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Chapter Text

Four Years back:

Water in the fountain swirls as a soft breeze blows. The soothing sounds from the gentle rustling of leaves are very calming, and when the hundreds of fireflies start to glow, it looks like stars have descended down to the planet and into the lap of the Kingdom. The entire atmosphere is so calm and harmonious that it feels like nothing could disrupt it.

Lord James walks away from the window. Nothing is helping him calm down. He is jittery and his anxiety has gone through the roof. He starts pacing the room again anxiously. His shoulders tensed, breathing distressed, hands shaking slightly, all because his son was coming back home. Since an unnamed letter arrived for him this afternoon, saying that his son will return in the dead of the night, he has been restless. In any other scenario, a father would be beyond happy, but the Lord knows what is at stake.

His son’s life.

Being selfish is human nature, and it’s not bad to do things for yourself. He was never a selfish ruler; instead, he was a people’s person. He did everything in his power to make sure the Kingdom lived peacefully and flourished. But when it came to protecting his son, he crossed all the limits. He was selfish when it came to his family. He has done things that he can never justify to the world as anything other than pure selfishness. But that’s how it worked. And he did everything for his son and no one else.

The large oak doors of his room open and the sound of footsteps fill the room. Even in the dim light, he can see the tall figure approaching him. The door closes with a soft thud just as the footsteps stop, and the figure stands in front of him. The room is again drowned in unsettled silence.

His eyes meet blue eyes, the eyes that are so much like his wife’s. They have the same depth and the same softness. It’s sad that he’d never had the luxury of seeing these eyes after the day they opened. An image of him giving an order to send his son away echos inside his head.

Sudden anger bubbles inside him; he can feel the rush of blood in his veins.

“What are you doing here? Who asked you to show up here?” His words sound more bitter than he meant them to be.

“It’s my home, father. I am the Prince. It’s time I served my Kingdom.” His son replies assertively.

“I’ll decide when it is the right time. Right now, it isn’t.” Lord James turns away and walks towards his antique rocking chair. “Go home, Niall!”

“I have decided to live here now, in my home, with my family.” Niall blinks his eyes and looks at his father carefully, trying to weigh his reaction.

The Lord shakes his head, “You don’t understand…”

Niall cuts him off in the middle, “No father, you don’t. I don’t want to stay hidden anymore. I am a Prince that no one has ever seen. It’s a shame that I live with. I can’t serve my kingdom if I don’t know what my people are facing and going through.”

King James heaves out a sigh and turns around to face him. “You will never have to do anything. I have built you an army who will guide you, who will do everything for you. This is why I formed the Academy, to train people to protect you.”

Niall shakes his head, “No! I can protect myself. I have been training for that.”

Lord James walks towards his son, concern written all over his face and in his body language. “I can’t show you to the world right now. It’s too dangerous. It’s a very vulnerable time right now.” His hands hold Niall by the shoulders. “With your aunt’s son back in the Kingdom, your search has become even more frantic. People are restlessly looking for your trace.”

Niall’s brow joins in confusion, “Aunt Johannah’s son is alive? He didn’t die in the fire with his parents?” His face lights up, his tone softens, “Where is he? I want to meet him.”

“No, you are not doing that kind of stupidity. People are out there looking for a chance to kill him. His each and every movement is closely watched.”

This takes Niall by surprise, his eyes wide open, “How? Doesn’t he have any security? Is he in the palace? No one can touch him here.”

Lord James heaves out a sigh. He walks towards his rocking chair and sits on it. “He refuses to stay in the Palace or have any security. He is stubborn. He doesn’t know how bad things are out there. He lives outside of the Palace, and I worry that one day I will come across more sad news.” His voice shakes, “I don’t even want to think about the damage it will do your mother. She was beside herself when she heard her nephew was alive.”

Niall quickly walks towards his father and sits down on his knees in front of him, “There must be a way to protect him. Give him invisible security, or a bodyguard. He can’t say no to that.”

“I have decided to send him to the Academy. That’s the safest place on earth for him. Nothing has ever gotten past those strong walls. He is obligated to attend four years of training there anyway.” Lord James says with a trace of hopefulness in his voice. “By the time he finishes his training there, he will have to join the Palace court and live here. There’s no way he can refuse it.”

Niall thinks for a while and then stands up straight. He takes a deep breath and speaks with conviction in his voice, “I will join the Academy too. I’ll make sure he is safe.”

Lord James’ heart drops to his stomach. He feels nauseated just by hearing those words. “This is no time to joke, son. You cannot go to the Academy. I can’t let the world see you.”

“Father, this is the only way to make sure he is safe there. Nobody has seen me, nobody knows who am I. I can get into the Academy under any false name and identity. Nobody is ever going to look for me there. Think about it, father. This buys both of us enough time. It will also help me know and decide who I want on my team when I come out to the world, and you can figure out how you are going to introduce me to the world after four years.”

A bead of sweat breaks out from his forehead, “Niall, this is too dangerous. A single mistake and everything falls like a house of cards.”

“Trust me, nothing will go wrong,” Niall assures him before leaving the chamber.

Lord James is left in an impossible situation. On the one hand, he has to protect his son, and on the other hand, the solution for the same is to throw him into the world under false pretenses. He can’t trust anyone with this kind of information, not even his advisors. His son’s stubbornness has put him in a very unfortunate situation. But then, he will have to trust one person with this secret.

Paul Higgins.

He’ll be sending both the Princes of the Kingdom to him for training. Paul will have to know who to protect in case the worst happens.

Present Day:

Dry leaves and twigs crunch beneath Louis' bare feet. After running for 10 miles, he just had to get rid of his shoes and socks. He feels a slight prick in his heel but doesn't stop to check it. Walking a little further, he feels soft grass beneath his feet. The comforting feeling of soft grass and earthy smell makes him feel home. Dropping to his knees, he looks around for any sign of life. There isn't any, which is exactly what he wanted. He needed some quiet time, alone. Some time apart from everyone and everything. He has been craving alone time for a few months now.

Summers can be unforgiving sometimes. The sweltering heat and fire-breathing sun makes it difficult. This year, summer was a bit bearable and thankfully, he had spent most of the summer training in advanced Martial Arts in North China. He is the reigning Martial Art champ, as everyone says in the Academy. His fast and swift movements cannot be compared. But Louis doesn't believe that. He knows there is one person who is better than him.

His instructor, Paul Higgins, once said that Louis walks like a cat, and can disappear like a ghost when required. And he isn't wrong. Louis had learned all these skills when he spent his life between boarding school and children's facilities. We learn something when it becomes absolutely necessary for survival.

And Louis is a survivor and a fighter. No one can take that away from him.

He heaves out a huge sigh and a small smile makes its way to his lips. He missed this place. He missed his friends, Zayn, Liam, and Nesson. He hasn't heard from anyone since the incident, but he is sure they are looking forward to seeing him too. Well, he isn't too sure of Nesson wanting to see him. Louis isn't sure how he feels about one of his closest friends now.

He has tried to forget the incident, but the incident never left his consciousness. Louis almost died.

It wasn't the first time he had been attacked, but what happened three months ago gave him a clue that this year, he isn't going to come out of the Academy alive. Despite this, he was determined to finish out as much of his last year at the Academy as he could. He won't chicken out like that; he won't hide away. He spent his life hiding, and he won't do it anymore. He needs some answers before he gets killed.

Before Harry Styles kills him.

Chapter Text

Louis opens the front door and carefully puts his shoes on the floor by the couch. The entire house is quiet except for some clattering of utensils in the kitchen. The warm summer breeze and sunlight makes the room look peaceful and calming.

"Louis, is that you?" A voice calls.

He walks towards the kitchen and finds Dan setting the table for lunch. "Yup," he says quietly and walks towards the cabinet to fetch a glass for water. The entire kitchen is filled with the smell of stew simmering on the pot. It’s making him hungry.

Louis leans back on the counter and looks around. He finds Dan's briefcase and white coat neatly laid on the side table. He watches Dan as he carefully lays down the napkins and arranges the cutlery. Louis admires how his guardian puts 101% effort into everything he does. Being a doctor at the royal hospital isn't an easy job. The work is demanding, the hours are demanding, and more than anything, he needs to give his full attention to every little thing.

Four years ago, the first time they met, Dan explained that he and Louis' mother shared a special bond since childhood. Considering the care and thoughtfulness that Dan has shown for him in the last four years, Louis doesn't doubt why his mother would trust him. But then again, he never knew his mother, so he can't say much. Dan is the closest to someone he can call family, for which he is thankful.

Dan looks up from his task and smiles at Louis. "Want to freshen up before lunch? Stew will take another five to seven minutes. And, you stink."

Louis chuckles and makes way to his room.

Dan’s house is pretty much like a proper Scottish home. A small garden in front, hardwood floors, flowers blooming in the garden. His home is near the palace, and the view of the city from every inch of the house is breathtaking. Sometimes Louis just sits with his cup of tea and looks out of the window, marveling at the beauty of the place for hours.

Louis rushes through his shower, puts on sweatpants and makes his way to the kitchen in ten minutes flat. Louis quietly chews his bread while looking carefully at Dan. His soft features, brown hair with blond streaks and light beard all make him look younger than he is. Dan’s eyes flicker towards Louis as he continues to eat.

"All ok?" He asks, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Louis speaks without hesitation, "Aren't you worried about me going back to the Academy after everything that happened?"

"You have the best survival instinct, Louis. I wouldn't worry about my life if I were you." Dan picks up his plate and bowl from the table and takes them to the sink.

Louis is taken aback by Dan's words. "I almost-"

Dan cuts him off, "No one will hurt you, Louis. There are people looking out for you all the time. People I trust. You are safe." Dan says lowly.

Confusion takes ahold of Louis. Dan had never told him that he has people looking for Louis' safety all the time. Was this the reason that, when Louis had woken up in the hospital bed after the attack, Dan had simply smiled? It wasn't the smile of relief. He hadn’t even seemed bothered that Louis had ended up in hospital. But Louis knows what happened that night. He was the one fighting. He was the one who got attacked from all sides. He didn't see anyone coming to his aid, just men with weapons ready to kill him. And an hour later, Dan had handed him tickets and a bag with some clothes, and led him out of the hospital through a secret passage, with only a letter for an explanation. Louis has always wondered why he has to travel under an alias and with a fake passport. Every time he has to leave a country, he gets handed a new fake passport and identity. Dan only says that it is for his own safety. Louis doubts it, but whatever.

Louis frowns, thinking about everything that Dan is hiding from him. Dan once said that he would tell him everything when the time is right, and to Louis' worst luck, that day hasn't arrived in four years.

"You are just like your mother, Johannah. Even her eyebrows joined when she would think too hard trying to figure out something." Dan says with a slight smile on his face. Walking up to Louis, he ruffles his hair. Louis looks up to him and they look into each other's eyes. Dan continues. "Lou, trust me!"

Louis nods.

Dan leaves Louis and picks his bag and doctors coat from the side table. "I hope you have everything ready for your first day back at the Academy tomorrow."

Louis nods, trying to eat his stew again, but for some reason, he has lost his appetite.

"Come on, cheer up. Tomorrow is the first day of your last year." Dan says enthusiastically. "I've heard the last year is the most fun and challenging."

Louis nods again, he is too distracted to even hold a proper conversation.

"Finish your food, and do the dishes. Alright!" Dan says. He picks up his stuff and says, "Don't wait up for me at dinner, I'll be late." The door closes behind him and Louis is left alone at home with nothing but silence.

*

Louis throws another shirt in his bag. He is both excited to go back to school and, for the first time, a bit nervous. He is confused about everything. Half of his mind is back at the Academy, wondering what will happen once he gets back, and thinking about how things must be there. He just hopes everything will go back to normal like it was, but he also knows somehow that nothing will ever be the same.

His eyes fall on the framed picture of his parents. He walks up to the frame and looks at it. Dan is right, Louis is indeed very much like Johannah, from looks to personality. Louis took everything from his mother and barely anything from his father. Louis took her features, the kindness of her heart, her down-to-earth nature, everything. He is a true copy of her. A tear makes its way to the corner of his eye. He misses her. In four years, he has heard so much about the greatness of his mother that he wishes that he could meet her once. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t give up to spend an hour with his mother.

Louis grew up in an orphanage in Brussels. After he turned five, he was sent to a boarding school in London. He didn’t know what was happening or where he was. All his life, he felt out-of-place and like an outsider. Nobody ever came to meet him or see him. He lived in the school hostel and during summer breaks, he would be sent to a new children's facility. When he would come back to the school from his break, there would be a new school uniform laid out for him, with books and everything he would need for the year. There would also be an envelope that had enough money to last the entire year. He never received anything other than that. And the money he received wasn't enough to even buy him a computer.  

His friends at school told him that he must have a guardian who was paying his school fee. He wondered who it could be. He hoped that it was his parents who paid for his education, and one day they would come to take him home. They would tell him that it was such a mistake that they had abandoned him. He made up different scenarios in his head where he would forgive his parents and would live happily with them.

One day, one of his friends invited him to a birthday party celebration at a nearby club. Louis knew all his mates from boarding school came from rich families, as they drove expensive cars and wore expensive clothes. Louis was hesitant at first to accept the invitation. He didn't want anyone to invite him out of pity, as Louis hardly ever left the school. After he insisted, Louis agreed. He even handed Louis a fake ID that would buy him drinks at the club. That evening, after a few drinks, a fight broke out between the guys from school and some other guys in the club. When the news reached the school, they were immediately suspended for a week. Next day, Louis received a letter saying:

'Nothing like this should ever happen again.'

- Your Guardian

Louis read and reread the note 20 times before breaking into sobs. It was the first time in sixteen years he ever heard from his guardian, and he wasn't sure how he felt. He was happy, sad and angry at the same time. He went to the school authorities and begged and begged them to tell him who his guardian was, but nobody knew.

He came back to his room and cried his eyes out. That day, he figured out the way to get his guardian to contact him. He would intentionally run into trouble, fuck shit up, create problems. Even his grades started to fall. Over the year, he was suspended three times, once for showing up to class drunk. But his guardian never contacted him again. By the time the term was ending, Louis gave up creating messes for himself. He accepted that his guardian would not contact him again and none of it was worth losing his grades. He put all his efforts back into his studies as he didn't want to repeat the year again.

After his graduation ceremony, as he sat alone under a tree, holding back his tears and feeling the most lonely he ever had, a man approached him. Louis' didn't recognize the tall man, wearing a blue suit, with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. He introduced himself as Dan Deakin, his guardian. For an entire minute, Louis was speechless. He wasn't sure if he wanted to fight his guardian or hug him so tight that he would choke.

Dan took him in his arms and hugged him tightly. Louis had never felt this warmth of love from someone. He held Dan for the longest time while Dan soothed his back gently. Over lunch at a posh restaurant, the kind of place Louis had never stepped in before, Dan told him why everything had to be this way.

He told him that his mother, Johannah, was a Princess of Scotland and was likely to take the throne, but was killed in a fire accident. Dan told him that Louis' life was precious and had to be saved and that there were, and still are, many people out there who wanted to take life, since the throne was still waiting for its rightful heir. Therefore, Dan had no other option but to send him overseas and keep him hidden so that no one else could find him. Dan was always under suspicion, and all of his movements were tracked by enemies of the throne, which was the reason he had to stay away from Louis. Louis was in shock, but he tried to understand Dan’s position.

Dan took him back to Scotland, to his home.

The jolt of surprise came to him when Dan told him about one of the rules of the kingdom. He told him that, every person who holds a position in the royal court has to send their sons to the Academy when they reach the age of 18 so that they can be trained to protect the Prince and administer the kingdom. Since Johannah had held an eminent position in the royal court, Louis was obligated to attend four years in the Academy.

Dan also told him that he wasn’t the only legal heir to the throne. Johannah's older sister, Mary, had a son named Niall. But no one had ever seen or heard from him since he was born. Currently, the Kingdom was ruled by Mary's husband, Lord James.

Before Louis had even landed, everyone had learned that Johannah's son was back and that he was back to claim the throne. Everywhere he went, people looked at him with happiness and love in their eyes. Some had tears in their eyes or said things like 'you are the spitting image of Johannah’ or ‘looking at you is like looking at her'. But the friendly stares and looks weren't all. Some people would shoot him a deadly stare that would have killed him right on spot. It made him uncomfortable. So much attention, that he never asked for, made him uncomfortable. The entire week was the longest of his life. First, even in his wildest dreams, he had never expected to be a part of a royal family, let alone be an heir to the throne. Second, he felt like he was put into a situation that he wasn’t sure that he wanted to be in.

Chapter Text

Scotland is home to the most beautiful castles and landscapes on the planet. Outsiders and tourists envy the beauty of the country and everything it can offer to the world. But not many people are aware that behind every beautiful thing there is something dark that is waiting to bring it down. Like every other country in the world, Scotland is ruled by a royal family. No law in the country is passed without the seal from the royal court. The power struggle among the courtiers is unimaginable. For the same reason, the courtiers have been servicing the royal court for generations and they do not allow outsiders to be a part of it.

The Dunrobin Castle, on the east coast of the Northern Highlands, is the pride of Scotland and home to the royal family. The beauty of the castle is unmatched. When this castle was constructed, it had four parts: North, East, West, South. All the parts had elaborate architecture and they were designed to protect the city from all four sides. Today, it is the North and East Sides that have the royal residence and court. 

The West Side is where the Academy is, and where Louis now stands, preparing for his first day of school. Louis tilts his head back, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as he steps inside the Academy. Opening his eyes slowly, he takes in the outstanding beauty of the Academy. One cannot tell that this architectural masterpiece is where the students are trained to protect the Kingdom. Some fifty years back, this building was home to the ruling king's second wife. The murals and paintings on the ceiling only make it all look more ethereal. The well-manicured garden is the pride of the Academy and the queen, who lived here in the 1930s, got it made. Flowers of every color imaginable bloom here all the year round. Any day, one can see colorful butterflies and hear the endless chirping of the birds.

Louis loves coming back to this place. He made real friends here -- people he could call friends without getting the feeling that they might be doing a pity service to him. Back in boarding school, when he would sit alone for lunch or in the library, and someone approached him, he always believed that it was out of pity since he was the orphan child with a mysterious guardian. It made him even more closed off.

But not here, not in the Academy. People accepted him with open arms here. His three friends care about him, help him with his studies. Louis loves how all four of them get along effortlessly. They will sit on the manicured garden of the Academy, after their classes, and share some funny story and laugh till their stomachs hurt. Sometimes Liam would sneak a bottle of liquor into Nesson's dorm and they would drink till the wee hours.

The thought of Nesson brings him a flashback of everything that happened three months back. He should probably talk to Nesson and clear up some stuff. But first, he needs to unpack and settle down before lunch. He missed the Academy food. Louis always puts on some weight in the first few weeks after returning to the Academy.

Louis peeks inside before stepping into the dorm that he shares with his arch-enemy, Harry Styles. The eerie silence of the room tells him that Harry isn't in. He sniffs the air to catch the smell of Harry's over-the-top and expensive-as-fuck perfume, but there isn't any. Generally, by the time Louis arrives, no matter how early he arrives, Harry will be sitting on the bed with his flute, and all his stuff will have been sorted out. Louis hates how Harry brings something pretentious with him to the dorm room every year. Last year, Harry brought a pigeon with him, a piano the year before that, and a vintage clock in the first year.

He steps inside the room and looks around for Harry's stuff. He shakes his head and gets to work. He is early for the first time, and he would like to settle himself before Harry comes back to make his life more difficult. Louis opens the curtains and windows of the room for fresh air to get in. Louis likes their room bright and airy, while Harry likes to keep the doors, windows, and curtains closed all the time. They argue over it regularly. Louis will intentionally open the windows first thing in the morning, and Harry will immediately fire expletives at him. It is Louis' morning ritual, aka a way of making Harry's life miserable.

Louis leans over the windowsill and looks out at the vast garden. The Academy is surrounded by water on three sides. A river flows behind the Academy, and Louis and Harry's room has quite a spectacular view of it. Well, Harry's father is the 'The Chief of the Court' so naturally, Harry was given the best of the best rooms in the Academy. They have their own en suite bathroom, a huge walk-in closet, two four-poster beds and enough space to fit two other Academy dorm rooms comfortably. Louis was stoked when he first saw all the luxuries they were provided, but after a while, Louis understood that all the amenities that he thinks are extravagant, are basic necessities for Harry Styles.

After an hour, Louis has settled his books and clothes. He doesn’t own many clothes, so arranging them is quick. Dan wanted him to have a lavish wardrobe filled with expensive and exclusive clothes made of finest silk, cotton, and satin. But Louis refused the request. He can’t bring himself to spend money like that. For the most part, he hasn’t yet come to terms with the fact that he comes from a rich family, let alone a royal family.

When he went to see Lord James for the first time, he was wearing ripped jeans that looked decades old and a white T-shirt. Upon looking at him, James had winced slightly, and the first thing that had come from his mouth was: “What are you wearing?”

He couldn’t believe how ordinarily Louis was dressed.

Louis had calmly replied that he felt comfortable in these clothes. Louis had felt so out-of-place and uncomfortable. He knew instantly that no matter who he was or what anyone said about him, he couldn’t bring himself to live in the Palace. He asked James to let him live with Dan, and he was granted his wish. Till this day, Louis avoids going to the Palace unless it is extremely important and unavoidable. He still feels like he doesn’t belong there. He is yet to find where he belongs.

Louis sits on his bed with the timetable of his classes this year. This year has less theory but more practical subjects which is good news. He would rather spend hours in practical than writing 10-page essays.

The door of his dorm flies open, followed by a loud cheery greeting, "Louis!!! I missed you."

Nesson is standing at the door with a smile on his face. He steps inside the room with his arms wide open. He grabs Louis in a tight hug that leaves Louis breathless.

"How have you been?" Nesson asks.

"Choking right now," Louis manages to speak while trying not to die in his steely grip.

A laugh escapes Nesson, and he sits on the bed next to Louis’. Louis watches him intently. He looks the same. He feels the same. His eyes are still the bluest of all blues, holding endless happiness. His voice, still holding the hint of an Irish accent, can make flowers bloom. And still, Louis can't figure out how to react.

"What! Are you going to say anything?" Nesson says. The lack of response from Louis is not settling well with him.

Louis clears his throat, "I should probably bow to you, Prince."

Nesson laughs again, shaking his head. "You are a Prince too, and my cousin."

Louis feels his cheeks getting hot. No one has ever called him a Prince, even though he is one. Everyone calls him “heir to the throne,” maybe because everyone knows who their 'Prince' is. And their Prince has always been Princess Mary’s son, Niall.

"I- I don't know what to say. Do I even call you Nesson? Or Prince Niall?"

"Just Niall. No suffix, no prefix. There are enough people to talk to me in honorifics." Niall lays down comfortably on the other bed.

"That's Harry's bed, you know. He doesn't like anyone on his bed. Besides, he isn't in yet. He might just drop in any second." Louis remarks.

Niall props his arm on the pillow and then lays his head on it, "Ah, why are you always ready to fight for him!" Niall smirks at him.

"I'm not. It’s just that if he finds you on his bed, he won't stop complaining and whining about it ever, and I don't want to ruin my first day back here like that." Louis defends himself.

Shaking his head, Niall rolls back on the pillow, "You both are like an old married couple."

Louis pretends not to hear that and gets back to going through his schedule.

After a while, Louis puts down his paper and turns to look at Niall, who is looking at him already.

Before Louis can say anything, Niall breaks the silence, "Tell me what's going inside your head?"

Louis bites his lips and weighs his options. Should he really ask him what he wants to know, or just let it go? He eventually decides to be brave and ask what's been eating at him.

"Did you know?" Louis looks at him hopefully. "That I was your cousin?"

Niall smiles, "Yes, and even if I didn't know it beforehand, I would have known after I saw you for the first time. You are the spitting image of Aunt Johannah. Even a blind person could tell that you are her son."

Louis hesitates, "So all the time we spent together was because you knew I was related to you, and you thought that you were obligated to look after me?"

Niall sits up on the bed, "What the fuck are you talking about? I genuinely like being around you. I like you as a person, not because you are related to me."

Louis goes quiet. He is at a loss for words.

"I've never had friends, Louis. I've spent my entire life hiding in Ireland. I wasn't raised by my parents, but by people whose life motto is to serve this Kingdom. Since the day I opened my eyes, my fate was decided. I am the Prince no one has ever seen, and it’s painful enough that I was reminded of it every day. My father was against the idea that I should come back here. But I went against him and came here. I was still hiding my identity in the Academy, and no one ever suspected anything about me." Niall says.

They both stay silent for a long time.

"Your father was right. You shouldn't have come back here. Your life is in danger." Louis says. "What happened three months back, well, it could have been fatal."

Niall chuckles, "People here are training to protect the Prince, and they're doing a good job of protecting me. Louis, that night they came to kill me, you got caught in the crossfire."

Louis shakes his head, "No, Harry tried to kill me. I saw his face when he covered my mouth from behind. He must have been trying to kill you, too."

Niall nods silently, looking away from Louis and out of the window. There are so many things Louis doesn't know. Like the fact that Harry has been completely missing since that night, and no one has been able to track him down. Niall has alerted the courts of the countries he  thought Harry could be hiding in, but none of them has reported a sighting.

Since Day One, Niall has believed that Harry was up to something. He is a 'Styles,' and the Styleses are mean and cunning people. They won't do anything unless it benefits them. Niall's suspicion became solid when last year Harry brought a pigeon with him to the Academy. It wasn't just any pigeon, it was a messenger pigeon. The trainees in the Academy are not allowed to have mobile phones or computers, and it made Niall wonder: why he would need a pigeon? Who would he be sending secret messages to?

After Harry disappeared, one of the guards stepped forward, claiming that he saw Harry jump into the river behind the Academy. Niall quickly dismissed the claim, as he didn't want anyone to panic or make an issue out of it. But he never dismissed the possibility from his head. Harry had always practiced swimming for long hours at the Academy. He was also told that Harry had been looking for banned books in the royal library. Specifically, he was looking for biographies of spies and people who used to travel undercover.

What surprises Niall the most is how good Harry is at hiding. There's literally no one who hasn't been looking for him, but they haven’t been able to get a single clue. Niall always knew Harry was the biggest asset to the kingdom, and it would love for Harry to be on his team. But Niall always has trust issues about him. Harry's father, Arthur Edward Styles, won't say a word about his son's sudden disappearance. He simply says Harry is traveling. But Niall doubts this, since he hasn't made a single transaction, and no one has been able to track his fingerprint or retina scan. He believes that even Arthur Styles isn't aware of his son's actions and is panicking.

Niall smiles, "Harry never leaves any job unfinished. If he was out to kill us, he would have done it before either one of us even realized what he was up to. He would have finished his job even if the earth stood still."

Knowing how worked up Louis would get if he learned that Harry is missing, Niall decides to keep the information to himself. What Louis doesn't know won't hurt him.

Louis shrugs.

Niall decides to change the topic and make the light of the moment. He continues, "Anyways, I'm hungry and I can't wait to devour our welcome lunch."

Chapter Text

Louis heaps his plate with a giant serving of roast beef and baked beans. Two huge tables are laid on opposite sides of the dining hall with endless food laid on them. From fruits to desserts, everything looks so appetizing. Louis just wants to eat everything and never get enough of it.

"Eat mushrooms," Zayn, his best friend, helps him with a spoonful of stir-fried mushrooms. Louis smiles. He looks at Liam who is fonding so hard at Zayn for his thoughtfulness.

They all settle at the table in the corner of the room. Louis can feel all eyes on them. He turns around and finds some people looking away while others are shamelessly staring at them. New students look both scared and excited to have Niall with them. A few people came up to Niall and bowed down to him. Niall dismissed them immediately.

"Prince, how was your vacation?" Zayn's voice held an undertone of mischief.

"Shut up before I stab you in the eye with my fork," Niall warns him.

Niall asked both Zayn and Liam to not treat him any differently. They were and will always be friends. Zayn and Liam respect that. But they also know that now they have a line which they are not meant to cross with Niall. As much as neither one of them wants to address it or talk about it, they know things have changed.

Louis asks Liam, "What did you do over the holidays?"

"Went to Australia. Man, I'm in love with that country. After I am old and grey, I want to settle down in Australia." Liam says, smiling.

Zayn interjects, "You mean after we are old and grey!" He points at both himself and Liam.

Louis groans under his breath. Liam blushes hard and looks at his plate, trying to hold in his Cheshire cat smile.

"I literally don't want to know anything about your honeymoon. Like, honestly, no!" Niall says, rolling his eyes.

Louis chuckles, "Glad you both enjoyed it."

Liam and Zayn had been childhood friends. Liam's father, Gerard Payne, is the 'Majesty's Advisor' while Zayn's father, Javvad Malik, is the 'Majesty's Chief Chamberlain'. Gerard Payne is Lord James' right hand. The King doesn't do anything without taking his advice. Zayn's father handles all the private affairs of the royal family. Hence, Zayn knows a lot about the royal family. He was the one who told Louis a great deal about the family.

Liam and Zayn started dating on Halloween of their second year. Louis swears it was best that they started dating. They used to flirt so shamelessly with each other that, at times, Louis had to excuse himself. Niall had once suggested setting them up, just to avoid witnessing any more of their flirting. Even now, they are still embarrassing at times. Zayn and Liam’s ex-roommates had decided to give Zayn and Liam a room of their own, so they can flirt and fuck each other as per their convenience without worrying about someone walking into the room at a crucial moment.

They both are not out to their families yet, but it’s not like nobody knows about them.

"What did you do, Louis?" Liam asks him.

Louis takes a bite of his lunch, "I was training in the most forgettable village of China. I missed the Academy so much. Every day."

Zayn pats his back, "We missed you too. I hope one day we all can go for a trip." Zayn smiles.

Louis fakes a smile. Who knows if that day will ever come or not, but he would sure love to travel the world with them.

Louis loves the elaborate meal so much, but he can’t bring himself to eat anything. He jabs his fork into the roast beef. The appetizing smell is not helping him with anything. The thought that he might not be able to make it till the end of the year is nagging at the back of his head. Louis looks around and finds some new faces looking in their direction. Basically, at both Louis and Niall.

He shakes his head and turns back to look at his friends, “The first years are having a very exciting time today.”

Liam laughs, “They are sitting in the same room with two Princes, obviously they are having the time of their lives.”

Zayn interrupts, “Just wait till they get to the soccer field. We are going to have a jolly good time then.”

They all start laughing, knowing very well what awaits the newbies.

*

Louis looks around for any signs of Harry, but there aren’t any. It’s almost evening and everyone from the Academy is here on the soccer field to watch the game. It is a ritual that every new student has to play to find their roommate. The students are divided into two teams and both the teams play against each other in a game of soccer. There's only one rule of the game, that there aren’t any rules. Most of them have to be admitted to the hospital afterwards. Everyone plays rough and doesn't shy away from physically hurting their opponent. The losing team puts their name on the chits in a bowl and the winning team picks out the chits. Whoever's name they pick, they have to share a room.

Louis doesn't approve of this method of choosing a partner. Paul says it builds character. Louis thinks it is Paul’s way of finding the strongest trainee that year. A lot of fights break out amongst the first years because all of them come from wealthy families and most of them don't get along.

Louis settles into his seat but is still looking for Harry or any signs of him. As the game starts, Louis can see Harry’s deep green eyes in his head, remembering the way they’d glared at him while Harry had taken out the chit from the bowl.

When Louis had stepped inside the Academy for the first time, he hadn’t known what to expect. He had only known that he was an heir to the throne and that even he had been obligated to go to the training. Everyone seemed to know him even before he’d introduced himself. Everyone was looking at him with awe and happiness. But all of the adoration lasted just two seconds. Because before the induction ceremony had ended, a guy with a head full of curly hair, pale skin, deep green eyes and lips red as berries, dressed from head-to-toe in black with a red flower bow around his neck, had walked in and introduced himself as Harry Styles.

The entire Academy had fallen silent for an entire minute. Louis couldn't figure out why silence followed him. Paul told Harry that he was two years too young to attend the Academy, but Harry insisted that he was physically ready to attend the Academy that year. Paul couldn't say anything further. Everyone was scared and is still scared of his father.

Louis had joined with nine other students and they were divided into two teams. After Louis' team lost, Harry had stepped in first to pick out a name from the bowl. He constantly maintained eye contact with Louis while drawing the chit. His eyes were so cold and dead that it worried Louis a bit.

Harry drew a chit and coldly called out the name, "Louis Tomlinson." He didn’t even read it.

When Louis turned to look around, everyone was looking at him with concern. He didn't understand why.

That night when they were in the hospital of the Academy, getting their bruises and injuries tended to, Zayn approached him and sat down next to him.

"What's bothering you, friend?" Zayn had asked him softly.

"Why was everyone looking at me with concern? Why did everyone's expression change the second Harry stepped inside the Academy?" Louis asked, stretching his legs in front. He felt a sting of pain around the cut on his knee.

Zayn looked at him with wide eyes and realized he probably didn’t know a lot. He contemplated whether he should tell him or not. He went ahead and decided to tell him the truth.

Zayn stood up and offered his hand to Louis, "Come on, let's get some fresh air."

They sat down on the stairs near the pond. No one was around them.

Zayn asked, "How much do you know about the Styles family?"

Louis turned his head towards Zayn, "So little, that I even don't know there was a Styles family."

Zayn bit his lips.

Louis figured out that Zayn was trying to hide something from him, so he spoke, "Tell me everything. Whatever it is."

Zayn took a deep breath and started. "Around a hundred years back, this kingdom was ruled by the Styles family. They ruled here for as long as everyone can remember. Some even say they formed this kingdom, but no solid record can be found. One day, King Charles Styles fell in love with the minister's daughter, Marjorie. She was 20 years younger than the King and breathtakingly beautiful. Marjorie agreed to marry him. His first queen wasn't in favor of the alliance since she believed that Marjorie had evil intentions. But King Charles didn't listen to her and went ahead with the wedding. When Marjorie walked down the aisle, it is said that she looked even more beautiful than the fairies of heaven."

Louis listened to him intently, trying to figure out how Louis’ family got the throne.

Zayn continued, "As the King and Marjorie stood in front of each other, Marjorie took out a dagger from under her sleeve and stabbed the King five times in the heart. With the help of her father and his men, everyone present in the church was taken, hostage. The throne was snatched away from the Styles family in the most ruthless manner. Marjorie got everyone from the family executed, leaving only the King's toddler son, Edward. She felt pity for that boy."

Louis felt like he has trouble breathing. He looked at Zayn wide-eyed.

"You are Marjorie's descendant. And Harry is the King Charles’," Zayn said. "The Styles family only wants back what's rightfully theirs. The Throne. Your mother, father, and her father- King William, were killed in a fire accident. Everyone believed that Harry's father, who is the Chief of the court, started the fire, but no one had any solid proof. They will stop at nothing."

Louis suddenly felt hot.

"Prince Niall was born the same night that the accident took place. Lord James, the husband of Princess Mary, decided to send away the baby. He knew people would kill the baby too if they could. Some people thought you died with your parents too. But not everyone knew that you were in the hospital that night because of a fever. Princess Mary collapsed after she heard the news about Johannah and her father. She didn't wake up for three days. After she woke up and learned that her son wasn’t in the Kingdom anymore, she lost her sanity. Most of the time, she is locked in her chamber and her maids look after her. No one else is allowed to go anywhere near her wing in the palace.”

Zayn continued, “Lord James felt that his own courtiers were going against him, and his life was in danger too, so he decided to form the Academy and passed a law that every courtier whose son had reached the age of 18 must be sent to the Academy so they can be trained to protect the Prince and administrate the Kingdom. It was his way of keeping his men under his thumb."

Louis stuttered, "And Harry is here now to finish what his father couldn't. Kill me!"

"I can't figure out why Harry is here. There are still two years for him, but if the Chief says he can attend, then no one can go against him." Zayn says.

"Why wasn't Styles family ever banished from the Kingdom?" Louis asked out of curiosity. If the King doubted the motives of the Chief, he could have exiled him immediately.

"Chief Styles has more supporters than Lord James. If the Styles family were kicked out of the kingdom, a revolt would have broken out immediately, and Lord James cannot afford that."

Louis had taken a few minutes to take it all in. "What is Harry like?" Louis asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. He was home-schooled, and he doesn't have any friends. But if rumors are true, he is even more sinister than his father." Zayn said.

A chill had run down his spine, knowing he would have to share a room with a person whose aim in life was probably to kill him. He had immediately gone to Paul and begged him to change the room assignment.

Paul had laughed at Louis' worries and only said one thing, "Louis, his head will be on a pike if he so much as hurts you in your dorm." Paul told him about the law of the Academy, that if any person gets severely hurt or injured because of an inmate, then the accused will be punished on the spot. The punishment is mainly execution. It is cruel but it is necessary. There's no way anyone can get away. Most of the families have feuds with other families for generations. And this was the only way to keep it out of the Academy.

Louis went to Dan the next day and asked him why he’d brought him back to a place where his life was in danger 24/7. Dan had simply replied that he was safer in the Academy than anywhere else in the world.

Louis never believed him on that particular topic.

Chapter Text

Everywhere Louis looked, there were men, men with swords in hand, ready to attack him. He was surrounded, he had to give up. He wasn't getting out of this alive. He was done. But he wasn't going to give up so easily. He fought back with his life. He defended himself with only a black metallic rod for a weapon.

He hadn’t been aware that the Academy was under attack, or else he would have brought his sword. He’d picked up the rod from somewhere and tried to fight the attackers, along with Zayn, Liam, and other students. A cold sweat broke out from behind his ear; five masked attackers had surrounded him. He fought and ran to find a safe place. But before he could even take a deep breath, a hand covered his mouth and nose. Louis fought hard to try and breath. From the corner of the eye, he saw Harry. He was angry, his green eyes were so red like anger was pouring out from him. Louis tried to fight him, but Harry's grip was so tight. Louis looked straight into his eyes. Harry's gaze threatened him, it made him wonder what could have pissed him off so bad. But he still tried to fight Harry. He continued to fight for air.

"Louis--" He hears a distant voice calling him. But he is still fighting Harry. He is still trying to get rid of his steely grip.

"Wake up, Lou!" he hears his name called out again. All he can see is the red color in Harry's eyes. It makes him wonder if he is out for blood.

"LOU!!" he hears his name again. This time he feels someone shaking his body. Harry disappears, and he is lying curled up in his boarding school dormitory with a letter clutched to his heart.

He feels cold and wet. He feels like he is underwater, gasping for breath. He feels his body shake again.

Louis jolts upright on his bed, still struggling to breathe. He cannot differentiate between dream and reality. For a moment, he wonders where he is. Liam sits down in front of him and holds his face in his hand. Louis is still shaking and taking deep breaths.

"It's alright. You are fine. You are safe." Someone says with a soft smile. It takes Louis a moment to recognize Liam.

Zayn soothes Louis' back while holding out a glass of water for him. Louis looks around, still confused about where he is and what had just happened.

"It was a bad dream. You are fine," Zayn assures him.

Louis looks up at Zayn, and slowly everything comes to him. He was indeed dreaming. He has been dreaming about it since that unfortunate night. Another drop of sweat falls from his forehead. Louis wipes it away and realizes that he is drenched in sweat.

Suddenly he feels so uncomfortable in his own skin. Liam gets up from the bed and goes to open all the windows of the room. Zayn urges him to drink water.

"Thanks," Louis says, handing the empty glass back to Zayn, who smiles in return. "What are you both doing here?"

Sunlight fills the room, and the bout of fresh air feels like a blessing to Louis. The cold air touches his wet skin and a slight shiver passes through him.

"Well, we went to the dining hall for breakfast and you weren't there when you are generally the first person there. We thought of looking for you. Also, we haven't seen Niall today, and we obviously can't go to his room anytime we please anymore." Zayn says.

Louis nods, "I think I have a headache." He holds his forehead.

Zayn and Liam look at each other before Liam speaks, "Well, I think some warm tea and breakfast will help you ease it."

"Also, you need to be quick, our political science class starts in 30 minutes," Zayn informs him.

Louis quickly springs onto his legs and makes his way to the shower, but not without sparing a glance at Harry's bed. It looks the same as it did last night as no one had occupied it. It has been a week since they have been back to the Academy, and there's still no sign of Harry.

*

Niall pours another cup of lavender tea for his mother and slides her another cup of freshly cut fruit. Princess Mary has been missing Niall intensely since he’d left for the Academy. They’d both had the pleasure of spending time together and understanding each other in the last three months. Niall was beyond grateful that he could finally spend some time with his mother, and Princess Mary was overjoyed to have her son back.

She has been doing better for the past three months. Niall knows there is nothing much he can do for her to get back to normal. He knows she is never getting back to normal. Niall hopes to spend as much time with her as possible. He has spent three months in the palace, and every night when he was alone, he would get emotional thinking about how much he missed growing up with his mother and father. Sometimes his mother would run her hands through his hair while singing him a song or telling him a story, and Niall would choke up. When it was time for him to go back to the Academy, she begged him to stay, but Niall was positive that he would attend the last year. He promised his mother he’d come back and see her whenever she wishes.

“Don’t go back, son. Stay with me here. We have everything here.” Princess Mary says in a low voice. She looks at him with hopeful eyes.

“I have to, Mom. I have so much to learn, and I need the training to be able to run the Kingdom responsibly.”

Mary looks down at her cup of tea but doesn’t say anything. She tries to hide how sad she is that Niall has to go back, but her sorrow doesn’t escape Niall. He holds her hand and promises her that he will come back soon to see her. After a while, he leaves for the Academy.

On his way out of his mother’s chamber, he sees a girl entering. Niall has never seen her in the palace or near his mother in the last three months. Dressed modestly, the girl keeps walking towards the gate. Niall tries to look for any visitor’s badge around her neck, but he can’t see any. As soon as she steps inside, Niall stops her.

“Who are you?” Niall asks.

The girl hesitates, “Umm... I am Amelia Payne. I’m the Princess’s new doctor.”

“Who hired you?” Niall asks doubtfully.

Amelia looks nervous and bites her lip. Before she can explain, they are interrupted by Gerard Payne.

“Oh, there you are, Amelia. I was wondering why I haven’t heard from you yet.” He says as he comes to stand by her. Upon seeing Niall he bows down, “My Prince!”

“Who is she?” Niall asks him.

A gleeful smile appears on his face. Niall doubts he has ever seen this man so happy. “She is my daughter and a psychologist. She just returned from Harvard's and Lord James asked me if she could help Princess Mary.” He turns to look at his daughter proudly, “She said she would love to work for the royal family in any way.”

“Oh.” Niall looks at her again and Amelia smiles a cute smile at him. “See you around then.”

She silently bows and Niall leaves, but not without turning back to look at her again.

*

Louis spins his pen between his fingers. He isn't paying attention to the lecture. After mindlessly doodling for 20 minutes, he doesn’t know what to do. He can't concentrate on the lecture, he can't focus anywhere. His mind is elsewhere. He keeps looking around the class sheepishly, hoping he would find Harry. But Harry isn't in the class, he wasn't even at breakfast. Over the years, they both have tried to make sure they don't take the same classes at the same time. Louis had checked his schedule, and this year they both have political science and liberal arts together. Both are the only theory subjects this year.

Their teacher, Mr. Hamley, goes quiet as he sees Niall at the door. "My Prince," he bows down.

Everyone in the class turns their head towards the door. Niall says, "I am your student, Mr. Hamley. Please don't make me feel small like this."

Niall walks in quickly and settles next to Louis.

"Where were you? We didn’t see you at breakfast." Louis whispers. Mr. Hamley resumes his lecture.

"I had something urgent to look at," Niall says, opening his notebook. "What topic is it?"

Louis lets out a sigh, "I am not mentally in the class, don't ask me. If you figure it out, let me know."

Niall rolls his eyes and, when Mr. Hamley turns towards the board, Niall turns around and snatches Liam's notebook and passes him his own. A low protest comes from Liam, which makes both Louis and Zayn giggle with hands on their mouths.

It’s a relief for Liam and Zayn to know that Niall is trying to keep everything normal between them. These four have always been the troublemakers in the class, and their notebooks have notes written in everyone's handwriting. They spend most of the time in class giggling or passing notes to one another. They do most of their studying in the library and get top grades.

*

Louis believes it must be some kind of cosmic joke that he has to share his room with Harry. It’s not even like Harry is the worst roommate to live with. After spending his life in a children's facility and boarding school, Louis knows all about shitty-ass roommates. Harry is fairly decent. They both try so hard to stay in their lane and not cross each other's path. It’s just that Harry has some weird habits, and Louis is sure that Harry has them only to rile him. Like, Harry would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and start playing the flute, only because he wanted to. Or sometimes he would intentionally not turn off the lights before getting into bed at night, and Louis would have to do it. One time when they were first years, Louis accidentally threw his sweater on Harry's bed, and rather than putting it back on Louis' bed, Harry picked it up, burned it and threw it out of the window. Louis couldn't believe it and Harry's lip had curled up on the left side in the most asshole-ish way.

They both can go for days without so much as looking at each other. Louis generally wakes up before, gets ready and leaves before the sun's even out. Harry always comes back to the room pretty late, which gives Louis enough time to sort out everything and settle into bed.

But Harry makes sure that outside of the dorm, Louis' life is miserable. One time, just before their second-year final exams, Louis was studying in the library till late. Harry was there too. They’d both had a small quarrel over who would get to read a particular book first. The library manager let Louis have it first since Louis had picked the book first. Harry stared at him really hard. When Louis was going back to their room later, Harry pushed him down the stairs and said,

"Watch where you walk, Tomlinson." Harry had tried to hold in his mean laugh, but after he was out of sight, Louis could hear him roaring with laughter.

There was also one time Harry intentionally made him fail one exam by changing the time of the clocks in their room. Louis woke up but fell asleep again thinking that he was three hours early. When he woke up again, Harry wasn't in his bed. He went to open the window and the sun was shining so bright, Louis almost panicked. But the clock in the room said five in the morning. When Louis reached the classroom, dressed shabbily, hair messy, and out-of-breath, he saw Harry smirking while writing his exam.

They never talked to each other a lot or spent time with each other, yet Harry is the one person in the whole Academy Louis knows well, or he likes to think he knows well. Louis has spent the last four years with Harry, against his own will. And you become familiar with people who you are living with, whether you like it or not.

Louis picks his dagger from the drawer, the one that belonged to his father. Lord James had given it to him when they met for the first time. Louis had an option of staying in the palace but he’d chosen not to. He chose to stay with Dan and James hadn’t objected. The hilt of the dagger is decorated with a big ruby. Every time Louis looks at it, he wonders how his father must have felt holding the dagger in his hand. He runs his finger lightly over the blade. He keeps the dagger under his pillow as his method of protection from Harry. He believes Harry is not aware of it, and if he tried to attack Louis, Louis would have his weapon to protect himself. But since Harry isn’t here, he puts it back in the drawer.

He looks outside the window. The moon is high, bathing the sky with soft white light. The sky is clear and Louis can see endless stars. Getting up from his bed, he quietly makes his way down to the garden and then to the memorial room.

Louis sometimes followed Harry when he left the room in the middle of the night. Louis had wondered what he was up to. Harry would come to this room and sit on the floor and look at his mother's picture hanging on the wall. Ebenezer Valerie Styles was the first and only female warden of the Academy. Louis has been told that she was the most caring and giving person in the whole Kingdom. She was also the best warden of the Academy and did her job meticulously. The family feud did not stop her and Johannah from being good friends. They moved in the same circle and were close.

There is a candle burning in front of Ebenezer's picture. Her picture is huge. Harry got her eyes and smile. He didn't get the innocence of her face. No, maybe he got that too, but since he is always scheming and making Louis' life difficult, the innocence of his face gets hidden.

Louis looks around the room, hoping to find something. He doesn’t know what he is looking for, but he is looking for something. Something that will give him a clue about Harry. He is losing his patience. He needs answers from Harry. He needs to know why he tried to kill him and yet didn't kill him. He needs to know why Harry hates him so much. He needs to know why he looks so dead in the eyes like he hates everything and everyone. He needs to know why he hasn't finished his job if that's why he came to the Academy two years early.

Louis walks up to the picture and lights another candle for her. He walks out of the room and goes to the swimming pool area. Harry practices swimming a lot. He loves it. He is the unbeatable champ of the Academy. No one has been able to break Harry's record or even get close to it.

Louis puts one leg into the water and waits for a sound or movement from Harry. Louis waits and hopes Harry will come out spouting water like a whale. Louis always thought of him as a baby whale when he came out of the water like that. During their second year, one evening Louis was doing laps across the length of the pool. He had his stopwatch on and he was trying to beat his own score. Harry came from somewhere and pulled Louis' leg deeper in the water. Louis got startled, and it took him a while to regain himself and stop Harry from drowning him. Harry’d let go of his leg suddenly and came out of the water laughing. Louis threw expletives at him. Harry continued to laugh while making his way to the changing room. His laugh suddenly died when Paul came to stand in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. The entire scene of the color draining from Harry's face was so fucking beautiful. If Louis could have taken a picture and framed it on the wall, he would have done it. Paul suspended Harry from entering the pool for an entire month, and he was given the duty of cleaning the changing rooms twice a day. Louis went swimming that month every day, only to laugh at Harry at every given opportunity.

When Louis enters his room, he feels awful. With Harry, their room always smelled like roses. Every single day, there would be a dozen freshly cut red roses that Harry kept over his piano in an Italian vase. Louis glances at the piano and sees a layer of dust covering it. Walking up to it, he taps a key. The sound that comes out is broken. Louis wonders if it is out of tune. He remembers every time their room would be filled with a soothing tune when Harry played it. Louis turns and walks towards Harry's bed. He looks at it for a while and then sits on it. He knows Harry hates it if someone sits on his bed. He can almost hear Harry saying, 'Get your filthy ass off my bed, Tomlinson!'

A desperate scream leaves Louis, "Where are you, Harry?"

A stray thought comes into his mind: what if Harry is dead, and no one has been able to identify his body? Another scream leaves him. He picks up the pillow and stabs it a few times with his dagger. "You can't die without killing me first. Do your fucking job for once and end me. Come back!"

*

Niall sits on his chair looking at the painting of his mother hung in his room. He used to share a room with another roommate, but this year he got his own room, fully furnished for a Prince. He joins his hands and remembers everything that has happened that has led them to this day.

One day, while sitting in the endless garden of the mansion in Ireland, where he’d grown up, he watched the sun setting. Someone was reading to him the poem 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. He’d had a sudden epiphany that he was not doing enough as a Prince and that he should stop hiding away in another country. He’d always known that his life would be in constant danger. But he was almost 18 now, and if he was still hiding, how would he protect and serve his people. He stood up and announced that he would go back immediately. People in his service tried to talk him out of it, but he only said one thing, "Bravery isn't in hiding."

Three months back, before the school session was about to end, Niall's mother, Princess Mary, had been having a difficult time, missing Niall acutely. She would spend hours crying in her room for Niall. When word reached Niall, he felt hopeless and wanted to go to his mother immediately. James told his wife that her son was safe and healthy. She didn't believe him at all. The Lord was left with no other option but to let her know that he was in the Academy under the name Nesson. This made her so happy. So happy indeed that she ran towards the court and announced in front of everyone that Nesson was her son Niall. He was the Prince.

Not even an hour later, the Academy had been under attack.

