#choices the royal finale

[choices-binglebonkus]

Flanderization is the process in which a complex, fleshed out character gradually gets reduced to one or two traits through oversimplification. While present in varying degrees across certain Choices series, Flanderization is most present and potent in The Royal Romance/Heir/Finale.

Pre-Flanderization

MC: A newcomer to court who’s hella oblivious but incredibly resilient and willing to go out of her comfort zone for her friends. She is fiercely independent and free-spirited, something that each character she meets in Cordonia comes to respect her for. She has her silly and ditzy moments, but she's usually good at behaving in a relatively civilized manner when she needs to be. She is no stranger to hard work, and this greatly helps her adjust to courtly life.

Liam: A crown prince and eventual king as of book two who longs for freedom while also grappling with his role in the monarchy. He CONSTANTLY struggles with his desire for freedom and levity versus the leaden weight of the crown, though his sense of duty usually wins out in these internal battles. More than anything, even his own longing for freedom and independence, he wishes for the safety of his people and the prosperity of Cordonia.

Hana: A prodigy who has been forced into rigorous classes on etiquette and courtly skills since young childhood. She is remarkably talented, though incredibly humble, and is always happy to help teach others when they need assistance. She is very meek and doesn't like confrontation, and often struggles to stand up for herself, but ultimately grows stronger and more confident as the story progresses, eventually even standing up to her demanding parents. Ultimately, she wishes for the agency to choose her own path, whatever that may be.

Drake: A commoner who has long struggled with his place in the Cordonian court, regardless of his friendship with the prince and his father's service as a Guardian of the Realm. He is gruff and jaded from his negative experiences and poor treatment by nobles and royals, which only worsens when his sister disappears. He fears the prince will eventually forget about him, or worse, will be embarrassed by him, because he is merely a commoner. He is teased by his friends for his lack of courtly knowledge but does eventually take time to learn courtly customs for the sake of the prince's image. Regardless of these fears and his bitterness, he is a loyal friend with a heart of gold and a healthy dose of humility.

Maxwell: A younger brother to the Duke of Ramsford who feels he is a screw-up and believes he is rightfully overshadowed by his much more responsible brother. He is carefree and fun-loving and sometimes a little absent-minded, but he has moments of wisdom and true helpfulness sprinkled throughout. He is goofy when the occasion calls for it and is always happy to indulge in a wild party, but can just as easily embody seriousness and solemnity when need be.

Olivia: A catty duchess who clings to the prince as a result of his kindness to her during the most traumatic time of her life as a small child. She is devious, two-faced, and extremely petty, often starting arguments or going for low blows just because she can. She is not used to people standing up to her, which ultimately mellows her out, though she is still aggressive at times. Particularly pressing situations let her fierce loyalty to king and country as well as her competency in combat shine through despite her initial struggle with her identity as a Nevrakis, who are known for their betrayals and scheming.

Post-Flanderization

MC: Constantly flies by the seat of her pants and somehow makes it through the most dire situations unscathed. Her silly side stops being silly and starts being unapologetically idiotic. Of course, despite her bumbling nature, she's still seen as a dangerous threat by the Via Imperii, a top-secret society that has ruled parts of the world for over two millennia. (Flanderization began in TRR book 3)

Liam: Primary trait is his sense of duty to his kingdom and his people, yet his ability to rule and prevent chaos and upheaval is terrible. He has no competence to match his promises to his kingdom. (Flanderization began in TRH book 2)

Hana: She is still remarkably talented, but the extent of her talents grow to be utterly unrealistic. She also occasionally has instances of incredibly dark or violent dialogue that in no way fit with her character ("I'm sorry Olivia, I only kill when absolutely necessary") that really throw the reader and sometimes even the other characters off. (Flanderization began in TRH book 1)

Drake: Still gruff and jaded and grumpy but to a slightly higher degree. He is also clowned on and made into a meme by his friends and the Cordonian public. (Flanderization began in TRH book 1)

Maxwell: Loud, annoying, obsessed with parties and dancing, clumsy as hell, and almost comically self-absorbed. (Flanderization began in TRR book 2)

Olivia: Much more frequently aggressive, constantly goes on about knives, hidden blades, and spy missions. She is still loyal to king and country, but her personality has been reduced to that of a human weapon. (Flanderization began in TRH book 1)

[cadybear420]

PLEASE MAKE DRAKE OUTFIT RANKING

Well it's not gonna be as in-depth as the male sexy underwear ranking since I haven't played past TRR 1, but I can do this.

NGL this was actually kind of fun. Might do it for other characters as well as certain MCs.

