𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑿𝑽𝑰𝑰, 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

December 19, 2022

The days at the palace had been quite chaotic. The princes kept having meetings, making Victoria feel sadder and sadder, and seeing her parents made her want to cry all the time. She thought about writing to her uncle, although she had been told it would be better to pass on the idea. The princess believed that if she talked to Harry she could talk some sense into him, as they had always been best friends.

She went to her parents' bedroom to look for her iPhone. She opened her mother's shoe cupboard and inside the green hiking boots was her salvation. She smiled as she always kept it in the same place. As soon as she turned it on she could see the 20 messages from Maya, although they were more surprised to see that she had messages from Andrew, she was about to read them but she remembered that she was in her parents' room —Victoria, focus— she repeated to herself as she went to contacts to look for her uncle's number, but when she was about to dial it she came back to reality. She thought about the conversation she had had with her parents a few days ago, so she decided to talk to them. She didn't want to fight with them again. She left the phone in the same place and waited until they were both free to talk.

—I want to talk to uncle— the bombshell blurted out as her parents were having tea. They looked at her in disbelief and William began to shake his head as he repeated —No— a couple of times. —I can talk some sense into him— the teenager tried to explain but her father interrupted her —Vic please. I love you but you have to stop— said the future king. He knew his firstborn was worried, but he had already been told that they would work it out. The chestnut sighed in defeat and nodded. They would never leave her, so she thought she would do it herself —I have to— she thought over and over again, pacing the corridors.

She began to write down all her feelings in a red notebook given to her last Christmas. Many tears escaped her eyes as she wrote the five most painful front and back pages of her life. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what to do next. She didn't have much time to think, though, as a light knock on the door began. She jumped up to put her notebook in a drawer and went to open the door while wiping her tears —Your father is looking for you sweetheart— said her nanny Maria with a smile while Victoria nodded a bit confused —All right?— she had been her caregiver since she was eight months old and knew her all too well. —I'm great— she lied, putting on her best smile before heading for her father's office.

—Were you looking for me?— she asked as she saw him concentrating on reading some papers. He looked up and nodded, pointing to a seat opposite him. William sighed before he began to speak. —Grandfather has summoned me to a reunion at Buckingham. And I wondered if you wanted to come— the prince said. His firstborn was growing up and he knew she wanted to come with him, especially if it was to talk about Harry. But he didn't expect her reaction, she stood there frozen in place. —If you don't want to come, that's fine, it's not an obligation— he said as he stood up from his seat, pulling Victoria out of her trance, —I want to come— she said with conviction, looking into her father's eyes, who nodded with a smile —Thank you— she hugged him tightly before running off to get ready.

Catherine was not happy with her husband's decision. Although William had told her it would only be a small meeting for tea with the King, she was still not convinced. —We are leaving— said the future King, bidding farewell to his wife, who only murmured a small, almost indistinguishable —Good— making him sigh, —Everything will be fine. Trust me— he said, wrapping his arms around her to give her a small kiss on her right cheek. The Princess of Wales nodded and said goodbye to them, but something inside her told her that it was not going to be alright. She tried to forget that thought and went with her other children to play cards.

Arriving at the majestic Buckingham Castle Victoria had always been impressed by its corridors filled with works of art and antiques, including paintings, sculptures, tapestries and period furniture. Whenever she walked through the place she could sense the castle's importance to her family and the British. So it was inevitable that he felt a sense of pride. —Grandfather— she curtsied after giving him two kisses on the cheeks. William did the same and the trio took their seats. —We missed you at the concert— said the King to his eldest granddaughter, who gave him a rueful smile, —I'm sorry— she apologised, causing her grandfather to shake his head, —Health first, my dear— replied the man.

Victoria was silent for most of the conversation as she could feel the tension between her grandfather and her father —We should strip them of their titles— said William a little upset. The King shook his head, —That is not the solution William— he replied much calmer than his first born. Harry was also his son and he loved him unconditionally. Seeing the attitude of the adults gave the princess pause for thought: she thought about her relationship with her siblings and came to the conclusion that she would never come to that point with her siblings. She loved them with all her heart. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice when the adults started shouting —Stop it— muttered the teenager with tears in her eyes, but none of them heard her —Stop it!— she exclaimed louder than she intended, leaving them surprised. —I'm sorry Kika— William apologised. For a moment he forgot that his daughter was standing next to him.

—Let me talk to him— Victoria asked with pleading eyes. The two men were thoughtful. They thought a 14-year-old girl couldn't solve anything. —All right— said her grandfather, eliciting a big smile from the teenager. They hugged goodbye. —I'll go to Windsor when I get back from holiday, so we can have tea after your lessons— her grandfather announced, making her nod with a smile. She loved spending time with her grandfather.

The ride in the car was silent, Victoria knew her father was not happy so she tried not to disturb him and kept quiet. Seeing William like that made the princess vow to make things right with Harry so they could go back to being the family they were. —I'm sorry I lost my temper. You shouldn't have seen that— the man apologised, looking at her for a second before turning his attention back to the road, —It's all right— she replied, giving him a half-smile, and all went quiet again until they reached the palace.

William went to talk to his wife while the teenager waited in the living room, playing palms with her little sister, —Can I have a talk?— asked Kate, coming up behind her. Victoria sighed and nodded. Charlotte got the message and left the room, leaving them alone. The Duchess sat down next to the teenager before she began to speak, —You need to think very carefully about what you are going to say— she handed her phone to her, leaving her stunned. She hadn't expected that reaction from her mother. —Mmm... I want to wait a bit to talk to him— Victoria confessed handing over the iPhone but the brunette shook her head, —Then talk to your friends— she replied with a smile making the young princess' blue eyes light up —Thank you— she said giving her a big hug before running off to her room to talk to Maya. That didn't happen often so she had to take advantage of it.

William and Catherine were quite relieved that their firstborn would not immediately speak to Harry as they believed he would think things over. But the thought was still on Victoria's mind, she just had to think of a way to get Harry back to the UK. She came to the conclusion that this was not a good time and that she would have to do a lot of things first.

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I hope you liked the chapter. Sorry for any mistakes I may have made.
Thanks for reading!! 🤍🤍

-𝑨. 𝑱