#...another reminder that i need to learn how to finish things T.T

[suddencolds]

hey vanessa !! i'm just wondering, will there be any new fics coming in? ofc take your time with it all! i understand it can be really tiring so this is just out of curiosity ! no pressure or anything :) <3 also i really love your fics like i always come back everyday to read them :D

Hi anon!! :) I have 3 WIPs atm and they are all... blatantly unfinished and it's taking a lot out of me to write them. I've been unconfident in my writing for the longest time, and I'm also really slow at writing fml

But since you asked, here are some excerpts from each! - I can't promise I'll get around to finishing them (I think it's actually unlikely that I'll get to all 3). But if any of these seem worth continuing, lmk

1. (Diluc) - Kaeya asks for Diluc to accompany him on an expedition - really, it's an excuse to spend more time with him. He doesn't expect Diluc to come down with a miserable cold in the process.

“An expedition,” Diluc repeats.

“Yes.”

“You’re asking me to go with you.”

Kaeya laughs. He’d already expected that Diluc would have questions about this, but it’s not as if he can tell .

“Amber is leading her own expedition,”—busy scouting out some temples in Starfell Valley, after they’ve caught wind of Fatui activity in the area. It’s an assignment that Kaeya thinks Diluc would be much more interested in, but that’s besides the point—“and Eula is out sick this week. So are nearly half of the Knights. Jean suggested I find you.”

Perhaps if he phrases it this way—as if this is a last resort—Diluc will be more receptive to it. It’s not technically a lie. Jean hadn’t advised him to do anything—actually, Jean had told him that she hadn’t wanted him going up on Dragonspine alone. Technically, with Diluc’s company, he would not be going alone.

If Kaeya is taking her words out of context, then no one has to know.

“Where is it?”

At least it’s not outright a no. “Dragonspine,” Kaeya answers carefully. “You’d understand why a pyro user would be good for that.”

“And if I say no?”

There it is. Kaeya waves an arm dismissively. “I told her you wouldn’t want to… well, never mind. I suppose I can bring a few unactivated warming bottles and hope for the best.”

—

2. (Childe) - After the entire fiasco with Liyue and Rex Lapis's passing, Childe throws himself into work with a fever, gets injured, and begrudgingly seeks Zhongli out.

(This was supposed to be for Childe's birthday 3 weeks ago, and now it's sitting in my drafts as a 4k word unfinished WIP)

“How do you know Mr. Zhongli?”

Her question catches him off guard. “We used to be close,” he says, though maybe that isn’t completely accurate. “Now I think he might hate me, or… something.”

The ferrylady sets aside the papers she’s dealing with. “I am doubtful that Mr. Zhongli would hate anyone.”

Childe laughs, bitter and humorless. “Not without reason, I’m sure. But if he despises me now, I think it would be justified.”

He coughs into a raised hand, ducking slightly so that she can’t see how he grimaces after. “I mean, I didn’t set out to bother him just because I’m injured, ahaha! To be honest, I…”

Truthfully, he doesn’t know who else to turn to.

“...I think he would at least have the decency not to turn me away.”

Zhongli is the first person he’d trusted—entirely, foolishly—in a long time.

“He was... good at playing the part of a good friend.”

He knows that coming here has been selfish.

“I mean, he really had me fooled!”

“Is that so?” The ferrylady says softly. “From the way you speak about him, it seems like the two of you had a lot of history.”

Had they? His head is swimming now—perhaps he hasn’t been keeping up on sleep as much as he should’ve. “...You could say that,” Childe says, blinking slowly. “I’m sorry, I’m... rather tired. Do you mind if I shut my eyes for a second?”

He’s asleep before he has the chance to hear her response.

—

3. (Zhongli) Zhongli - after he's given up his godhood - comes down with something, though he hides it well. Childe takes notice.

