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Make a wish

Simon sighed as he made this way through the corridors of the hospital. By know he knew every turn by heart and could make the route from the bus stop to his cousin’s room with his eyes closed. She had lived at the hospital far too long for any child and he had made far too many visits to this place, often several times a week. 

Little Sophia was only two years old when she got sick and now she was turning five in four months. Simon was fiercely protective of the little girl, feeling like they had a connection. She wasn’t only his baby cousin, they also shared similar experiences with dads with drug problems and mum’s who would do anything for their children. Ever since she was born and he got to hold her for the first time he had sworn he was going to protect her and not let anything hurt her. 

He couldn’t protect her from this, couldn’t take away her pain or trade places with her. He would in an instance if he got the chance. He would give everything for her to be safe and happy again. But at least he could visit her as often as he could, like today when he had no lectures or seminars to attend. 

He knocked on the door before opening it. Sofia was sitting up in bed, all snuggled up in her favorite blanket with her Ipad resting on her bent legs. She looked kind of well. Like it was one of the better days.

Aunt Mia looked up from the books she was reading. She had dark circles underneath her eyes but she smiled as she spotted Simon in the doorway and immediately got up to hug him. It took a few more seconds for Sofia to notice his arrival but when she did she ripped off her headphones.

“Simon,” she squealed happily. 

“Hi, Fia,” he said and walked over to her. 

She jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he laughed as he hugged her tightly. Once she let go of him he plopped her down on the bed again and she crawled to the side, making room for him next to her. 

“I’m watching Tangled,” she explained, “We can watch it together.”

He casted a glance over to aunt Maria to wordlessy check on his cousin without alerting her. She seemed happy enough but Simon wanted to make sure it was a good day. Mia nodded and Simon felt relief rush through him. If it was a good day for her it was a good day for him.

“And there will be a surprise later today,” Maria said. “Won’t there, Fia?”

“Yeah,” Sofia said excitedly, “But mum won’t tell me what it is.”

“But if she did it wouldn't be a surprise right?” Simon said as he turned towards his aunt.

She had definitely not mentioned anything special happening that day but she just winked at him. Apparently it was a surprise to him as well. 

He settled next to her on the bed, making sure to drape the blanket around her again. She unplugged her headphones so both of them could hear and pushed the play button. She was in the middle of the movie but Simon had watched it so many times with her that he knew the whole movie by heart so he didn’t mind.

They were almost at the very end when there was a knock on the door. Sofia looked up. 

“Who could that be?” Aunt Maria said. “Come in,” she called.

A second later the door opened and Simon couldn't help the way his mouth dropped as he spotted the person who stood in the doorway.

“You are the Prince,” Sofiia said, looking in awe at the person who had stepped into the room. 

It was the Crown Prince standing there, and next to him a couple of bodyguards who seemed to step aside when the prince had entered and they had made sure the room was safe.

Simon didn’t like to admit it but Prince Wilhelm looked stunning and in person even more beautiful than in pictures. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, least of all to his friends that were always vocal about their dislike of the monarchy. 

Simon wasn’t as vocal about it but had never liked them either, there was always something that felt off with Queen Kristina and the whole idea that they had just inherited all their privilege and wealth without having to do anything to deserve it didn’t sit well with him. The idea that the taxes people paid went to one family and supported their lux and extravagant lifestyle was seriously messed up, especially when there were families in Sweden that struggled to make ends meet every month. Simon had never paid much attention to the royal family even though Sara had gone to school with the youngest prince for three years. She hadn’t been very impressed with him either in the end and had never uttered a word about him at home. 

He knew about the biggest and most recent scandals and news, the fight that made the prince move to Hillerska in the first place, Crown Prince Erik’s death that shook the whole nation and left his little brother’s life in tattles. The new Crown prince had been admitted to hospital following an overdose only a few months later. 

Since then the prince had stayed away from scandals and had graduated alongside Sara and the other students at Hillerska two years ago. Simon had not bothered to keep up with their lives seemingly existing only of mission trips, hosting visits from foregin countries and charity work that Rosh would say was only so they would look good in the eye of the public. 

“You must be Sofia,” the prince said friendly and smiled as he stepped closer. 

Simon realised that he had been staring far too long and hurriedly looked away. 

“Nice to meet you, Sofia,” the prince greeted and carefully took the little girl's hand in his and shook it.  “My name is Wilhelm”

Sofia looked at the prince with big eyes, seemingly a little shy but the prince didn’t seem fazed by the sudden lack of confidence. He was probably used to people getting shy and quiet around him. 

“I love your necklace,” he continued warmly and gestured to the pearl necklace around Sophia’s neck. The one she had made herself last weekend when Simon visited her. 

Sophia’s whole face lit up in a smile and she looked down and  tugged slightly at the necklace.

“I made it,” she said excitedly. “And Simon helped, he’s my best friend,” she added. 

Simon felt himself blush as the Crown prince’s eyes turned to look at him, brown eyes piercing through Simon and making his heart make a weird jolt. 
Wilhelm extended his hand to greet him and his hand was arm and try in Simon’s.

“Wilhelm, nice to meet you” Prince Wilhelm said and smiled warmly.

“Nice to meet you too,” Simon said and smiled back. 

The prince's eyes lingered on him a couple of seconds longer before he turned his attention to Sophia’s mum. Simon bit his lip.

Sophia seemed to have recovered from her tongue-tiedness and gone back to her normal bubbly self and Simon watched the prince nod attentively to her babbling away excitedly. Simon briefly looked over to his aunt who looked fondly at the prince who was currently making her daughter laugh and smile. 

Sophia was usually a happy girl but the harsh chemo treatments and rough hospital stays with daily blood tests and examinations seemed to have subdued her quite a bit. Simon usually managed to make a smile and giggle on his visits but even he could tell that there were days where the little girl was just done. 

