The sun had just set, and the streets were bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights. With the ballcap over his head and shielding his eyes, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, a backpack swung over his shoulder, he made his way over to the V and A, as planned.
Seeing Shaan pull up in a non-descript van as promised, Henry climbed into the passenger seat and looked Shaan over. "Are you ok?" Shaan asked, seeing some small worry lines that weren't there this afternoon when he left for the day.
"You know what?" Henry asked his equerry, as he smiled at him. "I am actually good, Shaan. I feel like I can breathe a bit better, already." Shaan was glad to hear that Henry felt that way. It reinforced the feeling that he was doing the right thing for his charge.
Shaan immediately pulled out in traffic and headed towards the outskirts of London, into an upscale, exclusive estate. Shaan took a left and then a right, before pulling into the long and winding driveway of an ostentatious mansion. Shaan didn't pull up at the garage of the house as expected but instead, he drove towards the guest houses at the back of the property.
Once the car was parked, he ushered Henry inside and the prince was surprised to be reunited with his beloved dog and his beloved, Alex. Or at least a scruffier version of the Alex he once knew. "Come Sir, we need to change your appearance and get back on the road, tonight." Shaan instructed him. "But first, meet my sister Bernadine Srivastava. Stylist to the stars."
She was overwhelmed, but ultimately all too happy to help her brother out. He had once saved her life and she owed everything she had, to him. When he first floated this idea by her, over four years ago, she had immediately jumped at the offer. When it had come to fruition a week and a half ago, she had specified the back cottage they were currently in, as it was scheduled to be torn down in the following morning. There would be no traces of the Prince or First Son to find.
An hour and a half later, both men were finished getting their new look from Shaan's sister. Alex had his hair trimmed and neatened up, alongside his now beard. He had thought it strange when Zahra had told him not to shave upon his return from England and subsequent email leaks. Her excuse had been that GQ wanted a photoshoot and wanted him to have a beard. He had rolled with it, only because Henry had commented when they were in Texas, that he found his four-day old stubble beard, sexy. He had also undergone a slight spray tan, making his skin darker in appearance.
Henry had a full transformation happen, his head of golden blonde hair gone and dyed dark brown. His hair had been styled into a marine-style buzzcut and he had undergone a heavy spray tan to a rich bronze colour. Alex had been watching in amazement, his attraction only growing for his boyfriend's changing appearance.
Before either of the men could fathom what was happening next, Shaan was holding out two passports. One was Alex's passport that he had taken for safe keeping when Alex arrived and the other was not Henry's usual diplomatic passport, but his personal passport, the one issued under the name Henry Fox. Bernadine quickly ushered both men and their sleepy beagle back into the van. This time, Alex and Henry were in the back with their dog and Bernadine was in the passenger seat, beside her brother.
Pulling up at a private airstrip, forty minutes later, just as the sun peaked over the horizon. Henry realised that this was not his usual airstrip. At his questioning look, Shaan explained. "We could not very well use your usual airstrip, or the airstrip Mr. Okonjo uses. This is Bernadine's personal airstrip. The one she uses for her business when her celebrities fly in for their appointments. Extremely discreet."
"It is an honor to help you both." Bernadine smiled sweetly at them. "I hope you both find the happiness and privacy you long for. You deserve it. What that reporter did to you both was truly deplorable. No one deserves to be treated like that. As a man who is also gay, he should have known better than to out you both for his own popularity."
"More like for revenge porn." Alex murmured and a look of understanding crossed Bernadine's face. "Just because I wouldn't drop my pants for him."
"Hey, it is not your fault." Henry reassured his love. "Miguel Ramos is scum. It is in the past and we have a new life awaiting us."
Shaan quickly had both men processed and each of their bags loaded on to the private plane. He handed each of them another passport, requesting their original passports back now they had been processed. "These are your temporary identities." He explained, handing them new passports. "You will spend three weeks on a private island, no one will be around except for the two of you. Alex, you will be Teddy, also known as Theodore Enrique Hyland and Henry, you will be Partick Harmon Hyland. Teddy and Pat. Should you be questioned by anyone you happen to cross, you were married a couple of months back. Teddy is a law student and Pat is a literature student. Pat's father organised for the two of you to have the island to yourself for your honeymoon."
Bernadine handed a cell phone to Alex and held out her hand for Alex and Henry's personal cell's. "The only number in this cell phone is to my burner cell." Shaan continued. "I promise to always answer. I will be in the US with Zahra, taking my holidays as planned, freeing myself up to be of service. Your villa is stocked with food and anything else you might require. Please ask if you run out of anything and I shall get it to you. I shall collect you both, at the end of the allotted time. On the twenty-third of this month. I will return your phones to you then. For now, they will remain switched off and untraceable."
Henry felt a lump rise in his throat. He didn't realise it would hurt this much, saying goodbye to Shaan. Even though, he knew he would be seeing him again in three weeks' time. Suddenly and without warning, Shaan pulled Henry in for a quick, paternal hug. "I am proud of you." He whispered into his charge's ear. "Everything will be ok. You will see."
