#the royal romance franchise

This story is presented without commentary except to say any and all mistakes are mine.

Riley, Liam, Bastien, and Mara belong to Pixelberry. The children are mine.

Song Inspiration: Enemy, Imagine Dragons

Word Count: 3,466

The sumptuous yet simplistic bedroom was quiet and lit only by a bedside table. A bare-chested King Liam Rys smiled affectionately at the infant with his features laying in his arms; Prince Theodore Edmund Antonius Rhys, nicknamed BB for Baby Boy by his parents and siblings, blinked sleepily in return as he continued to feed from the bottle his father held in one hand.

They sat in an antique wooden rocking chair that Riley had fed and rocked the twins in, and Liam’s mother Eleanor had rocked and fed him in. Indeed, legend had it that the chair dated back to the reign of Queen Kenna’s mother.

“My littlest Prince,” Liam murmured as he adjusted his arm to lift the child’s head nestled in the crook of his elbow. “I will defend you, your brothers, and your mother until the end of my days.” The King pulled his son closer to his skin. “I love you more than you could ever imagine.”

“Don’t let the twins hear you say that,” his wife and Queen warned in hushed tones as she entered their bedroom through the nursery’s connecting door. “They’ve become quite possessive over us since that little assassin arrived.”

“Our children are notassassins, Riley!” the King admonished.

“Oh, not allof them, she replied as she shrugged out of her robe, revealing Liam’s white silk pajama top and white lacy underwear. “Just that one; the other two are ninjas.”

Liam chuckled softly as he gently pulled the nipple from his son’s mouth before placing a white cloth over his bare shoulder; he then carefully placed BB over his shoulder for the purpose of burping him. The King’s palm rubbed soothing circles against the baby’s back, alternating with soft pats.

Riley nodded towards the infant, her eyes lingering over him with a loving glance. “He tried to TAKE ME OUT, Liam and you know it!”  she countered as she began turning down the beddings on their shared bed.

Although the Queen could make light of the situation now, her second pregnancy had been quite problematic: Riley’s health and the viability of the pregnancy were in constant peril. Liam said prayers of Thanksgiving every morning and night that his family was complete, intact, and healthy.

Liam rose slowly, cautiously from the chair before pacing the room, body slightly swaying as he made his way to his wife.  The white silk pajama bottoms that matched the top his wife was wearing were slung low across his hips. “Francis and Jonathan are asleep?” he asked, referring to the three-year-old twins commonly known as Fric and Frac.

Riley had dropped the “k” from both nicknames to make them “more European”.

Francis, or Frac, was their firstborn, born at 11:58pm; Jonathan, known as Fric, followed three minutes later at 12:01am the following day.  

She shook her head in exasperation. “No! I left those two talking to each other in their secret, world-domination language. But they’ll fall asleep soon; it’s been a full day for them.”

Riley looked up at Liam, her eyes quickly searching his face before smiling and outstretching her arms for her youngest son; Liam tenderly transferred the infant from his arms into hers. Pressing a kiss to the baby’s forehead, she cooed, “There’s my little Theodore! If I had known you were coming, I would’ve named the first two Alvin and Simon.”

The baby gurgled as she settled him on her shoulder, softly slapping his upper back. She smiled softly at feeling tiny fingers dig into the silk fabric and little legs kicking harmlessly against her. Both she and Liam laughed when their child loudly belched.

“How much did you feedhim?” Riley demanded through her chuckles.

Liam jerked a thumb towards the empty bottle on the Queen’s dressing table. “The entire six ounces. He has a good appetite.”

“He’s greedy, like his daddy,” Riley responded.

“You think I’m greedy?” Liam teased, palm splayed against his chest in mock surprise.

“Who said you were his father?” she replied as her fingers experimentally felt along the 4-month-old’s bottom. “Has he been changed?” she questioned.

Liam nodded. “Right before the feeding.”

“Good,” she responded approvingly as she bent over an oversized, Wedgewood blue wooden cradle. “Grab the baby monitors and I’ll meet you in the kitchen? Gonna lay this big boy down.”

Each evening, after the twins were supposedly asleep and Liam had given BB his nightly feeding, the couple spent alone time: Evenings filled with inside jokes, bickering, briefings, updates, and random conversation. Happenstance determined where the evenings were spent: There had been terrace talks with sparkling cider for Riley and cigars for Liam; massages in bed for Riley and promises of IOUs from her to return the favor; poring over agreements, budgets, and intel in the study.

It was their time, be it as husband and wife or King and Queen. All that mattered was that they were alone. Together.

