Fable Weaver
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DOS Ch-203
🕑 Added 2025-04-01 20:11:12 +0000 UTCTaylor Swift was ecstatic to receive an invitation to the Grammys. Who would have thought that a 17-year-old would be invited to the biggest music award show after releasing just one album, let alone as the date of the most famous star of recent history?
"Are you sure this is fine?" Taylor asked for the umpteenth time.
"I stopped caring about rumors and stuff years ago," Troy said flippantly. "Are you sure you can handle the scrutiny that will follow? People will make up wild stories about you for sure—that’s not even a question."
Taylor’s resolve wavered but soon solidified as she gave him a resolute nod. "Of course, I’m sure. It was my idea, remember?"
The truth was, Taylor didn’t want Troy to walk the red carpet alone. Over the last few months, he had become one of her best friends, and she cared about him deeply. The past month had been especially tough for Troy, with all the media scrutiny, first because of Rihanna’s interview and then because of the song he had released just a few days ago.
"I was so naive until last week," Taylor said, changing the subject. "I used to think award shows were simple—you go there in the evening, have fun, and then go home. Now here I am at three, waiting for the Grammys to start."
Troy chuckled. "I’ve been up since six. Had an intense workout in the morning, followed by rehearsals for the show since I’m performing today. And we’re early only because of the pre-telecast ceremony. I explained this to you. They allow a limited people to this ceremony. Even my parents decided not to come because it was too boring for their tastes."
Taylor crossed her arms petulantly. "I don’t like it. They give away the Best Country Song at the pre-ceremony. I’m a country singer. If I win tomorrow, it won’t even be telecast."
"They give away more than ninety awards, Tay," Troy explained again. "If they aired all of them, the ceremony would be too long, and no one would watch. They have to cut corners for the sake of business. I think it’s better that people watch a limited number of awards rather than no one watching any of them. And if you’re that worried about it, become so good at your music that you win one of the main awards that transcend genres."
Taylor couldn’t argue with that logic, so she said nothing else.
Soon enough, their limousine stopped in front of the venue for the pre-telecast ceremony.
"You ready?" Troy asked. "As soon as we walk out, people will think we’re together, no matter what we say. You can still back out now. Stay in the car, and the driver can circle the block before bringing you in."
"No," Taylor insisted. "Let’s do this."
Troy didn’t ask again. He lightly tapped on the window, signaling the guard outside to open the door. The moment it opened, Troy stepped out, waving confidently to the crowd as countless flashes erupted around him in unison. Then, like a gentleman, he turned back and offered Taylor his arm. She took it, stepping out gracefully. The flowing fabric of her gown trailed behind her, making her feel like a real princess being escorted by her prince charming.
She smiled at Troy in gratitude as they walked the red carpet. During her media training, her new manager had drilled into her relentlessly about the importance of maintaining a specific public appearance.
When Troy bought her contract, he also brought in a full team of experts—publicists, stylists, nutritionists, the whole shebang. And, of course, a manager dedicated solely to her. Troy had made it clear that he had no unreasonable expectations—only that she focus on her music. He had even offered to write a few songs for her, but she had declined the offer for now. She would write her own lyrics, and maybe afterward, he could help produce her songs. Troy was a brilliant producer, after all, so it would be foolish to turn him down completely.
“Troy! Taylor!” A female voice called out in surprise. “What a great surprise to see you two together.”
“Jessica, right?” Troy asked the reporter smoothly, likely having met her before. At her eager nod, he continued, “It shouldn’t be a surprise at all that Taylor and I are here together. My record label has an exclusive deal with her, and going forward, we’ll be collaborating on a few songs for my second album.”
Taylor decided to add a few words herself. “Troy is the best mentor I could have ever gotten. He’s perfect at everything, and his musical sense is out of this world. I’m beyond lucky to have my debut tour with him.”
“Stop. I’ll blush,” Troy joked, delivering the line with exaggerated flair, making Taylor giggle.
The tour was the biggest reason they had grown so close. More than two weeks of constant travel together left them with nothing to do but talk—and talk they did. By now, they knew almost everything about each other. At least, Troy knew everything about her.
“Seriously, though,” Troy continued before pointing at Taylor, “standing beside me is one of the greatest female artists of the 21st century. Or she will be in the future. Mark my words.”
Taylor couldn’t help but blush profusely. Troy said things like that all the time, but this was the first time he had said it in an interview.
Jessica grinned even wider at his proclamation. “Can’t wait for that day. By the way, I loved ‘That’s Hilarious.’ It’s been on a loop on my iPod ever since it came out. It’s so damn catchy.”
“Thank you,” Troy nodded before glancing past the reporter. “Looks like it’s getting a little late. It was nice talking to you, Jessica.” Then he offered Taylor his arm again, and together they walked forward, ignoring calls from other reporters.
Taylor didn’t have to be a genius to know that Troy didn’t want to talk about his latest song—that was why he had pulled her into the conversation.
Just when Taylor thought nothing else could go wrong, she spotted three people talking in a corner. People who needed no introduction.
Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Rihanna.
