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karahalloway · 1 year

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Mardi Gras Mayhem - Chapter 9: Bastien

Fandom: TRR

Series: Mardi Gras Mayhem (click the link to read each part in order!)

Pairings: None

Summary: The TRR lads celebrate Maxwell's 21st birthday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. What can possibly go wrong?

Synopsis: Bastien goes on the hunt for Leo and Liam in the Mardi Gras crowd...

Word count: 3,000

Warnings: M (swearing, brief mentions of nudity, spicy food)

A/N: This is a part of a collaboration written for @choicesprompts' March prompt.

Bastien

"Rico? You got eyes in them?"

"Yessir," came the crackling confirmation over the comms. "They're right in— Oh, shit!"

Bastien grabbed the mic in front of him. "Rico? What the hell happened? Rico?"

All he got was radio silence.

"Bring up the body cam!" he barked at the techie.

The tap of keys rang out as the view on the monitor changed.

"What in the—?"

Words failed Bastien. Never — in all his years as a King's Guard — had he seen anything like this.

"Are they... topless?" whispered the techie with a slack-jawed expression.

"I don't care if they're buck-ass naked!" snapped Bastien, quickly yanking his composure back together as the bare breasts continued to bounce past on the screen. "We need eyes on London and Paris! Dimitriou! Sit rep!"

"I'm neck deep in tits, sir...!"

"Goddammit!" hissed Bastien under his breath. "Why must I do everything myself...? Bruno!"

The techie nearly gave himself whiplash as he wrenched his mesmerised gaze away from the titillating view. "Y-yes, sir...?"

"Get me an earpiece and a tracker. I'm going green," he declared, pulling his jacket on.

Bruno's eyes widened. "But—"

"We need all the eyes we can spare out in the field. And since I can't work all this crap—" he threw his arm out at the various pieces of surveillance tech that had been shoved into the tight space they occupied, "—you're going to have to hold down the fort."

The techie swallowed nervously. But he knew better than to question his commanding officer. Especially in a crisis situation. So, he forced himself to nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good lad," approved Bastien as he quickly slotted the earpiece into place, and pocketed the tracker. "Keep all the comms links open, and keep me informed of everything."

Without waiting for Bruno to confirm his acquiescence, Bastien threw the back of the van open and jumped out onto the pavement. Slamming the door closed behind him, he dove into the press.

God, this was a nightmare...

When Constantine had informed him that the young princes wished to accompany the Beaumonts to New Orleans for Maxwell's birthday celebrations, Bastien had not thought much of it. One city was basically like any other when it came to security, after all.

So, he'd accepted the assignment on the spot.

But as he'd set about planning the details of the security arrangements, he had quickly come to the less than reassuring realisation that this operation was going to be anything but run-of-the-mill.

Not only had the Beaumonts picked the busiest weekend of the New Orleans social calendar — when over 1 million visitors descended on the city for the world-famous Mardi Gras celebrations — but instead of simply enjoying the festivities from the safety of the bar of their five-star hotel, the nobles actually wanted to join the chaotic extravaganza.

In matching costumes.

Bastien had tried to veto the sparkly outfits that Maxwell had smuggled into the country in his oversized suitcase. His team's job was going to be difficult enough trying to keep tabs on his royal charges without them camouflaging themselves in the same kind of gaudy garb that everyone else on the street would be wearing.

But his objections had not only been soundly ignored, but Maxwell had actually foisted the same loud ensemble onto him as well!

Christ alive...

Though as a consolation, he had managed to sneak a few additional tracking dots onto the Princes' clothes before they'd set out for their night on the town.

He just had to hope that nothing had happened to Leo and Liam (codenamed London and Paris respectively for this trip) after his team had lost sight of them in the wild crowd.

Because a few tracking dots weren't going to help in the face of a mugging, much less an assassination attempt. That's why his team also had boots on the ground — to provide close-quarters protection should things take a sudden turn for the worst.

At least, that was the idea.

Because Leo, especially, liked to treat his detail as (un)willing participants in a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. And Liam was apt to blindly follow his brother into questionable situations, with the result that both royals had the potential to go AWOL in the chaos of the streets.

Which meant that Bastien had his work doubly cut out for him.

And he was not going to be the one responsible for losing the Rys brothers in a foreign country.

Full stop.

He'd rather face a firing squad than Constantine's ire.

Continuing to shove his way through the press, he finally arrived at the Rys' brothers' last confirmed location...

...but there was no sign of them anywhere.

Bastien craned his neck, hoping to catch sight of a tell-tale mop of blonde and/or raven hair, but too many people were sporting top hats, platform shoes, and even stilts. The haphazardly flying beads, coconuts and wayward boas were not helping matters either.

"Damn it..." he hissed under his breath.

"Sir!" Bruno's voice crackled to life in his ear. "I've got them, sir!"

"Where?"

"In the building. Two hundred meters to your right."

"Good work, Bruno," acknowledged Bastien, already elbowing his way through the crush. "All teams! Converge on my location, stat!"

Having arrived at the building in question — which he could see was some sort of dive bar — he was about to step through the door when Bruno's voice buzzed in his earpiece again.

"Sir! I don't know what happened, but I... I..."

"Jesus Christ, lad," shouted Bastien. "Just spit it out already!"

"I can't see them anymore."

Bastien froze. "What do you mean, you can't see them?"

"They're... they're gone, sir," stammered the techie. "They just... disappeared..."

The colour drained from Bastirn's face. "Oh, shit..."

A lost signal meant one of only two things: a technical malfunction or foul play. And since the realm of possibilities where all the tracking signal disappeared simultaneously was slim to none, that meant that they were definitely up shit creek.

"Rico! Dimitriou!" barked Bastien as the team leads finally arrived, sweaty and panting. "Cover the exists! No one's getting in or—"

He almost got bowled over as a large group of animated men wearing matching lime green t-shirts flooded out of the bar onto the sidewalk.

"Which way's the hotel...?" shrieked a well-coiffed blonde with the slogan Most Likely to Get Lost emblazoned across his chest.

"I thought we were going to a bar...!" objected a lanky brunette bearing the phrase Most Likely to Get Us All Arrested on his top.

"We just left the bar!" shouted a third, swinging his man purse out — and very narrowly missing Bastien's face.

"Good thing too, because all the hot guys are out here!" crooned a fourth sporting a tipsy grin and smoky eyeliner, as he laid eyes on Rico and Dimitriou.

"Hey!" objected his ginger-haired friend. "You're already married, Jerry! You made your choice! These hunks are for us!"

"So?!" retorted Jerry, grabbing onto Bastien. "Brad isn't here, is he?"

"No!" cried the redhead, giving his supposed friend a shove. "I saw him first! This one's mine!"

"Where the hell did you get this?" demanded Bastien he snapped a hold over the redhead's wrist.

"Hey!" cried the man. "What do you think you're—?"

"Answer the question!" ordered Bastien, raising the ginger's arm up so there was no way he could overlook the much-too-big Patek Philippe that adorned his manicured wrist.

"Okay, fine!" came the offended scoff. "A random guy with a fancy accent dumped it on me."

Bastien's eyes widened. "Was he tall and blonde?"

"Yeah, I guess so...?"

"Was there another male with him? Similar height, dark hair—?"

"How the heck should I know!"

"By paying attention," grumbled Bastien as he expertly slipped the heavy time-piece off the man’s wrist. "Rico! Dimitriou! We have a lead!"

Quickly extricating himself from the throng, Bastien pushed his way towards the dive bar, the other Guard hot on his heel.

Bursting into the smoky and dimly lit venue, he cast his eyes around the room, looking for the missing prince(s).

But he couldn't see them anywhere.

"Rico! Dimitriou! Fan out! If they're still here, we need to find them!"

The Guard dispersed, pushing and shoving their way though the press of patrons, leaving a trail of obscenities and split liquor in their wake.

Bastien, meanwhile, marched up to the bar, pulling his phone out as he went. "Hey! You!"

The bartender flicked his gaze up from the row of shots he was pouring.

"Have you seen these men?" Bastien demanded, thrusting a picture of Leo and Liam at the guy.

The man scoffed. "If I did, I ain't gonna remember. It's been a madhouse in here all day with sororities, bachelor parties, tourists—"

"Damn it—!" Bastien shook his head irately as he turned away.

They needed another avenue.

"Bruno! I need maps, blueprints, CCTV... Anything you've got!"

"Actually, sir, that may not be necessary..."

Bastien snapped a hand up to his ear to make sure he'd heard Bruno correctly. "You found them?"

"I got a hit on their carrier signal. Both of them. They're—"

"Send me the coordinates!" shouted Bastien as he threw himself out of the front door again.

Pulling up the secure tracking app on his phone, he saw two red dots appear on the screen.

Less than a two blocks away...

But his path was blocked by a virtual sea of people. And trying to fight his way through the crush was going to cost him time... time which he did not have.

He was going to have to take a less direct route.

Spinning on his heel, he dived into the closest side-street, elbowing people indiscriminately out of the way as he went. As he moved further away from the epicentre of the carnival, the crowd started to thin mercifully out.

Five blocks out, where the crowd had dwindled to a manageable level, he changed direction, picking up a route that was parallel with the one that the two phone signals were taking.

He was almost level with the red dots flashing on his screen when one of them suddenly disappeared.

Bastien skidded to a confused halt. "What in the—?"

The wayward dot popped up again — in a different location.

Fuck.

"Sir, one of the signals—"

"I know," huffed Bastien in reply.

He didn't have the ability to track two leads at the same time — he was just one man and in his haste to make progress, he'd left the rest of his team behind.

"Which one's London's signal?" he asked Bruno tightly via the comms.

He'd hoped never to be in this situation. Of having to choose. But not all lives were created equal and health and well-being of the heir was ultimately more important than that of the spare.

"The one that's diverged. I... I'll mark it blue for you."

"Thanks, lad," acknowledged Bastien, picking up the pace again. "Send the location of the other signal to Rico. They can take up the chase for Paris."

"Right away, sir."

Ignoring the sweat steaming down his back courtesy of the impromptu exertion undertaken in an ill-fitting polyester jacket under the sultry Louisiana heat, Bastien continued his dogged quest, keeping half an eye on the tracking app as he went.

Before long, he arrived at the location where Leo's phone signal had come to an ultimate stop: Bubba's Gumbo Palace.

Without pausing to catch his breath, or wipe the perspiration from his face, Bastien pushed the gaudily-painted door open, the wall-mounted bell jingling to announce his arrival.

But a quick inspection of the small space (the intentional misnaming of the eatery having been an obvious advertising gimmick) revealed only a few cheap metal tables and chairs and a very pungent smell of garlic.

Maybe he was in the back...?

Wouldn't be the first time that the Crown Prince had been found in a questionable location under even more questionable circumstances... usually in the company of a woman (or three).

But as Bastien was about to take a step forward, he suddenly found his path blocked by a midget of a man, sporting a bald head and a splattered chef's apron.

"You must be hungry!" the man declared with a gap-toothed grin.

"Actually, I'm looking for—"

"Well, you ain't gotta look no further, ti!" pronounced the dwarf, jabbing his greasy ladle at Bastien. "Ma name's Bubba and lordeee if I ain't just gone and made da best batch o' gumbo this side o' Dixie!"

"I'm sure it's great, but—"

"The only question is, how hot do ya wan' it?" asked Bubba, scampering enthusiastically behind the counter. "Hot? Hellishly hot? Or hot enough to fry a Mexican?"

"Look, I'm not here for—"

"Mexican it is!" declared Bubba, furiously ladling gumbo into a bowl. "That'll put some hair on your chest!"

"I have hair on my chest..."

"Not this kinda hair!!" came the shouted proclamation as Bubba finished putting the finishing touches on his creation. "Now what do ya wanna wash it down with?"

"The only thing I want is—"

"Coke!" pronounced Bubba, slamming a can of Dr Pepper down on the counter. "No two ways 'bout it, ti!"

Bastien raised a brow, but held off on commenting. He didn't want to get drawn down an even more potentially time-consuming tangent than the one he found himself on already.

Instead, he reached for his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Since Bubba had refused to take 'no' for an answer, Bastien figured he might as well just pay up so he could—

The ear-splitting opener of Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy rent the silence of the small space.

"Oh, 'scuse me a sec," flushed Bubba, pulling the phone out of his apron pocket...

...a phone that Bastien instantly recognised.

"Bubba's Gumbo Palace!" chirped Bubba, lifting the device to his ear. "We got deee best—"

"Give me that!" cried Bastien, making a grab for the phone.

But the little man was surprisingly spry for his age (and height) and ducked deftly out of reach. "Now that was mighty rude—!"

"No ruder than you shamelessly misappropriating stolen property," glowered Bastien, sizing up the space and the angles in order to calculate the best way to get the jump on Bubba.