1st place, AKA Mannnn that shit is VACCUUM SEALED AROUND HIS TITS and for WHAT

2nd place, AKA One of the few actually flattering male/masc swimsuits, granted it looked better in the CG but still (also he should kill me with his thighs)

3rd place, AKA Stylish AFFFFFFF, I dig it

4th place, AKA ICONIC

5th place, AKA Decent, I like it but it doesn't really stand out to me or grab me

6th place, AKA *shrugs* Eh... not bad, but I'm not really feeling it with these ones

7th place, AKA I guess it's okay on a technical level, but PB should be ashamed of themselves for calling this lazy thing a "sexy underwear upgrade" so yeah

Credit for transparents goes to @korgbelmont

[sfb123]

I was lucky enough to win a commission by the wonderful @/artbyainna for @ao719’s Tumblrversary giveaway, and I am absolutely FLOORED!

LOOK AT MY BABIES! This is Liam and Riley from a pivotal scene in my series Sapere Aude. I was going to post a snippet, but it's completely loaded with major spoilers, so iykyk. If you don’t, check out the series master here. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, and want the spoilers of this scene, it’s from chapter 8.

Thank you so much to Anitah for your generosity (and congrats again on that Tumblrversary), and to Ainna for using your incredible talent to help me bring one of my silly stories to life yet again.

Permatag:

@3pawandme @busywoman @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @gryffindordaughterofathena @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @i-am-only-here-for-sims-cc @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @nikirennie87 @princessleac1 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn

TRR:

@21-wishes @ao719 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @lovingchoices14 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @the0afnan @tinkie1973

Liam:

@amandablink @cordonianprincess @custaroonie @jared2612 @xpandass420x @yourmajesty09 @zaffrenotes

[playchoicesconfessions]

Sent by anonymous

'I know people are upset that Immortal Desires will not get a sequel, but as a player I think the story's conclusion makes sense. Majority of the PB stories in recent months that did not get a sequel are those where the purpose/plot was defined, i.e., where the main character has to go through their Hero's journey in a linear fashion. Once they achieve that goal, they have reached the resolution of their character's arc.

While PB could potentially have a sequel to ID, I think the main character's motivation would not have been strong enough to carry the plot across 16 chapters. It could result in navel gazing and repetitive incidents that would ultimately ruin the book's appeal.

Sadly, we saw that happen with The Royal Heir and The Royal Finale. I highly enjoyed that series, but I also did get annoyed by MC always having to fight off shadowy forces with their Scooby Gang. At some point, I shouted "Come on. Not that again."'

POSTS/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT MOD'S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[mylucayathoughts]

Alex on his way back from Paris is one of the most underrated Taylor scenes in Red White and Royal Blue and I think he did such a splendid job there. It's underrated in the sense that, it's not as talked about as his coming out to Henry scene or lake scene or Kensington palace confrontation scene, mostly possibly because it's so short (about 9 seconds). But it's one of my favorites and it owns my heart 🥺♥️. I even talked about it a bit in my little moments series part 1, but not nearly enough.

To me, this scene was incredibly beautifully acted. Taylor poured his heart and soul into it. I believe he discussed it with Matthew extensively and put a lot of thoughts on his approach to it. He knew, the focus would be on his face and he had to portray the many emotions of Alex perfectly and boy did he deliver!

Alex was seen to be so lost in thoughts on the plane, taking in all the new things that had happened, contemplating Henry and their situationship, navigating all the new feelings that were bubbling up within his chest.

He was thinking about Henry, who had become such a good friend to Alex in such a short amount of time, who listens to him, supports him, reassures him while having his own demons to deal with, his closetedness, unsympathetic grandparent. I'm sure Alex felt heard, connected, loved and at the same time feeling a new sense of responsibility towards Henry, to care for him, to protect him. He was falling so fast in love with Henry. This must have been overwhelming to him in the best possible way. And you can see it in the way he goes from pensive to taking in a deep breath. I love how it shows that he is relaxing and coming to terms with all these new feelings.

And he tears up a bit at the weight of them, the weight of all the good things, the prospect of something much bigger and more beautiful than a hook up. And he smiles, ever so softly, at how happy and at peace it made him feel.

I cropped the photo so that his teary eyes can be seen a little better. This 9 second scene is so important and sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Alex was clearly very serious after this about their relationship. His transition from showing just pure Physical want and devouring looks (at the polo match), and then just having a good time with Henry, discovering little things about each other (garden scene and Paris Cafe scene) to Paris hotel scene where they make love for the first time and him pouring his heart out to Henry, and seeing Henry say all the right things, respond in the most loving way, has been done so seamlessly and all of it culminate in this plane scene. And it's so apparent that Alex is grasping and accepting all of that. It's just amazing to see Taylor portray this with just facial expressions (and not through a convo with a friend like it's sometimes done in movies). Such a well scripted and well acted scene, it was so refreshing to watch 🥰

[welcometothevoiddarling]

yr s3 spoliers

specifically thoughts about how Sara spoke about love when she was rejecting August and making up with Felice. Acknowledging her feelings for august importantly, but also putting other feelings she held above those. It might have been just the way the subtitles translated it, but I also loved how they used the word 'love/feelings' for august but also sara and Felice's friendship, and also simon. It just means so much to me when friendship and platonic love is treated as just as meaningful and important, perhaps even more so, than romantic. And then also sibling love. Like that final car had all types of love in it. And they had all been liberated from the forces which tried to restrain them. So at the end of the day, true love won. In all it's different glory. And also they all made a conscious choice to get in that car. They all chose to love, and be the people they became when loving each other.

