Pairing: Olivia x Bastien; Ruby Rys x Beau Larkin; Jo Ellen Larkin (OC)
Word count: 1,849
Warnings: a touch of angst
Summary: The family readies themselves for the battle to come.
A/N: When I was writing the chapter that was omitted I created a lot of the history for Cordonia and Auvernal in this series. I had written that chapter long before it was revealed that Isabella was the one with the royal blood, in this series Bradshaw is the one with the royal blood and you will learn in this chapter why he covets Cordonia so badly.
A/N2: I tried to remain mostly vague when describing the map in this chapter and that’s mostly because when I looked at the map from TC&TF I realized that many places were off from where I cannoned them. Lythikos as I see it is not surrounded on three sides by water the way Abanthus was. This is the way I canon the history since we never learn much concrete from TC&TF, RoE, TRR, TRM and TRH about the exact forming of Cordonia or where duchies are located.
A/N3: Lovett took over, I have zero control over him and well I’m lucky I was able to take back over. This kid is a serious pain in the ass but I still love him.
A/N4: A major thanks @sirbeepsalot for all your graping, prereading, editing, and telling me when to let go. I love you boo! Thank you to my snippet reader @loveellamae who screamed appropriately.
Series warnings: character death, blood, surgical procedures done by non medical personnel, may go NSFW in the future. May contain gun violence, knife violence, threats, not sure how dark this will go. By requesting to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.
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Disclaimer: I own Ruby, Galen, Lovett, and Beau, I’m borrowing Bastien and Olivia from PB.
“Are you sure Mama Jo doesn’t mind?” Ruby asked, worrying her lip, “I can find time to do both …”
“Ruby, she’s excited, she wants to surprise us. She said we had more important things to worry about than something as trivial as planning a wedding.”
“I wouldn’t say our wedding isn’t important … I don’t want her to think I don’t care …” she idly twisted her ring. Her heart pounded in her chest, she didn’t want his mother to think their wedding wasn’t just as important to her.
“RuRu, relax.” Beau covered her hand with his, stilling her movements, a soft smile spreading over his lips as she met his eye. “She only meant compared to saving a country from a dictatorship. Trust me, Mom knows and loves you. She’s over the moon about you joining the family and the fact that she gets to plan a ‘surprise wedding’ as she calls it. The only thing she’d tell me was that it’s going to be held at Nan and Pop’s.”
“That’s perfect.”
“That’s exactly what I told her. Now, tell me everything I need to know about Cordonia, this asshat, and the country that grew the asshat.”
Ruby fought to keep a straight face. “Did you really just call King Bradshaw asshat?”
“I’d say Asshat suits him better,” Beau replied with a shrug.
Ruby shook her head as her hands smoothed out the large worn map. “Okay, so Mama said that originally Cordonia was five separate kingdoms; well actually more than five but the first five, Abanthus, Fydoria, Stormholt, Bellmere, and Ebrimel were united under one queen, Queen Kenna Rys.” She pointed to five large duchies on the map. “They are now known as Lythikos, Krona, the Capitol, Castelsarreillan, and Portavira.”
Beau nodded for her to continue as she raised her head.
“Aurelia, the Blackspine Mountains, and an area called the Foundry were later united under Kenna’s leadership forming the entirety of Cordonia.” She circled three large areas on the map with her finger. “They formed Ramsford, Domvallier, and several other duchies.
This,” she pointed to a large country across from Cordonia, a large span of ocean the only ‘border’ between, “is Auvernal. That’s the country that King Bradshaw is from.
Auvernal was called The Iron Empire or Ductoria when Kenna united The Five Kingdoms.
Ductoria was led by Empress Azura. She was called ‘She Who Shines Brightest’ or ‘Her Radiance’ by her people.
Mama said there are a lot of stories about The Five Kingdoms, Blackspine Mountains, and Ductoria that include wielding powers of fire, powers of electricity, and even humans who could transform into dragons.
It was said that Empress Azura had powers and ruled Ductoria for over one thousand years. She was able to maintain both her youth and abilities by siphoning the life force from her subjects who saw it as an honor to give their life for hers.”
“She sounds twisted.”
“She does. Fifty years before Kenna united the Five Kingdoms Azura approached each of the leaders and ‘peacefully offered’ a share of Ductoria’s wealth if they pledged allegiance to her. The leaders declined and Azura declared war against the Five Kingdoms which Mama says was the beginning catalyst for Kenna to unite the kingdoms.”
“Okay, twisted and power-hungry, bad mix.”
Ruby fought back a giggle. “Very bad mix. So Ductoria and the Five Kingdoms fought for fifty years before Kenna united them. The king of Abanthus had tried to ‘unite’ the kingdom’s in his own way, though he used force. After uniting the kingdoms, Kenna was able to defeat Azura with the help of Azura’s daughter and heir, Lia.”
“Wait, Azura’s daughter helped Kenna?”
“Yes, she wasn’t power hungry like her mother and saw the importance in each life. She was said to also possess abilities though she rarely used them, and never the way her mother did. After Kenna killed Azura, Lia pledged both her allegiance and her wealth with no stipulations.
Just as Cordonia grew and prospered under Kenna, Ductoria grew and prospered under Lia.”
“But Ductoria is known as Auvernal now.”
“Yes, one of Lia’s descendants changed the name to distance the country from Azura.
Mama and Papa said that every year there was a Five Kingdoms celebration to honor Kenna and her allies who helped end the violence with Ductoria and unite the kingdoms. The stories of magic and dragons were told through every generation.
