[Narry One Shots]

King Thrushbeard

Based on a (German) fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, because I've been growing up with them. They're all sort of cruel if you think about it. (Do not trust Disney's version of fairy tales).
Also, let's all just ignore the obvious facts and mistakes I made (e.g. geographical stuff). This is purely fictional, but I think you know that. Love ya! x

♛

King Thrushbeard

♛

Prince Niall scoffs loudly as the next suitor steps in front of the throne and bows. That man looks more than ridiculous. "I am King Harold of the County of Chester, Mylord.", he says in a very posh accent and dares to smile cheekily up at the Prince, who lifts his eyebrows in contempt.  
"Oh", the blond nobleman purses his lips. "I was not aware that they would be sending Kings with chins like the one of a thrush and hair that has never seen water and a comb before."

"Niall!", his father, King Robert of Westmeath, grits his teeth angrily. "Behave!"
The Prince lowers his head a little to please his father, but rolls his eyes anyway and narrows them at the still grinning face of King Harold in front of him. No, not King Harold but King Thrushbeard. This name fits his appearance way better, in Niall's royal opinion. 

"Why are you grimacing, Your Highness? Is your face hurting?", he asks sweetly and bends his upper body a little towards the man with the unruly chestnut hair and the thrush chin.
"Your beauty is simply blinding me, Prince Niall.", the King replies in the same sugary sweet tone and bows again. "And I would love to ask for your hand."

"Perfect!", King Robert shouts cheerily and punches the armrest of his throne. "Say yes to this very mighty and handsome man, Niall!" 
"Well", the Prince begins slowly and leans back, smug glance still on King Harold. "I sadly have to give King Thrushbeard the same answer that I've given all of my former suitors. No."

King Robert groans and closes his eyes in frustration. "May god help me. This is enough, Niall. This is finally enough.", he says and his voice booms through the whole throne room. 
"Father?", Niall asks with a bit of a fear audible. "What do you mean?"

"I'll marry you off to the next minstrel who comes across the court!", is the roared reply, that makes Niall wince. King Robert waves everyone off, tells them they're dismissed and leaves the hall quickly. Niall is left to sit silently in his throne, having time to realise what just has happened, when he suddenly hears a small chuckle somewhere behind a pillar. 

"Who is there? Who makes fun of my pain?", the Prince grumbles and stands up from his seat, to get a better look over the room. There's again this annoying chuckle, but this time the person who comes along with it, steps out of the shadow and reveals himself. 
It's no other than King Thrushbeard.

"Why are you still here?", Niall questions and crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking at the other man accusingly. The King smiles and of course he does.
"I have heard your father's... offer to marry you off to a poor minstrel. Thinking about rather marrying me now, are you, Your Highness?"

Niall huffs and rolls his eyes. "I'd choose a minstrel over you any time.", he says and turns his back to King Thrushbeard, whose glare is like a dagger into his back.
"Oh, would you?", Thrushbeard mumbles and taps with the tips of his toes up and down.
"Any day.", Niall replies and doesn't turn around until he hears the King's footsteps leaving the hall.
It's not until then, when he allows himself to sigh and wallow in self-pity.

♛

It's not long until Niall's father lets a servant call for him, to the Prince's great horror, and it is indeed what the young man had feared all of the day and all of the night: a poor, pathetic minstrel stands in the throne room, shoulders slouched and clothes old, ragged and dirty. Niall doesn't even want to think about touching that disgusting human being, even less about actually marrying him.

With as much dignity as he is able to muster up, the Prince walks towards his father, doesn't spare the minstrel so much as a glance and bows.
"Why did you call me, father?", he asks, even though he already knows why, he just doesn't want it to be true.

"Your groom has arrived, my son.", King Robert smiles at him with a big frown on his and waves a hand into what must be the direction of the peasant.
Niall gulps heavily and forces himself to face the minstrel. "I am not going to marry... that... that..."

"This is not your decision to make, Niall. You waited for too long, you've sent away all your other suitors and it is finally time for you to marry. Therefore you will marry him, this is what I say and my word is law.", Niall's father exclaims and motions to the pastor to come over to them. "Pastor, marry them!"
"What?! Right now?!", Niall shouts incredulously and shakes his head. "No, no, father, please! You can't do that, please, please don't!", but it's too late.

The pastor says his prayer, blesses the bridal couple and thus Niall's life is over. He doesn't kiss his new groom, god forbid! He'd never show any sort of affection for someone... someone like... for a peasant.

He really looks at the minstrel for the first time after Niall's father dismissed them to go and live wherever the minstrel lives. Of course Niall had tried to struggle, he shouted and cried, but in the end it was to no avail and thus, he's walking and walking and walking now.

