The Throne (Prince Harry fanfic #6)

Chapter Twenty-Three

The sun shined in the morning. Lucy went downstairs and started to make breakfast while Harry walked into each of the kids' rooms. "Wake up," he whispered, and the eyes snapped open. He left the rooms with a chuckle. On the weekends, unless the kids had somewhere to be, usually they were allowed to sleep in. Not now, and they rushed to get ready.

Harry and Lucy waited in the dining room and were already eating as one child joined them after another. Each just ate cereal as all of them slowly woke up. However, once they were awake, excitement took over. They bumped up and down in their seats. Lucy had to look down at her cereal so it didn't make her dizzy.

"Where we off to?" Louise asked. "What are we doing? Where are we going? Is it going to be fun? Do I need to change?"

"No," Lucy said. "Sneakers and comfy clothes will be fine."

"Where are we going?" Emma asked.

"Please tell us where," Beatrice continued.

"It's a surprise," Harry said with a smile. "When we get there, you'll know."

"Have we been there before?" Louise quizzed.

Harry said nothing. "Wait until we get there." He emptied his own bowl. "Eat up."

The kids ate quickly, and Lucy finished her own. Harry started to load the dishwasher and the children brought them over. After one last potty break for all of them, they were off. The boys piled into the back with one other girl. Harry drove with Lucy in the passenger seat. Two girls were in the middle. It was better to split up the girls, who continued to argue about where the family was off to. With Louise in the way back with the boys, at least she couldn't bother Emma and Beatrice a lot.

The drive was only two hours but it felt like forever for everyone. For the children, excitement was what killed them. Boredom hit them after excitement fell away. The questions of "Are we there yet?" and "How much longer?" hung in the air. Harry and Lucy bit their lips and said nothing. This was supposed to be a happy day. However, the two were more than annoyed already. Eventually Louise fell asleep, along with Emma and Henry. Freddie watched outside, and Beatrice read a book.

Excitement finally struck Freddie, who enjoyed theme parks as much as the next kid. He reached over and woke up his brother. Both left Louise to sleep. Beatrice glanced up but didn't care as much. She would've spent most of her day with her mum, off the rides. She, too, reached over to wake up her sister, and Emma grew very happy. All left Louise to sleep.

Tony, Robert and Simon waited outside their own car, all on duty again today, after a late night last night. However, Tony would've been needed tomorrow night, but the rest wouldn't be needed tomorrow. At last, a day off for Robert and Simon. Tony had most of the day off.

Louise was the last out of the car, after everyone climbed out, and Harry had to go back for her. Harry carried the groggy Louise, as she put her head to his shoulder. It was a surprise that cameras didn't follow them and no one quite seemed to know it was them. Five children were a lot but each child was assigned for an adult. It was definitely easier this way.

After the tickets were bought, it was an all out craze-fest. Suddenly all rides wanted to be rid. Everything wanted to be ate. All games wanted to be played.  Freddie and Henry, who could ride the larger rides, were taken off by Harry and Simon, with Robert and Tony with Lucy and the girls. Louise wanted to ride the larger rides, even though she definitely wasn't tall enough. At this time, she went into a fit, which Lucy immediately put her back into her place. Louise didn't want to lose the opportunity to go on any rides today. So all they went on were the small rides.

Louise seemed to have her fun with Emma joining her most of the time and Beatrice joining in some of the time. Unfortunately Lucy wasn't able to go on the rides were her children with her pounding head and blurry vision. Because of this, Tony and Robert were assigned to ride the roller coasters with the girls.

When Harry came back with the boys, each stomach was filled with sugar and deep fried food. And of course, all the kids were ready to go more rides now that they were on a sugar rush. However, they were kept off the rides for thirty minutes so they didn't vomit on other passengers.

"Valleyfair is better," Harry commented to Lucy. She rolled her eyes at him bringing up Valleyfair after all this time.

"What's Valleyfair?" Emma asked.

"It's a theme park," Harry answered.

"Can we go there?" Louise asked. "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please, please, please, please."

"It's in Minnesota," Harry responded. "That's where Mum is from."

"Can we go there?" Louise asked again. "Like the next school break, can we go? And we go to that theme park? We'll go on all the rides. And we can see your family. I don't think I've ever met our grandparents on that side. Can we meet them? Mum, don't you have a brother? What about all the cousins on that side? What about all those people?"

Before Lucy could say anything, Harry stepped forward. "Mum and I will talk about it." He kept his hand on the small of her back.

The boys had been to Minnesota only once, while the girls had never been. Minnesota, Lucy's home, wasn't a place you vacationed a lot. There were definitely things to do in Minnesota, but people chose California, New York or Florida to travel. Minnesota wasn't exactly a popular place. The girls had never asked to go there before, even though the boys liked being there.

"More rides," Lucy said.

Excitement filled the air again. Though the girls were small, some rides they could go on that were considered "adult." Harry went on the rides with them, and he wasn't "too old." This gave a break for the bodyguards. Beatrice stood next to her mum, hand in hand. Lucy focused down at her little girl as the world spun around her. Beatrice smiled up, brilliant and dazzling. Innocence yet was in her eyes. That was all Lucy wanted.

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This is getting boring. Let's spice it up.