[lilyoffandoms]

New York Bound - Trystan x Gabriel by @somewillwin

Thank you for yet another gorgeous art piece, Gabi!!

If y’all get a chance, go get a beautiful commission of your own!

[bombomangooo]

Lord Maxwell Beaumont, the loveable screwup!!

[storyofmychoices]

SpreadJoy #863 spreading positivity with quotes and @playchoices characters.

Quote by Heather Stillufsen

@hanaleeappreciationweek

[farizrz]

A character supposed to die in TRR book 2 by TRR writer, Kara

[choices-binglebonkus]

I just realized that every single main character in TRR/TRH/TRF needs a shit ton of therapy. Particularly Liam, who gets consistently fucked over throughout the series, and the MC, who had a remarkably traumatic birth without an epidural or any pain relief of any kind in addition to all the other shit she’s been through.

[masked-alien-lesbian]

No thought, head empty, just Hana lol

[ownworldresident]

Side by Side Chapter 1: Not a Fairy Tale

The revamp of a long-ago series because I wrote myself into a corner

Book: The Royal Romance.

Premise: With new additions to their family, King Liam and Rayne must re-evaluate their relationship dynamic.

Themes: Found family, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, family.

Word Count: 3.2k per chapter, 18 chapters. About 60k.

Note: This story started just after TRR3 ended, and has no association with TRH. Master Masterlist Link

Rayne

"Lady Rayne, I'm afraid I've been asked to escort you out, along with the representatives of House Beaumont."

"But…" Rayne looked from Bastien to Maxwell to the rest of the onlookers but any protest was drowned out by the growing voices of a hundred nobles. A strong hand closed over her arm.

"And now Prince Liam must choose a wife."

"Liam!" Rayne called out, but barely heard herself. Her heart pounded and she ripped her arm from Bastien's grip, searching the ballroom for a set of familiar blue eyes.

Bastien grabbed her again, firmer this time, and she couldn't break it. The royal guards began to pull her and the Beaumonts toward the exit.

"I choose… Lady Madeleine."

"No!" Rayne cried, still searching the ballroom, but there were too many people between them. Then she finally caught his eye, and there was real fear there.

Rayne grimaced again as the pain rocked through her. She kept thinking she was adjusting, but every wave was incrementally worse.

"You're doing really well, Rayne," said one of the nurses. "Breathe through it. That's it, perfect."

The pain subsided but left an echo, and she used the reprieve to turn to the closest nurse, tightening her hold on the sheets.

"Where is Liam?" she asked for the umpteenth time. "Is he close?"

"I'm sure he'll get here as soon as he can." The young nurse smiled, rested a hand on her wrist, then moved back around the bed. It was the same answer as every other time and useless to her now.

"Liam…" Rayne's chest ached in his absence.

"Keep an eye on her blood pressure," the midwife said, standing at the end of the bed. Rayne hardly heard the conversation after that. She had never imagined this without him, and the empty space was the loneliest she had felt since leaving New York.

Too soon she was wrenched back by another contraction. It was worse, longer, and closer. She grit her teeth, focused on the room, and breathed through it.

The lights went out and the panic started. Rayne recognised gunshots, but could see nothing, and crouched with hands over her head as bullets ricocheted and people began to scream.

Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"We need to get out of here!" Drake's voice. She gripped his hand and hurried with him, people colliding with her as they, too, tried to escape.

"What about Li-" She tripped on her gown and hit the ground hard.

The lights came on. Drake was above her again. She could see Liam surrounded by men in dark clothes, fighting alongside his guards.

"Rayne, focus!" Drake pulled her up again and they turned to the exit, and came face to face with a masked man. He raised a gun. She froze. Drake shoved her back. The shot went off, and his body collided with hers as the force of the bullet pushed them back.

Drake

Drake burst into the hospital and rushed to reception, heart pounding. The parking lot had been full, and he had run two blocks to see her, and the woman behind the desk looked up with some surprise. It usually annoyed him that he was recognizable enough as Liam’s friend, but it helped now.

"Has King Liam arrived?" He asked, harsher than intended. The woman shook her head, and Drake ran a hand over his face. “Has he been contacted?”