One thing that has been eating at Niall was that when the attackers came, Niall was in the Palace with his mother. And everyone in the court knew this. Anyone with a single pea-sized brain would know better than to attack the Academy when Niall wasn't even there. He still hadn’t figured out what must have been the reason. He wonders if they were actually after Louis. But why would anyone want to kill Louis when they already knew who the Prince was?

And where the fuck is Harry Styles? Did the earth swallow him up, or the sky? What the fuck is he up to?

Chapter Text

Two weeks pass.

Then three.

Four.

It has been an entire month and Harry isn't back at the Academy. There's no sign of him, no word from him. And none of this is settling well with Louis. He should be glad that Harry isn't here, but he can't stop worrying about Harry’s next grand scheme to kill him. Louis is getting more restless by the day. He worries that if Harry doesn’t show up, Louis will combust wondering about him.

Right now, walking towards Paul's office, Louis is not sure if he should even be going there. But he is curious about Harry, and he wants his answers. His only hope is Paul.

He knocks on the door once and waits for permission to come in. As soon as he enters the office, Paul asks him to wait for a minute, since he is going through a document.

Louis looks around his office. The entire office smells of fresh paint. The hardwood floor shines bright, and the walls are covered with bookshelves. It is the kind of office where Louis wouldn't mind spending his entire life. He would sit on one of the couches, read a book with a cup of tea, and literally forget that there was a world outside.

Paul clears his throat to get Louis' attention. "What can I do for you, Louis?"

Louis hesitates, "I'm here to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Paul picks up his cup of tea.

"Harry Styles isn't back this year. Any idea where he is?" Louis asks.

Paul takes a sip and puts his cup back down, "I'm aware he isn't back this year and I have no idea why. Why do you ask?"

"I- I'm just curious. I mean this is our last year, and he just doesn't show up." Louis tries hard to not make it sound like he cares about Harry.

"Well, I can't reach him, so I can't tell you anything."

"Have you tried contacting his father? Maybe he can tell us why he isn't back," Louis looks at him hopefully.

"Louis! I did try to ask him. The Chief is aware that Harry isn't back, and it seemed like he isn't happy about it either." Paul informs him.

Louis leans forward, "The Chief isn't happy? Why? Where is Harry? And can he just drop out like that?"

"Harry not coming back also puts the Chief under the pressure. The courtiers are obligated to make sure their sons attend four years of Academy training. There's literally no way out." Paul says.

"What happens if he doesn't come back?"

"There had been a case, many years back. The courtier and his family were exiled from the kingdom, and they were not allowed to even step anywhere along the border of the country. All of their wealth was confiscated by the royal treasury. They were left high and dry. No one will dare to do that ever again. And the Styles family would not even dream of pulling something like that." Paul says.

"How long, if Harry doesn’t show up before the Styles’ will be thrown out?" Louis asks, concerned.

"Four more weeks," Paul informs him.

"Is there anything anyone can do?" Louis asks.

Paul looks at him, amused, "If you manage to get ahold of Harry's direct line, ask him to bring me some chamomile tea from China."

Louis shuts his mouth, his cheeks flushing. He gets up from his chair and leaves before he makes any more of a fool of himself.

Paul smiles as he watches Louis scuttle out of the room in a hurry.

Niall takes a deep breath and shakes his head. He points his gun at the target. He has missed the bullseye three times already. That never happens. He is good with a gun and the shooting range. But right now, he is distracted and nothing seems to help him. He shoots at the target but it misses the center again. Frustrated, he takes off his eyeglasses, earplugs, and earmuffs.

Liam, who has been practicing with him, walks up to him and puts his arm around Niall, "All ok, Niall? You don't seem yourself today."

Niall only nods as the attendant walks over to Niall and takes away his pistol and equipment. With mutual understanding, they both walk out of the training center and into the garden. The sun is about to set, and the view of the red ball of fire slipping into the river is breathtaking.

Zayn arrives with a book he was reading in the library. "I have found the book, now who would like to go ahead with the assignment first? Just let me know what I need to write." He sits down on the grass, legs spread in front of him.

"How much did you read?" Niall asks, taking the book from him.

"Two chapters. They are so fucking boring, I almost fell asleep. I hate political science." Zayn makes an irritated face.

Liam chuckles. Niall lays down on the grass and closes his eyes.

"Where's Louis?" Zayn asks.

"I thought he was with you," Liam says.

"Nah, I thought he went to the shooting range with you guys," Zayn says.

"Must be in his room," Niall says.

Zayn lays his head on Liam's lap and looks at the beautiful sunset in front of them.

After a while, Liam breaks the silence, "Niall, did you ever get any further information regarding the attackers last year? Do you know who sent them?"

Niall's eyes fly open and he immediately sits upright. Pursing his lips, he shakes his head. "I still have no clue who they were or who sent them." If Niall has learned one thing after being with these two for three years, it’s that he can trust them genuinely. Even his father trusts their families.

Zayn and Liam look at each other, puzzled. They hadn’t been able to see the attackers’ faces, as they were masked. But most of the attackers were killed on the spot by the students. They had been able to capture three, but they’d had a small bottle of poison with them, and before the anyone could do anything further, they’d swallowed it. None of the attackers were alive to tell them anything.

"How did they even enter the Academy? It’s bloody manned 24*7!" Zayn says. He is still surprised by it.

"They came through a secret passage," Niall tells them.

Zayn sits up in his place. Both Liam and Zayn say in unison, "There's a secret passage?"

"I can count the number of people who are aware of it on one hand. Arthur Edwards Styles is at the top of my list of people who might have sent the attackers." Niall says. "He knows this Academy inside-out. His wife was the warden here."

Liam feels bit uncertain, "Niall, the Chief isn't a fool. There's no way he would have sent attackers when he knows he would be the first one to come under suspicion for it."

"It wouldn't have mattered if the attackers had succeeded in their job. He would have taken the throne that night." Niall says.

"I don't like to underestimate the Styles’. He wouldn’t do it unless he calculated everything, every move." Liam says.

Zayn nods, "I think Liam is right. Everyone knows what the Chief wants, but there's no way he would do something dumb like that, even though he is desperate now."

Niall bites his lip. What both of them said makes sense, but he doesn't fully believe in it. But there's no loose end that he can pull on to start unraveling this mystery.

Chapter Text

Week 6

The air around him is filled with the sweet smell of roses. A few dandelions are flying in the air while the sun is shining modestly over him. Louis spreads his arms to feel the soft wind and the warmth of the sun while breathing in the flowery smell. The grass beneath his feet feels light and soft. A soft sound reaches him.

“Enjoying the day, son?” A woman's voice reaches him. He turns around and sees his mother walking towards him. In a white summer gown and flower crown on her head, she looks like an angel. And he believes she is one, an angel always guiding him, always looking after him.

Louis smiles wide upon seeing her, “Mum!” That’s the only thing he could say. He is beyond happy to see her, to hear her voice, to finally be able to talk to her.

Johannah embraces him in a warm tight hug. “I have missed you so much.”

“Me too, Mum,” Louis says. Her hair smells like honey and feels soft like silk strands.

Johannah takes Louis’ hand in hers and they start walking towards a clearing. It is filled with small, colorful flowers. This place looks like nothing less than heaven itself. They sit down in the middle and Louis casually puts his head on her lap.

“I am proud of you, Lou,” Johannah says while touching his soft hair. “You make me happy every day.”

“I haven’t done anything, Mum. Nothing to make anyone proud.” Louis says.

“You have done a lot. You never gave up, you never took the wrong path, when it was tempting and the easiest thing for you to do.” Johannah says.

Louis remembers the time when he was a teen, and all he wanted was to find out about his parents and not be an orphan anymore. It was the time when his friends would run rampant with alcohol and some even tried recreational drugs. Louis was tempted to go that way, but a voice inside him always stopped him.

“You don’t know, Mum,” Louis says, almost choking up.

“I do! I know everything.” Johannah says with a smile.

Louis sighs and closes his eyes. Right now, he only wants to spend time with his mother and not think about his past. A past that seems ages away, but feels like yesterday.

“Is there anything troubling you, Lou? You are so distracted these days.” Johannah asks softly.

Louis just shakes his head but doesn’t say anything further. He knows he doesn’t want to discuss the disappearance of his roommate with his mother. Something tells him she already knows about it.

“Tell me, Louis,” she insists.

“I still haven’t got over what happened before the summer holidays. I am worried my life is perpetually in danger.” Louis says.

Johannah chuckles, “You’ll be fine. There’s nothing that can hurt you.”

“What if something did?” Louis says.

“Don’t be scared. You’ll make it out alive.” Johannah consoles him.

Louis opens his eyes. Suddenly, the sun feels too hot and is blinding him. The air around him feels hot and smells of smoke. He sits upright, a bead of sweat falling from behind his ear.

“You are not worried about my life, Mum?” Louis asks, confused.

She looks him straight in the eyes, “You’ll be with me.”

Louis looks at her, even more confused. She starts laughing and suddenly she is standing away from him. The left side of her face burns out and black-colored ashes start flying. She laughs and runs away from him.

“Mum, wait!” Louis runs behind her, trying to catch her, but she is fast and he can’t reach her.

“Trust yourself and your instincts, Louis. Always.” She says as she disappears into thin air.

Louis keeps shouting, “Mum! Come back.” A tear falls from his eye. “My life is in danger.” He keeps running in her direction, hoping she will reappear. He thinks he hears someone say ‘He’s a fighter, he’ll survive’. He is not sure where the voice came from, but he doesn’t have time to look for it. He has to catch his mother, he needs to talk to her.

No matter how far and how fast he runs, she doesn’t reappear. He is running out of breath while continuing to shout for his mother. He stops running after a while and wipes his tears away.

“Mum, come back. Listen to me! Please…” A sob chokes him.

Trying to catch his breath, he turns around. A huge wave of water is flooding towards him. He turns back around and starts running. But before he can go far, the waves catch him and he is submerged in the water. He keeps struggling, keeps fighting for air, but the water keeps pushing him down and down, and then he can’t see anything but pitch-black darkness.

Louis sits upright in bed, gasping for air, his heartbeat racing. His mouth feels dry, like sandpaper. He doesn’t know where he is or what is happening. He swallows through his dry mouth, and his throat hurts. He touches his forehead and wipes the sweat from it. It is so quiet around him that he can hear his own breathing. He tries to adjust his eyes to the pitch-black darkness in the room.

While trying to calm his erratic breathing, his eyes move towards the open window. He tries to recall if he closed the window before sleeping or not. He always does, but maybe he forgot tonight. Suddenly he sees something curly flying in the air just in front of his bed. He shakes his head and rubs his eyes to drive away the sleepiness and see clearly. He thinks he saw green eyes. There’s only one person who he knows has piercing green eyes.

“Harry?” Louis says. He turns to his bedside to switch on the lamp. He quickly turns around, but he sees nothing. There’s no one inside the room apart from him and silence. Getting out of the bed, he walks towards the window and peeks outside. There’s nothing but the stillness of the night. He closes the window and walks back to his bed, thinking maybe he was dreaming or maybe his brain is making things up now. He sighs and picks up a glass of water and gulps it entirely in one go.

While fixing his pillow, his fingers touch something solid and cold. He removes the pillow and finds his father’s dagger there. Picking it up, he looks at it. He definitely put it in the drawer a couple of weeks back and he definitely did not take it out again. His heart jumps to his throat. He slowly turns to look at the window. He definitely closed it before sleeping.

*

Week 7

Soft music of violin and piano is playing through the gramophone in Zayn and Liam’s room. The music matches the quietness and stillness of the evening. The subtle smell of lavender and cedarwood is hanging in the air. Their room isn’t as extravagant as Niall’s or Louis’ but it is still one of the most spacious rooms of the dorm. Hardwood floor, silk bedding, and curtains with antique furniture and lamps, their room doesn’t lack anything.

The moon outside their window is shining bright, with a million stars smiling at Zayn. He always finds evenings like this peaceful. Lately, he has been thinking of marrying Liam under the stars in the evening like this. Just them and the moon, and the stars. That will be his dream wedding. He knows he is too young to get married, but he just wants to spend his entire life with Liam, and not just by living together but having it legal on paper. Though he is not sure if he will ever see that day, or ever get married. If he will even be alive to get married and spend an entire life with Liam.

Zayn turns his head at the sound of bathroom door closing. Liam comes out from the shower, hair still dripping a few beads of water, with a silk robe hanging loose on his tall, muscular frame. Liam picks up his glasses from the table, where they are lying on top of a book. Picking up his juice and book, he walks up to Zayn and sits across from him on the couch. He raises an eyebrow at Zayn while putting his legs on his boyfriend’s lap.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Liam smiles at Zayn.

“We should tell our parents, you know,” Zayn says without missing a beat. He never hesitates to tell Liam anything. Neither of them have secrets, everything is upfront and crystal clear between them.

Liam opens his book to where he put his bookmark, “Tell what?”

Zayn’s eyes widen, “About us, duh!”

Liam looks up at him, “Ah, I was thinking maybe after we graduate.”

“Why not Christmas break?”

“No particular reason, I’m just not sure how my grandma is going to react to the news, and honestly, if she takes it not-so-nicely, I don’t want to ruin the holidays,” Liam explains.

Zayn takes a deep breath, runs a hand through his hair and closes his eyes. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Maybe it is better if they wait till they graduate, a few more months can’t make any difference, probably.

“Zayn! What’s going on?” Liam asks. He comes to sit next to Zayn and take his hand in his.

Zayn sits up straight, “I don’t want to keep this from anyone now. I want to be out and proud. I can’t keep pretending you are my friend when we are at home.”

“Neither can I, but my family isn’t too open to all this,” Liam says, concern crossing his face. He knows it is going to be a hell of a lot of effort to explain his relationship to his grandmother. She once heard about the rumor of Liam being more than friends with Zayn, and she confronted him about it at the dinner table in front of everyone. Liam neither admitted nor denied it and she gave him a stink-eye. She wasn’t even too keen on Liam and Zayn spending the summer holiday in Australia together.

Liam puts his thoughts aside and brings his attention back to Zayn. He holds Zayn’s hand even tighter, “We’ll be fine.”

Liam isn’t sure if the assurance is for himself, or if he needs to say this out loud to make sure Zayn stops worrying about it so much, but maybe they both need it. They both need each other to make a future for themselves.

“I love you,” Zayn says, looking at Liam’s face.

A smile makes its way to Liam’s face, “Love you too.”

A mischievous smile crosses Zayn’s face, “After we get married, I want to travel the world with you.”

Liam laughs, “Why after we get married, why not before?”

“I want to introduce you to strangers as my husband.”

Liam laughs, “Yeah! I would love that too, being introduced as your husband.”

“I also don’t want to live in either one of our family homes,” Zayn bites his lip. He is just taking a chance here. Liam is very close to his family, and it’s not that Zayn isn’t. But sometimes things at home get under his skin, and that’s the last thing he wants when he and Liam are living together.

Liam nods, “Yeah, we can get a place for ourselves.”

Liam and Zayn grew up in their family homes. Their fathers and grandfathers have been loyal to the royal family and have always lived a comfortable life. They both have a trust fund that can buy them an island in the Caribbean if they wished. But everything comes with a price. Growing up, they both had endless restrictions. They were not allowed to be friends with kids in school who weren’t of their level, from both financially and socially. They both were told from the beginning that they would have to swear their loyalties to the Crown Prince and carry the family legacy forward. They both were also told that when the time comes, they will be married off to a girl with a similar background to theirs.

It was in high school when Zayn realized that he wasn’t what everyone wanted him to be. He had a massive crush on Liam and whoever he told about it would laugh in his face. Everyone said it was just a phase. But Zayn knew it wasn't just a crush, and it definitely wasn’t a phase. He was in love. Deeply. Irrevocably. Over the years, he was just friends with Liam, and he never got a chance to spend time alone with him or be good friends with him. When he heard that Liam would be joining the Academy with him, he bounced with joy. Zayn intentionally went to another team when they were divided for the game of football, in the hopes that maybe he would get to share a room with Liam.

Zayn never lost an opportunity to flirt with Liam or tell him subtly how much he cared for him. Everyone understood that what Zayn had for Liam was nothing like brotherly feeling. He was made fun of here too, but Niall and Louis shut down all the haters. What surprised Zayn was that Liam would flirt back with him too. While he still planning and gathering his courage to tell Liam his feelings, one day Liam got down on his knees and asked him out for a date. Zayn hasn’t been the same person since that day. He generally walks on the cloud and is the happiest he has ever been. Liam makes him happy.

Zayn smiles to himself and looks at Liam, “Maybe we can live in the Styles Mansion.”

Liam frowns, “Styles Mansion?”

“Yeah, I mean Harry isn’t back, and I hope he doesn’t come back till next Sunday at 6:00 pm, so that at 6:01 pm, the Styles’ are thrown out of this country and everything they own is fucking seized.”

Liam chuckles, “It will all be a part of the royal treasury, it won’t be up for sale, or rent for that matter.”

Zayn pouts, “I want to put a word in with my father for it. Maybe he can convince Lord James to let us have it. Or maybe we can convince Niall to give it to us.”

“If the Styles’ are thrown out, I think the Styles Mansion probably will be given to Louis. After all, he is next in line after Niall. He is also a prince.” Liam says. “Though I have heard, Styles Mansion is the most beautiful property in the country after the Palace.”

“Wasn’t it a part of the Palace once?” Zayn asks.

“It was. It is the south side of the Palace. Queen Marjorie was pressured by the courtiers who were not so supportive of her to give it to the Styles toddler, Edward, who she’d left alive.”

“Eh, she wasn’t sharp. She was damn greedy.” Zayn shakes his head.

Liam goes silent for a while, “Where do you think Harry is?”

Zayn laughs lightly, “Planning his move to fuck us over once and for all.”

“Us? Like all of us? The entire Kingdom?” Liam is confused.

Zayn shakes his head, “No, you and me!”

Liam is more confused.

Zayn continues, “Our families betrayed the King and took Queen Marjorie’s side for their own selfish interest. If Harry was about to kill anyone, we would both be on the top of his hit list. When Niall takes the throne, he will want us by his side. Harry would rather eat glass than see that happen.”

Liam’s eyes widen, and his mouth hangs open.

“Our days are numbered, Liam.”

Chapter Text

Week 8

Louis’ eyes keep gazing at the entrance of the Academy. The view of the Academy door is clear from the fencing room. Louis enjoys practicing fencing; he is one of the best in the year. Generally, he is the first one to take his turn to practice with their mentor and then proceed to help others with the same. Today, he is just standing at the corner of the room, eyes flickering at the gates every other second. He has been on the edge this week. He hopes and prays that Harry comes from somewhere and honestly, Louis doesn’t want to miss his entrance. He just wants to have a glance at Harry’s face so he can continue hating Harry Styles and figuring out what the fuck he has planned for Louis. He just wants that kind of relief, but it seems like relief won’t be coming to him any time soon.

“Louis! Your turn,” Mentor McConaughey says in his stiff voice.

Louis turns his head to him and says, “Um... Can I not practice today? I’m not in the right headspace.” The mentor isn’t too kind, or even a little kind for that matter, but Louis is hoping that maybe he can get an excuse today.

“I don’t care where your head is. Pick up your foil and get here.” The mentor makes it very clear from his tone that he won’t let Louis get away without practicing.

Louis has no other option but to obey their mentor.

Mr. McConaughey looks around, “Who will be up against him?”

Liam picks up his foil, “I will!” He nods confidently at Mr. McConaughey.

Louis and Liam come to stand face-to-face with each other, their foils in their hands. Louis fixes his mask cord.

“Ready?” The mentor calls out.

They both look at each other. Liam can tell Louis is going to lose, he is so distracted. When Louis fences, you can tell he is ready to win. His eyes are focused and his entire demeanor is ready. Liam can tell from his eyes now that Louis is somewhere else, that his mind is not in the game. He has been observing him all day, all week in fact. Louis is not even paying attention in any of his classes, he spends most of his time in his room. Liam is getting worried about his best friend.

He only volunteered to be his opponent for this game because he doesn’t want Louis to lose to someone else, it would affect him too much.

“Concentrate,” Liam whispers.

“I can’t,” Louis mouths.

“Just fifteen minutes, save yourself from any of my attacks. It’ll be over soon.” Liam assures him.

Louis blinks his eye in acceptance and they both nod to the mentor.

In three minutes, Liam has already been awarded three touches. Louis is trying his best to keep up. Liam charges towards Louis, and Louis stops him by hitting his foil expertly.

“Yeah, do that Lou, stall me,” Liam whispers. He hopes all this encourages Louis to not lose. Mentor McConaughey will be disappointed with Louis if he loses.

Louis knocks away Liam's foil and touches his stomach with the tip of his foil. Finally, he is granted his first touch. Liam smiles, and so does Louis. Liam knows he’s got his friend’s attention back.

Sunday, 5:45 pm

Louis picks up his cup of green tea and sweetens it with honey. He isn’t in any mood to eat anything. Even warm tattie scones, which are his guilty pleasure, are not making him hungry. He wonders why.

Niall’s eyes turn towards the giant clock in the dining hall. He just came back from the palace after meeting his mother. As always, she was beyond happy to see him and wouldn’t let him come back to the Academy. Niall always assures her that he is safe there, but she has trust issues.

Taking a sip of his noodle soup, Niall remembers the pale face of Arthur Styles, which he had seen this afternoon at the Palace. Niall had overheard Lord James questioning Arthur about Harry’s absenteeism from the Academy. A smirk crosses Niall’s face, thinking about what is yet to come. Finally, they will get rid of that family, something that Queen Marjorie should have done herself.

Zayn sighs loudly next to Niall. Niall turns his head to look at him.

He raises an eyebrow at him, “What caused you displeasure, Princess?”

Niall often teases Zayn by calling him a Princess. Zayn once showed them his picture from when he was three months old and bragged about how cute he was as a baby and that he was cuter than any Princess in the whole world. Niall had made up his mind to address him as a Princess whenever he wanted to tease the fuck out of him.

“I’m so hungry, feels like I could eat a whole pig,” Zayn says, pouting.

“Didn’t you go home to see your mom this morning? Didn’t she stuff you with food?” Niall asks, trying to hide his smile. Zayn often complains about how his mom always makes sure Zayn overeats. Every time Zayn comes back to the Academy after seeing his family, he can’t bring himself to eat anything for a couple of days. His mom thinks that the Academy doesn’t feed her son enough, which isn’t true.

“My hunger died at home. Mom said she has found a match for me and wants me to meet her over the Christmas break. Ew, ew, ew! Who even wants to marry a girl?” Zayn says.

Liam shakes his head, smiling. Niall bites his tongue, while Louis has concern written all over his face.

“Just tell her you are not ready to get married or anything,” Liam says. “You are only 22.”

“Liam, I’m worried that they won’t bother with my age,” Zayn says, biting his lip.

Niall pats Zayn’s back, “They will, I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them I need you with me 24*7. Surely, no girl would want to spend her newly married life waiting endless hours for her husband to come home. I got you, Princess!”

Zayn rewards him with a huge-ass smile. “I know I can count on you.” Zayn holds Niall’s hands, “My Prince, my savior.”

Louis snorts, “Someone is getting jealous over here.” His thumb points at Liam who is sitting next to him.

Zayn ignores Louis’ remark and holds Niall’s palm tightly, “Since we are on the topic of mine and Liam’s future, and you seem to support us, can I ask you for a favor?”

Niall nods.

“See, let’s get one thing straight. It’s 10 minutes to 6 and there’s no way Harry is coming back. So can Liam and I have the Styles Mansion after they are exiled from the country?” Zayn makes puppy eyes.

Niall laughs. Louis covers his mouth with his hand. Liam bites his lip and looks down at the sandwich on his plate.

“I’ll even rename the place, ‘Niall’s Blessing’.” Zayn continues.

Niall throws his head back, laughing.

“That mansion is so beautiful, I just want to live there with Liam for the rest of my life. I want mine and his children to run in the beautiful garden laughing and cheering.”

“Tell me you have the entire picture of your future ready in your head.” Niall jokes.

Zayn replies excitedly, “I do! Liam and I will take the best room in the mansion. I hope it overlooks the rose garden and has a glimpse of the Palace.” Zayn’s gaze turns towards the ceiling. “On a bright sunny day, as our four children run through the garden, playing, I’ll make them strawberry lemonade while Liam runs behind them to catch them.”

Liam looks at Zayn fondly. They have talked about it a million times and every time, it gives him butterflies.

“Four children!” Louis exclaims. He bursts into laughter.

Niall is having a difficult time holding himself back from laughing too.

Zayn tugs Niall’s hand, “Please Niall, let us have it. I’ll name our firstborn after you.”

Liam giggles while covering his face with hands.

Niall laughs at Zayn’s words. “I promise I’ll do everything I can. I can’t promise that you’ll have it.”

Zayn twists his face, “Try!” He says softly.

Niall nods while laughing.

Marvin, one of their colleagues, approaches them. Marvin and Liam have known each other since middle school since their fathers work closely. But Liam and Marvin are distantly friendly as both move around in different circles.

“Can I sit here?” Marvin asks the group.

“Please do,” Louis says, gesturing towards the empty seat next to Liam.

“How are you guys doing?” Marvin asks hesitantly. He has never shared a table with them at meals or at the library. His nervousness is palpable.

“We all are fine, Marvin. Relax! Can we help you?” Zayn asks politely. He doesn’t like it when anyone lacks confidence in themselves around them.

“Umm...” Marvin tries to find words. “Some of the boys and I were thinking that since it’s our last year in the Academy and Halloween is coming, that we should do something. I mean, every year, we only have dinner, and we don’t celebrate it or anything. So, maybe.”

Liam gets excited. His face brightens at the suggestion and a smile touches his lips, “That would be amazing. We should all celebrate Halloween.”

“That’s a great idea, Marvin,” Louis says encouragingly. “What do you need from us?”

“I- We were hoping one of you would get permission from Paul,” Marvin says.

Niall nods, “Don’t worry about that.”

Zayn turns to look at Niall, “No, Liam and I will go and get permission from him. If you or Louis go, then it would be like-- I mean, he would feel obligated to allow it.”

“Alrighty, Princess! You get the permission.” Niall says, smiling.

Liam looks at Marvin, “Let us know if there’s anything else we can help with.”

Zayn immediately says, “I wouldn’t mind helping to organize the party.”

Marvin smiles widely. “Thank you!” He gets up from the table and leaves.

They all look at Marvin as he leaves, excited for the upcoming party. They all agree that the Academy could do with some celebration and cheering up. They know some of the students are worried about another attack. Although the security of the Academy has been amped up, nothing is certain.

Niall’s eyes flicker to the clock and he smiles to himself. The clock strikes 6 and the entire room is filled with the sound of bells from the clock.

Before anyone could say anything further, the door of the dining hall opens with force. All eyes in the room turn towards the door. For a moment, no one can make out the person standing at the door, blocking the light of the setting sun. The red light of the sun shines through his curls. And Louis knows, knows in his heart, that his nemesis is back.

Niall’s nose flares as he watches the figure step into the room. He knows who it is. He doesn’t need the confirmation of seeing his face. No one can mistake him. It’s the one he has been waiting for.

Harry Edward Styles.

*

Harry stands at the door with a lopsided smile, eyes green and deep as the ocean, lips red. His skin looks a bit tan, and a bandana holds his curly hair in place. His hair is longer than anyone remembers. The air he exhibits is still ominous. His entire demeanor is still proud and arrogant.

“Bastard!” Zayn mutters.

Niall’s jaw sets in a hard line. Louis looks at Harry, holding his breath, not sure how to react. He is happy, yes. He is anxious, also yes.

The entire room falls silent as Harry looks around, taking his own time, making sure everyone knows he is back. A red rose is attached to the lapel of his black suit jacket. His off-white, see-through shirt gives a nice peek of tanned chest and butterfly tattoo. His evil smile widens as soon as his eyes fall on Niall. Louis can’t help but look at his dimples; they look deeper somehow.

Harry walks up to Niall and bows down, never taking his eyes off Niall, “My Prince!” His voice sounds warm and deep.

Louis is frozen in his spot like everyone else.

Niall holds in his displeasure at seeing him again. He thought they were done for good. But it seems like Harry isn’t done yet. Or maybe he hasn’t even gotten started.

“You are late, Harry!” Niall says.

Harry chuckles, “No, I don’t think so.” He says it quietly. “I entered the Academy 5 minutes back. I took my time to come to the dining room.”

Niall blinks his eyes in acceptance. He knows there is no polite way to welcome Harry back, he isn’t even ready to have him yet. The joy of getting rid of the entire Styles clan lasted half a second for him.

Harry straightens and slowly turns his head to Louis. The smirk on his face widens as he sees Louis’ eyes wide open like he has seen a ghost. Harry’s head tilts the slightest in acknowledgment before he makes his way to the table where the food is laid. The sound of his footsteps fills the silent room. The entire vibe of the room feels devious.

Niall’s eyes follow Harry’s every step. Somehow his stance looks even more authoritative and confident.

Louis looks outside. The sun has set, leaving behind a red tint in the sky. He turns his head to look at Harry and wonders what kind of darkness the setting sun has brought with it.

Harry doesn’t have friends in the Academy, but he does have loyal minions. Two guys, Nathan, and Oliver, whose fathers are loyal to Arthur Edward Styles. Everyone knows that Harry doesn’t talk to them much, but only bothers if he needs something. He also shares a table with them for dinner and lunch.

Harry is loving the entire tense silence of the room. He wanted to make a grand entrance and he did, in such a way that everyone forgot to breathe. He lives for drama. He loves when all the attention is on him. Well, it isn’t that he has to ever beg for attention, he gets it automatically wherever he goes. But he loves when people get intimidated by him.

He settles down at a table, next to Oliver, and nods at them, the smirk never leaving his face. He can feel the eyes on him as he picks up his fork to enjoy some roasted potatoes. Even though his back is to Louis, he can see Louis staring hard at him from the corner of his eye.

Not even five minutes later, a man wearing the royal court uniform enters the room. He quietly approaches Harry and whispers in his ear,

“The Chief is waiting for you.”

Harry looks up from his plate and whispers, “Of course, he is!” A lopsided grin appears on his face.

Someone closes the door behind Harry as he enters the memorial room. A candle is burning in front of his mother’s portrait. Harry came here first to see his mother and light a candle for her. It is the first thing he does every morning. Harry approaches his father, who is standing in front of the portrait with his back towards Harry.

“Father,” Harry says, crossing his hands behind him, shoulders hunched up, arrogance palpable in his voice.

Arthur Edward Styles turns around slowly. Being the Chief of Court comes with many responsibilities, one of which is that he must be dressed to the nines at all times. The matte black suit with a red scarf is tied around his neck gracefully. A cigar is held between his thumb and index finger.

He blows out a puff of smoke in front of Harry’s face, their eyes meeting. Harry doesn’t even blink an eye when the cloud of smoke reaches him; he is used to it. He looks at his father expectantly with a smile on his face.

Arthur Edward Styles turns his back on him and slowly walks towards a nearby couch. Sitting down, his hands on the armrests, one leg crossed over the other, he takes another drag of his cigar. Harry stands still on his spot, patiently waiting for his father to address him.

Arthur’s eyes bore into Harry’s, but his son doesn’t look away or even flinch. Harry has never been scared of anything or anyone, which is both a blessing and a curse for Arthur. He knows nothing and no one can keep hold of his son. Twenty years, and he still can’t understand his son, or his motives, or what drives him.

“Where were you for the last five months?” Arthur’s jaw clenches.

“I was traveling, father,” Harry says calmly, never taking his eyes off Arthur.

‘Father,’ that’s what Harry always calls him, never ‘dad’, never ‘papa’. One can always feel the coldness Harry has towards Arthur in the way he calls him ‘father’. But that’s one of the most unnerving things about Harry. He obeys everything Arthur says, but then again his strangeness to his own family isn’t a secret. Arthur always wonders what goes on inside his head. Over the past five months, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder what unfortunate thing Harry was gonna bring to them. He is unpredictable and ominous.

Arthur raises his eyebrows, “Without money or passport?”

Harry cackles at this like Arthur just said the funniest thing ever. “Who needs money or passport to travel, father!”

Arthur takes in a sharp breath, “What are you up to?” He says quietly.

“Ah, I was just taking some time off. I needed a break from everything.” Harry says.

Arthur looks at his son carefully, “Everyone was looking for you. I was looking for you but no one could find a trace of you.” Arthur’s voice turns bitter.

Harry simply stands in his place and smiles.

“I almost lost everything. Had you turned up five minutes late…” Arthur grinds his teeth.

“But did you lose anything?” Harry says, smirking. “You should’ve trusted me to turn up before the time was up.” Harry takes a step forward towards his father. “In fact, you should trust me more.”

“What do you mean?”

“That night, when you sent those men to attack the Academy, why didn’t you inform me beforehand?” Harry asks. “Didn’t you trust me to do the job by myself?”

Arthur takes a deep breath, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t send them. They weren’t my men.” Getting up from his place, Arthur buttons his suit jacket. “But I do believe you will finish your job before this term ends.”

Harry stays transfixed on his spot as Arthur leaves. He hears the door close behind him and he is alone in the room with his mother. Confusion dawns on his face. All this time, he’d thought that it was his father who had sent them. This new revelation has intrigued him further.

Chapter Text

Louis walks inside their room in a hurry and closes the door behind him impatiently. His eyes frantically search the room for Harry. The entire room is filled with the smell of Harry’s cologne and the sweet humming of his arch enemy. He immediately walks towards the window and opens it. Cold air touches his face and he takes a deep breath and peeps toward the walk-in closet.

Louis casually walks into their walk-in closet and picks up his pajamas. Harry catches Louis’ sight in the mirror reflection and smirks. Clearing his throat, Louis walks towards his study table and picks up the assignment that he needs to submit tomorrow. After a while, Harry settles in his bed after setting down his things. Louis can’t stop wondering why he didn’t get anything over-the-top for the dorm this year. Although, Harry did set up a small tea table next to his study table. A bone china tea kettle with colorful pictures hand-painted on it, two teacups with saucers, and a basket of assorted tea are all sitting on the tea table. They don’t have any specific area dedicated to snacks and tea in their room; they keep all of it in their respective drawers in the closet. Louis shakes his head and continues with his assignment.

It’s around 11 at night before Louis is done with his assignment. He turns back and finds Harry sleeping soundly. Sitting on his bed, he looks at Harry intently. Harry’s hair is longer, and his skin tan. But to Louis, it looks like Harry is tired. There are dark circles under his eyes when Louis has never seen even a speck of tiredness around his eyes before. A stray curl has fallen over his forehead and Louis has to physically stop himself from adjusting it. He watches Harry’s even breathing, the smooth and calm rise-and-fall of his chest. He marvels at Harry’s features. Somehow Harry looks older than he did 5 months back, but nonetheless, even more attractive.

Harry always sleeps on his stomach with a pillow tucked under his arm. Louis often wondered if he misses someone, or if he likes to have the feeling of someone or something near him when he sleeps. If someone saw Harry sleeping, they would say he might be a people-pleaser and the most helpful person. But the Harry that Louis knows is far from pleasing people or even helping others. Harry never bothers to stop and think about what others think about him, and he always keeps to himself.

Louis often wonders what Harry is hiding. He has never seen Harry being extremely happy or sad about anything. Like he doesn’t know anything called emotions. But then again, every time Harry laughs after making Louis’ life miserable, Louis sees another side of Harry. The way his eyes crinkle when he laughs, the way his dimples get deeper, the way his entire face lights up, the way innocent mischief reflects in his entire being, makes Louis wonder how many layers Harry has, and how many Louis will be able to uncover before Harry kills him.

Louis sighs and wonders why Harry is his enemy. He was Louis’ enemy even before they met, even before Louis knew someone named Harry Styles existed in this world. Louis wants to know what is it that drives Harry’s hate towards him. Is it his existence? Is it something that his family did to Harry’s? Times like these, Louis wonders if people are aware that their actions can affect families and generations. Do they know that it is always the future generations that pay for the actions of their ancestors? How long will mankind have to suffer before people realize this simple thing?

As much as Louis is relieved to see Harry, alive and healthy, in front of him, he wishes it hadn’t been this way. He wishes his life hadn’t been this way. He wishes he wasn’t a pawn in someone else’s game.

*

Liam takes a bite of his bagel, “What kind of bagel can fly?” He asks his tablemates.

Zayn pouts and goes back to eating his sandwich. Louis shakes his head while continuing to butter his scones. He generally has a tough time choosing what to eat. He always wants to eat everything but since there is way too much food, and way too many varieties of food laid down for every meal, he has to choose wisely. Right now, he’d settled on a glass of cold milk, scones, eggs, and a cress sandwich.

Niall, on the other hand, is thinking deeply about Liam’s question. It’s always like this: Liam cracks a stupid question and Niall counters him by giving an equally stupid answer.

Liam wiggles his eyebrows at Niall, waiting for an answer.

“A plain bagel,” Niall replies, rolling his eyes.

“Aw no! You are not supposed to get the answers all the time. That’s not part of the game.” Liam whines.

Louis laughs. “I bet you can write a book on those lame jokes, Liam.”

“He has one of those in his book cabinet,” Zayn spills the beans with his mouth stuffed with the sandwich.

Niall laughs uncontrollably.

Liam is taken by surprise, “I absolutely do not!”

Zayn makes a face and turns to Niall, “I’ll let you burn those books, promise me we'll never have access to any lame jokes book in the royal library ever.”

“That’s so rude. The world needs a bit of humor and fun, Zayn.” Louis defends Liam. Although he doesn’t like his jokes very much, he appreciates the effort.

“I think Zayn is right,” Niall says confidently.

“Well, thanks for asking what I think,” Liam says, taking a sip of his coffee.

“What the world needs is a good serving of steak. I’m craving a steak.” Niall says, putting down his cup of tea. “Ah, wanna go out tonight?” Niall asks.

“I do!” Liam says. He looks at Zayn and Louis, who hadn’t acknowledged Niall. Both are still continuing with their eating.

“I can’t tonight, I have promised Paul to help find a book in the royal library,” Louis says.

Niall raises his eyebrows questioningly, “Which book?”

Louis shrugs, “Manuscript of ‘Political Methodology by Sir Graham Duncan Wilson’. He says it is the best one written, but he hasn’t been able to find it in the library.”

Liam’s eyebrows join, “Strange! Maybe someone took it for reference.” Liam says hopefully.

Niall nods and turns to Zayn to ask for his explanation for not agreeing to join him for a nice steak. “Princess?”

Zayn throws his head back, “I have to re-work my assignment. Mr. Hamley said some key points were missing.” Zayn whines.

“You should have done it properly,” Liam says strictly. He knows Zayn wasn’t too keen on doing the assignment, and even after asking him constantly to complete it with some concentration and patience, Zayn hadn’t.

“Listen, he never even bothers reading my assignments. But the one time, just one time, I don’t do it properly, he decides to read it word-by-word and comma-by-comma.” Zayn complains. First, he hates the subject and then he is being made to work on it again. “I’ll be burning the midnight oil.”

“I can help if you want.” Niall offers, putting his arm around Zayn. There won’t be a single day when he wouldn’t want to protect and look after him. He always thinks of himself as Zayn’s elder brother. He also wishes he could see the world the way Zayn does. All sunshine and rainbows.

It isn’t that Zayn is not aware of the harsh realities of the world in general. But he somehow manages to look past the gloomy present to the hopeful future. Zayn is an artist, he loves to paint and play instruments, and it is well-reflected in his personality. He once said if it hadn’t been compulsory for him to be here for four years, he would have been training for things that made him happy. Niall has already made up his mind to talk to Zayn’s father and let him follow his heart rather than the family occupation.

“Thanks, but I’ll do it on my own.” Zayn pats Niall’s hand.

*

The library is so quiet that Louis can hear his own footsteps as he walks inside. He checks his reflection in the shiny Italian marble floor and smiles a little. Louis is always taken aback by the grand architecture of the library. The royal library is a work of art in itself. Huge portraits and paintings grace the walls of the library. The entire dome-shaped ceiling is painted with hundreds of colors, making it look like watercolors swirl on the ceiling.

The entire library is on three floors and every book, manuscript, and the research papers that have been published since 1480 can be found here. Not only paintings but also valuable objects used by previous royals can be found here. There’s also a small cafe in the library that serves tea and biscuits in silver for the officials who have to work and do their research here for long hours.

Louis decides to ask the library manager, Peter Robin, where to start looking for the book first. Paul told him that it wasn’t in the political science section. As he walks towards the manager’s desk, he finds some students from the academy studying and doing research.

Peter smiles at him as he reaches the desk, “How can I help you today, Mr. Tomlinson?”

Louis smiles and asks him about the book.

“Oh yes, Mr. Higgins has been looking for it, we know. We couldn’t find that particular copy in our system. Maybe it’s not listed in our database.” Peter informs him with slight regret on his face.

Louis shakes his head in confusion, ”What do you mean ‘maybe it is not in your database’?”

“Um, there are books that we still haven’t updated in our system.” He turns to point at the top floor. “Every book from Floor 1 to 3 are in our system. Anything below Floor 1 is yet to be updated.”

Louis takes a whole 360-degree turn and looks at the number of books in the library. There may be tens of thousands of books. It must be difficult to manage all of them.

“There is a floor beneath Floor 1!” Louis asks, surprised. He never went there, nobody had ever told him about it.

“Yes, there is a section for banned books there which is completely updated, but apart from that, nope. There are a lot of them and we don’t know where to start. Nobody really goes there or looks for books there, so you know, we are not in any hurry to update them.” Peter says.

Louis nods.

“Go straight and take the last left. There is a staircase, take it and you’ll enter

Floor -1. The switchboard is on the right side of the room.” Peter guides him in the right direction.

Louis sighs and makes his way towards the floor, internally whining that he will have to spend an entire evening there looking for the book.

As he enters the room, he is welcomed by the smell of old paper and mold. He walks further inside and switches on the light. The entire room is dead quiet and seems endless. Louis scratches his head, trying to figure out where to start. There are so many shelves and so many books. He doesn’t even know if he can find it here in this sea of old books. He decides to start with the shelf in front of him, hoping to God it is arranged alphabetically.

Books are arranged haphazardly on the racks. Some have names on them, but some have their ink fading, and it is very difficult to read what is written on them. Some have pages falling out of their loose bindings. Louis makes a mental note to discuss it with Lord James the next time he visits him, and let him know about the condition of the books in here. He wonders why no one is looking after these books. The books here are mainly first editions and some research papers that are very rare. To Louis, it is a treasure in itself, and he believes they all must be preserved. After two hours of searching, he still cannot find the book, and he hasn't even covered half the shelves in the room. He decides to check one more and then call it a day. He will come back again on the weekend to look for it.

Louis goes through the shelf trying to find the manuscript. He accidentally reaches the shelf for biographies. He goes through them anyway, hoping that the manuscript had landed in this shelf by accident. He tries to avoid looking at the shelf dedicated to his family. He has read the biographies of his family members, especially his mum, way too many times.

Back during their first year in the Academy, Liam gave him all the books and biographies that were written about his mum. Louis still has them on his shelf and he has read them all cover-to-cover. On most days, he tries not to look at the books and biographies of his mother because looking at them reminds him of everything he is missing in his life, everything he has missed in his life. He sometimes wonders how his childhood would have been if his mum was around. He has read a zillion times that she was so kind-hearted and that she loved children so much. She even got the children’s wing in the hospital reconstructed so it would be more child-friendly. Louis wonders how much his mum would have loved him. There are times when he makes up scenarios in his head about how his life would have been. The thing that hurts him the most is that they are only fragments of his imagination. Nothing will ever fill the hole in his heart and nothing will ever be close to the life he might have had with his family.

Rummaging through the shelves, he spots a book with red binding and a title written in golden letters. ‘Biography of Ebenezer Valarie Styles ’. He has come across the biographies of the Styles family a few times in the past, but he has never read it or any of them. He looks at the book for a while, contemplating whether to look inside it or not. He isn’t sure if he wants to go through the life of someone whose son’s life mission is to kill him. But then again, he is more curious about Harry with every passing day. He decides to not think too much about it, and then pulls the book out from the shelf. Out of curiosity, he opens the book and flips to the table of contents page. He runs his index finger down the page as he looks for the chapter on ‘Family Life’. Flipping to the page, he quickly looks at the pictures and comes across one where she is holding Baby Harry in her arms. The footnote for the picture mentions Harry being 6 months old.

Louis looks at the picture for a while longer than he should have. His eyes move from Harry to Ebenezer, and he can see the resemblance. He can sense the happiness radiating out of the picture of Ebenezer, a proud mother, a woman at peace with her child. Baby Harry is smiling a toothless grin, his dimples on the show, his eyes green and big. He wonders if he will ever see Harry smiling like this ever again. An image of Harry with his dead eyes and pale skin pops into his head. Maybe Louis will have to live with the tragedy of never seeing Harry being happy, and maybe this is how he is going to die -- with an image of dejected Harry.

He continues to go through the pages about Ebenezer’s personal life and her life at the Academy. Being the warden was a huge responsibility for her. Louis wondered if being a Styles whilst being the warden of the Academy put undue pressure on her. How difficult must it have been to maintain a balance between the royal family and her own family? Or was she exactly like the rest of the Styles family: sinister and distrustful, working for her own selfish interests?

Louis sighs and continues going through the pages. His eyes fall on the sentence ‘ Although rumors circulated that Ebenezer feared for her life, they were quickly dismissed as nothing more than idle Court gossip. ‘ He does a double-take and goes to read the statement again and again. And again. He shakes his head, unable to figure out what he’d just read. How was her life in danger? Who could make her feel unsafe? As far as Louis knows, no one can touch the Styles family, let alone threaten to put their lives in danger. If anyone even dared to do it, Louis doesn’t doubt that the person would be inviting their own doom. He decides to read the entire biography to find more about how her life would have been in danger.

After two hours, he’s finished going through the entire biography. He couldn’t find anything else in the biography related to her life and the dangers she faced. This raised a thousand questions for Louis. He wants to find the answers to them. He makes up his mind to ask Paul about it. Maybe he knows something. Paul was her junior when she was the warden here.

He puts the book back on the shelf and lets out a sigh and decides to go back to the Academy. He doesn’t have any more will to look for Paul’s book.

As he starts to leave, he hears some faint footsteps coming from behind him. He turns around quickly and calls out, “Who’s there?”

He waits for a couple of heartbeats for the reply, but none comes. The footstep sound continues, fading in the opposite direction. He decides to follow the sound. What’s the worst that can happen , he thinks. He’ll die? Well, that’s not even close to the worst thing.

He continues walking and reaches a staircase that goes somewhere down. He turns to look back. He can’t find any other human presence. As he descends down the stairs, he can feel the air getting hot and stuffy. It’s pitch dark, but he can hear some feeble sounds coming from inside.

He takes a deep breath and continues down the stairs. It is getting impossible for him to see clearly, and he tries to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He calls out again.

“Whoever you are, come out.”

He hears the footsteps better. They seem a bit louder than they did previously. Maybe the sound in the room is reverberating. But he can definitely hear some shuffling and the sound of breathing which is not his. He bravely follows the sound of the steps and increases his pace to catch it.

He has no idea what he is following, whether it’s a ghost of a person or sound. But there is definitely something -- or he thinks someone -- who is running away and trying to hide in the darkness. He can barely see anything. The air keeps getting hotter, and he keeps moving further inside the room, and the sound keeps fading.

He stops, looking around for something more, but there’s nothing. It’s pitch black and there’s not a single sound. He can hear his own breathing and heartbeat. Suddenly a flash of light falls on his face.

“Lou!” Dan says, walking towards him.

Louis jumps in his place at the sound and turns around, “What are you doing here, Dan?”

Dan holds up a bound book. “Research. What are you doing here, in the basement?” He stands in front of Louis with concern.

Louis blurts out immediately, “There is someone here. I heard the sound and followed. There were light footsteps.” His eyes widen and he turns to look in front of him. He takes the torch from Dan and points it in the direction where the sound had disappeared. He frantically looks around and walks till he hits the other side of the room but he can’t find anything. The entire room is just like the room above, endless shelves filled with books.

“There’s no one here apart from me, Lou! I have been here for hours.” Dan says calmly.

Louis walks towards him, “What are you doing in this darkness.” Louis asks suspiciously.

Dan chuckles, “I just switched off the lights.”

Louis stands there looking at him, at a loss for words.

Dan shakes his head and gently pats his arm, “Louis!” He says softly. “There’s no one here. C’mon, let’s go. Maybe you were imagining the footsteps. Or maybe they were mine. Yeah, maybe they were mine.”

Louis lets out a long sigh. He turns around for the last time and flashes the torch everywhere. He cannot find another soul. He nods lightly and makes his way towards the staircase with Dan. They both walk out of the library together.

It’s way past the closing time when he leaves the library. The cool air of the night touches his bare arm, and he can smell the scent of autumn in the air, the hint of pumpkin and something spicy. He smiles to himself and quietly makes his way to the Academy, aware of the people and gazes following him. Louis had never wanted to have full-time security, but James had given him an ‘invisible security’ who follows him around and looks out for him whenever he steps out of the Academy. Luckily for him, the Academy doesn’t allow anyone to have personal security in the school buildings.

“It has been two months since you have been home. Forgot your old man, eh?” Dan asks.

Louis shakes his head. “I’m sorry. The studies and assignments at the Academy are keeping me busy.” Suddenly, he feels bad for not seeing Dan for two months. If Dan is his family, Louis is also Dan’s only family. Louis didn’t realize until now that Dan must get lonely too. Regret dawns on him.

Dan puts his hand on Louis’ arm, nodding with understanding, “Halloween is coming up. Wanna come home? It is a weekend, anyway.”

“Uh, the boys are making plans to celebrate Halloween at the Academy. I can’t promise anything,” Louis bites his tongue.

“Try to come over the next day!” Dan suggests, to which Louis nods.

Dan has done so much for him over the years, and Louis believes that the least he can do is visit him more often. Until last year, he would see him at least twice or thrice in a month. A lot of things have been keeping Louis busy and occupied lately, but he knows everything must be put aside to make time for Dan.

*

Louis can hear the soft music of a piano as he reaches their dorm. It has been ages since he heard Harry playing the piano. He isn’t sure if he wants to go inside now and interrupt Harry, or if he wants to hear him play it for a long time. He slumps down the door and sits on the floor, outside the closed door of their dorm, and decides to listen to him play. The melancholy music coming from the room fills him with despair. The utter sadness, that he keeps buried deep and away from everyone’s reach, surfaces.

Sitting alone outside on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest, he feels the most alone than he has ever felt. Louis has been alone all his life, and for a long time, he thought that maybe he wouldn’t be alone one day. The thought, the hope, the feeling that one day he would find the right person, who would fill every part of him with blissful happiness, kept him going. The feeling that one day, he would find his home in someone, kept him going in the darkest and coldest nights. They say hope is all we have when there’s nothing left. He only had hope to cling to for most of his life. And now he is running out of that as well.

He hates Harry. He hates him for what he brings out of him. He hates Harry because he makes Louis hate him. He wants to fight Harry to death. He wants to hurt Harry for hurting him so much. He wants Harry to answer all of his questions. He wants to fight the person who hurt Harry, whoever is the reason that Harry is so far away from every emotion, whoever is the reason that Harry plays music that’s so sad and hurting. Louis never believed in violence or fights, he always believed that everything could be sorted out if two people could sit down and talk like civilized people. Louis hates Harry because he knows there’s no way Harry will sort out the issues they have, the issues Louis don’t even understand, politely.

