe, because I’ve had a crush on someone else for a while now, so maybe I wasn’t fully emotionally available.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He said as he met Alec’s eyes.

“Would it be presumptuous to ask if that someone was me?”

Maxwell laughed, “I don’t know if it’s presumptuous or not, but the answer is yes. So…is this a thing now? Are we doing this?”

Alec smirked at him, “Oh yeah, we’re doing this.”

Alec reached for him, but Max was already moving. Alec pulled him roughly against himself, grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips crashed together as their hands tangled in each other’s hair and ran across each other’s bodies.

“Hey Max, are you- oh shit! Sorry!”

They broke apart laughing and giving each other shy but flirty glances.

“It’s ok Leo, did you need me?”

“Yeah, I was hoping I could get your help with something.”

When it was almost midnight, Riley ushed everyone out onto the balcony so they’d be able to watch the fireworks. Hana and Drake passed out champagne flutes to everyone. Bertrand wrapped both arms around Savannah to shield her against the cold. Liam fumbled with a video camera.

“You got it babe?” Riley asked him.

“I think so.” Liam replied.

“Is it ready?�� Alec asked Max.

Max nodded and held up a remote control, “It’s ready.”

Olivia leaned on the railing as Leo snaked his arms around her, “Are you happy?”

She glanced up and over her shoulder at him, “Yes. Why?”

Leo laughed softly, “Always so suspicious.”

“With good reason, usually.”

“Everyone get ready!” Rile yelled, “Thirty seconds!”

Drake stepped up close to Riley and handed her a glass.

“Twenty!”

Savannah leaned up and kissed Bertrand on the cheek.

Olivia snuggled back into Leo.

Hana put a hand on Riley’s shoulder and smiled at her.

Liam hit record on the camera.

“Ten! Nine….eight…seven…six…five…four….three….two….one…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!”

There was cheering and drinking and glasses clinking.

The fireworks started.

Leo spun Olivia around to face him as Maxwell hit play on the remote in his hand.

“Now I’ve had the time of my life…” started playing from the speakers.

“Remember this song?” Leo asked.

Olivia laughed, “Yes, we danced to this on our first actual date.”

“That was ten years ago. Ten years of ups and downs and pushing each other away, then finding our way back. Those early years were a roller coaster ride.”

“You got engaged to another woman.”

“After you turned me down. But I couldn’t do it, could I? I abdicated the throne to get out of marrying her-“

“You ran away to L.A.”

“And Costa Rica, and Madrid, and Vancouver and a lot of other places. But I wasn’t running away. I was looking for something. The problem was that what I was looking for was right here the whole time.”

Leo slid down on one knee and pulled out a ring box. Olivia’s mouth fell open, “Leo! What are you-“

“Liv, you are the love of my life. I’ve never felt this way before. I love you. I’ve always loved you! You’ve been my best friend since we were kids and I’ve been awestruck by your grace and beauty since that first day I laid eyes on you again in the royal garden when you were eighteen years old. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Your wit and fierceness astound me sometimes. I know it sounds cliché, but you’re my soulmate, my other half. I don’t know what I did to deserve to have you love me back, but this last year with you has been the happiest of my life and I’d be the biggest fool in the world to ever let you go again.”

He paused and drew in a deep breath, removed the ring from the box and held it out to her, “Olivia Angelica Nevrakis, will you do me the great honor of being my wife?”

“I-“ Olivia stood there in shock for a moment, wiped away a tear in what she hoped was an unobtrusive manner, then she started nodding vigorously, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, now get up here and kiss me you big lug!”

“She said yes!” Leo whooped as he slid the ring onto her finger then stood and swept her into his arms, literally off her feet as he spun her around then sat her down and kissed her while fireworks exploded behind them, and their friends and family cheered.

“I love you, Liv!”

“I love you too, and also I hate you because you made me cry.” She sniffed, “You inspire such complicated emotions in me.”

A grin spread across his face, “Good!” He went back to kissing her.

Drake leaned down and whispered in Riley’s ear, “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” She smiled as she sipped her champagne. “Look at that.” She pointed.

Drake followed her finger. Maxwell and Alec were wrapped in a kiss in the corner of the balcony.

“You’re very pleased with that, aren’t you?” He asked wrapping his arms around her.

“Yes.” She nodded, leaning back into him, “I just want everyone to be as happy as we are.”

“Not possible.” He whispered into her ear.

“Ok, it’s cold, we should move this back inside!” Liam waved everyone back through the balcony doors.”

Everyone offered their congratulations and ohhed and ahhed over the ring.

“Congratulations big brother,” Liam hugged him, “It’s about damn time!”

Bertrand pulled Leo into an actual embrace, “Congratulations, brother. You both deserve all the happiness in the world.”

“Thank you, Bert! And thank you for being my best friend since we were, like, eight. I’m hoping you’ll agree to be my best man.”

“It would be my great honor!”

“Bert, are you crying?” Savannah reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek.

“I-I’m just so happy that my best friend found his way back to all of us and found his happily ever after. Like we did.”

“Ah, Bert.” She leaned up and kissed him.

“I get to plan the bridal shower, right?” Hana beamed.

“I got the whole proposal on video!” Liam said happily.

“Oh! I’m going to need that!” Maxwell yelled, “I’ll definitely be in charge of the videography. Oh! And the music! Oh! And I get to help plan the bachelor party, right?”

As everyone talked and laughed, Liam made his way over to Riley, “I never got my New Year’s kiss.”

“Well, we should rectify that immediately.” She said as her arms went around him.

Liam wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her passionately, leaving her panting when he drew back.

“Damn.” She breathed, “If this is what watching proposals do to you, I’m going to have Max propose to Alec next!”

Liam laughed softly as he stroked her cheek, “I’m just so happy for them and it reminds me of how lucky I am. I love you more than life.”

“Oh, Liam.” Riley melted under his touch.

“Time for more dancing and more drinking!” Maxwell yelled as he cranked the music back up.

So, they laughed, and danced and drank the night away. And everything, at least for the moment, was well in Cordonia.

Happy New Year!

[twinkleallnight]

Melting moments

Here's wishing all a very happy new year with a new year one shot. This happens many years before the social season.

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Word count: 1206

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Teen or PG

It was a chilling new year eve when Kiara tightened the jacket around her slim waist to keep warm. Her straight jet black hair tossed over her arms as she sprinted in her sneakers, moving swiftly on the docks of Portavira. She was late for her plans to meet her best friend.

This was their last year as teens and they got a permission to celebrate on the Ebrim’s personal yacht, just the two of them. She knew well, how her bestie was an introvert and preferred to celebrate in minimal company.

She climbed the yacht gently, up the deck. Isolde, the white pet poodle was sprawled next to a mat and lazily lifted it’s head to give a welcome glance and rested it’s chin back on its paws in disinterest.

Penelope, the owner, as fair as the fur of the poodle, sat on the mat, her lonely blue eyes looking at the clear night sky. A wisp of cold winter air ruffled her short black hair and she shivered slightly in response.

“Hey Pen!”

“Kiki.” Came out the short reply.

Kiara dumped her purse and the jute bag next to the mat and sat down beside Penelope. Her black eyes tried to catch Penelope’s direction of gaze in the sky.

“You know you should have come to the royal palace for the Christmas party. It was so much fun!” Kiara started, pulling out the thermos from the bag.

“I had a quite one with Isolde.” Penelope patted her dog.

“I know but you missed your chance to meet the princes.” Kiara said as she poured out their favourite drinks in the mugs she had carried along.

“I suppose you enjoyed.” Penelope said grabbing her hot chocolate from Kiara.

“Ouiii!” Kiara said with a squeal. The memories of the party filled her heart with warmth, as warm as her hands around her coffee mug.

“You texted me that there was something you wanted to tell me. Is it related to the prince?” Penelope asked coldly, caressing her dog with her free hand.

“Not exactly.” Kiara sighed seeing that her friend wasn’t interested much.

Penelope understood that she needed to pep up for her friend. She could tell her own sad story later. She turned around to give Kiara undivided attention with a smile. “Okay tell me all about it.”

That gesture was enough for Kiara, to open up her treasured chest of stories from her visit to the royal palace.

“You know the crown prince Leo? He is very handsome. The pictures in the Trend magazine don’t do justice to him at all.”

“You spent time with him?”

“Non. He was flirtatious.” Kiara said with a frown. “And there was this Madeleine drooling over him all the time. But his younger brother prince Liam is a real gem. He is so chivalrous and, and…” she fanned out her hands trying to explain.

“Oh, so he was the one?”

“Noooo! Not him…” Kiara blushed and that made Penelope’s eyes go wide. Kiara usually was too focused to bother about any guy around, leave alone getting affected by anyone in particular. She was staring in the blank with a stupid grin on her face.

“Kiki, I am listening.” Penelope waved her hand in front of Kiara’s eyes to bring her back from her trance.

“I am sorry.” Kiara giggled. “He was so cool; he had that rugged look, yet a dashing smile on his face. He had an oomph but a snarky tongue. He carried his simple attire in a most stylish way, making him stand out even in that fashionable crowd of nobles. His eyes had a shine and he could kill you when he narrowed them with that look. He had a magnetism and his dark hair...”

“Oh. My. God.” Penelope blurted.

“What?” Kiara asked puzzled.

“What happened to the future minister of foreign affairs, Kiara Theron? Look at you, you are smitten!”

Kiara straightened up and fumbled with her reply. “Its okay to slip once in a while.” And she went at it again. “It’s not every day that one comes across a stunning species like Drake Walker.”

“So, that’s what the king of the hearts is called.” Penelope beamed at Kiara who was melting in her new found feelings.

“Drraake!” Kiara uttered his name with a stretch as if drinking through each letter. “Oui, that’s him.”

“Who is this Drake Walker?”

“He is Prince Liam’s best friend. Although he is some commoner’s son.” Kiara said it casually as if being a commoner didn’t matter to her at all.

“That explains why I haven’t heard of him or seen him.”

“I think I can solve that problem.” She said flipping through her phone, her fingers nimble over the keys. She opened the phone gallery and flashed a smile when she came across the snap that she had captured stealthily at the palace. She thrust the phone almost in Penelope’s face in excitement. “That’s my hero!”

Penelope had seen prince Liam’s pictures in the magazines many a times so her eyes immediately fixed on the dark-haired young man beside the prince. “He is good.” Penelope gave a simple approval.

“Just good?”

“Kiki.” Penelope took a deep breath. “Its just that, he is your clover brew coffee and I am still searching for my hot chocolate.”

