𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀! 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐬

ᴏɴᴇ

Snowflakes

Pale white snow covered the walkways of the Stockholm Palace. Wilhelm sat by his window, curled up in a ball on the royal blue coloured cushions which he had piled by the window sill. The snow fluttered down delicately outside. He felt hollow, watching the snow fall. Almost empty.

That empty feeling in his chest refused to leave. It stood its ground stubbornly, like an unwanted reminder of how Wilhelm was able to fuck up things so badly they couldn't be repaired.

It would build throughout the day. First, it would start off as if it wasn't even there, a mere snowflake which whirled around softly in his chest. But as the day progressed, more snowflakes would form, until he felt as though he was suffocating.

It was the same every day. The empty feeling would build, become almost not manageable, and Wilhelm would look longing at his phone, wishing he could text or call Simon, but knowing that it was going to do more harm than good. At first, it had been do-able; as school broke up for Christmas break, Wilhelm had tried to keep contact, but he would hear the pain in Simon's voice every time the boy answered the phone.

And that pain was something Wilhelm caused.

He had meant what he said to Simon, as he was departing Hillerska; the words still rang out in his ears, but he never regretted saying them. And he never would.

"Crown Prince?" Malin asked cautiously. She stood by his opened bedroom door, not daring to take even one step further inside. Wilhelm had become distant since leaving Hillerska - with Erik gone, it felt as if no one was at his side through all this. "It's almost midday. You should get dressed, get out. It's not too cold out, right now," She suggested in a kind tone.

Wilhelm didn't make any indication that he had heard her. Instead, he stayed put, by his place at the window, his arms wrapped tightly around his body. His head rested against the cool glass panes; his eyes tracked chosen snowflakes as they made their inevitable descent to the solid concrete below.

"Rosknopp is still open," Malin continued, "They close at four on Sundays. You could still make it". Rosknopp was a small coffee shop which stood by the palace, a mere couple streets over. Wilhelm and Erik used to visit all the time, back before Wilhelm was shipped off to boarding school and everything went to shit.

Wilhelm let out a deep sigh. "Yeah," He replied, though he didn't turn his head away from the window, "Maybe". Malin didn't leave for a few more moments, but even once she had left from her place at the door, Wilhelm could still hear the conversation which arose between his bodyguard and his mother.

"I don't even understand why you are still trying, we predicted this might happen," The Swedish Queen commented, in a not very hushed tone, "The therapist said he might fall into a bit of an episode after Erik. There's nothing to worry about, Malin. I have it covered".

"Have you wondered if this maybe isn't about his brother?" Malin asked, "Perhaps another boy who was forced out of his life". Wilhelm redirected his gaze to the open door. He couldn't see his mother or his bodyguard; it sounded as if Malin had stalked off, away from the Queen.

Pursing his lips, Wilhelm let out a sigh as he reached for his phone, which had been discarded by his feet. Reluctantly, he punched in the numbers for Rosknopp. He trusted Malin in the fact that it would still be open for now, but Wilhelm was only leaving the Palace if he was sure the place was open; if not, he was staying up.

As the phone line began to ring, Wilhelm closed his eyes and let himself imagine he was calling Simon, and not a coffee shop. The aching feeling in his chest only grew as he forced his eyes open again.

The ringing finally stopped, the call connecting to the coffee shop, "Hello, this is Rosknopp, Aurelia speaking. How may I help you today?" The girl on the other end of the line sounded kind, her voice sweet and up beat.

"Uh," Wilhelm muttered, unsure of exactly what he was going to say. Scratching his head, he picked a snowflake and watched as it made it's fall towards Earth, "I was just calling to see if you guys were still open, and uh, it's pretty obvious I guess that you are," He let out a forced chuckle.

"We most definitely are still open, and we'll stay that way till four pm this afternoon most likely. Are you thinking of coming in, sir? We could reserve you a booth if you would like. Have you ever visited us before?" Aurelia asked. Wilhelm could hear her smile from over the phone. He didn't hate it; at least someone was having a halfway decent day.

"I have, yeah, I have," Wilhelm said, nodding. Upon seeing his reflection in the cool glass, he realised how much of an idiot he looked like, nodding while on the phone. He leant his head against the wooden window sill again. "I'm unsure if I'll come down, though. I'm not in the best of moods right now".

He hadn't meant to let that last part slip out, but Aurelia, whoever she was, sounded like she would actually give a damn. Stupid, naïve even, he knew. But the words had already escaped his throat - nothing he could do about it now.

"A bad mood during Christmas? That's no good, now is it?" She asked, before muttering an apology to someone in the store. "Sorry about that, I'm all over the shop today," She continued after a moment; her slight disorganization made Wilhelm smile. Maybe not everyone's day was doing wonderfully either.

"Why don't you come down, grab a coffee or hot chocolate or something? It might not make you feel better, but it's definitely warm, which is always a bonus in this weather," Aurelia suggested.

Wilhelm saw his reflection in the glass again. His hair was a shit show, he was still wearing pajamas, and he hadn't showered in a day or two. Biting his lip, he scrunched his nose as he replied, "Yeah, I might do that. I won't be down for about an hour or so, though, have some things I have to do first. Will you still be working then, Miss Aurelia?" He asked.

Aurelia chuckled, "I certainly will be, Mr..." She trailed off, "I didn't quite catch your name, good sir," She joked.

Wilhelm smiled. "It's, uh, Wilhelm". He swallowed as he waited for her to connect the dots.

Either she couldn't, or just decided not to, because kind Aurelia made no comment on his namesake. "I'll possibly see you in an hour or so, Mr Wilhelm," She said instead, "I hope to see you down here".

"Yeah, I'll be there," Wilhelm said. The two bid their goodbyes, the call ending moments after. Wilhelm, with one final look at his snowy reflection, forced himself from the window side seat of piled up cushions. He called out for Malin, who was by his door in seconds. "I'm going to head down to Rosknopp in about an hour. Alright?" Malin nodded obediently.

Wilhelm pretended to not notice the smile which appeared on her lips. 

___________

(1240 words)

hi, I'm back with another young royals fic

enjoy!