Harry’s father, the king of the fae world, has declared their world in crisis. The fae population is quickly dwindling. The only way to help their people is to bring over people from the human world. Sybil, a woman from the human world is trapped in the fae world. The king has chosen her to marry Prince Harry to set an example.
(Note: Some aspects of this story may be triggering to some people. Each chapter will be tagged with warnings, but as of right now, the general warnings are: Kidnapping/ Holding someone against their will, violence, sexual themes (not explicitly stated). I will do my best to update this list as well!)
[Image Alt ID: a four picture collage with a black background. The first picture is of sun shining though the tops of trees onto a forest floor. The second picture is of a girl with black hair in a white dress. She is standing in front of a lake or pond. She is looking off into the distance. The third picture is of two hands touching some vines on a tree. The final picture is a close up of a girl. Her curly, dark hair is over her face. You can see her lips, chin, and neck. There is a white text block across the middle that reads “arranged to be yours” End Alt ID]
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Masterlist Series Part 4 Part 6
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7.8k words
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Sybil meets other lands royalty, Harry and Sybil spend the night together before their wedding, and they get married.
Warnings: SMUT (fingering, p in v sex, unprotected sex,) mentions of past sexual experiences (non-consensual) fuck James, crying.
Sybil stretches for a moment before opening her eyes to Harry rolling a tray beside of her side of the bed.
“Good morning Princess.” Harry says gently as she finishes her stretch.
“Good morning.” She says groggily.
“We got a big day today, so I thought we could have breakfast in bed together before we had to go and introduce you to the other lands leaders.”
“Okay.” Is all Sybil said, sleep still clouding her mind. Harry smiles at her as she rubs her eyes of the sleep, trying to make herself become more awake. Sybil is grateful for the sweet gesture, but desperately wishes she had coffee. She wants to go steal some from her world to have with her breakfast.
Sybil sits up and sees a plate of food for each of them. She takes one and Harry sits in front of her on the bed. They eat slowly, savoring the time they get to spend in bed wearing their most comfortable clothes.
The two weeks they got to spend together was not long enough. At least it didn’t feel that way. When Harry and Sybil finish their plates, Harry wraps his arms around Sybil and brings her to his lap. She rests her head in the crook of his neck as he plants small pecks on her hair.
“Can we stay like this? I’m not ready to go.” Sybil asks, already knowing the answer.
“I’m not either. These meetings make me nervous.”
“Nervous? If they make you nervous then I’m going to-“
“They are good people, I just get anxious because I don’t want to say or do the wrong thing. I want to make good impressions when I meet them. One day my dad is going to pass and I’m going to have to deal with them as this land’s king. I want them to take me seriously and not see me as some stuck up, mean person.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great. You study their cultures and learn their history. You’re always polite and you care so much about everyone. And you’ll make a great king. And if worst comes to worst, I’ll be beside you and can help. I’ll be there to support you through everything.” Sybil says to him. She looks up at him and meets his eyes, giving him a reassuring smile.
“You’ll make a great queen.” Harry says in return. Not that I want anything bad to happen to my dad of course, but when the time comes.” Harry tells her. He places a kiss on her lips before they both have to get up and get dressed.
Today is not a day for one of her favorite pastel colored dresses. Today, she has to dress up. Play the part. Look her best. This will be her first impression to these other lands that she has no idea about. Harry has tried to give her a run down, but she struggles to remember.
Sybil walks out of their room and to the tailor’s room. The tailor has a rack of dresses spanning the length of the wall. When she sees Sybil walk in, she rushes over to the rack and picks out a single dress. Sybil steps into the dress and the tailor zips it up. The dress fits perfectly. It’s a flowing dress that reaches the floor. It’s baby blue and has thin straps.
After the dress is secured onto her, the tailor sits her in a chair and styles her hair into a beautiful half ponytail.
Another woman walks in and does some light makeup on Sybil’s face and makes her stand in front of the mirror. She puts a silver chain around Sybil’s neck, a small stone attached to the necklace.
“Now remember to smile.” She says. “Smiles can go a long way. This is very important, but you’ve got this.” The makeup artist says before one final check of her clothes, makeup, and posture. She walks out in the hallway to be met my Harry, dressed up in his best clothes, a golden crown adorned with jewels upon his head.
Harry looks at you and his face turns a shade of red. Sybil’s face goes darker than his does.
“You look so beautiful.” Harry says as he approaches her.
“You as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so formal.”
“That’s because I hate wearing formal clothes. They are always so tight and uncomfortable.” He says, trying to pull at the fabric. It doesn’t stretch and Harry chuckles.
“I’m sorry. Maybe we will get lucky and they won’t want to meet for long.” Sybil tries to comfort him. Harry takes her hand and leads her to his father’s office.
Upon walking in, Ace is dressed up similar to Harry. A bigger crown on his head.
“Our guests will be arriving at their cabins intermittently throughout the day. Are you guys ready to go?” Ace asks them. They both nod their heads. Ace and some guards lead them outside where a carriage with no wheels sets. Sybil looks confused at the large cart sits on the ground. Ace and Harry don’t blink an eye. The open the door and climb in. Sybil follows behind.
“How is this going to move?” Sybil whispers to Harry. Harry gives her a small smile. He points out of the glass to guards who walk two animals to the cart. They are unlike any animal Sybil has ever seen. They are small and furry, and also have wings.
The guards attach them to the front of the cart. The cart begins to feel weightless as it lifts into the air. Sybil clutches Harry’s arm, startled at the feeling. Harry is nervous about being in the air, but comforts Sybil the best that he can. He puts his arm around her and holds her close. Sybil looks out of the window of the cart and sees that they are high above the trees.
“We’re flying?” She says, a mix of nervousness and excitement. She watches out of the window as things fly past them in a blur. Harry looks at her, forgetting his anxiety at her excitement and curiosity.
Harry knows that if she loves this, she’s going to love her wings even more. She’s going to love flying, and Harry’s going to have to learn to love it for her. She looks so happy. She’s so beautiful he thinks.
Ace can feel Harry’s magic, just like Adeline could. Ace smiles, and Harry doesn’t even notice. He’s too focused on her.
When they begin to land, Sybil comes away from the window and looks at Harry who can’t hide his ridiculously wide smile.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Harry lies. “Are you ready?” He asks her, her anxiety coming back to the surface.
“As ready as I can be.”
“Just be yourself. They want to meet you. You’re going to do great. I believe in you.”
“I do too.” Ace chimes in. “You’re going to be just fine.” He tells her and she takes a deep breath. They step out of the cart to be greeted by a woman in a huge, puffy, green dress. She’s tall and her hair flows all the way to her legs.
“Good morning your majesty.”
“Good morning Ace. Lovely to see you again.” She says, hugging the king. Ace hugs her briefly before she makes her way over to Harry and Sybil.
“Harry, a pleasure as always.” She says as she wraps him into a hug. “And who might this be? The bride to be?”
“Queen Pandora, this is my fiancée, Sybil.” Harry introduces her. She’s slightly worried about her name being given out so freely, but if Harry trusts them, how bad can they be?
Pandora wraps her arms around Sybil. Sybil hugs her back and then extends her hand. Queen Pandora gladly takes her hand and gives it a a shake.
“A human tradition?” Pandora asks Harry and he nods. Shaking hands must not be a normal thing here? Sybil questions in her mind.
“I’m Sybil. It’s nice to meet you.” Sybil says nervously, but confidently.
“You as well. How lucky you are that you came over to this world and Prince Harry chose you?” She says, not knowing the true story.
“I’m very lucky. Harry is the sweetest.” Sybil says, lying about her arrival here. She could almost feel Ace’s relief at her hiding the truth.
“I know he is. Once upon a time I tried to arrange for my daughter to marry him, but things didn’t work out. It was for the best as she is happily married now.” Pandora says, keeping the conversation going.
“That’s right. How is Anastasia doing?” Harry asks, making jealousy paint Sybil’s features for a small moment. She quickly fixes her face when she realizes what she has done.
“She’s great. She’s married, like I said. They are expecting their first child soon.” She says. “Hopefully all goes well, given the curse.”
“Of course. Best wishes to her.” Sybil says, hoping Pandora didn’t see her attitude moments ago. Harry put his hand on the small of her back, knowing that she is confused about his prior arrangement.
“Shall we go inside?” Ace says, motioning to the luxurious cabin with guards posted outside.
“Of course.” Pandora leads them inside. It’s a large cabin, guards carry in a few cases of her belongings. Everyone finds a seat.
“So, Harry, what’s it like? You’re going to be a married man tomorrow!” Pandora expresses her excitement. Pandora’s kingdom and Ace’s have been allies and even good friends for a long time.
“I’m excited. And we hope you’ll want to come back for her transformation.” Harry suggests.
“Of course. I’m only a short carriage fly away. I bet you’re excited for your magic Sybil.”
“I am. I’m a little nervous to fly, but it was anything like the ride here, I’m sure I’ll love it.” She says.
“It will make you nervous at first but I’m sure you’ll be flying around here in no time.” Pandora says.
There’s more light banter as they all sit together in the cabin. Eventually, Ace reminds them that they have others to greet and that they need to go.
“It was nice meeting you Sybil. I imagine I’ll be seeing you at our meetings from now on?”
“I’ll be there.” She says, confirming that she is going to play an active role in their government. They walk out of the cabin and enter the flying carriage again. When the door closes and they begin to rise into the air, Sybil takes a deep breath.
“You did good. I knew you would.” Harry says, taking her hand.
“The day has only just begun. And am I not supposed to shake hands?”
“You can if you’d like, but it’s not common here. It’s definitely a tell that you’re from the other world.”
“I didn’t know that. I’ll just keep my hands to myself.” She said, getting softer as her sentence continued. Ace sits quietly across from them and observes.
“You don’t have to.” Harry repeats.
“I also didn’t know you were going to marry her daughter before I came along.” Sybil mentions her earlier jealousy.
“That was my fault.” Ace chimes in. “Harry was only 14. She kept insisting they marry to unite us across the water for trade purposes, but I didn’t like to think of Harry married at 14. I made her a trade deal instead.”
“Yeah. Don’t think I couldn’t see your jealousy.” Harry told her.
“I did my best to hide my face.” She says, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
“Nobody else noticed. I just know how you are. I didn’t like Ana like that.” He reassures her.
“But you have a nickname?” Sybil asks and Ace laughs.
“We were friends, and I was 14. You’re the only girl I want. That I’ll ever want.” Harry assures her.
Sybil smiles at this statement and looks out of the window. Ace gives Harry a discreet sign of approval. Harry chuckles slightly.
Sybil’s nerves calm as she watches trees turn into water to the next cabin that the king has let people stay in. Her nerves amp up as they begin to land.
Harry takes her hand and walks her out of the carriage to the door of the cabin. Ace knocks and the door swings open almost immediately as if the person on the other side was waiting for them to get there.
“Good morning King Asher.” Ace says, bowing at him. Asher stands taller than Ace, with broad shoulders. His hair and beard is black, speckling with gray. He is dressed in casual black pants and a gray long sleeve top.
“Good morning Ace! How have you been?” He asks, motioning us to come in.
“I’ve been good. Asher, you’ve met my son Harry.”
“Good morning Harry.”
“And this is Sybil, Harry’s fiancée.”
“Hello Sybil. It’s nice to meet you. Congratulations on getting married tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Sybil says, keeping her words simple as not to embarrass herself again.
“So what is this introduction for Ace? Normally we just meet and do what we need to do.”
“We just wanted to greet all of the royalty that will be attending Harry’s wedding, and let them know of a small part of the wedding.”
“Okay…” he says, waiting for Ace to finish. Harry pipes in to explain it.
“Sybil is human. And we felt it was important to note that she will be human until after the wedding when we can do a proper transformation ceremony for her.” Harry explains, getting right to the point. Asher doesn’t like to mess around.
Asher seemed slightly confused at Harry’s statement. “How will she give you her magic? That’s a vital part of our people’s marriage.”
“We know, which is why it will happen at the transformation ceremony. We wanted to explain so there wasn’t questions at the wedding.”
“I guess that makes sense. Prepare ahead of time for the questions.”
“We have messengers letting our people know.” Ace tells him and he nods.
“Good. Wouldn’t want any people being surprised by this. This is big. I don’t know that our people have ever done this before.”
“We know it’s unusual. We just wanted to emphasize in a way, that she is human. You know our population is dwindling more and more. Me having a human wife who then transforms into one of us might encourage more fae to encourage humans over to our land.” Harry explains.
“That makes sense.” Asher says after taking a moment to think it over. Sybil stands there quietly, hiding her truth once again. She didn’t choose to come here. She wasn’t encouraged, but she doesn’t say anything. She may not have chose this before, but she chooses this now. She chooses Harry.