She knew they were poles apart in their choices. Penelope's sweetest tastes against Kiara’s sharp ones. Penelope’s romantic ideas against Kiara’s practical decisions. But that seemed to be tossed over with the advent of this new guy.

“Well, you could have met your hot chocolate if only you would have agreed to accompany me to the Royal’s Christmas party.” Kiara rolled her eyes and kept looking at her phone, the picture still on the screen.

“As if he was there.” Penelope said with sarcasm.

“I think I may know who exactly your hot chocolate is.”

“Who?” Penelope asked curiously.

Kiara started excitedly, “There is this noble house to the west of the Capitol. Their son, I think… No, I am sure, you will like him.”

“What’s so special about him?”

“He was sweet just like you and he sat gazing at the stars.” Penelope glared at Kiara. “Don’t look at me like that. That’s not all. He drank choco chip and vanilla crème and talked about his pet dog all the time.”

“Kiki, as much as I like that, you are acting silly. Just because you were bit by love bug, it’s not necessary for me to fall for someone at the same time.”

“Fine, I agree. But promise me, next chance you are coming with me to the palace.” Kiara stretched out her palm.

“Sure. I promise.” Penelope placed her hand in Kiara’s.

They both hugged and sat with Isolde beside them, looking towards the land as the time ticked to midnight. The fireworks from the duchy filled up the sky to mark the new year between the poodles relentless barking.

“Happy new year!” both wished each other in unison. Penelope fondled Isolde and it calmed down.

“Ahm… What is his name?” Penelope asked.

“Whose?” Kiara asked lost in her blissful imaginations.

“The hot chocolate.”

Kiara laughed out, curling her arms around Penelope. “Maxwell. Lord Maxwell Beaumont.”

Tags: @ao719 @annekebbphotography @anjanettexcordonia @bebepac @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonianroyalty @drakewalker04 @eadanga @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @kat-tia801 @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @idontknowwhysblog @islandcrow @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @lifeaskim @lisha1valecha @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-know @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09

[argylemnwrites]

First Noel

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe, set around Chapter 21 of that story)

Word Count: ~1800

Rating: R (language, as always)

Summary: As their first Christmas together approaches, Drake and Riley find yet another element of their backgrounds they share.

Author’s Note: Not me posting a Christmas fic after the holiday, hahaha. The truth is that I am trying to get back into the swing of writing, and since I have painfully neglected Why Are We Still Waiting? I wanted to write something in that universe (I haven’t forgotten about that sequel, I swear... if anyone else still cares about that fic, hahaha). The whole discussion of “Walker Christmas” is something that actually really resonated with me during The Royal Holiday. As someone who has needed to work many Christmases, my family would often pick a different day to celebrate to accommodate my schedule, so the Walkers celebrating after the official holiday really rang true to me. So, in the ICWAM universe, this is how Riley leans about that tradition (and posting it after the holiday was totally on purpose *cough cough*)

Riley knew she’d fucked up. There was no point pretending that she hadn’t. The bad part was that she couldn’t really fix it. She was stuck. She was going to have to tell Drake, and she was absolutely dreading it.

Since he’d come back from Cordonia, things had been good between them. Really good, actually. They really hadn’t had any fights or spats or disagreements even. They had both been trying to be open and supportive and it was working. But now, that was all going to change and it was all her fault.

She’d reflexively agreed to work Christmas without really thinking about it. When Cam had asked for volunteers, she’d thrown her name out there instantly. It had always been her habit, having never had anyone to celebrate with and knowing that the odds of getting generous tippers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were way higher than your average night. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t worked on Christmas.

Except this year, she actually had someone to celebrate with, and she hadn’t really thought about that fact until about fifteen minutes after she’d offered to pick up the holiday. She would have felt like a selfish bitch to walk into the back office and tell Cam she actually wanted to retract her offer to work both days, subjecting all her coworkers to a lottery and being seen as a flake at best, a giant asshole at worst. So, she just kept working, letting a giant ball of fear and regret stew in her stomach, getting worse and worse as her shift inched along and she was closer to having to tell Drake what she had done.

He was going to be pissed at her. She just knew it, and he honestly had every right to be. This was his first Christmas not in Cordonia, as far as she knew. He really only knew her in the city, and… fuck, she’d promised him that they would celebrate Christmas together when he decided he wasn’t ready to go down to Texas to spend the holiday with his mother and aunt. God, she was such a shitty girlfriend.

When Drake popped into the bar a few minutes before the end of her shift, she forced a little smile, but it must have looked hollow, because Drake furrowed his brow and gave her a slight frown. Sure enough, as soon as she had clocked out, slipped on her coat, and headed out from the bar hand in hand with Drake, he zeroed in on her mood.

“Did something happen tonight?” he asked, twisting back to look towards the bar.

Riley just shook her head. “No, I just fucked up.” She kept staring ahead, her boots crunching over the salt on the sidewalk, but she could feel Drake staring at her. He was obviously waiting for her to elaborate. She didn’t want to have to confess, to ruin their little bubble of peace and happiness, but she knew she needed to be honest and get it over with. So, she let out a little sigh before soldiering on. “I told Cam I could work on Christmas.”

Drake was silent for a second or two before he asked, “Eve or day?”

“Both.”

His silence stretched on a few moments longer before his response to that. “Oh,” was all he said. He kept his hand locked in hers, but Riley noticed him slow down his pace just slightly. She felt like absolute trash.

“I’m so sorry, Drake. I just wasn’t thinking. I’ve worked so many Christmases in a row that I think I just volunteered out of habit.”

“It’s fine, Liu.”

“No, it’s not. I was mad thoughtless. I totally get if you’re pissed at me.”

“I’m not pissed at you.”

Riley stopped at that, tugging Drake to a halt as well and pulling him around to face her directly. “Drake, come on. I fucked up.”

He gave her a little shrug and shook his head. “It’s not a big deal. I spent the last couple of Christmases in a bar anyway. At least you’ll be there too this year.”

“You spent your last Christmases in a bar?”

Drake ran his free hand through his hair as he shrugged again. “Well… yeah? Liam always had royal duties on the actual holiday, and after Savannah left, it’s not like I had anyone else to celebrate with or anything.”

Hearing how his most recent Christmases had been spent, Riley found herself feeling even shittier somehow. He finally had a chance at a festive and happy celebration, and she had ruined it. Her expression must have shifted enough to show some pity, because Drake shook his head. “Come on, it wasn’t so bad. Besides, you were the one who just said she was forced to work a bunch of Christmases in a row. That’s way worse than just grabbing a few drinks at a bar and calling it a night.”

“I didn’t have to work; I always offered.”

“You what?”

“I always volunteered if my managers asked, and if they didn’t, I switched with coworkers who had kids or families.”

“Tips that good on Christmas?”

“I mean, I usually got a customer or two that left a lot due to ‘holiday spirit’ or some shit, but it was more that I didn’t have anything better to do.” Riley kicked the toe of her boot against the sidewalk, her eyes pulling away from Drake’s gaze. She was trying to be better about acknowledging the painful parts of her past she would rather forget, but she still didn’t really like to talk about things like this. It tended to dredge up a slew of memories that she���d worked hard to put behind her.

“Liu… Riley,” Drake said, the switch to her first name prompting her to glance back up from her feet to his face. “When was the last time you had anyone to celebrate Christmas with?”

She bit her lip and let out a sigh. She knew that it wasn’t fair that Drake opened up to her about his past quite a bit while she still kept a lot of things to herself, but that didn’t make these things easy to talk about. “When I was 17. I was with the Andersons during one of my mom’s last prison stints before I aged out of the system. They were excited to finally get a chance to be foster moms since New York finally recognized their marriage from Vermont, so they kind of made it a big deal. I was so closed off by that point, though, that I didn’t really appreciate it.”

Drake just looked at her for a few moments before he tugged her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her back as he held her tight to his chest. “Why do you let me whine about my past when you had things so much worse?” he mumbled into her hair.

She let out a sigh, returning his hug as she hooked her arms around him. “It’s not a competition, Drake. It’s not like either of us had that cheesy Norman Rockwell holiday experience.”

He didn’t say anything else, just ran his hand along her spine. After a few moments, they stepped apart, hands locking back together as they continued along back to their apartment. 

“You know,” Drake said, “back when I was growing up, my dad worked every Christmas.”

Based on his tone, Riley knew he was trying to make her feel better about the fact that she’d agreed to work the holiday, but it honestly made things worse. Not only were his recent Christmases crappy, but so were his childhood ones, apparently. “God, I’m so sorry. If I had known you had a history of having people work on the-”

“No, that wasn’t my point!” he interrupted. “We made the 26th ‘Walker Christmas’ and we did the whole celebration then. Gifts, big meal, holiday movies, all of it. It was really fun and special. Even after he died and we could have just celebrated on the actual holiday, Savannah and I kept the tradition alive for a long time.”

“Really?”

“Yup. As we got older, Sav usually got us invited to some sort of fancy Christmas party with some of the nobles on the 24th or 25th, but the 26th just stayed our family day. I always loved that it was our tradition to celebrate then.”

She glanced over at him, wondering not for the first time how she had managed to find someone like him. Someone who didn’t seem fazed or flustered by any of her baggage, who somehow showed he cared without making it seem like a big deal. Maybe it was because they had enough similarities in their pasts that he “got it,” but that honestly seemed like it was selling him short. Because it went deeper than shared mommy issues and fears of abandonment. The way he treated her felt like so much more than similar traumas, and she sometimes didn’t know how to respond, so caught off guard by a level of compassion and understanding she would have never thought possible.

“You’re too nice to me,” she finally settled on, watching as Drake’s cheeks grew pinker than they had been from just the winter wind.

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s really nothing, Liu.”

She knew that wasn’t true, but she didn’t push him. She knew he wanted to just move forward and not make a big deal of things. So she stepped closer to him, bumping him with her shoulder as she gave his hand a squeeze. “So, what do we need to do to make it a true Walker Christmas?”

“Not let you anywhere near the oven to start.”

She elbowed him and shook her head as Drake chuckled. “I am not that bad of a cook.”

“Uh huh. Sure, Liu. How many times have you made gingerbread?” She just scowled at him, prompting him to laugh again. “Exactly. So I’ll take care of the cooking and baking.”

All Riley could do was roll her eyes as they kept walking along the sidewalk. “I don’t really have any decorations,” she said, “And I don’t think we’ll exactly have space for a tree.”

“Ehh, I bet we can still make it festive. It’ll be good, Liu.”

