If love could win

Simon's questioning

I avoided August as I replied to the questions the people in the courtroom had for me. They had questioned Wilhelm before me. He had done a good job, even if he had gotten emotional.

"Simon, how did you get the knowledge that August had released the tape of you and Crown prince Wilhelm?" the prosecutor asked me.

"It was Wille who told me after we came back to school after christmas," I replied. "And then Wille confronted August in front of some of our classmates during lunch and August pretty much confessed that he did it."

"Do you remember why Crown prince Wilhelm confronted August?" she continued to ask. I nodded a bit. I did remember. He had been mad that people did not respect our private life.

"One of our classmates caught me and Wille kissing in his bedroom and our classmates teased us at lunch the day after. Wille got angry and asked for them to respect our privacy and then he also said that August had released the tape."

"And what did August say about the crown prince's confrontation in front of all your classmates?" she kept asking.

"He said that he had said sorry, but he never apologised to me," I replied.

"Did you ever suspect that it was August that had done this to you and the Crown prince?" she asked.

"To be honest, no. I did not think August would do this to Wille. But August and I never got along very well," I said. "So in the back of my mind it was a possibility."

"And why did you not come along, do you think?" the prosecutor asked.

"Because I am not rich and I say what I think, even if that might be uncomfortable to the rich kids at school. And maybe he was jealous that Wille and I became closer than they ever were," I said. The prosecutor nodded understandingly and wrote something in her papers.

"That was all my questions," she replied. Our lawyer Annelie was the next to ask me questions.

"So, Simon. How was your mental state impacted by the release of the video?" she asked me.

"It was really bad. I felt violated. I was angry with whoever had done it. I could not be on my phone for days, and I did not go to school for a few days," I replied.

"Did the tape impact your daily life in any other ways?" she asked. She knew this, because I had told her.

"I could not even go to the store to buy milk without people staring at me. Even grandmas and small children somehow recognized me. I know there was gossip about Wille and myself at other schools in Bjärstad. And there were journalists banging on my door, wanting me to tell them about Wille and our relationship," I said. "And I have gotten more anxious about people taking photos or tapes of me. I asked my mom for thicker curtains in my bedroom and I am always the last in and out of the shower when we change for physical education."

"With other words this tape has caused you a lot of stress and emotional pain," Annelie concluded. I nodded. The defence lawyer asked a few questions. Then August got his chance to tell his version and get questions. After that the notary asked the first witness to come inside. It was Sara. She looked me in the eyes and smiled a little.

"Welcome inside the courtroom today, Sara Eriksson. Can you have a seat in the witness stand right across from me?" the judge asked. She nodded and sat down. "My name is Erik Andersson and I am the judge in today's hearing. Would you mind telling us about your relationship to the defendant and the plaintiffs?" Sara nodded. I saw that she fidgeted a little. She was nervous.

"August is the ex of my best friend Felice. Simon is my little brother and Crown prince Wilhelm is my brother's boyfriend," she said. "I am in the same class as Simon and Wilhelm and August is a third year at school."

"We have asked you to witness here today about a certain situation. Do you mind telling us about that?" the judge asked. She put a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded.

"Yeah. It was Lucia night and I had been in Felice's dorm getting ready with the girls. I realised that my red sash was in my locker, so I went to get it. My locker is next to the library and when I was about to get back I saw August sitting by one of the computers in there," she said. "I thought it was weird, but I guess I did not realise that it had a connection to the tape at the time." The prosecutor asked some questions about the time and other technical stuff, in order to prove that what Sara actually saw that night was August about to ruin my and Wille's lives. At least our lives as it was before the tape was released. The tape had destroyed that perfect little bubble we had lived in. Where it was just us. Where every kiss and touch were just ours.

"Sara, you are the big sister of Simon and classmates with Wilhelm. How would you describe that the tape impacted them?" our lawyer asked.

"Simon was destroyed after the tape was released. I was worried for him," she said. "He did not go to school for days and his phone was off, which is not like him. And I could tell things were tense between him and Wilhelm after what happened. Their relationship seemed to be about to evolve to something more stable and then the tape happened. It just destroyed everything for them." She knew about me and Wille from the start. I could not hide anything from her. My feelings for Wille were no exception. She knew me inside out, just like I knew her in and out. And now she wanted to be my shield, like I had been for her once. 

Author's note

Hello everyone! Today it is actually the day after August released the tape in the original show. And yesterday the whole nation of Sweden celebrated one of our weirder traditions Lucia, just like in Young Royals. Lucia is a saint from Syracuse in south Italy who is known for serving the poor and dying as a martyr for her faith, and Sweden (a Northern European protestant country) is basically the only country who celebrates her. So on December 13th we get our white dresses and wreaths with candles out and sing songs or watch others who do.  I hope all of you are doing well and that you have a nice time until Christmas.

A.A.