Adult-FanFiction.org : Celebrity

Desert Love	By : Krayzee_Aussie Category: Celebrities - Misc > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 4321 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction! I do not know Prince Harry of Wales, Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla Parker-Bowles or Prince Phillip, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC and I do not profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
The next morning, Desiree woke late. The bed in this hotel was like lying on a big, white, fluffy cloud. She hadn’t slept that well in years. Although, in saying that, she hadn’t fallen asleep that easily. All she could think of was the moment Harry’s lips brushed against her cheek. She got goose bumps thinking about it.
She heard the TV switched on in the lounge room, but felt the need for a few extra minutes alone in bed. She grabbed the room remote from her bedside table and pressed a button. The curtains to the side of her room began to open slowly, allowing in bright sunshine. She stretched and enjoyed the warmth hitting her face before sitting up.
She reached over and grabbed her phone from the other bedside table. There was a text message waiting for her. She opened it up, to see a text from an unknown number.
‘I’m really sorry about the media last night. We are going to have to increase your security and plan out your outings carefully from now on.
I had a really good night out with you last night. I hope we can do it again really soon, together.
H’
Desiree sighed and gave a small smile, she had to admit, prior to the media debacle she had enjoyed the night too. She enjoyed seeing Harry and his brother together. They acted just like her and her siblings did. She didn’t know why she had thought any different, just because they were royalty, there was no real reason why they shouldn’t behave normally sometimes, considering how much their mother fought to have them lead a life more average than that of any other royals.
She checked the time, before picking up the room phone and ordering breakfast for her and Ryan. She was going to have to hit the gym hard when she got back to Australia. All the rich and fatty British food was going to go straight to her thighs.
“MUM!!!!” came Ryan’s shout from the lounge room. Desiree hurried, panicked by Ryan’s shout for her. She nearly tripped as she jumped off the end of the bed and reefed open the door. She scanned the room and saw Ryan sitting on the lounge, TV remote in his hand and his eyes pinned to the TV.
“What on earth is wrong?” she demanded, seeing that he appeared to be fine. Ryan didn’t remove his eyes from the TV, instead just pointing at it. Desiree looked at him in confusion before moving her gaze to the TV.
There, plastered all over the TV was her, Ryan, Dan and Harry, trying to leave the restaurant the night before. The news reporters seemed to be raising a lot of conjecture as to who she was and why she was so close to Harry at the time.
“What on earth?” she whispered, plonking herself down next to Ryan.
“We’re on TV, mum! Isn’t that cool? It’s on every channel too!” Ryan flicked through the channels, revealing that they were indeed on every channel.
“Oh, shit.”
Soon the doorbell to the room rang. Desiree stood up and carefully opened the door. It was the room service. She opened the door wider to allow him in with a relieved sigh.
“Ma’am, your breakfast. Also, I’ve been instructed to tell you that no paparazzi will be allowed in the hotel and that when you depart today you will be using the underground car park entrance.”
“Do they know we are staying here already?” she groaned.
“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time, best to be cautious to try and keep them guessing as long as possible. Please, enjoy your breakfast and let us worry about security, ma’am,” he said, nodding shortly before turning and leaving.
Desiree sighed and began opening the trays of food, placing them on the table. “Come on, Ryan. Breakfast.”
After breakfast, they dressed, ready to go and meet the British Vets at a home especially for them. Desiree put on her cams, as she had been instructed to. Ryan was staying with his grandmother. Her father and brother were accompanying her to meet the Veterans. Desiree wasn’t so sure if this was a good idea, although she looked forward to it. It was the older generation who generally was against women fighting on the front line.
She was met by Dan and her father and they walked downstairs, headed for the underground car park. The elevator stopped at the lobby and they got out, meeting the security contingent that would take them to the home for British Veterans. They replaced their berets (or cap in Dan’s case, having not been permitted a beret due to his units capabilities) as they exited the elevator.
