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lizzybeth1986 · 2 years

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opinions on lena rys? (sorry if this has already been asked LOL! I'm just interested to see your take)

Thank you for that question @elusetta! It's a pleasant and lovely surprise to get a question like this one... though idk if you'll actually like what I have to say here.

(Also lmao half the fandom will probably hate me for this essay, but everything I've written here is the truth. If y'all want to cling to your biases instead, fandom, be my guest and skip this essay)

I have two kinds of opinions regarding Lena - Lena as an individual character, and Lena in terms of what the writers wanted narratively.

As an individual character...eh. She's okay. On paper she could be promising, but on the whole she starts from one tangent and lands somewhere else altogether midway (and while one can say this of any character in the series, the fact is that, in her case, those inconsistencies all co-exist in the same book!).

Lena is an incredibly self-contained character. Sure, she is both the key to the VI's takeover of Cordonia and the weak link that facilitates their downfall - but there is very little she has to give the story or the other characters, and far more that they are constantly expected to give her. She is first presented to us as more of a loyal soldier to the VI, but mid-story she would have us believe that she'd be a better monarch and had always wanted to be queen. She is part of a cult that claims to be anti-monarchy, yet decides she must be queen and operates under a cult filled with monarchs. And there isn't enough pushback against the notion that a glorified puppet to a murderous cult would make a good monarch, and Lena gets away far too easily with her own crimes at the end (thanks to the brother she had spent the whole book mocking). Most of our time is spent coddling her and pampering her and convincing her that we genuinely like her, and very little on her actually self-evaluating. Like Olivia before her, she's there simply to be cosetted by us (by her brother Liam in particular) before she can afford us even a tenth of the grace she's been given.

And while I'm sure a horde of Lena stans may land on this ask to bleat about her tragic childhood and Sigrid's brainwashing, I'd like them to ask themselves one thing. Even the most conditioned person will find themselves questioning beliefs they grew up with from time to time. (Hana had done that on her own - several times - during the original TRR series, and this same fandom had no problem calling her "weak"). It takes Lena forever to even question Sigrid's weird logic. Yet I'm supposed to believe she'll make a great queen just because she's got military skills? Even though her critical thinking is...barely there? (And believe me, enough people in fandom were celebrating the notion of Lena replacing Liam and what the VI were doing for a portion of the story).

There are possibilities to make such a character compelling - someone who believes they have agency and independence only to realize they are lowly pawns can make for a good inner conflict, and could provide the core group with a good contrast as well - but not with this team, or this fandom. Not with a head writer who will simp for the Val Greaves/Olivia Nevrakis character type against all logic, not with a fandom that is forever desperate to make Liam their personal scapegoat. Not with a team and fandom who are uncomfortable with acknowledging their own favourites' actual flaws. Both of these groups only saw her armor, snark, gun skills and hatred of Liam, and decided she was a great character based solely on that.

Personally and out of the larger context of this story, I don't particularly mind Lena as a character. In a better story that had more balance, I'd probably be more sympathetic. I prefer some of the sweeter and softer female characters, or the characters that represent diplomacy in a series like this. I'm a lot more protective of them nowadays because they tend to be looked down upon most of the time (especially if they are default WOC!). And that happens more often than not with this series!

On a narrative level...well. Buckle up coz I have a real bone to pick with the writing team and the fandom on this specific issue.

Narratively, Lena is the most obvious sign of the TRR writing team's cravenness and shamelessness, and the biggest sign of their disdain for the character that gave them the whole premise of this series.

Mind you, I cannot blame solely Lena for this. She is just a culmination of what the team was already doing to Liam. Kneecapping Liam was a process that began early and went on for six books, with fandom encouragement. Liam, contrary to the fandom's claims (and the Drake stans - whose favourite was himself eating up other characters' space on the regular - complain about this the loudest), was already being disadvantaged in several ways.

Here are just a few ways that events that happened to Liam (or storylines that should have been his) but were instead centered on other people, including the MC:

1. Traumatic events:

The assassination attempt that left Liam so traumatized that he could barely eat, and made him shut himself off to everyone, was never incorporated for his benefit. He never gets to talk about it, the MC herself never bothers to ask him about it. It only exists so Drake can sound less whiny about staying in a place that he hates.

The assassination attempt that kills Constantine? At a time when Liam had to grapple with questions about his own rule? Guess what Liam gets. A solitary tear at the finale, and a small scene for the Heir about growing apple trees two books later.

We find out in TRH1 that Godfrey was involved in the plot to kill Eleanor, and in TRH3 that Bartie Sr was his partner in the crime. We center the children of the murderers for the rest. Liam gets barely 10 seconds to attempt to banish Godfrey (the book ends on the latter's successful escape, and the MC conveniently goes into labour at that moment), the next two books require us to pamper the everloving shit out of Madeleine, and Maxwell - who, might I remind you, emotionally blackmailed his brother into giving Bartie Sr his title as Duke and made his father's coup possible - spends more than half of TRH3 playing the betrayed victim.

What does Liam get? A few seconds of the MC mouthing platitudes when they find out, and one scene where Liam is allowed to gaze sadly at daisies. Maxwell gets to weep about his traitor father ad nauseum while barely acknowledging the friend who lost his mother thanks to the same man, Madeleine gets to spend most of TRH2 and 3 expecting us to treat her with kid gloves otherwise she will help Bartie Sr kidnap your child. Honestly, Drake Walker got way more time to moan and gripe about his sister living safely in Paris on Beaumont money!

Most times we hear about something tragic that happened to Liam, it serves to benefit other people - notably team favourites like Drake, Olivia, Madeleine or Maxwell. The entire base of TRH is the mystery of Queen Eleanor's murder, yet the person whose feelings matter least in this story is Eleanor's own son.

Most times when something horrible happens to Liam, or when he discovers something disturbing about his past, the MC hardly pays much attention to him, while showering whiter characters with sympathy and diamond scene moments for less horrific revelations. The same MC who can tell Olivia that it's okay to seek support, or comfort Drake with a drinking game, or convince Bertrand to go easy on Maxwell...has barely any time or interest to support Liam, even when she's married to him.

A Drake stan I'd spoken to around the time of TRH3, once claimed that the narrative may have been trying to balance things between "prominent" LIs by "giving Liam the plot elements" and "giving Drake the emotional baggage". This is an argument I have seen often in the fandom - that "the story makes sense only with Liam as your spouse" ergo he has the biggest advantage of all the LIs. This is directly related to Liam's role as king. Let's take a minute to explore how that is dealt with in the story.

2. Power and Monarchy.

Often Liam is considered PB/TRR's "golden boy" because he is the "royal" spoken about in the title and featuring in all the covers. The popular argument is that the story makes sense only if you married Liam and became his Queen.

However, this argument misses (perhaps deliberately) one very important thing. Even this is mostly centered around the power Liam gives the MC. Liam's attention or even power doesn't increase within the narrative by giving the MC power - in fact it is pushed so far back the narrative often seems to forget who he is, and tosses his role to the MC, Queen Consort or not. His being king hardly seems to benefit him narratively - it is only used to benefit the MC.

People forget that even on a level of being Queen Consort, she shouldn't be having the kind of power she's been given in the narrative, or replace the king. Yet that is exactly what the narrative does.

One of the arcs that was promised for Liam was about the kind of king he hopes to be. As a Crown Prince he grapples with this question, and as a King he faces constant doubt and fear over his capability to rule. When he discovers that his father masterminded the plot against the MC, that moment was written as if it could be a turning point in how he views ruling. At the TRR2 finale he vows to never let fear overpower him the way it did Constantine, and before that in NY he tells the MC that she inspired him to take the reins and have more belief in what he wanted to achieve.

In TRR3, the writers barely bothered to address this conflict at all, besides a line (said in passing, only in his playthrough) about his plans for compensating the Applewood farmers until the new crop could harvest, and a couple lessons on diplomacy for the MC's benefit. Even his role as a king was viewed more in terms of how the MC could use his knowledge, not really as an important aspect of his character. The writers spent far more time forcing Liam to look sadly at the MC that wasn't marrying him, just to appease certain nonLiam stans who missed the love triangle. He was essentially given no real plot of his own in TRR3. This definitely didn't track with the promises made for his storyline in the TRR2 finale in any way or form.

TRH is far more brazen in this respect. From the point that the MC becomes Champion of the Realm/prospective Mother of the Heir, the narrative cedes so much power to her...that it almost treats Liam as a noble rather than the literal King of that country! The royals at the first Ball she hosts in Valtoria address her as if she's the only "monarch" that counts. Isabella questions her about Eleanor rather than Eleanor's actual son. Amalas stalks her constantly. Nobles directly address her as if she's the only one ruling (eg: Kiara's comment about "reactive ruling" elicits a response from the MC, rather than from Liam who is actually standing there).

Even if the MC was the consort ruling alongside the rightfully-appointed King, it still didn't make sense for the narrative to replace him with her in discussions that were meant for the actual person in power. In addition, the narrative itself views her - across playthroughs - more as the Duchess of Valtoria than the Queen of Cordonia - we see her duchy more often than we do the Capitol, there is very little reference to what she does as Queen Consort or any duty she may have to perform on that score, and King Liam himself is made to behave more like a Duke (eg. The only time he's allowed to push back independently against Bradshaw and Isabella in TRH2, is a ballroom duel that is proven pointless by the Auvernese drone attack that they framed Monterisso for).

Most of the power to make decisions is taken out of Liam's hands and given to the nobles who run the Royal Council - and once those decisions turn out to be bad ones, the blame is placed solely on his shoulders even though it was made jointly. Half the characters talk over Liam and directly to the MC about "her rule", even though she is a Queen Consort at best and a random new Duchess at worst.

