| so this chapter might not be as everyone expected, and im sorry for that. still, i hope you like it. |
William Westergaard will be played by no other than Dylan O'Brien.
3/7
Three days have went by just like that. I've been by Harry's side for the last two and since he's now up and about, I decided that it's best to go back to the castle and rest.
Though my physical wounds have slowly healed themselves over a few days, I'm afraid my heart's gonna need a longer time than that.
With Ben's consent and understanding, I stayed in the garden for the whole day, gathering my thoughts while laying down on the grass patch.
Several members of our Kingdom's Guard arrived hours ago, and the head of the Lost Clan, my uncle Saber, is currently guarding the door with the rest of his men to make sure no else enters the garden.
For some reason, the people here are intimidated by the Lost Clan. I saw the way the students and teachers looked at them as they escorted me down the hallway.
I don't remember ever being scared of my uncles before and I have no reason to start now, but after months of being away, the men clad in dark suits and cloaks made from wolf's skin seemed so.. unnerving.
Even though uncle Saber was still the kind-hearted man I grew up to know, there was something cold and menacing to him now. The same goes for the rest of his men. I don't know if it has something to do with my mum passing away, but his overprotectiveness assured me nonetheless.
I decided to drop the subject and simply mourn in peace.
The High Council of Neverland -comprised of our elders from the Indian Tribe, the Sirens, the Lost Clan and the Fairfolk- have decided that the Fairy King and his only heir to return immediately and prioritize the duty we've allegedly chosen to neglect and serve our Kingdom once again. They sent their condolences in a letter that came in just this morning, but I can tell their sincerity was false. Those old bags never cared about humans anyway, especially my mum.
I was also told that my scholarship is to be revoked officially by the end of the week, though Ben made sure that Harry can stay and still attend Prep School here in Auradon as long as he wants to.
I'm thankful that he has the King and the VKs to count on once I'm gone. Like I said, the High Council detests humans, so bringing him back to Neverland with us will be a lot more difficult than to sneak someone out of the Isle.
I know, I tried.
My dad doesn't seem like he wants to quit his teaching job either, which he's obviously having fun with for the past weeks, but there's just no helping it. He signed the papers to Auradon and Neverland's alliance on his own accord despite the High Council's interjections, thinking that he might as well leave some good behind in return to help the young King's reign.
"Hey."
I opened my eyes to see William smiling down at me. "H-How did you get in here?"
"I have my ways."
I propped myself up on my elbows as he sat down next to me with his legs crossed. "I'm sure you do, but I'd prefer to be alone right now if that's okay with you."
He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry. I just thought that you could use some company, is all."
Though he means well, I couldn't help but refuse his offer. I really just want to be alone.
"Trust me, I'm fine. But I doubt my uncle would be so lenient with you if he finds out you're here."
"Huh? Why not? Your uncle looks like a nice man." He added meekly. "Who looks like he's ready to tear anyone apart.."
I nodded. "He can, and he will. So you better get going."
William didn't look like he was phased at all by this, when he really should be. Instead he turned around and started picking flowers, obviously not planning to leave any time soon.
I sat upright and pulled my knees under my chin. "You know.. I remember the name Westergaard from when I was little. There was a lot of controversy about a man with the same name who attempted to seize power in the Kingdom of Arendelle. Hans Westergaard- your father, if I'm not mistaken, tried and failed to murder the Queen for the crown."
There was no sign of him minding the fact that I know of his father's crime. What's weird is that he didn't even seem offended as he went about with the flowers around him.
"I know my dad's not the most perfect man in the world, but it's not fair to see him as nothing but a power hungry monster. He was the 13th son and had absolutely no chance of ever sitting on the throne."
"That still doesn't justify what he did."
He finally turned around to face me with a sad smile, holding a flower crown in his hands. "I'm not saying it does. I'm saying that I'm not my dad, Peyton. I came to learn here in Auradon to prove that."
I blinked up at him when he stood on his knees and leaned forward to put the crown on my head.
"There!" He said, satisfied with his work. "You look really beautiful."
The crown was a little big for me so it ended up falling over my eyes, to which William found amusing and bursted into laughter.
I quickly jumped him to cover his mouth, but it was too late.
The door flew open and before I even knew it, the tip of a spear was pointed in between the prince's eyes.
"Move, and you die." Uncle Saber threatened him.
One of his men lifted me back to my feet carefully and ripped off the flower crown. "Are you alright, Peyton?"
"Y-Yes! Uncle, get away from him! He didn't do anything wrong!"
"This man wasn't permitted to enter the garden. How did he even slip past us?"
"Uncle! Drop your weapon, now!" I snapped. "Unless you want to start a war with the Southern Isles."
Though reluctantly, the head of the Lost Clan withdrew. "You're lucky the Princess is merciful."
William stared at him blankly as he stood up. "I could tell you the same thing."
"What was that, boy?"
"It's William." He challenged. "And where I'm from, verbally assaulting the King is considered as a threat to my Kingdom punishable by death. Do you really want to go that way, General?"
King? Wait a second..
