Niall Horan Imagines

Royal Heart- Part 4

*Your POV*

I cried enough tears to flood a city as I walked along the streets that were alive with playing children and women walking into town. I felt so alone - nearly everyone I laid my eyes upon was accompanied by someone and there I was, alone and crying. I worried most about Niall, though. I did not want to think that he had been hurt in the midst of all this madness, for I'd be so heartbroken to think that such a sweet man was harmed because of me. I did not want my mind to be flooded with thoughts of him, as I did not wish to cry any longer, although I could not stop the images that came to my mind. I kissed the Prince, the dear Prince, and maybe something more would have happened had his father not interrupted. He held me close. I heard his rhythmic heartbeat. I was not sure what to make of  it all now that we were parted. Now that I might never see him again. We had fallen in love so quickly, and just as quickly, it had been taken from us. I wondered if Niall would stay true to his word and come for me. He was a prince, after all. Maybe his title would make him an honest man.

But perhaps I had more important things to worry about. I was without work, now. And also without a place to sleep. The cold of the night, the fear of being alone on dark streets, would surely be troublesome for me. The only clothing I had along with me was the very work dress in which I wore on my back, and nothing more. The only shoes were the slightly worn ones on my feet. I had nothing to bathe with, but more importantly, no where to bathe at all. I had no food, and no money to buy any. I was beginning to wonder if a kiss from the prince was worth all this trouble, all of this being without. Being with someone for only a day was the very reason I would be without everything else for much longer.

However, I knew love was hard to come by. Much less, love from a handsome prince like Niall. Never would I expect myself to find love as a kitchen maid, or even be loved, for that matter. But I had found it with someone lovely enough to risk his own safety for me - to risk his relationship with his father, the king, for me. That in itself was special enough to make me think that maybe I could handle a night or two in the cold, with hopes that my prince would rescue me. 

I hugged myself in attempt to keep warm as the air cooled with the darkening sky. The traffic on the streets gradually grew smaller and smaller until it became a startle to see someone approaching. I kept my eyes on the ground beneath me, hoping to find a safe place to take shelter for the night. I hoped with everything in me that no one would give me a bother. I did not want to speak with a beggar, nor did I want to share words with a single mother and her three starving children. I was not looking for conversation, but only looking for a place to sleep. Squinting my eyes, I could see smoke arising from a chimney far off in the distance, and then elevated as if coming from a house atop a hill. Gathering the little hope I was left with, I set off for the source of the smoke, hoping it would house a family that would be generous enough to offer their home to me, even for just the night. What else was I to do?

*Niall's POV*

I smashed my angry fist into walls and doors, sending the knights into a full sense of alarm. I did not care about the disturbance I may have been causing. I was angry, but even more so, I was fearful. Fearful of what might come of my dear (Y/N), now that she was left outside to fend for herself. She would be poor and without food, without a warm place to sleep. How could I let my love live like that? How could I ever find peace myself, knowing that my love was suffering in such ways? How could I dare to go to sleep at night, or even pick up my fork at dinner time, while my love was out in the cold with nothing? Every thought angered me further, until I knew it was crucial for me to escape. For me to find her and protect her, like I so badly wanted to.