The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 31

A few days passed, and the wedding was only 2 days away. Michael was to arrive later tonight, and just the thought of that made Will's hear beat that bit faster.

Over these past few days he had been thinking over it, and had finally come to the conclusion that perhaps the warm feeling inside of him is actually love, and he would be willing to try with Mike, even if it meant taking it slow.

As he was already in his drawing room, he dipped his brush into the paint on his palette and began painting lines onto the empty canvas, some green, some grey, some blue. He had an image in his mind, and it meant a lot to him.

If it turned out well, maybe he would give it to a certain someone once it was finished, he was sure they'd appreciate it.

———

Max was actually calm about the wedding, ever since the King had made it up with Jane she hasn't really had anything to fix and as the event was already planned months before it was even due, she didn't have to do much about that anyway.

The scariest part for her would probably be something terrible happening at the wedding, although she didn't want to jinx it. But another thing would be not being the best partner towards Jane, but that didn't really count as a wedding day worry.

Another thing on her mind was Billy. He was Neil's son, and despite their separation many years ago, Max thought of him as a brother. Due to their age difference at the time they didn't really get along very well, and would often have grudges that lasted many days, but as she got older she had become more calmer, and accepted the fact that really Billy did care for her, at least a little bit.

He would always make sure Neil wouldn't hurt Max, and would often defend her if they argued. And he made her feel safe in her home, even if it was just for a few years.

He moved out as soon as he could, and Max begged him to stay. At one point he even tried to become her guardian so she could move in with him, but as he didn't have the best criminal record in the town, the officials didn't give him permission and so she was left with her mother and step-father.

Max would never blame him for what was to come after that, she knew that he had also suffered similar, and wasn't angry with him for leaving. When she was younger she felt very betrayed, but now she understands why he did what he did.

Either way, she hadn't seen him since he left, and although some of the memories together had faded as she had gotten older, she still missed him. Max had tried to contact him in a few different ways while she lived with her parents, but she hadn't got any response yet.

She didn't know much of her family, and the ones she did know, she didn't particularly like. But she wanted Billy to come to the wedding, or at least just see him soon. It would be nice to reunite, and Max would have the opportunity to thank him for what he did all those years ago.

As she didn't reach out to him for a decent amount of time, she decided to go to her room and write a letter for him. She told him some things that had happened since she had last wrote, which had turned out to be a long time, and once she finished she sent it to his address.

Maybe he had moved out, or perhaps he wasn't even in Hawkins anymore, but it was still worth an effort. She sighed and sat back in her chair, hoping that wherever Billy may be, he was happy and had the life he deserved.

———

Meanwhile, with Jane, she really was worrying about the event. She wanted it to be perfect, and with such little time left, the panic really began set in.

She often thought about how different her life was just a year ago, but she thought about the future a whole lot more. Her birthday was just over 2 months away, and that was her deadline. Yes, she was getting married before the deadline, but if something was to happen it could drag things on until eventually it would be too late.

But the princess was a generally cheerful person all together, and she tried to focus on the good things about her future instead. For example, not having to rush around as much, being married to Max was a big one, but also just having time to relax was one she enjoyed thinking about.

As she was about to head outside, she saw Will pacing in his drawing room. The door was slightly ajar so she peeked inside, watching as he put his hand on his chin.

It was obvious he was thinking, so she slowly opened the door, closing it behind her as she entered. "What are you doing?" She asked, sitting down on the sofa pushed against the wall. Miraculously, it had remained clean over the years.

Will jumped, almost dropping the brush he held in his hand. "Jesus, you scared me." He exhaled, "How long have you been here?"
"Only about 10 seconds." Jane answered, amused. "Why?"

The prince shook his head, "Nothing."
"Okay..." Jane replied, clearly not convinced. "Well, can I stay?"
Will nodded, "Sure, I'm almost finished anyway."

He was painting another landscape, but instead of the usual Aveington meadows, it was a mountains and hills. A cafe set atop one of them as did a few cabins.

It was a picture of Hawkins, a place that had stayed in his mind ever since he left. Mike was going to arrive today, and he was going to confess. He just hoped it wouldn't turn out badly, as this really did feel like love.