"I was enchanted to meet you"
The room was lit with the fancy chandeliers father only turns on for special occasions. That was the first sign my day wasn't going to go well.
"Ah Harold, please come sit." He says, motioning to my chair in the dining hall. I cautiously walk over, taking my seat to the right of him. My mother sits on my left at the other end of the table, my sister's seat now dust covered across from me.
"Since today you've reached the age of adulthood, it is time to find you a proper girl to marry." He says, causing a slight shock to take over me.
For one thing I didn't know it was my birthday, they normally find such holidays tedious so I've made a note to not remember mine. Secondly, the fact that they expect me to marry someone.
"I'm only just turning eighteen, father. Couldn't I wait to be wedded until after I finish my studies?" I question, taking a drink of the water that was in front of me.
Today's breakfast consisted of multiple different pastries. Yum.
"Nonsense dear boy, studies are the least of your worries. Besides I married your mother at eighteen and I'm a fit king am I not?" He asks what I assume is a rhetorical question. I wasn't going to call him unjust to his face, certainly not, those are thoughts I only share with my pillow.
"I just don't want to come off as forceful when choosing someone." I try reasoning, really not wanting to get married so young, I don't even know what I'd look for in a woman.
"I went through the same thing at your age and your mother was delighted to marry me. We've contacted family's from all over the town and nearby towns and they've sent some of their daughters to attend a ball tonight in your honor. You'll hopefully have a maiden who catches your eye." He says, taking a drink of his tea.
I feel like I'm going to throw up.
I stood up suddenly causing my parents to look up at me with a startle. "I have to go, my studies." I lie, my father nodding in understanding.
"Goodbye, love." My mother smiles, causing me to smile too.
"Goodbye, Mum." I grab a croissant before exiting the room and towards the backdoor of the palace.
I open the door, peeking outside before running out towards the stables. I try to hurry quickly before a guard reports me for sneaking about.
I enter the stables, the place being dead quiet besides the sound of the horses moving about in their stalls.
"Niall." I say quietly, getting no response. "Niall!" I repeat a little louder.
"Hmm?" I hear from a stall towards the end of the barn. I walk down there, peering over the stall door to see Niall laying in a pile of hay, in his normal vest and paperboy cap.
"I brought breakfast." I say, tossing the croissant at him, it falling on his chest. He quickly opened his eyes, grabbing the food and sitting up.
"Thanks mate, happy birthday by the way." He smiled at me as he stood up. So everyone knew it was my birthday but me?
"Thanks. I just got out of breakfast and father said he's planned a ball tonight and I'm supposed to find a girl to marry there." I sigh, running a hand through my curls.
"Bloody hell mate, that's short notice. But hey, you'll get your pick of all the richest and hottest girls around- I don't see the dilemma here." Niall says, taking another bite of his food.
"That's the thing, I've never really talked that much to girls before. What if I'm not any good at it?"
"Oh please it doesn't matter if you can talk to them, you just gotta woo them enough- which you shouldn't struggle with, and then you can talk and get to know them later. Right now you just pick which one you're attracted to." Niall mumbled.
"I don't think that's how it works." I laugh, sitting down on the bench.
"Trust me it is."
"So you've been to a ball where you're supposed to find your wife?" I ask, knowing the answer.
"I mean... no... but how difficult can it be?" He shrugs and yeah I guess he's right. Just dance around with some girls and choose one of them to spend the rest of my life with. Not hard at all.
"I'm kind of freaked out too because father said it would be the same as whenever he met mum, but she was thirteen when that happened. Am I going to have to marry a child? That doesn't honestly sit right with me." I say, shaking my head. I remember me at thirteen and I could not see myself marrying someone at that age, so I don't expect a girl to marry me at that age either.
"I don't know, but I hope you find someone that makes you happy." Niall says, stuffing the rest of the food in his mouth.
"I hope so too."
◟̽◞̽
I looked at myself in the mirror, spinning around. I look like an idiot. The suit is just a basic black suit, no extra flares or colors. That's what I dislike the most.
There is no personality, nothing that makes it me.
But who really is me?
Honestly I don't even know my favorite color.
I sigh, fixing my hair before exiting my room. I make my way towards the grand staircase that leads into the ballroom, the maid who was there telling me to wait a moment as Father announces me. I heard my name being said as the door was opened by the guards. I stepped through them.
The room is full of people, each in their finest dresses all clapping at my appearance. There's an abundance of girls standing before me, their escorts who I assume are their brothers or fathers standing towards the tables and chatting among themselves. My mother appears on one side of me and my father on the other as I walk down the stairs and onto the main floor.
I very quickly begin to feel like a rag doll, multiple proud fathers calling me in different directions trying to get me to so much as look at their young daughter. Very young I do realize noticing the oldest girl here is probably fourteen at most, most of the girls being around thirteen.
I was introduced to about a two dozen people before excusing myself to go get a drink.
I make my way to the punch table, pouring me a glass and hoping it's something strong in there to help me make it through the night. I take a sip. There's nothing.
I spin around to make my way back to the crowd of people when I bump into someone, spilling my punch down their coat.
