#choicescreates 21

[angstymarshmallow]

Three Days For Us  - Zig x MC

#ChoicesCreates Round 21

Book: The Freshman/The Sophomore Pairing: Zig x MC Prompt: “What if…?” Rating: T  Hosted by @catsrtheboss this week!

[A little note: The first ship I thought of was initially something else but I decided to take a small break to work on some other stuff. This is supposed to take place after Hartfeld University; except Zig and MC has never met formally until now].

[Summary: Another end of the year, means another round of Christmas parties and exchanging of holiday gifts. In a world filled with family and couples, MC despises this season until a twist of fate means she might not have to spend it alone this year.]

The mall was overflowing, cluttered with people three nights before Christmas Eve. Little children scurried with their parents trailing not far behind and couples walked hand in hand, laughing and joking with one another as if they were sharing some sort of private joke. They might as well had been.

Dia was distracted by her own sullen thoughts, when her eyes had swiftly snapped at attention. Three children were incoming fast and she narrowly avoided slamming into them in her distraught fumble of angling out of their way. She clutched her own shopping bags tightly, startled as they raced by her.

Seconds later, their parents had followed. They spared a glance in her direction, uttering a hasty admission of guilt as they swept by her.

She bristled at the sight of pity in their eyes and found herself wanting to say something. The urge to convince them as she had often tried to convince herself nearly overwhelmed her. She didn’t mind being alone. 

Everyone had someone during the holiday season, everyone except her. Her messy entanglements never lasted till Christmas, and she had never wanted them to. But as she mumbled miserably at the misgivings of seeing everyone else quite happy, watching and wedging herself between crowds of people on a night such as this; she had never been so painfully aware of just how alone she was. 

People continued scrambling by her. They cast apprehensive stares as they flitted by, wandering in every store. These were the types of people she longed to avoid - as if they were the black plague themselves during the holiday season. Usually, she was simply better than this; better than being caught by the last rush of Christmas gift buyers before the weekend.

She wasn’t big on the holidays. She preferred the quiet company of herself and her dingy apartment, over spending it with her friends, and family - nor was she the type of person to cross people off her list so close to the deadline. Her finitely short list never even took her long to shop for.

Unfortunately this month had been stressful, hard. She spent more nights working than she did sleeping. She had an influx of clients since the start of the month and was surprised by the amount of people wanting contemporary tattoos going into the new year. 

It was only three days before that business had finally slowed long enough for her to make the trip into one of Northbridge’s biggest mall. Yet with the extra hours she had under her belt, she was beginning to regret leaving the safety of her home at nearly every turn, as people inevitably ran into her.

Another shoulder shoved pass her and her own had stiffened in response by the sheer force of the blow. The person hadn’t impede their movement long enough to apologize and she had been left muttering under her breath about how much she hated the holidays. 

She hadn’t been paying much attention, before slipping into the safety of the next store she spotted. She rarely made trips here and yet she could not deny the familiarity she that clung to the store once she found her bearings again. 

The store was filled with little trinkets and nifty gadgets; things she saw potential in crossing off the last two people on her list. 

Abbie and Kaitlyn had both required something with equal parts artistic and equal parts of careful deliberation. She hadn’t been able to find anything that spoke out to her when it came to them, and had been here all morning searching aimlessly for something to engross her.

Zack had been the first friend she crossed off her list. A gorillapod - a portable tripod for the next time his agent called for a sporadic audition tape. Chris had mentioned his desire for a new set of tools to fuel his sudden hobby at fixing cars at their last brunch together and Tyler would be over the moon when he spotted her gift; a freshly new copy of the latest installment in the crown and the flame video game series. 

Her eyes widened in bewilderment when she took note of the sheer amount of people flooding inside the store the longer she waited. It was nearly packed to the brim with customers invading one another’s personal space. They barely strung together gruff apologizes to each other and her stomach churned at the thought of delving inside.

However, something stopped her from leaving its entrance. An indescribable feeling, telling her she was meant to be here, at this exact moment in time.

Dia believed in very little, least of all fate. She knew better from years of experience that following her gut never led to good decisions. Yet, her feet refused to move and her eyes darted across the store.

She had to make a decision. 

She ignored the funny feeling inside her stomach, bubbling with nerves the longer she shifted on her feet. Swallowing her nerves, she marched inside and her eyes skimmed the store quickly. She maneuvered between people, bristling with every abrupt brush of contact until her eyes spotted it. 

A pair of gloves, carefully handcrafted from the looks of it with an embellished design. It was pretty, and stood out from the rest left on the highest shelf. It didn’t hurt that it happened to be in Abbie’s favorite colour, another sign that she probably shouldn’t ignore. 

Abbie had a deep appreciation for handcrafted goods. 

She was still deliberating when her feet begun moving of their own accord. Twisting and rushing to close the distance. When her hands finally touched the first glove, she uttered a cry of alarm at seeing another pair of hands reaching at the same moment to grab the other.

A hand darker than her own, and much fairer in complexion tried to yank it from in between her fingers.

A feral noise of possessiveness escaped her throat before she held onto the glove tighter. She hadn’t suffered all of this holiday misgivings for someone else to steal away this prized and rare jewel. 

Her eyes swung to meet the intruder’s gaze hauntingly, and a declaration of expletives waited for quiet liberation until she saw him.

His eyes were dark, and somber. They stared unflinchingly at her in aggravation, until their eyes met for the first time. 

They blinked in surprise at her. 

Her complaints died rather quickly on her lips.

Her eyes moved in quick flurry to finish her inspection of him. They gave an appreciative once over until they traveled back to his almost symmetrical features.  He was good looking, extremely good looking.

When she glanced up again, he was smirking at her. As if the gloves had been momentarily forgotten, he met her stare head on. Then, slowly they drifted lower, taking their time to inspect her. His eyes roamed across every part of her.

Her skin tingled as if he had reached out and touched her. She swallowed back the sudden dryness inside her throat. 

The air seemed to fizzle, hissing as if whispering their sudden silent attraction; a mixture of desire and frustration all tangled into one with neither one of them flinching away.

Eventually, Dia does first. She ignored the sight of his triumphant smile from the corner of her eyes and listened to her own heartbeat, deciding it was probably better for her health and her heart to relent. 

When she could finally breathe again, her eyes swept back to his. She shot him the most frigid stare she could muster and tugged on the glove inside her own hand. “I was here first.” 

He didn’t drop his hand nor did he seem fazed by her chilling expression. Instead, he scowled at her. “We got here at the exact same time, you know that.” When she didn’t argue, he jerked his chin at her. “I deserve this as much as you do, probably even more after the week I’ve had.”

She scowled back. “Listen,” she tried to draw on her full height; a measly five feet and six inches compared to his towering six feet. “I didn’t spend all morning burying myself in stores and insufferable people just for some jock to come and take away my last chance at finding the perfect gift.” She said adamantly, watching as his brows shot up in surprise. 

“Jock?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “My students would probably disagree.” He corrected, drawing a puzzled frown from her. 

She was skeptical. He looked like the type; broad shoulders and tight muscles - dressed in a leather jacket and jeans; as if he had stepped fresh out of a scene from Grease. Things she would have probably appreciated under different circumstances. 

The man’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened in irritation. “And I’m sure if I hadn’t spent the whole day looking for the perfect gift for one of my sister’s I would actually care enough to surrender the last pair.” He replied shortly, tugging harder.

She felt her own hackles rise as she pulled back in her direction. “Yeah well, tough luck seems to be my motto today and I’ll tell you what I told that kid when I swiped the last copy of the crown and the flame. I. Don’t. Care.”

Another yank.

“I don’t care either!” His teeth visibly clenched.

Another yank.

Their tug of war continued with neither of them breaking eye contact. She gritted her teeth at him, fuming inwardly at the interruption. 

His nostrils flared and  his expression didn’t waver.

In seconds, their attention had  shifted from the gloves to each other. They became preoccupied with eyeing at one another again, except the stinging attraction between them had been replaced with the intensity of their harsh stares. 

They were trying to make the other flinch, and Dia had no intention of losing.

Neither one of them realized the gloves stuck in between their vice-like grips were beginning to thin, and stretch. 

Dia heard the sound of the material tearing far sooner than she had dragged her eyes away. The look of horror in her eyes palpable as was the man in front of her as his lips twisted into a snarl,  seconds before the gloves had flown out of their hands and fell by their feet.

Her eyes grew wide. She glanced from him to the floor and then finally back at him. “Well, shit.”

Her eyes dropped to his lips and she watched them twitch before turning into another smirk. It was infectious, causing her own lips to quiver until they curved into a smile. 

Seconds passed like this, before they both started laughing. She shifted a little closer and clutched her sides, laughing harder with every breath until tears threatened to swarm her eyes. “Did we really just -”

His features turned practically comical. “-Ruin a good pair of gloves?” He finished for her, shaking his head ruefully.

“I think we really did.” She mused. “Damn, that sucks.” 

He snorted in agreement. “Must be inevitable when two stubborn people meet.”

A corner of her mouth lifted. “Oh? You can tell that already?”

“I’m pretty good at reading people.” He replied winking. He smiled then, a full out grin that nearly stole her breath.  

She thought he was good looking before but now when he was grinning at her; from ear-to-ear, she was taken aback. 

He was damn near irresistible. The way he was smiling at her should be criminal. 

Without thinking, she found herself opening up a little, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she introduced herself. “I’m Dia by the way.” 

“Zigmund,” At the sight of her eyebrows quirking in response, he chuckled and added. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Just call me Zig.”

“Alright, Zig it is.”  Although she couldn’t place his name - his face seemed vaguely familiar. The more she stared up at him, the more certain she was that she had seen him before.

His eyebrows quirked in question. “What?”

She couldn’t place it, but whatever caused her mind to linger refused to be ignored.  “Did you uh - go to Hartfeld by any chance?” She blurted out, frowning absently. 

“No.” He replied, shaking his head. “But I did work close by. A lot of students came by the cafe I used to work at.”

“The one near the end of the street?” At his nod, she smiled thinly. “Maybe that’s where I recognized you from.”

His eyebrows were low, nearly forming a v from the center of his face before she rambled on quickly. “My um, friends and I used to spend a lot of time in there. I’m surprised we’ve never met before.” She finished lamely. 

“A lot of students tend to spend time in cafes,” though his lips quirked to soften his sarcasm. “But I think I would’ve remembered meeting someone like you.”

Despite the simple compliment, she felt her cheeks grow hot. She heard better lines, compliments that could make a woman swoon  - but it wasn’t the compliment that warmed her, not truly. 

It was the way in which he said it; earnestly as if it weren’t a line he rehearsed. It felt different. It felt like it mattered. 

She had forgotten where they were as they spoke, with heads slightly bent towards each other, and eyes rooted to every small gesture the other made. The spell had been broken as briskly as it begun though, when someone had passed close enough to knock her into him.

She uttered a grunt of irritation as she rocked forward, barely catching herself in time before the man in front of had instinctively steadied her. 

His touch was nothing like his eyes had been. They were worse. They shot up her spine and frayed her nerves. Her next intake of breath happened quickly, too quickly, visibly making him grin as his touch seemed to burn brightly inside her veins. 

He didn’t move his hand right away and when he released her, they lingered long after.

“Sorry,” she mumbled under her breath. 

“No worries, it’s just really overcrowded in here.” He sighed dejectedly before reaching to grab the pair of gloves.

She moved too, leaning forward to grab the other and their hands innocently brushed again. The reaction was nearly instantaneous and she quickly retrieved her hand when they stood. 

“My sister would’ve really liked these.” He mused, glancing at the half-torn gloves inside their hands.

She sighed too, “my friend would’ve loved them.” 

