Hermione didn't really do much packing. All she did was sit in a chair and say 'yes' or 'no' to dresses, shoes, undergarments, and whatnot. She felt sorry for whoever or whatever was going to be carrying her luggage, but the maids seemed to think she need more clothes than she thought. Depending on how long it took to get to where they were going, she'd probably only need one or two dresses for travel. She noticed that they had packed a lot of heeled shoes and she hoped that she'd be able wear flats of some sort during the journey. They finally left her after informing her that she would be leaving in a half hour, and she walked back to the desk that held the book. One of the blank pages had been magically filled in, and it told of their breakfast that morning. She ran her fingers over it, amazed, before slipping it into the satchel she would have with her at all times. She couldn't afford to lose it. There was another knock at the door, and a newly cleaned and pressed traveling dress was handed to her. She guessed this one was for today, and although it was obviously a royal garment, it was much more practical and comfortable. She smiled and struggled out of her current dress, tossing it to the bed after slipping it over her head. She saw that she wore a corset, like the ones her maids had packed her, and when she loosened it she could breathe better. She hadn't known she wore one, but she now knew why she'd been uncomfortable and short of breath. She decided to leave it on, loosened, of course, and she slipped into the traveling dress. As she messed with the ribbons and laces in the back, Luna opened the door and came in. When she saw that Hermione was almost ready, she rushed over.
"Princess! You shouldn't have had to dress yourself! I apologize for being late, please don't scold me!" She bowed deeply before tying up the laces and ribbons quickly and tightly. "If the queen were to know, she would have me released!" Hermione looked at the girl. This was not the Luna she knew. She had to get Hogwarts back to normal. She stayed quiet as the maid fussed over the dress and rushed her to the vanity, and decided she didn't like being a princess very much. Good food and fancy things were nice, but all the dresses, corsets, frilly things, and servants were too weird, and she couldn't wait to wear a sweatshirt and jeans when everything was back. Luna said she was done moments later and she looked up to see that her hair was done in a simple yet elegant bun with a braid. Her crown was taken to give to Ron for safekeeping and she was then taken back to the chair to have sensible shoes slipped on her feet. Luna then left, and Hermione was ready to leave. A servant came to get her luggage, which she'd been able to fit into one trunk and a bag, and she glanced around the room one last time before following another servant down to the courtyard, where they were supposed to meet.
She met the boys in the courtyard. Ron was dressed in a traveling outfit, normal for the time period they were stuck in, he wore a sword on his hip, and no crown. She guessed it was with hers in the satchel he had. Draco and Harry were not dressed as knights in 'shining armor', but they both wore swords and a protective shirt under their outer shirts, and were not clothed as richly as Hermione and Ron. They looked her over as she approached and she greeted them as normal, but she tried to avoid Draco's eyes. She still remembered what he had said, and it flustered her. Was he trying to make up for the fact that he had been a complete arse to her for all those years? Was that his way of saying he really was sorry? He'd already told her that he was sorry and that he regretted the things he'd done. So why was he acting that way? It was messing with her mind, but she couldn't forget about it. He, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened, simply leading her to her horse and helping her into the sidesaddle. Not only was his helping her weird, but having to ride sidesaddle and wear a long dress was so different. Usually, she'd be able to easily slide into the saddle and take off. But now, Draco had to help her up. He had pretty much just lifted her into the sidesaddle! As he walked to his own horse, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd always been so strong. She wouldn't have an answer any time soon, though, because they had started to move. There was a noise behind her and she turned to see the cart that their less valuable luggage was being carried. It was pulled by two horses and a servant drove them onward as they began to move. They started at a steady pace and Hermione rode alongside Harry.
"So, how long will it take us to get to this 'other kingdom'? Do you know?" He nodded and pointed to the horizon. She couldn't make out anything except for what looked like the tip of a tower.
"Probably a day or so. That's why they're fighting, because they're too close. From what I read after I got ready, this used to be a conjoined kingdom until a fight broke out between the two princes over who would be king. The dispute ended with the kingdom being split and they've fought each other mercilessly ever since." Hermione was a bit surprised. Harry had been able to read some of the book in the little time they'd had, something she'd wanted to.
