surviving the crown

part two of chapter ten

   CHAPTER TEN PT TWO

  Margaret woke up snuggled beneath a tree in her bedroll. As hazily woke up and glanced around she realized Wyll was nowhere in sight. Where has he gone? She thought as she looked around, growing more frantic by the second.

"Wyll?" Her breathing started to speed up and she swore under her breath when he didn't answer.

She brought her hands up and tangled them in her short blonde hair — which had grown out to be longer now — while pacing for what felt like forever but couldn't have been more than a few seconds before she heard a voice.

"What now, Highness?" Margaret practically jumped out of her skin as Wyll approached her from the woods on the edge of the clearing. She wanted to run up and hug him but decided against it.

"Nothing," she turned around so he couldn't see the panic that was still fading from her features. "I just couldn't find you." She started fidgeting with a stick as Wyll raised an eyebrow behind her back.

He answered skeptically, "right." He sighed and hesitantly walked up to her. "I was only getting firewood and some berries," he set them down on the ground near her feet and she glanced down at them before sighing and sitting on one of the logs that they had been using as chairs.

They sat there in awkward silence for a bit before Wyll brushed his hands off on his pants and walked over to her. He held his hand out and she just stared straight ahead, ignoring him. He stood there waiting with his hands on his hips and a sassy grin on his face. Margaret tried to hold back a chuckle but a burst of happiness made its way through her lips.

"There's that laugh," Wyll's smile turned sweet and she felt heat rise to her cheeks but ignored it.

"What are we having for breakfast? I'm starving."

"I don't know, what'd you make for me, Highness?" He grinned evilly and winked.

"I guess we're going to starve then," she shouted at him as he turned into the forest. "And you better be leaving me to get food!"

"Get me food, get yours yourself," he skipped happily the rest of the way into the forest. Margaret just sat there shaking her head and chuckling.

He later came back with food for himself and made her go back out there to get food of her own. She headed back to him and sighed as she sat on the hard wood. She looked at him and found herself... staring.

"I know i'm handsome, Highness, but it's rude to stare," he said through a grin.

"You are quite handsome." She let it slip before she could stop herself.

His grin disappeared and his head shot up to look at her. "You think so?"

His bright green eyes were piercing into hers as she answered, "Yes. You're very handsome, Wyll."

His face immediately brightened and he shifted closer to her. Everything inside her was saying to move away or turn away from him but she couldn't move as he stared at her.

"It's rude to stare," She said breathlessly.

His lips brushed hers, almost hesitantly, before he kissed her. It felt like her soul left her body as sparks shot through her. In the back of her head she could feel her conscience saying no. She brought her hands to his shoulders as he held her face in his gentle hands. His lips were soft on hers until sense finally came flooding back to her and she pushed him away. She shook her head and backed off the log but not before she saw Wyll's face. He looked guilty and heartbroken at the same time. She turned and kept walking into the woods to clear her mind.

Had she really just done that? They were perfectly fine as just friends. She was just lost in the moment, and so was he.

And she also had to figure out what to do about the whole monster attack event. She would leave Wyll to go back to the castle. That was what needed to happen. Then why didn't it feel right? She still had to find Edward and Charles and make sure they were safe. She still had to fix the turmoil that had bled through her country. She still had so much to do. And that included fixing things with Wyll.

She collapsed onto a fallen tree and buried her hands in her hair while covering her eyes to stench the tears. Too much. Too overwhelming. Why couldn't her parents be back? They had never been amazing parents but they were her parents all the same. And she did not want all the responsibilities that she was dealing with right now. As immature as that sounded, it was true. She wished Katheryn were here. She'd had lots of time to think about all the different things that could have happened to the people she loved during the attack on the palace.

It was her fault. It was all her fault. She had done something to upset another kingdom causing them to attack her palace and probably murder dozens of citizens and royals and innocent people. And she hadn't had time to mourn any of them. She needed to go back. Whether Wyll wanted her to or not.

She took a few more ragged deep breaths before she stood up on her shaky knees and headed towards him. As soon as she made her way into the clearing Wyll removed his head from in his hands which were propped up on his long legs. She cleared her throat before starting, "We-," she caught herself before she went on, "I need to go back to the palace, Wyll. Now. And I need to go alone." She felt her eyes starting to mist but blinked the tears back.

His eyes were swimming in hurt as he gazed into her eyes. He just nodded solemnly before turning his head back to the fire he had started and staring at it. Margaret cocked her head to the side and walked up to him, still holding back another round of tears.

"Wyll? Can you talk to me?" She placed her hand comfortingly on his knee and his breath hitched. He stared at it for a few seconds before she removed her hand and he finally looked into her eyes.

"What do you want me to say, Margaret? Because right now I have absolutely no idea what to say to you," he raked a hand through his messy hair and sighed.

"Goodbye, Wyll," she finally let the tears spill over. And he laced his fingers through hers for a second before she pulled away and went to gather her stuff.

HI PEOPLE HEHHE. okay so i liked these characters so much that i had to make a pt two. (sry if it's a bit shorter if a chapter)

also, does their relationship feel too rushed? they've known eachother for like a month btw and have had feelings for each other the whole time. tell me if i need to make that more clear lol