His steadiness and willingness to just roll with her screw up and make the best of it had made her a little emotional. She didn’t quite understand why someone like him had been treated like shit by so many people in his life, but all she could really do was be grateful that their paths had crossed. “You sure you’re okay with celebrating late?” she asked as they reached their building, dropping his hand to find her keys in her purse.

“Christmas isn’t really about a day on the calendar,” he said with a shrug, following her into the lobby.

She spun and kissed him lightly before starting up the stairs. “Thank you, Drake.”

“Of course, Liu. Of course.”

Perma: @walkerswhiskeygirl @octobereighth @kimmiedoo5 @mom2000aggie

TRR/TRH: @iaminlovewithtrr @mskaneko @axwalker @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @debramcg1106 @masterofbluff  @sarahx206

Drake/MC: @no-one-u-know  @iplaydrake

ICWAM: @thequeenchoices @sunnyxdazed @sammie0220​

[sfb123]

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Summary: Liam gets snowed in on a last minute trip. He will need a Christmas miracle to make it home to his family by Christmas. 

Rating: PG (light innuendo)

Word Count: 1,993

A/N: This is my submission to @wackydrabbles​ #126 ‘I thought you had it.’ The prompt will be in bold below. 

A/N 2: I wanted to post a canon Liam and Riley Christmas fic this year. I started one a couple of weeks ago, but it became a whole thing, then I thought of this cute little idea, and thought it would be perfect. 

A/N 3: Thank you @txemrn​ for pre-reading, and fixing all of my grammar nightmares. 

Tags: They’re in here, hopefully you get them, but you probably won’t. Thanks Tumblr. If you’d like to be added or removed, just let me know! 

“I’m so sorry, love. I promise, we are exhausting every possible option.” Liam apologized on the other end of the phone.

It was December twenty-second, and Liam was supposed to be in the motorcade on his way back to the palace after a last minute meeting in Switzerland. Instead, he was stuck in his hotel, watching the snow fall, explaining to his wife why he may have to miss Christmas with his family.

Riley sighed; she was upset, but she knew that it was something that was out of her husband’s hands. There was no use in making him feel worse than she knew he already did. “I know, just be careful. I’d rather us miss this one Christmas than miss all of them because you did something dangerous to try to get home.”

“I know. I just wish you and Eleanor would have made the trip with me. At least we could have been stranded together.”

“Yeah, it would have been nice. I just had too much to prep for the Christmas Eve Ball. Speaking of our little Princess, do you want to tell her the bad news, or should I?” Riley asked.

“You’re going to have to deal with the aftermath. The least I could do is be the bad guy.”

Riley called Eleanor over and handed her the phone. Riley’s heart broke watching her daughter’s expression change from excitement to crestfallen once Liam gave her the news. Before long, Eleanor was handing the phone back to her mother.

“May I please go play in my room, mommy?” She asked, clearly trying to hold back her tears.

Riley gave her a sad smile, “Of course, baby girl. Are you okay?” Riley knelt down so they were face to face. Eleanor simply nodded and turned away, walking straight to her room.

Riley lifted the phone back to her ear, resuming her conversation with Liam. “Are you okay?”

She heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. “As much as I can be. I should let you go so you can go try to cheer her up.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep me updated?”

“Of course, Riley. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Riley hung up the phone and followed Eleanor to her room to begin damage control.

Between preparing for the ball, and trying to cheer up a heartbroken four year old, Riley had her hands full over the next two days. She was so busy that she hadn’t even had time to fully process her own feelings about the potential of a Christmas without Liam. She knew it wasn’t the healthiest route, but there was too much to do. She didn’t have time to break down. She was the Queen of Cordonia, and with Liam away, all eyes would be on her even more than usual.  

Christmas Eve had finally arrived, and Riley was getting Eleanor ready for the ball. She pulled a sparkling green dress from Eleanor’s closet. “Alright, here it is, princess. What do you think?”

“It’s so pretty, Mommy!” Eleanor ran her fingers through the tulle skirt. “Does it look like yours?”

Riley chuckled. She loved that her daughter wanted to be just like her. “Yes, Eleanor, I have a grown up version of the same dress.” She hung the dress on the closet door and went back in to pull the accessories that Eleanor would wear that night. “Eleanor, where is your pretty red necklace? I thought you had it?”

“I let my bunny borrow it for our tea party!” Eleanor exclaimed as she ran over to the small table in her room and removed the necklace from her stuffed rabbit. “Here you go, Mommy.”

Riley took the necklace from Eleanor, and was about to say something when she heard the door to their quarters open. She placed the necklace on a nearby dresser and started walking toward the door.

“Ho ho ho!” A booming voice shouted from the living room.

“SANTA!” Eleanor shouted as she ran past Riley and out the door.

“Eleanor, wait!” Riley quickly followed her out, trying to catch her before she reached the mystery guest in their home.

When Riley got to the living room, she saw Eleanor hugging the stranger. She observed carefully as she thought about all of the ways she was going to kill Mara for this outrageous security breach. 

Santa took a seat on the couch and signaled for Eleanor to join him, which she did happily. As Riley got closer, she listened to the conversation that they were having.

“Santa, did you get my list?” Eleanor asked hopefully.

“I certainly did, Eleanor. Have you been a good girl all year?”

Eleanor nodded her head. “Yes Santa, I promise I have. I have done all of my lessons, and I have listened to mommy and daddy just like I’m supposed to.”

“Wonderful, well then I think that you are going to have quite a few presents to open tomorrow.” Santa smiled at her, but noticed her gaze drop to the floor. “What’s the matter?”

“Santa, can I ask for something different for Christmas? You don’t have to bring me any of the other things I asked for.” She asked tentatively.

“Of course, Eleanor. Tell Santa what you want, and I will do my best.”

“I want my daddy to be here for Christmas. Me and Mommy miss him a lot.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Riley’s heart sank when she heard that. Eleanor was willing to give up all of her Christmas presents just to have Liam there with them. It turned out she was just like her mother in more ways than one. She cleared her throat to get the attention of the room.

“Mommy, it’s Santa! He came to see us!” Eleanor announced as she hopped off the man’s lap.

“Eleanor, come here.” Riley ordered in a calm, yet stern tone.

Eleanor ran to her mother, wrapping her small arms around Riley. Santa stood, slowly making his way to them. As he approached, Riley looked up, her breath hitching when they locked on Santa’s baby blue eyes. Suddenly, she realized how he had gotten into her home so easily.

“Ah, Queen Riley, I’m very happy to see you.” Santa’s voice wavered slightly as he took in the queen standing before him. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you what you wanted this year.”

Riley’s eyes filled with tears. “I want the same thing as Eleanor. I just want my husband home.”

“Well, this certainly is an easy house; everyone wants the same thing,” he joked. Riley’s eyes dropped to the floor as her tears began to fall.

“Mommy, don’t cry. Santa will be able to help.” Eleanor tugged on her mother’s shirt. Riley patted Eleanor on the head.

Santa placed a finger under Riley’s chin, lifting her gaze back to his. “Now now, Riley, I know you’ve heard the song. You better watch out, you better not cry. You don’t want me to put you on the naughty list, do you?” He winked at her and grinned slyly as he wiped a tear away with his thumb.

Riley let out a tearful chuckle. “Would that really be so bad?” She arched an eyebrow.

Santa gulped audibly, a brief look of desire flashed in his eyes before he could correct his expression. They stood in silence for another moment, Riley and Santa’s eyes were locked on each other, while Eleanor looked between the two. 

“Santa, will you come to our ball with us?” Eleanor asked, breaking the adults from their daze.

“Ho ho ho, thank you so much for inviting me, Eleanor.” He knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Unfortunately, this is my busiest day of the year, so I really must be going. But you be a good girl, and have a wonderful time at the ball. That way I can give you all of your presents.”

“Okay, Santa! Thank you!” Eleanor wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly before running back to her room.

Before Riley could speak, Santa leaned in and kissed her on her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Riley.” And with that, he had left their quarters.

Riley quickly composed herself and continued preparing herself and Eleanor for the ball. Eleanor couldn’t stop going on and on about Santa’s visit, and how he had promised to bring her daddy home for Christmas. After about an hour, they were both ready to go, and walked toward the grand staircase.

When they reached the top of the staircase, Riley’s eyes scanned the foyer and immediately landed on her husband, who was locked into a conversation with Drake. She watched as Drake nudged him and nodded in her direction. He turned, his eyes locked on Riley’s, both of their smiles widening.

“Daddy!” Eleanor shouted and began barreling for the steps.

Riley quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. “Hold on, Eleanor. I know you’re excited to see Daddy, but you have to be a princess right now. That means walking nicely and holding mommy’s hand.”

“Sorry, mommy.” Eleanor apologized and took her mother’s hand.

They walked carefully down the stairs. Riley noticed Liam taking her in from head to toe, she felt her cheeks getting warm at the intensity of his gaze.

When they reached the bottom, Eleanor looked up at Riley, an unspoken question in her eyes. Riley chuckled and nodded, giving her silent permission. Eleanor dropped her mother’s hand and ran full force into Liam. Anticipating the greeting, Liam knelt down and lifted Eleanor into his arms, kissing her on the cheek when he was standing again.

“Hello, Princess, I’ve missed you so much.” He held her close, looking up and smiling at Riley as she approached.

“I missed you, too, Daddy!” She placed her hands on each of his cheeks and kissed him on the nose.

“We both did,” Riley added.

Liam brought his free hand to his wife’s waist and pulled her close, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey, handsome.” Riley replied.

“Daddy, Daddy, Santa came to see us today! You’re here because me and mommy asked him for you to come home!” Eleanor interrupted.

Liam laughed at his daughter’s excitement. “So, I’ve heard. How do you think I got here?”

Eleanor’s eyes went wide. “Daddy, did you meet Santa too?”

“I did, Eleanor.” He placed her back on the ground before continuing. “He came to my hotel and told me that my girls both asked to have me home with them for Christmas, so he flew me back to the palace in his sleigh to make sure I got here as quickly as possible.”

“Woooowwwww.” The young princess was awestruck by her father’s story.

“Hey, kiddo.” Drake interrupted the family reunion, calling for Eleanor’s attention.

“Uncle Drake, I met Santa!”

“Really? Why don’t you come tell me and Bartie all about it?” Drake held out his hand, which Eleanor quickly took. He looked over to Liam and Riley who nodded in gratitude.

Once the royal couple was alone, Liam pulled Riley into his arms. “I’ve missed you so much, my love.”

