Wine and Sympathy
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- I’ve been thinking a lot about the background I created for Eleanor and how that background would be affecting her mental state with all the intrigue going on in Cordonia. I also thought about how much she and Olivia have in common and that Olivia might be the person she could open up to. So this was born. It’s set immediately after the end of Chapter 8.
Pairing- Minor Liam/Eleanor, implied Olivia/Liam
Rating- PG
Summary- Olivia and Eleanor share a moment of understanding during the engagement tour.
Words- 1237
“Did you find out anything interesting?”
I looked up to see Olivia standing in my doorway. She quickly closed the door behind her.
“I am amazed by how you manage to come and go, without anyone seeing you.” I told her, “we’re on a train.”
She shrugged. “I have my ways. Enough small talk, how was the fashion show?”
“Informative,” I answered. I hesitated for a moment and then told Olivia what I’d learned. Maybe I was foolish, but I trusted her.
She didn’t look as shocked as I’d expected. In fact, she didn’t look surprised at all. She saw me staring and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Eleanor, sometimes I swear you are too naïve to survive at court. Of course, Bastian is involved or someone like him. This goes all the way to the top.” She shook her head. “Who else would have information about my parents? It has been concealed for twenty years. It was awfully convenient that that information emerged now.”
She was right, of course. I hadn’t given it a lot of thought since I’d been so busy trying to figure out who had set me up. But, as complex as the conspiracy against me seemed to be, the one against Olivia was even more so and pointed to someone in a position of power.
“You think the King or Queen are involved?” I realized slowly. The thought had never occurred to me. Maybe because they had both seemed above that kind of thing. But also because they were Liam’s parents. However, I was quickly realizing how few people I could trust.
“I don’t know,” Olivia admitted, “but I know it’s someone with a lot of power and access.”
“What do you know about Liam’s mother?” I asked suddenly, thinking about what he’d told me that night on his balcony. He’d said it was a secret, but I thought there was a chance Olivia might be in on it, given that she’d grown up at the palace.
Olivia froze and then let out a deep breath, “what do you know about Liam’s mother?”
“The same thing you do,” I answered, seeing the truth in her face.
“He really does love you,” Olivia said quietly, almost to herself. “If he trusts you that much.”
I just nodded, not knowing what else to say. We were allies and I hoped we’d be friends, but Liam was still the barrier between us. We both loved him.
“Drake told me there was an assassination attempt on the royal family when he was in college,” I said after a moment.
Olivia nodded, “yes. I’d moved back to Lythikos by then, so I wasn’t there. I came afterward, of course. Liam said he was fine, but he wasn’t himself. I tried to comfort him, but…” There was a flush to her face and then she looked away, suddenly unable to meet my gaze. “I wasn’t what he needed.”
She sighed and then reached for her bag, pulling out of a bottle of wine. “I need a drink.”
“You carry wine in your purse?” I asked in surprise.
“It’s not like this train would have anything worth drinking,” Olivia pointed out, “and I certainly don’t trust your taste in wine.” She walked over to the small cabinet and pulled out two glasses. She poured us each one and then sat down on the bed.
I sat down beside her, sipping the wine. “Do I have to give a pretentious review?”
Olivia made a face, “please don’t.”
We drank in silence for a moment. “I’m scared,” I said finally, my hands clasped around the glass. “You should be,” Olivia said flatly, “Cordonia is a dangerous place. You have no idea what you got yourself into.”
“I’m starting to figure it out,” I told her, “but yeah, when I got on that plane, I never imagined conspiracy theories and attempted assassinations.” I sighed. “And the thing is, I know going home won’t change anything, because it might keep me safe, but Liam would still be in danger. At least, here, I can do something.”
“Exactly,” Olivia told me, “and we are doing something. We’re going to unravel this mess, for Liam’s sake as much as for our own. This is the only way to keep him safe.” There was a fierceness in her voice as she talked about Liam and I was reminded again of just how much she cared for him.
“Does he know you’re back yet?” I asked, thinking of how she’d been keeping a low profile.
“He might have heard by now, but we haven’t spoken,” Olivia admitted, “I’m not… He’ll want to know why I left and I’m not ready to tell him.”
I could understand and respect that. I took another sip of my wine. It really was very good. Especially since I didn’t have to make up some fancy description.
“This must be terrible for you,” Olivia said after a moment and there was no scorn in her voice, she sounded sincere, “given your history.” I must have looked surprised because she sighed, “I told you I had a file on you, Eleanor. It was very thorough.”
Of course. She knew about my parents. The idea didn’t bother me as much as it normally would, maybe it was wine or maybe it was the genuine sympathy on her face and the knowledge that this was one of the few things we had in common. We both loved Liam and we both knew what it was like to lose people we loved in a brutal way.
“I’ve been having nightmares,” I admitted, as I poured us each another glass of wine. “I hadn’t had one in over a year, before coming to Cordonia, but now I have them all the time. Except sometimes, it’s not my parents, but it’s Liam. He’s the one that’s been gunned down.”
“I’m still so angry at my parents,” Olivia admitted, “and lately they’ve been all I can think about. Why they did it. When they kissed me goodbye that night did they know what would happen? Was it worth the risk for them?” She threw back the contents of her glass of wine and then reached for the bottle again.
“Aren’t you supposed to savor wine that costs more than most people make in a month?”
“Not tonight,” Olivia answered, pouring the remainder of the bottle into her glass. “Not with this kind of conversation.” She had a point there.
“Do you think Madeleine is in on it?” I asked curiously.
Olivia made a face, “I have no idea. I mean, it certainly goes beyond her, however, someone wanted her to be queen. I just don’t know if she was in on or if it just worked out in her favor.”
“She told Liam he could keep me as a mistress,” I admitted, making a face. “The night before the Coronation ball and she’s made it very clear that I can have Liam, as long as I’m discreet.”
“And that’s why Liam deserves better,” Olivia told me and I could hear the determination in her voice. “Which is why we’re going to keep digging until we find something. For Liam.”
She held up her glass.
“For Liam,” I agreed, clinking my glass against hers.
I brought the glass to my lips, Olivia and I might not be friends yet, but we understood each other, and for now, that was enough.
End
