When William awoke the following morning, he was unaware of what time it was. All thoughts were overcome with the heaviness of his heart. He was lying in a bed, that he knew, and people were murmuring in the corner of the room. Time was irrelevant, anyway. He turned over on his side to block out the noise of the people. Why couldn't they leave him alone? A hand touched his shoulder gently and he turned to face it.

"Will." Roland looked him in the eyes, grief masking his friendly features as he sat down next to William on the bed. "I-" Roland steadied his voice before going on. He was a sensitive man and had been distraught when he found out the news. "I. don't know what to say."

William gave him a quick nod out of understanding, and then laid his head back on the pillow. Even Roland could give him no comfort. A woman's voice spoke quietly from the other side of the room, and Will acknowledged it as Kate's.

"See if you can get him to eat," she whispered. Not quietly enough; William sat up in bed and shook his head, his messy blonde curls falling into his eyes.

"I'm not hungry." He wiped his tired eyes with the back of his hand and then leaned his back against the wall. "I don't think I will ever be hungry again," he added quietly. Roland and Kate frowned at each other.

"What about something to drink? I'll get you water," Kate offered.

"No, get me ale. A lot of it." He pulled his blankets up to his chin. Roland's eyes softened as he realized how much William looked like he did when he had first met him. Afraid, unsure of himself. Heartbroken from the loss of a loved one. Roland's heart ached for his friend, but no words of comfort passed his lips.

William had become distant ever since he had become 'ball and chain William', a title that Geoff and Wat had joked over many brews together. His marriage with Jocelyn made him heir to her fathers land; her father had never had any sons. His marriage with Jocelyn had not brought any children, and there was no one yet to take William's place once he passed on. And looking at him, Roland feared it might be sooner than later.

William looked down at his hands, playing with the frayed blanket. Roland knew that in his eyes, the spark he had seen from before was gone. And not just because of Jocelyn. She had made him give up jousting, which, although had good reasons behind it, was also denying William from the one thing he truly loved more than Jocelyn. All of William's horses had been sold, and he had thrown his beautiful armor into a wardrobe, not wanting to remember how it felt when he was in his glory days. He would soon be running and making decisions for the people that lived on the land; he was not supposed to enter a silly contest, when he might get seriously injured. Too many men had wasted their lives in jousting, becoming paralyzed or dying from the blows. All the same, Roland missed it. As did Wat, and Geoff. Geoff now received pay for his writing, and was making a decent living at it. Wat owned a pub, which was quite busy every day. Roland had become a tailor, and a damn good one. Jocelyn's father had hired him to work on the clothing and linens for the castle, for good pay too. He watched everyday as William and Jocelyn had been together. He had never been sure that she was quite right for him, but now he realized how much William truly loved his wife. Kate came back with William's drink, and Will took it gratefully.

Kate. She was still blacksmithing, but had started making jewelry for both women and men. Roland looked down at his own hands, which revealed a piece of Kate's fine craftsmanship. All of Kate's friends had rings like it, even William and Jocelyn had worn one. Kate had also made William and Jocelyn's wedding rings. They were delicately made, yet sturdy, and had beautiful inscriptions about love and fate. William still wore his wedding ring now, and Jocelyn's had been put on a chain, made also by Kate, which William wore around his neck.

Once Will was done he let the cup drop to the floor, and Kate picked it up quietly.

"Would you like us to leave now?" Kate asked.

William shook his head. "If I'm alone now, who knows what will happen." He said with a hard laugh.

Roland frowned. "Don't joke like that, William. We all care for you very much."

"Sure you do," Will said sarcastically. "My wife was dying, and all Wat did was work in his filthy pub. Geoff wrote epitaphs. You repaired the dresses that she would never wear again. And Kate, you continued to make jewelry for her as though nothing was wrong. I am sick of everyone acting like they all did me a favor when I needed you most!"

"We were always there for you, William Thatcher. You never acknowledged us, but we were there. I would have done anything for you, as would have Kate. We would have done anything for Jocelyn. But there was nothing we could do Will. You kept pushing us away while you fell into solitude. So don't pretend that you didn't notice, because we always noticed you." Roland stood up from the bed. He knew he was making Will more upset, and he was being insensitive, but he had had enough. 'Heir to the throne' was a title, not a personality trait.

William looked at Roland in the eyes. Roland could tell he had hurt his friend very deeply. He had expected William to start yelling, but instead, William looked instantly defeated, and buried his face in his hands, crying unabashedly. Roland immediately put his arm around Will, keeping him sturdy. Kate stood uncomfortably next to the bed, unsure of what to do. She had always known Will to be so strong, and a breakdown like this was making her nervous.

"I know you were there for me," William said between sobs. His voice was muffled on Roland's tear-soaked shirt. "You all were. I was just too blind to see it. Like father, like son."

Kate timidly reached out her hand and rubbed his back gently. He didn't protest, and she relaxed slightly.

"I don't know if I can do this Roland. I'm not supposed to be here." William's voice was less strangled, and he pulled away from Roland, wiping his eyes. "I was never born to be a ruler of people."

"But you changed your stars, William."

"But what if I hadn't? What if everything had turned out differently? What if I had never met." He paused. ".Jocelyn. What if I had continued jousting, and married some other lovely woman, and we lived happily ever after until I broke my back or something tragic like that? How do we know?"

Roland's eyes relaxed. "Would you really want to know what life would have been like without Jocelyn, even if she was only in your life for a few years?"

William didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and rested against his wall.

"I know you were never keen on her Roland."

Roland pulled a face. "What are you talking about?"

"Jocelyn. I know all of you thought she wasn't right for me. That I deserved better, or she deserved better. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter now."

"Will, that's not true, I-"

"Roland. Please, I have to ask." His eyes remained closed but his face looked concentrated. "After all those years. now do you finally think that we had deserved each other?"

Roland looked to Kate for help. She shrugged.

Roland pulled the blankets over William, who seemed very close to sleep now.

"I don't think you could have done any better." Roland said quietly, kissing William on the forehead.

William nodded slightly, and, turning over, went to sleep.