Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

16. Queen Kristina and Wilhelm

Mamma- Wilhelm, ring mig i kväll, snälla.

Wilhelm had rarely known his mother to actually write a text message, but he hadn't picked up her last few calls so he assumed she'd decided to try a new tactic.

He hadn't wanted to deal with any other expectations or duties she might impose on him but he had actually agreed to invest himself more in his role as Crown Prince. He also had the interest and obligation to make sure August would never be more than just a backup.

When classes had finished for the day, he had tried to study with Simon and Felice in her room, but they'd all ended up just watching a movie before Simon had to head home.

Simon had seemed distracted and hadn't mentioned anything to Wilhelm about talking to his sister or mom so Wilhelm assumed those conversations hadn't happened yet and it must be weighing on Simon's mind.

When Simon had gathered his things to leave Wilhelm reached out to squeeze his arm as a means of comforting him because he sensed that he would probably be speaking to his family soon, but he also reached out because he wasn't quite ready to see him go.

Felice pretended to be distracted with her maths book as the boys stood close, holding onto each other, Wilhelm grasping Simon's arm and Simon with a hand at Wilhelm's waist. Simon looked up at Wilhelm and smiled. Wilhelm beamed back at him. Simon lifted his face to meet Wilhelm's and kissed his lips sweetly. They could hear each other's breath for a moment and as Simon started to pull away, Wilhelm moved back to kiss Simon's cheek softly, then embraced him tightly.

He whispered, "Let me know if you need anything." They pulled away slightly and Wilhelm licked his lips subtly, then softly brushed Simon's jaw with his fingertips before letting him go. Simon nodded to Wilhelm's offer and smiled again. He thought to himself how lucky it was that his skin tone made it difficult to see him blush.

Now back in his room with no excuse to ignore his mother, Wilhelm selected her number in his phone and waited for it to ring, pacing slowly back and forth.

"Hej, älskling. Hur mår du?"

"Bra. What's going on?"

"Well, we've been asked to give an interview with Miss Rosenqvist about your speech and the future of your role as Crown Prince and the Royal Family, so I wanted to talk to you about when we would do that and what you would like to say."

"Do I really have to give an interview about it? I think I made it pretty clear in my speech what exactly was happening, don't you?"

"Wilhelm, I think the question is more what the future of the Royal Family will be in terms of an heir or heirs if you're really going to be the first in our family to choose to live in an unconventional relationship like this. I think people would like to be reassured that there's the possibility of there being a biological heir in a traditional relationship given that you're only sixteen years old. I think it's reasonable to let people know that because you're so young, nothing is set in stone, and that way we can put them at ease a bit."

"Ahh, umm, well, I can give an interview, but I don't think I could say that and be honest about it. I'm sixteen and I've never been in love with a girl. I've never had feelings like this for anyone but Simon, but I'm pretty sure I never would for a girl."

"You're pretty sure but not completely. There's still time. You may be surprised how differently you feel in five years, or even one."

"No.... I don't think so."

Wilhelm was getting angry and finding it harder to hide in his tone of voice. He felt insulted and belittled, as if his mother was suggesting that his sexuality and love for Simon might just be an inconvenient phase. He also didn't like her suggesting he was choosing to be in an unconventional relationship, like he could just choose to love someone else if it were more convenient for their image. After everything that had happened, he was disappointed she still didn't seem to understand.

"Well, you could at least take some time to think about it and not be so hasty and final on the subject considering how important this is. We have to remain diplomatic. It doesn't sound like you've been watching the news lately, have you? It's the main headline everywhere in Sweden, Wilhelm, and we haven't made any official statements since your speech. We'll have to address it sooner or later, and better if we do it as soon as possible."

"Right... Ok... Let me know when and where, and I'll go give the interview."

Wilhelm suddenly felt a calm wash over him. He realized that he wasn't responsible if his mother decided to be willfully ignorant about what he had already explained. He thought he'd been very clear about his feelings and she was grasping at straws and trying to negotiate with him to change how he felt and who he was.

So his new tactic would be to agree to whatever she said and then once he was in front of the cameras, he would just tell the truth and let the Royal Court deal with spinning their story however they would, but without using him as an accessory or a pawn. He was disappointed that his mother was a part of it, and seemed to have such difficulty in separating her duties as Queen and her role as his mother. He decided he was done trying to please them. He'd told her the truth and he felt done with the subject.

"Alright, wonderful! Thank you for being so understanding and agreeable , älskling. I think it will probably be this Saturday, so we'll have the bodyguards bring you home. I'll let you know when Miss Rosenqvist has confirmed a time. Take care, Wilhelm."

His mother hung up without waiting for him to respond.