#non-wilmon

[sflow-er]

I saw the YR confessions poll, and while I wouldn’t say I ship Walty, I enjoy reading them sometimes. And I particularly like your version of them! Please don’t despair. Your stories are wonderful and your versions of these characters are so compelling 🧡

Thank you anon for your incredibly kind words, and for reading and enjoying my stories about Henry and Walter! Your message made me smile 🧡

I'm sure there are people out there who, like you, enjoy the occasional Walty fic even if they don't ship them! But conversely, I think there are also a lot of people who will vote to ship on these polls (the more ships, the better!) but aren't actually interested in fics or posts about them.

[Putting a cut here because as usual, this turned into a rambling thought piece]

The fact is that most viewers simply don't get attached to minor side characters, and that's particularly understandable when it comes to the Hillerska students in YR. I've noticed that many fans are not only indifferent to these characters, but they actively dislike them. A lot of people never forgave them for shunning Simon in S1, and the glimpses we saw of their elitism in S3 didn't do them any favours either. They represent a world that Simon doesn't fit into and Wille is meant to break loose from.

I regularly see posts questioning how anyone could like these characters, and even the occasional bad faith take on why they are popular. I assume those people are in the minority; the majority just scroll past posts or fics about Walty, Stedrika & co because they simply have no interest in exploring them further. (I keep thinking of how someone once told me directly that they couldn't stand any of the privileged brats, which was why they hadn't read my fics.)

In the immediate aftermath of S3, there was in fact a small surge in enthusiasm for Walty, as the meadow scene moved their relationship from "strictly platonic" to "open to interpretation" in many people's eyes. In my poll on their canon status, the result of 42.9% shippers/fans was probably skewed by my followers being more likely to ship than the average YR fan, but there was also very real excitement on their tumblr and ao3 tags. Many new posts and fics (by non-Wilmon standards), good responses to those, and new kudos/hits on older fics too.

However, that surge was virtually over by May, and since then, interest seems to have plummeted. Walty still appear in some fics as a side ship or as part of an ensemble, and there's one post-S3 WIP focused on them that has 130 kudos, but there have been very few new tumblr posts or fics focused on them since the spring. When people do make posts or publish fics, they don't get much of a response.

Of course, the immediate reasons are many fans moving on from YR as a whole since canon ended, and summer happening in between. But if we disregard those and just look at the fandom at any given time, there is a definite "Wilmon only" trend that I feel has grown stronger as the fandom has grown smaller. (Here's a link to my thoughts on said trend after S2.)

Take, for example, the fic numbers for other ships on ao3 (for the sake of clarity, I'm only including fics tagged with /): 121 Salice, 110 Walty, 86 Stedrika, 28 Vingust, 23 Madirosh, 22 Nilcent, 21 Sigust, 5 Vindie, 2 Madisander, 2 Nilgust. Plus 106 Sircus and 92 Sargust, but few of them are shipfics.

Even if these were all separate fics focused on each ship, they would only make 420 (+198) to Wilmon's 4,799 fics as of this morning. In reality, most of them are either fics primarily focused on Wilmon with other ships on the side or in the background, or multi-ship fics.

To bring this back to Walty, those 110 fics make six pages on ao3. If you sort them by kudos, only five fics on the first page are primarily focused on them, with 1,227 (OPS in which Wilmon are prominent side characters), 561, 517, 469 and 423 kudos. There are way more Walty-focused fics on the second page, but the decline in kudos is pretty steep. The bottom of page two is already down to less than 200, and only the very top of page four is over 100.

As a non-Wilmon author, I do find it sad how often I see people say that they aren't interested in anything else. I don't blame anyone for feeling that way - it was Wilmon's story that hooked us all in the first place! Everyone should get to enjoy fandom in their own way, and there's a strong sense of community in people being obsessed with the same ship and keeping it alive with all their love and creativity.

But for those of us who are also interested in the other aspects, the heavy focus on Wilmon can become a demoralising cycle. New fans coming into the fandom don't see much enthusiasm for other ships or characters, which means they don't get invested in them, which means there's even less incentive to create more fanworks or posts about them. There are no subcommunities for us; just the outer perimeter of the already small YR community.

For me, personally... Let's just say it has been an adjustment to go from OPS, which had 700 to 1,200 hits per update, to TRD where 200 hits per update are a windfall. That's partly my own fault for taking too long between updates (creative burnout is a bitch) and insisting on such a niche angle (ace/allo fics simply aren't as popular as allo/allo). But interest in Walty has also been on a steady downward trend I would say since the long wait for S3, and the brief upturn after S3 was very likely the last one. It's good to set my expectations accordingly the next time I post something.

