Red & White

two.

Every so often, the Royal Family would take time out of their daily busy schedule to ride through their village streets accompanied by guards surrounding them in the front and back of the train of three horses. The manes of the royal animals swung in the light wind in the early morning on a Friday.

The weather that week was like any other January day: briskly cold with a bit of sun shining through the thick, fluffy clouds.

It seemed like a nice enough morning with just a bit of frost covering the ground to go riding. The King and Queen of England genuinely enjoyed waking up early to stride through the closest city in their ruling country. Their son, however, not so much. The Prince was commonly brought along to show his gratitude towards the townspeople. Harry honestly was a gracious and kind-hearted soul, but rising from the warm confines of his four-poster bed to dress in tight pants, frilly shirts, and riding boots was not one of his favorite occasions.

Thankfully, this only happened every three days. Out of those three, one was spent hunting with his friends of nearby towns and the other learning his studies with professional old women in cold rooms in the palace. It was a cycle.

Harry was last to hop on to his stallion and he had his assistant, Louis, tuck his riding boots in properly and secured to the designated straps.

"There you go, Your Royal Highness. All set," the slightly older male informed the Prince.

Harry looked down to the brown-haired man below him from his higher stance. "How many times have I told you this, Louis. Please don't call me 'Your Royal Highness.' I really don't like it," he requested from his friend.

Harry at least assumed they were friends. Louis had been his assistant for two years already and he was counted as one of the men whom the Prince took along for every hunting trip.

Louis nodded to the command, bowing his head like always. With that, the Prince was set off, followed by a stern guard tracing his every movement on the horse. He wasn't too far off from his mother and father on the path ahead.

The hooves of the horse tapped on the wet and cold ground. Harry mindlessly glanced around at the surroundings he's witnessed hundreds of times in his lifespan. He sighed. No matter how many extravagant balls that are organized for his birthday, or how many new people he's fortunate enough to meet, or how much money he has to buy anything his heart desires, or how many girls drool over him, nothing miraculous has occurred in his twenty-one years of living. Setting aside all the fortune and fame, Prince Harry's life was boring.

Only a few miles away from the arriving King, Queen, and trailing son, Leah Bates was hauling the last round of freshly picked pumpkins and assorted fruits and vegetables from their farmland to the front yard where her bike was stationed with an attached cart for wheeling the crops.

Ben and Cal met her out there to assist with the transfer. Leah glanced to her brothers to her side and then up to the run-down shed she called home to see if her mother was observing them from the kitchen. Seeing no figure in the cracked window, Leah slipped two ears of corn and a few fresh berries into her siblings' hands. She watched Ben secretly pop two blueberries into his small mouth as the boys rushed into the house.

They always met their sister at the town square for guidance with selling the food. The young boys helped with business, their appealing baby faces attracting older middle-class women who actually had a heart.

Leah packed up and began to ride her practically broken bike in the usual direction of the square.

The sky thankfully didn't open up on her mile journey, leaving her long, brown hair unfrizzed for the morning.

She didn't pass a single townsman on her way, which was odd. There seemed to always be an old man in a tophat to wave to.

The crickety wheels ran over gravel stone and puddles of water until actual pavement slid under it, indicating that her quest to the town was underway and very near. Nicer homes that weren't falling apart stood tall and along with that, the wishing fountain that the young Bates boys enjoyed flipping rocks into instead of coins that they didn't own for spare.

A large group of townspeople suddenly blocked Leah's way when she turned a corner. The brakes were tightly pressed, coming to a halt. They were all lined up, backs facing her direction. She curiously hopped off her uneasy bike. The short girl stood on her tip-toes in hopes of seeing what all the commotion was about. Everyone then began clapping and cheering, their sights all set on the same thing. That is, everyone but Leah.

Fed up, the oldest of the Bates children tapped a woman's shoulder. The middle-class woman frowned at the peasant below her.

"Excuse me, but what's going on?" Leah questioned.

The woman tutted. "The Royal family is making their way here right now."

Leah couldn't help but feel jittery. She's never in her nineteen years seen the family that runs her country in person. And there were no pictures to have- or take. There were paintings, but they were never clear. She had heard that the Prince was very handsome and young. But if she were to stay where she was right now, Leah was never to set her eyesight upon this said-to-be handsome man and his parents.

So she fought her way around the growing crowd, much to their dislike. The noise of the cheering became louder and she knew they were here. With one final push, Leah could finally see the paved road. She looked to her left and immediately stepped back in amazement.

The King was first, respectfully nodding at everyone. Next was the Queen who smiled and waved. Her fully embroidered dress was beautiful. And then there was the Prince. All of the people Leah had heard talk about how handsome he was were not lying at all. His hair was pushed up and his broad shoulders were visible under the dress shirt. He didn't smile like his mother, but instead slightly smirked and dimples arose.

Leah wouldn't look away. Prince Harry's horse slowly trotted forward and he passed her on the street. He abruptly glanced at the crowds. His eyes scanned over her before pausing and trailing back to her. Leah nervously gulped. The Prince of England was actually looking at her right now. This would make a great suppertime tale.

After studying her eyes, he looked down to the ragged dress she was wearing and immediately diverted his attention back to the road, losing the smirk on his perfectly golden skin.