Troy saw them for sure, but he didn’t go over to greet them. Instead, he picked up his pace and led Taylor to the other side of the hall.
“Are you okay, Troy?” Taylor asked.
“I am,” he nodded. “Come on, let’s take our seats inside.”
Within minutes, they were inside the main theater. Everything was so grand. The staff members practically fawned over Troy as they guided him and Taylor to their seats at the very front of the hall.
Finally seated, Taylor asked, “Why aren’t you backstage? Don’t you have to prepare for your opening act?”
“All performances happen live during the main broadcast, so no, I don’t have to be there yet. This part won’t even be telecast, so it doesn’t matter much.”
Taylor nodded in understanding as they waited for the ceremony to begin, which it did soon enough.
Unlike most award shows she had watched on TV, this one was much more boring. Now it made sense why they didn’t broadcast it. The main host, Jamie Foxx, read out the names of the presenters one by one, who then came on stage and directly announced the winners. The nominees weren’t even mentioned. Even the speeches were short and to the point—there was little reason to thank a bunch of people when the show wouldn’t be aired.
Of the more than ninety awards being given that year, Troy was nominated for eight in the pre-ceremony and six in the main one.
After ten minutes of handing out awards, a category finally came up where he was nominated: Best Short Form Video.
“And the Grammy goes to…” The musician, whom Taylor didn’t recognize, opened the envelope before reading the name. “Sugar. Troy Armitage, Evan Spader, and Stephen Daldry.”
Taylor jumped up along with Troy, hugging him tightly. She probably shrieked, but she was too pumped by his win to realize it at the time. After separating from her, Troy quickly walked up on stage beside his brother, Evan Spader, and accepted the trophy.
In that moment, Taylor realized something important—Troy Armitage had just become the youngest person ever to complete an EGOT.
“Thank you to the Academy for this huge honor,” Troy said succinctly before handing the mic to Evan.
Evan looked shy under the spotlight but gathered enough courage to say, “This is for Stephen Daldry, without whom this wouldn’t be possible. Also, Troy, Steve, Kathy—I owe this and everything in my life to you. So, thank you!”
From where Taylor sat, she could see Evan tearing up on stage—but not for long, as Troy pulled him into a brotherly hug before they were escorted offstage and back to their seats.
“Thank God there are no seat fillers here,” Troy said, passing his Grammy trophy to Taylor to observe closely. “Now that I think about it, I like these types of award shows—no media interviews immediately after your win.”
“That was a fairly short speech,” Taylor noted, admiring the golden gramophone in her hands.
Troy shrugged. “I’ve won so many awards that I’ve lost count. It’s better if he has his moment. Also, I don’t wanna make a speech to a bunch of people who aren’t even present here and won’t even see it on TV. When the show’s over, I’ll give them a call to thank them in person.”
Taylor looked at him as if he were crazy. “But you just EGOT-ed! How are you so calm?”
A look of realization crossed Troy’s face before he nodded. “You’re right. I had forgotten about that.”
Taylor shook her head. “Only you could forget about winning the biggest honor that everyone in the entertainment business is vying for.”
Troy just shrugged before turning his attention back to the ceremony. Taylor, however, kept staring at the enigma sitting beside her—someone who broke world records at the drop of a hat and yet remained unfazed, as if it didn’t matter much.
Soon enough, another category where Troy was nominated came up—Best Song Written for Visual Media (Blinding Lights).
There wasn’t even a question about this category. Echoes of You was the biggest movie soundtrack ever, so it not winning was simply not an option. And sure enough, her prediction came true.
“The Grammy goes to… Troy Armitage for Blinding Lights.”
Troy handed his first Grammy to Taylor before walking up to the stage to accept his second of the night.
“I want to thank the audience for listening to my songs,” Troy said humbly before leaving the stage. Another short speech that amazed the audience.
And then, it started a trend. Over the next hour, Troy was called on stage multiple times to receive a trophy, and each time, he gave a similarly generic speech.
By the time the ceremony was nearing its end, Troy had already won six:
Best Short Video (Sugar)
Best Song Written for Visual Media (Blinding Lights)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (Echoes of You)
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Echoes of You)
Best Rock Song (Radioactive)
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (Someone You Loved)
The only award he lost was Best Solo Rock Vocal (Radioactive).
Now, all the awards for the non-televised ceremony had been given out except one—Best Dance Recording.
To present the award, Christina Aguilera stepped onto the stage and opened the envelope. She glanced toward the opposite side of the hall, exactly where Jay-Z and his clique were sitting, before shifting her gaze to Troy.
“Okay, this is not awkward at all,” she joked before reading the name. “Troy Armitage and Rihanna for We Found Love.”
With this win, Troy had secured seven Grammys. Even if he only won Best New Artist in the main ceremony, he had already made history. Michael Jackson and Santana held the record for the most Grammy wins in a single night at eight each, and now, Troy was almost guaranteed to match that record, if not surpass it.
But that was all secondary for Taylor because the real moment of interest was Troy sharing the stage with Rihanna. Judging by the sudden silence in the hall, everyone else had realized it too.
