Third In Line

Chapter Fourteen - Rescue Party

With all of the cameras following his wife in the opposite direction, Will hoped that being out of the spotlight would allow him to relax. He always tensed up the moment they stepped out of their car and into the spotlight of the media, and could only relax properly when he knew there were no cameras following him or his family.

He had always felt the same way about the cameras, and had always held a deep hatred for their role in his mother's death. He wanted to lash out and tell them all to leave his family alone, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't put everything at risk just for the sake of revenge, no matter how much he wanted to.

Ellie was right, he thought, We should tell them all to piss off.

The girls were just like their parents, even if they had been raised as far away from the media as possible. The obligatory pictures of Ellie and Alex growing up had been released to the public years ago, but the paparazzi never stayed away. Will and Kate may have hidden their daughters under a cloak of secrecy during their childhood, but the cameras were always looking for ways to get under the cloak. That meant that eventually the girls found out how much global interest they generated, and once they knew who they were, they were never the same.

"At least not in public" Will muttered, trying to make it all sound less tragic.

One of his protection officers gave him a curious look, "Sir?"

"It's nothing" Will replied, not realising he'd spoken aloud. Ellie and Alex's disappearing act was turning his mind into a dazed and frantic blur.

He knew that living with the burden of royalty was having a huge effect on his children, but you would never notice that at home. They were normal girls when they weren't under the public eye, but as soon as they left the safety of home, everything changed. The girls became quieter and more closed off. They fought each other half the time at home, but in public they were perfect little ladies. They went from not having a care in the world to being burdened with responsibility within seconds.

Will knew it was a good show for the public, for the world to see that such mature and graceful ladies were the future of the British Royal Family, but he knew that his girls weren't doing it for show. As far as he was concerned, Ellie and Alex were unhappy in the spotlight of the media and he desperately wanted to do something for them, something that would allow them to feel just like normal kids.

It breaks my heart to think that I can't help them. They will always be Royal children, and I can't change that.

In a way, he was glad the girls had decided to sneak off. At least that way he knew they'd be having fun.

Or they've been kidnapped, but let's hope they're just having a bit of fun.

"Again Sir" one of the RPOs interrupted his thoughts. "I can't tell you how sorry I am for letting the girls escape, Sir"

The less time he spent thinking his daughters had been kidnapped, the better.

"Let's just focus on finding them and making sure they're alright. Kate made sure the cameras won't follow us, but it won't be long before they start to wonder where we've gone."

Those words made a light bulb switch on in his brain. Ellie and Alex were more popular than both Will and Kate combined, surely someone would have noticed they were gone, or at least wondered where they were. The idea of a horde of paparazzo's finding his daughters before he did was something he couldn't bear thinking about.

"Be on the lookout for a man in his mid thirties, with dark blonde hair" he added hastily as the small group made its way back across the children's home.