The doctors were hopeful though and the prognosis was good but to be honest Simon was already fed off with seeing his little cousin suffer like this. She deserved so much better than being stuck living in a hospital when all her friends were out there living their life without a care in the world, just like any five year old should. 

“I have to go now,” Prince Wilhelm said. “They want to show me around but maybe you would like to come to the playroom a little later.”

Sophia nodded and looked over to her mum. 

“Can I?” she asked. 

“Of course,” Simon’s aunt smiled. 

“Then I’ll see you later, Sophia,” the Prince said. 

“But only if Simon can come, he’s my best friend,” Sophia said.

“Of course Simon can come,” Prince Wilhelm said and looked over at Simon. 

As their eyes met Simon’s heart made another one of those stupid jolts. The Crown Prince smiled at him again. 

“Okay, bye” he said.

“Bye, Prince Wille,” Sophia said. 

The prince chuckled and behind him his bodyguard smiled as she opened the door and let the prince walk out first. 

As soon as the door closed aunt Mia looked at him with a teasing look on her face. 

“You fancy him,” she said, nudging at Simon’s side. 

“What no?” Simon exclaimed, shaking his head rapidly but by the look on his aunt’s face he didn’t convince her at all. 

“You so do,” aunt Mia said, shaking her head in amusement. “He’s very handsome,” she added. 

“Shut up,” he mumbled, quietly enough to not let Sofia hear him. 

-

Half an hour later Sofia was getting herself ready to go to the playroom. She had put on her favourite hoodie and favorite hat, both of which she had gotten from Simon and Sara last Christmas. She jumped off the bed and made her way towards the mirror by the sink, carefully inspecting herself in the mirror. She seemed a little hesitant so Simon walked over to her, pulling the hood over her head playfully. 

“Stop Simon,” she giggled. “You are being silly.”

“You ready, Fia,” he asked. “To say hello to the prince again?” 

She nodded. 

“You are coming with me right?” she asked and Simon nodded. 

“Of course I am,” he reassured her. “Let’s go”

He grabbed her hand and together they walked towards the play area further down the corridor. A few other kids with their families were there, more than usual and it was probably due to the fact that the Crown prince was there. 

The prince was currently crouching in front of a  little boy who was sitting on his father’s lap, thumb in his mouth. The Prince was blowing soap bubbles towards him and slowly the little boy started to smile. The dad whispered something to the boy and he mumbled something to the prince. 

Simon watched their interaction, unable to look away from the prince until Sofia tugged at him impatiently. At that moment the prince looked up and noticed them. He waved to Sofia  and gave Simon a quick smile. Sofia waved back, excitedly and looked up to Simon, still clinging to his hand. 

“I want to draw, “ she said, leading Simon towards the table where all the crayons and markers were splayed along with sheets of stickers, glue, containers of sequins and glitter  along with stacks of sheets of  papers in different colours. Sofia excitedly grabbed a handful of glitter markers and a pair of scissors and got to working. . 

Simon sat down next to her on an empty chair and grabbed a paper and a few markers. Behind him he could hear the prince laugh and it felt weirdly self conscious, something his sixteen year old self would scoff at. He forced himself to focus on the paper in front of him, trying to ignore the prince’s lively laughter. It was apparent that the prince had charmed everyone in the room including even the most shy little kids. Even the nurses seemed completely charmed by him. Sofia had already gotten to work and was cutting out shapes from a purple paper. Simon sighed as he hovered with the sharpy over the sheet of paper. He was terrible at drawing, even Sofia had told him so a few weeks ago when he had tried to draw her a horse. He was just starting to draw the most basic and childlike car ever when he heard someone approach him from behind.

“Can I sit down with you?” 

Simon looked up and was met with the Crown Prince standing next to him. Sofia looked up and nodded enthusiastically. The prince nodded and sat down next to Simon. 

“What are you making,” the prince asked, turning his attention to Sofia. 

“A card,” she said resting her chin in her hand. 

“Wow, a card?” The prince said as he grabbed a paper and a pencil. “Who is it for?” 

“I can’t tell you,” Sofia said with a small smile. “It’s a surprise.” 

The Crown Prince smiled. 

“Can you draw?” Sofia asked curiously and leaned over Simon to get a better look at what the Prince was doing. 

“Simon is really bad at drawing,” she added. “He can’t draw anything.I asked him to draw me a horse but it looked nothing like a horse.” 

The Prince smiled again and looked at Simon and the stupid car he had just drawn. 

“It’s a nice car,” he said. “I like it. It’s very cute.” 

Simon rolled his eyes but could feel a smile grow on his face. 

“Can you draw me a horse?” Sofia asked. 

“I don't think…” Simon started and looked over to the prince. “You don’t have-”

“Of course I’ll draw you a horse, Sofia,” the Crown Prince said with another smile. Then he turned to one of his bodyguards. 

“We still have time right?” he asked. 

“Another 30 minutes, your highness,” the woman said. 

The Prince nodded and smiled. 

“I'll draw you a horse,” he repeated.

The next half an hour consisted of the three of them drawing and talking together. To be honest it was mostly the Crown Prince and Sofia who were talking but ever so often Sofia would mention Simon’s name and the Prince would look at him with those brown eyes and a smile on his face. 

“So what do you do, Simon?” the Prince asked and briefly looked up from his drawing. 

“I study at the university, international relations,” Simon said. 

“Here in Stockholm?”

Simon nodded.

“But I’m originally from Bjärstad, my mother still lives there.” 

“I went to school not far from Bjärstad. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the boarding school, Hillerska?”

“My sister went there,” Simon said, trying to sound casual as if he didn’t already know that she had been there at the same time as the Prince. 

