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alreadyblondenow · 3 years

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You and your words | Hendery

❤︎ Prince!Hendery x female!reader ❤︎ Fluff, Smut, Smut, Angst, Royalty AU, best friends to lovers, fuck buddies for some time hehe ❤︎ 3/4 for LOVE MONTH SERIES: Boys Don’t Cry One is a big number

One is a big number | You and your words | Sweet | He loves me, he loves me not |

Summary: You and prince Hendery are good friends... who lust for each other and trying so hard not to fall in love. But your mother, an ambitious woman, wants to use prince Hendery to improve the status of your family.

Word count: 9,614k

Warnings: Unprotected sex, virginity loss, making out, best friends but they lust for each other, masturbation (male), mentions of masturbations (female), they think of each other when they masturbate ano ba, fingering, a lot of kissing, dirty talk, corruption, slight exhibitionism, mentions of oral sex, fuck buddies for some time, dirty talking... but through love letters.... haha, mentions of other idols, strict parents, mother issues, Hendery being a spoiled prince, slight cheating, a lot of bad decisions, you might get mad to Hendery or reader?

A/N: PURE FICTION. PURE FICTION. PURE FICTION. inspired by the Netflix series Bridgerton and First Burn from Hamilton.

For my baby’s Love Letter event, @neosmutcollective HAPPY CUPID DAY!

February 14

My dearest best friend,

I am inviting you to my family’s soirée and ask you to accompany me the whole night. In return, I will sing praises about you to my cousin Xiaojun.

Prince Hendery

Everyone knows that an invitation to the queen’s soirée is the holy grail and it is very hard to be invited especially if the queen or king does not know you personally. But you, the ever so beautiful Y/n, is friends with their son Prince Hendery. So it’s up to you to claw your way to the top and to honor your family. At least that's what your mother wants you to do.

You don’t request anything from the prince, no. Everything that he does or gives to you is voluntarily and because he loves you dearly. As a friend.

It all began when he accidentally bumped you a little too hard because he was in a hurry to avoid a certain dance with someone he does not know. You were both in your teenage years at that time and it was a season where young people were rather picky. The young gents always look for the prettiest most flawless lady, and the young ladies always.... well, avoid anyone or everyone unless he's the prince.

You were quite young by that time and you didn’t care about courting, suitors, love letters, or expensive flowers. That’s why you didn’t know what the prince looked like nor his name, because you didn’t care at all.

“My apologies my lady, I didn’t see you” he offered his hand and pulled you from the ground. It was so kind of him to help you get up and straighten your dress. Not to mention he kissed the back of your gloved hand and apologized again.

“It’s fine. Is someone running after you?” you pursed your lips and hugged yourself to protect yourself from the cold. The palace gardens have it’s unique February breeze, you thought.

“Here,” he smoothly removed his coat and put it around you. “I’m Hendery” he smiled when he finally realized that you don’t know who you are with right now.

“Y/n. The ball is kind of boring and quiet. N-no offense to the queen and her family but everyone seems so uptight and pushing us, the young people to entertain the adults- I’m sure you understand what I’m saying here” your tone was a little loud and the annoyance caused by your mother is slowly showing.

“Very much. In fact, I was running away from a dance that I don’t want to be a part of” he giggles so handsomely to show his support for what you’re feeling right now. "Love is the last thing that I desire right now but my mother wants me to entertain a bunch of women and converse for some time with their mother or father"

“How many girls did you entertain tonight?” you asked back, and also giving back his coat because you’re about to leave him.

“Two. My mother and my sister” he answered proudly which made you smile and let out a small laugh. At least between the two of you, he has the freedom to say no.

When you finally got back to the boring party, your mother was quick to fix your hair and fluff your dress before she pushes you again on the dance floor and dance with the prince. She told you she went to great lengths so you could have some time to dance with the crowned prince even if it’s just for a few seconds.

“Work your magic young lady, enchant the prince, and try to make him interested in you. Be useful like your sisters, be engaged to the prince soon and all is well” your mother’s exact words.

Ah right. Of course, your mother’s priority is to use you as bait to the bigger fishes so you could earn their love and respect. So with a heavy heart and feet, you walked in the middle of the dance floor, feeling so ashamed and humiliated for you were so sure that the prince will not show up because he does not have any interest.

Tears are starting to ball at the corner of your eye but you felt a shiver on your spine when someone tapped you from behind.

Lo and behold, prince Hendery came and graced you with his attention.

“Are those tears?” He was quick to grab your hand and waist to save you from the humiliation but the place started gossiping in no time. You can hear people asking one another if you’re royalty, where did you come from and why is the prince only interested in having a dance with you.

“I’m sorry my prince,” you cleared your throat and hope that your face is pleasing, “we meet again, I have no idea that you’ve been gracing me with your time already. My apologies”

He let out a small laugh before he twirled you. “That’s Hendery, not prince Hendery. The quick moment that I shared with you outside made me feel that I’m free” he whispered beside your ear. So sincere, so true, but it sounded like he’s calling for help.

“Thank you prince Hendery, my mother is pleased”

“I too. I mean, the queen is pleased”

“How about you, your grace, are you pleased?”

“Very much pleased. Tell me, what’s your name?” You stepped back and bowed down to him, as low as you can.

“Lady Y/n L/n, your grace” you smiled and slowly recovered from your bow.

And in that very moment, while a unique friendship is slowly blooming in the middle of the dance floor, everyone started hating you even before knowing your name or family name.

But for prince Hendery, it’s a name that he will never forget and love starting that night.

From there on you and prince Hendery became the best of friends, making the whole town jealous and making everyone crave your attention, begging for you to answer the golden question which is, “Are you two in love with each other?” Something neither you nor Hendery can’t answer because you do love each other, but not deep enough.

Months and years have passed and still, you and prince Hendery please your mothers by being sweet whenever you have eyes watching. Balls, birthday parties, luncheons, soirées, all to which you and prince Hendery had a great time making everyone jealous. Like tonight, where prince Hendery should be right beside you because you are his guest but he is nowhere to be found. Until one of his guards came to you and told you, “Prince Hendery is asking for you in his bedroom, my lady” thankfully it was a whisper, or else it could have been a big scandal.

You have never stepped foot into prince Hendery’s room even though the two of you are incredibly close. No one can enter a royal bedroom except family, guards, maids, or his future fiancé. That’s why you were nervous while you continue to question yourself, ‘what are you doing here?’ until you found yourself in front of the prince’s bedroom and his guard opened the door for you.

“Are you going to marry me?” You asked after the guard shut the door, teasing your best friend and not coming any closer to him.

“Will you please come join me to bed? I’m sad” he pouted so cutely and lie on his side. “You look lovely tonight. The flowers I sent you this morning match your dress perfectly, I picked it from the garden where we first met” he added.

You giggle and told him to look at your head, there he saw a flower from the ones he sent you. “Creative,” he says and pats his bed one more, still asking for you to lie beside him. Of course, you gave up eventually, but you lie so far from him that he had to pull the sheets a little too harshly to get a hold of you which completely startled you and made you nervous. “Much better,” he says, face closer to you than ever that his breath touches your skin.

“No more games my prince, why did you summon me here?” you’ve never been close to Hendery like this. If the queen hears about this, you and your family will be in trouble.

“Nothing special, I just want to be free before I become the night's hot topic” he admitted.

“That's why I'm here. I promise to drag you away whenever someone is coming” He smiles at your effort to cheer him up, “or would you prefer dancing the whole night so we don't get disturbed?” you offered him a hug while you two lie in bed comfortably. “Everything will be fine as long as Im here” you added.

“Exactly, that's why I called you here” he smiles and closed his eyes, listening to the distant violin playing from downstairs. And to make him feel better, you threw away your shyness and rest your head on his chest. He automatically wraps his arms around you and giggled while his eyes were still closed. Secretly happy that you’re slightly on top of him while his embrace becomes tighter and tighter by the second until your face is much closer to his face again when he rolled on the side dragging your body with him.

Shyness creeps in your bones again as he looks at you deeply. Making your body incredibly warm by just looking at you and keeping your body close. You tell yourself, ‘look away, it’s improper to look at your prince like this’ but you can’t and you don’t want to.

“If I ask you to kiss me, will you say no to me?” he bravely asked, eyes hoping for you to say yes. But when you’re taking too long to answer, you saw the disappointment in his eyes, and his embrace was becoming loose. “I’m sorry for being a fool-“

To his surprise, you didn’t answer him through your words but through your actions. You kissed your prince friend on the lips which he returned without hesitation. He was happy and he’s proving it by the way he kisses you, smiling in between taking breaths, letting out a soft moan whenever he’s being too carried away. You didn’t expect to love the way how his lips touch yours, you didn’t expect him to be a good kisser but it was so good that when you closed your eyes you thought you were in a cloud and an angel is kissing you.

It was slow and not rushed. It is as if time stopped while your heads were turning and your tongues were fighting for dominance while no one noticed that your fingers are intertwined. When he pulled away and kissed your forehead to end the moment, he thanked you for not refusing and even asked you where did you learn to kiss like that. “I’m glad the first lips I ever kissed is owned by a woman who truly, cares for me” he smiles and kissed the back of your hand one too many times before he got up from his bed, and offered his hand to help you.

That night, while you and prince Hendery were kissing privately, something sparked inside him that he had never felt before. You may not know but during the party, prince Hendery noticed that you can be someone he can be in love with.

February 19

My dearest Y/n,

Have you been well? When can I see you again? Did you receive the flowers that I sent you and your mother? Perhaps I could pay you a visit and we can have a picnic somewhere private.

I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop thinking about the kiss we shared.

Prince Hendery

Days after that beautiful kiss, prince Hendery sent you beautiful flowers, one for each corner of your home that even your mother was impressed and had the wrong idea. Of course, she thought the prince is courting you and that sending you many expensive flowers is a sign that he is now ready to show his seriousness to you.

“May I see that letter, dear?” she reached out her hand, waiting for you to hand prince Hendery’s recent letter.

“Mother, I’m sure the prince will not be pleased with your idea," you said in the nicest way but the tone of your voice had a hint of begging. Why must she put you in this position? Your own mother. She walked slowly towards you and snatched the letter from your hand and watch your mother betray you in front of your eyes.

After reading, she was very much amused and happy by what she just read. “the kiss we shared, eh?” she said with a smirk. “Write back-“

“I will not” you talked back.

“Write back or I will” she said with a stern voice, “you are to write back and flatter the prince. Tell him you want to happen again, tell him to invite you again to one of his family’s events”

“Mother, I don’t talk like that”

“Whatever, just do as I say For our family’s name, for our family’s sake. Be useful like your sisters” she straightens up her posture and told you to go to your room and write the letter.

You thought that your mother understood the friendship that you have with Hendery but turns out she still wants to use you as bait and to get the attention of the royal family. It sickens you, to be honest. Because Hendery is a decent person, always nice to you and your family and also you love him dearly as a friend.

As you look at the blank paper and arrange your thoughts, trying so hard to talk like how your mother wants but you just can’t. So instead, you told him the truth and what your heart says.

February 19

Dear Prince Hendery,

You care for me always, I am well thank you for asking.

Apologies for not being around these days, I was catching up with some readings. I did receive the lovely flowers, they were very beautiful my mother was pleased.

I miss you awfully. And the private picnic you offered sounds wonderful and can be arranged for tomorrow.

Lady Y/n

“No mention of the kiss?” prince Hendery whined to his best friend Ten while he watches him clean his hands from their afternoon hunt.

“Maybe the story that you told me is just part of your imagination,” Ten laughed.

“It’s not. It’s much real- how can I bring this up to her again? I want it to happen again”

“Oh, you’re a spoiled prince. When will you change? Tell me my, friend, do you love her, or you’re willing to use her for your desperateness?” it was a bold question to open the eyes of the prince.

“I do love her but, it’s very little and I’m sure I’m driven by my lust” the prince admitted.

“Then court her. Feelings can grow and the next thing you know, you now have a queen. And your mother will be pleased”

Hendery shook his head to show his disappointment to his friend. He may be the prince but he believes that he’s not born in this world to merely please his mother but to follow what his heart really wants. Like to marry the one he loves.

On the next day, as promised, the prince planned a private picnic for just the two of you and it was perfect. Being with prince Hendery is like an escape from the reality of your home and for prince Hendery, being with you makes him feel normal. “The sun feels good, doesn’t it?” he put a strawberry in your mouth and watch you chew it while you lie comfortably on his lap.

Since when did you two start to exchange flirty glances? you asked yourself. But you shrugged it off and continue to mind your thoughts. You may not know but it’s obvious that your mind is not in this picnic and prince Hendery can see right through you, he knows something is bothering you so he asked you. “Nothing my prince, I’m just thinking and admiring the perfect weather,” you said with the slightest of interest.

“Why are you so proper when you’re writing to me or when you’re with me? What's the matter? Speak your mind your prince demands it,” he ate another strawberry and you got up from your comfortable position.

“That’s not fair,” you said because you can’t tell him what’s really on your mind.

“It was meant to be a joke, what’s wrong?”

He will never give up until you tell him something that will stop his curiosity, so you didn’t have a choice but to lie. “Having no suitors and my desire to escape from reality. That bothers me” you said and tried diverting your attention by indulging at the feast in front of you.

“Maybe there’s a reason for that. Look for a suitor that's very much like me” he says boldly, looking at you deeply like he’s telling you the answer is right in front of you already. And to be honest, a suitor that’s very much like the prince doesn’t sound so bad. He’s a gentleman, has good intentions, and also a good kisser.

“I will keep that in mind. Now read me poetry and tell me stories,” you went back to your comfort on his lap and listen to him talk while you two bask under the beautiful weather. He reads you tons of poetry that sounded real and full of emotions, tells you stories about his childhood and the things that he wants to do in life, even fed you with the palace gossips, and made you laugh. Again, the picnic is perfect and prince Hendery once again provided an escape from your ugly thoughts.

You watch the sun go down while you both finish the wine in your cups and eat the leftover cheese because there's nothing left anymore. Both a little tipsy from the wine already, laughing and giggling before midnight strikes then out of nowhere, the rain poured so hard that it got you both soaked in a matter of minutes.

Running hand in hand to look for a shade as the field becomes darker each second, good thing prince Hendery saw a thick tree that can provide shade in the meantime. With soaking clothes and wet skins you stand closely together behind the thick tree, waiting for the rain to stop. But the prince is thanking it silently for giving him this moment with you. A moment with you where he can admire you closely again, a moment with you privately where he can keep you close to him, and a moment with you where he can try and ask for a kiss again.

You’re not stupid. You can feel the warmth of his body like he’s sharing some of it to you, you can feel his fingertips dancing on your exposed back all the way to your nape, letting you feel the wetness of your skin which you very much love but you can’t admit it to yourself.

“You said you wanted an escape well I too,” he leaned forward to give your jaw a soft kiss that’s very much addicting, leaving you for wanting more. He pulled away to look at you for a few seconds, waiting for you to return the kiss and accept his offer. And without any hesitation, you kissed him on the lips and showed him what you want.

“An escape and nothing more-“ you said because giving the prince false hope is the last thing you want to happen.

“I understand, he says with a smile. Very much pleased to see you give in to him and his charms. He kissed you to show you how happy he is, reaching for your right leg and lift the skirt of your dress so he could feel the wetness of your skin further. You moaned and gasp sharply near his ear as you feel your leg locks automatically around his waist as he pushed you on the tree with a grunt and kiss you even more harshly.

Soon you feel his fingers creep in your inner thighs, closer than ever to your sex. “Hendery-“ you moaned when he finally swipes his finger on your sex, wetting his fingers in front of your eyes using his spit and putting it back to your sex and continue to make you feel good. He is holding you tightly as your grip on his shoulder tightens even more. Oh he knows what he’s doing. You smile at that thought while parting your lips, furrowing your brows, and moaning even more deliciously near the prince’s ear.

And while he continues what he’s doing to you, you felt something hard poking your other thigh while his lips were leaving marks on your chest, just right above your breast. Is that what you think it is? Well, if yes then his cock is big, and thinking about it makes you horny even more. “Are you happy?” he whispered, disturbing your lustful thoughts, nod your head yes, and returned your lips to his. Biting it and sucking his tongue, showing him that you are very much driven by lust too.

When he finally found the spot that instantly made your legs shake and your knees weak, he watched you let go right before his eyes and watch you bite your lips and make sinful sounds that he’s very much proud of. Satisfied with the pleasure that he provided, he removed his fingers from your hole and helped you fix your dress. You feel very tired and exhausted, that your legs are about to give up but Hendery will never let you fall. He kissed you more, asked for more and you gave him more until you’re both happy and satisfied with the long kisses that you shared. “Let me bring you home safely” he sweetly requested when he noticed that the rain was long gone and you’re in a middle of a dark field.

Walking hand in hand back to his carriage where his guards are waiting, you two remain unbothered with your wet clothes and stayed happy with the remaining time you have with each other on your way home. And when it’s finally time to part again, he thanked you for a wonderful day which made you incredibly shy as what happened earlier flashes in your mind.

As you settle in your bathroom, sitting on the tub filled with warm water, you can still hear Hendery’s sweet whispers and miss his touch terribly. Smiling through the idea of a gentleman such as Hendery touched you for the first time, and it was quite an experience. But still, you love him as a friend and that will never change because you will not let your mother win and use Hendery’s name to up the status of your family.

He offered you an escape, and that’s what you’re accepting. No more, no less.

February 23

Dearest Y/n,

I am lying to myself if I don’t admit that I miss your lips on mine. How I miss seeing your parted lips, touch the softness of your breast, and the wetness of your sex. I’ve been thinking about you every night since we parted ways after that eventful evening we shared.

But the purpose of this letter is to invite you to my uncle’s ball this evening and accompany me, be my guest and let’s enjoy the night.

Prince Hendery

Knowing that the prince misses you and your lips, is something that can surely make you smile while writing back to him and accept his invitation. Sealing the letter with the slightest of love but flowery words that will surely make him smile too.

This action can be accepted as playing with fire but no one reads your letters aside from the prince himself so you know that whatever you say to him will always be safe.

But right after you sent the letter, you regret writing those filthy words on paper and realized that you are sending it to your best friend.

February 23

Dear Hendery,

The invitation is accepted and I will be delighted to accompany you. But before I close this letter, I want you to know the truth about my impure thoughts.

I think of you at night whenever I touch myself. Imagine that your fingers are the ones inside me and not mine, I spread my legs so wide under the sheets, eyes closed while I try to remember how you please me.

When can we meet privately again? I hope it happens again soon.

Lady Y/n

As expected, while reading the letter that you wrote back privately, the prince’s cock got hard that he had to take care of it at once. So in his quiet room where the doors are locked, he sat on the edge of his bed and pull out his cock from his trousers. Stroking it slowly as he imagines you again, teasing himself so he wouldn’t release so soon.

Holding the letter in his left hand and reading the second phrase over and over again, trying so hard to picture you in his thoughts with your nightgown lifted all the way up until your sex is exposed and you touching yourself. Closing his eyes so tight while he strokes his cock faster than before as he pictures you gripping the sheets so hard and very much near to your orgasm.

Until finally he shoots his cum and lets it drip on his sheets, moaning and grunting deliciously as he enjoys the warm feeling while catching his breath. Wondering how can he control his lustful feelings towards you and turn it to love.

When the most awaited time has arrived and Hendery’s carriage is waiting outside your house, you didn’t quite expect to feel nervous as this never happened to you before. He was quiet and smiling handsomely when you sat in front of him, waiting for his carriage to move before he does as well.

“You look beautiful as always,” he sat beside you and completely startled you with his actions. A kiss on your gloved hand, and a kiss on your lips.

During the ball, Hendery was busy gracing the place with his presence on behalf of his mother so the two of you did not have much time to talk and dance, although he promised to dance with you once for tonight and that is perfectly fine for you understand his duties.

So while you’re drinking a glass of white wine on the corner, you can’t help but think and foresee the future that you can have with Hendery if you let your mother succeed.

A comfortable life, the wife of the future king, a loving husband, of course, he will give you children, but he will always be away to take care of the country’s current affairs because he is the crowned prince. And you well know that you don’t want a life like that. You want a life where a husband goes home to you every night and makes love to you until you're exhausted and tired.

“I’m sorry” Hendery whispered from behind which startled you. “Are you ready to dance?” you gave him your hand and guide you towards the middle. Careful to put his hand on your waist, trying so hard not to pull you towards him and plant many kisses on your neck.

“I read your letter” he started and completely clueless about your regret about it. You gave him a shy smile and looked away.

“So?” he started again, hoping to hear a response from you this time.

“So what my prince?”

“Do you still want my fingers inside you?” He teases, whispering beside your ear and smiling as if he’s not making you shy in the middle of the dance floor.

“I beg you-“

“Oh, she begs” He interrupted you and teased you further. But that’s not all, you feel his hand roam on your lower back, bravely did it still despite being guarded with many judging and watchful eyes. Slowly your patience with your friend is wearing thin and so you stared at him long and hard and thankfully he understood what your eyes were saying and stopped teasing you.

“Thank you for shutting up and remembering that you’re a prince,” you clear your throat and continue what you were saying earlier, “your fingers do felt rather nice inside me and... I wish what happened the other night would happen again. But Hendery I beg you, do not tease me like this because someone might hear you. At least talk softly,”

The prince let out a small laugh, so small that only you can hear it while he continues to dance with you and fool everyone for pretending that you’re having an innocent conversation.

“After what happened I can’t seem to forget how you purred beside my ear that night” he stared at you, holding your lower back to assist you more on the dance. “Your tight grips on my shoulders still ghosts my skin, how you say my name as if I am not a prince. But it came out from your mouth in a very sinful way because I am pleasuring you”

“I made those sounds, those sounds that you oh so loved because you knew what you’re doing in between my legs... Hendery” you said it as quietly as possible and smiled so innocently at your prince, feeling every turn and every step became closer than required. Bodies becoming warm in less than a minute that you even felt his skin became instantly hot.

“If you loved how I sound that night, well, I love how you pushed me behind that tree your grace... because I felt your manhood poke my thigh. And my my,” you shook your head from left to right and giggle beside his ear, then decided to stop teasing him and making him hornier than ever when you heard him clear his throat and see the blush on his face.

“The next time we are to be alone again, I want your lips to never leave mine, your body never be covered by layers and layers of silk, and always keep your body close to mine because next time, my fingers won’t be the only one going inside you”

The promise of a very sinful and lustful next time instantly made you feel hot and you feel like your dress is about to pop and your corset will give up in no time. But even though it sounded like it was all about lust, the promise of seeing each other alone again because he loves your presence made your heart swell with happiness and smile from ear to ear as he sways you slowly under a fading string quartet music from the background.

“I never want the song to end, I beg you, not as your prince but as Hendery, keep close to me. Please”

You didn’t want to ruin the moment and feel every note of that beautiful song come to an end. This time you’re no longer fooling anyone, you are simply showing that you adore each other in the middle of the dance floor with a sea of young people.

“Tell me, what else do you love your grace?” You asked him just before you part from the dance and bow.