Tonight was the kitchen because earlier Riley claimed a craving for vanilla ice cream.

When she entered the scullery with her thick coils brushed back and away from her face, and wearing the pajama top which put her long, lean legs on display, Liam’s eyes slowly traveled up his wife’s body.

She still stopped him in his tracks.

Riley stood in front of the kitchen island, looking askance at two bowls of ungarnished French vanilla ice cream before raising her eyes, filled with accusation, to meet Liam’s confused expression. Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heel, marching towards the kitchen cupboards. The displeased Queen loudly set bottles of chocolate and caramel syrups in front of her bowl, along with a jar of crushed peanuts.

Liam cut his eyes at her movements. “Riley, you specificallystatedvanillaice cream.”

“KINKY vanilla,” she retorted while squeezing ribbons of chocolate over frozen, sweetened cream.

“That is not healthy,” Liam observed, somewhat heatedly. “You have our child to feed!”

“The ice cream is dairy, so that means calcium; the chocolate has magnesium; the caramel helps with the liver and anxiety, and the peanuts are protein,” the Queen glanced up at her husband with an arched eyebrow. “Any moreobjections?”

Liam shook his head in resignation, rummaging through the drawers for spoons.

Once the couple were settled at the island and Riley had checked the baby monitor screens for the umpteenth time, they dug their spoons into their snack. Riley was savoring her third spoonful when she glanced over, noticing the King was simply dragging his spoon over the tops of his ice cream scoops.

“Hey,” the Queen said softly. “You’ve been quiet all evening. What’s wrong?” she asked as she set her spoon in her bowl.

“Is it that obvious?” he asked with a wan smile, his gaze holding hers.

Riley shrugged. “To me.”

A pause before he answered. “The investigation concluded today, and the evidence is correct. Bastien Lykel is a member of the Via Imperii.” His tone held anger, worry, sorrow.

The Queen was unsurprised. “I nevertrusted him,” she stated in a tone that held the slightest trace of vindication.

“Youforgave him his trespasses against you,” Liam argued as he lifted his spoon to his mouth.

“Icompromised in an effort to save our marriage! You thought I was being overdramaticwhen I said separate bedrooms? Your defense of him after what that man did to me in service to his King? You’re both lucky I didn’t stomp mudholes in your asses.”

Riley was pouring more syrup over her ice cream when she abruptly stopped her movements, slowly setting the bottle on the table. Liam noticed; his eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyebrow arched inquisitively.

“Love, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“In. Service. To. His. King,” Riley slowly repeated before slapping her palm against the countertop. “HIS KING!” she yelled, then looked around guiltily. She hoped the twins hadn’t heard her; they would come running into the kitchen and want ice cream.

She wasn’t sharing.

“Constantine didn’t put Bastien up to the scandal!”

Liam’s brow was furrowed as he slid his seat closer to Riley’s. “Both men admitted to it, what are youtalking about?”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Like anyone can believe a word Bastien says anymore.”

A spoonful of frozen treat slid between her unpainted lips. “Thinkabout it, Liam!” Riley spoke excitedly as she clutched his hand. “Neither your father nor Regina were ever members of Via! Neither of them wore the pin, one wasn’t among his possessions, and even Via said a Rys has never deigned to join their ranks.”

She eagerly scooped more ice cream sundae into her mouth before continuing. “WHO wanted Madeleine as Queen, even beforeyour social season? Barthelemy and Godfrey, members of Via!

“WHO’S credit card was used?? PENELOPE’S!! Emmeline was seeking to rise in both rank and favor within Via, and no way was Penelope refusing mommy dearest.

“WHOhired Sons of Earth? Again, Barthelemy!”

Liam held up a finger; Riley fell silent to allow her husband to speak.

“There is no proof that either Barthelemy or the Duke of Karlington were ever members of Via Imperii,” he pointed out. “It’s all speculation, love.”

Riley waved her arms and hands around, wavy hair bouncing about her head. “SEMANTICS! They did Via’s bidding, didn’t they?”

“But … father confessed,” Liam interrupted quietly.

“HeAGREED with what you said and spouted some malarkey about the monarchy needing a show of strength. The fact remains whomeveryou chose, you would bothbe a newbie King and Queen. So maybe Via had something on him and he took the fall? In any case, Bastien’s “King” here was Eirik, the King of Hidar,NOTConstantine!”

Liam stared at his wife for a few moments before dropping his gaze to his dessert-filled bowl; his fingers combed through his thick locks of dark hair. Riley reached over, pushing the bowl just of reach. “I may want that later, and don’t need your hairs in it,” she murmured in explanation. “You shed horribly, you know that.”

