#trr witness protection au

[kaitycole]

Mono a Mono

Summary: Liam arrives in Montana and takes a visit to the Walker Ranch

Word Count: 3484

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Eleanor

Warnings: Mentions of violence, Mentions of character death, Mentions loss of a mother, Mentions of alcohol consumption

A/N: Just a reminder, here’s a link to my character profiles if you’re interested. You learn somethings about a few that won’t be written directly in the series: here.

Song Choice: n/a

Part 17 of WP. To catch up, read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​  @kingliam2019​  @texaskitten30​ @glaimtruelovealways​  @bobasheebaby​  @bascmve01​  @burnsoslow​  @the-everlasting-dream​  @ao719​  @sirbeepsalot​  @janezillow​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​  @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​  @lodberg​ @edgiestwinter​  @marshmallowsandfire​  @hopefulmoonobject​ @iaminlovewithtrr​  @cordonianroyalty​  @rafasgirl23415​  

“It would’ve been less suspicious if we had just picked Liam up!” Riley whines, anxiously bouncing up and down.

“But everyone knows he’s here.”

“Yeah, but…” she flops down on the nursey floor. Drake is trying to once again pick a paint color. They have it narrowed down to Heavy Goose, Moonshine and Gray Owl; all shades of gray that look exactly the same to Drake.

“Seriously? He’ll be here soon, you’re acting like a child.”

“I haven’t seen him in forever!” She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest.

“And if you don’t help pick a color, I’ll lock you in here until you do and it’ll be even longer until you can see him.”

Her jaw drops, “Drake Thomas Walker, you wouldn’t!”

“Two words: Try. Me.”

“Technically that’s four.” She sticks her tongue out at him.

He rolls his eyes, seriously contemplating locking her in the nursery. He just wants to get the room together and really doesn’t’ want to wait until the last minute, unlike Riley.

Riley’s head snaps up when she hears a car heading up their gravel, it’s not until there’s shuffling on the front deck that Drake starts towards the door. She tries to slip out of the door, but Drake takes a larger stride; locking her in the nursery.

Drake opens the door right as Liam has raised his fist to knock. Liam and Bastien are standing on the porch while a few other guards are scattered through the property. The friends stand there before pulling each other into a hug.

“It’s been a while.” Drake moves so Bastien and Liam can come inside.

“Thanks.” Liam looks around, it’s the first time he’s been in their home, “I like the farmhouse décor.” He takes in the nice blend of neutral colors mixed with wooden textures. The only reason he even knows as much as he does is because Riley sent him hundreds of photos and samples while choosing how to decorate.

“She spends more money trying to make half of the décor when she could buy it for less. She says it’s more authentic.”

Liam chuckles, “Speaking of, where is she?

They pick up on faint banging when Liam looks at him through furrowed brows.

“Second door on the right.”

Liam walks down the hall, skeptical. Riley isn’t one to do jump scares, but he’s still hesitant. When he opens the door, he finds a pouting Riley. When she looks up at him, she jumps into his arms; Liam stumbles back into the hallway.

“Drake locked me in here! He’s trying to keep us apart, Li!”

Liam gasps playfully, “Drake! How could you! Trying to keep my Riles from me!”

“He so effortlessly locks his pregnant wife in a room!”

Drake glares at them, “Honestly, you both are two halves of a whole idiot, you know that.”

Riley untangles herself from around Liam as he gently places her feet on the ground. Before they both ask, “But I’m your favorite idiot right!” at the same time.

Drake shares a look with Bastien who holds his hands up, staying out of it before they all walk into the living room.

*                      * Liam looks up at the ceiling as he lays on the guest room’s bed. He wouldn’t say that he’s nervous but there’s definitely a weight in his chest. He felt confident when he made the plans to come to the states, still felt confident when he got here, but now he feels the weight of the world.

He squints as the room slowly feels with the hallway light as the door opens.

“Li?”

“Riley?”

She sits on the edge of the bed, tapping his arm so he scoots over before she crawls in bed next to him. “You nervous?”

He gulps, he should be used to it now, but Riley has an uncanny ability to just know how he feels, know what’s going on with him. “I’m scared, stupid right?”

She leans her head on his shoulder, “I’d be scared too. This is uncharted territory for almost everyone.”

“I just don’t want to lose those good memories of my mom.” The words get stuck in his throat as he blinks away tears.

“You don’t have to.” She toys with her wedding band, “I mean, yeah you’re going to hear somethings you probably don’t want to, but it doesn’t change the memories you have. Those can’t be changed because whatever Jackson says can’t change that she actually loved you.”

“It’s just hard to feel that way knowing that she left.”

Without thinking, Riley does what she does best; saying exactly what pops in her head, “What if she didn’t want to leave?”

“Huh?”

“I’m just saying, all we know is that she left. We don’t know the why yet.”

“I…I guess…well I never thought about it that way.” He runs his hands through his hair, “I just immediately assumed it was because I wasn’t good enough for her to stay.” Riley sits up immediately and faces her best friend, “Liam Rys, King of Cordonia or not, if you ever think you aren’t good enough again I will punch you. How could you think that?”

“Because she left, Riles. One day she was there and then one day she wasn’t. Then I found out she got pregnant she picked that baby over me.”

“Maybe it’s wishful thinking,” she rubs her hand over her stomach, “but I find it hard to believe she didn’t do this to protect you. I know I’d do anything to protect my child.”

“You’re gonna be a great mom, ya know?”

“I can’t even pick out a paint color, what am I going to do when trying to figure out if they’re hungry or tired?” “I can’t help with that, but I can help you with paint colors.” He jumps out of the bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the nursery, “Okay. Pick a number one through three.”

“This is silly.” She looks at his pajamas, “Actually those pants are silly.”

He looks down, they were navy blue pants with apples on them, “They were a gift!”

She just gives him a side look, “Not a gag gift?” “Pick a number before I lock you in here.”

She lets out a breath, “Two.”

“Good choice. Baby Walker will be surrounded by,” he scans over the paint squares on the wall, “Gray Owl.”

“But,” she makes a face; unsure of the decision.

“Nope. It’s Gray Owl.”

Drake walks into the room, mid-yawn, “It’s after three in the morning. Do I even want to ask?”

“Riley picked a paint color.”

“She’ll just change it.” Drake shrugs.

“Not this time.” Liam smiles, sleep washing over him.

Riley smirks, if Liam could face his fears and the uncertainty that comes with tomorrow then surely, she could keep a paint color.

*                      * Liam and Drake pull up to Jackson’s ranch. Liam is already out the door before Drake has put the truck into park. He storms up the driveway and his blood began to boil when he sees Jackson walking down the stairs to meet them.

His pace increases and he can feel the anger as he stomps on the ground. Jackson has a hesitant smile on his face. He reaches his hand out to shake Liam’s just as Liam’s fists slams into Jackson’s jaw.

“Liam!”

Jackson stumbles backwards as his body reacts to the impact. Liam gives him zero change to recover before slugging him again and he’d have gone for a third if Drake hadn’t have pulled him back.

“Get off of me!” Liam shouts, his body radiates anger.

“Only if you’ll calm down.” Drake tugs him backwards once more, separating him and Jackson more.

“Fine!” Liam shrugs him off before running his hands through his blonde hair. He hadn’t planned on being physically aggressive towards Jackson. He wanted to be civil, he knew that’s what his mom would’ve wanted, but there was something about seeing his face that brought all his emotions to a head.

To him, Jackson was the man who ruined his family and Drake’s as well. While he was pissed that he lost his mom, Drake lost both of his parents and he would defend Drake his whole life.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, Drake.” Jackson rubs his jaw, “Though I always thought Leo would be the fighter, not you.”

“Because you know me so well, huh?”

“I get it, I understand.”

“Do you? You had to believe your mother died only to find out she ran off with the help!?”

“Liam, that’s my dad.”

“Drake. Let him get it out.”

“Get it out? What? You think I’m going to yell and then we’ll shake hands and swap stories of my mother?” Liam shouts, “Oh, wait! You have more than me.”

“I know that won’t happen. I didn’t expect it too. I can’t imagine how hard this is on you. I just want you to try to understand.” Jackson takes a step towards Liam.

“Understand what!? You’re talking as if you’re telling me that Santa isn’t real. How do you possibly expect me to understand?”

“Li, I know it seems hard to but I understand things, just hear him out.” Drake tries to mediate but to be honest, he’s not sure Liam is even listening. If he knew that Liam was going to be closed minded and violent, he wouldn’t have brought him here.

“It’s not the same for me as you Drake!”

“How? We both believed our parents were dead. Both found out they aren’t.”

“No, Drake, it’s not. Your dad isn’t really dead, but my mom is. I’m sorry if this seems harder for me to understand.” Liam shakes his head as he walks away from the Walkers. He needs space, air to breathe and he feels like he’s suffocating standing here.

Drake begins to walk after him, but Jackson puts his arm out, stopping him in his tracks.

“Let him go. He needs time.”

“But…”

“No, Drake. He’s right. This isn’t something you two can work through together right away.”

*                    * Liam finds himself sitting outside the barn. His idea to wear khakis wasn’t faring well; could a king even wear jeans? He should’ve stayed in Cordonia; coming here didn’t change anything or make anything better. Part of him thought Olivia would have stopped him, but he knew that he couldn’t depend on her to save him.

“Hey. You must be Liam.”

He looks up and freezes. Drake told him that Luke heavily resembled him, but seeing him in person made it uncanny.

“And you, Luke?”

Liam looks at Luke, they have a lot of shared features of his mother, their mother. But his eyes weren’t hers, they were signature Walker brown eyes. How could this person in front of Liam look so much like him, but make him feel so much anger?

Luke sat next to him, “I know this must be hard.”

“Oh, you do?” Liam spits at him. He didn’t mean to say it so rudely, but no one could understand how he felt.

“I lost her too.”

Liam whips his head to the side, looking at Luke. In all his anger, he never thought of that. Regardless of when, they both shared the loss of Eleanor. The loss of their mother.

Luke wipes a few tears away, “I couldn’t imagine losing her twice like you though.”

It has been years since Luke had spoken about his mother, Jackson always said she wouldn’t want them to dwell on the sadness of her passing, but the joyfulness of her life. Though he wouldn’t really talk about their memories with her either. He only lost her three year ago, but Liam lost her twenty years ago yet here he was crying while Liam remained stoic.

“What was,” Liam’s voice cracks, “was she like?”

“Like sunshine. If that makes sense.”

Liam smirks, he knew exactly what he means. The few memories he could remember clearly, that’s how she was, “It definitely makes sense.”

The two sat in silence, an awkward silence. The person next to them is a complete stranger yet someone they share a bond with. Liam isn’t ready to let his guard down, while they share a mother, he still wears the last name of the man Liam hates the most. But he trusted Drake and he was a Walker.

“Is it rude to say this is awkward?” Luke asks, unsure of what to really do.

Neither of them is sure of what to say. Luke went from being an only child to be the youngest of four while Liam went from being the youngest to the middle child. Or technically an only to the oldest. There was a lot they could talk about; their mother, their childhoods, who they are, but there was still uncharted territory between they that prevented it.

Although they weren’t speaking, there is something comforting about the exchange. Just sitting there next to someone who shares the one person you felt lost without. Luke goes to speak up when he sees someone rushes over to them and begins to panic.

“Your Majesty!” The figure says, standing just a few feet from Liam who seems unfazed.

Majesty? Where exactly is he from? Luke looks at his eldest brother confusingly.

“Yes, Bastien?”

“I turn around for one minute and you run off.” He is breathless, as if he had to run a far distance, “You act more and more like Leo some days.”

Liam smirks, “Oh, Bas. Don’t tempt me.” He looks over at Luke who looks more confused than he’s ever seen anyone look, “I’d like some time with Luke, can we have some privacy?”

Bastien just nods before walking off, but keeping a reasonable distance from the king.

“Why’d he call you ‘your majesty’? That’s a weird greeting.”

“I guess Jackson never told you.” Luke shakes his head and Liam rubs the back of his neck, “Well, uhm…I’m the king of the country that Jackson and Elea…mom, left from.”

Luke feels like he’s going to pass out, he feels dizzy and his face has paled. He had to be joking, right? A king? Seriously? They have those in more than just England? I really should’ve paid attention in history class.

“It’s a lot to take in.” Liam chuckles before Luke jumps up and drops down into a deep bow.

Liam feels a smile twitching on his lips before he starts laughing. Luke looks up confused at his brother’s reaction. Wasn’t this how you addressed kings and queens? Several moments pass before Liam has stopped laughing and if it wasn’t for the fact it was a genuine laugh, he might have felt bad.

“I’m so sorry. That was just so…” he taps his finger to his lip looking for the right word, “Adorable? Innocent?”

Luke stared at his brother, slightly confused that he had just been called adorable. “Did I do it wrong?”

He shakes his head, “Not at all, but you just don’t need to do it. Yes, I’m still a king, but I’m not here on royal or diplomatic business. This trip is a personal one, so please, just treat me like Liam.”

“And who exactly is Liam?”

“Well, I guess he’s your older brother.” Liam lets out a nervous chuckle, “I don’t really know what to say, this is new for me.”

Luke wrings his hands together, there is something that he wants to bring up, but he’s scared. He isn’t sure if it would be pushing too far, if he’d be overstepping a line and even though he’s just met his, he doesn’t want to lose him just yet.

“Something on your mind?” Liam cocks his head to the side, “I might not know you, but I do know people. That look is exactly the kind I see when diplomats wear when they want to address a topic. A topic I might not want to hear.”

“I don’t want to hate my mom, our mom, but it’s hard to still see her like I used to now. Since I know the truth,” he shrugs with a sigh.

Liam understands completely. Though looking back the way he handled the news wasn’t very mature, but he’s done a lot of thinking. He doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, he hasn’t fully come to his own conclusion, but things are becoming more clearly to him.

Luke panics at his silence, “I’m so sorry. I know you must blame me…”

“Blame you?”

“If mom didn’t have me, she would’ve stayed with you.” He clears his throat, trying to mask that his voice is breaking.

“But I don’t.” Liam shrugs when Luke’s head snaps in his direction, “You, personally, didn’t make the decision. Mom and Jackson did.”

“I…wow…that means a lot.” Luke stands up, “I think I need to go process today.”

Liam stands up and nods as Luke walks off, leaving him staring at the ground. This is proving to be a lot harder than he thought, but at least now he knew he wasn’t so alone. Yeah, he had Drake and Riley, but Luke was different. He wasn’t sure why exactly, but with Luke he feels a sense of comfort he hasn’t felt since he mom left.

*                      * Riley peaks around the corner when she hears the door shut. She’s not surprised when she sees just Liam standing there; she had a strong feeling he’d come back alone. He takes off his shoes by the door before walking to the couch; flopping down with a sigh.

“I have a new bottle of scotch with your name on it.” She walks into the living room with the bottle along with a glass for him.

“Thanks, Riles.” He takes the bottle, opens it and takes a quick swig right from the bottle. Riley stares at him, mouth slightly opened.

“What? Not like you can drink any.” He smirks at her as she just rolls her eyes, sitting down next to him.

“Want to talk about it?” She sighs, she hates seeing the two most important people to her so hurt. This is a huge mess that she isn’t sure anyone can come out unharmed from. To make matters worse, Liam seems to be the one who continuously comes out empty-handed at the end of the day: lost his mom, died dad, found out mom wasn’t dead only to learn she is actually dead now.

“After say,” he pretends to look at his watch, “a few more big swigs.” He tries to laugh, but can’t.

She’s looking at her best friend when she notices his right hand is red, “What’s up with that?”

“Can I get in a few more sips?” He tries to dodge the topic as Riley goes into the kitchen, coming back with a cloth filled with ice.

“Talk.”

“I punched him.” He winces a tad as she presses the ice to his knuckles, “Jackson, that is.”

Riley could say that she is surprised, but she’s not. Honestly, that had been her first reaction too. The way Jackson effortless recounted the story of how he met Bianca, how things were with him and Eleanor, he said it all as if somehow, he was the white knight. As if Constantine and Bianca had gotten in their way to prevent them from being together. It didn’t sit right with Riley.

“I’ll apologize tomorrow.” “I wouldn’t.”

“Riley! That is your father in law.”

She snorts, “Don’t remind me.” Liam raises his eyebrows, “Spill it.”

She lets out a deep breath and tell him how she wasn’t immediately supportive of the idea Drake had seen Jackson. And how now she isn’t sure it’s a great idea to just jump into things. How she understands he wants to get to know dad, but wishes he was more skeptical because who knows what all Jackson is going to say and how that will shift what Drake thinks of him.

“I think I’m ready to talk about it now.” Liam holds up the bottle, now only two-thirds full.

“Then let’s talk about it.”

“I thought I could handle seeing him. That I’d be able to come here and get the answers I’ve been wanting. Then I saw his face and this rage built up, all I could think about was how I grew up without my mom and he got her. He got all those memories that I missed out and I snapped.” He takes another sip of the scotch before shaking his head.

Riley gives him a sympathetic smile, gently placing a comforting hand on his arm.

“But then,” he chuckles, “I met Luke and it might’ve been weird at first, but he’s actually not that bad.”

“Well duh, he’s related to you.” She playfully nudges his shoulder, “Maybe since you aren’t ready to talk to Jackson, you can talk more to Luke tomorrow.”

Liam nods, “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

[harleybeaumont]

The Other Nevrakis

Who(really)dunit? - One shot follow up to Chapter 19

Book- TRR AU (The Other Nevrakis)

Synopsis- King Father Constantine was found dead in his room from a presumed heart attack. What really happened?

A/N- This is a one shot that delves deeper into Chapter 19. WHO KILLED CONNIE?! AND WHY?!

Warnings- language, murder 

Word count- 700

18+ only

Belem, Brazil: 

Bastien stretched out on the beach sipping a mai tai, listening to the waves crash against the shore. He made sure that one of the stipulations in telling the authorities about Constantine, was that he would be put in the witness protection program. He had never felt so relaxed in his life. After years of doing Constantine’s dirty deeds, he was finally free. He closed his eyes as he recalled his last night in Cordonia.

Bastien had just left the police station, where he gave up damning information about his charge, the King Father, to the authorities. Although Bastien promised the police that he wouldn't return to the palace, he snuck back in to retrieve some of his personal belongings.. And to take care of some unfinished business. He crept through the old abandoned servant’s entrance, quietly slipping into Constantine’s bedroom. Of course that old pervert was in bed watching porn. He never appreciated the beautiful woman who ruled by his side. Bastien sighed quietly as he remembered her lips on his own the previous night. She told him she was going to her sister's house and Constantine would be alone. Bastien nodded in understanding. He knew what she meant. And he would do anything for her. 

 Bastien crept through the dark bedroom, the only light coming from the glow of the television. He took a small envelope from his pocket, tearing it open and pouring the contents into Constantine’s wine on the bedside table. That old fucker was so engrossed in his smut, he had no idea what was happening right next to him. Bastien shook his head in disgust, then slumped back into the shadows, waiting. Once Constantine had finished his drink, he settled back in bed and closed his eyes.

Bastien knew it wouldn't be long now. He stood up and walked over to Constantine. 

“Bastien?! What.. what the hell are you doing in here?”

Bastien quirked an eyebrow, watching him coldly. “I’m ridding the world of an evil.”

Constantine tried to sit up as he glared at his ever loyal guard. “The hell does that mean? You can't speak to me that way!”

Bastien got closer, leaning over the bed. “Lies. Blackmail. Treason. MURDER. The things you have done during your reign as King are a disgrace to Cordonia. And I know about the new recruit you sent to Lythikos the night of the coronation.. a pathetic attempt to set up Lady Riley with more fake photographs.” 

Constantine paled as Bastien continued. “Didn’t expect that? You’d be surprised at what I know. Your guards are loyal to ME, Your Majesty. However, I’m sure you could tell I wasn’t going to put up with your bullshit any longer, so you were training someone up in my stead. Well, don’t worry.. I’ll be taking care of him as well.” Bastien shook his head in disgust. “You are a sycophant, by every definition of the word. Not to mention the audacity of your blatant infidelity toward Queen Mother Regina.”

“You.. dare!” Constantine tried to sit up, but could only grab his head and close his eyes. Yes, it wouldn’t be long now.

“Yes. I dare. And because I dare, you will never harm another soul again. Liam will be the King that this country needs. And you will be dead.” With that Bastien turned around and grabbed the poisoned glass, before slipping back into the servants tunnels and fleeing the palace into the night. 

Bastien took a long sip of his fruity cocktail and smiled as he read the text he had received that morning. 

“I am forever in your debt. I love you, my darling.”

He wrote back, “I love you too, my Queen. Always and forever.”

Bastien would never see her again, but the memories were enough to keep him going.

[badchoicesposts]

In a Land of Myth...

Chapter 10

Summary: When Selene, a young sorceress, arrived in Stormholt she had every intention of remaining anonymous. King Constantine Rys had strict rules on sorcery. The act itself was punishable by death, and she had no desire to be burnt at the stake for her “crimes”. However, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to remain unseen when she becomes Prince Liam’s personal maidservant, and it seems that it’s her job to protect him from everyone that wants to kill him.

Disclaimer: This AU is a cross between TRR, The Crown and The Flame, and BBC’s Merlin. Merlin follows the tale of King Arthur and the sorcerer Merlin. Merlin comes to Camelot where magic is outlawed and is made Prince Arthur’s servant. You do not have to watch the show to understand this fic, but it is based on the BBC show Merlin so the story line will be similar. I don’t own the plot to Merlin or any of the TRR characters.

Word Count: 4,672

Author’s Note: This series is finally back and with a new mood board! Thanks so much for being so patient with the fact that it took so long!

Taglist: @flowerpowell​, @bobasheebaby​, @alexintheskyy​, @slytherincursebreaker​​, @kingliam2019​, @furiousherringoperatortoad​​, @goldenbirdcrystalcage​​, @burnsoslow​​, @zilch3, @desiree-0816, @sanchita012​​

Let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist!

Catch Up: Masterlist

Everyone had gathered in the council chambers for the sentencing that was about to happen. Madeleine and Regina were standing on either side of Constantine. The queen’s face was hard, and Selene quickly noticed that she was looking anywhere but at her husband. Madeleine was staring down at Drake with sympathy. Selene hadn’t spent much time with the woman apart from when they had spoken during the tournament, but she could still tell that the thought of Drake being harmed was troubling her. Bastien and Leo were standing together nearby with Savannah in good health, sobbing into Bastien’s shoulder. Selene fought back her own tears as she took in the scene, realizing the horrible outcome from what had been her positive intentions. 

However, the look on Liam’s face was absolutely heartbroken as he took in the sight of his best friend on his knees, awaiting a death sentence from his father.

“What is going on?” Liam demanded walking up to his father. 

“Your sister was infected by the disease,” Constantine said, directing his words to Drake. 

“Yes.”

“And she has recovered? She is the only one who has been afflicted to make a recovery. Were you the only one with her during this time?” Constantine continued, as Selene made her way to stand with Bastien, Savannah, and Leo. 

Drake’s eyes flitted to her momentarily, before returning his gaze to Constantine. 

“Yes,” he responded in a monotone voice. 

“And this is what you used to cure her?” he asked, holding up the poultice. 

A look of shock crossed his face as he properly looked over the item for the first time. 

“I’ve- I’ve never seen that before in my life,” he said, genuinely worried this time. 

“It was found under her pillow,” he said, gesturing towards Savannah. 

Drake continued to stare at the poultice, a look of realization coming towards his face as he glanced back over to Selene for a second. 

“Undo your enchantment. Put an end to this plague,” he barked, causing Drake to flinch. 

“Father! Drake isn’t a sorcerer. I have known him all my life. So has Leo and Madeleine. I would be prepared to swear on his innocence,” Liam pleaded with his father. 

“His sister is the only one who has survived this curse. He was the only one with her as she lay dying. The court physician has not been able to find a cure, but he knew how to stop it,” Constantine argued. 

“Father, please!” Liam continued.

“Drake is a good man. Just as his father was,” Leo said, moving towards them with a fire in his eyes. 

Constantine seemed agitated at Leo’s attempt to remind him of Jackson Walker’s sacrifice and raised his hand to silence both of his sons.

“Undo the enchantment, and I will show you mercy,” he said, looking down at his prisoner once again. 

“I am not a sorcerer. I can’t undo it!” Drake said, his voice laced with fear this time.

“Then you have forced my hand. Under these circumstances I have no choice but to sentence you to death,” Constantine said, his voice filled with controlled anger and hatred.

The room erupted with noise and protests at his words, and Selene felt a few tears escape her eyes as she watched two guards move forward and force Drake onto his feet before beginning to drag him out of the room. Selene made a split second decision, not seeing any other way of stopping Drake from being put to death because of her crimes, and moved towards Constantine. 

“I did it! I used magic to cure Savannah. Drake’s not the sorcerer, I am!” she said, stopping in front of him. 

“Selene!” Bastien exclaimed, looking at her as if she were crazy. 

Everyone stood staring at her in shock, Constantine almost seemed amused.

“I place myself at your mercy, my king,” she said, bowing her head slightly as Constantine regarded her with curiosity.

“Guards, take her away as well,” Constantine said, causing one of the guards to release Drake’s arm and grab onto her.

“Father, I can’t allow this. I know for a fact Selene is innocent. There’s no way she is a sorcerer,” Liam said, pulling her away from the man holding onto her and keeping her protectively at his side. 

“She admitted it,” Constantine simply replied. 

“She saved my life. I trust her completely,” Liam insisted. 

“Yes, she has saved your life and trouble has seemed to follow her since. Was she not the one who alerted you that Sir Neville was using an enchanted shield?” Constantine asked. 

“Yes, b-but that was because she witnessed it first hand, not because she is an enchantress,” Liam sputtered out. 

“Why would she make up a story about curing Savannah Walker?” Constantine continued. 

Liam hesitated for a moment.

“I’ve seen the two of them together. It is obvious that she has feelings for Drake Walker, and she was simply trying to save his life,” he said.

“I don’t have feelings for him! I’m telling the truth,” she insisted irritably. 

Liam glared down at her for a moment, but the two were pulled out of their stare down by Constantine’s low laugh. 

“These must be very strong feelings if she is willing to give her life for his,” he said. “I will excuse you once and only once. Don’t waste my time again. Guards, take him away.”

The guards nodded to their king and began to drag Drake away. Liam gripped Selene’s arm and pulled her out of the room as well before anyone could say anything else. After they had made it far away enough from the council chambers, she roughly pulled her arm out of his grip and rounded on him angrily. 

“Why did you do that? You can’t actually believe Drake is responsible for this?” she practically screamed. 

“I know Drake isn’t responsible for this, but it won’t do us any good to have the both of you arrested,” he explained calmly. “My father has it in his head that Drake is the one who caused this. He would have executed you and then when the plague didn’t end, he would go after Drake again. I would have lost the both of you.”

Selene noted the sadness in his voice as he spoke, but didn’t mention it. 

“How do you know I was lying? How do you know that I’m truly not the one who saved Savannah?” she asked. 

Liam looked conflicted at her words.

“I guess I don’t. But, whoever saved Savannah Walker did it out of the kindness of their heart, and whoever caused this plague did it out of spite and evil. So I don’t know if you’re lying or not, but I don’t believe that you’re evil, Selene. You shouldn’t have to die for something you didn’t do,” he finally said. 

