#bastien lykel

[lolablackwrites]

MC Mixer #2--Alice x Bastien

Here is my submission for week 2 of @choicesmcmadness​ ‘s MC Mixer!

Hello, Trend readers! Check out this online exclusive sneak peek from our upcoming exclusive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria, Alice Ayers and Bastien Lykel.

—Ana de Luca

***

Ana: As the newest duke and duchess of Cordonia, the two of you must have to attend a lot of parties.

Alice: I find them easier to stomach if I think of them as networking events.

Bastien: Which they are—from the outside it might look like just a party, but policies and international relations can be made or broken at these events. Alice in particular has been very adept at navigating these and strengthening Cordonia’s position on the world stage.

Ana: My other sources have said the same thing.

Alice: (laughing) You both give me too much credit. It has to do with my years of bartending and learning how to talk to just about anyone.

Ana: A skill I’m sure comes in handy, especially at events with an open bar…

Alice: I can neither confirm nor deny this…although I did once impress another member at court with my knowledge of top shelf whiskey.

Ana: I’d be remiss if I interviewed you for Trend and didn’t ask you about fashion—what are you wearing to these events?

Alice: If it were up to me, I’d exclusively wear jeans and my leather jacket. (Laughs). But in the best interest of Valtoria and Bertrand’s blood pressure, I’m very fortunate to have those with better fashion sense than me at my side—especially Hana.

Ana: Just to clarify, you mean Lady Hana Lee?

Alice: Of course. She’s an incredibly talented seamstress and the only reason I look even mildly presentable most of the time is because of her.

Ana: Lady Hana is quite talented—the photos of your wedding dress were stunning. Now, Bastien, I understand you had a hand in that?

Bastien: Only in that I recruited Hana to make Alice’s dress, I can’t take any credit for the final product.

Ana: And what about the fashion you wear to these events?

Bastien: I honestly wasn’t aware anyone was looking at me, seeing as I’m always standing next to her.

Alice swats his arm and smiles before taking his hand.

Alice: You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re particular about your suits and you always have them tailored so they fit you perfectly. Your style is timeless.

Ana: I have to agree—I’ve had a lot of men asking me about your suits.

Bastien: It’s like Alice said, it’s all about the tailoring.

Ana: Let’s talk a bit more about party prep—what do you do to get ready before any big event?

Bastien: Nothing too extensive, just a shower and shave. I can get away with a lot less than Alice.

Ana: It’s true, men get off easy. Alice, what about you?

Alice: It depends on the event, really. Sometimes I hire someone to do my hair and makeup so I’m sure things turn out right, other times I do it myself. Mostly my party prep includes psyching myself up to be “on” for the event. Despite how I might come across, I’m a homebody at heart.

Ana: As we know, you two are currently expecting your first child, so arranging for child care isn’t an issue quite yet.

Alice: (Laughs as she places a hand on her stomach). Not yet, for now this little one just goes with us. But that is something we’re going to have to consider sooner rather than later.

Bastien: Because of our obligations at court, we’re already starting that process now and reviewing applicants for a nanny.

Ana: I can only imagine what that process looks like, especially as King Liam as named your child as the royal heir.

Alice: Olivia is personally vetting each applicant.

Ana: Given the queen’s reputation as a Nevrakis, I can only imagine what that entails.

Alice: She’s…thorough. And a force to be reckoned with, which is why we love her, both as a friend and as the queen of Cordonia.

Ana: It’s true, our beloved queen is a powerhouse. Let’s circle back to your party prep—how do you usually get to your events?

Bastien: Given that we attend many events while being hosted here or at the homes of the other members of court, our travel usually includes walking downstairs. But when given the opportunity, I’ll drive us.

Alice: Bas restores vintage cars and I get to be the lucky one who is chauffeured around. Who wouldn’t love that?

***

The full interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria will run in our next print issue.

#mc mixer #getting ready #Alice Ayers #Bastien Lykel #The Royal Romance #Bastien Lykel x MC #Guarded Hearts #The Guarded Heir

[angelasscribbles]

Queen of Hearts: Let the Games Begin

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Series: Queen of Hearts

Pairings for this chapter: Riley x Liam

Word Count: 1,027

Rating: E

Warnings for this chapter: None

Series Premise: Riley is the crown princess and the men must compete for her.

Disclaimer: I am sure that I am not the first, nor will I be the last, person to flip the script in this way. This is simply my take on it.

My other stuff: Master List.

Riley opened her eyes and smiled. The man snoring softly next to her had been an unexpected adventure.

Impossibly dark hair, perfectly coiffed the night before, now fell across his forehead mussy and messy. His eyes were closed but she knew they were nearly as dark as his hair. Striking was a good word for him.

He was the younger son of his house, so not an ideal match but a suitable one nonetheless. Not that she was trying to marry him. Or anyone for that matter. She was still young and in no hurry to settle down but she would be expected to choose a husband, or at least a consort or two, eventually. The council had been clear that they preferred it to be sooner rather than later, and her parents had arranged for every noble house in Cordonia to parade their heirs in front of her all summer.

Not that she wasn’t enjoying it. There was a cornucopia of delights to choose from. The one currently gracing her bed for example. She had found him hiding on a balcony the night before.

The Annual Masquerade Ball was in full swing as she stepped out onto a vacant balcony to get a moment’s peace. Removing her shoes, she leaned over the balustrade and inhaled the night air deeply.

The sound of a throat clearing made her spin around. So, not alone after all.

“Sorry,” an impeccably dressed nobleman stepped out of the shadows, “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I also didn’t want you to think you were alone when you weren’t.”

Heat spiked through her as she took in his trim but muscular physique, dark hair and eyes, the broad shoulders. A flirtatious smile curved her lips, “What a gentleman. I haven’t seen you at court before. I’d remember.”

The young man flushed with pleasure and embarrassment as he dropped his eyes to the ground, “I…ah…this is my first time.”

“Oooh, a court virgin!” she teased.

His flush deepened, “Yeah, I…my parents said I need to start learning how to represent the family at court in case my brother becomes king and I have to take over as duke when my father-“

She took a step closer to him and ran a finger down his cheek, “What makes them think your brother would be chosen and not you?”

He seemed stunned into silence for a moment before stumbling over his words, “Oh! Well, because he…I mean you…that is….”

“Let’s not talk about that,” she interpreted him, “I’m not planning to get married anytime soon despite what my parents, the council, or the press think.”

“But I should probably mention-“

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” she wrapped her arms around him with a sultry smile, “I have a better idea!”

Sunlight poured in from the balcony doors bathing him in a golden glow. He looked absolutely delicious. Just when she decided to wake him up for a little morning-after follow-up, a loud pounding sounded from her door.

She recognized the aggressive knock. With an aggravated sigh she called out, “What do you want, Bas?”

“Are you decent Your Highness?”

“No,” Riley smirked as she watched her companion’s eyes flutter open, “But I’m covered up and you may enter.”

Bastien Lykel was the head of her mother’s queen guard and a huge pain in her ass. He had no sense of humor or adventure at all.

“Your mother wanted to make sure you remember the luncheon today with the Ladies Historical Preservation Society-“ He stopped short as he noticed the man in her bed, “Oh! I…see why you disappeared from the ball last night.”

“Save the judgment, Bas. What time is the luncheon?”

“Noon, Your Highness. Shall I show the young gentleman out?”

“You shall not. Tell Mother I’ll be there. Have the kitchen send up breakfast for two and go away.”

With a disapproving shake of his head, Bastien turned and exited the room.

Riley turned back to her latest conquest and dropped the covers, “Sorry about him. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he blinked up at her, and sleepiness was quickly replaced by something hotter as his eyes took in her naked body.

Two hours later, satiated, fed, and showered, they slipped out of her room and into the hallway.

“Please don't take this personally,” Riley shot him an apologetic glance, “But what was your name again?”

“Liam.”

“Liam? Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Well, I-“

Whatever else he said was lost on her as they rounded a corner and she collided with the textbook definition of a Greek God. Tall, blonde, muscular, and oh so familiar.

“Oof!” His strong arms went around her, steadying her before she could crash to the ground.

“Leo!” She yelped.

“Hey there, Your Highness, I was hoping to run into you.” He grinned down at her with his signature sexy smirk, then his eyes flicked to the man at her side, and he froze. “What are you doing with my brother?”

“Your…what?” Her head swiveled from Leo to Liam.

With a sheepish smile, Liam said, “That’s what I was trying to tell you last night. I know who you are because my older brother is Leo Brooks.”

“Last night?” Leo’s smile vanished as he released her and took a step back, “Wait…did you sleep with my brother?”

“It would appear so,” she answered before turning back to Liam, “You’re not as sweet and innocent as you seem. Well played.”

“Well played?” Leo spluttered, “He…that…my brother, Riley!”

“Oh, hush! I didn’t know he was your brother and we,” she waved her finger at him then back at herself, “have never been a couple.”

“Friends with benefits, Riley!”

“Yes, and what lovely benefits they are,” she stepped forward and ran her hands down his chest, “I must run now. Things to do, and all that. Ta!”

“See you at dinner tonight?” Leo called after her retreating back.

“In the grand hall with everyone else, unless you have a better idea!” she called over her shoulder.

“I’ll text you!” he yelled before turning to glare at his brother.

But Liam had already slipped away and bolted for his room.

#trr au #princess riley rys #the royal romance #trr #the royal romance fanfic #liam rys #angelasscribbles #cfwc fics of the week #choices fic writers creations #choices stories you play #choices #trr fanfic #trr fandom

[cordonianroyalairlines]

Cordonian Royal Airlines

…where we treat every passenger like royalty. The ultimate in air travel. Luxurious private jets for booking to exclusive locales. Small, private, elite.

Welcome to Cordonian Royal Airlines (CRA), a TRR AU in the spirit of Wings and LA to Vegas.  

Leo and Liam Rys, two brothers, both pilots, decide to go into business together, operating a small, private, elite airline that flies exclusive clientele to exotic locales in the lap of luxury. A non-chronological series of loosely related one-shots and drabbles around the exploits of the crew of CRA.

This collaborative project is a joint effort of six creators: angelasscribbles, karahalloway, harleybeaumont, aussiegurl1234, nestledonthaveone and alj4890. Updates might not be frequent or often, but we hope they’re hilarious.

Pilots/Owners: Leo Rys, Liam Rys

First Officers: Drake Walker, Bertrand Beaumont

Flight Attendants: Riley Brooks, Maxwell Beaumont, Hana Lee, Kiara Theron

Office Manager: Madeleine Amaranth

World Renown In-Flight Chef: Olivia Nevrakis

Receptionist/Booking: Penelope Ebrim

Security: Bastien Lykel

Masterlist

Turbulence: Riley confronts Drake with unexpected results.

All I Want for Christmas Part 1: The crew is grounded by a blizzard.

All I Want for Christmas Part 2: Drake does something unexpected.

Ball Drop: Drake and Riley end up in the same place on NYE.

Staking a Claim: Riley's ex shows up on a flight. Drake is less than pleased about it.

#trr au #trr fanfic #the royal romance #trr #trr fandom #cordonianroyalairlines #leo rys #riley brooks #liam rys #drake walker #maxwell beaumont #bertrand beaumont #olivia nevrakis #hana lee

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors 

Chap. 3: What’s Important 

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU 

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and of friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.” 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas (past, Olivia Nevrakis x Amalas)           Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh, Interpol Director Ryerson, Criminal Intelligence Officer Cossoy 

Rating: M *Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 2197, Read: 10 minutes 

Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 3: What's Important

Chapter Summary: Don’t ever forget what’s most important. The ones we love. 

Music Inspiration: Who We Love by Sam Smith, Ed Sheeren 

A/N: My submission for Week #18 Prompts, Prompt #3- “Why are you like this?”> “It’s part of my charm.” @choicesflashfics @choicesficwriterscreations 

A/N2: Not beta'd, please excuse all errors.

Previous Chapter: I Will Fight for You, Masterlist 

*** 

Royal Chambers 

Liam's Thoughts/POV 

Thinking back to yesterday... 

The traitor was found, named, and arrested. Bastien... 

Interpol Director Ryerson and his team uncovered an elaborate web of deception that was set in motion by my father, all those years ago. 

Bastien was complicit at every turn; with insider information. With access to everything. To anyone. 

Once my father was gone, who did he answer to? 

It was supposed to be me, his monarch. But it wasn’t. 

Finally, getting sloppy, he was caught orchestrating the jailbreak of a prisoner by the royal guard’s second in command, Bastien’s top lieutenant. Who, to his credit, in turn disclosed his concerns to his friend Drake. Drake, loyal to the crown, revealed the breach to the Royal Council. 

Bastien has been charged with treason; now named a criminal being held in confinement in a jail cell in France.  

A criminal, that past Kings would have executed by their own hand for the crime committed, treason. 

It didn’t stop there. 

After the realization of the betrayal, by a man sworn to protect him, and his family, there was the added bonus of the discovery of a possible sister. 

Tossing and turning, sleep evaded his night.  

As Liam stared into darkness his mind kept replaying the events of the day over and over again. The memories of Director Ryerson’s words, “Her name is Lena Eleanor Rys,” and “apprehended by the Royal Guard, that was later released by Bastien Lykel”, on repeat. 

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. 

Fuck!!! 

His mind would not let his body sleep. 

He looked down at his wife, his queen, curled into his side, peacefully asleep. 

