Love More Fight Less

Chapter 11

(Authors note: thankyou everyone who has been reading! I know it's been a while since I updated :( I've been busy but i'll keep trying to update as fast as I can. Sorry for any grammar mistakes also! Please enjoy!)

My throat is dry and I'm falling asleep as I still steer the horse. I can see the tip of the castle which is keeping me going. I stop the horse and actually admire the beauty of the castle with the setting sun behind it. The sky is a beautiful shade of red, yellow, and pink with a giant white and blue castle in front of it. Which is my home, and I am homesick wanting to lay in the arms of my mother an father who are still hopefully looking for me.
I make the horse run faster which awakens Josh, who was trying his best to rest behind me because of the condition he's in.

"Are we close?" He says lifting his head to only lightly rest it back down in a different position.

"I guess you could say that." smiling the widest smile I can. I remove the scarf and let my blonde hair loose to reveal myself at the first gate if guards as we enter the castle. I don't see the original guard with black hair that recognized me, but I passed through anyway.
I pass through the two guards with surprised and joyful faces. When I'm near the entrance, I nearly jump off the moving horse, then help Josh down and half run/half carry Josh through the entrance doors.
I first see a maid I'm not familiar with walk past with a tray holding a teacup on it. "Oh my gosh..." She says and drops the tray in shock. "Your majesty's... YOUR MAJESTY'S! PRINCESS ELIZABETH HAS RETURNED!" She starts chanting until I see my mother running down the stairs and my twin brothers running after her.

"Oh my baby!" My mother says crying while grabbing my face then hugging me. I embrace her back, along with my brothers.
Then behind her I hear "Oh Elizabeth!" And Nina runs up to take her turn on hugging me.
Before I could tell either of them anything I ask, "Where's father?"
"He's in a very important meeting, but I am sure it can pause to see you." My mother says and smiles. At that time I realize she looks different then the time I left her. There are bags under her eyes that has makeup on them trying to hide them, she has more wrinkles, and she has gotten skinnier, but somehow she still looks stunning in her kinda way.
...
I stand behind the doors of my dad's office with Nina and Josh.
"Nina, right now I am busy." I hear my fathers aggravated voice as Nina knocks and cracks the door to pop her head open.
"Sir I think you need to see this."
"Nina...not...." that's when she opens the door fully to reveal Josh and I.

I can see my father is leaning over his desk and talking to someone, but I can't tell because there back is to me.
"Oh Elizabeth!" My father says rejoicing and nearly tripping while running to me and hugging me.
"Oh my sweet baby girl! I love you."

And that's what I was wanting 'I love you.'

"I love you too, father."
...
I sit in the relaxing room along with Josh, Mother, Father, and Nina standing behind, who is along with the man my father was having a meeting with. The black haired, cute smile, guard who was the last person I saw before leaving the castle.
I tell them EVERYTHING, from the bar to meeting Josh then the bandits.

Everyone was speechless, I'm guessing they didn't know what to say.
"If I do say so myself your Majesty's," the guard says, "she's had a hell of a trip."
...
After the gathering with my family, Nina, and the guard they let me and Josh fresh up before we all eat dinner.
I lead him to my room and let him freshen up first.
I relax on my bed and realize it was a hell of a trip. And I don't even know what my parents think of Josh. I can't even imagine what's going through there minds.
"You okay?" I hear Josh a couple minutes later meaning he's done.
"Yeah. Just thinking." as I prop up on my elbow.
He starts to laugh.
"What?" I smile in confusion, dang he's the cutest laugher if that's even a thing.
"You are possibly the weirdest princess in history!" He laughs an plops down next to me.
"You might be right!" I agree and laugh along. We sit and stare at each other for a few minutes then he gets closer and kisses me. His soft lips make me never want to leave them, but I don't think I should make my family even more mad that I'm late for dinner. It's one of their biggest pet-peeves.
...
At dinner my father asks, "So Joshua, what do you do as a living?" He sips his drink while looking Josh down.
"King Harry, please call me Josh if you may sir..." then he explained how the jobs worked in the town I got trapped into being a slave for the mayor.
"Well that's quite odd, if you worked here you would have the muscles for a guard or stables boy!" My father laughs along with the black haired guard.
Josh just looks around confused.

Trying to remember my politeness I say, "Father may I ask whom this guard is and why is he with us a lot now?"
"This is Sir Grant, he is official soldier leader and the most I trust."
Grant looks over and flashes me his cute smile.
I can then feel Josh hold my hand under the table distracting me from whatever I was doing.
...
By the time we were ready for bed, my parents decided that they don't want Josh and I to sleep together so he's in the room across from me. I sleep cozily in my bed smiling thinking of how glad I am to be back home.

I sleep good having a dream of Grant. It was wonderful!
Wait, I shouldn't be dreaming of him, that should've been Josh I should be dreaming of. He's my true love! What if he's not.?