Young Royals: After season 1

Chapter twenty four: Wilhelm

There was an ambulance outside the house where Simon's father lived. It could have been a neighbour who needed assistance, but of what Simon had told me I understood he was worried. I held his hand in mine. I felt how he tried to keep calm. Maybe for my sake. Maybe for his own.

"Simon?" I said.

"Yes?" he replied. He was nervous. More nervous than I had ever seen him before.

"Don't forget to breathe," I told him. Malin had given me that advice once when I was stressed out about Alexander. It had helped at least a bit. "And don't forget I am here with you whatever happens." He nodded. He opened the front door and showed me up the stairs. I read the name on the door as Simon knocked on it. I read "Michael Eriksson" on the door. After a few seconds I got to see the face of the man whose name was Michael Eriksson.

"Simme. What are you doing here?" he said. I saw on the way he presented himself that he probably was not entirely sober. After Simon told me about his father's addiction I had felt even more ashamed for having him taking care of me when I was drunk and that time when I was high on the football field. His father had only given me a fast glance and then his eyes were on his son. It was the first time I had ever been ignored like that. If you don't count Simon's little speech about the monarchy being the biggest tax receivers in the country. I think that was when I first realised I had a crush on him. Finally I had found someone who disliked the royal family as much as I did myself. And ironically I was the heir for the crown now.

"There was an ambulance outside and I wanted to check on you," Simon replied to his father. His tone was cold, in a way I never had heard him speak before. He was clearly very disappointed in the man standing in front of us.

"That was the old lady Agda next door. She had fallen over and probably broken her leg. I am fine" his father said.

"We see that. We were on our way home, so we should probably get going." Simon said and began turning around to leave.

"Simme, wait. Would you like to stay for coffé?" his father asked. Simon met my eyes, almost as if he was asking me about what to do. I did not know if it was very wise to have coffé with his father.

"Is it okay, Wille?" Simon asked me. I nodded. Of course it was okay if he wanted to stay for a while. "Well we can stay for half an hour. Then we have to go home for dinner, or mom will be worried about us." She would not be. I knew Simon probably said that so he had an excuse to leave later. He led me into the little hall and his father went inside the kitchen. We put our jackets on some hangers and Malin stayed in the hall, while we stepped into a little living room. Simon and I sat down on the couch. I caressed his cheek and gave him a little kiss.

"Just say if you want to leave. Malin is here and she can take care of him if it becomes necessary" I whispered. He nodded. I held an arm protectively around him as his father appeared from the kitchen with three cups of coffé.

"I don't think we have met before. I am Wilhelm," I said as he sat down.

"I know who you are, your royal highness," his father replied.

"Be nice to my boyfriend or we are leaving, dad." Simon said.

"So it is rude to use royal titles now? Then I am sorry" he said. I saw a little grin on his face. "The entire world knows that you two are dating. I might be an addict, but I have not missed that my own son is dating the crown prince of Sweden, Simon." I looked at Simon, who was trying to compose himself. I took a sip of coffé and tried to act normal. I hated coffé, but I did not want to offend his father. It might end up bad if I did.

"Is my son a good boyfriend, Wilhelm?" his father asked me. For the first time he looked directly at me. Deep into my eyes. His eyes were blue. I wondered if people realised that Simon and his father were even related, if they did not know it already. I would not have guessed if I did not know.

"Yes, he is," I replied.

"So when is the wedding?" his father asked. Simon looked at him. He was irritated, I could tell that. "Oh don't get mad, Simme. He just seems like a very detailed guy, your crown prince." I felt like laughing, but I held it back.

"Well excuse me, but we have just met. Did you expect me to spill all the tea about how we had sex the first time, or what?" I said in anger. Simon just looked at me. He had probably never seen me like this.

"There is video proof of that and you could probably still find it somewhere on the internet if you are interested," Simon continued. "If you have not already seen it."

"Of course I have not seen that, Simon. If it is something you wish to not see or hear it is your own children being intimate with someone. You will understand that when you two have kids of your own one day" he replied. He was probably one of few who had not seen that video, if he was telling the truth.

"That idiot is in prison now, right? I saw something about that on the news a few weeks ago. And I saw you two on the tabloids kissing as well." His father continued. Simon was blushing now. "Aww Simme, don't blush now. You are cute together. And even though I do not like the monarchy I support your relationship," his father teased. At least he did not have a problem with his son being gay. Once again my title was the problem in our relationship.

"I don't like the monarchy either to be completely honest with you," I said. His father looked surprised. Most people would probably be surprised with how much I dispised being royal and how much I had wished that I could be normal. That my family could have been normal.

"But you are the next heir to the crown. You have all the royal privileges. How can you hate it?" his father replied.

"I know I am extremely privileged. But I never asked for this. If I had the choice I would not be the next king of this country. I would have been an ordinary teenage boy who could do whatever I wanted with my life. From the day I was born people already had plans for my future and who I was going to be. And guess what? I don't live up to those expectations. I am the troublemaking little brother who does bar fights and calls my secret boyfriend when I am high on a football field so he has to come and rescue me. My mother wanted me to stop seeing Simon, even though he was my only motivation to even get out of bed in the morning after my brother died. Just to save an appearance I will fuck up anyways eventually. This life is not as glamorous as it seems. At least not if you did not want it to begin with," I said. Simon and his father both looked at me. Even Simon seemed surprised. He knew that I would trade my title with almost whoever wanted it just to be free. I felt like a zoo animal trapped in a cage. Not when I was with Simon or his family. But that was almost the only exception I could think of.

"Wow. You got some shit to deal with, kid," his father said and took a sip of his coffé. "But it is good to know that you have someone who makes you go out on adventures and get in trouble with, Simon. You never get in trouble by yourself. Only studies and being a well behaved kid. You are like your mother in that respect. But you don't live up to your old man's reputation," his father continued. Maybe he did not know that I knew Simon had sold his medication to August and did not want his son to get in trouble with me. Simon had not touched any of the drugs, it was me and the other society boys who did.

"I stole your medication and sold it to a guy at our school, dad. And I am not a troublemaker?" Simon said. His father laughed.

"That was the first time in sixteen years that you have done anything out of protocol, Simon. It is nothing against what I did back in the days when I was in highschool." his father responded.

"Then why were you pissed at me?" Simon replied.

"That's my job. I am your father. I can't encourage you to steal my medication and either use them as drugs yourself or sell them to your classmates," his father replied.

"Then why do you keep doing drugs, huh?" Simon replied. There was so much sadness and disappointment in his eyes.

"Because I can't stop. I am already addicted. It would be like keeping the two of you apart. I have seen the two of you for maybe twenty minutes, but I can already tell you two can't go a day without contact with the other. I never wanted the drugs or alcohol to take that role in my life, but it did. And I am sorry for that, Simon. I am sorry for the trauma I have caused you, Sara and mom. But I am trying to do better. I have seeked help and I will do my very best to dry up. I am moving away to a centre where I will be treated for two, maybe three months. That's what I wanted to talk about with you the other day, but you did not want to listen," he explained.