“You. I love you”

Usually, when someone confesses their love to someone, positive reactions are expected from both persons. And when Hendery said it out of nowhere he wanted to take it back in an instant because it is not sincere and it is not true. Yet.

“Take it back, you don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t love me” it was so hard to breathe at the moment. But you say it over and over again, very close to being mad but you can't make a scene “Please Hendery, take it back it’s not true and what you’re feeling is lust not love” you said sternly completely offending the prince with the truth.

“Alright, alright I take it back. I’m sorry, I’ll get you a glass of water. Come”

And so, the lovely night has ended earlier than expected. Hendery brought you home safely without a promise of seeing each other soon again.

Everything changed and it’s all because of lust.

March 2

To my dearest prince Hendery,

It’s been many days since the last time that we saw each other. Are you mad at me?

Word is spreading that you’re leaving the country for several weeks to attend an important meeting representing your mother. Is it true? Were you planning to tell me?

Please write back and meet me soon. I miss you.

Lady Y/n

After reading your letter and keeping it safe in his drawer, prince Hendery admitted to himself first that he misses you too, and that no he’s not mad at you. He’s just humiliated and he’s not yet ready to show his face.

It’s his mistake in the first place. He promised to offer you an escape, no more no less. “Unbelievable Hendery,” he murmurs to himself.

After a few days of self-pity and gathering his courage to face you again, he finally gave in to your request and meet you. He apologized while you two walk around town with his guards on the side, ate lunch at his favorite restaurant, and chat until your hearts are happy. Everything felt normal again, you can hear people starting to gossip about you and Hendery so you figured all is well between you and him.

“Tomorrow is my last night here, please accompany me. My mother insisted to host a ball, I told her no need but she still made preparations” he scoffed and finished the tea he’s drinking.

You didn’t want to ruin the mood and ruin the peace between you two but you have to tell him the truth, “Xiaojun- uh, asked me to accompany him and I accepted his offer,”

“Well, you could have said no. Didn’t you thought of me?” his voice was suddenly higher and stern. He wanted to shout at you but you don’t deserve that, you’re very much important to him so he won’t do that.

“I’m sorry my prince” you murmured and lowered your head.

“Don’t lower yourself for me. I think so highly of you, please” he reached for your hand kissed your knuckles, “It’s alright. My cousin is good company” he says, comforting you further.

When you and Hendery parted ways and while the prince is on his way home, he finally admitted to himself that he is jealous. Jealous because he knew you and his cousin Xiaojun used to like each other, and now he’s clueless if you still like each other.

He can’t eat properly and kept thinking if he should steal you from his cousin. He can’t sleep despite being so tired physically and kept thinking about how he’s not spending his last night here with you.

And when his last night in town comes, during the ball, Hendery is forcing himself to smile and greet his guests. Trying so hard not to look at you and his cousin Xiaojun for he doesn’t know if he can control himself from being jealous.

“Unaccompanied, huh?” Ten teases Hendery and looked around the place for you. Only to find out that you came with his cousin, “Ah... I see” Ten smirks and continues drinking his wine.

“I’m jealous so go ruin someone else's night-“

“No my friend, I’m here to rescue you,” he whispers and called someone from afar. “Prince Hendery I want you to meet my cousin Lady Lisa,” the beautiful lady bowed to the prince to give respect, complimented the prince, and soon earned his attention and invited her to dance.

Of course, a royal attraction such as Hendery with a different woman in the dance floor can awaken the gossipers in an instant. But it's not the gossipers that irritate you the most. It’s her giggles, Hendery’s hold on her waist, his beautiful smile when he talks to her-

“Are you alright dearest?” Xiaojun whispers, completely bringing you back to reality. You breathed in deeply and exhaled sharply before drinking your wine in one go.

“Excuse me for a moment, I need air and privacy” you request from the gentleman in front of you. Nodding with a lot of questions in his mind, Xiaojun did not even dare to stop you.

And away you go to the palace gardens to breathe and let out your jealousy. Breathing deeply over and over again, wishing to be separated from the corset that’s suffocating you. Until you finally calmed down and had the need to admire the stars in the sky and listen to the distant chatters from the ball.

“Did my cousin offended you? Violated you perhaps? Are you hurt?”

Hendery came out looking for you immediately when he did not see you by his cousin’s side. He knew that this is the only place you will go to breathe because this is where he first met you.

“No no, I’m fine. Your cousin is a gentleman like you, I just needed some fresh air. Go back to your guests” you shoo him away and suddenly you feel suffocated again.

“I care only about one guest. And she’s standing in front of me right now” Hendery says boldly, walking towards you and pulled you close by the waist and kissed you. Motioning you deeper into the gardens to hide while you share a heated kiss that’s saying, ‘we belong to each other’.

Soon the heated kiss becomes rougher while the prince’s hands roam freely around your body, undoing your dress, trying to free you from this tight corset, and said, “Make love to me tonight”

There was no sign of authority in what he said, you’re sure that it’s not a command from your prince, his voice was serious but full of love and passion. And that’s why you agreed, nod your head and kiss him again, and felt his charming smile in between the kiss.

Not even a single soul from the guests knew that he sneaked you to his bedroom again, dismissed the guards before shutting the door close and locking it.

The room was dark and cold and only the moonlight and the lights from the outside illuminates his room. But when his lips touched your skin again, suddenly it became hot and you feel weak while Hendery is the opposite because you noticed he’s full of energy and burning passion.

“Lie in bed,” he says sweetly but his actions say otherwise for he pushed you, hovers you, and continue removing your clothes. X by X he loosens your corset until you’re finally free and you’re all exposed in front of him. “Better?” He asks and you nod shyly.

When he proceeds to remove his clothes next, it is as if your shyness faded when you saw Hendery’s body in the dark but everything seems clear to you even with minimal light. “Can I spread your legs?” he asks, caressing your knee while he lies beside you and waiting for your consent.

Slowly and gently, he parted your legs and hovers you again, hands exploring around your body without barriers of cloth, kneading your breast while kissing your neck as you listen to him breathe and moan. And when his hands continue to explore your inner thighs, a sharp gasp escaped from your mouth and you spread your legs wider. This time, it’s your turn to feel his naked body and explore it with your hands. Feeling every muscle tighten whenever he makes you moan accidentally.

Then he stopped. Came closer to you until you’re bodies to bodies and his forehead rests on your temple.

You know exactly what’s going to happen next. You knew that it will hurt, and it did but you asked for more, begged rather. You see his handsome face contort when he finally pushed inside you, loving your tight walls, moaning like a mad man. He lifts both of your hand at the top of your head and witness him look at you with eyes full of lust that watches your breasts bounce up and down for every thrust he gives you.

For someone who’s inexperienced like your prince, he surely knew what he was doing. Folding your legs and pushing them closer to your chest so he could thrust deeper. Even he surprises himself.

With quick thrusts, filthy words here and there, and deeper kisses you finally reached your euphoria and moaned his name again. Something he oh so loved hearing and that made him lose his mind and let go. Pulled out immediately and shoots his cum on the sheet, while grunting and moaning so loud that you didn’t even know he’s capable of making such sounds.

When he’s finally calm and has enough energy to move, he gathered the ruined sheets, threw them on the floor, and covered you with the thicker ones. “What happened was special, don’t you think?” He asks and joined you under the thick sheets and kept you close to his still exposed body.

“Special indeed,” you said and reached for his lips to plant a soft kiss.

Now you know that you do have feelings for him.

“I want you to take this, as a promise that I will soon be home” you watch him remove his silver necklace and transfer it around your neck, leaving sweet kisses on your shoulders before pulls away. He promised to come home soon so he can replace the necklace with something even more expensive when he gets back. “Oh I wish to see you more like this wearing nothing but my necklace”

“Then don’t go. Stay here, the world will not go into war if you chose to stay” He smiles so sweetly at you, happy that you’re on the same page.

“Just for a couple of weeks, my love” he says and kissed your hand many times.

“So we're in love, huh?” You tease him.

He scoffed and looked deeply into your eyes, “I think we started being in love on the night first met. We were too young to think about love but I know we loved each other for years now”

And just like that, after years and years of going against your mother, you’re finally defeated because what Hendery said is true.

On the next morning, you and your prince spend the whole morning making love quietly and making sure that your time left with each other is not wasted. Exploring each other’s bodies further and diving headfirst to lust.

“Please “ you giggle quietly, covering your mouth as you moan with every flick of his tongue on your clit. You both came several times now and you feel so weak already in the middle of the morning. “You need to prepare,” you reminded him before he starts again and asks for one last. Finally, you feel him spread kisses on your body all the way up until his head appears from the thick sheets.

When the time of parting has finally come, he put you on a carriage first before he leaves. “You’re going to be a great king” and he wishes for you to be beside him always and forever. “Safe travels, my love. Write to me every day” you whisper to him and kiss him before you go inside the carriage.

“Expect love letters from now on. I’ll be home soon, think of me always” he says and kissed you goodbye.

The promise of receiving love letters from Hendery every day was kept. You read them in the morning when you wake up and at night before you sleep. Smiling like a fool and giggling alone as you remember his sweet words and miss him even more.

This has been yet your happiest time with Hendery. Although you’re not together physically, but through the continuous exchanges of love letters, your hearts felt closer than before. And you find it amazing because being oceans apart from each other should be hard and heartbreaking but no, your words and his words give comfort to your hearts.

March 10

To my love who’s oceans apart from me,

My heart longs for you and I miss your presence.

The country is treating me well with their good hospitality and pays high respect to my mother the queen. It feels like I’m on vacation rather than an important royal matter.

It’s morning here and I’m sitting by the beautiful garden with beautiful flowers as I write this letter and think of you. Now that it’s clear that we are deeply in love, I realized that I am in love with my best friend and the mere thought of it makes me blush and makes me smile naturally.

I think of you every second my love, imagining you reading a book in front of me or sleeping right beside me in my huge bed. I want to wake up and see your smile first thing in the morning or feel your warmth for as long as I want. But let us not worry for time will pass by so fast and we will be together again.

When I get back, we should have more picnics, share longer kisses, make love every night. Let us never let go of each other.

I love you.

Hendery

March 15

To my loving prince,

My heart aches for you too but your words give great comfort to my heart. This distance between us is nothing compared to our patience.

I am more than glad that the country is treating you well. Tell me everything you do there, I miss your stories. You’re going to be a great king and I wish you won’t forget to take care of yourself there. Eat plenty and rest when needed. My heart won’t take it if you get sick or become tired.

As promised, I always think of you too. My head is so full of you that you visit me in my dreams more often than usual. And I too my prince, want to see your charming smile in the morning and even at night.

Stretch your patience more my love. When you get back, I will never leave your side. But for now, I am happily and patiently waiting for your return.

I love you.

From the woman you love who’s oceans apart from you.

And for days and days of being apart, you and Hendery exchanged love letters and make each other smile through the paper. You tell him stories and gossips from home and he tells you stories and gossips from the country he’s staying.

“My prince, I brought bad news” The voice of his royal guard disturbed his peace while reading one of your letters. “How dare you ruin my peace, what now?” he says, still smiling from the letter he’s reading.

“Your stay here is extended, my prince” the royal guard informed him and did not dare to look his prince in the eye for he knew it will make him angry. “Your presence is requested at a royal gathering that your mother can’t attend to” he added.

And right then and there, Hendery thought about you and wanted to tell you the news immediately. He wrote as fast as he could and told his guard to send the letter immediately for Hendery was scared and disappointed with himself to give you false hope.

April 30

My dearest prince whom I love,

I waited for your arrival but you did not come. For days I was worried and could not eat or sleep well and all I did was think of you. Pray that you’re safe and wait patiently for you.

But now that I have received your letter I can finally stop worrying and stop imagining unpleasant scenarios. How are you?

I miss you terribly.

Y/n

May 20

My love,

Thank you for understanding further.

My purpose and responsibility here are becoming more tiring each day that passes but the promise of seeing you once I’m done here is the only thought that gives me energy.

Unpleasant scenarios? Imagine only me showering you with love, imagine us strolling across town and shock the gossipers and silence them once and for all when we finally announce our relationship.

Think only happy thoughts, my love, I will be with you soon.

I love you.

Hendery.

And that is the last letter you received from him for the month of May.

Hendery was told that someone is plotting to assassinate him and for his own safety, he has to leave the country secretly and go to a country where no one knew he is there. Even you.

For your own safety, Prince Hendery stopped writing you letters for the assassins can and might track you because of him. He will not forgive himself if you are to be tracked and hurt by an assassin because of a love letter.

Little did you know that he did not send his last letter on the 20th of May, and a very heartfelt love letter is on its way to you.

“A normal mail? For me? Not from the royal mail?” the mailman nods and hands you the letter.

“Put it on the basket together with the normal mails dear,” your mother said. Oh this house completely has no care about any other letter unless it’s sealed by the royals.

As weeks and months pass by quickly, you continue to wait for a letter from Hendery, and continue to wait for his arrival. But sadness had you by the neck that whenever you think about Hendery your heart will suddenly hurt and tears will automatically fall from your eyes.

Waiting is a long suffering and you understand that well before you decided to love Hendery. You knew what you signed up for… but you did not expect that it will hurt like hell while waiting for someone. It’s like waiting for a ghost to come back, you feel hopeless.

But even though you’re hurting so much, you grew more desperate to hear anything from him that you asked for his cousin Xiaojun’s help. Still, your efforts are wasted. And you’re reminded why you didn’t want to pursue your love with Hendery in the first place. “The pain that I’m feeling right now will double once he is crowned king, I’m sure of it. Is it wrong for me to ask for the man that I love? Why am I being punished?” you cry your heart out in Xiaojun’s arms, keeping you safe while he listens to what pains you and try so hard to provide comfort.

But just as you thought that you couldn't be any sadder, you are wrong. Now that everyone is expecting you to marry soon to save your family and fix the financial problem, sadder days continue to happen in your life.

“Stop your nonsense now young lady, you will marry prince Xiaojun and live with him in a new country. Stop humiliating your family and stop waiting for the crowned prince to come back. He may be all wedded and bedded by this time while you, you’re becoming even more miserable”

And that is the reason why you agreed to marry prince Xiaojun.

YEARS LATER

One night at the queen’s ball, you found yourself alone and looking at the stars again on the exact place you and Hendery first met. Breathing in, breathing out, and closing your eyes as you clear your mind and think about Hendery.

“What are you thinking about?”

You hear someone ask you from behind, you’re not sure who he is because your eyes are still closed but it can only be Xiaojun because he’s the one who knew where to find you.

But perhaps no. There’s another man who always knew where to find you even without telling him.

“Open your eyes my love, I’m home”

You turned around in an instant, looked at his face, and suddenly tears started to fall from your eyes, you can’t move and all you can do is cry. You have so many questions to him, so many sincere words left unsaid, but all you said right now is, “are you real? Or my mind is betraying me once again?”

“I am very much real,” Hendery says and gave you a tight hug, lifting you off the ground and kissing you as many as he pleases to make up for last time.

“I don’t understand, why did you leave me like that?”

“Didn’t you receive my letter?” he asks, wondering why are you so clueless when he is completely sure he told you everything. “Maybe it never reached you, I’m sorry. But now I’m back, come now let’s announce our love to my mother and ask for her blessing so we could marry soon” he was very excited but you are not.

How can you be excited? You’re already married.

Is it possible for a person to leave you and come back many years later then suddenly asked he wants to marry you as if you did not suffer greatly from waiting and being sad for months?

You remove your hand from his tight grasp and saw the ring. Now, everything is clear to him but he is very angry.

“Please don’t be mad-“ you begged.

“How could you- If only that letter reached to you, then you will know why I’m very mad right now!” He shouted at you, face turning red, eyes with tears on the side. “We were separated for years, give me a chance. Please come back to me. You told me you love me”

“And you told me you will come home! But they were only words, Hendery. And I do love you, still love you but I have a duty for my family and you have a duty for your country” He refuses to listen but you knew he needed to know the truth from you, “Please understand that you were gone for years, and I was arranged to be married to Xiaojun. I said no to Xiaojun for as long as I could, hurting him over and over again because I was waiting for you like a fool. Love someone with a strong heart, whose love is unconditional. Not like me. I can't turn my back on Xiaojun just because you're back”

"But you turned your back on me, just because I was away"

"I waited!" you shouted frustratingly back at him.

“Are you happy with him? Do you love him?”

Slowly you walked towards him to dry his tears with your hand and he’s quick to catch it kiss it before he finally lets you go.

“I am happy and no, I don’t love him but he loves me”

He nods his head slowly. Heartbroken and afraid to let go but what can he do now?

“Before I let you go, I want to let you know that... I asked you to marry me too. The man you love still asked you to marry him” he hugged you once again so you won’t see him cry because he doesn’t want you to remember him like this. “Why must our love should end tragically? I am not close to being happy but it’s good to know that you are”

He dries his tears and tried to stop crying for a moment so he can say his goodbye properly. “Go back to my cousin he must be waiting for you now. I will stay here, I will be fine. Go, it’s getting cold”

When you gave him what he asked you to do, he turned around and did not watch you leave for he doesn’t want to see you walking away from him.

Love is sacrifice and he understands that all too well now.

May 27

Dear Y/n,

This letter will reach to weeks or maybe months after I send it through a normal mail. I am being hunted down in this country that I’m staying and I have to hide and leave secretly with my guards for my own protection.

The assassins can track me through the royal mail and can use you as bait to find me. I will never forgive myself if that is to happen. I know you understand my situation right now because that’s how much you love me, let’s extend our patience together and meet when it’s safe. I am sorry my love but this is the only way.

But enough about the bad news. Last night I had the most beautiful dream because you’re in it and we are living peacefully in a country away from my responsibilities. The dream was short but it made me imagine a life with you and gave me the courage to ask your hand in marriage.

Will you marry me, when I get home?

I promise to be a good and loving husband while being a king and fulfilling my duties. I promise to never be away when you need me for I know that family is very important to you.

In the morning when you wake up and until you close your eyes to rest at night, I am going to be your husband and not your king.

I love you. Wait for me to get home safe and you will be loved by the man you love.

Hendery

#nct-writers #neowritingsnet #kpopscape #cznnet #neosmutcollective #kwritersworldnet #kdiner #nct smut #wayv smut #hendery #hendery smut #hendery x reader #nct x reader #wayv x reader #hendery fluff #hendery angst #wayv angst #wayv fluff

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flowerpowell · 3 years

Text

The Royal Holiday Romance (Liam x MC)

EPILOGUE

A/N: Ahhh the last chapter and the last peek into Victoria’s and Liam’s lives! I was supposed to finish this series before Christmas but... better late than never, huh? I hope you’ll enjoy the epilogue!

Rating: G

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @twinkleallnight @lodberg @sfb123 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @iaminlovewithtrr @kingliam-rys @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @gkittylove99 @shanzay44 @sweatyrysconnoisseur ❣

“Li, you sure you don’t wanna come?”

Liam nodded, assuring his friends once again that he made up his mind and wasn’t going to change it.

Maxwell sighed. “As you wish. You’re gonna regret it though. I even wore my squid suit! The one that made Hana fall for me.”

“Hana never fell for you, Maxwell.” Drake rolled his eyes. “She just said it was a nice suit.”

“Whatever. She invited us to that party after all!”

Liam looked absentmindedly at his friends. Hana and the rest of the crew finished filming a week ago and they celebrated it with a big wrap-up party. She invited him and his friends but Liam didn’t feel like coming. Mostly because he still felt bad for almost firing Victoria from said movie. But also because she wasn’t going to be there. There was no point for him to go.

When Drake and Maxwell left, Liam went into his bedroom and opened his laptop.

It was almost four months since he saw and talked to Victoria. She went home right before Christmas and it was already March. To say he missed her every day, was an understatement.

Not much changed for him; Liam kept himself busy with work and all his duties. He knew Maxwell and Drake were worried about him but he kept telling them he was okay.

He allowed himself moments of weakness only in the night. He would google Victoria’s name and read what she had been up to. After leaving Cordonia, she set up her own blog and started her film critic career online. Maybe because of the scandal but mostly because she was very talented, she soon found a big audience and started being invited to different events, premieres and interviews. Liam was very proud of her and very happy for her. But reading all of that, made him miss her even more. The fact that she didn’t want to come to the wrap-up party, as well as the Cordonian premiere in a few months, was a clear proof she wasn’t thinking about him the way he thought about her.

Liam sighed as he saw an article titled: Victoria Brooks refuses to attend the premiere of ‘Cordonian Christmas’ in the light of the scandal.

Even though he explained everything what happened, he still was guilty of causing the scandal. He wasn’t surprised she didn’t want to come to Cordonia after all that happened. And he wasn’t surprised she didn’t want to keep in touch with him.

It was all his fault.

~~~~

“Greetings from the wrap-up partyyyyy”

Victoria looked at the picture Hana just sent her. She and Maxwell seemed to have a lot of fun. Victoria even spotted Drake sipping on his drink. No sight of Liam, though.

Not like she would expect him to be there. Hana had told her that Liam avoided leaving the palace since… she left Cordonia.

Victoria blamed the scandal and all that negative attention that Liam got afterwards for his antisocial behavior but Hana straightforwardly told her that it was because he tried to get over her.

She wasn’t sure what to think about it. Were his feeling actually genuine? It wasn’t just a game? Was a King really… into her?

“Don’t go there,” Victoria warned herself. What happened, happened. It’d been almost four months since they spoke last. High time to move on.

So why did Victoria feel like there was something missing?

~~~~

Liam was playing with his phone after checking his emails. He looked at his drafts folder and sighed seeing at lest fifty different emails he wrote to Victoria. Wrote but never sent.

He wondered if she thought about him. Even if just for a second.

“If she did, it would be pretty negative thoughts, I’m sure.” He thought to himself and put his phone away. It was pointless. No matter how bad he wanted to forget about Victoria, he couldn’t.

He still felt just as in love with her as he was four months ago.

~~~~

Victoria was playing with her phone after reading comments under her newest blog post. She checked her emails but nothing new came.

What was she waiting for, though? For an email from Liam?

“He closed that chapter. You should, too,” she thought to herself as she put her phone away. It was pointless. No matter how bad she wanted to move on, she couldn’t.

For some reason, the butterflies she felt when thinking about Liam didn’t die even after those four months.

~~~~

“It’s so nice to see you, Liam.” Hana smiled and greeted the King. He nodded and shook her hand.

“Likewise. I’ve heard the wrap-up party was a success.”

“It was… nice. We missed you,” she said and Liam could almost hear that silent and Victoria too but he didn’t say anything. It was his fault she couldn’t even come here.

“Maybe you could talk to him, Hana. He said he won’t come to the premiere!” Maxwell chipped in and Liam rolled his eyes. Hana’s face softened.

“You really should. I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t but it’d be nice to see you there.”

“I’ll think about it,” he promised. When Maxwell and Drake entered the throne room, Liam followed suit but Hana stopped him, gently grabbing his arm.

“Can we talk? Alone?” She added.