(I just wanted to write a character study for Zhongli sfkjsh; I feel like he would still be exceptionally dignified and polite when ill, just... it would take a lot out of him to keep up that front)

They walk for a few minutes in silence. When the caverns splits off into two different entryways, Childe turns on his heels to ask for directions.

He’s met with Zhongli, ducking his head, a gloved hand over his face as his shoulders jerk forward, sharp and violent, even though it sounds contained. It takes another moment for Childe to recognize the action for what it is.

“Bless you, xiansheng!” he says. “Is something in the cave bothering you?” Childe had assumed that Zhongli’s archon status had made him unaffected by things like dust, though perhaps Zhongli is not impervious to everything human, after all.

“I am doubtful that anything inside this cave is causing this,” Zhongli answers.

Childe shrugs. “Well, let me know if you want to head back.”

Zhongli hums. The cavern is intimidatingly silent, save for the rush of water, so Childe passes the time, talking about the recruits he’s been training. He’s halfway through a tale about a ruin guard he’d encountered out in Guili Plains when Zhongli leans away slightly to cough into a raised arm.

“I apologize,” he says, when Childe stops mid-sentence to look at him. “I did not mean to interrupt.”

His voice is rough. Childe wonders why he hadn’t noticed earlier—perhaps because Zhongli has been speaking so quietly. He looks him over.

Zhongli looks, with every inch of him, as presentable as always, though the cavern is so dark it’s hard to say if anything is off. He meets Childe’s eyes with his usual, steady glance, sniffling softly.

The possibility that he might be ill is so fleeting that Childe almost dismisses it.

[tare-chan]

Has anyone else read this book/novel?

I rarely read any book/novel, honestly. But since I'm still madly in love with Frozen 2, this "prequel" book really piqued my interest. And lucky for me, the hard copy of this book were already available in my local bookstore.

You think Frozen 2 was already “dark” and packed with action? Then this book will surprised you even more! I lost count of how many times I held my breath while reading scenes after scenes. Especially, since at the middle of the story, the author cleverly set Olaf and Sven aside, without ‘dumping’ their character. So we basically just have Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff adventuring throughout the Arendellian soils. 

There’re lots of tidbits that foreshadow the story of Frozen 2, and I’ll write them down under the cut. Cause in case you want to read the novel (which I highly recommended), I don’t want to ruin/spoiler you :)

So the story tells from Anna’s POV. First thing I noticed: despite her cheerful behavior, deep down inside, Anna still felt insecure about her position, especially as a royal. These insecurities root from her being ‘spare’, and her ‘imperfectness’. She always looked up to Elsa, who she saw as the perfect royal should be. Second problem, Anna really has issues with her way of communication. So many times in the story, she assumes people’s act and people’s say in a negative tone, adding to her insecurities. While at the same time, she rarely brave enough to speak up what’s on her mind. This is actually a quite surprising side of her. In her mind, all of this insecurity of hers, might lead Elsa think her as useless, and leave her for good. And this is the root of her fear. Yes, the brave, feisty Anna, does have fear!! 

Elsa, on the other hand, trapped in the role of a very hardworking family head. Like a formula often used in a family movies, where you’ll see the family head works extra hard to fulfill their family needs, that makes them forgot, that family also need loves and communication to share. Elsa, in her way of showing love to Anna, let her sleep until noon, never asked Anna’s help in royal duties, and to not worry Anna, Elsa always kept her fear inside of her, while using her regal and her ‘don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control’ facade mask. All of these ‘love’ from Elsa, made her never had time to spent with her sister, and many times make her forget the promises (like visiting Anna in her bedroom before sleep, reading a book that Anna gave her). Elsa didn’t have any idea that all of these, only add to Anna’s insecurities. 

The problem solving of this miscommunication, lead to the ‘charade’ nights in Frozen 2, Elsa’s daily schedule shown in the art book (with ‘family time’ now listed at the schedule), and pushed Elsa to run and greet her family to play outside castle wall in the ‘something never change’ sequence. But Elsa being Elsa, it’s not easy for her to share her burden just like that. Anna understand this, but remind her by saying ‘we promised not to shout each other out’, after the charade scenes, and the ‘promise me we’ll do this together’ lines Anna often said throughout the movie.

