Somebody To Love

New Friendships

Over the course of the following year, Harmony made herself at home in Court. She made a point of learning as much as possible from the Queen-Mother, even becoming friendly with her, and although she still missed Elise every single day, Harmony knew she was doing this for them both.

The one thing she wasn't expecting was to start to get close to the young princess as well. Justice would make a point to always be by her side, walking with her through the Castle and telling all the stories that not many people knew about the place.

As time went by, Harmony found herself looking forward to spending time with the young woman and listening to her when she would tell Harmony all the gossip she knew about the other Ladies and Lords living in Court, making her laugh every time.

However, Justice and the Queen-Mother weren't the only people she had gotten close with. Much to her surprise, the King himself became her friend. It wasn't as if she had seeked out his friendship in any way, it just happened.

It all started one morning, when, during one of her morning rides, she stopped at a creek near the Castle to allow her horse, Moonlight, to have some water before they continued their ride back to the Castle.

Only, what was supposed to be a quick stop, ended up lasting a lot longer when Moonlight decided to go into the creek, and the very cold water, and start playing around in it. It didn't matter how much Harmony tried to coax her out, even going as far as trying to bribe the horse with a juicy apple, the horse wasn't having it.

Harmony stood by the edge of the water for what felt like an eternity, debating on whether she should go in or not, when she heard horses approaching. Looking back down the path she had come from, she saw the King and his Commander approaching, both surprised to see her there.

She watched both men sharing a nod and the Commander nodding back at her, before ridding away, leaving her alone with the King.

-"Lady Harmony." - He greeted her, confusion still very present. -"Are you alright?"

-"Your Majesty." - Harmony bowed, wishing her damn horse hadn't put her in that situation. -"I'm fine, Your Majesty. My horse, Moonlight, she just decided it would be a good idea to play in the creek and is now refusing to come out."

-"Well, if you want, I can go get her for you."

-"That's very kind of you, Your Majesty, but I'm sure she will eventually come out. I wouldn't dare impose like that."

-"Nonsense. It's no imposition at all." - Harmony watched as he leaned over to his own horse before speaking again. -"Come on, Midnight. Let's get our new friend out of the water."

Harmony would be lying if she said that hearing him talk to his horse like that hadn't made her smile. The King slowly made his way into the water, not wanting to startle her horse, and approached her, grabbing the reins before making his way back to where Harmony was still waiting.

Once back on dry land, he carefully handed Harmony the reins, smiling at her. Harmony thanked him and turned to Moonlight, scolding her for what she had done. She was so focused on her horse that she missed the way the King smiled when she started talking to her horse the same way he had done with his.

When she was back on her saddle, the King had offered to escort her back to the Castle, just in case Moonlight decided to do something else she wasn't supposed to, as he had put it, making Harmony chuckle and accepting his offer. The whole ride back was filled with conversation regarding the horses as well as her time spent with Justice and the Queen-Mother.

Harmony now sits in her chambers, remembering how her friendship with the King had started, worry sketched on her face as she clutches a letter on her lap. Looking back at it, she sees her father's handwriting and she knows that her life in Court is going to change soon enough. She can only hope that she can hold on to the happiness she has found there by the time her father leaves.