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“… and they lived happily ever after,” Louis read, finishing the book. He smiled gently down at his two youngest sisters snuggled safely under the duvet; their eyelids heavily lidded.
“Read us another,” Daisy pleaded through a yawn. Phoebe nodded tiredly beside her, but Louis merely chuckled softly.
“Not tonight peas,” he replied, absentmindedly running his fingers along the braid in Daisy’s hair.
Louis teasingly rolled his eyes, as Daisy and Phoebe whined and pouted. He raised himself from their bed, placed a kiss on the crown of each of their heads, and made his way towards the door.
“Goodnight peas,” he sang-song, as the door in front of him was opened.
Louis nodded to the maid servant before making his way towards his own bedroom. He smiled to himself at how quiet the castle was at this time. The cooks had all ventured back to their own quarters along with most of the servant staff while the personal attendants helped his family members to prepare for sleep in their bed chambers. This was Louis’ favourite time; when he gets lost in the sound of his boots on the wooden floor and his thoughts.
“Oi! There you are,” a voice called from a door up ahead, startling Louis slightly. Louis raised his head to see Niall leaning against the doorframe to his bedroom.
“You know we can’t go to sleep until you go to sleep, right?” Niall continued.
“Excuse you,” Louis retorted, brushing past Niall and entering his bedroom, “Is that how you address me?”
“So sorry your Highness,” snorted Zayn, who was sprawled in a chair; his feet propped lazily on the dressing table.
“You two are the worst personal attendants ever,” Louis muttered, heaving a sigh and dropping onto his bed.
“Yeah, but we’re the best friends ever,” Niall responded, taking a seat on the floor between Zayn and Louis.
“I suppose that will have to do,” Louis sighed over dramatically, causing Niall to burst into a fit of giggles while Zayn merely rolled his eyes.
“You see your sisters to bed then?” Zayn asked.
“Yeah, read them a story about a Prince and a Princess falling in love and living happily ever after,” Louis responded half-heartedly.
“You sound so enthusiastic about it,” Zayn remarked sarcastically.
“Well…” Louis began, “I mean, we all know that ‘happily ever after’ doesn’t really exist. Feel like I’m just giving them false hope.”
“But you get your ‘happily ever after’ tomorrow,” Niall piped up.
“Right…” Louis mumbled. He heaved one last sigh before falling back into the cushions of his bed. A silence fell over the room before, “You both are dismissed; just put out the candles on your way out.”
“You haven’t changed into your dressing gown,” Zayn commented.
Louis let out a groan before lifting his feet into the air to remove his boots, throwing them loudly to the wooden floor. He then proceeded to remove his shirt, which he threw in Zayn’s face.
“Happy?” He quipped.
Niall had to place a hand over his mouth to muffle the bark of laughter that was itching to erupt, as Zayn removed the shirt from his face; a frown clearly etched on his brow. Zayn made no remark; only pulled a chuckling Niall along out of Louis’ bed chamber. And Louis was left alone. His eyes traced the intricate patterns of the fabric that made up the canopy of his bed, as he tried to distract himself from the thoughts of tomorrow. They still crept to the front of his mind, though, like a lioness weaving through the brush toward her prey.
“Happily ever after,” he grumbled as he rolled over, blowing out the candle on his bed side table.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis let out a heavy sigh, as he stared out the window of his carriage. He watched as the trees and brush sped past in a blur of green and brown. The carriage bumped along through the uneven path that ran through the woods, and Louis found himself shifting in his seat. Whether he was fidgeting out of the discomfort of the journey or nervousness, Louis wasn’t sure, and he really didn’t want to think about which it was. Instead, he decided to find distraction in letting his eyes wander. Beside him sat Niall who was fast asleep; his head lolling with each bump and his mouth hanging agape. Across from them sat Zayn who was clearly invested in the book held in his lap. Louis let out a low groan, allowing his head to fall back against the window frame again. He watched as the trees became sparser and sparser before turning into an open meadow.
“You alright, mate?” A hushed voice startled Louis slightly. He looked over to see Zayn staring intently at him. His book closed and discarded to the seat beside him.
“Yeah,” Louis replied slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, “Just a long journey, isn’t it?”
Zayn knew that Louis was lying; the look on his face made it obvious, but he chose not to remark on it. Instead saying, “Yeah, but we should hopefully be there soon. Just be glad we’re riding in a carriage and not on horseback.”
“Yeah…” Louis chuckled softly, putting on his best fake smile.
He returned to gaze out the window only to notice the looming city that they were approaching. The stone wall surrounding the city was tall and thick; protective yet daunting. Various scorch marks and chips littered the wall, the only memories from attacks on the nation in the past. Louis could see the smoke from various hearths in the village. He wondered if the market was bustling, or if the villagers were anticipating his arrival. As the carriage drew closer, Louis’ eyes followed the large wooden gate up as it opened before his eyes landed on the large coat of arms of the royal family: the black stag with red horns emblazoned with gold and black.
The horses continued to pull the carriage up the high street until coming to a complete stop in front of the stone steps leading up to the castle. The sudden stop jolted Niall awake, sending him face first into the seat opposite him. Louis couldn’t help but burst out laughing, as Niall groaned in pain. It was a nice change for him to finally release some of the tension and laugh; even if it was at his friend’s expense.
“Come on mate,” Zayn chuckled softly, patting Niall on the back, “time to put on our fancy faces.”
Zayn and Niall exited the carriage, standing on either side of the door with their hands behind their back. Louis followed, stepping out with a stoic look upon his face. He held a hand up against the harsh glare of sun, as he took in his surroundings. The castle that stood in front of him was made of a beautiful, polished white stone. The stain glass windows glistened in the sun, painting a rainbow of colours on the cobble stone path below. Louis’ eyes continued to scan around the town square before finally landing on the steps of the castle where the king and princess along with their servants and maids stood. He couldn’t help but stare at the princess; she truly was beautiful. Her dark blue velvet dress hugged her body perfectly with lace sleeves and a long train. Her soft brown curls, which framed her face, blew gently in the breeze. Her eyes looked on to Louis with curiosity, but a small smile toyed at her lips. Louis tried to smile back, but the weight of what he was doing finally hitting him made it difficult.
“Prince Louis of Cantator,” the King’s voice boomed, “The people of Barba welcome you!”
Cheers erupted among the citizens, and Louis couldn’t help but beam in pride. He took a few steps forward, extending his hand to the king.
“Thank you, sire. It is an honour to be here,” Louis said. He then turned to Princess Eleanor, taking her hand and placing a kiss atop it, “And an honour to be in the presence of such a beautiful lady.”
Eleanor put all her effort into keeping in the giggle, which threatened to bubble out of her throat, but a coy smile still pulled across her lips. She pulled her hand away before curtsying curtly.
“Right then,” the King announced, clapping his hands together, “Let the feast begin!”
~~~~~
The great hall was ornate with a variety of intricate displays on the walls. From gold and black tapestries to swords and amour to the heads of game, it was obvious that the King had gone to elaborate efforts for Louis’ arrival. The tables were covered in colourful flower arrangements alongside the silver place settings and bejewelled goblets. The King gestured for Louis to take the seat next to Eleanor at the head table, which he gratefully took, and within minutes, the first course was brought out. The food was delicious and the wine seemed to be bottomless; though, Louis tried to keep the drinking to the minimum. He didn’t want to get messily drunk on his first night as a guest in Barba. Instead, he thought he should focus on the reason for his staying in Barba: Eleanor. Their marriage was going to ensure the peace between the two nations, which Louis knew was very important to his father. It was a lot of pressure resting on his shoulders, but he was a prince, and he would take the weight with his head held high. So with that, he leant over towards Eleanor.
“Enjoying the feast M’lady?” He asked her quietly.
“Enjoying Barba?” She retorted.
“I haven’t seen much of it yet. Perhaps you can show me around tomorrow,” he replied cheekily, sending her a wink. He watched as a blush graced her cheeks, but her confident self quickly returned.
“We’ll see…” she replied, before turning back to her meal.
Louis leaned back in his seat; a smirk turning up one side of his lips. He decided to take that as an accomplishment. He couldn’t help but feel quite lucky. Not only was the girl he was betrothed to attractive, but she was also confident. He liked girls that were confident. The two stayed silent for the rest of the meal, only casting glances occasionally out of the side of their eyes. Occasionally, Louis had to bite his lower lip to hold back the smile forming, and once, Eleanor clumsily dropped her spoon; it clattering loudly against the wooden table. She blushed furiously, as she nervously tried to clean up the spilt soup.
After dessert was finished and the last of the plates had been removed by the servants, the King stood up to address the room.
“Now,” his voice boomed, “It is time for the entertainment of the night. Prince Louis, you will be glad to hear that we have the best singer in the land of Barba to sing for you tonight.”
“You are too generous sire,” Louis replied, raising his goblet in the King’s direction and bowing his head slightly.
“Only the best for my future son-in-law,” the King beamed with a hearty chuckle.
And with that, the large, wooden doors to the great hall swung open. In strode a beautiful blonde women. Her green dress flowed behind her as she gracefully made her way to the front of the hall. She halted in front of the head table where she gave a deep curtsy to the King. She straightened up and smoothed down her dress before opening her mouth. What followed was one of the most beautiful things that Louis had ever heard. The sound was sweet like a summer breeze; a haunting voice carried from a cliff overlooking the sea.
In ictu oculi
Possit mutare vita vestra
Et numquam etiam cohibetur
Praesent orbis terrarum
The maiden finished her song and was greeted with an uproar of applause from the great hall. Louis was so mesmerized by the voice that he startled from the sound. He quickly recovered his composure and applauded albeit a bit delayed. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about that voice and those lyrics that spoke to him. He shook his head of his daze, as the group of troubadours began playing a festive tune. Eleanor quickly grabbed Louis by the wrist, dragging him to dance while giggling. The two danced together for most of the rest of the evening. It didn’t take long, though, for Louis to grow tired. After the long journey, his limbs didn’t seem to want to cooperate, and he ended up tripping over his own feet. Eleanor merely giggled more at him; Louis was beginning to like her laugh.
In the end, Louis left the festivities early. As much as he enjoyed dancing with Eleanor, his bed was much more appealing at the moment. Eleanor showed him to his bed chambers, linking her arm with his as she guided him down the corridor.
“Sorry I can’t be more entertaining tonight,” Louis sighed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eleanor replied, “We have all day tomorrow, no? So you can see the rest of the city?” There was a slight glint in her eyes, as she turned to look at Louis, and he couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.
“I can’t wait…”
Before Eleanor could reply, let alone blush, a sound erupted around them. It bounced off the cold, stone walls, and the flames flickered in their holders. Louis felt Eleanor’s grip tighten around his bicep, as he glanced around; brows furrowed in confusion.
“What was that?” Eleanor asked tentatively.
“I think it was just thunder. Probably just a storm passing through,” he replied easily, “The acoustics of the castle walls just distorted the sound is all,” he added on after Eleanor gave him a doubtful look.
She nodded slightly, unconvincingly, as they continued down the corridor. It wasn’t long before they stood outside the door to Louis’ bed chamber. Eleanor reluctantly released her grip on his arm, and Louis gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Until tomorrow M’lady,” he said, bowing dramatically.
Eleanor giggled for probably the hundredth time tonight, as Louis entered his bed chambers. He offered her one last smile before she turned and continued down the corridor. Once the door was shut, Louis turned around to find Niall and Zayn lounging on his bed; the bed he so desperately wanted to collapse into.
“Well she is right fit,” Zayn commented while wiggling his eyebrows in Louis’ direction.
“I think you’re right fit,” Niall said, staring at Zayn.
Zayn rolled his eyes at the blonde before giving him a shove. Niall fell off the bed with a thud and a yelp. Niall sat up with a heavy pout on his lips, but Zayn merely laughed at him. Louis probably would have laughed at his friend’s misfortunes too if he weren’t so god damn exhausted.
“Move,” Louis said dully, hitting Zayn’s feet in an effort to get the bloke to vacate his bed.
“But I’m comfy,” Zayn whined.
“Yeah, well, I’m knackered, and I’m a prince, and… ah fuck it.” With sleep being the only thing on his mind, Louis climbed into bed with his mate.
“Hey! I want a cuddle too!” Niall said, jumping to his feet.
Louis couldn’t bring himself to protest, as Niall snuggled into his other side. Sleep was pulling at every inch of his body. He could feel each muscle as they slowly relaxed while his mind drifted into the hazy entrance leading to the land of dreams. His face fell into the pillow, relishing in the comfort.
And when another loud sound resounded in the room, his heavy eyelids willed him to ignore it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis was awoken by the sounds of bustling and screaming. His ears quickly perked up to the sounds, but in his groggy state, it took a while for his brain and body to follow. Slowly but surely his eyes peeled open. He was a bit taken aback by his surrounding at first before he remembered that he was in Barba. Louis stared blankly up at the intricate carvings in the wood of the canopy of his bed for a moment before rubbing a tired hand over his face. With a few more blinks and a heavy sigh, Louis looked over to see Zayn still passed out beside him on the bed. His friend’s hair looked a right state, and he was drooling slightly. Louis noticed that sometime in the night, Niall had shifted, as he was now curled up at the foot of the bed like a puppy. Niall startled awake, though, as another piercing scream echoed in the bed chamber. Louis bolted upright and instantly regretted it; his body protesting to the quick movement. He brought a hand to his now throbbing head and let out a groan.
“What the fuck was that?” Niall asked confusedly.
“I don’t know,” Louis mumbled in response. He glanced at Zayn who was, of course, still conked out before whacking the boy in the shoulder.
“Fuck off; I’m sleeping,” the boy grumbled sleepily.
Almost on cue, a loud crashing sound rattled around the three boys, causing Zayn’s eyes to snap open in response. All three boys exchanged a glance before clambering out of the bed. Louis reached the window first; Zayn and Niall almost shoving him through it when they came running up behind him. Louis shot them both a glance before carefully pushing the window open. All three’s eyes widened at the sight they were greeted with. The town square below them was in complete chaos: villagers running with pure terror plaguing their faces; broken stone scattered everywhere; and in various places, it looked as though fires had broken out. Louis found himself staring in a trance, as his mind spun with different possibilities. Each probable cause that whipped through his head didn’t even last long enough for him to get a significant grasp on it.
“Excuse me. What’s going on?” A voice called, pulling Louis back to reality. Louis quickly spins around to see Niall standing in the door way. The younger boy seemed to have been able to grab the attention of a passing guard.
“There is a dragon attack,” the guard replied, “Inform the Prince to stay in his quarters.”
Niall quietly shut the door before turning to face his friends. Zayn was staring at Louis with something akin to annoyance, and when Niall looked at the Prince’s face, he saw why. Louis had a look of pure determination on his face.
“You’re not going to stay in here are you…” Niall sighed out in defeat.
“Of course not,” Louis stated proudly. Without a second glance, he strode across the room where he promptly opened the door and exited.
“Should we follow him?” Niall asked half-heartedly to Zayn.
“If there’s a dragon, why should we die because of his stupidity?” Zayn responded, making his way back towards the bed, which he collapsed upon. Within seconds, Zayn was asleep again, and Niall merely shrugged his shoulders before returning to the window to stare out of it curiously.
~~~~~
Louis strutted down the corridors at a quick pace; ignoring the quizzical glances from the guards he passed, until he came to the room he was looking for. He pushed open the large, wooden doors and determinedly entered the great hall. The court had clearly been called, as a dozen men clad in chain mail and the signature gold and black surcoats. The King stood at the head of the table. He appeared to be bent over a map of sorts and was giving instructions to the head knight on his right. Louis noticed that Eleanor was sitting behind the group, ringing her hands nervously, but he couldn’t quite tear his eyes away from the head knight. He seemed quite young if Louis was honest. Hell, he couldn’t be older than Louis himself! Unfortunately, that was the only observation Louis had time to make, as the head knight seemed to have been given his orders. He, along with the others, gave a final nod to the King before making their way towards the door; Louis quickly side-stepping out of the way. Louis watched in awe as the group of knights made their way out of the great hall, and his eyes briefly caught with the head knight’s. He wasn’t sure what it was, but in that moment, Louis was sure there was something there. Louis felt a bit dazed after the very brief encounter, and it took him a few seconds to realize he was staring at an empty door way. He shook his head lightly before turning his attention back to the King and Eleanor.
“Prince Louis,” the King began, “I had told the guards to inform you to stay in your quarters.”
“I’m sorry sire, but a dragon attack. That is quite serious,” Louis replied.
“Don’t you worry,” the King reassured, “We have sent out our best knights to defeat the beast before it can do anymore damage to Barba and its people.”
“That’s good…”
Louis suddenly found himself feeling extremely awkward, as he stared blankly at the smiling King in front of him. He couldn’t help chewing on the inside of his cheek absentmindedly as he shifted his weight back and forth on each leg. Why had he come in here again?
“Well, since that’s all taken care of,” Louis began, stumbling over his words embarrassedly, “I suppose I’ll head back to my quarters.”
Louis swiftly turned on his heels, but not before catching the smirk on Eleanor’s lips at his accord. He almost sprinted out of the great hall, as a blush slowly crept its way up his neck and over his cheeks. Keeping his head down, he made his way back to Niall and Zayn. As he made his way down the corridors, though, his mind began to drift towards the head knight from earlier, and Louis had to shake his head of those thoughts before bursting through the door to his chambers with a sigh of relief.
~~~~~
Harry tightened the girth on his saddle before giving his horse a gentle pat to the neck.
“Alright men,” Harry bellowed, “the King’s orders are to kill the dragon at all costs. Now, the beast was last seen near the forest of Mendacium. We must ride swiftly but stay in formation. Understood?”
The other nights give sounds of approval, and Harry mounts his horse. He fixes his curls so that they don’t sit in his eyes before grabbing the reins and trotting his horse to the front of the formation.
“Ready to slay a dragon,” a teasing voice come from beside him.
“Shut up, Liam,” Harry responds; a smile playing at his lips, “Let’s go!”
The knights rode off; their horses’ hooves clanking loudly against the cobble stone of the stone square. Many of the villagers cheered after the knights, as they exited the city’s wall, and the gate was closed behind them. It didn’t take long to reach the forest of Mendacium. The party came to a slow trot as they carefully entered the forest. Heavy breathing was audible, as eyes scanned nervously among the tree line. A fog had settled over the forest, making it hard to see further than a foot ahead. Harry kept his calm and determined demeanour despite, and rode ahead. He came to a clearing and instantly dismounted his horse. The debris littering the area made it clear that this was no natural clearing; the trees had been torn down quite viciously.
“The smouldering brush suggests that it’s been here recently,” Liam commented, coming up beside Harry. Harry nodded silently.
“Fan out!” Harry ordered, “If you see anything, you know the signal!”
“Shall we?” Liam asked, pulling his sword out of the sheath. Harry mirrored his actions, and the two made their way further into the brush.
“So, do you think that bloke that burst into the great hall was the prince everyone was on about?” Liam asked suddenly.
“I don’t know; probably,” Harry muttered.
“Hmmm, well, you know I thought that—”
“Shut up Liam.”“What? I was just going to say that—”
“Seriously,” Harry said through gritted teeth, “shut it!”
Liam fell silently just in time to hear the low rumbling sound that was building on the air around them. Both boys turned towards each other, but neither had a chance to get a word out as the trees around them splintered, sending chunks of wood flying everywhere. The reverberating sound of a roar pierced their ears, as they came face to face with a dragon.
The dragon was covered in blood red scales, and Harry found himself wondering if that was their natural colour or if they had been stained by victims past. The dragon released a blood curdling roar; the hot breath singeing the two knight’s skin slightly, before unfolding its wings. Harry watched as Liam’s eyes visibly widened. The wingspan of the dragon was the size of a village itself. This was going to be interesting. The two knights shared a glance and a nod before moving so that they were shoulder to shoulder, swords at the ready. The dragon merely stared for a moment; its jet black eyes boring into theirs, while its spiked tail whipped through the air. The eerie calm was instantly broken, though, as the dragon delved into its attack. With a flash of razor sharp claws and teeth, the dragon tore forward. What followed was mostly a blur for Harry. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, as the world seemed to move around him in a slow blur of colour. A slow blur of clashing swords against scales. A slow blur of men screaming; their bodies flying through the air. A slow blur of fire erupting in the small clearing. Harry closed his eyes, willing his brain to focus and return to reality. He opened his eyes once again and narrowed them on the dragon. The dragon’s head snapped in his direction, and for a second, it seemed as though the dragon’s eyes caught his own, staring deep into his soul. Harry merely spun his sword around in his hand and charged forward; determination pumping through his veins.
In the end, they had lost three men, but they gained the head of a dragon, which hung loosely on the saddle of Harry’s horse. The party made their way back to the city. They were exhausted but still in high spirits. Harry led the group, but his vision kept fading in and out. He shook his head, blaming it on the adrenaline high that he was still coming down from, as he pushed forward. He didn’t even notice that he was swaying slightly on his horse until Liam rode up beside him with concerned etched all over his face.
“You alright mate?” Liam’s worried voice spoke, but it sounded oddly distant to Harry’s ears.
“I’m fine, really,” Harry tried to reply, but it came out slightly slurred.
Liam studied his friend’s now pale face. His cheeks were almost drooping, and his brow was deeply furrowed. In pain? He tried desperately to catch Harry’s eyes, which seemed to be fogging over before his eyes spotted the growing red patch. Without hesitation, Liam’s hand lurched forward. He placed a hand over Harry’s, pulling the reins and bringing his horse to a stop. Liam stopped his own horse and quickly dismounted.
“Harry?” Liam questioned, helping his friend off his horse. He carefully lifted Harry’s surcoat, only to discover the three slashes in his armour, blooding seeping out. Liam cursed under his breath before standing up to retrieve some fabric to press to the wounds.
“Harry,” Liam repeated urgently. Liam’s voice was too distorted for Harry to hear, though, and Harry’s eyes began to droop, as the world spun around him in a fuzzy haze. “Harry!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis paced back and forth across the room once more before returning to the window. The city seemed to have returned to calm, but that didn’t stop Louis from worrying his bottom lip. The calm before the storm? He tried to ease his mind by watching the various guards clearing out the town square. It was obvious that the dragon had succeeded at doing a fair bit of damage. One guard walked across the square, his arms full of wood from broken stalls while another scoured the town square for salvageable goods. Louis couldn’t help but chuckle as a particularly lanky guard struggled with the stone head of a gargoyle that had been torn off. The guard swayed left and right uneasily before toppling forward. Louis let out a bark of laughter at this, catching the attention of Niall and Zayn.
“Glad to see that you’ve stopped sulking,” Zayn commented.
“I was not sulking!” Louis defended, whipping around to face his friends.
Both servant boys shared a glance before rolling their eyes almost simultaneously. Louis gave them both a scowl before scoffing and returning to the window.
“I don’t even understand what you’re sulking about,” Niall remarked, taking a seat on Louis’ bed.
“Not sulking,” Louis sing-songed, not turning around.
“Sorry,” Niall replied sarcastically, “I don’t even understand what you’re moping about.”
Zayn chuckled at the blonde’s amendment, joining him on the bed. Louis, however, did not appreciate the comment, turning around with narrow eyes and hands on his hips.
“I told you: I am not sulking or moping or pouting or whatever words you come up with,” Louis stated firmly even though a face danced across the front of his mind.
Both boys still continued to stare at the prince sceptically, causing Louis to cross his arms defensively.
“Honestly, you two are the worst,” Louis muttered, half teasing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Niall said, smiling, “we’re the best servants ever.”
“Oh yeah,” Louis agreed sarcastically, “The best servants who lounge around on my bed.”
“We’re testing it out to make sure it’s comfortable enough for you,” Zayn replied with a smirk.
Louis rolled his eyes, preparing a snarky remark, but before he could get it out, the bells rang out in the city, signalling the return of the knights. Without a second’s hesitation, all three boys dashed out of the room and down the stairs to the town square. When they arrived, there was already a small crowd gathered. The party of knights entered the front gates, and Louis couldn’t help but notice that there were fewer knights than when they left. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Louis’ eyes scanned the various tired faces of the knights before he noticed that the crowd’s eyes were elsewhere. He glanced at Niall on his right, following his eye line before he noticed the dragon’s head securely tied to the saddle of one of the horses. It took a few moments for the information to sink in and spread through the crowd, but when it did, a large cheer erupted in the town square. One of the knights that Louis vaguely recognized from the meeting he had awkwardly burst in on dismounted from his horse. He took the dragon’s head in his hand and held it high above his head proudly.
“The dragon has been slayed!” He bellowed, “Let us take this as a trophy to our King.”
The crowd cheered even louder before they followed the knight up the stone steps into the castle. Slowly but surely the sound faded out, and the town square was left almost empty. Almost. Louis found his feet rooted to the spot. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something churning deep in his stomach told him to stay where he was. Niall and Zayn stayed by his side; curiosity flickering in both of their eyes. They weren’t alone. Two knights remained as well. Louis watched with a furrowed brow as one knight dismounted his horse before helping the other knight down. Was it normal for two knights to ride on one horse? The oddity became clear, though, as the second knight began to topple over uneasily, gripping to the first desperately. Out of instinct, Zayn surged forward, gently placing the injured knight’s arm over his shoulder for added support. The injured knight was breathing heavily, and when he lifted his head, his face was as pale as the marble floors of the castle. That didn’t stop Louis from recognizing him as the head knight, though. Something twisted deep inside Louis, and he found himself wincing internally when he noticed the angry wound.
“We have to get him inside,” the first knight urged, “He’s lost a lot of blood on the journey back.”
Zayn nodded, as they slowly and cautiously eased the knight up the steps to the castle. The injured knight groaned out at the movement, and his head began to loll uneasily. “Take him to my chambers!” Louis blurted out suddenly.
Niall and Zayn both stared at Louis in confused disbelief. Louis’ own eyes widened slightly at the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. Where had that come from? The uninjured knight quirked an eyebrow at Louis’ statement.
“One of my servants is really good at medicines and stuff,” Louis added shakily.
The knight made to question more, maybe even protest, but another groan of pain from his friend stopped him. As the injured knight became more of a dead weight, his worry only grew. He shifted the arm draped over his shoulder, took a deep breath, and turned back to Louis.
“Which way?”
Louis jolted in action, running up the steps to be ahead of the travelling trio.
“This way,” he beckoned.
After some stumbling and Louis pausing to wait for the others to catch up despite his anxious speed walking, the group of boys made it back to Louis’ quarters. The carefully placed the injured knight on Louis’ bed. The injury was clearly taking its toll, as his eyes struggled to stay open, fluttering closed before snapping open again. Niall instantly got to taking off the knight’s shoes and armour, hoping to make him more comfortable.
“I’m so sorry, but the King…” the other knight trailed off while gazing at the door. He was obviously at conflict between staying with his friend and obeying his duties, as he chewed on his bottom lip with a furrowed brow. He let out a heavy sigh before continuing, “I’ll stop by to check on Harry later if that’s alright. And if anything changes or whatever, do you think you could let me know? Just ask for Liam.”
“Of course, mate,” Zayn soothed, guiding the distraught knight towards the door.
After a little more reluctance, the knight, Liam, finally left, leaving Harry in the hands of the three remaining boys. Once the door was closed, Zayn found himself leaning against it, narrowing his eyes at Louis who was kneeling beside the bed, fixing the blankets and pillows.
“So which one of us is really good at medicine and stuff?” Zayn asked, eyeing Louis knowingly.
