Young Royals: After season 1

Chapter seventy: Simon

I had not been back to Hillerska since we graduated a year prior. The school had not changed a bit. It still looked like it did when we went to school there. The only thing that was new was the students attending the school. I recognized a few third years, as they had been first years our final year. But the first and second grade students were not familiar at all. And having a royal visit was apparently a big thing for them. I noticed them whispering as we entered the school. I had Wilhelm's hand in mine until we were supposed to shake hands with all our old teachers and the headmistress Anette. It felt weird being back at the school. It both felt like we had never left and at the same time it felt like another lifetime when we had attended school there. It was just a year, but so much had happened in a year. We had travelled the world. Gotten engaged. Married. I had not imagined that I would be married by the time we returned here. But we were. And I was now royal, like Wilhelm.

"Welcome back, King Wilhelm," Anette said and took his hand in hers. She continued on to shake my hand. "And you, Prince Simon." I smiled gently at her.

"Thank you, Anette," I said. "Thanks for inviting us. It is a pleasure to be back here." She gave me a kind smile. I went on to shake the next teacher's hand. I smiled until it hurt. Then I just kept smiling anyway. I had learned how Wilhelm coped with these situations. It was overwhelming. Photographers everywhere. People who want you to pay attention to them everywhere. And Wilhelm with his social anxiety had it even worse than others. He hid it for the moment, but I knew he would be exhausted later. When we had been welcomed we walked through the school, behind the prefect and headmistress. We already knew the ins and outs of this school, but they wanted to take pictures in different places I guessed. The different places we went by made me think of when Wilhelm and I attended the school. We had kissed each other basically everywhere in that school. After the little walk in the school they told us that the choir was waiting for us in the church, along with all students at the school. Just like Wilhelm's first day at the school. I remembered that day so vividly. He was so handsome that day. I remembered that he smiled. I thought he did it just to be polite. But apparently I had made him smile his first genuine smile that day. He was not happy to transfer to Hillerska. To have his own wishes be an afterthought. If he had not been sent to Hillerska, we would most likely never have met. So it did not end in complete disaster after all. Now Wilhelm and I walked hand in hand down the aisle of the church to sit in the front. Everyone looked at us as if we were two aliens walking by. My old music teacher stepped up on stage to welcome us.

"Today I want to welcome our two graduates that have kindly joined us. King Wilhelm and Prince Simon graduated here in 2024. I have myself had the pleasure to have the prince in my choir during his years here. Today the current choir wants to welcome you both with a performance." she said. I smiled at her. Thomasina, the music teacher, had always been so nice to me. She had always said I had talent. I had been singing forever. And the kids as the schoolyard had called me gay, because I rather sang than played football like the other boys. They had not been wrong. I was very gay. But they used it as a curse word. I don't think they knew what it actually meant. I did not know it myself back then either. I just knew I was different. I crushed on the boys and the boys crushed on the girls. And girls had only ever been friends to me. The choir walked up on stage. Wilhelm looked at me with a smile. I was pretty sure he thought about the times when I was standing up there. When he sat down here and I looked for him in the audience. The choir sang "Elastic Heart" by Sia that day. On Wilhelm's first day we had been singing "Fool to remain sane" by The Arc. When the choir was finished we gave them a round of applause. Wilhelm and I walked up to the school alone with our security.

"How did you like the performance?" I asked Wilhelm. I thought they were really good. Thomasina was a great music teacher and it showed in their performance.