He hates Harry because he is in too deep to even pretend that he doesn’t care about him.

Louis doesn’t know when the music stopped, as he had sat there lost in his own thoughts. He doesn’t know how long it has been since he came back to the Academy. He stands up and wipes away his stray tears. One look outside the window and he can see that the moon has climbed high in the sky. It must be around midnight. Taking a deep breath, he opens the door of their dorm.

Harry looks up from the piano keys and meets Louis’ eyes. He lets out a deep sigh and flicks his eyes towards the clock in the corner of the room. An unsaid conversation happens that gives Louis the idea that Harry does not appreciate him coming back this late. Harry looks at him as Louis shrugs, slams the door behind him, and makes his way towards the bathroom. Harry shakes his head lightly and continues playing piano, but this time he plays a loud, upbeat tune.

Louis splashes cold water on his face and looks at himself in the eye in the mirror. Nothing is going to clear his head right now. There are questions in his head and he needs answers to them. After changing into his pajamas, he walks outside and shouts at Harry, who is still playing a funny tune. He wonders what had changed his mood all of a sudden.

“Fucking stop that,” Louis says loudly so that he is heard over the sound of music.

Harry immediately pauses. He looks up and slowly turns around to look at Louis, “I wonder what made your evening miserable.” He makes a thinking face, “I have been in the room all evening. Do I have a competitor to make your life pathetic?”

Louis chuckles, “You can put me out of my misery by telling me where you were for five months.”

Harry rolls his eyes, turns back to his piano, and hits a key, “I was traveling, Louis Tomlinson.” He says softly, but Louis can hear the undertone of mischief in it.

“I know, and you know, that you weren't traveling. What were you up to, Harry?”

Harry continues playing piano, “Not sure if any of it concerns you.”

Louis walks towards him, “You know why I was concerned about you? It is because I was starting to wonder if you had given up on your job of killing me. I thought you chickened out. And I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about it.”

Harry stops, turns around, leaps from his stool, and stands in front of Louis with blinding speed. Louis hardly has time to process everything that he did.

“I won’t give up so easily, Tomlinson.” Harry grinds his teeth.

“I wonder how you are going to do it. Stab me in the back, kill me when I am sleeping, or poison my food. I keep thinking about how you are going to do it.” Louis says without a hint of fear in his voice. For the first time, he isn’t scared.

Harry takes another step towards him and looks Louis straight in the eye. “You will know when I do it because I’ll be looking you straight in your eyes, waiting for you to ask for mercy, beg for your life. You will see me win.”

“You have a disappointment coming your way, then. I won’t be asking for your mercy or begging for my life. I’ll be smiling that you are finally freeing me from this joke of a life that I am living.” Louis says bluntly. “I don’t care who wins in this, because as far as I know, I am the only one who is going to lose, and I have made peace with that. So do your fucking job for once and end me once and for all.”

Harry stands there stunned, speechless, unable to move or react. Louis takes a step back and walks towards his bed. He gets inside his covers and turns away from Harry.

“If you are not going to switch off these lights before getting into bed from now on, then these lights are fucking going to stay on the whole night.” With that, Louis closes his eyes.

Harry stands there frozen to the spot.

Chapter Text

Zayn admires his reflection in the mirror and tries to fix his already set hair. His crimson lenses look a bit scary but still somehow looks good on him. He takes an entire turn to admire himself in his Deadpool outfit.

“Not bad, Zayn.” He murmurs to himself. He takes out a plastic rod from behind his back and points it at the mirror. “Captain Deadpool! No, just Deadpool.” He shakes his head and pouts, “Zeadpool!”

Liam breezes into the room and stands next to Zayn while looking at his reflection. He twirls his cape, “I’m the best detective in the whole world.”

Zayn’s amber eyes start shining and a mischievous grin makes its way to his lips. None of it escapes Liam, who is still looking at his reflection in the mirror.

“Can you help me find what I lost, detective?” Zayn asks playfully.

Liam studies Zayn’s reflection in the mirror, his eyebrows joined together. “What I may help you with?” His fake serious tone makes Zayn bite his lips a little too hard.

“My heart, detective! I think someone stole it.” Zayn says, turning to look at Liam.

Liam tries to hide his fond but it is getting difficult. It always gets difficult around Zayn. He also knows there is no use trying to hide it since Zayn can read him with his eyes closed. It is one of the reasons he loves Zayn so madly. His cheesy-ass lines are one of the reasons as well.

“Whom do you suspect, Zeadpool?” Liam says, still trying to keep a straight face. “I will bring what is yours back to you.”

Zayn licks his lips, trying to entice Liam. “I think I can do without mine. Maybe if someone gave me theirs.”

Liam slowly turns his head to look at Zayn. The ecstasy in Zayn's eyes throws Liam spiraling down in the territory where he knows there is no coming back from. The intense feelings rise inside him and he can feel the eagerness to be with Zayn and only him in every way he can think about. The way Zayn is pouting doesn’t help him either.

Pushing Zayn back against the wall, he says, “Do we have to attend the party?”

“I think the party will survive without us,” Zayn says and catches Liam’s bottom lip between his lips. Before either one of them realizes it, they are making out fervently. Zayn’s hand slips over Liam’s crotch and he presses firmly, which evokes a helpless moan from Liam.

“Babe,” Liam whispers as he pulls Zayn’s hair painfully.

As Zayn loops his arms around Liam’s neck, they hear a knock on their door. They avoid it for the first time, but the second knock follows quickly. They break apart, mouths glistening with the proof of each other’s passion. Zayn lets out a huge sigh and walks towards the door.

“Just when things started getting interesting.” He says out loud and pulls open the door. “What do you want Louis?” He gazes at him from head to toe and admires that Louis looks like an actual Peter Pan. If there was an award for who wore the best costume, Louis would win it without a doubt.

Louis looks at him, confused, “Wanna join the fun?” He points outside towards the garden, where the bonfire is about to get started. “Or do you guys want me to lure you out of the dorm with my pipe.” Louis shows off his pipe by bringing it to his mouth. The music that comes out is horrible. Zayn flinches internally.

Zayn pouts, “Yeah. We will join. You don’t have to put me through this kind of torture.” He looks back at Liam, who is fixing his cape.

“I heard sangria is flowing,” Louis says excitedly, bouncing on his feet.

Zayn steps out of the room and puts an arm around Louis, “Of course it is! I made it.” He says proudly. It is a known fact that no one makes a better sangria than Zayn. He is the master of it.

Niall stands in front of the bonfire with his eyes closed, taking in the calming sounds of wood burning and the wind gushing softly around him. The entire Academy looks different this evening. The garden is lined with jack-o-lanterns, witches’ hats are hanging from the trees along with fake spiders and cobwebs. At the far corner of the garden, a witch’s cauldron is brewing boozy butterbeer. There are a few tables laid out that are serving jello shots, meatballs, deviled eggs, and salted apple caramel punch. And that’s not all. Inside, in the dining room, the entire feast looks appetizing and fulfilling. Everyone had decorated their room and the corridors with spooky stuff. Every year, there was only one grand feast served during Halloween, but this time, everyone had gone over the top and put on a grandiose celebration.

Louis’ giggle reaches Niall’s ear, and he turns around to see him. His favorite people are approaching him holding glasses of sangria. He adjusts the eye patch of his Jack Sparrow costume and smiles at them.

“Tell me again, why were you guys late?” Niall demands, taking the glass from Louis.

Louis coughs dramatically, “I wasn’t late.” He points at Zayn and Liam, “They were busy.” He winks at Niall all the while smirking.

Liam rolls his eyes and Zayn blushes hard. “At least I was getting some love,” Liam says.

Niall just shakes his head and tries to shake out the image from his head. “I’m hungry.”

They all make way to one of the tables that are serving meatballs. Niall spots Paul in the corner with his arms crossed, surveying the crowd and making sure everything is going peacefully. Their eyes meet and Niall raises his glass to him. Paul nods, smiling in acceptance.

Louis puts his arm around Niall and asks, “How was your lunch with your parents today?”

Niall smiles, “It was good, Lou. Mum was asking about you. You should come with me next time. She’ll be so happy to see you.”

“I will! Shouldn’t you be at the formal royal dinner?” Louis inquires.

“You should be there too!” Niall replies immediately. “I wanted to be here with you all.”

Every year, the royal family throws a lavish dinner. It would have been Niall’s first year attending, but he’d ditched it. Louis has been invited every year as well. He feels obligated to attend it for his mother. This year, he didn’t attend since he wanted to celebrate with his friends and meet up with Dan for dessert.

The party goes on in full swing, as the guys dance and drink around the bonfire. This has been one of the most fun evenings they have had since the session started. They needed it, needed to have the time of their life for one evening, like regular guys in their early 20s. Leaving all their worries behind and enjoying each other’s company, while having endless drinks and food, and playing some games, is everything they needed.

Louis excuses himself after dinner to change and leave for Dan’s place. Zayn and Liam were so drunk they’d taken the desserts to their room to enjoy together. They were already all over each other and Zayn had already said suggestive lines like “Detective, play with me!” in his drunken haze. Niall thinks it is better for them to spend the rest of the evening alone.

Before going back to his room, Niall decides to look around and make sure everything is going alright. From the dining room to the garden outside, everyone is cheering which makes Niall extremely happy. He knows this is probably the last time in his life he’ll have so much fun. The day he graduates from the Academy, he’ll have endless responsibilities and will have to follow the code of conduct for a prince. But for now, this is his time, and he is going to keep all of it safe in his memories.

Niall picks up a stick and throws it into the bonfire, hoping the fire will ward off all the bad from the country and there will be peaceful times again. Niall looks up from the fire slowly and is met with an intensely ominous gaze and smirk. He is taken aback when he notices what Harry is wearing: the official outfit of the prince of the country. From head to toe, he looks like a prince, and anyone could easily misinterpret him as an actual one.

They both gaze at each other, Niall wondering what the hell is Harry up to now. He has some trouble taking in the fact that Harry is standing in front of him dressed as a prince, but considering Harry is a Styles, Niall isn’t too surprised.

Harry walks towards him with the same malevolent smirk, “How do I look, Prince?” He looks straight into Niall’s eyes like he is subtly challenging him. To Niall, it always seems like Harry is challenging him.

“You are dressed as a prince!” Niall says.

Harry turns a whole 360 degrees to give him a proper view of his costume. “I just thought, I should get accustomed to wearing these.”

Niall tries to keep himself calm on the outside, but what Harry just said has pulled a rug out from underneath him. And it isn’t like what Harry said was a joke -- Niall can tell he is deadly serious, even though he has a smile on his face.

Harry’s eyes widen and he continues, “Oh look, you are dressed as a pirate. Touche! Well, it seems fitting though,” He leans forwards and looks straight into Niall’s eyes, “Pirate, a thief, taking things that belong to others, ruthless, will kill in cold blood.” Harry’s gaze pierces into Niall’s. For a moment, Niall can feel the hate that blinds Harry.

Before Niall can react, Harry straightens up, rakes his fingers through his curly hair, and smiles again. “Enjoy your evening.” After a pause, he adds, “Prince!”

He leaves Niall frozen to his spot. If Harry was aiming to intimidate him, then he hasn’t succeeded, but he did manage to get on every single one of Niall’s nerves. And that isn’t going to be a good thing for Harry.

Throwing a stress ball against the wall over and over again, Niall can’t stop thinking about Harry. He still hasn’t found out where Harry has been hiding for five months, or what he did while he was gone. And now Harry is purposely challenging him, giving him a clue that Harry is ready to take the throne and cannot be stopped. Moreover, Niall still doesn’t know anything about the attackers. Questions and mysteries keep piling up, and he doesn’t know where to start. Somehow, he feels like all of them are connected, so if he can find a loose thread, he might be able to set sailing from there.

A knock on the door interrupts his thoughts. He permits the person on the other side to enter. Roy, his henchman, walks into the room. Bowing his head to Niall, he informs him that his car is ready to take him to the Palace. Niall turns his head to look at him and nods without saying a word. He continues throwing his stress ball against the wall.

“Where’s Louis?” Niall asks after a while.

“I met him on the way here. He said he was going to see Paul before going to Dan’s,” Roy informs Niall.

Roy was once Princess Mary’s security guard. After Niall was sent away to Ireland, Roy was in charge of his well-being and security. In other words, Roy has raised Niall. When Niall came back, Roy wasn’t too happy, but he couldn’t do anything about it. But he decided to continue his job and look after Niall. There’s nothing in the world that Roy doesn’t know about Niall. After the Academy was attacked, he’d wanted to quit his job because of the guilt that he couldn’t protect Niall. But Niall didn’t let him quit. He wants Roy around. It isn’t his fault that the Academy had been attacked.

Niall lets out a huge sigh, “Do we have any clue about Harry and his disappearance?”

Roy’s head held down and he shakes his head. No matter which of his contacts he’d asked, from around the world, he hadn’t been able to learn anything new about Harry’s whereabouts.

Niall jumps from his chair, filled with rage, his dislike of Harry bubbling even more strongly inside him. He throws his ball at the other side of the room. A few decorative pieces crash loudly to the floor and break into a thousand pieces.

Niall grinds his jaw and his nostrils flare, “How could he possibly disappear without a trace for five bloody months? How could he hide!”

He takes a few ragged breaths, seething with anger. His turns to the painting of his mother, hoping it will guide him in the right direction. Even though he knows his mother isn’t in a good place to help him find the answers that he is looking for, he still turns to her whenever he needs to find his calm. He looks into her eyes and he can see a hint of sadness. It makes him uneasy because painting can reflect his mother’s state. In a split second, his thoughts go back to wondering how she’d lost everything in one night. How she was separated from her own son. How difficult it must have been for her to let reality sink in and the fact that her sister and father were never coming back, and that her newborn wasn’t with her.

He swallows the giant lump in his throat. Taking a few deep breaths, he throws his head back and walks towards the window. He can see that the celebration is still in full swing. But his thoughts are wandering somewhere far away and imagining what might have happened the night the fire broke out.

Suddenly, something strikes him. He turns to Roy who is standing not too far away from him with his arms crossed.

“Get me all the financial records of Dan Deakin for the past twenty-five years. He hid Louis for eighteen years, it must have been easy for him to hide Harry for five months.”

Chapter Text

“I’m home,” Louis announces as he hangs his keys on the key holder. The appetizing smells of roast beef and caramel pudding float towards him . Louis looks around the living room, and he is happy to see that Dan always makes an effort to decorate the house during festive seasons. According to Dan, there aren’t enough festivals one can celebrate and none should go without a proper celebration. Fake pumpkin lamps are hanging on the window, and in the corner, there is a fake ghost that makes Louis laugh.

“Finally, you are home!” Dan comes out holding a bottle of scotch in his hand, his arms wide open. Louis immediately walks towards him and embraces him in a tight hug. “Oh son, you should come and see this old man regularly,” Dan says.

Louis looks at him, “Yeah, you are getting old.” He looks at Dan’s head and points out a grey hair. “What’s that! Even your body is acknowledging your aging now.”

Dan shoos Louis’ hand away, “Shut up, Lou! Don’t mock me like this.” He turns around and walks towards the dining room.

Louis starts laughing and follows him. He picks up glasses for himself and Dan from the cabinet and settles down at the dining table with Dan.

“How was the party tonight?” Dan drops a few ice cubes into the glasses. “If I am not wrong, it is the first time there has been a celebration in the Academy.”

Louis nods, “Yeah, it was good. Everyone enjoyed it. I especially liked the roasted duck and sangria.”

Dan smiles and passes one glass to Louis, “That’s amazing. Seems like I will be eating roast beef and pudding for days now.”

Louis chuckles, “I have ample space left in my stomach for your caramel pudding. No one makes it like you.”

After they have talked for a while, Dan asks Louis if he’d found whatever he’d been looking for in the library that day.

“I did not! I told Paul about it. He said he’ll take care of it.” Louis nods. He remembers what he read about Ebenezer in her biography that night. He contemplates if he should ask Dan about it. He is not sure if he is even going to get any answers from him, but he can try. Those words have been in the back of his head constantly now. To an extent, he feels connected to Ebenezer. He has never met her or seen her in person, yet he feels like he shares a lot in common with her. Louis knows why his life is in danger and from whom, but he can’t fathom why Ebenezer’s life would have been in danger. Who could possibly threaten her?

“Can I ask you something, Dan?” Louis hesitates to ask.

Dan nods.

“Umm... So while I was looking for the manuscript in the library, I came across the biography of Ebenezer Valerie Styles. There was one particular thing that caught my attention. She said her life was in danger. Do you know anything about it?”

Dan puts down his glass on the table and shakes his head. “Never heard of that before. Not sure what would put her life in danger.”

Louis decides to end the conversation about her since there was no use in continuing with it.

*

Zayn is surprised to see Louis standing at his door at noon with a wide smile on his face. Zayn’s brows furrow join when he sees that Louis is dressed formally and decently, which is very unlike him. He looks at him from head to toe and back again.

“Stop looking at me like I’m a queen, Malik! Let’s go, we have a lunch to attend.” Zayn looks at him, confused, and then he feels a pang of hesitation in his stomach. He knows where Louis is going for lunch. He shakes his head, but Louis doesn’t take no for an answer. He isn’t left with much choice but to go with his friend. He can sense that it is going to be a long lunch for him.

“The food is really good Mrs. Payne!” Louis compliments her for the third time as he takes another bite of smoked mackerel.

Liam’s mother smiles politely and says, “Call me Karen, please! You should join us more often for lunch and dinner, smoked mackerel is a family favorite.”

Louis smiles and turns his head and winks at Zayn, who is sitting right next to him. Liam’s grandmother, Hazel Payne, is sitting at the head of the table and it’s not like Louis cannot feel the tension in the atmosphere. He has already caught her staring and sometimes ignoring Zayn like he doesn’t even exist. It’s no wonder that Zayn was apprehensive about coming here. If he didn’t understand before why Liam is not ready to come out to his family, he understands it clearly now. Liam’s family isn’t very welcoming to Zayn and the fact that their son is not into women. Louis feels sorry for Zayn. It hurts him that Zayn’s imaginative future seems so impossible right now. Louis had all good intentions to bring Zayn with him for lunch. He wanted Liam’s family to get to know Zayn a bit more and maybe change their perception of him, but it isn’t going as he would have liked.

Zayn shifts uncomfortably under Hazel’s gaze. She hasn’t said a word to him, but every unspoken word has been so humiliating to him. He hasn’t been able to eat anything. He’s had three bites of food throughout the meal, and yet he feels like he might throw up. Liam is sitting next to him on one side and Louis is on the other side. He wonders how it would be if he were in a room alone with Liam’s grandmother. He would probably pass out if that happened. Time is not Zayn’s friend right now. He can feel an entire eternity passing by with every second.

Liam’s hand presses against Zayn’s thigh lightly, taking him by surprise. He nods slightly in acknowledgment. A barely audible sorry reaches him from Liam’s side. The slight gesture from the love of his life comforts him, yet he can’t escape the anonymity he is facing right now. In the back of his head, he wonders if this is going to be what it’s like forever, or if one day, some day, any of it will change. As much as he loves Liam, will he be able to live with all of this for the rest of his life? This is the reason he wants to live away from their families, build a life of their own, build a home for themselves.

“So Zayn,” Hazel says in her posh accent. Zayn raises his head from his plate of food to look at her. Her skin is wrinkled, yet she seems like she has aged pretty well. Not a hair out of place from her tight chignon, the gaze from her azure eyes intimidating him. “I heard your mother is looking for a suitable bride for you.” Her voice had a tone of finality to it. For a split second, Zayn feels like she is partially relieved that he will be gone from her beloved grandson’s life.

Before Zayn could open his mouth to reply, Liam interjects, “He’s so young, Gran, not sure if he’s the right age to get married.”

Hazel narrows her eyes at Liam. Not enough people find the courage to say something to Hazel Payne if it can cause her even the slightest discomfort.

“I asked him, he better answer it himself, Liam.” She says.

“I haven’t given it a thought, Mrs. Payne!” Zayn says.

The tension in the air keeps growing, and it is suffocating Louis. He decides to change the topic and pull Zayn out of his misery. He was the one who’d insisted that Zayn come with him so that Liam’s family could see how wonderful he is as a person, but it seems to Louis that the plan has backfired.

Louis clears his throat, “How are things in the royal court, Mr. Payne?”

Gerard Payne takes the sip of his whiskey and nods his head. “It’s good. You should try to get involved in it more. I am glad Niall is very invested in the matters of the court. Too young to show such passion.” He smiles. “But what can I say, it runs in the blood, I guess.”

Louis chuckles. “I am just busy with the Academy and my studies. I can’t find enough time to learn more about the court, I have no idea how Niall does it.”

Karen interjects, “Johannah and Mary were the same, way too hard-working. Always made sure their people and problems were first. They have helped countless people in their lives.”

Louis knows that Karen was friends with his mother, but that they weren’t as close as Ebenezer and Johannah. He tries to learn as much as he can about his mother from the people he can, but he knows he won’t ever have enough of it. He won’t know enough about his mother ever.

“Did you ever meet Ebenezer?” Louis asks quietly.

The entire table falls silent, all the sound of cutlery gone, all eyes turned towards him.

“She was a nice person,” Karen says, her face going a bit paler than usual.

Hazel picks her glass of wine and says, “Keep that entire family and chatter about them out of this house.”

If Louis did not feel intimidated by her before, he felt it deeply now. He looks back at his plate and tries to concentrate on food.

Hazel puts down her glass of wine and wipes her mouth on the napkin. “Zayn!”

Zayn, Louis and Liam’s head snap at her direction with breaths caught in their throat.

“What are your plans for future?”

Zayn puts down his fork, “I- I will see what opportunities are for me after I graduate from the Academy.”

“Don’t want to join court?”

“I may or may not, Mrs. Payne, I am not sure.”

She huffs loudly, “The only heir to the Malik family and he does not want to carry the family position forward. What a shame.”

The air rushes out of Zayn’s lung and his mouth falls open. Never has anyone ever slapped him with words like that. He feels a bit of nervous tingling in his feet and all his energy evaporate. He can’t even find words to say anything.

“Mother, don’t be so hard on him.” Gerard Payne says. He looks at Zayn and smiles softly. “He is very talented, you know. Good at art and has amazing writing skills.”

Zayn takes a nervous gulp and he feels a bit of reassurance with Gerard Payne being nice to him.

“Paul always talks about how good you are as a student and how beautiful your art is. Maybe I will get to see them one day.”

Zayn smiles half-heartedly. If anything, he learned this afternoon that Liam’s family despises him more than he imagined.  

*

Harry slowly taps his index finger on the armrest of a chair behind a giant rosewood table. The table had been gifted to King Charles by his first wife, and the intricate carvings made of gold speak about the endless wealth and the power that the family possessed. The green leather chair is not less than any throne itself. Sitting on it, Harry looks like the prince that he was supposed to be, that he was born to be.

His eyes scan the room with an intimidating gaze. Growing up, he wasn’t allowed to spend much time in his father’s home office and library. The room has more books than the royal library and Harry is sure this room has more skeletons buried in it than the Royal Court.

Getting up from the chair, he walks towards one of the shelves that have official files and documents from the last fifty years. The sound of his footsteps breaks the silence of the room. Scanning the shelf, he looks for the files from fifteen years back. His eyes land on a particular file with his mother’s name written on it. He carefully takes it out and flips through it. After a while, he clenches his jaw tightly and puts the file back in its place.

The rage and the coldness that Harry’s body language gives out is enough to run a chill down anyone’s spine. He holds both fire and ice within himself, ready to destroy anything.

Suddenly a voice addresses him from behind. “Harry, what are you doing here?”

The surprise in the voice of his father doesn’t go unnoticed by him. Neither does the minuscule concern.

Harry tilts his head slightly, “I have decided to hold and organize mum’s remembrance ceremony, and therefore I was looking at some stuff about her.”

His father raises an eyebrow, “Well, thanks for asking me if I want you to hold her remembrance or not.”

“Who would stop me, Father?” He replies with a calm bluntness in his voice. He continues to look at the other books on the shelf.

Arthur Styles takes a deep breath and gives up. Everyone knows there’s no use of saying ‘no’ to Harry. He will find a way to get things done his way. His recent disappearance gave Arthur a clear idea that Harry will do what he pleases. Arthur still has no idea where his son has been for months, not a lead, not a clue.  

At this time, he only wants Harry by his side. He doesn’t want to push him away. It is a critical time for Arthur. He has support from a lot of people. If he can’t find a way to get the current ruler thrown off the throne, then he will have to take drastic measures, and for that, he needs Harry by his side. He can’t afford for his son to be on a different side.

“Remember to order pink orchids for her, she loved them,” Arthur says. He puts his hand on Harry’s shoulder, “Let me know if there’s anything you need help with.”

Harry nods lightly and then leaves the room in a rush, his footsteps echoing loudly in the room.

*

Chapter Text

The beginning of winter always inspires a bit of both excitement and hopefulness in Louis. Long walks in the mornings with a warm cup of coffee, a sliver of laziness and warmth winding through him as the sun shines mildly. He waits for this weather. Midwinters are gloomy and summers do not bring him joy.  But even the air, around this time, is filled with anticipation of good things.

And it is not helping him in any way to concentrate on the lecture. Every now and then, his eyes flicker out of the window. It is a beautiful day indeed. Bright-colored flowers in the garden, just the right amount of sunshine, chirping birds and a blue sky all make it look like a painting has come to life. This morning has been good so far as well. When Louis woke up, Harry had already left the room, which gave him enough time to get ready and spend his morning in peace. Breakfast was a quiet affair which has definitely curbed Louis’ initial mood. It has been a week since the lunch with Liam’s family and Zayn is miserable. Louis wishes he could help Zayn, but there is not anything he can do or contribute to.

Louis can feel the unrest among his fellow classmates. None of them are in any mood to attend the class; they’d all rather go out and enjoy the day. Everyone except Harry. Louis has been observing Harry for a week. He has been unusually quiet and lost in his own world, barely interacting with anyone, not that he used to before. But he is unusually distant. He even looks paler than usual.

Louis can’t figure out why Harry is acting this way. He hasn’t even tried to make Louis’ life miserable this week. As welcoming it is, it is not settling down with him. He is so used to seeing Harry scheming and plotting to make everything difficult for him, Harry’s sudden withdrawal is concerning.

A small, almost inaudible sigh comes from Niall next to him.

“Somebody stop this man before I fall asleep,” Niall says, trying to stifle his yawn. “Why am I getting punished like this!”

A small giggle leaves Louis. “Still 25 minutes before the lecture ends.”

“No way!” Niall says, his eyes widening at the horror of sitting for another 25 minutes. “It’s a struggle to keep my eyes open.”

Louis covers his mouth with his hand. From the corner of his eye, he looks at Harry, who is looking at his notebook. Louis can tell Harry is not paying attention to the lecture and has zoned out to his own thoughts.

A slight nudge to Louis’ shoulder is followed by a white paper note being passed to him.

“Football after the lecture?- L”

Both Niall and Louis wait for their professor to turn towards the board before Niall writes a reply just below the message. Niall takes the note from Louis and replies to the note.

“The second this class is over.- N”

Louis passes the note back to Zayn behind him. He steals a glance at his friends who look bored as hell.

“I’ll get other guys - Z”

“Cool. Princess, you ok? - N”

“Eh, nah! I’ll be fine.- Z”

“Stop thinking about what happened at Liam’s place -N”

“Wow my prince! That totally worked. I stopped thinking and my life is tons better now. :/  Doesn’t work that way -Z”

“Ok. A distraction will work? - N”

“Maybe - Z”

“Ok. Ask Paul if he will allow you to work at the office after classes. The endless work will keep your mind occupied. - N”

“I shall ask him about it. Thank you. -Z”

“No worries - N”

“Are you always going to come and save my ass like this? :d - Z”

“Always. Even if the world turns upside-down, you’ll find me walking upside-down just to save you. - N”

An inaudible giggle escapes Louis after reading the note. Zayn bites his lip and sees Liam rolling his eyes. Liam has always been incredibly supportive of Zayn, everything he does, everything he dreams, Liam always supports him. They both have talked about Liam’s family and his grandma’s behavior toward Zayn, and Liam has been asking him to keep his patience and that things will change. Zayn isn’t sure when or how it will change. Worse, he knows he is going to get terrible treatment at his home by his family once he comes out to them.

Zayn turns his head towards the board, trying to make a feeble attempt at concentrating on the lecture. Liam’s fingers brush his fingers lightly. They linger there for a while. Zayn doesn’t pull away but he doesn’t respond to it either. He simply doesn’t make any movement.

He looks at Liam who blinks his eye giving him the assurance that they will be alright, that they will make it together. Zayn shakes his head and looks down at his notebook. He knows things are a million miles away from getting better. He doesn’t see even a single ray of light that can promise him better things. Things keep getting more difficult for him every day.

He jerks his hand away from Liam’s and looks at the boards, trying to focus. Liam looks at him wide-eyed, not really accepting what just happened.

*

Zayn feels a little tingling sensation in his foot as he walks towards the Academy’s stable to find Paul. It was already dark outside but the lights of the Academy don’t make it feel like night. Zayn has been feeling conflicted for a week now, about his feelings, about his relationship. He has started questioning the future of his and Liam’s relationship. He might not know much about romance and the fairy tale love stories that songs and poems give the illusion of. Hell, he has never been a person to fall for them. He never even believed that Romeo and Juliet was one of the greatest love stories ever written. He has always been a practical person and never looked at the world wearing rose-colored glasses.

What he knows is that questioning your future with the person you love is not good news. It’s a red flag. Isn’t it where the downfall of a relationship begins? Niall was right, maybe he needs a distraction to keep all the unwanted thoughts at bay. Zayn knows it’s not going to help him entirely, but he is going to give a try.

Zayn finds Paul standing outside of the stable discussing something with his assistant.

Paul smiles as he sees Zayn walking towards him. There’s no one who doesn’t adore Zayn. He is a ray of sunshine, and Paul is always impressed by the way he looks at the world. He loves to hear Zayn’s view on any topic, be it political or personal. When Zayn first joined the Academy, Paul believed that he would be another one of those spoiled kids who would make their and Paul’s time difficult while they stayed in the Academy.

But soon he was proven horribly wrong, and Paul has never been so grateful to be wrong.

“Zayn, what are you doing here?” Paul asks him with a smile on his face. The misery in Zayn’s eyes doesn’t escape him, which concerns him.

“Hello, Mr. Higgins. I am fine. Thanks for asking.’ Zayn says. “I-” He pauses and then continues, “I need your help!”

Paul nods and dismisses his assistant. Walking Zayn towards a quiet area, he says, “Tell me!”

Zayn takes a deep breath, “I am going - I mean, over the past few weeks -- or I should say past week, I mean for a while-”

Paul puts his hand reassuringly over Zayn’s arm, “Go ahead, no need to be scared.”

“I- Can you give me a job or let me help you in your office. I hope it will keep my mind off some stuff that has been eating at me.” Zayn says, and his eyes fall on the ground. He feels a bit ashamed at having to ask for help. Never in his life has he had to ask for anything from anyone.

Paul looks at him, masking his concern over what must be going on inside Zayn’s mind and in his life. “Of course!” Paul replies. He can do with some help in the office, and it would be nice to have Zayn around. “You can come whenever you want.”

“After classes?” Zayn asks.

Paul nods, acknowledging it. “It’s late... You should return back to your room. Lights will be off in a few minutes.”

Zayn thanks him and goes back to his room.

Paul stands there and watches Zayn leave, wondering what might have been troubling him. He has a slight hint that it might be related to Zayn’s and Liam’s relationship. He hopes that everything sorts itself out and he’ll never have to see Zayn like this ever again.

*

Louis watches Harry running his fingers across the keys of his piano. From where he is sitting on his bed, Louis can tell that Harry is not himself. Harry’s eyes are on the keys but his vision is distant. It’s like he is not sure of where he is. Louis has been observing Harry since he came back. There’s something different about him and Louis can’t put his finger on it. He has been playing the same melancholy tune the whole week, and as much as Louis wants Harry to stop playing it, he has also been wondering why he has been playing it every day for hours.

Of course, if Louis asked, he is sure he won’t get a straightforward answer. He doubts if he would even get one at all. Louis sighs, puts his book back on the side table and switches off the bedside lamp. Pulling up the covers, he closes his eyes and tries to sleep. He has been observing Harry leaving the room at midnight every day and tonight he is going to follow him.

After a while, he hears Harry getting into bed after turning off his own light. Louis’ eyes fly open. He turns on his side to try to make out what Harry is doing. But all he can see is Harry lying on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. Louis stays still; he does not make any movement or sound.

Louis doesn’t know how long it takes before Harry gets up from his bed and quietly leaves the room. After the door closes, Louis waits for a few seconds to make sure Harry isn’t coming back to the room. He listens for any sound or movement behind the door. When he is sure there isn’t any, he leaves the room as well.

He quickly spots Harry descending the stairs. He follows him quietly. The entire Academy is dark with the only light coming from the moon outside, which makes it easier for him to follow Harry. He follows him like a ghost, without making a sound. Not even once does Harry turn around to see if anyone is following him or not. Louis follows Harry through the corridors, through the passages, sometimes hiding behind the pillars.

He follows Harry as he leaves the residential part of the Academy and walks towards the memorial room. Louis hides as Harry opens the door of the room and walks inside. For a while, Louis thinks that he might be there to meet someone in the dark.

Louis walks quietly towards the door and peeks inside. What he sees causes his heart to ache.

Harry is sitting on the floor in front of his mother’s portrait. His knees are pulled up to his chest, eyes locked onto his mother. It’s like he is having a conversation with her. His face is bare of any emotion or expression. Louis has never seen anyone this helpless and lost. He hates it. It brings up his own memories from the past that he usually tries so hard to forget.

He wants to shout and cry and help Harry, pull him out of this state. It hurts him to see Harry like this. He wants it to stop, he wants to bring back the scheming and evil Harry and replace this dejected and lonely Harry. He'd do anything to make it stop, even bring back the scheming and evil Harry, if it would mean replacing this dejected and lonely Harry?”

When Harry rolls to his side and lies there with his knees still pulled up to his chest, Louis can’t stand the sight anymore. He leaves quickly for his room and decides to wait for Harry there.

Louis stays awake for the entire rest of the night, but Harry never returns.

*

Chapter Text

Middle of November and it already feels a bit cold this year. Everywhere Niall looks, people are getting ready to welcome the festive season. As Niall walks towards Dan’s house, he can see the lights and decorations from Halloween still up. He nods at his henchman, Roy, who knocks at the door. From inside he hears footsteps approaching.

The door swings open and Dan stands in front of him almost ready for the remembrance ceremony. His hair is slicked back, bow tie in place, shoes pointy and shining.

Dan bows, “My Prince!” He smiles. “Please come in.” He can’t hide the surprise in his voice. No one from the royal family has ever turned up at his door unannounced, apart from Louis, but he’s different.

“To what do I owe the pleasure! You could have asked me to come.” Dan closes the door behind him as both Niall and Roy enter. He gestures them towards the seating area of the house.

Niall casually looks around the house. He walks towards the fireplace and finds a couple of pictures on the mantle. One from Dan’s high school graduation, a picture of Louis from the Academy. A picture of his Dan’s parents. A picture of what looks likes Dan’s sister with her husband and children. As far as Niall knows his family lives in the highlands of Scotland and owns farmlands. They stay far away from the royal family or politics.

“Can I get you something? Tea, wine or something stronger?” Dan asks.

“Scotch for me,” Niall says.

Dan turns to look at Roy who shakes his head. He makes his way towards the small bar near the kitchen. Taking out his finest scotch and two glasses, he pours one for Niall and one for himself.

Handing the glass to Niall, he gestures them towards the couch.

Niall takes a sip and says, “I’ll cut the crap and get straight to the point and you’ll do the same. Ok?”

It confuses Dan but he waits for Niall to explain further. He has an idea that the Prince of the country dropping by his house unannounced cannot be good news. He is trying to mentally prepare himself.

“Where was Harry for five months?” Niall’s intimidating gaze pierces into Dan’s eyes.

Dan twitches, “I’m sorry. I have no idea. I did hear that he was missing, but I don’t know-”

Niall raises his hand, motioning him to stop, “I said I’ll cut the crap and so will you.”

Dan looks at him in bewilderment. He doesn’t know what to say to him. He says silent and waits for Niall to explain further.

“Nobody found a single trace of Louis for 18 years, and you want me to believe that you had no hand in Harry disappearing for five straight months,” Niall says with dominance. He isn’t in any mood to take any bullshit from anyone. He is determined to solve the mystery of Harry’s disappearance, and he will.

Dan takes a breath and softly speaks, “My Prince, I never hid Louis. I had no clue where he was, or if he was even alive until I received a letter from an anonymous person about his graduation from high school. I immediately went to the Lord and informed him about it. He asked me to bring Louis here without any delay.”

Niall looks at Dan, trying to process this information.

“I can understand why you have questions about Harry’s disappearance. I can only ask you to trust me that I didn’t have any involvement in it. The rest is up to you.”

“Do you think I buy any of your stories?” Niall says, taking another sip of his scotch. “The Lord did, the court did, I will not. For years, you claimed that Louis mysteriously disappeared out from under your nose the night fire broke out, but apart from you, no one even knew Louis was in the children’s ward. And you want to tell me you had no hand in it?”

“Prince, the second I heard the news about the fire, I immediately went to the accident site with my team. When I came back and found that Louis was missing, I informed the Lord about it. He decided to release the statement that he was killed with his parents. The news that he was missing would have caused panic. For years, we waited for someone to contact us about Louis, but no one did. We lost all our hope till we got the letter.”

Niall shakes his head. “Louis doesn’t know that, does he?”

“He doesn’t know a lot of things. I have been waiting for the right time to tell him. I thought I would do it this year, but since the attack at the Academy, Louis has been shaken inside-out. I will give him some more time before I tell him everything.”

Niall turns around and walks towards the window, looks out, closes the blinds. He roams around the room, looking around at everything.

Niall sighs, “How did you pay for Louis’ education?”

“I did not,” Dan says. “He went to Europe’s finest school, where the annual fees are more than my salary. I cannot afford to give anyone an education like that. I can show you my accounts if you want.” Dan insisted.

Dan has been through an entire year of probes and inquisitions by the members of the court. But nobody ever found him hiding anything, because there wasn’t anything to hide. His records were all clean and no foul play was found. The court let him live in peace, but he always knew that this would come back from time to time to haunt him.

Niall looks at him, thinking hard over something. A smirk crosses his face and he says, “I’ll leave you alone now. But, we are not done yet.”

Niall downs the entire contents of his glass and then leaves quickly.

As Roy drives him to the palace, Niall quietly asks him, “Do you buy anything he said?”

“No, never did!” Roy replies. “What makes you believe he is not innocent?”

Niall chuckles, “If anyone knew about Louis’ whereabouts, they would have contacted the Lord directly or anyone from the royal court. Not a doctor who isn’t even involved in the court.”

Roy nods, “All his records from the past 18 years felt too good to be true. It’s like he planned everything carefully.”

“He isn’t working alone, Roy. And we are gonna find the other person.” Niall leans back comfortably. He has found a start and he will find all his answers now.

*

Zayn fixes his tie in front of the mirror, trying to keep his gaze fixated on his tie to avoid looking at his face. The dark circles underneath his eyes are darker than ever. He looks tired and feels completely drained of all energy. He can’t even think about going out, let alone meeting everyone and socializing. But it’s the remembrance ceremony for Ebenezer Styles and he has to be there, he can’t just not go.

“... And I think we will be able to help some people,” Liam is saying as he walks towards Zayn. “Zayn!” Liam snaps his fingers in front of Zayn, dragging him out of his thoughts. He turns Zayn towards himself and starts doing the knot of his tie.

Liam is ready from head to toe, all ready to leave. “What do you think?”

Zayn is taken by surprise, “Um… what?”

“Did you hear anything I said?” Liam asks him seriously.

It’s hurting him so much that Zayn has been so lost, so gloomy. It has been weeks, and Zayn still hasn’t recovered. He has been trying so hard to help Zayn forget it and cheer up. When they are together, half of the time it feels like Zayn is not even there. Even when there is no physical distance between them, Liam can feel the emotional distance of a million miles. And he has no clue how to close that distance. He has tried so hard to talk to him about it, but Zayn just brushes off the subject and they never actually go anywhere with the discussion.

“I-” Zayn shakes his head and looks down at his tie. “I was thinking about the ceremony tonight. Dad asked me to dress up properly, I’m just wondering if I am.”

Liam lets that lie go. He walks towards the closet and brings out Zayn’s suit blazer. Helping him into it, Liam continues, “I was saying that early next year, I want to hold a charity thing to help with the medical fees of underprivileged kids. I am going to talk to my family about it tonight.”

Zayn starts buttoning his blazer. He wonders if Liam is hinting that his parents will be there and that they must be careful, “I will remember not to talk to you in front of your family.” He says and starts to leave, leaving Liam’s heart aching.

Liam whispers, “I did not mean that.”

*

The Great Hall in the palace looks astoundingly beautiful. The minimal decoration with pink orchids and white lilies grace the hall with crystal decorations and impresses everyone. Round tables are laid out adorned with crystal vase holding white lilies. The vase is surrounded with crystal cylinder, filled with orchid petals and a floating candle. Strings of crystal droplets hanging from the ceiling along with occasional lilies and orchid petals.

The portrait of Ebenezer is over a table, surrounded by flowers and candles. Her smiling face seems like it will break into giggles any minute now. Her eyes look more lively in this portrait than they looked ever. Everyone paid their respects to her in the Chapel before coming into the Great Hall. Ebenezer’s favorite classical music is being played on a piano, violin, and cello.

Even with the entire room brightly lit, the light in Harry’s eyes and face are far from bright. Dressed impeccably from head to toe in his black silk suit and a red rose brooch attached to the lapel of his suit jacket, he looks stunning. He is a head-turner, always has been. But now, sitting with his father and his followers, Harry also looks lost in his own world. He hasn’t spoken a single word throughout the evening. And Louis has been observing him. It seems like Harry is physically there, but also not there at all.

“Harry!” Arthur says to his son, snapping him out of his reverie. “It’s time for a speech, go give one.”

Harry stays quiet before saying, “No, I think you should do it.”

Arthur chuckles, “You organized this evening, you must give a speech, Son!”

Harry shakes his head but doesn’t say a word. Arthur Styles gives up and decides to give a speech. There are times when he just doesn’t understand his own son. Harry is the biggest mystery to him.

Louis watches everything from afar. He watches Harry standing next to Arthur on the dais while his father gives the speech. He can see Harry’s face devoid of every emotion. To Louis, it seems like Harry is steeling himself to stay standing himself. Even though he doesn’t think Harry is capable of more than two emotions, hate, and more hate, the fact that he’s distant from reality and everything happening around him is not settling well with Louis.

“Why do we have her remembrance ceremony every year?” Liam asks Amelia as he hands her a glass of white wine.

“Li! She was the best warden of the Academy. It still runs on the principles she laid down. The Academy would have been nothing if she hadn’t worked so hard for it.” Amelia goes on to remind her brother about the finest leaders, philosophers, and court members that the Academy training has given the Kingdom. “She was also the first warden of the Academy.”

“Sometimes I still wonder why Lord James made her the warden, considering she was Arthur Styles wife. I mean, that’s like letting a lion inside your house.” Liam says quietly so no one would hear them.

Amelia leans closer to his ear, “To keep them under check.”

Liam looks at her and thinks. Maybe it was the right move, maybe it was needed at that time. Everything went haywire for Lord James after the King died, and he had to do something to keep the entire Styles clan under his thumb.

“Princess Mary told me once that Ebenezer was a kind soul and she valued her friendship with Johannah and her service to the Kingdom,” Amelia tells Liam. “Maybe not all Styles’ are evil.”

Liam nods. He turns to look at Arthur, who is walking down the dais now after finishing his speech, surrounded by his favorite people.

“I wonder why Arthur never got married again?” Liam says quietly, taking a sip of his wine.

“Why would he!  He has more mistresses than you can count. And I think Harry wouldn’t have approved of his father giving his mother’s place to anyone else.” Amelia says. “Speaking of Harry, you know he did all the arrangements, from food and wine to decorations. Isn’t it all so pretty?”

Liam coughs, takes Amelia’s glass from her and puts it on the table, “Oh no, he is definitely evil. He might have just poisoned it.”

Amelia rolls her eyes. Spotting Niall, Liam decides to introduce him to his sister. Taking Amelia by the arm, he walks towards Niall.

Niall smiles and dismisses the court member he was talking to. “Hey, Liam. Hello Amelia!”

Their eyes lock and Amelia smiles shyly.

“You know each other?” Liam asks, confused.

“Yes, she is my mother’s new psychologist.” Niall smiles. “We keep running into each other regularly.”

Liam smiles and they all talk for a few minutes before Liam’s father calls him over to introduce him to some people.

For a brief moment, there sits an awkward silence between Niall and Amelia. They both don’t know what to say. Niall shakes off the awkwardness and gestures Amelia towards the table.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Niall compliments her while looking at her with a smile, one that never leaves his face every time he looks at her.

And yes, she does look beautiful in her warm beige gown with a frill collar around her neck. Her chocolate brown eyes look bright and her long, silky brown hair is tied in a loose bun. She shies away at the compliment and says, “Thank you, Prince!”

“Just Niall,” he corrects her immediately. They both talk for a bit until his eyes fall on Zayn, sitting with a girl not too far away from them.

Niall suddenly remembers that Zayn’s family wanted him to meet a girl -- is she that girl? Looking at Zayn, he feels angry at the Maliks for making their son do this.

Amelia follows Niall’s gaze and finds him looking at Zayn. “Oh my, is he ok? He looks bad.”

“He hasn’t been doing well since he came back from lunch at your place,” Niall says, his eyes still on Zayn. Without a second thought, he motions to Roy, who walks towards Zayn and excuses him from his conversation, saying that Niall wants to discuss something with him.

“Grandma was vicious that day with Zayn. I didn’t like that one bit. But that’s just her, she doesn’t adjust to changes very well.” Amelia says.

“Elder people get away with things like ‘it’s just them’ or ‘they can’t adjust to changes’ or ‘they are old, respect them and their wishes’. But nobody should do things that they are not comfortable with just to make their elders happy. Also, being unable to adapt to changes is on them and no one else. Putting their children through shit for their ego is cruel.” Niall says.

Zayn sits down next to Niall, “I have a headache.” He rubs his face. “I think I should go back to the Academy.”

“Eat something,” Niall says.

Zayn shakes his head, “Thank you for pulling me out of there.” With that, he gets up and leaves.

It breaks Niall’s heart to see him leave like this.

*

Meanwhile, at Louis’ table, discussion regarding a law that needs to be passed in court is getting interesting and Louis is very much involved in the discourse. Maybe he will invest himself thoroughly in the politics of the country and the world, maybe he will not. But that answer can wait for six more months. Six more months till he graduates. If he stays alive until the end of the year, it will be a victory for him in every sense.

His eyes flicker towards Harry, who is walking away from his father. The next moment, Zayn passes their table without saying anything to Louis or even glancing at his direction. Zayn looks lost. Louis immediately excuses himself from the table and tries to follow Zayn, who has already walked out the door.

Louis rushes outside towards the garden, in the direction that  Zayn is heading. “Zayn!” Louis calls out, “Wait.”

Zayn turns around, “Let me go, Lou!” He says gloomily.

The sadness in his tone doesn’t escape Louis. Before he can say anything, Zayn starts walking again, leaving Louis helpless. Louis wonders if he should follow Zayn further, against his wishes, or let him have some time alone with himself. Maybe being alone will help him clear his head. He decides to let him go, but Louis watches him carefully as he walks towards his car and the chauffeur opens the door for him. Zayn’s head is held down in defeat like he has let down his best friend by not being able to help him.

Sometimes letting people help themselves is the only way to help them. There are invisible scars, bruises, and pain that one fights through. Others can only try their best to feel the pain, but can they really feel it? Nope.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Louis looks around. The cool air of the night touches him. The moonless sky is clear with stars twinkling brightly. To Louis, it always seems like the sky is incomplete without the moon. Like the sky is missing something significant.

As he looks around the garden, his eyes fall towards a silhouette walking towards the backyard. It doesn't take him much time to realize that it is Harry Styles. He can make out his gait even in the dark.

Louis follows him quietly, maintaining a good distance, trying to figure out where he is going. He follows him past the backyard and then to an open area where hardly anyone goes. Louis looks around to check if there is anyone else. He wonders if Harry is there to meet someone. But Harry doesn’t stop walking. Louis comes to a standstill when he finds Harry walking towards the royal burial ground. Everyone who held an eminent position is buried there.

“What the fuck are you gonna do there!” Louis mutters under his breath. He feels slightly creepy even going inside. It makes sense if Harry has to meet someone in confidence, to meet in the graveyard. No one would even consider it as an option.

Louis braves himself and mentally prepares himself to face whatever comes his way and whatever dreadful scene he will have to witness. The sounds of crickets chirping in the dead of the night, with no lights around, all feel a bit eerie. His eyes look left and right, and his entire being is alert for any sound or movement. He doesn’t have any weapons, but he knows he can dodge if he gets attacked again. He is not getting cold feet this time.

What he sees in front of him leaves him speechless. Harry takes out a red rose from his inner pocket and puts it gently on Ebenezer’s grave. There are already so many flowers of every color imaginable on her grave. Harry bends down and kisses the edge of the stone like he is kissing his mother’s feet. Louis’ heart aches looking at the scene in front of him.

Harry says something that is inaudible to Louis. Harry takes out a candle and a lighter and lights it near the tombstone. Coming back to the edge of the grave, he leans his head over the stone.

“Why did you leave me, Mum? I have to face everything alone. I can’t, Mum.” Harry says.

Louis tries to look away, he can’t bear the sight. Somehow it hits home. Louis never knew Harry missed his mother this badly. Louis had lived with him for four years, and yet he hadn’t known this thing about him.

After what feels like an eternity, Harry raises his head, “Stop hiding, Louis!”

Louis jumps. He has been hiding perfectly behind a tree, not at all near Harry. He hasn’t made any noise or movement. Harry calling him out like that makes him nervous.

“I-” Louis stutters, “I was just passing by here-” Louis slowly walks towards Harry. There’s no use in fleeing the scene now. He has been caught red-handed, he might as well face the consequences.

As Louis approaches him, Harry is still looking at the grave, not taking his eyes off it. “I really did not know that-”

“Did no one teach the heir to the throne that when people are having private moments with their family members, they should be left alone!” Harry raises his head slowly and looks at Louis.

Air rushes out of Louis’ lungs when he sees Harry’s red eyes and some stray tears around them. He wasn’t expecting to catch him vulnerable. Maybe he crossed a line this time.

“I am sorry,” Louis says with utmost sincerity. Maybe he should leave him alone now.

Harry takes his eyes away from Louis and returns them to his mother’s grave. “It’s not the first time you have followed me. You do that often.” Harry remarks.

Louis cannot deny it, he can’t even find a word to say to him. He wonders at what point in the last four years he became so obsessed with him that he forgot to give Harry his own personal space. He feels appalled by his own behavior.

