I'll Be Here Waiting on Forever

CHAPTER SEVEN

Louis sat in the small study room completely alone. The darkness outside brought a hollow emptiness in the room, with the small fire in front of him being the only source of light. The heat danced off of his face, settling in as a smoky burn that overwhelmed him.

The old book that sat on his lap was open on the first page, and the letters that kissed the worn pages had been read over and over, yet Louis still couldn't understand what was written. His mind was in a completely different other space. It seemed like everything was out of focus since the last time Louis stared into King Robin's cold eyes.

It was thirteen months to the day since both Louis' father and mother's death, and he had never really adjusted into the routine of being without them. As much as he loved his kingdom, he was still learning just how to run it. His daily thoughts always seemed to include, why did this happen to me?

He didn't think it was fair that all of this chaos happened for reasons that were never explained to him. He was forced to inherit the mess without any explanation as to why. One of the first things he promised himself when he found out about Harry's pregnancy was that he never wanted his children to be involved in this game. Louis was going to be the last ruler to face it.

Harry, of course, agreed with him. With their goals in mind, they always leaned on each other for support with a promise that their child will be safe. When Louis talked to Harry about his doubts of being able to fight in a war, Harry would silently take Louis' hand, laying it across his tummy. Every time Louis felt their child kick against his palms, it gave him a reason to keep going.

Harry was the shoulder that he leaned on. Even through the seemingly endless nights of Louis' tears—when he felt too weak and let down to even bother trying to hide it from Harry—his boy was always there.

Harry was right at twenty-five weeks pregnant, but thankfully, with the time spent since his forced arrival, he now held a respectable place at the castle. The servants, maids, and even the guards treated the boy with all the love in the world. He was gentle, and so, so sweet to everyone. Even on Louis' worst days, Harry was soft and always incredibly comforting.

Despite the constant difficulties and stress from his father's threats, Harry rarely complained about anything. He was steadily gaining weight as his pregnancy went on, but he never complained about being too fat. If anything, Harry loved the process of seeing how his body stretched out to fit their unborn child.

Nothing made Louis smile more than seeing Harry standing sideways in front of their mirror with his hands on his stomach, rubbing where he felt kicks. The smile on Harry's face was worth more than anything else in that castle.

Perrie had made Harry so many pretty outfits, each with a variety of colors and styles. As beautiful as Harry looked in them, Louis told him he'd never be able to wear them all during the pregnancy as there were far too many. Harry would immediately fire back by saying he'll have to just get pregnant again. Louis couldn't protest though, he had always dreamed of having lots of children. Seeing how beautifully Harry carried their child only made him crave more.

There were times when it was frustrating to go throughout his kingly duties and not be able to tell the kingdom about Harry. The people in the kingdom were well informed about the dispute with Harry's kingdom, and many rumors were started as to why exactly, but Louis couldn't say a word.

Louis was ready to show Harry off. Maybe it was an alpha thing, but he wanted nothing more than to show the entire kingdom that he was proudly married to this gorgeous omega, and that they had their first child on the way. But Louis knew that as of now, this knowledge would be unpopular amongst his people due to the fact that Harry was King Robin's son.