Chapter Text
//The Queen//
When I thought of Wilhelm I thought of the top of his head and the way his hair parted, how it looked when he was first born to how it looked now. I also thought of how easy it would be to break his head right open. Of course, I could never do that, and I would never do that. I still love him, just not as much as any other mother would be.
I still know he loves me with every inch in his body.
I wish I knew how to tell him that I didn’t feel the same.
The concept of love is a foreign idea within walls the of any castle, Wilhelm never understood that, it furthered my hatred for him. I had a long list in my head of things that angered me about him. His hair being too long, his face littered with acne, how he could never seem to eat enough, how different he was from other boys his age, how girly he was, the list could go on for ever.
I loved him less because he was nothing like Erik.
Erik was an amazing child and amazing teenager, and will one day become an amazing king, he is who I need to put all my focus into, he’s the heir he’s perfect.
~•~
“Amanda schedule a car to be ready by 13:00” she said, while getting her hair fixed by a Royal stylist, Amanda standing right behind her, “ of course, your majesty, where to?” “My brother’s residence.”
“Kristina!” Peter called out, walking slowly down the pristine marble stairs of the estates gardens, “Peter, how wonderful it is to see you, feels like it’s been two thousand years!” Kristina called back, walking up to Peter. Truthfully it was only two months since the siblings have seen each other.They finally meets towards the end of the stairs and hug each other, while continuing conversation, walking back up the stairs and at the front door. “ Come in come in. I’ll have Trudy boil up some tea.” “That would be wonderful.” as Peter was guiding Kristina to the parlor room he strikes up a question about Eric and Wilhelm,
“How are the kids doing?” “ Eric’s lessons in school, according to his tutor, are going splendidly he’s excelling.” She said, while practically beaming at the question. “ well, that’s wonderful how’s little Wilhelm doing?”
She freezes,
“He’s perfectly fine” she says, in a cold, frigid tone, “ oh well, that’s quite nice.” Peter says in a lighthearted tone, contrasting Kristina’s cold one.
In truth, before meeting her brother she threw a plate at him, cutting up his face, he “had angered her he deserved it” were the words going through her head. He had talked back to her while she was scolding him about some insignificant mistake he had made.
When they finally reached the parlor, they take a seat down at the 200 year old table lined with golden trim, a French style, perhaps.
“Well, let’s stop dancing around the important question,” Peter, pauses before asking, “What in the world are you going to do for your 61st birthday?” Peter finally releases, “Like I told you before it’s going to be like every other birthday I’ve ever had, a parade, a dinner, and donating some money to some poor Children’s Hospital.” She says, shrugging it off. She enjoyed the first two things but the PR management team suggested the idea of donating money quite a while ago and she’s been doing it ever since, she doesn’t enjoy it very much.
“Well, at least invite me to the palace to celebrate your birthday for go-“ he’s cut off before he can finish when Trudy walks in with the tea he requested,
“The te-“ “How dare you walk in to this room unannounced!” Kristina yells, “I-I’m terribly sorry.” “No no no your fine, just bring the tea over here and you are dismissed.” Peter says in a calming tone, trying to reassure the crying maid, “Ye-yes your highness.” she says as she sets the tea down and quickly exiting the room.
“What was that for?” Peter says while trying to mask his slight anger for his sister, “It was necessary.”
She says back in her normal tone, “She is new for heaven sake! You cannot punish people for making simple errors.” “Cruel and unusual punishments are the only way to get through to these people.” “These people! What on world do you mean this people?!” Peter says while finally letting some anger show, “Oh you know what I mean.” She says, while taking a sip of tea, “I don’t believe I know what you mean, please elaborate.” he says, slowly cooling down, “The maids for heaven sake, that’s what I mean.” She mentions in a nonchalant tone.
Before Peter can say anything back, he’s cut off,
“Now back on to the subject of my birthday.”
Kristina interrupts, “Yes I suppose that is the matter at hand.” Peter says back in a normal town, trying to push down the awful interaction before hand.
“Now there is going to be a private party with only immediate family members,” Kristina said finally meeting Peter’s eyes, “You are of course, invited along with my husband and my sons, no one else.”
