Running Around Royal (Prince Harry #4)

Chapter Twenty

In Vienna, Meredith awoke in the morning beside Harry. Even on a day off, there was a schedule. They needed to be in Kassel by mid-afternoon. Harry kissed the top of her head as he rolled out of bed, and Meredith, soon enough, rolled out of bed too. Her excitement was there, pushing her forward, as she was ready to see her old host family. It had been less than four years, but it felt like an eternity. It was a quick airplane ride over to Frankfurt, and then Meredith took the keys from Harry.

"Or, perhaps," Harry began, "I could drive." His fingers gently touched the sleek BMW, which was ready to speed across the autobahn, passing by other cars as they went.

She rolled her eyes and stepped into the driver's seat. "On the way back." Since it was her day off, it was time to let her hair down a bit, but as soon as she got onto the autobahn, she regretted the choice entirely. It had been a while since she was able to drive, and now with all the cars passing her, she wasn't so sure that she liked it.

Harry gave her a look as she drove. "It's about getting there safely," he said peacefully, "not the fastest."

She groaned as she merged left and put the pedal down. Immediately, the car jerked and growled, going forward. The engine roared to life. Once the car started to move so quickly, she wanted it to keep going. She wanted the fastness. Harry, who Meredith thought was to give a scared look, only laughed. It read one-hundred and thirty kilometers an hour, but it was only around eighty miles per hour. It was almost slow, especially with how fast Meredith used to drive home from university. She pushed the pedal down again, and she felt the car speed up. When Harry drove later, he was going to go faster. Her excitement grew as Kassel became closer and closer.

The car rumbled as it went up the last stretch, which was a killer hill that they went up. When she lived at the house in Germany, she hated walking up this hill. It was steep, where Meredith used to take large steps just to gain momentum. She was surprised the sidewalk was comprised of stairs. Meredith still remembered how the way from the tram stop to the house, and how it took twenty minutes. She did it in the rain or shine.

They lived in a cul-de-sac, and the two red cars still sat out front. The three kids were off at university now, so it was just the parents and the royal couple. The car pulled into the driveway, and immediately Klaus and Anna were out, coming to welcome their long lost host daughter.

"Meredith!" Anna called, rushing over and giving the duchess a hug. "Schoen. Schoen!" She kissed her host daughter on both cheeks before turning her attention to the tall ginger. "You must be Harry." Anna stepped back to get a good look of Meredith's husband. "Wilkommen."

Klaus hugged Meredith as she introduced her husband to her exchange parents, and they went inside the house for refreshments. Meredith was getting used to how early the dark came through, and in Germany, it was no different. The sunset was at four in the afternoon, but by then, they were already in Kassel, sitting down in a restaurant for an early dinner and some time in the Christmas market before hitting the road again.

"Jaegerschnitzel bitte," Meredith said. "Ja, pommes frittes auch. Danke." She drank from her light-colored beer while Harry tried something a bit darker. Klaus drank a beer, where Anna preferred to just drink water.

They spoke about how the lives had changed for each couple. Meredith was still adjusting to royal life; Harry adjusted to having a wife. Klaus and Anna adjusted to their children being off at university, and they were all doing well. Anna had recent pictures of her children to share. Anna talked about how quiet and clean the house was now and how much she appreciated it.

"Will you go back to work now?" Meredith asked Anna, who had quit her job after having her children. Now that they were all grown up, Anna was able to do what she liked.

"No," Anna said with a smile. "Now, I can do what I like. I can do the hobbies that I want. I don't have to worry about the kids or what they do. They will come home for break, but that will be all. Tschuess." She was giddy for the new start.

After supper, both couples walked out to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Friedrichsplatz in Kassel, even though it was after Christmas and the middle of January. Booths filled with presents and treats created pathways. Meredith sipped on mulled wine, which was something she hadn't found easily in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Having always enjoyed trinket shopping, she liked looking at the small handcrafted things, which she always wanted to buy, and even after eating a hearty dinner, she wanted to try the sweets that were around.

"Do try to limit the money you spend," Harry whispered in her ear as his arms snaked around his wife. "We may not enough space on the plane."

"Things are sent back to London anyway," Meredith smirked, glancing at different things and wanting to buy them all. For the treasures and gifts they were to received and had received, all things were sent back to London, to sit in the Kensington Palace apartment until they returned.

"Fine, but you have to carry whatever you buy," he said.

There was a chill in the air and soft snowflakes fluttered down. The tall buildings that were built after World War II blocked some of the chill. Her think skin didn't allow her to get cold, and even if Meredith was cold, she wasn't going to admit it. Meredith had a few items in her hands, and Harry had a few of Meredith's items in his hands. She smiled at him. They spent two hours out at the Christmas market with other people and activities before it was time to go.

Wishing her host parents good bye, tears prickled in her eyes upon having to say auf Wiedersehen again. Harry drove back to Frankfurt. Meredith yawned continuously, and Harry smirked. If she was sleeping, it meant she wasn't getting car sick, and this car was a rental. Eventually, her eyes closed after she fought a long, hard battle to stay awake, and Harry smiled.