Louis is unable to move for a while and silently watches Harry. Suddenly he remembers what he read about Ebenezer. Louis wonders if he should tell Harry about what he found in the library that day -- about his mother. Maybe he already knows, maybe this isn’t the right time to tell him. But if not now, then when?

“Harry, I want to tell you something,” Louis says, trying to gauge his reaction. Harry nods slightly, still not looking at him.

Louis takes a deep breath, “I was in the library one day, and I came across your mother’s biography in one of the shelves in the basement.” Still no reaction from Harry. Louis continues, “There was a line that raised a few questions for me. She once said that her life was in danger.”

Harry waits silently for Louis to speak further.

“It was shocking, ‘cos I always thought she died of a prolonged illness.” Louis continues. “I think we should look into it.”

Harry quickly walks past Louis and towards the entrance to the graveyard. Louis tries to follow behind him at an equally fast pace.

“I always doubted that my mother died of a prolonged illness. And what is ‘we’? It’s just me. I am looking for answers.” Harry says bluntly.

“But-” Louis takes quick strides to walk next to Harry, who is still walking quickly towards the main gate. “I want to help.”

Harry snorts, “What the hell does that mean!”

“No joke, I want to find out what happened to your mother,” Louis says.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She was so close to my mother, maybe if I help you find the answer, I’ll make my mother happy. Maybe Mum would have wanted me to help you, no matter what.” Louis says.

Harry stops and looks at Louis, “For your mother?” He speaks softly.  A tone Louis has never heard coming from Harry.

Louis nods.

Harry sighs, and thinks for a while before saying, “Fine! But just this time.”

Harry starts walking again.

“Where are you going?” Louis catches up.

“Why do you care?” Harry says.

“I just want to know. Since we will be working together, it’s better we know about each other.” Louis says seriously.

“Would you also like to know how many hairs I have on my body or my driver’s license number? Do you also want me to tell you how many times I peed today?”

Louis makes a face of disgust.

“Thought so.”  And with that he walks away, leaving Louis stunned and silent.

Chapter Text

Louis is busy completing an assignment when Harry walks into their dorm room. Looking at Louis, Harry rolls his eyes.

“Stop trying so hard, you will never be able to beat my grades,” Harry smirks.

Louis jumps in his seat, “Where were you?”

Harry rolls his eyes harder and lets out a firm sigh as he sits on his couch. Throwing one leg over another, he says, “Are you aware of the urban legend that if you sacrifice your adversary on the first night of the crescent moon, all your questions shall be answered? I was busy making preparations to sacrifice you.”

Louis shakes his head in defeat, “You are beyond nefarious.”

“That’s my middle name.”

Louis presses his lips together trying not to laugh. Harry hadn’t talked to him since last night in the Palace garden, hadn’t bothered about his existence throughout the day, and now he is back to acting like they have been like this forever. It’ll take him some time to figure out Harry ‘Nefarious’ Styles, but he will.

Suddenly a thought pops up in his mind: working with him gives Harry endless reasons to finish his job of killing Louis without any trouble. He might have made things easier for Harry but Louis still wants to help him and get a few answers for himself.

“What are you thinking?” Harry finds him lost in his own thoughts.

Louis looks at Harry, “I was thinking about how much easier it is for you to end me now.”

“What do you mean?” Harry frowns, seriousness in his voice.

Louis doesn’t say anything, but he knows that Harry knows what he is talking about. They stay silent, looking at each other for a while.

“Fine, I won’t hurt you till we get all the answers,” Harry says. Getting up from his couch, he walks towards Louis. Maintaining the eye contact, he bends down, puts his hand on the sides of the chair, caging Louis in his place, “But, the second we find them, you better run for the hills.”

If Harry was trying to intimidate Louis, he failed. He knew he failed when Louis blinked his eyelashes cutely at him. If Louis was gauging to see beyond Harry’s tough demeanor by blinking at him, he knew he won when he saw Harry’s gaze soften at him.

*

Liam turns towards Zayn, who is making their bed. Zayn has been actively trying to avoid Liam and any occasion where they might have to talk. Last night after Zayn left without informing him, it worried Liam. He immediately left the ceremony. When he came back to the dorm, Zayn had been in bed, eyes closed. They have been together so long that it only took Liam a second to realize that Zayn was just pretending to sleep.

Liam didn’t say anything, but gently kissed his forehead when he got into the bed and held Zayn close to him for the entire night. Neither of them spoke a word nor slept a wink.

Liam has been trying to talk to Zayn all day. But Zayn sat with Louis during their lectures, avoided Liam during practice sessions, and spent his entire evening with Paul. After dinner, Zayn decided he needed to arrange his entire wardrobe immediately like it needed any tidying up.

Liam’s patience is thinning. He is the most levelheaded person among them all, but Zayn being all obscure is bugging him a lot. And why shouldn’t it? They should be able to talk about their issue and everything in between.

“Yeah, it’s perfect, ” Liam says when Zayn tries to fix the pillowcase for the third time. Liam shakes his head in defeat when Zayn doesn’t look up at him, but instead goes to check the lock on the windows.

“Talk to me,” Liam pleads softly.

“Fine,” Zayn replies, his tone a bit unsure.

“Zayn! What happened?” Liam walks to him and holds his arm. Turning Zayn to come face to face with him, he continues, “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I am not.” Zayn tries to walk away from his grasp but he is stopped by Liam.

“You are not going anywhere until we have talked about it,” Liam says seriously.

“About what?”

“Why are you pretending-” Liam looks at him in disbelief. “I’d rather you go ahead and twist a knife in my gut rather than hurt me like this.”

“I am not trying to hurt you, Li,” Zayn says.

“Really, ‘cos it definitely feels like that.”

Zayn lets out a shaky breath and sits on the edge of their bed, “I won’t lie and say that it’s not difficult, because it sure as hell is. I try so hard to not think about what happened at your pla-”

Liam cuts him off, “For god’s sake, it was weeks back and I told you it’ll be fine.”

“Fine?” Zayn stands up abruptly. “Liam, your grandmother was there last night and the disapproving looks she gave didn’t escape me. I felt like a piece of garbage.”

“She is old school. And it shouldn’t matter what anyone says, what matters is what we make.” Liam gestures between them. “We. Together.”

Zayn chuckles in disbelief, “It’s so easy for you to say this. I am sorry I cannot avoid it, because it makes me feel fucking small. Like I committed a crime or something.”

“Just wait till we graduate, I will tell them everything,” Liam says softly, trying to close the distance between them.

Zayn jerks away, “Why are you waiting till graduation?”

“Because I want to. It is my choice when I want to come out to my family.” Liam argues. Liam knows what his family is like. He knows the kind of pressure his family puts on him. He is also very aware of how his family is going to react to him coming out to them. He wants to be both mentally and financially capable before he comes out to them. Once he graduates, then he will have both and he will not be dependent on anyone for his decision and life.

“Fine. And I refuse to be treated like I amount to nothing. I refuse to be treated like that because of my sexuality. I refuse to be made to feel small because I am sleeping with someone who can’t even come clean to his family.” Zayn replies curtly.

“Zayn!” Liam warns him. “Don’t act like this. I told you I will when it is the right time.”

Zayn shakes his head, trying to hold back his tears, “And what do you suggest we do until then? Not talk to each other in public? Not be close to each other, or just refuse to acknowledge each other’s existence?

“You are making it a bigger deal then it is!” Liam says.

“Yeah, why am I always wrong? If I am feeling bad about something, why is it me who is overthinking? If something hurts me, why am I the one who is sensitive? If I want something that very clearly affects my life, then why am I a demanding person?”

“Babe! It’s nothing like that.”

“Consider my feelings for once. I am not asking you to fight your family, can you just ask them to give me little respect and not look at me like I came straight out of a sewer?”

“Or you can just avoid them,” Liam says.

Liam might as well have slapped him right across his face, it sure would have stung him less. “Right!”

A tear falls from his eye and he starts towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Liam asks.

“To find a place where my dignity will be regarded.” With that, he leaves the room, leaving Liam standing on his own, with heart aching and longing to hold Zayn. He hates the last 10 minutes of his life more than he has ever hated anything. If he could do anything, he would go back in time and erase everything that had just happened and not let any of it happen again. Ever.

*

Niall is reading a book when he hears a knock on his door. He turns to look at the clock -- it’s late and he isn’t expecting anyone. Wondering if it is Roy on the other side of the door, Niall gives permission for the person to come in.

Seeing Zayn walk inside both surprises and concerns him.

“Can I sleep here?” Zayn asks.

He looks quite bad, with his red eyes and a heartbreakingly sad face. “You don’t have to ask.”

Niall walks up to him and fluffs his hair. He remembers that Zayn had left the party early last night and had barely spoken today. Zayn hugs him tightly, a few tears breaking out of their confinement. Niall envelops him in a tight embrace, without asking any questions. He knows Zayn doesn’t need to face them, he only needs to feel safe and ok and comfortable. Niall makes sure to give Zayn a place where he can always come to unload his worries, his miseries, and everything that troubles him.

Niall starts soothing his back gently, trying to calm him down.

“It keeps getting difficult, so difficult.” Zayn chokes out.

Niall doesn’t reply but continues soothing his back. He lets Zayn speak his heart out without interrupting his thoughts.

“It’s not enough that I have to deal with my own family and my feelings, now I have to deal with Liam’s family too. I can’t do this.” Zayn sobs. “My family wants me to marry this girl, I can’t Niall, I just can’t. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her last night. My mother tried so hard that I couldn’t talk to her, and gave me a disappointed look when I didn’t. And on top of that, there was Liam’s family, who were being so difficult to me. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stand myself in my own skin. I felt so disgusted.” He holds Niall even tighter, holding onto him as his life depends on it.

“I came back, scrubbed and scrubbed myself, but I couldn’t wash away those mean gazes that they gave me. I still cannot get rid of it. Why do I feel like this, Niall? Why?”

“It’s ok to feel like this,” Niall says softly.  

“I feel like I don’t belong anywhere like this world wasn’t made for me. It’s so mean that Liam’s family treats me like this. I would bear it, go through it all if Liam would stand with me on this. If he chose to ask his family not to be so cold towards me, but he doesn't. It breaks my heart, Niall. It breaks my heart into a million pieces. I am trying to so hard to keep all those pieces together and I am failing.”

Niall can feel his shirt soaking wet from the tears. “I am sorry you have to go through all of this, you don’t deserve it. Loving someone shouldn’t come with this kind of disapproval. But our society teaches us to hate by simultaneously asking us not to hate.”

“Double standards right there, eh!”

“You are not wrong, Zayn. Maybe you both need some time to figure things out. Trust me, it’s totally ok to ask for time from each other.” Niall clasps his hand over Zayn’s arm. “Give him some time too. If this is difficult for you, it must be hard for him too.”

Zayn blinks and looks away.

“I don’t want to make anything difficult for him,” Zayn whispers.

They both stay silent for a while. Zayn walks towards the window and gazes out for an eternity. Niall waits patiently for Zayn to say something more, but he doesn’t.

Chapter Text

Liam takes a deep breath, shakes his head, and continues his game of squash. He has been missing more hits than ever. Louis can sense that it is not the best day for Liam to play squash; usually, Liam has better command over the game than anyone. Niall informed Louis about what happened last night between Liam and Zayn, and that Zayn had slept in Niall’s room last night.

Louis does not like this at all. He cannot stomach the thought that Liam and Zayn are having a difficult time. They were always perfect, but then, what exactly is perfection? It is a societally grown and bred concept. Nothing ever really is perfect, not a relationship, not a person, not this entire universe. The flaws are what makes anything beautiful or appealing. Beauty isn't in perfection.

Louis understands that they both need to work on their issues, especially the ones that extend beyond the both of them, to all the people involved in their lives.

Liam walks off the squash court and towards the open area. Louis follows behind him. Liam sits down on a bench, holding his head in his hands, muttering something to himself. Louis throws his arm around Liam.

“Don’t! I don’t want to talk about it,” Liam says instantly.

Louis can give him the space he needs. He wants to be there for both his friends, but he should let them figure it all out. He knows that they can make it.

After a while he speaks, “Li, I have something to tell you.” He has been a bit muddled about whether he should tell his best friend about his pact with Harry or not. He decided today that he should tell both Zayn and Liam. It’s not like they are doing something offensive, they are simply trying to find a few answers, and if that means raising a question or two, then so be it.

Liam nods, “Tell me.”

Louis takes a deep breath and explains everything from start-to-finish, about how he is trying to help Harry. He tells him about the quote he came across in Ebenezer's biography and the fact that Harry never believed that his mother died of some illness.

Liam is stunned to hear that. He wonders how much of it is true. He always knew there was something going on with Harry, but he never thought he might be onto solving a mystery. A mystery nobody even knows is true. He tries hard to remember if his father ever mentioned anything about Ebenezer’s death. But when did he ever pay any attention to anything relating to the Styles clan?

But what Louis is saying is serious. Liam wonders if he should get involved or not. Would Harry pull something out of his ass just to get to them? He remembers what Zayn said about them both being Harry’s first targets. But he can’t let his best friend take a step like that alone. He should be at his side for good and worse and protect him when the time comes. Louis is the heir to the throne above all, and it is one of Liam’s unofficial duties to look after him.

He nods his head, “I want to help too.” Liam really does not trust Harry to not harm Louis.

Liam suggests that it’ll be better to inform both Zayn and Niall about everything. Louis hesitates to get Niall involved in this. He knows Niall and Harry don’t see eye-to-eye on most matters. He even knows that involving Niall could somehow lead to an official investigation about Harry’s claim, and Harry does not want the royal court to get involved.

Zayn raises an eyebrow, gets up from his bed, proceeds to pace the room, drinks some water, paces some more, and then says, “What the fuck?”

He looks at Liam and Louis in disbelief, like they had just said something impossible. Well, they just did. “Are you both out of your minds?”

Liam says, “We should help him, it’s a severe claim!”

“Yeah, it’s totally not like Styles never lies.” Zayn rolls his eyes. “What if it’s a trap?”

“What if it’s not?” Louis questions.

“That possibility is very minor, negligible actually.” Zayn counters while continuing with his pacing.

“I won’t let Louis be around him alone for this. And if any part of his claim is real, then it can damage more than we can imagine.” Liam debates. “We won’t find out the truth until we get involved.”

“Still not convinced,” Zayn says.

“Look, we just wanted to tell you this. Whether you’re in or not is up to you. But please don’t tell anyone about it.” Louis says softly. He gets up from the couch and starts towards the door. Liam follows him.

Zayn looks at both of them, “Wait! If we find even the tiniest bit of foul play, we tell Niall everything and let him deal with Harry his way!”

Louis and Liam look at each other before agreeing. Zayn isn’t wrong, they need to have a backup before they get into dangerous territory.

*

Louis opens the door of his dorm and enters, Liam and Zayn following him inside. Harry is sitting on the couch, his flute on his lap, and his mother’s biography next to him on the table.

“I thought they could both help us,” Louis says as he walks towards Harry.

“Ah! I was wondering when you were going to bring your disciples around,” Harry smirks.

“I told you, it’s a ploy!” Zayn says, matter-of-fact.

“Watch your mouth, Styles!” Louis warns him.

Harry shrugs.

“As you can clearly see, we don’t trust you enough,” Liam says.

Harry holds his flute in his hand and stands up. “If it makes you feel better -- and believe me, it’s not in my nature to make anyone feel comfortable -- but honestly, I don’t trust anyone of you enough. I did not ask Louis to help me, he offered. If you want out, you know where the door is.” He shakes his head and walks towards his piano.

Zayn looks at Harry in disbelief, “I have been in this room for less than five minutes, and I can already feel your negative energy making me sick.”

“Why? Didn’t Liam’s family make your stomach queasy last night?” Harry gives him a left-side of his mouth quirks up. “If their efforts were vain, I can help.” Harry hisses from between his teeth, “Princess!”

Liam charges towards him in rage, “I’ll kill you twice.”

Louis jumps in between them and tries to keep them from fighting or maybe killing each other. “Hey, Hey! We promised not to hurt each other,” he looks at Harry and Liam. “I think we need some ground rules.”

“Like Styles will ever follow any rule,” Zayn says with coldness directed towards Harry.

“I respect rules more than you respect loyalty!” Harry says.

Liam grabs Harry by his collar and Louis has to interrupt again, “Stop!”

“How are you going to win our trust?” Liam grinds his teeth.

“I don’t care about your trust, get out!” Harry is seething in anger now.

Louis has had enough of these three trying to make things more difficult than they already are. “Nobody hurts anyone while we are in this. Agree?”

Nobody says a word, they just look everywhere but at Louis. He can’t believe they all are behaving like kids.

“How long will this take?” Liam asks.

Harry shakes his head in disbelief, “Two days, Two years, Twenty years, I don’t know.” Why he even had to say that out loud escapes him.

Zayn bites his lips, “Tell me this is a joke! I can’t bear you for the next twenty years.”

Louis has had enough, “What is with you guys? Apart from your families having feuds, you guys don’t even know anything about each other. So I have no idea what you all are fighting over! Stop being like this, and this is the last time I am saying it.” Louis walks away from them to the window and opens it. Cool air fills the room instantly.

Liam and Zayn look at each other. They both wanted to help their friend, not disappoint him. Zayn nods his head lightly towards Liam.

Liam finally walks towards Louis, “Fine, we both will behave ourselves.”

“But only for you, Lou.” Zayn had to add that statement. He turns towards Harry, “What about this one? Will he be a better person and stay within his fucking limits until we find the answers?”

They all turn towards Harry, who is biting his lips, contemplating whether to agree or not. “Fine!” He says, barely audible.

“Louder?” Louis says.

Harry musters his energy to say the words, “I’ll be good.”

Zayn chuckles, “The devil that guides you must be hitting his head against the wall right now.”

“Not as hard as the angel in you that is crying to be dicked down right now,” Harry smirks.

“Oh my god, I will end you…” Zayn starts towards Harry but is held back by Louis.

“We literally just decided on something.” Louis reminds them all.

They all sit in different parts of the room, not speaking a word to anyone. The only sound in the room is from Harry’s piano. He is playing a tune Louis has never heard before. It sounds a bit happy and it makes Louis smile on the inside.

“Alright, what is our approach?” Louis speaks first.

“What all do we know?” Zayn asks.

Harry stops playing and gets up from the stool. He walks towards his closet and brings out a whiteboard and a few colorful markers. He seems prepared and that surprises Louis.

He starts writing words on the board and circling them, while the rest of the group joins him around the board.

“So, Louis and I know from my mother’s biography that her life was in danger.” Harry picks it up to show to Liam and Zayn. “I tried to reach the author, but I found out he died three years back. He lived alone in some mountains, got no family, so that’s a dead end.”

They all wait for him to say something further but he doesn’t.

“That’s it? That’s all you know?” Liam asks.

“The medical records that I found at home does show that she was not well for years. But that could have been altered.” Harry points towards the ‘medical documents’ written on the board. “The doctor, Dr. Joseph Benji, who prescribed her medicines is nowhere to be found. Like he did not exist.”

A chill runs down Zayn’s spine. “What!” He did not expect things to turn out this way. “There is a whole person missing, more like erased from existence? There has to be a catch somewhere.”

“Where have you looked for the doctor?” Louis asks, his brows joined in concentration.  

“All the records from the hospital that he claimed to work at, the public documents at the municipal office, none of them hold any record of anyone named Joseph Benji,” Harry says.

“You mean the official record does not have any Joseph Benji?” Liam says. “That’s crazy, no one can access the official records to make any changes. They are available to the general public only after a request. The system is tight on stuff like this.”

“Higher officials of the court do not need any permission, all the data are available to them,” Harry informs them.

All three of them look at Harry, gobsmacked. They were not expecting this.

“How high are we talking about?” Zayn hesitates.

“Everyone who holds an eminent position in the court and its proceedings,” Harry says.

Liam’s tongue tingles as he says, “That includes my dad, and Zayn’s.”

“And mine,” Harry says.

Harry, Liam, and Zayn look at each other. All of them felt the earth beneath them shake. This is so hard for them to even speak out loud, that their fathers might have been involved in something that changed the fate of a family.

“And Lord James,” Louis says, loud and clear.

All three of them snap their heads in Louis’ direction and feel their stomachs drop to the floor. It might have been a difficult pill to swallow, but if they are going to trust no one in this, then it has to include Lord James too.

Chapter Text

Harry looks at Louis, carefully examining his even breathing. He just wants to make sure Louis is actually asleep and not acting. Since Louis follows Harry a lot, he has to be careful. The rhythmic rise and fall of Louis’ chest and his peacefully shut eyes give Harry the green light. He looks at Louis for one last time as he leaves their room quietly.

The weather has been getting colder with each passing day. Stuffing his hands inside his black hoodie, Harry moves like a shadow, eyes scanning everything around him, all senses alert so he can sense any foul movement. As he reaches the riverside, he looks around for any sign of life. There isn’t any. It’s a part of the town where no one comes. This place is avoided like the plague. Some even believe that it’s haunted.

Harry laughs to himself thinking about it. People are so naive, they are so scared of dying that they believe in anything that could even remotely harm them. He sometimes wonders why no one ever tried to find answers about this place before.

He walks towards a big tree and leans on it. He turns back, his eyes scanning for any danger or any suspicious thing. His eyes fall towards the tower of the Academy and he suddenly feels a lifetime away from it. Everything about the Academy, his life there, his training, all seem distant and like a dream whenever he is away. Sometimes, he feels like he slips into an alternate universe whenever he steps out of the Academy. He isn’t sure if that is particularly a blessing in disguise or a curse that he has to suffer.

Taking a deep breath, he turns his head towards the river. The river that has seen him grow up, that knows him best, that has kept his secrets buried. He loves coming here. It’s calming, it’s serene here. But unluckily, he can’t come here during the day, to feel the warmth of the sun on his face, in the place where he feels the most comfortable.

Suddenly the snap of a twig catches his attention. He raises his eyes and waits for any other movement. He hears dry leaves crunching and footsteps approaching him. His heartbeat quickens, and he tries to follow the sound more carefully. In response, his hands close into fists, ready to knock the living daylights out of the intruder. He personally doesn’t enjoy being violent, but when a situation demands that he be that person, then he has to.

He turns around and sees a silhouette approaching him. Under the faint moonlight, he can make out who it is. He has been waiting for him to come. It has been a long wait.

“Brave of you to come here at his time,” Harry says.

The person comes to stand in front of him and removes his hoodie.

“I had an emergency!” Dan says fixing his hair.

“ And could you have been any louder? I could hear you from a mile away." Harry complains.

“Ugh, my shoes,” Dan looks down at them. “I should buy new ones.” He shakes his head and looks back at Harry.

As Harry and Dan look at each other, a soft smile crosses Dan’s face, and he opens his arms for Harry, who leans gladly into them. “How have you been, son?”

Harry hugs him tighter, “Doing fine.”

Dan hugs Harry for a long time, soothing his back, making him comfortable. Suddenly, someone hugs him from behind, which makes Harry giggle.

“Son!” Paul says while kissing the back of his head. Harry turns to looks at Paul with a giant smile on his face.

“I bought all of us some scotch.” Paul holds up a bottle, takes a swig, and passes it to Dan.

“Ah, this is good,” Dan says. “Guess what! Niall has put my house under 24/7 observation and he thinks I won’t figure it out.” He takes another swig. “Or fool him.”

Harry bites his lips, “He’s trying to stay ahead of us.”

“Let him try. It’s his job.” Paul says flatly. He sits down on the grass and so does the other two. Harry takes that opportunity to lay his head on Paul’s lap and feels at peace immediately.

“I wonder what gave him the clue that you should be under his radar?” Harry asks.

“His two brain cells that nobody in the court had,” Dan says, smiling.

“What did Niall ask you by the way?” Harry inquires.

Dan chuckles, “He asked me how I paid for Louis’ education and all that. I told him what I told the court. The court believed me; Niall didn’t.”

Harry’s brow furrows, “How did you pay for his education though?” He has been wondering about it for a while, but he never asked.

Paul takes a deep breath, “Harry, your mother made all the arrangements for Louis’ education and everything before she died.”

A huge lump in Harry’s throat chokes him. The corners of his eyes prickle with tears. He has always heard from both Dan and Paul that she loved Louis dearly. Harry knows it was his mother who ordered Paul, her assistant, to take Baby Louis out of the country as soon as she heard the news about Johannah. She knew whoever was behind the fire would surely come for Johannah’s son and that he must be saved.

“I am glad Niall does not take anything at face value, that he does his own research. That’s a good trait.” Dan changes the topic, trying to lighten the mood.

Paul smiles proudly too, “Yeah, he is the king we all need. This country needs someone like him, we have had enough of dirty politics. We need someone to think beyond it.”

Harry’s gaze shift towards the sky, “He is smart. Nothing like Lord James.”

“Yes, Roy raised him right,” Paul says.

“I wonder what would have happened that night, Dan, if you hadn’t given Lord James the idea of sending Niall out of the country. He would have been raised among people who aren’t worthy of being in such a powerful position.” Paul reminisces. “Roy gave his everything to raise that kid.”

“I made a promise to Johannah that I’d save whoever deserves a better life.” Dan’s eyes tear up. “That night… it still shocks me.”

“I think she understands why you took such a big step,” Harry says, squeezing Dan’s hand. Over the years, he has heard Dan talk about Johannah and his friendship with her. He wonders sometimes if he was ever in love with her, but then, it is not his place to ask him anything about it. It’s between Johannah and Dan, and Harry has decided that it’s just respectful to let Dan handle his feelings and his relationship with Johannah on his own.

“I just hope I didn’t let her down,” Dan says, wiping away his tears.

Harry nods as Dan passes him the bottle. He sits up and takes a few swigs to gather the energy to say what he has to. He takes a deep breath and says, “Louis, Zayn, and Liam are with me. They have decided to help me figure out what happened with Mom.”

The color of Dan’s face disappears, “What? Harry, you keep Louis out of this. I don’t care about the other two, but Louis! It’s dangerous, and there’s no way I am letting you drag Lou into this.”

“He offered,” Harry says.

“You could have said no, or asked us before you let him do whatever he wants.” Dan is annoyed over the fact that Louis is intentionally ready to hurt himself. “I swear if anything happens to him…” Dan warns Harry.

“I have been looking after him for four years now. I came to the Academy to make sure he stays alive. Even that night, when the Academy was under attack, I got him out unscathed. Trust me, if you will.” Harry replies curtly.

“Hey,” Paul stop them both from quarreling. He turns to Harry and looks him dead in the eye, “Do you think it’s a good idea to involve him?”

“I won’t let anything happen to him. Promise!” Harry says. “Besides, he is a curious person. If I don’t let him in, he will go on looking for answers in his own way. I really don’t want that. He invites danger for himself.” Harry looks at Dan, “You remember what happened that day in the library basement. Anyone in their right mind would have run for the hills if they heard some footsteps, but no! He had to follow the sound to find out the truth. I mean, I could have been anyone: a serial killer, a murderer on the loose, a ghost. What would he have done then? He didn’t even have his dagger with him to defend himself.” Harry gets annoyed by Louis’ lack of self-preservation.

“He has a knack for inviting trouble.” Harry shakes his head. “Thankfully Dan saved the day.”

Paul laughs.

“And thanks for informing us beforehand that you were going to send him to the library.” Dan’s tone is laced with sarcasm. “We almost got exposed.”

“I did not know he would spend so much time there.” Paul defends himself.

“But… Harry,” Dan looks at him with worry written all over his face.

Harry takes Dan’s hand in his, “I’ll protect him with my life.” He looks straight into Dan’s eyes.

Both Paul and Dan look at each other. They both know Harry is the most reliable person in the whole world. After all, they have both raised him that way.

“Fine!” Dan whispers, he can’t say a word but nods. He knows he is going to spend the rest of his time worrying about Louis, like he did when Louis was in London, growing up by himself. He decides to push his worry about Louis aside for the moment and comes back to the reason he’d called the meeting.

“Harry,” Dan says seriously. He has both Paul and Harry’s attention now. “The file we found that day in the library, it has some records missing,” Dan says.

Harry’s jaw drops and his heart aches. After years and years of looking for his mother’s medical file, he’d finally found it in the basement of the library, where no one ever goes, and some of the records are missing.

“Tell me you are lying,” Harry says, disheartened. When Dan doesn’t say anything, Harry continues, “But that’s the right file, and someone clearly hid it three stories down in the library because no one goes there.” Harry tries to make sense of all this.

“Her blood report and the page that has the summary of her health are both missing,” Dan says clearly. “Look for them at home.”

Harry shakes his head. “There’s nothing at home, I have been looking for suspicious things for so long. I have never come across anything like that.”

They all sit in silence before Harry speaks again, “I think we need to look beyond my father. Since Father told me that he wasn’t the one who sent the attackers, I have been on edge. It was easy to believe that Arthur Edward Styles was the one harming people, but now I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”

They look at each other for a while, each of them trying to put some of the pieces together.

“Seems like it’s a good thing that Harry involved Zayn and Liam,” Paul says.

“How much do you trust them?” Dan asks Paul. Dan has never interacted with either of them long enough to know who they are. They seem like nice kids, but who even knows. Dan learned the hard way that not everything or everyone who seems nice, is actually nice.

“They both aren’t like their fathers, they are better souls. Peaceful souls. Zayn especially.” Paul says. After years of having them both under his care, Paul can tell that both of them are reliable and that they would die for Louis and Niall.

Harry snorts, “They both were ready to kill me a few hours back.”

Paul rolls his eyes, “I am sure you deserved it.” It isn’t unknown to him how much Harry enjoys annoying the four of them and being a pain in their ass.

Harry looks at him surprised, “Wow, suddenly no love for me.”

Dan huffs loudly, “What’s your next move?”

“I want to look at the offices. Hopefully, maybe, I can find something.” Harry says.

Dan shakes his head, “Every time I think we are getting closer to finding an answer, everything keeps getting even more complicated.”

Paul takes out a slip of paper from his pocket and holds it out to Harry.

Harry takes the slip and reads the address, “Who is he?”

“This is the address of the cabin where your mother’s ex-bodyguard, Angus Baldwin, was rumored to have stayed,” Paul informs him. “We need to look at this cabin.”

“We have checked his house multiple times, Paul. We couldn’t find anything. Do you really think we will find something in this cabin?”

“There’s no harm in trying. I know if he was involved, he probably won’t leave a trace. But we have found something and we should not overlook it.” Paul says.

Harry reads the address, again and again, trying to memorize it before he destroys the note. Angus had fled the country soon after his mother died, but he came back just a week before the Academy was attacked. Since then, they have been trying to trace Angus for months without success.

“Who do you think could even do something like this, apart from my father?” Harry asks both of them.

“I do not trust anyone, Harry. The need for power is so wild, some people are willing to do anything.” Dan says.

Chapter Text

Louis looks around the garden, at the colorful flowers and chirping birds. The place is so calm, so serene. Considering his aunt’s health, Louis understands why peaceful surroundings are necessary for her. He rarely comes to the palace for breakfast; rather, he only shows up when there’s an event that he cannot avoid. But Niall insisted he joins him for breakfast today with Mary. Louis couldn’t say no. It has been a while since he met her, so it seems like it might be nice to catch up with her.

Mary definitely looks happy and calmer. There’s a glow on her face that Louis has never seen before. A happy glow. To Louis, it seems like a big smile is etched on her face and her eyes are made of blue sapphire, continuously sparkling. And he knows Niall is the reason for it all.

Louis picks up his silver teacup and runs his thumb over the design before taking a sip. Mary looks at Louis and smiles. She picks up a toast from the basket and puts some butter on it.

“I was hoping you would come to see me after the remembrance ceremony,” Marry says as she puts the slice of toast on Louis’ plate.

Louis feels a tad bit guilty, he meant to see her that evening, “My apologies. I wanted to, but something came up and I had to leave.” Louis hopes she doesn’t ask anything further and accepts the answer.

She nods slightly, “I understand.”

A butterfly flutters around Mary and a giggle escapes her. She holds out her palm for the butterfly to sit on, but it flutters away again. Both Niall and Louis laugh looking at Mary pouting slightly.

“I think it got confused, you look like a flower. Can’t blame it though!” Niall says.

Mary’s cheeks flush at the compliment.

“You look beautiful in that dress. The color definitely compliments your cheeks.” Louis says.

Mary’s eyes widen, “Really?” She stands up from her chair and does a little twirl. “Johannah gifted me this dress.”

Louis’ heart skips a beat at the mention of his mother’s name. He remembers all the times his mother has been mentioned by Mary -- none of them have gone well. Instead, Mary suffers a serious meltdown and Louis is left gloomy for days. He knows there is so much about his mother he could learn from his aunt. But bringing up Johannah to Mary is a difficult task. It’s like walking on eggshells. He has to be very careful and not take her too far.

Louis nods and decides to end the conversation. It is better for both of them.

Swiftly, he tries to change the topic, “What are you planning for Thanksgiving? Anything special?”

Mary avoids his question and sits down on the chair, “She was on her trip to America that time, but she came back home on my birthday and gave me this beautiful dress.” Mary continues with so much excitement. “She told me she got it custom-made for me.”

It was indeed a beautiful dress, pink in color, with a high neck, pleated from waist to knees with jewels sewed on the hemline. A blue dragonfly brooch adorns it.

“Nothing but the best for my mother,” Niall says proudly.

Louis wants to stop his cousin and his aunt from discussing it any further. He has a feeling this is not going to end well. But Niall has been telling him how well Mary has been doing, so much better than she ever has before.

“I was going to wear this to your christening dinner, Niall,” she says, still smiling.

Suddenly all the smiles on her face and in her eyes wash away. It’s like someone flicked a switch in her brain. She looks at Louis with a blank expression.

“You look so much like her. I wish she was here to see you grow up. She would have been overjoyed.” Mary says. Niall holds her hands in his, trying to comfort her. “She loved you so much, Louis. More than the stars and the moon. More than anything in the world.”

She chokes on her words and a sob escapes her, “It is all my fault. It’s all my fault that she isn’t with us anymore.”

“No, Mother. It is not your fault. None of this is your fault.” Niall says politely, still trying to calm her down.

She shakes her head vigorously, “No, it is my fault. She wasn’t even supposed to be in the room when the fire broke out. She was supposed to be with me while I was in labor.”

“What do you mean?” Louis asks puzzled. He has never heard this before, that his mother was supposed to be with Mary. So why wasn’t she?

“Louis, someone came to my chamber and asked for James. But since Niall was on the way and I didn’t want him to leave my side, I asked Johannah to go and handle whatever needed attention.” She says. A loud wail leaves her, sending chills down Louis’ spine.

“Who came?” Louis whispers, stunned.

“I don’t know. But your mother wasn’t supposed to be in that room, no one was. That room was closed down for renovation. It was supposed to be Niall’s room.” She sobs uncontrollably now. Suddenly her lady-in-waiting is beside her.

Niall’s mouth drops open. He is in a state of shock from what he just heard. If that room was shut down, then what was anyone doing there?

Her sobs keep getting louder and louder. Niall jumps to his feet and guides Mary back to her chamber. Louis slowly manages to get up from his chair and follows them inside.

Not much later, Mary is in tucked in her bed and Amelia has given her a shot of sedative. Niall thank her, and both him and Louis leave for the Academy.

“I have seen the reports, it all proved it was an accident,” Niall says.

“I know, I have seen them too,” Louis says. “But if the room was closed, then what was anyone doing there?”

“I have the same question. A room closed down for renovation can be an excellent place for accidents to happen.” Niall says. “If anyone wanted to harm them, they would have wanted them in that room.”

Louis stops walking. A thought has cropped up in his head. “I always thought it was Styles who did it, but nobody could find proof. Why? Maybe, because it wasn’t him. Also, no outsiders are allowed in the residential part of the palace, not even the courtiers.”

Niall’s breath catches in his throat. He can’t even say out loud what Louis might be implying. But on another thought, “Or maybe he bribed someone to do it for him.”

Niall knows he isn’t being fair. But he can’t comprehend the thought of anyone in his family being involved.

Louis takes a deep breath, “That’s the general consensus. I think I want to look further into the matter.”

Niall nods, “I understand. I can help you with anything you need.” He says sincerely. As much as he hates the thoughts in the back of his head, he has to help Louis find what he is looking for. “I can ask Javaad Malik…”

Louis immediately interrupts, “No! I am going to do it without the involvement of anyone from the court.” He fixes Niall with a serious look. “If I turn out to be wrong, then I’ll be glad. If not, then at least I’ll have some answers. Or maybe 50 more questions.”

Niall nods encouragingly. He can’t deny Louis anything.

*

Liam walks briskly, trying to catch up to Zayn, who is speed-walking in front of him. After dinner, everyone had retreated back to their dorm rooms, and Louis had asked them to come to his and Harry’s room.

“Zayn!” Liam grabs his arm to stop him from running away. “Stop ignoring me.”

Zayn sighs and turns his head sideways to look at Liam.

“Move back to our room, Zayn, I miss you,” Liam says, his eyes emitting longing for his lover.

Zayn almost hugs him. Almost. But the voices in the back of his mind hold him back. “I need time, Li!”

Liam is taken aback, “Time for what?”

Zayn’s heart aches at the helplessness in Liam’s voice. He has been trying so hard not to hurt Liam, but he is only human, and there’s only so much he can do.

“Please, Liam. I can’t pretend that I don’t love you. Hell, I am in love with you.” Zayn says softly.

Liam lets out the breath that he has been holding and quietly says, “Then, why?” His voice is barely a whisper.

Zayn shakes his head, “I am not going to pretend to be something I am not. The more I’m around you, the more it’ll hurt both of us. It’ll suffocate me that I can’t be who I am in public. I am not ready for that.”

Liam takes a step further towards him, but Zayn takes a step back. Holding both Zayn’s hands in his, Liam says, “It’s just a few months.”

“I know. But it’s just a few months for you. It’s a long time for me. A very long time.” Zayn says.

Liam’s heart breaks further.

“You don’t understand how much I hate not being with you, how much I hate myself for putting you through this.” Zayn’s head hangs down. “I don’t want to jeopardize anything between us. Please, give me some time.”

They both look into each other’s eyes, sad, feeling empty. Neither of them had ever felt this lonely while being with the other. And this is exactly what Zayn feared. He can’t imagine a life where he and Liam are not in a loving relationship. They need to work on the things that need their attention.

No matter how much Liam says that it doesn’t matter what his family says about Zayn, deep down, he knows how much it affects him too. He knows his family is going to give him a hard time when he comes out to them, and he always wanted Zayn by his side when he comes out. He understands what Zayn is going through, he is trying to be true to himself. This is one of the reasons Liam loves Zayn so much: his nature, his realness, his hunger to be honest about himself.

Someone clears their throat and Zayn jumps, snapping them both out of their little bubble.

“Get a room you two,” Harry sighs loudly as he passes them on the way to his room.

Zayn rolls his eyes so hard and lets go of Liam’s hand. “Why is he even alive?” Zayn mutters.

“No time to die,” Harry says and opens the door to his room.

Louis looks up from the book he is reading.

“Do me a favor?” Harry looks at Louis while walking inside. Zayn and Liam follow him. “Ask your friends not to make out anywhere near my room.”

Louis raises his eyebrows, puts his book aside and turns to Zayn and Liam. “If you both ever want to spend some intimate time in a new location, different setting, just remember this room is always available.”

Harry grinds his teeth, “Not my bed.”

“Especially Harry’s bed. The view of the river and mountains is very picturesque. Exceptionally good.” Louis immediately responds with a sly smile.

“How do you know?” Harry asks.

“I slept on it a few times when you were not here.” Louis stretches his legs on the table in front of him and folds his hands behind his head.

Harry makes a gesture of puking in his mouth, “I’ll have to burn the sheets and mattress.”

Louis looks at Liam, “I’ll even get scented candles for you both.”

Liam chuckles, “Thanks for the offer, but we won’t be needing it.”

“Thank fuck,” Harry says. He walks inside his closet to grab the whiteboard. As soon as he comes out, he finds Zayn sprawled on his bed.

“Get your filthy ass off my bed!” Harry says. “Anything that belongs to me, is off-limits to everyone.”

“Ever learned the art of sharing, Styles?” Liam taps a key on the piano.

Harry immediately puts down the whiteboard and scuttles towards his piano. He shuts the keylid, “Mine!”

Louis sits back, even more relaxed now, enjoying Harry’s dilemma. He bites his lip to keep from laughing out loud. He knows Harry grew up alone, without any siblings, and he never went to any public or private school. Before getting into the Academy, he never had to live in such a public place, and obviously sharing even the most miniscule thing was never on his agenda. He was probably never in any situation where he had to share anything.

“I’ve always wondered what the Styles mansion looks like from inside,” Zayn says.

Louis and Liam quickly exchange a glance, remembering Zayn’s utmost desire to live there.

“I have heard it is every inch as beautiful and breathtaking inside,” Zayn says.

“It’s like a dungeon and why the hell do you care?” Harry cannot find a single reason why anyone would be interested in his family house.

Zayn rolls his eyes, “Just curious.” He turns to Louis, “You wanted us to come here.”

Louis nods and gets up from the couch. “I need to tell you guys something.”

He gives them a run-down of everything that happened that morning while he was having breakfast in the palace. He informs them of his decision to look deeper into his mother’s case. He can’t even believe that he is saying the words aloud, that one person the reason all of this is happening. He has a feeling that all of it is connected, and nothing is a coincidence.

Chapter Text

Zayn stands by Louis’ bedroom window, gazing out at the beautiful peaceful night. Liam and Louis look at the whiteboard, trying to look for any dots to connect the accidental fire that took Louis’ mom’s life, and Harry’s mother’s death. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, but it’s worth a shot.

Harry, on the other hand, goes through the file he has been maintaining with his progress.

“Shit keeps getting more complicated,” Zayn remarks as he sees a white owl flying by the window. “It’s like we keep getting smacked in the head from all sides.”

Louis bites his lip, “I want to think that these can be connected, but who even knows.”

Harry looks up from his file, “It does seem unlikely. My mother passed away five years after the fire incident.”

“You mean they are independent accidents, that just happened by chance?” Liam asks.

“If you have a viable explanation to why any of it must be connected, do share,” Harry replies snarkily.

Zayn shakes his head, “Guys c’mon, let’s go through it once again so we know what we have.” He takes the red marker from the table an approaches the board.

“Harry doubts his mom’s death was due to an illness…”

*

Niall huffs out a breath and puts down his pen after finishing his assignment. He turns towards the clock. It’s pretty late and Zayn is not back in his room. He wonders if he and Liam have reconciled, but that seems unlikely. Just this morning, Zayn told him that he needs some time to think more about himself and their relationship. He’d seemed pretty headstrong about his decision. Niall can’t even remember if Zayn was planning to join anyone for group study.

He decides to go out and look for him. The past few days have been pretty rough on him. Niall worries about Zayn and wants to be there for him. He turns toward Liam and Zayn's room but then stops. Even if Zayn is there, maybe Niall shouldn't intrude. He should check with Louis first, to see if he knows anything about Zayn’s whereabouts. They’d had dinner together, while Niall had gone to the Palace to check up on his mom.

He has been to Louis’ room before, but never this late. He wonders if Louis will be asleep. But when he leans against the door, he can hear Louis’ voice, even if he can’t hear what he is saying. Since Louis isn’t asleep yet, he pushes the door open and steps inside.

Everyone in the room snaps their heads towards the door. They freeze on their spot. Niall cannot believe what he is seeing in front of him. His cousin, his two best friends, and his archenemy, all together in one room, discussing something.

His eyes move to each face, looking carefully. He steps towards them.

“What the hell is happening here?” Niall asks. He turns to Louis, who has a concerned look on his face. Turning towards Harry he says, “What the fuck are you up to, huh?”

A smug expression covers Harry’s face and he gives a lopsided smile, “Ensnaring your disciples.”

Niall grinds his jaw and grabs Harry by his collar. “Stay the fuck away from them.”

“Hey, stop!” Louis interrupts and pulls them apart. He turns to Niall who is looking angrily at Harry. “I’ll explain.”

After 20 minutes, Louis is done explaining everything, including why they hadn’t wanted to involve him. Niall feels a bit hurt to be kept out of a secret, but not as much as he is still annoyed at Harry.

“Oh, so we are trying to find answers now!” He says out of spite. He looks at Harry, “Why don’t we start with you answering: where the hell you were for five months.”

Everyone turns their head towards him, waiting for him to reply. Harry tries to look away, “Oh, so you have some questions yourself.”

Niall crosses his hands over his chest, “You can’t finesse your way out of this. Tell me.”

Harry stays tight-lipped and refuses to look at any one of them, while everyone else waits for his reply.

Niall chuckles. “As expected. Why you don’t have any answers? It should be simple.”

“I was traveling,” Harry finally replies.

“Bullshit!” Niall says, louder than ever. He is generally a patient person but Harry is at the last of his. “You disappeared the day the Academy was attacked, you literally jumped into the water and went off the radar for five straight months, and you want us to believe that you were traveling? I think not.”

“He what?” Louis looks at both of them, puzzled.

Harry laughs, “He doesn’t know, does he?”

Niall covers his panic with exasperation. He’d never told Louis that Harry went missing on the day Academy got attacked. “I was trying to protect him.”

“By hiding things from him?” Harry raises his eyebrow. “Who knows what else are you hiding from him.”

“I’ll cut you into pieces and feed you to the guard dogs without even blinking an eye,” Niall responds.

“Niall!” Louis says. He has never seen Niall like this, this angry. “What has gotten into you?” Niall is generally calm and composed. He knows what he is saying and what he is doing. So this behavior surprises Louis. He turns to Harry, “Tell us where you were.”

Harry looks at Louis and lets out a sigh. He knows he can’t escape the question anymore. “I was trying to chase a ghost. My mother’s guard is missing and I was trying to track him down.”

“Did you?” Liam asks, concerned.

“If I did, none of us would be here,” Harry responds.

Niall claps his hands, “Nice story you got there. “My mother did not die of an illness, she was killed.” All this to escape the fact that your father organized the attack on the Academy and you probably had a hand in it too. Funny that you went missing right afterward.”

“My father wasn't the one who arranged the attack.” Harry defends.

“Oh, then who gave the orders?” Niall asks sarcastically.

“Why don’t you tell me!” Harry replies. “Maybe we can start by shortlisting the names of all the enemies your father has made in all these years.”

“My father does not have enemies.”

“Oh, shut up! I know my father is a joke when it comes to common human decency, but neither your father nor his minions are the epitome of righteousness either.”

“Are you saying our fathers might have been involved in any of this?” Zayn asks nervously.

Niall brushes away Zayn’s question, “And why do you even think that it wasn’t Arthur Edward Styles who sent the attackers? Because he said so?”

“Why do you think it was him? Because everyone thinks so?” Harry replies. “If it was my father, I would have never let it happen in the first place.”

“Why?” Niall asks. “ Oh, so it was just a coincidence? You saw an opportunity to get to Louis and took it?"

Harry takes a breath, unsure whether he should lay down his cards or not. He decides to do so. “Believe what you want, I had a plan to leave that night incognito and start my search. The next day, everyone was going home for the holidays. If I had walked out of the Academy then, it would have been impossible for me to look for my mother’s bodyguard and her culprit. And I would have stopped anything that would have threatened that plan. It was my last chance to try finding answers.”

Zayn and Liam exchange a glance. They still both hate Harry, but now, knowing that Harry was trying to find answers all by himself, they are less sure how they feel about any of it.

“Where were you?” Niall asks seriously.

“At the basement of the library, ‘Level -3’.” Harry answers and smiles. “You looked for me everywhere, but didn’t look for me where you should have.”

“How come nobody saw you there?” Louis asks.

“Because nobody ever goes there. Nobody has been there in 50 years, nobody is going to even go there for another 50 years.” Harry says.

Niall grinds his jaw. Harry was right under his nose all this time, and he’d slipped so smoothly from Niall’s grasp every time.

Harry walks towards his couch and sits down, throwing one leg over the other, “Now, since you got your answers, give me some. How come you still don’t have a lead? You have been working on it for months now.”

Niall nods, “I have one. They came through a secret passage, and I know your father knows about it.”

Harry chuckles, “So does yours,” he turns his head to Zayn and Liam, “So do theirs.”

“Don’t try to put a wedge between us,” Niall warns.

“I am not! But think about it, it was revealed that you were the Prince, and suddenly Louis gets attacked, seems fishy to me.” Harry has had enough of Niall cornering him.

Niall raises his voice again, “I am not going to stand here and tolerate your blasphemy.”

Harry stands up and walks towards him, “Then get out and take your friends with you. There’s one thing I know: my mother’s records were compromised. She did not die of any illness ‘cos she never had one, and I am going to find the person who did it. Nobody had the right to take her away from me. Not your God, not a human. And I am going to make their life so pathetic that the wrath of hell would seem like a piece of cake in comparison.” Harry is drowning in a rage that scares Louis. It’s exactly the kind he saw the night he was attacked.

Everyone in the room falls silent. Aside from the ticking of the clock, there is no other sound in the room. Zayn walks towards the window, his head hurting from everything that had happened not even five minutes ago. He hates when people raise their voices. He flinches inside. Leaning his head on the windowsill, he thinks about what Harry just said. There has never been any proof against Arthur Styles, and if they were blaming him without any base, then they all are wrong. Zayn has always believed in ‘innocent until proven guilty’. He knows some people get away with a lot through this, but he has to give them the benefit of the doubt.

He walks towards the board and writes ‘Find out who attacked the Academy’. Their list keeps increasing. “I am with Harry in this.” Zayn declares. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but knowing about his side, I just can’t let him do this alone.”

Zayn and Harry look at each other and Zayn momentarily remember that not long ago, he was internally disgusted by the thought of being anywhere around Harry. Funny how times have changed.

“If this has anything to do with you keeping your mind off whatever is going on in your life, just stay away,” Harry says.

“First of all, I am a person of my own. And what I choose to do and believe in, has got nothing to do with my relationship status. Second, I can’t stand wrongdoings.” Zayn says.

Louis can see Harry’s shoulders relaxing a bit. “I was never out, FYI,” Louis says.

Liam agrees as well, only because he still wants to protect Louis and now Zayn too. Niall takes his time to decide. This might give him a chance to know more about Harry and his plans. Nope, he isn’t entirely sold on his story, but if working with him means getting to know things better, then he might as well play ball.

Niall finally says, “Fine, what do we have?” He looks at Zayn.

Zayn smiles a bit, relieved that even though none of them can stand Harry -- nor can Harry stand them -- they all are making a collective effort here. Maybe the others are in this for selfish reasons, but he can’t speak for anyone but himself. He knows why he is in: to help serve justice. He knows that, after learning all this, if he still doesn’t help, he might never be able to look at himself in the mirror again.

He cleans a small patch on the whiteboard and starts writing in bullet points. “First, who sent the attackers? My guess is anyone who knows about the minute details of the Academy.”

Liam flinches when he says, “That includes my father and Zayn’s.”

“Mine too,” Harry says nonchalantly. It’s his tone that alarms Louis. It’s like Harry is not even surprised that his father could be involved in anything like this. Like somewhere he knows it would be him.

Niall’s heart leaps to his throat. He really doesn’t want to say the words but he has to. “And Lord James.”

There is uncomfortable silence in the air. Everyone is internally fighting themselves, and trying to convince themselves that their family couldn’t be the one. But they don't know, and they know better than to take sides. This is what the Academy has taught them, it’s their time to put themselves to the test.

