"What the fuck are you doing?" a voice demanded, causing Will's heart to jump in his chest. His eyes opened and he shot up in his bed, a hand covering his eyes from the brightness of the sun. "You are fortunate that I found you before Alana or your father did!"

Will rubbed at his eyes, something beside him shifting. The words were difficult to string together, but when he finally opened his eyes, he found Beverly standing at the edge of the bed with an annoyed expression on her face.

"I've never seen you act so careless," she scolded harshly, fire in her eyes. "What if your father discovered you were sleeping around with men? Your head would be on a silver platter!"

Will sighed and looked around the room, taking in where he was, which was very much not in his own bed. "Will you two please get dressed? Will, you're needed in the grand hall immediately."

"I'll make sure he is there promptly," a lazy voice beside Will assured. Will glanced down to find Hannibal lying on his stomach, hiding his face into his pillow, obviously still adjusting to the rude awakening just as Will was. Will couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his lips as he looked over the man, wanting nothing more than to just lay back down with him for the rest of the day.

"And as for you," Beverly hissed, snatching up a pillow from the bed and throwing it at Hannibal who groaned and slowly pushed himself onto his forearms to look at his attacker. His hair sat messily, and Will hid back a chuckle. "We are in a very fragile situation at the moment, and you are not doing anything to benefit the situation! The way you two keep running around this castle like you're in a sonnet is going to get you in trouble."

"Fragile situation?" Will asked. "What fragile situation?"

"King Verger and his children are waiting in the grand hall."

Will's eyes widened as he took in the information. "Why the hell does no one tell me anything until it is upon me?"

"If you were in a fit state yesterday you would have known," Beverly shot back, all anger. "Now, for the love of all that is holy, please put some clothes on. Both of you! My imagination was more than enough."

Will got to his feet, finding his long-discarded trousers, and pulling them on. He searched for his shirt in the mess. "What are they doing here?"

"There's been some dispute over borders. Our navies have been found traversing the German Sea. Honestly William. It has been the only thing your father has been discussing at length during meals. Have you not been paying attention to-"

"I only listen to my father, when necessary," Will grumbled as he pulled his shirt over his head. "And I have been rather distracted as of late."

Beverly hummed, folding her arms over her chest and Will didn't miss the pointed look she shot Hannibal who was still lazing in bed, but watching with interest on his features. "I seem to be able to locate said distraction rather easily," she hissed, only causing Hannibal to grin slightly.

"Are you jealous?" he teased, but Will could see the way it bristled Beverly.

"If I've been the only one to notice, I will be thoroughly surprised. It's been less than a week and-"

"We'll be less conspicuous," Hannibal assured, all seriousness in his tone as if he finally were grasping the significance that Beverly was putting on the issue. "You're very correct. I am assuming that I am wanted there as well."

"Yes." Beverly's tone was tight. "But it would be best if people didn't know about your rendezvous, so I would suggest joining them shortly. Will, please."

Will rushed over to the bed and gave Hannibal a kiss before Beverly snatched up his arm. He was dragged from the room and did his best to begin untangling his curls with his fingers as they rushed through the castle.

"Beverly, I-"

"Do not start with me William Graham," Beverly warned. "You have been keeping secrets from me and lying to me."

"I promise we can talk tonight. After dinner, just you and me."

"I have half a mind never to speak to you again after this. You do not seem to understand the profound risk you are putting not only yourself and that man in, but me as well. What do you think your father will do to me if he finds out that I am aiding you in your secrecy?"

Will licked his lips that had gone dry, trying to think of what exactly to say in response but he didn't have anything to say. There was nothing to excuse him and he honestly just wanted to heal whatever hurt he had caused between them.

"Until you figure that out," she continued, stopping when they reached the end of the hallways just before the stairs. "I will only be assisting you as your mother instructed. No more, no less."

"Beverly, that-"

"I will see you at dinner to make sure you are properly informed of your schedule tomorrow. Until then, please do try to behave." Will opened his mouth but a curt bow from the woman silenced him. "Your Highness," she excused, turning back up the hallway and walking away.

Will stared after her until she was gone and sighed, a hand going to his head. It wasn't until there was a loud laugh that sounded more like a honking coming from the bottom of the stairs that Will remembered exactly what he was meant to be doing.