Which I fully intend to do! I still have one or two new stories to tell and one WIP to rework and finish, and the "write for myself" approach is working for now. The "share for others" part will be harder than ever, but I'm keeping faith in my small group of loyal readers. Some of them may have been swept away by other things, but some have already reassured me they'll be there.

So you don't have to worry about me throwing in the towel just yet, dear anon, but thank you again for your supportive message! It really means a lot in light of everything I wrote above 💜

[young-royals-confessions]

I light up a little every time one of these confessions expresses love for a non-Wilmon (or non Edvin-and-Omar) part of the show. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the boys! Because they dominate about 95% of the discussion on my dash though I do like seeing which other characters/rarepairs/plot points of Young Royals are inspiring for people.

[sflow-er]

Shamelessly plugging...

My recent list of non-Wilmon recs

Plus the following two fics from my own catalogue (Blue already knows them but I'm putting them here in case they could be of interest to someone else):

Årnäs, February 2016

Young August keeps his father Carl Johan company after an argument with Louise, digests some bad news and 'truths' of life, and wants to help.

OR: Pre-canon backstory/character study focusing on August's relationship with his parents. May help to explain his views on women, romance and the social order, as well as his fear of vulnerability.

The Windsor (WIP)

After the formative year at Hillerska that brought Henry Silfverfeldt and Walter Strömbäck into each other’s lives, a lot of people assumed said lives would be upended by romantic feelings sooner or later. An event to celebrate their twenty years of friendship makes Henry think about how those people turned out to be wrong - but only about the feelings.

OR: An aged-up Henry character study, with flashbacks to the years that have passed since the end of canon. Features queerplatonic Walty, reunited childhood friends Henry & Stella, and a whole lot of thoughts on whether noble firstborn sons are allowed to be aroace.

Please feel free to add more recs!

Anyone have fic recs? (Non Wilmon-centered edition)

Dear Young Royals fandom,

I have a week off of work in the coming days, and while I will be working on writing my own fic, I’m also hoping to read some more YR fic on AO3. There is a lot to sort through! Right now what I’m looking for is fics that don’t center the Wilhelm/Simon pairing as the main story. I’m super okay with them being present and romantic with one another as part of the story (I enjoy them! I wouldn’t enjoy YR if I didn’t enjoy them!) but I’m sort of in the mood for something different right now, and I’d like to ask for Wilmon recs at a separate time, in a separate post.

Things I’m interested in reading include:

Fics centered on Felice, Sara, or another female character, where the female character in question gets her own arc and things to do. (Preferably a fic that doesn’t have to do with emotionally supporting or matchmaking for a male character.)

Fics centered on the Simon, Ayub, and Rosh friendship trio. The more teenage hijinks and supportive banter the better!

Fics centered on Wilhelm’s relationship with his mom, where both he and Kristina are written with nuance and care. (Kristina is often awful in her behavior but I find her compelling.)

Fics centered on a femmeslash pairing. (I tend to prefer Felice/Sara as a non-romantic thing but would not rule it out for a good premise, would also be into other femmeslash pairings obviously!)

Character study centered on August that taps into his complexity and possibly makes me cry. (August is often awful in his behavior, to make an understatement, but I find him compelling as well.) (Also I will definitely read canon-compliant or AU-but-canon-conscious sargust. I’m basically sargust georg; I am an outlier adn should not have been counted.)

Something where we learn more details about the parents’ generation and what they were like as teenagers and see how that plays off the present day teens’ experiences. Doesn’t have to include all the parents. Would just love to see glimpses of Hillerska/Bjärstad in the 80s and 90s.

Something with good disability and/or neurodivergence rep.

Something that teaches me history I don’t know yet.

Something, chill or not, where characters are solving a mystery.

Something setting-rich that includes ghost stories and/or gets into Hillerska history and lore. Surely this school has all kinds of secrets!

Would love it if anyone has any thoughts/leads/whatever. Feel free to recommend your own fic! Or your bestie’s fic! I’m just kind of curious to see what’s out there in the world. Thanks for any help you can give!

