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angelasscribbles · 1 month ago

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Changes: A ONiC One-Shot

Series: One Night in Cordonia, a @choicesprompts Round Robin Event.

Fandom: TRR mostly

CRACKSHIP ALERT: Drake x Bertrand

Word Count: 1,593

Rating: NSFW

Warnings: Lemons 🍋🍋🍋

A/N: This pairing was initiated by @harleybeaumont during the round robin event titled One Night in Cordonia. I cannot remember who requested it or if it's something @harleybeaumont and I thought up during one of our epic late night discussions. Either way, it somehow got brought up today and I went to send her the little bit of it that has been sitting in my WiP folder forever, but once I opened the Word doc, I decided to add a few quick details and then just kept going until it was finished. 🙃

This was not the writing project I had intended to work on today, but I don't get to choose where the inspiration strikes.

It's pure smut. Just so you know.

The rest of my stuff can be found here.

Bertrand stood in the Beaumont study, surveying the damage and contemplating the last several weeks.

The terrorist group responsible for the attack had been rounded up, and the authorities had finally left. He was happy to reclaim his study from Bastien. They had left the room in disarray, and he set about tidying it up.

He was kneeling on the floor, examining a discolored spot on the carpet and muttering about the King's Guard's complete lack of decorum with the door to the study opened. Whoever it was hadn't even bothered to knock.

Bertrand leapt to his feet with indignation, "This is a private room! Have you no manners?"

An amused voice answered him. "No need to get up on my account."

Bertrand paled and took a step back as Drake ambled into the room like he owned the place. Shutting the door behind him, he ignored Bertrand's outburst about manners and smirked at him. "I like the way you look on your knees."

"I…don't know what you're trying to imply—"

"What?" Amusement danced across his face as he took in the other man's discomfort. "Have you forgotten the last time you were on your knees in front of me?"

The lord of Ramsford flushed from the top of his head down to the tips of his toes. Burning with shame and, distressingly, desire, he stuttered out an answer. "I…. Of course not! I mean…. That's not what I—"

Drake took a step toward him with a smirk. "You were really good at it."

"I…that…." Bertrand took another step back, bumping into a bookshelf and sending a miniature statue of a horse crashing to the ground.

Drake continued his advance until he stood directly in front of the duke, blocking any chance of a dignified retreat. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not!" Bertrand gulped loudly, belying his statement.

"No?" The bigger man shifted his weight slightly as he rested a hand on either side of his intended target.

Bertrand's eyes widened as shock, fear, and undeniable excitement flooded through him. He didn't trust his voice, so he simply shook his head.

A soft scoff issued from Drake as his eyes traced his face, settling on the set of lips that had brought him so much pleasure just a few weeks before.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.

It was true that they had both been under the influence of some type of chemical that removed sexual inhibitions, but the fact remained that those impulses had to exist in the first place in order to be inhibited.

His disdain for Max's older brother had always masked a deeper emotion. Sexual attraction to other men wasn't new to him, but the realization that he had always been drawn to this particular man was.

"Tell me you don't want this." Drake's hand caressed Bertrand's cheek. "If you don't want me to kiss you right now, tell me to stop." He paused, giving the other man plenty of time to protest.

For a heartbeat, they stood frozen in time, face to face, staring into each other's eyes. Then Bertrand went weak in the knees as his eyes fluttered shut and his head tipped slightly up, lips parted, inviting the kiss.

Drake's lips crashed into his and he was falling, tumbling into a vast unknown, terror and exhilaration colliding inside him.

Bertrand Beaumont had never been good with women. He didn't understand what they wanted, he didn't understand how to attract them. He had never felt much of a pull to them at all. But this. This was different.

He had kissed a handful of women in his time. Their lips had been soft and yielding and the entire experience had been somehow wrong and off putting. His previous experiences with kissing had been nothing like this. This kiss was rough and demanding, the stubble that scratched his face sent red hot flames licking through him. His hands reached out to grasp not soft flesh, but hard muscles. He whimpered helplessly as his body reacted. His rock hard erection was evident as Drake's body pushed into his.

He wanted to die of shame until he realized that Drake was having the exact same reaction. Their cocks pressed against each other through the fabric of their pants as their hips ground against each other.

Bertrand had never felt another man's cock pressed against his own before, much less while it was hard. The thought that Drake was hard because of him was almost more than he could bear. Desire burned all the embarrassment out of him as he begged for more. "Please… I need—"

Before he could finish the thought, strong hands spun him around and jerked him sidewise away from the bookshelf, and pressed him against the wall. His pants were yanked down his body, leaving his ass bare and his dick throbbing. A foot forced his legs apart as a finger found his puckered hole. His mind was so clouded with lust that he barely registered some sort of lube being applied before a finger probed inside him. Warm breath tickled his ear as a voice rough with desire whispered in his ear. "How does that feel?"

"So good…" he gasped out as an ecstasy he had never imagined washed over him.

A soft kiss landed on the back of his neck. "I'm going to fuck you now. Hold still."

Bertrand's eyes squeezed shut as his body vibrated with pleasure and anticipation. "Yes…. Please…."

A feral growl broke free from Drake's throat at the pleading tone of the man trembling under his touch. It was all he could do to keep himself from slamming into him. Instead, he inserted himself slowly and gently, sliding in an inch at a time, giving the other man a chance to adjust.

A cry of ecstasy was torn from him as Drake hit the prostate.

His name falling from Bertrand's lips was the end of his restraint. No longer gentle, he moved his body at a more desperate pace, pulling himself out and shoving back into the man who was now writhing frantically beneath him.

Bertrand's feet tried to come out from under him as all the strength left his body. Blackness clouded the edges of his vision as the pleasure became all encompassing. A hand closed around his cock and stars exploded across his field of vision as the orgasm overtook him.

Drake slammed into him one last time with a roar, pinning his body to the wall as he emptied himself into him. He kept his body pressed into him until his cock finished pulsing.

When he finally stepped away, Bertrand was left with his pants in an undignified tangle around his ankles, a pleasurable soreness and the proof of what had just transpired leaking out of him. He turned to face the man who had just taken his innocence and awakened desires in him that he had not known he possessed, tripping over his tangled pants as he did so.

"Whoa there!" Drake caught him and then stepped back with a satisfied smirk as he fastened his own pants.

Hyperaware of Drake's eyes on him, he scrambled to redress himself, ignoring the sticky mess on his backside. Not knowing what to say, his eyes dropped to the floor as both mortification and gratification pinged through him at what had just transpired.

"Hey." Drake's finger found his chin and lifted his head. With a smile more tender than he had ever seen on his face, he told him, "You did great."

The mortification drained out of him, pride and happiness taking its place. "Really?"

"Really." He looked closer at Bertrand's expression. "Wait. Was that your first time with a man?"

Bertrand's eyes fell once again to the floor. "My first time….with anyone." Kissing women had been bad enough, he had never been able to push himself further with any of them.

Drake's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

"What?" Bertrand's head snapped up in alarm at the regret in Drake's voice. "Don't be sorry! That was…. It was… you were…. I mean…"

The smile returned to Drake's face as understanding dawned on him. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything else. I'm glad you liked it."

The alarm on Bertrand's phone went off, bringing him back to reality. "Apologies. I'm needed at a budgetary meeting soon."

"No problem. I have shit to do, too. See you around."

Panic sliced through him as he watched Drake make it to the door. "Wait!"

Drake paused and turned around. "Yeah?"

Bertrand fought against the tidal wave of insecurity and anxiety that threatened to silence him. For once in his life, he was going to ask for what he wanted. "Is there any chance we could… um…. " He faltered as embarrassment threatened to pull him under.

A grin pulled Drake's lips up as he watched Bertrand stumble over his words. He decided to put him out of his misery. "Are you asking if we can do this again?"

"Yeah." If he said no, Bertrand was going to drop right through the floor.

"You can count on it." Drake thumped the edge of the door frame on his way out, humming happily as he strolled down the hall.

Bertrand slumped against the wall as relief and disbelief surged through him.

He had no idea what this all meant. No idea what tomorrow would bring. There was only one thing that he knew for certain.

Everything was going to be different now.

#the royal romance #trr #the royal romance fanfic #drake walker #bertrand beaumont #angelasscribbles #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #choices #choices stories you play #Drake x Bertrand #I blame harleybeaumont for this

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ragingadhd · 8 months ago

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I was going to put this in the corps therapy blog, but yk what I think it deserves a whole post.

It kind of bugs me when people feminize Will. He's definitely a more feminine guy, don't get me wrong, but l'm so tired of people seeing a guy who isn't 100% masculine and immediately taking that as an in to feminize/infantilize him.

I love his feminine side. I love how he's so caring and loving, how he pays attention to details and is a great listener. I love that he loves music and animals and cooking and having fresh flowers in his cabin. I love his loyalty to his friends. I love how smart, quick witted and clever he is.

But I also love his masculine side. I love how willing and capable he is to fight, especially for those he loves. I love how much thought and care he puts in to keeping his body fit and muscular. I love how intimidating he can get if he chooses to, and how he allows himself to get angry from time to time.

That’s part of why I love TRR as much as I do, especially when it comes to Will’s character. I read that series and I see a man who is more comfortable and balanced in his masculinity than ever before.

Of course, that’s all in the view of a fairly traditional idea of femininity and masculinity. Really, those are made-up labels for very abstract ideas. I firmly believe all of the “feminine” traits I listed are very masculine in their own right, and vice versa, but I digress.

I’m certainly not going to be over here trying to police how people enjoy the series, nor am I trying to say it’s wrong to view Will in a feminine way. If you enjoy the series that way, who am I stop you. My point in making this post is simply to vent a bit and maybe start a discussion. In my personal life, I am so tired of people dismissing or even denying my masculinity because I am a more feminine man, so I’m a little more inclined to be upset about my favorite character receiving a similar treatment.

I don’t see much of this issue regarding Will in the main series. I’ll see someone basically “uwu soft boi” him on rare occasion, but that’s the extent of it. I mostly see this happening with his character in The Royal Ranger. So many people hate who he’s become or even refuse to acknowledge the series. Again, I’m not trying to police how anyone enjoys the whole RA franchise. It’s a fictional book series at the end of the day, not that big of a deal. And of course there are a million different reasons why someone might not like TRR, and I’m not going to be over here accusing everyone for not liking it because Will is more (in my opinion) masculine.

Anyway I’m gonna close my ramble off now. Don’t take any of it too seriously, it’s just been floating around my head for a minute.

#rangers apprentice #will treaty #the royal ranger #trr will #trr will treaty #ranger's apprentice

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solarishashernoseinabook · 2 years ago

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Yet another AU where Halt raises Will instead of dropping him off at the Ward…

this might become another trr sequel idk yet

After five years, Halt thought he was getting the hang of fatherhood. He would drop Will off at the Ward for longer missions, which Will tended to treat as an adventure, and for shorter missions he had him stay with someone from Wensley Village. In a few years, when he could trust Will more, maybe he would begin taking him along on missions. For now, Will was loud and impulsive, more interested in playing games than sitting still, and Halt saw no harm in letting him stay a child a bit longer.

Will was turning out to be remarkably normal, all things considered. He was much better than Halt socially, outgoing and friendly. He had picked up a few of Halt’s fidgets, and sometimes he would try and imitate Halt’s mostly-blank expression, but his quick grin always shone through after a few moments.

Halt was packing for the Gathering now. He put Will’s things in one saddlebag and his own in the other, but packing for two people meant being very economical with what he brought. He had just finished packing Will’s clothes, and was trying to find a way to fit Will’s toy horse on top of them – Will had trouble sleeping without it.

Halt heard Will climb up to sit on the table. ‘Dad?’

‘Hm?’ Halt responded without looking up. He tried shuffling the clothes over to fit the horse in.

‘What’re dopteds?’

Halt paused and looked up. ‘What are what?’

‘Dopteds. Missus Cherry at the Ward says I’m a dopted.’

A smile tugged at the corners of Halt’s mouth. ‘She said you were adopted, not a dopted. It means I didn’t have a wife, I found you and decided to keep you.’

Thinking that was the end of it, Halt went back to trying to fit the horse into the saddlebag. He gave up and decided to put it with his things instead, though it would mean leaving behind his spare cloak.

But he should have remembered that Will always asked follow-up questions, and sure enough, Will asked the one he’d been dreading. ‘Where’d you find me?’

Several possible answers flashed through Halt’s mind in the space of seconds. For some unknown reason, the one he settled on was, ‘I went out to the bog, dug a hole, and found you at the bottom of it.’

‘I came from a bog?’

Halt paused in the act of setting aside his spare cloak. After a moment, he decided he might as well run with it – he could hardly take it back now. ‘Yes. Took weeks to get the smell of peat off of you.’

Will’s face split into a mischievous grin and he giggled. ‘I bet I had leaves in my hair!’

‘And a tree growing out of your ears. Go get Abelard out of his stall, we’re heading off now,’ Halt said, fastening the saddlebag.

Halt had forgotten all about it by the second day of the Gathering. He was jointing a brace of large, fat pheasants, occasionally glancing up at Will as he played a game with some obliging first-year apprentices.

Crowley was watching them as well, and meandered over to Halt. ‘Hey, Halt?’

‘Hm?’

‘Any idea why Will’s been chasing people around all day calling himself the bog monster?’

‘No idea,’ Halt said, keeping his face deliberately blank. If Crowley found out the truth, Halt would never hear the end of it.

Crowley raised his eyebrows. ‘You sure? None of us can figure it out.’

‘Quite sure,’ Halt said gruffly. He gathered the pheasants in a pan and stood. ‘Now stop asking weird questions and help me cook these.’

#ra #rangers apprentice #halt o'carrick #will treaty #dad!halt #autistic!halt #fluff

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jerzwriter · 2 years ago

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Top 3 Thursday - Week 9

Welcome to Top Three Thursday! 💙

FIRST, a few quick rules!

Please reblog your answer - don't create a new post. The point is to keep us all together in one place and to get to know each other.

You can answer any way you like - basic answer, headcanons, fics, moodboards, edits, artwork - be as creative (or not!) as you like.

Pixelberry Choices-related content only.

PLEASE BE KIND! People will have different options, thoughts, headcanons, and likes - and that’s a good thing. Be respectful of one another.

For Week 9 - the question is for YOU

THE 3 CHOICES BOOKS YOU MOST WISH WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A SEQUEL?

This doesn't mean stand-alone books only - if you wish TRR, OH or TFS would have had more - you can certainly pick those, too.

REMEMBER TO BE RESPECTFUL OF ALL ANSWERS!

If you’d like to be added to the tag list, let me know, but anyone can participate! Tags below break. 💙💙💙

@aces-and-angels @alj4890 @aallotarenunelma @angelasscribbles @bebepac @cariantha @coffeeheartaddict2 @cooltuna69 @crazy-loca-blog @headoverheelsforramsey @hopelessromantic1352 @icecoffee90 @karahalloway @korgbelmont @kyra75 @lovealexhunt @missameliep @peonierose @peonyblossom911 @potionsprefect @princess-geek @queenrileyrose @quixoticdreamer16 @secretaryunpaid @takeharryandgo @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @tveitertotwrites @twinkleallnight @surrenderronnie1 @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks

#top three thursday #t3t week 9 #should have had sequels #choices the stories you play #playchoices #reblog games

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walkerismychoice · 2 years ago

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Serendipity - Part 4

Written for @choicesflashfics - Week 34

Prompt 3 — “ I think I need to be drunk to understand this story ”

Book: TRR/OPH

Pairings: Drake Walker x Ava Matheson, Bryce Lahela x Charlie Hawkins

Word count: 1814

Rating: M

TW: Profanity, Suggestive language

A/N: This is a collaboration between @deb-1106 and @walkerismychoice using the weekly prompts provided by @choicesflashfics As always if you want on or off the tag list, just let me/us know. Deb usually posts to keep it consistent, but we were both kind of scrambling this week, so I’m getting this in under the wire for us. Charlie gasped. "Oh my God! Congratulations! She tilted Ava’s ring from side to side, watching the facets twinkle from the glow of the pendant lights.I'm so happy for you!" But was she? Well of course she was, but why, on some level did she feel a twinge of Jealousy.

