"Do you ever feel like a chess piece yourself? In a game being played against your will."
"Do you?"
"Constantly. I see them leaning in and moving me around the board...I'm sure half the politicians are ready to seize hold of my skirts and drag me from square to square."
"Then you had better master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can."
"You don't recommend I find a husband to play it for me?"
"I should find one to play it with you, not for you."
Victoria and Albert, The Young Victoria (2009)
He turns onto Boulevard de Waterloo when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He hopes that it's not his boss calling him back to the office. It's well after 9.00pm now and he's already spent better part of the last fourteen hours there, much like he has every day for the last couple of months since the terrorist attacks that tried to blow the city apart, the city that he was trying to make a conscious effort to call home.
It wasn't until he arrived on the Eurostar at Midi Station, with one suitcase and a backpack, that he realised just how long he'd been struggling to breathe.
Brussels was new. It was clean, tidy and the Europeanness of the place appealed to him. There was art, culture and a sense of propriety. London had been a gear change from Vegas, Brussels was an entirely different breath of fresh air.
Plus, he liked the Belgian beer.
He's not sure where he thought he had acquired the skills to be considered a Consultant on Security Protocols and Crisis Management, but after a late night, drunken online job application and no doubt someone in a very high place providing a glowing reference, the European Defence Agency were keen to hire him. So, as they were the first organisation to come calling after he made the decision to finally leave London, he accepted the job offer and packed up his one bedroom basement flat in Shoreditch in less than two hours.
He finally manages to fish his phone from the pocket of his suit trousers before frowning at the caller ID. He considers answering, briefly, before rejecting the call outright. He continues walking, wondering whether to stop for a beer before heading home. He does his best to ignore any curiosity as to why he had been on a receiving end of a call from the Palace secure line, and how on earth they managed to get his number.
It's been a fucking year already.
He is irritated and failing miserably at putting the call to the back of his mind as he reaches the entrance of the metro station. As he turns to descend the stairs he almost mows down a girl travelling up the down side. The irritation almost boils over until he sees who it is.
"Fucking hell, you do know they put arrows on these stairs so shit like me knocking you on your ass doesn't happen? Christ sake, I just finished work and was thinking about grabbing a beer…"
He trails off when he notices the serious look on her face, which for the most part these days is entirely out of character. His shoulders stiffen and he is almost positive she's been crying.
"You haven't seen the news have you?"
He frowns and shakes his head. She thrusts her own phone into his hand, page open on the BBC news website. He narrows his eyes and is immediately drawn to the top story.
KING LIAM IN LIFE THREATENING COMA
His breath catches in his throat and clicks on the story, opening another page to read how Liam had been thrown from his horse during a polo match. According to the article, which unusually was reporting detail given from a trusted Palace source, the King has suffered severe head trauma, spinal injury and a punctured lung. Nothing had been officially released from the Palace to confirm the King's true condition, but one source was all it would take for the world to sit up and pay attention.
He turns to walk back up the stairs and onto the open street, suddenly needing fresh air. He pulls his own phone out and checks to see if a voicemail was left by the previous caller but there was none. He sits down on a nearby bench, head falling into his hands.
"What are you going to do?" she asks nervously as she comes to sit next to him.
"I honestly have no fucking clue. Someone tried to call me from inside the Palace about fifteen minutes ago. I don't know why I should do anything, I don't work for them anymore, I have..."
"...a giant stick up your arse, is what you have," she replies without missing a beat, "you started over, we both did, but this isn't something you can ignore."
He is about to protest when his phone starts ringing again.
She shrugs her shoulders, settling back onto the bench pulling out a Marlboro to light. He sighs and swipes his thumb across the screen. Before he can offer any kind of greeting, good or bad, he is confronted by a less-than-composed but familiar voice, one that is usually always calm under pressure. He is set on edge immediately.
"Frost, it's time to come home…"
James Hill doesn't make it a request, it's an order. He seeks out her eyes, needing something to calm and ground him when he feels like his moorings have been cut out from under him.
"...and bring Imogen with you."
Note: Dun, dun, dun! Did you think it was Eleanor? But chill out, I hope you guys pick up on the vibe that Imogen and Jasper are just friends.
So anyway, I mentioned previously in another fic that I fancied trying my hand at a story where Eleanor becomes the HBIC. This is my attempt. It might be good, it might not be but I just want to write and see where it takes me. I've read only one other fic about Eleanor being Queen (and I think Happycat might be going that route with her new one too?) but hopefully this will be a little different and be true to the British rules in relation to Succession etc.
One other thing, in case it wasn't obvious I'm inspired by the story of Queen Victoria (the title is a quote) and how she was fearless in her rule, but loved equally fiercely in her marriage. Without giving anything away for my fic, I think Eleanor would be the heart that the Monarchy needs in this show :)
No idea how often I'll update this, but I'll get there! I just hope you like it and aren't put off at the first hurdle.
Next update to 'When We're In The Dark' will be this weekend :)
Thanks again for reading, Ave x