The MC - who is never really shown doing any actual work for the country or thinking about her people. The MC - whose only political act outside of the shenanigans she gets into with her friends, is a line about contributing to charities. This woman has a wholeass library in her duchy and access to endless resources before that...and still needs to be spoonfed information about neighbouring places by the likes of Hana Lee. This woman started out working in a bar close to a rat-infested dumpster yet never shows a lick of concern for the average commoner in her duchy - forget her kingdom if she is the Queen. She is literally given all of Liam's power, while hardly having to do any of Liam's work (and if you're going to pretend he doesn't do any work? I suggest you read this essay to see what you missed!). And all that is fine - but if this fandom is alright dragging Liam for "being a sucky king" and "partying all the time", I'd better see you guys hold everyone else - including your favourite characters who rule over entire provinces, and your darling MCs - to the same parameters.

By the time we get to TRF, this is the amount of power the narrative gives to the MC:

Not only is Liam's role nerfed to that of a Duke, the narrative itself has no qualms saying the quiet part out loud: Liam isn't the one that matters, the MC is. Liam's decisions and opinions mean nothing, the MC's does.

And this isn't something the MC herself is against, canonically. She enjoys having that power. She revels in it. No matter how badly the fandom wants to make a victim out of her and a Rumpelstiltskin out of Laim - this is a role she accepted wholeheartedly and enjoyed, while not having to work much for it. As a reader you may assume that your vision of the MC wouldn't be comfortable with this role, but canon in no way depicts your assumption as true. So it's not even as if - contrary to fandom's claims - these were roles Liam forced on her.

To revert to what I said at the beginning of this section - the plot runs because Liam is the king of the country and was the reason we came to Cordonia. But in a context like this, that is not at all an advantage. The farther into the story you go, the clearer it is that Liam's role benefits the story more than the story will ever benefit him.

3. Family

Another thread that runs through all the LIs' stories is that of their families. Most of the mystery surrounding the past revolves around Liam's, Drake's, Maxwell's, Olivia's (and briefly, Hana's) parents and their histories - but it would be helpful for once to look at how the narrative frames these stories, and how these characters benefit from them. Are the LIs' themes explored adequately through the inclusion of these stories? Does the LI's feelings get validated by the group, or dismissed? Does the narrative try to downplay the pain they may have endured in childhood, depending on which LI/prominent character the writers preferred?

A prime example of how the narrative uses the family background to their character's advantage is the Drake-Savannah story. Savannah is constantly viewed from Drake's lens, even when it is revealed that she's actually living a comfortable life thanks to a pair of nobles. Drake is STILL allowed to use her "experience" as an example of the "bad, no-good, dastardly nobles", is allowed to look down on the one noblewoman who befriended Savannah, and is allowed to punish Bertrand all the way into TRR3 for perceived slights.

While Savannah likes Bertrand enough to want to marry him, it is Drake's judgement of him that is centered - Savannah brings what he said about Bertrand up whenever she wants to badger him into doing her bidding, and Drake himself is allowed to humiliate Bertrand just to give his agreement to their match. Savannah's wedding is literally the wedding Drake described in a TRR3 diamond scene as his dream wedding (Ice Palace, TRR3 Ch 11), even though canon had her aspire more to the noble life than her brother. That wedding lasted half the book, and involved Bertrand being further humiliated by Drake's family. Despite her many flaws, canon chooses to view Savannah as "perfect" primarily because that's how Drake views her...and Drake can never be proven wrong on anything (even if the team has to do a retcon to make it so). This extends to the rest of his family as well. Canon attempted to create Leona out of whole cloth so that Bianca could appear less of an asshole (an attempt that failed), and Jackson is depicted as a close friend who Queen Eleanor trusted with the news of her pregnancy, yet somehow he never did anything nor asked any questions after she was dead and there was a potential child out there. His father is still the innocent among innocents, the best person and friend that ever existed. Drake is centered in most stories surrounding his family, and so is his perspective.

Maxwell gets something similar to this treatment later on in the story, specifically with the way Bartie Sr's coup and Bertrand's perceived betrayal is handled. The coup itself begins with Bertrand handing over his title and responsibilities to his father - a move facilitated directly due to Maxwell's lies and retcons about Bertrand in his book. Maxwell spends more than half the book clinging to some weak hope that the man - who is literally staging a coup of Maxwell's friend's throne, and later kidnaps a child - is a good man. His tirade against Bartie Sr being a bad parent, in Valtoria, hardly acknowledges what Bertrand had to suffer. As mentioned earlier, when Bartie's treason was revealed Maxwell centers that truth around himself even though the son of the woman Bartie killed is right in front of him (there's a vague promise about how he'll do anything to bring his father to justice, but that's about as far as his communication with Liam on this goes). And finally, even after it's been made clear that Bertrand was secretly supporting the core group, Maxwell and the group still behave like he did something wrong and continue to mistrust him, to the point of expecting him to apologise and suspecting him in the next book to be in the VI (though Maxwell does initially stage a weak protest to this). All this, while never having to acknowledge Maxwell's own role in getting Bartie Sr closer to power!

The team pretends to do something similar for Hana, but with egregious retcons. While in TRR her parents' motives are tied to Hana having a beneficial marriage and furthering their fortune - and they come close to disowning her for wanting to follow her own path - in TRH the narrative aggressively retcons their story so that their motives are attributed to affectionate worry and protection, rather than control. While it is great that Hana still isn't required to forgive her mother, the narrative forces her to soften Lorelai's motives in a way that is insulting to her original story. I won't speak more on how Hana's story was handled, as I do so in detail here. Olivia, while not an LI, was given far more grace from the narrative; she was given an entire holiday book to ruminate over what to do with her traitor aunt's necklace. Throughout TRH, she is involved in and heartily lauded for various "spy missions", most of which culminate in nothing because all she does is sit on that information and not tell anyone (with very few exceptions, like the reveal about Bartie's murder of Eleanor). That story is wholly centered around Olivia and her comfort. Ergo, even a side character can get plenty of space for their story if their writers actually give a damn.

Which brings me to Liam.

There were problems already in the way Liam and his family issues were explored, even before Lena came along. Stoicism and the pressure to show a sense of calm at all times was an accepted trait of Liam's, and it was one that his fans had hoped he would emerge out of as the story progressed. Yet the narrative only allowed him to show strong emotions when it was centered around protecting the MC (see: Liam's confrontation of his father in TRR2 Ch12, or fighting Anton in TRR3 Ch 21). The MC was far, far less proactive in this respect, even as she acted as counselor and teacher and guide and angel of mercy to numerous white characters in the same book.

When Liam's father dies right in front of him, the narrative forces Liam to deflect and keep it moving, only allowing him to shed a single tear at the end of the book. TRH finds Liam hit with reveal after painful reveal of the plots behind his mother's death, and he is allowed barely seconds to even show an emotional response to this - much less be comforted. In each case he is meant to move ahead as if this wouldn't affect him, as if the next mystery is more important, as if he didn't deserve support.

A support that the MC doesn't mind lavishing on Drake, Maxwell, Olivia, Madeleine, Penelope, White Noble no. 1, 2, 3, 4...the list is endless.

Into this already-skewed situation, enters his sister Lena, who hates him. She spends half the book verbally shitting on him and the group, calling Liam weak, claiming without any actual experience (besides heading a company) that she could do a better job leading and fending off coups and plots that he and his friends already managed to thwart. The narrative uses Liam's love for family and need to reconnect to this unknown sister to make sure Lena is centered in whatever reveal comes forth about their mother.

This wouldn't even have been as big of an issue if every other instance where Liam bore immense loss wasn't pushed aside as less important. If they didn't restrict the MC's concern to lukewarm platitudes and the occasional causal question. Lena getting this moment all to herself wouldn't have mattered as much if Liam wasn't constantly forced by the narrative to push his hurt, pain or anger aside when he discovered his father's illness...or when his kingdom was under attack...or when his father died...or when he discovered his mother had hidden a pregnancy...or when he discovered his mother's first attacker...or his mother's second attacker...or the King Guard who betrayed his family...or the cult that clearly wanted to kill his mother and keep him away from his sister...you get the picture.

In fact, the lack of care extends to the way the core group deals with the Lena situation as well. When Lena is first revealed to be both The Fist of the VI and Liam's long-lost sister, the core group callously scoffs at Liam's suggestions to communicate with her, rather than trying to comfort him. Even Hana, who has to sympathize and speak positively about the likes of Madeleine and Olivia - women who have harmed her and have regularly undermined her - is made to sound like she has no patience for Liam's obvious internal conflict. If anyone could understand how hard it would be to let go of family whose motives can be harmful for you, it would be Hana. Yet the team has her place timelines on Liam's emotions in a way the group never bothered to do to Maxwell in a somewhat similar situation, in the previous book.

Of course, once the MC decides it would be a good idea to win Lena's trust, the group magically sees this aim as legitimate. For the rest of the book, Lena is pampered, cosetted, coddled, shown around Cordonia and treated with kid gloves, all while trashing on Liam without much significant pushback. The entire story revolves around her journey from a skeptic of the group to realizing they are genuinely good people. All while her brother who gave us this series languishes in the background - his own power snatched from his hands and passed to the MC, his own traumas and tragedies forgotten, his own emotional baggage thrown away so Lena and Drake can take centerstage.

