prince edward

It was meant to be a simple test drive outside of London. Edward had been training to get his pilot license for the past few weeks. It was something he wanted since he left the academy and had been something he had put off. With the extra time the succession caused, he allowed himself time to do this. The completion of the training had ended a couple of weeks ago and it seemed a good idea to do this for Elise. He had already contacted the ones he needed to in New York for this to happen. First, he wanted to make sure everything would go clean and invited Asher to accompany him. Of course being in a helicopter still meant for him to have security. There were two sitting in the back and cars below following their directions. The first twenty minutes had been easygoing without any problems. There was a small field that Edward landed down on just to reassess. After a few minutes, the engine light seemed to flash which was anything but a minor inconvenience. 

“No service,” Edward said impatiently with tight pressed lips. They were standing outside along with the security. The fuel was indeed inside the helicopter but needed to go through a few steps that Edward had been told would take some time. “The nearest town is only twenty minutes. Could get in a car, find a pub, be there for an hour or two. Might be better than standing out here.”

Rosie undoubtedly felt more comfortable one-on-one with Edward, and she knew it would be something they’d get to do few and far between, now. And she respected that.

“It’s okay, I went home and slept straight after the show, you didn’t miss much. There certainly wasn’t a party or anything.” She rose from her chair, moving instinctively for a more comfortable seat in the living room. The conversation was unlikely to be fun, but having it in such a stale setting as a dining room would be insult for injury. “I do look different! Some Christines have been blonde, and we did try that, but I enjoy the brunette wig; it’s a bit like entirely assuming a new identity each night.”

She dropped into the end of the sofa, “I think it weighs twice what my natural hair does. So I basically have three lots of my own hair on my head. Sometimes it makes my neck hurt if I’m a little head twirl happy during some of the dancing scenes. I’m just grateful you finally made it.” Rosie shook her head when he mentioned issues procuring gin, “I knew it was a longshot. I figured you wouldn’t have any lying around after all this time.”

“But I agree. I’m so sorry about last time.” 

At first, Edward had made an excuse not to attend and after some discussion, he was able to secure a meeting with his father. Al though it had been a front orginially, he and papa had a productive meeting over responsibilities including Elise. 

“You didn’t have a party after?” Edward asked doubtfully. “Not even drinks or anything with anyone? Wes?” It was her opening and he remembered how excited she was over shows and to know there had been idle celebration around it made him feel guilty for missing it. “I think the brunette look is much more classic and you wear it well.”

Edward had an interest in theater and musicals for that matter and it was something he had always had in common with Rosie. But the lingo she used often made him trip over his own thoughts. “I’m glad I did too. It was worth looking forward to. I actually finished off the gin you left all those years ago. It’s not that you have bad taste just different.”

This was what he was planning on talking about and it was inevitable, but he still felt his stomach tighten with nerves. “It’s fine. Everyone had a good time, right? It’s good to talk to you like this though. I was hoping to actually talk about last time...I do want to be friends with you, I should preface that.”

It was nice to have his friends back in one place. Due to their own lives, everyone being so spread out made it difficult to see everyone. There were a few days he had before he went to Spain but he was happy to enjoy his time with Jordan and Asher. With Asher out for the day, he was fortunate to have time alone with Jordan. He couldn’t remember the last time he was alone with Jordan but the afternoon was ahead of them. The gardens were something that Edward admired and one of the highlights at the palace. There were a few people out, but the palace was closed for tours at the time. It was often strange that he lived in a place that tours happened and strangers roamed the palace, but he looked forward to when the tours were done for the day where he could go outside. The gardens and going on long walks around the palace were peaceful and now with Jordan, he was happy to show his friend the wonders he also appreciated. “You ought to come here during autumn if your schedule allows,” Edward suggested idly, glancing around with his hands pocketed. “Or are you too big now to come upon request?”

Amidst all the rehearsals and final costume and wig fittings, Rosie hadn’t had the chance to be troubled by Eddie’s lack of communication. She had things to deal with, and perfect, and so she hadn’t really noticed his absence at Her Majesty’s Theatre until it was staring her right in the face.

But it was okay, they were friends, and sometimes friends missed their friend’s important milestones. No biggie.

She felt slightly out-of-place in the palace she’d half lived in at one point; like she’d never properly fit there again. Which was probably for the best, as life moves on.

“Thank you for having me. I’m really glad you could make it to Phantom.” She smiled and carefully dabbed at the edge of her mouth with a napkin, “a drink would be lovely, thank you. I don’t know if you have any rhubarb gin lying around?”

Even when there was communication between him and Rosie, it felt like there was something unsaid about boundaries before. He didn’t care about Wesley before as long as Rosie was happy being friends with him. Now, they were both in serious relationships and a lot had changed in the last few months. 

The last time they were together, it had been a tense group. It was also because of the conversation preceding the night, or the lack thereof. 

Even with it being the same place, the subtraction of two other people made it more intimate and more appropriate for the conversation they were going to have. 

