A Glimpse Into Christmas Future, Part 3
Happy New Year to you all! This is the next part in this flash-forward of My Heart Torn Apart, 5 Years Later. Sorry for the posting delay, the holidays provided some unexpected setbacks for me and my family.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Pixelberry, except for my OC's, which I claim as my own.
Warnings: This fic contains spoilers. If you don't want to know the outcome of MHTA, 5 years later, please don't read. Liam x Riley x Drake are in a polyamorous relationship in this story. If you don't agree with that, please don't read. This story is adult-themed. Please do not read if you're under the age of 18. You should read previous parts of this story first. They can be found on my master list.
One more reminder: This story takes place after the original TRR series. It does not take into consideration anything that happened in TRH or any following series. It does not follow canon.
Liam smiled as he surveyed the beautiful disaster that was his living room. Scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon were strewn about, along with toys and clothes and candy wrappers. Breakfast dishes and coffee mugs littered the coffee table. His heart swelled as he held up his phone to take a picture of his family huddled together on the couch. Drake and Riley sat at each end with their legs stretched out on the ottoman, heads tipped back and eyes closed. Grace was curled up under Drake’s arm, her legs tucked under her to make room for Beth, who was under Riley’s arm. Liam had covered them with blankets and couldn’t resist snapping a picture of his snoozing family. They looked so peaceful. He sighed as he thought back to the conversation last night.
“You never signed the papers Liam,” Drake said. “Technically, you never abdicated. Legally, you are still the king of Cordonia.”
Liam sighed and shook his head. “No. It’s not that simple. I may not have abdicated, but I abandoned my throne and my country.”
“Yes, but you did so under duress. Out of fear for the safety of your family. We could go back. Fight for your birthright to rule Cordonia.” Riley placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “A birthright you never gave up, my king.”
Riley stirred and yawned as she opened one eye to look at Liam. “Go make the call, my king. It’s early morning in Cordonia by now. Drake and I will take care of this mess when we’re done napping.” A wide grin spread across his face as Liam jumped up. He kissed Riley on the cheek quickly then headed to their bedroom.
He stopped outside of Henry’s room and knocked softly. There was no answer. He opened the door and peeked inside. His son laid on the bed with headphones on as he played a game on his laptop. Liam smiled and closed the door, then headed to the bedroom. He got down on his hands and knees and pulled a lock box out from under the bed. He fished the key out of the nightstand drawer and sat on the bed to open the box. All of their important documents were inside, birth certificates, Liam’s coronation papers, marriage licenses. A large manila envelope was at the bottom. He pulled it out and turned it over in his hands as he remembered when he received it.
They had been at the safe house for almost a week. There was no word from anyone at the palace. Liam paced back and forth across the living room, unable to clear his head. He kept thinking about the night they fled the palace. Everything was left behind. Liam had grabbed the lockbox with their important documents from his desk drawer, but everything else was left. Cell phones, computers, tablets, pictures. They had been forced from their home. Why hadn’t Bastien contacted him? Why was there no tv in this safehouse? There was one phone line, and Liam had tried to call the palace several times on various numbers to no avail. He had tried to contact Bastien through the guards posted here at the safehouse. But everything was oddly quiet. It made him crazy not knowing what was happening to his country.
A knock at the door startled Liam from his thoughts. The guard approached the door as he waved Liam into the other room. He moved into the kitchen as a lump formed at the back of his throat and his stomach tied up in knots. Something was wrong. Bastien appeared in the doorway a moment later. “Bas! My god, you look awful,” Liam wrapped an arm around the guard’s shoulders and eased him into a chair. He was covered in dried blood and dirt and looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “You need to rest. Are you hungry? I’ll get Riley to make you something,” Liam turned to head into the other room, but Bastien stopped him. “No! I’m afraid there’s no time.” His eyes grew moist as he locked his gaze on the king. “I’m so sorry, your majesty. We–we’ve lost the palace. The terrorists now have access to sensitve information regarding you and your family.” he shifted his gaze to the floor, then back up. “It is time. You have to flee. Before it’s too late.”
Tears coursed down Liam’s cheeks. “Flee? To where? This is our home, Bastien. How–” his voice cracked. “Please, Liam. You must ensure the safety of your family. Get them all together. I have an escape plan in place.” Things moved so quickly after that it was all a blur. They woke the children in the middle of the night and loaded into an SUV with Bastien.