“Really? What’s her name? How old is she?” the crown prince asked. 

“Sara Eriksson, she's a year older than me but she graduated two years ago.”

“I know her,” the prince nodded. “She’s best friend’s with a…childhood friend of mine, Felice. But she studied natural science, right?”

Simon nodded again. 

“Wow, it’s a small world,” the Crown Prince said. “I didn’t know she had a brother. You’ll have to say hello to her from me.” 

“I will,” Simon said. 

“You went to school with Sara?” Sofia said suddenly. “And you know Felice?”

“Yeah we went to the same school,” the Prince said. 

“Are you friends?”

“Yeah we are,” the Prince said. “I’ve not seen them in a long time though.”

“I know Felice as well,” Sofia said happily. “And Sara is my other cousin, she’s going to teach me how to ride a horse when I get out of the hospital.” 

“I know she’s great with horses,” the prince said. “I bet she’ll be a great teacher.”

Sofia nodded. 

“I’ve been here for a long time,” she said, suddenly sounding a little sad and SImon felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. “The doctor’s say I’ll be able to go home soon but I’m scared sometimes.” 

“It’s okay to be scared,” the prince said. “I’m scared sometimes too.”

“Simon is never scared,” Sofia said. “He’s the bravest person I know.”

“I’m sure gets scared too,” the Prince said. “Even if he’s so brave.” 

He looked over to Simon briefly. 

“Well he is scared of horses,” Sofia said after a moment of thought. “He didn’t want to go say hello to Felice horse with me.” 

The prince chuckled. 

“See, and that’s okay.”

Sofia nodded. 

“Speaking of which,” the prince continued and put down his pencil and slid the drawing towards her. “Here you go, a horse for you.”

Simon couldn’t help but gasp slightly as he spotted the horse the prince had drawn in less than half an hour. It was absolutely amazing. 

“Wow, you are really good at that,” Simon said, looking at the prince in awe. “That’s amazing. now she won’t let anyone else draw something for her ever again.”

The prince looked up and seemed genuinely surprised to hear Simon’s praise. 

“Thank you,” he said. “ I’ve always loved drawing. It helps calm me down sometimes.”

“Thank you, Prince Wille,” Sofia said. “It’s so pretty. I wish I could draw like that.”

“If you practice you will,” the Prince said with a gentle smile. “And you are still very good at making cards.”

Sofia’s face lit up in a smile.

“I made the card for you,” she said and gave him the card where she had glued a bunch of sequins and hearts. 

“Thank you so much,” the prince said. “That’s such a cool card. I’ll have to put it on my desk once I get home.”

“Your Highness?” 

The prince looked up as his attention was called. 

“We need to leave soon,” 

The prince nodded and stood up. Simon stood up too and for the first time he noticed that it was only the three of them left in the play area, save for the two bodyguards. 

“Unfortunately I have to leave now,” the prince said, looking from Sofia to Simon.

“Back to the castle?” Sofia asked. 

The Prince nodded. 

“Back to the castle.”

“Do you live there?” Sofia asked as their entourage of five began to walk down the corridor. Simon and Sofia towards Sofia’s room and Prince Wilhelm and his two bodyguards towards the exit. 

“I do,” the prince smiled. 

"I want to live in a castle to, a princess castle. But aren’t you sacred to get lost?"

"No," the prince said. "You’ll learn where every room is. But if you are not careful you'll end up in the dudgeon."

Sofia looked at the prince with huge eyes.

"Do they have bad people in there?" She asked.

Wilhelm laughed.

"No," he said. "Not even a little mouse"

Sofia laughed.

The three of them stopped just outside of Sofia’s room, the bodyguards choosing to keep their distance by stopping a couple of meters away. 

Sofia clutched her drawing to her chest. 

“Bye, Prince Wille,” Sofia said and wrapped her arms around the prince’s legs.

“Bye, Sofia,” the prince said and crouched down so he could give her a proper hug. “It was so nice meeting you and thank you for the lovely card.” 

Sofia let go of the prince and opened the door walking inside. 

SImon lingered in the corridor, looking between the door and the Crown Prince.

“Thank you for doing that for her, the drawing and taking so much time to sit with us, she really enjoyed it and she won’t stop talking about it.”

The prince smiled.

“It was my pleasure. And I hope she’ll get better soon.”

Simon nodded. 

“Thanks,” he said.

“I should get going,” the prince said. “It was nice meeting you, Simon. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” Simon said. 

As he watched the Crown Prince leave he couldn’t help but wonder what the hell had just happened.  

-

A few weeks went by during which Sofia wouldn’t shut up about the Prince. She talked about his visit non stop and the drawing he had made for her was placed next to her on the bed so she could look at it every time she fell asleep. Simon found himself unable to stop thinking about the Prince as well and he even found himself checking the prince's instagram daily.

I was weird. The whole encounter had been weird and completely changed Simon’s view of the royal family. Or maybe not the whole royal family but definitely of the Prince. Of Wilhelm or Prince Wille as Sofia liked to call him. Before he had always viewed him as up his ass and full of himself based on his general perception of the royal court but Prince Wilhelm had been sweet and caring. And he had made Sofia laugh and smile more than anyone had managed to beside her closest family. And SImon had seen him briefly with the other kids and it seemed like he just had a natural way with them, a gentleness and kindness they very much needed. 

The first few days he had tried to convince himself that it was just like Rosh suggested, that the charity work was mainly a way to stay in the good eyes of the public but something felt so genuine about Wilhelm and the way he acted around the little kids and it was so different from the view Simon had from him from earlier as the slightly messy and irresponsible prince who had to take on the role of Crown Prince when his older brother died. 

