Chapter Text
Will
Will was laying on his bed, staring up at his starry bed canopy. His thoughts rushed as he tried to push down the growing dread of knowing that he will be married off soon. Normal princes would be happy to be married off to a beautiful woman from a far away noble family, but not Will. He hated the idea that he was simply another pawn in his father's - the King's - game. He sighed, imagining a life where he was able to live his truth, be open about the way he was.
Knock.
Will jumped up at the sound, straightening himself upright. "Hello?" He called out, uncertainly.
"Hello... Uh- his Majesty requested you to come to the ballroom, your highness," A timid messenger girl stood in his doorway, fiddling with her thumbs. "Sorry to disturb you, sir."
Will immediately felt bad, hating the way people were always afraid to speak to him just because of his status. "No, no worries. Why does he want me there?"
"He- he um.. didn't specify, your highness," She bowed quickly, and shuffled away back into the hall.
Great. Will groaned and stood up, stretching his long limbs. He glanced in the mirror for a moment, fixed his hair, took a deep breath and headed towards the ballroom.
In the ballroom, at the long table, sat his father. "Will! I'm so glad you could join us!" He beamed.
Us? Will glanced around, confused. He saw two guards standing by the doorway, and one right next to his father. It was a strange amount of security for a normal day, but Will just shrugged it off. "Who's us?" He asked.
"Well... I guess I must be honest with you, son. Our kingdom is at war." His father said earnestly. "I cannot risk you becoming a target to these barbarians who decided to attack our outposts. You need personal security."
Will's jaw hung open at the message. War? They were at war? "Why are we at war? Over what!?" He cried. He couldn't fathom the fact that the kingdom which was normally so peaceful was in midst of a war. How could this happen? "And... security? I am well capable of protecting myself father! Have you forgotten that I train with the mages and master the arts of magic?!" Will was so frustrated, so angry with his father. He never took Will seriously, no matter how hard he tried to prove himself.
"Yes, I am aware, but those... shenanigans will not help you in a serious situation. We are at war because the brutal neighbouring kingdom decided to breach our treaty and attack our outposts on the edges of our lands. I do not take kindly to people attempting to take my land, let alone my riches." Of course. All his father ever thought about was his gold, his riches. He was so shallow, it was embarrassing to even be related to him. "This is Sir Michael. He is a knight, trained to protect people of important status. He will be your personal guard."
Will opened his mouth to protest, but his father shushed him with a wave of his hand. "Come forth, Michael." His father gestured towards the large, ornament doors on the other side of the ballroom.
Out stepped a tall man in a suit of armour, his face obscured by the heavy helmet he wore on his head. He strode forward towards Will, his steps long and heavy, full of confidence.
"Father, are you serious? I do not need protection!!" Will objected. The knight paused infront of Will, cocking his head slightly, as if he wanted to retaliate, but no response came from the man.
"William, that's enough. Go back to your chambers, you are no longer needed here. Michael, fulfill your promise... or else your head will be on a stake." Will's father boomed. He bristled at the tone, and turned on his heel to stomp away.
"Stupid. I don't need protection. He doesn't even know what I'm capable of." Will muttered to himself on the walk back, having forgotten that the armoured man was following him.
"Um... your highness... I'm sure he means no disrespect." The voice startled him, and Will whirled around to see the man merely inches away from him.
"Of course you'd say that! You're being paid to protect me! And I don't know what you look like! Gods this is so unfair." Will groaned, dragging his hands down his face in distress. He spun back around to unlock his bedroom door. "Seriously, take off your helmet."
The man nodded, and somewhat shyly took the metal helmet off of his head. Will almost gasped when he saw the man's face. He had never seen someone so beautiful. The man - well, the boy (he couldn't have been much older than Will himself - had high, chiseled cheekbones, a beautiful nose, and stunning, curly black hair. He gazed at Will with big brown eyes, a look across his face which Will couldn't quite decipher.
"Is everything alright, your highness?" The knight asked.
"Uh.. um- yes, yes of course!" Will responded, his voice a little too high. "Please, just call me Will, I can't stand the 'your highness' bullshit."
The knight nodded, stepping into Will's room. "Okay... Then you call me Mike," He responded as he took in Will's room.
Will understood why the knight - Mike - was astonished by his room. It was very large, with a big canopy bed and tons of bookshelves. Will loved to read, but his true passion was drawing. All the surfaces in his room were covered in papers, pens, pencils and half finished drawings. Will watched as Mike's gaze landed on his balcony. The balcony was Will's favourite place, and he'd set up a seating corner on it with a little table so he could draw while gazing at the stars.
"Uh... you don't like... stay here at night, right?" Will coughed awkwardly. Mike scrambled as he was ripped out of his trance.
"No! Not in here no, I stay in the room next door, the one that's connected to your room. You get privacy, don't worry." Mike responded, smiling slightly at Will. His thoughts buffered at the sight of Mike's grin, cursing himself inwardly for being so awkward.
"Right. Okay. Uh, make yourself comfortable I guess? I don't understand the point of this." Will groaned, turning away from the very distracting boy in his room. "I'm going to draw on the balcony."
He gathered some pencils, and grabbed a blank piece of paper, and settled into the seating bag on his balcony. His imagination and thoughts took a hold of him as his pencil flew across the paper, he almost forgot about the stunning boy sitting just a few meters away from him.
Almost. Will didn't think he could ever forget Mike's face. It was the most stunning thing he'd ever seen. But, Will was being married off, and why would Mike be interested? Will couldn't be gay anyway, he was a prince. Whatever. It didn't matter to him, it was fine.
It didn't matter.
It didn't matter.
It didn't matter...?
no.. it mattered.