Now, I just noticed that the usually adventure hungry Anna, always look at edge, during Frozen 2. Like how she frowned when seeing the rune crystals hanging in the night of Arendelle city (the very end of Into the Unknown scene), when she confronted Elsa that the magic can’t be good, when she stood in front of the mist, when she saw her surrounding changes before the Northuldra accept the sisters, etc. Anna also seems so clingy towards Elsa, always want to hold dear her sister. And seemed too sensitive towards the word ‘die’ (completely misunderstood Kristoff’s saying). 

This seems out of character of her, but after reading this book, I finally understand. Anna’s latest encounter with something magical and mythical, wasn’t pretty. Nope. Not at all. In the book, at first, Anna still feel the thrill of facing new adventure. But throughout the progress of the story, all the things happened in this previous 2 months before the movie, would definitely give the poor girl nightmares (like shown at the very end of the book, which also actually a part of the movie itself). 

At one point, Anna needs to make a hard decision to left Kristoff behind, to intercept the possessed character going after the two sisters, with such a heartbreaking ‘goodbye’ kiss. And while she was spared from witnessing how the fight between the axe armed enemy and unarmed Kristoff went on, she wasn’t so lucky when witnessing Elsa fighting the enormous Nightmare Wolf. Safely stood inside Elsa’s ice dome, after another heartbreaking ‘I love you’ goodbye from her sister, Anna witness how Elsa charged at the wolf, with legendary sword in one hand, and ice power in her other hand (Elsa is so badass in this scene, btw), wipe the floor with the wolf, but when her sister went in for the finishing blow, the legendary sword shattered, and Elsa was pummeled down instead. Anna managed to look at her sister eyes the last time, before the wolf took over Elsa’s body. Her sister’s scream when the wolf took over her body, will definitely gave Anna PTSD for sure. The poor girl :,( After all, Anna’s biggest fear actually wasn’t her insecurities, but loosing her big sis. 

This is exactly why Anna become so tense, and clingy towards Elsa. Especially after Pabbie’s warn, that Elsa might loose to the magic she followed. Because unlike Elsa who can ‘sense’ that the voice and magic in the movie was actually different than what the sisters have faced in the past two months, Anna only has her memories, the horror memory of loosing those close to her, especially Elsa, from the past 2 months. And when her biggest fear came true, when Elsa’s lost to a place Anna couldn’t reach, that’s when she went down to her lowest. (I might cry even more at the ‘next right thing’ sequences T.T)

I guess, this crazy adventures were also what make Elsa sang “I’ve had my adventure, and I don’t need something new. I’m afraid of what I’m risking, if I followed you.....”. Because despite her regal and calm demeanor, Elsa must also feels terrified at their latest adventures. Especially since she nearly lost Anna twice, when her little sister was almost drown in the river, and almost fall into the abyss inside an abandoned mines. Loosing Anna is certainly Elsa’s biggest fear too. 

This book also told us a bit more about Frozen world building. Like the secret room at the castle. We learn that Iduna had been studying magic, and translating runes and mythical stories. I guess, this what make Iduna and Agnarr travel to find Ahtohallan. Strengthen the theory that suggest magic and mythical creatures are not strange in Arendellian soils. This very secret room also held the secret of the Enchanted Forest and the dam making, aside from the castle blue prints, and a saga of Aren.

We also saw how Arendelle prospers. After the gate opened, new people start to came and live there. Judging from the name patterns, these new people might came from so many different places, like Asia (Soo Jun, is a quite common Korean name). Showing that Elsa was a good leader, but sometimes she was too hard on herself. 

We also understand that the people of Arendelle did saw the Northuldrans as bad guys (including Anna herself), who eliminate their beloved king Runenard. Strengthen the theory, that the mist was there to actually protect the Northuldrans from the angry Arendellians. 