“What about Drake? How do we save him?” she asked.

“We have until sunrise tomorrow morning to find the person actually responsible,” he said. 

Selene nodded her head and hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been on her mind for the past few minutes. 

“Can I see him?” she asked quietly. “I- I need to see him before we do anything else.” 

Liam studied her features, noticed the look of hurt and despair on her face and nodded slowly. 

“Follow me.”

Liam led her down to the dungeons of the castle and stopped to speak with the men guarding the cells before motioning her along. 

“Go ahead. You only have a few minutes,” he said, showing her which cell to go to and walking away with the guards to give them some privacy. 

Selene cautiously approached Drake’s cell and saw him sitting on the floor through the bars of the cell doors, his hands still chained together. He looked up when he noticed her and she smiled at him sadly. 

“Drake, I’m so sorry,” she said, fighting back her tears once again as she sat down on the floor next to the cell.

The man scooted closer to the cell door and smiled at her softly.

“Don’t be. You saved my sister’s life,” he responded, letting out a laugh at her shocked expression. 

“How did-” she began to ask before he cut her off.

“Besides from the fact that you announced it to everyone earlier?” he said, causing her to scoff defensively. 

“Liam convinced everyone else that I was lying,” she said. 

“I’m not everyone else,” he said, with a smirk. “It was fairly easy to figure out once I looked at all of the facts.”

“What facts? Have I really been that sloppy?” 

“No. But first you save Liam’s life when no one else would have been able to. Then, you ask me to steal a dog statue, and the next day you have a new pet. After that my sister got sick, but miraculously healed immediately after you visited her. And, finally, the most damning piece of evidence was that you made the poultice with the handkerchief I gave you,” he concluded, letting out a genuine laugh at the cringe on her face. 

“Drake, I’m so sorry,” she said with anguish as she wrapped her hand around one of the bars on the cell door. 

Drake smiled at her sadly and, because of the shackles, raised both of his hands to wrap one of them around hers.

“Don’t be. Like I said, you saved my sister’s life,” he responded, as she let her tears fall freely. 

“And I’ve practically ended yours in the process,” she cried. 

“Shhh, Selene, don’t cry,” he tried to soothe her, which only made her cry harder. “Hey, look at me.”

She wiped her eyes and looked up at him. She was supposed to be the one comforting him, but instead it was happening the other way around.

“Promise me you won’t blame yourself for this,” he said softly. 

“But, it’s my fault,” she sniffled. 

“Promise me,” he insisted.

“No, I won’t have to,” she said determined, drying her eyes again. “Liam and I are going to figure this out. I’ll get you out of here.” 

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and rose to her feet. Selene navigated the castle halls with determination. She found Bastien outside with a group of new recruits, instructing them halfheartedly. 

“I made a mistake,” she said, pulling him aside. “You can yell at me for it later, but right now I need to figure out what’s contaminating the water so I can help Liam prove that Drake’s innocent. But, I can’t do it without your help.”

Bastien looked at her for a moment, his steely eyes fixed directly on her face. She couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. She wasn’t sure if he was angry or not, but she could tell that Drake’s sentencing wasn’t sitting well with him. 

“Follow me,” he finally said.

He whispered a few words to Leo and then began leading her around to the back of the castle. They walked through a small back door that led to a large stone staircase, grabbing a wood torch and igniting the top to light their way. They travelled through an underground cave for a while before they came to an underground reservoir. 

“This is the source of all of the water in Stormholt,” he said, leading her over to the water.

Selene looked over the pool of water. Nothing seemed awry, and the water itself looked perfectly normal. 

“Maybe we should take a sample, and Xinghai can-” she began to say before being interrupted by a loud splash behind him. 

A loud roar broke through the silent air, and Bastien pulled Selene behind him as they turned to look at the creature that had just jumped out of the water. The beast was larger than any man and was made up of sickly green skin that resembled a thick hide more so than human skin. It had huge fangs and long, threatening claws. Selene knew that there were some creatures she had never encountered before that existed, but the sight of the beast still shocked her nonetheless. With another loud splash the creature disappeared back into the water, leaving Selene and Bastien frozen with fear.

“What was that?” she basically shrieked, as Bastien pulled her away from the water and back through the caves to their chambers. 

He walked to his wardrobe and felt around the inside of it for the small latch located on the floor of the piece of furniture. It opened to reveal a small compartment that a person wouldn’t have noticed unless they had been looking for it. He pulled out a thick book and began flipping through it as he approached her. 

“An afanc. A creature born of clay,” he said, resting the book on the table in front of her. 

She looked at the picture of the creature in the book and shuddered as she read how powerful a sorcerer must be in order to create one. She realized that whoever they were dealing with was much more trouble than either one of them had originally thought. However, their focus at the moment needed to be on figuring out how to defeat the beast before Drake was burned at the stake. 

“How do we stop it?” she asked, noting that the book had not given any information on that topic. 

Bastien walked back to his wardrobe and pulled out several more thick volumes. Selene had to stop herself from questioning why he hid all of these books from her as he dropped them onto the table as well. 

“I’m not sure. But, the answer may be in one of these books.”

“We don’t have time to look through all of them,” she said, grabbing the book on top of the pile and flipping through the pages. “This could take forever.”

She racked her brains for a solution, for some way to fix the mess she had created. Only one answer came to mind, and she already dreaded having to go through with it. 

“Excuse me,” she said, grabbing her cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders. 

“Where are you going?”

“To get help,” she said, leaving the room without another word and descending past the dungeons and into the depths of the castle. 

Once she had reached the small ledge that led to the cave, she called for help. After a few moments, the large blue dragon made his appearance in front of her, the chain around his ankle glinting in the light from her torch.

“I wondered when you would seek me out again,” he said, in a low voice. 

“I need to know how to defeat an afanc,” she responded, deciding to get straight to the point. 

“Yes, it seems that you do,” he replied in the same tone of slight arrogance that had bothered her when she first met him.

“Can you tell me?” 

“You must trust the elements at your command.”

“The elements? What elements? I don’t understand. What exactly do I need to do?”

“You can not do this alone,” the dragon responded. “You are one side of the coin. Liam is the other.” 

“So, Liam has to help me,” she stated. “But, what exactly do we have to do?”

“Trust the elements,” he responded again, flapping his wings and rising into the air. 

“Wait!” she called after him. “What does that mean?” 

The dragon simply chuckled in response and flew out of sight, and Selene was left standing dumbfounded on the ledge. She had to try her best to control her anger as she left the dragon’s underground prison, the skirt of her dress flowing out behind her in the wind. Would it really have been that difficult for him to just tell her what she needed to do? Why did he insist on giving her vague answers all of the time?

“Do you know anything about the elements?” she asked Bastien when she had once again met up with him.

“The elements? No, why?” 

“It’s supposed to help me defeat the afanc.”

“Where did you run off to?” he questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“Please just trust me. Drake only has a few hours left,” she said, her voice filled with anguish and desperation.

Bastien’s gaze softened.

“Liam was right. You truly do have feelings for him don’t you?” 

“I-I don’t know what my feelings for him are, but I need him to live for me to figure them out. He doesn’t deserve to die for this, Bas.”

Selene hadn’t realized that while they were talking Bastien had been leading them to the Xinghai and Hana’s quarters. 

“If anyone knows about elements it’s Xinghai,” he said, knocking on the door before pushing it open. 

Xinghai had been examining a vial full of water when they had entered. There was a shriveled up flower suspended in the liquid.

“The flower has only been in the water for a few minutes,” he explained while lowering the vial down to rest on his work surface. “Whatever is contaminating the water is killing quickly.”

Selene looked to Bastien nervously for a moment before speaking. 

“Xinghai, do you know anything about elements,” she asked. 

“Elements?” he gave her a questioning look before continuing. “Yes. The study of the base elements is at the heart of the scientific process. The four base elements are earth, water, wind, and fire.”

Bastien and Selene shared a look of realization as the physician continued to ramble on about the scientific process and elements. 

“Wind and fire. The afanc is made of earth and water, so wind and fire should be able to defeat it,” Bastien said, causing Xinghai to stop his lecture. 

“Afanc?” he questioned. 

“A magical beast. It’s what’s infecting the water,” Bastien said, causing Selene to look at him with surprise. 

“Xinghai knew my mother before her death. He knows of my knowledge of magic,” he explained, emphasizing the words my knowledge to indicate that the man didn’t know that either of them currently possessed magic abilities. 

“I should go talk to Liam,” she said, nodding to indicate that she understood what he meant. 

She began to run out of the quarters when Bastien called her back. 

“Selene, be careful,” he said. 

“I’m always careful,” she retorted with a smile, once again taking off in search of the prince.

“Selene, where have you been?” Liam asked, when they finally ran into each other in the palace courtyard. 

“We need to go. The water is being infected by an afanc. A magical creature made of clay. If we stop it the water will be safe again,” she said, leading him back down to the caves that housed the underground reservoir. 

“How did you find out about this?” he asked, chasing after her, his sword clenched tightly in his hand. 

“Um, Bastien's mother?” she said nervously. 

“What?” Liam asked, pulling her to a stop and looking to her with confusion. 

“His mother was a sorceress.”

“Right, she was killed during the Great Purge,” he filled in.

“Yes! After I talked to Drake this morning we went down to the water reserves to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary when a beast jumped out of the water,” she said, beginning to walk again.“He recognized the beast as an afanc because he had seen it in one of his mother’s books.” She hoped it was a convincing enough lie and was grateful when Liam didn’t question her further. 

“I’m coming with you!” a voice called behind them, causing them to both turn in shock.

Madeleine stood before them, her arms crossed over her chest and her jaw set in determination. 

“You can’t,” Liam said, walking over to her. 

“Why? Because I’m a woman. That excuse doesn’t work so long as Selene is going with you,” she said, causing Liam to roll his eyes. 

“You know that’s not why. If anything were to happen to you my father would kill me,” he said. 

“He’ll get over it. I’m coming with you,” she said.

Liam looked over to Selene for help, but she simply shrugged in response. Liam finally relented and the three of them continued walking. They stopped when they reached the back door that led under to the water reserve and each grabbed a wooden torch. 

They reached the water reserve and began approaching the area with great caution, Selene and Liam both keeping an eye out for the creature. They stood around the pool of water, expecting the beast to jump out at any moment, but were unpleasantly surprised when they heard a loud roar come from somewhere behind them. 

Selene and Madeleine shrieked as they all spun around, catching a quick glimpse of the monster they were trying to but an end to. The creature was revolted by the sight of the fire and disappeared a moment later. 

“What was that?” Madeleine asked, having missed the conversation earlier.

“I’ll explain later,” Selene said, already on edge. 

“Did you see which way it went?” Liam questioned her as he tried to follow after the beast, but was hindered from doing so because the large cave was made up of several tunnels that all went in opposite directions.

They heard another loud roar coming from their left and took off after the sound. The snarling got louder as they got closer and closer to the beast, all fearing for their lives, but none willing to turn back. The air was thick with tension as they caught sight of the afanc once again. The creature recoiled as the fire got closer to it, but did not back down. Selene could not claim to know what was going through its mind, but surely it must have thought it could kill them before they killed it. The animal was ferocious and larger than a bear. They were measly opponents.

Liam held out his sword in front of him and positioned himself into a fighting stance. He and the afanc danced around each other as they prepared for battle, and the creature continued to growl and hiss.

“Use the torch,” Selene instructed.

Liam obeyed and held the torch farther out in front of him, his sword still at the ready just in case. He waved the torch out in front of him, the fire coming closer and closer to the beast, but not harming it. Madeleine followed his actions with her own torch, doubling the amount of fire that was surrounding the creature. Selene knew that the rest was up to her. She hadn’t fully explained to Liam how to defeat the beast so he did not know what was required to defeat it. She mumbled an incantation under her breath, and the area was suddenly filled with a strong breeze. The breeze collided with the fire, causing the flames to fan out in front of them and incase the afanc, burning it’s flesh as it groaned in agony. 

The trio stood silently for a moment after they were sure the creature was dead. Liam finally broke the silence a while later, saying the words she had been waiting to hear since that morning. 

“Let’s go release, Drake.” 

As they passed by the water reservoir once again on their way out of the caves, a flash of white caught her eye. She allowed Liam and Madeleine to walk ahead of her and bent down to pick it up. The item resembled an egg shell, but was much bigger and whiter than a chicken egg. There were several ancient markings on the shell as well. 

“Liam, wait!” she called, running to catch up with him and showing him the shell. “Before we go speak with your father about releasing Drake we should talk to Bas first.”

He looked at her skeptically for a moment causing her to continue. 

“I don’t want him to accuse Drake of summoning the afanc.”

“And what good will that shell do?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But, I have a feeling,” she said, not being able to fully put her finger on what it was about the shell that was so compelling to her. 

It was almost as if she could feel the magic radiating off of it. 

“Okay,” he finally responded skeptically. 

She smiled at him in gratitude and they left the caves, both feeling significantly lighter knowing that the cause of the plague had been identified and taken care of. However, there was still a sense of dread in the pit of Selene’s stomach. The feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to her. She had gotten this feeling several times before, but each time it had been followed by something bad happening. It hadn’t always been something extreme, for example she had once gotten the feeling only to have gotten stuck out in the rain while on a patrol with Liam. Other times it had been more serious. On one occasion she had experienced it, and that year her village’s harvest had not been as fruitful as hoped and most of the inhabitants had a rough winter trying to scrape together enough food to survive. However, this time Selene was sure that something truly terrible was about to happen. It would be more than just a minor inconvenience. 

“Bas!” she called as she entered their chambers with Liam close behind her. Madeleine had returned to her chambers in hopes that Constantine wouldn’t find out that she had ever come with them.  

“Are the two of you alright?” he asked, coming over to them with a look of concern. 

“We’re fine. The afanc is dead,” she said with a small smile. 

Much to her surprise Bastien pulled her into a hug. He squeezed her in his arms lovingly and let out a sigh of relief. 

“We were going to speak with Constantine about releasing Drake, but I saw this on the ground when we were leaving the caves, and I wanted to speak with you first,” she said, handing him the egg shell. 

Although Bastien’s facial expression didn’t change, Selene could see the distress behind his eyes. 

“What? What is it? I can feel it, Bas. I can tell that it’s not good,” she whispered so that only he could hear. 

Bastien cleared his throat and brushed her off, a look of discomfort still evident in his usual stoic gaze. 