At the end of the book, when the group gets closure from Sigrid over VI and her multiple betrayals, it is Drake who gets the most space to react out of the group alone. The book begins with his discovery of Bastien's involvement in the VI, and allows Drake ample space to grieve and ruminate over it (btw, let's forget entirely that Bastien has been King Guard this entire time, and that meant that for all five years of his rule and for many many years before that, Liam and his family had a walking talking security risk "protecting" them. Coz who cares if the King of Cordonia dies, amirite?) When it is discovered that Jackson died while working undercover to expose the VI, it is Drake who gets the most time among the group to confront Sigrid, and it is Drake who gets to give a lengthy monologue to his dead parent, for which the MC and Liam are required to stand there and comfort him. In contrast, Liam gets just one line in a scene about the person who masterminded his mother's death. It is Lena instead, who gets to react emotionally to that - because the Sigrid story itself was created specifically to pander to this one just-created character.

Lena wasn't created to add to Liam's story like Savannah was. She wasn't meant to share their joint history like Bertrand and Maxwell initially were, or sidelined for the sake of another side character related to another LI like Bertrand was. Lena was created to replace Liam as the center of a tragedy that happened to him, that affected him, that haunted him for years, that had repercussions on his life...that he was never given any real space to emotionally explore.

Drake's story benefitted from Liam's trauma, to the point where only he was allowed to talk about it and where his perspective was the only one given value. The MC's story benefitted from Liam's power, to the point where she damn near replaced him narratively in that role despite never doing the work, while the fandom laid the entire blame on Liam ad nauseum and not her. Over and over, in plots and coups and murders that hurt his family, other people were allowed to talk, allowed to think, allowed to feel...while Liam got maybe one teardrop per parent.

In the same trajectory, one can clearly see why they developed a character like Lena in the first place. The writers spent 6 whole books heartlessly picking at parts of Liam's story and giving those bits away to their actual favourite characters. Bit by bit, from his experiences to his work to his role, they whittled away Liam as a character until he was left with practically nothing. Do you think they would seriously just stop that process with TRH3? I mean, the head writer is someone who likes "mean characters who speak their mind" and her disdain for characters who represent diplomacy and peace isn't even thinly veiled. Of course they'd go further!!

Lena was created with the sole purpose of ensuring Liam never got adequate closure for himself. They simply passed on that luxury to her, and the fandom who hid behind "Liam gets everything!!111" while never speaking up once about the gross favouritism directed towards their own beloved LIs and side characters, cheered the same team on in this.

I can say this with complete confidence: had Liam been a default white man, like Drake and Maxwell were (or like Ethan Ramsey in OH or Ernest Sinclaire in D&D were), Lena's story would have looked very, very different. In fact, I highly doubt she would even exist.

#the royal romance #king liam #princess lena #anti drake walker #anti maxwell beaumont #anti lena rys #if i ever write an essay series on liam i will call it 'king liam and the single sexy tear'#that's all he's ever allowed to shed #one tear per parent 🥲

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tessa-liam · 1 year

Text

Smoke and Mirrors

9-Hidden in Plain Sight

Book: The Royal Romance Finale, AU

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer’.

Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh, Olivia Nevrakis x M!OC Alex Cossoy

*Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

*Not Beta’d, please excuse all errors

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking/gun violence. Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age.

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2394

Chapter Summary: It’s the evening of the Celebration Ball and the big reveal of the Royal twins. Lena is interrogated by Interpol. Liam and Leo discuss a potential threat to the kingdom.

Smoke and Mirrors

9- Hidden in Plain Sight

Music Inspiration: Sway, Michael Buble; Claire De Lune, London Symphony Orchestra; Late Night Talking, Harry Styles

A/N2: My submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, @midnightmelodiz , Day 6 – Dreams, Day dream, “I’m in love with you?”

A/N1: My submission for @choicesflashfics @jerzwriter Week #49, Prompt 1- “You take my breath away every time I see you.”

The King’s chamber was illuminated only by the soft light of the full moon where the King and Queen lay together. Riley was fast asleep, her head resting on Liam’s chest, her very pregnant belly snuggled safely against his side. Liam looked over at his sleeping wife, his heart swelling with love for her and their sons. In three short weeks, his family will grow to five; that time coming very quickly now.

Cordonian Royal Palace

He lay awake; sleep eluding him again for another night. Mentally organizing his schedule for the upcoming month, his thoughts eventually returned to that conversation with Drake that they had on the beach the day before. His confession...

‘Watching you with Brooks, all these years... I want that too.’

‘Pretending to be happy is pretty damn exhausting.’

Sighing, Liam was pleasantly surprised when he heard a soft voice.

No one else would have caught it, but Liam did. He ‘read between the lines’ of what Drake had said, like he was remembering a bad dream. Did Drake just admit that he still had feelings for his wife? Were those feelings that he had years ago still present and relevant to him?

“How long have you been awake?” Riley whispered.

He kissed her forehead and placed his hand on her baby bump. Stroking her belly, he could feel the soft kicks under his palm.

“Not long, love” he murmerred.

“What are you thinking about?” Liam hesitated before answering.

Riley turning her head to look up at him, “you think too much sometimes.”

“A conversation that I had. I am not quite sure if it was real or if it was a daydream.” Liam kept his answer opaque on purpose, not wanting to divulge too much detail to her.

Liam chuckled, “Are you complaining?”

“Never,” she replied, yawning. “I love you,” she added sleepily.

His body relaxed, as he closed his eyes, “I love you more.” he murmured, tightening his arm around her protectively.

Cordonian Palace Ballroom

The Ballroom was filled with guests awaiting the King’s announcement scheduled for later in the evening.

Royalty from neighboring kingdoms, nobility, politicians, and ambassadors from allied countries came from long and short distances to partake in the black-tie festivities. Music filled the air as waitstaff circulated amongst the crowd with glasses of wine and flutes of champagne.

“I’m glad you decided to attend this event with me,” Olivia said smiling at Alex.

“I must be honest with you, Livvie. I usually attend these functions as the enforcer. I am not used to wearing a ‘monkey suit’,” Alex smirked. He seemed to be comfortable among all the guests, nonetheless.

Olivia grinned back at her partner, but her smile quickly faded when she spotted Amalas and Leo huddled together on the other side of the dance floor. They appeared to be deep in conversation and were not paying any attention to their surroundings.

Alex noticed Olivia’s expression change. “Everything okay?” he asked with concern. She nodded, trying to force the smile back onto her lips.

“I thought that Leo was coming on his own tonight.”

“Liv, that doesn’t mean that he can't talk to anyone once he gets here,” Alex rebutted. Olivia sighed loudly and continued to watch the couple from afar.

A waiter approached, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Alex accepted a small sampling as Olivia continued to study the couple without saying another word. Alex shook his head; he knew what was bothering her. He also wished, he was mistaken.

As the orchestra began to play the first few notes of the Cordonian national anthem, the press began to gather around the dais waiting for the King to enter the ballroom.

The King’s guard fell into strategic positions when the herald announced the arrival of the Royal family.

Liam strode up to the lectern that was atop the dais wearing his full military regalia. Riley, walking with Eleanor, joined him and stood next to his side. Regina and Leo stood close by next to the dais.

The crowd hushed in anticipation. Clearing his throat once before speaking, Liam began, “Good evening, everyone,” he proclaimed.

“It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you all here tonight. I know many have been waiting patiently for the queen and I to make an official announcement concerning our ‘additions’ to the Royal family.” Liam turned to wink at Riley.

The ballroom attendees erupted in whoops and cheers.

Liam acknowledged his delighted guests with a broad smile and waited a few minutes for the accolades to subside. Continuing with, “thank you, thank you!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to have my princess here to help me....” Liam turned and beamed, chuckling as Ellie clapped her hands with a peal of laughter as her uncle Leo scooped her up and joined his brother.

“Well, Ellie, what do you think?” Leo asked, smirking at Liam.

“Daddy, look.” Ellie exclaimed and pointed to a bevy of blue balloons filled with helium that were being released behind the crowd overtop the dance floor.

“Everyone, our twin boys, our princes, are expected to arrive at the end of this month.” Liam lifted Riley’s hand tenderly to kiss.

Riley joined Liam as he took her hands and led her to stand beside him at the lectern.

Thrilled at the excitement, Liam continued once the audience returned their attention back to him.

Liam waited for the crowd to settle down after the announcement.

The applause was deafening as everyone celebrated.

After posing for pictures by the press, Liam led Riley to the dance floor as the orchestra began to play the beginning notes of ‘Clair de Lune’. As they danced, it felt like time stood still; as guests formed a circle around them, Liam kissed Riley’s hand and placed it atop his chest over his heart as they swayed together in time to the music.

“It must have something to do with the love of my life in my arms,” Liam simpered.

“How is it, that.... Liam,” as she smoothed down his lapels, “you take my breath away every time I see you.”

“Always the charmer, Your Majesty." Riley whispered, kissing his lips sweetly.

***

Drake held Delaney close to his chest as they watched the King and Queen move together in the center of the dance floor.

“They look so perfect together,” Delaney sighed. Her voice was laced with envy.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find someone special someday.” Drake answered sarcastically.

Delaney laughed. “That’s so easy for you to say.” Slapping his arm.

Drake grinned, “you'are damn straight, Leigh. When I first met you, I had no idea what my future would hold. You showed me things that I had only dreamed of having with someone. … and I have treasured every minute of your love.”

Growling, he leaned over and kissed her fiercely on the lips. Just as Riley and Liam walked past them. Delaney noticed the look on Drake’s face when he locked eyes with Riley. It gave her an uneasy feeling. He seemed to be lost in thought.

Smiling playfully at him, Delaney asked in jest, “I’m in love with you too?"

She frowned. “Something wrong?”

His eyes shifted away from Riley, and he shook his head.

“No, nothing at all.”

But he didn’t fool her. Delaney, now was positive that her concerns were justified, stepped back.

“Good evening, you two.” Riley beamed as she turned towards Delaney and Drake.

“You two are getting married! Congratulations...I am so happy for you both.” Riley put her arm around her shoulder for a side hug.