She spent a minute longer mulling over them, wondering if there was anyway to fix them fast enough before the Christmas party tomorrow. 

Then she felt it. Rather him, watching from the corner of her eyes. She instructed herself strictly to avoid him, to mutter some half-apology before darting away. But the idea of leaving didn’t appeal to her as much anymore, when all she had to come home to was an empty house. 

Her eyes inadvertently lifted to meet his.

She could get lost in eyes like these. It was dangerous to but they had a magnetic pull - bottomless, as if she were falling inside a well with no hope of ever reaching the end. “Are you free later?” She blurted out suddenly, and watched the surprise flicker inside them.

His lips distracted her. They lifted into that smirk again. “You mean if I ever get out of this crazy mall?”

“If we ever get out of this crazy mall,” she corrected him, dragging a hand through her pale hair. “I figure the least you could do is take me out after ruining those pair of gloves.”

“Bold.” He commented, grinning. “I like bold.”

“Then you’ll like me.” She dropped her gaze to the gloves still in between them then glanced at the line awaiting at the check out station in dismay. She counted over fifteen people. “But I suppose we’ll have to wait till we’re finished with these, huh?” 

“I have a better idea.” He took the single glove from her before she could protest. “Trust me,” he muttered, stuffing hers’ inside her jacket pocket while stuffing the other in his.

“I just met you, I don’t even know the important stuff. Like if you’re some sort of closeted serial killer.”

His lips tugged a smile. “Do I seem like I’m capable of such things? I mean just look at me?” He gestured at himself for emphasis.

“Believe me, I am looking.”

He smirked, “If your instincts haven’t scared you off from me yet - I guess you’re just gonna have to trust them.”

Her instincts had gotten her into this mess in the first place. “What’re you doing -”

“How fast can you run?” A mischievous glint had appeared, alighting his expression with almost boyish charm. It made them shine when he turned those pair of smoldering eyes to her.

Adrenaline and excitement intertwined, igniting her veins once she understood his meaning and acknowledged his plan. Luckily she had the good sense to wear her combat boots today. “Just try and keep up.” She replied, grinning before taking his hand.

Together they raced towards the door, shoving people out of their way in order to hastily retreat before any of the staff could spot them. The alarms rung inside their ears as they sprinted down the giant mall’s hall. Their joined hands made it easy to stay together and dart around larger groups. They could hear the curse of people behind them, followed by the rush of hurried footsteps except they had a clean head-start.

Zig chuckled beside her, tightening his hold on her hand. 

Their hair and gift bags flew wildly between them. Their legs kept the same hurried pace.

Dia’s own chest had seized with a mixture of panic and eagerness, almost palpable as they skirted into another corner, neatly by one of the exits in the mall.

Security guards had jumped in their way, yelling at them to stop. They ducked and maneuvered barely within arms reach, at nearly every turn. They picked up momentum once they realized they had more than two following them.

Their eyes scanned together for any safe haven, anything that could hide them long enough for the danger to pass.

Eventually, they had. 

A quiet yelp left Dia’s throat as Zig yanked her into him, shoving them flat against a small path in between two nearly adjoining walls. Their breaths hand mingled together and her chin had rested on his chest as they waited for the sound of footsteps to fade and ultimately, disappear. 

Once they could no longer hear them; she became aware of their heartbeats syncing together once she placed a hand on his chest.

His eyes flashed with excitement, excitement she felt pouring and flooding nearly every part of her. The adrenaline rush had made her dizzy, and the way his eyes darkened with desire made her knees grow weak. When she tried to step back, his hand had held her wrist. 

For a moment neither of them spoke.

She held his gaze as she flexed her toes, tipping them forward just enough for their lips to almost touch. 

He didn’t wait for her to close the distance, simply captured hers after swearing under his breath. His kiss wasn’t gentle, it was rough and thrilling as his hands dived into her hair. She strained against him while her eyes had fluttered close. Her arms slipped around his neck, yanking him closer until she sunk her teeth into his bottom lip, nipping gently when she heard him groan.

There were only three days until Christmas Eve. 

Three days she had spent consumed by him. 

Three days she had spent learning why people fell and fell hard. 

Three days she had spent allowing her imagination to wonder what if - what would three hundred and sixty-five days of him feel like? Look like?

Three days where she hadn’t spent a single moment alone.

[cinnamonroll-duffy]

#ChoicesCreates72 (14-21 August)

Credit to  @helentwombly for the gif.

Thanks to those who submitted last round ( @choiceslife , @laniquelove , @choices-took-over-my-life ) . The compilation is here. 

This week’s theme is:

The Might of Youth

Nothing quite measures up to the glee we have during our younger years, where we were more carefree and willing to take more risks. Let’s see such being explored with Choices Characters.  Write a fic, make a picture, or do any kind of depiction to explore the amazing feeling of having a world to ourselves. 

Post your creative works by Tuesday the 14th of August by 7pm, Chicago Time.

Remember these 3 steps (Your Work may not be published in the compilation without it.):

Include #ChoicesCreates72 and #ChoicesCreates in your tags, as it helps us track your entries better.

Share your link with me via DM or submit.

Mention me ( @clonedhayden )   in your post.

Reblog with one of your old habits and spread the word.

[diamondsaregold]

“The Sunlight, It Scatters” - A Maxwell x MC Fanfic

#ChoicesCreates Round 21

Prompt: “What if...?”

Rating: T

Pairing: Maxwell Beaumont x MC

Summary: It’s all part of a cycle: Maxwell puts up walls, she blames herself for her stupid attraction. For as bright as Maxwell is, there is an undeniable hollowness to him. And she can’t stop herself from being pulled closer.

Background Info: This piece is a hot mess. I just want Maxwell to love us okay takes its cues from the structure and MC of “Where the Water is Still.” 

The main soundtrack was “Roxanne” by Chase Atlantic, though a few scenes were also written to the Vessel EP by The Kite String Tangle: especially the songs “Words” and “What If”—which, shares the title of this week’s prompt. 😉

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25775770

Original photo from Xavier Serrano’s Instagram page. Edited by me. Title inspired by Yiruma. 

————————————————————

On the day of the Beaumont Bash, the manor crackles with tension.

She and Maxwell are bustling about in the kitchen, doing their best to arrange appetizers that somewhat resemble the fine dining of nobles.

Sadly, their best isn’t enough. After the older Beaumont brother takes one look and storms out of the kitchen, she winces at the expression on Maxwell’s face.

Up until that point, he’s already been overwhelmed with stress. Still, he attempts to crack a few jokes for her sake. It’s a sweet gesture, but seeing his smiles fall flat only makes her worry about him even more.

But when she tries to do the same—she reaches out a gentle hand and says earnestly that he deserves better treatment than what Bertrand gives him—in the hopes that he’ll find some solace in her support, the sweetness shatters.

In Maxwell’s world, giving is different from taking. Today, he is too brittle to let her in.

“I appreciate the concern, but I can handle my brother on my own.” His cold voice cuts through the empty kitchen, freezes her in place.

“I think we’re done here.” He doesn’t turn away from the counter. “Can you go check if Bertrand needs help?”

It’s not a question.

She knows that the iciness, the complete diversion from his sunny demeanor, is just a cover up for the fractured relationship between him and his brother, and a past that he’s not willing to share yet.

Yet.

Sometimes, when she presses against the visage, he falters and relents. In these moments, she gains one more piece to add to her portrait of him. She almost understands him.

But most times, he glances at her like she is nothing more than a nuisance. His rejection stings, and sends her insides crumbling with blame and embarrassment.

In these moments, all she wants is to shrink herself down and hide away.

So she banishes the regret creeping into his face, curses the stubborn hope that springs up upon seeing it, and slips silently out of the kitchen.

Sitting beside Bertrand, she wrings the soapy water out of her sponge and focuses on furiously scrubbing the floor.

Maybe if she scrubs hard enough, she can wash away all remnants of the many moments gone bitter.

————————————————————

“Where are you going?”

He stands in the doorway to her bedroom, fidgeting with the end of his shirt.

At the ball, she did everything she could to avoid him. Every time he sidled up with a hopeful look on his face, she’d grab the hand of some attendee nearby—the noble visiting from Greece, Drake, or some local businessman—and escape to the dance floor. Or, she’d dart into a group of noble ladies, hiding herself from his view.

She knows that he feels guilty for how he treated her. If she’s being fair, her behavior was childish too. His past is a field of landmines that he’s not quite ready to breach yet, and his explosive bursts at her prodding are to be expected.

Still, she can’t hold back the prickle of annoyance at his apologetic gaze—a gesture that is has become as all too familiar as it is unwanted.

Taking off her shirt, she tosses it aside. She ignores the sudden flush on his face, and how her skin seems to catch on fire at the same time.

“Out,” she finally responds to his question.

Gosh, she feels like a teenager, hitting him with these sulking one-liners and rolled eyes. But then she remembers his cold, clipped expression, every time she steps on some invisible boundary, and the pain spurs her forward. She snatches up her slinky dress, an last-minute purchase in New York, right before she left for Cordonia.

It’s a sickening shade of yellow, with gold tassles thrown here and there, but other than that, it doesn’t look half bad. Besides, it’s better than wearing anything that the brothers barely managed to purchase for her—they’re a reminder of the disappointment that she brings to their house, far too often.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he keeps his voice measured, but it hitches as his eyes roam over her frame.

“Not particularly.” As she slips on the thin dress, she catches the mix of regret and sadness in his gaze that makes her stomach twist and uncoil.

He moves forward slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal, and sits down on the edge on her bed. “But you’ll be cold…”

“I’m aware.” From her vanity, she picks up her imitation necklace and earrings, also an impulse purchase in New York.

“You don’t want to get sick before the coronation ball.”

Oh, so that’s what it’s about. Her grip on the jewelry tightens.

“Glad to know I have you looking out for me, huh?” she scowls into the mirror. In its reflection, she can see him gazing at her with something soft, something that makes her furious.

Pity. It adds to the weariness already on his features, and the stab of guilt in her chest makes her white-hot furious.

“I’m just worrie—“

“Dammit, Maxwell! Don’t you have anything better to do?!” she bursts out, and the jewelry clatters to the floor with a resounding crack.

She hates this little game of theirs. How his little hints, touches only leave her wanting more. Always, she feels like an afterthought, or some mistake. It is never enough for her—she, feels like she’s never enough.

Chest heaving, she turns around, expecting his face to be streaked with concern or surprise.

All she sees is remorse.

Gingerly, he stands and walks forward, still maintaining a healthy distance between them. Crossing her arms (suddenly conscious of the cutouts of her dress), she wills the numbness closing in to keep her untouchable from whatever he says next.

“I shouldn’t have ever brought you here,” he murmurs, staring past her at the wall.

She keeps her face as blank as possible.

“I know.” It’s all she can manage with the lump in her throat.

Pausing, he looks her in the eye. “It’s…it’s not because of whatever reason you’re thinking of right now.”

His gaze is dim, and she can’t quite read it. “Ah. Pray tell, Lord Beaumont.”

He smiles weakly. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Frustrated, she closes the distance between them and stares him firmly in the eye. “I think I deserve to know why I’m your biggest regret, Maxwell.”

It’s not meant to be a rebuke; she’s just paraphrasing his words, after all. But he flinches like he’s been slapped. A flurry of emotions cross his face—surprise, sadness, then, a flash of anger? desire?—and he inhales deeply.

All this time, he hasn’t stepped away from her, and his breath fans across her face. She grounds her heels into the ground, resisting the urge to move an inch closer, and forces her gaze up, away from his lips.

“Well?” She glares at him, hoping that the anger will hide the temptation pooling in her stomach.