“Yeah,” Niall joined the conversation, crossing his arms to stare questioningly at Louis, “Why didn’t we just take him to the physician?”
“My chambers were closer,” Louis muttered.
“So why didn’t you just say that?” Zayn pressed.
“Look,” Louis stated firmly, standing from his position beside the bed, “Can we please just focus on the dying person?!”
“Fine. I’ll go get some dressings,” Zayn sighed out defeated, “But don’t think this conversation is over,” he added, as he made his way out the door.
The room fell into an awkward silence. Niall fidgeted in his spot near the foot of the bed while Louis stared down at his new patient. What was he thinking? He had no idea what to do in this situation. He was no physician. He glanced at Niall once before returning his gaze to the bed.
“Come on,” Louis beckoned to Niall, “We need to get this chain mail off if we want to dress the wounds properly.”
Niall hesitated a second before cautiously making his way to the other side of the bed. It was a tedious process getting the chain mail off: both boys tried to get the hindrance off as quickly as possible, but they didn’t want to cause any more pain by disturbing the wound. They eventually succeeded, and once the task was done, Niall returned to his spot away from the bed, hugging his arms over his chest protectively. His face was screwed in an expression similar to that of a sad puppy, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Louis gaze fell on the door, praying for Zayn to hurry up with the dressings. A minute seemed to pass before Louis decided to just take initiative and get started. Get started on what, he wasn’t quite sure. Check the wound maybe? That seemed like a good first step. Louis carefully peeled up the under shirt; the blood soaking through causing the linen to stick slightly. Louis ghosted his fingers over the three distinct claw marks; Harry flinching away instinctively.
“You have to cauterize the wound,” Niall’s voice broke through the tense air.
“What?” Louis asked, whipping his head up to look at the slightly trembling boy.
“You have to cauterize the wound,” Niall repeated, “It stops any further blood loss. When I was younger, my brother got hurt pretty bad, and my dad had to cauterize his wound.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
Niall glanced at the fire burning in the fireplace at the end of the room before turning back to Louis and raising an eyebrow.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Louis gasped in disbelief.
Niall shrugged his shoulders as if to say what else are we supposed to do before walking over to the fireplace. He picked up the poker, holding it in the flame. Once he decided the metal was sufficiently hot, he walked back over the bed to stand over Harry. He looked over at Louis; uneasiness and fear swimming in his blue eyes. Louis sighed and took the hot poker out of Niall’s hand. After lining up the metal with the wound, Louis screwed his eyes shut and pressed down. The skin seemed to sizzle under the touch, and Harry let out a blood curdling screech; his body lurching in pain. Louis instantly jerked away upon hearing the distressed sound, allowing the poker to clatter loudly on the ground as it fell from his grip. Harry’s eyes clamped even tighter and his fists found the sheets, as he squirmed slightly. Panic instantly built up in Louis, as he feared he had done something wrong. Instinctively, he reached out, as he often soothed his sisters. He ran a caring hand over Harry’s biceps, hoping to calm the knight, before reaching to move some of the curls plastered to Harry’s forehead. As Louis ran a hand through the chocolate strands, though, his brow furrowed.
“He has a fever,” Louis turned towards Niall, receiving only a blank stare in response, “So go get some water,” Louis urged.
The demand caused Niall to jump slightly before he hurried out of the room. He returned quickly with a bucket of water and Zayn close behind with the dressings. Zayn placed the pieces of cloth on the bedside table, figuring he should take a backseat after seeing the determination and concern concreted in Louis’ eyes. Niall followed suit, placing the bucket beside Louis and retreating to Zayn’s side. Louis carefully placed the pieces of cloth over the wound, trying desperately not to apply too much pressure. Once he felt he had done a well enough job, Louis wrapped a long piece of cloth around Harry’s torso, holding the dressing in place. Harry began to shiver, and Louis was reminded of the fever, previously distracted by mending the wound.
“Get some extra blankets,” Louis demanded to Niall and Zayn.
His request was instantly fulfilled by a confused and slightly scared Niall and Zayn. Having never seen Louis in such a state, neither was sure of how he would react to anything. Louis took the blanket and draped them caringly over Harry’s body before taking an extra piece of cloth, dipping it in the water, and pressing it to Harry’s heated face.
Louis stayed where he was all through the night, keeping the cool cloth compressed to the boy’s face and whispering soothing words in his ear. He didn’t even relent when a concerned Liam re-entered the room a few hours later or when Niall and Zayn insisted he get some rest himself. It wasn’t until right before dawn when eyes fluttered open and Louis was hit with a display of green that he let his hand fall back to his side.
“Hi,” Louis breathed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Eyes fluttered open, and Louis was hit with a display of green.
“Hi,” he breathed.
Harry’s eyes visibly widened, and his brow furrowed in obvious confusion. And was that a twinge of fear swimming in his irises? Louis noticed that he was slowly backing away from Louis; though, his eyes never left Louis’. Harry clearly didn’t realize that it was impossible to be subtle when they were the only two in the room and all of Louis’ focus was on him. Louis lifted his hand to move a stray curl that had gone rogue, but the boy flinched away; his breathe stilling for a moment. Louis carefully curled his fingers inward in response before slowly pulling his hand away from where it hovered over Harry’s forehead. The two stared at one another for a second longer before Harry’s eyes began to dart frantically around the room. Louis found himself sighing in annoyance.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Louis said before he could stop himself, “Do you really think that I’d help you back to health just to hurt you?”
Harry eyes snapped back to focus on Louis. He raised an eyebrow, and his lips moved to respond, but all that came out was a spluttering cough. Louis quickly rose from his seat beside the bed to get some water. He held the goblet out for Harry, and when he stared hesitantly at it, Louis rolled his eyes.
“What? Do you think it’s poisoned?” Louis questioned in a snarky tone.
Harry seemed to be taken aback by the sassy response, but it lasted for only a moment. A confidence seemed to overtake him, as he raised a casual eyebrow, snatched the goblet out of Louis’ hand, and took a long sip. Harry then placed the goblet on the table beside the bed, probably a bit more harshly than necessary, before leaning back against the head board with his arms crossed over his chest. The two stared at one another through narrowed eyes; the only sound in the room being their deep breathing, as the air around them swirled and thickened. So encompassed by their heated stare, neither noticed the door to the chamber opening.
“Oh, Harry you’re awake!” Liam exclaimed excitedly from the doorway. Liam almost half skipped half sprinted to Harry’s bedside before he seemed to suddenly remember his manners. “Prince Louis,” he said, bowing.
“I told you that you could speak freely around me,” Louis stated, rolling his eyes at the knights antics, “and just call me Louis. It’s fine.”
Liam still seemed hesitant, though, as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He soon turned his focus to Harry, and a large grin spread across his face at the sight of his friend appearing in good health. The previous awkwardness with the Prince forgotten, Liam sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a caring hand on Harry’s knee.
“You know, you owe your good health to Prince Louis. He took care of you and brought you back to health,” Liam said, nodding his chin towards Louis.
“I suppose I should say ‘thank you,’” Harry drawled in Louis’ direction.
“That would be the courteous and polite thing to do,” Louis mumbled coldly.
“Did I miss something?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“I’ll leave you two,” Louis scoffed, quickly rising from his chair and stalking out of the room.
As soon as the door was closed – rather loudly – behind Louis, Liam turned to Harry, whacking him hard up the backside of his head. Harry whined in protest, turning to Liam with wide eyes and his features etched in fake mock. Liam merely held his gaze with Harry, raising a single eyebrow.
“What was that for?” Harry responded to the silent question asked by Liam’s look.
“You know damn well,” Liam chastised, “You always get this way, Harry: stubborn and arrogant. It’s not an attractive attribute! Get over yourself and go apologize and thank him.”
“I am not like that! Besides I– Ow!” Harry was cut off, as Liam promptly flick him in the ear.
“That wasn’t a suggestion; it was a command,” Liam replied coolly.
“Ummm… last time I checked, I was the head knight.”
“You were seriously injured, so I was promoted. Now, go!”
“But I—”
Harry never got to finish his thought, though, before Liam shoved him off the bed. Harry let out a groan of a pain as he hit the hard surface; his arm caught awkwardly under his torso. He stood up; a scowl painted across his features, as he brushed off his trousers.
“Wow, what a caring way to treat someone who is injured!” Harry quipped.
Liam’s response was to just throw a shirt at Harry’s face. Harry’s scowl only deepened, but he put on the shirt nonetheless, trying his best to ignore the smirk that Liam seemed to be wearing proudly upon his lips. Still grumbling, Harry made his way over to the door and swung it open dramatically. With one last glance at Liam, Harry made his way into the corridor. Harry hadn’t even realized that the room was so warm and comfortable until a shiver shook his body from the contrast of the cool corridor. He let out a heavy sigh as he glanced left and right. Great plan, Liam. How am I supposed to apologize if I don’t even know where he went? Well, this was going to be interesting.
~~~~~
Louis found himself wandering the castle aimlessly; head down and shoulders slumped. He didn’t care that his feet scuffed the floor, nor did he care that his lips were turned down sharply in a frown. He was sure that he got a few weird looks from the various servants and guards he passed, but Louis was too far into his own thoughts to even notice. Eventually, Louis came to what appeared to be a dead end. Finally raising his head, he noticed that he actually had no idea where he was. Leave it to Louis to go wandering in a castle with which he wasn’t familiar. Heaving a sigh, Louis closed his eyes and tried to think back to the path he took. His mind was, of course, completely blank. He spun around in the spot where he was standing and noticed a door to his right. Seeing as he had no other options, Louis carefully opened the door and peered inside. The wooden store squealed in protest, and Louis cringed at the high pitch sound. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised at what he found: a library. A small gasp from Louis’ lips, and even that seemed too loud for the small room. Louis entered the room, gently closing the door behind him. The light from the afternoon sun filtered in through the window along the back wall, and Louis felt entranced as he watched the small particles of dust dance in the natural spotlight. He slowly walked between two of the four bookshelves, running his fingers along the worn, leather bindings. His eyes drifted lazily among the titles until one caught his eye: Le Morte D’Arthur. The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table had always been his favourite story. His mother used to read it to him before he went to sleep every night when he was younger. Louis felt a smile tug at his lips at the fond memory, and he slowly pulled the book from its spot on the shelf. Glancing around, Louis noticed an arm chair near the side of the room. He took a seat and got comfortable; the book sitting in his lap. Louis’ finger traced each gold leaf letter of the title, as he thought back to when he was younger and wanted nothing more than to be a knight of Camelot. Who wouldn’t want to be? Arthur and the knights carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fighting strange beasts. They searched for lost treasure and fell in love. It was an adventurous life, and it was all Louis could dream of having as a child. Louis opened the book, coughing slightly at the dust, and turned the pages slowly before he found the page he was looking for: the oath of a Knight of King Arthur’s Round Table…

I will develop my life for the greater good. I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth, I will never boast, but cherish humility instead, I will speak the truth at all times, and forever keep my word, I will defend those who cannot defend themselves, I will honour and respect women, and refute sexism in all its guises, I will uphold justice by being fair to all, I will be faithful in love and loyal in friendship, I will abhor scandals and gossip – neither partake nor delight in them, I will be generous to the poor and to those who need help, I will forgive when asked, that my own mistakes will be forgiven, I will live my life with courtesy and honour from this day forward.

Suddenly, the whine of the door being opened echoed throughout the small room. Louis’ head snapped up, but his view of the door was blocked by the shelves of books. Louis suddenly found himself holding his breath, as he strained to peer around to the door.
“Louis?” A voice called out tentatively before clearing their throat, “Prince Louis?”
A mop of chocolate swirls appeared around the bookshelf, and Louis’ eyes locked onto the jade irises of Harry. Harry held the gaze only for a moment before dropping his eyes to the floor. He chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously as he stood before Louis, and Louis noticed that Harry actually stood pigeon-toed.
“I asked a guard, and they said that they had seen you come this way, so I thought I’d check in this room, and… yeah…” Harry stumbled out; eyes still focused downward.
“It’s a nice rug,” Louis commented.
“What?” Harry asked; his head shooting up to stare at Louis in confusion.
“I mean, you’re staring so intently at it…” Louis replied sarcastically, “Look, is there a reason you’re here?” he added on annoyed.
“Listen,” Harry started slowly, moving to take the arm chair across from Louis’. Harry fiddled with his hands in his lap before continuing, “I just… basically… I wanted say that I’m sorry about earlier.”
He looked up at Louis again, trying to convey as much sincerity as possible in his eyes. The prince, though, just raised an eyebrow at the knight before him, beckoning to continue. He was going to milk this for as long as he could. Harry sighed at the silent response, suddenly becoming extremely interested in a loose thread on his shirt.
“And, I’d also like to thank you for nursing me back to health. You obviously didn’t have to do that, but you did, and I owe you my life.”
“That’s more like it,” Louis remarked.
“Wow, really fit the arrogant prince stereotype,” Harry muttered lowly under his breath.
“Excuse me?! I’m the arrogant one?” Louis asked aghast, “I had to suffer through your rude remarks and wait for the response that I should have gotten originally.”
“Honestly,” Harry groaned; head falling into his hands, “Like I said: I owe you my life, so can we please just be on somewhat amicable terms?”
“Fine,” Louis assented.
“Good.”
A silence blanketed the room in awkward tension, as the two boys merely stared at everything but each other.
“What are you reading?” Harry asked finally, hoping to lighten the mood at least a little.
“Le Morte D’Arthur,” Louis replied easily; a small smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at the book warmly, “My mother use to read it to me when I was younger. I always wanted to be a Knight of the Round Table.”
“You’re a prince. That has to count for something.”
Louis merely chuckled lightly in response.
“I read the legend of King Arthur when I was younger as well. I always wanted to be Lancelot.”
“But Lancelot steals Guinevere away from Arthur. Curious goal…”
“Yeah, but they were in love, and they didn’t care what anyone thought. They were going to be together no matter what it took, even running away.”
Louis was a bit taken aback by the boy’s response, and he found himself blinking blankly for a few moments. He didn’t really expect such a deep response from the seemingly arrogant knight; even more so, he didn’t expect such a… romantic response. Louis ran his hand down the stiff pages of the book and over the colourful drawings depicting various scenes, considering this new view on the story. He then found himself close to laughter at the ironic situation at hand… don’t judge a book by its cover.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Rise and shine!” A voice sing-songed.
Louis snorted lightly in protest, keeping his eyes screwed tightly shut and grasping for the peace of sleep that was slowly drifting away. His mind was still a bit hazy, and he longed to return to the dream land. Taking a deep breath, he willed his body to relax; his limbs floating back to that blissful state. The caressing hands of sleep pulled Louis deeper and deeper, but they were soon interrupted, as the harsh golden glow of the sun pierced through his eyelids. Louis groaned loudly before turning over and burying his face in his pillow.
“Clearly someone doesn’t know what ‘rise and shine’ means,” the voice from earlier teased.
Slowly, Louis opened his unwilling eyes only to be blinded by the rays blaring in through the window. Dust flittered all around from the curtains being thrown open, mixing with the colours splayed out on the floor from the stained glass. Feeling the last remnants of sleep dissipating from his body, Louis searched for the bastard cruel enough to wake him. His eyes landed and narrowed on a smirk before finding glinting, emerald eyes.
“I thought that we had agreed on being amicable,” Louis mumbled, still burrowing into his bed and searching for sleep to once again grace his presence, “I really don’t think waking me against my will is amicable.”
“But I heard that because of the dragon attack, you never got a proper tour of the grounds, and I just thought…” Harry placed a hand on his heart; his tone becoming melodramatic, “we could never have that, so I would take it upon myself to– Ow!”
Harry was promptly cut off by a whack in the arm from the prince, who stared on with a raised eyebrow and unamused eyes.
“Now who’s not being amicable?” Harry teased.
Louis merely scoffed in response, shoving the blankets off his body harshly. He clambered out of bed, shivering slightly when his bare feet hit the cool floor. Walking towards his screen to change behind, Louis couldn’t help the scowl plastered on his face as he brushed past the young knight. Harry made his way to the table, picking up an apple and biting into lazily as he sat down with his feet up; a grin toying at the corners of his lips.
“I thought Princess Eleanor was going to show me around?” Louis asked, peeking his head out from behind the screen.
“She has to spend the day with her tutor, so I volunteered,” Harry replied coolly, tossing the apple up in the air before catching it and taking another bite.
Harry could feel Louis’ narrowing eyes on him, but he chose to ignore them. He twirled the apple core’s stem between his fingers, as he waited patiently for the prince to finish dressing. Louis appeared from around the screen; a fresh shirt and trousers on. He ruffled his hair slightly before taking the seat across from Harry. Louis pulled on his boots; Harry’s eyes following his every movement.
“Shall we then?” Louis asked, rising from his seat.
Harry gave a nod, rising from his seat as well, and he couldn’t help the grin on his face as he followed Louis out of the room; his eyes glinting. The two made their way out of the castle, and Louis eyed the knight suspiciously as he followed him across the town square.
“So, I thought we’d start with the market,” Harry called over his shoulder.
Louis gave a small noise of acknowledgement, as he eyed his surroundings indifferently. He was distracted by the elaborate stone work above his head that he nearly collided with the back of Harry, who had stopped abruptly.
“Ta da! Welcome to the market,” Harry said proudly; his arms stretched wide, and a grin stretched wider across his face.
“Wow, really,” Louis quipped sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest, “I wondered why all these stalls where here.”
Harry’s arms dropped harshly back to his sides; his grin faltering slightly. He seemed to be struggling with keeping his composure, as the side of his lips twitched to form a frown. Still, Harry gave a heavy sigh, and his smile reappeared just as wide; though, it didn’t reach his eyes this time. He spun around again, beckoning Louis to follow, as he made his way through the crowd of the market.
“You can get anything here, really,” Harry spoke, glancing at Louis walking to his right, “Herbs, fabrics, meats, produce, bread…”
Louis let Harry’s voice drone out, as he glanced around at the bustling area. It wasn’t really that much different from the market in Cantator; sure, the faces were different, but the goods weren’t. His eyes fell on the beautiful indigo dyed silk blowing in the gentle breeze. He was sure that his sister Lottie would love a dress made from such a fabric. His eyes continued to wander, and when they came upon some swords, Louis’ steps came to a halt.
“I suppose it’s really just a—”
Harry cut off as he noticed that Louis was no longer beside him. He glanced behind him, assuming that the prince had resulted to sulking and dragging his feet, but Harry was only greeted by the faces of various towns’ people going about their business. His brow furrowed, as he glanced around quickly. He soon spotted the feathered haired head of Louis, though, and he found himself releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He rolled his eyes, as he sauntered over to the stall.
“You know,” Harry said, coming up behind Louis, “You shouldn’t wander off like that. Do I have to hold your hand?”
“I can take care of myself, thank you very much,” Louis snapped.
“Alright,” Harry held up his hands in defence.
Harry’s eyes followed Louis’ line of sight, falling on the sword gracefully lying on the stall. The sword was beautifully made with an intricate design carved into the gold plated handle. The sun bounced off the blade, catching in the shining, blue eyes of Louis.
“A nice sword, eh boy?” A gruff voice asked.
“John Blacksmith, how are you this fine morning?” Harry asked, looking up with a grin at the large man.
“Harry,” John replied, taking the boy’s hand, “I’m swell since you and your knights defeated that dragon.”
“I couldn’t have done it without one of your fine swords. Speaking of which: that’s a nice one you’ve got there,” Harry commented, pointing out the sword at which Louis was still staring intently.
“Actually, I’m quite proud of that sword there,” John said with a light chuckle, “I think I finally got the balance perfect. Go ahead and pick it up and see how it feels.”
Harry nudged Louis lightly with his elbow, causing the prince to startle. Louis looked up at Harry; confusion clouding his eyes slightly. Harry merely smiled encouragingly in response, jerking his head towards the sword. Carefully, Louis reached out and picked up the sword. Gripping it tightly, he gave the sword a few waves, pivoting it around slightly. The blacksmith was right: it really was well balanced. The sword felt brilliant in Louis’ hand, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. The blacksmith gave a hearty chuckle at the reaction.
“What did I tell you? It’s yours if you want it, boy,” John said.
Louis’ smile grew at that, and he handed the blacksmith the money. He swiftly attached the sword sheath to his belt; his eyes sparkling as he looked back at Harry.
“Ready for the next stop on the tour?” Harry asked.
Harry didn’t wait for a response. He grabbed Louis’ wrist and proceeded to pull him through the throng of people and out of the market. Louis looked down at the long fingers wrapped his wrist with wide eyes, but he made no comment on it and made no effort to pull away from grip. Louis watched as the number of people around dwindled and the stalls became actual houses.
“This is the lower town,” Harry announced, “This is where… where basically everyone lives really.”
“There’s a lower town in Cantator,” Louis remarked. Though his mood had lightened slightly, there was still an undertone of snark in his comment.
“Yes, but does it look exactly like this? I doubt it.”
Louis rolled his eyes at the knight but followed him nonetheless, as he continued down the path. Harry eventually came to a halt in front of the stables where a servant already had two horses saddled and prepared.
“After you, your highness,” Harry said dramatically, holding out the reins to Louis.
Louis scoffed, taking the reins from Harry roughly. He stared at the beautiful chestnut horse in front of him. Louis extended his hand, allowing the horse to smell his hand. He then extended the hand to the horse’s neck, giving it a gentle, friendly pat; the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. After one last look into the horse’s dark eyes, Louis mounted the horse. Once he situated himself to a comfortable riding position, he noticed that Harry had already mounted his horse and was waiting patiently for Louis to be ready. When Harry noticed Louis’ gaze on him, he gave the prince a smile.
“Now, it’s time to show you the area outside the castle walls,” Harry explained.
Harry gave his horse a gentle nudge in the side, and the horse took off in a cantor towards the city’s gates. Louis followed suit; his horse’s hooves clicking loudly on the cobble stone path. The path quickly turned to dirt, as they moved further away from the lively city. A gentle summer breeze danced through the grain fields just outside the city, and Louis watched as the golden strands swayed and twirled with it. The grain fields soon became seas of green, which soon grew into trees. The two boys rode in silence through the forest. It was almost peaceful with the light filtering in through the leaves and branches, painting patterns across their cheeks. Harry made a sharp turn down a narrower path to the left, and while he furrowed his brow in confusion, Louis followed. Harry brought the pair to what appeared to be small clearing with a brook running through it. With a heavy sigh, Harry dismounted his horse and straightened out his trousers. Louis stayed perched on his horse; confusion still shining in his blue eyes.
“Are you going to sit there all day?” Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
“I thought you were supposed to be giving me a tour?” Louis questioned.
“I thought we could take a small break from the tour; relax a little,” Harry replied coolly.
Louis remained where he was for a moment longer; his eyes narrowing on Harry sceptically. Eventually, he rolled his eyes, sighed in defeat, and dismounted his horse. Harry gave a small smile before moving to take a seat along the bank of the brook. Louis trudged behind, plopping down next to Harry.
“You know, this is one of my favourite places to go when I don’t have knight duties,” Harry commented wistfully.
Louis gave a snort of understanding, more focused on the blades of grass he was yanking out of the ground. Harry closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath.
“Are you hungry?” Harry asked suddenly.
Louis turned to look at the knight with a raised eyebrow. Harry merely smiled again, standing up and making his way towards his horse. Louis watched unamused, as Harry unstrapped a pack of food from the back of his horse.
“A picnic?” Louis scoffed, “How romantic.”
That was it: that was the last straw…
“Seriously?! I’ve been nothing but nice to you all day; thought that maybe we could be friends or something. The least you could do is try! But no, I’ve had to deal with your snarky remarks and horrid mood all day! Is it really that much to ask that you put some effort into this!?”
Harry roughly threw down the pack and stormed off; branches and leaves crunching under his feet. Louis stared after the young knight, blinking blankly for a few moments. Finally, he gave a heavy sigh and made his way after Harry. Looks like it was his turn to apologize.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Harry! Harry!” Louis called out, as he wandered through the trees.
He stilled in his movements; his ears perking up to his surroundings. The only sounds that echoed and danced around him, though, were the symphony of nature: the rustling of the leaves in the branches, the scurrying of small animals among the brush, and the soft singing of birds high above. Louis let out a heavy sigh, as he slumped down onto a fallen log.
“Yes, let’s leave the bloke who has no knowledge of the area alone to wander the woods. Great idea,” Louis mumbled sarcastically, burying in face in his hands in frustration.
A loud snap resonated to Louis’ left; his head snapping up in response. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the lines of trees and find the source of the sound. His heart rate soured; the blood pounding fervently in his ears, as his mind raced with possibilities. He was alone, and there were probably bandits in this wood.
It’s probably just an animal. Stop jumping to absurd conclusions! He chastised himself. Louis willed his muscles to relax, taking in a deep breathe in a desperate attempt to grasp the oxygen necessary to calm his jumpy nerves.
Another crack rung out in the wood, causing Louis to jump to his feet. His hand instinctually flew to his side, and Louis cursed himself at the realization that his sword was still attached to the saddle of his horse. Not only were there bandits, but he had no way to defend himself. Could this get any worse? As the rustling of leafs drew closer, Louis pressed himself against the trunk of a tree, praying that whoever it was was just passing through. The heavy footfalls stopped, and Louis could hear an exhale of breath. Despite his better judgement, he peeked out around the tree. He finally released the breath he was holding, as he saw the familiar mop of curls.
“Harry!” Louis exclaimed, stumbling out of his hiding place.
Harry jumped at the sudden voice and instantly drew his sword. He pointed the sword defensively at Louis; a stern and determined look painting his features, but upon recognizing the Prince’s face, he lowered it with a sigh of relief.
“What did I tell you about wandering off? Do you know what kind of people hide out in these woods?” Harry asked; panic seeming to seep into his voice. Louis stared at the knight for a second, a bit taken aback by Harry’s tone, before rolling his eyes, ready to retort.
“You’re the one who—”
“I’m a knight,” Harry cut off, his arrogant composure returning, “Do you know how bad that would look: losing the Prince in the woods?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Come on.”
Before Louis could reply, Harry turned swiftly on his heels, making his way back towards the horses. Louis raised an eyebrow; confusion and annoyance clouding his features, but he followed nonetheless.
The two boys walked in silence back to the clearing. The only sounds resonating being Louis’ heavy breathing as he tried to catch up with Harry’s long strides. Once the brook was within sight, Harry made a beeline straight towards his horse, tightening the straps on the saddle. Louis stood off awkwardly to the side, suddenly finding his hands very interesting while he shifted his weight from one foot to another. It wasn’t until Harry made to mount his horse that Louis finally spoke.
“Are we not eating, then?” Louis asked timidly.
Harry’s movements stilled; his hands hovering over the waist of the saddle. Slowly, Harry turned to face Louis; his brows furrowed in confusion and his mouth hanging slightly agape.
“What?” Harry asked.
“Well… I mean… ummm…” Louis stammered out, “You had offered food before, and ummm… I’m hungry?”
Harry opened his mouth as if to respond before his lips turned up to a smile and his eyes lightened slightly; the green irises seeming to reflect in the late afternoon sun. He nodded and turned back to the saddle, pulling off the pack of food and walking back towards Louis. Harry took a seat along the bed of the brook, looking up at Louis expectantly. Louis glanced around quickly before awkwardly taking the seat beside Harry. He tried to smile, as he folded his legs beneath him. Harry merely chuckled in response, trying desperately to hide the smirk tugging at his lips, as he turned to open the pack. He pulled out two plates adorned with slabs of deer, vegetables, and a slice of bread each.