"His Majesty is in a meeting. He will be advised of the situation when he is done."

He stared at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." She didn't look enthused about it. "I'm sorry, but those are our instructions."

Drake swore. “Unbelievable,” he muttered as he pulled out his phone and called him.

Voicemail.

He hung up, called again, and again, then left a frustrated voicemail and an equally short and sharp text message. No longer puffing, he returned his attention to the receptionist, debating whether to go and drag Liam back here or not. When he considered leaving her, though, the choice became easy.

“Is she in her room?” he asked, already starting toward the ward, which required a keycard to access.

“Yes, but… I don’t think you can go in.”

He rounded on her, reigning in his frustration and reminding himself she wasn't at fault. “Rayne is my friend, and if Liam isn’t here, I won’t let her go through this alone.”

The receptionist glanced at the door and back to him, unsure, and Drake's impatience started redirecting. Then she moved to the door and opened it. “You know the room?”

“Yes.” He pushed open the door, then paused, and glanced back. “Thank you.”

Along the passage, he pulled out his phone again to send a message to someone else. And then he was hurrying to her room, pushing open the door, and being overwhelmed by the number of medical staff. Four of them at least, all fussing, but looking up as he entered. And then there was Rayne, red faced and sweating on the bed. Her eyes were closed, hands holding fistfuls of the sheets. Drake reached her side, taking Liam’s empty place, and took up her hand with both of his. She looked up.

“Drake?” she muttered, breathing heavily. “Where is….” she gasped, gritting her teeth.

"He's coming," Drake said. "He'll be here."

Rayne shook her head, exhaling sharply and looking up at the midwife.

"That's it," said the woman. "We're almost on the home stretch but I need you to start pushing soon, okay?"

"No I can't…" She forced through a few long breaths. "I can't…"

"Yes, you can."

"I can't… Liam isn't here,” she whimpered, then, more clearly, "I need him here."

"I'm sorry, Rayne, but your babies can't wait for him. It's got to be now."

There were tears in her eyes. Drake grabbed the small damp towel beside him and tried to wipe her brow. "You can do this," he said gently. "We can't control when Liam arrives, but I'm here, and I'll stay as long as you need, okay?"

She nodded, tightening her fingers around his, and for a moment he thought she was calming, but when she turned her face to him it was tight with pain in more ways than one. "I… I don't think I can do this without him."

"I really hope you don't have to," he said, squeezing her shoulder.

"He promised me," she said in a small voice. Drake's chest tightened at the dismay in her words, and he mentally added more pressure to the punch Liam would receive when he finally got here.

Liam

The door slammed open and Liam stopped mid-sentence as his brother ran into the room. There were twenty council members, a sonographer, his assistant and three guards in the room, and every one of them looked up as well. A couple of the councillors began to object, but for Liam, one look at Leo’s expression was enough. He stood.

“It’s Rayne,” Leo said, catching his breath, “she’s in labour.”

Liam vaulted the horseshoe table, knocking documents and pens and even a water glass but that didn't matter. He yelled for his assistant to call the car around and sprinted after Leo to the palace entrance.

When they arrived, the car wasn’t there, but Leo’s bike was, key still in the ignition. Liam frowned, and he caught on.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Got a spare helmet?”

“In the box, yeah.”

“Then yes.”

“Alright then.” Leo strode to the bike, and Liam ignored the part of him that knew this was too dangerous without more protective gear. His brother chucked him the spare and pulled on his own as Liam did the same. He'd ridden them before, as driver and passenger, but he could love them like Leo did.

Helmet in place, Leo turned back, paused a moment, then shrugged off his leather jacket.

"Swap," he said, holding it out.

"What? Why?"

"If something happens and we come off, it'll be my fault, and there's no way I'm getting your blood on my hands. You want to ride, put this on."

Liam stared at him, not that they could make out faces, but there was no time to argue, the car still wasn't here. He removed his blazer, swapped it for the leather jacket, got on behind Leo and secured himself there.

"Sure about this?"

"Just drive."

He revved the engine, kicked up the foot, and accelerated.

They raced through the gates just as the SUV pulled into view and Liam second guessed the decision, reminded suddenly and forcefully all the reasons he preferred a car. He held his brother tighter. Too exposed, too exposed. Useless thoughts. Focus.

Faster than a car manoeuvring the bends, Liam was barely by the time they reached the city outskirts. He wanted to ask what Leo knew, what he should expect, and in the absence his mind raced with possibilities. And the failure...

They pulled up at a red light.

"What do you know?" he asked immediately, then repeated, louder.

"Got a message from Drake." Leo called back. "Didn't catch the time he sent it. Could've been an hour, maybe more. Came straight to you when you didn't answer your phone."

