louisa attempted to fan the other with her hand, hoping that some air to the face might revive him. wordlessly, she picked out bits of twigs and leaves sticking to his clothing. "yes, your highness. very bright today and warm. i shall fetch you some refreshment." she waves at another maid to do so. "would you like to retreat back inside?"

he watched her attempt to neaten his clothes in a half-dazed silence, administering several long blinks in an attempt to speed up the process of gathering himself. "that won't be necessary," clearing his throat, the smile returned in a flicker, though notably brighter than the first attempt and he sat up properly. "no, no, absolutely not," waved a hand. "if i have to spend any more time indoors i fear my senses will take their leave altogether," gideon regarded her a moment, "it is miss... gilbert, yes?" without waiting for an answer, he shifted away a little and rose to only slightly unsteadily legs.

atticus uttered a short but genuine laugh, one that only the prince was ever privy to. leave it to gideon to thank someone for caring for their own needs. sure, he had meant what he said about not liking the hovering, but atticus knew there was genuine kindness in all of the younger man's actions. "the grass does often seem to be greener on the other side of the pasture," he murmured. "a shopkeeper likely dreams of being royalty, wholly unaware of the complications you face on a daily basis. perhaps the world would be a better place if we were to accept that all of our roles are - as you so aptly put it - interesting." he uttered a contemplative hum. "perhaps you would surprise yourself. is freedom not meant to be the default state of humanity?" he looked at his friend keenly across the table. "i recognize what a weighty question this is, but - what, if anything, do you think would make you truly happy in your current role?"

"i would make a terrible shopkeeper," laughter bubbled freely forth, settling into a momentary snicker before dissipating entirely. it was not his key takeaway from atticus' astute commentary, but the momentary focus offered him an opportunity to pause for breathing space that he was keen to take. with remarkable ease, gideon could let himself spiral into the depths of despair over his position -- and then he was even less use to anyone. a decidedly fond roll of his eyes and he nodded a silent concession to the other's point. "but then what would i spend my days agonising over?" though he was sure he'd find something else speedily enough. a sigh. "but you are right. there are advantages and downfalls to all things." some were simply harder to shoulder than others. leaning forward, the prince folded his arms upon the table and positioned his chin atop an arm. "if it is then we have failed miserably in the pursuit of it." brows raised then knitted together, icy blue gaze dropping to trace the grain of the wood. after a long stretch of silence, he shook his head. "i cannot think of anything that would."

eleanor brightened immediately as gideon joined her in the miraculously empty antechamber. "gideon," she reciprocated, weaving her fingers through his; she could no longer refer to him as your highness, not once she had learned how sweet his name and lips tasted. and perhaps it was selfish, but there were times she preferred not to think of his lofty title - and certainly not how it would necessitate him marrying someone equally illustrious. "i cannot rightly say, the whole thing was a whirlwind; i was so excited i could not concentrate on my book at all. oh, i missed you," she breathed, slipping her free arm around his waist. "i do hope this has come as a pleasant surprise...?"

a sweet hum emitted from pursed lips, a gentle squeeze administered to the hand locked in his own. "eleanor," he corrected himself, basking in the simple joy of using her name and hearing his own in such a tone. of course she had spent the journey reading -- or trying to, if her recollection was anything to go by. initiating a gentle swing of their arms, he turned to press a shoulder against the wall and lean forward, head tilted down. "i missed you too," confessed softly, smile blossoming as she slipped her arm around him. "do not think i am exaggerating when i say this is the best thing to happen all year." possibly in his entire life, even. reaching up, he brushed a finger, touch feather-light, over her cheek. "i am so very glad to see you."

muse: louisa gilbert (noble or maid, depending on thread just lmk)

@vellichorbound

the usual pit of dread that settled deep in his stomach every significant day at court had lost some of its characteristic potency. it was nervousness and excitement that had his heart skipping beats, not just fear. he'd taken a cursory leaf through the lists of attendees, been scolded for pulling faces at particular names so publicly then had the marked change in his demeanour at a different set of names commented on. gideon didn't hear a single thing anyone said after that. he watched attentively for the familiar face in the crowds, inadvertently holding his breath as he finally caught sight of her and watched with a barely-restrained smile as she presented herself. naturally, the first opportunity to exit was taken and not half as subtly as he had intended it to be -- because nothing else mattered. following her through the door, he bit back a grin and reached instinctively to take her hand. "my lady," the smile blossomed and died out, lips twisting shyly. "i trust your journey here was not too arduous?"

