#I feel like we forget that Barty was the last one standing of their group | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

erudite-rebel · 4 years

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Title: Forced Offerings Summary: The recounts of Bartholomew Oobleck regarding an incident which took the lives of his parents when he was a child. Characters: Bartholomew Oobleck, Qrow Branwen, OC’s Notes: I’m posting a bit of writing I did. A few people who follow will be familiar with my Magnus Archives AU, or at the very least have seen me spam about it and draw art for the (3) other people who I know that listen to the podcast. I’m actually very proud of this little bit of writing, though I understand not everyone would want to read it. I’m trying to get myself back into properly writing, and though this is fanfic I think getting it out there and maybe receiving feedback could help?

It’s a horror story. One I kind of want to adapt, honestly, to a Creepypasta to submit to NoSleep, but for now it can remain like this.

Warnings for body horror, gore, and guts.

“There has to be some sort of rational explanation for-”

“For someone wearing someone else’s skin like a meat suit?” Qrow’s words were calm. Somehow he was always calm. Even after all of this.

Barty leaned against the chair, hands gripping the back of it until it was twisted and pressed against the table. He had dark bags under his eyes and was unsure of the last time he’d had a proper sleep. Every piece of him felt tired, from toes to fingertips, and he knew if he laid down there would be nothing to gain for it. Just wakefulness, watching, waiting.

“I always thought I wanted it to be real, Qrow,” he said. “All my life. Ever since the wanting to know dug its claws into my head for the first time. Even when we both should have run away after the incident. I- but now I’m here. And I really do know now, even if there’s so much more that I don’t. Hidden. Layers waiting for me to scrape away and dig down into them.”

When he looked back up Qrow’s face was near unreadable, as it always was. As though his old friend had at some point become a spy. “You can still get out, Bart. Quit. Forget.”

Barty laughed weakly. “You don’t… you don’t think I tried? I attempted to write up a letter of resignation, and it was as though the keys had transformed, like staring at some unknown machine as the cursor blinked. So I took up a pen, determined to write it, and I forgot how to write. And when I saw Ozpin I… the words. They wouldn’t be spoken. I don’t think I can quit.”

He sagged then and pulled out his chair, sitting heavily down. His head was laid in his arms, trying to think it through, but what was there to think of? To understand? He was trapped. A group of beings wearing skin suits had attempted to break into the archives. He’d looked at one of them wearing the face of a person he’d taken a statement from. Veronica Chase of Leeds.

“Everything I remembered pointed to… to the world being a very dark place, but I think I. I was too young to understand just how horrific.”

Cool fingers curled around his. Barty squeezed them on reflex, trying to convince himself not to do anything so childish as cry. There was so much going on. Too much going on. And he knew Ozpin, Qrow, perhaps some of the other assistants, he knew they knew more. And those secrets, that untold knowledge, burned like a hunger in him as much as recording statements had become. A part of him, one he didn’t yet know how loud it truly was, wanted to devour that knowledge.

Qrow’s voice broke into his thoughts. “...Have you ever spoken about it?”

Barty considered the question a moment before he lifted his head. Qrow was no longer unreadable. He was sad. Maybe angry as well.

“I haven’t.” He’d alluded to things to Qrow, when they were young and just a few stupid, desperate children, but he’d never told the full story. Perhaps not even to the police.

Qrow nodded to the tape recorder. “Maybe now’s the time.”

“You mean give a statement?” He sounded incredulous, as though that was the last thing he ought to be doing.

The other man shrugged, but thin fingers curled a little tighter. The gesture was soothing. “Couldn’t hurt.”

Barty sat up straighter, looking at the recorder waiting for him to merely press record. It called to him. With a sigh he picked up his glasses and placed them on his face, straightening his back. Qrow’s hands retreated over the table to his lap, and the other man was silent as he slouched and stared at Barty.

The record button depressed with a satisfying click, and the gears within ground softly with their age. The sound tingled along his spine like light, tickling fingers.

“Statement of Bartholomew Oobleck, regarding a series of deaths at Eastwyke Museum of Artefacts and Antiquities in 1996. Statement taken on November 22nd, 2020. Audio recording by Bartholomew Oobleck, Head Archivist of the Beacon Institute, London.” He paused a moment, as memories returned, like he’d merely opened a door. He remembered being a young and curious boy, and the scent of dust and paper and age in the museum’s storage. It was almost as if he were there, and he knew he’d be able to tell the story down to the deepest detail, and when he began to talk he wasn’t entirely sure who he was talking to - Qrow, the tape, or himself.

“Statement begins.”

I don’t suppose there are many people who would remember the Eastwyke Museum of Artefacts and Antiquities anymore. Or if they do, they might pretend not to. The galleries had originated from the private collection of Duke Francis Egerton, who had been the Duke of Eastwyke for perhaps a decade in the eighteen hundreds and primarily concerned himself with gathering rare and unusual antiquities. In the 1950’s several of his descendants saw fit to open it to the public, perhaps to use it to make a little money or invest. Despite that it didn’t see tourism. The patrons were mainly students from Oxford, or travelling academics. Anthropologists, archaeologists, Egyptologists… even had an entomologist come in weekly to just sit in the insect room and take it all in. No, not many people would remember it, but it was my childhood.

My parents, Pearl and Mathis Oobleck, were archaeologists. They were often abroad with work and digs. Sometimes I went with them, sometimes I stayed at home with my grandfather Tennyson, who had a little cottage on the grounds when he worked as curator. When he retired the mantle passed to my father and they were home a little more, unless going off to expand the collection. It was… a happy enough childhood. Maybe lonely sometimes, but I had an entire world of secret knowledge to explore, a library to devour and help curb my hyperactivity. I was content prowling those halls, which felt more like home to me than our cottage.

When I was nine the proprietors purchased a considerable number of artifacts from a private auction, something to do with a portion of Duke Egerton’s original collection that had made it into the hands of a branch of the royal family they’d had a rivalry with. The purchase caused quite a stir. All sorts of wild stories were told… not the least of which was that many of the artifacts there were once bought from grave robbers. I never heard the truth of it, though I suspect it was. Most private collections are just that. Stolen.

I was forbidden to go near the newest items. While it was next to impossible to keep me out of the storage rooms, I had learned early not to touch anything, and was not allowed in the room where they were held without an accompaniment to make sure I kept my hands well off. I remember standing in the middle of the room, hands stuck firm under my arms to resist the temptation to touch the pottery or old weapons. I must have looked like I had seen Father Christmas as I turned every which way trying to get a peek at it. I was a horrible annoyance, I suspect.

One part of the lot, though, I remember very well. It had been a beautifully preserved set of canopic jars. I recall being told they were from the eighteenth dynasty. They were made of black stone, each head carved with exquisite detail, the polish hanging on despite the millenia since. All over the surface of the jar were carved hieroglyphs, uncharacteristic of the usual designs. Several people believed the jars to be fake, as the material was wrong for the time, and the glyphs were unusual, but carbon dating seemed to suggest it was an immutable fact. I think there was a lot of discussion whether to open the jar and study the remains inside.

The largest advocate for their authenticity was Dr. Herbert Renshaw, a loud and corpulent man. I never knew him well. He was the sort of man who didn’t have patience for even a docile child, let alone a hyperactive boy with a million questions. He usually didn’t want me about so I didn’t hear much of them until he’d found me one day loitering near the entrance of the archive where they were being kept and he asked if I would like to come inside.

I remember finding that odd, chiefly because I knew he didn’t care for me, but also because of the look in his eyes. I was never much good at deciphering human emotions when I was younger, but even then I thought there was something of a gleam to them. I readily agreed, though, and darted inside the moment I was allowed to.

We didn’t have much in the way of conversation. He talked at length about the glyphs carved into the rock, and how they’d seemed to be in several different languages. His speech had been rapid, I remember, and I’d had difficulty following along. All the while I’d been edging closer to them, feeling captivated by the staring eyes of the figureheads atop the jars. I felt as though they were looking back at me, urging me in.

I hadn’t even been aware of reaching for them when Dr. Renshaw’s hand slapped down hard over my own, knocking it away. Knuckles stinging, I’d turned and fled as he glared. But even now I’m not sure if I ran from the slap, the look in his eyes, or the fact that there had seemed to be radiant, physical heat from those jars.

For the next few days I was kept busy with my homeschooling and hardly got a chance to go into the museum beyond writing a maths test in my mother's office. Whenever I was in, though, I happened to see Dr. Renshaw. Normally he was a neat and tidy sort of man, with expensive suits and his moustache waxed within an inch of its life, yet… it seemed as though he was keeping less care of himself. Hair unbrushed, buttons undone, bowtie lank or missing. And as he walked he’d mutter to himself and turn a wild sort of gaze on a person, something that made you feel less like a person and more like an object.

When I asked my mother about it she dismissed it as him being overworked and told me to concentrate harder on my studies. I tried, but the memory of the way he walked and stared wouldn’t be banished from my mind.

It was on a Monday that it truly started. I had left one of my science textbooks in my mother’s office and needed it for that day’s lesson, but it was on Monday’s the museum was closed, so I took my father’s key and let myself in the back entrance. I was hardly afraid. I knew these halls like the back of my hand.

As I was passing through one of the archives - it had been stuffy and hot with summer, without climate control - I heard an odd sound. A sort of whimpering coming from further in the dark. At first I rooted in place, wondering if I should run and get my father, too afraid to call out. When the sound came again I crept through the shelves, terrified of what I might find, when I came upon one of the librarians, Maggie Law. I’d always liked her. She let me read what I like and sometimes would sneak me toffee’s or other sweets. I’m certain she had a kind, round face, but now all I can remember is how she’d looked there in the shadows. Yellowing skin and eyes, soaked with sweat, hands clutched over her side. I remember her crying, her voice so broken and small as she said ‘he pulled it from me, he pulled it from me.’

I ran then, straight for my parents. It had taken them a good five minutes to get me to talk enough sense to call an ambulance. I remember watching from my window as she was taken away, staring through old warped glass at the blue lights.

I also remember something else, though. Dr. Renshaw. His face looking out from a window at the same scene. Even though I couldn’t see him clearly, my vision what it was, I felt sick just to look at him. I felt dread.

More attacks followed. The following day the groundskeeper, Kevin Rutherford, was found dead, torch in hand. I overheard the police telling my parents he seemed like he must have had a heart attack while patrolling the grounds that night. The day after that an archaeologist named Judith Churchill was found in a state of shock in the parking lot, having finished up late that night.

The museum closed. Everyone by that point was terrified, and the police were doing regular patrols. I was thirsty to know what was happening but my parents refused to tell me, so I’d taken to listening in on the telephone whenever someone rang. I eavesdropped on one such call and learned that Maggie Law had died. Hepatic encephalopathy, they’d said. I remember struggling an ancient medical textbook down from a shelf just to look it up. It’s a condition caused by acute liver failure.

I was in a right state after that. My parents were making sure to keep the doors locked. I remember my mother tucked me in and told me not to worry. I try to always remember that.

It was around ten pm that a knock came at the door. Unable to sleep I’d made a little tent of a blanket and was reading by torchlight when I heard it. Curious who it could be at that hour with so much going on, I crept from my bed to go to the stairs to watch the front hall. I thought perhaps it might be a policeman, that there’d be some news.

It was my father who answered the door. On the threshold stood Dr. Renshaw, and he looked haggard. Deep bags below his fever-bright eyes, cheeks almost sunken, hair a mess. I remember he had a hand tucked into his jacket.

My father invited him in, of course. There’d been concern in his voice as he shut the door and warned him he shouldn’t be out so late with such strangeness going on.

I remember the door swinging shut. I remember Dr. Renshaw pulling one of the jars from his jacket and noticing the eyes of Qebehsenuf, the falcon, somehow staring out from its black and smooth surface. And then Renshaw reached for my father.

Words do not feel as though they can describe. I watched as his hand seemed to sink through clothes and skin and flesh without a drop of blood. I remember my father’s face going stark white as my mother asked what was going on. And then Renshaw pulled his hand back.

It was like nothing I had yet seen. Pink, almost purplish, tubes were gripped in Renshaw’s hand. My father screamed then, falling to his knees, watching as this mass was pulled from him. There was too much even for Renshaw to hold and it slipped to the ground with a wet splat, and seemed to move like a languid snake.

My father fell over then, as my mother screamed hysterically. All I remember clearly was Renshaw looking up at me as he held my father's intestines like fleshy ropes, letting them drag on the ground and slap his clothing. Our eyes met. They were like I had never seen before. There was something mad there, but also elation or euphoria I couldn’t understand.

I ran then, bolting for my parent's room. I remember crawling under their bed and curling up beneath the headboard, hands over my ears as I listened to my mother scream before it just… ended. I waited to hear boots upon the stairs, for Renshaw to come and stick his hand into me, but he never came. All I heard was the door swing shut.

I didn’t leave until morning when the police arrived. The maid found my parents, and the police found me. Had had to drag me from under the bed, in fact. They didn’t let me see their bodies, and the funeral was closed casket. I told the police who I’d seen but Renshaw had disappeared along with those canopic jars. Jars I worry that had gotten full on what was stolen from his coworkers.