The man he just had married has the hood of his, whatever kind of rag he is wearing, deep in his face, so Niall cannot make out how he looks. Not that he wants to know. He doesn't even know the man's name, to begin with. This all went just way too fast and now he's here, in the middle of some fields, in the mud, dirtying his fine, noble clothes and all he wants to do is die in a hole or go back to the castle.

"Hey! Don't walk so fast, you useless peasant!", Niall groans and struggles to walk on the bumpy way, but all he receives from his husband is a low chuckle and a faster pace... and that bastard is already way in front of him! "Hey!", Niall shouts again. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

A sigh comes from the minstrel and finally the guy stops walking and waits for Niall to catch up with him. "I heard you very well, my love", he says, voice rough but cheeky, "But you're no longer able to give any demands."
Niall groans even louder this time and stomps with one foot onto the ground, to make his frustration clear to everybody. He misjudges the floor, though, and promptly falls forwards, arms flailing in the air, searching helplessly for something to hold on and the only thing there is -- is the minstrel.

Strong arms catch him and hold him up and if the Prince is honest, he rather likes the feeling of being hold and he thinks for a second, that he caught a glance into beautiful green eyes, but then he realises where he is and who that man who holds him is and he's quick to free himself out of the unwanted embrace.

He doesn't say thank you, he just blushes vigorously and clomps forward.
"Well, what are you waiting for? You're supposed to bring me to your house!", he orders and keeps on walking. There's this low chuckle again and Niall is not sure if he'll be able to become accustomed to that. It is rather annoying.

♛

"To whom belong these fields and forests?", Niall wants to know after a while of silence, where the minstrel and he walked next to each other.
"To the man you called King Thrushbeard.", his husband answers casually. "This would've been all yours, if you had married him."

Niall grunts and shrugs. "I wouldn't have married that posh prat even if he had been the last man on earth.", he grumbles and kicks the floor lightly. He can walk better on it now, after walking for so long on it.
"Is the King so ugly that you didn't want to marry him and called him Thrushbeard?", the minstrel asks and makes Niall sigh with that.

"He was not ugly, he was rather attractive, but I do not want to marry someone who I do not love, yet my father forced me to do so anyway and choose one of those Kings and Princes and Counts...", he says gloomily and frowns at his feet.

"Is this why you were so rude to all of your suitors?", the minstrel asks and makes Niall sigh again.
"I guess so... but it was also kind of fun. Some of them were really ridiculous. One had teeth as large as a horse.", he giggles lightly.

"You have a nice laughter", the peasant says and it sounds honest and makes Niall blush.
"But... you didn't want to marry someone you didn't love... and now... you're here. With me.", his husband mentions and Niall nods and looks at him.
"Under your dirtiness, I'm sure you're nice enough.", he replies and smiles a little. "Nicer than King Thrushbeard anyway."

The minstrel nods quietly and studies Niall's face from under his hood. "Maybe you misjudge him a little.", he offers, but Niall just tsks.
"Hardly", the Prince with the blond hair says. "I have seen nobles like him, they're posh and arrogant."
The peasant laughs at Niall's words. "Says you, my love!"

The Prince pouts. "Well, at least I'm not as posh! Have you heard his accent? Hm, actually--"
"Actually what?", the other man wants to know.
"Your accent reminds me a bit of his, but I guess it's because you're from his land.", Niall shrugs carelessly. "Uhm, I don't-- I don't know your name, by the way."

The taller lad smiles and bows before the blond. "You can call me Henry, if you want."
"Henry, alright.", Niall repeats. "You're good company, Henry. For a peasant with no education."
"None at all, my love, I only know what nature thought me.", Henry grins and kicks a stone away.
"Right.", Niall agrees and kicks the stone, which landed in front of him, back to Henry.

"Hm", he hums after a while of silence. "Aren't you supposed to sing? Since you're a minstrel?"
"You want me to sing for you?", he asks and Niall nods in response.
"Alright...", says Henry and lifts his chin up to the sky.

"And as the world comes to an end,
I'll be there to hold your hand--", the minstrel's voice sings and Niall is stunned by its beauty. He didn't expect the man to be so talented, so he stares at him with a mouth wide agape and big eyes.
Henry notices and cocks his head in thought, but then holds out his hand for Niall to take and whispers: "Dance with me."

And Niall does. He takes Henry's hand in his, even though he's not the best smelling person Niall has ever met, but something draws him close to the peasant anyway.
So they dance on the open field, probably still miles away from the minstrel's home, while Henry sings into Niall's ear.

"'Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart,
your lionheart-- a lionheart--
a lionheart-- 'cause you're my king and
I'm a lionheart-- a lionheart--"

They spin around and around slowly and something weird fills Niall's chest. He doesn't know if it's curiosity or affection or something entirely else, but it's nice and warm and leaves him confused.
"You have a beautiful voice.", Niall smiles at him and leans his head against the taller man's chest.
Then Henry suddenly stops singing and lets the Prince's hands fall to his side.
"I think we should keep going."

