The Throne (Prince Harry fanfic #6)

Chapter Seventeen

In the morning, the boys were off to school and the girls were off to daycare. Lucy wanted to have them there. She wanted things to run smoothly. She wanted people not to suspect a thing. She thought this might help. Plus, it gave the boys other things to focus on. Their minds, undoubtedly, stayed on their mum; she didn't want that. Anyway, an education was important, along with the peers they worked with. Purposely, Lucy sent the children to more public schools so they experienced all walks of life.

Harry let Lucy sleep in the morning. He got the boys to school and the girls off to daycare. Coming home, Lucy was still asleep. He made breakfast for her and waited for her to wake up. When it was only a minute past ten, Harry couldn't take it any longer. Something inside of him fluttered, like panic, and he needed to make sure she yet breathed.

The floor creaked under his weight as he walked along the hallway, past the kids' bedrooms and the bathrooms. His bedroom door wasn't open, so she wouldn't hear the ruckus of the morning. Opening the door, Harry slid into the room quietly. His eyes fell onto his wife and for a second, panic burned through him. Then Lucy's chest rose. Harry let out a sigh.

Turning back to the door, Harry slowly opened it again to let himself out. "Harry," Lucy called heavily. Her eyes opened groggily. Slowly, she took in what was around her. "Where are the kids?"

"School," he answered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Lucy looked at the clock and shook her head. "I should get up anyway." Throwing the covers off her body, Lucy's feet hit the ground quickly and she rolled upward. However, that didn't help her head. The world spun around her, and she titled to her side. Lucy began to fall, and Harry was there to catch her.

"Lucy!"

She sat back on the bed. Her fingers curled into the sheets. "Don't," she snapped. "I'm fine. I got out of bed too quickly. I'm fine."

"You don't like to admit when you need help."

"Neither do you." Her chest heaved.

"Let me help you, Luce."

"No, Harry, please, no."

He stepped back.

"I've got it."

Growing still, Harry waited beside his wife. Lucy sat on the bed with her fingers curled into the sheets. Her eyelids were closed. Eventually, she stopped swaying.

"See?" Lucy said with a forced smile. "All good." She stood again, this time with steady feet.

Harry swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. "I have breakfast downstairs, if you want it."

"Thanks." Lucy smiled again, but it was less forced this time. Genuineness was in her eyes. Reaching her hand up, she touched Harry's face, clean shaven nowadays. It made him look younger. Her thumb ran over his chin and cheek. She was warm, Harry thought, and then Lucy's hand dropped and she went downstairs.

After a second, he followed after her. In his mind, Harry ran through Lucy's upcoming schedule. Neither of them, obviously, had any charity events today. A story had been put out to the media that Lucy had just taken a fall down the stairs but she would've been completely healed in a few days. She still a charity event the next day, and she wasn't going to take that off her schedule. Lucy wouldn't allow people to see her weak. The story was to keep the media's eyes away from the truth of Lucy's ailment. This was all for privacy. With the event the next day, Harry was going to try to stop her and he wasn't going to try to weasel in on the event.

Lucy immediately took some of the food that Harry had made for her and the offered him some. He shook his head no. She sat down and took a bite. Though, that seemed to be all she could manage before taking a break. Her stomach wasn't up for this amount of food, even if it was a small amount.

"How were the kids this morning?" she asked. "Were they... off?"

"The boys were a little... concerned, as anyone expects them to be, but the girls didn't notice a thing."

She tried to swallow another bite. "Harry, thank you."

"You're welcome." Their eyes met. "For what exactly?"

There was that smile again, and Harry couldn't help but smile too. Somehow there was a lightness about her, a happiness, even while she faced an impossible battle. Perhaps Lucy was most comfortable when she faced death. She greeted it as if an old friends, but when you truly thought about all of her old friends, death wasn't too far off. She did well when fighting for her life and for others. She welcomed the scary things.

With that smile, Harry had a hard time not hating himself for forgetting it. These past five years had been a flop. He thought was happy, but he wasn't. Looking back, he wasn't happy. His life was happy. It was contentment. Lucy had another saying: contentment kills. How hilarious it was for her to say it. She hated that life, and Harry would've hated that life too while living it. There was always something that could've been better. But he forgot.

He took things for granted. He thought he deserved this. But he didn't deserve this. The world didn't owe him this. The world owed Lucy a good life, especially for all the shit she faced, but he didn't deserve this. Harry came from a world where he had everything. He didn't have true love, and Lucy gave him that.

With that smile, Harry wondered how he forgot about the woman right in front of him? How did he forget about the perfection she was? Even if she had flaws, Harry didn't see them because he accepted them. He never thought he would have a woman at his side that was so strong, smart and sassy. Her beauty was just an added bonus.

It was true: it wasn't an honor for her to marry him; it was an honor for him to marry her.

"Everything," Lucy answered. "Just everything."