Ace ends the meeting with Asher soon after that conversation. They climb back in the carriage and go on their way. There are 3 more people to meet, and already Sybil is exhausted. Putting on her fake smiles to hide the anxiety is taking a toll on her. She is ready to just go home and lay in bed in one of Harry’s shirts.
They go through these three meetings, explaining the same things the same way to them as they did to Pandora and Asher. When they climb in the carriage after those three meetings, Sybil lets her smile fall from her face. They take their seats in the box and get lifted into the air again.
“You alright?” Harry asks her, noticing her shift in moods.
“I’m tired. This took a lot out of me.” She admits to him.
“I know. I’m sorry. We can go home and relax if you want to? I can run you a bath to help you relax.”
“That sounds amazing.” She says, letting her hand join Harry’s and her head rest on his shoulder.
“It’s a little bit of a ride back to the castle. You can take a nap here. I’ll hold you.”
“Are you sure?” Sybil asks him. Harry gives her a nod with a smile. She lays on his chest as his arms wrap around her. She closes her eyes and falls asleep on the way back.
After Ace is sure that she is asleep, evident by her light snoring, he whispers to Harry, “She did an amazing job. She seems to be doing well with everything. And you’re doing so good with her too.”
Harry smiles at his dad and then looks down at her. “I’m just glad she feels safe now. She spent a while here feeling unsafe and not being able to use her name. I just want her to be happy.” He tells him. Ace smiles at him as the ride continues. “She’s going to make an amazing princess. She’s been studying so much just to make sure she’s good for the people here. She’s been practicing every day the writing that she’s being taught. She cares so much about this place.”
“I’m glad. She seems good for you Harry. You do seem happier. Brighter.”
“She makes me so happy dad. I love her so much.” Harry says. The carriage soon lands, and Harry hates to wake Sybil after such a long day. He gently sits her up so he can stand. He picks her up, her head lying on his chest, and carries her inside.
He lays her down on the bed, takes off her shoes, and lets her sleep a little while longer. After a while, she wakes up confused.
“When did we come inside?” She asks, sleep thick in her voice. Harry smiles at her and walks to her side. She notices he is in comfier clothes from earlier. She looks down and she is still in her dress.
“You were just so tired. I carried you in and let you sleep a while longer. I know how anxious you were today and how tired it can make you, so I wanted you to rest. I can still run you that bath and get you some dinner after if you want to?”
“Yes please.” She said. She rubs her eyes of sleep.
“I’ll be right back.” Harry says. He steps into the bathroom and turns on the water to get it warm. He begins to fill the bath with hot water and soap. He lights a few candles in the bathroom and turns off the lights. Harry comes back and Sybil is struggling to get out of her dress.
“Can I have your help Harry? I can’t get out of this dress.” She says to him.
“Sure.” He says, slightly anxious. She has always gotten undressed and dressed in a different room or she had him turn around. Now she’s asking for help undressing. He doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
Harry steps over to her and gently grabs the zipper. Sybil’s breath catches, but she hopes that Harry doesn’t hear it. Harry’s heart is pounding too loud in his ears to hear much of anything.
Harry slowly pulls the zipper down, his knuckles brushing down her spine softly. Goosebumps follow in his wake. When the zipper is to the bottom of her back, Harry feels frozen in place. He knows he should move, but he can’t. Sybil doesn’t want him to. She shrugs the straps of the dress off of her shoulders.
Harry is in shock at her movement, her shoulders bare in front of him.
“Do- do you want me to help you the rest of the way?” He asks nervously. Sybil has never seen Harry so nervous before, but it’s making her feel the same in the best way.
“Is it okay if I say yes?”
“Of course.” Harry says, trying to gain back his confidence. Harry’s hands slide up to where the dress has fallen off of her shoulders. He slowly pulls it down, revealing that there is nothing underneath. He pauses for a moment.
“The bra was built in the dress. I don’t have anything to cover up. I don’t mind, but I don’t know if you do.” She says shyly.
“Only if you’re comfortable.” Harry tells her. Sybil nods. Harry continues sliding the dress off. Once it’s past her hips, the dress falls to the floor, leaving her in only her jewelry and underwear. Sybil steps out of the dress and turns around to face Harry.
As polite of a gentleman that Harry is, he can’t help but let his gaze travel over her breasts. He looks at them and then back up to meet her eyes. “Are you ready to bath? The water is filling up as we speak.” He tells her and she nods.
She walks ahead of Harry and into the bathroom. She wants to speak on how sweet the candles and bubbles are but the words are stuck in her throat. She slides her underwear off, takes off her jewelry, and climbs in the water. Harry watches her as she sits down, the water coming up to her chest. Harry turns the faucet off and the bathroom becomes silent.
“Was it too soon?” Sybil asks after a moment of the eerie silence.
“What?” Harry asks, confused.
“I should have just bothered the tailor to get undressed. It was probably too soon and I made you see me-“
“No, Sybil. Not at all. It’s not that I wasn’t ready, I’m just so nervous about doing something you don’t like. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You don’t. That’s why I didn’t mind. You’re the only person here that I can trust one hundred percent.” Sybil admits and the hot water relaxes her tensed muscles.
Harry doesn’t respond immediately. He sits down on the floor of the bathroom and brings his knees up to his chest. “I love you Sybil.” Heat rises to both of their faces.
“I love you too Harry.” Sybil tells him without hesitation. Sybil leans back in the tub and closes her eyes. She takes a while longer in the bath, letting the stress from the day leave her body. When it’s time, she drains the tub and grabs a towel.
“Can I?” Harry asks, putting his hand out. Sybil handed him the towel. Harry came up behind her and started with her hair. He gently got all of the excess water out of her hair before moving on to her neck. Harry was careful, remembering her experiences with James and not wanting to take her back to that place. He moved to her arms, and then to her chest. Sybil’s breath catches again, and Harry heard it this time. Harry took his time moving the towel down her stomach and to her legs. When she was dry, he put the towel on the rack.
Just as Harry was about to grab her a set of pajamas to sleep in, Sybil grabs his hand and stops him. Harry looks over at her.
“I- um…” she says, her words getting caught up in her throat. “I don’t want to get dressed.” She finally speaks. “Tomorrow, it’s going to be a whirlwind. We are getting married in front of the whole kingdom…I’m giving all of my life to you and the kingdom tomorrow. Tonight I want to give you a small part of me for only you. I can’t give you magic like you’re going to give me, but this is yours.”
Harry instantly caught on to what she was talking about, but he wanted to make sure. He put his hand down and turned to her. Her hand never left his. She intertwined their fingers and walked to the bed. She climbed up onto the mattress and waited for Harry to join her.
“I don’t want you to be nervous about touching me. I can tell you’re really nervous.” She tells him as his hands shake. “I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break.”
“It’s just…” Harry struggles for the words, not wanting to say his name. Sybil’s eyes dart back and forth, searching Harry’s to find what he can’t say.
“Is it James?” She asks softly and Harry nods. She remembers vividly what the magic felt like on her throat, the breath leaving her before she passed out. The way he used to come in her room, his intent to get his way, to ‘see if a human was the same’. ‘To make you feel good’. She does her best to rid her mind of the thought.
“I just don’t want to make you feel like he did. That happened under my watch. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Sybil grabs his hands and hold them close to her. Harry’s heart races in his chest, his palms sweaty, but Sybil doesn’t mind.
“Harry, I don’t blame you for what happened. I’m not afraid of you hurting me. You could never. I can’t even picture you ever being so malicious and hurtful the way he was.” She says and the last sentence feels like a stab to Harry’s chest. He knows she is complimenting him and comforting him, but she revealed more about how James was to her. She’s been silent on the specifics of what James did, other than her slip up of him touching her. That’s all Harry knew, but it was enough to know. It was enough to know that it was sexual.
Sybil can see the worry furrowed in his brows. She took her thumb and brushed it over the lines etched onto his face. His face instantly softened. Sybil put her lips onto his and that’s all it took to make James fly from Harry’s mind. Of course he was still worried, but her lips were on his, his hands finding her body, Sybil flooding his mind. He lays her back on the mattress.
A soft moan escaped Sybil’s body under Harry’s gentle touch. His touch was so soft as if she was going to run at a moments notice. She wasn’t, but she wasn’t going to convince Harry of that. She let him lead, as not to push him into something he doesn’t want. Harry’s hands make their way to her breast, palming it in his hand while the other softly grips her hip, her skin on fire under his fingertips.
Harry’s heart was racing out of his chest again, but in a good way. Their tongues danced as his hands roamed. Harry hand inched farther down her stomach and to the most sensitive area on her body. Her mouth opened with soft moans that were music to Harry’s ears. Sybil couldn’t help but to be a little loud with how good his hand felt rubbing circles on her.
Harry’s hand found her core and he slid one finger in easily, her already wet. Sybil’s moans only for more loud.
“Harry please.” She begged. For what she didn’t know. “Please.” She continued. Harry heard her begging, using it as encouragement to keep going.
Harry adds a second finger, making her groan at the unfamiliar stretch. He worked on her for a while longer before withdrawing his fingers from her completely. She felt so empty now that he had been in her with his fingers.
Harry stood from the bed and stripped his shirt, pants, and boxers off, leaving him in nothing. Sybil looked over him, having never seen him like his before. His body is beautiful. He is beautiful. Perfect.
Harry climbed back on the bed, holding himself over her, kissing her lips and down her neck to her collarbones. He looks up at her, eyes full of adoration for her.
“Do you want me to?” He asks her, making sure this is what she wants. The clarification he needs to go forward.
“Yes. I love you.” She says breathlessly.
“I love you. More than you know.” He tells her. He lines himself up with her and teases at her entrance. Pleasure already filling Sybil. Harry kisses her neck, making her moan more by hitting the most sensitive spot on her neck. Harry goes in deeper, stretching her more than his fingers could have prepared her for.
Harry bottomed out and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, a moan escaping him. She already felt wonderful. Her walls fluttered around him and she was so warm. So wet. He knows he isn’t going to last long. Sybil didn’t even think about asking for a condom. Do they even have those here? Her thoughts were running wild until Harry started to move. Her mind went blank and was only focused on how good it felt. How good he felt.
Harry continued his slow pace, making sure she was enjoying herself. Sybil could hardly see straight and he had barely started to move. Harry picked up the pace and Sybil had to screw her eyes shut, the world around her so fuzzy. Harry brought his hand down to her clit and started rubbing circles, tears leaving her eyes at how good everything felt. Harry saw them and grew worried.
“You alright, love? He asked her as he slowed to a stop.
“Yes. Please.”
“You’re crying.” He says, worry evident. She opened her eyes and looked into his big, green eyes.
“It feels so good Har. Please keep going.” She begged him. He continued on, making more tears run down her face. Eventually the knot was built up so tight in Sybil’s stomach that she had to release it. She came undone under Harry, which felt so good for him.
The way she looked; the sounds she made, the way she felt, Harry was putty in her hands. It wasn’t long before Harry came inside of her.
They stayed like this for a moment, holding each other. Harry peppering her with kisses. Sybil scrunching her nose at him. Harry eventually did pull out of her. He helped her to the bathroom and cleaned her up. After they changed the sheets, put on pajamas, and climbed back in bed, Sybil ask Harry a question.
“Har?”
“Yeah?”
“We didn’t use a condom.” Sybil said. “What do we do?”
“We don’t have condoms here, but Adeline has options for you. We just have to ask her.” Harry reassures her.
“I really don’t want to have to ask. That’s kind of embarrassing. Just walk in and say hey I just finished having sex. Give me the birth control please.”
“I’ll take care of it and get you something. You don’t have to worry.” He reassures her and rubs his hand along her back. Sybil ends up falling asleep with her head on Harry’s chest. Harry falls asleep after playing with her hair.
When Harry wakes up, he sees that they shifted in their sleep. Sybil is on her side facing away from him. He has his arms wrapped around her. He slowly peels himself from her and gets dressed. He makes his way down the halls to Adeline’s room. She jumps when the door opens, not expecting guests at this hour.
“Harry! You scared me!” She says, making Harry chuckle.
“I’m sorry.” He says.
“What brings you here so early? Got the wedding day jitters?”
“Well, not really. I have more of a private question for you.” He tells her and her eyebrows furrow.
“What is it?” She asks. Harry suddenly feels the lump in his throat, understanding why Sybil was embarrassed.
“Sybil and I… she needs some way to not get pregnant. She called it birth control. I assume that’s what they call it over in her world but we aren’t ready to have a baby yet.” Harry states, dancing around the word sex.
Adeline takes a moment to process what Harry is telling her and just gives him a blank look.
“We have magic, but we don’t have birth control like the humans do. Ours is different and I don’t believe it would work on her yet.” Adeline tell him and Harry looks worried.
“What can we do?” He asks her.
