Wilhelm
The music is so loud, he can feel the bass thrum in his teeth as he traipses down the stairs. The atmosphere is thick and saturated with the mixed scents of perfume, sweat and alcohol as he weaves through writhing river of bodies cluttering the school hallway. His own head is light, but his limbs feel clumsy and heavy as he drags them along.
"Now this is a party," he hears Isak say from up ahead, leading a line of his friends through to a quieter spot. "Eh, Wille?"
Wilhelm has barely opened his mouth to respond before a massive shoulder slams into him, sending his world spinning. The music seems to get louder, if possible, as a small crowd gathers to spectate.
Blinking the stars out of his eyes, he blindly swats away at the person in front of him. He doesn't know if his body is tingling, or if there are actually hands holding him up like the ropes around a boxing ring.
He feels it in his fingertips, in his bones; the crowd, intoxicated high schoolers, chanting: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
There is a brief sensation of stubble at his knuckles before they connect with hard bone - perhaps a jaw - eliciting a loud "Oooh!" from the ring of wolves howling all around Wilhelm. He sees a stocky, tattooed student - maybe a senior - rubbing his cheek and glaring daggers at the prince.
Hey, a voice whispered in his head. That's me. Haha.
Somewhere past the haziness, Wilhelm's stomach goes cold with terror.
It happens so quickly. Two large hands grasp his leather jacket and sharply yank him forward, and pain explodes across the left side of Wilhelm's face. His vision is peppered with stars. Stars, or cell phone flashlights. He can't tell the difference.
He can vaguely hear Isak and Oleg trying to break the fight apart, yelling for people to mind their own business. The older student locks his eyes on Wilhelm, charging at him like a bulldozer and tackles him to the floor.
Chaos.
Wilhelm can feel his ribs throbbing with each hit they take, feel the cold tile digging into his shoulder blades; he hears the roars of students egging them on, and the attempts of his friends to tame the torrent. He even catches a glimpse of metal - gold, maybe - right before it strikes his eye.
His world goes black. But he welcomes the silence.
•••
"We don't have many options."
"Granted, Mama, it is not an ideal situat-"
"There is no alternative! Look at the damage this one thing has done to us, we'll be ruined if he's given even one more chance to step out of line." A shaky exhale. A steady inhale. "How I wish he were more like you, darling."
"How about Hillerska?" comes a soft, familiar voice. Erik.
"Goodness, no. Imagine the disasters he would cause there. I wouldn't survive it."
Wilhelm tries to open his eyes, but his left eye refuses to obey. He sends a thought to his curled fist - open - and his weak fingers do what little they can. His heart begins to thunder in his ears.
"Mama," Erik says softly. "Wilhelm is his own man. He will make you proud, as I have strived to."
A wave of nausea overwhelms Wilhelm's senses. He buries his nose in the pillow. It's so soft, he thinks to himself, before he is pulled back under.
•••
Erik is sitting by his right side, a little smile tugging at his thin lips. "I hope you feel better than you look."
YOU ARE READING
City On Fire // Young Royals
Fanfiction"Okay," he whispers, lacing their fingers together, "let's start a revolution." ••• Simon did not tiptoe into the background. He did not whisper. He crashed into Wilhelm; and he sang and spoke so full of heart, that he became the subject of every pi...
