The Lioness Prince (A Larry Stylinson Fan-Fiction.)

Chapter 20 ~Man-Slaughter?~

-Author's Point of View-

"Hey, Lou. Alexia here woke up and wanted her daddy," a smiling brunet stops in front of Richard's love, and Richard eyes the bundle with curiosity, as well as the carrier.

When the man holding the supposed Alexia looks up from the darling girl, and Louis hums happily and accepts her into his arms, he raises an eyebrow and tips his curly head. "Are you away from your post?" King Harry asks, and Richard tips his head as well until he realizes and remembers what he is wearing.

"Oh," is all Richard says before taking multiple steps back and nodding. "That's right. I'm a guard here at this castle," he glares at Louis, and the angered glance does not go unnoticed by the royal that Richard has distinguished quite quickly.

The royal lifts and hand and widens his eyes with confused authority. "Excuse me, do you have a problem with Louis?" He asks another question, and Richard meets gazes with the emerald-eyed royal and smiles a coaxing grin.

"None whatsoever, Sir. I'll attend to my duty now," he nearly chuckles, and the royal nods and furrows his eyebrows.

"Indeed you will. Run along now," he says with a short wave of his hand. Richard bows and turns on his heel.

"Wait a second," Louis interrupts, and his lover looks over his shoulder. Richard turns back around and raises his eyebrows.

"Yes, Love?" The two ask simultaneously, and this makes the king widen his eyes once more and glare profusely at the man dressed in a guard's attire.

"How dare you!" The king exclaims.

"How dare you!" Richard spits back.

"You have no right to own the power of speaking to Louis like that, you pestering, uncultured swine! I am his lover, and I am the only one who reserves the right to speak to him as such!"

Richard takes a step back and makes an inhumane sound from the back of his throat. The sound is laced with pain and misunderstanding.

"Louis?"

"Richard," Louis sighs and steps forward, clutching his baby close to his chest. Louis manages to hold his baby in one hand as he then outstretches his other to request for Richard to hear him out.

But the amber-eyed man shakes his head and slashes his arm through the air. "No! Don't come near me!" He screams, and this alarms Louis, his daughter who then begins to whimper in fright, and a stray servant who happens to be passing through the large room.

The royal makes eye contact with the servant, and the man nods quickly and rushes out of the commons area.

"Richard, listen to me! I was going to tell you!" Louis begs over the cries of his child.

"Tell me what, Louis? That you fucked another man and had his child? I thought we were going to be together, Louis! Together! Forever and always!" He yells from the top of his lungs, and the royal who is standing between the two conversing men back away and stretch a hand towards Louis out of protection. "Don't touch him!" Richard screams when he notices that the royal is getting closer to his love. The baby held against Louis screams out in fright, and Louis looks down and tries to hush his darling and bounce on his heels to calm her.

Then after the cries simmer down into tiny whimpers, Louis looks up and speaks. "Richard, Love, I never thought I would see you again... And even if I did see you again sometime in my life, I'd be prepared. But you caught me off guard, Richard. I'm speechless. I don't know what else to say other than I missed you so much," Louis speaks through trembling lips, and Richard's ragged breaths from screaming begin to soften and pattern itself once more.