My Sweet Flower - Larry Stylinson

2

Many days later Louis set out on a journey, and Harry was left alone. Louis had left in the morning and the pair had parted ways with whispered prayers and soft touches, you see Louis had left to make his fortune overseas so that he could keep his precious flower safe, Harry had been hesitant about letting his newfound love go so soon but he could see it was what Louis wanted to do, so he let him go no matter how much it hurt him- but only after he promised to return safely and soon.

Louis had laughed and agreed "My sweet flower nothing could stop me from returning to you not even the whole king's army." Harry had smiled pulling him into a sweet kiss, he could see his whole world before him despite being just shy of seventeen, but he let it go.

The tragic part comes when you realise that Harry knew just how dangerous this journey would be, he knew the odds that Louis may never return but like anyone else you never think that it's going to happen to you, until, well, until it does.

That paper scroll was delivered, stamped with the royal navy crest, and baring the detailed news of a pirate attack on the vessel his Louis had been on. Harry was heartbroken as he read the official letter with shaking hands, after he didn't sleep or eat for days and he cried and cried until a small part of him deep inside his heart shattered, sometimes you could hope, because some people did survive these things, but he had no cause to hope because he knew that the dreaded Pirate Roberts had no survivors and took no captives, it just didn't happen, ever.

His Louis was gone, and he could have stopped it.

Years passed and Harry waited, he waited for five years hoping his Louis would come back, return from a place he knew not where it was or whether he was ok. Every year on Louis' birthday Harry would join the Christmas eve festivities to remember the way Louis had looked in the candle light that shone from every window and that's where all his problems started.

Harry was in town for the Christmas eve event hosted by the castle, a smile plastered on his face even though everything reminded him of Louis, the brightly lit stalls, the icy blue decoration scattered through the village market.

He had a heavy cloak on to protect him from the cold but on his way through a gap between the stalls he had a firm grip pulled around his arms as he was hoisted backwards into an alleyway where he had a scratchy potato sack thrown over his head he yelled and something hit him hard in the head causing him to completely blackout.

As he came to, he began to realise his surroundings, he was in a bright space with deep red flooring- certainly nowhere he had ever been before. He was pulled to his feet as a scroll was forced into his hands it was similar to the one he had received once before but instead stamped with the reds and golds of the royal crest. The writing was swirly and very fancy especially in Harry's eyes. He skimmed over what it read the smile on his face dropping further and further but there was no flame of hope to extinguish anymore.

The letter was that of a betrothal, and not an optional one. It was made out to sound prestigious as if he was lucky but as far as Harry could see he was about to get imprisoned when he would never love anyone else ever again.

You see the country had a 500th anniversary coming up and the king to be would soon marry, marry anyone of his choice. Unluckily for Harry he was the choice. A move that Harry assumed was to make the royalty look better. Marry a peasant boy, show everyone as equals and all that nonsense.

He gave up, he would have partial freedom, but he would have to live at the castle and dress as a royal and follow the rules.

Only days after that Harry found he was being presented to the public as not only Harry, but the new prince and the kings partner to be, but Harry was empty he could only think of what Louis would say if he could see him now, sat there with the scratchy brocade clothes fit for a prince, Harry positively despised the idea of it.

He was dressed as the depiction of masculine and certainly had a few words to say to his future husband about scratchy collars. Even the thought of marrying made him nauseous, he was Louis' this felt wrong but yet he had no choice.

The only joy that Harry now got was from his daily rides into the forest, far away from the eyes of servants and people and into the open space he once called his home, he had only visited back home once to retrieve Buttercup but other than that he was not prohibited to.