“Thanks,” Louis said, taking the plate offered him.
An awkward silence fell over the two boys, as they dug into their respective lunches.
“So,” Harry began suddenly, “How are you liking Barba so far?”
“Ummm,” Louis harshly swallowed the chunk of bread in his mouth, “It’s nice.”
Another silence plagued the small clearing; the quiet lapping of the brook among rocks underscoring the tension.
“I’m trying to start a conversation here,” Harry voiced, “Which goes two ways, you know.”
“Sorry,” Louis mumbled, twiddling with the metal plate in his lap, “Err… for how long have you been a knight?”
Harry raised an eyebrow at the Prince’s poor attempt at conversation, but brushed it off and coolly responded, “I only became a knight quite recently actually.”
“Wait, what?” Louis asked confused; an eyebrow quirked upward.
“Yeah,” Harry chuckled lowly.
“But you’re the head knight, I thought.”
“That’s a true statement, yes.”
Louis continued to stare blankly at Harry, not following what the knight was saying. His eyebrows seemed somewhere between being furrowed and being quirked, and his head was cocked slightly. The sight was almost too adorable. Harry’s lips tugged into a smile, and he burst out into a loud, boisterous laugh.
“Don’t you know how knighthood works?” Harry asked once his laughter had died down to the occasional chuckle, “I mean: how someone becomes a knight?”
“Of course,” Louis replied patronizingly, “It’s the whole thing with pages and squire…”
“Exactly, so I—” Harry started.
“You didn’t have to be so condescending about it,” Louis muttered, cutting Harry off. He folded his arms across his chest and turned slightly away from the now baffled knight.
“I didn’t mean to be condescending,” Harry defended; hurt seeping into his tone.
“I think I’m ready to go back to the castle,” Louis stated, getting to his feet abruptly.
“Okay…”
Harry rose to his feet slowly, following Louis who had already made a beeline for the horses. Louis quickly mounted his horse, staring down at Harry with two impatient eyebrows raised. Rolling his eyes and sighing in defeat, Harry mounted his horse. Once Harry appeared situated on his horse comfortably, Louis took off at a full gallop back towards the city walls. Harry watched with wide eyes, as Louis disappeared among the trees, and it took a couple of seconds before his startled brain started working again.
“Louis!” Harry called after him, getting his horse to follow suit, “Do you even know your way through these woods!? Slow down!”
By the time Harry caught up, Louis was already through the city’s gates. Harry pulled his horse to a stop just as Louis dismounted his horse and made his way up the castle’s steps. Harry blinked a few times, staring after the Prince in bewilderment.
~~~~~
Louis swiftly made his way through the corridors of the castle. He kept his head down, as he dodged various servants and guards. His mind was reeling with what had occurred back at the clearing. Or more like what hadn’t occurred. What had even happened? Everything had seemed fine. It had looked like he and Harry may be able to have a normal conversation. Then out of nowhere, Louis had the sudden feeling that he needed to get away. He couldn’t put his finger on the exact feeling or even what had caused it, but he had just needed to get back to the castle.

Maybe I’m coming down with something. Yes, that’s it. I’m getting ill; I wasn’t feeling well, and that was why I had to leave.

Thankfully, Louis quickly found himself in front of his chamber door. He let out a sigh of relief, as he walked into the now familiar room. Zayn was lounging in one of the chairs; his legs resting haphazardly on the table, while Niall placed a plate of food, presumably Louis’ dinner, at the head of the table. Louis cleared his throat quite loudly, causing Zayn to topple over as he tried to stand at attention. Louis and Niall let out a roar of laughter at their friend’s antics, and Zayn huffed as he stood and straightened out his clothes.
“Very funny,” Zayn quipped, “I thought you were knight or a palace servant or something.”
“Awww,” Louis said, placing a hand over his heart, “I’m so touched that you only feel comfortable being lazy around me, the Prince.”
The sarcastic comment caused Niall to only laugh harder; the lively sound bouncing off the walls. Zayn merely rolled his eyes, muttering a ‘shut up’ lowly. Louis chuckled; his strange feeling from earlier seeming to dissipate. He made his way further into the room, taking the seat offered to him by Niall.
“So,” Niall asked giddily as Louis began eating his dinner, “how was your day with your knight in shining armour?”
Louis rolled his eyes, ignoring the playful jab.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Zayn quipped, earning a whack in the arm from the blonde.
“What… actually, do I want to know?” Louis voiced bemusedly, noticing the blush that was creeping across Niall’s cheeks.
“It’s… ummm… err… it’s nothing,” Niall stammered out while Zayn laughed and received another slap in the arm.
“Well, I think I’m going to have an early night,” Louis commented, rising from his seat, “All yours Niall,” Louis added, gesturing towards the plate that was only half eaten.
A grin instantly bloomed on the Irishman’s face, and he almost pounced on the plate of food. Zayn followed Louis, prepared to turn down the bed for the Prince.
“It’s alright, Zayn,” Louis said, turning around with a smile at his servant and friend, “I’ve got it. You and Niall are dismissed.”
Zayn nodded before turning and leaving. Louis let out a heavy sigh, as he undressed himself and climbed into the cool sheets of his bed. He let his head fall against the soft pillow, and his eyelids fluttered shut; the moonlight dancing behind them. He slowly counted in his head, allowing his mind and body to relax, as sleep crept up and pulled him under.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Up and at ‘em,” A voice pulled at the edges of Louis’ consciousness.
Louis felt a groan crawling up his throat, but he refused to acknowledge anything other than sleep. Instead, he focused on the soft blankets which cocooned his body securely. His mind slowly began to drift back into the blissfully, cloudy peace when a harsh light tore through his eyelids. This time, the groan threatening in his throat did leave his lips. He opened one eye unwillingly and saw Harry smiling brightly in front of him; the curtains splayed open behind him.
“Didn’t we already go through this?” Louis mumbled, pulling the blankets fully over his head.
“No,” Harry replied cheekily, “Yesterday, I said ‘rise and shine;’ today I said ‘up and at ‘em.’”
Even in his slightly dazed and tired state, a full blown scowl erupted on Louis’ face. He couldn’t help but think about how lucky Harry was that he couldn’t see him because if looks could kill… Though, maybe he didn’t want Harry to be so lucky. He was waking him up at this ungodly hour after all. Louis huffed out an annoyed sigh, roughly shoving his duvet so that it bunched around his waist. Harry’s smile faltered slightly at the sight of Louis’ knitted brows and twisted mouth. Not to mention the fact that Louis’ normally bright, blue eyes seemed to be a shade darker and shooting daggers in Harry’s direction. Harry blinked blankly twice before his bright grin slowly warped into a smirk. He opened his mouth to make another cheeky comment, but he never got the opportunity to get even a syllable out as Louis reached behind himself, grabbed a pillow, and threw it directly at Harry. For having just woken up, Louis threw the pillow with surprisingly good aim and force. It struck Harry quite hard in the sternum, causing the knight to stumble backwards slightly. Harry tried to catch his footing, but he ultimately failed, falling over completely with a heavy thump. The sight of Harry falling on his arse was too much for Louis, and the prince let out a loud bark of laughter. Harry could feel the heat of embarrassment rushing to his face, and he instantly ducked his head in an attempt to hide the pink that was sure to be dusting his cheeks. Of course, it made no difference, as the prince was already in such a heavy fit of laughter that he wasn’t even paying attention. Harry found himself staring fondly at the sight: Louis curled in on himself, clearly clutching a stitch in his side; tears streaming out of the corners of his eyes and his light, lively laughter ringing out beautifully in the room.
“I’m so glad that you’re enjoying yourself at my expense,” Harry tried to quip; though, it only came out half-heartedly.
“Sorry,” Louis gasped out; his chortling dying down to low chuckles.
“Now, if you’re quite finished,” Harry said, standing and brushing off his trousers, “I have plan for you today.”
At that, Louis’ silent laughter cut off completely, “What?”
“You heard me. Now, come on,” Harry urged.
Louis still wasn’t convinced. He stared sceptically at the knight with an eyebrow quirked and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Oh, and you’ll be needing this,” Harry continued, ignoring the Prince’s expression and tossing onto the end of the bed the sword Louis got in the market.
“Why do I need—”
“Just get your arse out of bed!... your highness… sorry.”
Louis rolled his eyes at the abashed knight, who suddenly seemed to be very interested in his fingers. He almost looked cute with his curls falling over his eyes, his bottom lip between his teeth, and his toes nervously pointed inward. Almost like a wounded puppy. Louis sighed in defeat, causing Harry to look up hopefully through his fringe. He watched cautiously, as Louis shoved the blankets off his body and heaved himself out of the large bed. Even in his tired state, Louis held his head high, as he made his way towards the table on the other side of the room. Always a Prince first, he seemed like a peacock gracefully and proudly sauntering around his muster. Louis stretched his limps upward before slumping into the chair at the head of the table. Harry stared at him quizzically.
“This time,” Louis explained, “I’m eating before we go off and do your big plans.”
Harry nodded slowly, as he continued to hover awkwardly by the Prince’s bed. A silence fell over the chambers; the only sound being the growing impatient taps of Louis’ finger against the wooden table.
“Or I would eat,” Louis said rather loudly, “If my servants actually brought me breakfast!”
“Shit!” A voice echoed from behind the door.
Louis and Harry could hear shuffling outside the chamber, what sounded like something falling over or crashing, and a few more curses before finally the door swung open and Niall and Zayn entered.
“Sorry, your highness,” Niall deplored, placing a plate of food in front of Louis.
“Yeah, sorry,” Zayn conceded, taking a goblet and filling it with water.
“We just weren’t sure if you were going to be going off with your… friend again.”
“Speaking of your friend, will he be joining you for breakfast?”
“Should we get him a plate?”
“Do you want some privacy? Should we leave?”
“Do you—”
“Will you two shut up!” Louis cut off, “Just sit down and relax. You too, curly. You just standing there is making me nervous.”
All three froze at the demand, blinking blankly at the Prince, before taking the other seats at the table with bowed heads.
“Good,” Louis sighed, taking the piece of bread off his place and breaking it apart. He glanced up and rolled his eyes at the sight of Niall, Zayn, and Harry, who were all avoiding eye contact at the moment, “Seriously?”
“So,” Niall piped up cheerily, “What are you two doing today?”
Harry’s head snapped up at the question, and Louis raised an eyebrow at him; his own curiosity bubbling over.
“Ummm…” Harry cleared his throat, regaining his confidence, “Today’s training day for the knights, and I thought that Lou—the Prince could test out his new sword.”
“Nice,” Zayn commented, seeming to relax now.
“I suppose if the two of you want, you’re welcome to tag along?” Harry suggested, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
“I’m sure Niall would enjoy that,” Zayn muttered; a smirk pulling at his lips.
“Zayn!” Niall shouted horrified at the older boy.
“I’m sure Liam would enjoy that too,” Harry added, nudging Zayn with his elbow.
Niall’s face lit up at the statement. The deep red colour blossomed first on the apples of his cheeks before spreading to the tips of his ears and down his neck. Something akin to a whimper escaped the Irishman’s lips, and he buried his face in his arms. The two boys that caused such a reaction seemed unfazed by it, laughing at whatever joke Louis seemed out of the loop of.
“What?” Louis asked; his eyes flickering between the three desperately.
“Nothing!” Niall shouted suddenly, leaping to his feet and covering Harry’s and Zayn’s mouths with his hands, “Nothing. Nothing at all. Wow, look at the time. You and Harry probably want to head down to that training thing, huh?”
“Uh…yeah…” Louis replied sceptically, but nonetheless rose from his chair and headed off to change.
“I don’t understand why you don’t want him to know, Niall,” Zayn said, removing the hand from his mouth.
“I don’t want anyone to know because… there’s nothing to know,” The blonde whined, slumping back into his chair and folding his arms across his chest.
“Okay mate,” Zayn smirked, giving Niall a friendly pat on the shoulder before collecting Louis’ dishes.
Niall continued to huff, as Louis returned dressed for the day. Harry rose from his seat, perhaps a bit too eagerly, earning a confused glance and a raised eyebrow from both Niall and Zayn. He brushed it off, refusing to acknowledge that anything particular had occurred. He merely cleared his throat and made his way over towards the door. Once his back was to the others, though, his mind reeled with embarrassment.

Damn it, Styles! What’s wrong with you?!

“Shall we then?” Louis asked, suddenly appearing at his side; sword in hand.
“Right! Yeah… of course,” Harry replied, trying to regain his composure.
Louis blinked once at Harry before giving what seemed to be a reassuring smile. The two left Louis’ chambers and headed toward the courtyard. A silence fell over them as they walked through the corridors; each boy diving into the deep waters of their own thoughts, fearful of drowning if they didn’t concentrate.
“What was it Niall was talking about?” Louis finally spoke, “Earlier, I mean. You obviously knew.”
Harry glanced at the Prince briefly before chuckling lowly, “It’s Liam, one of the other knights,” Harry paused, and Louis thought that was the end of it as the knight appeared to return to his thoughts, “It’s just a harmless crush,” Harry added suddenly.
Louis looked at Harry with furrowed brows, noticing the slight change in tone, but the knight didn’t say anything else. The rest of the walk consisted only of the echoing sound of boots on stone and rustling of fabric.
~~~~~
The sounds of metal clashing with metal resonated like ripples on a lake as it tore through the air. It rung deeply in the ears of Harry and Louis, as they stared at each other through their swords. Harry couldn’t help but stare and admire at the way the sun’s rays bounced off the steel onto Louis’ cheek bones, making his blue eyes that much brighter. They swam with determination, as Louis pulled back and made another offensive strike, yanking Harry from his daze. Despite the element of surprise, Harry was still able to parry, and within seconds, he had the Prince disarmed, on the ground, and pinned at sword point.
“You know, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would,” Harry said, offering Louis a hand.
“Excuse you?” Louis retorted but taking the offered hand nonetheless.
“Well, I am head knight for a reason.”
“Arrogant, aren’t we?”
“I’m offering a compliment; you should take it.”
“A compliment, huh?” Louis huffed, taking a seat off the training field and removing his gardbrace.
Harry once again found himself staring at the Prince. He smiled fondly at the way his brow, which had a thin line of sweat, furrowed and his lips pursed as he removed the rest of his armour. Louis’ hair was mused, but it still looked perfect with the caramel strands shining in the sun light.
“So where’d you learn to handle a sword like that?” Harry asked in an effort to change his focus.
“My father taught me,” Louis replied, offering an easy smile.
“Oh, nice,” Harry returned the smile and took the seat beside Louis.
“Yeah, it actually a part of ‘training to be a prince’ stuff. I think it’s really just for protection. And for the ladies,” Louis added, nudging Harry in the arm.
“Yeah…” Harry supplied, laughing awkwardly.
“What about you, huh? You obviously learned to sword fight being a knight and all, but did you learn at a young age or…”
“Well, my father was a knight. He died when I was eleven, and after, I started my training to be knight.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I came here to the castle where I became a page. I was taught how to properly ride a horse, how to fight with a spear and a sword, and how to read and write.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I guess; though, I’m sure being a prince is much more exciting.”
“Not really,” Louis groaned, “It’s just lesson after lesson: Latin, French, politics, how to behave in court, blah, blah, blah. I never get a chance to breathe!”
“It can’t be that bad,” Harry chuckled lowly.
“It’s just such an effort, always trying to please my father. I’d much rather be a knight!”
“Right… you mentioned that before. You wanted to be a Knight of the Round Table.”
“Don’t mock me! Those knights were noble men. You’re the one who wants to be Lancelot,” Louis added grumbling.
“You could always be my Guinevere,” Harry teased with a smirk.
“Oh, shut up,” Louis quipped, shoving Harry in the shoulder; though, there was a still a smile dancing across his lips. He found himself staring into those deep emerald pools, and that unknown feeling from when he nursed the knight back to health began to appear again, uncoiling and creeping up into his chest like a snake. Those damn eyes!
“Do you want to join me for dinner?” Louis found himself asking, not even sure if the voice hanging in the air was his own, “I… I mean… you sort of joined me for breakfast but never… got any food, and… I feel bad,” he stammered out.
“Ummm… alright,” Harry agreed, still raising an eyebrow at the random and a bit awkward outburst.
“And you can bring Liam, since Niall apparently has a thing for him,” Louis added, trying to ease the obviously growing tension.
“Sure…” Harry said. He offered one last tight lipped smile to the Prince before getting up and leaving.
Once Harry was gone, Louis released an exasperated breath and buried is face in his hands. Well, that was... yeah.
~~~~~
“Do your servants always eat with you?” Liam voiced.
“Excuse me?” Zayn quipped from across the table.
“Sorry,” Liam muttered; his eyes instantly downcasting to his lap.
“It’s fine,” Niall remarked, sending a poignant stare in Zayn’s direction.
“They may be my servants, but they’re also my friends,” Louis commented.
“Though he does yell at us quite a lot,” Zayn added.
“Only because you’re lazy!” Louis defended.
“This is how it always is,” Niall explained to Liam and Harry quietly while Louis and Zayn continued to argue, “But after some more wine, they’ll be all lovey-dovey again.”
And Niall was right. After a few more goblets of wine, all five boys were laughing, telling jokes and stories, rough-housing, and just generally messing about. No one would ever suspect that one was a prince, two were knights, and two were servants.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Alright, now the most dangerous part of the sword is the tip of the blade.”
“The tip? What about the actual blade?”
“Well, the edge of the blade is mostly used for defence. The tip of the blade can pierce armour.”
“Oh…”
Liam chuckled at the look on the blonde’s expression. His face was twisted into something between confusion and terror, as he held the sword further away from his body.
“Don’t worry, Niall. It would take a very special person to pierce their own armour,” Liam teased.
“You don’t know me,” Niall responded very seriously.
Liam had to bite down on his lip to stop the grin from spreading at the sight of his new friend’s bugged out eyes and furrowed brow.
“You’ll be fine; I promise.”
“O-okay,” Niall tried to smile reassuringly.
“Here,” Liam reached forward, taking Niall’s hand in his, “You want the grip to sit diagonally in your hand with the pommel resting in your hand,” he said, moving the sword in Niall’s grip.
Niall stared down at where his and Liam’s hands were currently joined for a few seconds before realizing that the brunette was staring at him expectantly. Slowly, Niall’s fingers curled around the grip, and he beamed up at the knight. Liam found the sight adorable: the servant’s blue eyes bright and wide with wonder. Liam raised his eyebrows encouragingly, so Niall took a deep breath and gave the sword a testing swing. The blade sliced through the air, and Liam jumped back out of the way just in time. Niall’s eyes suddenly seemed to grow even wider, this time with panic; the sword fumbling to the ground.
“I am so so sorry,” Niall spluttered.
“It’s okay, Niall,” Liam reassured firmly, placing two comforting hands on Niall’s shoulders, “It’s a blunt blade anyways. You really think that I’d give you a sharpened sword your first time?” Liam added teasingly at Niall’s confused expression.
Niall’s face contorted again, and Liam feared that he might have offended the Irish boy, but Niall suddenly burst out in barking laughter. Liam watched fondly as Niall’s cheeks bunched up and crinkles appeared by his eyes, and soon, he found himself laughing along. Once the two boys caught their breath again, Liam bent down to pick up Niall’s dropped sword.
“Here,” Liam said, placing the sword back in Niall’s hand and walking behind Niall, “Keep your feet planted, okay? Now, don’t have too tight a grip on the sword because the blade needs to be able to move with you.”
Niall was glad that the brunette couldn’t see his face. Having Liam’s body behind him and Liam’s hand guiding his was causing a very deep flush to grace Niall’s cheeks. He was suddenly feeling very hot under the collar, and he was sure that his ears were burning. Niall gulped, hoping to steady his mind and erratic heart, as he tried to follow Liam’s instructions. Keeping a loose grip on the sword was quite easy with sweaty palms.
“Hey, looking good. I guess Liam’s a good teacher,” Harry called out from across the courtyard.
Niall instantly relinquished the sword in his grip and released a quite girly yelp at the intrusion; his face seeming to burn even brighter.
“Honestly, Niall,” Liam chastised, picking the fallen sword off the ground yet again.
“Sorry,” Niall mumbled, staring at his feet intently.
“So, how’s the training going?” Harry asked; a lilt lacing his tone, as he joined the two.
“Pretty good. I was just showing Niall how to –” Liam replied.
“That’s great! Then we won’t intrude any longer,” Louis, who suddenly appeared at Harry’s side, interjected, “Come along Harold.”
“My name’s not short for Harold…”
“Don’t care, Harold!”
“But—”
“Come on,” Louis urged, physically dragging Harry away from the pair.
Harry still looked utterly confused, as he stumbled backwards with the Prince. He blinked blankly at Louis with furrowed brows, but Louis merely ignored him, sharing a wink with Niall who smiled back sheepishly in thanks.
“… Alright then?” Liam affirmed unsurely, “Should we continue with your lesson then?”
“Or maybe we could have a lunch break?” Niall suggested excitedly.
“Okay,” Liam chuckled lightly, happy to see a grin reappear on the blonde’s face.
~~~~~
“Look what I was able to sneak us from the kitchen,” Niall exclaimed; a mischievous glint in his eyes and a wide grin plastered to his face.
Liam sat on the grass in the courtyard patiently. He looked up at the sound, and grinned at the sight of Niall balancing two fully loaded plates on his arms. The blonde’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, as he made his way carefully towards Liam. Suddenly, Niall’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. Liam watched, as Niall started to topple forward, and instantly shot up to catch the falling plates.
“Thanks,” Niall chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
“This sure is a lot of food,” Liam commented, placing the plates down before taking a seat again.
“I’m kind of a… big fan of food,” Niall replied sheepishly.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Liam smiled.
Niall beamed back and took the seat beside the brunette, instantly grabbing a piece of bread from in front of him. Liam smiled as Niall took a large bite, and he couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible for someone to look so cute eating. But he just looked so adorable with his cheeks puffed out and his eyes alight. As Liam’s thoughts caught up with his rational mind, he coughed awkwardly and reached for his own plate.
“It must be nice living in the castle with food like this,” Liam stated; his cheeks tinging pink.
“I suppose so,” Niall responded around a mouthful of food.
“Did you always live with the royal family?”
“Yeah, my dad’s the royal chef, so I grew up in the castle. It wasn’t until I was older that I became a personal servant for the Prince.”
“That’s cool.”
“Not as cool as being a knight!” Niall exclaimed.
“Being a knight’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Liam stated solemnly.
“What do you mean?” Niall asked curiously; worry lacing his tone.
“Well, you start training to become a knight when you’re eleven, and training is done here at the castle… I grew up in a small village in the country, so I haven’t seen my family in years.”
Niall could feel every crack that sliced across his heart, breaking it piece by piece. Liam looked so sad, so vulnerable, with his big, brown eyes shining with tears and bottom lip caught between his teeth. He looked like a wounded puppy that you just wanted to cuddle, so Niall did just that. Niall lunged forward, wrapping his arms securely around the brunette’s waist and burying his face in the crook of Liam’s neck. Liam froze at first before relaxing into the embrace, wrapping his own arms around Niall’s shoulders and sighing contently. Liam wasn’t sure what it was but there was something about the warmth and genuine care of Niall’s embrace that caused all of the pain Liam felt to melt away. He could almost forget about how much he missed his family because he had Niall here with him now. Liam found himself closing his eyes in bliss and tightening his arms slightly.
“I’m sorry, Liam,” Niall whispered into the knight’s hair.
“It’s okay,” Liam replied, and he really did mean it.
~~~~~
A steady rhythm of clangs echoed in the air, reflecting the quick heart beats of the two boys sword fighting. Niall’s blonde hair flopped about; some strands sticking to his now sweat slick forehead, as he kept up with all of Liam’s fluid and elegant movements. He was able to get in a strike a few times, but Niall found that most of the time he was on the defence against the knight. He felt pride swell through his chest as he noticed the furrowed brow of determination on Liam’s face. At least the knight wasn’t going too easy on him. Deciding to try some offence, Niall lunged forward. Liam easily side stepped the assault and took advantage of Niall’s now exposed body, knocking the blonde off his feet with the blunt end of his sword. Niall flew through the air with a yelp and let out a pained wail when his back slammed into the hard ground. As soon as the sound left Niall’s lips, Liam regretted his actions; his eyes widening and his sword dropping to his side.
“Oh gosh, Niall. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
Liam’s apology was instantly cut off, as Niall tripped the brunette. Before Liam could even process that fact that he was now flat on his back on the ground, Niall had his sword pinned to Liam’s chest.
“Rule number… well I can’t remember what number you told me, but never let your guard down,” Niall stated proudly.
Liam chuckled, accepting the hand offered to him. Once on his feet, Liam brushed off his trousers before looking back at Niall who was beaming; cheeks appled and eyes glistening. Liam couldn’t help but grin just as widely back.
“Well, clearly I have nothing left to teach you,” Liam congratulated.
“So are we calling a day?” Niall asked.
“I suppose so…”
“Great! Let’s go get some supper!”
“You’re hungry again?”
“I’m always hungry, Liam,” Niall stated, a teasing lilt dancing in his tone.
Liam couldn’t help but laugh, fully and heartily. Niall smiled as well, and Liam threw an arm around the Irish lad’s shoulders, as they made their way back towards the castle.
“Liam?” Niall asked nervously; his voice suddenly small and shaky, “Do you ever wish that you hadn’t become a knight?”
Liam thought back to their previous conversation, about how much he missed his family. But then he thought about the boy tucked into his side with bright blues eyes and a contagious smile and a laugh that was the greatest sound Liam thought he had ever heard, and he realized that: no, he didn’t wish he had never become a knight because then, he would have never met Niall.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Louis woke up the next morning, there wasn’t a certain curly haired knight in his bed chambers. Instead, he woke up leisurely and comfortably; his eyelids fluttering open and his senses slowly coming to. Louis let out a deep sigh, as his eyes flittered around the empty room. He should have felt happy that he was having a relaxing morning instead of someone waking him up, quite rudely he might add. But even as he thought this, a pang of disappointment stung his chest before mischievously settling there. He missed opening his eyes and being greeted by gorgeous green eyes and lips curled into a perfect smirk and curls that—
“Oh good, you’re already up,” Niall smiled, appearing in the doorway.
“Dream of anyone special?” Zayn asked with a smirk, sticking his head up over Niall’s shoulder.
Louis’ heart stuttered and quickened at the remark, and a blush crept its way across his skin. He suddenly found himself squirming uncomfortably under the duvet at the scrutiny. As the heat flared up to the tips of his ears, Louis’ thoughts caught up with him. What was he thinking? And why was he suddenly feeling embarrassed? There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Right?
“Where is my breakfast?” Louis snapped at his two servants.
Niall’s face fell at the order; his eyebrows turning up almost childishly, as he shrunk away with a mumbled, “sorry.” Zayn stood his ground, though; quirking an eyebrow at Louis, and his smirk growing into a shit-eating grin.
“Breakfast. Servant,” Louis emphasized.
“Oh course, your Highness,” Zayn mocked, bowing out of the room.
Louis huffed in response, narrowing his eyes at Zayn. Once the door was closed and his chamber was once again empty, Louis rolled his eyes and threw the duvet off his body. As Louis rolled out of bed and began changing he wondered why he put up with this. Even more so, he wondered why his mind kept wondering back to those chocolate curls and why his stomach did somersaults every time they did come to mind. Attempting to push all thoughts to the back of his mind, Louis roughly pulled on new shirt and made his way towards the table. As he sat there in silence, though, Louis found himself delving deeper and deeper into his thoughts once more. He barely noticed when Niall timidly opened the door and re-entered the room.