"Yeah, Congrats! You're smart to be locking this one down already." Bryce directed his words at Drake and then winked at Ava. "How long have you two known each other again?

Drake glowered at Bryce momentarily but then lightened up. "You know, in absence of all the Whiskey we've had, I might take your comment as an insult, but you're right. I gotta make this thing legal before she realizes she's too good for me, heh."

"Oh stop!" Ava swatted Drake playfully. "You know that would never happen because it's not true." Turning back to Bryce and Charlie she said, "To answer your question, we've known each other about 6 months."

"Wow, 6 months…that's kind of fast," Charlie mused out loud before she could think to censor her thoughts.

Ava laughed. "If you asked me 6 months ago if I'd be anywhere near an engagement right now, I would have told you to get the fuck out of here."

"That's for sure," Drake interjected, and everyone laughed.

“Anyway,” Ava continued, “When you know, you know. There’s no need to wait for some arbitrary, socially acceptable length of time, right?”

“Cheers to that!” Bryce raised his glass towards the center of the table.

The others accepted the invitation and clinked their glasses, even Charlie who wasn’t feeling particularly celebratory. Cheers to that?! Did his agreement with the sentiment mean he wasn’t sure about his future with Charlie yet? Was Charlie just being dramatic? Just yesterday she had no doubts about the pace of her relationship with Bryce, so why did this suddenly feel like a competition she was losing? She felt tears start to prick the corners of her eyes.

“I’m going to use the restroom real quick,” Charlie excused herself without waiting for anyone’s reply. She locked herself in a stall and waited a few minutes until she felt more composed.

Just as Charlie exited the stall, Ava walked through the restroom door. “Hey, you were gone awhile. Is everything okay?”

Charlie, washing her hands, stared straight ahead and hoped Ava couldn’t tell she’d been crying. “Yep, just finishing up.”

“Charlie, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I could tell something was up back at the table. Do you want to talk about it?”

Charlie was mortified. “No, I’m so sorry. This was a big moment for you, and the last thing I wanted to do was make it about me. I’m really not that girl. I don’t know what came over me. Just give me a minute, and I’ll be back out.”

Ava took a towel from the dispenser and handed it to Charlie. “I’m not the type of friend who needs things to be all about me either, so spill it.”

Ava’s tone eased Charlie’s mood just enough to make her feel comfortable opening up. “I’m happy for you and Drake, I really am. It’s just that your engagement announcement suddenly made me doubt what Bryce and I have. We’ve been together two years and marriage hasn’t even come up.”

“Girl, I’ve seen the way Bryce looks at you. He’s not going anywhere. We aren’t all on the same timeline, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I suppose that’s true.” The logical side of Charlie’s brain knew Ava’s was right, and she hoped the emotional side would soon follow. It was at least appeased enought to put this to rest for now. She looked in the mirror and cringed. “I just need to fix my face, and then I’ll be out.”

Ava fished a makeup wipe from her purse. “Let me help.” She wiped the black streaks from Charlie’s face and then pulled out a small cosmetic bag. “Just a little eye liner and fresh mascara and you’ll be good to go.”

Once Ava finished, Charlie inspected her work. “Wow, can you do my make-up every day? I don’t even know how to properly apply eyeliner.”

Ava laughed. “Better yet, I’ll teach you. We’ll plan a spa night soon.”

Charlie hugged Ava. “Thank you. And again, I’m sorry.”

“No worries.” Ava pulled away with a smile. “Now let’s get back out there before the guys think we’re attempting a dine and dash.”

Despite a moment of awkward conversation when the woman got back to the table, the rest of dinner went off without a hitch. Charlie’s face hurt from laughing so much.

“Wait,” Drake furrowed his eyebrows, “So you work at the same hospital, but you met in a strip club?”

“It’s a long story,” Bryce began, “but basically I worked as a stripper to pay my way through med school. Charlie saw me and thought I was so hot, she asked for a private lap dance. My moves were incredible and she just had to have me. She asked me to be her plus one at her cousin’s wedding in Jamaica, and the rest is history.”

“Oh God, Bryce” Charlie rolled her eyes. “That’s not exactly what happened. My friends secretly bought me the lap dance, and I begrudgingly went. I was desperate not to show up to my cousin’s wedding alone and drunk enough to come up with a ridiculous plan, so we made a business deal for him to be my fake boyfriend. However, we failed at the fake part, and he turned into my real boyfriend.”

“Woah… I think I need to be drunk to understand this story.” Drake raised his glass in jest. “Waiter?!.. Brian?! I need a refill!”

—

Charlie kicked off her shoes and flopped on one end of the couch, while Bryce sat on the other. “I don’t know why I always torture myself with heels. Can you give me a foot rub?” She placed her feet in Bryce’s lap.

“Babe, I’m a surgeon, not a podiatrist.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” She flicked him lightly on the chin with her big toe.

“Ah! Fine, as long as you keep your feet out of my face.” Bryce took her right foot in his hands and started rubbing rhythmic circles with his thumbs on her sole.

“Mmmm,” Charlie hummed in relief. “You sure you don’t have a foot fetish?”

“Negative, but getting my hands on you anywhere is a good place to start.” Bryce had that gleam in his eyes that said he had a plan, and Charlie would be powerless to stop it - not that she would want to.

“Start what?” She played coy.

“Well…” He walked his fingers upward. “Your calves are probably a little tight too, so those clearly need to be massaged."

"Clearly." Charlie echoed.

"And then, since I'm already this far…" Bryce began to slide his hand under the skirt of her dress.

"Hold up." She slapped her hand on top of his. "Don't you think you're moving a little too fast? You haven't even done the other foot yet." She smugly placed his hand on her left foot. Of course she wanted him as much as he seemed to want her, but it was even more satisfying when she made him wait.

"Speaking of moving too fast," Bryce said as he kneaded the bottom of her foot, "I'm kind of surprised Drake and Ava got engaged after only knowing each other for six months."

"Oh really? Back at the restaurant it seemed you were all for it."

"Well, I don't know them well enough to really judge," Bryce backpedaled. "They do seem like one of those 'opposites attract' type couples that just works, so maybe it is like Ava said, 'When you know, you know.' I just couldn't imagine being ready to marry someone so soon."

Charlie sat upright, pulling her knees in toward her chest and hugging them tight as all the hurt and uncertainty she felt at the restaurant flooded back. "Apparently so. We've been together two years and you're not even sure if you want to commit to me after all this time. I guess in my case you still don't know if I'm the one. Maybe that means I'm not."

"Charlie…" Bryce's near perma-smile transformed to a frown. "I never said that. Would I have moved in with you if I had any doubts?"

"I don’t know, Bryce. Maybe you just want to test everything out before you commit because you aren't sure. If you don't know by now, when will you know? Five years? Ten?"

"Babe, he inched closer and placed a hand on her knee, "where is all this coming from? Okay, wrong question since I'm pretty sure where, but not exactly why. I don't think you've ever brought up marriage before."

"I guess seeing Drake and Ava just made me think, what are we waiting for? Yes six months is pretty quick, but lots of people get engaged after a year and we're at double that. We live together, we're both becoming established in our careers, we love each other…Making it official just makes sense."

Bryce looked her in the eyes intently. "I love you, and as far as I can see, my future includes you. I don't need a piece of paper to prove that."

"Does that mean you'll never want to get married?" Charlie was still reeling.

"I'm not saying that, but you know how things turned out with my parents. I just… I'm afraid of repeating the same mistakes. That may sound like a cop out, but I just need time, and I'll know…we'll know when it's right. Things are going so well right now, why rush to change that?"

Bryce had a point, and Charlie recognized her perception of the situation was colored by her past as much as Bryce’s was by his. The way her ex Andrew left her just as they were planning a future together made her a little more anxious to make things official this time. But would rushing to marry Andrew have really changed anything? He'd probably still have left her for another woman, and then they'd have a messy divorce to contend with. She had to remind herself that Bryce was nothing like Andrew. Even without a formal commitment, her relationship with him was progressing at a perfect pace.

"You're right." Charlie inched closer to Bryce and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for getting all in my head again. You know how I can spiral sometimes."

"And that's why I'm here to keep reminding you what a wonderful, loveable, and strong woman you are. But in case you need more than words to convince you," Bryce hopped off the couch and then pulled her up with him, "follow me to the bedroom and I’ll show you too."

#choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #the royal romance #open heart #drake walker #bryce lahela #drake x ava #bryce x charlie #choices trr #choices oph

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twinkleallnight · 2 years ago

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The Stolen Interview

Book: TRR AU

Characters: Rashad x Kiara, Joelle Theron.

Word count: ~2000+

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Mature

Warning: Fluff

Prompt: prompt 1 by @choicesflashfics in bold

: Day 1 of @kiaratheronappreciationweek

Special thank you @lizzybeth1986 for brainstorming and the valuable inputs.

The warm sun rays of spring, sieved through the white clouds on the Castelsarreillan abode that nested the Theron family.

A pleasant breeze traversed through the windows of the library to flutter the pages of “Geetanjali” by Rabindranath Tagore, a book the youngest Theron, Kiara, was engrossed into.

As if just on cue, her phone chimed to distract her further. Her brown eyes fell on the known name flashing on the screen, bringing a smile on her face. She pushed her owl-shaped bookmark on the page she was reading and swiped the green button on her phone.

“Bonjour!” she chirped.

“Hello and sorry to disturb your reading hours.” The sultry male voice replied.

“How do you know that I am reading?”

“A little bird gave away your secrets to me.”

“Have you been spying on me?” Kiara questioned.

“Nah, just been observing you. What are you reading?”

“Geetanjali.”

“Oooh! You seem to be inclined to the east.”

“Since our last discussion. You have piqued my interest in that culture.” Kiara confessed honestly.

“And here I thought the interest was in a handsome brainy guy.”

Kiara giggled, “Someone has too many wrong notions about himself.”

“I guess I can challenge the smart lady of Castelsarreillan.”

“Bet!” she almost jumped in excitement.

“Okay. Accepted. Open the doors then.”

Kiara looked at the closed ornate doors of the library in surprise. She rushed to open the doors and found Rashad beaming at her, phone still against his ear.

“Bonne soirée ma dame!” he flashed the widest smile.

“Aadaab!” She cupped her hand raising it to her forehead to greet him.

“Your way or my way, it’s a lovely evening.”

“It surely is. Please come in.” She walked him in. “What brings you here, today?”

“I am here to meet your mother on my father’s behalf. I dropped in a bit early to catch up with you.”

“I am glad you did.”

He saw the book she was reading, “How are you finding this one?”

“It’s a unique experience. I haven’t read much of your culture before this.”

“This is just a part of my culture, you may say. Every time I visited India with Ma, I discovered a new treasure chest.”

“Like?” she raised her brows. Rashad loved this particular expression of hers. It made her eyes look like two big brown balls shining, bewildered.

He bit on his lip to hide his emotions and then continued, “English, French, Swiss, German etcetera. They all collectively form the European culture. Similarly, there are regional divisions that come under the roof of Indian culture.”

“Does Tagore come from your region?”

Rashad shook his head. “No, he is from the neighbouring land of Bengal. He was a Nobel laureate. Ma introduced his poems to me. She had a Pandora box of stories.”

“I love listening to those tales. I wish I could have met her in person.” Kiara expressed sincerely.

Rashad pursed his lips at the mention of his mother but then quickly changed the topic. “I would love nothing more than to spoil you with attention, but it’s going to have to wait until later. How about you come along with me for my meeting with your mother?”

“That sounds good. Just give me a moment.”

Kiara picked her book and neatly arranged it in a stack on the right. Rashad made a quick note of the titles she had placed on that rack. He knew she had a habit of arranging her “to read” books there. And he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to discuss and debate the reviews with her. He enjoyed following what she read and the talks that followed. Sometimes he quietly would push a book to her to gain her views about it. He was in awe of her intellectual prowess of varied subjects.

***************”*

Duchess Joelle Theron’s studio

“What do you think? Is this, okay? Am I looking good?” Rashad whispered while adjusting his tie maybe the tenth time.

Kiara swatted at his hand. “Stop fidgeting.”

Rashad’s eyes widened at her gesture.

Kiara gave a playful smile to lighten his mood, “You look handsome. As always.” She pinched his cheek and pulled it.

Rashad squealed, “Ouch.” And started rubbing on his stubble where she had pulled so hard.

Kiara covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.

Rashad cleared his throat and adjusted his pose when he heard his two workmen lumbering down the hall with a heavy life-size painting in their hands.

“What is this?” Kiara gasped.

“You will see.” Rashad swelled up his chest with pride. “A small gift from the duchy of Domavallier for Castelsarreillan.” He guided the men to place the painting against a wall.

Just then Joelle, Kiara’s mother walked in

“Good evening, Lord Rashad.”

“Good evening, your grace. Please call me Rashad.”

“Rashad.” She smiled. Rashad looked from her to Kiara in amazement.

“What’s wrong?” Her brows furrowed.

“Oh, it’s nothing, your grace. Just that I realised where Lady Kiara’s bright smile comes from.”

Joelle narrowed her eyes, “I don’t know whether I should be flattered by your compliment to me or worry about your keen interest in my daughter’s smile.”

Rashad lowered his eyes to the floor. “My apologies.”

Joelle laughed, making Kiara jump with surprise. “Do you think these old bones can’t do some teasing?”

Rashad rubbed the back of his neck nervously. ‘This isn’t going well,’ he thought.

“So, what have we got here?” She pointed at the covered painting.

Rashad quickly stepped forward to unveil his gift, “It’s a small token from us on occasion of the upcoming flower festival in your duchy.”

He lifted the covers and Kiara drew in a breath. “Its Raja Ravi Varma’s painting!” She exclaimed.

It depicted a lady standing against a pillar plucking a lone flower in her hand. It looked like words were frozen on her lips. She was standing in anticipation. Her other hand caressed the tender petals of the pink flower while a man quietly stared at her from the other side of the pillar. He seemed to be mesmerized by her beauty. His expressions showed as if he was waiting for a reply from her.

Joelle gave her an astonished look. “You know about this famous Indian artist?”

“Of course, Maman. Raja Ravi Varma remains the most renowned painter of the 19th century from Travancore, India.”

Joelle addressed Rashad. “You must be knowing that He was a royal.”

“Yes,” he momentarily looked at Kiara, “Raja means King.” Giving the polyglot feed for the day, he shifted back to Joelle, “he belonged to a kingdom that interestingly followed the matrilineal system.”

Kiara pitched in, “They still follow matriarchy in few of those regions.”

Joelle nodded, a small smile on her lips. “What do you know about this painting, dear?”

“Maman, this painting is titled ‘The stolen interview’ a hushed moment between two lovers. Varma was famous for combining European techniques and Indian style in his work.

Joelle raised her chin, “I am impressed Kiki. When and where did you collect all that knowledge of Indian art?”

“Ummm, Rashad mentioned it from one of his tours to India.” She sheepishly looked at Rashad while he tried to hide the blush in vain.

Joelle gave Rashad an approving nod. “Rashad, please convey my regards to your father. This is the most beautiful and unexpected gift. I will treasure it for my lifetime.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Rashad bowed his head with respect.

“Hakim will be here in an hour. Kiki, why don’t you give Rashad a tour of our vineyard in the meanwhile?”

“Sure, Maman.”

“See you soon, your grace.” Rashad scurried behind Kiara.

Joelle nodded; her eyes fixed on the painting.

Kiara guided Rashad out of the hall. Joelle turned to look at their receding figures. Her lips curled up in a knowing smile.

“Phew!” Rashad released a breath that he unknowingly was holding back. He loosened the knot of his tie and wiped the sweat beads from his forehead.

Kiara gave him a questioning look.

“How did that go?” He had his hands on his hips.

“What?” Kiara asked, confused.

“Nothing,” he waved off his hand. “You won’t understand.”

Kiara shrugged her shoulders and started walking.

Rashad matched her steps. “By the way I had just mentioned the art of Raja Ravi Varma. You went into the depth of the subject.”

“And I have you to thank for all that detailed study.”

“Me? How?”

“I picked up the book about the artist co-authored by Eric and Christian from your study.” She revealed.

Rashad stopped in his tracks and turned to her, his jaw hanging open.

“What is it?” Kiara gazed into his dark eyes.

