#trr liam x male mc

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty

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

Masterlist

Drake and Liam learn more about Callum's past.

“What’s going on, Pops?” Callum asks again.

“You’re back earlier than I expected,” Niall answers, shooting a dirty look at Donny.

The blonde man shrugs nonchalantly, taking a pack of cigarettes from his jack pocket and tapping it against the palm of his hand.

“Yeah… turns out there wasn’t a problem at the club after all.”  Callum narrows his eyes at his father.

Niall innocently widens his eyes.  “I must have misunderstood.”

“Then you just mistakenly let yourself into my apartment while I was out?”

“I do own the building, Callum,” Niall sniffs.  “Technically I can go into any apartment I want to, with or without your permission.”

Donny lets out a slightly breathy and panicked, “Oh shit.”

Drake’s eyes bounce back and forth between the men like ping-pong balls and Liam sits rigidly next to him, tension evident in every line of his body.

“That’s how we’re going to do this?  Seriously, Pops?  You didn’t try that line on me when I was sixteen but you’re doing it now?”

“You had better sense at sixteen,” Niall snaps.  “Back then you weren’t jumping at the chance to ruin your life every time a hot piece of ass smiled at you.”

“I need a smoke,” Donny suddenly announces loudly.  He points at Liam and Drake.  “You two.  Come with me.”

Confused, Liam blurts out, “We don’t smoke.”

“You can hold my lighter,” Donny replies, tugging the pair to their feet.

Ioan rises from his chair.  “I think I’ll join you -”

“You better keep your ass in that chair, old man,” Callum grinds out between clenched teeth.

Stunned at his grandson’s tone, Ioan plops back into his seat, and Donny seizes the opportunity to hustle Drake and Liam out onto the balcony.  He manages to slam the sliding glass door closed just as the shouting starts.

“What the actual FUCK were you two thinking?” Callum yells.

Donny lights a cigarette and inhales deeply, letting the pale grey smoke slowly curl out of his nostrils.  “I hope the two of you are pleased with yourselves.”

“Us?”  Liam gapes, pointing between himself and Drake.  “You think this is our fault?”

“Isn’t it?”  He takes another drag.  “Callum was fine, happy again.  You two are back in his life less than three days and him and his father are at each other’s throats with Ioan snapping at their heels.”

Liam’s cheeks flush and he scowls.  “The MacKenzie family’s dysfunction has nothing to do with us.”

“It has everything to do with you, cupcake.”

Drake braces his forearms on the railing that runs around the perimeter of the balcony.  “I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen.  I never wanted to cause Callum any problems.”

He sounds so miserable that Donny takes pity on him.  “I know you didn’t mean to, kid.  But goddamn… why couldn’t you just stay away?”

The voices from the living room get louder and the three men wince in unison.

“He’s going back with you,” Donny says, flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing it with the toe of his boot.

Liam sighs.  “He hasn’t made a decision one way or the other yet.”

“I know my son.  He’ll go.”

Drake and Liam exchange startled looks.

Donny chuckles at their shocked expressions.  “I’ve been raising that boy for nearly thirty years, and I’ve been with Niall for almost as long.  Callum’s my son.”

“We didn’t realize…” Drake trails off, embarrassed.

“Did Callum ever tell you about his mother?”

“From the way he phrased it I assumed she died when he was very young,” Liam says slowly.

Donny barks out a harsh laugh.  “Fuck.  That woman will still be alive when there’s only cockroaches roaming the earth.”

Drake’s mouth drops open and Liam frowns uncomfortably.

Taking in their shocked expressions Donny sighs and lights another cigarette.  “That was probably unfair to Cassie.  We’ve always had a… complicated relationship.”

“So his mom is alive?” Drake asks.

Donny shrugs.  “He’s never met her.  She showed up once when he graduated high school.  Niall almost had an aneurysm.  She futzed around a bit, said she wanted to finally meet her son.  But in the end she did what she always does and disappeared before anything could happen.  Thank god we didn’t tell the kid anything and get his hopes up.”

“How did… How long… um…” Liam flounders, unable to articulate the potentially offensive question.

“You wanna know how I fit in to all this?”  Donny grins around the cigarette in his mouth.

Drake and Liam nod in unison.

“I met Niall when I started working for Ioan, back when the old man was still running everything.  I was young, stupid, pissed at the world.  Dishonorably discharged from the military.  At the beginning I was just supposed to be muscle at a few of the different strip joints, but for whatever reason Ioan took me under his wing.  Brought me into his home, started teaching me about the business.”

“Is that when you started dating?” Liam asks.

Donny laughs and rolls his eyes.  “Fuck no.  Back then there was no telling me I was anything but straight.  But we got to be friends and if I had the occasional thought about how good his ass looked then I would just ignore it.  I knew Niall batted for both teams and it never bothered me… but back then I just wasn’t ready to accept certain things about myself, you know?”

“Oh, I know.”  Drake gives Liam a slightly dirty look from the corner of his eye and the king’s cheek flush a soft pink.

“Anyway, one night we’re out with some of our other friends doing a bar crawl and we wind up at this dive that has live music.”  Donny stubs out his cigarette on the balcony railing.  “Cassie’s band was playing that night.  I hate to say anything nice about the woman but she’s a fuckin’ stunner and goddamn talented to boot.  Long story short Niall starts chattin’ her up after her band has finished for the night and they start seein’ each other.  This goes one for a few months, and Niall and I started drifting apart a little.  I didn’t really understand it then, but looking back I was jealous of Cassie and seeing them together… hurt.”

“I get that,” Drake murmurs softly, looking down at his feet.  With a sad smile, Liam silently reaches out and takes his hand.

“So after they’ve been together a few months Niall gets picked up on some charges related to uh… a few substances that were being sold out of a few of the clubs.  Gets sentenced to five to ten.  Cassie disappears.”  Donny rolls his eyes. “Me and Ioan weren’t all that surprised, she was never all that serious about Niall and it’s hard enough being in a relationship with somebody on the inside when you’re committed.�� We moved on thinkin’ she was gone for good.  Niall being locked up was hell on the old man, and I wasn’t taking it much better, but we were doing the best we could.  Then about eight months into Niall’s sentence, I get a phone call from Cassie.”

Drake and Liam lean forward, drawn in by the older man’s story.

“So it’s two in the morning, and I’ve got this chick I can’t stand calling me at the club I was working at that night.  I was ready to tell her to piss off, but she starts crying, telling me she’s at the hospital and I’m the only one she can call for help.  And me being a total fucking sucker I went to the hospital because I knew that’s what Niall would’ve wanted.  I show up and she’s in a hospital room, lying in bed, holding a fucking baby of all things.”

“Callum,” Liam says quietly.

“Bingo.”  Donny shoots a pair of finger guns towards him.  “At first I didn’t know what the hell to think.  Honestly I just wanted to leave her there and pretend I never saw a thing.  She breaks down crying again, saying she doesn’t know what to do, didn’t know who to call since Niall’s in prison, she’s scared of Ioan, she needs help, and on and on.”

“Wait, why was she scared of Ioan?” Drake asks.

“You’ve met the old man, yeah?  Are you scared of him now?”

Without hesitation Drake and Liam both nod.

“Now imagine him thirty years ago and pretend you’ve been hiding the fact that you were pregnant with his only son’s child.”

The pair shudder.    

Donny nods.  “Exactly.  I didn’t know what the fuck to do anymore than she did, and I told her so.  She begged me to stay with her just a little while, asks me to hold the kid so she could take a shower and get some things situated with the hospital.  I didn’t have the heart to say no.  I mean, the poor girl had been alone in the hospital with a brand new baby for three days at that point, I figured that was the least I could do for her.  So she gives me the kid, just this squishy little thing, and I settle down with him while she goes to clean up.  He was the cutest fucking thing, all fuckin’ chubby baby rolls and this thick, curly black hair.  I didn’t mean to but as some point I fell asleep holding him.  Next thing I know, Callum is screaming his lungs out and I got a pissed off nurse shaking me awake asking me where Cassie was.”

“And where was Cassie?” Liam asked.

“Fuck if I know.  As soon as I fell asleep she grabbed her shit and got the hell out of dodge.”

“She just left her baby with you?  Without telling you where she was going?  She didn’t even really know you!” Drake exclaims.

“I feel like we’ve already established she’s not a good mom, kid.”  Donny gives him an exasperated look.  “So I’ve got Callum, fresh out of the oven, Niall’s locked up, and I don’t have the first fucking clue how to find Cassie.  I’m only 28, living in a shitty apartment, spending nearly all my free time drunk, high, or both.”

Drake starts to speak, hesitates, then powers on.  “Why didn’t you just call Ioan and let him take care of it?”

“Siobhan, Callum’s grandma, was fighting a losing battle with breast cancer.  Ioan wasn’t handling it well… didn’t seem fair to add something else to the bullshit he was dealing with.  He wasn’t in the best headspace then anyway.  Siobhan was the only thing he cared about, only thing he could focus on.  Even if I wanted to let him have Callum I don’t think he would’ve been able to take care of him.  So I told the hospital I was Callum’s father, signed the birth certificate and everything.  Cassie hadn’t even named the kid yet, so I had to do that too.”

“You named Callum?”  Liam arches an eyebrow in question.

Donny’s cheeks turn pink and he squirms in place, an oddly endearing gesture for a man in his fifties.  “I knew Niall would want to honor his dad in some way, so the middle name was easy.  Then I just thought about what name I’d want to use if Niall and I would ever… you know,” he mumbles.

Liam and Drake share a conspiratorial smirk.  “That’s adorable,” Liam says.

Donny coughs, looking slightly uncomfortable.  “Anyways.  The nurses gave me a crash course in fatherhood then shoved me out the door.  I waited a few days before I told Ioan and Siobhan… I wanted some time to think on what I was going to do.  I brought Callum to their house, told them everything that happened, and said I wanted to take care of Callum until Niall got out.  Siobhan wasn’t on board at first, and I don’t blame her.  I was young and stupid, never taken care of a baby before, didn’t know a damn thing about kids.  But for whatever reason, I knew I was meant to protect that baby.  Ioan was relieved, in a way, I think.  God only knows why but he trusted me with his grandson, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay him for that.”

“What did Niall have to say about everything when he found out?” Drake asks.

“Oh he was pissed,” Donny laughs.  “He would’ve taken care of Cassie if she’d told him she was pregnant, made sure she had everything she needed.  But the fact that she just abandoned Callum without a word was the thing that really rustled his jimmies.  He would’ve forgiven anything else but that I think.”

“How did that work though?” Liam asks delicately.  “With Niall being… indisposed?”

“You can say he was in prison, Your Majesty.”  Donny smirks.  “Niall didn’t want Callum to see him in that place, so they didn’t actually properly meet until Callum was six.  Niall wrote letters every week, and I read them to him.  Things got a little more complicated when Callum started to talk and then he had a whole lot of questions.  I always made sure he knew that Niall was his dad, but I never let him forget just how much I loved him too.  The adjustment period after Niall got out was rough on all of us.  Callum didn’t want to leave me, and Niall didn’t want to be away from his son.  Understandably.  So Niall got a bigger apartment and Callum and I moved in with him.”

“So is that when you and Niall got together?”

Donny grins at Drake question.  “Not quite.  By that time I had pulled my head out of my ass enough to realize that I wasn’t quite as straight as I wanted to believe.  It was a couple more years before Niall and I got into a proper relationship.  But that is a story for another time.”

Donny sighs and runs his hands through his hair.  “Look, at the end of the day Callum is going to do whatever he wants to do… no matter what me, Niall, or Ioan have to say about it.  Just… just take care of my boy, ok?  Try not to hurt him any more than you absolutely have to.”

“I don’t… I never want to hurt Callum,” Liam protests.

“Are you still going to marry that girl you’re engaged to?”

Liam stay silent, anxiously gnawing on his lower lip.

“Then he’s going to be hurt,” Donny replies with a sad smile.  He looks through the sliding glass door into the living room, frowning.  “Shit.”

Drake and Liam whip around just in time to see Niall glare up at his son one last time before stalking out the front door, Ioan following closely behind him.  Callum tips his head back and his shoulders slump, but he quickly collects himself and moves into the kitchen.

“That went about as well as I thought it would,” Donny sighs.  “Give me a few minutes.”

Drake and Liam wait out on the balcony while Donny says goodbye to Callum.

“We’re being selfish,” Drake says eventually.

Liam glances over at him.  “Excuse me?”

“We have royally fucked up Callum’s life.”

“I see what you did there.”  The Cordonia king smirks over at his friend.

Drake shoves him away half-heartedly.  “Stop.  I’m being serious.  I wasn’t thinking about Callum when I dragged him back into this.  Not the way I should have.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When we got to New York all I was focused on was finding Callum again because I missed him.  Because I wanted to remind you that you could actually be with someone you loved instead of Madeline.  I didn’t think about what would happen to his life, how all of us being back together would affect him.”

“Considering how close the two of you have gotten I wouldn’t say our returning presence has been all bad.”

Drake blushes furiously.  “I...  That’s not…  Liam!”

“Just saying.”  Liam shrugs innocently. 

“What I meant was that I only considered how having Callum back would make our lives better, make us happier.  I didn’t even stop to think about what that would mean for his life here… with his family, and his job, and his other friends.  How can we ask him to leave all that for us again?  Especially when you’re still going through with the wedding to Madeline.”

Liam groans.  “Why do we keep having to go over this?  I have a duty, an obligation to Cordonia.  That doesn’t mean we can’t be together.  All three of us.”

“This!”  Drake smacks Liam’s chest.  “This right here is the problem!  Callum won’t be happy just being your affair on the side.”

“And you will be?” Liam challenges.

“Of course I won’t!  But if that’s the price I have to pay to be with you again I will.  Callum can’t do that though.”

Liam scowls.  “Can’t or won’t?”

“That’s not fair,” Drake sighs.

“What Callum’s asking isn’t fair either.”

“Callum actually isn’t asking you to do anything,” Drake points out.  “He only told you what he was willing and not willing to do given the circumstances.”

Liam falls silent, unable to come up with a reasonable counter argument.  The pair stare out at the bustling city streets for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Drake is the first one to break the silence.  “Liam, what are we going to do?”

@superharriet

@angelasscribbles

@kingliam2019

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[kristinamae093]

Ghosted

Ghosted - Altering Visions (Chapter Eleven)

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 f!MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N 1 - 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.

A/N 2 - It's been a while 🥲. Here's hoping it doesn't take me another six months to post the next chapter 😬🫡.

PSA it's a long one. Whoops, lol.

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Liam fluttered his eyes open a short time later and squinted them against the harsh, blinding light blocking his view. When he took a deep breath, a distinct, stale aroma invaded his senses; it sparked some kind of recognition even before he could fully view his surroundings. He slowly sat up with a groan and blinked until his vision centered. He glanced around and noticed the outdated wood panels, along with the oval shape of the sconces. There was only one estate in all of Cordonia with those outdated features, and he noted that fact immediately. 

Panic flourished through his body as Liam realized he awoke in Applewood. 

He frantically stood with labored breaths and patted his abdomen, almost to ensure he was real. He pinched his thigh and winced, afterward placing a trembling hand on the wall to steady himself. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what transpired and how he’d gotten there to begin with.

The events of the night suddenly invaded his thoughts. The image of a lifeless Penelope in Landon’s arms engraved and forever etched itself into his memory; he felt guilty, enraged, defeated, and a slew of other emotions.

Penelope was the big break they’d hunted high and low for. She held vital information Liam desperately needed, but seemingly would take her secrets to the grave with her. He couldn’t understand any of it — nothing made sense. The list of unanswered questions swirling around was enough to make him nauseous. A carousel of sorrow and confusion he couldn’t seem to slow down — no matter how hard he tried. 

Amid his tilt-a-whirl moment, an angelic voice rang out not far away, drawing him back to the present. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” 

Liam’s thundering heart suddenly stopped as recognition swept over him. He’d been so entrapped in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed what portion of the estate he was in. 

Only a few inches away was a door he remembered all too well — Riley’s. His eyes welled with tears as his vision centered on the structure, but as much as Liam wanted to rush to her, he physically couldn’t. The receptors in his brain went crazy — a jolt of electricity shot to his legs, demanding he move, but his feet weighed hundreds of pounds. Dazed and confused, he could only gawk at the blockade separating them. 

“Lady Riley, we have much to discuss — have a seat,” another individual answered. Liam knew it was a male but couldn’t place his identity; although it sounded familiar, as if he could remember it from a vague, distant memory. 

“Tell me who you are and what the hell you’re doing here!” Liam’s blood ran cold at Riley’s tone; the fear and adrenaline were prominent in her shaky voice. His breaths quickened and his instincts screamed to rush to her, but again, his feet refused to cooperate. 

“That wasn’t a request — I told you to have a seat.” Again, Liam swore he could recall that voice, but couldn’t fully register it. He thought about it for a split second until the sounds of a loud screech and a shatter echoed behind the door. 

“Don’t touch me!” Riley hollered, instantly breaking Liam’s trance. He lunged for the doorknob, but when he twisted his wrist, it snapped and turned to dust in his palm. The disintegrated fragments floated to the floor in slow motion, his heart following suit. 

“You’re so beautiful when you squirm.” Liam gasped as he fully recognized that person — it was Tariq. “But if you don’t fucking stand still–”

“Riley! RILEY!” Liam forcefully pounded on the structure. “Open this door! Open it, goddamnit!” He bellowed, but the commotion inside continued, escalating by the second. The next instant, he sprinted down the hall, frantically hunting for somebody — anybody — to get him inside that room. “I need some help!” He hauled over to the other side and yelled once more, but faced only cold, deserted silence. 

His vision darted all around the area before he spotted a window at the end of the seemingly never-ending hallway. Liam sprinted to it and gazed at the scene below. Outside, he could see the country jamboree still in full swing. He scoured the crowd and spotted everyone except Riley; Drake, Hana, Madeleine, and upon further inspection, he saw himself at the head table beside his father. He stumbled backward with a strangled breath, truly dumbfounded by what was going on. 

As Liam recovered, he re-approached the window and banged on it. “Hey! Hey!” He wailed, but nobody below batted an eye. His hits came harder and harder, but the glass never even cracked; his hand took the damage, although he felt no pain. 

The only thing he heard was Riley’s pleas for help, the sounds making his desperation grow by the second. He rushed back to the door and ran full force at it, using his shoulder as a battering ram; it wouldn’t budge. He repeated the process — again and again — but never even split the wood. Liam let out a primal wail and fisted his hair, taking deep breaths to preserve any semblance of sanity. His pulse thundered in his ears and tears stung the corners of his eyes, while he frantically determined what to do.   

He took a step back and realized there was a shadow cast over the doorway. It appeared to be a man, standing with his arms crossed. He wasn’t sure if it was there before, but Liam waved his hand and nothing changed the stony silhouette. The fixture remained cemented in place, not flinching or moving a muscle, regardless of the commotion developing beyond.

“LIAM!” Riley suddenly screamed, ripping him from his trance. He was up against the structure in an instant, using every ounce of strength he had to force his way through, but his attempts were futile. Riley repeatedly called for him and every time, a dagger went straight through Liam’s already hollowed-out chest.

He couldn’t control his overflowing tears at hearing her cry out for him. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get inside; they wouldn’t acknowledge him, nobody came to help, and there was nothing he could do except sit and listen. With a loud sob, he slid down the door and sat in front of it, hoping at some point it would open and he could get to her. 

Riley’s whimpers continued throughout the vicinity, but Liam’s skin turned ice cold as he heard laughter inside; not Riley’s, and certainly not cheerful. The vile sound caused all the color to drain from his face. He leaned his head against the door and completely broke down, letting the devastation and defeat wash over him. 

“I — I’m sorry Riley…” He swallowed thickly, but soon let out an anguished cry. “I’m so sorry…”

The room went eerily quiet for a long while; Liam couldn’t hear much except the sound of his heart shattering, but eventually, the voices began once more. With a shuddered breath, he held his ear up to listen. 

“When will I receive payment?” Tariq questioned. 

“You don’t need to worry about that. Where you’re going, you won’t need it.” 

“W–what do you mean?! I did what I was called to do!” Tariq’s panic was clear to Liam, even without seeing his face. His pulse somehow thundered faster, carefully processing every word.

“There is too much at stake — more than your simple mind could ever understand. For this to work, you need to disappear. You’re a weak, pathetic excuse of a man — we can not risk this entire operation being ousted because of a lousy nuisance.” 

“I swear to it — you have my allegiance and my silence.” Tariq pleaded. “I will disappear, and—” 

“You’re going to, alright — the both of you.” 

What little color remaining in Liam’s complexion drained, and the shakiness in his hands amplified. After a split-second of complete and utter stillness, the phrase resonated and ignited a deadly determination within.

Liam sprung up and kicked the door with all his might. “LET ME IN!” He repeated the process, but again, the barrier showed no signs of weakening. He threw his fists at the structure in a mad frenzy — anything to get inside and get to Riley, then deal with this — man. 

“Liam! Liam! LIAM!” Leo yelled. He repetitively jabbed the button next to Liam's head to summon the nurse, as his brother flailed in his hospital bed. 

Liam was being monitored for dehydration, severe exhaustion, and a touch of malnutrition. Doctors said he had a panic attack, which combined with everything else, made him lose consciousness. All his labs came back normal, thankfully; Leo was worried someone could have slipped Liam something, but the hospital was quick to put that suspicion to rest. 

Since Liam arrived, he had been resting comfortably, but that changed about twenty minutes ago; it started with small groans and subtle movements, but soon turned into blood-curdling cries and forceful thrashes. Leo hoped he would wake himself, but Liam was getting drastically worse with every passing second. 

Liam suddenly flew forward with a loud gasp. His tearful eyes darted all around the room while he grabbed at his gown-covered body. As the world centered, a tidal wave of frustration and confusion washed over him. 

When Liam stopped and stared down at his clasped hands, Leo cautiously re-approached the bed. “Liam?” When he didn’t answer, Leo spoke a little louder. “... Li?”

“I was there.” Liam weakly croaked, his vision locked on his lap.

Leo’s brows furrowed. “Where?” 

“I heard it.”

“Heard what?”

“Riley…” Liam whispered, followed by a shuddered breath.  

“What about her?” 

“I was there… th–that night… just n–now—” Liam stammered, struggling to make sense of the situation. “I couldn’t get in…”

Leo’s heart instantly shattered at seeing the devastation in Liam’s features. “They gave you some medication, Li.” He reasoned. “It’s possible that—”

“I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” Liam bellowed. The nurse appeared next to him and attempted to speak, but he shouted, “GET OUT!” 

Leo lifted his hands in surrender. “I believe you, Liam… Tell me what happened.” 

“She yelled for me…” Liam faintly answered, refusing to make eye contact. “She yelled and screamed and — I couldn’t get inside, Leo... I tried, but — I — I… I couldn’t save her…” 

Leo took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and responded in a calm, reassuring voice. “Liam, it’s been a long couple of days and I know this has been incredibly rough on you–” 

“STOP PATRONIZING ME! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” 

Leo remained reluctant to entertain this idea. He knew Liam was dreaming, but at that moment, he was completely irrational. Leo had never seen him in such a way, even when his mother died. Given the past couple of weeks, the events of that night, and the medication, there was no rationalizing with him — Liam was spiraling, and bad. But perhaps if he entertained the notion — for now — Liam would eventually calm down.  

Leo carefully spoke. “What did you hear?” 

Liam stayed silent for a long moment before he turned his head to meet eyes with Leo. The look on Liam’s face slightly took him aback; the determination in his features was deadly — his sunken, puffy eyes were nearly black. 

Liam let out a long, sharp huff of air and sternly explained, “There were two male voices. I can say with confidence one was Tariq, but as far as the other, I — I don’t know…” He shook his head with furrowed brows as he racked every recollection in his brain. He could almost visualize the man in question, but his face appeared blurred and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t clear the fog. 

“Alright, well, let’s just take a minute to—”

“They were fucking laughing, Leo. They assaulted her and laughed about it.” Liam growled, his chest rising and falling with every sullen breath. “I want Tariq found, now. He’s going to pay for ever laying a fucking finger on her. I swear to God, Leo — I will put an end to his sorry existence with my bare hands.” He clenched his palms, squeezing hard enough to turn his knuckles white. 

Leo once again held his hands up in surrender and replied in a soft voice. “I believe you. Just — take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax—” 

“What if she didn’t leave Cordonia?” Liam suddenly blurted out. “What if she’s…” He trailed off, swallowing thickly. No part of him wanted to finish that statement in any fashion; the unending possibilities gave him instant nausea. “That man… he said, ‘where you’re going you won’t need it’, and then h–he said both of you... BOTH OF YOU, Leo!” He ran his palms over his head from front to back, repeating the process with a crazed look in his eye. 

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Liam swiftly continued. “It would make sense… Tariq has been untraceable… But–but Riley…. She — Bastien told me she went back to New York. But that person… I know I heard him say it… Where you’re going you won’t need it, where you’re going you won’t need it—” He repeated to himself, his voice diminishing with every anguished syllable. He clutched his hands into fists and forcefully yanked at his hair, rocking himself back and forth. 

“Li,” Leo cautiously started. When Liam whipped his head to look at him, Leo was once more temporarily shocked by the fury and turmoil staring back at him; he realized Liam was hastily elevating himself to a dangerous level. “We can’t jump to conclusions… Okay? Let’s just take a deep breath and try to calm down—” 

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Leo! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!” Liam shouted as he ripped the IV from his arm, the pain not even phasing him. He ditched the rest of his connections shortly after and dashed out of bed. “Where are my CLOTHES?”

“I’m not saying you didn’t,” Leo reasoned as he followed his brother’s movements. “All I’m suggesting is that we take a step back and really think about this—” 

“I’m tired of taking a step back! Look where that’s gotten us!” Liam seethed. “There is so much goddamn blood on my hands! I let her get hurt! I am responsible for all of this madness—” 

“Stop that — right now,” Leo sternly returned. “You know that is not true even in the slightest.” 

“Say it to MY FACE then, Leo!” Liam barked as he invaded his brother’s personal space. “LIE to my fucking face!” 

“It’s not a lie, Liam,” Leo stood a little taller. “You are not responsible–” He stopped as Liam rolled his eyes and looked away. This time, it was Leo who stepped up to Liam. “No — look at me,” He bore his eyes into his brother, forcing him to see the truth in his gaze. “You are not responsible for any of this, Liam. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.” 

Liam studied the conviction staring back at him and his frustration soared. He spun away and grabbed the bedside table, sending it flying with a primal roar. 

Leo flinched as the wood shattered against the wall, but knew he had to calm Liam down. However, the person he was trying to reason with was not the version of Liam he was used to; this was a side Leo didn’t know lay dormant in his normally calm and stoic baby brother.

“Liam,” Leo softly started. “This is an incredibly shitty situation, and I’m so sorry that you’re being put through this. I love you, and I’m always here for you no matter what.” He confidently stated, but after a moment of silence, hesitantly added, “But I just don’t think a dream is—” 

“I don’t give a damn what you say, Leo! Someone is going to pay for this!” Liam growled, his face reddening with every deep, labored breath. He directed his attention back to his earlier quest for his clothes; he didn’t know where he was going or who he was looking for, but someone was going to feel the wrath of the King of Cordonia — tonight.  

Olivia didn’t even bother to knock before she and Ray joined the room. The pair opted to stay behind and investigate in Portavira a little further — that is until a random guard threw them out. Without Liam or Leo there to ensure their access, they were told to vacate the premises shortly after Liam left for the hospital. Regardless, they had enough time to prove at least one pivotal thing about that ordeal, and possibly solve quite a few others — if Liam believed them. 

They walked in and stopped short at Liam’s crazed expression. “What’s going on?” Olivia sought. 

“I’m leaving,” Liam bit out through clenched teeth. 

“Hold on, we need to talk about something—” 

“Move out of my way!” 

Olivia arched her brow. “We need transparency, Liam. Tell me what is going on — calmly.” 

“I was there, Olivia! I heard it! They fucking attacked her!” Liam bellowed as he found his garments and rifled through the bag. 

Olivia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop his mad dash. “Liam, please — I need a full explanation. I’m not stopping you or downplaying anything, but we need to know what the hell you’re talking about.” 

Liam met her eyesight and saw the genuine interest in her gaze. He could tell Leo thought he was baffling, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t fathom the experience, but knew that was no dream; with every fiber of his being, Liam believed what he heard was reality. The universe mercilessly gifted him a blocked front-row seat — it was a curse, yet oddly a blessing. They spent all this time wondering what happened that night, but now he had a soundtrack to re-play. He wasn’t willing to rest until he deciphered this code, to ensure justice would be swift to all who deserved it. 

He explained in great detail his occurrence and exactly what happened. When he finished, he stared blankly at the floor, cradling his head in his trembling hands; he knew how wild it sounded but didn’t particularly care. It felt so real — so raw. Just thinking about the vile chortles raised goosebumps on his arms, and Riley’s screams now played on an insistent loop in his mind — torment that would never stop. Even if good trumped evil and Riley was located safely in the end, those sounds would be a continuous source of torture until he took his final breath. 