♛

When they finally arrive at their destination, it does not surprise the Prince how small and humble-looking the shack is, but he sighs anyway.
"So, this is where you live?", he asks and Henry replies with a grunt.
"Hopefully good enough for Your Highness."

Niall frowns at his husband's sudden coldness, but shrugs the thought away. "It will have to do from now on, I suppose."
"It will.", Henry says contently and opens the door to let them both in. There's a fireplace in one corner and straw and some cloths in another and that's where they're going to sleep, Niall guesses and winces. He wants to go back to the luxury of his old home so badly.

"Very well. Now, go make a fire, it'll be cold at night.", Henry orders and points to the fireplace. "There is enough wood for this night, tomorrow we'll have to go collect new."
Niall raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "I'll have to make a fire? And how do you think I'm going to do this? I've never made a fire before... so... you make it!"

Henry just laughs and shakes his head. "No can do, my love."
The blond Prince mutters something under his breath and huffs. "At least show me how to."
His husband shows at least a little bit mercy and actually shows him how to start a decent fire.

Niall grunts and groans and sighs through every following task he has to do and he thinks he'll never become accustomed to hard work. When it is finally time to sleep, Niall is utterly exhausted, more exhausted than he's ever been in his whole life and that just from only one day.

"It'll get better.", Henry says to him in the evening and pats his shoulder reassuringly. "Now sleep, my love."
Niall looks tiredly up at him and nods. "Where will you sleep?", he asks and lays onto his side onto the straw on the hard ground.
Henry shrugs. "Outside, maybe."

"No!", Niall disagrees quickly. "It's cold outside... and, uhm, we're a married couple now and I reckon it is acceptable to sleep next to each other. So, stay."
So Henry stays and sleeps next to Niall without touching him, but somehow the Prince craves his touch anyway.

♛

The coming days and weeks pass slightly better. Niall is still not all too willing to work, but he has to if he wants to live an at least alright life. They do not have much, but it is enough and he somehow comes to like it this way, even though he thinks he must be out of his mind for this thought.
He can finally understand how the servants in his castle must have felt, somehow like this, hands not soft but calloused, faces not clean but dirty. He feels truly bad about the way he had treated them. Not like dust, of course, he was not cruel, but he's been harsh to them and he regrets it.
He knows how hard work is now, he knows now how they feel and when he tells Henry about it, he simply nods and ruffles Niall's blond hair.

He does not wear his fine clothes anymore, but old and ragged ones, just like his husband, who isn't home very often. He has to work, Henry says and smiles apologetically. It's the only way they get money. Niall offers to work, too, and Henry agrees, tells him to make pottery to sell.

Of course the Prince doesn't know how to, so the minstrel has to show him. Niall sits on the pottery chair and starts turning the wheel to make the clay spin in front of him. Henry is behind him and looks at what he does, hums a little melody and suddenly there are his arms around Niall and his hands on the clay, forming it, but all Niall can feel is the warmth of the body so close to him.

It's when he realises that he's grown attached to the man, to his company and he kind of likes him very much. They stay like that for a while and Niall probably enjoys it a little too much. He doesn't know about Henry's feelings for him, because he's been just as forced to marry Niall as Niall was to marry him.

"There", Henry says after a while and steps away from the Prince, who instantly misses the warmth. "You'll get the knack soon, I'm sure.", he reassures him and leaves the shack short after.
Niall makes cups and bowls in silence and thinks about how he hasn't seen Henry's whole face once.
He wonders what secrets he keeps from him, but maybe he is just ashamed of his face. Maybe because of a scar or a big nose.
Doesn't he know that Niall wouldn't care? Not anymore, at least, he's learned the ugly sides of life. He has learned a lot since he arrived here and he's grateful for it somehow.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. Niall stands up to open it, wanting to know who would knock on an old shack like this.
When he opens the door, there are three men in uniforms outside, who look at him sternly.
"Milords?", he wonders and bows.

"We're here to gather the taxes!", the bulkiest of them says, a tall brunette with brown eyes.
"Oh!", Niall exclaims. "Alright, one moment please!", he says and walks to the vase where they keep their money. He takes the few coins out of it and brings them to the men.

"That is not enough.", the smaller one of them shouts and grabs the coins out of Niall's hand.
"B-But it's all we have!", Niall defends himself and the men laugh mercilessly.
"Well, you're quite pretty, so I think we can make an exception...", the tanned one of them drawls and steps towards Niall, who backs away.

"N-No, please, I'm married!", he says with fear clear in his voice, backing away more, because the men keep coming closer to him, with nasty glares in their eyes.
"Oh yeah? To whom?", they sneer loudly.