He rounded the corner and took to the stairs to find older versions of three people he had only met once before, and not by name, only my reputation. They had been at the funeral for Hannibal's parents but not for his mother. He hadn't thought much of it when he was a child, but something in it struck him as strange. Why had they come for the count's family and not for the queen?

Molson Verger wasn't present, or he had already gone off with Will's father, but there were still three others waiting for him. The tall and elegant looking blond woman no longer shrouded in a black veil. She looked as tailored as Mason and Margot did. She held himself with an almost arrogant type of air, facial features sharp and angular. Her hand was clasped on a wild looking Mason's shoulder, though he was taller than her now.

His hair had turned a touch darker with age, but it still stood on end like he had been smote by God and lived just to defy him. His eyes, hidden behind glasses, were a crazed blue that immediately put Will on his guard. The chain of the woman's grip wouldn't be enough to hold him back if Mason decided he wanted to be released from whatever cage and key he was currently being kept under.

Beside him, though as far away from him as was appropriately possible, was Margot. Her hair was brown and pin straight down her back. She looked small next to her brother, not in stature but in presence. Overshadowed. When Will reached the foot of the stairs her eyes flickered up to meet him for merely a moment before they shyly turned downwards again, but Will didn't need more than that to see the wounds that lay there.

There were silent screams there, pleas for help. Years of torment going unheard or unseen or completely ignored. She feared something or, Will was certain that in this case, someone. The brother who stood beside her at the end of his fraying tether waiting for it to finally snap so he could attack.

"Good morning," Will greeted, plastering a fake smile to his lips. He stretched out his hand and it was immediately grabbed by Mason, the grip painfully tight as it was shaken. Will had to pull his hand free swiftly, worried that his arm might be injured with the strength that was in the grip.

"Good morning!" The heavily accented words were loud and echoed about and Will did his best to match the twisting smile across Mason's face.

"Good morning," Margot murmured, when Will turned to her. He took her outstretched hand in his and brought it to his mouth, giving it a hardly there kiss.

"Your Highness," the woman said coolly with the slightest of bows. Everything polite, nothing pushing further than that. "King Molson and King Sandford have already begun their conference.

"We were told that we were going to be shown the grounds," Mason cut in swiftly, taking a step closer to Will who did his best to stand his ground. "And I would very much enjoy getting to know you a bit better. It's so silly how we've known of each other all our lives and never been properly introduced."

"It is," Will agreed halfheartedly before once more turning his attention to Margot who he still held the hand of. "Would a walk please you? I can have lunch prepared for us. We could eat under the pear tree."

"That sounds lovely, Sir," Margot's airy, monotone voice answered, sounding as if she could be hit if she spoke any louder than just above a whisper.

"You can call me Will."

"Margot."

"And I'm Mason and this is Bedelia," Mason cut in, physically shoving himself between the prince and princess so that their hands broke apart. "And I would love bread and jam for lunch."

"You Highness," the woman scolded lightly. "What have we talked about waiting your turn to be spoken to?"

Will blinked at the strangeness of the words being said as if Mason were a child being reprimanded by a mother. He had never heard someone older than five or six being told to behave in such a way, but Bedelia had mastered the tone of voice or held some semblance of restraint on Mason because Mason stepped away from Will just enough to allow him to breathe once more.

Will motioned to a staff member who was passing, and they stopped with a bow. "Your Highness?"

"Could you ask the kitchen to prepare lunch and bring it to the peak tree when it is ready?" Will questioned, looking over Mason carefully. There was something in the way that he was frowning unhappily that told Will that if wanted things to continue running smoothly while the neighboring kingdom was visiting then he had to play along with Mason's requests. Will doubted the slightly older man was ever denied anything. "And would you please request that they bring fresh bread and jam? Perhaps some butter and cheese."

"Of course, Your Highness," they replied with a nod. "Anything else?" Will shook his head in answer and the servant bowed before heading off towards the kitchen.

"Shall I show you the grounds?" Will asked, holding his arm out towards Margot who hesitantly took it in her grasp, trading a look with her brother, asking permission. "I think you will enjoy the flowers that are blooming in the garden at the moment."