“Is something wrong?” His mind immediately wandered to Victoria. Did something happen to her?

“No… No. But… I wanted talk to you about Tori, if I may.” She started and Liam’s heart began to race. He nodded.

“I don’t approve of how you treated her with your lies and dishonesty. And I don’t blame Victoria for being upset with you and wanting to leave. But… I also know you regret it. And I know that you didn’t want to deceive her. Listen, Liam. I’ve known you for many years now and I know you’re a good person. We all make mistakes. And you… already redeemed yours. And I think Tori would agree.”

“I am really sorry for what I have done. Truly. If I could turn back time—” Liam started. Why was Hana bringing it up now?

“I wasn’t trying to make you apologize for something you’ve already apologized for. I’m just trying to ask… why did you give up on Victoria?”

Liam was taken aback. He gave up on her?

“I don’t think I understand… I didn’t give up on her… She left!”

“Yes, but that was four months ago. Even very stubborn people like Tori soften in that time.”

“What… are you getting at?” He was confused and Hana shook her head.

“I’m saying… if you really like her, which I see you do, you should’ve fought for her. She forgave you a long time ago and she misses you just as much.”

“She told you that?”

“She didn’t have to. I hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes every time we talk. Just like I see you still love her in yours.”

Liam stared at Hana. “You… think… I should—”

Hana chuckled. “When Cinderella left Prince Charming in the palace after the ball, he didn’t just accepted his fate and tried to move on. He started looking for her and fought for their future. Because he truly loved her.”

“And Cinderella’s two sisters lost their feet in the process,” he added absentmindedly.

“I see Tori educated you too on original fairytales?”

“Yes.” he smiled. Victoria had a bigger impact on his life than he even thought.

“Then why don’t you just go for her, huh? She doesn’t have any sisters so don’t worry about that part. Call her, message her. Fight for her! I’m sure she’s waiting for it, too…”

~~~~

Liam stared at the ceiling, rewinding the conversation he had with Hana earlier that day. If Victoria really forgave him and was waiting for his sign…

Hana told him he should call or message her but Liam wasn’t sure it was a good idea. When it came to Victoria Brooks, he wanted to make it right.

And he could only hope it wasn’t too late.

~~~~

Victoria hit enter and her newest post appeared at the top of the blog. She quickly turned off her computer and decided to go for a walk. It was her routine. After posting something, she was too scared to wait for people’s reactions so she always went for a walk.

“What you’re up to?”

Victoria marveled at the message Hana sent her. It wasn’t the fact that Hana messaged her because the two women kept in touch, but it was four in the morning in Cordonia and Tori wondered why Hana was up.

“Just went for a walk. Wbu?” She typed and the answer came right away.

“Where?”

Victoria frowned. What was going on with Hana?

“That little forest a few minutes away from my apartment. Why are you asking?”

“Nevermind, enjoy your walk!”

Now Victoria was concerned. She tried to call Hana but her phone was turned off. Or she simply didn’t want to answer her calls.

She was walking in the forest, trying to call Hana from time to time but without success.

“Fine! Be mysterious!” She yelled at her phone after tenth time Hana didn’t pick up.

“Is that what actresses do? Talk to themselves?”

Victoria turned so abruptly that Liam had to catch her. Her eyes widened at the sight of Liam, King Liam, in a little forest in her hometown.

“What—what are you doing?” she asked, still in shock.

“You visited Cordonian forests and I wanted to visit American,” he replied calmly.

“Ha ha. No one ever comes here. And how did you—” she narrowed her eyes. “Hana.”

“Don’t be angry with her. I wanted to make sure I’d meet you. Poor Hana, I had to wake her up in the middle of the night.”

“Why are you here?” She asked, her heart and mind racing. She couldn’t believe he was here. Here in America. Here, for her.

“To see you. To talk to you. To tell you how much I miss you. Victoria, I—I missed you so much. I never felt this way for anyone else. And I am so sorry it took me months before I finally came here to tell you that. I wanted to call you every single day. I’m still…” he paused for a moment. “I’m still very much in love with you.”

“Liam…” she felt her eyes started to water. “I missed you, too. And I’m sorry for what I said to you before I left.”

“No, you were right. I made a mistake. And I promise to never lie to you again. What was between us… was real. And I want that. If you’re still interested.”

Victoria swallowed hard and felt tears running down her cheeks. “I’m still interested.”

Liam smiled and extended his hand. “Hello. My name is Liam and I am the King of a small European country, Cordonia. I love Baklava and I’ve recently started reading Grimm’s fairytales. I still think they’re actually thrillers. In my free time, I like to go for walks. Four months ago, I fell deeply in love with the most amazing woman. And you?”

She laughed. “I’m Victoria and I’m a movie critic. I have my own blog. I used to be an actress but it wasn’t for me. I’ve never had Baklava but it sounds delicious. I consider Grimm’s fairytales better than their Disney’s adaptations. I once traveled to Cordonia and fell in love with their King. Nice to meet you.”

Liam’s face lit up and she threw her hands around his neck. She didn’t know how they would make it work, what it would look like dating a King, what the people would say but she didn’t care.

For the first time in her life, she felt like the main character in her own fairytale.

---------------END----------------

#the royal romance #choices #playchoices #king liam #liam x mc #king liam x mc #the royal heir #choices trr #trr #my fics

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haga-grimalkin · 4 years

Text

Mandrake & Menstrual Blood: 10 Medieval Love Potion Recipes and Ingredients

Article from historyanswers.co.uk

The potion was of such a nature that any man and woman who drank it together could by no means leave each other for four years, However much they might want to refrain, they had to love each other with their whole being as long as they lived.

In the strictly gendered world of Medieval Europe, love magic – real or imagined – was an obsession. When sorcerous scandals erupted at the highest levels of society, love magic was often involved and it was women who bore the brunt of the blame for calling on charms or potions to win the heart of a disinterested beau, inflame or diminish the libido, or ease along the politically vital business of producing an heir.

Part of this is undeniably rooted in misogyny or envy flashing its daggers at women who were seen as having unnatural influence over their husband (see the frustrating fates of Isabella of Angouleme or Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen), or left a powerful man humiliated and looking for someone to blame (such as Blanche II of Navarre, who was held responsible for her husband’s impotence).

But while a source of imagined moral panic and threatened masculinity, love potions were a fact of life and their use – or perceived use – is reflected in romantic epics, folklore, herbals and legal records.

Rather than being the exclusive domain of crones in lonely shepherding huts, these folk rituals and folk remedies were more likely passed along by mothers to their children to cure broken hearts or revive floundering marriages. As likely to be rooted in the trial and error of early medicine as they were rural superstition, many of the herbal ingredients were could also be found lacing the aphrodisiacs discreetly prescribed by court physicians to their listless masters… not that a learned interest in the healing power of herbs was a surefire defence against accusations of witchcraft.

1. Mandrake

Known for its properties as an aphrodisiac as far back as Biblical times, mandrake (or mandragora) remained a popular ingredient in love magic throughout the middle ages and is still used for that purpose in some areas of the world today. Said to resemble the human form, with both male and female plants, there was one drawback – the plant was said to shriek when pulled up, causing madness or death to the seeker unless proper precautions were taken and the rituals for safe handling varied from place to place. As well as ingested in accordance with myriad recipes , it could also be worn as a fertility amulet.

2. Human Remains

Powdered bone, pubic hair and menstrual blood were just some of the gruesome ingredients a love-seeker could be required to provide in order to ensure their spell was a success, and it was especially potent if something from both the seeker and the object of desire was included. One known spell required rather specifically both the bone marrow and spleen of a murdered boy! Menstrual blood, of course, reflects the gendered nature of love magic and in 1320 the Cathar noblewoman Béatrice de Planisoles was hauled before a bishop to face charges of witchcraft. In her possession were – amongst other “objects, strongly suggestive of having been used by her to cast evil spells” – linen soaked with the first menstrual blood of her daughter, to be drunk by the daughter’s husband to seal his affections.

3. Henbane

4. Consecrated Host

With a sinister reputation, both for use by witches and also to deprive one of her powers, this herb was also thought to attract love when worn and had narcotic properties when ingested, making it a fixture in various Medieval medicines. It could be used to bind a couple together in love, and to ensure that the love would last. This ingredient should be used with great caution however, as it was also known to cause delirium and death.

5. Honey

The power of this vital element of the Holy Communion service was highly prized in the medieval world, making it a much sought after ingredient for a variety of magical purposes including love spells. Difficult to procure, many inventive ways were devised to source a piece, with some resorting to keeping it under their tongue after it had been administered in church. Relevant words and incantations could then be written upon it depending on what was required.

6. Worms

One of the sweeter and more palatable ingredients, honey or mead were often included in love spells, the sweetness, it was expected, to influence the object of the seekers desire favourably towards them and also to sweeten the relationship to follow. It had the added benefit of making the concoction easier to swallow!

7. Animal Remains

Another gruesome ingredient, when mixed with powdered periwinkle and certain herbs, worms were believed to ensure love between a couple. The suggestion that it be taken with their meat may well have been due to the less than encouraging taste! Seemingly a strange choice, worms, due to their obvious link with the earth, were also a potent sign of fertility; a much desired outcome in many love spells.

8. Verbena

Much like human remains, demands for the bits and byproducts of animals proved seemingly arbitrary, with potions, powders and charms from Spain to the Balkans calling for the likes of sparrow heads, deer heart (hopefully a gruesome pun), the droppings of a stork, fat of a snake, brain of a sparrow, testicles of an ass, bones from a left side of a toad which has been devoured by ants, blood and heart of a pigeon, and in Bavaria, the relatively appetizing tipple of bat’s blood in beer

9. Beetle Wings

A perennial in folk magic and regular feature in sleeping draughts from antiquity, verbena (or vervian), the Herb of Enchantment, was slipped into love potions and powders. Interestingly it could also be used for opposite ends and slipped into a man’s drink was said to render him impotent for six days.

10. Roses

A remedy rumoured to have circulated the court of the Roman Emperor Augustus and described by Latin chroniclers, the wings of the Blister Beetle – or Spanish Fly – long held potency as an aphrodisiac and were crushed into tonics and potions. As side-effects go it was a killer. A powerful irritant, a potion laced with mashed Spanish Fly may well have caused the codpiece to bulge through swelling, but as little as 32 milligrams could forced the kidney to shut down and legend has it that this gruesome tincture caused the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1516.

Its connotations are obvious – be they pure and romantic, or seductive and dangerous – and the rose had little use in Medieval magic outside of the love potion. From the symbolic to the pragmatic, rose water was often used to flavour of perfume less palatable medicines. Arguably as a perfume it could be considered a love potion too, and in one extreme example recorded in an English translation of the 12th century De Ornatu Mulierum – part of a series of remarkable early texts on female hygiene – a powder of rose petals is recommended for freshening up the lady garden while rose water sweetens the hands and face.

Willow Winsham is author of Accused: British Witches Throughout History, which is available now from Amazon. She is also one of the founders of Folklore Thursday. For more incredible stories of sorcerous seduction, subscribe to History of Royals and get every issue delivered straight to your door.

Sources:

Medieval Medicine: The Art of Healing, from Head to Toe by Luke DeMaitre

The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic edited by Owen Davis

Plants of Life, Plants of Death by Frederick J. Simoons

Dragon’s Blood & Willow Bark: The Mysteries of Medieval Medicine by Toni Mount

Woman: An Historical Gynæcological and Anthropological Compendium by Hermann Heinrich Ploss and Paul Bartels

Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer’s Manual of the Fifteenth Century by Richard Kieckhefer

#Medieval magic #history #witchcraft #mandragora #potions

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minervacasterly · 4 years

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Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort of Henry VIII and Lady of Ireland’s Farewell

She and her brother, George Boleyn, were sentenced to die on the scaffold. Geroge Boleyn and her alleged lovers were executed first on the seventeenth of Mary of 1536, and Anne was executed two days later. Her last words were the following:

"Good Christian people, I have not come here to preach a sermon; I have come here to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak of that whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you ...And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me."

Her speech reflected her true feelings towards her daughter and her former husband who had annulled their marriage five days prior. She wanted to keep her daughter safe at all cost and her speech was a call to sympathy, not to arms, it also speaks of her devotion into the religion and new faith she'd brought to England, and that she had sheltered herself in during the last year of her reign. Elizabeth was bastardized and with almost no one to turn to, she would have surely been forgotten and died of neglect, had it not been for her eldest sister who didn't want her to go with what she went through. When she heard that Elizabeth had outgrown her clothes (as Mary had done during her mother's reign) she sent money and appealed to their father to do something and encouraged him to reintroduce her to court, and always spoke favorable of her, saying that she was an accomplished little girl who deserved much praise. One of the many enigmas surrounding Anne Boleyn is her relationship with Thomas Wyatt that was too romanticized in the showtime's series "Tudors"; they were in fact never in a relationship. Anne's only love interest in the early 1520s was Henry Percy, the future earl of Northumberland. She had no reason to get into a dalliance with a man who was married and who at this point, was well aware after two experiences seeing women being ruined by their lovers, not willing to make herself the center of scandal. Thomas Wyatt however was a poet first and foremost and like any poet of the age, engaged in a courtly affair, or what he thought was a courtly affair, praising the new queen of England, praising her for her many religious virtues and writing after her death of how she and his good friend George Boleyn, went to the scaffold bravely and behaved themselves with the grace and dignity you would expect of true royals. After he witnessed their deaths, he made many poems remembering his lost comrades, this is one of them: "In Mourning wise since daily I increase, Thus should I cloak the cause of all my grief; So pensive mind with tongue to hold his peace' My reason says there can be no relief: Wherefore give ear, I humbly you require, The affect to know that thus doth make me moan. The cause is great of all my doleful cheer For those that were, and now be dead and gone. What thought to death desert be now their call. As by their faults it doth appear right plain? Of force I must lament that such a fall should light on those so wealthily did reign, Though some perchance will say, of cruel heart, A traitor's death why should we thus bemoan? But I alas, set this offence apart, Must needs bewail the death of some be gone. As for them all I do not thus lament, Bus as of right my reason doth me bind; But as the most doth all their deaths repent, Even so do I by force of mourning mind. Some say, 'Rochford, haddest thou been not so proud, For thy great wit each man would thee bemoan, Since as it is so, many cry aloud It is great loss that thou art dead and gone.' Ah! Norris, Norris, my tears begin to run To think what hap did thee so lead or guide Whereby thou hast both thee and thine undone That is bewailed in court of every side; In place also where thou hast never been Both man and child doth piteously thee moan. They say, 'Alas, thou art far overseen By thine offences to be thus dead and gone.' Ah! Weston, Weston, that pleasant was and young, In active things who might with thee compare? All words accept that thou diddest speak with tongue, So well esteemed with each where thou diddest fare. And we that now in court doth lead our life Most part in mind doth thee lament and moan; But that thy faults we daily hear so rife, All we should weep that thou are dead and gone. Brereton farewell, as one that least I knew Great was thy love with divers as I hear, But common voice doth not so sore thee rue As other twain that doth before appear; But yet no doubt but thy friends thee lament And other hear their piteous cry and moan. So doth each heart for thee likewise relent That thou givest cause thus to be dead and gone. Ah! Mark, what moan should I for thee make more, Since that thy death thou hast deserved best, Save only that mine eye is force sore With piteous plaint to moan thee with the rest? A time thou haddest above thy poor degree, The fall whereof thy friends may well bemoan: A rotten twig upon so high a tree Hath slipped thy hold, and thou art dead and gone. And thus farewell to each one in hearty wise! The axe is home, your heads be in the street; The trickling tears doth fall so from my eyes I scarce may write, my paper is so wet. But what can hope when death hath played his part, Though so nature's course will thus lament and moan? Leave sobs therefore, and every Christian heart Pray for the souls of those be dead and gone."

#Anne Boleyn #death #'execution #History #dailytudors

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theficpusher · 4 years

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But Now Together, We're Alone by QuickedWeen | M | 22983 It's a stroke of good luck when Harry Styles, a man who grew up on the small island of Martinique, is offered the position of tutor to the Dauphin and his sister. When he arrives at the palace, he is dragged into a world of opulence, courtiers, whispers in the shadows, and illicit affairs. But he is also introduced to the king, the most intriguing man he's ever met.

(we will be) as if chosen by alivingfire | E | 35591 There's not a royal in the world who doesn't carry some sort of secret, and Prince Louis has more than his fair share. To protect himself and his family, Louis withdrew from the public eye and tried to live a quiet life, biding his time until his sister Lottie could take the throne in his stead. Unfortunately for him, the national media and the worst person Louis has ever met team up to bring him kicking and screaming back into the spotlight. Under the watchful eyes of millions, Louis has to figure out how to keep his carefully constructed house of cards from falling, and the first step to accomplishing that is to keep from falling in love with the irritatingly charming Prince Harry, who just won't stop showing up and trying to whisk Louis out of the constraints of his boring life. Or: the course of true love never did run smooth, because sometimes people are stubborn and sometimes people are scared and sometimes, just sometimes, love can cause just as many problems as it solves.

Buried Like Treasure by QuickedWeen | E | 40200 Prince Harry Styles is very private. He chooses to keep himself out of the public eye but feels lonely and isolated while surrounded by people in his hectic royal life. When he finishes his dissertation, he decides to take a solo holiday to one of the royal family's properties in the Swiss Alps. Semi-retired thief Louis Tomlinson has been pulled in for one last job: steal a painting from an uninhabited mansion. Neither one of them expects a natural disaster.

Worth Dying For by whoknows | E | 44906 “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him. “A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,�� his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers. Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

like cabbages and kings by you_explode | E | 60875 When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

In My Place by kassio | E | 97500 Prince Louis has it all. He's wealthy, privileged, famous, and handsome, with a loving family and a world of opportunities. There's only one problem: he isn't actually the queen's son. Harry and Niall Horan don't have much, but they have a dream: to win the X Factor and achieve something more than their normal middle-class life. Two dreams collide and two very different paths come together when Louis requests to meet with Harry after seeing him on the X Factor.

Like a Bullet in the Dark by Vurdoc | E | 99456 Prince Harold Edward Styles Lancaster is second in line to the throne of Great Britain. He is also your average Uni student- or he tries to be, anyway. With a promise from the press (and his father) that they'll leave him alone for four years, he sets out to be a student at Cambridge, when he meets his very normal, very working class, very handsome suite-mate, Louis Tomlinson. Louis makes Harry feel more like a person than he ever has before, which might cause some issues later on- 'cause Harry has a secret that he's only told his sister Gemma about. Little does he know though, that Louis has some secrets of his own. A Will & Kate Au- with a twist.

Wear It Like A Crown by zarah5 | E | 141303 AU. As part of a team of fixers hired to handle a gay scandal in Buckingham Palace, Louis expects Prince Harry to be a lot of things—most notably a royally spoilt brat. Never mind that the very same Prince Harry used to star in quite a number of Louis' teenage fantasies.

#royalty #wear it like a crown #zarah5 #like a bullet in the dark #vurdoc #in my place #Kassio #like cabbages and kings #you_explode #worth dying for #whoknows #buried like treasure #quickedween #(we will be) as if chosen #alivingfire #but now together we're alone

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badchoicesposts · 4 years

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Don’t Dream It’s Over Chapter 23

Series Summary: Liam and Ali thought that their relationship was perfect, but their whole world came crashing down when Constantine called him back to Cordonia. Four years later they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party, determined to make things between them work even if it isn’t always easy.

In this AU, Liam and MC (Ali Moonessar) dated for a year in New York while Leo was still crown prince. They broke up when Constantine asked Liam to come back to Cordonia, but they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party before the social season. The story will contain flashbacks, which will be italicized, of their relationship and follow them as they try to navigate the season with Ali as a suitor. I’ve messed around with the timeline a bit so that it fits the story better. I’ve also added in a few OCs of my own.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Ali Moonessar)

DISCLAIMER: I’ve changed up the timeline of the social season a bit to fit my story better. I’ve based it off of some research I did on the British Social Season.

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @ao719, @kingliam2019, @emceesynonymroll, @hopefulmoonobject, @dcbbw, @qammh-blog, @liamxs-world, @drakesensworld, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @lauradowning29, @texaskitten30, @senseofduties, @alexintheskyy, @jared2612, @lodberg

A/N: This is the first fic I’ve ever written. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to read more. I thrive on validation, lol. Thanks for reading!

Catch Up: Masterlist

Ali felt great. The sugary cocktail she had with dinner was definitely making her feel amazing. She swung her hips to the music that was playing through the speakers of Liam’s living room, aware of the man’s gaze on her back. She listened intently to the music, waiting for her cue.

“I get wings to fly

Oh, oh....I'm alive”

She belted out the words, her voice mixing in with Celine Dion’s as she turned dramatically on her heels to face her boyfriend. Liam bit back a laugh, staring at her fondly as she continued to serenade him.

“When you call on me”

She followed this line by pointing aggressively in his direction.

“When I hear you breathe

I get wings to fly

I feel that I'm alive”

She continued to sing and dance, her voice becoming more off key the louder she got.

“Liam! Sing with me!” she said, lunging towards him and grabbing his hands in hers.

She pulled him up to his feet, losing balance herself for a moment before he straightened them both up.

“I’m not sure you want that, love,” he responded, smiling happily down at her.

“Please?” she begged, pushing herself up onto her toes to gently peck his lips.

Liam looked around sheepishly for a moment as if to make sure no one was around before giving her a mischievous smile.

“You've set my heart on fire

Filled me with love

Made me a woman on clouds above”

“What are the two of you doing?” Drake asked.

Neither of them had realized that he was home, but he had obviously just come out of his room and was looking at them like they were crazy.

“Having fun,” Ali responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“And singing completely off key is fun?”

“Extremely,” Liam replied calmly.

“Liam, harmonize with me. You go high, I’ll go low,” Ali said, preparing herself for the upcoming chorus.