I went to go live with my grandfather after that. There was a lot of therapy. I was pushed harder than ever into my schoolwork, and I treated it like a drug to quiet my mind. Eventually I think I half convinced myself it was a hallucination by the time I went to high school. Now I know better.

Statement ends.

#rwby fanfic #bartholomew oobleck #qrow branwen #rwby oobleck #rwby qrow #horror fanfic #tma au #freeform; my writing #is anything really real anymore?; tma au

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lizzybeth1986 · 4 years

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Quick Thoughts on The White People Waambulance, Chapters 18 and 19

• Sorry this QT is coming out so late, guys. I regret to say my heart wasn't really in this one...and it hasn't been with regards to my QTs for a while. This one might be my last, unless we count me finishing them off for the (not rewritten) Book 1. It's been two years since I began, and the last two books made the process honestly really exhausting.

• I clubbed the two finale chapters together because I really couldn't be bothered to do separate ones for both.

• In fact...I won't be doing any of what I have been doing for my QTs so far. I'll be honest to you: I usually do multiple replays, the last few in tandem with the other routes on YouTube. I go through the scenes one by one. I keep note of differences and variations and carefully choose screenshots that will reflect the gist of the scenes.

But I couldn't be bothered to do any of that this time. I pressed the "continue" and then the "end book" buttons as soon as I finished my first run of those chapters. I'm drained, guys. And I don't think I'll be coming back to the TRH series at least, not even for Liam or Hana or Kiara. Maybe my mind will change by the time the second book comes out (update from present-day Lizzy: no it didn't) but I'm not counting on it. And you'll probably know why by the time this QT ends.

• TW: Discussions on racism, both fandom racism and from within the narrative. The last section of this QT is going to be...pretty heavy, guys.

There's also going to be a lot of anti-Drake, anti-Olivia, anti-Madeleine and anti-Penelope content here, so if you like any of those characters...well, you've been warned.

The ensuing post is going to be LONG, and I know a lot of you have good reasons not to deal with long posts, so here's a tldr:

1. The TRR writing team stick to their weird obsession for jobless whiny white men.

2. Read this book once and you'll feel like you're drowning in an ocean of white tears.

3. WOC continue to get scraps from the writing team, even as they boast of being diverse and inclusive. In fact, they're regularly treated as mere tokens, exotic eye-candy or non-entities, while their behaviour is measured on standards that are very different from their white counterparts (this happens in other books as well).

...okay I wasn't expecting for the tldr to be long too 😅

• Me @ my QTs then:

Me @ my QTs now:

• I'll probably be finishing off my TRR Book 1 QT series when I'm a little less burnt out, but for now this is where it ends, I guess.

• So...here is to summarize the last two chapters: Accident happens. LIs mad. Paparazzi sad (but largely get away scot-free). MC and baby safe. At the Council meeting Kiara slam dunks the murderer of Liam's mother with the style and elegance this fandom still refuses to acknowledge her for. The MC is nice to her for like half a second. Last Apple Ball. New clothes for everyone as if they had a Diwali bumper sale the week before or something. Godfrey is somehow responsible for the security (who thought this was a good idea) and seeing the Auvernese Royal Guard outside our doors is SO not-creepy.

We get to see if we impressed our Auvernese and Monterriso allies enough. Bradshaw compliments Kiara for like half a second. Olivia sees the dude from the Q&A session (Jin) at the Ball and (if you pay) you get to see her catch, interrogate and lowkey flirt with him.

Leona and Bianca make it to the ball (where is Bartie Sr. Where are Xinghai and Lorelei. Where is Regina) and this time the narrative makes sure to shoehorn a plot element into their presence here: Leona is there so we can do something about the reveal that she constantly ratted us out to the press for money. ("oh look! Walker Ranch was plot related after all! We have a reason (albeit a flimsy, paper-thin one) to set 9 whole chapters in Texas. Even though we had to literally come up with this bit in the last minute, because really - all we wanted to do as a writing team was nut collectively over Drake Walker")

(I also can't believe that between the time I wrote this line and the time this QT finally came out - they literally found a way to re-fucking-write Book 1 so they could nut collectively over Drake Walker earlier)

• Why were we required to dress down in Texas for these assholes when they couldn't even bother to dig up their Sunday best for this ball??? Oh right, they're Walkers. Hypocrisy runs in the family.

• Good thing is you can choose to banish Leona if you want. She's angry about it for a second then accepts it and leaves. But like what is the point of banishing her when she hardly even bothers to come there in the first place? She's not going to be bawling her eyeballs out saying "boohoo, they threw me out of this country that I spent like five minutes in and never even wanted to visit in the first place".

• Bianca is present at the end of Chapter 18 mainly to deliver to us a plot point at the very last minute: a clue about where we could find proof about Queen Eleanor's murder. Bianca mentions conversations Jackson had with her, and a secret room somewhere. Her leaving the palace and abandoning her children is addressed, and the MC gets to berate her. It's...short.

• Why this important piece of information was given to Bianca when idk LEO could have pitched in and spoken about it, no one knows. Oh wait. I keep forgetting. Bianca is Drake's mother. That's why.

• Okay so Amalas valiantly found out about Leona's involvement in this and gave us tangible proof via photographs. But we're kiiiinda forgetting that the scrutiny and privacy invasions were happening even before we hauled ass to Walker Ranch? Who was responsible for those? Who was the "source" that the Chapter 17 paparazzo was referring to, the one that mentioned they would triple the price for more photos of the Queen/Mother of the Heir (Coz like why would she do that. She's already broke)? How did Amalas come by this information so easily and why was she really that invested? Why is no one asking these questions? Why isn't the group asking these questions? Why are they stupid. Jesus, they're all so stupid. HOW ARE YOU SO STUPID, SQUAD.

• Shortly after they get rid of Leona and Bianca, the rest of the group give the happy couple a choice of toys for the nursery - and that's our final nursery purchase. You can either go for the corgi - which is on brand for the series by now I think - or the lion, which is seen as very Cordonian.

• More party shenanigans. We're nice to Kiara for another half-second. Kiara arranges a photoshoot for us. The team can't pretend to give a fuck anymore about its fans so they will ask us to pay for an edit that I've seen millions of edit-creators in the fandom do wayyyy better. Like let's be honest - compare the engagement shoot pics (messy as they were) to the shoots we eventually got this book. You can see the difference. You can tell which one required more work.

• Anyway, if you choose this scene you wind up going back to the ballroom, dance with your spouse, aaaaand it's time for another diamond option. This time your spouse gives you something you've been craving (mousse parfait for the Liam MC, chocolate chip cookies for the Hana MC, handmade chocolates for the Maxwell MC and a choice between bacon and a veg version of it for the Drake MC. Damn, team TRR. Your favouritism is showing). The couple also writes a letter to the baby that the child can read growing up, in a bit of a parallel to Eleanor's letter to Liam that we see at the end of the chapter.

• After this, Liam reveals he has been pondering over what Bianca said, and wants to find out where they could find that secret room. Cue Liam's own flashback scene for free. Godfrey bringing to Queen the same goblet that the RoE MC found in a flea market in Book 2 for Regina (or perhaps just a similarish one). Liam and Eleanor reciting a rhyme that turns out to have clues for the secret room.

• To give the team credit, they seem to have (finally) put some thought into this. Like this actually feels like Liam's scene. Not one that delivers information about his family but is really about another character. They seem to incorporate all the things Eleanor seemed to be known for - things that were hardly addressed in the books when it came to talk of her. She is shown with a love for books given that books and poetry form an important part of the clues she leaves for Liam. One of the books is about foraging, which is unsurprising considering her love for gardens that was established in Book 1 of TRR.

• So...like...nice job but why was practically everything about Eleanor (including the way she'd stand up to Constantine, her displeasure at the sound of Godfrey and Bartie's names, her nature that Liam not only inherited but also learned) left only for your finale? Why no buildup? Why was I seeing you lot constantly pandering to Drake's family the entire time? Why do I know way, way more about Jackson than I do about Eleanor whose story this WAS? Why is she and her son suddenly getting this burst of attention at the tail end??

• They still manage to push young!Drake into a scene focusing on Liam and Eleanor, so we can see how Eleanor's teaching of how to be a responsible royal began to make inroads into Liam's way of thinking. It's the ultimate irony, that Liam took his mother's advice so much to heart that he lets Drake stay in his home, eat his food, and complain about those dastardly nobles to his heart's content for free.

Poor Eleanor in her grave is like

• Very fitting, how Constantine's proposal to Eleanor happens in the hedge maze, very much like Liam's first declaration of love in Book 1.

• If you're married to Liam, you get an extra letter that's addressed to Liam's future wife. She clearly knew her days were to be numbered by the time she gave birth to that second child at least.

• Lmao @ how the team somehow managed to remember that Eleanor would have been Leo's stepmother too. He's mentioned a couple of times. They didn't have enough time to develop a sprite for young!Leo but somehow had all the time and resources to make one for young!Savannah who had literally no purpose in Drake's flashback scene? Hmm. Hmm.

• They somehow manage to find the twin to the RoE MC's gifted goblet that Godfrey gave Eleanor the night she died, and Liam reveals that he's been obsessed with poisons enough to know that it wasn't the drink that was poisoned, it was the cup itself. Everyone is shook.

• Love that extra little detail about Liam's obsession with learning about poisons and how it's a sign of how deeply Eleanor's death affected him. But tell me honestly if you remember this plot point coming up even once before in any significant way. Even during the one time a person is poisoned in the previous book (by the laws of karma, the victim in this instance is Godfrey's only daughter) Liam shows very few signs of this "obsession". At a time when he has also lost a father. Convenient how something that could have added more depth to Liam is kept aside until there's a scene where his knowledge is required. Convenient indeed.

• I kind of understand why Liam acts on impulse, okay. The man just discovered who murdered his mum, at least some amount of irrationality is allowed (esp considering he hardly got to express ANYTHING when his goddamn father died). But you'd think Liam's friends would hold him back and help him think this through? Convince him that there are more effective ways to confront and get a confession out of Godfrey who after is in charge of security at the moment? You seriously think charging into the ballroom and suddenly stripping this man of his titles is going to actually work??? You couldn't figure out how to make him vulnerable instead so that he wouldn't be able to escape???

• I mean like, sure, one could always rationalize it all as "well see Lizzy, they needed a dramatic end to this story and they needed to wrap this mystery up quick". But there were other ways they could have spread it out than make it all sound so...so random. And you bet we all know why the narrative had to scramble around last minute to solve this. It's because we spend half the damn book in a dilapidated ranch with a shit family!

• Anyway, Godfrey escapes...and the MC tells her spouse that she's going into labour after...two contractions? Um. Okay.

• So. That ends Book 1 of this new series. And with it my QTs, for this series at least. My QTs for Book 1 (the OG, not the rewrite) might continue, but I'd need to repeat my failplay again because I lost most of those screenshots 😭

General Thoughts on the Book:

• So far, this is what I can see as happening in the next book:

- The birth, obviously

- Any extra perks from our purchases (ie. the nursery and the garden)

- Subplots involving the LIs' conflicts regarding parenthood and their own childhoods

- The mystery behind Eleanor's death isn't quite over yet, nor is the truth behind the constant paparazzi presence in TRH. Leona was the scapegoat this time around, but how did Amalas get all this information so quickly?

- Where is Eleanor's other child? Olivia's investigations may or may not lead to that answer. I'm pretty sure Jin might be involved as well.

- Another possibility is that Madeleine may give us important information since she was potentially aware that Eleanor was pregnant at the time.

- The mystery behind Jackson's death and what he knew regarding Eleanor's condition.

- What part did Bartie Sr have to play in all this? How involved was Constantine in the murder (if in fact he was)? What more dark secrets will we learn about Constantine, Godfrey and Bartie Sr during this time? What ultimately caused the breakdown in Constantine and Jackson's relationship, since Drake mentions Jackson being around when Regina was Queen as well?

- Speaking of Regina, how involved was she in any of this? We know she was Godfrey's cousin-in-law and Bartie Sr made a comment on her during the announcement about the heir, and that she married Constantine a couple years after Eleanor's death, but was she aware of any of this or was she largely out of the major plot and brought in later to cement Godfrey's position and power?

- I'd mention the possibility that Lorelai could know something, but they didn't really give anyone connected to Hana any time at all, so I have my doubts.

- Operation Swan, and possibly a visit to Monterisso. Liam's younger sibling must be in one of these places but my guess is on Monterisso.

- I'm guessing the team will write a nice wedding for Penelope and Ezekiel next book, while Kiara continues to get scraps from the same team.

- Drake and Olivia will continue to eat into the plot. Madeleine will join this unholy trinity as well because they've set the stage for her to have plenty of angst.

With that over, these were my thoughts once this book was finished:

WHERE ARE THE DUCHESSES?

Remember how, back in Book 3, we all marvelled at the number of women in this country who were in positions of power? Adeleide and Emmeline were powerful duchesses while their husbands were secondary figures, and Joelle though married into a noble family is an influential artist and - according to Liam - the embodiment of King Fabian's values. It seemed like, despite the underlying sexism and racism in the story, women were at least at the forefront of Cordonian politics.

This is virtually gone in TRH1. Godfrey (who wasn't even interested in Krona in the first place, much less Cordonia) and Landon (whose only concern seemed to be Penelope, leaving Emmeline to manage the duchy) have a seat in the Council. In fact we never even see either of these woman in the book. I can maybe understand the logic behind not appointing Adeleide, but the fact that Emmeline is passed over for her far-less -qualified husband is a mystery to me!