“It’s nothing. The afanc hatched from this shell,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “Completely harmless. The two of you should head down to the cells to release Drake. I’ll speak with Constantine.” 

~~~

“Damnit, Selene!” Lucretia growled in frustration.

She angrily swiped her hand through the water in the stone basin she was standing over. The waves, which she had been using to watch the events that were unfolding in Stormholt just a few moments earlier, became still and clear once again. With the enchantment that was allowing her to watch as everything played out as if it were a movie gone, the water was now just water. 

She paced back and forth in front of the basin frantically. Her afanc was dead. It was supposed to bring about the fall of Constantine Rys and his son, and with that, the fall of Stormholt as well. The afanc was her ticket to revenge. But, now because of Selene the creature was dead. 

“Selene. Selene,” she whispered the young witch’s name repeatedly. 

She had heard of Selene. She was the one the fire-users spoke of, although by a different name. She was the one that was supposed to help Prince Liam unite the lands. 

Lucretia had once rejoiced over that prophecy. But now, she couldn’t even picture it coming to pass. Constantine Rys hated magic, despised it. There was no way any son of his would ever be any different. No, she needed to be rid of them all. Constantine had brought this upon himself after all. He should reap the consequences of all the problems his bigotry had caused, and that is exactly what he would do. She would end the Rys line for good. 

[rosesnink]

Woman Up

A/N: Hello there! Today I bring y’all a different piece of writing that I enjoyed writing a whole lot. It is inspired by @lorirwritesfanfic​ ‘s incredible one-shot Ladies’ Rant which I absolutely reccomend! 

Summary: In Cheryl Addams’ 21st birthday, she meets up with some of her friends and bond over one particular and annoying thing. 

Books: The Royal Romance, Ride or Die, Desire and Decorum (modern AU) The Royal Masquerade (modern AU) A Courtesan of Rome (modern AU) Mother of the Year, The Freshman, Bloodbound, Wishful Thinking. 

Characters: Eclipsa Ice(TRR), Cheryl Addams (ROD), Celestine Walker (D&D), Grace Everhart(TRM), Aphrodite Catauni (ACOR), Toni Day (MOTY), Vanessa Lewis(TF), Cristina Sanders(BB), Nyx Martin (WT) 

Warning: Language 

The women sat as they cheered for Cheryl’s 21st birthday. The blonde woman beamed at her shots as she looked around, a relieved smile on her face

“I’m finally free! Can you believe that?”

Cristina laughed as she adjusted her rather scandalous purple dress that gave a glimpse of what she was hiding “Yeah, I barely remember anything from my birthday. I just remember how drunk I was and that I hooked up with some hot girl in the bathrooms”

Vanessa looked at her with wide eyes as she commented “Well, my 21st birthday was pretty smooth. One last dorm party with my friends and my fianceé. I never knew that growing up you’d grow tired of these things”

Eclipsa laughed at them both as she said “My 21st birthday was pretty boring. A few shots, a big burger, the birthday song and then I had to keep working”

Grace blinked “Sometimes I forget that you used to be a waitress before heading to Cordonia”

“And that you are one of the elder nobles of the Cordonian houses! And recently engaged with the Crown Guard Kayden Vescovi no less. She’s hot indeed”

“Oh, you have no idea”. 

“How do you feel now, Cheryl?” Aphrodite asked.

“I feel… like I can finally set free of my father”. 

“Yeah, I know how that feels” Celestine smiled at her.

“Fathers can be very sexist when it comes to ‘protect their princesses’ but eh, your brother or cousin can go and fuck whoever they want. Nice mansplain, dad” Eclipsa huffed. 

Cristina lifted her whiskey with an ironic smirk “Bold of you to assume I ever had a father that loved me”.

“I directly don’t know who the fuck my father is” Grace added.

Vanessa and Celestine looked at each other, concerned as Vanessa spoke up “Should we shut up about how great our fathers are…?”

“Of course not! Do speak about them, don’t let our shitty lives feel bad about yours” Grace said.

Cheryl looked at the grown women around her and asked “Tell me about your love life. Who holds your heart?”

Eclipsa beamed at the question “My wife Hana is the best thing I could ever have with our dear Missimiss”

Cheryl awed as she commented “Your daughter is the cutest thing I ever seen. Even though, can’t Liam produce his own heir, marry someone who can really love him?”

Eclipsa frowned “I fear that he doesn’t seem capable of love again. And the idea of my baby being Queen of Cordonia one day… it’s difficult, but I trust that Liam will make of her a great ruler”.

“Well, right now I just got engaged with my girlfriend Kayden!” Grace beamed, showing the simple, yet elegant ring in her finger.

Everyone cheered as asked for another round of shots and hugs.

Vanessa smiled at Grace “Congratulations, Grace. I wish you a happy marriage like the one I have with Becca”.

Cristina smirked at her “I have heard a great deal of your wife, Vane. She invented the song Boss Bitch by Doja Cat. She’s the baddest lawyer of the Estates”.

“Uh, can we talk that you’re the wife of a 2000 years-old sexy vampire Queen, Cris?”

“Ah, yes, my Kamilah is the best at everything, especially on bed” She said, a big smirk on her face.

The girls roared and whistled, making Cristina laugh. Celestine looked at them, quite embarrassed about their lives “Am I really the only one married to a man?”

Vanessa took Celestine’s hand as she smiled at her “Don’t worry, C. We love you anyways and you’re still valid! It’s not like your bisexuality is a secret”.

“I was so relieved when Ernest said that he didn’t mind who I loved and that he’d love me anyways”.

“He sounds like a great man”. 

She smiled at her friend “He is. The best husband a girl can ask for”.

Nyx beamed when she saw her lastest interview on TV “Eeee! I’m trending again! Bitch, I’m thriving!”.

“Hmm, I’ll drink to that! My Eiko is always featured on the scientists news” Toni beamed.

Cristina looked at her “I have one question for you, Toni” The young mother looked at her “Does Eiko talk about science in bed?” The Latina woman wiggled her brows and all the attention was now on her. She smirked as she nodded and everyone cheered.

They all drank their shots as they made selfies and Pictagram stories. On the news, it was announced a new ‘dead woman’ who was victim of domestic violence. Some women scoffed as the others roller their eyes.

“Come on, dude, say it! Her misogynistic husband murdered her!” Toni shouted. All the ladies preached her as some old men whispered among them, shaking their heads.

Cheryl growled as she glared at the old men, who had been looking at her like some piece of meat to heat up and eat. Nyx spoke up “God, I know many men are amazing, but some others… Ugh they can be so tiring, like, I’m trying to do a street interview and some dude kisses my cheek! I was called an exaggerate bitch and I should calm down. Thank God my Anna has them all scared down”.

“Hmm, try to survive in English nobility! That maggot of Richards tried to assault me for no reason than his own ego and thank God Ernest was there to assist me to get rid of him or God knows what would’ve happened!”.

Cristina’s eyes went wide in realization “You’re the lady that kneed that creepy duke in the balls?! Dudette, I still have that photo and use it as a meme!”.

The women laughed loudly as high-fived the Countess “Between you and I… It was very satisfactory to see the look on his face” Celestine confessed.

“Good for you, girl” The duchess preached her.

“I will always remember when I slapped the creep of Lester Castellanos” Cristina beamed.

“Hitting is nice, but have you tried roast him in the middle of a debate for governor?” Nyx taunted.

“Oooh, and get a preached detective and his minions of bad boys in front of your high school with your criminal gang?” Cheryl said.

“Try expose him on your wedding day with half of London’s nobility and the Queen of England watching”.

“I liked it better when you defeated that little bitch of Payne with a wedding dress and a big ass sword” Eclipsa commented.

“There’s no better satisfaction than watch him dragged to the mud with the amazing help of your lawyer because he has no fucking clue of who his own daughter is” added Toni.

“Or a speech to charm a conqueror’s gentry and make them love you and hate him”.

“Bitch, that was iconic!”.

Grace sighed “To think that all of us has suffered and still suffer because of the opinions of some grown men who think that knows about us and our struggles and tell us what to do!”.

Eclipsa agreed as she added “When I still give my opinion in the Royal Council or suggest something to make Auvernal get off our backs, I can see the noblemen scowl or roll their eyes. And I have Grace here as a witness”.

“I remember I made an essay of corrupt police in my university, Langston, and many men interrupted me with nonsensical questions and called me a communist and feminazi!” Cheryl grimaced at the memory.

“When I first wrote my book, that is now out, they asked me all about my personal life or if I wanted to have children and even asked me about how I’d manage to have a family with another woman instead of focusing on the damn book! It was so frustrating” Vanessa scowled.

“When I join the men for a debate about the Parliament, many of them grimace and if it weren’t because either my husband or my brothers say ‘I think Celestine is trying to say something’, they’d ignore me!”.

Cristina mumbled “And then they ask me why I’m gay…”.

“Oh boy, have I told you how frustrating straight men can be with lesbians? I’m making out with my girl and there’s always this gross dude who asks ‘Can I watch?’ and I just wanna punch him” Aphrodite scowled.

“The thing that Hana and I are the first gay noble couple to be open about it and have our own family without a man being the head of it can be so tiring” She mimicked the voices of reports “Who is the lucky man who donated his sperm? Don’t you wish he were in Stephanie’s life? Is it hard to be mothers?” She huffed as Toni nodded.

“People always whisper ‘Poor Livia! She has one part her father who doesn’t care about her and two moms! Scandalous!’” She scoffs as she nods at Eclipsa “Being a gay mom is hard”.

“That’s why Kayden and I don’t want children. We’re fine on our own, alas, with Lord Pompadour and my dear bear Scooby, we’re fine, but people won’t stop calling us selfish for not wanting to be moms! Like, grow the hell up, old man”.

Cheryl and Cristina chanted at the same time “OK boomer!” They laughed.

“And if you have kids, they always ask you about the next one. ‘Won’t you give little Vincent a sibling? Perhaps another brother to play with?’ Like, what if I give him a sister? What’s wrong with birthing girls?” She slammed the hand in the table, frustrated “People complain about Lydia being ginger and everyone said for a while that I cheated on Ernest! Like, it’s genetics? People call me a whore for having an active sexual life with my husband and tell me to chill, like, can’t I enjoy sex with a man I am comfortable with and have a great time? The amount of anons who send a ‘close your legs, slut’ is incredible. That’s why I never give directions. So what if when I’m alone with my husband I want to have sex all night? Who the hell are you to tell me what to do with my sexual life?”.

All the women agreed with her.

“The pressure for us to marry and have children in incredible. Like, it was so difficult conceiving my little Stephanie! I thought of giving up once or twice” Eclipsa stated.

“I never expected to have Livia, but in that moment Guy and I were so happy and excited, but then reality hit, he made me drop my studies and take care of the girl as he did the job. They called him a hero and they called me an ungrateful whore” Toni grimaced “I married him under pressure, like if you’re pregnant, marry your baby daddy!”.

They all nodded as silence filled the room and Cheryl commented shyly “I wonder what it’d be of me if I were a man. Probably many men would be sucking on my dick”.

“Hmm, I’d be called an hero and more worthy of the Crown than Liam”.

“I’d get my heraldy quicker in my royal house”.

“I wouldn’t have to marry if I didn’t want to for win a place as an heir of Edgewater”.

“My boss would preach me and I would have never noticed about Carmichael’s antics”.

“People would respect me more”.

“I would be the best single Dad of the century”.

They all chuckled as they shook their heads “But no matter what, I love being a woman. I have to admit… men can be really dumb sometimes. They’re weaker than we think. I have met few men who can control themselves and not being violent aside of my husband. Despite everything, I love being a woman”.

“Me too. We make magic. We can create lives!” Toni beamed.

“When we do something, it’s really hot” Cristina pointed.

“We can be really mature and we are more subtle”.

“Have someone mentioned that when we make out with people, we don’t have a bundle on our pants, making it hurt?” Vanessa commented.

They all agreed with her as Cheryl raised her glass “To the women. The best creation that God has ever made”.

Toni raised it next “To our daughters, who will become as badass as you ladies”.

“And to the elder women and female ancestors, who have done so much for us to reunite us today”.

Their glasses clinked as they chugged their glasses, cheering.

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

Perma Tag: @marlcasters​ @hellospunkiebrewster​ @park-nazario​ @isabella-choices​ @desireepow-1986​ 

Possible interest: @missameliep​ @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @choicesarehard​ @choicesyouplayandmore​ @isabeladraws​ @kamilahsqueen​ @melodyofgraves​ @deathbedofchoices​ @ineedskyecrandall​ 

[tornbetween2loves]

Arcana Unbound: Aeneas’ Epiphany

Four thousand years ago gods and magic shaped and ruled and were plentiful in the world. Man and all the creatures were shaped and marked by it. Then things began to change. Gradually those things of magic diminished and the things of science took precedence until magic became a myth tucked away safely in children’s fairy tales and skilled entertainer’s parlor tricks.

It’s been a thousand years of progress unmarked by true magic.

  Things are about to change.

This is a collaboration between myself and @innerpostmentality It is a TRR AU set 25 years in the future from the current TRR timeline. The story focuses around the children of the TRR characters.

Disclaimer: all characters belong to pixelberry except for our amazing OCs. They are our precious babies.

Warnings: This series may contain adult themes and erotica and should only be read by people over the age of 18.

Tags: @darley1101 @gardeningourmet @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject @bobasheebaby @carabeth @riseandshinelittleblossom @stopforamoment @furiousherringoperatortoad @indiacater @sirbeepsalot @alesana45 @museofbooks @furryperfectionlover @sawyeroakleyscowboyhat @strangerofbraidwood @teamtomsato @begging-for-kamilah @kennaxval @blackcatkita @ao719

Sometime in the middle of ‘Andante Andante’ on Calais’ oldies waltz track she started unbuttoning his shirt. By the time ‘Unchained Melody’ was on their dance was one of passion in the softness of her rose scented sheets. And then there was a soft knock on her door.

Aeneas called from her door. "Calais can we talk?"

"Ummmm… " She moaned aloud in her passion. Then started giggling. "G, give me a moment."

She was mouthing "oh my God" and shaking as she looked in Xipho's passion blown eyes.

“Oh shit!” Xiphos whispered, his eyes wide as he climbed out of her bed and quickly pulled on his pants. “Where’s my shirt?” He looked around frantically but gave up when he heard Aeneas fumbling with the doorknob.

Calais pulled a T-shirt over her head and motioned to the closet. Xiphos ducked into the closet and tucked himself into a dark corner behind the racks of clothes. Calais threw her comforter up to cover her bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. She ran her fingers through her hair and opened the door cautiously.

Aeneas took in his sister’s state of dishabille. "Hey. I'm sorry I didn't answer your text. Sarissa was with me. She was pretty upset, Calais."

Calais looked at her brother and nodded. "I know.. I really don't want to talk about it now." She dropped her eyes.

Aeneas looked at his sister a moment then saw Xiphos’ shirt half under her bed. His back went stiff as his eyes stared at her.

"Calais where is he?"

"Xiphos?"

His hands were curled into fists as he stared daggers at his sister.

Xiphos cursed under his breath as he heard Aeneas call his name. He ran his fingers through his hair and checked to make sure his pants were buttoned and the fly was up before he emerged from the closet with a sheepish look. He took one look at Aeneas’ demeanor and stance and immediately held up his hands, to defend himself if necessary.

Calais looked between the two of them and walked over to stand by Xiphos.

Aeneas stared at her his jaw was twitching and he was seriously wondering if he was going to crack his own tooth.

His words were carefully enunciated as he sat down on the seat at the foot of her bed. "Exactly, precisely, what is going on here?"

Xiphos glanced at Calais for a moment then put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He cleared his throat and turned to Aeneas. “We were dancing. To some really cool old music. Practicing our waltzes for social season.”

"Dancing?!" Aeneas eyes narrowed as he spat the word.

"You know who that is? That is MY SISTER. She's The Princess of Cordonia. Next in line to the throne after me. Now we are going to try this again. Why are you shirtless in my sisters room with an unmade bed at two in the morning?"

Xiphos felt Calais’ spine go stiff.

Aeneas saw her eyes narrow and her shoulders square.. then she stepped in front of Xiphos her eyes blazing at him. "Okay... You want to know what is going on? I love him. That's what is going on. When two adults love each other they sometimes express that emotion physically, intimately. I am NOT a child. And neither is he." ·

Xiphos smiled down at Calais, then turned to face Aeneas. “Your sister is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She is beautiful and kind and sensitive and caring. I love her and would never hurt her or disrespect her.” He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

Aeneas’ eyes were ablaze and he felt himself shaking where he sat. A hundred things instantly popped into his head that he clamped down on knowing that if he said any of them it would do more damage than good. Finally he managed. "For God's sake put on your shirt."

Calais looked at Aeneas. "I don't want him to put on his shirt. This is my room. My rules."

Aeneas growled. "This is the royal palace of Cordonia. And I'm fairly certain the rules here are father's"

Calais looked at Aeneas a moment then went to her closet and pulled a suitcase out and started to throw things in it. Tears ran down her cheeks.

Aeneas’ eyes widened. And Xiphos looked between them before going over to her to speak gently. "Calais, sweetheart, easy. This is just a misunderstanding."

Aeneas looked at them as Xiphos spoke to her softly trying to calm her.

Calais shook her head and dashed her tears away. "No. I'm not locking us away to make him comfortable. And it's dad's palace. But I'm an adult; hey I'm the fucking princess of Cordonia so I'm perfectly capable of finding a place where my rules are what goes.”

Aeneas’ voice was gentle when he finally spoke. "Xiphos is right, Calais. I'm, I was out of line." He shot Xiphos a pleading desperate look. Waaay up on his list of what he didn't want to explain to either of his parents was why their daughter had run off. Much less that she had run off with #1 on the World's most eligible bachelor list.

"Calais, Please stay. I'm sorry."

Calais stopped packing and looked at her brother. Their eyes locked for a long long moment before she finally murmured "Apology accepted. Now get out of my room. I don't want to see you before noon."

Aeneas stood. "Shall I get Xiphos a guest room?"

"Only if he wants one." She looked at Xiphos the invitation to stay clear in her eyes.

Xiphos smiled at Calais then glanced at Aeneas. He moved closer to her and wrapped her in his arms as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I want nothing more than to stay here with you.” She looked up into his eyes with a smile.

“But your brother is right. This is the palace and you’re a princess and I’m pretty sure we’d start off on the wrong foot with your parents if I showed up at breakfast.” He slipped into his shirt as he spoke gently to her. “I think it’s better if I just go home. I really don’t want to mess this up before it even has a chance to start.” He kissed her softly as she pouted.

He turned to face Aeneas.

“Thank you for putting me in my place. I want you to know that I am in love with your sister and I never want to do anything to tarnish her reputation or upset the king and queen.”

A look of concern crossed his face. “Where is my sister? I know she was with you, we found Leo by himself in his room. Is she ok?”

Aeneas looked at the two of them and knew they were serious. He'd been in the room with them less than ten minutes and they both had declared their love for each other to him. They were wrapped around each other, calming each other, sharing the little subconscious touches and gestures that were the hallmark of real deal love. He recognized it because he had witnessed it all his life between his parents. He understood it because he realized it was actually his instinctive reaction to Sarissa when she had been upset. The thought sent him reeling and he sat back down on the bench at the foot of the bed.

His voice was dazed as he looked down at his hands and remembered how her hand fit so warm and perfect in his.

"I sent her home." The whole reasoning behind that decision as sound as it was seemed somehow fundamentally flawed because she wasn't here with him now.

Calais had been stroking the small of Xiphos back under his untucked shirt looking at him rather than her brother until she saw a look of concern cross his face and heard the strange tone in her brother’s voice. She saw the dazed look on his face and immediately went to him concerned.

"Hey... Are you okay?"

He nodded and met her eyes. "I, I am. I think. Can you give me a few minutes?

Xiph I'd like to give you something to take to her for me, please. I'll be back."

He got up and wandered out of the room leaving them alone again.

Xiphos turned to Calais and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you for being on my side. That could have gotten ugly real quick.” He pulled back a bit and looked down into her eyes. “I’m glad that Aeneas is so protective of you.” He sighed as he rubbed circles on her back slowly. “I hope that one day we will be able to rebuild our friendship. I know a lot has happened today and a lot of our relationships are changing.” A shadow crossed over his face and there was a pained look in his eyes. “But I’m having a difficult time imagining a world where Aeneas and I aren’t close.”

Calais looked at him a long moment. "He's very, Very protective of me. Are you mad at him Xiphos?"

Xiphos pondered the question for a moment. Then he shook his head. “I can’t really be mad at him. I understand where he’s coming from. He’s always been super protective of his family. I know what that’s like. I would kill someone for messing with my sister. If she didn’t kill them first.” He and Calais shared a giggle and a smile. Then both their faces dropped. Xiphos’ heart ached as he wiped away a single tear that flowed down Calais’ cheek. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m going to talk to her. She’ll get over it, I just know it. You mean the world to her.” He brushed her cheek softly as his voice softened and lowered. “You mean the world to me too.”

She hugged him. "I don't think Aeneas is really angry with you either. Both of them... were caught off guard." She laughs a little. "I can't blame them. I kinda was as well."

Xiphos chuckled. “This really has been a hell of a day, hasn’t it?” He smiled at her with a love struck gaze. “We could all probably use some sleep and will feel better in the morning.”

Calais nodded and hugged him. "It's been a roller coaster for sure. And my brother was strange just then don't you think?" She frowned a little.

Xiphos shrugged. “Maybe a little.” He raised an eyebrow at Calais. “Do you think something happened between him and Sarissa?” He chuckled lightly. “Maybe their mutual stubbornness was able to break down their walls.”

Just about then Aeneas knocked softly at the door and waited for Calais to call "Enter".

He was blushing as he handed a leather case he'd tied a ribbon around and used a wax seal on.

"Please give this to Sarissa."

He looked at both of them. "I do apologize to you both. I was surprised."

Xiphos took the case and locked eyes with Aeneas briefly. “I am sorry too. I meant no disrespect to Calais, or to you Aeneas.” He turned to Calais and wrapped her in a hug, as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. Then he turned back to Aeneas. “Will you walk me out?”

Calais started to protest but Xiphos was insistent. “My love, I realize this is the palace and security is very tight, but I don’t want to risk anyone seeing us wandering the halls at 2am.” He covered her hand with his. “I meant what I said. I will never do anything to hurt you or tarnish your reputation.” He smiled at her then turned to Aeneas with a questioning look.

Aeneas nodded and waited for him at the door.

He turned to Calais with a soft smile and adoration shining in his eyes as he whispered softly, “Thank you for making this the best day of my life.” He kissed her softly as he stroked her cheek. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you.” He turned and walked to the door, motioning for Aeneas to go ahead of him.

Aeneas walked him to the entrance. He cleared his throat as they got there. "Xiphos, I can tell that it's serious between you. My sister really is wonderful. It's a little amazing to me that she opened up to you like that. It's been a hard year for her."

Xiphos shot him a questioning look. “A hard year? She didn’t mention it. But yes, I am very serious.” He turned to face his friend and they locked eyes. “Aeneas, I-ummm.” He looked away as he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I want to apologize again for earlier.” He raised his head to meet Aeneas with a hopeful gaze. “Are we ok? Or has our friendship been fractured beyond repair?”

He looked into his eyes a long moment. "I will always be your friend Xiphos. I never wanted to hurt you. I've always thought of you like an older brother. One that reminds me of my uncle Leo in many ways." He gave him a small smile.

"Sarissa gave me permission to court her tonight. I like her Xiphos. More than I should. A lot more than I should. I'm sorry I have to subject her to the cattle call of a social season. I have to be fair. It's important for the monarchy for all the nobility to see this as a fair contest." He sighs. "It's not. Not after tonight anyway."

A wave of relief washed over Xiphos as he smiled at his friend. “You didn’t really hurt me Aeneas, you set me free. And opened my eyes, without me even realizing they were closed.”

His smile faded a little at the mention of his sister. “I must say I am shocked that Sarissa gave her permission. That is the last thing I would’ve expected. But I’m happy you like her and I think you two are a great match. As long as you both can open up to each other.” He grinned at his friend. “And you certainly seem like a different person than you were just a few hours ago when I left you in that billiard room.”

His face fell. “Sarissa is so angry at Calais and me. I’m not sure she’ll even speak to me when I get home.

"I realized some things." Aeneas ran a hand through his hair. "I felt for much of the day today like people were speaking a language that sounded like Greek but wasn't really. And I kept thinking I knew what they were saying but I didn't. And then they were upset and I was clueless. It was really frustrating.

Sarissa prides herself on being observant. It's part of her training for the guard. I think you and Calais really blindsided her and that upset her. I don't think she objects to the two of you being a couple." Aeneas patted him on the arm and offered him his hand.

Xiphos smiled as he shook his friend’s hand then pulled him into a brief hug. “I think you’re probably right. I should’ve given her a heads up.” He smiled. “And I’m glad you’re seeing things more clearly now. Good night, Aeneas.”

"Good night, Xiphos"

Aeneas watched him walk off into the darkness. Then he pulled his phone out and scrolled down to Sarissa's name. He paused a moment knowing it was super late.

Sarissa was lying in bed, trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep. She couldn’t get her mind to shut off. The image of her brother kissing Calais kept repeating in her mind. And then there was Aeneas. He had turned her whole world upside down. She couldn’t stop thinking about how he made her feel. She closed her eyes and imagined him standing in front of her, his violet eyes gazing at her adoringly.

She smiled and her eyes flew open when she heard her phone ping. She knew it was him. She rolled over and grabbed her phone, her smile growing wider as she read the text from Aeneas. She typed a response.

God, she was in bed. Of course she was in bed you idiot, it's nearly three in the morning. Visions of her stretched out, those dark eyes melting right through him overwhelmed him.

Sarissa’s heart jumped into her throat. What did that mean? If he was going to break her heart before they even had a chance......

She was about to type a response when she heard something in the hallway. She jumped out of bed and rushed over to open the door. There was Xiphos, standing with his arm raised, about to knock.

Xiphos cast his eyes down to the floor, then looked back up apologetically at his sister. “Sorry to disturb you, but I figured you would want this now.” He held out the leather case. She nodded, as she fought back tears and took the case.

Xiphos shot her a look of concern. “Sarissa, what’s wrong? Are you ok?” He approached her tentatively, but she held up her hand to stop him as she shook her head. “I’m fine. Please leave me alone. I’m not ready yet.”

Xiphos sighed and took a step back, still concerned. “You know where to find me if you need me.” He turned and walked to his room and Sarissa shut the door. She turned on the light and sat cross-legged on the bed as she broke the seal on the ribbon around the case.

Inside there was a fairly large older book. The Classic and Contemporary Recipes of Yves Thuries: French Pastry. And a note.

I thought you might like to pick something out for us to make together. Or we could just go to Tevi's for some pastry and coffee, or tea.

Thank you for a wonderful evening. I would love to see if we could have a morning together.

Aeneas

When Xiphos got back to his room his phone pinged.

Sarissa exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she was holding after reading the note from Aeneas. She leafed through the cookbook, giddy with happiness. She picked up her phone and typed a response.

Xiphos sighed as he looked down at his phone, but smiled as he read the text. He typed a quick response.

Aeneas couldn’t help the smile as he looked at Sarissa’s response so he quickly texted back:

[the-everlasting-dream]

Xin Teng - Liam x MC [x Drake], TRR AU

Part 2 of Unfathomable

Summary: The day they were supposed to have the funeral

A/N: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!! We will be going into explicit confronting material about sensitive topics that can be triggering. 

Word Count: 4426

Warnings: Blood, mentions of death, miscarriage, description of injury, angst, grief. 

Permanent tags: @choicessa, @meeraaverywalker , @drakewalkerwhipped , @thewolvesss ,  @mfackenthal , @srawesleyghuewrites , @topsyturvy-dream , @enmchoices , @gardeningourmet @debramcg1106 , @alesana45 , @meladoridarcy, @blackcatkita , @tmarie82 , @annekebbphotography , @lizk77 , @jayjay879 , @tornbetween2loves , @akrenich , @theroyalweisme , @likethetailofacomet , @sleepwalkingelite , @littleblossom-18 , @ooo-barff-ooo TRR only: @speedyoperarascalparty , @carabeth , 

Unfathomable AU tags: @akrenich , @hopefulmoonobject , @wannabemc2 , @romanticheart-posts , @bobasheebaby , @sstee1 , @mrsdrakewalkerblog @furiousherringoperatortoad , @indicater , @h3llostrang3r , @innerpostmentality , @queencatherynerhys , @innerpostmentality , @drakewalkerisreal , 

 Xinteng 

noun 心疼 Chinese 

The Literal translation of heartache. The particular kind of sadness and pain that comes from witnessing and sharing the pain of people you love.

Liam stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his collar. Today wasn’t going to be easy. 

 Today he had to farewell his best friend of more years than he could count. There was nothing that could have prepared him for it. In his mind, Drake would have always been a part of his future, his best friend, trusted advisor and maybe even a member of the royal council, if he managed to talk him into it. Drake had been such a permanent fixture in his life, it was a core fact that he just knew. They would have been brothers for life, supporting each other until well after they were old and grey, there was no question about it and he had no reason to think otherwise until… now.. 

The reality of it finally seemed to hit him hard as he donned his outfit for the funeral —  a suit, all black — doing up each button seemed to take a colossal effort. His own blue eyes, hollow and stared back at him as he relived the thoughts and feelings of the last few days. The day they switched off the life support would haunt him forever, he knew that. It had been almost a week and he still felt everything so viscerally, almost like he was living it all again. Everything… Holding Elizabeth’s sobbing body as she tried to claw at the doctors... feeling frustration so intense he wanted to scream and never stop... begging and pleading with Drake to come back... feeling his pulse ebb away when he didn’t….

The emptiness was the worst…  emptiness that ate at him, slowly crawling its way under his skin to hollow out everything that could make him feel okay again… He marvelled at the immense impact that one person had, it was almost like Drake’s presence had left a huge hole in his soul that he had no idea how to begin to fill.  Sadness, pain and anger reared their ugly heads again inside him, tussling for which one would gain control over what was left of him. 

God Drake why did you have to-

The door opened abruptly and Liam brushed at the hot tears that has escaped him as his father's reflection appeared in the mirror. He clenched his jaw, willing himself to regain his composure, taking a deep breath before turning to face the other man.   