As they began walking to the lounge area of the lobby, Desiree noticed someone approaching her hurriedly with a large bag at their side. She turned to look at the man approaching her, he smiled and when he was about five metres away he reached into his bag and pulled out a camera.
“Ma’am! Look this way, please! What’s your relationship with Prince Harry, how long have you been seeing each other?” he asked, beginning to take photos and pushing the camera into her face. What happened next was an automatic reaction, as security was beginning to run over, she knocked the camera from her face, before kicking one of the photographer’s legs out from beneath him. He lost his balance and fell, while the Colonel and Dan pinned the man to the ground.
“I was his commanding officer, you idiot,” Desiree said, before pushing her father and brother off the man. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hoisted him to his feet, everyone in the hotel lobby staring as she began dragging him to the front doors.
Security trailed along behind her, offering to take the man off her hands, but she ignored them, pushing them out of the way.
The doorman hurriedly opened the doors when she approached and she marched the man outside, before throwing him down the steps to the waiting throng of media that were there. They looked up stunned as the photographer fell to the ground heavily.
They looked back up at her in surprise. “And you can tell the rest of them that too.”
With that she turned and marched back inside.
******
                Harry was watching the news inside the car on his way to the home for British Veterans. There was new footage of Desiree. He couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride as he watched her eject a photographer who had snuck inside the hotel to try and get some information from her.
There had been a lot of conjecture regarding them since last night. They had been splattered all over the news.
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her though, especially when he first set eyes on her last night. She looked so different, much more feminine and vulnerable, yet she glided through that restaurant like she was floating.
“Sir, we’re here. And it appears that Major Kitana and her entourage are already here.” Harry looked out the window and saw her standing, leaning against a car, her hands in her pockets and talking with her brother and father. They seemed to be sharing a laugh. She was wearing something much more familiar to him. Her cams and beret. She looked like her old self, confident, strong and anything but feminine.
Harry climbed out of his car and smiled at her when she looked past her brother at him. “Good morning,” she said with a smile. “How’s your morning been? Mine’s been kick ass.”
“Oh, I saw. It’s already on the news channels,” he said, giving her a nod of approval.
“Oh good, maybe they’ll get the point,” she joked. She looked him up and down, appearing to appraise him. He put his own beret on carefully. “I thought you were retiring?”
“I’ve still got a week.” She nodded, before shrugging and standing up straight, checking her own beret. “Let’s get inside,” Harry said, turning to enter, but spotted a familiar face holding a camera. Considering the events of the morning, he thought it best to introduce them. “Oh before we do though, allow me to introduce our personal photographer,” he said, waving over Chris. He was the photographer hired by the palace for media purposes. He was respectful and a good guy, never taking inappropriate photos of them and he knew his place. “This is Chris. He’s not like the other media, he is endorsed by us, so we have a good relationship. He takes good photos, so we let him tag along to a lot of royal duties.”
“Please don’t throw me,” he joked as he offered his hand to Desiree.
She raised an eyebrow, looking to Harry before shaking Chris’s hand. “Don’t give me a reason to.”
“Fair call,” Chris said smiling, shaking everyone else’s hand too.
********
                Inside the home, Desiree met with many Veterans. Most had served during the Second World War, but there was a handful who were remnants of the First World War and Korean War. They all greeted her with a friendly manner, commenting that it was an honour to meet a VC recipient. And every time she would comment in return that the honour was hers in meeting those who had fought in far harder circumstances than she.
They sat down and enjoyed a BBQ lunch with the Veterans, they often asked her about her tour, to which she would describe to them her other two tours of Afghanistan that were not as classified as her last.
All the while, she noticed one Veteran who stayed towards the back of the others. He made no effort to come forward and greet her, but instead shot her disgusted looks all the while. She tried to ignore him for a while, but soon thought better of it.
After conversing with one table for a while, she excused herself and made her way past security and staff, towards the Veteran sitting against a far wall of the building.