"Oops." I say before I remember I'm supposed to have composure.
"Hi." The person says before slapping their head. "I mean hello your royal highness."
I look up at the boy, and the first thing I notice is his eyes. They were a piercing blue color that looked like the sky and the ocean combined and made this angel of a man.
Maybe I do have a favorite color.
"My apologies sir, didn't mean to cause a startle." I say, trying to regain my composure.
"It's perfectly alright, I don't like these jackets too much anyway." He remarks, sliding his coat off his shoulders.
His chocolate colored hair is swooped back in a quiff, his cheekbones looking as though they could cut my finger at the touch. When his jacket was off his muscles could be seen through his button up causing my stomach to oddly feel fuzzy.
"But once again I must apologize, please give a note to a maid, I will have a new one tailored for you." I am at a loss for words.
"You're too kind." The boy says with a smile.
"Have a great night." I smile, touching his forearm lightly before walking away. I don't know why that conversation gave me chills.
I make my way around the ballroom, dancing with girls. The ones who didn't have a partner danced with some of the brothers brought along with the girls, but I was never able to spot that boy again.
I met so many people my brain was feeling crowded. I don't remember a single one of their names or any of the stuff they said to me. None of them stuck out to me.
I begin to walk towards the door to get air when my mother stops me. "Harold love, where are you going?" She says, a bright smile on her face.
"I've got to use the loo." I lied.
"Alright dear, has anyone caught your eye tonight?" She asks.
Yes. "A handful of people."
"That's splendid." She smiles.
I walk out of the room and towards the side door that leads to the gardens. I wander around looking at the plants and flowers when suddenly I see him there. The boy from earlier sits on the bench, smoking some kind of cigarette while staring at the ground in thought.
I don't want to disturb him but curiosity gets the best of me and I sit down beside him. He jumps when he sees me, clearly caught off guard. "You've startled me."
"Sorry. wasn't my intention. Just saw you sitting here so I thought I'd join you." I say, trying to avoid eye contact with him.
"A beautiful party you've thrown."
"It's not really my party, it's my parents to show me off more of, but thanks nonetheless. What brings you out here?" I ask him.
"Not one for big crowds and fancy events." He says, fixing the cuffs on his shirt, while putting out his cigarette on the ground.
"I know what you mean." I sigh.
"A Prince who doesn't like banquets?" He says with a faint smirk on his face.
"I know, shocking. I'm not sure the cause but I'd prefer something more secluded, not full of people in suffocating clothes with fake personalities." I murmur.
"I get that."
It goes quite a minute, both of us just sitting there. I oddly feel calm and peaceful sitting beside him. For years I felt as though I couldn't be myself around anyone and then I met Niall and it took me a couple years to warm up to him. Now suddenly this guy comes into my life and I feel comfortable to tell him anything.
"So what brings you here?" I question.
"My sister Lottie, you danced with her earlier." He says. I try to remember a girl who looks similar to him to know who she was but I don't think I've ever seen someone like this man in my life.
"I'm sorry I don't remember her exactly, I've met so many people tonight it's all blending together." I apologize.
"You're all good, it did look quite stressful for you. I wouldn't want people looking at me and touching me as if I was in some petting zoo." The blue eyed boy replies.
"It's the same as when I was a child, everyone wanted to hold me or hug me, it was intoxicating." I say quietly.
It goes silent once again, the sound of music and laughter heard in the distance.
"I'm Louis, Louis Tomlinson." The boy, Louis, says suddenly.
"I'm Harry Styles."
"Well no shit- I mean, I already know that." He says, his face turning red at his language choice.
"No, I mean you can call me Harry if you'd like. I prefer it rather than 'Prince' or 'Your Highness' or 'Harold'. My name isn't even Harold, it is Harry, my family just refuses to call me by it." I say, ranting a little more than necessary.
"Harry, okay." Louis says, testing how the name sounds. To me, it sounds beautiful coming from his mouth.
"I best be heading back inside before they send out the guards to hunt me down." I joke, even though I'm not kidding, it has happened before. I stand up, Louis following me as we make our way back inside.
"Harold dearie, there you are!" Mum exclaims as I enter the room. "Are you ready to decide?"
"Decide what?"
"You get to pick a handful of girls who you'd like to get to know better and their family will come stay in the castle until you've decided." She says as if it was obvious.
"Oh." Is all I manage as all eyes turn to me. This is not good. "Which one is your sister?" I whisper to Louis.
"The blonde one right there." He says, discreetly pointing.
"I chose you, you, you, you, and you over there." I say, pointing at the girls standing closest to me and then Louis' sister. Some girls cheer, some sigh in defeat.
"Thank you all for coming, have a lovely night." I say loudly to everyone before walking into the hallway.
"Harry!" I hear Louis call from behind me.
I turn around to see him walking towards me. "Thank you for choosing my sister, it's an honor."
"Thank you for thanking me." I say in response a little smile on my face.
He laughs, a smile on his face too before sighing. "Well we best get home to my mum, goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight Louis." He turns around and walks away, me doing the same.
Hope you liked the first chapter! I'll post the next one soon!