Summary: Liam begins to cope with his father’s death after reading Constantine’s personal journal.
Based on the (music) prompt: A Letter to Elise
Walking through the halls of the east wing, Jade headed towards the Royal apartment followed by Mara and stopped at its front door as the guards bowed to her and allowed her to get it. The lights were dim, a The Cure song played in the background and the smell of tobacco blended with cocoa, coffee and vanilla filled the room. Liam sat on the L shaped couch, with a cigar in his hand and a whiskey glass in the other. She made her way to him and sat on his lap, cupping his face. He was slightly inebriated, his eyes were bloodshot red and it looked like he lost weight. He placed the cigar and whiskey on the side table, wrapped his arms around her and they kissed sweetly. “How was dinner, my queen?”
“It was alright. It could’ve been a little better if you were there,” she pointed out.
“I’m sorry, my love, I had some urgent matters to deal with and some of the congressmen invited me to dinner. You know I can’t really just say no,” he apologized, his fingers aimlessly wandering on her cleavage.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t going to work too much this week so you could rest and take care of yourself, King Liam?” she chided.
“That’s easier said than done,” he quipped.
“Liam,” she narrowed her eyes.
“Let’s not fight, Jay. Please,” he murmured.
The pleading look in his eyes melted her heart and she placed a sweet kiss on his lips. “Okay, I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Thank you, my queen,” he gave her a weak smile and picked up his glass of whiskey to take another sip.
“A Bourbon?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I always preferred scotches, but Hudson Baby Bourbon recently became my favorite,” he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “Have a drink with me, my love.”
“As you wish, my King,” she took his glass from his hand and drank the amber liquid in a single gulp, then stood up to prepare him another drink. He followed her and encircled his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder, then her neck and nibbled her earlobe. She filled the glass, sipped the whiskey and closed her eyes, feeling the alcohol burning inside her mouth and a heat pooling in her belly as Liam’s hand roamed down, resting between her legs. She pulled him by the neck and turned her head to the side to kiss him.
He took her hand and led her back to the couch. He sat down, taking the whiskey from her hands and drinking it watching her strip out of her clothes slowly for him. She stepped closer to him, leaned down and began to unbutton his shirt, kissing his torso along the way, unbuckled his belt and removed his pants and briefs. He took the cigar to his lips and smoked it while she got on her knees, drank some of the bourbon and started to lick his cock. The warmth of her mouth on him sent a jolt of pleasure through Liam’s body and he let out a groan. He put out the cigar, then sipped the whiskey watching her bobbing her head up and down his shaft. His free hand pulled her hair back and they gaze at each other, exchanging yearning looks.
Jade quickly straddled him, lowering herself onto him as he bucked his hips, entering her. They gasped, their foreheads touching, delighting in the sensation of being together, their bodies perfectly connected. She began to ride him, holding him close. He peppered kisses over her collarbone and breasts, his tongue eagerly savoring every inch of her olive skin. His hands gripped her hips and he moved in and out of her, increasing the speed at each thrust. “Liam! Oh god, I’m–” she whimpered.
He responded by capturing her lips in a long and lustful kiss. She was about to close her eyes and he cupped her face with one hand. “Don’t. Look at me. I want to see you and I need you to see me.” Unable to speak, she merely nodded. He shifted on the couch and laid her down, slamming into her deeper. “Come for me, my love,” he whispered, his breath warming her lips. His words were enough to send her to the edge and she reached ecstasy. He kept moving inside her until he found his own release, spilling himself into her and resting his head on her chest.
Jade caressed his blond hair for a while, waiting for him to say something. Anything. But he didn’t. She knew something was off. He tried to hide it, busing his hours with work, skipping the family meals to avoid conversations, drinking excessively and she was well aware he wouldn’t say a word about it. He just kept everything to himself. But whatever it was, she could see it was hurting him. “Liam?”
“Yes?” he muttered.
“How are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Are you okay? Are you tired? I need to know how you’re doing and then I will try to help you.”
“Jay…” he leaned back and cupped her cheeks, putting his best game face on.
“Don’t Jay me if you’re going to lie about it, Liam. I want the truth. How are you?”
His mouth twisted to the side as he realized she was onto him. “I can’t hide anything from you anymore, can I?”
“You never did, honey,” he tilted her head up to kiss him quickly. “Now, spill it out, Rys,” she commanded.