“Lady! You never cease to amaze me.”

“I can’t help when someone raises my curiosity like that. So, I read all about his life, his work, his lithography.”

Rashad shook his head, smiling, “Did someone ever tell you that you are a walking encyclopaedia?”

Kiara strutted ahead proudly, “I like that Nickname.”

“Look at you gloating now! Are you going to fill me up with details about the vineyards too?”

“Now that you asked for it, I may.” She stretched out her hand, “This way my Lord.”

Rashad dramatically bowed, “After you milady.”

They both laughed at their silly act and walked down to the vineyards.

Joelle stood in the window watching them tread away. Hakim joined her, “Sorry, I am late. What are you looking at Jo.” He followed her gaze. “Is that Lord Rashad with Kiara?”

Joelle smiled and nodded. “Our daughter seems to be making some smart choices.”

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

In the vineyards

Kiara was busy explaining the quality of the fruit, the terroir, the production and storage process while Rashad heard out keenly. He plucked a few tiny flowers that grew on the winding path.

“They are like rose pearls, embedded into the green gown of the landscape.”

“What a poetic way of defining it. Here.” He handed out a flower to her.

“Thank you.” She gladly accepted it.

They came across a clearing that looked upon the valley.

“And this,” Kiara stretched out her arms, “is my favorite place.”

They both stood looking at the serenity before them. The soft breeze brought waft of the fresh crop every now and then.

After sometime Rashad turned to look at Kiara. She was still holding the flower he gave her. Her other hand caressing the petals while she kept looking in the distance.

“The stolen interview.” He said softly.

“What?” She shifted her focus to him.

He pointed at the flower in her hand. “The way you are holding and touching it, reminded me of the lady in the painting.”

Kiara shook her head, making light of it.

“Kiara?”

She searched his eyes in anticipation.

“I don’t want to stand on the other side of the pillar and keep stealing moments to watch you. I want to be on your side of the pillar.”

Kiara looked out at the valley again.

“Rashad, can you see the end of the land from here?” She questioned him, instead of replying to his words.

Rashad turned his attention to the valley too. He knew this was not going to be an easy conversation. “It’s a breath-taking beauty. What a vast expanse, as if it’s never ending.”

“That’s what attracts me the most. I want my life to be just like that. I want to keep exploring, learning, growing, crossing new horizons every passing year. I…I don’t know if …you….”

“I would love to be a part of such a journey.” Rashad stretched out his hand, palm opening to her.

Kiara looked at his inviting hand. She reflected on the time since she had known him. He encouraged her, he competed with her. He challenged her, he channelled her. His patience around difficult situations, his maturity in dealing with matters of state and his witty replies.

She turned to look at the valley again. He clearly gave her every chance to learn, explore and grow. She didn’t realize when she had grown fond of his company.

Rashad’s heart was pounding hard. Had he hurried through it all? In an attempt to strengthen the bonds, was he going to lose a good friend? She had turned to look away from him. She was now looking at the valley. That’s it. That’s the end. He closed his eyes, finding it difficult to face the truth. He slowly retrieved his hand….when he felt her slender fingers. His eyes snapped open.

Kiara had discreetly slipped her hand in his, though she was still gauzing the skies above the valley.

Rashad held her hand and matched her gaze. A subtle smile played on his lips. They both stood facing the valley silently, in their own moment of a stolen interview.

Tags: @3pawandme @alj4890 @angelasscribbles @bascmve01 @bebepac @busywoman @choicesficwriterscreations @dcbbw @gkittylove99 @harleybeaumont @iaminlovewithtrr @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @lizzybeth1986 @lovingchoices14 @nestledonthaveone @neotericthemis @mom2000aggie @phoenixrising0308 @princess-geek @riseandshinelittleblossom @sazanes @secretaryunpaid @sfb123 @sillydg @tessa-liam @tinkie1973 @txemrn @walkerdrakewalker @yourmajesty09

#choices #choices fic writers creations #choices fanfic #pixelberry #playchoices #the royal romance #trr fandom #trr #choices flashfics #kiara theron #kiaratheronappreciationweek

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lizzybeth1986 · 4 years ago

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How did you get into reviewing TRR? Do you write for a living? Your insight is incredible, and I appreciate it. I wish you’d do it for TRH, but I understand why you don’t 🥴

I wouldn't say I write for a living...but I definitely am a writer and I hope to get published independently at some point. Currently I've just come out of a looong episode of writer's block and have been writing some original stuff as well.

I'm certain I did it for TRH1, but yeah...doing it for that book alone was hell.

I think I got into it at the start of TRR2? It was extremely casual back then...and I called them quick thoughts coz it really only took me two minutes to write and hit post back then 🤣🤣🤣 It also helped that I did essays for certain characters separately at the time, so I was able to keep my longer meta there and concentrate on just a couple points here. Book 3 was...not great esp in terms of its individual diamond scenes, so by then I was incorporating my thoughts on those in the QT as well rather than writing separate essays for those. Plus divergent plays began in a big way with that book, so I started checking playthroughs as well. By the end of it all I was like

At some point I do hope to finish off TRR1. I still have some insights to give on that book!

#ask me #ask lizzy #trr quick thoughts #trh quick thoughts

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burnin0akleaves · 2 years ago

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Will Treaty for the character ask

Oh you KNOW thats what I was dying to ramble about. And I mean it, this post ended up being VERY long ahdbfjbdjd sorry not sorry.

First impression: I read the series in middle grade first so I don't remember what my exact first impression was? But I'm pretty sure I found him relatable in Ruins of Gorlan, and then I thought he got cooler with every new book. I was a kid that didn't go outside a lot so reading about him travelling to different countries and having an important role to play in each new mission was extremely impressive to me. Funnily enough, I don't think he became my favourite character until I got to TRR, Horace took that role at first.

Impression now: Oh I think all of you know.

Favorite moment: I'm not sure if I have a singular favourite moment, so I'll go through a few really quickly.

In book 2 while the Skandians are leaving on the ship, Will actually gets a chance to escape. There is a brief moment where no eyes are on him and he acknowledges that if he jumped right now, he could probably swim back to shore easily. But then he remembers Cassandra, and decides to stay. Thats honestly such a huge fucking sacrifice to make, and he was a child at the time too! No one would blame him if he took the opportunity to escape, but Will would just never do that. When it's a choice between the people he loves most and his own well-being, he always chooses others first. No matter how scared he might be.

Speaking of fear, another scene I love is when Will is getting taunted by Ruhl. Like, the book acknowledges that Will is actually feeling scared shitless that Ruhl will burn him alive, and that he has to actively hold himself back from reacting when the man pretends to drop the torch. He even ends up letting out a sigh of relief when he finally backs off. But throughout the whole thing, he manages to keep all of it inside and doesn't emote anything. That takes so much self-control.

Also quick shoutout to how sassy he is when Ruhl's men overpower him. "Glad to hear it, pity I missed you."???? Slay.

And one last scene I gush over a lot is in Escape From Falaise; where Will decides that if the worst happens and they run out of time, he will make sure Maddie escapes and then face the wrath of the Baron alone. Again, selfless sacrifice. What a man.

Idea for a story: I'll be honest, I want to watch Will and Gilan fight. This has been trapped in some little part of my mind ever since the scene where Halt and Gilan confront Will at the start of book twelve, WHICH I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT FYI.

Maybe its a complicated situation where there is no right answer and Gilan has to be cold and collected because of his status as Commander while Will is passionate and wants to act as soon as possible. Both of them have understandable reasons for their side and its a situation where there is just no right answer, but Will is too passionate to let it go while Gilan is too responsible to bite more than he can chew at the time. So they fight. Really badly.

It ends up getting personal and at some point Will just drops his oakleaf and walks away. No one hears from him again for a really long time, including Maddie who had finished her training a few months ago. Gilan can't tell exactly what happened to anyone because the situation is something that needs to be kept secret, so everyone is in the dark about Will for a very long time.

A few years later Gilan has to go on a mission himself since the situation is dire and they need the best ranger they have. Halt is too old and Will is gone, so that leaves him. An unknown power is rising in a nearby country and threatening the king. This person's motives are unknown but according to this foreign king's word, they are extremely dangerous and need to be stopped immediately.

When Gilan arrives to take care of it, suprise suprise, its Will. Said king is a terrible person thats about to threaten all the neighbouring countries, so Will is hellbent on taking him down. Turns out in the years he was gone, Will had gained a lot of respect and power along with new friends. Gilan and Will fight, again.

In the middle of their fight they get ambushed and they have to fight side by side after so long. They handle it and end up having an emotional conversation where they hug each other and make up. Gilan learns more about the situation and realizes that while maaaybe willing to go a bit too far for it, Will is in the right. He also gets to know Will's new friends better and ends up liking them.

At this point Gilan has been gone for too long and the rest of the gang come to find him. They find him and they find Will. After everyone gets to have a reunion where the truth finally comes out, they work together and resolve the situation. I'm not sure whether Will goes back with them, refuses to go back to Araluen after he has made a life for himself in this new place, or abandons all things related to war and buys a remote cabin in the woods to live a peaceful life after that. But its one of those three. Also he has a second unnofficial apprentice and she and Maddie start dating after they have their own enemies to lovers arc.

Unpopular opinion: Sigh. The beard looks good on him and if you boil Will down to being Halt's son you're doing a disservice to his character, let it go, let him grow up.

Favorite relationship: I already wrote waaaay more than I should have so I'm going to ignore all family relationships and go straight for Alyss/Will/Horace/Evanlyn. "Godfather" my ass, you mean Maddie's parents call you babygirl.

Favorite headcanon: Eventually, Will goes out like his father Daniel. Surrounded by way too many enemies, putting an amazing last stand to save someone. I know this sounds angsty or whatever but honestly, I think a legendary man deserves to have a legendary death too. Him dying in bed peacefully of old age after everything he had to go through comes as a close second.

#rangers apprentice #will treaty #the royal ranger #🍂 textpost #THANK YOU FOR THE ASK and congrats to anyone that reads the whole thing #character ask game

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alj4890 · 3 years ago

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Hey my dear! How about a request? What will happen between Liam and Riley if they don't find Tariq or find him to late? Will Riley return to New York, and will Liam eventually have to marry the snake of Madeleine? Do you plan to write about it?

😬 well........hmm. This is a tough one. Normally, I'd be like, Liam will just tell everyone what happened with his father and how Riley is innocent. They'll ride off into the sunset toward their happily ever after, blah, blah, blah 😂. Then I remember how he reacted in TRR Book 2 when Constantine said he couldn't go to the press and clear this up. It would ruin the people's trust in Liam due to having a manipulative father, etc. And Liam AGREED. Here, given just what we know of Liam from the first two books of The Royal Romance, is what I think would have happened if Tariq was not found in time. Sorry for it being so long! It kept growing and growing 🙈 angst and fluff from here on out.

@gkittylove99 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @amandablink @neotericthemis @mm2305 @sfb123

Masterlist

The Decision

New York, the day of the wedding shower...

He couldn't hide his desperation. It was getting more and more difficult to remain hopeful.

Liam splashed some cold water over his face. While drying it, he studied his reflection in the mirror.

They should have landed by now, he thought. Surely it won't take them long to find Tariq. Between Riley and Hana, he won't be able to say no to their gentle pleading to finally come forward and end this scandal.

Liam gripped the vanity. His head dropped forward to silently pray that all would end tonight.

"It has to work." He whispered to himself. "Riley and I are meant to be together."

He glanced once more at his reflection. He could see how visibly tired he was of this pretense that he and Madeleine were happily on their way to the altar.

If the wedding shower happens, then I am honor bound to marry Madeleine.

Could he go through with it? Riley told him the night before that she didn't think she could remain with him if he did marry the countess. He hadn't allowed himself to think of that situation occurring. He understood Riley's feelings, but he'd selfishly hoped she would still be with him if they were left with no other option.

He rubbed his hands over his face. He was so sick of keeping their love hidden from the world. He wanted to finally be free of everything keeping them apart.

Bastien knocked upon the bathroom door.

"Your majesty? The car is waiting downstairs."

"I'll be out in a minute." Liam automatically responded.

He slipped his black jacket on. Combing his hair once more, he straigtened his shoulders and adopted his pleasant court mask, one perfect for noble gatherings.

His stomach twisted in knots as he made his way down. He had two meetings with delegates to deal with before the dreaded shower. He wished he could have gone with Riley and their friends. There was simply no way to do so because of duty.

Duty. He snorted softly as he watched the buildings go by. Duty was once more keeping him from the one he loved the most.

"It must work." His hands balled into fists. "Tariq will be found."

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

Los Angeles...

"This is it." Riley took a deep breath.

"You got this, Brooks." Drake positioned himself behind her.

Hana took her hand and gave a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

"We're with you til the end of the line, Blossom." Maxwell pulled her close for a quick side hug.

While flashing a grateful smile to her staunchest supporters, she knocked on what had to be Tariq's apartment door.

This has to be the right one, she thought to herself. It's our last one...our last hope.

No one came to the door.

"Try again." Hana said softly. "Perhaps, he didn't hear the knock.

Riley knocked a little louder.

Silence followed.

"Here, let me." Drake nudged them to the side so that he could pound on the door.

"Hey!" A neighbor across the way stuck his head out. "Keep it down! Some of us have to work tonight."

"Excuse me," Hana smiled warmly at the man. "Do you happen to know the gentleman who lives here?"

"Who? You mean the shoe freak?" The neighbor grumbled. "Saw him earlier today. Left with a bunch of suitcases."

"He's gone!" Riley exclaimed. "Did he say where he was going?"

"No. Shoe Freak kept to himself." He noticed how upset the group was becoming. "Sorry. He must be a friend of yours."

"Did he say anything to you?" Drake asked. "Did you notice anything that might help us find him?"

"He didn't say anything." The man yawned while apologizing and shutting his door.

"Let's go check with the super." Riley hurried toward an elevator. "Maybe he knows where Tariq is."

The others followed on her heels.

Maxwell checked his watch. Time was running out.

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

New York: the wedding shower...

Madeleine's laughter echoed about as she talked to Kiara. The moment she caught sight of Riley, she excused herself and made her way over.

She immediately noticed the red rimmed eyes and unusually pale skin upon the other woman's face.

"There you are." Madeleine coldly greeted. "Did you bring my ring like I requested?"

Riley dug around in her clutch. She finally located the little black box.

"Here." She swallowed back her tears.

"Thank you." Madeleine replied with a sly smirk forming. "I told Liam you could be useful."

"Useful?" Riley bit out.

"Of course." Madeleine admired her wedding band. "I knew you could be more than simply Liam's paramour."

Riley stepped back with a sharp ibtake of breath over that observation.

"Do enjoy yourself. I better go find my fiancé." Madeleine giggled, thoroughly enjoying a chance to rub it in. "We have so many to personally thank for joining us today."

Riley merely glared at her.

"You okay?" Maxwell asked, once Madeleine left.

"No, I'm not." Riley whispered. "How could I possibly be okay with any of this?"

"Oh Riley." Hana wrapped her arm around her. "I'm so sorry."

"I told Bastien." Drake muttered as he joined them. "Maybe he can find out where Tariq went."

"He could be anywhere." Riley felt the overwhelming hopelessness she first experienced the night of the coronation ball.

While her friends debated on the location of the elusive noble, Riley's thoughts focused in on the fact that it was now twice she'd had to watch the man she loved end up with another.

It wasn't fair. She'd played the court games, uncovered the mystery of the scandal, and had helped her friends with their own problems along the way. Didn't she deserve to have something good for a change happen to her?

Or...

Was this fate telling her once again that she was not meant for Liam?

She sucked in a stilted breath. It has to be that. It was a foolish dream to think for even a moment that she could possibly end up with Prince Charming. She was nothing in their world. She wasn't Cinderella like she once joked about in her coronation ballgown. She wasn't even a background character.

Riley was simply a waitress from New York who naively believed that dreams do come true.

But even dreams can be nightmares.

This was her nightmare. Seeing Madeleine hug Liam's arm after his toast to their future as king and queen was too much. It was too hard to watch her lips kiss his cheek.

This life Riley had been living all these months was a dream.

And a horrible one at that.

"Time to wake up." She whispered to herself.

She downed the champagne someone handed her then searched for an exit.