“And it's only begun

I can't wait for the

Rest of my life”

They sang together, Liam’s voice cracking as he tried to carry out the word “life” in a high note.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Drake mumbled.

~~~

“Do you think Bertrand’s head is going to explode when he finds out about Savannah and the baby?” Ali asked, smoothing down her dress as she waited to enter the ballroom beside Liam.

“Mine almost did,” Liam responded, straightening his tie. At least now Maxwell’s knowledge of prenatal yoga made sense.

“Do you think Drake’s going to be okay?

“I think Drake’s stubborn and hurt. He’ll be okay, but he’ll need some time. He’ll probably be angry with the Beaumonts for a while,” he said, reaching up to fix the tiara on her head.

It was Ali’s first time wearing a tiara, and it was completely odd to her. The weight on her head wasn’t unpleasant, but it was definitely something she would need to get accustomed to.

She grabbed onto Liam’s arms and pulled him in for a gentle kiss, thankful for smudge proof lipstick.

“I’m nervous,” she confessed, her eyes darting towards the closed ballroom doors. “Actually nervous is an understatement. I’m terrified.”

After announcing their marriage, the two had been met with a certain lack of support. People were shocked, assuming that they had only done so because of the pregnancy and that they were irresponsible and incapable of properly leading because of their rash decision. Ali couldn’t even deny that they were partially right. Their marriage was rushed because of the pregnancy. A part of her felt guilty for the way people were beginning to view Liam’s potential as a leader.

She couldn’t even be mad about the negative reactions that they received. From the outside looking in, they seemed reckless. She was an American with no noble blood in her at all. She wasn’t born into this life or trained for it, and scandals seemed to be the only thing she was good for. If she had seen the future leaders of her country act in the same way she and Liam had, she would have doubted their abilities to lead as well. That was probably the toughest part of it all. Their concerns were completely warranted.

Liam reached down and squeezed her hand in his. She could tell that the entire situation had been taking a toll on him. He refused to admit it, though, and that worried her. Learning of Constantine’s betrayal and illness had done little to help the situation. He was torn between hating his father for his interference in their relationship and wanting to spend as much time with him as possible now that he knew he was dying. She could see him getting more and more worn down and dejected as the days moved on, but she didn’t know how to fix everything, and that killed her inside. It didn’t help that her emotions had been all over the place, and that the littlest things had been triggering her recently. She had been snapping at him more recently, leaving both of them frustrated and anxious all of the time.

“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together,” he reassured her.

She desperately wanted his words to make her feel better, but they didn’t.

“It’s time, my love,” he said, checking the time on his watch and returning to his spot next to her.

They both straightened their posture, and Ali took his arm as the doors were thrown open. They made their way around the room, greeting everyone they met with artificial smiles. Although the ball had been planned perfectly down to the napkin selection, there was still an air of discomfort surrounding it all. However, Ali remained dutifully at Liam’s side, making small talk with all of the people she came across.

“My love, this is King Bradshaw and Queen Isabella of Auvernal,” Liam introduced her politely.

Ali had just about reached her limit on pointless conversation with people who obviously didn’t respect her, but she still smiled at the stuffy looking royal couple regardless.

“Lady Alison, we meet at last. We’ve heard rumors of you all the way in Auvernal. Our entire court has been… intrigued by you all season,” said Isabella, who was sporting a small baby bump herself.

Ali wasn’t sure if her words were meant to be taken as a compliment or an insult, but the young queen’s tone of voice made her believe it was the latter.

“It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,” Ali responded. “I believe congratulations are in order. You’re having twins, correct?”

“We are,” Bradshaw said proudly.

The king beamed at the mention of his unborn children, but Ali had been learning more about body language from Liam, and she noticed the way he tensed every time he looked to his wife.

“I believe we should be offering you congratulations as well given your… situation,” Isabella said.

Ali had to stop herself from outwardly reacting, instead continuing to smile politely.

“Thank you.”

“We were obviously surprised to hear of your marriage, but I applaud your bravery in going through with it in the first place. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to have conceived the heir to the throne out of wedlock! But, even I have to admit that going from a waitress to a duchess and eventually to a queen is quite a success story,” she continued, a judgmental edge to her voice. “Tell me, are you enjoying your new life or do you miss your simpler days?”

At this remark, Ali could see Liam beginning to get uncomfortable as well.

“I am honored to be able to represent Cordonia.”

“Such a diplomatic response. However, you didn’t really answer the question,” Isabella said.

“Regardless of your answer, you definitely know how to throw together a party,” Bradshaw said, swiftly changing the subject.

Once again she wasn’t sure if this was meant to be a compliment or not. She supposed she should be grateful that he changed the subject before she was forced to answer his wife’s demeaning question, but instead she was angry. She was angry at Isabella’s words, and she was angry that Bradshaw reduced all of her hard work to “throwing together a party”. She was so upset that she almost missed the glare Isabella shot in his direction. Almost. Perhaps the King and Queen of Auvernal weren’t as happily married as everyone thought.

“Yes, at least I’m good for something,” she responded snarkily.

“Well, we won’t keep you from the rest of your guests any longer. It was a pleasure meeting you!” Bradshaw said, holding his arm out for his wife and walking away.

He was obviously satisfied with the reaction they had gotten out of her.

“Ali,” Liam began to say her name before she cut him off with a fake smile.

“Oh! Look! There’s Em with Hana and Lizzie. I’m going to go say hi,” she said, dodging him and heading straight for the three women.

“Hey, you did a great job with all of this!” Emma said happily as she approached.

Emma had decided to stay in Cordonia “so she could attend the ball”, but Ali had her suspicions that it was more for the woman whose hand she was currently holding onto. Ali was happy for her and Hana even if they hadn’t put a label on their relationship yet.

“Yeah, great champagne choice,” Lizzie said, raising her glass to her before downing the whole thing in one go.

“Thanks. I’m about one more conversation away from screaming,” she said, angrily running her hand through her hair. “Queen Isabella is a bitch.”

“King Bradshaw isn’t much better,” Lizzie mumbled.

“Is this really my life now? Making small talk with people who hate me? Smiling while people insult me to my face?” she asked tiredly.

“It’ll get easier,” Hana said sympathetically. “Once you’re queen and people see how great you are things’ll get better.”

“And remember the reason you did all of this in the first place was because of how much you love Liam,” Emma said.

“And now you have another little one to love, too,” Lizzie said this while placing a hand gently on Ali’s stomach.

Ali let out a sigh, relaxing visibly.

“Thanks, guys,” she said, pulling the three of them into a group hug.

All of her stress evaporated from her body and for a moment she felt like she could breathe again.

“Lady Alison?” a soft voice came from behind them.

Ali pulled out of the hug and turned to see another woman smiling at her kindly.

“I’m Princess Marguerite of Monaco. It’s nice to finally meet you,” the woman said.

“Princess Marguerite! It’s nice to meet you as well!” Ali responded, putting her persona back up.

“I imagine this could be a bit much for you. Most of us were raised for all of this,” Marguerite began.

Ali inwardly sighed, psyching herself up for this conversation all over again.

“I want you to know, if you ever need a friend or someone to talk to, you can ask me anything!”

Ali was taken aback by the kindness in her voice. Marguerite seemed genuinely sincere, and for a moment, Ali wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Thank you,” she whispered, suddenly overcome with emotion.

It was relieving to have someone be so nice for the first time that night.

“Of course! I adore you and Liam. The way you look at each other… I can just tell it’s true love!”

“It is,” Ali responded, smiling widely and resting a hand lovingly on her stomach.

However, the one moment of happiness that she’d had all night was over just as quickly as it came. The voices of two noble ladies conversing nearby filled the air.

“True love? Please, more like social climbing,” a woman with platinum blonde hair said with a scoff.

“I thought Prince Liam had more common sense. I can’t believe he actually married her. He should have chosen Madeleine. If it came down to it, I would have even taken Penelope over her,” her companion replied.

Ali was both offended for herself and for Penelope.

“He probably only did it because of the baby. I can’t see him being with her for any other reason. There’s not much to like, is there?” the first woman said, laughing maliciously.

Ali bit down roughly on her lip, and her eyes filled with tears. She saw Marguerite shoot her a sympathetic smile, but the action did very little to comfort her.

“He can’t possibly believe it’s actually his,” the second responded, scandalized. “Oh, he’s going to be so heart broken when it comes out looking like his best friend.”

“Can we even be sure it’s Drake Walker’s either? I wouldn’t be surprised if she was sleeping with half the men at court. She seems like the type.”

The two women dissolved into a fit of laughter, both completely aware that Ali and Marguerite had heard their conversation, but neither one of them caring.

“That’s hilarious coming from you, Beatrice,” Olivia’s loud voice broke through their giggles. “Tell me, does Lady Antionette know that you spend every weekend in her husband’s bed?”

Lady Beatrice, the woman with the blonde hair, opened and closed her mouth furiously, desperately trying to find a comeback, while her companion, Lady Antionette, was looking at her friend in shock and anger.

“Maybe you should take a look in the mirror before you start criticizing someone else,” Olivia concluded, a victorious smirk on her face.

Ali shot her a grateful smile and quietly slipped away, Beatrice and Antionette’s newly started argument fading into the background. She kept her head down as she tried to find her way out of the ballroom undetected, desperate to make it outside before she broke down in tears. She broke into a run once she had made it safely outside, not stopping until she reached the gardens Liam’s mother had commissioned all those years ago. She collapsed on a bench and began sobbing freely, pushing her glasses up to rest on the top of her head as she angrily wiped her eyes.

Only moments after, she felt a presence nearby, and someone took a seat cautiously on the bench next to her.

“There, there,” Bertrand tried to say in a soothing tone as he awkwardly patted her shoulder.

Despite herself, Ali couldn’t help the amusement she felt at his actions.

“D-did you just p-pat my shoulder and say ‘there there’?” she choked out, an odd chuckle escaping her throat.

Bertrand sat stiffly beside her and cleared his throat.

“You seemed to be in need of comfort,” he said, obviously unsettled by the situation.

Ali smiled sadly.

“Well, thank you,” she said, wiping her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder.

Bertrand’s body stiffened initially, but after a moment he relaxed again. The two sat quietly for a moment, Ali’s occasional sniffles were the only sounds filling the air.

“Have you spoken to Savannah yet?” she asked quietly.

Bertrand cleared his throat again.

“Briefly.”

“Briefly? That’s all you’re going to say?” she asked, raising her head up to look at him.

“I was surprised to learn of her reasons for leaving,” he continued.

Ali remained silent for a moment, expecting him to go on. However, he simply sat there quietly, as if the conversation were over.

“And… you’re okay?” she prompted.

Bertrand still remained quiet, but he began fiddling with his cufflinks.

“I’m gonna take that as a no.”

“I’m a father,” he said in shock.

“Yeah, you are, and you should talk to Savannah about that.”

“I can’t.”

“You have to. Look, I don’t know what happened between the two of you or how you feel about each other, but it’s not just about you guys anymore. You need to think about your son. Do you really want to be an absentee father?”

“No,” he replied sadly.

This was the first time Ali had ever seen Bertrand actually show any kind of strong emotion that didn’t revolve around court or preserving House Beaumont.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their moment. They both turned to see Drake standing nearby.

“Liam’s looking for you,” Drake said, his voice was harsh as he glared at Bertrand, but Ali knew that he was directing the comment at her.

She got up from her spot on the bench and shot Drake a look telling him to be nice before slowly making her way back to the ballroom. Internally she was battling with taking as long as possible to get back, maybe stopping to take a stroll through the maze, and heading straight to find Liam. She didn’t want to keep him waiting too long, but she also had no desire to go back to the party that was causing her so much stress. Eventually she figured it was better to bite the bullet and get it over with, trying to make herself look pleasant as she reentered the room and scanned the area for Liam.

The man spotted her immediately and walked over to her, not noticing her foul mood until he had already pulled her onto the dancefloor.

“What’s troubling you?” he asked, concern filling his voice as he led her in a waltz.

“Nothing,” she tried to say convincingly, plastering a wide and artificial looking smile on her face.

“I can tell that something’s bothering you,” Liam sighed, pulling her closer to him in attempts to comfort her even though he wasn’t sure what was going on. “Please don’t shut me out.”

“Not here,” she finally responded, looking over his shoulder to see Bradshaw and Isabella dancing behind them and another lord and lady right beside them.

Liam pulled her impossibly close, halting their waltz and simply letting their bodies sway together. Ali pushed her face into his shoulder, not caring that their display of affection would be all over the news tomorrow, and needing to feel him close to her. Her eyes filled with tears again, but she desperately tried to hold them back, not wanting to cry in front of the entire court. That would definitely make the news. She sniffled softly and tried to channel the confidence she had felt just a week earlier in Constantine’s office.

The song came to an end, and they separated after a moment. Liam remained by his wife’s side for the rest of the night, the two only parting ways momentarily after the ball when Liam needed to check in with Constantine.

Ali made a quick stop at the kitchens on her way back up to their newly shared suite, snatching an apple for a late night snack. Upon entering their room she promptly stripped out of her gown and jewelry and dropped back onto the bed in her underwear, taking a large bite out of the apple.

Liam looked at her curiously as he entered the room while loosening his bowtie.

“Are you eating a Cordonian Ruby? I thought you hated them.”

“I do, but apparently your baby doesn’t,” she grumbled, continuing to munch on the apple.

For the past week, much to her initial displeasure, she had been constantly craving Cordonian Rubies. This was definitely Liam’s child.

Liam smiled as he watched her devour the fruit. He continued to undress with a small but troubled smile on his face before settling down onto the bed beside her. He lay on his side and placed a hand gently on her bare stomach, unsure of how to ask about what was bothering her.

“My love.” “Li.”

They spoke in unison, breaking off into a soft laugh when they realized what they had just done.

“What’s on your mind, love?” Liam asked softly.

Ali struggled with her words for a moment.

“Tonight was… awful. Everyone thinks I’m a joke. To them I’m just a social climbing whore, and they think that our baby isn’t yours,” she said, her voice cracking as she got to the end of her sentence.

The anguish on his face was evident. However, in typical Liam fashion, he began to reason with her.

“I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but we both know the truth, love,” he began, gently running his hand up and down her stomach. “I know that this is our child, and I already love them so much. I know that you weren’t using me. I know how we feel about each other.”

Ali sighed angrily, tears streaming down her face as she moved away from his grasp. She was angry and frustrated about how people were treating her, and she was just as upset about how they were treating him. She was tired of him trying to be reasonable when she knew that he was being affected just as much as she was. Liam had a tendency of bottling up his emotions and shutting her out, until he finally snapped. This was exactly what he had done at the beginning of the social season when the rumors about her and Drake had started going around. It was what had led to their misunderstanding in Lythikos.

“Yeah, it’s difficult for me. It’s awful and terrible, and I hate feeling like this, but it’s difficult for you too. Liam, people are just as upset with you as they are with me. I know you’ve seen the things they’ve said about you, and I know it’s been bothering you!”

He remained silent after her sudden outburst, turning to lay on his back as he stared up at the ceiling. Ali deflated at his silence, feeling guilty for taking her frustrations out on him.

“I’m sorry for losing it like that. I’m just worried about you. I’m worried about us. Everyone loved you and believed in you before I came along. I can see how upset you’ve been recently, and I hate that. I hate that I can’t make all of this stop, that I can’t fix things for you. I feel like this is all my fault, and I don’t want to you to end up resenting me for it,” she confessed, nervously tugging at her bra strap.

“You’re right. It has been bothering me. But, I don’t blame you for this. We both chose to have sex the night of the bachelor party. The way things worked out haven’t been… ideal, but what’s done is done. I love you. I love our child, and that’s all that matters,” he said, turning back to her.

“But, it’s not all that matters. Li, we have a whole country to worry about too. So many things are changing right now, for the both of us, and we haven’t been handling it well. I hate arguing with you, and I’m so sorry that I’ve been so snappy recently, but there’s just so much going on,” she continued. “I love you so much, but I’m scared that if we continue on the way that we are we’ll just constantly be at each other’s throats by the time the baby comes and this beautiful thing that we’re supposed to love with all of our hearts will end up getting hurt because of it.”

“What do you think we should do?” he asked, his tone both sincere and worried at the same time.

“I-I think we should talk to someone,” she said nervously, resting a hand on his bare chest.

“Talk to someone?”

“A therapist. I think it could help us. The both of us,” she clarified, keeping her voice strong this time.

Liam seemed unsure of the idea.

“I know that it’s a big decision to make, especially since you’ve never done it before, and I don’t want to force you into it. But, I think we could benefit from a few sessions together and maybe a few solo ones too.”

Liam rested his hand on top of hers and took a deep breath.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“If you truly think that it’ll help, then I’m willing to give it a try,” he said, smiling softly.

Ali laid down next to him, cuddling close to his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, as he kissed the top of her head lovingly

#the royal romance #the royal heir #trr #trh #liam x mc #liam #king liam #my fics #playchoices #playchoices fics #choices fics #choices

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massmurdera · 5 years

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2018 best (and some worst)

2018 was the shittiest year of my life personally and I was a trainwreck almost instantly. I was real hopeful going in, but I got my heart broken as badly as I could get (and it somehow just kept getting worse). Ugh. It’s boring to articulate, but it was a never-ending Russian nesting doll of heartbreak, disappointment, and frustration. But I made more positive changes in the last 12 months than I did in the last 12 years. So that’s something.

TV Funniest go-to show: Desus and Mero (wish they didn’t go on hiatus when they left for Showtime) Favorite shows: 1) Big Mouth 2) Atlanta 3) Killing Eve 4) Bodyguard 5) Haunting of Hill House

Other shows I enjoyed: American Vandal; Homecoming; Americans; GLOW; Better Call Saul; Succession; Cobra Kai; Kominsky Method; Corporate Meh: Barry; Sharp Objects; Who Is America?; Daredevil Favorite Comedy specials: 1) Rory Scovel 2) Bert Kreischer 3) John Mulaney

MOVIES 4 ½ stars: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse; Sorry to Bother You 4 stars: Quiet Place; Hereditary; Mission Impossible: Fallout; Blackkklansman; Deadpool 2 3 ½ stars: To All the Boys…; Incredibles 2; Game Night; Revenge 3 stars (solid rental): Game Night; Upgrade; Revenge; Ant-Man; Hold the Dark 2 ½ stars (OK rental): Black Panther; Avengers Meh: Love Simon; Support the Girls Probably Good but bored the shit out of me: Roma; First Reformed; Eighth Grade Hated: Mandy; Ballad of Buster Scruggs

STILL NEED TO SEE: Bad Times at El Royale; Bodied; Creed 2; Death of Stalin; Favourite; First Man; Free Solo; Green Book; Halloween; If Beale Street Could Talk; Minding the Gap; Solo; Star is Born; Vice; Widows

MUSIC Favorite Records: 1) Brian Fallon-‘Sleepwalkers’ 2) Story So Far-‘Proper Dose’

1975 has great songs but they have too much filler in their records. Damn good songs: Foxing-‘Nearer My God’; Wonder Years-‘Pyramids of Salt’; Thrice-‘Beyond the Pines’ PODCASTS Favorite Podcasts personally: -Filmdrunk Frotcast (Movies/comedy) -Dollop (history PLUS comedy) -Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast (one-man rant from the best comic alive) -Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (comedy + conversations) -Rewatchables (Movies/comedy) -Bill Simmons (conversations) -Pardon My Take (sports + comedy) -Chapo Trap House (leftist politics + comedy) -Press Box (media)

Intercepted’s takedown of George HW Bush is great. That show and Citations Needed has its moments. I think if you’re a historian/leftist, the best podcasts are Hardcore History or Common Sense (Dan Carlin), Citations Needed, Intercepted, Chapo Trap House, and the Dollop. Dan Carlin is the one you can enjoy if you’re on ANY political spectrum—and the Dollop is not too far behind; that’s truly the most special when it hits.

Other: My Favorite Murder; Revisionist History; Matty + Nick; Hound Tall; We’ll See You in Hell; Binge Mode: Harry Potter; Bertcast/Open Tabs; Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez

Re-listening to Walking the Room for the 3rd time; that’s my favorite podcast of all time. Late pass: ‘Embedded’ series on Trump is amazing. Doesn’t come out often but when it does? Fascinating and goes in on Trump stories that don’t get talked about. Podcasts I’d recommend: In the Dark; RFK Tapes; Slow Burn (S2 on Monica Lewinsky scandal is great)

‘In the Dark’ is by far the best. S1 in 2016 I prefer over S2; check out both. Podcasts I’m going to check out: Crimetown: Detroit; Serial S3

Vince Mancini (Filmdrunk/Uproxx) has an annual best list on the best investigative/true crime podcasts each year that are the best lists I’ve seen. Best Dollop Episodes of the Year (must-listens on serious subjects): Donald Trump; the Resnicks: Water Monsters; George HW Bush; John McCain; Wells Fargo; Erik Prince & Blackwater

The above subjects deal with subjects to be genuinely outraged about versus faux things to be outraged about everyday (Russia; Louis CK or what a comic said) and the way the media talks or ignores subjects completely. The way it’s done is so great (Dave reading a topic coldly while his friend interjects with commentary—and then in the end coming together with a South Park-esque take on what the fuck is happening)

Other: Feinstein and the Flag; Levittown: the White Suburb Funniest episode of the Dollop: 1908 New York to Paris Car Race (live w/ James Adomian). Hands down the funniest. Dave purposely saved a great one for the fucking great and underrated James Adomian.

I can tune in and out of some Dollop episodes, but when it goes in on a subject or has a particular guest, you know it’s going to hit.

BOOKS Favorite book: City of Thieves by David Benioff Late pass great: ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ Pretty good: ‘Devil in White City’; ‘Lexicon’ Meh: ‘Sirens of Titan’ Hated: ‘the Bell Jar’

Best twitter follows/online writers: Justin Halpern; Drew Magary; Brian Grubb

BEST EVENTS: 1) Gaslight Anthem 59 Sound 10th Anniversary 2) Boston Calling: the National, Menzingers, Queens of the Stone Age, the Killers 3) Bert Kreischer @ Wilbur: near front row 4) Bill Burr @ TD Garden 5) Pats-Titans playoff game

Biggest regret and disappointment: Moving my ‘ex’ into my friend’s house in January (with the hope that I’d be living there half the time too)—only for her to end up wanting NOTHING at all to do with me that same day after I helped her unpack out of nowhere, threaten suicide in a non-joking manner in front of her new roommates and my friend after a political argument at the end of the first night she moved in, get with someone we work with behind my back almost instantly (a bland and lame cokehead who got busted for cocaine 18 months prior and faced 7 years in jail), try to fuck my friend when I was mid-conversation with them both first time seeing her 3 months after it all ended—and for her to eventually date my friend’s roommate who my friend warned me would try and fuck her but I didn’t take seriously because I thought he wasn’t good looking, tiny, just vaped all day long, and kind of a douche. Cool. Awesome.

I mean, that’s a simplistic breakdown of it all and how I feel about it when I’m angry. It’s more complex and fucked up than that and I could write a book on it to elaborate my thoughts, good and bad. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to articulate it and I withheld that from her: part of the reason why I moved her into my friend’s place (she didn’t know him or anybody) was because I wanted her in my life and didn’t want to lose her. Instead, it felt like I locked myself out of a party, I’m banging on the door and it’s cold outside, but nobody hears me. It’s just that feeling constantly. At the same time, it’s also very simple: she just wasn’t that into me, valued me, gave a damn, respected me, or cared. It’s NOT as angry or mean as it sounds. It just is what it is. Do NOT move the person you’re seeing into a friend’s place. If it doesn’t work out, make sure you can get a clean break. Oh, and probably do NOT date at work if you can until you know one of you is leaving (or, in my case, she leaves 10+ months after it’. I fucked both up and it’s been impossible to move on. Thankfully, she just left work 2 weeks ago and there’s less anxiety, mental work (thinking about her all the time which I still do but it’s not on maximum overdrive) and tiny heartbreaks each day. I mean, I was devastated when she told me she was leaving and there was finality. I miss her and have missed her all this time, but it’s a good thing: there was nothing I was getting out of it. But still: why did she say yes to moving into MY friend’ s place if she was just going to do a 360 heel turn, be an asshole and resentful towards me out of nowhere, never bother seeing the place I moved into/what I did with it?. Just a disaster of my own creation. I like to think in time I’ll get over it all and move on. I highly doubt I’ll ever see or talk to her again. I refuse to ever go back to my friend’s house for a variety of reasons and I had those thoughts even before the Cinco de Mayo party, but definitely after. I just don’t belong there and it hurts. And I know she’s uncomfortable too if I’m there even if she says otherwise.

Best thing personally: my brother got married, his wedding, friends, and my family. It’s cool to see my brother have his life together, be married into an awesome family, and meet a nice girl. I’ve seen my brother have his heartbreaks, but it’s nice to see him finally have peace and consistency. He’s got a really great house near where the Pats play (closer than where we’d park to games), works 4 days a week and makes bank too.

BIGGEST CHANGES I MADE moved out to a place of my own in late January-it’s my uncle’s 3-decker, which he intends to pass on to me. So I’m saving $ by being here and it’s decent. The drawback is that it’s 3rd floor and inhospitable during the summer when it’s an oven with no windows where they should be to put an AC unit in (I just stayed at my parents: I would have toughed it out but I desperately need sleep for school). But yeah, I’m over 30 and needed a place of my own. I’d love to live in Boston, but it’s completely fucking unaffordable unless you work 2-3 jobs.

One annoying thing: my driveway gets egged EVERY day since May. We have fake cameras, but pretty sure it’s the next-door neighbor and not some punk kids on their way to school. It is enraging. Who eggs a house everyday? And it’s literally only my car or the lady next to me, not even close to the street. I keep on looking at the trajectory of the eggs and it’s fucking ridiculous. Luckily, because of school (and because I was away during the summer), the egging doesn’t happen until after 8-10 AM.

I’m 10 minutes from my parent’s place (halfway to my workplace and gym as a cut-off place), 5 minutes from the school I attend, and centrally located to things I want to be (Boston, my brother, Cape Cod, possible job changes or to where I intend to move if I can)… went to school to be an electrician-In school 715 to 1245 Monday-Friday. Pain in the ass schedule and tiring, but a big change. I suck at being handy. Most people are sons of people in the trade or went to trade school. Then there’s me: never picked up a drill or a hammer. But I’m working on it.

I mean, the job IS risky (it’s not an office job) and any job outside of going back to school for a master’s or doctorate to get ahead (I fucking tried!) requires backbreaking manual work that breaks you down in most cases (construction, plumbing and smelling bad to even fixing cars where I hear that breaks your body down). Being an electrician seemed like the least of them all unless you want to be a linesman stuck outside no matter the weather for National Grid or down in manholes—because they pay REALLY well (most people in class actually want those jobs without reservations). I’m fine with being paid pretty well while enjoying myself. I’ll stay away from something monotonous like solar panels or being on a roof all day though.

Jiu-Jitsu-did this for 3 months and loved it. Had to take a break because I can only do weekends and it’s expensive. And I’m too exhausted for 9 AM class come Saturday. After a 6 AM to 12AM schedule M-F, I just completely fucking crash come Saturday. I fully intend on going back and doing yoga too when I finish school in July.

Most people start doing jiu-jitsu because of Joe Rogan. My answer got a laugh. ‘Yeah, I wanted to try something new. Also, I watched John Wick about a 100 times.’

Therapy-post ‘break-up’ I realized I needed help. I spent a month in February not being able to fall asleep (maybe 24 hours sleep in 3 weeks) before I finally got meds. About a million waking nightmares (holy shit that’s a thing). Constantly crying, particularly on the weekends without her, separation anxiety and just anxiety that did not go away at all: a constant weight. We had a Jim-and-Pam relationship at work, even when it was over—but once she started dating my friend’s roommate, she distanced herself more than ever and it was just fake as fuck. I was frustrated with not finding a job to not passing a test that I studied my ass for 3+ months for that would allow me to leave my job AND the girl. They threw in shit that was not on the study guide at all in the test. Blah. I punched a hole through my bedroom wall (like they do in the movies) and fucked up my hand a bit.

But yeah, I’m working on my confidence, following through with my goals, challenging myself, making adjustments, facing fears, getting over my anxiety, relationships. I’m proud of how, even without therapy, I handled the girl who was cold and distant: I was ALWAYS warm and welcoming, had a good attitude about it with her. It wasn’t a point of pride to be that way; I just was. If I was around her, the hurt just kind of all faded, however briefly. In the back of my head I wanted to light her the fuck up for how she was acting or NOT acting, but I just didn’t. But it’s hard. I am depressed all the time, but not nearly as overwhelming as I was. I’m really lonesome—and I want to reach out, but I don’t know to who a lot of the time. I feel left out and it’s hard to maintain relationships, but I am trying. It’s hard at 32 but people fade away. You think you’re wiser and more mature that it won’t happen, but it does. It’s just harder to make friends, I guess. I ruminate all the time and think too much. I’m trying to be mindful and in the moment. But I keep on thinking about all the things I’m NOT doing or the things I’m waiting for to happen. But there’s always going to be that. I am doing a LOT and the changes aren’t coming all at once. I like my therapist (I had one when I was in 5th grade and again when I was 19: I didn’t like them: finding a therapist that fits you is the biggest thing)

I realized a lot of the problems I had were patterns even going back to the heartbreak I felt at 18-20 when I was the worst mess I ever was. It wasn’t the girl who broke my heart, but it was me. I should have been better and stronger far before I met her. I wasn’t really living I don’t think. In some ways, I gave up and was sleepwalking through things. But everything I thought I was past just bubbled to the surface. And I had to get it right, something needed to change, and I needed help.

I withheld my problems from everybody because I didn’t want to be a burden. I especially did NOT want to be depressing but I think I became a burden for the girl who broke my heart. She had nothing to give and she was upset at me for talking to her at work and being cheerful, telling stories, or anything. Secretly, I was a mess and it was painful. In a way, I was denying myself and that made it worse.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think I’m that big of a mess. I might be lonely, but I got a good head, attitude, and people generally like me. I make people laugh easily and without trying. I got a lot going for me and I got support.

Tattoos -got the lighthouse tattoo I always wanted since I was 18. I didn’t believe a tattoo artist could carry out my idea. Liked the tattoo artist so much that I stretched it out into a full sleeve. I want to do more and have some ideas. We’ll see.

Other-new car; collecting board games; got tour posters and Pats memorabilia framed WORST POLITICAL: the chaos that comes with Trump-Well, that hasn’t changed. I’ll hate the GOP/Republicans and that goes without saying. I have some small hope with people like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, but I don’t have any faith in the Democratic party at fucking all: they will rather work with Republicans than work with people who actually want to make an actual change. You kind of just realize how shitty a party they and Obama were and how they are bought/paid for and resistant to any meaningful change. We are fucked.