“Hello, sir, how are you?”
“Fine,” he replied curtly, looking away.
Desiree raised her eye brows but continued to pull out a chair and sit down across from him. She noticed he wore some medals on his chest, much like all the other Veterans there, who had pulled them out to wear while meeting her as was customary. “Where did you serve, sir?”
“Beersheba.”
“Oh? Palestine? I had a great, great uncle who served there too.” The Veteran seemed to take interest at that but still refused to look at her. “Is something wrong, sir?” she queried.
The home director moved forward and knelt beside her. “Ma’am, Mr Glenwood here, doesn’t think much of female soldiers,” he whispered in her ear. Desiree nodded but continued to sit there.
“How long were you there?” she asked.
“Until the end.”
“That’s a job well done, sir. What did you do?”
“Stretcher carrier.”
“That’s probably the hardest job any man had to do in that war. You would have seen the worst of the worst. You must be a strong man, sir.”
Mr Glenwood looked at Desiree in surprise. She cocked her head to the side, expectantly. “What do you know of it? You’re a damn woman.”
“Yes, I am,” she said calmly. She saw Harry, her father, Dan and Chris move closer to her side, curious as to what was happening. “I’ve also served side by side with some of the toughest men on the planet. We’ve chased the same enemy, been shot at by the same enemy, been blown up by the same enemy.” Mr Glenwood’s eyes went wide at her mention of being shot at and blown up. “I’ve protected their backs and they’ve protected mine. When we’re on that field there are no genders. There are only your mates and comrades. We are soldiers. Nothing more and nothing less.”
“You say there are no genders, but then how is it that you’re the rank of Major, but our young prince here is only a Captain, and you are younger than him, if I’m not mistaken. Clearly, there is more at play than just a ‘soldier’,” Mr Glenwood argued.
“I am at the rank I am, because of my achievements and qualifications. I, sir, have seen far more action than Captain Wales has, and received far more injuries in doing so. Although, yes, I am quite young for my rank, I have worked very hard to attain it.” Mr Glenwood screwed his nose up at her. Desiree sighed, before pulling out her phone and handing it to her brother. “Find me the footage from this morning.”
It took Dan a few minutes before he handed her phone back. She put the phone on the table in front of Mr Glenwood and pressed play. It was news footage of Desiree throwing the photographer out of the hotel. Mr Glenwood’s eyes went wide with surprise. “That, sir, is me throwing a photographer from the hotel I am staying at, because first he trespassed and then he accosted my personal space. Does this tell you what kind of person I am?”
“It means nothing. You’re still a woman. Women should not be frontline troops.” He began to raise his voice.
“I don’t disagree with you there,” she replied, her voice still level and calm. There was silence in the room. “However, I beat every single man on my recruit intake, I beat every single man on my infantry course and then placed in the top five for my special forces intake. That’s not results that any defence force will ignore.”
Mr Glenwood narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. He looked from Desiree to Harry . “You, you served with her?”
“Yes, sir, I completely endorse her abilities. Her abilities outdo my own.”
Mr Glenwood raised his eyebrows before looking at Dan and her father. “And who are you two?”
“I’m her brother, Cpl Daniel Buchannan, Royal Australian Air Force.”
“I’m Colonel Matthew Buchannan, 2CDO, Australian Army.”
Mr Glenwood’s eyes went wide at Desiree’s father’s rank. “I see and you allowed your daughter to join the armed forces in a frontline role?”
“I pushed her to join the forces in a frontline role. She wanted to join the Air Force as a paper pusher, sir.” Colonel Buchannan looked sideways knowingly at Desiree, who rolled her eyes before looking back at Mr Glenwood.
“Have you ever served in a war, Colonel?” Mr Glenwood asked, a tone of indignation in his voice.
“I have, I was serving in the same war that Desiree lost her husband in, I brought his body home,” Colonel Buchannan answered quietly. Desiree noticed her father’s face was now ashen at the mention of it.