"I would enjoy that." The words were stiff as if rehearsed, but Will dismissed them.

"I hope a walk through the gardens is satisfactory, Mason," Will offered out, though he didn't truly care if Mason found the outing agreeable or not. Will's job this morning was simply to distract and entertain while his father handled the business. While Hannibal, who was making his way down the stairs hurriedly, looking decently put together for the swiftness of the morning, handled the same business. Business that Will was not permitted to attend by Hannibal's pitying look before he dashed down another side corridor.

"Who was that?" Mason questioned, something predatory in his tone. It set Will's hair standing on end. "You were staring."

"That is one of my father's commanders," Will answered with a tight-lipped smile. "Should we?" He motioned towards the exit of the castle and Mason seemed satisfied enough with the answer to nod. He clasped his hands behind his back and went for the door, Bedelia falling in step behind him. Will glanced down at the woman who was still on his arm who was looking after her brother with a depressed sigh. "Are you well?"

She didn't look at Will, just tugged him lightly along after her brother. "Oh, yes," she assured in that same airy voice void of any emotion. "I must apologize for his behavior before the day goes any further. Being in new places..." She tipped her head side to side as she decided how to place the rest of her words. "Excites him in unseemly ways."

"You do not need to apologize on his behalf," Will assured as they stepped out into the sunlight. "I am sure the time will pass pleasantly enough."

"All the same."

They fell into a silence that was neither unwelcome nor completely comfortable. There was just nothing more to say, which suited Will just fine. It allowed his mind to wander while taking in the beauty of the gardens that he did not pay enough attention to. Not since his mother had passed. She had loved to read by her tree and Will had found it difficult to find his own excuses to visit his mother's pride and joy. He often leaned on others to be able to see it. He wasn't fit enough to just sit beneath it and others helped him be strong enough to face it.

When they eventually reached the ends of the gardens, Mason and Bedelia were already waiting by the bass of the pear tree that was bearing lovely green fruit. Will winced as one of the pears was wrangled unkindly from a branch by Mason. He wiped it on his shirt and bit into it with an obscene hum and Will bit back his frown.

"My mother planted this tree before I was born," Will explained to Margot who looked quietly humiliated by her brother's actions. "We would pick the fruit in the summer and bake with them. Pies and tarts."

"That sounds wonderful. I never knew my mother. She passed away very soon after I was born."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"And you for yours." Margot turned to face Will directly and gave the barest of smiles. "Thank you for being so kind. I've only ever heard vicious rumors about how cruel His Majesty is. I was- well- I-"

"Thought I would be the same." Will nodded with a grin tugging at his face. "There's no need to be so meticulous with your words. I take no offense to them." Margot let out a small breath, though there didn't seem to be any relief added to her person. "Should we eat?" Will motioned to where staff were busy setting up the called for meal beneath the shade of the tree.

"Thank you, Will."

Margot pulled herself from his grip and stepped towards the tree and Will rubbed tiredly at the back of his neck. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep the formalities up. He only ever carried them when he spoke to his father out of sheer obligation and with Bella because Will did respect the woman quite a bit. But he found that his time spent with Beverly, James, Brian, and Hannibal had made him ache for the ease of simplicity.

Will made himself busy with helping Margot to sit on the ground before carefully placing himself between her and Mason, who was already helping himself to the bread and preservatives without a care in the world. And Will didn't care how rude Mason was as long as he stayed in his own little world and left Margot alone for the barest of moments. It didn't last long though.

"Sister darling," Mason called, and Margot paled at the words. "What do you think about the grounds here compared to home? They are quite deplorable, wouldn't you say?" Will wasn't sure if the words were said to purposely get under his skin, but he wouldn't allow them to.

"You do have an unparalleled understanding of being deplorable, don't you Mason?" Margot shot back, though her voice stayed its same low volume.

There was bright laughter and a wolfish grin from Mason. He adjusted his glasses just so and Will hated the gleam he found in those eyes. "Your mouth gets rough when you're scared Margot." Mason rubbed his own mouth at the words and when Margot ducked her head Will did his best not to take anything more than the surface meaning of the words. "Tough as a livery pony who is resentful of the bit."

"Will, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?" The change in subject was happily accepted by Will who gave a smile to Margot.