He dusted himself off before walking out of the room. "I'll be excusing myself then."
I sighed, running both hands down my hair. "Now you've done it. I told you I can take care of myself just fine, uncle-"
"That's what your mother said too. Now look where that's gotten her-"
On instinct, I kicked up the spear of the man beside me and held the blade against Saber's neck. "Speak of my mother ill again and I swear to you, I will execute you myself."
I never thought I could do that to my own uncle- the man who taught me everything that I know when it comes to war. I learned how to fight under his supervision despite dad always disagreeing with him, but I wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for his teachings.
I mouthed a silent apology and dropped the weapon on the floor with a loud clank before heading out to catch up with William in the hallway. "Your Highness-"
"Please, not you too." He laughed. "Just call me Will. I've never been one for formalities anyway."
"Oh, okay then." I walked a few steps behind him to keep a safe distance between us. "Will, I'm really sorry for what happened back there. My uncle's a good man, he's just doing his job."
"I can't blame him. It's only natural to be protective of the next Queen. I'd do the same if I were in his shoes."
"Still, he was in no position to do that."
"No, I get it. I'm the one who should be apologizing for saying those horrible things to him. It's just that.." He stopped in his tracked and sighed out loud. "My life's been a little screwed up since the funeral.."
I asked him what he meant by that, and his answer made me wish that I never did.
"There was a plague. At first it only affected small islets around the archipelago of the Southern Isles, and it was contained- or so our specialists told us. Not a month later, the plague slowly spread to my hometown without any forewarning and took hundreds of lives with it." His shoulders dropped and I felt even more guilty. "The whole royal family.. I can't believe I'm the only one left."
When I lost my mum, my heart shattered beyond repair. I don't think I could bear losing my whole family, not even the thought of it.
But Will has suffered a lot more than I did, because he lost everything.
Maybe the reason why he didn't want to leave me in the garden was because he just needed someone who understood to talk to, and I did nothing but told him off.
I walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now, but I want you to know that I'm here for you-" I was taken by surprise when he suddenly turned around and enveloped me in a tight embrace.
Will buried his face in my hair as he began to sob against me. His whole body was trembling and I couldn't help but hug him back.
I waited for him to calm down before pulling away, but he held onto my forearms to keep me close.
"Sorry." He mumbled. "I just really needed that."
I reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes and gave him an assuring smile. "I hope it helped."
"More than you know."
There was something in his eyes that was very familiar to me. I'm not sure why but it was almost the same way that Harry looks at me. His eyes were warm, gentle and held affection in them.
I looked down when I felt his hands holding mine, which I instantly drew back from. "H-Hey so, um, I really need to get back before my uncle rips someone's throat out. I guess I'll see you around?"
"It's a date then."
"What? No, I didn't say anything about a date-"
"Meet me at the back of the castle tonight, 8 o'clock sharp." He started walking away from me backwards with a sly grin. "Wear something classy."
Before I could even say anything else, the boy broke into a sprint and was already gone.
~
"You can't go."
"I know!"
"But Will's a really sweet guy."
"I know.. he even made me a flower crown."
Evie patted me on the back for comfort. "It's just date. It's not like he's gonna ask you to marry him or something."
I rested my face on my palms and groaned. "And here I was thinking I could spend my last days here without a hitch- I guess I was asking for too much."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he's just gonna take you somewhere fancy." She shrugged. "If it helps, I promise to keep my pretty lips sealed about this. And technically it's not cheating 'cause your engagement was called off."
"Still, it feels wrong."
I'm not sure if I actually want to go through with this, but Evie really had a compelling case.
She said that Will's been through a lot, and the same goes for me. We both deserve to heal at some point.
I was supposed to visit Harry in the hospital and see how he's doing. Maybe even spend the night there and finally get every question answered.
But as it turns out, I'm gonna be having other plans tonight.
Evie swore to keep this a secret as she picked out a dress for me to wear.
I never considered Will as anything more than a classmate and a friend, since we only met days ago, but I think the reason why he's making an effort to get close to me is that he needs a friend now more than ever.
Around 7:45 PM, Evie just finished with my hair and make up and left me with enough time to put on the dress.
The apparel was made from soft velvet which was pitch black in color. The top part was see-through down to the long sleeves, and the bottom pooled down beautifully on the floor. It wasn't anything fancy, I mean, even my make up was light and my hair's just straightened out.
I didn't bother wearing heels since I'm solely trying to survive the night without breaking my ankles. My feet weren't even visible under the dress so boots were the smartest choice.
If my memory serves me right, the back of the castle was the parking lot for limos and carriages.
An elegant red carpet lined with golden etches led me out into the cold air of the night.
"Holy shit.."
I turned to see Will in a spiffy black tuxedo with his eyes wide at the sight of me. "Hi."
"H-Hi." He grinned, holding a hand up to his lower abdomen in a Princely manner as he scanned me from head to toe. "Man, you look.. breathtaking."
A small blush crept its way up to my cheeks. "You did say wear something classy."
"I didn't mean the dress, if that's what you're referring to."