“You were never a regret.” His voice is soft, laced with desperation. “I only regret bringing you here.” As if to implore her, he takes her hands in his, holding them gently. But he offers no further explanation.

“You keep telling me that. It’d be nice to know…” his thumbs sweep across the back of her hands, and her voice goes slack.

“Um…” she’s fumbling, trying to string her words back together again, but his fingers are tracing designs across her wrist.

Visibly, he swallows. She can feel his arms trembling just slightly, and see the heady desire and doubt clash in his gaze.

Being this close to him sends electric tingles across her skin. It’s almost enough to make her forget the past five minutes, the past few months.

Almost.

Suddenly dizzy, she steps back. He drops his hands immediately, and guilt floods back onto his face.

“I’m—“

“Don’t apologize.” She rubs her temples, inhales deeply.

“Maxwell, we can’t keep doing this. You can’t lead me on and make me hope for…this.” She gestures frantically at the distance between them, as if it’ll make him understand.

“Are you ever going to give us a chance?”

Her voice wavers on the last word; it catches between them, falls into the space. The following silence, and his pained stare, presses down on her.

Tears burn at the back of her throat.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “You know I…”

His sentence drifts off into another dead end.

“Can’t.” she finishes numbly for him.

It’s her turn to disturb the peace, she supposes, as wipes her eyes and hurries out of the room for the second time in a week.

He doesn’t budge at all.

————————————————————

A few days later, they meet up with Hana, Liam, and Drake to go out for cronuts, and she’s determined to maintain the normalcy of their trips.

It’s a little awkward, to say to the least.

The three keep shooting curious looks in their direction—they’re walking on opposite sides of the pavement, not looking at each other. Every time Maxwell catches up to her, she speeds up, and starts a random conversation with the others.

The group does their best to pretend like nothing’s wrong. At the café, they chatter away and flick crumbs at each other, and it’s enough to make the two crack a smile.

Still, her friends’ accommodating makes her guilty. She knows that their iciness—his unpredictability, her moodiness—is putting a damper on her friends, in what could very well be their last excursion.

She and Maxwell are not the only ones running out of time.

After the group disperses and they head back into palace, he stays close. He keeps a few paces behind her, all the way up to the floor with their rooms.

He has something he wants to say. Well, talk then.

Their footsteps echo across the empty hallway. As the seconds tick by and the silence drags on, she grows irritated. Finally, she gives in.

“May I help you?”

He says nothing, choosing instead to shift awkwardly from one foot to another.

Her frustration peaks.

“If you don’t want to talk to me, then it’s fine,” Her chest is so tight it feels like it’s about to break. “Don’t waste my time.”

Anymore, she wants to add. Pressing her lips together, she makes way to go inside.

But as she steps up to the door, his hands fly out and wrap around the door handle—around her hand.

Startled, she looks up to see his gritted teeth and wild eyes. Before she can let out a squeak of surprise, he dips his head down to speak into her ear

“I do want to talk to you.” His voice is low, husky, and her mind turns to mush.

“You have no idea…” She shivers, grips the handle tighter. “How much I want you.” His breath fans across her neck.

Slowly, he trails a hand down her side, stopping at her waistline exposed by her dress. At his touch, she closes her eyes, clamping her mouth down to suppress the whimper burning at the back of her throat.

“You don’t know how much I want to give in,” he continues quietly, kneading her hip, and she nods, breathless.

Without thinking, she tilts her chin back, reveling in the heat of his deftly moving fingers. She feels utterly exposed, on fire, and she craves more.

He stops, and she blinks her dazed eyes open. “But I can’t have what I want.” Turning, she takes in his weary expression, the tense line of his shoulders.

“You deserve better,” he mumbles, eyes darting all over her face. Her mouth suddenly goes dry.

She can’t muster the words for an adequate response, so she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “I think I can decide what I deserve, Lord Beaumont.”

Before he can say anything, before she can smack herself in the forehead for sounding like an idiot, she leans forward and presses her mouth to his.

He tastes like coffee, and his lips feel like heaven. Tugging him closer, she loses herself in the feeling of his fingers digging into her skin and the sound of his harsh pants into her mouth. Wills the sensation to linger long after this moment passes.

When she slowly pulls away, his hands remain at her hips. They stand, breathing in unison, until the light outside the window grows dark.

————————————————————

At the dinner party, she expects him to keep his distance. But as the orchestra begins their piece, he is the first to cross the room to find her, lurking in her usual corner.

Hand outstretched, his handsome face is flushed pink and brimming with hope.

“May I have this dance?”

She accepts with a surprised smile, and he guides her onto the dance floor.

After waltzing together a few times, they’ve grown used to dancing together. Easily, his hands find their place on her hips, and hers on her shoulders. She marvels again at how strong he is—yet one of the many things she couldn’t tell just from looking at him.

As the music swells, he leads her into a spin. His arms wrap around her with ease, and they sway together, not missing a beat.

“This is nice,” she murmurs. Leaning back against his chest, she closes her eyes, letting the feeling of his hands and the soft orchestra sweep her away.

When it’s time to change partners, she makes to move away—only for Maxwell’s hands to reach out and wrap even tighter around her hips.

Confused, she turns around to look up at him. A tentative smile tugging up the corner of his lips, he slips his arms up, all the way around her waist.

She feels as if she could melt right there, in his shy grin and bright eyes.

As the others form new pairs, moving across the room and shooting them strange looks, she stays locked in his embrace. Not once do they look away from each other.

Something sweet, aching floods over her. His move is purposeful, driven by desire. It is his choice. This is his play: his way of saying that she doesn’t have to do it all. That he wants her as much as she wants him.

Still swaying to the beat, he leans down to kiss her temple. She hears several gasps from across the room, a flurry of whispers and surprise, mirrored by her own feverish cheeks.

But as he rests his head on top of hers and pulls her tighter to him, their sounds, and all other doubt, fade away into the background.

————————————————————

Later that night, with his weight pressing her into the bed, she finds the courage to speak.

For Maxwell, the worry is always there; it makes its home in the smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and the lines stretched across his forehead. She senses it, even as his arms twine around hers and his fingers dance across her jaw, as if attempting to play it off.

But she knows him far too well to believe it.

Slowly, she lifts a hand. When he doesn’t budge, she weaves her hand through his hair—coarse to the touch, she notes with a pang.

He sighs into her touch, pressing his face into her palm. He inhales deeply, repeatedly, and she giggles quietly.

“Are you smelling me?”

“You smell nice,” he mumbles.

She returns to stroking his hair, and he props himself up on an elbow, gazing up at her with a fond expression. It makes her heart lurch, in the best way.

“Why won’t you let people love you?” she asks softly, not quite brave enough to say me just yet.

He doesn’t look away from her, deep blue gaze swallowing her whole.

“I can’t give you the future you deserve,” he murmurs after a brief sigh. He reaches for her hand and kisses the inside of her wrist. “Or my past,” she feels him mumble into her skin.

As he trails his lips along her arm, she’s the one who’s sighing. Partially at the feeling of his lips on her hands, and partially, at her own exasperation.

“What about now?”

He stills, and looks up to meet her gaze. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” She coughs, takes a breath to calm her fluttery nerves, and continues.

“I like you. A lot. So much that it scares me,” she steels herself, wills herself to surrender herself completely to whatever may come.

“I know you have things that you don’t want to tell me. Things that you can’t tell me yet. And it’s okay.” He nods slowly, recognition dawning on his face.

“I don’t need any promise of a future…Maxwell, I just want you now. For today.”

For a few seconds, he’s silent, and she fears the worst.

Then, he leans up and kisses her, hard.

“If I had known,” she manages, after they finally part for air, “that you would react that way…I would’ve said that a long time ago.”

He laughs softly. “Yeah. I’m s—” he catches himself, stops. “Thank you. For not giving up on me.”

“You’re welcome.” She feels so warm, blissful, and she clasps his hand in hers, smiling as he squeezes it back.

“Now, help me get the Prince’s hand in marriage, and we’ll be even.” At her remark, his eyes narrow playfully.

“Oh, so that’s how it is?” his hands skim up her stomach.

“Nah. I only go for…lowly lords. I’m humble that way.”

He grins brightly, drumming his fingers against his waist. She hums in pleasure.“I know. That’s why I love you so much.”

She flushes instantly, and his eyes go wide with alarm.

“Like! I mean, that’s why I like you so much. Not that I don’t love you, because I do, but…oh no. Take me now.” He covers his face, as she dissolves into laughter.

“That went so much better in my head,” he groans into her neck, and she laughs again. Soon, he joins her.

When he looks up, his eyes are soft. “You know what I meant, right?”

“Yeah. I do.”

[angelschoices]

Run Away

An Endless Summer fanfic.

My second entry for #ChoicesCreates round 21: “What if...”  (see my first entry here)

Pairing: Jake x MC Word Count: 745

Rating: T for language

MC was just waiting for Diego to come for their weekly best friend date. She wasn’t expecting for a surprise visitor to show up with an even more surprising offer.

@hollyashton  @catsrtheboss

She padded over to the door of her one bedroom apartment, thinking Diego must have come early for their weekly movie-and-ice-cream-best-friend-date-night. She already had a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one hand.

She froze as she opened the door and saw who stood on the other side, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Hi there Princess."

She blinked at him. Words couldn't form. There, standing in the flesh, was the man she thought she would never see again after dropping him off in Costa Rica.

Wordlessly, she stepped back, an invitation for him to enter. She closed the door behind him.

"Got your address from Pop Culture Petey," he said quickly, "ran into him on campus and he told me where you live. Said he could give up a date night for this."

She put her ice cream back in the freezer and came back to the living room. She said nothing, and her usually expressive face was blank. Jake’s smile faltered.

“Look, Princess —“

Before he could finish whatever he was going to say, she had rushed to him in a passionate kiss. All the nerves that had built up in Jake momentarily disappeared as his hands found their familiar places, one in her hair and one on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. When they pulled away, there were tears on both their faces.

“What the hell are you doing here, Jake McKenzie?” she demanded, though there was a small smile on her face.

“Damn Princess, hold on, let me catch my breath before you interrogate me.”

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, smirking.

“Thought it was pretty obvious why I’m here,” he said. “I’m here for you.”

“Me?” she raised an inquisitive brow.

“Yes, you Princess, don’t act dumb,” Jake rolled his eyes. “You know damn well, that I’m here because of you.”

“I know, but it’s still nice to hear coming out of your mouth, Hot Stuff.”

“You’re killing me, Princess.”

“But what are you doing here, Jake? Aren’t you wanted? Is it even safe to be here?”

“Yes,” he said. “And probably not. But I just…”

He ran his hand through his hair.

“Look, I know all this shit that’s happened between us has been so fast but when you left me in Costa Rica, I thought I could move on. Cause you deserve better than me, and don’t you try and argue, we both know that’s damn true. But all the beaches, and all the whiskey, and all the flight time in the world… couldn’t let me forget you.”

“Jake…”

“Wait, let me finish. I just gotta… I gotta explain. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Princess. You changed my goddamn life, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. So I guess I did something stupid, and risked everything to come back here, to find you, because…” He paused and looked her straight in the eye. “I am so in love with you, Princess.”

“I’m in love with you too, Hot Stuff,” she smiled.

“And I came here because I want us to be together,” he continued, a stupid grin on his face. “So I wanna propose something to you. Don’t worry, I don’t have a ring in my pocket or anything. But I’ve been thinking, pretty much ever since you dropped me off in Costa Rica… what if… what if we ran away together?”

“What?” she asked incredulously.

“Run away with me, Princess,” he repeated. “We can pack up and go wherever you want. Just you, and me, and the whole wide world ahead of us.”