‘Father.’ His tone was cool. 

 ‘Son,’ Constantine replied in kind, eyes travelling over Liam’s figure ‘I see you’re ready for today… I can only imagine how tough this must be for you.' 

He was dancing around the subject — a subtle shift in his figure was enough to betray his ruse. Liam had to bite his cheek to prevent his face from morphing into disgust at his father’s gall to hide his ulterior motive for their conversation under the false pretence of affection. 

 ‘You’ve obviously come here to say something, Father,’ he replied, his tone measured as the tension between them thickened. ‘Just when I thought you’d come to comfort me on the day of my best friend’s funeral… I suppose I shouldn’t have been so generous with my assumptions.’ 

‘I suppose there’s not point beating around the bush..’ the old man replied, easing himself into the armchair. ‘Have you spoken to Duchess Elizabeth?’ 

 Liam scoffed, adjusting his cufflinks. ‘What do you think?' 

‘Don’t take that smart tone with me, boy,’ Constantine replied, voice restrained with fury. ‘The future of our country is at stake. We do not have the luxury of time. And I will not stand to see it be ruined by your indecision.' 

A deep rage flared up in Liam. 'For Pete’s sake, he was my best friend!’ He roared, not caring if he was heard throughout the palace. 'She’s his lover and today is his funeral. How can you possibly want me to bring up the subject of marriage?' 

'Liam I know its not ideal but we have to think of the future of our country,’ Constantine told him firmly, unperturbed by the outburst. 'Waiting is not a luxury one has as a monarch. The people look to the crown for stability. Duchess Elizabeth is the best insurance of that.’ 

He shut his eyes, swallowing hard, trying to keep his conflicting emotions at bay, like he’d done for all his life. ‘Why does it have to be her Father? Why are you so adamant that I marry her? Olivia, Madeleine, Hana Lee, hell even Kiara Castelsareillan or Penelope Portavira would be perfectly suitable for the role. Why do you insist on Elizabeth?’ 

 His father was already shaking his head. ‘You really want me to list it out for you? Fine. I’m sure I don’t need to reiterate how brash Olivia Nevrakis is, the people will never accept a Nevrakis on the throne, particularly after her parents’ betrayal. As for Lady Hana, there’s no denying she’s talented but the poor girl has no control over her feelings, anyone with eyes could see that she’s incapable of being with a man.’ 

Liam noted the bitterness on his father’s face after voicing that as Constantine continued. ‘If you hadn't made such a public spectacle of ending your engagement with Madeleine, perhaps we could have salvaged something of this mess, but nooo you had to announce it publicly.. Let's face it the other two are addled idiots anyway. Do I need to go on?’ 

He ignored the withering look his father gave him, turning away stubbornly. ‘Why can’t we just call for another season? Surely I-‘

‘Think Liam,’ his father hissed venomously. ‘Our royal court was just attacked in the palace, supposedly the most secure place in the country. The people are shaken, its only a matter of time before they come stampeding to the gates with torches and pitchforks, calling for our heads. We need a solution to this and now. Cordonia needs stability not the king spending their precious funds to pander to his indecision when the perfect candidate seems to exist already. As much as I hate to admit it, your precious duchess holds the people's favour something we desperately need right now after her performance during the social season. To them she represents stability and hope, two things even you have to recognise we are running short on.' 

Though he could understand his underlying reasoning, Liam couldn’t believe the words coming from the man he called his father. Did he seriously expect him to ask the love of his life to marry him on today of all days? How was he to even think of proposing to Elizabeth when Drake was barely in his coffin? 

 'Am I not allowed one day to grieve? To cry? To be a man first then a king?' 

‘Liam, like it or not you are the crown now. Everything you do is reflection of the crown’s intentions.’ Constantine was on his feet now, glaring back at him. 'You took a vow to protect this country and I will not stand by and watch you run it to ruin. If I have to take it into my own hands, so be it.’ 

 Liam narrowed his eyes. ‘Is that a threat?' 

‘I am not afraid to defend my country. By any means necessary.'

Tension crackled in the air around them. Both men stood toe to toe, locked in a standoff pulled to full height, Liam over his father by a few inches who glared back defiantly. His mouth was already opening to reprimand him when — 

 ‘Your Majest-'

‘What?!’ He bellowed at the young footman that opened the door, not taking his eyes off Constantine. ‘Can’t you see I’m occupied!?’ 

‘A-a-apologised Y-your M-majesty, it-its-its-,' The poor boy sputtered in terror unable to speak clearly. 

 ‘Well?’ Liam demanded impatiently, turning his head to zero in on him. 

 ‘I-Its the Duchess!’ The boy finally burst out. ‘She’s locked herself in her room and she won’t come out!’ 

‘This is preposterous! The stupid girl is having a temper tantrum,’ Constantine scoffed Liam spun on his heel, grabbing his father by the collar, rage in every word. ‘Speak one more word about Elizabeth and I’ll have you hanged for treason.’ 

 Ignoring his father’s protest, Liam ran.

-

His feet traced the steps to Elizabeth’s room of their own accord, shoving past staff members, barely acknowledging their grunts of annoyance and cries of surprise at their king dashing through the hallways like the devil himself was on his heels. No, he only had one objective in mind. 

 Elizabeth. Elizabeth. Why the hell was her room so far away?

Rounding the corner, he found himself standing at the locked door to her suite, Mara and the other servants pounding on the barrier. ‘Your Majesty we tried everything. We sent for a lock smith but she’s got something over the door on the inside,’ Mara reported, her hands red raw. ‘We’ve got security ready to scale the outside of the building, to come through the window.’ 

’Tell them to stand down,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll handle this.’   

The bodyguard did not look pleased but nodded once, raising a hand to her earpiece. 

 ‘Elizabeth?’ Liam called out, placing a hand on the door. ‘Its me… Its.. Liam. Are you okay?’ 

There was no response. Liam frowned in confusion. This was highly uncharacteristic of the Elizabeth Richmond he knew. Or maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought... 

‘Elizabeth, open up,’ his voice was more urgent now, unable to keep his mind from conjuring up the worst images. 

He raked over memories of the past days, trying to find something, anything that would clue him into why she was acting like this. He immediately cursed himself. How could she not be herself given all that had happened? But still he needed to know, he needed to see her with his own two eyes to make sure she was okay. And with every second that ticked by, the conclusions he was jumping to seemed to be worse and worse. 

‘Please. Elizabeth. Its Liam.’ Still nothing.

‘Leave me alone with her,’ Liam ordered before turning back to the door. 'Liz… please… Open up. I just… need to know that you’re okay…’ 

 He rested his head against the door and a faint sob could be heard through the wood. Alarm came flooding back into his face, galvanising him. 

 ‘Elizabeth open up or I’ll break the door down if I have to.’ 

 Liam’s senses tingled, strained to detect some sign, any thing to dissuade him. Receiving none, he sighed in resignation, before aimed a powerful kick at the door to the suite. His blow held so much force it struck the the offending — a chair — that had been holding the door shut and stepping over it, his eyes moved frantically over the unmade bed and seemly empty room. 

 The sound of another sob turned his head towards the closed door of the bathroom and springing it open, found Elizabeth lying in foetal position on the bathroom floor. He immediately moved to drop to his knees beside her before he slipped suddenly. He reflexively flung a hand out to support himself against the toilet bowl. After sufficiently steadying himself, he drew his hand back only to find it covered in… crimson. 

The dart of relief that was forming in his chest immediately vanished as Liam’s blue eyes took in the entire scene where the floor was covered in blood all originating from… Elizabeth's voice was softer than a whisper and coarse than sandpaper as she turned her fractured gaze to his, tears welling in her eyes. 

‘I… I-I… He.. Drake...’ She choked on his name, fresh sobs erupting from her body. Her hand clutched the toilet, leaving a smear of blood in its place before her arm gave out and she collapsed onto the floor, lacking the strength to even hold herself upright. ‘There’s so much blood…’ She croaked brokenly, eyes unfocused as she scanned the scene around her. 'W-why is there so much blood?'

Her words broke Liam out of his frozen stupor. ‘Elizabeth,’ His voice was hoarse as his mind slowly pieced together what had happened. Unable to tears his eyes away from the pool of red seeping out from under her legs, he swallowed hard, staring at his bloodstained hand. ‘You… you were…’   

Pregnant...

She shut her eyes, hissing slightly as the word hung in their air between them. ‘He didn’t know Liam. He… I-He died without knowing I…’ She wouldn’t finish without breaking into tears again and lost for words, Liam gathered her up into his arms as she wept, unable to stop big tears rolling down his face, knowing he only knew a sliver of what she was going through right now. 

On the day of the funeral too… 

His heart went out to her and the unfathomable suffering she was experiencing. He felt so infinitely useless, unable to provide any other comfort so he clutched her closer, as if the tighter he held on the more likely her pain would go away. He was painfully aware that there was nothing he could say or do that would ever be able to rectify what had just happened. So he held her on that bathroom, he held her close as she cried into his new black suit, blood staining both their outfits. Liam’s own emotions had worked up a storm inside him but he pushed them down for her sake. He couldn’t lose it too. Suddenly Elizabeth cried out as if in pain as more fluid began to leak onto the floor and when her skin touched his, the contact burned his skin. She felt scorching hot to the touch despite the shivers that wracked her body.

Liam cursed himself for not realising this sooner and shouted for a maid. 

‘Prepare the motorcade and have them ready to transport the duchess and I to the hospital. And bring Lady Hana here immediately,’ he commanded the girl who’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates at the sight. ‘Breathe a word of this to anyone and I will personally ensure that you live to regret it.’   

She bobbed once in compliance and rushed off. 

 ‘C’mon Elizabeth,’ he encouraged softly after god knows how much time had passed. ‘It’s going to be okay.. Its going to be okay.’

He had no way of knowing if it was going to be okay, he had no idea what would happen next but he couldn’t let her know the panic he was feeling. He shifted her hot body in his arms, worry seeping deeper into him. How long had she been like this? Surely it couldn’t have been good to lie on the bathroom floor - as clean as it may be - in this state. Liam had little medical knowledge but what if she’d caught some bacterial infection or something? She could be at risk for something serious and he had no idea. 

 ‘Someone get the doctor immediately,’ he bellowed, shifting Elizabeth again, her temperature soaring as she attempted to curl closer into herself. 

Through the panic he was feeling, Liam remembered vaguely that his mother had put him under a cold shower when he’d had a fever as a child to lower his temperature. He had no way of knowing if that was medically but he had to try. 

‘C’mon Elizabeth,’ he repeated. ‘I’m going to put you into the shower. We- we… I don’t know what I’m doing..’ Liam ran a bloodstained hand through his hair, not caring for his personal wellbeing, attention solely focused on getting her up and into the shower. 'Let’s get you cleaned up.’ 

Elizabeth made a noise of reluctance but eventually allowed him to lift her to her feet. He had just managed to coax her into the shower when Hana’s voice called out for him. 

 ‘In here,’ he yelled back from under the cold shower where he was holding Elizabeth, still fully clothed as he tried to keep his eyes off the blood that was draining off both of them. Hana appeared in the doorway instantaneously, a gasp escaping her at the sight before her eyes, scanning the mess in the bathroom. For a moment her lower lip wavered and Liam was doubting his decision to have her here before she straightened her posture and stepped into the bathroom, avoiding the puddles of blood and fluid on the ground. 

 ‘Here let me,’ she reached for Elizabeth and Liam was only too glad to ease her into her arms. ‘The doctor is on the way.' 

As Liam was exiting the bathroom to let Hana rinse her, his eyes caught sight of the toilet, where something bobbed in the bloodstained water.. 

This time Liam was unable to control his initial reaction, his stomach turning itself inside out, heaving its contents into the nearest rubbish bin. Swiping the back of his hand over his mouth, he stumbled out of the bathroom, surely leaving red footprints in his wake but in his stupor, he was barely able to think straight. 

 ‘Your Majesty-‘ Bastein and Mara were at the suite door, wide eyed at the blood on his clothes but he waved them off. ‘Where’s that fucking doctor?’ 

‘Right here Your Majesty, apologies for the delay,’ a woman stepped up and Liam couldn’t speak, merely pointing to Elizabeth's room.

‘Your Majesty you don’t look-' 

‘Madeleine!’ Liam bellowed, ignoring all attempts at his own wellbeing. 

The blonde woman materialised at the threshold with her ever enigmatic expression. ‘You called Your Majesty?’ 

‘Postpone the funeral. And clear my schedule for today and tomorrow.’ 

‘What am I your personal assistant?’ She scoffed, clearly unified by his stormy expression. 

‘I am your king,’ Liam growled, authority clear in his tone. ‘You will do as I say.’ The blonde woman nodded once and disappeared and he glanced at the crowd of servants gathered there watching the scene. 

'Breathe a word of this to anyone and I’ll make sure you all pay for it,’ he snarled, registering the fear in their eyes before they scattered. 

 He sank down into a nearby chaise, his head dropping into his hands and Liam wept...

He cried for Elizabeth, for the inexplicable pain she was feeling at losing not one but two people in such a short space of time. He wept for the child who would have been, who would have grown up to be a tiny copy of their father, a strength to their mother and comfort that the man she loved was still with her in some way. He wept for Drake who would never get to have the family he wanted and surely deserved, a life cut short by the sharp and unforgiving knife of fate. Feeling a synonymous sense of shame, Liam wept for himself too, for what he was expected to do for his country at the price of one woman’s happiness and stability.

He did not know how long he sat there, eyes staring blankly at the tiles, brushing off any and all attempt to comfort him until the servants bustled by barely taking notice of their king sitting so still he could have been a statue. His father’s word echoed back to him, about the need for stability and harmony through his marriage to Elizabeth but Liam knew now that he would never be able to ask that of her. The opinions of the people be damned, he thought angrily. They could change and they would. He’d marry someone else Olivia or even Kiara maybe, both who would be fine queens and — 

The door creaked open to reveal the doctor stepping out and Liam immediately stood up, giving her an expectant look. Her expression turned apologetic. 

 ‘As you are aware, Your Majesty Duchess Elizabeth has had a miscarriage. It is difficult to say how far along she was but my best guess would be less than three months.’ 

The words shook him to his core.. Three months ago would have been around the time of the homecoming ball, after he had broken off his engagement to Madeleine, he reasoned. Liam felt his stomach drop, he had no idea Elizabeth and Drake were so involved together at that point, in fact he had no idea of it until he’d seen her at his bedside before what he had suspected finally clicked into place. His stomach twisted into a tighter knot at the next words. 

‘You found her when she was mid way through passing the pregnancy tissue. Fever, chills, severe abdominal and uterine pain are common with a miscarriage like this one. It is hard to say whether she has contracted some kind of infection from sitting unprotected on the floor but I have briefed Lady Hana on the symptoms and she knows to contact a doctor should Her Grace be experiencing this.’ 

 ‘How is she now?’ Liam’s tongue felt thick in his mouth as he fought to swallow the doctor’s words. 

 ‘The rest of the pregnancy tissue should pass out in the next few days and there’s nothing I can do to make that process any faster. It is a matter of time. But for now she needs to rest Your Majesty. I would recommend bedrest for the next day or two and no strenuous activity while her body recovers. I have given her painkillers to help with the pain. She will require an ultrasound to ensure all the pregnancy tissue has been expelled and another checkup in about 4-6 weeks time.' 

He hadn’t realised how tense he was until the doctor placed a hand on his arm in comfort. 

‘It’s a tough thing to recover from but Her Grace has a good support system. She just needs people to be with her to remind her that she doesn’t have to do this alone. None of you do.’ 

 Liam nodded, hearing the doctor’s message. ‘I understand. Can I-can I see her?’ ‘Her Grace is resting but a few minutes wouldn’t hurt,’ the doctor — Dr Jaya Da Silva as her name badge read — smiled sadly, pausing for a moment before speaking again. ‘Go be with her. In times like these, you need hope. You need to give her that hope Your Majesty because in the end that’s all we have. Everyone knows Duchess Elizabeth has a way of pulling through in the end, you just need to remind her of it.’

He nodded once and turned to the room door where two maids with cleaning supplies were exiting. Unbidden his eyes flew to a small black plastic bag one of them was holding and his stomach turned violently, threatening to hurl at the sight of it. 

That was… 

Liam squeezed his eyes shut, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his blazer — a gesture his stepmother would have surely chastised him for — and took a deep breath, willing the calmness people associated his kingly persona to return. Elizabeth lay on the bed, curled into ball, dark hair tangled across the pillows as Hana tucked her in. She barely acknowledged his presence, her eyes glassy and vacant, fixated loosely on the wall. He winced at the sight, taking in her bloodshot gaze and how her hands hadn’t quite stopped shaking.

‘Elizabeth…’ Her name slipped from his lips, as if it was never really meant for him. His mouth opened and shut a few times, at a loss for words. "How are you feeling?” wouldn’t really cut it in this situation; he could not even begin to understand the pain she must be in. 

 ‘You postponed the funeral,’ she said finally, almost in an accusatory tone. ‘Why?’ 

Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair. ‘Elizabeth... you can’t. You’re in no condition to..’ 

‘I can,’ she retorted, struggling to push herself up on one hand. ‘I can and I will.’ 

‘The doctor ordered bedrest, she said it would take a while for-‘ 

‘I don’t care! Stop. Stop it okay!’ She was in a sitting position now, glaring at him with a venom that he’d never seen before. ‘It needs to go on, I have to… I have to…  I want to see him laid to rest.. I wanna see him one more time before-‘ Her voice gave way to sobs. 

 ‘Elizabeth…You’ve already gone through so much today. You need to rest.’ 

‘I need to see him Liam,’ she was crying again, loud, messy sobs as huge globs of snot flowed out of her nose but she swiped it away with her hand before holding up a menacing finger towards him. ‘Fuck you and your entitled ass for not letting me.’ 

He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. ‘Tell them the funeral is back on Liam. Tell them or I’ll never speak to you again.’ 

'If it comes to that, so be it.’ 

She yelled at him, screamed, cursed him with every profanity under the sun, swearing on all she knew to be sacred that she would never forgive him but Liam stood his ground. He dragged his blue eyes to her dark ones, knowing she was in extreme pain and it was just the grief talking. She was already unstable, if he did as she said… who knew if she would ever recover. 

‘Hate me all you want,’ Liam continued in a voice he did not recognise as his own. ‘I’m only doing this for you own good.’ 

‘You fucking bastard!’ she yelled back as she struggled to get to her feet, before giving way to a sharp cry of pain, her hand flying to her abdomen. Hana immediately rushed to her side but Elizabeth swatted her away. ‘Get off me, let me go Hana!' 

The other woman turned her pleading eyes on Liam, begging him to relent so that Elizabeth would be calmed but he stood his ground.

‘So help me Elizabeth if I need to lock you in this room I will.’ 

What was happening to him? He sounded just like his father, placing this innocent woman in even more pain. But Liam had no choice, he had to do what he felt was right. 

 ‘I’m doing this for your own good,’ he replied forlornly as she collapsed back on the bed in exhaustion. Shutting the door behind him, Liam leaned against the wood, closing his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks, hating himself for what he just did. The sound of her protests filtered to him as the echo of his father’s words sprang to his mind, both battling on his conscience. Elizabeth was already in so much pain. 

How could he burden her with the crown too?

[choicessa]

A new beginning (Drake x MC)

My entry for #ChoicesCreates Round 30 hosted by @holly-park and @captainsugarcakes

Prompt: “Reunited”

Book: The Royal Romance

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC (Elizabeth)

Note: Takes place after the ending of TRR book 1 and this is an AU, where MC was made to leave Cordonia after the photos release and she had to come back to New York.

She was seeing him everywhere.

In similar scent of cologne, so well-known after all the times spent in his arms, inhaling him, the scent now surrounding her everywhere, always making her heart clench painfully, bringing back the unwanted memories.

In each glass of whiskey she was pouring for another clients coming to the bar, when she couldn’t stop thinking of all the sleepless nights at his side, whiskey in their hands when they sat in silence, enjoying themselves, enjoying those moments in between, so precious for them.

He was in every pair of brown eyes she noticed on her way to work. How often did she drown in his gaze? How often did his eyes stare at her softly, with such unexpected tenderness? But all the eyes she met on the streets, didn’t even see her. Their cold glances were passing her and she longed for that familiar warmth, she knew so well.

He was in cronuts, their smell reminding her of that evening spent together, when they sneaked out from the castle, probably the first time when she looked at him differently, when she started to think that maybe they have more in common than they thought…  

And whenever fragment of a jeans shirt flashed in front of her eyes, her head immediately turned away. Because even though somewhere  deep down she knew that it was impossible to meet him here, her heart always started to beat faster, suddenly blossoming with hope, just to finally realize with disappointment that this man wasn’t him either.

How could she finally forget, when everything and everyone around was reminding her of him? He was like a silent shadow, following her every step; like a ghost, haunting her, her thoughts, her days; a memory she couldn’t but also didn’t want to get rid of.

It’s been just a few months. A few, lonely months. And yet it felt like centuries for her. When days slowly turned into weeks, weeks into months as the seasons changed; spring came and went away making place for summer, now long forgotten, replaced by autumn. Elizabeth was walking down the street; red, orange and yellow leaves falling down around her from the trees, such an unmistakable sign of autumn. Such a beautiful and sad sight at the same time… Even though she loved autumn, she didn’t have enough time to properly admire the colors around her, not now. She adjusted bag hanging on her arm and put her hands deeper into the pockets of her coat, taking a turn into another street, rushing, knowing that she is late once again. It was her usual way to work. Work that was a curse and a blessing at the same time. Work that was meant to help her forget. Forget about what happened back there.

But even after those months, she still couldn’t forget. Cordonia… Sometimes she was feeling like that was just a dream, a beautiful and crazy dream. She – sleeping in the palace, walking down its halls, dancing at the balls, hanging out with royals, meeting true prince… “Life almost out of a fairytale…” Someone would said. And it was almost like that, until… until the coronation…

When somebody leaked those photos of her and Tariq, when she was set up, accused of things she’d never done; blamed for something that never had happened. When she was forced to leave the court immediately. When the guards put her on the plane, not even letting her say one goodbye. To the last time she was hoping that someone will come for her, save her from this nightmare, from this humiliation. Maybe Liam, wanting to explain this whole situation, ordering the guards to let her go. Or maybe Beaumonts, trying to get her back, protect her like they did for the last few months, being a replacement for a family she never truly had. Or Hana, her best and yet so unexpected friend with whom she spent so many merry evenings, forgetting about all the problems in the world. Or maybe Drake. The only one who knew the whole truth, the one who could help clear her name, who could speak up for her, defend her and… at the same time the man she truly loved.

But not one of them did anything. No one came to her, for her. Yet, she was desperately holding to her hope to the last moment. When she was sitting at her seat and plane started to move, circling the airport, she was still hoping. Hoping for a miracle, for a justice. They were gaining speed, going  faster and faster and the last sparks of hope were helping to hold back her tears when she was looking outside the window. There still was time, they still could change her fate… But when the plane got into the air leaving the ground, leaving Cordonia, that hope died, making her breathless. She couldn’t hold herself anymore. Large tears, full of despair were running down her cheeks, when she was quietly, almost soundlessly crying. Her eyes were watching the beautiful starry sky through the window but her heart was mourning, her soul crying. Crying over the injustice she witnessed, crying over lost friends, crying over lost love.

It was a really long time before she got on her feet. When she got back to New York, to her old apartment, her old life, she was still hoping. Hoping for a phone call, for a text message, for any sign to prove that she wasn’t forgotten. But her mobile was silent, hours after hours, days after days and finally Liz had to admit it. They weren’t coming for her. They didn’t need her. They left her.

She slowly started to rebuild her life, she had to. She had to learn how to smile again, how to laugh, how to keep her back straight even though she felt the heaviness of the whole world on her shoulders. She had to learn how to convince people that she was fine, even though – she definitely wasn’t. She had to keep her hands and days busy, doing everything to fill the time, to stop her thoughts of coming back to Cordonia, to Drake, over and over again. So she threw herself into work, taking all the shifts she could, spending as much time as it was possible at work, so she didn’t have to think about the people and things that were gone… But today was one of those days when her thoughts kept coming back there, her mind restless, despite her great efforts.

And then she heard it. Scream, the sound of her name on somebody’s lips. At first she didn’t react, she didn’t even twitch. After all, she wasn’t the only Elizabeth living in the New York. But then the scream repeated again and again. And then it suddenly hit her.

She knew that voice. She knew it.

That was the same voice whispering her name late at nights, when they were spending stolen moments together, exchanging quiet whispers, sweet words of their unconditional love. The same voice that not so long ago was filling her heart with joy, the voice she wanted to wake up next to, the same voice so well known. But could it be…? Or maybe that was just one of the ghosts of the past, haunting her now, even when she wasn’t asleep. But even though her mind remained rational, her heart rebelled, started to hope again. Maybe it was him, really him? His voice was so deep recorded into her heart, she would never mistake it. She took a deep breath and finally found the strength, the courage to turn around. And that’s when she saw him.

His usual jeans shirt was covered with a leather jacket, his hair seemed longer than she remembered, now ruffled by the wind, when he was walking straight towards her. He opened his mouth to cry after her once more but this time not a single sound escaped his lips. Because he noticed her, he realized she was looking right at him, her far gaze piercing through him, through his soul. It was really her, after all this time, he finally found her. His Elizabeth.

And she was standing there, in the middle of the street, not believing her senses, wanting to pinch herself, to make sure it wasn’t just a beautiful dream. But no, even though he was far away, too far away, she could tell he was real. Elizabeth took one step closer towards him, her hands shaking and her steps unsure, she was almost like a baby learning to walk, not believing her own strength, her own possibilities. Her eyes never left his, the brown and blue meeting in the halfway, almost like earth and water, always together. She didn’t want to turn her sight, afraid that if she does, he would simply disappear and she couldn’t risk losing him again. Seconds seemed to be hours when they were just standing there, not believing in seeing each other again. And then Drake started to run. And she did too. They didn’t want to waste another minute, another second, they had to be next to each other, right here, right now. It’s been far too long…

In the blink of an eye they were together, her arms threw around his neck, when he grabbed her by her waist, raising her slightly, holding her close when he was spinning her around. And in that magical moment nothing mattered anymore. The world faded away around them, the sounds of busy streets went silent and she stopped noticing other people passing them. She only felt his strong arms around her, how his fingers dipped into her skin, when he was holding her almost painfully close, never wanting to let her go, afraid that if he does, he will lose her once again.

Their gazes met for another time and she lost herself in his orbs; his eyes showing her everything he couldn’t say out loud, words failing him. Happiness from their reunion, from seeing her once again. Sadness of all the pain he caused her, waiting too long to find her. Love, tenderness when he couldn’t stop looking at the only girl in the world he truly loved more than anything else.

And then their lips met. She felt his sweet kisses that soon became their whole world, when he was kissing her breathlessly, his warm lips moving against her own, his mouth whispering her name over and over again, savoring its sound on his lips. She felt his smooth hair under her fingers when she sank her hands into his strands, gently stroking them. She felt his heartbeat, against her chest, both of their hearts beating in the same rhythm.

He felt warm and familiar; solid and safe; like a long lost home, found after a long time of longing.

Her hands encircled his waist, when Liz gave in, gave into his embrace, hiding her face in his collarbone, drowning in his strong arms, in the smell of leather and cologne on his neck, so familiar even after all this time.

He never stopped kissing her even when he started to apologize between their kisses. He apologized for everything. For taking so much time to find her, for making her wait so long before they could meet again. He was saying sorry for not trying harder, for not leaving immediately after the tragic coronation. He was asking for forgiveness, promising her he would never leave her side again, making oaths of their future life together, giving her heart new hope, once lost.

She wanted to blame him, tell him how much she tormented for the last few months, make him feel the same pain she did. But after all this time her sorrow faded away and now she forgave him, she knew that it wasn’t all his fault, she wanted to believe him. But she let him apologize, she let him pepper her face with a sweet, gentle kisses, she let him make up for all the time they have lost for the past few months. Because they wasted so much time… So many moments filled with longing, never fulfilled fantasies and dreams and hopes.

But now they didn’t plan to lose any minute more.

Because right here, right now, a new chapter started. But that wasn’t the epilogue of their story, the last ‘and they lived happily ever after’.

No. That was a prologue, just a beginning.

[kaitycole]

Kryptonite

Summary: Jackson thinks back to their last few months in Cordonia.

Word Count: 3620

Pairings: Constantine x Eleanor, Eleanor x Jackson, Jackson x Bianca

Warnings: Mentions of s*x, Mentions of adultery, Mentions of cheating, Betrayal, Mentions of divorce, Mentions of unplanned pregnancy, Mentions of panic attacks

A/N: Thanks to @sirbeepsalot every time I reference a flower I now check the symbolism. This is the site I’ve used if you want research the flowers mentioned :https://www.almanac.com/content/flower-meanings-language-flowers

Song Choice: They Don’t Have to Know by Tri Starr

Part 16 of WP. To catch up, read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @kingliam2019​ @texaskitten30​ @glaimtruelovealways​​ @bobasheebaby​​  @bascmve01​​  @burnsoslow​​  @the-everlasting-dream​​  @ao719​​  @sirbeepsalot​​  @janezillow​​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​​  @kimmiedoo5​​  @choices97​​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​​ @lodberg​​  @edgiestwinter​​  @marshmallowsandfire​​ @hopefulmoonobject​​ @iaminlovewithtrr​​  @cordonianroyalty​​  @rafasgirl23415​​  

