what once was mine | ✔

chapter six

With you being mine.

He makes it sound as if I am never going to escape him. That I will spend the rest of my youth trapped in my own personal tower, longing to be in the world.

He leads me through the alley and through town, unaware of the stares I keep receiving.

"Harry-"

"They can stare all they want, Flower." He reaches for my hand. "You're probably the prettiest thing they'll ever see in this life."

I smile at the ground, hiding it from him. He got me there.

When we arrive at our destination, Harry walks in and calls out, "Oh Dizzy!"

A young girl covered in paint walks over sluggishly, but when she finds me she begins to squeal. "Is that...are you...a princess?"

I nod. "That I am."

Harry leans over. "Dizzy is the daughter of Drizella... to feed into whatever obsession you had left of that stupid Charming."

I glare at him. Was it that obvious?

Dizzy claps her hands together and says excitingly, "Let's get to work!"

Harry turns to me. "I'm going to head to Uma's before she suspects anything." He plants a firm kiss on my temple. "I'll be outside."

For the first five or so minutes, she doesn't say a word. It's not until she's brushing my hair when she finally speaks up. "So...you're really a princess?"

I nod. "Daughter of Rapunzel, actually."

She's running her fingers through my hair as she asks, "Is it true what they say about your hair? That it also has your mothers' gift?"

I want to roll my eyes, but Dizzy has been kind this past hour and has given me no reason to not trust her. "No. No magic hair."

"How does it feel?" She continues. "Being a princess and all. To marry a prince and live happily ever after?"

Her question strikes me. My entire life has been leading up to living out my happily ever after. My entire life has been about doing the right things to be enough for that forever happiness everyone talks about. Recently, it just feels so far away.

"I don't know." I respond honestly. "It's not all that everyone makes it out to be."

"Is Harry your happily ever after?"

I sit up, eyes wide. "What?"

She reaches for a towel and a hair brush. "I'm sorry, it's just...the way he looked at you earlier kind of made it seem as if he was."

"How does he look at me, Dizzy?" I question.

She pauses, probably thinking of an answer. "Like you're his happily ever after."

I find that hard to believe. Especially since he kidnapped me in the middle of the night.

Dizzy comes back with a red dress that reaches the floor with long sleeves and black flats. "I found this in the closet. Seems better than pajamas."

For half a second, the dress reminds me of my mother's kidnapper, Gothel. The red and black combination makes it hard to breathe thoroughly, but I know it's just a coincidence. The material is a little too tight on my body and the attempts to squeeze in it hurt my sides.

"Are you two almost done? Uma's shift is almost over." Harry announces as he walks through the door.

I turn around, a little embarrassed with how tight this dress is on me, but he seems to be enjoying it.

Dizzy claps her hands. "See... told you." She nudges my shoulder. "His."

Harry reaches for me and rests a kiss on my forehead. Chills run down my spine when he says, "You look divine, Flower."

That's such an odd thing to tell someone. That they look divine. It sounds better than beautiful or enchanting, almost.

That's an occurring concept with every second I'm with Harry...the word almost.