It must have broken Wilhelm’s heart to lose his big brother. If something happened to Sara, Simon was not sure how he’d manage to survive that. And to be honest, the young prince had been a mess after his brother’s death, everything culminating in his overdose which left him in hospital. It made him feel slightly guilty to think about it and how judgemental his 16 year old self had been, especially when it seemed like the prince was a pretty nice guy. 

Simon realised that their weird encounter in the hospital would probably be their first and last and for some reason that seemed to disappoint him. Just a little. 

-

A couple of weeks went by and Simon found himself too busy with uni work to have too much time to think about prince WIlhelm. He was studying for an exam but tried to squeeze in as many visits to the hospital as possible. It made him feel guilty if too many days passed between his visit, so even if he should spend all his day studying he had decided this morning to go to the hospital instead, bringing his computer and all his books with him. 

The bag back dug into his shoulder as he got off the bus and made his way into the hospital. He was just about to take his usual route up to the third floor and Sofia’s ward when he heard his name being called out. 

“Simon, hi” 

Simon looked to where the voice was coming from and found the Crown Prince standing near the elevators. Two bodyguards standing next to him. 

“Hey…” Simon said, isnantly feeling stupid for greeting the Prince in the wrong way. 

“How are you?” The Crown Prince asked. “Are you here to visit Sofia?” 

Simon nodded, feeling a little self conscious but also impressed that the prince remembered both his and Sofia’s name. 

“How is she doing?” the Prince asked and stepped closer to Simon while gesturing something to his bodyguards who seemed to step away abit to give them some privacy.  “If you don’t mind telling me?” he added hesitantly. 

“She’s alright,” Simon said and yawned. “She’s doing well.”

“And you?” the Prince asked. “How are you? How are things with university?”

Simon readjusted the backpack on his back, feeling the heaviness on his tense shoulders. The Prince continued to look at him with a curious look on his face. 

“I’m okay,” Simon said. “I’m studying for an exam so it’s been a couple of weeks but I’m managing.” 

“And you still make time to come here,” The prince said. “That’s nice of you. I’m sure it might be a little stressful”

“Yeah, she needs me. And I want to be here for her,” Simon said. “It’s fine.” 

“She’s really lucky to have you,” the Prince commented. 

Simon shrugged. 

“No, it’s true,” the Prince insisted. “When I was sick the only thing I really looked forward to was the visits from my brother. It would make the time go faster and it would make me forget about it for just a little while.”

The Prince looked away and a few seconds passed where both of them stood in silence. Simon felt a little dumb for not knowing what the prince was talking about. 

“I got cancer when I was nine,” the prince continued. “I was really lucky obviously and got the best treatment in the world and I wish that every child could. Luckily we’ve gotten far in Sweden but I want to give back, you know.” 

Simon nodded and noticed the prince bring a hand to his chest, briefly rubbing it. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” the Prince said. “Sometimes being here is a little overwhelming. A lot of memories are brought back. And it reminds me of Erik. He too worked a lot with different projects with the hospital and it feels like working here makes me closer to him, I guess. But it’s hard. Sometimes I really miss him.”

Simon looked down, unsure of what to say. He had not expected the prince to wear his heart on his sleeve but when he looked up again he could see a film of tears in the other man’s eyes. 

“I’m sure he’s really proud of you,” Simon said eventually. 

“Thanks, Simon,” the prince said, voice a little weak. 

“Is that why you are here today?” Simon asked. 

The prince nodded and it seemed like he was thankful for the change of subject. 

“Yeah, it’s for a new project actually. So there will be a few meetings. I want to visit the little kids again too. Not today though.”

“Sofia would have loved to meet you again,” Simon commented with a small smile. “She’s not stopped talking about you and she loves that drawing you made her.”

The Crown prince smiled. 

“You’ll have to say hello to her from me, and that I hope I’ll be able to see her soon again.” 

“I will,” Simon said. 

“Hold on…” the prince said. “Do you have a paper and a pen?”

“Uh, sure,” Simon said and removed the back back from his shoulder and opened the main compartment, feeling embarrassed at how messy it was.
Eventually he managed to find a paper and a pen which he handed to the prince. The Prince took it and used the folder he was carrying as a surface. A few minutes later he folded the paper and wrote to Sofia on the front in neat writing.

“Give this to her?” he asked. 

“Yeah, of course,” Simon managed. “I will.”

“I should get going,” the prince said. “Take care of yourself, Simon. It was nice meeting you again.”

“You too, your royal highness,” Simon said.

“Please call me Wilhelm,” the prince said. 

Simon nodded. 

“I hope we see eachother again. Bye, Simon,” Wilhelm said. 

“Bye!” Simon said.

He stood next to the elevators, watching the Crown Prince disappear around the corridor, Sofia’s latter clutched to his chest. Again wondering what had just happened, but a small smile playing on his lips, nonetheless.

-

If it was heard letting go of the thought about Wilhelm last time it was nothing in comparison to how it was now. He kept thinking about what Wilhelm had said.

I hope we see each other again.

Please call me, Wilhelm

He kept thinking about how Wilhelm had shown a different side to himself. A more vulnerable side. Maybe it didn’t mean anything but it felt like it did. It felt like it meant everything. And was intrigued by the prince because there was just so much to him hidden away from the spotlight, sides it seemed that he chose to show to Simon.

 And he kind of wished the prince's words were true.

But Wilhelm had a busy schedule, undoubtedly planned for months ahead. So even if Wilhelm was honest when he said he wanted to see SImon again, the possibility of them ever meeting again was nonexistent. It had happened once before but what were the odds for it to happen again? Nonexistent. 

Simon had been weirdly giddy after his encounter with Wilhelm and had been unable to hide it as he arrived in Sofia’s room. She had been sleeping but aunt Maria had noticed immediately and wouldn’t stop nagging until he spilled everything. 

“I knew it,” Aunt Maria had exclaimed, eyes lighting up in excitement. 