"I like to read or ride. I don't go out as often anymore though. I've taken on a few more responsibilities since my mother passed."

"He takes after you, doesn't he, Margot? I never find my sister anywhere unless it is in the stables or with a book in her hand."

"It is my only chance to escape," Margot explained in a low voice and Will understood the sentiment only a little too well. "What do you like to read?"

"Why must your nose always be between the pages of a book?" Mason asked and Will gasped with a grimace as the elder's hand took Will's chin and pulled Will's face up to look at those crazed blue eyes. "There must be something much more interesting than words from people who are no longer relevant."

Will found himself struggling to do anything, much less speak. Being touched was the absolute last thing he had pictured Mason doing and the unpleasantness sent a chill through Will. He was strong, much stronger than Will was. It was very much the same raw strength that Hannibal possessed but there was no restraint to Mason's. In fact, it was beginning to hurt.

"And what entertainment do you purpose, Mason?" Will asked, reaching up to carefully unlatch Mason's sharp hold on him. "I suppose that the fountain at the center of the maze would be far too exciting for you." He just needed to distract, entertain. That's what he was good for. Until that meeting was over and he was freed from this torment.

That must have piqued Mason's interest because his brows rose from behind the metal frames of his glasses. "Shall we go now?" Mason rose to his feet immediately without waiting for an answer. "Bedelia, would you be kind enough to stay with Margot while William and I traverse the maze?" Will wished he understood the woman's purpose of being there at all when she nodded in acceptance of the acquisition. "Then come along, Will."

Mason stepped away from the hardly touched food and Will let out a deep breath. He was about to get to his feet, but stopped when a hand took his arm. He looked back at Margot whose eyes held distress in them.

"If he offers you chocolate, say no," she instructed in a whisper. Will could feel his brows furrow but before he could ask for clarification, Mason's voice called impatiently for him.

"William! It is rude to keep me waiting."

Will was released from Margot's grip, and he got to his feet, leaving the two women beneath the pear tree. He found Mason standing tall with his hands behind his back, waiting for him. Will simply pointed in the direction they needed to go, and Mason's pace was brisk, causing Will to walk a bit faster than normal to keep up.

Will wasn't certain he had ever tried chocolate before. He knew that it was a new sweet from the Americas that Spain had been clamoring over, but with the recent war, Will doubted he would be allowed the chance to try such a thing any time in the near future. Perhaps he had never realized how good of a relationship Germany and Spain held, but he honestly wasn't too curious to find out.

"Will?" Mason said, smiling large with his head tipped to the side. Will was nearly certain he could see sharp teeth hidden in that mouth and his body went cold as he tried not to read what was clearly written across the boy's forehead.

I like to play with things like you. Be good and let me play with you.

"Yes?" Will questioned, guiding Mason through more rows of trees and to the mistake he was sure was coming. He could have suggested the stables or the garrison. Maybe some of the soldiers could have entertained Mason better than Will could.

"I was being ever so serious about the lack of quality of your gardens." Will bit at his bottom lip, not enjoying the sing-song voice that Mason continued to speak in, something childish in the way the words swung as they were said. "If you ever happen to find yourself near my home, I would love to give you a tour of the place. I'm sure you would be more than happy to join me, wouldn't you, Will?"

Will blanched at the idea of truly being alone with Mason as they finally stepped foot into the maze of hedges that were taller than them. Mason's very presence was enough to make the hair on the back of Will's neck stand on end. But he gave a small and polite nod.

"Of course. Would your physician be joining us?"

"Bedelia?" Mason chuckled and shook his head. "She is not my physician. She is simply a royal courtier that my father has instructed to help supervise Margot."

"Of course," Will muttered, finding it hard to fully believe that to be the truth when she had only done the barest minimum in reigning in the crowned prince. "I look forward to the day."

Mason reached into this pocket and Will watched as Mason pulled out a paper package. He opened it and Will stared at a few squares of rich dark-looking blocks and his heart sank. Will glanced around the walls of leaves wishing he knew which one to run through to escape. Will had no reason to not trust Margot and with everything that he had seen of Mason so far, Will didn't want to be any closer to the man than he already was.

"Chocolate, Will?" Mason asked, holding out the opened paper.