LOOK AHEAD TO 2019: -finishing school in July and starting new career as electrician -cousin’s wedding and going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party (I’m more psyched for the awesome house we are staying in than Vegas itself) -Pats playoff run and possible end of Brady-Gronk: I’m not hopeful, but I’m going to enjoy my favorite Boston athletes of my lifetime. Couldn’t ask for anything more from them. I just wish Bill Belichick did a better job as a GM and not fucking up nearly every draft since 2006 besides 2010 and 2012. They’ve won 5, but feels like Belichick cost the Pats 3-5 more minimum. Every year you have Tom Brady, you’re in the AFC Championship or Super Bowl. Belichick and Patricia mailed in the Eagles Super Bowl on defense. WTF was that? -doing jiu-jitsu, yoga, taking up swimming, continue following through on my gym program: my goal is to delay having a bad back as long as possible. I’m in the best shape of my life by far, so that’s good. I want to cut some of my gut weight out though: when I bend down to put on my work boots, I feel it. -more tattoos? -dating again (I am struggling so BADLY with online dating and need to work on having better pics: I can’t get a single match/date) -looking at buying a condo or home. I’ve got about $100K saved up and just slowly collecting things in my apartment for the big transition. Still would like to see where I end up working. Ideally, I’d love to have a lake house somewhere decent and centralized.

BOOKS: -Don Winslow wrapping up cartel/border trilogy -new Gillian Flynn?!? -Marlon James’ African Game of Thrones trilogy begins -Stephen King

TV 1a) Desus and Mero returns 1b) Game of Thrones final season 2) Veep final season 3) Lovecraft Country 4) Watchmen 5) Stranger Things 6) Good Omens 7) Devs 8) Fosse/Verdon

NEW: City on a Hill; Deadwood movie; Star Wars; Veronica Mars

MUSIC -Boston Callling -new: 1975, Bruce Springsteen

MOVIES: 1) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2) John Wick III 3) Us Toy Story IV 4) Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw OTHER: Avengers; Captain Marvel; Glass; It 2; Joker; Lego Movie 2; Spiderman; Star Wars; Under the Silver Lake; Where’d You Go Bernadette; Zombieland 2

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twinfanfics · 5 years

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The tale of the three head Beast. The marching fishes (13/21)

Second part of the tale of the three head beast series, you can read the first part The chosen children Here and here, or look for the tag 3t3hb on this blog.

Resume: Three years had pased since Taichi won the hand of princess Sora and both get crowned King and Queen of the living land, now they must faced the duty of the monarchs. The war started on the Honest Island, does the King Joe would manage it?. Mean while at the other side of the sea Takato and Ruki stronger their forces.

And you can read all past chapters of the marching fishes in the links below

ACT 1. ESCENE 1: THE RAIN

ACT 1. ESCENE 2: THE WILL

ACT 1. ESCENE 3: THE TRIP

ACT 1. ESCENE 4:THE SON

ACT 2. SCENE 1: THE ARRIVAL

ACT 2. SCENE 2: BROTHERHOOD

ACT 2. SCENE 3: MOTHER | **warning suicide attempt**

ACT 2. SCENE 4: THE BATTLE OF THE IKKAKU ISLAND

ACT 3. SCENE 1: THE INTERROGATION

ACT 3. ESCENE 2: DELIVERY

ACT 3. ESCENE 3: RED DRESS

ACT 4. ESCENE 1:TRIAL

ACT 4. ESCENE 2: THE SAINT QUEEN

The sun will rise soon.

The prince Takeru was still holding the door of the Queen.

It was an honor, his brother always said it. It was also a great excuse to nap during the day. How ever, the prince never did the full night, he take the begining and the end, just for the Queen to see him. Or he just let Takuya do the whole night, who cares? A lot of The Crown duty was to pretend things. He has to pretend that he likes to be the royal Knight, that he cares about the royal guards, that his thought were on the job, that he wasn’t scared by the dark words of his mother, that he did not pray for his brother to don’t sacrificed his life for one of the Kings, that his heart don’t break every time that he saw Hikary running away from him. All of this mess will do great poetry. How long ago he did not write?

HIkary wants to be a sister of Light. Pass the day praying, helping the needed and lecturing everybody about the sin. She had jumped off the balcony because she preferred to die to don’t be a sister of Light. There is something that he would die for?

The Prince was waiting for the sun to rise, and then, as a mystery, HIkary comes to see him.

Beautiful Hikary clothed with the Light habit and something that want to be a smile on her face.

“Takeru” The damsel said and the chest of the Prince grown at the calling.

“Sister” Takeru said as he did the bow that you had to do when you saw an enlightened sister alone.

And there were the tears of the girl, the trembling hands and the true smile.

“I hadn’t… I´m still not…”

“But you will be. You will be Hikary”

“Takeru…”

“Look at you, you are already doing miracles, coming to talk to me”

She laughs and he still enjoyed. He was charming and she was paralyzed by that. For a moment the Prince aloud himself to think that there were something else, something else that the youth and the easies to be together. Maybe it was something that could survive all that mess.

“That is not the only miracle that I made”

“What?”

The damsel get close to him, her eyes shine and her skin was almost glowing.

“The Queen is going to convert at The Light”

“WHAT?”

Takeru turn over himself and open the door of the Queen’s room. No one was there.

“She had a sudden revelation” Hikary said “She is in the temple, praying, she finally saw the light Takeru”

Takeru stand by the door incredulous.

“If only all could”

“Hikary, you know that I don't…”

“You follow the light at your way Takeru” The girl said prontly “I’m talking about the queen mother”

“Aunt Toshiko?”

“She didn’t take well the decision of The Queen, she kept herself on her room”

Takeru could imagine the tantrum of his aunt, he don’t want to imagine how it's going to be said it to his own mother.

“Could you please… Just make sure that she would attend the ceremony? It would mean the world for The Queen.”

“Ceremony? “

“The summon alchemist is taking care of everything. Tomorrow, at noon, it would be beautiful”

“I take care of it, don’t worry”

“Thank you” Hikary said with affection “And… I’m sorry, Takeru… for everything”

“Don’t, don’t apologize” He said while his only wish was to heard other apology.

She left and he stayed. He saw the sun rising from the big window in the Queen’s room. The empty room that he had pretended to guard so many nights.

The ceremony started when the sun was highest on the sky. The sisters of Light had covered the patio of the palace with white flowers, the army had invited at nobles and peasants to saw the ceremony. The warlocks and witches on the capitol had started to move to the periferia. The veto ended

“Ridiculous” Princes Ritsuko said since the balcony “This is a fraud, Gennai is twisting on his graveyard right now”

“Mother, please” Princess Takeru said “I sure that Sora… “ but he had nothing kind to add “yes, this is weird”

“Weird nothing my son. This is a down hit, even for the House of Love. I had to know that the apple didn’t fall to far of the tree. The Queen is a liar hungry for power, just as her mother”

“Mother!” The boy said, as if the princess didn’t know that he is the one who must arrested by saying those words.

“Don’t make a mistake, my son” his mother said as she get close to him “The fate of The Light is a trick to had control over the people, the alliance between the crown and them is for mutual necessity; I know a conspiracy when I see one and what we are seeing now is one of the worst kind. We can only hope the corpse that would bury today wouldn’t be ours.”.

The Prince remains silence at the last comment of his mother. It would be really the worst for the kingdom that he married Hikary Yagami? This is the move of Sora to remain on the throne? If everyone were betting for the death of the King how was his brother? He fixed his armor on place and walked to saw his aunt, if his mother was mad he don’t want to imagine the mood of the Queen mother.

HIkari finished to put the white flowers over the pink dress. The girl was smiling all the time.

“You look divine your majesty”

<This is prettiest that my wedding dress> The Queen thought. But quickly her mind goes to the last time she saw it, covered with the red blood of her mother. When she get back to reality, HIkary had been gone and the summon alchemist was on her room.

“This is a woman’s dressing room” The Queen said with annoyance, but the man just smile at her.

“I am trying to imagine your feelings, the grief could be hard. But believe me, this are good news for you”

“It wasn’t a murder” Sora said. Mostly because he was the only person that she can said it.

Compassion is something that Sora couldn’t think the summon alchemist could fake.

“Yes, I know. But the world had ways to kill the weaks and rewards the strongest, the smartest, the worthiest” and there it was, the real man behind the curtain “We had to take the chances that the life gifs to us. One day you are going to remember this day as the beginning, and the death of your mother as the end of the life that you hated.”

The Queen walked at the center of the courtyard. There were music and flowers. Her people were looking at her. She was tired and scary. She did the steps until the center, where Izzy Izumi was waiting with the Holy water on his right hand and a soldier of Light on each side. She knelt, the water fall over her head and the summon alchemist recited the old baptism lore. If god is going to talk to her this was the moment.

But what she felt was the sudden movement. A sword unsheathed on her right side. She evaded it for so little. Her brown eyes found the black’s of a foreign, dressed as a Light´s soldier. He listen the scandalous scream of the summon alchemist “heretics!”. She get her attacker for the wrist and stolen his sword, with a twist of her arm she asset a hit on his face. The other guard ran towards her, but he slashed his throat and nail the sword over the torso of the first man as he was still on the floor.

There were blood on the holy water.

“Your majesty!” The scream of Prince Takeru broke the silence “Someone had kill the Queen Mother!”

Sora felt her blood boil over the look of her cousin, who had seen her slaughtered two men. Just as the rest of the kingdom.

“Our enemies had send assassins to murder the royal family” the summon alchemist said with a loud voice as turning to the audience “But a miracle! A miracle had happen today! Our Queen had received the force of the true God of Light. No man can kill her now!”

The people cheer and acclaimed her when she rise the sword of his enemy. And slowly, the screams were forming words that resonated inside her. “Saint Queen!”

When the Queen came back at her room there was a golden armor waiting for her. A phoenix was graven on the breastplate, embroidered on the cotton of the skirt was the symbol of the The Light and on the hip, rested the sword of her father.

No guard kept her door anymore.

The next day the audiences begun, she sit on the throne of The King and the Sisters of Light actually cried from happiness. At first command she made Izzy Izumi kneel in front of her and swear be loyal as her royal adviser.

“Were they really assassins send for our enemies?” The Queen asked quietly when he stand next to her.

“Yes, of course” The royal adviser answered “not the most brilliant if I could tell, they didn’t notice that they walked on a trap”

The enemies are coming for her and she had never felt more ready.

#3t3hb #the marching fishes #digimon GoT au #digimon fanfiction #Sora Takenouchi #izzy izumi #the tale of the three head beast

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blazerina · 6 years

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All Too Soon - A Christmas Fic (Drake x MC)

Author’s Note: This is Part 1 of a 4 part Christmas story about Drake, MC & Liam - and their never ending love triangle. This is somewhat a continuation of a story I wrote a while ago titled “You Do Too.” Search for the tag “blazerina babbles” to find it. My links aren’t working and I just wanna post this thing because it is a beast and has taken FOREVER to finish. I’ll leave it at that.

Summary: As Charlie settles in to her role as the future queen with the scandal now behind her, she reflects on Christmas Eve about her time with Drake and if she made the right decision to walk away from him.

Rating: PG

Part 1 of 4.

“Thank you again for such a lovely evening. Merry Christmas, King Liam. Lady Charlotte.” An older, silver haired woman, dressed in a shimmering navy blue gown with a white fur coat draped upon her frail frame, gave her goodbyes to the King and soon-to-be queen.

“So glad you enjoyed it, Duchess Montielle.” Liam bowed his head slightly, smiling.

Charlotte knew that was her cue. This was King Liam. That smile wasn’t the real one; it was the obedient, responsible, anything-for-Cordonia smile. He was tired and she knew it. The past few months had been nothing less than a whirlwind of stress and pressure, ending in hurt, loss and anger. Once the scandal had been put to rest, it wasn’t as easy as any of them had hoped.

This holiday season was meant to be one of rest and peace, but duty called. Tonight was only the beginning of a series of ceremonies, galas, charity balls, presentations, promotions, speeches and the like. Everyone wanted to see the King and this was the perfect time of year for all of Cordonia to be reassured that their leader had put the scandal far behind him and was moving forward towards the bright future of his country.

Charlotte knew going into the night of the coronation that Liam loved her and wanted to propose to her, but having spent more time with him in light of the scandal, watching him fiercely protect her, seeing him go to battle with his own family and so-called “friends” he had known all his life, just for her…well that made her realize even more, how deeply his love ran for her. She found it hard to believe that he could be so devoted to someone he didn’t know all that well, but it was true. He was genuine about it and he’d stop at nothing to make sure she was happy. No one had ever treated Charlotte that way, or made her feel as special as Liam did. He was wholly devoted to her and for the life of her, she’d never truly understand why.

He had gone through so much for her. She told herself that because of all he’d done, he deserved to be happy. She would be forever in his debt. She had grown to see and love him in new and different ways since they became rightfully engaged. He would soon be her husband and she was hopeful that while the outside perception of him and her and their relationship together would always be altered, they each could hold onto the truth of who they were alone, with each other, behind closed doors. She loved the Liam that no one else knew…but which Charlotte did Liam love? The real one? Or the one he thought he knew? She would always question which version of herself she showed to him, mostly because she knew there was a part she’d always have to keep hidden.

Charlie swallowed hard, taking a deep breath, forcing herself to be present and focus on her current surroundings. She was going to be a queen soon and it was time for her to start acting like one.

“It was wonderful to have you join us, so very glad you could be here to celebrate the season.” Charlotte followed up; nodding and doing her best to give a warm goodbye to a woman she had never laid eyes on before this moment.

Liam nodded gratefully at her, turning his head to stifle a quick yawn.

The royal couple stood at the door of an old church in the historic town square of Cordonia’s capital. Only moments before, Christmas Eve services had concluded and the pair was giving their season’s greetings to each member of the court and the city, who had come to join them for the celebration.

It had been a somber, but beautiful event – it quickly rose to the top of Charlotte’s list as one of her favorite experiences thus far, since joining the court and learning of Cordonia’s existence.

The old church was covered in candlelight. Bright colors were reflected in the stain glass windows that lined each side of the sanctuary. The soft glow of pale yellow lights on a wreath and some trees near the front of the church, only heightened the feeling of taking part in something holy, something sacred.

The wooden floors creaked with each step taken, and the echoes of voices ringing off of the cobbled stone walls sent shivers down her spine. Charlotte wondered how many ceremonies just like this one, this building had seen…and quickly realized this was the very place where she would be walking down the aisle in a matter of months.

During the service, as the guests sang the last verse of Silent Night in unison, Charlotte had been moved to tears, but kept her composure in the front row. She stood next to Liam, a stoic pillar of strength and support, everything she had been taught to portray over the last year of her life. He was holding a candle in his right hand, with his left hand balled into a loose fist by his side. She was holding her candle in her left hand while her other hand nervously and absentmindedly played with the seam along the side of her dress. It was a nervous habit she had picked up to keep her hand busy in case Liam wanted to hold it. The habit had developed back in the days when she and Drake were…well…none of that mattered anymore. Hiding from Liam had proved to be too much for them both.

As she predicted, Liam swiftly brushed his hand against hers while they continued the song, and she forced a quick smile while she gave him a sideways glance. She rested her hand within his, their fingers intertwined and took a deep breath. This was her life now. She had accepted it.

She felt so guilty. Before the events of the past year, she never knew it was possible to feel so much pressure; so much confusion. She never knew it was possible to feel such shame…never knew it was possible to love two people at once.

But she did know now that it was impossible to give her whole heart to anyone when she didn’t love herself. And she knew that both of the men she loved so much deserved someone who could give them everything.

While it broke her heart to move on and slowly shut Drake out of her life, she had been more easily able to give herself to Liam…but she knew it would never be completely. As much as she wanted to give him her entire heart, she knew a small fraction of it would always be reserved for Drake. They had been through and experienced too much together for it to be any other way.

She would always remember the night it began to unravel. He muttered words about pretending and called her a hypocrite. He finally cracked and admitted he couldn’t continue a relationship with her knowing how much it would hurt Liam.

She had responded with words about him fighting for her. She spewed out poisonous phrases about not wanting her enough, using her to distract him while he got over the disappearance of his sister.

“You wanted us to turn out this way, you know. You made this happen because you couldn’t handle being wrong about me. You couldn’t deal with the fact that maybe I wouldn’t let them change me. Maybe I can be the Charlie you know and still be a part of this court and friends with these people. Have you ever thought of that?! Maybe I’m strong enough to do this, Drake. I’ve shattered every thought you’ve ever had about who these people are and what they ‘do’ to others…the problem is…you can’t stand it!”

“If you think they haven’t changed you, then you’re delusional.” Drake said, calmly, through gritted teeth.

“You are NOT the same person I met in New York that night.”

“You’re right, Drake. I’m not…”

Charlotte was brought out of her reverie by Olivia of all people.

“Charlotte. Charlie! Earth to Charlie…” Olivia was impatiently snapping her fingers in front of Charlotte’s face.

“Yes, yes. I see you. I hear you. Everyone on this block hears you…” She responded, rolling her eyes and greeting her friend with a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m one of the last ones. Care for a drink? We have a few hours left until Christmas Day and then you’re booked solid again.” The redhead said, with a wink.

Charlotte exchanged glances with Liam who was now speaking with a group of three or four ambassadors who were spending their holiday break in Cordonia, hoping to invest in some commercial goods and set up a fair-trade agreement on behalf of their country.

Charlotte had spent the past few days with some of them and knew Liam hoped to seal the deal with them soon. It would be perfect timing, as the press would pick it up instantly; with it being the holidays not much was really grabbing headlines these days.

Liam smiled and nodded, giving his approval for Charlotte to go on with Olivia.

“Well, I don’t have all day. Are you coming or not?” She huffed, impatient.

“I think I should wait on Liam.” Charlotte lied.

“We haven’t had a lot of time together and it is Christmas Eve…” She trailed off, gazing through one of the large windows in the church, out into the street where a few people were walking, looking up into the night sky, watching as snow continued to fall.

“Your loss.” Olivia shot back. “Also…I noticed the forest green ensemble tonight.” Her eyes surveyed Charlotte’s attire while she scanned her from head to toe.

“Well, do you approve?” Charlie asked, honestly.

“Yes. You’re smokin’ hot and you’ve got balls the size of the UK to be wearing that color. First you steal red from me and now you’re stealing green from Madeleine?”

“Oh my God, Olivia. Keep your voice down.” Charlotte immediately hushed her, while trying not to laugh.

“You had red and she had green. Those ARE the Christmas colors. I was bound to piss somebody off tonight and I’d rather it be her!”

Olivia cackled while putting on her gloves. “Wise choice. I’ll see you soon – ta ta darling and Merry Christmas!”

She waved over her shoulder as she traipsed out of the church flamboyantly.

Charlotte chuckled to herself while she began to collect her things. The only people left in the church at this point were her, Liam and the ambassador group.

As Charlotte put on her coat, Liam approached her. “You’re not going with Olivia?” He asked, concerned.

“Not tonight. I didn’t feel like it.” She sighed, adjusting the collar of her coat up around her neck. “Are you finishing up?”

It was Liam’s turn to sigh. “Unfortunately, no. They want to check out the pub down the street because it looks ‘quaint.’” He made air quotes with his fingers while he hung his head dramatically. “If they don’t agree to this deal after all I’ve done for them this week…”

“I know.” Charlotte smiled, ruefully and patted his shoulder. “I’m tired, so I think I’ll head over to the parsonage. It should be perfectly cozy by now. I asked them to have a fire going when we returned.”

“I wish I could join you.” Liam held Charlotte’s hand and brought it to his lips, looking at her as he brushed a kiss across the knuckles of her hand.

She blushed slightly, and looked away.

“Don’t be too late, Liam.” Charlie responded, clutching her purse.

“Ready to go?” A member of the group beckoned from the doorway.

“Be right there!” Liam answered. “I’ll see you soon, my darling.” He kissed her cheek and grabbed his coat from the pew, then walked briskly out the door with the group and his security detail in tow.

Charlotte’s personal guard, Stefan, waited patiently for her at the doors of the church. She turned to face the platform again, staring up at the beautiful decorations, taking her time in order to imprint the evening on her mind.

“Ready m’lady?” Stefan called out to her.

“Not yet. Would you mind waiting outside by the door? I’d like a moment to myself.”

“Of course, Lady Charlotte. The area has already been swept and secured. I’ll be outside whenever you’re ready to depart.”

The heavy front doors of the church closed slowly, but boomed in the emptiness of the sanctuary. Slowly, Charlotte sank down into one of the pews in the middle of the room. She inhaled steadily and closed her eyes, allowing herself to lean back against the pew instead of sitting up straight and proper, as a lady of the court should.

Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Drake tonight. In the hustle and bustle of the days after their fight, they never really had much closure. There were several moments this evening when she thought she caught a glimpse of him in the crowd. Her heart stopped each time she thought it was him, and part of her was disappointed each time she realized it wasn’t. She could almost swear she felt his presence around her at times, but she chalked it up to the constant guilt and shame she felt lingering around her.

Charlotte didn’t get much time to herself these days, but when she was alone her mind always wandered to Drake. She had so many questions to ask him; to ask herself. Mostly she wondered if Liam would ever find out about their tryst – how would he handle it? What would happen?

Then she found herself wishing nothing with Drake had ever started. It made life so messy. So uncomfortable. Why did she give in to him? Why did he give in to her? It would have made things so much easier to not have him in her life romantically, at least – but who was she kidding? She knew that if he had stayed around it would have happened no matter what. The universe was unkind to them. They’d always have a magnetic pull towards each other. That’s why he had to leave.

She hadn’t talked to him about their relationship since that night. He had been around some, and Liam still invited him to everything. They were as close as ever, but he stayed away from Charlotte, only exchanging pleasantries and forcing shallow conversation when they were in public.

Charlotte always regretted that she was the one who walked away. She didn’t let him talk. Didn’t let him explain himself or finish his thought. She’d curse herself forever for not at least hearing him out. What if he had a plan? What if he wanted to talk things through with Liam? What if he had wanted her after all?

#drake x charlie #trr #drake x mc #blazerina babbles #thankful for my tribe #i can't do anything without them #this is only the beginning #of a crazy long story #what a beast #i am DONE

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flowerpowell · 5 years

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Meet-Cute (Drake x MC)

PART FIVE

A/N: So… after almost three months part five is finally here. Does anyone even remember this series?? I’m sorry it took me so long but also thank you for your patience! I hope this part will bring you the answers for questions you had after part four! I dont own the characters, they belong to Pixelberry. As always, feedback is much appreciated!

Rating: PG-16 (nothing bad but just in case)

Word count: 2050

Tagging: @agent-bossypants @mysteli @gardeningourmet @annekebbphotography @mymandrake @butindeed @walkerduchess @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicessa @violinist3121 @blackcatkita @jlouise88 @innerpostmentality @tmarie82 @darley1101 @littleeeepeach @ooo-barff-ooo @sleepwalkingelite @traeumerinwitzhelden @jovialyouthmusic @nikkis1983 @notoriouscs @melodyofgraves @zaffrenotes @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @rhymesmenagerie @emichelle @drakesroyalromance @drakewalkerisreal @mrsnazariowrites @furiousherringoperatortoad @lynne1993 @drakesensworld @iplaydrake @thequeenofcronuts @confessionsofabrokegirl @xxcaptainchrispowellxx @carabeth @ao719 @gibbles82 @be-still-my-aching-heart @symonde @choices97 @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore ♥ (I’m sorry if I’ve missed out anyone, it’s been so long and I forgot who asked to be tagged!”

“Because they all think I killed Liam,” Drake said avoiding Riley’s widened eyes.

“You….WHAT?” She couldn’t believe it, maybe she misheard something?

“Killed Liam,” he answered calmly finally risking a glance at her. She was shocked.

“Wait, what do you mean you killed Liam?!”

This didn’t make any sense, they were friends! And even if something changed, Drake would never kill anyone. Never.

Or would he?

How much could change since she last saw him?

“I know what you’re thinking. But for the record, I didn’t do anything. I was apparently the last person who saw him alive so I was accused of his death.”

“Wait, wait, stop!” she waved her hand, shaking her head trying to understand. “I’m not following. Liam’s dead? You’re accused of his death? What the heck happened in Cordonia since I left?!”

“A lot of things, actually. You wanna know everything or just the key points?”

“Everything, I have time,” she replied wrapping herself in a blanket and making herself comfortable.

“Well,” he sighed running his hand through his hair, “it all started the day you left. You weren’t in your room so I assumed you were somewhere with Hana or Maxwell. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer. And then I saw the letters. I read mine and when I realized you were really gone I ran to find the others hoping they’d know more. But they didn’t, no one knew anything and we all were surprised to learn you decided to take off. We started looking for you, in the middle of the night, knowing you couldn’t be far away. I don’t know where you spent the night but you hid well, no one, not even the royal guards, could find you. Anyway, Liam was furious. He blamed me for your disappearance and to be honest, I blamed myself too. Liam shut me off completely, I think he was still hurt after I told him about us. I hired a detective to find you but he couldn’t find anything. When we came back to Cordonia, we started getting ready for Liam and Madeleine’s wedding. But he didn’t want to marry her. He was getting rebelious, didn’t want to listen to us, to anyone. His father was getting worse too. And then, Bertrand told us they had found Tariq. And if you think everything got better you’re wrong. It only made Liam more upset. He was free of Madeleine but the only person he wanted to marry, that is you, was gone. He blamed me for his ruined future, for his ruined chances for marriage. We barely spoke since then, I lived in my cabin, far from the palace to avoid him, or anyone for that matter. I sent another detective but still nothing. I called Daniel a few times but he swore he never saw you. Finally, Liam’s father died. There was an attack in the palace and I think it was Liam who was targetted. A few weeks after, Maxwell told me what a mess Liam was. He didn’t talk to anyone, he barely eat anything. I decided to visit him, I was his friend after all and I cared for him. He wasn’t happy to see me. He told me to get out, I could see he was drunk and tired with everything. I told him I was worried but he only shrugged and said he was doing perfectly fine.”

“Liam… we’re worried about you, you don’t go out, you don’t talk to anyone, you–”

“I. AM. FINE.”

“Liam… I’m concerned..”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have taken MY woman, if you’re so concerned!”

“She wasn’t yours! And it’s not my fault she had feelings for me!”

Liam snickered, “Of course. She loved you so much that she left.”

“Liam!”

“Get out. I don’t want to see you ever again!”

“Liam, we’re friends, please,let’s talk.”

“I do not want to talk to you! You have taken away everything from me. You have taken the only chance for love I had. You took her, you made her leave, you–”

“Liam, please–”

“GET OUT! Get out before I do something I shouldn’t do as a King!”

“Our meeting didn’t go well, he yelled at me and I decided to leave before we both say things we would regret. That was the last time I saw him. And unfortunately, the last time he was seen at all. Somewhere around three in the morning I got a call from Bastien saying Liam was found unconsious and people claim I wanted to kill him. They heard us arguing loudly and the camera footage clearly shows me as the last person who came into Liam’s room. Bastien told me they were going to investigate me and advised to hide somewhere until they find the real reason for Liam’s condition. He didn’t believe I did it, neither did Savannah, Hana, and Maxwell. And then a whole lot of mess happened. Liam was pronounced dead and I guitly. Bastien gave me fake passport and helped me get out of the country and I’m glad he did because I would be in jail now. No one wanted to listen to me, they all assumed I did it because I wanted to be with you. Some people claimed I killed you too. After I left, I still got updates on the situation and guess what. Your press secretary, was not, in fact, a press secretary, but a fucking pretender to the throne in case the King of Cordonia died childless. And since both, Liam and Constantine, were dead, Anton, that is Justin for you, was pronounced a new King and Olivia, who was his wife according to the will, a Queen.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“Anton put Bastien and some other royal guards in jail for not taking enough care of Liam and issued a wanted notice after me. No one was safe with him, not even his own wife who suddenly disappeared. Anton accused me of kidnapping Olivia and promised to find me. Now, he’s ruling alone and I think that was his plan all along. I have no idea where Olivia is but I’m sure her kidnapping was his doing. I went to the States to my mom, already changed my name, but they came there looking for me too. I was wandering across the U.S. in hope to find you, find anyone who didn’t hate but after ten months I gave up. You didn’t want to be found for a reason. I remembered I obtained a degree a couple of years before and decided to start teaching. Went to England and was lucky because they needed a history teacher after the previous one had to go on a sick leave. And here we are,” Drake finished sadly.

“Wow,” was all she could say in that moment. She didn’t know how to comment on that, so much information is so little time.

“So… Liam’s dead?” her eyes welled up with tears. “And Justin, I mean Anton, is the King now? With Olivia as his wife but she disappeared? And Bastien’s in jail? What about Maxwell? Hana? Betrand?”

“I don’t know, I didnt want to contact them in case someone caught that and they would be in trouble,” Drake shrugged nonchalantly and Riley felt angry he was so calm about it.

“And that’s it? You just ‘don’t know’? Never tried to look up for any information about them? You talk about it as if you don’t care at all!” she yelled at him and he winced slighly.

“I do care!”

“Liam is dead and you’re telling me as if it was nothing, no emotions, nothing!”

“What am I supposed to do?! Cry in front of you? Get drunk? It’s been a year, I already did all of that before.”

Riley shook her head and got up, slowly collecting her clothes. “It’s too much for me, Drake. I need a moment. I can’t believe you’re here while they are all…there. I can’t believe you don’t care.”

Drake stood still watching her getting dressed. She looked at him with this well-known disappointed look in her eyes. “You won’t say anything? Won’t start another argument? Yell at me about how wrong I am?”

“Nope, not doing that,” Drake answered walking up to her and putting his shoulders around her, locking her in his embrace. “I’m not arguing with you ever again and I’m not letting you go ever again either. You’re staying with me.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheeck and she rolled her eyes. “Gee, you’re no fun when we’re made up. I can’t even tease you! What have I done!”

He chuckled in response but his face fell slighly when he realized something.

“You know we have to keep this private, right? No one can know or we’ll both be kick out.”

“I know,” she sighed, “and you can’t be kicked out because that would cause a scandal and you have to avoid scandals so no one can find you. Maybe we should just get back to hating each other again?”

“No!” Drake pulled her closer, trapping her in his arms. She laughed.

“I’m not letting you go,” he whispered into her hair before placing a soft kiss on her temple. “It’ll be hard but we’ll manage. If I managed to hide my feelings towards you well enough that even you thought I didn’t have any for you causing you to leave, then I think I’ll be good with hiding them before the rest of the world too.”

“We’ll see about that, Mr Stagger.”