“Sch…” SImon had said but had not been able to hide the smile on his face.

“You like him,” Maria had said and Simon hadn’t bothered to deny it. 

And when Sofia had woken up from her nap and he had told her about his meeting and given her the letter from Wilhelm which turned out to be a small drawing of another horse and a small message.

The smile had  lingered on his face for a long time after watching Sofia’s utter happiness and he hadn’t even bothered to roll his eyes as aunt Maria nudged his side with her elbow. 

While Sofia remained hopeful that the prince would come back Simon realised that the chances of him being able to were really slim. It had been two months since the prince’s visit to the children’s ward but Sofia had not stopped talking about him and the little message he had given her had not helped at all.

“I wish I could meet prince Wille again,” she said one day. 

She and Simon was out on a walk in the warm spring weather, her little hand tightly tucked in his as they made their way through the garden.

"He was nice, wasn't he?" Simon asked.

"Yeah and I want to go to the palace and dance in the ballroom."

"In the ballroom?" Simon said. 

"Like Cinderella," Sofia said. "I've always wanted to go to a ball and have a princess dress and dance with a real prince. And Wille is a real prince."

"He is," Simon mumbled.

"I'd be so pretty," she said dreamingly.

“You are always pretty, Fia.” Simon said.

-

He wished that Sofia would let go of her obsession with the prince but it seemed like it only grew more and more intense. Both drawings still sat on her nightstand and she would still look at them everyday before going to sleep.

And when someone asked her what she wanted to do for her make wish that she ha

"I want to dance with the prince," she said. “My wish is to go to the ball at the castle.”

“I know you do,” Simon said and tried to ignore the heaviness that settled in his chest.

Most children wished to go to the Zoo or Disney world or to meet their favourite celebrity. But not Sofia. Her wish was to meet with a prince she had met for an hour. She wanted to dance with him and she wanted to go to the ball with him.

She wanted to be a princess, just for one day.

It was hard, seeing her hope, knowing that it was a dream that wouldn’t come through for her. 

And it was especially hard when she was sick, and the doctor’s pumped her full of antibiotics. When the fever made her lethargic and weak. When she didn’t even have the energy to watch movies on her Ipad. When all Simon could do was hold her hand and smile at her whenever she opened her eyes. When she still would talk about her wish.”

“I want to see the prince,” she mumbled, voice slurred and laced with tiredness no child should ever have to experience.

-

But maybe dreams do come true. 

A month later Simon’s phone was ringing and as he looked at the screen a frown formed on his face. It was Aunt Maria calling him. She usually texted him and the last time she had called it was because Sofia was sick. She had gotten better but what else could it mean if his aunt was calling him this early in the morning.

Hello?” he asked. 

“Simon, Simon,” Sofia shouted into the phone. “I got a letter from Prince Wille.”

“What?” Simon said, trying to comprehend what she had just said. 

“A letter from the prince” she repeated, voice loud and bubbly.. “It’s an invitation for the ball, just like I wanted. It’s a ball, Simon!  And you get to come too. Mum already said so and the card said I could bring two of my friends and I want you to come. ” 

“Let me talk to him,” Simon could hear aunt Maria say in the background.

“Mum wants to talk to you now. But you’ll come with me right? I only want to go to the ball if you go with me.”

“I’ll go with you,” Simon promised.

“Okay mum is coming now. I¨m going to go to the castle!” Sofia repeated happily.

A second later Maria’s voice could be heard through the phone and Simon could tell that she was crying. 

“Her wish for the make a wish foundation was granted,” she said.

-

Two months later, after weeks of Sofia talking about what dress to wear every single day and making a bracelet for Wilhelm the day finally arrived. Sofia was doing a lot better and the doctors had let her go home three weeks ago. Over all she was doing good.

Sofia had woken up at five in the morning and put on her dress right after breakfast even if the ball wasn't scheduled until six in the evening. Sara had helped her do her hair which had grown out slightly over summer and Simon had done her nails in a bright, purple glitter. 

Sofia had decided that she also wanted to bring Sara as her second friend and much to Simon's surprise, she had said yes.

Which meant that he, Sara and Sofia were now sitting in a taxi arranged by the organisation and coordinated wih royal court. 

Sofia was dressed in her new princess dress they had gotten her for the special occasions and she beamed as she looked out of the window the entire time. 

Simon sat next to her, feeling a little nervous. He was dressed in a new suit . Originally he had opted for the one he wore to graduation since it still fit him but his mum and aunt Maria was having non of that and they had ended up going out to by a new one. This one was dark blue with a matching bowtie.

He hadn't done much to his hair since he prefered it the way it was naturally and over the summer his hair had grown out slightly, making his curls even more defined.

Simon didn't know what to expect. All he knew was that it would be held in the royal palace in Stockholm but he knew nothing else.

"Look it's the palace," Sara said to Sofia and pointed out of the window.

Simon couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach as the car pulled up in the Courtyard.

-

A woman named Ingrid greeted them and escorted them in to the castle. After going through a security check they were guided through a long corridor and up a staircase. Sofia was completely silent the whole time, busy taking in the grand hallways decorated with huge paintings and expensive furniture. 

"Through here," Ingrid gestured as they rounded a corner and stepped in to yet another long corridor. Only this time they immediately spotted Wilhelm who was waiting for them, dressed in a black smoking suit that fit is lean figure to perfection.

He looked stunning, tan from spending time in the sun and hair sun kissed. He was smiling as they walked towards him and he managed to take Simon’s breath away.

“Hello,” he said, mostly to Sofia who at first looked a little shy and tugged nervously at Simon’s hand. 

Then she seemed to collect enough courage to let go of SImon’s hand and take a few steps forward. 

