Third In Line

Chapter Six - Standing Together

"Your carriage awaits, Your Highness" the guard said politely, and then offered her a hand to help up her up. Ellie was the first to enter the carriage, with her mother and uncle following behind her. Will had left them only a few minutes before, since he'd be riding his horse and taking part in the actual military ceremonies. The rest of her family would ride in the carriages behind them, and they would be the first to leave the palace and ride down the Mall.

Her great-grandparents would come after them, with a huge escort of horsemen and marching bands. It was the Queens official birthday after all, so she was the main focus.

Ellie could feel the rush of adrenaline in her body as they each quickly took their seats, but they still had some time to settle themselves before the start of proceedings. She sat with her mother, their backs to the driver, whilst Harry sat in front of her on the back seat. If Alex hadn't been ill, she would have been sitting alongside her sister whilst their mother sat beside Harry, but this time her uncle only had to deal with one mischievous niece.

She spotted Harry nervously adjusting his blue cap, and quickly looked away when he noticed her.

"You better not steal my hat again," he said warily

"I wasn't going to"

"Of course you weren't," he already sounded sceptical.

"I wasn't!" she smirked. But the thought may have crossed my mind...

Harry must have noticed the evil twinkle in her eye. "How would you feel if I stole your shoe?"

"You wouldn't" she eyed him closely. "I can't walk in just one shoe"

"Think about that before you go stealing my hat again, you evil little demon" Harry was trying to appear stern, but his grin wasn't helping.

The carriage started moving, and the three of them fell into a nervous silence. The roaring sound of the crowd was back as soon as they got out the other end of the tunnel, and she could feel the tension in her body starting to return.

"What would you do with a girl's shoe?" she asked her uncle, trying to distract herself.

"Probably add it to his collection at home" her mother said before Harry could reply.

"You have a collection?" Ellie asked.

Once again Harry was interrupted before he could answer, "Of course, his collection is bigger than yours or mine" Kate grinned wickedly down at her.

"We should go shopping together Uncle" Ellie smirked. "Mum knows all the best places"

Her mother laughed along with her, but her uncle Harry was practically silenced. She knew he'd probably get back at her later, but for now she was able to bask in her triumph. With Harry it was always about taking the initiative, and whoever had it was most likely to be the least embarrassed by the end of the day.

Her mother and uncle kept their chatter going, trying to ease Ellie's nerves as well as their own as the carriage passed through the palace gates. They moved slowly around the Victoria Memorial and then onto The Mall, where a never-ending carpet of crimson red bricks lay before them. The roads around the memorial had been packed with crowds when they'd arrived at the Palace, but now the police had pushed the public back. Guards were now standing at attention in different positions around the memorial and the gates, wearing their bright red uniforms and large bearskin caps. Photographers and cameras were gathered in a pen under the memorial, but they were the only people allowed that close. They should really push the photographers as far back as possible, and let real people stand in that pen.