“Not as much as I missed you.” She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They pulled away, resting their foreheads together. “You know, Santa mentioned that you were teetering dangerously close to the naughty list.” He kissed her again, gently tugging her bottom lip as they separated.

Riley pulled back and looked up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. “Who, me?”

Liam laughed at her response. “Why don’t we go in there, make the rounds, and open the dance floor? Then we can sneak away, and you can welcome me home properly.”

“Works for me.”

As they stood in front of the closed ballroom doors, waiting to be announced, Riley looked up at her husband. “How did you end up making it home anyway?”

“Oh you know, just a little Christmas magic.”

Permatag:

@busywoman​ @chemist-ana​ @choiceskatie​ @cordonia-gothqueen​ @cordoniaqueensworld​ @delicialola16-blog​ @emersyn-in-cordonia​ @emkay512​ @foreverethereal123​ @gabesmommie1130​ @gardeningourmet​ @gkittylove99​ @gryffindordaughterofathena​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @iaminlovewithtrr​ @i-am-only-here-for-sims-cc​ @kat-tia801​ @khoicesbyk​ @kingliam2019​ @mainstreetreader​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @mile9213​ @mom2000aggie​ @neotericthemis​ @nestledonthaveone​ @phoenixrising308​ @princessleac1​ @queenrileyrose​ @secretaryunpaid​ @shewillreadyou​ @sincerelyella​ @tessa-liam​ @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @twinkleallnight​ @txemrn​ @wingedhairstylemusicweasel​ 

TRR:

@burnsoslow​ @charlotteg234​ @lovingchoices14​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​

Liam:

@21-wishes​ @amandablink​ @ao719​  @custaroonie​ @jared2612​ @yourmajesty09​ @zaffrenotes​

One Shots:

@darley1101​

[tessa-liam]

Turning the Page  

Home is Where the Heart Is -8-

Choices, The Royal Romance, AU 

Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 

Turning the Page Series Masterlist 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!OC Riley Brooks 

All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belongs to this series. 

Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression. Cross-over fic with Choices, Perfect Match. 

Rating: M🔞Warnings - Series will contain crude language, NSFW material – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 

Words: 2501 

Home is Where the Heart Is – 8 

Chapter Summary: Madeleine reveals her threat to the Royal council, while Liam makes initial preparations to bring Riley and William home to Cordonia. William, with Riley’s help, decorates a gingerbread house for his father. Liam arrives in New York on Christmas Eve. 

Music Inspiration:

Bless the Broken Road, Selah, Melodie Crittenden 

All I Want for Christmas is You, Mariah Carey 

A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found.  

A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week#64, prompt #2 - “I’m not in the mood for a lecture.” 

A/N3: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Holiday Prompt #82 - “The only thing I want for Christmas is you.” 

A/N4: My submission for @choicesdecember2023, prompt, Food and Feasts - ‘Gingerbread House.’ #choices monthly challenge 

A/N5: My submission for @choicesholidays, Winter Holidays 2023 prompt event, Week5 – This is the best Christmas ever! @angelascribbles  

Brooklyn Heights, New York City 

As Riley carefully placed the gumdrops on the roof of the gingerbread house, William stood nearby, watching her intently. “Mama, put red one there,” pointing to the chimney top. William was serious about the details of the house. For him, everything had to be ‘just right’. 

Riley softly smiled. William wanted everything perfect for his Christmas gift to his father. 

"Mama, can I help?" 

"Of course, honey." Riley handed him the bag of candy, and William began to place them on the house, giggling as he did so. 

"You're doing a great job, LiLi. Your Daddy will be so proud of you.”  

"Look, Mama! It's finished." 

"Yes, it is ... almost. We just need a few more pieces of candy and we should put more ‘snow’ on the roof." 

William squealed with delight as Riley handed him the piping tube of frosting to hold, as they began to finish the roof together. 

Just as they were finishing up, Riley heard the front door open, and she turned to see Matteo coming into the brownstone, a large bag of Chinese take-out food in his arms. 

"Surprise! We thought we'd bring dinner." Daniel announced while Matteo nodded his head to the royal guard standing next to the entrance. Daniel followed, stomping the snow from his boots. 

"Thanks, guys. You're the best." Riley carefully moved the house to the counter to set, to make room for dinner.

"Unca Dan Dan! Unca Matty! Look what Mama and I made." William tugged at Daniel’s coat. 

"Wow, that looks so cool, LiLi." Daniel squatted down for a mini fist bump. 

William beamed, "It's a gingerbread house for Daddy. He's going to be surprised." 

"He will. I'm sure he'll love it." Matteo placed the bag of food on the table and pulled out his phone. "We should take a picture." 

Riley nodded, "Good idea. Come on, everyone." 

They all gathered around the gingerbread house, smiling as Matteo snapped a few photos. 

"Perfect. Thanks, guys.” 

"We got your favorites, Ri. Orange chicken, vegetable lo mein, and fried rice." 

"You know me so well." Riley smiled appreciatively. 

“Ummmm ... Ri?” 

Riley looked at Daniel, noticing he was moving his head toward the Royal guard. “Do we need to feed ‘Lurch’ over there?” he whispered. 

Smirking, Riley shook her head ‘no’ and asked, "What's the special occasion?" 

"Just a quiet night in. It's been a long week of travelling." Matteo sighed. “I am beat.” 

"Well, we have three days here before we leave for Greece," Daniel shimmied over to kiss Matt on the lips as William climbed into his toddler seat. 

"What's happening in Greece?" Riley asked, puzzled. 

"Matty’s corporate New Year's Eve party is being held at a private estate this year in Athens," Daniel answered. 

"Wow. Sounds fancy." Riley grinned, setting plates on the table. 

"It will be.” Matteo winked at Daniel. 

“Speaking of fancy ... and what about you, Riley?  What has Liam planned for you and William this Christmas?” 

Riley glanced at the royal guards standing near the entrance. She knew Liam would be returning in a few days, knowing that the guards received the King’s itinerary this morning. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure, yet." 

"Maybe a romantic dinner up in the Hampton’s," Daniel suggested, waggling his brows at Matteo. "The man owns a private jet, Dan. The sky’s the limit." Matteo added. 

Riley giggled, "Who knows? I am just thrilled he will be here with us," mussing William’s hair as he returned her smile. 

"So, how are things with you two?" Riley asked, changing the subject. 

"Good. Great, actually" Daniel replied with twinkling eyes. 

"Couldn't be better, Daniel is right. The change of scenery has been fantastic," Matteo agreed, giving Riley a wink. 

"Uh, ha," Riley chuckled, suspiciously. "Okay ... what is it?” Riley laughed, knowing her best friend all too well. 

"We might have some news." 

"Daniel ..." Matteo shook his head, "Not until after we formally announce it." 

"Spill. You can't just say something like that and not give details." Riley demanded., chuckling.

"Okay, okay. I cannot keep it a secret any longer. We're getting married!" 

Riley gasped, "Oh my god, Daniel! Oh! You guys! Congratulations!” 

"Thank you, Ri.” Riley stood up and gave Daniel a huge hug. Matteo smirked, knowing all too well that Daniel could not wait to tell his best friend the good news. 

"I can't believe you're getting married. That is amazing.” Riley gushed hugging Matteo.

"We're really, really happy, Ri. And we could not have done this without you. If you hadn't encouraged us to take a chance, we would have never realized how perfect we are together." Matteo gazed lovingly at Daniel. 

"It was all you two,” Riley countered. “You both just needed a push in the right direction.” 

"We're so glad you were the one to push us. This is the best Christmas ever!”, Matteo grinned. 

"So, when's the big day?" 

"We haven't decided yet. But we're thinking sometime in the spring," Daniel squeezed Matt's hand.

"That sounds lovely. I can't wait." Riley paused ... “Oh, I mean ...” 

"Neither can we. Riley, would you do me the honor of being my maid of Honor?” 

"Oh, yes! I'm really, really happy for you guys. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Yes! I would be honored.” 

"Thanks, Ri. That means so much to me." 

As they sat down and began to eat, Riley could not help but feel a tinge of sadness. She knew that the wedding would be beautiful in Greece, and she was happy for her friends, but ... she could not help but wish that she and Liam were engaged, too, and planning a future. 

"Mama, can I have some chicken?" William asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

"Of course, honey." Riley placed a piece of chicken on his plate, cutting the piece into bite size portions. William dug in, grinning. 

Standing up from the table, Riley's eyes were filling with unshed tears as she excused herself from the table, turning towards her bedroom. Needing a chance to breathe and have some space, she walked into her room and clicked the door closed behind her. Riley bowed her head, wiping the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, and slid down to the floor. 

It was hard not to think about all the ‘what-ifs’.

What would have happened if they could have found Tariq in time to stop the wedding?

What if Liam had chosen her the night of his coronation instead of Madeleine?

What if Liam had chosen her, scandal be damned? As she sat on the floor, more memories surfaced.  

A memory of her and Liam together in the blue grotto in Italy, when Liam mentioned abdicating the throne as a way of moving forward. 

'There's this thought I can't shake off ... what our life could look like together. You and I. Without the court and the Crown.' 

'What does it look like?' 

'The parts I know? We elope and get married in a small, private ceremony...' 

Riley wiped her tears. knowing that this was in the future for Daniel and Matteo, but not for her. 

‘But you can't abdicate, Liam. You wouldn't be happy if you gave up the throne and... you wouldnt be you. In your heart, you know that.’ 

’If I do marry Madeleine, can you go on like this? Stealing moments, meeting in secret?’ 

"Mama?" William’s little voice sounded outside her door, interrupting her thoughts. 

"Yes, LiLi?" Riley softly spoke, standing up and wiping her tears away. She opened her door to see William looking up at her. 

"Are you sad, mama?" William pointed to her eyes. 

"No, honey. I'm just happy for Uncle Dan and Uncle Matty." 

"They marry?"  

"Yes, they are. Isn't that exciting?" 

"Mama, are you and Daddy marry, too?" 

Riley took a deep breath and put her arm around William, "someday, maybe." 

“We can be a real family." 

"We're already a real family, William. No matter what happens, you and I will always be together." 

"Promise?" 

"...and Daddy too?" 

Riley closed her eyes, her hands trembling as she tried not to break down. She was unable to speak and was trying to catch her breath. 

"Mama? Why crying?" 

"I-I'm sorry, William. I'm just feeling a little sad. It has been a long day.” 

Overhearing William, Daniel pushed open the bedroom door.  