Also, has anyone noticed how white-male-centered the whole Eleanor story is? Notice how we never see Eleanor's friends, besides Jackson? We never see any of the courtly ladies of that era? She's the Queen. She'd have her own court. I find it impossible that Eleanor would have no interactions of importance among her own goddamned court, that Joelle, Emmeline or Adeleide wouldn't even be mentioned in her story thus far. It's fascinating that forget being part of her story - these women are largely forgotten in the book itself.

(Note: It's also important to add that none of Kiara's family - besides Zeke - makes an appearance this book. At all. One member of Penelope's family and one member of Madeleine's family is in the council, but we never really see or hear anything from Kiara's, even though Hakim was Constantine's old friend and Joelle could have easily been connected to Eleanor, given that Eleanor was exactly the kind of ruler Joelle would have loved and respected.

While we're on that subject, Lorelai could have been connected to Eleanor as well - considering that we know next to nothing about her years in Shanghai. There were ways Hana's story could have been tied into the overall plot as well that were largely ignored. The fact that both the main and secondary WOCs presented opportunities for better plot and story, and despite that they were largely ignored in the books...I think that says a lot. But I will get into more of that in detail in a different section).

LI SPACE AND STORY

• Now...as we all know, The TRR/TRH series is primarily a romance-focused book first, with an underlying plot about royalty and politics. So it makes sense to evaluate the book based on what it gives its love interests. That includes the number of scenes they get, and the kind of focus their story is given. So...here's the rundown of how that goes in TRH Book 1:

Liam: Overall, not too bad. He gets one individual scene, a free and paywalled childhood scene (though the free one is essential for the group's realization of who killed Eleanor). The letter his mother writes to Liam includes an extra section towards the end, meant for the MC who marries him. However, we must note that a lot of this "attention" was thrust into the very final chapter of this book, and 99% of the same book didn't exactly make an attempt to explore his inner thoughts on anything - his mother's death, the dealings with the foreign countries, his political activities. Eleanor being pregnant came from a scene that made Olivia the center of attention, the MC had the opportunity to ask him how he was feeling only once or twice, and most of the time the narrative relegated it all to "the matter is still being investigated". It's a slight improvement from the absolute lack of concern the MC and the narrative showed about Liam's emotional state post his father's death in Book 3, but not much.

Variations wise, the team did step up on the basic ones for most of the LIs, so clearly we've moved past the days of seeing cut-paste scenes and the likes of Liam and Hana saying "I'm so dumb in love with you". However, in playthroughs where the MC is Liam's wife and Queen of Cordonia, her lack of genuine concern for her country and lack of curiosity about the place she's ruling, sticks out like a sore thumb. The fandom loves to highlight how the plot is "written for Liam" or is "easier in Liam's playthrough", but besides his own child being the heir, nothing else from Book 3 onwards seems like it was particularly written with him in mind.

Drake: Hoo boy. So 2019 was clearly the year that many people didn't believe me about Drake eating up space, and the year they had to eat their words because in TRH it was too obvious to be ignored. On an overall scale you cannot avoid the extra perks even his LI scenes got - his Valtoria scene in Chapter 4 was longer, set in a different place and he was allowed to expand on his decision to say yes to Liam's request in a way Hana and Maxwell never were. We learned way more about his familial relationships and dynamics than all the LIs combined. His childhood scene was the first to be given variants depending on whether the MC was his wife or not. His sister's wedding takes up almost half the book, leaving little to no space for either the intrigue, or even the pregnancy that was supposed to be THE most important part of the book.

An insane amount of retconning was done to emphasize strongly on the "marshmallow" part of his personality, having him state time and again that for the MC he can even "sport a tutu if you said you had a thing for the Sugar Fairy". Part of these changes could be attributed to the backlash the team got for having him call a pink cake "girly".

There is a strong possibility that Jackson might be explored further in the second book, and it's no surprise considering that he's the one parent that is most talked about in the series. The book looks like it was truly written with Drake in mind, with a heavy dose of Olivia, and everyone else was added as a bit of an afterthought.

Maxwell: Pretty awful treatment for a character that the head writer of the team claims to like. He has no individual character scenes, and one childhood scene where his older brother Bertrand is given more focus. Ironically, Maxwell was more wary of Bartie Sr in TRR Book 2 than Bertrand was, but somehow they changed this little detail so that Maxwell could be written out of his own story.

His LI scenes were also not given much effort - some were badly written, and some scenes (like the free ones) showed little to no variations between the friendly and romantic playthroughs. One that comes to mind is the baby announcement photoshoot, which was so poorly done it added nothing of value to the character or the relationship.

Like the last book, Maxwell isn't allowed much development in TRH1, and he's still forced into a largely "court jester" role in the story. This reflects very poorly on him in certain situations, such as the chapter where we finally get glimpses of his book. The aim was to be humourous and light about the events of the series, but he comes out of it sounding thoroughly insensitive towards his friends, none of whose consent he took to write this self-centered pile of garbage.

However, there is hope that they might do things a bit better for him next book, if the rewrite of him in TRR 2.0 was anything to go by. However, it would be awful if they tried to do a better job of him and then left out Hana. Speaking of which...

Hana: I'm going to begin this section with a comparison to another character, someone who should have been treated as a secondary character - Olivia.

Olivia in this book has 2 character scenes (they're very plot driven, but they also explore her outside of her friendship with the MC and dynamic with the group). The spy scene with Auvernese royalty, and the scene with Jin, the Auvernese spy. An entire chapter is spent in her duchy (by now we've seen Lythikos four times and I'm now sick of the place), and she winds up taking over Maxwell's Q&A scene as well.

So that's technically 2.5 scenes AND a childhood scene that revolves around her even though it's about Liam's mother. In addition to this, Olivia also gets her own mini-book, The Royal Holiday, that revolves (again) around her duchy and has the group clamouring to give her attention when no one else wants to.

Here are the stats for Hana, who by virtue of being an LI, is also a potential co-protagonist in the series:

Nothing.

Zilch. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing.

She has one childhood scene that is part of the group's scenes - a beautiful, heartbreaking one that serves as a slap in the face to anyone who'd dared to be dismissive of what she went through earlier - but none after that, and no individual scenes either. The team - in one of their most offensive choices this book - force a storyline where she has fertility issues just so the MC can be the one carrying the child, and the same MC can opt(!!) to ask about her well-being after two days. The same MC has the chance to whine about not getting pregnant soon enough in front of Hana.

There have been a few efforts made to make the MC appear more caring towards Hana: she can angrily defend Hana against Isabella's jibes, and she can make Hana relax for once during the baby shower (unlike the wedding reception where the same MC treated her like a bridesmaid). The MC even gets to tell her wife that she should never consider herself secondary or unimportant.

All of these are nice, but at the end of the day they're all scraps. I'd equate it to how we're allowed to give Kiara compliments on the final two chapters, but the white women around her still get a far bigger chunk of space, story and attention dedicated to them. The team have a pattern of adding these tiny tidbits that will temporarily satisfy stans while still maintaining the status quo, and that's precisely what's happening here. Its important for us to understand this. Underneath all this surface concern and all these scraps, Hana is still getting dust in place of actual story and characterization. And given that they made ZERO major changes to Hana's scenes in TRR 2.0, I'm not expecting that to change.

As for the book in general...I don't have to go into why this book is a mess, do I? We all know. We've all witnessed how disproportionate the writing has been and while I'm glad more and more people recognize what I've been seeing since Book 3, it's sad that it took 9 whole chapters in Walker Ranch for so many to understand exactly how much space Drake has been eating up for no good reason.

BLACK HOLES AND WHITE TEARS

I'll begin this section by talking about Drake Walker. He's the most prominent sign of the larger problem.

Drake Walker is what I call a Black Hole LI. And yes I mean black hole as in the one that exists in space (Beckett from TE also fits into this category). He is the kind of LI that sucks up everything. Love. Light. Joy. Common sense. Other characters' spaces.

He is the kind of love interest that will have Liam's traumatic experience centered around him. The kind of love interest for whose problems - largely created by his mammoth ego - we have to resolve in Shanghai, the home of the lone female LI. While that same female LI gets nothing, and then disappears in a subsequent chapter. The kind of love interest whose love confession can take precedence even over the MC's own issues (remember the Beaumont House chapter in Book 1? The one that took place the day after Tariq nonconsensually kissed the MC? 98% of the dialogue revolved around Drake's feelings. Not about the faulty lock, not the possibility that the MC's security had been tampered with - Drake's feelings). The kind of love interest that was given an entire extra wedding and artwork for his mother in Book 3 itself - none of which were given to any other LI.

A Black Hole LI is totally the kind of LI that would get 9 whole chapters in their home while we have never even visited the homes of the others since the early books of the previous series.

This wasn't something that began just this book. It's been a constant since Book 2, and you can even see signs of his story gaining way more importance in Book 1. It's also not something we can - in all honesty - blame simply on finances and fan popularity: the writers confirmed Drake to be one of their favourites, and attempts to give his scenes additional perks (eg plot elements pushed into both the Whiskey scene and the Beaumont Office scene) happened long before they could make any conclusions about his popularity. I bought the Beaumont Office scene to find out more about that family. I bought the Marshmallow scene so I could find out more about Liam and Hana's conversation post Coronation (remember - Hana was never even allowed to speak about her return to Cordonia because that scene was given to Drake). I bought the Italian Restaurant scene to learn more about Liam's assassination. The funny thing about all these three is that these were their stories to tell, yet Drake is the focus. Quite a few of Drake's initial scenes sold because the team consistently made the effort, consistently ensured that the information from his scenes would benefit us in the long run. The narrative allowed for Drake to have his own story, and additionally let aspects of his story overshadow that of the other LIs' (see the examples I've given above). Even though he has very little of value to contribute to the larger story (no job, his friendships are shallower than a wash-basin, and no genuine communication with any commoner in the story - only endless whining).

The treatment Drake gets that no other LI does, is a problem in itself, but it also is a small part of an even bigger issue. He isn't the only white character who gets this sort of attention and detail to his story.

Take Olivia, for example. Started out as a rival to the MC, before her sad sad childhood and her genuine love for Liam was revealed in the Book 1 finale. Over the course of the story, her role changed from petty rival to Warrior Duchess to reluctant bff. Over the course of the original series, Olivia became one of the most prominent characters in the story, on par with the male LIs. I'm not sure how many people realize that Lythikos is the ONLY duchy in the kingdom we've seen thrice (four times if you count Holiday). To give you an idea of how big a deal that is, here's how many times we've visited other duchies besides the capital and Applewood:

Fydelia - 2

Portavira - 1

Castelserraillian - 1

Ramsford (the home of our sponsors!) - 1

Hana's mother's home - Never.

Lythikos has a detailed familial and cultural history, and I wouldn't be lying if I said we know more about this one region than we know about the entire country of Cordonia. And honestly for me, the obsession with this one duchy has reached saturation point. Lythikos is not Cordonia. Lythikos is not all there is to Cordonia or even the only place that should matter. Yet it seems the team is more than eager to flog that horse until there's nothing of interest left.

Olivia is the only character who gets an entire mini book that revolves around comforting her and making her feel better about her background and origins. I don't think we've ever given Hana this much attention when she left her home for us. Or when she was being bullied by Madeleine. Or when she was the other bride in that grand wedding. Or when we received the news that carrying a child to term would be dangerous for her body. Or --

We were given an entire mini-book to comfort Olivia - the woman who continued to call Hana "damaged goods" and " a failure" for not marrying a man, while Hana's friend/wife stood by and watched. The woman who didn't have to think twice before making snide remarks about an equally skilled courtier who never did her any harm, only because she could get away with it. Istg when I heard that most of the court snubbed her during that first event in Holiday, this was my reaction:

Like girl I feel bad for you but at least now you know how it feels to be held responsible for shit beyond your control!

Hana, in the meantime, is forced time and again into situations that would break most people - but with very little payoff. Her arc with her parents was given a resolution that confirmed that Hana could only be considered worthy if she was useful. She was made to interact time and again with the woman who harmed her with such glee in Book 2. The MC - as a friend or as a wife - is at best neglectful of her issues and at worst someone who uses and discards Hana as she sees fit. And now...in her romantic playthrough she's given a storyline that doesn't allow her to bear children easily, and the MC spends less than two minutes to actually check on her. Hana is one of the co-protagonists, yet a side character given the treatment she should be getting. One could technically blame finances for the way she's being treated too, but keep in mind that the bad treatment goes as far back as the Applewood chapters in Book 1. Technically a time when she was bringing in money.

I get it. Olivia is a fan favourite. Many in the fandom wanted her to be an LI, the writers didn't, so they carved out this middle path where she'd have a major portion of the story anyway. But keep in mind that a lot of this attention came - and is still coming - at the cost of Hana. The team pretty much gave Olivia what they'd been refusing to give Hana all along.