Fondly and revolutionarily,

bluedalahorse

[hergrandplan]

Hi hi! For drabble week: “Remember back when we were kids?” & “You can't run forever.” 💜💜💜

Simon!!!! Sorry this is so late, but here's the first one (the second one will be its own separate post coming later 💜). A little childhood best friends to lovers for you 💜

@youngroyals-events

“Remember the promise we made here, when we were kids?”

Simon does remember. They had been 7, and Wille had had a ringpop, and neither of them really knew what love was but Wille had proposed to him anyways, because that’s what grown-ups did. Simon had said yes because Wille was his best friend, and, with Simon’s teddy as their officiant, had vowed to always be his best friend.

“What would you say now?”

And suddenly, Simon’s breath catches in his throat, because he’s looking down at his boyfriend, on one knee, holding two silver rings in a velvet box.

[skibasyndrome]

"Can you at least tell me why you hate me so much?"

Because I need a continuation!!!!

This is part 2 of this ficlet

"Can you at least tell me why you hate me so much?"

Simon refuses to look at him, because if there's one thing he knows he can't handle right now, it's those stupidly big brown eyes that he can practically feel boring through the back of his head.

He doesn't have time for this right now, it's bad enough that they're stuck here, he doesn't need Wille taunting him further.

"Simon, can you please stop ignoring me?" Wille's voice is suddenly quiet in a way that takes Simon aback. But... fuck, he can't get weak, not again, he can't fucking do this again. So maybe he needs to spell it out once and for all

"Look...," Simon runs a hand through his hair, "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but I'd appreciate some... professional distance after the Christmas party, okay?" Simon rushes out, turning to face Wille and immediately bracing himself.

Wille just furrows his brows.

aksjsiejjsjsks Sophiaaaaaa! Thank you so much for the continuation prompt hehe 🫶💜💜💜

Send me "Wilmon" + a sentence and I'll write the next five

[pagegirlintraining]

Excited to announce that my dear @the-amber-fox and I teamed up to write a birthday gift for the lovely @ishotforthestars!

It’s a short(ish) and sweet story about the woes of dating and how none of that matters when you find the right person to do it with (and don’t stand in your own way by being an idiot). Have a snipped below ☺️

Lisa looks at him over the cup of her own black coffee and states frankly, "Well, you seem to be aware that I am neither blind nor dumb. So even though I had a lovelier time on this date than with many others, I don't like to be the consolation prize for anyone. Especially not if they're ogling the actual prize while said date is happening."

Wille splutters and turns a probably impressive shade of tomato red. "I– what–– no. I mean–"

"Okay, let me rephrase this then: You wrote on your profile that you're queer. You've been staring at the handsome man standing over there"– she nods her head in Simon's direction– "on and off since he went to stand at the counter. And while this man is quite nice to look at, I was fine with looking at him once and appreciating the overall package, while your count is up to ten. Which leaves me no choice but to conclude that you’re completely smitten with him and haven’t worked up the courage yet to do something about it. Am I onto something?"

We hope you like it 💜 give it a go if you want :)

[enjoythesilentworld]

Wille's Month - Literature

day 3! @youngroyals-events

“I thought you were a literature student?” “This is literature!” Wille is a very serious literature student, thank you very much.

Read below or on ao3! (cw: implied sexual content)

To the surprise of no one, graduate school turned out to be a little demanding. Still, Wille enjoyed it. He did. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was actually producing something worthwhile. Finally, he had an outlet for all the confusion and turmoil growing up, an explanation for why it’d been so hard to accept himself for who he was. In literature, in tracing lines between characters and plot lines, connecting authors and themes, he found answers. He found common ground and explanations for the world around him. It helped him see beauty in the little, mundane things and simplicity in the big, complicated things. No more was it, why do I feel like this about another boy? It was oh, you felt this, too, and it all turned out okay. The humanity in his readings and the brilliance in discussing it with others, the searching for answers and that spark of joy when he finally connected two pieces together, it kept him going. All that, along with periodic praise from his advisor, plenty of coffee, and, of course, almost more than anything, Simon. 

Simon. Wille knew that he could’ve done the whole thing by himself – he’d enrolled before even meeting Simon, thank you very much – but something about having the man by his side, going through the same slog of self-doubt and fear and exhaustion made it all the more worthwhile. To have each other to go back to at the end of the day meant everything to Wille, and he was pretty sure Simon felt the same. He still didn’t know who to thank at the university for that silly bonding trip, but Wille was eternally grateful to whatever almighty force had brought Simon into his life. That first day, Simon’s shy smile and blushing cheeks, which quickly turned to sassy remarks and teasing smirks, had been a ray of sunlight in Wille’s life. Things had already been fine, even good, but Simon brought something more. Something Wille would never be able to put into words. Wille could read every book ever written and still never find the words to describe it, that thing that brought them together, that tug at his core; come closer, be near me, be with me.