He heaved a sigh and sat up, helping her to do the same. He reached for the antique wooden box on the end table and opened it, taking out a few letters and a diary. “My father left me this journal he wrote during all his years as a monarch to use it as a guide. When I began to read it, I was quite sure I knew everything I needed to know about him. But as I kept going, it just–” he shook his head. “I feel like I don’t know him anymore.”
“Why? What did he do?”
“He was a good man, with many great ideas when he was young, but as years passed by, he became the ruthless King, deceiving people, betraying alliances, betraying his wives, his own blood–” he closed his eyes and his face reddened with anger.
Jade instinctively leaned in and planted a kiss on his forehead, then on his temples, until his features softened. He opened his eyes and they were glossy. “It’s okay, Li. You can tell anything. I’m here for you.”
“Leo’s mother had a third cousin who had ties with the Sons of Earth. Their leader back then was her neighbor, but when he found out she was related to the Queen, he sent someone to kill her. And the day after Leo’s mother went to the funeral, she got back home and her things were all packed. Father sent her away and forbid her to come back or try to reach out to Leo because she could make him a target,” he ran his through his hair. “Leo hated her for years, Jay. My father made him believe she didn’t want to be here.”
Jade stared at the journal, her jaw went slack. “He wrote that? He actually wrote that in his journal?”
He smiled ruefully. “He cheated on my mother with several women. He forced many of them to have abortions when they got pregnant. One of them was disowned by her family and out of anger, she joined the Liberation Core and they planned his assassination by poisoning his tea. But he didn’t drink tea as much as he liked the people to believe he did. The person who drank the poisoned tea for three months was my mother.”
“Oh my God, Liam…”
“My mother died because he was a sexist cheater who didn’t want illegitimate children and put his mistresses through hell.” Tears streamed down his face as he spoke through clenched teeth. “My father, the man who died as a national hero, was connected to many murders. And the worst of it is that I miss him. He was a monster, a terrible father, even worse husband and I still miss him.” Liam put his hands on his face, resting his elbows on his knees. Jade pulled him into her arms and he held her close, tightening the embrace as he cried silently.
…
Jade stretched out her arms and blinked a few times before she realized she was no longer in the Royal lounge. Scanning her surroundings for a minute, she spotted Liam in the balcony, staring blankly at the hedge maze. She put on the pajama shirt next to the bed and went outside encircling her arms on his waist. He pulled away and turned around, then tilted her chin up to kiss her. “You look better than I ever did wearing this shirt,” he said, his eyes sweeping her from head to toe.
“I’d say you’re just trying to flatter me, but I actually prefer you shirtless, so I guess I have to agree,” she gave her shoulders and he chuckled. “Did you carry me while I was asleep?” He nodded. “Sorry… I dozed off.”
“It’s alright, my love, we both did. You can rest as much as you wish.”
“But you still look tired, Li. You should have stayed in bed with me.”
“I can’t sleep. I keep dreaming about my father. I see him, dead, covered in blood on the ballroom and all the people who he wronged is there, celebrating his death. I feel sick and I want to run away, but something keeps me from leaving…” He trailed off.
“Li, have you considered that you’ve been dreaming about this because you can’t get past what he did? You need to find a way to forgive him.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, his mouth set in a thin line, but she responded to his scowl by caressing his cheek. His face visibly relaxed under her touch. “Forgiveness works a little bit different from the other feelings. When you forgive someone, you’re not just setting someone free from guilt, you’re also letting the anger go.”
He shook his head, looking away. “I don’t think I can do it right away. I couldn’t even read his letter to my mother.”
“What? There’s a letter to your mother? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I didn’t know there was one. Leo found it under his dresser and gave it to me while you were sleeping. It must have fallen from the box when he had it with him.”
“Do you know what this letter is about?”
“From what Leo told me, it’s an apology letter. He wrote it a few days before she passed away. He was on a business trip and wasn’t there when she died.”
“He wasn’t?”
“No, I was there with Leo. He didn’t make it in time. He blamed on the traffic.”
“Liam, you have to read it. Leo read it and you should too. This is about your parents’ relationship.”
“You mean, their convenience marriage,” he taunted.
“Was it though? Didn’t you say she was a foreign commoner? Considering how long it took for Cornodian people to accept me as an eligible suitor, I’m quite sure things were probably worse for your mother. Your parents must have gone through many tribulations before they could get married.”
