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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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Oh would you look at that, drama that'll probably break my heart. (PS this was really good!!!)

Once Upon a Disaster - Ch 2 (TRR AU)

Hey! So people kinda liked it and I’m too hyped to stop now, so here is the second chapter! prepare your hearts, I’m here to break hearts and drink whiskey, and i’m all out of whiskey! I hope you all like it, feedback will be really appreciated. Just to remind that my native language isn’t English, so if there’s any mistake, please let me know.

Rating: PG

Word count: ~1790

Summary: Drake thinks back at the time he was shot and the devastating revelation when he woke up.

Chapters list: Skyfall - Prologue, Ch 1 - A Million Years Ago

Set Fire to the Rain

But there’s a side to you

That I never knew, never knew

All the things you said

They were never true, never true

And the games you play

You would always win, always win

Sunset, windows down and just the road in front of them.

“But when I taaaste tequiiiiila, babe I still see yaaaa” she was singing in his car as they drove back from Madeleine’s state, it was really good to see her in such a good mood after it.

“Jesus, York” he turned the radio down faking an annoyed look, but the corners of his mouth betraying him. “You’re killing the song!”

She made an outraged noise and both laughed, after almost a year knowing her, it was still amazing to hear her laugh, maybe it was because she had refused Liam’s offer to be his mistress, maybe it was because he was in love with her.

“Well I was actually hoping for you to sing along, you know” she rolled her eyes shuffling songs on his phone. “Oh! I cannot believe you have this song.”

He heard the guitars strings followed by the violin and knew immediately what song she was talking about.

“I love that song!” she said mixing with the first lines from Colton Ford, nodding her head, just waiting for the chorus.

Drake gave her a mischievous look, singing his heart out with her the second after.

‘Workin’ on coming to Jesus, kicking the bottle,

Wrestling with our roots,

Trying to turn off Mama’s tears, and fill up Daddy’s boots

Shutting off our pride, fixing bridges we burned,learning how to live and learn

Keeping our demons down and our trucks up and running

Loving them angels sitting pretty in the middle of ‘em

Fighting with the man in the mirror til’ we gone

Yeah, that’s what all us good ol’ boys gonna go out workin’ on

Gonna go out workin’ on

This time he laughed with her, the sound mixing with the country chords, she was beaming and if not for the road in front of them, he would have kissed her right there.

As they got near to the Beaumont state, where she was gathering her things before the start of the Engagement Tour, he saw her with eyes closed, her fingers tapping on the door of his truck to the beat of the song.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

A woman dressed in dark pantsuit and a neat French bun glared at him from the seat next to him, he fisted his hand and moved it from the arm rest. He wouldn’t admit, but at times like these he missed the royal jet, although he just couldn’t face Liam, not after what he had done.

He had no right of dragging him to that damn auction and even though he seemed as surprised as Drake to know the painting he purchased was from her, inviting her back to Cordonia was spitting on everything he built to himself on the last five years.

He had tried to sleep, but he was way uncomfortable on that seat, or maybe under his skin, he never imagined he would hear her name again, nor did he want to.

Riley was everything he avoided to think for the past years, it was a long-gone memory, a wound that took too much of him to patch.

Drake tried to escape the darkness, his chest was on fire like he was being ripped in the middle, his skin crawling like it wanted to be shed so he would be freed from the cloister his soul was in.

He tried to focus on those blue eyes, they were filled with tears the last time he looked into them, she whispered words unknown to him, chanting a crying melody in his chest. The whispers around him made him feel like on a court, was he being judged for loving her?

Had they decided that his selfless act was enough to erase the betrayal to a King, a position always depicted as God’s choice? Beeping noises were higher when the whispers were missing and the darkness numbed all of his feelings, until words rose from within.

I couldn’t protect you

Something stirred inside of him, he wanted to run from the darkness but his legs weighted too much, still, through screams and pain he gave the first set, then the second, until he opened his eyes, enveloped in a sanitary white light that made him shut his eyes again, coming back to the warmth of the darkness.

But this time there weren’t whispers anymore, full bodied voices filled his head.

“He’s awake” he heard Liam’s voice, thank God he was okay and, after everything, by his side.

Drake adjusted his eyes to the lights, and met Liam’s concerned face. He was definitely in a hospital, the imagens went through his head very fast, screams, a gun, the searing pain of the bullet in his chest. But most of all, he remembered Riley’s desperate face, her arms coated in crimson soothing his face as he slowly slipped into darkness.

“Is she okay?” was the first thing he asked, he didn’t recognize his voice, so rusty and high pitched from lack of use. “where is York?”

Shock was spread through Liam’s face and for a second Drake’s heart stopped.

“She’s fine, no harm was done to her” he was wearing his royal façade, Drake could see, but he could see through Liam’s lies too and that wasn’t the case. “She just wasn’t allowed in the room.”

Drake didn’t expect to be so tired just by one sentence, he tried to raise his hands to touch his chest, but drifted off to sleep before lifting his fingers.

I couldn’t protect you

He woke up several times that week, each one he felt stronger, each one he asked about Riley and a new excuse was given, she was either at her estate or out with Maxwell to clear her head, he felt uncomfortable at Liam’s expression every time he mentioned her, so he decided to talk about other things, the information they got on the attacker, if anyone else was injured. Sometimes he would just talk to Savannah about their time as kids, still, the first thing he asked when he woke was about her.

One night, almost at dawn he heard his sister’s voice in a heated discussion with the king.

“Sooner or later we will have to tell him, the doctors said he will be discharged soon” Savannah sighed.

“I was waiting for him to be better” the tone was odd coming of Liam, his composure gone. “Who can say what will happen to him when…”

“What happened to Riley?” Drake’s voice startled both. His heart rate sped up along with the beeping monitor “You told me she was okay”

That voice saying he couldn’t protect her, what if it was right? What if taking a bullet wasn’t enough?