“It’s going to be quite a battle,” Bastien explained. “The duchies have secured their borders and are building their own armies. Any members of the Royal Guard who weren’t captured have joined the duchies.” Liam shot a sideways glance at Bastien. “And you, Bastien? What will come of you?” He swallowed audibly. “Sir, I will be joining the army at Lythikos. Olivia and I will do whatever we can to get rid of these terrorists. When it is safe, you can return.”
Liam shook his head. “This does not seem right. We should stay and fight too.” Bastien shook his head. “You don’t understand. There is a price on your head. On all of your heads, even the childrens’. You must go.” Bastien pulled into the back entrance of Cordonia’s airport, directly onto the tarmac. He pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to the king. “There’s passports in there for all of you. There’s also bank cards to allow you to access an American bank account that has been set up for you. All under assumed names, of course.”
He pulled out a small cell phone. “This is a burner phone. There are 2 numbers programmed into it. No one has this number, including me.” His steel-grey gaze sent a shiver down the King’s spine. “When you’re ready, call these numbers.” Liam shot him a questioning look. “Ready? For what?” Bastien smiled. “You’ll know when you are ready.”
Liam sighed as he turned the phone over in his hands. That was almost a year ago. They fled to America just after the new year. He had thought about calling the numbers on this phone every single day since they arrived here. He plugged the phone into a charger and waited for it to turn on.
He highlighted the first number and pressed send. His stomach churned as he waited for an answer. Liam had purposely avoided any news about Cordonia, it was just too painful for him to see his people struggle without him. He had no idea what had happened since they left. His focus had been on his family, he wanted to provide them the most normal existence possible.
The phone rang and rang. Liam sighed as he hung up. No answer was not a good sign. He dialed the other number and waited anxiously as it rang.
****************************************
Bastien stood in the King’s office and took in the view of the garden maze. The maze had almost been destroyed during the occupation. He sighed as he thought about the turmoil that had torn apart his country for the past decade. Once the journal of Michael Drammir had been made public, a wave of political unrest swept across Cordonia. Several people stepped forward and staked a claim to the throne, while others questioned the ability of the king and queen to present a strong, united front to neighboring countries. Terrorist cells began forming and several attempts were made to overthrow the government. Many of Cordonia’s noble houses were no longer loyal to the crown. It seemed like peace would never settle over the country again.
Bastien had a plan that could not be executed until the Royal Family was out of the picture. He knew that the only way to gain the support of Lythikos or the Duke of Ramsford would be if the Rhys’ bloodline was removed for good. He made that happen. He sent the Royal family off to America, then once control of the capital was reinstated he released the report that the entire family had been massacred at the safe house. No one questioned the head of the King’s guard. No autopsies were performed on the bodies that were all brutally mutilated beyond recognition. Funeral services were held, caskets were placed in the Rhys’ family tomb. The entire country mourned the loss of their leaders. Once again, random people stepped forward to make claims to the throne. But the people were tired of the fighting and the monarchy.
People protested on the palace lawn during council meetings. They wanted representation. They wanted democracy. The first election in Cordonian history was scheduled to take place in just a few days. Each duchy had nominated a candidate, debates were scheduled, and a primary election took place.
The final election would decide between two candidates: Olivia Nevrakis, Duchess of Lythikos and Madeline Drammir, Duchess of Fydelia. Bastien was confident that no matter the outcome, peace would be restored to Cordonia. It had been suggested that he run himself, but Bastien was not a politician. He belonged in the background, protector of lives and secrets.
The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his thoughts. The color drained from his face when he saw the number. “Shit,” he mumbled as he turned around and bumped right into Olivia. He jumped as he ignored the call. “You love to sneak up on me don’t you,” he snickered as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. She winked at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Will you ever stop being so jumpy? What are you afraid of, Bas?” He laughed out loud as he locked his steel-grey eyes on her emerald pools. “I fear nothing sweetheart, I just like to be prepared for anything at any time.” He kissed her again, long and hard, then pulled away breathless. “And you keep me on my toes, my temptress.” They kissed again, then Olivia pulled away reluctantly. “See you in a couple hours? It is Christmas, you know.” Bastien nodded as he placed his hand on the small of Olivia’s back and led her to the door. He closed the door behind her and locked it, then sat in the chair behind the desk.
How was he going to handle this situation? Of course when he gave Liam that burner phone he didn’t know how events would unfold. And then when news broke of the royal family’s deaths he thought for sure that they decided to just stay gone. He figured someone would have called then. But now? There’s no way they could be allowed back into the country. All the progress that had been made would be gone in an instant. He would have to stop it. One way or another.
He picked up his phone and called back the number.
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