The Royal Payne (One Direction)

Chapter Seven

For the past week that I had been looking after Prince Harry, he had always puked in the night. I dumped the contents of the bucket Harry had puked in, on the lawn behind a tree where no one would notice it. I walked up to the mote, and dipped the bucket into the water, to wash it. I pulled it out and wiped the inside with a rag I had found.

I dipped the rag into the water, and something grabbed the other end. I tugged, and it tugged harder, so hard that I fell into the mote. I quickly realized they were crocodiles, and quickly swam to the surface, where someone pulled me up. “Are you alright?” It was Edward.

I spat out some water, and nodded, “Yeah, I will be. But the buckets at the bottom of the mote”

“Do you want me to get it?” Edward asked, and went to pull off his shirt. I stopped him, though I would have enjoyed seeing him shirtless, and shook my head.

“No, it’ll be fine. They should have more in the laundry” I said.

“Where have you been for the past week?” he asked.

“I’ve been looking after Prince Harry” I thought I saw him tense up.

“Didn’t he get bitten by a rat?” he asked.

I nodded, “Yeah”

Edward bit his lip, and I could tell he was thinking, “You might want to go up to Prince Harry’s room”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out, just go up there” he replied, giving me a quick peck on my lips, before gesturing for me to get going.

I was confused, but I did as he said, and headed into the palace, up the stairs, and into the corridor that had all the boy’s rooms. When I got there I saw all the boys in tears, Louis was crying the hardest.

“What’s wrong?” I asked Zayn, as he seemed the best one to ask at this moment.

He looked at me, and wiped his tear-stained cheeks, “It’s Harry”

I felt my heart stop at that moment. “What do you mean ‘it’s Harry’?” I asked.

“You know how the rat that bit him was poisonous?” Zayn asked.

I nodded slowly, piecing it together before he said it. “H-He’s dead?”

Zayn shook his head, “No, but he… he might be. They won’t let anybody in” he said as I reached for the door “We have to sit here and wait. Louis here has accepted that Harry won’t make it, and Niall, Liam, and I still have hopes that he’ll make it”

I sat on the floor, and thought. Having no Harry around? That’ll be a different experience. It was then that Eleanor, Jasmine, and Danielle all ran up to us, and to their boyfriends.

Eleanor was trying to comfort Louis, who kept muttering about how he isn’t going to see his little brother ever again.  Jasmine, was trying to keep Niall from thinking about Harry, and Danielle was listening to Liam tell her about his favourite memories of him and Harry. And all that left was: Holly, April, and Perrie all standing there, all looking at the same man.

Somehow, they all knew that Zayn had a past with all of them, and Perrie looked the least hopeful out of all of them. So, here is Zayn’s choice, is it about image or real love? He looked at me for help. I shook my head at him.

He said quietly to me, “I honestly can’t pick. I’ll just keep my father happy for now”

He looked at Perrie and smiled a genuine smile at her, and she came over and gave him a hug, obviously not knowing that he might still pick a servant over her. April sat down next to me, “So, how are you holding up?”

 I watched Holly walk off, before replying, “I’m holding up fine, why?”

This surprised April, “Prince Harry-I thought-never mind” she stuttered.

“Why does everyone think I have a thing for Prince Harry? I hate him, alright?” I said, somehow those words felt wrong. I shook my head to get rid of the thought.  I was also annoyed at having to remember to put Prince or Princess before all their names when I spoke, otherwise, it could be counted as treason, and off with my head. Unless you’re the Prince or Princesses sibling, or their partner, then you can just call them by their first names. And everyone wonders why I hate it here.

She then said quietly, “Hate turns into love, always” She then spoke louder, obviously intending for me to hear this part, “It’s just, at some points you strongly dislike him, and others, like when you see a different side of Prince Harry, you seem to not dislike him, and seem to like him more. You just seem a bit different the past week you’ve been looking after Prince Harry”

“And this means what exactly?”

“I think you’re falling for the Prince Harry that only certain people get to see. You may hate the Prince Harry he pretends to be, for everyone else, but you love the Prince Harry that only comes out in front of certain people”

I thought that over, and lowered my voice, “So what do you think of Princess Perrie?”

April glanced at her “She’s alright, quite different to the other girls. The others listen and are quiet in the company of anyone but their boyfriends. Whereas Princess Perrie, prefers to have an opinion, and will not do something if she does not believe it is right. I thought you’d be the only person here like that, I guess you have a friend” She glanced at Zayn and Perrie, “And it looks like she’ll be here for the long term”

“Doesn’t it hurt seeing Princess Perrie and Prince Zayn like that? Or Holly and Prince Zayn?”

Yes, since Harry and I had found out that Holly was also dating Zayn, as well as April, (Well technically Holly started dating Zayn before April, but never mind), we had told April. Though not Holly yet, though I guess she’s already figured it out.

April thought for a moment and shook her head, “No, not really, as long as he’s happy, I don’t really mind. It would be nice to be able to call myself April Malik one day though” She grinned.

“What I still can’t believe is that you’re twenty-two” I replied.

“Oh, um… I may have lied” she looked ashamed of herself right now.

“You’re older?” She shook her head. “Younger?” I said in disbelief.

She nodded, “I’m twenty”

“Why did you lie about your age? And make yourself two years older?”

“I thought you would judge me for being pregnant at sixteen” she replied. “And that you wouldn’t judge me if I was eighteen”

At that moment Doctor Brezen walked out of the room. His face showing no emotion, but I had this gut feeling that it wasn’t good news. “I…” He took a deep breath, “I have something to tell you, about Prince Harry”

He hadn’t said anything about whether Harry was alive or not, but I felt my heart shatter anyway. I rapidly blinked back tears, as he continued.