Olivia listened intently to everything he recalled. At the surface, she knew how preposterous it sounded — it was a dream, regardless of how strongly Liam felt otherwise. Her heart ached for her friend at that moment; clearly, everything that happened was taking a major toll on her childhood friend. 

But — given the bombshell she and Ray sat upon, Olivia couldn’t help but wonder if there could be some truth to Liam’s encounter. 

Olivia sat forward and patted Liam’s leg with the gentlest of touches. When she spoke, it was calm and reassuring. “I’m not sure what to say, Liam. I realize you want to believe it to be true, but you and I both know it’s nothing concrete…” Liam opened his mouth to respond, but Olivia held her hand up to stop him, as she saw the fire burning behind his narrowed eyes. “Let me finish… I know tonight has been hard on you for a lot of reasons, but I believe Ray and I have found a very promising lead…”

Liam’s ears visibly rose as his interest grew. “What do you mean?” 

“Sir, I know it’s not what you initially hired me for, but there are a lot of things that do not add up in this current situation...” Ray started. “Between some of Lady Penelope’s behaviors, her father’s statements, and this—” He produced his phone from his pocket and handed it to Liam. “I find it very hard to believe she took her own life.” 

Liam glanced at the device in his hands and realized he was looking at a photo of Penelope’s last statements. He read through it and found nothing of relevance; no mention of Riley, her involvement in the scandal, the maid, nothing. It was incredibly vague, considering it was her concluding words to the world. 

“Why are you showing me this?” Liam demanded as confusion and annoyance rushed through him. 

Olivia produced a document from her pocket. After questioning the legitimacy of the note left in Riley’s room, she wanted to have it near in case the situation arose. “You remember my blackmail letter — the one I got the night of your coronation?” She handed him the paper.

Liam held both items and scanned back and forth; he gasped when he realized they were nearly identical. “But, this — this means—” 

“Someone took her out, Liam.” Olivia finished. 

“I’m not positive if someone would have done it for her, or if she felt pressured into doing it. Either way, since she was saying goodbyes to her family, that leads me to believe Penelope knew she was in danger and foresaw her demise.” Ray added. 

“This is impossible!” Liam shook his head, his rage returning full force. “How does this keep happening?!” 

Olivia and Ray shared a look; the two calculated a theory, and it seemed the more that unfolded, the greater that assumption solidified itself. There wasn’t a lot of evidence to point fingers, but Olivia realized they couldn’t wait any longer; if they were correct, this situation just escalated tenfold. Liam already teetered an incredibly dangerous ledge, but perhaps that’s what the circumstances called for. Plus, after his — experience, she knew he would believe them. 

Olivia softly started. “I need you to stay as calm as possible — at least until I’m finished and we know for certain who we’re directing this hostility at.” Liam nodded with furrowed brows, but Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t know what to say about your — encounter, but — there is reason for us to believe Riley could be in Cordonia.” 

“WHAT?!” Liam practically choked as all the color drained from his face. Even though he was there and truly believed what he heard, someone else saying it out loud momentarily knocked the wind out of him. 

“I checked all outgoing flights from the night of the jamboree and she wasn’t on any of them,” Ray explained. “Every log received a thorough examination, even those with different destinations — she has yet to board a plane to exit the country, to this day. I’ve looked at other modes of transportation and she is the same as Tariq — there is nothing.” 

“But…” Leo hesitantly started after a moment of tense silence. “If that’s the case, then where is she?” 

Olivia sighed and her eyes softened. “We’re — not entirely sure at this point… Somewhere in Cordonia, but…”

“Believe me when I say I am checking everywhere.” Ray confidently inserted. “Every crack, every crevice — any place I can think of. If she truly is in the country, I will locate her.” 

“Okay, but — why haven’t we found her?” Leo returned. The uneasiness in his stomach suddenly bolted to the back of his throat, securing itself and taking root. As he took in Ray’s uncertainty, the lump multiplied in size. 

“I — I don’t have an answer for that right now,” Ray calmly returned. “But I’m working around the clock and using every resource I have to uncover her location. I know those sound like empty promises, but I assure you — I will not rest until Lady Riley is located safely.” He emphasized.

Liam’s heart pounded so fast, he was sure it would give out at any moment. “I — She — B–but —” He stammered, trying his hardest to comprehend the conversation. “Bastien told me—”

“I think Bastien is involved.” Olivia abruptly cut him off. “When we found Riley’s stuff, I swear to you, Liam, I saw the fucking guilt in his eyes. Plus, he’s got his hands in everything at court. I’m not saying he’s as powerful as you, but he can twist and manipulate things like no other because of his position.” 

Olivia continued. “To be honest with you, I don’t think any of us really believe Penelope killed that maid. During the social season, I saw her cry over a fucking crab bite — you can’t tell me she murdered someone in cold blood. Also, I’m thinking, based on his actions tonight, Bastien knew Penelope was already dead — I’m nearly certain of it.”

“Not to mention, he kept this information to himself until we were ready to question her,” Ray added. “I know for certain those reports take only a few days — most likely less if it’s a priority case. I haven’t seen the photos from your first crime scene, but I can tell it was a setup from Olivia’s descriptions. As the head guard, it would’ve been easy for him to manipulate the situation.” 

“Are you sure, though?” Leo interjected. “I mean, I’ve dealt with Bastien a lot over the years, and I can say he is not a genius. Maybe the opposite — butter knives are sharper than he is.”

“He’s capable, though — that’s what troubles me. I think most of the time he gives off the impression he’s useless, but he’s highly trained in a sum of areas.” Olivia explained. “I sincerely doubt he’s the mastermind behind everything, but I’m confident he’s the reason we keep being set back. Who’s always around? Who’s the one directing these ‘investigations’? It’s him.“

“I — damn…” Leo ran a hand through his hair with wide eyes. “You’re not wrong, and it does kind of make sense…” 

Everyone suddenly recognized Liam remained mute as they spoke. His face showed no emotions; he only stared at Olivia as if she wasn’t even there with an unreadable expression. Liam was a world away as various open ends snapped themselves into place. The murky waters of uncertainty clarified, and the bottom of the cesspool became sharper with every jumbled thought dashing through his mind.

All security decisions went through Bastien, including unauthorized entry into an estate. Bastien was the one investigating the maid’s death, and he was accountable for the search for Riley and Tariq — until Ray came along. Bastien didn’t want to let Ray into Penelope’s room because he knew what was in there, and realized Ray would see right through it; past the stuff even Olivia would have missed. He could outsmart her, but knew he couldn’t Ray, which ultimately meant Bastien knew of Ray’s true purpose. He continuously told Liam he was working to provide answers, but suddenly, he believed Bastien’s intentions to be the exact opposite. 

This whole time, a mole sat right under his nose, continuously feeding them the vaguest of answers. Every time they took a step forward, it was never because of Bastien, but someone always ensured they took two back. He didn’t understand how whoever held the cards seemed to be a move ahead, but now — it made sense. 

Liam thought back to all these instances and realized he didn’t remember seeing Bastien. The night of the country jamboree, a different person escorted him to his room at the end of the night. He never questioned it because it wasn’t unheard of for guards to switch out positions, but now he wondered where Bastien truly was. 

The night of the Apple Banquet, he recalled seeing him at the start of it, but not again until Bastien barged in to inform him of the discovery. Now, he couldn’t help but speculate Bastien took the maid’s life himself, or at least staged the scene to frame Penelope. 

Tonight, before Bastien came to Liam and gave him the news of their suspect, he was nowhere to be found; until Olivia, Ray, and Leo left to interrogate Penelope. 

When Bastien told Liam their person of interest was Penelope, he was in a state of disbelief. Liam questioned him, but Bastien stood his ground. However, now he believed with everything in him, Bastien knew she was already dead and intended to manipulate the circumstances further.

Since he opened his eyes to the truth, he often felt as if he mindlessly ran in a circle, desperately trying to piece small portions of a scattered puzzle together. Now he realized he was — and Bastien directed the never-ending laps, all while dangling tiny slivers of hope in front of Liam’s face — taunting him.

Ultimately, Liam concluded without a shadow of uncertainty — Bastien knew what happened to Riley, and likely held knowledge regarding her location.

Liam suddenly shot up from the edge of his hospital bed. “BASTIEN!” He bellowed at an ear-piercing volume, loud enough to rattle the windows. 

Leo winced. “H–he’s not here, Li.”

“What the fuck do you mean, he’s not here?!” 

“There’s some other guy outside!” 

“He was still lingering around Penelope’s room when Ray and I left.” Olivia chimed in. 

“That’s it — I’m going to find him,” Liam growled through clenched jaws. 

“Liam, wait—” 

“NO MORE WAITING, OLIVIA! Do you see what is happening?! All the blood that’s being shed?! This has to stop!”

“I know and I agree. But we need some kind of strategy–”

“No — this ends now.” Liam bit out. He hastily made his way to the bathroom with his bag of clothes, slamming the door shut behind him. 

Olivia had half a mind to stop Liam until they had some kind of plan, but also felt time was of the essence. If they couldn’t prove Riley left the country, their urgency had to intensify. Her location remained unknown, but they believed she was at least in New York. When Ray first mentioned the possibility that she never left the country, Olivia didn’t want to believe it; after Penelope’s untimely demise, she realized this was a vicious, bloody pattern, and the suspicion needed to be taken seriously.

As the body count rose, Olivia’s concerns steadily increased. If history repeated itself, everyone involved would meet a deadly fate, but they didn’t have a detailed log of all entangled in this web. They had no clue where Riley’s name lay on the list of potential victims, and now they held very little information regarding her whereabouts. An involuntary shudder traveled down Olivia’s spine as the air in the room shifted, filling with an amplified haze of grim uncertainty felt heavily by everyone.

Olivia wholeheartedly believed Riley was alive, but for how much longer she couldn’t determine. The lingering feelings of uneasiness in her gut told her they were correct — she never left Cordonia — and if that was the case, her safety was more in question now than ever before.  

Within the hour, Liam left the hospital and was on his way back to the main estate in Portavira. Although doctors wished to keep him longer, he left AMA — he didn’t need fluids; he didn’t need rest; he needed Riley. If Bastien knew something, he was going to tell them, even if he had to use brute force.

A part of him didn’t want to believe it, but the more he pondered, the more sense it made. A small portion of his heart wanted to give Bastien the benefit of the doubt, but that was no longer an option. The betrayal Liam felt was like no other and quickly created a raging storm inside of him, simply waiting to be unleashed.

Hearing Riley could still be in Cordonia, combined with his out-of-body experience, the need to locate her was higher than ever. Of course, he wondered where she ended up when he believed she went back to the States, but now even that was up in the air. The one thing holding Liam above water was knowing she was far away from the carnage, but that was no longer a valid crutch. The waves of despair rose dangerously high, threatening to overtake and drag him under in one fell swoop. 

Liam tried his hardest to push the instantaneous bad thoughts away, but could feel it in his bones — Riley was in danger. From the beginning, he’d always thought something felt off, but he let his pride stand in the way of seeing the truth. Now it was impossible to ignore, as it tore away at his conscience. Guilty wasn’t even a suitable word to describe how he felt, knowing his negligence let this monstrosity escalate as it had. He turned his back on Riley when she needed him most; she screamed for him, yet he tried his damnedest to leave her in the past for so long. 

However, he used all his willpower to remain in the moment and stay afloat; the only thing he cared about was Riley. Even if they found her and she wanted nothing to do with him, he simply needed to see with his own two eyes that she was safe. He didn’t want to think about why she could still be in Cordonia, but the growing ache in his chest told him it wasn’t a good reason. 

The SUV pulled up to the front entrance of the estate, and Liam didn’t even wait for it to come to a complete stop. He rushed out and barged in through the front doors with fire under his feet. The halls remained eerily quiet as the nobility slept, but he was sure word traveled about not only his hospital stay but Penelope’s tragic passing. Leo, Olivia, and Ray all trailed behind as he ran at top speed. 

Liam dashed up the stairs and rounded the corner, but abruptly stopped once Penelope’s room came into view. The door had yellow caution tape covering the opening, and Liam heard Bastien’s voice inside; the sound reigniting the rage burning deep within. He went to make a bee-line for the door, but a timid hand on his forearm ceased his movements. 

“Y–Your Majesty,” Emmaline got out through hiccups. She retracted her hand with wide eyes and shakily bowed as he faced her. Liam’s features momentarily softened as he took in her running mascara and puffy eyes. “P–Please, Sir… I beg you to reconsider… Please — s–she wouldn’t d–do this…” 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“We were told they’ve ruled Penelope’s d–death… They w–were picking everything up but n–nobody would listen to us! That wasn’t her handwriting. She–she wouldn’t do this… None of it… She was happy — she wouldn’t—” Emmaline shook her head as more tears fell. 

Liam placed a gentle hand on Emmaline’s shoulder and firmly responded, “I apologize for what you were told, but that is not the case — it will become a homicide investigation as soon as I can get someone else assigned. I promise you — I am going to figure out what happened and ensure she receives the justice she deserves.” 

Emmaline swallowed a sob. “W–where did they take her body? They wouldn’t tell us. T–they came in and ripped my baby out of my arms and I don’t know where she is and—”

“Wait, who took her?” 

“Your head guard said h–he had the authority to — remove her.” Emmaline squeezed her eyes closed as her tears fell harder, trying her hardest to wake herself from this nightmare.

Liam used every ounce of resolve he had not to march straight up to Bastien and securely wrap a hand around his throat. “Emmaline, I assure you — I will find her and bring her home. You have my word — I am going to figure this out.” He reiterated, but the fury coursing through his veins was at an all-time high. The amount Bastien thought he could get away with made Liam sick to his stomach, but he was determined to put a stop to it. 

His answers were suffusive for Emmaline, so she bowed and made her leave. After taking a microscopic moment to gain some clarity, Liam addressed Ray. “Since I am removing Bastien, I need you to take over. And I want you to backtrack and look into Rhonda’s homicide as well. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to find anything, but I want you to double-check. I’ll ensure you have access to everything you need, and I’ll inform everyone you are now in charge here. The crown will compensate you generously for your additional time and effort.” 

“Yes, sir,” Ray returned with a confident smile.

“Leo, I need you to figure out where he’s sending Penelope. I’m going to ask him, but in case he won’t tell me, I need her found before anyone messes with or blatantly destroys her body — there is no doubt in my mind that’s where she’s headed. Grab Maxwell and have him help you — I want her returned at once.” 

“You got it.” Leo nodded before he swiftly vacated the area. 

“I’m going to need some guards with me to do this,” Liam spoke, more so to himself than anyone else. 

“Guards?” Olivia repeated. 

“Yes. I won’t risk something happening to him — we will immediately detain Bastien. If he did nothing wrong, I’ll release and reinstate him, but until then, I am officially removing him from his position as head guard.” Liam answered, but regardless of what he said out loud, both of them knew Bastien was guilty; they just weren’t sure of the extent. 

Olivia smirked. “Welcome to the game, King Liam. Would you like for me to assist with questioning?” 

“I have a different job for you first. I need you to sneak into the security office and search through everything. If he’s working to cover up crimes or anything of that nature, he’s got to have something on him — I’m sure of it.” 

“Knowing that cockeyed baboon, I’d say that’s a safe assumption.” Olivia snickered. “But I don’t know if I like the idea of you interrogating him by yourself...” She cast him an unsure glance. 

“I don’t plan on it, Liv. I just need to find Drake.” 

Almost as if on cue, Drake emerged from Penelope’s doorway, carefully dodging the caution tape. He glanced around and as his eyesight landed on Liam, he furrowed his brows and approached. “What’re you doing here, Li? Are you alright?” 

“We have something to take care of.” Liam quickly and quietly laid out the current plan, as well as a vague description of their accusations. 

“Fuck, man… I gotta admit — I had no clue why Liv and that guy had to leave, but I got to stick around.” Drake shook his head, trying to comprehend this blindsiding revelation. 

“If I had to take a guess, I’d say he wanted someone Liam trusted around but needed to ensure the person was completely and utterly clueless,” Olivia inserted with a crooked grin.

Drake scoffed. “First of all, fuck you. Second, you might actually be right, but — you’re still a flaming bitch.” 

“Stop trying to flatter me, Walker,” Olivia retorted, afterward focusing on Liam. “Are we doing this?” 

Liam let out a deep huff of air. “Yeah, we are. Let’s do this.” He responded with the utmost resolution. He squared his shoulders, craned his neck from side to side, and strode into the room with Drake close behind. Olivia took off in the other direction to do her part in Liam’s plan, moving with brisk precision to reach her destination. 

As he entered, Liam got the attention of a few guards and motioned for them to follow. Bastien examined underneath Penelope’s bed, completely oblivious to the added presence in the room. He cleared his throat to gather Bastien’s attention, and Liam noticed his shoulders tense as he identified who stood before him. 

Bastien slowly rose with uncertainty painted on his features. “Your Majesty? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be receiving treatment?” 

Liam chortled as he stalked toward Bastien. He kept a smile plastered in place and shook his head, muttering to himself. When he made it directly in front of him, Liam lowered his voice to a low, gravely rumble; the fake grin he wore instantly replaced by a menacing scowl. “... I bet you’d like that — wouldn’t you?”

Bastien visibly and audibly swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, sir, but I—”

“Of course not.” Liam dismissively agreed. He took a couple of steps back and shrugged. “Regardless, you’re coming with us.”

Panic flashed in Bastien’s eyes; it was brief, but Liam caught it. “With all due respect, I’m not quite finished investigating Lady Penelope’s suic—”

“That is not what this is, and you damn well know it!” Liam abruptly shouted. A tense silence hung for only a moment until he cleared his throat and flatly added, “This is a homicide, and you are no longer a part of it.” He met eyes with one guard who got the silent order loud and clear, the other following suit. They rushed Bastien and captured his arms behind his back, securely holding him in place.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Bastien hollered as he attempted to evade their grip. 

“You’re being taken into custody.” 

“Whatever for?!” Bastien demanded. 

Drake stood in Bastien’s line of sight, mirroring Liam’s irate features. He held his gaze for a long, heated moment before snapping, “You’d better hope and pray we’re wrong, Bastien.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Drake?!” Bastien yelled, squirming against the grasp of those holding him.  

Neither answered the question but merely glared at him; the sheer betrayal and outrage they felt radiated off of them, eliciting a shiver to run down Bastien’s spine. He calmly reasoned, “Sir, I don’t know what this is about, but we can have a rational conversation without all of this nonsense.” He motioned to the guards holding him. 

“No, I don’t think we can, because you see —” Liam stalked toward Bastien, staring into his eyes so intently that he could almost see the wall behind him. As he made it into his comfort zone, Liam lowered his voice and rasped, “They’re only here to get rid of your body if I have to.” He smirked at Bastien’s wide eyes, as well as his complexion paling instantaneously. 

Liam held Bastien’s gaze but addressed the guards. “Take him down to the cells. I’ll be right behind you.”

As they dragged Bastien away, he hollered and stirred up a fuss. Liam ignored his pleas, instead trying to prepare himself for what lay ahead. He wanted clarity, but a part of him dreaded Bastien’s confession; it would be another stark reminder of what his negligence caused. The guilt tearing away at his insides was at an unfathomable level, but he had to push that aside to focus on the task at hand.

He tried to keep his composure, but the gloves were off; there was no more control. Bastien knew something and regardless of what he had to do, Liam was hell bent on making him talk. Innocent lives taken and families destroyed, along with Riley’s heinous attack — all of which rested heavily on his conscience. He was determined to serve a steaming hot platter of justice to all he deemed deserving, regardless of what it took.

The next step in making that happen was getting a pig to squeal. 

As he stood next to Drake, the facade of a composed monarch slipped onto the floor. He didn’t have enough strength left to keep it together. He embraced his emotions and vowed to follow their direction, but the only thing remaining was pure, unfiltered rage. 

Gone was the timid, people-pleasing prince with his mother’s baby-blue eyes. Instead, a carnal lion with dark, dilated pupils awakened, centered on the dangling piece of meat in his face — Bastien. 

#the royal romance #choices the royal romance #king liam #trr au #liam rys #trr #choices trr #choices #ghosted #cfwc fics of the week #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #prince liam #drake walker #olivia nevrakis #leo rys #mature

[cadybear420]

which choices scene lives in your head rent-free?

Literally every scene with Aiden lmao. But here are some particular favorite Aiden scenes:

At Brian's party where MC can show Aiden "some sexy moves". A bit of an awkward scene I have mixed feelings about but I headcanon Aiden eventually tries to learn some of those kinds of moves to impress MC. And when he actually shows them off to MC it just stops them in their tracks lol.

The scene where you can listen to Aiden play piano. That was the "no going pack, point of no return" moment for me, where I knew he was the LI I wanted to pursue in HSS.

When Aiden shows up to MC's door to ask them to homecoming with a violin tune he composed solely for that purpose.

And then when he has the audacity during the carriage ride scene at the carnival to go "I wish I could plan stuff for you" as if he didn't just compose a whole ass song just to ask MC to homecoming with.

When Isa tries to make Frank escort Aiden from the basketball game and you can have your MC stand between them to "defend Aiden's honor".

When you explore the basement with Aiden and you find out Isa wants to expel your MC and Aiden gets all like "I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're not expelled."

When MC and Aiden become official and Aiden straight up cheers and jumps in the air when MC says yes.

When they dance together to a Singin in the Rain song at the Golden Griddle

The scene where they walk along the beach at Caleb's party

Aiden's entire promposal CG

Their post-promposal cliffside picnic scene

MC and Aiden confessing their love for each other at prom

Many of the moments in their scene on the balcony, but especially when you can choose to shout the Circle of Life song to make an echo and how that eventually leads to MC liFTING UP AIDEN !!!!!

And as for non-Aiden scenes...

Kamilah saying "I'm her queen, and she's mine" in the climactic scene of BB book 2

Getting to spin Tyler in MAH in the scene where he and MC dance on the football field

Getting to defend Tyler from asshole jocks in a MAH premium scene

ROE Newlyweds where you have options to choose how MC and LI go into their new house together. Either having them walk in at the same time, having LI carry MC in, or having MC carry LI in. Obviously I chose the 3rd one and it did not disappoint. For the record I think all romance scenes in Choices should follow this kind of formula whenever possible.

[NSFW warning] TNA 3 was a trainwreck, but the smut scene in Ch1 gives you an option to play with Sam's ass and they describe MC slipping a finger between his cheeks. It was a very small scene, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time in PB history that a female character was allowed to get into her man's bootyhole and I was very here for it.

In a premium scene with Tom in Ch1 of ILB, you can choose to say this lil flirty compliment to him and he just jumps and scatters stuff on the boat everywhere.

All the moments in the Imtura/m!MC route where it's just so shamelessly r/RoleReversal. Like when she picks MC up, or lifts him and spins him around when they dance, when he wraps his legs around her waist, the numerous times they draw attention to Imtura's flexing biceps, etc.

Estela going "Do. Not. Touch. My. Husband!". I haven't played her route yet but this moment's mere existence is why I need to do an Estela x m!MC route immediately.

ES Book 3 Ch8/9? when they're in some cave/dungeon thing, Craig sees Zahra's decoy skeleton with the streak of maroon hair, and just screams and breaks down. Those two were easily my favorite relationship in that series and this scene cements it.

Drake's swimsuit CG in TRR 1. One of the few rare times where a male character wears an actually flattering swimsuit lol.

The premium scene in TRR 1 Ch1 where you can take Liam on a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty. Fun fact, TRR 1 was the first Choices book I ever started, right when I first downloaded the app. Once he started talking about how much he appreciated my MC for that boat ride he won my heart almost instantly.

HSS:CA Book 2 ending where Ajay calls my MC "janu".

Val Greaves referring to empress Azura as "She Who Craps Lightning".

That one CG of the stripper running in BP.

Man I'm sure there's more lol.

#choices stories you play #choices #choices game #choices stories we play #choices stories we play fandom #high school story #hss #choices hss #aiden zhou #choices high school story #hss aiden #aiden x mc #mc x aiden #high school story aiden #I'm not tagging the rest of these books #can't be arsed #lol

[phoenixrising0308]

Learning How To Waltz

Books: The Royal Romance 1-3 to Royal Heir and cross-over characters from other choices universes.

Rating: M (18+) Sexual situation and adult themes.

Trigger Warnings in this chapter: Miscarriage and infertility.

Pairing: Liam Rys x Jessica Garcia (MC)

Agent Phoenix Forged in Fire Series premise: This is a canon divergent series set after TRR 3 Tariq is never found. Liam’s duty to his country forces him into marriage. Jessica and Liam enter into a Cordonian arrangement. Both of them wanted to have a life together. However, various obstacles prevent him from a divorce and having the life they both want together. With dreams of a future crushed, Jessica leaves Cordonia. Despite a five-year absence, they are still heartbroken and unable to forget each other and the life they once shared. When Jessica’s career path takes an expected turn, her duty to her country pushes her to Cordonia, back into the society that burned her, and back into Liam’s sights. Will she rise from the ashes or once again go down in flames? Catch up here 

Disclaimer

A/N: Day 12 Dance of @choicesmonthlychallenge

*This is a oneshot that is a part of the main story and events will occur in a later chapter*

A/N : In order to stay in Cordonia Jessica was adopted by the Beaumont’s you can read the story here

A/N #2: This oneshot was previously published July 17, 2022 on this authors previous blog handle that handle is no longer in use and this story was transitioned to this blog Oct 22, 2022 by this author.

Chapter Summary: Liam learns the true meaning of the Cordonian Waltz

Word count: 2,219 *please excuse typos and grammatical errors*

Reading time: 8 Minutes

Song inspiration: Close Your Eyes - Michael Bublé

Years Ago -

Palace Ballroom

The taps of Mistress Angelique's cane were heard on the ballroom floor as Olivia and Liam were forty-five minutes into their private dance class. They were learning the Cordonian Waltz. It was expected of them to dance it at every event moving forward at their age.

“Keep your head up, Your Royal Highness.”

“Take smaller steps, Your Grace.”

Liam held Olivia by the waist, moving to the music as gracefully as can be for two twelve olds.

“Shoulders up.”

“Remember to smile.”

The Mistress chided them. “Are you two even in the same room? Watch your footwork.”

“Olivia, do you think you will ever like this?”

“No,” Olivia said firmly.

“The male partner leads. Don't fight it.”

“I heard this used to be a courting dance. Like, you are telling someone you like them.”

“Lovely, feel the music.”

Olivia quipped, “Liam, why are you so sentimental? It's so repetitive. It means nothing.”

Liam sighed, “Olivia, I was just wondering if it will feel the same when we are dancing with the person that has been arranged for us to marry.”

“I still believe it will STILL be boring. It's just a sequence of steps.”

“I suppose you're right.

“Now twirl me.”

Years Later -

Social Season

Grand Hall - Masquerade Ball

Liam cringed inwardly but hid it with a smile as the Lady in waiting he danced with stepped on his foot once more.

“Lady Penelope-”

“Oh, sorry! I'm not the best at this.”

He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. “It's perfectly fine. Just try to move with me as I lead.”

The dance ended, and soon, he was forced to part with her and switch to Lady Kiara. She was better but was moving too slow.

“Prince Liam, you're moving quite fast.” She muttered with a huff of laughter.

He frowned but quickly recovered. “My apologies, Lady Kiara.”

He tried to use the technique Leo told him so many years ago to fake it till he found the one. He tried envisioning the woman he felt he was meant for, but that only helped so much as his partner's own footwork played into account.

More suitors were being announced, so he made his way back to the receiving line. In the distance, he saw someone he quite couldn't place. She wore an angel costume and wings; he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. In his heart, he remembered the curves of her body from that one night, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up that fate intervened on his behalf and that the woman he met from New York just the other night was at the ball. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he steadied his breath as he saw her walk towards his father, giving him a perfect deep curtsy, and then made her way towards him.

Fire and Ice Ball - Lythikos

“Lady Olivia.” He bowed. She gave a curtsy in her red dress. “Your Highness, I'm next. I hope you find me a better dance partner than the last one. Madeleine just can't seem to get that she isn’t even in the running. I suppose it's kind of you to entertain her.”

Liam allowed a chuckle to escape as they moved in time. “Oh, she has her moments, but she is an excellent dancer.”

Olivia scoffed, “Maybe, but she doesn't know your steps as I do. You still favor your right side when we spin.”

He gave a slight smile, “Do I?”

She grinned, “Yes, you do. Do you remember us learning together?”

“Of course. You hated it.”

She sighed wistfully, “You were my first dance partner and the only one that I didn't mind tolerating this stupid dance with. You remember asking if we would feel this way once we danced with the ones we were meant to marry?”

“Something like that.”

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Despite her harsh demeanor, she allowed herself to be vulnerable with him.

“Well, do you feel that way now, Liam?”

He hesitated. “Well...Our moves have improved greatly and...I feel more at ease.” He fumbled.

'I don't feel that way about you, Olivia. It kills me to see you look at me like that when it's not mutual. I don't think it ever will be….' He thought to himself as her smile shrank in size ever so slightly with his answer.

Olivia said, “I suppose it can come with time. For what it's worth; I still think it's a dumb, repetitive dance. It just seems less boring with you.”

He forced a smile as they parted. And finally, the partner he had secretly been eager for appeared before him. He felt butterflies in his stomach as she came forward to curtsy. Olivia left with a glare directed at the woman and a sad frown at how Liam looked at her.

