I Don't Want To Smile

Chapter 3

Will felt as if he was a horse being looked at by a potential buyer. This guy was seriously starting to creep him out and no, Will wasn't scared of doctors. This 'doctor' kept pulling Will's eyelids and lips back with gloved hands, poking his chest and limbs with some strange looking metal tools and let's not even mention how he kept trying to choke Will with the tongue depressor. He also kept muttering comments about Will's state of physical health under his breath and while Will couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, none of it sounded very flattering.

Finally once the geezer finished whatever the hell he was doing, he started to treat the injuries that Will had come here for in the first place. He wetted a cloth with some antibacterial fluid and pressed it firmly onto the cuts on Will's head and hands, not batting an eye at how Will flinched or hissed in pain. He spread a salve on the back of Will's head, which eased the pain greatly. He also wrapped Will's hands in bandages, although if he asked Will, they were a bit tight. The doctor, of course, didn't ask Will. Once he finished with wrapping his hands, he practically pushed Will out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Will scowled at the door and grumbled to himself about how he could've done a better job himself. He flexed his hands and winced. The bandages were way too tight. He sighed and began unwrapping them when he was interrupted by a voice.

"What are you doing?" Will looked up from his hands to be greeted with the sight of Nico peeking shyly around the corner of the wall. The sight brought a smile to Will's face before he went back to unwrapping the bandages.

"That doctor of yours wrapped the bandages too tight. My blood circulation is going to be cut off and then my hands are going to turn purple and then they are going to need to be amputated. Which is a shame really, because I like my hands and they're quite useful, you know. You'd think a royal doctor would actually be a competent one." Will ranted, having wrapped his hands up properly during the the span of his speech. He turned to Nico, seeing the prince's lips twitch slightly. Will took that as a victory before bowing extravagantly.

"I'd like to extend my gratitude, your highness, for your wonderful hospitality. I expect that I'll be leaving now?" He asked trying to sound as gracious as possible. He looked up to see Nico scowling at him. The prince opened his mouth to yell at Will, probably for referring to him as royalty when he specifically asked him not to, when he caught sight of Will's teasing grin. It only caused his scowl to deepen.

"Idiot." He grumbled, turning heel and walking straight out of the room. Will grinned at the space where he had been before realizing that Nico was his only way out.

"Hey wait up!" He called, scrambling to catch up with him, falling into stride beside Nico when he did. They walked in an uncomfortable silence. For some reason Will was desperate to break it, so he spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"So, what were you doing in the woods?" Nico turned to look at him, surprise evident in his features. He slowly turned back to look ahead of them before speaking.

"My father and I had gotten into a fight. I was angry and I usually vent my anger by riding my horse as far away from the castle as possible." He replied curtly, causing Will to furrow his eyebrows.

"All the time? Isn't there someone you could talk to? A servant or something? A friend?" He asked. Nico remained silent for a long time and again, an awkward silence descended upon them. Will decided to feign interest in the old paintings that hung on the gray walls and while Will wasn't entirely certain, he was pretty sure most of them were symbolising death.

"I-" Will quickly tore his gaze away from the paintings to look at the boy beside him. Nico was looking at the ground seemingly troubled before taking a deep breath. "I've never really been good at the whole friends thing. You probably know about Bianca?" He asked, looking towards Will, his eyes strangely vulnerable. Will in fact, did know about Bianca. The young princess died of an illness the same year his dad did. He didn't say that though, instead opting for a silent nod, as it would have led to an entirely different can of worms being opened.

Nico turned to look straight ahead, continuing his story. "After Bianca died, it was one bad thing after another, I started to withdraw from things I liked to do. I blamed others for a lot of things and I kept pushing everyone away. It wasn't until about a year ago that some of the people I kept trying to push away showed me how much they cared about me. They showed me how they would be there for me and..." Nico paused, scrunching his face up as if he was trying to find the right words. "They...accepted me, for who I was."

Will had the urge to hug the younger boy, but figured that might not be welcome at the moment, so he smiled at him instead. Genuinely.

"They sound like great friends to have Nico. I'm glad it worked out." He replied. Nico looked up at him with a small smile.

"They are, they really are...it's just..." Nico trailed off before sighing. "I don't get to see them much. They're royalty in other kingdoms you see, so I only get to see them at balls or important meetings and such. So I dont get to talk to them much. Nor do I have any friends in the castle, or this kingdom for that matter. Does that answer your question?" He asked, although not unkindly. Will's smile disappeared and he opened his mouth to reply but just then they arrived at the castle doors. They stepped outside, both boys instinctively shivering once they were hit with the cold winter air, both reluctant to say goodbye.

"I could drop you off at your house.." Nico offered quietly. Though the offer made Will feel warm on the inside, he couldn't accept. That would be like asking Nico to deliver him to his death. So he politely shook his head and declined, trying to look indifferent.

"No, I'll be able to make it back on my own. Thank you though." He caught the way Nico's face fell and swallowed thickly, suddenly glad he had impulse control otherwise who knew what he would be agreeing to, just so that he could see this kid happy.

"Okay then...goodbye..." Nico said trailing off, a slight questioning tone im his voice. Will suddenly realized that Nico hadn't even known his name the entire time. He smiled and pulled the prince into a tight hug.

"Will Solace." He replied before releasing a stiff and by the looks of it, shell shocked Nico. He chuckled slightly at the boy's expression before speaking again. "And you're wrong by the way. You do have a friend in this kingdom." Nico looked up at him in confusion.

"I do? Who?" He asked, causing Will to roll his eyes and punch his shoulder lightly.

"Me of course." He replied, his smile growing as he watched Nico's eyes widen. "See you later Neeks!" He called before Nico could reply, turning around and waving bye over his shoulder. Once he was a good few feet away, he looked over his shoulder to see Nico still standing there in shock, his hand raised in a stiff wave. Will smiled at him before turning around and walking back into the forest, his head held high.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Huzzah! I finally updated, praise the Lord.

Sorry about the wait my dear readers, I'll try to get the next chapter out soon!

It'll be in a certain prince's point of view😉