Bubba looked genuinely offended. "Stolen?! Sir, I'd neva! This here phone is mine by rights!"

"Uh-huh," muttered Bastien. "Because a lion-emblazoned phone case with the words 'Totally Roarsome' just screams gumbo-obsessed hillbilly."

"A man can have diverse interests," sniffed Bubba.

"Not that diverse," countered Bastien. "So how about you hand that phone over, and tell me how you got your hands on it, and I'll consider not reporting you to the cops for petty theft."

Bubba mulled his words over. "A'ight," he said eventually. "You can have the phone. But only after you have that gumbo. Can't have all that food goin' t' waste! And I gotta get somethin' outta this transaction!"

"There is no transaction!" objected Bastien. "You're lucky I'm not—"

"D'you want the phone or not?"

"...yes."

"Then eat the grub," insisted Bubba, pushing the tray towards him. "It's a fair trade, wouldn't you say...?"

Bastien heaved a breath. As much as he hated to admit it, taking Bubba up on his offer was guaranteed to be a much faster way to get what he came for than potentially spending several hours running around the French Quarter looking for a needle in a haystack. And if the little man reneged on his word...? Well, then there was always the option of slowly peeling back the midget's fingernails with the business end of his switch-blade.

"Okay. Fine. I'll—"

"Can't forget the secret ingredient !" cried Bubba, dumping half a bottle of hot sauce on the plate.

Bastien stared at the fare dubiously. The things he did for King and country...

Picking out a plastic spoon from the holder on the counter, he grabbed the tray and took it over to the nearest table. Sitting down, he dipped the utensils into the red hot mess in front of him, and lifted it to his mouth...

...and nearly spat it back out when the heat of the hot sauce hit the back of his throat.

But he forced himself to swallow. Because Bubba had potential information about Leo's whereabouts and Bastien had lost too much time already chasing his tail.

Twenty agonising bites later, Bastien was red-faced, sweating and his mouth felt like it has been dragged through a lava field. But he'd accomplished his mission. He'd finished the whole bowl. Without touching the Dr Pepper.

Even Bubba looked impressed. "Ooh-whee! That was some championship eatin' right there, 'cuz! What d'ya think? Good, huh?"

"It was... It was actually good," admitted Bastien. It was true — behind the towering wall of hellfire lay a surprisingly nuanced flavour profile. And he actually wouldn't have minded having some more... just with a lot less hot sauce.

"What did I tell ya?!" beamed Bubba. "Now, I also have—"

"Just the phone... please," interjected Bastien.

"Oh, alright," harrumphed Bubba, reaching into his pocket. "A bet's a bet..."

Bastien raised a brow. "Bet? Thought this was supposed to be a trade..."

"Mighta been a bitta both," shrugged Bubba unabashedly. "And you won, so what does it matter, huh?"

"You still owe me an explanation..." Bastien reminded him as he pocketed the phone.

Bubba spread his hands. "Not that much to tell, really. I'd gone out back for a smoke when I felt somethin' crunch 'neath ma feet, and I thought to Lord Ah must've stepped on a damn turtle again..."

"A turtle? In the city...?" queried Bastien sceptically.

"How else am I s'posed t' make turtle soup if I ain't got no turtles!" exclaimed Bubba. "But them sneaky critters are always excapin' outta their cage...! But anyso's, I look down and it inna a turtle but a phone."

"And you have no idea how it got there?"

"If I did, I'd've told ya."

Bastien's shoulders sagged. "Thanks, anyway..." Pulling out his wallet, he handed the little man a hundred dollar bill.

Bubba's eyes widened. "But—"

"For the trouble," Bastien said as he turned back towards the door.

"Wait!"

Bastien paused and looked back.

"How 'bout Ah give youse a lil' somethin' for the road, huh?" offered Bubba, scuttling back behind the counter.

"Thanks, but—"

"On da house!" declared Bubba, foisting a surprisingly heavy paper box into Bastien's hands before he could protest further and shoving him out onto the street.

Bastien shook his head. Stranger than fiction, that man...

But the story was not over yet, unfortunately.

"Bruno! Progress report!"

"Rico and Dimitriou are still tracking Paris' signal. They should be—"

"Call them off," Bastien huffed. "Leo seems to have deliberately dumped both devices to send us on a wild goose chase across the city... again."

"So... what's the plan now, sir?"

"To wait for them at the rendezvous point. And pray they turn up..."

Otherwise Constantine would be chopping him up to make gumbo!

#mardi gras mayhem #bastien #the royal romacec #trr fanfic #new orleans #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

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harleybeaumont · 2 years

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The Other Nevrakis

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

Book- TRR AU (The Other Nevrakis)

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

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

Warnings- language, murder

Word count- 700

18+ only

Belem, Brazil:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#the other nevrakis #trr fanfic #choices fanfic #bastien

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lolablackwrites · 5 months

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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

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mvalentine · 2 years

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okay sir just say you’re in love with her and go <3

#one of my fav scenes major turning point for these two <3 #the banter in this scene >>>>#also bestie why are you talking to the grumpy best friend who you claim to not even like instead of the prince ?? 🤨🤨 sus #also side note why is bastien kinda fine like that beard mhmmmm #trr replay #drake walker

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robotchooses · 2 years

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#trr #trr 1 #bastien #liam

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kristinamae093 · 9 months

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Ghosted

Ghosted - The Apple Banquet (Chapter 7)

Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.

Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.

Characters belong to Pixelberry

The Apple Banquet was set to begin inside the ballroom of the Applewood Estate momentarily. The entire country was excited, as it was the first one to take place since Constantine wed Regina. All of the nobility gathered to witness the bride and groom share an apple from the year’s first harvest before the wedding.

The wedding, Liam scoffed at the thought. After they found all of Riley’s things a few days ago, he completely changed his view point on the scandal and her disappearance. He spent all this time believing she left to be with someone else, but he began to see the situation from a different light.

It seems the more he learns about Riley’s last night here, the more he believes she was forced away.

Liam learned of Riley retiring early from Maxwell, so they had a solid timeframe where someone could have gotten her out of the estate undetected and the maid to pack and move her things. He felt a sense of relief when the maid reiterated that she was not seen leaving with Tariq, but another man. Of course, he wished she would have been able to identify the unknown person, but in a way, his heart swelled knowing she didn’t leave with Tariq, although it opened a world of other unanswered questions.

Bastien had been searching for Tariq and Riley but had no luck in locating either thus far. The last trace of Riley was landing from her flight in New York, the morning after the Country Jamboree. From there, her trail runs cold. There was no trace of Tariq after his arrival to Applewood whatsoever; there wasn’t even a record of a car coming to pick him up from the estate that night. They had both simply vanished into thin air, like a ghost.

Without either of them, Liam was clueless as to how to proceed further. The few clues they had were just that, clues. There was nothing prominent enough to place blame anywhere. Riley's room had been cleared, not a trace to be found. Nothing was spotted outside, no predominant leads were found in the shed, aside from the dress and the piece of mail. Much to everyone's dismay, Bastien confirmed that he disposed of Riley's phone and the letter left in the room, so no comparison could be done. Liam took blame for everything and felt helpless, there was nothing more he could do; but he felt he had to put on his Kingly facade and continue as if nothing was amiss, at least for the time being.

However, Liam felt the time constricting on him. He was set to marry Madeleine in just a few short weeks, and he didn’t have a clue as to what he was going to do about that. Although he knew it was his duty to marry and produce heirs, he didn’t know if he could marry Madeleine just to appease the nobility, especially now that he knew someone potentially plotted to put her on the throne.

More than that, after they found Riley’s bloodied dress, Liam felt a renewed sense of urgency about locating her; he needed to see that she was unharmed. Of course he wanted nothing more than to hopefully bring her back and ultimately make her his Queen, but he didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. Just seeing with his own two eyes that she is okay would suffice him, although it would break his heart all over again.

As Liam stood on the dias next to Madeleine greeting all of the court’s nobles, he couldn’t help but look at everyone as if they were a suspect. Although the maid said she saw Riley with a man in a suit, every single person there could have benefitted from getting rid of her; he was aware of the fact that Riley was a commoner and not everyone would be okay with having her as a Queen. Furthermore, Liam was sure it was a hired person who escorted Riley away; he knew his nobles were not stupid, but conniving and malicious. They wouldn’t risk getting their hands dirty, especially with something of that magnitude considering she would have been his selection. That meant the suspect list was open to all of the nobility at this point.

“Liam? Are you even listening to me?!” Madeleine snapped.

“No, I’m not.” Liam retorted. He realized the other nobles were lining up behind the double doors, a sure signal that they were about to be announced into the ballroom with his Father and Regina at the head. He turned away from Madeleine and headed toward the line of people. He took his position in the back of the procession, as tradition dictated. He squared his shoulders, stood to his full height, and waited.

“Penelope!” Madeleine snapped her fingers. “My train!”

Liam silently scoffed as he watched Penelope scurry over and take position behind Madeleine. He saw her struggling to keep up with Madeleine’s pace, but she never once let that train touch the ground.

As they reached Liam’s position, Madeleine shooed Penelope away before she turned to Liam. “Cute. I don’t know what your deal is but you need to knock it off.”

“Or what?” Liam snapped as he turned to face her.

“I’m sure I can think of something.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Madeleine indignantly laughed. “No, darling, whatever would make you think that?” She feigned innocence.

Liam stepped closer to her and lowered his voice to where only she could hear. “I told you, I'm not playing whatever game it is that you are trying to play. You'd do well to remember that you are not the Queen, not yet… I hold that power, so I would advise you to tread carefully, Countess.” He hissed through clenched teeth.

Liam found himself on edge; he was not in the mood to deal with Madeleine, or anyone else for that matter. This is the last place he wanted to be, and he was not about to let Madeleine try and boss him around or assert whatever dominance she thought she held over him.

Liam stood back up and adjusted his lapels. Madeleine’s face turned a hundred shades of crimson, but she returned her attention to the line in front of her. She attempted to thread her arm through Liam’s, but he pulled away. At a nod from the herald, the doors swung open and Liam strode inside with Madeleine walking closely beside him.

They were led by a servant to a banquet table adorned with a white lace tablecloth. A wooden stand sat in the middle of the table with a bright red cordonian ruby sitting atop it, beside the apple was a knife with a black handle and gold trim.

Liam took his position behind the table next to Madeleine and directed his attention to his father, who had taken place in front of the table with a champagne flute of cider in hand.

"The sharing of a Cordonian ruby dates back to the times of King Fabian. At that time, the King and Queen would not share cake when they wed, but instead a Cordonian ruby. The monarchy has since modernized, but this tradition is to honor those who have paved the way before us.

We gather here today to celebrate not only another year's bountiful harvest, but the matrimony that these two will share. Although no vows will be exchanged here today, the symbolism remains the same."

Constantine stopped his speech as applause filled the air. He waited for a few moments before he raised his hand to quiet the crowd and continued. "We have a bright future ahead of us as a country. I have no doubt in my mind that these two will lead us with distinction and grace, just as the Kings and Queens before them. We will not only thrive under their rule, but prosper." He lifted his glass in the air. "To King Liam and our soon to be Queen, Countess Madeleine."

The crowd all raised their glasses and echoed the former King's sentiments. Liam and Madeleine then each cut a slice from the apple and ate it to complete the needless ceremony. Liam grew up loving the Cordonian ruby and was incredibly proud of his heritage, but that particular apple tasted incredibly tart and bitter. It took all of his willpower not to scrunch his face as the tangy, sour flavor overcame his taste buds.

Liam was forced to stand for photographs with Madeleine before he could take a moment for himself. He didn't smile, but instead just started blankly into space past the camera. Madeleine was positioned at a slight angle in front of him and he made it a point to put as much space between them as he could and still get a 'natural’ looking portrait.

Once pictures were finished, Liam made a beeline for the bar and ordered himself a scotch on the rocks; he needed something to calm his dangerously high stress levels. As his drink was delivered to him, he felt a hand on his back. He turned around to find Drake. “How you holding up?”

“I’m not, Drake. I haven’t slept, I don’t want to be here. I need to be looking for them, for her; I have to find her.” Liam said before he downed his drink in one gulp and motioned to the bartender for another.

Drake stepped forward and signaled for a whiskey as the bartender refilled Liam’s glass. As he waited he addressed Liam. “I know this is hard on you especially. But, for now, you gotta just play along. Make ‘em think you’re really gonna go through with the wedding.”

“It's just around the corner. There's not a lot of time…”

“Don’t think about that. Right now, our focus is this investigation. We just need a little bit more to go off of, and we’re going to find it, Li. However, that means you gotta pretened to be a pretentious stick in the mud to appease all these ass wipes for a little bit…” Drake smirked as he took a sip from his drink and looked around the room.

