Nico

When Will didn't show up the next day, Nico had to admit that he was a little bit confused. Worried even. They had a sort of routine now where the two of them would meet up almost daily to eat, fool around and just generally be themselves. It was 'almost' daily because Nico was still the prince and had royal duties so there were days when he wouldn't have been able to sneak Will into the castle. Otherwise he and Will would meet up regularly by the yew berry bush where Will had almost poisoned himself, partially because he wanted Will to remember his mistake and never forget. Another reason was because it was always entertaining to see the boy flush pink in embarrassment and whine like a child each time he brought it up.

But now it was already noon with the sun high in the sky and Will still hadn't shown up. Nico anxiously chewed his lip and waited for what had to be another hour before he gave up and got back on his horse, riding back to the castle. Will better have a damn good explanation for this.

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Day 2: Denial

A feeling of dread settled in Nico's stomach when Will failed to show up the day after. Bad thoughts started running through his head like a never ending stream.

What if something happened to Will?

What if he was hurt?

Dying?

Nico's stomach dropped in his panic. He might've joked earlier about Will eating the yew berries, but honestly, he didn't want to see the older boy get hurt. The idea of Will being in pain made Nico want to get on his horse and ride off until he could make sure there wasn't a scratch on him. In fact, he was going to do that right now. But as he made his way towards his horse, a new concept entered his head, causing him to pause.

What if..

What if Will just didn't want to show up anymore?

Nico thought they had become good friends but what if that was only speculation? What if Will was actually just trying to be nice to him all this time? Then again, Will didn't seem to be wary of the fact that he was the Prince anymore, so there was no reason for him to do that.

But what if that's why he left?

What if Will was staying with him this whole time because he actually had been wary of him? And when he realised that Nico was nothing to be worried about, he decided to grab the first chance he could to get out of there?

Okay, maybe Nico was getting a bit dramatic. Will had seemed pretty genuine in their interactions, and from what Nico could tell, he didn't seem like the type of person to just abandon someone.

Although...what if he had better things to do? More important things? Maybe he had closer friends in the village and would rather spend time with them instead of keeping some lousy prince company. Maybe he..

No. Nico was not doing this again. Will was fine and he did not leave Nico. He was probably just busy doing chores or something. He was not hurt, he was not sick of him, and he was going to come back. This was all probably just some sick, twisted nightmare and Nico would wake up and everything would be as normal as it always was.

He refused to believe otherwise.

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Day 3: Anger

Will still hadn't shown up and Nico couldn't bring himself to deny it anymore.

He gritted his teeth and stared in the direction that Will usually came from before kicking the bush out of frustration, sending the yew berries flying. Good riddance.

He had been so stupid, hadn't he? How could he ever believe that someone like Will would want to be his friend? How could he have believed that anyone wanted to be his friend?! The only 'friends' he had came from forced alliances. That's all they would ever come from. He hated himself for ever thinking that it could've been otherwise.

A part of him was angry at Will too. Nico knew he hadn't imagined all the inside jokes, all the laughter and smiles that Will sent his way. He had been leading him on this entire time, making Nico feel as he was something other than a useless tiny kid, and all for what? To eventually abandon him? To leave him just when he was feeling happy? To remind him that nobody wanted him around? How dare he play with Nico's feelings. He was the heir to the throne! He shouldn't have to be humiliated like this! He didn't deserve to be ostracised or abandoned or treated like some creep just because of who he was! He was a human being too! Not some soulless monster! Will should either be here to meet Nico or he should have never kept coming back in the first place. Fuck him.

Fuck Will Solace and everything he stood for.

Nico didn't need him.

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Day 4: Bargaining

Nico didn't sleep last night. He tried, he really did, however he just couldn't. He tossed and turned back and forth, working up a sweat that made his pajamas stick to his skin uncomfortably. His anger had started to ebb away, soon becoming replaced with desperation. It was even more suffocating than the unbearable heat that had been crawling over his skin.

