Drake faceclaim – Daniel di Tomasso (From his Instagram account) / Letter images from The Guardian (Charlotte Higgins on Culture) / Quote from Pinterest (Keltehue News)
All image rights belong to their owners,borrowed by me with love and admiration <3
Disclaimer – Characters are Pixelberry’s, not mine, this is just for fun & I don’t make any money from it.
—
Liam, Clara and Regina sat across the ornate mahogany desk, looking solemn. Leo had declined the invite to head back to Cordonia to sit during the closing meeting with the legal team working as the executors of the larger part of Former King Constantine’s estate. The thoroughly professional, sharply-dressed head counsel, Ms Jiménez, had spent over three hours running the King, Queen and Queen Mother through the finer details of Constantine’s offshore investments, foreign properties, art, rare artifacts and collectibles stored within a vault in a Swiss finance establishment. Regina sat quietly, her eyes glittering as the lawyers spoke, trying to maintain dignity and composure; she had struggled immensely since the death of her husband. Clara listened intently, trying to take in as much as possible given that she probably had the clearest head in the room, just in case she had to recall any points later. She held Liam’s hand in his lap under the table throughout the meeting, stroking it soothingly with her thumb. Liam was finding the whole experience to be a difficult one; unhappy memories of the night his Father died in his arms dredged up and playing in his mind’s eye like a bad movie. Finally they were nearing the end of the meeting. Liam inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose as Ms Jiménez cantered towards the conclusion of his Father’s affairs with a thick Spanish lilt; he couldn’t wait to get out of that room, to the balcony or the gardens, or anywhere to breathe some fresh, clean air into his lungs. Today had certainly taken it’s toll on him.
“King Liam, before we conclude, there is one final piece of business Former King Constantine had entrusted to the executors of the estate. There is a letter addressed to you, Your Majesty, one addressed to your brother Former Crown Prince Leo, which we will send by registered courier, and a third letter addressed to your friend, Mr Drake Walker.“
Clara’s nose wrinkled as she looked at Ms Jiménez, then back to her husband,
“Your Father wrote Drake a letter?”
Liam shrugged wearily,
“Clara, my love, after the revelations about my Father’s fine art dealings today nothing surprises me…”
Clara smiled softly at Liam,
“Maybe he’s bequeathed him a Lordship or a Knighthood or something; Drake’s saved both our lives on more than one occasion Li…”
Liam gave her a barely-there smile, nodding,
“Perhaps. That would be a fitting final gesture… Ms Jiménez, do I have to open my letter here in your presence, or is it acceptable to take it back to my suite? I could use some fresh air; I’m sure my wife and step-mother could also.”
Clara squeezed his hand and Regina’s eyes met Liam’s in a silent ‘thank you’. Ms Jiménez nodded her head,
“Your Majesty, you may open the letter at your leisure. Handing it over to you satisfies and concludes my firm’s agreement with your Father.”
Liam reached over to pick up both envelopes,
“I can take Drake’s too.”
Ms Jiménez frowned,
“This is a little awkward Your Highness, but I really must deliver the letter to Mr Walker personally as the recipient or inheritor if that is the case. It’s not that I don’t trust you King Liam, but the legal protocol in inher-”
Liam stood, cutting her off and shaking her hand as he smiled at her,
“You’re just doing your job, Ms Jiménez, nothing to feel awkward about. Clara would you please contact Drake and ask him to come straight away? It’s been a pleasure to work with you Ms Jiménez, in spite of the circumstances.”
—
Outside of the room, Liam hugged his step-mother,
“Regina I know today must have been difficult for you, will you be ok?”
She nodded at her step-son,
“I will be. I need some rest after today. It’s been very draining. And how are you Liam? Are you ok?”
He smiled at the older woman as he wrapped an arm around his wife,
“I’ll be ok Regina, please don’t worry, I have Clara looking after me.”
Clara squeezed Liam’s arm,
“I texted Drake, he is going to collect his letter within the next 15 minutes, he’s working on the Apple Blossom Festival security plans with Bastien and Mara.”
Liam smiled as he kissed her forehead,
“Thank you, my love. Now, would you care to join me for a walk in the gardens? I don’t know about you, but I could use a little stretch of the legs and to clear my head after so long in that stuffy meeting room? It’s certainly been a very emotional day.”