Like all dreams, this one was finally over.

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

A few hours later...

"When did she leave?" Liam asked once he was in the elevator with Drake.

"A couple of hours ago. Maxwell and Hana went with her." Drake explained. "It's been a rough eighteen hours on Brooks."

"I can't believe Tariq disappeared again." Liam ran his hands over his face. "I just knew everything would be," he trailed off, "what am I going to do?"

Drake folded his arms. "Simple. You love Riley and she loves you. Go be together."

"It's not that simple." Liam pointed out. "As much as I wish it was, I can't just make it so."

"Liam, you're king." Drake argued. "If you don't have the power to make it right, then who does? Your father had the power to ruin your chance with her. Can't you fix it?"

"You don't understand." Liam stepped out on the fifteenth floor. "The only way to fix this is by exposing my father for the manipulator he is. The people of Cordonia will doubt everything he did as king and then doubt me."

"They won't doubt you." Drake grumbled.

"They will. They will either wonder if I will act just like my father or they will think I am a weak ruler to allow something like this to happen to me in the first place."

They approached Riley's door. Even from out here they could hear the muffled, pleading tones coming from Maxwell and Hana.

Upon their knock, Riley opened the door.

Her eyes were red from the tears she'd finally allowed to fall. Hours of arguing had nearly exhausted her.

"Hey." She managed a half hearted smile. "Come in."

Liam eyebrows drew together at the sight of her suitcases out and open on the bed. Drawers were nearly empty as she resumed her packing.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Home." She replied in what she hoped was a determined tone.

"But..." Liam turned toward their friends. "Would you give us a moment, please?"

"Sure thing." Drake opened the door for Hana.

She gave Riley a tearful hug, then hurried out. Maxwell stopped right at the door.

"Promise me you won't decide on leaving until I get back."

Unable to deny her sweet friend who'd been the one to offer her this chance at romance from the start, she nodded.

Shoulders slumping at seeing her so unhappy, Maxwell quietly closed the door behind him.

Liam tried to take Riley into his arms.

"We will find a way to be together."

She pushed him away. "You mean me as the other woman? The king's mistress?" She shook her head. "No thanks."

"It isn't looked down upon in Cordonia." Liam argued. "Everyone already knows I'm in love with you. The nobles treat you well. We--"

"Treat me well?!" Riley glared at him. "So well that Penelope and Kiara can't talk to me for more than a minute so as not to anger Madeleine. And your fiancee never hesitates to let me know that I'm nothing more than your personal sex toy."

Riley couldn't stop her words. The mere thought of continuing in this lifestyle for the rest of her life angered her.

"Did you know she had me go pick up her wedding band when we got here? Me! The one she knows is in love with you and hoped to end up as your wife. How do you think that made me feel? Do you honestly expect me to just swallow my pride and be your wife's punching bag while hoping for an hour or two of your attention?"

Liam blanched. "I had no idea Madeleine was treating you this way. I--"

"You had no idea?" Riley's bitter laugh made him cringe. "Some king you are. You don't even know what's going on with the two women in your life."

Liam swallowed. He'd never seen Riley this angry before. It was as if a dam had burst and all her emotions were able to flow out.

"Look Liam." Riley stopped packing so she could face him. "We knew it was a long shot that we could have the future we wanted." She gestured toward him. "You'll be a lot happier once we have some distance between us."

"Happier?" His voice cracked.

"Yes." She somehow managed to look into his eyes. "You'll no longer have to decide between doing right by your country or by your heart."

Liam shook his head, refusing to accept her words.

"We had a," Riley swallowed. "We had a nice love affair that was only meant for a season."

She tried to smile. It came out strained at best.

"You'll see this is what was supposed to happen from the beginning." Tears filled her eyes. "I was never meant for you." Her breath hitched. "No matter what either of us originally thought."

She zipped up her bags. "At least we had some good times."

"They were perfect." Liam choked out. "The best of my life."

Riley briefly closed her eyes. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to walk past him.

"Riley." He gently grasped her arm. "Please, don't leave me."

She bit her lip. Letting go of her bags, she hugged him tight.

"I can't be with you while you're married to another." She burried her face in his chest. "I can't."

He clutched her close. His whispered words of love did little to dent her resolve.

Riley abruptly left his arms.

"Tell the others I couldn't stand saying goodbye to them." She couldn't bear another moment of his heartache. "Take care of yourself, Liam."

Quickly gathering her bags, she left him standing alone in her hotel room.

Liam sat down at the foot of her bed as the reality of losing her completely hit him.

He didn't know what step he should take next in his bleak future.

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

A few days later, on a train in Cordonia...

"...and I spoke to Bastien about..."

Madeleine narrowed her eyes when she noticed Liam was not paying her any attention.

"Liam!" She snapped.

He jumped. "Yes?"

"Did you hear anything I said?"

"No." He focused once more on Cordonia's countryside.

She huffed in irritation. "And I thought you were bad when Riley was around to distract you."

He swiftly turned back towards her. "Do not," he snapped, "EVER speak her name again!"

Madeleine's jaw dropped. He'd never spoken to her abruptly much less in anger.

"I..." She swallowed nervously, "I won't."

He turned once more to look out the train window.

"But we do need to discuss the homecoming ball."

"It's canceled." He replied.

"Canceled? Why? When did this--"

"I'm king." He interrupted. "I don't want a ball so therefore I won't have one."

"But, the people expect to see us celebrating--"

"There's nothing to celebrate." Liam cut her off again.

"Our wedding is coming up!" She whined.

"So?" He narrowed his eyes upon her again. "It is nothing more than a political alliance."

"Yes, but the people expect to see us in love."

"Then it's better now to stop that train of thought." He grumbled.

Her brow furrowed. She'd assumed Liam was the one prince she could mold and make do whatever she wanted. He was usually so polite. So eager to please and do what was expected.

This new version of him worried her.

"If you will excuse me, I need to go speak to my ladies in waiting." She murmured.

He didn't bother to look at her, merely waved her away.

Liam saw no need to keep up any pretense. What did it matter? It wasn't like he needed the people to approve of him. They were stuck with him as ruler.

For better or for worse. Nothing could be any worse than this.

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

New York, a month later...

"Hey!" Daniel greeted warmly. "Long time no see."

Riley slid onto a stool with a grin. "Yeah, well it is kinda hard to get your old job back after you write screw you on the receipt."

Daniel snorted as he mixed her a drink. "How's the new job going?"

"Pretty good." She took a sip. "No one's made me take the trash out late at night, so that's a plus."

"Living the dream." He chuckled, making a needed drink for himself.

They drank in companionable silence.

"Kinda dead tonight." Riley twirled about.

"It's the rain." Daniel poured her a refill. "Only the truest patrons venture out on a night like this."

She laughed. "I guess so."

She looked up when he placed his hand over hers.

"You know you can talk to me about Liam?"

"I know I can." She downed the rest of her drink. "But why make you listen to the same frustrations every single time I see you?" She gently squeezed his hand. "I can't afford to lose you. You're all I have in New York."

"Not necessarily." Daniel looked over her shoulder at the group who walked in.

"Riley!" Maxwell rushed over, lifted her off the barstool, and spun her around.

Her startled yelp turned into a rush of greeting him, Drake, and Hana.

The four talked over one another, laughing, hugging, then sat down at one of the nearby tables.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She asked.

"Checking on you." Hana replied.

"But the wedding is coming up." Riley wondered how she managed to say it without crying.

"Liam postponed it." Maxwell explained.

"He did?" Riley blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, he went ahead and told the people about Constantine's cancer." Drake added. "He's not in any hurry to make Madeleine, queen."

"He's holding out hope that we can somehow find Tariq." Hana said softly.

"Oh." Riley's shoulders slumped. "He shouldn't bother."

"Of course he should!" Maxwell draped his arm around Riley's shoulders "You two are made for each other."

Riley shook her head. "I meant, there's no point to finding Tariq."

"What makes you say that?" Drake asked.

"Because I not only found him, I also talked to him." She replied.

Taking a deep breath, Riley shared what happened after they left New York.

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

New York, nearly three weeks earlier...

"Taxi!" Riley whistled, trying to get someone to stop.

The storm clouds were only growing darker as thunder rumbled overhead.

"Come on." She waved at a few. "Don't make me have to take the subway soaking wet."

One stopped not too far from her. She hurried over when she saw both the passenger and driver exit the cab.

Once she was close enough, she nearly tumbled in shock at the sight of the one noble she'd searched so hard for.

"Tariq!" She shouted.

He looked around to see who had said his name.

She ran over to him, ignoring her screaming muscles and sore feet in high heels, and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Lady Riley!"

His astonishment would have made her laugh if she wasn't in such a desperate, wretched situation.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" She nearly shook him.

He swallowed nervously. "Oh?"

"We need to talk." She jerked him toward the hotel they were standing near.

"I suppose we do." He followed her inside.

She took him to one of the hotel bars after dropping off his luggage with concierge.

"Now," she began, "where have you been?"

"Traveling." He muttered. "I thought it best after," he grimaced, "after our scandal was discovered to gain some distance from you and the court."

"Must have been nice to travel while I was left to deal with the mess." She muttered.

His eyes narrowed. "I had to leave my home. I left everyone I knew." He couldn't hide his bitterness. "All because I was told you had feelings for me and was given the wrong room."

"I lost Liam!" She snapped. "Don't think that you are the only one to suffer!"

"Then you should know how awful it's been!" He arugued. "I lost the respect and friendship of many in Cordonia because I supposedly went after the prince's suitor." He glared at her. "Unlike you, I can't go home again to live my life."

Riley closed her mouth. She hadn't thought of all that happening to Tariq. Her only concern was how the situation affected her.

"You...you aren't going back to Cordonia?" She asked.

"No." He replied. His tone was harsh as he glared at her. "I'm no longer welcome for trying to steal the monarch's suitor." He took a swallow from his drink. "I've been traveling and searching for a new home in a different country."

"I'm sorry." Riley whispered.

Unshed tears blurred her sight as she thought how destructive Constantine's actions had been.

Tariq tried to shrug it off. "No matter." He downed the last of his drink. "Tomorrow, I leave for my new home in Barcelona."

"Oh." Riley sniffed. "Would you mind..."

"Mind what?"

"Mind giving a statement to clear my name?" She asked.

His eyes narrowed upon her. "Clear your name? Will it clear mine?"

"I...don't think it will." She mumbled.

"Then, no." He got to his feet. "My giving a statement would make me the only guilty party. Right?"

Riley knew she couldn't share with him Constantine's part. With how bitter and resentful Tariq was, he'd immediately go to the presses with the news. It would ruin everything.

It would ruin Liam.

"Have you been hurt from the scandal here?" Tariq asked, picking up his attaché.

"No." Riley honestly admitted. "I haven't seen or heard anything about it since I came home."

"Then enjoy that bit of peace." He nodded to her on his way out. "And move on from Cordonia."

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

Present day, New York...

"He won't come forward?" Drake asked.

"Nope." Riley slumped back against the cushions.

"I can't believe he won't try and help." Hana reached over and squeezed Riley's hand. "I'm so sorry."

Maxwell had been unusually quiet throughout the story. With a grimace, he offered his opinion.

"Honestly, after how they ostracized him back home, I don't blame him for wanting to keep out of it."

Drake rounded on him. "Are you saying, you'd do the same thing?!"

"I hope I wouldn't." Maxwell argued. "But I can't imagine losing all of you, Bertrand, Ramsford...it'd be the worst thing to ever happen to me."

"That's why I didn't keep pushing him to make a statement." Riley added. "He's been through worse than I--"

"No, he hasn't!" Drake snapped. "He's had a cushy life since he was born. He--"

"And that's why his situation is so much worse!" Riley cut in. "I wasn't born to the noble lifestyle. My home is far enough away where the scandal can't touch me." She took in all three of them. "And I have friends who stuck by me through it all."

Hana threw her arms around her. Maxwell joined in, hugging them both. They looked over at Drake.

He bit out a curse, then joined in.

"You guys really are the best, you know that?" Riley said softly.

They simply hugged her tighter in response.

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

A week later, Cordonia...

"You sent for me?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, please have a seat." Liam waved toward a comfortable couch.

She eyed the door closing behind them, leaving them completely alone.

"What's wrong?"

Liam sat down across from her. "Tariq was found."

Olivia sat up straighter. Her lips parted to congratulate her friend finding a way to his happily ever after. She paused when she noticed the sadness lingering in his eyes.

"He won't come forward, will he?"

Liam shook his head. Running an agitated hand through his hair, he got to his feet, pacing the length of the room.

Olivia, feeling a tad uneasy, observed him. She'd never seen him in such a state before.

"Are you all right?"

"I can't keep doing this." He told her. "Not without Riley."

"Have you called her?"

"No." His head dropped forward. "She refuses to have anything to do with me now that I'm stuck with Madeleine."

"Oh." Olivia's brow furrowed as she tried to find a way around this for him.

He dropped down to his knees in front of her.

Olivia visibly jumped in alarm over such an erratic move.

"Do you know who is next in line to the throne if something were to happen to me?" He asked, eyes wide for the first time with a hint of hope.

"...no..." She replied.

"It's you." He got to his feet and rushed to his desk, yanking open desk drawers until he found the paper he was searching for.

"See!" He handed it to her.

Olivia eyed the convoluted line of succession.

She found her name, eyes widening in alarm.

"Liam? Why did you summon me?"

She didn't bother to hide her shock at this unexpected news.

"Because you," he said with his first smile since coming home, "are about to become queen."

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

Two weeks later, New York, Coney Island...

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Maxwell squeezed Riley in a hug, lifting off her feet.

"You're welcome!" She gasped in a breathless laugh.

"I've always wanted to come here." He rubbed his hands together. "What should we do first?"

"That's the beauty of this place." Drake nodded down the midway. "Whatever you want, when you want, no schedule required."

Hana sniffed the air. "Something smells wonderful!" She eagerly turned toward her friends. "May we try one of the carnival foods? There a a few I read about last night that I am most curious about."

Riley linked her arm through Hana's, trying not to laugh over her dearest friend's research. "Lead the way Hana."

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

A few hours later...

"Any word?" Maxwell whispered.

"His plane landed." Drake checked to make certain Riley was distracted with Hana. "He wants to meet up with her."

"Where?"

"Her old bar."

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

A couple more hours later...

The group entered through the doors, laughing and talking about their long day at Coney Island.

Daniel beamed at them from behind the bar.

"Sounds like somebody had fun."

"You should have been there with us." Riley told him. "I hate that jerk wouldn't let you off for the night."

Daniel shrugged. "It wasn't too bad of a night working."

Riley snorted softly. "It's empty."

A smile played about her friend's lips. "Somebody rented it for the night."

"Oh." She looked about. "You need some help setting up?"

Daniel glanced at the back room. "Yeah, that'd be great."

Riley hopped up. "Bachelor or Bachelorette party?"

"Both." Daniel muttered. "I think."

"I'll go get the table decorations for you." She hurried off toward the back store room.

Maxwell , Hana, and Drake watched her until she disappeared.

"Is Liam here?" Hana whispered.

"No. He was." Daniel checked over his shoulder. "Then he went out to run a quick errand."

"So what's the plan?" Maxwell asked.

"We find a way to keep her busy." Daniel explained.

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

An hour later...

Hana, Maxwell, and Drake offered to go get some takeout while the pair worked.

"What do you think?" Riley stepped back to admire the room.

"Looks great." Daniel's phone vibrated. "Oh geez. Listen, would you mind staying here alone for about twenty minutes."

He held his phone up.

"I need to get home. Drax is fighting the pet sitter again."

Riley doubled over in laughter to hear that his new pomsky puppy was refusing to leave his bed to go for a walk.

"I'll hurry." He promised on his way out.

Once alone, Riley wandered around the empty bar. Her eyes lighted on the table that a certain group of guys had once sat at.

She walked over, thinking about that night and how it led them all down a road none of them could have possibly imagined.

Her mind then replayed how it all began. Maxwell declaring stakes for the table. Drake wanting shots. Then Liam appearing behind her and saying--

"Pardon me miss..."

Riley spun around.

"Liam!"

His smile was tender as he finally had a chance to see her in something other than a photograph.

"Hello, Riley."

She weakly sat down in the booth.

