The King and The Jester

A little thing I came up with after seeing Cinderella (the ballet) when I saw a prince checking out the jester in his tights and started to be like 'oooooh are the dancers gay for each other?' and eventaully I came up with this. Ta da! Not fandom related but a quick-ish read. 5000 words and 5 days of constant inspiration (mostly because I didn't want to do my homework) and this is it! Not much plot but pretty creative if i do say so myself but I think the climax goes a bit too quick. Originally going to be The Prince and The Jester but then somehow he ended up being king so I had to change all the pronouns oh my goodness. WRITING IS HARD! But here it is in case you have an urge-

“Your highness! I’m certainly not suitable for this amount of preparation! You’re the one who needs it more than I do!” the court jester complained to the prince.
            The jester and the prince were long good friends, growing up together before the royal family made way for King Alexander and his young son. Somehow, everyone in the royal family died off from the plague, making Phillip and his father the crown king and prince. Phillip, through his now heavy influences throughout the entire peasant villages, made his best friend, Arthur, the court jester. Phillip was always going on about how Arthur made the best jokes, did the silliest dances, and the most skillful tricks.
            “Oh don’t call me that, Arthur! You know as well as I do that it won’t take me but ten minutes to get ready! Anyway, we need you to look your best! There might be a cute servant boy in the crowd wanting to dance with you,” Phillip raised his eyebrows suggestively.
            Phillip knew Arthur was more interested in courting men over women. Although it was almost unheard of these days, he accepted this fact and moved on with his life. “As long as you aren’t in love with me,” he used to say.
            “I highly doubt that anyone would want to dance with me. Especially when I’m going to be dancing and juggling for them tonight,” Arthur complained.
            “You never know,” Phillip argued.
            “Phillip!” King Alexander pounded at the door.
            “Yes, father?” Phillip asked, ungrateful for the interruption. He was halfway to persuading Arthur that any man in the kingdom would be begging to dance with him.
            “Are you ready, yet? We have to greet all the guests at the door, and who the bloody hell knows when they’re going to show up!” the King yelled through the wood.
            Arthur was already at work, getting Phillip’s outfit laid out on the bed for him to get into. Arthur, who was originally only supposed to be the court jester, now doubled as Phillip’s manservant. Phillip’s proper servant was often brushed aside because Arthur was always with him, often leaving him unready and joking around with Arthur to the point that he was utterly unprepared for anything thrown at him. Arthur soon stepped up to the job, making sure everything was in order, but refusing to dress him, making him stay true to his roots. Plus, he was attracted to men, and both thought it wouldn’t end well if Arthur were to dress him.
            Arthur soon left through the servants passageways, as he often does when Alexander was threatening Phillip. The King understood that his son and Arthur were so close, but there were some times, like tonight, when the joking needed to stop and business needed to resume.
            “Oi, don’t you look handsome!” an Irish handmaiden proclaimed as he was passing her.
            “Thanks, Guinevere,” he said, scampering away as soon as the words left his lips. He knew Gwen was interested in him, but she did not know he was interested in men. He hated to hurt her feelings, though.
            “Ay, where are you going?” she yelled after him. It was a good thing she was carrying the washings, or else she might have gone after him.
            “Need to get ready for tonight!” he yelled and continued to run the other way.
            The entire castle was in full swing, baking things and lighting candles for tonight. It was the annual ball, one that King Alexander had never hosted, seeing his first year at the throne. Only an hour later, the guests started arriving. They came in pairs, mother and daughter, or father and son, in carriages decked in golden décor sometimes pastel colored curtains over the windows. They were drawn by horses, most black, but the occasional brown horse. One prince came alone, horseback, riding right up to the end of princess Irene’s carriage and jumping off, giving the reins to a nearby servant.
            When he turned, Arthur got a good view of his face. He was wearing a majestic hat, with little light brown curls sticking out from underneath. His eyes were wide and bright, but from this distance he couldn’t see the color. His shoulders were broad, with his waistcoat coming to a point on his behind. Arthur almost sighed. “Would I like to dance with that!” he thought.
            The man below took off his wide hat and bowed at the King and Prince when he greeted them atop the stairs. Alexander patted his shoulder like he knew him, but Phillip shook his hand as if he were a stranger. Which he was, because Phillip would have mentioned someone that handsome to him before.
