Red & White

eight.

everyone like the new book cover? I made it yesterday and I absolutely love it (if I do say so myself)

"Dammit, I forgot about her coming tonight," Prince Harry mumbled under his breath, his friend staring at him strangely from the side. He watched from the top of the stairs the two women powdered in visible makeup from this far up. His teacher, Mrs. Carmichael, had on her usual serious face, just barely cracking a small smile while shaking the king's hand.

"Alright, well I'll go get to the tailor's cottage now. Don't bite anyone's heads off down there, okay?" The older lad teased, sensing the cold stare his boss was giving off as the daughter of the prince's professor strode further inside.

Harry nudged his shoulder, and Louis quietly laughed before walking off down the corridor to find a separate exit.

He thought he was quite well hidden, what with one of the massive marble pillars concealing his frame, but apparently not to the hawk eyes of Mrs. Carmichael, "Is that Harry up there? Come on down, I was wondering where you were!"

Everyone's gaze - the maids and butlers included - fixated on Prince Harry, now flushed with embarrassment. Now left with no other choice but to awkwardly unveil himself, he stepped in front and gave a small wave. The king chuckled as if it was a silly little joke, which only made Harry feel more like disappearing under the velvet carpet his boots were walking above.

While the twenty-one year old stepped down the grand staircase, his eyes flickered to the group, landing directly on Poppy. Her gown's fanciness was beyond proportion. It made no sense for a simple dinner and it made Harry roll his eyes.

The moment he walked up to the clan of four people, the girl a year younger than him immediately weaved her arm through his.

"Well, if it isn't Prince Harry Styles," Poppy grinned, leaning up to kiss the man's cheeks. It was a common greeting for friendly men and women, but it made Harry cringe. "I haven't seen you in the longest time. What has it been, close to four months?" Yes, thankfully, he thought to himself.

He stayed silent and the girl seemed to flick her eyebrow up, waiting for a flirtatious answer that wouldn't come.

"Alright," King Robin cleared his throat, an act of diverting the attention from his uncooperative son, "why don't we enjoy a nice meal now. I sure am hungry. Martin, is the dining hall ready for our company?"

The butler firmly stood at the doorway nodded, "Yes, of course, your highness. Right this way."

They were familiarly led into the dining room, Harry and Poppy up front and their parents graciously trailing behind. The older lad did his best to give one-worded answers to the bubbly girl. Uninterested would be an understatement at his feelings toward her.

"My mother tells me you're a brilliant pupil of hers. Tell me, what is your favorite subject?" It was small talk Poppy was going at, striving to receive a more in-depth answer.

Harry simply shrugged, wishing the walk to the dining room wasn't so long. "I dunno, English, I suppose."

"Do you prefer writing? Grammar? Or is maths just not your forte?" She dug in, and then Harry shivered when Poppy began to curl her finger around the hairs on his arm. What the hell is she doing?

"Uh..I enjoy writing," he strained to say.

"That's great. I've always been a fan of expressing my thoughts and emotions on to parchment paper..." Poppy's obnoxious, high-pitched, voice trailed off in the prince's mind. It was dulled out to his content and finally, after another moment, the French doors were being drawn open to allow the royals inside.