“She can come in and I can do a spell or potion, or you just take the risk.” Adeline informs him. He nods his head. “And Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“I understand not wanting to have a baby yet, but do know that your dad will expect one from you in your future. Maybe talk to her about it. Whatever you guys choose is up to you though. Don’t let your father push you around.” She says honestly. Harry nods his head again, taking her words into consideration.
“Thank you Adeline.” He says. He gives her a hug.
“I have one more thing for you since it is your wedding day. I was going to give it to you later, but since you’re here.” She says. She goes into her desk drawer and rummages through her papers. She pulls out a white envelope with a wax seal. Harry takes it from her hands delicately and examines the writing. It’s simple. All the envelope says is “Harry” in his native writing. He flips it over to the wax seal and his eyes tear up.
On it is a beautiful sunflower stamped into the yellow wax. Harry knew that sunflowers didn’t exist in his world. Only hers. This letter is from his mother.
Harry looks back up at Adeline with tears in his eyes. She smiled at him encouragingly. “She wanted to talk to you on your wedding day. She had me keep this for you for when that day came.”
Harry looked at the envelop for a moment longer before peeling it open. He sat down on the nearest bed and unfolded the paper.
My dearest child, Harry,
Today is your wedding day. Congratulations! I hope today is an amazing day for you are your partner to be. I’m so sorry I can’t be there to witness your day, but just know I’m in a better place.
I wanted to make sure I was able to tell you a few things on such an important day of your life. First and foremost I want you to know I love you. I love you so much my sweet and beautiful boy. Don’t ever forget that, okay?
Always stand up for what you believe in. I know your dad can be stubborn sometimes, but show him who’s boss. You’re so smart and intelligent now, I imagine by the time you get this letter you’ll be a genius.
Treat your partner with respect. They are taking on such a big responsibility by becoming royalty. They may not be used to this life. Be gentle. Be understanding. It was a hard adjustment for me when I married your dad. He was sweet for the most part. I had a hard time learning my magic, and learning the rules of what a queen can and cannot do. Some days I still struggle remembering this language. I know he was frustrated with me some days. Just remember they may not have had the same upbringing you did. Be gentle. Be kind.
And lastly, don’t be afraid to show your partner love. I don’t care if it’s not “manly” or whatever. Your partner is your partner. You love them. Don’t be afraid to show them that. You’re making a lifetime commitment to this person. You better mean it. Don’t ever hurt them. Don’t ever be cruel. This person is your entire life. Make sure that is what you want. If you can’t love them with your whole heart, don’t marry them. This is your life. Make the best of it.
This letter is ending too soon. I wish I had more time to tell you all of the things I want to. You’re so young now and I want to be able to give you little pieces of wisdom as you grow. Just know I’m so proud of you. I love you so much. I wish you lots of luck and love on this path that you’re taking. Stay safe my angel.
- Mom
Harry has tears streaming down his face by the end of the letter. He sobs with emotion as he reads the words again. Adeline walks over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
“She’s proud of you Harry.” Adeline says, almost a whisper. “She loves you so much. She would love Sybil too.”
“I know she would.” Harry sniffles. “I miss her so much Adeline.”
“I know you do Harry. She’s with you always.” Adeline says. Harry takes a moment to let his emotions out before drying his face.
“Do you mind keeping this for me until after the wedding? I don’t want to fold it or lose it.”
“Of course. No go wake up your bride to be and get some breakfast. Today’s a busy day.” Adeline pushes gently. Harry gives her another hug before walking back to his room where Sybil lay on the bed, snoring away.
He walks up to her and gently shakes her. She immediately groans before opening her eyes and realizing what day it is. When her vision clears of its blurriness, she sees that Harry’s face is splotchy and red.
“Har, what’s wrong?” She asks worriedly. She sits up and cups his face.
“I went and talked to Adeline this morning. She told me that she can make a potion for you. She also gave me a letter from my mom that was not to be opened until my wedding day. It was a sweet letter.” Harry spills. Sybil feels relief that Adeline is going to try something to help them out. Sybil’s heart also yearns to comfort Harry about his mom.
Sybil pulls Harry down onto the bed and he sits in front of her. Sybil traces patterns on his legs as he sits there and admires her. He tells her a few of the things the letter said. Not long after waking up are they rushed to eat breakfast.
They ate what they could, but with the hustle and bustle came the anxiety. Sybil’s hands shook with fear of messing up and Harry’s hands became clammy as they both had to get ready.
Harry stands in his dressing room. The chatter of hundreds of people starting to fill the halls as they make their way to the room where the seats and the alter are set up. Ace enters his room with a soft knock on the door.
“How are you feeling son?” He asks. Harry continues to look in the mirror, making sure nothing about his outfit is out of place.
“Nervous.” He states honestly. He turns around to face his dad.
“What for?”
“I just want everything to be perfect. I want this to be a beautiful day.”
“It will be son. You’ve always worried too much.”
“My worry has gotten us out of some tight spots before hasn’t it?” He jokes. He gets a chuckle from his dad.
“I guess you’re right. But we’ve planned so much. We’ve got a whole team working on this. Guests are being seated now. Everything is going to go perfectly.” Ace says.
As Harry talks to his father, Sybil is in another room, her dress already on her body. The makeup and hair person has just left the room. She sits in front of the mirror while the quiet of the room surrounds her, no one there to comfort her anxiety.
Sybil looks down at her hands which are trembling. She balls them up to try and ease the shaking. She takes a deep breath, rehearsing the day in her head. Everything has a purpose. Everything is important. This isn’t just a wedding, but her wedding. She’s marrying Prince Harry. This is also her coronation when she will be crowned princess. There’s so many places she could mess up. So many ways it can go wrong.
Her thoughts are interrupted when a woman walks into the room. Sybil stands, putting on her brave face, clasping her hands to steady herself.
“We’re just about ready to start the ceremony. We are going to have you come out here and wait. Harry is already walking up.” The woman says. Sybil stands and follows her to a large set of double doors. She can’t hear anything from the room except light piano music. When the piano music pauses, the woman gives Sybil a thumbs up and pushes open the doors.
Sybil’s eyes catch on the beautifully decorated room. A while and gold carpet lines the aisle leading up to the alter.
Harry looks down from his position on the alter and catches sight of Sybil in her beautiful purple butterfly dress and purple flower crown. Even from this far away he can tell she looks stunning. Everyone in the room turns to face her, royalty, important guests, and staff alike.
Sybil looks up the long aisle to meet Harry’s eyes. He’s dressed in a beautiful suit of blacks and dark greens, his golden crown upon his head. The jewels sparkle in the light.
The piano music resumes as Sybil begins to take her first step of many, passing the hundreds of guests there to celebrate the marriage. Her dress drags slightly behind her as she takes her steps, trying her best not to trip in the heels they made her wear.
When she finally reaches the alter with Harry, he gives her a beaming smile. She returns a nervous one. Harry takes her hand it gives it a light squeeze. This brings her some comfort. The officiant faces the crowd from behind them.
“You may be seated.” He tells them. There is a small shuffle in the room as people find their seat. Once everyone is sitting, he begins his speech. “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Prince Harry and Sybil. This marriage symbolizes not only love, but another link to the other world. Today’s wedding also serves as a coronation and dedication. Sybil will be taking on the responsibility of our princess.”
Harry listens intently as Sybil nods along to his words. The officiant looks over to Sybil and then to his book.
“Sybil. As part of your marriage vows you are also taking on the duty of royalty. You vow to protect our people, which will be your people. You vow to serve them to the best of your ability. Not to act selfishly or cruelly.”
“I do.” She says, hiding the shakiness in her voice.
“You also vow as part of your duty, you will transform into one of us. You will undergo a transformation into a faery as a show to your commitment and dedication.”
“I do.”
“And finally, you vow as Harry’s wife to love him for all of your days. From the worst days to the best days. The dark days and the light. Through any curse or any blessing. You promise to love him for the rest of time.”
“I do.” Sybil responds again. The man turns to Harry.
“Prince Harry. You vow to love Sybil for the rest of your days. From the worst days to the best days. The dark days and the light. Through any curse or any blessing. You promise to love her for the rest of time.”
“I do.” He responds.
“As a show of your vow, please now give Sybil a piece of your magic, and she shall return this when she receives her magic.” He says. He steps back and Harry drops down to his knees.
Sybil looks down at Harry as he closes his eyes. Harry feels nervous, but ready to give this to her. He is hers, forever.
He puts his hand to his chest, a faint green glow that matches his wings started emanating from his chest. Harry can feel the magic pulsing through him and focusing in his hand. He feels all of his emotions for Sybil pulse through him as well. The love for her overwhelming, making the light grow brighter.
When Harry pulls his hand away from his chest, a glowing green ball hovers above the palm of his hand. He opens his eyes and looks at it for a moment, before closing his hand around it. When he closes his hand, the ball of light shrinks until his hand is closed. He stands up from his knees and looks into Sybil’s eyes.
He opens his hand to find a small green crystal sitting on a dainty silver chain. Harry looks back up at her to see a smile cover her face. Harry motions for her to turn around. Sybil obeys and spins so her back is facing him.
Harry gently takes her hair and puts it over her shoulder. He takes the necklace and loops it around her and fastens it to her neck. Her hand immediately goes up to find it, feeling the smooth crystal on her fingertips. She spins back around and everyone claps and cheers for them. Harry and Sybil take this moment to let their lips meet, feeling that familiar spark in their chests.
When the kiss breaks, the people quiet down. Sybil and Harry stand there hand in hand. Ace comes beside of Sybil with a crown in his hands.
Harry’s hand lets go of hers at the sight, knowing she has to bow. Sybil looks ahead at Harry’s father holding the crown. He lifts the crown into the air. Sybil bends down slightly and takes her flower crown off. Ace gently places the crown on her head. When she stands back up, the crown feels heavy. The people cheer again.
“Congratulations to Mister and Misses Styles!” Ace says. Ace leads Sybil and Harry down the aisle and to another room, waving at people as they pass.
“Now, we are just going to make an appearance for the people, and then we can go and party and eat when everyone else clears out.” Harry reminds her.
“Good. I’m so hungry, and as cute as this dress is, I’m ready to take it off.” Sybil tells him with a laugh. Harry laughs with her. The party is only going to consist of her, Harry, Adeline, Ace, and a few staff from around the castle. No need to be fancy. No need to be nervous.
“Are you guys ready to make your first appearance together? I’m going to speak and then I’ll bring you out okay?” Ace says to the both of them. They both nod and Ace walks out onto the balcony. The room floods with sunlight when the doors open.
A cheer comes when Ace is visible to the people below. When they settle, he begins to speak, his voice echoing through the crowd. He takes a moment to thank them for coming and showing their support for Harry.
When he says their names, they take each other’s hands and walk out onto the balcony to greet everyone.
In the face of the kingdom, Sybil and Harry smile as brightly as the sun is shining. They wave and greet their people as a team. Together. As anxiety filled as the day has been for them both, they can’t help but to be happy. Happy to get to do this together. To have each other. To love each other. This is the start to the rest of their lives.
[Image Alt ID: a four picture collage with a black background. The first picture is of sun shining though the tops of trees onto a forest floor. The second picture is of a girl with black hair in a white dress. She is standing in front of a lake or pond. She is looking off into the distance. The third picture is of two hands touching some vines on a tree. The final picture is a close up of a girl. Her curly, dark hair is over her face. You can see her lips, chin, and neck. There is a white text block across the middle that reads “arranged to be yours” End Alt ID]
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Masterlist Series Part 2
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5.0k words
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Harry talks to his father about the ongoing population crisis. Sybil finds herself talking to a stranger when she takes a walk in the woods.
(Warnings: kidnapping, holding against her will, violence)
Sybil drops the last bag onto the bare wooden floor of the cabin with a sigh. She’s been working so hard for so long. It was definitely time for a retreat to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
She’s taking a whole month off from her office job since her last project is finally finished. Everybody is celebrating with parties and drinking, but that really isn’t her thing. Her thing is sitting and looking at the water, or watching the animals walk through the woods. Nature is her favorite thing to look at, to study, to be in, but she’s stuck in a stuffy office in the city most of the time.
She immediately abandons the bag of clothes and heads to the kitchen. She makes herself a steaming cup of tea and heads out to the back deck. She sits in the chair that is outside and just takes a deep breath. She sits there watching the squirrels and chipmunks scurry about to find food. The breeze blowing the trees around sounds like faint wind chimes.
This was absolutely perfect. The peace this brought Sybil was long needed after a chaotic few months. She spends her time out here until her stomach starts to rumble. Sybil goes inside and makes herself some dinner.
After washing the plate and silverware she used, she dries them and puts them away. She puts her shoes back on and walks outside. She decides to go for a small walk.
As she is walking, the wind chimes and bell noises seem to grow louder the farther in the woods she goes. They come and go with the wind.