Liam did not know that.

Riley picked up the baby monitors, looking between the two screens: BB was asleep, and the twins were still talking, both children in Fric’s bed.  Their mother had both placed and left them each in their own bed.

She set the monitor down, then outstretched her hand. Liam took it, almost gratefully. “How are you feeling about everything?” she inquired.

Liam shook his head, a mixture of acceptance, denial, and helplessness. “I have no idea how I feel. Bastien has been a part of this family … my life since before I was even born! He … he … he helped raise Leo, me, Drake … and to find out he’s been part of the plan to dethrone the Rys line the entire time?”

His jaw clenched; his free hand fisted before harshly pounding the table. “What if he were instrumental in my assassination attempt? What if he was working with Anton and that’s why my guards didn’t arrive until after we had defeated him? They weren’t expecting to take anyone to jail … it was supposed to be US headed to the morgue!”

Riley made soothing noises while awkwardly trying to spoon ice cream into her mouth with her free hand. “Have youtalked to him, Liam?”

Liam quickly shook his head. “I … have nothing to say to him at the moment.” His head lifted sharply, and his gaze fixed on Riley. “He knows every passageway, secret or not, in all of our properties. He has every password. Who knows who else is privy to this information?”

Hearing her husband’s words, Riley’s blood iced over; her stomach turned as she wondered, despite a fleet of guards, how safe were her children actually were. But she couldn’t let Liam sense her fear.

Instead, she cleared her throat. “Do Drake and Savannah know?”

Liam nodded morosely. “Drake spoke with him briefly; unsure what was said, but he left earlier this afternoon headed to Ramsford to speak with his sister.”

“And where is Bastien now?”

“Cells. He’ll be transported to Lythikos tomorrow, where he will join his cohorts Barthelemy and Anton.”

“Hmmmm,” Riley tapped an index finger against her lips. “We’re going to need to sweep the Palace, Valtoria, and Applewood for signs of infiltration. And run background and security checks on every guard Bastien personally hired. Get Rashad and his firm to help with that and ask for a discounted price.”

Liam nodded in agreement. “I have spoken to the very few guards I can trust, and …”

“Not Mara!” Riley interrupted as she pulled Liam’s dessert dish closer to her.

“What do you mean, ‘NotMara’”?I hired her directly, and she is second in command. OF COURSE, Mara!”

Riley’s eyes were inspecting the scoops of melting ice cream, searching for tell-tale dark hairs; there were none. She began combining the ingredients of the two bowls while she spoke.

“You hired Mara for ME! From Day One, she has been MYguard. She has protected me, trained me, and I have STUCK with her. When you were snickering with Drake about how incompetent she was, when you told her she SUCKED at her job … Mara and I were a team. And I stand by my choice. I trust Mara with not only my life, but the lives of our children.”

“I have NEVER told Mara she sucked at her job! I don’t even use such language,” Liam shot back, his tone indignant.

Riley smirked. “I beg to differ with that, Your Majesty. Just this morning the word suck dominated your vocabulary.”

“THAT is reserved for YOUwhen we are having … relations!”

She offered her husband a spoonful of ice cream, which he accepted. “Look, Liam. You’ve been good to me. Raising my kids as if they were your own, letting me wear your clothes and Cordonia’s crown; you don’t pay rent, but your child support is up to date. I would do you a solid anytime,anywhere … but you chose Bastien even after I offered to make Mara the family guard, soooo … too bad, so sad.”

Liam’s expression was thoughtful as he verbalized an inner thought. “Maybe … just maybe he thought he was helping the Crown.”

Riley snorted in derision. “Without telling you?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, my love. IF he was doing you a favor, protecting you … why didn’t he say so? Be like, ‘Hey guys, I’m going to be doing some shady shit but no worries … I’m being a mole for this faction trying to usurp the Crown and I’ll keep you updated on their movements.’ BUT HE DIDN’T!”

Liam shook his head in exasperated frustration as he pushed away from the island. “I want a sandwich.”

“You’re going to fix it?” Riley asked in amused disbelief.

“Yes, Riley, I am. I think I am capable of making a sandwich!” he snapped.

“Iffen you say so…” his wife responded doubtfully.

“While we’re on the topic of guards and security, I’m considering appointing the Duchess of Lythikos as Head of the King’s Guard,” he announced as he rummaged in the refrigerator for food.

Riley was slurping up the last of the ice cream. “You’re WHAT?” she choked out.

“Olivia will be Head of the Guard,” Liam repeated, pulling bread, sliced turkey, mayonnaise, and lettuce from the icebox and setting it on the counter.