~~~~

He wasn’t joking. Hiding what was between them was hard.

Riley had to remind herself not to smile or talk to him. Luke was getting suspicious and was constantly studying her face during the classes. She cursed herself for choosing psychology as her major because that made her classmates only more observant.

Drake was trying too, he never complimented Riley on the right answer but decided to let go of bombarding Luke with difficult questions.

Not being able to spend much time with each other wasn’t easy either. Riley had classes when Drake had breaks and vice versa. Evenings beloged to her hanging out with her uni friends and Drake could only message her. They met up for weekend trips only, far away from the campus, where they would make up for the lost time and simply, where they could enjoy each other’s company.

They never came back to the conversation from weeks ago, Drake seemed to have dropped the topic but Riley couldn’t stop thinking about it.

During her evenings alone, she tried to find any information about what happened on the Internet but there were not many articles and she was sure then those that were left, were somehow controlled by Anton. She wanted to call Maxwell or Hana and ask them but she knew it’d only cause more problems. She needed to know some more but she didn’t know how.

On one Monday evening, while she was thinking of some ways to obtain information, her phone rang and she smiled seeing who was calling.

“Spenc! How are you, sweetie? I miss youuuu so much! I wish you would come here already!” Nadia kept talking on the phone and Riley could almost see her pouted face.

“I’ll be home in a few weeks, remember? Besides, you have other friends too, they can keep you company.”

“I do. But I miss you anyway. I’m dying for some new gossip! How are you and Luke? Does this awful professor stopped treating you like this? In my opinion he was jea-lous! Anyway, have I told where I am going in a few hours? To the embassy! For dinner, can you believe it?? I wish I could say ‘I made it!’ but it’s not me, Damien, you remember my friend, helped the ambassador solve a complicated case that’s been going on for ageeees and he invited us all to thank him. I’m so excited! I wish you were here!” Nadia was chattering when Riley was hit with an idea.

“Nadia… Your friend Damien, he’s–”

“He’s single, yes!”

“No, I didn’t mean it like this.”

“Oh, good, cause I think he might be into my cousin Kai!” Nadia said relieved.

“He’s a private investigator, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“And if I, hypothetically, hired him to work for me, internationally but in total secret, could he do that?” Riley asked biting her lip. She had the idea but she wasn’t sure if that would help.

“Hypothetically, yes. He’s the best and he would solve any case in no time! Is everything okay?” Nadia asked suddenly concerned.

“Nadia… do you have a moment? I want to tell you a story of a beautiful country Cordonia and of a girl named Riley and how everything changed from a fairytale to a nightmare.”

#trr #the royal romance #choices #choices trr #drake walker #drake x mc #drake walker x mc #playchoices #its been 84 years #whooooops

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alexandralyman · 7 years

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handfast (beyond the horizon)

So I was recently asked about writing the “first time” scene from Beyond the Horizon from Emma’s perspective to show what was going through her mind during that pivotal moment in their relationship. So some pirate/princess sexytimes for you all tonight. The title refers to the practice of handfasting - a marriage or betrothal when two people join hands and make a commitment to each other.

On ff.net as part of my Interlude as Sea series here

Emma pressed the rough linen towel hard to her eyes, willing herself not to cry. It was late, hours had passed since the news had come from the red-haired captain of the other ship.

Kingdom overthrown...the king and queen vanished….Regina

She would not cry.

If she started...she would never stop.

There was a shuffle of movement behind her, the cold planks creaking and flexing under the heavy weight of his boots.

"Princess?"

Her shoulders dropped and her lip quivered behind the towel, the hot tears still threatening to fall. She wasn't a princess, not anymore. Another woman now sat on her mother's throne, a woman with raven hair and crimson lips just like Snow White's but with a heart as dark and cold as the ocean and who would set fire to the seas themselves to reach the little ship, slaughtering everyone on board without mercy to reach her. The thought sent a shiver down her spine that was colder than the chill of the night air in the captain's quarters, a gust of wind had followed Killian in when he opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder from the deck above. It had stirred the hem of her nightdress around her unstockinged calves and the lights had flickered but not gone out, throwing bouncing shadows against the walls. His tall figure was among them, looming much larger than life as he reached up to steady the swaying lanterns with sure hands.

Emma let the towel fall onto the washstand and looked up into the mirror. Her face was pink and scrubbed clean and her hair was hanging loose down her back. She had no maids here to dress it for her in the elaborate styles favoured at court, no one to lace her corset tight or tie on her sleeves. The nightdress she wore was a simple thing, plain, undyed muslin that hung in somewhat shapeless folds and was unadorned by any lace or other trimmings save for the pink ribbon woven through the open neckline to hold it closed. She twisted the end of the bow around a finger, remembering the night when Killian had untied it and his head had bent down to her breasts in the dark, the eagerness in which he had explored them with his warm mouth and the answering ache between her legs when he'd sucked her nipple to a hard point between his lips that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. If a man had dared to slip into her chambers back home and they'd been caught in such an intimate embrace then the scandal would be terrible, spreading across neighbouring kingdoms like wildfire that she'd been deflowered outside of marriage (even though he hadn't gone that far as to try to take her maidenhead, he was a pirate but he was a gentleman) and the many offers for her hand would probably all be withdrawn at once. No prince would want to marry her then, not after another man had already bedded her.

No prince would marry her now, not when the Evil Queen was liable to show up at the wedding and turn all the guests into toads.

Or worse.

"Emma?"

She blinked at the sound of Killian's voice calling her again, meeting his worried blue gaze in the glass over her shoulder. He came closer but she didn't turn around, until he was standing right behind her and his hands went to her shoulders, guiding her gently until she was facing him and not the reflection. He was still dressed in a billowy black shirt and his usual leather trousers, but his coat was hanging up on the peg on the wall and next to it was the belt he normally wore around his hips, his sword gleaming bright with fresh polish. A wide leather strop was left sitting on the desk, from when he'd carefully sharpened a pair of knives after listening to her tale of Regina's long feud with her mother and father. It made her shiver again as he led her towards the bed and urged her to sit, sinking down onto the mattress and wrapping her arms around her bent knees. Regina was out there, searching for them, searching for her, black heart still filled with nothing but hate and rage after all these years. Emma imagined her lurking behind the mirror on the wall and hidden in the shadows that danced against the wood, softer now, more muted. Killian must have shuttered the lanterns while she was lost in her thoughts, it was much darker now in the cabin than it had been only a few minutes ago. It was dark, and cold, cast adrift on an unfamiliar sea among pirates and thieves with no home to go back to and she felt suddenly, utterly lost.

"I'm scared."

It slipped out, small and quiet but echoing loud in her ears while Killian sat down on the bed with a sigh. The mattress dipped her towards him and he pulled off his shirt, lifting it over his head and throwing it carelessly over the back of a chair.

"I know. I'd tell you not to be, but that's probably futile."

His bare chest was broad in the shoulders and narrow at the waist and he twisted to face her, the hard muscles rippling under his skin.

"You have nothing to fear when you're with me though, Princess."

Princess. There it was again, the title that had been hers since birth. Crown Princess Emma, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. But now they were gone, along with her birthright and she turned her cheek to rest against the nubby fabric of her gown. A far cry from the silks and velvets she was used to, but the seamstress in the poor fishing village didn't have such finery in her stores even with Killian's gold at the ready to pay for whatever Emma wanted.

"My lady requires a new dress, and whatever else she desires."

"I suppose I'm not a princess anymore," she said, her voice somewhat muffled by her knees and thick with unshed tears, "I have no kingdom, I don't know who I am."

His hand immediately reached out and covered hers, "Well, if anyone asks, you are my wife. It will be safer that way, I have a certain, uh, reputation, shall we say, and believe me, no one would dare to bother you if they think we're married."

"So I'm Mistress Jones again?"

"Aye."

His firm tone brooked no argument and something inside her eased even as she felt her belly tighten with a nervous flutter. Killian stood and took her hands, urging her up to her knees and draping her arms loosely around his neck. His body was warm and solid against hers and she leaned against him, her breath catching in her throat when she felt him start to lift the nightdress up her thighs. They'd shared his bed for several nights now but this was different, she could tell. His movements were slow and deliberate, blue eyes locked on hers while the dress rose and the cool air brushed across her skin in a delicate caress. When it was fully whisked away Killian lifted her and laid her gently on her back, leaving her fully bare and exposed to a man's gaze for the first time in her life. Not just any man...and she was Mistress Jones...his wife...taken to bed as was a husband's right. Emma fought the urge to cover herself, watching and waiting to see what he'd do next.