"Hey buddy, go see Uncle Matt and finish your dinner." 

“Okay, Dan Dan.” As William went back into the kitchen, Daniel sat down beside Riley and hugged her tightly. 

“Riley?" Daniel questioned his friend. 

"Y-Yes. Everything's fine." 

"Doesn't look like it." 

"I'm just...it's hard, you know? To watch my best friend, get married when..." 

"I know, Riley. It is difficult. But remember, you and Liam are in a good place, now. And who knows? Maybe someday, you will be the ones getting married." 

Riley’s breath shuddered as she looked at Daniel, searching his eyes, staying silent. 

"I understand this is hard, but you can't let the past hold you back. You and Liam have come so far. You just have to take things one step at a time." 

Riley's cell pinged with a message. Picking up her phone, ‘Liam’ appeared on the screen.  

Cordonian Royal Palace 

Olivia, standing in for Liam, and standing for the Royal council, sat at the King's desk. Rashad and his father, the Crown’s personal legal counsel, sat on the sofa next to Liam’s large ornate desk. Madeleine's heels could be heard clicking down the hallway, stopping outside of the study door. Madeleine cleared her throat before Bastien opened the door and allowed her to enter. 

Entering the King’s study, her face was impassive. 

"Where is Liam?" 

"The King is occupied with important matters. He's asked me to represent him in this meeting." Olivia coldly, but politely answered the ex-queen of Cordonia. 

Madeleine’s glare turned nasty as she looked at Olivia in disdain. 

"Keep it up Madeleine. As the King’s representative, you will deal with me and answer all the questions I am looking for. Is that understood, Madeleine? I am not your subject.” Olivia sat back confidently. 

"I am not in the mood for a lecture," Madeleine scoffed.

"Very well. I am here to discuss the matter of the succession of the Crown. I trust the council has brought you up to speed?" 

"Indeed, they have." Olivia responded. 

"Good. Then there is no need to waste time. Let's get down to business." Madeleine said with a smirk. "As you know, the King has yet to select a queen, and secure an heir to his throne. Given his indecisiveness, I propose that the council appoint an heir, should Liam not produce an heir by his thirtieth birthday." 

"We're well aware of the succession laws, and I assure you, the council will make the necessary decisions, should the time come." Olivia rebutted. 

"The King's appointment must meet the established criteria. Should the King choose an heir that does not meet the qualifications, the council is authorized to remove the heir from the line of succession." 

"Your point being, Madeleine? I am sure that you understand that you no longer have any sovereignty in Cordonia." Olivia confidently countered. 

"My point is, is that if he fails to produce an heir, then the council has the authority to choose an alternate. I propose that the council select my unborn child to be named as the heir, since the child was conceived while our marriage was valid. My child meets the requirements, and should the King fail to produce an heir, the council would have no choice but to appoint my child." 

Rashad's eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Madeleine. The law is quite clear. A child cannot be appointed as an heir, unless said child is adopted by the monarch first." 

"...and Liam could adopt my child,” Madeleine seethed. 

Rashad continued, “that would require the child to live under the guardianship of the monarch, which is not possible, given the circumstances. Your residence is in Morocco, not Cordonia. as per the marriage dissolution filed legally." 

Olivia nodded, "The council will consider your proposal. In the meantime, Liam's position is still unchanged. He is free to choose his own heir, should the need arise.” 

Madeleine stood up from her armchair and turned toward the bay window overlooking the gardens, contemplating her retort her arms crossed.

"Madeleine, you cannot expect the King to simply appoint your child, when he has another option." Olivia rebutted, knowing that Madeleine was aware of William. 

Rashad added, “again the law is quite clear. A child who is conceived by the monarch while married or not, has the right to a place in the line of succession, even if the parents are not together." 

"Even if the child is a bastard? He was conceived outside our marriage.” Madeleine spat, frothed with resentment. 

"Yes. As was your child," Rashad reminded her. 

"This is absurd. We are done here....guards!” Olivia summoned, as Madeleine was escorted out of the study by the Royal guard. 

*** 

Liam, Leo, Drake and Bastien watched the entire exchange virtually from Liam’s personal quarters. 

"Do you think she's capable of harming Riley?” Drake wondered aloud. 

"Yes, I am sure of that. If not herself ... her father. Liam sat back in his chair, his hands steepled in front of his mouth, annoyance etched on his face.

"I think that she is desperate and will do whatever she can to get what she wants.” Leo added supporting his brother. 

“Bastien, begin the surveillance protocol on the countess and her father, Liam commanded. 

“Consider it done, your Majesty.” Bastien confirmed, standing to leave the room. 

"Do you think it’s wise to bring Riley and your son back to Cordonia?” Drake questioned. 

"It's the only way, Drake.” 

"What if Riley doesn't want to come back to Cordonia?" 

"Then I will support her decision, but I have to at least try.” 

Liam stood, walking to his private chambers, with phone in hand.

‘Hello Riley!’ 

‘Liam, hi! How are you?'

‘I'm well. How are you and William keeping?’ 

‘We're doing great. We miss you, though.’ 

‘I miss you both, too.’ 

‘I have a proposition for you...’ 

‘Oh?’ 

‘How would you and William like to come to Cordonia and stay with me at the palace after Christmas?’ 

Riley blinked, not sure how to respond.

‘When I go home after spending Christmas week with you...come back to Cordonia with me.'

'Liam, you can't be serious.'

'I'm quite serious, love.'

'You want me and William to come to Cordonia and stay with you in the palace?'

'Yes, I want you both here with me.'

'Li, I don't know. That seems like a big step.'

'I understand your hesitation. But please, just consider it.'

'I will see you in a couple of days, love. We can talk more then.'

'OK, I am looking forward to seeing you, Li. William made something special just for you.'

Liam smiled, 'I look forward to seeing it, but love, the only thing I want for Christmas is you.'

Thanks for reading!

📌All fics & edits: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234

📌Liam x Riley, MC/ OTP: @jared2612 @irisk12 @thesvnsins @walkerdrakewalker

📌Liam x Riley, OC: @emersyn-in-cordonia @mainstreetreader @belencha77 @walkerdrakewalker @iluaaa @mysticalfangirl @queenwalton @bascmve01 @umccall71 @choicesfrog @amandablink

📌Liam x Sophie: @charlotteg234

📌Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @choicesdecember2023 @choicesholidays

[cordoniantrash]

Once Upon Another Time: Chapter Ten (Part Two)

AU: In another time where the brothers Beaumont did not reach Cassandra in time, the waitress turned lady went back to New York to rebuild her old life. After finding an unexpected souvenir, she set off and joined her long lost family. Four years later, a newly divorced King of Cordonia arrives in New York in hopes of reuniting with his beloved. Instead of Cassandra, all he found was a postcard with the word Edgewater written on the back

Catch up here: Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10 (part one)

Plus a masterlist if you guys are interested. Also in AO3.

Part two’s up and thus ends this humongous chapter. As usual, huge thanks to @thequeennefertipi​ for being my beta on this one (and all fifteen previous drafts of this chapter (seriously teps, delete those))

Anyways, feel free to let me know what you guys think!

Spelling and grammatical errors are mine.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, Pixleberry has that privilege. Title for both the series and the chapter titles, plus the epigraphs are from Sara Bareilles’ discography.  

Pairings: Liam x MC

Warning: long post, character death, kidnapping scene 

Words: 6740 

Part One could be read here!

Chapter Ten: Armor

Let me ask a question to present day

How the hell did Eve end up with all the damn blame?

  At the end of the day, the plan they came up with was simple. Distract the nobles and the public while they dive into this unknown threat, then strike before they knew what was happening. It was time to face the consequences of their father’s actions. 

Leo sighed as he looked out the window. The history book that Cordelia had suggested was lying open on one of the tables.

“Drink?” his brother’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Leo whirled around, hand already outstretched for a glass. 

“How’re you holding up?” he asked as he took a seat facing Liam. His younger brother shrugged as he sipped his own drink. Liam’s face was carefully blank, an expression that Leo never had a knack of. 

“Liam—“

“I’ll be fine.”

Leo raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of his drink, “So you’re currently not fine then.”

Liam sighed as he took a seat. A beat of silence passed. Leo saw Liam leaf through a few pages of the history book, a furrow forming between his eyebrows.

“Can we trust her?”

Leo shrugged, “I’m probably not the person you should ask that question to.”

“Her journal proved to be true,” Liam countered as he leaned back on his chair. 

Leo frowned but nodded. “True. But this recent information? How come we never knew that? Hell, this was the first time Olivia heard it too, and her network is more reliable than ours.”

Liam sighed, “But it’s the only lead we have. Besides, the attack on Kiara validates the existence of this group. Not to mention,” he inclined his head towards the thick tome. “The history is solid on this one.”

Leo shook his head. “Let’s talk about something else, brother. All this intrigue’s giving me a headache.”

Liam let out a breath and nodded. “Point taken. How’re Katie and the girls?”

Leo managed a smile at the thought of his family. “Can you believe how Regina spoils them?”

Liam chuckled, “She’s not as bad as you thought, Leo.”

“Funny how his death can change people.”

“Leo—“

“Fine. I’ll stop.” After a moment he spoke again. “How’s Lucas and Cassandra?”

“Adjusting.”

“That’s good?”

Liam nodded, his eyes downcast. Leo knew that look.

“Liam…” he reached out and clasped his brother’s shoulder. “Stop blaming yourself for what happened. You – hell, we—we couldn’t have known—“

Liam shook his head, “I brought them back here, Leo. If anything happens to them…”

“We won’t let them,” Leo squeezed Liam’s shoulder before leaning back on his seat. “We’ll make sure things are different.”

Leo watched as Liam nodded, still filled with doubt. 

We have too…

----

“Are you sure about this, Cassie?” Liam asked as he absentmindedly adjusted his cufflinks. Cassandra hummed as she shrugged on a dressing gown and walked over to his side.

“I mean… why not?” she said as she began buttoning his shirt up. “Kiara’s recovering and Hana could use a distraction for an hour or so.” 

She finished with the buttons and started smoothing out the collar. “Besides, from what Olivia told me, she deserves to be taken down a peg or two.”

“What about Lucas?”

“Regina’s volunteered to spend the day with him. Katie and the twins are coming along, so is Auntie and Briar.” She stepped back and examined her handiwork. 

“But—“

“Liam,” she looked up and met his eye. “I know this is necessary and I know it’s important but—just—let me be petty for a bit?”

He sighed, but Cassie saw the corner of his lips quirk into a smile. 

