The Prince Of Curses h.s.

Forty three

The following morning I stood outside the front entrance of the castle. 

The dawning air was cool and dewy. My nose was chilled and my cheeks stung against the cold. It made me miss summer, when I didn't have to wait for the sun to rise and heat the earth. 

I was awaiting Harry as I watched servants lifting my trunk into the carriage. I was thankful I didn't have to pack for myself, after last night my magic came crashing down on me in an exhausting wave. I was sluggish when I got to my room and fell asleep right as I plopped onto the bed. 

The entirety of our trip was planned by one of the castle advisors. He gave an organized itinerary to one of the emissaries joining our journey. It would just be Harry and I, accompanied by our own set of staff and guards.

The thick clicking of boots against stone made me turn my head. Harry was in a white long sleeve shirt today, with half his buttons undone, and the rest tucked into a tight pair of black pants. If I thought he looked immaculate in dark colors I was wrong. White seemed to suit him well. He was definitely dressed to devastate. 

It was like the chill of the morning air ignored him completely. His hair was damp and combed like he woke up early enough to have a nice bath. Gold rings encompassed each of his fingers, complimenting the polished thin crown he wore on his head. He was dressed as a true royal, there's no doubt about that. He walked with a stance that alerted even the smallest of prey. His steps were lethal, smooth, and radiated elegance.

All the servants, guards, and workers bowed to him as he passed, but he paid them no mind. His gaze was locked on me.  

"Good morning," he said, he smelled like a mixture of fresh linen and musk. 

"Good morning, your majesty," I curtsied mockingly, earning my first scowl of the day.

He turned to one of the servants, "is everything ready?"

"Yes your grace," the servant replied, "your carriage has been prepared accordingly."

There were three carriages lined up before us, but unmistakenly, Harry's was far grander than the others. His was large and made of gold, needing four horses to pull it instead of the usual two. This was his personal carriage, I was told. Anyone in the kingdom would be able to recognize it.

The inside was adorned with lush dark seating and crimson tapestries that draped over the windows. Harry took his seat across from mine, outstretching his long legs and resting his heel against the base of my seat. I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming around the small area. I had been in a few carriages before, but nothing like this. The carriages I've ridden in were wooden, unenclosed, and were used to transport heavy goods to the bakery.

"I'm only doing this because you requested so," Harry murmured moments after the carriage began moving.

"I know," I replied, drawing back the tapestry and gazing out the window. We were just now passing through the castle gates. I released the fabric and let it fall over the windows once more.

"Do you know which areas were stopping in?" I ran my hand across the fabric of the seat.

"We will go through the middle lands before stopping on the eastern isles, then we will travel north to the ruins of the fallen kingdom, and then stop on the western outlands before making our return," Harry said, his eyes shut and his hands intertwined on his lap. 

"And you've been to these places before?" I edged. 

Harry sighed, popping one eye open to look at me, "Sometime during my long, long, long, overbearing rule, I have made my way throughout most of the kingdom. Most of my journeys were made when I was searching for ways to break my curse."