“Riley left Cordonia” Savannah blurted, wincing at her own words and Drake took a few seconds to digest the information.

“What do you mean ‘she left Cordonia’, where is she?” Drake’s head hurt and that beeping monitor wasn’t helping either.

“Nurse!” Liam shouted through the door, but Drake couldn’t care less about the throbbing pain on his chest.

“I don’t know, Drake” Savannah ran her hand through her hair “She left in the middle of the night, right after you came back from surgery, she took few belongings from de palace and vanished.”

“There must be a mistake, she wouldn’t just leave” he tried to think reasonably, but a voice kept reminding him that he knew it was bound to happen, that she would never settle for a guy like him.

“She left a note…” Savannah started but hesitated.

He wanted to ask about it but a couple of nurses barged into the room, as the clear liquid was pushed into his IV he started to lose consciousness.

I couldn’t protect you

Yes he couldn’t protect himself, when he woke up the next day he prayed that it was just another nightmare, just as the ones he had after his father died, but Savannah’s pitiful look and bloodshot eyes told him otherwise.

“They said if your results come out clear, they can discharge you today” her voice was weak.

Drake just nodded, somehow, he was numb.

He hasn’t said a word on his way to his house, Savannah’s hands trembling on the wheel, trees passing by in a rush of green on the gray sky. As she helped him out of the car and through the stairs of the front porch he could hear her laughter sitting on the railings with the sun on her skin.

Savannah’s sniffs were heard from the kitchen and Drake saw himself up in the middle of his living room without knowing what to do.

“I want the note, Savannah” he tried to keep his voice steady.

His sister stared at him for a moment, searching in his eyes the answer she knew she wouldn’t have, as though his request could wait one more day, week, or year.

“I want it now” his voice was rougher this time.

Her eyes filled with tears as she moved towards his bookshelf opening a small wooden box, retrieving a crumpled paper from it. He took it with shaking hands:

Coming to Cordonia was the biggest mistake of my life, I just can’t do this anymore, I hope we can move on from this quick and painlessly. Time will pass and we will realize it is for the best, please, do not look out for me.

York

He turned his back to Savannah and marched towards the front door, rain was soon soaking his clothes, that feeling of shedding his own skin coming back, as I he couldn’t belong inside that very flesh, he wasn’t the same anymore. The hot tears a contrast to the cold rain drenching his bones as his knees hit the muddy grass, he didn’t know how long he tried to wash the pain in his chest until Savannah’s warm embrace attempted to make his hole again. He would never be whole again.

Thank god for the open bar on intercontinental flights, if he couldn’t sleep at least he could drink himself to numbness. Almost a year after being discharged from the hospital he decided to leave Cordonia for a while to get his master’s degree in Italy, he needed something to fill his head, to make him feel worthy again. Maybe it was time to go for a doctorate, now.

The pilot announced they would be landing soon, weather was not good, maybe to match his mood. Drake finally took his phone from his pocket, he had felt messages coming, but wasn’t in the mood to either see or reply them. The first was from Liam, saying they need to talk, but the other would maybe require a talk too.

Things were about to burn, and he was soaked in gasoline.

Tag list: @drakewalkerrosenberg @silviasutton1989 @agent-zephyrkah @mymandrake @thewalkerway @speedyoperarascalparty @mrsdrakewalkerblog @client327 @greyeyedsmile14 @mrswalkers-blog @jenp02cutie-blog @endlesschange @lynn1214 @mind-reader1 @mfackenthal

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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Okay that just broke my heart, dear god the ANGST. But seriously, wonderful job this was really cool to read and I love the whole Drake at college thing!!

Lost & Found

Part One

Summary: Drake left Cordonia to build a life for himself away from the court. He never thought he’d fall in love. When he is needed back home, he never thought that he would see the girl who stole his heart again. He never knew what he left behind. But just because he’s found her again, doesn’t mean that she waited around for him.

Rating: NSFWish

Face Claims: MC: Charli/Charlotte (Nina Dobrev) / Drake Walker (Daniel di Tomasso)

Six Years Ago…

“What do you mean there’s been an assassination attempt?” Drake Walker whispered into his phone looking around making sure no one was paying attention to his conversation. His friends’ laughter filled the atmosphere behind him as he walked away to a secluded part of the field.

“There was an attempt about a month ago…no one wanted to worry you,” the voice on the other line stated

“Is my sister ok?”

“Savanna is fine. … Liam isn’t doing so well, though.”

“Was he hurt? You should have called me sooner!” Drake was suddenly washed over with fear that something had happened to his best friend…his brother.

“Relax, physically he’s ok. He’s just not himself. He could really use a friend right now. I’m really worried about him.

“I mean does he want to come visit me here? Because that’s fi—"

“You know he can’t. Not right now.”

“Are you asking me to come home?”

“I think that it would mean a lot to him…it would mean a lot to all of us. We miss you, man.”

“I miss you guys too, but I’m in the middle of my senior year at the university…I’ve built a life here.”

“But home is in Cordonia. Your family needs you.”

Family. Drake thought. I have family here, too. But Liam has always been there for me. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t go back? But can I really just leave her? Drake looked over to his group of friends and saw the petite girl that stole his heart two years ago. His Charli, his heart.

“Drake?”

“Yea, I’m here….I’ll see you soon.”

“Let me know when you’re ready, buddy. See you soon.”

Drake walked back over to the bonfire. This had become somewhat of a Saturday night tradition with his friends. Charli had her guitar, strumming and singing, like she always did. He couldn’t help smiling just looking at her. She stole his heart and matched him with such snark that only she could get away with. He didn’t want to tell her about this…he hid the dark side of his life in Cordonia from her for so long. But he had to do this.

“Drake, baby, come here!” Charli danced her way over to him. He laughed as she threw her arms around his neck.

“What’s up, Collins?”