            Phillip was always trying to do that. When the peasants from the town came to visit and ask for his help, he would tell Arthur about a boy he thought was reasonably cute for him. It was a nice gesture, but none of them were interested in the same way he was. They were all looking for women and pretty young girls to do the do with them. Why was it so hard to just find someone like him?
            The ball room was starting to fill up nicely. All the young princesses chatting with the male courtiers and the kings talking up the queens. Some of the kings were unwed, still, so they came alone, but not without hope of finding someone for themselves. Making him equivalent to a prince or princess here.
            As soon as everyone had arrived, Phillip and Alexander came in through the door to join the festivities. Phillip made his way through the crowd by spinning girls this way and that. Eventually he found Arthur sitting alone, staring into the vast crowd of twirling skirts and tipping hats.
            “Arthur,” Phillip said, nudging his foot against his thigh. He slid down the wall so he could meet his friend’s eyes. “Why aren’t you having fun?”
            “Probably because I’m the jester and it’s not yet my time to have fun,” Arthur said, barely making an effort to look at his prince.
            “You should go dance with someone,” Phillip suggested, more or less ignoring Arthur’s depressing plea.
            “With who?” he asked, this time meeting Phillip’s gaze. “All the princesses are with princes or talking with someone! Besides, no one wants to dance with the fool.”
            “I’d like to dance with the fool,” a pleasantly deep voice said. Phillip and Arthur looked up simultaneously. It was that prince from before, the solo one on the horse and funny hat. This time Arthur could see his eyes, a beautiful hazel nut color.
            Arthur scrambled to his feet, much less gracefully than he would have wanted. “R-really?” he choked out. His cheeks bloomed rose pink. No matter his sexuality, he’s never had a moment like this with a man. He was more of an admire-at-a-distance type.
            “Of course,” the prince smiled and held out his hand. His voice was pure honey, something that could be listened to non-stop all day long. His smile, on the other hand was stuff of legends. He had two little dimples on each side of his face and his lips were the perfect pale pink color.
            The Prince, who was now standing, leaning against the wall, noticed his friend’s hesitation and gave him a shove with his foot. Arthur’s hand landed directly in the prince’s and they walked away. Not before Arthur gave Phillip a pointed look while Phillip only laughed in response.
            “What is your name, may I ask,” Arthur said, turning his full attention to the man escorting him to the floor.
            “I’m Prince William Kenton of the northern Cheshire kingdom. And yours?” he asked Arthur, holding him in the proper starting position for the dance.
            “Arthur Lovato of the lower village, court jester to the King Alexander of Gual,” he said, trying to make his title sounds like William’s.
            “Arthur Lovato,” he said, testing out the new name. “Sounds Spanish.”
            “It was,” Arthur paused. They were now dancing in a small circle while everyone around them were doing extravagant twirls and dips with their ladies. “My father was Spanish but migrated here for hope of better treatment, found my mother, and she took his name. They now live quite nicely in the lower village.”
            “Sounds like a nice life. Pray tell, how did you end up the jester for the king?” William asked.
            “I was childhood friends with Phillip, and he became crown prince when the first royal family died to the plague. Alexander made me the jester because… Well, I don’t know. He was always quite fond of me,” Arthur finished. “Now tell me, why are you here alone?”
            “I’m not,” William said, and Arthur could sense the lie.
            “Yes you are. If you came with a father or mother, you wouldn’t be dancing with a man, let alone the court jester. Your parents would never allow it. A prince could never marry another man, let alone someone of such low standard as myself. Not that I’m suggesting marriage or anything, I just-” Arthur was cut off by William’s laugh. His laugh was just as smooth as his voice, if not even more so. You think someone that perfect would have one flaw, such as a laugh, as often people do, but no. He really is the perfect human being. At least in Arthur’s eyes.
            “Alright, alright, you caught me,” he said, looking above Arthur’s head. William was just two inches taller than Arthur, giving him that advantage. “I’m actually the crowned King. My parents died last spring. I can do what I want with whoever I want,” he smirked and looked in Arthur’s eyes. “Even with you.”
            Arthur was caught up in the prince’s eyes so much he almost didn’t catch what he was saying. He almost didn’t realize it either when his head started bending down. When time finally caught up with him, Arthur realized William was about to kiss him. He panicked, his brain running through every possibility of how this could go. He’s never kissed anyone before. He could drive away this adorable prince if he didn’t kiss well. Or if he backed away, he could risk embarrassing himself and the prince. By the time he made a decision, it was too late. The prince’s mouth was already upon his.