Green Light before he could respond. Leo shot ahead of the traffic, coming up behind other cars and weaving through them with a speed and confidence that another day would make Liam fear for their lives. His stomach turned but he ignored it. Over an hour? How long ago has it started? Was Drake with her? Was she in pain? Of course she would be, and had promised…

Pedestrian crossing. Leo pulled up again. They were getting to the heart of the city now and couldn't go as fast. For all the power he had as a monarch, he longed to clear the roads now. A woman with a pram and a toddler crossed in front of them.

"Why wasn't I informed?"

"Drake's message said they were told not to say anything."

"By whom?"

"Didn't say."

But only one person other than him had that power. He swore, tightening his hold.

"Watch it!" called Leo, and Liam relaxed his grip. They were getting close. They would be followed by half a dozen speeding tickets but that didn’t matter; they were getting there.

He had promised. Promised Rayne he would be there for this, to help her through it, support her in the most painful hours of her life. But he wasn't, and every minute he wasn’t there was a minute she faced this alone.

Suddenly the private hospital loomed and they pulled up at the entrance. Liam leapt off the bike, pulled off his helmet, raced inside and through to the maternity ward.

He drew curious glances as he went, but reached reception quickly.

"Where is Rayne?" he demanded.

"Her room, Your Majesty." She hurried to the ward entry and opened it. Liam nodded as thanks, his heart beating hard, and rushed into the ward. Was he too late? Would he hear her cries? Was she asking for him?

He spotted a familiar face in the hall, leaning against a wall with a mug in one hand and running a hand through his hair.

“Drake,” he said as he approached. His friend turned fast and stared at him. First with eyes wide, then narrowed. “Is Rayne-”

“Here,” Drake cut him off, setting his mug down with some force and indicating for Liam to follow. He led them a little ways down the empty hall, then into a room that wasn’t Rayne’s, and closed the door behind them. He turned back when he realised it was empty.

“I told myself I was going to hit you when you finally fucking got here,” Drake snapped. “But I suspect this will hurt badly enough.”

His heart sank. “Did I miss...”

“You sure did. All twelve hours,” he seethed. “I told you the risk was too much. A fucking meeting, Liam? Seriously? You couldn’t wait three weeks? You made a goddamn promise, and you broke it.” He shook his head when Liam tried to speak. “She asked for you the whole time, she was in tears, and I know that because I was here, taking your place, telling her you would be here soon, when I had no fucking clue when you would turn up.”

Liam’s heart plummeted, and no physical pain could match the total and complete agony of breaking the biggest promise of his life. Nothing could ever compensate for that, but he could go to her, and be there… Drake preempted.

“They had to operate,” he said, and Liam paled. “You seriously think I would have left her alone if I had a choice? C-section. Something about her blood pressure. That’s all I could get, but she’s unconscious and there are about a dozen doctors and nurses in there right now. I guess you can be the one who meets them first or whatever.”

He’d not known what to expect when he got here. Maybe that he’d get here in time, be able to hold her hand and reassure her. Be able to share the moment when they met their children… Like they had talked about… And now, once again, he had failed her.

Drake

Liam was ten levels of frozen anguish and Drake’s heart went out to him, but he was still too irritated to comfort his friend. At least he’d refrained from physically injuring him, though that pain would be a walk in the park compared to whatever debilitating agony hit him now. He knew Liam, and knew how he would -or would fail to- process this. That wasn’t his problem right now.

“Head out to where I was waiting. Someone will let you know when you can go in.” He turned and opened the door again, then paused. “Congratulations.”

Before Liam could respond, he was heading out to the waiting rooms further out to make some calls. Rayne meant more to his friend than anything, and their situation was shitty, but he’d been vocal enough about that in the past, and nothing changed.

Leo was waiting there on his phone with Liam’s jacket folded roughly beside him.

“Shit,” Leo said, standing as he noticed Drake enter the room. “You okay?”

“What?” Drake blinked, realised how tight his expression was, and rubbed his temples as he smoothed it. “Fine. You got my message then.”

“Yeah, but not for a while as you ah, can probably tell. Sorry about that.” He winced. “Did we make it?”

Sighing, he shook his head. “Not quite.” He explained the situation quickly, keeping it factual and leaving out some of his words to Liam, then finished with, “I’m gonna call the others,” and pulled out his phone as he walked away from Leo, who was grimacing. He needed something to do.

Why he called Maxwell first, he didn’t know.

“Drake! How are you?” Maxwell’s sudden voice shocked him back, out of frustration. “Whatcha calling about?” Again, Drake filled him in quickly. “Little blossom! Oh no! I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“That really isn’t--”

“I’m coming from Ramsford, I’ll be a while, and there’s no way I’d miss saying hi!”

“Okay, then.”

Maxwell hung up, and Drake located Olivia’s number.

