Fire and Trust - A Royal Story

Prologue

"Come along, Chip!" Harrison smiles as he reaches the stairs leading to the main floor of the castle. "It's almost time for dinner, let's see if cook Marlow needs help with the food."

The chocolate Labrador eagerly follows the prince, whose cream tunic turns orange when it catches the setting sun. Harrison looks up at the ceiling, enjoying the way the crystals hanging from the chandelier shine with the sun before he moves his gaze towards the stained glass window overseeing the kingdom of Adendra. The colors reflect all over the sitting room, painting the once light blue walls with reds, purples and greens. He stands in the middle of the stairs for a moment, taking it all in. The golden details on the walls that run all the way up to the ceiling, the soft yellow of the sofas and the many pieces of art carefully hung up on the walls. It wasn't how expensive all of it was that stun Harrison every time, it's how beautiful everything looks even after so many generations it's been in the castle.

Chip nudges his leg and whines, breaking the spell. "Dinner, right." Harrison chuckles, scratching his dog's head and making his way to the kitchen.

His mother, Matilda, is seating on an armchair by another window when she spots him, a teacup on her left hand. "There you are!" She smiles, "I knew you'd be coming to the kitchen any time now."

Harrison clutches his chest for a second before walking towards his mom, who sets the teacup down. Her yellow dress, contrasts the deep blue of the armchair and the embroidery on her sleeves shine with the sun almost as brightly as her smile. "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days, you know." He leans down to kiss her forehead. "You need anything mother?"

"Go and fetch your brother, please. I think he went to watch Mr. Digby make bread and I don't want him to miss dinner." She places a soft palm on his cheek and smiles softly when her blue eyes meet Harrison's matching ones. "Your father should be arriving later as well."

Chip sniffs the queen's dress before growing an interest on the biscuits resting on the window sill next to a teapot. "Those aren't for you, Chip." Harrison says when he spots his dog moving towards them. "You'll get a stomachache if you eat them."

"I'll save you one." Matilda smiles, running her hand over Chip's soft brown fur. "Don't tell Haz."

"I'll be back in time for dinner, mother." Harrison says, reaching for the teapot and warming it up with his hand. "Better than cold tea." He beams and turns around, heading for the main door with Chip by his side as usual.

The spring air is still somewhat chilly once he steps outside, staring at the kingdom bathed in orange light in front of him. Harrison closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in, he can smell Mr. Digby's famous bread and Mrs. Turner's barbecue already on the grill for the evening crowd. His dog barks at his side, letting him know he smells it too. "No barbecue today, Chip. Let's just go fetch Nicholas so we can eat dinner."

Chip seems to give him a look that says 'Not fair but okay' and walks ahead, looking back at Harrison to see if he was following him. "Right behind you."

"Good afternoon, your majesty. How's the queen?" Mrs Granger, the florist, waves at him from her shop while she waters the roses by the window. The pink walls of her flower shop are covered by ivy and daisies, and a colorful assortment of bouquets are on the window display. Purple carnations with white tulips and some beautiful sunflowers paired with red roses, were the biggest ones of the display today.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Granger. My mother is quite well, thanks for asking." Harrison waves back at her with a smile, before nodding appreciatively at the roses. "Those roses look beautiful, I'm sure the queen would love to get some tomorrow morning."

"They're the best ones this season." She smiles proudly, her grey curls turning a fiery ginger color under the setting sun as she steps into a patch of light peeking between the buildings. "I saw your brother going that way, to Mr. Digby's bakery." She says pointing to the west side of the main village.