“Then why would he throw it all away?”
“I don’t know. But there’s one way to find out,” Jade nudged Liam, giving him a shy smile. He let out a frustrated sigh but nodded. He got into his room and opened a drawer on his dresser. Jade followed him inside, her eyes fixed on his every move. He picked up an aged envelope and sat on the edge of his bed. She sat beside him as he opened the envelope and began to read it.
_______
“My dearest Elise,
I passed by your room this morning while you were resting. You seemed well and I could see the beautiful shade of rose on your cheeks again as you slept soundly. I trust the doctors are properly taking care of you since they were highly recommended by Sofia. You must be wondering how I managed to talk to her, but despite the fact that she said several times how much she loathes me, we both agree your well being comes first.
Have you seen how lovely the garden is today? The peonies around the main fountain are blooming and the hedge maze is finalized and our boys will have the tree house in the middle of it, just like they have asked me. They’re happy to know you can watch them from your room now and maybe they’ll let you rest more. You say you don’t mind having them around reading stories countless times for them, but I don’t want you to tire yourself just to fulfill Leo’s and Liam’s whims.
Elise, my queen, it hurts me to see you so ill, unable to do the things you love. I know you miss teaching at the Children’s center, playing guitar and singing to our boys. It kills me that my actions led us to this and there’s nothing else I can do, except pray. Pray for the doctors to cure you, pray that you can forgive for all the lies and all the suffering. Pray for Leo and Liam never become their next victims.
I keep replaying in my head the moment when things went wrong. I should have never accepted Godfrey’s proposal. He has always been bored with his marriage, but I wasn’t. How could I be if I had you? Greed made me a fool man, a slave to lust and power. If I never had succumbed to those temporary pleasures, you could be traveling with me, making this trip a lot easier to endure. Perhaps we could have that third honeymoon I promised you. I wish life could just about us, our boys. I wish we never needed anything more than this.
From the moment I met you, I knew you were different. Other women would have left me for I did, but you stayed. You’re still here, even after all the trouble I put you through. I don’t deserve your respect, let alone your love, but I can’t live without you and that’s why I’m going on this trip. I’m working on a treaty with our allies to keep our country safe to keep you safe, my Queen.
Elise, believe I never wanted this. I never thought things would go so bad because of my affairs with other women, I never believed I would ever betray you again. I thought this time I’d keep all of my promises. But I am a fool and I shall pay for my mistakes. And before I break any more promises, I need you to know that they meant nothing to me and my heart will always belong to you.
Get well soon, my love.
Forever yours,
Constantine.”
_______
Liam closed his eyes, knitting his brows together as he fought back tears. Jade shifted on the bed, kneeling behind him. With her hands on his shoulders, her thumbs drew small circles on the spot below his neck as she spread kisses over his back. A long time passed by until Liam finally turned around to kiss her, holding her tightly, almost desperately. Jade was never seen him so broken and, for a moment, she regretted pushing him to read the letter. Maybe it was too soon for him to deal with it, but somehow, she knew she had to do it. He wasn’t okay and he needed to know she would be there for there, no matter what happens. He cradled her in his arms, relishing the touch of her fingers running on his jawline and collarbone. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she smiled softly.
“Will you promise me one thing?”
“Anything. What do you need?”
“I need you to never let me become my father. I don’t want to regret my actions as a ruler or as a man, but most of all, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re the only woman I love and I’ll never forgive myself if I ever make you feel like you’re not enough.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “But I need you to promise me something in return.”
“What is it?”
“Let go of the anger I know you’re feeling and forgive your father.”
“Jade…” he tried to protest, but she raised an eyebrow and he let her speak.
“I can see it eating you from the inside. You can’t be a better man than him if you hold grudges.”
He stood pensively, considering her words. His clear blue eyes met her chestnut ones. She gazed at him, examining his face and his reactions, patiently waiting for him to respond while she fought back tiredness, stifling a yawn. He couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, I promise I will,” he dipped in and planted a small kiss on her lips. “Let’s get some rest, okay?” he caressed her cheek and she nodded, sleepily. Liam maneuvered her to the bed and lied beside her, shifting to the side and resting his chin on her shoulder as he pressed his chest on her back and they slowly fell asleep.