Fun fact:

Elsa likes to tugged at her finger, when she felt nervous. A habit left behind from using gloves all the time. 

Anna’s favorite flower is sunflower (bright and warm, just like her :D). Anna can run really fast. Faster than Kristoff and Elsa (no wonder she can outrun the cart with Olaf in it, in the ‘Something never change’ sequence)

Kristoff still awed at how beautiful Elsa’s ice (sculpture) is. Ice is his life after all :P 

Despite her good governance, Elsa still at edge and have trouble when speaking to people, both dignitaries and her people. Her one flaw from being a perfect Queen, result of her isolation for years. Her perfectionist side also shown that make her often too hard on herself, and her reluctance to share her burden with Anna, manifest as Elsa’s other fear in this book, that was being a bad queen. Things that make Anna said ‘Oh Elsa, when will you see yourself the way I see you’. 

This book also shown how Elsa’s ice power and her control for it has grown in the past three years. She can make lenses from ice, can create a very strong ice dome to protect the castle and the village, can pin point the thickness of her ice, can make permafrost for Olaf, and never grew tired when blasting her power (unless her muscle gave out first, hindering her from flicking her wrist). 

Anna’s other side also being shown here. She’s actually very smart (smarter than she gave herself credit for), she can speak several foreign languages, love to learn from anybody (literally anybody), loves any arts and cultures, and as a princess she knows her people by names (amazing!!). At certain points, we also see how Anna took a very unpopular decisions. This is actually Anna’s queen quality. That she herself didn’t give enough credit for. But Elsa clearly see it, and highly respect Anna for it.  

Overall.... This novel is really good read! I highly recommend it, if you’re a big frozen fan. I will definitely read it again. Now to slowly devour the details in it :D 

[promisedangel]

King’s Island Haunt Review

I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO MAKE ONE FOR LAST WEEKEND’S TRIP, at least not until the friend who went with me reminded me during the MLP season 7 finale.

Travel to there was long, took longer cuz we got stuck in two bad choke points in Columbus traffic. We already made the mental note to leave earlier if we are returning to the Haunt next year. We ended up getting to the park little over an hour after it opened and the lines for rides/haunted houses didn’t exceed 45 minutes that night.

General Notes -The Haunt’s scenery was well done. The fog, the eyes on the Effiel Tower clone were awesome, and there was creepy music around the park to boot. One thing I am kinda disappointed about was the lack of actors outside of the haunted houses. There were only 3 sections of the park in which actors were on the prowl, and only one of them were really effective (I’ll tell that story on the second night). -We stayed at a Super 8, and it was actually pretty good. We just needed a place to sleep, and it worked. It was also near a good amount of food places to choose for breakfast! -The park offered these necklaces for $12 that pretty much said you don’t want to be scared. WHY COME TO A HALLOWEEN THING AND NOT WANT TO GET SCARED? I saw adults with these things on, too! The only way I could see these necklaces worth it, was if no area of the park was safe. If there were actors all over, maybe even in lines for rides and stuff. Then, it’d be worth it. But with only 3 scare zones, it’s not worth it.

Friday - The first thing my friend insisted we do was ride The Beast, as it was getting dark when we arrived and the ride was famous for its night ride since there are no lights around the track. When my friend was young, he and his dad swore they saw red lights, which they have since titled “The killer cows from hell”. Pretty cool ride, not the best, but it was fun riding in the front. -We hit two haunts next. First was The Slaughterhouse... which was kinda meh. Pacing felt too fast and the actors just weren’t trying that hard. - Madam Fatale’s Cavern of Terror was fun! They even got my friend pretty hard. He was lightly taunting some guy actor when this girl actor came from behind and scared him. I swear he jumped 2 feet and fell on the ground. -MYSTIC TIMBERS. AWESOME. The lore, the ride, no wonder it’s got an award already! If Halloween wasn’t so close, I would SO do oneshot based on the ride, but it’s too close and I got a request/gift to do T.T -Diamondback is now in my top five coasters EVER. Riding in the back at night was amazing, you get so much airtime!!! -Vortex is an Oldie but Goldie ride. It was pretty much a walk-on, but an awesome ride. I heard some people want it torn down, but it’s good! -Urgent Scare definitely needs an upgrade on its animatronics. In the ONE place it needs to look it’s most real, they look the fakest. Disappointed. -Drop Tower was fun, loved how it twisted on the way up. -Finished the night on the Banshee. it was cool, equal to The Raptor in Cedar Point.