"What are you doing here?"

He sat down across from her, taking her hand in his.

"I came to see you."

"Liam." She sighed. "That's sweet, but you know we can't be together."

"We can, my love."

She shook her head. "We can't. I can't be the other woman in your life."

He lifted her hand to his lips. "Would you be willing to be the only woman?"

Her brow furrowed when he slipped out of his seat and dropped to a knee.

"What are you--"

"I love you, Riley, with my entire heart." His grip tightened around her fingers. "I regret every moment I missed in declaring that to the world."

Her eyes were wide, waiting anxiously to hear what next he would say.

"Everything that happened," he looked up at her, "has only shown me that you are the very definition of my happiness."

He pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles.

"I lost that the moment we parted in New York." His smile dimmed. "I was nothing but a hollow shell of a man. Without you, nothing in my life mattered. I was of no use to anyone."

She shook her head, a stray tear following. She couldn't help but think of how she had been in a similar state once she knew their relationship was doomed.

"My reign without you by my side would be nothing but a blot upon Cordonian's history."

Her lips parted in a gasp.

"Liam, what--"

"Since I can't have you as queen of Cordonia," he pressed her hand to his heart, "I can no longer be its king."

"You abdicated?" She whispered in disbelief.

He nodded. "And the moment I was finally free to do so, I rushed here to ask you the very question I wanted to so many months ago."

He produced a diamond solitaire.

"My love, will you marry me?"

She couldn't see him through her tears. She recalled all the times he'd mentioned abdicating during that awful engagement tour. She'd thought he wouldn't be able to be happy in a life not doing his duty.

Yet, here he was, smiling at her as if she was truly all he needed in the world.

"Are you sure?" She choked out. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

He pulled her into his arms. "I've never been more certain, more at peace, more excited for any decision than I have been for this one.

She kissed him through her tears, breaking off with a laugh to say yes, before surging forward to kiss him with all the love in her heart.

"Can we celebrate now?"

The couple broke apart at that question.

Maxwell grinned at them. Drake and Hana softly groaned at him interrupting such a romantic moment.

"We can." Riley replied, snuggling once more in Liam's arms.

Liam nodded. "We couldn't have made it without any of you."

The group hugged each other, knowing this was just the beginning of a an all new happily ever after.

#choices the royal romance #liam x riley #asks and replies #prompt request #choices trr #choices the stories you play #trr liam #trr drake #trr maxwell #trr hana #liam x mc #choices #the royal romance #trr

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choicesficwriterscreations · 1 year ago

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CFWC Writer of the Month - Aug 2023: ao719

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @ao719. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: ao719 Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Anitah

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

I first started playing in June 2018. The Royal Romance was the first book I played, and I got hooked from the end of the first chapter. At the time, they were midway through releasing TRR book 3, so I binged books 1 & 2 and finally caught up on the day of the wedding, where the chapter ended with the attack at the boutique. Then I didn’t know what to do with myself because it was the first time I had to wait a week to find out what was going to happen.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

Finding Tumblr was a complete accident. I was googling something really dumb about Liam and TRR and happened to stumble across a link for a fic on Tumblr. At the time, I didn’t know what Tumblr was; I’d heard of it but had no idea what it consisted of. The fic I came across was around 40+ chapters, and I was in my glory reading this angsty story about Liam, but it wasn’t finished, so when I reached the last updated chapter, I was like, “I need more.” So I opened Tumblr and searched for more Liam fics and found a trove. I lurked for another month or so before finally making my account in September 2018.

3- How did you pick your blog name?

I wish I had some good story for it, but it’s the most basic thing, lol. It’s just my initials and a significant date. I think if I came into the fandom with the intention of actually doing something with the blog, I would have tried to come up with something a little more clever and creative, but I had zero intention of doing anything but reading. I thought about changing it a few years ago, but when I learned that I’d have to relink everything in my masterlist, it didn’t seem worth the hassle.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!

It’s from the day TRR 3 ended and it’s about how I was sad that it was over but was glad that I had all these stories to read.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I’d never written anything until I joined the fandom, so I’ve only been writing for almost five years now. The thought of writing didn’t even cross my mind when I joined the fandom, but within a couple of weeks of making my blog, I had a random idea pop up in my head, and for some reason, I decided to write it down. A few days later, after talking myself out of posting and then talking myself back into it, I bit the bullet. For me to post a story that I wrote was entirely out of my comfort zone. I’m pretty shy and tend to be more of a wallflower, so I don’t usually put myself out there, especially like that, and I’ve never been someone who does something where I intentionally set myself up, knowing there is a very good chance that I will fail. And social media on any platform can be a pretty intimidating and terrifying place when you open yourself up, especially to strangers, even by way of posting a measly little fanfic. So to say I was terrified of posting that first fic is an understatement, but I’m so glad that I did.

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

The Royal Romance will always be my favorite. It was the first book I ever played and was the only one I played for well over a year (I just kept replaying over and over and over until @cocomaxley convinced me to give MotY a try, which I fell in love with). It’s my comfort book. And like every book, it definitely has its flaws, but I love it and the characters so much. And TRR is my favorite book to write about. Liam will always be my number one guy.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

The first fic that I wrote was I Dare You. It’s not an all-time favorite of mine, but I like it well enough that I wouldn’t change anything about it.

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

This is tough because I have a few that I love for different reasons, but I think Always You will always be the most special to me because it was the first series I wrote that I can truly say I poured my whole heart into. I love that story, and I love the history between Liam and the OC, their bond, and their relationship.

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

When I decided to start Hopeless Hearts, I didn’t think it would be received any differently from most things I’d written before. It was an idea I’d kept on the back burner for over 2 years prior to writing it because I didn’t think it was anything spectacular or out of the box. It turned out to be my most well-received series, and it became one of my personal favorites as well.

I don’t think anything I’ve written has left me feeling as though I wished it had gotten more. I’m still surprised to this day that anyone wants to read anything I’ve written at all, so any love that my fics get is beyond appreciated.

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Angst (but with a HEA). I love putting my characters through the wringer before giving them that happily ever after they deserve. Whether I’m reading or writing, there’s something about feeling the pain and longing they’re going through that gets me emotionally invested. I think that’s why I love the second chance romance trope so much, too. It’s a really versatile trope, but there’s a lot of room for angst in those kinds of stories because of that established history between the characters and a past that tore them apart the first time around.

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

I think I sprinkle a little bit of myself into all of my MCs/OCs. It’s usually something small like a favorite food, a hobby, certain mannerisms, etc. I think the one that I’ve added more of myself into than any other and can relate to the most personality wise would definitely be Charlotte.

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I struggle with all of it here and there, and I’m constantly questioning whether something makes sense, if it’s flowing together, if it’s too descriptive or not descriptive enough, etc. I think the one area I most consistently struggle with is deciding where and how to end because I always want to leave my chapters with a cliffhanger or if I’m finishing something for good, I want to give it the ending it deserves.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

I have quite a few that are unfinished that I know I more than likely won’t ever pick back up, mostly because I just lost my mojo for them, but there are definitely some that I want to finish. I’d really like to get back to Past Meet Present one day. I don’t even remember why I got off track with writing it, and it’s been at least two years or more since I last updated it 🫣 so I’m not sure if anyone would even still be interested at this point, but I’d really like to finish that along with Breaking Point and Us Again.

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

No. Maybe. I don’t know, lol. I try to be a “never say never” kind of person, but writing is something that I’ve done for almost five years that literally no one in my real life knows about. Not my friends, not my family, not a single soul. It’s like my dirty little secret. And it’s a little tough because it does get lonely sometimes when you have something that you love doing so much but you just feel like you can’t share or aren’t ready to share that part of yourself with even those closest to you. I’m a pretty self-conscious person, and posting on here where I can hide behind a screen is hard enough; I get nervous and have a good spike of anxiety every time I post something, no matter what it is. I don’t know if I could handle someone who knows me personally even knowing that I write, let alone actually reading something I’ve written. I’ve got the bubble gut just thinking about it 🥴

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

I’ve been lucky enough to talk to and befriend some amazing and talented people in the time I’ve been here who I’ve certainly looked up to when it comes to their writing talents. And there are also those writers who I got to know after I’d been writing for a while that not only continued to inspire me with their amazing stories and talent but who also became a huge support and really close friends. They were and/or are always willing to brainstorm, look over snippets, help in those moments when I’ve been extra critical of myself and feeling very unsure, and/or have just been the absolute best cheerleaders and constantly supportive and encouraging to not only me but others as well. I don’t want to make a list because I always end up forgetting someone and I don’t want to leave anyone out, but anyone that fits that bill above, you know how much I love and appreciate each one of you.

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

I’d say either Always You or Hopeless Hearts for a movie. Series I think Full Disclosure with some Charlotte shenanigans would be pretty fun 😂

17- Do you write original fiction?

I haven’t. I’ve been asked a few times about whether I’ve thought about turning a couple of my series into original stories, but I just don’t think I’ll have the confidence to ever do it 😬

18 - What other hobbies do you have?

I do photography. I love calligraphy and making hand drawn quote signs on wood or canvas. I love to read — I’m currently in my fantasy girl era and have been obsessing over the ACOTAR series for months, lol.

19 - What’s your favorite emoji?

I use so many to express myself in conversations that I think it would be hard to pick just one. My most commonly used ones: 💀 😂 🥲 😬 😍 🥴 🥹

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

I just want to thank CFWC for working so hard to help keep this fandom active and supporting everyone here.

To anyone who’s taken any time to read my stories and interact with me in any way, I appreciate it more than I can say.

This place has been such an escape for me over the past (almost) five years, one I’m still very much in need of. So, whether you’re a content creator, writer, artist, reader, whatever the case may be, whether we’ve interacted before or not, thank you for what you’ve done to help keep this fandom alive.

#choices fic writers creations #cfwc writer of the month #playchoices #choices the stories you play #writer of the month #ao719 #august 2023 #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic

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bebepac · 2 years ago

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Six Sentence Sunday 07.17.22 / Mood Music Monday

Legit how I’m going to feel if one more I.T. problem happens at my job. For some of you I talk to frequently outside of here know about the stream of issues I have that makes it almost feel like there is a conspiracy against me getting my job done in a decent number of hours.

Here’s what I’ve released lately:

The Rotten Apple 🍎: Rock Bottom

Original Post: 07/17/22 at 9:11PM EST

Chapter: 5: Work Retreat

Series: The Blue Honey Cafe

The Book: TRR (no royals)

Pairings: TRR MC is single

Status: Still in the writing process

“Round two of interviews. I’m in it to win it.” Liam flashed a smile at Riley.

“Bertrand, if you don’t mind, I’m going to help Riley back to her room.”

Liam slipped his arm around Riley holding her close. He felt Riley lean into his embrace.

They walked slowly and silently to her room.

“I’ll get you dinner later, I’ll text you alright. Now try to get a little rest, and I’ll check on you later.”

“Thank you Liam.”

“You don’t have to thank me for this Riley, I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Hana had just left for the group dinner and she was sure Liam had forgotten about dinner. Riley skimmed through the food delivery app on her phone, when there was a knock at the door.

“Liam! I thought you had left for the group dinner?”

“I didn’t go, because all of our group didn’t feel up to being there tonight.”

“You stayed behind for me?”

“Yeah, you’re the person I would have been talking to most anyway. So this works out. So can I come in?”

“Heck yeah, I’m ready for dinner.”

When Riley decided on her dinner choice Liam laughed. “You know we’ve been here two nights and being at the beach we’ve eaten anything but seafood?”

“I know, but i’m not in the mood for it.”

“So Italian it is!”

She found it incredibly endearing that Liam had ordered a simple spaghetti with meatballs.

“I don’t know if you feel up for it, but do you want to go eat on the beach? It’s a really nice night Riley, and I hate it that you’re having to be cooped up in your room, and you haven’t had a chance to walk the beach yet.”

When their food had arrived, Liam packed the spare blanket.

“You’re right, it’s a beautiful night. I’m glad we decided to come out here. Looks like others had the same idea.”

Riley glanced around seeing multiple couples together cozying up together on the beach.

“Yeah but our idea is way better than theirs. We have food. Gazing romantically into your eyes isn’t going to make my stomach stop growling.”

Liam burst out laughing at Riley’s honest admission.

Mood Music Monday Submission

The Series: The Rotten Apple 🍎 : Chapter 13

Sincerely, Lady Liberty

The Book: TRH/and beyond

The Pairings; Liam x Riley / Eleanor x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC)

Status: Still in the writing process

Song Inspiration: I Love You by Billie Eilish

"Papa look!!!"

Nico gazed up from his book to Ana as she stood at the top of the slide ready to go down.

Nico proudly cheered for fearless Ana as she squealed excitedly as she went down the swirly slide at the park. She jumped up enthusiastically, and broke out into a little run, heading for the ladder to climb up the playhouse again for round two.

Nico glanced down at his book reading, it was only for a moment just long enough for Ana to climb back up the play house slide. He glanced up again at the slide, expecting Ana to be at the top, but it wasn’t her, another child was in her place.

Ana must be next, he thought to himself, but instead another child emerged at the top of the playhouse.

Nico dropped his book trotting over to the playhouse peering in. Ana was not in the playhouse.

“Ana?”

He did a quick scan of the playground not seeing her.

Nico tried to stay calm as he called out her name again. “Ana answer me!” he screamed in Greek. Panic was starting to set in, and he was starting to get the attention of other parents in the park as he called out Ana’s name.

Stay calm, he reassured himself. He ran over to the restroom, a woman with a child was coming out. Ana always knew to ask if she needed to go to the bathroom, but it was worth it to check.

Nico quickly pulled out his phone, showing the woman Ana's picture. “Did you see my daughter in there? Please can you check and see if she's inside?”

The woman paused to look at the picture of Ana.

“We were the only ones in there, I’m sorry.”

Nico completely lost his cool, as he began to frantically scream her name. What if he lost her? What if… something worse had happened, someone had taken her? Elle’s words from years ago rang in his ears.

“Because of who she is, makes her a target, because of who they think I am.”

God what if someone took her?!?!? Panic and fear had set in.

“ANA!!!!!”

He ran the perimeter of the park seeing Ana standing outside the park talking to a woman who was kneeling in front of her. Nico hopped the fence and barrelled toward Ana’s direction, at full speed. The woman kneeling was wearing a veil covering her face, and was handing Ana ice cream.

“Get the hell away from my daughter!” Nico screamed in Greek, snatching Ana away from the woman, pushing the woman away from her, the ice cream falling between them.

#bebepac writes #six sentence sunday #always more than six #the blue honey cafe #the rotten apple #elle x nico #liam x riley #choices fanfiction #mood music monday #cfwc sunday six #choices fic writers creations

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cassiopeiacorvus · 2 years ago

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KTAW DAY 6 | CASTELSERRAILLAN

Tagging: @kiaratheronappreciationweek, @lizzybeth1986, and @sazanes

My headcanons about Castel are not as well-developed as they will be in the future, but I can present five quick thoughts, all subject to change.

Being the descendants of the Kingdom of Bellmere, Castelsarreillan is the largest of Cordonia's duchies and likewise contains the most marquisettes, counties, viscounties, and baronies.

The Wild West-themed bar the TRR crew visits to celebrate Drake's birthday is located in Castelsarreillan. As the artistic hub of the country, it's also home to many eclectic businesses with unique themes.

Castelsarreillan is the founder of the Cordonian Medieval Historical Society mentioned in my fic A Lesson in Sources. Castel prides itself on its preservation of history and has the largest collection of extant artifacts second only to the capital, Thýella.

Kiara and Hana are both heavily involved with the branches of the Cordonian Public Library located in their respective duchies. In Kiara's case, she and Hana cycle through every public library in Castelsarreillan to host and LGBTQ+ themed storytimes for children. The events also include all-ages entertainment for the broader queer community.

Let's end with an angsty headcanon. During the first International Art and Food Festival, Hakim and Joëlle decided to honor the tenth anniversary of their close friend Queen Eleanor's death with an art exhibit. Constantine, still reeling from his second wife's death and a recent assassination attempt against Liam, decides not to go. He makes it very clear he doesn't approve of the exhibition, leading to the breakdown of his friendship with Hakim.

