Eleven Months Later
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"C'mon Xenon, I see them!" Harriet exclaimed, earning herself a grunt of annoyance from the dragon she was currently riding.
They were on yet another man hunt and Harriet was determined to get it done quickly this time. She and Leopold had been spending a lot of time together, but she had learned that the quicker she did her job, the quicker she could spend more time with him. Unfortunately, Clara had already secured her for the day so Harriet could help her get everything ready for the twins' birthday, but Harriet figured the quicker she was done with both things, the sooner she would get to spend time with Leopold.
"I know, I've been able to see them for about ten minutes, now," Xenon responded.
"Sorry, I just really want this to be over with," Harriet said sheepishly over the sound of the gusts of wind. They were flying high in the sky, but they were still low enough to see the two horses and their riders cantering across the country road below.
"Yes, yes, I know. You want to get back to your mate." Harriet smacked one of Xenon's neck scales. "Was that supposed to be a hit? It felt like a tickle."
"Shut up. He's not my mate." Yet. Harriet added silently in her head. It was pretty much agreed upon that they would be married soon. Harriet didn't really know why it was taking so long.
"Right. Because you spend all of your free time with him because you don't like him." Harriet could practically hear Xenon rolling his eyes.
"That's because we're courting, genius."
"You humans are so silly. Dragons are much easier. All we do is walk up to a female and-"
"You know, Xenon, I really don't want to know," Harriet said hurriedly, trying not to scrunch her face up with embarrassment.
"But you need to learn about the Dragons and the Pixies."
"I'm sorry what? The Dragons and the Pixies? Do you mean the birds and the bees?"
"Is that what it is? I can hardly keep up with human phrases. Everyone knows bees and birds are not compatible." Harriet didn't get a chance to reply because a moment later, Xenon tilted them into a nosedive, sending them hurling towards the two riding men.
In all of three seconds they had landed in front of them, causing the men and their horses to skid to a stop. Harriet tried to hide her smile. No one ever expected a dragon to come after them... or a woman riding a dragon for that matter.
"You have a choice. Either you can come quietly or we can drag you back to the Ecrivenian Palace kicking and screaming," Harriet called in an authoritative voice meeting the eyes of one of the men. For a moment no one moved, until the man dismounted and knelt on the ground, followed quickly by the other.
"Why don't they ever run?" Harriet heard Xenon grumble in her head, but she didn't pay him any mind. Of course they never ran. Who would be foolish enough to run from a massive dragon? Getting down and off of Xenon, Harriet took her rope out of the pack on her back before walking towards the two men.
Both of the men looked decidedly uncomfortable when Harriet tied their wrists together and then proceeded to tie them together. But they didn't do anything. They just sat there, both their eyes going back and forth between Harriet and Xenon as if they couldn't decide who they should be more afraid of.
She had just finished tying them to each other, back to dirty back, when she began to hear hoofbeats in the distance. She smirked and the dark haired man closest to her watched her warily. Harriet knew precisely who was on their way.
With one last quirk of her lips, Harriet turned around just in time to see Leopold and a group of knights cantering towards them. By the time Leopold pulled to a stop right in front of her and had jumped down, she was already full on grinning.
"You're late."
"And you didn't wait," Leopold said drawing closer to her, his strides long as the sun glinted off of the sword at his hip. "I thought we had agreed to work together so we could get this done quickly."
"Leopold, do you really think you can ride a horse faster than Xenon can fly?" Leopold peered down at her, a smile beginning to cause his lips to twitch ever so slightly, especially when Xenon looked at him pointedly.
"You better say no. Or your mate will have your hide," Xenon said, his words echoing in Harriet's head and if Leopold's shake of the head was any indication, in his head as well.
"Thank you for the advice, Xenon, but I think I can handle this one, just this once."
"Oh really? It looks like you need all the help you can get since you still haven't p-"
"Xenon," Leopold said, cutting in. Harriet bit her lip, her lips pressed together in a smile.
"Stop messing with him, Xenon. It's not his fault his horse could never beat my dragon." With that she went on to her tiptoes, pecking Leopold on the cheek before turning around to haul the two tied up men to their feet, all the while ignoring Xenon's indignant response of how he was no one's dragon.
"Can you take them back to the palace?" Harriet asked one of Leopold's men, who nodded immediately. "And remember, bring them straight to the dungeon. Clara will have my head if you track mud through the halls, what with the twins' birthday in three days." The man nodded again, taking hold of the two prisoners while Harriet went back to stand next to Leopold.
"Would you like to race back? Think your horse can finally beat us?" Harriet quirked an eyebrow at his sudden hurried movement towards his pocket, but Leopold just smiled back at her.
"Why don't we wait to go back? It is such a beautiful day out."
"And what will we be doing? Wandering aimlessly in the field?"
