A Princess Named Harry

Chapter 46

As the two headed deeper into the woods, Harry thought it was the perfect opportunity to resume their idle chat, but this time it would be a little different.

"What is your favorite color?" she asked.

Varian turned to her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Ummm, maybe blue?"

"What about your favorite food?"

"I don't know."

Harry smiled and replied, "Oh . . . well, then, what about seasons? What is your favorite season?"

Varian was confused as to why she was asking so many random questions. "Spring or maybe fall?"

Harry continued to ask him many questions, and while Varian didn't understand why, he still answered them all to the best of his ability.

Maybe it was because walking and talking about random things was better than walking in silence, or maybe it was because he saw how happy it made Harry when he answered. It could be because he wanted to keep her happy for as long as he could.

Harry's quiz of many questions continued, and she was learning many things about Varian that she never knew before. She was quite pleased, but Varian, on the other hand, was a little annoyed.

He was becoming irritated because she was the only one asking the questions. She now knew so much about him while he still knew nothing about her.

The time finally came when he interrupted her and asked, "What about you?"

Harry paused and thought about it for a moment. "About me?" she asked. "What about me?" She was hesitant to ask. "Do . . . do you want to learn more about me?"

Varian sighed and grumbled, "Well, I can't learn anything about you when you're the only one asking the questions."

Harry beamed with excitement. "Then . . . then you do . . . want to learn more about me? Am-am I right?"

Varian turned his face far away from Harry's. He was embarrassed by saying something he thought would be so simple. He was quickly overcome by his self-inflicted embarrassment.

"Yeah . . . I want to learn more about you. What do you like? What do you dislike? Things like that."

Varian's face became redder as he continued to ramble on. "Ugh-just what am I saying?" he shouted.

He wondered what expression Harry was making and slowly turned his head to take a peek. He was hoping that seeing her face would calm his heart down, but it did the opposite.

Her face was still, and she did not speak, but she had an expression of pure surprise and eyes that sparkled with curiosity that made his heartbeat much faster, and his face got much redder. They soon became very awkward in each other's presence.

"Just forget it," he sighed.

He felt like he was going to die of embarrassment.

Harry put her hands together and shook her head. She spoke in a calm soft voice, "No, it's just that I asked you so many questions that I don't remember all of them." She suddenly smiled a sort of bittersweet smile. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to answer all of your questions."

Varian started to regain his composure but still had a blood-red face. He responded, "You don't have to remember them by yourself. I can also remember some of them."

Harry laughed, "Okay, ask away."

"Okay then," Varian began. "Favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Favorite food?"

"My mother's homemade toast!"

"Favorite season?"

"Spring!"

When their question game came to a close, Harry noticed something interesting.

"What is that?" she asked.

"What's what?" Varian asked.

Harry pointed at a small house in the distance and answered, "That." Varian squinted at the far-off house.

"Should we check it out?" Harry asked.

The house was too far away to tell if it would be safe or not, but it also wasn't safe to keep wandering around in the woods either. Varian weighed the pros and cons. The house won.

"Varian?" called Harry.

"Fine, we'll go check it out, but stay behind me, okay?"

"Okay."

Varian looked at her and nodded. "Let's go."

They continued cautiously over to the house. As they got closer to it, it got smaller.

"What's with this house?" Varian asked.

"It's a shack of sorts," Harry laughed.

The house was a small and shabby shack with aging, deteriorating wood, old and dirty cracked windows, a bright purple roof, and a small red wooden door.

Varian remarked that the roof's color was Harry's favorite. Instead of responding, she simply looked over at him with a foolish grin on her face.

Varian walked over and attempted to open the door. "Ugh! Come on, open," he groaned.

Harry looked at him concerned and asked, "Is . . . is it locked?"

"No, it's just stuck," he answered. He backed up and kicked the door in, which instantly solved the problem.

Harry asked timidly, "Are we going in?"

"I am," he answered. "You'll stay here."

"But-"

"No buts, it could be dangerous."

"But it could be dangerous for you, too!"

"Just leave it to your personal knight."

"But still."

Harry bit her lip; she was in such a panicky state that he could not ignore her.

He stretched his arm out and gripped her shoulder. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Harry sighed, "Yes . . . yes, I trust you."

"Then, wait for me right here." He smiled at her brightly and repeated in a softer voice, "Trust me."

Harry's face still looked full of worry. She gripped her dress and shut her eyes tightly.

In a sketchy house, several dangerous scenarios could happen, like wild animals waiting inside, or a person could be in there, it could be the home of a dangerous group of conspirators, or there could be deadly traps rigged inside. But Varian was skilled; she knew he was. Plus, he was asking her to trust him.

"Okay," she replied quietly. "I trust you."

Varian nodded and entered the house. Harry watched as his figure slowly faded away into the barely lit house.

She suddenly had a feeling that he might disappear into the darkness far out of her reach one day. However, that was just a feeling, and it only lasted for an instant. Although it would linger in her heart for a very long time afterwards.