“Thank you so much,” Delaney replied, hugging Riley in return.

“Yes, congratulations you two,” Liam reached over to kiss Delaney’s cheek.

“I am impressed, Walker.” Riley snickered as she hugged her friend.

“Wow, settling down and saying goodbye to the bachelor life.” Liam smirked, shaking Drake's hand.

“Who would have thought,” Riley chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, Brooks, get your shots in now.” Drake responded, not making eye contact.

Interrogation Room A, Interpol Headquarters, Lyon, France

Lena sat back on her chair with her hands folded in her lap. She was flanked by two men in dark suits. One of the men was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. His name was detective Lefebvre, and he had been assigned by Inspector Ryerson to investigate her case. The other man was the head of Psychiatrics and was assigned to conduct an evaluation of her psychological state by King Liam Rys of Cordonia.

Across the table, sat Lena’s legal defense attorney, assigned to represent her by the Royal estate of Vallenheim.

Detective Lefebvre cleared his throat.

“Miss Runarsdottir, I understand you are familiar with the Cordonian Royal family?”

Lena nodded. “Yes, I have met King Constantine Rys, my father. My stepmother, Queen Sigrid, raised me when my mother Eleanor Rys was murdered. I know of but never met my brother Liam or my stepbrother Leo.”

“And what do you know about them?” he asked.

Lena’s mouth went dry. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare.

“I don’t have any other information about them,” she lied.

“Do you mean to tell me that you knew nothing about your brothers even though you were caught outside the buildings they were in this past summer?”

Lena stared at him unflinching.

“How did you know where to go?” he asked again.

“I’m sorry, I can't help you.”

Lefebvre slammed his fist against the table, making Lena jump in surprise.

“Don't play with me. You’re either lying or delusional.”

Lena bit her lip. She sat stoically and kept her emotions hidden.

“I am not playing around. I have no information.”

Feeling frustrated, Detective Lefebvre changed his strategy.

“Miss Runarsdottir, who is Bastien Lykel?

“Who?”

“Bastien Lykel,” he repeated.

Lena’s face paled. “I don’t know anyone named Bastien.”

“Are you sure?” he pressed.

“We have CCTV evidence of your conversation with him in the holding cells at the Cordonian Palace.”

“I-I-” she stammered.

“You were seen talking to him at least three times before you escaped those holding cells in Cordonia. Is that correct?”

Again, Lena sat in silence.

“Choose wisely, Miss Runarsdottir, and answer my questions. What is the nature of your relationship with Bastien Lykel?”

Lena’s breathing quickened and her hands began to shake. If she told the truth, she was dead.

“Let the records show that Miss Runarsdottir is not cooperative.”

Cordonian Ballroom

Leo was speaking to Rashad at the bar when Liam approached after having a debate with an American ambassador.

“Hey Li, I see you survived your conversation with Smithfield.” Leo smirked as Liam ordered a scotch and shot it back quickly.

“Barkeep, another round for my brother and I’ll take the same.”

“Why, thank you Leo.” Liam clapped his back.

“Where is your beautiful Queen?”

“Riley is upstairs with Ellie. Being so close to her due date, she needs to be off her feet to rest from tonight’s festivities. She is exhausted.”

Leo nodded. “Totally understandable, but Li, why are you still down here?”

“Because I need to talk with you and apologize about the other day.” Liam responded.

“No apologies needed. I was being an asshole and you called me out.” Leo grinned.

“Well, I overreacted. You pressed a nerve when you mentioned father.”

Leo smirked, “good, because I agree with you and I believe you are ‘right on the money’.

Liam chuckled, shaking his head.

“Again, that’s what makes you the better King,” Leo winked

“I do have information for you." Leo continued. "Amalas gave me an update on Interpol’s case on Lena and Bastien.”

‘Liam winces slightly at the mention of Lena, but he does not interrupt.’

“Lena is being uncooperative when questioned by the detectives. Nice touch, by the way, for assigning a psychiatrist to oversee her testimony.”

“Well, it’s the least I could do knowing what father did to her, and her future.”

“’Amalas has uncovered a few suspicious ‘coincidences’, but nothing damning enough’ to help shed light as to what her motives are.”

“So far, the information that he divulged on the estate of Vallenheim has been verified as true. It was uncovered that he has affiliations with members of the Vallenheim royal guard.”

“Has there been any progress on Bastien’s involvement?” Liam inquired.

“Director Ryerson has scheduled an official update for Monday morning with me. Apparently, Interpol has uncovered a black ledger. It was 'hidden in plain sight'."

“Care to join me, Leo?”

Leo responded, “I will be here.”

📌 @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @jared2612 @irisk12 @thesvnsins @walkerdrakewalker 📌

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lennysfridge · 6 months

Note

Lena and Noelle make up blurb?

lena knocks on ryan and noelle’s bedroom door “go away.” ryan calls them buries his head in noelle’s neck, she gives ryan a look

“y-you c-can c-come i-in.” lena opens the door and ryan groans “s-stop ry.”

“i’m sorry.” len says

“i-its ok.”

“its not i should t have gotten upset with you and i took out my frustration and i feel awful.” noelle tears up and opens up her arms

“i-i understand, w-we are b-both g-going and i-i kinda d-de-“

“no” ryan and lena say at the same time, noelle sighs

“i promise i won’t do it again, i love you.”

“i-i love y-you.” she hugs lena

#noelle x ryan #lena x jimmy #gopher girlies

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danversxluthor · 1 year

Text

The Super Blues (Pt 3) -- REWRITE

Kara, Lena, Alex, and the rest of the superfriends stood around the marble oval table in Lena’s home office, their makeshift war room for the time being, divvying out assignments to search the city. Brainy had already finished reviewing the school’s security footage at the main entrances of the school, but still found no sign of Lori or anyone looking remotely like her leaving the building.

“Could she have left from the roof?” Nia suggested as a long shot.

“Checking now… negative, the roof door sensors didn’t go off today.” Brainy confirmed.

“I just don’t understand how she seemed to disappear without a trace.” Alex questioned.

“There has to be another way...” Kara huffs. The super was getting more and more irritated. How could they send their daughters to a top-notch school with the best security in the city and still lose one? After they find Lori, Kara would be making a very concerted effort to get in on the PTA.

“There are five entrances into the school.” Brainy informs.

“What?” Kara exclaims. “But they only have the two main entrances.”

“Main, is the key word there. Briany’s right.” Lena pulls up the school blueprints for both the remodeled school, showing two main entrances, and the original blueprint, showing an additional three entrances.

“And they don’t keep security cameras or door alarms on any of them! In this day and age - I mean -” Kara was fuming now.

“Kara breath.” Lena warns in her CEO voice. “Lori could have left out of any one of those entrances. The two entrances on the north facing side lead to Central St. which has several bus routes connected. The entrance facing east leads to a dead-end parking lot, so we should focus our search on Central St. and those bus routes.

“We don’t have much to go off of, but if we split up, we should be able to cover the city in under an hour.” Alex shows the team seven sections of the city on the hologram, each color coordinated to the respective superfriend. As Lena went into more detail on specific locations, she was interrupted by a soft cough coming from behind the door. The group turned to see El, who had just made it home from school, peeking through the crack. El looked back at the group like a baby deer in headlights, completely frozen and then rushed off toward the stairs, shortly after which the group heard a loud thud from El tripping her way up the stairs.

“I’ll check on her.” Kara said as she left the room.

“Ellie, hey little one,” Kara found El laying on her bed, hands clutching her raven hair. “I know this is scary, but we’re going to find your sister, ok.” El shook her head as she sat up and looked at her Jeju with red rimmed eyes.

El took out her pocket notebook and pen and started writing - i’m sorry. My fault. Kara decided not to push El to speak, especially under such stressful circumstances.

“It's not your fault El. We don’t know what happened, but we’re doing everything we can to get Lori back.” Kara reassured as she started standing up to get ready to search.

El wrote again – She said she was just tired, but something else is wrong. I didn’t say anything and now she’s gone.

“What do you mean she said she was tired?” Kara asked curiously.

El wrote some more – She wasn’t acting like herself, she stopped smiling and talking to people. She was sneaking out the back entrance of the gym at lunch but I never saw her come back in today.

A light bulb immediately went off in Kara’s head - the east-facing entrance from the original blueprint - the one that leads to a dead end.

“El, did Lori say or do anything else? Do you know if she could have gone anywhere else?” Kara questioned. Jeju almost never used a serious tone like this with El and it made the teen shrink in on herself even more.

El shook her head with tear filled eyes. “‘m s-s-sor-ry” El said voice cracking.

Kara knelt down to look El in the eyes, “You have nothing to be sorry about. This was not your fault. Thank you for telling me, Ellie.” El threw herself into Kara’s arms, an occurrence that rarely happened. Kara held her daughter until a knock at the door caused the two to break apart.

“Everything ok here?” Lena questioned.

“Yes, I think El may have figured out which exit Lori left from.” Kara nodded down at her youngest.

----

Kara finished her segment of the city first and then looped around to help cover the others. Lena and Brainy stayed at the house monitoring various camera footage to signs of Lori, only spotting her a few times from footage taken hours prior. It was finally dark out and getting colder as the sun fell.

“The bridge, thirty-seven minutes ago.” Brainy calls out.

“Details please. Which bridge?” Lena cuts in.

“Lori was crossing the bridge on Hawthorn over the bay leading towards the industrial park just outside the city about thirty-eight minutes ago now.” Brainy clarifies pulling up the images of a lanky blond in a National City Prep school uniform - short sleeved blue polo, plaid gray and red skirt, blue knee high socks and ballet flats. The girl walked stiffly, not looking around, just forward. Lena couldn't help but think she was looking at a stranger. Why would Lori wander outside of the city? The industrial park was known for a variety of troublesome activities - drugs, gangs, prostitution, and all sorts of crime.