“The King has requested that you have breakfast with him and the Princess,” Niall stated.
“Thank you, Niall,” Louis sighed, standing up and making his way towards the door, “And I’m sorry for earlier.”
“It’s alright.”
Louis was happy to see the grin return to the blonde’s face. He offered his own before making his way down the corridor and towards the great hall. He pushed open the large, wooden doors to find the King and Princess already seated at the long table. He offered Eleanor a smile and the King a nod before taking the empty seat.
“I’m so glad that you could join us, Prince Louis,” the King exclaimed.
“Of course, your Majesty,” Louis smiled.
“I’m sure you didn’t want to miss spending time with Eleanor,” the King chuckled heartily.
“Father,” Eleanor chastised quietly.
She avoided eye contact with Louis, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and staring intently at her plate, but Louis merely smiled, finding her embarrassment endearing.
“I only tease, my love,” the King replied, patting his daughters hand gently.
Eleanor tried to smile at her father, but it came off weak, as a blush coloured the apples of her cheeks. This seemed to only cause the King to chuckle more; the deep, booming sound quickly filling the large room. As the air quieted down, the dishes were brought out.
“So Prince Louis,” the King began around a mouthful of food, “I hear you’ve been spending a fair amount of time with our knights.”
Louis nearly choked on his drink at the King’s remark. “Oh… well… I personally think it’s important for a Prince to know his knights,” he spluttered out, “I mean… they offer good counsel, and they fight for the crown after all.”
“Too right you are,” the King beamed, patting Louis on the back.
Louis smiled genuinely at the older man; though, unbeknownst to the King, it was relief for escaping the uncomfortable topic. There was that embarrassment again, and that frustration for even feeling embarrassed in the first place.
“You’ll make a great King one day,” the King continued, “I couldn’t have chosen someone better for my beautiful daughter. With the two of you atop the throne, I have complete faith.”
Louis paled slightly at the statement. He had almost forgotten that the reason he was in Barba was to marry the Princess. He never was particularly good at focusing, seeming to have some sort of ADHD. An awkward silence seemed to engulf the hall, as Eleanor offered Louis a shy smile from across the table, and Louis fiddled with his fingers in his lap. The King’s eyes glanced between the two before a knowing smile graced his lips.
“Right! Well, I have duties to attend to, but you two enjoy the rest of your meal,” the King exclaimed, clapping his hands and rising from his seat.
Louis and Eleanor watched the King leave before glancing back at one another. They stared for a few moments; tension still clinging to the air before—
“I’m sorry about him,” Eleanor said quietly.
“It’s alright,” Louis chuckled, “You haven’t met my mother.”
The comment made Eleanor laugh. It sounded sweet and like a song, and Louis found it adorable how her face lit up. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wish for a deeper laugh to be echoing in his ears.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Eleanor asked.
“Get out of...?”
“The castle,” Eleanor giggled, “We could go to the market or spend the afternoon in the courtyard?”
“I’d like that,” Louis smiled.
~~~~~
“So then, she decided to let all of the horses in the stable free,” Louis finished rather dramatically.
Eleanor was in a fit of laughter by the end of Louis’ story. Louis smiled at the sight: her nose scrunched up endearingly and tears flooding the corners of her eyes. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit himself at the thought of the memory he had just shared.
“That’s… I’m not even sure how to describe it,” Eleanor breathed through giggles, reaching out to place a hand over Louis’.
Louis stared at their joined hands for a second; his brow furrowing slightly, before he pulled his away, cradling it to his chest, “Yeah, nothing to really describe your sister going through a ‘I love animals; let’s save them all’ phase.”
“Sometimes I wish I had siblings,” Eleanor sighed.
“Yeah…” Louis replied a bit bitterly.
What was wrong with him? Here was an extremely sweet, extremely nice, extremely attractive girl sitting right in front of him. And if that didn’t get his head in the right, then the fact that he was to marry her to ensure that their nations didn’t go to war should have. Louis quickly shook his head clear of all negativity. He was simply having an off day. He’d known this since this morning when he snapped at Niall and Zayn. He’d merely woken up on the wrong side of the bed. It happened to the best of people. He was lucky to be betrothed to someone like Eleanor, and he knew that he would be happy in his life. So, Louis smiled, genuinely smiled.
“Well, just think,” Louis said, leaning in a bit closer to Eleanor, “Soon you will technically gain four new siblings.”
“I can’t wait,” Eleanor replied through her eyelashes, leaning in as well and never taking her eyes from Louis’.
“I—”
Whatever train Louis’ thoughts had been on promptly fell off its tracks as a booming laughter resounded in the courtyard. The two royals looked up just in time to see Liam and Niall making their way towards the lower town and market. The two blokes seemed to be completely in their own little world. Liam had his arm slung over the blonde’s shoulder and watched fondly as Niall fell into a fit of laughter.
Louis couldn’t help but stare at the two, at how their eyes lit up, how smiles seemed plastered to their faces, how even though they kept bumping into each other, they walked closer together. It made something constrict in Louis’ chest, like a snake suddenly decided to take up home around his heart.
“Louis?” Eleanor asked.
“Ummm… Sorry?” Louis returned his attention.
“Do you want to go down to the market?” Eleanor suggested with a bright smile.
“Oh, well…” Louis fumbled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I actually promised my mother that I’d write to her, and well… I haven’t yet, and… I’d hate for her to worry.”
“Oh, of course,” Eleanor answered understandingly, “Perhaps we can spend more time together later?”
“Yeah, sure,” Louis conceded, already standing up.
Louis offered Eleanor one last smile, as she waved him goodbye, and he made his way back towards the castle. He felt bad leaving her when she was so sweet to him and so understanding, but he needed some time to himself to think. It was that bad day again.
Louis made his way through the corridors of the castle, being sure to keep his head down, until he came to his favourite room: the library he had stumbled upon his fourth day in Barba. As soon as the door was closed behind him, Louis let out a sigh of relief, relishing in the quiet and alone time. He grabbed a book off the shelf and settled comfortably in the corner of one of the sofas. Placing the book on his knees, he opened to the title page: Beowulf. Louis took a deep breath, as he turned the page to the prelude. He had always found reading to be a great way to clear his mind. There was something relaxing about becoming wrapped up in the world of heroes. And this time wasn’t any different; it wasn’t long until Louis was completely engulfed in the epic adventures of Beowulf, as he defeated the monster Grendel. He didn’t even notice as the door was opened and another presence joined him in the room. It was only when someone sat practically on him that Louis looked up from the poem. He was surprised to be greeted by a cheeky grin and emerald eyes.
“Hiding away are we?” Harry teased.
Louis merely rolled his eyes, “Out of all the armchairs in the room, you had to sit basically in my lap?”
“This is the best seat in the room,” Harry said with a wink.
Louis scoffed and returned to the poem, hoping his face was hidden enough that the blush creeping across his cheeks wasn’t noticeable to Harry. Louis bit his lower lip, trying to focus on the swirling black text in front of him, as a silence lapsed between the two.
“So are planning to spend the whole rest of the day in this stuffy room?” Harry asked a few minutes later.
“I will have you know that I rather enjoy reading,” Louis retorted; though, Harry only stared back sceptically. “And what would you suggest wise, old Harold?”
“Well,” Harry grinned at the nickname, “It’s my turn to run patrol; want to come with me?”
“Ummm…” Louis worried his bottom lip.
“You know that there’s nothing more you want to do than spend time with me,” Harry smirked, throwing an arm around Louis.
“Is that so?” Louis quirked an eyebrow, “Are you sure that’s not what you want? If your persistence is anything to go by.”
“So is that a yes?”
“I suppose I can be generous enough to give you some of my valuable time.”
“Good.”
~~~~~
“So what exactly do you do on patrol?” Louis asked, as the two boys rode through the wood.
“This,” Harry replied, reaching forward to brush his horse’s neck.
“Just ride around outside the city walls? Seems a bit lazy,” Louis quipped.
“I prefer the term: relaxing,” Harry retorted.
“Whatever you say, curly,” Louis rolled his eyes.
Harry chuckled, “The point of patrolling is to make sure there aren’t any bandits or soldiers from enemy nations that have crossed our borders.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“Are you mocking me your Highness?”
“Of course not!”
Before Harry could get out his witty reply, two large men jumped out from behind the brush, startling the horses. Both were quite dirty with scruffy beards and dirt smeared on their faces and were brandishing swords. Louis didn’t know what to do. He stared wide eyed, as his body and mind froze. Harry, though, quickly sprang into action, muttering a “bandits” under his breath before jumping of his horse and wielding his sword.
Harry went straight for the first bandit; their swords clashing harshly. He followed the bandit’s movements perfectly, defending all of his attacks, and when the bandit lunged at him, Harry easily side stepped. Louis watched in amazement at the swift movements of the two bodies. Harry appeared to have the upper hand, but suddenly the second bandit joined the fight, sneaking up behind Harry with his sword ready to strike.
“Harry! Look out!” Louis called.
Harry turned around just in time to catch the other bandit’s strike, but the exclamation brought attention back to Louis. One of the bandits sneered in Louis’ direction before leaving Harry to stalk towards the Prince. Louis quickly dismounted his horse, fumbling to get his sword out of the sheath. Louis was able to succeed just in time to block the sword of the bandit; though, he stumbled backwards a few steps at the force. Louis unsteadily parried and avoided the bandit’s attacks, as he tried desperately to remember what his father had taught him. But as he tried to dig through his memories, Louis lost his footing, falling backwards over an uprooted branch. He fell painfully on his back and looked up to see the bandit smirking down at him, readjusting the sword in his grasp. Louis could feel his lungs constricting in fear; the breath vanishing from his grasps, as the man bore down on him. The man raised his sword, and Louis shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the anticipated blow, but it never came. When Louis opened his eyes again, the bandit was slumped on the ground beside him. Above him stood Harry; chest heaving and eyes wild with fear.
“Are you alright?!” Harry gasped out, returning his sword to its sheath and offering Louis a hand.
“I… I think so,” Louis replied a bit unsteadily, taking Harry’s offered hand and standing up, “I just—”
Before Louis could finish his sentence, he was wrapped in a tight embrace. Harry had his arms securely around Louis’ shoulders and his head buried in the Prince’s hair. At first, Louis was shocked by the sudden contact, but he soon melted into the embrace. He slowly moved his hands to encircle Harry’s waist and nuzzled slightly into the knight’s chest. Louis could feel the heat radiating off the boy, and he could hear his heart beating erratically in his chest. Despite being attacked and nearly dying, Louis felt strangely comfortable engulfed in the warmth of the other boy.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I’m so sorry,” Harry mumbled continuously into Louis’ hair.
“It’s alright, Harry,” Louis assured, pulling away slightly so he could look directly into the knight’s eyes, “We’re alright.”
It pained Louis seeing Harry this way: his brow furrowed, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and his eyes cloudy with fear and worry. He looked so vulnerable, so scared, and it was with a heart wrenching jolt that Louis realized that it was over himself. Louis went to give the boy a reassuring squeeze when Harry’s eyes seemed to mask over; the soft emerald becoming a hard jade.
“Right; of course,” Harry cleared his throat, dropping his arms from around Louis, “I should get you back to the castle.”
Louis watched as Harry returned to his horse and found that he greatly missed being in the knight’s arms. He almost felt empty.
Maybe everything that had been going on wasn’t just a bad day thing after all…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Ha!”
“Check.”
“What?! But—how—” Louis spluttered indignantly.
“You’re not very good at chess, are you?”
“Excuse you!” Louis exclaimed in mock offense, “I will have you know that I’m merely giving you a false sense of security. This is all part of my plan,” Louis added on, moving his bishop with a smug smile.
“Check mate.”
“What?!”
Harry merely chuckled at the Prince’s expression: all wide, bugged out eyes and mouth agape. Louis’ hair was a tousled mess as he kept running his fingers through it in concentration and frustration. Despite the fact that Louis’ normally bright, blue eyes were shooting daggers much like a pouting child, Harry found the sight endearing and overall adorable.
“Fine! We’ll play again,” Louis practically growled through clenched teeth.
“Are you sure you want to lose for a third time?” Harry asked gently; though his tone had a teasing lilt.
“How very dare you Harold!”
“I’m just saying that—”
“I just haven’t played for a while, alright? Those first two rounds were warm-up.”
Harry leaned over the table; his eyes staring seriously and piercingly into the Louis’, “Are you use to people letting you win?” He whispered.
Louis scoffed; his mouth spluttering but unable to grasp onto actual words. Harry’s smirk only grew at the reaction, causing Louis to stand abruptly; a deep scowl painting his gentle features.
“Fine!” Louis exclaimed, snatching up the chess board, “We’ll just—”
“You’re cute when you’re angry,” Harry muttered quietly.
“What?”
Harry’s eyes widened to the size of saucers at the question. He hadn’t meant Louis to actually hear that. He could feel his ears burning in embarrassment, and he had never been happier for his hair covering them. It took him a few moments of staring blankly at Louis before he realized that he should probably say something, or better yet, that he should probably breathe. Louis merely raised an eyebrow at the flustered knight; his arms crossed over his chest expectantly.
Harry cleared his throat awkwardly and swallowed hard, “Nothing. It’s—nothing.”
Louis continued to stare at Harry suspiciously for a moment longer; his eyes narrowing slightly, before brushing the whole thing off and turning back around. With his back to the knight, Louis didn’t notice the wave of relief that swept over Harry’s features. Assuming that Louis hadn’t actually heard what he’d said, Harry allowed the air to return to his lungs, as he relaxed once more against the seat. He watched the Prince’s back, not even aware of the smile that slowly spread across Louis’ face. Louis had heard what Harry had said, and it made something in his chest flutter or maybe stutter or maybe both. He wasn’t sure. All he did know was that he couldn’t seem to keep this stupid grin off his face. It was quite annoying actually because what the fuck was wrong with him? Louis took a deep breath, trying to calm whatever emotion seemed to be ambushing his body and willing the pink that he was sure was tinging his cheeks to go away. This was absurd; he knew that. Clearly, he was so tired that he was becoming delirious. An awkward cough from behind him brought Louis back to the present.
“So… ummm… What were you saying earlier?” Harry asked, “We’ll just…”
“Oh!” Louis spun around to face the knight, “We’ll just have to play a different game.”
“A bit competitive, are we?” Harry asked, tilting his head in a knowing way.
“A bit afraid of losing, are we?” Louis mocked.
Harry didn’t say anything in response, merely raising his eyebrows in challenge. Both boys were relieved that the tension that had previously been suffocating the room seemed to have evaporated. It was nice to return to the banter from earlier.
“Alquerque?” Louis challenged, turning to retrieve the board.
“You’re on,” Harry responded; a smirk toying at his lips.
Louis smirked in return, placing the board on the table. He handed Harry twelve black pieces, setting up his own twelve white pieces in their respective points. When the game appeared ready to play, Louis looked up at Harry expectantly, waiting for him to make the first move. Harry seemed to just be staring into his soul, though; his green eyes unmoving. It was starting make Louis uncomfortable, and he found himself squirming slightly under the scrutiny.
“Well?” Louis prompted.
“What do you say we make this interesting?” Harry asked; his eyes still remaining glued to Louis.
“Interesting..?” Louis repeated slowly.
“Yeah. You know, the winner would get something,” Harry explained.
“Right! What would the winner get?”
“Whatever they want.”
Louis pondered this for a moment. He quite liked the idea of getting a prize as well as gloating rights when he beat Harry. Maybe he could even get the knight to do something extremely embarrassing. That could be quite amusing. Oh yes, this was a good idea.
“Alright,” Louis said, sticking out his hand, “Deal.”
Harry’s smirk only seemed to grow; his dimple alighting his face. He extended his own hand, shaking Louis’.
And so the game commenced. Harry moved his first piece; Louis quickly jumping the piece and capturing it. The game continued until only a few pieces remained for both lads. Louis chewed on his thumbnail nervously; his eyes flickering over his different options. Harry’s eyebrows were furrowed deeply in concentration; his hands clasped tightly in front of him, as he stared down at the board. Neither boy would admit it, but they both really wanted to win; secret plans brewing in the back of their minds. Louis seemed to have come to a decision; his dainty fingers reaching forward. Once he moved his piece, he sat back; though, he chewed anxiously on the inside of his cheek. Harry’s eyes scanned the board, and they suddenly lit up. He glanced up at Louis; an unsettling smirk plastered across his face. Louis returned to his thumbnail, as he watched Harry reach forward. Harry jumped the remaining pieces of Louis’, removing them from the board, and Louis’ eyes widened in shock.
“Looks like I win,” Harry said, sitting back in his seat smugly.
Louis remained silent; his jaw seemingly unhinged, as he gaped. He had been so sure that he would win, so sure. Harry chuckled at the sight. He could see Louis’ mind reeling behind his crystal blue eyes.
“I—but—and—the—” Louis spluttered.
“And now I get my prize,” Harry said coolly.
“You…damn it,” Louis cursed under his breath. He looked up at Harry and sighed, “What do you want?”
“A kiss,” Harry replied simply.
“A—”
But before Louis could finish his sentence, Harry was leaning across the table and pressing his lips against Louis’. Louis froze at the contact; his eyes widening even more. Soon, though, his eyes fluttered closed, and he parted his lips slightly, allowing Harry’s to slot perfectly with his. Harry’s lips felt slightly chapped against his, but he found that he didn’t mind. It almost felt… right.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Harry pulled away. Louis almost whined at the loss of contact. He blinked a few times, staring blankly ahead; his mind reeling. What had just happened? What did this mean? His heart was beating erratically in his chest; he was actually afraid it might rupture, while his stomach seemed to be perfecting the perfect gymnastics floor routine. He was sure that his cheeks were painted bright red. Could his body calm down for two seconds, so he could think? He thought back to the patrol, how Harry had hugged him and his reaction, and now this? He seriously needed to rein in his thoughts. They were bouncing around his head like unruly kids on a sugar high, and he was the tired babysitter. He needed to organize, and at least form a complete thought.
Harry watched the Prince in silence. He saw how Louis’ face seemed to contort almost in pain. The apples of Louis’ cheeks glowed brightly, but Harry could tell that it was clearly out of embarrassment if the furrowed brow and wide eyes were anything to go by. Louis wasn’t saying anything, and that only made it worse for Harry. He wished that Louis would just slap him instead of putting him through the torture of this sight. Harry tried to watch the various emotions sweep across the blue eyes he found so beautiful before he had to look away. Instead, his eyes focused on his hands, which were clenched tightly together in his lap. He felt like his throat was actually constricting while his heart apparently decided to take the next step with his stomach and move in with it. When Harry felt the tears beginning to prickle the back of his eyes, he knew he’d had enough.
“I should go,” Harry muttered, standing up.
Louis didn’t even register the comment, only looking up when the scraping of Harry’s chair echoed in the silent room. Before Louis’ mind could even catch up with what was occurring, Harry was half way to the door.
“Harry, wait!” Louis called.
But it was too late. Harry was gone, and the slamming of the door seemed to echo louder in Louis’ mind than anything else. Louis continued to stare at the closed door, waiting for Harry to just waltz back in, but the minutes just continued to pass. Eventually, Louis moved to his bed. As he lay under the soft sheets, he tried to gather his thoughts, to grasp at at least one before it raced away.
Louis wasn’t sure how much time had passed before there was a soft knock at the door. He looked up excitedly, but he wasn’t greeted by chocolate curls and green eyes. Instead, in the doorway was a soft smile and deep, brown eyes.
“Hey, mate,” Zayn greeted, closing the door behind him.
Louis merely grunted in response, pulling the sheets tighter around his shoulders.
“I just came to see if his Highness needs anything,” Zayn explained.
“Did you now?” Louis raised an eyebrow; though, it was only half-heartedly.
“Well, actually I was just lonely because Niall ditched me for that knight.”
Louis chuckled lightly, as Zayn pouted at him.
“Besides,” Zayn said, “You look like shit.”
“Thanks,” Louis quipped sarcastically.
“I’m just saying: you look like you could use a friend.”
Louis stared up at his servant and friend with sad eyes. Zayn’s face wore a knowing expression, but the smile was warm and the eyes were gentle, so Louis nodded slowly. He lifted up the sheets, allowing Zany to clamber in beside him.
“So what seems to be the problem?” Zayn asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Louis mumbled, picking at the loose threads of his duvet idly.
The two sat in silence for a moment before Louis let out a heavy sigh, “I don’t really want to talk about myself right now. Can we talk about you?”
“About how I got ditched?” Zayn chuckled.
“Jealous, are we?”
“Nah, I’m happy for them. While hearing Niall talk about him insistently is a bit annoying…”
“I’m glad one of us is happy.”
“What are you talking about? I’m happy!”
“Whatever you say Zaynypoo,” Louis remarked sceptically.
“I am boobear,” Zayn retorted.
Louis scowled at the nickname. He stuck his tongue out at Zayn before pulling the sheets completely over his head and burrowing deeper into the comfort of his bed. Zayn laughed lowly at the childish reaction before patting Louis’ blanketed head.
“You know you could be happy too. Anyone could be happy. There’s nothing stopping happiness. It’s a choice.”
“Well, aren’t we deep?”
“Shut up! I’m just saying: only you can keep yourself from being happy.”
“I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better not worse,” Louis poked his head out of the blankets to glare at Zayn.
“I’m trying to be helpful, you twat!”
“Well, you’re doing a horrible job of it,” Louis scoffed.
“Louis,” Zayn began gently, “I’ve know you for a while. Despite the fact that you love a good dare or a good adventure, you’re scared. I mean, I don’t know what you’re scared of right now, and I won’t pry, but I know that look. And, mate, you’ve got to stop. For once, just take a leap, jump off that metaphorical cliff. I promise that if you go splat, I’ll pick up the pieces and put you back together.”
A silence lapsed between the two for a moment before Louis pounced on his friend, throwing his arms tightly around Zayn’s neck.
“Have I told you that you’re the most amazing best friend ever?” Louis mumbled into Zayn’s shoulder.
“So I’ve been told. I’m still waiting for my reward!” Zayn replied, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist.
“I’ll be sure to have a statue erected in your honour,” Louis remarked seriously.
“You better.”
Both boys tried to keep up the façade before falling into a fit of laughter. They continued to talk idly before sleep’s long, delicate fingers dragged the two into the land of dreams. Before falling asleep, Louis thought about Zayn’s words. They echoed in his mind, and as he closed his eyes, a smile toyed on his lips; plans for tomorrow already formulating in the back of his mind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Louis woke up the next morning, it was to a Niall squashed between him and Zayn. The blonde was drooling quite ungracefully onto the pillow, and his limbs were sprawled haphazardly over the entire bed despite there being two other bodies there. Louis let out a frustrated grunt and threw off the arm over his face roughly, but there was still a fond smiling pulling at his lips. He was in a strangely good mood despite the events of last night. But Louis was going to fix that, or at least he planned to try. Louis pushed the duvet off his body and clambered out of bed but not before kicking Niall in the ankle, causing the blonde to jolt awake and whack Zayn in the face in the process. Louis bit his lip and watched in amusement, as Niall continued to flail in his half-awake state, but after Zayn fell off the bed, tumbling to the floor with a thud, Louis burst into laughter.
“Niall, you twat!” Zayn bellowed in frustration, rubbing his now sore bum.
“Who?! What?! Why?!” Niall spluttered, blinking rapidly and sitting up in a daze.
The sight was too much. Louis was doubled over in laughter; tears springing to his eyes. The sound seemed to tear Niall and Zayn away from their grumbling—Niall from being awoken and Zayn from falling—as they stared at Louis blankly for a few moments. Once they caught onto the fact that Louis was the ultimate culprit, both boys flung pillows at the Prince.
“Oi!” Louis squealed before picking up one of the pillows off the ground to retaliate.
Soon, an all-out pillow war had broken out amongst the three. Feather broke free of their confines, the duvet and sheets alike found home on the ground, and various objects around the room went flying. The boys all froze when a vase went tumbling to the ground, shattering instantly. Instead of fretting, they all just burst into laughter before collapsing contently unto the bed; chuckles spilling past their lips occasionally.
“We made such a mess,” Niall giggled.
“You two are the servants,” Louis replied coolly, “You will take the blame and clean it up.”
“Good mood gone,” Niall muttered to Zayn.
“Oh, no, he’s still in a good mood,” Zayn corrected, “Because today he’s getting back his boyfriend.”
“Zayn!” Louis exclaimed.
At the same time Niall questioned, “Boyfriend?”
“That’s right young Niall,” Zayn explained, ignoring Louis’ outburst, “Our Prince has gone and found himself a boyfriend in the form of a certain head knight.”
“Zayn!” Louis cried again; though, this time it came out as a weak squeak of embarrassment.
“Harry?” Niall asked excitedly.
The question was directed at Louis, but he could only whimper in response, as he threw his arms over his face to hide from his friends’ scrutiny. He could already feel the tell-tale sign of a blush creeping up his neck and heating his face.
“Just imagine, Lou,” Niall continued eagerly, “You and Harry and me and Liam!”
“And how is your knight in shining armour?” Louis latched onto the change of focus away from himself.
“He’s good,” Niall replied in a small voice; an adorable blush tinging the apples of his cheeks.
“Awww,” Zayn proclaimed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart, “Look at both my boys growing up and finding love! I feel like a proud father,” he added, wiping away a fake tear.
Niall and Louis both shared a glance before grabbing a pillow each and chucking it at Zayn’s head. Zayn let out a very unmanly squawk in indignation, causing a new wave of laughter to echo in the room. The sound was light and airy and seemed to fill the room with bright, yellow swirls that bounced off the stone walls. That coupled with the sight of his two best mates messing about happily made Louis’ heart swell a bit with joy. He almost felt like he was floating.
As Niall and Zayn continued to banter, Louis allowed himself to pull away into his own little world. He glanced out the window and noticed the clear, blue sky outside. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, and the bright rays of the sun blended perfectly with the cheerful atmosphere of the room. Louis couldn’t help but smile. It was like the Mother Nature was reflecting his emotions perfectly; like he and the universe were on the same page. It was all the encouragement he needed for the coming day.
~~~~~
He couldn’t hear anything except the pulsating rush of blood in his ears. His vision blurred periodically as sweat dripped down from the curls plastered to his forehead, but he refused to let up. He merely tightened his grip on his lance and continued the beating to the quintain in front of him. The amount of force behind each strike was causing the sack to tear apart, revealing the wooden stake holding the dummy up, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care how his muscles burned, pleading and screaming for him to stop. He didn’t care that blisters were ripping his skin and staining his palms red He didn’t care about how there wasn’t just sweat streaking his cheeks. A firm hand landed on his shoulder, and he jolted back to reality. He jerked around to be greeted with a very concerned looking Liam.
“Harry,” Liam sighed sympathetically.
“I’m fine,” Harry replied through gritted teeth. He spun back around determined to continue with the training exercise.
“Harry,” Liam repeated more sternly.
Something seemed to snap within Harry at the mere presence of Liam. Maybe it was because he associated Liam with Niall and Niall with Louis. Either way, Harry could feel the cracks he had desperately painted over this morning deepening. He continued his forceful destruction of the quintain, using strikes to emphasize his words and emotions.