A woman that took the revelations in stride. Sure, she was livid about Bastien’s treachery...but, she wasn’t surprised.  

Riley knew, all too well, that Bastien followed the command of his monarch, without question.  

So instead of getting emotional, she turned her anger into resolve; determined to find answers. 

She is my inspiration. My partner in everything. 

Kissing the top of her head, he carefully moved her arm as he sat up. 

Liam left his chambers with plans of going down to the gym to work out and de-stress. Moving down the hall, he passed by Ellie’s chamber. Peering through the small opening of her door, he saw Chance sleeping at the foot of her bed. Her guard, stationed outside her door, bowed to Liam as he continued down the hall. 

*** 

Across from the Royal east wing, Leo sat on his terrace in the west wing of the palace, long into the night, also unable to sleep. He’d spent most of it watching the stars and thinking about what he and his brother had learned from the Interpol director. 

...and thought about how much he wanted to personally punish Bastien for his duplicity and deception.  

It was strange to think that they had a possible sister. It felt like some kind of twisted fairy tale. One thing was for sure...his father was a selfish and cruel man. How could he do something like this? Why did he knowingly want to hurt Liam with deception?  

What did his father do to make life so miserable for his own mother to leave him behind? Sure, the court members were vipers. But his father had all the power to protect and shield her. 

He thought back to when he first met Queen Eleanor, his stepmother. 

She was so sweet and kind. She was always smiling and happy even though she was married to my bastard father. She genuinely made me feel wanted and part of the family. True to form, Constantine didn’t protect Liam’s mother either.

lost my mother and my stepmother. 

Leo raised his glass, finishing the last of the scotch, when his laptop chimed signaling an incoming video chat.   

“Hey baby!” Leo said as soon as the video came up. 

“Hello there handsome,” Queen Amalas smiled at him. 

Leo returned the smile, “I have missed you.” 

Amalas sighed, “I have missed you too. When are you coming home to me?” 

“Soon. I need to be here a while longer. Once my brother has everything in place with the new head of the Royal guard, I will join in the search for our half-sister in Monterisso.” 

“...and then, you are all mine. No more distractions will separate us?” 

Amalas somberly asked. 

"Why are you like this?", Leo asked pointedly. “I am not used to you being so ‘clingy’.” 

Amalas looked into the camera and sighed. “I don’t know. After everything I have gone through with Olivia, I don’t want to be a secret, or an afterthought anymore.”  

“Baby, I promise you that you are in my thoughts constantly. I would give anything to be with you right now in person.” Leo smiled genuinely. 

“I miss you terribly,” Amalas confessed. “How do you always know the right things to say?” 

“It’s part of my charm.” Leo winks and suggestively says, “get lots of rest baby, because when I get to your palace, I will wear you out in the best way possible.” 

*** 

It was 5:30 am, when Liam returned to his chambers after completing an intense workout. Moving into the bathroom, he stripped out of his shorts and turned on the shower. 

Standing underneath the shower stream of hot water, Liam felt his body begin to relax as a sense of relief washed over him. His eyes closed and he let out a sigh, feeling like all the tension had now been released from his muscles.  

Not hearing Riley enter the shower behind him, he was pleasantly surprised to feel a pair of hands move over his back, massaging in slow soothing strokes. She moved her hands down to his ass squeezing and kneading with firm pressure before moving around to his front brushing against his hardening shaft. 

Liam groaned, “Riley, love...this water is too hot for you and the babieser.” He gently grasped her hands and turned to face her, blocking the flow of water. 

Riley reached up to stroke his cheek, resting her head on his chest. 

“I love you Liam, so much.” She felt him smile against her palm and then his kiss pressed her palm. 

“...and I love you,” he whispered in her ear. 

“We need to get out of this steam.” Liam gently turned Riley around to leave the shower. Taking his hand, she led him into the bedroom. 

“You know,” she said as they walked, “I don’t think we have time for a morning sex session.” 

“No?” he feigned surprise. “Are you sure about that?” Liam teased. 

Riley smirked, shaking her head as she pulled him down to sit on the edge of the bed. Stepping between his legs, Riley knelt down in front of him. Looking up at him through her lashes, "this Is a little something to tide you over till after the meeting, Your Majesty.” 

Liam quirked his brow, “oh, really?” 

“Yes, I want you all to myself this evening so that we can really enjoy each other when everyone is gone, uninterrupted,” she purred. 

*** 

King’s Study, Royal Council 

Drake was the second member to arrive at the Royal council meeting. He walked in with a smile and took his seat next to Hana at the boardroom table. He noticed that she seemed to be nervous and was curious to find out why. 

“Good morning, Hana. It’s great to see you here.” 

“Hello Drake, thank you.  Can I ask you something?”  

“Sure, what’s up?”  

“Is Neville a part of this council?” 

Drake grinned, “Do you really think that Riley would give him any voice and make him a member? Why do you ask?” 

Before she could answer, Director Ryerson and Officer Cossoy entered followed by Leo and Rashad. As the remaining council members took their seats, Hana whispered, “Neville found out that I am back in Cordonia, and wants to meet with me.” 

“Oh, what a desperate motherfu...,” Drake chuckled. “Give me the word and I’ll kick his ass for you.” 

Hana grinned, “thank you. I hope it doesn’t come to that.” 

Riley entered next, followed by Liam, each taking their seats at the head of the long table. 

As the royal guard closed the doors, The Interpol officers began the meeting to present the status of the investigations, and to answer any questions. 

After the long 3 hour presentation ended, Liam stood to formally thank the Interpol officers for the update and asked the council members to remain. 

Liam continued, “we need to plan a trip to Monterisso.” 

*** 

Sitting at the dining table, Ellie waited patiently for her nanny to spread butter on her brioche roll. The wait staff bowed to Riley as she entered the room. “Mmmm...something smells so good,” Riley said as she took her place alongside her daughter, unfolding a cloth napkin on her lap. 

“I do not know what it is, but I would like some please,” Ellie asked excitedly. 

“Daddy will be here soon, sweetheart.” Riley said with a smile and kissed her little girl’s forehead. “Tell me about your day, what were your lessons about?”  

Before she could answer, she heard Liam greet the chef in the hall. 

“Daddy! Ellie exclaims. 

“Well, hello, my princess.” Liam bent down to kiss her cheek. 

“I learned about spelling words, and we read stories today.” 

Liam kissed Riley on the lips next and moved to his chair, 

“Ewww, Daddy!” Liam let out a deep laugh. 

“When you are married one day, you will like kisses.” Riley laughed at Liam’s expression to that comment. 

“That won’t happen for a long, long time, princess.” Liam shot Riley a look, and she chuckled. 

Under the table, Riley ran her foot up Liam’s leg. He sat back smiling at his wife.  

“You are in so much trouble Ri...just wait till later." His voice barely a whisper.  

“Ellie, what would you say to going on a trip to visit Micaela?” Riley asked, changing the subject.  

“Oh yes, mommy!” Ellie happily clapped her hands.  

*** 

Riley sat at her dressing table, brushing her long chestnut hair. Anticipating Liam to join her soon, she felt her heartbeat quicken when she heard his voice speaking to the guard posted outside their chambers. 

She rose from her stool, to check her reflection one more time and walked out onto the balcony. The night air was crisp, and she shivered as a cool breeze blew her hair. She leaned against the railing overlooking the garden below. 

“There you are.... You are so beautiful.” He pulled her into his arms for a kiss that left her breathless. Liam pressed himself closer against her body, feeling her curves beneath the thin silk of her chemise. He could feel his desire rising as he looked down at her, admiring the softness of her skin and the peaks of her nipples under the silk. He moved her straps down her shoulders, and lowered his head slowly and took one of her breasts in his mouth, sucking on it gently. Riley moaned softly as his warm tongue brushed over her sensitive nipple.  

“Oh God!” she cried out in surprise when she felt him slip his hand between her legs and yank her chemise down between her legs. Riley gripped Liam’s biceps as he slid his fingers along her wet pussy lips. He slipped two fingers into her and began to pump them in and out. Riley whimpered in pleasure, grinding her hips against his hand as she succumbed to her orgasm. 

Liam was now rock hard and throbbing as he spun Riley around to take her from behind. It didn’t take long for Liam to find his release. 

Climbing into bed, both sated, they fell into a deep, restful slumber wrapped together. 

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed ⚘️

@txemrn @ao719 @peonierose @queenmiarys @703cowbarn @mom2000aggie @malblk21 @indiana-jr @winkyluxhumanoid @rubiwalker @kingliam2019 @marietrinmimi @imashybish @angelasscribbles @isha26 @cordonianredruby @hopelessromanticmonie @tinkie1973 @belencha77 @honey358luv @jared2612 @urfaveaesthetic101 @xpandass420x @kyra75 @late-to-the-fandom @3pawandme @sammiiieeevaaans @lsvdw-blog @blueaster-blog1 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @miss-america-erica @princess-geek @karahalloway @cathx91 @walkerdrakewalker @squid-princess-teach-swallow @thesvnsins @surrenderronnie1 @delmissesryan @iaminlovewithtrr @deepestphantomstranger @fuinseoga @hotkingu @busywoman @twinkleallnight

#the royal romance #trr liam x mc #liam rys #riley brooks #trr #always liam and riley #drake walker #leo rys #trf au #trr fanfic #cfwc fics of the week #choices flashfics

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Sunday Six Highlights #135

@dcbbw WIPs

Middle of Nowhere (tentative tile) | The Beaumonts; The Walkers

Scandal | Tariq Keriakos; Bastien Lykel; MC

@jerzwriter WIPs

Untitled | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Untitled | Tobias Carrick x F!MC

@kristinamae093

Ghosted; Chapter 3, Let You Go | Liam Rys x MC

@tessa-liam WIPs

Smoke and Mirrors; Chapter 8, The Mirror Doesn't Lie | Liam Rys x MC

Marabelle; Chapter 5, Your Breath of Freedom | Liam Rys x MC

Turning the Page; Prologue | Liam Rys x MC

Ti Amo Molto (Spring Fever Pitch) | Liam Rys x MC

#cfwc sunday six #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfic #choices fic writers creations

[khoicesbyk]

Heyyyyy it must be Sunday!

And Al and I are back! 😁

So let's kick off another Six Sentence:

This Six Sentence Sunday is all about my TRR fic Love Everlasting. This is another snippet from chapter 9! (be sure to catch up on the last 8 chapters here.) it's a moment between my LI King Marquise and Bastien Lykel.

See below:

“Good evening Your Highnesses. Welcome back to the palace. I want to personally congratulate you both on your engagement.” Bastien said to them both.

Marquise placed a hand over his chest.

“Was that…genuine sincerity? You’re losing your edge Bastien old man.” Marquise replied.

“Yes, my congratulations to you and Her Highness are sincere.”

Marquise scoffed.

“Oh please. They weren't sincere, they were self-serving. You and I both know you’re not here to greet the Princess and me and offer your heartfelt congratulations. You’re here to find out whether or not you'll still have a job once the new Monarchy is formed.”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @peonierose @txemrn @shewillreadyou @twinkleallnight

Happy Sneak Peeking! 😘😍

#khoicesbyk #choices #choices stories you play #pixelberry #fanfic #choices fanfiction #love everlasting #k’s six sentence sunday #six sentence sunday #choices fic writers creations #cfwc sunday six #king and queen of cordonia #king marquise #king of cordonia #queen of cordonia #queen shanelle

[kc-otome]

Bastien ❤️

#choices #choices fanart #playchoices #choices you play #choices game #bastien lykel #bastien choices #bastien #trr #choices trr #trr choices #trr bastien #keepcreative

[lolablackwrites]

MC Mixer #3--Alice x Bastien

Here is my submission for week 3 of @choicesmcmadness​ ‘s MC Mixer!

Hello, Trend readers! Check out this online exclusive sneak peek from our intrepid arts and lifestyle reporter, Aisha Levins, and her interview with Lord Maxwell Beaumont about his upcoming book, The Royal Romance.

—Ana de Luca

***

Aisha: Lord Beaumont, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me to talk about your upcoming book.

Maxwell: Please, call me Maxwell, and thank you for having me.

Aisha: Your book, The Royal Romance, is one of the most hotly anticipated books in the last few years and from what I understand, preorders are through the roof. What inspired you to write this book?

Maxwell: In a word—Alice. She’s one of my favorite people and she’s really become a sister to me. And her story is a literal fairytale, starting as an American bartender only to rise to become the Champion of the Realm and a duchess, married to the love of her life.

Aisha: The Cordonian public has been fascinated by her from the beginning, and then the tumultuous stories in the press…can we expect to hear the truth behind the tabloids?

Maxwell: Absolutely. And trust me, the real story is even more exciting than what the public knows.

Aisha: How does Duchess Alice feel about you writing this book?

Maxwell: I think she was a little surprised at first because no one knew I was working on a book. (laughs) But she’s been incredibly supportive and at her request, a portion of the proceeds are going to Voices Unsilenced.

Aisha: That’s Duchess Rashida Masih’s organization for victims of sexual violence, correct?

Maxwell: Yes, and if you remember the tabloids, you’ll know why it’s so important to Alice, too. She, Rashida, and Olivia have been doing a lot for that foundation and I’m glad to help in my own way.

Aisha: That’s wonderful to hear. If I can, I’d like to switch gears a bit. Now I know you can’t reveal too much about the book—

Maxwell: Hey, I’ve gotta have a few surprises for you!