All told, the little pieces of Wille’s life fit together well. Most days, he remembered to eat meals at reasonable intervals and got at least a few hours of sleep every night. Sometimes, he even went to the gym. Unfortunately, graduate school didn’t give a fuck if you were happy and in love and generally having a good time. It had a way of pulling apart all those little pieces and scattering them across the room, like an ornery housecat. On this particular day, Wille felt as though someone had stuck a spoon up his nose and scrambled his brain. He’d been reading the same three papers for days now and was making no progress, he had dozens of unread emails sitting in his inbox, and only one line written for his writing workshop assignment (which was due in two days). Needless to say, he was exhausted. There was only one thing he wanted to do: curl up in bed with his boyfriend. Very rudely, Simon was busy with rehearsals, so Wille was cursed to spend the evening alone. 

Sighing dramatically, he fell into bed, then squirmed around in frustration. It made him feel a bit better.

As was typical of a literature student – Wille, ever the cliché – his room was covered in books, haphazardly stacked in precarious piles on every available surface. Most were of respectable nature, if a little promiscuous. A few, however, were of a different breed. Since he had the time to kill, he pulled out a book from the bottom of one of the stacks, huffing when the whole pile toppled over. 

The cover was a swirling array of dark fabric, and nothing more. In simple serif font, the title read: “Velvet Desires: Passion Unleashed". And, so what if Wille liked to read trashy smut novels in his free time? He spent so much time dissecting prose and interpreting symbolism, who could blame him if every once and a while he just wanted to turn his brain off?

Simon found him like that hours later, half reading the book and half dozing. 

“Hi, baby,” Simon purred, crawling into bed and wrapping his arms around Wille’s waist, burying his face there. 

Wille smiled and set the book to the side, then pulled Simon closer. “Hello, my love.”

“Missed you,” Simon said into the fabric of Wille’s shirt, the sound a bit muffled. 

“I missed you, too. Did you have a good rehearsal?”

Simon simply hummed and lifted his head, smiling sleepily. Wille glanced at his book for a moment, and Simon followed his eye line. They both froze, before they each pounced on the book at the same time. Simon was faster. He jumped out of the bed and spun away from Wille’s reach. 

“What’s this?”

“It’s a book,” Wille huffed, grabbing at it. Simon giggled and climbed across the bed, dodging Wille again. 

Simon gasped dramatically as his eyes skimmed over the back cover. He looked up with mock horror on his face. Wille rolled his eyes. 

“I thought you were a literature student?” 

“I am– That is literature!” 

“This is smut, Wille.”

Wille groaned. “Come on, Simon, give it!” 

They chased each other around the room a moment longer, Wille not really upset and Simon not really horrified, before collapsing back onto the bed. 

“Very uncouth,” Simon tsked, poking a finger at Wille’s chest. 

“There’s a lot of good symbolism in there.”

“Oh, is there?” Simon asked, tone low. He rolled and moved to straddle Wille, leaning down to kiss gently at his jaw. “What else is in there?”

“Simon…” he whispered, then brought his hands up and gripped Simon’s hips, before sliding warm fingers up his back, along each vertebrae. 

“Anything fun?” 

Wille hummed, then curled a hand around Simon’s neck and brought their lips together. 

“I can show you.”

[willesredlights]

This is the last time (4.1k, M)

Warning: Explicit content

I've been thinking about this one shot for a while now and finally I had the time to write it out :)) There is a lot of angst with no happy ending, not really.

This fic is partly based on the song "Ik wil dat je liegt" by Hannah Mae and Maksim. It's a very beautiful song and I'm obsessed with it, so if you want to give it a listen (even if it is in dutch) here you go.

[grodenprins]

Blessed Are The Forgetful

"But a few months ago, I met someone, who awakened new feelings in me. In a way, I wish it had never happened. It was better to be oblivious about how it can feel. He filled the void swallowing my life, I never realized how colorless my life was before him, and now he took it all away with him. I wish I could forget how bright life could be. I wish I could just forget him altogether.”

“I see. Well, technically, you can do that.”

Devastated by their breakup, Wilhelm undergoes a medical procedure to erase Simon Eriksson from his memory. Can their love survive this, or will it all fall apart?