Sybil turns suddenly when she hears a growling behind her. She scans the area but can’t find the source of the noise. The growling grows louder when a wild dog jumps out of some shrubbery and bares its teeth at her. She takes off running. She runs as fast as she can, scrapes and cuts lining her arms and legs as she passes tree branches and bushes. Her short sleeved dress is not giving her much protection from it.
She stumbles on branches, but manages to keep herself upright until she hits a clearing. She spins around in the field and doesn’t even see the dog that was chasing her. She takes a moment to catch her breath, her body feeling shaky from the fear.
“Are you alright miss?” A distant voice asks. Sybil looks around and sees a man who wasn’t there before. Immediately goose bumps raise on her skin. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else for miles. Why was he here? The footsteps get closer until he’s a few feet from her. “Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m okay. I was taking a walk and got chased by a dog.” She says to him. She looks at him closely. He’s got short black hair, a similar color to hers, under his baseball cap. He’s only a few inches taller than her. He’s wearing jeans and a t shirt. For a hiker she expected more. A backpack, a jacket maybe. But she was just as underdressed as he was. A plain white dress and some shoes.
“A dog? I don’t know that there are dogs out here. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”
“I’m very sure that it was a dog.” She stated, attitude evident in her voice. She’s not crazy. “Where’d you come from? I thought this was a secluded cabin I was staying at.”
“It probably is. I’ve been camping out a few miles over in those woods. I was just taking a walk too.” He says. “I’ll leave you back to your walk. Have a good day.” He says and turns. He walks back towards the woods he pointed to a moment ago.
Sybil turns around and begins to walk back towards the cabin when she trips on a log on the ground. Pain radiates through her hands and legs. She hears footsteps again, but this time, she doesn’t get to turn around to see who it is.
Darkness consumes her vision. Panic floods her body. She tries to bring her hands to her eyes but she is frozen in place.
She feels her hands pulled behind her and held. More foot steps approach her. Soon she is bound and stood upright. She tries to speak, but can’t. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes from it.
“Stupid girl. You’re not supposed to walk in the woods alone.” Says a voice she recognizes. The boy with no hiking gear. Another voice speaks close to her ear.
“You’re perfect. Exactly what we’re looking for.” He says. She is suddenly lifted in the air and is being carried by one of the men. The wind blows again and she hears the bells, almost as if she’s holding it right next to her ear.
Sybil tries to fight the men who are taking her to god only knows where, but it’s useless. Whatever they have seems stronger than any rope or tie she’s ever seen. Her vision suddenly returns when her blindfold falls off.
“Damn it. Don’t you know how to tie a knot?” He says, “Sit her down for a minute.”
“I do. I tied it good!” The black haired one says.
“Apparently not.” The other one says. He is much bigger than the other boy. He has red hair and freckles. Her voice still missing, she can’t say a word to them. She looks down to her ankles and is surprised not to see rope or tape. Instead, she sees a luminescent band around her. She tries to wiggle out of it but it only gets tighter the more she moves. The red haired boy checks her other glowing band on her wrists and the black haired boy takes a small stone from his pocket.
He holds it in his palm and closes his eyes. Before him, a small purple circle, glowing like her ties, starts to open and she is in shock. What is that? What is he doing?
Before she could see anymore, the blindfold is replaced and tied tighter. She is hoisted back up onto the shoulder of the red haired man. A cold chill runs over her as they pass through the portal that was opened. With a whoosh, the portal closes behind them.
Sybil can hear the faint crying of other people around her. Others sound like they are whispering.
She is walked for a few more minutes before being set down again, this time on something soft. She hears a door shut and her binds and blindfold is removed with the flick of the boy’s hands. She’s shocked. It like he was able to make them magically disappear.
She looks around to see a small furnished room with green walls. She’s sitting on a small bed with a few pillows and a blanket. In the room is a table with two chairs, and a stand with some books on the top.
“This is your room. You can do what you’d like. If you need to use the bathroom, just ask and we can take you.” The black haired boy says. She shakes her head. “Welcome to your new home darling.”
“No.” She says, her voice returning hoarsely. “No!” She cries at them. She looks around the small space and to the metal door. She could never get out of here. The door has multiple locks on the other side. She saw what these men could do to keep her from talking, to keep her from moving, and to take her wherever she is now. They could do anything they wanted to her and she is powerless to stop them.
She sits on the bed and cries as the black hair boy stays with her, sitting in the chair, trying to talk to her. She ignores all of his attempts and just cries. There is no sleeping. Not when she doesn’t know what’s going to happen with her next.
Upstairs above the dungeon where Sybil is being kept, is a castle. The rooms are filled for various purposes. Meetings, dances, guest beds for hosting leaders from other lands and realms. In one room, the king of the fae and his son, Prince Harry, are having a meeting.
The king is standing at the head of the meeting table, his wings extended out. The lines in his wings reach every inch of them, glowing with magic. His dark green wings resemble that of butterfly wings.
Prince Harry sits beside of his father hunched over his father’s papers about the kingdom. The documents of sick babies who they know will never get to grow up. The papers documenting why these babies will never get to be kids who fly around, playing catch or tag with their siblings. Reminders of how they lost the war. Reminders of the curse that was cast upon them. Harry keeps his wings cloaked and put away when he’s inside. He doesn’t like to use them. He prefers to walk around. Even when he’s outside, he’s one of the few people on the ground.
“Why did you call me here to read these? I know that these parents are having a hard time. I know these kids are dying.” Harry says, very upset by his reading.
“Because, I believe we have found a way to fix this. To break the curse.” The king tells him proudly.
“Really? How?”
“We have found that doing a transformation of humans into our kind, that the curse doesn’t affect them since they weren’t here, or apart of the war for that matter. We need to bring humans over and transform them.”
“That’s great!” Harry says to him. “How are we going to get them here?”
“That’s the part you’re not going to like. We are taking them. Humans don’t believe in our magic anymore. Convincing anyone to come to our land is next to impossible. So we have taken a small group from the human world to transform. The only issue is, they have to want to transform or they will die. We have to convince them to want to be here.”
“You took them? We have never taken them against their will! That’s evil! They have lives and families. You can’t just rip them away from that! Mom would have never approved this. She came over of her own free will. She didn’t believe magic existed until you showed her. You didn’t have to kidnap her.”
“Don’t bring your mom into this Harry. She’s gone. She wanted me to make sure you were set up for success and you won’t have people to lead if we don’t fix this. This is a temporary solution.” The king says to Harry. Harry sighs a deep sigh at his dad. “There’s one more thing.”
“Of course there is.” Harry brings his fingers up to pinch his nose.
“We have picked out a human for you. She will need convincing just like the rest of them. If our people see you do it, they will want to do it too, Harry. This can save us. I need you to marry this girl and make her one of us.”
“No! Absolutely not! You’re keeping her prisoner and you want me to what? March down there and put a ring on her finger? I’m not. I refuse to.” He says, crossing his arms.
“I am your father and I’m telling you this is what is going to happen! She came in last night. She is refusing to eat or drink. I need you to convince her that she is safe. That she belongs here. You’re going to help her adjust. You’re going to do this for our people, Harry.” The king says finally. With a wave of his hand, they are teleported down to the dungeon below the castle.
“I told you not to teleport me anymore! I could have walked!”
“That would have taken too long, son.” The king tells him. The king opens the door and lets Harry enter first. This entire hallway is cells of various sizes. Every single one of them has a human in it. Some sit on the floors, having been here for so long they don’t have any fight left in them. Others cling to the bars, begging for help to anyone who walks by. Harry feels disgusting to know his father kidnapped all of these people.
Harry’s father leads them past the cells to the end of the hall. There is a large, heavy, metal door at the very end. There are several locks keeping someone inside. The slider on the door is closed so that no one can see in. A guard stands outside of her door.
“Your Majesty. Your highness.” He greets to each of them. “She has refused her lunch. She has not eaten since she got here. She won’t speak anything to any one of us. She only wants to sit there and cry.”
“I wonder why?” Harry says sarcastically. His father furrows his brows in disapproval.
“Harry. Do this for them. Do it for your people.”
“I’m going to help get her to eat. I’m not condoning your choices. This is awful.” He says. He grabs the tray of food from the guard. The slider is opened and Harry views in.
A woman with tangled black hair sits with her knees to her chest, her dirt covered dress covering her to her ankles. Her shoes sit beside of the bed.
“Leave us be. I’ll take care of this and give her fresh clothes.” Harry says to the guard and his dad. They agree.
“Knock when you need out.” The guard says. He unlocks the door for Harry and he walks in. The door is locked behind him. He looks around the room to see what they’ve provided her with. Poor girl, Harry thinks to himself. You get taken from your life and this is all you are given. Then again, it’s nicer than the ones in the hall. It’s still not great.
Sybil looks up at Harry, fear evident in her wide eyes. Her face is smudged with dirt. Her hands are covered in it too.
Harry sits the food tray on her small table and sits down in one of the chairs. Sybil doesn’t speak to him. She just watches him as he sits down. Harry takes a deep breath before he begins to speak.
“I’m so sorry that you’re here. I want you to know that.” He says, his tone sorrowful. “I know there’s no way I can make this better for you, but I brought you some food. Would you like some?” He asks her. She shakes her head no. She returns her head to her arms that rest on her knees. She would cry, but the amount of crying that she has done has left her with no tears.
“I know you have no reason to trust me, but the food is safe. They don’t want to hurt you. My father is…” he trails off. She won’t understand. Not yet. “You should eat so you don’t starve. At least a few bites.” Harry says. There’s still no movement. No response. Sybil is curious about this man who just walked into her room. He said he’s sorry. Why would he be sorry? Why would he be so nice? Every other guard has been so mean.
“Who are you?” Sybil asks quietly, her voice hoarse from not using it. Harry is taken aback by her actually speaking to him. He tries to hide his reaction so he doesn’t scare her.
“I’m- I’m Harry. My father, he’s the king.” Harry tells her.
“So, you’re Prince Harry then.”
“I’m not keen on the formality. You can just call me Harry.” He says with a small smile. Sybil scrunches her nose in confusion at him, but accepts it and moves on.
“Why’d they send you down here? Are they really that desperate to get me to talk? To eat?”
“Yeah. We don’t want you to starve. But I don’t blame you for not talking to them. What they did was wrong. You should never have been taken from your life and brought here.” He says. Sybil sits with that comment for a moment.
“I know you didn’t bring me that food. They did. How do you know they didn’t poison it?”
“Because they need you alive.”
“Oh.” She says. She still doesn’t ask for the tray. Her stomach rumbles, giving away her need for the food.
“Would it make you feel better if I took a bite to show you? If I die of poison then the kingdom is in a lot more trouble than they thought.” Sybil nods her head. Harry picks up a piece of the meat on the tray and pops it into his mouth. He chews it and then swallows. He opens his mouths and shows her that it’s gone. “There.”
“I want to wait a few minutes. It could be a slow poison.” She says and Harry rolls his eyes, but completely understands. Sybil adjusts her position on the bed. Her legs crossing in front of her. After a minute or so of observing Harry for signs of an allergic reaction or something to indicate that he’s dying, she reaches her hand out for the tray. Harry gladly hands it to her.
Sybil places the tray in front of her and starts tearing the meat into small pieces.
“Do you guys not have silverware here? You have literal magic but not silverware?”
“We have silverware. They just didn’t give you any. I’ll make sure you have some next time. I’m also going to get you some clean clothes. You need to wash the dirt off of you.” He tells her, but she doesn’t respond. She slowly begins to pick at the food on the tray.
Sybil only ends up eating the meat on the tray despite wanting to devour the whole thing. It’s the only thing that Harry tested. It’s the only thing she trusts. Harry hasn’t collapsed yet. Sybil sets the tray on the stand beside her bed.
“Not hungry for the rest?” Harry asks her and she shakes her head no. Harry takes the tray and sits it back on the table.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” Sybil’s asks him and Harry’s heart breaks for her even more.
“What do you mean?” Is all he can ask. A million questions zip through his mind for her.
“You’re not going to yell at me, or hit me for not eating my food? You’re just going to let it go?” She asks.
“I would never put my hands on you. You ate. Even if you hadn’t I wouldn’t hurt you.” Harry tries to emphasize to her. “Who’s been hurting you? Was it the guard who was in here?” He asks, getting frustrated with his staff. Sybil stays quiet. Afraid she’s said too much. Sybil curls back up on the bed, bringing her arms back to her knees. The room is quiet now. Harry’s chest tightens at the sorrowful look on her face.
“Can I ask you a question?” Harry asks her. She looks up from her daydream and nods her head.
“They told me you refused to speak to anyone who came in here. Why did you speak to me?” Sybil takes a moment to think of her response.
“You’re the only one who is sorry for bringing me here. You seem genuinely upset that I’m here. You… you… you’re just being nice to me and treating me kindly. It means a lot given what has happened since they took me. I haven’t been able to sleep I’ve been so anxious.” She says. Harry doesn’t know if he can feel anymore awful for her and for being a part of this.