On a smaller scale, you see similar patterns with the secondary characters - especially the women of the court. Madeleine and Penelope had elaborate backstories designed to make people forgive and sympathize with them, and Kiara - even though her backstory in Book 1 was inherently tragic and deserved to be handled sensitively - was given validation with great reluctance from the team, and with no consequences if we treated her cruelly. Even now, the team has only tossed Kiara a couple of scraps in the final chapter, while already setting the stage for Madeleine to get her own tragic "patriotism" arc for TRH Book 2, and a possible wedding for Penelope in the near future.

The difference here doesn't just lie in who gets attention and who doesn't. It lies in how the MC is supposed to view these women as well. A lot more sympathy and understanding is automatically extended to the white women, and the MC faces consequences if she fails to acknowledge their pain. Far less sympathy is offered by default to the black and the Asian woman - the MC may be friends with Hana but a huge chunk of their relationship is mostly about the MC benefiting from Hana's skills without giving much in return.

Even though their misdeeds are acknowledged and spoken about, both Madeleine and Penelope are written in such a way that the problems they're currently facing matter more than anything they've ever done in the past. Hana is made to sweet-talk Madeleine despite being bullied by her in a previous book. The MC herself never gets ANY opportunity to directly address what Penelope put her through in Portavira, because what the MC went through matters less than Penelope's condition.

Compare this to the relatively small scale of Kiara's "misdeed" (being honest about not continuing with an alliance - I'm surprised people think this is an actual thing to be offended about!), and the way the MC is allowed to mistreat her sans consequences afterwards. We're even allowed to call Kiara a snob in the books - which isn't at all true if you look at any of her scenes in canon - and constantly make fun of her desire to learn (in fact, if anyone in the series could be called a snob, it would be Olivia). If I were to sum up how a woman of colour is spoken about in the books, vs a white woman - this screenshot would do the trick:

(Notice how none of the options to speak about Penelope allow us to speak rudely of her, yet in Kiara's case we're allowed to make judgements on her as a person. In Hana's case, while we don't exactly drag her the way we can drag Kiara - we get precious few opportunities to actually defend or support her when others talk rubbish about her).

When you explore the series overall, it's impossible to ignore the casual racism that makes disrespecting people of a certain race/colour easier than on another. It's impossible not to see where the narrative chooses to give consequences to an MC who treats a white woman badly, and where it allows the very same MC to suspect, and then (optionally) gaslight, a woman of colour a couple chapters later. It's impossible not to see which people are meant to be respected despite their bad behaviour, and which people can still be treated badly despite their better behaviour. It's impossible not to see a pattern emerging.

This is not even a problem that plagues only the TRR series. From TCaTF to ACOR to Platinum to even MoTY, there is an ongoing pattern of discrepancies between the way white people and people of colour - particularly women - are treated. Many POC characters are placed in situations where it's easier for them to suffer/die/be shown disrespect, than it is to show them kindness or mercy. MOC are regularly either exoticized (Prince Hamid is the most glaring example of this) or placed in very traumatic situations for which the payoff isn't always going to be that great (I know this happens to Dallas, but I don't know about the payoff for Syphax).

WOC particularly suffer quite a bit in a lot of PB novels, in comparison to their white counterparts. Rowan Thorne of TCaTF, as a character, didn't deserve for her death to be made easier than her survival (in contrast to Diavolos, who was given far more opportunities AND will live simply by virtue of allying with Kenna), any more than Kiara deserved to be interrogated by the people who should have been concerned for her safety or Xanthe deserved to be shipped to slavery. All this, while a Vanessa (who is in a position of power and who plays an active role in rendering the MOTY MC financially helpless) gets a diamond scene where she "explains" her situation and a Madeleine doesn't even have to hear about her bullying from her victims.

The fandom, too, has contributed to this on a number of occasions. Speaking specifically of TRR, how many times have we seen Hana being dragged on Olivia posts? (also, if we were really measuring Olivia by the impossible standards that we held for Hana's characterization, Olivia would appear pretty damn one-note too: after all, 80% of her characterization consists of knife jokes). How many times was Hana being looked at with disdain for either her niceness or the poor writing for her, while the same fandom would regularly coo over a nice-presenting Penelope (whose characterization is one of the most inconsistent in the series)? How many times have we seen Kiara being called a creep/obsessed for merely looking at a man, while almost no one judges Olivia for kissing a man without his consent? How many times have people forgiven a traitorous Penelope and hated on a far more innocent Kiara in the same breath? How often did the fandom hate on Liam for accepting the MC's advances after she rejected him, yet not say a word when Drake did the same thing? How many times has Maxwell been loved for his humour and childlike nature while people of colour with a similar personality (Lily from Bloodbound, for example) were hated on instantly? Clearly, there have been more instances of people in the fandom sympathizing automatically with the white character, than with characters of colour. Time and again, brown and black characters - particularly women - have been required to match up to impossible standards (if they're nice they're boring. If they don't like the MC they're <insert every gendered sexist insult you can think of here>). The standards are far more relaxed for white characters, and they're often given more breathing room and to most of what they want without the constant judgement that black and brown women get. The standards set up for both are grossly different.

Racism is a beast that assumes many forms - and not all forms of racism will appear obvious to some, especially when such stereotypes are so normalized in media and popular fiction that we almost accept it at first. Almost. To get to the root of why there's such an imbalance in this series - among others - we need to first acknowledge the sexism and racism that are such a vital part of its narrative, and that its fandom regularly buys into and (sometimes unwittingly) promotes.

At this point, it's important to understand that having queer characters or characters of colour simply exist in the books isn't enough. Token rep can be found in PB's books by the dozens, but at the end of the day it means nothing if there is a constant reluctance, over and over and over, to treat those characters with the same care and sensitivity that they treat their white ones (or their "exoticized brown" ones).

• Like I mentioned earlier, I won't be playing TRH from this point forward, but I do hope to finish my TRR QTs soon. I have a LOT of thoughts! If you'd like to be tagged on those, do tell me!

#long post #tw: racism from pb #tw: fandom racism #trh quick thoughts #trh qts #king liam #hana lee #maxwell beaumont #anti drake walker #anti olivia nevrakis #anti trr madeleine #anti trr penelope #trr kiara

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ask-stjerne-and-logan · 4 years

Text

BaFS Fanfiction Chapter 9: The Holidays (part 1)

The Holidays were around the Corner at Beacon Academy, along with Ceremonies for the graduating Fourth years. The Teachers were struggling to get the last few weeks before Graduation ready. In the middle of it all, Stjerne was watching the three members of the faculty, frantically trying to get ready for the last day. As of today, Stjerne was looking out the window, watching more snow fall. As of right now, there were 3 inches of snow on the ground.

"Glynda! Have you seen the papers I graded for the exam?!" Peach panicked in the lounge.

"They're on top of the fridge." Glynda answered, trying to help Peach and Port get themselves in order. Ozpin was in his office finishing his work and Oobleck was off who knows where.

"Got 'em Thanks Glynda!" Peach began looking through her folder.

"Where are my dust rounds? I need them for next class!" Port frantically searched the lounge.

"They're on the shelf next to the Hot chocolate!" Stjerne pointed up to the shelf, where some small boxes sat, next to Ozpin's supply.

"Ah. Thanks Stjerne." Port grabbed the boxes off the indicated shelf.

"Sure thing!" Stjerne grinned.

"Whoooh. We still have a lot to worry about it." Peach sighed, wiping her brow.

"I know. I just hope Oz takes this seriously." Glynda rolled her eyes.

"I know. Anyway, Stjerne, if you're bored, you can go play outside. Just stay near the flagpole." Peach said as she left the room, "And be sure to bundle up."

"Yes Peach!" Stjerne jumped off the box she had been standing on. She ran back to her room and grabbed her winter gear. Clockwork meowed excitedly as she watched Stjerne get ready to go out. She wore a green winter coat, a brown scarf with mitts and a pair of grey winter boots. Once she had finished bundling up, Stjerne ran out of her room and down the stairs to outside. The flakes was still falling as Stjerne started playing in the snow. Clockwork was with her, frolicking in the snow. Suddenly, Stjerne froze as she heard the bell ring.

"It's probably students switching classes." She said. Suddenly, a group of students came outside and started playing. Stjerne quickly hid behind some bushes, hoping students wouldn't see her. Groups of students began chatting outside, while other students began having a snowball fight.

"Ah! Feels good to take a break!"

"I know right! Port is super boring."

"Eh. He's not as bad as Oobleck. He seriously moves at the speed of light."

"At least Dust class isn't so bad. Peach is really fun."

And so the conversation continued. Stjerne stayed hidden, waiting for the students to move on so that she can run back to the teachers building unnoticed.

"Uh oh. I think they're at it again." A group of students started walking towards to flagpole where two students are standing and fighting over something. Letting curiosity get the better of her, Stjerne snuck over to the flag pole, taking care not to be seen by any students. Soon she reached a few bushes nearby and watched the scenario unfold.

"I keep telling you. It really works!" One student said.

"Tch. You're full of games and so's your team." The other student laughed.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Well then I double dare you!" Everybody froze at the word "double dare."

"Ha! You kidding me?! Sticking my tongue to this flag pole?! That's dumb." The second student laughed.

"That's only because you know it'll stick!" The first retorted.

"You're full of it!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Then I Double Grimm Dare you!" Everybody stared at the second student expectantly.

"Heh. No way." He laughed nervously, shaking his head.

"I Triple Grimm Dare you!" The First student shot back. Everybody began whispering amongst themselves.

"Alright, alright, move aside." The second student gave in and walked up to the flag pole, eyeing it nervously. He looked ready to back out, but couldn't.

"Go on you Smart alec!" The first student urged.

"I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh." The second student protested. He reluctnantly stuck his tongue on the pole.

"This Is Nuts..." He tried pulling it off, only to find it stuck. "Stuck, stuck STUCK!!!! Holy Crap, Help!!!!" The student started freaking out like a 4th grader, scaring everyone around him.

"Whoa! It actually works!" The first student exclaimed. The other student started freaking out and trying frantically to pull his tongue off without injuring it in any way. Suddenly, the bell rang again and students scattered, running towards their classes. The first student started running off

"Don't leave me?! Please, don't!!!" The second student begged like a kicked dog. Stjerne just stood there in shocked silence.

"The bell rang!" The first student protested.

"What are you gonna do?!" The other student freaked out.

"I dunno? The bell rang!" The student off, leaving her friend to suffer. Unable to leave the student to freeze, Stjerne jumped out and tugged on the Student's jacket.

"What the- Who the heck are you?" The student looked down, surprised.

"I'm Stjerne! Are you alright?!" She asked worried.

"No. All because some crazy gal dared me to do this crap." The student grunted, trying to get his tongue free.

"Wh-what do I do?!" Stjerne began panicking.

"I dunno?! Get help or something?!" The student panicked as well.

"Um.....I....um...." Stjerne looked both scared and confused. She glanced around, looking for someone to help.

"What's going on here?" The two snapped at the new voice. A tall man, with purple hair and eyes walked towards the pole. He was wearing a black coat and brown trousers with boots.

"P-professor Tyrian!" The student stuttered.

"How'd you get yourself in this scenario?" The professor laughed.

"Stupid......classmate.....triple grimm dared me....." The student could only stutter.

"Ah, I see. And you must be Stjerne. Peach told me a lot about you." Tyrian directed his attention to Stjerne, who was still standing there.

"Y-yes sir." She nodded.

"I need you to get Oobleck. This could take a while and I might need his assistance." He directed.

"W-where is he?" Stjerne asked, still a bit uncertain of the newcomer.

"He should be in his classroom, teaching a class." Tyrian answered, "Just run inside and down the hall. His classroom isn't that hard to spot." Stjerne nodded as she ran towards the halls. Once inside, she ran down the halls, looking for Oobleck's classroom. Students were surprised to see a small student running through the halls of Beacon and murmered amongst themselves.

"Wh-where is it?!" Stjerne panted, stopping to take a breather.

"Are you alright? What's a girl like you doing in the halls of Beacon?" A female student asked kindly, kneeling down to her level. She had a short light hair with short trimmed bangs, and brown eyes with glasses.

"Um....do you know where Doctor Oobleck is?" Stjerne stammered.

"Yeah. Follow me. Are you his niece or something?" The student asked.

"No, Peach is my Aunt." Stjerne said as she shook her head.

"Ah, I see. Why do you need to see Oobleck then?" The student stood up.

"Because somebody named Tyrian sent me to get him." Stjerne answered.

"Ah, Professor Pearl must have sent you. Alrighty then. Come on. I'm Mauve Kelt by the way." The student held out her hand. Stjerne grabbed on and allowed Mauve to lead her down the hall. Soon they reached Oobleck's classroom, where Mauve knocked on the door. Oobleck answered it a few seconds later.

"Hey, Professor!" Mauve waved awkwardly.

"Its Doctor, Miss Kelt." Oobleck corrected.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, I have someone who needs to see you." Mauve scratched her head awkwardly.

"Oobleck! Somebody named Tyrian needs you!" Stjerne jumped forward.

"Stjerne?! What are you doing out here?" Oobleck asked, surprised that Stjerne was even with a student.

"I was playing outside when something happened. Now Tyrian needs you!" Stjerne pulled on Oobleck's hand, refusing to let go.

"Ah, Professor Pearl. Okay, give me a second to grab my coat. Miss Kelt, will you watch my class while I'm gone?" Oobleck nodded.

"Sure." Mauve nodded, steeping inside. After a few minutes, Oobleck emerged, wearing his coat.