Now he was standing by the yew bush with his arms wrapped around his torso in an attempt to protect himself from the biting winter wind, his gaze fixed wistfully on a random spot in the distance.

Oh how he wished for Will to come back. He longed to see the boy's bright eyes and hear his bubbly laughter. Nico would gladly let him do whatever he wanted in the castle, as long as he would just come back.

Maybe if he offered him better food? Or clothing? What about money? Nico would give him all the jewels in the treasury if it meant that he would return. None of them were even remotely close to Will's worth. Anything that Will wanted, Nico would give it to him.

Once again, he pondered the reasons that Will might've left.

Was it because he was scary? Nico could try to be more friendly. He wouldn't scowl or glare anymore. Maybe it was because of the teasing? If that was it then Nico would never tease Will again. He'd treat him as if he was the King himself, give him the proper worship that he deserves. Or perhaps it was because he was too dark? Nico would strut around dressed in damn rainbows if that meant Will would be his friend again.

He nodded firmly to himself and quickly turned around, mounting his horse. He could do it. He could find Will and convince him to come back. Whatever it took to bring Will back, he would do it. He'd bargain and barter and beg until he managed to convince him.

Nico stopped himself at this sudden thought before he could ride off. Wouldn't that be...sort of manipulative? If Will didn't want to be with him, then it was his choice after all. Nico had no right in trying to bring him back just because it was what he wanted. Not to mention, Nico had no idea if he would actually do anything to bring Will back. Nico was stubborn as a mule after all and he didn't think that that would change anytime soon. If Will asked him for something that he didn't want to give...Nico may miss him a lot but he wasn't sure if he would be willing to give a part of himself up for the boy he loved.

Nico hesitated, looking out towards the village one last time, wondering if maybe, maybe he should try to find Will and see if there was a chance he could bring him back. Then he shook his head and turned his horse around, riding back to the castle.

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Day 5: Depression

Today when Nico arrived alone once again to their meeting spot, he couldn't even keep himself standing anymore. He dismounted his horse and stumbled over to the bush, staring out at the village hopelessly for a minute before he collapsed to his knees, moving agonisingly slow into a cross-legged position on the ground. He didn't care that it was hard enough to make his joints ache later. He didn't care that it was cold enough to make him feel numb, he already was. He didn't even care that it was dirty and he would probably get reprimanded harshly by his father for ruining such expensive clothing. Maybe then he would feel something.

At this point, Nico couldn't bring himself to have anymore hope that Will would come back. It had almost been a week since he had disappeared and with no word from the blond, Nico was left to assume that Will wouldn't be coming back out of his own free will.

Either that or he was dead. Nico figured that that could be a more likely option, what with the older boy being prone to accidents and his abysmal eating habits. If there wasn't such a horrible feeling of emptiness spreading through him, maybe he would've cried.

Sadly, as it was, there was a sense of hollowness that gaped within him, sucking him dry of his emotions and passions and motivation. He laid down on the forest floor and spread his arms out to the side, closing his eyes for a moment. He didn't feel like getting up anymore. For all he cared, he could freeze to death out here and he would consider it as mercy, since someone or something had finally decided to spare him of his miserable life. Only the Fates were cruel enough to give him so much happiness and then rip it away from him just when he was starting to believe that it might last. Now, with his birthday approaching in less than two weeks along with his father's plan for his coming of age ball, Nico would be stuck in a life that he didn't even want.

His eyelids eventually fluttered open and he stared up at the pale blue, cloudless sky. It didn't match Will's eyes.

It wasn't until nightfall that he finally got up and went back to the castle. 

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Day 6: Acceptance

The meeting spot near the yew bush was still devoid of any blond hair boys. Nico let out a forlorn sigh, putting his hands in his pockets as he gazed out at the village in the distance. As soon as he had gotten into bed that night, something within him seemed to crack at last. The emptiness inside him suddenly gave way to a torrent of emotion. He cried until his throat was raw and he was too tired to stay awake any longer. When he had woken up that morning, eyes bleary and limbs aching, he had come to a decision.