Queen Eleanor, King Liam’s mother, and my grandmother was from Auvernal and just as Cordonian children learned the history through stories of magic wielders and dragons, so did Auvernalese children.
Eleanor said some of the stories told about Kenna and Azura were told in a much darker context. To some, Kenna was the villain who took their majestic empress and left them with one they deemed weaker.”
“So that’s what Asshat was told, that Kenna was the villain and Azura was what, an innocent victim?”
“Most likely, apparently to some the magical abilities that Azura was said to have were revered and just as she had compared herself to a goddess, so did some of her subjects who of course passed it on through the generations.”
“So all of this, your parents dying, all the devastation Cordonia faced since then was because of a ‘wrong’ committed centuries ago?”
“That’s what Mama and Papa believe. We can’t know for sure why Bradshaw was so determined to have a betrothal alliance that he then murdered my parents, but they suspect that Bradshaw was merely using the alliance to gain Cordonia and when my birth parents refused … he killed them.”
“Shit, okay. How do we do this?”
Ruby blew out a breath, she’d been asking herself the same question since deciding to reclaim her country and birthright. “I’m not sure. … Mama said knowing the past would help us unearth any weaknesses. She also said she had some loyal contacts who should be able to help us understand the current state of Cordonia which will help us in planning.”
“So,” he pulled her into his lap, “after you Kenna his ass, then what?”
“Then you and I get to decide what we want.”
“No matter what you choose I’m in, all in, always.”
- - -
“Awesome! Swords!” Lovett exclaimed as he tore across the basement they used for training.
“Lovett, remember, they are weapons.”
“And they should be treated with respect.” Lovett heaved a sigh as he dropped his outstretched arms to his sides. “But it’s not like these are real.”
“They can still really hurt someone, remember my cracked ribs?” Ruby said, ruffling his dark auburn hair.
“Oh yeah, I think Beau was more upset than you were.”
Ruby shrugged, “wasn’t my first broken bone, probably won’t be my last. Besides you know what Mama always says.”
“If you can breathe, you can stand. If you can stand, you can fight.” Lovett replied, standing prouder and straighter with every word.
“So do you really think a few cracked ribs could keep me down?”
“I guess not,” Lovett replied with a shake of his head. “So … swords … are we dueling? Can I duel Ruby?” His dark smokey eyes sparkling with excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
“We are dueling. Papa and I thought it best you go against Beau while Ruby faces off against Papa,” Olivia said, lifting a practice sword from the table. “Papa and I are still trying to form a strategy, but I remember from a ‘friendly’ visit to Auvernal that Bradshaw is more bark than bite, so being able to duel might come into play.”
“What do you mean ‘he’s more bark than bite’?” Ruby questioned, the more she knew about her opposition the better.
“Your mother and I went on a little ‘girls trip’ that Bradshaw’s wife Isabella planned. It was merely a show of their strength, nothing more than a thinly veiled threat while trying to humiliate your mother. Isabella failed, your mother was more capable than many of the court had thought.
Over the course of the evening we learned that while Bradshaw would brag about his medals he won, that he had never seen battle. I’m sure as the crowned prince he had learned to duel, but he is arrogant and I’m sure he would be an easy enemy to defeat one on one.
While Ruby is the rightful ruler and would make the challenge, Bradshaw is a sexist piece of shit who will likely refuse to duel against a girl. As her spouse, the role would fall to you Beau, so we need to make sure neither of you are rusty.”
- - -
Ruby shifted in closer into Beau’s warm embrace, in a few short weeks they’d be leaving Texas behind and heading toward an uncertain future. In that moment everything felt safe and perfect, snuggled into his side encapsulated in his woodsy scent, her brothers sitting on the floor laughing and joking.
Would she and her brothers still have moments where they could be happy and free or would everything change the second they all boarded the plane? So many questions hung in the air nearly casting her decision to reclaim her birthright in doubt.
“Ruby,” her youngest brother's voice pulled her from the depths of her thoughts. “Are you and Beau going to have babies now?”
Ruby stifled a groan, she knew she’d be getting asked that soon enough, but from her younger brothers? “That’s not polite to ask Lovett, not everyone who gets married wants kids and sometimes those who do can’t and the question just reminds them of what they wanted and couldn’t have.”
“Oh …” The silence hung just long enough that she thought the subject was dropped. “Well you guys do, right? Why aren’t you planning the wedding Ruby?”
The urge to scream and tell her brother all the ways he was being rude bubbled up. “My mom thought Ruby and I had enough on our plate.” Ruby looked up at Beau with a grateful smile.
“Okay, but —”
The doorbell chimed breaking through the awkwardness. “I’ll get that,” Ruby said as she quickly stood, thankful to be pulled away from her brother’s incessant questions, though she could sense him following close behind her.
Ruby opened the door, her eyes quickly sweeping over the unfamiliar man on the other side, “Can I help you?”
The stranger’s mouth fell open in surprise as he took in Ruby’s blonde hair and sparkling sapphire eyes. Olivia wasn’t kidding.
Ruby’s brow furrowed as the man stared unspeaking and slack-jawed. “Wolf, go get Mama.” She casually moved her hand around her hip as she heard her younger brother rush off.
“You’re a spitting image.”
“Should I know you?” She asked, her hand ready to pull her hidden dagger. He didn’t seem to be a threat, but the way he left each of her questions unanswered left her on edge and ready to act.
“Sorry, I’m just …” he brushed his shaggy chestnut locks from his face. “I wasn’t expecting …”
“Do you have a name?”
“I’m Drake … I knew your dad.”
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