Liam gave her glowing smile, “Fancy seeing you here.”

Apple Blossom Festival Ball

He stood there in the first position, and he gave her a smile; the entire crowd was looking at them. Madeleine’s footwork was vastly better than most, but that was because she was trained beyond measure. She moved gracefully but with zero passion.

She barely spoke to him; her smile was forced as her eyes held no mirth in them. Liam tried to make small talk, “Your dancing is impressive, Lady Madeleine.”

“Thank you for noticing, Your Highness. It should be the bare minimum to be able to do a proper Cordonian waltz. I fear the other Lady's lack that.”

Liam frowned, “Lady Madeleine-”

She released a small huff, “Oh, you're right. That's not fair of me. After all, the others try their best. If only their best was as good as my bare minimum.” She smirked at him, her fingers on his shoulder skimming up to his neck.

He instantly released her as the song ended. He was relieved he did his duty and could now work his way around the room and hopefully talk to her.

Social season-closing ball

Grand hall

Liam gave Jessica a glowing smile, “Fancy seeing you here.” and extended his hand to her, and she took it. Jessica immediately went into the first position of the dance and felt the slight pressure of Liam's palm in her own hand. His other hand held her by the waist.

“Red is a beautiful color on you.” He remarked as they moved.

“Thank you. And well, I think you look absolutely perfect in your Royal Regalia.”

He smiled down at her. “I don't deserve the word. You, on the other hand, most definitely do. But thank you for the compliment.”

Liam and Jessica reversed spun, and Liam rolled his eyes at the elaborate gift display on the table they danced near.

Jessica saw his eye roll and said, “I know the other suitors got you more elegant gifts. But I wanted to give you something meaningful. I mean, do you even have keys to put in the key-ring?”

He looked surprised at her, thinking that eye roll would ever be towards her or her endearing gift. He gazed down at her tenderly, “Oh, Jess. I love it. I actually don't have any keys. I've never had a need for them. I suppose when I move to more permanent quarters with the Queen regent, I will make sure we have a lock installed that requires a key. So, I can use this key chain.”

Jessica nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, tonight, you decide who you're spending your life with.”

Liam smiled back at her. “Yes, I do.”

She swallowed with a pause before speaking. “...Then, I hope I gave you something to remember me by.” Jessica softly said with a sad smile.

Liam's eyes got wide. “Jess, your gift will forever remind me of you!... Of the night I met you. The Statue of Liberty is this enduring symbol of freedom, and I thought I would lose my freedom, but meeting you has been liberating. For the first time in my whole life, I feel free.”

Jessica smiled, “You have this sparkle in your eyes when you're excited. I will never get over it. It's the sweetest thing.” Jessica's tone wavered a bit, and she continued, “I wanted to remember you like that.”

Liam heard the emotion in her voice, and he looked at her. “There was a time when I couldn’t stand doing the Cordonian Waltz.”

“Really? This is fun. I’ve always liked it.”

“Well, I was twelve when I learned it. I’ve had one too many waltz partners.”

“Oh. I’ve only danced with you. I’d be a mess if I did it with someone else. You always looked graceful doing it.”

“Well, I learned how to anticipate my partner's steps. It became a skilled chess game of sorts. To properly dance the waltz, the internal counting of both dancers would need to be in sync with each other. Done correctly, the partners share a train of thought or a heartbeat, if you will. When you don’t connect, it seems forced. When it’s organic, it’s flawless. That’s why it was a courting dance.”

Jessica released a pleasant sigh as she felt just how easy it was to be with him. “I love that. It’s so sentimental and intimate.”

He continued, “I haven’t had to count when I dance with someone, in particular. The pressure I place on her palm, the way I hold her, or the way we move together on the dancefloor is more meaningful than I could have possibly imagined as a twelve old boy.” Liam held her closer to him and whispered in her ear, “So, the final twirl is up after our box step. I was hoping to steal a moment of your time to talk to you alone.”

They gazed at each other intensely with the type of intimacy the other contestants could never even imagine.

Liam thought she was the one that night they met in New York. But in that moment and every moment in between, he knew she was his one and only.

Jessica smiled at him, “Liam, there is nothing to steal. All my moments since I came here have always been yours.”

Maze Garden

Liam held Jessica in his arms, and they both enjoyed the afterglow. He lovingly combed his fingers through her hair and whispered, “That was everything I hoped it would be. I love you.”

She held Liam's face in her hands and kissed him sweetly. “God. I love you.”

Liam gave a content smile and closed his eyes. “I have heard the words before, but I felt they were empty. When you say it, I believe it...And moments ago, I felt it. I am the luckiest man in the world. I get to feel your love for the rest of my life.”

“Liam, I never knew what those three words meant until I met you. It happened so fast.” She chuckled against his chest.

“Let's enjoy this moment before I need to share you with the world.” He kissed her forehead and laid there in the garden maze under the stars.

One year later ...

Apple Blossom Festival Ball

Liam forced his feet to move with the woman that ensnared him, even though it felt like a chain was on his leg. She smiled at him but only when they passed a few of the press documenting the event.

“Move us over closer; they'll never be able to see me.” She hissed while she faked a smile.

Liam frowned openly, “Wouldn't want that now would we, Madeleine?”

“Remember; good press gets out to other countries and the people. It means unity and alliances...Smile, dear.”

Liam quickly flashed a smile, whether he liked it or not, as a camera flashed their way. It dropped the second his back was towards them. He twirled her and whispered in her ear, “I thought I told you not to call me that. I'm not your dear, and you will never be my love. You know who that title belongs to.”

She rolled her eyes as she spun back to him, “Fine. You and your weak-minded sentiments. I mean, she was invited. I guess she is just a sore loser. She left. I guess she couldn’t take it.”

He glared down at her, her hands tightening painfully around his, “She fulfilled her duty to house Beaumont and was excused. You should know not only was she invited by me but Regina invited her personally.”

“Pity she did. I suppose tradition dedicated you to invite last year's Apple Queen… Remember, Liam she is just an Apple Queen, not a QUEEN… Like ME.”

They parted as the dance ended, “I need air.”

He walked away as she said, “Hurry back in time for the dinner. It will look pathetic if you're late.”

Liam marched out and to the garden maze. He dragged his hands across his face with a loud groan, collapsing on a bench.

“You looked like shit out there.”

He raised a brow to his brother, who entered the maze, “Well, I feel like shit.” He glared up at the night sky, “I hate this Leo. I hate having to dance with her, to pretend we're happy, to have the love of my life watch. The amount of disrespect it is to Jess kills me!”

Leo sat beside him, “Yeh, it's fucked up. Anyone with eyes can see you look like you're being forced to dance.”

“What am I to do? I can't get out of this yet. I plan on it, though.”

Leo smiled and patted his brother's back, “And you will! You and Jessie were magic during the social season. You both danced like you were the only ones in the room. You'll get that again, but till then, you have to be smart and strong about this. Play along and keep up with your image.”

Liam nodded sadly, “I know. The better my image is with Madeleine, the safer Jessica is. If my image falters, the press will know something is wrong.”

Leo finished for him, “And they will instantly go after the American traitor as your Mistress. That will put her in more danger than ever before. Hang in there.”

Later that evening ...

Liam’s Apartment in the Capitol

Jessica pushed all the furniture in their apartment back while she was still in her ball gown, and she smiled when she heard his keys jingle on his key-chain as he tried to open the door to their apartment.

When he opened the door, she jumped to her feet, and Liam gave her a bright smile as he entered the apartment, “Jessica Garcia Beaumont, what are you doing?”

She gave him a deep curtsy and said, “I believe it's my turn for a dance, Your Majesty. I’ve been waiting all night for this.”

“Right now? No music or anything?” Liam said with a smile.

“Who needs music when your heartbeat sets the pace.” She smirked and took his hand. She released a chuckle, “I forget how gigantic you are without my heels on.”

Her bare feet moved under her dress in time with him as he laughed, “Or maybe, love, you forget how short you are without heels.”

“Fine, just try not to step on my toes with your shoes.”

“As if that would happen.” He led as they both moved effortlessly together. He lowered his head to touch her forehead before he twirled her, “We don't need music. Our hearts and bodies know exactly what the other is going to do.”

She twirled and rested her head on his chest to look up at him as he held her close. She replied, “Two bodies, one soul and heartbeat.”

He smiled as he spun her back to face him, holding her hand close to his heart as they moved.

“I've never met anyone that I can dance so easily with. I've danced with so many Lady's of the court, and they all paled in comparison to you. This dance always felt empty and forced before I danced with you.”

She smiled up at him. “I never had too many dances, but even I know the ones I did get to have were nothing compared to what we share now.”

He lowered his head as she stood up on his shoes and then on her toes to reach him. Kissing each other softly before they parted and she tenderly cupped his face.

“God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” He held her close as they continued dancing the rest of the evening away.

Years later…

Cordonian State Dinner

Liam stood in the decorated ballroom, walked to the dance floor. He gave a charming smile and said in a whisper, “Fancy seeing you here.” He bowed and closed his eyes, and he held himself in the first position and said, “God, you look beautiful tonight.” He took a few steps by himself, imagining she was in his arms, but she wasn't. She left and he had no idea how to find her.

He heard a few steps echo into the grand hall and he stopped himself, quickly wiping a few tears from his face.

Drake entered and noticed a few drops of tears on Liam’s shirt but chose to not address it and said, “Liam, we have everything ready for tonight's event.”

“Great, I think the Ambassador would enjoy a little Cordonian hospitality in his honor.”

“That reminds me, I asked Justin for the final headcount between staff and guest about an hour ago.”

“Yes, I have him doing the guest section of the list while Claudius is overseeing the staff section of the list. I expect it to be handed in within the next hour.”

Drake took a deep breath and said, “Hey you want to grab a quick drink now? It’s gonna be a long night.”

Liam thought for a second and was about to respond, declining the invitation to hurt to be sociable.

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. Just two guys having a drink and if you want to share I’m here to listen just like I always am… Brother.”

Liam nodded his head the pair exited the grand hall and to Liam’s Koi pond where they would watch the Koi swim the place where he felt the closest to her and the child they lost years ago.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Throwback Fics #129

Open Heart

Baby It's Cold Outside | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @jerzwriter

Here with Me | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @coffeeheartaddict2

Hottest Man Alive | Ethan Ramsey x M!MC - @dr-colossal-pita

Kokoleka Wela (Hot Chocolate) | Bryce Lahela; Keiki Lahela - @storyofmychoices

On the East Coast | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @potionsprefect

Still Into You | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @liaromancewriter

The Royal Romance

Cinnamon Spice | Unidentified Male character from TRR  x F!OC - @bebepac

Hinge: New Beginnings (Christmas in Valtoria) | Liam Rys x MC x Drake Walker - @angelasscribbles

A Winged Wish | Drake Walker x MC - @karahalloway

#cfwc throwback fics #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfic #choices fic writers creations

[alj4890]

Do you have any fics in the works? Tell us about them!

Looking forward to any other writer's upcoming fics? Tell us about them too!

🤦🏻‍♀️ yep. My WIP folder has over seventy ideas/fics/pieces of series/and tons of pic prompts. I've had weeks of writer's block with only an occasional flicker of inspiration 😑

I'm trying to finish up some of those but my brain is not cooperating. The headaches aren't helping either 🤦🏻‍♀️

Fics/series in the works:

Two Thomas Hunt x OC*Amanda series called Worth the Wait and Stepping Forward. Both are angsty so far 🤷🏻‍♀️ but if I can ever get the wording right it will have happy endings 🤣 I'm also attempting to continue my Regency Era RCD AU series, None But You, in the process.

A few Thomas Hunt drabbles also are mixed in that folder 😂

A TRR Olivia series where Liam abdicates to be with Riley thus making our favorite duchess the Queen of Cordonia.

Part two to L-O-V-E

Requests for Liam x Riley and Maxwell Beaumont x OC*Sherry Alcantar that I promise I'm working on. And a couple for my While We're Young AU of characters that were requested months ago. Yes, there will be more glimpses into a couple of princes and their particular ladies and Jackson x Nicky.

An Open Hearts series called Mixed Signals (my first ever 😂) with my F!MC. Chris deals with feelings for Tobias, Ethan, and Bryce. It would start after the attack in Book 2. Though honestly I'm thinking of scrapping all of it to just write the actual storyline I've had in my mind with all the Tobias Carrick x Chris Valentine drabbles I'm working on 🤦🏻‍♀️ Definitely a happier storyline for those two, LOL!

A Perfect Match drabble with Damien and Nadia.

And my first ever Laws of Attraction drabble for my M!MC x Aislinn Tanaka 🤞 Hopefully it will turn out okay. I got inspired when I decided to restart the series and go a Male MC route 😂

And as always, I'm behind on reading fics from everyone I follow. Life keeps getting in the way of me being able to binge and when I do find time to open Tumblr up, I try and focus on that blasted Drafts folder.

#choices trr #choices rcd #choices open heart #choices perfect match #choices laws of attraction #thomas hunt x amanda #liam x riley #olivia nevarkis #oh ethan ramsey #tobias carrick x f!mc #open heart bryce #damien nazario #nadia park #M!MC x Aislinn Tanaka

[cassiaallen]

I was scrolling through some tags and, inspired by @brothersbeaumont, I decided to do this Choices interview. Hopefully some people will enjoy this and maybe it’ll help me connect with some fellow Choices fans 😁☺️

Favorite book(s) and why:

-TRR series: it was my first ever Choices book. I’ve replayed it multiple times and have grown really attached to the characters and the story. I feel like a lot of TRH was made up as they went along, but I love my LI and baby, so I went along with it 😂🙈

-TNA: I love the MC being a female scientist (defying gender roles) and her relationship with Sam. I understand when people call it rushed and 99% physical, but I can feel a connection between them. Also, I loved that we could choose a female Sam.

-PTR: I loved the travelling and the multitude of gorgeous LIs.

-BB: I love babies and my mayoral LI - although this was a book where I hoped we could be polyamorous 🙈 I was positively surprised that the rich male soon-to-dad accepted he would be a father without complications - I assumed there would be drama about him not accepting the child and dismissing having anything to do with it.

-Save The Date: LGBT representation + 2 gorgeous LIs (I don’t count Justin)

-ROE: I love weddings and 2/3 LIs.

Your Mc’s LI for each story you’re playing:

1. TRR: Liam (Nerio) - I used to be in love with Hana, but when I replayed to go her route, I just didn’t feel it and went back to my king ♥️

2. ROE: William (Kevin) and Leo (I played TRR first so it felt weird to date my brother-in-law 😂🙈 but eventually I decided to go his route and he’s cute)

3. TNA: Sam obviously

4. Save The Date: Lindsay, then Simon (?)

5. PTR: I stared romancing Sumire, but ended up falling for Marisa

6. MFTL: Ava (Jenny) cause I’m wlw, but this was a hard decision

7. RT: Robin Tora

8. BB: Myra (Penny), one playthrough with Covington

9. BP: Aisha

10. MOTY: Thomas Mendez

11. TFMS: I only played the side stories with Kaitlyn

Favorite MC ship:

1. MC x Liam (Nerio)

Least favorite MC ship:

MC x Justin (Save The Date)

Favourite non-MC ship:

Monica x Nora (Save The Date)

Least Favorite Non-MC ship:

Nicole x Audrey (I used to love them, but after reading some essays on them I changed my mind)

Favourite character and why:

The Heir in TRH/TRF, she’s just the cutest, funniest little girl and I love her so much 🥺

Least favourite character and why:

Aunt Mallory and Barthelemy Beaumont; Mallory is terrible to her daughter and tried to kill her niece, Barthelemy is a murderer and tried to steal my daughter.

Character you like but most people don’t:

Idk, probably Mason (Vincent) from MTFL.

Character you don’t like that most people do:

Robin Flores from TNA.

Which character are you most like in real life:

I relate to the TRR MC for being a hopeless romantic.

I relate to Penelope of the same series because of her anxiety.

I relate to RT MC's sister because I strongly care about the climate crisis.

If you could be in any choices story, what would you choose:

TRR, because while I am an anti-royalist, I do love my little family 🥰

#choices save the date #choices the royal heir #choices stories you play #choices trr #the royal romance #choices fandom #interview #choices roe #rules of engagement #choices babu #choices tna #the nanny affair #passport to romance

[zigsnose]

Edits Masterlist

*I've hit the limit for the amount of links you can have in a post, so check the "zn edit" tag for any missing links

📖 Blades of Light & Shadow

Genderbend: Aerin, Mal, & Nia

Modern AU: Imtura, Mal, Nia, & Tyril

Imtura:

M! Imtura

Mal:

Character swap: Raleigh Carrera

Nia:

D&D Dresses

Tyril:

As a rogue

📖 Bloodbound

Male MCs

MC from the Hot Couture cover in the "Spread Your Wings" outfit

Kamilah:

Professor at Belvoire

Lily:

In natural hairstyles

On the cover of Book 2

📖 The Crown & The Flame

Character swap: Luisa & Val

Main cast in present-day Cordonia

📖 The Elementalists

Pend Pals in D&D attire

Pend Pals as kids

Tim with a hat

Atlas:

Black M! Atlas in different hairstyles

📖 Endless Summer

Realistic: Estela, Jake, Sean, & Quinn

Realistic Jake v2

Realistic: Grace, Aleister, Raj, & Michelle

Realistic: Diego, Varyyn, Craig & Zahra

Realistic Diego v2

Realistic: Rourke, Lundgren, Mike, & Fiddler

Realistic: F! MCs

Realistic: M! MCs

Ember of Hope looks

📖 Foreign Affairs

Fancier "Soiree of Nations" outfit on masculine MCs

More casual "Soiree of Nations" outfit on feminine MCs

Blaine:

F! Blaine but she's edgier and buff

F! Blaine in suits

Tatum:

In casual outfits

In barongs

📖 The Freshman

Masc MCs

TF x Bloodbound icons

📖 The Haunting of Braidwood Manor

Modern! Eleanor

📖 Hero

Realistic: Eva, Grayson, Kenji, & Caleb

Realistic: Poppy, Dax, Silas, & Shrapnel

Realistic: F! MCs

📖 Hot Couture

Luz:

Luz & MC in matching fits

College! Luz

📖 Laws of Attraction

Custom Female Ricci (+ Latino Gabe)

📖 Mother of the Year

Levi:

MOTY appreciation week

F! Levi

📖 My Two First Loves

Principal Jennings every day to his son

Noah x Mason ala TNA

Ava:

Better winter outfit

📖 Nightbound

Alternate Niks on the cover

📖 Open Heart

Elijah with a beard

Open Heart but it's all women (+ M! Jackie)

Aurora:

Date Idea | Rock-climbing

Rock-climbing outfits

Casual outfits

Bryce:

Shazam-style poster

Date Idea | Cooking class

Teen! - (1)(2)

Hair AU

As a circus performer (Distant Shores) w/ Jackie

Ethan:

Date Idea | Hiking

Custom Male Dr. Ramsey

Custom Female Dr. Ramsey

Jackie:

Date Idea | Axe-throwing

As a circus performer (Distant Shores) w/ Bryce

Rafael:

Date Idea | Samba lesson

📖 Platinum

Male MCs

Raleigh:

M! Raleigh singing Pink Sweat$ songs

Character swap: Mal Volari

📖 Queen B

Zoey, Poppy, Chloe & Veronica in winter outfits

Genderbend: Zoey, Poppy, Chloe & Veronica

Genderbend: Carter, Luis, Ford, & Michael

Masc MCs

📖 Red Carpet Diaries

Masc MCs

📖 Ride or Die / With Every Heartbeat

Updated RoD/WEH Black MC

Masc MCs

F!Logan

📖 The Royal Masquerade

Hunter icons

Kayden icons

📖 The Royal Romance

TRR but it’s all women

F! Liam: Face 2 & 3 

More F! Drake

M! Hana

— Miscellaneous

Custom app icons

Curvy F!MCs | Extras 1 - 2 - 3

Lovelink matches in Choices style:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Emerson w/ animated facial expressions | Other outfits

Taylor

Sheng's casual outfit

Character recreations from other games:

Cove Holden from Our Life: Beginnings & Always

Lucas Charming from Lovestruck's Ever After Academy

MC & Zoe Banks from Lovestruck's Queen of Thieves

Leon Kwan & Nikolai Stirling from Lovestruck's Queen of Thieves | Extras

Unit Bravo from The Wayhaven Chronicles | Part 2

Julian Devorak from The Arcana

Asra Alnazar from The Arcana

Muriel from The Arcana

#zn edit

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Seventeen

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

Masterlist

Callum speaks to his former competition and receives an offer from Madeline.

“What just happened?” Drake asks, stunned.  

Liam slowly shakes his head.  “I honestly have no idea.”

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

I lean my head against elevator doors, the cool steel soothing the sharp pain stabbing at my frontal lobe. 

Hi, God.  It’s me, Callum.  I say this with full disrespect… you have a sick sense of humor.  Believe me when I say I am not one of your strongest warriors; I definitely don’t need to be tested any further.  And another thing –

The doors spring open, interrupting my impromptu heart to heart with God.  I unobtrusively straighten my jacket as I step out of the elevator and back into the ballroom, and quickly work my way to the bar, keeping an eye out for Maxwell and Hana as I do. 

I slide onto a barstool, coming face to face with the bartender from earlier.

“Back so soon?” he asks coyly, leaning his elbows onto the bar top, bringing his face close to mine.

“Couldn’t stay away.”  I manage to give him a half-hearted smile.  “Could I get a bottle of the Baird Dark Sky and two shots of the seventeen year old Hibiki whiskey, neat?  Please?”

“Anything for you, sir.” he says playfully, smirking as he turns away to get my order.

Hi, God.  It’s me again… am I a joke to you, old man?

“Here you are, sir.”  The bartender slides my order to me, peeking up at me from beneath his lashes.  “I was wondering if you had any plans – ”

“Seducing the help already, Callum?”

I’d know that shrill voice anywhere.  I still hear it in my nightmares.

“Excuse me, darlin’.  I need to speak to Satan’s mistress for a moment.”  I twist on my barstool to come face-to-face to with her. How’ve you been, Smokeshow?”

 She takes a sip of her drink, gazing at me over the rim of her glass, and shrugs one delicate shoulder.  “Busy. Traveling with the court as we partake in this,” she grimaces.  “Engagement tour.”

I toss back my first shot, chasing it with a sip of beer before I say anything.  “Yeah, about that.”  I lean forward and lower my voice.  “What the hell happened?  Madeline?  Madeline, of all people?!”

“She was the best choice out of all the remaining suitors,” Olivia says sourly.  “Liam had very few choices by the end of the social season.”

“Where the hell were you when he was making his choice?”

“I was forced to leave the competition shortly after you dropped out.”  She gives me a tight smile.

“Why?”  I squint at her suspiciously.

“Someone had information about my parents.  Something that could hurt them, damage their memory.  I couldn’t let that happen.  Not even for Liam.”

“Somebody was rigging the competition,” I realize.  “They wanted Madeline to win.”

“Exactly,” Olivia says grimly.

“Did you ever figure out who it was?” I ask, sipping my beer.

She looks away, draining the last of her drink before answering me.  “Constantine.”

“Why am I not even surprised?” I mutter, throwing back my second shot.  “Does Liam know?”

Olivia nods.

“And he still chose to go through with this?”  I raise my eyebrows.

She shrugs.  “Liam agreed with Constantine that Madeline was the most qualified suitor left.  He wasn’t willing to leave Cordonia without a queen.”

“And he’ll do anything for Cordonia,” I finish her thought.

“What else could he do?  You had already left; all Constantine had to do was eliminate the remaining competitors until the only appropriate choice was Madeline.  He backed Liam into a corner.”  She gracefully slides off her barstool.  “As fun as this little reunion has been, I’m ready to leave now.”

“See you around, Smokeshow.”  I give her a slight finger wave, watching the back of her red dress until she disappears into the crowd.  I swivel in my seat, leaning back against the bar top and gazing out into the ballroom.  I slowly sip my beer as I study the party guests, scanning carefully as I attempt to locate a certain former king.

Gotcha, old man.

Beer in hand, I slide off my barstool and weave my way into the crowd, moving towards a recessed corner of the room where Constantine stands, accompanied by two bodyguards. 

Where’s Bastien?

I leave a few people between myself and the trio, patiently waiting until Constantine becomes distracted by the mayor, who draws him into a lively conversation.  A few seconds later the bodyguards turn their attention away from the king and begin scanning the ballroom for threats, each one looking in a different direction.  Using the surrounding party goers as cover, I slink over towards Constantine, coming to a stop directly behind him.

“Don’t move,” I say quietly as the mayor moves away, drawing my index finger down his back until it rests between his shoulder blades.

“What are you doing?” he hisses, stopping himself mid-turn.

“I didn’t appreciate you leaking all the private details of my life to the Cordonian media,” I say conversationally.

“MacKenzie.”  Constantine clenches his jaw so tightly I can hear his teeth grind together.

“I heard you threatened to do the same thing to Lady Olivia.”

“Liam could not be trusted to make the decision on his own.  I needed to make sure that he would make the correct choice for Cordonia,” he says coldly.

“He deserves to have better than you as a father,” I seethe.

“Think what you want.  Liam’s decision to wed Madeline is final, and there is nothing that can change that.  Did you come over here just to discuss my son’s engagement?”

“No,” I say softly.  “I just wanted to let you know I know exactly what you did.  And to you remind that no matter how many bodyguards you have, someone will always be able to get to you.  Have a lovely evening.”

I melt back into the crowd, quickly putting some distance between me and Constantine’s bodyguards.  I spy Hana and Maxwell on the dancefloor, and move to take up a spot nearby to watch them, hoping to speak to them when the song is over.  After a few moments, someone steps over to stand next to me.  I glance down and see Madeline scowling at me.

“What are you doing here?” she demands.

“I was invited,” I say in a bored voice.

Madeline snorts.  “If you’re back in Liam’s life that’s fine.  Have all the feelings you want for one another.  A tryst here and there can be managed but do not embarrass me.”

“You don’t care that you’re about to marry a man who is in love with someone else?”

“When you’re behind closed doors, you can have his heart and whatever other part of him you want.  As long as I have the crown and an heir and a spare, I really don’t care what he does.  This is practically the best thing that could’ve happened to you.”

I glance at her out of the corner of my eye.  “I think you’re severely overestimating my interest in your future marriage.”

“I’m trying to work with you,” Madeline sighs.

“Once again, not interested.”  I shrug my shoulders.  “But… if I do decide I want Liam again, I won’t be sharing him.  Don’t get too comfortable, Madeline.”

She opens her mouth to snap back, quickly closing it as she sees Maxwell and Hana hurrying towards us.  Madeline sneers at me one last time before stalking off.

“Was that Madeline?” Maxwell asks, peeking around me.  “Where’s Drake?  Have you talked to Liam yet?”

“Drake is with Liam.  I’ve talked to him… we’re just taking some time to think about things.”

“We don’t time to think about things,” Maxwell replies.  “Liam is getting married in a few days!”

Hana gives him an exasperated look.  “Callum is well aware of that, Maxwell.”

“As fun as this has been, I think I’m ready to call it a night,” I quickly interject.  “Hana, I’m going to text you my address.  If you happen to see Liam or Drake…”

“I’ll be sure to pass it on,” she assures me with a smile.

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

One long Uber ride later I’m finally back in my building and unlocking the door to my apartment.  Sashimi meets me at the door, purring and winding herself around my ankles.  I bend down to scratch beneath her chin, and she rumbles with happiness.   “Hey, my beauty.  How was your night?  Did grandda stop by and feed you?”

After living in the same building as my father and his boyfriend for the past nine months, my girl has become accustomed to their visits and the pampering the two of them shower on her.  I shed my suit jacket and dress shirt as I move through my apartment, dropping them on the floor as I make my way to my bedroom.  I fall backwards onto my bed and stare up at my ceiling with a deep sigh.

What a fucking night.

I close my eyes and sink deeper into my mattress.  They shoot right back open a few seconds later as someone loudly knocks on my front door.  Groaning, I roll off of my bed and shuffle towards the door.  I press my eye to the peephole and have to stifle a gasp when I see who is standing outside in the hallway.  I quickly unlock my door and throw it open.

“Now what are you two beauties doing here?” I ask, leaning against the doorjamb and raking my gaze over Drake and Liam.

“We need to talk,” Drake says bluntly.

I arch one eyebrow in interest and step aside, silently inviting the two best friends into my apartment.  I wait until we’re settled in my living room to say anything.  “So… who wants to start?”

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[star-spangled-eyes]

Dirty Mind: Part 1: Simple Man

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. Some dialogue and events in Book 1 of TRR are property of Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Drake’s perspective  

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this miniseries: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, angst, sex (including character’s thoughts and innuendos)

Masterlist

A/N: I wrote this miniseries in the first person perspective of Drake Walker. It follows events in Book 1 of TRR, but not everything is as you’d remember it from the story. Some things have been altered to better fit this fanfic.

I really enjoyed getting into the brain of Drake, and I hope you like it too. He’s a stud, and I love his sexual, angsty mind.

There are THREE parts to this miniseries. They will be released tomorrow and the following day. Enjoy!