            William tasted like milk chocolate, a rare delicacy in Gual. Arthur wasn’t sure what William was experiencing, but he knew it couldn’t be good. He recently ate his heart out at the cheese table. The last thing he expected to do today was get kissed.
            Arthur was pulled out of all his thoughts by the king’s lips. They were softer than silk and for the moment, all his. Then he started moving his mouth against his own, and Arthur had no choice but to move along, and soon enough they were kissing like teenagers. William’s scent was overwhelming, sucking Arthur’s senses further into the man in front of him. He had no realization of anything surrounding him. Not the dying music, the king’s short-lived speech, or that everyone in the room was silent for a matter of seconds.
            They wrapped their arms around each other. William tying his fingers in Arthur’s hair and the other hand at the small of his back, pulling Arthur closer. Arthur had one hand on the prince’s bicep and the other on the nape of his neck. Each was desperate for the other, sometimes gasping when one did something the other thought was splendid. They knew their boundaries in this room, but at the same time, they didn’t care. They knew the other and the other knew him and they wanted nothing but them in this perfect little space they shared together.
             They broke for air once the prince was up for his speech. He spotted his friend and the king almost immediately, the only two people wrapped in each other’s embrace. He let out a small smile, glad that Arthur finally found someone to be happy with. “Today is a day to celebrate friends and family and be thankful of our gracious circumstances that allowed us to host this wonderful tradition.”
            Arthur’s ears perked up, and although he was still in his William-consumed daze, he turned his attention to Phillip, nudging William to do the same. Soon enough, Arthur was able to take in what Phillip was saying and have a full understanding to it. After the speech was over, the ballroom started to vacate. This was a tradition that lasted a week, after all. Everyone was staying over and you would not believe how many people they had to throw out of rooms so they could fit everyone in.
            King William, who was given a slip of paper with his name and room number on it upon his arrival, was at a loss where it was. Arthur was halfway across the room by then, going to talk to Prince Phillip, presumably. William re-entered the room and ran to Arthur, gripping him by the shoulder and asking him to show him wear his room is.
            Arthur laughed it off, agreeing to help and turned back around and made a sudden left. Phillip, who had no one to talk to all of the sudden, spotted his friend’s retreating silhouette. He sighed, hoping he was happy with this new prince of his. He made his way to his chambers in silent solitude.
            Arthur had found William’s room for him and made sure he remembered his way around before he left him. Arthur stopped at the door and said, “This is your room,” with a collective sigh and started to turn away.
            “Actually-” William started, making Arthur stop in his tracks. “Would you stay?”
            Arthur turned on the balls of his feet. “In what way?” he asked suspiciously.
            All of the sudden, William had him wrapped in another kiss, leaving him breathless and whispered, “I think you know what way.”
            That was all it took for William to persuade Arthur to stay. And what they did between them that night shall stay within the confines of their own minds. There’s no need to be spreading that kind of vile around, there might be children.
            The next morning, Arthur woke with a rush. He was filled with memories of the previous night, making him favor it above all the others. He hurriedly dressed and kissed his partner’s forehead before he left, making him stir in his slumber. Arthur breathed in his scent, memorizing it before he hurried down to his own room. He undressed as quickly as he could and redressed in different, more casual clothes. He made his bed look slept in, then went to the dining hall before anyone else awoke.
            He was always the one to get up the earliest, and so used to the fact that on his days off he still got up at the same time. He had to ring the bell that got everyone in the palace up, help the kitchen staff set the table for breakfast, and sometimes fetch the prince if he was being a lazy ass that day. Of course on those days, he approached his door with caution, because he always went to bed with a lady that night.
            Everyone came to the dining area with haste, even for such a lot of people, and found their respective sitting areas. King William, he noticed, was one of the last to arrive, looking properly stiff. Arthur smiled to himself, glad that he had caused that. He never thought he was good in bed—never having an instance to be good in bed—but he was very proud of this accomplishment.
            He had breakfast with the servants, choosing not to sit with the royal family and their guests this time. He opened up a book of fiction he was working on and leafed through it. He could always find the best books in the library. The ones that were old of age and covered in dust, he found, contained the best writing.
