i believe in angels

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Embracing Grace tightly in his arms, it was needless to say that he was overjoyed to see her once again. “Just a few days ago.” He answered, pulling away from her he held onto her shoulders and carefully looked her over. “Are you okay? Where you hurt at all? Did you come here with Luka…or Laela?” He asked pleading to reunite with his siblings. However, he still remained concerned over the blonde. After all she was once meant to be his sister-in-law, even though the betrothal between her and his brother has been canceled…Leo still looks at her as his family. 

Eventually he completely pulled away, the smile on his face never vanishing. “You have no idea how great it is to see you.” He stated. “Have you eaten anything?”

ƒ

“No, no, I’m fine,” she assured him and held him at arm’s length to give him a once-over. Other than the cursory bruises and cuts, he seemed...fine. “I’ve seen them both. They’re around here somewhere, Luka and Laela both. I know they’ll be more than happy to see you. Relieved as well.”

At least until the realization dawned on them that with all three Rossi children out of the way, Victor could continue his reign of terror in Europe. Part of Grace worried for her father and brother. 

“I can eat if you need to. I had some fruit earlier.”

                            Talks With  ➝ @classiciisms

                                                     __________

After taking a much needed shower, Leo went to the Canteen - with some help with directions. It was an adjustment, getting captured and working as a custodian at the canteen. Suppose it was all better than being locked in a dungeon getting chained to the wall. Still he kept his mouth shut and continued to work, as best as he could. Once his shift was over, he grabbed some bread that was left over from the lunch hour. 

There were a few people he recognized on the island but he still struggled with seeing his closest friends and family, he wasn’t giving up. How big could this island actually be? As he walked around aimlessly, his sights were on his surroundings and not to the person he was walking up behind…least until he accidentally bumped into her. “Oh, I’m sorry miss…” Though as his eyes focused on seeing who it was he could help but to hug her in a tight hug for a few seconds before pulling back. 

“You have no idea how good it is to see you, Grace.” 

Grace had barely eaten over the past day or so, not since new books had finally come in to the library and she could actually go through them. Categorized by genre, alphabetical, and by author. By the time it was done, she was exhausted and now fruit and bread seemed to be her diet. 

Just when she thought she’d been home free, she bumped into someone and when her mouth opened to apologize, she was pulled into a tight embrace. 

What?

A familiar voice took her back and she craned her neck in surprise. “Leo? Oh, my goodness! When did you get here?”

Part of Grace often wondered if she had given up her Monegasque crown too soon, but the other part of her knew she had made the right decision. Ben reversing his abdication put things back the way they were and restored her betrothal to Luka. 

It was always going to be him, it seemed. 

“Think I can steal a bit of your attention for an evening or so, mon roméo?” she inquired once she made her way towards him. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. I figured we could take over the kitchen in the Canteen for a while.” 

💬 - words / quotes

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Hearing a voice behind her, she automatically stood to her find…the mysterious box still in her clutches. Devyn couldn’t help but to look at the damn thing as if the key would just mysteriously appear before her, or the lock came undone. Nope…still locked. How clique did it really look? A pirate hunting and finding treasure…not realizing it from her talons. Finders keepers, right? Besides she’s deadly curious to see what was inside. 

“Seems precious enough for the person to lock it and apparently eat the key.” She commented back, not actually joking about the key part. Seemed now like she was going on her deep dive adventure to find the thing first. It’ll open one way or another and she was going to be the one to open it. 

Clearing her throat she shifted her feet, “Have you ever kept something so precious to yourself in a locked box to only loose it…or toss it out to the sea?” 

♛

Grace had had several trinkets she found precious, but few that she would simply lock away to keep in the sand. It wasn’t as if she could keep anything she found on the island, not even the precious pieces of sea glass. 

“I don’t think so. I think pirates would likely kill me if I tried to send anything out to sea anyhow,” she replied. Yet she couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Do you have a knife to see if you can pry it open? I might have some craft pliers in Tulach House.”

Mina took Grace’s hand, chuckling to herself. “I would be lying if I said that wasn’t the first time I did it,” she said with a smile. She managed to get herself up and dusted off what she could. “My ability to always land on my ass has both helped and hurt me many times.” 

“I learned how to keep my phone in my pocket and not walk and text simultaneously,” she pointed out with a laugh. It had also helped that she’d had her own assistant to do said heavy lifting for her. “I do have to give you an eight for the landing.”

                                                 Open Talks 🖛                                             ________________

New rules were settling in the island and she saw more royals with their phones in their hands. They were only able to text those who where on the island and listen to Spotify and to a degree, Devyn couldn’t fault them for wanting to escape their realities in some music - or laugh with the person they were messaging. Perhaps it was because she was able to use her own phone whenever she had wanted with more to do that she was bored with her phone - or she really just preferred living in reality, breathing in the fresh air. Walking towards the coves, her guard being on alert after what happened only a few days or so ago. There was something the reflected in her gaze - her curiosity struck and walked over to it.  Brushing the sand away from the object, it was a box…. Such a damn cliche a pirate uncovering treasure. However there was a lock. Thus when she picked it up and pulled against the lock. looking over at Dex she sighed. 