Liam half-laughed. “I know you’re right. This is the best option, at least for now.” He shook his head and looked into his drink. “I’m just having a hard time being diplomatic when I know that someone very likely in this room is responsible for hurting the woman I love.”

Drake patted Liam on the back. “I know. But, just think, when all this is said and done and we figure out who did this, you’re gonna get to go full blown King on that mutherfucker! Goddamn I can’t wait for that!” Drake exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.

Liam laughed, for real this time. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy, even when I got you that international whiskey subscription for your birthday.”

“Man, I should order another one of those, that Hakushu Single Malt was to die for.” Drake responded as he took a drink of the whiskey in his hand, imagining it was the japanese liquor.

“Maybe when this is all said and done I can get you a whole case of that.” Liam chuckled when Drake’s eyes widened, but he soon sighed and looked out at the crowd in front of them. “I suppose I should circulate the room, pretend I want to be here. But thank you for lifting my spirits.”

“What I’m here for.” Drake replied as he lifted his glass to Liam, who returned the gesture and downed a large drink after. Liam shook his hand before he turned and made his way through the crowded room.

As he turned away, Liam saw some lesser nobles and the suitors he hadn’t chosen, minus Olivia, who was not yet joining the tour officially. At first glance, he noticed Lady Hana was not present. He was unsure if an invitation had been extended or not, but made a mental note to find out. He shook his head and looked away as he observed Penelope dabbing Madeleine’s mouth with a napkin. She trailed behind holding her drink, even going as far as bringing the glass to Madeleine's lips.

Liam continued through the room, stopping on occasion to shake a hand and exchange pleasantries. He spotted his Father and Regina as they glided throughout the ballroom together. Even though Constantine hadn’t been given much time to live, he insisted on being present throughout the tour. Liam told him he didn’t need to accompany them on the entire route, but Constantine was stubborn and was outside with everyone else when it was time for the motorcade to leave the capitol.

As Liam made his way to the other side of the room, he noticed Bertrand and Maxwell in a secluded alcove. Bertrand waved his finger in Maxwell’s face and Maxwell had his gaze trained to the floor in front of him. Bertrand’s body was turned slightly away from Liam, but he could still see his reddened face and it appeared he spoke so fast he hadn't even stopped for a breath.

Liam decided he needed to intervene and walked toward the pair. He cleared his throat as he approached them. Bertrand turned with wide eyes and bowed to Liam.

“Is everything alright?” Liam asked.

“Oh, yes, of course Your Majesty. We were just discussing House business.” Bertrand replied as he slid his eyes over to Maxwell with an irritated expression.

“That’s not what appeared to be happening. It looks as though you were once again berating Maxwell when I specifically told you to lay off of him.”

“I understand that. However, I learned today from a potential business partner that Maxwell left the estate when he should have been awaiting their call! We didn't secure that deal because he decided he had something more important to do!” Bertrand exasperated as he kept his steely gaze trained on Maxwell.

Maxwell finally looked up to meet eyes with Liam. Liam knew that Maxwell snuck away from the estate to meet Drake and Olivia before the tour started; he also knew that Maxwell had not told Bertrand about their investigation, per Liam's request. Instead, he continued to let Bertrand berate him and place blame on him for their houses' tanked reputation and financial crisis.

What Liam saw in Maxwell’s gaze was complete devastation, he knew judging from his defeated expression he was starting to break. And Liam couldn’t blame him, he had put up with Bertrand's rants daily for months.

Although Liam wasn’t entirely sure if he should, he couldn’t bear to watch his friend be torn down to nothing and let it happen; it was time to set Bertrand straight.

Bertrand began again. “He’s continuously shown his irresponsibility! You can’t pick a suitor, you can’t answer a phone, what can you do, then?! I am this close to–”

“Enough.” Liam said in a quiet but stern tone as he held up his hand to stop Bertrand from his tirade.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, I forget myself–”

“No. You are not going to berate Maxwell any longer as if this is his fault: it is not. As far as him missing your 'important' phone call, I happen to know where he was and who he was with, and that meeting was far more important, I assure you.” Liam bit out.

Bertrand grew confused. “What? I don’t understand, what meeting? Why didn’t you tell me about this meeting?” He asked Maxwell.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone…” Maxwell quietly answered, avoiding eye contact.

“What does that even mean?!”

Liam quickly looked behind him to the crowded ballroom and decided it was too risky to talk there. He motioned for Maxwell and Bertrand to follow him and led them down a hallway close by. He stopped at a nondescript door and ushered them inside.

As he faced them, Liam addressed Bertrand, specifically. “Duke Beaumont, I’d first off like to say that you should be ashamed of how you’ve treated Maxwell as of recent. Let's not forget, you didn’t even select a suitor to begin with.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty–”

Liam held up his hand to stop him. “I’m not interested in your excuses, nor your apologies. Those are not meant for me, anyway.” Liam looked to Maxwell with a sad expression, then back to Bertrand. “I just wanted you to understand that your King is incredibly disappointed in your horrific behavior, which you had no reason for.”

“No reason?! Sir, I have every reason to be upset! Maxwell brought that… that… harlot here and she–”

“You are two seconds away from finding yourself in the cells. I know you don’t know the truth, but I’d advise you to watch your tone.” Liam hissed through clenched teeth.

“The truth? What truth is there to know? We all know what happened–”

“I have officially opened an investigation into Lady Riley’s disappearance.”

Bertrand’s eyes bulged from the sockets. “D-Disapperance?!”

Liam told Bertrand about what they had learned so far and where they were at with the investigation, as well as his suspicions of Riley being forced to leave. He told him about the shed they found, as well as the bloodied dress and letter inside.

When Liam was finished, he and Maxwell watched as Bertrand slowly walked over to a chair and sunk himself down into it. He clasped his hands together and stared in front of him for a long while. Liam and Maxwell didn’t say a word, just observed as a plethora of emotions crossed Bertrand’s features.

Finally, Bertrand spoke. He kept his gaze to the floor in front of him, “So… she was set up?” he whispered.

“We believe so, yes.” Liam answered.

Bertrand broke into sobs. Maxwell quickly crossed the room and crouched in front of Bertrand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but we’re going to figure this out! We’re going to fix this!” Maxwell promised him as tears of his own streamed down his face.

Bertrand shook his head and looked away from Maxwell. “While I’m upset she was set up, I’m mostly ashamed of how I’ve treated you since... I’ve blamed you and berated you this whole time, and you were never at fault. You never once challenged me in all the atrocious things I said about you, you just… allowed me to do it…” He tried to swallow the overwhelming lump in his throat and quietly asked, “Did you know about Lady Riley? This whole time?”

Maxwell shook his head and quietly responded, “I only found out before the tour, although I will admit I didn’t know when I snuck out.” He looked away. “I had my doubts about it though… But you were so mad at me and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“Maxwell… I-I’m so sorry...” Bertrand shook his head as more tears flowed down his cheeks. “You didn’t deserve any of that treatment. I can’t believe I’ve acted this way…”

Maxwell inched closer. “It’s okay, Bertrand!”

“No, it’s not okay. I treated you so… maliciously, as if you weren’t my own flesh and blood.” Bertrand wiped at his cheeks and looked Maxwell directly in the eye. “I’ll never forgive myself.”

Maxwell leaned forward and embraced Bertrand; he squeezed him as tight as he could. Even though Maxwell was still indeed hurt from Bertrand’s harsh words, he didn’t want to see him beat himself up over it. All he wanted to do was to move forward and put this entire mess behind them. Ultimately, all Maxwell wanted was to clear his best friend’s name and bring her home to make the family complete again.

“I love you Bertrand, and if I forgive you, you have to forgive yourself. You’ve been under so much pressure since Dad got sick, and I know I’ve always added to your problems. And then to lose our suitor at the very end of the season…” Maxwell took a deep breath to steady himself and continued. “You were under a lot of stress, and it was technically my fault for bringing her here to begin with, so…”

“No.” Bertrand firmly said as he pulled himself from Maxwell’s embrace, “You are not to blame here whatsoever Maxwell… In fact, I may be more at fault here than you..." He took a deep breath and quietly said, "I – I'm afraid I may need to come clean about something…"

Maxwell immediately moved and stood next to Liam with a furrowed brow. Liam felt his heart rate increase and stepped forward instantly. "What do you mean?"

"I – I worry you may find out anyway during your investigation, and I feel after my other atrocious actions I may as well come clean and take my punishment."

Bertrand was suddenly yanked up from his seat by Liam's strong hands. Liam held Bertrand by the collar of his sweater and pulled his face to eye level, nearly lifting him off his feet. "What did you do?"

Maxwell stepped forward to intervene, but Bertrand held a hand out to stop him. As he spoke, his eyes never left Liam's steely gaze. "Don't. I deserve whatever may come." He took a deep breath and told them about going through Maxwell’s phone and selling the photos from Liam's bachelor party. Bertrand realized if Liam found out on his own, his fate would be ten times worse than whatever he would be facing now. To hopefully spare himself, he was willing to come clean.

The longer Bertrand spoke, the more Maxwell's shock intensified; he couldn't believe Bertrand stooped so low. Liam saw red; he yanked Bertrand closer and growled, "You fucking snake."

"I understand your anger, sir–"

"Did you do it? Did you set her up?" Liam slightly shook Bertrand. "Did you force her to leave?!"

Bertrand's eyes widened once more. "No! My indiscretions were toward the beginning of the social season, and I changed my view on her! I believed in her until–"

"Why? Why do it then?!" Liam shook Bertrand harder, audibly tearing his vest in the process, but Liam was quick to bunch up more fabric to keep his hold intact.

"I assumed she wouldn't last and I was desperate for the money." Bertrand quickly spat out.

"So you not only sold your suitor out, but you sold me out as well? For profit?" Bertrand didn't respond, only nodded his head with shame etched in his features.

At that moment, every single thing that happened over the past couple of days combined with this newly added betrayal sent Liam overboard. He tightened his grip on Bertrand’s vest and pulled, ripping it down the middle with ease and leaving it dangling like the jacket over it. Bertrand stumbled backwards but was given no time to react before a fist connected with his jaw, the popping sound echoing throughout the room. Bertrand dropped to the floor with a yelp cradling his face as he frantically prepared himself for the next blow. Maxwell wanted to help, but he was frozen in fear at seeing the look of pure rage in Liam's features.

Liam stared down at Bertrand through narrowed eyes with heavy breaths. "Your actions are making me question whether or not you are truly fit for the title of Duke. To not only exploit your suitor, but your future King?" He stalked toward Bertrand, who was scooting backward across the floor.

The moment was interrupted by a stern knock. Without notice the door swung open and Bastien rushed inside. He quickly approached Liam and said, “Sir, we need to get you to the safe room, now.” and placed his hand on him to begin leading him away.

“What, why?!” Liam questioned as he attempted to evade Bastien’s grip.

“There’s been a body found.”

Liam forcefully stomped his feet on the ground. “What?! Do you know who it was? What happened?”

“Sir, I don’t know a lot of information right now, but I have to get you to safety before I can go secure the area.”

“Where was it?”

Bastien remained silent for a long moment. He looked as if he didn’t want to answer, but once he saw Liam’s budding impatience he finally spoke. “The west grounds, sir.”

While Liam was locked away in the guarded safe room with Madeleine, her parents, Constantine and Regina, Olivia and Drake were on their way to examine the crime scene with Bastien. The royal family had a secured area inside all the major estates for this purpose, although houses were available nearby. However, those were only used in drastic scenarios such as terrorist threats or assassination attempts. Since there was no signs someone was attempting to target the nobility, Bastien assured them they would be safe there while he and the guard did an initial investigation.

Olivia was not yet ready to join the tour on an official standpoint. She knew the time would come when she would have to, but right now she was only stalking in the shadows looking for any kind of information. Only a select few knew of her presence and she intended to keep it that way until absolutely necessary.

Olivia went back and searched Riley’s room again to ensure nothing was missed and returned to the shed to retrieve the contaminated dress. As her initial shock faded, she realized that was a prominent clue laying right in front of their faces. She went back and grabbed the article at the start of the Apple Banquet while everyone was distracted. She intended to give the item to Bastien, but when he found her and informed her of the crime committed she sprung into action and followed along, the dress momentarily forgotten.

As they walked along the path she immediately realized where they were headed; the shed she had visited just a few hours prior where Riley's things were hidden. From the front, everything appeared as it was when Olivia visited the area. Her anxiety increased as Bastien approached the structure, but he veered to the left and led them to the back, which she was nowhere near during her earlier venture.

Guards scoured all around, some people in lab coats were taking pictures, multiple evidence markers lay on the ground near the area. As her eyes searched over the vicinity, she couldn’t help but feel like it seemed incredibly – tame, for what she was guessing had happened.