“I am sorry I missed your opening night. I must say you look different as a brunette. How heavy is that thing?” Edward prepared the drinks, throwing a grin over his shoulder. “I can have someone bring that out. Don’t really have gin laying around and not for a while.” He poured himself a drink and told a staff member to get a drink for Rosie. “I am glad we were able to do this and just us this time.”

It had been a couple of weeks since he had last talked to Rosie or heard from her. Edward was still adamant about having a conversation with her about their friendship and how to make it work according to their present as well as their past. Going to her show had been something he wanted to do but after organizing his own schedule to not attend the opening, he thought it would be a better option. He didn’t want to add stress by having a conversation before her rehearsals and opening night, but had still tried to be supporting from afar. The show had been lovely and he had enjoyed it, thinking she only had perfected her performance since the last time he saw her perform. Having the conversation was vital at this point and was glad that Rosie and him would have the chance.

It wasn’t unusual to have takeout at the dinner table, but the room felt rather large with just them in it. They had been able to make conversation through dinner and when he got up for drinks, he felt the reason for them being together today be pulled into focus. It had been a while since he had been alone with Rosie like this, the last time being him going to her place after the Thailand incident. “I am grateful we were able to meet again. Would you like something to drink?”

Asher had been glad to arrive back in England, but couldn’t stop thinking about Deniz. It had taken years, hundreds of songs and many, many different woman to get her off of his mind and now he was right back at the start again. He had messed up their relationship, did he even deserve a second chance? He might ruin it again. He knew that there was only one person he wanted to talk to and that was Eddie, he’d know the other for ages, he trusted him, he was his best friend, he had few of those.

It was a relief when he walked into the pub, pulling off his sunglasses and hat that he’d been using to disguise himself, he wasn’t keen on talking to fans today. He quickly spotted Eddie, a grin widening on his lips, patting the other on the back as they hugged. “I’ve honestly got no idea either mate,” he laughed, leaning against the counter too. “All I know is that we had fun, it felt easy, like… nothing had changed,” but everything had of course. “It was amazing as usual- busy as usual, but yeah, it’s nice to be back in London. I miss it every time I go away. How about you? How’s Elise?”

After the week that Edward had with Elise, it only left him craving her presence after she left. Usually when they had been together before, she would leave and he would resume with whatever he had been doing before as he assumed she did as well. Now, they were different and what they had was different which was obvious as much. It wasn’t something he could properly acknowledge until she was gone, every moment they shared seeming like it hadn’t been enough. Already he was thinking about next time when they were together. In the meantime, he would relax with his family and see Asher. 

There was also the case of Rosie and the night that had reduced Edward to being speechless which was close to impossible. This was all things he would bring up to Asher. It wasn’t something new that he went to the pubs across the street from the palace occassionally and the only reason he didn’t do it often was because of the conspicuous shadows following his lead. “Sounds like just answered my question. Cheers, to the taken man to my left then,” Edward said brightly, taking the tray of shots he had ordered and placing it between them. “You miss London? I doubt that’s been said before. Elise and I are...great, actually. I miss her already. We’ve had a long week together.”

1. Ambrosia Fitzalan-Howard: What is your muse’s society code name, and how did they pick it?

exilir is a vodka brand as well as a term used in merlin/king arthur tales. edward picked it more because of the vodka reference. probably had a bottle next to his bed when he got the message about needing a nickname and it was the first thing close to him. 

27. Maverick Hearst: What is your muse’s favourite piece of clothing/accessory?

he has a watch that his father gave him that he usually wears. other than that, he’s not attached to any clothing specifically but to be fair the clothing isn’t really attached to him 100% of the time. 

37. Theodore Blair: What is your muse’s favourite food/meal?

who steals french fries off the other’s plate

both. any food is free game that is the rule.

who jokingly moves in for the kiss when someone asks if they’re a couple

depends who asks. i could see it happening or either being disgusted by the notion

who has to bust or bail the other out of jail

they take turns at this point. neither would be arrested but calling the other one when in trouble.

who gives the other advice/comfort about dating issues

edward shouldn’t be trusted with giving advise. rory is not too far off where he is.

who shamelessly cheats at games by reaching over to cover the other’s eyes

both-can get violent. best not to play a game between them.

who immediately calls dibs on the top bunkr?

probably they look at each other for a moment and both race to it. whoever gets there first wins.

who starts and who wins the pillow fights

if it starts, it’s hard to say that there is an actual end.

who says “your pants would look better on their floor” to the other’s potential crush

33. Reign Hearst: Who was your muse’s first or current celebrity crush?

well, elise morgan is okay. other than that, he watched mamma mia recently and did enjoy lily james. before everything though, he does have a widespread list of crushes from ellie goulding to jennier lawrence to shakira and adrianna lima

30. Orion Van Renesslaer: Does your muse have tattoos? What do they have? Or what would they get if they were to?

answered!

8. Deniz Demir: Share a picture of your muse’s last holiday.

8. Deniz Demir: Share a picture of your muse’s last holiday.

the last holiday he went on was to kenya with elise for his birthday and took a picture on saturday :) x 

24.  Lorelei Vanderbilt: What is your muse’s coffee order?

31. Poppy Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: What is your muse’s middle name? What does it mean? Why did they get given it?

edward’s middle name is william. it’s a family name passed down just like edward. the name william means of desire or meaning.