            When everyone cleared out, all that was left were the dirty dishes that needed to be done. Surprisingly enough, Prince Phillip stayed behind to help clear them out. “Phillip? You’re helping?” Arthur asked in astonishment.
            “Well, yes. I didn’t see you much after last night. I was beginning to wonder what happened to you,” he said, stacking bowls still lined with porridge.
            Arthur blushed, trying to think of an excuse for this one. “Well, you know, King William asked me to dance and-”
            “I saw,” Phillip interrupted. “It seemed like you were rather enjoying yourself.”
            Arthur blushed harder, turning his entire face red. “Yes- well,” he began but Phillip cut him off again.
            “I know what happened,” he said, pausing in his work to look up at him. “I don’t particularly like it, or want to envision it, but I know what went on.”
            “You- you did?” Arthur asked, not meeting his eyes.
            “Yes, and I’m quite happy for you,” he said, offering a small smile.
            This time, Arthur looked up and returned his smile. “Thank you,” he said and went back to his work.
            “Phillip!” King Alexander yelled through the open door. “What are you doing, son? That’s servant work! Sorry, Arthur,” he said when he saw Arthur.
            “It’s all right, sire!” he called back.
            “Sorry father, I’ll be right there,” he said. He still had a stack of bowls in his hand, not knowing what to do with.
            “Give them here,” Arthur said, motioning Phillip to give him the tin bowls, “I’ll take them.”
            “Thank you!” Phillip said, and thrust the bowls in his hands and ran off to join his father in royal business.
            Arthur only laughed. He knew Phillip could be a bit spacy and inconsiderate at some times, but he means well. He well knows what it’s like to be one of the people.
            When Arthur finished, he popped a visit by William’s room. He knocked before slowly entering. “Was your morning suitable enough for you, your highness?” he asked upon seeing William reading on his freshly made bed.
            “It would have been better with you,” he said, lowering the book to his chest so he could see Arthur’s blush.
            “I had duties to attend to.”
            “Why are you being so formal? It’s just me. You certainly weren’t that formal last night,” he said, furrowing his brow.
            Arthur took a few steps towards the king. “There might be people listening,” he whispered. “There are lots of gossips here, and I don’t want you to get a reputation.”
            “My reputation?” the king said, feigning shock. “I’m not the one living here for my entire life. I’m a King. I will always be respected. You, on the other hand…” he trailed off, trying to hide his smile under the book.
            The jester had an appalled look etched on his face. He too, was trying to fight the growing grin, but he couldn’t help himself and started laughing. Which, in turn, caused William to giggle. “I barely have a reputation to uphold. I make a fool out of myself on a regular basis!” Arthur exclaimed, sitting down at William’s feet.
            “I’m sure that isn’t true!” William said, shocked that Arthur could ever embarrass himself. He was always so smooth! Well, not in the traditional form at least.
            Arthur just smiled in his lap and laughed through his nose. “It’s part of my job description.”
            “Oh,” William said, then laughed at himself. “How could I forget? Of course you’re the jester, you’re always wearing some kind of orange!”
            “I am not!”
            “Oh please! Arthur, your eyes are practically half orange.”
            Arthur was taken aback at this. What the heck? No, he didn’t have almost-orange eyes. He ran to the nearest mirror and stared into his eye. I guess, if this is what passes for orange nowadays, he thought.
            “Eh…” he said, turning back around.
            “What? You don’t believe me?” William asked, getting off the bed and striding toward the jester.
            “Not really,” he said, suddenly caught up in William’s eyes. They were an inconsistent light brown color all the way around. They reminded him of hazel nuts he used to gather in his friend’s farm in the fall. The hazel nuts would lie on the newly fertile soil, the exact color as the man’s eyes in front of him.
            And just as suddenly as all the times before, their lips were connected. After a good go, though, Arthur pulled back, slightly breathless. “We can’t do this now,” he said. “There are things that have to be done.” He looked up in his eyes once more. “But I can come back later tonight, after dinner, if you still want-”
            “Of course I want you to come back. I miss you already,” William said with a smile and a light kiss on Arthur’s cheek. He went back on his bed to continue reading his book. Arthur almost found the sight of the king on his back too tempting, but got out of the room before he could do anything else in the love-struck mind of his.
            Though he had never felt anything this intense with anyone else, again, because he never really had the change, he couldn’t help himself. He was falling for King William, whether he liked it or not. He had less than a week left to spend any time at all with him, and he was going to use it all. Even if that meant his heart getting broken. Better to live and learn then to never have loved at all, right? Arthur wasn’t so sure.