Panted breaths come from within the study, both Eleanor and Jackson stilling clinging to each other. They had originally planned to wait longer before sneaking around in the palace, limiting their interactions for at least a month, but both caved within two weeks of returning. Most of those two weeks were spent apart while Jackson was away from the palace, but it proved hard for the two to stay apart. The pull is practically magnetic between them;  it’s clearly obvious by the clothing littered from the closed door to the desk.

There’s a faint salty taste as Jackson kisses her neck, the scent of arousal surrounds them as they both slowly come down from their highs. A cold chill runs down her spine and he pulls her closer into his bare chest.

“I missed you.” She whispers into his ear, running her fingers through his hair. It’s gotten a little longer and she’s loves it.

“I missed you too, El.” His hot breath lingered on her skin as he mumbles the words in the curve of her neck. With a final kiss, the two pull apart and begin gathering their clothes from the floor.

“I could stay here all night,” she says as she finds herself in his arms again. Pulling on his shirt, she drags him back into her for a kiss.

“I agree, but I think we’d both be missed.” He chuckles as he kisses her back.

She lets out a sigh before giving him a small smile. They both look at each other, silently agreeing it was time to part ways. She squeezes his hand one last time before he slips out of the study.

As she stands there waiting, the reality of it all comes crashing down on her. That no matter how long you played pretend, eventually you have to go back to reality.

*                      * Before the king had gone to Portavira, he contacted several contractors to possibly work on Eleanor’s garden idea. It was originally an act of love, but now it was just another palace project to him. Just another way to leave a mark of his reign on the palace.

A few weeks after her return from Valtoria, Eleanor is finally working with the contractors to get the plans started. She welcomes the work load, anything to keep her mind off of her current situation.

“I think the hedge maze would look nice,” she spins around and then points, “over there.”

“There you are, dear.” Constantine comes up behind her, kissing her on the temple before wrapping his arm around her waist. “How are things going?”

“They are going fine.” A few of the workers notice her change in attitude and how she tries to slip out of his grip. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Constantine but he doesn’t speak on it.

“Which types of flowers are you thinking of adding?” He asks, walking over to see which design she picked.

“Yellow roses to the east, facing our suite and gardenias to the west. I haven’t figured out the rest.”

“Any particular reason for the type or location?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Blame it on my mood, I guess.” She shrugs before directing her attention back to one of the workers. No one in the palace has been safe from Eleanor’s sharp tongue; at first everyone chalked it up to being normal monarch stress, but lately she is entirely out of character. Usually if and when she ever snapped at anyone, she’d quickly apologize, but now she would publicly snap and then just walk away without so much as a second thought.

Constantine stands closest to Timothy and Bastien, the latter has been assigned to watch over the contractors in case of any accidents as Eleanor continues to rattle away demands.

”I prefer the Cherry Laurel for the hedging detail. Is that an option that we have?” She asks the man in charge of writing down the plants needed to be ordered.

“Yes, your majesty.” He quickly nods his head towards her.

She catches a quick glimpse of a shaggy brunette-haired guard walking into the courtyard. A quick blush covers her cheeks as she clears her throat to prevent a smile from spreading across her lips. The obviousness is caught by only the senior staff, who also try to discretely look at the king. His face is stoic and the only motion he makes is when Timothy leans down and whispers something; causing the king to just nod.

Jackson quickly scans around the courtyard, biting the inside of his cheek when he sees the king; the one person that he didn’t expect to see. He knows that he’s treading on thin ice, especially considering that he’s nowhere near his stationed spot for the day, but he wants to see her. She’s the only thing that has been on his mind as of late and he struggles to show restraint when it comes to staying away from her.

While rumors and gossip spun around between the servants and guards, it wasn’t reported to higher up as somewhat of an unspoken rule. So typically, Jackson didn’t have to  have a reason for wandering around the palace until he found Eleanor since no one too important was around. However, right now he needs to find a reason, but he can’t.

“Walker, fancy seeing you here.” Timothy hits the back of Jackson’s shoulder. He hadn’t seen much of his friend lately, but that was mostly due to assignments. Timothy has recently been in charge of training a few new guards to take over positions within the king’s guards. But he isn’t convinced that’s why he and his friend have been running in different circles.

“Ah, yeah,” Jackson nervously rubs the back of his neck. “Just looking to get some fresh air.”

Timothy scrunches his brows, “But this is in the opposite direction from where you’re stationed today?”

“A bit of exercise never hurt anyone.” He’s getting annoyed with Timothy real fast.

“You sure it wasn’t just to see the queen?” He nudges Jackson’s arm with his elbow.

“You really need to get a girlfriend.”

Timothy rolls his eyes as he walks back towards the palace. A quick look around shows that during his talk, the king had walked back over to Eleanor, who is looking in his direction.

“Officer Walker, afternoon.” She says, waving him over.

“Your highnesses,” he bows in front of Eleanor before turning to Constantine and bowing to him as well.

“Officer Walker.” Constantine says with a straight face, masking his irritation. He’s not oblivious at how one of his guardsmen is looking at his wife and what really pisses him off is at how he doesn’t seem to try and hide it. Constantine isn’t so out of touch that he didn’t know men’s eyes wander and he knows his wife is beautiful, but the lack of decorum is what eats at Constantine.

“Say, do you have any flower recommendations?” Eleanor looks over at Jackson, not seeming to care about whose eyes are watching.

“Me?” He looks around, making awkward eye contact with Constantine.

“The queen does seem to value your opinion. Surely you have some ideas for her flower garden.” For the first time Constantine shows his hand by giving Jackson a once over with a slightly disgusted look.

“What about Honeysuckle? The kids would enjoy it,” Jackson just shrugs. He really wasn’t sure if that was an appropriate choice, but he loved eating Honeysuckle growing up and felt the children would enjoy it as well.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Eleanor smiles, turning to make sure the man wrote the suggestion down. Jackson couldn’t help but feel a small blush creep across his cheeks as she looks at him with her bright smile.

One of the newer guards walks up and whispers something to Constantine who then address his wife, “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course.” She smiles at him, but it doesn’t reach her eyes like the one towards Jackson does.

Constantine walks back towards the palace before stopping right next to Timothy, who has been standing near the entrance, “I take it everything is in place,  Timothy?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Then I trust you know what to do.” Constantine takes one last look at the courtyard before heading to his office.

*                      * At first, the Walker-Rys affair is contained to their usual meet-ups on Fridays in the west-winged study of the palace; allowing their guilt to stay at bay. But as the weeks slip pass them, their courage grows and soon they both find themselves wanting variety. Eleanor begins to monitor Constantine’s schedules, aligning his meetings with times she can slip Jackson into her suite. There’s been several days where Jackson volunteers to pick up overnight guard shifts, allowing him the opportunity to sleep in the guards’ suite. That arrangement allows Eleanor to sneak over in the middle of the night without worry of being caught.

With Constantine away on business, Eleanor finds herself alone in the courtyard. The project is taking a bit longer than she originally thought it would, apparently being a reigning monarch can’t get you everything you want when you want it. She’s sitting on the same bench Constantine had sat on when he confessed he wanted to start fresh. Part of her felt guilty for what she was doing, she knew it was wrong. Not only morally, but also ethically. Yet and still, here she is, waiting for Jackson.

The sound of a small twig snapping brought her from her thoughts and she smiles. Jackson steps closer to her, holding something behind his back.

“What do you have?” She quickly gives him a kiss, trying to peak behind him, but he swiftly turns.

“You are awful when it comes to surprises.” He smiles, kissing her again.

It’s late, so she’s already taken her hair down, make-up off and is wearing a pair of jeans with a sweatshirt. This was the Eleanor that Jackson prefers, her just being her; not dolled up and on show.

“I am not.”

Rolling his eyes, he hands her the red tulips from behind his back. Instantly her face lights up and she throws her arms around him. He stumbles backwards a few steps before he’s able to regain his balance.

“I take it that you like them.”

“I love them.” She holds the flowers close to her face, “And I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It’s not the first time they’ve exchanged those three words, in fact it was after the first time that Jackson realized Eleanor is his soulmate. After that revelation, it became clearer to him why the affair was so easy for him. He knows that it’s wrong and that Bianca deserves better, but if he divorced her it could cause suspicious. Suspicious was the last thing that the palace needed and as selfish as it was, he didn’t want to risk losing what he and Eleanor had.

They find themselves in each other’s arms; a rush of adrenaline and arousal overtakes them both, caution thrown to the wind. They’re desperately tearing the others’ clothes away and pawing at bare skin. He gently lowers her to the ground; the cool evening grass sends goosebumps across her skin.

It’s not long before they are completely lost in the moment, lost in each other; forgetting all about their surroundings. It’s not until a flash appears that they both freeze, Jackson quickly pulling the queen into his chest to shield her.

“What was that?”

“Shh.” He places a finger on her lip before rolling her off of him. He sits up slightly, trying to look around when he sees another guard. He throws his shirt back on and sits up just enough, his lower half hidden behind some foliage.

“Everything okay?”

The man with the light turns, it’s Michael, “Walker? What the hell are you doing?”

“I just needed some air.” He discreetly pulls Eleanor’s sweatshirt to her.

“Did you hear anything? A few maids reported some kind of noise disturbance around here.”

Eleanor covers her mouth so she doesn’t laugh and Jackson just shakes his head.

“No, must’ve been some animal.”

“Alright, well I’ll head out.” Michael nods before turning and leaving. When he’s a safe distance away, Eleanor bursts out into a fit of laughter.

Quickly they finish dressing, speed walking hand in hand back to the palace.

“I can’t believe we almost got caught!” Eleanor says between laughs.

Jackson shakes his head once again, “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

*                      * Bianca lets out a deep sigh as she tightly grips her coffee mug; the heat radiating from the mug reddens hers palms as the morning sun warms her skin. Her mind is full of doubts and second thoughts regarding her husband. While the ball seems like just a distant memory, what she was told by a Duke is fresh in her head. Jackson had told her that he wasn’t sleeping with her, that it was just his job, but his words have lost their comfort.

At first, it was easy for her to believe him because in all their years together he had never given her reason to distrust him. His fluctuating attitude wasn’t helping put her to ease. For a while after the ball, he walked around al doom and gloom causing her to walk on eggshells around him. He acted as if something terrible happened, but nothing had changed on their end. Then when he decided to take a vacation he acted like a totally different man; he was an attentive husband and father.

But ever since her Texas trip, she can’t help but feel something was up. Maybe it was the gossip she heard about how the queen and king were sleeping in separate chambers or how Jackson was the only guard that went with the queen to Valtoria. What really didn’t help was Tonya’s projection of her situation on Bianca’s. Yes, the Walker marriage wasn’t ideal or originally an union of love, but it worked and that was mattered. But Tonya didn’t agree, saying that since Cash was Jackson’s friend there was a chance Jackson would do the same as Cash.

Bianca knows that she should just confront Jackson about her thoughts and fears, but she has seen him maybe a handful of times since he came back from Valtoria. First, he was sent to Applewood for a few weeks which she couldn’t fault him for but since then, he seems to never come home. Saying that it’s easier to just stay in the guard’s suite due to late night patrols which would’ve made sense, but Constantine had given Bastien and Michael the overnight shifts after Savannah was born to allow him to be home more. And the longer she tries to think about it, the more she tries to make sense of it, the more jumbled her thoughts become and the worse her headache gets.

She clicks the pen in her hand repeatedly; a divorce is an option, but the fine details make it more complicated. She wouldn’t want to stay at the cabin or even in Cordonia, but it isn’t just her feelings and wants that are to be considered. She has Drake and Savannah to think about, but remembering how happy they were running through Texan fields made her think moving just might be a good idea.

Over in the palace, a certain king is also clicking the top of a pen as he debates how to handle a very similar situation. He too has picked up on not only Eleanor’s but also Jackson’s attitude and behavior. At first, Constantine wanted to believe that maybe he was just being paranoid. That maybe he wanted to believe something was up so he had a reason to keep his heart closed off. Then another guardsman came to him with suspicion and everything became clear to him.

Unlike Bianca, Constantine couldn’t just file for divorce; there’s certain things that the royal family couldn’t just indulge in, divorce being one of them. They have been together too long for an annulment. Plus, if word of the queen’s less than discrete behaviors got out, Liam’s legitimacy could be called into question and he refuses to allow his wife’s choices to tarnish his son’s reputation. With all that said, he also wasn’t so sure she’d act as Liana did and leave her son, which would leave the throne unstable and Constantine in the same predicament as before.

Opening the third drawer on the right side of his desk he pulls out a thick manila envelope. He has a pretty good idea of what’s inside there or more so what’s on those photographs. He isn’t sure if the thickness and weight is from diligence or there was that much to report. He’s had it for weeks now, part of him hoping that he’d never have to open it; hoping that things could go back to before when they were both happy.

*                      * “Oh, do we have any of those sour lemon candies? The ones shaped like lemons?” Eleanor asks one of the servants placed the royal family’s dinner in front of them.

“If not, I will get some immediately.”

“Thank you.” She smiles sweetly as the servant bows.

Constantine snickers at the other end of the table, taking a sip of his wine. The boys and Olivia seem unfazed, going about their dinner as if the room is silent.

“What?” Eleanor cuts her eyes at her husband.

“It’s just the only time you ever wanted sour food or candy was when you were pregnant.” He stops, the weight on the word sitting on both of them, “Wait, are you?”

It feels like she sits there for hours, trying to do the math but failing. Time has nearly stopped completely, trying to see if there’s any way she could be. If there was a chance that it was either an heir or…or the product of adultery.

Constantine picks up on her hesitation, but remains stoic. With Liam, there wasn’t this kind of hesitation, she instantly knew the answer, but here she just sat; almost horrified. Had their intimate affairs been within the window needed? He had asked her once before to explain how she kept track, but when she said to counted certain days and excluded other, he became lost.

Eleanor sits there, “I...” Could I be?

“Are you okay, Momma?” Liam asks, picking up on her unease.

“Of course, sweet boy.” She scrunches up her nose, making a funny face at her son, “I’ll be back in just a moment. If you’ll excuse me.”

The king watches as his wife all but runs out of the dining room. Before when the prospect of an heir was mentioned, he was all but full of joy. The idea of more children was never what he planned, but he warmed up to the idea. Eleanor warmed him up to the idea, but now, he has a sinking feeling there won’t be much joy this time around.

There’s a wave of sickness that washes over her as she rushes down the halls. Her head starts to spin and ache as she feels sick. She wasn’t sure if it was sudden morning sickness or if the queasiness came from her fear.

Quickly, she ducks into her suite; rushing into her bathroom. When her and Constantine became intimate, long before her trip to Valtoria, she had her servants to buy a couple pregnancy tests. Her hands tremble as she rips open the pink foil, the plastic test in her hand feels heavier than she remembers.

*                      * Jackson steps out of the guards’ suite and quickly sees the queen pacing just a few feet away from the door. He’s unsure why, the watch on his wrist tells him that she should be at dinner.

“El?” His voice is barely above a whisper, but she hears him.

“Jacks—” She can’t finish before she’s in tears; her eyes raw and red. She rushes over to him, throwing her arms around him as he rubs his hand across her back.

“What’s wrong?” He tries pulling her back so he can look at her, but she clings to him. Her tears soaking the fabric that covers his shoulder. All of her actions are out of character for the queen, but he knows something is seriously wrong. She has never clung on to him like this, in such an intimate way in a very public setting.

Eleanor tries to speak but all that comes out are half choked out sounds. She’s practically shaking like a leaf, he’s never seen her this shaken up or scared before and he is panicking. Jackson knows that they aren’t safe there, there’s nothing stopping anyone from walking in on their embrace. Carefully he walks backwards and pulls her around the corner, secluding them from prying eyes and concealing them from potential scandal.

“El, I need you to talk to me. You’re scaring me.” He walks closest to one of the couches, pulling her off of him and helping her sit down. She’s finally leveling out her breathing when she looks up at him, tears pooling heavily in her eyes.

“Two…two lines…” Her breathing picks back up and she’s a mess all over again. Wringing her hands together as she tries to catch her breath.

“Two lines? Eleanor, you aren’t making sense.”

With shaking hands, she pulls the tests out of her pocket and hands them to him; she had taken four of them. He looks at them, unsure of how to act and he feels himself unable to breathe. The unsureness of what this meant left him with a mixture of fear and unease.

**A while ago I wrote some character profiles, you can read them here.

[kaitycole]

In Love with Another Man

Summary: Luke learns the truth about who Drake is and about his parents while Jackson continues reminiscing. 

Word Count: 1500

Pairings: Constantine x Eleanor, Eleanor x Jackson, Jackson x Bianca

Warnings: Mentions of s*x, Mentions of adultery, Mentions of cheating, Betrayal, Mentions of anxiety/panic attack

A/N: This part is shorter than normal because there’s a lot I have outlined for this piece but they don’t mesh well together. So in order to not go crazy or post something I'd hate, I’m breaking it into two parts.

Song Choice: In Love with Another Man by Jazmine Sullivan

Part 15 of WP. To catch up, read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019  @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways​ @bobasheebaby​  @bascmve01​  @burnsoslow​  @the-everlasting-dream​  @ao719​  @sirbeepsalot​  @janezillow​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​  @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @lodberg​  @edgiestwinter​  @marshmallowsandfire​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @iaminlovewithtrr​  @cordonianroyalty​  @rafasgirl23415​  

The creaking of the wooden panels brings Jackson back to reality, he sees his youngest son standing there. He and Eleanor decided that they’d keep their past hidden from Luke, but that was now impossible. In just a few days, Liam would show up and Jackson couldn’t lock Luke in his room or even force him out of the house forever. He lets out a deep sigh before patting the space next to him on the swing.

“Mom would have a fit to see you drinking at,” he pauses to look at his watch, “two-thirty.”

“Luke, I need to tell you something. Something pretty important.” Luke nods and Jackson begins to tell him about his and Eleanor’s past. Trying not to bombard him with too many details, but just enough to where things might make sense. He figures the next time Drake and Liam come, Luke should at least be there and have some knowledge to where he’s not shell-shocked.

Jackson tells him about how he and Eleanor actually met, not the watered down “we met while I was at work” reason he’s used before. He tells him about how were both married, not simply just “seeing other people” and that they had other children. Children they left in another country while they moved to the states to start a life together; a life with him. He and Eleanor never planned on telling Luke any of this. They didn’t want him to feel any of the pain that the whole thing had brought them, but he was trying his best. What were the odds that Drake would come to Montana and run into him? They thought Montana was safe.

“If Drake hadn’t have shown up, would you ever have told me?” Luke is looking at someone who looks like his father, but he has no idea who this person is.

“Luke,” he reaches out but Luke jerks away, “It’s more complicated than that.”

“No it’s really not. Were you ever going to tell me I have three older siblings out there?”

Jackson looks down, letting out a deep breath wishing more than anything that Eleanor was there, “No. We agreed before you were even born that we wouldn’t. We just wanted to protect you.”

He stands up, shaking his head, “All you did was LIE.” He storms off and feel tears fill his eyes. He’s not sad, he’s mad and the fact his body is producing tears makes him angrier. His parents had been lying to him for the last eighteen years. He walks for as long as his legs will take him before he drops to his knees and screams. Never in his life has he felt so betrayed, so lost, so alone. If he couldn’t trust the man who raised him, who could he trust?

*                      *

A couple hours pass before Jackson sees Luke return to the main part of the ranch. He helps put the cattle up, but won’t say a single word to his father. It’s not until they are sitting at the table preparing to eat that Luke finally speaks to Jackson.

“How old are my siblings?” Luke scoots his food around his plate, he didn’t have an appetite at all.

Jackson clears his throat, his fork clinks as he lays it on his plate. “The oldest is Liam, he’s 28, Drake is 27, just a few months younger than Liam and Savannah is 23.”

“Who do I share a mom with?”

“Ah, that’d be Liam. He’ll be in town in a few days.”

Luke loudly scoots the chair back and stomps his way upstairs; leaving his plate full on the table. When he gets to his room, he shuts the door and slides down it; pulling his knees to his chin. His world is shattering, everything changing at a rapid pace and he feels like he can’t catch up. He starts to hyperventilate, struggling to just catch his breath. Tears fill his eyes while his hands not only start to sweat but shake. His face gets a pins and needles sensation as he tries catching his breath, resting his forehead on his knees.

After what feels like hours, Luke finally stands up and heads towards his closet. Digging in the back, he finally drags out a blanket that his mother had made him. He pulls it around himself, even flicking it over his head before he curls up on his bed and cries himself to sleep. Trying to hold on to his happy memories before the betrayal washes them away.

Jackson pours himself another glass of bourbon, slowly pacing his way to the living room and settling down in his chair. He takes a sip before leaning his head back on the chair, thinking back to the last few happy weeks they shared in Cordonia.

*                      *

When Eleanor woke the next morning, Jackson was nowhere in her suite. She figured he would leave since a maid regularly stopped in to wake her, but part of her thought he’d stay. The night before ended with them in each other’s arms, whispering their feelings to each other. Typically, she’d have worn some Cordonian blue dress for when she arrived back to the palace, the press ate it up, but that day she decided to wear a casual outfit: jeans and a striped button up. Constantine wouldn’t be too thrilled, but she found herself not caring anymore. She felt happy with Jackson and at the end of the day, that’s what she cared most about.

It wasn’t until she walked down the hall and closer towards the main door that she saw Jackson; he was wearing his uniform and a concerned expression. She watched him talking to one of the maids before shaking his head and walking out. When they finally got into the town car, she learned that he had an early start due to press swarming the duchy. Though he told her not to worry, Timothy had arrived and escorted the man off the property.

As they rode back towards the palace, in hushed whispered tones, they discussed how important it was for everyone that they conceal their involvement. Agreeing that keeping up with appearances was more important than the jealousy they may feel from it. She already knew Jackson would have a difficult time seeing Constantine by her side and she wasn’t sure how she would feel with Bianca hanging on Jackson, but for everyone sake, they couldn’t get caught. And despite knowing they are having an affair, both refused to label it as such, simply referring to it as complicated.

The first few days back at the palace were awkward; while trying to act normal, all Eleanor and Jackson did was come off as trying too hard to get along. Their first few exchanges were severely cringey. Several palace personnel notice the weirdness, but no one will speak up; no one wants to knock over the card house that it the royal couple. Even though the royal couple seemed to have patched things up since returning from their trips, those who work in their palace wing know better.

Eleanor is chipper and her light as a feather attitude has returned, but Constantine has been spending most days and nights in his study. He keeps their family game nights mostly because he enjoys the time with the children. To his surprise Liam, while mirroring lots of his mother, when it came to critical thinking and strategy, he mirrors his father. The royal couple attempts to maintain their weekly dessert nights; though they are mostly Constantine trying to get her to hear him out while she mindlessly ignores him. Eventually those nights come to an end; Constantine has once against thrown himself into ruling a country while Eleanor’s Friday nights went back to being spent in a study on the west side of the palace with a guardsman.

*                      *

Constantine watches his wife’s attitude bounce back and forth for the next couple of days; icy when he arrives but a warmth when he leaves. As far as he knows, she doesn’t seem to notice he’s already picked it up. But what really threw him off was her aggressive attitude the days Jackson had been temporarily assigned to Applewood due to Officer Novak needing immediate leave.

During Jackson’s time away, Eleanor frequented the king’s suite; more specifically the king’s bed. While Constantine wouldn’t complain, it did cause skepticism with him because she had been cold for so long. But the little warmth she gave to him, brought him hope that they were in fact on the road to recover their relationship. Yet all his hope dissipated when Jackson returned and Eleanor returned to the queen’s suite and the icy demeanor increased.

But while the queen felt she had an upper hand, she failed at realizing that while the king may have been coined the unpredictable king; he was a very observant opponent. And once he had his target locked, it was game over.

[kaitycole]

Tiptoeing with Temptation

Summary: Jackson is still reminiscing; Constantine goes to Portavira, Bianca heads back to Texas while Jackson and Eleanor find themselves alone at Valtoria.

Word Count: 3216

Pairings: Constantine x Eleanor, Eleanor x Jackson, Jackson x Bianca

Warnings: Mentions of divorce, mentions of s*x, mention of adultery

A/N: i just want to thank everyone who reads this series and any of my writings. You guys bring such joy into my life and I can never fully repay that. Sorry for the sappiness, I’m a tad emotional right now. 

Song Choice: Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Part 14 of WP. To catch up, read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019  @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bobasheebaby  @bascmve01  @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream  @ao719  @sirbeepsalot  @janezillow  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  @kimmiedoo5  @choices97 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @lodberg  @edgiestwinter  @marshmallowsandfire @hopefulmoonobject @iaminlovewithtrr  @cordonianroyalty  @rafasgirl23415  

The thing about summer is it’s full of heat and passion, but fall always follows and brings cooler weather. And just as sudden as the heat of the royal couple appeared, the coolness fall brings crept in almost as fast.

It had begun as a tiny misunderstanding. Wires got crossed and Constantine misheard Eleanor’s request. The small incident was amplified when Constantine made plans to break the peace treaty between Cordonia and Auvernal due to talks of a coup. While it had been years since she has even stepped foot on Auvernese soil, it was still her home country. A place she assumed he knew was off-limits. She took it personally and decided to hit back.

When Constantine asked for support of a new trade route, which excluded Auvernal, she blocked it. The same when he tried to entertain political engagements for both of the Rys princes. Up until now, the couple had been able to separate business from pleasure, but as the days progressed it started seeping into their personal lives.

“I’m planning on taking the boys with me for the trade summit in Portavira, okay?”

“Are you asking or telling?” She refuses to look at him, keeping her focus on removing her jewelry. The two have been at somewhat of a stalemate for the last three days. He didn’t talk much about his political dealings with her anymore and she found no reason to involve him in hers. Constantine continues to try to mend things, but Eleanor refuses to hear it.

He pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to calm down, she really knew exactly how to get on his last nerve. “I’m trying to see if you would like to join us.”

“No.” She gets up and brushes passed him, walking into the bathroom.

“It would look extremely rude for most of the royal family to go and the queen remains at home. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“But I’m not staying at the palace, so it will simply look as though our plans overlapped. You will send my regards, won’t you?”

Constantine stares at the wall in front of him, truly contemplating bashing his head into it. Or at least finishing the conversation with it, since it just be more talkative than his wife. He hears her turn the shower on and leans against the door frame. “And where pray tell are you going to be?”

Eleanor finishes undressing before she slides the glass door open. She steps in and before sliding it closed answers him, “Valtoria.”

Taking yet another deep breath, he wonders if his father Edgar or his grandfather Augustus ever had moments like this. Arguing with their wives in the bathroom instead of any other room in the whole damn palace. “And why are you going there, my love?”

“I can’t hear you. You’ll have to get in if you wanna talk or you can wait until I’m done.”

Shaking his head, he walks away from the bathroom door and sits on their bed. He couldn’t believe this, he was king of an entire damn country yet he couldn’t get his own wife to just hear him out. He knew that she knew exactly what she was doing, that he’d cave. He always caved for her which was why when she got upset over talk of breaking their peace treaty with Auvernal, he ended the discussion. He did all that for her, but she refused to even hear him out anymore.

Several moments pass before Constantine pushes himself off the bed and storms into the bathroom.

“Why are you going to Valtoria?”

“I told you join me or wait.”

He slams his hand on the sink counter. Losing his cool for the first time in months. He hates that he’s like this again, his anger getting the best of him, “Dammit, Eleanor, could you act like an adult!”

The water immediately cuts off, she opens the door wide enough to pull in her towel before she walks out, fully wrapped in the towel. “Happy?”

“Overjoyed. Please answer my question.”

She sighs as if he’s the one that’s being stubborn, “I’m looking into the budgets of surrounding duchies, seeing if and where I can make cuts.”

“You can’t just reschedule that? Or ask the maids?”

“That’s the cop out way. As queen, I should go.” She brushes out her hair before walking out into their room. “I have already made arrangements, it’d be rude to cancel.”

