It was no secret that Prince William Hargrove, Billy to his family and friends, was a bit of a flirt. And it had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion. Flirting with sons and daughters of visiting dignitaries was not his best plan. Especially when everyone, especially his father, was hell bent on getting him to marry within the next year.
Billy wasn’t ready to get married. At least, not to any of the princes and princesses his father shoved at him, in hopes of forming an alliance with whatever kingdom they were from. But Billy was only interested in one prince.
Prince Steven Harrington.
He was not so easily charmed by Billy as the rest of them were. He gave Billy a run for his money, debating him on everything one minute, then joking and laughing with him the next. It made Billy’s head spin and he found he quite liked it.
But back to Billy’s flirting getting him in trouble.
“I don’t see why we’re holding a ball in the first place,” Max whined, struggling to breathe as she was laced into a form hitting deep green gown that her mother had picked out.
Billy laughed on the other side of the changing panel.
“To introduce you to society. You’re sixteen now. Legal age to wed and all that. Maybe father will bother you now instead of me,” Billy said hopefully.
Max snorted, coming out from behind the panel.
“Doubtful. You’re supposed to wed before I take suitors. Get a move on with that, will you? Sir Lucas has been writing me poetry for months and I’d actually like to be courted by a boy I like and not some gross middle aged man old enough to be father father,” Max said, tongue sticking out in disgust.
Billy laughed, resisting the urge to ruffle his sister’s hair, since it had been done up so nicely for the ball, offering her his arm instead.
“Come on then. Let’s get this ridiculous event over with.”
Max rolled her eyes, but looped her arm through Billy’s anyway, eager to get the event underway. The quicker she made an appearance, the quicker she could sneak out to see Lucas.
The festivities were in full swing. Wine glasses filled to the brim. Despite Max’s complaints, even she seemed to be having a good time, dancing with each of her friends in turn, dancing with Lucas the longest. Billy smiled. He envied his sister finding love so quickly while he sat around and pined, but he didn’t begrudge her for it.
In his youth, Billy had a foul temper and he often took it out on his sister, yelling at her and treating her coldly when she’d done nothing to deserve it. But he’d changed over the last few years and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t have anything to do with a certain, floppy haired, Prince.
Billy sighed, sipping his wine and spacing out, only setting the glass down when he began to feel dizzy….really dizzy. Dizzier than he should feel after a glass and a half of wine. Billy had a split second to realize that something was horribly wrong, before he blacked out, forehead loudly thudding against the table.
Max was the first to notice.
“Billy! Billy wake up! Billy!”
The Prince didn’t stir.
A loud cackling sound filled the ballroom, calling everyone’s attention. Even the King, who was known to be an ass when it came to his son’s well being, was sitting at attention.
A beautiful woman stood in the middle of the room, a deep purple cloak around her shoulders, and a golden staff in her hands.
“What have you done to my brother?!” Max demanded.
The woman smiled.
“Relax, my pet,” she drawled. “I met your brother in the market place and thought perhaps I could offer him my heart. But he spurned my affections,” she said bitterly and yeah, Max had always known her brother’s flirting would get him into trouble. Worse trouble than a lord being put out that he wouldn’t marry his daughter.
“So you poisoned him?” Max asked, angry, but scared all the same.
“Oh no. Where would be the fun in that? I gave him a love potion. The strongest in the world. He will sleep and sleep and sleep, and dream about his love, a love he shall never have, for all eternity,” she laughed cruelly, tapping her cheek with a sharp fingernail. “Unless, he be awakened by true love’s kiss. But who could fall in love with such an arrogant lad?”
“Seize her!” the King yelled, but it was too late. With a snap of her fingers, the woman was gone, leaving in her wake a puff of purple smoke.
And thus began the never ending line of people, men and woman, royals and peasants, who came to visit the sleeping Prince in hopes that it would be their kiss that woke him.
A month into the endeavor and Max was starting to lose hope, as was the rest of the kingdom. Was the witch right? Was Billy truly doomed by not having a true love to call his own?
Then came the day that Prince Steve arrived. He’d not heard the news. He’d come for a visit with his best friend and found him asleep in his bed, looking both troubled and at peace.
“He’s been cursed,” Max told him, explaining the situation to Steve, giving him a pointed look because the way Steve had looked at Billy told her all she needed to know. That boy was head over heels for her brother and it was high time he did something about it.
“What if…what if it doesn’t work?” Steve asked nervously when Max suggested he give kissing Billy a try.
Max gave Steve’s hand a squeeze.
“You’ll never know if you don’t try,” she said, excusing herself to give the two of them some privacy.
Steve sat on the edge of the bed at Billy’s side, brushing his curls back from his face and smiling sadly.
“Only you could manage to get yourself into a mess like this,” he said, “and this is not how I expected our first kiss to go but…” he trailed off, cupping Billy’s cheeks and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
He pulled away, staring hopefully at the sleeping Prince, his heart dropping the longer he didn’t open his eyes.
But then Billy’s lips were parting, a soft groan of discomfort leaving his throat as his eyes slowly opened. His eyes landed on Steve and he smiled fondly.
“I had a feeling it would be you,” he said softly, pulling Steve back for a kiss that was decidedly less innocent than the first.
Steve giggled into the kiss, pulling back and resting his forehead against Billy’s.
“You’re just lucky I thought to come and visit you. Honestly, you are the only person I know who could piss off a witch this badly,” he teased.
“Oh hush, you love it.”
Steve smiled, touching Billy’s cheek.
“Yes. I do.”