They knew it could never really be that simple, that their ride into the sunset was only metaphorical; it was a fleeting moment until the eventual reality of the world would come crashing down around them. The foursome had stayed in Bjarstad with Sara and Simon, the warm night air blanketing the once anonymous little house where the whole world hung in the balance for two. Wilhelm lay on Simon’s bed, tracking the bubbles from the fish tank as they float to the surface and disintegrate, Simon’s arms wrapped under his, his breath ticking the hairs at the nape of Wilhelm’s neck, their breathing becoming symbiotic.
“Don’t say it.”
“Wille…”
“I know, but don’t say it…please?”
“Not tonight.”
“Not tonight,” Wille echoes.
They both are keenly aware of what is waiting for them on the other side of Simon’s bedroom door, the world that they are about to walk into together. So, they just let themselves get lost in the daydream, their mutual breathing the soundtrack of the stars that envelop them.
***
It is that night that comes flooding into the forefront of Wilhelm’s memory as he rises as the day breaks. He cracks open the bedroom curtains ever so slightly, trying to shield his still sleep-weary eyes from the emerging dawn. It was an unusually chilly morning- an omen of things to come Wilhelm wonders. He carefully closes the curtains and pads out of the bedroom, hissing as his bare feet hit the cold hardwood as he exits into the hallway, scrubbing his fingers through his wild, auburn hair as he yawns. (He needs to get it cut- Wille thinks to himself- it’s been far too long.)
He reaches the next door to the right, placing one hand softly on the knob, silently pushing it open with the other as he turns, a subtle twinkle of childlike music trickling into his ears. His son, always the early riser was standing unsteadily at the railing of his crib- he was new to standing on his own two feet and used this new skill to his every advantage, mostly to scare the hell out of his parents. Wilhelm greets him with a soft smile and a kiss to the top of his head, running a thumb over his son’s cheek, and then turns to see quite the opposite scene on the other side of the room, his daughter, still sound asleep, her tiny and fragile chest rising and falling slowly- everyday Wille learning just how different being a parent to twins can truly be. Wilhelm spends the next few moments trying to rouse his daughter from her slumber as well as wrangling his son, bundling both in his arms and heads to the kitchen, dodging children’s toys, stray shoes, and household appliances along his path. He sets the twins up in their highchairs, feeding them their breakfast before he pours himself a cup of coffee, which he takes much stronger these days- no longer the warm tea with milk that he drank at school. He stares out the kitchen window as he sips the warm liquid, watching the world awaken, frequently looking over at his children happily babbling way, smearing sticky fruit all over themselves.
Then, Wilhelm feels a strong presence on his back, a warmth surrounding him, a tickle on the back of his neck.
“Good morning,” Simon whispers, leaving a kiss behind his ear.
“Good morning,” Wilhem parrots, leaning into Simon’s embrace.
Simon’s hands wrap around Wille’s, slipping under his soft jumper, splaying his fingers across Wille’s warm skin, his other hand reaching for Wille’s bedhead, trying to tame his wild mane.
“Your hair…” Simon chuckles, moving it out of Wille’s eyes.
“It’s too long, I need a haircut.”
“I like it like this,” he swoons, hooking his chin over Wille’s shoulder.
“I know you do,” Wille hums.
Simon drops another quick kiss onto Wille’s shoulder, disentangling himself from his husband and goes to check on their children and the destruction that is breakfast.
“We should go out today, go to the park, do something as a family,” Wilhelm suggests, finally tearing his eyes fully away from the window.
Simon matches his gaze form where he is hunched, wiping his daughter’s face, his eyebrows furrowed, “Seriously? You know what they are going to be like today. They will be all over us.”
Wille sighs and scratches the back of his head.
“How are you feeling about…everything?”
Wille shrugs, “It is what it is, I just would rather not dwell on it.”
Simon raises an eyebrow, “Looks like it might be warming up outside, might be a good day to get some fresh air,” Simon sings, turning his attention back to their twins, “Don’t you think?!”
***
It takes the better half of the morning to finally get the family out of the house, the twins bundled into their pram and out the front door, Wilhelm pushing the pram while Simon walks their beloved dog Lief. And they walked like that, in peace, for all of ten minutes…until they hear the first shutter clicks.
“Wilhelm!”
“Simon!”
The reporter cries out as the family cross the street to thwart their attempts, Wille pulling the cover over the top of the pram, shielding their children from the flashbulbs.
“Do you have any comment about today’s events?”
“What are your thoughts about the coronation?”
“What kind of King will August Horn be?”
Wilhelm and Simon keep their pace, Simon’s grip on their dog’s leash getting tighter.