"Good luck professor." Mauve called.

"For the last time Miss Kelt, It's Doctor. And if I have to correct you one more time, you'll be landed in detention!" Oobleck said sternly.

"I keep forgetting! Sorry!" Mauve protested as she went back inside.

"Alright. Now, where is professor Pearl?" Oobleck asked.

"He's outside. Near the flag pole." Stjerne answered. Oobleck picked Stjerne up and dashed off at a high speed until he reached the flag pole.

"About time you showed up Barty." Tyrian rolled his eyes.

"Well forgive me, but I had to hand my class off to a senior. What happened here?" Oobleck put Stjerne down.

"This scene needs no words." Tyrian gestured at the student, who still had his tongue stuck.

"Mr Crocket..... I hope you got a good explanation for this." Oobleck shook his head, pulling out his thermos and activated the flamethrower.

"Eek!" Stjerne jumped back, hiding behind Tyrian.

"Uh....professor....." The student shrunk back in fear.

"Don't worry Mr Crocket, I'm just warming up the pole. Tyrian, when it's warm enough, pull." Oobleck instructed. Tyrian nodded and gripped the student's shoulders. Oobleck began warming the pipe, gradually heating it. Stjerne covered her eyes, too afraid to look.

"Alright.....now!" Oobleck signalled and Tyrian gave the student a good yank, pulling his tongue free from the pole.

"OWWW!!!" He yelped, holding his tongue.

"Is it over?" Stjerne asked, peeking.

"It's over. Don't worry." Tyrian answered.

"Ow ow ow ow!" The student held his tongue.

"How bad is it?" Oobleck asked. Tyrian carefully examined the injury done.

"He just got the top part stuck. It's bleeding a little, but should heal two days from now." Tyrian answered.

"Eh?!" Stjerne looked scared.

"Don't worry, he's gonna be fine." Tyrian summed it up.

"Well, I'm sure to enjoy hearing about this scenario later in detention. Because that's where you're going after classes today."

"Yessir." The student moaned.

"Stjerne, why don't we head back inside. Tyrian, could you take the boy to the Infirmary?" Oobleck asked.

"Sure thing. See ya around." Tyrian waved as he led the student off.

"Who was that?" Stjerne asked as Oobleck led her back to the lounge.

"That was David Crocket. He's a third year here at the academy. And a reckless daredevil by the looks of it."Oobleck answered.

"Okay. What about the other guy. The guy named Tyrian?"

"Oh, that was Professor Tyrian Pearl. He teaches Aura and Semblance enhancement. He's been here at the Academy for 17 years, his mentor having died two years before that."

"Oh, okay. Is Mauve a senior?"

"Oh, Miss Kelt? Yes, she is a senior here, meaning she is a 4th year. She's going to be graduating soon."

"Really? When?"

"About two days from now."

"Okay. Will I be able to see the ceremony?" Stjerne asked excitedly.

"Maybe. Depends on what Ozpin says" Oobleck answered thoughtfully.

-------(Time skip (dinner time))----------

"So you're saying Crocket literally stuck his tongue to the flag pole on a dare?" Peach laughed.

"That's what it looked like." Oobleck answered.

"And by the looks of it, I see you met Professor Pearl." Ozpin looked at Stjerne.

"Yeah." Stjerne nodded. She still felt guilty for being spotted by the students, "I'm sorry I got spotted. But I wanted to help...."

"Its alright Stjerne. We all knew the secret would get out sooner or later. At least you were able to help Professors Pearl and Oobleck with Mr Crocket." Glynda reassured her.

"How many times must I say it?! IT'S DOCTOR!!!" Oobleck fumed.

"Sheesh, blowing your top at Miss Kelt and now here." Port grumbled.

"And how do you know about that?!"

"Because she was late to my class and she told me."

"Oh."

"Whatever the case, at least Graduation is coming up." Peach broke up the fight.

"Thank heavens for that. That means a well deserved break." Glynda sighed.

"Ozpin, how come I never see Professor Pearl?" Stjerne looked at Ozpin, confused.

"Well, Tyrian Pearl, as his name is, likes to spend most of his time in the tower, where his office is. His office is a few levels below mine." Ozpin explained.

"He's basically Beacon Academy's owl." Peach shrugged.

"Don't you mean literally?" Oobleck asked.

"Huh?!" Stjerne looked back and forth between the two professors.

"Tyrian may not look it, but he's a Horned Owl Faunus." Peach explained.

"Really? But what are his faunus traits? He didn't have any wings." Stjerne asked.

"That's because Faunus wings are a rare trait. Tyrian has wider eyes then the rest of us, and he has feathers mixed in his hair. They're the same color of course, so it's hard to tell." Peach answered.

"On top of that, he can rotate his head 360°" Port said.

"You're kidding with me, right?!" Stjerne looked a bit scared at the last part.

"Don't worry. The rest of us were freaked too, but it's normal." Peach waved her hands, reassuring her.

"Ozpin, on an unrelated note, did you plan the Ceremony?" Glynda asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. It's the same as last year's." Ozpin nodded.

"Give the students their diplomas and licenses and kick them out?" Peach asked. Ozpin nodded.

"You know you have been doing that the past few years as headmaster, right?" Oobleck asked.

"I simply see no reason to detain students at the Academy for longer then needed. Once they graduated, they have to leave in order to save the world. Plus Barty, you know I was never one for speeches." Ozpin sipped from his mug.

"Lier. You're great at making speeches. You just don't feel like talking in front of a crowd." Peach rolled her eyes.

"I can confirm that." Glynda nodded.

"Hey Ozpin, can I see the ceremony? Please?" Stjerne gave Ozpin a pleading look.

"Well, if you want? There isn't much to see though." Ozpin answered.

"Just stick close to me. Okay?" Peach nodded.

"Yes Peach." Stjerne nodded, giving herself a silent victory punch under the table.

"Besides the ceremony, what else do we need to worry about?" Port asked.

"Well, as usual, I'll be planning the faculty party." Peach answered, giving them all a devious smirk.

"Oh boy."

"Here we go again." Groans erected around the table.

"What?! What's wrong with my parties?" Peach glared at everyone.

"No offense Peach, but your parties tend to be a bit too....wild." Glynda answered.

"I sense disdain in your voice Glynda. If you think you can do a better job, then you throw it." Peach argued.

"I can't! I have my work to finish." Glynda protested.

"I think our point here, Peach, is that maybe you can tone it down this year? Nothing too wild." Ozpin interfered.

"Fine. But I still want to do something special." Peach slumped against her seat.

"Hmm. What if you planned some subtle party games." Oobleck suggested.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do. Hey Oz, are we getting any visitors?" Peach asked.

"Hmmm. Well Qrow did say that he was going to drop by. And Tai also said he was interested in joining us this year." Ozpin said thoughtfully.

"Huh? Who's Tai?" Stjerne looked at everyone.

"Tai Xiao Long. He's a teacher of Signal Academy and a friend of ours." Peach explained.

"Anyway. Peach, just do your best not to go too wild." Ozpin stood up.

"Yessir." Peach nodded. Stjerne just sat back and sighed. This was gonna be a long week......

-------------------

I know it's not really the holidays anymore, but still. I know u all want more. So here ya go.

PS: Tyrian Pearl is introduced in this chapter! Hope I got the details right.

@tyrian-pearl, @cinnamon-pineforest, @phoenix-no, @saiyoyuutsume

#rwby oc fanfiction #rwby oc #bafs fanfiction #star fic

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thefictioness · 4 years

Text

Alone: A Remus Lupin Fanfic

It had been a terrible, terrible night. Every fiber of his body was stiff, and moving around hurt. And the exhaustion, oh the exhaustion was the worst part. He was too tired and cold to fall asleep as the sun rose over the Scottish hills. It was morning. He tried to collect himself. limping, he went looking for the exit to the woods. Day ten, and no sign of unusual, werewolf-related activity. It did not matter that the day had just started. He desperately needed a drink.

Being undercover in this small wizarding town wasn’t too bad, Remus mused. He could go about his magical mission without having to hide anything, while He knew where to be to gain information about the surrounding area. The only letdown was that the season allowed it to freeze at night and, unfortunately for Remus, that was when he had to be active. Apparently, the town had vallen victim to unruly werewolf activity - dissapearances, theft and rumours had made even the Order suspicious, and who better to investigate than a werewolf? To Remus, it did not matter. A job was a job. In the end, he thought as he rubbed his hands together, it seemed to be indefinable rumours. He entered the local pub, called the Speckly Toad’s Inn, and was greeted by merry chattering. Remus came to an halt and blinked. He didn’t expect the pub to be this packed at this hour. Forgetting the cold, he slowly walked on, making his way over to the bar. What were all these people doing here? Had something happened? “Well hello there! If it isn’t Remus! Man, you look absolutely terrible!” Remus smiled at the burly, moustached man. “Hi there Boyd. I sure feel a bit down, but nothing a drink won’t help.” Boyd turned towards the bartender. “Oy! Give this man your best firewhiskey! We’re celebrating after all!” Remus frowned as he received his drink. “What are we celebrating exactly? I have never seen the Toad so crowded.” He took a sip as Boyd eyed him in disbelief. “Blimey, haven’t you heard? The war is over! You-Know-Who is dead!” At the last statement, everyone in the pub cheered. Now it was Remus’ turn to look astonished. “Pull the other one, Boyd. Surely you’re telling a joke?” “He’s not!” The bartender told Remus as he poured him another drink. “He was defeated last night!” Remus suddenly felt really warm and fuzzy, and it wasn’t the firewhiskey. “You mean we’re free?” “Of course we are! Cheers mate!” Remus was putting the glass to his mouth, when he suddenly changed his mind. Curious, he asked, “How was he actually defeated?” It seems more people had heard his question, as suddenly the pub went silent. “Well,” Boyd began. “That’s still a piece of mystery.” “Rumour has it, he was after some toddler. The parents went in hiding, but in vein. He sorted them right out, he did,” the bartender continued The fuzzy feeling left Remus completely. His heart throbbed. “He found them?” “He sure did. Poor lads didn’t stand a chance. But the baby- the baby somehow survived,” Boyd could barely sit still on his stool. “Blew up half the house too. And then he was gone! Just like that!” Remus found it hard to breathe. his head was spinning. “Did you- Do you happen to know the toddler’s name?” Boyd laughed. “Of course! He’s right famous now!” He heaved his glass high. “To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!” Remus’ glass slipped out of his hand, and shattered on the ground. He had to hold himself up against the bar. “A bit tipsy? Didn’t know you were such a lightweight. Hey! Where are you going?” Remus did not answer. He was already dashing out the door. Outside, it had started to rain, but Remus did not feel it, nor did he care. He ran. He ran until his eyesight was blurry. He ran until his knees gave out. He stumbled on, until he was out of earshot from the village, and howled.

Remus could later barely remember the trip he made towards Godric’s Hollow. Apparently, it had been the secret hideout for James and Lily. Or rather, it was. Remus refused to believe what happened until he saw it with his own eyes. Walking down the church lane, he knew to follow the entourage of wizards and witches, until he could walk no more. A large group had gathered at what seemed to be a cottage. Remus’ heart got stuck in his throat as he made his way through the crowd. It was terrible. The eastern side of the house, as well as a big part of the roof, had completely collapsed. There was rubble all through the garden. Remus could look into what had been the living room. For a fleeting moment, he could imagine James and Lily sitting on the Sofa, their little son Harry in their lap. Remus was overtaken by emotion. As he wiped away his tears, he got noticed by another bystander. An old, wrinkled lady looked at him in symphaty. “Very sad, innit? And to think they were betrayed by their best friend, too.” “Betrayed...” Remus’ eyes widened. “Sure. Their secret keeper tattled their address to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Otherwise he probably wouldn’t have known.” Remus clenched his fists. No, this could not be true. The lady sighed. “I sure would have loved to see it another way too. First betraying his friends, then blowing up a street of muggles in a chase. It took them hours to catch him and all he did was laugh. Strange and dangerous lad, that Sirius Black.

