Love Blinds

“Ha ha! Yes!” Kate jumped up and down as she potted the last yellow for the girls team and paused to give Natalie a high five across the green felted table.
“All right, all right, show off all you like you two! But you’re about to get thrashed!” Will grabbed the cue off of Kate and spun it round his head, narrowly missing a deer head hanging on the wall. He took a shot at one of the red balls and missed catastrophically, but smiled so manically, Natalie had a feeling he had missed on purpose. Even so, she took the cue from Will, lined the white up with the black, and potted it perfectly. As soon as she stood up straight, Kate had practically jumped her and was now jumping up and down with her in an odd rendition of ‘We are the Champions’. Will and David shook hands and looked down at their feet in mock shame. It was at this moment that the door opened at the other end of the room and Harry poked his head round the door.
“Oy! How come you two are having fun with our guests and I’m stuck upstairs without a clue!”
Will let out a sigh of relief, obviously happy that it wasn’t the Prince of Wales that had come through the door.
“Well, maybe if you didn’t have your headphone’s in all the time, you would have heard Kate screaming.” Will made a pointed look at Kate.
“I wasn’t screaming! I was just being enthusiastic for the benefit of our guests!” Kate now jumped Will and wrapped her legs round his waist in a piggy-back style.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Harry took his eyes from the royal couple and rested them on Natalie and David.
“Oh, sorry bro, this is the daughter to be and son of the Duke of Cornwall, Natalie and David…” Will coughed, “…or to us, Nat and Dave.” Harry shook David’s hand and kissed Natalie’s.
“Right! Now that the formalities are over, can I be my own self?” Harry aimed this question at his older brother.
“Yep, I don’t think we’re gonna keep you held in for much longer.”
“Right then, I don’t want to insult the lady, but why is Nat dressed for a garden party and why are they soooo early?”
Natalie stepped in before Will or Kate could answer for her.
“First question, my sister to be, Beatrice tricked me and David to think that we were coming to a garden party and secondly, that’s why we’re early, because we were lead to believe that the ‘garden party’ started at 2pm.”
“That make’s sense. Hold on, Beatrice? Daughter of the Duke of Cornwall?”
“The one and only.” But David put in his penny’s worth.
“Well, technically Nat, after the wedding, you will also be his daughter.”
“Ok, well, for now, the one and only.” Natalie gave David a smirk.
“Brilliant! Well, if I can say, excuse me David, but you’re sister is really up herself!”
“Don’t apologise for her Harry! We both know how annoying and, yes, up herself, How do you know her?” David gave Harry a quizzical look. Harry sighed and deposited himself in one of the large arm chairs that were scattered around the circumference of the room, putting his legs over one of the arms.
“You’re mother,” Harry nodded at Natalie, “and your father,” he nodded at David, “…are trying to palm her off on me.”
“WHAT!” This came from David and Natalie simultaneously.
“Yep. They seem to think that I am perfect for her, or more my title and money is perfect for her.” Harry looked somewhat downcast at divulging this to his brother.
“Surely father has put a stop to this drivel” Will half asked half stated this to Harry.
“Sorry Will, but he is practically overjoyed about it.” Harry sighed. “I think tonight is going to be ’operation hideout’, perhaps a decoy if Nat’s game” Harry winked at her, Natalie only smiled back. She didn’t know how to react. The single prince in the room was winking at her and the other was fast to becoming a good friend. This was brilliant! She was dragged from her thoughts by Harry speaking again.
“Well, we have a couple of hours until the show gets on the road. Now Kate, have you got any spare garments that might suit out Nat here for this evening, as I don’t think any of us want to give Lady Arlene the satisfaction of seeing Nat humiliate herself later tonight.”
“I have just the right thing. Follow me Nat.”

Upstairs, Kate opened her extensive wardrobe in her room and picked out a few items.
“By the way, who made you wear pink today?”
“Is it that obvious that I’m uncomfortable. My mother…Arlene…told me to wear it…so as we wouldn’t clash colours.”
“Well, that was another misdeed she was dealing you. I think blue is your best colour, like me really.” Kate held up two dresses, Natalie chose a long dark blue one made of satin which was almost floor length. She made for the bathroom to try it on, but Kate stopped her.
“Oh come on Nat, you ain’t got nothing I ain’t.” She winked at her.
“Oh no Kate, it’s not that, it’s just that, well…I’m not exactly perfect.”
“What do you mean?” Kate stood with her hands on her hips and looked at her quizzically. Nat sighed and undid the back of her dress. As she pulled it down, Kate gasped as the scars lining her shoulders and torso were revealed.
“What on earth happened!” Kate covered her mouth as Natalie turned round and the scars on her back were also revealed.
“Car crash, I was 15. My mother was drunk on the night of my prom, came to pick me up almost 2 hours late, apparently she forgot about me. Anyway, she was driving so fast, I told her to slow down, but she wouldn’t listen to me, called me stupid. She swerved onto the other side of the road, hit another car and we flipped. Mum got out of the car and left me. The other family had to get me out, by that time the car was on fire. I only just got out without having to have a skin graph.” Natalie choked. “I was in hospital for almost a month.”
Kate gathered her up in a hug.
“You’re mother?”
“Just a few cuts and bruises.”
“She’s a real bitch you know that!” Natalie nodded in agreement. “ Well, don’t worry. You have me now, and Will and Harry. We’ll look out for you.” Natalie smiled at her. “Hey, dry those tears.” Natalie realised that she had been crying this whole time, she brought her sleeve up to her eyes. Kate walked over to the desk and got a pack of tissues from the draw.
“Hey! Now, how many people can say that they’re best friends with the future royals?” Natalie chuckled and Kate joined in.
“Hey, how about this.” Kate reached out her hand and extended her pinkie finger. “Sisters?”
Natalie smiled at her. “Yes, sisters.” They shook hands by their small fingers.
“Now! Since this dress is long, it should work. Although, your legs are fine, so I suppose you could wear the short one.”
“No, I like the long one.” Natalie picked the dress up from the floor where Kate had dropped it and slid it on, shaking her hair out of the back of it.
“There you are. Beautiful!”