Zayn turns to the board again, “Second, what was Princess Johannah, her husband, and the King doing in the room when the fire broke out?”

Louis’ eyes well up. It’s difficult for him; it keeps getting more difficult for him. Some part of himself wants to stop all of this, but he does want to know what happened there. Why was she there?

“The reports said that it was an accident. Considering that she was lured into the room, reports seem bullshit.” Zayn says.

“Third, what happened with Ebenezer?” Zayn’s hands feel weightless as he writes her name. His heart breaks into pieces thinking about her. Did she suffer in silence? Was she aware that someone would kill her? Why didn’t she do anything about it? Why was there a danger to her life?

“Her medical reports were compromised, anyone in the court has to power to do it. Her bodyguard is missing, find him.” Zayn continues.

For a long time, they all stare at the board blankly, hoping that they will just find the answers right now and it will all end and spare them having to continue the quest.

“We should start by asking our fathers when we go home this weekend for Thanksgiving,” Liam says.

“Like they are waiting to tell us the truth,” Harry replies.

“What do you suggest?” Niall asks Harry, irritated by him.

“Look for stuff in their offices,” Harry says confidently.

“You want us to break into their offices?” Niall asks in disbelief.

“You got any better idea?” Harry says.

“I think he is right,” Louis says. “If they are hiding something, then they would stow it away from everyone’s prying eyes.”

“You can’t just go into their offices, they are manned 24/7,” Niall says as a matter of fact.

Zayn thinks about it, “Maybe if we go there in the dead of night, as discreetly as possible. The guards are outside on shifts, so we could have the chance to sneak in when they change their shift.”

“There will be a window of 30 seconds to a minute for us to get in and out,” Liam informs them.

“Fine, we go home this weekend, come back on Sunday, and see if we learned anything from our parents. If not, then we break into their offices. I need a valid reason to do this kind of crime.” Niall says.

Harry shifts his weight uncomfortably from one leg to the other, “I have something else to do this weekend.” All eyes in the room turn to him. “But I will meet you here on Sunday.”

No one says a word but everyone has 50 questions running through their head. Where is Harry going? What does he need to do?

Chapter Text

Zayn brushes back that one strand of hair that always falls across his forehead and gently tries to put it back with the rest. But nope, his hair has a mind of its own and refuses to be tamed. It falls back on his forehead, provoking a deep sigh from him. He gives up and makes his way towards the main room, where Niall is busy playing with his stress ball.  

Niall has been pretty distracted since they came back to his room last night. He doesn't want to believe a single word that Harry said. They all seemed so real, so true, that it made Niall question everything. He hasn’t yet figured out who might be the second person helping Harry and Dan. What made him more suspicious of Harry is that he did not utter a single word about Dan or the involvement of anyone else. Surely Harry was getting help from someone. One person alone cannot do all of this. And how was he hiding in the basement of the library? Niall makes up his mind to go there and check up on it himself.

“Paul is taking our first class today, right?” Zayn gathers his notebooks and his assignment.

“Yes,” Niall replies politely, trying to end the conversation. He needs to focus, he needs to pay attention to the details.

Zayn walks towards the window and closes it. Mornings are getting colder by the day, and Zayn smiles, thinking about all the hot wintery drinks he will soon be enjoying. If summers are for boozy, ice-cold drinks, then winters are for those warm, cozy drinks that fill his belly in just the right way. All the cinnamon and pumpkin spice lattes, some hot cocoa with cream, and all those lattes he loves so much.

Some chatter from the hallway disturbs the quaintness of the room. “How come Harry got the best room and you didn’t?” Zayn asks, rolling his eyes.

Niall looks at him, “That was his mother’s room when she was the warden. Of course, he got it.”

Zayn shrugs, “But you are …” He shakes his head and drops the conversation. “Anyways, let’s go.”

Niall gets up and puts his ball on the table. Gathering up his stuff, they both walk out together for breakfast. As they climb down the stairs, Niall’s eyes advance towards Harry’s room. A thought strikes him, that if Ebenezer used to spend most of her day here, surely Harry, who was still a baby back then, must have spent a lot of time here as well. It clicks for him that Paul used to be Ebenezer’s assistant back then. He was probably close to Baby Harry and could be another person who is helping him.

Louis and Liam walk towards their table with plates heaped with food. “... I would like to go there. They seemed nice.” Louis says, discussing something with Liam.

“Where?” Zayn asks, chewing his cereal.

“The art gallery that is opening next weekend,” Louis says and then smiles. “And you look like a work of art yourself.” He points at Zayn’s single strand of hair.

Zayn groans, “My hair is not behaving itself today. My trip to the salon is quite overdue.”

Niall keeps munching his breakfast silently while the others carry on with their conversation. He scans the room, trying to find Harry. His gaze falls on the far end of the room, where the table for fruit is laid out. He spots Paul and Harry, and it seems like they’d just finished an awkward conversation. It confuses Niall. Paul is their mentor and he has never let anyone be uncomfortable around him. He is a warm person, very helpful. But why did they both look awkward, barely even looking at each other? It’s like they did not want to draw attention to themselves.

His doubts become solid. There is no reason for Paul to be uncomfortable around anyone. Hell, he isn’t even uncomfortable around Niall. There can only be one reason: they could have been talking about something they wouldn’t like to talk about in public. He now knows who else he needs to keep an eye on.

Paul tries to hide his amusement, “Since when do you care so much about Louis? I thought looking after him was kind of a chore for you.” He picks a bowl of chopped kiwis and adds some pumpkin spiced caramel sauce over them.

Harry fiddles around with the bowls of freshly cut fruit. He can’t figure out which one to eat this morning. Also, he is trying to stall for time so that he can talk to Paul about Louis without incurring any suspicion.

“It is a chore for me, but he really needs a doctor or some kind of therapist. His nightmares are increasing.” Harry avoids looking in Paul’s direction.

From the corner of his eye, he can see Paul biting his lips, trying to hide his smile. Harry is glad they are in public. Otherwise, Paul would have dragged Harry so hard for this.

“Fine, I will,” Paul says picking up his fork and walking away.

Liam and Louis casually stroll in the garden after their classes while Zayn paints on a canvas. The setting sun has painted the sky in pretty hues of red, orange, and purple. Liam rubs his hands together nervously. He knows that what he is going to talk to Louis about won’t be welcomed warmly. Lately, he has been observing Louis having an immense soft side for Harry, which is both concerning and alarming.

“Lou,” Louis turns his head towards Liam while briskly walking beside him. “I think we need to talk about Harry.”

Louis nods and waits for Liam to continue.

Liam hesitates and then says, “I don’t trust him.”

“I know,” Louis says.

“He is hiding something, Lou. He hasn’t shown us all his cards and I- I don’t know why, but I have a difficult time trusting him.” Liam says. “He is asking us to break into the offices of people who hold high positions in the court. I hope you know that it’s a crime and it’s punishable.”

Louis nods, “I do believe what he said is true.”

“Half truth is always worse than a lie. He won’t even tell us where he is going this Saturday. He is hiding something. I don’t feel good about it.” Liam confesses.

Louis stops and so does Liam. Louis puts his hand on Liam’s shoulder, “I understand why trusting him is difficult for you. And if you don’t want to be a part of this, I will understand. But I will not back out.”

“What if it’s a trap and he wants us all to fall into it? Do you know how severe punishments can be? ” Liam says. “He did not turn into an angel who wants good things for everyone. Lou, he is not the person we want to have around.”

Louis feels a slight agitation, “I think I know who I would want to be around. Also, for you, I will keep an eye on him, and if I see any foul play or feel like it’s a trap, I’ll let you know.”

Liam takes a deep breath and nods. He is not entirely convinced, but Louis is being stubborn, and he has no other option but to let him do what he wants. He knows he will eventually have to talk to Niall about it, and he will.

Niall looks around the floor -3 of the library. Harry was right. Nobody ever comes here. Hell, even the lights don’t work. The air in the basement is unusually stuffy and smells of moss. It’s a bit cold here. Even with the two torches that both he and Roy are carrying, it still seems like there is not enough light to see things clearly. Niall shakes his head. Harry couldn’t have lived here for five months. Nobody can survive here. He is sure he doesn’t have claustrophobia, but it seems like it’s creeping up on him.

He takes a deep breath, yet it doesn’t feel like his lungs have enough air in them. The entire room seems short of air in general. “Ugh, this place is impossible,” Niall says as they keep walking inside.

Roy flashes his torch around the room while Niall keeps his fixed at the front. With every step they take, dust particles float in front of them. It’s like they are disturbing the creepy lull of the room.

Something gets trapped under Niall’s shoes and a gasp leaves him, wondering if it is a rat or some reptile. He immediately removes his foot and shines his torch on it. Both Roy and Niall’s brows wrinkle in confusion when they see a red rose. Niall bends down to look at it closely. The rose looks old but not ages old, a few weeks old. It’s not completely dried yet. Considering how clammy this room is, Niall doubts that anything would dry out completely, rather than turning foul.

“What is this doing here?” Roy picks it up and examines it. “Doesn’t Harry Styles love red roses?”

Niall nods. He knows Harry always has one red rose attached to his lapels, and freshly cut ones are delivered to his room every morning.

Roy looks around in the room, and in the far corner they can see a chair. They walk towards it. It’s dusty but not as dusty as the other stuff in the room. There are some files on the table next to it and an empty bottle of water.

Niall tries to blow off the dust from the files before picking them up. Opening the first one, he can see a few old papers with words barely readable. He hands them to Roy, asking him to get them restored for him to read.

“How did he even get in here without being seen?” Roy wonders. He did check the database to check if Harry had entered here in past several months but there is no record of it. He hasn’t been here in six months.

“When was this library built, Roy?” Niall enquires.

“Mid-1800s. It was the time when researchers and philosophers wanted a place to do all their thinking in silence. The library was built, but gradually, over the years, it was expanded. It was just one floor when it started.” Roy informs him.

Niall smiles, thinking, “There has to be a secret door or a passage somewhere. Some changes in the palace architecture were done around the same time, and there are secret passages that connect the few main buildings. It was done for the protection of the royal family. Like the west side, aka the Academy, and the north side, where the Royal offices are located.”

He takes a deep breath, “Remember when it came to our attention that Harry was spending a lot of time in the banned books section? Well, that section is on floor -2 and I have a feeling he wasn’t looking for any book, he was looking for a passage.” He smiles to himself. He looks down at the table and the empty bottle of water. “And it does seem like he was able to find one.”

He internally curses that Harry always has to be two steps ahead of him.

“How did he even live here?” Roy is surprised by Harry.

Niall shakes his head, “He wasn’t living here. He was living somewhere else, but he did come here to look for something. Harry told us last night that he was chasing a ghost, his mother’s bodyguard who is missing without any records of him. Maybe Harry was looking for his records. He needed to get in and out without being caught.”

For a minute, Niall does not want to believe any of it. No, none of it.

*

Zayn takes a deep breath, his palms closed into fists due to nervousness. He’d left the Academy early so he could catch his father for breakfast. At Thanksgiving dinner tonight he knows his father won’t even have a minute to spare. He must talk to him now.

He watches his mother and father sitting in the garden enjoying their morning tea. His mother sees him approaching them and she breaks into a beautiful smile.

“Zayn! What a surprise.” She gets up from her chair and walks towards him, opening her arm.

Zayn smiles looking at her. She is the most beautiful lady Zayn has ever met. He got her eyes and her nature. Apart from that, he is pretty much like his father.

“Weren’t you expecting me home for Thanksgiving?” Zayn asks jokingly.

She laughs, “I was expecting you after breakfast, really did not think you would be up this early.” Her smile turns into concern. “Why do you look skinnier than before?”

“Mom!” Zayn says, “You say this every time I come home. I am fine.”

After five minutes of harmless bickering about how Zayn is not eating properly and how he shouldn’t be losing any weight -- with Zayn assuring her that he is just fine and she should stop fussing over it -- she leaves both of them to make Zayn’s favorite breakfast.

His father smiles when Zayn approaches him. “Dad! Can I sit?”

His father nods, “How are you son? Your mother is not wrong this time, you surely have lost some weight and there are dark circles under your eyes. Working hard in the Academy?”

Zayn gulps nervously and fakes a smile. He doesn’t know how to tell his father what he is losing his sleep and appetite over. He knows the reaction will not be good when he tells them, but that’s a problem for another day. Right now he has something important to ask.

Their butler serves him some tea and biscuits and leaves.

Zayn takes a deep breath, “I wanted to ask you something.”

Javaad nods encouragingly, interested for the upcoming conversation. Zayn forgets how to breathe. He has never been this scared or nervous around his parents, but this time is different. He is going to breach a red flag territory.

“How… I mean- I was wondering…” Zayn stutters.

“Go on,” His father says calmly.

“How did Ebenezer Styles die?” The words rush out of his mouth even before he has time to properly construct a sentence in his mind.

The smile from his father’s face disappears and is replaced by a stoic expression. Zayn knows that in their house, names like “Styles” are not welcomed. He never knew the reason, but he always believed that it was because they were historically enemies.

His father tilts his face a little, “What makes you ask such a question?”

Zayn fumbles with his words, “I- I- Well... during the remembrance ceremony, it just occurred to me, I mean-”

His father raises an eyebrow, “Remembrance ceremony, ha? You left half-way through, and the girl that your mom wanted you to meet told her family that you did not talk to her properly. Don’t reduce my name and this family’s status like that. How could you not even be courteous to her? I did not raise you like this.” His father stands up, throws him a sharp look before storming off inside the house.

It hits him like a blow. Zayn lets out a breath that he has been holding for a long, long time. He can't stop thinking about all the things his father had said, and how smoothly his father changed the topic and never answered anything about Ebenezer. Instead, he got angry at Zayn over some girl.

Leaning back on the chair, he rests his elbow on the arm of the chair. Biting his fingers, he tries to think about the reasons why his father evaded the question.

“Shit!”

*

Harry throws the heavy bag on the ground as soon as he reaches their meeting place. The light from the moon shines so brightly tonight that Harry worries that someone will catch them. He took even more precautions coming to see Paul and Dan than he ever has before.

Paul frowns when he looks at the bag, “What is inside it?”

“See it yourself,” Harry says.

Dan gets down on his knees and opens the bag. His eyes cannot believe it when he sees that it is filled with money.

“Where did Angus get all this from?” Dan asks, surprised.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Because we have the money now. And he will come back to get it.” Harry says. “It seems fishy that he buried the bag in the backyard of his cabin. I mean, why would he?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Paul says. “His house was spot clean, we couldn’t find anything. He surely cannot take all that money out of the country.”

“He’ll come back soon,” Dan says. “Although, I am very curious who would have had such money laying around, that they gave him a bag full of it.”

“There’s my father, who has access to this kind of liquid money.” Harry says, “But there’s also Lord James, who has the same access.”

“You think Lord James is involved?” Paul asks.

“Do you think he is not!” Dan is surprised by his question. “If he wants to, he can embezzle it and no one would ever check the accounts.”

Harry scratches his temple, “How much money do you think the Maliks and Paynes have?”

“A lot! Their families have been serving the royal family for generations.” Paul says. “Have you seen the kind of lavish life their sons live? I mean, Zayn walks around like he is a Prince. From clothes to lifestyle, it all screams money.”

“True! Gerard Payne’s daughter studied at Harvard, and there was a rumor that he paid her tuition in cash. That’s a lot of cash.” Dan says.

“It makes sense that you look into the Paynes and Maliks too. Who knows what their agenda is,” Paul says. “Never trust anyone when it comes to money.”

Harry nods and turns to look at the river. He has no idea where any of this is leading to. He hopes he will find a clue or a lead after they have searched the offices. If not, then he will really have nothing to look at. They have searched and looked into everything possible for any clue, but so far they still have nothing but dead ends. Harry doesn’t want to accept how all this has been disheartening him. Sometimes he wonders if he will ever be able to find out what really happened to his mother, and the thought shocks him. He needs to find the truth, he needs to know who is the reason she is not with him anymore. And he needs to keep going till he knows the truth.

Chapter Text

Niall throws his stress ball against the wall of his room in the Academy, anxiously. He can't get over the conversation he'd had with his father last night over dinner. Not only has he more questions regarding the death of Ebenezer, but now he also has doubts regarding his aunt. Questions he never had before.

"Father, I was thinking about Ebenezer's remembrance ceremony and it got me thinking about her." Niall had asked his father nervously while waiting for his mother at the dinner table.

Lord James suddenly looked at him with concern, "What about her?"

"Do you really believe she died of some ailment?"

"I wouldn't know, son. I had some doubts about it though. The whole time she was the warden of the Academy she never told me that she was suffering from any terminal disease or any ailment. Her death was a shock to all of us." Lord James answered him politely.

Niall looked at his father, confused, "You never carried out an investigation?"

Lord James shakes his head, "It was a difficult time, Niall. With your mother being unwell and carrying the burden of the entire kingdom, I had a lot on my plate already. I did not find it necessary to look into something that would ask for more from me." Lord James leaned forwards towards Niall and whispers, "Who even knows, Arthur could have killed his wife. There has never been any legitimate proof."

A jolt of shock passed through him. "What do you mean? Arthur Styles could have himself killed his wife? Why would he do that?"

"She was a nice lady, very unlike her husband. Caring, giving, gentle! She put the needs of the kingdom before hers and her family. Of course, that did not settle nicely with Arthur. There were rumors about the problems in their marriage."

"Could he do something like that?" Niall had a hard time believing what he had just heard.

"Wouldn't put it past him. He never really talks about anything personal. Also, do you even see how his son turned out?" Lord James shook his head. "Pure evil! Says he was traveling all this while and thinks we all will believe it. Who knows what he was up to."

Lord James covered the back of Niall's hand with his, "I worry so much about Louis, and he won't even stay in the palace where I can protect him. He shares a room with Harry, and I am always on edge. It's like something unfortunate will happen to him if I even look away."

"Don't worry, Father, I look after him well," Niall assured him. "Besides, Louis is clever. He knows what to do and what not to do."

"I don't trust the entire Styles clan." Lord James let out a sigh, "It's the last year. I hope to God, Louis comes out alive and takes his mother's place in the court."

Niall nodded, "What happened with Aunt Johannah was terrible. I can't imagine what you must have gone through."

"Oh Son, you have no idea how difficult the time was." The corners of his eyes welled up. "Even some of the courtiers changed sides as soon as your grandfather passed away. It was like a huge painful stab." Lord James said, staring at infinity. After a while, a faint smile appeared on his lips, "I cannot wait for you to graduate and finally take over as the Prince, so I can finally have some rest. Carrying out this huge responsibility for more than 20 years, responsibilities that I didn't even ask for, is draining."

Niall smiled, "But Father, did you believe the reports about the fire accident?"

Lord James nodded, "Oh yes. A thorough investigation was carried out, and nobody ever found any foul play. I guess it was what Fate had planned for them."

Footsteps approached the dining room and the smile on Lord James's face widened. "Look, your mother is here." He stood up to hold out the chair for his wife.

Niall looked at both of them. They looked happy and at peace. It wasn't only his mother who had gone through a lot in the last two decades, it was his father too. He admired how Lord James never complained or even showed any resentment about his mother’s state.

Back in his room, Niall squeezes his stress ball in his palm. Considering everything he’d managed to learn about Ebenezer's death, Niall is slightly on edge. He is still not sure if Arthur Styles did it on purpose, but if he did, then Niall has something to look deeper into. He is also still not convinced about his aunt’s unfortunate accident. Maybe there was someone who was after his aunt's life. But why? His mother's words reverberate inside his head. She was not supposed to be there.

Niall sighs. They are supposed to meet in Harry and Louis' room in an hour, to plan their way into the Palace so that they can look into their fathers’ offices. Suddenly, a thought strikes him. If Arthur Styles did have a hand in his wife's passing, then Niall must find the truth. He must find the dirt, he must find a clue. This will result in the Styles' supporters seeing the real face of the person they support so strongly and they will instead pledge their loyalty to Niall. This is one of the ways to get rid of the family. He will have a strong reason to throw the entire clan out of the Kingdom and ban them from entering again.

Niall rubs Zayn's shoulder encouragingly as they walk out of Niall’s room. Earlier, all five of them met and decided on who was going to look at whose office. They have also decided to meet at the horse stable. Niall was taken aback a bit with Harry’s planning regarding everything. It was like Harry could see everything clearly inside his head and he was projecting it exactly to them. Niall’s suspicion has not gone down, it has only increased.

Zayn and Niall walk towards a dark alley, near the stable, where Harry, Louis, and Liam are already waiting for them. Dressed in all black, they are all ready to break a few laws and do some things that are potentially illegal.

"Alright, let's go through it once again: how are we going to get inside and come out?" Louis says.

Liam nods and speaks, "Harry will lead us to the Palace. When we reach the inside of the Palace, we all split up. Zayn and I, search for stuff in our parents' offices. Niall will go and look at his father’s, while Harry and Louis go through Harry's father’s." Liam rubs his hands nervously.

"I would like to change something here," Niall says, looking straight at Harry. "I will go and search Arthur's office."

"And who do you think you are, to make changes to the plan at such short notice?" Harry objects.

"The Prince of the kingdom," Niall says smugly. "Zayn and Liam will go to Lord James' office and you both to their fathers'."

"The fuck!" Zayn exclaims, his eyes widening. "I am not going to Lord James' office, that's illegal. What if we get caught?"

"You didn't think of that when you proposed that you should be the one to investigate your father's office?" Harry asks sarcastically.

"If I get caught, I will have a way out, by saying I was looking for something in my father's office, and hopefully get less punished," Zayn says.

"I said what I said," Niall says firmly.

"It's dangerous to change plans at this point, Niall." Louis objects, but in vain.

Niall does not react or even respond to him. He keeps staring at Harry, waiting for his reply. "What if it is a trap, Harry? I am not letting you have it your way."

Harry's nose flared and his palms closed into fists, but he spoke calmly, "If that's you want." He leaned forward and looked straight into Niall's eyes angrily. "My Prince!" Harry grit his teeth. He walked towards the secret passage that joins the Academy and the Palace.

Since the attack, the security in the Academy has been amped up. The secret passage to the Palace is in one of the horse pens. Not many people are aware of the secret passage, and to keep it that way, security keeps a vigil eye from not too far away. But since it is a holiday, the security around it tonight is very sparse. It doesn't take much effort to slip inside the horse pen.

Niall takes a sharp breath when Harry leads them towards the passage door. The fact that Harry knows more about it than anyone else is not something that Niall can let go.

The darkness of the passage blinds them, and the stuffy air, plus the pungent smell of horse dung, makes it difficult for them to breathe. They take out their small torches and start taking steps forward.

"There are steps ahead, watch it," Harry warns them as they keep moving.

Niall stays quiet throughout their walk and just follows Harry, watching him navigate this staircase easily like he's climbed it a million times before.

The offices of Jawaad Malik and Gerard Payne are next to each other, joined from the inside by a door, while the office of Arthur Styles is one floor above them. Lord James' office is at the top of the building and reaching it is another challenge. Sweat breaks out from behind Liam's ear as he thinks about what lays ahead of them. Niall has already promised him beforehand that if anything goes wrong, he will save both Liam and Zayn. But there's still too much to lose for Liam, including his father's trust. They need to be alert and sneak in like shadows.

The office doors are guarded 24*7 but every two hours, all the security guards exchange their positions. There is a window of a minute for them to enter, and another where they can leave.

As they reach the end of the secret passage, Harry leans his ear against the door, trying to hear any sound of any human presence. Harry lays down on the floor to look for any shadow or movement of feet through the gap between the door and floor. Harry nods to Niall, who is already holding the knob, that the road is clear.

Niall slowly turns the knob of the door. Carefully and slowly, Niall opens the door, trying not to make any noise. He peeps outside. There's not a soul. Quietly, he opens the door and they step out into what seems like the front gallery of a secluded passage. There's not a single ray of light coming from any lamps.

"What is this place?" Liam wonders.

"The prison area starts from here," Harry says. He points at a corner in the dark, "The corridors keep narrowing down from there and then the prison cells start. They abandoned this one in the mid-1900s after they built a new one. Below is the torture chamber."

Louis' eyes widen. He has never seen this, not even when he was being given the tour of the palace and offices when he first came to Scotland. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around everything that had happened since he met Dan.

"How do you even know this?" Niall takes a sharp breath.

Harry turns and throws his torchlight on Niall's face. Niall does not flinch or even blink.

"Why don't you even know this?" Harry asks with a smirk on his face. "Oh yes, you did not grow up here." Harry leans forward, "I know all about the history of this kingdom and the war, the uprisings, the backstabbings. Feel free to ask me."

In a heartbeat, Niall reaches for Harry and grabs him by his collar. Harry does not hold back and is ready to throw a punch at Niall. Louis interrupts.

"Stop, both of you, please." The panic in his voice is palpable.

"Don't test me Styles," Niall warns.

Harry fixes his shirt. "You are so short-tempered. Impulsiveness runs in your blood, doesn't it."

Niall closes his fist and takes a step towards Harry, but is again stopped by Louis.

"For fuck's sake, get it together, both of you."

Niall exhales and takes a deep breath, trying to calm the anger rising inside him. He knows he will have to push everything aside and cooperate with everyone.

They all shuffle out of the passage and find a landing. They hide behind some pillars, trying to camouflage themselves in the darkness. There are two sets of stairs at either side of the entrance hall that leads upstairs. Harry and Louis take the left one, while the other three take the right one. Taking two stairs at a time, Niall, Liam, and  Zayn reach the second floor.

"Act casual now. No one can guess why we are here. If you get caught, say you are here to see me." Niall casually walks towards Arthur's office, and Liam and Zayn to Lord James' office.

Harry peeks around the wall. He can hear footsteps approaching. Maybe they have exhausted the window. Grabbing Louis' hand, he jerks him forward and they take a few long strides towards Jawaad Malik's office. A gasp leaves Louis as he sees the security guard already in front of his office. He is talking to another guard. Harry covers Louis’ mouth and drags him back around the corner. He knows two security guards are positioned near here too. He contemplates how quickly they can get inside through the window. But to get through the window, they will have to creep along the ledge on the outside wall of the palace, and then climb back inside through the office window.

Louis looks at it too and nods at Harry. He has trained for years, and this is no threat to him. With one flexible motion, he is on the edge and, taking careful steps, he moves forward with Harry following his lead. Louis looks down at the security guards below them. He tries to be careful not to slip or make any noise. He can't afford that. When he reaches the other side of the window, he looks at Harry. They both try to pull open the window carefully. Once the window is open enough for Louis, he leaps inside and helps Harry.

Harry closes the window quietly and turns on his torch. Everywhere he looks are huge shelves with bound books. He walks closer to Malik's desk, while Louis looks at the files in the cabinet. Harry shuffles through the files and papers on the desk, while Louis looks at the files with their years labeled on them.

" What's the possibility of Malik keeping anything suspicious nicely in a cabinet with neatly labeled files?” Louis asks.

"As much as I'd like to believe it, no one is an idiot here," Harry says, flipping through the files on the desk.

Louis walks towards the table and opens a drawer to look for anything that makes him curious or suspicious. Harry opens the desk cabinet and takes out a box that has some files in it. Louis and Harry quickly rummage through the contents of it. Something shiny grabs Louis' attention. On closer look, it is a key. Louis takes it out and holds it in front of Harry.

They both immediately look for the cabinet or the box that will fit the key. They keep looking for it on the desk. Harry moves towards the stand-alone cabinet behind the desk, attached to the wall. Harry goes through all the drawers and finds a wooden box stuffed at the back, hidden beneath some files in the bottom drawer. Harry pulls out the box and calls for Louis, who leaps to his side without wasting a second.

Harry puts in the key and turns it over. There are a few old receipts and a huge diamond, a bag of gold coins, and some cash. Nothing that is interesting. Louis picks up the diamond. It feels heavy in his palm.

A giggle leaves him, "What does he do with it?"

"Use it as a paperweight," Harry says, rolling his eyes. "My father uses one like this."

"Your father uses a huge diamond as a paperweight!" Louis looks at him, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, what else can he use it for?" Harry says casually, still rummaging through the box.

Louis' mouth drops open, "Rich people…"

Harry bites his lip, trying to stifle a laugh. "Why does he have such useless stuff in a box? Weird man."

After an hour, they haven't been able to find anything that is even remotely suspicious. They both wonder where else they can look. They have searched almost every cabinet and file that is marked with the early 1990s. Harry carefully drags over a ladder and leans it against the topmost cabinet. He wonders if there's anything he can find there.

"Be careful," Louis says, shining his torchlight on the cabinet.

Harry nods, holding his own torch in between his teeth. He goes through the titles of every book and file there. Nothing that instills any further curiosity in him. Some sound outside the door makes him jerk his head towards it. He checks his watch. There's still time for the guards to swap positions. Suddenly, his foot slips from the ladder.

Louis' mouth opens wide as he sees Harry lose his balance, but he does not have time to jump out of the way before Harry falls on him.

Harry quickly covers Louis' mouth with his hand and listens for any further sound from outside.

Louis removes his hand, "Why do you always cover my mouth? I am not going to scream."

Harry looks at him and moves his leg a bit, only to realize he is very much on top of Louis. His breath is touching Harry's skin, sending tingles down his spine. Harry’s eyes wander towards Louis' pink lips and then to his blue eyes. No matter how much he tries, he just can't look away from those baby blue, jewel-like eyes.

A further sound from outside the door alerts them both. They spring to their feet and look around for a place to hide. The sound outside the room gets louder. It sounds like people laughing amongst themselves. Harry wonders if that is the security making noise. They both walk towards the couch near the door and hide behind it till the sounds fade away.

Afterward, they both walk towards the door that joins the office. Harry struggles with a doorknob as it is locked from the other side. Louis shakes his head, goes back to Javaad Malik’s desk and looks for a needle. He wasn’t able to find any pins so he settles for paper clips and walks back where Harry is still struggling.

Louis bends down, inserts the paperclip and turns the knob over. The door opens without a sound.

Harry looks at him surprised, “How do you even know how to pick a lock?”

Louis shrugs, “It’s not hard.”

They both enter Gerard Payne’s office and search every nook and corner. But they couldn’t find anything in his office as well.

Niall holds a diary with Ebenezer's name on it. As he flips through it, he comes across a picture of Baby Harry and a picture of Johannah and Ebenezer. Coming across the diary in a bottom cabinet, he was hoping to find something useful in it, but nothing. He pulls out another book from the cabinet that has no title. He flips through the blank pages and suddenly something falls on his feet. He picks it up and reads it. The corners of his mouth twitch with a smile.

Liam lets out an exasperated sigh, too annoyed to even form a proper sentence. Keeping his calm around Zayn is getting more difficult by the second. All he wants to do is punch something so hard and get out all the rage bubbling inside him. He is mad at himself for agreeing to be a part of this in the first place.

"Nothing! We found nothing," Liam says, grinding his jaw.

"Well, that's a good thing. I guess." Zayn says, unsure of what he feels about it.

Liam takes a sharp breath, "You know what we have done, right? Broke the law! We are standing in Lord James’ office, in the middle of the night. We went through his things to find what?? Something that Harry fucking Styles made us believe in."

Zayn looks at him, puzzled, "Nobody forced you."

Liam looks at Zayn, completely baffled, "I have no idea if you even understand the complexity of the crime we just committed."

"Take responsibility for your own actions, Li! You are not a kid. You did what you did of your own free will. And if you think someone dragged you into this, then it's on you that you got swayed so easily." Zayn replies, too done with all the things Liam has been implying.

Liam just looks at Zayn furiously, neither of them saying anything more.

Once they get back to the Academy, the other four wait for Niall to come to Louis and Harry's room. Harry is leaning by the window, gazing outside. Louis and Zayn are discussing if there was anything in the offices that they might have missed, while Liam feels like his patience is being tested.

The door of the room flies open, and Niall enters with a smug expression on his face and a piece of paper in his hand. He goes straight to Harry and stands in front of him, looking directly into his eyes.

"So, did you find what you were looking for?" Niall says in a mocking tone.

Harry doesn't say anything, he isn't even surprised at the way Niall talks to him.

"Because I did." Niall throws the piece of paper he has been holding into Harry's face.

Harry's brows furrow in confusion. He picks up the paper from the floor and reads it. His eyes widen. He goes through it again and again.

Looking at the expression on Harry's face, Louis is quickly at his side and takes the paper from his hand. His mouth drops open. The paper is the official document of the electrical wiring that was changed a week before the fire broke out. Louis takes a shaky breath.

"It's proof that the fire was deliberate," Harry says to Niall.

"Yes, and considering that I found it in your father's office, I think it was your father who started it," Niall says. "This document was missing from the actual report that came from the investigation. Try explaining to me why your father hid something so important. Unless he was involved in causing the accident, I don't think he would have had any reason to hide it."

Harry is at a loss for words. He simply looks at Niall, trying to find an acceptable answer to his questions.

"Niall, we need to find the truth," Louis says, his eyes welling up.

"I will, Lou. I promise." Niall looks at Harry and continues, "I will start an investigation soon, and I swear to God Styles, the day I find the truth, you and your father will be tasting true hell."

"Get out!" Harry grits his teeth, his eyes red with anger.

"You and I are done here, Styles." Niall starts walking towards the door.

"No. You and I are not done here." Harry takes slow menacing steps towards Niall. "You want to blame my father with just a piece of paper as proof? Fine, go ahead. But try explaining to me again why Lord James never called for an expedited investigation when the Princess and her husband were killed in the fire and simply settled for a normal investigation? Why he did not drill into the cause of the fire? Cause if there was a piece of evidence that fire was deliberate, how did it escape the investigation? " The corners of Harry's mouth quirk in a smile. "I feel sorry to break it to you, but I find something not right here."

"He had many other things on his plate that needed his attention." Niall defends.

Harry chuckles, "You believe that?"

Niall grabs Harry by his collar, but Harry jerks away immediately. "You can't mess around with words anymore, Styles. Save them for the day you and your father are standing in front of the jury."

Harry watches Niall and Liam storm out of the room. When he looks around, he finds Louis sitting on the edge of the bed with his knees pulled to his chest, lost in space. Zayn has his arms around Louis, trying to comfort him.

"You both have something to say as well?" Harry snaps.

Neither of them says anything, and the rest of the night passes in silence.

Chapter Text

Two days. It has been raining for two days, and it is definitely not making Zayn delighted or giddy. It is making him feel even grumpier and at a loss for energy. The rain brings with it cold winds that further discourage Zayn from doing anything that can even be remotely termed 'basic human routine'. He barely has any energy to get out of bed. He never realized how the absence of sunlight could make him feel shittier by the day. In all honesty, he misses the warmth that would soothe his soul. He could do with a hug, or a cuddle, or even a hot mug of one of the hazelnut flavored lattes that he loves so much. But he is too reluctant to ask for human comfort, thinking it will seem weird to others, even his friends. And with the lack of energy, he can't even go to his favorite café to get his latte fix.

Mustering all the energy, he walks towards their classroom. He knows he is late, but even that doesn't make him walk any faster. He just wants to hide under the covers and forget about the world.

"Ah, Mr. Malik! Good of you to show up." Mr. Hamley says, and Zayn immediately understands that his teacher is not happy with him missing the last two classes.

Zayn’s eyes fix on the ground, refusing to meet Mr. Hamley's, or anyone else's for that matter.

"Take a seat." Mr. Hamley says sternly.

Zayn raises his head slowly, looking for a place to sit. His usual place next to Liam is occupied by Niall and the place next to Louis by one of their classmates. He catches Louis' sorry expression for not saving him a seat. Zayn understands that his friends did not expect that he would be attending the class today, and he does not blame anyone. Hell, five minutes back he wasn't sure if he would attend it either. He has no idea how his feet brought him here. He looks around and finds a seat vacant next to Harry. His shoulders sag looking at it.

"Why are you still at the door?" Mr. Hamley asks. "Take the seat next to Mr. Styles."

Zayn catches Liam's piercing gaze as he walks towards the empty seat. His brow furrows in confusion. He supposes if Liam hated the idea of him sitting next to Harry so much, then he should have saved him a seat. Regardless of what is going on between them, Zayn is still his boyfriend. They both haven't broken up. Yet!

It has been two weeks since they broke into the offices, two weeks since his relationship with Liam soured even more. Neither of them has made any effort to talk to each other. Zayn is not sure if anyone has even discussed that evening with anyone.

Harry is too busy writing his notes, and he barely addresses or even acknowledges Zayn's presence. There isn't anything that can hold Zayn's attention. Throughout the lecture, he keeps zoning out or gazing out of the window. He has barely written anything in his notebook. He stares at the board but his mind is elsewhere.

Out of curiosity, he peeps at Harry's notebook and at his perfectly neat cursive handwriting. Though Zayn prefers to use blue ink while writing, he cannot deny the fact that he is pleased by the use of black and red ink in the notebook. Black has never looked like a pleasing color to him for writing, until now.

"Anything more knowledgeable in Mr. Styles' notebook, Mr. Malik?" Mr. Hamley asks, snapping Zayn back to reality.

He nervously shakes his head, not confident enough to form a sentence.

"Meet me after classes." Mr. Hamley says.

Zayn's stomach sinks further. No matter how much he curses himself internally, nothing will help him. Next to him, Harry sighs loudly.

"You too Mr. Styles." Mr. Hamley says before turning back to the board.

Zayn is already inside Mr. Hamley's office when Harry arrives. Not knowing what to do, he decides to wait outside till Zayn is finished. He feels a bit disappointed not to be able to see Zayn getting a dressing-down by their teacher. It would have been so fun to witness it firsthand. It would also have been the highlight of this monotonous day.

"You can come in, Harry." Mr. Hamley orders.

Harry quickly walks inside and stands next to Zayn quietly. He sees his and Zayn's assignments on the table. He wonders if their teacher is so impressed with his assignment that he wants Zayn to learn from him. His chest inflates further with pride. Of course, this is why he is here. He is one of the best students the Academy has ever seen. He is the shining star. He contemplates what his answer will be if Mr. Hamley asks him to tutor Zayn or take him under his wing. He will politely decline the offer, stating that he has a lot to do and will surely not be able to give Zayn enough attention.

Mr. Hamley leans back in his chair and glances at both of them. He picks up their assignments and throws them forcefully on the table in front of them. "You know what this is, right?"

Harry is a bit confused about why their teacher is angry at him. If it is because of Zayn, he makes up his mind to give him an extremely hard time for it.

"Our assignments," Harry says.

"No! It is a piece of garbage." Mr. Hamley says.

"What!" The color drains from Harry's face and the words take him aback like a bolt. He is too shook to say anything.

"What is going on with you both, huh?" Mr. Hamley starts rebuking them. "This! This is what you call assignments? The guard dogs of the Academy can do a better job than this. Is this how you both hope to pass this year? Do you both even want to graduate or not? Because looking at them, I was wondering if there were some negative grades that I could give you both. It's not even a test, and yet you both are underperforming."

Harry just hopes, really hopes, that the earth would just swallow him up right at this moment. He can't bear to stand there for another moment and get scolded next to Zayn. For heaven's sake, Zayn! This has to be the worst way to get punished. It is embarrassing. From the corner of his eye, he sees Zayn standing with his head held down.

"Harry!" Mr. Hamley shouts.

Harry jumps in his place, "Yes, sir!"

"Are you still hungover from your summer adventures? First, you join class two months late, and then you don't even try to catch up on what you missed."

Harry can feel his face burning with shame. This is the first time he’s had to stand in front of his teacher, getting a scolding like this, in the presence of another student. He wonders if Zayn feels humiliated as well. He remembers not everyone has been homeschooled like him, and the others are probably used to the embarrassment that teachers can give.

"You have been a good student till last year, but this year I don't see that you even have any interest in your studies." Mr. Hamley looks at Harry disappointedly.

He turns his head to Zayn, "And you! Do you even know how bad your assignments are turning out to be this year? And it’s not just me, even other teachers are concerned about your underperformance."

Hands crossed behind his back, Zayn listens to all of this with his head held down. He had an idea of what was coming. He knows his grades have been falling to new lows every time.

"I know, you both have your futures planned, take your fathers’ positions in the court and all that. But hear me loud and clear: you both are not going to graduate this year with grades like this." Mr. Hamley says. "In fact, if this continues, you will both be the first students who have ever had to repeat a year at the Academy. I have no idea how you both are going to explain that to your families."

The earth beneath Harry shakes. Repeating a whole year, damn no! He can't even imagine the wrath that would be unleashed by his father. He himself would go mad with humiliation.

Mr. Hamley sighs loudly, "Christmas vacation is coming, and I want you both to work on the assignment together, and submit it once the Academy reopens."

Harry clears his throat, "Sir, I prefer to do the assignment by myself."

"And I prefer not to read trash like that." Mr. Hamley points at his assignment. "But are we getting what we want? You are in no place to even ask for things like that. I expect you to resubmit all three assignments I have given this year."

Harry's shoulders sag in defeat.

"And Zayn, you’d better redeem yourself. This casual involvement in your studies won't help you."

Mr. Hamley dismisses them, and they both walk out of his office with their heads held down.

"Umm… Listen, we could-" Zayn starts to speak, but Harry avoids him and speed-walks ahead.

"Where the hell are you going?" Zayn tries to catch up with his pace.

"To drown myself!" Harry says, annoyed with himself, and with the future where he will have to sit with Zayn and work on their assignments.

"That better be freezing water, Styles," Zayn shouts at Harry, too done with his bullshit.

*

Zayn feeds the horses, while his empty canvas sits outside of the stable. He keeps staring at it, hoping some inspiration will strike, but after an hour to no avail, he picks up the bucket filled with carrots and goes inside. He has missed his shooting practice again, even though Niall had insisted he should accompany him. Zayn knows he won't even be able to point and shoot at the target with his focus so lost. Lately, he has been coming here a lot, spending time with the horses. Sometimes he talks to them, recites poetry he knows, or simply hums to them. They seem like the most non-judgmental beings he knows, and he needs that at this point in his life.

Liam walks up to him, "Hi," He says softly, and grabs a carrot from the bucket.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Zayn replies. He is surprised to see Liam here. If he remembers Liam's routine correctly, he should be at swimming practice.

"I was looking for you," Liam says, looking at Zayn.

Zayn nods, waiting for Liam to explain further. He hopes Liam is here to help him with his confusion and talk to him. One thing he has been hating lately about himself is that he wants to talk to Liam, but he also does not want to talk to him, afraid they will have another altercation or deadlock.

"It's about Louis," Liam says.

Air rushes out of Zayn's lungs, and he nods. Of course, it has to be about anyone but them. When it comes to them, there's nothing to talk about, nothing left, nothing even worth discussing.

"His birthday is coming up, and I was thinking of throwing him a party. A surprise party?" Liam says. "It is the last time we will be able to celebrate. Next year, we all will be members of the court, and I don't think we'll have that much time for any celebrations."

Zayn nods, feigning enthusiasm, "Really great thought. We should do it."

Liam feels a flood of relief as Zayn agrees to be a part of this. He cannot figure out a way to get through to him. It keeps getting more difficult, and he figures talking about them would only lead to a dead end.

Zayn doesn't say another word and moves to the next pen.

"So… I'll see you around." Liam says.

"You see me around all the time, Li. Just let me know what I should help with and I'll be there." Zayn says. The corners of his eyes prickle with tears.

Liam licks his lips and then pulls at his hair. He tries to maintain his composure. He decides to change the topic and maybe slowly talk about them. "Wanna join me for swimming?"

Zayn looks up, "I am busy." He says faintly.

"Zayn, you know we need to work on this party together. And if you are going to be like this-" The words come out of his mouth abruptly.

Zayn cuts him off, "I know we need to work together, but I don't think I am in the right headspace to throw the amazing party. Therefore, I ask you to let me know what I need to do, and I'll do it."

"I'll need your help, too. I'll need your help in choosing the place, food, people…"

Zayn turns around, "If it helps, I can’t think of any place, so Louis and I will be OK with whatever you choose. For food? Order everything on the menu that you like, or whatever is a crowd favorite. And people? I don’t know. Invite everyone from our group?"

Liam is taken aback, "Yes, that was helpful."

Zayn turns around and gets back to what he was doing. Liam waits for any further words from Zayn, but when they don’t come, he leaves.

Zayn hears Liam’s departing footsteps. The tears he has been holding back find their relief and flow down his face without any restraint.

*

Chapter Text

Fire is blazing all around him. He feels trapped, smoke making it hard for him to breath. Everywhere he looks, there is fire engulfing all the things he loves. The silk curtains catch fire, turning to ash in seconds. The antique statue is bathed in fire.

"Louis! Hold on, son." He hears his name coming from somewhere, but he can't see clearly or make out where it is coming from.

"Mum!" Louis shouts, panic rising inside him.

"Lou!" He hears his name again, but this time it is not a woman's voice, but a familiar deep voice.

He looks around helplessly, fire approaching him. Looking for a place to escape is a futile effort. Sweat covers his body, and he isn't too sure if it is all because of the heat, or the nervousness and panic. His vision blurs as tears well up in his eyes.

Suddenly his eyes fall towards the door and he sees his mother entering. "No, Mum! Stay out, fire can hurt you."

"Nothing will hurt me, Son." She smiles her best smile as she stands at the threshold, fire blazing from every direction around her.

"Mum!" He shouts as she disappears behind the flames.

A soft sound from a piano starts playing around him. For a moment he is confused, and he only gets more confused when he turns around and sees Harry playing the music. He is baffled to see that the flames start to slowly die down. But the heat and its intensity remain. He still feels like he is breathing heavy smoke.

He starts walking towards Harry, who is lost in playing the music, a piece Louis has never heard before. Harry stops all of a sudden and so does Louis. Harry looks up and smirks at him, his eyes greener than they have ever been. It's like some venom has started flowing inside him instead of blood. Out of nowhere, Harry pulls out a golden gun and points it at Louis.

And without a warning, he pulls the trigger.

Louis sits up in bed, screaming, his eyes wide, skin drenched in sweat. He can feel his heartbeat palpitating and his lungs devoid of any air. A bead of sweat falls from his forehead. Slowly, he comes to his senses, but he can still hear the music from the piano around him. He looks up and finds Harry playing the piano. The room is dimly illuminated with just a small light from the lamp.

"You killed me!" Louis blurts, his heart still trying to slow down.

Harry stops playing the piano and looks up, "If you are still seeing me, then welcome to hell." He turns his head and looks at Louis.

Louis looks at him, confused. He cannot distinguish between reality and dream anymore. The dream felt too real.

Harry waits for Louis to say something, but when he doesn't, Harry gets up and turns on all the lights in the room, momentarily blinding Louis. "Go take a shower!" He says.

Louis turns to his bedside and downs an entire glass of water in one go. With his legs still a bit shaky from the dream, he drags himself to the shower.

Shivering intensely, Louis makes his way back to bed, Harry still playing soft music on the piano. Taking a shower helped clear his mind. His heart has returned back to its normal state and his erratic breathing has calmed down, but every time he closes his eyes, he can still see the images from his nightmare.

"Why are you shivering?" Harry asks, as he stops playing music and closes the lid of the piano.

"I took a cold shower," Louis says.

Harry is taken aback a bit, "You will fall sick."

"Oh, don't give me your concern." Louis feels slightly annoyed at Harry. He slips under the covers, still shivering.

Harry turns around and walks towards the fireplace of their room. As he loads up the wood, Louis stops him.

"Not the fire!" His voice is filled with panic.

"It will help keep you warm," Harry says.

"No, not the fire!" Louis says firmly.

Harry frowns but steps away from the fireplace. He turns up the heating of the room. Turning off the lights, only keeping the bed lamps of their room on, he makes his way towards Louis' bed.

Louis ducks deeper under the covers, his eyes throwing angry looks at Harry. He jerks his head away as Harry tries to check Louis' forehead to check his temperature.

"Louis, don't be mad at me for the dream that you saw," Harry says.

Louis looks at Harry's face, trying to gauge the situation. What if Harry is really trying to harm him? What if everything that Niall and Liam have been saying is true about him? His shivering intensifies.

Harry and Louis look at each other for a while before Harry breaks the silence, "May I?" He gestures towards the place next to Louis in bed. "Let me keep you warm."

"What if you kill me?" Words tumble out of Louis' lips before he can even think clearly about it.

Harry chuckles, "I would be hanged before the break of dawn if I killed you here. Do I want such troubles for myself! No, sir."

The image of Harry pulling the trigger is still very clear in his head. He contemplates whether he should let Harry in or not.  He takes his time to think about all the times he has been with Harry in this same room, and not a single time has Harry even remotely tried to harm Louis physically. Harry is right, he can't blame Harry or hold the dream that he saw against him. It is not fair.

He shakes his head and makes some more space for Harry to enter. "Dying is a trouble for you? Amusing. Shouldn’t dying be the most unfortunate thing to happen?"

"Not to me. But first, I have answers to find. You know about them." Harry gets in the bed.

The awkwardness of the first few moments does not go unnoticed by either of them. Harry touches Louis fingers and gasps, as they feel freezing. Taking a breath, he pulls Louis towards his chest in one swift motion.

"Next time, maybe go out and roll yourself on a block of ice," Harry complains.

"Whatever," Louis mumbles while shivering.

"I swear, if you die of hypothermia tonight I am going to resurrect you and kill you twice for all the trouble you will cause me," Harry says, getting out of the bed and grabbing his quilt. He lays it over Louis' covers and gets back inside.

The hesitation between them seems to have evaporated, and an unfamiliar sense of comfort and security has taken over them. Louis can't put his finger on when or how exactly that has happened, but he is not complaining. As Harry adjusts himself, Louis lays his head on Harry's shoulder.

"Come here," Harry holds Louis in his arms and adjusts the layers over them so Louis is snuggled properly.

Louis can smell that particular Harry-ish scent all around him, the one he is sure is made only for Harry. It is one-of-a-kind, very rare, very special. A mix of citrus and something woody. And he loves the smell so much. But it's not just Harry's scent that is arousing, it is Harry's entire presence, the heat of his body, the nearness of him.

"It was so real, Harry. So real!" Louis whispers and curves himself into a ball.

"It was just a dream, Louis. A figment of your imagination. It was not real." Harry tries to assure him.

"I saw my mum," Louis says.

"Do you see her often?"

"Kind of! And they never end well. It always ends with fire or flood, or something or everything collapsing."

"You see her in your nightmares? Never your father?" Harry asks.

Louis raises his head and looks at Harry, "I have never seen my father in my dreams. Not even once."

"Is it because you hear more about your mother from everyone than your father? I mean, even I don't know much about your father, even though I grew up here."

"My father was not a royal, he was a commoner. He was my mother's music teacher. They fell in love and got married. Dan tells me that if he loved anything more than my mum, it was his music." Louis says.

Harry pulls Louis back into his chest, "Non- royals are not very accepted in the world of royalty." Harry pauses and contemplates whether he should ask Louis what is on his mind, but then he continues, "Did you ever consider seeking help for your nightmares?"

Louis shakes his head.

"Can I suggest that you should? It's- it's really difficult to wake you up from your nightmares. And you scream a lot, it seems like you are physically hurting."

"What do you mean by waking me up from a nightmare?"

"I try to wake you up, but you never do. So I start playing music, hoping you will wake up from it." Harry explains.

Louis sits up, "Is this why you start playing music randomly at night sometimes?"

Harry nods, "I don't actually have a penchant for waking up and randomly starting to play an instrument."