30. Orion Van Renesslaer: Does your muse have tattoos? What do they have? Or what would they get if they were to?

it is a surprise that edward hasn’t had a tattoo yet. he probably would get one in a drunk situation and wake up not knowing where it was or what it was of. if he did a tattoo while intoxicated it would probably be himself or initials of whoever he’s seeing at the time. if it’s done while not intoxicated it would probably be something minimal like roman numerals, a quote, or an arrow

10.  Elise Morgan: Where are your muse’s favourite places to holiday?

It had been a busy week and when Elise left, Edward felt like he was falling back into what his life was like before which seemed lackluster in comparison. On Monday, he was planning on returning to Edinburgh to see his parents before their holiday was over. They only got a month of the whole entire year and he wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Edward wanted to see Asher as well as it had been a few weeks since they saw each other. Asher had been one of his few genuine friends from university and had kept in contact through all these years. With that, it was in his right to tell him everything about Elise as well as his night before with Rosie and Wes. 

There were many places right outside the palace across the street, making it accessible for him to walk there with a few guards trailing him. He was irritated that there were measures in place, going inside the tavern only for one guard to follow him and sit somewhere else to be discrete. He knew the other guards would be outside as was usual. When he saw his friend, he didn’t waste time in embracing him. “You’ve returned to me as a...single man? Taken man? I can’t keep up with your bipolar texts.” Edward leaned on the counter to order his own drinks, ignoring the looks he received. “So, how was New York?”

their time in scotland had been nice, poppy enjoying the last vestiges of her family vacation before her life would forever change. in a way, it already had, but she’d be out of the public eye until september, which allowed her time to come to terms with everything personally, especially her relationship with eddie. it was nice to spend time with him while the two of them got along and she knew that her parents had also enjoyed the idyllic time together. now, however, poppy was ready to spend time with her boyfriend, and was looking forward to returning to london more than she might have been at a different time. “indeed; we’re nearly halfway to home by now.”

her brow lifted. “yes, well, clearly I don’t take the same view on vacation as you do. i wouldn’t want to get into bad sleeping habits.” her voice was prim, though she tempered the tone with a smile that was genuine, albeit small. “why would i ever organize an egg hunt of all things for you?” she inquired, her expression much more bewildered than it was only moments before. “i’ve booked you a trip to africa,” she said. “for a week. i thought it might be nice for you to get away for a time after this.”

After the summer they already had, it was nice to slow everything down and go to Scotland with his family. It was rare they had a day together with all four of them and now it had been almost a week. He was going to be back at the end of August with Elise’s visit taking up the next two weeks. It was something he was looking forward to. Besides the losing at a few games, being sick for a day or two, and the dull weather, he had enjoyed himself. He always preferred quality time with his family and had been able to talk to his mother which had been a while since they last talked. The night before, he wasn’t expecting to stay up chatting to Elise but he had to the point he had fallen asleep with her. It was something that hadn’t happened since her days in rehab where he accidentally fell asleep during her phone hours. 

“You’re allowed to stay up until three in the morning. Why am I the only one having the fun?” Edward countered, still tired as he stretched away from the window. He felt more relaxed and alert now with more sleep, running a hand through his mussed curls. When Poppy told him about the gift, becoming more attentive. “Oh, that’s-that’s so nice, thank you,” Edward replied genuinely, a smile forming on his lips. “...Is it just for me? I only mean, perhaps I could invite Elise...with me?”

elise had always been an affectionate girl; she’d gotten in trouble in preschool for climbing to her brother’s cot for naptime, and as a child, tears were best soothed by a hug from her mother. it was for that reason, she told herself, that she let her hands interlace with his as she pulled away, letting her weight pull her away slightly before she tugged herself closer again, stupid grin still stubbornly on her face. because that’s how she was. no other reason. 

“i mean, i was promised horses, but honestly i’m just happy to be in the same continent.” timezones had been less than ideal, though to be fair, eddie had gotten the brunt of that sacrifice. “scaring off the guards isn’t an activity, that’s just a side effect of my personality,” elise shot one of the surly men an exaggerated wink, giggling at the complete lack of a response. 

The days leading up to Elise’s visit, he had expected to be naturally excited but standing there with her he felt instantly connected. There wasn’t anymore conversations over the phone and instead they were talking directly which seemed surreal over the last month. He thought of his conversation with Poppy on the drive back from Scotland, thinking it aloud what he thought about Elise. He knew they had plans laid out for them this week and next week, but he knew that he would need to ask her about Africa later that day. 

A slow grin appeared on his face both in response to the comment about the horses and agreement about being this close. He didn’t ignore how close they were standing, his hand near hers. “I did let someone know to prepare the horses earlier as I had a feeling you would be here only for castles and horses. Of course. Though your personality has other side effects.” He glanced again at the guards standing ground behind them before moving, gesturing for Elise to follow. “I don’t think in your times at the palace you’ve even been out to the stables. Perhaps I’ll need to give a better tour of the grounds later.”