Charli looked at Drake with such admiration as he called her his nickname he had given her when they first met. He could tell that she could sense something was off with him.

“What’s wrong, Walker? Why are you so much sulkier after that phone call?” She looked at him and he felt like she could see right through him.

“We’ll talk later, baby.”

“I don’t want to talk later. We’ll talk later means that it’s bad. Bad means the opposite of good.” Charli narrowed her eyes at Drake and stood her ground. “We talk now.” Drake laughed. He couldn’t help it. Her southern accent came out all too much when she got angry.

“Okay, let’s head to my apartment.”

Drake and Charli said their goodbye’s and went back to Drake’s apartment, travelling in silence the whole way. Drake looked around at his surroundings as they walked. Man was he going to miss this place. He was going to miss her.

Walking into the apartment, Drake swiftly took Charli into his arms and kissed her deeply. He brought his hands around her small waist and was waiting to be granted access to her mouth when he suddenly felt himself being shoved off her.

“No way in hell, Walker. Later is now. Start talking.” She crossed her arms and he could see that her lip was starting to quiver.

Drake took a deep breath and sat down on his couch. “I received a call from home today.”

“Like Europe home?” Charli asked sitting beside of him, nerves already setting in.

“Yeah…you know how I told you that my best friend his family were big deal politicians?” Drake looked at Charli unable to hide the uncertainty in his eyes.

“Yeah…” Charli was unsure where this was heading.

“Turns out, there was an assassination attempt on him and his family.”

Charli gasped, suddenly feeling very selfish for all the feelings that she was having over this talk. “Oh my god, Drake…are they ok?”

“Yeah, yeah…they’re ok…but I guess it’s taking a toll on my friend mentally, and everyone else back home.” Drake took a deep breath before looking at Charli. “They want me to come back home.”

Charli was silent as they words rang through her head. They want me to come back home. “Oh.” It was all she could muster out. Inside she was screaming…it was their senior year…they had plans…so much they had talked about…and now, it seemed like a faraway dream. “What did you tell them?” Charli felt as though she already knew the answer.

“I didn’t really say anything. I wasn’t sure what to say, Charli. I have a life here with you. I’m going to graduate next semester. I’ve built a life away from home for myself like I’ve always wanted to do. But now…I just don’t know.” Drake felt defeated. Did he hurt his best friend who was always there for him, or did he hurt his girlfriend who he couldn’t see himself living without?

“What do you want to do?” Charli couldn’t look at Drake. She stared at her hands as they fiddled mindlessly. If she looked at Drake, she knew the dam would break. She couldn’t do it. This was her epic love. She knew it, she felt it.

“Charli, I don’t want to leave you…. Baby, please look at me.” Drake pleaded with Charli, taking her hands into his own. She slowly looked at him, tears begging for release from her eyes. Drake could feel his own eyes burning with tears that were threatening to fall. “Charli, I love you more than anything in this world…but Liam, he’s my best friend, my brother. After everything he and his family have done for me and my family…I can’t abandon him.”

Charli felt as though a ton of bricks had fallen on her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Drake was leaving her. Ask me to come with you, she thought to herself.

“Say something, Collins. Anything.”

The tears rolled like a river rolling by a bank. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think, she could barely breathe. “I’m not sure what to say. … I won’t ask you to abandon your family, you know me better than that.”

“Charli, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Please, don’t forget that.” He was leaving her.

“Will you keep in touch?”

Drake hesitated. Could he continue to hear her voice, knowing about her life, without wanting to jump on a plane and come running back to her? “Yeah, Collins. You know I can’t stay away from you.” He smiled trying to make light of the situation that they had found their selves in.

Their hearts were breaking. Both internally questioned Drake’s last statement. “When will you leave?”

“Two days.”

Two days? TWO DAYS?! Why so soon? How could he just up and leave her? “Well, we should make the most of these two days then.” Charli tried to smile, but she knew it looked forced. He’s not going to ask me to come with him.

Drake slowly cupped her cheek, wiping away stray tears that were still falling beyond her control. “Yes. We should.” Drake leaned in to kiss Charli. The kisses were slow but desperate. Each determined to make the other feel their love. Determined to leave their impression on the other. Drake picked Charli up with ease and carried her to the bedroom. Clothes were quickly torn away and tossed to the side. Drake kissed his way down Charli’s neck, to her collar bone, then her breasts.

“Charli.” He whispered as he moved his way back up and sucked just below her ear. Drake lowered himself onto Charli and smiled to himself as he heard her gasp. There was no need for foreplay tonight. Tonight, he had to show her what she meant to him. He had to make her understand that this wasn’t what he wanted but what he had to do. Tonight, he made love to her. Slow, sensual, and filling love.

“Drake,” Charli moaned. “Oh my god!”

Drake began to move faster as he felt his release building up. He could feel Charli was close and so was he. “Charli, baby, I’m going to come.”

“Come for me, Drake,” Charli couldn’t hold back anymore, “YES! GOD!” Charli exclaimed as she felt Drake fill her up.

“I love you so much, Collins. I always will.” Drake looked at her with such sincerity, it broke her even more.

“I love you, Drake Walker…forever.” She felt the tears welling up again as she laid her head on Drake’s chest and fell asleep.

One Month Later…

It had been a month since Drake left. A month since she last seen the man who stole her heart and taken it with him back to some nowhere country in Europe. Charli laid on her couch in one of Drake’s T-Shirts that she had taken from him long ago.

“Char, you ok?” Her best friend, Lexi, asked walking in the door of their shared apartment.

“Huh, oh yea, I’m just not feeling so great today.” Charli answered. She had been feeling queasy for the past few days. “It was probably the take-out we had the other night.”

“Or you’re pregnant.” Lexi was blunt to a fault and her statement floored Charli.

“What did you say?”