Brainy sent an update to the team on the ground. Kara was already flying toward the industrial park with Alex following behind on motorcycle. As she flew, Kara couldnt help but think of all the times she had to go to the industrial park to fight. The area seemed to attract all the worst sorts, and now apparently her daughter who was doing roa knows what.

Kara sped through the entire industrial park, but found no sign of Lori. “Brainy, you’re sure she’s here?”

“Affirmative, she started walking across the bridge forty-two minutes ago, and assuming Lori was consistently walking at her average pace, she would have made it to the industrial park twenty-three minutes ago.” Brainy explained. “Though, the human body tires quickly especially after longer travel with poor footwear. It's possible…”

“Found her,” Alex cuts in. “Kara, I need you to get down here.

TO BE CONTINUED….

#little!luthor #baby!danvers #supercorp #supercorp kid #kara danvers #lena luthor

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trrvisuals · 1 year

Text

My Characters

Riley is always my MC, but I have given her different last names and different middle names in different stories. All of my character's personalities vary from story to story. And Riley is perhaps the most variable of them all.

All of the Riley Campbell Chronicles: Riley Beth Campbell (after her mother Elizabeth)

Savage Love: Riley Amalas Brooks (after her aunt, the queen of Monterisso)

Star Crossed: Riley Renee Brooks (after her grandmother)

Face Claim: Barbara Palvin

Liam is almost always an LI for my Riley, if he's not with Riley, I pair him with Maxwell. In most (but not all) poly fics, she is married to Liam. Occasionally he's in a throuple with either her and Max or her and Drake.

I've written Liam as understanding of her torn feelings about him and Drake and as more jealous of it. I've written him as sweet and innocent and I've written him as possessive and controlling.

In the tradition of most royal houses, I have given him (as well as Leo and any of his children) multiple middle names.

Liam Nicolai Ulysses Augustus Rys

Face Claim: Daniel Henney

Drake is almost always a LI for Riley as well, either as a rival for her affections or in a poly situation with Liam. Her relationship with him is often (but not always) a secret even when all involved are in a CNM situation, due to concerns about scandal.

I've written Drake everywhere from completely no jealousy in him to murderous jealousy over her and everything in between. Depends on the tone of the story I'm going for.

I've given him the middle name of Nolan, after one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan. His son is almost always named Jackson or Jaxon after his father.

Drake Nolan Walker.

Face claim: Daniel Di Tommaso

I created more boards for him during Drake Walker Appreciation Week. Here they are:

Max is a wild card. I've written him as her best friend and I've written him as her lover. There are a few one-shots where she and Max end up exclusive but I really love him with her and Liam as a throuple.

When not with Riley, I've paired him with Liam and once with Savanah. I also have two boards for him because I created a new one for Maxwell Appreciation Week.

Maxwell Percival Beaumont.

Face claim: Xavier Serrano

Rashad is not a LI in canon, but I went ahead and made him one in Bad Romance and was surprised at how many people enjoyed his character and his relationship with Riley.

Canon didn't give him a last name, so I did.

Lord (and eventually Duke) Rashad Faheem

Face claim: Manish Dayal

Leo really became a more filled-out character for me when I wrote him in Bad Romance Disney Adventure. I have only paired him with Riley once so far and it was in the past tense. I have almost always put him with Olivia until it occurred to me to put him with Drake and I'm shocked at how much I love that pairing.

Leonardo Tiberius Constantine Fabian Rys

Face claim: Trevor Donovan

Hudson Rys, Leo's eldest child, who is forever salty that his father's life choices robbed him of being king.

Face claim: Jesse McCartney

Olivia, aka Liv or Livvie to her close friends and family. I have paired her with Leo multiple times and once with Hana so far.

Olivia Vanderwall Nevrakis

Face claim: Karen Gillian

Kiara Theron. Sometimes romantic rival for Drake's affections. Twice I have married her to Gordon Price, the prime minister of Terrana. I have yet to write how that comes about, but one of these days maybe lol.

Face Claim: Aja Naomi King

Hana Lee. I have paired her most often with Riley. I have put her with Lena a few times. I have made her aromantic. I have given her a fling with Penelope. In my Drake x Leo universe, I paired her with Olivia. I have never paired her with a man other than Liam. I have made her queen twice. In Dark Elf she is escorted to social events by Rashad, but she hates it and only does it to appease her parents so they leave her alone and she can focus on her true objectives.

Face Claim: Angela Yeung Wing (stage name Angelababy)

#face claim #trr #the royal romance #trr fandom #trr fanfiction #trr visuals

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jasper-the-menace · 1 year

Note

whoops you already got that last one Flight Potion: What constitutes a superpower or unusual ability in your world?

Potions-Themed Ask Game

Flight Potion: What constitutes a superpower or unusual ability in your world?

Kephea

Being a priest involves having a god literally show up and choose you, often once you're an adult. If you're not into that, you can definitely tell them to fuck off, but most Kephean city-states are super into that and most people grow up as polytheists (though often with a family or racial patron deity). Even rarer is a priest being chosen by a god who doesn't normally take interest in the race in question, such as Tios (the god of love, passion, pleasure, and marriage who favors satyrs) picking a harpy (regarded as aloof and favored by the god Rys) for a priest.

Orphics are pretty common, as most people know a little bit of magic just to make their day-to-day lives easier, but sometimes someone will be born with much stronger magic than usual. This is not something tied to bloodline, but rather regarded as a twist of fate, a blessing of a primordial or titan, or a case of "sometimes shit just happens". Two people with very little inherent magic could give birth to the Kephean equivalent of Superman without any warning. Likewise, two powerful Orphics could have a child who can't magic their way out of a box. Elemental bias for Orphics is also not direct, as you could be born and raised in a water-based city by water-aligned parents but still be more proficient with earth magic just based on who you are and how you handle things.

Demigods (the children of a god and a mortal) are pretty uncommon, even bordering on rare, because the gods have been busy as of late and haven't had time to have and raise their own kids. This is seen as a sign of dire times ahead, with the gods focused on something big instead of focusing on the mortals.

And that's not even getting into the daimones, but I can go on about those individually if anyone's interested.

New Capenna in Blood and Songbirds

Like most planes in the Multiverse, New Capenna doesn't get a lot of planeswalkers. In canon, the only planeswalker who's from the plane is Elspeth Tirel, who was actually raised in an Old Phyrexian mental facility down on Old Capenna rather than being from the city of New Capenna. In Blood and Songbirds, the only other planeswalker from the plane is the cephalid Lena Maise, who is growing up in the Obscura family.

Magic not based on Halo (the juiced essence of angels, who have now all left New Capenna) is tricky. Some families rely on Halo-based magic more than others, but there's also variation in magic used in those families.

For instance, the Brokers rely on Halo for their travel magic, but they don't need it for their contract magic. The viashino of the Riveteers don't need Halo for their fire breath and magic, but they need it to power their tools for building things up or tearing them down. The Cabaretti, despite using Halo as a party drug, are actually in the best place post-Halo-exhaustion: their druid magic has been used by them since well before the city's founding. The Maestros do a lot of sneaking and murdering, relying less on magic and more on skill. The Obscura's divination abilities aren't Halo-based either, but a fair number use Halo to enhance the accuracy of it.

Healing magic as a whole seems to be directly tied to Halo, but there are many variations on traditional healing magic on this plane.

But let's talk about the planeswalkers of Blood and Songbirds and what they bring to the table.

Mathias Markov, later called Mathias Maestros: Song magic from Innistrad, which has a vastly different vibe to the song magic of the Cabaretti. Innistradi song magic features more choir-like elements, more hymns to forgotten gods, more somber tones than the upbeat party music used by bards such as Kitt Kanto. Shield magic that he learned from Falco Spara, the founder and leader of the Brokers, so that he could use it to protect himself and others during all of the weird stuff going down. Psychic powers inherited from his Markov bloodline, giving him more headaches than anything. Vampirism and demonic influence due to his half-vampire half-demon nature, with the bonus ability of being able to survive by feeding on more than just blood. Metamagic in a limited, sensing sort of way.

Tibalt, later called Tibalt Maestros: Torture magic, both physical and mental, his Innistradi specialty. A great amount of fire resistance and fire magic that puts even Ob Nixilis to shame. Committing to the bit.

Jaren Rakdoson: Earth magic is his number one type of magic, with his spark making it almost effortless. Limited metamagic and animism, being vaguely aware of the Worldsoul of New Capenna and Ravnica, but nowhere else. Healing and energy transfer, mostly used to benefit mortals and angels. Mild demonic influence and Rakdos party tricks designed to terrify and intimidate, though he doesn't use those as much as Ritter thinks he should.

Ritter Rakdoson: Mind-influencing magic, particularly involving mounted animals such as griffins, rocs, and horse-shaped creatures, is his specialty. Though he did also use it to take over and control an archdemon in earlier chapters of Blood and Songbirds, drawing on Rakdos tricks that make betrayals the funniest shit ever. This effect continued even when he got to another plane because of how much he's trained it. Like his twin, mild demonic influence and other Rakdos party tricks are in his magical tool belt.

Working together, Jaren and Ritter can create and control rideable earth creatures that are like horses made of stone. Without Ritter, Jaren's half would run out of control and do more harm than good, while without Jaren, Ritter wouldn't even be able to start.

Lena Maise: Like most Obscura, she specializes in divination. Unlike most Obscura, she can use information from other planes that she's visited to enhance those divinations, often being able to predict when a planeswalker will arrive to the plane - though no one believed her before all of this started. Now this little kid is feeling smug because she was right.