“Fine,” he grumbled. Cassie smirked and looped her arms around his neck. “But Drake’s coming with you and Hana, along with a group of agents.”

“Deal,” Cassie readily agreed, her smirk turning into a full smile as Liam leaned down and kissed her gently. 

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

She gave him a peck on the cheek, noticing how his grip on her tightened. Cassie gently ran a hand through his back as she hugged him. 

“‘Course, Liam. We’ll be fine.”

- 

“The Countess is approaching the building,” Agent Mara announced. Cassie took a deep breath and smoothed her skirt. Beside her, Hana looked away from studying the window. 

“You guys ready?” Drake asked from his spot near the wall. 

“Are you?” Cassie retorted, raising an eyebrow. Drake shrugged and put his hand inside his pockets, posture slack and slumped, the very picture of disinterest. Cassandra knew better. 

“I don’t understand why we have to do this in person,” Drake grumbled. “You guys have staff for this and so does Madeleine. Why not just send the documents and be done with it?”

Cassie shrugged, glancing at Hana before she answered, “Politics basically.”

“Urgh. Politics.”

Cassandra tilted her head, “Everything is politics.”

“Everything?”

“So Thomas Mann says.”

“Who?”

“German author.”

“Never heard of him.”

Cassie shrugged, “Your loss.”

Drake opened his mouth to argue. Hana beat him to the punch.

“German literature aside, do we all remember what to do?”

“Have Madeleine sign an agreement to stop her campaign and leave us alone.”

Hana nodded. “Good. Kiara — “there was a pause when she said Kiara’s name. Cassie gently put a hand on Hana’s shoulder. Straightening, she continued, “Kiara had left explicit instructions and I intend to see them done.”

“Of course, Hana,” Cassie said as she squeezed her best friend’s shoulder. She saw Drake nodding from the corner of her eye before he paused. 

“If that’s the case, why’s Angeles here?”

“Gee, thanks, Drake,” Cassie said dryly. 

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

Cassie leaned back in her chair, “What can I say? I enjoy being petty sometimes.”

“Cassie — “Hana began, a smile tugging on her lips. Cassandra tried not to show the relief that sprung at the sight. 

“Wait—what happened to all that politics bullshit?”

Cassie shrugged again, a smirk growing on her face, “Well, the personal is political and all that.”

Hana shook her head, smiling. 

“That’s horribly out of context, Cassie,” she said as Drake simultaneously replied, “Uh-huh. Who said that one?”

“Depends on who you ask. Personally, I’m partial to Carol Hanisch.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Language.”

Hana giggled. Drake scowled. Cassie smiled.

Their banter was cut short as the door opened again. “The Countess is on her way, my ladies, Agent Walker.”

“Excellent,” Cassie replied as she straightened in her seat. “Please alert the staff.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Ready?” she asked as she turned towards her friends.

Hana nodded, eyes resolute. Drake folded his arms but nodded when she looked at his direction. He quickly turned toward the door. 

Showtime.

-

To say Madeleine’s reaction to seeing her wasn’t satisfying would be a lie. The Countess stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw Cassie. Her eyes widened, face becoming slack as she stared. It took some effort for Cassie not to smirk. 

“Ah, Countess Madeleine. Nice of you to join us,” She waited until Madeleine stiffly sat down in front of her before waving a hand for the maid to pour a steaming cup of chocolate onto the cup in front of them. Cassie’s own cup was already filled. 

“I hope you won’t mind I chose hot chocolate as our beverage this morning,” she went on, voice still light. Madeleine shook her head, eyes still confused, if not a little stunned. Cassie continued. “I brought some tablea tablets with me and I couldn’t resist the urge to have some,” she gestured towards Madeleine’s cup. “Please, help yourself.”

Beside her, Hana made no move to offer a greeting other than a curt nod. I guess there’s an exception to Hana’s infallible politeness. Good for her, Cassie thought as she ran a critical eye over the Countess. 

Four years had hardly changed her physically. Cassie could still see the familiar bob of blonde hair, the upturned nose, the same green eyes—eyes that had immediately dismissed her the moment they met—set in the same pale skin. Cassie felt her old insecurities stab at her. For four years she had been Liam’s wife. Did they ever—no! No! Do not go there! Cassie forced that thought deep down, stomping on it until it ceased squirming. Focus Cassie!

But Cassandra can admit that Madeleine was a classical beauty. A porcelain doll seemingly untouched by time. If Cassie hadn’t been brought up to speed, she wouldn’t have seen the cracks in the perfect façade. 

But then again, Cassandra isn’t inclined to have kind thoughts for Madeleine at the moment. Or soon. Not after how you treated the people I love. Not after you made their lives hell. Not after what it did to Liam and Hana.  

Cassie took a sip from her own cup. Warm chocolate, rich and frothy, assaulted her senses. A pang of nostalgia hit her. Papa used to make this for me whenever I won at something. Here’s to hoping we snag another win in this situation. 

Taking a cue from her, Madeleine raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. Cassie barely hid her smirk when Madeleine set her cup down, her eyebrows furrowing. Tsokolate ah’s not that bad. Although a century ago this would have been considered an insult. Although Cassandra doubts Madeleine knew what serving her that particular mix meant. Not that I’d bother explaining anyway.

“I assume you know why you’ve been summoned here, my lady,” Cassie said as she leaned forward. In the corner of her eye, Cassie saw Hana place the folder on the table.

Madeleine nodded, posture straightening, regaining composure. Preparing for a counter-attack, most likely. Unwilling to be put down by someone lesser than her. Madeleine’s next words confirmed Cassandra’s assessment. 

“Miss Angeles — “she began but Hana cut off her words, blunt and cutting where she had been soft and polite.

“That’s Lady Edgewater to you, Madeleine.”

“I – excuse me?”

“I believe Lady Lee was referring to my title,” Cassie answered, tilting her head just so, the very image of innocence. “I remember you being such a stickler for those last time I was here. Kept on insisting on it, even. Something about proper deference. Has that changed?” 

“I—no, of course not,” Madeleine retorted, shifting on her seat. “But that’s—“

“A neighbouring county in England? Yes, yes, it is. I assume you’re familiar with our shared history? Funny, isn’t it? Family can be that way sometimes, wouldn’t you agree? But enough about me,” Cassie went on. She straightened and slid the folder into the centre of the table. Madeleine’s eyes immediately zeroed in on it. “I think it’s time we do what we came here to do, yes?”

Madeleine was silent for a beat before nodding her head, face suddenly blank. Cassie reached into her purse and took out a fountain pen. She held it out for Madeleine to take. 

“I have my own,” Madeleine snapped. Cassie raised an eyebrow and shrugged. 

“Be my guest.”

Madeleine looked down on the documents and did not answer. 

Cassie studied her face as the Countess signed the documents. Madeleine’s face was carefully blank. 

Must be quite the fall, she mused. From the highest of the highs to barely touching the bottom of the barrel. 

Madeleine sat back, documents signed and arranged in front of her. 

“Well,” Cassie began, her voice bright. “Now that that’s settled—“

“Before I go,” Madeleine interjected. “Tell me, did he plan this all along?”

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Who?” she asked, playing for time.

“You know who I mean, Lady Edgewater, don’t play dumb now.”

“I don’t care for what you’re implying, my lady. But no—I’m afraid your downfall was entirely your own doing. Hubris can be sure a bothersome thing, isn’t it? But don’t worry, it happens even to the best of us.”

The Countess pursed her lips and stared at her. Cassandra returned her look. Hana busied herself with the documents. Drake still stood nearby, a silent observer.

At last, the former queen broke the silence. 

“If that’s all, my lady?”

Cassandra leaned back, settling into her chair, “A question for a question before you go back to Fydelia. It’s only fair.”

Madeleine reluctantly nodded. Cassie noted with surprise that her eyes had become wary. Perhaps she should be, she mused before opening her mouth. 

“Why the smear campaign? I think you of all people would know that it would not bring you back the crown.”

Madeleine smoothed her skirt before speaking. 

“Perhaps I wanted them to see what happens when they cut off the queen from the monarchy. Perhaps I wanted them to know how it feels to be cast down and humiliated in front of the world.”

Cassie titled her head, “And did it work?”

Madeleine shook her head as she moved to stand up, “A question for a question, remember? I’ve answered mine and you’ve answered yours. My estates await me now.”

Cassie looked at her for a moment before standing up with Hana. 

“Very well, then.”

“I shall take my leave now,” Madeleine said, stiffly. She offered them a minuscule nod, “Lady Edgewater, Lady Lee, Agent Walker. It’s – it’s been a pleasure.”

There was a strange strain in her voice as she finished talking. Sarcasm, huh? Two can play that game.

��Likewise, my lady,” Cassie answered, sarcasm colouring her tone.

-

The door closed.

“I thought you had just been announced as heir apparent.”

“I have.”

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that mean your aunt is still Lady Edgewater?”

“That’s right… but she doesn’t know that.”

----

Sunlight assaulted her eyes as she stepped out of the building. She automatically raised her hand to block the light out. Her eyes zeroed in on her ring finger. Her bare ring finger. The townhouse loomed behind her, a presence that she thinks would haunt her for a while. 

The pen she used to sign away her crusade felt heavy in her handbag. It was the same pen she used to sign her marriage certificate. And her divorce papers. Now it seemed it served another purpose. Better to have fallen on my sword. It would have been poetic if it wasn’t happening to her. Madeleine looked down, thoughts turning from the pen in her possession to the woman she just faced. 

Must everything I knew be a lie?

She had thought she could win. She might have, given enough time. But not with my father’s sins hanging over me. She had thought she would be queen. But Liam had seen to the end of that one. She had thought Cassandra Angeles would remain a ghost that haunted her marriage. A ghost she thought would fade away in time. But no, she thought bitterly, she’s back and is somehow the Lady of Edgewater. 

She came to a stop as her car slowed into a stop in front of her. 

Why must it be Edgewater?

She was all too aware of the history behind her father’s house. Of what the reputation of being a Richards can bring her in the UK. Our destroyer and saviour both. Even now, two centuries later, the taint of being the descendants of a traitor had chased her father out of English society. A situation that led to her parent’s marriage. And my father did the equivalent here! 

She shook her head as she got inside the car, too caught up in her thoughts to appreciate what would be her last instances of freedom for a long while. 

It wasn’t an exile. Not technically. Not on paper. 

But it felt like one.