"Something of that sort." Once again, Leopold's hand drifted close to his pocket. Harriet furrowed her brows but didn't say anything. "We will be back in an hour or two," he told his men, who all nodded before mounting their horses and turning in the direction of the palace.
"Two hours? Really? Well, you'll have to hide me when we get back. I promised Clara that I would help her with the preparations this morning.
"I don't think she'll mind," Leopold replied his voice raising to be heard over the sound of hoofbeats as his men rode away. "Xenon, would you care to go check on that thing I mentioned?"
"Thing you mentioned? What thing?" Leopold gave Xenon a pointed look and the dragon suddenly nodded. "Oh right, right. That thing. Yep. I'm going to go look at the thing far, far away from here. Because I'm needed there not here." Harriet swiveled her head back and forth to look at the dragon and the king. What on earth?
Xenon paused before taking off, giving Leopold a look of his own. By the way Leopold shifted, Harriet knew Xenon had said something, but apparently he hadn't wanted Harriet to know what it was. She frowned as the dragon took the sky, leaving Leopold and Harriet alone with Leopold's horse in the middle of the dirt road that ran through the field.
"What did Xenon tell you?" Harriet asked, looking up at Leopold as his fingers brushed along his coat before he offered her his arm.
"Oh he was warning me about something. It's nothing to worry about. I suppose he wanted me to tread carefully. Shall we?" He asked, motioning with his other hand towards the road laid out ahead of them. Neither of them worried about the horse, as he had moved slightly away to inspect the field, but Harriet and Leopold began to make their way down the road.
Several moments passed where Harriet tried, honestly tried, to enjoy the scenery, but she was having trouble. She may have gotten back much of her bright personality over the past few months, but the suspicion of just about everything was still there.
Harriet watched as Leopold fidgeted with whatever was in his pocket... again. It was beginning to really bother her. In the past eleven months they had gotten to know each other very well. Meaning, that she definitely knew what Leopold's fidgeting meant. He was nervous. But what could he possibly be nervous about? They were in a field in the middle of nowhere. The only thing he had to fear would be the unlikely attack of a rogue groundhog, or something of that kind.
"Why are you fidgeting?" Leopold immediately stopped fidgeting to look her in the eye.
"I'm not."
"You are," she replied crossing her arms as she slipped her arm from where it had been around his. "Either tell me or I'll figure it out myself." Leopold raised his eyebrows.
"And how would you do that?" He asked, his hand went again to his pocket. Harriet scowled before elbowing him sharply in the side, causing him to flinch, and giving her the opportunity to reach into his coat pocket and grab what it was he had been holding. Grasping it with her fingers she pulled it out triumphantly until she realized what it was.
There, sitting in her hands, was an emerald and diamond ring. Her eyes widened, and she looked to Leopold for an explanation but he was too busy watching her expression with an amused smile.
"What- is this- why?" She asked, her words jumbled.
"It's an engagement ring, I was hoping, for you. However, I never would've guessed you would be so eager as to steal it from me before I could ask."
"Why would you need to ask?" Harriet said. They had been fond of each other for a while, everyone knew that. She had thought that it was already agreed that they were to be married. Sure, they were courting, but they just hadn't had the wedding yet. Hence why Xenon's mate comments annoyed her. They reminded her constantly of what she wasn't.
"Well, generally that's how it works. Unless of course you don't want to-"
"I do," Harriet cut in before he could finish. He quirked an eyebrow, his smile widening.
"You do?"
"Obviously. Do you think I would've put up with you so long if I didn't?"
"I was unsure. You've never been one for romantic gestures. I thought you were just tolerating me."
"If I was tolerating you, would I do this?"
Before he could say any more, Harriet reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, dragging him down closer to her so she could kiss him. He stayed stock still in shock for a moment before finally responding, moving his lips against hers and wrapping his arms around her waist and tightening them, pulling her closer than they had ever been.
They kissed for a few more seconds before Harriet broke away, a grin on her face that was matched by the man she had just kissed.
"So is that your answer?" Leopold asked, his voice breathless.
"Was it not clear enough? Yes. Of course, it's a yes."
"Are you sure? I mean, I am much older than you and there is a lot of responsibility with being Queen and-"
"For goodness sakes, Leopold, if I was bothered by either of those things you would've known way before now. I love you, got it? Now, would you just shut up and kiss me?"
He did, and an hour or so later, after much talking and dreaming of their future together, they returned to the palace of Ecrivenia hand in hand.
Leopold was right about Clara not minding. Well, at least once she had woken up from fainting at the sight of the emerald and diamond ring on her sister's finger. Needless to say, Harriet and Leopold had been blamed for the lack of work on the birthday preparations that day, but neither of them minded, and once she got over her gushing, Clara didn't either.
The End
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And that's the end of Harriet's story. Well... sort of. More on that in the acknowledgements chapter, so make sure to head on over.
Thanks so much for reading guys!