I rolled my eyes at him and crossed my arms. "So where exactly are we going tonight?"
He threw his thumb over his shoulder to a white limousine and offered out his arm like a gentleman. "We are going to the Bayou de Orleans in a great restaurant run by a family friend. Her name's Tiana and she owns Tiana's Palace."
"I heard of her before. Wasn't she the one who kissed a frog who turned out to be a Prince?" I laced my arm around his as we made our way towards the limo.
"The story's a little more complicated than that, but after they were wedded, they lived happily ever after." He opened the door for me and let me in first before following suit. "My mother used to tell me stories like that when I was little, where true love conquers all. Maybe it's because she loved happy endings, but I never really saw the point in always winning every battle, saving the princess, defeating the villain, and getting to live happily ever after. Stories like that is the root of misconceptions when it comes to the definition of 'love' and makes it look it's simply for children."
"You're pretty realistic. I like that."
"Nah, I'm just not a big fan of happy endings."
Well, he doesn't seem like the guy who would try to make a move on me seeing as that he doesn't like the thought of clichés.
Time passed by quickly as the limo drove down the festive town of New Orleans. Every building was lit with different shades of yellow and there was music being played everywhere by bands. The place was lively as it could be with the residents parading around in colorful floats. Some even tossed around bead necklaces to the people in the streets while dancing and singing like there was no tomorrow.
I moved closer to the window and was in pure awe.
Will lightly chuckled at my reaction and asked the driver to roll down my side of the window. "Crazy isn't it? This place is so high-spirited and vibrant, you can't help but love it."
I snickered when a bead necklace landed on my lap and another one hit Will right in the face. "Bull's eye."
"S-Sorry, mister!" The kid who threw the accessory jumped down from his float and ran up to us. "I'm really sorry!"
"Peyton, open the door please?"
I did what he asked and walked out of the car as well to greet the boy.
He was a little bit alarmed by what he just did and now that Will's in front of him, I could tell he was scared to face the consequences of his actions.
But the King of the Southern Isles simply laughed it off as he went down on one knee, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Thanks for the necklace, buddy."
He dropped his jaw in disbelief at first, then beamed brightly. "You're welcome, mister!"
I watched him ruffle the boy's hair before standing back up to put on the necklace with a smile lingering on his lips. "It suits you."
"I know, I'm not really into necklaces but I kinda like this one-"
"I meant your smile." I tilted my head to the side to see the jolly little kid climbing back up on his float. "I get the feeling you haven't done that in a while."
His eyes flickered up to mine when I caught him off guard, then softened as he leaned closer.
My back was against the side of the limo in an attempt to keep the safe distance between us, but he didn't show any signs of stopping.
I closed my eyes when he planted a kiss to the tip of my nose.
"For my heart's sake, would you please stop being so adorable?"
"Willy!"
I jumped when someone practically bulldozed the poor man to the side with a hug.
It was a blond woman in a pink great gatsby dress who tackled William to the ground.
"Aunt Charlotte!" He mimicked the excitement in her voice as he helped themselves both up. "My gods, you look fantastic!"
"As always, dear. Oh, and who is this lovely thing with you?" She turned to me and I suddenly felt so underdressed for the occasion. "My, you picked a beaut!"
"Ah, no. Auntie, this is Peyton Pan. She's a friend of mine."
"Just friends? Honey, if I was still as young as you I'd hitch his wagon in a heartbeat!"
Hitch his what?
I laughed nervously in response to that. "I'm afraid I've already promised myself to someone, but I'm sure Will's gonna find a keeper someday."
"That's a shame. You two would make good-looking children though-"
"Okay! That's enough, auntie. I think you've already had too much to drink. Why don't we get you back to your mansion so you can rest, hm?"
"No! Are you kidding me? It's the festival!" She raised her arms to the sky and twirled. "I love Mardi Gras!"
Will looked like he wasn't taking any chances as he knocked on the top of the limo for his driver. He asked him to take his aunt Charlotte home and make sure 'Big Daddy' knows.
The driver obliged by escorting the woman in pink to her seat and drove away from sight.
"I'm sorry, but we'll have to walk for the rest of the way to aunt Tiana's restaurant. My driver will pick us up afterwards so don't worry."
"No, it's fine. I actually want to see more of New Orleans so walking's a great idea."
He sighed in relief, then looked down on my hand. "That looks kinda heavy. Want me to hold that for you?"
I was weirded out by his question and started wondering if the two hits he just took rattled his head. "Hold what? That's just my hand."
"Exactly." The cheeky King held entangled our fingers together and gently tugged me forward. "Shall we?"
I opened my mouth to politely decline, but then a figure moved in my peripheral vision and caught my attention.
It was a brunette woman in a gray coat.
Her silvery blue eyes glinted under her fedora as she glared in my direction, sending a violent shiver down my spine.
"Peyton? Are you okay?"
I turned back to Will and nodded, flashing him a practiced smile. "Yep. Let's go."
This time, I'm not gonna let her get away with it again. If she's that hell bent on ruining my life, then she'll get what's coming to her.
Harriet Hook, your little charade ends here.