Saturday -Had a nice breakfast before getting to the park as it opened. We rode Diamondback twice more as our start (In hindsight, this was a bad idea, but we still enjoyed it). -We accidentally went all the way around Backlot Stunt Coaster before we found the entrance, BUT, it led to us meeting a fellow Brony in line for it. Turned out he was at the park by his lonesome and we offered for him to hang out with us. Best decision of the day. The coaster was cool, good family ride. -Rode Vortex again with our new addition and got to know him pretty well. Also headed down to Racers, which was okay. He led us down to The Bat, which was MUCH more fun than Iron Dragon at Cedar Point. -Had to wait a half hour for Invertigo, kinda found out the park was starting to get crowded with people. While in line, we all bonded and I learned out this super intense horror experience called McKamey Manor. While our new friend seems gung-ho for it, I, on the other hand, will NEVER enter that place. Don’t hate the idea, nor the people who go through it. Invertigo was fun, but dunno if it was worth the wait. -Adventure Express was a good beginner coaster, used to be an Indiana Jones coaster before the park was bought by Cedar Fair. -Took a break to get food out of the park and relax a bit, and get sweatshirts for the night ahead. Getting pack in was a pain because we had to park so far away from the park. Made it a half hour before the 7:00 cut off point for getting back in the park. -Our goal for the night was to focus on the Haunts. We started with CarnEvil. Pretty decent, and someone gave me their 3D glasses, so it was trippy for me. Our new addition began to playfully taunt actors and was a joy to see. -Kill-Mart was fun, but mostly fun cause all of us work retail. We ended up making jokes on how it was ‘normal’ for us. Our new guy pointed out a scare and I still fell for it, so he heckled me a bit for it. -Field of Screams had a long line. Think it was a little over an hour. We ended up talking with the two girls in front of us most of the time about various horror topics and watched as one guy in the Fast Pass line scared a few people by hiding in bushes. Two other girls also fell off a fence in the line, but they weren’t hurt. Field of Screams was fun despite the wait but needed just a few more people to really bring out the best of it. There was this wide hay bale area with one actor, but two more would have really made it. One woman followed us out and scared a couple of us. This one girl behind us latched onto my friend, but she made it through with his encouragement. -We quickly went to Board to Death, which was more of a cool visual haunted house than a scary one. My friend and our new friend heckled the actors a bit, and we noticed by now that a lot of the actors over the night tried to get me rather than them. I remember this one actor woman asked if I wanted to play Twister with her and I said no. She then booked it to behind our group and got a scare out of the group of girls behind us, it was funny to just see her book it and immediately hear the screams. - We wanted to go to Blackout, cuz we had heard of various people throughout the night that it was really good, but the line was long and our new friend said he had to leave before midnight since he had to drive himself home. We made a choice and rode Banshee with him. I was, unfortunately starting to get cranky around this time cuz my feet hurt but giving him one last hurrah was worth the hour wait on Banshee. Fun fact: Banshee doesn’t allow fanny packs, BUT, if you stuff them in a hoodie pocket, they’re no problem! Just something I found funny. -We cut through the scare zone of Wasteland so we could quickly drop our new friend off at the gate. The actors in this zone were plentiful and really worked to get scares. They were really good. Sadly, we found this mom with this little girl, probably about 6-7, crying on her mom’s shoulder after going through the zone scared. Felt kinda bad for them. -We said our goodbyes to our new friend and got his contact information in hopes to meet up with him again sometime, even if it was just to come to the Haunt with him again. Did a quick picture together and then my friend and I went at it alone at about midnightish. -I REALLY wanted to hit as many things as possible before the night ended. We cut through the scare zone under the tower called Dance of the Macabre, pretty cool area. -Went straight to Backwoods Bayou. Decent place, good number of actors. The ones in swamp monster suits got us the most cuz we could barely see them coming. Saw people go into the bonus area and we mused about getting the pass for the rooms next year. -We saw that we didn’t have much time left before the park closed. We planned our route and headed straight for Blackout, and the line was less than 15 minutes!!! Was probably one of the most effective haunts in the entire park. You hold a rope with your right hand, while you navigate with your left in a dark maze that occasionally flashes with non-seizure inducing lights. Loved it. -We saw Wolf Pack had no line and quickly ran to it. The actors really tried in there and got my friend a good number of times. Really good visuals and jumpscares. -To close out our trip, we made our way across the park to ride The Beast one last time. We went slowly because my feet were screaming at me by this point. We got in line 15 minutes before the park closed and were probably the 6-7 car before the last ride. We saw The Slaughterhouse close up shop at 2 while still in line. The Beast is a pain in the back, too rough for my tastes. I tried to wedge my arm between the edge of my seat and me to lessen it, but it barely worked. -The walk back through the park to the car was sad, and a bit tough with my hurt feet after doing more than 50k steps that weekend. But we made it and I fell asleep very soon after we returned to our room.