He knows he isn’t going to win. Her mind is already made up and all he can do is go along with it. “Okay. Have you decided on the guards that will accompany you?”

Her head snaps over to him. That had been the last thing on her mind, typically she always went places with Constantine so she didn’t have to plan such things. She plunks a night gown from her dresser and gets dressed ignoring her husband.

“I’ll take that as a no. I’ll assign a few to your trip.” He walks by her, stopping to kiss her on the cheek. Eleanor watches as he leaves, knowing he’ll just end up sleeping on the couch in his study.

*          *

“Are you sure about this?” Jackson looks at Bianca with an uneasy feeling.

“Yes. Tonya needs me, she’s going through a divorce.”

He runs his hand through his hair and down his neck before sighing, “I understand that, but taking the kids?”

“I think they will be good for her. She’s never even met Savannah, so she’d love to spoil them.” She stops packing and looks at him, “Plus, it’d be good for kids to get away from here for a bit.” Bianca has never told him outright, but he knew that she’d been uneasy about his position since the ball and the rumor. She felt that their children would be better away from court life and rumors, no matter how much Drake and Liam enjoyed being friends.

“At least let me go with you. Both kids on a plane won’t be easy.”

“You just took two weeks off not too long ago. We will be fine; I’m used to handling them alone anyways.” She shrugs, Jackson picks up on her subtle jab.

Before he could protest any further, his phone starts ringing. It was a private number, so he knew it was coming from a secured line at the palace.

“I have to take this.” Bianca makes a face before shaking her head, “It’s work.”

“Officer Walker speaking.”

“Could you come in? You have a new assignment.” Bastien asks.

“On my way.” He walks over to his wife and kisses her on the forehead, “I shouldn’t be long.”

*          *

“I apologize for the late-night call.” Constantine says as Jackson walks into the study. Bastien and Timothy are already there.

“It’s no trouble at all, sir.” He looks at Timothy who gives him a quick shrug, clearly no one knew why they were called in.

“It appears the queen has decided not to travel to the Portavira summit and instead traveling to Valtoria.”

The three guards share a brief look, it was extremely rare for the royal family to make different trips at the same time. Typically, at least one monarch would stay at the palace to protect the throne; leaving it open was a risk.

“I know it’s untraditional, but the trip is important to her and I was hoping that since Officer Lykel will be accompanying me and the princes, that either Officer Walker or Officer Monroe would travel with Queen Eleanor?”

Neither say anything, the whole situation feels off. Neither wants to get in the middle of whatever was going on between the king and queen.

“I’ll go.” Jackson finally speaks up.    

“What about Bianca and the kids?” Timothy says, side eying Jackson.

“She’s taking the children to Texas for a while, so the timing all works out.”

“Would you like a guard sent with them? I don’t mind sending someone.” Constantine asks.

“Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline. Bianca would lose her mind having someone following her.” Jackson gives the king a small smile.

“Officer Lykel. Officer Monroe, you are both dismissed. I need to discuss details with Officer Walker.”

Bastien and Timothy bow and take their leave. Constantine motions for Jackson to take a seat.

“Scotch?” Jackson nods, accepting the second glass that the king pours before Constantine takes his seat again. “I’m actually glad you offered, I know my wife’s safety is important to you.”

For a minute Jackson starts to panic, wondering if the king ended up hearing about Barthelemy’s actual rumor. However, he was quickly reminded of the ‘story’ they told Constantine about why they were alone in her study.

“Of course, your majesty.”

“Let’s talk shop, shall we?”

*          *

After talking with Eleanor, Constantine made sure the trip to Valtoria would begin once Bianca got in touch with Jackson saying she made it safely. The entire ride was awkward for both Jackson and Eleanor, the pair hasn’t spoken to each other in weeks.

Typically, whichever guard was on duty would drive, however Constantine assigned a driver as well which meant Eleanor and Jackson sat one seat apart in the back of the town car. Eleanor flips through her planner, making notes while Jackson scrolls on his phone. The silence is broken when it begins to ring, his face turning red.

“It’s Bianca.”

Eleanor looks up and nods before he answers it.

“Hello? Oh, hey Drake, how are you buddy?”

Eleanor’s attention drifts from her planner to Jackson’s conversation. She smiles listening to how he speaks to Drake and how happy he sounds talking to him.

“I know Aunt Tonya can be a lot, but she means well.” Jackson laughs, “Yes, she does talk very loud.”

Jackson turns to Eleanor and mouths ‘I’m sorry’ but she waves him off. She really didn’t mind; she enjoys seeing this side of Jackson, she’s missed it.

“I know you like Bear, but we aren’t getting a dog. When you turn eighteen I’ll get you one. I love you too. Tell your Mom I’ll call back later.”

Eleanor is looking at him when he hangs up, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Bianca’s friend is getting a divorce from my friend. She went there to be supportive.”

Eleanor simply raises her eyebrows before engulfing herself back into her planner. Jackson leans his head back and tries to ignore the weird tension filling the car as they get closer and closer to their destination.

*          *

Their first day in Valtoria is awkward. Neither of them speaks to the other, Jackson remains posted outside of whichever room she’s in which was mostly the study where she was reviewing the books. Even though Valtoria didn’t have a duke or duchess in charge, the royal counsel still kept tabs on it. Meaning tomorrow the member of counsel in charge of it would arrive and that was none other than Barthelemy Beaumont.

The second day was more eventful, but still awkward. Jackson stood posted outside the grand hall which was were Eleanor and Barthelemy were chatting about the books. To his and Eleanor’s surprise, he was extremely civil, only making one snide comment: “I should’ve guessed he’d be the guard to accompany you.” Other than that, when he first arrived, he was on his best behavior and while Eleanor didn’t like most of the choices he made with the budget, his reasoning behind them were justified in her eyes. Though he wasn’t pleased when she told him that the Crown would be taking over Valtoria, so he would no longer have access to the duchy.

The next day started off just as icy as the last two, but by dinner warmth crept in. They both ate their meals alone: he ate breakfast before her since he woke first, lunch came after her and dinner wasn’t eaten until she retired for the night. But that night, she grew lonesome and told him that if he was already there, he could just eat with her now. She apologized for her cold shoulder and he acted as though it didn’t bother him. By the end of the meal, the two were buddy buddy again, just as they were during the time they spent each Friday night together.

But on the fourth day, something happened that changes everything. Eleanor is standing on the balcony, looking at the waterfall in the distance when she hears footsteps behind her. A smile spreads across her face as she looks to her side and sees Jackson standing there.

Her chest begins to flutter, feeling something, she hasn’t felt before. When it came to Constantine, she did love him, but she wasn’t in love with him. Even though they had been on better terms lately, she could never see him more than someone she married to have an heir. Constantine gave her the feeling of security, but with Jackson there was more of an adventurous feeling.

Jackson takes Eleanor in, she’s not in her traditional attire. She didn’t have any meetings or any visitors today, so she was wearing straight legged jeans with an oversized V-neck sweater, truly channeling her inner Princess Diana. He likes this version of Eleanor, this laid back and comfortable side of her that he’d give anything to see more of. Tomorrow the two of them will be heading back to the palace, back to queen and guardsman and back to pretending they didn’t feel anything when they looked at each other.

“I’m not ready for tomorrow to come. To go back to our assigned roles.” She says, breaking the silence and turning to look at him. Since they didn’t have anything formal at the duchy, she practically demanded he dressed down for the day. So here he was in a plain white tee, slim-fitting jeans with cowboy boots: a look she didn’t think she’d be into, but couldn’t look away from.

Jackson places a hand on her cheek, caressing it with a callused thumb. He has no comforting words for her, nothing to say to sooth the pain of what tomorrow will bring. Hell, he isn’t sure how he’s going to be able to go back, how he’s supposed to let the woman he loves go.

“If we had somehow met in a different way…a different place. Do you think all of this…could’ve been different…between us?”

Tears begin to form, she tries looking anywhere but at him, “Everything would’ve been different.”

With his hand still on her cheek, he steps closer to her, filling the gap between them. He tilts her head upwards as she leans in, her baby blues pleading with him. Their lips meet instantly, the space between them vanishes as his hand slides to her neck, pulling her completely into him.

Lips part, tongues dance and twirl together as the kiss deepens. It’s not their first kiss, that was back in her boutique and had a sense of urgency to it. That kiss was the first time they made it a point to stand so close to the line that divided them. This kiss is a plea trying to hold on to something that feels fleeting. Breathlessly they part, long enough for her to jump into him; arms and legs wrapping around him as he staggers back against the wall.

His hands tightly grip the bottoms of her thighs, supporting her weight as her lips trail down his neck. A small groan leaves his lips as she softly bites up his neck. He can feel the smile on her lips as he walks them both towards her bed before she untangles herself from him. Piece by piece, clothing is shed, hands fumble together as they eagerly drop the fabric to the floor. She slides herself to the middle of the bed, Jackson lays beside her; their lips meeting once more. Goosebumps cover her skin as Jackson’s fingers lightly trail up and down her side, stopping only briefly to rake his nails against her hip bone. His lips and tongue leave a fiery trail as they explore down her body, exploring every inch of her. A gasp leaves her lips as he kisses the inside of her thigh before he tastes her. His tongue gently explores her folds each flick of his tongue teasing her more.

He takes his time as he slowly works his way back up her body, his fingers gently tease her wet core as he pushes a finger into her before adding a second. Her back slightly arches off the bed and his lips crash into hers. She drags her hand down his torso until her hand is wrapped around his length; her thumb pressing against its head, pulling a moan from his lips. They share a look, one mixed with longing and consent before Jackson roughly grabs her hips. He sinks into her. A mixture of moans and expletives fill the room as they start to move together. Her nails dig into his back, trying to ground herself as his thrusts increase. She buries her face into the curve of his neck as her body trembles beneath him.

Jackson feels Eleanor begin to tighten around him. He pulls her up, wrapping his arms around her to hold her up as he sinks deeper into her. Her head falls backwards as his name leaves her lips over and over, getting closer to the edge. He pushes into her once more before he feels her fall over the edge, her body constricting against his as her body is flooded by pleasure. Watching her come undone brings Jackson to his own orgasm, spilling his seed into her before they both fall back onto the bed. He lays on his back, chest caving in as he breathes heavily while she weakly drapes her arm over his chest; laying close to his side. There are no words spoken between them, there’s no need for them. Steady breaths and heavy eyes take over and they both fall asleep.

*          *

Eleanor wakes up, the clock next to her bed tells her it’s around 2AM. She smiles as she sees Jackson sleeping, the two still intertwined together covered by just the thin top sheet. Carefully she slips out of his arms; she walks back out onto the balcony wrapped in her robe. Leaning against the railing, she lets herself get lost in thought.

Not too much time passes before Jackson wakes, feeling the emptiness beside him. He looks around before seeing her standing outside, deep in thought. Quietly, he steps into his boxers before leaning against the doorframe watching her. He’s truly in awe of the woman in front of him, no one has captivated his heart as she has. She smiles when she feels his arms wrap around her, his chin resting on her shoulder. She doesn’t want to leave; her life could be perfect just staying here with Jackson.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

She lets out a soft sigh, “Just thinking about tomorrow and how I’m not going to be able to act like that didn’t happen.”

“Then don’t,” she turns around, his arms still around her. “I don’t want to pretend. I don’t want to go back to our stations.”

“Jackson…”

“I mean it, I love you, El.”

[kaitycole]

Changes in Attitude (Part 2)

Summary: Jackson lets his mind wonder back to his days in Cordonia.

Word Count: 3178

Pairings: Constantine x Eleanor, Eleanor x Jackson, Jackson x Bianca

Warnings: Mention of s*x, Mention of pregnancy, Mention of violence, Mention of arguing, Mention of alcohol

A/N: In this series/universe, Constantine had -one- social season where he chose Liana and then just had a courtship with Eleanor. 

Song Choice: Fall Apart by Post Malone

Part 13.5 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bobasheebaby @bascmve01  @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream  @ao719 @sirbeepsalot  @janezillow  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @lodberg @edgiestwinter  @marshmallowsandfire @hopefulmoonobject  @iaminlovewithtrr  @cordonianroyalty  

For the next several weeks, the royal family spent more time together than ever before. Constantine seemed to really mean that he wanted to start over and made it a point to be finished with his daily tasks by dinner. On the nights when he was held up late, he also made up for it the next day. There had even been some days where Constantine allowed the boys to leave tutoring early; Leo immediately went to hang out with Bertrand and Damien but Liam often hung out with his dad. Twice a month, the five of them sat down for game night; making sure to rotate which game they played.

As for Eleanor and Constantine, they had their weekly dessert date, which sometimes was just them sitting and talking; sharing small details about themselves that had gotten skipped over during their brief courtship. The royal couple spent a huge majority of their time out in the courtyard with the children; Eleanor expressed her idea of the courtyard being turned into a garden with a hedge maze.

Over those weeks, the palace grew to see the old King Constantine. The one who believed in love. Some guards swore they heard the king whistling through the halls whereas maids gushed about how the queen turned a shade of scarlet every time the king came by. It was a nice change of pace for everyone in the palace and there were even whispers about the possibility of a new prince or princess.

Even with the new atmosphere, there was one guardsman who wasn’t thrilled at the new attitude of the king. Jackson couldn’t believe how quickly things had changed between El and Constantine as well as her and him. He wants to be happy for her, that she’s getting what she deserves, but his jealousy keeps getting in the way. He thought there was a spark between them during their talk in the courtyard, however it didn’t seem like it now.

Jackson is waiting by the courtyard gate when Eleanor finally heads his way to return inside. Constantine likes her idea to turn the old courtyard into a garden, so she often sat outside sketching different plans.

“Oh, Officer Walker.” She jumps back, not expecting to see him.

“Queen Eleanor,” he bows.

She looks around, “Would you escort me to my study, Officer Walker?” Lately it seems that the queen has more work since Constantine spent more time with her; he asks more of her opinion on diplomatic matters.

“Of course, your majesty.”

They walk in silence, both knowing whatever he wanted to talk about didn’t need extra ears. Her heart starts to thump loudly in her chest, was she nervous? Or ashamed? Maybe it was a mixture of both, whatever it was though, she didn’t like it.

“Thank you, Officer Walker.” She smiles at him, but he keeps looking at the ground.

“El…” He trails off, he knows he’s getting emotional.

She chews on her lip, there was never any intention on hurting him. The atmosphere that surrounds them is similar to one of a break up causing both of their hearts to break.

“Officer Walker…” Her voice breaks, this isn’t something she wants to do, “I think it’s best…”

“No!” He raises his voice to cut her off, “You don’t need to do this.”

“Whatever we thought was there, just isn’t…”

“Stop, El. You’re not thinking straight.”

“It’s best we go back to before.”

“It’s not just your call, El!”

She slams her hands down on the desk, “I’m trying to protect you! Why can’t you understand that?”

“Because I’m the one who swore an oath to protect you, not the other way around.”

“When I lied to the KING about a court rumor, that was my oath of protection. For you and your family.” She turns to face him, anger covering her face.

“I never asked you to lie.”

Tears cloud her vision as she slams her fists into his chest. “He would’ve killed you, Jackson,” she begins to sob, “I couldn’t bare losing you that way.”

He pulls her into him, letting her cry into his chest. Could he ever truly protect her? If Constantine found out she lied, there’d be consequences and Jackson was the reason she had to lie. Maybe she was right about them keeping their distance. Going back Queen Eleanor and Officer Walker.

“Is this all why you’ve been keeping up with the king’s charade?” Jackson had assumed that Eleanor had fell Constantine’s new attitude, but now he thought that he might’ve been wrong. That she was just going through with it to keep him safe.

“His charade? You can’t be serious about that.” She knew Constantine’s behavior flipped drastically, but he has been consistent and that’s what matters most to her. And in her defense, they were both married and she saw nothing wrong with trying to make things work with her husband; the same thing that she thought he should be doing with Bianca.

“He’s just playing you. You’re smart enough to know that.”

“Don’t say that!”

He shakes his head, “It’s true. You just won’t let yourself see it.”

“Why are you being like this Jackson?”

“Or are you just too blind by the possibility of having another child that you choose to ignore the signs?”

“I can’t believe you would say that. Not even because it’s towards the queen, but because you are speaking to me.”

“I can’t believe you are acting so stupid!”

Eleanor raises her hand and strikes it across Jackson’s cheek. Never in her life would she have thought Jackson would speak to her like that. It was no one’s business how she acted to or around her husband, especially not a guardsman.

“Is there an issue here?”

Neither of them had heard the door open or the man step into her study. Immediately she tried to think of how much he could’ve heard, hoping all she worked hard to protect didn’t unravel. He walks further into the room, stepping close to Eleanor’s side; almost in a territorial manner.

  “No issue, just a slight misunderstanding.” Eleanor puts on her diplomatic smile, “Right, Officer Walker?”

  “Right, your highness.”

“What kind of misunderstanding did you have?” Constantine is genuinely curious, up until now he didn’t know his wife and lead guardsman were on such talking terms.

“Officer Walker disagreed with how I handled a guardsman situation,” she pauses before elaborating, “I dismissed my nightly guard leaving, myself in here unguarded. He felt it wasn’t an appropriate call to make.”

“And that warranted a slap? He was simply doing his job which is to make sure you’re protected at all times.”

Eleanor and Jackson share a look. How many times would they hear or say the word “protected”.

“I came off more aggressive than I should have, sir.”

“Regardless, I am extremely sorry for my reaction, Officer Walker.”

“It’s quite alright, Queen Eleanor.” Jackson bows in front of both of them before leaving the study.

“Are you feeling well, love?”

She looks up at him, tears in her eyes, “What?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You’ve had a few outbursts lately.”

He wasn’t wrong, while the two biggest outbursts she’s had were at the ball and today, lately she has been snappy and short with people. She wasn’t sure at all where this irritability was coming from.

“I’m pretty sure it’s just stress.”

Constantine’s face drops, immediately feeling he was to blame. Before now, he made sure to handle most of the royal affairs but he wanted to share that with Ellie now. He no longer wanted to hole up in his office when he could spend some of that time with her and finish sooner to spend time with his family. He always had trust towards her, if he hadn’t they wouldn’t be married. But now he allowed matters involving budgets and local disputes to land on her desk as well. Though now, he felt he was causing her more harm than he intended.

“Forgive me,” he drops to a knee, grabbing her hands, “This is all my fault.”

“I’m fine, I swear it.”

He doesn’t stand up, instead she watches him crumble. A few tears fall from his eyes, him truly taking all the blame onto himself. Feelings as though these few added tasks had been taking a huge toll on her.

“I should’ve asked if you could handle those tasks, if you even wanted them.” He sniffs his nose before wiping his cheek, “I put more on your plate than a husband should.”

She tugs on his hands so that he stands up and she wraps her arms around his waist. His head hangs down next to hers; he whispers ‘I’m sorry’ over and over into her ear.

“Connie, it’s not your fault.” She unwraps her arms and lifts his head up so she can meet his eyes, “If I felt I couldn’t do those things, I would’ve told you.”

His face turns red, feeling completely embarrassed. Not only did he fall apart in front of her, but he implied she wasn’t strong. He’s slightly startled when she gently wipes his cheeks before smiling at him. “I don’t deserve your kindness, I was awful to you for years.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance, sweetheart.”

He leans into her and presses his lips to hers. While the couple has been more intimate than usual, the most they’ve done is hold hands, hug and a few kisses on the cheeks. Other than that, the two haven’t shared an actual kiss in some time. For a second, he thought he overstepped, hoping the display wasn’t awkward for her. All those thoughts vanish when Eleanor grabs the lapel of his suit and deepens their kiss. To increase his surprise, she pushes her tongue between his lips. He wraps his arms around her waist as she deepens the kiss even further.

The couple pulls apart, breathlessly. Being intimate hadn’t crossed his mind in weeks, but after that heated kiss, it was the only thing on it. He didn’t want to bring it up though, afraid of pushing things too far.

She looks up at him and bites her lip, knowing exactly what he’s thinking by the look he’s giving her. Walking over, she shoves a stack of paper off her desk.

“Ellie!”

“You said I have too much on my plate.” She winks before letting out a squeal as he picks her up.

“I admire the creativity, but I’d prefer a different venue.” He walks out of her study; carrying her over his shoulder.

She huffs loudly enough for him to hear her.

“Next time, my love.”

She lets out a giggle as she tries to cover her bright red face. She may feel lonely in the palace, but the amount of guards posted around it didn’t actually allow her to be alone.

Constantine clears his throat as they approach their sleeping quarters, “You are both dismissed for the evening.”

“Yes sir.”

“Didn’t I just get told not to dismiss guards?” She playfully crosses her arms and makes an angry face.

“Yes, but you were alone.” He kicks off his dress shoes before wrapping his arms around her waist, “I’d like to make love to my wife without prying ears.”

Blushing, she begins walking backwards, pulling him down with her onto the bed.

*          *

When Jackson leaves the study, he doesn’t immediately go home. While it seems that Eleanor could easily switch off her feelings for him, the same couldn’t be said for him. He loves her and he meant that. Constantine didn’t deserve her, his treatment recently might’ve changed, but Jackson knew he’d go back to his old ways before long.

He constantly thinks back to their secret meet-ups, their exchanged glances, the kiss before the ball, the way she felt when he held her at the ball and he couldn’t allow himself to think it was all in his head. There’s no way it was all one-sided, right?

Shaking his head, he walks to the pier at the edge of his property. He used to come here when he needed to unwind from work, but nowadays he’s here every night. Hoping that maybe El will come back like she did before; the night she told him she shared his feelings. Tossing a rock into the water, it plops as soon as it hits the surface. His mind is completely wrapped up his thoughts about Eleanor that he doesn’t hear the person coming up behind him.

“Jack?”

Startled, he turns around and sees his wife looking at him intently. He doesn’t say anything, to be honest he isn’t sure he could form a sentence if he tried.

“Is everything okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

She looks at him with a puzzled expression, “Well, for one you stay at here all hours of the night and then when you finally come home, you drink until you pass out on the couch. The kids never see you; you’re gone before they wake up and they’re asleep when you come home.”

“Guess I’m just a shitty parent, huh?”

“I didn’t say that, but they miss you, Jackson. Drake really wants to see his father.”

He shakes his head, irritated. He’s irritated with El, himself, Bianca, just everything and everyone. The whole reason they moved here was so he could give his family a good life, yet that same job was taking his family away.

“I’m just stressed, I’m sorry.”

She gives him a small smile before she sits down next to him. “I know I don’t understand everything about your job, but maybe you could take some time off. The kids would love seeing you for a few days.”

He lets out a deep breath when she feels Bianca rest her head on his shoulder. She’s right, he did need to see his children more and maybe a few days away from the palace would do him some good. If Eleanor wants to repair her marriage and ignore her feelings, there was nothing stopping him from doing the same.

“I’ll speak to the king tomorrow. Let’s head inside.”

As they open the cabin door, they see two little brunette children attempt to run and hide. It was close to 1AM, far past both of their bedtimes.

“Drake Thomas and Savannah Jane!”

They both stop and look at each other; immediately they begin to blame the other for getting caught.

“That’s enough, what are you doing out of bed?”

Savannah looks at Drake who tries to hide a nod before she puts on her best puppy dog eyed look, “We miss Daddy.” She even pokes her bottom lip out for added flare. Bianca looks at her daughter, unimpressed since she sees it daily, but it melts Jackson and he becomes putty in their hands. Just as they planned. Bianca shakes her head at her husband who is now squatting down in front of them.

“I miss you, Vannah. And you too, Drake.” He wraps them both into a hug, he smiles when he feels them wrap their arms back around him.

“Alright you two schemers, let’s get back to bed.”

“But Mom!” Drake protests.

“That’s enough of that, son. If you go to bed now, you can skill tutoring tomorrow. Both of you.”

“Jack…”

“Because Dad is staying home all day.”

The kids squeeze him tighter before jumping up and down. After goodnight kisses and hugs, the two trot off down the hall back into their rooms.

*          *

The return to work feels weird for Jackson. Two weeks away makes him feel as if it’s first day on the job. He’s resumed his everyday tasks, though he is surprised to learn Bastien was the one who temporarily replaced him. Timothy caught him up on everything and Jackson was a tad shocked when he learned he wasn’t asked back early even though the royal family took a trip to Fydelia.

“How was the vacation?”

“Surprisingly relaxing. It was nice to spend time with the kids.”

“And Bianca?” Timothy nudges his shoulder causing Jackson to chuckle, shaking his head,

“We really need to get you someone.” Jackson jokes.

“Oh c’mon, you seem to be in a hell of a better mood that the last few months.”

“There was some adult time,” he laughs, “But after all day with the kids, I was exhausted most days. I don’t know how she does it every day.”

Their conversation is interrupted by laughter and squealing. Jackson looks to Timothy who seems completely unfazed much to his surprise.

“You’ll see.” Timothy laughs as they continue walking. Soon they are watching the scene and Jackson isn’t what to think.

Queen Eleanor has a huge smile on her face as she tries to catch her breath from laughing and running. He assumes that she’s playing with Liam but does a double take when he realizes that it’s Constantine. Constantine scoops her up and twirls her around as she bursts into a fit of giggles. With her still in his arms, he backs into a wall and kisses her while she wraps her arms around his neck.

“I thought you said nothing strange happens while I was gone?” Jackson wants to looks away, but he can’t.

“They’ve been like this for weeks.” Timothy lowers his voice, “And based off how many times he’s excused the guards for the two of them to have privacy, I’d say we’re looking at welcoming another heir soon.”

It felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach and he takes a step back. He assumed that over those two weeks without seeing her that he was over her, but clearly the saying was true: you weren’t truly over someone until you could see them and not feel anything.

“I really should go look at ,” she interrupts him with a kiss, “the proposal for the new treaty.”

“Another stuffy treaty. Can’t it wait?” She pouts.

“I wish, my love. I’ll be all yours tonight.” He kisses her on the forehead before untangling himself from her. He waves as he walks back towards his office and she watches him until he’s inside.

Letting out a sigh, she begins walking back towards where Timothy and Jackson have been standing.

“Your Highness.” Timothy bows.

She lets out a gasp, clearly not expecting anyone to be in the grand hall. Her face begins to burn, thinking about how much they could’ve seen.

“We just walked down here. Only stopped to address you, ma’am.” He elbows Jackson, “Right Walker?”

“Oh…uh…uhm…yes.” He stumbles over his words, immediately telling Eleanor they had seen the whole display. Part of him wishes he could’ve lied better to protect her feelings, but the other part of him is glad he couldn’t. He wants her to feel the way he does, the aching feeling in his chest.

She clears her throat, “Well, I should get going.” She starts to leave before stopping, “I hope you enjoyed your time off, Officer Walker. The palace wasn’t the same without you.”

[kaitycole]

Changes in Attitude (Part 1)

Summary: Jackson lets his mind wonder back to his days in Cordonia.

Word Count: 3601

Pairings: Constantine x Eleanor, Eleanor x Jackson, Jackson x Bianca 

Warnings: Mention of alcohol, Mentions of miscarriage

A/N: In this series/universe, Constantine had -one- social season where he chose Liana and then just had a courtship with Eleanor. Also, due to dramatic twist this piece ended up being way longer than I planned, so to stick with the rough outline I have this will be a two part chapter.

**This song pairs well with this piece: Worst In Me by Julia Michaels**

Part 13 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​​ @kingliam2019​​ @texaskitten30​​ @glaimtruelovealways​​ @bobasheebaby​​ @bascmve01​​  @burnsoslow​​  @the-everlasting-dream​​  @ao719​​ @sirbeepsalot​​  @janezillow​​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​​ @kimmiedoo5​​  @choices97​​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​​ @lodberg​​ @edgiestwinter​​  @marshmallowsandfire​​ @hopefulmoonobject​​​  @iaminlovewithtrr​​  @cordonianroyalty​  

Jackson sits down at the kitchen table, having just finished cleaning up. It was around noon that he offered to fix lunch and Drake and Riley accepted. Their lunch wasn’t too eventful, just a bit of small talk. He didn’t go too much more into detail about the ball, once Constantine had announced Eleanor wasn’t feeling well; many people took it as their cue to leave, including the Walkers.

Riley told him more about how they ended up in Montana with Drake adding small details here and there. He could see the struggle for Drake to open up: both wanting to but not wanting to in fear of getting burned. He knew that feeling all too well. Drake also took the opportunity to tell Jackson how shortly after his funeral, Bianca had left. Leaving Drake and Savannah in the care of Bastien, claiming the loss of her husband was too hard for her to stay or raise the kids.

He watched as Drake shrugged it off: years of pretending it didn’t hurt him that she left, but Jackson could tell it bothered his son. For years, both he and Eleanor lived regretting not leaving with Liam, Drake, and Savannah, but it was a lot harder when the source of regret was looking him in the eye.

He wants to pour a glass of bourbon, help settle his nerves, but Eleanor constantly asked him not to drink until at least after 5 PM. It has been three years since her passing and he still lives as if she’s there, just shopping or with her friends. When Drake said he likes his coffee black, Jackson was proud. He drank his coffee black for years until one day Eleanor added her Hazelnut creamer to the wrong mug. The only reason any was in the fridge was that he still picked it up like he had the last seventeen years.

The house is empty, Luke’s out with his friends, leaving Jackson alone with his thoughts. It came off easy to relive those memories with Riley and Drake, but the truth was it tore him apart. When Eleanor had passed away, Jackson locked everything up inside; wanting to be strong for Luke. Remembering their story from the beginning was just as painful as losing her. Running his fingers through his hair, he pours himself a glass of bourbon. What Eleanor didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