“I’m not trying to tie you down, or anything, but if we were to stay together, Princess, I promise you the world. We can see everything, or settle down with a house on the bay if that’s what you want,” he kept going, noting her hesitancy. “All I know is that you and me together… we could have a great life together. I just… I can’t stay here. I wish I could, I wish I could give you a normal life, but I can’t, and it kills me.”

She looked at him with tearful eyes as the thought settled in with her. Run away with Jake?

“So what do you say, Princess?” he asked hopefully. “I’ve got a charter plane at an airstrip, ready to take off when you are. Will you run away with me?”

THE END

[choicessa]

Fairytale Gone Bad (Drake x MC)

My entry for #ChoicesCreates Round 21 hosted by @hollyashton and @catsrtheboss

Prompt: “What if…?”

Book: The Royal Romance

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC (Elizabeth)

Summary: It is a night before the coronation and MC and Drake spend their last moments together, knowing that tomorrow girl will have to leave the man she loves and choose the man she is supposed to love.

Note: The last trr chapter left me disappointed and I am still not mentally ready for the next one (because coronation is coming) so this happened.

The moon woke her up.

A glowing full moon, whose bright light was coming through the open balcony doors, slipping between the curtains and finally falling on Elizabeth’s face. She narrowed her eyes, still deep in her sleep and turned to the other side, trying to avoid the brightness. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape the light and soon girl had to surrender.

Finally Liz opened her eyes and looked reluctantly at the bright moon, rubbing her eyes and getting rid of the remnants of sleep. She knew that once she was awake, there was no way of quickly falling asleep again. Elizabeth looked at Drake, who was sleeping peacefully beside her and she carefully released herself from his embrace. The man behind her back muttered something and rolled to the other side, still asleep and Liz smiled, glancing at him briefly. She sat down on the bed, supressing a yawn and brushed her hair with fingers. She lowered her feet to the floor, wincing slightly as they touched the cold flooring. Another yawn escaped her mouth when she stood up, reaching for a sweater and putting it around her arms. Silently she moved towards the balcony, the doors creaking softly when she opened them a little wider and went outside.

As soon as she did, the cold night air hit her, waking her up even more. Not that it mattered. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. Lately it became even more difficult to sleep through the night without interruptions. There was too much going on in her life, too many unanswered questions, too many doubts for her to sleep peacefully. During the day she somehow managed to forget about all the worries, but when the night came… She always loved the night, its peace, that nothing could disturb her mind. But once again that peace of the night made her unable to sleep, when there were too many thoughts in her head. Elizabeth reached the balustrade and leaned her hands on it, looking away at the bright lights of the city, flickering in the distance. She closed her eyes for a brief, soothing moment forgetting about all her worries, feeling the wind tangling her hair.

Suddenly she opened her eyes, when she heard a voice coming from the room, saying her name. Liz turned around and noticed that Drake was awake, his sleepy, but already opened eyes were staring at her questioningly.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“I couldn’t sleep…” She answered, apologetically. “Don’t worry, go back to sleep…”

Her gaze turned toward the garden again, but this time her disturbing thoughts weren’t gone. So much has happened, especially recently and the more time has passed, the harder it was to find a good way out of this situation; harder to think of the solution that would bring the least damage.

From the very beginning she was constantly reminded that she was there for the prince. Every time she dressed up - it was for him; for him were meant her smiles and beating of her heart. Even her thoughts, all day, all night, were supposed to circulate around Liam.

But was it really her fault that her heart made a different choice? That voice of the heart was louder than common sense? Should she be blamed for a fact that another man was in her thoughts? That his smile, no matter how rare and precious, made herself wanting to laugh? Should she be condemned for that his single gaze made her blush, that his touch, his kisses made her heart beat like crazy, leaving her always wanting more? Was there anything she could do with the fact that his arms were the safest place in the world?

Was she really guilty of loving Drake?

She stood there, restless in her thoughts when she suddenly heard heavy steps approaching to her and after a moment Drake’s strong arms embraced her from behind when he hugged her, pulling her closer.

“What are you worried about?” He asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

“Nothing.” Lied Elizabeth. “I just couldn’t sleep. Sorry for waking you up…”

She almost sensed that Drake smiled slightly, hearing her words.

“That’s okay.” He assured. “But I know there’s something on your mind, Liz.” He added, brushing her cheek with his lips. “You know, you can tell me anything?”

Elizabeth nodded before sighing again.

“I was thinking… What if… What if we tell Liam about us?” She asked quietly.

As soon as she said these words, she felt Drake’s grip around her waist weakened a little.

“Elizabeth, you know this is a bad idea.”

“Coronation is tomorrow. What if Liam will ask me to marry him? What if he will choose me?”

“It’s simple, you’ll agree.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Elizabeth… We’ve already talked about this. I won’t be the reason to destroy my best friend’s happiness by falling for his girl.” Drake sighed heavily, suddenly letting her go and moving away from her and Liz almost painfully felt lack of his presence, of his touch.

“And what about your happiness?” She asked turning around to face him.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“So what about me then?”

“Dammit, Harris! Why can’t you leave it alone? We’ve already decided!”

“No, Drake, YOU decided. You decided that it’s best to sacrifice us!” She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. She didn’t want to have a serious argument, not tonight, not during their last night together… “But it’s not too late, we can make a different choice.”

“Harris…” Drake took a step back, as if the distance between them could help him stick to his previous decision.

“You know I don’t want Liam, I never wanted.” She continued. “I want you and only you…”

She saw that his resistance was fading, that he started to question his decision and slowly began to give up.

Only she was ever able to do it; only she could get through all his carefully built walls, destroying them one by one. Seeing his hesitation, Liz came closer but Drake shook his head and took another step back.

“Hell, Harris, don’t make it even harder.” He frowned in a grimace of pain. “It hurts enough, the thought that I will have to let you go, that…”

He didn’t finish. He turned away from her, standing at the edge of balcony, his hands on the stone, eyes locked somewhere far away. Elizabeth sighed, feeling strange weight in her chest, almost making her unable to breathe, when she slowly approached him. Standing right next to him she looked up but Drake was stubbornly avoiding her eyes. Liz reached out and cautiously brushed the top of his hand with fingers, until completely covering his hand with her own, squeezing it gently.

“Drake…” She started but he interrupted her again.

“Tomorrow… Tomorrow you’ll be Liam’s fiancee and… I’ll lose you forever…”

“You won’t lose me. Maybe there’s still another way…”

Drake shook his head.

“We always knew how this is going to end, how it must ends…”

“But I didn’t expect it would end so quickly…” She whispered.

Drake turned to her and looked straight into her eyes. Grabbing both of her hands and closing them in a tender embrace he lifted them to his mouth, kissing them, his lips gently brushed her skin.

“Whatever happens tomorrow…” Drake began. “I want you to know… I will always love you, Elizabeth.” He confessed.

When she heard him, tears started to gather in her eyes, shining in the moonlight.

So that was it. A goodbye. Despite what they had, there was no happy ending for them.

They were standing in the dark, joined in an embrace, their lips finding themselves in a kiss once again that night. And that kiss soon became their whole world; with that kiss they wanted to make up for all those lost chances they missed and which were yet to come. Hidden from the outter world in the dark, where moon was their only witness, they stood there for a long time, lips on lips, hands tangling each other’s hair, bodies so close there was no inch of free space between them.

Finally they stepped away from each other, their foreheads touched and they stood there in silence, looking into each other’s eyes, holding onto this precious moment and making it last as long as possible. Because as long as this night lasted, lasted their fairytale, which could only be destroyed by the sun raising on the horizon…

If only they knew…

If only they knew that they weren’t the only people woken up by the moon. If only they knew they weren’t the only ones who went to the balcony to get some fresh air. If only they knew that each spoken word was carried by the wind, that every whisper of theirs reached another person hiding in the shadows. If only they knew that the person standing on the balcony just above them witnessed everything that had happened between them.

If only they knew that the room right above them belonged to prince Liam…

[catsrtheboss-blog]

#ChoicesCreates Round 21 Masterlist!

This has been an exciting week! I'm very happy that @hollyashton was able to let me host. It has been an enjoyable experience for me. I found so many new choicers (apparently that’s what we call ourselves now) in this fandom with so many talents. I felt that I was part of a very big family. If you ever consider hosting, let me say one thing: DO IT. It might be a bit scary and crazy at first, but it’s a lot of fun.

I said it before and I’ll say it again. This fandom is really talented! I’ve enjoyed every entry that has been presented, and I can't wait to see more from you guys.

This week, we had a total of 45 entries! I honestly did not expect that many to enter. Thank you everyone for your amazing creations! I'm glad you guys were all inspired by my prompt one way or another!

This week’s prompt was:

Spooky, isn’t it? Now enough talking, here is the list! 

Fanfiction

The Crown & The Flame 👑 🔥

1. What if the characters from The Crown and the Flame formed a power metal band? by @endlessflame

2. The Former Flame (Kenna/Raydan) by @gracetamaras

3. The New Empress by @superpotato824

4. What if? Part one (Tevan/Zenobia) by @endless-vall

5. What If? (Minor Kenna/Dom; Kenna/Raydan; Kenna/Diavolos) by @misha726author

6. There are no happy endings by @lauraotaku2234

7. The Aftermath (Kenna/Annelyse) by @delphinusbae

Endless Summer 🏝☀️

1. Child of the Island by @ivyschoice

2. The Past is Beyond Our Control (Jake/MC; Grace/Aleister; Zahra/Craig; Diego/Varyyn; Sean/Michelle) by @zahranamazis

3. ICE by @choochoochoosy

4. The Last One Standing (Jake/MC) by @princessmckenzie

5. [NSFW!] Fast (Sean/MC) by @hartfeld

6. Pábitel by @peace-coast-island

7. Run Away (Jake/MC) by @angelschoices

The Freshman/The Sophomore 📚

1. What If... (James/MC) by @destinio1

2. What if (James/MC; Zack/MC bromance) by @keltic-moon

3. Aftershock (Becca/MC) by @texanhusker

4. What if... (James/MC) by @hhiggs

5. Date Night (Chris/Zig) by @zayschoices

6. What if it was You and Me? (Becca/MC) by @lacksubstance-productions

7. [NSFW!] Insecurities (James/MC) by @keltic-moon

8. What If... (James/MC) by @angelschoices

9. Three Days For US (Zig/MC) by @kittenmusicals 

10. What If by @niasusanto

11. Summertime Sadness (Becca/MC; Zig/MC) by @rantingchoices

12. [NSFW!] I Close My Eyes (Zig/MC) by @hollyashton

Most Wanted 🔫👮🏽

1. What if... (Sam/Dave) by @samantha-massey

The Royal Romance 👑❤️

1. Nighttime Musings Part 3 (Drake/MC) by @massivelysilentchaos

2. Winter’s Bride (Drake/MC) by @hollyashton 

3. What If? (Prince/MC) by @ladyashtonofcordonia

4. “The sunlight, it scatters” (Maxwell/MC) by @diamondsaregold

5. Shadowed Loyalty pt. 2 by @indiacater 

6. What if you chose wrong? (Drake/MC) by @storiesbehindyoureyes

7. Road Less Travelled (Prince/MC) by @carlotta-the-winters

8. Crossroads (Prince/MC) by @misha726author

9. Ready To Run (Drake/MC) by @jonna811

10. [NSFW!] Second Chances Part 2 (Drake/MC) by @joyfulchoices

11. Fairytale Gone Bad (Drake/MC) by @choicessa

12. May I Have This Dance? (Maxwell/MC) by @zigisbisexual

13. “What if........” (Prince/MC) by @princess-scarletxx

Rules of Engagement 💍

1. Cold Feet by @player-sguide

Edits/Other

Endless Summer 🏝☀️

1. What if Endless Summer was an anime? by @aleister-rourke-is-a-tsundere

The Royal Romance 👑❤️

1. “Why Bertrand Never Listens To Maxwell Anymore” by @firefly-hwufanficwriter

2. Winter’s Bride Playlist (Drake/MC) by @hollyashton

Rules of Engagement 💍

1. What if Jess was actually pregnant? by @lucetteriellabritton

And that’s the list! If there’s seems to be something wrong with the links or your entry isn’t here, please tell me! And make sure you send me the link for a missing entry. Thank you for your help! I hope you enjoy #ChoicesCreates Round 21 as much as I did!