“Do you feel like you could sleep if I stayed here?” Harry asks, trying to help her. Harry can see her debate this in her head. Sybil wants to say no, but her eyes are heavy. She doesn’t know how much longer she can go without at least a little bit of sleep.
“Do you promise I’d be okay?”
“I’ll do everything in my power for you to sleep. Let me go and tell them I’ll be in here for a while. My dad’s going to wonder what’s going on.” He tells her. She nods.
Harry knocked and is let out of the room. He walks out into the hall as Sybil lays down for the first time on her bed. She covers up with the thin blanket.
“How did it go?” His father asks, the guard taking his place in front of her door.
“I got her to eat some food. Not all of it, but progress is progress. I would like to sit with her for a while longer today. I just wanted to make sure she’s okay. To make sure she’s adjusting. She also needs a shower and some clothes soon.”
“You have stuff to do upstairs-“
“And I promise it will get done. I can even bring some of it down here with me to do.” Harry practically begs for his father’s approval. The king finally concedes and uses his magic to make Harry’s paperwork and a pen appear in his hands.
“I could have went and got it.”
“This was quicker. If you need anything, James will be outside the door. Just tap and he will open it.” He says and teleports away. James - the boy with the black hair- opens the door for Harry and he walks back in. He sits down at the chair and looks over to Sybil. She lays there, her eyes fixed now to Harry.
“I’ve brought some paperwork to do. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s okay.” She says sleepily, glad she’s finally able to close her eyes. She’s still anxious, but feels a tad bit safer with Harry. Harry watches her burrow herself under the blanket and close her eyes. He begins to scribble down symbols and words on his documents. Editing, revising, and proposing laws for his father to look over and either deny or approve.
Sybil’s mind begins to drift off while she’s lays there. She can hear Harry’s pen scratching the paper as he writes. Why is he so different? Why does he care what happens to her? Why do they need her so badly? Why isn’t Harry hurting her the way the other one has?
Why couldn’t they have just asked her to go? She hated how hard her job pushed her to work. She hated how little time to herself she got to do the things she wanted. She wanted to spend her time outside and enjoying the fresh air, but instead she was trapped in a stuffy cubicle with no windows or time to even breathe, let alone take a walk outside.
Sybil had no one who cared about her in the human world. No partner. No friends. Not even a friendly coworker. She really was alone. She wonders if anyone will even notice she’s gone?
Eventually exhaustion takes over her and she falls asleep. Harry looks over at her as she snores softly from under the cover. He can’t help but to think she is beautiful, even covered in mud and dirt. He wonders what she did on the other side of the portal. What was her job? Did she have friends who did things with her? What was she doing in the woods when she was taken?
Harry does paperwork for a few hours until he hears her stir in the bed. She uncovers her face and opens her eyes. She looks around the room and then to Harry.
“You’re still here?” She says, sleep still thick in her voice.
“Of course. I said I would stay so you could sleep.” Harry tells her. “Plus, I’ve arranged for you to be able to shower and change, if you’re up for it.” Sybil nods her head and sits up in the bed. Harry stands up and offers her a hand to get out of bed. Sybil can’t help but to have a small smile on her face at the gesture. Does he realize how nice this gesture is? How royal and polite it makes him seem? It’s like he’s from a movie. It seems stupid to think about but it catches her so off guard.
Sybil stands and her legs feel weak. She hasn’t walked around much in that small room. Harry can sense her hesitation to step. He doesn’t let go of her hand until she’s ready.
“You know, you never asked me for my name.” She points out as she stands for a moment.
“It’s best that you don’t tell anyone for now. Your name is power. Your name holds magic. You give it to them, they will have more power over you than they do now. If you have a nickname, I think that would be okay, or if you don’t want to give your real name you could give a fake one.”
“I think it would be best to not say anything like I have been.” Sybil says. She takes her hand from Harry’s and begins to walk to the door. “I’m not going to speak once we walk out of the door. They don’t need to know I’ve spoken.”
“Okay.” Harry says, trying to hide his happiness that she’s smart enough not to speak her name. Harry knocks lightly on the door and several locks click. The door swings open slightly. When James sees Harry, he opens the door wider.
“I’m escorting her to the bathroom to shower and change.”
“You don’t have to do that your highness. I can take her.”
“No, thank you James. I’ll see to this personally. You can stay here.” Harry says. James huffs as he sits back down on his chair outside of the door. Harry leads Sybil down another hallway and to the small bathroom. Sybil walks in and Harry closes the door and sits outside.
Sybil takes her time, enjoying herself outside of that small room. She scours every inch of her body with the soap that was provided in the bathroom. She was surprised to see that magical people’s bathrooms looked and functioned similarly to the human world’s.
When she can’t stall any longer, she shuts the water off and steps out. She dries off with a towel and sees the pile of clothes sitting on the counter. She unfolds them and it’s a plain black, short sleeve shirt and black pants. No shoes.
Sybil taps on the door. After Harry shuffles to get up off of the floor, he opens the door for her. He leads her back to her room, nodding to James on the way. Sybil does her best to steer clear of him. To keep the largest possible distance from him that she can muster without being suspicious.
Once back in her room, Sybil climbs back onto her bed. Harry stands in the door way.
“Dinner should be coming soon.” He says as the door closes. “Do you want me to stay again?”
“Don’t you have princely stuff you should be doing?”
“Yeah, but it can wait. You eating is important.”
“I’ll be okay. I’m not that hungry.” She says. Harry shakes his head. “Really.”
“I’ll stay while you eat, and then I’ll leave you alone.” He says to her. She feels nervous about being left alone with James again.
When she didn’t eat last night or this morning, James slapped her in the face both times, leaving a red mark on her cheek. The second time he used his fist on her stomach. I’ll give you a reason not to eat. Of course he was able to use his magic to cover it up. If Harry had seen the marks on her he would have fired James on the spot.
Harry notices her mood change after his statement, but doesn’t say anything. He’s the first person she felt safe enough to talk to and eat in front of, and he has to leave. His stomach churns at the thought of her comment earlier.
“You know, if someone is hurting you for not eating, I need to know. I can have them removed from their position. I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me.” He says, almost a whisper. Sybil shakes her head. “I mean it. I’ll handle it.”
“It’s okay.” She says. The door locks clicking make both of them look towards the door. It opens to reveal James with a tray of food again. Harry takes it from his hands and sets it on the table.
“Your highness I-“
“I’m going to be here for dinner, if you don’t mind grabbing me something please. And get another silverware for her please.” Harry asks him.
James, showing respect to him, says “Yes, your highness”. James locks the door teleports away.
“Do you want to eat in bed again or do you want to come to the table?” He asks her. His kindness still surprises her. She still expects there to be some catch to it.
“I’ll stay here.” Sybil gets more comfortable in the bed.
“Do you want me to test it again for you?” He asks without even hesitating. Harry genuinely wants to help her feel comfortable and Sybil just can’t seem to understand why. She just nods her head.
She watches as Harry picks parts of her food apart and eats them. When she seems satisfied, Harry hands her the tray. The door opens again and Harry is given a tray to eat, two packages of silverware lying on it. He hands one to Sybil and they begin to eat.
There isn’t much talking as they both eat their food. They stack their trays on the table when they are done.
“I suppose this is when you have to leave.” Sybil says, disappointment and anxiety evident in her voice.
“It is. If you’d like, I can come back tomorrow. I’ll talk to my dad and plan something.”
“Okay.” She says, not ready to go back into the silence and wonderful care of another guard. James has to have a break soon. He was here yesterday but left overnight. He’s been here all day, so maybe she can get a break from him. The door opens when Harry taps it.
“Goodnight.” Harry tells her with a small smile.
“Goodnight Harry.” She says. The door closes and the locks click. She tries to go back asleep again.
Sybil takes Harry to her world and shows him around.
(Note: I am unsure of how soon after the last chapter this one is, but it’s not a super long time. Based on these asks 1, 2. Pretty short and sweet)
Warnings: mostly fluff, some angst (of course)
“Harry-“
“Dad. It’s just for the day. I’m going. It’s final. I’ll be back tonight.” Harry tells his father, who sits at the table revising paperwork. “Since Sybil’s proposal, we’ve allowed more back and forth travel. I deserve that too.”
The kingdom was very upset at Ace for his involvement of kidnapping humans and bringing them to the fae world. Some called for his removal. Some encouraged Ace to step down and let Harry lead. Others advocated for a more clear and transparent plans with the people. No more secrets. Ace was unsure of what to do, but before a decision is made, Harry wants to explore the place where Sybil lived. Be a human for a day. If the people chose him to be king so soon, he wanted one more day of his princely life.
“Harry, it’s not-“
“It’s not what?” Harry interrupts. “Safe? Sybil lived there. She knows what she’s doing. I want to see it so bad. That’s where mom’s from. That’s where she’s from. It’s very important to me to get to do this. Especially if we are going to be asking humans to voluntarily be here. I need to know what their life is like.”
Ace sighs, knowing he isn’t winning this. He gives Harry a nod. “Be back by night time Harry. If you aren’t back by tonight then I’ll send a team to look for you.”
“I’m going to be fine.” Harry reassures him, glad his dad finally gave in. He leaves the room to get ready. Harry flies to the bedroom, puts his wings away, and enters to see Sybil in one of her plain dresses. Her hair is in a braid behind her, her purple wings on display.
He smiles when he sees her spin around in the mirror, looking at her wings. She still can’t believe that she can fly.
“Are you ready to go?” Harry asks her. She looks at him and puts her wings away. She walks up to Harry and takes his hand.
“Ready.” She says with a smile. They walk to the room of magical items where Ace opened the portal for the humans not long ago. Ace is there waiting with the stone in his hand. He hands the stone to Sybil, teaching her how to focus her magic to the stone and opening the portal, part of her passing her fitness test from her proposal.
The portal slowly opens with Sybil’s focus, her eyebrows scrunching together. Harry and Sybil step through, closing the portal behind them. They are on the outskirts of a city, trees surrounding them. Sybil begins to walk towards the buildings.
“We’re just jumping in?” Harry asks nervously.
“Well, everything I want to show you is in the city. Is that okay?” Sybil stops walking and turns to him. Harry walks up to her and grabs her hand.
“That’s fine, I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never been there before. I’ve only ever read about it.
“Well, I’m not going to take us to do anything crazy. I was thinking my favorite coffee place, get some food together. I just thought I’d show you some of my favorite places.” Sybil says, a small smile on her face. Her calmness helps ease Harry’s nerves. Harry gives her a nod.
They take their time walking into the city, hand in hand. Once they are finally inside city limits, Sybil goes and visits the bank. She takes out what little money is left in her account from her previous life.
“Is that your currency?” Harry asks. Sybil nods and hands it to him. Harry feels the soft paper in his hands. He’s only ever read about their money, but never touched it. He hands it back to Sybil as she puts it in the small bag she brought with her.
Then they walk to a small little cafe on a street corner. The red curly letters on the wooden sign read Rose’s Cafe. They walk in, the familiar bell jingles above Sybil’s head.
“Good morning. What can I get for you?” A girl who Sybil doesn’t recognize asks from behind the counter.
“Do you want to try anything?” She whispers to Harry. Harry is overwhelmed at the amount of choices he has to choose from. He has no idea what any of the menu items are.
“I’ll get whatever you like.” Harry tells her and she smiles. Harry loves seeing her so in her element and she is teaching him instead of him teaching her.
“Two iced caramel macchiatos, please.” Sybil orders effortlessly. The lady punches it into the computer.
“Your name?” The woman asks as Sybil hands her some of the cash.
“Sybil.”
“Can you spell that for me please?” She asks. Sybil spells it for her and collects her change. She takes Harry’s hand and leads him to the pick up area.
“It still just surprises me that you guys give out your name so freely.” Harry whispers to her. Sybil gives him a smile.
“For something like this, you can use whatever name you want. But for legal documents you have to use your legal name.” Sybil explains. “Plus, not having magic definitely lessens the threat.” Sybil whispers in return. Her name is called and she grabs their drinks and leads Harry to a table.
She slides Harry’s drink to him across the table and hands him a straw.
“What is this? I know you called it a carmel macchiato but what does that mean?” Harry’s asks innocently.
“This is just one of many ways to drink coffee. It’s mostly milk and coffee, but there’s vanilla syrup and caramel in it. You’re not supposed to stir it because the whole deal is about the layers, but I like to stir mine so I get everything in one sip.” Sybil dumps information on him. “I will give you a warning though, it’s not decaf.”
“What is decaf?” Harry’s asks and gets a chuckle from Sybil.
“It means it has caffeine in it, so you might get a small boost of energy from it.” Sybil explains with a smile on her face. Harry seems like he’s deep in thought, his brows scrunched. He leans in and whispers to her.