Aisha: Of course, of course. But despite being in the tabloids so often, Duchess Alice and Duke Bastien remain a bit of a mystery to the general public as they don’t often give a lot of personal interviews outside of the standard press conferences.

[Editor’s Note: Check back in next month’s issue when Ana de Luca sits down for a rare, exclusive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria!]

Maxwell: It’s true, I’m really the party face of the family. And I have the best dance moves!

Aisha: That’s certainly uncontested. Speaking of parties, I was hoping to ask a few questions about the duke and duchess and their party habits since the press is not often invited into many of the court events.

Maxwell: Sure, fire away!

Aisha: Tell me—do the duke and duchess arrive on time or fashionably late?

Maxwell: Bastien’s as punctual as all get out, probably from his time as the head of the Royal Guard. Alice is…well, not, but Bertrand would kill all of us if we weren’t on time so between Bertrand and Bastien, they’re usually on time.

Aisha: And what are their drinks of choice?

Maxwell: Bastien…well, he doesn’t usually drink much at court functions. Sometimes a glass of champagne or wine with dinner, but otherwise not much. Now, at private parties…oh, the stories I could tell about Bertrand’s bachelor party…

Aisha: I know our readers would love to hear them!

Maxwell: (awkwardly clearing his throat) I’d better not, I don’t know how happy Bertrand would be with me sharing those. Let’s just say there was beer and a bear and we all survived.

Aisha: As always, no one parties like the Beaumonts. Maybe in the sequel?

Maxwell: Most definitely.

Aisha: And what about Alice’s drink of choice?

Maxwell: Well since she’s pregnant, these days she just sticks to water. But as everyone knows, she was a bartender before we all came crashing into her life, so she has a refined whiskey palate. Red Spot was always one of her favorites.

Aisha: I imagine her bartending skills aren’t often needed at parties anymore.

Maxwell: Not at court functions, but I love having dinner at her and Bastien’s place because he’s an amazing cook and Alice always whips up the most incredible cocktails.

Aisha: Any chance for a recipe or two to end up in the book?

Maxwell: I could probably convince her to let me add a couple to the appendix. The one she made for my last birthday was amazing. I have no idea what was in it, but it was delicious. I had four.

Aisha: What are they like at court functions—are they wallflowers or social butterflies?

Maxwell: Bastien is definitely the more reserved of the two—he’s the strong, silent type, you know—but Alice is definitely the one befriending everyone. I mean, she managed to befriend most of her competitors during the social season, she won over Cordonia after she was unfairly maligned by the press after the social season, she’s raising a ton of funds and positive press for Voices Unsilenced, and she inspired the book I wrote that you’re interviewing me about today. Like I said before, she’s the best.

***

The full interview with Lord Maxwell Beaumont will be available in our next print issue.

#mc mixer #party time #Alice Ayers #Bastien Lykel #Maxwell Beaumont #The Royal Romance #Bastien Lykel x MC #Guarded Hearts #The Guarded Heir

[angelasscribbles]

Riley x Liam: A One Night in Cordonia follow-up/one-shot

Series: One Night in Cordonia, a @choicesprompts

Round Robin Event.

Fandom: TRR

Pairings: Riley x Liam

Word Count: 1,664

Rating: Teen

Warnings: none

“Have a seat please, Miss Brooks,” Bastien waved the American beauty through the palace security offices' conference room door.

In addition to himself and his second in charge, Mara Levidis, the younger prince had requested to join the interview. He had no idea why.

Riley looked around the room nervously until her eyes fell on Liam, then her face broke out in a heart-stopping smile.

At least it stopped Liam’s heart. He couldn’t speak for anyone else in the room. He admitted to himself that he was only there for his own selfish purposes. This woman did things to him that no other woman did, and he had to know if she truly liked him or if the strip tease had been nothing more than the result of the shagging smog.

“Liam, so nice to see you again,” She took the seat he jumped up and pulled out for her, “I’m not sure why I’m here though.”

“We just have a few questions for you,” he told her gently.

Bastien took his seat across the table from Riley, Mara to his left, and Liam at the head of the table to his right. He sat a small recording device in the middle of the table, pushed play, and began. “Miss Brooks, my name is Bastien Lykel, I’m a colonel in the Royal Guard, this is Lieutenant Colonel Mara Levidis and Prince Liam Rys. We’re here today to ask you a few questions about the night of the Beaumont bash.”

“Oh….sure,” she glanced at Liam in confusion before moving her gaze back to the colonel, “But I already gave a statement the morning after the bash.”

“You did,” Liam assured her then reminded Bastien, “She did!”

“Yes, be that as it may, that statement covered what happened that night specifically…”

Riley’s eyes shot to Liam’s, pink blooming across her cheeks before she dropped her eyes to her lap.

“…what we really need to know is the nature of your relationship with Anton Severus.”

She lifted her eyes in confusion, “I’m sorry…who?”

Mara flipped a photo across the table, “I believe you know him as Justin Brown, your press secretary.”

“Oh yes, I know Justin! But…did you just say his real name is Anton something or other? What’s going on?”

“This man was the mastermind behind the toxin that was deployed that night. What do you know about that?”

“What? Nothing!” She shook her head vigorously in denial, “This must be some kind of a mistake! Justin isn’t a terrorist! He’s a nerdy PR specialist who likes karaoke and Firefly reruns!”

“Yes, well,” Mara pulled the photo back, “That’s what he wanted you to think.”

“Where were you when the gas went off?” Bastien demanded.

“She was with me!” Liam cut in before she could answer.

“With you?” Bastien turned to Liam in astonishment, “Doing what?”

“Well…” It was Liam’s turn to pinken, “We were…that is….I mean, she…um…”

Bastien’s face slowly morphed from stern to shocked, “Oh! I get it, sir, no need for further explanation!”

“Right, well, as you know the assailants were all wearing gas masks and entered the premises after the gas was deployed. Neither of those things is true of Riley, so she couldn’t have been involved. Anton used her to get closer to the nobility, that’s it.”

Bastien wasn’t completely satisfied, “I have a few more questions.”

“Like what?” Liam demanded.

Directing his question to Riley, Bastien asked, “How did you meet Anton?”

“He approached me actually,” Riley answered, “He offered his services at a discount.”

“And why would he do that?”

“He said he was a fan.”

“Right. What do you do again?”

Riley cut her eyes at him. He knew damn good and well who she was and what she did. The whole fucking world knew. “I’m a fashion model, actress, singer, songwriter, and photographer.”              

“And you needed a PR specialist for what reason?”

She brought a hand up to cover her eyes as she heaved a deep sigh. Again, he knew damn well why. It was the same reason she was in Cordonia in the first place. She had come to this God-forsaken postage stamp-sized country that no one had ever heard of precisely because of that reason. “Because I was involved in a sex scandal and needed to rehabilitate my image.”

She truly hadn’t known the man was recording their escapades. Or that he was married. Or a U.S. senator. But the world refused to believe any of that, painting her instead as a home-wrecking, gold-digging whore. Which was exactly how his wife had seen it when she found the video and used it in her divorce proceedings. Someone with access to the files must have recognized her and realized how much the tabloids would pay for it and so the video had been leaked.  

She had fled to the tiny Mediterranean country of Cordonia in hopes of staying out of the limelight until the next scandal made the public forget about hers.

Justin had offered a way for her to seize and control the narrative. He’d had a whole plan. One that she now realized was probably a load of bullshit designed to trick her out of her money and into opening the door to the aristocracy for him.

Riley herself hadn’t been a suitor for Leo’s attention or affections, she had merely joined the social season as a guest and friend of Maxwell Beaumont, whom she had met several times while vacationing along the French Riviera. They had bonded over their similar taste in men. Like the handsome young prince that was currently making her blood sing through her veins.

“I think this line of questioning is over,” Liam asserted, “She had nothing to do with it and she doesn’t know anything about Anton’s true identity or intentions.”

“Fine,” Bastien pushed away from the table, “But if you think of anything….anything at all, please let us know.”

“I will.” Riley watched as Bastien and Mara exited the room.

“Would you like some water?” Liam asked, already on his feet, pouring her a glass.

“Thank you,” her cheeks heated as her gaze dropped to the tabletop.

“I’m sorry if they were a little…harsh,” he apologized as he retook his seat, “It’s their job.”

“No, it’s okay, I get it,” she lifted the glass to her mouth and took a long sip as she tried to figure out why the prince was still in the room with her if the interview was over.

“Riley,” Liam shifted in his chair as he formulated his next words carefully, “May I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she finally lifted her eyes to his and was completely taken aback to see the same nervousness and uncertainty she felt reflected in him. “What is it?”

“Ah….I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I was hoping you could answer a question for me about that night.”

Riley went rigid in her seat fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands, “What about it?”

“The…um…dance you did…”

She dropped her gaze again, her face burning with emotion. She wanted to fall through the floor. She could barely muster up a whisper as she willed herself to stay calm, “What about it?”

“Was it just because of the gas or…”

“Oh!” she wished the floor would open up and swallow her, “I never would have done such a thing if not for the gas!” He knew about the sex tape. The entire world knew about it. Did he think she just took her clothes off for anyone? She wanted to disappear.

“Right, of course not,” disappointment pinged through him. He struggled not to show it, but she saw it.

“Wait…were you hoping that I was the kind of girl that would do something like that in public?”

Liam froze, eyes wide as he studied her face, “No…not in public….”

“So, you were hoping that I’d do it in private?” her mind whirled to catch up then understanding dawned, “for you?”

Mortification rushed over him as he tried to salvage the situation, “I’m so sorry! It was an inappropriate question! Of course, it was because of the gas! You’re not interested in me! I should have never-“

“Liam!” She leaned over and laid a gentle hand on his arm. A soft smile played on her lips, “I am interested in you! I meant that I would never have done a strip tease in front of the entire court if it hadn’t been for the gas. But the person I chose to do it for? That was one hundred percent me!”

The smile that broke out across his face was so brilliant that it could have lit the entire country, “Really?”

“Really!”

“I cannot express how gratifying it is to hear that! Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?”

“You’re not bothered by the scandal? My reputation doesn’t concern you?”

“No. First of all, I believe you that you were lied to and recorded without your consent. Secondly, even if you had willingly been recorded, what you do with your body is your business. I notice the only one being shamed is you, not the man in question. Huge double standard if you ask me.”

She rewarded him with a smile of her own, “That’s very enlightened of you.”

“I’m very enlightened! So? Dinner?”

“Absolutely! I would love to join you for dinner!”

“Excellent!” Liam stood and helped her out of her chair. Offering her his arm, he asked, “We have some time to kill before dinner. Would you care for a tour of the palace?”

“I would like that very much!” Riley took his arm with a coy grin, “Will your personal quarters be included in this tour?” She felt satisfaction curl through her at the way he flushed to the very tips of his ears.

Maybe accepting Maxwell’s invitation and fleeing her own country hadn’t been the catastrophe she originally thought.

Cordonia was starting to grow on her.

#one night in cordonia #choicesprompts #round robin #one shot #the royal romance #the royal romance fanfic #angelasscribbles #trr #choices stories you play #cfwc fics of the week #choices fic writers creations #choices #liam rys

[badchoicesposts]

In a Land of Myth...

Chapter 15

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: 3,157

Pairing: Liam x MC (Selene), Drake x MC, Platonic!Bastien x MC

Author’s Note: This chapter is a bit different since it won’t be taking place from Selene’s POV. This one takes place from multiple POV’s and we get to see Bas, Drake, and Liam’s perspective

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @bobasheebaby, @alexintheskyy, @slytherincursebreaker, @kingliam2019, @furiousherringoperatortoad, @goldenbirdcrystalcage, @burnsoslow​, @zilch3, @desireepow-1986​, @sanchita012

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

Catch Up: Masterlist

Time seemed to stand still for Bastien as he watched Selene fall to the ground. His heart shattered in his chest as he allowed himself to picture the rest of his life without the young woman who had become a daughter to him over the past few months. She had turned his life upside down. He could honestly say that he had no idea what he was getting himself into when he had decided to take in the twenty-one year old. Selene was every bit her mother’s daughter. She was strong, witty, and a force to be reckoned with. She had a big heart, one that was completely full of love for everyone she met. She was also more powerful than he had ever realized she could be. He had never seen magic so extraordinary before, but she was still young. She still needed guidance, and with it he knew she had the power to make the world a better place. But, now, in just a matter of seconds the world was about to lose her. 

He pushed Liam and Leo aside and gathered her body into his arms. Her body was completely limp against his as he began following Xinghai and Hana back to the physician’s quarters, barely registering the sound of the old man instructing someone to grab the poisoned goblet so he could figure out how to cure her. He lay her down onto the cot in the physician’s quarters gently, as if she were made of glass and pushed one of her curls out of her face. 

“She’s burning up,” he said, feeling the heat of her skin against his hand. 

Hana gave him a sympathetic smile and pushed her way past him to lay a damp cloth on Selene’s forehead. The door burst open a moment later and Drake, Leo, and Liam all crashed into the room. 

“I have the goblet,” Leo said, handing the offending item to Xinghai.

The three men crowded around Selene’s cot, and Bastien could see the pain written clearly on all of their faces. 

“Can you save her?” Liam asked the physician, his brow furrowed as he looked down at her. 