Propped against the back wall of the shed was a lifeless body. Upon first glance, the cause of death was undoubtedly clear; the victim's throat had been slashed nearly from ear to ear. Olivia grew up around weapons and knew exactly what kind of damage her skills could do. As she gazed upon the gruesome gash, she immediately knew that wound was deep and absolutely intentional; whoever did this did not hesitate whatsoever. Furthermore, the face was severely battered; both eyes were swollen shut and painted every shade of black, as well as a severely broken nose. She stared at the battered face for only a moment before a small gasp escaped Olivia as recognition swept over her; it was the maid they had spoken with only a few days prior.

Olivia’s widened eyes traveled down the body and she was unable to tell if there could be more wounds on the maid’s chest and abdomen, or if the coat of blood was due to her fatal injury. However, that’s where Olivia’s suspicions sky rocketed; the body was covered in a heavy layer of blood, but the ground around her had nothing.

“Walker, come here.” Olivia beckoned. Drake walked over to her with furrowed brows as Olivia stood. “Tell me I’m crazy, but there’s absolutely no blood around that body.”

“Huh…” Drake answered as he looked around. “You’re right. Hey Bas!” He hollered over his shoulder. Bastien appeared within an instant with a pen and pad in hand. “Have you noticed how there’s no blood here?”

“Hmm…” Bastien glanced down at the area with an unreadable expression before he nodded and wrote something down. “I’ve added it to my notes. Do be sure to let me know if you notice anything else. The more information we have, the sooner we can find an answer.”

“Are we just going to ignore the gigantic elephant in the room?" Olivia motioned to the shed. “This is no coincidence. Who this is, where she’s at, the fact that I'm certain this body was placed here specifically…”

Drake’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Holy shit–”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m going to start charging if I have to keep spelling everything out for you.”

Bastien spoke before Drake could retort, “I hadn’t made that connection; excellent work Duchess.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow and watched Bastien jot something yet again on his pad. “Okay, him I understand needing a preschool explanation, you on the other hand should’ve made that connection instantly.” She snapped as she continued to eye him critically.

Bastien was slightly taken back, but quickly recovered himself. “I understand your frustration. However, I’m becoming aware of developments at the same rate as you. I’m grateful for your assistance.” He bowed to her. As he stood he addressed the pair, “I’m going to secure the perimeter.”

Olivia watched him leave with narrowed eyes. He went over to a guard and spoke quietly then aimlessly walked around the area. Every now and again he would write something down, but otherwise he only made laps. She knew Bastien was senseless at times, but he almost seemed more so than normal.

For the first time, she took a good look around and again couldn’t help but notice how everything seemed conveniently placed. The yellow evidence markers were almost in a straight line in clustered areas. She approached one and bent down to observe and saw it was a wad of hair; not one single hair, a bunched up ball of long, dark hair. Another was simply a piece of gum; she was no criminal mastermind, but who in their right mind would spit their gum out in the middle of a vicious murder? Of course, it’s possible to be unrelated, but this area was practically of no use; that is until Riley’s things were shoved here. Regardless, Bastien still continued to search the area as if this was a normal crime scene and nothing was amiss.

As she scanned the area, the sudden realization of what was going on on a broader spectrum hit her; whoever orchestrated getting Madeleine on the throne was surely onto the fact that they were now asking questions. It was a silent agreement that whoever managed to remove the top two suitors from the social season was a powerful force, but it suddenly seemed much stronger and deadlier than before. This entire scene was pieced together to send a message; someone knew, and whoever it was was not happy about their venture for answers.

Olivia pulled Drake aside and spoke in a low, cautious tone. “We need to get out of here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Look around, Drake! Even you have to notice something does not add up! This was fucking staged – someone is trying to send us a message.”

“We gotta tell Bas–”

“Why? So he can write it down?” Olivia rolled her eyes. “We need to plan our next steps… our next move has to be calculated.” She looked around with a nervous expression. As she did, her eyes landed on Bastien who simply nodded and returned to his grazing.

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#the royal romance #king liam #liam rys #choices the royal romance #trr #choices trr #trr au #choices #liam x riley #choices fic writers creations #ghosted #liam x mc #prince liam #drake walker #olivia nevrakis #trrmystery #what happened to riley?#where is riley?

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mysticalfangirl · 2 months

Text

Second chance love

Part 1

Series summary- Liam stopped entertaining the idea of love and marriage after the death of his first love but everything began changing after a certain New York trip.

Book- TRR AU

Pairing - Liam x F!MC (Riley) ; Liam x F!OC(Nicole)

A/n- Using Prompt 2 — “It wasn’t supposed to end like this/that.” from Week #76 Prompts from @choicesflashfics

Rated M for mature audience

This series will contain NSFW .Not suitable for people below 18 years of age.

Warning- Gunshot;Death of character mentioned

No. of words - 1400+

No matter how much Liam wanted, he couldn't stop the constant ringing in his ears, everything around him was falling apart, people were running around trying to save themselves, as he kicked the last assassin in front of him, the adrenaline left his body and he fell down with a thud looking at his trembling hands which was covered in blood. He then looked around and when he didn't see Nicole or any of his friends he sighed in relief.

He was glad that they all managed to escape, he knew he should go but it was as if all his strength was gone and he couldn't get up. He then heard someone calling his name, he lifted his head to see Bastien in front of him.

Bastien sat on his knees in front of him, he put his hand on Liam's shoulder, his gaze filled with sympathy "Liam we have to go to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Liam asked confused.

"Yes, if we don't go now, we would be very late." Saying this, Bastien practically dragged him out of the ballroom.

"Bastien, what happened, who is hurt?"

"You'll know when we reach there, please we don't have much time left."

On the way to the hospital Liam kept asking him who was hurt but he refused to answer.

They reached the hospital around 20 minutes later, Liam was escorted to the VIP section, where he found Drake, Maxwell, Olivia and his father who was supposed to be staying somewhere safe after the assassin attempt.

They looked at him, Constantine pulled him in a hug and patted his back "You have to be strong Liam, everything will be fine"

Liam was not sure how to react, he couldn't remember when was the last time his father hugged him, looking around him he saw Maxwell trying to supress his sobs, Drake was completely expressionless, last time he was like this was years ago when Jackson died, even Olivia who would have berated Maxwell for behaving like a child was consoling him, her own eyes were red and filled with tears.

"You guys are scaring me. Please tell me what is wrong, who is hurt."

"I-I am sorry Liam it was my fault." Maxwell said as he hiccuped a bit. "I should have been careful, I should have stopped her."

"Stopped who Max? What are you saying?" When no one answered him Liam lost his patience "WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING. Drake? Olivia? Please, you guys are scaring me."

"It's Nicole. She's shot" Drake whispered

"W-what?" Liam was stunned unable to comprehend what he heard"It's not funny Drake. Please tell me you're joking.

"I'm not. She is in the OT, she had lost too much blood Li, doctors asked us to be prepared for the worst."

Before Liam could react, the doctor came out of the OT, Liam left Drake's side and ran to the doctor.

"She's okay right? Please tell me they are joking?"

"I'm sorry your highness, we tried our best but it was already too late." Doctor told him with a downcast expression.

"Can we see her?" Maxwell asked the doctor as he wiped his tears.

After doctor's permission all went to see Nicole but Liam stayed behind in the corridor, he slumped down on the chair in the corridor , he had lost all hope at that moment, thinking of a future without her in it made him so miserable that he couldn't breathe, his leg felt heavy, he didn't even have the courage to go and see her.

As he sat there, Liam felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned to see his father standing there along with everyone. "You should go see her my boy"

"I can't father." Liam said looking at engagement ring in his hand . "I was going to propose today, I wanted to get married to her, have children, to grow old together."

When Liam looked back up his eyes were red filled with unshed tears. Constantine knew how his son felt, he was in the same place almost 20 years ago he knew what he sat there beside him giving his silent support

Later Liam took a deep breath and moved towards the OT. Nicole was laying on the small hospital bed, her black ballgown was exchanged with the loose fitted hospital gown, her hair which immaculately set by the stylist had fell open and was sticking to her forehead. Even then Liam thought she was most beautiful woman ever. He went to her held her palms in his own.

Nicole felt her life slipping away, tears streaked her cheeks, her breathing was turning shallow and even when Liam held her hands in his firm grip she couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel, all she saw was darkness, darkness that was slowly but surely consuming her.

"It wasn’t supposed to end like this. " Nicole sobbed lightly. "I... I don't want to die. Please...." Before she could finish her sentence, the electrocardiogram flatlined. Liam's head snapped to the machine, he frantically pressed the call button. He was pushed away from Nicole, after a while the doctor spoke up"Time of death 00:37"

For few days Liam worked on autopilot, he spent most of his days in either his room or roaming around the wishing well. A week later, during Nicole's funeral, everyone was dressed up in black, her mother was sobbing sitting there, while her father held his wife. They had lost their only child and the feeling was killing them from inside.

Liam arrived later than everyone else, somewhere in his heart he was wishing for everything to be a horrific dream, one that he'll suddenly wake up from and laugh his heart out for having such a ridiculous dream.

He knew nothing like that would happen, Nicole was dead and he had to accept it but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't accept the fact that the love of his life was gone.

At end of the funeral he went to Milton and Genesis Nicole's parents and gave them his condolences, not showing any emotion.

That night when he was wide awake in his room, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks, drenching his pillow, he let out a sob which he muffled through the pillows on his bed, he cried his heart out, slowly his cries turned into sniffle, crying with so much anguish left him exhausted, his eyelids got heavy and sleep consumed him for first time in days.

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

3 years later

Liam was standing near Nicole's grave with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand, he put the bouquet on her grave and sat down there. Her death took away a part of him. He was not happy, not after what happened three years ago but tried his best to live the life to the fullest, even with all the responsibilities, he might be dead inside but he wanted to live for her.

"Hey love l am sorry I wasn't here since past few days, being a king is not easy. You were my anchor and I feel that without you everything is falling apart. I don't want this life but Leo's abdication few years ago compelled me to take the role which was never meant for me. Anyways not to delve into boring stuff, I came bearing good news, Maxwell is getting married next month. Can you believe it, I couldn't." He chuckled lightly "Hana is a lovely woman and you would have loved her. Maxwell wants to have his bachelor party in New York and I'll be gone for 4-5 days. See you soon darling." Liam got up and pressed a light kiss to his fingertip before pressing it on her grave.

Late night after packing everything he needed for the trip to New York, Liam took out his sleeping pills, as soon as the medicine took effect dreamless sleep consumed him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Thank you

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

Tags: @kingliam2019 @kristinamae0093 @kristinamae093 @busywoman @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @malblk21 @ao719 @jerzwriter @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @emersyn-in-cordonia @angelasscribbles @liamrysandme @busywoman @belencha77 @marietrinmimi @bebepac

#choices trr #king liam #liam rys x mc #liam x mc #liam x riley #choices liam x mc #liam x oc #trr au

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dcbbw · 1 month

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Stormholt Masterlist

This limited series will be my re-write of the hit movie sensation Saltburn. It will be a TRR AU, and include the iconic and infamous bathtub scene, vampire scene, and the cemetery scene. Because it’s me, there will be pushing of boundaries. (Chapters will be appropriately tagged with content warnings)

If you are unfamiliar with Saltburn, on the surface it appears to be the story of an unlikely friendship between outsider Oliver/Ollie (Drake Walker) and rich, popular Felix (Liam). However, it quickly devolves into an intricate web of obsession, deceit, depravity, and murder.

Trailer: Saltburn | Official Trailer (youtube.com)

Not saying I will do the original story any justice, but hopefully I achieve my objective of crafting an enjoyable story that is both similar to and vastly different from its inspiration, while still able to toss a few twists and surprises in.

Chapters will be posting soon. (I know I say that alllll the time, but promise I am working on them now) Order of and titles of chapters may change.

Cast of Characters:

Drake Walker: the outsider who infiltrates everyone’s lives

Liam Rys: rich, popular, living a frantic life at a frenetic pace

Regina Rys: Liam’s stepmother; pompous, prideful, a bit daft

Constantine Rys: Liam’s father, he knows more than he tells

Riley: Liam’s wife; blunt, erratic, and mentally ill … but not stupid

Madeleine: Regina’s cousin (once removed), who has outlived her usefulness in all ways

Maxwell: Childhood friend who has fallen on hard times and found a soft place to land

Leo Rys: Liam’s half-brother, a member of the duchy’s constabulary; Drake looks very familiar to him

Katie: Leo’s wife; her motto is “touch but don’t look”

Savannah Walker: Drake’s estranged sister

Jackson and Bianca Walker: Drake’s parents

Casey Valentine: Drake’s ex-situationship

Bastien & Gladys: Long-time servants at Stormholt; they came with the house

Chapters:

Prologue: A Fine Morning

Chapter One: Meet. Cute.