Jackson grabs the glass and heads out back to sit on the porch swing: Eleanor’s favorite spot for the family to relax after spending all day apart. Closing his eyes, he thinks back to the events that occurred after the ball.

*          *

Weeks have passed since the ball and both Jackson and Eleanor have kept their distance from one another. While they each tried telling themselves it was due to busy schedules, they knew deep down it was because of the rumors Barthelemy Beaumont didn’t mind spreading or entertaining.

Even when the two would see each other in passing, they simply acted as if they didn’t notice the other. Jackson still maintained his respect by bowing, but he didn’t address her nor her him. If people had been oblivious to their closer than normal relationship before the ball, they noticed the icy temperature of their run-ins now. The maids all gossip, but none could pinpoint when the two had iced over.

Jackson hates not talking with Eleanor; he misses her. He misses her smile and laughter: the way that she can make awful days better with just one look. He used to feel that the days dragged when he didn’t see her, now time all but stopped.

“Is the Queen mad at you or something?” Timothy asks; Jackson’s gloomy attitude is like a rain cloud floating above his head, “Did she tell you she wasn’t interested?”

Jackson pushes Timothy into the wall, “How many times do I have to tell you to shut the hell up?”

Timothy pushes back, but Jackson keeps him pinned up against the wall.

“I mean it, stop bringing up stuff that no one is talking about.”

“Is there a problem here, gentlemen?” A soft voice questions, coming around the corner.

Jackson recognizes the voice before he sees her face and immediately releases Timothy.

“No, your majesty.” Timothy bows.

“I see,” she looks over at Jackson, “May I speak to Officer Walker, please?”

“Of course, your majesty.” Timothy leaves the two of them alone but doesn’t go too far, keeping within earshot.

“How can I help you, your majesty?”

“Jackson.” Her hand twitches, wanting to reach out but refraining. “Is there a reason you’re shoving guards into the walls?”

“We had a small misunderstanding, it won’t happen again, Queen Eleanor.”

He knows using her proper titles would hurt, but he doesn’t know it is breaking her heart. She chews the inside of her lip, blinking back tears. She looks at the man she loves as he treats her like a stranger.

“I see.” Her voice breaks, a tear slipping down her cheek. She waits for him to reach out, to go back to being her Jackson: he doesn’t, he stands there coldly like her husband.

“I should be getting back to my rounds, ma’am.” He bows and then turns on his heel. His boots click with each step as he walks down the hall, leaving the Queen alone; completely broken.

She takes a deep breath, blinks the tears from her eyes, and decides to walk outside. It wasn’t rare for her to feel alone: despite being in a constant spotlight, the palace was a very lonely place. But the loneliness she felt from Jackson’s cold shoulder was different. It was like being unable to wake from a bad dream.

The warm air swirls around her and she finds herself smiling. She loves being outside and tries to spend as much time as she can out there. Being inside for long periods often felt suffocating. The sound of giggling fills her ears and upon investigation, she sees Liam and Drake running around. She squats down, hiding behind a bush and watches them play.

“Why do you always want to be the knight?” Liam questions his best friend.

Drake shrugs, “Cause it’s my job to keep you safe. Like my dad keeps your dad safe.”

“I wanna be a knight too!” Liam beams.

“But you’re the king.”

“Well, I want to keep you safe too!”

“Someone has to do lots of reading, you’re good at reading.”

Eleanor puts her hand over her mouth as she giggles. If only life was as simple as they thought.

Liam thinks deeply, “Let’s make a deal.”

“I’m listening.”

“As a knight, I want you to keep my mom safe.”

“Of course.” Drake shakes hands with Liam.

“What are you two sweet boys doing?” She says, scaring them as she stands up.

“Playing king and knights. Drake’s gonna keep you safe.”

“And Liam’s gonna read king stuff,” Drake says.

She smiles at them, “Can I play?”

“Girls aren’t knights, Momma.”

“Maybe I want to be,” she pauses, “a dragon!” She begins flapping her arms around as she starts chasing after the boys. Both boys start squealing, running around the courtyard. It’s not long before Olivia, Savannah, and Maxwell have joined in: both Olivia and Savannah choosing to be baby dragons.

Eleanor scoops Liam in her arms, tickling him. “Nom nom nom.”

Liam squeals, “Stop, Momma, stop!”

“Me next. Me next!” The other children took turns getting captured by the dragon. Soon everyone is lying in the grass: trying to catch their breath. When she finally stands up, she scoops all the child in her arms, hugging them tightly. When she lets go, the children resume their game while she watches; a huge smile on her face.

Unbeknownst to Eleanor, she has been watched by two different men, both captivated by her for two very different reasons.

From a second-story window, Constantine watches his wife after he had gotten up from his desk to see what all noise was. He’ll never understand her blatant disregard for courtly behavior. Sure, it wasn’t unheard of for the queen to interact with her children, but to run around and then lay on the ground: that was uncalled for. The closest his mother ever acted like that was when she’d sit outside and he’d try to show her sparing techniques he’d learn, although she never looked up from her book. Constantine just stares at his wife in disbelief that she so openly shows motherly affection to Olivia and even the Walker children. Maybe it wasn’t the fact she acted the way she did but was the fact she acted like another blonde woman. The same blonde woman that Constantine once held above everything, even above the crown.

A few yards away, stationed at the far end of the courtyard, Jackson keeps his eyes on the queen. Anyone around him would assume he’s just doing his job, but they were wrong. He knew months ago that he had developed feelings for her, but watching her now it was clear he loves her. The usually elegant queen is completely carefree, almost as if she’s in her element: her blonde hair blowing in the wind as she chases after the children. He loves how she effortlessly shows affection to his children. She always told him how much she wanted at least two more kids after Liam, wanting him to have siblings to rely on when she couldn’t be there for him.

A pair of footsteps cause Eleanor to turn her attention away from the children. The radiant smile she once wore turns into an almost forced one as she sees who has joined her.

“May I?” He motions to the open space beside her on the bench.

“Of course.” What is he thinking? Eleanor directs her attention back to the children.

There’s an awkward silence that lingers over the both of them before Eleanor stands up to leave.

“Ellie, wait.”

She stops, looking at the man sitting, “What, Constantine?”

He takes a deep breath. This was all very much out of character, he doesn’t know how to be vulnerable, “Are you doing okay?”

Her head whips around quickly, her brows knit together. What game is he playing? “I’m sorry?”

He turns to face her, grabbing her hands, “I should’ve heard you out more instead of shutting you down.”

“I went off without thinking and I shouldn’t have.”

He gives her a sad smile, “I wasn’t talking about the ball. I meant the pregnancy.”

Eleanor stares at her husband in complete disbelief. Of all the years they’ve been together, never once had he acted like this. For the first time ever, she misses his icy demeanor.

“What are you doing?” He looks puzzles as she touches her forearm to his forehead.

“I’m seeing if you have a fever. You’re acting strange.”

Constantine feels anger begin to fill him, quickly being reminded why he doesn’t show emotions. Letting out a deep breath, he explains himself.

“I saw you playing with Liam and the others.” He catches her looking away, blush on her cheeks, “You deserve to have been heard during that.”

Fresh tears prick at her eyes. She spent months being mad, allowing her anger to build a wall. A wall to prevent her from having to deal with the pain; a mixture of losing her child and her husband abandoning her. She doesn’t want that wall to fall, she doesn’t want to let him in.

“It’s no excuse, I know it’s not, but of all the trainings I’ve ever had…none prepared me for this role.” He knows it sounds stupid, all the public speaking he’s taken and done, couldn’t help him here. Though to be fair, most of what he said to the public was written by someone else, he just had to say it the proper way.

“And what role would that be exactly? Compassionate?” There’s a bite in her words and he knows he deserves it. He shouldn’t have just sprung the topic on her, he would react similarly if someone  brought up Liana randomly.

“A husband. A father.” He gives a slight shrug, “But again, it’s no excuse.”

She isn’t sure what to think right now. The man in front of her looks like her husband, sounds like him, but his actions aren’t. Was this the man who Liana knew?

“It was no secret that the main objective of remarrying was to have another child, to stabilize the monarchy.” He lets out a shaky breath, “Marriage is about compromise, give and take and all I’ve done is take from you. For that I’m sorry.”

If the wind had blown, Eleanor would’ve fallen over. Clearly this was a dream and she’d wake up from it any minute, but moments pass and she knows it’s real. However, she wasn’t sure why he was doing this. Why after all this time was he acting like this.

“I’m not following. Constantine, did something happen? You’re starting to worry me.”

“It’s just…I just…can we start over?”

“Start over?”  

“I was thinking that maybe we can do something tonight. Something as a family and then just the two of us.”

She cocks her head to the side, “What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking a game night?”

She smiles at the blush on his face, he was truly nervous about all of this. “I think the children would like that. And for just us?”

His face turns redder, “Oh…uhm…I was…how about…it’s a surprise.”

She lets out a small laugh, “Well, I’m looking forward to that. I should get the children inside and ready for dinner.”

He stands up quickly so he’s able to help her up. “I’ll escort you inside. I have a few things to finish before dinner.”

She blushes and for a moment feels butterflies. Eleanor is lost in thought until Liam crashes into her legs, “Hi Momma!”

“Hey sweet boy.”

“Papa!” Liam runs to his father and wraps his arms around Constantine’s legs, “Are you done with work?”

Constantine stands still, he wasn’t one to show affection. From the corner of his eye, he can see Eleanor watching, slightly worried about how he’d react to Liam.

“Not yet, Liam.”

Eleanor sees Liam’s face fall. Many days, Liam would sit outside his father’s office waiting for him to finish work.

“Papa just has a little left and then we are going to have a game night.”

Liam brightens up and smiles, “Yay!”

Constantine looks at Eleanor and smiles: she always knew what to say and he needed to learn to appreciate that more. He reaches for her arm, stopping her before he presses a kiss to her temple, “Thank you, Ellie.”

“Of course. He really looks up to you, ya know.” She grabs onto his arm as they all walk back into the palace.

With a broken heart, Jackson watches the whole display. His eyes have been glued to the couple from the moment Constantine walked outside. At his distance, he couldn’t hear their conversation, but El’s body language said it all. He watched as she went from defensive to accepting and how she clung to him as they walk back inside together. A display typically reserved for public events.

*          *

If you ask Constantine, he’ll say they are a family of four plus one; Eleanor will tell you they are a family of five. Either way, three children and two adults sat around a table in the sitting room.

Liam wants to play Clue. Olivia wants to play Risk. Leo wants to go to his room. Eleanor and Constantine set up a game of Jenga.

“You get the mystery of not knowing which piece will fall and the strategy of which piece to pull. Everyone wins.” Constantine tells Liam and Olivia. Leo simply just rolls his eyes, making sure to let out an annoyed huff loud enough for his father to hear.

After Leo purposefully causes the tower to fall over three times, he’s sent to his room; leaving the other four to enjoy the game.

Constantine watches Olivia, the look her face makes before each turn would make him proud if he could see past her traitorous heritage. Her determination reminds him of his own and how he wishes Leo would shape up, but he refuses to allow himself to feel anything other than distain for the young Nevrakis.

He feels himself getting slightly annoyed that while Olivia makes masterful choices, his own son hesitates and looks to his mother for guidance. Not being the Crown Prince doesn’t mean Liam won’t have responsibilities, to have to make choices that will affect people, but Constantine didn’t think a son of his could be so weak.

“Papa, it’s your turn!” Liam smiles at his father.

He looks at the tower in front of him, it was getting towards the point where it would fall. He quickly moves a piece; the tower begins to sway side to side. He watches as Liam holds his breath, as if that would prevent the pieces from falling.

“Liam, what are you doing?”

“I didn’t want to knock it over, Papa.”

He leans over, making direct eye contact with his son, “Remember Liam, as a ruler, no matter how small the role, always make decisions confidently.”

“Yes Papa.”

When it becomes Liam’s turn, he pulls a piece which causes the tower to finally fall. Constantine’s face falls, while it was just a game, he wanted more from his son.

“That’s okay, sweet boy, we can try again.”

“But I meant to do it, Momma.” He looks at his dad, “I knew it would have to fall, so I chose to be the one to do it.”

Constantine chuckles and smiles at his son, “That’s my boy.” While it might not have been a victorious move, he felt pride welling in his chest.

*          *

“I think the children really enjoyed that, thank you Constantine.” Eleanor smiles as she closes the door to Liam’s room, “Maybe we could do it again. Get Leo to stay.”

“That would be nice.” He isn’t sure what to say, he had conflicted feelings. He enjoyed spending time with Liam, even Olivia, but his father never did those things. Could he still be a good king if he wasn’t like his father?

“So.” She suddenly feels nervous around her husband, remembering what he had mentioned earlier. It has been a bit since the two were intimate and honestly it wasn’t something that has crossed her mind recently. She wasn’t sure if it was from the stress of life or if it had anything to do with Jackson.

“This way, Ellie.” He motions for her to walk back down the hall. She gets more confused with each step, especially when they pass their sleeping quarters. What in the world?

They end up walking out into the courtyard where she sees a small table set up with some lit candles.

“What is all this?” She looks up at her husband, seeing someone different than she’s known for years.

The man who she had known back when they began courting, honestly it was the man she assumed Liana knew. To be honest, she used to think a lot about how Constantine must’ve been around Liana. Wondering how much he changed when she first left. Eleanor had met him a few times before his social season started, his father made several trips to Auvernese.

During those times, Constantine would come off confident and regal; just like his father. But he had a warmth to him that his father lacked, however that warmth was put out when his heart was broken.

“I thought you deserved something nice.” His hands are in his pockets and he’s refusing to make eye contact with her. She finds it somewhat endearing, the fact that he’s being bashful which is opposite of his normal attitude.

She stretches up on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to his cheek, “I love it.”

A smile touches his lips but just as quickly as it appears, it vanishes. He escorts her to the table and then pull out her chair before sitting down himself. Between the two candles on the tables, there’s a glass vase with white dahlias: her favorite.

“Since we already have dinner, I thought you might like dessert.” He raises his arm and motions towards someone behind Eleanor. Shortly after, one of the chefs brings out a covered platter and places two glass bowls of vanilla ice cream in front of them. Another one of her favorites.

“This is lovely, Constantine.” Her smile causes his cheeks to blush and she can’t help but giggle. For the first time in years, the silence between them is comfortable.

He keeps looking up at her but looking away before she sees. He knows that she isn’t Liana, other than a few physical similarities, the two were complete opposites. However, with her now, he was feeling the same way he did with Liana: peaceful. He thought if he kept Eleanor at a distance, she wouldn’t be able to hurt him like Liana did. But over the last few days, watching and thinking about her he found himself wanting to try. To try to have a better marriage, one full of love and maybe even a few more children.

“Maybe we could make this a weekly thing.”

“Oh.” Her voice is full of shock.

“Or not. Once seems like enough.” His walls instantly went back up.

She reaches out and grabs his hand, “I didn’t mean it that way. I think it’d be a great idea.”

[kaitycole]

Barely Breathing

Summary: Liam continues to process and learn more about his mother, Eleanor

Word Count: 2521

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Constantine x Eleanor

Warnings: N/A

Part 10 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @kingliam2019​ @texaskitten30​ @glaimtruelovealways​ @bobasheebaby​ @bascmve01​  @burnsoslow​  @the-everlasting-dream​  @ao719​ @sirbeepsalot​  @janezillow​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​ @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​@lodberg @edgiestwinter​ @marshmallowsandfire​  @hopefulmoonobject​​ 

**I don’t own the characters, just borrowing them** 

“No.” Liam’s voice doesn’t raise above a whisper. He shakes his head repeatedly as if what he’s just read will change.

Panic fills his lungs with each breath as his chest tightens up. He presses his palms firmly into his desk as he stands up and walks over to his bookshelf. An entire shelf was dedicated to his mother; her favorite books, books she had read to him, framed photographs, her journals. His fingers gently grazed the spines of the books before he picked each one off the shelf one by one and threw them as hard as he could across the room.

He knew it would only be moments before guards burst into the room to check on him, he was surprised they weren’t already there. Book by book slammed against the walls of the office before he turned his attention to the photographs. Without hesitation, they too were smashed into the walls; glass shattering on impact and scattering across the wooden floor.

He wanted no reminders of his mother in the palace and soon stormed out and practically ran to the grand hall. Several guards tail him, but he just waves them off. He is on a mission now. Each step causes him to walk pass an oil painting of a previous ruler of Cordonia; each king and queen hung on this wall. Finally, he stopped in front of his mother’s: Queen Eleanor Rys. The commoner queen from Auvernese. Kindhearted Eleanor.

For months after her death, Liam could be found at this portrait. Sometimes he could be found sitting there reading one of the books she’d read him, but more times than not, he’d be found asleep, having cried himself to sleep.

But today, today he stands in front of this portrait and feels anger. He wraps his fingers around the frame and tries to rip it off the wall. For several minutes, Liam pulls and tugs at the painting trying to remove it from the wall.

“If she didn’t want to be Queen, Cordonia doesn’t need a reminder of her.”

“Your Majesty?” A guard slowly approaches the king.

“Have this taken down.” He walks pass him, “NOW!”

**

“Liam, honey.” Her voice is full of sleep which causes him to turn his neck in her direction. He looks down at his watch: 3:45 am and then back at Olivia, who is pulling the belt of her robe tighter.

He doesn’t answer her, he doesn’t know what to say to her. He doesn’t even think his voice would work if he tried; his throat burns from screaming at the night sky.

She takes a seat next to him on the bench near the garden that saw his wrath earlier that day. It’s not until he turns to look at her, just inches apart, that she can truly see his face. He’s paler than usual, black circles line his red, puffy eyes and he looks exhausted.

Something is said, but it’s too low for her to hear and when he repeats it, she watches the man she loves, completely shatter.

“She’s gone, Liv.” He starts crying, “She died three years ago.” He sinks to his knees in front of her, placing his head on her lap before letting, all the pain he’s ever felt, out.

----

Liam grips tightly to the side of his mother’s dress as they walk through the palace courtyard. It was one of the last days of autumn, the coldness slowly creeping into the air which meant the days of Liam and Momma adventures were winding down.

He looks up at her and smiles, he loves his momma. She’s was his favorite person and tied for his best friend with Drake. Lately she seems to be busier than usual, but Liam didn’t mind because she always made it up to him. She even snuck Leo and him into a restaurant so the three of them could enjoy a nice meal without the press a few days ago. And now they were going somewhere special on the palace grounds.

Eleanor looks at Liam who is beaming with happiness and her heart melts. Before she thought maybe he was missing out on having younger siblings since her and Constantine didn’t have any after him, but seeing him like this, he seemed perfectly content. Maybe Drake was what she hadn’t been able to give him, either way, she was happy that he had someone to lean on when she couldn’t be there.

“What’s this, momma!” Liam runs over to the brick structure before leaning over the side.

“Liam!” Eleanor sprints over there and pulls him back. Her heart beating out of her chest.

“Momma, did I do a bad thing?”

She looks down at him, his bottom lip poked out and trembling as tears pool in his bright blue eyes, “No, sweet boy. You just have to be more careful. You could’ve fell in.”

“I’m sorry Momma!” He throws his arms around her and she pulls him close to her.

“I know, baby.” She kisses the top of his head, “Wanna see what it is now?”

He nods, but keeps his head buried in her chest. She holds him for a little longer before they both stand up.

“This is a wishing well. You come here, make a wish and drop in a coin.”

“Does the wish come true?”

“Legend has it that they do.” She smiles at him as he looks at her with wide eyes.

“Momma, do you have a coin I could borrow?”

Smiling, she pulls two out of her coin purse and places one in his hand, “One for you and one for me.”

“You go first Momma. I want to make sure I do it right.”

Eleanor chuckles before closing her eyes for a moment and then flicks the coin off her thumb and they both watch as it falls down the well.

“You didn’t say your wish, Momma!” Liam whines.

“If you say them aloud, they don’t come true, silly.”

Liam straightens up his posture and holds the coin firm in his hand. He racks his brain, trying to come up with a wish. He could wish that Drake and him would be friends forever. Or that his dad would start treating Olivia better. Then it finally dawned on him what he should wish for and then he gently tosses the coin into the well.

“You want to tell me your wish?” Eleanor teases.

“No, Momma! I want it to come true!” He stomps his foot down, determined for it to come true.

“Okay, okay, sweet boy.” She reaches for his hand, “Let’s head back to the palace.”

*          *

The sun shines on his face, the warmth wakes him up as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. His head is heavy and throat sore from his meltdown last night. He rolls over, finally opening his eyes to see red.

“Liv?” Liam is completely confused.

She slowly wakes up, having fallen asleep kneeling by the side of Liam’s bed. Olivia tries to stand up but the stiffness in her knees cause her to stumble; Liam lunges forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her on the bed.

“What were you doing on the floor?”

“I planned on leaving once you fell asleep, but I must’ve been more exhausted than I thought.” She runs her hands through her hair, trying to tame it.

“Uhh,” Liam rubs the back of his neck, “There’s another half of the bed.”

Her face turns red, partially from his comment and the fact that his shirtless. And while she’s seen him shirtless before, she feels more vulnerable in this moment; plus, she knows now is not the time for such thoughts.

“I didn’t want to cause any rumors or cast shade on your reputation.”

“My reputation? How would my reputation look if people found out you slept on my floor?” He chuckles, shaking his head.

“I…Well…I’m sorry.” She drops her head down, completely embarrassed, “Sometimes it gets hard to friends with the king.”

Liam’s face drops, growing up titles didn’t hold much value to them, a title was a title in the eyes of a child. Maxwell, Bertrand, Leo, Madeleine, and Olivia all had titles and they just really shrugged at them. Well maybe not Madeleine. Even the fact Drake and Savannah didn’t have one, never mattered when they were children.

“Oh. I guess I never realized how much my title changed and how that changed our dynamic.” When Liam assumed the role of Crown Prince and then King, he took it in stride. He had never taken the time to think how his personal relationship had been changed.

“No, it’s just…” she sighs, “It’s hard sometimes to walk the line of Liam and the king. With just Liam, staying the night wouldn’t be an issue, we’ve been friends since childhood. But as the king, an unwed king, it’s a huge issue and inappropriate.”

“I’m sorry I put you in a compromised situation, Liv.” He begins to kick himself all over again when his father’s words ring in his mind: Kings don’t express emotions. Kings stay firm and strong. Him telling Olivia he didn’t want to be alone was him allowing his emotions to be in control of him once again.

“Don’t be,” She smiles at him, “Last night you didn’t need to be a king, you needed to be a human. A grieving son mourning the loss of your mother. I understood that.”

He presses his lips to her temple, a gesture he’s done several times before, “Liv, I don’t think I’d be able to function without you.”

She watches him walk to his bathroom suite before she turns her attention to her thoughts. Ever since Liam told her that the deaths of Eleanor and Jackson were faked, she felt she was holding her breath. She wanted to be there for Liam, to stay clear headed, but then last night happened and she learned Eleanor had actually passed.

However, Olivia wasn’t exactly sure what to think, while she didn’t think lowly of Queen Eleanor, she also didn’t hold her in such high regard as Liam did. Most of her childhood, Olivia was made to feel unwanted, like damaged goods and a stain of the fabric of nobility, but Eleanor never treated her that way. She took her in and tried as hard as she could to hold her close to her side, but Constantine would only allow a Nevrakis so close to the throne.

Part of her was almost happy that there was news Eleanor could be alive, she had lost one mother, losing Eleanor hurt just as badly. Though now, that hope was gone and if it crushed her as badly as it had, she couldn’t fathom what Liam felt.

*          *

“That’ll be all, Bastien.” Liam nods as Bastien bows and exits his office. It has been a little over two weeks since Liam had finished reading the files; since the night that Olivia had stayed with him through the night.

He thought maybe there was something between them, that their long-lasting childhood friendship would blossom into romance. A Nevrakis as the queen, Liam chuckled at the idea of his father rolling over in his grave. But once the initial haze of events blew over, he realizes that Olivia someone who should stay in his inner circle, not directly by his side. It was his need to cling to something constant, something that reminded him that his childhood wasn’t just a bunch of lies.

Before returning to Lythikos, Olivia expressed her concern and hesitation on him going to Montana to talk to Jackson. She made several points on how she didn’t think he would find the answers he was searching for, that what Jackson told him might not bring him the peace he wanted and that it could even backfire. While he wanted to side with her, to see where her concerns laid, he knew that he had to go. If anything, he needed to put a person to what he’s discovered instead of a fuzzy memory from years ago.

*          *

The next week is a long and tiresome game of phone tag between Liam and Drake; between Liam being on a business trip and Drake spending more time at the Walker Ranch, they missed each other’s calls frequently.

It isn’t until Liam has gotten back to the palace that he finally answers the phone when Drake calls.

“I was beginning to think you ghosted me.”

Liam laughs, “I’ll schedule diplomatic matters around your calls from here on out then.”

“How did the trip go?”

He rolls his eyes, “The country’s business part went fine, I gained enough support to pass the bill. It went downhill when my personal business was then discussed.”

“Uh oh. This sounds bad.”

“I was presented suitors. My father was unwed for way longer than three years when my mother…” He stops, he’s not sure what to say. When his mother died? When she ran off?

Drake catches on, “It was like ten years or so wasn’t it? Until he married Regina?”

“Exactly. Three isn’t that long.” Liam shakes his head, annoyed.

“But he did have two heirs,” Drake pauses, “Just saying.”

Liam sighs, “Maybe I’ll just name your child as my heir, get them off my back.”

Drake freezes, “What!? You can’t do that. That’s insane!” He continues rambling until Liam’s laughter causes him to stop.

“I’m kidding, that wouldn’t make any sense. Then what would happen to my first born?” Liam is still laughing, “Plus you hate nobility, there’s no way you’d allow it.”

“And the court says I’m the bad influence.”

“Anyway, the reason I’ve been calling isn’t just to give you a heart attack. I want to come to Montana.”

Drake slowly processes Liam’s words. They had the space to accommodate him staying for a few days and Riley would love to see Liam again, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for the two worlds to collide. He and his dad had just started talking more often and he wasn’t sure he was ready to open that part of his world up to Liam.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I just want to hear Jackson’s side. I have questions too. I have things I want to lay to rest with this whole situation.”

“Yeah, I understand. Does next week work? Just so I have time to tell Dad and Riley.”

“Of course. Just let me know and I’ll have Bastien take care of the arrangements.”

*          *          

“Everything is in order, sir. Whenever you’re ready, we can leave.”

“Maybe I should stay here.” He lets out a sigh, “I mean what can Jackson really tell me, he’s not my mother.”

“No, but he was a part of her life and does have insight that could help.”

“What if…what if her life was better? Better without me?”

“Sir, I watched Queen Eleanor with you, there’s no world where her life was better without you. Don’t forget that you were everything to her.”

“That used to be easy to remember, nowadays, not so much.”

[kaitycole]

What The Heart Wanted

Summary: Riley learns more about Jackson’s feelings for Eleanor.

Word Count: 3098

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Bianca, Constantine x Eleanor

Rating: A small amount of NSFW and some cussing

Part 7 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore  @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways  @bobasheebaby  @bascmve01  @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream  @ao719  @sirbeepsalot  @janezillow  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​  @lodberg​ @edgiestwinter​ @marshmallowsandfire​ 

“You developed feelings for Queen Eleanor!?! I wasn’t expecting that either!” Riley exclaims.

He chuckles, “Not just feelings, I fell in love with her.”

Riley’s jaw drops as Jackson continues the story.

Jackson skips the next couple of Friday meet ups with Queen Eleanor. He was ashamed of his reaction on the intimate evening between the royal couple. It was his job to protect them, to guard them with his life against any harm, it wasn’t his job to get jealous.

He wasn’t sure why he had even gotten jealous in the first place. He was married. She was married. He loves his wife and knows that Eleanor loves Constantine. At least he thinks so, right? Sure, he and Bianca didn’t have the ideal relationship or had even met in the best way, but he was still happy, wasn’t he? And yes, the queen had been upset with the king, but what couple is always perfectly happy with each other?

For the first time in years, Jackson has taken a night off. He’s sitting on the pier on the lake by his cabin. The one place where he can relax, especially at this late hour. A rustling noise causes him to reach for his hip where his weapon sits.

“It’s just me, it’s Timothy!” His fellow guard exclaims, causing Jackson to relax.

“Timothy? Shouldn’t you be watching the palace?”

He sighs, “I would love to, but she pulled rank on me.”

Jackson tilts his head, thinking, ‘we don’t have a female guard?’ His question is answered when another figure immerses, taking off her hood, revealing her identity.

“Ele…Queen Eleanor?” Quickly, he bows, “What are you doing out of the palace at this hour?”    

“Timothy, I can find my way back to the palace, thank you.”

“But…”

“I’ll make sure the queen returns to the palace safely,” Jackson promises, Timothy taking the hint and heading back.

“You haven’t been to the study in a few weeks, so I figured I’d give you no excuse not to see me.”

“I’ve been swamped with work.”

“How dare you stand there and lie to your queen,” she playfully uses her queenly tone.

“I…I…”

“Guards gossip to maids and maids gossip to ladies in waiting who gossip to me,” she winks.

“So, my guards are gossiping about my work schedule?”

“More so about the anger you showed two weeks ago,” she doesn’t want to elaborate, “when the guards were sent away from the royal wing.”

Jackson stays silent, trying not to give himself away.

“I heard that you came up there to ask the king why he sent them away.” She trails off, feeling ashamed.          