If it wasn’t for the thin layer of sweat that was covering her body, and the way she was shivering, they could almost pretend she was sleeping. Xinghai didn’t answer. He was too busy examining something on the inside of the goblet. 

“What is it?” Bastien asked, his voice thick with emotion as he finally turned away from the young girl’s body. 

Xinghai removed a flower petal from inside the goblet with a pair of forceps and examined it closely before turning to one of his books.

“A petal from the mortaeus flower,” he said. “According to this, someone poisoned by it can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the flower. It grows on the root of the mortaeus tree, that lies in the caves past the Blackspine Mountains.”

Bastien’s mind began to move a mile a minute. The Blackspine mountains. He knew the area well. However, it was dangerous to travel into the caves.

“The caves they’re protected by a creature, a cockatrice,” he finished. 

Xinghai nodded solemnly in his direction, before turning back to his book. “Even a single drop of the venom is deadly. Few, if any, who have travelled there have made it back alive.”

“I’ll go,” Bastien said, casting one last look to where Selene lay dying. “I’ll get the leaf.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Xinghai said, looking at him as if he were crazy.

“I refuse to let her die,” Bastien insisted as both men turned to see Hana dip her cloth into a bucket of water before resting it on Selene’s forehead once again. “I’d risk my own life before allowing hers to end without a fight.” 

“No, I’ll go,” Liam said, causing everyone to look up at him in surprise.

“Liam, I know you want to help, but you’re the heir to the throne. My life lost over this is nothing compared to yours,” Bastien said. 

“No. She did this for me. I have to be the one to make it right. She said that you were like a father to her. You should stay with her. She needs you here with her,” Liam insisted. “How much time does she have?

“The poison is slow acting and causes a long painful death. Four maybe five days at most,” Xinghai said.

~~~

“No,” Constantine said, his voice leaving no room for discussion. “She drank the poison to save your life and you want to end it anyway on a pointless rescue mission? This is why we have servants and royal tasters in the first place.”

Liam was disgusted with his father’s response. There were days when he admired the strength of the man, how fearless he always seemed to be. However, there were times when he couldn’t imagine how cruel he had become. 

“I won’t fail. I’ll get the antidote and returned unharmed,” Liam insisted. He needed to do this. He needed to do this for her.

“You are the heir to the throne. I can’t risk losing you for some serving girl,” Constantine argued.

“Why? Don’t you think that’s the least she deserves after saving my life, twice now?” he asked.

“No.”

“Her life is worth something. To me, to Leo, to Bastien, your most trusted knight.”

“Her life is worth less than yours,” Constantine argued, causing Liam to recoil at his words.

It was almost disturbing to hear his father care so little for the lives of the people he considered below them. He had made passing remarks about this topic before, but none had chilled Liam as much as hearing him say outright that they didn’t matter. He had no idea how much Selene mattered. 

“I won’t stand by and watch her die. Not for me,” Liam said.

“Then don’t look,” his father responded, his voice cold. “She’s not the first to die on your behalf, and she won’t be the last.”

“I’m going and you can’t stop me,” he said, turning away from his father and stalking down the hall. 

Liam could hear Constantine calling after him, but he paid him no mind. He was going to save her, consequences be damned. He went back to his chambers and grabbed his sword, packing a bag of a few essentials.

“I hear father forbade you from leaving the castle,” Leo’s called from behind him. 

Liam turned to see his brother standing there, dressed in his full armor and carrying a bag as well. Drake was standing next to him and both men had a look of determination on their faces.

“I’ve never been the rebellious type, but sometimes our father is wrong. Her life isn’t worth less than mine because she’s a servant,” he said.

Leo smirked at him and stalked into the room. 

“We’re coming with you,” he said.

“No, I’m going alone. It’s too dangerous. I won’t risk anymore lives,” Liam insisted.

“I’m not afraid of a little danger,” Leo said. “Are you, Drake?”

“Not at all,” Drake responded. 

Liam looked over to his best friend and sighed. 

“I can’t control either one of you, but you should stay here. He would have you executed if he knew you helped me defy him,” Liam insisted. 

Drake opened his mouth to protest, but Liam held his hand up to stop him. 

“Stay with her. Stay with Bastien. He needs you now too. I’ve never seen him so upset,” he instructed. 

Liam turned to his brother to try convincing him to stay once again, but Leo interrupted him. 

“I’m going with you. Besides, if our father wanted to have me executed he would have done it a long time ago,” he said, causing Liam to smile.

“Stay safe and come back soon,” Drake said, clapping him on the shoulder and nodding his head towards Leo before leaving them alone. 

The two brothers did their best to keep attention away from themselves as they exited the castle and made their way to the stables. After making sure their horses were prepared, they both mounted before Liam looked over to the other man nervously. 

“He’s not going to make it easy for us to leave,” he said. 

“Easy is boring. Let’s go!” Leo said, urging his horse forward. 

Liam repeated his actions and chased after his brother. As the two prepared to leave the castle courtyard, they noticed that their exit was blocked by two guards.

“Stop. By order of the king you are not permitted to leave these grounds!” one of them shouted. 

The Princes shared a look and instead of slowing down, they urged their horses to go faster, causing the two guards to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled. They had just managed to make it past one hurdle, but as the moved forward into the knight, Liam couldn’t help but feel that the battle had only just begun.

~~~

Drake sighed tiredly as the sun began to come up. He had been pacing the floor in front of Selene’s cot all night, not being able to get to sleep. Bastien was sitting in a chair next to her, falling in and out of a fitful sleep, but refusing to leave her side. He dipped the cloth from her forehead into the bucket of water before placing it back onto her skin. Hana had informed him that doing this would help keep the fever under control, but as her body continued to shiver and shake, he couldn’t help feeling that it was pointless. 

He felt useless as he looked down at her, his chest tightening at the sight that greeted him. He should be out there with Liam and Leo, helping them find the flower. He should be doing something. His mind wandered back over to the kiss they had shared. Pulling away from her that night had been one of the hardest things that he had ever done, but he told himself that it was what he needed to do. He dropped down onto the floor beside the cot and grabbed her hand in his. 

“Damn it, you need to come back. I need you to come back,” he whispered, squeezing her much smaller hand in his. 

He moved to pull his hand away from her when he noticed something strange on her forearm. He pushed her sleeve up just enough to reveal a small rash on her soft skin. 

“Xinghai!” he called over his shoulder to the man who had been dozing at his worktable. “There’s a rash on her arm.”

“What?” Xinghai called, slightly disoriented. 

He moved over to examine the newly discovered symptom as Bastien began to wake as well.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, moving towards them.

“The rash isn’t supposed to appear until the last stage of the disease. Hand me that book,” Xinghai said, pointing in the direction of worktable.

Drake grabbed the book from the table and handed it to the physician. He watched with anxiety rolling over him as he read over the page on the mortaeus flower. 

“This says the effects of the poison can be accelerated if an enchantment is used with it,” Xinghai read. 

“But, Eirik isn’t a sorcerer. He may be annoying and self righteous, but he’s not smart enough to pull off an assassination attempt with sorcerery,” Drake mused.

“Did you see who it was? The person who told her the goblet was poisoned?” Bastien asked urgently. 

“I only saw her from across the room, but she was dressed as a servant. She had red hair, looked kind of old,” Drake said, straining to remember anything about the woman. “What? What is it?” 

“I can’t believe she would come here,” Bastien muttered to himself. 

“Who?” Drake pressed, frustrated that he wasn’t getting an answer. 

“How much longer does she have?” Bastien asked, instead of answering his questions. “Now that the progression has sped up?”

