Harry Potter and the Princess Bride

by Xianna

Chapter Two: The Prince

(A.N. - Typing 'King Lucius' makes me giggle indecently.)

The Malfoys of Florin had ruled the country for five hundred years, starting with Orion the Conqueror. Throughout the line there had been kings good and bad, but for the most part they were content to leave the people to live in peace and the people were content to leave them to rule in peace. Florin's rules prided themselves on being a pure house, unsullied by commoners and common problems, and so left the running of the government to appointed lords, who in turn gave it over to appointed stewards, who in their turn gave it over to their clerks. And clerks, being a most efficient breed, kept the country running smoothly. In fact, it was said that the most powerful man in the country was not the king, but the king's secretary.

During the rule of Lucius III, however, things began to change. As a young Prince, Lucius had fallen in love with the eldest daughter of the neighboring kingdom of Gildur and asked for her hand in marriage. The King's Clerks from both countries were delighted at the news, seeing in it a way to get their kings to ease the trade between the neighbors and make other changes that would just generally make everyone's lives easier. The actual Kings, however, were not so pleased, a view which was shared by King Bartamus' daughter. Lucius' father wanted him to marry his favorite duke's daughter, a family which was a close relative and almost as pure of blood. King Bartamus wanted his daughter to marry another Prince, one whose Clerks had promised him armies instead of trade. And the daughter simply didn't want to be told who she should marry, but her opinion was noted by no one but her personal clerk. And so it was that none of the Clerks were happy (except those of Aramus, whose clerks traded armies for Gildur's wealth) and Lucius married Narcissa, the duke's daughter. When Lucius became King Lucius, he tried to go to war with Gildur to avenge the insult of his youth only to find that his people did not care for war or their King and ignored his call to arms. Even the Clerks acted as though he were a silly child throwing a tantrum, though they acted the part with great respect toward His Royal Personage.

And so it was that King Lucius fell to the task of winning over his people, for no King as proud as Lucius could stand the thought of being made a spectator in his own kingdom. He took an interest in the politics of the day and in the laws that made the King's Justice. He visited the people and heard their complaints and tried to right the wrongs, but mostly all he did was get in the Clerks' way. The people remembered his desire for war and mistrusted him, even as they grew to love him. The years past and no mention was made of another attempt at war, and as the King grew old and his son, Prince Draco, came of age the people began to forget what life and kings had been like before the War That Failed.

Prince Draco was every bit his father's son, and the people loved him. They had the same white-gold hair and pale eyes and beautiful features. (If the story had taken place in modern days, young girls might have kept pictures of him. As it was, every maiden in the country still hoped to catch his eye.) He rode with his father and his lords to see the people, and though he was kind to them what he really loved was to hunt. Game from all over the country was brought to fill the King's Forrest so the Prince might hunt to his heart's content, and the people loved him for his tales of valor and skill. (In those days, hunting was a way of life and there were not so many people cared for the cruelty of it.)

But still there a gap between the Royals and the People, for they were royal and not a drop of common blood had tainted the line for five hundred years. And so, as the Celebration for Five Hundredth Anniversary of Florin's Rule drew closer, the Prince decided to take a commoner for his wife. But she could not be any normal commoner. She must be beautiful and wise and gracious and loved by all the people, so that to wed her would be also to wed the hearts of all Florin. It would be a greatest hunt to find such a woman, and Prince Draco was eager to catch his greatest prize yet.

To begin he sent his men out into every town and village to look for lovely young ladies, a job his men did not despise in the least. For months after Prince Draco traveled the entire kingdom tracking down tales of this or that lovely young lass. As his travels turned to the southern parts of his Father's kingdom, he began to hear rumors of a farm where lived the most beautiful girl in the world. But he could not find a name to match to this rumor and so the hunt went on.

After three months of searching through every village, finally Prince Draco came to Hermione's, where he was told that the villagers did, indeed, know about the most beautiful girl in the world. More than that, they would take him right to her. The villagers were all happy for Hermione, knowing that the Prince they all adored had come to sweep her off her feet and hoping that the charm of the young man would break spell of mourning that had been over her for five years since Harry died.

When Prince Draco rode into the farm, the first thing he saw was Hermione sitting prettily before the farmhouse with a book in her hand. (She had returned to her passion for reading after Harry's loss and everyone who knew her brought her books, happy to see her interested in something.) Immediately, Draco knew that this was, indeed, the most beautiful girl in the world and the woman destined to be his bride.

Jumping from his horse, Prince Draco strode gallantly across the yard to kneel before Hermione (who had not looked up from her book) and at once asked for her hand. Still without looking at him, Hermione held her hand out to him and continued to read.

Taken aback for probably the first time in his life, Draco just stared at her, unsure of what she meant. Finally Hermione spoke.

"If you wish for my hand, it is there; take it. If you wish for my marriage, you need only command it, for you are my Prince." He she put down her book and looked at him with lovely brown eyes that were wise beyond her years. "But know this now, my lord Prince, for you will never have my heart. That will forever belong to another."

Prince Draco laughed. "If all marriages were matters of the heart, there would be very few of them indeed. I ask not for your love, though the people may ask it of you. I ask only to take you as my wife, that your beauty and wisdom remain by my side while I rule. Your heart you may give to whom you wish."

Hermione considered his speech, then rose without a word and went into the house. There her parents were both honored and hard pressed to be host to their Prince, even more so when he asked for their daughter. Her father cast her a questioning glance, and Hermione nodded serenely.

"Are you sure, my child?" he father asked.

"It does not matter now who I marry, and the Prince knows what I cannot give him. We have reached an understanding."

And so it was that their daughter was promised in marriage to their Prince, and that very day she packed and left with him for the palace.