“How lucky would we have to be for there to be a key around here, huh boy?” 

.

A phone had been heaven. Out of nothing but habit, she’d logged in a schedule to the calendar. Even if it was unnecessary as of late, it gave Grace some semblance of control over her life. She took small comfort in the buzzing reminders to be at the Canteen for food or to be at the library. Another small comfort was the songs she was allowed to play on low. Grace hadn’t realized just how much she missed it, save for the piano she’d played over at the Tulach House, or the guitar she’d found and tuned. It muddled her thoughts in a way she hadn’t felt in over a year and a half. It had no other access to the internet, no way for her to keep up on the latest news of her life back home. Ben could be king now for all she knew.

Grace instead hummed to herself as she made her way down the coastline, some silly show tune from her childhood playing low on the speaker. She spotted the foreign box in the pirate’s hand as she edged closer and she couldn’t resist peering over. “Looks like some keepsake,” she commented.

Mina was enjoying this new way of life on the island. Having a phone was something she hadn’t expected, even if it did only text other people on the island. It was better than nothing. She was walking along the pathway, already texting on her phone. With her face in her screen, she missed the uneven surface of the walkway. She felt the trip happen about a second before she would land on her face. In a clearly practiced move, she managed to turn and look like she was sitting. “Hell yes,” she said softly. “And the phone is still okay. I’ve still got it.” 

Grace had long since learned to keep her phone in her pocket while outdoors. It was a habit after years of keeping a cellphone. No pulling it out in public. It made her own clumsiness completely her fault. She watched Mina stumble and fall on to the ground and held out her hand to help her up. “You alright? That was quite the fantastic spill.”

Fabien sighed, shrugging is response to her question. “I don’t know what I want” he admitted. “But I would have liked the chance to figure that out for myself.” Between his parents and the pirates, he’d been stripped of the ability to make most choices for himself. “I want to be happy, I guess. I want you to be happy too.” 

.

Grace took a deep cleaning breath and lowered her head on to her hands. She smoothed them over her hair, fingers gripping the back of her neck. “I just...hope you know that I never want to keep you from that. If you love someone, I won’t keep you from loving them.” Her happiness took a backseat to the good of a country and she’d long since come to terms with that reality. The duty she had for her family outweighed any selfish desires she could have possibly had. Queens were the king’s right hand; they bore the heirs, they arranged charities, they were role models for women, they were figures in future history, and all eyes were on her. “I mean, this is political. You’re my friend and I never want to put you in a bad place.”

“It doesn’t,” he tersely replied, not wanting to delve into the subject matter. The bonfire event was another reminder of his lengthy stay on the island. Grace was there almost as long as him, same with Teddy. Directing his gaze to her wine, he smiled. Like Grace he enjoyed a good, crisp white wine. “Riesling is way too sweet. You went right with Pinot Gris.” Since his family owned their own vineyards he was well versed in the different types of wine, as well as the wine making process. Being stuck on the island made him miss many things including those freshly bottled wines.

Moving his attention back to Grace, he decided to take a seat on the sand. He’d eventually head back to the party, but momentarily he needed a break. “I’m happy with them, but…” Wasn’t there always a ‘but’ that was filled with uncertainties? “I’m ready to go home. Too much has happened on this island and the other,” he revealed with hardened eyes. “I’m surprised you aren’t berating me for falling for a pirate. I probably would if I were in your shoes.”

Grace looked down at her wine with a small, soft smile. “Yeah, the wine is great. It’s very fresh-tasting.” Any other time prior to the island, she’d offer him a sip. And part of her hated that she had to try and separate and untangle her heart from him, despite the fact that he held it. “Pinot Gris was always my favorite.” Fresh wine was her favorite versus aged wine some preferred. 

She lowered herself to sit beside him, tucking the glass between her knees. Wasn’t she familiar with that? Love over duty. She’d sacrificed love for duty in the largest way, sacrificed it for the good of Monaco and for what? For her brother to reclaim it? 

Grace listened to him talk and she let out a soft breath. “Luka, I’m the last person who will ever judge you for going for your heart, even if it led you to loving a pirate,” she told him, nudging playfully with her elbow. “Even if you’d never let me hear the end of it. If that pirate makes you happy, that’s all I want. And duty beckons us both. You for Italy and me...” she forced herself to trail off. If it wasn’t France, it would be for some other crown prince. It was likely Jareth thought she was doing Grace a favor by pairing her with someone she knew, rather than a complete stranger. At the very least, Luka and Fabien both had the luxury of discreet affairs; Grace wasn’t allowed to partake in them with men. Queens and wives couldn’t, not unless they wanted to question an heir’s paternity. “...we know my ending.”