Sunday -Another good breakfast before we relaxed a little before an easy checkout. The ride back was tough on me, felt a bit sleepy until my friend dug out some cookies and chocolate milk from the cooler to keep me awake. Once I put on Critical Role, it became much easier for me to stay awake. -Noticed some grinding when I had to brake during traffic. Turns out my brake pads were in pretty bad shape. Got them fixed this week, but it still cost a LOT. Considering I’ve had that car since 2009, they held up pretty well. -Took a nap as soon as I got home. Had plans with my boyfriend, but we ended up doing something different, but still had a good time with another friend.

Good trip overall. We hope to return next year with more of our coaster-loving friends. We also hope to see our new friend sometime before then! I’d say my first trip to Kings Island was a lot of fun, and a great contrast to Cedar Point, my home amusement park. Sad to say the only things we didn’t hit were Flight of Fear and Firehawk, and we could have done so at the start of Saturday or just after Board to Death, but we all decided against it. Top of the list for next time!

[choicesjunkie]

Spoilers for TRR Book 2, Chapter 9

Okay, I decided to deviate a bit from the in game dialogue. I still keep to it for the most part, but I add things in. We’ll see how it goes? Also, talking to the Prince is so much more painful when I’m trying to get more into the MC’s head. Like, noooo, I’m so sorry! T.T I say as I make the decisions leading to this whole thing… >.>

When Drake and I made our way into the speakeasy, we saw a bunch of finely dressed noblemen sitting around, talking, eating steak and drinking. I could smell the odor of cigar smoke, but it wasn’t overpowering, which was nice. This place was pretty much where I expected Drake would hang out all the time if he were a nobleman.  

“Wow…” I glanced over at Drake as he breathed the word, a look of awe on his face.

“Drake,” I said as we both stopped to take it all in. “This must be everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Well, not everything,” He said, eyeing me pointedly. “But we’re checking a lot of boxes.” Drake said, looking longingly at the bar. “A lot of boxes,” He murmured under his breath.

“Bet you’re regretting ditching so many events, eh?” I asked, nudging him with my elbow playfully.

“Hah.” It was a short, sharp sound, and no doubt intended to be sarcastic. It was quite at odds with the wistful look on his face. “Maybe, if they were all in places like this.”

