Taming the Dragon - H.S. - Harry Styles (AU)

Chapter 2

London, England, 1820

They'd called him the Dolphin. He'd called her the Brat. Princess Darya didn't know why her guardian's son Harry had the nickname of a sea creature, but she certainly knew the reason behind his nickname for her. She'd earned it. She really had been a brat when she was a little girl. The only time Harry and his older brother, Louis, had been in her company she had misbehaved horribly. Granted, she had been very young and was quite spoiled. She'd always been doted upon by relatives and servants alike. Luckily, her parents were both very patient in nature and they ignored her obnoxious behaviour until she finally outgrew throwing temper tantrums and learned a bit of restraint.

Darya had been quite young when her parents took her with them to England for a short visit. She only had a vague memory of the Duke and Duchess of Lancastershire, didn't remember the daughters at all, and only had a hazy recollection of their sons, Louis and Harry. They were both giants in her mind, as both were older and taller than she. She was certain she wouldn't be able to recognize either of them in a crowd today. She hoped Harry had forgotten her past behaviour as well as the fact that he'd nicknamed her "the Brat". Getting along with Harry would make everything so much easier to endure. The two duties she was about to undertake were going to be difficult, so having a safe haven at the end of each day was important.

She arrived in England on a dreary Monday morning and had immediately been taken to the Duke of Lancastershire's country estate. Darya wasn't feeling well but believe her queasy stomach was due to anxiety. She felt better quickly once she was welcomed with affection and care by the family. Both the Duke and Duchess demonstrated over the following month that she was considered one of their own. This eased Darya's nervousness tremendously and she quickly got over her feeling of awkwardness. She wasn't treated any differently by the family nor given any special consideration due to her circumstances of being an orphan or because of the threat from the General. She was treated fairly and allowed to speak her mind. There was only one lasting disagreement between Darya and her guardian. He and the Duchess were going to escort her to London and open their town house for the season. Darya was eager to get to London and arranged many appointments with business associates of her late father. But just a few days before they were scheduled to leave for the city, both the Duke and Duchess became very ill.

Darya wanted to go alone. She insisted she didn't want to be a bother to anyone and suggested she rent her own town house for the season. The Duchess had heart palpitations at the mere thought, but Darya stubbornly held her ground. She reminded her guardian she was an adult and she was capable of taking care of herself. The Duke refused to hear such talk. The debate raged for days. In the end it was decided that Darya would take up residence with Louis and his wife, Eleanor, while she was in London.

Unfortunately, the day before she was supposed to arrive, both Louis and Eleanor came down with the same mysterious illness currently afflicting the Duke and Duchess and their four daughters.

The only choice remaining was Harry. If Darya hadn't already scheduled so many appointments with her father's associates, she would have stayed in the country until her guardians recovered. She didn't want to disturb Harry, especially after his father told her of the terrible past two years he'd had. She imagined the last thing Harry needed now was chaos. Still, the Duke had been insistent that Darya avail herself of Harry's hospitality and it wouldn't have been polite for her to go against her guardian's wishes. Besides, living with Harry for a few days might make the request she had to make of him easier.

She arrived on Harry's doorstep a little past the dinner hour. He'd already gone out for the evening. Darya, her new lady's maid, and two trusted guards crowded into the narrow foyer to present her note from the Duke to Harry's butler, a handsome young man named Niall. The surprise of her arrival obviously rattled him. He kept bowing to her, blushing to the roots of his blonde hair and Darya wasn't certain how to ease his discomfort.