Red & White

nineteen.

March

"Leah?"

The girl's mother's voice softly lingered in the air before traveling through her eardrum, where the vibrations were heard and understood. She lifted her head from the book the Prince lent her a little over a week ago. That was the last time she had seen the man.

"Yes, mother?"

Leah's eyes flickered from the woman's face to the open door that was now visible through the bedroom curtain that was pushed back due to entry. She questioningly peered at it for a moment before Mrs. Bates - or Potter, spoke again.

"The Prince' valet is here to give you something. He said something about a telegram?" She mumbled, her mind fogging with loss of memory.

The girl instantly slammed the novel closed, setting it aside and brushing past her mum to get to the door as soon as she could.

"Leah!" Louis cheerfully greeted when she stepped outside. He was only a foot away, dressed intelligently in a clean cut black suit paired with dress shoes, a tie, and white hand gloves. The fashionable attire didn't quite match his bubbly personality.

"Hi, Louis!" Leah had taken a liking to the older boy's friendliness. Of course, not in that way. No, that was reserved for someone else.

"How have you been doing, love? I haven't seen you in more than a week!"

"I know," she frowned, "Well..I mean with Harry being away, I didn't, ya know.."

"Right, right. I completely understand. I wouldn't have been able to see you anyway. I had to go with Harry obviously," he stated.

Prince Harry had gone away with short notice. One evening close to two weeks ago, the two were rewinding from the day in the library, each perched up on the window seat in the east corner, huddled away from the rest of the vast library. They silently read chosen books, Leah's legs by Harry's head and his legs by hers when the King and his own assistants and guards came marching in the room. Their disturbed relaxation period took a hit at Leah. She loved spending time with the busy Prince.

The conversation had been short between the father and son. The only words King Robin uttered to Harry was, "Son, it's time to go. Now." Those six vague words must have been comprehended by the man well enough, because Prince Harry had immediately risen from the window seat and was prepared to stride away when he remembered the girl behind him whose lips were parted, mind baffled, and eyes wide.

In a fast pace, Harry had rushed back over to the girl and in one swift motion, bent over to kiss her temple with an almost inaudible, "I'm sorry" escaping him.

"Where are you- what about this?" She had hurriedly asked, referring to the book halfway completed already.

"Keep it," the Prince had said before joining his father and the other men with elegant robes and jewelry swaying from their bodies.

Now, in present time with the novel close to being finished, Leah still didn't know where Harry had gone.

"Wait, if you went with him and you're back then that means he is, too, right?" She eagerly asked.

"Yes, Harry is back. This brings me back to the purpose of my journey out here," Louis reached into his pocket to retrieve a thin sheet of paper, folded neatly with no writing exposed. "He wrote this telegram for you."

It was handed to the peasant who held it tightly. She quickly seared it open with her finger and admired the sloppy cursive flow of the letters before taking time in reading it.

Leah,

I am so sorry for leaving you in a frenzy way last week. I had no idea that my father would need me to come with him that evening, but I hope you can understand that it was my duty as Prince to take care of the business that is now complete. I am home now and I wish that you could take time out of helping your family to come visit me. I missed you so much.