“Come on Char. Think about it. You have been puking for like the past three mornings. Certain smells send you straight to the bathroom.” Lexi pulled a box of pregnancy tests out of her purse and tossed them on the coffee table. “Moment of truth, my friend.”

Charli stared at her friend in disbelief. The only person she had been with in the past two years was Drake. She was on birth control, there was no way she was pregnant.

“No.” Charli shook her head. “It’s just a stomach bug…no big deal.”

“A minute ago, it was the take-out. Take-out that we have eaten at for the past 4 years. Just take it so I’ll feel better.”

Lexi had been Charli’s best friend since they shared a dorm their freshman year at the University. She was never afraid to call Charli out on her shit, and she certainly wasn’t afraid now.

“Fine,” Charli jerked the box out of her hands. “How does this thing work.”

“You just pee on the stick. Instructions are in the box.” Lexi stated nonchalantly as Charli gave her friend a questioning look. “What, Caleb and I had a scare once or twice…clearly false alarm.”

Charli rolled her eyes as she walked to the bathroom, hearing Lexi right behind her. “Lex, you are not watching me pee.”

“Fine, god your hormones are already out of whack.”

Charli nervously took the test out the box, read the instructions, and “peed on the stick” as Lex had put it. And she waited…for the longest three minutes of her life. Charli glanced over at the stick and noticed that there were two lines on the test. She quickly looked at the box to see what the two lines indicated, even though she already knew. Two lines…positive. Nope, it’s a mistake, it must me.

“Char?”

Charli opened the door and allowed her friend to walk in. Charli handed the test to Lexi and sat on the side of the tub.

“Holy shit.” Lexi stated.

“I have to call Drake.” Charli hadn’t spoke to him in over three weeks. Their last conversation was tense, and it broke her heart knowing he willingly left her behind. “He needs to know.”

Charli tried to call Drake to find that his phone had been disconnected. She checked her social media accounts and found that all of his accounts had been deleted. Charli began to panic. She was pregnant. She had no idea how to get in touch with Drake or where he even was. He was so secretive about his life in Europe and always told her it didn’t matter. She was pregnant…and he had made it so she couldn’t contact him again. He didn’t want her to contact him. He doesn’t want me anymore.

“It’s ok, Char…we’ll figure this out,” Lexi wrapped her best friend in her arms as the fear of what was to come began to set in.

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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UGH THIS WAS SO PERFECT! Your writing is wonderful and the stories you create for Drake and Ilena (both smutty and not smutty) are amazing and I honestly can't get enough!!

Expensive

Pairing: Drake x Ilena

Word Count: 1880

Rating: NSFW

Note: If you’re the sort of person who thinks girls calling men Daddy is gross, just don’t read it. I can’t be bothered to read the inevitable anon hate it causes. Sorry it kinda sucks, I started writing on my commute and had to stop halfway when I got to work, and I lost my flow.

***

The event had been black tie. Drake had complained at first about having to wear a sharp black suit, with a crisp white shirt and tie rather than his usual navy and emerald fare, but the moment Ilena stepped out in her dress he surrendered himself to the dress code, desperate to be worthy enough to stand beside her.

Her dress was black satin; knee length and tight with a slit up to her mid thigh that opened as she crossed her legs, giving Drake a glimpse of the lace trim at the top of her stockings. The top half had elbow length sleeves, a zip up back and was cut in a way that framed her cleavage perfectly.

There was a string of pearls around her neck, and her hair was tied in a loose updo. Her eyes were lined with sharp black wings and her lips coated in a dark red shade, making them look even more alluring than usual. Drake thought she looked like a 1950s film star, but prettier.

He also thought that the end of the night couldn’t come fast enough so he could take her home and undress her.

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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Reblog if you got hitched today!

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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bro i cant believe terrence from high school story flew all the way to cordonia to kill me

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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Oh my God!!! I am super in love with this idea of Riley going through her little black book and reliving her sexy stories, like yes girl get it!!! If it's not too much trouble, please tag me in future chapters, I wouldn't want to miss anything!

The Scandalous Mrs. Robinson, Chapter 1 - Mr. Robinson [NSFW]

Welcome to Riley’s new life. Spending the night before her wedding with her fiance, before she heads upstairs and uncovers her little black book. What better way to spend the night before your wedding, then to relieve some of your best sexual encounters?

C’s Notes: I decided to hit pause on Entanglement to get started on this series you’re welcome. Anyways, it goes without saying this whole series will be NSFW. This chapter is mainly hetero, as will the next before we get into other things. Some characters will get more than one chapter and some will only have one encounter with Riley. Just an fyi lol this series will also have shorter in length chapters.

Warnings - NSFW Content (Let me know if you’d like to be tagged/untagged!)

Word Count: 795

Chapters Masterlist - Masterlist

Tag List - @violetjoyy @bobasheebaby @h3llostrang3r @laniquelove @sirimire @mrsdrakewalkerblog @walkerismychoice @stopforamoment @gingerjane15 @craftytacotrashdream

Perma Tag - @theroyalweisme @kennaxval @mfackenthal @cocomaxley @blackcatkita @scarlettedragon @bella-ca @hhiggs @alwaysthebestchoice @flyawayblue56 @jlouise88 @gardeningourmet @liam-rhys @choicesfannatalie @hopefulmoonobject @speedyoperarascalparty @enmchoices @pens-girl-87 @jamielea81 @shairarhyslykel @writtenbycandy @darley1101 @simplyaiden-blog @ranishajay @annekebbphotography

“Before you go…” Mr. Robinson grins “Would you be a dear and bend over”

Riley pauses in front of the door, a grin playing on her lips as she slowly turns back around to face him.

“Would you prefer me over the desk or the armchair?” Riley asks

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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This is the cutest????? Like omg. Drake and Riley are adorable and I just really love the ending bit, like yes Drake you ARE in love with her EMBRACE IT YOU MARSHMALLOW GET THE GIRL!!!