Have a nice day!

Disclaimer: These are works of fan fiction/art using characters from the Choices world, owned by Pixelberry. We do not claim ownership over them or the world of Choices. The stories we tell through our writing and art are our own interpretation and invention. They are not purported to be part of Choices’ story canon. These creative works are for entertainment only and not part of Choices’ official storylines. No copyright infringement is intended.

[delphinusbae]

The Aftermath (Kenna x Annelyse)

Summary: As the wedding celebrations began, Annelyse starts to wonder what could have been, showing Kenna an unusual side of her.

Author's note: This is my first ever contribution to the fandom and to #ChoicesCreates prompt 21. I was not sure of posting this but I couldn't help myself. I've seen little KennaxAnnelyse material and wanted to share some of my love for this pairing. Thank you @hollyashton and @catsrtheboss for hosting #ChoicesCreates it's truly amazing. I hope you all like it!. (Sorry in advance if I missed any typos or errors. English is not my first language) 

The Aftermath (Kenna x Annelyse) 

 Annelyse walked around in the throne room, watching with a smile just as Val started drinking a whole barrel of Skullcracker Ale encouraged by the cheers of the soldiers. 

 After the wedding ceremony, glee, joy, dancing and drinking were seen everywhere in the castle. 

The Aurelian's eyes drifted to the window, it was the happiest she had been ever since the war started. And it had been a long, long time ago. Annelyse sighed, even if it was all over now, she couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out if they were to be other way.

'What if Kenna hadn't forgiven me that day at the forest'. She thought to herself.

'What if she hadn't returned from Thorngate' 

‘What if she hadn't defeated Azura' 

'What if Luther had succeeded on killing her after the battle' 

Annelyse shook her head, she should be enjoying the festivities instead of worrying about things that never happened.

But she couldn't help it. 

She wouldn't be standing there if they had been reality. 

"I sense something is troubling you?". Raydan appeared at her side, causing the Aurelian to yelp in surprise. "My gods Raydan! You scared me!".

"My apologies, your highness". He laughed. "But in all seriousness, I'm pretty sure something is distracting you today. A few hours ago you were buzzing in excitement and now ... well, I can say I recognize when your smile is genuine or not". Raydan turned his sight to where the Aurelian's was, spotting Kenna talking with Jackson not far away. "You can talk to me Annelyse, that's what friends are for". 

"Pfft don't worry". The raven haired let out a snort. "I just wanted to regain my energies before going to the dance floor. Even I get tired sometimes.". Annelyse brushed it off. 

Knowing his friend, Raydan decided not to push the topic any further. Facing an angry Annelyse could be pretty scary most of the time. "In that case then, you should return to the party. Sei has a gift for you after that 'contest' you two had in our way back to Stormholt. A barrel of Ember Wine is waiting for us". Annelyse smiled. "Raydan dear". The Aurelian put a hand on his shoulder. "Who said I wanted to share with you?". 

                                                      _________

As the sun set over the fields of Stormholt, Kenna walked through the doors of the throne room. Spotting a familiar woman covered in gold, a mischievous grin appeared in her face. "Has my Queen been enjoying the party?". Kenna asked, making her way towards her wife before wrapping her arms around Annelyse's waist. The Aurelian turned to face the warrior, hands resting on the other woman's shoulders. "It got a little boring without you, darling". 

"I'm sorry it took so long but I know just the thing to make it worth your while". Annelyse raised an eyebrow. "And what is it?".

"My wedding gift for you, now follow me". Kenna took her hand, admiring for a second the golden circlet that rested on her finger. "Come". The brunette guided them out of the celebration, walking between the corridors of the castle until they reached the door to a certain place. Their chambers. 

"Close your eyes and don't open them until I say so". Kenna said, making sure her wife did as she told her. The hero of the Five Kingdoms stepped inside helping the Aurelian before closing the doors behind them. "Ready?". Annelyse nodded. "You can look now". 

The Aurelian opened her eyes, taking in the sight before her. Their chambers had changed almost completely. Bed decorations, tables, mirrors ... everything. "I hoped you would like this. When we were talking about redecorating in Lykos you said you wanted to try saffron ... I added gold so you won't miss Aurelia when we're here". Kenna looked around, proud. 

"I ... Kenna, it's beautiful". 

"Do you like it?". 

"Yes, yes it's wonderful!". 

"I'm glad, I thought this could cheer you up". Annelyse turned to the Queen, a smile on her face alongside a questioning look. Before the raven haired could ask what she meant, Kenna continued. "I talked with Raydan not long ago. He said you were acting strangely when I left. And with good reason he decided to tell me". Kenna stepped closer, lacing their fingers together. "I want to know what's troubling my Queen". She spoke, almost a whisper.

Annelyse sighed, looking up. "Okay, okay. You got me". The Aurelian sat on their bed, Kenna looking at her expectantly. "I know I'm not being my usual cheerful and optimistic self, it's something silly, not really important". 

"It is. It is worrying you. And whatever bothers you, Annelyse, is important to me". 

The Aurelian smiled, Kenna knew what to say in the right time, always. "I know this kind of thoughts shouldn't be clouding my mind, specially in our wedding day. But I've been wondering how things would've turned out if we had taken other decisions. Like, what if I hadn't kissed you when we first met-". 

"You mean, when I kissed you?". Kenna asked, a grin appearing in her face. "Yes, when you kissed me". Annelyse chuckled, her face turning serious a second after. "I have found friends rather than just allies, I have traveled more than I could imagine I would, I had fun even if we were facing a war. This is the happiest I've ever been, my love, but my mind just kept drifting away thinking what if you hadn't forgiven me when I betrayed you or what if Diavolos hadn't helped you when Luther tried to kill you a few days ago. What if you had died when Dom burned you by accident, that day Kenna ... when I saw you, so fragile, Whitlock and I thought you wouldn't make it and that scared me!. What if I had taken the wrong decisions, we wouldn't be here-". 

Kenna's soft laughter interrupted the Aurelian. Annelyse frowned, punching Kenna in the arm. "Ouch". 

"I don't get what's so funny to you". The raven haired woman crossed her arms. Kenna laughed again. "I laugh because you worry over something pointless. But if it makes you feel better, I've thought about those things too". The Queen looked down, still smiling. 

"You have?". Kenna nodded. "I was talking with Dom about that. You said it yourself, this is the happiest we've been in a long time that it almost doesn't feel real". The brunette took a deep breath.

"Annelyse the decisions we've made, I don't regret them. I've said it a thousand times, when you betrayed me I knew your reasons, I wasn't mad. I chose to give us a chance because I felt something could happen between us and look where we are now". Kenna explained. "It wasn't hard to decide, I had friends, I had you to help me figure it all out. And yes, we might have risked our lives because of them but if Leon gave me a wise advice it was that a Queen should never question her decisions. So don't think about the past and what could have been, my love. There is no what if, just think about the present and what will be".

Kenna brushed a strand of black hair out of the Aurelian's face. Their eyes made contact and Kenna smiled, leaning in to leave a soft kiss on her wife's lips. "I don't want you to worry about that, or anything. I just want you to enjoy this moment, with me".

 Annelyse pressed their foreheads together. "You and your charming words". They both smiled, leaning in to share a kiss before getting lost on each other's bodies. 

 What if ... 

 What if she forgot about anything else and just looked forward for tomorrow.

[gracetamaras-blog]

The Former Flame (#ChoicesCreates 21)

Description - Years after a secret and fiery romance between that ends in heartbreak, Kenna must face her former flame. Can this turn into her second shot at love?

Author’s Note - Hi, everyone! I thought I might give ChoicesCreates a shot - this is my first ever Choices-related fanfic. I’m complete shit at writing (as you can see) but I still hope you guys enjoy this little Raydan x Kenna piece. Yes, I’m very angry about TC&TF ending and I desperately do not want the buzz about it from this community to end. I’m just trying to keep a legend alive, y’all. *cries bitterly as I replay the series*

Word Count: 1,321

A bit about the piece - I’ve always been a Kenna x Raydan shipper, ever since the beginning, but I knew that there would be little to no chance of their marriage being accepted by Kenna’s advisors and Stormholt nobles. This takes place 4-5 years after Kenna’s *almost platonic, completely diplomatic* marriage to Diavolos.

Thank you @hollyashton and @catsrtheboss for hosting :)

_______________________________________________________________________

T H E  F O R M E R  F L A M E

“I thought you’d never come.” The spymaster’s eyes glisten with regret as the figure enters the room, escorted by two tall, sturdy bodyguards in full-fledged armour. She cautiously enters, every step timed and calculated, and rises to her full height.

She manages a diplomatic smile. “Lord Raydan. What a pleasure to see you.”

Raydan motions for her to take a seat. The room is dimly lit, but Kenna is still able to see her reflection in the glimmering marble floor. A long table able to fit ten is placed in the center of the area. Despite its large size, it only holds two chairs, giving off an aura of hollowness - the chairs are placed on both heads of the table. Raydan is sitting on the far end.

Kenna slightly flinches at the thought. Her body starts to back away, her spine tensing up, but Raydan insists. He stops sitting up and casually smiles.

This was the smile Kenna once fell for is falling for. Much to her dismay, her heart begins to race and she finds herself involuntarily taking a seat, unable to meet his eyes.

Raydan clears his throat. “Queen Kenna, it’s an honor to meet you again. It has been a while.”

“I- yes, it’s been a while. Certainly. How are things in Aurelia going? Any, er, new missions or something?” The words come out as weak mumbles. Kenna curses under her breath, wishing she had more self-control. She was often seen as a calm and collected figure - next to Raydan, she looked like a fool. A child.

He sees her nervousness and chuckles lightly, walking over to her side of the table. She notices that he no longer carries his weight oddly when he walks, but instead treads lightly. His slight limp from that one Nevrakis soldier has healed, thanks to Annelyse and Aurelia’s fine herbs.

Damn it, Kenna, hold yourself together, she silently curses. She forces herself to memorise the elegant marble pattern on the floor as Raydan’s slight shadow towers over her.

“I- of course, let’s get down to business… was it the new reinforcements and the potential weapons from the Foundry you wanted to discuss?” Kenna blabbers as a pathetic last attempt to save herself from what is coming next. This is greeted with silence, but Raydan’s breath grows closer and hotter. “Er… that new discovery you just made? The deal you struck with Zeno-“

Raydan sighs, exasperated, and gently cups her chin with his right hand, tipping it slightly upwards so that their faces align. She tries to divert her gaze from his intense stare for one moment, but ends up unable to resist. Once her eyes meet his, the memories come crashing back, wave after wave of realization crashing into her.

The Aurelian party. How he had saved her. The maze and defeating the Mechataur. The first time they kissed. The way he held her hand while they were finding their way through ruins. Meeting his sister, the Adder of Lykos, and how she had told Kenna to treat her brother well… the one time she finally acknowledged that her feelings ran deeper for him than she would like, and the many times he told her that he’d risk his life for her.

The bitter times hit her harder. She remembers her advisors sitting in a neat circle, telling her how Raydan is not worthy of being her consort. She recalls the endless nights of looming and crying. And worst of all, she sees the most vivid, most painful memory of all - telling him that she was to marry Diavolos Nevrakis.