Word Count for this chapter: 8707

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr​ @yukinagato2012​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​

My name is Drake Walker and I have a dirty mind. I know what you’re thinking. Of course I have a dirty mind, I’m a guy, right? Well, I have to concede that one for that very fact, but it’s more than that. To me, a mind consists of three major influences that can make it dirty.

First, are the things you wish you could say to people, but it wouldn’t be proper including the wide variety of curse words known to the world. Next, are all the crappy experiences in your life that muddy up your outlook. I can admit, I’m snarky, angry a lot and a real pill sometimes, but it all comes with the territory. And last but certainly not least is sex.

What an incredible experience. So incredible that it’s constantly on my mind. Countless dirty questions fill my brain like when is the next time I’m going to fuck someone, where will it be, what position will she be in? Oh, the thoughts are endless. Throw in a particular woman? You’re fucked — mentally. That’s me right now, in case you were wondering. More on that in a bit.

The female body is the most beautiful work of art that God ever created — of course there are exceptions. Like when a woman has a smoking hot body but her personality is so hideous that her sex appeal is lost. At least to me it is. There’s plenty of those around, but thankfully, there are some that surprise you. The ones that have it all — endless talent, sense of humor, dazzling personality, and such stunning looks that you have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.

My brain has been working overtime ever since she walked into my life. Well, butted into my life is more like it. And it’s been hell. Everything was just fine before she came along. Not great, but fine.

I live in the royal palace in a small Mediterranean country called Cordonia. I know what you’re thinking and no, I’m not one of those stuck up noble pricks. My best friend might be the Crown Prince, but he’s not one of those pricks either. If he ever tried to be, I’d damn sure call him out on it. I wasn’t born into this life with a fancy title or hundreds of acres of land in my name.

I was born to wonderful parents, who despite their status as commoners in the kingdom, made me feel like I was the richest kid in the world. Not by money, of course, but with life experiences and lessons only those who work hard for a living can impart to their children.

My dad was a part of the King’s Guard in charge of protecting the two princes before he eventually moved up to Head Guard watching over the King and Queen. He’s Cordonian, born and bred.

My mom stayed at home with me and Savannah, my younger sister. She was born in a small town in Texas in the United States, but stayed in Cordonia after meeting my father during a European college trip she took with her friends.

They fell in love almost immediately and were each other’s best friends. I’ve always looked up to them. Always thought how great it’d be if I could find that too. I often dreamed of meeting a beautiful woman who I not only was in love with, but we were as close as two people could be. Friends, lovers, partners. What a fulfilled life I’d live.

Of course, that meant I’d have to actually find a woman who was willing to put up with my sarcasm, moodiness, and the permanent scowl on my face. And to be honest, it wasn’t looking that great.

Back to the dirty mind thing — don’t worry, I didn’t forget. As I was saying, a dirty mind can develop over time as a result of many things. And I’ve been through a lot in the 27 years I’ve lived on this earth. Okay, fine. It’s not as dramatic and horrible as some people have endured, but I’ve had my fair share of shit thrown at me.

My dirty mind, in particular, consists of many dirty words. You’re listening, so you might as well get used to it now. I cuss... a lot. You would too if you had to hang around the palace every day dealing with snobby, rich assholes who think their shit don’t stink, and that it’s perfectly okay to treat people beneath them like undignified trash. These people have no idea what life truly has to offer. All they care about is their political status in the kingdom, and how they can make more money doing as little for it as they can.

As you can imagine, I have to keep a lot of my thoughts to myself. Unfortunately, you’re going to have hear them all. Consider yourself warned.

My dirty mind also consists of all the shitty things that’s happened in my life that’s left a bad taste in my mouth.

Remember my dad? Head of the King’s Guard? Yeah, well, he was killed while attempting to save the king during an assassination attempt. That sure was nice growing up without a fucking father. I was 13. A brand new teenager with raging hormones and in desperate need of a strong, male role model to keep me on the straight and narrow. It fucking sucked. My dad was everything to me. He was a friend, a teacher, and the best father in the whole world.

When he died, I had to step up to be the man of the house. Sure, my mother was strong — she’d always been strong. But she was having a hard time coping with dad’s death. Savannah was only nine at the time, and was made fragile by the sudden and horrific change in her life.

I didn’t want my mom and sister to worry or feel unsafe with my dad being gone, so I immediately filled that role. And it was fucking hard at first. There was no time for me to cry or grieve because I had to be strong for my family. I had to show them it was all going to be alright even though I had no fucking clue if that was actually true.

My dad’s partner in the guard was Bastien Lykel. He was a great guy. About half my dad’s age, but just as competent. He learned a lot from my dad, but also brought natural talent of his own to the table. Anyway, after we lost dad, Bastien sort of stepped in for us. Not that he ever tried anything with my mom or pretended to be our father — he knew better than that.

On his off duty time, Bastien would spend most of it with my family. He’d tell us stories about working with our dad and help mom with any chores around the house. As time went on, Bastien kept up with what he could, but got increasingly busy with work as he moved up the chain in the King’s Guard.

Mom never really got over dad’s passing. I don’t blame her. I didn’t either. I still miss him every day. But she handled it differently. Money was a real struggle after he passed. It was something she constantly worried about.

Liam, my best friend and prince of Cordonia, talked his father into letting us move into the palace. The king was more than happy to oblige. He was grateful for my dad’s sacrifice so that he may live, and must have noticed how we were struggling. It was kind, and not what I expected as a commoner.

I was 16 by the time we had settled into our new digs at the palace. Savannah was over the moon about it. She always loved hanging around the noble girls her age. She was into all that crap. Fancy dresses, gaudy jewelry, fake smiles. Not that she assimilated to them. Thank God for that. Despite adoring that pretentious life, Savannah remained down-to-earth and never forgot her roots.

It wasn’t long after that when Mom left to move back to the United States. Yeah... wasn’t that swell? Not even a full-fledged adult yet and both parents were absent. Dad died protecting the king, but mom straight up left us. Don’t get me wrong. I love her and will always love her. I know she had to do what she needed in order to deal with losing dad. So did I. But it was hell on Savannah and me.

Mom must have noticed we were strong and independent enough to live on our own. We had stable living quarters at the palace, and were well taken care of in regards to basic needs: food, warmth, shelter. So... she split. Went back to her family ranch in Texas. We talk on occasion, but there’s definitely more than an ocean that comes between us. Hopefully, someday, we can repair that disconnect.

Okay, now that you know a little bit more about me, let me tell you about this girl. Her name is Bragnae Bennett. I first met her in New York when Maxwell, Tariq, and I took Liam to the States for a guy’s only trip — a bachelor party of sorts. Liam would soon have to choose a woman to marry that would eventually rule at his side as Queen of Cordonia. This trip was meant to forget about all of that and have fun – just us guys. At least that was my plan.

On the last night of the trip, we stopped in a crumby bar for a late dinner and drinks. And there she was wearing a white collared shirt, black pants and a maroon apron ready to take our order. Listen, the first time she strolled up to our table, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Luckily, she was looking at the other two as she introduced herself, which gave me a chance to wipe the figurative drool from my mouth.

Long, silky black hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, naturally tanned skin, sparkling amber eyes, and delicious curves that would elicit an arousing response in any man. And it did. Maxwell and Tariq were just as captivated as I was, not to mention Liam, who stepped into the bar a minute later. Now it was her turn to be captivated. Of course she was. They all were.

Liam stood six feet and two inches tall – two inches shorter than me, I might add – and he was nothing short of a blonde Adonis. The ladies already swooned for him because he was the prince, but take that title away, and he’d still have no problem adding notches to his bedpost. With his ocean blue eyes and well-proportioned body, Liam was every woman’s wet dream.

So, you can see why Bragnae would immediately turn her attention to him as he made his way to our table that night. We enjoyed our burgers, drank a ton of whiskey, and all stole glances at the goddess that was our waitress. Then, Liam boldly asked her to join us after her shift was over. A part of me was more than happy to have more time to look at her, but a bigger part was annoyed.

Obviously, she was taken with Liam, so there went my chance with her. I never stood a snowball’s chance in hell with women when Liam was around. Yes, I can admit that the good Lord blessed me with attractive features. Brown hair that looked good at any length with eyes to match, a strong jaw line, and the ability to chisel well-defined muscles on my body certainly helped me get laid. It damn sure wasn’t my personality. But with Liam there? It was no contest.

You’d think it’d be easy for me to hate the guy, but I can’t. He’s my best friend. My brother. We’ve been friends ever since we were kids, and we’ve always had each other’s backs. I’d do anything for him, and I have. Dropped out of college, a life I was keen on living away from Cordonia, and came back to keep Liam company after an attempt on his life. I wouldn’t give up my own happiness for just anyone. There’s few people I care about in this world, and Liam is one of them. The rest can all fuck off.

So, as you can see, I put up with all the bullshit for him. He needs me. He needs someone to give it to him straight, to keep him humble, and to keep him safe from all the selfish vultures that lurk around the palace wanting more for themselves than for their Crown Prince.

So, when Liam showed interest in Bragnae, I had no choice but to back off. It was stupid as hell for him to get her hopes up for the one night. Then again, maybe that’s all she wanted. A hook up. From what I understand, none of that occurred. At least a kiss and maybe some light fondling if I knew my friend. But whatever transpired between them that night after they snuck out of the club together was enough to prompt Bragnae to make a life changing decision to temporarily move to Cordonia for the chance to compete in the Social Season to win Liam’s hand.

Ugh. The Social Season. Don’t even get me started on that. As if Liam didn’t already have a parade of ladies vying for his attention, the kingdom made it a season for the prince to choose his future bride.

And Bragnae accepted Maxwell’s invitation to take part in it. I have to admit. I lost some respect for her when I saw her climb aboard our private jet back to Cordonia. I thought she was just another crown chaser, but believe me, I didn’t think that for long. She proved me wrong almost immediately.

I won’t bore you with everything that’s happened since she arrived in Cordonia, for your sake – unless you want me to tell you how many pathetic times I stroked my dick thinking of Bragnae, wishing I was inside her instead. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the highlights though.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be telling you any of this if the damned woman didn’t mean something to me. With her being a suitor for the prince, I knew she was off limits. Maybe that made me want her more. I don’t know. But she was more than just a pretty face and a sexy body. God, the dresses she wears. I get hard just thinking about it. The way she elegantly walks into a room, swaying her hips in an unknowingly sexy way grabs my attention every time. I’m not the only one.

Being the exotic foreigner, Bragnae had captured the attention of many men and even some women with her alluring ways. She truly was the complete package. She knew how to have a good time, spoke her mind, and was gracious, even to those who didn’t reciprocate. And oh boy, did she give me the business. Still does. It’s like I’m her number one target that she attempts to crack. She always wants me to have a good time. What did I do to invite that kind of attention from her?

I’m quite set in my ways, but damn if she hasn’t already broken down some of my walls. I hate her for it. Okay, more like, I hate that she was able to do it. She makes me smile, damn it, and I’ve worked on this scowl for years. How could she do this in such a short amount of time? I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s some sort of temptress. She has to be. Someone with mystical powers of enchanting men, and bending them to her will.

Yeah, I’ve got it bad, but there were specific occasions that led me to believe she might also be into me as well. I know, I know. As I’ve already established, no woman passes up Liam especially for someone like me. So, I’m sure I’m fantasizing about this.

Aside from a few looks and smiles she had cast in my direction at the Masquerade Ball and derby, there were some instances that felt deeper. Like when we went to Lythikos, and that witch Olivia mocked me and my sister for no reason whatsoever except to be cruel. Bragnae stood up to her for my sake, which I wasn’t expecting. I hauled ass out of there wanting some fresh air and a chance to see a meteor shower. Low and behold, Bragnae followed me out.

We ended up having a heartfelt talk that came out of nowhere. I think this was the first time I really started to like her. I was attracted to her from the beginning, but it was when we were lying in a snowbank looking up at the shooting stars above us when I felt a twinge in my heart. I badly wanted to reach out to her, but knew that wasn’t appropriate. As the snow started the fall and we walked back to Olivia’s estate, Bragnae surprised me by slipping her hand into mine.

I instantly felt electricity from her touch. I was almost too stunned to speak. She told me it was for safety, but I could see the truth in her eyes. We had connected in that moment, and holding her hand felt right. There was no way I was letting go. So, we held hands until we reached the manor. Everything changed for me after that night.

Perhaps it was just me and my wishful thinking, but ever since we left Lythikos, I felt that Bragnae was intentionally getting closer to me – physically. It seemed she would find ways to touch my arm during a conversation or sit by me when the opportunity presented itself.

After the Royal Regatta, we went to the beach for a little fun in the sun. She insisted on rubbing sunscreen over my back. I protested only for appearances. Thank God only the ocean could see my face because I was having a hard time keeping my sanity as she rubbed her soft hands up and down my shoulders and back. It sent a shiver down my spine.

Then, she let me return the favor. God, it was amazing. I had a legitimate excuse to touch her… in public… and she was wearing a swimsuit. Up until that day, I hadn’t see more than flirty cleavage when she wore her dresses. She was so close to being naked that day that my heart nearly stopped. As I worked my hands over her back, my eyes traveled down to her glorious ass. Her cheeks slipped out a bit. As soon as I felt my dick twitch, I knew it was time to bail.

We jumped in the ocean soon after that. Seeing Bragnae dripping wet from head to toe quickly moved to the number one slot in my spank bank. The release I had later that day after remembering our shared touches, and seeing her so deliciously drenched by the ocean was amazing.  

And just a few days ago, after we arrived in Applewood, it was my birthday. Liam told Bragnae even though I asked him to not make a big deal about it, damn him. So, Bragnae took it upon herself to organize a night out at a country-western bar in town in honor of my birthday.

If it was anyone else’s suggestion, I would have heartily declined, but I was curious what she had planned, and definitely wanted to see her in a bar setting with a cold drink in her hand. When we arrived, she took me up to the bar and got me a free drink. She chose whiskey – my favorite. She didn’t make me suffer with some embarrassing girly drink. No, she ordered my most favorite libation on the planet.

I let it slip that I thought she was hot, and of course she called me out on it. There was nothing this woman missed. Later on, we found ourselves on the dance floor, and of all people, she shimmied over to me. Even though I told her I was a rotten dancer, she delicately placed her hands on my hips and told me it was as easy as swaying to the beat. She smiled up at me with a glimmer in her eye.

I could chalk it up to it being my birthday, and that’s why I received so much of her attention that night, but the vibes I was receiving from her was more than a friendly gesture. And as if that night wasn’t already better than I anticipated, I willingly shared a sappy story about my childhood birthdays with her, which prompted an unexpected embrace from Bragnae. She pulled me in tightly, her breasts smashed against my chest and her arms clutching my back as she stood on her toes to hug me.

I was stunned for a split second before my brain told me to wrap my arms around her soft, warm body too. She smelled like a fucking angel – citrusy and sweet. It’s my new favorite scent.

You’re all caught up now. Maybe you see what I do, and maybe you don’t. Either way, I’ve got Bragnae on my mind constantly, and it’s becoming a problem. I even began calling her by her last name in an attempt to seem nonchalant and casual on the outside, when I’m really about to hulk out of my own skin because I want her so badly. Hopefully, she couldn’t tell.

I’ve been trying to hide it for the past month now, and it’s becoming more difficult by the day. I don’t want to tell her how I feel, even though I really do want her to know, it’s not right. She’s here for Liam, and that’s that.

It was the morning after the Apple Blossom Festival. Thank Christ that bullshit is over. Bragnae looked cute in her authentic peasant costume, but that was the extent of the excitement for that day. Now, it was time to blow off a little steam.

Liam was actually available this morning for a little work out before he had to attend a few meetings later on in the afternoon. It was nice to have this time with him. Liam had been my work out buddy since we were old enough to start using the gym equipment, which is why both of us are exceptionally toned and buff. I spend a little more of my time in the gym than he does – sometimes three times a day when I’m really bored.

“So, is your dad putting pressure on you to pick a particular suitor?” I couldn’t help but wish they were pushing him away from Bragnae.

“Yes, of course, he is. He and Regina both keep talking up Madeleine.” Liam continued his set of bicep curls.

“And what do you think about her?” I knew what he thought because I thought it too. Again, just hoping for his attention to be swayed to anyone but Bragnae. I focused on pumping up my own biceps as I waited for his response.

Liam gave me a knowing look through the mirror. “She wasn’t good enough for my brother, and she’s definitely not good enough for me. I hate that they’re pushing her onto me like this. I feel bad for her in a way,” he said as he returned the weights to the rack. “She was so close to becoming queen before Leo abdicated the thrown, and now she’s back to try again. It’s pathetic.”

I loved when he was candid with me. He knew he can trust that I wouldn’t repeat his words. That’s what best friends are for. Support and total discretion. “She’s passionate at least,” I laughed thinking about her desperate need for the political spotlight.

Liam wiped his face with a towel. “Passionate for the crown, maybe. But me? It’s all a fucking show. If she’s chosen, I doubt we’ll even fuck. She hasn’t once tried to kiss me when we’ve had moments alone. All the others have. I don’t even think she likes men.”

All the others have. I shuddered at the thought of him being with Bragnae. I hoped to God they hadn’t had sex yet. I haven’t quite figured out what type of woman she was in that regard. What I do know is that she’s smart and adventurous. She dresses provocatively, but with a certain elegance. Who knows if she’s promiscuous or not?

I’m torn on the topic. I love a bold woman who knows what she wants and takes it. It’s nice when a girl comes with experience, but she’s also not just giving it away to anyone who asks for it. If that’s how Bragnae was, I would be happy to know that. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to ask Liam if they’ve gone that far. We’ve talked about sex plenty of times, but this was different. It might be too hard to listen to Liam tell me about how she was in bed. It’s something I’d rather find out for myself.

“Yeah, Madeleine stands out to the masses, but definitely not your style.”

Liam took a swig of water. “I’ll tell you, though, I really like Bragnae.”

Fuck. “Oh, yeah?”

“Drake, she’s amazing. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s insightful too. I feel like I can tell her anything. The people seem to like her, the press too. I’m really hoping my father and Regina give her a chance.”

Damn it. He really likes her. Am I fucking surprised? No. She is amazing. No doubt about that.

“What do you think of her?” Liam asked.

How do I answer this without making it sound like I really like her too? “I think she’s great. She doesn’t seem to have her head in the clouds like most of these women, and she’s genuine. You know that’s always something I can appreciate.” Okay, that was good. Very Drake of me to say. I think that was good enough and wouldn’t blow my cover.

 “I’m glad you agree.” He said, taking a seat on one of the benches. He looked down at the floor with a smile on his face. “That body. She’s so fucking hot. I wish I could spend more time alone with her. I hate the fucking tight schedule they keep me on.”

I blew out a slow breath of relief. Sounded like he hasn’t gone all the way with her. Normally, at this point, he’d be boasting about his opportunity to be with her, but instead he was pining over it. But how long would it last?

“Yeah, I can imagine how rough it is.” They pull him in every direction they can. I wish he’d just tell them to shove it up their ass once in a while. “You’re the prince, man. Do what you want.” Why the fuck am I encouraging this? I hate myself.

Loud music was suddenly audible through the walls alerting us both. As we left the gym, Liam and I walked down the hall to a room where the door was cracked open a bit. Liam pulled it open the rest of the way, and halted in his tracks.

I noticed a stunned look on his face before I saw what was happening inside the room. I stepped up to the doorway, next to Liam, and saw Maxwell leading a choreographed dance flanked by Hana and Bragnae. My mouth fell open in shock as my eyes poured over Bragnae’s body.

She wore a hot pink sports bra top and black spandex leggings that were glued to her skin. Kevin Rudolf’s Let it Rock blared over the speakers as they danced in sync with each other. The beat was fast paced and lively. I actually liked the song – even more so now that I watched Bragnae dance to it.

She moved with ease, spinning, dipping, twirling in rhythm with the song, and it was mesmerizing. The way her hands explored her own body so seductively made my dick jump. Oh, fuck. She just bent over. Now, she and Hana were slowing it down, mirroring each other as they slowly dropped to their knees on the floor. Pumping their bodies on the ground and thrashing their long hair from side to side. Within seconds, the ladies slowly rose again.

I glanced at Liam briefly to see his reaction. He was enthralled, just like me. I was rarely jealous of Liam, but this was definitely one of those times. Not because he was the prince, and not because Bragnae was one of his suitors, but because he could watch her now – unguarded. He could look at her without suspicion as to why he’s fucking her with his eyes.

If anyone saw the way I was watching her with insane hunger and need, they’d think I was a creep or an asshole for gawking at one of the prince’s suitors. How I wished I could look at her openly the way I wanted to. So much of my life nowadays was kept in secret because so much of my life was consumed by Bragnae.  

I had no idea she could dance like this. It was like watching a strip tease, without the stripping of course. God, I wish she was taking off her clothes, too. Damn it. She was confident in her body as she thrusted her pelvis to the beat three times. And there went my dick again. I had to readjust because the pesky thing wouldn’t stay down. I was wearing athletic shorts. Thank God they’re black. My hard-on won’t be as prominent.

The song came to a close as the girls ended in a pose with their backs arched and an arm stretched above their heads. Maxwell did his own pose, not that I gave a shit about how he looked. My eyes were trained on Bragnae. My heart raced and I was breathing quickly all of a sudden. I hadn’t realized it until now. I wanted an encore… bad.

Liam started clapping, which got their attention. Fuck. I wasn’t ready to be exposed as an onlooker yet. My dick was still hard.

“That was phenomenal,” Liam said as he made his way over to them. The room they were dancing in was quite large. It was a multipurpose room used for collective work out routines such as their dance and whatever else the royal family wanted to use it for.

I watched Bragnae as she spun around to face Liam with a surprised expression. Apparently, despite the few times she turned around in our direction, she hadn’t noticed she had an audience. Then, her eyes focused on me. A brief smile crossed over her lips before she looked away. She was embarrassed? Why? That was unbelievably hot. If I could hit replay somewhere, I would.

My dick finally gave me a break, so I walked into the room to where they were standing.

“Are you three practicing for a show that I’m unaware of?” Liam asked with a sparkling smile.

Maxwell laughed. “Nah. The girls just wanted to work out in a fun way, so we put together a flirty routine. You know me. I’m always up for dancing.”

“Yes, and it was incredibly exhilarating!” Hana said with enthusiasm, albeit a bit breathless. “I’ve never danced like that in my life. My mother would have a heart attack if she saw that.”

Yeah, I bet she would. That dance was pure sex.

“And you, Lady Bragnae? Do you dance like that often?” Liam asked politely, but I knew he wanted to see if there’d be a repeat performance in the future.

We were both thinking with our dicks in that moment. And I couldn’t blame him. I was still in awe of what I just witnessed, so I was perfectly fine letting Liam speak to satisfy both of our curiosities. I did my best reconnaissance when I observed with my eyes rather than inquired with my mouth anyway – usually because my words would get me into trouble.

Bragnae nodded as she finished taking a long drink from a water bottle. Her chest glistened from the work out, and her quick and heavy breaths pushed her breasts out every time she inhaled. Goddamn. I raised my gaze to her eyes again in an effort to keep my dick out of the matter. No need to awaken him again. Not until I could at least be alone.

“I dance recreationally like this from time to time, but I’m not a part of a crew or anything. Just for fun.” Bragnae offered up a dazzling smile as she regained control of her breath again.

“I asked the other ladies if they wanted in on this, but Kiara declined saying she was too good for it. Penelope always mimics Kiara’s responses, so she was out. Madeleine acted like she didn’t even hear me when I asked, and Olivia said, and I quote ‘dream on, home boy’.” Maxwell shook his head and chuckled.

Liam extended his arm to the three of them. “Well, why don’t we all walk next door and grab a protein shake. Drake and I just finished working out as well.”

Hana’s face lit up with excitement at the suggestion, and Maxwell put some equipment away before he started for the door. I waited until Bragnae agreed before I turned to leave the room. I was sure Liam was waiting to walk next to Bragnae as they left the makeshift dance studio, so I wasn’t even going to try.

It was convenient for me that Liam also enjoyed working out, and considered it as much of a hobby as I did. That meant that as we got older, the gym equipment got better and there was a small protein stand built into the estate. Here at Applewood and back at the palace.

I made it to the counter first. With chocolate and vanilla protein powders as options, they also offered a few other flavors as add-ins. I would shake it up from time to time, but my favorite was chocolate-cherry. I placed my order with Jean, the middle-aged woman that worked the counter, and stepped back for the others.

Maxwell ordered a chocolate-banana, Hana got chocolate-strawberry. Like I guessed, Liam and Bragnae strolled up a minute later in a slow paced walk. He offered for her to order ahead of him, but she declined so she could look at the options. Liam asked for vanilla-strawberry, his favorite.

Bragnae stepped up to the counter. “May I have a chocolate-cherry, please?” Jean nodded, and turned away to fix the drinks.

I looked down to conceal my smile. She ordered the same thing as me. I knew she had good taste.

“Drake? Here you go, honey.” Jean placed my shake on the counter.

I walked up to retrieve it. Bragnae was still standing there when she looked over at my drink. I removed the wrapper to the straw Jean had set next to the cup, and pierced the plastic lid.

Bragnae’s eyes met mine as I smirked. “You ordered the same thing as me, by the way.”

She beamed. “I did? Well, we have good taste.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Before I could think of what to say next, Jean had placed the other orders on the counter. I got out of their way and walked to a nearby table. The others joined me along with their shakes.

“You know, ladies, you’re welcome to work out in the gym, too, if you want. Here and back at the palace. I’d be happy to show you a thing or two if you need assistance.” Liam, the ever-willing prince. I chuckled at his invitation. This was guy code for, I’d love to see more of you in your tight clothes while working up a sweat. And then maybe we could take a shower together afterwards.

I knew my best friend, and I knew myself. We were both thinking the same thing. However, I doubt that comment was intended for Hana even though she was also beautiful and beyond talented in almost every capacity.

“That’s nice of you to offer, Your Highness,” Hana said before taking a drink.

“We got quite the work out in today. Full-body. Do you guys do that every time you’re in the gym?” Bragnae asked. She looked to Liam and then to me.

Liam had just taken a swig of his shake, so I answered. “Nah. We break it up. Today was just arms and abs.”

I kept my gaze on Bragnae as her eyes shifted down the length of my arm. She had her elbows on the table holding her shake up just below her chin. Her fingers absentmindedly moved the straw in and out of the lid as her eyes locked on my bicep.

I know I shouldn’t have, but I knew she was impressed, so I clenched my fist and flexed my bicep for a split second to gauge her reaction. I smiled inside as I saw her lightly gasp before taking a drink and looking away.

“Ooh, Bragnae, we better get going if we want to shower before the next event,” Hana said looking at her watch.

Oh, nice. A shower. Are they going to shower together? That’s what Hana made it sound like, or maybe that’s what my dirty mind wanted me to hear. Either way, picturing Bragnae naked in a hot and steamy shower was definitely an image I wanted to fill my mind with. If Hana happened to be showering near her, that’d be okay too. But I’d prefer to be in there with Bragnae instead.

“And what is the next event for you ladies?” Liam asked.

Bragnae and Hana stood from the table, prompting the rest of us gentlemen to do the same. “We are having tea with the queen. All the ladies are expected to be there and on time.” Bragnae emphasized the last part with a different inflection in her voice and widened eyes.

Liam laughed. “Yes. It’s best not to keep her waiting.”

“Oh, I know. If I’m late for another event, Bertrand will give me a very stern talking to for ‘besmirching House Beaumont’.” Bragnae spoke emphatically, and teased Maxwell by pinching his cheek.

“You and me both,” Maxwell told her. “Now, get going, so Bertrand stays off both of our asses.”

Bragnae laughed and waved before turning to walk away. My eyes traveled down to her magnificently presented ass. There should be a standing rule that Bragnae always be in tight, spandex leggings when she wasn’t wearing a dress. Jesus Christ, she could stop traffic. And I’m getting hard again. Time to go.

“Alright, I’m going to get cleaned up as well. I’ll see you fellas later.”

~

The next day was the traditional fox hunt for the royal party. Our ancestors used to hunt fox for sport, but today, the event only retains its name. Good thing too because I bet over half of these so-called nobles had never even held a gun, let alone knew how to use it.

This was actually an event I was happy to be a part of. We had to ride horses across a three mile trail through the woods and a bit of the mountains. This was my forte. Growing up with a mother who lived on a ranch in her youth, I was practically raised on a horse. I got up early and headed to the stables to pick out my horse for the day before the fussing nobles ruined the experience.

Since Lonestar, my mother’s horse, was at the stables near the palace, I had to find a different steed. Natalia was always my choice when we came to Applewood. We got along well, and she was better for more experienced riders anyway. She liked to run, so I thought I’d take her out to the field before the fox hunt to stretch her legs a bit.

After she was saddled up, I hopped on, and led her out to the field to trot, being sure not to tire her out too much before the trail ride.

Before long, the nobles had assembled and the fox hunt had begun. I was at the end of the procession, but I led Natalia to the sidelines, so we could pass a few people. There was no way I was going to be stuck behind Penelope while she was telling her hundredth story about her poodles that morning. Plus, I wanted to find Bragnae.

After seeing how she ogled the muscles in my arm, and not Liam’s, I figured it was time to stop playing this game. I needed to start being nicer to her, and explain myself. She deserved that. And out of all the people I wanted to be a prick to, she wasn’t even on the list. So, it would end today.

