How differently the British vampire had imagined this meeting would go. He had anticipated, of course, a certain amount of uneasy tension between his husband and his childhood companion, particularly in the wake of William's unexpected admittance of affections but he had not thought it would unravel this quickly, nor this badly. His very efforts to smooth things over with his husband, however, were wholly interrupted by the Duke - William, it seemed, was determined to have his voice heard, speaking over Sebastian himself if he deemed it necessary, which, it seemed, he did. A soft breath left his lips as William addressed the Italian Monarch by name - that social faux pas one he had not thought William capable of making. They had, after all, grown up in the royal courts! Surely William remembered those social graces that had been required of the Georgian boys? Though his home was hardly as grand as the palaces they were used to, it still did not change the rank of any of the men within the room - ranks that the Duke certainly knew. A small frown crossed his lips at the sound of his husband's accent. The surprise within the Monarch's voice should have been a forewarning of what thin ice the Duke tread, though it was not one William seemed terribly inclined to heed.

The Duke's gaze turned towards him in the aftermath of his blatant dismissal of the Italian King's command, only to ask Sebastian for what he could not give. Though the Dark Hunter insisted that he had no intention of putting the Prince in a position where he might be forced to choose between his lover and his childhood friend, William proceeded to do exactly that. That oath of loyalty that William had sworn to him, and therefore to Dorian, was already discarded as William seemed to hopefully encourage the Prince to go against the words of both his husband and King. His features surely betrayed how...taken back he was by his childhood friend's distinct gall. A soft breath left Sebastian's lips as his husband sought to remind the Duke of his place, much less what his very words were implying and yet, William's gaze never once left his own. How he despised bringing any harm to his childhood friend, even in words alone. Such discourse was one he often actively avoided amongst those few beings he truly cared for. He had worked diligently in those last few months the pair had been human to apologize to Will, the Duke inclined to his...grudges...and how he hated to know he was about to find himself once again out of the Duke's good graces.

His words, when they came, were softly uttered, Sebastian's discontent, his sadness, altogether audible even as he reaffirmed the very position Dorian had restricted William to within his own life. He had little idea what he, or William, had done to provoke such a reaction within his King and yet, here and now, there was little he could do of it. He had chosen, after all, to vow to his lover his own obedience, much less his own fealty to the Italian throne upon his marriage. Sebastian merely hadn't anticipated those promises to be tested quite like this. Silence reverberated in the wake of his words, though Sebastian's gaze had shifted pointedly towards the floor. He was doomed, it would seem, to earn the ire of both men in the room. His sapphire irises shifted briefly towards Dorian as the Monarch rose from his seat, only to announce the conversation was finished. William, this time, hardly sought to fight the King, his tone holding a hint of hopelessness as he uttered those few words that were expected of him. It was the Italian upon Dorian's lips that finally drew his gaze upwards and towards his husband. His head inclined ever so slightly in wordless acknowledgement of his husband's request before Dorian swept towards his office door - leaving it open behind him and, in turn, Sebastian alone with William.

The vampire's gaze turned towards William at the sharpness of his childhood friend's tone. He had, in some ways, expected William's anger. After all, Sebastian remembered with distinct potency how Will had hated him within their last few months alive, how Sebastian had tried then to cross that divide that had grown between them. This was surely only going to be far worse than the last time. His brows furrowed ever so slightly, however, at the Hunter's insistence that he had introduced his friend wrong. Those titles he'd afforded William were uttered in the exact same manner he'd heard them thousands of times before in his youth. His dukedom was surely the highest position William could have obtained, to Sebastian's knowledge. He remained silent, however, simply listening while William spoke of his loss of those titles he'd once held - a feeling Sebastian knew well. His lips parted, though his response never came as the Dark Hunter continued, informing him of the name he went by now. In truth, such last names and titles mattered little to Sebastian, particularly when they could be returned, if William desired it. "Will." He muttered softly, though his efforts were cut off as the Englishman continued on to insist he hardly needed Sebastian's charity.

"I was merely trying to explain to Dorian why I asked a British Duke to be my bodyguard. Of course I want you at my side. But Dorian already should have known that. I thought it went without needing to be said." Sebastian insisted as he stepped closer towards his friend, trying to mend the wounds he had not intended to create. He had spoken of the Duke to his husband before, Dorian knew how upset he'd been when William had left, much less when William had been distraught at him for his engagement to his friend's sibling. As far as Sebastian knew, it should have been painfully clear to his lover that he'd want William's presence again, even if William had not been privy to such conversations. His friend's abrupt response took Sebastian aback, though, he could hardly admit that William was entirely wrong. Sebastian had thought William had left. He'd thought the Hunter picked up and disappeared as he'd admitted he was prone to do and, in turn, Sebastian had assumed that their friendship had not been enough to prompt William to face his demons. A soft breath left his lips as his shoulders fell ever so slightly, his lips parted and yet, before Sebastian could even attempt to address those hurt feelings, something had changed within his childhood friend. Those blades immediately materialized into existence at the raise in William's voice. Their very presence caused Sebastian to hesitate, only for Will to lash out at the desk in front of him.

"William, that's enough, you've made your point, I --", His words fell upon deaf ears as, suddenly the Dark Hunter appeared in front of him, that supernatural speed capable of nearly rivaling his own. Sebastian was shoved roughly backward and against the bookshelves that lined the wall behind Dorian's desk - several items falling from the shelves at the impact. He was hardly prepared for the sudden sensation of pain that filled his side, bringing a soft gasp from his lips. Slowly, his gaze turned downward, only to stare in shock at the hilt of the blade that protruded from his right side. The quickly darkening blue of his irises turned back upward towards William wordlessly as his brain struggled to comprehend what had just occurred. William...had...stabbed him? A soft sound left his lips as the dagger was pulled from his physique, a dark crimson so quickly began to stain the side of his blue button down as Sebastian found himself falling forward and into the Dark Hunter's awaiting arms. A part of Sebastian was well aware of the amount of blood he was losing. Death was hardly a concern for the vampire who had become accustomed to the sensation of life leaving his body on a near nightly basis. It was the hunger that Sebastian truly feared - one that had begun to claw at him feverishly with each ounce of blood he lost. How carefully the vampire maintained his own control of that bloodthirst, and how he so feared to lose it as he bled out in William's arms, those ethereal blades doing far more internal damage for his body to heal then a mere cut.

Sebastian Ellington-Aragona

His Royal Highness, Prince of Italy