His impatience was driving him crazy as he was pacing back and forth in front of the office door. Anger, sadness and confusion kept circling inside him,making him unable to stop pacing. It was making him sick. He tried his best to listen to the conversation Dumbledore was having in his office, hoping that they would hurry up. “Bartemuis, I deem it very unwise of you to go through with this.” “I have no choice. All the evidence points clearly towards him being the perpetrator. Having a trial after all what happend would cause a riot! He is as guilty as can be. Besides, I can’t allow such a dangerous criminal in my courtroom.” “But Bartemius-” “Besides, no one in their right mind would want to defend the criminal. They would be shunned by society, or even be sentenced a Death Eater themselves! No, I am sending him straight to Azkaban! Now if you will excuse me, I must get back to the ministry...” Remus stepped away from the door as footsteps approached. The door swung open, and Barty Crouch passed him, rushing down the spiral staircase. Remus stared. “Ah, Remus. Come in.” Remus was shaken out of his thoughts when Dumbledore called him. He entered the office, closing the door behind him. He was greeted with the familiar sight of silver instruments on small tables, and Fawkes resting on the top of his cage. Without waiting for Dumbledore to speak, Remus began. “Is it true?” Dumbledore smiled sadly. “I am afraid that all of it is true.” Remus sank into the chair at the other side of the desk, burying his face in his hands. When he gained te strength to speak again, he asked: “How? How could this happen?” Dumbledore tapped his fingertops together. “I assume you’ve heard the rumours?” Remus nodded. “It seems that... after the the events at Godric’s Hollow, Peter Pettigrew got air that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily. Without warning the ministry or the Order, he went after Sirius.” Remus did not react, so Dumbledore continued. “It came to a showdown in a muggle street.” Remus swallowed hard. Poor Peter. He would have never been a match for Sirius, who was an extremely skilled duelist. “The explosion killed twelve muggle bystanders.” “And Peter? What about Peter?” Dumbledore looked at Remus through his half round spectacles. His eyes would normally twinkle, but it seemed as though all the lights had gone out. Remus felt the pressing sense of dread. Dumbledore did not speak. Instead, he reached for a small, black box on his desk, and pushed it towards Remus. “The investigators believe that this is all that there is left of Peter Pettigrew...” Remus made a horrid noise. He was shaking. “No...” “Seeing as there is nothing more to investigate, mister Crouch has asked me to return this to Peter’s mother. She will also be receiving his Order of Merlin. In the meantime, Sirius will be sentenced to Azkaban. For life.” “No!” Remus yelled, closing his eyes and putting his hands over his head. He wanted to shield himself from everything Dumbledore was telling him. He wanted to shield himself from the truth, wishing this was not real. But Remus knew that wishes, unlike spells, did not come true. He took a deep breath. “And Harry? What is to become of him?” Dumbledore cleared his throat. “For his own protection, we have transferred Harry to live with his uncle and aunt, Lily’s only sister. He will be safe away from all the publicity until he’s ready to come to Hogwarts.” Remus clenched his jaw and grabbed his trousers tight. “Remus... You must understand. It would be better if you let the boy be...” “But...” “Better for both you and him. What you need now, is time to heal.” “What I need right now is my friends. Peter, and Sirius, and James...” Remus faltered. He felt the tears burning behind his eyes. What did Dumbledore know. Their bond was special. Something like this happening between his friends was unthinkable, and now they were all gone. “This must be a very heavy burden on you. Considering the support your friends gave you at Hogwarts, but even afterwards, a crushing loss like this is quite a feat. Still, there is a chance for one last goodbye. Mrs. Pettigrew is holding a special service for her son, and-” “NO!” Remus sprang from his chair, which toppled over. “I want NOTHING!” Fawkes cawed, disturbed by Remus’ shout. Remus sank to the floor. “I have nothing... Everything... Is gone...” “Remus. It is unlike you to act this way. You, who had nothing but unfortunate events to begin with. In time, it will all come back to you, perhaps someday even in Harry. But not now. Right now, you need time to work through this. Only when whole can one mend things that are broken. Yes, you are alone now. But so was James when he died, and Peter. Sirius was alone when they caught him and put him in Azkaban. Don’t let this loneliness get the best of you too.” Remus got up and nodded. “Thank you for your time.” Then, he walked out of the office. Alone.

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strangerthanfiction · 4 years

Text

Who: @slytherdaddy Where: Ministry of Magic atrium, Rufus Scrimegour’s swearing in ceremony When: February 29th, night

How Rabastan ended up here, he had no idea. An invitation had appeared in the post, which he’d promptly burned, only to have his mother send him a howler, demanding why he was such an insolent little brat, who had taught him to be so ungrateful because it certainly wasn’t her, how he could spurn such responsibility when Rodolphus was risking his goddamn life. The letter was angry enough to make Rab hesitate in his decision, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t built for these kind of functions. He’d ultimately say the wrong thing, offend someone, and leave the party worse than he’d found it, and it was moments like this where he missed his brother. Rodolphus had taken most of this burden, and it wasn’t like he was doing his brother a favor, but Rabastan had benefited all the same. He’d put the event out of his mind...until he’d received an owl from Barty, formally letting him know that he’d be in attendance, and Rabastan felt his heart stutter and squeeze. Perhaps tonight, he’d have the chance to mend their friendship, to soothe the rift between them that had lasted for far too long.

As soon as he arrived at the party, however, and Barty was nowhere to be found, Rabastan realized that he had fallen into a classic trap of Sabine Lestrange. His mother had always had her claws in his skull, from the day he was born until the day he died, and he felt stupid and childish and wholly naive. She’d gotten in his head, seen what he desired, and then used it to reel him in like someone coaxing a rabbit into a trap with a carrot stick. He couldn’t think of anyone else who’d want to lure him to such a dull event, and it only benefited her to have him rubbing elbows with the powerful and influential. Merlin knows she probably wanted him to find some simpering wife here who would help continue the Lestrange name. Now that he was here, he couldn’t fucking leave, so of course, he hitched his wagon to the refreshments table, pouring an extra splash of whisky from his flask into his already spiked drink and tiding over a pleasant buzz to last him through the night. And certainly, he was drinking to make the event more bearable, but also he was drinking because he didn’t know how to be the person he was supposed to be here, all buttoned up and stiff, and he’d rather be a gregarious caricature of himself, with the excuse of alcohol to mitigate his total lack of decorum.

He was on his fourth glass of punch when he saw, across the room, a familiar shock of golden hair, the classically refined features of Lucius Malfoy standing out even this far away. Rabastan felt his heart sink into his stomach like a rock at the sight of him. He wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t see the flush in Lucius’ cheeks, the way his lips pressed together, the way his eyes almost looked black, all pupil no iris. And, of course, not even a moment later, Antonin Dolohov appeared as well. The two men separated in the crowd, going opposite ways, but that didn’t matter. Just the sight of them together was enough to rile Rabastan up, picking at all of his most sensitive insecurities. Rabastan was moving before he even registered what was happening, practically shoving his way through the crowd, cutting a path directly to Lucius as his mind went blank and fuzzy with rage, with hurt, with betrayal. He couldn’t say half of the things he wanted to because they wouldn’t make any sense to Lucius, and that was his own doing, but he did have one bone to pick with his friend, and it was the matter of the tampered Felix that had left him reckless and useless in Dumbledore’s office, a child that had to be babysat while Bellatrix carried the brunt of the mission on her back. And sure, perhaps Rabastan wouldn’t be able to get out everything he needed to say, but he’d be able to get in a few choice words, barbed and nasty, and that had to be enough for him. He had no other choice.

It was without much care and without a whole lot of tact that he bodily shoved himself into the middle of Lucius’ conversation, interrupting the thing with a sharp look at his friend and a cold, snarling demand, “I need to steal Lucius for a moment. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my friend, and we have much to discuss.” His hand latched around Lucius’ wrist, dragging him away from the group, and somewhere in the corner of his mind, he felt himself thinking of the way he used to feel Lucius’ pulse when he thought Lucius was sleeping because the steady thud, thud, thud was the one thing that could calm his racing mind.

Rabastan only stopped them when they were at the edge of the party, away from the throng, and perhaps this was a conversation that required even more privacy than what Rab had afforded them, but all he was thinking about was how much hurt he had in him, like a walking fucking bruise that spelled out Lucius Malfoy’s name. “Did you know?” he asked blearily, the moment they were alone (or as alone as they could be for this kind of event). “And did you do it on purpose?” He already knew the answer - Lucius was the smartest man he’d ever met, and nothing, nothing, ever slipped past him. Rabastan really just wanted to see if Lucius had the gall to lie to him to his face. Perhaps that would be the insult he needed to finally kick his habit, his on again off again addiction to the way Lucius made him feel. "You think I’ll stay around no matter how many times you kick me in the ribs. You think I’m just this thing you can control and own and make to look like a fool and then you’ll say some pretty words and I’ll forget it all, but I’m fucking tired of it, Lucius. What have I ever done to deserve being treated like the dirt on your shoe?”

#of course this got long #with: lucius malfoy #*lucius malfoy

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mrswalkers-blog · 6 years

Text

A Golden Cage

Chapter 1 - Love at First Sight

Book: The Royal Romance (AU)

This is the story of Emily, daughter of Drake and Riley. She just celebrated her 18th birthday. She is young, beautiful and full of energy.

Summary: Drake and Riley are excited to introduce their son Jack as their heir to the court. King Liam and Queen Olivia visit Valtoria with their son, James. Drake and Riley’s daughter Emily is excited to meet her childhood friend Daniel. Emily is invited to participate in Social Season. Would she fall in love with the Prince or fall for a commoner?

Warnings: PG.

This series will be NSFW. It will have mentions of sexual abuse and violence. I will tag the chapters accordingly.

A/N: I know I have still to finish Falling in Love with You. But I am possessed by this story. I have many chapters of this one already written in the draft. And I am not able to stop. So I have kept Falling... on pause until this story gets out of my system. Or maybe I will write them in parallel. God Help me!

Word Count: 2000

FaceClaim: Please suggest me!

Emily Walker

James Rhys

Daniel

Emily woke up to her cell phone ringing. She grunted and searched for her phone on her bed, fumbling her hands around with her eyes still closed.

‘Hello?’ she said in a sleepy voice.

‘It’s noon Emily! You are still sleeping?’ Riley said annoyed on the other end.

‘Mom! I was studying late, let me sleep.’ she said rubbing her eyes.

‘I know you were out partying!’ Riley said firmly.

‘Oh, Mom! Chill!’ Emily exclaimed, ‘I was back at 11. I just couldn't sleep, I was binge watching Friends.’

‘Fine! Listen, have you picked out a dress for tonight? I want you to look your best. And be at your best behavior!’ Riley declared.

‘God! No one is going to notice me! Everyone is going to rant about Jack!’

‘Emily! King Liam and Queen Olivia are attending with Prince James. I don't want you to roam around in your jeans... Emily? do you hear me?’ she asked as she didn't receive any response from Emily.

Emily’s jaw dropped and eyes went wide hearing James was attending the party.

‘Mom! I gotta go!’ Emily dropped the phone on the bed.

‘James!’ she shouted excitedly. She jumped out of bed and ran in the bathroom to get a shower.

---

Emily spent the day getting ready for the evening at her salon. She excitedly shared the news with her beautician that she is going to meet the Prince that evening. Of course, she had met him before, but he had never noticed her like a lady. She was always John’s little sister for him. Today she wanted to look the most beautiful lady in the room. Someone he couldn't ignore.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, turning around, in her pink silk gown. Baby pink color suited her, the dress fitted her perfectly enhancing her curves. Her hand brushed at the boat neck of the dress. She wanted to wear something more revealing but knew mom would never approve of it. She blew a kiss to her reflection in the mirror before walking out of the salon, with a spring in her feet.

---

At the party, she stood in a corner with one of her friend eating hors-d'oeuvre. She hated these formal parties. Parties to her meant dancing to loud music, shouting, laughing, drinking (to some extent), flirting with boys. But she could do nothing here.

She hated the fact that she never got any such party in her honor while his brother got to celebrate at least twice a year. Every time he achieved something, their parents gathered all nobels and spent the evening boasting his achievements. While she was only allowed a single friend to invite, with whom she spent the evening avoiding the nobles.

‘You know I hate these parties!’ she complained to her friend. ‘Every time these nobels remind me that I am good for nothing. What talents do you have? You should dress properly like a lady. You should do a course in interior decoration. I think Jewelry designing will suit you.’ she said mocking the questions and advises thrown at her.

‘Why the hell do they care what I do with my life?’ she complained scanning the room.

‘Who is that guy?’ he friend asked her, looking at a handsome guy in his late-twenties, talking with some nobels.

‘That is Bartie. My cousin. Haven't I introduced you to him?’

‘No! Can you please! He is HOT!’ she said checking him out.

‘Maybe, but he is a bore. Are you sure you want to meet him?’

‘Yes, please’ she replied.

‘Okay’, she walked down to the group Bartie was standing. She greeted everyone and politely asked to borrow Bartie. She dragged him to her friend.

‘Bartie, I would like you to meet my friend Anna.’ She said pointing her hand to Anna.

‘Anna, this is my cousin Bartie, the one you were checking out earlier.’ she said and walked away without looking back at Anna’s shocked expression.

---

She sighed, feeling bored and alone in a room filled with people. She saw her mother and father, with her brother Jack, talking happily to some guest. She pretended she didn't care, but she wanted her parents to be as proud of her as they were of Jack. Jack was the heir of Valtoria. He was good at everything. Every time, first in his class, excellent in sports, life of party, he could charm young and old, women and men, everyone.

She knew her parents loved her as much as they loved Jack, maybe more. But she knew she had done nothing to make them proud. She had tried hard but just kept failing at everything. She was always a mediocre at everything she did, never a champion like her brother.

She saw Madeline approaching her. She immediately turned and walked in another direction when he spotted a guy wearing a black suit, looking lost in the crowd. He saw her and flashed a smile. She immediately recognized her friend Daniel who had vanished some three and a half years ago.

‘Oh My God! Daniel!’ she ran excitedly towards him and wrapped her arms around him. ‘Where have you been for so long!’

‘You knew I was in London studying.’ he chuckled.

‘But you never called! How can you forget about your friends?’ she slapped his shoulders playfully.

‘I didn't forget, I just got busy.’ he shrugged his shoulders, smiling.

‘Busy! So busy you didn't have time for me? And as far as I know, your graduation was six months ago.’