“Stupid eyes,” whack “stupid smile,” whack “stupid…” whack “stupid…” whack. whack. whack.
A reassuring hand covered Harry’s own, lowering the lance. Harry wasn’t even aware that his hands were shaking until the lance slipped from his grasp.
“What’s wrong with me?” Harry implored, looking at his friend with pleading eyes.
“Your heart of ice has melted,” Liam replied seriously; though, the corners of his mouth twitched with a smile.
“Hey! I don—” Harry protested.
“Come on,” Liam interrupted, already beginning to walk away, “Let’s dress those wounds on your hands.”
Harry let out a heavy sigh and looked down at his hands. He watched as the deep crimson pooled on his pale skin and wondered if maybe this was some sort of metaphor for his life. With one last shake of his head, Harry followed after Liam.
~~~~~Louis made his way down the corridors determinedly. He was trying desperately to cling to the good mood from earlier in the morning, but the truth was that he was becoming frustrated for multiple reasons. Firstly, once Zayn and Niall had left him, this obnoxious little voice inside his head decided to rain on his parade. Louis had been quite confident about his upcoming confrontation with Harry, but this little voice didn’t seem to agree. It tried to tell Louis that Harry didn’t really want him like the rest of his mind seemed to think. The real reason Harry had run out was because he’s realized that Louis was nothing. I’m a Prince; I’m not nothing. The kiss was a test, and Louis had failed. There was nothing there for Harry, so there was no reason for him to spend more time with Louis. But that little voice was wrong… it was crazy… wasn’t it?
As if that wasn’t enough, Louis currently couldn’t find Harry. Louis had ventured to the places he thought he’d find the knight—the great hall, the courtyard, the weaponry—but he had yet to spot a head of dark curls. Now, he was walking aimlessly through the maze that was the castle. Honestly, why were there so many corridors? He had a bigger family, and he was sure that his home didn’t have this many corridors. Louis let out an angry huff and ran a hand through his hair when he saw something flashed in the corner of his vision. Louis turned just in time to see a flash of curls and green eyes walking down another corridor a few metres away.
“Harry!” Louis exclaimed, running after the knight.
It didn’t take long for Louis to catch up, as Harry seemed to have froze in place at Louis’ outburst. He had his back to Louis, but the Prince could clearly see the stiff posture and the tension in the knight’s shoulders.
“Harry,” Louis breathed in relief.
The relief was short lived, though, as Harry spun around roughly to face Louis. Louis almost wished he hadn’t because of the look in Harry’s eyes. No longer the vibrant green that Louis was used to seeing and had come to love, his irises were dulled and void of any emotions. The harsh lines of Harry’s face were suddenly very prominent, and Louis wanted to do something, anything, to make that smile and those dimples appear again.
“What?” Harry asked lowly.
“I just wanted to—Oh my gosh! What happened to your hand? Are you alright?” Louis suddenly became very concerned, noticing the red stained bandages wrapped around Harry’s palm. Instinctively, he reached out, but Harry pulled his hand back, cradling it protectively to his chest.
“What do you want?” Harry all but snapped.
“I—I just—ummm…” Louis suddenly felt very small and very uncomfortable at Harry’s tone and behaviour, “I just thought… that you—that we could… ummm…”
“Come on, Louis, spit it out. I have things to do,” Harry said sharply.
“Oh, right. I didn’t mean to—sorry—you should—yeah,” Louis looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet those harsh, now grey eyes.
A silence fell over the two that seemed to stretch on forever before Harry scoffed and stalked away down the corridor away from Louis. Louis didn’t know how long he remained rooted to that spot. He could hear that stupid little voice laughing in his mind, taunting him with ‘I told you so’s. Eventually, Louis took a deep breath, trying to steady his erratic heart, and sped off in the opposite direction. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he didn’t care.
~~~~~
Louis once again found himself in the small library tucked within the castle’s walls. It was almost strange that the one thing he found comfort in in this place was the slightly run down armchairs. The one he was currently sitting in had a large tear on the side, but Louis still preferred it to other luxuries.
He currently had his feet tucked up underneath him and book sprawled in his lap. It was some sort of anthology of plants and herbs, but Louis wasn’t really reading it. He flipped idly through the various drawing and descriptions; his mind still going over the events from before. Curse Harry and his bipolar personality. Honestly, what was wrong with him? He just had to go and ruin Louis’ good mood. Louis had long since moved past the stage of hurt then moved on from the stage of confusion, and now, he was just angry. His blood boiled and his fists clenched at the mere thought of those stupid curls.
Suddenly, a creak echoed in the quiet room, and Louis was greeted with those stupid curls in the flesh. Harry shuffled awkwardly into the room. He had his head down; his curls falling haphazardly over his face. Louis was glad; he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing those eyes again, not after how they had looked at him before.
“Hi,” Harry muttered to the floor, chewing nervously on the inside of his cheek.
Louis didn’t respond. He merely scoffed and returned to the book in his lap. Plants suddenly seemed really interesting.
“We always end up here, don’t we?” Harry spoke up again.
“We can call this our room,” Louis teased, but it came out strained and bitter.
Harry nodded solemnly, still refusing to meet Louis’ eyes despite the fact that the blues were carving a hole into the top of his head with their intense gaze. Harry continued to stare at his feet, allowing the silence to encompass both boys like a snake wrapping around its prey right before it took a life.
“I’m sorry,” Harry broke the silence eventually; though, his voice was so small and quiet that Louis almost didn’t catch it. A few anxious seconds passed before he continued, “I’m sorry about… about snapping at you earlier… and… and about walking out the other night.”
“Why did you leave?” Louis asked meekly, pulling his knees up to his chin.
“You should have seen your face,” Harry breathed.
“No! But,” Louis spluttered quickly, “I was just shocked. I was confused about what I was feeling,” he hastily explained.
“And what are you feeling?” Harry asked, finally lifting his head to look at Louis. Louis had to restrain himself from gasping or taking a sharp intake of breath. Harry’s eyes just looked tired, looked pained, and Louis knew he was the cause.
“I don’t know,” Louis whispered, “I just don’t know. There was something about when I first saw you—that’s why I nursed you back to health,” he admitted quietly, “And then there was the picnic and the patrol, and then the kiss, and—I just don’t know!” he finished exasperated.
Louis buried his face in his hands in frustration. He prayed that Harry understood what he meant, but he doubted that he did. Hell, Louis didn’t even know what he was saying! Harry made his way towards Louis, taking the armchair beside him. He didn’t say anything at first, just sat there in silence. Louis tried to focus on the steady breathing of the knight. In and out. He let it drown out all the thoughts and feelings trying to grab for his attention and focus. Between the tight hold of his heart and his mind pulling in separate directions, Louis was sure that he was going to split in two.
“Maybe we should just pretend that nothing happened,” Harry suggested quietly.
“But—I—yeah…” Louis conceded with a sigh.
“It’s probably easiest,” Harry added helpfully, but the grimace on his face gave him away.
“Right…”
Another silence fell over the room; though, this one seemed tenser than before despite the solution the two had reached. Louis felt like he couldn’t breathe, like it was physically impossible because his lungs had closed up and a lump in his throat denied air any passage. He wasn’t sure if it was the tension of the situation or Harry’s words that caused the feeling, though. All that Louis knew was that he wanted this horrendous feeling to go away, but at the same time, he wanted to see that smile return to Harry’s face. If this was how to make that light reappear, then so be it.
“So,” Harry began awkwardly, “Have you always had an interest in plants?”
“Kiss me,” Louis blurted out. So much for sucking it up to make Harry happy.
Harry merely stared, blinking blankly at the Prince. Confusion etched across his features, and for a moment Louis was thrown in his explanation that was on the tip of his tongue. How could someone who was a knight look so adorable? Just backtrack, Louis. This is still salvable.
“I just—”
Louis was cut off as a pair of lips pressed firmly against his own. He was a bit shaken by the turn of events, but he wasn’t going to mess this up, not again. Without a second thought, the Prince wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck, pulling the knight ever so closer, and parted his lips slightly. He couldn’t help but notice how perfect they seemed to fit. With their chests pressed together, he could feel Harry’s heart beating in his chest, in time with his own; their lips slotted like puzzle pieces.
Louis didn’t want to break away from Harry, didn’t want this moment to end, but the smile that refused to relent had other plans. He pulled back slowly, only an inch, so that their breaths still ghosted over the other’s lips. Louis was sure that he looked like a complete idiot, practically beaming at the knight, but he didn’t care because Harry was smiling too and his eyes were a bright shade of green again.
“Hi,” Harry breathed after a few moments of taking in the other’s essence.
“Now that’s more like the perfect day I had in mind this morning.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was a beautiful day in Barba, a quiet Sunday. The sun was high in the sky, bright and warm. Only a few wispy clouds scattered the sky, painting the blue with gentle strokes of a brush. Down below, people were milling about leisurely. Women gossiped, as they made their way through the market, pursuing the different fabrics and herbs. Children ran through their legs; wooden swords and dolls clasped tightly in their tiny hands. Laughter from the pub in the lower town danced gracefully with the light breeze. The atmosphere was sweet and gentle like a cosy blanket wrapped tightly around shoulders.
Louis and Harry sat in the small library tucked away within the castle walls. It really had become their room. After a bit of a struggle—rust really could be a bitch sometimes—they were able to get the windows open, allowing the warm breeze to trickle in and nip at their skin. It was perfect; it was relaxing, and neither could ask for anything more. Harry had his head in Louis’ lap, his long legs dangling off the end of the sofa. His eyes were drooping, slowly fluttering shut with the combination of the warmth radiating from Louis’ body and the soothing fingers running through his hair lulling him to sleep. He let out a yawn, as he shifted slightly in Louis’ lap, staring up at the Prince with wide eyes. He couldn’t help but pout over the fact that Louis’ bright, blue eyes were hidden behind a book.
“Why do you always read?” Harry mumbled sleepily.
“Because, young Harold, reading makes for a healthy mind,” Louis replied, lowering his book slightly.
“I told you my name wasn’t short for Harold.”
“Didn’t care then; don’t care now.”
Harry let out a huff, but it quickly became closer to a purr as Louis scratched gently at his scalp.
“You’re a kitten; I swear,” Louis chuckled.
“Hmm,” Harry replied noncommittally, letting his eyes fall shut, “What are you reading today?”
“The story of Persephone,” Louis smiled, twirling a finger around one of Harry’s curls and watching as it bounced back into place.
“Is that the one about the pomegranate seeds?” Harry yawned, snuggling further into Louis’ warmth.
“Yep! You see, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the Goddess of the harvest, and Hades, God of the underworld, thought she was beautiful, so he abducted her and took her to the underworld. Demeter was so upset that she let everything die, so Zeus demanded that Hades give Persephone back…”
Harry found himself slipping into the sweet abyss of sleep; Louis’ chipper voice as he excitedly recounted the story acting as a lullaby. He couldn’t help but think, as his dreams pulled him deeper and deeper, how he felt bad for Hades. He was forced to give up Persephone and couldn’t have what he wanted. It didn’t seem fair.
“… but Hades tricked Persephone into eating some pomegranate seeds, so because she had eaten the food of the underworld, she had to stay in the underworld for one month per seed, which Demeter obviously didn’t approve of, so when Persephone was gone, she would let the harvest die, and that, young Harold, is where the winter months come from!”
Louis looked down at the knight in his lap only to find him fast asleep. He chuckled lowly and rolled his eyes, but he soon found himself staring fondly at the boy draped across his legs. Harry really was adorable while he slept: his curls splayed out like a halo around his head, his cheeks tinged slightly pink, his lips partly slightly as soft snores left them. A smile pulled its way across Louis’ lips, as he went back to his book, his fingers continuing to run through the soft locks.
~~~~~
When Harry awoke, the sun’s rays coming in from the open window were duller than before. The almost golden lower light painted shadow across the walls. He wondered briefly how long he had been asleep. He let out a yawn and stretched slightly, looking up at Louis who was still sitting above him with a book.
“Still reading about Persephone?” Harry asked, blinking up at the Prince.
“New myth; still Greek.”
“How is your leg not asleep from me laying on it?”
“It is, but you were too precious to move or wake up,” Louis said, finally looking away from his book to smile sweetly at the knight, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Sorry,” Harry mumbled, rubbing at his tired eyes and sitting up.
“It’s alright,” Louis assured.
Harry didn’t respond, instead choosing to snuggle into Louis’ side and rest his head on the Prince’s shoulder.
“How are you still tired?” Louis asked incredulously, “You just slept for like two hours!”
“Whatever,” Harry muttered, “Who’s that?” he asked, pointing to an image colourfully splayed on the page of Louis’ book.
“Theseus,” Louis explained, “He’s defeating the minotaur.”
“Oh! Speaking of defeating beasts,” Harry perked up, “There’s a knights tournament this weekend.”
“How are those at all related?”
“That’s beside the point, Lou.”
“Fine, then. Are you going to be competing?”
“Of course! I’m going to win,” Harry stated smugly.
“Are you, now?” Louis asked, raising a sceptical eyebrow.
“That’s right. You should come.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll come. The King will probably make me an honoured guest or something.”
“No,” Harry whined, burying his face further into Louis’ shoulder, “You should come because you want to, not because it’s your duty as a Prince or whatever.”
“I suppose,” Louis conceded, giving an overdramatic, long withering sigh.
“You can be my lucky charm,” Harry added excitedly.
“Do I have to give you some sort of cloth as a favour or token or whatever?”
“Of course you do!” Harry exclaimed as if it were obvious, “Don’t you know the tradition about how that token will keep me safe? Without it, I could die, Louis,” he added in an exaggerated tone.
“Really, Haz? A piece of cloth is going to protect you?” Louis deadpanned.
“Don’t you care about my life?” Harry pouted, giving Louis his best puppy-dog eyes.
Louis sighed. Seriously, how could a knight be this fucking adorable? Louis tried to roll his eyes exasperatedly, but the pull at the corners of his lips gave him away.
“Fine, I’ll give you a piece of cloth,” Louis acceded, kissing the pout off of Harry’s lips.
“Good,” Harry replied, placing his head back on the Prince’s shoulder.
Louis couldn’t help but smile fondly, as he went back to his book; the knight already dozing off again on his shoulder in the late afternoon sun.
~~~~~
Saturday finally came, and Louis was trying to make his way to the great hall. He was supposed to be having breakfast with the King and Eleanor again, but he was finding difficult to get there with the hustle and bustle of preparing for the tournament. Not only was Louis forced to swerve and duck to avoid a collision with the various servants, but he was also getting distracted by all the garland. It was like a graceful and intricate choreography that Louis danced, as he weaved his way through the corridors; his thoughts being the music that accompanied him.
He was actually quite excited to see Harry compete. He had watched the knight practice before, but he was sure that once the competitiveness and adrenaline kicked in, it would be different. Louis could almost imagine what Harry would look like with that determined look glazing his green eyes, his curls matted, and sweat on his brow. Or how his muscles would ripple as he brought the sword above his head—and wow! Those weren’t safe thoughts to be having when he was about to dine with the King and Princess.
Louis reached the massive doors to the great hall and stopped. Bracing his hands against the walls, he closed his eyes and shook his head of his previous thoughts.
“Prince Louis!” A cheerful voice startled him.
Louis turned to see the bright, smiling face of Princess Eleanor. He couldn’t help but smile back, but he was sure it looked strained. Louis kicked himself internally before clearing his throat and smiling for real.
“Morning!” Louis greeted brightly.
“Did you sleep well?” Eleanor asked.
“Yeah, I did. How about yourself?”
“I did as well. Thank you. I’m surprised you did, though. What with all the excitement for today!”
“Ummm… right… yeah…” Louis breathed, a bit confused by the words.
“Shall we then?” Eleanor asked, still bright as ever, as she pushed the doors open.
Louis didn’t respond, merely followed the brunette into the large room. The King was already sat at the head of the large table, his attire even more elaborate than normal due to the tournament. As Louis and Eleanor approached the table, the King rose to his feet, kissing his daughter’s hand and offering Louis a firm nod. All three sat down, and their food was placed before them.
“Ah… It is a good day for a tournament, is it not?” the King said.
“Of course, father,” Eleanor replied brightly.
“And what say you, Prince Louis?” the King turned to Louis with a wide grin.
“Oh, yes! I’m quite excited as well,” Louis smiled in return. He really was excited; he wasn’t lying. The King just didn’t need to know the real reason for his excitement.
“I remember when I use to compete in tournaments,” the King began, only pausing to take a bit of bread, “My skills were unmatched, and I was always victorious.”
“You will always be the best swordsman, father,” Eleanor complimented, taking a sip from her goblet.
“Now Prince Louis, you have been spending a great deal of time at the knight’s training sessions. Who do you hope to see win today?”
Louis froze; a slice of cheese half-way to his mouth. He could feel the burning heat of a blush creeping up his neck and threatening to colour his cheeks. He willed it away and cleared his throat.
“Ummm… I’m not sure. All the knights are much better than I am,” Louis chuckled forcibly.
“I think I will root for Harry,” Eleanor commented, “He is head knight after all.”
“Yes, ummm…” Louis said, “I quite agree.”
A blanket of silence fell over the three royals. Louis wondered if the King and Princess found it as suffocating as he did. Probably not; it was probably warm and comfortable for them. He was basically just creating unwanted and unnecessary attention. Louis mentally chastised himself before taking a rather large gulp from his goblet. Louis continued to nibble on his cheese and bread, as the time seemed to pass excruciatingly slow. Eventually, Louis excused himself to prepare for the tournament. The King nodded his acknowledgement while Eleanor offered a small wave and exclamation about seeing him later. Louis offered a smile and wave of his own before briskly heading for the door.
Once Louis escaped the great hall, he leant against the cool stone wall of the corridor, heaving a heavy sigh and closing his eyes. Giving his head one last good shake, Louis headed back to his bed chambers before heading out of the city walls.
The tournament was taking place in the field just outside the walls of Barba. A wooden arena stood tall and brooding with town’s people already filling the seats. Louis made his way around the front of the arena to where the tents for the knights were set up. He meandered his way through the black and gold set-up, peeking curiously into various tents and offering pats to horses as he passed. Finally, Louis glanced through the opening of a tent and found that familiar mop of curls.
“Hazza!” Louis sing-songed, bursting into the tent; though, he froze almost immediately.
A young boy, probably only thirteen or fourteen, stood in front of Harry. He stared at Louis quizzically; his hands pausing mid-ministration of helping Harry into his spaulder.
“Oh! Hello,” Louis greeted awkwardly, “I’m just going around… wishing all the knights good luck… as a good Prince does.”
The young boy merely raised an eyebrow skeptically at Louis.
“Right!” Harry broke the uncomfortable silence building, “That will be all Luke. Can you go and make sure my horse is ready?”
The young boy—Luke—shifts his unimpressed look to Harry, staring for a moment before finishing up the straps on his spaulder, rolling his eyes, and exiting the tent. The two boys stood staring at each other for a moment before gravitating together like magnets, lips pressing together softly.
“Hey,” Harry whispered, breath tickling Louis’ cheek.
“Hey yourself,” Louis smiled.
“Wishing all the knights good luck; are we, Lou?” Harry smirked.
“Okay, maybe just my favourite knight,” Louis acceded, loving the way Harry’s green eyes seemed to brighten.
The two didn’t move for a moment, just continued staring intently into one another eyes, breathing the other in. Green and blue. The sea and the sky. Emerald and sapphire.
“Oh!” Louis said suddenly, jumping back slightly, “I almost forgot: I have something for you.”
Harry watched Louis curiously with furrowed brows, as the Prince dug around in his pocket before producing a small, blue piece of fabric. He grinned triumphantly, as he held the fabric up in front of Harry’s face. The knight stared at the fabric then back at Louis, raising a questioning eyebrow before it dawned on him. His face immediately softened, and a huge grin took over his whole face.
“The token! You remembered.”
“Well, I couldn’t have you getting hurt on my conscience could I?”
Harry chuckled lightly, taking the fabric. He ran his fingers over it, looking intent and thoughtful. After a few moments, he final returned his gaze to those familiar blues, a small smile toying at his lips.
“I’ll wear it over my heart. Help me tie it on?” He asked hopeful.
Louis smile softly, nothing but fondness for this boy, as he walked over and held his hand out for the fabric. Harry gratefully handed it over, and Louis worked on getting one of the corners through the rings of the chainmail. Harry stared down at the Prince with his furrowed eyebrows and bitten lip in concentration. He couldn’t help himself and pressed a kiss to his hair. Louis looked up at him then, all bright smile and crinkles by his eyes. Harry smile back, as Louis successfully got the token tied off. Harry pressed one last kiss to Louis’ forehead before turning to put on the remainder of his armour. Louis watched, but his eyes soon wandered aimlessly around the rest of the tent.
“That’s not your usual sword,” Louis commented, noticing the blade sitting on the table.
“Well, yeah. We use blunt weapons in tournaments, so there aren’t as many injuries,” Harry explained.
Louis furrowed his brows in confusion, staring at the knight baffled, “But I thought that they whole reason I gave you that token was so you didn’t die?!”
“It’s the thought that counts, Lou,” Harry protested, “It’s a tradition. The girl gives the knight a token to wear…”
“So I guess that makes me the girl of the relationship?” Louis asked flatly.
“You were always the girl of the relationship.”
“Oi! I could have you hanged for that!”
“No you wouldn’t,” Harry replied, leaning down and pecking a kiss to Louis’ lips.
Harry went to pull away, but Louis merely gripped his surcoat, pulling him in for a real kiss. Louis slotted their lips together, sucking Harry’s bottom lip into his mouth, as Harry pulled him closer by the hips. Finally, they pulled apart after a few minutes, so their foreheads still rested together.
“Well that’s definitely incentive to win the tournament”
“Tosser.”
Harry merely smiled that winning smile of his, dimples out in full force, and Louis couldn’t find it in himself to care anymore more or less breath.
“So Prince Louis I hear your wishing all the knights good luck,” a voice startled them out of their own world, “Does that mean that I get a good luck kiss too?”
Both boys looked to see Liam standing in the entry way; a knowing smirk placed firmly across his lips.
“Shut up, Liam. Don’t you have Niall to kiss you good luck?” Louis retorted.
The smirk remained; though, Liam’s pinks tinged the slightest shade of pink. Liam cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Liam stated, “But the tournament’s about to start.”
~~~~~The first round of the tournament was jousting. After leaving Harry, Louis had made his way back to the arena, taking a seat beside Princess Eleanor. She had smiled at him, once again asked if he was excited. Louis smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically. He was about to respond when a trumpet sounded, signalling the start of the tournament, so Louis turned his attention to the centre of the arena. Eleanor placed her hand over his on the armrest, as the first knights rode in. Louis first instinct was to flinch away, but in all honesty, it seemed more like a friendly gesture than anything else, so he let it be. Might as well keep up appearances, right?
Louis watched as pair by pair jousted, chuckling when he could hear Niall’s unmistakable cheer for Liam. Finally, it was Harry’s turn, and as he rode out, Louis straightened up in his seat, feeling his grin growing increasingly wider. The Prince bit his lip, his hand unknowingly tightening around Eleanor’s, as the two knights positioned themselves on opposite sides of the arena. The flag was swung, and both were off, charging at full speed. Louis kept his eyes intently on Harry. On the way the knight’s body hunched slightly. The way the lance was tucked tightly under his arm. He watched as Harry’s body tensed in anticipation, and Louis couldn’t help but wince at the collision. Harry came out victorious, and Louis found himself cheering a bit too loud, but he didn’t care. Harry sent him a wink, as he exited the arena, and Louis felt that accursed blush returning.
Sadly, Harry didn’t win the jousting. He made it to the final to ultimately be beaten by Liam who apparently had a serious talent when it comes to jousting. Louis caught Harry’s eyes after the joust and gave him a sympathetic look, but Harry merely shrugged. Louis supposed it’s better to lose to a friend or at least someone like Liam.
The next part of the tournament was the melee, which is what Louis is most excited for, but also the most nervous for. The melee involved actual weapons—well blunt ones but still—and actual combat. Sure, Harry might not die per se, but he could be injured. Then, of course, the other side of Louis was practically drooling over the idea of watching Harry in combat.
The knights all re-entered the arena, and a horn sounded to signal the start of the melee. The knights sprang into action, and Louis’ eyes stayed glued to Harry, as the head knight flitted around the arena. Louis was transfixed by the sight of Harry fighting: the way he bounced on the balls of his feet, the way the muscles in his back and arms worked, the way his tongue poked out between his lips in concentration, the ways his green eyes darkened in determination. It was like watching a hero or demi-god in a Greek tragedy, beautiful and strong all at the same time. Louis was sure his heart had either stopped beating or was going double time. He winced and gasped as Harry dodged and parried blows.
Finally, the last knight of the opposing side went down, Harry’s side claiming victory. The whole crowd rose to their feet and cheered, Louis extra loud.
“The tournament has ended!” The King bellowed to the crowd, “The victors may collect their purse, and LET US FEAST!”
Cheers erupted again amongst the town’s people, as they began filing out of the arena, across the field, and back into the city walls of Barba.
~~~~~
Back in the great hall, music, cheers, and laughter filled the air, swirling melodiously in the high rafters. Food and wine was a plenty, and the whole city appeared to be having a good time. Louis sat at the head table along with the King and Princess Eleanor. Eleanor was discussing the tournament with him, and Louis nodded along, trying to listen, but he couldn’t but continually glance out of the corner of his eye. He kept hoping his eyes would meet with green ones and a lazy smile.
“It’s a shame girls can’t compete in these tournaments,” Eleanor was saying, “I’ve always fancied taking up sword fighting.”
Louis snapped his attention back from scanning the room, “Really?”
Eleanor shrugged shyly. She looked down at her plate, fiddling slightly with the slice of bread. Louis noticed the light brushing of a blush on her cheeks.
“I’m sure you’d make an excellent sword fighter,” Louis commented gently.
Eleanor practically beamed at him, and Louis smiled back genuinely. Just then, Niall approached the table, refilling Louis’ goblet.
“Harry wanted me to tell you to meet him,” Niall whispered in Louis’ ear, as he leant over to pour the wine.
“Where?” Louis whispered back.
Niall shrugged, as he straightened up, “He said you’d know.”
Niall trudged off, and Louis turned back to Eleanor.
“I’m so sorry,” Louis began, “But I think I’m going to head back to my bed chambers. It’s been a long day.” He added a yawn for emphasis.
“Oh, of course,” Eleanor responded, “Sleep well.”
Louis nodded before standing and making his way out of the great hall. He made his way down the all to familiar corridor to the back corner of the castle. He opened the old, rickety door and entered the small library. It was dark now, the only light coming from the moonlight that streamed in through the windows. It created weird shadows and shapes along the walls and shelves, and Louis shivered involuntarily.
“Harry?” he called out tentatively.
Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around Louis’ waist, pulling him into a familiar warmth. Louis practically melted into the chest pressed against his back.
“Hey,” Harry’s hot breath whispered against his ear.
Louis turned around in his arms, leaning up to press a kiss to Harry’s lips in greeting. Harry smiled down at him, his eyes sparkling despite the low light.
“You didn’t win today,” Louis chided, “I was so disappointed.”
“It’s not fair. Liam’s really good at jousting,” Harry whined.