The large hands settled on her waist as he loomed over her and her heart began to beat faster, a mix of excitement and fear both spreading with the surprisingly soft touch that grazed along her ribs until his thumbs brushed her nipples. She almost gasped at the sharp throb she felt in response much lower down and then his hands were moving again, leaving prickles of gooseflesh in their wake until he was grasping her hips and his head bent, nose nuzzling into the hair that covered her aching mound. Emma felt the press of his lips and she reached for him, needing to touch him as he was touching her. She ran her fingers along the line of his jaw, the dark stubble rough on her palm.

"Killian."

His name, not his title fell from her lips. Killian Jones, captain of the Jolly Roger. Pirate, and thief, blackguard and scoundrel. He owed allegiance to no kingdom or crown and no one would even think to come looking for her here. Princess Emma wouldn't let such a man touch her, wouldn't share his quarters and his bed like a lowly tavern wench or a common serving maid. She wouldn't wear simple peasant clothes or live on sailor's rations, drink rum instead of champagne, and she wouldn't reach for him in the night and pillow herself on his chest, letting his strong heartbeat lull her back to sleep after waking from a nightmare while his thumbs rubbed her back and his chin rested on the top of her head.

"If you don't want this, tell me now."

Killian stood up next to the bed, his hands folded in front of his groin. The leather trousers laced in the front, she'd seen him do them up in the hazy pre-dawn when she wasn't fully awake, but always with his back to her. Emma let her gaze roam the length of his body, the question hanging in the air between them.

If you don't want this.

If you don't want me.

The scandal would be terrible, if a royal princess took a man to her bed outside of the bonds of marriage, and doubly so if he were a pirate.

"I want you."

She wasn't a princess, not here, and all thoughts of scandals and court gossip faded as she watched him tug at his laces with slipping fingers that fumbled clumsily with the knot for several moments before it finally gave way. The leather was peeled down his thighs while he bent at the waist and when he straightened up again the male part of him also rose against his stomach. Emma had never seen a man before in the flesh, when she'd touched him there it had been under the bedclothes in the dark and the sight of it sent another sharp jolt between her own legs. The wanting was an ache, a burn, and when he settled on top of her she opened for him, tilting her chin up into his kiss and spreading her knees to cup him with her thighs at his gentle nudging.

"I don't know what to do, " she breathed, flushed with nerves that had her tense and trembling underneath him.

"You're doing fine," Killian whispered against her mouth, nibbling little kisses to her lips.

"Will it hurt?"

She'd heard dark whispers from her maids, tales of tearing and bleeding during the wedding night and men who were rough and uncaring. Not everyone had True Love like her parents, the rarest magic of all.

Killian pulled back, braced on his arms above her with concern written all over his face.

"It might," he said, "I'll be as gentle as I can, and tell me to stop if it's too much."

He wasn't lying and Emma found that more reassuring than if he'd tried to give her a false promise that there'd be no pain. He could be surprisingly gentle, she knew that already, and the callused palms were soft and delicate when he cupped her breast in his hand, long fingers running lightly down her stomach and pressing to her pink flesh that easily parted under his gentle ministrations. One carefully pushed in, and then another, the sensations making her head fall helplessly back to the pillow.

"Too much?"

The words were throaty and rough but he was not and Emma shook her head, not trusting her voice enough to answer out loud. It wasn't enough, but as he continued to touch her it quickly became overwhelming, pleasure rippling out until her whole body had succumbed to it and when the fingers were withdrawn she let out a tiny whine at the loss of them. Killian's hips lowered down between her legs and she felt something much larger press against her, hot and insistent as it began to slip inside. Emma reached up and grabbed his shoulders, bracing herself for the pain that she feared would follow. But he moved slowly, more slowly than she expected, and while she felt pressure, it didn't hurt the way she thought it would.

His voice was even rougher now, a low growl that made her belly flip and her nipples tighten even more against his own hard chest.

"My darling, hold on."

Killian lifted her with his hands under her hips and she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her when she realized that he'd passed whatever barrier lay inside her and this was it.

There was no going back now.

He started to move, drawing out and pushing back in over and over again and each stroke was better than the last. She felt his back grow damp with sweat under her hands and his groans made her toes curl, the sound of his pleasure somehow fueling hers even more. Her eyes fluttered shut and his cheek nuzzled against hers, whiskers prickling along her jaw and down her neck while he trailed hot kisses along her skin. She was flushed all over from the sensations, the scratch of hair against her breasts and belly, the warmth of his mouth, the press of his fingers to her hips, but none more than where they were coupled, where he filled her to the brim and still she had the sense that there was still more.

"Emma, look at me."

Killian went suddenly still above her and she opened her eyes at the soft command to look up at him. Dampened hair fell over his forehead in a careless sweep that made him look younger and his gaze was dark, deep indigo in the moonlight. Her captor had become her lover, he'd taken her to bed completely and the shiver that seized her from head to toe was not from cold. She saw his jaw drop from the force of it as he clearly felt it too, face contorting in what almost looked like pain as his head went back and he gave a sharp thrust of his hips, the rigid flesh buried inside her throbbing hot for several long moments until he finally collapsed down into her arms.

Emma stared up at the ceiling and tried to catch her breath, his solid weight pinning her to the bed and holding her fast..

"So that's what it's like."

His shoulders shook with mirth and she found herself on her side, facing him with his feet tangling with hers and his lips curling in a knowing smile.

"Did it live up to your expectations?"

"No," she said, and his face immediately begun to fall until she hastened to finish the thought, "It exceeded them."

Killian laughed, clearly pleased with the answer.

Her head eventually found his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. While the darkness grew around them as the moonlight began to fade and finally went dim, she sought out the steady, reassuring beat of his heart with her fingers and he laid his hand over hers.

"No one will find you here, Emma, I promise. You'll always be safe on the Jolly."

She was a pirate's lady now, like her mother was once a bandit in the woods. The new title was not as grand as the one she had left behind, but with everything else she'd ever known taken away, it was all she had.

Princess Emma...Emma Jones...Killian's wife

Almost.

#cs ff #cs fic #cs au fic #my fic #Beyond the Horizon

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lizzybeth1986 · 7 years

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Note: Since this post is about group scenes, and Book 2 is still ongoing, I will be updating this essay as and when a group scene appears in the book. As with Book 1, I will be concentrating mainly on the portions that include Liam.

ETA: COMPLETED

Bathhouse/Spa Scene

Technically the spa is free - the part that costs diamonds is crashing the “boy’s” side and getting to spend time with your LI if you’re going for Drake or Liam. It also gives us some great insights into Maxwell’s past, by revealing his hippo tattoo.

Like Liam, Maxwell appears to have been very close to his mother and remembers her fondly for the unconditional support he recieved from her (calling him her “little hippo”, telling him that hippos were strong and tough). Both Liam and Maxwell have similar backgrounds - privileged upbringings that nevertheless had its negative effects, lost their mothers at a young age, and as adults they cling to those memories in varying ways.

The scene then diversifies into time spent with Drake/Liam, depending on who the reader ships. The encounter with Liam can go two ways - one is the romance option: a massage followed by some stolen kisses (the MC still manages to kiss him if she so chooses a few minutes later, even if she doesn’t choose the massage), and the other, more neutral option: asking Liam about the “raising a barn tradition”. I’d like the elaborate on the latter, because I believe it raises some very interesting points.

Today I’d like to talk about Liam not in respect to his relationship with the MC, but instead to his relationship with the reader. Whether one chooses him as an LI or not, he is our main link to this fictional kingdom. He is the reason our character gets the opportunity to travel to Cordonia in the first place. Book 1 is about his social season. Throughout the series, we see Cordonia through the eyes of someone who is completely new to the place (the MC), and in that position Liam (as Cordonia's future/current king) is our main source of information to truly building a worldview of this place.

Now, all the prominent characters in their own capacities help the MC understand the country. Hana, Maxwell and Bertrand help us understand the rules, norms and conditions of high society within the kingdom (for instance, making us understand how important apples are to the economy), Drake gives us a unique perspective of the royal court through Savannah’s experience, Olivia in her one diamond scene gives us an insight into Cordonian history that will prove to be important later.

But Liam, in his capacity as Prince and then King, gives us an insight into the heart of the country, its culture, why it is the way it is, why things happen a particular way here.

At the Masquerade, he elaborates on the importance of the social season, warns us about the fierce competition, and reveals how dangerous instability within the royal family can be.

At the Regatta, he recounts the history of the boat race, and talks about Cordonia’s ties with its neighbours. Sharing this historical tidbit saves the MC a lot of embarrassment while dealing with the press.

At the Forgotten Falls, Liam narrates a love legend. This may not have much to do with Cordonian politics or the court, but love legends are part of a country’s cultural fabric.

At the ruins, he talks about history and how his father views his place in it, and wonders what mark he will leave on his kingdom.

Here, after building the barn, he briefly touches on Cordonia’s agrarian roots, but more importantly, helps us understand that the start to a new couple’s life is a community effort in Cordonia - that not only are the couple or their families part of raising the barn, but also their friends, neighbours and peers. Whether this applies to all, or even some, aspects of Cordonian society, is something we may only learn over the course of book 2.

Liam, in telling us these stories that don’t seem to important in that moment, allows us to chart Cordonian history and culture, and gives us an insight into the way the country works. He is our source of information for many of its cultural anomalies, and gently guides the MC - who cannot always relate to their way of life - into knowing how to tackle things and what to say.

In a sense, Liam is our Encyclopedia Cordonia 😂

The MC’s Journey

I’m just going to leave this bit of dialogue here:

MC: When you put it that way, I'm not sure if it's an amazing advanture or something I'd barely survive.

Liam: Most great things in life are a little bit of both, if only metaphorically.

If this isn’t a summary of what the MC’s entire story in The Royal Romance is, I don’t know what is.

Fondue Party Scene

This scene takes place in Italy, during Madeleine's bachelorette party celebrations and after she has thoroughly humiliated Hana. The purpose of this scene, therefore, is to cheer Hana up and make her feel less of a failure than she already does.

As with the Truth or Dare sequence in Book 1, Liam doesn't feature in this sequence, possibly for two reasons: a. Possibly kingly/political duties, and b. He also happens to be the fiance of the bride whose bachelorette party it is, making it even more unlikely that he will be close by, unlike Drake and Maxwell.

However, he does feature in a childhood story Drake tells us, of the two playing hide and seek in the palace as kids. This story highlights Drake's competitive nature (not coming out of the laundry chute for hours because he didn't want to lose) and Liam's tendency to panic/worry when he cannot find people close to him.

This is possibly a trait that has followed him to adulthood, if his appointing of Drake as the MC's bodyguard is any indication.

Camping Scene

The camping scene takes place as a breather for the group, coming right after a charged sequence where the MC gets to ask Queen Mother Regina about her involvement in the plot and learns about her filial relationship with Adeleide. The MC needs time to come to terms with these revelations and arm herself for the next confrontation, and the rest of the group need to be away from court drama. It is Drake, the camping veteran, who suggests exploring a campsite.

Liam is more relaxed and himself in this sequence, watching his friends tend to a stray lizard and offering help to set up the tents. While helping the MC with hers (if she so chooses to let him), he talks of going camping with Drake often enough that he would have to know how to build a tent and fend for himself if he had to survive. Later, he tells her about getting lost while camping, and being found by Drake afterwards. This sequence helps us understand two things about Liam:

1. The Liam - Drake dynamic. Liam jokingly tells us, early on in the book, that Drake "never lets me get away with anything", and that that is his favourite thing about him. Liam sees Drake as someone who keeps him grounded, and as a person who has had his back when he has needed it, such as the boat rescue and the lost-at-camp story. Later in New York, Drake buys Liam a compass as a wedding gift, hoping that if Liam is to ever feel like he will lose his way, the compass will remind him of who he is, and what he hopes to achieve.

2. It also gives us a glimpse into how truly lonely Liam can be sometimes, and why he holds his friendships so close to his heart. Liam is the only one in the group known to be so intensely involved in court, and he can find no genuine friends there. Maxwell is involved only to a certain extent as is Hana, and we aren't completely sure yet how involved Drake is, even though he may be more involved than he lets on.

Liam cannot trust easily. He has learned long ago that there aren't a lot of people he can genuinely rely on. So he holds on to the few friends he has like a drowning man to a raft. He needs this group as much as they need him, because he knows these people care for him as a person and worry about his well-being.

Shanghai Panda Reserve

The group scene at the panda reserve begins with a scenario where only Liam is allowed inside the enclosure, given his privilege as King of Cordonia. If the MC and her friends convince Xinghai to let them join him, this scene is unlocked.

This scene does not have any specific signifcance like the Night Market scene later on in the chapter, but is more of a fun activity involving cute animals.

Liam, particularly in this sequence, shows his characteristic ability to communicate well with animals: introducing the group to Yue Yue and Yang Yang, happily carrying them around, predicting correctly that hunger may causing their change in mood. Liam's ability to connect with animals is a recurring theme in the books: he is shown speaking affectionately to the horses in the stable just prior to the Fox Hunt in Book 1, cares for the MC's horse (if she buys it) while she is gone, has an instant connection with the corgi when they meet in Paris - to the point where he is able to train him for the proposal in New York and is adored by the pandas in the short time that he is there.

Coney Island

The trip to Coney Island takes place shortly after the MC's name has been cleared, and is planned as a way for the group to celebrate the MC's victory over the scandal that nearly ruined any chances of her staying in Cordonia. This - along with the Beer Garden sequence - are meant to lull the characters into a feeling of false security, a feeling that everything has been worked out and they don't need to worry anymore. But even in this relaxed atmosphere, there are signs that things will soon take a turn for the worse.

The most prominent part of this sequence is the scene in the fortune telling booth, where each of our main characters get varied fortunes. The most confusing so far is Liam's, which is the only one written in the form of a verse. We will explore what this fortune could possibly mean in a separate essay.

Liam confesses to wanting to go to the circus/carnival from time to time, but tells the MC later at the Ferris Wheel that he had "only hoped to see the circus, not join it. My youthful rebellion had its limits". Why is this particular statement interesting? Because his older brother Leo, in RoE Book 3, relates to us a story of how he desired to be part of the circus as a young boy, and how Liam wanted to be his assistant. Yet here, Liam tells us that he was more comfortable with enjoying parts of it rather than actually joining it. In a lot of ways, one can see the circus as representative of the world outside Cordonia: while Leo feels trapped in his role as Crown Prince and desires freedom from it, for Liam it is a part of who he is. The outside world represents everything Leo could possibly want from his life. Liam, however, is happier with having freedom in small doses - his joy lies in simple moments where he can shed his role for a while, but not completely because in being King, being protector and guardian of his country, lies the core of his identity. It may not have been a role he may have always wanted, but one cannot deny that it's who Liam is. So while Liam may enjoy thr circus/outside world from a distance, he may never truly be a part of it.

Other moments involving Liam include him joining the others in a high-striker competition (and reaching only the halfway mark), a cute childhood story about how he used to give titles to all his soft toys (when one has the power to grant titles, why let it go to waste?), and an offer to buy cotton candy for everyone. I see the last as his way of caring for the group: he tends to match Hana when it comes to looking after them, individually and together (an example of this would be him ensuring that Drake is well-taken-care-of when he goes to play pool in Paris, and his offer to help build tents).

Beer Garden

The Beer Garden sequence is seen as the last chance the group will have to interact together before the Finale, and is seen as a breather they take before the Homecoming Ball the next day. Almost half the court makes an appearence here, including former ladies-in-waiting Kiara and Penelope, and noblemen Neville and Rashad.

Much of the scene is provided to the player for free, even allowing us time to have a chat with Bertrand about what happened in Paris. The sequence is extended if the rest of the group manage to convince a reluctant Liam to stay back and enjoy the festivities, and involves plenty of drinking and dancing on a table.

In this sequence, we see Liam preferring to be a distant observer who isn't very keen on dancing alone. He tells us that he is not altogether comfortable doing so, which comes as a surprise (considering the MC remarked that he was an excellent dancer during their first waltz together).

This is similar to how he acted at Drake's birthday party at the American bar in Applewood: he has to be pushed to "show a move" during the celebrations, and seems more comfortable doing a slow romantic dance with the MC. Here, too, he needs the MC's encouragement to climb on the table and dance along.

This reminds me of a dialogue said by Madeleine during her bachelorette, when the court ladies explain to her that this is their first time at a club. We don't all have the luxury of engaging in such gauche behaviour. Liam would have been brought up in a similar manner, perhaps with even more stringent restrictions. It would not be altogether surprising if his inability to dance outside of choreographed waltzes requiring partners has more to do with not having enough opportunities to let loose very often.

#the royal romance #trr liam #king liam #king liam the sexy #trr maxwell #liam: diamond scenes #bathhouse scene #liam the encyclopedia cordonia #fondue party scene #italy #camping scene #france #panda reserve scene #china #coney island scene #usa #beer garden scene #cordonia

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heavyarethecrowns · 7 years

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It was breathlessly reported this month by British newspapers that Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s American TV-star girlfriend, had been introduced to Queen Elizabeth II.

The teatime meeting — said to be over finger sandwiches and scones at Buckingham Palace — with her love’s granny was the most significant indicator yet that the 36-year-old “Suits” actress will soon step into her biggest role ever: joining the cast of one of the world’s most celebrated families.

Markle, who was photographed on Sept. 25 holding hands with Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada during their first public outing, is said to have given up her Audi lease in Toronto, where “Suits” films. And her work contract ends in late November.

It seems to be a case of when, not if, an engagement is announced.

Rumors are swirling around London that the 33-year-old prince has already proposed to his squeeze of 15 months after getting permission from his indomitable grandmother.

It’s an understatement to say that free-spirited Markle is about to experience a dramatic lifestyle change. As Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of “Majesty Magazine,” told The Post: “It’s going to be a minefield.”

Sources reveal that as the Los Angeles-raised actress prepares for a very public engagement and wedding, she is also being schooled in the ways of the Firm — the royals’ affectionate nickname for themselves. There’s no special “school” where Markle will learn how to curtsy, hob-knob with foreign dignitaries or emerge from a car without flashing her underwear.

British writer Katie Nicholl told The Post that Prince Harry has been Markle’s main mentor in all things royal.

“He knows how daunting this will be for Meghan and he’s keen for her to be relaxed in the company of senior royals,” she said.

Before the auspicious meeting at so-called “BP,” he would have told his girlfriend how to address the 91-year-old queen, strongly suggesting that she curtsy, even though that’s an optional move these days.

“Harry will have made sure Meghan knew how to address the queen and how to behave in her presence,” says Nicholl, who has written a forthcoming biography of Harry. “He calls her ‘Granny,’ but after Meghan had curtsied and called her ‘Your Majesty,’ she would have reverted to ‘ma’am.’ It seems strange to mere mortals, but it is how [Princess] Kate addresses her.”

The American divorcée will be encouraged to be herself — with one giant caveat.

“She will always have to remember, in public at least, that she is royalty and certain behaviors are expected,” said Seward, whose latest book, “My Husband and I”— chronicling the marriage of the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh — is soon to be published.

“It’s going to be difficult for her because she is an independent career woman who [won’t] really like being told what to do.”

Markle’s position is unprecedented, although there are echoes of the scandalous love affair between divorced US socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII that led to the king’s abdication in 1936.

“We’ve never had an American divorcée marry someone who is in line to the throne,” said Seward. Harry is currently fifth in position, behind his father, Prince Charles, brother, Prince William, nephew George and niece Charlotte. He will be shunted to sixth place after the birth of William and Kate’s third child next April.

“American manners are different than British manners,” Seward added. “[She] can’t walk down the street eating or chewing gum.” Markle will even have to correct her table manners. “We hold our cutlery differently. It’s a whole different culture.”

Markle did well in her new role in a September Vanity Fair cover-story interview, sanctioned by Harry, when she revealed: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”

Still, the corridors of Kensington Palace (where Harry lives in an apartment near William and Kate) are a long way from the San Fernando Valley, where Markle was raised by her yoga-teacher mother, Doria, who is black, and lighting-director father, Thomas, who is white.

When she launched an affordable clothing line in 2016, she told the Toronto Star: “I was not a girl who grew up buying $100 candles. I was the girl who ran out of gas on her way to an audition.”

She first attended the private Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and then an all-girls’ Catholic school, Immaculate Heart High. Markle studied theater and international relations at Northwestern University, just outside Chicago, where a fellow alumnus remembered her as being “very sophisticated for a college student.

“We were in our early 20s but she seemed like someone 10 years older. She had the poise and grace it takes to being a royal.”

By the time she graduated from college in 2003, Markle had already made her screen debut in “General Hospital,” which led to roles on TV shows such as “90210,” “Knight Rider,” “CSI:NY” and, ultimately, “Suits.”

Charles Rae, former royal correspondent for Britain’s Sun and author of the book “Diana: The People’s Princess,” believes the starlet’s professional skills will come in handy when she signs up with the Firm.

“She’s a natural performer and will chat with people with ease,” he said. “Besides, everyone will be intrigued by her accent.”

It’s not as if Markle lacks experience in public speaking. A global ambassador for World Vision, she traveled with the humanitarian organization to Rwanda for its clean water campaign. Her résumé also includes working for United Nations Women as part of the HeForShe gender-equality movement. All of this earns her extra points with the royal family, as she would be expected to perform charity work and have pet causes as a princess.

Rae, who described the possibility of Markle marrying Harry as “the best thing to happen to the monarchy in years,” revealed that the brunette has been “studying hard” to fit into the lifestyle.

“She has practically been living at Kensington Palace whenever she is in London and will have seen the routine that goes on with the butlers and servants,” he told The Post.

As of late, Markle has been zipping around London in a new Volkswagen — sometimes, but not always, with a driver. According to the Daily Mail, this is significant because the royal family has a deal with VW in which they get a 60-percent lease discount; Princess Kate had a similar deal, leasing an Audi (owned by VW) before marrying William.

It will likely only be after an engagement is announced that Markle will receive formal briefings on her public appearances. A personal assistant will also be hired.

As Seward points out, advance information on how to dress correctly could have helped Markle ahead of the Invictus Games, where she famously wore ripped jeans.

Meanwhile, the royal protection squad, an elite team of police officers, will be on hand to advise her on dealing with the traditional “walkabouts” so loved by the British public.

“She will learn how to cope if someone [in a crowd] comes on too strong,” said Rae. “Ever since John Lennon was shot, the royals have been told never to rebuff anyone. Members of the family, including the queen, have had assassination attempts against them in the past, and no chances will be taken with Meghan.”

As with Grace Kelly, when she became the princess of Monaco, Markle’s “acting career will, of course, be a thing of the past,” Rae said.

Robert Lacey, historical consultant for the hit Netflix series “The Crown,” told The Post that Markle will not be expected to take British citizenship — mainly because of Harry’s low place in line to the throne.

“Her position as the wife of Prince Charles’s second son would not warrant it,” said the author of the upcoming book “The Crown: The Official Companion.”

The Greek-born Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Philip], now 96, became a British citizen in March 1947, eight months before his wedding to the then-Princess Elizabeth.

“Times have changed and the heat is off Meghan,” added Lacey. “She is a new recruit but, apart from being assigned a lady-in-waiting, it would be demeaning for her to get too much advice from courtiers.

