All We Were Ever Meant to Be
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.
Author’s Notes- This story is the big emotional climax of The Path Least Expected universe. There will be other stories, fitting in at various points in the timeline but this was the big story I knew I had to do at some point and wrap up Eleanor and Liam’s story properly. This takes place around 2.5 years after “Take You Away From Here” and roughly a year after “An Unexpected Feeling”. Thank you so much to @blue @violet @love and @enm for letting me run ideas by you and helping me figure out exactly how I wanted this to go.
Paring- Liam/MC (angst), MC/Other, Liam/Other
Rating- PG
Summary- 2.5 years after leaving, Eleanor returns to Cordonia and has a conversation with Liam.
Words- 2662
As Eleanor got off the plane in Cordonia for the second time in her life, she mused about how much had changed since that first trip. Back then, she’d remarked that Cordonia looked like something out of a fairytale, which had been fitting because she’d felt like she was living out her own fairytale.
Three years later she knew better. She knew how dark and twisted Cordonia could be, but she also knew that happily ever after didn’t always come the way you expected it to. As that thought crossed her mind, Eleanor reached over and squeezed her husband’s hand.
“Are you ok?” Dante asked gently, his dark eyes focused on her face.
Eleanor nodded. “Yeah… I just, it feels weird to be back here.”
When she’d left the engagement tour and Liam, she’d felt like she was closing the door on the Cordonian part of her story. Of course, she was married to a Cordonian citizen, but Olivia was Dante’s only tie to the country and in the two and a half years they’d been together, he’d never once brought up the subject of visiting the country of his birth. Not until she broached the subject.
As much as she’d have content to never return to Cordonia, Maxwell and Penelope were getting married and they’d pleaded with her to come to the wedding. She’d been resistant, but Maxwell was persuasive. However, what had made up her mind in the end, had been a delivery from the Cordonian embassy containing all the security papers she would need for her visit (which had made her curious about the logistics of her first trip, but the time to ask that question had long passed).
Eleanor knew the papers had come from Liam and it was his way of letting her know that he was ok if she came back and she’d smiled, because it was such a Liam gesture. The gesture gave her the push she needed, because if Liam was open to the idea, after the way she hurt him, then didn’t she owe it to them both, and to the wonderful friends she had made, to come back and maybe get some closure?
The drive to the Beaumont estate was a short one and Eleanor clung to Dante’s hand the entire way, taking strength in his presence. “It’ll be ok,” he assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head, his free hand resting on her swollen stomach.
“I know,” Eleanor replied and it was the truth. While Cordonia held a lot of memories, many of them painful, it was still a part of her past. If she hadn’t come to Cordonia, she would never have met Dante and had the life she had now.
Still, she was feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous by the time they stepped into the Beaumont estate.
“Eleanor!” She was greeted with a cry and an enthusiastic hug from Maxwell. Eleanor clung to him, it had been so long and she’d missed him. E-mails and text messages weren’t the same.
“You look wonderful,” Maxwell told her when he finally set her down. His eyes lingered on her stomach, “Impending motherhood suits you.” He grinned. “I can’t wait for another niece or nephew to spoil, I am the best uncle.”
“If the best means letting your child eat ice cream for dinner and stay up past their bedtime before sending them home to their parents, then yes, I can vouch for his skills as an uncle.” A dry voice said from the stairway.
Eleanor turned to see Bertrand standing there.
“Lady Eleanor,” he greeted with a smile.
“Bertrand,” she said warmly, “the estate looks wonderful.”
“Yes, we have managed to make it through our rough patch,” Bertrand commented, his eyes lingering on Dante who just smiled. They made small talk for a few more minutes before Maxwell showed Eleanor and Dante to their room, which was the same room she’d been given before.
“I spent a lot of sleepless nights in this room,” Eleanor mused to Dante as they freshened up. She thought back to those terrible weeks between the Coronation and the engagement tour.
“Are you ok with being back here?” Dante asked with concern.
“I am,” Eleanor assured him, even as her eyes scanned the room where she once sat up sobbing into her pillow, hoping no one could hear her. “It was a long time ago. Besides, I think it’s good for me to be back here in different circumstances.”
She meant it. She’d left the engagement tour in such a hurry and in a lot of ways, she’d left so much unfinished. It was good to be back here, to get a chance to see her friends again and to make better memories.
Dinner went smoother than Eleanor had expected, given how long she’d been away. Savannah, now married to Bertrand and the mother of two, greeted her warmly and Penelope was incredibly enthusiastic to see her. Lucky, who had apparently been the matchmaker between Penelope and Maxwell, was also very enthusiastic to see her again and sat at her feet all through dinner.
