A Lovesick King

Chap 2: Hang In There

The next day came sooner than anyone wanted. Will had woken up at the crack of dawn with a coughing fit, covering an entire handkerchief with blood. He grimaced at the sight and threw the cloth with a couple others that were starting to pile next to his bed. He looked over at the other bed and noticed Bill hadn't come back yet. He was normally home by the time Will woke up. His anxiety spiked but he brushed it off, convincing himself that Bill was just stopping to buy fruit.

Will started about his day, taking the last of his medicine and starting a pot of tea to try and sooth his throat a bit. While the water boiled he looked into their mirror propped against the wall. His hair was starting to fade from a bright blue to more of a lighter hue. He'd have to make some more dye soon.

Afternoon came quickly for Will who was cleaning and walking about the market place looking for any sign of his brother. He asked around with the market people they knew, asking if they had seen Bill around that day. Most replied no but a couple said they had heard a blond boy was being tried by the king at noon.

The answers only stressed Will out more. He kept wandering the streets, stopping every so often to sit or cough. The church bells down the street chimed one o'clock and he could hear people gathering around the center square. As quickly as he could he ran to the square. People were gathering around the hanging block and from above their heads he could see bright blond.

Will's heart lept into his throat and his stomach felt sick. He could hear yelling from the stand. Bills cries echoed from the buildings around them.

"Let me go! Please my brother needs me!"

Will shoved his way to the front of the crowd, breathing heavily but adrenaline keeping him standing. Bill stood with his hands and feet tied as they slipped the noose around his throat. His wife eyes darted around making him look insane. Their eyes locked and his cries stopped before tears poured out and he started fighting against the restraints.

"Hear me out! It wasn't a fair trial please! My brother will DIE!" They're contact broke as Bill looked over to the king who was standing on his balcony, overlooking the whole ordeal. Will turned to look. Their fearless and brave king looked...ashamed. He wouldn't meet Bill's eyes, drifting everywhere but until he met Will's.

The King's eyes widened as he stared at Will. He looked exactly the same as the man on the stand, except instead of blond hair, it was blue. He averted his eyes as quickly as they had met.

Will looked back onto the platform to see the execution men tightening the rope on Bill's neck and prepping it so it wouldn't break when they let him drop.

When Will looked back to the balcony a woman in an elegant red dress was talking quickly to the king. He recognized her as the second ruler of the kingdom, Mabel. She always walked around the streets to mingle with people in regular clothing. Now she was in a royal gown with a crown on her head arguing with her brother. She pointed at Bill and then to something in her hands. A leather satchel. She took out papers and jewels that belonged to the king and lastly a picture. Will didn't need to be up there to know it was Bill's satchel, or to know the picture was the two of them with their late aunt and uncle who had passed during the last epidemic.

They were in their teens when it happened but Will still hadn't recovered. It crushed his already weaker immune system and left them dirt poor with only a shack to live in.

Mabel went to the edge of the balcony, resisting the King's pulls for her to step away. Her voice projected clearly through Bill's and silencing the crowd. "STOP THE EXECUTION!"

Everyone turned to her. Her face was flushed and her hands were clenched on the stone. "LET HIM GO HE'S INNOCENT!" She cried.

The crowd watched on silently as the men on the platform shrugged and took the noose from Bill's neck and shoved him back towards the castle. Will pushed through to crowd to follow, catching up to them. "Bill!" He cried. Bills neck snapped to him and a smile cracked his face in half. More tears stained his face as he tried to hug Will, stopping when his restraints forbid him.

"Will what are you doing here?!"

Will pulled him into a tight hug. "You told me you wouldn't get caught you idiot!" He pulled away to wipe his eyes and take a long look at his brother's face.

"Hey! We need to get inside so are you coming with us or leaving?" A guard started pulling Bill forward. Will took his brother's arm and followed close, coughing into his hand. He smeared the blood on his already stained pants much to the worry of Bill, watching him do it.

They arrived in the throne room not too much later. The king and Mabel sat on their respective thrones, talking to each other quietly. As soon as the group entered, their talking died away and they both stood.

"Hello. I am King Dipper and this is my sister Queen Mabel. We would like to talk to you for a bit." His commanding voice was back, still not replacing the shame in his eyes as he stared at Will holding his brothers arm.

"We know who you both are. Why didn't you just kill me like you planned? I did steal from you and you caught me red handed." Bill snapped back at the king.

He looked taken aback to have someone besides his sister talk back to him. "My sister has brought to my attention that you should not die. You said in the trial that your brother is ill and you were stealing for money to pay for medicine. Is this correct?"

Bill nodded, straightening his back. "Yeah that's right. Medicine is too damn expensive now."

King Dipper lifted his hand to rest the issue. "I am not here to berate you more on the issue, but give you an option. You two can either work as my man servant and we will help provide medicine to your brother, or you can be put to the noose and your brother will be left untreated."

Bill was speechless. This wasn't an average kind of job offer he had ever gotten (and he'd gotten pretty odd jobs). The King was personally asking him to work for him in exchange for medicine for Will.

Before he could speak, Will's voice croaked from beside him. "We'll do it."