----

Valtoria that afternoon

“Quite the view isn’t it?” a voice behind her said. Clara barely suppressed a flinch. It took years to get through that one. But Father’s long dead, and ghosts can’t hurt you now. Keeping her eyes trailed on the glittering waters of the lake, Clara nodded. Cordelia stepped into her line of sight. 

“Seems surprising, isn’t it? A small Mediterranean country having such a diverse landscape?”

“Cordonia seems to reveal more surprises the more I look into it,” Clara replied as she turned around to face her distant cousin. 

“It does that,” Cordelia agreed. Clara hummed in agreement as her eyes sought Lucas. The little boy was busy playing with a puppy. No doubt his father’s gift. Not that Clara disapproved. It was an adorable sight. Her gaze landed on the dowager queen, sitting prim and proper on a nearby picnic blanket, talking to one of the twins. It seems our family has grown. 

Cordelia followed her gaze. 

“Can she be trusted?” Clara asked, not bothering to sugar-coat her words. Too much had happened and too much is at stake to play coy.

“Regina’s a survivor,” Cordelia answered. “She’s always been pragmatic, but her heart’s in the right place.”

“But she married him,” Clara countered. 

“And she survived him whole and relatively unscathed,” Cordelia turned to look her in the eye. “She helped hold the nation after Eleanor died. And she did all that without Constantine’s crimes staining her. She can be trusted with some of the truth at least.”

Clara raised a sceptical eyebrow but said nothing. 

“Aren’t you going to ask?” Cordelia said after a beat of silence. “You must have questions for me too.”

“Are you going to answer?” 

Cordelia shrugged, “What I can.”

Clara took her eyes off Lucas to stare her cousin in the eye. Why now? Why bring us into this mess? Why—

“Why did Constantine—why did he do that? To Cassandra? By all accounts, she was just a commoner. Why go through such lengths for an almost non-existent connection?”

Cordelia’s lips turned down to a thoughtful frown. 

“Walk with me.”

“Lucas—“

“Will be fine,” her cousin said as she nodded towards several agents that were monitoring the area. “Regina also had her security detail guard the premises.” At Clara’s blank look, she shrugged and smiled, “I told you, she’s pragmatic.”

Clara sighed, choosing not to mention the security detail she brought herself. “Fine.”

-

“I’m afraid all this pain was because of me. You see, a few years ago, I tried to contact Leo during his own social season.” Cordelia shook her head, the twist of her lips too self-deprecating to be a genuine smile. “I never wanted children, even before Constantine, but I guess I had enough sentiment in me to want to see my son pick a worthy partner.”

“I tried to contact him. I thought, perhaps, after years of no contact, he’ll let me have this one favour.” She looked up. “I was wrong. You see, when I left, he thought I ran back to England. Why wouldn’t I? You and yours were the only family I had left. Hell, I even counted on that connection when I hid my journal in Edgewater.”

“You still haven’t explained why you did that, by the way,” Clara added before Cordelia could continue. 

“That’s a story for another time, I’m afraid.”

Clara sighed, “Fine.”

“Constantine wouldn’t dare attack Edgewater, not after the ties our house have to both Cordonian and British Monarchies. Besides, it would be both too public, and that’s the last thing he wanted. I was counting on that connection. He left me unbothered for nearly three decades because of it.”

“But I guess my trying to reach out awakened his paranoia. Or maybe it hasn’t slept at all. He blocked all communication, even the money he was paying my silence with. His answer was obvious in his actions, so I stopped. I thought that was the end of it.”

“But Cassandra met Liam…” Clara breathed out, her mind connecting the dots. Cordelia nodded. “He thought she was a spy.”

“Wouldn’t put it past him.”

Clara sighed. What a mess.

“And what about now?”

“Now?”

“The situation we find ourselves in now.”

“Oh. Well… I’m confident that this one is all on Constantine.”

Clara snorted despite herself.

----

Two days later

The sudden flash from dozens of cameras was almost enough to disorient Liam. Pausing by the open doorway, he nodded to the assembled journalists and made his way to the platform. Taking care to keep his expression pleasant, he took his place behind the lectern and waited for the press to settle down. 

Introductions and pleasantries commenced. He still had a minute or less before he had to start talking. Liam had mastered the trick of looking engaged while letting his mind wander. This time, his thoughts went to the two most important people in his life. Liam remembered how Lucas was nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement as he prepped for this conference. Cassie had to bride him with corgi cuddles to calm him down (Lucas had named him Dash). Liam tried hard to keep his smile from growing too much. It would not do for the King to suddenly grin like a loon in the middle of his own press conference. 

Applause shook him from his thoughts. His face still composed, Liam stepped into the lectern and began his speech. His team and Kiara’s had crafted this one, with his oversight of course. He needed to reassure and comfort the people, especially since he’ll be admitting a perceived weakness. Their trust in him is more important now than ever. 

The people have quieted, the introductions are done. It was his turn to speak.

Composing himself, Liam looked straight into the camera in front of him and began.

----

Kiara looked at up at the TV as the press conference started. Hana spared the television a glance before looking back at her laptop.

“Remind me again, who’s on guard duty?” Kiara asked as she glanced at the open document on her laptop. It was a compromise she had reached with her doctors. She’ll keep to her hospital bed if they allowed her electronics in. She needed to work after all.

“Drake and Bastien’s with Liam while Olivia and Countess Clara keep Cassie and Lucas company.”

Kiara snorted, “I imagine she liked that.”

Hana breathed out a laugh before shaking her head. Kiara laughed.

“Oh! That reminds me…” Hana trailed off as she looked at her own laptop. “Maxwell’s sent an update. The nobles are placated for the time being while Leo’s still questioning Cordelia.”

“Times like these, I feel like the court is composed of crying toddlers instead of grown adults.”

Hana titled her head, amusement in her eyes. Kiara smiled at the sight. It was a vast improvement to the tired ones that she woke up too. She hated worrying Hana so.

“They’re uncertain of what happens now. I think that merits some posturing on their part.”

Kiara shook her head but kept smiling, “Again… toddlers.”

Hana laughed, “I think Lucas is more composed than that.”

“Ah. I misspoke then,” Kiara smirked. Hana raised an eyebrow in question. “I should have called them babies.”

Hana let out a belly laugh at that.

----

“That wasn’t as bad as you thought.”

Liam shrugged as he walked away from the conference room. 

“I nearly lost control of the room, Drake.”

His best friend snorted, “No you didn’t. It’s just those tabloids being nags as usual. Why do you still give them access?”

Because I have to be fair. And press freedom is one of the things I’m determined to do right. I won’t be like my father. 

Liam shook his head but stayed silent. It’s difficult to convince Drake if he had made his mind about something. And Liam was too wrung out by the press conference to dissuade his friend this time. 

“So… what now?” Drake asked as they turned towards the royal wing. 

“Well… right now, I’ve cancelled my appointments for the rest of the day. Lucas and I are training Dash to sit.”

“Dash?”

“Lucas named the puppy Maxwell gave him.”

“Huh,” Drake breathed out as he slowed his steps.

Liam turned his head and raised an eyebrow in question.

“I didn’t know Maxwell gave him a dog.”

Liam chuckled, “Well, he did.”

“And how’d Angeles react to that?”

Liam smiled, his heart full at the thought of her, “Cassie takes everything in stride. Although it took Lucas’ puppy dog eyes for her to agree.”

They arrived at his private apartments.

“Well, I’m off. Bastien and I still need to renew the old ID passes.”

Liam frowned, “I thought that was done days ago?”

Drake shrugged, “We thought so too… but Mara suggested we update our servers first.”

Liam nodded slowly, filing the information for later. “Still, I’ll have Olivia check on that issue just in case.”

Drake scowled, “We’re more than capable of doing this, Liam.”

Liam smiled and clasped Drake on the shoulder, “I know that, and I trust you. But still, I’d like to make sure.”

Drake nodded reluctantly and walked away. 

-

“Dad!” 

Lucas came barrelling into him as soon as Liam entered the room, his little puppy bounding on his heels. 

Liam grinned as he knelt to catch his son in his arms. Lucas’ giggles filled his ears as he lifted the little boy into his arms. Thoughts of the press conference and the intrigue that they had to untangle left his mind. At that moment, his world was just him, his son and the familiar figure leaning against the doorframe in front of him. 

Cassie smiled and Liam’s world grew even brighter. 

“Dad! I saw you at the telly! Again!”

Liam chuckled, “And did I look cool?”

“Yeah!” 

Cassie laughed as she walked over to them. 

 “Don’t you have something to show Dad, baby?”

“Yeah!” Lucas exclaimed as he began wriggling in Liam’s arms. With a chuckle, Liam set him down. His son (Liam doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of those words) immediately squatted and met his puppy’s eyes.

“Dash, sit!”

The puppy titled his head and whined. Liam raised an eyebrow in question at Cassandra. She smiled and nodded her head towards their son. 

“He’s been hard at work all morning for this trick. Said he wanted to surprise you.”

Liam’s were starting to hurt from smiling too much. “Well, this is a wonderful surprise.”

“C’mon Dash, sit!”

“Darling—“Liam began as he crouched down to Lucas’ level. 

Lucas delighted gasp interrupted Liam. The corgi had obeyed Lucas’ command and sat down. His little tongue out as he gave them a doggy smile.

“Dad! Did you see! Look!” Lucas exclaimed as he jumped up and down, his puppy following him. Cassie’s delighted laugh only added to the joyful symphony. 

Liam’s heart seemed to soar as he took in the sight. 

My heart, my family…This is why I needed to make Madeleine stop… I won’t have this controversy hanging over you, dearest. I’ll pave the way for you, dear heart. They won’t hurt you. Not on my watch…

----

The corridor at this time of the day is usually bustling with activity. Intel had suggested that and his months working in the castle had proven their information correct. And now, even in the aftermath of an attack, the staff still continued to go about their business, like bees in a hive.

He had been counting on that.

Keeping his head down and smoothing the fake beard he put on that morning, he went with the flow looking by all accounts like another employee. 

Just the way he wanted to be seen. 

He glanced at the corners and at the hidden niches along the walls. He knew there were at least a couple of cameras in this corridor alone but the agents had hidden them a little too well. I’ll just have to get in and out then… it wouldn’t do for his face to be caught in camera, not when they’re almost catching up on his trail. He needed an advantage. Thus his impromptu mission back to the palace. 

Luckily, he knows just what to look for… or who for that matter.

He looked down at the courtyard below. A pair of twins were playing with a little dark-haired boy. A little boy who just so happens to be a little miniature copy of their dear monarch. 