Won’t Say Out Loud (Drake x MC)

Book: The Royal Romance 1

Rating: M (for language)

Word count: 1970

Notes: Hi everyone! I’m back with this fluffy (but kinda sad) piece based on the prompt by @drakewalkerrosenberg, I hope it lives up to your expectations! Feedback will be really appreciated.

This story is also my take on what happened at Applewood, and was briefly mentioned in Delicate.

Tag list: @agent-zephyrkah @mymandrake @mfackenthal @thewalkerway@silviasutton1989 @speedyoperarascalparty @thequeenchoices

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endlesschange · 7 years ago

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The Right Heart: Prologue

A The Royal Romance Fanfic

Warnings: Some swearing and mentions of sex.

Pairings: Prince Liam x Kate Beaumount (mentioned), Drake Walker x Kate Beaumont (mentioned)

Summary: During the social season of Crown Prince Leo’s journey to find a bride and queen, Kate Beaumont can’t help but discuss her own love life with her best friend.

Word Count: 4,803

Prologue: Before the Storm

Katherine Beaumont figured that, by now at least, she should be used to attending courtly functions.

As the youngest member and only daughter of House Beaumont of the duchy of Ramsford, it was somewhat expected for the brunette and her two elder brothers to be in attendance at a whole laundry list of events. From charity auctions to barn buildings, and from palace galas to the elusive Beaumont bashes, the girl didn’t even have to make a guess at whether or not the family would be attending. Her eldest brother, Bertrand, had assumed the title of Duke Ramsford with their father falling ill years ago and while he had once lived it up in the way that most young people did, he had begun almost ruling the events of their family the same way that their father did — and with that came attending a multitude of frivolous events in support of the Crown.

It was something that Kate and her other brother, Maxwell, had come to terms with a long time ago, having been raised to grow accustomed to. But while Bertrand enjoyed networking and the process of preparing for events and Maxwell just enjoyed a good party no matter the occasion, the youngest Beaumont couldn’t help but feel almost silly standing in the grand ballroom of the palace in a form fitting gown, sipping champagne that probably cost more than the Ramsford estate itself. She figured that by now she should be used to attending courtly functions. But the truth was that she wasn’t at all.

Despite having been born into this life and despite being extremely grateful for everything that life had offered her, there was just something about court and the world that it was that always struck her as . . . odd. She supported Cordonia with every fiber of her being, she loved her home truly she did, but prancing around balls simply to be surrounded by stuffy fellow nobles gave her the royal equivalent of cabin fever. Like Maxwell, she enjoyed a good party and enjoyed seeing her friends all together in one place, but with Bertrand looming over her shoulder at almost every other hour, it felt more like tedious work than actually enjoying herself.

There was a level of eloquence that one must maintain at all Cordonian courtly functions, the ones actually held at the palace especially. Kate knew that Bertrand was always chomping at the bit when it came to her behavior, the eldest Beaumont seeing Maxwell and his antics as a lost cause over the years. Kate was the youngest, someone Bertrand thought that he could control and mold into the model of a perfect lady, even if it meant acting like an asshole.

Preparing for tonight’s event, a ball held in honor of the social season’s beginning, had been an absolute nightmare. Bertrand had run his mouth the entire, grasping tightly onto his high horse as he practically shouted orders to Kate seemingly from the moment she woke up. He was seemingly hell bent on her rubbing shoulders with the exact kind of people that she wanted to avoid. From criticizing her choices in dress to making sure she knew the proper positioning of cutlery, he nearly gave her the third degree. She had nearly fallen asleep during his lecture on fork placement — a speech she had heard far too many times in her short life.

God, she thought to herself as she sipped on champagne, imagine what he would have been like if she was actually involved in this spectacle. She shuddered at the thought.

The spectacle in question was the social season itself. Starting tonight, Crown Prince Leo of Cordonia would begin his search for a wife as well as Cordonia’s future queen. King Constantine had no current plans of stepping down from the throne for his son to ascend, but the social season was Cordonian tradition — and somewhat of a protocol. In order to one day rise the ranks up to king, the Crown Prince had to be married, or at least engaged to be wed. The social season was a circus show for the most part, in Kate’s opinion, noble houses tossing their daughter’s or sponsored suitors into the ring for ring and crown. Over the course of the next few months, Leo would be expected to get to know each lady, whereas the people of the country would be exposed to how each lady acted through the eyes that were the press.

Thankfully for Kate, she had been spared from being a part of this madness. For one, Kate couldn’t ever, ever, in a million years see herself pursuing Leo. The Beaumont children were relatively close to the children of the Crown, having grown up together through court and such. A handful of years Kate’s senior, he was someone she saw simply as a brother figure and nothing more. He was close to Bertrand’s age as well, and once upon a time, when Bertrand actually used to have fun, he and Leo had done a numerous amount of things together. And whatever Bertrand knew about Leo’s past of being a partying playboy, it had set him on a clear path to making sure that the Beaumont family were not sponsoring anyone, especially not his baby sister. It was moments like that in which Kate realized that Bertrand sometimes thought with his actual brain and not his courtly mannerisms.

When Kate had been given that news, she had let out a breath of relief. If there was something that Kate didn’t want, it was a life that would be led for her. Granted, that was pretty much the life she led under Bertrand’s thumb, but the youngest Beaumont had dreams. Running a country and marrying someone that she didn’t love weren’t exactly a part of those dreams. Really, all she wanted was to travel, experience life, and perhaps one day find the heart that was right for her. In a social season with press and royalty and nobles watching her every move? She was certain that she’d be unable to find that heart. She couldn’t picture herself running a kingdom. She couldn’t picture her dealing with that, day after day. Maybe it was because deep down, she didn’t particularly care for the dealings of social classes and the people that came along with it. Maybe it was her naivety, her young age telling her that she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment to something other than herself. Either way, it wasn’t exactly the life Kate Beaumont wanted to live.

