Worth the Fight- A Solangelo Royalty AU

IV-Lullaby

"Where am I? Who are you?"

The boy started shaking with fear as he noticed me for the first time.

"You're in the Solace family castle. I'm Will." I informed him carefully.

He gasped and scrambled to his feet, a look of pure terror taking over his delicate features. I noticed his legs were shaking and rushed over to catch him right before he hit the ground. He opened his eyes slowly.

"Be careful! You aren't ready to move around much yet. I fixed your wound but your head is still adjusting. Are you alright?" I panicked.

The small boy looked confused. Finally he mumbled a very small sentence and looked down.

"I'm fine."

"Well, you obviously aren't fine. You were unconscious when you arrived. They said that you were terrified in those woods, what happened?" I argued as I set him down on the cot again.

The boy winced and my heart broke. He thought for a minute before speaking.

"It-it was dark, and I'm scared of the dark. My sister was supposed to find me, but your guards found me first. They blinded me with a flashlight then tied me up. They shoved me at some point and I fell and hit my head on a root or a rock. Then they gagged me and threw me into the carriage, but I don't remember anything after that..." He admitted.

I gaped at him and pulled him into a light hug. He was so brave. More brave than I could ever have been. The boy started crying into my chest so I rubbed his back.

"It's alright, you're safe now. I won't let them hurt you anymore."

"I'm sorry." The brown-eyed boy whispered.

"For what?" I asked.

What could he possibly be sorry for? This boy was downright perfect to the very core.

"Stealing. It was just that-" He started.

I cut him off, "Shh...hey, you don't have to tell me why you stole right now. Why don't we take you to your room so you can get some rest, is that okay?"

He nodded so I scooped him up bridal-style and carried him through the he halls while humming the old lullaby You Are My Sunshine.

In mere seconds, his eyes fluttered closed. I smiled.

"Goodnight, Sunshine, sleep well."

I took him to my bedroom and set him carefully down on one of the two  beds. I could've taken him to one of the guest rooms, but I didn't really feel the need to, since I had an extra bed in my room anyway. I looked at the wall clock. 10:30 p.m.

I should probably go talk to my parents about the boy, but I didn't want to leave him. Luckily, I didn't have to because my mother came bursting into the room anyway. She took one look at boy and smiled. She spoke with me in a hushed whisper, which I greatly appreciated.

"You helped him?"

I nodded.

"Why?"

Could I trust her? Could I tell her I've been in love with this boy I didn't even know, since I was merely twelve? I think I can.

"I was always fascinated when Dad would tell me stories of a boy at the dinner table. I fell in love with a boy who stole and always got away. I didn't know how old he was, or what he was like back then, but now that I know..."

"You don't want him to get away from you." My mother finished.

I looked up her.

Could she possibly understand and accept me for this?

She put a hand on my shoulder as if reading my thoughts.

"William, I've known you've liked guys since way before you were twelve. When you were four, you used to gossip with the maids' daughters about which stable boys were the cutest." She said with a laugh.

I smiled.

"You've really known for that long?" I asked.

She nodded.

There was a brief moment of silence before I asked the question that had been constantly bothering me since the boy arrived.

"Mom? Will he still have to live in the dungeons?"

She pondered it for a minute.

"I bet we could get something worked out, if you were willing to watch over him." She said with a wink.

I blushed like mad.

"Mom!"

She laughed and headed out of the room.

"Get ready for bed, William, it's getting late."

Then she was gone. I felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off my chest. I looked down at Nico and really noticed his features for the first time. He had long, dark eyelashes that seemed to curl perfectly. He had a dusting of freckles on his small nose. His lips were chapped, but still filled with colour. Even his long, messy, raven  black hair, I thought, looked completely beautiful. I pulled the covers over him and went into the bathroom to change, when I came out, he was sprawled across the bed, similar to a starfish. I chuckled as I climbed into my own bed before switching off the already dim lights and falling asleep.

(A/N wow! This chapter is actually over 800 words without a super long authors note! Yay me!)

You are super amazing and I think you a brilliant no matter what anyone else says.
Believe in yourself, darling!

Word count: 898