"To me.", a voice says behind them and god bless, Niall thinks, it's Henry. He's here to save him.
A bright smile appears on the Prince's face as soon as he sets his eyes onto his husband.
The three terrifying men turn around and eye Henry up and down. "And who're you, peasant?"

There is a short hesitation in Henry's action, in which the tanned man grabs Niall around his waist and pulls him close, grabbing the blond's wrists to stop him from struggling.
"The question is not who I am but rather who you are.", Henry speaks up again. "I do not think the King has sent you out. You are no men of this Kingdom."

The bulky one roars with laughter. "Oh my, what if? What you're gonna do about it, bastard?"
This is when Henry finally pulls down his hood and reveals his face. "Oh, I don't know. I might decapitate you." The men are left stunned and wide-eyed.
Niall can't believe his eyes. He cannot believe what he sees.

"K-King Th-Thrushbeard?", he stutters incredulously and Henry - no Thrushbeard grimaces.
The King sets his eyes back on the three men. "Let him go and leave this house and land now, before I let my guards catch and imprison you."
They are quick to follow the King's orders and are nowhere to be seen just a few seconds later.

"Niall, I--", Thrushbeard starts then, but Niall interrupts him.
"No, no, don't say anything, just-- how could you-- you-- you--", he shakes his head furiously and gapes at him in complete distrust. Tears begin forming in his eyes and Niall takes that as a cue to push past Thrushbeard, just out of this house, out of there, away from this lying piece of shit.

♛

He throws himself into the grass and cries haplessly. He thought he could trust Henry, he thought he was his friend... he even thought he might have loved this poor guy.
It all was a lie, a horrible, horrible lie. A joke to the King Thrushbeard.
It breaks Niall's heart into pieces and he wants to forget everything that had happened.

"I-- I didn't want to play with you, Niall.", oh no, he has come to look for him. "I truly didn't want to play with you, you have to trust me. I didn't want it to end like this, I wanted--"
Niall turns around, face swollen from all the tears he's shed because of this... this... arsehole.
"What did you want, Harold? What? Want to make me fall in love with you even more and then break me completely?! Tell me, what did you want to do to me? Hurt me? Well, you did that!", he shouts angrily and desperately and then there are more tears and Niall just cannot stop them.
He feels pathetic, but that's what he is, falling for a trick like this so easily.

"Y-You love me?", King Harold asks and drops to his knees next to Niall, reaching out a hand, but not touching the blond. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you but you were so-- and I thought it was a good idea to change you-- but then you said-- and I realised that you're not-- and I--"

"Either leave me alone or speak in full comprehensible sentences, Harold!", Niall cries out and buries his face in his hands, not able to look at this beautiful yet hated face of the man he thought he loved.
"I didn't think you could love a man as poor as dirt...", Harold whispers and touches Niall's wrist gently, pulling it away from the blond's face as softly as possible.
"I thought you were an arrogant little brat, who thinks he is better than everyone else. But you're not. You're quite wonderful and I've been in love with you before all of this play, because you're beautiful, a beauty I thought you didn't deserve, but now... now I'm even more in love with you."

Niall finally looks him into the eyes and they're green, the same green eyes the minstrel had and oh, it's him, King Harold is the minstrel and he blushes.
"You have a good heart, Niall.", Harold says and smiles fondly, wiping away the tears on Niall's face with his thumb. "I want you to be my prince consort... only-- only if you want to, of course... only if you still want me. For all I did, I don't deserve it, though."

To Harold's surprise, Niall nods and smiles shyly. "You may have... tricked me, but on the inside... you're still the same, yes? Not a posh, annoying Thrushbeard?"
Harold laughs and takes Niall's gorgeous face into his hands. "I'm the same, my love. But I think my posh accent might come out sometimes."

Niall laughs, too. "I think I'll have to deal with that...", he grins and blinks innocently at the King, whose eyes flicker to the Prince's lips.
"May I kiss you?", he asks and Niall doesn't reply, he only attaches his lips to the King's and it feels like they should've done that long before, like they've waited and waited for this moment to come.

This kiss is everything they feel for each other, here, on a field in Harold's Kingdom, dirty and still poor, but happy nonetheless.
When they pull apart, they let their foreheads rest against each other's.
"Come with me to my castle, Niall, be my King and let me be your lionheart."

Niall agrees of course. "Alright. But only if you sing for me every night."
"I'll do everything you want me to do.", Harold says and pecks the Prince's lips lovingly.
"Good. Because we still have to sell the pottery I made."

♛





***
AN: this is not how the fairy tale really goes, but I just.. I just changed it, yeah. I'm not sure if this fairy tale is known outside of Germany, though? I hope you know it, ahah, if not, then read it! :D
It's called "King Thrushbeard" (König Drosselbart in German) and it's one of my favourites!

Dedicated to MiiMyselfandTime because she's wonderful and I love her. Yay! :) x