As I made my way through the trail, the crisp air was refreshing. The woods surrounded the manmade path. It was beautiful, save for the bickering nobles. I shook my head in disgust at them. It was a shame they couldn’t appreciate what was around them. Just shut the fuck up, and enjoy the ride.

I finally saw Bragnae up ahead. She was on a black horse – oh, wait, that was the horse who won the derby. Huh. I wondered how she happened to possess her. Bragnae was riding alongside Hana who was showing her some sort of dressage move. I smirked thinking about Hana’s plethora of talent.

I wasn’t going to intrude on their moment, so I kept my pace and position in hopes that Hana would ride off eventually. My patience had paid off as Hana rode ahead a minute later. Now was my chance.

I squeezed my legs around Natalia and gave her a slight kick with my heels to give her the sign to trot ahead. When she approached Bragnae and her horse, I pulled back on Natalia’s reins to keep up with Bragnae’s horse.

“Hey, Bennett. You look nice.” She did, too. She managed to find a rider’s outfit. A maroon jacket and tight, brown pants with knee-high boots.

Bragnae pulled back in surprise. “Wow. Opening with a compliment, huh? You feeling okay?”

I chuckled. “Yep. Just fine.”

“I’m surprised to see you out here today. I would have figured all the nobles would have repelled your desire to join us.”

“This is actually something I love doing. Riding horses, I mean. And it’s entertaining to watch the stuffy nobles fuss over their blazers. It amazes me how much they’re missing what’s around them, though.”

“Is that why you’re smiling more today?”

I couldn’t help but smile again as I looked at her. “It has more to do with who I’m riding next to.”

She feigned a surprised gasp, complete with a hand over her heart. “A second compliment!”

“If you’re lucky, you might get a third.” I loved bantering with her. It was always fun.

“Oh, then let me find a four-leaf clover really quick.” She winked at me with that dazzling smile I liked so much.

I sighed giving Natalia a couple pats on her neck. It was time to be honest with her. I needed to explain why I’d been such an ass to her. “You know, when we first met, I wanted to dislike you so badly.”

Genuine surprise highlighted her face. “Why?”

“Well, you were crashing Liam’s bachelor party. That was supposed to be our last night out together before all this nonsense. I don’t get to spend much time with him, and now, I’m lucky if I get to spend five minutes with him before a noble girl throws herself in front of him.” I also didn’t want to like you because I knew I couldn’t have you. Wish I could tell her that.

I looked over at her to see a somewhat pained expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“I knew what you meant.” There was compassion in her eyes. Thank God. The last thing I wanted was her thinking I was insulting her in any way.

“Anyway, I know we got off to a bad start, but somewhere along the way,” I paused to gather my courage, “…things changed.” I hope she could read between the lines.

“I wanted to dislike you too,” she replied.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. “You did?”

“Well, yeah! I mean, you were a total dick to me.” She turned toward her horse, stroking its mane. I was a complete dick to her, and I hated that I did that. “But now…”

“Now?” My nerves were making my hands shake. I gripped the reins tighter as I waited for her response.

“It took time, but I figured out that you’re actually human under all those scowls.”

I shook my head as a smile crept over my lips. She wove a joke into her reply, and it was the cutest damn thing. Now the air was cleared, and it felt good. “Well, this has all been touching, but I need to rescue Liam from his family for a couple minutes. I’ll see you later.”

“I hope so,” she grinned.

Damn, that went well. I heeled Natalia again to get her to trot towards the front of the procession.

Soon, the trail led everyone to an old village where we would all have dinner. I was starving and very much looking forward to eating the giant feast. As everyone got in line to be served, I saw Tariq and Bragnae talking just ahead of me. His body language suggested that he was into her. I knew from the bachelor party in New York that Tariq was attracted to her, but he hadn’t done much more than mention it at the time. Not that I saw anyway.

As I moved forward in the line, I watched Liam trade places with Tariq. His body language was even more obvious. Liam had it bad. I could easily recognize when he was really into a woman, and there was no mistaking it here. But the stakes were even higher this time around. Liam was looking to pick a bride, a future queen. I didn’t know if he was in love with her, but he’d been much more preoccupied with her than any other girl I’d seen him with.

Later that evening after we got back from the ride, I helped the stable hands corral the horses and take their saddles off before I headed to my room. It had been a long day, but despite the length of the ride and being outdoors all day, I wasn’t ready to call it a night.

I needed to see Bragnae again. For some reason, I felt that I didn’t get my fill of her today. Then again, I felt like that every day even when I was with her. Maybe she’d like to go to the gym with me for a late night work out. Would that be too obvious that I wanted to spend time with her?

I decided I didn’t give a shit about that. Some of her signals made it seem like she was into me, so maybe she’d be happy to come along. I changed into a razorback tank top and athletic shorts and made my way to her room. I hoped she wasn’t asleep yet or otherwise busy. Her room wasn’t too far from mine. Liam made sure of that. At the beginning of the Social Season he had asked me to keep an eye on her. At first, I was unsure about it, but that quickly changed. If anything, I was grateful that I had an excuse to be hanging around her.

I came up to her room, and the door was wide open. Does the woman not enjoy privacy? I peeked my head in the door frame searching the room with my eyes before spotting Bragnae straddling the floor, resting on her knees. Her hands pressed against the floor in front of her as she slowly moved up and down.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. What the hell was she doing? She was still wearing her riding pants, but had removed her blazer and took her hair out of the bun it was in, and cascaded it over one shoulder. I was frozen. Only my eyes could move.

Bragnae’s eyes were closed, and I watched as her full lips transformed in what looked like agony to relief. It was incredibly erotic to watch her in this way. My dirty mind pictured myself underneath her. I wouldn’t mind at all if she wanted to ride me like that. Seeing her now made it easy to imagine her legs squeezing my hips as she felt every inch of my dick inside her.

My hardened and impatient cock brought me out of my trance. I needed to make my presence known before someone noticed I was just standing in her doorway watching her like some fucking pervert.

“Need a hand there?” Fuck. That was my dick talking. Why did I say that? Fuck.

Bragnae’s eyes snapped open, and an embarrassed smile crossed over her lips. “Hey, Drake.”

“Whatcha doin’?” I was genuinely curious.

Bragnae slowly stood up. “I was just stretching. It’s been a while since I last rode a horse.”

Hmmm. Could that also mean it’s been a while since she’s ridden a man that way? I know if she rode a stallion like me, she’d be sore. No getting around that. Her inner thighs would strain to hold onto me as I would thrust into her over and over again making her come so hard she’d struggle to breathe after her screams of pleasure finally subsided.

I cleared my throat to push the thought out of my mind. “I ride pretty regularly, so I’m used to it by now.”

“What are you doing for the rest of the night?”

I’d love for the answer to be you. “I was actually going to head down to the gym, and I was going to ask you if you’d like to join me, but I guess you probably don’t feel up to it being sore from the ride.”

“No, I can still go,” she said immediately with a smile. “Just give me a minute to change.”

Wow. Cool. So, she doesn’t mind working out even as sore as she is. I didn’t want to get too excited, but I was pretty sure it was because of me. At least I hoped so.

I nodded after processing her response. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just be outside.” I closed her door behind me, and leaned against the wall.

My heart was starting to race again, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I took a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves. After another minute, her door opened and Bragnae emerged wearing an electric blue sports bra top, similar to the one she danced in, and black spandex leggings to match. Her stomach and lower back were completely bare.

My dick took over again. It was making my eyes get lost in her body that was standing so close to me that I could feel the heat between us. I had a sudden urge to tuck the tip of my finger just beneath her waistband, and roll it across her pelvis, undoubtedly making her tremble. My gaze traveled up to her top where the most spectacular cleavage I’d ever seen peeked out.

The tightness of her outfit pushed her breasts up and together. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure she had pulled that zipper in the front of her top down even more than it had been the other day. She was flirting with her clothes, and I was completely onboard with that. If she only knew what her outfit was doing to me.

Thank Christ my brain woke up in time to save me from myself as my eyes returned to hers. “Shall we?”

#TRR Dirty Mind Fanfic #drake walker #drake x bragnae #trr drake #trr fanfic

[choicesfanatic86]

If Only:  Chapter 18

DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story.  Those belong to me. ;)

PAIRINGS:  Liam x Riley (MC)

SUMMARY:  And they're off to Cordonia!  Riley and Liam have a heart to heart about what to expect when they arrive in Cordonia.

TAGS - If you would like to be tagged for If Only, please message me.  I am reworking all of my fan fiction, and I know that a lot of people may no longer be in the fandom, or maybe they no longer want to follow If Only.  If that is the case, I didn't want to unnecessarily tag someone.  So please, let me know if you would like to be tagged for future updates of this piece.

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11/25/2019 - It has been over a year since I updated If Only, and I feel absolutely sick about it.  I apologize for not updating as regularly as I should have.  I came back in May with the intent to keep writing and bring new stories to the fandom, but my world got rocked with a horrible family situation.  I went MIA initially because I had a family emergency come up in September of 2018.  My father was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.  He became stable at the beginning of May which prompted me to feel a bit reinvigorated to write again.  We were thrown for a loop when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of May after a brief period of stabilization. His kidneys shut down and he went into respiratory failure.  Ironically, the cancer may have weakened him, but it wasn't his cause of death.  I was a wreck.  I've slowly gone through the grieving process and wanted to try my hand at writing again.  I can't promise you I'll be consistent, but I'm going to try. Thank you all for the amazing support and thoughts.  Thank you for your sweet reviews.  I will be going through all of them. <3

Chapter 18

Riley was certain of one thing – she would always find herself awestruck at being able to fly on a private airplane.  She hadn’t traveled all that much before, but when she did, it was a pain.  The astronomical cost of airline tickets, the long lines, the long list of TSA security no-nos that she could never seem to grasp . . . all of it made the whole prospect of travelling more of a nuisance than anything else.  Traveling with Liam, on the other hand, had been nothing but a dream since the moment they got to the airport.  Liam once again took charge guiding her to where they needed to check in.  Things at the airport had gone just as smoothly as they had when they left Las Vegas.  Actually, it had gone even smoother than Las Vegas since they were flying out internationally and that terminal had not been nearly as crowded as the domestic terminals.  Liam once again breezed by as Riley trailed behind him, still unaccustomed to the life of private jet-setting.  She still found the entire thing to be a bit surreal.  What normally would have been a two hour process had only taken them twenty minutes.  Apparently, the life of royalty had some major perks.

A little over an hour later, Riley found herself sitting on the private plane that was scheduled to take them to Cordonia.  She stared absently out of the plane’s window as she contemplated how differently her life had ended up than what she had planned out over the years.  For one, she never, ever saw herself sitting on a private plane as they waited for the all clear for takeoff.  For another, she never thought she’d get married to a complete stranger on a whim – in Vegas, no less.  Then again, she also never thought she’d ever meet someone like Liam.  She bit her lip lightly as she watched him joke around with the flight crew.  Apparently, he knew all of them quite well.  They weren’t treating him like a prince, but rather an old friend who they were excited to see.  But that was the thing about Liam – despite his royal roots, he seemed like such an average, ordinary, everyday guy.  He was genuinely a good guy - somebody you could sit around and have hours of conversation with and never got bored.  She smiled and watched as he fawned over pictures of one of the flight attendant’s newborn grand-daughter.  He never fell short of amazing her.  She had always pictured herself winding up with some sort of science geek, who, like her, had spent years focusing on his education to land the perfect job.  Liam was completely different.  The connection they shared was one in a million.  The time they spent together alone in her apartment had further solidified that fact.  She’d have been foolish to let him slip away from her in Vegas, and if she had, she’d likely never find that sort of connection with someone else ever again.  Their relationship wasn’t something that you could just dismiss as being a spur of the moment, one-time fling.  He made her feel alive again, and she loved how he had forced her to reevaluate the life she was living, and helped her to see that none of it was what she wanted.  It felt as if they had known each other for years instead of only a few days.  There was just something about Liam that brought out her desire for an exciting new adventure.  For the first time in years, she didn’t have a plan, and it scared the shit out of her.  There was no denying the fact that she felt like she was swimming in the deep end of the pool without any sort of lifejacket.  But, for some reason, she was okay with that, because she knew she’d have Liam by her side to help keep her afloat.  

Riley’s smile grew as he chatted with a different flight attendant about their travel plans when they got to Cordonia.  He was going on and on about how he wanted to take her to their country house to show her the orchards of apple trees.  She looked around the bustling plane – apart from the three flight attendants she had seen, she had counted four more flight attendants and two pilots on their flight.  She shook her head in disbelief.  It was crazy to think that all nine members of the flight crew were aboard just for them.  It was hard to believe that this was her life now.  

Liam grasped one of the male attendants on the shoulder as he headed back over to where she was sitting.  “You look rather deep in thought,” he murmured as he sidled into the seat next to her.

She smiled softly.  “Just thinking about what a whirlwind this has all been.  I guess it’s just hard to believe that we won’t have to listen to crying babies or fighting for space for our carry-ons in the overhead compartment.”

“I admit, those are things I have never had to worry about when I traveled,” he smirked.  “But I can imagine those sorts of things would be rather inconvenient.”

“Exceptionally so,” she chuckled.  “You’re so amazing with people, Liam.  The way you talk to them and treat them with the utmost respect regardless of your status,” Riley looked at him in admiration.  “You’re just a genuine, sweet man,” she said, clasping her hand in his.

He looked at her adoration.  “I’ve known all of them for years – since I was old enough to travel with my father,” he smiled.  “They’re like another set of family members.  The older woman I was talking to?  Dolores?  She just welcomed her first granddaughter.  My father gave her some time off to spend with the new baby,” he explained.  “Being royal doesn’t make you any less human.  Having compassion and being respectful are just decent things to do,” he explained as he squeezed her hand back.

“Well, you don’t see a lot of that in New York,” Riley mused.  “And I’ll be honest, people can become a bit snooty when power goes to their head.  Trust me.”  She thought of the many rude people she encountered as she walked along the streets of New York City.  There was always some guy in a total rush with a cell phone pressed against his ear and a briefcase swinging from his hand pushing his way down the sidewalk trying to get the next available cab.  New York people were savage.

Liam chuckled at her observation.  “Quite true, love.  I assure you, that is just how I was raised.  I just couldn’t live with myself if I treated anyone with anything but the respect that they deserve.”

“You are one in a million, Liam Rys.” She smiled broadly, squeezing his hand tightly.

“As are you, Riley Rys,” he winked at her.  

She blushed as she changed the subject.  “So, do we have any layovers or are we landing straight in Cordonia?”

He shook his head.  “No stopovers, that’s not how private jets work, love.  The flight should take about eight hours tops,” he explained.  “We’ll be arriving in Cordonia at around 7:30 in the morning.”

“Wow, that early?” Riley asked.  

“The time difference will take a bit getting used to, especially since you’ve lived in New York your whole life,” he explained.  “The early arrival will be beneficial to us, I’m sure.  I doubt the press will have caught wind that we’re arriving that early.  It might give us enough time to get you to the palace without the mad rush of press on our tails,” he reasoned.

“The press?” She asked, her eyes widening.

Just as Liam was about to explain further, the pilot came over the loudspeaker announcing that they would be preparing for takeoff.  Riley inhaled deeply as she felt the power and speed of the plane push forward as it readied itself for take off.  She was momentarily distracted from the idea of the press and what exactly he meant about them being on their tails.

When they reached a comfortable elevation, the captain came over the loudspeaker again.

“Your Majesties, thank you for joining us this afternoon.  We expect the flight to take roughly eight hours, and we are expecting clear skies and smooth travel.  Should you need anything, please let any one of our staff attendants know and they will be glad to assist you with whatever you may need,” the voice boomed.

“Was he talking to me, too?” She asked, her eyes widening once more.

“Well, yes, love.  You are the future Queen of Cordonia.  It is only right that he address you as such,” he explained.

Riley knew that marrying Liam automatically meant that she was royalty, too, but having someone actually refer to her as one was crazy.  

“Your Majesties, would you like a beverage?  Wine?  Or champagne perhaps?” Dolores, the attendant Liam had been talking to earlier asked.

“Love?” Liam asked.

“Um, maybe just some water?” She asked quietly.

“Of course, Your Majesty.  Prince Liam?”

“I’m fine, Dolores,” he smiled brightly at the older woman.  “Maybe when we have our meals I’ll have a bit of scotch,” he added.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she acquiesced as she poured Riley a glass of water.

“This is surreal,” she murmured, mostly to herself.

“Love, this is what you have to look forward to each time you travel,” he laughed.  “With our busy schedules, it only seems right that we travel as comfortable as possible.  After all, we don’t know when we’ll have a spare moment to ourselves again,” he said knowingly.

She nodded nervously, her hands fiddling about in her lap.  That’s actually what was worrying her.  What was life going to be like now that they were heading out of their Las Vegas and New York bubbles?  

Liam leaned over, clasping his hands around hers and smiled.  “You’re fine, love,” he murmured encouragingly.  “Now that I have you held captive in an airplane . . . ” he trailed off, eyeing her a bit nervously.

“What?” She asked; worry once again coursed through her body.

“Are you ready to talk about what you’ve signed up for?” He shot her a nervous smile.  He looked as if he were waiting for her to jump ship . . . or in this case, plane . . . any second.

She eyed him suspiciously, taking a large gulp of her cold water.  “You act as if I just signed up to go to war or something,” she chuckled anxiously.  “I know you don’t want to scare me, Liam, but I think I can handle whatever they’re going to throw my way,” she said.  Think being the operative word.  She talked a good game and tried her best to calm the quaking nerves inside of her, but in truth, she was absolutely petrified.  She had no clue how to be a princess . . . let alone a queen when that time inevitably arrived.  How on earth was she going to manage it all while still getting to know her new husband?

“I don’t mean to sound so cryptic,” he explained apologetically.  “I suppose I just wanted to prepare you for what might happen when we arrive,” he said vaguely.

“Are you expecting a grand welcome?” She arched an eyebrow.

“Well, possibly,” he admitted.

Her eyebrow arched a bit higher.  “Oh,” she said nervously.

“To be quite honest, I’m not sure what to expect.”  He ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck, and looked at her bashfully.  “Our early arrival does buy us some time as I mentioned, but I’m honestly not too sure what the Cordonian people have been told.  I’m not sure if they’ve publically announced the end of my engagement to Olivia,” he said uncertainly.  “In fact, I’m not sure if they even announced that we’ve gotten married.”

“And if they have?” Riley asked.

“If they have, then you can expect the press to be hounding us until they get a printable story,” he sighed.  “It’s the nature of the press, love.  They have a hunger for a scandal . . . the more prominent the person, the more desirable the story,” he said glumly.

“And being the heir to the Cordonian throne, any story about you would be explosive,” Riley said, understanding where he was going with his explanation.  The press wouldn’t let the story rest until they had every single detail about the end of his engagement to Olivia and their subsequent marriage in Vegas.  They were in for one hell of a welcome if that were the case.  She shook her head hesitantly.  The idea of being hounded by the press wasn’t something she was particularly looking forward to.  She had never paid attention to those sordid, trashy tabloids back home.  She had always thought that it was grossly negligent to publish half-facts and over-exaggerations.  This was the conversation that she had been worried about.  Up to this point, everything had been a vague and distant idea that she had formulated inside of her head, but as Cordonia loomed closer and closer in front of them, at some point they’d have to discuss the elephant in the room, and apparently, Liam had decided that “some point” was right then and there.

“I wish I could say that this will be easy, love . . . but it won’t.  I wish I could take the burden of the scrutiny of the press and the people and my family away so that you would never have to endure a single unpleasant moment.  But having lived this life in the limelight for as long as I have . . . I know that many will have . . . reservations,” he explained hesitantly.

“Reservations?” She asked, slightly confused.

“They may publish some untrue things about you . . . they may suspect we got pregnant out of wedlock, hence the quickie marriage . . . they may even publish some nasty, untrue remarks about your friends and family . . .” he trailed off.

She winced a little.  She had never really had a thick skin growing up.  She had always been sensitive, and she didn’t like to be teased or taunted.  The idea of having a whole nation scrutinize her every move, made her physically ill.  The idea of having someone critique how she acted, what she wore, who she spent time with . . . it all felt too much.  But to have that extend to her family and friends?  She couldn’t imagine dealing with that on top of everything else.

Liam continued.  “Olivia was a well-liked Duchess, and although the marriage was arranged, I’d imagine that many may not take kindly to the broken engagement . . . and our subsequent union,” he reasoned.  

“Like Bertrand,” she arched a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes, like Bertrand.  Some of the people of Cordonia are traditionalists.  They may not be so welcoming to the fact that I have married someone not of the country.  Not of Europe for that matter,” he explained.  “But I have no doubt that once they get to know you . . . the you I fell in love with . . . all of their reservations will disappear,” he said optimistically.

“I hope so,” she said meekly.  “I know it’s going to be tough . . . I just don’t want people to hate me, you know?”

“They won’t hate you, love,” he chuckled.  “How would they hate the most amazing girl I’ve ever met?”

Riley sighed, leaning closer into him.  “You were engaged, Liam.  To a woman you have had a friendship with for most of your life.  Are you telling me that she’ll warmly open her arms and welcome me to the palace?”

Liam grimaced in reply.  “Well, obviously not.  Olivia will prove to be a difficulty.  Of that, I’m quite sure.”

“And your parents?”  Riley added.  “You got into quite the tiff with your father before we left.”

“As did you,” he reminded her.  “My father and stepmother will come around.  Once they realize that Cordonia’s future will not be in any jeopardy and that the monarchy will continue, they will warm to the idea of our marriage.  It will take time, love.”

She nodded.  She sucked in a long breath.  She needed to be strong.  As long as she had Liam by her side, she knew they’d be able to overcome whatever difficulties that were headed their way.

“We’re going to get through all of this together, Riley.  I will never forget how much you’re giving up for me . . . for us,” he said passionately.

She leaned in for a soft kiss.  Liam deepened the kiss before pulling himself away.  “I have such a hard time controlling myself around you,” he said breathily.

“Let me distract you.  Tell me about Cordonia.  Not about the press or the bad stuff we might encounter,” she shook her head.  “If I’m moving to a brand new country, I should know everything there is about it.  The internet wasn’t too helpful.  I guess it’s so small that not a lot of people actually know a whole lot about it,” she frowned.

He nodded.  “It is small, but I assure you it has a rich history.  A history that you and I are now a part of,” he smiled.  “I’ll happily answer any questions you’d like about Cordonia, but I think that the best way to get to know our beautiful country is to experience it first hand in person,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everything,” she agreed. After a brief moment, she asked another question. “So, can I get a job when we get there?  Or is that sort of not allowed.  I just don’t want people thinking I’m some sort of gold-digger.  Your friends already accused me of being a crown-chaser, and I don’t want people thinking that I don’t want to work . . . because I kind of do?  I mean, I don’t really know what I could do considering I have a degree in Biology   . . . and I’m a medical school drop out . . . but there has to be something right?” she rambled out

Liam stared at her as if she had three heads.  She supposed it was a silly question.  Did royalty work?  She tried to think back on the lives of various royal figures - did Princess Diana have a job? What about Princess Eugenie?  How about Duchess Kate?  Surely an independent woman such as Duchess Megan Markle kept a job?  She frowned, she was being ridiculous.  Of course they didn’t have jobs.  They were too busy jet setting alongside their husbands.  She frowned at the thought.  She had never seen herself as being a woman who relied on a man to do all of the hard work.  She hadn’t liked when Liam’s friends had thought of her as being a crown-chaser, and she certainly didn’t want the rest of the public thinking the same thing.  Shouldn’t she be able to prove that she’s way more than just some woman that Liam met in Las Vegas?  She wanted to contribute in someway . . . even if she didn’t know exactly how she could contribute.

“You don’t have to work, love.  I told you that.  You will want for nothing the moment you set foot inside the palace,” he assured her.

“That’s such a strange concept,” she frowned.  “Not working . . .I mean, I went to college, got my degree, held quite a few jobs over the years, and now I just . . . do nothing?” she pursed her lips.  “I don’t want people to think that I married you for anything other than love,” she said softly.

“Being Queen is a job in itself Riley,” he explained.  “You’ll be expected to plan social functions, attend political meetings, coordinate various social programs, meet with different international figures . . . although the compensation process might be quite different than what you’re used to, you will very much have a job in Cordonia,” He rationalized.  

She nodded, although she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the whole concept.  “So the whole social functions thing . . . is that like party planning?”

“Oh, love.  It is far more than just a party.  Why don’t I give you a brief history of Cordonia and some perspective on the monarchy and perhaps then you’ll understand a bit more about how important the social season is to the Cordonian people?”

She nodded eagerly, sitting up in her chair.  “I’d like that a lot actually.  I feel like I’m jumping out of a plane without a parachute when it comes to knowing anything about Cordonia.  I really don’t want my first impression with your family to be me clueless about the country I’m now a resident of,” she gave a nervous chuckle.

A few hours later, Liam had recounted a not-so-brief history of everything about Cordonia.  Riley had no idea how Liam was able to remember all of it.  She guessed having grown up there gave him an upper hand, but still.  He was able to recount every single monarch and every single duchy that.  He could even rattle off population stats that all sounded like a bunch of mumble jumble to her.

“Lords and Ladies . . . palaces  . . . waltzes . . . balls . . . court . . . my head is spinning, Liam,” she frowned.  She needed some aspirin, or maybe a stiff drink.  She hadn’t expected her Cordonia 101 class with Liam to be easy, but she had hoped that she’d be able to at least glean some information to help her survive her first few days there.  Instead, she felt like she had nothing but information overload.  She couldn’t tell you who anyone was or what city was what because all of the names and places started to merge with one another after a while.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’re doing remarkably well,” he said encouragingly.  “Hopefully some of the notes you took will help,” he smiled.

Yes, she had taken notes, but she had no clue what was important and what wasn’t.  She hadn’t even known Cordonia even existed before meeting Liam.  Now, she suddenly needed to know everything there was to know about the tiny country.  How on earth was she going to remember everything?  

“Trust me, love.  In time, all of this information will become second nature,” Liam beamed at her.

She snorted.  She didn’t want to tell him that she was more of a math and sciences sort of girl as opposed to being a history buff.  She couldn’t imagine a time when all of these Cordonian factoids would become second nature.

“Here.  Let’s test some of your knowledge now.  I’ll give you an easy one,” he said excitedly.  “What is the capital of Cordonia?” Liam asked expectedly.

Riley licked her lips nervously.  Her eyes scanned the notes in front of her, but she could barely make out half of her short hand.  She paused, uncertainly.  “Valtoria,” she half-asked.

“Correct,” he smiled at her proudly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her hand.  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.  You’ll have Cordonian culture down in no time.”

She smiled tightly in response.  She hoped he was right.  She had been taking notes off and on during their discussion, but she didn’t really know how it would help her if she got ambushed by the press.  It’s not like she could pull out a set of flash cards when she was getting interviewed.  She didn’t think that’d earn her any brownie points with the Cordonian public.  

Liam continued to quiz her on questions during the last few hours of the flight, and Riley admittedly was starting to remember some of the major things that Liam had taught her, but she still felt that all of the information she had just gained were whirling inside of her head like a tornado.  She had never wanted to excel at something so much in her life.  She felt like she was back in school, trying to cram in as much information as possible.  She just hoped it stuck.

“What if I mess up?” She asked worriedly.  “It took me years to even learn all the capitols of the fifty states,” she frowned.  “And even then I still managed to goof up every now and then,” she said, her voice laced with a bit of panic.

“Riley, love, you’re a natural at this.  You may not be Cordonian by birth, but we will have you be a star pupil on Cordonian history in no time,” he said encouragingly.  “Like I said, you’re already doing so well.”

“I don’t know how I’ll remember all of this,” she said faintly.  “There’s a reason why I went to medical school.  Liberal arts wasn’t exactly my strong suit,” she joked.

“I’ll be there to guide you, and my friends, once they get to know you, will be more than happy to provide you with some help along the way.  I happen to know that Bertrand majored in history at our university,” he said.  “I’d be happy to talk to him about perhaps giving you some private lessons on Cordonian culture,” he offered.  “He’d actually be well-suited to help you adjust to court life.”

“Bertrand  . . . yeah, I don’t think he’ll be very much inclined to help me considering he wanted to have our marriage annulled,” she sighed.  “He also seemed to think that I would be the demise of Cordonia.”

“Well, yes, remember, Bertrand is a traditionalist.  His duty to country comes before all else.  But regardless, he’s still my friend, and as such, he’ll want me to be happy.  If I ask him to help you adjust to court life, he will do it.  Begrudgingly at first, but after he sees how well suited you are as my wife, he’ll come around.”

Riley sighed.  What an optimist.  As much as she wanted to believe that Bertrand would help her, she believed that he’d probably eagerly wait for the moment for her to fall flat on her face.  She was about to ask Liam a few more questions about Cordonia when she felt a slight rumble under her feet.  She felt the plane begin to descend, and looked at Liam a bit concerned.  “What was that?” She asked in alarm.

