The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

102. Harry

     "You look so handsome, my son," says Mother as I stand in front of the mirror in Liam's room. Today is the day of my wedding, as well as my coronation, and I couldn't be more petrified. "Like a true king."

     I let out a sigh. I'm not ready to be a king, and she knows that. I don't even want to think about it until the time comes.

     I spent all morning in the throne room, practicing for the coronation with Leonardo. He said we didn't have much time to rehearse it because Milena would be coming to the throne room herself soon and we can't see each other until we're at the chapel.

     Our wedding is mere hours away, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, either. I just want this day to be over so we can get on with our lives. Our lives, of course, will never be the same after today. I will be Milena's husband in a few hours, and that's going to be the greatest part of my life. Until we have our baby.

     Come to think of it, it is rather odd how the medics knew so soon. I might be overthinking it, but it does seem strange. It's probably nothing.

     "Thank you, Mother," I smile back at her, hiding my nerves. It's just Mother, Leonardo, and I in this room. They, along with Catherine, are all I have now. My father is gone, along with my brothers. I'll never make peace with Louis' escape or Father's death, and I was just informed that Liam cannot be released until after my coronation. I feel...alone. We've been torn apart.

     A once powerful family has been reduced to two children and their mother. I don't miss Father, but his death caused a domino effect on our family and now here we are: the man who ruled all four kingdoms is dead, his eldest son is in prison, and his second eldest is Leria's most wanted.

     But I have a new family now. I have Milena and our baby. Our family starts today, and in nine months, it will be complete.

     I wonder what our child will be like. Will we have a handsome young prince, or a sweet little princess? It doesn't really matter what we have, the only thing that matters is that our baby will be happy and healthy and will live a comfortable life...but I would like a daughter.

     "I must leave you now," Mother tells me, smoothing the front of her red dress. "I'm required to be by the bride's side."

     Her voice held so much disdain. I know she doesn't like Milena for who her mother was, but it's unfair that she's taking her anger out on someone who's going to be a part of her family in a few hours.

     "Mother, please promise me you'll be nice to her," I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. Leonardo has been awfully quiet since Mother started speaking. "She's never done anything to you, and I'm going to be marrying her today."

     Mother looks off to the side and lets out a breath. "I love you, Harry, and I will always stand by you and your decisions."

     And with that, she gives me a kiss on my forehead and walks out of the room, leaving me and Leonardo alone.

     I huff, turning back to where he is by the floor-length mirror. "I hope they get along well. I'd hate to think that Milena doesn't like Mother, or vice versa."

     Leonardo shrugs. "Not everyone's going to get along with everyone, Your Highness. Just something we can't and shouldn't control."

     I smile at him, trying to fix my robes. Deep blue with gold embroidery doesn't really suit me, and I can barely breathe. It's a bit too gaudy for me, but I suppose it doesn't matter.

     "Are you ready, Your Highness?" Leonardo asks, crossing his arms. I shake my head, knowing I can be completely honest with him. "What's wrong?"

     Shrugging, I try to find the proper word. "Everything."

     "Are you having second thoughts about the wed-"

     "No." I interrupt him, pacing around. "Not that. I've never doubted for one second that I don't want to spend the rest of my life with Milena. It's just...I can't really explain how I'm feeling."

     Sighing, I sit down on my bed and hang my head low.

     "Harry," Leonardo calls, using my first name this time. His mind seems distant as he stares blankly at nothing. "I think I understand. Everything seems to be happening all at once, and it's overwhelming. It started when His Majesty was murdered, and everything since then hasn't felt real."

     I look up at him and nod. "Yeah. I never knew it would end up like this. I mean, our lives were always so secure. Liam would replace Father after he'd pass away from old age, and Louis and I wouldn't have to worry about any sort of responsibility. I mean...I knew that Louis would've wanted to be the king, but I didn't know he'd go that far. Not to mention that he can't even be a king because he's not royalty.

     "And that's another thing; Louis and Milena are half-siblings. It doesn't mean that Milena and I are related, but it's still a lot to wrap around my head. It's all one huge mess. So much has happened in the past couple of weeks, it's hard to believe it's not all just a dream. It shouldn't be this way."

     "What do you mean by that?" He asks with a raised brow.

     I sigh, tiredly rubbing my eyes. "I shouldn't be getting ready to be the king, Leonardo. It should have been Liam. I still don't understand why he can't be the king, especially now that we know he's innocent."

     "Prince Liam is, unfortunately..." he clears his throat. "Not in the right state of mind. He's to be released after your coronation and will need at least a week to recover."

     My brother deserves better than this. He's been preparing to take Father's place for years, and I know he would've been an amazing leader. Everything that's happened is connected, and if one of those things didn't happen, none of it would. If Father hadn't been murdered, Liam wouldn't be in prison and Louis would still be here. I wouldn't have had my wedding rushed up to today because I wouldn't have to be the king and I wouldn't have to be getting married today.

     Then again, if I hadn't gotten Milena pregnant, I would've had to marry Vivienne. If we weren't expecting a baby, I would be marrying the wrong person today. There are so many things that factor into each moment, it's too difficult to keep up.

     "Are you ready?" Leonardo asks, and I turn to him with confusion.

     "What?" I respond, furrowing my brows.

     He looks at me with a small chuckle. "It's time for the ceremony, Your Highness. It's time for your wedding."

     I widen my eyes and look at the clock. "What?! It's already time for my wedding?"

     "Yes, it is." He grins. "So, shall we head over to the chapel?"

     I silently nod, give myself one last look in the mirror, and take a deep breath. "I'm ready."

     And that's the truth. I really am ready to marry the love of my life. We've been through so much together, so much pain, but I wouldn't take back even a second of it. Everything that's happened to us happened for a reason. We love each other, and our love will get us through anything that life throws at us.     

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So, when I said short chapters I meant really really really short chapters lmao

There's only 2 chapters left, a short one and a super fucking long last chapter, like really long, like it's gonna be insane. I can't believe this story is actually coming to an end! It feels weird tbh, I've been working on it for such a long time and it's kinda sad that it's almost over, but at least I have the sequel to look forward to!

Anyways, hope you have a great day/night/week and holy crap it's the 8th anniversary of 1D.

Love, Tori