Aminatou: It's everyone's favorite fate-altering eight-year-old!

Danae: Hailing from Theros, this siren also specializes in song magic. Unlike Mathias and the bards of New Capenna, her songs are often hymns of love and praise towards her patron, Ephara. Her songs sound best when sung by multiple people, which is difficult for her to do on New Capenna, as she's the only one who can carry those tunes. Her song magic also keeps you stuck in place so you have no choice but to listen to her diss track.

Petha Mazat: Hailing from Ravnica like Jaren and Ritter, Petha's specialty is in transmutation magic, the changing of forms. She's technically a Simic hybrid, even at her young age, but her base elven form is still recognizable. She's got cool-ass gills, too. And she's more than happy to turn people into toads if they start talking shit about her planeswalker friends.

Scrat: A lizard-like kobold from a plane no one's heard of (cough, he's technically a D&D crossover character from Eberron), Scrat specializes in the wild randomness of impromptu artifice. Need something jerry-rigged? Scrat's your kobold. Need to change how Broker communicators work? He's got a screwdriver out already. Need a small bomb to walk into a horde of enemies? He's got six in his pocket, as a matter of fact. He terrifies and confuses everyone except for Ziatora, who is more than happy to have this tiny viashino-like creature among her Riveteers thanks to his strange techniques.

Vasca: An eight-year-old minotaur from Zendikar, Vasca's power is simple: Super strength. Despite being nowhere near fully grown, she can already tussle with New Capenna's rhox and ogres and come out the victor (even though she's only tussled with Perrie so far, and he doesn't want her to get hurt). While plenty of New Capennans are strong, Vasca's level is definitely going to get well beyond them.

Trey: Another Theros planeswalker, Trey is a teenaged centaur whose magical specialization is calming everyone down. Despite coming from a Pheres band, he's learning diplomacy so he can help plenty of people. Green-based calming magic isn't common on New Capenna, so he's hoping to expand his practice into other, similar types of magic.

As you can see, a lot of the magic the planeswalkers know are common on other planes, but almost completely alien to New and Old Capenna alike. Especially the four older planeswalkers, who have had time to get good at their specialties and start to branch out.

Thanks for dropping by!

~Jasper

#answered #sailoraquila #kephea #new capenna #blood and songbirds #worldbuilding #mathias markov #tibalt #jaren rakdoson #ritter rakdoson #aminatou #danae of theros #petha mazat of ravnica #scrat of eberron #vasca of zendikar #trey of theros #lena maise of new capenna #ask game: potions themed ask game #songbirdverse

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choicesficwriterscreations · 2 years

Text

TRR FotW - Oct. 9 - 15, 2022

🖤 = Adult Content 🔥 = NSFW ORANGE = NAUGHTY & NICE 😈 😇

Cordonian Chaos (Series) | Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Cordonian Chaos: Riley's Ass Appreciation | Liam Rys x MC 🖤 Cordonian Chaos: Matters of State Part 1 (Leo Abdicates)| Liam Rys x MC 🖤 Cordonian Chaos: Matters of State Part 2 (Liam Abdicates) | Liam Rys x MC 🖤 Cordonian Chaos: Matters of State Part 3 (Lena’s the Favorite) | Liam Rys x MC 🖤 Eidolon (Series) | No Pairings Yet - @angelasscribbles Chapter 4: Protection 🖤 Irreplaceable (Series) | Leo Rys x MC - @queenrileyrose Chapter 22: Do you wonder if every stupid little thing has led us to this? 🖤 Love Everlasting (Series) | Liam Rys (Marquise) x MC - @khoicesbyk Family First 🔥 Mother-in-Law Hell: A Drabble Me This Story | Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles 🖤 Pop’s Place (Series) | TRR F!MC - @bebepac Friends Forever 😇 School Dayz (Series) | Liam Rys x MC - @bebepac The Adorkable Liam Rys Star Crossed (Series) | Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 10: Reconnection 🔥 The Agreement (Series) | Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x Madeline - @angelasscribbles Chapter 3: Denial 🖤 The Promise (Series) | Liam Rys x F!MC - @phoenixrising308 Part 7: A Fool’s Errand 🖤 Unintentional (Series) | Liam Rys x Maxwell Beaumont, Drake Walker x MC - @harleybeaumont Chapter 14: Proposal 🖤 Vancross (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Chapter 8: All in My Head 🖤 When In Rome (Series) | Leo Ryx x MC - @queenrileyrose Changes

MAIN CFWC FOTW LIST OPEN HEART FOTW LIST

#choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #the royal romance fanfic #the royal romance fanfiction #playchoices fanfic #playchoices fanfiction #cfwc fics of the week

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choices-binglebonkus · 2 years

Text

So hang on. After replaying the entire Royal Romance series, something just popped into my head.

Several people in the Via Imperii have stated throughout the book that they could easily install Lena on the Cordonian throne as they have the resources and manpower while Lena has a legitimate claim to the throne. It’s even stated that there’s a whole plot outlined on how they’d accomplish this, also known as Project Lioness.

All this being said, why did the Via Imperii rely so heavily on Barthelemy Beaumont, who had bungled numerous attempts to undermine the Cordonian royalty, to try and usurp the throne? He wasted decades, lives, and copious amounts of resources (both House Beaumont’s and the Via Imperii’s) with nothing to show for it, yet they continued to wholeheartedly support and fund him until he got himself arrested for treason and murder, AKA the very last minute they could stop supporting him. And only because they HAD to, because he was compromised from that moment on.

My guess is that it was just plain bad writing on PB’s part. I’m thoroughly convinced that Lena didn’t even exist in their original story, so they added her in The Royal Finale as a twist, trying to pass it off as Eleanor in fact successfully having given birth even though it was heavily implied that she was pregnant when she died in The Royal Heir with no indication otherwise (but I could be mistaken).

But if not…why? If PB did have plans to incorporate Lena all along, why didn’t she come into play sooner?

#the royal heir #the royal finale #trf #choices trf #choices the royal finale #choices the royal romance #the royal romance #choices stories you play #playchoices #choices stories we play #pixelberry #pixelberry studios #playchoices fandom #choices stories you play fandom #choices stories we play fandom #lena rys

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angelasscribbles · 2 years

Text

Cordonian Chaos: Matters of State Part 3 (Lena's the Favorite)

Series: Cordonian Chaos

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Liam x Riley

Premise: Eleanor never died, and Leo, Liam and Lena grew up together. This series is a chronicle of their sometimes dysfunctional sibling group chats.

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Mature themes

Word Count: 538

My other stuff: Master List.

Liam: Lena, where are you? We’re all at the beer garden waiting for you.

Leo: Yeah, you’re late and you haven’t answered a text all damn day. What’s up?

Liam: Your brothers are getting worried.

Lena: Sorry, been in meetings with dad all day, repealing a bunch of out dated laws and rewriting the rules of succession.

Liam: Seriously? Like which ones?

Lena: Oh, I can marry whoever the hell I want now. Noble, commoner, even another woman. In fact, I don’t have to be married at all to ascend the throne!

Leo: What the hell?

Liam: Yeah, what the actual fuck?

Leo: I told you she was always the favorite

Lena: What do you mean?

Liam: He means that he and I got no quarter on those rules and he just what? Rewrites or even deep sixes them for you????

Lena: He fucking had to! He has no kids left! If I abdicate, Cordonian is fucked!

Liam: I guess that’s true….maybe Leo and I abdicating made him realize how fucked up those laws are.

Leo: No. Don’t let her twist it like that! Dad always liked her best! His only princess!

Lena: Liam is moms favorite!

Liam: Am not

Leo: Yes, you fucking are! No wonder I’m so fucked up. I was no one’s favorite

Liam: Ah, Leo, you’re my favorite brother!

Leo: I’m your only brother, shut up

Leo: That would mean something coming from Lena

Lena: What?

Leo: Am I your favorite brother?

Lena: Well……

Leo: Ok, fuck this! See? I should have stayed in LA, or Greece or on that fucking cruise ship! Why did I bother to come back here?

Lena: Because Katie dumped you, that’s why.

Liam: You love us, Leo.

Lena: Ok, on my way finally! We have a lot to celebrate!

Leo: You mean you have a lot to celebrate. Favorite.

Lena: I am not the favorite! I wasn’t allowed to get away with half the shit you were!

Liam: She’s got you there.

Leo: That’s because she’s a girl and dad was overprotective. Remember that Christmas when she got the last piece of chocolate cake?

Lena: This again?

Liam: Jesus, Leo, she was five, give it a rest

Leo: We all know I called dibs on that cake!

Lena: I’m going to buy you a whole ass chocolate cake, ok? Then will you shut up about it?

Leo: It’s not about the cake, Lena! It’s the principle of the matter, I called dibs!

Lena: I WAS FIVE!!!!!

Liam: Ok, this conversation has been fun, but I’m out. Riley just got here!

Leo: Yeah, walked in the door with Drake

Lena: Not surprising

Liam: I told you THEY’RE FRIENDS!

Lena: What’s she wearing?

Liam: Seriously?

Leo: Want me to send you a picture of her ass?

Liam: You’re both just jealous that I have an amazing, smoking hot, loyal girlfriend and you don’t!

Lena: Is she loyal though?

Liam: YES!

Leo: Drake though….

Liam: What Riley and I do with Drake in the privacy of our own bedroom is no one else’s business, ok?

Leo: WHAT????

Lena: WHAT?????

Liam: Nevermind. I’ve said too much….

Lena: No, no way! We need details!

Leo: So many details!