Chapter Two: Besties

Chapter Three: Menagerie

Chapter Four: Getting to Know You

Chapter Five: Deadly Sins

Chapter Six: My Best Friend’s Sister

Chapter Seven: Rub a Dub Dub

Chapter Eight: I Know What You Did Last Night

Chapter Nine: The Train Station

Chapter Ten: A Thief in the Night

Chapter Eleven: Little Lies

Chapter Twelve: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Chapter Thirteen: The Kingdom of Heaven

Epilogue: Alone at Last

#dcbbw writes #trr au fanfic #saltburn fanfiction #writer on tumblr

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deb-1106 · 1 year

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Choices Flash Fic week 31

Hey all!! ❤️

Because we've both been out of the game so long, and have really missed writing, my good friend (she was actually my very FIRST friend on this hellsite 😋❤️) @walkerismychoice and I have decided to motivate each other by writing together using our LI's and MC's from different choices books. I'll be using Drake Walker and my MC, Ava Matheson from TRR, and Maggie will be using Bryce Lahela and her MC, Charlie Hawkins from Open Heart.

This story will hopefully be the first of a weekly series of one-shots using @choicesflashfics prompts.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! ❤️

Prompt 3 — “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Book: TRR/OPH

Pairings: Drake x Ava, Bryce x Charlie

Rating: M

TW: Gun Violence

“Little Blossom?”

Ava’s eyes flew open.

She was momentarily disoriented, caught somewhere between a memory and a nightmare. But as her eyes focused and she took in the institutional green walls and naugahyde seating of a hospital waiting room, the crushing reality of the evening’s events came flooding back.

***

Ava! Get down!”

Drake’s warning was the last thing she heard before his body slammed into hers, knocking her to the ground. She screamed as a bomb exploded nearby, raining chunks of rubble down all around them as the acrid smell of gunfire burned her nostrils.

“Drake?” She cried, “Drake, we have to get out of here!

He didn’t move.

“Drake!“ Ava began to panic as she felt the warm, sticky dampness of his blood seep into her ballgown. She reached out to press her hand to his cheek and his eyelids fluttered open for just a moment. He gave her a small smile.

“I love you, Matheson.” He mumbled faintly as his eyes closed once again.

“NO! Drake, wake up! Please, baby. I need you to wake up!” She tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but the weight of his body was too much for her.

HELP!” She screamed, praying that her cries were loud enough to be heard over the chaos around them, “PLEASE! … SOMEBODY HELP US!”

After what felt like an eternity, she felt Drake’s weight lifted from her body. She immediately scrambled to her knees crawling on all fours to where he lay prone on the ballroom floor, his suit soaked with blood.

“Oh my God!” She gasped, “Drake!”

Bastien was kneeling over him, both hands pressed over a wound in Drake's shoulder as he barked out orders. “I NEED A MEDIC AND AN UNMARKED CAR…NOW!”

“Bastien! What’s going on?” Tears streamed down Ava’s face as she grabbed Drake’s hand, alarmed by how cold it felt.

“Terrorist attack. Drake took a bullet.”

Ava looked to Bastien for reassurance, “But…he’s going to be okay, right?”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Bastien! Tell me he’s going to be okay.” She begged, “Please!”

He finally looked up, and the expression on his face made Ava’s blood run cold.

“The wound is close to his heart and he’s lost a lot of blood.” Bastien’s voice was somber, “If we can get him to the hospital quickly, he might have a chance.”

“Might?” Ava pressed a hand over her mouth and felt her stomach lurch.

No! This can’t be happening. We were finally going to start our lives together. I can’t lose him now.

***

Maxwell knelt down beside the chair Ava had finally collapsed into after pacing the hospital corridors for hours. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed gently. “There’s a nurse here who wants to talk to you.”

Heart hammering in her chest, Ava jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain of her own injuries as she anxiously faced the young nurse standing in the doorway.

“Is he okay?” She asked, “Is he out of surgery? Can I see him?”

The nurse smiled kindly, the rapid-fire questions not phasing her in the least.

“Mr. Walker is still in surgery…”

When Ava’s face crumpled, the nurse crossed the room to place a comforting hand on her arm, “But he has one of our top surgeons working on him, so rest assured, he’s in the best possible hands.” She smiled warmly, “In fact, Dr. Lehela wanted me to let you know that Mr. Walker is out of the woods. The bullet has been removed and they’re just cleaning out the remaining debris. There was some concern about bone fragments splintering off and causing damage to the surrounding heart tissue, but that doesn't appear to have been the case.”

Ava felt her legs go weak with relief.

“Oh, Thank God.”

She felt Maxwell’s arms encircle her and sank wearily into his comforting embrace.

“See, Blossom.” He said, encouragingly, “I told you he was going to be okay. It’ll take more than a tiny little bullet to take him out.”

Ava nodded and squeezed Max’s hand without breaking eye contact with the nurse.

“How much longer do you think it’ll be before I can see him?”

“Once he’s out of surgery, he’ll go to recovery." She replied with a comforting smile. "It’s hard to say how long he’ll be there, as everyone comes out of anesthesia differently, but a conservative estimate would be another hour or two. Then he’ll be settled into a room and can receive visitors.”

Ava nodded and swiped at the tears which were once again sliding down her cheeks. But this time, they were tears of relief.

“Thank you.”

The nurse smiled. “Of course. I’ll come get you when I have his room assignment.”

Ava thanked her again.

Drake was going to be okay. Liam had been unharmed in the attack and Bastien and Kiara came away with only minor injuries. Somehow they’d all survived.

Suddenly Ava’s stomach growled…LOUDLY.

Maxwell laughed. “Okay, now that we know Drake is okay…it’s time to take care of YOU.”

Ava began to protest but Maxwell was already propelling her toward the door. “No more excuses! You need food, or at the very least some coffee, or you’ll find yourself in a hospital bed of your own. Now MOVE!”

Maxwell was wearing his stubborn expression, so Ava knew resistance was futile.

She let him lead her down to the Cafeteria. “I’ll go back up to the waiting room and let you know immediately if I hear anything from the doctors.”

“Thank you.” Ava replied weekly before walking through the cafeteria doors and meandering aimlessly towards the various food offerings.

—--

Charlie checked the time on her Apple watch. Wow, a whole 30 minutes for lunch today, she thought. Typically she was lucky to get half of that. Nobody ever told her the life of a hospital internist would be glamorous, but she still hadn’t been prepared for how tired and hungry she’d be so much of the time. Although they bill residency as a training program for your selected specialty, Charlie swore it was also meant to be a boot camp that only the strong survived. Only one more year and she’d have some semblance of a normal schedule as an attending physician.

“Coffee. Must have coffee first.” Charlie mumbled to herself, taking in the aroma of freshly brewed beans as she marched towards the machines only to be stopped in her tracks by someone hovering in front of them. Charlie went left, but then the woman went left. Then she tried to go right, but the woman shuffled to the right. Her patience running thin, Charlie spoke up. “Excuse me, could I sneak in here?”

“I’m sorry.” The woman spun to face her, and Charlie’s irritation melted away. The woman looked sad and tired for sure, but that was not an uncommon sight for visitors of the hospital cafeteria. There was something about her that drew Charlie in and made her want to comfort the woman. Maybe it was the fact that Charlie could see a little bit of herself in her - definitely not the flawless deep olive skin tone and dark hair, wildly contrasting with Charlie’s strawberry blonde locks and accompanying creamy white skin, but they appeared about the same age, and there was just something there that made them alike. Although Charlie was not prone to striking up friendships with hospital visitors, something told Charlie this was a connection she should make.

“Let me buy you a coffee.” Charlie offered.

The woman looked Charlie up and down, seemingly noting Charlie’s white coat and ID badge. “No, that’s okay. You can just go first. I have no idea what I want.”

“Please, I insist. Free coffee is one of the few perks I get for devoting my life to this place.” They both laughed and Charlie saw the first little spark of life return to the woman’s eyes.

Charlie grabbed two prepackaged sandwiches to go with the coffees and brought them over to the woman who had already seated herself at a cafeteria table.

"Thank you so much…" she glanced at the ID badge again, "....Dr. Hawkins. "I was too much of a wreck to even pick out something to eat. I'm sure you're busy, but would you care to join me?"

Again, it wasn't typical of Charlie to hang out with random hospital guests, but she knew this woman needed a friend right now, and maybe that feeling was mutual. "Sure, I still have about 20 more minutes." Charlie sat down. "But you can call me Charlie."

"Well thank you again, Charlie, I'm Ava."

"Nice to meet you, Ava." Charlie hesitated for a moment before asking, "If it's not too forward, do you want to talk about your loved one here that's got you so worried?... Only if you want to talk about it."

Ava's facial expression grew somber once again. She took a deep breath before letting everything spill out - getting invited to Cordonia on a whim to compete for the future King's heart, fate stepping in when she fell for his best friend Drake instead, and all the political drama and everything leading up to the events that brought her to this particular hospital cafeteria. Despite the tears streaming down Ava’s face, the air about her felt a little bit lighter.

"I'm sorry." Charlie squeezed Ava’s hand from across the table. "This must be so scary for you, but Edenbrook is a great hospital. I'm sure Drake is in great hands. Do you know who his surgeon is? I probably know them or at least know of them.”

Ava pursed her lips in concentration. “Dr, La-....hala? I think it’s something like that.”

Charlie smirked. “Young, kind of surfer boy-esque, and cocky as all hell because he knows how good-looking he is?”

Ava laughed nervously. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Please tell me he’s also a good surgeon.”

“Dr. Lahela can be kind of cocky bastard at times, but I love him. And yes, he’s a great surgeon, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.”

“Wait…” Ava seemed to be putting the pieces together. “You like love, love him? Are you two-”

“Yes, Bryce is my boyfriend. I might not have been so complimentary about his other characteristics otherwise.”

They both devolved into laughter until Ava spoke up again. “I like your sense of humor. Sounds like you need it to put up with him, just like me with my….Drake.” Ava quiets for a moment and then asks, “So I take it you two met here at Edenbrook?”

“Well, that’s a funny story.” Charlie wondered if she really wanted to get into this with a relative stranger, but Ava had already shared so much and could probably use the distraction anyway. “We actually met at a strip club, and believe it or not, Bryce was a stripper.”

Ava’s eyes opened wide. “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?”

Charlie inhaled deeply. “Okay, I don’t have a ton of time left on my break, so I’ll give you the condensed version. My med school friends dragged me out to a strip club to celebrate after we graduated. I was in a funk because I’d been recently dumped by the douchebag I thought I was going to marry and to top it off, I was set to be in my awful cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza and was in no mood to be questioned about the whereabouts of my plus one. Said friends paid for a private lap dance for me. In my drunken state, I got the bright idea to hire the stripper to be my fake boyfriend for the wedding. Somewhere along the way, fake boyfriend turned into real love interest. I learned he wasn’t just a stripper but had worked his way through med school and was about to hang up his banana hammocks to start his residency. As fate would have it, we’d both matched at Edenbrook and two years later, here we are.”

“Woah. And I thought mine and Drake’s relationship had an unconventional start.” Ava peeked down at her phone on the table. “I’m definitely going to need the feature-length presentation of this story another time, but my friend Maxwell just texted that Drake’s out of surgery!”

“That’s great news!” Charlie got up with Ava and walked out to the elevators with her. “I’ll walk you back up there since I’m headed that way.

Little did either of them know that this chance meeting would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Taglist: @ao719 @burnsoslow @sincerelyella @charlotteg234 @choiceswreckedme @walkerismychoice @txemrn @twinkleallnight @imashybish @blackcatkita @katedrakeohd @boneandfur @sfb123 @queenrileyrose @foreverethereal123 @kingliam2019 @nestledonthaveone @bebepac @petiteboheme @yukinagato2012 @princess-geek

**As always, if you want on or off my Tag List, let me know. **

#choices the royal romance #choices open heart #drake walker #bryce lahela #choicesflashfics #Walkerismychoice writes #Deb-1106 writes #choices fic writers #choices trr #choices oph

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justcallmefox89 · 1 year

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The Royal Romance: Cinderfella’s Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter 10

An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.

It’s been over a year since Callum fled Cordonia in disgrace and went into hiding, but now some familiar faces are back in New York and searching for their missing friend.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hana asks, nervously fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. “I don’t think we should ambush him like this.”

“It’s not an ambush, Lee,” Drake mutters. “We’re just stopping by to say hello.”

“To someone who doesn’t know we’re coming. That we haven’t talked to in over a year. Yeah, you’re right. That’s totally not an ambush.” Maxwell rolls his eyes as he hurries to keep up with Drake’s quick pace. The crowded New York sidewalk is difficult to navigate, and more than once Maxwell crashes into a stranger as he struggles to keep pace with Drake’s long-legged stride.