Anton smirked as he raised a camera to his eye.

 -

The next day, the capital was abuzz with the latest headlines.

The Secret Love Child: The King’s Secret Revealed!

----

The Runaway

A face caught her eye. The footage was grainy, and the corridor was crowded, but Cordelia recognised that face. A near-replica of someone she had known years ago. In a different life and in different circumstances. Cordelia failed to repress her shudder. The room seemed to grow cold. Or maybe she was just feeling cold, as though phantom hands from decades past were trying to grab her. Memories can do that sometimes. 

She looked at the frozen screen, eyes taking a long hard look at the face. She had to be sure. Or perhaps she was just delaying the inevitable. 

The screen did not change and the face still resembled a fallen friend from years and years ago. She sighed. How I wish it did not come to this… but it’s too late now.

When she took Constantine’s hand in marriage she had never imagined that such actions would cause decades of pain. She had been in love, or at least, the closest she had been when she said her vows. Full of hope and bursting with arrogance. She had been so sure, so secure of her place in the world. 

Her fingers did not shake when she took a screenshot of the footage and sent it to Leo and Liam. It was a regrettable affair, but this must be done. A debt is a debt, but this was her family. For Samantha and Sabrina, the granddaughters she barely saw and the son she barely knew. For her cousins, who had been left holding the bag after she ran away. 

If she had to sacrifice the baby she had saved all those years ago for her family’s safety, then so be it.

[His name is Anton Severus. Trained and very dangerous. Has a personal vendetta against Constantine. Possible leader of the Sons of Earth. He’s the one we’re looking for.]

-

She had met Benjamin Severus during her social season. Back when she was still an underdog, a girl from a noble family that was already an afterthought even before the referendum in ’74. Ben was funny. He was charming and considerate, passionate and magnetic. Her best friend. Her only friend, really. He was the crown’s bodyguard, the old King’s right-hand man… and Constantine’s bastard older brother. 

He, like most of his ancestors, had come from a long tradition of prominent Crown Shields. A line that started from Fabian Rys’ illegitimate children that stretched across centuries. The Severus’ were protectors and guardians, loyal soldiers and outstanding generals and accomplished spymasters. 

The bond between brothers had begun to break when Constantine had taken the throne with Cordelia as his chosen queen. The old king had died of old age a few months after Cordelia’s honeymoon. Or so they said. Ben had come to her, eyes beginning to darken with suspicion. Their father was healthy for his age. And set in his ways. Ways that Constantine was chafing under. 

He had whispered his suspicion to her, shadows blending into the hollows of his face, giving her the impression of a death mask. Grieving and desperate, he had entrusted his children unto her care. He made her promise – no, swear—he made her swear to him. And she the fool had agreed.  

The years passed. Tensions rose and brother began turning against brother. Constantine’s power grabs had earned him enemies. Dissenting nobles and rebel groups had voiced their discontent. And they made Benjamin their figurehead.  

Whispers of succession had begun to pierce the air, and Constantine made his move.

The bloodbath that followed still haunts her to this day. 

-

The computer beeped. 

Liam had received her message, followed by Leo. 

She leaned back in her chair, a sigh leaving her lips. This attack won’t be the first one. This was just the prelude. 

Hate can drive a person to the extremes… just look at what it did to Constantine. Although I doubt he’ll follow Constantine’s example. 

 Anton can’t afford to make bold plays in this situation. Not when he had masqueraded as a secretary instead of using the resources the Sons of Earth might have. Cordelia frowned and started pacing.

He’ll need some leverage… something he knows will force Liam’s hand. Important enough to stir the masses, but personal enough that Liam can’t risk losing it… it must be public too…

And there’s nothing more precious to Liam than his family.

Anton would have to act fast. So adults are out of the equation. It’ll be a covert mission, so…

She stopped in the middle of the room. 

Lucas!

In a flurry of hurried movements, she scrambled for her phone. Fingers shaking, she dialled her son’s number.

“Leo!” she gasped as soon as the call connected. Words rushed from her lips, her urgency nearly making them incoherent. “He’s here, and he’s going after Lucas! You have to—“

“Cordelia—what — who’s here? Slow down—I – I’m getting Liam.” Cordelia heard a scuffling sound and voices raised in question. “Just—stay where you are and I’ll get one of the agents to you—“

“Hurry, Leo,” she urged as she paced. 

“Right. Yeah. We’ll hurry. Just—just stay there, yeah?”

Cordelia let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah,” she echoed. “Leo? Be careful.”

“… get Liam here right now! I—yeah. I’ll be careful. I’ll call you when we get Lucas.”

Silence.

Cordelia paced, the ticking of the clock seemingly providing the beat for her footsteps. 

She waited.

And waited.

Someone knocked on the door. Cordelia felt her heart stop from the surprise. 

“Who’s there?” she asked, hoping her voice wasn’t trembling.

“His highness sent me ma’am… said I was needed?”

“Oh,” she breathed out. That was fast.

“Come in,” she called out.

The agent entered. Cordelia narrowed her eyes. There was something familiar about her. 

“What’s happening out there?” Cordelia couldn’t quite hide the anxiety in her voice. 

The agent furrowed her eyebrows, and Cordelia stared. The nagging voice in her head insists that she had seen this agent before. Was she in the meeting this week? 

“I’m not really sure ma’am. They just said to come here and guard you.”

Cordelia nodded and started pacing again. The agent looked at her with what seemed to be apprehension. 

“Would you like some tea ma’am? It’s chamomile, very calming.”

“I—yes… tea should be fine… they’ll be fine…” she trailed off as the agent handed her a cup. A quick glance around the room told her it was from a tray by the door. 

I forgot about that; she thought as she absently accepted the cup from the agent. 

She took a sip and made a face. There was a bitter undertone to the tea. She said chamomile, didn’t she?

“Is there something wrong, ma’am?” 

“Hm? Oh… nothing,” she gave the agent an empty smile as she continued to sip the tea. She felt her muscles loosen. The tea must be doing its job…

They descended into silence. Shadows seemed to darken.

Cordelia took a deep breath. Why is the room hot suddenly?

She set the cup down, the faint click of the china joining the ticking of the clock. 

Something’s wrong… 

Her throat tightened as her knees gave out. Eyes wide, she frantically searched the room for something… anything—

The shadows were creeping into her vision, her breath coming in short pained gasps, but her ears picked out a voice.

“It’s done, sir.”

“No…” she whispered, mind and body still protesting, fighting for life but failing miserably. Her son’s face flashed in her mind’s eye, along with the twins and the little boy she tried to save. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time…

Her vision blurred as the door opened, and the agent walked out.

A tear trailed down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. 

-

An entire hour would pass before anyone saw the body. Before medics and agents burst into the room intent on saving her.

But they were too late.

----

The Rys townhouse, midnight

The moon was barely visible that night. Lucas didn’t mind though. His Dad had shown him the stars using a telly-scope. His dad had pointed out a cons-tel-lation of a dragon. A picture in the sky! Then he told a story about a brave queen and her friend who could turn into a dragon. Lucas asked if it was the same dragon in the sky, but his dad laughed and told him he’ll finish the story in the morning.

Lucas tried very hard to see it, but he couldn’t. Not even with dad pointing them in the sky. Dad said it was okay, that he couldn’t see it, but Lucas wanted to. He wanted to be like his dad. Maybe he needs to be grown up to see pictures in the sky? 

He looked down and met his teddy’s eyes. 

“Maybe I should practise?”

Eyebrows scrunched together, he slipped from his bed and headed for the window. The curtains swished as he pulled them to the side. The noise caused Dash to lift his head from his little doggy bed. The puppy got up and did his special walk to sit next to Lucas.

“Sleep, Dash.”

“Woof,” Dash replied as laid down.

“Nooo… go back to your bed,” Lucas whispered.

His puppy titled his head. 

“I’m practising,” Lucas announced as he looked back at the window.

The stars were still twinkling in the sky. 

Lucas clutched his teddy closer. 

“Where is it?”

“Woof.”

“Can you see it, Dash?”

Dash suddenly stood up and turned, growling. Lucas jumped to his feet, his heart beating fast. The door was closed. 

“Dash—“

His puppy growled again. 

Creeeaakkk!

Lucas gasped and stepped back as part of the wall opened, and a man stepped in. A mask covered most of his face. But Lucas can see his eyes. He shivered. A ghost!  

Dash growled and barked. The ghost looked at him and smiled. Lucas felt his heart jump to his throat. 

The ghost went to the door and slipped something on the handle.

He clutched his teddy tighter. The room felt very cold.

The ghost stepped towards him.

“Well… hello, your highness,” his eyes crinkled like people do when they smile. Lucas still felt cold.

Dash barked and growled, but the ghost still came closer. 

Lucas suddenly felt the wall on his back. His eyes grew wide. His bed was too far. The door was too far.  

If I can get back to bed, then the ghost will go away!

“Where are you going?” the ghost asked. “Are you running away?”

Lucas shook his head. His eyes were growing blurry, so he closed them.

“Is the little prince crying?” came the ghost’s voice. It was closer now.

Lucas pressed his back to the wall and whimpered.

There was another bark from Dash and a yelp. 

Lucas opened his eyes.

The ghost was clutching his leg and saying bad words. There was a faint whimper and Lucas saw Dash by the wall, his little body lying on the floor. He kicked my puppy!

“No!” Lucas gasped and ran towards Dash, dropping his teddy as he moved. 

An arm suddenly shot out and caught him by his tummy. Lucas kicked and would have screamed, but a hand quickly covered his mouth. Lucas beat his fist on the arm still around him, but the ghost didn’t seem to hurt. 

“None of that,” the voice snapped. The hand covering his mouth moved and tied Lucas’ hands together. Still kicking and thrashing, Lucas turned his head at the door and screamed.

“Mommy! Dad!”

“Oh, no you don’t,” the voice muttered as something was stuffed into Lucas’ mouth. Lucas cried out.

The door rattled.

“Lucas!”

“Dad!” Lucas wailed, but the handkerchief in his mouth blocked the sound. 

The opened wall came closer. To Lucas, it almost looked like a mouth, open and waiting to swallow him whole.

He screamed again.

-

The door burst open, and light from the corridor streamed into the room. Liam rushed in before anyone could stop him, Cassandra at his heels.

A stuffed bear lay near the window, and a whimpering puppy was by the far wall. 

Time seemed to stop.

“Lucas!” Cassie cried. Calling out for their little boy.

But there was no answer.

Their son was gone.

#

Well... that was a wild ride? 

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