The Crown (Prince Harry fanfic #5)

Chapter Thirty-Six

The countryside house was another palace, with the long meadows around the grounds and massive rooms. At Kensington Palace, there weren't many maids and butlers, only coming in on certain days, but every day there were maids and butlers. This was a king's palace, and because of that, they were always prepared. This palace was also a historical site, with tourists coming in and out of the grounds. There weren't many tourists on the grounds, and they were placed at the opposite side of the sleeping quarters. Lucy found peace in this at least.

It was April by the time they went to the English countryside, warm enough for everyone. With Henry a little under a month, he slept a lot but Freddie's second birthday was coming up. Freddie had enough energy to run around the palace at a constant speed. Harry was positioned to chase his son everywhere. Nanny came with them, along with some of the bodyguards, but they were mostly stationed elsewhere.

When Henry and Freddie took their naps, Lucy liked to watch as tourists came in and out of the palace. There was a beautiful garden to walk through and some marvelous paintings. There was a massive ballroom to hold Court and balls. In the early days of being here, Harry had shown a secret passage to above the ballroom, where the two looked down on the ballroom. It was a tight squeeze in the small area. Harry thought the area was larger than this, but the last time he was here, he had been young.

Looking down, tourists were gathered inside the ballroom and they danced and laughed. The ballroom was set up like any old-fashioned ball would be, especially when the palace was used frequently. There were old dresses set on manikins and some tables were set out with old china. Even orchestra music played in the background. Harry pointed at some of the young tourists who danced as if they were at a ball.

Now, Lucy watched the tourists come in and out of the palace. She had a good view of them from the opposite side of the palace, looking at the entrance. Harry came up beside her, putting his chin to her should and watching outside too.

"Nanny will watch the kids," he said. "We could do a few other things."

"What did you have in mind?"

"That you would say yes, because I already got them ready."

"What are you talking about, Weasley?"

"Do you want to go riding?"

Lucy changed into some tighter clothes and her riding shoes. Pulling her hair back, she went downstairs and found Harry ready to go. He also wore his riding boots. He escorted outside, where two horses awaited. Harry, obviously, was better trained horseman than Lucy, especially since he played polo for most of his life. Still, he played polo and he neared his fortieth birthday. Lucy had gotten better over the years of being with Harry, but she still wasn't great. Also, Lucy wasn't scared of many things but she was skiddish around horses. Personally, Lucy had never been bucked off but Harry had.

Starting out slow on the horse, it was a nice trot as they left the close meadows surroundings the palace. Both wore helmets as they left those grounds and moved into more freedom of ground. Once exiting the beautiful meadows for flatter ground, Harry kicked off and his stallion rode quickly. Lucy wasn't quick to catch up as Harry breathed in the fresh air. His horse was fast as it ran around a tree and then came back to Lucy's trotting horse.

"You didn't say race ya," she said.

"I knew I would win anyway," Harry laughed. "There was no point. Did you want to race?"

"God no. I plan on not falling off the horse today, thank you."

"You wouldn't fall off."

Her eyes slid over to him.

"Or knowing you, you might." His horse trotted around Lucy. "How does it feel, you know," he grunted and his eyes went down a bit, "down there?"

"Piss off."

Harry laughed again. His horse jerked slightly and his hands tightened on the reins.

"Be careful there, Harry, or you'll be bucked off today."

"No." His hand pet the brown horse. "We're old friends. She wouldn't do that to me."

Lucy scoffed, and then made her horse move just a little faster. It wasn't as fast as Harry, and his horse didn't have a problem keeping up, but it was fast enough for Lucy. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her hair sailed in the wind like a flag. She tried to keep her body up, her legs straight, so that her body wouldn't constantly fall against the back of the horse. Eventually she got used to the idea. Her legs felt like jelly.

Harry pulled up beside her, and it was like Lucy saw the future. His horse put her head down and Harry rolled off, hitting the ground with his body. Air left his lungs. But his head was okay because of the helmet. Harry sat on the ground as Lucy smirked at her husband. Most wives would've ran over to make sure their husband was all right, and then there was Lucy. Her face was basically said, "I told you so."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he waved off.

"You're good." Lucy pet her own horse.

His horse waited beside him, not even embarrassed or ashamed of what it did. Perhaps next time, Harry would've given the animal some treats before being a jerk. Harry pet his horse and spoke in a soothing tone. Eventually, he was allowed on his horse again.

"Then we trot."

The horses, side by side, moved along calmly. Harry itched to move faster, but when he tried anything, Lucy's gaze swept over to him with a smirk of "I told you so." After Harry fell into the groove beside his wife, it was sooth sailing.  Lucy joked around about the horses, and he eventually laughed. No matter how much he pouted and looked sad, his wife always managed to make him happy again. She babbled on about something and Harry listened quietly. When he put something into the conversation, both of them ended up laughing so hard that they held onto their reins tightly.

Harry had chosen a peaceful spot within the plains and the horses nibbled on the grass. He laid down and Lucy put her head to his chest. His heartbeat was strong and even. Harry's arms curled around her body, holding her close. It was a sunny day, with a few clouds in the sky. They watched as the clouds blew past. Harry drew circles on Lucy's exposed skin, followed the ridges of her scars.

They laid there for a long time, just in each others arms. The sun moved across the sky, and Harry was the only one to keep time. The kids would've been looked after, as Harry planned a getaway for them. In these moments in absolute peace, Harry learned more about Lucy than he ever had during these moments. She talked about her past, when she was young, and there were always stories yet untold. The same went with Harry, where he shared stories of his past. They could've stayed like that forever.