An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind wilmon AU

For my sweet Stef 💛 READ ON AO3

[chaotic-poet]

I am so normal about them and their antics and parallels I swear-

[sflow-er]

Question 18. from the YR Secondary Characters Ask Game: favourite fic centered on a secondary character or pairing

So I've got one more ask in my inbox for this game, and that one is a carte blanche to answer all the remaining questions. But this one turned into a shortlist of non-Wilmon fic recs, so I thought, why not make it a separate post?

'Swell the Numbers' is my number one favourite, but the others are in no particular order. Also, I tried to pick a selection of characters and ships and only one fic per author (with the exception of Blue's Felice fic) but many of these talented people have also written other fics, Wilmon and non-Wilmon. So do check those out as well!

A bushel of non-Wilmon fic recs:

Swell the Numbers by @bluedalahorse is a post-canon character study of August. The spotlight is on the stresses heaped on him in his new Crown Prince position, his canon-typical struggles with disordered eating, as well his relationships with Nils, Kristina, and Wilhelm. Maybe some other stuff as well.

Secrets, Friendship, and Coffee Non-Dates by @starvalisedham basically has everything: descriptions of caffeinated beverages, a Maddie who goes for what she likes, and an Alexander who takes a bit of time to understand how it all relates to him...

Five Times Felice Ehrencrona Was A Bad Friend (and one friend who reassured her) by @bluedalahorse examines Felice's encounters with her friends (and mother) in those middling days that make us human.

An end is a beginning by @stretchoutfics is an E-rated canon divergence that starts with Stella's unrequited pining for Fredrika and turns into a character-defining encounter between her and Rosh at a Valborg party (as imagined based on the S3 trailer).

The Last Time by @zee-has-commitment-issues is a Nilcent one-shot with no happy ending. It's set in a future where their friendship ended after one night seven years ago, but an unexpected and upsetting letter from Vincent brings them into the same room one more time.

Change It And Say by @skydragon05 is a Walty fic where Henry fist interrupts Walter kissing a girl and then they both try not to interrupt Wilmon in the next room. One part genuinely funny slapstick humour, two parts getting-together fluff.

Diamant auf einer Landmine by @allesistpunk is the only WIP on this list - a Vindie fic that expands on both Vincent and Madison's histories and families and explores the events of the show through their eyes. Also includes some darker themes, e.g. stalking (not between Vindie).

Rien de plus, rien de moins by @margotdanslebois is an M-rated one-shot where Sara and August slip away from the royal family's private Christmas celebrations for an encounter that is 'no more, no less' than it is.

Enjoy!

[sflow-er]

The ones I would rec out of my own catalogue of Walty fics:

Other people's secrets (S1-compliant longfic, includes outsider POV of Wilmon)

Like you better (S2-compliant oneshot)

..

@sadhappylady's list and post include most of the fics I was going to rec but here are a couple more:

Walty: Change It And Say by @skydragon05 how many nights does it take to count the stars (that's the time it would take to fix my heart) by prongts / @pinkfluffyhippogriff

Stedrika: Drikaberry by Blodeuwedd / @andthatisnotfake

lily of the valley by peonyseas

you wanting me tonight feels impossible by (orphan_account)

Letters from Annie and Liza by @bluedalahorse (one of many non-Wilmon drabbles written for YR Drabble Challenge 2024!)

Rarepairs: Heart and Homeland by @bluedalahorse and @heliza24 (includes Wilmon, but there's also Sargust, Felice/Maddie and Felice/Rosh)

Secrets, Friendship, and Coffee Non-Dates by @starvalisedham (Alexander/Maddie)

Diamant auf einer Landmine by @allesistpunk (Vincent/Maddie, WIP; the author has also written other Vindie fics featuring Walty!)

[updated with a couple more recs in September 2024]

Inspired by a couple of earlier asks, could we make a ships other than Wilmon self-rec list? It would be nice for people coming into the fandom to have somewhere to start but I guess there aren't any reader-made rec lists. So maybe authors could reblog this and rec a couple of their own fics? Or a couple per ship if they've written for multiple ships and of course readers could still chip in too if they felt like it!

Yes! Authors or readers, send me recs for fics featuring non-Wilmon ships. Or reblog, comment, etc and I'll compile them into a post.

[realredbanana]

So, Wilhelm (and wilmon in general) really reminds me of the song Ruin by The Amazing Devil, and here’s some explanation because I need to tell someone about this (blue = Wille, purple = Simon, pink = wilmon):

(Season 3 Spoilers Ahead!!)