A suitable, proper marriage, they had said. One widely accepted by the nation and one that would greatly ease tensions between Abanthus and Stormholt.

Raydan brushed it off that night, saying that a spymaster wasn’t supposed to be seen with the Queen of Stormholt, and that he could easily slip in when Diavolos was away. Kenna rejects this. His face nearly crumples up and he is crestfallen. When he asked why, she lies that she had developed feelings for him and perhaps Raydan should just leave.

And for the first time, the spymaster falls for a lie. And he is not the only person in the room whose heart just shattered into a million pieces.

The marriage does not last. Diavolos is killed in an uprising in Lykos which was halted after Adder is brought into power. When Diavolos died, their relationship was strained - fine, but strained - and lacking of love. Kenna respected him as a great king and leader but never anything more, and that feeling is mutual both ways.

She does not remember the last time they made love, only that instead of thinking of her husband, it was Raydan’s name that threatened to escape her mouth.

Her mind jumps back to present day and she instinctively leans in quickly, not even taking a glance. To her surprise, Raydan stops her, holding her by the shoulders as she opens her eyes in confusion.

“Kenna, are you sure?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just a spymaster, meant for the shadows. Think about the nation. Because the last thing I want to do is hurt you… or the people.”

Kenna’s head tilts to the side, deep in thought.

“Raydan, are you sure that’s what you want?”

“My queen, if I could get what I want, I’d have you every night for the rest of my life. But we have learned the hard way that not everything is handed to us on a silver platter. And besides…” His voice trails off, but Kenna completes his statement.

“You don’t want me to be taken away again?”

Raydan sighs, genuine sadness and regret in his eyes. When he meets Kenna’s gaze for the second time, it is obvious that her feelings mirror his. An awkward silence follows, his hands still on her chin and hers on his shoulders.

“Kenna, I’ve lost you once. I do not think I can survive the heartbreak of losing you a second time.”

They stay still for minutes.

Raydan allows himself to hungrily eye Kenna’s body. Her arms still looked as delicate, her legs as inviting as before. She was still the same Kenna from the good old days, just moulded into a queen. Still the same Kenna who stayed up all night awaiting him in her tent the day before the victory at Lykos. Her skin looked more polished and her armor redesigned, but her eyes still held the same spark they did before.

She still looked the same to people from afar, but he was trained to catch minor details that gave people away. And it was almost like Kenna wanted him to find those details, like she wanted him to think that she was better off without him.

Raydan knows that this is the doing of her foolish pride, and that is why he makes the first move.

“What if we just forget that for one moment?”

Suddenly their minds are back in the command tent, in the vulnerable situation prior to this stability. She is no longer Queen Kenna Rys of Stormholt, a figure admired by many, and he is no longer a street rat from Abanthus unworthy of the throne. She was Kenna and he was Raydan. He was her king.

This time, Kenna does not retreat when Raydan caresses her cheeks. She does not pull out her sharpened dagger like she did when Raydan came to warn her about Azura’s assassins. Instead, she leans in, and her coated lips meet his, first delicately, then forcefully.

Kissing Raydan was like playing a game of tug of war. It is a test of strength, of willpower - a test of who could pull the furthest and blow the other away. Despite the voice in her head telling her to stop, Kenna surrenders to him and she

finds herself

        l o s t

                    to his touch.

[storiesbehindyoureyes]

What if you chose wrong?

This is my entry for the #choicescreates round 21! The prompt for this week was ‘What if’, and so this sort of poem came to life. The story is The Royal Romance, and pairing is Drake x MC, because I’m a sucker for angst. Thanks to the awesome @hollyashton and our host this week, @catsrtheboss. I know my language is simple, I’m learning. If you have any suggestions on how to better myself, please message me. Enjoy, I guess? *** What if we met in another place? What if we never knew the magic of New York, if we never got lost in its streets? What if we never found the bar which served house white and house red? What if we didn’t follow you to your secret beach and watch you gaze upon the million stars? What if you never sat on the plane and stayed instead in your little lovely world? What if we met in another time? What if we came a day early or an hour late? What if you missed the plane or picked another morning shift? What if we lived a century ago or a day into future? What if the time didn’t have its own mind and instead gave us all the moments in between? What if I never got lost in your eyes? What if I never saw your illuminating smile or that escaped string of hair? What if I never knew how soft were your lips or how gentle your hands? What if I never wrote your name on your skin with my mouth? What if your touch never lingered on my skin and if your voice never told me you loved me? What if you chose me, not him?

[ivyschoice]

Child of the Island

the day you’ve dreaded has come! Hide your kids and lock your doors - I have produced something for Choices Creates again! no really it’s been way too long, but moving on:

Story: endless summer

Rating: T

Plot: based on the theory that MC is half/ part Watcher: What if MC had grown up on the Island with the Wacthers? What would happen when the other Catalysts come to La Huerta?

I couldn’t hold back so this is way too long (sorry not sorry)

thanks to @catsrtheboss for hosting and to @hollyashton for bringing us #ChoicesCreates weekly for 21 times now like wow!

-

I’m on my way back to the village when Varyyn comes running towards me.

“Hurry up! You gotta hear this!” He grabs my wrist and pulls me with him so that I almost drop the fruits I’ve been collecting all afternoon.

“Woah, Varyyn, slow down! What’s going on?” “You’ll see!” He answers and accelerates. The trees seem to fly past us. Normally I’d assume we or the village were in danger if Varyyn was in such a hurry, but he sounded more excited than scared, like something good had happened.

We cross the first bridges and I notice that no one is to be seen. Where is everyone? My question is answered as we reach the center of Elyy’stel. There is a big gathering going on. Aunt Ximaedra is standing in the middle and is making an announcement. I’m out of breath, but I try to be quiet, so I can hear what she says.

“Scouts have seen them in and around the Hydra’s lair. They could be working for him, but we don’t know that, yet.” Is she talking about-? “It is important that we bring them here, no matter which actions have to be taken. Seraxa will lead a mission to keep a closer eye on them. We have decided that the following warriors will accompany her to watch them.”

Whispers go through the crowd. It’s the Vaalta carriers. I see it in the faces of the people around me. They’re here and we will get them to stop Raan’losti. My heart starts beating faster. I’ve dreamed of being one of those who get to meet them since I’ve been a child. I have to be part of this mission.

Everyone holds their breath as Ximaedra lists a few names. Varyyn is among them. I’m not. That’s not fair. Before I can stop myself I hear myself saying: “I want to go, too.” Dozens of faces turn towards me. As they stare me down I realize that I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. It’s not my place. Ximaedra’s eyes scan the crowd and find me.

“Moryin, I can-“ She’s cut off abruptly.

“You won’t go. That’s a final decision.” It’s my father. If he weren’t the Queen’s brother he would never get away with interrupting her.

I make my way to the center, till I stand right before him. “Why, father? You know I can do this!”

“No, you cannot. You don’t understand what’s at stake here!” He looks down at me and I see the anger in his eyes. But is there more? Worry? He seems more emotional than usual, not that guarded.

“I know you lost mother, but you won’t lose me, okay? I’ve got this. I’m as skilled as Varyyn!” He swallows. Suddenly it’s so quiet you could hear a butterfly’s wings. Mentioning mother is risky. Father never talks about her. I just know that she died shortly after I was born and that he still misses her a lot. And he’s overprotective of me because I’m the only thing he has left of her.

“Don’t. Argue. With. Me.”, he presses out and this time I’m smart enough to keep my mouth shut. Ximaedra puts a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Let’s come back to important matters…” She’s trying to smooth out the situation and I’m grateful for that, but not even the Elyyshar can make being scolded like a child in front of the entire village less embarrassing. I back away and start running as soon as I’m out of sight.

“What is he thinking? I’m not a baby! And it’s just scouting! I wouldn’t even come in direct contact with them!” I let my frustration out loudly and let my fist crash against a tree. Which hurts me more than the plant, but I can’t help it.

“What has that poor tree done to you?” I jump. Varyyn has snuck up on me.

“Nothing.” I mutter.

Varyyn sighs. “Too bad that your father won’t let you come see them… I actually didn’t want to have to do this, but it seems like we have no other choice but to go by ourselves…” I stare at my cousin with wide eyes. Did Varyyn just suggest going rogue? The ‘Prince’? The mother’s boy himself? I don’t know whether to laugh or to gasp.

“Varyyn, you never ever go behind Ximaedra’s back…” He cracks a smile that makes him look surprisingly rebellious.  “There’s a first time for everything, you know…” I role my eyes, but have to grin, too. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a mask. A green and blue chameleon. My mask. I reach for it and as he puts on his own I follow suit.

We make our way through the forest, setting our feet on paths we learned to see when we were young. I’m ecstatic and nervous at the same time. What if we get caught? Father is gonna be so mad, if he ever finds out… But we’ll see the twelve!

Varyyn nudges my side and when I look up I can see the top of Hydra’s lair between the tree tops. With a deep breath I keep following Varyyn. I’ve never been closer to the strange building – probably because of father, I now realize – and I really want to get a closer look.

It’s even bigger from close up. We have stopped and look up taking the whole thing in. I clench my fists and take a step forward, but Varyyn holds me back from crossing the tree line. He shakes his head. I want to answer, but he puts his finger over his lips to signal me to be quiet. This is the point where it get serious.

We carefully make our way through the underwood and up to a tall tree. Varyyn starts to climb with strong and graceful movements and after a moment I do the same. I’ve climbed trees a thousand times, but this time I can barely concentrate on grabbing the right branches.

When I reach the top, Varyyn is waiting for me with a smug grin. Show-off. He has taken off his mask for better sight and I push mine up, too. Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is imitate my cousin.

We have a perfect look on the area in front of Hydra’s building. But will we actually get to see them from here? I prepare myself for a long time of waiting, when the door flies open and a group of people storms outside. Humans. I’ve never seen so many of them at once.

I lean forward to get a better look. They all look so… different. Not only from us, but also from each other. So many skin and hair colors and the clothes they’re wearing are so colorful. I’m in awe. They’re beautiful. And they’ll stop Raan’losti. One of them especially catches my eye – the way they walk and move and how their hair shines in the sun. I really want to-

“They’re fighting”, Varyyn says. Now I see it, too. They seem to be shouting at each other and two of them are chest to chest ready to punch each other until one of the others steps in between them. This seems to be not the first time it happens.

“Monsters”, growls Varyyn and as I turn to him, I’m surprised by his hard expression. “They come here to a place they’re strangers to and the first thing they do is getting violent with each other…”

“But it’s normal to have disagreements”, I answer, because I feel like he is misjudging them. “We have fights in the village all the time.”

“Yeah, but with words and words only. What kind of person do you have to be to physically harm your own people?” His fists are clenched and his face is full of disgust. “Let’s go back”, he adds and it’s more a command than anything else. The normal Varyyn is back. The one that does as his mother says and believes that only we are good people.

Doesn’t he get that they are in an extreme situation? And they stopped the fight, so they can’t be that bad…

I take a last look down at them walking around, talking to each other and get the feeling that they’re more important than we know. They seem so small from up here and I want to be closer. Want to meet them. Be the one that brings them to the village. My calling. I feel it like a pain in my chest that tries to pull me down there. My whole body is tingling.

“Moryin! Your skin!” At the sound of my cousin’s voice I look down at myself and almost lose balance on the branch. My skin is blurry like it’s in motion. What is happening? Varryn’s eyes meet mine and I see the confusion and panic I feel in his face.

“Let’s get out of here!” He orders, suddenly the leader he’s born to be. He begins to climb down. I’m still staring at my hands. The blurring continues and brown spots start to appear on my fingertips.

