2 April, 1359. Magdaline Castle, Islia 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

William was doing his best to avoid Princess Camilla. He really was. After giving Tession his word to stop pursuing the Moraigthian girl, he had no longer asked her to dance. He had stopped initiating conversation or invitations to go for a walk. Dinners in the banquet hall now ticked by in long, awkward silences. He tried not to even look at her.

Hopefully Tession considered that effort enough. Because it was killing William.

Dancing with other ladies brought no pleasure because they weren’t as beautiful as Camilla. Conversation with other ladies bored him because they didn’t have her intelligence or quick, biting wit.

William felt a deep resentment towards the old healer. Part of it was because if Tession hadn’t shown up that afternoon in the northern gallery, he would’ve never asked William to do this.

But most of the resentment, William was able to admit to himself, was because the old man was right. Tession’s reasoning was solid and his motives were honest.

William therefore hated Tession’s wisdom and his moral compass.

If he ended up bedding Princess Camilla, her reputation would be forever ruined. Even if he didn’t actually lie with her, any scandal or perceived threat to her virtue at his hands, would lower her value as a royal bride.

And the only thing King Kenneth would hate more than his niece would be his niece who couldn’t even be married off to his advantage, because she was considered sullied. She’d never be able to return home because her uncle would probably kill her.

Instead, she’d be forced to remain in Islia, where no man of any substance would want to marry a foreign girl with a ruined reputation.

William would end up being the greatest disaster of her life, just as the old healer had warned. A disaster caused by his unstoppable lust for a girl who had the misfortune to have been born a princess.

If his situation wasn’t so agonising, William would almost find it laughable.

He had turned down the invitation to go hunting in the forest near the Vestun highlands that morning, one of his favourite places. He had no appetite for the company of others. Instead, he was headed for Tession’s rooms.

If that man had forced him into this situation to begin with, then he was going to have to put up with William’s scowling face all day. It was only fair, William thought.

He strode briskly down a secondary flight of stairs, which would eventually lead him down a warren of back passages and eventually to the healer’s quarters.

As luck would have it, as he turned the corner he narrowly avoided colliding with the object of his desire. William groaned in frustration.

Princess Camilla and Lady Katerine were both carrying armfuls of books, both of them having clearly returned from Tession’s library.

William gave them both a brief, polite bow and kept walking.

"Your Grace."

Her voice wasn’t loud but it stopped William in his tracks. He reluctantly turned to face her.

He noticed the princess was standing alone, whereas Lady Katerine was scampering up the flight of stairs as nimbly as a fleeing rabbit. She obviously knew when to make herself scarce.

He didn’t want to look at Camilla’s face and risk weakening his resolve. He rubbed a hand over his mouth and forced himself to focus on the books in her arms.

She stood there saying nothing, as if just waiting for him to acknowledge her properly.

Slowly, painfully, his eyes drifted upwards and met hers. There was bewilderment on her face. Of course there was. The man who had been chasing her for weeks had suddenly all but run from her.

"You’ve been avoiding me." It wasn’t a question but a stated fact.

"That isn’t true. I have been busy with other matters these past few days." William managed to keep a straight face. Just another little lie to add to the already enormous pile between them, of lies and things left unsaid.

Camilla’s lovely mouth twitched into a tiny smile. "My lord, as I’ve told you before, you can lie to me if that’s what you want. But given we both know you’re doing it, isn’t it rather pointless?"

Unable to help himself, William smiled back wryly. Of course he hadn’t fooled her. The girl’s wit and keen mind were things that had fascinated him from the outset. He realised they were completely alone in the stairwell. What he wouldn’t give to push her up against the wall and kiss her senseless, while his hands pulled up her skirts.

"Alright then. You’re right. I’ve been avoiding you."

"Why? Have I offended you in some way?"

William cursed under his breath, hating how stilted their exchanges had become. Things had reverted to how they had been when he’d first rescued Camilla from Arlington. Back then, they’d circled each other warily and she’d looked at him as if her were a monster who could pounce at any moment.

No, this was much worse, he told himself. Back then, his dreams weren’t haunted by the sound of her gasps and the taste of her skin. Back then, he had been attracted to her but the attraction hadn’t grown into an all consuming wildfire.

"No, you haven’t offended me." William sighed. "I gave someone my word that I’d maintain my distance from you and I’m keeping my promise to them."

"And who is that person?"

"Does it really matter? The end result will still be the same."

"No, perhaps it doesn’t matter." Camilla mused. "But I still want to know."

"Fine. It was Tession. Are you satisfied now?" William felt a twinge of guilt putting the blame on his old friend but quickly shrugged it off. This whole situation was Tession’s fault so why should William protect him?

"He doesn’t think I’m any good for you." William finally admitted, looking away. "He’s worried about your reputation at court suffering if you associate with me."

"I see. And it goes without saying that you agree with him?"

William laughed without humour. "I don’t think I’m very good for any lady’s reputation, do you? Especially one who’s life depends on staying on King Edward’s good side." He shot her a defeated look. "Tession is a good man and wiser than the two of us put together. What he said makes sense, even if I don’t like it."

Camilla slowly nodded, her expression hard to decipher. "So this is how it’s going to be?"

"Yes. I’m sure in future we’ll both be matched with other people and move on with the lives we’re supposed to have." William turned on his heel and started walking again towards Tession’s rooms. When he reached the door to his quarters, William yanked it open and stomped in without knocking.

Tession slowly peered up from the dusty book on his lap. "Good morning, my young lord." His voice was calm despite seeing William’s thunderous expression. "You must have crossed paths with the Princess of Moraigth. She was literally just here."

"Yes, we crossed paths." William growled. "I kept my word to you and said little to her. In fact, I was borderline rude to her. I’m sure hearing that makes you happy."

"It doesn’t make me happy." Tession’s voice remained steady, which infuriated the prince more. "I never said you should treat her rudely. I simply said you shouldn’t try to seduce her. You can still treat her with chivalry."

"And what do you suppose I should do then?" William asked sarcastically. "Make polite conversation with her?"

"Would that be so terrible?" Tession asked innocently. "The princess is intelligent and probably the best read lady at court. My conversations with her have always been rewarding."

"That’s because you don’t remember what it’s like to be a young man! You haven’t been one for close to a century!"

Tession laughed, not the least bit insulted by William’s jibe. "Ah, my prince. It hasn’t been quite that long."

"I don’t want a woman to talk to, goddamn it!"

"Well then, if you simply want a woman to romp with and get your frustrations out, that’s an easily solved problem also. You’ve always been able to have your pick of the young ladies here, haven’t you?" Tession’s reasonable tone was threatening to send William’s temper boiling over.

"Unless," the old man answered his own question, "The issue is that you don’t want any woman. You just want her."

"You know very well that is the problem." William hissed.

Tession nodded. "Then you should probably ask yourself why that is, my young lord. Ask yourself what exactly makes this girl in particular special to you."

"For fuck’s sake!" William yelled. "She’s not special and I never said she was! It’s just...she...I don’t even know why I’d expect you to understand!" He stormed out of the room.

Even after he’d slammed the door with all his might, William could still hear the old man laughing on the other side.