“Why? What qualifications does she have?”

“I trust her, for one.”

“Trust and knowledge of daggers are NOTgrounds to appoint Liv to head up the most important job in this country.”

Liam looked at his wife, puzzled. “I thought you would support the decision. The Duchess is our friend, yourfriend.”

Now it was Riley’s turn to look puzzled. “She is! But she has no formal training. At least Mara is expertly trained in hand-to-hand combat, jiu-jitsu, and a ton of other stuff I can’t spell or pronounce!”

“Lythikan blood is warrior blood, and Olivia was trained by her parents who were two of the best fighters in the duchy’s history.”

“Lythikans are bloodthirsty! And her parents trained her to take down the Crown over twenty years ago.  Say what you want, she needs to know more than how to hide a dagger.”

“She can handle one as well,” Liam pointed out.

“I’ve never seen it,” Riley said dismissively as she watched Liam attempt to make a sandwich.

What the hell is that man doing with the bread?

With a sigh, she rose from her seat to join her husband at the counter. “Move!” she hip-checked him out of the way. “You’re doing it wrong. Get me some tomato, onion, and jalapeno and slice them, please.”

Liam did as she requested.

The Queen slathered mayonnaise on the bread slices before sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Liam watched as she layered slices of meat, then onion, lettuce, tomato, and jalapeno on both pieces of bread before placing one side atop the other. Riley continued the conversation while plating the sandwich.

“This is the last I have to say on the subject:

“Strike 1:  Olivia was our security at the hospital when I was pregnant with Fric and Frac; remember the journalist sneaking into our personal room and taking unauthorized photos of us, which is why we now have private medical facilities on our properties?

“Strike 2: Olivia got herself captured during a stealth operation … trying to infiltrate Via whileBastienWATCHEDinstead of HELPING … which she told no one about because she wants to be all secret squirrel, and we had to go rescue her!

“Lastly, Olivia has a title for a reason! She is the SOLE ruler of the country’s oldest and third largest duchy; that’s more than a full-time job alone. Something’s going to suffer if you offer her that appointment: either her people or your life. So no, Olivia will NOT be your head of anything.”

“Are you advocating for MARA to get the job?”

“Oh,HELL NO! Mara is mine, ALL MINE! In fact, consider her snatched from any type of rotation; she is now Head of the Queen and Family security detail, and youareNOTincluded in that.”

She bit into the freshly made sandwich before waving it in front of Liam. “Did you want a sandwich too?”

Liam snatched the food from Riley’s hand, aggressively biting into bread and meat. She held his gaze before leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips. “Hey, let’s go to bed. Tensions are high, and we could both use a good night’s sleep. We’re going to be busy the next couple of days.”

“Weare?” he inquired as he chewed more of the sandwich.

“Oh, yeah! WEand Mara are going to Lythikos, Portavira, and Hidar to get to the bottom of this Via shit and find out just what role Bastien played in it.”

Liam shook his head as he offered Riley another bite. “I’m not allowing you or the children to get involved, Riley.”

“Tough tit. We’re a team, and we’re already involved,” she replied while grabbing her husband’s hand to lead him to bed.

Liam didn’t budge. “I’ll allow you to accompany me and Drake to Lythikos, only on the provision that Regina and Gladys remain here to babysit the children, and Mara guards them. You will not be going anywhere else.”

His tone and expression were serious as he and Riley held gazes.

She opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by her husband. “No, Riley. That is the only offer on the table. Take it or leave it.”

“But …”

Liam bit into the snack. “No.” His voice was quiet but the tone firm.

Riley reached out for the sandwich. “Gimme my food,” she whined petulantly.

Liam held it aloft, out of her reach. “Be nice, and I’ll share. Maybe. It’s a really good sandwich.”

“I am going to bed! ALONE!” she threatened while continuing to tug on Liam’s hand.

“I want the twins to sleep with us tonight,” Liam said through a bite of sandwich as he followed his wife into their bedroom.

Ha paused in front of the alarm system’s keypad mounted on the sleeping chamber’s foyer wall, pressing in the code to arm the royal suite. Automatic locks slid quietly into keyholes, giving the monarchs a slight sense of both security and relief.

Riley nodded in agreement at his suggestion. She needed to feel her babies close to her, breathing in their sweet smells, and kissing chubby cheeks.  

The Queen plucked the sandwich from her husband’s hand as they walked through the room, stopping to tuck the infant’s blanket more securely about him before heading into the nursery.

“Your side, though. I don’t need toes in my nose when I wake up.”

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