Louis just smiled fondly, lifting up on his toes to kiss the pout off of Harry’s face. The pout quickly gave way to dimples, and Harry grabbed Louis’ hand, pulling him over to the sofa. The two curled up together, basking in each other’s warmth, in each other’s presence, in them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Harry woke up, it was to arms tightly wound around his waist and a gentle weight on his chest. He slowly fluttered his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to the sun streaming in the window and dancing gently across his cheek. There was a slight crick in his neck – no doubt from sleeping on a sofa – and the knight went to stretch before remembering the weight resting on top of him. He glanced down to see a still sleeping Louis. Harry couldn’t help the soft, fond smile that peeled across his lips at the sight; the Prince looked simply adorable. With his chest rising and falling peacefully, his hand clasped in Harry’s shirt, his lips parted slightly, his tan skin seemingly glowing in the morning rays, and his hair mussed and sticking up all over the place, Louis truly looked beautiful in Harry’s eyes. The knight couldn’t help it, using his free hand that wasn’t wound around the Prince’s waist, he ran his fingers gently through the feather-soft hairs on Louis forehead. Louis stirred slightly, leaning into the touch. Harry leant down, pressing a tender kiss to the crown of Louis’ head.
“Wake up, love,” Harry whispered into his hair.
“No,” Louis whined, his grip tightening in Harry’s shirt, as he burrowed deeper into the knight’s chest.
“Lou,” Harry sing-songed, running his fingers gently along the Prince’s spine.
“It’s too early.”
“Considering where the sun is, I’d say it’s about high noon.”
Louis merely grunted in response, his eyes still firmly shut. Harry waited a few moments, his fingers continuing to draw soothing circles. When there was no movement or response, the knight heaved a fond sigh.
“You know, for a prince, you really are a lazy arse.”
Harry raised his eyebrows challengingly at the Louis, but before he could get out another quip, he found himself being shoved off the sofa in a flail of limbs. He landed with a solid thud onto the ground, the rug providing little to no protection from the hard, stone floor. Talk about slightly misleading. After giving his bum a soothing rub, Harry looked up to glare at the Prince, but his eyes instantly softened at the sight. Louis had sat up and was now giggling. His hair was an absolute mess, and his fingers were curled and pressed against his mouth, and it was definitely the most adorable sight Harry had ever seen. Not to mention the sound that floated from Louis lips to dance in the air… there were no words.
“Do you think you’re cute?” Harry chastised; though, there was no real heat behind it.
Louis only laughed harder, falling over on the sofa and clutching his side. “Your face!” He wheezed, you should have seen your face when you fell!”
“Ha ha,” Harry quipped, jumping on top of Louis you let out a yelp. “Aren’t you just so funny.”
“Meanie!” Louis exclaimed, sticking out his tongue.
“What?! I was shoved off the sofa!” Harry replied. “Besides,” he pouted, “I didn’t even get a ‘good morning’ kiss.”
Louis rolled his eyes, but Harry still noticed the soft smile threatening to overtake his face. Louis leaned forward, cupping Harry’s jaw and pressing his lips to the knight’s. Harry allowed his hand to slip behind Louis’s neck, his fingers threading into the soft hairs at the nape, as their lips slid against one another perfectly. It was a simple, short kiss, but still perfect. They pulled apart, resting their foreheads together and staring into each other’s eyes. Green on blue.
~~~~~
“So then he thought it’d be a great idea to drag me and Zayn along with it…”
“Well he definitely sounds like a hand full?”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
Liam and Niall sat under one of the large oak trees in the courtyard. Niall had his head in Liam’s lap, his blue eyes shining brightly in the sun that filtered in through the leaves. Liam couldn’t help but get lost in the sight a bit, as his fingers combed through the soft, blonde strands. Niall stared up into the knight’s kind, brown eyes, as he tried to continue with the story; though, it was a bit hard to focus with the butterflies rampaging in his stomach and his lungs seemingly unwilling to take in air.
“So… ummm… anyways… we obviously got caught by one of the maids, and—”
“Hey Liam, do you mind if I borrow your horse. I know you got upset last time I took her out without asking.”
Both boys looked up from the comfortable bubble they had created to see Harry looming over them with an eyebrow raised.
“Ummm… sure, I guess?” Liam replied.
“Great! Thanks!” Harry exclaimed, turning to leave. “Oh by the way,” Harry added, looking over his shoulder with a smirk, “Enjoy your date!”
And with that, Harry dashed off towards the stables, leaving too shocked boys in his wake. Liam and Niall stared after Harry with wide eyes before during back towards one another and flustered and spluttered to get their conversation back. And even though both boys’ cheeks were flushed bright red, neither commented.
~~~~~
“Come on, Louis! Keep up!” Harry called over his shoulder.
“Tell me, young Harold, why are we riding through the grounds? If I remember correctly, you already showed me this area, and then again with the patrol, so….”
“You know, you make it sound like you don’t want to be here.”
“I’d just rather be doing other things with you… don’t smirk at me you little shit!”
Harry merely laughed, the joyous sound ringing out clearly in the still forest air.
“Honestly, you wake me up at a godforsaken hour—”
“It was noon!”
“Take me on a boring horse ride—”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, your highness.”
“Insult my title and rank!”
“Will you just shut up already? We’re almost there!”
“Oh, are we now?” Louis quipped sarcastically.
“God, you’re infuriating sometimes,” Harry grumbled under his breath.
“Oi! This morning you called me cute!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Harry dismissed, “We’re here, alright?”
The knight pulled his horse to a stop before gracefully dismounting. Louis remained perched atop his – well Liam’s – horse, taking in the area. It was nice. There were tall trees all around, whose branches draped in beautiful pink and purple blossoms swayed in the breeze. The sun didn’t beam heat down onto his back here; though, it did trickle in like rays through stained glass. There was grass below that looked long and soft. It was nice. Still, there wasn’t anything extraordinary about it.
“Right,” Louis drawled, “And what’s so special about here?”
“Come on, off your horse,” Harry replied instead.
“Seriously, though, nothing here screams fun or even romantic. It’s a clearing in the forest.”
“Maybe if you got off your horse, you would learn why we’re here.”
“Well excuse me if I just don’t see—what in god’s name are you doing?!”
Before Louis could even finish his protest, Harry was peeling off his shirt in the middle of the forest. Despite his confusion and slight annoyance at the knight’s apparent stupidity, Louis couldn’t help but enjoy the view. Being a knight definitely had its benefits. Harry’s toned biceps and sculpted abs were on full display, and was his torso always that long? The Prince’s eyes raked over the newly exposed skin before stopping dead at the three distinct scars marring it. Louis’ mind flashed back to that knight after the dragon attack when Harry was lying in his bed bleeding and looking so small and vulnerable.
“Lou, you alright?” Harry asked, concern evident in his voice.
“Yes, of course! Why would you think such a thing? I mean—”
“It’s just your face was—”
“Not important! What is important is why you saw fit to strip down in the middle of the forest.”
It took a Harry a moment to respond, his mind still stuck on looked that had graced Louis’ face. His normally bright blue eyes had almost looked pained. Still, he shook it off, returning to his earlier cheerful mood and plan.
“Well, since you’ve asked,” Harry said, pulling his trousers down, “We are going swimming!”
“We’re going what?” Louis intoned deadpan.
“Swimming! There’s a stream at the bottom of that ravine,” Harry replied, pointing, “Now come on!”
Louis stared blankly at the now practically naked Harry, blinking a few times in shock. Part of him thought that this really probably wasn’t a good idea, but the other part was screaming at him to dismount already, putting images in his mind of what Harry might look like with water dripping from his hair and across his chest and…. Yeah, dismount the horse now! Feigning reluctance with an eye roll, Louis dismounted his horse. Harry was staring at him expectantly, so Louis slowly peeled off his own shirt, trying to calm his erratic heart that seemed to be having an aneurysm in his chest. The Prince next moved on to his trouser, and not even a second after they hit the ground, Louis’ world was turning upside down as he was thrown over Harry’s shoulder.
“Harry! What are you doing?!” Louis spluttered indignantly.
“I told you, Louis, we’re going swimming,” Harry replied simply.
“Yes, but I—”
Louis protest died on his lips, as cool water crashed around him. He was quite sure that he had flailed most ungracefully, as water filled his mouth. He eventually surfaced, spluttering and coughing, and was greeted with the sight of Harry laughing hysterically along the bank. Despite his annoyance, Louis had to admit that it was quite a sight: the knight’s head thrown back and his curls bouncing as the sound rumbled through his body. Eventually, Harry calmed down, his now sparkling green eyes landing on Louis.
“And that was payback for this morning!” Harry exclaimed.
“That was mean,” Louis pouted, which only made Harry laugh more, “At least help me up?” He requested, holding his arm out and giving his best puppy-dog eyes.
Harry sighed fondly before reaching out to grasp the Prince’s outstretched hand. As soon as Harry’s fingers were wrapped around his own, Louis gave a strong pull forwards, causing the knight to lose his footing and fall face first into the stream. Louis let out a boisterous laugh, as Harry resurfaced with a scowl etched on his face.
“Still think you’re cute, do you?” Harry teased, splashing water into Louis’ face.
“Hey!” Louis exclaimed, leaping forward to dunk Harry’s head underwater.
The two enjoyed mucking about, each other’s company, and the relaxing water of the stream well into the late afternoon, their laughter ringing out harmoniously in the peaceful forest.
~~~~~
“So is this your family seal?” Harry asked, picking up and examining the stamp from the desk where Louis sat.
“Yep!” Louis replied, still scribbling away on a piece of parchment.
“Do you write to your mum often?”
“I try to write once a week.”
“Right…”
A silence fell over the two, the only sound echoing in the study being the scratch of Louis’ quill as he finished his letter to his mother.

I know it might not have seemed it in my previous letter, but I want you to know, mum that I really am happy now.I love you and will hopefully see you and the girls soon.Louis

The Prince let out a sigh of contentment, leaning back in his seat and waiting for the ink to dry. He looked up to notice Harry staring intently at a spot on the desk, a sad look clouding his eyes. His mouth was set in a tight line, and his eyebrows were furrowed. Louis wanted nothing more than to see that smile again, to make that dimple appear, and smooth out the lines creasing the knight’s forehead.
“You know,” Louis spoke up, “You can have some parchment if you want to write to your family.”
“I… I wouldn’t have anyone to write to,” Harry replied quietly, still not raising his downcast eyes.
“How do you mean?” Louis asked just as quietly.
“Well… It’s just… ummm…” Harry paused, his voice clogging with unshed tears. “After I had come to the castle to start my training to become a knight, my village… it was… it was attacked. And my mum and sister… they—they—”
Harry was unable to finish the sentence, a large lump in his throat preventing a more words from breaking free. He felt that familiar sting burning the back of his eyes, and before he knew it, warm strong arms were wrapping around his waist.
Louis wasn’t sure what to do, but seeing Harry so broken was literally the most heart-breaking sight he had ever seen in his life. He didn’t hesitate to leap up from his seat and collect the knight in his arms. Harry buried his face against Louis’ shoulder, and the Prince could feel hot tears staining his shirt. He whispered soothing things into the knight’s ear, brushing his fingers gently through the tangles of curls, until Harry pulled back with a watery smile.
“I’m sorry,” Harry mumbled, hastily rubbing the backs of his hands across his face.
“Hey,” Louis chastised gently, running his thumbs along Harry’s cheeks, “There is no need to be sorry, okay? Do you want a cuddle?”
Harry nodded mutely, and Louis dragged them both over to his bed. He lay down and pulled Harry into his chest, his fingers never relenting in those chocolate curls. Both boys stayed curled around each other, sharing stories and facts about their family, memories, and anything really until the sun started to dip low in the sky.
“I should go,” Harry whispered, his face inches from Louis’.
“Okay,” Louis replied; though, neither made an effort to move.
“The King has called a council tonight. All the knights are to be present.”
“Right.”
A few more minutes passed in comfortable silence before Harry reluctantly sat up. He pressed a gentle kiss to Louis’ lips then his forehead and swung his legs out of the bed.
Louis stared at Harry’s retreating form before shouting dramatically, “Have fun saving the kingdom!”
The last thing the Prince heard was Harry’s loud laughter before the door to his chambers closed. Louis stayed where he was, sprawled out across his bed, with an ecstatic smile plastered firmly across his face. Niall soon entered his chambers and flopped on the bed, a similar expression over taking his own features. Zayn quickly followed, took one look at the two and let out a heavy but fond sigh.
“Is this going to become a thing with the two of you? This stupid, giddy sigh? Because I might have to go vomit.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis was floating, and it was the most peaceful feeling he had ever felt in the world. He could feel the gentle rocks of the sea below him, a light breeze filling his senses with the sweet smell of the ocean, bristling the pristine white sails. Louis had his eyes closed, but the bright rays of the sun overhead still crept in. He didn’t mind; the sun was a comfort, as its warmth licked at his skin. Louis was taking a deep, calming breath when suddenly the ship rocked dangerously sharp. Louis’ eyes shot open to see the once crystal blue sky swimming with menacing, grey clouds. The waves picked up forcibly, rocking the ship with a sudden malice. Louis gripped tightly to the edge, trying to steady himself, but water sprayed into his face, causing him to slip and…
“Louis!”
The Prince’s eyes shot open, quickly trying to adjust to his surroundings. It took a moment for Louis to recognize the large window streaming in light, the furniture around the room, the bed he was currently lying in. After a few blinks, Louis realized the hand jostling his shoulder – quite harshly might he add.
“I’m up. I’m up. Just—” Louis moaned, swatting the hand away.
“Sorry,” A voice – Zayn – replied.
Louis rolled over onto his back, staring up blearily at his friend and servant. “A bit of a rude awakening; don’t you think?”
“The King requests your presence in the Great Hall,” Zayn explained.
“Can’t he wait a bit?” Louis asked, rubbing at his eyes.
“It seemed really urgent.”
Louis pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
Zayn gave a curt nod before turning and disappearing through the door. Louis allowed his eyes to stay closed for a few more moments before sitting up and swinging his legs out of bed. He glanced out the window, noticing that the sun was still fairly low in the sky. What time was it? Better yet, why was he awake? His bed was so warm and comfortable, and being awoken wasn’t nice unless it was by an obnoxious but still adorable knight. Louis let his feet drop to the ground, wincing slightly at the cold stone, before standing and stretching. Once his shoulders gave a satisfying pop, he trudged over to the water basin, splashing some water over his face. After changing into some fresh clothes and grabbing an apple, the Prince made his way down the corridor towards the Great Hall.
Louis opened the large, wooden doors only to stop in his tracks. He scanned the room, taking in the various people bustling about. Some of the servants had various articles in their hands; there was a woman who appeared to be shouting orders. Louis was extremely confused, and the indistinguishable chatter echoing in the large room didn’t help clear anything up. The Prince had just assumed that he was to have breakfast with the King and Eleanor, as he had multiple times before, but clearly, he was wrong.
The Prince’s eyes soon landed on the King, sitting at the table with Eleanor and conversing with one of the servants. He really wasn’t sure what was going on or what he was supposed to do, so he just bit the inside of his cheek and awkwardly made his way over to the table.
“Prince Louis!” The King bellowed, looking up and noticing Louis, “Come join us, please!”
Louis quickly settled into the seat beside the King, opposite the Princess. “Good morning,” he offered with a smile to the King. “To both of you,” he added towards Eleanor.
Eleanor smiled softly at Louis, but there was something sparkling in the far corners of her eyes that confused the Prince. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Eleanor looked like she was about to speak when her father cut her off:
“Ah yes, it is a good morning, isn’t it?” the King said cheerily.
“Yes… it is?” Louis replied, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. “If you don’t mind my asking, what was it you needed me for?”
“Well, we didn’t want to make any decisions without your input, of course,” the King explained, as he turned to the servant who had been bellowing orders before.
“Right…” Louis sighed, still utterly confused.
“Now, we were thinking Saturday,” the King said, turning his attention back to the Prince, “How does that sound?”
“Saturday…” Louis repeated.
“Do you think that’s enough time for your family to travel?” The King asked.
“I—ummm… I’m sorry, but what exactly would we be doing on Saturday?” Louis asked meekly.
“Why the wedding of course!” the King exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you forgot?”
The King chuckled, and Louis tried his best to laugh along, but it sounded strained even to his own ears. Still, the King didn’t seem to notice.
“It’s understandable how,” the King said after his laughter died out, “It’s as though you’re already married. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Of course, father,” Eleanor replied sweetly.
She placed her dainty hand overtop the King’s, but her eyes never left Louis’ face. He wondered if she could sense his fear, his panic. He honestly had forgotten about the wedding, forgotten that that was the whole reason he was in Barba in the first place. He was too busy thinking about green eyes and curly hair and strong hands and—no, he can’t be thinking about that right now.
God, he really didn’t think this through! Getting married ensured peace; it was his duty as a prince to his family, to his country; it was what he had been brought up to do, what he had been preparing for since he was small. But then there was Harry. Harry who had just waltzed into his life. Harry who he had such a connection with. Thinking back to that night of their first kiss and how Harry’s face had just completely crumbled, Louis didn’t even want to think about how Harry would react to him getting married. But he had to – but he couldn’t – and it – if he – There were so many thoughts swimming around in his brain, Louis was starting to feel dizzy. He didn’t even know where to start. All these thoughts just seemed to be tap-dancing in his head but right out of his grasp, obnoxious and taunting. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t catalogue them.
Maybe he could have both. It wasn’t unheard of: kings having mistresses. Though, Louis was fairly sure it was frowned upon starting before the actual marriage. Not to mention the guilt. Could he live with himself if he kept a lover? Could he do that to Eleanor? Could he do that to Harry? God, his head was really starting to hurt!
Louis was drawn out of his thoughts by a gentle squeeze to his hand. Louis’ eyes dropped down to his hand now intertwined with another before looking up at Eleanor with her understanding eyes and reassuring smile. Was he really that obvious with how he was feeling? His eyes quickly darted to the King, but he still seemed to be lost in his own little world, going on about flower arrangements, meal plans, guests. Louis let out an internal sigh of relief, trying to focus on the task at hand. That seemed like a good place to start. And that was what he would do: take it one step at a time.
~~~~~
“What do you think? Lilies, gardenias, or daisies?”
“I’m not very good with flowers, honestly. What do you think, love?” Louis said, tenderly patting Eleanor’s hand. Louis had since moved to sit beside Eleanor, their arms casually linked together, as they went through the various things that needed to be prepped before the wedding.
“I quite like the daisies,” Eleanor replied.
“They are beautiful,” Louis added, “Just like you.”
“Stop,” Eleanor chastised, slapping Louis’ arm playfully.
“We’ll have the daisies,” Louis told the servant still standing before them.
“Of course, your majesties,” the young maid replied, bowing once before turning to go.
“Princess Eleanor,” an older maid approached the pair, “We need to discuss your dress.”
“And that is my cue to leave,” Louis said, standing up, “We don’t want any bad luck, eh?”
The Prince shot a wink at the maid while Eleanor stifled a giggle into her hand. Louis leant down to give Eleanor a sweet kiss on the cheek before exiting the Great Hall.
Louis made his way down the corridor, his shoes echoing rhythmically and eerily. A few servants that passed offered the Prince a nod or polite smile, but Louis just kept on walking. He soon reached the door to his chambers. Louis entered the room, and right away made his way towards the desk. He pulled out a new sheet of parchment, dipped his quill in ink, and began drafting a letter to his mother.
~~~~~
Harry pushed open the doors to the Prince’s chambers, a smile instantly sweeping his face as he caught sight of Louis sitting at his desk.
“Hey, Lou!” Harry greeted brightly, approaching the desk.
Louis didn’t respond; he didn’t even look up. Harry frowned slightly, and his brows furrowed, as he watched Louis scrawl words across the parchment. He looked very intent with what he was doing, so Harry decided to wait.
“What are you doing?” the knight finally asked after a few moments of silence passed.
“Writing a letter to my mum,” Louis replied plainly.
“Oh… that’s nice,” Harry replied, confusion painting his voice at the Prince’s tone.
“I have to make sure that she and the girls can be here for Saturday,” Louis added, his tone still flat.
“Are they coming to visit?” Harry asked, excited at the prospect of meeting Louis’ family.
“Well, they have to be present for the wedding of course.”
“The—the wedding?”
“My wedding to Princess Eleanor.”
“But—I thought—but we—and—” Harry forced the stuttering words out of his constricting throat.
“That’s what I’m here for, Harry,” Louis stated, a sharp harshness suddenly underlying his words.
“Right. Yeah…” Harry whispered.
Harry wasn’t really sure what was going on, but he suddenly couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t sure if it was because his lungs had decided to just stop working, seeming to shrivel into themselves in defeat; or if it was because there was a lump, that quite possibly used to be his stomach, now lodged in his throat, blocking his airway; or maybe it was because the room was closing in on him, the walls pressing in roughly from all sides. Then there was the combination of the ringing in his ears, the screaming in his mind, and the blood suddenly very loud as it pumped through his veins making his head hurt. The look on Louis’ face only made everything hurt tenfold. The Prince was just staring, his face completely blank and stoic. And his eyes. Once soft crystal pools they were now bitter and cold, stabbing Harry repeatedly in the heart like the icicles they clearly were now.
“So what does that,” Harry choked out, “What does that mean for us?”
“What do you mean, ‘what does the mean for us’?” Louis snapped, “I’m getting married end of.”
“So that’s it,” Harry asked, anger beginning to boil in his veins, “You’re just going to marry her?”
“Well, she is my fiancée, Harry; that’s usually how it works,” Louis said, his tone mocking.
“Do you care about me at all?!” Harry shouted, “Did you ever care about me?! Or was I just your play thing until you got married and decided to toss me aside?!”
“Please,” Louis sighed exasperated, burying his head in his hands, “Can we not go there?”
“Do you care about her then?” Harry challenged, taunted.
“It’s my duty!” Louis shouted, ignoring the knight’s question, “It’s my duty as a Prince! A duty to my country!”
“Duty?! You want to talk about fucking duty?! I’m a knight!”
“I didn’t ask you for this! Fuck, you should have known this was coming!”
Harry stopped dead, breathing heavily, as Louis’ words sank in. He supposed that he did know this was coming eventually. After all, Louis had been welcomed to Barba as Princess Eleanor’s fiancé, but still, a small part of Harry liked to pretend, liked to imagine. Some part of the knight had thought deep down that his blissful state with the Prince would last forever, but it obviously couldn’t. Maybe it was a mistake to start this whole thing in the first place. But as Harry looked at Louis standing before him with his arms crossed defensively, he didn’t want to go back to before this whole thing started. He wanted to go back to when Louis’ eyes weren’t narrowed but crinkled with laughter, when his lips weren’t tight but always smiling, when they were happy and perfect. And they could still be happy and perfect; Harry wasn’t willing to give up on that small part buried deep within him yet.
“We can run away together,” Harry suggested quietly.
Louis’ face fell back into the blank slate, his eyes seeming to stare through Harry.
“Like that first day we properly talked in the library,” Harry choked out, his eyes beginning to burn, “I can be Lancelot and you can be my Guinevere.”
Louis just looked away, pulling at the end of his sleeve and not saying anything.
“I love you,” Harry whispered, one last broken, desperate plea.
Louis still wouldn’t look at Harry, his eyes intently focused on a spot on the wall and his face still painfully blank. The silence rang louder in the room than any of their previous shouts. It bored deep into Harry’s brain and left a tense blanket suffocating the two. The knight kept waiting for Louis to look at him, to turn around, wrap him in his arms, and tell him they’d get through this, they’d find a way and think of something. But it never came.
Another minute passed with nothing. Harry gave Louis one last pleading look, a tear slipping past and streaking down his cheek before turning and leaving. The closing door echoed loudly, hauntingly, in the Prince’s chambers.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis watched as the door rattled in its frame. He stared hard at the wood, the intricate cuts almost like wounds. This seemed familiar, but this time it wasn’t some misunderstanding that he could fix. He had really fucked up this time. The Prince could feel a dark, cold feeling clawing deep into his chest, marring his lungs and heart alike with aching scars. He felt like he was going to be sick. He had never felt this horrible ever, and remembering the look on Harry’s face just made it worse. God, seeing Harry’s face so broken and knowing that he was the cause of it, Louis kind of wanted to punch himself.
He shook his head, trying desperately to clear it of any negative thoughts. He had to do this. It was the right thing to do. And maybe it was better to end it now than for it to drag on and get worse later. Yes, that was it; that was the way he needed to look at things. It was hard to think of the positives – however made up they were – when every time he closed his eyes he just saw green ones. Harry always had very pretty eyes. They put any priceless emerald Louis had ever seen to shame. Even when they were brimmed with tears and swimming with confusion and hurt, they were still gorgeous.
The Prince could feel his knees buckling, the weight of everything pushing harshly on his shoulders while simultaneously pulling his limbs in opposite directions. It almost felt like the pain he felt in his mind was projecting some sort of punishment on him physically. He probably deserved it. Soon, it all became too much, and he collapsed onto the cold surface of the floor. His arms wrapped protectively around his body like he was trying to physically hold himself together. It didn’t seem to be working though. He felt absolutely shattered. He didn’t even realize that he was crying until he felt the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. It was a contrast to the numbing coldness he felt everywhere else.
He didn’t know how long he stays a crumbled mess on the floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind he vaguely thought I should probably get up, but it went forgotten. All his mind could really focus on is Harry, Harry, Harry, all your fault, Harry, Harry broken, look what you did, Harry. The thoughts filled every crevice of his mind, boring deep until that voice seems to be the only thing echoing there. Then it seemed to spread, crawling under his skin, swimming in his veins, drilling into his bones.
It all stopped when he heard the creak of the door opening. Hope sprang up deep in his stomach, willing away some of the darkness to a prison in the corner of his mind.
“Hey, Louis I—Oh god! Are you alright?!”
Zayn. Of course it’s Zayn. Who else would it be? Stupid hope! And just like that, the warden was gone and the cell door swung open and the dark feeling was back and rampant.
“Lou what happened?” Zayn asked, kneeling in from of Louis and brushing some of his fringe out of his eyes.
Louis just shook his head, a new bout of sobs wracking his body. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, a lump in his throat latching on painfully hard to his oesophagus.
“It’s—It’s all my fault,” he choked out, “I f-fucked up.”
“Shhh, Lou,” Zayn soothed, “It’s alright.”
“No it’s not!” the Prince wailed.
A pair of arms wrapped firmly and comfortingly around Louis. Niall. Louis wasn’t sure when the blonde arrived, but he didn’t really care. Niall always did give the best hugs. The Prince leaned into the embrace, burying his tear-stained face in his friend’s shoulder. He could feel Niall’s soothing hand rubbing up and down his spine and Zayn’s fingers running through his hair, but all he could think was Harry, Harry, Harry.
Eventually, Louis moved from wallowing on the floor to wallowing in bed. It was a vague transition between the two, but he was pretty sure that Zayn actually picked him up and carried him. Louis has always been thankful for his amazing friends. They didn’t say a word, just stayed close and offered comfort, and he needed that. Ultimately, though, he needed to be alone.
Zayn and Niall left, leaving Louis staring blankly at the canopy over his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. In and out. In and out.

I love you

No, he was not allowed to think about that. It didn’t matter, though. That phrase was branded into his skin, tattooed over his heart, and engraved in his mind. He couldn’t escape it, and if he was honest with himself, he really didn’t want to.

I love you

Louis focused on the canopy, trying to drown out the line repeating in his mind like a broken record. He counted the swirls, traced the lines with his eyes, tried to find images amongst the colours, anything to pull his attention elsewhere.