Liam has left the group

#cordonian chaos #angelasscribbles #siblings #group chat #texting #chat fic #trr #the royal romance #choices #the royal romance fanfic #choices stories you play #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #liam rys #leo rys #lena rys

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musicshooterspt · 10 months

Text

Agenda de Dezembro, 2023

01 – Conjunto Corona

Hard Club, Porto

21:00h

Info

01 – ECOA

Centro Cultural Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Vila Nova de Foz Côa

Entrada Livre

Info

01 - Grand Sun + Jepards

CAAA, Guimarães

22:00h . 5€

Info/Bilhetes

01 – Nove Aldeias. Um Povo

Auditório do Centro Cultural de Chaves, Chaves

Entrada Livre

Info

01 – Cerial Quiller + Nódoa Negra

Titanic Sur Mer, Lisboa

22:00h . 7€

01 – DIXIT

Cine Incrível, Almada

Info/Bilhetes

01 e 02 – Post Punk Strikes Back Again

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

01 e 02 – Soul de Inverno

Casa das Artes de Famalicão, Vila Nova de Famalicão

01 e 02 – Coimbra em Blues

TAGV, Coimbra

Info/Bilhetes

02 - King John

Tokyo, Lisboa

Info/Bilhetes

02 – VLUDO

Sam The Kid, Blasph, DJ Kronic

Bang Venue, Lisboa

02 – Muito Riso Muito Siso

Maus Hábitos, Vila Real

Entrada Livre

02 - 5ª Punkada

Casa das Artes de Miranda do Corvo, Miranda do Corvo

Reservas: [email protected]

02 - Paolo Angeli

GrETUA, Aveiro

Reservas

02 – Malva

Casa Da Cultura Setúbal, Setúbal

4€

Info: [email protected]

02 - The Partisan Seed

Casa da Cultura de Melgaço, Melgaço

Entrada Livre

03 – 16 Anos Dedos Biónicos

Promotora: Dedos Biónicos

MINA Creative Hub, Bragança

Info

03 - Free Celebration

BOTA, Lisboa

Reservas

07 – Carolina Deslandes

Super Bock Arena, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

07 - Kevin Hays

Casa da Música, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

07 - Wet Bed Gang

Multiusos de Guimarães, Guimarães

Cancelado

07 e 09 – AL Metal Fest

Casa das Virtudes, Faro

08 - Amhra + Sacrosanta Decadencia Ocidental

Vortex, Lisboa

Só para sócios. Formulário

08 – Sala 7 + Youth Yard

CAAA, Guimarães

22:00h . 5€

Info

08 – Bizarra Locomotiva

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

08 – Orangotango + Desert Smoke

Barracuda Clube de Roque, Porto

08 – Hermopolis + Great Fool + The Red Crow

Fora de Rebanho - Associação Cultural, Viseu

6€

08 – Nerve

Maus Hábitos, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

E no dia 09, no Village Underground em Lisboa

Info/Bilhetes

09 – Mão Morta + NU:N

Com: DJ Sérgio P e DJ Nuno Ávilla

Bourbon Room, Porto

Info

09 – Capitão Fantasma

Barracuda Clube de Roque, Porto

09 – The Legendary Tigerman

Teatro Municipal de Bragança, Bragança

21:00h . 7€

09 – Season Impulso

Vários: Cave Story, Soluna, Moullinex △ GPU Panic

Centro Cultural e de Congressos, Caldas da Rainha

09 – Surma

Teatro de Vila Real, Vila Real

Info/Bilhetes

09 - Concerto Angra Jazz

Auditório da E.B.2.3 de São Roque do Pico, Açores

Entrada Livre

09 e 10 – The Wall: The Pink Floyd’s Rock Opera

Super Bock Arena, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

10 – Maria Gadú

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

13 – Ishmael Ensemble

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

14 – Angelus Apatrida

Com: Web + Evillution

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

14 - Nani

Café da Casa da Música, Porto

Entrada Livre

Info

14 – Ry Vuh

Salao Brazil, Coimbra

Info/Bilhetes

15 – Mata-Ratos + Inn Oppiah!

Com: Lena Servo e Rui Doom

Barracuda Clube de Roque, Porto

15 – Gaia

Fórum Machico, Madeira

Info

16 – Go_A

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

16 – Pop Dell’Arte

Com: DJ Sérgio P e Merciless Mar

Bourbon Room, Porto

Info

16 – Miguel Araújo

CAE Portalegre, Portalegre

Info

18 – Tiago Bettencourt

Casa da Música, Porto

Esgotado

Info

22 – Treewax + Icosandria

Sala 101, CC Brasília

PORTAS: 22:00h . Entre 5 a 7€

22 - Aveiroshima2027

Vários: Baleia Baleia Baleia, Carmen, Ideal Victim

GrETUA, Aveiro

Reservas

22 – Manel Cruz

Texas Club, Leiria

PORTAS: 22:00h . 20€

Reservas

22 a 23 – Not a XMAS Fest

Bourbon Room, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

23 – Memorial State + Heavy Ocean

Alternador: Carlos Moura

Barracuda Clube de Roque, Porto

23 - Baleia Baleia Baleia

Auditório Teatro Ribeiro Conceição, Lamego

Info/Bilhetes

23 - Buba Espinho

Cine-Teatro Pax Julia, Beja

Info/Bilhetes

27 a 29 – Festival Emergente

Muxicbox, Lisboa

Cartaz

29 – Ultimate Mosh of the Year

Vários: Analepsy, Law of Contagion, Pestifer, Vomitous Inquiry

Bourbon Room, Porto

29 – Emo Nite

Hard Club, Porto

Info

Bilhetes

29 – Tiago Chaves

Teatro de Vila Real, Vila Real

Info/Bilhetes

30 – Assembleia do Metal

Pindelo dos Milagres, São Pedro do Sul

Info/Bilhetes

31 – Neopop: Happy Neo Year

Hard Club, Porto

Info/Bilhetes

*OBS: Recomendamos verificar estas informações junto dos promotores ou sites oficiais

#2023 #musicshooters_pt #agenda music shooters #concertos

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beaumontbasher · 11 months

Text

seeking choices: stories you play rp

i'm a simple gal. this dumb app has me in a chokehold, and i dare to be somewhat creative.

i'm down for most things & i'm happy to discuss with my partner. i'm semi-lit to adv. lit, and i only really ask for decent grammar/punctuation and that you're willing to add fuel to the fire when it comes to building a rp plot.

17+ please. i can do platonic and romantic rps alike. some of my favorite stories (and characters i can write) are: (just ask if you have a specific character in mind)

the crown & the flame:

kenna rys, dominic hunter, val greaves, sei rhuka, raydan lykel, annelyse adair, whitlock, tevan drammir, etc

the royal romance/the royal heir:

mc, "liam" rys, maxwell beaumont, drake walker, hana lee, bertrand beaumont, savannah walker, olivia nevrakis, madeleine amaranth, kiara theron, penelope ebrim, lena rys, etc.,

bloodbound:

mc, adrian raines, kamilah sayeed, lily spencer, priya lacroix, gaius augustine, rheya, etc

immortal desires:

gabe adalhard, cas harlow, mc

guinevere:

arthur, lancelot, mc

most wanted:

dave reyes, samantha massey, pretty much any of the side characters

the royal masquerade:

"hunter" fierro, "kayden" vescovi, mc, annalisa, percival beaumont, theodosia nevrakis, cyrus vescovi, renza fierro, etc

if you have a book/character pairing in mind, feel free to ask! those were just a few of the ones that came to mind, but my rps aren't limited to them. i'm cool with canon compliant or divergent. we can also discuss more in dms. hope to hear from ya!

#choices #choicesstoriesyouplay #pixelberry #choices rp #choices stories you play #choices stories you play rp #play choices roleplay #bloodbound #bloodbound rp #the crown and the flame #the royal romance #the crown and the flame rp

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tessa-liam · 1 year

Text

Smoke and Mirrors

We're Ready For Anything

Chapter 7

Smoke and Mirrors

-7- We're Ready for Anything

Book: The Royal Romance Finale +, Alternate Universe

Catch Up: Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘Liri’

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh, Olivia Nevrakis x M!OC Alex Cossoy

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh, Officer Alex Cossoy, Geoffrey Bessler (Amalas’ head guard.)

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking, gun violence.

Not Beta'd, please excuse all errors.

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 2274, Read: 10 minutes

Chapter 7: We’re Ready for Anything

Chapter Summary: Liam and Riley find out more about their twins and Lena is captured by Interpol.

Music and Title Inspiration: Ready for Anything, Landon Austin

A/N1: My submission for @choicesflashfics Week #32, Prompt #2 - “Sometimes memories can be the worst form of torture.”

A/N2: My submission for May Choices Monthly Challenge @choiceschallenge-may2023 @jerzwriter @maychallenge prompts - Mother’s Day, holding hands/ crying /caress

King’s Study, Cordonian Palace

It was late into the evening as Liam opened the financial report for Portavira on his computer. Taking note that Duke Ebrim was requesting a sizeable amount of emergency funds for the coastal region in the form of stipends.

Opening his e-mail to respond, a knock on his study door got his attention.

“Come.” Liam called out and continued typing, not taking his focus off the screen.

“Hey, Li. Am I interrupting?” Drake asked hesitantly.

Without looking up, Liam answered, “Drake, hey...what brings you here tonight?”

“Well, I need your advice on something.”

Closing his laptop, Liam stood up and walked to his bar cart, picking up two glasses and a bottle of Macallan.

Liam chuckled, “Why do I think this has something to do with a certain blond in your life?”

“Yeah, well...”

Pouring two glasses of scotch, Liam slid one to Drake and sat back down, taking a sip.

“Delaney wants to visit her parents in Austin....and she wants me to go with her.”

Drake exhaled a breath and Liam grinned.

“So, what’s the problem, Drake? Nervous about meeting your future in-laws?”