#playchoices #the royal romance #kiara theron #kiaratheronappreciationweek #KTAW #ktaw day 6

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secretaryunpaid · 3 years ago

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Good evening my friend I have an ask? I was wondering if you would do a one shot of Riley having passionate night with a one handsome surgeon name Bryce🥵! I’ve only recently read OH and phew is he smokin😮‍💨. Have a good day mate.🇬🇧

Scorned Hearts

TRR/OH Crossover (Riley Brooks x Bryce Lahela)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Adult content, sex

Word Count: 3,100 approximately

A/N: Riley Brooks has been scandalized in Cordonia. Liam has had to send her away for her own safety, as she began to receive physical threats for bringing scandal to the Rhys monarchy.

Heartbroken, she reaches out to her best friend from New York, Daniel, seeking reprieve from all that has occurred. He informs her that he is headed to Boston for his sister’s wedding week and would love for her to accompany him… Maybe this will be just the thing to cheer her up…

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Riley looks out over the landscape below, her heart is heavy and she is missing Liam more than she ever thought she would… It feels like a part of her life ended without any true explanation or understanding of what it meant for her future… A future she’d planned with a man who had entered her life and seized hold of her heart and mind with the simple magnetism of his charm…

Here she was, on his private jet, alone without his conversation, his handsome smile… his touch. She looks to the empty seat next to her, seeing his transparent image next to her talking so freely, offering her that smile that melts her heart every time… tears forming and beginning a slow trickle down her cheek as the pilot announces that they will be landing shortly, breaking her out of her own self torture… “Pull it together, Riley.”

She holds the card given to her by the Pilot on Liam’s behalf… Afraid to open it, not wanting to read his final goodbye, she simply ran her fingers over his handwriting, a melancholy smile forming on her face. Mere hours ago, she was on her way to her far from fairytale ending… Facing constant threats and pressures from the Royal Council and duties of Cordonia, but excitedly looking forward to the moments of unwind… embraced within Liam’s arms as he kissed away the stresses of the day… Why shouldn’t she be thrilled that she escaped the daily threat of death and potential ulcer development due to dealing with the Madeleines of nobility…

She sent a quick text to let Daniel know that she would be landing shortly, trying to force herself out of her self pity and back to the “Wiley Riley” he used to spend nights drinking and dancing with after a difficult shift at the Dive Bar… Buckling herself in and raising the reclined seat, she remembers the silly thoughts running through her head as she serviced the Bachelor Party for the man she had privately became the future bride to. His unofficial proposal in the hedge maze had her own a high that she thought she’d never land from, only to crash harder than she ever thought she would in the hour following… “Okay, Riley… No more thoughts of Cordonia… You are here to find solace… What does that even look like now? Liam…”

She enters the private gate, finding Daniel there holding a sign, “Looking for the Princess of my dreams… Riley, where are you?” She chuckles before sneaking up behind him, “So the Princess of your dreams, huh? I never knew,” she laughed. “Come here and give your second hand Prince a hug… You’re the strongest woman I have met outside of my mother, Riley… Everything is going to turn out just fine… In time…” He gives her the warmest hug, and she goes limp in her moment of syncope, but Daniel catches her just before she falls completely. “Riley!” Assisting her to a nearby bench, he nurses her back to consciousness. “What happened?,” she asks, her voice shaky. “Riley, when is the last time that you have eaten something? Let’s get some food in you…” She nods as he assists her to stand, grabbing her luggage and escorting her through the terminal out to their private car.

“I have to say that he sure hasn’t lost his touch. I got a message today saying that we would have a private car for the duration of our stay, and that hotel arrangements have been upgraded to share an apartment situated on the top floor of the hotel… Overkill for sure, but we’ll certainly take full advantage of the amenities.” When they enter the private car, there is a silver platter with a note affixed to the bouquet of flowers lying next to it. Riley simply rolls her eyes, raking them to the floor. “Oh, no hun, we will be reading that note… and partaking of whatever is under that silver platter.”

Note: “My love, this too is something that we shall overcome together. I know that you have probably starved yourself, not eating when your nerves are high. Please, Riley… Eat this. Don’t do this to yourself… I regret that I am unable to feed this to you myself, but entrust that Daniel will take no for an answer. All of my love… Lonely without you, Liam”

When he has finished reading the note, Daniel removes the lid from the platter to reveal a mini charcuterie board filled with fruit and meats, surrounded by chocolate and mints. Daniel takes one of the mini kabobs, moving it back and forth enticingly, but she doesn’t take it from him. He takes her hand, “Riley, ignore the fact that this has come from Liam. You need this and we both know it… Now, eat before I take it upon myself to force feed you…” She turns to look at him, his dramatic pouty lips and puppy dog eyes bring a smile to her face finally, and she playfully snatches the kabob, savoring the rich flavors. “He really does know me…” She leans into Daniel as he attempts to rub the sorrowful thoughts from her mind.

After settling in and showering, she starts to feel like a semblance of her old self. She enters the living room to see Daniel dancing to their favorite play list. “Come join me, I need “Wiley Riley” to help me get into party planning mode. She joins him, laughing hysterically and how uncoordinated Daniel pretends to be. “Will you go to view the bars with me? You know I always need your opinion…” His face lights up as she agrees, “I promised you an adventure, and adventure you shall have.” She hugs him, “You know none of that is necessary right… But I might just lay the first attractive guy that hints towards it… and NO judgement okay…” Hands raised in surrender, Daniel merely smirks, “Do you, my Wiley Riley!”

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~~~~~

After touring several bars, Daniel tells Riley that he has to visit his cousin at Edenbrook hospital, she has some ideas that she needs to run past him, but she is working a double shift and needs him to stop there. “A hospital… Oh, Daniel… It’s been too long, is this the adventure that you promised?” He laughs at her joke, but muses, ‘You never know …” Arriving in the atrium, he immediately spots her with a group of people, all laughing at someone within the group who is talking animatedly with wild hand gestures and body movements. Riley finds herself smiling, and even laughing to herself at the scene, wondering what he could possibly be discussing. He turns, noticing the smile on her face. His loss for words has the group turning to follow his gaze. One of them, a gorgeous Indian female, doesn’t pass up the chance to taunt him over it, “Look, someone has finally managed to shut the scalpel jockey up! I have never seen you this way…” Sienna sees Daniel next to the woman who has stolen the attention of the group, and makes her way over, “Hey, Daniel! We all need to know who your friend is and invite her out for drinks! We have been trying to shut Bryce up for a while now,” she laughs, “You two … come meet my friends,”

Riley can see the relation between the two. Sienna has the same kind hearted spirit as Daniel. Upon reaching the group, Sienna introduces Daniel, but looks to Riley for a moment feeling bad for not getting her name beforehand. “Hi, I’m Riley… It’s a pleasure to meet you all…” Bryce sidles up beside Riley, taking her hand, “Oh, it can definitely be a pleasure.” Sienna whacks his shoulder, “Bryce! Reel it in, already!” Riley hasn’t taken her eyes from his, nor removed her hand. He notices, and takes it a step further, “We were all heading to Donahue’s for our break, care to join?” Jackie steps up, shoving Bryce out of the way, “Can we at least finish introductions first? She may find SOME of us more interesting!”

“Hi, I’m Jackie, to my left is Elijah, Aurora and Rafael.” Riley smiles, nodding to each as Jackie gives their name. “You’ve met Sienna and Scalpel Jockey here.” Butting in and assuming his place beside Riley, “Scalpel Jockey is also known as Bryce… Bryce Lahela. Now, back to my earlier proposal” .... Daniel chimes in, “We’d love to join… We can take a break from our bar search.” Daniel whispers to Sienna as Riley was deep into conversation with Bryce. “Guys, you go ahead. Daniel is gonna go with me upstairs to get my notepad… I totally forgot it before we left…”

Riley gives Daniel a suspicious look, but smiles and winks, letting him know that there was a potential for more with Bryce later. Arriving at Donahue's, the group heads to a booth, but Bryce holds Riley back, offering to show her around the bar… seeing that Daniel was still shopping around for bars to add to the bar crawl.

“So Riley, I know why Daniel is here, but what brings you to Boston?” She looks forlorn, but tries to hide it. “Ah… broken heart? So is Daniel your “rebound guy”? Or is he just a good friend?” She offers a half smile, “Am I that easy to read? Daniel is my best friend, but yes broken heart I guess you could say… So, are you an expert in the “rebound guy” department?” He laughs, “You wound me, Riley. Although, I do know a thing or two about broken hearts... ” She hisses, “Recently or long ago?” He downs his drink, suggesting to Riley that this burn occurred recently. “That recent, huh? So, Bryce… any advice on how to move on as jovially as you have?” Looking into her eyes with a serious expression on his face… “You just take it one hour at a time until it just becomes an accepted reality… Hopefully you’re unlike me and don’t work with them… or hangout together with friends still…”

She offers a confused look, and he elaborates with, “Christa…” Riley is stunned, because seeing the group earlier, she would never have guessed a broken heart existed among them… “I’m impressed with your poker face Bryce. You’ll have to teach it to me… Work with him… No… More like competing for his hand…” She tosses back her drink, and now Bryce has the look of confusion on his face. “Please don’t say anything, but I flew from New York to a European country chasing a feeling… Things happened out of our control, and he sent me away… No hints of the future, of us… of anything really...” “DAMN!,” Bryce says before he can stop himself. “My apologies, Riley… I-”

She puts a hand up, “Tonight is about getting to know you… Not focusing on the past… Here’s hoping that you want to ‘get to know’ me, too.” Not missing the cue, he leans in, kissing Riley gently. When they pull away, neither opens their eyes… taken aback by the instant chemistry… When he finally opens his, he looks at how beautiful she truly is, and the fact that she still hasn’t opened her eyes signals for him to kiss her again, this time hungrily… When it ends he hears, “Your place, NOW please…” Without hesitation, he grabs her hand, practically racing out of Donahue’s, unseen by anyone in their group, but highly noticed by Reggie, who just shakes his head with a gentle laugh.

Entering his place, he makes a rapid introduction to his sister Keiki before tossing her his credit card with a wink to get lost. Once the door closes, he wastes no time stripping Riley as she strips him. Between heavy breaths, she asks about condoms… Pulling her with him to the nightstand, he tosses its contents to the floor until he finds the unopened box. “Good to go,” he says after checking the expiration date. “Good!,” she exclaims as she shoves him to the bed, not expecting him to yank her with him.

Laughing, she rolls over so that he is on top of her, reaching up to kiss him as she gropes his body. “Are all surgeons this fit? I almost feel like I need to paint you.” After kissing and groping of his own, “Not the model type, but these surgical hands have touched beating hearts, so watch out! You are in for specialty care tonight.”

To Riley’s surprise, Bryce didn’t immediately take advantage of her offer. Instead, he slowed their pace. Lowering to caress her breasts with his tongue and ever gentle hand, he sent an uneasy feeling through Riley… A general attraction that she felt impossible beyond Liam… Her arousal reaching a different level, her heart pounding in excitement, her breaths coming quickly…

Noticing, Bryce takes her arms, placing them around his neck. “Hold onto me.” He lifts her from the bed, carrying her over to the dresser. “I want you to look at your beauty in each of these mirrors... don’t take your eyes from the mirrors…” He gently places her on the dresser top, spreading her legs slowly as his tongue explores her mouth… feeling hers play with his… Kissing his way down her chin and neck, he runs his hands through her hair, kissing her lips a final time before lowering further.

Ghosting her nipple, he massages her breasts as he lowers still, reaching her clit, giving it a gentle tongue flick before pressing circles against it, feeling her heat rise from her center...His hands trace her sides, and as his hands reach her hips, he pulls her against his tongue strokes hearing her whimper in response.

He puts her legs over his shoulder, tugging gently to have her bottom free of the dresser, causing her to grip the edge as he gives full attention to kissing and tasting her. Her head rolls against the mirror, taking in the sight of his skill, as she runs her hands through his soft hair before guiding his face deeper still as she rolls against it.

Increasing his pace causes her to call out his name, followed by the words, “I need more!” Lining himself, he eases in, receiving an immediate high from the feel of her pulsing and clenching around him. He stills, but she rides him as he stands, not wanting to lose an ounce of the feeling that he was giving her, Bryce now watching her movements in the mirror, as his thumb circled her clit.

Feeling her reach climax, he lifts her from the dresser to fuck her where they stood. His drive increased as she begged for him, “Please, Bryce, faster!” The sounds of her arousal echo through the room until only their moans are heard, a release both clearly needed and certainly enjoyed, as evidence of their need for more pushed them into their second round.

Grinning playfully over their prior behavior as he pulls Riley back into Donahue’s to join the group, he bumps into someone. Never looking the person in the face, he apologizes. Their stride is stopped short as Bryce feels Riley stop in her tracks… As he turns to see what’s wrong, he notices a tall male holding onto her other arm.

“Liam!... What are you doing here?”

Riley slumps, holding her chest, the weight of her actions with Bryce taking her breath as she looks into Liam’s heartbroken eyes… Both men attempt to catch her before she falls to the floor, with Liam being quicker on his feet. Beads of sweat appear on her face as she clutches her left arm, losing consciousness… “Riley! Riley!”

“I’m a doctor, give her to me!” Liam hesitates, but does as Bryce says, the rest of the group rush to his side to assist as Sienna calls for an ambulance… “Yes, possible heart attack! The patient has lost consciousness… Hurry! Donahue’s!” Daniel looks distraught as Liam stares daggers at him before turning back to Riley.

“Riley, I love you! You can’t leave me like this! Come back to me, PLEASE!!!”

Hours later, and after much pacing in the lobby, Liam is allowed in to see Riley… Bryce stands at the nurses station, watching the entire display. “I came to take you home, my love. Are you okay?” Tears run from her eyes, turning away from Liam, she locks eyes with Bryce through the open door… “No, Liam… I am not okay…”

Following her gaze, he notices the man from before staring at Riley as well. Turning back to her, he leans in to kiss her forehead before getting up to shut the door for privacy. Closing the blinds to her room. Bryce starts for her room, but Christa takes him by his shoulder… “Let’s go get a coffee… You have to give Riley this time with him.”

When Bryce and Christa return to the floor, they notice that her room is empty and housekeeping is cleaning the room. He immediately asks where the patient is that was in the room, only to hear that she has been signed out of the hospital… Riley was gone as quick as she had entered his life…

“Christa, have you ever fallen in love at first sight?” Just as he asks her the question, Dr. Ethan Ramsey approaches the desk, telling her that he needs her help with “patient X”. She leans in and whispers, “Yes… I have… I’ll catch up to you later, okay Bryce?” It felt like a second stab…

He truly wasn’t expecting things to end the way they had with either women… Maybe surgery was the only focus he needed after all...

#@choices fanfic #@secretaryunpaid #trr oh crossover #choices trr #choices open heart #bryce lahela #riley brooks

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solarishashernoseinabook · 2 years ago

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Hey folks, sorry for the slow updates lately! Once again, life has gotten in the way. Also this upcoming chapter of TRR is going waaaay slower than I thought it would.

To make up for it, please look below the cut for an excerpt from TRR chapter 23, a lighthearted scene of little four year old Halt (tho the scene does stand on its own, if you're not following TRR!) :3

(Note: the word for autism in-universe is phóg laechonnachie)

Summer, 613 CE – Year 15 of the Reign of King Brian O’Carrick of Clonmel

The rumour sprang up seemingly overnight. Phóg laechonnachie. Fae-kissed.

The first time Brian heard a servant utter the term in front of him, he fired him on the spot. The next week he fired two maids who were discussing it as they did the laundry. Three days later, he dismissed an apprentice groom who mentioned the laechonnachie, and didn’t care at all when the boy protested that he only meant that a little ring of mushrooms had appeared behind the stables, a sure sign that the Little People were there.

But the rumour didn’t go away. It travelled Dun Kilty in hushed tones, in shadowed corners where servants stopped to chat on their rounds, over the long tables where the staff ate their meals, from bunk to bunk amongst the apprentices before they fell asleep.

Phóg laechonnachie. Prince Halt is one of the phóg laechonnachie.

Halt was crouching by the edge of the woods, holding clover flowers to the stitched-on mouth of his stuffed rabbit Nínin. It was the quietest part of the grounds, and Halt insisted to Bridget that Nínin liked eating there best.