“So like a potion?”
“In a way, I guess. You can think of it like that.”
“Okay. That makes it easier to understand.” He says and sticks his straw in. He follows Sybil’s lead and stirs the drink, blending the milk, syrup, and coffee together.
Harry takes a sip from his straw and his eyes light up. Sybil can’t help but to laugh as Harry takes an even bigger sip.
“That’s amazing. That’s the best tasting drink I’ve ever had. Is there any way we can bring some back with us?”
“Maybe. We can grab a bag of beans but they won’t last a long time. They can get stale.”
“Oh. We will just have to come back.” Harry suggests. Sybil feels hope bloom in her chest at the chance of another visit. It comes crashing down when she realizes that this is the last of her money. How will they get to do any of this again if they can’t buy it? She decides to keep the thoughts to herself for now.
Harry quickly finishes his drink and admires Sybil as she explains things around her, gently answering any question he may ask. It’s a side of Sybil that he never knew. One that he loves. He loves to learn from her, and see her in the place she’s from.
She looks so natural here. The effortless way that she moves and operates is stunning to Harry. She fits in so well, and he feels like he sticks out sorely. This is the life he took her from. This is what she gave up for him.
Her favorite coffee place. Her little quirks and routines. The people she met, the things she did. She gave up this life for him. For their kingdom. For their population. For their crisis. She did this.
Harry thinks she is magnificent. Her dedication, her love, her commitment. What started out as an awful situation ended up to be the best thing in his life. He can only hope she feels the same.
"You alright Har? You look like you got lost." she asks. Harry's mind snaps back to attention.
"I'm okay." he answers.
"What were you thinking about?" She lifts her eyebrows at him. Harry doesn't want to admit how sad his thoughts got for a moment, a small pang of guilt rising in his chest.
"Just how much I love you." He says. It's not a lie, but it's not the full truth.
"Awe. I love you too Har. Are you ready to go?" She stands and places a kiss on his cheek. He turns his head and places a kiss on her lips, soft and slow.
"Yeah. What did you say was next again?" Harry asks. He already knows she said she was going to take him out to eat, but he wants to hear her explain it again. Sybil goes into explaining the restaurant again as Harry just stares at her and listens to her voice.
As they walk down the street, Harry holds her hand and looks around at all of the buildings.
Some buildings seem to be built higher than Harry has ever flown before. They look like they could touch the sky. Other buildings are small little homes and businesses.
He looks over at the beautiful woman beside him, a small smile playing on her lips. She looks at the world with a new set of eyes, having seen a whole other land and way of life. She takes it all in. The hustle and bustle of people that once annoyed her was now beautiful. The life and billboards and the technology all once seemed overwhelming, now such a luxury.
“What are all of these small boxes people are holding?”
“Oh, those are cell phones. They are a communication and entertainment device. I believe I’ve told you about them before. ”
“How do they communicate and entertain?”
“You can send instant messages and take pictures and play games.”
“All on that little box?”
“Yeah. They are pretty amazing.”
“Did you have one?”
“I used to. It got left at the cabin.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Harry. It’s okay. It wouldn’t have worked at home anyways. Gotta have cell towers and a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Home. The word rings in Harry’s head. She’s said it one hundred times before but this one made the world tilt. This isn’t her home anymore. His world is. Their world is. His heart feels heavy with guilt. She could still be here. These thoughts always plague him even though she has begged for him to let it go. She would have came anyways. It doesn’t ease the guilt that she was trapped. Jailed. Beaten. Hungry. It all still plays in his mind.
“You know what I meant.” Harry says softly.
“Harry”, she stops them right there on the sidewalk, people flowing around them. “You don’t need to carry that guilt around. It’s not yours to carry. You don’t have to pay for your father’s sins. He does. They are not yours to carry.”
“I was still complicit.”
“You weren’t. You went above and beyond for me. Helping me eat, helping me sleep. Protecting me. You did all you could do.”
“I didn’t protect you enough.-“ Harry starts but Sybil stops him with a gentle kiss. He kisses her back, the ache in his chest easing.
When they separate, They walk the rest of the way in silence to the restaurant. Sybil gets them a table and they sit down. Harry studies each item on the menu. He feels bad asking so many questions, but he doesn’t have a clue what most of this is.
“Any recommendations?” He asks. Sybil lifts her head from her menu.
“I like the chicken alfredo or the steak.” She tells him. A confused look still painting his face, she explains each dish to him in the best way that she can. She hopes she looks at ease because she’s nervous that Harry will have a terrible time, or not like what he orders. She loves getting to show him a slice of her life, but she doesn’t want Harry to have a bad time. He already seems to be so lost in his thoughts today. She wonders if this is what she was like when learning about their world.
“I’ll order whichever one you don’t get. Maybe we can try each others?” Harry suggests and Sybil agrees.
Sybil places the orders and the waiter walks away. She puts her hand on the table, inviting Harry to hold it.
Harry takes her hand and intertwines his fingers with hers. A small moment that he cherishes.
“Thank you for bringing me here and showing me these little things about you. Harry says gently. “I’m glad to get to see this side of you.”
“Side of me? What do you mean?”
“You seem so free here. Everything seems so effortless. I know there’s many things I still have to learn, but getting to experience a part of your old life. It means the world to me.” He tells her, and she smiles at him.
“I love you” she says to him.
“I love you too, Princess.” He replies.
They slowly eat through their meals, trying each others the way that Harry suggested. Harry loved the alfredo, but the steak was his favorite.
“We are going to have to figure out how to replicate all of these things at home. It’s delicious!” Harry tells her and she laughs.
“We can definitely try. I’ll need to taste test some ingredients. Maybe we can start a garden?” Sybil suggests and Harry gives her a big smile. The thought of her tending a garden is too cute for him to handle. He imagines that she will dress up in special clothes, ones that she won’t mind getting dirty. She’d even tie her hair up in a bun or a ponytail.
“We will definitely start a garden. I’ll make sure of it.” He tells her, his cheeks starting to warm at the thoughts. Sybil pays the check and they walk out of the restaurant, ready to walk back to the edge of the city. Sybil takes his hand and leads the way, Harry following beside of her. They walk slow, watching the sun set behind skyline.
When they reach far enough out that no more people are visible, Sybil pulls the stone out of her pocket.
“Wait.” Harry says as she holds the stone in her palm. He puts his hand over it and holds hers. “I just want to stay one more moment.
The sky begins to dim and turn the dark shade of blue. The lights in the city begin to flick on and shine through the darkness.
“Are you okay?” Sybil asks. Harry nods and steps closer to her, his face inches from hers. The necklace around her neck catches in the last little glimmer of sun, a green light reflecting from the crystal and shining on her skin. His purple one reflects the light as well, catching Sybil’s eye.
“I’m okay. I’m just not ready to go back. There’s a lot to go back to. I’ve never gotten to just walk through a world with no heavy responsibility to everyone. Not that I don’t like what I do, but my whole life has been royalty. It’s nice to be a regular person for once. I’m not ready for it to end.”
Sybil places her hand on his cheek, bringing him even closer. She places a kiss on his lips.
“I know what’s happening is scary with your dad. You might have to become king a lot sooner than you expected, but I’ll be here the whole time. We will figure this out together.” She tells him. He kisses her again. He hugs her and hold her for a while, savoring the last few moments before the weight is back on his shoulders.
“Harry.” She says after a while, “We need to go. We can come back sometime. There’s plenty more to show you. We just have to find some money, or do something that doesn’t cost any. We can come back.”
“I know. We will need to. I loved today. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She says back. She focuses and opens a purple portal, shimmering with its magic and the sun. Harry takes a deep breath and steps through. Sybil follows behind him, giving a final look at the sunset behind her.
When they are both safely on the other side and in Ace’s office, Sybil closes the portal and return the stone to the case in her pocket.
“Good thing you guys came back. You were cutting it close.” Ace says.
“Dad, I told you we would be okay. We had a great time.” Harry tells him, bringing Sybil close.
“Good. Now go get some rest. Tomorrow’s a busy day, and a long meeting.” Ace tells them. “It’s going to be a hard day”. Harry and Sybil walk to their room and shut the door behind them.
Harry’s anxiety is through the roof, but he remembers moments throughout the day that bring him comfort. Sybil talks to him and reassures him that no matter what happens in the future, they have each other. They always will.
[Image Alt ID: a four picture collage with a black background. The first picture is of sun shining though the tops of trees onto a forest floor. The second picture is of a girl with black hair in a white dress. She is standing in front of a lake or pond. She is looking off into the distance. The third picture is of two hands touching some vines on a tree. The final picture is a close up of a girl. Her curly, dark hair is over her face. You can see her lips, chin, and neck. There is a white text block across the middle that reads “arranged to be yours” End Alt ID]
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Masterlist Series Part 1 Part 3
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6.4k words
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Sybil is finally told why she’s in the fae world. Harry does his best to make Sybil happy by taking her outside
(Warnings: contains violence, restraints, suggested sexual advances (not explicitly stated))
It’s finally that time of that day that Harry makes his way down to check on Sybil and spend some time with her. He’s been busy all morning, skipping breakfast just to get things done.
The guard at the door lets him in. Sybil lays in her bed. She greets Harry as she lays there, the blanket covering her.
“They told me you didn’t sleep last night, and you requested no lunch today.” Harry states.
“Yeah. I tried to sleep. I couldn’t.” She says, hoping to gloss over not wanting to eat. Harry notices, but lets it go because he knows why she isn’t sleeping.
“Why not?” He asks anyways.
“Just anxious.” She says as her stomach reminds her. It feels like she’s on a boat with how sick her anxiety is making her feel. Harry walks over to sit down. Sybil notices his lack of papers to read and correct or fill out. “Don’t you get bored down here?” Sybil asks Harry as he sits at the table, changing the subject.
“If I’m helping you sleep, what does it matter that I’m bored?”
“You’re a prince. You could do anything you want. You don’t want to go do that?”
“I am doing what I want. Plus life isn’t all that simple to be a prince. I have to listen to my father. Everything I do reflects on our kingdom. If I was reckless I could hurt a lot of people. I don’t want that.”
“Well, of course not. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to babysit me.”
“Well, we are both in this situation, not by choice. So I’m making the best of it. The best that I can. I still feel guilty about you being here.” Harry says to her. Sybil has the blankets pulled up to her neck, wanting to sleep but she can’t.
It has been a little over two weeks since Sybil was captured and kept in the dungeon. Harry has visited every day since then, trying to help her adjust to her life here. Harry doesn’t have the power to send her home like he wants to. He knows she doesn’t want to be here.
There is a lingering silence after Harry’s statement. Sybil is coming to accept that there is no getting out of this place, but Harry makes it bearable.
Harry isn’t like the guards who come in her room and beat her for not speaking to them and “giving them the respect they deserve”. He’s not like the ones who have never seen a human before, and want to be all over her all of the time. He’s not like James, who is part of the reason she’s here. James is the worst of them all. He commands them all. James is the one who helped tie her up and bring her here. He is the most brutal of them all.
Harry treats her normally and with decency. He eases her anxiety about getting hurt while she’s asleep. He makes sure all of her food is safe to eat so she can be comfortable. Harry is the only person who feels safe enough to talk to.
“You alright?” Harry asks her when she doesn’t speak.
“Yeah. I’m okay.” She says. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” He asks curiously.
“I don’t know much about why I’m here, or where here even is, but what is it like outside of this room? You guys have magic. What is the rest of your world like?” She asks, longing to see the outside of these walls. She misses the outdoors and the brief time she got to spend at the cabin.
Harry’s heart breaks for her. She’s still clueless. She has no idea what her life is about to be like. She has no idea about the world she now has to live in.
“Has… has anyone told you why you’re here? What is going to be happening soon?”
“No. Everyone keeps saying it’s important. I was chosen for something special, but it doesn’t feel very special to me. I’ve never gotten to leave this room except to use the bathroom.”
Harry didn’t know his heart could break any more. He didn’t know he could feel more guilty.
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad Harry. I just want to know. I’ve always been an outdoors person and being stuck inside like this really sucks.”
“I’m sorry.” He says to her.
“Harry-“
“The outside is similar to yours. We have trees and ponds. The biggest differences would be the kinds of food that grows outside and our animals. We have different and magical beings in our woods. The only magic in your world is ours. The human world has no magic of its own, at least that’s what I was told. I’ve never been there, but my mom, she was human like you. She came over here when my dad visited your world and showed her what magic is. She wanted this life. She said it was so beautiful.” Harry tells her, feeling like he may have went too far, but the words have already fallen from his tongue.
“She wanted this life?” Sybil asks curiously.
“She always said that she hated her life over in the human world. She was miserable. When she walked into the woods one day, she saw my father out there. She saw him use magic and she wanted to know everything about him. About our people. She met up with my dad a few more times after that and he decided to show her this place. She instantly loved it and she came over. They got married not long after that.” He tells her and she smiles softly.