‘Yes, I returned from London six months back.’

‘So where were you last six months?’

'I was taking training to become a security officer.’

‘Security! So can you shoot bullets? Do you have a gun?’

Daniel looked on both sides and moved his suit away to reveal his gun, tucked in his belt. Emily jumped with excitement. ‘Cool! Can I see it?’ she said reaching for the gun.

‘No! you will get me fired before I even start!’ Daniel moved his hip away avoiding her.

‘What do you mean? Where are you joining?’

‘I am your security guard!’

‘Mine? Seriously! That is going to be amazing!’ she raised her hand for a hi-five. Daniel chuckled and clapped her hand.

‘Daniel, is it?’ Daniel turned to see Jack approaching them.

‘Jack, how are you?’ he greeted him politely. Jack gave him a hug. Daniel returned the hug with same enthusiasm.

‘By the way, congratulations on winning the Royal Annual Sports Challenge!’ Daniel smiled and shook his hand warmly.

‘Thanks! You just missed the games. You would have enjoyed them.’ Jack

‘Jack, you are only worried that if he had come back a month ago, he would have kicked your ass in the challenge!’ Emily kept a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

‘I am glad that now I don't have to look after you!’ he flicked Emily’s nose,’ He will be there to handle your nonsense.’

‘You knew!’ she asked, eyes going wide.

‘Ofcourse! Bastien called dad this morning. I know because I work with Dad, and don't sleep till noon.’ he commented before turning to Daniel.

‘Daniel, I have to warn you. Being her security guard, you will be just following her to salons and parties and carry her drunk back home.’

‘I don’t get drunk!’ she exclaimed. Jack chuckled as Emily started hitting him and he dodged her effortlessly.

Jack paused abruptly as his eyes moved to the door. ‘They have arrived! I will take your leave now.’ he said walking towards the door.

Emily turned to the door, King Liam, Queen Olivia, and Prince James had arrived. Jack joined Drake and Riley to welcome them.

‘Isnt he handsome!’ she sighed looking at James.

‘The Prince?’ Daniel asked. He noticed the spark in Emily’s eyes.

‘Ofcourse, you silly! He has just turned 21. Rumour has it that King and Queen are planning Social Season to find a wife for him.’

‘Frankly, I don't understand this custom. Marriage is a stage in a relationship. You need to be in love to marry someone. Competing with other women to marry a stranger, it seems ridiculous!’ he remarked.

‘Shut up!’ she smacked the back of her hand on his arm.’You know nothing about love and marriage!’

Daniel noticed her cheeks turning red as James threw her a smile from across the room. They kept looking at each other for a while until Drake escorted them to meet other guests.

Emily turned towards Daniel, smiling widely,’Did you see how he looked at me?’

‘Yaah, looks like love at first sight.’ he said mockingly.

'You really think so?’ she asked excitedly, unable to understand the sarcasm.

Emily’s eyes followed James in the entire room. Her heart started beating fast as she realized they will soon be meeting her.

‘Oh God! they are coming this way!’ she grabbed Daniel’s arm. Daniel hesitantly released his arm from her grasp. He walked back as they approached her. She gently bowed in a curtsy. ‘Your Majesties’

‘You don't need to be so formal. Emily’ Queen Olivia said giving her a short hug.

'It's lovely seeing you again, Emily.' King Liam smiled at her.

'We hope to see you at the Social Season. We will, of course, send you an official invitation soon. ' Olivia said to Emily.

'Social Season? Emily is just 18!' Riley looked at Drake, eyeing him to say something.

'Well, it's true. We don't think she is ready to get married.' Drake reasoned with Liam.

'Oh come on! She is an adult. She can make her decisions herself. What do you say Emily?' Olivia dismissed their argument.

'Well, I think it would not hurt to participate.' she blushed.

'That's fair. I think you should sponsor her in the social season. Let her get to know James. And then she can decide.' Liam suggested.

'It's settled then. See you soon dear.' Olivia said to Emily before going to meet other guests.

Emily watched James walk away. James turned to catch her staring at him. Emily bit her lip and turned away.

Emily found Daniel with a drink in his hand. She looked around and snatched it from his hand. She sneaked a sip and thrust the glass back to him.

'What was that?' he asked sipping his drink.

'Mom doesn't let me drink.' she shrugged.

'You are 18. You can drink.' he said.

'Mom was raised in the USA. The legal age to drink there is 21. she said no alcohol till 21. She thinks I don't drink.' she said lowering her voice, giving him a wink.

'Which apparently is not true.' He teased.

'I had my first drink when I was 16. It is a secret.' she said with a finger on her lips.

'Your secret is safe with me.' he raised his glass. Emily again snatched his glass to take a sip.

'Hi' James said joining them. Emily held the glass tight in her hands.

'Hi, James! This is Daniel. Daniel, James.' she introduced them.

'Of course. It is an honor meeting you, Your Highness.' Daniel bowed his head a little.

'Daniel, I have not seen you before. Which house do you belong to?’ James asked.

‘I... I am a commoner, sir.’ he said.

‘Daniel is my friend. And now my security too.’ Emily corrected him.

‘Nice to meet you, Daniel. Can I borrow Emily for a moment?’ he asked.

‘Ofcourse, I will give you two some privacy.’ he said backing away.

“You look gorgeous today, Emily!’ James said.

‘Thanks’ Emily looked down at her cheeks turn red.

‘I am afraid I won't be able to spend much time with you tonight. But could you share your number with me?’ he said pulling out his mobile.

‘Sure!’ she said taking his mobile. She saved her number and handed the mobile back to him.

‘I will take your leave now..’ he said taking her hand in his, pulling it up to kiss her knuckles, looking in her eyes. Her cheeks turned red as his lips brushed her hands softly. She smiled, tugging a loose strand of hair behind her ear, as James waved her goodbye.

Love at first sight, she had seen in movies, read in novels, but had never experienced it. Not till today. She knew she was in love when all she could think about today was him. How his smile had brightened up her life. There is no other feeling in the world as beautiful as love. But what if she fails to win his heart in the social season? What if someone else wins him over? Will she fail again? Was she ready for the biggest challenge of her life?

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Pixelberry. I only own my Original Characters

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jovialyouthmusic · 5 years

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Two’s Company, Three’s Allowed, a TRR fanfic

An Unusual Wedding 4

At last the big day came. Bianca announced that Lucy had improved greatly and was ready for the excitement of the ceremony. The staff set off early in the morning to prepare everything and Hana and Savannah helped Lucy dress. Lucy was almost in tears over the beautiful but simple gown Hana had made for her. The body was made of cream lace and skimmed over her figure, flaring slightly before it swept the ground with satin panels inset to make it flare. The neckline was low and rounded, and the sleeves were of transparent cream lace, sweeping down to hug her wrists.

Brad, Maxwell, Drake and Bastien gathered in front of the house waiting for the SUV to take them all to the venue, to be closely followed by another for Bianca, Savannah, Bertrand and Bartie. Ana de Luca would be arriving on site. Leo had been vague about where and when he would arrive but promised to be there in time for the ceremony. The two vehicles set off ahead of Lucy, Hana and Mara.

‘Dammit, I wish I didn’t have to wear this shirt.’ Drake grumbled, pulling at his collar.

‘Sorry my friend, you should try wearing ceremonial gear for a Coronation.’ grinned Brad ‘I’ve lost count of the heavy braided jackets I’ve had to wear over the last year, to say nothing of insignia and of course the crown. This is a small price to pay, believe me.’

They spent the rest of the half hour journey talking of inconsequential things, and the road changed to a track before they trundled out onto the wedding site. A marquee stood at the side of the field that swept down to the sea. Off to the right were a group of half a dozen yurts, but in the centre of the field overlooking the sea were two rows of chairs and an arched trellis bedecked with white and yellow roses.

Maxwell bounded out of the vehicle and rushed off to the dais below the arch, and Drake and Brad turned to help the ladies out of the second vehicle. Gladys came forward to liaise with Bastien and assure him everything was ready. Ana de Luca and a photographer emerged from the marquee. All that was left to do now was wait for Lucy, Hana and Mara – and hope Leo would get there in time. Brad and Drake made their way to the archway where Maxwell would conduct the ceremony.

‘I can see Lucy’s car coming along the track. Where on earth is Leo?’ asked Brad. As if on cue, the steady thump of a helicopter broke through the sounds of the waves lapping at the beach below, and a speck appeared on the horizon. The sound of the rotor blades grew louder, and Brad could see that Lucy’s car had stopped on the track. Bastien leaned close to the grooms.

‘It’s alright, everything is under control your Highness. They’re waiting for the chopper to land. Leo seems to have brought an extra guest or two.’ Drake rolled his eyes but pursed his lips. The helicopter swooped in and aimed for the next field over, presumably so the downdraught wouldn’t damage the arrangements. It set down and the rotors slowed, and Leo got out, turning to help someone out. Brad squinted to see who it was.

‘It’s the Queen Mother - and there’s someone else – who is that?’ he craned his neck to see better.

‘That must be Leo’s new wife.’ replied Drake. ‘I wondered when we’d meet her.’ The bride’s car was on the move again, so there was no time to welcome the new arrivals. Drake straightened his jacket and Brad spoke softly.

‘You look just fine Walker. She’s here for you this time.’ Drake nodded gratefully, lips pressed together tightly.

As soon as Lucy stepped out of the car holding her bouquet, Drake forgot about everything else. All the other guests faded into the background, and his heart seemed to slow to a stop. All that existed was Lucy and himself, and Brad standing nearby. The dress flowed over her slender figure and her movements were slow and graceful. A sparkling tiara held her long dark hair in place over her pale forehead. He barely noticed that it was Leo who walked her toward him. She locked eyes with him as she grew closer, her smile radiant. It felt like an eternity until she was close enough to touch, and Leo went to Brad, who held out his hand and Leo placed Lucy’s on top of it. Maxwell cleared his throat.

‘Friends, family, esteemed guests, we’ve come here today to uphold an ancient practice that will serve as inspiration for all the citizens of Cordonia. In this ceremony, His Majesty King Brad continues the tradition of the dual marriage, in which he freely offers the sharing in marriage of his wife Her Majesty Queen Lucy in her capacity of Duchess of Valtoria to Sir Drake Walker, Guardian of the Realm and henceforth Duke of Valtoria. In turn, Lucy freely and willingly offers her own hand in marriage, to love and cherish both men.’ Maxwell placed Drake’s hand on top of Lucy’s so that it was sandwiched between those of the two grooms. A soft salty breeze blew from the sea and Lucy’s long dark hair stirred lazily.

‘Do you have your ring, Sir Walker?’ Drake put his hand in his pocket and withdrew a plain gold band. Brad stepped back a little so Drake could take Lucy’s hand and place the ring on her finger to join the engagement and wedding rings she already wore. They looked into each other’s eyes, smiling. Drake felt joy as he never had before. The world seemed to have come to a complete standstill, the two of them at the centre of everything for a moment that he wished would last forever. All too soon Maxwell spoke to continue the ceremony.

‘Drake, do you have anything to say to Lucy?’ He cleared his throat, suddenly aware of all the guests. He looked deep into her eyes, his vows memorised.

‘Lucy, I humbly accept the offer of your hand in marriage. The moment you walked into my life and Brad’s everything changed. I never dreamed you could feel for someone like me, especially after you made your commitment to Brad. You have a loving nature and the biggest heart I know, that has room not just for two men, but for a whole country. I count myself extremely fortunate to be worthy of that love, and I promise to return it in any way I can, for as long as I can, according to the agreement we have made together.’

‘Lucy, do you have anything to say to Drake?’ asked Maxwell and Lucy spoke, eyes shining and locked to his.

‘Drake, I welcome you into my marriage with Brad freely and willingly and with his consent. You are a very special person, loyal, brave and fearless. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be standing here today. You’ve saved my life more than once, and it’s my privilege to repay that with my affection and devotion. I can’t imagine life without you, and I will cherish and love you for as long as I am able, according to the agreement we made together. I look forward to our life together.’

‘You may kiss your partner.’ Maxwell said, and at last he could draw her to him and their lips met in a sweet soft kiss that he never wanted to end. Their bodies moulded together, and he felt her heart beating under the cream lace of her dress. Maxwell paused to let the moment linger, then continued ‘Brad, you have already recited your vows to Lucy; do you have anything you wish to say to Drake?’ Drake reluctantly drew apart from her, but they remained holding hands. Together they turned to look at Brad, who stepped forward to make his declaration. His smile was warm, his eyes lingering on Lucy before looking Drake in the eye.

‘Drake, you’ve been a loyal friend to me since we were children. I can’t imagine life without your guidance and friendship. I too owe you my life. When Lucy told me she loved you too, it made sense to me that the three of us should share our lives, in the old tradition of the Cordonain dual marriage or partnership. I welcome you into our marriage freely and willingly and together we can support, cherish and love Lucy for as long as we are able, according to the agreement we have made together.’ He turned toward the guests. ‘I fully intend for our partnership to be a positive example to those who have already entered into a similar partnership and to those who wish to do so now and in years to come.’ There was a murmur of assent as his last utterance.

‘Brad, Lucy, Drake, do you promise to love, cherish and honour your partners in harmony and cooperation for as long as you are able?’ Maxwell asked.