When he decided Nínin was done with the clover, Halt dropped the flowers he’d picked and straightened up.

Something caught his eye and he peered through the trees. Just visible through them was a pure white mushroom. Curious, Halt jogged over to it, pulling Nínin along by one ear.

When he got close enough he stopped. He burst out into a bright grin and waved one hand rapidly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. It wasn’t just one mushroom, but a whole ring of them, perfectly encircling a massive oak. Acorns littered the area around its base, and when a squirrel darted through the branches of the oak dozens of them showered down to patter on the ground. The sound was delightful, and Halt let out a small squeal and giggled in delight.

‘What was that?’ came a voice, and Halt’s smile faded and he stood very still.

‘Could be one o’ them laechonnachie. Look, we’re near one of their rings,’ said another voice.

Halt darted into the ring of mushrooms and flattened himself against the mossy trunk of the tree, and peered around it. Off to one side were two of the apprentice blacksmiths who worked on Dun Kilty’s grounds. Their green tunics marked them as third-years, seventeen years old. To four-year-old Halt, that meant they were practically grown-ups, and grown-ups liked to get him in trouble when he got too close to the woods.

‘Laechonnachie?’ the first apprentice said.

‘Gotta be.’ The second apprentice lowered his voice. ‘You heard, right? About the Prince? So there’s gotta be some nearby.’

‘Actually…look, I’m from Celtica, I only came here a few years ago. What’s with this whole phóg laechonnachie business? What even are the laechonnachie?’

‘Shh!’ The second apprentice made a quick sign with his hands. ‘They’re the Little People.’

‘Oh! Them. We call them Tylwyth Teg.’

‘Yes, well, whatever they’re called, you ought to be careful of ‘em.’

‘So what’s that whole phóg laechonnachie thing about? What do some fairies have to do with Prince Halt?’

Halt had started to get bored of this conversation, but now he leaned in, trying to catch every word, even though the falling acorns and singing birds made it hard to hear.

‘Tried to steal him away, didn’t they? Twins are more susceptible to it, you know, because laechonnachie care so little for their own kids they hardly notice them, so they figure human parents won’t notice if one disappears and gets replaced with one o’ the laechonnachie babies. And there was this great storm just a couple months after the twins were born, worst I’ve ever seen, it sent this branch through the window in the nursery, so that must’ve been when they got in and tried to take him.’

‘Did it work?’

‘Nah, if he was a full changeling he would’ve been this ugly little thing. But the laechonnachie like to come back for the ones they tried to steal, y’see. They mark them for later. That’s where the word comes from. And the mark changes them. Makes them strange.’

The first apprentice looked at the tree for a long time. ‘Should probably go, then,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t want to end up on their bad side. Should we leave them an offering? We always do that back in Celtica.’

‘Yeah, just don’t touch the mushrooms when you do.’ The apprentices each took a small thing out of their pockets and left them at the very edge of the circle, then stepped back. The second one clapped the shoulder of the first. ‘Let’s go. But hey, look, don’t go mentioning anything about the laechonnachie where Their Majesties can hear, okay? They hate anyone saying their little darling Prince ain’t perfect.’

The apprentices went off, and Halt slowly crept away from behind the tree. He didn’t fully look where he was going, and his foot nudged one of the mushrooms, bending its stem. Halt stepped back from it quickly and crouched to straighten it again, then stood and jumped over the mushroom ring so he wouldn’t knock over any others.

Halt fumbled in his pockets, but he didn’t have anything with him to leave as an offering. But he couldn’t just leave, because that would probably make the laechonnachie mad, especially as he’d touched one of the mushrooms.

A sudden idea struck him and he lifted Nínin so he was looking properly at him. ‘Nínin, d’you think the laechonnachie would want some clover?’

Taking Nínin’s complete lack of response as agreement, Halt ran back to the clover patch and picked up the flowers he’d left there, then ran back to the mushroom ring. The apprentices’ offerings were just outside the circle, but Halt reached over the mushrooms to sprinkle the flowers inside it instead, just in case that would make the offering work better. That done, he turned and rushed back to the edge of the woods.

He swore he heard a sound behind him, like the sound a breeze would make if it could laugh, and he stopped and looked back. Something colourful danced at the base of the oak, just on the edge of his field of vision, but when he turned to see it fully it disappeared.

Halt was struck by sudden nerves. He held Nínin close and darted out of the woods.

#ra #rangers apprentice #ra fanfic #the royal ranger #halt ocarrick #autistic!halt #my writing

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lizzybeth1986 · 5 years ago

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Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 1 Chapter 8

• So…umm…I LOVE this chapter! More in hindsight than when I was actually playing it because back then it just sounded like a jealous woman trying to sabotage the MC and failing. But now having played through this chapter and even written a fic about it…I have to say there’s a lot going on in this one.

• I’ve often found the 8th chapter in the series pretty interesting. This was the first chapter in the series to feature diamond scenes from all three of the original LIs in a single chapter. This would happen again in Book 2, but by Book 2 the imbalance was a lot more tangible. I will speak more about this later…but suffice to say that back when we had just two books in the series, I would call the 8th chapter The Magical Number Eight.

• A common misconception that seems to stem from this chapter (and others, often by Kiara-haters) is that Kiara “agrees to be our friend” this chapter, and then jumps ship to Madeleine in Book 2. That’s bullshit. Kiara never mentions the word friend. She says ally. And she delivers.

• THIS is also where you get the first little inkling that Maxwell could be romanced, though we would only know for sure by the middle of Book 2. This chapter is also where you also get the first of many Drake’s plot related scenes. Which meant that sometimes, even if a fan did not like him, they would end up buying his scenes anyway for some crumb of information on their LI. Drake was already getting popular, but dropping hints of plot into his scenes gave him an added edge and often encouraged fans of other LIs who didn’t like him, to buy his scenes.

• Anyway, since the buildup took an entire chapter, the book pushes us straight into the dressing room for this one!

• Title: A Waltz to Remember.

Alternative Title: Lizzy Turns This QT into a Kiara Gush-fest And Does Not Regret It (Even If It Gave Her Hand-Cramps).

I love how over the course of three books, this particular dance form of Cordonia has gained the importance it has. And it’s lovely how - even though we’re not meant to like Olivia at this point - our first glimpse of Cordonian culture through this dance, is in her estate.

• Hana’s silver dress makes its debut here! Honestly, I kinda would’ve liked this one a LOT better as a gown than as the bodycon it eventually became. That pleated bodice really needed a long, flowy skirt to work. I’m always going to be a little sore they made it a short bodycon instead 😑

• Okay I love both our options for the ball, okay. They’re both big, and glamorous, and make a real statement. Which is necessary, because the plan is to show Olivia up at her own home.

Winter Goddess is gorgeous - it has that vintage Hollywood feel to me, and the caption for it sounds pretty romantic (“will capture the winter moonlight”). Snowflake Sweetheart is very on-point for the whole snow/ice theme Lythikos itself has going on. I’m very fond of the crystals and the illusion sleeves on the second one….but I have to say that silk-satin one with the fur stole is the winner for me 😅

Me Back Then (on one of my million replays): If I really have to take a diamond option, I’m taking the second one. I’m cheap.

Me Now: Still cheap. I’m not spending 25 whole diamonds on another gown when there’s already a cute one free in my closet.

• Maxwell is trying hard to channel Bertrand 2.0, and is badgered enough by 1.0 over the phone to almost succeed.

• One of the formal phrases he uses is “a diamond of the first water”, a phrase you’d see very commonly in the Regency era…which kind of solidifies my belief that Regency England was one of their world building inspirations even back then.

• We don’t fully understand the kind of power the hostess can wield in her homeplace, until this sequence. On principle, Olivia is not exactly answerable to anyone, not even the royals visiting her in Lythikos - she can decide on seat arrangements, she can give instructions to the staff on who gets the best portions of the meals and who gets the worst, she can monopolize on the Prince’s time with her if she wants. And she takes full advantage of that.

• However, her being the hostess doesn’t always leave her completely free to do what she wants, without consequences. Lythikos is not just a turning point for us - it’s one for her as well. And not exactly in a good way.

• Here’s what Olivia does to sabotage us at the ball:

- seats us away from our sponsor, and away from the head table. In fact this is something she does to all the suitors - Maxwell tells us that not a single one has a place at the head table.

- seats us way back, next to a commoner who is also constantly given the same treatment - which Hana points out is meant to be viewed in the court as an insult. To an MC who is still learning the ways of the nobility, this move is pretty much a miss…but it does give us a very clear idea of how hypocritical the nobility and royalty can be. Hana is not immune to the prejudice either (seen as she does not censor the statement when she says it in front of Drake, a commoner), but she eventually grows to fiercely guard him and defend him from those kind of attitudes later on… and you can see a lot of that growth in TRH’s Walker Ranch chapters.

- has her servers give us ice-cold lobster bisque on purpose, thirty minutes after serving has begun. With no lobster in it. Remember, we’re in a wintry region where you require piping hot, creamy, fattening foods to stay warm. This isn’t just ruining a meal: Olivia is sending a clear message about how unwelcome they are, by giving them cold food devoid of the main protein, in the freezing cold of Lythikos.

- given the timing of her kiss on Liam during the waltz, she probably did that to send a message to us as well. It happens shortly after our dance with him, and from her reaction (angry, immediately establishing claim on him) to Liam’s dance with the MC, we can tell she’s more affected than she’d like to admit, and that’s what informs her actions during her second dance with him.

• Me Back Then: There is a nice option and a rude option. It’s Drake, but he’s Liam’s bff and I want to be nice.

(+ romance point)

Me Back Then:

Me Now: Romance points in Lythikos fall from Drake the way pee falls from someone with weak kegels. One tiny laugh and pssssshhhh.

• From the rude option you find out that Drake plays chess and often wins in his matches with Liam, so that’s a nice touch.

• The MC can acquire the fresh bisque for herself and her friends if she dramatically faints in front of a server. I quite like this (optional) moment because it shows her thinking on her feet and quickly ensuring she gets her way. The other options are pretty hilarious too, though, the obnoxious “do you know who I am” option comes with a Game of Thrones reference 😂

•

Me Back Then: …someone should leave Drake hungry at a party till the wee hours of the morning with access to only whiskey bottles. Whiskey for entrèe, whiskey for main, maybe we’ll be kind and give him brandy for dessert. Let’s see how far his love for whiskey goes then 😈

Me Now: Holy shit, Me Back Then, you just predicted the best scene in Book 3 🤣.

• One of my favourite TRR Tumblr posts ever, was the one where someone took a screenshot of Drake saying “I’m not one to complain about food” from this chapter, and placed a gif of Nicholas Fraser’s “Why You Always Lying” lyrics just beneath it 😄 If that isn’t the truth idk what is.

• Most of the chapter after this will focus on the Cordonian Waltz, Olivia’s little stunt and getting allies, so the buildup to Drake’s scene will happen now (and Hana’s just before we meet Drake). Hana will be dancing with Tariq, and then other partners in the meantime, so no opportunities to dance with her there.

I loved this dialogue option when I first saw it, but now that I know how much in love with dancing Maxwell is, this scene is ten times more fun! 😃

• On first playthrough…this didn’t seem like that big a problem. Maxwell was fun, and seemed to genuinely like us, and was berated a great deal by Bertrand - so it was easier then to perhaps forgive his gaffes and want to comfort him instead. But when you approach his character as someone who brought a complete foreigner to his country and then didn’t make much of an effort to educate her with what little time they both had…I wind up finding his character a lot less endearing. I’m honestly more irritated by his carelessness. There was a lot he could have done even if he forgot or didn’t know what to do. He could have asked around! Hana was right in front of him! He could have found out what to prepare for if he didn’t know or if Bertrand didn’t handhold him (which Bertrand himself isn’t exactly doing a good job of in the first place). The other LIs shouldn’t have to constantly step in and do his job as sponsor and guide!

• It’s only when we’re dancing that Maxwell realizes he’s not taught us the dance. Of course, if you bought Hana’s waltz scene, she whispers her advice just before you dance with him, and you give her credit for teaching you. If not, you go into it knowing very little (but because the options are easy to choose from, so you can still manage). Maxwell does explain its uniqueness in terms of the flirting potential and the fact that it’s a courtship dance…but the true beauty of that description only comes with Hana.

• Istg, if Hana weren’t around to repeatedly save our ungrateful asses…

• So THIS is the first opportunity you get to ‘romance’ Maxwell. He looks sad and tells you that you should only be here for the Prince, but it’s also that vague kind of sadness that you can interpret differently and write detailed fanfics about! I think a huge part of Maxwell’s appeal (besides the overall sparkling personality, and the fact that he was so different from both Liam and Drake) was the “will-he-won’t-he” nature of the LI question itself.

• We now move on to Liam, who is fighting a losing battle with his desire to favour the MC exclusively, but wants her to know that she is special to him. Notably he does say this in the “courtship” part of the dance.

• How do you know that the Cordonian Waltz was a strategic choice? Because Olivia chose to dance with Liam twice! And because she’s the hostess, it’s harder for Liam to refuse.

I remember being pretty uncomfortable with this scene the first time I saw it, I still am, and often I wonder if I’m the only one who feels that way. Whenever I see this scene being referenced, it’s often referenced in the most flippant ways. And it baffles me.

• Honestly, Olivia was clearly overstepping her boundaries here and didn’t even bother to ask Liam before doing it (Liam himself mentions he was “caught by surprise” and calls it an “unexpected advance”). Was Olivia doing it out of complex, understandable reasons? Like jealousy or frustration or showing the MC up? Well, sure I guess. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that her doing so was nonconsensual and downright wrong.

The funny thing is often this incident is either downplayed or erased completely, especially in contexts where people try to argue that Olivia “deserves better” than Liam, or sympathize with her for loving a man who “does not care about her”.

Does Olivia deserve to be loved back by a person she loves? Absolutely.

Is Liam a lesser person for not loving her back? No, and he shouldn’t have to be penalized or judged by a fandom for not doing so.

Is the fact that most people who uphold this “penalizing/blaming Liam for not returning Olivia’s feelings” argument, also tend to forget/downplay this particular incident…particularly disturbing? Well, yeah, definitely.

• Even the narrative fails with regard to this, actually. It is written in a comical style, with a couple of out-there dialogue options (like screaming loud enough of break poor Maxwell’s eardrums) and the MC is given a chance to lash out at Liam for not reacting fast enough or throwing Olivia off of him. And guess what his reaction is. Sad, contrite, trying to explain his position. It’s almost like it’s okay for him to feel guilty about something that was done TO him, that he was never asked permission for.

Olivia does suffer consequences, but more for her “power play” than for anything else. Her move isn’t viewed as negative for what it may do to Liam, it is negative because it is seen as a direct “fuck you” she is delivering to her competitors. The scene itself is written for laughs…which I’m surprised more people don’t find even a little uncomfortable.

• The reactions from the other suitors is pretty on point for their character types at this point. Madeleine is smug and condescending, confident that she will never be “unrefined or insecure” enough for such “ostentatious displays” (says the woman who will bully her entire court, run around Italy roaring drunk and name a drink after herself in Book 2). Penelope doesn’t exactly have a personality at this point, she merely comments that the kiss was a bold play. It is Kiara who points out the power dynamics involved and views it as the last straw in her waning support for Olivia.

Remember - the ladies of the court weren’t treated half as badly as we were, but they were probably more aware (than us) that they were being denied a seat at the head table, and had to put up with Olivia monopolizing Prince Liam’s time. While Kiara’s suspicions that Olivia is “mad with power” here probably aren’t too far off the mark (even though her feelings of jealousy and confusion may be involved, we can’t deny that there is a clear sense of “I’m the hostess here, I can do what I want”), it’s not just an assumption that simply stems out of nowhere.

• Maxwell sees and opportunity to gain allies, and encourages us to capitalize on it. The wrong options are pretty interesting: if you mention “slapping the smirk off Olivia’s face”, Maxwell tells you that the political equivalent would be to “attack her alliances”. If you suggest making out with Liam in public, Maxwell exclaims that doing so would lead to people gunning after you. Which is telling, because in Book 1 PDA is mostly shown as being frowned upon in Cordonian society in general. So Olivia’s very public kiss isn’t just brazen and bold to the courtly ladies, but also viewed as inappropriate and a jab at their own lack of power in this situation.