“Walker,” she answered quickly, sounding distracted.

“Olivia, you--”

“No! Put that down. I said the red one. This is not what I pay you for!” The call was followed by some muffled conversation before Olivia’s voice became clear again. “Sorry, Walker. Go on.”

“Remember how you asked to be told when Rayne was in labour?”

“Of course. But she’s not due for a few weeks. Why the reminder?”

“It happened early,” he said, and she swore.

“I’ll be there later today, but I’m flying from Lythikos, so it won’t be for a while.” She paused. “How’s Liam?”

“He… uh…” Drake rubbed the back of his neck. “He’ll be fine.”

“I see.” Olivia quieted, apparently picking up on his tone. “I’ll get in touch when I land at the airport.” She hung up, and Drake lowered his phone to stare at it.

Calling them would have been his least favourite activity, but at least it had given him something to occupy his mind. Now all he had were images of Rayne, the strength of her grip on his hand, and the struggle in her face to breathe through the pain before the doctors realised something was wrong. He wasn’t sure her fear would ever fade in his memory.

Taking a deep breath, he reentered the waiting room, grabbed two bottles of water from the vending machine, and slumped down beside Leo, who was fiddling with a cord of some kind.

“Thanks,” Leo said as he took one of the bottles and twisted off the cap. Then both fell to silence, and waited.

Liam

The wait was maybe twenty minutes but it felt like hours. People moved in and out of Rayne’s room, and others moved along halls, sparing him glances as he stared at the ground in front of him, and every time he thought someone was approaching him his heart raced, but then they would move on. What if something happened? He had read about this, they both had read about everything, but hadn’t expected this to actually happen. There had been nothing to indicate it would. What if one of the babies was hurt? Or didn’t make it? His chest tightened at the thought, to the point where breathing was a struggle, but surely they would have said something? Surely the voices -though he couldn’t make out the words- would be more panicked? He shuddered. If he lost her… If they lost a child…

“King Liam?”

He looked up fast to see a young nurse with hands clasped before her and a small smile.

“Everything went smoothly. Rayne is still unconscious, but the general anaesthetic will wear off in ten to fifteen minutes.” She smiled a little wider as he stood. “Would you like to come and meet them?”

“Yes,” he breathed, the emotion bubbling in his voice, and swallowed as he followed her in a daze into the room.

There was one other nurse still there, tucking in the sides of Rayne’s sheets. Liam approached the bed. Rayne herself was pale, but otherwise looked peaceful, her chest rising and falling as if she were simply asleep. The gauze on her forearm where whatever needle they had used was the only evidence to the contrary. He lifted one of her hands, rubbing his thumb over the back of it, and listed out a long internal apology that he wouldn’t voice with the others in the room. He wanted to be sorry just for today, but truly there were so many things to be sorry for he would be hard pressed to find the words.

One of the nurses left, but the younger one smiled again as he looked up.

“Would you like to meet them, Your Majesty?” She gestured to the two cribs beside her. In a trance he pressed his lips to the back of Rayne’s hand, and moved around the bed to stand beside the nurse. "May I introduce the Crown Prince, and his sister, the Princess." She gestured to each in turn.

As the two tiny, swaddled newborns came into view his heart swelled to bursting and tears pricked his eyes. This was a love he had not known, and there weren't words to describe it. Rayne would laugh at that. 'You always know exactly the right thing to say.' He looked back to her, wishing they could share this moment. 'You do inspire a certain amount of eloquence' he had responded with a wink and she had laughed… laughed, but it was true, and maybe if it weren't she wouldn't be in this situation.

One look back at his newborn son and daughter extinguished the thought. Leaning over the crib of his daughter, he ran a single finger across her entire cheek. As he did, she slowly opened her eyes, and his breath caught. Her face, her nose, his eyes.

---- ----

The list below is from my previous SbS masterlist. If you'd like to be added or removed please let me know!

Tag List: @leelee10898 @indiacater @speedyoperarascalparty @brightpinkpeppercorn @riseandshinelittleblossom @bella-ca @custaroonie @furiousherringoperatortoad @missevabean @thequeenofcronuts @kuladekiwi @mfackenthal @iplaydrake @lodberg @annekebbphotography @carabeth @wannabemc @explorer-of-gems @be-still-my-aching-heart @kateslayer @kingliam2019 @kalirosesummers @umccall71

[playchoicesconfessions]

Sent by anonymous

'Happy confession time! Maxwell has always been my favourite LI by far, and I never thought I'd meet someone as awesome in real life; I mean, most of the LIs are made too "perfect" for real humans. I was already accepting my life as forever alone, but then I met my boyfriend, and he has every bit the humour, charm, kindness and everything else that Maxwell has (probably more!). We've been happily together for 2 years now, so to all you hopeless romantics: never give up on your dream!'