            That night, they were holding another ball, this one slightly less extravagant than the first. Arthur helped Phillip into his costume then left to help prepare. He practiced juggling in front of the kitchen staff, hoping they could give him some pointers for his performance. He was never a very good juggler, but he can get by.
            He was up right after the entire castle had dinner. He stood in the middle of the four tables arranged to make a square with space in the middle. He lifted small ornate balls used specifically for the jesters such as him and threw one in the air. He threw another in the air as he caught the first one and this process repeated until he thought he was balanced enough to throw his leg into the middle and juggle around it. Someone threw an orange at him and he caught it, not letting it hit him square in the chest.
            He thought it was time to start the jokes, seeing as everyone was suddenly so silent. “What did the dog say to the tree?” he asked the audience, starting easy.
            He saw the people at the tables whispering to one another trying to see if anyone knew the answer. No one did, except the prince and the king but they didn’t want to ruin the joke. “I don’t know, what?” Prince Mathew of France finally said.
            “That he liked his bark,” he said, smirking, still concentrating on the balls in front of him. The princesses and Queens erupted into fits of giggles, and the men only smiled and rolled their eyes.
            He threw a ball behind his back and it met his others in the front. “Why did the calf cross the street?” he asked.
            Again there was murmuring, but this time he answered before anyone could respond, “To get to the udder side.” And this time even the men laughed. Arthur was pleased with himself, he’s never performed in front of an audience this large before, and to make them all laugh like this was immensely pleasing.
            “Did you hear about the fire at the circus?” he asked. The ladies and gentlemen didn’t even bother consulting with each other this time. They eagerly awaited the answer. “It was in tents,” he said with a smile. There were more giggles this time.
            “What did the grape say after the elephant sat on it?” he asked, focusing more on his juggling than the audience this round. “Nothing, it just let out a little whine.” He collected all the balls in his two hands along with the orange and bowed to the laughing audience.
            There was a wave of ‘aw’ and ‘encore’ as he exited the island. He bid his dues and took up residence along the wall. He took his time scanning the faces of the audience, denying he was looking for William. When he noticed he was absent, he was a bit worried but more curious than anything. He was in perfect health the last time he saw him.
            When the ball, along with dinner, ended, Phillip wrapped his arm around Arthur’s shoulder and started walking toward his room. “That was a fantastic performance! I liked the grape joke,” he said.
            “Thanks, Phillip!” he exclaimed, bringing his arm around the prince’s waist. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
            “And that was the most coordinated juggling I’ve seen you do ever,” he said, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
            “Thanks, I was practicing before the kitchen staff before I went up,” he said, turning his face to look at Phillip. He met his eyes and before you know it, they ran into a wall like that. Arthur got the biggest blow in his head, and they went to the kitchen to get some ice.
            In the kitchen, they spotted King William talking to one of the maids that went down there to do the washing. He was sitting down and she walked into his open legs and bent down to kiss him. It was a pretty intense kiss, by the looks of it, and all Arthur could do was watch. Phillip and he hadn’t been spotted, and Phillip tried to make him wait outside while he got the ice.
            Arthur, who didn’t feel dizzy at all anymore, ran away from the scene to his chambers. He just sat there, kinda shocked. He didn’t cry, oh no, a man doesn’t cry. He just kept going through what happened in his head, over and over. He only saw William earlier that day, and he seemed perfectly into him. Maybe it was all just really good acting.
            He’s never heard of this king before, and only King Alexander seemed to know him, as he greeted him like a friend. Even Phillip greeted him as a stranger. Maybe the king had enough of his jester being too little down. Maybe he hired an actor to the celebration to charm him for a week. It makes sense, the King never cared all too much about his son’s friend’s feelings. This actor, this stranger, who was probably as heterosexual as Phillip was.
            Arthur shook these thoughts from his head and undressed for bed. He was sure they were nothing but fiction anyway. Not a moment after Arthur had stripped to his underwear, a knock sounded at the door. Arthur merely shrugged at this fact and went to open the door, regardless of who saw him like this.
            Phillip, who was standing in the door, paused a moment when he saw Arthur’s state. He blinked, almost to shake himself out of something. “Are you okay?” he asked, his blue eyes full of worry for his friend.