He had to accept that he would never see Will again.

He didn't think it would be easy, he wasn't that naive, but he knew that he couldn't stay so hung up over a boy that he barely knew. Six months wasn't that much time...was it? No, compared to normal relationships that was relatively short. Although on the other hand, Nico could think of quite a few relationships that had been formed right when the two people involved had only just met. However, none of that was important now.

As Nico looked out at the town, he could help but feel a wave of bittersweet calm wash over him. He did miss Will, dearly, but at least Nico had some memories to hold on to. The ways Will's ears flushed pink when he was flustered, the way his freckles seemed to glow under the light whenever he was excited. Even that cute little gap between his two front teeth had Nico wishing for the boy. But the pain wasn't as bad as it had been yesterday. It might feel like it sometimes, but Nico's life didn't revolve around the other. He was his own person and one day, he probably wouldn't even remember who Will was...okay, maybe not that far but he was getting there.

After some time of just standing there, for old time's sake, Nico found the courage to climb back onto his horse. He'd already made the choice that after today, he wouldn't come back. After today, he would try his best to move on with his life and stop William Solace from being at the forefront of his mind. Yet as he was about to ride off, something stopped him.

He didn't know exactly what it was but something was nagging at him. Maybe he was still slightly curious about where Will went. He bit his lip before making an abrupt decision, guiding Midnight back towards the village and riding off.

There was no harm in only checking up on Will. Just to be sure.

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Needless to say, Nico was rather shocked when he arrived. He had left Midnight at the edge of the forest and had paid one of the royal guards roaming nearby to give Nico his uniform so that he would be able to wander through the streets without being recognized, however unlikely it may be. After all, the royal family had rarely made an appearance after Bianca's death.

That being said, Nico had known that his father had been slacking with the maintenance of the kingdom, on top of all the other political that needed to be addressed, but he hadn't thought that the conditions outside the castle had gotten this bad. The people were filthy, spilling out from homes and making the streets more crowded that the Underworld would've been after the Second Great Giant War. Fights were breaking out over things such as a few bruised apples. There were groups of beggars at every corner. It took everything Nico had to not reveal himself and start giving away his valuables. As much as the idea disgusted him, Nico really had to have a talk with his father.

For now he had to remain focused on his task. He needed to find Will, make sure that he was safe and then get out before his identity was discovered. In all honesty, he had no idea how he'd find him in the huge swarm of people, but he'd figure out a way.

About an hour into his search, just when he was about to get desperate and start asking around, a girl caught his attention. Or rather she demanded it. She had ebony black hair that set her apart from the crowd and dark green eyes that held far more intelligence than a normal human's. It made Nico feel rather uneasy.

She didn't stay for long and she didn't talk to Nico. What she did do, was glare at him with such an intensity that he wondered if she recognized him as the Prince and was going to attack him for his lack of action towards the village. Nico backed up a couple steps since he preferred to be alive but she didn't do anything to harm him. Instead, she shoved a paper at his chest, not even waiting for a reply from him before she stormed off to the next guard she saw. Nico was staring at the back of her head in surprise when someone suddenly barreled into him, gripping him tightly by the shoulders. His head was jerked to the side, forcing him to look at a boy with fiery red hair and elvish features, a wild look in his hazel eyes. 

"If you see anything, you let us know, got it?" He said sternly before running off after the girl without even letting Nico answer. Nico continued to watch them speechlessly until they disappeared into the crowd, belatedly looking down at the paper in his hands.

It was a missing person's poster.

With Will's face on it.

Nico's heart jumped into his throat at the sickeningly familiar face and he hurriedly looked at the date of disappearance, expecting to see one that matched the date from around 6 days ago, when Will stopped meeting him. The date he saw instead knocked the air out of his lungs.

Will had disappeared closer to a few months ago.

Six months to be exact.

Right around the time they first met.