• I love that Maxwell gets the opportunity to encourage us to play politics. Love it. He is the first one to notice the change in Kiara’s attitude towards Olivia, and he recognizes that the time is ripe for us to captialize on it. While Bertrand, or Bertrand-and-Maxwell, are the ones who tell us the importance of gaining support from the press and the royals, getting the court to support us is wholly Maxwell’s idea. This added another layer to the way he was built in the story, and I’m not happy that we didn’t see a lot of that perceptiveness and skill around court later on. By Books 2 and 3, he was mostly relegated to the funny guy, the court jester. Book 1 Maxwell may make a lot of mistakes but you bet he’d be too smart to toss brushettas in the face of dignitaries at the UN. It was like his own writers forgot Maxwell was capable of more.

• OKAY SO THE KIARA SECTION IS A FAVOURITE OF MINE OKAY. And it only wound up being a favourite when I realized there were changes in her dialogue between my Esther playthrough and my Persephone one. I mean if I weren’t already a fan of her…this definitely would have converted me.

Before I get into the actual gushing…I’ll just summarize what the MC has to do to gain her approval:

- Language: Kiara is known for her proficiency with languages - it is the skill that defines her in court (to the point that you barely notice her other qualities). Her home language is French, and if you know how to respond to comment ça va she is cheerful and more willing to hear you out (if you choose the fromage answer she’ll a bit surprised but not too hostile, and if you say voulez-vous coucher avec moi, well…of course she’ll be pissed off because you just accidentally asked her to sleep with you). In any case, to gain her approval you need to respond in French.

In fact even Kiara’s goodbyes vary based on whether she becomes your ally or not. If she’s your ally, she says à bientôt before leaving (which is “see you soon”). If she’s not convinced by your arguments, she says adieu, which has more of a sense of finality to it and is often said when you don’t expect to meet again (in fact I’m surprised they had her say it) and is different from au revior (which means “until we see each other again”).

- Olivia’s Actions: Kiara reiterates to you what she’d just told the others - Olivia is on a power trip, and while Kiki is well aware that she’s not a top contender in this competition, she is not going to stand for being treated like she is lesser than the ones who do have power. Interestingly, in both Chapter 7 of Book 2 and this chapter, Kiara’s first visible signs of discontent/frustration come when both Olivia/Madeleine go on massive power trips (“she even named a drink after herself. Quelle narcissique”, Kiara says about Madeleine in the next book).

I feel like Kiara’s frustration may have already been there with Olivia’s treatment of the ladies of the court at the start of the Ball (but perhaps she may have been brushed it aside as a strategy you could expect from a noblewoman in her own estate) but it is Olivia kissing Liam and trying to establish a claim on him that is seen as the tipping point for her.

However, she’s also pretty pragmatic and is lowkey impressed with Olivia if you state that she went too far. She is irritated by the message Olivia is sending, but acknowledges that not many would have dared to do that in her place. A more neutral response works well with Kiara’s train of thought, because to her the important thing is seeing what works in the long run, and the MC has to convince her that she is a good alternative.

- Alliance: Kiara already anticipates this, since she is the one who straight-out asks this question. At this point Kiara is not exactly aiming to be Queen - she knows she is up against more powerful people, people who have more access to the royal family (perhaps her dad Hakim would have had a similar amount of access if Constantine wasn’t such a dick). She is not going to waste her time wishing for what she won’t get, when she can easily network instead. The answer that works best with her is the one where the MC speaks of Olivia’s friendship as being a one-way street where she always gets her way, which is ironic considering how the MC behaves in a likely worse manner towards Kiara in Book 3.

• One of my favourite Kiara lines is from the wrong option (“I’m nicer than Olivia”) for the Alliance segment: “Nice? Nothing about being here is nice. If I wanted nice I’d buy a teacup pig. 😡”

• Back in Books 6’s QT, I mentioned Queen Regina and Duke Bertrand as being the two people in the first book who watch out and keep track on our progress. Bertrand does it because he is our sponsor, Regina does it because after all we are one of the candidates for her stepson’s hand in marriage, and we’re the one he eventually shows the most interest in. But there is one other person who seems to be taking notice of our good performance as well:

On my fail run, where Persy doesn’t gain approval either from the press, or from the royals, those last two lines simply do not appear. She asks us about whether we’re looking for an alliance, and we immediately answer her. She will still join hands with you if you convince her (I did a test run where Persy said all the right things) but those words will not feature anywhere. Because the dialogue is coded such that it will only appear if you’ve done well in your previous two tasks.

That is fascinating to me, because Kiara is the only lady of the court who is written as noticing these things at such an early stage in the competition (the Lythikos Ball is only the third event in the social season, and the maximum approvals come from the Derby, which was the event just preceding it). She is the only person, besides Bertrand and Regina, who keeps track of our progress (even if that is only uptil this point, because if you win her support here, it stays that way until the Coronation). Even Madeleine, who has been part of a social season before and is viewed as having a lot of experience in the court, compared to the other ladies, spends most of her time simply underestimating the MC. It isn’t until Applewood and Ramsford that Madeleine even begins to think there might be more to this person.

Kiara, on the other hand, is observant. She is competitive but she knows when other people have the upper hand, and she will honestly acknowledge that you have an edge if you have proven yourself to the press and the Queen. For someone who would be seen as just a lady of the court….that level of foresight, observation skills and pragmatism is pretty phenomenal to me.

• I’ve said this many times and I will say it again: Kiara has always been upfront about what she’s bringing to the table in an alliance. She isn’t your friend and she won’t pretend to be your friend either. She mentions she will put in a good word and support you in becoming Queen, and she keeps her promise.

She keeps her distance from you otherwise, so you can’t dub her a ‘friend’ even then, but she will do her work as an ally. She doesn’t get involved in smearing your name while supporting you to your face. At the end of the day, she is a woman in the court trying to thrive and carve a space of her own, but she won’t dirty her hands to do that - and I don’t think she gets enough recognition for that.

• Alright I’ll stop gushing about Kiki otherwise this QT will never end 😂

• We now meet Liam, who tells us about the hot tub in his room, and invites us there. The intent is clearly romantic (the MC specifies as such, smiling, and Liam winks at you before he leaves).

• This chapter also marks the second time you see Penelope with Liam, after which you will only see her directly interact with him at his Coronation. Funny how Kiara doesn’t get even one opportunity in the narrative to talk to him.

• It’s the end of our big night in Lythikos, and we’ve got three invitations to spend time with an LI! Liam’s setting up candles near the hot tub, Hana is playing exquisite melodies on the piano, and Drake is drinking whiskey in Olivia’s wine cellar. Maxwell is…doing Maxwell things that we are not privy to yet. Or taking a nap.

• I won’t be going too much into detail esp for Liam and Hana’s scenes - because I have essays written on both! Both will be under the “Liam: Diamond Scenes” and “Hana: Diamond Scenes” sections of my essay masterlist if anyone is interested 😃 They will be titled “Hot Tub at Lythikos” and “Piano at the Parlour”, respectively. (another recommended read is “Exploring Hana in Her Context” where I talk about this scene, and her characterization. It’s a little further down on the masterlist).

•

(Screenshots for Drake from the HIMEME YouTube channel)

Liam: This is undoubtedly meant to be a romantic scene, and is hinted as much in the lead-up to it while still giving the MC the space to not go (since she says “I won’t make any promises”). He puts candles around the tub, and the tub itself is situated in an area where you can get a wonderful view of the mountains.

This scene is divided into two parts: the first where Liam gets to sincerely tell the MC he trusts her (optionally) and where they lightly flirt, and the second where he admits to feeling conflicted between giving in to his feelings and being fair to the other women. At this point he knows his feelings for the MC are stronger, implicitly trusts her (“I thoroughly believe that if you thought I was a pompous ass, you wouldn’t hesitate to tell me. I trust you, MC. Anything you say”), doesn’t want to call it love just yet but is well on his way to doing so. He tells us about his brother Leo, hinting at the events of the RoE series and explaining that seeing how love affected him made Liam think more about it. It’s not one of Liam’s absolute best scenes…but it is a sweet one where Liam tentatively explores his growing love for her - in some ways leading to his “almost-declaration” of love at the Forgotten Falls. In each scene of Liam’s, he takes a step further, and another, and another, to admitting his love for her and growing less guilty about his desire to be with her. He is still torn between his duty and his desire at this point, but you can already see him slowly inching towards the prospect of keeping what he wants first, for once.

Hana: This, in my mind, is Hana’s most powerful scene. As many adjectives as I can use to describe her in this scene would be inadequate, because it’s that good, that layered, that rich with nuance and detail. But I do think I can sum a bit of it up with a quote from a Book 3 Liam scene that instantly took me back to this one:

“Hana’s a tough one. She’s clearly had the kind of lessons I’m giving you now, and then some. Her posture is almost always polite and attentive…but when she feels strongly about something, you can sense her real feelings even before she speaks up. Her eyes grow darker and more serious.”

Compare the scenes from last chapter where she speaks about ice-skating, or even waltzing, to this one. In both those scenes, her expression is mostly neutral (or joyful when she is imparting her knowledge), speaking of it in a way that makes you understand that her heart isn’t truly in doing those things. But in this one, she is lost in her music when she plays it, she is feeling its melody in her bones, she speaks of guarding her most precious skill fiercely against her parents’ control because it’s the one thing she wants for herself. She is fierce and passionate and absolutely beautiful in the way she expresses her love for music.

In an essay I did on exploring Hana’s character in her larger context, I spoke at length about how this scene is important because it highlights that her struggle for her own autonomy began at a very young age - she recognized her art as sacred to her and had the foresight to understand that parading it around the way her parents wanted her to, would make her love it less. This scene is amazing because Young Hana is described as pushing back in the only way she knew how, so she could keep what was hers, on her terms.

The other thing this scene explores is her childhood loneliness and lack of friends, and how music helped her in those difficult times too. At this point we now know how deep that loneliness was, and how damaging to her, but back then this scene gave a wonderful insight to Childhood Hana.

So for her to trust us with her art - with the art she fought to keep her own…that’s a tremendous leap in that relationship - whether the MC is a friend or a potential lover. Romantically, she is at the point where she is slowly…slowly getting comfortable with the MC’s touch, allowing it to linger before she pulls away from her. She’s a bit like a butterfly who doesn’t know yet if she’s ready to leave her cocoon.

Drake: The picture presented to us of Drake here is the diamond-in-the-rough, the underdog, the one who views court and palace differently from everyone around him. He is there to remind us that this is not the charmed place we think it is, that even friends can stick knives in our backs. He speaks of the forced politeness of the nobility, the fact that he’s here only to protect Liam, that the MC is an innocent woman who doesn’t know what she is getting into and needs protection as well.

This scene comes with what was regarded as an important plot point at the time: who almost sold pictures of Liam’s bachelor party to the press? Drake and Bastien managed to get hold of them and prevent them from being published, knowing that having those printed before the social season would cast Liam in a more negative light, and make things harder for him. At this point, Drake is sure that someone he knows and possibly considers a friend is involved (close enough, but not quite there yet), but can’t yet figure out who (because, yknow, Olivia was the brains between the two, she cracked that mystery in under five minutes or something).

If you don’t buy this scene, you only get to know about the pictures in Book 2 Chapter 4. A lot of Drake’s scenes involve important plot points - some of which we won’t even hear the same way - or at all - if we don’t buy the scene (eg. the flashback scenes about Hana’s return and the Italian restaurant scene about Liam’s assassination). I recall buying quite a few of his scenes in the latter half of Book 1 and most of Book 2 just to find out stuff about other LIs.

The scene is pretty sweet - it highlights his now-famous whiskey obsession, has Drake openly show his protectiveness towards her minus the jaded sarcastic veneer, and has him warn her about the nature of this court. It has a line that I quite liked when I first saw the scene, but that fandom has pretty much ruined for me - “the moments in between”. Where he speaks of how the nobility are so busy schmoozing and being superficial that they miss the really important parts. It’s a beautiful thought, but the fact is I’m still paying like 17 diamonds to get it, which makes it a…pretty expensive moment.

But overall…it’s a nice scene. The look and feel of it is different from the other two, and so is the purpose.

• The focus of all these three scenes is clearly trust.

Liam completely trusts her opinion of him and confesses openly his desire to let go of all that is holding him back, even though he is still confused and conflicted about his own feelings.

Hana trusts her so much, that she will share piano pieces that she lovingly composed to the MC, even though she never performs for people. It is a measure of how much Hana values the MC that she will share such a secret part of herself with her.

Drake, who once came this close to calling the MC a crown chaser, now views the same woman as an innocent who doesn’t know what she is getting into. He will later tell her that that aspect of her journey reminds him of Savannah. He trusts the MC enough to give her important information about something he still views as a possible plot targeted at Liam, and tells her their moments mean something to him.

Chapter 8 of the second book took this theme forward for the initial three LIs, by showing us trust in other forms. Liam’s firm belief in his father’s dedication to his nation (which will crumble soon). Drake’s being convinced by the MC to stay on and hear out his sister, to give her a chance to explain what really happened to her, and his emotional reunion with her. Hana’s scene…was more about gaining someone’s trust - particularly Penelope’s. (it is also one of the worst scenes the series has ever given an LI, whoever wrote that one can fall on a cactus).

We are approaching a midpoint in the story, so at this point the narrative is progressing each of these relationships towards the point where they trust this woman, view her as a valuable person in their lives, and inch ever-so-slightly towards that eventual realization that they are in love with her.

•

Another point in the Tariq shoe tally!! I wonder if this ‘ghost’ deals with 'future misdeeds’ as well…

• We spend a few more days in Lythikos before we move back to the Capitol for the Royal Regatta, and both Esther and Persy are like “YOU HAD A FEW DAYS TO ASK IF I KNEW WHAT A FUCKING REGATTA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MAXWELL”.

• So…a lot happens this chapter. The MC begins to rope in (or not) her first allies in the court, she has a strong foothold by now and is beginning to get noticed as more than just a random contender who wouldn’t last, she gains the trust of the people she is growing close to.

But most of all…Lythikos is where Olivia begins to lose the hold she once had on the court, and this is never more apparent than if you are losing supporters rather than gaining them (if you are more popular, it won’t be that apparent, since you will move far ahead of the competition). There will be times when the press may not pay attention to her, there will be ladies who club the MC and Olivia both together as “not a proper fit for becoming a queen”. She is still very much a frontrunner, she may win the Regatta if you fail all the steps to the boat race, but after this it will be harder for her to gain support whether or not the MC succeeds.

Shortly after this point, Olivia also doesn’t antagonize the MC as blatantly as she did in Lythikos, save for a snide remark to the MC (with a life jacket of all things) if you choose to go to her yacht in the next chapter. She will eventually begin to thaw towards you in Applewood.

• Constantine and Regina are conspicuous by their absence this chapter, and Constantine announces that he is stepping down the next. Which probably means he found out sometime between the Masque and this event that he was ill (since we don’t see him at the Derby). I’m headcanoning that they visited Leo around this time (optionally with the RoE MC, since the housewarming party in Newlyweds seems to happen sometime around the social season (it could be earlier or later too…but humour me 😂)

• So…Regatta in Chapter 9! Lots of sun, fun and (Persephone-willing) PLENTY of mess.

• Before I sign of, here is Persy’s Share of Mess this chapter (except for the bloodcurdling scream she gives when Olivia kisses Liam, I forgot to screenshot that 🙈 How on earth did Maxwell’s poor ears survive??):

• Until next week, folks!

–

• Tally Counts:

Number of Times Drake has Called Esther/Persy by Their First Names: 5

Number of Times Tariq Has Mentioned His Shoes: 3

Number of Times Drake Has Taken An Alcoholic Drink that’s Not Whiskey: 1

Number of Times Someone Has Called A Reigning Monarch 'Your Highness’: 2

Number of Times You Can Leave Hana Shook. SHOOK I TELLS YA: 4

Number of Times We See Penelope’s Angryface: 2

–

#long post #the royal romance #trr quick thoughts #trr qts #hana lee #trr kiara #king liam #olivia nevrakis #drake walker #i stan for kiki #this was honestly one of my fave chapters to write for

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