1D: Stockholm Prince (zianourry)

Long Lived the King

A few minutes after Zayn left, three guards entered the room. Niall took a few steps back, surprised by their arrival. "Don't I have fifteen minutes left?" he asked.

"You are mistaken, my lord. The council has fifteen minutes. You are to be in right now," the taller guard set and grabbed Niall's arm forcefully. The blond wanted to pull away, but instead just gave in. He couldn't escape his fate any longer. "Can.... can we just wait a little longer for Zayn to return? I want him to be with me as well as my brother," he requested. The guard shook his head. "Sorry, love. Not enough time," he sighed as he pulled him along. Niall stopped in his tracks. "Love? Did you just call me love?"

"No time, keep moving," he said and rushed out the room and down the corridor. Niall started to sweat.' This didn't seem right,' he thought. Behind him followed the two militant guards from earlier. Their expressions were cold and harsh, more menacing than before. Just as Niall began to panic, he heard a growing clacking from behind him.

Speeding down the hallways was Zayn, clad in ivory ceremonial armor and a welcoming smile that gave Niall butterflies. He chuckled to himself. "Here comes my knight in shining armor," he sighed with a smile. The ornate knight was just a foot away when the taller militant guard yanked Niall up and onto his back. "Thought our mate over there wasn't going to join us," he growled and broke into a sprint. "W-what the hell are you doing?!" Niall cried as he wriggled about in the guard's grasp.

Zayn slowed his pace, confused at what was happening. Then, it hit him. "Niall!" he shouted. Before he could react, the other two guards grabbed hold of the man and slammed him against the wall. "Let me go! The prince is in danger!" he shouted as he struggled to free himself. The guards only silently held him down. "Is everyone in on this bloody thing?!" Zayn cried. "Just stay here and shut up," one of the guards suggested. "It would be easier on the both of us." Zayn broke his right hand free and socked the guard in the face. He stumbled back, holding his nose as blood drizzled down. Zayn then elbowed the other guard in the chest and then slammed his clenched fists into the man's back, sending him into the floor. "No one is taking my love away. I don't bloody care how 'easy' it would be," Zayn hissed as he ran down the hallway.

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The tall guard stopped his sprint in the middle of the back hall that led to the basement. "Shit, this place is bigger than I thought," he huffed as he threw Niall back onto the ground. Niall pushed himself onto his feet as quickly as he could, only to have the guard kick him in the back of his knee. Niall went down with a grunt. Once the man was on the floor, the night proceeded to viciously stomp on Niall's ankles until he heard a gratifying crack. "Excellent, guess you won't be trying anything stupid like that again now, will you?" he smirked.

Niall only screamed in the sting of his shattered bones sunk in. "Someone help! For the love of god, please help!" he cried. The guard took his helmet off and ruffled his curly brown hair. "You're an awful loud one. No wonder your brother wanted you dead," he snarled. He then gripped the helmet tightly, and then threw it at Niall's head, knocking the prince out. The guard chuckled to himself as he hoisted Niall back onto his shoulders.

The guard began his trek down the halls again when he felt a clunk in the back that nearly knocked him over. The guard stumbled back and turned around to see Zayn charging full force into him. The knight rammed the man into the basement door, sending the three of them down the stairs into the stone room.

"The hell you do that for, mate? Now me and your precious prince are all messed up," the guard complained, struggling to his feet. Zayn jumped up and threw a punch at the guard, only to have it dodged. "Easy there, mate. You should learn my name before landing one on me like that," he teased. Zayn was less than amused and back kicked the man in the knee. "The names of the dead mean nothing to me," he growled. The guard groaned and held on to his bruised knee. "Shit... t-that's quite alright. I-I'll tell you my name, regardless..." the guard said. Zayn ignored the man and reached for his sword.

The guard pulled a knife from his boot and flung it into Zayn's throat. The guard bounced to his feet, trembling from the pain in bruised leg. "I-It's Hazza, and I don't think your name's that important. Can't be caught up on the names of the dead," Hazza laughed and grabbed Niall once again. Zayn tried to remove the knife from his neck, but instead slowly collapsed to the ground, gripping at the air.

The broken prince was oozing blood from the bumps and cuts he received from the fall, along with the blood from his previous injuries from Hazza. "Such a mess," Hazza groaned under his breath and continued out the basement. He would have to be more careful throughout the rest of the job now. Not only did he kill one more than he was supposed to, the trail of blood would definitely give him away. Perhaps if he skipped the torture and went straight for the kill, he could still get a least half his pay.

Hazza slipped into the sewers and dragged Niall through the muddy waters, the only thought on his mind being to get home. Once he got to the last ladder that led out the castle, he heard a small grunt. "Zayn..." Niall muttered as he came to. "Where is... Zayn...?" Hazza dropped the prince into the water and groaned.

"Was that the bloke in the fancy white suit?" Hazza asked, figuring out how he'd get up the ladder. "Maybe I should've gotten his name before I killed him." Niall's eyes grew wide. "You're lying! You didn't kill Zayn, you couldn't have!"

"Either he's dead, or didn't care enough to save you," Hazza snapped, annoyed at the prince's whining. Niall's face went pale. He couldn't fathom the thought, Zayn was his knight. He was indestructible. No one could kill him, especially not this lowly cutpurse. The broken prince curled into a ball and waded in the foul water, quietly shaking.

Niall's sudden silence brought a smile to Hazza's face. "Aw, poor little prince lost his dog," he chuckled. Niall remained quiet, his body tensing more and more as reality settled in. He felt strong arms around his waist lifting him up. "Up you go, Princey," Hazza said as he slung the man over his back. Niall did not fight back. He felt no need to. His security blanket, his courage, his strength was somewhere dead, and it was all his fault.