Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

50. Föräldrar dagen (2)

Wilhelm noticed photographers showing up as he stood waiting for his parents, with Malin nearby. They started setting up at the front of the school for his parents' arrival without paying him much attention at first.

The Queen and his father took another twenty five minutes to arrive and Wilhelm wondered what information Malin had been given that made her think they should stay there to wait.

They finally arrived, and the photographers came back to snap some photos of the Crown Prince receiving the Queen and Duke, then of the Royal Family in front of the school building, then walking through the grounds a bit...

Finally they made their way into the concert hall where everyone had sat down. The crowd turned back to watch the Royal Family enter. The Queen and Duke waved and smiled in their usual restrained manner.

The choir was already in place at the front of the hall with the choir director ready and waiting patiently.

The Queen, Duke and Wilhelm sat in the front row with the headmistress who greeted them warmly. They could heard the clicking of cameras stop momentarily as the choir director lifted her arms to count the singers in.

Jan Olof was quietly standing off to one side, surveying the scene.

Wilhelm sat between his parents and had been looking downward, assuming it would be some typical choir song and that they would barely notice Simon but suddenly he heard it clearly:

"Forna dagar flydda år
De säger tid läker alla sår..."

The headmistress began nervously shifting nearby. Wilhelm suddenly looked up and smiled. He saw how happy Simon was singing his own song finally for an actual audience.

He didn't bother looking at his own parents but turned back to see where Linda was. He couldn't see her right away. She'd been placed right at the back for some reason.

Wilhelm had asked Simon what the choir would sing and he'd just said the Hillerska anthem so Wilhelm didn't ask him anything else about it.

Wilhelm looked at Felice and saw her smile as well.

Wilhelm caught sight of Jan Olof moving forward along the edge of the seats in some kind of frenzy, so he guessed that he wasn't aware this would happen either. Wilhelm couldn't contain his smile.

Simon glanced down at the Crown Prince as he sang:

"Det vi hade och de vi var
Kan aldrig glömma allt som var bra"

(What we had and what we were
Can never forget all that was good)

As Simon belted the second line, Wilhelm felt his eyes begin to well with tears of happiness and his face flushed. He had trouble containing his emotions next to his parents but didn't care what they thought.

It was too late for Jan Olof to do anything, but Wilhelm could see his troll-like figure struggling to contain itself on the periphery of his vision, and Wilhelm had to chuckle quietly.

The choir ended on Simon's final "...alltid kvar" and everyone applauded loudly, apart from the Queen who was very restrained, and perhaps Jan Olof who definitely did not. Wilhelm suddenly stood to applaud and many others in the crowd followed suit.

Wilhelm beamed at Simon and Simon smiled at him, then looked down shyly just as he had the first time he'd sung his song in front of Wilhelm.

Wilhelm could feel his mother's judgemental glare, but ignored it.

Eventually the applause died down and the headmistress announced that everyone could proceed through to the dining room.

Jan Olof moved to speak to the headmistress and did not look pleased at all.

Before the Royal Family could leave the hall, the photographers wanted them to pose with the choir. Wilhelm stood at the front with his parents but beamed with pride for Simon.

He thought how funny it would be for people to finally see him smile sincerely in a publicity photo but they would probably figure out why he was happy if they'd been paying any attention at all.

The choir members joined their families as the Royal Family remained behind to pose for yet more photos with some of the school staff.

Wilhelm and his parents finally headed to the dining room to join the others but Wilhelm realised he was being led off to the other, smaller dining room.

He hesitated a moment then called calmly to his mother and said, "Mamma, there's room in here with Felice and Simon and their families. Let's go in!"

He made a move before anyone could stand in his way although Malin tried, and he greeted those he knew before heading over to the table.

"Hi again Smysan, Poppe, Linda!" He stood behind an empty chair.

He waited for his parents to approach before sitting down next to Simon. He noticed a definite tension in the air and his parents remained standing with their entourage nearby. Suddenly Wilhelm's father approached Simon and Linda, then leaned over and congratulated Simon on his performance. He told Linda that she must be very proud. Both seemed shocked but thanked him profusely. Wilhelm smiled at his father too.

Jan Olof came over and told Wilhelm quietly, "We've prepared another table just for the Royal Family, Kronprinsen. Please, follow me."

"Thank you. I'm fine here. If my parents prefer to sit somewhere else, they can go ahead."

Jan Olof gave up rather than have a discussion in the middle of the dining room and accompanied Wilhelm's parents to another table at the complete opposite end of the dining room.

Wilhelm noticed that Simon and Linda were tense and didn't know what had happened that he wasn't aware of.

He sat down next to Simon, looked at him secretively and furrowed his brow then shrugged his shoulders by way of a question. Simon whispered to him, "They don't want us seen together. I'm surprised I was allowed to sing my song ."

Wilhelm, taken aback, looked around the room at many of the people who were staring at them.

He chuckled softly then scoffed, "Fuck them."

Sara leaned over to Simon and Wilhelm and said quietly, "It's their problem, not yours."

They enjoyed their meal, feeling like a big family in fact. It was much more relaxed and cheerful than Wilhelm was used to feeling at meals with his own family.

Smysan was really the only one who seemed to need help loosening up. She was always so worried about appearances and kept criticizing Felice for giving up riding and not consulting her on any number of other life choices she'd made.

Wilhelm even pointed out that Felice was a better shot than him, but that didn't seem to satisfy Smysan as an appropriate hobby for her daughter at all.

So Wilhelm and Felice made a silent agreement to take turns calling over waiters for drinks and making sure Smysan's got topped up every time even if she'd barely touched it.

By the end of the meal, she was slightly bleary-eyed but seemed to be having much more fun than she had been at the beginning of the meal.

She and Linda were becoming fast friends in fact and laughing a little too loudly for a meal the Queen of Sweden was attending, but Wilhelm decided he would take the blame if it got out of hand.

Poppe reached out and put his hand on his wife's arm at one point to ask if she was alright but she just brushed him off and kept giggling like a little girl as she went back to chatting with Linda who was much more under control but still having a good time.

Wilhelm, Felice and Simon shared some amused glances and decided the joke may have gotten out of hand. Sara didn't seem too bothered either way.

Wilhelm noticed his mother looking over at their table and smiled to himself, unbothered by her judgement.