Princess in Training (Prince Harry #3)

Chapter Twenty

Over the next few weeks, from late May to mid-June, it was all too much of sadness and confusion. While Harry had long days, concluding with three events done in a day and jetting off to some foreign country for a few days before hopping on another airplane, it meant Meredith had time alone. She missed Harry, dearly, but there was far too much to be doing.

Wedding planning and princess training had her on edge. Sometimes it was easy and sweet, and other times, Meredith was ready to quit and move back to Minnesota. Without Harry there, it became a lot more difficult. Not to be misunderstood, Meredith didn't need a man to survive; Meredith was a strong, independent woman. But she came home, back to Kensington Palace, and no was there. She slept alone, and she hadn't done that in a very long time.

It was also the first time she was put in charge of her lone and own event and royal duties, and for some reason she was chosen to do the remembrance rounds. The Queen yet did most of them, along with Charles and William, whom followed in her footsteps. However, some of it fell to Meredith's shoulders.

The two year anniversary of the London terror attacks and the Manchester terror attack, along with the Grenfell Tower fire that killed many, loomed. It didn't help that the London 7/7 terror attacks of remembrance rounds happened, now fifteen years later. Time was to be put off until July, and that didn't fall to her shoulders but to the shoulders of the Queen, Charles and William.

Meredith hated herself for thinking it, but she was happy it wasn't her that had to do that. All the terror attacks were wrong and were done by sick humans, but the 7/7 attacks were the worst. It still left people reeling, since it happened on the transit systems.

Going through the speech again, Meredith paced. She had practiced more and more. She tried to stand still. She practiced in front of Jessica and Bodyguard Bella, who both gave great reviews, calling Meredith a natural born leader and public speaker, but this was different. If it was one of the normal speeches, it was easy to fall into a pattern where it was a few jokes here and there. Here, this meant something else.

"You're a talented writer, ma'am," Jessica said, who rarely gave Meredith compliments. "It is well written, and it will be well received. The Queen was impressed as well."

Vomit bubbled in her stomach. Even if the Queen approved, it made Meredith scared like she might fuck up more.

Standing on the stage, bright lights flashed on Meredith, making her skin grow hot. She burned alive. Her dress weighed her down, and with her quaking knees, it was only a matter of time before she fell. In this light, she wasn't able to see one face in the crowd, not one facial expression, which was probably for the best. Swallowing, her mouth was dry, and her voice squeaked.

"This moment," Meredith began, "is not about me. This moment is not about the institution. This moment is about the people who died and who will continue to be remembered by the world, and more importantly, their families and friends. This moment does not define us, like the moment two years ago did not define us. This moment shows unity, kindness and love.

"We stand where they stood. We walk and we breathe. We become them. We feel like they felt, and we know that hate did not fuel them. Hate does not fuel us. It is how we walk and how we talk that shows people we choose love. We choose to see each other as equals. We choose to understand, and if we do not understand, we choose to listen and learn.

"One of the greatest parts of life is to learn. We may fumble and we may fall, but when we learn to stand together, we learn together. We learn about each other and how other may see and do. We learn that everything is not black and white, but rather we are a mixture of colors splashed across a canvas. We learn everything we see, we may not know, and passing judgement onto others is no way to live. We learn to live with love and heart, bravery and kindness, strength and softness.

"It is not a weakness to be soft. It is not a weakness to cry when upset. It is not a weakness to be angry, like so many have been since those moments that bring us here today two years after. It is only a weakness when this sadness and anger tears up apart, only when it destroys us, only when we can no longer trust. What kind of life is that?"

Meredith glanced out to the crowd. No faces in the dark gave back. Her hearth thundered. Her head pounded. She swallowed and continued:

"For every step taken forward, there is someone that wishes to hold us back, and we must lend a helping word. There is someone who maybe stuck with no way out, and we must lend a helping hand. It is scary to move forward because no one can be certain where life might take them. It is the ride of the life time to continue to live after change.

"Change is hard, especially when it wasn't expected. There is no way to go back, and we ponder and scream. It feels like the world is collapsing around. It is not true, I say to you. It is not true.

"The sun will rise, and we, too, rise along. We show no face of weakness because when we choose love, we are not weak. We know no such thing. We are together. We choose to remember this moment and all the moments that do not define us, but they make us human. These moments make us remember why we continue on with our lives. These moments make us remember who we are for the ones we have lost, but they are never forgotten.

"We choose love, and love prevails. And when we choose love, love chooses us."

Whatever happened next, Meredith didn't know. Blood rushed past her ears. Thunderous and shaky, the sound continued, even when Meredith's head started to clear and some of the lights came on. The world around her stood with her, and she stood among the world.