"back to hillershka"
Christmas break at the Palace had been everything but festive.
The Queen being busier than usual and the still recent passing of Erik, made things complicated back at home, so the family did not spend as much time together as they usually did. At least Isobelle tried to do what she could to make her brother feel better and tried to lift his spirits by baking every single christmas dessert she knew. Baking also helped her think, and god knew she had way too many things to think about. Like the fact the she was a couple of months away of turning seventeen, but soon to be engaged to Frederic.
Being engaged meant that so many things would be different than she had originally planned. And as much as the whole "arranged marriage" situation sounded old fashioned, being a part of the royal family meant that her mother was not only that, but also her boss.
At least being away from the drama gave finally gave her time to make peace with the future she was about to step into. She knew it could be a lot worse, she could have been set to marry a stranger, yet the person she was about to share the rest of her life with, was a man that she loved. And having met other boys before, all a perfect match for a princess, as her mother said, Frederic was the only one she truly and sincerely loved and cared for.
So, when the day the twins were supposed to go back to Hillershka came around, so did a sense of relief. Even if it meant going back to their agitated lifestyles there, they were dying to leave their home, where each day that passed, the place seemed lonelier.
Also. Isobelle could not bare the guilt she felt by being there, any longer. On the rare occasions that she did share some time with her mother, she couldn't ignore the looks the woman gave her. It was as if she was looking for answers. Wondering what could have been if her son hadn't gone to pick the girl, what if she had chosen to just stay at the school. Isobelle was about to lose her mind.
"Ready to leave?" She asked her brother, whose thoughts were interrupted by the girl. He could not stop thinking about August and what he had done. He was filled with rage.
"Yes, they have already carried my luggage to the car." He smiled at his sister, who knew exactly what he had been thinking about, for she had found a burnt picture from Erik's room in Wilhelm's desk. To be more precise, August was what had been burnt from the picture. "It's just..." He trailed off, trying to find a way to explain what he was feeling.
Isobelle sighed before walking closer to him, she grabbed both his hands and squeezed them lightly as a way of showing her support.
"I know, believe me, I do. But you will have to try to ignore him Wille. We cannot let August ruin our lives more than he already has, we shouldn't give him the satisfaction." She softly let go of his hands and picked up his coat from his bed, handing it to him.
He smiled and took it, putting it on as he sighed. He knew she was right, he knew he shouldn't let August see the effect he had on him, but a part of him just wanted to make him pay for everything. Still, he decided to listen to his sister and not act on it.
"As much as I hate to say this..." He trailed off as he linked his arm with hers and began walking out of his room and heading downstairs. "You are right. We should do our best to ignore him."
Isobelle chuckled at his response, a smile soon appearing in both the twins' faces. She was glad she was able to make him smile for a moment.
"For your knowledge, I'm always right, some people might say I'm the brighter twin!" They both laughed as the walked downstairs, bracing themselves for their return to school.
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Not even five minutes after they arrived to Hillershka, Felice told Wilhelm that she, along with the rest of the girls, had managed to get inside the third year's party.
"We are going." Wilhelm said, making her sister stop dead on her tracks and turn around to face him.
"What?" She asked, waiting for him to tell her it was a joke. Going to a party in which, not only was she not welcomed, but August would be there, was not the first thing she wanted to do after arriving to school. "Wille I haven't even had time to let Frederic know I'm here."
"Come on Belle, please!" He insisted. Felice had suggested that him going would be a good way to mess up with August. "It would be just for a couple of minutes."
She absolutely loathed the idea of crashing the party, but she did not want to let her brother go alone either, so with a heavy sigh she agreed.
"Fine, I'll go with you. But only for half an hour, then we leave." She extended her hand to him, sticking her pinky out. "You have to pinky promise." She said, dead serious.
Her brother chuckled. For as long as he could remember, she would make him pinky promise things, and not once had he dared break them.
"Pinky promise." He assured her. "Just let me get the rest of the boys first."
A couple of minutes later, the twins along with some boys from Wilhelm's class, were standing outside the party.
"Hey, hold on!" Vincent, who was at the door with Nils, exclaimed. "What the hell is this? What are you doing here?" He asked the group.
"We are going in." The prince said.
"No, no, no." He spoke quickly. "Who gave you the permission to leave the school?"
Wilhelm was getting impatient.
"Why does that matter? We're goin' in." He told the boys.
Nils, who seemed to not want any trouble, was quick to interfere.
"Come on, go home, you guys. Seriously."
"Go get August." Wilhelm requested.
Isobelle's head jerked in her brother's direction. Realization painted all over her face. She cursed herself for not realizing sooner that the reason her brother wanted to go to the party in the first place was so he could mess with August.
"Wille." She said softly, trying to get him to stop, but he only ignored her.
"Hell no, man." Nils said before drinking from his cup.