“I just can’t demand respect from the younger guards, if the king is going over my head to give demands without my knowledge. I look incompetent.”

“Is that why you stormed out of the guard’s meeting to?”

Jackson snaps his head around to look at her, unsure of how she even knew that, “How?”

“I’m the queen, it’s my job to know everything that happens, especially in the king’s office.”

Her facial expression causes his guard to finally drop, “I just can’t stand the way he spoke about you. It’s disrespectful and uncalled for.”

The two are now sitting on the edge of the pier, the ends of Queen Eleanor’s dress touching the water. He looks over at her, the moonlight dancing across her face, adding a soft glow to her gentle features.

“I appreciate your concern for my reputation,” she smirks.  

“It’s my job to protect you, Queen Eleanor.”

“Then you’ve definitely been slacking, sir.”

“Excuse me?”

“You stood me up for two weeks! What if I had been hurt while waiting in the study? No one knew where I was.”

Jackson feels terrible, he had never thought about that. To be fair, he has only been thinking about himself and his feelings.

“My queen,” he grabs her hands not thinking, “Please forgive me.”

The darkness around them prevents the blush that covers her face to be seen by Jackson, “Always.”

The two then begin to catch up on the last two weeks. Both taking turns laughing and joking around with each other.

“You don’t have to always address me as Queen, you know? Eleanor works just fine.”

“I would hate to slip in front of other, like I almost did with Timothy.”

“You wouldn’t even want to call me Ellie?”

Jackson’s face goes completely blank, if it wasn’t obvious before, he knew that now she had to have picked up on his feelings for her. What guy would get jealous like that if he didn’t have some type of feelings. He gives her a knowing look, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.

“I had to, I’m sorry.” She puts on her best pouty face.

“I’m glad you find humor in my pain.”

She places a hand on his cheek, “Don’t for a moment think this pain isn’t shared.”

This time the two just sit in silence, looking over the water, the moon and sun beginning to start the switch from night to day. Jackson watches Eleanor let out a small yawn.

“I think it’s time I get you back to the palace.”

----

“Oh. My. God.” Riley says, “She had feelings for you too!?!?”

Jackson smiles.

“But what about Bianca? King Constantine?”

The smile disappeared, “Before I continue, I want to add that I’m not completely proud of how the following events unfolded and my actions.”

“I didn’t come here thinking you were the best man on the earth, trust me, we all make mistakes and do things we aren’t proud of.”

----

Jackson and Eleanor have been meeting up for months now. Every Friday unless there’s an obligation neither can miss, but thankfully for Eleanor she controls most of her schedule. During the rest of the week, the two would exchange looks and smiles, both surprised no one had picked up on it.

“Jackson, sir, Queen Eleanor request your presence in the Queen’s study.” The maid says before returning to her duties.

He walks down the hall, she has never asked for him to go to her study, he always assumed it was off-limits to help keep  any rumors from forming.

“Come in,” she says softly after he knocks. She’s sitting at her desk, thumbing through a charity proposal. Each year the queen allows various charities to submit paperwork and she will pick one to support for that year. Well, the idea was one, but Eleanor could never just pick one.

“You look adorable in glasses.”

Her head snaps up, catching his eye before turning bright pink. She had forgotten she was wearing them, mainly because Constantine demanded she wear contacts in the public eye. Which is pretty much everywhere in his eyes.

“Picking my yearly charity,” she smiles.

“Which seven have you decided on?” He teases.

“I do not pick that many!” She says defensively.

It’s a sudden bang at the door that pulls the two of them back to reality.    

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, but next week’s diplomatic ball has been moved up by a day so we need you for your dress fitting now.” Her assistant buzzes.

“Oh. Of course,” She stands up, closing the proposals on her desk, “Jackson, would you mind escorting me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bows as she passes him. The walk to the Queen’s Quarter is filled with her assistant rambling the hundred and one things Eleanor needs to do this week alone. Jackson doesn’t know how she does it, but Eleanor takes everything in stride.

“Jackson, do stay, we didn’t get a chance to speak yet.”

“During your dress fitting?” He gulps, he has never stepped foot in the Queen’s Quarters before let alone been present during her undressing.

“You won’t see anything. She’ll change behind that screen,” the assistant points, “and you’ll just see the seamstress pin fabric. Harmless.”

Minutes go by before Eleanor reappears in her dress for the diplomatic dinner tomorrow. Jackson has to clench his teeth to prevent his jaw from hitting the floor.

The dress is an off the shoulder style that has a small plunging neckline that tastefully shows cleavage. It’s tight against her sides but flares out at the bottom. It’s similar to a trumpet style at the bottom but it’s not as tight. The lavender fabric complements her fair skin.

“Is it too much?” She says towards Jackson.

Jackson swallows hard, “Not at all.” His face turning red, knowing his eyes keep darting to her cleavage.

“I still wish you had gone with a Cordonian house color, Your Majesty. The King is going to have a fit.” Her assistant complains.

“I always wear Cordonian colors. I’d like wear my home country’s colors every now and then.”

The seamstress finishes pinning the fabric that still needs to be adjusted before she instructs the queen to change.

“Oh!” Eleanor squeals, “Can I have some help, please?”

Jackson glances around, “Uh, they both stepped out of the room.”

“Then I need you.” The silence is enough to tell her his thoughts, “It’s fine, Jackson. The zipper is just stuck.”

He waits a little bit, hoping someone will return before stepping behind the screen with her.

“It just needs a quick tug to unstick. I hope.” She giggles, turning around.

His hands tremble as he reaches up to start pulling on the zipper. His knuckles gently brush up against the exposed skin of her upper back. Once he gets the zipper to move, he slowly slides it down the track.

Eleanor goes to turn around but trips over the extra fabric on the floor, causing herself to fall backwards into Jackson. She freezes, her back against his chest, his hands protectively on her shoulders.

Without thinking, he runs his fingertips across her exposed skin. Her fair skin is soft and with her that close, he realizes she smells like honey with a light vanilla after thought. She turns around, facing him, keeping the closeness.

Her baby blue eyes look up into his, the light golden brown now a dark brown. His hand finds its way to her cheek, cupping it, his thumb caressing her soft skin. He leans closer, their lips almost touching before he feels her pull him into her, pressing her lips into his.

The kiss is gentle, both scared that if they give in too much, the moment with fade too quickly. Eleanor wraps her arms around his neck and Jackson’s fall to her waist. The kiss lasts for several moments before they pull apart, breathlessly. His lips leave hers, but they begin to pepper kisses across her jaw, down her neck and across her shoulder. A small, almost silent moan escapes her, causing a grin to appear of Jackson’s face.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Her assistant calls, breaking the two from the moment. Frantically, Eleanor tries to add distance between them, slipping once again on the extra fabric, this time falling. Jackson begins helping her up, when Eleanor freezes, her assistant looking at them confused.

“I tripped trying to step out of my gown.”

Quickly the assistant springs into action, taking her jacket and covering the Queen’s chest. Clearly neither Eleanor nor Jackson realized her breasts had fallen out of the unzipped dress when she fell.

Jackson excuses himself once Eleanor was back into her day clothes and the assistant had begun to list more things for her to do. He tries to walk as quick as he can, but the erection in his pants makes it difficult. Before long, he’s back at the cabin.

“Jackson? You’re home early.” Bianca says, smiling. Jackson hardly ever come home early on Fridays.

“Where are the kids?”

“Drake is at the stables with Liam and Savannah is napping.”

He pulls his wife into him, crashing his lips into hers. The kiss is rough, nothing like the one he just shared with Eleanor. He pushes him tongue between her lips, causing her to moan. Bianca is surprised at her husband’s actions, the two hadn’t been passionate in a long time. His long hours at work was to blame for most of it, but she wasn’t going to bring that up now.

She wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer as his lips kiss down her neck.

“Oh, Jack!” Bianca moans in his ear before Jackson pulls away.

He clears his throat, backing away, “I need to shower.”

“What’s wrong?” Just moments ago, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

“Nothing, I just want to take a hot shower.” He quickly kisses her forehead before heading into their bedroom.

What was wrong with him? He is married, he loves his wife, yet here he was having improper thoughts about the Queen. Even with his wife’s arms around him and moans in his ear, he still couldn’t tear his mind away from Eleanor.

The hot water runs down his shoulders and he tried to relax, but he couldn’t get the thought of the kiss he shared with Eleanor just an hour ago. His body wasn’t gonna let him forget it either. He took his erection into his hand and slid it up and down, letting out a groan. Part of him feels guilty that his wife is just down the hall, but the thoughts of Eleanor slowly overtake his mind.

He closes his eyes, each time he pumps himself in his hand, he imagines hearing Eleanor’s moans, sliding his hands down her sides and across her breasts. Imagining her blonde hair down, spread across the pillows, her back arching as he brought her closer to the edge, wanting to feel her cum on his cock.

----

Jackson stares at Riley who is completely engrossed in his story. She wasn’t sure what exactly would happen when she showed up today, but none of this was it. “Wait? What did Queen Eleanor want to talk to you about?”

----

There’s a rapping of knocks on the cabin’s front door, causing Bianca to quickly race over to the door.

“Oh, Timothy. Is everything okay?”

“Mrs. Walker. I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Jackson immediately, ma’am.”

“Come in. Come in.” She motions for him to take a seat. She walks back into the master bedroom and flings open the bathroom door, hearing moans coming from the other side.

“What the fuck, Bianca!” Jackson yells, she’s interrupted his ‘self-care’.

She’s taken aback, not understanding her husband’s peculiar behavior today, “Timothy is at the door.”

 Pushing pass his wife, he quickly pulls on some sweats and tosses on a white t-shirt. It’s unusual for another guard to come his home, the other night was clearly an exception, but he knows the Queen wouldn’t have left this early in the day.

“Timothy. Is everything okay?”

He nods, “Queen Eleanor requests your presence at next week’s diplomatic ball.”

“I’ll be there anyway Timothy, I’m on duty.”

“No, sir.” He pulls out an envelope, “She wants you to attend as a guest. You and Bianca.”

Jackson opens the envelope, sure enough it’s an official invitation to the event. He isn’t sure what to say, he couldn’t refuse. Not a direct order from the Queen.

“Thank you, Timothy.”

He turns to leave before stopping, lowering his voice, “Be careful, sir. You’re playing with fire.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to Timothy.”

Bianca walks over to her husband when Timothy leaves, “What’s that Jackson?”

“Oh, uh, we’ve been invited to the diplomatic ball next week.” He hands her the invitation, before heading into the kitchen.

“At the palace?” Her eyes go wide.

“Is that not what the invitation says?”

“What am I supposed to wear? It’s rude to send such things at the last minute.”

“I reckon they expect you to show up in clothing and you should watch how you speak about the actions of the Queen.” He gulps down a glass of lemonade.

“What’s going on with you, Jackson?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re being short and sarcastic, not to mention whatever you were doing in the bathroom.”

Jackson has no energy to argue with Bianca today. Her interruption and Timothy’s visit had left him flustered, not to mention the invitation he’s just received. There had to be a reason why the Queen extended the invitation, it was unheard of for anyone not of nobility to attend. Hopefully Constantine would shine some light on things tomorrow.

“I’m sorry, Bee. I’m just stressed is all.”

She leans her forehead against his chin, tears filling her eyes, “I’m failing you as a wife.”

Jackson’s heart breaks. He’s been preoccupied with his feelings for the Queen that he has failed to keep up his end of their marriage. “You could never do that, it’s me who has failed you.”

He tilts her head upwards, pressing his lips to hers gently, wrapping his arms around her waist. His actions completely opposite of those when he first returned from work. She presses her face into the curve of his neck, her body shaking as she quietly composes herself. He slides his hand down her hair, soothing her as he presses a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s been forever since you called me by that nickname.” She practically whispers.

He closes his eyes, thinking back to that moment before finally realizing who his heart belongs to.

----

Jackson is interrupted by the sound of Riley’s cellphone going off. It takes him a moment before he recognizes the song that’s playing and he gives her a confused expression. She gives him an apologetic smile before she answers it.

“Hey honey. Yes, I’m okay. No, I didn’t find anything while shopping. I’ll be home soon.” She hangs up and apologizes.

“Far be it from me to give relationship advice, but you shouldn’t lie.”

“I know.” She looks down, “But to be honest, I wasn’t sure who was at this address when I drove here and he was already so upset when he stopped working here.”

Jackson looks at the carpet for a few moments; the both of them just sitting in silence.

“I really should get going, Drake’s getting ready to start dinner.” She walks to the door before stopping, “I’d like to hear the rest of your story. Can I come back? With Drake?”

“Of course, of course.” Jackson rubs the back of his neck, “That song, your ringtone, I didn’t think anyone your age would know it.”

She smiles, “It’s Drake’s favorite, actually.”

He waits until her car is out of sight before heading back into the house. He sits back down in his chair before looking at a picture of him and Eleanor on the table next to him.

“I really wish you here to help, El.” A single tear falls down his cheek before he wipes it away.

[kaitycole]

A Girl Walks into a Bar

Summary: Riley is standing face to face with Drake’s father, Jackson Walker. But in order to understand why he’s not dead, she has to learn the background story first.

Word Count: 1516

Pairing: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Bianca

Rating: Smut, mention of alcohol consumption, cussing

Part 5 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bobasheebaby @bascmve01 @burnsoslow @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream @ao719  @sirbeepsalot @janezillow @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @kimmiedoo5 @choices97  @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​

           “No, you listen. My husband has lived almost twenty years thinking the one person he looked up to had died. You owe him an explanation.”

The man sighs, opening the door and motioning for her to come in. She looks around and see photos of Jackson with a blonde woman and a little boy who looked familiar to her but she couldn’t place the face. Deep down, she hopes for some evidence that he at least thought of Drake and Savannah but she didn’t see any.

“Can I offer you something to drink? Water? Soda? Sweet tea? Bourbon?”

“Whiskey, please,” she pauses, “I mean sweet tea!”

Jackson brings a glass of tea along with his bottle of bourbon, “Recently quit drinking?”

Her cheeks blush, “Something like that.”

There’s silence between them, before he speaks up, “I never thought this day would come.”

“When your son’s wife showed up to your house?”

He chuckles, it sounds like Drake, “Heh.”

“So,” she runs her finger around the rim of her glass, “clearly you aren’t dead, care to explain?”

He takes a deep breath, “Well, it kinda starts out as boy and girl fell in love. In a forbidden way.”

Jackson smiles proudly at the ‘sold’ sign in front of the newly purchased cabin. He grew up in Cordonia and always wanted to come back here. He decided to take a trip to the states to just spread him wings, that’s when he met Bianca.

“Jackson, can you help?” She doesn’t try to mask her irritation. The truth was, it wasn’t love at first sight with the two of them. Hell, it had been three years and there wasn’t much love there either.

Riley jumps in, “What, what do you mean you and Bianca weren’t love at first sight? That’s not what Drake remembers or told me.”

Jackson sighs, “Drake wasn’t there for the beginning. Maybe I should start from the beginning beginning.”

Riley nods to agree and he begins the story of how he met her mother-in-law.

Jackson had been in Dallas for a little over two years when he met Bianca. Her and her friends had walked into the bar that Jackson and his friends frequent. She immediately catches his eye. Her blue sundress fits in all the right spots, her light tan cowboy boots really tie her whole look together. His jaw practically drops and of course his drunken pals start egging him on.

“Go for it, man!” Beau says, knocking a solid ball into a corner pocket on the pool table.

He shakes his head, “I’m leaving Dallas in two months.”

“I didn’t say fall in love with her,” Beau nudges Jackson’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you’ve been ‘ere and I ain’t seen no gals with ya,” Cash jokes, his thick accent coats his words.

Jackson walks over to the bar where Bianca and her friends are standing.

“Hey there.” He says, causing their conversation to stop.

“Not interested,” Bianca replies immediately, flipping her hair over her shoulder and she grabs her drink from the counter.

“Don’t mind her,” a blonde says, “she just got dumped.”

Bianca glares at the blonde, Jackson tries not to smirk.

“I’m Maribelle,” the blonde says and points to the other two girls, “That’s Bianca and Tanya.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” He nods over to his buddies, “Care to join us for a game of pool?”

“Of course!” Maribelle squeals, her two friends just roll their eyes, following their lead.

The night goes on, eventually Bianca’s tough demeanor falls, mostly thanks to the constant flow of shots the group of six has been doing.

“Do it! Do it! Do it!” Tanya and Cash chant as Tanya rubs water on Maribelle’s cleavage to get the salt to stick. Beau leans in, licking the salt off her breast before knocking back a tequila shot. She blushes and lets out a flirtatious giggle.

“My turn!” Bianca lays on the table, pulling up her shirt while Maribelle pours a thin line of salt down her stomach. She motions her finger in a ‘come hither’ motion towards Jackson who obliges.

Beau and Cash start cheering on Jackson as he slowly licks up her stomach, she lets out a soft moan that only he hears as he stands up and takes the shot. He leans back down to take the lemon from her mouth, but she lets it fall out of her mouth, causing the gesture to become a kiss. She deepens it, pushing her tongue in his mouth, tasting the saltiness of his kiss.

“Oh! Get a room!’ The others laugh, Jackson helps Bianca sit up and the two of them move to booth away from the others.

“So, where’s that accent from?” Bianca asks, she slides her index finger down his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“Well you don’t have a Texan accent,” she bursts out giggling, clearly the vodka and tequila have taken their affect.

“I’m from a small country in Europe,” he shrugs.

“I’ve never been with someone exotic before,” she winks, she lets her hand slide down to the front of his pants.

Within moments, the two of them are crashing through the bathroom door. They kiss each other hungrily, like the other is a craving neither can live without. She fumbles with the lock, refusing to let anyone interrupt this rebound.

Jackson grabs her by her hips, lifting her onto the sink where she wraps her legs around his waist.

“Are you sure about this?” Jackson asks, he’s been drinking as well but not nearly as much as Bianca.

“It’s just a casual rebound, calm down,” she starts kissing down Jackson’s neck, “let’s not make this more than it is.”

Bianca pushes Jackson backwards before sliding off the sink. She drops to her knees, unzipping Jackson’s pants, he grabs ahold of the stall door to help hold him up. She looks up at him and bites her lip, the bulge in his pants getting harder.

She pulls him out, eyes widening at his size and thickness before sliding her lips over his cock. He sucks a breath through gritted teeth as he feels her tongue toy with the head. Her cheeks suck in as she increases her speed, bobbing her head on his cock. His hand makes it way behind her head, pushing her into him faster.

He can feel himself getting closer to finishing when he pushes her off him and back into the sink. She turns around, leaning on the sink, facing the mirror as he pulls up her dress. She winks at him in the mirror when he sees she’s not wearing any panties before he pushes himself into her.

“Gah, fuck, oh,” she moans, realizing he’s bigger than she thought. His size stretching her more than she’s used to, causing her some pain.

His hands grab her hips, thrusting into her repeatedly, she’s not as tight as he’s used to but her wetness makes up for it. He slips a hand around her, his fingers begin to rub circles on her clit.

“Oh yes,” she moans from under him.

He picks up his speed, bucking into her harder and deeper, her moans getting louder and louder. After a few more thrusts, they become sloppy, he can feel himself getting closer to the edge when her walls tighten around him. Thrusting deep into her once more, he spills himself into her.

After they both catch their breaths, he slowly pulls out of her, grabbing paper towels to clean himself up before fixing his jeans. He looks back over to Bianca, she’s breathing deeply, standing up slowly.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she runs her fingers through her hair, collecting herself, “that was C work, at best.”

Jackson stands there, shocked. He didn’t care about her rating, he cared that she was part of the decision but acted like she was doing him a favor.

“Yeah, right.” He rolls his eyes, unlocking the door but turns around, “Whoever this guy is that dumped you, ever wonder if your nasty attitude is why he left?”

Riley listens to each word Jackson says, suddenly feeling nauseous and it wasn’t from her baby.

“Are you sure we are talking about the same Bianca? Because the one I’ve met is a bitch.” Her face quickly becomes red as she tries to read Jackson’s expression, “With all due respect.”

Jackson smiles a little, “Bianca was always rough around the edges, I assume raising two children alone made her rougher.”

Riley almost chokes on the sweet tea, “Raise who? She left Drake and Savannah. She’s been in Texas since you died.” She uses air quotes around “died”.

“What!?!” Jackson shoots up out of his chair and begins running his fingers through his hair, “I can’t believe that.”

“Hey, finish telling me your version and I’ll tell you Drake’s version.”

Jackson sits back down, taking a long sip of bourbon to calm his nerves before he continues telling the story.

“Where was I? Oh yes, so some weeks later, Bianca comes to the bar telling me that she needs to talk.”

[kaitycole]

I just want you to know who I am

Summary: Riley learns more about the past between Jackson and Bianca and how they ended up in Cordonia. 

Word Count: 1781

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Bianca, Constantine x Eleanor

Rating: Unplanned pregnancy, mention of abortion, like one sentence of smut, mention of alcohol, mention of miscarriage

A/N: I changed the mood board thingie along with the face claim to Luke Walker, that is all.

Part 6 of WP. To catch up read here.

Title was inspired by Iris by Goo Goo Dolls. Thanks @bobasheebaby​ & @kingliam2019​ for helping me with titling issues!

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​  @kingliam2019  @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways  @bobasheebaby  @bascmve01  @burnsoslow  @the-everlasting-dream  @ao719  @sirbeepsalot  @janezillow  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  @kimmiedoo5  @choices97  @marshmallowsaremyfavorite  @lodberg @edgiestwinter  @marshmallowsandfire 

“Where was I? Oh yes, so some weeks later, Bianca comes to the bar telling me that she needs to talk.”

Weeks have passed since Jackson had met Bianca. She had showed up at the bar a few times after their encounter, but she mostly just came since Maribelle and Beau had hit it off and Tanya and Cash had become a thing. Bianca and Jackson really didn’t talk when they all hung out, she spent her time flirting with whoever was close to her at the bar whereas Jackson was spending time with the others.

It is the last Friday night before Jackson is getting ready to head to LA and then back to Cordonia. Bianca hasn’t been to the bar in the last couple of weeks, but Jackson brushes it off, however when he sees her walk in that night, he knows something is off.

Usually she is all dolled up like she’s going somewhere other than a little southern hole in the wall. This time she’s in leggings and a baggy Texas sweatshirt, her hair up in a bun that has strands of hair falling out everywhere.      

“Ja--. Jackson?” She barely whispers, “Can we talk?”

Beau and Cash just shrug as Jackson looks to them for help and he pulls her over to an empty booth in a quiet corner.

“Did something happen? Someone hurt you?” He starts asking, for the life of him, he wasn’t sure why he cared so much. She made it obvious to him since the beginning that he was just a hookup, but he still hated seeing any woman upset.

She looks up at him, not sure how this was going to go. She knows she’s been a bitch towards him since they met, but this was about more than just them.

“Hey, all the drama aside, I’m here for you,” he says, resting his hand on hers.

“I’m pregnant, Jackson.”

He can feel the color leave his face, “Oh.”

“It’s yours,” she says.

His mind starts racing, “Excuse me if I find that hard to believe.”

Her face drops, “Excuse me?”

He shrugs, “We slept together the first night we met. You said it was just a rebound, I don’t how many more you’ve had.”

She stands up, her voice raises, “Are you serious?”

“I want to be there for you, for this baby, but I need to know for sure. I’m not being that unreasonable here.”

Slowly she sits down, realizing that what he’s said is true. If roles were reversed, she’d be asking the same thing. Was she really that big of a bitch when they first met? Did she really come off to be that type of girl? He wasn’t wrong, he had been just a rebound and there had been others, but the others were protected. This wasn’t a situation she had planned to be in either.

“I’m not asking for a relationship.” She states flatly.

“If this baby is mine, I’m not just going to support it or you from a distance. I want to do this the right way. The proper way.”

“We don’t even know each other.” She honestly thought that he would just offer to pay for the situation to be taken care of.

“Guess we should start over.”

“Or we can just take care of it now.”

His eyes widen and she isn’t sure what he’s going to say or do, “That is not an option that I’d consider. If anything, I’d ask for you just to allow me to take the baby. No strings attached, but I know that ultimately it’s your decision.”

She cocks her head to the side, “You’d really just take the baby and not ask me for anything?”

“If that’s how you want to do this. I just ask that you give me a chance to show you that I’m serious about taking care of this child.”

“Guess that means we should start over, huh?”

“I mean we can only start over so much,” he chuckles.

*                      *

“Wait, wait, wait! You’re telling me that my husband was a rebound hookup in a bar bathroom?”

Jackson laughs, realizing how unromantic it sounded, “Yeah, he was.”

“How did your story go from that to love at first sight?”

Once again, he starts laughing, “Over the next few months, we spend a lot of time together. I went to all her appointments, took her to dinner, I even skipped out on my trip to LA and extended my stay in Texas.”

“So, you eventually won her over?”

“Not exactly.” He shrugs, “It wasn’t until Drake was maybe three that she softened up.”

“THREE!?” Riley practically shouts before composing herself.

“Sadly. The wedding was beautiful, I gave her everything that she wanted. Yet issues started again when I decided to move back to Cordonia. I got a call from the king to be in his guard, I couldn’t pass it up. Being in the King’s Guard was something all men in my family had done for as far back as we can trace it.

“Eventually she adjusted to our new life, her new life and she always said that one night she looked over at me and Drake and realized she loved me as much as I loved her.”

“My mind is blown right now.”

“But you can understand why that’s not the story Drake and Savannah were told growing up.”

“Yes, I can. So now back to the forbidden love part,” Riley leans forwards, completely intrigued by Jackson’s story.

Jackson is walking around the palace hallways. He’s off the clock, but he does one final sweep before leaving the castle grounds. He’s getting ready to head back to the cabin when he hears a faint crying noise coming from the study down the hall. He quickly dashes towards the study, walking into the room.

“Your majesty, is everything okay?”

She snaps her head up, quickly wiping her face, “Oh yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Jackson walks towards her, kneeling beside her, “If I may speak freely, you don’t seem okay, Queen Eleanor.”

She smiles slightly, “Even so, I shouldn’t keep you from your duties.”

He smiles, “Technically, I’m off the clock so no worries.”

“Shouldn’t you get back to your family?”

He looks at his watch, “Everyone’s already asleep. I usually just sit by the lake at this time and breathe.”

The two exchange pleasantries, small talk, both really dancing around anything heavy, not sure if they are willing to overstep their places.

“I miscarried today. Constantine shrugged it off, saying he already had an heir and spare. Then he left to go to Fydelia.” Eleanor’s voice cracks, looking up at Jackson with tear filled eyes.

“I am so sorry, Queen Eleanor.” He racks his brain for what to say.

“Once I found out, I was so excited. Liam is the light of my life, however I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for a little princess this time around.” A fresh tear falls down her cheek, Jackson hands her his handkerchief, “Thank you.”

“I just wish I knew something better to say.”

“Just listening is the best thing, honestly. No one else has listened when I tried to talk about it.”

“It is my duty to serve the Crown and that includes listening to the Queen discuss whatever she pleases.”

Eleanor smiles, she knew who Jackson was due to his closeness with her husband, being a leading officer, Jackson was always attending private meetings, arranging travel and simply being the third person in the King and Queen’s marriage.

Weeks have passed and every Friday night, the pair have made it a point to sneak away and talk freely to one another. They get to talk about the things that their loved ones wouldn’t understand, some of those things being inside jokes about other members of the court. They have stricken up an unlikely friendship.

One Friday night, Jackson is getting ready to head to study on the other end of the palace. The one that no one uses. That’s on the other end from the palace’s Royal Wing. The study where Jackson and Eleanor meet up.

A few of the younger guards are walking towards Jackson, heading the opposite direction of where they should be doing their evening rounds.

“Sir,” one nods towards Jackson before being stopped.

“I do believe you three are on Royal Wing rounds tonight.”

“The King sent us home early.”

“Is that so?” Jackson’s brows knit together.

“Yes sir.”

Turning on his heel, Jackson walks back towards the Royal Wing, determined to get to the bottom of this. While it wasn’t uncommon for Constantine to dismiss guard members early, he usually discussed it with Jackson.

He didn’t have to get too close to the Royal Wing to figure out why the guards were dismissed. The royal suite’s door was open, causing the sounds from the King and Queen’s intimate encounter to fill the hallway.

“Oh. God. Fuck Ellie.” Constantine’s groans echo through the hall, lacing together with Eleanor’s, “Ah! Ah! Ooooh! Oh! G…g...gaaa…god! Yes!”

Jackson begins walking back towards the main area of the palace when the night head guard, Timothy, who relieves him, stops him.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes. Why?” His tone is heated, causing Timothy to grow concerned.

“You look extremely pissed off and your fists are clenched.”

He quickly unclenches his fists and shake his head, “Just the younger guards, always slacking off is all.”

“I heard about the King and Queen’s big night,” Timothy chuckles, “You know, she’s always been pretty quiet, makes you wonder what she sounds like in bed, eh?”

The anger grows in Jackson again, this time he doesn’t try to hide it, “Watch how you speak about Queen Eleanor or you will be charged with treason.”

The next day, Timothy and Jackson are in the king’s office for a monthly guard meeting. He comes in smiling; the two guards immediately stand up and bow slightly.

“You seem to be in high spirits, your majesty.” Timothy says.

“Good news on trade deals, I hope.” Jackson tries to change the direction of the conversation.

“Trade deals, you’re funny Jackson. A smile like that comes from a lady companion,” Timothy jokes.

“This smile comes from watching the queen come undone as I plow into her. It’s always the quiet ones who scream the loudest,” the king winks, causing Jackson to storm out in disgust, hating the way the king speaks of the queen.

*                      *

“You developed feelings for Queen Eleanor!?! I wasn’t expecting that either!” Riley exclaims.

He chuckles, “Not just feelings, I fell in love with her.”

Riley’s jaw drops as Jackson continues the story.