“Sorry I’m keeping you from being able to enjoy it,” I said, rubbing one arm uncomfortably. Not only do I tease him, and push him to betray his best friend, now I’m the reason he can’t enjoy what is effectively his dream event. Boy, am I a catch.

I really needed to stop moping in my internal dialogue. Keep focus on the mission!

“Don’t sweat it.” His tone was light. “It’s usually the company that makes the party, and you’re better company than almost everyone here.”

That made me feel all melty inside, and I couldn’t hold back a small smile.

“But…” He trailed off, eyes going back to the bar. “Wouldn’t it help us blend in if we got a couple glasses of whiskey?”

“Fair enough.” We grinned at each other.

Drake strolled over to the bar and got us each a glass and walked back over to me, where I was attempting to stay out of sight. He handed my drink over, and then took a sip of his own.

“I think this whiskey is older than I am.” He said, his eyes lighting up. “And probably costs more than everything I own.” He chuckled a bit sadly at that last part.

I raised my glass and took a taste. It was rich and smoky tasting. For effect, I smacked my lips quietly a couple of times.

“What do you think?” Drake asked, taking another sip.

“It’s amazing.” I’d never tasted this quality of alcohol before. If I thought the wines were impressive, they had nothing on this whiskey.

“Enjoy it. Whiskey like this comes along once in a lifetime.” I decided not to point out that this wouldn’t be the case if he didn’t avoid royal functions like the plague, because I don’t always have to be a pain. Instead, I sipped the whiskey along with him as we both noticed Maxwell chowing down on a steak across the room.

“Mmmmmm! Man, this steak is so good.” Maxwell said without quite finishing his mouthful of food. Bertrand would be appalled. At least he was using the correct fork.

“There he is,” Drake rolled his eyes. I would have to find a good time to inform him that if he did that too often, his eyes would fall out of his head. That would be a damn shame, as I rather enjoy looking into them. “I’ll go remind Agent Breakdance that he has a job to do.”

I nodded and ducked into a shadowy corner as Drake walked to Maxwell and grabbed him. I couldn’t help smiling. Though, I had a nagging feeling of anxiety working its way through my belly and for some reason, I couldn’t remember why…

“I don’t recall seeing you on the guest list.” Liam’s warm, gentle voice came from directly behind me, and it was like a shot of adrenaline to my system. That’s right, there was a high likelihood of running into the man I’d left everything behind to come chasing after. The man who made me feel like a character out of a romance novel.

The man my heart is betraying, I thought with a sickening pang of guilt.

“Liam!” I said, trying to hide the anxiety in my voice. I turned to look at his smiling face, and my anxiety melted away. There was just something about him that made everything feel okay. It didn’t matter that I was feeling uncertainty, because he was steady enough for both of us. Why was it so easy for me to forget that when I wasn’t standing with him?

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you turn up here.” He said, his eyes dancing with happiness, like seeing me had made his whole day. God, I wanted to be worthy of that look.

“Oh?” I asked, trying to keep an air of mystery, though I wasn’t sure why he wouldn’t be surprised to find me at his bachelor party.

“I’ve learned to never doubt what you’re capable of.” He said, stepping closer. It was as though with every inch he closed between us, the less I was able to think straight. He encompassed my every thought, and my body responded to him on a fundamental level.

It was official that I was the worst, but I couldn’t stop the words from slipping out of my mouth while I smiled like a fool at his closeness.

“Liam, I’d scale a volcano if it meant seeing you.”

“I’m sure you would.” Liam said as he reached out and touched my cheek. The absolutely loving smile that lit his face set my heart on fire, and the certainty with which he spoke nearly broke me. But both paled in comparison to the electricity I felt when he touched me. It overpowered everything else completely. It was like touching a live wire, but, you know, in a nice way. Why would I ever need anyone else but him? Drake didn’t seem willing to fight for me, so why was this even a choice? I decided that there had to be a way to reconcile the feelings that had been steadily developing for Drake. He clearly didn’t want me all that badly, and what I felt for Liam, I was pretty sure was love. Despite never having really known what it felt like before, I couldn’t imagine anything more powerful than how he made me feel when I was with him. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? When I was with him. Could it be love if I was so incapable of controlling myself when we were apart?

