Harry Styles Shorts and One Shots

The Ghost of You 2

18+ only

Word count: 4,800

Cassandra

My father has his arm looped with mine, as the never-ceasing dread only rises in my chest. I'm staring at my white heels rather than my betrothed who waits at the head of the aisle. Marrying a man I don't know is never how I envisioned my future, but it's no longer in my control. I know my father just wants me to do what is best for the two of us and my future, but I would rather be poor than marry Prince Anthony.

There aren't many in this country who genuinely like the royal family, except those who have money. King William is a selfish man who clearly only cares for those who are born into wealth. Beggars in the city where the royals live is unheard of, only those who were around for the last king remember beggars.

If there were any homeless in the city, King William would have them captured and brought to the west to become slaves. The western part of the country is different than where we live, so I've heard. The men there are far more brutal and untamed, only ever being referred to as savages who won't listen to reason.

My father and I have concealed our status well by living with his sister, my aunt, ever since my mother passed. My aunt Theresa is a lovely woman; very kind and humble, but her and my uncle are very wealthy. My uncle Garret creates the finest armor for the king's guards, making him one of the top paid men in the city. His work is exclusively for the King and those who live in the castle. Nobody else is allowed to possess his craft so that if ever there were a war, the King and those who serve him would be the most protected.

My aunt and uncle adore King William, but as I said, the wealthy always do. My mother didn't care for him when she was alive, especially when she fell ill and could no longer work. We were hounded for taxes and were rarely able to pay them, making us a target for the King and his sick desire to kick us out of the city.

She passed away before he could move us, so aunt Theresa took us in, and helped conceal our status ever since. I've lived with them since I was ten years old, and I love them very dearly despite their opinions about the King. Hell, they're the reason Anthony even knows I exist.

It was a day I'll never forget, and one I wish had gone differently so I wouldn't be in the situation I am now. A king's guard came by with an empty wagon to pick up a delivery of armor for the newly trained men at the palace. Prince Anthony just so happened to go along that day, and I made the awful mistake of helping my uncle load the heavy armor.

The Prince immediately took notice of me and commanded me to stop doing the physical labor at once. I truthfully thought it was ridiculous, but I had to comply. He hopped off of the carriage and took my hand to his lips, kissing it gently.

I thought he was very handsome upon meeting him, with his black hair and brown eyes, but the more I got to see how he truly acts and speaks, the easier it was to see the wolf beneath the sheep's beautiful wool. He would come by nearly every day after that, and my father commanded me to entertain him against my wishes. He knew that it would lead to this, and that we could be truly wealthy instead of merely pretending to be. I'm not sure who I can blame in this situation, but I mostly blame myself.

I've never been a very outspoken woman, and I hate that about me. If I had more courage to stand up for the way I feel, I wouldn't be gliding down this aisle on the verge of fainting.

Anthony lifts my veil once I'm before him, my eyes forcing themselves to his. If only he were a kind man, I wouldn't be upset about this match in the slightest. He really is handsome.

I swallow thickly and force a smile at him. The Prince is none the wiser of my feelings for him. The only people in this world who know I despise him, are my father and the kind stranger, Harry. It was odd that someone so young and clearly wealthy by the way he looks, despises the royal family as much as I do, but it was reassuring nonetheless.