“You look so pretty,” Wilhelm said, taking Sofia’s hand in his and bowing slightly. “Princess Sofia,” he added seriously.

Sofia giggled as she made a little curtsy, just like she had practiced with Sara beforehand. 
 “Are you ready for the ball?” Wilhelm asked and Sofia nodded fiercely. 

“Yes,” she said excitedly. 

“Perfect, through this hallway,” Wilhelm laughed. “Why don’t you lead the way, princess, Sofia?”  

Sofia could no longer contain her excitement as she practically bounced up and skipped through the hallway. Wilhelm laughed as he turned to face Simon and Sara. 

“Hi,” he said giving Simon a small smile. “It’s so nice to meet you again.” 

Before Simon had a chance to react he was pulled into a friendly hug. 

“And Sara, wow, what a nice surprise,” Wilhelm continued as he moved to give Sara a hug too. “How are you?”

“Good, thank you,” Sara said. 

The four of them made their way the rest of the way, Sara and Wilhelm giving eachother a quick catch up on their lives. Simon looked after Sofia who had made it all the way down the corridor and stopped in front of a large double door. 

“You ready?” Wilhelm asked.

Sofia nodded. 

“What if I have another surprise for you?” he asked. 

“A surprise?” Sofia said, looking from Wilhelm to Simon and Sara. 

“Why don’t we open the door then?” Wilhelm said and pushed the doors open. “Ladies first,”  he continued and gestured for the other ones to walk in before him. 

Simon was so occupied taking in the grand room that he didn’t notice a fifth person standing in the middle of the room but suddenly Sofia squaled. 

“Felice!” 

She ran across the room, and flew into Felice’s arms. Felice laughed as she hugged Sofia tightly. 

“You’ve grown so much,” she commented. 

“And look at my princess dress,” Sofia said and made a twirl. “Isn’t it pretty?”

“Very pretty” Felice confirmed. “And I love your hair and nails too.”

“Sara helped me,” Sofia told her.

Felice nodded and turned to greet Sara and Simon by giving them a hug, then she turned to Wilhelm and gave him a knowing look.

Sofia had already ran across the room where a small buffet table had been set up with everything from small sandwiches and fruit to mini desserts and pastries. One of the staff members seemed happy to help her. 

Simon looked around the room, it was a huge ball room, probably at least six metres or so in ceiling hight and huge chandeliers hung from it. The floor was shiney and polished and Simon noticed that most of the accents were purple, Sofia’s favourite colour.  Äpart from them there were three other staff members, one in charge of the food and two others who were currently standing next to the wall. There was also a small band, consisting of four people. 

It was obvious that Wilhelm and the rest of the people behind this had gone all in in order to make it a special night for Sofia. 

“This is amazing;” Simon said to Wilhelm. “I don’t believe it.”

Wilhelm looked down slightly, a tint of blush showing up on his cheeks.

“I just want the night to be perfect,” Wilhelm said seriously.

-

The first hour and a half rushed by and Simon couldn’t remember the last time he saw Sofia this happy or when he himself had allowed him to be this carefree. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he watched how happy Sofia was and how much she enjoyed everything. 

She was currently dancing with Wilhelm and had been doing so for the last half hour. SHe had quickly found out how much better Wilhelm was at dancing than Simon and quickly ditched Simon leaving him to goof off on the dance floor with Sara. Ever so often he would glance over to his little cousin, realising that every time he did so her smile seemed to grow wider and the laugh become higher. 

Wilhelm made her turn, over and over again until she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. 

“Again,” she shouted as soon as she had recovered and Wilhelm just laughed and made her do it all over again. 

“I’m going to take a break,” Sara announced over the music and nodded to were Felice was currently sitting. 

Simon nodded. 

“Okay,” he said.

He made his way over to Wilhelm and Sofia. Sofia was now trying to make Wilhelm do a spin but it proved a little difficult since he was a bit too tall for her but eventually they managed to do it.

“Yay,” Sofia said. 

They danced all three of them for a couple of more minutes until Sofia stopped promptly.

“It’s your turn now,” she insisted.

Simon looked up, stopping in his tracks. He glanced over at Wilhelm who was still holding on to Sofias arms. 

“What?” he laughed. 

“You have to dance together now,” Sofia said. “Two princes can dance together and I want to dance with Felice now.” 

She dragged Wilhelm closer to Simon until they were standing just next to each other. Then she took Simon’s hand and guided it to Wilhelm’s. 

“You need to hold each other's hands,” she instructed, nodding in approval as they stepped closer and Wilhelm placed his hand on Simon’s waist. 

Satisfied that they were doing as she had told them, she took off to the other side of the room where Sara and Felice were sitting, taking a break from all the dancing. 

“Can we dance some more, Felice?” she shouted.

Simon looked after her and when he turned his attention back to Wilhelm, the other boy was looking at him.

“Uhm,” Simon mumbled, looking down. “I’m not very good at dancing,” he confessed.

Wilhelm smiled. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll guide you. Just place your hand on my shoulder, It will be fine.” 
 
At first Simon didn’t dare to look away from the floor, terrified he would stumble on his own feet or even worse, step on Wilhelm’s. But Wilhelm was patient with him, taking things slow and leading Simon gently over the floor until Simon felt more confident and dared to look up from the floor. 

“See you are doing great,” Wilhelm said encouragingly. “You’re a natural.”

Simon looked down, as he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. 

“Not as good as you,” he said. ‘’You’d think you grew up going to balls every single week.” 

“Oh shut up,” Wilhelm mumbled. “We don’t go to balls all the time. Just for special occasions.”

“Like tonight?” Simon teased playfully. 

“Especially tonight,” Wilhelm said seriously. 

“Fuck the royal weddings and grand banquets when you can have a ball with a five year old, right?” SImon joked, shaking his head slightly but his heart was clenching in his chest the entire time . 

