In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 86: One More Hour~

Hi 😬

Okay, I'm aware that most of you are probably feeling mixtures of hate/love/anger/sadness toward me, toward Niall, toward everything involved. That is the way of life, and if there's one thing I wanted from this story, it was to mimic real life. So no, Kalysta's life isn't easy. However, this is NOT THE END. There is much more to come. I've made many spoken and unspoken promises for this book and it is my duty as a writer to fulfill those promises.

One spoken promise was that this will have a happy ending. So, once more: THIS WILL HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. Happy endings do NOT just mean that the villain is gone. There are other problems she has faced in this story, and even more to come, however that may seem. I'm hoping for around 100 chapters total (14 more chapters from here), maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, but that gives you a rough estimate. Okay? Much more to come ()

Recap:

She held his hand until the grip loosened completely and his eyes stared unseeing into the sky.    

Chaos.

Chaos was good.

Kalysta threw the knife aside, stood, and hitched up her skirts so she could leap from the dais.

People were scattering, unsure what was going on. Armored men with drawn swords had surrounded the area. No one could figure out if there was an attack, who would be attacking, or from where the attack would occur. Shrieks and fearful cries echoed around the courtyard.

She didn't care. All that mattered was reaching Zayn. After what had happened she deserved to be able to put him first and hang the consequences. Someone else could take care of things for a change.

Upon reaching the gallows, she saw one of the rescuers kneeling over Zayn and patting his cheek. He looked familiar

When she tried to approach them she was stopped by a man she didn't recognize. He held a knife out, stopping her.

"Let her through!" the man kneeling next to Zayn called out.

She recognized the voice.

"Let the Princess through!"

As soon as the guard lowered his knife she rushed to Zayn.

"He's breathing. He's alive. But he won't respond." The kneeling man was Louis, the one who had cut Zayn down from the gallows.

She picked up Zayn's head and placed it in her lap so he could be comfortable. It was a ludicrous sentiment, considering the situation, but she couldn't help it.

Louis continued patting Zayn's face. "Wake up, Zayn ol' chum. I'm not letting you go out this way."

Kalysta ran a hand over his hair and face. "I'm here, Zayn," she croaked, tapping him on the chest. She didn't know how to wake him up. He was alive, but he wasn't moving. "Wake up, Zayn," she breathed next. "I love you. I love you. Don't leave me. I couldn't bear it if you left me. I love you, Zayn, please."

He didn't rouse.

"Princess, he needs a healer," Louis urged, "and you need to take charge of the situation. Someone's going to get hurt."

"I don't care," she hissed, running a hand over Zayn's face.

"You don't have the luxury of apathy." Louis's voice was full of censure. "You're their Princess. You need to fix this."

She tried to take a deep breath, but her lungs wouldn't cooperate. Her chest heaved for a moment, until she gave up getting a proper breath. She gently slipped away from Zayn, placing his head down with extreme care. He was alive. That was what mattered.