I will bring you ruin

In everything I do

It’s never my intention but it happens all the same

(How Wille keeps unintentionally hurting Simon both because of the monarchy and just generally the fact that he’s a kid that hasn’t really been taught any effective communication or coping methods)

It starts with love and comfort

Becomes a strength of will

But all that strength made rubble of the towers we built

(Their relationship ‘starts with love and comfort’ but lots of things end up in arguments (because, omg, someone get these boys in therapy I beg you))

Cos brick by brick you built us

And I’d fill in the cracks.

(Because Wille was the one who kept seeking Simon out in the beginning)

Nothing quite prepares you for

When they don’t come back

(I’ll be honest, this bit reminds me of Erik’s death, but interpret it however you want)

I wish I’d done things different

I wish that I’d been brave

I wish I’d known these stones were something I could save

(Wille after denying The Video)

Our mortar was your laughter

And you hurled curses at the land

(Honestly, this could go either way, but ‘you hurled curses at the land’ made me think of Simon insulting the monarchy)

We didn’t talk. We made universes

Out of bitten lips and broken hands

(Need I elaborate?)

And you said “I love you” less

Than when It all began

And I said fewer

Cos I make jokes to show how broken I really am

(This is the bit that I don’t exactly think fits them, because they say ‘I love you’ more in s3 and neither of them are the ‘joking to cope’ type)

In the wreck of all we burnt

Stands our piano like a wound

I play our song

To see if it’s in tune

(And I'll sing silence)

(Music-room-arguments-coded. Also, these lines could go either way tbh)

But you, you sit next to me

And your finger brushes mine

(Lead up to their first kiss when they held hands at the movie night)

And I promise to be patient

And you promise to be, promise to be kind

(Simon being patient with Wille when it comes to figuring himself out, and Wille trying so hard not to hurt Simon)

Cos brick by brick you built us

Of the earth, the silt and ground

(From Wille’s perspective, Simon made the first moves)

We can rest, you say, in the pieces

Of what’s left, or of what what we’ve found

I wish I’d done things different

I wish I’d made it right

But we’ll burn a hundred theatres

If it means we get the wallpaper right

I’ll brick by brick rebuild us

Out of hows and whys not whens

Nothing quite prepared me for

When that piano sang again

(Wilmon getting back together in 3.06)

Tomorrow I’ll do things different

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

You’ll make me brave.

(Wille abdicating)

[mymitochondriaforpresident]

5 more days until I’m free from this Hell.

[insiemes]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56024617

Roads Lead Back to You

Three weeks after he woke up in the hospital, he found himself in a nightclub.

He wasn’t really sure what motivated him to enter the club, and if someone asked him he wouldn’t have an answer. He’d been walking by and the music, the lights and the strong beat of the bass had pulled him in like a wave to shore, like a magnet was drawing him close. The club, something seedy and dark, had no bouncer. He didn’t think too long about what that said about the establishment, instead thanking small victories. He’d walked inside no problem, no one telling him to leave and no one asking him his name. For that he was grateful, for if he’d been asked to show any piece of ID he wouldn’t have been able to provide it.

He had no idea who he was.

or

Simon Eriksson wakes up from a coma after six months, with no idea who he was in his past life.

[in-amor-veritas]

Hey! Chapter 11 of our Soulmate au Grasping at Shadows is up! Written by Kastin 💜

Shit is getting even crazier now so hold on tight.

)()(

Moments later, two men enter the room, Wilhelm can't quite make out their faces through the darkness but they’re tall and broad and heading right for Wilhelm’s cell.

“Wilhelm doesn’t seem too willing to come on his own,” Jan Olof speaks, “he may need some help, gentlemen.”

Wilhelm’s eyes flash to Simon as the boy springs forwards, his hands gripping the bars tightly, panic written on his features, his fear filling the entire room — a pulse that Wilhelm can feel beneath his skin.

“Where are you taking him?” Simon practically shouts.

He’s ignored as the men continue to make their way towards the Prince.

He feels his own heartbeat spike.

“It’s okay, Simon.”

“It’s not okay!” the boy replies frantically, moving towards Wilhelm, his hand reaching between the bars just as the cell is opened, “they can’t take you!”

Wilhelm’s reaction is immediate. He takes Simon’s warm hand in his own. Squeezing gently.

It’ll be okay, Simon. I’m coming back. I’ll always come back for you.