            “Yeah, I was just about to go to sleep,” Arthur said, gesturing to the bed behind him.
            “Oh, well… I don’t want to keep you,” Phillip said and turned to go.
            “Phillip-” Arthur said, making the price pause. “Thank you. For checking up on me. You’re a true friend,” he said with a smile.
            Phillip turned his head around. “Anything for you, Arthur,” he said and walked away.

The following day was surprisingly uneventful. There was breakfast and dinner held in the massive dining room reserved for such occasions. Arthur had passed by there earlier in between meals and he could hear grunting and moaning from the other side. His eyes widened and just kept walking, hoping it wasn’t William, but people can do what they want.
            At the end of the night though, when Arthur was all stripped down again, he was paid a visit by the man he was avoiding. He came in and grabbed his face, kissing him passionately. Arthur quickly pushed him off, though.
            “What the hell?” he screamed at him. He was fed up with William’s mood swings. He was positive he was just playing another game.
            “What?” William asked, perfectly innocent.
            “You can’t just come barging in and kiss me!” he screamed, wiping at his mouth.
            “And why not? I thought we-”
            “We are nothing,” Arthur hissed, interrupting him. “As soon as you kissed that girl, not another man, no, but a girl, we were over.”
            “But I didn’t-” William started.
            “Oh save it! I saw it, Phillip did too. You were in the kitchens last night with Sabrina, and we both know what went on,” he said vehemently.
            “Oh…” a look of realization dawned on his face. “You saw that,” he said, the disappointment detectable in his tone. Arthur ignored it like a fly. “I didn’t mean for you to.” Arthur gave him a sick look that screamed ‘tell it to someone who’ll believe you.’
            William stepped forward and grabbed Arthur’s hand, but he only shook him off. He didn’t want any sympathy or romantic shit that he was trying to pull. He was still mad at him. A cold look settled on his face.
            “You know what? I’m done! I’m done with you and your little mind games. I know what you’re trying to pull and it won’t work! I am a KING! I can have you beheaded on the spot!”
            “What the bloody hell are you going on about?” Arthur and William were now having a screaming match and it wasn’t boding very well for his neighbors. Not at this hour.
            “You! You and your perfect cheekbones and sex appeal and everything about you is driving me insane! You know I wasn’t even a homosexual when I met you. Some princes I was joking around with dared me to ask you to dance and to kiss you. I didn’t have to sleep with you, but there was something about you, from the moment we met. You had this sort of appeal that I was drawn into, you know? And now, oh now, you’re stuck! in my head. You’re there when I’m chatting with my friends, you’re there when I’m eating; you’re everywhere!” he shouted.
            “I quite literally cannot stop thinking about you, Arthur. And you have no idea how much that irks me! I don’t want to feel like someone owns me, or has a part of me in any way at all whatsoever, but then here you are. And we’ve just met and you don’t even realize that you hold me in your grasp so firmly that I couldn’t squeeze out if I tried. And Sabrina? I was trying to get you out of my mind’s reach for a moment. A single moment! And there you were! At the forefront of my mind, as you have been these past two days.
            “I have never been like this one with anyone else, quite honestly, and it pisses me off. You know why? Because I long for you. Too much, in fact. I’ve longed for you more than I have with anyone else and just agh!” William said, screaming.
            Arthur was still quite shocked at this sudden burst of rage from him, from his confession.
            William walked up to Arthur and placed his hands at the spot where his neck meets his chest. “You don’t know,” he said with all the passion filled into a whisper. Then he turned to go out the door and let it slam shut, shaking the doorframe, and probably waking everyone up.
            Only one thought ran through Arthur’s mind; “What the hell just happened?”

The next morning, Arthur caught William before he entered the dining room. He pulled him aside and struggled for words for a good few seconds before finally spitting out, “Good. Okay, fine. But you know this doesn’t change anything. I can forgive you for what you did, but I can’t forget.” William nodded through all of this, surprised Arthur even wanted to be near him. “And I will shove it in your face if I get the chance,” he said, giving William a look. “But I think this can work!” he exclaimed with a breath of finalment.
            “Great!” William said, a broad smile appearing on his face. He brought Arthur in for a great hug. “Now you can come have breakfast with us, and sit next to me for a change,” he said, releasing his grip.
            They walked in together with William’s arm wrapped around Arthur’s shoulders and a flurry of pink on Arthur’s cheeks.