Alex took Henry's hand and enclosed it inside his own, feeling their fingers intertwine, Henry felt safe, calm and relaxed. Shaan and Alex exchanged a quick hug too, both men hugging Bernadine too, before boarding the plane. Shaan watched their plane take off, safe in the knowledge that his sister's personal and trusted pilot and close, personal friend Trent was flying his charge Henry, and his boyfriend to safety.
The two men settled into the flight and took comfort in one another's presence. "No offense, love. But how the hell did you end up at Shaan's flat?" Henry asked his boyfriend, once they were at a cruising altitude. "Not that I am not happy you are here with you, I am ecstatic."
Alex laughed at him. "The emails were leaked, and the queen refused my offer, Zahra immediately started making noise about an interview with GQ and ordering me to not shave my face. That's odd. Zahra has never cared about my physical appearance like that before. She had weird look on her face, I cannot describe it." Alex recalled, holding Henry's hand close to his face. Alex's lips ghosted Henry's knuckles. "Something was up. When we arrived at the warehouse for the GQ shoot, no one was there. Except for Shaan on Zahra's laptop. As soon as he told me what was happening, I immediately said yes. Zahra had my bag already packed and I was on the plane within half an hour. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to anyone."
"I am sorry." Henry apologized and he felt guilty. Unlike himself, his boyfriend was close with his family. His family were loving and supportive of him. His mom, his stepfather and father accepted him, as did his sister June, and Nora. They all loved and accepted him for who he was.
"Don't!" Alex warned him. "I love you and loving you means loving all of you. Just as you do to me. Case closed." Alex huffed out.
Henry pulled Alex closer to him, the need for physical contact outweighing the consequences of being in such a confined space. This was not a luxury plane like either of them were used to, but it was no small twin engine either. It was a modest size plane and although they were separate from the pilot, there was only three rows of two seats with an aisle between them. "Is that so, counselor?" Henry murmured against his boyfriend's lips, over the space between their seats. "I'll just have to sort you out as soon as we are settled in.
Both men shared cheeky grins as they settled in for the duration of their flight.
Bea was surprised that Henry had not joined her for breakfast this morning and there had been no sign of him being awake. She ventured down the hall and into his room. She knocked on the door carefully, wondering to herself if her brother was having one of his depressive days, or black days, as Henry called them. Not receiving an answer, she let herself into his room. Nothing was out of place. The bed was made, and it appeared to her that all of his belongings were still here. She could still feel like something was wrong, But she was going to be late for a charity event this morning. She vowed to herself, she would come back and check things over after lunhc, once she had more time.
She returned at lunch time, once her charity event was over and once more knocked on the door. Receiving no answer, she let herself into the room once more. Nothing had changed since she was there this morning. Taking the time to delve further into Henry's private sanctuary, she took herself over to his desk, she took a cursory glance at it. Nothing seemed out of place. Except for the plain white envelope in a heavy cardstock. She instantly recognised her brother's loopy handwriting on the envelope, and she hastily tore it open, taking a seat behind his desk. Reading his words, her heart ached. She could feel how trapped he felt and how troubled he was. She mentally prayed he wasn't indeed having one of his black days. That he wasn't going to do something as reckless, as try to take his own life.
Bea had caught wind of her grandmother's edict to her brother, and she had been internally seething on Henry's behalf. She had hoped to catch Henry before bed last night, but when she had arrived home late last night, the staff had informed her that His Royal Highness, Prince Henry had been exceptionally exhausted and visibly upset, before retiring for the evening and insisting that no one was to disturb him, even his sister. Put out by his words and upset at her grandmother, she had adhered to her brother's request for privacy, no doubt her brother had followed through on his plans and was indeed, heartbroken and wished to be alone. Now she wished she had of ignored the staff and sought Henry out.
Bea's first instinct was to run to Shaan's office. But she had heard Henry mention that Shaan would be on vacation and that James was stepping in, in his absence. She hated dealing with James. He was a crony of her brother's, and he was the worst person to deal with. He preferred to spend his time between running to Philip with whatever gossip about the younger duo he came to possess and spending time socially, with Philip and Martin, Philip's equerry. The trio had been all buddies at Eton and Philip had personally gotten the two of them their jobs within the firm.
If Henry had indeed done something as drastic as this, on James's watch, then Bea was not going to give the man a clue or any heads up. He would deserve whatever came to him for being derelict in his duties to Henry. She folded the letter up and tucked it inside her bra. No one would see the note until she could decide what to do.
Immediately retreating from Henry's domain, she slipped inside her own room and immediately took the note back out. She read and reread it over, more than a hundred times. Looking for a clue, a breadcrumb, but her brother had given her nothing. She did not know who she could trust with this letter and kept it to herself, choosing not to trust anyone. Anyone but Henry. Henry had only left word for her and no one else. Therefore, it was not for anyone else's eyes.