Drake shot his friend a look, and Liam roared in laughter.

“Seriously, Drake? This is not a problem, buddy!”

“Yeah, well...the thing is, her parents are pressuring her to move back home to the States. Laney is seriously considering it.”

Shaking his head, “Laney wants me to move back with her.”

Liam looked at his friend, noting the conflict in his expression.

“I don’t want to lose her, Li. I also don’t want to leave Cordonia.”

Queen’s Study, Monterissian Palace

“Geoffrey, do you have the video footage of the arrest from last night taken outside the palace?”

Amalas spoke to her guard through the speakerphone on her desk.

“Not at this time, your majesty. Interpol has not uploaded the file yet to our systems.”

“Wait a second. Pause and rewind...what did you just say?” Leo asked incredulously.

“Your majesty?” Geoffrey asked questionably.

“Leo, its protocol that the Interpol inspectors have access to all palace systems ahead of my Royal guard.” Amalas answered.

“Access, yes, but to commandeer all viewing?” Leo challenged.

“Thank you, Geoffrey, that will be all at this time.” Amalas tapped the app closed and spun around her chair, glaring at Leo.

“What the hell, Ams? You are taking orders from some ‘suit’ in Lyon, France? ….Why?”

“First of all, I don’t care for your tone. Do. Not. Speak. To. Me. Like I don’t run this country! Especially in front of my people.” Amalas countered angrily.

Leo sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. It was a challenge for the former Crown Prince to remember not to interject his personal opinions into conversations with the Monterissian Royal guard.

Amalas is the Queen, and he was overstepping.

“Secondly, I appreciate the expertise and assistance of Interpol.”

Leo sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “I am surprised, to say the least. The ‘Spy Queen’ needing help in her own country.”

“And thirdly,” Amalas stood and frowned at Leo. “I am respecting the King of Cordonia’s request for a united front to uncover the truth behind the duplicity of the Royal guard in our countries.”

“Leo, we need to ‘cut the head off’ of this faction. There is someone or something controlling and directing operatives, like Bastien in Cordonia, that has infiltrated our highest security levels in the Royal guard of our countries.”

“Case in point: how a known fugitive can gain access to my private chambers, can pass through my security protocols. Allowed access to the Crown Princess of visiting monarchs, no less.”

“I get it Ams, I really do. ….and I am truly sorry.” Leo sighed and shook his head.

Amalas stood and walked over to Leo. Taking his face in her hands, she kissed his lips sweetly and touched her forehead to his.

Clearing his throat, Geoffrey stood outside the open door and waited to make his presence known.

“Your majesty.”

Amalas turned to look at her head guard. “Yes, Geoffrey?”

“Interpol has successfully captured and detained the security breach.”

Cordonian Palace

It was shortly after 1 am when Liam returned to the south wing of the palace. Loosening his tie, he nodded at Mara as she stood guard outside of Eleanor’s chambers and continued to walk to his personal chamber he shared with Riley.

After preparing for bed, he opened the veranda door and stepped out into the cool night air. Looking out over the gardens, he took a deep breath and smiled. Tomorrow, he and Riley would find out the sex of their twin babies. He grinned thinking about all the possibilities, but if he was being truly honest with himself, he favored having a son. Or...he chuckled, maybe another Ellie.

Shaking his head, he decided to turn in for the night to get some sleep considering the day would bring much excitement for him and his family.

Approaching his side of the king-sized bed, he noticed that Riley’s side of the bed was slept in, but Riley was not in bed.

Liam went to his closet and slid on a pair of sweatpants. After stepping into the hallway, he returned down the hall towards Ellie’s chambers. He quietly opened her bedroom door and entered the darkened room. Beside her canopy bed, the single night light glowed, and he saw his daughter's outline. Wrapped snugly and securely in her mother’s arms, she was fast asleep along with Riley.

As he placed a soft kiss on Ellie’s forehead, Riley awoke and smiled. “Hi”, Riley whispered and touched his hand. After carefully detaching her arms from her daughter, she rose from bed to join her husband in their bedroom.

Liam closed the door behind him, after following Riley.

Joining his wife under the silk sheets, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

“That’s better,” nuzzling her neck.

Smiling, Riley ran her fingers through his soft hair. “Working late tonight?”

“Yes, and no... Drake came to see me tonight.”

“Oh really, and here I thought you were avoiding me,” Riley smirked.

“Never!” Liam playfully teased.

“So, what was so important for Drake to pay such a late visit?"

“AHHHH, well...he wanted my advice. Drake is debating whether he should a, stay in Cordonia; or b, move to Delaney's home in Texas. And c, where he should go with his relationship with Delaney.”

Riley looked at her husband, “I know what you said.”

“I know you do, love,” kissing Riley’s nose.

“Home is where your love of your life is. I asked him what his true feelings were for Delaney. Once he can honestly answer that question, he will have his answer.”

Monterrisian Palace

The temperature in the Monterrisian palace holding cell area was at least 10 degrees cooler in the lower-level security offices. Amalas and Leo followed the Interpol officers and were shown to the viewing privacy window. Amalas was accustomed to the temperature change, but Leo had shivers go down his spine; from the temperature change, or nerves, or both.

On the other side of that window, Lena Rys was sitting in a chair alongside a female Royal guard. On the other side of the table sat Alex Cossoy and Olivia Nevrakis.

Amalas listened intently to the questioning, while Leo stared at the blond woman. Shock, mixed with disbelief left him speechless.

“What is your end game?” Olivia asked impatiently

“My end game is to take my place in the Rys family,” Lena coolly answered.

Olivia eyed Lena in disdain.

“My mother told me that my father wanted to hide me from my half-brother. That the ‘Cordonian royal family can’t find out who I really am... for my sake’.”

“’That’s horrible’,” Olivia sighed.

“’I didn’t want to believe those things about my family, but my mother had never lied to me’.”

"Your mother?"

"Yes, Sigrid took care of me in place of my true mother."

“You were brainwashed, she was obviously lying to you!” Olivia seethed.

“’I saw what Cordonia’s royal family really thinks of me when King Constantine came to Vallenheim for a diplomatic visit’.”

“’King Constantine told my mother that he wanted no part in foreign influences on Cordonia. He said that Queen Eleanor is gone. Which is why he wanted nothing to do with me. That Eleanor was her friend, but that association ended when Eleanor died. He does not owe us anything’.”

“My mother wanted me to meet my brothers, but Constantine said ‘he won’t be guilted with a child.’

I remember that my mother begged Constantine to meet me, and Constantine said no. 'My sons and I want nothing to do with me, my mother, Vallenheim, or any of our people!’”

My mother told me, 'This is exactly why Queen Eleanor wanted me kept away from Cordonia.’"

Lena’s eyes 'welled with tears that are equal parts anger and sadness.'

“In that moment, I knew everything my mother had said about my father and brothers was true.”

“Sometimes memories can be the worst form of torture.”

Olivia stood up and paced the floor. Stopping directly in front of Lena,

“’Liam didn’t even know about you. Your brother is a better man than your father was.’”

“’I always resented Leo and Liam for having the life I could’ve had in Cordonia. I’ll even admit to envying Liam’s throne.’”

“’He’s a lot more than you were told. You might even like him if you gave him half a chance.’”

Lena’s features hardened, “’I think that ship sailed a while ago.’”

Dr Rameriz’s office, Cordonia

Looking at her reflection in the changing room, Riley placed her hands on her tummy. Her belly had grown so quickly this time around. Her morning sickness was now gone, and she felt more energized.

Slipping on the hospital gowni and robe, she opened the door to be greeted by the nurse.

“Your majesty”, the nurse curtsied and opened the door to the examination room.

Liam quickly stood offering his wife his hand.

“Are you ready for this, my love?”

“Oh Yes, Liam! Let’s do this!

Chuckling, he helped Riley get comfortable on the exam table, as the nurse placed a heated thermal blanket over top. Grasping his hand, she laid back and relaxed against the pillow.

Dr. Ramirez greeted the monarchs with a warm smile.

“Okay, today we are going to find out which sexes these little ones are.”

“Most definitely,” Liam smiled, squeezing Riley’s hand as she also smiled.

The doctor placed the doppler wand and the sound of heartbeats immediately could be heard.

“I will never tire from hearing those sounds.” Liam watched the monitor as the babies appeared.

Riley let out a breath and started to tear, squeezing Liam’s hand even more.

“So, what do you think, love?” Liam asked.

Riley grinned, “It’s a boy.”

The doctor nodded, “incredibly good instincts. Your majesties, you have a son.”

Liam beamed with joy and kissed his wife.

“...and baby number two?”

“A boy,” Riley answered.

The doctor shook her head smiling.

‘Your wife’s instincts are quite correct. Your children are both boys.”

Liam let out a breath.

Riley, now crying, was overcome with emotion.

“Riley, love,” Liam whispered, raising her hand, and softly kissed her palm.

“Yeah?”

“You did it again.”

Riley looked up at Liam with a question in her eyes.

Caressing her swollen tummy, “You made another dream come true for me. I love you so, so much.”

Riley, full of emotion, answered back, “as do I.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her lips and said, “let’s go home.”

Liam and Riley walked slowly out of the hospital, holding hands, both smiling as they approached the waiting SUV.

“We should spend the weekend in Valtoria.’ Liam smiled.

“I would love that, and I know that Ellie will be ecstatic to go to the festival in town.”

Liam grinned as he followed Riley into the SUV.

Not mentioning that he and Ellie have a special Mother’s Day celebration planned at the estate already for her.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🤎🤎🤎🤎

Thank you for reading!

⚜️Please DM me if you would like to be added or removed from the tags⚜️

@ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @sfb123 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @jared2612 @thesvnsins @irisk12 @walkerdrakewalker

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