“We’re getting closer,” he explained as his eyes peered out the window.  “It looks like we’re descending a bit to prepare for landing,” he reasoned.  His eyes grew a bit brighter as he stared out the window.  “Well, Mrs. Rys . . . if you look out to your left you’ll catch your first glimpse of your new home,” Liam beamed proudly.

Riley leaned against the window, her eyes gazing out into the distance below her.  She could just make out the aerial view of the country.  A million thoughts ran through her mind.  They were here.  They were finally here.   Riley gazed out at the shimmering blue ocean below her.  Cordonia’s coastline was breathtaking.  The little information she found on Google did nothing to prepare her for the sheer beauty of the country below her.  

She turned to Liam in awe, and he greeted her gaze with a beaming smile.  All it took for her worries to wane was a single look at Liam.  She knew this move would be hard, and she knew that she would be faced with a lot of scrutiny, and although she still had reservations about what would be like as an outsider, she knew that as long as Liam stood by her side, she’d somehow manage to pull through all of this.  

“That’s our country,” he said, leaning over her, pressing a soft kiss on the temple of her forehead.

“Our?” She whispered, still a bit overwhelmed about the reality of finally being in Cordonia.  She turned to face him, his eyes fixed on her in admiration.

“Yes, love.  The moment you said yes . . . the moment you signed those papers . . . this became all of yours,” he said proudly.

#liam x mc #liam x riley #king liam #trr #trr fanfic #trr fic #choices trr #choices fanfiction #fanfic #the royal romance #theroyalromance #the royal romance fan fic

[mfackenthal]

The MFackenthal Show and Cordonian’s Gone Wild!

Anitah: Hello fabulous audience members!  We are so glad you’re here. I know it’s a little early for the show to start, but if you could please try to take your seats quickly and quietly, that would be super helpful.

Alicia: As you all know or can guess, we’re the guest stars for today’s show.  

Pam: But what you don’t know, because Megs doesn’t even know it yet, is that we are taking over today’s show!  

Gen:  So … really, we’re in a bit of a hurry here … we need to start this show before Megs gets on stage.  Can you freaking be seated already?!

Pam:  (whispering loudy to Gen) Yo, asshole, be nice to the audience.  

Anitah, Alicia, Gen, and Pam all take a seat behind or on the desk that Megs often sits behind to start her show.  

Anitah:  Sit, sit, sit, everyone.

Alicia:  Roll the cameras.  

Gen:  counting down using her fingers In 3 … 2 …. 1 …

Pam: Welcome everyone to the Cordonian’s Gone Wild edition of The MFackenthal Show!!!!

Anitah:  You may be wondering where Megs is - don’t worry, she’s in hair and makeup.  She should be out soon.  

Alicia:  For those of you who don’t know, I’m @leelee10898 - You can call me Alicia or Leelee, whatever you want.  This is @ao719 AKA Anitah.

Anitah: The other girls call me Nita so that works too.

Pam:  I’m @speedyoperarascalparty: Pam is my name.

Gen: And I’m @cocomaxley -  Genevieve or Gen or asshole.  Okay party people - Parties are not set up with an audience - so get your butts out of those seats, move your chairs to the left side of the room where the MFackenthal staff will help clear the room and bring in some more comfortable couches.

Anitah:  Then, help yourself to a glass of Maxwell’s Purple concoction.

Pam:  And don’t ask, we’re not allowed to share the recipe.

Alicia:  Seriously, as to what’s in it … just don’t ask.

Gen:  Anyways … everyone get a glass so we can raise a toast.

The audience scrambles out of their seats, following the directions as best as they can.  The whole room is quickly transformed, a disco ball is hung from the center, a dance floor being laid down in the middle of the room, couches are set up around the dance floor and there’s a table stage left with about a dozen punch bowls filled with Maxwell’s Purple Concoction.  

Pam:  Does everyone have a drink?

Anitah:  Everyone, please raise your glass.

Everyone raises their glass. The girls stand center stage - which is now the center of the room - and just as they’re about to raise their glasses, Megs comes walking out.  

Anitah:  To Cordonia!

Pam: And loyal, hot men!

The audience parts for Megs and the room gets quiet.

Alicia:  To … choices?  Why is everyone so quiet?

Gen:  Welcome to your show, Megs!  

All:  To Megs!!!!

The audience:  To Megs!

Pam hands Megs a glass of Maxwell’s drink.  Megs takes it and slowly does a full 360 looking around the room.  

The audience is cheering and clapping loudly.

Megs:  Damn, ladies.  If i didn’t know this was my stage, I’d never recognize it!  Tapping her foot, is this a dance floor?  Is this Maxwell’s purple concoction?  Do you know what’s in it?

The audience: Don’t ask!

Megs:  laughs.  Oooookay … well, the producers are telling me we are already rolling soooo …

Anitah:  So hello Megs and welcome to your show!  

Megs:  Welcome indeed!  Megs takes a sip of the drink and a steadying breath.  So … okay, well …

Gen:  Well, in case it’s not obvious - we’ve taken over your show.  We know what the people want-

Pam:  Don’t worry - we’ll give the people what they want.

Alicia:  So, just take another sip and let us take over.

Megs looks at the girls, shrugs her shoulders, looks around, and takes a seat next to an audience member.  

Megs:  Alright, ladies.  It’s your show.

Anitah:  Oh! That was easier than I thought it would be.  Alrighty!  So … ladies, what do we think the people really want to know?

Megs:  Looking away from the stage and putting a hand over her hand to muffle her voice, she loudly says:  What brought each of you to the fandom? Looking forward and feigning innocence Whoa, who said that?

Gen:  laughing real smooth Megs.

Pam: I was going through Drake withdrawals. It was between books and I needed a fix.

Gen: I found TRR after seeing numerous ads on social media for the Choices app. I spent a ridiculous amount of money to binge TRR book 1 and book 2. Then, like Pam, got super thirsty for Liam, sorry not sorry Anitah! I found AO3 first then after some google searches, I found tumblr.

Anitah: It was a total and complete accident! I was googling something about the game while (im)patiently waiting for a new chapter to be released in book 3 and I saw a link to a fanfic. I had never even been on tumblr before and had zero clue what it even was. But was so glad when I found this glorious fandom!

Alicia: @darley1101. Someone shared a damien fic she wrote on the choices fandom FB page.

Megs:  Oooh - here’s some insider information - @darley1101 has been booked to be on this show in the future.  Hey, so tell us - When did “Cordonian’s Gone Wild” get started?  How did it get started? What’s the real story here?  

Anitah: Seriously Megs - chill!  We’ve taking over!  But, great question!  So we all joined a huge chat group with what...10 other people? Lol. It was pure madness. Pam started writing one shots for people in that chat. Bringing their real selves into fics with their LI’s. And the four of us began talking in a separate chat and one night we were talking about how crazy, ridiculous and fun it would be if we all went to Vegas (with our pretend husbands because the IRL ones aren’t as much fun)

Pam: Or as 🍆

Anitah: So then I wrote One Night In Vegas...and we posted it just for fun and people really seemed to enjoy it. Do any of you remember who or how we got Cordonians Gone Wild?? Because I do not!  lol

Pam: Nope!

Gen: This was Anitah or Pam. I know that. But it worked out because we all had different LI's after I got thirsty for Rashad.

Megs: I wondered how Rashad came in to the picture and had to assume someone latched on to him ... or, don’t be mad ⁨Genevieve⁩ ... he was the “leftover” (straight) male

Gen: Actually this was @boneandfur’s fault. She wrote some Rashad one shots and I loved him after that.

Megs:  Ooooh, I wonder if she wants to be on the show?  Hmmmm...

Anitah: As we were saying … Then as we went on each of us kind of developed these character traits I think (feel free to chime in guys lol) but example...in Mardi Anitah steals the royal jet and that became her thing-  lol - so I always steal the jet and Liam gets pissed (which is exactly what I want)

Gen: Yep! I became the resident asshole which isn't too far off from real life. Actually it's exactly like real life.

Pam: Yea I mean, Pam is based off me. Gen and I realized we used to live right by each other in Illinois before I moved back to Michigan. I'm a marriage and family therapist. Went to Northwestern, so we wrote in Gen and I lived in Chicago together.

Anitah: Well, if I had a jet in real life I'd steal it…

Alicia: Shaking her head like she’s been zoned out … Actually I think I was the one who came up with the name lol. I remember mimicking it after girls gone wild.

Meg starts to get up to ask a question, but Gen is standing behind her and places both hands on Meg’s shoulders to push her back into her seat.

Gen:  If I know Megs, she’d now ask a process question, like How do you decide who writes for what couple?  Or how did you decide? Is it set in stone?

Megs glares up at Gen while she asks the question.  Then she nods and waves Gen back to stage.  

Pam: The couples are set in stone. They are our LI. Some of us are more committed than others..pam and anitah stare down gen and alicia.  Some should cower in shame.

Gen and Alicia appear to be utterly unphased.

Gen: (cackling) I can't help it! I have a soft spot for Mr. Sinclaire!

Anitah: Pam and I are just less adventurous.

Pam: Trust...honesty....FAITHFULNESS!

Anitah and Alicia mock Pam’s words and movements

Alicia: Leo Rhys is my husband and has my heart.... I just have a soft spot for, Colt, Logan, Matt, Adrian, Damien, Earnest.. am I forgetting someone??  Oh yeah Bryce and Beckett.

Pam: Cough..whore..cough

Alicia: sticks up middle finger

Anitah and Gen: continue laughing

Pam: We all write all the couples, but the pairings don’t change...even if avatars do

Gen: She's talking about you Alicia.

Anitah: As far as who writes for what couple, if it’s a group fic we all participate, but each of us writes the respective couple if it’s a one shot or what not.

Gen: Usually someone comes up with an idea and someone else will be like - I'll write it 🙋🏻‍♀️… Or sometimes it's crickets …

The whole stage gets super quiet, everyone seems to be listening for the crickets. Megs gets up and the four girls glare at her.

Megs:  No, no, I got it - your show.  Why don’t you all simply discuss who has read which choices books and what is everyone’s favorite while I go and refill my drink?  

Megs winks to the camera and walks to the table to get a refill.

Anitah: Oh god...there’s such a long list...

Pam: Anitah and I will sit this one out…

Gen: Prudes! I'll say it again, I love Mr. Sinclaire. But I've played AME, Bloodbound, VOS, TCATF, ROE (blah), PM and a bunch of others. But not a lot of the newer ones.

Alicia: Did you seriously just BLAH my husbands book?

Gen: Yes the fuck I did!

Alicia: The only one I have NOT read yet is most wanted. I have started the haunting of braidwood manor, both it lives and passport, but have yet to finish those. Otherwise I have read all books fully released and am up to date on current ones.

Gen: Most Wanted is so good!

Pam: Drake…

Gen: (pats Pam’s hand) We know, Pammy. We know.

Alicia: Some I have read numerous times.... like Ride or Die.... perfect match and blood bound…

Megs has come back to her seat.

Megs: Who is your favorite OTP?

Anitah: Liam x MC

*Everyone looks at Pam waiting for Drammy to be said 👀*

Pam: Drammy! I'm consistent

Alicia: Ah shit ummmmmm ...

Gen: Liam x MC

Alicia: Colt x Ellie

Megs:  Poor Rashad and Leo!  Shakes her head.

Gen: They’re fine.

Alicia:  Oh!  You know what we should talk about?  Ourselves!  Our jobs, our hobbies, our favorite things - what we do when we’re not writing …

Pam:  Okay then … when I’m not writing - I work, play with my kids, I'm a brownie troop leader for my 7 year old, I fantasize about Drake Walker

Gen: Working...always working. Jobs are stupid. And I have this part time gig called a husband and two teenagers.

Anitah: Playing with my kids, being annoyed by my irl hubby and photographer on the side.

Alicia: Be a mom and all the "Mom" stuff that comes along with it..... oh and work...

Megs: And for fun?

Anitah: Photography for fun. I love taking pictures and scoping out new places to take them.

Gen: I used to crochet a lot. I taught myself to cross stitch. I like hobbies that keep me away from electronics.

Alicia: ummm good question. Write?? Crafts. Garden. I actually really didn't know how much I enjoyed it until last year.

Pam: Writing is my favorite past time currently. I also like to do arts and crafts with my kids, cooking..not baking, just to be clear...I like doing home improvement projects, painting, playing with my kids, hanging with my IRL hubs. Also, auditioning for a spot on Nailed It.

Gen: OMG! The first communion cake! It was amazing!

Megs: I should have made you make us a cake to go with this punch, Pam.  Alicia mentioned favorite things … What’s your favorite work that you have written? Feel free to answer this as a group and about your work individually.

Anitah: Definitely NOLA is one of my favorites

Alicia: Same

Gen: NOLA was amazing!

Megs:  And that stands for???  

Anitah: Oh - New Orleans! I didn’t write it but it’s still one of my favorites

Gen: Max hugging Pams feet saying, “don't take my puppy, Bertrand.”

Anitah: Omfg I forgot about that part!

Alicia: NOLA, and Never Give Up.. does rhys smirk. That I've written Amsterdam.

Pam: I loved In Another Life, Amsterdam, Harry Potter

Anitah: I liked In the Doghouse too...it was rough but...angst🤷🏼‍♀

Gen: says the queen of angst.

Pam: Yes!!! Loved Doghouse

Alicia: Ooh and Christmas. With max and the cow

Pam: I liked Naked and Afraid, but it was a bitch to write. Dates was fun too. Hawaii...the dance🤤🤤🤤

Anitah: OMG YESS 😂🤣😂😂

Alicia: the vein

Anitah: (laughing) The vein(s)

Alicia: Yes. But it was the 1st time Leos Rhys’ vein was displayed

Pam: Pony will never be the same

Alicia: Leo naked tackles me in the water

Pam: Yep....Drake’s junk over my face...🤤🤤🤤 Guys...I think I might have an oral fixation. For real.

Alicia: no shit. And i mean that it the nicest way

Pam: I need something else to do with my mouth than suck Drake’s dick

Alicia: Suck his balls?

Pam: That could work...🍊🍊

Gen: And the crazy train just went off the rails…

Megs:  LOL, well - you can find a full listing of their work now showing on the screen here.  

Anitah:  Awh, thanks Megs!  Oh!  The producers are indicating that it’s time for a commercial break.  So we’re all going to refill our drinks and then we have another surprise in store for Megs.  Megs - don’t forget to refill your drink and then join us on stage after these messages.

<Insert a commercial for the sponsor of this and all content:  Choices by Pixelberry.>

The 4 ladies and Megs are now center stage.  Everyone’s glasses have been refilled.  

Pam:  Megs, as the hosts of your show and now that you’re two glasses of purple drink in - we have some questions for you!

Gen: How did you come up with the idea to do these interviews? I think it's awesome because it really helps get to know the other people in the fandom. Oh! And what's your favorite color?

Megs:  The idea behind these interviews came from multiple conversations I had with some friends, especially @tmarie82, @lizeboredom, and @maxattack-powell.  I wanted to give back to this community but I wasn’t inspired to write fanfiction.  So I talked with them about different ways I could give back.  I wanted ways that were non-competitive and ways that I could highlight the work of a specific author or visual artist.  Multiple people mentioned how awkward it could be to reach out and start talking over tumblr but that they were always interested in process and the lives of the artists and I was like - I have no shame in asking all of the questions!  Let me ask and share what I learn.  Then I did a follower post - I think I had maybe 100 followers?  Maybe 150?  People had to enter - so I figured it was self selecting group and I did my first interview.  The Ellen saw my interview and offered me her time slot.

Oh! … and my favorite color is mint green.  

Anitah: How do you read so many fics to do your reviews? It’s amazing that you take all that time to do that and signal boost these writers to the fandom!

Megs: Awh, thanks!  The true answer is two fold.  One - tumblr mobile on my iphone.  Two - I’m a huge nerd.  I wake up and pretty much immediately start reading.  I read in line at the grocery store.  I read while waiting for the programs we use at work to switch between screens - because shit if that doesn’t sometimes take 5 minutes.  Why should I stare at the screen while the wheel of death turns when I can read a couple paragraphs about the men in my life?

Pam: How do you decide what to read? Are writers or fics recommended to you or is it just luck?

Megs:  At this point - tumblr tags probably play a larger than appropriate influence on what I read. I tend to check my notifications first and start there.  I’m a sucker for having a conversation, sharing a joke, or getting a response from another person - be in the author or another fangirl or fanboy.  I definitely take recommendations though.  And, on the off chance that I can just choose what I read, then I go through my feed and see what strikes my fancy.

Alicia: What's your favorite thing you have read so far? And what is your funniest tumblr moment?

Megs: I have no clue what my favorite thing is that I’ve read.  There is so much amazing work … but before I talk about my own funnies - I will mention two stories that had me laughing.  One is by @hellospunkiebrewster called Blackouts and Bad Decisions and let’s just say that Bertrand has a tramp stamp.  If that doesn’t make you laugh - nothing will.  The other one was published far more recently by @laniquelovewrites.  It’s called The Lion Prince and it’s inspired by The Lion King.  I thought it was so funny that I read it to my husband.  Who also thought it was funny.  Hmmmm … as for my funniest tumblr moment … it’s probably been those times when I find a way to make an author’s characters ask for what I want.  Like in this post - where I pretend Ethan and I are changing the clocks in the author’s house so that I can get the next part of the story sooner.  I mean, I think I’m funny at least.

Well ... that’s about all the tim-

Pam: Oh Megs, Megs, Megs, not so fast.  Did you think that our big surprise was asking you questions?  No, the final surprise is yet to come.

Anitah:  Yes, Megs, with the help of your amazing audience, we are going to play …

Alicia:  drum roll please …

Gen:  Never Have I Ever - CGW on the MFackenthal Show edition!

Megs:  shakes her head and smiles So … how does this work?  Like, when do I have to drink?

The four girls look at each other and shrug their shoulders.

Well?  

Pam:  You drink when we tell you to drink.

Gen:  Yeah, down what’s left of that glass and we’ll get you another!

Megs:  laughs … okay, well, I’m already buzzed … uh, can I say that on my show?  … well, kids, everyone here is old enough to drink.  Don’t drink and drive.  Everyone who has been drinking will be taking a ride-share home!

Anitah:  Okay, first question from the audience … Never have I ever been on The MFackenthal Show

Gen: this is my first time! So do I have to drink to this or not?

Pam: Looks like I'm popping my cherry!

Anitah: I’m drinking.

Alicia: 1st time… I'll drink to that!

Megan: haha, well, not as a guest … takes a drink.

Anitah:  Second question: Never have I ever fantasized about a fictional character.

Gen: Omg! Who hasn't? Because I'm thirsty. Always thirsty for my pixelated men...I mean man.

Pam: Hahahahaha...snorting and laughing hysterically. Oh..wait...you're serious?

Anitah: all the time (chugs drink)

Alicia: *Guzzles drink*

Megan: anyone who says no is lying … takes another drink

Alicia:  Never have I ever cheated on my partner.

Gen: I've never cheated on my IRL hubs. I've never cheated on Rashad either. Mr. Sinclaire doesn't count! 😂

Pam: I won't even cheat in my pixelated hubby by playing other books or romancing other LI...I believe honesty and trust are the foundation of all good relationships. STOP ROLLING YOUR EYES, ANITAH!!

Anitah: Never cheated

Alicia: NO!

Megan: Nope! I have a hard time even “playing the field” in the choices games.  If I want to see what it’s like to be with another LI, I have to do another full playthrough.  

Alicia:  Never have I ever...had sex outside.

Gen: In real life, yes I have. In CGW I haven't. So I guess that's a draw.

Pam: Yes in real life and Pixelated life.

Anitah: (laughing hysterically) Well pixelated life we know the answer to that because...kinky king. And real life, yes.

Alicia: IRL yep. CGW Yup!

Megan: Indeed I have.

Gen: Never have I ever Given a blow job in public like Pam.

Gen: (hides face) yes. More times than I care to admit.

Pam: laughs...yea let's just say my hubby enjoyed one of the star wars movies intimately.

Anitah: eyes wide as she chugs her drink

Alicia: takes a drink silently

Megan:  *takes a big drink* shaking her head from side to side

Gen: Never have I ever said your fictional husbands name in a moment of passion?  ... No. Thought about during a moment of passion? All the time. Do NOT tell my husband.

Pam: In my head? Over and over and over...lol. I did however call my husband Drake once, just in passing. He was less than pleased.

Anitah: Not in a moment of passion but I have absolutely thought about it. I did however call my 3 year old son, who’s name starts with L, Liam, and he proceeded to correct me with his full name while giving me the stink eye.

Alicia: no. Have I thought about it…. Hehehehe

Megan: No. If I had, I’d never hear the end of it.

Pam:  Get to drinking, Megs!  Next question from the audience, never have I ever tried to see how many marshmallows can fit into my mouth.

Gen: Marshmallows, saltines, cinnamon - this was bad. Really bad.

Pam: can't say I have!

Anitah: I sure did.

Alicia: no, I have not

Megan: Marshmallows make me feel sick to my stomach. I tend to claim I’m allergic to them, even though I’m fairly sure that would mean I’m allergic to sugar.  LOL

Pam: Never have I ever given someone a lap dance/received a lap dance

Gen: not in public…

Pam: Oh I've been to A LOT of bachelorette parties..so yep!

Anitah: Yes!

Alicia: sorta

Megan: Yes … my husband does this dance to Brittney’s toxic … Give me one of those questions. Takes a set of note cards from Pam and flips through them.  Okay ... Never have I ever broken a bone.

Gen: I've never broken a bone! Yes I'm proud of that!

Pam: Nope!

Anitah: knock on wood - no I haven’t.

Alicia: I have not!! Even though I am an absolute klutz.

Megan: I haven’t either!  Which is amazing because I have fallen out of a tree - totally sober, btw.

Anitah:  Drink up, Megs!

Megs: finishes her drink … Okay, never have I ever told my real life husband/partner about my pixelated hubby.

Gen: No, he already thinks I don't love him. This would prove it.

Pam: Yep! My hubby is actually super supportive. He has helped me plot a few fics...the Drake and Pam chocolate wax disaster was made exponentially better by his suggestions. He is known as our cinnamon roll and Gen wrote him into a fic as owning a cinnamon roll shop..LOL. When Drake and I eloped, I made him call me Mrs. Walker the entire weekend and would not respond to any other names. I'm such an asshole

Anitah: (laughing) No way! He knows nothing! He doesn’t know about choices or that I’m in love with a pixelated man. He doesn’t know about tumblr or that I write. No one I know in real life knows anything about this. It’s like...my dirty little secret.

Alicia: yes and no. He does know about choices, he does know about Leo.. he does not know my level of infatuation with him.