Instead, she watched on as other noble ladies began to try and vie for that life tonight, as did the rest of court. Currently, the ladies participating in this social season were being presented to King Constantine and then Prince Leo himself, the latter looking all too bored with the frivolity of it all. Like most nobles, Leo knew most of the ladies he was being introduced to, the majority of them knew each other through functions just like this one. Clearly his days as the court’s wild child were not behind him. Kate didn’t know whether to pity him or laugh at the expression on his face.

“Countess Madeleine looks as if she has this all wrapped up with a neat little bow,” a voice spoke up from beside Kate, breaking her from her thoughts.

A glance to the side gave Kate a view of Savannah Walker, rolling her eyes at the sight of Fydelia’s countess across the room. Kate snickered into her glass, before giving her best friend a light jab to the ribs with her elbow. “Keep those comments going, Walker, and people are going to begin to forget how starstruck with the nobility you are.”

Savannah narrowed her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Unlike Kate herself, Savannah was born a commoner, the daughter of an American woman and a late member of the King’s Guard who had spent her entire life at court. Kate and Savannah were the same age, so anytime that the Beaumont’s had visited the palace, the two had always found themselves in each other’s company, which had then spawned into a lifelong friendship. Savannah, like her mother before her, was quite frankly enraptured with nobility. Kate wasn’t exactly sure what the appeal was, but Savannah beamed at every chance she had to participate. There was some sort of childlike wonder in her eyes at every event, like she was living out a fairytale. It was something Kate found endearing, though she did her fair share of poking fun at her friend.

“I am not starstruck with the nobility,” Savannah muttered in annoyance. Kate raised an eyebrow. The Walker girl rolled her eyes again. “Okay, well at least not with all of them, like Lord Neville for example.”

The name of the Vancoeur man itself left a sour taste in Kate’s mouth, the girl wrinkling her nose. He tended to mostly stay at Comery Isle, never one to set foot in court unless there was something important going on. But the handful of times that Kate and Savannah had had to deal with the man had done nothing but leave quite possibly the worst impression of him in their minds. “No one is a fan of trash, Savannah.”

Savannah burst into a stream of giggles, not noticing how the nobles that floated by them on the dance floor gave her dirty looks. That was another thing about Savannah that Kate enjoyed, her tendency to not notice the ways that people looked at her or talked about her. As a commoner in a room full of nobles, there were plenty of times where people like Lord Neville had looked down upon her, but Savannah took it in stride. Whether she kept her feelings about that to herself and herself alone or she just didn’t care, the Beaumont girl wasn’t all too sure, but she truly had never seen a non noble handle themselves in such a strong-willed way.

Sighing, Savannah took a sip of her drink. “I just wish there were more . . . charming men around for us to see. I mean, we’re literally standing in a ballroom, Katie, where’s our fairytale romance?”

Kate chuckled. Nodding at the line of ladies waiting to speak to Leo, she said, “Well, as a member of House Beaumont, I could probably pull some strings and get you a place in the social season. Fighting a bunch of catty woman to win over an actual prince, that’s got to have some fairy tale appeal.”

At Kate’s teasing, the Walker girl shuddered. “No offense to Leo, but I’ve heard my brother talk about his particular . . . tastes in the bedroom. I’m not exactly looking for that. Nor do I feel the need to have to deal with Madeleine on a near daily basis.”

“Ah, nobles and their kinks. Warding off potential suitors, most likely since the union of the Five Kingdoms,” Kate chuckled, eyes roving over the crowd that was beginning to gather for dancing. As expected — there was an actual betting pool going on — the Fydelian countess snatched Prince Leo for the first dance without a single warning. Madeleine was an acquired taste (read: a manipulative bitch), but damn, she was good at getting what she wanted. Turning back to her friend, Kate shrugged. “It’s just as well. If I told Bertrand we were going to sponsor someone last second, he might actually have the aneurysm Maxwell’s been predicting for three years.”

At the mention of her eldest brother, Savannah turned a brilliant shade of pink. A smile tugged at her lips and her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit more than they had the previous moment. With just the mention of Bertrand's name, she's been reduced to a schoolgirl with an obvious crush. A crush, by the way, that made Kate want to gag.

“Really, Sav?” Kate groaned, already noticing the way that the girl in questions allowed her eyes to roam the ballroom looking for a particular moody Beaumont brother.

If there was one thing that puzzled Kate endlessly about Savannah Walker, it was her strange fascination with Bertrand. From a young age, it was clear to see that the girl was taken with the Duke. She thought the world of him, like the sweater vest wearing man had hung the moon and the stars himself. Kate figured that, sure, maybe when they were younger it might have been plausible for girls to be attracted to her brother. Before their father's death, Bertrand had been charming and kind, someone people actually wanted to be around. But following the death of Barthelemy, he became somewhat of a colossal asshole, he exact kind of man that Kate wanted to keep her best friend from falling for. Falling for Bertrand seemed to be like driving down a dead end street — once you reached the end of the road, that was it.

Savannah's blush didn't falter, but her voice sure did as she tried to make a retort at her friend. Loudly, a little too loudly actually, she replied, “I don't know what you're talking about!”

“Sure, sure,” Kate replied with a teasing grin and a roll of her eyes. “You definitely don't have a giant crush on my stick in the mud brother.”

“He's not that bad,” her friend told her, her voice quieting down a bit. She looked slightly embarrassed, but refused to voice that particular feeling.

Kate waved her off with her hand. “That's because you've never been on the other end of his extensive the ruination of this house will fall onto your shoulders if you use the wrong fork, Katherine speeches or his Maxwell, if you breakdance one more time in the presence of the Queen kind of threats. You think he's this great, powerful Duke, but he's really just an inconsiderate jerk who gives extensive tongue lashings.”