“Come on!” Varyyn shouts when he notices I’m not following him. I snap out of it and make my way down.

When I’m on the ground I can’t even remember the climb down. I’m shaken. Why do I suddenly feel so strange in my own body?

“Hey”, Varyyn says, “breathe slowly and concentrate on me, ok?” I do as he says and focus on his face. A face I’ve known own my entire life. With blue skin and green hair – like it’s supposed to be. Slowly my skin stops feeling like there are hundreds of fire ants walking over it.

“See, you’re fine”, Varyyn says nonchalantly, but I can also hear the relief in his voice. I nod and smile at him. “Well, we better get back before anyone notices we snuck off”, he decides and guides me away with an arm around my shoulder.

I look back at the high building and shiver. Varyyn had not seen my hands, before I went back to normal. But I had – and they had looked… human. What is going on with me?

[superpotato824]

The New Empress

Title: The New Empress

Characters: Lia and Whitlock

Author’s Note: This is for #ChoicesCreates Round 21 word prompt, “What if...?” In this story, Lia is conflicted about being the new Empress. She fears she will fail, until Whitlock comes along and reassures her. @hollyashton and @catsrtheboss thank you for hosting #ChoicesCreates! Thank you @justapapercut for helping me format this and thank you @elenasanchez and @justapapercut for kind of inspiring this story. I hope you enjoy! (~750 words)

Empress Azura had been defeated. Lia sat by her lifeless body, knowing that this had to be done. She stared at her mother's face, lost in her own thoughts.

 What if she was still alive?

 What if we could have made her change her ways?

 What if…?

 Suddenly, she started hearing people chanting her name.

“Lia! Lia! Lia!”, over and over again. 

Were they making her the new Empress? Well it would make sense, since she was Azura's daughter, but Lia couldn't help but worry. 

What if she couldn't rule well? 

What if Ducitora failed under her rule? 

What if she got power-hungry like her mother? 

She was worried now, and it showed. Raydan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“Is everything alright Lia?” 

Lia quickly smiled 

“Everything is fine! I'm just going to go… get a breath of fresh air!” 

She walked past everyone and out on top of the castle walls. She looked out into the distance, thinking. 

What if her people don't trust her? 

What if Ducitora ran out of resources? 

What if-- She was interrupted by a voice beside her.

“So how do you feel about being the new Empress of Ducitora?”

She looked to her side and saw an older boy with a mechanical arm and hand. 

“I guess I should introduce myself,” he held out his hand 

“My name is Whitlock.” Lia shook his hand

“I'm Lia… May I ask what happened to your hand and arm?” 

Whitlock looked at his arms. 

“They got hurt really bad, so i had to fix them up.” 

Lia looked at him. 

“But that is pretty advanced technology… and you wouldn't know how to do that unless…” 

Lia’s eyes lit up. 

“Are you from The Foundry? Is there really a mechataur there? Do you re-” 

She was cut off by Whitlock. 

“Woah now slow down.”, he laughed, “Yes, I am from The Foundry and we do have a mechataur. How do you know so much about The Foundry?” 

Lia smiled. 

“I usually spent all of my time in the library, since Mother wouldn't let me do anything else…” 

Whitlock frowned. 

“Well now you are the new Empress and you can do whatever you want to!” 

Lia faked a smile. 

“Yeah… I guess you are right.” 

Whitlock smiled at her. 

“So Empress Lia, why are you out here if the party is inside?” 

Lia looked out in the grassy plains in front of the castle. 

“I'm just thinking…” 

Whitlock put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Everything is going to be alright, Lia.” 

Lia looked at him, questioningly  

“What do you mean?” 

Whitlock took his hand off of Lia’s shoulder. 

“I know what you’re thinking. You're thinking of all the ways you being the new Empress could go wrong, but trust me, even if I do just barely know you, I know you well enough to see that you are going to be an amazing Empress. I had those same thoughts when I became the leader of the Technocrats.” 

Tears started welling in Lia’s eyes. 

“But what if I'm not? 

What if I turn into my mother? 

What if my people don't trust me? 

What if I fail?”

Whitlock wrapped his arm around Lia. 

“That won't happen.” 

Tears started to fall from Lia’s eyes.

“But what if it does? 

What if I fail as an Empress? 

What if I mess up?” 

Whitlock pulled Lia into a hug. 

“Every good ruler messes up. Do you think Kenna got where she is without a few mistakes?”, Whitlock chuckled. 

“I know I've made a lot of mistakes, but everything worked out. The same thing will happen with you. Sure you may make a couple of mistakes along the way, but what matters, is that you learn from them and grow.” 

Whitlock pulled away from Lia, grabbed her by her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. 

“You are going to be an amazing ruler, Lia. I know it.” 

By now, Lia's face was wet with tears. She pulled Whitlock into a tight hug. 

“Thank you…”, she said through tears. 

After a minute or so of hugging, Lia pulled away from Whitlock and wiped the tears from her eyes. She smiled at Whitlock, 

“I think I'm ready to go party now!” 

Whitlock smiled, 

“Woohoo! Party time!” He grabbed Lia's hand and led her inside, where they partied with the rest of the castle. 

Lia was no longer worried about becoming the new Empress and she made a new friend along the way. 

[endlessflame]

What if the characters from The Crown and the Flame formed a power metal band?

Prompt: Round 21 of #ChoicesCreates: “What if...?”

This prompt reminded me of an idea that Queenie Lune and I discussed on one of the Choices Facebook groups. After I posted an image of Azura's album Ride the Lightning (based on the Metallica album of the same name), she said that she had thought about the hot long-haired guys from The Crown and the Flame forming a power metal band. I loved the idea and we discussed who should be in the band. I then created images of their debut album (front cover and back cover with the track listing). I called the band Warriors of Stormholt, and when she saw the images, she said she had thought of the same name for the band. This piece expands on the idea.

Rating: T (brief reference to alcohol)

Tags: @hollyashton @catsrtheboss

Warriors of Stormholt Raydan Lykel - vocals Kenna Rys - vocals Noa Keawe - guitar Will Jackson - bass Tevan Drammir - keyboards Val Greaves - drums

Management by Whitlock Road crew/special effects: Dominic Hunter and Sei Rhuka

"You're on in ten minutes! Is everyone ready?" Whitlock looked around. "Hey, where's Raydan?"

"Probably off in the shadows somewhere," Kenna said. "He'll make it in time."

"Fancy Man said something about wanting to save his voice for the show." Val turned to Kenna. "Do we need him? You could sing everything."

"Of course we need him, Val! The songs wouldn't sound the same without him. And people would know, right, Whitlock?"

"Yes, thanks to my new technology. I made lots of those listening devices, and people will be able to buy them, along with copies of the album you recorded with more of my inventions."

Jackson began walking toward the stage. "Let's head out." As Noa, Tevan, and Val began to follow him, Raydan emerged and walked over to Kenna.

The wolf pup ran out in front of the curtains. "Presenting the Warriors of Stormholt!"

The curtains parted, and Tevan began to play the keyboard introduction. Noa came in on guitar not long afterward, and Jackson joined in on bass. Val started beating on the drums. Dom and Sei stood on opposite sides of the stage, just out of sight.

As flames shot up into the air, Raydan and Kenna came out and took their places in the front, and the band began to perform their opening song, "Bite of the Black Asp."

In the alleys of Abanthus Waiting to strike Beware the bite of the black asp There's nowhere you can run Nowhere you can hide You are always within its grasp

They followed with "Broken Alliance" and "In the Shadows." Then Raydan spoke to the audience. "Thank you!" The crowd cheered. "Remember, what you think is reality may just be an illusion!" As they began "Illusion of Betrayal," Val focused her energy on the drums and tried not to think too much about the lyrics. Kenna and Raydan alternated on vocals, telling both sides of the story.

At the end of the next song, "Mechataur," most of the band exited the stage, and Noa began his guitar solo. After several minutes, the others returned, and they played "The Fire Inside."

Once again, Raydan addressed the crowd. "We're glad to be here with you tonight in Stormholt. We're heading back out on the road tomorrow, but tonight I am yours!" The band then segued into the power ballad "Tonight I Am Yours."

After performing "Never Surrender," Kenna and Raydan called out to the crowd, "Thank you! Good night!" They walked off the stage, and the crowd began chanting "Warriors of Stormholt!"

A few minutes later, Noa, Jackson, Tevan, and Val returned to the stage and began playing "Riding the Dragon." Dom flew out in dragon form, with Kenna on top of him, and Sei flew out with Raydan. Kenna and Raydan sang as the dragons flew above the audience, sometimes swooping down near the fans. As the song ended, they flew back to the stage, and Kenna and Raydan dismounted. Noa threw guitar picks into the audience, and Val tossed her drumsticks. As the crowd cheered, the band lined up and bowed, and then exited the stage.

After the equipment had been packed up, everyone enjoyed the afterparty, with plenty of wine and ale.

[texanhusker]

Aftershock - Becca x MC

What is going on with Becca after the last chapter? Just my mind running with one situation. Based on the prompt, “What if?” for choicescreates 21. Hosted by @catsrtheboss and the overlord that is @hollyashton  Thanks for @hollyashton for her help

Relationship: Becca x MC Book: The Sophomore Prompt: What If?  

What if she would answer my calls? What if she would seek me out? What if she would put her walls down for me? Maybe then I would not be in my room with anything better to do than finished my article a day early for James and had my papers done for my classes on Monday. It is only Friday. Man, when did I become the person with no life. Maybe when I became worried about someone that never bothers to call me.

So, on Monday as I was approaching the edge of campus, someone darted out from among the trees and collided with me. They dropped an armful of textbooks, and when I bent to help them up, they snapped at me. I remembered her voice; I don’t think I could forget it. Her name was on my tongue. She interrupted my train of thought by asking, “Can you, like, get your paws off my stuff?”

I looked into her eyes but, she wasn’t looking into mine. She was looking through me like I was nothing. On reflex, I dropped her books and slowly walked away from her. The scene felt like I was back to square one with her. The pit of my stomach was thinking about the beginning of freshman year and how she made my life miserable.

As I walked away I thought she would stop me maybe, call out my name. Nothing came out of her mouth, and I looked back to see her walking in the opposite direction. I took a chance and called her number. Being able to hear her ringtone was strange all by itself. It was curious after three weeks she finally answered my call.

“Yes?” Becca asked. “Hey, Becca. It is MC.,” I said. “I know who is this,” Becca snapped. “You know you ran me over like two minutes ago, right” I snapped right back. “Well, watch where you are going next time,” she said back to me. “So, this is what we are now?” I asked. “You know what you did, and you weren’t there for me when I needed you,” she answered.   I was getting angry I shouted, “You never called or responded to my text how was I supposed to know.” “Madison, you talked to Madison. I know what you said to her,” She said. I could not take it anymore. Becca wanted to yell at me. I knew that she would love to scream at the world.

“So what? You know what I can’t take it. Maybe, call me when you don’t have a stick up your butt.,” I said. I hit end call on my cell phone. Instead of feeling better about things I was feeling worse. Maybe after class, I could go down to the grocery store and get some mint chocolate chip ice cream. I was done with people not putting me close to number 1 on their priorities and always putting me on the back burner. Maybe next time, heart, you will make a better choice.

[angelschoices]

What If...

For #ChoicesCreates round 21: “What if...?” A Freshman/Sophomore fanfic.

Pairing: James x MC Rating: T (just to be safe)

MC asks an interesting hypothetical question while babysitting Rico with James...

@hollyashton @catsrtheboss

"You've become a natural."

"I think the fact that Rico is almost a year old and you're saying that for the first time is a little contradictory," she laughed, as she held Rico in the air above her head, making baby sounds at him.