“Look.” Drake stops in front of a run-down bodega and gestures for Maxwell and Hana to come closer. “This is our last chance. Liam is going to marry Madeline in eight days. Eight. Fucking. Days. And we all know that if he goes through with it, it will be the worst mistake of his life. Seeing Callum again could be the thing that tips the scales and convinces Liam to call off the wedding.”

Maxwell can’t keep the skeptical look off his face and Drake scowls at him.

“What if Callum doesn’t want to see Liam again?” Hana frets. “This feels like we’re going to be manipulating him.”

“It feels that way because that’s exactly what Drake wants to do,” Maxwell replies, deadpan.

“I want to stop my best friend from making the biggest mistake of his life!” Drake snaps.

“And you want to use Callum to do it!”

“Please don’t fight.” Hana’s eyes worriedly flit between the two men.

Drake sighs scrubbing his hands over his face. “Look,” he sighs. “We all know that there was something between them. Something real. What’s the harm in putting them in the same room for five minutes so they can talk?”

“So much harm,” Hana answers.

“Literally all the harm,” Maxwell says.

“If you both think this is such a horrible idea, why did you come with me?” Drake throws his hands up, exasperated.

Maxwell steps closer and places his hands on Drake’s shoulders. “All we’re trying to say, is that if someone changes their phone number, moves out of their apartment, completely ghosts their job and old co-workers, and deletes all their social media… maybe they don’t want to be found. And that showing up out of the blue to talk to this alleged person might cause said alleged person to freak out.”

“We’re just worried,” Hana says softly. “About you and Callum.”

“Also, how did you even find him?” Maxwell asks.

Drake flushes and stares down at his boots. “Just… research,” he mumbles.

“What kind of research?”

“Does it matter?” he tries to deflect.

“Drake…”

He wilts under Hana inquisitive stare. “I asked Bastien to find all clubs and bars Callum’s family owns.”

“Go on,” she encourages.

“Then I searched through their social media accounts and the accounts of any customers who mentioned them until I found someone who mentioned a bartender who’s description matched Callum’s. Then I narrowed my search to that particular bar’s Instagram page until I found him in the background of a few regular customers’ tagged pictures. I think he might be working there. Or at least visits there sometimes. Either way, someone will have to know who he is and where we can find him.”

Hana flounders, opening and closing her mouth, trying to find a response. Maxwell has no such compunctions.

“So you stalked him,” he says, frowning at Drake in disapproval.

Drake glares at him, the tips of his ears turning bright red. “No!”

“Callum doesn’t want to be found! The fact that you had to go so far to even get a hint at where he might be proves it! That’s literally the definition of stalking!”

Drake’s shoulders bunch up around his ears, and he muscles past Maxwell, charging down the sidewalk.

“This is so fucked,” Maxwell mutters, running his hands through his hair.

Hana rubs her hand between his shoulder blades in soothing circles. “I miss Callum too, but this feels… personal for Drake. More so than just trying to keep Liam from marrying Madeline.”

“Everything’s been so messed up since Callum left,” Maxwell sighs. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t convinced Callum to come to Cordonia none of this would have ever happened. Drake and Liam would still be getting along, Callum wouldn’t have had to give up his life -”

“No,” Hana sternly interrupts him. “None of this is your fault. None of it. And I don’t want to hear another word about it, do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says meekly, nodding.

“Good.” She links their arms together. “Now let’s catch up to Drake. I have a feeling he’s going to need our support tonight.”

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cordonianroyalairlines · 8 months

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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

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angelasscribbles · 10 months

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One Night in Cordonia Chapter 9: Aftermath

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

Fandom: TRR with a little OH

Pairings: So many lol. Let's see,,, while Leo and Madeleine are about to be engaged that didn't stop Mads from being with Anton or trying to get with Liam. It also didn't stop Leo from fantasizing about Adelaide. Meanwhile we saw Bastien x Claudius, Bertrand x Drake, Olivia x Max, Olivia x Tobias, and in perhaps the only 'normal' pairing, Liam x Riley.

Word Count: 1,483

Rating: MA

Warnings: lots of mentions of sex

A/N: Thanks to @harleybeaumont for bouncing a couple of ideas with me.

This is the final "wrap-up" chapter. Thanks to the writers that participated in this little endeavor and thanks to all the readers that joined us on the journey! It's been fun and there will be more round robins in the future.

While this concludes our main series, I am hoping for the following one-shots:

Leo x Adelaide @karahalloway

Olivia x Max @alj4890

Olivia x Tobias @jerzwriter

I myself am thinking about doing a little follow-up with Liam x Riley to explore her backstory in this universe (American model, here during Leo's season, with a press secretary, how did that happen?)

Leo and Liam circulated through the crowd gathered on the front lawn of the Beaumont estate, handing out bottles of water and answering questions as vaguely as possible.

Bertrand stood in a small group asking questions and piecing together what had transpired the night before. The last thing he needed was another damn scandal. It was bad enough that Anna De Luca had published that story speculating that they were broke, all because Maxwell had freaked out over a canceled credit card.

Bertrand had canceled the card to teach his spendthrift brother a lesson, but after years of yelling at him that his extravagant habits were going to break them, Maxwell had assumed that was exactly what had happened. There had been a very public spectacle when his card had gotten declined at the Annual Cordonian Peafowl Convention.

And now his brother was being ridiculous trying to convince him that they possessed some kind of resistance to the shagging smog that had turned their party into an orgy. Preposterous!

“So, you and I and Liam and Leo are all immune!” Max told him.

“What do you mean immune?” He sneered, “That can’t be true!”

“Oh yes,” Constantine assured him, “Exposure makes you immune and that immunity gets passed down to your children! Your father and I attend this party one time…”

As Constantine prattled on, Bertrand’s eyes rose slowly, and reluctantly, to meet Drake’s expressionless gaze. He blanched and stumbled backward knocking over one of the tables full of water bottles.

“…oh, now that I think of it, that was the summer after you were born!” Constantine slapped him on the back with a chuckle, “Never mind! Guess you weren’t immune after all.”

“Oh, thank heavens!” Bertrand was so relieved that he didn’t even care he’d blurted that out loud.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” Constantine waved as he strode away, “I really have to be getting back to the palace now.”

“Sir, excuse me,” Maxwell chased after the king as he made his way toward his motorcade.

“Yes, son?”

“About the bash…”

“What about it?”

“Leo said you were going to ban them in the future, but since this wasn’t our fault…I mean…it was an attack and not anything that we did so-“

“Calm down boy!” Constantine guffawed, “I suppose, considering the circumstances, there’s no harm in continuing the bashes, just up the security next time!”

“Yes, sir!” Max almost passed out from relief, “We will, sir!”

Madeline sat in one of the lounge chairs that had been scattered around the lawn, examining her nails studiously as she considered the night before. Justin may have turned out to be a terrorist hell-bent on overthrowing the monarchy, but boy could he shag! Too bad Liam had refused her advances, she’d likely never get another chance at him. For one, she was about to be his sister-in-law, and for two, he seemed quite taken with that American strumpet, Riley Brooks. Dismissing that train of thought, her mind wandered back to Justin, or Anton, or whatever his name was, she wondered if the palace allowed conjugal visits.

Penelope barely remembered her actions, she had already been piss drunk before the shagging smog after all. Still, her question remained. How would they know that they weren’t lesbians unless they tried? She watched Kiara from across the lawn, wondering how to get her best friend to reconsider their relationship.

Oliva yawned as she watched the Cordonian upper crust freaking out about their night of lost inhibitions.

Amateurs.

What on earth was wrong with indulging your kinks now and then? Prudes, the lot of them.

Before the attack had happened, she had been about to sneak away with Trystan Thorne, the exiled prince of Drakovia for a little slap and tickle when Jin had appeared demanding to know what she was doing. Not him. She had trussed him up and indulged his little cock and ball torture kink one damn time and now she couldn’t get rid of him.

Thankfully he had already been escorted from the premises. As a former spy for the Auvernese government, he’d been taken in for questioning.

Her eyes lifted to take in Maxwell Beaumont giving her a surreptitious once over. She hated herself a little for the shiver of desire that ran through her. Looking away she decided that she would deal with the younger Lord Beaumont issue later. Right now she had a hot doctor waiting to be tied up.

She quietly slipped away from the group and headed for the armory.

Several days later….

“We have the men responsible in custody, sir,” the young guardsman told him, “Except one, we’re not sure how he escaped.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Bastien Lykel turned toward the window overlooking the Beaumont’s vineyards, “Call off the search. We should be able to get what we need out of the prisoners currently in the palace cells. We have their leader, Anton Severus. We don’t need the escapee.”

“Sir?”

“You’re dismissed, Lieutenant!”

The young officer scurried out of the room that Bastien had turned into a makeshift office as they continued to comb the crime scene for clues.

Not that he needed any. He knew who was behind the attack. And he knew exactly how Claudius had escaped.

The two men stood in the cool night air on the same hill that Claudius had stood on just two nights earlier as he had received his orders from Anton.

Claudius eyed him with deep suspicion, “Why are you letting me go? What’s in it for you?”

“There’s nothing in it for me, other than knowing you’ll be safe from the death sentence this way.”

“Why do you care?”

Bastien grunted, “How can you ask me that? For the sake of what we once were to each other-“

“If you gave a shit about me, you wouldn’t have left the Sons of the Earth! You wouldn’t have joined the enemy!”

“Corondia is not your enemy, and the Sons of the Earth are misguided. Anton Severus is an egomaniac and a narcissist! I joined the King’s Guard to protect my country from people exactly like him!”

“People like me?”

Bastien stepped forward, taking the other man’s head in his hands as he stared into his eyes, “You’re nothing like him! And it’s not too late for you! No one knows you’re affiliated with the Sons! You could leave! You can still live a worthwhile life!”

Claudius knocked the other man’s hands away with a shake of his head, “I don’t believe you, and I don’t forgive you for leaving. This changes nothing!”

He had come for revenge, but he was leaving with renewed angst over his lost love. He gave Bastien one last desperate look before turning and melting into the night.

Every member of the Sons of the Earth that had fallen victim to the shagging smog would be tried and convicted of attempted murder, treason, and actual murder.

On the other side of Cordonia, the Cult of Dionysus had succumbed to the experimental gas that had been meant for the nobility. Their deaths would secure the maximum sentence for the collaborators.

Before he fled into the night, Claudius had willingly given up the distributor of the gas as revenge for giving them the wrong product.

With Anton in custody, Claudius was now the leader of the Sons of the Earth.

He wasn’t sure he was ready. His devotion to the cause wasn’t as strong as it used to be. He’d been focused for so many years on exacting his vengeance on Bastien Lykel for leaving the movement, and him. But after their night of passion, he was no longer sure that he could execute any plan that might hurt his former lover.

Teagan had already abandoned the group citing gross incompetence and mediocre leadership.

When he finally made it back to headquarters, he realized he was working with a third of the original group. One-third were sitting in the palace cells and one-third had walked away along with Teagan.

He was left with green recruits and men that should have retired years ago.

With mixed feelings, he sent them all home, telling them to disperse, lay low and wait to be recalled at some nebulous point in the future.

The Sons of the Earth was officially disbanded. Taken out by a video gamer and fucking shagging smog.

Claudius poured himself a generous helping of Anton’s best whiskey and settled into the plush leather executive chair in Anton’s office. He stared out the window as he wondered what he was supposed to do with his life now.

He pulled out his phone and typed Bastien’s name into Google then zoomed in on a photo of him at the last King’s Guard’s Annual Awards Banquet, looking handsome and distinguished in a well-fitting suit.

His fingers traced over his former lover’s face on the screen as he contemplated his next move.

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lolablackwrites · 10 months

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Camp Choices: Week 2 - Alice Ayers

This is my submission for Week 2 of @choicesmcmadness’s July theme!

Note: This scene takes place during Guarded Hearts, Part 34 and is a continuation of the conversation featured in Week 1. Enjoy!

“What are you even packing?” Frankie asked over FaceTime. “You’re on a train, do you even have that much stuff with you?”

“You’d be surprised,” Alice said as she looked around the room.

“What, are the rooms on the train spectacularly big?” Frankie asked. “God, you really are too fancy for me now.”

“It’s decidedly not, but half of this train is storage for luggage. Not to mention there’s a boutique car on the train.”

“I’m sorry, what the fuck did you just say? There’s a store on the train?” Frankie asked.

“It’s exactly as bougie as it sounds,” Alice said, laughing. “Okay, okay, I have to focus—I need to pack for camping.”

“Did Bastien at least give you a list or something?” Frankie asked.

“He’s taking care of all the gear, so all I have to do is worry about my clothes and toothbrush and stuff.”