“Right,” Wilhelm guiding Simon into a couple of turns. 

Simon managed to make the turns without stumbling. 

“See a natural,” Wilhelm said. “You’d fit right into those royal weddings and banquetes.”

Then the music changed to a much slower song, forcing them to change their pace. Wilhelm guided their intertwined hands closer to them, a shy smile spreading on his face. 

“Is this okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Simon smiled.  

Waiting for Simon’s cue, he gently tugged at Simon’s arm, pulling them closer together until Simon could feel Wilhelm’s breath on his cheek. He looked at Wilhelm again and his heart skipped a beat as he looked into Wilhelm’s gorgeous brown eyes which were looking back at him with such intensity. A smile formed on his face as he moved even closer, letting his hand move closer to Wilhelm’s neck. 

He closed his eyes, letting the music and Wilhelm’s steady arm around his face guide him over the dance floor slowly. Everything else seemed to tune out and nothing else seemed to matter at that moment. He could feel Wilhelm gently let go of his hand and instead move his own hands to Simon’s waist, pulling them even closer and causing his nose to briefly brush against Simon’s cheek. 

Simon had no idea how long they danced like that, but his heart was racing in his chest the entire time and the butterflies danced in his stomach. He ran his finger along Wilhelm’s back, feeling his spine through the fabric of Wilhelm’s smoking. He let his finger trace the small bumps as he rested his head against Wilhelm’s. 

When he opened his eyes again Wilhelm was looking at him and their faces were closer than ever before. Simon let his hand brush slightly at Wilhelm’s hair, pushing a piece of hair away from his face. 

Wilhelm looked a little scared as he let Simon run his hand along his face, tracing his cheek. 

A loud noise coming from behind them made both of them jump and they looked around noticing that it was just a chair that had fallen over from Sofia climbing on it but also that the music had stopped playing and that both Felice and Sara were watching them, Sofia being to occupied by having just fallen to notice.

“I’ll be right back” Wilhelm stuttered and broke free from Simon’s arms. Simon watched him walk across the room and open one of the grand balcony doors and closing it behind him just as the music started playing again.

With a sigh he walked over to where the girls were standing. 

“Is everything okay?” Felice asked. 

SImon shrugged then turned towards Sofia. 

“Why don’t you dance some more with Felice and Sara?” he said. “I’ll be right back.” 

She nodded and reached out to grab both of their hands and dragged them towards the middle of the room.

With another sigh Simon went after Wilhelm.

-

He found Wilhelm sitting on the balcony, leaning against the stone wall and tilting his head back slightly. One of his hands was resting on his chest.

“Hi,” Simon said gently and closed the door behind him. 

The night was cool, signaling that summer was almost over and the sun was setting, leaving the sky in a pink hue. 

“Hey…” Wilhelm said. 

“Is everything okay?” Simon said.

“Yeah…” Wilhelm said. “I just needed some air.”

“Can I join you?” Simon asked, waiting for Wilhelm to nod before he sat down next to him. 

The silence that settled between them felt comfortable and for a while no one said anything. 

From inside they could hear Sofia’s happy squeals over the music and Wilhelm looked at him and laughed. 

“I’m glad she’s having a good time,” he said. 

“She¨ll live on this for the next ten years,” Simon said. “Thank you for doing this for her. For taking your time to do this.” 

“I’m just glad if I can get her out of hospital for one night, and make her think about something else. Do…have the doctor’s said anything?”

“They are hopeful,” Simon said. “She’s doing much better now than she did a year ago. Hopefully she’s done with chemo for good. I hate when she has to go through that. But she’s been on a break for the last month. The doctors think this might be it but I’m too scared to hope.” 

“I think you should allow yourself to hope,” Wilhelm said. “The doctors and nurses are amazing, and if they are hopeful you should allow yourself to be too. But if you can’t, maybe you can let go of your worries for just today?”

“Yeah,” Simon says quietly. 

“She’s my little cousin but I love her like a sister,” Simon said. “I’ll always been protective of her and I’ve always felt a connection to her.”

“I can tell,” Wilhelm said. “You are so good with her and she clearly adores you.” 

“Still you’re her best friend,” Simon jokes. “Prince Wille,”

Wilhelm smiled. 

“Are you jealous?” he teased. “I can be your best friend too if you want?”

Simon rolled his eyes. 

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically. 

Then he cleared his throat. 

“Her father left them when she was just a year old,” he said. “He was an alcoholic.”

Wilhelm nodded.

“My dad is an alcoholic and a drug addict,” Simon confessed with a shaky voice.

He had never said the words out loud before. The people in his life that knew knew but he had never ever had to utter the words before, he had chosen to keep it a secret, for so long.

“Okay,” Wilhelm said. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“I finally cut all ties with him a year ago. My sister Sara and I promised we would years ago when all he did was hurt us and mum. But during high school I wanted to give him another chance. But it never ends well and I should have known that. I thought that maybe we wanted to get better for us, in order to have us in his life but he would always fall back ánd slip up and every time I promised myself I would do it, I would cut ties with him and walk away but I’d always be eaten alive with guilt. But then Sara would get mad at me and I can’t afford to lose her and in the end I realised that I needed to make it about me, not about him. And that my life would be better without him in my life.” 

“You shouldn't feel guilty over doing what is best for you,” Wilhelm said slowly. “You did the right thing.”

“I know,” Simon nodded. “I just miss him sometimes, and when I finally made the decision it felt like I was losing him, and sometimes I don’t think I’ve fully moved on yet. It’s stupid, he’s never given me anything in my life and I still miss him.”

“Of course you do,” Wilhelm said softly. “It’s your dad. You are allowed to be upset even if he wasn’t a good person. And you are allowed to miss him.”