"You know what I mean," James rolled his eyes at his girlfriend.

"You're the natural," she said as she placed Rico down on their picnic blanket. He clapped his hands happily and reached out to grab James to pull himself up. "Rico loved you the moment you held him in the hospital."

"Still, you've learned a lot and come a long way," he insisted. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm proud of you."

"Yeah..." she trailed off, her smile falling. James didn't notice, as Rico was attempting to eat James' sweater vest.

"What if we had one?" she asked suddenly but softly.

"A kid?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she said, keeping her eyes on Rico. "What if we did?"

"I mean, I know it's a little crazy to talk about, but I always did see us having kids down the line," James shared. "Once we're settled and have our career goals set. You're the only one I want to be with. I love you so much." He turned to kiss her, but his brows furrowed as he noticed there were tears in her eyes. "Baby what's wrong?"

"No cry!" Rico pouted.

She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. She put on a smile.

"I'm sorry, buddy, no crying, no tears," she said to Rico. Rico smiled back easily and turned back to his toys.

"Hey, what's going on?" James asked, filled with concern.

"What if... what if we had a baby right now," she asked, her voice small.

"Well with us both being in school, it'd be pretty difficult. There are all the doctors’ appointments and baby things to buy, and where would we live? We'd have to take a break from school and..." he listed off logically. He stopped as he noticed that she was crying much more heavily now. His face drained. "Are you saying..."

"We should get Rico back," she said suddenly, wiping her tears away and packing Rico's things. "Gabriela should be back soon and it's getting late."

James pursed his lips, but said nothing.

---

"So do you wanna talk about what happened earlier?" They were in bed at James' loft, where they often spent their weekends. "Are you..."

"I don't know," she said hurriedly. She hugged her knees up to her chest. "But I'm late. And I'm never late."

"Why haven't you taken a test yet?" He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand.

"I'm scared," she admitted, crying more openly.

"Hey, you don't have to do this alone," he told her. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here for you. Whatever you decide.”

She looked up at him, slight surprise on her face. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course,” he said. He put an arm around her and kissed her temple. “It’s your decision, and I will support whatever you choose to do.”

“But you said earlier it would be so hard. We’d have to give up so much.”

“Yes, it would be really hard,” he admitted. “But we would work even harder, if that’s what you choose to do, to make it work. You are the most hard-working and passionate and loving person I have ever met. If anyone can make it work, it’s you.”

“It’s us,” she corrected.

“So you would want to…”

“I think so,” she said hesitantly. “I mean, I don’t even know if I am pregnant!” She sighed. “But what if I was? I think I would want to keep it. I know the timing is terrible, and it’s not ideal at all, but I’ve always wanted to be a mother. And from seeing you with Rico, you’d be an amazing dad.” She smiled.

“And you’d be an amazing mother,” he said, tucking a strand of hair her ear. He took a deep breath to ease his nerves. “So I guess that first step would be to take the test and find out if you’re actually pregnant.”

“I bought one yesterday,” she admitted. “It’s in my purse. I can take it right now.”

James gulped, and felt his heart begin to race. “Yeah. I’ll be with you here the whole time.”

She nodded solemnly and went her to the bathroom. James ran his hands over his face, letting out a shaky breath.

“You okay?”

James looked up and shook his head.

“What if I’m not a good dad?” he asked. “What if I let you down?”

“Oh darling,” she laughed lightly. She took his face in her small hands and kissed him softly. “That is the absolute least of my worries. I’m not worried about that at all. I worry about what people will think, about school, about how we’ll manage it financially… but never, ever do I worry that you will not be the best father my child could have, or the best baby daddy I could ask for. James Ashton, you are the only reason I think we could even do this.”

“How do you always know the right thing to say?”

She winked at him. “It’s my super power.”

Suddenly the alarm on her phone went off. He kissed her softly before she walked back into the bathroom to read the results.

He watched her expectantly as she re-entered the bedroom, the small plastic stick that could change their lives in her hands.

“Darling, it looks like…”

THE END

[indiacater]

Shadowed Loyalty pt.2

So here is part 2. I had to rewrite it several times. Hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to let me know that you think. Also happy belated birthday to @hollyashton. Also thank you @catsrtheboss for hosting this anthology. #ChoicesCreates Round 21 Summary: This is a continuation of Bastian's POV and then transition into a POV from Liam. Bastien's POV After Lady Riley was sent adrift I contacted her to confirm that I had fulfilled my obligation. Once I hung up on then contacted them to inform them where to find Lady Riley and what to do with her once she was in their custody. I now must attend to the aftermath. I made my way to the garden on the northern side of the estate where I waited until the prince arrived. After ten minutes of waiting Prince Liam arrived, looking anxious. Calmly readying myself I ran up to Liam, being shortly out of breath would make it hard to detect any deception. Both the prince and his older brother were trained very well. " Your Majesty!", I yelled. Liam turned around startled. "My apologies. I didn't intend to scare you. Care to tell why you're here in the garden?" I asked. "I was just trying to get a bit---, Liam started to explain. "It's not important", I interrupted. "I need you back in the manor. I have just been informed that one of the suitors has gone missing. I'm ordering a lock down until she can be found." As I explained the situation to Liam I saw his eyes grow with worry and disbelief. As I hurried the prince back to the manor, he seemed to be having a hard time trying to the words he needed to firm the question he was afraid of learning the answer to. Once I brought him to his room he was able to finally ask. "Who... Who is missing?", he shuddered. Feigning concern I answered him. "Lady Riley." Liam turn his back towards me, not wanting me to the tears pooling in his eyes. Putting a hand on his shoulder I continued. " I have my men searching the grounds. I promise you that she will be found." I patted him on his back. "I'm going to check to see if any progress has been made." I began to take my leave. When I reached the door I heard the prince speak. " Find her." Hey said turning towards my direction. "Find her and make sure she is safe. Someone had to have done this. She wouldn't just leave. Not like this", Liam exclaimed. "Maybe not, but you really can't trust these American foreigners now, can you?", I asked before leaving and closing the door behind me. As soon as the door closed I over the shattering of glass coming from inside. When I reach the back office my phone began to ring. "The American is in our custody. She is still unconscious, but will be dazed and confused one she regains consciousness. What will be done with her then?" The caller asked. "Keep her as comfortable as possible. She is still of value to us. Once the mess on my end is taken care of we will them deal with her. I'll be there later tonight to discuss this situation with her when she wakes up." I said. With the instructions acknowledged I hung up. I began to contemplate the what ifs. What if my actions cause more harm than good? What if? Liam POV After Bastien left. I angrily threw a glass that sitting on a nearby table. I hoped that it would have calmed me down, but it didn't. Riley is missing, and I can't do anything about it. She didn't leave on her own. It wouldn't make sense. Someone took her. A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts. "Come in.", I shouted. Drake came it, showing concern. "Riley is missing." I said to him. "Bastien seems to think that she just left." Drake just stared at me. "She couldn't have though. We had plans to meet in the garden tonight." I continued, not wanting to believe this was happening. "Liam." Drake spoke. "I just came from Riley's room. All her stuff is still there. Also Hanalei said she saw her taking the horse she bought to the stables. I am in agreement that someone may have taken her." I want to feel angry. I asked Drake to watch her, but I know he can't be everywhere she is. I can't help but think of the what ifs of this situation. What if someone is hurting her? What if i never get to see her again? What if I have to continue without her? What if she really did leave on her own? What if?

[firefly-hwufanficwriter-blog]

The #ChoicesCreates Round Thirteen Masterlist

June 12, 2017, Monday [#189]

Here is the moment we have all been waiting for... the posting of this week’s #ChoicesCreates masterlist! 😋 I would like to thank @hollyashton for asking me to host Round Thirteen because it was super fun being the supreme overlord aww my absolute reign is now over host this week! 😊

This week’s one-word prompt was 🤕 “betrayal” 🤕 which, in my opinion, was a really awesome prompt!! 😋😀

However, I have to say that this was a very unusual prompt as well! As this week’s host, I got private messages about people’s submissions, not to mention that I was monitoring the (#choicescreates) ‘recent posts’ page AND I was seeing a lot of betrayal-related fan creations...

...so I started seeing betrayal everywhere this week 😭 Especially concerning The Royal Romance! First, I suspected that Olivia (together with Maxwell) was the traitor 👗 Then, I sort of wondered if it could be Hana for whatever reason 👠 And then, I thought Drake might be framed as a fake traitor 🍩 And after that, I even thought of posting a theory (admittedly, one that wasn’t too serious) about Liam, of all people, being the one to release the bachelor party photos 👑 (Which I dropped because I didn’t think Liam could bring himself to abdicate after Leo having done exactly the same thing.)

My three increasingly paranoid betrayal-related posts for your reading pleasure: (Olivia theory) (Hana theory) (Drake theory).

So, while I was glad to be this week’s #ChoicesCreates host 😀 I think that uploading this masterlist and declaring the betrayal-filled Round Thirteen officially over... will also be good for me 😆 And, perhaps, good for the rest of you as well, judging from these dark, yet awesome, betrayal-related stories, art, and edits 😂 And so...

Thank you very much to @blazerina, @catsrtheboss, @choicedindeep, @endless-vall, @endlessraj, @firefly-hwufanficwriter, @hartfeld, @hollyashton, @hwuariana-writer-movie-star, @jakes-princess, @joyfulchoices, @justapapercut, @keltic-moon, @kittenmusicals, @peace-coast-island, @pixelchoices, @punexpectedly, @rhayadel, @superpotato824, and @texanhusker for making twenty-two wonderful 🎨📝 fan creations 📝🎨 this week for all of us to enjoy!! 😊😊

And now... the list!! 😀 😎

List of fanfiction, fan art, and more:

01. (LH) “Calm after the Storm” by @justapapercut

02. (THoBM) “Quondam” by @peace-coast-island

03. (ES) “Every Little Thing” by @blazerina

04. (ES) “Skinny Love” by @rhayadel

05. (TF) “Saudade” by @endlessraj

06. (TF) “Prompt 13: Betrayal” by @keltic-moon

07. (TCatF) “discolor all the worries” by @endless-vall

08. (TCatF) “Forgiveness” by @superpotato824

09. (TCatF) “In Too Deep” by @hollyashton

10. (TCatF) “Just You And Me” by @pixelchoices

11. (TCatF) “Who is the Real Betrayer?” by @choicedindeep

12. (TRR) “A Love That Cannot Be” by @catsrtheboss

13. (TRR) “Every Time She Smiles” by @hartfeld

14. (TRR) “Side Effects of Being Human” by @kittenmusicals

15. (TRR) “Stupid Heart (Chapter Ten)” by @firefly-hwufanficwriter

16. (TRR) “Stupid Heart (Chapter Eleven)” by @firefly-hwufanficwriter

17. (TRR) “Something Else” by @joyfulchoices

18. (TRR) “The Betrayal” by @jakes-princess

19. (TRR) “The Last Night” by @texanhusker

20. (Fan art) (MW) “Outlaw by Hayley Rose lockscreen” by @hwuariana-writer-movie-star

21. (Fan art) (TCatF) “The Betrayal” by @punexpectedly

22. (Fan edit) (TF) “The Annoying Pink Plaid Shirt Saga (Part Three)” by @firefly-hwufanficwriter

(Hooray for all of these fan creations! 😀😀😀)

Disclaimer: These are works of fan fiction/art using characters from the Choices world, owned by Pixelberry. We do not claim ownership over them or the world of Choices. The stories we tell through our writing and art are our own interpretation and invention. They are not purported to be part of Choices’ story canon. These creative works are for entertainment only and not part of Choices’ official storylines. No copyright infringement is intended.

(Waiting for H.W.U. to come back, forever and always; 12/06/17.)