Taylor squeezed Troy’s hand one last time in support just as he got up from his seat.
(Break)
I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
I had thought our chances of winning were slim to none, but I was so wrong. And now, here I was, walking toward the stage while watching Rihanna do the same. The only difference was that we were on opposite sides.
I may not like her much right now, but I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. Her hair was cropped short for the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, and she wore a sleek beige dress that ended mid-thigh, showing off her long, shapely legs. The way she was looking at me… it wasn’t much different from how I was looking at her.
Yet, I knew it was impossible for us to get back together.
We had said and done too much. I couldn’t trust her. Not right now. Not to mention, I was still angry with her. And that anger wouldn’t just disappear because she was throwing a pleading look my way.
We reached center stage at the same time, leaving Christina Aguilera in a bit of a conundrum—she had only one trophy to hand out. In the end, she chose Rihanna.
Rihanna took her first-ever Grammy and turned to me. I gestured toward the mic, silently giving her the floor. She hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.
“I’m so sorry, Troy,” she began, her voice raw.
I blinked, caught off guard. I hadn’t expected that.
“I’m so sorry for everything,” she continued. “You were the best thing to happen to me in forever, and I ruined it in my immaturity. This award is nothing compared to everything else you helped me achieve in my career. I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me someday for my mistakes.”
Either this was a PR move to smooth things over, or…
Ah, fuck it. I’m being too paranoid. Of course, it wasn’t a PR move. This was Rihanna. I knew her better than any other person in the room.
Rihanna was many things, but a good actress wasn’t one of them. Those tears, the way her lip quivered—none of that could be faked.
And even if, in some remote possibility, this was just a calculated move, I couldn’t not forgive her right now. Otherwise, I’d look like a petty asshole in front of the entire industry and probably th world if this clip gets leaked out.
She stepped back, giving me the stage. By now, a stagehand had already handed me my seventh Grammy of the night, so Rihanna didn’t need to pass me hers.
I stood at the mic, searching for the right words. In the end, I decided to be honest.
“I didn’t want to attend the Grammys,” I admitted, my voice steady. “I used to think I was just an actor cosplaying as a musician. That sooner or later, I’d change back into my street clothes and return to my world of acting. So I didn’t want to disrespect the Grammys by showing up.”
I glanced at Rihanna.
“But then, this amazing girl came to me and literally slapped some sense into me. She told me exactly how wrong I was. She’s one of the most dedicated and hardworking people I’ve ever had the chance to work with, and it was a true blessing to get to know her.”
I turned fully toward her.
“Thank you for everything.”
The crowd erupted in applause as I stepped away from the mic and headed toward the stairs.
“Troy,” Rihanna called after me.
I turned back.
“Can we please talk?” she asked, her voice softer now. “Just five minutes.”
According to tonight’s itinerary, I had about an hour before the main ceremony’s red carpet event began. And if I were being honest, I was curious.
I gave her a small nod. “Alright. When this is over. I’ll text you my location.”
I had booked a hotel room nearby to change my clothes and prepare for the second part of the day. It’s better if Rihanna meets me there, away from prying eyes.
Comments
Nit2000
I LOVE Troy’s friendship with Ty!!! Best friends forever!!! Can’t wait for next chapter
TheLazyWarrior
You'll find out in the next chapter.
Mister Kap
You know, I’m surprised the Grammy organizers, knowing Troy and Rihanna won this one, wouldn’t have placed this award in the televised set. Even if it would usually not be televised, would they still give up on the TV drama moment?
Nicholas Ace
I think they will resolve and put this drama behind. Remember, they are just 18, and teenagers can be petty and dramatic. Author has been matured and realistic with the breakup so far, so I will put faith in him to give us the good stuff!!
James Harrold
This please.
TheLazyWarrior
Your questions will be answered next chapter
Raven Blanchard
Fable omg omg I am begging here can you please let this end without any drama and with Troy and Rihanna as friends? It'd be hilarious if Troy and Rihanna become so mature about the whole thing that not even Jay-Z's or anyone else's shit-stirring could ruin their friendship.
Raven Blanchard
Lmao! At first I kinda wanted to smack you for ruining the optimistic note the chapter ended at, but... real's real. Jay-Z will defo do something. Or the media. Can't forget the media.
NayTheArtist 1
OK, but the rest of the songs can’t be dropped now, can they? They make up and have a sincere apology publicly, and then he drops an album blasting her saying bullets ricochet.. I didn’t see the story going this way, which is nice you know keep me on my toes. But I am a little confused on why he would release the album now. I feel like if he does release it it’s just gonna seem petty and contrary to what he just said during the speech.
James Harrold
I don't think filming the meeting is necessary, maybe just audio recording it. Only minor problem is that California is a two party consent state.
Jarod lane
Tftc!!
Ju
Awwwww
James Harrold
Loved this chapter, This should lower the hate from the fans on both sides.
Benoit Valtin
I advise him to bring in bodyguards and film the interview...
Ant1h3ld
Aww, this is nice. Now, how will the Media/Jay-Z ruin it?