Louis looks at Harry with his mouth open. Never had he even given it a thought, that Harry might have been trying to help him and not annoy him every time he played some music. Louis can feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment. He has nothing to say. Never has he been so dry-mouthed in front of Harry.

Harry grabs his arm, "Come back here, you." Pulling him back into his arms, Harry holds him firmly. "Just to make sure you don't die of hypothermia, I am ready to die of hyperthermia."

Louis giggles uncontrollably and so does Harry. Their eyes lock and they both lose themselves in their depths. Before either one knows what is happening, their lips meet. The kiss that first started as a gentle brushing of lips soon turns into one that involves all tongue and is far from gentle. Louis' leg slides up between Harry's, and Harry's hand grasps Louis' waist tighter.

They pull apart when the need for some air becomes necessary. Their lips are wet and swollen as proof of their budding feelings for each other. Everything around them is quiet and still. Apart from their breathing, there's not even a single sound in the room. Louis bites his lip, waiting for Harry to make a move and continue with their kiss. He can still feel Harry's grip on him but Harry makes another move towards Louis instead.

Harry turns onto his back on the bed, still holding Louis in his arms. He closes his eyes. Louis has returned to his normal state, he isn't shivering anymore, his fingers are not as freezing as they were, but are still cold to touch. The silence in the room feels uncomfortable for the first time. He decides to break it, "Harry!"

A hum of acknowledgment comes from Harry.

"What do you think about the electrical maintenance proof found in your father's office?"

Harry sighs, "Nothing."

"Tell me the truth," Louis says. "Please!"

Harry takes a gulp of his bile, "I am a bit relieved that it was in my father's office and not anyone else's."

Louis sits up, his brows joining, "Relieved? Why?"

Harry sits up slowly, pulling the covers over them and making sure Louis is still keeping warm. "Because there is too much to lose. Better us than them."

Louis looks at him wide-eyed, waiting for Harry to say something further. It has to be the most unrealistic thing that has ever come out of Harry's mouth.

"Louis, I have learned to never trust anything blindly; take evidence into account, but don't let them bias your judgment. I don't know if anyone of you even understands the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed, but I can promise you that the answers are not going to be very pleasing to the ears, or the being for that matter. Considering my father's hate and greed, I have braced myself to stumble upon something that would implicate him in these crimes."

"But why, Harry? Maybe it was an outsider. Maybe your father was not involved in any of it at all."

Harry looks at Louis with a hint of a tear in the corner of his eye, "He is no angel sent from heaven. And I know what awaits me and him."

Louis puts his hand over Harry's, "It's not all as bad as you think."

"It's all worse than you can imagine." Harry counters immediately.

"I have never met anyone who is so ready to be doomed." Louis can't hide the surprise in his voice.

Harry chuckles, "Hope to the one you pray to, that there is never anyone like me ever again."

Harry's gaze shifts to infinity and he zones out. For the first time, Louis sees a kind of calmness in him, along with a shadow of sadness. He can't stop wondering what Harry might have been through, that he is scraping the bottom of the barrel of hope. He tries to understand the wall Harry has built around himself, an impenetrable wall. Lately, he has been seeing so much of Harry's true side, which he finds almost impossible to not be captivated by. It feels like he meets a new Harry every day, and every day he feels more intrigued to know more about him.

Louis looks at his face, which does not show any emotion. He knows that people conceal their emotions from the world for their own reasons, but if you put in a little bit of concentration, you can read it on their faces. How heartbroken Harry must be, that he won't even let his emotions show in his eyes or his face! Is it hurt, that has caused him to turn stone cold towards emotions? It must be some kind of unfortunate fate.

Louis touches Harry's face and turns it towards him. Harry blinks, coming back to reality. Harry asks Louis to go back to sleep, which Louis refuses to do. Harry doesn't take no for an answer. He gestures at Louis to lay back down again. Louis sighs and settles under the covers. Harry tries to get out, but Louis holds his wrist, stopping him.

"Stay!"

"You are fine now," Harry says.

"I still feel cold!" Louis says. "And what if I get another nightmare."

Harry sighs and settles back under the covers again. Louis lays his head on Harry's shoulder and aligns his body as close to Harry's as he can. Everyone is going home tomorrow for their Christmas and New Year’s holidays. And for the first time, Louis wonders if he will actually miss having Harry around.

"Stop treating me like a human chimney." Harry shakes his head and turns out the lights.

Louis giggles and they both fall into a peaceful slumber for the rest of the night.

*

Chapter Text

"Surprise!" Everyone shouts as Zayn opens Louis' blindfold.

Louis's eyes widen at the surprise. He hadn’t expected a grand celebration with so many people. When Zayn had turned up at his doorstep that afternoon and taken him out for shopping, he’d thought it was just casual birthday love, nothing too much. But when they had reached the café, Zayn had put a blindfold on him and taken him inside.

Louis giggles, looking at the 'Happy 22nd Louis' helium balloons in the room. He turns to hug Zayn and Liam and thank them for a great surprise.

Liam introduces Louis to some of Zayn’s and his high school friends. Over the years since he moved to Scotland, he has been to this café a couple of times. He generally does not believe in spending £50 for coffee and a slice of cake, which is the minimum expense at such an extravagant place. But he understands why Liam and Zayn would throw a party for him here, it is one of their favorite cafés.

"Where's Niall?" Louis asks when he cannot find his cousin among the crowd.

Liam makes a sorry face, "Princess Mary is having a hard time today, and she wanted Niall by her side. He said he'll catch up with you tomorrow."

Louis nods. His classmates approach him and wish him a happy birthday. Thankfully Liam and Zayn strictly said no gifts or anything, knowing Louis would not appreciate any such gesture.

Louis is thankful for everyone here, even those whom he is meeting for the first time. But among all the faces, there is one that is missing.

"You guys invited Harry, right?" He believes if the entire batch got an invitation, his roommate would have too.

Liam hesitates, "Um… He is not really a party person. So it's alright, you know."

"Liam! How could you not invite him?" Louis is taken by surprise.

"He would have refused the offer himself," Liam says.

"But you should have invited him." Louis sighs, "I'll go and get him."

"No, wait!" Liam grabs Louis' arms as he walks towards the door. "Ummm… I mean, everyone is already here. And this party is for you, it wouldn't look good if you left."

"And it looks good that the one I have shared a room with for four years is not here?" Louis asks. He still cannot believe that they kept Harry out of this.

Zayn interrupts, "Let him go." He says to Liam. He turns to Louis, "Since everyone here is anti- Styles, we thought it would be better if he was not invited. But I understand why you would feel otherwise."

Without another word or thought, Louis leaves the café and makes his way towards the Styles Mansion.

"Really, Zayn?" Liam throws him an angry look. He knows Harry will refuse to come, but if he does show up, Liam’s father will be not happy with it.

Zayn just shrugs, "We can't tell him who he should and shouldn't be inviting to his birthday celebration." He leaves to grab himself a drink, leaving Liam fixed on his spot.

Everything Louis has ever heard about the Styles Mansion is not even close to reality. He never believed it when people said it must be the reflection of what the Styles family are in general -- dark, mysterious and dangerous. Louis' mouth had dropped open the second he stepped inside. He cannot believe what he is looking at.

As he walks through a passage to the waiting room, he is gobsmacked by the wealth that seems to be pouring out of every surface. Everything gleams like diamonds and it seems like the mansion has left the Palace behind in its lavishness.

The silk curtains, Italian marble flooring, sculptures that are made of gold and studded with jewels, a huge crystal chandelier that is twinkling in the soft yellow light of the room. There are some renowned paintings from the Renaissance on the walls of the room where he is waiting for Harry. The antique furniture in the room is made with rosewood and stitched with dark-colored velvet, giving the room a very timeless feeling. Louis worries that he will ruin the beauty of the room if he even exhales a bit too strongly.

He hears footsteps approaching the room. When he turns around, he is left speechless as Harry comes to stand in front of him. His hair's wet, lips red as berries, eyes gleaming like emerald, wearing a white dress shirt and black formal pants. It's not like Louis has never seen Harry before, but he feels like he is looking at Harry for the first time.

"Louis!" with his hands in his pocket, Harry looks at Louis, confused. "I wasn't expecting you."

Louis' stomach tightens, he feels guilty that he might have disturbed Harry. "I- Umm… It's my birthday today and the lads have thrown me a party."

A small smile touches Harry's lips, "Happy birthday, Louis! Shouldn't you be at the party?" He asks.

"Yeah, I - I am here to invite you." Louis fiddles with the hem of his jacket. He has never been this nervous.

Harry tilts his head sideways, "Invite me?" He is modestly surprised.

Louis nods enthusiastically, "There are a few friends from the Academy. Liam and Zayn invited a few of their high school friends as well." Louis pauses, trying to gauge Harry's reaction, but he can't see even the slightest change in his expression.

Harry waits for Louis to explain further.

Louis continues. "Since we are friends too, I wanted you to join the party. I mean, it will be a great evening with friends."

Harry takes a deep breath, "Thanks for the invite, Louis! But I'll have to turn down the invitation."

Louis' face falls, just like his expectations. Anyone within a radius of five miles could read the unsaid words on his face.

"I- I don't party or anything," Harry says, hoping it will make up for him turning down the invitation.

Louis' eyes widen, "Like ever?"

Harry shakes his head.

"You've never attended a party?" Louis asks.

Harry shakes his head again.

"You have never thrown a party? Not even on your birthday?" Louis is in a state of utter disbelief.

"I don't have friends," Harry says casually.

It takes Louis a few seconds to wrap his head around the fact that Harry has never been to a party or celebrated his birthday. Even in all the orphanages and children's facilities that Louis has spent time in, birthdays were a big deal. They were given sweets. They would generally gather around the kid who was celebrating their birthday and sing them birthday songs and wish them good wishes. He has never met a person who has never been to a party or had one for themselves. He makes up his mind to take Harry with him, not out of pity, but out of the opinion that parties are an excuse to laugh and be happy, even if it is only for a little while.

"Then join mine," Louis says with a soft smile. "Be with me when I cut the cake, and if you still don't like it there, then I won't stop you from leaving." Louis makes a genuine promise. "Please…" He says when he doesn't get any answer from Harry.

Harry huffs out a breath, "Fine!" He turns on his heel and leaves the room to grab his coat.

Louis squeals in delight and throws his hands in the air. This is the first time Louis is beyond joyous for his birthday celebration. He cannot stop giggling and a wide smile refuses to leave his face.

Louis and Harry stand outside the cafe where the party is in full swing. They can see people dancing to the music and laughing amongst themselves. Louis shifts his weight from one leg to the other excitedly. He turns his head to Harry, who doesn't look too sure about attending the party. Louis gently holds Harry's hand and their gazes lock.

All the air rushes out from Louis' lungs as he falls deeper into Harry's eyes. He never believed all the poems that were written about the eyes of a lover. But right now he can see why people can never emerge from their depths. It seems like all the poems in the world was written for Harry and the beauty that his eyes hold. In a few minutes, Louis is sure he himself will contribute a few more to the world of poetry. And those lips, those Cupid's bow lips. They are one-of-a-kind, and Louis can feel Harry's lips on his just by looking at them. He could spend hours kissing his cheeks and playing with his curly hair. He shakes his head and comes back to reality.

"Trust me," Louis says to Harry. He can sense Harry's nervousness.

He can feel Harry's hand moving under his, and then their fingers intertwine. Harry nods in acceptance and Louis mentally debates whether he really wants to go inside and be around so many people, or whether he just wants to spend some quiet time with Harry, and maybe kiss him a few times.

Pushing all those thoughts aside, he decides to go inside, because the party is for him and he must be there. He takes a step forward and tugs Harry behind him.

The loud chatter of the room suddenly goes quiet as soon as Louis and Harry enter the bar. Everyone is slightly confused and scared to see Harry at the doorway. Louis can feel the energy of the room shift, but he maintains his enthusiasm and drags Harry further inside with a huge smile. Nothing can take away his smile this evening. He is beyond happy, and damn those people who are going to judge him.

Harry's gaze moves from face to face, taking in their reactions. He isn't one who cares about what other people think of him, but he is with Louis here, and he does care what people are going to think of him with their fingers locked and hands held tightly. He briskly lets go of Louis' hand and excuses himself to get a drink.

Louis watches Harry walk towards the counter. He catches people moving out of his way in sheer panic, while a few girls and some guys bite their lips looking at Harry. Well, in a long black woolen coat, a red scarf around his head, an earring in one ear, his shirt buttons open to his navel, Harry does look like a fine man. He chuckles and wonders how he can blame anyone for eyeing Harry when he was doing the same just five minutes back.

"Boy, he really got Harry here!" Liam murmurs. He still believes it was too much for Louis to invite Harry. He was hoping Harry would deny the invitation, and he was ready to comfort Louis over it. Nothing could have ever prepared him for Harry's presence.

"And you are not happy with it because…?" Zayn raises an eyebrow. He can't believe Liam is still this judgmental of Harry. He can often hear Louis' words in his head, that they really don’t know anything about Harry. Apart from the family feud, what actual reason does any one of them have to hate each other?

Liam sighs deeply, "Our circle is mostly of nice people who come from nice families."

"It doesn't matter who comes from which family, what matters is who we are as a person," Zayn says.

"Oh, I keep forgetting you are a part of the Harry Defense Squad." Liam rolls his eyes.

Zayn looks at Liam, at a loss for words. He wonders if Liam even realizes how he has been acting lately. The past few weeks haven't been easy on either of them, but Zayn has learned that he needs to stop being an asshole to a person he really does not know. But Liam is adamant about taking everything against Harry. He wonders if this is what he was like in the past. He wonders if this is the kind of hate they have been raised with. He wonders if he even knows this Liam.

"Stop being so petty, Liam. You aren't doing yourself any favors." Zayn says.

"And now you are all saint, looking for the good in everyone. ‘Kindness can change the world,’ that’s the kind of person you are now, isn't it?" Liam says harshly, so done with Zayn always defending Harry. He really can't stand Zayn being so foolish.

Zayn takes a step back like he is trying to avoid the blow of Liam's words. "You know what, there's no use in talking to you right now. And I won't let you ruin this evening for me. I'm here for my best friend, and I won't let you judge his choice of company. As far as I can see, with the hate and pettiness in you, I am not sure if you are the right company either."

Zayn storms off, leaving Liam speechless. He finds Louis among the crowd and grabs them both a drink. He tries hard to keep up a happy face. He can't let Louis see him struggling with his feelings. It's Louis' birthday and he just wants him to have a great time. Lately, he has been observing the shift in Louis and Harry's relationship, but he hasn't mentioned it to Louis. He has decided to let Louis come to terms with whatever might be going on between them by himself. One thing that amuses him is the fact that Harry came, and that their hands were held tightly when they entered. He has never seen Harry attend a party in the past, even though they are more or less the same age. The happiness on Louis' face doesn’t escape him either. He can tell it's kind of a big deal for Louis as well.

"Cake! Cake! Cake!" Everyone shouts as Liam brings out a huge cake into the middle of the room. The cheering continues as he lights the candles and hands, Louis, a knife. He looks for Harry and finds him at the front, not too far from Louis. Louis bends down to blow out the candles and his eyes flicker to Harry, who is standing patiently with a soft expression on his face.

"Make a wish, make a wish!" Zayn shouts excitedly.

Louis closes his eyes and does exactly that. He opens his eyes quickly, hoping that Harry hasn't disappeared. He relaxes when he sees Harry still where he was. Harry nods lightly, urging Louis to blow out the candles.

In one breath, Louis blows out all the candles, which is then followed by loud clapping and cheering. Harry finds himself smiling slightly and clapping along with everyone.

Liam grabs Louis in a bear hug, and the evening’s celebration continues.

*

The guests start leaving after two hours of drinking, eating, dancing, and basically enjoying life to the fullest. Louis has never been this happy. Wrapping up the party, Louis thanks both Zayn and Liam for being thoughtful and putting effort into the party. Both Zayn and Liam have barely talked to each other since their conversation, and they each leave separately.

Harry walks up behind Louis as soon as everyone leaves. "Let me drop you home." Harry has been there all evening, quietly sipping on his drinks in the corner and trying hard to be invisible to the crowd.

Louis agrees with a huge smile on his face.

"You didn't have to stay till the end, you know," Louis says as they walk towards Dan's house. He refused Harry's offer to drive him home. He needed a reason to spend a few extra minutes with Harry, even though it meant walking in the cold.

"You wanted me to leave early?" A hint of sheer panic rises inside him.

"Oh no, not like that. I mean- I mean that if you weren't comfortable, you could have gone home." Louis holds his breath, hoping his words haven't fucked up the situation. He mentally hits his head for not thinking twice before speaking. He wonders if Harry is thinking that Louis didn't want him there.

Harry looks at Louis, "I wanted to stay." He says with all seriousness.

Louis turns his head away from Harry's gaze and bites his lip to stop himself from smiling.  Even though it's cold outside, he can feel his cheeks burning. He keeps making a futile effort to calm down.

Their fingers brush against each other as they walk quietly next to each other. Louis feels his heart leaping out from his body. It takes him a lot of concentration to keep walking. He wonders if his body-to-brain coordination somehow got fucked up, or if his brain has shut down on him. He figures it's time to give his brain a stern talking-to, on when not to shut down on him.

Neither of them knows who linked their pinkies together after their fingers brushed a few more times, but neither of them has any complaints.

Harry clears his throat, "Nice decorations everywhere." Every house is dressed with lights and Christmas decorations. Joy and happiness can be found at every other corner.

"Yup," Louis nods. He can't form any other sentence. In any other universe, he would have a hundred things to talk to Harry about.

They turn the corner of Dan's street and Harry can't help but get a bit annoyed at being followed. "Your security is following us, you know that, right?" He wonders how Louis got so used to it, it's super annoying.

"What, where?" Louis turns his head and looks everywhere, but he can't find anyone. "I don't have security."

"You have invisible security, Louis!"

"Yeah, invisible being the operative word. I don't see them ever, and so it doesn't bug me." Louis says. "How do you know, though?"

"I can see them, sense them following us. They are so bad at their job." Harry rolls his eyes. He points at one who is hiding behind a bush three houses ahead of them. He turns to his left, and Louis turns with him, and he points out another one who is on the roof of a house wearing all black.

"There are two behind us," Harry says.

Louis is taken aback at Harry's observations. He has had this security for four years now, but he has never even seen their faces or felt them anywhere near him. But it took Harry a few minutes to not just sense them, but also point out where they are. Even though Louis is trained as a pro and can usually sense if someone is following him, but he has never had any complaints about his security. It reminds him that no matter how good he is, Harry will always be better than him.

"Why you don't have security around you?" Louis asks as they continue walking down the street.

Harry giggles, "I don't need security, people need security from me."

Louis shakes his head and comes to stand face-to-face with Harry, "You try really hard to be the bad guy."

"Nobody needs to try to be what they actually are," Harry remarks.

"I don't think you are bad, you just- you just like to see people shaking in their boots in front of you, just for the kicks you get. You won't harm anyone." Louis says softly with a smile.

"That’s funny, coming from you," Harry smirks.

Louis hits Harry's arm playfully with his free hand, provoking a giggle from Harry. "Anyways, you still haven't told me why you stayed till the end of the party."

"I did," Harry says. "I told you, I wanted to stay."

"Why?" Louis looks into Harry's eyes shyly, his stomach tied into knots. He waits for a few seconds for his answer, but when it doesn't come, he continues playing with Harry, "Were you liking being around people, or were you enjoying the party? What is it, Styles? Out with it."

Harry chuckles, "You!"

All the air rushes out from Louis' lungs.

"You were the reason I stayed till the end." Harry tries to keep a straight expression but fails when a stubborn smiles make its way to his lips and refuse to leave. "You looked really happy, and I wanted to stay to see you smile and enjoy yourself."

Louis is left speechless again. He is sure he cannot form a full sentence right now.  He wasn't sure what he had been expecting for an answer, but a confession that Harry had stayed because of him wasn't even on the horizon. He wonders how people react to such situations because all he wants right now is to kiss Harry.

Something white falls between them both, followed by a few more. They both look up and smile so wide when they see snowflakes. A delightful squeal escapes Louis, and he raises his hand to catch them in his palm.

"Snowfall on my birthday, yes…" Louis jumps in excitement.

He looks at Harry, who is looking at him with a soft smile and soft gaze. Louis exhales and without giving it a second thought, he seals his lips on Harry's. He shivers when Harry holds his face in his hands and reciprocates the kiss.

One thing Louis knows for sure is that he will never have enough of Harry Styles kissing him.

When they part, Louis holds Harry's hand again and says, "Coffee!" That wasn't even a question, it was more like a statement in itself. Louis turns on his heels and tugs Harry behind him towards Dan's house.

The mischief in Louis' voice does not escape Harry, and he nods in agreement.

Harry hangs his coat on the coat hanger and takes a towel from Louis to brush off a few snowflakes. He walks towards the window to look outside and sighs when he spots the people observing Dan's house. He contemplates whether he should draw the curtains but then comes to the conclusion that the team would burst into the house the second he drew them. He just wants to spend quiet time with Louis, and if that means being under a watchful gaze, then so be it. He has a good idea that the news that Harry dropped Louis home, and that they kissed, has already reached the palace.

"Where's Dan?" Harry asks, wondering why he hasn't yet seen him in his house.

"Oh, he had dinner with his doctor friends. He'll be late." Louis informs him. "How do you like your coffee?" Louis asks, approaching him.

Harry turns to him, "You know what, I don't really want any coffee."

"A drink?"

Harry shakes his head, "I should leave." He says with a slightly heavy heart.

"No, Stay!" Louis says, holding his arm to stop him from walking towards the door. "It's already snowing, and I don't want you to get sick while walking to your house."

Harry finds it difficult to say no to him, but he also knows that if he stays back, he has no idea what will happen in the next minute. From the corner of the eye, he can see some movements outside the window. His heart sinks when he realizes what Louis might want from him. A relationship. But how can Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson happen? How can they be together without having hundreds of people against their relationship? Worst of all, it's their own families that won't even let their relationship see the light of day.

He takes a nervous gulp. His whole life, he has only had one goal: to find his mother's killer. But then Louis came along, and he tried to keep everything, all the feelings, at bay to concentrate on his job. But for the last few weeks, he has had a difficult time keeping his feelings away from himself. What should he do? He knows Paul and Dan are going to be equally mad when they hear about this. They have probably heard about it already, and they might be on their way to whoop his ass.

Gently, he takes Louis' hand in his. So, if things are not going to be the same in the morning if the sun will bring him another heartache, he decides to spend these few hours of the night with Louis, and be the most content he will probably ever be again.

He blinks slowly and Louis guides him towards his room.

Louis comes out from the bathroom, having changed his clothes into his well-worn pajamas and t-shirt. He finds Harry looking at the pictures on the wall. His room is a mess, with clothes piled up on the chair, books carelessly thrown on the table, some clothes strewn on the floor. A few empty bottles of beer and a half-eaten packet of chips are on his bed. He quickly picks them up and throws them in the bin at the far end of the room.

"Sorry, my room is not very clean," Louis says, fixing the covers on his bed.

Harry looks at Louis, amused, "That's an understatement." His smirk is back, and Louis throws him a sharp look. Getting the hint, Harry makes the gesture of zipping his lips.

He invites Harry into the bed before walking to draw the curtains. As he settles into the bed, Harry turns onto his side and smiles at Louis. For a while, the entire space is quiet with nothing but their breathing.

“Thanks for coming,” Louis says softly. “And staying.”

His eyelashes fan against his cheekbones as he tries to avoid looking at Harry, shyness getting the better of him.

Harry nods, "You are beautiful, Louis." Harry's whisper breaks the silence, softly touching his cheeks with the tips of his fingers. His fingers move down towards his lips and they shamelessly trace those pink, slightly puckered lips.

Louis tilts his head back and closes his eyes as Harry drags his fingers from his lips to the corner of his mouth. "Harry," Louis whispers.

Harry takes a sharp intake of breath and slides his hand down Louis' arm to hold his palm tightly. Bringing it to his lips he kisses it softly. He can feel Louis' toes brushing his feet. An unknown feeling arises in his chest, and Louis, with his baby blue eyes, sweet smile and the small space between them, isn't helping him at all.

Louis always hopes for Harry to make a move, to take him by surprise, but he never does that. He keeps wondering why Harry never tries to kiss him first. He wonders if Harry even likes him the way he likes Harry. But he wants to kiss Harry right now, and he has no idea how long he would have to wait otherwise. Moving his head forward, he kisses Harry. He can feel Harry intertwining their legs and his hands move down Louis' waist. See, now, this is what confuses Louis more: does Harry want him, or doesn’t he? And if he does, why can't he ever make the first move!

*

Chapter Text

Niall stands at the threshold of Louis' room, seething with annoyance. He hasn't had a single minute of peace since he heard that Louis went to the Styles Mansion. He’d paced the length of his room, waiting for Louis to go back to Dan's place so he could have a talk with him. But then the news of Harry and Louis kept rolling in all night. He almost landed at Dan's doorstep in the middle of the night to drag Harry out of Louis' bedroom. Roy asked him to hold on to his annoyance till the morning. It was another kind of struggle to keep his father quiet when the news reached him. Niall has been concerned about how they will answer the court about why Louis is hanging out with Harry Styles. How they will convince their supporters to stay by their side, is his biggest worry.

He could barely sleep all night, glancing at the clock every minute, waiting for the morning to come already. It was the longest night for him. As soon as the clock struck 6 in the morning, Niall jumped to his feet and left the palace for Dan's house. Upon knocking three times at the door, he was met with a very sleepy Dan, who was taken aback to find him at his door first thing in the morning.

"What is Harry Styles doing at your place?" Niall gritted his teeth.

If Dan was shaking with nervousness, he tried to conceal it. "I had no idea he would be here until I was informed by one of your men as I was leaving dinner."

Niall exhaled loudly and made his way to Louis' room.

Dan did not even try to say anything, he knew Niall would use any word out of his mouth against him. Niall was angry and Dan knew better than to fool around with him.

Niall watches Louis peacefully sleeping next to Harry, with Harry's arm around him and both of them comfortably snuggly under the blanket. Niall raps on the door loudly, jerking both Harry and Louis into consciousness.

"Niall!" Louis looks at him in surprise, trying to shake himself out of his sleepiness. "What are you doing here?"

Harry throws the blanket off himself, "You know what, I like my privacy." Harry turns to his side, away from Niall, and buries his head in Louis' neck, trying to catch few more hours of sleep.

"We need to talk," Niall is determined to talk to Louis and will not take 'no' for an answer.

Louis lets out a sleepy breath. Rubbing his eyes, he says, "Fine, I am coming."

Niall shoots them one last glance and goes back to the living room, waiting for them to appear. Dan is already in the kitchen, filling his kettle.

"Um... Would you like some tea, my Prince?" Dan asks.

Niall throws him a look, "Just tell me you knew beforehand that Harry was going to spend the night here. How can you even allow it!"

"I am Louis' guardian, but I can' tell him what he can do or what he can't." Dan maintains his politeness.

First, Niall is annoyed beyond his means, and Dan swiftly refusing to have any hand in this is not helping at all. Although Niall himself has felt that Harry might have a good side, he hasn't admitted that to anyone, and he still doubts his motives.

"Everything ok, Niall?" Louis enters the room, concerned that the impromptu visit is related to his Aunt Mary. Harry casually strolls behind him, fixing the collar of his shirt.

Niall looks at Harry, "What are you doing here?"

Harry looks up in surprise, "Is this about me being here with Lou?"

All eyes in the room dart towards Harry. Louis feels a jolt of surprise at hearing the nickname from his mouth.

"Lou?" Niall's eyes widen. "What are you playing at, now? What do you want, Harry? Why are you doing this?"

The entire room falls silent.

Harry turns to look at Louis, "What is he saying? I am still too sleepy to understand."

"Niall, you better-" Louis is cut off mid-sentence by Niall.

"Harry Edward Styles, stay away from Louis."

Harry lets out a breath and slowly the corner of his mouth quirks up in a devilish grin. His green eyes shine watching Niall suffer. Worst of all, Harry knows there's no way Niall is going to get any relief any time soon.

"Merry Christmas!" He smirks at Niall.

Behind them, Dan feels his blood pressure rising.

Harry grabs Louis by his waist and kisses his lips. "Breakfast at my place tomorrow, Lou?" With a special emphasis on Lou .

Dan holds himself back from smacking the living daylights out of Harry. He internally curses Harry and his nerve. Watching him trying to be a canny little shit, Dan wonders if he has been like this all the while, or if he is just doing it for the pleasure he gets from annoying Niall. He is sure it's time to sit Harry down and give him a rundown of the things he can do and CAN'T do. Messing with Niall being first on the 'can't do' list. He watches as Harry walks towards the door and grabs his coat and scarf. Dan walks towards the door and opens it for him. He throws him one angry glare, which does nothing but makes Harry's eyes twinkle in amusement even more. He is so close to giving up on this kid and his nuisance.

As soon as the front door closes, Louis lets out a deep breath, "What is wrong with you, Niall?"

"Listen, you-" Niall is cut off mid-sentence.

"No you listen to me, you can't just barge into my room and get to treat me like this." Louis can feel the annoyance getting the better of him.

"Why was he even here last night?" Niall asks.

"Oh, he and I have been sharing a room for four years, and now you have a problem with it," Louis replies.

Dan clears his throat, "I'll go get some eggs for breakfast."

"We have plenty of eggs at home," Louis looks at him surprised.

"Umm. Then I'll get some bread." Dan grabs his coat from the coat hanger.

"We got bread yesterday," Louis reminds him.

Niall turns to Dan, "Yeah, we'd like to have a talk in private. Thank you." Niall throws him a warning look. "Leave the house."

"No, wait! It's his house, you can't ask him to leave. And like hell you care about privacy now, you surely didn't ten minutes back." Louis replies snarkily.

"Lou, you have to understand the implications of hanging out with him," Niall says.

"Or what? Niall, I am so tired of your hate and your discomfort. I know the difference between right and wrong. I know what I am doing." Louis says.

Niall stands quietly for a while, looking at Louis, hoping and praying that he understands all that can go wrong. "I am trying to protect you."

"I don't need you to. I can look after myself. I have for 18 years, I can do it for another 18 years." The pain in Louis' eyes doesn't go unnoticed.

"Louis-"

"No, Niall. I won't let anyone dictate to me whom I should be with. I should be able to make my decisions of my own free will."

Niall feels the earth beneath him shake a bit, "Fine, then! I hope you realize what you are doing soon before it's too late."

"Thanks! Thanks a lot, Niall." Louis replies with his arms crossed over his chest.

Niall takes a breath, "Father is expecting you at lunch-"

"Tell him I am busy."

"You cannot do this." Niall looks at him aghast.

Louis makes his way towards the kitchen, "I said what I said! Merry Christmas, Niall."

Harry's footsteps echo inside the mansion. After years of living in a house that lacks any kind of sound in general, he is pretty much accustomed to his own faint sounds slicing through the silence sometimes. He rarely expects to see anyone around in the house whenever he comes back home. Nobody to greet him, or even ask him about his day. The servants in the house are ordered to show themselves only when it is required, that's it.

As soon as he reaches the living room, he is surprised to see his father sitting in a chair, legs crossed, basking in indignation. "Well, well, well, the prodigal son is back home."

Harry learned the hard way that showing no emotion to his father is the only way to be around him. He stands in front of his father, hands crossed behind him, face void of any emotion, the tip of his nose reaching for the sky. "Morning!"

His father grits his teeth, "Done with disgracing my name?"

Harry looks at his father, trying to stay in control and not be too snarky with his reply. "Not really." He says coolly.

Chief Styles' eyes turn red with rage. Harry has never feared his father, and sometimes it scares Arthur how much Harry is slipping right through his fingers. "What have you become?"

"Exactly what you raised me to be," Harry says nonchalantly.

"HARRY!" the loud screech of Chief Styles could shake even the heart of a dead man, but it fails to make Harry even give a reaction.

As much as Harry can see the rage pouring out from his father, he really is determined to not show any emotion or fear and let his father win. The loud voice did make his heart flinch and his soul hope for freedom. But Harry masks all of it.

He turns on his heel and without another glance at his father, he makes his way to his room.

As soon as he closes the doors of his room, the tears start flowing from his eyes in endless streams. He clutches his heart and slides down to the floor. He feels lightheaded, devoid of any energy.

"Mum!" Barely audible words slip out of his sobbing self. He grabs his forehead between his hands and cries his eyes out. "Why did you leave me, Mum? Why? What wrong did I do?"

He came to the conclusion a long time ago that the Gods above must be cruel, to give Harry a life but take away all the elements and colors from it. Harry can't even remember a time when he felt the warmth, even from his father. He has had one parent all his life, but he always felt worse than if he hadn’t had any. He wonders if his mother ever fights with the Gods for making her son's life miserable. Does she ever cry, seeing him cry? Does she ever want to break all the constraints and laws of nature and come back to her son and comfort him?

"Please come back. Please, Mum. Please!"

*

Chapter Text

Although the world around them celebrates the festival with carols, giant feasts, and families getting together, Christmas at the Styles Mansion is never a big deal. Harry remembers when he was young, his mother would put up a Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving. She would put a gift for Harry under the tree every day till Christmas Day. But that's not all. He would also find gifts and chocolates in socks hanging around the house. As a kid, he relished and thoroughly enjoyed the festival.

As he lights candles in front of his mother's picture, he tries to figure out when the joy and excitement that danced around him, vanished from his life and this house. There used to be Christmas trees for a few years after his mother died. Baby Harry would decorate them wholeheartedly, hoping to get some admiration from his father. There never was any. And after a few years, the excitement died down, and he gave up decorating the tree or even making the slightest effort for the festival. For the most part, the day is like any other day -- barring dinner, which is a decently elaborate affair.

He hears footsteps approaching him and gets slightly irritated at the interruption.

"Sir," Mr. Jones, their butler, says. "Mr. Tomlinson is here, waiting for you."

Harry's head snaps to the door. He wasn't expecting Louis until next morning. He quickly makes his way to the guest waiting room, fixing his collar and the hem of his suit jacket on the way. His heart skips a beat when he finds Louis smiling at a painting of a vintage flower vase. He looks cozy, wearing a white oversized knit sweater and black skinny jeans, ripped at the knees, and a deep blue cashmere beanie.

"Louis!" Harry says softly as he makes his way towards Louis.

Louis looks at him, all smiles. Harry can’t tell if his cheeks are pink because of the cold air outside, or if he is blushing. His blue eyes are a standout and his pretty lashes look extra pretty tonight. Christmas definitely has a favorite person.

"Hi," Louis says with a smile. "Umm... I went to… I mean, today Dan and I decided to celebrate the day with the kids at the children's hospital."

Harry nods and waits for Louis to continue.

"We- we baked cookies for them, and I saved some for you." Louis holds out a box of homemade cookies, carefully wrapped with a bow on top, for Harry. He bites his lips, eyeing Harry shyly.

Harry smiles, taking the box from him, "Thank you." His heart flutters while his throat chokes up. The mixed emotions are driving him crazy. He doesn't even remember if he ever received a gift, a thoughtful gift, from anyone.

There's an awkward silence in the room.

"So… I should leave." Louis takes a hesitant step towards the door. "Enjoy your evening."

Harry watches Louis slowly walk towards the door. Louis dropping by to give him cookies has definitely been the highlight of any Christmas he has ever had.

"Wait-" Harry says, not really ready to see him leave. He contemplates whether he should offer Louis some tea or something, which is how guests are generally treated.

He bites his lip, "Have dinner with us." As soon as the words slip out of his mouth, he realizes what he just said. There's no way he can retract his words now. But some part of him hopes that Louis agrees to stay with him for dinner.

Louis turns back, his jaw dropping to the floor. "The Chief won't be happy if I stay."

"That is his problem then. Not yours, not mine." He walks towards Louis, takes his hand and walks towards the dining room, Louis in one hand and the gift from Louis in the other.

Harry sees his father exhaling sharply as he enters with Louis. It does not escape Harry that his father's face goes from red to pale and then to red again. He pulls out a chair for Louis next to his seat. He went on to place a napkin on Louis' lap. One of their servants serves them wine in a fine silver goblet. He hands the box of cookies to one of the servants asking it to be kept in his room immediately.

His father lets out an audible sigh, "Harry, you remind me of Ebenezer today."

All the color from Harry's face disappears. His heart feels like it has fallen into an endless void. Never has his father uttered those words before. A faint glimmer of hope rises in his heart. He looks at his father.

"Years back, she was the first one to bring one of them into this house," He points at Louis. "And now you brought him to the dinner table. Bravo!" As calmly he spoke, the sharpness of the undertone to his words could have cut glass.

Louis shifts uncomfortably on his chair, "I- am sorry!" He takes a nervous gulp and carefully places his napkin back on the table. As soon as he starts to stand up, Harry places his hand firmly over his thigh, stopping him in his place.

He turns to Louis and calmly says, "You don't have to be sorry for anything." Picking up the napkin again, he places it in his lap. Louis looks at him, aghast.

"Father, I invited Louis for dinner at our place. I wanted to show him Styles hospitality." Harry says in a challenging way.

Harry sweetly smiles, looking at his father try to repress his bubbling anger. A woman, dressed in a turquoise silk gown, hair done in a chignon, wearing a thick diamond necklace with a huge emerald around her neck, enters the room. The sound of her heels clicking across the floor fills the room. She must be in her mid-forties. The air of pretentiousness on her face fills Harry with disgust, and it doesn’t take him more than a second to figure out who she is: another one of his father's mistresses. He is sure he has never seen her around, but Harry really does not keep count of the women entering and leaving his father's bedroom.

A servant pulls out a chair for her, next to his father's, "I'm sorry darling, I am late." She runs her fingers over the diamonds.

His father squeezes her hand and nods.

"Not there," Harry interjects. "Not that chair."

"Sorry, what?" She exclaims.

"Yes, you should be sorry. That was my mother's place, and no one is allowed to sit in it." Harry says determinedly.

His father slams his fist on the table, "Harry! I have had enough of you today. You don't get to treat my guest like this."

Louis’ heart skips a beat to the sound.

"She can sit anywhere at this huge table, just not that chair," Harry replies with equal agitation in his voice.

"Enough! Stop it. This is my house. How dare you treat my guests like this."

Harry chuckles and meets his father's eyes, "This is a family house. It's as much mine as it is yours. And mind when I say, I won't let anyone take my mother's place in this house and in our lives." He looks at the woman who is still standing next to the chair. "Give me that necklace."

"No way," she replies curtly.

His father stands up from his chair, raging in anger. The cutlery on the table rattles with the force of it. "Stop it, now." He warns.

Harry stands up, anger written all over his face. "That necklace is my mother's, which Gran gave her when I was born. That emerald symbolizes my green eyes. I won’t let anyone else apart from my mother wear it.

"I’d like to see how you could stop me from letting her wear it."

"I will burn this house down, without a second thought, if I have to. Why don't you go ahead and try me? Father!" Harry says in cold menacing voice. The cold silence in the room would give anyone shivers. Harry looks at the woman, "Why is that still around your neck?"

His father grinds his teeth, "I am glad your mother is not here to see what you have become."

Louis can sense that the words are going to hit Harry worse than anything.

"You have no idea how thankful I am that she is not here to see what I have become. She would have hated me if she were alive." Harry says, the corner of his eyes pricking. The lady hands him the necklace. He holds it up in front of his father, "Now I will have to dip it in holy water."

He sees his father fuming with anger, at loss for words. "Mr. Jones!" Harry shouts for their butler, who runs to his side.

"Yes, sir."

Louis can see that the butler is slightly petrified.

"Tomorrow, everything that my mother owned, from jewelry to clothes, all the property documents, paintings, everything -- move them to the room next to mine. I want the keys to the room, and no one else is allowed to touch my mother's stuff from now on. You don’t want to know what I will do to anyone who does." He orders their butler all the while looking straight into his father's eyes.

He turns to Louis and gestures at him to come with him, before storming out of the room.

Harry carefully places the necklace on the table and walks towards the window. He grabs a pillow from the couch and screams into it. The muffled sound fills the room, but he is sure that some corners of the room are still unaware of the pain that he’s gone through. He settles himself on the cold floor. He wonders if there is anything colder than his father's emotions. A gentle hand taps him on the shoulder, and Louis hands him a glass of water. He gulps it down in one go.

Louis gently kisses his temple, and Harry freezes on the spot. Not from cold, but from the warmth coming from Louis. All these years of suffering and no one has ever shown even a fraction of care that Louis does. Louis even brushes away the stubborn tears that manage to break free from the cages of Harry’s eyes.

Neither of them says anything for a while, Harry feeling bereft of any energy, while Louis caresses his hair and keeps brushing away those tears. "Mum must be so angry at me. She must hate the horrible person I am."

"I don't think so," Louis calmly replies.

"I don't want to be like this with my father, Lou. I hate it that I have to be like this." Another tear falls from his eye. "But if I don’t, my father will be free to do as he pleases. He will give away every last memory of my mother. He will replace my mother in this house. I can't bear to see that happen."

"Harry, why are you so against your father marrying again? If you lost your mother, he lost his wife too. He has an emptiness too." Louis reasons.

Harry does not reply for a while. "Then everyone will forget my mother and her greatness. I know it is my selfish stubbornness, but that is me: a deeply flawed and selfish person."

Louis turns Harry's head towards him, "Everyone is flawed and selfish." Harry looks at him while Louis gently caresses his cheeks. Holding onto Louis, he forgets how much time has passed.

Louis smiles softly, "Your eyes really are like emeralds."

Harry blushes, his dimples on display, "That's what my mother got when I was born, and my father thinks I'll let just anyone wear it." He points at the necklace.

A sudden knock on the door startles them. They both reflexively jump to their feet. Harry walks towards the door and opens it. He lets out the breath he was holding when he sees two servants standing with a cart of food in front of them. He gestures them inside.

After arranging the food on a table in the room, they leave. Harry closes the door and latches it. He picks up a candle from the bedside, makes space for it on the table and lights it. He adjusts the lighting of the room so there’s only a soft yellow light from the lamp above the table, which looks like an antique candelabra.

He clears his throat, "Will you join me for dinner, Louis?" He pulls out one of the chairs for him.

The smile that Louis gives him is brighter than the sun. It’s blinding. Blinding Harry, so he can’t see anything else. Just Louis and his happiness. With his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red with every passing moment, Louis nods.

Harry watches as Louis relishes in the apricot-glazed smoked ham. He has never see Louis this absorbed in food. Well, he can't complain. There is too much on the table for just the two of them. Harry picks up a bowl of roasted sweet potato and carrot and serves them both again. He himself loved the roasted Cornish hens and of course the cranberry almond spinach salad. Louis moans as he takes another bite of creamy mashed potatoes, evoking a laugh from Harry.

"I'm so full, yet I can't stop eating. Help, Harry!" Louis says.

"Hey, we haven't even touched the dessert yet. I can promise you, that boozy gingerbread eggnog is nothing like you have ever tasted before." Harry points to the cups of dessert.

"There's so much," Louis looks slightly concerned.

"There are special Christmas drinks too." Harry points at the jug of cranberry sangria, glasses of spiced toddy, martinis, and margaritas that are waiting to be devoured.

Louis giggles, "I can't eat anymore. How is anyone supposed to eat all of that?"

"Why? Don't they have elaborate feasts in the palace?"

"They do, but I never felt that I belonged there, so I could never enjoy them. I was always waiting to go back home." Louis says.

Harry's eyes widen, "And you feel comfortable here?"

Louis turns to look away from Harry, not really wanting to reply. He wipes his mouth and places his napkin on the table. "Thanks for the dinner."

Harry nods and continues finishing his meal.

Louis looks around the room in awe. "Your house is really pretty. Nothing like a dungeon though." Louis mocks Harry.

"Feels like one," Harry replies.

Harry finishes his food and passes Louis a cup of gingerbread eggnog. Louis slumps down in his chair, too full to eat another spoonful, but eager to taste the mouthwatering yumminess in front of him. Harry chuckles and gestures him towards the couch. He makes his way to the intercom and pushes a button. Immediately, the two people who’d served them food start clearing their dishes, leaving their dessert and drinks.

Louis takes his dessert and settles on the comfiest couch in the room. He is surprised by how quick the servants are. He wonders if they have to be on their feet at any time of day or night.

"Your father wasn't pleased to see me," Louis says as Harry sits in front of him.

"He is never really happy to see me either," Harry says.

Louis can't find the words to say anything else. He always thought that maybe Harry was closer to his father, but lately, he’s been proven wrong. Well, Harry Edward Styles has been surprising him a lot lately. Every day, he learns something new about Harry. It's like he is discovering a whole new person. But the thought that Harry wanted to kill him, that he was so angry at him at times, is always at the back of Louis’ head. Suddenly, he can't even bring himself to have another spoonful of dessert. His mind drifts back to the day he first saw Harry. Harry had rage written all over his face when he first laid eyes on Louis. What changed Harry? How did he have a total turn in personality?

Harry watches Louis zone out. He frowns, thinking that something might be bugging him. "All ok?" He snaps his fingers in front of Louis.

Louis jumps in place, startled. He shakes his head.

"Tell me," Harry puts down his cup and leans closer to Louis.

"I was just wondering why you were so angry at me when we first met? Why did you want to kill me, Harry?"

Harry takes Louis' hand in his, "I was never angry with you, Louis. I am just a jackass sometimes. And I never wanted to kill you. I came to the Academy to protect you."

Louis' jaw drops to the floor along with his stomach. "WHAT!"

Harry takes a deep breath, "Yes!"

Harry takes a while to consider whether Louis is ready to hear the truth, all of it.

He continues, "After my mother died, during her cremation ceremony, Paul approached me. I knew him since I used to spend time at the Academy with mum. He told me that everything would be fine and that I should be who my mother would have wanted me to be. Mum always said I should be a good human, and after her, I only wanted to live up to her words."

He chokes up on his next words, "My father decided it would be better if I were homeschooled. I hated it. I was sick a lot after she passed away. Dan would look after me in the hospital, and Paul found an excuse to come and see me regularly. Paul suggested that I should take up martial arts for practice. I told my father that I wanted to learn martial arts, and he made arrangements for the Academy to train me. Paul and Dan met me almost every week there. I learned to confide in them: all my fears, my worries, my emotions. They became my safe space, a place where I could be a child."

Harry feels Louis gripping his hands tighter. "They asked me not to tell anyone that they were in touch with me. I did not understand it for a couple of years, but afterwards, I understood that my father hated anyone even remotely related to my mother and her work. Paul and Dan used to tell me about your mum and my mum, and how close they were. How they defied every norm and were friends against everyone's likeness. I kept asking for more training at the Academy, and my father had no qualms about agreeing. I grew distant from him, maybe because he kept me at a distance all the time."

Harry takes a shaky breath, the corners of his eyes prickling, "This house started suffocating me. I would usually sneak out without telling anyone and go sit by the river. One day, Paul saw me walking there after dark. He followed me, and we found a secret place to meet all the time. They circulated a rumor that it was haunted, so no one ever goes there."

"Paul and Dan told me about you when I was fourteen. They told me that my mother saved your life and that you would be back here in two years. It automatically felt like, if my mother protected you, then I must do it too."

"What? Your mum…" Louis couldn't even finish the sentence.

Harry blinks in agreement, "When Dan told us that you would have to be brought back, Paul was worried that even the walls of the Academy wouldn’t be able to keep you alive if anyone wanted to get rid of you. I stepped in and decided to join early. My father was glad that I was trying to do his job and get rid of you. Paul and Dan always doubted that my Mum had died of illness because she’d never had any. I decided that I would find the person responsible for her death. My reasons for coming to the Academy were more than just to look after you. But I couldn't be friends with anyone, even if I wanted to. I didn't want my father to have any doubts about me. I couldn't afford it. "

"B-But you were so angry when we got attacked?"

"I thought my father sent them. I was so angry with him. I was on my way to sneak out, and the sudden attack put me in a predicament. I knocked you out so the attackers would think I’d done their job and that I was on their side. When I was absent from the Academy, I came to check on you regularly to make sure you were ok. I was always in the room after you turned the lights off, making sure I was there to protect you if someone attacked you again. I found out that you’d stopped keeping your dagger under your pillow like you used to. I had to put it back, so if I wasn’t there to protect you, you could do it yourself." Harry explains.

Louis breaks into sobs, and Harry springs to his feet to grab Louis and take his face gently in his hands.

"I am so sorry, Harry. I am so sorry. I always thought you hated me, that you wanted to kill me. And all this time, you were protecting me. You start playing music when I get bad dreams to wake me up from them, you put my dagger where it should be so I am never defenseless, you challenge me to push my boundaries, you fought with those attackers for me. You saved my life and you didn't even have to. And all this time, I have been such an idiot." Tears stream down Louis' face.

"Lou, look at me!" Harry says softly. Louis raises his teary blue eyes to meet Harry's. "I gave you good reasons to feel the way you did. It would have worried me if it was otherwise."

Louis chokes, "I hated it when you were there, I hated it when you were not there. Sometimes I don't even know what my life was like without you around. I don't know what made me wake up every day. You came into my life and it gave me a purpose, to understand your hate. I have been alone all my life, Harry, but I had never felt the emptiness, the void when you were not around. I was so worried about you. I have no idea when or how I started caring about you, and now I cannot stop. I don't want to be that alone again, Harry. It scared me so much…"

"Shhh…" Harry tries to soothe Louis. "I am never leaving your side, Lou. Never!" Harry says determinedly.

"I like you, Harry, so much, I can't even begin to explain-"

Louis is taken aback when he is cut off suddenly by Harry's mouth crashing over his. It takes him a second to understand what is happening, but then he slips his hand around Harry's neck, while Harry holds him tightly by his waist. The smooth rhythm of their kiss, the silence around them… Louis feels much lighter than he ever did.

"Lou," Harry whispers in between kisses. Another tear falls from Louis' eyes, but it is not a tear of sadness. Is this his Christmas miracle? Has his life taken a good turn, into unknown territory? A place that seems so warm and beautiful, he can't take his eyes off it. A place that he can't stop thinking about. Is the feeling in his chest the one everyone calls love? If so, then he never wants to get over it. The sweet pain in his heart is so addicting, he never wants the feeling to fade away.

*

Chapter Text

Mornings are cruel. It's the night that is kind and forgiving. The night stays by you, hides your scars, your tears, and helps you keep your sadness to yourself. It keeps your secrets tight, like a dear companion. But the morning is ruthless. It throws light on your pain, brings out your insecurities to the world, spares you no place to hide. The harshest thing about the morning is when the sun doesn’t show its face in full glory, but still definitely wakes everyone up with those faint rays that struggle to reach the earth through the clouds. Forget about getting out of bed -- opening his eyes and accepting that it's a new day, another day, fills Zayn with dread.

He hasn't been sleeping properly, he can't. Every time he closes his eyes, he misses Liam. He misses the Liam he loved so much, more than he could have imagined, more than any words could describe. Every day waking up without Liam next to him is a reminder that he’d ruined the thing he treasured the most, that he’d pushed away the person to whom he’d bared his soul. He can feel Liam slipping further away from him every second. How badly he wishes he could stop time. How desperately he wishes he could stop Liam from walking away from him.

A sharp pain arises in his heart again. A pain that has found a permanent residence inside his chest, and keeps reminding him of its existence every now and then. He screams into his pillow. He cannot take this anymore. Holding his pillow tighter, he breaks into sobs. Drowning in his tears, barely being able to breathe, he tries to remember where it all went wrong, where they both lost everything they had.