It was not until after tea, that the staff had notified her that she had a visitor. Percy Okonjo. Immediately, she straightened up. Percy usually asked for Henry, not her. Perhaps, he was coming to bring her news of Henry. Henry would trust Percy with news like this. They were close, like brothers should be. Philip and Henry were not close at all, definitely not like siblings should be. Not like her and Henry were.
Pez swept into the room like a breath of fresh air, making a beeline straight for her. He held her hands in his and air kissed her cheek. "How is he?" Pez asked, his concern etched on his face. "When Shaan cancelled our meeting yesterday, I was worried. I have been trying to call him all day and he has not answered his phone. It has been going straight to voicemail."
"So, you do not know where he is." She murmured low enough for only Pez's ears to hear her and the fear in her voice.
Pulling back from Bea, Pez frowned. "What do you mean 'where he is?' " He asked, keeping his voice low, too.
Silently, Bea urged him closer to her and retrieved the note from her bra. "I am worried, Pez." She admitted, letting the worry for her brother show on her face. Pez read the letter twice, before pulling Bea into a hug. Being henry's best friend and pseudo brother since their days at Eton, he and Bea had instantly become friends too. They shared a familiarity, similar to the one he shared with Henry.
"So am I." Pez confessed. "But perhaps he has simply gone to visit Alex?" Pez doubted his theory, but he would never tell Bea that. She was on the verge of becoming truly distressed. He did not wish to manage the inevitable emotional breakdown by himself.
"Do you have June's number?" She asked, hopeful. "Or Nora's. Perhaps we could call them and confirm his safety. I need to know that Henry is safe and has not done anything foolish. You read the letter, Pez; all he wants is freedom. My mind is positively racing."
A quick call to June went unanswered, as dis the following call to Nora. not a minute after he disconnected the second call, Nora had fired him a quick message, saying she would call soon. That she and June were in a meeting with campaign staff.
Henry and Alex were exhausted from no sleep, especially Henry, who was bordering on forty-eight hours with no sleep now. As they disembarked from the plane momentarily, Trent took them to the customs desk at the private airstrip, with their fake passports. With the three of them checked in, Trent quickly ushered them onto a smaller plane. A sea plane, to make the one-hour flight to the island that they would call home for the next three weeks. When the plane landed in the water and sailed itself over to the dock, they disembarked once more. This time, each man had a suitcase of their belongings with them, both of their backpacks slung over their shoulders.
Trent handed them and envelope and pointed to a house they could see in the distance, and he wished them well. Reminding them that he and Shaan would be back on the twenty-third. Inside the envelope was a note from Arthur, in his scrappy handwriting and a set of keys.
Spanning 54 acres within the blue waters of the Aegean Sea, Stroggilo Island presented itself as an ideal sanctuary for sailors and the like. The islands are diverse, consisting of over 6,000 total isles and islets, of which only 227 are inhabited. Approximately 140 of the 227 are privately owned.
You could buy your own private island and build your own house according to your specifications, to either live in permanently or just as a holiday home. Of course, you can buy a private island as a business opportunity as well and build a complex of villas or houses.
And Arthur Fox had done just that. Under the disguise of a shell corporation Hyland Enterprises. No one except Shaan, who had used his connections to make this all possible knew about it, not the Crown, or even his wife. It was too risky. He had done all of this, in the name of protection for his son.
There are dozens of real estate websites offering private Greek islands for sale. Usually the asking price is not Antikeri is a large privately-owned island locatedin the Cyclades near Amorgos. At 272 acres, it is a perfect size for either a private residence or larger neighboring islands, Kato Antikeri's terrain is flat, which makes it well-suited for major construction projects. The island already has two harbors, electricity and telephone lines, and it includes two houses and a small church.
The majority of private islands in Greece are uninhabited, and those are classified as either "with restrictions" or "without restrictions." The private islands with restrictions fall under special legislation or agreements. In order to build on these islands, you would need a special permit from the Greek state which will provide for the removal of existing restrictive encumbrances. In some extreme cases, this could even require a law to be passed in the Greek Parliament. The private islands without restrictions are much more buyer friendly. You could indeed build on these islands under existing Greek building laws. But this is still easier said than done, because in many cases the infamous Greek bureaucracy has put an end to major purchases.
Of course, Arthur had made his plans and purchases, before such bureaucracy had come into effect.
When they arrived at the house, Henry took in a deep breath of the sea air. The simultaneous smell of fresh and salty air filled his nostrils and entered his lungs, lifting a hard, tight knot from his chest. A knot that had only in recent times ever been lifted and only at small intervals. He felt free. Smiling, Alex held the small gold key out in the palm of his hand for Henry to do the honors.
Henry took the key from Alex and grasped his hand, together, they pushed the key into the barrel of the lock and turned the key. They were together, they were safe, and they were home.