I love you

The Prince closed his eyes, finally letting the words wash over him.

I love you

He rolled over onto his side, one last tear falling while he hugged his pillow close.
“I love you too,” he whispered.
~~~~~
Louis awoke to obnoxious sunlight pouring in through the window and stabbing through his eyelids. He let out a low groan before burying his face in his pillow. He didn’t want to face the day. Could he just stay wrapped up under the duvet for the rest of his life? At least his duvet didn’t hate him. At least he hadn’t created a massive wound that would never heal properly with his duvet.
He heaved a heavy sigh before dragging himself out of bed. He didn’t bother freshening up, merely threw on a clean shirt and pair of trousers and trudging out the door. He couldn’t even be bothered with the proper posture of a prince, walking the corridors folded in on himself as though the guilt was pulling him inward and forcing him to concave.
“Hey Louis!” a chipper voice called behind him. He turned to see Eleanor smiling bright as always.
“Oh, hi.”
“Are you alright. You look a bit… poorly.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” That’s a lie. I feel like shit.
“Alright. Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m an excellent listener.”
“Thanks… well I’m just going to—” he pointed lamely over his shoulder.
“Of course. I’ll see you later, yeah?” she smiled again.
“Sure,” Louis offered before turning to walk in the opposite direction, Eleanor watching his back with sympathetic eyes.
Louis continued walking until he came to his first stop: the library. Of course, it was empty because why would Harry make it easy? Next, he tried to knights’ quarters in the lower towns, but there was no sign of curly hair and green eyes. With a heavy heart, Louis made his way back towards the castle, checking the courtyard for the knights, but they seemed to have the day off. There was no training today, which meant there was no Harry. With no ideas left, Louis began walking aimlessly through the castle, checking random rooms, his spirits dropping lower and lower with each failure to locate the head knight.
Louis peered his head around the door to the armoury, but once again came up empty. He was about to turn away when he caught sight of the only person who could most likely save his mood and help him fix this: Liam.
“Liam!” Louis called, sauntering into the room. Liam froze in his polishing of a blade, his back muscles visibly tensing.
“Oh…ummm…hi, Louis,” Liam replied nervously.
“Where’s Harry?” Louis asked, slapping Liam on the back and sitting beside him.
“I…ummm…I don’t know. I haven’t seen him today.”
“I know you know where he is.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”
“Are you really withholding information from me, the Prince?”
“That’s not fair,” Liam mumbled.
“I’m ordering you to tell me,” Louis growled.
Liam let out an exasperated sigh. “He went home, okay!”
“I checked the lower town. He wasn’t there!”
“Home. He went like home home.”
“Oh… well thanks for your help Liam,” Louis said, standing up and making his way towards the door.
“And Louis?” Liam called.
“Yeah?” Louis asked, pausing in the doorway.
“Fix it.”
Louis nodded before making his way back towards his bed chambers, a new wave of determination settling deep within him. It crept into his system like a fog, fuelling him forward.
He burst through the doors to his room to find Niall and Zayn having what appeared to be a very intense game of cards. Both looked up at the sound of the door, though.
“Oh, are you done moping around the castle then?” Zayn asked.
“I wasn’t moping,” Louis protested.
“That’s not what the other servants who saw you said,” Niall quipped.
“Whatever,” Louis grumbled, “Where’s my riding gear?”
“Why? Going to go mope in the forest now?” Zayn remarked sarcastically.
“Actually I’m going to fix the fucking mess I made thank you very much!” Louis snapped.
“There over there,” Niall whispered, pointing by the wardrobe.
“Thank you, Niall.”
Louis roughly pulled on his riding boots, grabbed his gloves, and stormed out of the room.
~~~~~
The good thing about the long ride to Harry’s hometown was that it gave Louis a chance to clear his head after his outburst back at the castle. It wasn’t really his fault; his emotions were a bit all over the place at the moment. The ride also gave him a chance to think about what he was going to say.
Louis followed the directions Liam had given him before he left, and after a few hours he came to an abandoned town. He remembered Harry telling him about how it was attacked, and Louis could see that now. Black soot stained the wood of some of the houses while others had gaping holes burned into them. Broken pottery lay askew on the ground and gardens were overgrown with weeds. An eerie wind seemed to blow through the town, carrying the past on it. Louis could almost feel the fear of the long gone townspeople, hear the screams, smell the smoke. The Prince dismounted his horse and walked carefully and quietly through the town centre. Too much noise would be like disturbing a grave.
Louis continued walking until he found Harry’s horse tied up and grazing outside of one of the homes. He tied his own horse beside him and carefully ventured inside the small home. The inside was a bit wrecked, but it was obvious someone had come in and picked things up. Louis’ eyes scanned around. It looked like this place was probably cosy and homely way back when. His eyes continued to roam before landing on a single bed in the corner. Atop the bed lay Harry curled up in a ball with his back to the door.
Harry didn’t seem to notice Louis’ presence, so the Prince cleared his throat. Harry looked over his shoulder then turned back around. The silence seemed to drag on forever for Louis before he decided to speak.
“Liam told me you were here,” he explained awkwardly, at a loss of how else to start the conversation.
“Some friend he is,” Harry grumbled.
Louis paused. “I-I can go if you want.” Please don’t want me to go.
“Whatever; do what you want. It’s not like I’m important, so what does it matter what I think?”
“Harry, you know that’s not true. You are important.”
Louis took a seat beside Harry on the bed, but Harry just scooted closer to the opposite edge. The Prince tried to get Harry to face him by pulling on his arm, but the knight merely wrenched free from the grip.
“Haz, come on. Don’t be like this.”
Silence.
“I don’t know what you want me to do,” Louis choked out, “I’m sorry, okay? I fucked up. I fucked up massively, but I-I can’t lose you! I love you too much to l-lose you.”
“Do you mean it?” Harry asked, finally rolling over to face the Prince.
“What do you—Of course I mean it!”
Before Louis could even blink, Harry was jolting up from the bed and curling around Louis like an overly cuddly octopus. He pressed his face into Louis’ neck as if the Prince was the oxygen he had been so deprived of, like he needed Louis to live. Louis clung to the knight with the same force, his fingers digging into his back. He liked to think that maybe he could claw his way into Harry’s body and just curl up and live there.
“I love you,” Harry whispered, kissing the junction between Louis’ neck and shoulder.
“I love you too,” Louis whispered back as he ran his fingers through the soft curls at the nape of Harry’s neck.
Louis could feel Harry smile against his skin before he was pulled down to lie on the bed and Harry snuggled against his chest like a toddle to his mother during a storm. Louis chuckled lightly, wrapping an arm securely around the knight’s waist while the other combed through his curls. They were silent for a moment before Harry pulled back to look up at Louis with wide, pleading eyes.
“You’re not going to still marry her, are you?” he asked.
“If I do, I’ll lose you, won’t I?” Louis replied, brushing Harry’s fringe off his forehead.
Harry didn’t respond. He merely continued to stare up at Louis. The Prince sighed lightly, running his fingers through Harry’s hair once before cupping his jaw.
“We’ll start a war,” Louis whispered.
“You’re worth it,” Harry whispered back.
Louis gently ran his thumb along Harry’s cheekbone. “So are you.”
Harry surged up and forward, their lips crashing together. They spilled every emotion they had into that kiss: fear, pain, but most importantly love. All that mattered was that swelling but beautiful feeling they felt in their chest, that sweet fluttering in their stomachs, that smile that had a mind of its own and peeled across their face from the smallest looks, that spark that stole through their veins and settled in their bones from any contact. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was probably going to be the most difficult thing either had experienced. Tomorrow was going to be the start of hell. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that moment right there and then. All that mattered was them. They memorized each other’s taste, how each felt under the other’s fingertips. They stayed in bed and shared and gave everything they had. Skin pressed against skin. Fingers clasped tightly together. And hot breathes intermingling with the sounds of ‘I love you’.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis woke up warm. But not the obnoxious warm where you want to kick off the sheets and lay pitifully on the bed. No, this was a nice warm. The kind of warm that gently floats through your veins before settling snuggly around your heart like a cosy blanket. The kind of warm that makes you feel safe.
Louis woke up with his cheek pressed against Harry’s chest and a strong arm wrapped securely around his waist. They were lying in a rickety bed in the middle of a rundown house, but it didn’t matter because there was nowhere else that Louis would rather be. He could hear Harry’s heartbeat under his ear, strong, steady, soothing. The Prince considered letting his eyes slip shut once again, allowing the beat to lull him back into the world of dreams, but the morning sun was already creeping in through the window so he knew it was fruitless.
Louis craned his neck to look up at the boy sleeping beneath him. Harry looked good in the trickling rays of the morning sun. Well, he always looked good, but he look good. The light danced deliciously across the pale skin of his cheekbones and bounced off his hair so that the tousled mess of curls that lay across the pillow looked more like a halo than anything. Louis let his eyes wander over every feature of the sleeping knight. They travelled over the bow of his perfectly plump lips that parted with each of puff of slow, even breathing and traced the smooth cut of his jaw line.
Louis’ eyes moved down along Harry’s neck, smiling smugly when he noticed the remnants of last night littered and standing out stark on his pale skin. His eyes finally finished their trek, landing on the strong expanse of Harry’s chest. He couldn’t help but reach a hand out, his fingers tracing the three scars that marred the skin over his ribs. Louis still remembered that day, when the scars were red and angry instead of pale and healed. The day when he suddenly felt the need to take care of that knight with the stupid hair and stupid green eyes. The day everything changed for the better. The day where Louis’ life was finally given some meaning, some happiness.
The Prince let out a content sigh, continuing to trace intricate patterns into Harry’s chest.
“What are you doing?” a voice croaked above him.
“Nothing,” Louis replied, turning to place a gentle kiss over Harry’s heart.
“We should probably set out soon. It’s a bit of a ride back, and we want to make it back before the sun starts to set.”
“No!” Louis grumbled, burying his face in Harry’s shoulder, “I wanna stay here.”
“Lou…”
“Just a little while longer? Please?” Louis pouted.Harry sighed. “Fine,” he acquiesced.
Louis smiled and nuzzled deeper into Harry’s warmth, closing his eyes as soothing fingers carded through his hair.
“We shouldn’t stay too long,” Harry began.
“Don’t ruin the moment Harold,” Louis scolded, biting playfully into his shoulder.
Harry chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest and sending chills up Louis’ spine. Louis loved the sound of Harry’s laugh, and he couldn’t help the small smile he pressed against the knight’s skin. Louis went back to tracing patterns with his fingers. He traced an invisible L heart’s H and looked up to gage Harry’s reaction but he seemed otherwise distracted. The knight appeared lost in thought and not a very pleasant one if the furrowed brows and downward turn of his lips were anything to go by. Louis frowned himself, reaching up to push the corners of Harry’s lips upward.
Harry couldn’t help but smile. “What are you doing?” he chuckled.
“There it is,” Louis whispered, leaning up to kiss the dimple that now dented the knight’s cheek.
“You’re cute.”
“You’re cuter.”
“I can’t be cute! I’m a knight! I am manly!”
Louis let out a loud burst of laughter and Harry could stop the fond smile that stretches across his face. Seeing Louis’ eyes alight and crinkled at the sides while the beautiful sound tumbled from his mouth was one of his favourite sights. As the tidal waves of reality washed over the forefront of his mind and drowned out all other thoughts, Harry’s face fell.
“We really should go,” he whispered.
“Wow, you are just the ultimate moment killer aren’t you,” Louis joked.
“Lou,” Harry sighed, “you’re the Prince. How’s it going to look that you’ve gone off on your own?”
“Fine,” Louis clipped, rolling off Harry and standing up from the bed.
“Louis, I’m sorry. I just—”
“I know.”
There was an awkward pause in which they both gave small smiles before Louis gave a defeated sigh and spoke again.
“It’s just—I wish—”
“I know.”
Harry stood up from the bed and pressed a soft kiss to Louis’ lips. It was brief and simple, but out of everything that was the moment Louis wanted to remember most. That small moment in time where it felt like time had stopped, like the world fell away below their feet and they were left floating alone. That moment with the soft light of the sun coming in the window and the stillness around them. That moment with Harry’s body pressed firmly against his, where he could feel the warmth and love seeping from his pores. That moment where words were exchanged through the gentle press of lips, I love you, we’ll get through this, you and me forever. That moment of HarryandLouis.
Harry soon pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” Louis whispered back. “Back to reality now?”
“Sadly.”
~~~~~
The ride back to Barba was definitely longer than Louis’ ride to Harry’s village. Louis decided that it was very obviously Harry’s fault, that he was just way too distracting. His face and his curls were just too tantalizing, so logically Louis had to stop them for a heated snogging session behind a tree. The Prince really couldn’t be held accountable. Of course it really was Harry’s fault when they passed a tavern playing music and the knight insisted that the two share a dance. Sometimes Louis swore he was dating a total dork, not a brave knight.
They eventually reached Barba just as the sun was beginning to set. As the city walls came into view, it really hit Louis what exactly they were about to do. All his nerve ends seemed to spike and he was sure that as they got closer, he was going to be sick.
Soon, they passed under the emblem and were greeted by the guards at the gate. Harry gave them a curt nod, but Louis was too busy trying to get his shit together in his jumbled brain to even acknowledge them.
Louis silently dismounted his horse and began the trek up the stairs and into the castle. He made it about ten paces through the corridor before his arm was being roughly tugged and he found himself in an alcove behind a tapestry. Louis was quite proud of his ability to keep in the slightly undignified yelp that threatened to escape his throat, and when he turned around blinking confusedly, he was greeted with gentle green eyes and a soft smile.
“Are you okay?” Harry whispered.
“I’m fine,” Louis replied.
“Are you sure?” Harry persisted. “You looked a bit dazed early, and I think you walked back inside on auto-pilot.”
“I’m. Fine.” Louis reiterated.
Harry merely raised a sceptical eyebrow.
“Okay, fine. I’m freaking out. But—I mean—how am I supposed to tell the King that I can’t marry his daughter? How am I supposed to tell Eleanor that I no longer want to marry her? How am I supposed to tell my father I’ve broken my duty to bring our nations together?”
Louis didn’t even realize how hysterical and tense he had become until he was being pulled against Harry and he relaxed into the strong arms wrapped tightly around him. Louis tried to focus on the warmth of the embrace, Harry’s steady heartbeat.
“It’s going to be okay, Lou,” Harry whispered, pressing a light kiss to the top of the Prince’s head.
“But how can you know that?”
“Because I love you and you love me and that’s all that matters.”
Louis pulled back slightly, standing up on his tiptoes to press a soft kiss to Harry’s lips. He pulled back with a soft smile before turning around and taking a deep breath. Now or never.
The Prince pushed away any remaining nerves and hastily made his way to the great hall before he could change his mind and flee in fear to his bed chambers. Closing his eyes and taking one last deep breath, Louis pushed open the door to the great hall. The hall seemed even more elaborately decorated than the last time he had been in there. His eyes flickered around the room at the lavish wreaths and garnishes decorating the walls, tied beautifully with ribbon for the wedding party’s respective families, at the summery flower arrangements that lined the walls. They were obviously coming along with the wedding plans. That thought made Louis’ stomach churn slightly with the news he was about to reveal.
“Louis!” a voice called behind him.Louis turned around to see the Princess Eleanor making her way towards him. He tried to offer her a smile, but it died quickly on his lips. Eleanor had been nothing but kind to him from the very moment they had met. She had been sweet even though he clearly showed no interest and she was nothing but understanding even through his poorly made excuses to run off. If there was one person that Louis genuinely felt bad about letting down by calling of the wedding, it was her.
“Louis,” Eleanor said brightly, approaching the Prince, “I was wondering if we could step out and maybe have a chat? There’s something that I wanted to—”
“Prince Louis!” a deeper voice interrupted.
The King approached the pair, extravagantly dressed as ever in gold and furs, and gave Louis a harsh pat on the shoulder. The King was grinning widely, clearly having already started in on the wine if his slightly flushed cheeks were any indication.
“Good of you to show up,” the King teased, laughing heartily, “we were getting worried! Thought we might have to send out a search party!”
“Oh…ummm…I just went for a ride,” Louis explained.
“Well let’s hope you’re not getting cold feet!” the King joked.
Louis tried to laugh along with the King but it sounded nowhere near real. It was difficult to focus on giving a convincing fake laugh when he could feel his heart rate steadily increasing, his hands beginning to shake and become clammy, his face heating up with the permanent staining of a blush. The longer he laughed, though, Louis figured the longer he had to think of a way to start this conversation. How exactly does one go about explaining that he can’t marry a man’s daughter? Like seriously?! Why didn’t they think this plan through more? Why didn’t they think to work on a speech on the ride back to Barba? And why is Louis still laughing?Louis cleared his throat awkwardly, offering a small smile to the clearly confused King and Princess. He tried desperately to focus on the task at hand. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking of curly hair, green eyes, and a lopsided smile to relax him.
“So um about that… yeah…” Louis began. A shaky start it was. At least it could only go up from here?
“I’m sorry?” the King asked, clearly still if not more confused.
“I um I uh,” Louis cleared his throat, finding his voice. “I can no longer go through with the wedding. I’m sorry.”
Louis bit his lip, waiting for the reaction from the King. His nerves were on fire with anticipation, his mind was reeling with the worst possible scenario, and his heart seemed to be trying to beat its way out through his ribcage. The King was silent for a long time – or it felt like ages to Louis. He wasn’t sure if the King was still confused or merely in shock. It was apparently neither as the silence was soon broken by the King’s booming laughter. It was the Prince’s turn to be confused, as he watched the King’s face turn red and eyes begin to water.
“That’s a good one, that is,” the King finally spoke, having calmed down. “He’s a funny one. You’re lucky Eleanor.”
Well this wasn’t a good sign.
“It’s actually not a joke, your Majesty,” Louis said meekly.
“What?” the King clipped sharply.
“I can no longer go through with the wedding.”
“Your father and I had a deal!”
“I-I know, but perhaps we can arrange a new deal?”
“This was the only thing keeping our nations from warring!”
“Yes, I—”
“They’re blood will be on your hands, boy!”
“But I—”
“Is there a particular reason you are throwing away the agreement?”
“It—It’s nothing against Eleanor. She’s lovely; I just—”
“She’s just not good enough for you?!” the King accused with a sneer.
“No! No, I—” Louis tried to argue. This was definitely an utter disaster.
“The great Prince Louis can only have the best of the best!” the King mocked, “and apparently my daughter isn’t one of them.”
“But I—”
“Guards! Show the high and mighty Prince out this instant!”
“What?” Louis squeaked.
Before Louis could even blink, two guards had a strong hold on each of his biceps, hauling him roughly towards the door.
“Your Majesty please!” Louis begged.
It was too late though. The King had turned away and the guards had successfully pulled him out the great hall. Louis thought that was the end, but the guards continued to drag him through the corridors. He quickly figured out where they were headed and began thrashing in protest as the main door of the castle came into view.
“No! Stop! You can’t—”
Just as Louis contemplated kneeing one of the guards hard in the stomach, he caught sight of a familiar head of hair. A head of hair that could hopefully be able to help him.
“Liam! Liam!” Louis called.
The knight’s head whipped around and his eyebrows instantly furrowed in confusion at the sight of Louis surrounded by guards and being dragged away.
“Louis, what—”
“No time! Just tell Harry that—”
Before Louis could finish his sentence, he was being tossed out the castle. He quickly spun round, desperate to get back inside, to find Harry, to do something -- particularly something that didn’t involve getting thrown out of the castle. Alas, though, he was greeted with the sight of the large door being slammed in his face.
Louis stared at the door for a moment. He wasn’t sure what was moving faster, his heart or his brain, and he couldn’t seem to catch up with either of them. He felt literally numb, like every ounce of any emotion whatsoever had drained from his body and was no sitting as a puddle of goo at his feet. As he let his forehead slump against the wood, he could only utter one word-
“Shit.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis sat in the carriage, his face buried in Zayn’s shoulder. He had stopped crying a little while ago, but his face was still blotchy and red, his blue eyes rimmed with red and slightly puffy. Zayn was soothingly running a hand through the hairs at the back of Louis’ neck, but Louis didn’t take any notice. He continued to stare dazedly out of the window of the carriage. The landscape seemed to blur together in a swirl of blues and yellows and greens, blurring at the edges as straggling tears slid down Louis’ cheeks. This wasn’t how it was meant to go. This was so far from how it was meant to go that Louis didn’t even know how to feel. He just felt empty. Like a dark and hollow nothingness churned deep in the pit of his stomach. It swirled up into his chest where it wrapped around his lungs and hearts, constricting tighter and tighter and the carriage pulled further and further away from Barba. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Lou,” an Irish voice broke through Louis’ haze. “You and Harry love each other, so it’ll all work out in the end.”“Doesn’t seem that way to me,” Louis grumbled under his breath. Niall didn’t even seem fazed by the comment, continuing on in his bright, bubbly tone. “You know, my uncle used to say: love is the most powerful thing in the world! It can start wars and bring people back to life.”“Well part of that is definitely true…”“Niall’s right, babe,” Zayn added, his tone soft and gentle. “Try not to work yourself up.”Louis let his head lull against the window of the carriage, the cold pressing against his forehead a welcoming sensation to his numb skin. “Easier said than done.”~~~~~Somewhere along the journey from Barba back home, Louis fell asleep. He supposed it was true what they say about crying draining you. Or maybe it was just that emptiness again, tearing away all other emotions until all that’s left is a state of tiredness. Either way, Louis woke up in a warm bed with an even warmer body pressing against his back. He couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of contentment. He felt comfy and safe with that heat behind him and that arm slung lazily across his waist. A soft smile played on Louis’ lips as he leaned back into the touch. He slowly rolled over and blinked open his eyes, but instead of being greeted by his favourite green eyes, he was met with sad, brown ones. Zayn. Louis should’ve known really.
As the haze of the morning faded away, all the events of yesterday came rushing back, cramming Louis’ thoughts and jamming into every crevice of his mind. Louis could feel his heart drop. It was as though someone had tied an anchor around his heart and just let it drop, let it tear through his lungs and take his breath before settling painfully in the cold pit of his stomach. Louis let out an audible sigh this time, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and praying the tears threatening at the back of his eyes would stay at bay. Zayn gave Louis a small smile and moved his hand to squeeze at the Prince’s hip. He knew what had been going through Louis’ head. Zayn understood. Zayn always understood. “Zayn, I—” Louis’ words caught in his throat, his lip wobbling of its own accord. “Shhh. It’s okay, Lou,” Zayn said softly, pulling Louis closer against his chest. “Ni went to get your breakfast, okay?”“Okay,” Louis whispered.“And we won’t move all day. At least not ‘til you feel better.”“Thanks.”Suddenly, the door to Louis’ bed chambers was being swung open and a head of blonde hair appeared hidden behind a stack of pancakes. “Hey, Ni,” Zayn greeted. “Hi.”Niall carefully draped the tray full of pancakes and glasses of juice across Louis’ lap before climbing back into the large bed on Louis’ other side. It was actually nice, Louis thought, having his two best friends bracketed on either side of him. He actually felt safe and warm and a bit at home. But it wasn’t the same as he had felt the night before. Being wrapped in Harry’s arms had been the best feeling in the world, encircled in warmth and love and Harry’s stupid smell that was intoxicating. The combination of the heartbeat that had been under Louis’ ear and the light puffs of air that danced across the crown of Louis’ head and— nope! Nope! Not going to think about it! Not going to think about Harry!Can’tthink about Harry!.“Louis…?”When Louis came out of his daze and his brain refocused, he was greeted with a pair of blue eyes looking at him worriedly. “Aren’t you going to eat your breakfast?” Niall asked.
“I’m actually not very hungry if I’m honest,” Louis replied, picking at a loose thread on the duvet. “You need to eat Lou,” Zayn said quietly.“Yeah, especially since you have to go see your father.”“I have to what?”“I’m sorry. When I was getting your breakfast, I was told ‘to tell the Prince his father wishes to see him’.”Louis groaned and let his head drop into his hands. He didn’t want to move from his bed and he definitely didn’t want to get up in order to see his father. He could already see the conversation between him and his father; it involved lots of yelling and being called a disappointment to the family and the crown. Just a great addition to this already perfect day! Louis thought to himself. If Louis was honest, this whole day was really starting to get him, and it was still morning. His head already had that unwelcome pulse to it, and his limbs seemed to have given up on doing anything other than lying there listlessly. That dark, horrible feeling from yesterday was back too, but this time, it was collagulating upon his shoulders, weighing him down. All he really wanted to do was sleep. That way everything else in the world could dissolve away around him, fade to black. Louis rubbed a tired hand over his face. “Might as well go now? Get it over with?”“We’ll be right here when you get back!”“Yeah, and we can go back to the original plan then,” Zayn added. “Thanks. You guys really are the best.”With a deep sigh, Louis heaved himself up from the bed. Almost instantly, he missed the warmth of his bed and best mates. The cold of the stone beneath his feet wasn’t helping as it seeped up through his toes and into his veins, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “Do you want me to get you some fresh clothes?” Niall offered. “No, that’s okay. What’s the point, right? I’m just going to climb back into bed after.”“Good luck!”“Thanks.”