Megs:  Yup!  My husband often asks “are you playing your stories?”

~~~~~later~~~~~

Megs:  lifting her head off the armrest of the couch and blinking her eyes open hhhhhuh?  Where …?  Ooooh, my head is killing me … How is my studio back to how it looked before?  Was that a dream?  Megs gets up and pads over to her on-stage desk where she picks up a note and reads aloud, “You passed out shortly after our game.  We partied hard with your audience and then put your studio back together.  Whenever you want to do this again - let us know.  I’ll steal the jet.  Luv, CGW!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the tags! If you want to be added to the tag list for these or removed, please let me know!

@hopefulmoonobject @queen-among-writers, @hopelessromantic1352, @lilyofchoices,

#The MFackenthal Show #The MFackenthal Show with Cordonian's Gone Wild #Cordonian's Gone Wild #This show was a blast to produce #I can't believe they made me drink so much #Wait yes yes I can #Anitah will steal the jet for me! #Long post #Amazing community #So much fun #Thanks for all who submitted Never Have I Ever questions #Thanks for the suggestion Nonny #These women are truly fantastic! #Truly a joy!

[choicesficwriterscreations]

TRR/TRH/TFR FotW - Dec 12 - 18 2021

🖤 = Adult Content 🔥= NSFW/18+ 🎄 = CFWC Holiday Celebration

DRAKE WALKER x F!MC

Mission Grumpy: The Tale of the Courtly Lady (Series) - @sillydg Part 2 🖤 🔥

DRAKE WALKER x F!OC

Sleepless in New York (Series) - @karahalloway Chapter 2: First Impressions 🖤

LIAM RYS X F!MC

A COVID Christmas - @sfb123 🎄

The Beginning of the End - @starfurylord

The Rebel Crown Prince - @thegreentwin Clubbing 🖤 🔥 The Day After 🖤 🔥

MULTIPLE CHARACTERS

Cinnamon Spice | Male TRR LI x F!OC @bebepac

My Best Friend’s Girl (Series) | Liam Rys, F!MC, Drake Walker - @angelasscribbles Chapter 7: Birthday Wishes

Savage Love (New Series)| Drake Walker, Liam Rys, F!MC - @angelasscribbles Savage Love Prologue 🖤 🔥

MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS

Complicated | Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 24: When Hearts Get Broken 🖤 🔥 Chapter 25: The Fixer Chapter 26: Controlling the Narrative

CFWC MAIN FOTW LIST

CFWC OPEN HEART FOTW LIST

#the royal romance fanfic #the royal romance fan fiction #choices fanfic #choices fan fiction #playcoices fanfic #playchoices fan fiction #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week #cfwc fics of the week

[skyecrandall]

Choices Community Awards 2018 : Nominations Results + Link to final polls

First up now that we have concluded with the nomination phase, it is now time to start the final step of the CCA 2018. Click the link underneath to get redirected to the poll in question.

Link to polls of the CCA Finals

You have until Saturday 12 January at 23:59 (GMT+4) to vote.

Please try to vote unbiased and fairly. You do not require any email or send in any personal details to vote. Just click the link and make your selections.

Also please spread this post around so please Reblog. Thank you.

Anyway, If you want to see the results of the nomination phase , press the read more link.

Best Male LI:

1) Ernest Sinclaire - 15 votes

2) Tom Sato - 9 votes

3-Tied) Damien Nazario , King/Prince Liam - 8 Votes

5) Beckett Harrington - 5 votes

Best Female LI:

1) Annabelle Parssons - 15 votes

2) Kamilah Sayeed - 9 votes

3) Hana Lee - 8 votes

4) Estela Montoya - 7 votes

5-Tied) Sloane Washington , Skye Crandall, Hayden Young, Victoria Fontaine - 6 Votes

Best Supporting Character(Male):

1) Elliot Vance - 18 

2) Zack Zilberg - 13

3) Diego Oritz Soto - 9

4) Zeph Hernadez - 8

5) Mr.Chambers - 7

Best Supporting Character (female):

1) Nadia Park - 19

2-Tied) Briar Daly, Olivia Nevrakis -15

3) Michelle Nguyen - 10

4) Erin Ward -8

Best Antagonist

1) Cecile Contreras - 16

2) Gaius Augustine - 7

3) Nathan Sterling - 6

4) Jeff Duffy - 5

5) Duke Richards - 4

Best MC

1) D&D MC - 14

2) PM MC - 12

3) BB MC - 8

4) ILB MC - 7

5) TRR MC - 5

Best Atmosphere

1-Tied) It Lives Beneath , Desire & Decorum - 14

3-Tied)The Elementalist (Eww) , Veil Of Secrets - 8

5) Bloodbound

Best Book

1- Tied) Desire & Decorum , Perfect Match (Book 1) - 13

3) It Lives Beneath - 12

4) Bloodbound - 10

5) Veil Of Secrets - 8

Most Humane

1) Hayden Young - 14

2) Imogen Wescott - 5

3) Damien Nazario - 4

4-Tied) Elliot Vance , Skye Crandall - 3

Best Non-Mc Romance

1) Mr.Chambers X Mr.Konevi - 14

2) Elliot X Robbie - 11

3) Nadia X Steve - 8

4) Zahra X Craig - 7

Best Non-Romantic Relationship

1) Elliot / ILB MC - 16

2) Nadia / PM MC - 5

3-Tied) Andy/Tom, Michael/Maria, Olivia/TRR MC, Nadia/PM MC, Kamilah/Adrian - 4

Best Plot-Twist

1) Damien being replaced by Dames - 14

2) Nathan being a snake - 5

3) Evil duffy - 4

Funniest Character

1) Maxwell Beaumont - 13

2-Tied) Nadia Park , Lily Spencer - 8

4) Tom Sato - 4

5) Jeff Duffy - 3

Thank you again to everyin who sent in their nominations. The turn out might have not been as great as last year but I didn’t let this get to me and I continued the process. Unfortunately since I started my first job, posting the results of the nomination phase got delayed.

I will request you to participate to the CCAs one last time for this season and go vote for the finalists in the link above.

-Chetav, with love

#CCA2018 #choices stories you play #playchoices #please spread #Please do not let the final phase flop

[questingtheworld]

Living The Fantasy - Chapter One

AO3 Link

Summary: Meeting royalty, falling in love, and living happy ever after were the things Hollywood movies were made of…or happened only to the Meghan Markle and Daniel Westling’s of the world. Rylie Martin was neither made for the silver screen nor one of the lucky one percent—that is, until a bachelor party entered the bar she worked at one fateful night. Even after a magical meeting and love in the air, Rylie knew getting that fairytale ending wouldn’t be easy. But nothing could have prepared her for what awaited her in Cordonia.

Pairing: Liam x MC

Chapter Title Inspiration: Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur

Word Count: 10,769

A/N: I've only recently discovered Choices (where has it been all my life!) and TRR was my first book, and it has just completely captured my heart. So much so that I decided to try and expand on the universe that they gave us.

It will mostly be from Rylie's (MC) point of view, but I do plan on having some "intermission" chapters where I explore some "behind the scenes" moments from another character's POV. Warnings and tags to be added as the story continues.

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

* ~ * ~ *

Chapter One: I Met You in the Dark

I met you in the dark, you lit me up

You made me feel as though I was enough

 As Rylie heaved two large bags of trash up so they weren’t dragging on the ground as she brought them to the dumpster, her mind wandered as it usually did when performing such glamorous tasks, especially when she was on her second of a back-to-back shift and was basically just running on fumes by that point. 

Often her thoughts drifted to alternate universes where she was holding up a plate of decadent pastries instead of rancid garbage or wearing a form-flattering designer dress instead of an ill-fitting, alcohol-stained waitress uniform and pretend the pitter-patter of what she hoped weren’t rats were instead the footsteps of an elegant ballroom dance.

(Not that she even knew a single one, but hey, this was a fantasy, not reality. Speaking of reality, Rylie could distantly hear her co-worker Daniel’s yelp and tug on her arm, threatening to pull her from her daydream and back to the present where those sounds were rats. Not wanting to low-key freak out with him, Rylie delved deeper into her fictional other life.)

Maybe she could have a job where the words, “it’s five o’clock somewhere,” wasn’t a daily utterance, or maybe she could win the lottery and never have to work at all ever again. Or maybe, just maybe, she could be someone who was treated equally and with respect instead of--

“Hey! Rylie, Daniel, quit slacking off over there!”

--Well, that .

And she was so close to reaching the ‘prince charming’ and ‘happily ever after’ portion of her fantasy, too.

With a sigh, Rylie turned to face their manager, Kevin, as Daniel let go of her arm. “You told us to take out the garbage.” Rylie wasn’t usually the type to talk back to her bosses, but there was only so much belittling someone could take before they snapped and Rylie knew that her manager knew that he wouldn’t be able to replace her so easily if he fired her.

Unfortunately, her manager also knew that if she didn’t need the job so badly she would’ve quit by now, which always left him with the upper hand. “I didn’t expect you maggots to take it literally and throw yourselves out with it. Now I’m telling you to wait on the bachelor party that just rolled in. So chop chop!”

Forced to take the loss, Rylie bristled as Kevin smiled smugly before turning to head back into the bar.

“If bullying us is the only thing that makes him happy in life, I think we’re the ones winning in the long run, Rylie,” Daniel said in an attempt to placate her, and after a moment Rylie let out a long breath, expelling all her tension and anger.

“That’s true,” she conceded as they hurried to toss the remaining garbage bags into the dumpster. “That doesn’t make it right, but I’m not going to let him take up any more brain power. Let’s go check out the damage of this bachelor party.”

Heading back inside, the two of them peeked from around the corner of the Employee Only entrance at the back, eyeing the trio of males that waited at the front to be seated. A tanned man in a dark grey suit called out to Traci, one of the other waitresses, as she passed by with a pitcher of water for one of her tables.

“Waitress, there you are. We need your best table!” the man in the suit said.

“Forget the table,” one of the other men said, dressed on the complete opposite spectrum of his friend, with a button-opened long sleeve denim shirt over a plain white t-shirt and jeans. “Just bring us your whiskey, and lots of it.”

“Maybe the one in the suit is the one getting hitched?” Rylie theorized as she continued to peer out at them, watching as Traci assured them that someone would be out to seat them shortly and left to attend to her customers. Guessing what everyone’s story was for them to walk into a barely ‘Grade A’ bar was a thing they did to pass the time. “Do you think they’re bar-hopping, or that this is the pre-game?” she asked, turning to look back at Daniel to find that he was already looking at her with a sad puppy expression, hands clasped in the universal sign of begging. She could already guess what it was he was going to request of her. “Oh, no, Daniel…”

“Rylie, please take this one. I’ve got a date tonight, and I’ll never make it out of here in time…”

While it was only a group of three—smaller than the huge bachelor party they were expecting—alcohol always made things more unpredictable. “Why do I get all the rowdy tables?” Rylie half-complained, though she already knew she was going to do it for her friend.

“Because you’re a saint with a heart of gold and patience a mile wide?” Daniel buttered her up.

Rylie hummed noncommittally, but her poker face cracked as Daniel jutted out his bottom lip more and she threw her hands up in defeat. “Oh, you know I’ve got your back. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do tonight…and they’re kinda hot…and the tips should be good…” Rylie listed, trying to make herself feel better about accepting and make Daniel feel less guilty for asking.

“Oh, thank you, thank you! I owe you one. You’re the best!” Daniel gushed as he hugged her, and she laughed and hugged him back.

“Just have enough fun for the both of us. I wanna hear all about it tomorrow!”

Unfortunately, their manager chose that exact moment to walk in on them. “Are you two still talking? I’ve seated them already. Now get over there before I dock your pay!”

Rolling her eyes as Kevin left again—maybe if they weren’t so short-staffed he wouldn’t have to do some actual work like seating customers, the horror!—Rylie waved bye to Daniel before straightening her uniform and plastering the friendliest smile she could muster as she walked over to where the party was seated, grabbing three menus as she went. Rylie bowed her head apologetically for interrupting their conversation; it sounded like they had some sort of European accent. “Hello, gentlemen!” she greeted as she placed menus down in front of them. “Sorry for the wait. My name’s Rylie and I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”

Before she could ask for their drink order, the third man that was in a crisp black shirt spoke first. “Waitress, steaks for the table.”

I have a name…and I just gave it to you! Rylie screamed internally, but her countenance betrayed nothing. It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d been defined solely as her occupation instead of as a person. She opened her mouth to respond, but the suspected-groom-to-be beat her to it.

“How about some filet mignon, medium rare and prepared with a béarnaise sauce?”

Does this man think he’s at a five-star restaurant? He was certainly dressed like it, but even she could appreciate someone who wanted to look good wherever they went. The smile remained on Rylie’s face despite her thoughts. “The closest thing we have to ‘filet mignon’ is the deluxe burger.”

Suit man made a face as if the word ‘burger’ itself was beneath him. “Dare I ask for your wine list?”

“We’ve got an excellent vintage house red…”

“ House red?! ”

“It also comes in white if that’s more to your taste.”

That only seemed to cause more terror in the man. “My taste ? Why, I never …”

“Sir, this is a Wendy’s,” Rylie said in a flat voice, unable to help herself when the man set it up so nicely. When silence followed instead of laughter, she shifted awkwardly. Tough crowd. She watched as the eyebrows of the man in the suit furrowed together, and she could already imagine him demanding for her manager and Kevin having the satisfaction of firing her. The man’s mouth opened, and Rylie held her breath.

“But…that’s not what the sign in front of this establishment said—”

A sharp gasp interrupted suit guy, and Rylie returned her gaze to the one in the black shirt. “Oh. My. God. I’ve read about this meme online but I never thought I’d witness it in person! Do me, do me!”

“Err…” That didn’t go the way she was expecting. It was a good thing, don’t get her wrong, but it was still throwing her for a loop. Who were these people and where did they come from? Rylie looked at denim dude, hoping he was the only sane one among them.

Denim man sighed as if wordlessly saying ‘this is why we can’t have nice things.’ “We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey...and four deluxe burgers.”

Rylie nodded, mentally taking down their order as she retrieved the unopened menus from the table but pausing when she realized he ordered one more than there were in their group. S he locked eyes with denim man to double check the quantity. “Four, sir?”

The man nodded behind her, and Rylie turned and came face to face with someone’s chest. “Oh!” Rylie let out in shock, taking a step back reflexively. Slowly, her eyes trailed up from the layered clothing (less formal than the suit man but more dressy than the other two), taking in his gel-styled black hair to his facial features that seemed Asian mixed with something before locking eyes with him. Whoa, he’s really cute.

“Sorry I’m late,” the newcomer apologized to his friends, though his gaze was still on her. “Thank you for your patience, Miss…?”

It took Rylie a moment to realize he was talking to her this time. “Uh, Rylie,” she answered less gracefully than she had hoped. Wonderful first impression there, Rylie.

The man smiled, though whether it was because he was being polite or because he actually found her sudden dimness adorable was unknown (Rylie’s inner voice was lamenting that it was the former). “Charmed to make your acquaintance, Rylie.”

“Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine,” Rylie replied dreamily before stiffening when her brain caught up to what her mouth said. “I mean, it’s nice to meet you.” Smooth recovery. “Let me go put your order in. Be right back!”

Fleeing the scene with what was left of her dignity, Rylie sped walked to the kitchen and put in their food order. She took a brief moment to knock her head against the wall a couple times for her embarrassing display before she took a deep breath and headed for the bar to get their drinks.

“Let’s see, whiskey, whiskey…” she murmured to herself as she looked over their stock of liquor. In her haste to leave before she made even more of a fool of herself in front of the bachelor party, she didn’t ask for what specific whiskey they wanted. What kind of whiskey people were they? Rylie discreetly glanced back at the bachelor party’s table, analyzing them. Bourbon seemed a little tame for them, but she believed the only one of the four who could handle a single malt scotch was the one in denim. Deciding it was best if they chose, Rylie picked up three different kinds and put them on a tray along with four empty glasses.

“Hello again, gentlemen,” Rylie greeted. “Your food’s in the works. I’ve got your drink order here, but since the type of whiskey wasn’t specified I figured you guys can pick your poison.”

“Poison? You’re asking us to choose how you’re going to kill us?” the tanned man gasped as he watched Rylie place three bottles of whiskey in the middle of the table before distributing glasses to everyone.

“It’s a figure of speech, Tariq,” denim man explained, eyeing the three bottles in turn before looking up at her. His expression was hard to read, but Rylie knew she was about to be tested. “What’re our choices?”

Rylie straightened under his gaze, firm and ready with no sign of weakness; if he thought he was the first man to question her knowledge of liquor when she literally worked in a bar he would be solely mistaken. “If this is your pre-game, or if you’re new to the world of whiskey, I recommend Four Roses. It’s smooth while having none of the bite of other whiskey.”

The man in black perked up at the term he didn’t recognize. “What’s a pre-game?”

“Like a pit stop before the real party begins,” Rylie answered with a wink before continuing. “If you’re feeling a little adventurous but don’t want to jump off the deep end quite yet, there’s Johnnie Walker. It’s a blended scotch and is a nice middle road between bourbon and a single malt whiskey, like the Macallan here. Choose this if you think you can handle a real kick to your taste buds.”

Rylie gave denim dude a look, who crossed his arms and nodded appreciatively; it looked like she passed.

“What would you go with?” the cute latecomer asked her.

She tapped Johnnie Walker. “It’s the best of both worlds. But it really depends on you—”

“We’ll take it!” the hyper man in black said before anyone else could say otherwise, though no one moved to object his decision.

“Excellent choice,” Rylie said dutifully, though she couldn’t suppress the tiny bit of pride that welled up inside her for the party to trust her word enough to go with her pick. After opening the bottle for them and filling their glasses three quarters of the way full, Rylie left the bottle in the middle of the table for them to refill at their leisure and collected the other two that weren’t chosen, placing them back on the tray. “If you’d like that on the rocks, let me know, though I do think it will dilute the taste.”

The latecomer smiled that million watt smile again. “No rocks, then.”

He could light up the world with that smile , Rylie thought wistfully. “I’ll be right back with your burgers.”

As Rylie walked back to the bar to return the other two bottles her manager suddenly appeared beside her. “Johnnie Walker, Rylie, really? Why didn’t you give them the Macallan when you know it costs more?” Kevin hissed at her.

“The customer chose,” Rylie said through gritted teeth as she kept a smile on her face on in case anyone was looking, “and haven’t you heard that the customer is always right?”

“I know for a fact that they asked for your opinion. You could’ve lied to sell the more expensive one. They clearly don’t know any better and they would’ve been too drunk by the end of the night to notice the bill.”

Her manager was actually the worst. Rylie pointedly refused to look at him or even give that ridiculous statement a response as she put the bottles away. A server’s word meant something to her, at least, and she wasn’t going to lie just to cheat the customer. It probably made her the worst employee in terms of selling unwanted things to customers but her integrity mattered more to her. It was another one of those things that probably should’ve gotten her fired a long time go…

“You’re just lucky that the price difference isn’t too much; less money I’m going to take out from your paycheck.”

…But then Kevin got back at her by doing things like that.

Rylie finally turned to face her manager as she clutched the now empty tray in her hand tightly. “You can’t do that!”

Kevin smirked at her. “I just did. Now you better grab their food before it gets cold and I’ll be forced to take their meal out of your paycheck too when they inevitably walk out.” He made a ‘shooing’ motion with his hand and Rylie had no choice but to do as he said, even if she was going to do it anyway.

The rest of the night was generally normal, with Kevin’s yelling at her and her co-workers normal background noise by now and the one sleazy man (there was always one) who was constantly calling her over for something just to keep her in his presence. Surprisingly, the bachelor party never got rowdy, though they certainly kept the rest of her shift interesting in the way the man in the black shirt was constantly trying to talk about pop culture with her and how Tariq (if she remembered what the one in denim called the one in the suit’s name was correctly) actually tried to eat his burger with a knife and fork.

“Can I get you guys anything else?” Rylie asked politely as she cleared the empty plates off of their table. She didn’t want to rush them but closing time was in a couple of minutes, and after spending 16 hours at work she was ready to book it out of there.

“Just a glass of water,” the man in denim asked as the cute latecomer slid out of the booth to let the one in black out; him and Rylie locked eyes and shared a smile as he sat back down.

“For the table?” she asked for clarification.

The latecomer looked down at his watch as he sat back down and frowned slightly before looking up at Tariq, who nodded. He sighed softly. “If it’s not too much trouble,” he said apologetically.

Well, there went her chances of leaving on time. Still, she couldn’t look at his handsome face and feel anything but a flutter in her heart. “Not at all.”

After delivering their water, Rylie started cleaning the rest of the tables so that she’d have less to do when the bachelor party was done. As she was finishing up wiping down the bar, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see the man she had been eyeing all night. “Hey! Do you guys need a refill?”

The Asian man smiled. “Actually, I think we’re about ready to head out. I just wanted to thank you...and apologize. I know we kept you late, and my friends can be...demanding.”

Was that why he was frowning at his watch when I brought the water earlier? I thought they were running late for something. Did he know what time we closed? The possibility that that thought might’ve been true left her breathless at how thoughtful that would’ve been if it was. “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Rylie assured him. She’d definitely handled worst tables than his before.

His eyes seemed to search her face for any hint of a lie before he smiled. “I got the feeling that you could take care of yourself.”

Rylie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, what gave it away?”

“I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just…your features are soft, but sometimes they betray your fiery spirit within,” he answered genuinely before his cheeks reddened and he cleared his throat. “Plus I can imagine it’s not easy to work here...”

“..And that’d require some backbone?” Rylie finished for him, laughing when he seemed even more embarrassed by his insinuation. Before her mind can catch up to her body, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm to comfort him, and she felt him relax under her touch. “I’m not mad, just curious as to what made you think that. You’re not wrong, and I do have a baby face; trips people up all the time.”

Realizing she was still holding onto him (it just felt so natural ), Rylie quickly let go and cleared her own throat. “It was kind of you to come over and apologize. It wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it. If you guys are heading out now, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the bachelor party!”

The man took another step forward as Rylie began to turn away to get back to work. “That wasn’t the only reason I came by. As… unnecessary as it may be in your opinion, I still have an invitation I’d wish to extend to you to make up for things. If you don’t have any other plans tonight, maybe I can buy you a drink. We’re about to go to a club.”

Well, this wasn’t how Rylie was expecting her night to go, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. Maybe taking the party table would reap more benefits than she originally thought. “Oh? Which one?”

“We were hoping you might have some advice about that,” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re not from around here.”

Rylie smiled coyly before mimicking his earlier action by searching his face for a lie and saying, “I got the feeling that you guys weren’t native New Yorkers.”

The man realized what she was doing almost immediately and decided to play along in this sudden role reversal of theirs. “Oh, what gave it away?” he said, eyebrows raised.

A grin spread across Rylie’s face before she tried to school them into a more serious expression. “No offense but I’ve never met anyone quite like you since I’ve gotten to this city, and that’s a good thing, trust me. Plus the accents were a bit of a giveaway, though what really sold it was how your friends acted. No chill whatsoever.”

“No offense taken. I’ll humbly accept the first part as a compliment. As for the rest, we’re not exactly used to…all of this,” he waved his hand out vaguely in front of him.

“New York can be pretty overwhelming for those not used to a big city.” The man looked like he wanted to protest but decided against it, so Rylie continued. “Hmm, well, if you really want to let loose, I’ve heard Kismet is the hottest club in town at the moment.”

“That sounds perfect. I know the guys want to go crazy tonight! So, does that mean you’ll join us…?” he trailed off hopefully.

“Under one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“You tell me your name. I’m not in the habit of leaving with complete strangers,” Rylie said with a smile.

The man winced slightly, and Rylie believed if he had less restraint he would’ve smacked a hand against his forehead. “Where are my manners? My name is Liam. I’ll introduce my friends once we’re outside.”

“Trust me, Liam, you have more manners in your pinky than most people do in their entire being. And that sounds like a plan! Just let me finish up here and I’ll meet you out front.”

“You’re too kind, Rylie,” Liam said, then bowed slightly before heading towards the exit.

“And you’re too modest!” Rylie called after him, cherishing the chuckle that she heard before she headed for their table to clear it. She noticed an envelope under their bill and read the neat note written on the front. “Thank you for your service tonight. This is your tip: open once you arrive safely home,” Rylie read aloud to herself before turning the sealed packet in her hands. It felt like it had some thickness to it, but it could’ve just been a bunch of dollar bills. Were they embarrassed? It wasn’t like it mattered, especially since it seemed like she was going to get a drink out of it.

“Who even puts tips in an envelope anyway?” Rylie asked herself. They continued to surprise her with their quirkiness. Shrugging, she stuffed the envelope in her apron pocket and quickly finished her closing duties before heading into the breakroom to change. I am so ready to get out of this uniform… Rylie thought as she began to change into a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a chic berry purple short sleeved shirt that complimented the tone of her medium brown skin, and accessorized with a faux gold chain and black ankle boots.

Pulling at the hair tie that kept her hair up revealed that while the top half of her hair was a dark brown, from the middle down to the tips was a dark pink ombre colour, otherwise hidden by the way she had styled her up do. Rylie finger combed her hair, trying to get that sultry messy wave and parting it on her right side. With that done, she donned a black leather jacket and checked herself out in the mirror.

Perfect.

Grabbing her bag, Rylie clocked out, waved by to any of her lingering co-workers and avoided her manager like the plague as she made her way outside, finding Liam and his friends waiting for her.

The guy in denim was the first to notice her as he looked up from his phone, and he did a double take as he saw her approach. “Wow,” he breathed out as his eyes subtly raked up her form until he locked eyes with her.

“Wow?” Rylie repeated as she stopped in front of him.

“I...almost didn’t recognize you,” he tried to elaborate, still at a loss for words.

“That uniform wasn’t doing you justice,” Tariq agreed with denim man’s disjointed appraisal, also eyeing her with an approving gaze.

The one in the black shirt joined his friends in crowding her, unabashedly checking her out. “Yeah, the waitress is hot.”

Rylie let out a laugh, trying to figure out if she was amused, flattered, or upset by the attention and comments. They acted as if they had never seen a woman in skinny jeans before, and while it was really nice to be seen as attractive it was also a little objectifying.

Before she could decide, there were footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Liam giving his friends a stern look. “Ahem. Her name is Rylie, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that.”

She hummed, unsure. “The jury’s still out on that one.”

Denim man bowed his head in silent apology, while Tariq looked taken aback as he seemed to be the whole night she was waiting on them. “Are we on trial?”

“Still a figure of speech, Tariq,” denim man said.

“I would appreciate being called by my name, though,” Rylie added, looking at Liam gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Right. Sorry, Rylie. I meant to say, you look lovely,” the one in the black shirt said sincerely, folding his right arm across his stomach and bending slightly at the hip rather regally before standing up and clapping his hands together. “Now let’s get this party going!”

“Before we go, I did promise to introduce you to everyone. This is Drake,” Liam named as he gestured towards the man in denim, “Maxwell,” the one in the black shirt gave a wave, “and Tariq,” Liam finished as he gave the one in the suit a pat on the shoulder.

Rylie gave a wave back to the group. “Nice to meet you all, officially.”

Drake crossed his arms, eyeing her with a more calculating look than before. “So she’s our tour guide now?”

Rylie frowned slightly. Well, isn’t he a ray of sunshine. Liam had made it sound like everyone was on board with her coming along. If that wasn’t the case she wasn’t going to insert herself into their bachelor party. “It’s okay, I can go. I can tell when I’m not wanted.”

“Please stay,” Liam beseeched her softly before facing Drake squarely. “Rylie was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favour, so play nice.”

The two of them held gazes for a while, having some sort of silent conversation before Drake looked away mumbling something that sounded like ‘masochist’. “Don’t go,” Drake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’d be grateful for your assistance.”

“Apology accepted,” Rylie said, smiling innocently when Drake’s head snapped towards her.

“I didn’t apologize—”

She began going up and down the balls of her feet and batting her eyes at him sweetly, beaming as Drake realized he couldn’t argue with her. With a grumble, he turned and walked away with Tariq and Maxwell following after him, the latter’s laugh reaching her ears.

“Well since the plan is still a go, I’ll just order us an Uber—” Rylie started as she pulled out her phone.

“Actually,” Liam said, gently placing a hand atop hers that was holding the phone, “we already have a ride.”

He motioned her forwards, and Rylie walked towards the direction the others had gone to see a limo waiting around the corner. “Wow,” Rylie said with a whistle. “You guys really went all out for this bachelor party, eh?”

She missed Liam’s grimace, only turning when his fingers lightly touched her elbow in order to get her attention. “The guys wouldn’t have it any other way. If you could tell me where the club is, I’ll inform the driver.”

After showing the driver the location from the map off her phone, Liam and Rylie climbed into the back with the others before the driver closed the door behind them and got into the front seat.

“So…” Rylie began a few minutes into the drive. “What made you guys choose New York for your bachelor party instead of like…Las Vegas?”

Drake frowned. “Too crowded.”

“Too hot.” Tariq needlessly adjusted his suit.

“Too tempting. We’d definitely get into some sort of trouble there,” Maxwell shivered as scenarios went through his head.

“‘ We ’?” Drake raised an eyebrow at him.

“You guys do seem the type that’ll somehow recreate ‘The Hangover’,” Rylie mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“‘ You guys ’?” Drake repeated again, as if to stress that he wasn’t going to be sucked into their hypothetical mess.

Maxwell nodded at Rylie, ignoring Drake. “Right?! Besides, it was Liam’s idea to come to this city.”

Rylie moved her gaze to him, curious, and Liam chuckled good-naturedly. “I was afraid that what happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas,” he half-joked. There was a moment of hesitation as he glanced at his friends before he leaned in towards Rylie slightly. “Besides, we never would have met if we hadn’t come to New York. Perhaps it’s—.”

“Kismet,” the driver announced as the limo slowed to a stop, and Rylie felt her face heat up at the perfect timing and double meaning of the word.

Liam seemed to flush as well, but his gaze was still steady on her as he whispered, “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

Rylie swallowed. “I never took you to be a pun guy,” she said, playing on how ‘pun’ and ‘fun’ sounded alike, and willed her heart to slow. She was not going to fall for someone she’d never see again. Don’t do it Rylie.

“It seems like we have that in common,” Liam observed as the door opened and his friends piled out. Liam got out as well before bending down to look at her, holding a hand out. “Shall we?”

Smiling, Rylie accepted his help out of the limo, and the group made their way to the back of the line into the club as the limo drove away to park until called upon again. It was perhaps only a ten minute wait, but she could hear snippets of Maxwell, Tariq and Drake going back and forth about ‘waiting’ and being able to ‘skip the line’ and something about ‘stop being babies’ the whole time.

Unsurprisingly to Rylie, once they got to the front of the line she was carded, as was Maxwell, and the group laughed as Tariq insisted that his ID be checked as well. As soon as they were inside, though, the guys immediately headed for the dance floor like the music was a siren song calling to them.

“Time to party!” Maxwell yelled as he shimmed to the middle of the action.

“No one wants to see your running man, Maxwell,” Drake teased as even he seemed to loosen up with the beat.

“You there! Who do we talk to for bottle service?” Tariq called out to a passing server.

“Yeah, sure, we’ll get a table for the group, you’re welcome!” Rylie called after them as Liam chuckled beside her.

“Thank you for bringing us here,” Liam said as they were seated at a table on the sidelines of the dance floor. “Looks like the guys are having fun already.”

There was something about how Liam said it that drew Rylie’s attention to him. He looked content, but it seemed that it was more out of his friends’ happiness than his own. She returned her gaze to his friends on the dance floor. “I bet you’re used to putting everyone else first.”

Liam turned towards her, startled. “And why would you say that?”

Rylie shrugged nonchalantly, but she chose her words carefully in case he took it the wrong way. “I can tell. I’m good at reading people.” She could see him patiently looking at her from the corner of her eye, expecting her to elaborate. She took a deep breath and plunged in. “You said ‘the guys are having fun’, which suggests that you don’t consider yourself a part of said group that’s having a blast. Plus, you are here instead of out there on the dance floor with them.” Rylie turned towards him, relieved that he didn’t seem upset by what she said. “So, forget about your friends for a minute. What about you ? Do you like it here?”

To her surprise, Liam actually gave her question some thought. “What I’m enjoying most is the company. And I believe I owe you a drink...So what’ll the lady have?”

Rylie gave him a look that said that she was not impressed by his deflection. “So that’s a no,” she answered directly for him, but smiled at the implication that she was a part of making it worthwhile for him. “But I’m glad I make up for it.” Rylie picked up the drink menu and looked through it. “Hmm, I think I’ll have a flaming cocktail.”

“Let’s make that two,” Liam said as he lifted a hand to signal for service.

A few minutes later their drinks were delivered, and Liam carefully handed Rylie a drink before picking up his own. “Careful. We’re playing with fire here…” Liam warned.

Part of Rylie wondered if Liam meant more than just the drinks, and figured she was overthinking things. “That’s what makes it fun!” Rylie said as she raised her glass. “To enjoying company.”

Liam smiled as he also lifted his glass. “Cheers.”

They clinked their glasses together before they both blew out the fire from their drinks and drank.

“Mmmm, this is good. Thank you, Liam. I guess this makes us even.”