“She sounds like she was lovely. Just the way you speak about her so fondly.”
“I miss her a lot.” Harry admits. “If she were here, she wouldn’t have let you be taken from your life. She always thought things through. She would have found a better solution. She would have figured this out”.
“Figured what out? What is everyone not telling me?” She asks, trusting that Harry will be honest with her. He is the only person she could expect that from. Harry lets out a sigh.
“My people are dying. A curse was placed on our people during a war that we had. We can have children but very rarely do they ever get to grow up. My dad says the only way around the curse that they have found is to transform humans into one of us. The curse doesn’t affect the humans turned into faeries. They can have children and they get to have long and healthy lives.”
“And my part is to, what? What’s so special?”
“My father has arranged for us to be married.” He tells her and she sits there in stunned silence. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?” Sybil asks, still processing what he’s said.
“My dad believes I need a human to be my wife to encourage other humans and faeries to marry. You would be our princess.”
“And I’m just supposed to be okay with the fact that your family kidnapped me to be a baby machine for you?” Sybil’s stomach turns at the thought.
“No. It’s cruel and it’s not what I want. I want you to go back home, but I don’t have the power to send you there. I’m talking with my father. I don’t want you to have any babies unless you want to. I would never force you to. I’m just being honest so you’re not blindsided.”
“But you’re on board to make me marry you?”
“Of course not. You being here against your will is awful. Had you come here voluntarily it would be different.” Harry defends, but Sybil is still hurt. She lays there in the bed just looking at the floor.
“I don’t even know you. I know nothing about this world and you want me to be your princess?” She asks softly, her eyes meeting his. “I don’t know anything about being a princess. I don’t know anything Harry.”
“Whatever I have to do to make this easier for you, I will. I just can’t get you home. I don’t know how to open the portal to your world. I will answer any questions you have. I promise to be fully honest with you.”
“What about all of those others? When I was brought here I could hear them crying. What are they here for?” Sybil asks quietly.
“They are here for transformation as well.” Harry says and Sybil remains silent. “I’m sorry.”
“What happens if we don’t get married?” She asks him, wanting to just be able to close her eyes and sleep. Harry gives her a sad look.
“He would hurt you. His magic is stronger than any I’ve ever seen. I don’t want that for you. I’m trying to protect you from him. I know you don’t want this, but it’s the easiest way to get through this.”
“I know.” She says, accepting that she has no choice. It’s this or suffer. “Thank you for telling me the truth.” She says to Harry. Harry gives her a pitiful smile. Sybil closes her eyes and thinks over her situation until she eventually falls asleep.
Harry steps outside of her cell and closes the door. He opens the slider so that if she were to wake up, she can see that he didn’t go too far from her. She’s still safe. He’s still here.
“Your highness?” The guard asks. “Everything alright?”
“I need to speak to my father. Can you fetch him for me?”
“Of course.” He says with a whoosh. He teleports away. A few moments later he returns with the king.
“What is it Harry?” He asks curiously.
“Dad I need to talk to you about her.”
“Is everything okay?” He asks Harry, wishing he’d get to the point.
“She needs to go outside. She needs to talk to people.”
“Harry-“
“Dad listen. I wouldn’t ask if I really didn’t think she needs it. You want her to marry me. You want her to be our princess. You want her to be a part of this world. How can she be a part of it if she’s only ever seen that room? If she’s only ever talked to me?” Harry urges him and his father takes a moment to think about it.
“What do you propose?”
“I think we should allow her time outside. Time in the kingdom. Supervised of course, but outside nonetheless.”
“How will you keep her from running away? How will you make sure she doesn’t scare our people?”
“She’s not going to run away. She just wants some fresh air. She just wants to walk around outside. She wants to know what it’s like. What she’s getting into.” Harry begs. He would get down on his knees if it meant she could go.
“You have no way of knowing if she can escape you. She needs to be restrained. Controlled.”
“Dad-“
“That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t parade her around the kingdom like that, but to take her outside on our private land, she needs to be restrained. Those are my conditions if you truly think this is best for her.” He says authoritatively.
“Dad.” Harry says, but the king says nothing more. Harry gives in. Maybe if she can show them that she isn’t going to run, they can trust her more. “Bare minimum restraints. Nothing that will hurt her. Nothing extravagant. Bare minimum.”
“Then you’ll take James with you.” He says. Harry nods. The king is satisfied with how quickly Harry and himself could settle this. Harry is just glad he can show her what she’s been longing to see. To get her out of this dungeon and to the outside where she loves to be. The guard agrees to inform James when he arrives shortly.
Harry goes back in her cell and the door shuts behind him. He sits in the chair beside her bed and reads a book.
It’s only about three hours until she wakes up again. Harry knows she needs more sleep than that, but she’s wide awake.
“Hey. It’s okay.” He tells her. Sybil breathes heavily as she sits straight up in bed, her nightmare still clouding her thoughts. She blinks and looks around to see Harry. Not James. Not the red headed boy. Just Harry. “Just a dream.” He reminds her. Her eyes met his. Harry could see the fear in them. He could see down to the core how scared she was at whatever she dreamed of.
“A really bad dream.” She whispers to herself, but Harry still heard it. He gives her a moment to stand and stretch her legs and walk around. When she sits back down, Harry starts to talk to her.
“So, I talked to my dad.” He begins. “About you going outside.” Sybil perks up at this. She didn’t think there was actually hope of her getting to see anything.
“What did he say?” She asks him excitedly. Harry doesn’t match her enthusiasm.
“I’m allowed to take you out on the grounds, but there are conditions.” He tells her.
“Conditions? Like what?” She says, running her hands through her long black hair.
“You have to be restrained so you can’t run away. I asked for the bare minimum, because my dad doesn’t believe that you won’t try to get away. He said it has to be this way, or we can’t go. We also have to have my guard with us.”
A million thoughts run through her mind. What kind of restraint is the bare minimum? Is it worth it? Who is the guard who will be going with her? She’s desperate to go outside and get some fresh air.
Harry can see her hesitation and her racing mind.
“I’ll be there the whole time.” He reminds her, remembering how she was surprised when Harry didn’t hurt her, leading him to believe one of his guards was. “It’s the only way to go.”
“What are the restraints? Is it my hands? My feet?”
“I’m not sure. That is up to James.” Harry tells her and she can feel her heart start to race again. Harry sees her eyes widen at his name. “You okay?”
Sybil tries to hide her fear, knowing that if Harry finds out what James has been doing to her, then it will come back to haunt her. He will make her life a living hell. James has been hurting her, touching her. He can do whatever he wants and he gets away with it by making her silent. If she speaks about it, all of the guards will know. She knows that it would mean things could be so much worse.
“I want to go outside so badly, I just want to have my hands to touch the trees and the flowers.” She tells him and Harry can’t help but to think about her touching the flowers and the bark on the trees. It’s a cute sight when he isn’t reminded that she’s a prisoner and it’s partially his fault that she had to beg to go outside.
“I’ll see what we can do. I’ll talk to James before we go.” Harry assures her. There is a tap on the door, almost as if James knew when they were talking about him. The door opens and James walks in.
“I was briefed on today’s plans. When would you like to do this?” James asks, giving a small glance at Sybil before returning his eyes to Harry. Harry looks over at Sybil to ask her.
Sybil swallows the lump in her throat. She doesn’t want to speak to James at all in front of him, but that would only tip Harry off even more.
“Now, if that’s okay.” She says, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
“Of course. Let me talk to James for a minute and then we can go.” Harry tells her. Harry and James step outside of her room.
“Were you told that the restraints are to be bare minimum?” Harry says as soon as her door is closed.
“I was. I was thinking hand cuffs and ankle cuffs.”
“No. She wants her hands. She wants to actually be able to enjoy the outside.” Harry tells him. James rolls his eyes.
“She has to realize her situation. She doesn’t always get what she wants your highness.”
“She didn’t get to choose to be here but she’s still a person. She deserves to touch the flowers if she feels like it. She is planned to be your princess if all goes according to my father’s plan.” Harry reminds him, doing his best to remain diplomatic and not swear at James.
He hates even thinking of her as his wife because she doesn’t have a choice. But if they are going to be trapped into a marriage together, Harry was going to do whatever it takes to make her the happiest girl in the world. She could touch the damn flowers if she felt like it. He hates to fly but he would fly her around if he could make her happy. She didn’t choose this life but that doesn’t mean he can’t make it a good one.
“The only other thing I can think of sir is either a collar or magic, and I know you don’t like to use magic like that your highness.”
“I don’t, but what kind of magic are you suggesting?” Harry asks hesitantly. James lists a few different options, but none of them satisfy Harry’s request for her actually being able to enjoy the outdoors.
“Then it’s just the collar sir.” James says.
“Go get it and I’ll talk to her.” Harry says sadly.
Harry walks back into her room. Sybil looks up at Harry anxiously. Her nerves are buzzing. She’s excited to go outside but not to be with James.
Harry starts to speak but his words fail him. How is he supposed to tell her that’s she’s got to be collared like an animal? There’s no good way to tell her that.
“Are we still going? What’s that look for?” She asks, her eyes going to pop out of her head if they get any wider.
“Yeah. We are still going. Um… the only restraint that James has that isn’t magical or takes away the use of your hands is a collar and chain.” Harry says, trying to make the blow less harsh, but it’s still a punch to the gut to Sybil.
“I’m not a dog, Harry.” She says, her eyes welling up. “I just want to go outside.”
“I know.” Harry tells her. “I’m sorry. It won’t always be like this.”
“What do you even know, Harry? You just do what you’re told. You don’t have any power here, prince or not.” She snaps, refusing to cry right now, trying to save what bit of dignity she has left. She hates being so rude to Harry, but he has told her some pretty upsetting things today. She’s going to be his bride. The princess of this place. She was kidnapped as an example. She doesn’t have any choices. Now she can go outside but she has to be treated even worse.
Harry’s feelings are hurt by her harshness, but she’s right. He can’t say for sure that this isn’t how it would be every time. Harry hopes things would improve for her after the wedding and her transformation. There’s another tap on the door signaling that James is ready.
“Do you still want to go?” Harry asks softly.
“Yeah.” She says shortly, not entertaining any more conversation with Harry. Sybil feels so humiliated. The door is opened and James steps in with the metal contraption. He quickly hides his small smile.
James slowly steps over to her. He unlocks the collar and opens it. He places the cold metal around her neck and fastens it. Sybil can’t fight the tears any longer. A tear stream down her cheek as James locks it behind her. Harry’s heart breaks at the sight of her.
The cold metal bites her skin. The collar is tight on her throat. She can still breathe, but one yank and she wouldn’t be able to.
Harry felt like a mess. A horrible person. He’s allowing this. He is letting James lock that on her. What can he do?
James takes the chain in his hand and holds it, gently pulling it taught to show her who is boss, but not alert Harry. The door is opened and Harry walks out first, followed by Sybil and James.
Sybil looks around at the hallway outside of her room. People, humans, flock to the bars of their cages to see who has emerged from the door. The hallway feels endless and people whisper about her. The main door opens and Sybil is escorted out.
They go down a long series of hallways to reach the one that goes outside. Sybil’s eyes immediately squint from the light, but the difference in the air is refreshing. When her eyes adjust, she forgets for a moment why she was ever upset. Her worries about marrying Harry, maybe having kids, being a princess all fades from her mind for a moment.
Her eyes scan her surroundings, catching on every flower that is practically glowing and asking her to touch them. She looks up at the tall trees. The castle looms over the trees, stone peaking out above the leaves.
Harry doesn’t look around. Instead, he looks at Sybil. Her eyes go wide with astonishment. You can see her taking in every single thing around her as if the outside was water, and she was going to die of thirst.
She goes to bend down, but her chain is tugged and she reaches for her throat to try and loosen it. She stands upright again.
“James, give her some slack, yeah?” Harry asks him. James obeys Harry’s request and lets go of some of the chain balled around his hand. Sybil bends down again and touches the dirt and grass beneath her feet. She slowly begins to take a step. Harry follows, not taking his eyes off of her the whole time.
She walks up to a tree and runs her fingers delicately over the rough bark. She looks up, collar gently tugging on her neck. She sees this world’s birds, flying from branch to branch. Glowing blue orbs hang down from some of the trees.
“What is that?” Sybil asks.
Harry, lost in the sight of her being star struck, takes a minute to realize that she was talking to him.
“It’s a fruit. You can eat it.” He tells her. A pang of guilt comes over him as she reaches for her neck again, wanting to loosen the collar, but physically being unable to do so.
She reaches up, ignoring the collar and plucks a blue orb fruit from the tree. She holds it in her hands, basking in its light. It casts a faint blue glow on her skin and in her eyes. Harry can’t get over such a beautiful sight.
