Royally Flushed

Introspection

~Louis~

He could feel the frustration practically rolling off of him in waves, and that was just from the sexual tension.

The rest of his angst came from a worthless carcass of a man named Robert-and once he made it back to his parent's home he would make sure that he was taken care of once and for all.

But first the pressing matter of an 'incident' at Big Ben had to be taken care of. He doubted that he would be the one to actually take care of whatever it was that had happened, but he would surely be briefed and asked his advice on the matter by his father and his grandfather the king.

The shrill tone of a cellphone going off alerted Louis to the fact that he'd forgotten about how Malia would get back to her home.

He'd just assumed that she would be going with him no questions asked, until he remembered that she definitely didn't have the appropriate security clearance for anything in Buckingham Palace.

"Hello? Yeah Mar I'm fine. I'm with Louis..."

A quick look behind him and he noticed how quickly her face had fallen.

"W-what happened? A bomb?!"

The mention of a bomb had Louis' senses going haywire and he pulled out his own cellphone to log into the nearest news outlets.

Sure enough, a bomb had exploded in the iconic clock tower that was one of the most recognizable structures in all of Great Britain.

The reports were still coming in but the alert for the royal family that quickly popped up in place of the article garnered his utmost attention.

Louis snatched Malia's phone from her hands and spoke quickly into the line.

"Lady Spencer, Malia will be staying with me and I assure you she will be safe. The direct line has a secure place they are sequestered to during times like these. I suggest you stay out of town for a while until more news arises."

He didn't give her time to reply and hung the phone up, but was met with a confused and almost scared look from Malia.

It was so out of place on a face that normally held contempt or utmost boredom. He had seen many looks on her face, but never one of fear, even after everything she had gone through in her past. It made him realize just how strong this girl truly was.

"Your highness please come with me."

He had never witnessed his guard, Gordon, on such high alert before.

Louis grabbed up Malia's hand in his despite her initial rejection and they started towards the black limousine that was parked outside.

He couldn't help but silently relish the times when she allowed him to touch her, and he had almost lost his composure when she showed him her scar on her stomach.

He couldn't help the feelings bubbling to the surface when it came to her, but he couldn't let himself get distracted with those feelings in that moment. All that mattered was getting them to safety.

"Where are we going?" Malia asked him impatiently, probably not too keen on the fact that he was dragging her along quickly and not stopping to make sure she was alright what with her injuries, but if they truly were in imminent danger then a few seconds of pain would be worth it if it meant saving her life in the process.

He had lied to her before when she'd asked about the crime and gang leaders in the area. He still didn't fully understand yet why she wanted to know all about it if her abuser was caught but he knew he couldn't tell her the truth until he learned more.

Sliding into the limo finally, he pulled Malia impossibly close to him and roped his arm around her waist, much to her chagrin and writhing to get away from him.

Once she sighed and allowed him to leave his arm around her waist, he remembered the various security briefings his father had made him sit though and was actually grateful for it.

The King's Horses were the most prominent gang in all of London and areas stretching as far north as Scotland. They were ruthless killers and only cared about the money that could be made off of a person, and if someone was of no use to them then they were disposed of, and they didn't do discreet either.

One of their calling cards was a body that had been drawn and quartered, but instead of using horses, they would tie the bodies to their vehicles and pull them in separate directions until they were pulled apart completely.

It was a brutal and sickening execution that was completely uncalled for but also was the type of thing that kept the fear fresh in everyone's minds and the police wary to do anything about them.

Louis was certain that the police were also on their payroll, but it was nearly impossible to trace and prove which law enforcement were dirty, and that was just one of the problems his father had been working tirelessly trying to solve.

He knew that if this wasn't the work of a terrorist cell then it was most certainly the King's Horses, he just didn't know how they could be dealt with if the system was so corrupt- the system meant to keep things like this from happening.

Malia's incessantly shaking knee caught his attention and he turned his body towards her, taking in the impossibly blue color of her eyes and the way that she bit her bottom lip when she was deep in thought and concentration.

He didn't want to lose himself in her in that moment but it was almost impossible not to.

He only hoped that he would be able to protect her, especially after what she'd been through. He knew that she could take care of herself but he didn't want her to have to, be wanted to do it himself.

He didn't know when these feelings had developed into something bigger-something real...but he also knew that he had to protect his heart. He was almost one hundred percent sure that she was who she said, but there was an inkling in the back of his mind that was always there when he cared for someone deeply, and he didn't know how to get rid of that feeling.

It had first arisen when he'd found out that the first girl he'd ever loved wasn't who she said she was, and that she was only out for the money and the fame that came with being royal adjacent.

By pretending to be a distant cousin of a wealthy Duchess, he thought that she would've been perfect for him and would understand the culture of high society, but when the truth came out that she was poor and also cheating on him with another-his cousin Henry, then he vowed that he would never let another woman swindle him like that again.

As much as he wanted to put his trust in Malia, there would be a sprinkle of doubt anytime she told him something, and that probably would never disappear until he could fully verify what she was saying-it was just something that came with the territory of being in the public eye his entire life.

He had bigger things to worry about, however, and even though he didn't know if he could fully trust her, he knew that he needed to keep her safe.

He was going to take her to the bunker with him, security clearance be damned. She was from the Spencer bloodline and if anyone had a problem with it they could take it up with the king themselves.  Malia could very well be a princess in her own right and although that thought comforted him in one respect it also worried him all the same, because with royalty comes enemies, and it sounded like Malia was going to need a little help to keep hers at bay.

And he was all too happy to help.