The hot water scalds his skin but soothes his soul. He doesn't care. He doesn't even know if it is hot water running down his cheeks or tears. Every single day of the Christmas holiday has been unbearable. His family has kept bringing up the topic of his marriage, and he’d run out of excuses to dodge the topic. His parents sat him down yesterday and gave him a full-blown lecture on how he should be married now and starting a family. Zayn wanted to jump off a cliff. Nobody could hear his internal screams behind his polite smiles. We all learn to mask our feelings in front of people who don’t really care about them.

He is even angry at Liam for not coming to see him or even contacting him, for Christmas. They generally spent an hour or so with each other, exchanging gifts and kisses. In the back of his mind, he is mad at himself too for not reaching out to Liam. But he knows Liam was wrong, and he should be the one to make the first move.

Turning off the shower, he slicks his hair back. Tears continue to fall from his eyes and he decides he cannot spend another day like this. He needs to get out of this place. He can't spend the whole day here.

The sound of a book slamming onto the table in front of him brings Zayn back to reality. He is stunned to see Harry in front of him. He didn't expect to see him in the library. The one thing he immediately notices is the glow on his face. Zayn raises his eyebrow at him, wondering if the 'glow' is because of Louis. He knows what happened between the two of them on Louis' birthday and that Harry slept over at Dan's place. In another world, Zayn wouldn’t have wasted another second before demanding every last detail from Louis.

Harry tilts his head slightly, "Daydreaming?" His tone sounds like he is mocking Zayn.

Zayn grunts, "Not in the mood for your mindless pestering."

Harry pulls up a chair, " ’Mindless’ he calls me, huh!" He murmurs.

Zayn puts down the marker that he has been spinning between his fingers, "What did you say?"

Harry huffs out a breath and opens his book and notebook in response.

"You are unbelievable," Zayn stares at him, not knowing how to react to him.

"Kindly maintain silence," The librarian speaks through a microphone.

Zayn's eyes widen, "Literally, who is even here apart from us? Who are we disturbing?" Zayn says loudly. "People have hangovers from the celebrations last night. They are enjoying the cold day, snuggling with their lovers with a hot cup of cocoa. Not everyone is like us."

He turns his head to Harry, who is looking at him silently with a smug expression, "Dick withdrawal symptom?"

Zayn groans loudly, "You are insufferable! Why are you sitting at my table, go away."

"It is my table. I always sit here. You are at mine, actually. Feel free to leave." Harry replies.

"I came here first," Zayn slams his hand on the table.

"Sir, please keep it down." The librarian says again.

"Oh my god!" Zayn stands up and looks around, "Who are we disturbing, Martin? Who? I want the names."

Harry covers his mouth with his hand and looks down at his notebook. He shakes his head and starts working on a project. For some time, neither of them speak a word to each other, keeping to themselves. Having Harry with him makes Zayn concentrate on his work. Maybe he needs to have someone around who won’t bother about his void or sadness but will still give him a silent company. He thinks that if he’d been around Louis or Niall, there’d be a good chance he’d be crying or wallowing in self-pity.

Zayn is surprised to learn how comfortable the silence is with Harry. They both never really got along, but Harry is so into his work that Zayn is sure he’s even forgotten that anyone is around him. Is this why Louis never lost his mind, even though Harry got on his nerves almost every day? Maybe it’s because Harry knows how to make others comfortable without even saying a word. He is sitting right across from Zayn, and Zayn can't stop thinking about how he never thought they’d ever be able to sit at the same table without killing each other, but here they are, being amicable, and minding their own business, and trying to work their way through their studies. He wonders if he would be as calm with Harry if their situations were flipped?

Out of the blue, Zayn's stomach growls. He brushes it off, hoping that Harry did not hear it. He looks at his watch. It is lunchtime. He is sure his stomach is highlighting its need because he skipped breakfast. He decides to finish writing this subtopic before taking a break. But another growl from his stomach follows soon after.

Harry sighs and looks at him, "Really?"

"Shut up!" Zayn continues writing, his face burning in embarrassment.

Sometime later, Zayn closes the cap of his pen and says, "Let's go!"

Harry looks at him in confusion, "Where?"

"To eat something? Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm fine," Harry shakes his head and continues with his work.

Zayn starts to speak but then closes his mouth. He braves himself again, "Umm... Keep me company then?"

Harry raises his head slowly and looks at him with an expression that screams ‘why are you being ridiculous now?’

"I don't like eating alone," Zayn says.

"Sir!" The corners of his mouth quirk up, "What else shall I do for you, sing you lullabies to sleep? Make you a smoothie?"

"Aw, I like lullabies, but you can continue singing them to Louis. I think he likes it a lot," Zayn watches Harry's face go from pink to red. He tries to remember if he has ever seen Harry like this. He is usually so pale.

Zayn turns on his heel and starts towards the café in the library, and he hears Harry following him without a word. A bright smile creeps onto his face. Dear Lord, did he just find Harry's weakest nerve?

Harry places his cup of tea on their table while Zayn keeps mindlessly stirring a spoon in his teacup.

"Can you stop that?" Harry says. "It's annoying."

Zayn looks at Harry and scrunches his face. Harry moves his hand to grab a crumpet but is met with a slap on the back of his hand from Zayn.

"Ouch, what!"

"Mine!" Zayn says.

"Like you are eating any!" Harry says.

Zayn's face falls, and he pushes the entire plate towards Harry.

Gladly taking one lukewarm crumpet, Harry says, "You don't want any? You sure? Good. Though your stomach did make a dying whale noise, and I swear to God  if I have to hear it one more time..."

"Do you know what has been bugging me!" Zayn says.

"I really don't want to know," Harry says taking a bite.

"Liam did not even call me. ME! His boyfriend. He did not. Huh!"

"I couldn’t care less." Harry takes a sip of his tea, which is thankfully warm. He wonders if he should get the crumpets reheated so that he can enjoy them with butter, and maybe some orange marmalade. He gets up from his chair with the plate in his hands.

"Where are you going?" Zayn stops him by holding his wrist. Harry looks at him, surprised. "Sit down!" Zayn says firmly. Harry narrows his eyes at him. He tries to free his wrist from Zayn's hand. "If Louis was here, he would have listened to me."

Reluctantly, Harry sits down back on the chair, making his displeasure known through his bored expression. Zayn goes silent for a long time. Harry keeps waiting for Zayn to say something further. Harry is sure Zayn has zoned out of the universe. Shaking his head, he picks up his plate of crumpets and takes it to the café assistant.

A tear falls from Zayn's eye, slides down his cheeks, and makes its way to his lips. The saltiness brings his attention back to reality. He quickly wipes it on the sleeves of his jacket. He looks up and Harry is quietly looking at him, his face devoid of any emotion, or anything that could help Zayn figure out what he might be thinking. A white-gloved hand picks up his cup of tea. Zayn finds the café assistant clearing away the table. Before he can protest, another assistant place a warm bowl of chicken soup, a basket of freshly baked assorted bread, freshly cut fruit, another fresh kettle of tea and two teacups, kale mushroom salad, and orange juice on the table.

Zayn chokes up at Harry's gesture. His bottom lip trembles and more tears flood his eyes.

"Don't know about you, but I am very hungry," Harry says, picking his soup spoon.

Zayn is at a loss for words. "Thank you," The words come out so faintly that he barely hears them himself.

"Yeah, I have put all this on your tab. Clear it before you leave." Harry picks out a warm bread from the basket.

Zayn looks at him, speechless, and then burst out laughing. The corner of Harry's mouth quirks up in response. Zayn picks up a napkin and wipes his tears before devouring the food in front of him.

"Nice bracelet," Harry compliments the one Zayn is wearing.

Zayn smiles and runs a finger lightly over it. Nine different gemstones are studded on the gold and looks very appealing. "My mum gave it to me as a Christmas present."

Harry nods.

"So…" Zayn starts to speak. "What's going on between you and Louis?"

"Shouldn't you ask him?" Harry says.

"Are you ashamed of talking about it?"

"You are closer to him. I mean, friends discuss things like that."

"What would you tell me if we were friends?"

"We are not friends," Harry says a bit harshly.

Zayn nods and decides to keep his mouth shut. He can't do much if there is a dead end. He munches his salad, not even looking at Harry. Zayn wonders why Harry finds it so difficult to open up to people, even as he also tries to make other people comfortable around him when he wants to. Zayn feels like he has always known 'Harry Edward Styles'. The one who is the son of Arthur Styles, the one who is thought to be worse than his father. But he hadn’t known 'Harry'. The person who holds more sadness in his heart than he should, the one who has felt eternal loss and mourns for it. He shouldn't hold it against him if Harry keeps to himself. The guy has never been around people, never had friends, never had a normal childhood.

"Um... How- I mean- What … uh... I mean how did things get so bad between you and Liam?" Harry asks. A soft apology in his words. "Was it because of me?"

Zayn bites his lip and shakes his head. "It was because neither of us sees eye-to-eye on a lot of things. I don't even know Liam anymore. I don't know if that Liam -- whom I loved so much, for whom I would fight the Gods -- is still in there somewhere. Or maybe I changed. I keep wondering where my perfect relationship went."

Harry nods, "No one and nothing is perfect, Zayn. Everyone has flaws."

Zayn looks at him, surprised.

"You, me, everyone! If the circumstances changed you both, then it is difficult for him too, even if he is not showing it. Change is the only constant in life. We change for good and bad, and some changes are influenced by the people around us. Do you remember who you were before you joined the Academy? Can you see if you changed? Can you see if your thought processes changed? That's called progress."

"I miss him. I miss him so much." Zayn says. "But I have no idea what to do. I complicated it so much."

"Don't blame yourself. Give it some time, maybe you both need it."

After finishing lunch, they go move back to their table and work on their assignments.

As the sun is about to set, Harry gathers his books and notebook. He watches Zayn still working on his project. Harry feels the need to interrupt, "Umm… We should go home. It's about to get dark."

"I have decided to go back to the Academy for the rest of the holidays. I can’t stay at home, it’s too emotionally draining. I need space to clear my head." Zayn says.

"You are going to be there all alone?"

"Yes, why?"

"Wouldn't you rather not be alone? I mean… Go stay with Louis."

Zayn shakes his head, "Nah, I don't want to bother him and Dan."

"Umm… I am going to his place, you should come with me." Harry suggests.

Zayn leans back in his chair and looks carefully at Harry, "What is happening? Are you falling in love, Harry Styles?" He winks playfully at him. "Sing my bestie sweet lullabies."

"It's time you went back to your scheduled crying." Harry starts walking towards the exit, but he can still hear Zayn's roar of laughter.

*

Chapter Text

How does anyone stop this hurting? The sadness that takes over all my emotions. It feels like happiness will never see the light of the day, ever again. How do the dark clouds fly away? What needs to be done to stop this eternal pain?

The silence around is so profound that the rhythm of my heartbeat seems like my only companion. It feels like the only thing keeping me alive. The only thing that keeps me going, the heart beating inside my chest. The thought that it should also stop, so I can slip into the darkness and be engulfed by silence seems very tempting.

I have been waiting for Liam to contact me, to let me know he is still there with me. But the wait keeps getting longer, and my heart keeps breaking further. I pick up several million pieces of myself every day and put them back together, only for them to be dismantled into another million pieces again. But I keep doing that, I can’t give up yet. Holding onto myself keeps getting more difficult, and sometimes it takes too much of my energy.

Have you ever been lost in the middle of the sea? I feel like that. Everything around me feels cold. It’s a festive time, everywhere happiness is dancing, and yet it feels like I'm surrounded all the water in the world and I can't even take a sip. I feel lost, more than usual. It escapes me how I could be one of those people who could enjoy every single day, every single kind of weather, and welcome it with open arms. The bleak sky is the reflection of my mood, gray and colorless. Even the butterflies have stopped fluttering and spreading their joy around.

What wouldn’t I give up to get a hug right now, to feel like there is a place where I belong. Sometimes it feels like I need someone to tell me that it is ok to feel lost, to not find answers. I hope someone will tell me that love is difficult, but it is still the prettiest thing ever because as far as I can see, I can't even hope to feel the kind of love that will consume my soul. The feeling that I am not worth loving, worth any attention, keeps growing inside. How do I fight this feeling?

I wonder how my life turned into this? I was a happy-go-lucky person. Luck was always on my side. Good things were my thing. Throughout high school, and whatever years of adult life I have spent, I was there for people, to hold them when they were down, to hug them tightly when they needed it. To smile at them, to give them a reason to smile on their worst days. How come I am standing so alone now? How come I don't see anyone reaching out to me, to help me? Why am I so alone?

Zayn puts down his pen and gazes out the window. He was never a person who maintained a diary. He always thought it was a waste of time, and there was really nothing he wanted to write down for the future. Lately, with his feelings getting the best of him, he thought he should keep track of them. He did not even know how to start. He just picked up his sketching pad and a pen and started writing. Maybe writing down his feelings will help him get rid of all those things that keep piling up and messing with his head.

He can't bring himself to write another word, even though he can usually write thousands of them. He just can't bring himself to even hold the pen anymore. He hates it, hates himself. He knows he should help himself, but cannot even bring himself to take one step towards it. His emotions are not under his control, the darkness keeps creeping up on him. How he wishes he could shut down all those negative feelings. What he wouldn’t give to feel normal and happy again, even for 5 minutes.

Sleep! What is sleep? He hasn't slept in days, his eyes have been so red, his soul tired, but nope! He can't sleep. Maybe Harry was right, and he shouldn't be alone. He should be around others. He makes up his mind to go to Dan's place and spend the rest of the holidays with them. Hopefully, Dan won't mind. He looks at his watch to check the time. It is past ten at night -- it's not a good time to turn up at Dan's doorstep. He can maybe spend one more night here, with himself, fighting his own feelings.

But he can't bring himself to stay in this room anymore. Since everyone is home for the holidays, he has been living in his and Liam's room. It did not feel right to live in Niall's room. He gets up and leaves the room in a rush. He needs some fresh air.

His feet bring him to the horse stable. He looks up at the moon, playing hide and seek behind the clouds, and the night matching its pace. There's something so poetic about night and the moon. There is no bigger evil and healer than the moon. Every night, when it opens its arms and we all embrace its calmness, we forget that it is under the moon's gaze that all the crimes happen. It is under the moon's sweet smile, that people fall in love.

There's a single bulb casting a dim light inside the stable. The horses are resting. He picks up a bucket, fills it up with carrots, and walks towards the horse pens. He slips inside the one that has the secret passage. Every time he comes here, he can't help but look at it. Without a second thought, he opens the door and walks inside. He doesn't have a torch to throw light on the steps, but he has walked this passage twice. He knows there isn't much of a way to get lost. And maybe if he does get lost, it'll be better for him.

It is so dark inside that his eyes find it difficult to adjust. For the first time, he doesn't feel scared. He keeps taking steps. He remembers there are stairs ahead and he walks cautiously. Zayn turns his head towards the door he’d entered by, struggling with the question of whether he should go back to his room and not take another step forward. It doesn't even lead anywhere. He'll end up in the palace, and if he is caught, he will be put in prison first, without any time to explain. He can't think of a single reason why he should not turn back and stop what he is doing, but he finds that his foot is already taking another step forward.

What will happen if he passes out here? Will anyone ever come around here to look for him? Will anyone notice that he is missing? The voices of these thoughts keep growing louder inside his head. He shakes his head to stop such thoughts from creeping up on him. Tomorrow, he will go and live with Louis. No, he should go right now. This is not something he should keep on hold. Nights are the longest in his experience. He should turn around and leave immediately. There's no way for him to find out how deep inside the passage he is. He can't even see a single ray of light, but his feet won't stop advancing.

Suddenly, he hears voices. One of them sounds angry. He frowns and tries to listen more closely.

"I told you!" A man shouts.

"Me? What are you talking about." Another voice replies.

Zayn walks further, hoping he will recognize either of the two voices. The voices keep growing a bit louder. Panic rises inside Zayn; he has an idea who the first voice belongs to, and he hopes he is wrong. His legs shake a bit.

"You could have gotten rid of her son the way you got rid of Ebenezer." One voice replies.

Frozen on his spot, sweat breaks out behind his ear. Suddenly, he feels it difficult to breathe. A low, pained moan escapes his throat. Before he can turn on his heel, a torchlight falls on his face.

"Who do we have here?" The lights blind Zayn's eyes. "Well well well, Zayn Malik."

His eyes widen when he finds Gerard Payne standing in front of him. Zayn's heart races. He realizes that he needs to run away from here, right this second, and tell Niall about this.

He turns around and feels something hard hit him on the head, right before he passes out.

*

Liam pours himself another round of whiskey after already helping himself twice before. The inane and mindless chatter of his extended family is always way too tiring. This is the only time of the year he sees them, and honestly, he doesn't even miss them for the rest of the year. Thankfully, everyone is gone now, and he has the rest of the evening to himself.

The holiday season has never really been this gloomy for Liam before. He generally enjoys indulging in food, singing carols, and opening gifts. But this year, Christmas has seemed unpleasant. He could hardly eat anything. Even the scrumptious roast turkey, which is his grandma's recipe and a family favorite, could not awaken his appetite. It has been four days since he and Zayn had a bit of a deadlock in their opinions on Louis' birthday. Liam has been waiting for Zayn to call him or contact him in some way. He has no idea where he is, or how he is. Their relationship keeps getting more difficult, and he has no idea how to solve it.

"It would be better if you could play some happy music," Amelia enters the room and stops the vinyl that had been playing a sad symphony. Picking up a bottle of wine from a shelf, she walks towards Liam, who is gazing out of the window, barely acknowledging his sister's presence. "You ok, Liam? You looked pretty zoned out tonight."

"Yeah," the word barely comes out of his mouth.

"I didn't see Zayn this year during the holidays. Or did I miss him while I wasn't at home?" Amelia checking the time on her watch. It is pretty late. The guests and relatives had kept coming in to see them today. It had been a long day for everyone, and she can't wait to go back to bed.

"He didn't come," Liam says.

"Oh, so did you go to his place?" she inquires. She hadn’t seen a gift from Zayn for Liam under the tree this year. When Liam doesn't reply, she gets a bit concerned for them.

Liam and Amelia are close, but not as close as they were as kids. Amelia moving to the US for her higher studies, and Liam joining the Academy -- with no provision for a cell phone or computer made it difficult for them to keep connected. But every time they were home for the holidays, they would try to spend time together. This week, Liam has been unusually quiet.

"What's wrong, Li?" She asks.

Liam lets out a breath, "Zayn and I have ... I don't know, we …," His shoulders sag in defeat. "We are not talking."

"Why?"

"We both have a lot of differences, it seems," Liam says.

"Two people are supposed to have differences." Amelia has always been supportive of their relationship, and she hopes, really hopes, they will have a great future together.

"We can't seem to find any common ground," Liam says, his eyes distant.

"Want to talk about it, like from start to finish?"

Liam shakes his head, "I can't. But if it helps, I don't like how he defends Harry most of the time these days."

Amelia's eyes widen, "Harry! As in Harry Styles? Since when is Zayn friends with him?" She tries to hide her surprise. The last time Harry had been mentioned in this house had been when he joined the Academy with Liam and their group. Their father was particularly concerned. She has never seen him socializing, or even heard his name from any of her friends.

"Exactly, right! The question is, why is he friends with him?" Liam says, bitterness rising in him. "How could he even choose to be friends with that guy, who… who... I don't know… who is so annoying."

Amelia thinks for a while before saying, "Is that the only reason, Li? Zayn is not a fool, he knows what he is doing. Besides, is your bitterness only because he is friends with Harry?"

"No Amelia, there are many other reasons," Liam says.

"Like?"

"Like the fact that Harry Styles is a menace, an untrustworthy person." Liam grinds his teeth.

Amelia stays quiet, still trying to figure out why Liam is so mad. It can't just be because someone is deemed dishonest.

"What is it, Liam? Out with it. I won't judge you." Amelia says.

Liam sighs and his shoulders sag. "The thing is, Amelia, I understand, or maybe have an idea of why Zayn defends him. I can see why Zayn would want to be friends with him. Z is a good soul, and he looks for the best in people. And that's not it. Fuck, even I can see the sincerity in Harry. I hate that a person whom I have loathed, probably all my life, has a good side. And I can't look away, no matter how hard I try."

Amelia puts down her wine and brushes his shoulder.

"I know I am being so unfair right now, but there's this voice inside me that keeps telling me that Harry isn't an angel sent from heaven. That he will walk over all of us if he needs to. And then there is another voice that keeps telling me that maybe we have all been wrong about Harry. And I am in a place where I have no fucking clue what to do."

"Why don't you give Harry a chance! Li, you aren't doing yourself any favors by jeopardizing your relationship because of this." Amelia says. "Besides, you won't know unless you give Harry a chance."

"I can't! How will I explain this to Niall? How will I explain this to Dad?"

"Liam," Amelia says softly. "I know that we have always been told what kind of company we should keep, what kind of clothes we should be wearing, how we should be in public. We have so many rules to follow, so many restrictions to adhere to, it's exhausting. But Liam, we can't spend our entire lives like that. Especially you! Be your own person, Li. Make your own choices. Our parents wouldn’t like it if we put even a toe out of line, but you gotta do what you gotta do."

"You’re talking as if you have done it all," Liam says.

"I have!" Amelia says. "I followed all the rules when I could, but I let my hair down whenever I wanted to. That's actually one good thing about living away from our family. Sometimes I was glad I lived on the other side of the ocean."

Liam doesn't say anything for a while.

"Live your life, Liam. Make friends, have experiences. You won't be able to do it again. Sometimes experiences are knowing a person, too." Amelia rubs her hands over Liam's shoulders.

Liam turns his head and looks at her. She nods encouragingly. The confusion in his life increases. Shaking his head, he leaves quietly.

A splash of ice cold water brings Zayn back to consciousness. His head jerks up. It takes him a lot of effort to open his eyes. Slowly, trying to keep his eyes open, he looks around. Everything looks hazy at first, but then, slowly, everything becomes clear in front of him. The room is dimly lit by yellow light, and there are bars in front of him like the ones in jail. The air feels heavy and stinks. He can't make out where he is.

A gasp leaves him when Gerard Payne comes to stand in front of him, hands in the pockets of his peacoat, his lackeys behind him.

Zayn tries to move away from him, but he cannot feel anything in either his arms or his legs. Chains clink as he tries to move his arms. He panics and looks down at his hands and legs, which are tied in chains. The cold air touches his skin, making him shiver.

Under Gerard's intense gaze, Zayn feels like his skin might break.

"Why am I here?" Zayn asks, his voice low.

Gerard Payne chuckles. "Well, you know… you heard us talking."

Zayn tries to jog his memory. He has a faint recollection of what he heard. His shivering intensifies.

"I don't remember anything," Zayn lies. He might not be able to remember the exact conversation right now, with his head feeling cloudy, but he knows that if he had five minutes of peace, he would remember everything.

Gerard smiles, "Of course you don't. But you see, you are a liability now. Even a threat. One day, you might suddenly remember everything and come around blackmail us, or maybe just go to the public."

Zayn tries to think hard about what the conversation could have been, that Gerard Payne feels so threatened by him. And who was the second person?

"Trust me," Words come out of his mouth in barely a whisper. Zayn takes a nervous gulp. "Let me go."

"I can't let you go, Zayn! I am afraid you will have to die now."

Panic spirals down his entire body like electricity.

"First, you know our secret now." Gerard Payne takes another step forward, "Second, you won't leave my son alone. I can't afford to let you live."

Zayn looks at Gerard blankly.

"How many more times, Zayn? How many more times will I have to ask your father to get you married?" Gerard Payne says. "I want you to leave my son alone, since he seems to be stuck on the idea of being in love with you."

Gerard Payne clicks his tongue and heaves out a sigh. His eyes never leave Zayn's. With every passing moment, he effectively manages to scare Zayn even more. Gerard Payne takes another step towards Zayn.

Zayn flinches as Gerard touches Zayn's cheek. "I will make sure your departure is easy. You won't feel much pain."

Zayn cannot form a sentence, he can't even find his voice to scream, it's like his entire body has given up on him.

Gerard Payne turns on his heel and makes for the exit. "Keep him tied up like this, and keep throwing cold water at him. No food, no water. He'll die eventually. Throw him in the river afterward."

*

Chapter Text

Months, days or years- Zayn has no idea how much time has passed. He can feel some wetness around his neck and chest. He feels cold, too cold, shivering intensely. Slowly, he tries to open his eyes. He can hear some noise; he isn't too sure where it is coming from. He opens his eyes partially and then shuts them again. It's taking too much energy to open his eyes, energy that he cannot muster.

"… If you hurt my son, I won't leave yours." A loud voice reverberates through the room. But he is sure it is not his father's voice.

"We don't have to do this… any of this, if only you agree." Another voice says. Zayn can make out this voice, it is Gerard Payne's.

Zayn tries not to make any sound and tries to listen carefully to the conversation. Maybe he will get a clue about who the second person is.

"There is nothing to agree to, there cannot be an agreement. He promised me, and it’s about time he keeps his promise." The vindictive tone of the loud voice does not escape Zayn. "If I go down, I will throw you all under the bus. If my hands have blood on them, then yours do too."

Zayn's eyes fly open. he looks around, and his eyes fall on two figures standing outside his bars. His heart shatters into pieces, millions of pieces, as they continue the conversation. He closes his eyes again, not wanting to give them any idea that he has come back to his senses, and can hear them.

After they leave, he breaks down crying.

*

Chapter Text

Louis admires his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks are a light shade of red that match his slightly swollen lips. The matte black formal slacks fall perfectly over his legs, accentuating his ass and making his legs look slightly longer. The white silk shirt feels so soft and classy on his body. He moves forward a bit to look into the reflection of his eyes, which are clear and blue. There's some sparkle in them, and he is not sure what the cause of it might be.

Harry walks up behind him with two sets of ties and a bow tie in hand. He gently kisses the back of Louis' head, causing Louis to break into a huge smile. Harry bends down and places his chin on Louis' shoulder while maintaining eye contact with him through the mirror.

"Thanks for picking out a suit for me," Louis says. Harry had arrived at Dan house unannounced after breakfast to take Louis on a surprise shopping spree.

Last evening, Louis had seemed a bit concerned about not having anything nice to wear for the New Year's party at the palace. When Harry suggested that he should go out and buy something nice, Louis had shrugged, saying that he couldn’t seem to find a reason to buy a suit for the sole purpose of a party. Which Harry couldn't quite understand. Harry always believes every occasion deserves a new suit. A man can never own too many suits.

He tried to make Louis understand that the prince of the kingdom should be dressed perfectly all the time.

To which Louis had replied, "I am not the prince, Niall is." Louis had shaken his head and dropped a cube of sugar into his tea.

"You are aware of the fact that you are a prince of this kingdom as well, right?" Harry looked at him carefully. He has never understood why Louis refuses to accept that he is more than just an heir.

Louis had simply shrugged.

Harry had taken Louis' hand in his and continued, "Lou, how long are you going to avoid the fact that you are a prince as well, and that you have a responsibility to this kingdom?"

Louis had looked at him and flushed, his cheeks burning.

After Louis' refusal, Harry had taken it as his personal responsibility to get Louis into a new suit. He’d taken Louis to various stores and bought him a suit, saying his birthday gift was due. Louis was hesitant, but Harry said he could make him more cookies to make up for it. Louis had giggled and agreed.

Now, seeing Louis in the suit he'd bought him, Harry can't help but smile . Breaking their eye contact, he turns his head towards Louis, drags his tongue behind his ear, and then nips his earlobe, evoking a tsk from Louis. Louis leans back against Harry and closes his eyes. Gently taking Louis by the waist, Harry turns him around.

They have decided to take things slow and steady since this is the first time either one of them is seeing someone. They still haven't discussed if they want to actually date, or if they want to see where things go before actually starting a relationship. They are both aware of the implications of their relationship, and there is no harm in testing the waters before they take a dive. If anything, shopping together had given them a clear idea of how people would take their relationship. The shoppers in the stores were visibly shocked and confused to see them together. Louis even caught some shop assistants whispering amongst themselves.

All the weird glances and whispers had stung a bit at first, but then they both realized that nobody could have ever thought they’d see them both together, laughing and smiling. It was never going to be easy; it will never be easy.

Louis snakes his arms around Harry's neck and looks directly into his eyes. The butterflies in his stomach seem to have found a permanent residence inside him and keep fluttering every time Harry is around. The times when Harry is not with him, he often finds himself smiling to himself or being giddy in general.

Harry tilts his head and bends down to kiss Louis again, for the nth time since he’d arrived merely half an hour ago. He can feel Louis' breath on his lips, and how warm they feel against his own.

A sudden knock on the door makes them jump. "Jesus!" Louis whispers nervously, his heart suddenly beating faster.

"Louis!" Dan calls. "We have to leave now. It’s getting late." His voice contains a bit of panic.

Since Louis had told him that he and Harry were spending a lot of time with each other and that Louis knew everything about Paul and Dan's involvement with Harry, Dan has been in panic mode 24/7. To make things worse for him, Harry has been spending a lot of time with Louis in this house. Harry has been joining Dan and Louis for dinner, and sometimes even for breakfast. He’s had to make it clear to them that Harry staying the night is not a good idea since his house is still under observation by Niall. He also had to make Harry understand that locking horns with his father over this is not a good idea right now.

"We are coming," Louis says, laughing nervously.

"Maybe you should leave, Dan, we'll be there soon." Harry pecks Louis' temple.

"Um, no! Louis is coming with me." Dan insists.

"I'll be there to join you after you park your car before you even step inside the hall," Louis says. His decision is final. He wants to go with Harry, and he will. It is already painful enough that he has to spend the entire evening away from Harry, and will probably only be able to sneak glances at him. He isn't even ready to leave yet, and he already can't wait to be back home.

"Fine then!" Dan huffs out a sigh. These two are getting to be too much for him to handle. He will have to talk to Paul about it. For the first time, he can't wait for Louis to go back to the Academy.

Harry and Louis hear Dan’s footsteps retreating and smile at each other.

"We should be quick," Harry suggests, and Louis nods in agreement. Harry holds up the ties and bow tie next to Louis, to figure out which one looks good on him. The silk black one seems classic, of course, but he can't deny that the midnight blue wool Scabal tie brings out Louis' eyes. And then there is that deep red bow tie that is hands down his favorite. He would definitely choose the bow tie for an event that has some formal dancing, which is one part of tonight's celebration.

Harry himself is wearing a perfectly tailored black suit with a rose bow tie around his neck. Louis can already tell that Harry looks better than any man in the whole of Europe. Louis can't help but giggle when Harry groans because he can't decide which tie Louis should be wearing. Louis shakes his head and takes the bow tie from Harry. He makes an executive decision to wear it, putting Harry out of his misery.

Harry helps Louis with the bow tie.

"Be nice to Niall tonight," Louis says.

Harry raises his eyebrow mischievously, "Ask him to do the same."

Louis playfully bumps his shoulder, "Why do you annoy him so much!" He will never be over the way Harry gave Niall and everyone around them the shock of their lives by addressing him as 'Lou' on Christmas morning.

Harry laughs, "It's fun." His dimples get deeper as he chews his lips to stop from laughing further. "His face is a delightful scene every time I make his life difficult."

Louis can't stop wondering what Harry is really made of. A bit of mischief, a bit of narcissism, a good chunk of pride, and an entire being that Louis can't help but adore. Harry has his flaws, just like everyone else, and even though Harry believes he is the most flawed person on the planet, Louis begs to differ. Harry can be moody, even stubborn at times, but he isn't the terrible person he imagines himself to be.

Liam tries to tie the knot of his tie, but he can't get it right. It has already taken him so much effort to put on a suit that he can't bring himself to do the tie. He feels so tired, exhausted from all his thinking about Zayn. He has been missing him since this morning and wondering if he should go and see him. Work things out, call a truce.

He knows how his family has treated Zayn, and definitely, he can ask them not to throw mean gazes at Zayn. He should do that. It's only fair to Zayn. One thing he has realized over these past few weeks is that he can't go on with Zayn not being present in his everyday life. He misses him way too much. Maybe he is used to having his presence around, but Liam can't deny that Zayn’s absence is hurting him more than anything.

He pulls his tie and puts it back in the drawer. He looks at the mirror one last time and sighs loudly, knowing he looks so messed up. Even with his hair slicked back, and wearing a deep gray checkered suit, he can’t avoid how tired his eyes look. The dark circles are a bit darker, and his face looks puffed up. He shakes his head. There's nothing he can do. He can't put in any more effort. He'll probably put on his glasses and hope no one notices what is wrong with his face.

His steps feel heavy as he walks towards the common room of the mansion. There's an ache in his stomach like the one he had every time he had to appear for his science exams in school. He still sometimes wakes up at night after a nightmare of having failed his science exam. There's a weird feeling in his throat that he never had before. He is not going to do something wrong… so why does it feel like that

He enters the common room. His mom is being served tea with biscuits. His grandma is smoking her cigar. The diamonds on her wrist and neck gleam brightly. Liam has always wondered how she always has such a stoic look on her face. He’s always blamed it on her aristocratic upbringing. And at times, he thanks the stars that he never got that from her.

He turns to look at his father as the clink of ice dropping in a glass reaches him. His father's favorite scotch is out, and he is trying to loosen his muscles before they leave for the New Year's celebration at the palace.

Liam clears his throat to gather the attention of everyone in the room. He can't spot his sister, and he believes she is still getting ready. She's always running late.

His father turns around. The smile that had appeared on his lips soon vanishes, "Liam! Get ready, we have to leave for the celebration."

Instantly, Liam looks down at his shoes and then up again, "I am ready!"

"Where's your tie? You are not going to the party like this." His father tells him, with a tone that tells him he should obey it.

"A man without a tie is not a gentleman." His grandmother says, puffing out a cloud of smoke.

Liam can feel the irritation bubbling in him, "I am just fine. Thanks."

All eyes in the room turn to look at him like he’d said something inappropriate.

"That's no way to talk to your grandmother, Liam. Apologize!" His mother says. She has always told Liam to be polite and kind to everyone, even when the situation did not call for it.

"Go ahead, Liam. Your gran is waiting." His father says.

This is what Liam despises about his family. The pressure, the intense pressure. There's barely any room to breathe. He can never win with them. As long as he is doing what his family expects from him, they are all ok. Anything a bit out of the line, and they make him feel like a culprit.

"You want me to apologize for not wearing a tie?" Liam asks. He wants his parents to hear how stupid it sounds.

"We want you to apologize for talking back." His mother says.

"For something over a tie." Liam blurts out.

"What is it, Liam? Why are you behaving this way." His father scowls at him.

Liam thinks his parents should thank the Lord above that they think this is crossing a line. They have never met the children who actually cross lines. But then, who even lays down these kinds of lines for their kids? No wonder he and Amelia turned out to be so sneaky. No matter what, he always knows his family is never going to be happy about anything. He is always going to be met with disapproval from them, and he knows his family doesn't even know 10% about him.

Liam shakes his head, "I have a request, and I want you all to please do it for me."

His grandmother chuckles, "You see him, Gerard, you see his audacity."

"Gran, please…"

"What do you want, Liam?" His father says.

Liam takes a nervous gulp. His feet tingle with nervousness. He takes a shaky breath and musters the courage to say the words. "Zayn will be there tonight. I am requesting that you all… not bother him or throw any glances at him."

As difficult as it felt to say, the second the words are out of his chest, he feels lighter. So much lighter.

"What do you mean?" His father's gaze pierces him.

"I know what everyone here feels about him, but trust me, it makes him uncomfortable and… just don't do that," Liam says.

"What did he tell you?" His grandmother asks.

"Nobody has to tell me anything, it is very obvious that you don't like him," Liam says politely. "And I am not askin-"

"I can't be nice to the person who brings shame on my family, because of whom, my grandson is called vicious things." His grandmother spits out.

"Vicious things? What are you talking about?" Liam is surprised.

"She is right! People think you are-" His father says.

"That I am gay?" Liam asks.

His father heaves a sigh, "Yes, it is highly inappropriate." He chugs his entire drink in one go.

"And what if it is true?" Liam asks, looking at his family members one by one.

"What!" His grandmother says, her patience thinning. "It can't be true, not my blood-"

"But it is," Liam says. For a moment, his head feels dizzy. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he can feel the floor spinning. "I am gay."

"Shut up, Liam." His mother intervenes.

"Zayn is my boyfriend. He has been for three years." Liam says.

His father throws his glass at the wall, making a loud noise as the glass shatters into a thousand pieces. His mother looks at him with her mouth wide open. His grandmother grinds her jaw.

"You take those words back, say sorry, and leave the room." His father warns him, anger driving him mad. "I don't want to see your face."

"I-" Liam looks at his family, his heart aching. But no matter how disheartened he feels, a part of him feels liberated. "I love him."

"There's no such thing as a man loving a man." His grandmother says.

"There is, and I know it ‘cos I love a man," Liam says.

"It's not possible. I won't let this happen." She stands up and shouts loudly.

Liam takes a small step backward, trying to avoid the blow of his grandmother's harsh words.

"You get that crap out of your head-"

"I can't change who I am, Gran!" Liam says. "I did not want to come out like this, but you left me no option."

"LIAM!" His father shouts.

The corners of his eyes water, "Why, Father? Why can't you accept it?"

"Because it is not true."

"It is! If you want to keep saying that it is a lie, go ahead, but it will not change who I am." Liam says. "And I do not want anyone of you to treat Zayn the way you’ve been treating him. I love him, I see myself spending my future with him."

"I will never let this happen," His father's words send a chill down his spine.

He has had enough of his parents being difficult to him. He was trying to be polite, he tried to do it in a quiet manner, but they don't seem to understand.

"Then try stopping me! I won't stand another second of anyone saying bad things about him." Liam challenges. He turns on his heel and walks towards the door.

"Trust me, boy, you are not welcome here if you walk out and go to him." His grandmother says coldly.

Liam spots Amelia standing with her hand over her mouth, her eyes tearing. She blinks encouragingly at him, letting him know silently that he has her support and will always.

Liam turns around, "Good to know I can't be myself in my own house. Guess I will have to find another place to live."

"You won't get a single penny from me," His father says. "Ever!"

"Dad!" Amelia says. "Stop."

Liam chuckles, tears falling from his eyes. He turns around and looks at Amelia.

She bites her lips to stop from sobbing. She never wished anything like this for her brother. There's nothing she can say to him, nothing to make him feel better.

Liam shakes his head and walks towards the door.

*

Chapter Text

The royal ballroom is one of the most magnificent rooms in the palace. The room, which is usually decorated in shades of gold and white, looks even more appealing tonight with its red and white flowers. With the entire room lit by thousands of candles on candelabra, the painting on the ceiling looks ethereal. Tables are set on two sides of the room, well-stocked with wine and other alcohol. The middle part of the room is for ballroom dancing.

Louis takes a deep breath and takes a glass of wine from Niall, who is sitting right next to him. He can't spot either Liam or Zayn with their families. He hasn't been in touch with either of his friends this holiday. He was so lost in spending time with Harry that he forgot everything else.

"What are you thinking, Lou?" Niall asks.

"Have you been in touch with Zayn? I haven't heard from him since my birthday." Louis feels a bit ashamed of himself for not checking up on either of his friends. He wonders if they sorted out their differences over the holiday and got back together, since Harry did tell him that Zayn was back at the Academy, as the environment at his place was getting too much for him to handle. Louis had put it on his list to ask him to come and spend the rest of the holidays with them. Dan was more than happy at the thought of having Zayn at home. What surprised Louis was Harry's concern about Zayn living alone. Never did Louis think he would see the day when Harry would have a soft spot, be it a tiny one, for Zayn.

Louis excuses himself and walks towards the table where the Maliks are seated.

Harry watches Louis leaving his table. Wondering why Louis looks a bit concerned, Harry waits for any signal or something from Louis. Maybe they can excuse themselves from the party for a few minutes and meet each other in a dark alley. It would be the highlight of an otherwise very dull evening. Harry feels a thrill at the thought of it. Sneaking out in the middle of a celebration, concealing themselves from curious eyes, and having a few moments of peace to themselves. Yes, he can't wait.

Harry watches as Louis' brows join in confusion. What was Louis talking to Zayn's mother about that baffled him? Louis eyes wander around in the room, and then back to Zayn's mother. Harry gets curious about the conversation. It definitely doesn’t seem like he was exchanging pleasantries. He excuses himself from his table when he sees Louis walk towards the door.

Niall watches Harry follow Louis out of the room. He clutches his drink tightly in his hand as Roy leans down and whispers in his ear.

"Dan Deakin is not present in the room. Neither is Paul."

Niall's eyes shoot up, anger bubbling inside him. He always knew they were up to something. Were they really working with Harry all this time? Or worse, were they working for Arthur Styles all these years?

"What! But Louis came with Dan." Niall says. He’d breathed a huge sigh of relief when Louis had entered the ballroom with Dan. He’d been concerned that if Louis had shown up with Harry, he might have lost his chill.

He shoots one glance at Arthur Styles, who is laughing along with his associates over something. Niall stands up from his chair and decides to follow Harry. What if Louis' life is in danger? He is going to catch that Styles son red-handed and put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

"Lou, wait!" Harry shouts as Louis descends the stairs quickly and hurries out of the palace.

"I have to go, Harry," Louis replies without stopping.

Harry jogs his way in front of Louis, halting him. "Where are you going?"

"To see Zayn. His mother told me they haven't heard from Zayn since Christmas. I don't have a good feeling about this, Harry. I hope he is ok." Louis says, worried about his friend.

Harry holds Louis' shoulders, "He'll be fine, Lou."

"I feel so guilty for not being in touch with him, it's- it's… I will just go, see him in person, and then come back. Maybe ask him to come with me and then bring him home." Louis runs out of words.

"Lou," Harry says softly. "Let's go together."

Louis raises his head and his mouth drops open at the words. Louis knows Harry can't tell him anything else -- there's nothing in the world that will comfort him except for seeing Zayn in the flesh in front of him. And Harry choosing to accompany him is more than he could have asked for.

Louis nods. But before they can take another step, a pigeon flies close to them and sits on Harry's shoulder. Harry frowns. Louis recognizes the pigeon as the one Harry brought with him to the Academy last year.

"The fuck is this?" Louis whispers as Harry unties the thread around the pigeon's neck. There's a scroll tied to its center.

Harry reads the words written on it: 'Angus Baldwin'. His eyes widen.

Harry looks at Louis, "We have to find Paul first."

"What is that thing?" Louis asks, as Harry takes Louis' hand and walks towards the gates of the palace.

"Bloody messenger pigeon!" Niall mutters as he sees the pigeon flying away after Harry had read whatever was written on the scroll. He hands the binoculars back to Roy. His eyes dart towards the open balcony on the second floor, where Dan is standing, looking at something. Niall grinds his teeth and walks inside to get ahold of Dan.

Harry and Louis walk towards Paul's office, Louis trying to keep up with Harry's hurried pace. From the other side of the hallway, Paul walks towards them with torches in hand.

"My sources at the port told me that Angus Baldwin arrived in the city an hour ago. He must be headed to the palace. We need to catch him this time." Paul says, not wasting a moment, not even bothering with greetings.

"How do we know it's him? It could be anyone." Harry says.

"Who is Angus Baldwin?" Louis asks, confused.

"He was my mother's bodyguard, who I told you has been missing since she died. But we also think he was the one who attacked the Academy." Harry replies. He takes the torches from Paul, hands one to Louis, and keeps one for himself.

"What? Why did you never tell me about that part before?" Louis looks at Harry, annoyed and baffled.

"Louis! We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to catch him." Harry says.

Louis throws his hands in the air, "You know what? I am not getting involved in this unless you tell me everything. I am tired of being in the dark all the time." Louis takes a step back. "I am leaving."

Harry grabs Louis' hand tightly, "No way! Louis, he might still be out to kill you. You are not leaving my side tonight." Harry pulls Louis towards himself. Louis struggles to be released. "Please Lou, I promised to keep you safe. Just tonight, please, just stay with me tonight. You can decide what you want to do when the sun rises."

Louis looks into Harry's eyes. For the first time, he sees a flicker of fear in them. All his life, Louis has had so few people who were worried about his safety, his life. Never has anyone looked so genuinely worried about Louis' well-being. Never has anyone been so determined not to let any harm come his way as Harry is.

Louis nods.

"Zayn!" they hear a distant voice. Harry and Louis snap their heads in the direction of the sound. "Zayn!"

Louis takes a step towards the sound.

Liam appears in the passage, looking hopeless, his eyes teary, and holding a diary in his hand.

"Liam, what happened?" Paul rushes towards him, and so does Louis.

"Where's Zayn?" Liam asks, frightened. His eyes bore into Paul’s. "I can't find him."

"I haven't seen him around in two days. I thought he went back home," Paul says.

"He's not at home, I just talked to Mrs. Malik," Louis says.

Liam's mouth opens and tears fall from his eyes. "How could you let him go, Paul?"

"What are you holding?" Harry asks.

Liam opens the book to the page that Zayn wrote on last, and holds it out for the rest of them to read.

"We have to find him. Where is he?" Liam chokes out. "It's all my fault."

Harry lets out a breath, confused as to what to do, "Liam, we will find him. But right now, we have other pressing issues."

Liam grabs Harry's collar, "Why are you so insensitive."

"I am not," Harry pushes Liam back. "We'll find him after we have grabbed the one who attacked the Academy."

"Harry is right," Louis says. He gently takes Liam's face in his hands. "I promise."

"What is Harry saying?" Liam asks.

Louis takes a deep breath, "I am not too sure about that myself. But just come with us, and we'll find Zayn afterward."

"If- if anything happened to Zayn… I'll never forgive myself." Liam says, tears streaming down his face.

"Nothing will happen to him," Louis says.

Niall stands with his hands crossed over his chest. He looks at Dan, who is frightened, and Niall can tell it is not because he is being cornered by the prince of this kingdom. There's something else going on, something serious.

"Tell me everything, from start to finish…" Niall says, making it clear that he is not up for any more games or lies. He needs the truth, and he will get it out of Dan, whatever it takes.

Standing outside the door of the secret passage, Louis takes a deep breath. Harry opens the door and switches on his torch. It is pitch black inside. Louis' nose wrinkles as the disgusting smell approaches them. Louis hates it. He wonders if there is any way to avoid going in there again. Maybe he can go back home and stay there. He'll be safe at home.

"Let's go!" Paul says.

They all step inside, Louis holding Liam's hand. Liam is skeptical about what is happening, but Louis had seemed determined, and so he decided to follow. He prays that Zayn is safe and promises himself that he’ll never let him go again. Flashbacks of their argument on Louis' birthday keep running through his head. His shoulders drop as he thinks about what a fool he was. Of course, there could have been a middle way. A place where they both could have been happy and in peace with each other's choices. Right now, he wonders if all that drama over a person had even been necessary.

As they proceed further, something gets caught beneath Paul's foot and makes a scratching sound on the floor. They all look towards his foot, throwing light on it, as Paul lifts his foot up. Something shiny reflects the light thrown on it. Liam bends down to pick it up.

"Whose is that?" Liam says, inspecting it and trying to remember if he ever saw it.

Harry looks at it closely, "It's Zayn's. His mother gave it to him on Christmas."

All faces turn to look at Harry, the color of Liam's face evaporating. "What is it doing here?" Liam whispers.

Louis turns Liam around and takes his face in his hands, "Look, if his bracelet is here, then it is proof that he came here. There's only one place the passage goes to. We can look for him there."

Paul gets suspicious, "But why did he never come back to look for his bracelet? Unless he is still there."

Liam stutters, "What is he-"

Harry cuts him off, "Liam, just focus. Focus for the next hour or so. There are not many hiding places in the palace. And he is surely not lost there, no one can get lost in the palace." Liam looks directly into Harry's eyes, hope rising in his chest. "We will find him," Harry assures him.

*

Chapter Text

One by one, they all step out of the secret passage without making a sound. Louis looks around carefully, trying to hear any suspicious sounds, or see any movement. They have decided to split up Liam will go towards the prison cells in search of Zayn, while the others search for Angus Baldwin.

When Harry saw Zayn's bracelet lying on the ground, he had a suspicion that someone had captured him, and that someone must definitely work in the palace. If Zayn was out there in the world on his own, there's no way he wouldn't have come back for his bracelet. He’d loved it very much. Harry asked Liam to check the torture chamber, and if Zayn is not there, then they will think about other places.

Paul had received a pager message from Dan, informing him that Angus was headed towards the royal burial ground. Paul had left immediately, but he’d asked Harry and Louis to take another route, so they don't lose Angus.

Louis can feel his heart hammering inside his chest as he watches Liam walk towards the darkest corner of the gallery. Harry had already warned him about the steep stairs, and that he should keep his guard up. Paul had handed Liam a baton for self-protection.

"I should go with him," Louis whispers. He doesn't have a good feeling about this. The entire area looks ominous and is worryingly silent. To him, it feels like something is wrong, but he simply can't put a finger on it.

"No! You stay with me." Harry says in a warning tone.

"Something feels wrong," Louis says. His mouth goes dry as he speaks it out loud.

Harry looks at his concerned face and says softly, "We will make it right." With that, Harry takes Louis' hand and proceeds towards the stairs.

Both Harry and Louis know there's no use in hiding from the guards; there's no change of shift or anything. And if they try to act sneaky around them, they might get into more trouble. Instead, they both casually walk towards the burial ground. Louis looks around as they walk, and he can't help but notice that the security is sparse as compared to other days. He wonders if most of the security is around the royal ballroom, but he hadn’t seen a lot of them there either. For the first time in his life, he spots his own security following him, weapons readily at hand. He can tell something is definitely not right.

"Your fucking security," Harry grinds his teeth.

Louis stops mid-step and turns to look at Harry, eyes wide, "They saw us entering the Academy. How did they know I would be here?"

Harry swivels his head around, looking for some sign, something to tell him what exactly is going on. He takes a nervous gulp and reaches inside his pocket. He has no idea what will happen in the next five minutes, but watching Louis' security all alert and ready to pounce on him, he has the faint idea that if he puts even a toe out of his shoe, his life will be over. He slips his arm around Louis' waist and pulls him closer to his chest.

Louis looks at him, frightened, confusion clouding his face.

Harry tugs Louis' suit jacket and bends down to kiss his cheek, his hands grabbing Louis' waist tightly.

"No matter what happens, don't give up," Harry says. He can feel Louis taking nervous breaths. He pulls at the belt of Louis' pants and slips something hard and cold through it. "Your dagger! In any case, don't think twice before saving your own life. If it calls for blood, then so be it."

"Harry!" Louis' voice shakes.

Harry takes his face between his hands, "I'll protect you. But if something happens to me, save yourself first." Harry can see the corners of Louis' eyes watering. With the pads of his thumbs, he touches Louis' cheeks. He can feel Louis' breath on his chin, along with all his worries and concerns. How badly Harry wants to run away right now with Louis. Away from this, all this madness, all this scheming, and all these mysteries. In another world, a better world, he is holding Louis' hand and watching his beautiful face, smiling when Louis’ face lights up with a smile, and spending his life peacefully with him.

"Why are you saying this?" Louis chokes. "We will be alright."