“Two days at most,” Xinghai answered. 

~~~

“What are you thinking about, brother?” Leo asked.

He turned his head to look at Liam, whose face had been screwed up in concentration since they had left Stormholt the night before. They were almost to the caves behind the Blackspine Mountains, having already made the bulk of the journey.

“Something father said about Selene’s life being worth less than mine. It didn’t sit well with me,” Liam confessed, causing Leo to smirk at him. 

“I’m sure her life means quite a bit to you,” he teased, relishing in the blush that appeared on his brother’s cheeks.

“No- I mean yes, but that’s not what I mean,” he stumbled over his words. “He’s always said things like that. He believes the lives of anyone not born of noble blood is worth less and that isn’t right. A king should be able to acknowledge that people of a lower station are just as important as people born with a title.”

“The fact that you believe that already makes you a better leader than our father,” Leo said simply. 

It was no secret that he and Constantine didn’t have the best relationship. But, if the king wanted to view him as a disappointment, so be it. He was done fighting with him. He had done so all his life, but Constantine liked to believe that anyone who disagreed with him was wrong. There was no reasoning with a man like that. However, instead of being comforted by these words Liam seemed more troubled than he was before. 

“For so long I’ve viewed him as a strong leader, as a man who I should aspire to be like. But, I don’t want to become someone so hateful,” Liam mused, and Leo could tell that it pained him to speak ill of their father.

“It’s okay to disagree with him, you know. It’s not the end of the world,” he said, trying to ease his mind.

Instead of responding, Liam simply nodded his head, still looking troubled as they continued to ride on. It didn’t take long for them to make the rest of the journey and entrance to the caves were soon within sight. 

“Be on guard. Xinghai said the cockatrice guarded the caves,” Leo instructed as the two dismounted their horses, intent on making the rest of the journey on foot. 

Both men moved forward, but stopped only a few moments later when they heard a soft rustling up ahead of them. They each reached for their swords, Leo motioning for his brother to go left as he went right. They both inched forward slowly, but when they closed in on the sound, instead of finding a monster they found a woman lying on the ground. There was a large scratch on her arm, and she was whimpering softly. Her brown eyes were filled with tears, and her red hair was matted and in knots. Leo thought there was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

“Are you alright?” Liam asked, placing his sword back into his scabbard and approaching her. 

The woman flinched as he came closer, and Leo kept his distance, looking over his shoulder nervously. He had a bad feeling about this, he had a bad feeling about all of it, and none of it had anything to do with getting the flower. 

“What happened to you?” Liam asked, in a gentle voice. 

The woman looked up at him and began to answer. However, before any words were able to leave her mouth, she let out a loud scream. Leo turned to see the large beast they were worried about slowly approaching them, it’s teeth bared. The cockatrice was an almost lizard like creature with four dragon-like legs, and a rooster shaped head. A low growling was coming from deep in its throat, and the sound was chilling.

Leo took a deep breath and bounced a few times on the balls of his feet, psyching himself up for the fight that was about to take place. The cockatrice began to bound towards him, and he ran to the left, dodging the attack. The creature let out a loud roar and ran towards him once again.

“Damn it, the things I do for these people,” he grumbled to himself, knowing full well that as annoyed as he was right now there was no way he would let an innocent girl die. “A little help here, brother!” 

Suddenly, the cockatrice let out a shriek of pain before falling to the ground, Liam’s sword plunged deeply into it’s back. Leo scoffed while his brother smirked at him, moving forward to retrieve the weapon from the creature’s body. 

“You wouldn’t have been able to do that if I hadn’t been distracting it,” he said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Whatever you say, Leo,” the man responded, moving back over to the woman’s side and kneeling down in front of her.

“What happened to you?” Liam asked her once again. 

“My master is a cruel man. I was running from him when the creature lunged at me. I fell to the ground and scraped my arm. I kept waiting for it to attack, but it never did,” she said, her voice full of fear. “Can you help me? Can you get me out of here?”

The two brothers shared a look. 

“We can, but there’s something we must do first,” Liam said. 

“What is it? Perhaps I can help,” the woman said. 

“We’re searching for something in the caves. A flower,” Leo answered hesitantly.

“The mortaeus flower?” 

“Yes,” he said, slightly suspicious. 

“I can help you. I’m from this area. I know where it grows,” she said. 

Leo grabbed onto Leo’s arm and pulled him away. 

“I have a bad feeling about this. It isn’t a good idea,” he said, glancing back over at the woman. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere. 

“If she can help us get to the flower faster then we should bring her along. Selene doesn’t have much time left.”

Leo sighed and glanced back over to the woman. 

“Okay.”

The woman began to lead them into the caves, stopping momentarily to grab a torch. Leo wondered silently how the item was light, but didn’t voice this as he followed closely behind his brother. They walked through the caves for a while until they came to a narrow ledge. 

“There,” the woman said, pointing to the stone wall across the ledge. 

There was a small gap between the ledge and the wall, but other than that the only way to get to the flower was to climb up the wall. The caves extended for miles both up and down, and it wouldn’t be an easy climb. If a person fell there was no way they were going to survive. 

“So, you or me?” Leo turned to his brother with a half smile.

#the royal romance #the royal heir #trr #trh #liam x mc #drake x mc #drake walker x mc #bastien lykel #trr bastien #bastien x mc #the crown and the flame #my fics #playchoices #choices fic #choices

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors 

The Royal Romance Finale AU 

Series premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. Loyalties and honesty of family, and of friends, will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer’. 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

Secondary Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, (past, Olivia Nevrakis x Amalas) 

Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh 

Rating: M *Warnings: brief description of firearms, sexual innuendo. 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1811, Read: 8 minutes 

Chapter 1: Old Habits Die Hard 

Chapter Summary: The joys of family are celebrated; the exhilaration of new relationships is explored. The sorrows of fading love and betrayal. 

Music Inspiration: Bad Habits by Ed Sheeren. 

AN1: My submission for @choicesflashfics Week #14 Prompt #3, “You promised you wouldn’t do this anymore.” 

King’s Royal Chambers, Cordonian Palace 

January 2nd 

Crown Princess Eleanor was sitting at the breakfast table, gazing at the blue skies of a beautiful January morning in the Capital. Patiently waiting for her nanny to escort her to her lesson, she looked up as her father bent down to kiss her cheek. 

“Good morning, my princess,” King Liam smiled. 

Ellie giggled, “daddy, that tickles!” 

“Are you excited for your lessons today?” 

“Yes, daddy...but?” Liam frowned, instantly concerned. 

“Mommy says that her favorite part of school was recess. Will I get recess too?” 

“Well...umm...mommy went to a different type of school.” 

He knew that the different childhood that he had as a child as compared to his wife would present unique questions. Liam was grateful that his queen was nearby for the assist. 

“Yes, sweetheart, I went to school in America.” Riley joined the conversation, walking over to the table carrying a mug of coffee for her husband. 

Sitting beside Ellie, with one leg tucked underneath, Riley continued. 

“In America, the children learn their lessons in a group...like a big playdate. To give the teacher a break, they would take the children outside to play in-between lessons. That is called ‘recess’.” 

“I like playdates, mommy. Will I get to go to school there like you?” 

“Well, how about we plan a trip to visit there instead? Ellie, ask your tutor today to show you where America is on a map so that we can plan a visit.” 

“OK, mommy, I am so excited!” After kissing her parents good-bye, Ellie got up to join her nanny to be escorted to her class. 

Once alone, Riley sat back on her chair and smiled, “Are you ready for today?” 

Liam and Riley were meeting with the Royal obstetrician, Dr. Ramirez for Riley's 10-week prenatal check-up. 

Liam could not stop the wide grin from forming. Smiling, “Oh yes!” 

Chuckling, Riley stood up, grasping his hand, “Let’s go Mr. Rys.” 

*** 

Royal Guard Palace Security Offices 

Along with his team, Bastien Lykel was reviewing drone security footage taken the evening of the New Year’s Gala at the palace. 

They watched as a figure moving along the exterior gate of the side entrance of the palace grounds was apprehended by gate guards. 

“This is the woman that is currently being held for trespass?” Bastien asks his lieutenant.  

“Yes, sir. In her possession we found a SIG Sauer P226 handgun, a TASER X26P and an iPhone, which has been analyzed.” 

“I need a copy of the data results from that phone as soon as possible.” 

“Sir, another copy?”  

“Yes, as soon as possible. Is that a problem lieutenant?” 

Bastien needed to be prepared with all the details about this woman before his meeting with King Liam this afternoon. 

*** 

Dr. Ramirez’s office 

Liam’s POV  

As Riley and I enter the doctor’s office, my mind goes back in time, to when we were first here, all those years ago. I was so happy...no, way beyond happy, ecstatic! 

...and then, BOOM!  

During Riley’s consultation about her first pregnancy, the doctor revealed, previously unbeknownst to me, that she had treated my mother in a pregnancy. A pregnancy that I had no knowledge of; I had discovered my mother’s secret. A secret she took to her grave. 

I made a mental note to follow up with this mystery with Interpol. Since the royal guard at that time did not investigate thoroughly, there was a possibility that evidence was not fully disclosed. Obviously, my father did not deem it necessary to inform me. When returning to the palace later that day, I started the enquiry into the murder of my mother.  

So many questions left unanswered, still, to this day. But, enough of that. Now is not the time.  

“Liam? Earth to Liam?” Riley squeezed my hand in concern. Coming back to the present, I apologized for zoning out. 

Riley cupped my cheek, “where did you go just now?” 

Before, I could reply, Dr Ramirez entered the office with a nurse, both bowing to Riley and me. 

“It is a great honor to once again be entrusted with your care and pregnancy.” 

As they prepared Riley for her scan, I watched in reverence of my wife. She looked so happy, so content, and was taking everything in stride. 

The memory of seeing Ellie on that monitor that first time flooded my thoughts. Then hearing her heartbeat; taking my breath away. 

Watching the monitor today, I held Riley’s hand as the doctor moved the doppler wand over her abdomen. When the baby appeared, my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. Just like the first time, I was in awe of our little creation. Looking down at Riley, she was in tears as she looked up at me. 

...and then, we both heard the heartbeats. 

Both of us turned to the screen. 

“Well, this explains a few things,” the doctor grinned.  

...and then as the doctor moved the wand to the other side of her bump, my jaw dropped. 

“...and this baby is the twin of another baby right next to it, here. 

Congratulations, your babies are perfect fraternal twins.” 

Through her tears, Riley was trying her best to speak. 

“L.. L.. L....Liam!!! Oh, my goodness!!! 

As for me, I could not stop smiling. 

*** 

Royal Council Meeting 

Olivia sat scowling watching Leo enter the boardroom with Drake. 

“Well, well, well.... Look who decided to do some work around here. Where is your girlfriend? Is she tired of you already?” 

“Olivia, can we get through this meeting without you making a fool of yourself.” Drake wasn’t even in the room for a minute before Olivia started her attack. 

“You promised you wouldn’t do this anymore.” Drake replied to Olivia. “I thought we had an agreement.” 

“You are mad at me, Livvie, not Drake.” Leo calmly stated 

Olivia was about to respond, but Rashad called the meeting to an order. 

“Good morning council. Let's start by welcoming Hana Lee and Leo Rys to our team,” Rashad begins.  

Hana returned to Cordonia at Riley’s suggestion to be an arts and culture advisor and Leo was personally asked by Liam to be his proxy whenever he could not attend a meeting. Leo was charged to periodically be present in support of the crown.  

“We need to discuss a security concern that occurred and came to light over the holidays. King Liam has arranged Interpol agents to oversee the investigation.” 

“Interpol, to oversee the Royal guard?” Olivia questioned with a raised eyebrow at Bastien. 

Leo knew better not to react to that question, taking a long sip of his coffee. He almost could not stop his gasp when he saw the picture Amalas sent on his phone.

*** 

Delaney Leigh’s townhouse  

Dance like no-one is watching. This is Delaney’s mantra today. 

Breathing in the fragrant scent of the long stemmed roses sitting in a vase on her kitchen counter, her mind goes back to last night.  

Delaney was waiting for Drake to come over for a home cooked dinner. Making baby back ribs, Caesar salad and slow roasted baked potatoes, she wanted everything to be perfect for her new love. Checking her reflection one more time, she heard the knock on her front door. 

Just before turning the doorknob, Delaney took a breath, the butterflies going wild. Opening the door to see a smiling Drake holding a bouquet of red roses. 

“There she is, hello Laney!”  

“Drake, hello!” 

Feeling weak in the knees, Delaney grasped the door frame and moved forward to place a hand on his arm. 

“These are so beautiful.” Reaching up to place a tender kiss on his lips, she groaned when Drake deepened the kiss. 

Sighing, Delaney re-read the message that Drake had just sent.  

'Hey babe, I need to stay late at the palace tonight, but I have all day booked off tomorrow for you and me.' 💞😘TTYL

Sliding her phone into her pocket, she poured herself a glass of wine, moved to the sofa and picked up her tablet to continue reading her book on kindle. 

*** 

Arriving back at the palace, Liam and Riley went directly to their private wing and upon reaching the ornate double doors of their chambers, Liam turned to his courtier instructing him for the afternoon. 

Once inside, Riley made lunch arrangements and then moved into her walk in closet to get changed. 

Slipping off her shoes first, she let her dress fall to the floor and went to select some loungewear in her closet. Liam was adamant that she would cut down her time spent on her queen duties, now that she was pregnant. So, for the rest of the day, she could relax in comfortable attire at home. 

She found Liam stretched out on their bed when she went back to the bedroom.  

Grinning, Riley approached the bed, shaking her head at her husband. Liam decided to get comfortable as well and decided on wearing just his boxers. 

Liam chuckled at his wife’s expression as she moved closer to him. 

“Come here, my queen.” Holding up his arms, he wrapped them around Riley snuggly as she sunk down into his embrace. 

“Are you skipping your duties this afternoon, your majesty,” Teasing her husband by running her hands over his chest. 

“Keep touching me like that, love. I won’t go anywhere, I promise.” Cupping her cheek, Liam kissed her deeply, gently pushing her onto her back. 

Moving his other hand down her body, he stopped moving down once he felt her baby bump. 

“Our babies!” The look of adoration he gave her took Riley’s breath away. 

“I love you Riley, so much.” 

Riley wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love you, too. 

Her lips trembled as she started to cry, feeling overwhelmed over her new reality and her husband’s devotion. 

***

Down in the holding cells of the palace, a jail cell door is found left open by Interpol.

***

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#the royal romance #trr liam x mc #liam rys #riley brooks #trf au #trr #choicesflashfics #drake walker #always liam and riley #leo rys

[bobasheebaby]

Fallen Snow- Cordonian Ruby prologue

Pairing: Liam x MC; Olivia Nevrakis; Bastien Lykel