Mr Glenwood looked taken aback by the information he had just heard. Clearly, he had not expected to hear something like that. “I see. Well, I still don’t agree with women on the frontline. However, if so many people are endorsing you, perhaps you are the exception to the rule.”
“Maybe, or maybe I just have a lot of luck,” she replied with a smile.
“Maybe,” Mr Glenwood replied, also with a smile. “So tell me about this Great Uncle.”
                After lunch it was time to leave. Harry had engagements to deal with at the palace and was still organising his retirement ball.
“You know you have to come to that too? It’s the same day as your award ceremony, and it’s being held at your hotel’s ball room, so you really have no excuse not to go.”
“I’ll think about it,” Desiree replied rolling her eyes. Harry laughed, patting her on the back. “I’ll speak to you soon, I’m sure.”
“Have a good day, guys.” Harry climbed into his car, the door shut behind him.
“What are we going to do?” Dan asked, opening their car door.
“I’m thinking, gym, pool and then lounging sounds good,” Desiree said with a shrug.
“God, you’re boring,” Dan retorted sliding into the car.
“At least I’m not fat,” she replied snidely.
“Hey, you two cut it out. I will make this car turn around.”
Everyone laughed.
When they got back to the hotel, there was still a throng of photographers out the front, the driver drove them into the downstairs car park. Desiree hurried upstairs to see Ryan.
As soon as she opened the door to her room she regretted it. The TV was still on the news, and she was met with a photo of Harry leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
“Oh, Desiree, you’re home,” her mother said awkwardly, quickly taking the remote from Ryan to change the channel, only to find the same story was playing on another channel.
“Leave it,” Desiree said sternly. She listened to the story. Apparently a diner had taken the photo last night, as well as telling the media that the royals were there. They were just lucky when they captured this shot and had sent it to the media outlets.
The media speculated then, if perhaps they had been more than just friends during their time serving together.
“God damn it,” Desiree growled. Just as she took her beret off and went to sit down her phone began to ring. She answered it. “Hello?”
“Desiree, I’m not sure if you’re near a TV yet,” Harry said.
“Seen.”
“I’m sorry, we should have been more careful where we ate. I’ll take care of it.”
“Its fine,” Desiree said with a sigh and rubbed her temples. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it, you were just being friendly. I doubt the forces on my side of the world are going to care much.” Harry was silent on the other end.
“I’ll see that they don’t,” her father piped up, pulling out his own phone and leaving the room.
She listened to the news report for a moment, they were speculating she was some model he was seeing, based upon her looks. Desiree cringed. “Well that’s a compliment for you, isn’t it?” Harry joked.
“I’ll talk to you later, H. Gym’s calling my name. Hopefully they have a boxing bag in there.”
“Okay,” he said, sounding slightly concerned. “Take it easy.”
“I’m going to go and get changed,” Dan said yawning, shaking his head at the TV reporters now making more speculations as to who Desiree was.
“Are you hungry, dear?” Desiree’s mother asked, getting up. “I can order you some food.”
“We ate already, mum, thanks. I might go get changed and go to the gym.”
Desiree’s mother moved to stand in front of Desiree as she stood up again. She looked up at Desiree, she had outgrown her mother at sixteen and was constantly looking down to her a lot. She looked at Desiree critically for a moment before smiling brightly. “I think you and Harry would make a beautiful couple, just secretly.”
“Ugh! Mum!!” Desiree moaned, turning on her heel quickly and leaving the room, her mother laughing manically in the lounge room.
She was soon down at the gym, doing weights, her music turned up loud. She was alone, the gym looked like it was barely used at all. She had turned her phone onto airplane mode so she wouldn’t be disturbed at all.
She sat up after her third rep to find her father standing by a wall. She pulled her ear phones from her ears and looked at him expectantly.
“How are you doing, baby girl?” he asked, moving towards her.