Liam stilled for a moment before he looked down, thinking. “Hmm…you’re right. Now I’ll have to find some other excuse to get you to stay.”

Rylie felt her face heat up again and she reached over to place a hand on Liam’s knee so he’d see it and look up at her. “You don’t need an excuse. Turns out...I’m having fun. Clubs aren’t really my scene, and I thought I’d be dead tired after a 16 hour shift but you, and your friends…it’s like you give me energy, give me life.” She laughed at how cheesy that must’ve sounded, but it did finally make Liam look up at her. Her eyes sparkled with how in awe he was, inadvertently proving her point. “I guess there is something to having good company that could make anything better.”

“I’m very happy to hear that.” Liam laughed as Rylie tried to wave off his comment, squeezing the hand that was still on his knee. “Honestly. Well, not about you working for 16 hours, that seems…excessive, but…Hanging out with you is the most fun I’ve had this entire vacation.”

“Yikes! I mean, that’s sweet of you to say, but as amazing as I am I think that means you haven’t really been enjoying yourself very much if I’m the highlight of your trip.”

Liam let out a sigh, sitting back in his seat as he gently swirled his glass, contemplatively watching the liquid swish in a circular motion. “It’s been wonderful, but there’s something missing. I really wanted to do one thing in particular while I was here…”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s...well...” Liam laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Rylie remembered him doing it back at the bar, too; it seemed to be something he did when he was embarrassed. “You’re probably going to think it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty...It wasn’t really in the guys’ plan, so we just never got around to it. And now it’s my last day here...I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful. It was thoughtful of my friends to throw me this bachelor party. They’ve done their best, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate.”

Rylie froze in shock as the entirety of what Liam had said hit her. She must’ve stayed that way for some time, because after a while Liam looked up from his drink and leaned forward in his seat towards her, a worried expression on his face. “Rylie?”

Rylie blinked and looked at him, attempting to smile. “Yeah, no, hi, I’m here. Sorry. There’s just… a lot to unpack in what you said. I…didn’t realize this is your bachelor party.” Aside from the fact that she had assumed the husband-to-be was Tariq, with the way Liam had been acting towards her she thought… But maybe it was all in my head. Still, she shouldn’t have been surprised; it should’ve been obvious that someone as great as Liam was already taken. Besides, she told herself not to fall for him, and now she had a really good reason not to.

Nothing’s changed.

The next time Rylie smiled, it was more genuine. “Congratulations.”

It was Liam’s turn to fail miserably at looking happy. “If you knew the whole story, you might not congratulate me so quickly.”

Rylie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Oh?”

“I actually don’t know who I’m going to marry yet...only that I’ll have to pick my fiancée by the end of the year.”

“Okay…” Rylie said slowly. “What does that even mean? This sounds like a cross between an arranged marriage and ‘The Bachelor’.”

Liam seemed to struggle internally over something before he said, “The truth is, Rylie...I’m the Crown Prince of Cordonia.”

Rylie choked on the drink she had just taken a sip of. “You’re a prince ?” she coughed out. “Am I being Punk’d right now?”

“I’m unsure of what a ‘Punk’d’ is but I can assure you that I’m telling you the truth.”

“Like you’ve been telling the truth up until now?” Rylie retorted, but her voice had less of a bite than it could have as she was distracted by the first part of what Liam had said. “But…it all makes sense now. The pop culture references and the wine, the way you guys act and the reaction to my clothes…all sort of fits with the sheltered court life, right? I believe you, Liam…if that is your real name,” Rylie joked lightly, a small smile on her face.

Liam let out a sigh of relief that she not only believed him, but wasn’t terribly mad at him, too. “It is, I promise.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I mean, if you didn’t trust me or thought I was a threat you wouldn’t have invited me out with you guys in the first place. Or why tell me at all? You could’ve gone back to… Cordonia?” At Liam’s nod, Rylie continued, “And I would be none the wiser. Just…why?”

Liam clasped his hands together and looked down at them as he tried to find the words to explain. “I do trust you, which is crazy and scary and right all at once. That’s why I told you; I felt you deserved the truth, especially since you also put your trust in me by being here. As for why I wasn’t more upfront with you…” Liam moved his gaze back to her.

“I’m not normally allowed to go around without the Royal Guard, and I was only allowed out on the condition that I kept my identity a secret. But perhaps more than that, just for one day, I wanted to be free. I’m very aware that I have a duty to the monarchy. I’ve never known anything else.”

“Oh, Liam, I’m so sorry.” Rylie reached out and hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. “Your secret is safe with me. I guess living the fairy tale life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?” As she pulled away, she gasped. “And I gravely underestimated you putting other people first; you literally put an entire country of people before yourself.”

Liam laughed softly. “Being royal isn’t as bad as I just made it sound, it’s just not as devoid of responsibilities or one party after another like people think it is. But I wouldn’t trade it in for anything in the world.”

“Spoken like a true prince,” Rylie teased.

Liam smiled. “But what about you? You could be anything, do anything. What drives you, Rylie?”

“Being a peasant is not a walk in the park either, or have you forgotten my 16 hour shift? But…I’m sort of doing what I want now, in a way. I want to see the world. Cover the earth before it covers me, you know?”

“Where have you been so far?”

“Here.” At Liam’s confused look, Rylie laughed. “You’re not the only one who isn’t a native New Yorker. I’m actually from Canada. I went to university here and then once I graduated I just…never left. I’m saving up, and one day I’m going to see everything. The Northern Lights, the Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu…there’s so many different people to meet, different cultures to immerse myself in...”

The look Liam got sometimes when he looked at her was back again, like he couldn’t believe she was real. “That’s beautiful, Rylie.”

Suddenly, Maxwell’s voice drifted over to them from the dance floor, and they spotted the guys still out there, now mingling with the other club-goers. “Come on, Drake. Show off those moves!”

“Another bottle of champagne!” Tariq yelled. “Who knew we’d find a decent vintage here?”

“Looks like your friends are having fun,” Rylie commented.

“Good. I’m happy for them. They deserve to have fun... Tomorrow, it’s back to Cordonia for the start of the social season.” Liam looked about as somber as he sounded.

Rylie frowned. She had no idea what Cordonia’s social season consisted of, but she was pretty sure what Liam would be going through would be worse than his friends. After all, he was the one that seemed to have a deadline for a marriage to someone he didn’t even know yet. If anyone deserves to have fun on their final night of freedom, it’s Liam. And she was going to give it to him. A plan was already forming in her mind. “But it’s not tomorrow yet…”

It was almost as if Liam could hear that she was up to something from the tone of her voice. “What are you suggesting?” he asked, equal parts intrigued and dubious.

“You said you wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. Let’s do it! I know a place where we can catch a boat tour. Best view in town.”

“Right now?” Liam checked his wristwatch. “But it’s way past midnight. Won’t all the tours be closed?”

Rylie picked up her phone to also check the time. “Oh...right. I forgot how late it’s gotten.” She paused only for a second before she unlocked her phone and began texting someone. “In that case...you’re lucky I can cash in a favour.”

“A favour?” Liam repeated as she watched her work, noise chiming from her phone every few seconds. “And just like that, you can get us on a tour boat after midnight to see the Statue of Liberty?”

“Well, maybe a few favours, actually, but I have some friends who owe me. It won’t be easy, but I know this is important to you, so...” With a flourish of taps, Rylie lowered her phone and grinned at him. “Let’s go!”

Liam blinked and looked up as Rylie got to her feet. “Right now?” he said again, still thrown over the fact that she would go through all this trouble just for him.

“It’s only getting later every minute we wait. Besides,” Rylie glanced back at the dance floor and his friends who were still partying hard. “It looks like the guys are busy enough. I bet they won’t even notice you’re gone; they haven’t come by our table since we got here.”

Liam seemed to mull over that fact for a bit, but he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he kept his eyes on her. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“Nope,” Rylie said, popping the ‘p’.

With a nod, Liam got to his feet. “Then I happily surrender to your demands.”

“Wait, really?” It was Rylie’s turn to be shocked as she looked up at him. She had hoped he would agree, but after hearing all the limitations he had she wasn’t sure he could.

Liam laughed at her surprised reaction. “Well, I will have to let the guys know that we’re going, but I can do that after we’ve already left. Besides, I’m finding it hard to say no to you, but even more than that, I’m finding that I don’t want to.”

Rylie’s heart swelled and she knew she was a goner no matter how much her brain was trying to tell her not to. Scratch that, everything’s changed. She was going to be heartbroken in the morning, but that was a problem for her future self. She was going to enjoy this moment right now until her proverbial carriage turned into a pumpkin. “Then let’s get going.”

After settling their tab, Rylie took Liam’s hand and led the way out of the club. “Now,” she started to explain as they walked, “we will have to take an Uber this time, but that’s only so that the limo’s free if your friends want to come get you. We’ll tell your driver where we’re going so he’ll know where to bring them.”

As they stopped by the curbside, Liam squeezed her hand. “Rylie, that’s so incredibly thoughtful of you.” Rylie shrugged as if it was nothing even though it meant so much to him.

“I’m not here to cause an international incident,” she teased. “Just let your driver know it’ll be at the corner of Old Fulton and Furman Street. I’ll order the Uber now.”

Not long after Liam had called to tell his driver the plan and texted his friends where he had gone and instructions on how to reach him, their Uber arrived and a short ride later they were getting out at the intersection she had mentioned. It was a short walk from there to the docks, the twinkling lights from Manhattan greeting them across the water from where they stood.

“…And here we wait,” Rylie said as she folded her arms atop the wooden railing that lined the docks.

Liam mimicked her movements as he stood beside her, his arms just a few inches from touching her own. “For?”

“For the magical boat I’ve summoned just for you.”

“No magic carpet tonight?”

“I’m afraid my monkey’s currently taking it for a joy ride.”

The two of them looked at each other and laughed, though while Rylie returned her gaze to the skyline Liam kept his eyes on her. “Not a bad view…” he murmured, tracing every line of her face as if to commit her vision to memory.

“Yeah, I like how—” Rylie stopped as she turned back towards Liam and found him still staring at her. “Oh, that’s so cheesy,” she teased.

Liam smiled, unashamed that he was caught looking. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

Feeling a blush creep up her cheeks, Rylie elbowed him lightly. “I’d say the same but I feel like you hear that from enough people already. Don’t want your head getting too big for your crown.”

Liam laughed before he shrugged. “Perhaps, but it’s an empty compliment coming from them. I feel like it’d actually be true, actually mean something, if it came from you.”

Rylie swallowed. “Then…I think I have the best view in the whole city right now.” He smiled, and she thought she had gone blind for a second. “You could definitely light up all of New York with that smile for sure. I’ve been thinking that all night.”

It was Liam’s turn to blush, and he ducked his head down as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I…thank you, Rylie.”

“Y-yeah, of course, no problem.” Rylie cleared her throat before spinning around so that her back was leaning against the railing instead. “Now, I’m dying to know why you’re so eager to see the Statue of Liberty.”

He lifted his head to look at her again. “Can’t you guess?”

She knew what the Statue of Liberty was supposed to mean, and though she never thought it’d apply to him, it also did in the most basic way. “…Because she symbolizes freedom.”

Liam nodded before he looked out towards Manhattan. “Freedom is something that I’ve always wanted. But I’ve always known that my role would require me to give up much of what I desire.”

It was one thing to see this dilemma in movies, where it was only a speedbump in the overall story and things eventually all worked out by the end credits, but it was another to actually know someone in real life going through the exact same issues and not being able to just circumvent it as easily because real lives were at stake. Still, Rylie couldn’t help but wish there was something Liam could do about his situation. “But you’re the prince. Can’t you do what you want, at least some of the time?”

Liam let out a hollow laugh and shook his head. “As a member of the royal family, my actions reflect on my house and all of Cordonia. It’s something I’ve never been allowed to forget. No matter how badly I might want to.” He looked back at her for one long moment before turning away again.

Rylie’s heart ached for him. She hated seeing others in pain and not being able to help them. “Liam…”

She reached out to touch his arm, but before she could there was a loud blast of a horn. They both looked out across the water and noticed a tour boat pulling up.

“There’s our ride,” Rylie announced, glancing back at Liam to check if he was okay. He gave her a weak smile and a nod and she led them down the ramp to where the boat was waiting.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” the man tying the boat to shore said as he caught sight of Rylie.

Rylie grinned and gave him a tight hug. “Paul, long time no see! And Chris, miss you!” She waved at the captain who stood by the steering wheel, waving back. “Spending all your time out on the water instead of on land, it’s no wonder I never see you.”

“You only have yourself to blame for that. I wouldn’t even have this gig if it weren’t for you.”

“And soon we’ll have a boat thanks to you, too,” Chris yelled from the bridge.

“Really? They agreed to sell it to you guys? That’s fantastic!”

“Hell yeah! But we could be here ‘till the sun rises catching up, and that’s not what you’re here for.” Paul not-so-subtlety raised his eyebrows towards Liam.

“Ah, that’s right! Paul, Chris, this is Liam. Liam, Paul and Chris.” Rylie introduced, taking a step back as the men waved and shook hands and exchanged ‘nice to meet you’.

“You must be something special if Rylie’s going all out on a first date,” Paul commented as he moved to guide him on board but Liam waved him off, expertly getting on before turning to offer a hand to help Rylie.

“We’re not—”

“I’m not—”

Rylie and Liam looked at each other as they spoke at the same time before laughing.

“Well, he is special,” Rylie said as she took Liam’s hand and stepped onto the boat.

“You’re still too kind,” Liam insisted.

“And you’re still too modest,” Rylie countered, and Paul laughed at their antics.

“You two are so cute. Now, I would be a horrible tour operator if I didn’t offer commentary during our trip, if you are so inclined to accept.”

Liam and Rylie glanced at each other and she shrugged. “It’s your call.”

“The boat ride alone is already so much, I couldn’t possibly ask for more,” Liam declined politely.

“Besides, I didn’t cash in all my favours just to owe you one,” Rylie joked, trying to help Liam feel less guilty.

“It would’ve been on the house, thank you very much, but I can tell when people are trying to get rid of me for some alone time,” Paul winked before he clapped to signal Chris. “We��ll be heading off shortly, enjoy your trip!”

“Thank you,” Liam and Rylie chorused together even as Rylie rolled her eyes at the ‘alone time’ comment.

“Shall we?” she said to Liam before leading the way towards the starboard side of the ship where the Statue of Liberty would be seen.

As they settled into a spot and the boat began moving, Liam spoke. “As bad as this is going to sound, a part of me didn’t think you’d pull this off.”

Rylie laughed. It did sound a little bad, but she wasn’t too surprised. If she didn’t know herself she’d have thought the same thing. “Oh, savage! You just don’t know me very well.”

“You’re right,” Liam admitted earnestly, turning towards her, “But I’d like to fix that. You’re fascinating, Rylie. Why are you doing this for me?”

“You seemed like you needed it,” Rylie said simply, as if she hadn’t just moved heaven and earth to make sure he saw the Statue in the last few hours he had left in the country. But for her, it was that simple. Liam was someone in need, she had the means to help him, so she did.

“That’s... so sweet of you. To be honest, no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

“Really?” Rylie snorted. “Come on, you’re a prince. I bet people do things for you all the time.”

“I know what you’re thinking; I do get all the perks that come with being royalty. But it’s a lot like their compliments, given in hopes of getting something else in return because they see my crown before they see the person beneath it. No one’s ever seen me as just... me . No one’s ever listened to me the way you do. No one’s ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment plan to make my dreams come true.”

“Liam...how could I not see you? How can I not see the man who was first to call me by my name instead of by my job description? Or the man who personally came to apologize on behalf of his friends and then goes and puts said friends’ wants above his own at his own bachelor party? Those qualities are what makes you amazing, Liam, not your crown, and that’s someone who deserves happiness just like everyone else.”

“Rylie…”

“So, what else do you dream about? Maybe I can go two for two.”

Liam smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He moved his gaze back towards the swirling mist around them. “Finding someone. Someone who can be the queen that Cordonia needs.”

“And...also someone you fall in love with, right?” Rylie added when it became obvious he wasn’t going to.

Liam was actively trying not to look at her now. “That’s never been part of the criteria that the Cordonian Council uses.”

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t have both, Liam.”

“...Love is one luxury I cannot afford, especially as a prince,” he whispered, so low that Rylie wasn’t even sure he had said anything.

Before she could ask him, they felt the boat slow down and the mists dramatically begin to part revealing the Statue of Liberty. Liam made a noise that suspiciously sounded like a gasp at the site of it, and Rylie found herself more captivated watching his reaction to that Statue than the Statue itself (and not only because she’d seen it thousands of times already). “So, what do you think?”

Liam’s eyes were alit with wonder. “ Magnificent. I’ve heard that art has meaning because of what it makes the viewer feel. Whether it’s ink splatters on a canvas or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it only matters if it moves you.”

“And?”

“And right now, looking at this view with you, I feel like anything is possible.” He finally looked back at her, practically glowing from the inside out. “Thank you for this moment, Rylie. This feeling...this means more to me than you could ever know.”

“Liam…”

“I want you to know that I admire you. Your adventurous spirit. The way you follow your heart.”

It hurt to hear how resigned he sounded about his situation and she mourned how it sounded like he was saying goodbye not only to her, but to this part of him that was able to be free for just a few hours. A lack of privacy, a lack of freedom...being born royal came at such a high cost without the chance to decide if you even wanted it. But surely not being able to choose that one person you can be you with, having to kill a part of yourself to live that life...that was too much of a sacrifice.“You can live that way too.” Rylie hoped speaking it out into the universe would make it real.

Liam shook his head sadly. “If only. My whole life I’ve prepared myself to do what’s best for Cordonia.”

If this was the last moment Liam was going to have as a free man, it was going to end on a high note. “Well, we’re not in Cordonia now…” 

Rylie looked up and locked eyes with him and Liam felt himself being drawn down towards her, helpless as he surrendered to her gravitational pull. There was only a moment of hesitation as their lips hovered over one another before they kissed deeply. Her hands clutched desperately to the front of his jacket as both of his hands cupped her face, one hand eventually drifting down to the small of her back to press her closer towards him as they continued to kiss. 

As the need for oxygen began to make itself known Rylie pulled away, but Liam, unable or unwilling to part from her, stayed close by, leaning his forehead against hers as they both gasped for air.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Liam said breathlessly, still recovering.

“I try,” Rylie said with just as much difficulty.

Liam closed his eyes and gently rubbed his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss. “I’m glad to have met you, Rylie,” he spoke against her lips. “I’ll never forget this night…”

Rylie gave him a small smile. “Even when you’re surrounded by beautiful women going on group dates to private beaches?”

“Especially then,” he promised before pulling back to look at her properly. “How did you…?”

“I did watch one season of ‘The Bachelor’; figured it was close enough to whatever you’ll be doing,” she joked.

Liam chuckled, wrapping an arm around her as she rested her head against his shoulder. He placed a kiss atop her head, and together they enjoyed the rest of the boat ride in comfortable silence, basking in each other’s company until they were once again back at shore.

“All right lovebirds! That concludes our tour. I hope you enjoyed the ride,” Paul said as the two of them approached him by the edge of the boat as he secured it to the docks.

“It was everything I could have ever dreamed of and more,” Liam praised, shaking his hand. “Thank you.”

“We really appreciate it,” Rylie started, but Paul raised a hand up to stop her from continuing.

“Don’t mention it. What’re friends for? Just don’t be a stranger no more!”

Rylie smiled at Paul before giving him another hug. “I won’t.”

After Liam climbed out of the boat he helped Rylie up, and with their hands intertwined they made their way through the docks and along the sidewalk towards the street.

“Liam!”

Ahead, at the corner where they had told the driver to drop the guys off, was Drake, who had both hands cupping his mouth to amplify his voice and was now lowering them as he saw he had grabbed their attention. Close behind him stood Maxwell, who raised a hand to wave. Tariq stood by the waiting limo, one hand braced against the side as he leaned on it.

Liam and Rylie waved back with their free hand before slowing to a stop a small distance away so they could have some privacy.

“Looks like your ride is here,” Rylie said.

“You mean our ride. We can drop you off—” At the shake of Rylie’s head, Liam stopped speaking.

“I think it’s best if we parted ways here,” she said as she let go of his hand, feeling empty and cold the moment she did.

“Rylie—”

“It’d be suspicious if I got dropped off by a limo in my neighbourhood.”

“Who’s going to see at this time of night?”

“New York’s the city that never sleeps, remember? Do you really want to risk it?”

Liam did, Rylie could tell from the look in his eyes, but she could also see the internal struggle going on in his head between the logic of her words and what his heart wanted to do. She pushed further, knowing it was in his best interest to let her go.

“I can handle myself, remember? Besides, I think you’ve got bigger things to worry about than me.”

“A prince can multi-task, you know.” Despite his argument Liam sighed, conceding as he always seemed to do with her. “But at the risk of me not only underestimating you yet again but also being called a liar, I trust you to get home safely.”

“You too.”

Liam nodded, knowing she meant Cordonia and not his hotel room.

“And I want you to know that I’m glad I met you too, Liam. I’ll never forget you .” Rylie couldn’t help but laugh at how she was mimicking the words he had told her on the boat, mirroring the way they had copied each other back at the bar. That felt like ages ago. At Liam’s small smile, she knew he was making the connection too. “And hey, if you televise your wedding like all the other popular royals do I will definitely tune in.”

That made Liam laugh, and he shook his head at her ability to do that even now. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Please tell your friends that it was nice meeting them.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”

“I dunno, Grumpy Cat might be a tough sell.”

Confused, Liam turned around at Rylie’s head nod to see Drake frowning at them now and he had to stifle another laugh. “I don’t think that nickname will help you.”

“I said what I said. Oh! Tell Maxwell I said that, he’ll be sad he missed it.”

“I will.” His smile faded, and he was somber once more. “Goodbye, Rylie.”

Rylie hated goodbyes so instead she said, “Take care, Liam.”

Liam bowed his head and made his way towards his friends. She waved as each of them got into the limo, lowering her hand to wrap her arms around herself as they drove away. She stood there until she could no longer see their taillights, just as a tower bell in the distance rang, signaling a new hour, the end of their fairytale night.

Rylie let out a breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding.

“I hope you find your happily ever after.”

#playchoices #the royal romance #trr #trr fanfic #trr mc #king liam #liam rhys #trr liam x mc #long post #marie writes #living the fantasy

[mind-reader1]

Home Away From Home (Ch.3)

Catch up with Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 here 

TRR AU: Drake decided to leave the engagement tour in LA after they found Tariq, what will that mean for Drake and Emma? Will she end up with Liam?

A/N: Julian, CA is a real place lol. Look it up if you don’t believe me. Also, yes I do speak some Italian! 

Pairing: Drake x MC (Emma Barnes); Liam x MC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,989

Last Time: Drake was wrenched back in his memories to the first time he thought he may have feelings for Emma, and the very first time they kissed, but he got a rude awakening that same day when he accidentally caught her making out with Liam. 

Chapter 3: Make you Feel My Love 

When his thoughts finally cleared he realized he was getting low on gas and had no idea where he was, somewhere in the mountains, he had no recollection of how he got from the beach to the mountains, but now he needed to figure something out. As if it was divine intervention, he saw a sign for a town called Julian, only ten miles away. He followed the sign and he honestly almost drove right through it was so small. Turning onto a side street he found some parking and climbed out, wandering through the town. Every other shop had some kind of advertisement up about apples. He thought he was going crazy at first, it was like someone had condensed Cordonia into a tiny little town and dropped it in California. It didn't take him long to find the town hall, he meandered in and learned a lot. It had been an old mining town, that would explain the decor and style of buildings, and then it became known for all their apple orchards and famous apple pie. There was a cabin just a few miles away that had gone up for sale, Drake hadn't thought he'd find someplace so quickly, but he did. Julian was his place. Big enough that not everyone knew you, but small enough where it wasn't too crowded. Even though he was surrounded by apples, it reminded him of home, of Cordonia, and not of her. He took a few days to settle in before he really started to explore, little boutiques, cafes, souvenir shops, even some wineries in town.

Once he had settled in, he got a new phone and texted Liam.

I'm safe. That’s all he said, Liam asked him more, but Drake wouldn't share. He knew the kind of persuasion power she had, she was a temptress, he could never say no to her and she knew it. She had that same kind of hold on Liam, Drake was sure of it. He remembered the first time she gave him a nickname, that was when he knew he loved her, despite all his attempts to push her away, to not want her. She was irresistible and fierce, pushing back ten times harder than he pushed her away.

****

Drake was on his way out to find some real food when he ran into her. She was still wearing the dress from the event in Italy earlier that night. Sparkling red, a plunging neckline with small lines of fabric running down her chest, almost like trails of blood. Every step she took the dress swished by her ankles, the rest of it hugged her curves so tightly it left little to the imagination as her hips swayed. Holding his arm out to her, Drake led her through the quiet lamp-lit streets, dashing into the first open restaurant he found. The aromas of fresh tomatoes and spices filled the air of the tiny restaurant, it had a cozy kind of mom and pop feel to it as they slid into a booth. A kind, middle-aged, man offered them some menus.

“So, this is more your style huh?”

“A menu, a table, and the promise of good food. That's all I need.” The man asked them a question in Italian. Drake didn't know much Italian, any really, just a few basic words. Emma smiled at his confusion, not passing up the opportunity to tease him.

“Didn't think your plan through?” She was going to answer for them. She had taken Italian in college, not that she ever thought she'd actually use it, but she had the chance now.

“No, I've got this.” Emma decided to sit back and watch Drake who turned to the man.

“Spaghetti and pizza.”

“Drake... you forgot the lasagna.”

“You're right, my vocabulary’s too limited.”

“I'm disappointed in you.” Drake saw that familiar gleam in her eye, she was teasing him, like she loved to do.

“We'll have to make do.”

“So, do you do this often?”

“This isn't my first time going rogue. Following Liam around you often end up in foreign lands.”

“Well, now you've got me for company.” her hand twitched like she wanted to reach over and grab Drake's, but she stopped herself.

“That means more pressure to not look like a fool.”

“You could never look like a fool to me, Drake.” His eyes met her steady gaze and he knew she meant it, no jokes, he dragged his eyes away, she always got to him. Just then, the man returned with spaghetti and pizza for them. The man gave Drake a smile and turned away.

“Grazie, signor!” Emma added as he walked away, the man cracking a real smile as he nodded at Emma. Drake looked at Emma, surprised but impressed, she never ceased to amaze or surprise him.

“Oh, I think he misunderstood.” Drake looked down and saw only one bowl of spaghetti. Emma giggled and grabbed a fork diving in.

“We'll make do, Drake.” He shrugged and grabbed his own fork diving into the delicious noodles before he could get a bite, Emma snagged it off his fork. Sucking the noodles up, she left one hanging, leaning in so close to Drake he could smell her intoxicating perfume. He wanted to scoop up that noodle, bring her in for a kiss, but he had to restrain himself. He forced himself to look away and grab a slice of pizza instead.

“So why didn't you speak up earlier when I was struggling? You clearly know some Italian.” Her lips curled into a lazy smile.

“I didn't want to show you up on our first date. The male ego is a fragile thing.”

“What?” Drake almost spit his food out all over the table at the mention of the word date. Sure they'd been flirting and shared some kisses, but they weren't dating, she was still Liam's girl and that's the exact reason he hadn't kissed her just seconds ago.

“A nice meal at an Italian restaurant, you invited me to.”

“I invited you for food because I thought you were hungry. Normal people eat when they're hungry!” Drake's words came out fast and flustered, color rising to his cheeks as Emma watched, suppressing a laugh.

“I'm okay with it.” She batted her eyelashes.

“I… err… you're killing me, Barnes.” Drake sighed, wiping some pasta sauce off his face. Deciding she tortured him enough for the moment, she changed the subject.

“I noticed we didn't have to sneak past any palace security tonight. Can you just come and go as you please?”

“I'm not nearly as important as Liam, besides Bastien trusts me. Knows I can take care of myself, we go way back.”

“Ooh, storytime!” Drake suppressed a smile.

“I don't know what's gotten into me tonight. I guess I'm just in a sharing mood.”

“Maybe it's the company.”

“I want to give you a hard time, Barnes, but the truth is I'm just so damned happy to be spending time alone with you, away from that circus.” So, he opened up about Bastien, his father, his childhood when Bastien would babysit him and Savannah. Drake went on to tell her about how he idolized his dad, how he went away for college until the assassination attempt on Liam's family. Drake twisted his fork idly in the pasta, lost in thought, Emma reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing.

“You're a good friend to Liam.” Drake smiled half-heartedly as his eyes shot up to hers, his gaze swept over her face hungrily.

“... Most of the time…” his gaze landed on her lips and stayed there until she leaned in to kiss him. She pressed herself against him, kissing him sweetly, catching him off guard. His body tensed at first before melting into her touch.

“Barnes…” he pulled away, Emma gently rested her palm against his cheek before sliding to the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer for a deeper and more passionate kiss. Her tongue teased his bottom lip and he couldn't resist even if he wanted to, their tongues dancing together before she finally pulled away breathless.

“You're full of surprises tonight.” He rested his forehead against hers, a hand idly resting on her waist, the other he had to untangle from her blonde curls. Emma chuckled.

“You can't just take me to dinner, pour your fluffy marshmallow heart out, and not expect me to fall a little more for you, Drake Walker.” That was it. That was the exact moment he knew he was done for, that he knew he loved her and there would never be any going back. Drake sighed, reaching out to cup her cheek, his lips brushing hers ever so lightly once again until they heard footsteps. The man from before had brought their check, Drake snatched it up before Emma could even look at it.

“Let me get it.”

“So, this was a date?” She teased but stopped when she saw the look on his face.

“It's the least I can do for talking your ear off all night, dropping all that on you.”

“It doesn't bother me, Drake, I like seeing this softer side of you.” She whispered.

“This is my lowest low. What have you done to me, Barnes?”

“I like your gooey center, Drake. I can tell you're secretly a big marshmallow at heart.”

“Thanks, Barnes.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. Moments ago, he had thought he was in love with her, that it couldn't get any worse than that, then she called him a marshmallow, gave him a nickname and he didn't mind. In fact, he secretly loved it, knowing that she saw right through him. He knew he couldn’t keep this up though, Liam was still committed to being with her once they found Tariq, some small part of Drake held out hope it would never happen and she’d pick him, but he also knew Liam would stop at nothing.

They strolled back slowly, enjoying the warm evening air, stopping on the famous Ponte Vecchio to gaze out at the Arno river below them. Emma sighed and turned back around to lean against the wall when someone walking by caught her eye.

“We should ask them to take our picture, Drake!”

“No, Barnes! We can’t!” He protested but she had already dashed off to stop them.

“Scusi. Potresti fare la nostra foto, il mio ragazzo è arrivato molto lontano per sorprendermi.” She said, he had no idea what it meant, but she returned smiling brightly.

“What did you tell them, Barnes?”

“I said it’s our first date and we want a picture to celebrate.” He rolled his eyes playfully, not knowing she’d actually told them her boyfriend came very far to surprise her. She’d loved how easily boyfriend rolled off her tongue when referring to Drake. He pulled her close from her side, trying to hide his face in her neck, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile as he turned away, Emma laughing at his stubbornness. The man handed Emma her phone back and admired the picture. He’d caught Drake’s smile as he turned away, and Emma throwing her head back laughing at him.

“Grazie, buona notte.” As she looked, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted, shoving her phone away hastily. She knew she’d fallen in love, but with who was the big question. The commoner who tried to hide his affection for her from the world, or the king who would’ve been beaming proudly beside her, telling the world how lucky he was. She didn’t want to be just another secret, but she wasn’t a trophy to be paraded around either and she knew her time to decide was shrinking every day.

Meanwhile, Drake couldn’t help but think this woman would be his downfall he thought at that moment, he had no idea just how right he was.

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