POSTS/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT MOD'S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[eadanga]

The Royal Romance Chapter 8 Part 3

Hana sighs as she sets down her coco “I can’t believe the things Olivia says sometimes poor Drake”

Maxwells nods “Yeah he usually doesn’t let Olivia get under his skin like that”

“Well I hope he’s alright I saw him go outside but it’s not a good idea to be out there right now I heard there’s a storm brewing tonight what can he be thinking”

MC looks outside and sees the sky getting dark and the clouds moving He shouldn’t be out there I’m gonna go get him before he freezes to death she stands “There’s only one way to find out”

Hana looks at her shocked “You mean you’re thinking of following him?”

MC heads towards the door “He shouldn’t be out there alone besides I’m not gonna sleep well if he dies of hypothermia and I didn’t stop him” MC grabs her boots then heads to get her coat

****

Liam walks down the hall as Olivia wraps her arm around his “…So this is piece is over 100 years old my great great great grandfather brought it back from a war he fought and was victorious”

Liam plasters on a grin “Wow fastinating tell me more always love hearing about your history Olivia” Liam looks away as Olivia continues 40th time she’s told me that story Out of the corner of his eye he spots MC walking down the hall he smiles Damn she’s beautiful even as she walks He notices her lacing up her boots and putting on her coat What’s she doing? There’s blizzard coming why is she getting dressed to walk outside? I really hope she’s gonna be ok then again she’s a strong woman she can handle anything but still

“Liam?”

He snaps out of his thoughts and sees Olivia looking at him “Yes Olivia”

“Are you ok?”

“Fine just a little tired from all the skiing and skating if you’ll excuse me Olivia” He bows “I think I’m gonna go rest up”

“Oh ok I’ll see you at the ball then”

“Of course” He walks away as he sighs Forgive me for that lie Olivia but I need to know if she’s ok He looks around Now if I remember the room with the best view is here He enters a room and walks to the balcony he pulls out a pair of binoculars and spots her heading towards someone Is that Drake? What’s he doing out in this storm? They could die of the cold I hope they’re not gonna be out there for long

****

MC trudges through the snow and spots Drake in a clearing in the woods “Hey Drake”

He turns around “What are you doing out here?”

“I saw you going off alone in the dark with a storm coming and I wanted to see what you were doing”

Drake raises an eyebrow “So you’re keeping tabs on me?”

“Even you have to admit it’s a little suspicious to be out here taking care of something right now”

“I want to be mad at this but I really can’t maybe I’m even a little impressed”

“What did you come out here to do exactly?”

“If you really want to know you’ll have to trust me”

“Well ok now tell me”

“Here I’ll make it easier for you” He shoves her down on the ground MC falls back sputtering

“What the hell?! What was” She looks up and sees the most star filled sky with shooting stars flying across the sky “Drake…”

He falls back next to her “Yes my lady?”

“This is amazing but no excuse knocking me over” She light punches him

Drake chuckles “Sorry about that you looked pretty tough thought you could handle it”

MC raises an eyebrow “You think I’m tough”

“Pretty tough for a noble girl I mean”

“I’m no real noble you know that”

Drakes sighs “Yeah I do”

MC smiles “Looks like were just in time to see this before the storm hits”

“Yeah I didn’t want to miss it we grew up around royals my dad used to do security for Liam and his brother and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them Liam and I ended up being really close even though I didn’t have the lineage to merit it” He sighs “Savannah on the other hand got along with everyone she loved living at the palace when we were kids but it got harder when she got older”

“What happened?”

“She…” Drake trails off “It was hard on her I guess she couldn’t take it after what happened with…” He clenches his jaw “I failed her I couldn’t protect her from this place” He sighs “Sorry I guess I’m not ready to talk about it this is the most I’ve talked about it in a year”

“Really?” MC grins “Does that mean we’re friends?”

Drake scoffs “Friends? I wouldn’t go that far Brooks”

MC rolls her eyes “Should we call it non enemies then?”

Drake shrugs “I guess I can’t really stop you”

MC grins “Nope”

They look at the sky a little bit longer till snowflakes start to come down then Drake sighs

“We should head back it’ll be quite a scandal if I let one of the Prince’s suitors freeze to death on my watch”

MC stands and brushes herself off “Let’s head back shall we”

Drake stands and brushes himself off “Of course”

****

Liam watches and they both head back to the chateau he smiles Glad they’re heading back but they were out there a long time and the snow was starting I hope they don’t get sick or anything still wonder what they were doing out there in this weather I worry about them especially MC.

****

As MC and Drake walk inside they’re met by Hana running up to them

“There you are!”