"Wow. Good job! Did Draco read some too?"
"Yeah, we read up on it together. We figured since we were the ones who were supposed to know our way around, we'd better know our stuff. Malfoy suggested it, surprisingly." He gave her a look. "Since when have the two of you been on first name basis?" She shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. His name had just slipped from her lips.
"He's a friend now, isn't he?" Harry looked at her funny, but he seemed to sort of accept her explanation for the time being. They rode on in silence, and she studied their weapons. Harry had, along with the sword, a bow and arrows. Draco had two swords and what looked like knives in the sash across his chest. Ron had his sword, as she'd seen before, and she herself had a knife hidden in the folds of her dress. As she looked them over, she felt pretty safe. Still, as she looked around, she hoped it would be a peaceful trip. They had been riding for a hour when Harry rode up to talk to Ron and she found herself riding beside Draco. He spoke first.
"How are you doing?" Hermione was a bit taken aback at his concern, but she looked back at him.
"Okay, the dress is a little awkward, but I'll get used to it. How about you?" He tugged at his shirt.
"The shirt's a little heavy and all this is just unreal, but it's mostly the same. I was wondering about you, in all that getup." She laughed and he smirked a bit.
"It is pretty crazy, but we'll have to deal with it." She paused. "What do you think about this trip? Do you think we'll be attacked or something?" He looked down, thinking. She started to make a joke about not knowing Malfoys could do that, but she stopped.
"I'm only going to say this once, because it's hard for me to say, but I don't know. But even if some does get up the courage to attack us, we'll defeat them, easy. Don't worry your bushy head." She made a face and touched her hair. He was obviously just joking, because her hair wasn't even bushy then. But she was glad to see a little bit of the self confidence in the Draco she knew come back. She smiled at him and then looked away, not waiting to see his reaction.
"Of course. I shouldn't have wondered." She said sarcastically. She heard him chuckle, and then they rode on in a sweet, calming silence. The only sound was that of the cart and the horses hooves. Harry turned around, and she smiled at him. he looked at her for a moment, then Draco, then he turned back around. She wondered what he was thinking, and it annoyed her that he may be thinking something about her and Draco. She shook herself and mentally slapped her head as she looked around. She had to remember where she was and what would happen if she were to let down her guard. She couldn't let Draco and Harry get to her. Suddenly, the idea of romance popped into her head and she made a face. She'd never thought about any of the guys like that before, so why should she start now? Admittedly, she would like some romance before she died, and what better guys for romance than the ones with her? She didn't know if she was going to die here, and she wouldn't know until she took her last breath, but like any girl, she wanted romance and love and steamy things and cute things. But trying to find and deal with love would only make her sidetracked, and Hermione knew doing that would be putting lives in danger. She swallowed and peeked over at Draco. He was looking off towards the mountains to their left, and the light perfectly illuminated his features. Since when had he been so attractive? She shivered and turned away, pulling the sleeves of her dress down. Not only had a cold wind started to blow, but she'd accidentally opened a part of her mind that she hadn't wanted to open. As she rubbed her arms to chase away the goosebumps, a coat was slipped over her shoulders. Surprised, she looked up as she pulled it closer to her. Draco gave her a little smile/smirk and she noticed that the coat that had been over the back of his saddle bags was the one over her shoulders.
"I'm not cold, you can have it. Don't even try to give it back, I saw you shivering." She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. "I'm telling you to keep it, Hermione." He let her name roll off his tongue like honey as he spurred his horse and rode up to Harry, who had abruptly turned around and waved to them to catch up. She shivered again, but this time it wasn't from the cold. Harry waved at her again, telling her to come join them, and as she guided her horse forward, she took a deep breath and looked at the guys in front of her. She had a feeling not being distracted from the task at hand was going to be hard.
There's a lot of description in this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. I haven't mentioned this before, but I was inspired to write this by a fan art by DevaintArt user FingernailZ93, called 'Princess Hermione and Her Royal Knight Draco'. You should go check it out! Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry it wasn't up earlier, I went to upload yesterday but everything was deleted...