“Do you regret giving up your duties as a royal? That could be you being crowned King today…”
“My duties are right here, to my family. I am right where I need to be. Now leave us alone.”
***
He couldn’t help himself any longer, he had avoided it all day, but as night fell over Sweden and the world got a little quieter, his mind just kept screaming. As his daughter sleeps on his chest, Wilhelm carefully reaches for his phone on the table, swiping his way from headline to headline:
“Sweden Crowns a New King”
Seeing the parade of pictures of August, a shiny golden crown atop his head.
Wille kisses his daughter’s head, running his thumb back and forth across her back as he continues to feed his curiosity. His eyes finally snap up from the screen when he hears Simon trip over a toy in the hallway, Simon kicking it out of the way with a grunt.
“I love our kids, but this boy, why does he hate sleep so much?” Simon holds their son close, “Can you be more like your sister just in this one way,” Simon teasingly pleads, kissing their son’s cheeks, staking claim on the couch next to Wilhelm, Wille reaching out and swiping their son’s nose, causing a gummy smile. Simon settles into Wille’s shoulder, their son bouncing on his lap, Wille’s phone screen catching is line of sight, lit up with August’s face.
“Wille…” Simon grabs at Wilhelm’s wrist, getting a closer look at the text on the screen, “Are you sure you are okay?”
Wille sighs, “Do you remember that day? The day we thought Hillerksa would close?”
Simon nods, smiling softly, “Forever…”
***
They had been preparing for this day since then. As he ran after the dust trail of Sara’s car, Wilhelm had, in every way that was real to him, stepped down as Crowned Prince. The only way he hadn’t was officially, in the eyes of the Royal Court. Wilhelm had still been a minor, and there were official protocols in place, and they knew it would be a long and trying process, one that as they lay there together in Simon’s bed, they knew that they could finally endure. Wilhelm remained Crowned Prince- in name only. As he finally became of age and finished his schooling, Wilhelm’s royal burdens became easier to bear, being brought back to the castle by the Queen’s request from university from time to time for the odd charity event and official portraits of the Royal Family, all the while slowly integrating August into Royal duties, adhering him to public favor.
And then the Queen died.
Simon stood by his boyfriend’s side as they walked behind the casket, this feeling an all too familiar one for Wilhelm, but he wasn’t alone this time, and he wasn’t a child. He was a man, and he had the love of his life standing by his side, a firm grip on his clammy hand in front of the nation. The Duke filled the role left behind, but between the needs of the nation at large, and his own grief, the Royal Court knew he would only last so long in the position as ruler. And everyone knew it was only a matter of time before it was expected of Wille to step up for Sweden. Wille had to make his speech to the nation that he would be surrendering his place in the line of succession and that the crown would be going to August, and he stood in front of cameras, in front of reporters and journalists, and a large crowd of spectators gathered at the front of the castle and give up the throne and his official life as a Royal.
After that, Wille and Simon moved to America for a time, being in Sweden and watching August and his own father on the evening news, being trotted out in front of spectators, it was far too hard to handle, much harder than either man was anticipating. They lived in New York for a couple of years, and its there that they decided to take the next step- they never had a formal engagement- it was never needed, they just knew it was time, and they had a small courthouse wedding and reception to follow, their closest friends flying in from all ends of the globe to celebrate them.
They started their careers, Simon working for a non-profit organization fighting for fair wage and labor practices all over the world. Wilhelm floundered for a bit, not knowing how to handle freedom entirely, free from expectations for his future, free to follow his passions. It took some searching, but, inspired by Boris so long ago, Wilhelm found something incredibly exciting in becoming a youth counselor, becoming the person that he so desperately needed for so long. They adopted their dog, Lief. They were content.
Their family was almost complete.
The road to adoption wasn’t an easy one to traverse, as it always was with lovers, one quick internet search would bring back some of Wilhelm’s darkest moments, ones that he was less than proud of and that he would sooner love to forget. But, as they do, as they always do, and after a long year, they adopted Matteo and Freja. They moved back to Sweden two months prior, Felice traveling back from France where she is in the finest culinary school in the world and helped them move into their little home in Stockholm. They wavered about moving back, but their family, friends, and their history, it was all in Sweden, and it wasn’t all bad.
***
“This- “Wille gestures to their mess of a too-small living room, “this is it for me Simon. This sh*t…” holding up the phone displaying the official coronation portrait, “this was always folklore…the fairytale, this was always so fake. But you…our kids…. this house…this life…this is it for me. I didn’t give up anything that was real. It’s always been this. Seeing August...after all this time…it is…weird and complicated and so f*cked…but I am fine.”
“It’s always been us,” Simon whispers, “And when it’s us…it’s really good.”