Liam folded his Father’s letter in half and slipped it into the inside pocket of his black suit jacket, keeping it for later that evening when he would have time to absorb his Father’s final words to him properly, in a private space. It would take a little time to get his head around that idea, he never knew there would be a message from beyond the grave, he’d replayed the exchange they had as his Father struggled to take his final breaths, they said everything they needed to say: as much the circumstance was horrific, the narrative was as fitting as it was final. He worried that the content of the letter may detract from their last words, but he knew he had to open it all the same.
—
Drake arrived hurriedly to the room that the legal team had congregated in all day; he wanted to get back to the security team as quickly as he could; they’d identified a potential hole they needed to plug to ensure Liam and Clara’s safety during the upcoming festival. He knocked gingerly, sticking his head around the door,
“Uh, hi, I’m Drake Walker, I can’t stay long, but I believe you have something for me?”
Ms Jiménez gestured for him to enter, picking up the letter,
“Mr Walker, come in, do you have any photo ID, then I can give this to you? As I explained to King Liam, handing this over to you satisfies and concludes my firm’s agreement with the deceased.”
Drake patted his pockets, pulling out his wallet and flashing his Drivers License at Ms Jiménez who looked between the photo card and Drake several times before handing over the letter. Drake cleared his throat,
“Heh, thanks. If that’s everything, I really need to get back…” Ms Jiménez nodded, extending a hand to Drake to shake before he headed back to work.
—
Much later that evening, after the security set up for the Apple Blossom Festival was checked, double-checked and finalised, Drake was back in his bedroom at the palace. It had been a long day, and Drake felt guilty that after the legal meeting Liam had sat through today, he hadn’t had any time to get together with his best friend to see how he was doing. He supposed that Clara would be fussing around and making sure Liam was ok though, which eased his guilt a little. Drake poured himself a glass of whisky as he ran his fingers through his tousled dark hair, then he settled down on the sofa by the window, Constantine’s letter in his hand. Drake’s thick fingers ran over the wax seal on the envelope, it was the red of the Cordonian Ruby and pressed into the shape of the Cordonian Crest. As he slowly pressed his index finger into the small opening at the right hand corner of the envelope, pushing upwards and tearing the paper, he chuckled thinking of Clara’s text :
Hey Drake are you around?? Liam’s Father has left you a letter as part of the closing of his estate, you need to come to the meeting room in the East Wing to collect it in person asap. I think he might have left you a knighthood!! Wouldn’t that be awesome?? Lol @ Sir Drake 😉
Letter now liberated from the envelope, Drake swigged at the glass of malt as he began to read the content.
Dearest Drake,
By the time you ever see the contents of this letter, I will be dead and gone, and I only hope that you can find it in your heart to understand my deeds and actions. As the cancer draws my life to an imminent end, I no longer believe or stand by my conviction that it was best you didn’t know. You are a wonderful young man, Drake, and you deserve the truth.
There is no easy way to impart this news to you and I know this will come as a shock; Drake you are my son. Your mother and I had a short affair, which as a married man, I am not proud of. You were the product of that affair. Drake, I loved your mother deeply: I had planned to divorce Queen Ines and marry Joanna. Initially Joanna kept her pregnancy from me, for fear of the consequences, and by the time I found out, Liam’s mother had announced her own pregnancy.
I couldn’t leave Ines; the reigning Queen was carrying my child, it would have plunged the monarchy into untold ill-repute and Cordonia’s stability into crisis. Even though I wanted to be with your mother, the situation was outwith my control. Your mother was so angry when I told her I couldn’t leave Ines; it was simply the most dreadful timing Drake, my wife and my lover, both carrying my unborn sons… Joanna ended the affair and worked to save her marriage with your father although we were both devastated. Joanna was the true love of my life; my soulmate, if you will. It broke her heart when I stayed with Ines. We agreed that both our love and our child would forever remain a secret; Joanna never spoke to me again.
After you were born, she seemed to have mended her marriage and you always appeared to be a happy family together. Drake I was always heartened to have you around the palace on the occasions when Jackson would bring you along, though it ate away at me not being able to declare that you were my son. I enjoyed watching the mischief that you, Liam and Leo would get up to, the bond between you all, despite none of you knowing the truth.
It buoyed my spirits to witness you grow into the strong, brave man you have become. I am sorry that I was never the Father you deserved: Jackson was a good man, and a good father to you. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me, my son.
Yours, Constantine
—
TBC – VP 💖