Drake had also been present and Eleanor had been a little tense since her last meeting with Drake had not gone well, but he greeted her with a nod and slight smile and was as pleasant as he ever was. “You look good, Sloane,” he greeted and then caught himself, “I guess it’s not Sloane anymore?”
“No, but I’m not going to make you call me Nevrakis,” Eleanor teased.
Drake laughed, “thank goodness.”
Drake and Dante seemed to be on as good a terms as ever, especially when Dante produced an expensive bottle of whiskey and invited Drake to share it with him.
Eleanor’s first night back in Cordonia had gone well but she knew that she would soon have to face the entire court and all the speculation. More than that, she’d have to face Liam.
The next day Kiara and several other members of the court arrived. Kiara was pleasant, greeting Eleanor cordially and Eleanor returned the favor. They’d never be close friends, but Eleanor didn’t hold any grudges against people for taking Madeleine’s side or for believing the worst in her. It was all ancient history.
Hana and Olivia both arrived after lunch. “You look beautiful,” Hana greeted, kissing Eleanor’s cheek.
“You saw me last week,” Eleanor said with a laugh since Hana was now living in Paris and she and Eleanor saw each other regularly.
“It’s still true,” Hana said with a laugh.
“She’s right,” Olivia told her, greeting her with surprising warmth.
Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “A compliment from you? Is the world ending?”
“You’re a Nevrakis now,” Olivia reminded her, “why wouldn’t I compliment you?”
Eleanor just laughed. She knew that some people were staring at her and whispering and she caught Olivia glaring at random people a few times, but she ignored it. It was easier than it had been before, mostly because she knew that in a few days, she’d be getting back on that plane and going back to her real life. She no longer had to try and fit into this world.
Liam arrived that evening and as soon as he arrived Eleanor could feel all the eyes in the room on her and knew everyone was speculating about her reunion. She noticed that he wasn’t alone, there were bodyguards of course, but also a pretty blonde woman. Eleanor wanted to ask who she was since it was obvious that she was with Liam, but she also knew it wasn’t any of her business, so she resisted the urge to ask Olivia about her.
Still, it didn’t take long for Liam to approach her.
“Eleanor?” Hana asked quietly as they watched Liam approach.
“I’ve got this,” Eleanor assured her friends.
Hana and Olivia both nodded and then disappeared into the crowd as Liam reached her.
“Lady Eleanor,” he greeted in a low voice.
“King Liam,” Eleanor said, automatically curtseying.
“You look well,” he told her, his eyes lingering on her stomach. “I see congratulations are in order.”
Eleanor self-consciously put a hand on top of her bump. “Yes,” she said softly.
“When are you due?” Liam asked quietly.
“In the fall,” Eleanor answered, “I’ve still got four months to go.”
Liam started to say something and then he stopped, glancing around. “Everyone is watching us.”
“Yes,” Eleanor agreed.
“I want to talk to you,” Liam told her, “really talk.” He paused. “Do you think you could meet me somewhere?”
Eleanor hesitated, before nodding.
“How about the study?” Liam suggested, “I doubt anyone will look there. Ten minutes?”
“Ok,” Eleanor agreed. Liam smiled. “Thank you, Lady Eleanor.”
He disappeared back into the crowd and Eleanor went to find her husband. “I’m going to go talk to Liam in the study,” she told him in a low voice.
Dante stiffened. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“I don’t know,” Eleanor said honestly, “but I feel like I owe it to him. I… I don’t want to leave things unfinished.”
She could see Dante’s grip tighten around his glass, but he merely nodded. “Ok.” He put the glass down suddenly on a nearby table and pulled her towards him, giving her a quick, but demanding kiss.
Eleanor was aware that people were watching them, but she shrugged it off. After all they were married, who cared if they kissed in public.
“I love you,” Eleanor said, leaning against him.
“I know,” Dante told her and then sighed, “I’m acting like an idiot.”
“Little bit,” Eleanor agreed with a smile, “but it’s a weird situation, so I’ll cut you some slack.” She leaned up and kissed him again before straightening.
She needed to go meet Liam.
She crossed the hallway and ducked out of sight and then headed in the direction of the Beaumont study.
Liam was already there, a drink in his hand. “Normally I’d ask if you want one, but…” Liam began.
Eleanor laughed as she closed the door behind her, “yeah, no drinking for me.” She crossed the room, so she was standing near him, suddenly feeling nervous. She had no idea what to say.
