THE WINTER AND THE CROWN // Harry Styles (#TCTM2)

Crooked House

ANNOUNCEMENT: I've been so busy this week and I have an exam on Friday so there won't be an update next week :'( Chapter 7 will be posted on Friday, September 11, 2020 on Patreon and Wednesday, September 16, 2020 on Tumblr and Wattpad. Love you guys so much! Thank you for loving this story!

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Reyna woke up recalling Harry pulling her from the river and carrying her back to his horse. She recalled his hands on her skin, him whispering words in her ear to keep her from slipping away. It wasn't until reality set in, and she found herself completely naked underneath the fur coat, that she knew it wasn't just a dream.

She'd almost died, and he'd saved her, again.

She propped herself up, her arms shaking. She was in a cave, the horses were there and the fire cast eerie shadows on the walls. Harry was nowhere to be found. She would assume he'd left her here on her own if his sword weren't lying there by their satchels. Outside, the birds were chirping.

How many days had passed?

She flexed her fingers until the numbness went away, secured the coat around herself and gripped a rock for balance as she got to her feet. Her joints cracked and her head spun a little as though there was still water trapped in the hollows of her ears. She thrust her feet into her boots and followed the faint light to the cave entrance, stepping out into the snow.

Her muscles were weak, and the cold almost knocked her over. She put a hand on the wall for support and was thinking about going back inside when Harry emerged through the white branches, shaking the snow off his hair.

He halted when he saw her. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, crossing the space that separated them. He was holding some dry sticks so he must have left the cave to collect them. "Go back inside. It's too cold."

"The air feels good," she said, blinking slowly. He shook his head, his brows knitted as he rested his hand on her shoulder to spin her around, but she took his wrist. "Just let me stand here for a little while."

Harry exhaled as he rolled his eyes and his hand fell away from her shoulder. Her pout had worked like a charm. "Do you feel better?"

She nodded and cleared her throat. "How long was I asleep?"

"Three days." He sighed deeply. "You woke up a few times, but I assume you weren't aware of it."

She wrapped her coat tighter around herself then noticed that his eyes flicked away and a bit of colour brightened his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had to do it. You were...dying."

"I understand." She tried to suppress a smile. It was funny to see him so flustered just from thinking about what had happened. "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," he said, giving a tight smile. "But...why did you go out on the ice?"

"I thought I saw someone," she said, trying to recall what had happened. "I think it was just my mind playing tricks on me." She didn't fully believe that, as she could have sworn the woman had been real until she wasn't. Thankfully, Harry didn't ask more questions about it.

She held onto his arm as they walked back inside the cave. Her legs were still wobbly but she was growing more confident on them. She sat down by the fire, watching him feeding the flame with the sticks he'd collected and fumbling through his satchel for her clothes. He was still blushing when he handed them to her.

"I didn't...k-know how to put them on for you," he said timidly. She bit back a smile as he sat down beside her. Before she could thank him, he went on, "We'll eat and then go back to Isolde, or do you need to rest some more?"