“I can eat it?” She asks. “It doesn’t look like something you eat. It looks like glass.”
“Take a bite.” Harry suggests to her. Sybil slowly takes a bite and is met with an explosion of flavor on her tastebuds. She’s never had anything like it before. It’s like a perfect mixture of blueberries and cotton candy.
“Oh my god. This is amazing!” She says, practically shouting. Her voice echos off of the trees. Harry gives her a smile. A big, genuine smile. She continues eating the fruit, not caring how sticky and messy her hands get. She devours it, her stomach wanting something to eat since she skipped her lunch.
“There is a core at the middle. Be careful you don’t eat that.” Harry warns her gently. She eventually finds the core, tossing it to the ground. She continues walking around. Eventually she kicks off her shoes and sits down in the dirt, not caring at how dirty she gets.
James doesn’t sit, causing the chain to tug at her at little more. Another pang of guilt comes over Harry, dampening his mood. He’s really enjoying seeing Sybil out in her element, but seeing her restraints, seeing James walk her like a dog, is heartbreaking. He can tell she’s enjoying herself out here, but is still upset with him.
“How long can I stay out here?” She asks, taking a deep breath. Harry doesn’t know the answer, so he looks to James.
“We have about an hour.” James says to Harry. Sybil has mixed feelings about only having an hour. It’s barely been long enough. Days upon days of captivity and then finally being able to come outside. Nothing will be long enough. She also doesn’t like that James is in control. She’s trying to ignore the collar. Ignore the chain. Ignore James. He can’t ruin this experience for her.
She wants to lay down, but knows James can’t give her any more slack on the chain for her to be able to. He refuses to sit.
She tries to enjoy herself, touching the grass, plucking the flowers around her. She traces her finger around in a bare patch of dirt. She gets up and walks around some more, knowing her time is slowly ticking away. She walks up to a small pond and looks at her reflection is the still water.
She’s covered in dirt, but wouldn’t have it any other way right now. The collar reminds her of her situation, making her instinctively reach for her neck. The collar seems tighter as time goes on, but this isn’t magic. It’s just her reality. The feelings of anger towards Harry for allowing the collar come back, but she pushes them aside to try and enjoy her time outside.
Harry throws a stone into the water, causing the ripples to distort her reflection. He noticed that she was staring for a while, pulling at the metal. Sybil looks up at Harry curiously.
“Can you skip rocks?” He asks her. She gave him a small smile and then picked up one of the flat stones by the bank of water. She flawlessly throws the stone and gets three skips before the it finally sinks.
“That was impressive.” Harry states as he picks up another rock. He gets one skip with his before it splashes down with the other one. “I’m not quite that good.”
“I’m surprised you’re getting any. Your stones aren’t super flat.”
“Well, limited supply.” He says back. The sounds of the forest fill the silence between them. They both sit and skip stones until James clears his throat.
“It’s time to go.” He says, pulling on Sybil’s collar. Sybil gasps for breath at his sudden yank. Harry rushes to her side, making sure she’s okay.
“What was that for?” Harry says angrily.
“Nothing sir. I was letting her know she needed to get up.”
“She heard you just fine.” He says, almost through his teeth. A red mark begins to appear on her neck. “Give it to me.” Harry motions for the chain.
“Your highness—“
“Give me the chain James.” He demands. James is clearly upset, but is failing at hiding it like he wants to. He hesitantly gives the chain to Harry.
The chain almost burns in Harry’s hand. He hates holding it. He hates having that control over her, but he would rather have it than James. Sybil hates to see it in Harry’s hand. He’s been so nice until today. She likes being around Harry. He’s taken care of her, but he allowed this. He chose this. Sybil can’t help but to be upset with him. Harry lets James lead the way, Sybil and himself following close behind. He stays close to her, allowing her to have room to move around since he has control.
When they finally get back to her room, James hands Harry the key to her collar. Harry unlocks it and gently removes it. Sybil instantly feels more at ease knowing she can walk around freely, even if it is just in her room.
Harry holds the collar in his hands. He’s filled with so much anger at what James did to her. Harry uses his magic, and breaks the metal device into useless tiny pieces. He uses more magic to make those pieces vanish. James is shocked, his mouth hanging open.
“Why would you do that?”
“You won’t have that power over her again. I’m releasing you of your duty for the rest of the evening. Go find my father.”
“Prince-“
“Go!” Harry shouts. With a huff, James teleports away. Harry turns around and sees Sybil looking anxious. She backs up until her legs hit the bed and she can sit down.
“I’m sorry I screamed. I’m really angry.” Harry says to her. He walks over to her and crouches down in front of her. “I don’t know why he did that to you.”
“I don’t know.” She answers. She closes her eyes for a moment before opening them again, letting her anger go. She takes a deep breath. “I think I should shower. Can you take me?” She asks. Emotions swirl around her head. She was upset with Harry, but seeing him so angry as well made her feel a bit better about the situation. She is anxious because of James getting in trouble. She’s happy because she got to go outside.
“Of course.” Harry says. He leads her down the hall and to the showers. Her clothes are already laid out inside the bathroom. She shuts the door as Harry’s father appears with a different guard.
“Harry, James says you released him from duty?l”
“He hurt her on purpose. It was unnecessary.” Harry breathed out.
“I see. You’re upset.”
“Of course! She doesn’t deserve to be treated like that!” He explains to his dad. Harry explains what happened and told him about her injury.
“James will no longer be on guard duty down here. He can stay upstairs somewhere.” The king says, making Harry happy that he sees his side. “And Harry,” the king continues, “How is she doing? Did going outside help her? Was she happy?”
“You should have seen her dad. She loved it.”
“Maybe we can arrange for her some more time outside. Not the collar, but maybe we can put in a barrier, extra guards outside around the perimeter since she did well today.” He says. Harry lights up at this. The king vanishes away again, always having some place to be and something to do.
While Sybil is in the shower, she reflects on everything.
Harry has been so sweet and kind to her. He would never hurt her on purpose. He helped her when James pulled the stunt outside, but that doesn’t change that Harry chose for her to have a collar. He could have figured something out. He could have stood up to his dad. He could have did something.
Sybil can’t help but to feel bad for thinking bad of Harry when he is the only person that cares about her situation. She’s afraid he’s just playing the part and taking care of her because he has to, but getting to go outside proves her wrong.
She doesn’t have a choice but to marry Harry. She doesn’t want to face any consequences from the king. She’s tired of hurting. Harry doesn’t have a choice either. He doesn’t want to be forced to marry her. He doesn’t want to force her to have children.
Princess definitely isn’t a roll that Sybil thought she would be fitting in to, but she could do good things with her title. She would have some influence. She could suggest things to the king.
And finally, Harry mentioned something about transforming into a faery. She’s scared to have to transform. She has never seen magic before she was captured. She has no idea how it works, but she’s about to have it. She will know soon enough.
Despite everything bad that has happened, Sybil has gotten a taste of what this life is like. It will definitely be an adjustment to everything she’s ever known, but once she isn’t a prisoner anymore she can enjoy this world. She can live in it. She can let the stresses of her old life go. As bad as everything is here right now, she’s happy to leave behind her life in the human world.
Sybil comes out of the bathroom in fresh clothes and with neatly brushed hair, calming her thoughts as they quietly walk back to her room. Sybil sits down at the table where Harry previously gave her some paper and some pencils to write with. Harry sits across from her. She begins to write quickly. She can’t seem to get the thoughts on the page fast enough.
“What’s that?” Harry asks curiously.
“I don’t want to forget anything about the outside. Despite what happened, I really enjoyed being out there. Your mom was right. It’s absolutely beautiful.” Sybil said to him, a smile painting her face at the memories. Harry’s heart swells at the mention of his mom. Sybil’s smile matches what Harry can remember of his mom. It’s radiant. It’s happy. It’s contagious.
Sybil continues to write. Lines and lines cover the page, her messy handwriting slapping down whatever she can remember. She excludes any part about her feelings about James and her anger towards Harry at the time.
“I wish you could have met her. You are a lot alike.” Harry tells her. “She loved going outside. She would take me and walk those woods every day.” Harry tells her. Sybil finishes up her writing as Harry speaks.
Dinner comes in as she finishes up her writing. Two trays. Harry sits at the table with his. Sybil decides to join him. She moves the food around on her tray. She doesn’t immediately hand it over to Harry.
“Everything okay?” He asks her. She brings her eyes to meet his.
“Do you mind if I don’t have you try any? I think I’ll be okay.”
“I don’t mind as long as you are comfortable.” Harry says, glad she’s taking this step. He never minded that she asked him to eat but he’s happy with the fact that she’s getting more comfortable.
After dinner, Harry takes the trays out. He comes back in to tell her goodnight. Sybil lays in her bed when he comes back.
“Goodnight.” He says to her. She smiles at him.
“Goodnight Harry.” She says. Harry walks out of her room with a small smile on his face.
Sybil ends up sleeping for a few more hours, surprising herself. Her comfort is rooted in the fact that James isn’t going to be down here any longer. He isn’t her guard any more.
Sybil wakes up to her door opening, breakfast being set on the table. The guard exits as she sits down to eat.
She cleans her tray and goes back to sit on her bed when the locks click on her door. She secretly hopes it’s Harry coming down to see her, but that’s not the case. James walks through the door and it is shut behind him, the slider window closed.
Goosebumps cover Sybil’s body as fear riddles her frozen. James has a smile plastered onto his face.
“You have no idea what you’re in for.” He tells her. “You talk to Harry. You treat him with respect, but your attitude and actions got me fired. You treat the rest of us like garbage!” He slams his hand down on the table, the silverware rattling.
“James-“
“Now you want to talk? To beg me?” James asks as he steps closer to her. She tries to back herself away from him but she’s already at the corner between the wall and the bed. “Tell me your name.”
Sybil knew this would come eventually. She’s lucky they let her get this far without knowing her name. She doesn’t respond to him, knowing silence will only make him angrier, but knowing saying her name will make things worse.
James tossed the blanket off of her and grab her ankles. He pulled her to the edge of the bed, Sybil yelping, kicking, and screaming. “Tell me your name.” He demands calmly as she fought him. With a wave of his hand, he swooshes her into the nearest wall beside the bed.
Sybil gasps for air as it is forced from her body from the blow.
“You don’t even realize what you’ve done! I’ve trained my whole life to be on the kings staff. Every moment I’ve spent of my life is for this kingdom, and in an instant, your ridiculous behavior has screwed it all up for me!” He seethes with anger. “You don’t get to disrespect me any longer. I honestly don’t know what Harry sees in you. He bends over backwards for you and for what? You’re a spoiled brat, but what you forget is that you’re a prisoner. You may be chosen to marry into the royal family, but right now you’re a peasant. You’re nothing. Yet you act like the crown is already on your head.”
Sybil tries to fight the magic that holds her to the wall, but it’s pointless.
“Tell me your name.” He demands again. Sybil, remembering Harry’s warning, remains silent for a moment.
“You’ll never know my name.” She says defiantly.
James, cupping his hand in the air, begins to choke Sybil. Sybil tries to raise her hands to her throat, but they are pinned to her side. Her eyes began to droop, unconsciousness creeping in.
Harry, just walking into the hallway of cells, hear a loud scream, followed by a thud. His stomach drops. Without any hesitation, he brings out the wings he hates to use and flies as fast as he can for the only door in this dungeon he has ever walked into. Her door. The beautiful girl who is set to be his wife. The poor girl who isn’t here by choice. The girl he likes.
The guard at the door tries to stop Harry from entering, but Harry pushes him away. The guard lands on the floor. The guard stands and tries to block Harry from touching the locks. He knows he can’t put his hands on him because he is the Prince. Harry beats him to the locks and swings the door open to see James pinning Sybil to the wall, her eyes falling closed as he chokes the life out of her.
All smut is labeled by chapter with a stoplight emoji (🚦) and also tagged # hswriting smut
All Song Based Stories are tagged #song based story and #song series
All stories are tagged with their name (example: #the moment I knew). They are also tagged with the first letter of each word in the title (example: for the moment I knew, the tag is #tmik) unless it is a one word title, then it’s just the name (example: #Perfect)
Notes:
- The Moment I Knew is NOT part of the song series because it was written with multiple parts, while the song series is meant for more one shot type works.
- Song series are separate from one shots just for my own organizational purposes.
Yes I would love to read it! Btw I loved the story as a whole! I think with each story your writing is improving! The world and character building in this was great💕
Thank you so much! I’ve seen such a big difference between tmik and atby and I feel so proud because I did all of that? Thank you so much for your support Anon. I’ll get to working on it soon. I’m especially excited because this will be my first extra. I’m currently writing a song one shot, and then my poll for the next story came out to be 50/50, so I might do this extra next since I have to figure out what to do next. Thank you so much ❤️