“I’m getting married,” Liam told her quietly.
“That’s wonderful,” Eleanor told him sincerely. “No one said anything. What’s her name?”
“Amanda,” Liam said softly, “she came to Cordonia to work on her PhD at one of the universities, we met when she requested access to the palace archives.”
“She sounds lovely,” Eleanor said softly, “I take it she’s not Cordonian?”
Liam shook his head, “no, she’s Canadian, though she is of Cordonian heritage.”
Eleanor considered making a joke about his taste for North Americans but thought better of it. “I’m glad because you deserve to be happy, more than anyone I know.” She said instead.
Liam smiled. “Thank you.” He looked at her, a slight wistfulness in his eyes. “I don’t even have to ask if you are happy, I can tell by looking at you.”
“I am,” Eleanor said softly. She bit her lip. “It’s not just Dante, it’s everything. His life works for me, Liam. I am good at being a businessman’s wife, much better than I ever would have been at being a Queen. I can handle charity functions and business dinners. It’s easy in a way your life would never have been.”
“Did you really hate it?” Liam asked her quietly. “You seemed to adapt so well, especially during the social season.”
“I wanted you,” she said simply, “so much, that none of the rest of it mattered. I just focused on you.” She sighed. “And then the scandal hit and… Suddenly, it wasn’t so simple and it suddenly hit me there was a lot more involved than just my feelings for you.”
“I’m sorry,” Liam told her quietly. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Eleanor told him honestly, “you did your best and honestly, you tried to prepare me. It wasn’t your fault I was caught up in the romance.” She reached over and placed her hand over his on the desk. “I don’t regret coming here, Liam, I hope you know that.”
Liam squeezed her hand. “I have to admit, I’ve wondered,” he told her ruefully, “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the way things ended.”
“Me too,” Eleanor admitted, “I never meant to hurt you.” She sighed. “I should have spoken to you earlier, instead of leaving it until the last minute and then just leaving. I just… I was in denial. I wanted to believe that love was enough, that I could be what you needed me to be.”
Liam shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It’s taken me a long time to realize, it wasn’t either of our faults.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Eleanor agreed, meeting his eyes. “I loved you, Liam, and I will never regret that. We were meant to meet, I truly believe that, but that doesn’t mean we were meant to be together. Not every love is meant to last forever.”
It was something she had considered many times over the past two years.
“I owe you a lot,” Liam said quietly, looking down at their linked hands, “you changed my world, Eleanor, and I don’t know if without you I would have been able to summon the strength I’ve needed to guide Cordonia through the challenges of the last few years and I’m not sure I would have recognized love when it came into my life again.”
“You have always given me far too much credit,” Eleanor told him with a smile, “And I owe you a thank you too. I was lost after my parent’s died and I hid from the world. Coming here was the first big risk I took and you gave me that, you helped me heal and rejoin the world.”
There was a moment of silence as they considered each other’s words.
“I’m glad we were able to talk like this,” Liam said finally.
“Me too,” Eleanor told him, “I hated how it ended between us.”
“You know you are welcome in Cordonia anytime,” Liam assured her.
“Thank you,” Eleanor said politely, though she wasn’t sure she would be taking him up on that offer. She was happy to be able to make things right with Liam and she treasured the friends she had here, but she couldn’t see herself ever wanting to spend a lot of time in Cordonia.
“We should probably get back before people noticed we are both gone and start gossiping,” Liam told her.
“That would be bad,” Eleanor agreed, letting go of Liam’s hand.
“I would like to introduce you to Amanda,” Liam told her quietly as she reached for the door.
“I’d like that,” Eleanor said softly, though she admitted it was a little strange, the idea of meeting the woman who would share Liam’s life, but that was how it had worked out. As she’d told Liam, they weren’t each other’s forever love, but luckily they both seemed to have found that.
Eleanor slipped out of the study and back into the ballroom, searching for Dante in the crowd. She quickly found him and wrapped her arms around him.
Dante smiled down at her, his arms going around her waist. “The talk go well?”
“It did,” Eleanor told him, tilting her head back to look at him. “We said what needed to be said and more importantly, we both know that the other is happy.”
That was the most important thing and all she’d ever really wanted for Liam. The hardest part for her had been knowing that she’d left him in Madeleine’s clutches while she’d gone off to be happy. Knowing that he had found happiness and love was a huge weight off her chest. Their love story may not have had a happing ending, but in the end, they had both found happily ever after and that was what mattered.
- End
