Over My Rainbow

Chapter 20

"When I finished fighting off the brute, you were already out," Wil began. "I wasn't sure what to do or if you would wake so I began to clean the wounds. They were very deep and were beginning to darken. I didn't notice anything at first. Then a voice said, "she won't last". I turned and there was a fairy. The one who healed you. She said you were about to die and you wouldn't stay alive if she didn't help. So she put a spell on the wraps I used to hold in the blood. She said as long as they stay on you would stay alive. But I had to tell her what she needed. She said I had to answer four questions in complete truth. If I lied, even without trying, you would die. She swore that even if you weren't going to die in the first place she would kill you, in front of me and I would be to blame and responsible." I sat down next to him and he looked down into his lap and then looked into the sky. Wil stood and began to pace to the rail. 

"She asked me four questions. She asked me the questions you asked yourself. Who am I? Why am I here? What should I do next?..." He breathed out hard.

"That is only three questions, Wil."

He looked me dead in the eye. "Everyone is afraid of questions. There are afraid of the consequences if they answer them right, or if they answer wrong. If you answer right and the other person is not ready for the truth, you lose them forever. If you answer wrong, not only did you lie, but you lost that spark. The fairy asked me first who I was. I said I was Wilham, the future king of Bungular. I said that I was brave and that I was overly passionate about everything I do. She asked why I am here. I answered I was here to rule a kingdom, be a good older brother, marry and have children." Wil paused and looked at his hands. "The came to question I knew the answer to, but I was scared to answer. I didn't frighten me but I couldn't answer it wrong either. Please don't be mad at my answer," he begs.

"I would never-"

"You don't even know what it is." Wil began to talk faster and faster with each word. "The fairy asked me if I loved you. And I answered it was yes." He stopped. I thought about what he said. He...loves me? He loves me! Someone loves me!

Wil slows down again and wrings his hands.

"She said I needed to learn more about myself and about you. She gave me that dust to call her when you woke but she said I had to promise her something." Wil walks to the rail and leans against it. "I had to stop running from myself, learn from what I wanted in the future and do one thing after I found that. Well, I found that and I didn't do the one thing."

"What is it?" I asked, standing.

"I had to give away my first kiss," he answers, whispering into the night.

"Wil?" I say softly.

"Hmmm?"

He turns and looks at me, leaning on the rail. I grab the neck of his tunic before he even realizes what it happening.  He was tense as my lips crashed against his, but he quickly settled in for the kiss. His hands wrap around my waist, sinking dangerously low. I pull him closer and he moans as he deepens our kiss. I reach up and run a hand along his smooth jawline. My hand travels into his soft hair. After a little while he pulls back and looks me over. His forehead meets mine and we breath together.

"You need a hat," he says firmly.

"You liked it?" I am almost drunk on my own giddiness.

"You gonna get a hat?" he counters.

"No," I whisper with a mischievous grin.

"Good, because I am not going to kiss a boy."

And that is how Wil gave away his first kiss. Plus dozens more.

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I silently slipped out of my chambers. It was hours after the party and most of the castle's inhabitance were sound asleep. I peered one way then the other down the hall. I sneak out with a pair of shoes and a piece of parchment. I put the shoes against my door. They were the ones I wore last night. I unfold my note and reread it.

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒲𝒾𝓁, 

𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓊𝓅𝓈𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒶 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝓎 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒹𝑜𝓂 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒶 𝓇𝓊𝓁𝑒𝓇. 𝑀𝓎 𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒹𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝑀𝓎 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒾𝓍 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓂𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒸𝑒. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒽𝒶. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒, 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝓍 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝓊𝓅. 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓈𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒶 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒. 

𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒, 

𝒜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒽𝒶 𝐼 𝑜𝒻 𝒥𝒶𝓁𝑒

I roll the letter up and tuck it in my slippers. I blow a kiss in the direction of Wil's chambers, straighten my dress and head off, my sword clanging confidently with each step. I am going to be strong. After two weeks, my kingdom needs a capable ruler.