“Oh please, you haven’t called me baby girl in years. What do you want?”
“I just want to know if you’re alright? You’ve got a lot of pressure on you at the moment.”
Desiree narrowed her eyes at him. He was dancing around what he really wanted to ask her. She knew him too well to believe that soft question was what he wanted to ask. She also had a sneaking suspicion her mother had put him up to this. “Just come out and say what you want to say, dad.”
Her father sighed deeply before sitting on a weight bench adjacent to her. “You haven’t seen anyone since Mick’s passing. You threw yourself into Ryan and training and then work. Your mum and I have always worried about the fact you have been going it alone for so long.”
“There is nothing going on between me and Harry, dad,” Desiree said bluntly, getting annoyed and flustered with where the conversation was going.
“Yet,” her father said, putting a finger in the air as if making a point, her tone having no effect on him. “You might be blind to it, Des, we aren’t though. I know what your usual behaviour is like. Honestly, I’ve never seen your cheeks go so pink so often.”
“Shut up, dad,” Desiree groaned getting up and moving back to lie on the weight bench again. She began bench pressing again.
“Now, Des. Just hear me out. You know we will support you whatever the case. I just want you to think about yourself once in a while.”
Desiree stopped working out, replacing the weight on the bar and sitting up and looking at her dad. “Let’s say if there was ever something there, dad. He’s a prince. A member of the royal family. I am a member of the Australian Army, with a long list of confirmed kills in a war zone. A longer list than his. There is no way anyone would allow us to... to... have a thing,” she said in exasperation.
His father narrowed his eyes at her with a smirk on his face. “I think that’s a cute thing for couples to do, compare kill sheets.” Desiree rolled her eyes and stood up, deciding to give up on her work out. “Can I just point out, Kate was a commoner too. And Princess Mary was from Tassie.”
“Dad, you’ve been reading too many of mum’s gossip magazines.”
“Oh stop it, Des.” He grabbed Desiree’s hand and looked into her eyes. “Desiree, you are always so happy with Harry. Your body language changes when you’re around him. It looks like all the weight is taken from your shoulders. And any bloke that can send your cheeks pink must be doing something right. Don’t rule him out or push him away because of something he can’t control.”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter, he doesn’t think of me like that and I don’t think of him like that either.”
                Over the next couple of days, Desiree and Harry had a few public engagements together. And she had a few without him. They visited returned wounded soldiers from Afghanistan, had tours of military facilities and museums, while she was sent to an Arsenal game with Ryan and met with the players, was given an exclusive tour of the Tower Bridge, Tower of London and got to hold the crown jewels. All those activities, Harry had personally organised for her and Ryan, and Ryan was thrilled. Desiree loved seeing Ryan bouncing off the walls with excitement at the Arsenal game, and when he got to shake Arsene Wenger’s hand she thought his smile might have been stuck on his face forever.
What stunned her more was when each of the Arsenal players asked for photos with her, stating to her it would be a great honour. She had obliged them, even though most of them were shirtless and sweaty.
One evening they sat in the restaurant, awaiting Desiree’s family to join them for dinner. They soon appeared, followed closely by Harry.
“Look who we found!” Desiree’s mother said happily. Desiree sighed before standing up to greet Harry. He hugged her, as was customary for him now.
“Actually, I needed to speak to all of you about the ceremony tomorrow morning, just a few things like protocol and stuff.”
That caught Desiree’s interest. She had wondered when she would be briefed on that. A waiter came over and took their drinks order, before Harry continued.
“Tomorrow the program will be that a speech will be given by the board members who approved the medals presentation, and then those officers who recommended it will speak. And then the presentations will go in order from the least important to the most important.”
“Well, that sounds horrible,” Desiree said indignantly.
Harry shook his head. “Not exactly, the least important medal being presented tomorrow is the George’s Cross, to those two shooters, other army personnel present on the day and the pregnant woman.”