"indeed," atticus affirmed, more to himself than to his companion. his expression was carefully neutral as the prince procured a chair for him, but despite himself a small smile twitched his lips at the endearingly boyish way he'd done it. "of course, your highness," he said, the fondness in his voice mild but unmistakable. he seated himself, his posture a fraction less ramrod straight than usual in a sign of his comfort with the younger man. breathing out another imperceptible sigh, atticus directed his words to the table between them. "that is the irony of being the eldest, is it not? we are fortunate enough to receive every blessing under the son, save for the ability to control our own fate. some might argue that one's freedom is preferable to an inheritance, would they not?" another irony was not lost on atticus, that his own inheritance was a dearth and that gideon's was so weighty it seemed likely to crush the young man. what might life have looked like for them, had their respective fathers not doomed them both?

he did not operate under the pretence that he was any more suited to toiling in the fields than to war or other such princely duties, but if he was to have been given the choice, gideon doubted very much he would ever pick the latter for himself. blinking himself free of the enticing thoughts of an alternative fate, he shot atticus an appreciative smile. "thank you," he nodded. "one of many, i am sure," a humourless laugh. "presumably those among us that find themselves burdened with an inheritance. on the other hand, many of those without one would soon give up their freedoms in exchange." probably, both parties were equally as foolish for wanting what the other had. "i do not think i would know what to do with freedom, were it ever granted to me." tipping his head to rest against the high back of the chair, he closed his eyes and emitted a thoughtful hum. "perhaps it is for the best it never will be, really."

atticus kept his gaze ahead this time, frame rising and gently falling again in a silent sigh. he was not as verbose as the prince - indeed, atticus was hardly more loquacious than a monk who had taken a vow of silence - but he knew that he should be grateful that the royal considered him worthy of a conversational partner. "i could not rightly say, your highness. certainly one might wish it were closer to the former than it is in reality." after everything his family had been through, the sins they'd collectively committed, the gossip that had clung to them like a stench - he would prefer to keep a low profile moving forward. "and you, sire, what word might you use to describe your own post?"

"yes," the agreement punctuated with a far more intense intake and release of breath than the other's -- appropriate, gideon supposed, as a representation of their many differences. atticus' was a sure and steady presence. an anchor. something gideon no doubt benefited endlessly from, though he did like to think they were friends, too. or hoped. "mmh. tedium. a most desirable state." resting an elbow on the arm of his chair, he put his cheek in his hand and nudged a nearby chair out from under the table between them with his foot. "will you sit? you are making me nervous hovering like that." question extended with a brief but kindly smile -- the intention being it could be refused without offence. he made a vague gesture with his other hand. "i am not certain a truly apt word yet exists. i have, however, settled on a phrase that i believe sums up the sentiment quite nicely," he cleared his throat, "'better suited to somebody else.'"

will's expression somehow scrunched even more, as if his features were all attempting to congregate at the center of his face, and presumably take flight. he considered trying to come up with an excuse as to why he had to remain locked in his study - but he really couldn't deny laurie anything, could he? he sighed as quietly as he could and took off his glasses to rub a hand over his exhausted eyes, doing what he could to prepare himself to come face-to-face with the man who had haunted his waking - and few dreaming - hours alike. "no, of course not. you - you are my patient, and i must always do what i can to help you." he pushed the glasses back on his face, hopeful that they might disguise the circles under his eyes slightly, and finally opened the door. staring at a point somewhere around laurie's shoulder, he greeted him with a polite nod. "how have you been faring, mister rosewood?"

if it had been anyone else, laurie might have dropped the pursuit in a matter of days. he could admit to himself that he'd grown fonder of will the more they'd interacted, finding himself dropping by the hospital unscheduled in the hopes of catching him in passing just for a conversation. in his eyes, it could not have been going any better. clearly, will thought otherwise -- and he was desperate to know why. maybe he had overstepped? let his gaze linger too long on the soft curve of will's lips or the little furrow in his brow when he concentrated especially hard. maybe. but that wasn't a crime. "funny you say that, as i have to say i have been under the impression these last few weeks that i was no longer your patient. i have hardly seen you." you've been avoiding me, he chose not to say. pushing off the door frame as the door opened, laurie greeted will with a small but nevertheless genuine smile. he surveyed the other in silence a moment. "well, i am no expert but i would venture i have been sleeping better than you, at least." without waiting for invitation, he moved past will and into the study. "you have been busy, i'm sure?"

atticus cast a bleary eye over the young prince, trying to discern what adjective gideon truly meant to use. "quite right, your highness. yours, perhaps, is the most interesting of all."

pale blue eyes narrowed and gideon sunk deeper into his chair, stretching long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. "interesting is one word for it," though not his word of choice by any stretch of the imagination. "and where would you rank yours on a scale of... say, tedious to captivating?"