Royalty [A One Direction AU]

{16} Louis' Promise

~Niall's POV~

I huddle in the corner of the room, attempting to make myself as small as possible. Nick laughs, coming toward me, and I hide my head between my knees, scared. "Not so strong without your powers, huh 'Your Majesty'." Nick mocks, pulling me up by my wrist. I look at the shining cuff around it, the one I can't remove, the one enchanted by the Wiper, the one that keeps all of my powers at bay. "Stand up and follow me." Nick orders, pulling me roughly to my feet and yanking me out the door of my little cell. I only woke up about three hours ago, and I can already tell that this is going to be where I die.

Nick pulls me down the hallway, pushing me into another cell and locking the door. A pair of arms immediately embrace me, and I quickly hug my friend back. "Niall, did they hurt you at all?" Louis asks frantically, his eyes drawn to the cuff. "He was wearing a cuff like that, too." Louis says quietly, and I know he's talking about the prince who got kidnapped and killed. Just like I probably will be. "Niall, Nick is working for the Rebellion. You were out for about six hours, and they were talking about what they were going to do with you." Louis says, his voice scared.

"Louis, what do you mean?" I ask, my voice small.

"The only way to get the throne is to get rid of everyone who can get it. They want to kill you, Niall. But I won't let them. I swear on your family's name that I will not let them touch you. They can try to kill me as much as they want, but if they touch you I will tear their heads off with my bare hands." Louis says, his voice stone cold and his eyes dark.

"I don't want you to get hurt." I protest, and Louis smiles a little.

"Niall, if I don't try my absolute hardest to protect you, I've failed your dad, your family, and broken the oath I made forever ago. Technically doing that results in death, but since that's not an option it's more like living in a little cell for the rest of eternity, since that's practically death." He says, and I shake my head.

"You are not going to do that." I order, and Louis shakes his head back.

"Your dad's orders were that I had to listen to you unless you were telling me to do something incredibly stupid or risking your life, and unfortunately for you that order fits both requirements. Niall, I'm going to get you out of here alive if it means I lose my head, literally. I promise you that." Louis says, his face completely clean of emotion. "Niall, the Rebellion is going to attack your dad, and they always succeed in those attacks. I hate to say it, but your dad is as good as dead, and you have to be there to take his place. My job for my entire life has been to prepare the heir for the throne, and that's what I plan on doing." I try to protest but the cell door swings open and the Wiper walks in.

"Hello, Prince and Advisor. My name is Daniel, but feel free to call me the Wiper as you usually do." He says, walking toward me. Louis pushes me behind him, glaring at Daniel.

"You are not going to touch him." He growls, making Daniel smirk.

"And how will you stop me?" Daniel asks.

"Do whatever you like to me, but until I die you cannot touch the prince." Louis says, making Daniel raise an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Fair enough." Daniel starts to debate in his mind.

"Louis, no!" I scream, and Louis shakes his head. If Daniel finds out how Immortal Louis really is, he'll kill me.

"Remember, you cannot lay a finger on Niall until my body is cold." Louis reminds Daniel, who simply brushes it off.

"My only condition is that Niall gets to watch." Louis' eyes widen, but he nods anyways. "Do we have a deal?" Daniel asks, extending his hand. Louis shakes it, stepping back.

"Deal." Who knew that one word could save my life but bring my best friend so much suffering?

~•~•~•~•~

I watch as Nick's friends, who I learned were named Greg and Scott, press Louis' hands on the wall above his head, placing them into these conveniently placed metal cuffs. They put the other half of the cuffs over his wrists and lock them, leaving Louis' standing against the wall with his feet barely on the ground and his arms over his head. Greg and Scott leave, and Daniel walks toward Louis, a white light glowing in his hands. As soon as I realize what it is I start banging on the glass wall that separates me from Louis. Nick, who is standing behind me, watches in amusement as I stare at Louis, who just closes his eyes. Daniel puts his hands in front of him and the white magic flies at Louis, hitting him in the chest, and making his body jolt with electricity. That ball of magic had more electricity than ten lightning bolts, which would have killed anyone upon impact. Louis, though, appears to have been knocked out, because he's hanging limply from his wrists, his legs no longer  holding him up.

"Simple." Daniel says, opening the door to the little room I'm in and letting me out. I immediately run to Louis, putting my head to his chest and quickly finding his heartbeat. Louis has no clue how he can't die, but I guess he has an invincible heart or something.

"Not quite. He's still breathing." I say, just as Louis releases a shallow breath. Daniel runs over to me, watching as Louis breathes slowly, much to his disbelief.

"Unbelievable. That should have killed him on impact, yet he's still breathing after the electricity has left his body." Daniel says in amazement, releasing Louis' wrists from the cuffs and letting me catch him carefully. I somehow manage to carry Louis down the hall, following Daniel into a new cell with two beds and a bathroom. I walk in and put Louis on one of the beds, then I sit on the other, just listening to Louis' breathing. The cell has a large floor-to-ceiling window next to the door that I assume I can talk to Daniel through. I walk over to it, not surprised to see Daniel on the other side.

"How do I know you'll honor your agreement with Louis?" I question, and Daniel smiles.

"I may have been ordered to kill you, but there's one thing I never do and that's break a promise. As long as your friend keeps breathing you're safe, Niall. I promise that." Daniel says, walking away. He seemed almost... nice. But why?

"Niall?" I hear Louis ask from behind me. I turn around to see him sitting up in the bed, looking around. When he sees me he tries to stand up, but I quickly run over and push him back down on the bed.

"Louis, you just got electrocuted. Don't you dare get up." I order, and Louis sighs.

"I wonder if my orders to listen to you are still valid when we've both been kidnapped." Louis wonders, shaking his head. "Fine. Anyways, what did Daniel do when he saw that I was still alive?" Louis asks, grinning.

"He looked amazed, like he had just found the cure to cancer and it had exploded in his face. He couldn't believe it, but he kept his promise. He got your wrists out of those cuffs and I carried you here, following him. Daniel, Nick, Scott, and Greg never touched me the entire time. They don't really seem to think that I could really do anything to them, which I can't since I've got this blocker." I describe Daniel's face then quickly veer off topic.

"Yeah, that's a problem. They can keep you here forever as long as you have that on." Louis agrees, shaking his head. "Chances are our friends are attempting to rescue us. Daniel and Nick don't realize how smart Liam really is, I'll bet as soon as he woke up he called Harry to identify what Were touched him and knew that the Wiper knocked him out. Your dad must know by now, too, and that means everything is about to get a whole lot worse for the magics." He informs me, groaning.

"Louis, you're sacrificing everything for me. Why?" I ask, looking at my friend.

"Because you're my best friend. It's not even because I have to, Niall. It's because I couldn't live with myself if I let you die. I have to try, no matter what happens." Louis says, smiling. "I will protect you for the rest of eternity. And when you grow old and leave this world I'll protect your kid, and theirs, and their kid's kid." Louis vows, grinning.

"You really mean that?" I ask in disbelief, and Louis nods.

"I promise."