“Really? Even Samantha is getting a George’s Cross?” Desiree asked in surprise.
Harry nodded. “I made sure that anyone that had a major part in the events on that day is getting rewarded a George’s Cross. It was thoroughly deserved. Even the kids were awarded for their bravery from the Australian Government. They were presented in a ceremony today.”
“So you’re giving the speeches for those then?” Desiree’s father asked. Harry nodded again. “So what happens then?”
“The George’s Cross will be presented by my father. Desiree won’t be in that group though. She is getting presented both her medals together, by my grandmother and father.”
Desiree gulped slightly. It was starting to sink in, she was going to meet the Queen.
“How exciting!” Desiree’s mother exclaimed, making Harry chuckle.
Harry turned to Desiree. “Now, Des. When you receive your medals, you will have your name called out, you will march to the top of the steps and halt there. The medals with then be pinned onto your lapel, you should address her as ‘Your majesty’. She will probably have some words with you too, just don’t use any profanities or anything.”
Desiree groaned. Now she was really feeling the pressure. Harry offered her an apologetic smile.
“Then what?” Dan asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“Once the Queen has stepped back, you stand fast and await until she has moved away. Then you will be presented to the congregation as Major Desiree Kitana VC. GC.”
“And then shit gets embarrassing,” Dan said winking at Desiree. She narrowed her eyes at him but her attention was drawn back to a waiter coming to take their order.
After the waiter had left, everyone turned to their own conversations. “Mummy, are you wearing your special uniform?”
“Yes, honey, I have to wear my ceremonial uniform,” she answered smiling at him. She knew he loved her officer’s cutlass.
“Wow! You hardly ever get to wear that uniform!”
“They’re so much cooler, aren’t they?” Harry piped up winking to Ryan.
“Do you have a sword too?” Ryan asked excitedly.
“I sure do.”
“You guys could have a sword fight!” Ryan said hopefully.
“Uh, no. I don’t think so, young man,” Desiree said bluntly. Ryan looked disappointed but his attention was soon drawn to his uncle who showed him photos of his mother with her sword on parade on his phone.
Desiree could feel Harry’s eyes on her. She looked to see him looking back at her thoughtfully. “Yes?” she asked expectantly.
“Will you come to my retirement ball with me?” he blurted out. Desiree flinched, she was certain he hadn’t meant to say that so loud. She glanced sideways, to find that her mother and father had stopped talking, and were now listening in on their conversation.
“Uh, well. I don’t know, I mean, it’s probably not the kind of place for a young boy to be now is it? Ryan will get bored,” Desiree replied carefully, trying to think of how to word it. She had no affliction of going with Harry, it was more so the pomp and flair she wished to avoid.
“We can take care of him for you!” Desiree’s mother piped up. Desiree growled on the inside, her mother could meddle so much. “You should go and have a nice night without him, Des. It’s been years since you have.”
“I have to agree with your mother, Des. It might be nice for you to go out,” her father agreed. She narrowed her eyes at him, remembering the conversation she had with him in the gym, days before.
“I don’t have the appropriate clothing or make up for that matter.”
“I can arrange that for you,” Harry answered, smiling back at her.
She smiled half heartedly. “You’ve already done so much for all of us, I really don’t want to put more of a burden on you,” she replied slowly. She felt a kick under the table from her left. She whipped her head around to see her brother staring at her pointedly.
She looked around the table, her mother, father and brother all looked at her pointedly. Then she felt Ryan take her hand. She looked down at her little boys face. “Go on, mum. You should get pretty again! I like seeing you pretty and smiling,” he said. Desiree was gobsmacked as he stood up and hugged her.
“I hope you’ve got a crack team of make-up artists and shit, Harry. They’re going to have their work cut out for them,” Dan said, interrupting her thoughts as she hugged her little man. She got one of her arms free from her son’s hug and punched her brother in the arm.
- 15
- 16
- 17
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Desert Love