At the words tongue and lashings, Savannah's blush seemed to grow even deeper, the girl's eyes widening for good measure. Kate stared at her oddly for a moment, wondering what in the actual hell that she had said that caused her to blush so heavily. And then it hit her. Holding herself back from throwing up the minimal contents of her stomach, she gave a shove towards Savannah’s shoulder.

“Oh you know that is so not what I meant,” Kate groaned, shuddering as she tried to ward off those disgusting thoughts. “It’s one thing to swoon over my brother in my presence, it’s another to have your mind in the gutter over him with me standing next to you.”

Savannah spluttered, but there was a measurable amount of mirth in her eyes at the situation. “My mind is not in the gutter over your brother, Katie. He just happens to be an attractive, interesting man that I — ”

“Have scandalous daydreams about, yes we’ve covered that,” the Beaumont girl interjected.

The Walker girl narrowed her eyes. “You’re insufferable. And a little bitter. Maybe you’re the one who needs to start having scandalous daydreams, take the edge off.”

At that, a peal of laughter escaped Kate’s lips. She covered her mouth with her hand for a moment, before she poised a manicured eyebrow at her best friend. “And who do you suppose I start having scandalous daydreams about?”

“Well, we’re in the middle of a crowded ballroom, I’m sure we could find you some sort of eye candy,” Savannah snickered, a twinkle in her eyes as she scanned the crowd. Raising a finger, she discreetly pointed at a somewhat dashing man walking past. “What about him?”

Kate made a face. While she couldn’t for the life of her remember the man’s name — if Bertrand were here, he’d probably whip out his courtly flashcards — she knew that she had met him once before. And that he had been a rude, perverted asshole to anything that breathed. With narrowed eyes and a sharp tongue, she replied, “I’d rather spend my life getting pleasure from my right hand alone then deal with him.”

“I thought you were a respectable lady of the court?” Savannah teased, biting her lip to stifle the laughter that was threatening to pour out.

Kate raised an eyebrow. “You’ve spent enough time at court to know most of these ladies become skilled in the art of . . . self service because they have to deal with the likes of have of these earls and dukes and such.”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, some of them are good in bed. And besides, lets just take sex off the table — is there literally no one here that you’re interested in? I’ve known you nearly my whole life and I swear I’ve never seen you have a crush on someone who wasn’t a celebrity.”

At the mention of the word crush, a flush seemed to creep up the back of Kate’s neck. One, because what Savannah was saying wasn’t anywhere near the truth. While she was right in the sense that nearly all of Kate’s crushes were celebrities (and the occasional fictional character), there had been one instance at court where she had found herself swooning over someone. And two, because the universe clearly wanted to fuck with her, her eyes managed to land on said crush at just that particular moment.

To say that Drake Walker — yes, Savannah’s older brother — was hard to find amidst the dancing couples and conversing dignitaries would be a lie. In fact, the commoner stuck out like a sore thumb, leant up against the far wall in a pair of dark pants and a button down shirt, a far cry from the elaborate suits that the men around him wore. A half drunken glass of whiskey was clutched in his hand and a sour expression was plastered across his face, the signature Drake look. If it weren’t for the fact that his best friend happened to be Prince Liam, the younger brother of Leo, Drake probably wouldn’t have been there at all.

Kate bit her lip as her eyes glanced over him, a little voice in the back of her mind nudging her to remember how taken she had been with him for a week during her fifteenth year. The long and short of it was that at one visit to the palace, there had been a near tragic accident in the stables that involved Kate and one of the newer horses at the time. Kate, like her brothers, had grown up riding in equestrian competitions and felt at home around horses, but the newest steed had clearly not appreciated her over confidence. Ten seconds later, the horse had charged at her only for her brother’s best friend to dart out of another stall and coax the horse into calm, pretty much saving Kate from being trampled. At the time, he had been newly eighteen, the summer before he left for his brief stint at college, and for some reason, Kate had been over the moon with him for the following days. And then he had made a rude comment about her brothers and the nobility in general — a classic Drake tactic — and the crush had disappeared as quick as it came.

Her silly little schoolgirl crush on Drake had been something that she had never disclosed to anyone, especially not Savannah. The crush had been short lived, maybe a week and a day, and it had been mostly centered around the fact that Drake had practically saved her life. For a short period of time, she viewed him heavily as her ruggedly handsome knight in shining armor. There had never been any actual feelings, no substance behind the fact that she had briefly liked to drool over the man who seemed to have an easier time drinking his weight in whiskey than he did conversing with other human beings. So because of that, she hadn’t disclosed the feelings to anyone. Savannah was far different than Kate herself and Kate knew without a shadow of a doubt that the first thing out of her best friend’s mouth would be how she’d talk her up to Drake and how the two would actually be sisters if the two were to get together.

Yeah, that would never happen, Kate thought to herself as she watched the man take another sip of whiskey. She turned back to her friend. Muttering, Kate told her, “I don’t have crushes on any of these people because I’ve known half of them since childhood and half of them are complete assholes.”

Savannah shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. “Not everyone you’ve known since childhood is a jerk. For one, there’s the Prince.”

Furrowing her brow, Kate replied, “If I wanted to go after Leo, I’d be battling it out with Madeleine at the moment.”

“I meant Liam, dumbass,” Savannah responded. “He’s always had a soft spot for you. And he’s incredibly well mannered and honestly? Looks like he’d know what to do in more intimate situations.”

At the mention of Prince Liam, Kate couldn’t help but groan. It wasn’t exactly like this was the first time that her friend had ever brought up the notion of the two dating. God, Bertrand might just have a coronary from pure excitement if he ever found out that there was a chance that his little sister and the King’s second son could possibly enter a relationship. Kate could just imagine it now, the way he’d bust out all of his infamous lectures on courting and being a prim and proper lady.

