Seeing double suns

Prince and the Pauper AU

Okay so this came about because, well really I have no idea where the heck it came from but it popped into my head and I had to start it. I love the story of the Prince and the Pauper so I hope to have some fun with this. I had head cannoned Will to be basically a clone of Apollo so this seemed like a good idea, cross your fingers. This is likely going to be hugely influenced by the Trials of Apollo so if you liked Austin and Kayla good news! Also I'm planning on making this a Solangelo story too because I love them so much.

Nothing recognized is mine!

Apollo is the prince and though he's always boasted about becoming king and how great he would be, as the time of his ascension draws near he begins to feel as though he is not ready and seeks to escape the weight of the crown he is about to bear.

Will solace is a poor physician living quietly with his brother and sister at the edge of town, many who know him are drawn to his kindness and warm smile, he truly fits his name. Will wishes he could do more for the people around him and wonders what it would be like to have the power to help people.

Their paths cross and take them on an adventure no one saw coming.

…

They say that everyone has a double out there somewhere, a mirror image of themselves, a doppelganger. They also say that if you were to meet your double it was a bad omen that could foretell death. Little did anyone know that seeing double would save the land from treachery and ruin and bring about prosperity when hope was beginning to fade.

…

Chapter 1

"How are we doing today?" Will asked his brother Austin as he returned to their small home where Will tended to the people of the castle town, it wasn't much in these hard times but it put bread on the table.

Austin would perform in the streets in hopes of charity handouts, but few had anything to give these days so he mostly just played in hopes of lifting peoples spirits.

"Not great, though I think the little girl down the road has a future in music, I may have to recruit her after today." Austin laughed as he sat down at the small dining table.

Will smiled at his brother's cheerful attitude, he knew that Austin enjoyed performing for people but he knew that he was still disappointed at not being able to contribute to the household in these trying times.

"Maybe Kayla is having better luck today, she was supposed to join the hunting party to bring back game from the forests, and maybe they can bring back enough that we'll be able to eat some of it after the tax is taken." Will tried his best to sound optimistic but ever since the food tax had been put into place many had been going hungry. If things didn't change soon they would have a famine on their hands and Will knew that he wouldn't be able to help anyone.

"Yeah wouldn't that be nice? So how was your day?" Austin asked as Will sat down at the small table in their kitchen. The house didn't have much, it was two levels with a living area and kitchen on the main level and a sleeping area upstairs, the two boys shared a room while Kayla had her own. The main level had an area where Will tended to his patients and in a corner just past the fireplace was a rickety old bookcase that held volumes of healing books among other things.

Will thought back on his day and was thankful that everything had worked out well. "I helped deliver a baby today."

Austin looked up with interest. "Everything went okay?"

Will nodded; he had been called down a few houses to help with the birth because no midwife had been available. He was glad that the baby was healthy and both mother and child made it through okay but he wasn't in any hurry to see that again. "Yeah, you should have seen how happy the parents were, as a thank you the father game me a new book, it's about self defense and combat skills."

Austin laughed at that, Will was not the type of person to get into a fight and the thought of him learning combat skills was an entertaining one for sure. "Though I doubt you'll ever need to use it, I'm sure you'll be sitting by the fire all night reading it cover to cover won't you?"

Will blushed from his throat to the roots of his shaggy blond hair, even the tips of his ears were red. "I'll have you know I have plenty of strength and could learn how to defend myself or others if need be, it's a useful skill to have. I mean it's not like I'm going to go around picking fights or anything, I believe in doing no harm."

Austin laughed again, Will may be great with medical situations and could easily take care of himself if he had to, but he didn't possess the skills needed to deal with crowds like Austin, or to use weapons like Kayla. He was probably the nicest, most down to earth person you could ever hope to meet, and could calm down a raging bull with his warm smile and gentle touch but Austin could never ever picture Will in a fight.

"Do no harm, maybe you should go teach that to the guards." Austin said but wished he could take it back when he saw the look on Will's face.

"What happened?"

Austin began to wonder if maybe he was wrong about Will never being able to fight because as he came over and saw the bruises that marred Austin's arms from when the guards had 'escorted' him away from the gates, all traces of Will's usual sunny personality were gone and Austin was glad that there were no guards around at that moment because he wouldn't want to be them after seeing that look in Will's eyes.

"What happened?" Will repeated as he examined the bruises more closely, luckily there wasn't much damage done and the discoloration would fade quickly.

"You know, everyone's a critic. I was just playing my music like always when a guard comes over and tells me that I'm in violation of some never before heard of law and a couple of them dragged me away, but then I went to the square and played there and people were happy so it's all good."

Will crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his brother. "What was the law that they said that you were in violation of?" Will had collected different books over the years, including some about laws and governing, though he couldn't imagine who would be throwing away such important things he used the knowledge to his advantage whenever he could.

"Something about not being able to play music on the prince's birthday or something ridiculous like that…" at the mention of birthdays Austin's head shot up and he look at Will. "Oh God! Today's the Prince's birthday! That means it's your birthday! Wow I can't believe I forgot, what with it being a holiday of sorts though with the king being ill and all no one is really feeling the festive mood but how could I go and forget my own brother's birthday!"

Will just shook his head and rolled his eyes, he had long ago stopped seeing the marvel of sharing a birthday with royalty and furthermore he didn't want his brother and sister making a big deal out of it so he had kept quiet about it as it drew closer. Today was the Summer Solstice and because of that the Prince had been dubbed the Sun Prince. Will had never personally seen Prince Apollo but he felt a sort of connection with him, though he'd never admit that to anyone, present company included.

"It's also supposed to be a feast day but we'll be lucky if the hunters come back with enough to provide each house with a decent meal." Will said, he hated the idea of the towns people going hungry all because someone with the power to say so had decided that taking more than half of the food in town was an appropriate thing to do while the king lay on his deathbed.

Before they could say more on the subject the door opened and Kayla walked in, her bow and quiver still slung over her shoulder as she came to sit at the table. She had placed a small sack on it before collapsing into the chair closest to her.

"Long day huh?" Will said as he brought her a cup of water, she thanked him and took a drink before speaking.

"We just managed to get enough, though it's no feast by any means." She gestured towards the sack she had placed on the table. "Hope you're in the mood for rabbit because that's all I could get after everything was said and done."

Will patted her on the shoulder and went to retrieve their catch of the day, as he went to prepare it he could hear Kayla teasing Austin about forgetting Will's birthday again. He smiled to himself and thanked God for his small family, in truth they weren't even related but they had come together and formed a family and they had supported and cared for one another for so long that blood ties didn't matter. Will was the oldest of the three and he saw it as his responsibility to take care of the other two no matter what.

When dinner was ready they sat down together and told each other the highlights of their day and said a prayer for the Prince and for the sick king. No one knew then just how much things were about to change.

Please let me know what you think so far.