‘We do.’ the three said together.

‘Then I pronounce the three of you married according to the laws of Cordonia.’ The three partners embraced, the two men kissing Lucy on either cheek. She turned to kiss Brad briefly, and then to Drake for a longer deeper kiss. Brad stood back to give them their moment. Aware of everyone watching them, Drake put his hand in the small of her back and dipped her low to the ground, lips still locked together. As he brought her back up to standing, breaking the kiss, he leant close to whisper in her ear as she was getting her breath back.

‘I can’t wait to leave everyone else behind. Brad and I will give you a wedding night you’ll never forget. You belong to both of us, and us to you.’ She smiled back at him, pupils dilated.

‘You better had, it’s all I’ve been thinking about today.’ she answered in a low voice.

‘And now it’s time to celebrate!’ Maxwell cried. The guests rose to throw confetti, smiling and cheering. Drake was overwhelmed by hugs and handshakes and claps on the back and realised he couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. He kept hold of Lucy’s hand, not wanting to let her go for a second. Brad leaned over to him at one point to whisper in his ear.

‘I managed to dissuade Maxwell from hiring acrobats and fire jugglers you know.’

‘Thanks for that – you’re a lifesaver, Brad.’ grinned Drake.

‘And thank you for keeping me grounded my friend.’ Brad replied. Ana de Luca came forward.

‘Your Majesty, Sir Walker – it’s time for some formal photographs. I’ll take up as little time as I can’

@speedyoperarascalparty @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @zaffrenotes @ao719 @choicesfanatic86 @darley1101 @flowerpowell @gardeningourmet @kinkykingliam @livingthroughchoices @likethetailofacomet @andy-loves-corgis @silviasutton1989 @blackcatkita @flowerpowell @endlessly-searching-for-you @boneandfur

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choicesfanatic86 · 6 years

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TTS: Part 4 (Liam x MC)

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

PAIRINGS: Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC

SUMMARY: Riley must accept that to move on to a new future, she must confront her past.

TAGS: @herladyshipxx @theroyalweisme @blackcatkita @devineinterventions2 @hopefulmoonobject @captainkingliam @pbchoicesobsessed @queencatherynerhys @mfackenthal @cocomaxley @crayziimaginations @grapefrults @pessimystic-fangirl

Hi guys! Thank you again for your kind words about the Through the Storm series. I’m so happy it’s getting such positive feedback. Part 5 will likely be released late Tuesday/early Wednesday. :)

I received a question about Riley’s age in this book. In my mind, I have Riley as 28. She left Cordonia when she was 26. Andy is currently 26. Paul is 39, so that puts him around 10 years older than Riley.

PART 4 - The Return

Riley awoke the next morning with a terrible hangover. She didn’t normally drink . . . let alone drink a whole lot of whisky. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had a drink of whisky, but if she were to guess right, it was probably with Drake back in Cordonia while on the engagement tour. Her head was pounding, she felt nauseated, and her thoughts were fuzzy but not fuzzy enough to forget what happened the night before. She sighed as she walked to the bathroom rifling through the medicine cabinet . . . looking for something . . . anything to ward off the colossal migraine she had woken up with. She found the nearest pain reliever and popped two into her mouth.

Searching for something to eat, she wandered into the kitchen, pulling a muffin out of the container. Sitting down at the table, she started to scan through the messages on her phone. She noticed that she had a new email. She smiled slightly when she saw Maxwell’s name as the sender. She clicked into the message.

MY DEAR LITTLE BLOSSOM,

I can’t believe you actually responded! Bertrand said I’d be wasting my time (and money) trying to send you an invitation. I’m so happy I get to prove him wrong. I can’t believe my best friend is coming back to me. The prodigal Beaumont returns!

Of course you can bring someone! The more the merrier. After all, this Beaumont wedding will be the party to top all parties. Although, I’m afraid their reception will be missing one crucial piece of any Beaumont party. Savannah has requested that no weapons be present at the reception. She’s worried about the influence it might have on little Bartie, so I’m afraid our fancy champagne opening will have to wait for another occasion. She really doesn’t know what she’s missing. ☹

Please don’t worry yourself about airfare or hotel accommodations. I insist that you stay at the house while you’re in Cordonia. After all, you are an honorary Beaumont, and your room is still waiting for you. I can’t have you staying just anywhere. I can also arrange to have a private jet fly you here. Finances have been much better since we’ve last spoken, and I couldn’t possibly have you flying commercial. I’ll be sure to set up the arrangements and email you once they are confirmed.

And don’t you worry about you know who. I can keep your return under wraps until the wedding.

Your Best Friend, Maxwell

Maxwell was still so very Maxwell. Time hadn’t changed him at all. He was still the lovable goofball who tried his very best to make everyone and anyone happy. Riley could just picture him gleefully smiling and bouncing up and down as he wrote his response to her. She was glad that he was exactly as she remembered him. She was also glad that he didn’t seem to have any sort of resentment toward her. At least not that she could decipher in the message.

As she was closing out her email app, she heard rustling from Andy’s bedroom. No sooner than a few seconds later did Andy come gliding out of the room with a huge smile on her face. “Good Morning, Sunshine.” Andy sang cheerily as she walked into the kitchen.

Riley cringed and groaned at her cheerfulness. “Shut up,” she said. “I just took some Advil. Let it kick in before you get all cheery”

“I see somebody had a bit too much whisky last night.” Andy pointed to the half empty bottle on the kitchen counter. “Wonder what brought that on?” Andy snorted.

“You’re hilarious.” Riley said sarcastically. “You know, if the whole grad school thing doesn’t work for you, you could probably make it as a stand up comedienne.”

“Touché.” Andy nodded. “So, how’d last night go with Paul?”

“Pretty good. It was nice to spend some time with him. He did kind of catch me off guard though. He told me had to talk to me about something . . .” Riley started to explain before Andy cut her off.

“Did he pop THE question? The question that gets you a shiny new ring on that left hand finger?” Andy excitedly squealed.

“What?” Riley exclaimed. “No. God, no. We are nowhere near that. He asked me to move in with him.”

“Oh.” Andy paused, taken aback. “I’m guessing I’m not included in that equation, huh?” She said softly, her cheerful excitement waning. “So are you going to?” She asked nervously.

Riley sighed, shaking her head. “I told him that with everything going on lately, I needed some time to think about it. So don’t worry, you’re not out of a roommate just yet. I told him I needed some time to consider all the factors involved. I mean, he dropped a bombshell on me . . . I dropped a bombshell on him. It was an intense night.” Riley continued. “I told him about the wedding. About Cordonia.”

Andy raised her eyebrows. “You did? How did he take things?”

“Surprisingly well,” Riley said. “I honestly thought he’d be pissed that I kept it from him.” Riley rubbed her hand across her face as if to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “He wasn’t upset at all. He was understanding and sweet. He didn’t judge me or ask why I didn’t tell him sooner. I really think I found the last decent man in New York.” She smiled softly. “He told me he supports whatever decision I make about things.”

“And have you? Made a decision that is?” Andy asked.

Riley nodded slowly. “I have.” Riley started to rub the back of her neck, massaging the knots out that had formed with all the stress of the previous day. “I went back and forth about it a lot last night, but I couldn’t get your words out of my head. It kills me to say this, but you’re right. I do need closure. And now that Paul wants me to move in with him, I think it made me realize that maybe things in Cordonia weren’t as finished as I had wanted to believe them to be.” She shrugged lightly. “I think if I’m going to have any sort of future with Paul, I have to accept everything that happened and really move on from it this time. So I’m going . . . I’m gonna try to leave on Friday. I emailed Maxwell last night, and I just got his response this morning. He is going to arrange for a private jet to take me to Cordonia.”

“A private jet?” She gaped at Riley. “Who are you right now?” She exclaimed.

“Out of everything I just said you only walk away with the fact that I’m going to be going on a private jet.” Riley admonished.

“Yeah.” Andy said. “That’s kind of a big deal.”

“Anyway . . . I have few things to tie up with the business. I’ve already phoned Alicia and asked her to hold down the fort while I am gone for the next few weeks. The Mitchell Group’s Grand Opening isn’t for another month and a half, so I’ll have enough time to work on things with them when I get back.”

“Wow, it seems like you have pretty much everything figured out already.” Andy noted. “So how does Paul feel about traveling on a private jet? I’m sure he’s had his fair share of rides on them considering he travels so much for business.”

Riley shook her head. “Oh, Paul’s not coming with me. He has to fly out to Boston in a couple of weeks to work on that merger he’s been dealing with for months now.”

“You’re going alone?” Andy asked with surprise.

“Actually. . . “Riley trailed off. “I was hoping you would be my plus one.” Riley said. “It was your bright idea for me to go back there, and there’s no way in hell I’m doing this alone. I need some back up here. I know you’ve got your thesis to worry about, but we’ll be gone for like maybe three weeks at the most and you can even bring your –“

Riley’s sentence was cut off by a loud shriek. Andy ran over to Riley enveloping her in a huge bear hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. EUROTRIP!” She yelled.

Riley smirked. “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t experienced court yet.” Riley sighed. “I just don’t want you getting caught up in all of the glitz and glamour of Cordonia. It’s really easy to get swept up in court politics and the fancy balls. I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you. Okay?”

“Ri, we’ll be there for three weeks. I don’t think the world can end in three weeks,” she said sarcastically.

“I fell for him in a matter of weeks, Andy. I didn’t even see it coming,” Riley whispered sadly.

Andy placed a comforting hand on Riley’s shoulder. “Things are going to be okay, you know. You’ll see. You’re making the right decision.” Riley could only nod as she headed back into her bedroom to start coordinating their travel plans.

The days passed by quickly as Riley and Andy prepared for their trip to Cordonia. Riley had worked tirelessly to make sure her assistant was prepared for any possible scenario that could arise during her time away from the business. She knew Alicia was fully capable of handling things on her own for a little while, but Riley needed a distraction to keep her mind from wandering to all the “what if” scenarios of what could happen while in Cordonia. She considered herself fortunate that Paul and Andy were so patient with her fears, and let her vent out her frustrations and worries to them, even if they seemed a bit over the top. The anxiety she felt had grown as their departure date neared. She had emailed back and forth with Maxwell in the days before the trip, and their short email conversations seemed to help keep her anxieties at bay. She was glad that their friendship seemed stable despite how they last left things. They spoke as if no time was lost, and it helped to think that she’d at least have one friend back in court that she could rely on.

Friday came far too quickly for Riley, and she found that her nerves hadn’t improved. Paul had offered to take them to the airport, and Riley happily accepted. The drive to the airport was quiet, and it was making Riley’s anxiety worse. She fiddled with the radio’s buttons trying to find something, anything to distract her from the thoughts that kept pulsing through her head. Paul must have realized how anxious she was because he took one of his hands off the wheel to hold Riley’s hand loosely. The small gesture put Riley slightly at ease. Ten minutes later, Paul pulled into the drop off at JFK International Airport. As they got out of the car, Paul pulled Riley off to the side.

“You’re gonna be okay right?” Paul kissed her forehead, pulling her closely into his lean body.

Riley nodded. “Yes . . . Maxwell has assured me that he and Bertrand are the only ones who know I’m coming. He’s going to try his best to keep the press out of the loop about my arrival.” She adjusted her backpack on her shoulders nervously. “They didn’t tell him I was coming, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He shook his head firmly. “I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about you.”

Riley nodded. “I’m fine. I promise to call you once we get settled there.” She snuggled into his embrace. “I wish you were coming, too.”

Paul nodded in agreement. “I know. I do, too. After everything that you’ve told me, I wanted to be there for you in case you ran into him. I’m glad you’ll at least have Andy with you.”

As if on cue, Andy yelled behind them, “Alright lovebirds, we gotta get moving!” Paul laughed at Andy’s eagerness and gave Riley a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you. Be safe out there. I want you back in one piece.” Riley returned the kiss a bit more forcefully. “I’m going to miss you, babe.” She tightened her hold on hi a little before reluctantly letting go. She took one last look at him and smiled before entering through the airport’s sliding doors. JFK was a mess. Luckily, because they were going to be traveling on a private plane, there was a special TSA line that expedited security clearances. Once they had passed through TSA, they found the aviation bay where their plane was scheduled to depart from and patiently waited until one of the staff members told them they could board.

Once on board, Riley’s nerves seemed to settle . . . maybe it was her body’s way of accepting that there was no turning back now. Whether she was ready or not, she’d be in Cordonia in a little under eight hours. While Riley had been hemming and hawing about their arrival, Andy had been in sheer bliss. She had never flown on a private plane before and she was going to take full advantage of all the free little amenities the jet had to offer.

Somewhere along the line, Riley had fallen asleep, only to be jostled awake by Andy’s nudging. “We’re going to land soon.” She said quietly. “I think you can see Cordonia from here.”

Riley looked out of the plane’s window. The beautiful, lush mountains could be vaguely seen from their altitude. “It’s hard to believe that such a beautiful place could cause such heartache.”

Andy looked over at her friend’s forlorn expression, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “I’m with you ever step of the way, okay?”

Riley nodded, turning her attention back to the window. “It’s hard to believe I’m even back.”

#choices: stories you play #playchoices #choices #trr fanfic #trr #the royal romance #theroyalromance #liam x mc #riley lawson

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