Word count: 1,558

Warnings: character death, car crash, blood, gore, surgical procedure done by non medical personnel

Summary: While trying to safely get the queen to the hospital the worst happens.

A/N: a conversation with a friend who does not play choices put this idea in my head. It’s gonna be a rough ride, not sure how bad. Originally the first chapter was going to jump to 21 years later, after a conversation with @sirbeepsalot it was decided to do a few check ins before we see the heir fully grown. Thank you so much for all your graping and help. I love you boo!

Series warnings: character death, blood, surgical procedures done by non medical personnel, may go NSFW in the future. May contain gun violence, knife violence, threats, not sure how dark this will go. By requesting to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I only own my OC’s, the rest I’m borrowing from PB.

Deep and falling snow is particularly used to represent hardships or death.

“Get us out of here, Bastien! Now!” Carolyn’s order turned to a pained scream. How did he find us?! They were careful, cautious. They had sent decoy cars so she could arrive safely at the hospital to give birth. They stayed in Lythikos because it would be expected for them to be at the palace or Valtoria.

Yet he found them.  

Bastien pulled off onto a smaller less used road, in hopes to shake their pursuers. Hopefully that will be enough to keep them safe. He suspected a spy inside the Kingsguard; however he thought he’d sniffed them out. There must have been two! He hit the gas as the queen’s screams became louder and closer together. They were his priority and he wouldn’t fail another queen. He glanced up in the rearview mirror his stomach dropped as headlights shone back at him. “Hold on, Your Majesties!”

“What? What’s going on?” Carolyn questioned panicked.

Liam squeezed her hand tightly as he looked out the back window. Rage coursed through him. Bradshaw refused to take no for an answer, and now he was endangering the lives of his wife and child. “He’s going to ram us.”

Liam glanced between the car behind them preparing to run them off the road and his wife, her face screwed up in pain and her hands clenched into tight fists.

I can’t let anything happen to them, Bastien thought as he pressed the gas pedal nearly into the floor.

Liam undid his belt. “It’s going to be okay, Carolyn, I won’t let anything happen to either of you.” He slid across the seat, protectively curling his body around his wife’s, protecting both her and their unborn child.

“Brace for impact, I can’t shake him.” Bastien shouted from the front, anger nearly cutting through his calm demeanor. His job had always been to protect, and there was nothing he could do to protect them in that moment.

“I love you and I’ve got you.” Liam whispered to his wife.

The sickening sound of metal on metal, a high pitched scream and breaking glass melded together to form a terrible ear-shattering symphony.

--

Bastien lifted his head from the steering wheel, the front end crumpled against a large tree. He unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly scanned the area, his blood running cold as his steely eyes fell on his king suspended from the windshield, glass impaling his chest. I failed him, I’m sorry Eleanor. He looked out the back, briefly feeling relief that the driver who was chasing them was at least momentarily incapacitated. Please let the queen and the heir be unharmed.

He climbed over the seat into the back, careful not to bump the king’s prone form. He worked to keep his face devoid of emotion as he eyed the young queen clutching her throat, blood coating her hands and trickling down her arms. I’ve failed them both. “Everything is going to be fine Your Majesty.”

“Liam?” Carolyn gasped.

“He’s going to be fine. You both will.” His heart clenched with the words. The lie is kinder than the truth.

“Y—you need to save the baby. Save her.”

“I’m going to save both of you.” He retrieved his pocket knife as he watched the color fade from her normally sun kissed complexion. If only the glass hadn’t slit her throat.

Carolyn reached out, her blood soaked hand grasping Bastien’s hand. “D—don't … let …” she struggled over her words.

“Shhh, Your Majesty, save your strength.”

“No.” Her fading sapphire eyes imploring him. “Her … her … name is R—Ruby …” Tears streamed down her pale cheeks and her hand shook. “Keep … keep … her safe …” Her words came slower as she fought to get them out until they stopped.

Bastien briefly shut his eyes, a silent apology for what he would have to do. He carefully lifted her shirt and pushed her skirt down, exposing her round abdomen as the last breath passed her lips. I’ll protect her with my life.

He placed the tip of his knife into her skin, saying a silent prayer as he carefully cut across her stomach. Please let the baby make it. I can’t fail in my final promise to her.

He finished the cut, fingers curling around the tear in her skin as he pulled the flesh apart widening the opening. Be alive. Be alive, he silently chanted as he pulled each of her organs from the cavity to expose her uterus. Shallow, don’t cut the baby. He carefully sliced along her uterus.

All his years of service, all his training never prepared him for this. He’d aided in delivery before but not to this level.

He held his breath as he spread open her uterus, the walls falling to the side like a rose in bloom. Be alive. He carefully reached in grasping the baby and pulled her from her mother's womb her body glistening red like her namesake, delivering her from ashes, into a quiet hope. Be alive.

He let out the breath as the baby let out a loud cry. Thank you Lord.

Have to clamp and cut the cord. His eyes scanned the wreckage finally falling on the queen's golden locks. Forgive me, he thought as he pulled a bobby-pin from her hair before carefully sliding it onto the cord. He folded the cord in half over the blade of his knife, slicing it through in one motion.

He held the baby to his chest as he searched the car for something to wrap her in. His eyes fell on Liam’s discarded winter jacket. He laid it down before gently placing the baby in it, wrapping it tightly around her small form. He pulled her back to his chest, pulling his jacket around her, his eyes checking the car behind them. He’s still out. He pushed the door open, flinching at the loud metallic creak it made.

He stepped onto the freshly fallen snow, the newborn heir tucked to his chest. Let’s get to safety little one.

--

Bastien breathed a sigh of relief as Lythikos Keep came into view. The treck from the wreckage had taken longer than he wanted as the snow picked up. The only saving grace of the storm was that his tracks would be covered, buying him time to get them both to safety.

We’re safe now Ruby. His fingers wrapped around the ornate door knocker, bringing it down against the solid oak door with a thundering bang. He grimaced at the sight of the fallen queen’s blood dried on his hands.

It was necessary. You promised to save the heir, Cordonia’s future.

The door fell open, revealing the sleepy majordomo Ingrid. Her mouth fell open as she took in the disheveled head guard to the king. Years of training instantly kicking in at the sight of the bloodied guard. “Come in. I’ll retrieve the duchess.”

“Thank you. I will also require something to clean up and keep the child warm.” Bastien said lifting the sleeping infant from his chest.

“Oh, my,” Ingrid gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “I’ll see what I can find.” She secured the door before ushering Bastien into the parlor and rushing off.

--

Olivia blew into the parlor like a winter storm, she froze as she took in the Bastien’s blood soaked hands and coat. Her eyes fell to the infant cradled in his arms, her heart clenched as she became overcome with the feeling of sorrow. “Liam? Carolyn?”

Bastien sadly shook his head.

“Bradshaw?”

“His men ran us off the road.”

She nodded her understanding. “Let me see the baby.”

“Her name is Ruby.” He passed Olivia the sleeping infant still wrapped in her father’s coat. “C— Her Majesty named her before she succumbed to her injuries.” Even in the wake of her death he was unable to say her name. “I have to get her out of the country … I promised I would protect her.”

“Of course. We must protect the heir. I can help you both escape.”

His steely eyes met her emerald. “With the heir missing and her parents dead, Bradshaw will be coming for you next. Anton’s mission may have been unsuccessful, but he exposed to the rest of our enemies the order of succession.”

Her gaze narrowed; she never was one to cower. She glanced down at the only hope for Cordonia’s future. Bradshaw made it clear he wanted Cordonia’s money and that he would get it by alliance or force. She wasn’t ready to die; she wanted to live to see Ruby reclaim her rightful place as Cordonia’s queen. “I’ll be going with you. She will be safer with both of us looking after her.” She turned away unwilling to allow him to see the flash of emotion on her face.

She never thought she’d see the day when a Nevrakis would leave willingly and allow another power to take over her country. I’ll do Cordonia more good from afar than dead. It cut her to leave her people to the rule of a tyrant.

“I will have the jet readied. I’ll be sure to inform the flight crew that we will need items for a newborn.” Her eyes glanced out the storm brewing outside.

Your queen shall return, in time.

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[jovialyouthmusic]

Protect and Serve (revised) 2

Following on from Bastien's confession of his feelings for Sophia - what will her reaction be?

In this AU, Bastien is loyal, efficient and decent, just as he should be.

Bastien's Confession Part 2

Do you think I’ be so rude as to eat a guest’s dessert? There was an agonising pause which he had to break with another reply. Come down and find out.

On my way

He rose, swiftly putting on boxer briefs and dressing gown. After a while there was a soft knock on the door and he went and opened it to see her standing there, also wearing a dressing gown, holding a spoon, a winsome smile on her face.

‘Sophia…’ He drew her in and closed the door, wrapping his arms around her, inhaling the scent of her hair, her soft curves moulding into him. She was a little shorter than him and her head nestled into his shoulder comfortably. She relaxed into him, sighing softly and they stayed there for a few moments. When she pulled away and raised her face to his he couldn’t stop smiling as he pushed her hair back off her face and leaned down to kiss her full on the lips, cradling her face in his hands. She rose to meet him, the kiss soft and tender. His heart hammered and his head swam, leaving him as giddy as a teenager.

‘So – dessert?’ she prompted.

‘I’m afraid it’s in the ice box – in my bedroom.’ he said apologetically ‘I can bring it out to the lounge if you like.’

‘There’s no need for that. Just take me to it.’ Her tone was husky, her pupils large. He took her hand and led the way to his bedroom. It was significantly different to the lounge - oak panelled like his office, the bare boards of the floor dark and varnished, a rug beside the bed. There was a desk beside the window with a padded swivel chair. One wall was taken up by wardrobe and cupboard doors and a dressing table where he left his cufflinks, comb and clothes brush lying, neatly positioned. He fetched the dessert from the ice box next to the desk, and she boldly sat on the edge of the bed. She kicked off her shoes, letting her bare legs dangle enticingly. She arched an eyebrow.

‘Aren’t you having any?’

‘I most certainly am – may I have the spoon?’ Puzzled, she handed it to him, realisation dawning on her face as he sat on the swivel chair and wheeled it across so he sat in front of her. He dug into the rich dark mouse and held out the laden spoon for her to taste. Silently they shared the dessert, one after the other, eyes locked on every mouthful, on every look of surprise and pleasure, every lick of their lips until the dish was empty. He ran his finger round the inside to get the last trace and held it out for her with a challenging smile. Eagerly she took it into her mouth and sucked, her eyes never leaving his. He felt heat in his groin and saw her eyes darken.

He cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned forward to press his lips to hers, a taste of the dessert still lingering. Without breaking the kiss, carefully he got off the chair and moved toward her. Together they lay side by side on the bed, kissing softly, hands starting to explore each others’ contours. He relished the discovery of her soft breasts and the curve of her hip and soft belly. Respectfully he steered clear of sneaking a hand under her dressing gown, letting her set the pace. Their soft kisses deepened, lips opening and tongues exploring, and he felt himself harden.

Sophia ran her fingers through his hair and down to the back of his neck, circling to his collarbone and pressed her palm to his chest. He felt her start to search for bare flesh, smoothing down over his abs but not venturing any lower. He shifted, hoping to keep the secret of his size a little longer. He was large in every way – not unmanageable, but generous in length and girth.

Thankfully she stopped for breath, and rolled away from him a little. He reached out to feel the softness of her blonde hair, gazing into her eyes. She didn’t flinch, returning his scrutiny and smiling.

‘You took me by surprise. I didn’t think you were attracted to me. You’re a busy man, Bastien, and hard to read.’ He chuckled in reply.

‘To be fair, at first we were pretending to be attached, so that couldn’t have been easy to interpret. Tell me - what drew you to me?’

‘Everything.’ She said simply. ‘Just a little frisson at first, then you grew on me.’

‘Everything? I’m not perfect, Miss Turner.’

‘Nobody is, but I’ve not found anything against you so far.’ She ran her finger along his jaw. ‘Seeing you in the pool clinched it for me. You looked like Poseidon emerging.’

‘I do feel at home in the water. I lived by the sea as a child and learned to swim very young.’

‘Didn’t you feel anything before I bounced you in the training hall?’

‘I liked you the minute I set eyes on you, but I knew you were a lot younger than me and didn’t presume to think you’d be interested. Not only that, but if I knew, and didn’t have such a demanding job, we might have ended up here much sooner.’

‘I’ve not long come out of a relationship.’ She confessed. ‘I was glad to be somewhere different, get my teeth into a new job. I wasn’t really looking for anything, so I was genuinely irritated getting hit on so much.’

‘I could tell. Cordonian men don’t hold back – and neither do the women.’ Sophia’s expression changed.

‘Well that explains a few things. I think I had a few more propositions than I realised.’

‘I was pleased when you said you’re attracted to men.’ Bastien murmured, and kissed her again. He pulled gently at the belt to her silky dressing gown. ‘May I? She bit her lip mischievously.

‘Please do.’ Softly he pulled at the garment, revealing a silky slip and slid his hand under it, over her belly and up to let his palm glide over her breasts. ‘Mmmm, that’s nice.’ she breathed as he bent over her to kiss along her jawline and down to her collarbone. She rolled toward him, letting her knee rest on his thigh. He felt along her side, down to her thigh, feeling the side seam of her panties. Her hand went to his belly, sliding down…

‘Wait..’ he cautioned, but saw her eyes widen in shock as she found her target.

‘Bastien, you’re – you’re pretty big.’ He rolled over on his back in resignation.

‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you get so far. I usually give my partners a warning.’

‘It’s okay, it was just a surprise.’ She answered. He ran his fingers through his hair.

‘Sophia, I’m not going to make love to you tonight, but it’s not because I don’t want to. The truth is, it’s not easy for most to accommodate me.’

‘I would imagine so’ He turned over to meet her gaze.

‘Indeed. I have to plan the first time with a new partner. I’ve never hurt anyone, though there was one time I had to give up on full penetration. Every other time, it just took time and patience to allow my partner to stretch for me. Every woman I’ve slept with has come back for more – sex isn’t just penetration. I promise you I have a lot more to offer.’

‘I’m glad to hear it.’ They fell silent for a while, the mood broken. ‘Can I stay and sleep with you tonight?’

‘As long as we don’t sleep naked I think I can remain chaste – can you?’

‘I’m willing to give it a try.’ He sat up and took his dressing gown off, wearing only his boxer briefs and pulled back the covers, getting in and beckoning her. She took her gown off too and slipped into bed beside him. She lay on her side, putting her arm over his chest and nuzzling into his shoulder. He turned off the light and listened to her breathing.

After a while, Sophia realised he was muttering under his breath.

‘What’s that?’ she asked, and he sighed.