“Is he packing bear mace? He should pack bear mace. Are there bears out there?”

“I have no idea but now I’m worried there are,” Alice said as she stuffed jeans and t-shirts and underwear into her bag.

“How many pairs of underwear are you packing?” Frankie asked.

“Two.”

“How many are you really packing?”

“Six,” Alice admitted.

“Aren’t you just going for a night?” Frankie asked.

“But what if I shit myself five times?”

“Then you have much bigger problems than bears.”

#choices mc madness #cmm #mc madness #choices mc #choices fandom #TRR #The Royal Romance #Guarded Hearts #Bastien x MC #Bastien Lykel x MC

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kristinamae093 · 6 months

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Trick or ... Treat?

Everything else can be found here.

Book/Universe - TRR

Pairing - Liam x OC (Kyla) (not much is going on here though lol).

Summary - Constantine and Kyla enjoy Halloween... at Liam's expense.

Word Count - 2500

Warnings - language, Constantine shenanigains.

A/N 1 - I am participating in @choicesflashfics with prompt number 3, which will appear in bold. I don't think this qualifies for any of the other various Halloween prompts (not the ones I looked at, anyway.)

A/N 2 - Thanks for giving me a little confidence boost about this @ao719! 🥹🫶

Please excuse any errors.

Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

Liam awoke after a restless night’s sleep, tentatively opening one eye to search the area. Constantine enjoyed messing with Liam any day of the year, but a few held special significance for mischief; April Fool’s Day and Halloween. Much to Liam’s dismay, the date was October 31st.

He enjoyed the 'holiday'; the royal family spent a few hours where they stood atop the front steps of the palace passing out candy. It was a tradition Liam intended to start alone, but Constantine and Regina both liked the idea and wanted to engage. He didn’t dress up but still enjoyed seeing all the costumes the public wore.

However, he never knew what the day could hold for him. He could handle most of it, but the part he didn’t enjoy was the jump scares; perhaps it was a bit of PTSD, but it made Liam’s soul vacate his body every single time. Constantine took this with a grain of salt; at least on those two days a year, Liam could expect nothing but chaos.

With utmost caution, Liam sat up. He patted around the mattress to ensure there wasn’t something hidden in his sheets, but there wasn’t. He got up and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself, and while he did, a brief flicker of relief shot through him; perhaps this year would be different, given the circumstances had changed. Last year Constantine wasn’t sick, but now he didn’t have nearly as much energy. Liam hoped that just this once — that would work to his advantage.

Liam groggily made his way into the shower. He turned the water on with a yawn and closed his eyes as the soothing heat cascaded down his chest and legs. He submerged his head and ran his palms through his hair; when he opened his eyes to reach for his shampoo, he realized the water was — red.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Liam shouted as he stumbled backward. His back slammed against the wall as he tried to get away. He scrambled out of the shower, leaving the water running behind him.

When he made it out, Liam was in such a frenzy that he slipped; in a moment of desperation, he grabbed onto a shelf but ended up taking that tumbling down with him.

A moment later, a frantic knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Sir? Are you alright?” Bastien hollered.

Liam quickly reached for a towel to cover himself and answered, “NO! Get in here!”

Bastien came barreling inside; his eyes widened as he saw Liam lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of crimson liquid. He immediately rushed over and crouched beside him. “What happened? Was someone in here?”

“The shower!”

“... Pardon?”

Liam narrowed his eyes. “The fucking shower, Bastien!”

Bastien cautiously approached the glass door with one hand on his holstered weapon. He glanced inside and noticed the colored water coating the floor, but also noted the discoloration of the tub; Bastien knew immediately this substance was not blood.

He reached in and turned the knobs off; as he did, a sweet aroma filled his senses — fruit punch. Bastien took a wild guess regarding what happened, and as he detached the shower head and popped it open, he realized he was correct.

Bastien exited the shower, laughing to himself. Liam paced the area but grew irritated at Bastien’s lack of panic. “What did you find? Should we call an exorcist?”

Bastien chuckled. “No, sir. It’s not blood, I assure you.” He held the opened shower head to show Liam the inside. “It would appear as if someone packed this full of a red powder; if I had to take a guess, I would say it’s Kool-Aid.”

“Kool-Aid?” Liam mimicked in disbelief. “... You’re joking.”

Bastien nodded, trying to keep his composure as he scanned Liam’s appearance. “I’m afraid not, sir. And unfortunately — it stains.” He motioned to the mirror behind Liam.

Liam turned around with furrowed brows, but his mouth fell open as he took in his appearance; his face and chest had a noticeable red tint, and his hair a pink hue. “Oh dear God…”

“It’s not that bad, sir…”

“What do you mean not that bad?” Liam mocked. “I look like a sick crab! What the hell am I going to do?! I’m supposed to be in a meeting in less than an hour!”

“Perhaps you could tell them it’s a sunburn?”

Liam narrowed his eyes and let out a huff of air; judging from how his morning started, it was going to be a long day, indeed.

Further in the afternoon, Constantine and Kyla were finishing the last touches on their concluding prank. Knowing that everything they did throughout the day was constructed for Liam, Kyla felt a sense of guilt. However, she didn’t have the heart to tell Constantine no; when his eyes lit up, she found it hard to resist his child-like elation. She only hoped Liam would forgive her, and appreciate that she kept things much more minimal than Constantine originally intended.

Constantine encouraged Kyla to dress up; the only requirement was that she couldn’t wear scrubs. She looked online and came across a cute Santa outfit and decided that would be her selection; complete with festive tights and black ankle boots, she was the holliest, jolliest person in Cordonia.

Constantine opted for something more — unconventional for a former monarch. Since the opportunity presented itself, he wanted to be a cowboy; he wore jeans, a flannel shirt, the wide-brimmed hat, and carried a lasso. He’d never dressed up before, but considering this would be his last Halloween, he wanted to experience the full effect.

“Perfect! Now, stay there and wait, boy,” Constantine ordered Trent.

Trent gave Constantine an unsure expression. “Are you sure about this?”

“Is it your job to do as you’re told?”

“Yes, but–”

“No more malarky; you’re already in costume, and you will not waste all of Kyla’s hard work. Wait until Liam comes, then—” Constantine paused for dramatic effect. “—you know what to do.”

Trent gave a weak salute, nearly knocking his hat off. Constantine slowly drove his scooter away, Kyla strolling beside him. “You did a marvelous job today, dear. I have to tell you, this stuff is much easier with you around.”

Kyla dipped into an exaggerated curtsy. “It’s my pleasure to serve.”

Constantine howled with laughter. “I suppose we should give Liam his treat.”

Kyla shuddered. “You’re seriously doing this?”

“What? It’s not poison; he’ll be fine.” Constantine waved her off. “It’s funny, and if I can figure out how to work the camcorder on my cellular device, I intend to videotape everything to show Leo; maybe I’ll upload it on that clock webpage the kids use.”

Kyla furrowed her brows. “... You mean — Tik-Tok?”

“Yes! That’s the one! Come along, now; it’s time to begin our last operation of the day.” Given that this would likely be his last Halloween, Constantine wanted to go out with a bang. The dynamic duo concocted the perfect scheme to scare Liam’s socks off. Constantine handled the set-up, Kyla advising the punch-line; together they produced a glorious mix of pandemonium and humor — for Constantine, anyway.

Constantine and Kyla made their way to Liam’s office with their — treat. Constantine knocked on the door with a smirk; as he did, he handed Kyla the box and whispered, “You should probably be the one to give him these. Tell him you made them yourself and make it believable.”

Kyla’s eyes widened. “What?! Why me?!“

“He will know if it comes from me; you need to do it. Don’t worry! It’s Halloween — we’re exempt from punishment today.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works–” Kyla was cut off as the door crept open. As it did, neither she nor Constantine could control the shrieks of laughter that escaped them at Liam’s appearance; the evidence of their opening prank shined brightly, contrasted to the natural hue of his skin they were used to.

“Yeah, yeah,” Liam grumbled. “Laugh it up. Thanks to you, I’ve had three meetings looking like this today.” He spoke to his father.

“I don’t know what you mean, son.” Constantine feigned innocence.

Liam grasped Constantine’s hand, flipping it over to look at his palm and noted the tinges of discoloration. “So… you running around red-handed is just a coincidence?”

Constantine pulled his hand away. “No, it’s a part of the costume; cow people work hard — these are farming hands.”

“What about the fake mice in my fridge? Or the trash bag stuffed to look like a body? The clown stickers on my mirrors? Or the air horn under my chair?” Liam walked behind his desk and pushed down, a loud honk thundering through the room.

“Okay, you caught me. But it’s Halloween, Liam.” Constantine gave Liam sad, pleading eyes.

“You know the expression is trick or treat, not trick or trick–“

“I’m aware, William.” Constantine subtly slid his eyes over to Kyla. “If only someone had a treat for you…”

Kyla realized that was her cue; she presented the box to Liam with the warmest smile she could force, praying he didn’t see her trembling hands. “Actually, I have something for you…”

“You do?” Liam sought with an arched brow.

“Yeah,” Kyla returned as she opened the container. “It’s chocolate — balls… I made them myself and even used white chocolate since you prefer vanilla…”

Liam alternated his gaze between the offered delicacy and Kyla; he couldn’t decide if he could trust her or not at that moment. Any other day he would, hands down; today was different and as much as it pained him to admit, he knew Constantine couldn’t have pulled the day’s shenanigans off on his own.

He slowly reached into the box and grasped a treat; he experimentally sniffed it first, noting the heavenly aroma invading his nostrils. As he took in Kyla’s innocent smile, Liam shrugged and popped it into his mouth; when he bit down, what he tasted was not sweet as expected, but disgusting.

“Ugh,” Liam shuddered with a scrunched face. “Wha tha hec is tha?“ He got out as he tried his hardest not to jostle — whatever it was inside his mouth.

Kyla gave him an apologetic expression. “It’s, uh…”

“Chocolate-covered brussel sprouts!” Constantine proudly exclaimed as he held up his phone, centered on Liam. “I know how much you’ve always loved your veggies. Oh, and say hello to Leo, son.”

Liam gagged; he lunged for the trash can and opened his mouth, the mangled ball rolling out with ease. He smacked his lips together, trying to rid himself of the awful taste, but it wouldn’t vacate. When he stood, he used his hands to scrape at his tongue, but that didn’t help either. In a moment of desperation he bolted to the bar cart, only to find it empty. He groaned, but by doing so elevated the horrible sensation.

Liam rushed out of the room, intent on reaching a bathroom or somewhere with some water. As his thunderous steps made it around the corner, a presence suddenly jumped out at him. It cackled and grasped his arms, sending Liam into an instant state of panic; he only saw their green flesh, the large nose, and glowing red eyes.

Liam leaned on his body’s natural reaction; with a high-pitched wail, his fist connected with the attacker’s throat, sending them tumbling backward. As the person hit the ground Liam stood over them glaring down, prepared to strike again; they waved one hand, the other cradling the spot of impact.

“S-sir… Please–” Trent spat out through wheezes.

“Trent?!” Liam gasped with wide eyes. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t—” The sound of Constantine’s laughter interrupted him. “Dad, this is not funny!”

“Oh, calm down. It’s just Trent; the boy could use some roughing up, anyway.” Constantine answered from behind his phone.

“Put that down!”

Constantine rolled his eyes but complied. “Fine; I suppose the good part is over, anyway.”

Liam released a deep, steadying breath to keep his composure. It’s nearly over, he thought to himself. “Trent, go visit the physician and take the rest of the day off… And tomorrow.” He softly spoke as he helped him stand. Trent nodded, still cradling his jugular, but made his leave.

An extended period of silence passed, but Constantine finally broke it. “Trick or treat?” Liam growled and opened his mouth to retort, but Constantine quickly added, “Not to put a fine point on it, but this will most likely be my last Halloween…”

Liam sighed and his eyes softened; all day, he’d fixated on his worries for what was to come, but Constantine was right. He felt guilty for not embracing the day as he should have, instead of wishing the time away.

Constantine noticed Liam’s expression shift and felt instant remorse. “I apologize, Liam, I didn’t mean to–”

“I know what you were trying to do, but — you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it like that, and now I feel terrible for not spending the day with you.”

“But if you were with me, who would the target be?” Constantine expressed, earning him a playful eye roll from Liam. “Listen, life must continue. I’m dying; technically, so are you. Every breath you take is one step closer to the grave. Just because I don’t have as far to go changes nothing. I refuse to spend my time fixated on what’s coming, and I surely don’t want you to, either.”

Liam sharply sniffed and nonchalantly cleared his throat. “Right…”

“But — given that it’s a holiday, perhaps you could end your day early; hang out with Kyla and me until the candy gifting begins.”

“Does that mean the pranks will stop?”