But Vincent did not want to give up so easily.
"No, no, wait. You know, that's a great idea." He said in a defying tone. "Let's get August. Let's see what the prefect says."
"Ugh whatever." Nils sighed and went inside.
"Is this like a touring circus, or what's going on here?" Vincent said mockingly.
"Wille it's not worth it, let's just go." Isobelle tried to get him to just settle down.
"No, it's okay, don't worry." He was quick to discard her words.
"I seriously think..."
But before she could finished her sentence, August came out.
"Wille! Welcome back, man." He greeted his cousin energetically. "Isobelle." He nodded in her direction as he smiled.
She simply shot daggers at him with one look. Her brother on the other hand, had other plans.
"You're supposed to say Crown Prince." He told him firmly.
"What?" August asked with shock, while the boys snickered behind them.
"You're supposed to say the Crown Prince." Wilhelm repeated.
Isobelle was getting more and more anxious as the conversation went by. So she grabbed her brother's hand, seeking comfort.
"What the fuck?" Vincent laughed. "Okay."
"If the Crown Prince were to return immediately, then maybe I won't dole out any reprimands." August said.
"No, I think we're gonna stay here actually." The prince said, not willing to give up.
"The Crown Prince must understand-" But he was cut short.
"Challenge me." Will spat. "Tell me what to do. See what happens."
Now Isobelle was getting impatient, so she squeezed his hand, which he ignored once again. She just prayed that nothing went wrong, because she was not about to leave her brother's side.
August did nothing but swallow his pride and let his cousin in.
"If you insist, then I suppose I can make an exception."
Wille looked at Isobelle with a smile before walking inside with her, leaving Vincent and Nils outside complaining.
Once inside the music got louder, but not enough to stop the twins from hearing a certain boy calling his sister's name.
"Sara!" Simon yelled repeatedly.
Isobelle noticed how her brother's entire expression changed once he saw Simon.
"I think that's my cue to leave to alone for a few minutes." He patted his shoulder. "I'll go look for Frederic." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before wandering off.
The place reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, which made Isobelle scrunch her nose. She walked around searching for her boyfriend, saying hello to a couple of third years she knew.
As she walked towards the back of the room she noticed all of Frederic's friends gathered around a small table pouring shots. She scanned the scene until she finally laid eyes on him.
And just as if he knew she was there, he looked up, their eyes meeting and smiles forming on their faces.
He was quick to stand up and walk towards her, as she launched herself at his arms. He hugged her tightly, lifted her, and spun her around while she giggled.
"Oh Freddie how I've missed you." She said still in his arms.
"Yet I don't think you've missed me nearly as much as I have missed you." He softly put her down and grabbed her face with both his hands before kissing her passionately. "Fuck, I really did miss you." He said hoarsely.
She chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We weren't apart for that long baby." She told him.
"Woman even a minute away from you feels like an eternity to me." He said as he unwrapped her arms from around him and held her hand, leading her to the table he was at with his friends.
"Hi guys." She spoke softly and waved at them.
"Isobelle!" They greeted her in unison. everyone except a girl who seemed annoyed that she was there. Isobelle recognized her as one of Frederic's classmates, and she knew she swooned over him every chance she got.
Isobelle just smiled sweetly at her.
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When Frederic a Isobelle came out of the party to get some fresh air, they found Wilhelm there sitting all alone.
"Wille?" Isobelle quickly walked to his side. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" She questioned. Fredric now standing next to them.
"I talked to Simon." He said plainly. "It did not go as bad as I thought it would."
"Then what happened?" She knew something had to be wrong if he was outside alone and with troubled look on his face.
"He had to leave early...and I saw him leave with a guy." Isobelle sighed at his words. "Nils said his name is Marcus, he takes care of the shooting range and the stables." He mumbled.
"Oh Wille, I'm sure he was just helping Simon look for Sara. If Marcus works at the stables then he's probably friends with her." She tried to comfort him. "I'm sure there's an explanation."
"We were heading to the dorms if you wanna come with us." Frederic said as he offered him his hand to get up. "Don't let that bring you down. We'll figure out what's going on, but that can wait until your judgment is not clouded." He gave him a smile. "Welcome back."
They shared a short hug before the three of them headed towards the dorms.
Wille said good night to the couple and went directly into his room. He just wanted to try to sleep and forget about the whole situation.
Frederic walked Isobelle to her room, talking about the break on the way.
"I hate seeing him like that." Isobelle said.
"He will be okay Belle, don't worry. Simon and Wilhelm just need to talk things through." He pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her.
She instantly melted into the kiss.
"We are gonna get in trouble on the first night back if you get caught." She mumbled in between kisses.
"Then I won't get caught." He whispered, his kisses soon changing paths from her lips to her neck.
Isobelle chuckled at his enthusiasm, her heart feeling warm, she truly had missed him.
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