It wasn’t much of a secret that Liam had harbored a little bit of a crush on the only Beaumont girl — at least, it wasn’t much of a secret in their social circle. If any of the elder members of court knew, that was beyond Kate’s knowledge. But when it came to Maxwell and Drake and Savannah, Liam’s little soft spot for Kate wasn’t unheard of. Kate figured that she should be flattered, thrilled even, to have a potential chance with an actual prince, someone who could further her own social standing and allow her to live out a fairytale. And yes, maybe a small part of her was a bit flattered — Liam was a kind and handsome man — but she wasn’t exactly sure that was the kind of situation that she’d want to put herself in. It would be a situation where she knew she’d feel like she being forced into it. Surely Bertrand would never let her have a purely romantic, feelings based relationship with Liam if she wanted. He’d be hounding her every day and night, making sure she was using her relationship to better House Beaumont.

So, much like she wasn’t interested in courting his brother, Kate didn’t have much of a desire to court Liam either. It wasn’t that Savannah was wrong — again, Liam was one of the sweetest people that Kate had ever come across in her life, even if he had every reason to turn out like an entitled bastard. He also wasn’t bad looking, with his dark hair and charming smile. She knew that across Cordonia, Liam was crushed on and lusted over heavily by most women and men. But being interested in Liam was a road she’d rather not travel down, despite the fact that Savannah couldn’t seem to get that through her head.

“I don’t want to crush on or fantasize over Liam,” Kate muttered in annoyance, glancing down at her empty champagne glass. Shit.

“Well, you’d better figure out a way to put that nicely because he’s headed over here with my brother right now,” Savannah laughed.

Kate glanced up, feeling almost like a deer in headlights when she realized that Savannah wasn’t lying. Prince Liam made his way over, the picture perfect model of grace and charm. Drake, on the other hand, followed behind him with his usual bored expression plastered across his face.

The two men came to a stop in front of the two women, but only two of the four were smiling. Liam had an effortless grin etched across his lips, while Savannah beamed endlessly at the prince and her brother. Drake still looked bored. And Kate still wore a mildly distressed expression on her face, wondering what in the actual world could have brought them over here.

Seeing as no one else was going to break the silence, Liam took the lead. “Ladies,” he greeted, giving each girl a nod.

“Your Highness,” Savannah replied with a grin, a joking edge to her tone. After all their years being friends, the girl sometimes still addresses her brother’s friend in professional terms, even if Liam had told her a thousand times to call him just Liam. Before he could make that remark, she tossed a look in her brother’s direction. “Hey big brother.”

Drake grunted out a greeting and gave Kate a barely discernible nod. She rolled her eyes. But she gave him a smile nonetheless and did the same for his current companion.

The smile seemed to make Liam’s expression sparkle. “Lady Katherine — ”

“Liam, we’ve been over this — every time you call me Lady Katherine, I lose roughly six years off my life,” the Beaumont girl joked.

“My apologies, Kate. I’ve spent the entire evening greeting everyone by title, it’s a hard habit to break,” the prince joked. Then, he offered his hand. “They’re about to start the next waltz. Would you care for a dance?”

Without even breaking a sweat, Kate gave him a sad smile. “I’m actually not in a dancing mood. But I’m sure Savannah would love to accompany you, wouldn’t you Savannah?”

Savannah gave her a scowl, before brightly turning to the prince who was trying his best not to look like a kicked puppy. Shoving her half empty glass into Kate��s empty hand, the Walker girl took Liam’s outstretched hand. “I’d be delighted to dance with you.”

If Liam was even mildly disappointed at dancing with the girl he didn’t ask, he hid it exceptionally well. That was an art that most Cordonian nobles knew well. He whisked her off to the dance floor just as the music queued up, the two soon disappearing amidst the other dancing couples. Kate bit her lip, feeling like a bit of a bitch, but she shoved that down as she disposed of her empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray, bringing herself to drink the rest of Savannah’s glass.

“You know, you break his heart a little more every time you turn him down for a dance,” a voice spoke, bringing Kate to realize that Drake was still stood beside her. He had taken Savannah’s now empty spot, leaning against the wall much like he had done across the room. But now he was giving her a look, one that told her that he knew exactly what she had been doing when she sent Savannah out on that dance floor.

“Spare me the over protective best friend speech, Walker. I’m just not in the mood for dancing tonight.”

“That’s what you said the last time.”

“Don’t you have somewhere else to go be miserable?”

Drake scoffed, but there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. “If I’m miserable, then so are you. Maybe even more. You’ve been moping the entire night. And unfortunately, Katie,” he drawled, using his sister’s nickname for the Beaumont girl in a sarcastic manner, “Misery loves company.”

She rolled her eyes at him, briefly wondering how in the hell she had ever managed to have a crush on him. Kate didn’t hate Drake, to make it clear. In fact, she sort of considered him a friend (she was smart not to brand him a best friend like Maxwell had, but Maxwell had never been one to grasp the fact that Drake generally wanted to push him off a cliff). But he was just the right brand of annoying that Kate didn’t want to deal with tonight.

Tipping the glass of champagne towards her mouth, she downed the rest of Savannah’s drink in one fell swoop. Eyes cast out to the dance floor, she couldn’t help but already begin waiting for this social season to come to a close, so that everything could calm down.

But unfortunately for Kate, she would come to learn a year later that Leo’s social season was in fact the calm. The last bit of comfort before a whole season of heartache and pain and mixed emotions. Right now, she was calm, calmer than she would be in a years time. For it truly was always the calmest before the storm.

Tag List: @goldenraines @museofbooks

#mc: kate beaumont #mc: katherine beaumont #drake walker x mc #drake walker #king liam x mc #king liam #prince liam x mc #savannah walker #maxwell beaumont #bertrand beaumont #the royal romance #pixelberry #choices #playchoices #trr #fic: the right heart

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