‘I’m reciting all the duchies of Cordonia and all the Dukes and Duchesses so that I don’t give in to temptation. It also bores me to tears and helps me to get to sleep.’ She laughed softly.

‘I’m sorry Bastien, I can go back to my room if you like.’

‘No, just turn your back to me please.’ She did as she was told, and he turned toward her to spoon her, throwing his arm over her side and resting his hand on her hip. She sniggered slightly

‘Now I know how much you’d like to go further.’

‘Shhh temptress, go to sleep. I’ve a busy day tomorrow.’ Sophia closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She liked the word ‘temptress’ and resolved to live up to it…

------

Bastien woke bright and early, opening his eyes to see Sophia fast asleep beside him, lying on her back with her arms thrown out, dusky blonde hair spread out on the pillow and her face serene. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, and it was less common for him to awake aroused – but this morning he had reason to be. He slipped out of bed carefully, going to the bathroom and closing the door quietly before taking a cold shower, which solved one problem. The other one was whether to wake her or leave her sleeping. It was a long time since he’d woken with a woman in his bed, and a rare occasion generally as he didn’t like sharing his living space.

The decision was made for him as she stirred and stretched. He went to kneel on the bed and lean over to kiss her forehead. He felt his heart skip as her green eyes locked onto his and a slow smile came to her lips, closely followed by his name. Her voice was husky and he couldn’t think of a better thing to greet him first thing in the morning. He had a sudden vision of them lying together, limbs tangled. She reached up to feel the scratch of his beard on her palm. It took a supreme effort of will not to slip under the covers with her, but he needed to go training and he didn’t want to hurry things between them.

‘Sophia.’ her name fell from his lips effortlessly and he realised that now he had admitted his attraction there was no limit to how deep he was falling. ‘I’m going to the training hall, how about you?’ She sat up and blinked sleepily ‘Do you want me to see you back to your room? Are you concerned about being seen?’ She smiled at him and stretched.

‘We started the ball rolling by making sure we’d be seen. We’ve no reason to hide. I’ll be fine.’

‘Now I have a real reason to call out anyone who ogles you or makes a pass. I realise that’s a little chauvinistic - would it offend you?’

‘No, that would be very gallant of you. I do like a little chivalry.’ she grinned. He got up, resolved to get dressed before temptation lured him any further.

‘I have to go. I expect you in the training hall in fifteen minutes, and I warn you that I show no favouritism there.’

Note - this is an extract from a series which I am revising. You can read it from the start here

@sirbeepsalot @katedrakeohd @rainbowsinthestorm @stopforamoment @endlessflame @bascmve01 @camillemontespan @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @tessa-liam @indiacater @slytherincursebreaker @killerkennacrisp

#trr bastien #bastien lykel #sophia x bastien #bastien #trr au #trr au fanfic

[msjr0119]

The American Adventure

Part 3

Prince Liam and his closest friends are sent to a summer camp in America for a month, whilst in Cordonia the nobles are preparing for Prince Leo’s social season unknowingly to him. During their time there, Liam and Drake become besotted with the same girl- Riley Brooks.

A/N: For those who have read my series ‘Cordonian Wags’, there are a lot of similar themes in this series. However there has been a mix up with the pairings. I’ve completely changed my original plan for this series. Later on in the series it will include some canon from The Royal Romance- Book 1 (with a slight twist), as well as some similarities/quotes from the film “The Best Of Me.” This series includes present time and flashbacks to the past.

Book: The Royal Romance (A/U for majority of this series, some canon will be used but with slight twists)

All characters belong to Pixelberry apart from; Lindsey Brooks, Andy Brooks, Jackie Brooks, Nate Cooper, Lola Hughes and Bethany Hughes.

Warnings: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18! Adult language, mention of depression suspicion, mention of domestic abuse, mention of character death (present tense).

Tags- if you want to be added or removed let me know; @drakexwillow @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @texaskitten30 @cordonianroyalty @bascmve01 @sanchita012 @princessleac1 @queenjilian @kingliam2019 @lodberg @rainbowsinthestorm @furiousherringoperatortoad @lovablegranny @j-a-82

Previously: Riley has been having counselling and the conversation was mainly about her time at summer camp from ten years ago. Then her heart is destroyed learning that her Uncle Bastien has tragically passed away.

****

Summer in New York hadn’t been the same over the last few years. Andy and Jackie Brooks, tragically passed away in a road traffic accident. The two of them fought hard upon the arrival at the hospital- however both lost their fight minutes apart. This tragedy shattered both Riley’s and Lindsey’s hearts. The two young women had lost their role models, their best friends. Unable to grieve properly, the two girls had decided to permanently closed camp until further notice as nobody was available to cover. Or offered to cover for that matter. Riley never went to college, all the dreams that she once expressed and shared with Drake were now non-existent. Instead she became a waitress/barmaid at a dive bar along with one of her closest friends, Daniel. Lindsey had managed to work her way up the career ladder, with Liam never leaving her thoughts - ever. Now the news about another close person in their life had broken their hearts into a million pieces once again.

After ending the call from Bastien’s estate attorney, Riley headed towards Central Park. Naturally it felt the best place to be. The very few times Bastien would visit them he had always insisted to take them there for a day out before rushing back to Europe.

After a few hours of ‘people watching’ in Central Park- Riley had a lot of time to think. To herself. The information that she had just unexpectedly received, still hadn’t fully sunk in yet. Lindsey had filled up her notifications screen with all the missed calls and texts- all Riley could respond with to her sister was two simple words “I know.”

Lindsey had attempted to persuade her sister to go to her house, so they could grieve together. Not alone. In Riley’s heart she wanted nothing more than to visit her sister- however her mind advised her otherwise. For her own safety.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“The park.” Avoiding the true events of her day, it wasn’t a total lie. “Also, I received a phone call with some bad news.”

“What now, Riley? Another attention seeking act?”

“It’s not an act. Or attention seeking. My Uncle has passed away. I have a meeting with his attorney on Monday morning.” Holding in the tears, proved to be a difficult task. Even though she didn’t really love her husband, right now she felt the need for a hug off of him. Or something similar at least. Instead all he provided her with was the gesture of his eyes rolling back and the slamming of his tumbler against the glass table causing her to flinch. A regular reaction.

“Well you will have to cancel that meeting. We are going away, meeting up with the Darlington’s. You’ve already embarrassed yourself infront of them- don’t have the audacity to do it again by going awol. I’m going for a drive.” Riley looked at the empty bottle of whiskey on the table- knowing full well that he will have consumed it all in a small amount of time. An hour? Possibly two if he drank it slowly.

“You’re going to kill yourself one of these days.”

“Baby, I’m invincible. If I do, you drove me to it.”

Not responding, she was unsure as to what he would do if she did. Instead, she decided to clean away the empty bottle and the tumbler with the residue of whiskey still lingering. Taking a step outside, the air was cool for a summers night- focusing on the brightest star in the sky- all of her emotions finally escaped. Wiping her cheek, she whispered to herself- “you said you’d never leave me when my parents died. You promised me, Uncle B. Like someone else- he promised me that he would keep in touch. No matter what. I was foolish to think that a summer fling could turn into more, like Mom and Dad. I was afraid of telling you why myself and he stopped talking when you and I spoke on the phone. Mainly incase you decided to hunt him down and kill him. But now, I wish that somehow- Drake Walker would contact me. That’s never going to happen though, is it?”

****

In Cordonia, the last ten years had been something that Liam never had expected. His older brother had abdicated the throne. Now he was the Crown Prince, being forced to marry for a political reason. For the last ten years, he had wished that he could see Lindsey just one more time, explain to her the truth about his identity. She was always on his mind, even with noble women throwing themselves at him at every single opportunity. However, this didn’t bother him in the slightest.

When they had returned to Cordonia after that summer in New York, Drake felt like he had lost a limb. As much as he avoided her in the beginning, their relationship slowly turned into something more than long distance friendship. The first time in his life, he had fallen in love at such a young age. Even since Riley, he hadn’t made much of an effort with women. Now he was going to have to inform Liam about Bastien’s last wishes. Returning to New York City.

Hey, Li. Can you come to the cabin? I need to talk to you.

Sure. I’ll get Glen to escort me. Is everything okay?

You’ll find out when you get here.

*****

Drake began pacing the room, waiting for Liam. Wondering if he would attend or not. Eventually he turned up, looking regal as ever whereas Drake looked like a caveman who hadn’t shaved in years.

“So what’s up?”

“We have to go back to New York. Bastien’s last wishes. Here read this...” Drake purposely scrolled past the part regarding his past with the King Father. His hidden past with his best friends father. The untold secrets. Unable to articulate what his true thoughts regarding the impromptu trip were, Liam provided Drake with a soft smile instead. After the events that had occurred recently, he was unsure whether or not that they would all be safe. Liam’s court wasn’t out of harm’s way in their own country, what would the situation be like in another?

“Li? If not I’ll go on my own. I don’t mind.” You’ll be fine, you’re a King. Tragedy can not occur again! Liam’s inner voice attempted to make him not think negatively. Instead of elaborating on Drake’s words, he focused his eyes onto the photos that were displayed. Photos that were taken when life was ‘easy’.

“If only we could turn back time? That’s a lovely photo of the two of you. I think that’s the first and the only time that I’ve seen you smile....” Pausing, he noticed that Drake had become mute- knowing full well that his friend didn’t want to think about or discuss the ‘what if’s’. “Do you think that we will ever see them again?” Liam queried, knowing it was a ridiculous thing to say.

“I highly doubt it. But there is one person that we need to locate before we go....” Riley? Lindsey? Deep down, Liam thought or rather hoped that Drake would mention at least one of those names.

“Leo.” Sighing, the King provided his trained stoic expression- not wanting to provide any inkling at his disappointment of Leo’s name being mentioned.

“I’ll get Glen to attempt to locate the missing Prince. Are you sure that you are okay, Drake?”

“No, I’m not Liam- okay? The one person that protected me throughout life isn’t here anymore. My family- they are non existent. And you see that picture......” Pointing to his and Riley’s selfie, Drake couldn’t prevent the tears from rolling down his cheek. For the last decade all he felt was guilt.

“That one person would have given anything to protect and love me. What do I do? I promise to keep in touch with her, no matter the circumstances. I let her down. I let her go. It’s my fault that you also lost contact with Lindsey and are having to go through all of this shit. Why couldn’t I have died instead of Bastien?”

“Because he simply gave his life up for you.”

“Li, you don’t know the half of what Bastien gave up for me. Or did for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ignore me. It doesn’t matter, your Majesty.”

****

Liam wished that Drake wouldn’t hold everything in- he knew there was more that he needed to confess. But didn’t want to force it. Glen entered the cabin, to try and help Liam locate Leo- as Drake believed he was useless and unable to help he stepped outside and took a slow walk towards the lake. The one place where he and Bastien would have their heart to heart conversations. Back in New York- Riley was doing the exact same thing. Thinking back to the last personal talk she had with her second father figure was the time at camp when she was sent to the isolation cabin.

****

“He did what?” Riley just shrugged her shoulders, she knew that what she had informed her father about wasn’t a riddle. It was quite clear. Nate had punched Drake first and had avoided punishment as he did it in a sly way.

“Riley, just go to where you need to go. I’ll sort Nate out possibly tomorrow but I’ll talk to Drake now.”

.......

Andy arrived at the cabin- they had all expected him to show up with Riley as she was Daddy’s little Princess. When she wasn’t there, they all knew where she was.

“Is Drake in? I’d like to talk to him in my office.” Maxwell escorted Andy towards the room that Drake had barricaded himself in. Everybody had been asking questions about his face, lying he assumed that he had convinced them that the ‘falling over’ excuse would be a success. Covering his face, Drake allowed Andy to escort him to his office- upon arrival Bastien stood dormant with his arms folded.

“Drake what’s happening with you? You are always falling over recently.” Riley had enlightened Andy about exactly how Drake had received his most recent injury. When they arrived, Andy believed that Bastien would be able to gain the full details out of Drake. But now his mind was thinking overtime with his best friends comment.

“Sir, this wasn’t an accident. My youngest daughter, Riley...” Keeping the link between them all hidden, Bastien gave a slight nod- knowing exactly why Andy was acting as if they were all strangers. “....Explained that a fellow camper did this to Drake. It wasn’t a fall. It wasn’t an accident. He was defending my daughter like a true gentleman.”

“Drake is that correct?” Nodding, he didn’t want to go into anymore detail. However he didn’t want to seem like a pushover to his friends. “Andy, thank you for your time. I’ll deal with this if you need to sort the little fucker out.” Drake’s eyes widened at Bastien’s description of Nate, usually he would be more professional- more polite. Now he was panic stricken that next time he saw Nate, it wouldn’t result in only a black eye.

“I think that you and I need to talk young Walker... over the years, the injuries... were they not accidents either?” Remaining silent for a while, Bastien eventually became frustrated as time went on without a word muttered between the two of them.

“Drake! Answer me! I promised your father that I would look after you. If you don’t tell me I can’t help you.”

“No they weren’t accidents, Bastien. I lied. I’m sorry.” Kneeling down, he looked into Drake’s eyes- reassuring him that he would be there always. “Who did it to you, son. Tell me.” Drake removed his shirt, Bastien gasped as he could visibly see markings. Old ones. New ones. “The Ki-the King did this....”

Drake explained how every time he stood paralysed with fear, attempting for his body not to tremble as it would result in more abuse. “He was embarrassed.... that he had to take myself and Savannah in. Every time I avoided doing noble things he would shout at me, saying I was lucky that I had him ... asking why I was ungrateful. Why I couldn’t act noble like Sav?” Explaining all of this felt like relief in some way. That he didn’t have to hide the abuse from everybody. The ‘sulky’ attitude that he had helped cover the true facts about his personal life up. Describing how the King would have bloodshot eyes, as well as the thick saliva that formed around his mouth as he spat towards him. Once he was in this rage, Drake just responded with a gesture such as shaking or nodding his head or one worded answers- fearing what would occur if he said anything ‘wrong’.

“He threatened to put me up for adoption if I didn’t abide by his rules. There are blanks, half the time I don’t remember things. But he just acts all normal as if nothing has happened. I want to leave Cordonia as soon as I can, Bast. But what would people think?” Bastien at this moment in time didn’t care what other people thought. In the back of his mind he was furious and beyond upset with the unexpected confession provided- but bit his lip not willing for his true feelings regarding the matter to appear.

