A Princess Named Harry: Book 2

Chapter 10

The first three rounds were spent showing the twins how to play the game. After they learned how, they spent hours playing it together. Even when it got dark, they were still playing. They only stopped due to fatigue. They made Harry escort them to their room and asked if she would play with them again the next day, and she agreed.

Harry thought she would indulge them for a bit, but after many days, the twins still clung to her. Everywhere she went, they went. They followed her persistently as if they were cats she had been feeding and they had decided to follow her for the rest of their lives.

They had teatime together, played together, watched Harry practice her swordsmanship, and occasionally, they begged her to let them sleep with her.

Harry thought it was a little bothersome, but she hadn't really thought much of it until she was on her way back to the palace from having tea with the twins. They clung to each side of her.

"Will you play with us again tomorrow, Harry?" asked Claire. It was a routinely thing for one of them to ask that.

Harry answered as usual, "Yeah."

They had been playing for such a long time now that Harry wasn't sure if it was ever going to end.

As if it were clockwork, Claire asked the second usual question. "What are we going to be playing tomorrow?"

Harry would usually answer right away, but she had exhausted all her game options. There was not a single game that she knew of that they didn't now know. She wondered if she'd have to start making up her own to keep them entertained. She thought about it as she walked them back to their rooms, which was also an everyday occurrence.

However, something happened that wasn't an everyday thing. Harry looked up and saw Lianne. She was walking towards them looking refined and graceful as always. She looked at Harry and then down at the two clinging to her sides.

"Claire. Collin." She said their names like she was ordering someone tiring to do something. "What are you two doing?"

Harry could feel the small children flinch. They wrapped their arms around her tighter.

"We-we we're just playing," stuttered Claire.

"Yeah," said Collin quietly.

Harry wondered why the twins were so scared of Lianne. Based on her experiences with Lianne, she was a nice person.

"Have you only been playing for today?" asked Lianne.

"Yeah," replied Collin confidently. After meeting her gaze, he spoke less confidently. "Maybe for a day or two."

"Really?" asked Lianne. She was unconvinced. "Has it only been one or two days?"

"Or three," whispered Claire.

Lianne tilted her head and asked coldly, "Shall I tell you exactly how many days it's been?"

The twins flinched again, but this time it was harder.

"Including today, it'll be two consecutive weeks."

They all looked shocked; even Harry hadn't expected it to have been that long. A few days perhaps, but two weeks?

"It's been that long?" she asked timidly. "Has it really?" She turned to the quivering twins.

"We weren't doing anything wrong!" Collin protested.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Claire. "Are we really doing something so bad?"

Lianne looked unamused; she didn't seem to want to listen to their excuses. "I know well how you two play."

The twins glanced over at each other. Suddenly, like a light switch, they changed. Their faces were cold and dark, and they no longer smiled. "So what?" Collin asked rudely. "Mind your own business."

"Yeah, we can't help what happened to the others," said Claire. Their voices sounded cruel. It seemed like they were over playing innocent.

"Is it our fault that everyone who has played with us until now collapsed?" they asked.

"Collapsed?!" Harry asked them surprised.

"Yes, it is," answered Lianne. She ignored Harry. "You two are responsible for the majority of the bad things that happen here. It's because you have no self-control."

"Self-control or not," replied Collin. "The most they lasted was three days."

"Five," corrected Claire.

"Was it five?"

"Or three."

"Maybe six?"

Collin shook his head. "The point is that if it's been two weeks like you said, then Harry has lasted the longest out of any of our playmates."

"While lasting long is good and all," replied Lianne. "You two only do what you want. You never consider other's thoughts. Have you even once asked Harry what she wants to do?"

They glanced over Harry's arms at one another.

"You haven't, have you?"

"So?" asked Collin. "She should tell us if she wants to do something."

"We would have done whatever she wanted to," said Claire.

"Would you really?" asked an unconvinced Lianne.

"Well, she never told us she didn't want to play," grumbled Claire.

"If she had told us, then we would have listened- "

"No, you wouldn't," interrupted Lianne.

Harry became tired of their back-and-forth bickering. It was true that she hadn't had a lot of time to herself to do what she wanted, but it didn't bother her that much. She would be able to do whatever she wanted after the month anyway. She decided to speak up. "While I do understand both sides, I'm perfectly fine with doing what the little prince and princess want."

"Harry," said Lianne cautiously.

"But," continued Harry. "If they want to continue to play together, then we have to be fair to one another."

"How?" they both asked curiously.

"By taking turns." Harry looked between them. "Is that okay?"

The twins were quiet for a moment, but then they looked ecstatic and squeezed her arms.

"Yes! We want to do that!" they cheered.

Lianne stood somewhat shocked. The timid princess had just succeeded in getting the twins to listen. It was a feat that had been impossible for years, but one frail-like girl had done it and in front of her no less.