“As glad as I am to see you, I take it you’re not only here for my company.” He said it with a grin, and his voice cut me off from my train of thought. I paused for a moment, dazed, but pulled myself together quickly.

“Unfortunately, no.” Very unfortunate, really.

“Can I be of any assistance?” He asked, taking on a more business-like tone. He was eager to get everything figured out, and frustrated that he couldn’t do more. I was sure that it was even more frustrating having to pretend to be in love with Madeleine while I put myself in harms way.

“Thank you, Liam, but it’s probably safer if it looks like you’re not involved.” I said, noting his look of disappointment. “At least for now.” I took his hand in mine briefly, but let it go just in case someone saw us. Not that standing in a shadowing corner during his bachelor party wasn’t suspicious in the first place, but why push it?

“I understand. Although, on another note…” Liam leaned closer and cleared his throat. I fought the urge to kiss him. Damn it, Mayene, stay focused! “While you’re unexpectedly in my presence, I have a proposal for you.”

My breath caught on the word ‘proposal’, but I knew it wasn’t anything like that.

“There’s a particularly magical spot along the Seine, a bridge with columns crowned by golden statues. I’ve been watching it for the past couple of days, and around midnight, it’s completely deserted. If you’re have me, I’d like to take you away from all of this… from our enemies and the plots against us… and just have an evening with you in the heart of Paris.” He spoke excitedly by the end, and the prospect of having an evening together, just the two of us, was very tempting. My brain needed some recalibrating, and some alone time together sounded like exactly what I needed.

“Won’t you be tired after all of this?” I asked, instead of immediately agreeing like I wanted to.

“After all of this, time with you will be like air to a drowning man. Which is the say that nothing would keep me from you. As selfish as that may sound.” He said earnestly, and I wasn’t sure if he was aware of just how much his poetic way of speaking was melting me into a metaphorical puddle. If he was selfish, I didn’t even know what that would make me.

“King Liam, you are quite the charmer. You always know just what to say to make me forget everything else around us.”

“I should hope so, my Lady,” He smiled mischievously. “I hope that ability never leaves me, as a King’s work is never finished.” He finished with an attempt at a dramatic sigh, which was ruined by his inability to stop smiling.

“Well, even kings need time to relax once in a while.” I said imperiously. After a moment of thought, I added, “No one can spend every moment worrying unless they’re Bertrand.”

“You’re right,” Liam said, stifling a chuckle.

“When am I not?” I asked, raising my chin and turning my head in some semblance of a haughty pose. Liam couldn’t quite keep the chuckle stifled.

“In the spirit of relaxation, then, meet me later tonight if you’d like to enjoy a classic Parisian evening by the river.”

“And what would we be doing, exactly?” I asked, trying to think of what there could possibly be to do in the middle of the night, besides… Well, best not to think of that right now. I tried to hide my blush. Thank goodness we were in the shadows.

“Consider it a… midnight street tour.” Liam said after a moment of thought. “We’ll have Paris all to ourselves while the rest of the city sleeps.”

“That sounds amazing.” I said, feeling warm at the thought of walking around Paris alone with Liam.

“I’m glad you think so. I hope I’ll see you later, then.”

I was about to answer when two noblemen approached us. Liam and I made some small talk with them, trying to play off my presence at the closed event until Drake spotted me and waved me over.

“Well, it looks like I’m needed over by the drinks, have a good time.” I said, and as I started to head over to Drake, who was trying to look like he hadn’t been watching the whole interaction, Liam leaned over and whispered, “Good luck.” I smiled and walked to the bar, ready to start the next phase of the mission.