“Don’t you worry about it. You have me. I will not allow him to hurt you again. You hear me? Go back to the others. I need to go and see someone.” Debating whether or not to leave him alone, Drake pulled Bastien in for a tight hug- explaining how much he appreciated him and never wanted to lose him.

“You’ll never lose me, I promise. Oh by the way Drake, I think that Andy appreciates you defending his daughter. But she can look after herself. Trust me. She’s stronger than she looks.”

“How do you know?”

“Instinct. Just like instinct tells me you wouldn’t defend any girl. I know how young men’s minds work. Oh also, Riley punched Nate. See you later, son. I’m only a phone call away. I love you.”

.....

“Hello, Riley.” Riley answered the door of the isolation cabin. To begin with she believed that it was her father- giving in to punishing her.

“Erm, Liam. You’re not supposed to be here. You need to go now before my parents see you!” Raising his eyebrows up towards her, a little bit of the rebellious Rys attitude appeared from nowhere.

“I got lost on my walk. No one needs to know the truth. Are you okay?” Pulling him through the threshold, she didn’t want him to be punished too for her previous actions.

“I’m fine. At least I get a bit of peace and quiet here.” Nervously giggling, this was the way she always hid feelings. A this moment of time, she had a mixture of those feelings that needed to disappear whilst she had company. The hated towards Nate. The growing feelings towards a stranger. The disappointment in herself for becoming a ‘boxer’ short term.

“Listen, tell me to mind my own business if you feel the need to... ‘Nigel’ as we all call him now, he’s not worth your time. Anybody’s time for that matter.” Stepping closer towards her, he removed a stray piece of hair from her face to behind her ear. Having this close contact made her heart flutter in an instant as he began to caress her rosy cheek. Leaving it lingering there, the two of them remained in silence for a while.

“You’re beautiful, Riley. You deserve better. Don’t allow him to hurt you in anyway.”

“Okay Prince Charming, no need to call me beautiful to make me feel better.” If only she knew. Liam thought as he silently chuckled to himself.

“You and your sister are beautiful young women. I’m not trying to charm you, I’m telling the truth. If he hurts you or anybody again.....”

“Thank you. But Nate won’t do anything again- I can assure you of that. Regarding your charm.... You guys are, what I suppose the equivalent to beautiful is.”

“Well I could understand you calling me good looking. But hyper Maxwell and sulky Drake?” Blushing the minute he mentioned Drake, Liam noticed immediately. Trying to read her facial expression, she daren’t make eye contact with him.

“Have you got something that you’d like to tell me?”

“No! Why would I?” Knowing she was lying not only to Liam but to herself- she wished that involuntary gesture of the blush didn’t provide the truth. “Okay, Nate was criticising me... Drake defended me... I asked him to meet me but he never showed up. Then when I found him he confessed that Nate had hurt him....because of me.”

“So I assume that’s why you did it back to him? Do you have feelings for Drake?” Asking this question, he didn’t really want to know the answer- of course he would be happy for his best friend. But he still had those conflicted feelings ever since meeting both Riley and Lindsey.

“Even if I did, it doesn’t matter. He hates me one minute- then the next he’s being my knight in shining armour. Can we change the subject please? There’s Monopoly if you wanna play... I mean you’ve already gone awol - what would another hour matter?”

“Oh... I’d love to. But at home that game is banished in my household...” Following the British royal family tradition, Constantine had also agreed that the board game shouldn’t be played.

“Why?” Riley asked whilst wearing a confused expression- not quite believing his story.

“Erm.... it just becomes vicious. It causes too many arguments. So my parents made a joint decision to not play it.”

“I promise that I’ll play fair. Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone that you’ve played...” A mischievous grin formed on her face, before reaching for the box. Liam couldn’t help but agree to play- just this one time, he promised himself.

After an hour or so playing, Liam really enjoyed himself. Having the freedom to break the usual royal rules. During the game, they became comfortable within each other’s company. Liam confessed that he honestly thought he would fall for Riley but now he had met Lindsey he wanted to get to know her more. Due to this, Riley warned him about the ‘do’s and don’ts’ regarding her older sister- then Liam did the same regarding Drake.

.......

Bastien overheard two familiar voices coming from inside the isolation cabin; his goddaughter and the ‘good prince’. As far as he was aware Liam always stuck to protocol- never once acted like Leo. As Liam left, Bastien hid behind the tree- he knew his responsibility was to protect the teenagers from Cordonia, but whilst he was in the States; the Brooks’ sisters were also his priority in his mind.

“Hey, baby. Can I come in?” Riley gestured for him to enter, wondering who would be next on her visitor list. “I know I’m not your father, but keep those fists down next time. Years ago I taught you self defence. Not for you to be a fighter for the sake of it.” Riley avoided eye contact with him, feeling as if she was a small child that was about to be sent to the naughty step. Feeling guilty for saying his words, he sighed before continuing. “Listen, I love you. I don’t want you becoming hurt. So just leave the fighting to us men if and when required.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m not a kid, Uncle Bastien.”

“You’re 15. Soon to be 16. That’s still a kid in my eyes. Stay away from Nate and stick close with your friends and the people from Europe. They are kind and loyal. Well the men are, the two woman aren’t.”

“And how would you know?”

“Your father.” Bastien regretted lying to her, but it was part of his duty to keep not only his job role a secret but also the identity of the nobles from Cordonia.

“Can you keep a secret, Uncle Bast?”

“You can tell me anything, sweetheart.”

“I... I think that I like one of them. I don’t know. I just. I want to get to know him better, just by talking to him. He stood me up before, I was furious but then I knew the reasoning why. He’s only here for a month, but..... I’m being silly aren’t I? I need to stop thinking like this.” When Riley began talking Bastien automatically assumed that she meant Liam - now he understood that she meant Drake. The boy that was practically his adoptive son.

“Drake is... he’s...” Practically my son. You’re my goddaughter. For fuck sake.

“Grumpy? Arrogant? Handsome?”

“I wasn’t going to say that... he seems like a lovely young man who would protect you in a heartbeat. But he doesn’t live around here. You can have a summer fling if you really want to but it can’t really be more than that, Ri.”

“I know... but Mom wasn’t from New York. But my parents have an amazing bond and relationship...Just ignore me. I’ll try not to fall for him just because of the circumstances. Although.......Liam, the blonde one- is trying to make a move on Lindsey. We are both going to end up heartbroken if we follow our hearts aren’t we?” As much as Bastien wanted to allow them all to live happily ever after, he knew that it would be virtually impossible.

“Maybe? Or maybe in the future fate will find a way. We don’t know what our future holds. But I suppose we need to grab every opportunity as if it’s our last. I’ll pop down and see you in the morning, okay? I love you.” Maybe just maybe, Liam could marry for love as Eleanor once hoped for. Drake deserves happiness after all of the shit that he has been through. Could Lindsey and Riley be their happy endings? They would be better than people such Madeleine and Olivia. No. One thing at a time Bast, get them through the summer camp without any scandal occurring first. After leaving Riley, all Bastien could think of was everything and anything that had been discussed.

****

“Drake! There you are! Where have you been?”

“Sorry, I just went to the lake. Must have lost track of the time.” Liam knew the reasoning why. Bastien and Jackson would take himself, Leo and Drake there quite a lot during their childhood. It was the place where Drake was taught to fish- the only time that he outshined the two princes in an activity.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, Li. I just needed some air. What’s the matter?”

“Glen thinks that he’s found a lead on Leo. Whilst he’s on the phone, he’s found a few numbers for the two of us to contact. I’ve tried a few but had no luck. He suggested not using our personal phones. There’s two more numbers left, here...You ring this one and I’ll ring the other in the other room.” Liam smiled softly as he passed his friend the number. Without a word, he exited the room- eager to find his brother to complete his ex head guards wishes.

****

Riley was grateful once her husband arrived home- unscathed. Not that she was thrilled with his actions, but it was better than viewing his body in a body bag. Assisting him to their bed, she grabbed the spare blankets and made her way over to the guest room. The alcohol smell surrounding him made her feel nauseous, as it had done the last few weeks. As she finally got settled and comfy, her phone rang on an unknown number.

“Hello?” Not hearing a response from the other end of the line- she shook her head believing that it was somebody with the wrong number. Or somebody’s sense of humour with pranking people.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” The heavy breathing and ignorance from the mystery person frustrated her eventually. “Listen arsehole! I’m not in the mood for childish games. I’ve got a block list that is as long as my arm and that began ten years ago and is now going to end with your number. Last chance, who is this?”

“Riley?”

The line cut off.

#choices trr #theroyalromance #trr fanfic #riley brooks #Liam Rys #Drake Walker #bastien lykel #Riley x Liam #Liam x mc #Riley x Drake #drake x mc #mc x Bastien #tw abuse mention #tw swearing #tw depression warning #tw character death #long post #read more link never works

[choicesseptemberchallenge20]

day twenty-four: treasured possession

[September Prompt List]  || [September Daily Masterlists]

⟢Blades of Light & Shadow:⟢

A Rescue’s Rescue (an Orphanage tale) [Mal x MC] by @storyofmychoices​

⟢Open Heart:⟢

Kintsugi [Sienna] by @eleanorbloom​

⟢The Royal Romance:⟢

A Special Occassion [Bastien x OC] by @alj4890​

#blades of light and shadow #blades #bolas #mal volari #mal volari x mc #open heart #oh #sienna trinh #the royal romance #Bastien lykel #bastien x oc #trr #daily post #daily masterlist

[lolablackwrites]

Guarded Hearts - Full Series

What if The Royal Romance MC met Bastien the night before she met Liam?

Guarded Hearts Series

Part 1: The night before Liam’s bachelor party, MC (Alice) meets someone else from Cordonia. (NSFW)

Part 2: Alice ends up joining Liam’s bachelor party in New York, but her thoughts are elsewhere.

Part 3: Alice and Bastien spend what they think will be their last night together and Maxwell makes a surprising proposition to Alice. (NSFW)

Part 4: Alice flies to Cordonia with Maxwell before preparing for the masquerade ball.

Part 5: At the masquerade ball, Alice sees someone unexpected.

Part 6: Alice does her best at the masquerade and learns the truth about the stakes.

Part 7: Bastien and Alice celebrate her arrival in Cordonia. (NSFW)

Part 8: Alice gets a crash course in decorum and is off to the races.

Part 9: Alice attends the derby and meets the queen–and a possible new adversary.

Part 10: Croquet, cronuts, and smut, oh my! (NSFW)

Part 11: Alice and the others arrive in Lythikos and take a turn around the frozen lake.

Part 12: Alice skis the deck in Lythikos, learns more about Drake’s family, and has a private dance lesson with Bastien.

Part 13: Alice attends the ball at Lythikos, finds a private moment with Bastien, and babysits a drunk friend. (NSFW)

Part 14: Alice asks Bastien about the bachelor party photos and prepares to race in the regatta after a surprising announcement.

Part 15: Alice competes in the Royal Regatta and enjoys the beach party, but someone else might be planning something…

Part 16: The Apple Blossom Festival begins and later, Alice and the others head out to celebrate Drake’s birthday.

Part 17: The competition is on for the title of Apple Queen, but others are conspiring.

Part 18: Alice comes clean to Liam and attends the royal hunt.

Part 19: Bastien meets with the king and Alice has an unwanted visitor.

Part 20: Alice deals with the morning after.

Part 21: Alice helps the Beaumonts prepare for the upcoming party and receives a surprise visitor.

Part 22: It’s the night of the big Beaumont bash!

Part 23: It’s the night of the coronation and secrets come to light.

Part 24: At the airport and about to leave Cordonia forever, someone stops Alice from getting on her flight.

Part 25: Alice deals with some of her issues and heads to Fydelia with the Beaumonts.

Part 26: Alice talks with Liam and returns to Applewood Manor.

Part 27: Alice meets her new press secretary, attends the barn raising, and visits the spa with her friends.

Part 28: Alice attends the picnic and learns a disturbing truth.

Part 29: Alice attends the dinner with the statesman in Italy and tracks down the photographer before learning of a betrayal close to home.

Part 30: Alice attends Madeleine’s bachelorette party and secrets come to light.

Part 31: Alice and Bastien tell their friends the truth about the plot against her and they all attend the fashion show in Paris.

Part 32: Alice helps Drake solve another mystery while she tries to settle into some normalcy with Bastien.

Part 33: Alice attends Liam’s second bachelor party in Paris, but the party doesn’t go as planned.

Part 34: Alice and Bastien confront her trauma and find a way to spend some time alone before Regina arrives to attend the opera.

Part 35: The Cordonian Court arrives in Shanghai, Liam reveals his plan to deal with Constantine and Regina, and Alice and Bastien fully reunite. (NSFW)

Part 36: Alice attends a tea ceremony with the Cordonian court and supports Hana during a big moment.

Part 37: The engagement tour arrives in New York, Alice and Bastien make some big choices, and new information is revealed.

Part 38: Bastien goes to LA to retrieve Tariq while Alice tries to distract herself back in New York…and someone decides to take matters into their own hands.

Part 39: The nobles return to Cordonia, Liam makes Alice an offer, and Alice moves in with Bastien. (NSFW)

Part 40: The Homecoming Ball! 

Part 41: The aftermath of the Homecoming Ball.

Part 42: When Bastien is discharged from the the hospital, he and Alice return to the palace in time for the Five Kingdoms Festival.

Part 43: The Unity Tour arrives in Fydelia and Alice must play peacekeeper between Adelaide and Godfrey. (NSFW)

Part 44: The Unity Tour arrives in Portavira and Alice and the others participate in a celebrity polo match for charity. (slightly NSFW)

Part 45: The Unity Tour makes an unscheduled stop in Applewood and Alice is forced to revisit the past. (NSFW)

Part 46: The Unity Tour arrives at Kiara’s family’s estate in Castelsarreillan and Alice and the others sample wines from the vineyard.

Part 47: It’s the day of the art festival, with both tragedies and fond memories.

Part 48: The Unity Tour returns to the palace for the Costume Gala, with duels and disasters and the arrival of a mysterious figure.

Part 49: The tour arrives in Lythikos with unexpected guests and a rendezvous at an ice palace. (NSFW)

Part 50: It’s time for the Winter Festival in Lythikos! MC (Alice) is willing to use herself to lure out their attackers, but if she’s not careful, someone might just take the bait…

Part 51: After a harrowing escape from the Nevrakis vault, the Unity Tour finally arrives at Valtoria.

Part 52: It’s the night of the Lantern Festival (as well as Bastien and Alice’s wedding) at Valtoria!

Part 53: Everyone is headed to Vegas for Olivia and Liam’s stag/hen do–but Alice and Bastien still find time to celebrate their honeymoon. (NSFW)

Part 54: Back in Cordonia, MC (Alice) helps plan the royal wedding.

Part 55: An attack in town leads to new information and an intimate talk between MC (Alice) and Bastien (NSFW).

Part 56: After a serene morning spent with the wedding party, the afternoon devolves into chaos.

Part 57: MC (Alice), Olivia, and Hana are under siege at the bridal boutique. Will they make it to the wedding–or even out alive?

Part 58: They’ve reached the wedding reception, but someone has one more fight left in them…

Part 59: Before leaving on their honeymoon, there are a few more surprises in store for MC (Alice) and Bastien.

#Guarded Hearts #TRR #The Royal Romance #LolaBlack Writes #Bastien x MC #Bastien Lykel x MC