“The best person to give Meghan advice would be her fellow divorcée, Camilla [the Duchess of Cornwall and Harry’s stepmother]. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had taken Meghan aside for a strong gin and tonic and some helpful tips on joining the royal family,” Lacey said. “She’s a very funny woman who’s had it all thrown at her but survived.”

Rae said the royals have learned lessons from the ill-fated introductions of both Princess Diana and Sarah, the Duchess of York, to the royal family in the 1980s. “Kate Middleton’s entry into the world went relatively smoothly in comparison.”

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that, when Middleton joined the royal family, an agreement was drawn up among Kate, her parents and Prince William to protect her from undue stress during the first five years of marriage. “Prince Harry is said to be considering a similar agreement to shield [Markle] from palace courtiers who like to keep their charges busy,” said the newspaper.

Speculation is now rife that Markle will appear on the balcony with Kate, Camilla and the queen as princes Charles, William and Harry place wreaths on London’s Cenotaph memorial on Remembrance Sunday, the British equivalent of Veteran’s Day, on Nov. 12.

“Meghan will no doubt follow royal protocol to the letter and wear a nice black coat and hat,” said Lacey, adding that her presence will be another indicator of an impending engagement.

And Christmas is approaching. If Markle is invited to Sandringham, the Norfolk estate where the queen and her family spend the holidays, she might as well be walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey.

“I just hope she enjoys pheasant shooting,” said Rae. “When the birds drop and they’re not yet dead, Meghan will be expected to join the other royal ladies in wringing their necks.”

“[She] can’t walk down the street eating or chewing gum.”

by: Ingrid Seward

Does Ingrid Seward love to insult people? Is that her favorite past-time? She really needs to let it go, the monarchy has to evolve, modernise, if they are to continue well into the 21st century.

However, I honestly believe that Prince Charles will be the last monarch.

SUBMITTED

I can’t be bothered to read this.

But from the mild skimming, I don’t believe that meeting took place

Of course Harry will help her when need be, that is what the born royal does for his partner - married yet or not.

#meghan markle #prince harry #link #article #submission

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christinaepilzauthor-blog · 7 years

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The King's Son: The Short Life of Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales

by Karlie aka History Gal In April 1484 King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were enjoying a respite from their royal progress. They were lodging at Nottingham Castle when they received the devastating news that their son Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales was dead.

Richard and Anne Neville - Attribution

The Croyland Chronicler recorded that King Richard and Queen Anne were "in a state almost bordering madness, by reason of their sudden grief." 1 Prince Edward's death would have profound consequences in Richard and Anne's personal and political lives. It would also herald in the beginning of the end of the Plantagenet's reign. Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, had taken his last breath at the same place in which he was born: Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire. Edward's nursery, located in the west wing of the Castle, was adjacent to the south wing known as the 'Prince's Tower' (where Anne is said to have given birth to him). The precise date and year of Prince Edward's birth is unknown. Various historians have estimated that he was born within the years of 1473 to 1477; this would have made Edward 11 to 7 years old at the time of his death in 1484. According to "the Tewkesbury chronicler," it's likely that Edward "was born…in 1476 – an old style year that continued until 25 March 1477..." 2

Middleham Castle - Attribution

Few records survive of Edward's life both before and after his father, Richard, became King of England in June 1483. The first official record we have of him was written on 10 April 1477 when the priests at York Cathedral were asked to "pray for the good estate of the King and his consort (Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville) and the King's brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) and Anne his consort and Edward their son..." 3 As the nephew of the King, the son of a Duke, and an Earl in his own right, Edward was cared for and tutored as befitting his high status. The woman employed as his wet nurse was Isabel Burgh: wife to one of King Richard's favorite courtiers. The mistress of the nursery was Anne Idley: the widow of "Peter Idley, author of a book of manners, or education, for the rearing of boys, called Instructions to His Son." 4 Edward's parents must have been happy with Anne Idley's services, because Richard penned a letter (to William Stoner) praising Idley, referring to her as "our right well beloved servant." 5 In Edward's later years, a lady by the name of Jane Collins was employed as his caretaker and Master Richard Bernall was assigned as his tutor. Even with his exemplary upbringing, the prospect of Edward ever becoming King seemed less likely to occur during the early years of his life. At that time, Richard's eldest brother –and Edward of Middleham's uncle, (possible) god father and namesake—Edward IV was King of England. Edward IV's son: Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward V) was the next in line to the throne, followed by his other son Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York.

Edward IV - Atribution

Things changed after the deaths of Richard's other elder brother George, Duke of Clarence in 1478, Edward IV's death in 1483 and subsequently the latter's sons' disappearance in 1483. These series of events made it possible for Richard to assume the role as King of England. In early 1484 parliament declared King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth's marriage invalid due to an alleged pre contract of marriage between King Edward to Lady Eleanor Butler. This proclamation made all of the late King's offspring with Queen Elizabeth illegitimate, thus forfeiting their right to the crown. As the new heir to the throne, King Richard's son inherited grand titles. On 26 June 1483 Edward of Middleham became the Duke of Cornwall, a month later he was given the honorary title of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. On 24 August 1483 he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. The following month he was formally invested as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in an extravagant ceremony held at York Minster. The venue was chosen as the place for his investiture instead of "Westminster Abbey as was customary…because the boy's fragile health made distant travel ill advised." 6 Edward was supposedly too weak to ride on horseback for the ceremony, and had to be carted from and back to Middleham Castle in a litter. Nonetheless, this was a proud moment for the young Prince's parents to have witnessed, particularly since Edward was not in attendance for their joint coronation. Although there is very little contemporary evidence to prove that Prince Edward suffered from a frail constitution throughout his entire life, it seems that he did spend the majority of his time in the confines of Middleham Castle. The scant records that exist of his life, show that he was able to live a fairly normal existence.

Edward Prince of Wales - Attribution

At Middleham, "Edward would have spent his days playing in the court yard watching mummeries (elaborate plays) in the Great Hall and spending time with his parents when they were at the keep." 7 He also had a fool (a court jester) named Martyn who no doubt provided him with hours of entertainment. "Edward's leisurely activities may have included watching the hounds" 8, as part of his inventory shows that during a visit to Pontefract Castle, he had in his possession "a pack of hounds…" He also occasionally traveled with his retinue to the "religious houses of Coverham, Fountains and Jervaulx." 9 In the spring of 1484 Prince Edward was curiously absent during his parent's royal progress. It's possible that his father "left him behind in the north, as a symbol to his most loyal adherents of the new regime to which they owed allegiance, but it was likely that (his son) was also too ill to travel." 10 What is certain is that neither King Richard nor Queen Anne expected their son to die during their absence. In this age of superstition, it did not go unnoticed that Richard's heir died in April 1484, "on a date not very far distant from the anniversary" 11 of King Edward IV's death. This gave way to malicious gossip at court that Prince Edward's death was just punishment because his father had been responsible for the deaths of the Prince's in the Tower: Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. There has been much speculation regarding the cause of Edward of Middleham's death. One theory is that he died from tuberculosis: a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. Whatever the true cause was, the Croyland Chronicler notes that his illness mercifully lasted but a "short duration." There can be no doubt that King Richard and Queen Anne genuinely loved their son. The "maddening grief" that they displayed shows that they were not as cold hearted as history has portrayed them. And that they didn't just see their son as another pawn in their dynastic ambitions. There is a lot of speculation concerning the whereabouts of Prince Edward's remains, as no surviving record exists of his burial place. The Church of St Mary and St Alkelda in Middleham, Jervaulx Abbey in East Witton, Coverham Abbey in Coverdale, and the Church of St Helen and Holy Cross in Sherriff Hutton, are locations speculated as being Edward's final resting place. At the Church of St Helen and Holy Cross, there is an alabaster cenotaph depicting a young boy dressed in fine robes. However, "recent research has proved that it dates from the first half of the 15th century" 12; thus the cenotaph is likely that of a Neville family relation. A few months after Prince Edward's death, King Richard traveled to North Yorkshire to pay off the remainder of his son's expenses. The document he signed (detailing Edward's expenditure) included the words "most dear son" and following that "in his own handwriting [Richard] added 'Whom God has pardoned'".13 With his heir gone, the question arose about who Richard's successor would be. The latter fathered two (perhaps three) illegitimate children with an unidentified woman, prior to his marriage to Anne Neville. King Richard's other son, John of Gloucester, was knighted at York Minster on the same day that Edward of Middleham's investiture as Prince of Wales took place. Because bastards could not inherit the throne, John could not become King of England. The next obvious successors were Richard's two nephews: John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln (son of Richard's sister: Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk) and Edward, Earl of Warwick (son of Richard's late brother George, Duke of Clarence). However, an Act of Attainder, issued by Edward IV against George, Duke of Clarence, prevented the latter's offspring from inheriting the throne. This fact was further cemented in a statute, issued by parliament in 1484, called Titulus Regius (a statute essentially stipulating that Richard was the rightful King of England). Other than the contemporary English historian John Rous writing that King Richard named Edward, Earl of Warwick as his successor, there is no other evidence to support this. Although John de la Pole was never formally confirmed as such, Richard appears to have accepted him as his successor. King Richard's hopes of producing another heir were dashed when his wife became ill during the winter season of 1484. Tragically, 11 months after the death of her son, Anne died at the Palace of Westminster on 16 March 1485. She was only 28 years old and had been Queen Consort of England for almost 2 years. The general consensus among modern scholars is that the most likely cause of her death was either tuberculosis or some form of cancer.

Cenotaph once alleged to be that of Edward of Middleham

After the death of his wife, King Richard's reign became blighted by political and domestic turmoil and scandals. The gossip at the English court and abroad was that Richard had poisoned his wife so that he could marry his young and attractive niece Elizabeth of York. The marriage never came to be, and for a time he made negotiations to marry Princess Joanna of Portugal, but that union never came to pass. King Richard also had to contend with the hostile Lancastrian faction and their figurehead Henry Tudor. Henry had been living in exile in Brittany for over a decade, until he landed on the shores of Mill Bay in Wales on 7 August 1485. His mission: to become the new King of England. The fight for dynastic supremacy, known as the Wars of the Roses, reached its crescendo at the Battle of Bosworth Field, on 22 August 1485. King Richard and his army put up a valiant fight but were ultimately defeated by Lancastrian forces. Richard died on the battlefield after sustaining several blows to his head by "possibly four assailants armed with halberds, swords, and heavy-bladed daggers" .14 Henry VII became King and his family, the Tudors, ruled England for the next 118 years.

Portrait of King Henry VII - Attribution

Edward of Middleham's legacy, much like his life, was short lived. He is a footnote in history, overshadowed by the political climate of his time, and the character and reign of Richard III. A sad state of affairs for a Prince whom—had he outlived his father—could have gone down in history as a famous Yorkist King, prisoner, martyr and or soldier. References 1. 11. "Richard, The Man behind the Myth" by Andrea Willers 2. "Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III" by Michael Hicks 3. "Calendar of the Patent Rolls: Edward IV-Richard III." by Great Britain. Public Record Office 4. http://authorherstorianparent.blogspot.com/2013/04/educating-edward-what-sort-of-king.html 5. "The Contemporary Review, Volume 3" by A. Strahan, 1866 6. "Lives of England's Reigning and Consort Queens" by H. Eugene Lehman 7. "The World of Richard III" by Kristie Dean 8. http://nerdalicious.com.au/history/a-glimpse-of-edward-of-middleham-prince-of- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140917-richard-cause-death-helmet-forensic-science/ wales/ 9. "Richard III: England's Black Legend" by Desmond Seward 10. "Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York" by Lisa Hilton 12. http://www.richardiii.net/richards_world.php 13. "Memoirs of King Richard the Third and Some of His Contemporaries, Volume 1"by John Heneage Jesse 14. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140917-richard-cause-death-helmet-forensic-science/

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm Karlie (also known as History Gal on Twitter)! I have many interests including reading, writing, drawing and painting but my passion is history. I have read and love to read just about every period in history but I am most interested in the Plantagenet and Tudor eras. I'm intrigued, not just by their dynasties, but also the world in which they lived i.e.: the people, the religion, the politics, the conflicts, the events, the castles, the beautiful clothes, just overall their way of life.

Hat Tip To: English Historical Fiction Authors

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zuzuhe · 7 years

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the sonic archie comics are unreal

as an 8 year+ ‘sonic veteran’, I gotta tell you, young me has read some shit. I used to be way into sonic stuff for some reason, and one day I discovered the sonic comics. I’ve collected over 300 issues and many of its spin off stories, and I need you guys to sit down because sonic comics are one fucking wild ride that never stops.

fun fact: Sonic comics are the longest running comic based off a video game. (started like... 1990′s and continues today...nearly 20 years now)

here’s my top 16 weird ass facts about the sonic comics you guys might enjoy:

16. Knuckles' half brother Knee-cap

So Knuckles’ mother(Lara-le) divorces his father(Locke) and ends up marrying a guy named Wynmacher and has a child with him who they named “Knecapeon Mace” but called him Knee-Caps for short.

15. Knuckles becomes evil Thor at some point

So Knuckles has this arch-nemesis named Dr. Finitevus who looks pretty cool and all and Finitevus I guess curses Knuckles to become this weird evil god that wants to destroy technology or something... and Knux’s father Locke ended up sacrificing himself so Knuckles could go back to normal so Finitevus indirectly killed Knuckles’s father...

honorable mentions.... Knuckles has a great uncle that is a floating robotic head because he abandoned his body so he could live longer... also Rouge has flirted and kissed Knuckles’s dad more than once.......................................... just thought I should throw that out there...

14. Sonic is a fucking stud jfc

Sonic has dated or flirted with nearly ever girl in this fckin franchise I need to lie down... and this one girl he was dating... Fiona the fox:

So apparently there was this robot duplicate made of Fiona when she was Tails’ age and Tails was dating that robot on an island or some shit and then he realized Fiona was fake... but then the real Fiona appears one day and she’s a few years older than Tails (16 while Tails is like 12 or 13) and Tails is heart broken because she starts dating Sonic but then she starts fucking cheating on Sonic with Sonic’s anti-self Scourge from another dimension and if you haven’t pulled out your wine bottle yet, now is the time to because damn do we need a drink after all this shit ... there’s just a lot of romantic drama in Sonic’s life

13. The Mina the Mongoose situation

So Mina Mongoose is this popular pop-singer that dated Sonic at some point. They have this weird drama where Mina gets shot in the back to save Sally for Sonic… but she survives and then I guess she gets over Sonic and starts dating her gothic asshole manager named Ash?????? Mina I guess had some weird ties with Mammoth Mogul some weird psychic evil mammoth who somehow initiated control over Tails, Mighty, and Mina and threatens to kill them unless Sonic breaks him out of jail and gives him a chaos emerald… trust me this comic gets really fckin dark and confusing..

Speaking of dark, Sonic and Co. eventually lose their entire city to Eggman and Nicole, a robotic A.I. makes an artificial recreated city, but then she gets taken over by some techno bitch and Mina has reoccuring nightmare and tries to throw a rebellion against her or some shit idk

Mina’s life has always been about drama, to the point where in the future she fucking marries Tails?! and they have TWO children Melody and Skye like what the fuck is happening right now

12.Tails’ family

Tails’ father (Amadeus) was a general that lead the mobian army against the humans. His mother Rosemary had actually worked with her husband to fucking OVERTHROW THE KINGDOM OF ACORN TO TRY AND CREATE A DEMOCRACY….. …. also Tails’ uncle Merlin Prower is more or less a “jedi” wizard who is learning the way of chaos power…. so Tails’ family is all over the place they’ve been kidnapped by aliens, roboticized, thrown in jail, I mean damn this kid has been hanging out with Sonic because his family was just not around him most of their life they love him but they got shit to do… fuck shit up Prower family damn….

11. Sonic’s family

Sonic’s real name is Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog. I shit you not. Sonic was just a nickname. Can you fucking believe this I’m dead omg.... His mom is blonde by the way, her name is Bernadette. His father (jules) was turned into a robot by Eggman and they have yet to reverse this process, but his Uncle Chuck is fine...he’s still got his luscious mustache.

Sonic ends up marrying Sally in the main future timeline and they have two children named Sonia and Manic, which are names derived from the Sonic Underground series where Sonic has two siblings named Sonia and Manic and all three are royals who the queen hid within the city to protect them from the evil Robotnik or some shit…. I mean how deep does this get….look at those fucking parallels...

10. Shadow marries Sally / future situation

Knuckles who somehow has become a cowboy with a robot eye… marries an echidna named Julie-su and they have a daughter named Laura-su. Bunnie and Antione have two children who for some reason are half metal, as mentioned Tails married Mina and their two kids Melody and Skye…. no idea what the fuck happened to Amy in this future, she’s just kinda gone…. ???? idk

Shadow went and fucked up the timeline and took over as the new king of Mobius… so he married Sally. Luckily they didn’t take it as far as to have children but damn is Shadow a mess in his intentions throughout this comic series. Sonic and Co. somehow regain control of timeline and everyone is happy again and there’s new freedom fighters... Oh fyi Shadow also reunites with Maria kind of… he sees her in a computer program along with his creator… so that’s nice

9. the antis

…..there’s a anti sonic dimension.. where everyone is a gothic-punk alter-ego….. and Anti Sonic turned green because of the master emerald for some reason and I think either Knuckles or Knuckles’ father game him that scar on his chest…. Anti Sonic names himself Scourge and was dating Fiona who was cheating on Sonic…. fucking look at Anti-Tails I cant with this I am deceased…..

his gang likes to jump dimensions and Zonic the Zonecop didn’t like that.

8. Zonic the Zone cop

Zonic the Zonecop…. works under Zobotnik….. they’re basically cops who monitor all Sonic dimensions and take in prisoners who leave their dimensions or threaten to destroy dimensions/zones… Zonic always has to hunt down Scourge and other trouble makers and lock them up…. so anyone who dreamed of Sonic in power ranger gear well congrats your dream has come true….

7. Bean is fucking related to Jet from Sonic Riders apparently?????

So remember Jet the Hawk from Sonic Riders… well somehow he might be related to Bean or something???… and Bean calls him “ jettison Q. Hawkington….” don’t know why but I find that funny

6. Eggman fucking snaps

Eggman FUCKING SNAPS OK LIKE HOLY SHIT.. like out of no where he destroys Sonic’s entire city, beats the shit out of him, captures his family and friends, and then tries to turn Charmy bee into a robot but instead gives him brain damage…. Sonic kinda snaps too and would almost consider severely harming or killing Eggman… luckily Sally’s robotic A.I. Nicole had built them all a new city out of nanites … but this whole plot was…. out of every possible plot I could see in a Sonic franchise, having such a grave one thrown at me out of no where was the biggest fuckign surprise 7 year old me has ever seen ok holy fuck

5. Amy’s situation and her cousin Rob’O who is a king..?????

Amy used to be like… 8 years old or some shit then she wished upon a magic ring that made her body grow older by like 4 years or something so she could be part of the freedom fighters and potentially date sonic or something… so Amy is way younger mentally than she looks…

She has a cousin named Rob’O who married some echidna lady and they had a son named Jon… apparently Amy’s uncle was a king and Rob’O is next in line to the throne so Amy is somehow technically royalty ?????????????????? slkfjdk????

4. Charmy bee is a fucking prince and has a girlfriend

oh Charmy Bee is also a fucking prince who has a girlfriend named Saffron… no idea who came up with this plot or why

3. Sally’s weird love life

Sally has a weird love life too, she is princess of Mobius despite her brother and his wife and child being next in line for the throne…..??? She ended up dating this secret service agent Geoffrey the Skunk who had a wife named Hershey the cat who I guess maybe got killed during a mission or something… Geoffrey got into some weird corrupted scandals with villains too I don’t recall his allegiance but Sally was smart for dumping his ass.

She also has some weird ass thing going on with this embodiment of the monkey king………??????

and then she had this arranged marriage thrown together by her father to marry the royal guard Antoine who was actually anti-Antoine from the anti dimension who imprisoned the real Antoine….. Antione I guess finally escapes and then ends up marrying Bunnie instead?????? who the hell are these writers and where did they come from

Sally and Sonic end up together in the end and Sonic becomes king of Mobius and they have kids and all so happy ending for her I guess…. besides that one timeline where she had to marry Shadow…

2. SNIVELY’S...LOVE LIFE...

Um…. Snively is …. Eggman’s nephew…. and something happens to Eggman and Snively somehow ends up dating this one techno-magic chick named Regina the Iron Queen.. she tries to take over Nicole’s nanites… I have no idea who the fuck is writing the romance in this series but I’d like them to sign all my comics

1.THE WAR

apparently the sonic mobians had this massive war against “Overlanders” basically somewhat de-evolved humans due to a mutation experiment / bombs that aliens called Xorda bombarded onto pre-Mobius aka Earth. So more or less Eggman and Snively and any other humans are basically the endangered human species trying to regain control over their planet through xenophobic / racist ideals against the evolved animal species that is the Mobians and Sonic……………………….. I’m not fucking joking

LAWSUITS AND THE WEIRD REBOOT

So apparently Sonic Archie comics went into this huge timeline-dimensional reboot because one of the former writers Ken Penders has thrown multiple lawsuits into Archie comic’s hands and this shit has been going on since 2009 until even now…

Some weird things going on in the reboots:

there’s this lady named Breezie who is … in love with Neo Metal Sonic……I think she’s based off a side character from the old show………and I really think that’s all I should tell you as you can probably see how she was first introduced…

Honey the cheetah… a concept from an old Sonic game I guess returned????

No romance at this point…….

they gave Sally clothes for some reason…

But basically Ken Penders, a previously major archie sonic comic writer, was the creator of multiple if not all of the echidnas involved in the sonic comic storyline. So Finitevus, Julie-su, basically the entire Echidna brother hood, Knuckles’ younger brother, Charmy’s girlfriend Saffron, Mina Mongoose, Mammoth Mogul, and even Amy’s cousin Rob’O are now required to be out of the story. Ken wanted to use the sonic characters he made for his own original graphic novel but Archie wanted to maintain copyright on his characters and concepts… I mean most writers and artists are aware that the things they produce for a licensed company are usually OWNED by that company, so its weird he’d even attempt something like that. Archie claimed Penders signed a contract as evidence for it but failed to produce the contract so the lawsuit settled in 2013. Because of this, Sonic Archie comic and it’s spin off series of Sonic Universe had to completely rewrite their stories to get his characters out of the picture, or straight up just redesigned the characters… he’s also recently claimed in 2015 he’s got another law suit in mind…??? He’s actually ‘inspired’ Scott Fulop to also file lawsuits after he left archie comics too.

Here’s a chart someone made for Ken Pender’s logic in some of his lawsuit filings which you can obviously tell is quite a mess:

honorable mentions

I mean there’s a shit ton of stuff I’ve missed or haven’t even mentioned about this shit…..

thanks for stopping by and letting me explain the horrific treasure that is the sonic comic series because whAT thE FUCK

my god I love the sonic comics

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic comics #sonic archie comics #what the fuck #there i posted it #my post #the best #long post

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