“Against you, maybe.”

Liam smiled. “I’d like that.”

“But you must be in costume to be seen with us; sorry, it’s a rule.”

Liam furrowed his brow. “You realize I’m the King now, right?”

“You sure like to remind me of that, son.” Constantine laughed. “I’ll go to the boutique and pick out an outfit for you.”

“The chances of me wearing whatever you’re thinking are–”

“Aaaand he’s gone,” Kyla spoke as Constantine sped away on his scooter.

Liam shook his head. “I’m almost afraid to even think about what he’s going to find.”

“Should’ve come prepared like the rest of us.” Kyla playfully elbowed his side.

“Trueché…“ The pair shared a laugh, but as it died down Liam added, "You look cute."

Kyla brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and ducked her head, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled at her. “I need to thank you…”

“For?”

“Making my father's time special. I’m figuring out he didn’t act alone today, but I’m glad he’s got someone to be the Thelma to his Louise.”

“I’m happy to do it; I love it when he gets excited.”

“I do too.”

“He’s taught me a lot about how to relax and enjoy the little things; to make every second count.”

Liam stared at Kyla with a grin, warmth blossoming in his chest. “Me too.”

They locked eyes but Constantine quickly re-appeared. "Oh, Li-am…"

"I don't like that tone… or that face you're making…"

"I found you a costume." Constantine answered as he held a garment up.

Liam stared into his basket and saw the remaining pieces of the getup and shook his head. "I'm not wearing that."

"Oh, come on! A cowboy needs a steed to wrangle, son! Have you not seen a western film?"

"But I don't want to be your horse!" Liam protested. "What if I wanted to be a superhero or something?"

Constantine pursed his lip with pleading eyes. "Liam…"

Liam held his stare for merely a moment before he rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Constantine's face lit like a Christmas tree but he was quick to shove the garments at Liam, insisting he go get dressed. As Liam disappeared, Constantine gave Kyla a knowing look. "... What did I tell you?"

"I can not believe that worked."

Constantine snickered. "I never planned on being a horseless cowboy."

"He probably would've done it anyway if you asked him…"

Constantine snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"

HCTS tags - @ao719 @queenrileyrose @angelasscribbles @tessa-liam @kingliam2019 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @bascmve01 @busywoman @belencha77 @mysticalfangirl @nestledonthaveone @lovingchoices14 @lunaseasblog @malblk21 @sfb123 @emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @tinkie1973 @queenmiarys @choicesflashfics @eadanga

#the royal romance #choices the royal romance #king liam #liam rys #trr #choices trr #trr au #choices #choices liam x oc #king liam x oc #trr liam x oc #liam x oc #constantine rys #Halloween #choices fic writers creations #pixelberry #playchoices #choices stories you play

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ao719 · 1 year

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The Pact (Part 10)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #1, “You’re an ass!” -> “But you love me.”

Song inspo: Hopeful Heart - Jason Walker

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Hopeless Hearts story. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Aria)

Rating: M • Warnings: None but some mild language and innuendos.

Word count: 2197

Catch up here

Staring out the window, Liam watched the island of Delphios come into view as the jet broke through the clouds; his fingers drummed against his thighs with both anticipation and nerves as they began their descent to the ground.

The others had stayed behind in Mykonos; Rashad had called for his jet to take them back to Cordonia while Liam left to go to Aria.

“She’s in love with you.” Lea’s words had played on repeat in Liam’s mind since he left. “That night we all went out to the beer garden after you got back from training, she was planning on telling you how she felt …” Aria’s behavior that night — her awkwardness with him at the bar, her silence around the fire, her spilling their three-year long secret to the group — made a whole lot more sense now. And her avoidance of him after that night did too.

They had spent three years sabotaging one another’s relationships, but Liam never thought that Aria’s reasoning for doing so would be the same as his.

They started out despising one another, being the two foes among their group of friends, using one another to scratch an itch while affirming their detestment of each other and vowing it would always stay that way … but along the way, things changed.

Moments they shared shifted into more intimate and passionate, and vulnerability started to peek through the cracks of their facade.

Both their stubbornness and pride got in the way, however.

Not anymore.

Once the jet landed, Liam instructed Bastien to stay behind as he slipped into the SUV that was waiting on the tarmac by himself and drove off, heading for Aria’s townhouse.

When he pulled up out front, Liam jumped out and ran up the stairs to the door, frantically knocking. He stepped back, leaning to peer into the windows. “Aria!” he called out as he tapped the windows before knocking on the door again. There was no answer. A growl escaped him as he walked down the stairs, his mind churning. He hurried back to the vehicle and slid inside, thinking of one other place she could be.

A short drive later, Liam pulled up outside of Javier and Mariana’s house; he’d spent plenty of nights inside the pool house with Aria before she got her own place. He ran to the front door and knocked.

A moment later, the door opened, and Javier greeted him with a curious smile. “Prince Liam,” he bowed.

“Hello,” Liam panted, slightly out of breath, as he nodded in acknowledgment. “I’m, uh … I was looking for Aria.”

“She’s not here,” Javier shook his head, and Liam couldn’t hide his disappointment; he threw his head back with a frustrated growl. “She stopped by about an hour ago to get the keys to the villa; your father requested to have the main floor repainted and redecorated, so I asked for her help and expertise.”

“So she’s at the villa now?” Liam asked eagerly.

“Yes, sir,” Javier nodded.

Liam turned, running toward the SUV as he threw his hand up in a wave. “Thank you, Javier!” he shouted without looking back.

****

Standing in the cockpit of the speedboat, Liam gripped the helm when the vessel slightly lifted off the water after hitting a small wave as he made his way from the marina to the royal family’s private island. When the beach came into view, he upped his speed, bypassing the dock before making a hard turn and swinging the boat back around. He shut off the motor, letting it glide toward the platform as he grabbed the rope; before it came to a stop, he jumped out, quickly tying it into place before turning toward the villa.

After making his way up the beach to the terrace, Liam came to a stop when he spotted Aria through the open door; she was inside, holding up color swatches against the wall. “I don’t think I’m too keen on that color blue.”

At the sound of his voice, Aria whirled around to meet his gaze. “Liam?”

“Hi …”

Aria stared at him for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

“I mean, it is my family’s villa,” Liam teased.

With a scoff, Aria stepped onto the terrace to where her book of color swatches was on the table. “Your opinion on color schemes isn’t needed or wanted.”

“Oh, you know I’m always happy to help,” Liam jested.

Aria sighed. “I didn’t realize you were making a pit stop here on your way back. I wouldn’t have come today had I known.”

“It was a special pit stop … so I could talk to you,” Liam said. She looked up at him, furrowing her brows. “I, um … I wanted to apologize about last night. I know you were telling me the truth about what you saw.”

“And you came all the way here just to apologize to me?” Aria questioned.

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “I would have done so back in Mykonos, but ya know, you left,” he quipped.

“Well … apology accepted,” Aria said casually. “So … what made you change your mind?”

“It wasn’t so much about changing my mind. I knew you were telling the truth, I just … didn’t really want to believe my brother would do that to me … which, he kind of didn’t … even though he did …”

Aria gave him a look. “What?”

“Long story short, he didn’t have all the information. But none of that matters either way. I, uh … I ended things … with Jacqueline.”

Aria subtly stiffened at his words before she shook off the surprise. “That’s good … good for you, I mean,” she nodded as nonchalantly as she could while flipping through her book. “At least you seem … ok with it ending.”

Liam shook his head with a smile at her pretending not to care. “I am ok with it,” he nodded. “So, tell me … why did you leave early?”

Aria knitted her brows. “Why would I want to stay and endure a plane ride with you after our little argument?”

“Please, Aria. We’ve been arguing for over three years,” Liam retorted. “That’s never made you leave any other time. In fact, our arguments usually ended up the opposite,” he smirked.

Aria ignored the latter part of his comment. “I just … didn’t want to stay.”

“Why?” Liam pressed.

“Because I didn’t,” Aria chided. “And why do you even care?”

“I just find it odd …”

“Find what odd?”

Liam rubbed the stubble on his chin as he feigned thinking. “I mean … you tell me what you saw … and you got so upset that I accused you of sabotaging — which, for the record,” he looked at her, “despite our truce, wasn’t some far-fetched assumption I made considering our history — but you got upset enough about it that you left. Call me crazy, but it just feels like there was something more to it …”

“No,” Aria scoffed. “I thought — I just — you’re crazy. There wasn’t more to it.”

“Mmhmm,” Liam hummed with a smirk; she was getting flustered, so he knew he was headed in the right direction. He just needed to poke a little more. “Can I ask you something?” She studied him for a moment before nodding. “What did you mean when you asked me why I thought you stopped coming around?”

Again, Aria subtly stiffened as she looked away. “I … didn’t mean anything,” she lied.

“What did you mean?” Liam repeated; he knew what she meant, but he wanted to hear her say it.

Aria shook her head, staring down at her book. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t believe that. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have said it at all.”

“You’re reading too much into it,” Aria countered.

Liam shook his head. “I don’t think that I am.”

Aria shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure what you’re looking for me to say here, Liam.”

“I want you to cut the shit and tell me the truth,” Liam replied. “What did you mean?”

Aria looked at him again. “It was nothing.”

“You’re lying,” Liam sing-songed.

“Why would I lie?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Liam continued to prod. “Again, you wouldn’t have said it if there wasn’t some meaning behind it.” He watched her tense her jaw. “Tell me what you meant.”

“What the hell do you want to hear, Liam?” Aria spat as she looked at him again. “That while you were away for your training I actually missed you? That I was pissed at myself because when I finally got my shit together and acknowledged the feelings that I had for you and wanted to talk to you about it, I was too late because you had someone else? That I stopped coming around because it was too damn hard for me to see you and Jacqueline together? Is that what you want to hear?”

Liam licked his lips as they began to quirk up in a smile. “I mean, it’s a start.” She shot him a look. “So, tell me … what exactly are you saying, Aria?”

“That I’m in love with you, you idiot!” Aria blurted out.

Liam chuckled as her eyes widened at her confession and she covered her mouth with her hand. “I know you are,” he chirped.

Dropping her hand away from her mouth, Aria narrowed her eyes. “Do not presume you know how I feel about you! I mean, yes, I just said it … but you didn’t know before!”

Liam snorted. “I mean, I kind of did. Lea told me.”

Aria let out an exasperated breath. “God, you’re an ass!”

“But you love me,” Liam grinned.

Aria let out a grumble as she stared up at him. “So, you came all the way here just to taunt me about it, then?” Liam didn’t respond as he started walking towards her. “You’re going to try and use this against me now? Hold it over my head? I’ve kicked myself in the ass enough, so if you think that you—”

“Shut. Up, Aria,” Liam interrupted before he captured her lips in his. His arms curled around her, and she sighed into the kiss as it deepend, pressing her hands against his chest to steady herself. When he slowly drew back, he looked at her, watching her eyes flutter open to meet his gaze; she looked a little bewildered. “I love you, too,” he whispered.

Aria swallowed thickly. “Wh-What?”

Liam’s expression softened as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Aria … I just didn’t think you felt or ever would feel the same.”

“Liam …” Aria let out a breath.

“I sabotaged your relationships not just because I thought it was funny,” Liam quietly chuckled. “But because I didn’t want to see you with anyone else. I wanted you for myself, but I was too stubborn to admit it to you. And I meant what I said that night at the beer garden, that I’m in a place where I want something serious … but I only ever wanted something serious with you. And I still do … if you want the same, that is.”

Aria thought back to that night and something he had said. “I mean, maybe … maybe if we were on the same page, things could be different, but …” She closed her eyes, subtly shaking her head at her own blindness over what he was actually trying to say; she wondered what would have happened if she had just told him that night how she felt as she intended. She opened her eyes and looked back up at him as he stared at her with a hopeful glint in his eyes. She curled her hands around the back of his neck and drew his lips back to hers, kissing him in response as his arms tightened their grip around her waist.

Liam backed Aria up, pinning her body between his and the wall of the terrace as his tongue curled against hers. He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly drew back. “Is that a yes?” he whispered.

“What exactly are you asking me, Liam?” Aria teased.

“To be mine. Only mine.” Aria bit her lip as his fingers brushed against the exposed skin of her hip where the hem of her shirt was raised. Seeing her expression and hearing the shuddered breath he drew from her, he smirked as he leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear. “I need you to say it,” he whispered as his fingers continued to tease her skin. “It’s been eight months, Aria, and I want to absolutely ruin you in the most passionate way possible, but I need you to say that you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” Aria breathed in reply.

As soon as she spoke the words, Liam’s lips were back on hers as he pulled her away from the wall; they stumbled inside the villa and up the stairs toward his room, leaving a trail of their shedded clothes scattered along the way.

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

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