A Fervid Fixation Epilogue
Series: A Fervid Fixation
Fandom: The Royal Romance
Pairings: Riley x Drake
Rating: Teen
Warnings for this chapter: None
Word Count: 686
My other stuff: Master List.
In the Ariége department of the Occitania region of France, outside a sparsely populated village nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains not far from the borders of both Spain and Andorra, a young boy with chestnut-colored hair flying out behind him ran across the verdant green fields of his family’s ranch screaming, “Papa! Papa!”
“Wait, Gabriel!” His mother laughed as she shifted her ten-month-old daughter from one hip to the other, “Papa is coming! Move out of the way of the horses!”
It was October and Drake, along with the handful of other ranchers in the area were returning with the Mérens horses from their annual migration back down into the valley from the mountainside where they had spent the summer months.
Gabriel’s cousins joined him, all three boys running and jumping with excitement.
Riley looked at Savannah and shook her head as she laughed, “Every year!”
Savannah laughed in agreement as she watched her sons. One with russet brown hair and blue eyes like the father that he would never know, and one with the raven hair and brown eyes of the man that had raised them both.
Anton wasn’t always a present father, his job often keeping him away, but he was a doting one and their relationship was full of love and affection.
Drake often joked that it was the only reason Anton, aka Jason, had helped them escape. Because Savannah, whom he had kept in touch with after helping Drake stage her disappearing act, would have never forgiven him otherwise.
Anton came and went but Drake, Riley, and Savannah had made the small ranch their home. Located in the south of France, it was far out of the way of touristy destinations like Paris, Provence, Bordeaux, or Versailles. Well away from any place that a royal tour or diplomatic detachment might visit.
Drake and Savannah had already spoken fluent French while Riley had barely known two words in the beginning, but she had eventually learned to speak French like a native. As far as any of their neighbors knew, Drake and Savanna, aka Dominic and Sylvanna were from Normandy, and Riley, aka Ranae, was from Canada. All of the children were native speakers.
When the herd was back in their winter pastures, Drake trotted his horse to the yard and dismounted, “Who wants to help me untack Thunder?”
“Me! Me! Me!” all three boys jumped and squealed gleefully.
“Okay,” he laughed, “Come here!” He picked the boys up one by one and swung them up onto the sturdy back of the five-year-old Mérens gelding.
He made a purposeful detour past Riley so he could stop and kiss her. He leaned into her with a smile “Missed you!”
The boys giggled as he pressed his lips to hers.
“Papa!” The baby girl in her arms reached a hand out to pat his face.
“You too, mon bébé!” He kissed her chubby cheeks and hugged Savannah before giving Riley another smile as he led the horse to the stables.
That night after dinner, baths, and bedtime stories, Drake climbed into bed and held his wife close as his kids, sister, and nephews slept safely just down the hall and gave silent thanks for whatever miracle had brought her into his life and allowed them to successfully escape the wrath of a jilted king.
It had been five years since they had fled Cordonia. Five years of living mostly off the grid. Five years of raising Mérens horses, blending with the local farmers, and hiking in the mountains until they knew their way to the remote cabin Drake had built hidden deep in mountains well enough to find it in the dark.
Behind a false wall in the back of the walk-in closet in the master bedroom sat an old, scuffed-up duffle bag filled with cash, weapons, and forged passports giving them citizenship in a myriad of countries. While he hoped they never needed to use it, he was never without an escape plan, just in case.
After all, the statute of limitations on murder never expired.
Merens Horses
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Ghosty goes off about Fervid Ghoul time again-
*and other ghost related things
*vaguely hints at lore*
*vaguely hints at lore*
*vaguely hints at l-*
Silly doodles of the Mutt [affectionate] n a WIP for a pagedoll! god, it's humiliating being so obsessed with my own oc-
and last but certainly not least, bc I love you guys, sneak peek at a papa oc concept:
[I am eating him as we speak. yum]
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