With a last half hearted smile to his best mates, Louis pulled on some trousers and trudged his way to the door and out into the corridor. He made sure to keep his head down as he made his way to his father’s chambers. Despite the servants’ obedience and respect, the Prince could feel their eyes on him, staring at the bags that hung below his eyes, watching the drag of his steps, judging and calculating but never speaking. Soon, Louis was standing in front of the looming door that was his father’s chambers, and with a heavy sigh, he pushed it open. His father was sitting at his desk, various pieces of parchment spread out around him. He was still as stoic and stern looking as Louis remembered even though he’d been gone for months. He supposed some things never change. His sisters may have grown taller, but his father would always be bullheaded. Louis stood near the door for a few moments, shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. Still, his father didn’t look up or even seem to notice his presence, kept his nose deep within the scrawl he was writing. After a few more moments of silence and some fidgeting of his fringe nervously, Louis cleared his throat. His father looked up in surprise, but his face quickly changed upon taking Louis in. “Louis.” Louis could see his father’s eyes darken despite the distance between them. Definitely not the best start. His father stood from his seat and began making his way towards the Prince. Louis braced himself in anticipation, but his father stopped once he made it around his desk. “Come here,” his father said darkly. Louis slowly stepped further into the room and closer to his father, keeping his head bowed and mouth shut. “I was very surprised to see you yesterday, Louis, and even more surprised by the letter I received from King Charles of Barba.”Louis remained silent. “What were you thinking, boy?! Not only have you tarnished the family name and don’t even get me started on the state of the crown, but you started a bloody war! Do you have any idea what that means?! Or can your meager brain not understand such a concept?!”Despite the comment, Louis kept his lips pressed firmly together and his eyes glued to the intricate carpet beneath his feet. He didn’t even flinch when his father took a step even closer, when Louis could feel the heated puffs of breath dance across his cheeks. “And if that’s not enough, don’t even get me started on the reasoning behind your stunt! I saw the letter that you wrote to your mother, about the new ‘friend’ you made. Do you think I’m an idiot?!” His father’s hand shot forward and gripped Louis’ shirt collar, dragging him closer harshly. Louis tried not to flinch, to let it just happen. He made sure to keep his eyes downcast and away from his father’s red and angry face. It would end eventually, and his compliance would hopefully make the ordeal easier. “You’re just a disgrace of a son, you dirty faggot. You ruined everything just because you like some pretty boy’s cock,” his father sneered, releasing Louis from his grip and causing the Prince to stumble backwards. Louis the back of his father’s hand hitting his cheek before he felt it. He stumbled again with the force of it and bit his lip hard against the stinging that was beginning to burn underneath the skin. “Always were a piss poor example of a man too,” his father leered. “Now get out of my sight, you queer. I have to clean up your stupid mess.”With a hand pressed to his aching cheek, Louis quickly make his way out of the room. He kept his head ducked as he swerved and shouldered through servants back to his bed chambers. Zayn and Niall were sitting on Louis’ bed when he re-entered the room, and both looked up when the Prince walked in. Both their smiles slipped off their faces, though, when they took in Louis’ appearance: his drawn face, his sad eyes, the bright red mark marring his cheek. “Louis! What happened?”“I’m fine, Niall. It’s nothing, really.”“Come lay down,” Zayn urged, getting up and gently pulling Louis towards the bed. Louis complied easily, let Zayn pull him to the bed. He didn’t protest when his shoulder was gently shoved, pushing him to lay back, nor did he comment when Zayn’s fingers began softly carding through his hair. At least the touch took away some of the pain from his cheek. “I’m gonna go get some ice,” Niall muttered before leaving the room. Louis lay there in the silence, his thoughts wandering helplessly. He thought about the events of the morning and yesterday, everything swirling precariously through his mind. It wasn’t long before the Prince’s mind was drifting back to those familiar curls and green eyes, and before he could stop himself, Louis was asking the question that had been on his mind all day:“What do you think Harry is doing right now?”“Lou…” Zayn said, his tone wary.“I know. Sorry.”~~~~~Harry looked out at the green grass of the field before him. It was peaceful and beautiful this way: a sea of green, rippling gently with the breeze, and glints of the bright sun above bouncing off the remaining dew from the morning. It was weird to think that soon a massacre would occur here, that the green would soon be stained with red, that the whistle of the wind would be overpowered by the screams of dying men and the clash of metal. Harry shook his head, trying to disperse the dark thoughts from clouding his head. He needed to think straight, he needed to keep his head clear. Otherwise… no! He couldn’t think about that either. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus his mind. He was head knight and he was part of the cavalry; he was more important to this battle than he cared to admit. A horn sounded off to his left, but Harry’s eyes stayed forward, watching as the other army arrived. He sized up their numbers: they seemed to have a fair amount of archers and infantry but their cavalry was lacking. Looked like Barba had the upper hand; although Harry knew all too well that that didn’t mean anything. An eerie silence feel over the field, as the two opposing armies stared one and another down. Harry gave the signal to his men and watched as the infantry charged forward. Now it was a waiting game, waiting until one side to botch up and break formation. Hours seemed to pass before a hole was made in the lines of the opposing army. Once his eyes spotted the gap, Harry charged forward, the rest of the calvary close behind him. As his horse carried him deeper within the lines, Harry hacked his way through the sea of men to his left and right. He let his adrenalin take over, pulse through his veins and drive him on. His sword met metal and it met flesh but he didn’t care, focused on getting through this and winning the battle. That was all that matter. That was all that mattered. Harry was so focused on the swing of his sword that he didn’t notice the arrow tearing through the air until it was piercing his shoulder. The force of the shot caused Harry to lose his balance, and he toppled off his horse and to the ground. Not long after as his body hit the hard dirt below, blackness enveloped his vision. Harry’s mind quickly went to a set of stunning blue eyes before everything faded to nothingness.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The morning light that peeked through the curtains woke Louis the next morning. That and the still dull throb of his cheek. His father had a mean backhand. He had to give him that. With a groan, Louis rolled over and stretched out his limbs. He couldn’t help but stare up at his ceiling and think. He wondered if this would ever get easier: waking up with a hole in his chest that seemed to get bigger and bigger with each passing second, waking up with a coldness blanketing over his body and mind, waking up alone. Of course, he wasn’t really alone. Niall and Zayn had taken it upon themselves to never leave Louis’ side, even when they all slept. Louis didn’t really mind, though. Zayn and Niall always seemed to curl into one another when they slept, and Louis thought it was both adorable and endearing. Even though the sight also made his heart pang painfully in his chest, made him wish he had someone to cuddle too…
No bad thoughts today. No bad thoughts today.
Louis kicked out a leg to his left, jostling awake the boy beside him. He could definitely do with some good distraction right now. And maybe some food. And, honestly, maybe a hug. “Whaaa?” a groggy voice came from beside him.“Up and at ‘em!” Louis sang-song, putting on his best attempted chipper voice. “Are you serious right now?” Niall turned his head to give Louis his best unimpressed look, but considering the tousled hair and pillow crease on his cheek, Louis found it more cute than threatening. “Come on, Ni,” Louis said, ruffling the blonde’s hair before climbing out of the bed. “And wake the rock beside you as well.”Niall merely let out a loud groan and buried his face back in the pillow.“I haven’t cleaned in a while and the bath isn’t going to prepare itself!”Niall’s head popped up again, a retort just on his lips, but before he could utter even a syllable, there was a loud knock at the door. Both boys stared at the door in confusion—it was a bit early to be called upon—before Louis gestured superfluously at Niall. With a grumble, Niall rolled out of bed and to the door, answering it only to find a page before him. “The King requests the Prince Louis join him for breakfast.”“Great. Thanks mate,” Niall muttered, closing the door on the page and turning back to Louis. Louis chewed on his lip nervously, anxiety clawing menacingly at his stomach and coiling around his lungs, seeming to knot in his shoulders. Why did his father want to see him? What else was there left to say that wasn’t said yesterday? The berating for his choices were done with. Did his father want to sling some more insults? Maybe get another hit in? As the different scenarios raced within the confines of Louis’ mind, the Prince couldn’t help but panic more. He didn’t even realise how hard he was biting his lip until he could taste the bitter blood on his tongue, couldn’t feel his own nails digging into his arm until gentle hands were tugging on his wrists. When Louis looked up, he met the kind but pitying eyes of none other than Niall Horan.“Let’s get you that bath, yeah?” ~~~~~Louis took a deep breath as he stared down the large doors to the great hall. He was still a bit shaken with anxiety for what was going to occur on the other side—even despite the soothing hot bath he had not ten minutes before. Hope for the best; expect the worst. That seemed like a good motto for the moment. With one last steel of his nerves, Louis pushed open the doors and walked inside. His father was already sat at the large table, eyes trained on the door, and Louis made sure to keep his spine straight as he made his way to his seat. Even if he was a bit scared, he refused to show it. Confidence, even if it was faked, was confidence. “Nice of you to join me for breakfast,” his father said as Louis took his seat. Fake courtesy, Louis could only wonder what that could mean. “You did call upon me,” Louis replied simply. His father hummed his agreement. “That I did.”A silence fell over the two as servants placed a plate of breakfast in front of the King and Prince. Louis made sure to give the maid a small nod in thanks before taking up his fork and picking at his eggs. He could still feel his father’s eyes on him and it was starting to make him uneasy. “The first battle of the war took place yesterday. The war you started might emphasise.”“Oh?” Louis tried to keep his voice cool. “Yes. We didn’t win; although, I doubt you care. We were lucky however in that our knights captured a number of prisoners.”Louis nodded his understanding, keeping his head down and his eyes focused on the swirl of eggs his fork was creating. “You know, I always thought it was a shame,” his father began, “that you never went into detail about your whore in the letters you sent to your mother.”Louis clenched his hands but remained silent. His father wanted a reaction; he knew that he wanted a reaction and Louis definitely wasn’t going to give it to him. “Of course one detail you did mention was that he was not only a knight but Head Knight.”Louis didn’t move a muscle as his father paused to take an unnecessary drink of his goblet. He knew what was coming, but he refused to believe it, silently prayed to every god, deity, spirit that it wasn’t true, wasn’t possible. “And how… wonderous was it that when going through the prisoners of war in the dungeons, I found none other than the Head Knight of Barba.”The echo as Louis’ fork slipped from his fingers and clattered against the table seemed too loud in the almost dead silent room. He couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t sure if it was the invisible hands that seemed to have a death grip around his lungs or the lump that was growing in size and blocking his throat, but Louis wasn’t getting any oxygen and he was sure he was going to pass out soon. All he could think of was Harry. Harry beaten and battered and hurt. Harry locked away in that cold, dark dungeon. HarryHarryHarry.“I believe you know the protocol for prisoners, Louis.” Louis’ father leaned forward then, his voice dropping. “I think I’ll execute your whore first.”Louis could feel his entire world crumbling around him. Every wall, every brick, every little bit and piece was crashing down into a heap of rubble. It was scattered at his feet and building up around him. It felt like he was stuck in a room of debris, the dust filling his lungs and taking away his breath, the chunks of wreckage pressing in narrower and narrower like insistent fingers against his skin. Louis just felt so utterly trapped in that one moment. His whole body was shaking, and Louis clenched his fists in an attempt to stay the trembles as he stood from the table. He needed to get away from those dark eyes and smirk of his father. He needed to get out. Now. “Excuse me, but I um I think I’ll retire to my chambers now,” Louis told his father, praying his voice didn’t sound as choked up as he knew it was. His father gave no reply, just continued to stare at the Prince with that knowingness written all over his smug face. Louis couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed past the servants coming to take the dishes away and walked out of the great hall. The walk back to his chambers seemed longer than usual. Perhaps it was because Louis was walking on shaky legs, his knees close to buckling at any minute. Or maybe it was because he still couldn’t seem to breathe properly. Or maybe it was because his brain was too busy thinking about Harry and what was going to happen to him to deal with simple functions like motor skills. Either way, it seemed like forever before Louis was stumbling through the door and into his chambers. “Z-Zayn? N-Niall?” “Hey Lou! How was- Jesus. Are you okay?”“Yeah, Niall’s right; you look really pale. Are you feeling alright?”“You look like you’re on the verge of passing out or crying or both.”“I-It’s um- it’s just—”“Here, come sit down.”Zayn gently led Louis to the bed, Niall on their tails. Louis sat down gingerly. It was nice to the weight off his feet. Of course he still had the weight in his head and on his shoulders and seemingly around his neck. “Now tell us what happened,” Zayn’s voice was soft as he knelt down in front of Louis, giving the Prince’s knees a soothing squeeze. Niall took up the spot beside Louis, running a hand through his fringe while he waited for Louis’ answer. “T-the war- battle- Harry- dungeons- gonna- t-they’re gonna—” Louis choked out a sob, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. He could feel the tears threatening to spill over, stinging insistently at the back of his eyes. “Harry what? Full sentences, Lou; come on,” Zayn persisted. Louis tried to take a deep breath. “Harry- h-he was captured a-and now—”“Oh god. Don’t tell me your father’s going to—” Zayn couldn’t finish the sentence, could only look up at Louis sadly. “They’re going to execute him?” Niall asked bluntly. “Niall! Way to be sensitive, mate!” Zayn scolded. “Sorry,” Niall mumbled. Louis didn’t care. The tears from before had won that battle and were spilling out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He tried to focus on the burn on his face and the salty taste on his lips, hoped desperately that it would keep him grounded, but it wasn’t helping much. Louis couldn’t help but pull his knees up to his chest and curl in on himself. Maybe if he folded in on himself enough, he could just disappear. He prayed to every deity he could think of to just pluck him away, take him back to awake ago, wake him up from this hellish nightmare. “Lou. Louis. Louis.”Louis face was being roughly gripped as he was forced to look Zayn in the eye. “Louis. You need to focus. You need to fix this.”“H-How? I c-can’t.”“You need to go talk to your father and—” “He won’t listen to me, Z.”“You need to make him listen to you. You need to be willing to do anything to save Harry, and you’re going to have to beg, alright? You have to do this, Louis. Think of Harry.”Louis took a deep breath. No more tears. Stay strong. “Alright.”Zayn helped Louis to his feet, and he and Niall fixed the Prince’s hair and cleaned his face. “Keep your head held high, mate,” Niall reminded, patting Louis’ shoulder reassuringly. “You got this,” Zayn added. “Thanks. Both of you.”With one last deep breath and a curt nod to his friends, Louis determinedly made his way to his father’s chambers. He didn’t even bother knocking when he came to the large door, merely walked in and to his father’s desk. “You can’t execute Harry.”His father slowly looked up from his papers. “I beg your pardon?”“Harry, the head knight, you can’t execute him.”“Oh, I’m quite sure that I can,” his father sneered, standing up to leer over at Louis.“No, you can’t. Let him live.”“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to, boy? I’m not just your father; I am your King.”“Please. I beg of you. I’ll do anything you wish; just spare his life.”“Anything? Louis, do you have any idea what you are offering?”“Yes, and I am being completely serious. Spare him, father, please.”His father’s face scrunched up in thought, and Louis hoped beyond hope that that meant he was considering the offer. “I do so hate having blood on my hands…” his father said offhandedly.
Please let that be a good sign. Please let that be a good sign.
“Of course, if I’m going to spare the life of your whore, you must spare the life of my men.”“I don’t understand…”“The war, Louis, you’ll put an end to it.”Louis stared at his father in confusion. How could he put an end to the war when technically he was the one who started it? “Here’s what you’re going to do, Louis.” His father leaned across the desk. His eyes were cold as they bore into Louis’ and his stern voice clearly said: no room for argument. “You’re going to get in a carriage and you’re going to return to Barba. You’re going to apologize to their King and beg him to reinstate our original arrangement. You’re then going to marry his daughter, produce a male heir, and forget all about your stupid whore of a boy.”Louis couldn’t do anything more than stare with his mouth slightly agape. He couldn’t go back and marry Eleanor, could he? Harry had been so upset over the marriage before; that was why Louis had called it off originally. Of course, if he didn’t agree to the deal, Harry wouldn’t be able to feel anything towards the marriage because he’d be dead. Louis wasn’t even sure if he could do: marry Eleanor, have children, forget Harry . He supposed he had to though. It was like what Zayn had said earlier: Louis had to be willing to do anything as long as it meant saving Harry’s life. Better to not have Harry alive than to have him dead. “I’ll do it.”~~~~~Louis felt numb the entire ride back to Barba. It was is if every nerve in his body decided to quit, back it’s bags, and leave his body. He just felt so tired. Tired of this week, tired of his responsibilities, tired of everything. It also didn’t help that he felt utterly alone, even with Niall and Zayn sitting beside him. The two had obviously picked up on Louis’ mood the minute he returned from striking the deal with his father. They’d been whispering to each other ever since it seemed. Louis sighed and watched out the window of the carriage. He watched dully as the scenery rolled passed, wishing the whirl of colours could just wash away all his emotions and thoughts. He already felt empty, might as well make it actually so. The carriage pulled up at the castle, and Louis worked on autopilot as he stepped out and up the stone steps. It all seemed to go by in a blur as he spoke with the King, reinstated the marriage to ensure peace, and was whisked away to make wedding arrangements. In Louis’ mind, it seemed like no time at all before he was sitting on his bed back in his chambers while Niall and Zayn unpacked his things around him. “Have you spoken to Eleanor yet today?” Niall asked, as he packed away some of Louis’ clothes into the wardrobe.“No…” Louis replied. “Do you think I should?”“Well I mean you are going to marry her.”“Oh. Right.”Louis stood up dumbly and made his way towards the door. He could hear Zayn and Niall whispering again before the door even closed behind him. The corridors were almost empty as Louis made his way to Eleanor’s chambers. All the servants were needed elsewhere as the wedding was to be as soon as possible. Louis guessed the King didn’t want to chance him getting cold feet again, which made sense. Too bad the King didn’t know he had nothing to worry about. Louis knocked on the door to Eleanor’s chambers when he arrived, and almost instantly a voice replied to “come in”, so Louis pushed open the door. Eleanor was sat at her desk, scrawling out what appeared to be a letter. “Ah, Louis,” Eleanor smiled brightly, “please come in.”Louis gave his best smile in return and took the seat on the other side of the desk. Eleanor handed her letter to her servant before turning back to Louis. “How are you, love?”“I’m alright, thanks. I wanted to come and give you a personal apology for calling off the wedding before. You didn’t deserve it.”“Oh, don’t worry. I completely understood.”“I’m sorry?”“I just meant that I know arrange marriages are difficult. We all want to marry someone we truly love, right?”“Who’s to say I won’t truly love you, though?”Eleanor hummed in thought. “I suppose we’ll see, hm? Now. As much as I hate to throw you out after you’ve just come in, I have a dress fitting I must get to.”“Of course! I’m so sorry to have kept you.”Louis stood up and walked Eleanor to the door before they parted their separate ways. As Louis walked back to his chambers he couldn’t help but think about the Princess. Maybe his marriage to her wouldn’t be too bad. At least she was kind after all. Perhaps, one day, Louis could learn to love her. Of course, he knew he would never be able to love her fully. His whole heart already belonged to someone else. ~~~~~As it turned out, the servants of the castle worked a lot faster than Louis thought they could, and as soon as possible meant only two days after he returned to Barba. Louis stared at himself in the mirror as Zayn worked on fixing his hair. It was weird looking at himself on his wedding day. His wedding day. His eyes appeared to have faded to a dull grey and still carried dark circles underneath them. Attractive. Of course, it didn’t really matter; it wasn’t like he was trying to woo anyone. “Where’s Niall?” Louis questioned as Zayn stepped back to examine his work. “Off somewhere with Liam,” Zayn replied, pulling quite hard on a chunk of Louis’ hair.“Ow!”“Sorry.”“You’re not sorry.”“Your hair is frustrating, babe. It’s not my fault,” Zayn said, planting a sloppy kiss on Louis’ cheek. “Ugh. Ew!” Louis frowned, wiping his cheek. Zayn merely cackled, patting Louis on the shoulders to signal he was finished. “Now go get changed.”Louis stood up grumpily and grabbed his wedding clothes off the bed. “Smile Lou! It’s your wedding day!”“Whoo,” Louis said flatly, flipping Zayn the finger before going behind the screen to change. After he had changed and Zayn had done some last tweaks on his hair, Louis found himself standing in the great hall with a priest beside him. The Prince tried to breathe normally and ignore the hushed murmurs from the crowd of guests as he watched the door. Soon, music was ringing out in the large room and the door was being opened. Louis watched as Eleanor made her way down the centre of the room and towards him. He had to admit, she looked stunning in her gown. When Eleanor met his eyes, she smiled softly, and Louis couldn’t help but smile back. Maybe he got lucky after all…Eleanor was almost to Louis side when she suddenly collapsed to the floor. A collective gasp was sent through the crowd as Louis and the priest went to her aid. “Eleanor! Are you alright?” Louis asked concerned.Louis wrapped an arm around her waist to help her to her feet, but Eleanor merely lost her balance again. Luckily, Louis was there to hold her up, but when he got a look at her face, he noticed just how faint she looked. “I-I’m so sorry,” she gasped, “this room is so warm and this dress—would it be terribly alright if I got some air?” She turned to the priest, “can we wait? Just a few moments.”“Of course, my Lady,” the priest bowed, “whatever you need.”“Thank you. Louis, would you help me? I don’t think I’ll be able to make it on my own without my legs giving out.”“Yes! Yes, of course.”Louis hesitated for a moment before carefully picking up the Princess bridal style. He carried her out of the great hall as the priest announced to the guests what was going on. Louis walked out of the castle with Eleanor and stood awkwardly on the grass for a moment. He wasn’t sure what the protocol for this was. “Thank you, Louis. You can put me down now.”Louis obediently placed Eleanor down on her feet and watched as she straightened out her dress and took a deep breath. “Ah. Much better.”“If you’re feeling better, should we head back inside?”“I’d much rather prefer a walk through the rose garden, wouldn’t you?”“But the wedding—”Eleanor tucked her hand in the crook of Louis’ elbow and began leading him along to the gardens, effectively cutting off any of his protest. Louis followed along with her confused, occasionally glancing back at the castle and the awaiting wedding. “I always loved the rose garden,” Eleanor explained as they walked, “especially when the roses are all in bloom at this time of year.”“Um yes… It’s nice I suppose.” Louis watched the Princess curiously. “Oh wonderful! Right on time.”“What’s right on—” but as soon as Louis turned to where Eleanor was looking, the words died in his throat. There was no way Louis was seeing correctly. He had to be dreaming. This had to be some cruel trick of his imagination. It was impossible for those curls and green eyes to be standing in front of him. But there was Harry. His Harry. He wasn’t locked away in some dungeon or about to get his head chopped off. He was standing in front of Louis, right within arms reach, and Louis could feel his breath hitching in his throat. “Well go on!” Eleanor teased. Louis didn’t need telling twice. Louis ran forward and practically jumped into Harry’s arms. Harry didn’t even stumble, just wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist and held the Prince tight. Louis hadn’t realised how much he had missed Harry until he was there, until he had him again. The strong arms wrapped around his waist, the curls that tickled his cheek, the smell Louis could never quite pinpoint was so distinctly Harry, the heartbeat pressed against his own; that was warmth, that was safe, that was home. “I missed you so much, Lou,” Harry murmured into his shoulder. “I miss you too. Love you so much,” Louis choked out. He could feel Harry’s smile against his shoulder. “I love you more.”“Shut up. How’re you even here?”Louis pulled back from the embrace to get a better look at the knight’s face. There was a few scratches and a fading bruise under his eye, but otherwise he seemed fine. “A certain knight and servant broke me out. I heard they had help from a princess.”Louis turned back to look at Eleanor in surprise. “What can I say? I figured one of us deserved a happy ending.”“Thank you.”“Don’t thank me just yet, Louis. I can only buy you two so much time.”Louis and Harry both nodded and stepped away from each other. Harry made his way to one of the horses behind him. Had those always been there? How did Louis miss that? Louis walked up to Eleanor and pulled her into a hug. “I hope you get your happy ending too,” he whispered. Louis pulled away and gave Eleanor one last smile before turning and mounting his own horse.“Ready?” Harry asked. Louis looked at the boy beside him. This beautiful boy that he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of from day one, that crashed and stumbled into his life, that seemed to set everything around Louis on fire. Louis looked at this boy and realised that he didn’t mind the flames, enjoyed the burn if he was honest. And even though the road ahead was bound to be difficult, Louis loved this boy with every fibre of his being and was willing to go into the pits of hell for him. Because it was Harry, and as long as that boy was beside him and smiling, Louis didn’t need anything else. “Ready.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Louis was floating. It felt nice, being completely weightless. He didn’t know what he was floating on—water maybe? Or a cloud?—but he didn’t care. He just wanted to float forever. Suddenly, there was a light touch on his face. Then another. And another. It was a soft and gentle touch, like a feather tracing patterns across his skin. The touches started to become more persistent and harder, and Louis shifted slightly against them. The touches wouldn’t seem to let up, though, and Louis opened his eyes only to discover he wasn’t actually floating and Harry’s face directly above his with that idiotic, wide smile stretched across it. “Good morning, sunshine!”Louis groaned and rolled over, burying his face in Harry’s pillow. Harry merely chuckled softly and straddled Louis back. “I made you breakfast,” Harry said cheerily. “Too early,” Louis muttered, although he couldn’t help but press a fond smile into the fabric. “It’s blueberry pancakes.” Harry leaned down and pressed against Louis’ back, leaving kisses in his hair. “Still too early,” Louis whined, “so get off!”Louis batted blindly behind him, but it only seemed to make Harry laugh harder, and before Louis could even react, Harry’s fingers were digging into his side. “No!” Louis squealed, trying to roll away, but Harry’s weight had him pinned to the bed. Harry cackled and kept up the torture, his fingers moving quickly along Louis’ side. The Prince’s laughter filled the room, and Harry felt urged on. That light, lilted sound was one of his favourite if not the. Harry wanted nothing more than to hear that for the rest of his life, could die happy if Louis’ laugh was the last thing he heard. “Harry!” Louis choked out. With one last kiss to the back of Louis’ head, Harry leapt off Louis and the bed and fled to the kitchen. “Don’t think you can get away that easily, you menace!” Louis chased after Harry and jumped onto his back, playfully biting his shoulder in revenge. Harry merely laughed, moving his hands back to hold Louis’ thighs. “Well would you look at that! I got you out of bed!” Harry said smugly. “Or we could always go back to bed,” Louis countered, nuzzling into Harry’s shoulder groggily. “Nice try, babe,” Harry replied, dropping Louis’ legs. “You eat breakfast and I’m going to go tend to the horses.”“Fine!” Louis huffed, sitting down at the table and pulling the plate of pancakes closer. “You’re cute when you’re pouty,” Harry dropped a kiss to the top of Louis’ head and made his way to the door. Louis bit his lip, trying to hide his fond smile in his pancakes. Stupid Harry with his stupid curls and his stupid face and his stupid personality. God, Louis loved him. Once he finished his pancakes, Louis made his way to the window, watching Harry with a smile as he groomed the horses. It was weird to think how much Louis’ life had changed. If someone had asked Louis a year ago where he saw himself, living in a small cottage in a different country with a knight he fell in love with would probably be the last response in his mind. Louis couldn’t complain though. Couldn’t complain at all actually. It was so quiet here. No longer did Louis have to deal with the hustle and bustle of living in a castle. No longer did he have to deal with the stresses of being a prince. It was just a peaceful life. A perfect peaceful life with him, Harry, and Mittens—the stray kitten Harry had insisted on rescuing from the streets of the market square. The perfect little family Harry would always say. Louis could feel the fond smile threatening to take over his face at the thought and tried to focus his mind elsewhere. Focus on the view. It was gorgeous here. Louis had never visited the country of Passerm before, but he sort of wished he had. All the green rolling hills combined with the sky that always seemed to be a crystal blue, the perfect backdrop to a wonderful new life. It wasn’t long before Louis’ eyes were dropping from the landscape to the boy standing in it. Harry looked so at ease and happy, and his happy dimply smile was one of Louis’ favourite sights. He hoped a day never came where that smile disappeared. He hoped that his father and his army would never come and take it away. He hoped that they had stopped looking by now. He was pretty sure they’d given up by now. “What’re you staring at?” Harry’s voice broke Louis out of his train of thoughts, as he walked past the window and back inside. “You. Obviously.”“And my gorgeous face?” Harry smirked. “Hmmm that’s debatable,” Louis teased. Before Louis could even blink, Harry’s limbs were enveloping him like some sort of gangly octopus. He landed on the ground with an oof, and he tried to push at Harry’s shoulders. “You’re an oaf!” Louis complained. “But you love meeee!” Harry sang. “I don’t know why though. It was a horrible life choice on my part.”Harry glared playfully before attacking Louis’ face with kisses, leaving him in a giggling mess. Once Harry and Louis peeled themselves up off the floor, they made their way into town hand and hand. Harry bought the needed fresh food while Louis browsed the various trinkets and clothing. With all their purchases in hand, the two made their way back to their cottage. “Alright. Ready to help make dinner, babe?” Harry asked, placing the groceries on the counter. “I am a prince!” Louis replied, plopping down in a seat at the table, “I don’t cook.”“You’re not a prince anymore, so get your pretty arse over here.”With a heavy sigh, Louis stood up and made his way to the stove. Harry sidled up behind Louis almost instantly, tucking his chin over Louis’ shoulder. With the help of Harry’s guiding hands, Louis prepared and cooked the dinner. It was after dinner when the two were pressed together skin against skin, that Louis’ mind drifted back to his old life. He thought back to the stories that he used to read to his sisters every night, and as he looked up at Harry sleeping above him, he realised that happily ever after really did exist and he finally got it.