“You’re up late”

“I couldn’t sleep with you and Drake out there in the storm”

MC gives her a small smile “I’m sorry we kept you up”

Hana grins “Oh I’m just glad you came in before it really started coming down you must be freezing Drake dressed like that”

Drake nods “Yeah I’m gonna go change goodnight ladies” Drake waves as he heads to his room

Hana turns to MC “I guess we should get some sleep too the Cordornian Waltz is tomorrow after all and we need a good nights sleep to pull it off successfully”

MC sighs “I don’t think any amount of sleep is gonna improve my chances”

“What do you mean?”

“As Drake mentioned earlier I can’t waltz”

Hana looks at her shocked “Oh dear it is late but I can’t show you if you wanted to”

MC nods Please teach me”

Hana grins “Lovely let’s go to my room”

MC follows Hana up the stairs to her room as Hana pushes the furniture aside for dancing she smiles “I appreciate you helping me with this”

Hana smiles “It’s the least I can do after you cheered me up at the masquerade and sorry I didn’t think to ask if you knew it it’s good you have Drake looking out for you”

MC nods “Yeah” She grins “Alright the Cordornian Waltz how hard is it gonna be”

“Depends do you consider yourself a good dancer”

MC smiles “I dance like an angel did take some dance lessons but it wasn’t ballroom dancing”

Hana grins “Oh then this shouldn’t be a problem if you have a good sense of rhythm you shouldn’t have problems picking it up now the Cordornian Waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps I’ll put on some music and be the prince and well start” Hana plays some music then turns to MC and bows “Ahem Lady MC”

MC giggles “Prince Liam”

Hana laughs “Now let’s get into position put your left hand on my shoulder” She starts guiding her in the steps “This is the box step it’s the most basic movements” They spend the night learn the moves of the Cordornian waltz “And that’s the Cordornian Waltz”

MC grins “I think I got it now you’re a good teacher ice skating waltzing how are you so good at these things”

“My parents have been pushing me to learn all the courtly and social arts since I was very young”

“You must have had no free time”

“Between school dance music and etiquette lessons my schedule was very full my parents excepted a lot” She sighs “They were devastated when they didn’t have any sons so they put all they’re hopes in me everyday of my life has been grooming me to bring fame and fortune to my family by winning some prince or nobles hand for all the good it’s done me after my last engagement”

“If you don’t mind if I ask what happened with your last engagement?”

“Peter was an English nobleman he was well off had an ancestral title and home all the things my parents wanted for our family we’d spend many long afternoons horseback riding and sailing her was very kind it would have been perfect”

“But?”

Hana sighs “But the simple truth was I didn’t love him so when he proposed I knew I had to accept for my parents I tried my best but he became suspicious at our engagement party a month before our wedding he cornered me he asked me if this is what I wanted even though I told him what he wanted to hear I couldn’t hold back the tears he knew me well he knew I was miserable and he was good enough not to make a big deal of it but ugly rumors started to fly about why we separated especially since he got married to another woman shortly after”

MC places her hand on her shoulder “Well let people talk they have their own opinions only you know the truth”

Hana nods “Yeah and now I’m competing for the Prince but it’s not all bad my parents have been pressuring me to spend time with you”

“Why me?”

“Oh you got a special connection to the prince and if I get close to you I can get closer to the prince”

“You’re parents have strategies”

“Yeah but I want you to know I do like spending time with you MC”

MC smiles “Me too Hana it’s good to have a friend here”

Hana grins “It’s funny even though we’re still technically competing against each other we can be friends” They laugh before being startled by the clock striking midnight Hana sighs “We should head to bed”

MC nods “Yeah I’ll talk to you tomorrow”

Hana smiles “Good night MC”

Tags: @mfackenthal @the-soot-sprite @princess-geek @gkittylove99 @indiacater @twinkleallnight @iaminlovewithtrr

[choicesfandomappreciation]

Choices Secret Admirer: a Valentine's event

What it is:

Think secret Santa but for Valentine's Day.

Everyone who shows interest in participating will be given a match for whom they should create (or commission) a small work (drabble, art, edit, moodboard, etc)

How to participate:

Reblog this post stating your interest AND include your top 3 books/characters/pairings to help guide your match on what they should create for you. (reblogs that do not include a top 3 will not be considered entries for participation)

or, message me here or at @lovealexhunt stating your interest and include your top 3 picks

Note: When listing your interests, please include any preferred gender/race characteristics you may have for customizable character. If you have FCs you are welcome to list them as well.

Deadline to participate: February 3

What comes next:

On, or about, February 4, I will message you with your match and what they listed as their top 3 interests

You create something for them based on their interests and post it for them on February 11-12.

It would also be really nice if you could include a brief positive message of encouragement and/or support with your creation for your match

Please tag this blog and #ChoicesSecretAdmirer2023 as well so I can keep track of who posted and who is missing.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out.