She said, “And I assume we will be engaging in family traditions?” Peter said also meeting Kristina’s eyes. “Yes, the games outside and the reading on my favorite book.” She said, finally lifting her previously terrible mood. Every year on one of the families birthdays they would everybody be at their whim for whatever activity they wanted to do, perhaps a favorite game of theirs, and reading a favorite book of theirs. Of course, they weren’t quite “at they’re whim” because the queen had to approve whatever game or book they read.
Of course the queen never had any problems with her husband’s games or books, or her eldest sons the rule was only there Wilhelm. He would always choose a game completely unacceptable for a prince and books that were pure blasphemy, no prince should be reading Jane Austen or Oscar Wilde, it’s unbecoming.
“Do you know where Wilhelm is going to sent you?” Peter said while chuckling towards the end.
The clues.
~•~
When Wilhelm was 6 his governess gifted him, a book about short stories and poems that harbored secret messages, after a week of reading he finally finished it, and it became his favorite book. Kristina only knew that because he carried that damn book wherever he went, adding to list of things she hated about him. For Erik‘s 18th birthday Wilhelm roads are a series of poems and riddles and with the help of Malin, had a put them carefully into envelopes and hit them in a variety of places.
The first clue was found an envelope on Erik’s nightstand when he first woke up, it eventually led him to the greenhouse, where the second clue was found, leading him to a small bookstore in Stockholm. Finally, the last clue let him deep in the woods on the grounds of the palace, there’s where his gift, a small, handmade embroidery hoop, with the words carelessly woven in saying “I LOVE YOU ERIK“ with a red heart sewn in around it.
Needless to say that Eric loved it, loved the hunt and loved his gift. Wilhelm decided to do the exact same thing with his mama. She didn’t appreciate it very much.
She hated the gift and she hated the hunt, no matter how many times she told him it never got through to his head until he turned 12, then he stopped.
~•~
“He hasn’t done that with me since he was 12 years old. I highly doubt he’s going to start doing it again.” Kristina scoffed, “It’s already been four years, that feels like yesterday!” Peter said gleaming. “I wonder why he stopped doing that it was so cute.” Kristina look down towards her cup, she knows why he stopped doing it.
She remembers the night of her birthday, walking fast through the overly ornate Palace halls, Wilhelm wrist in hand, her yelling at him, beating him. She remembers, dragging him down the stairs into the servants quarters. She remembers, locking him in the cellar and leaving him there for hours.
She remembers.
“We’ll never know why he stopped.”
~•~
“Goodbye Kristina! See you tomorrow!” Peter yelled as Kristina climbed in the car, “Goodbye!” She yelled back waving goodbye and finally closing the door next to her, “Let’s head back to the palace now.” She said to the driver while she scrimmaged through her bag, “Of course. Let’s get you home your majesty.”
When they finally enter into the gates the queen is helped out of the car and walked up the steps to the front door, she walks in immediately, and before heading to her own room to settle for bed, she goes to Wilhelms room to punish him about his missed appearance at the Charity fundraiser, she notices something.
“Wilhelm you better have a damn good reason why I shouldn’t-“ she says, walking into the room, pausing after she realizes that the glass table in his room has been knocked over and shattered into millions pieces. “Wilhelm what the hell happened!?” She yelled while still trying to search for him, she checked the bathroom and the closet. Nowhere. “Wilhelm! Stop hiding right this instant!” She yelled, but with no answer.
Finally, realizing that he’s not in his room, she checks Erik’s. Nowhere. She checks her own room. Nowhere. She checks the living room and the kitchen. Nowhere. She starts to become anxious. “Where is he?!”
After a long while of searching, she calls the guards to search.
Nothing.
Eventually, one of the guards comes up to Kristina, “Your majesty we have searched every possible corner of the palace, we can’t find him.” The guard says enough, sorrowful voice. “It’s a palace for heaven sake he hast to be somewhere!” She yelled, startling the guard slightly, “I’m terribly sorry your majesty, but He’s Gone.”