The Throne (Prince Harry fanfic #6)

Chapter Twenty-Two

The children got home in the afternoon, and Lucy spent time with them. She made them after school snacks and talked to them about their days. They started their homework with a busy day ahead of them tomorrow. They just didn't know it yet.

Harry took control of the kids as Lucy went upstairs and took a shower, scrubbing and scrubbing. She began to get ready for the event tonight. Harry tried to keep the girls entertained but they were not in the mood. Eventually Louise escaped, followed by Emma, and Beatrice trailed behind. The boys didn't help after they let the girls slip away while Harry made dinner.

Coming upstairs, Harry found his daughters and his wife in the master bedroom. Lucy did her makeup in the mirror as the girls followed along, each with their own brush trying to match their mum's stroke. All the girls had tried to tie up their hair too like their mum, as it sat on top of her head. Lucy's green eyes slid to watch her girls and she shrugged. It wasn't terrible.

Lucy always told the girls that they didn't need to wear makeup to look beautiful. Harry told his daughters and his wife the same thing. However, Lucy continued to wear makeup, especially for events like this. Lucy had tanned her face, as if that would make everyone think her paleness was normal. However, this was the United Kingdom after all, another pale face in the crowd wouldn't make a difference. Lucy tonight the paleness wasn't worth it, saying she looked too sickly. Making her eyes wide, as her red lips pulled across her white teeth she looked like she tried too hard. No one would've noticed in a crowd that tried too hard.

Harry was more than surprised when Lucy said she wanted to join him this evening. She hated getting all dressed up for a bunch of old, stuffy, white men. Her words were just that. She never liked to do such heavy makeup and wear such heavy dresses. She didn't like the jewels that she wore that made her a disco ball. She didn't like how her hair was supposed to be perfectly straight. Yet she did for him.

Not fighting the girls, they stayed and watched as Lucy got ready fully. Lucy pulled out an old classic dress from her closet of navy blue sparkles. Dark sapphires matched the dress, and she clipped them onto her ears, wrists and neck. She would've been hard to miss as the world suddenly revolved around her.

Lucy turned to her daughters. "Just because you don't have school tomorrow does not mean you stay up late." Harry walked down the stairs and Lucy followed. "We have a busy day tomorrow."

The girls waited above and the boys waited in the kitchen. "What are we doing, Mum?" Henry asked.

"It's a surprise." She smiled. "However, work on your homework tonight. Get it done. No one has to worry about it." Lucy was focused on her boys at this point, and they nodded. "Good. Hugs and kisses." The girls took their turns with hugs and kisses, quick and easy as they tried to escape away. The boys hesitated a little more, hanging onto their mum a little more.

"I love you, Mum," Freddie whispered.

"I love you too," Lucy murmured, squeezing him a little tighter. After some seconds, Lucy stepped back and watched her son.

"You ready, Luce?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Lucy smiled at her son and then took her husband's arm.

With one last look back at the kiddos, they left. Tony, Robert and Simon waited outside beside the car. After the last event Lucy had, no one was taking any chances. Undoubtedly more security would've been there tonight, but people wouldn't be as close. With posh events like this, it was unlikely that Lucy would've spent much time outside. All the festivities were inside, with other women dressed in ballgowns and men in suits. Paparazzi would've been the only problem tonight.

Harry's fingers were laced into Lucy's as it was already dark. You would've thought with all the older, if not elderly, people, this would've taken place in the middle of the day. No such luck happened. The car pulled up to the event, and lights flashed into the car. Harry knew better than to ask Lucy if she was sure if she wanted to do this so he stepped out. Dropping his hand, Lucy took it and stepped out too.

Immediately flashing lights were upon them. Though they were spread off to either side, paparazzi continued to fight each other for better pictures. Harry led Lucy on the red carpet, which they stared off into the never ending bright lights. Harry's arm tightened on his wife only slightly as she swayed under the light's pulse.

After the paparazzi, Lucy and Harry walked into the large ballroom and were greeted by unceasing human beings. All wanted a picture taken with them, even if they had meant the Duke and Duchess of Windsor before. Lucy was greeted by many people that she couldn't remember like she met them before. All faces blended after a while.

Soon, Harry and Lucy were able to escape the long queue of people and made their way to the dance floor. It was one of the few ways to get some peace in the crazy mess of people. Harry was much better at small talk, where Lucy was ready to leave at any time from a situation like that.

Lucy's dress swooshed around them as they danced slowly. His hand rested on the small of her back, threatening to dip just a little lower. She waited for it.

"I like this dress on you," he smiled.

"Oh, this old thing." Lucy pretended to blush. "This is a nice tux, like all the rest of them."

"I should've worn grey tonight. It goes better with navy."

"Next time I'll give you more of a heads up."

"They'll be a next time?"

"Do you think I'm dying?" Lucy so easily spoke of morbid topics, but Harry didn't want to joke like that now.

"No, but you don't like these events. I'm surprised you came tonight."

"We can't have people asking questions, can we?"

"No, I suppose not." Harry didn't like that answer but didn't push it. "Are you having fun at least?"

"Not in the slightest." A smirk on her face said otherwise. "But if this is the last time, why not enjoy myself?"

That time Harry couldn't stop his face from faulting. The smile halted. Lucy noticed immediately, even when he tried to plaster the smile on his face again. In truth, it was his eyes that gave it away, like always. Lucy observed the smallest things.

"You don't like that?" she asked. "Not in public or not in general?"

Harry sighed. "Lucy, I... I... I don't want to think about it. I don't want to know what would happen next and I don't want to plan for it. I don't want to think that you might be dying on the inside or that you might have cancer. I don't even want to think about the good things, like everything could be fine. I would rather just pretend that it's not happening."

"But we can't do that."

"We can't do that," he agreed, "but I would just like to forget that all that shit exists, just for a little bit. Because if it is bad, I'll fight it with you. I will be at your side. But I don't know how strong I can be."

"You don't have to be strong, Harry."

"Yes, I do, Luce."

"No, Harry, you don't." Her eyes softened. "That's our problem, you and I, one of us always has to be the hero. We always have to pretend to be brave and pretend to be good, even though neither of us are. I know you want to be strong for me, but it's not worth it sometimes. Just let it out, if it's crying or screaming. Be a human."

Harry laughed aloud.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"That was the first advice you ever gave me: be a human."

Lucy smirked. "You've been an alien. You've failed."

"My apologies." Harry spun her, and she came back to him.

"Do try to be a human, Harry."

"That might be impossible."

"Then the world is fucked." Lucy's hand ran over his face. "Live in the present. We can't go back to who we were and why would we want to be. It's not special if you relive it over and over again. But don't go to the future. Don't think about it. Let now be now. Just breathe."

"Just breathe."