Harry wants to agree with him, but a part of him refuses to agree and believe in what Louis is saying. He bites his lip, wondering why he is so scared to lose his life, or even anything, when merely a few months ago, he hadn’t worried about any of it. He had survived an entire week in the woods after he jumped from the Academy the night of the attack, before he’d gotten the message that the coast was clear for him to sneak into Paul's house. He has spent time in those dark rooms of the library. He has done things, survived many things, without even a care. But for the first time, he can feel himself getting scared, getting nervous. He knows that if it comes down to a fight, there is no way he will survive. He is alone, and he is a 'Styles' in a place that hates every single 'Styles'. He is outnumbered.

Somehow, he is glad Louis' security is around to keep him safe. At least he will die knowing Louis will be ok. He bends down and seals Louis' lips with his. For all he knows, this could be the last time he ever kisses Louis Tomlinson. All those nights over the last four years, when he stayed up just to look at Louis' face, he always wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Until he realized it would never happen.

When he first saw Louis, something inside his chest had flipped. He could never believe that the very confused, scared, blue-eyed boy, with the most beautiful eyelashes and messy hair, was the heir to the kingdom. Louis looked like a scared kitten, and all Harry had wanted to do was wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe. The first time Louis spoke to him, Harry was clueless as to how he could ever bring himself to be so mean to the boy with the voice of an angel. He desired to hear Louis' voice first thing in the morning, and the last thing before falling asleep. But it wasn’t till he heard Louis laughing that Harry knew there was no turning back, that he was in too deep for Louis Tomlinson. There would be times when they both went days without talking to each other. And when Harry was dying to hear his voice, or have Louis' unbridled attention on him, he would try to make Louis' life miserable. Louis' angry shouting would keep him fed for days, until he starved for more.

One thing Harry knew well: he would never have enough of Louis.

These last four years have been a constant battle with himself to stay mean to Louis, something that took more energy than the universe could muster. Not a single day passed by that Harry didn't feel like giving up and not being mean to Louis. He was always so close to giving up.

When their lips part, because of a need for air, Louis' eyes are watering. Harry so badly wants to say those words to Louis, words that have been on his lips for the past four years. But he can’t bring himself to say them. A voice inside him tells him that it will be better if Louis never hears those words. There will be nothing to keep Louis from moving on after him, nothing that will tie Louis to him. All he wants is for Louis to have a good life. A life filled with love and care.

Harry's pigeon flies over and sits on Harry's shoulder. Harry takes a deep breath and shakes his head to clear his mind. Harry searches the pigeon for any piece of information. The pigeon spreads its wings and flies towards the burial ground.

Harry takes Louis' hand in his, and they both follow the pigeon.

Liam can smell something in the air, something musty, moldy, mixed with sweat and what smells like blood. The air feels dense, and he can feel the walls closing in. The passage gets even narrower than he imagined. He wonders if there really is something down here, or if Harry was simply messing with him. There's no way Zayn would have come here if he’d been in his right mind. It's too dark to see without proper light, and he knows Zayn doesn’t do well in enclosed places.

Suddenly, he hears something, a faint groan. The hairs on the nape of his neck rise. Pausing in his tracks, he waits for the sound to come again. He can't make out if it was from a human or an animal. He can feel his own breath, his heart beating wildly. He throws his light ahead and is met with a wall that takes a sharp curve. The groan reaches him again. The groan was broken, like a cry coming from a wounded animal. He braces himself, holds his baton tightly, and gets ready to face whatever is hiding there.

Taking the turn, he is met with steeply descending stairs. Standing at the landing, he can see light coming from down there. He takes the steps quietly without making a sound. As he approaches nearer, the volume of the groan increases. He can hear it clearly now. His heart jumps to his throat. The sound doesn't seem to be coming from an animal.

Before he can take another step forward, someone covers his mouth from behind and says, "Make a sound and you are dead. Drop whatever you are holding."

Liam follows the command and drops his baton and torch. It falls on the floor, making a sound that reverberates around. Liam raises his hands, giving whoever captured him the idea that he has given up and cannot attack anyone. Broad hands push him inside. He takes careful steps, his eyes flickering around, making a mental note of his surroundings. The groaning turns into words.

"Water!" someone says. To Liam, it sounds like someone is deeply injured and is begging.

Liam can see the lights ahead getting brighter. He can see another curve approaching. In the corner of his eye, he tries to look at the person holding him. Without missing a beat, he turns around and kicks the person in his stomach. The person, dressed in all black, with the kingdom's sigil on his chest, falls to the floor. Liam realizes that he is wearing a guard's uniform. All of Liam's senses are on alert. He makes out some barely audibly footsteps approaching from behind him. He ducks down and avoids an attack. He punches the second attacker and he takes a step backward. He realizes that he is backing into whatever room is ahead, and that there might not be any way out.

Helpless coughing reaches him.

"Who are you?" Liam asks. Before he can turn and avoid their incoming attacks, he is surrounded by five guards. The guards stop him from moving even an inch with swords at his back.

"Not a moment too soon, Liam Payne." Someone says. The voice comes from the way he’d entered. He can see the person approaching.

He grinds his jaw too hard, his palms closing into tight fists when he sees the who person comes to stand in front of him.

"Capture him." Arthur Edward Styles says in a cold, malevolent voice, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his cigar. A huge diamond pendant in the shape of a sigil from the time of King Edward sits around his neck. With a black velvet double-breasted overcoat and black pointy shoes, he clearly looks like the villain that he has always seemed to Liam.

Liam hates himself for falling for Harry's trick. He can't believe he has been such an idiot. Mentally, he prepares himself to fight Harry to death whenever he sees him next. The hate inside him is bubbling so much that he can taste it on his tongue. As Liam is taken towards one of the cells, he looks around, trying to find out where the groaning sound is coming from and start to plan his escape. No way can he be captured, especially not by Arthur Edward Styles.

"I have a gift for you, Liam," Arthur says.

Liam turns around to see him. The evil smile on Arthur's face makes Liam even angrier. Arthur makes a gesture to the guards, who push him towards the last cell.

"You will pay for this," Liam says through his teeth. As he is led inside the cell, his heart drops to the floor.

Zayn is standing against the wall. His legs are shackled, and his hands are tied to either side of the wall by chains. His eyes are bruised, and there is dried blood around the corner of his mouth. His clothes are torn, wet and dirty. He looks pale, and his head hangs down.

"Oh my God, Zayn!" Liam rushes to his side and holds his face gently in his hands. "Baby, I'm here…" He says softly, the pads of his thumbs caressing Zayn’s bruised cheeks. Zayn does not even acknowledge him. His eyes are closed, and up close, his skin looks blue.

Liam quickly reaches for the chains that are tying Zayn's hands and fiddles with them. He pulls them, tugs on the locks, trying everything to open them. "Unchain him, now!" He throws out the order, but nobody moves an inch.

Liam turns around and shouts at Arthur, "What did you do to him?" Liam takes a step in his direction but is held back by the guards.

"He was eavesdropping, a lesson had to be taught," Arthur says.

"How dare you? You and your son are a disgrace to the entire kingdom." Liam says.

Arthur laughs loudly, "Calm down."

"If you think my father and his men won't be looking for me if I go missing, you are entirely wrong," Liam says.

"Li…" Zayn manages to whisper.

Liam turns and takes Zayn's face in his hands. "Babe, I'll get us out soon. I'll do everything-"

"Your… fah..ther-" Zayn manages to speak.

"Yes, he'll be here to get us out of here soon. I'll get you out soon. Trust me-" Liam tries to reassure Zayn. His mind immediately starts calculating how many guards he can fight without a weapon. If he can manage to snatch a sword from one of the guards, there's a good chance he can get them both out of here.

"He is-" Zayn cries in pain.

"Can you fucking get some water," Liam turns to the guards nearest him and shouts at them.

"He is… going to kill… Harry," Zayn says.

"I'll kill Harry before anyone else does. He deserves to die at my hand." Liam says.

Zayn shakes his head, "No, your father is involved with Arthur." Zayn says, tears running from his swollen eyes.

Liam freezes. His hands drop to his sides and his mouth hangs open. His can't believe what Zayn is saying. He thinks that maybe Zayn is not in his right mind, and he is saying bullshit. There's no way his father could be working with Arthur.

No fucking way.

Zayn takes a deep breath and finds some energy, "They are… arrggghhhh." Zayn winces in pain. He manages to utter some words despite being in agony, "… going to kill Harry."

*

Chapter Text

The path that Harry and Louis take goes through the royal orchard, which is denser and darker than any other part of the palace grounds. They try to make sure not to miss any signs of suspicious movement. Louis wonders if he should ask his security to help them. But they don't have the time to stop or do any kind of explaining. Louis looks around, his eyes scanning their surroundings like a hawk.

Louis turns his head to look at the palace and realizes they have come far away from it. He can still spot his security. He really wants to ask them why they have weapons in their hands, and who gave them those orders. As far as he remembers, they only have orders to follow him around like ghosts and never come into his line of sight. It is not the first time he’s walked next to Harry, so why are they suddenly ready to attack?

A crunching sound comes from somewhere to their left. Both Harry and Louis turn toward the sound and wait for another movement or noise. Amidst the sound of crickets and cold silence, Harry and Louis look around carefully.

When the sound doesn't come for another few seconds, Harry takes a deep breath, "Show your face."

Nothing moves for another few seconds, and there’s no other sound. Louis reaches for his dagger, holding the hilt tightly.

The sound of dry leaves crunching starts again and from behind an apple tree comes a man wearing a black cloak over black cargo pants. The man approaches them and removes the hood of his cloak. A sly smile is on his face, his eyes are as dark as night, and a scar runs along the right side of his face from his temple to the corner of his lips.

"Harry Edward Styles, I have been waiting to meet you." The man says. His eyes are fixed on Harry.

Harry looks at him carefully, trying to figure out if he remembers his face. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't remember. "Angus Baldwin!" He says confidently. He can't be anyone else but the person Harry has been looking for.

The man nods.

"Why are you here?" Harry demands.

Angus chuckles, "Well, you have been looking for me. I had to show up."

Louis looks at him, trying to figure out what is going on. Why the hell is Angus showing up for no reason? Is this a setup?

Harry waits quietly for Angus to talk further. He is not going to ask him fifty questions; he'll let him do the talking.

"You see, when I learned that someone was looking for me, it got me thinking: who could it be? I tried so hard to figure it out, but I couldn't. I had to take extreme measures. I left a bag of money for you to find, so I could learn who on earth was after me." Angus takes a step closer to them.

"I'll give you your money if you tell me-" Harry is cut off mid-sentence by Angus.

Angus laughs, "Oh, I don't want that money, because after I finish my next job, I will be rolling in money."

"And what's your next job?" Harry asks, his eyes boring into Angus'.

The smile on Angus' face widens, "To kill you." He takes another step towards Harry, "Johannah's son will merely be a casualty."

Before anyone could process his words, Louis takes out his dagger and swings Angus around, placing the dagger against his jugular vein. He grabs Angus’ wrists tightly with his free hand.

"Alright, enough out of you," Louis says, holding Angus in place from behind. The point of Louis' dagger digs into Angus’ neck.

Like clockwork, the guards immediately hold Harry in place by putting their swords against his neck. Harry can feel the sharpness of the blades from all sides. He slowly raises his hands up so the guards can see that he is weapon-free and that he cannot attack. They both can sense a few other guards rising from the shadows, their swords in their hands. They are captured, surrounded by guards.

Louis looks at Harry, and Harry assures him that he is ok with an ever-so-slight nod that only Louis can see.

"Who sent you?" Louis demands.

"You both will die," Angus says.

"We'll see about that. Now start talking before I spill your blood." Louis says. He mentally tries to calculate how many men they can each individually takedown.

"If you kill me, you will never get your answers," Angus says.

Harry's eyes carefully scope out the entire area, looking at every tree, planning his combat moves in his mind. They have to get out of this alive.

"Oh, I will get them. Trust me, I will." Louis says with conviction in his voice, his dagger slicing Angus’ skin.

"You can’t win. These guards will kill you, they have orders to do so." Angus says.

Louis has to laugh. The corner of Harry's mouth curls into a smile.

"I have no idea what you have heard about us, but if you think we can't beat some guards, you are highly mistaken. You are trying to mess with the two best fighters the Academy has ever seen." Louis says with pride. He meets Harry's eyes and continues, "That's Harry Edward Styles and Louis William Tomlinson to you. We don't back down, we fight."

Harry looks at him proudly. Their eyes meet and a silent conversation takes place. In the corner of his eye, Harry watches the guard on his left. He waits for a heartbeat before kicking the guard in his stomach, snatching his sword, and slashing at another guard's chest. Two guards cover him from the front and side, while additional guards crowd nearer. Harry takes a forward stance, one hand ready to defend while the one with the sword is ready to attack.

"Stop!" Niall shouts loudly, walking towards them. Neither Harry nor Louis lose their holds on their weapons or shift their attention from the guards or Angus.

"Drop your weapons," Roy commands.

Harry carefully moves his eyes to look at Niall. He finds Niall’s henchman, Dan, Paul and several guards behind him. Paul nods at Harry, giving him a cue that it is ok to drop them now. The guards step back and slowly, so does Harry, not taking his eyes off the guards, still being vigilant about the motions around him.

"I said weapons down." Roy looks at Louis, who still has his dagger against Angus's neck and shows no sign of letting his captive go.

Louis looks at Roy from head to toe, "I, the prince of this kingdom, won't ever take an order from a henchman."

Niall raises his hand to stop Roy, gesturing at him to step back.

Louis' gaze bores into Niall’s, "What's going on, Niall?"

Niall looks at the anger on Louis' face, "I am trying to find out too."

"Why is he here to kill us?" Louis asks.

Niall approaches Angus, "Tell us, who do you work for?"

"What do I get in return?" Angus asks.

"Maybe a bit of mercy at the time of your execution," Niall says. "Tell us everything."

"Fine. But first, free me from his grip." Angus says.

"You are in no place to make demands," Louis says. "Either you start talking, or I will take you to the torture chamber and get you talking."

"Fine!" Angus says. "It all started with a note from …"

*

Chapter Text

Niall walks towards his father's office, his mind clouded with confusion and hate. The guards open the door to the office and Niall steps inside. He finds his father standing by the window, gazing out. He remembers the day he first came here. His father was looking out of this same window, restless and begging him to go back. He has never been more thankful for making the right decision.

The door closes behind him, and he takes several more steps towards his father.

"How is Mom still not ok, even after years and years of treatment?" Niall questions him. Ever since he came back, he has been wondering about this, but what does he know about mental illness and its treatment? He realizes now that her condition has only worsened.

Lord James turns around to face his son. Tears are streaming down his face, but no words come out in reply.

"Are you tampering with her medication and treatment?" Niall asks without any hesitation in his voice. "Were you trying to kill her just like you killed my grandfather, my aunt, and uncle?"

"So you know the truth now," Lord James says with defeat in his voice, his shoulders sagging.

"I am so ashamed of myself right now," Niall says. "I feel disgusted in my own skin. So, before I do something unforgivable, tell me: why did you do it?" Niall’s voice rises into a shout. “ Tell me, so that I can face my cousin and explain to him why my father gave him the life of an orphan?"

Lord James takes a few shaky steps towards his son, "I did everything for you. The king wanted Johannah to take the throne. Her and her incapable husband. Nobody even remembers him. Her son would have ruled the kingdom. How could I let this happen when Mary was the older child? The throne belongs to her."

"No, the throne belongs to the one who is capable of running the country. And I do remember Mom telling me that she was never interested in running the country."

Lord James shakes his head, "She was being polite. Everyone always praised Johannah. She always overshadowed Mary."

"My mother never had such a feeling, you did. And it cost this family deeply."

"Why are you acting like this, Niall? Aren't you happy that you will rule this kingdom? Everything will be yours. The power, the wealth… you name it, and you will have it." Lord James says.

Niall doesn't say anything, just looks at his father in disgust.

"I thought we’d gotten rid of the entire family that night, but no. Her son had to survive. I still have no idea how, or who saved him. Didn't hear about him for years. I thought that we had gotten rid of him for good. Maybe the child had died after someone tried to save him from the fire."

Lord James takes a few steps and falls into his chair, "But no, years later, a letter had to come and haunt me. If I had gotten the letter first, I would have finished Louis before anyone knew that he was alive. But of course, that peasant of a doctor got it. What other option did I have, but to let him into the kingdom? One look at him and all I could see was Johannah. And in my head, I could hear everyone praising her."

Lord James grinds his teeth, "I tried to get rid of him a second time, by sending Angus and his attackers, but he survived again. I have no idea what that kid is made of, or why destiny always favors him. How he always survives the worst. Here he is: alive, breathing, no harm to him." His frustration is very palpable.

The entire room falls silent, not a single sound.

"I told your mother that you were her son. And told her that she should be proud and tell everyone about it. And she did." Lord James smiles. "It would have been easy. The attackers go in, kill him, get rid of him. We all live in peace."

"But why are you trying to harm your wife? She did nothing." Niall tries to hold back his tears.

"I can't take any chances. She loved Johannah way too much to never probe into her death. Besides, she fell into a depression when she heard the news about her family and you. I just slipped a few drops of a toxin into her tea every day that negates the effects of her medicine, so that she never gets better."

Niall can feel a sour taste on his tongue. He cannot even think clearly, let alone form a sentence. His shoulders sag. Never has he felt so helpless, so defeated. Defeat by betrayal is the worst kind. If anything, his father taught him that. There's nothing left for him to say to his father. He only has one thing left: to never be like him. To be a better person.

The door of the office opens and a number of guards enter the room. Lord James looks at them in fright.

Niall says, "If you knew how to add two and two, you would have figured out who saved Louis all those years ago, and who saved Louis a few months back."

Niall gestures to the guards to capture him.

Lord James stands up from his chair and takes several steps back, "You cannot do this to me, Niall. I am your father. And I had all good intentions, I did everything for you." Fear is palpable in his eyes and voice.

Niall turns on his heel in an attempt to hide his incoming tears from the traitor.

"Son, listen to me-" Lord James shouts as the guards approach him.

Niall finds Roy standing in front of him, worry written all over his face. Roy gently nods towards Niall, letting him know that he will take care of everything. Niall closes his fists at his sides, his nails digging into his skin. He manages to take a few steps, and with a heavy heart, he walks out of the office to the sound of his father’s voice calling him back.

Liam looks at his father with a blank face. He cannot believe e verything he’s heard. How could his father do something like this? Be involved in something like this?

"Harry needs to die, son," Gerard says. "That's the only way we can defeat Arthur. That's the only way he will forget the throne and leave us alone."

Liam swallows the lump in his throat, "You know I hated Harry all my life. I hated everything he did. But in the past few days, I have been thinking about why I hate him, and I cannot find any reason other than the hate you have taught me." Liam shakes his head, "I can't agree, Father. I have morals."

Liam turns around and starts putting futile effort into unchaining Zayn. Tears fall from his eyes, "Let Zayn go!"

"He knows too much, we can't let him go." Gerard Payne says. "He is a risk to us all."

"So is your son, Payne." Arthur Styles says, entering the room, his footsteps making loud noises against the floor.

"You won't touch my son." Payne challenges him.

"If anything happens to mine, I'll make sure yours doesn't get out of here alive. You and James are highly mistaken if you think of yourselves as the clever ones."

"Your son is after Angus. He needs to be killed."

"You and James want to get rid of me. If I go down, I am taking this entire kingdom with me." Arthur's tone carries a promise in it.

Liam looks at both of them, confusion clouding his mind.

There are more approaching footsteps, growing louder by the second. It feels like they are getting raided. Too many footsteps, too loud a sound. They all turn their heads towards the entrance, not sure what is coming their way.

Harry enters first, a sword in his hand, followed by Louis. Dan and Paul immediately look for Liam and approach him to help free Zayn. Anger is emanating from Harry's demeanor. He takes quick steps towards Arthur and slashes his coat in one swipe.

"You killed my mother?" Harry says, his eyes red from tears and anger.

A few guards step in to hold Harry back.

"She became a threat." Arthur fixes his collar, not a single speck of remorse on his face.

"Worse than you?" Harry says loudly. He looks straight into his father's eyes and points at Angus who held captive by the guards, "You asked him to poison my mother slowly for years." Harry takes another step forward. "You fucking did that. Why?"

"She learned that James and I were the ones who conspired together to kill the former king, Johannah, and her husband," Arthur says, and then immediately realizes what he has just said out loud.

Louis feels devoid of any emotion. He feels like there is nothing he can feel at this moment.

The earth beneath Harry's feet shatters. The color of his face disappears. He has always thought that his father might have been involved, but to hear him admit to it out loud makes Harry queasy. Somewhere within him, he’d secretly hoped his father wasn't any of the things that he’d believed he was.

The silence in the room is so profound that a single sharp breath of Arthur’s reverberates through it.

Harry raises his sword and settles its point at Arthur's throat. He says in a cold, threatening voice. "The truth, now!"

Arthur can feel the rage pouring out of his son's eyes. He might not know him very well, but he knows Harry loved Ebenezer a lot, and even after so many years, he is still mourning her death. Harry is the scariest person he knows and Arthur realizes that at this moment, his son won't hesitate in avenging his mother's death.

Arthur sighs, "I always had a hunger to run this kingdom, no one was unaware of that. One day, James came to me and told me that he would help me get back the kingdom. In return, I would keep him in luxury for the rest of his life. I agreed. But we had to get rid of the hurdles in my path. We planned to start the fire that would eliminate everyone in line for the throne. James said he knew the right person to help us start the fire. We wrote a letter to Angus and recruited him as a servant in James' chambers. I deceived everyone to the room under construction, and Angus sparked the wiring."

Louis feels dizzy. He squats down, covers his face with his hands, and breaks into sobs.

"After that, James took over the kingdom as its Lord. He left me high and dry. He betrayed me, and I wouldn't let him get away with it. When Ebenezer heard us arguing, she promised to keep it to herself. But we both knew she wouldn’t. She would have gone public with it one day." Arthur takes a gulp and feels the sharp pain of the sword tip slicking his skin. "Every day, she became more and more of a threat. I got Angus installed as a member of her security detail and asked him to slowly poison her every day. James knew about it."

Harry says, "She would have done the right thing." Tears fall from Harry's eyes. He nudges the sword slightly forward, making Arthur gasp in pain.

Arthur continues, "We asked Angus to leave the country and never show his face again. When Louis came back, it didn’t settle well with any of us. We wanted to get rid of him, and so James called Angus back to Scotland and gave him the order to attack the Academy." Arthur grits his teeth, "But guess what, Angus had more than one job. Along with Louis, he had orders to kill you, too. So James could eliminate everyone and rule this kingdom without anyone stopping him. But I was never going to stand for that. I'll kill everyone who took away my throne-"

"We lost the throne a century back," Harry says loudly.

"They took it unfairly," Arthur tries to argue.

"This is how it works. You lose your kingdom, you have no right to it. If you want it back, you win it. That's the law." Harry says, wondering how blinded his father had been by the throne, that he couldn’t even see beyond it.

"I thought you were dead when I did not hear from you for five months," Arthur says.

"I wish I were," Harry drops his sword and his body goes slack. The guards holding him back slowly let go of him. "You killed my mother? You took her away from me?" Harry whispers. Tears cloud his eyes. "You took away the only one who cared about me. Why?"

Arthur's eyes fall to the ground. Harry continues, "You never once thought that I'd miss her? You never thought it would haunt me, not knowing how she died? You never thought about how I'd grow up without her?" He grabs Arthur by the collar.

Tears break free like a flood from Harry's eyes. A loud screech escapes him, "Mum!" he slides down to his father's feet. The helpless pained cry leaves him, filling the entire room with his sobs.

In Mary's chamber, she feels helpless when she sees her son crying his eyes out on her shoulder. She holds him tighter. She has no idea what had caused her son to barge into her room and scatter all her medicine. He has been crying ever since, and she doesn't know how to stop him.

"Niall, it'll be alright, son," Mary says, running her hand over Niall's back, trying to calm him down. "I will make everything right for you."

She looks around for help, "Help me. I don't know what to do." Mary says while trying to calm down her son. "What happened? Tell me." She breaks into sobs just from looking at him cry.

A loud wail from outside reaches her. The entire palace is filled with Harry's cry.

"What is happening? Tell me." The panic in Mary's voice grows louder. She holds Niall tightly, "Son, you are fine with me. I'll protect you, I will."

"Call the doctor! Dan, do something." Liam says, panicking about Zayn as they take him to the hospital’s ICU. "He has a high fever." Zayn's intense shivering won't stop, even after they wrap him in four blankets. The hospital lights hurt Liam's eyes. He frantically looks around for a doctor.

He finds Amelia rushing towards them, her hair a mess, tears running down her face, "Amelia, save Zayn." He takes Amelia's hand in his, "You will save him, right? I can't lose him, Amelia, I have lost so much tonight." He chokes, "I can’t lose Zayn. Please do something, Amelia."

Her sobs grow louder and she falls to the floor on her knees. That's when Liam sees the guards behind her, ready to take them both into custody. It doesn’t escape him that his father was involved in a series of crimes and that they will have to surrender everything. Worse, they will be thrown out of the kingdom.

The guards find Harry leaning on his mother's grave and crying helplessly. His painful cries would have melted stone. No matter how hard the guards try, Harry won’t budge. He holds onto the grave and won’t let go. Roy eventually gives the order to leave him alone to grieve and to take him into custody after he’s done.

At Dan's place, Louis holds his parents’ picture to his chest and cries until he passes out.

*

Chapter Text

Six months later

Harry's footsteps echo through the corridors of the Styles Mansion. His fingers lightly brush over the walls of the place where he had spent most of his life. These walls hold the secret of Harry's pain throughout the years. He comes to stand in front of the room where his mother's belongings had been kept. Slowly, he turns the knob, and the door makes a light creaking sound as it opens wide. The room is filled with light from the window, dust dancing in the air like Harry had disturbed the peace of the room. He looks around the room, which is mostly empty apart from rugs and furniture. Two months back, Harry had given most of his mother's belongings to the museum that was to be made in her memory in the Academy.

There's nothing in the room that he can feel attached to. Nothing that he feels emotional about. With one last glance around, he walks out of the room, leaving the door open. Harry walks towards his father's room. Opening the door, he looks around. The room is empty, not a single piece of furniture or object. The walls are still blackened with traces of soot. The smell of smoke still lingers in the air.

Since everything that happened on that fateful New Year's Eve, Harry hasn't been the same. He has always been the kind of person who spends most of his time by himself, but after that, it had gotten worse. First, Harry hadn’t even entered his family’s house for two months and had barely talked to anyone, not even Louis. He’d had a particularly violent episode when he entered his house for the first time. He tore, shattered and burned down all his father's belongings. He burned the family portrait and threw stuff around the room. The staff of the Styles Mansion had to call Louis from Dan's place. When Louis came, he found Harry standing in the middle of the room, barefoot, with broken glass around his feet. Some clothes and the bed were on fire not too far away. Louis calmly coaxed Harry out of the room, shards of glass slicing Harry's feet as he went. Dan gave him a sedative and tended his wounds, and Louis cried his eyes out, feeling helpless.

At first, Louis had thought Harry needed some time, but later, he decided that this wasn’t normal behavior, and there was no way he was letting Harry hurt himself like that again. He dragged Harry into therapy with him. It took Harry weeks before he opened up to his therapist and talked about everything that hurt him.

Even after six months, Harry is still not quite over any of it. He still sometimes wakes up in a cold sweat, or tears start falling from his eyes at random moments. And through it all, Louis has been with him, like a rock. Always there for him, giving him the space he needs, and hugging him close to his chest when that’s what Harry needs the most. One thing Louis knows is that Harry may be able to subdue the pain, maybe forget most of it, but he can never run away from the person the pain has molded him into. And it is going to take years before Harry gets even close to normal.

Descending the stairs, taking every step slowly, his eyes scan the entire house, looking for something that makes him feel attached to it. For the last two days, he has been through every inch of the house, looking for a piece of himself somewhere. But there’s nothing; he can't find anything that is emotionally attached to him. He walks towards the portrait of his mother, bows down, picks up the keys from the table, and walks out of the house without turning back.

Niall is standing by the window of his room, gazing out. The day is sunny and warm, a very good day for his coronation. The ceremony will be held in the great hall of the palace, and the people of the country are overjoyed. The whole country has been celebrating, and it feels festive. There are decorations and lights everywhere. The country is going to have their king after two decades. It definitely calls for a celebration.

Yet, Niall cannot feel that same joy. He can feel the great number of things and relationships he has lost, just so he could sit on that throne. And worse, he never asked for such violence. A knock on the door brings him out of his reverie. He allows the person to come in.

Louis enters the room with a slight smile and a small rectangular red box in his hands.

Niall lights up upon seeing his cousin. Over the past few months, Louis has stepped up and taken on the responsibilities of the kingdom. When the first ray of sunlight fell across the kingdom on the 1st of January, Louis had stepped inside the palace and taken matters into his own hands. He had understood that Niall was not in the right headspace to even step into the court and address them. So Louis did it, and the first order he announced was to release the families of the traitors. Their fates would be decided later, but for now, he believed they did not deserve to pay for the crimes of their fathers.

Louis handled the proceedings for the five of them. Javaad Malik confessed that he knew everything and had never told anyone, thus making him a part of their crimes. After a month, when Niall became confident enough to get involved in the workings of the court, both Niall and Louis had worked together.

Louis comes to stand in front of him, holding his arms out. "I am so happy for you."

Niall leans into his arms. "Thank you."

Louis brushes his hands over Niall's shoulders as they part. Putting the red box on the table nearby, he takes out a small gold brooch and pins it on the lapel of Niall's blazer.

"This is my coronation gift to you," Louis says.

Niall nods. No matter how much he tries, he can't join in the celebration.

"Stay, Lou!" Niall makes a soft plea. He knows what Louis' answer is going to be anyway, but there's no harm in trying.

Louis smiles and shakes his head. The whole time that Louis had worked in the court, he hadn’t been able to find a single reason to not give it all away. He was constantly reminded of all the things that had been taken away from this country, from this very title.

Harry and Louis are planning to leave the country and start a new life somewhere else. They still don't know where, but they hope they will find someplace that speaks to them, where they will feel like home.

"I can't!"

"Are you leaving because of Harry?" Niall asks. His relationship with Harry has changed. They both still don't talk much, but they do respect each other. Neither one of them knows how to fix something that was never even built. Niall cannot even put into words how much these last six months have been nothing but a big learning and eye-opening experience for him. Personally, Niall has seen himself change. He has started believing in things that he never had before. He is more rational and more empathetic, yet more driven to do the right thing, to be fairer to his people and the country.

"No, Niall! It's not because of him. You know that I never felt like I belonged here. Now I can go and find a place for myself." Louis says. He hates that he has to leave Niall in such circumstances, when nothing is right. He knows how much energy it’s taking for Niall to attend his father's trial, but for once, Louis is being selfish and not putting anyone else over his own happiness. He doesn't know how long the trial will go on, and he can't wait to leave this country for good. He trusts his two best friends to be by Niall's side through the difficult times.

Niall can’t form another sentence for some time. He eventually gives up and speaks anyway, "Keep in touch."

Louis smiles and nods, "Of course."

Before leaving, Louis has one last person to see. His aunt, Mary. He has been coming regularly to see her, and thankfully she is recovering. With the guilt that she was the cause of what happened to her sister and father out of the way, she is doing better. She is more driven to get better and to make an effort. She has the motivation to get better now. Her son, and this kingdom.

As Louis enters her chamber, he finds Amelia going through a file. Louis understood why Amelia resigned from being Mary's doctor after everything that happened. She couldn't bear the shame of being the daughter of someone who had been a traitor to this country. For a while, Amelia had wanted to leave the country and never come back. Niall and Louis talked her into staying and continuing to be Mary's doctor. Whatever happened was never her fault, and she should never bear the brunt of her father's actions.

For a while, the court was against the idea of Amelia working in the palace, but later, after understanding that Mary needed Amelia, they gave her the benefit of the doubt. Amelia still has a lot to do to win the trust of the court, and she is aware of how closely her diagnosis and treatment is followed. But Mary trusts Amelia, and every day, she works even harder to keep Mary's faith in her. They have formed a relationship that is hard to explain.

Amelia smiles as she sees Louis walking towards her. "She's waiting for you."

"I hope I am not late." Louis looks at the table of food that has been laid out for his aunt. He knows it's time for her to have a meal.

"Not at all," Amelia says.

Louis walks towards his aunt, who is working with a physiotherapist while enjoying the sun. She looks better, much better than she ever has.

"Louis!" Her face lights up as she sees Louis. She opens her arms and then holds him tight.

"You look good." Louis remarks.

Mary takes his face in her hands, smooths her fingers over his cheeks, and kisses his forehead. "I'll miss you so much."

"I will come to see you regularly," Louis promises. He knows he is leaving the country, not his family.

Mary smiles. "Lou, I understand why you just need to leave. And I believe Johannah understands it too. Darling, this country will always welcome you if you ever decide to come back. This palace will always be a home waiting for you."

Louis nods, his throat in knots.

"I love you, Louis," Mary says and hugs him again, tighter this time.

Louis's eyes light up as he finds Harry approaching him. Harry's face is devoid of any emotion or expression. He hasn't slept properly in three nights, and Louis can see the exhaustion on his face. But no matter how badly Harry feels or looks, when he turns up in a custom-made black suit, with a turtleneck t-shirt, every inch of Harry looks breathtaking.

"You look good," Louis says, smiling.

Harry comes to stand in front of him and manages to give a halfhearted smile. At this moment, Louis is ready to cut his soul into pieces and sell it to get a sassy or cheeky reply from Harry. He misses when Harry was a general pain to his life, and he would trade everything he has in a heartbeat to have that Harry back, to stop Harry from looking so dead in the eyes. Sometimes, there are days when Harry doesn't say a single word, and weeks go by without Harry even smiling.

A memory of Harry holding onto his mother's grave flashes through Louis’ mind. Harry did not move at all from beside her, all night. After Louis had stepped into the palace, he’d asked Roy where Harry was, and Roy had to tell him how difficult Harry had been. Louis went to him, and his heart had broken into a million pieces when he saw Harry holding on to Ebenezer's grave, tears dry, and his face paler than usual from staying out in the cold all night. Harry had never looked more lifeless than he did that night. Louis took his hand in his, softly talked to him, and asked him to come inside. Harry agreed, and Louis had sent him to Dan's place.

Everything that has happened has hit Harry worse than anyone else. And there's nothing anyone can do to make it better for him. Harry has refused to attend even a single day of his father’s trial. When Niall tried to talk to him about the results of the trial, Harry only said that he wanted his father to suffer a life worse than death and that he should be kept in a room where even the light doesn't reach him. Niall is making sure that the culprits get the worst punishments he can.

Louis tries to push back a stray curl on Harry’s forehead. He gives up after two times and chuckles.

Harry takes Louis' hand in his and says, "Ready to do one last thing before we leave?"

"Drink this," Liam pushes a glass in front of Zayn.

Zayn scoffs, "No. I'm fine, Li. I am healthy. Stop making me drink this abhorrent drink."

"It's pomegranate juice," Liam clarifies.

"Pom-fuckoff-granate," Zayn pushes the glass far away from himself.

After New Year’s Eve, Zayn suffered from severe pneumonia. It took him weeks before he could even stand on his feet, let alone walk. He was discharged from the hospital after a month and was prescribed medicine along with proper bed rest. Zayn didn't go home but instead went back to the Academy, where all his friends and everyone looked after him well. Zayn was touched by how ready everyone was to make him feel comfortable. From his meals to medicines, everyone made sure he was given the best care. His friends would read him his favorite poetry and books. When spring came around, his friends would often take him out for a drive.

Liam took it upon himself to make sure Zayn ate and drank only healthy foods. He gave Zayn baths, took care of his needs, made sure Zayn was always comfortable and happy.

It is Liam, Louis, and Niall who have been attending the trials regularly. After every court visit, Liam thinks that he does not want any of this responsibility. The shame, the hurt, everything -- it’s too much for him to even think about working in the palace. He loves his country, but he can never overlook the fact that it was his own family who took away his pride.

He hasn't set foot inside his house yet. His grandmother is in shock over everything that happened, and she still refuses to let Liam be with Zayn. Liam has found another home, the Academy. He knows the Academy has welcomed him and accepted him when no one else did. He feels so connected to the Academy that after they’d graduated last week, he decided to join the Academy and become an instructor here. He wants to be in a place where he has made a mark by himself.

Harry and Louis approach the table where Liam and Zayn are sitting. They are still bickering over the juice, and Zayn hopes the entire production and import of pomegranate is banned in this country, so he will never have to lay eyes on such a distasteful drink again.

Liam smiles as Louis and Harry come to stand in front of them. He is emotional that his best friend is leaving the country. Over the last few months, he has apologized to Harry a couple of times for how he misunderstood him, but Harry has never said anything in return. Liam understands why things had to be this way, and he feels pained for Harry. He has promised Harry that he will be there for him whenever he needs him.

"Guys, we-" Louis says. His eyes flicker to Harry, who has zoned out of the conversation. Louis links his arm with Harry's and brings him back to reality, "Harry has something to say."

Zayn stands up and looks at Harry.

Harry reaches inside the pocket of his blazer and takes out a bunch of keys. Taking Zayn's hand, he puts them in his palm. Zayn and Liam look at Harry, confused.

"The keys of Styles Mansion. It's all yours," Harry says. He feels a flicker of pain in his heart for a moment, and then nothing.

Liam and Zayn's eyes widen at the gesture. They both look at Harry, gobsmacked, at loss for words.

Looking at their expressions, Harry can’t help but smile. "You love Styles Mansion, don't you?" He looks at Zayn.

"I-" Zayn starts to speak but nothing comes out of his mouth.

Harry continues, "I am leaving this country. There's nothing here to hold me. The house I grew up in never felt home. It is indeed a beautiful property. It would be a shame if no one was able to call it home. I can't think of anyone better to live in the house and make it a home."

Liam almost tears up. He tries hard to not cry. He is already too emotional with Louis leaving, and now this.

Harry smiles, "Go ahead, fill every corner of the house with your love and colors. That house has been devoid of laughter, love, and everything peaceful. I only have one request, though."

Zayn nods. He still can't form words.

"My mother built the rose garden. Keep it blooming in her memory." Harry's eyes prickle at the corners.

Zayn nods, his throat choking up. His eyes cannot bear it anymore, and a few tears fall from them. He places his hand over his mouth. Louis grabs Zayn for a hug, soothing his back.

As Niall enters the room, everyone turns to look at him. Louis, Harry, Liam, and Zayn look at him proudly. Louis gives him an encouraging thumbs up. He has a feeling that the country is going to be fine now. He looks up and hopes their forefathers bless Niall and the country.

Dan joins Paul at the end of the room, where he is watching Niall's coronation ceremony. Finally, their efforts have borne a fruitful result. The graduation from the Academy was both a happy and a sad occasion. Considering how much the five of them have been through this year, Paul passed all of them. None of them graduated with flying colors, but they made a sincere effort in their studies. And for Paul, that was enough. Paul has mentored a lot of students over the years, but somehow, these five are his favorite. He is proud of them, and they will always have a special place in his heart and the Academy.

*

Chapter Text

Five years later

Louis can feel the sweat running down his back, traveling from the tattoo on his nape to the tattoo on his lower back. With his eyes shielded from the harsh sunlight by his aviators, he looks up. The sun is not going to set for a while; it is still at its peak. He smiles. He loves the feel of sunlight on his skin, the warmth, the comforting feeling. Over the past couple of years, he has thanked science numerous times for the invention of sunscreen. Considering the amount of time he spends on the beach, without sunscreen, he would have been a roasted marshmallow. He brings the mouth of his chilled Stella to his lips and takes a swig. His head falls back as he feels the cool liquid traveling to his stomach.

His eyes wander towards the incoming waves and a group of men surfing on them. He watches them and a smile creeps on his face. He loves surfing. The feeling of independence and joy that he gets while floating among waves is unmatched. He decides to quickly finish his drink and go for another round of surfing. It is something he can do all day, without a care in the world.

He loves coming to the beach for many reasons. Every day after work, he spends his time on the beach, surfing, talking to strangers, or just relaxing. The crowd is always good, always fun. It is one of the best part of living in a small town, Cairns, in Queensland, Australia. The town has a bit of lazy a feel, everything goes at its own pace. No one is rushing to be anywhere, yet everyone is always on time. Christmas is around the corner, and this is one time of year when tourism is at its peak. Well, the tourists flock to the city year-round as well.

Standing up, he stretches. His soaked t-shirt is lying next to his water bottle, a tube of sunscreen, and a pack of gum. He contemplates whether he should put on his t-shirt or leave it as it is. Looking at the other surfers, who are wearing proper surfing gear and goggles to protect their eyes, Louis decides it will be ok if he surfs in his shorts. When he first started surfing, he used to put on all the gear and everything, but now he can't be bothered.

Suddenly, someone grips him from behind, and a head settles on his shoulder. Soft hair tickles his ear.

"Hi," Harry says.

Louis chuckles, "You are late." He turns around and smiles, looking at Harry.

A few curls fall across Harry's forehead, refusing to stay in place even with a bandana tied around his head. The earring on his right ear shines in the sunlight, his green eyes hidden behind his wayfarers. His light pink shirt, open to his navel, brings out the color of his cheeks. His pale blue surfing shorts accentuate his toned legs.

"Again!" Louis raises his eyebrow at him. Harry is always late, like he does not know what time it is -- or what a clock is.

Harry raises his hands in the air, one hand holding his car keys and phone, and the other trying to keep his surfboard from falling out from under his arm, "Not my fault. There was a customer at the bakery. I wanted to help him." Harry smiles.

Louis and Harry had traveled the world for an entire year after leaving Scotland. From America to Russia, they traveled as far and as long they could. Eventually, they got tired of being on the move constantly. Louis sometimes felt like he lived in hotels and airplanes. They decided to spend some time in Paris and see what they wanted to do. After a month of aimlessly living in the city, Harry decided to learn the art of baking and confectionary. He enrolled in a course at Le Cordon Bleu and spent most of the time there, learning the delicate art. He loved what he did. Any time he was at the institute he was fine, but as soon as he came back home, his past would come back to haunt him. He started overworking and spent his free time creating new and innovative pastries. He graduated with honors and got a job in one of the renowned hotels in Paris as a pastry chef. He worked there for a year.

Meanwhile, Louis took a course in child psychology, which interested him the most. After two years, they were both done with Paris and wanted to start somewhere new. No matter how much they loved Paris, it had never felt like home. But there was this one place they’d loved dearly when they were traveling. Cairns.

Moving to Australia was a huge step, and they took it. Harry started his own bakery, which is very much beloved by both the locals and the tourists. And Louis started working in an orphanage. While Harry loves creating sweet delicacies, Louis loves spending time around children, listening to them and making sure they are comfortable living in the orphanage. All the kids love him.

They own a small house which opens onto the sea in the back. The front of their house is covered with bougainvillea. The white walls of the house complement its very colorful interior and upholstery. By far, their house is the calmest place they have created.

Louis shakes his head, "Who was it, this time?" Harry always has a reason for being late, and most of the time, it is customers.

"So a boy, around 17 or 18, came to the bakery. He looked so nervous," Harry says, getting lost in the story. "So obviously, I asked him what I could help him with, and he said it was his and his boyfriend's 6 month anniversary, and he did not know what to do."

Louis smiles.

"We went through all the idea: cakes, pies, mousse? All the different flavors he could think of, and every kind of frosting, but he was still not sure if his boyfriend would like it or not."

"What did you suggest then?" Louis asks.

"Vanilla! I suggested a vanilla cake with a simple rainbow frosting. Voila! His boyfriend will love it."

Louis laughs. "Vanilla is the safest option."

Harry's eyes widen, "It is! Vanilla is always a second choice flavor for most people, but you will never find anyone passing up an offer of vanilla-flavored anything."

"Totally, it feeds the soul. It's like a comfort flavor. Love it so much." Over the years, with Harry experimenting left and right with all the flavors on earth, Louis has found a special liking for vanilla and chile chocolate. Even though these flavors are poles apart from each other, Louis will choose either of them in a heartbeat.

Harry smiles wide, satisfaction all over his face. "I am glad I helped him. I hope he spends a lovely day with his boyfriend."

Louis laughs and takes Harry's face in his hands, stands on his tiptoes, and pecks his lips. "Love you."

Harry smiles, his dimples getting deeper. "Something arrived at the bakery today." He holds out a white envelope with gold embossed on it.

Louis takes it from him and turns it over. He finds the seal of Scotland’s royal family. He feels a bit confused and quickly opens it and takes out the card from inside.

"A save-the-date card." Louis smiles. "A summer wedding!" He says as he reads the date of Niall and Amelia's wedding.

Louis is so proud of Niall that he can't even put it into words. Under Niall's rule, the kingdom is flourishing more than it has in the past fifty years. Everyone loves Niall. Even the royals of other countries love him. Louis always knew Scotland would fare best in Niall's hands, and he is glad that he has been proven right.

Over the years, Louis has been to Scotland only twice. And both times, Harry did not accompany him, saying that he was not ready to go to Scotland. Louis never forced him. He understands why it is difficult for Harry to go back there. Harry is doing fine; constant therapy, doing things he likes, and being the way he likes has definitely helped Harry a lot. Louis too has fewer nightmares now. As far as he can remember, he hasn’t had any in the last 16 months.

Harry takes off his shoulder-strap bag and drops it onto the towel laid beside Louis. He takes off his shirt and opens the bag to put it inside. Another card slides out from it.

"What is that?" Louis asks.

"Oh, it's a letter from Zayn," Harry says casually. He picks up Louis’ bottle of Stella and finishes the remaining liquid in one go.

Louis shakes his head. "Once upon a time, Zayn loved me more."

Harry looks at Louis and a sly smile crosses his face, "Yeah, he did!"

Louis throws him a look before dragging his thumb over Harry's mouth, trying to wipe away that smile. Instead, Harry laughs louder and does not stop.

"Cheeky does not suit you, babe," Louis says.

On their first Christmas away from Scotland, Zayn and Liam had sent them a Christmas card. Harry said they should reply by writing a letter, but Louis had passed on the offer, saying it was too much effort and he’d rather Facetime with them. But Harry, being a stubborn person, wrote them a letter thanking them for the card. Zayn replied back with a letter saying he was happy for them. Harry replied to him, and this constant back-and-forth of letters is still going on. Louis has suggested they could improvise and stop being Neanderthals by writing letters, and get into emails instead. They are quick, easy, and one can add images, rather than printing them out and sending them. But Harry refuses, saying they like it this way. It feels more personal.

Louis is often surprised by the effort both Zayn and Harry make with each other. Even though Zayn sometimes leaves Scotland for a few weeks, even months, to get inspired for his painting, the letters don't stop. Zayn is living his dream by becoming a painter and owning his own art gallery. He gifted one of his favorite paintings to Louis when they met last time, and Louis couldn't thank him enough. Louis used to wonder if Liam got lonely when Zayn was gone for weeks, but then he realized that being an instructor at the Academy is a very intense job and requires a lot of patience. Liam does not mind having a few weeks to himself, and Louis is glad that their relationship has only become healthier and stronger.

After the first three or four letters, Louis had stopped reading what they were talking about. They were boring and short and very formal. But after a few months, as the frequency of the letters increased, the number of pages increased as well. Harry has been keeping all the letters safely in his trunk, and sometimes Louis simply wants to read every single one of them, to know what they have been talking about, and what they have shared with each other over the last five years.

Somewhere, Louis is thankful that Harry has found a friend in Zayn. And it clearly shows that Harry values friendship. Sometimes Louis cannot help but feel proud at how far Harry has come. He has pushed his boundaries, gotten out of his comfort zone, learned, and is still learning to look at things in a different light. In five years, Harry has emerged as a completely new person, one who knows how to receive love and to give it back. One who can light up a party with just his presence, one who is always ready to help others in any way he can. And Louis has fallen more in love with him every day.

There's one thing that Louis isn't sure if he welcomes or not. It is Harry's wardrobe and fashion sense. In the first year, Louis had tried to slowly introduce him to the world of colors. Harry was reluctant to wear anything but black, but started with white and blues. Now, his wardrobe is filled with all the colors and prints imaginable, even fluorescents. Louis hates the fluorescents, he'd throw every single one of them in the bin if he didn't love Harry so much.

Although Harry still has own demons, for the most part, he has learned to avoid them and focus on himself. It is difficult some days and easy other days. But that’s how life is. They both have accepted that they can never run away from their pasts, so better to accept the way it was, and focus on making the present better.

"What was Zayn saying?" Louis always asks every time Harry receives a letter, and Harry always answers vaguely.

Harry takes a deep breath, "He was hoping to see us at the wedding." His head is held down as he holds the letter in both hands.

Louis rubs his shoulder, "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Harry nods, bites his lips and looks at Louis. "I am ready."

Louis gets confused for a minute. "For what?"

Harry hesitates, "To go to S.." His lips quiver and his tongue slips before he can form the word. "S… Scotland."

Louis immediately takes Harry's face in his hands, trying to comfort him, "Oh babe no. You don't have to go. Zayn might have just said… 'cos you know how he is. It's alright, you don't have to go to the wedding. There's no pressure, Harry. Please don't feel any."

Harry pulls Louis closer and rests his hands at the small of his back. "Lou, I want to go to Scotland. And it's not because of the wedding, or Zayn. It's because of me, I need to face it. I need to stop avoiding the country. We can go there for a few days and be back. Besides, I have been thinking of going to Scotland for a while now. I think it's time."

Louis' stomach falls, "Harry!"

"Stop worrying about me, Lou!" Harry leans down to kiss him. "We'll see what happens. And I'll have you by my side, so I am more confident, you know."

Louis smiles, "Always." He changes the topic and loops his hands around Harry's neck, "I can't wait to tell everyone that we are engaged."

Harry smiles.

"I wonder what Zayn is going to think about our engagement, considering we haven't told anyone," Louis says.

"Oh, he knows," Harry says casually, trying to keep a straight face.

Louis' mouth hangs opens, "Excuse me, what!"

"He helped me plan the proposal, duh," Harry says matter-of-factly.

"Wow!" Louis says sarcastically. "And if Zayn knows, that means Liam knows as well, which means Niall definitely knows."

Harry thinks about it and then pouts.

Louis breaks from his hold and takes a step back, "Now no one will be excited about our engagement."

"I can ask Zayn to fake it," Harry says.

"Oh my god, you are unbelievable, Harry Styles," Louis complains, throwing his hands in the air.

Harry laughs. He takes off his sunglasses. "They will be happy for us either way, whether they already know it or not. And that's enough."

Louis can't argue with that fact. Nothing is more important to them than everyone happily accepting them.

He bends down to pick up his surfboard and looks at Harry, who already has his surfboard in his hand. Louis throws his sunglasses onto the towel and a mischievous thought arises inside his head.

"Bet you can’t beat me!" His eyes sparkle as he challenges Harry to a surfing game. He turns around and runs towards the waves before Harry even realizes what has happened. Harry might be good at everything, but Louis is better than him at surfing. No matter how hard Harry has tried over the years, he hasn't even come close to beating Louis at it.

"Lou, wait!" Harry shouts, running behind him.

Their laughs fill the air with happiness. The sun won't go down for a while, and they have a lot of free time on their hands. There's nothing stopping them from living their life moment-by-moment, enjoying each one as it passes by.