“Anyway, I don’t want that life for Sofia. He’s already left her once and I hope he doesn’t come back to mess up her life. But if he does I’ll protect her. I couldn’t protect Sara and my mum from my dad but I’ll be able to protect her.”
“But it’s not your job to protect your sister or mother from your dad. You were just a kid.” 

Simon shook his head. It didn’t matter. 

“Hey, you were just a kid,” Wilhelm repeated. “None of what happened was your fault.”

“Sometimes I wish he was dead already and sometimes the thought of losing terrifies me because he’s still my dad.”

Wilhelm nodded and looked like he wanted to say something. He looked down at his hands and fiddled with them nervously. For a while neither of them said anything. Most of the noise from inside seemed muted out here, even the music but occasionally Sofia’s laugh could be heard over the music.

“But where did Prince Wille and SImon go?” they could hear her ask and it sounded like she was just outside of the door but fortunately she wasn’t tall enough to be able to see through the balcony door window. 

“I just think they left to get some air,” Felice said. “Let them be for a while,” 

“But I want to dance with them,” Sofia said. “Simom” she began to shout. “Wille!”

“I’ll dance with you,” they could hear Sara say. “C’mon.”

“Wille,” Simon mouthed.

Wilhelm smiled.

“No one has called me that since Erik died,” he mumbled and looked away briefly.”He used to call me that all the time… Wille.”

“What was he like?” Simon asked.

“The best brother someone could ask for,” Wilhelm said. “He was constantly busy but he always made time for me, always checked in on me and comforted me when I wasn’t feeling so well. And everyone loved him, he was nice and friendly to everyone adn he would make people comfortable around him, even if he was the Crown Prince and he always tried to show people respect. But he was also really funny and smart. And he loved cars…”

His voice died out and he looked down.

“When Erik died my whole life fell apart,” he said quietly.

“ I lost my brother and my best friend and it was the worst thing that has ever happened in my life… and eventually I couldn’t cope…and.” WIlhelm’s voice died out and he played with the hem of his shirt.

“ You probably know the rest,” he said sadly and looked at Simon with a resigned look on his face before he looked away. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about it,”

“No, actually,” Simon said gently. 

It was half a lie but he said it anyway. 

Wilhelm looked up again but his expression remained sad and he drew his knees to his chest, anxiously curling in on himself. 

“You can tell me about it if you want,” Simon said, scooting a little closer but not wanting to invade WIlhelm’s personal space. 

Wilhelm shook his head. 

“Okay, but you can talk to me,” Simon said.”Anytime you want”

“Sometimes I don’t know how to live up to people’s expectations. I don’t know how to make my parents proud of me and how to live up to Erik. I’m never going to be the same as him and I know what but I sometimes wish I was enough, just me.” 

“Hey, you are enough,” Simon said. 

“You’ve not heard my mum ,” Wilhelm said. “Or read the magazines.”

That he hadn’t done. Next to him Wilhelm sighed. 

“We should probably go back inside,” he said and stood up.

Simon nodded and expected Wilhelm’s hand as the other one offered it to him. The both of them stood outside for a little while, looking through the glass door. Inside Sofia was still dancing, with Sara this time. Felice was sitting in one of the chairs, cheering them on. 

“Thank you, Simon,” Wilhelm said before he opened the door again and the two of them stepped inside. 

“Prince Wille,” Sofia squaled, “Come dance with me, you too Simon,” 

Wilhelm looked back at him, the sadness gone from his face. Instead he laughed.

.

Little over an hour later Sofia had fallen asleep on the couch and a few staff people had come to start cleaning up. 
“I guess this means the ball is over,” Simon said. “We didn’t quite make it to midnight but it’s okay.” 

“Yeah I’ll arrange for a car for you,” Wilhelm said.”And for you too Felice and Sara.”

“Yeah I’ll go with Felice tonight,” Sara confirmed. 

“Prefect,” Wilhelm said. 

“And we’ll get Sofia back safely and then drive you home,” he said, turning to Simon. 

He stepped aside briefly and made a quick call. Simon took the time to collect his and Sofia’s things. He wasn’t keen on waking her up so that meant carrying her. 

“I’ll do it” Wilhelm said as he approached them again. “They are getting the cars ready so we can leave now. Joakim will go with us.” 

“Okay,” Simon agreed, mostly because it seemed like it was something Wilhelm really wanted to do. 

Wilhelm picked her up gently and she snuggled into the nape of his neck in her sleep and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her protectively to his chest as they began their walk. 

The walk back to the cars seemed shorter than when they had first arrived and neither of them said anything. Sara and Felice walked a little behind them and half way through Joakim met up with them and escorted them the rest of the way. 

Wilhelm settled Sofia down in the back of the car and carefully strapped her in. Simon was reluctant to get into the car with her but it was probably time to leave. He looked at Wilhelm and was about to open his mouth. 

“Actually, me and Felice can make sure that she gets home, and then we’ll go back to Felice’s,” Sara said with a small smile. 

“Uh okay,” Simon said. 

He hugged her goodbye before she jumped into the car and sat down next to Sofia.Felice said goodbye to Wilhelm with a quick hug and a minute later it was just the two of them left. 

“I guess I should be going too,” Simon said. 
 Wille grabbed his hands and pulled him closer and away from the headlights of the car. 

They were standing in the middle of the Courtyard, completely surrounded by the castle walls. The night sky was visible above them and the pink colour from earlier had been replaced by stars. Wilhelm held on to Simon’s hand, gently letting their fingers wrap together as both of them looked up into the sky noticing a falling star.

He smiled as he looked Simon in the eyes.

“Make a wish,” he whispered. 

Simon smiled back and leaned his forehead against Wilhelm’s and pressed his lips to his.

The end