Shamrock Prince (Niall Horan) BOOK 1

Prologue

Prologue

“You can’t  enter, the council meeting is not for faerie children.” The guard said once more to the young leprechaun that did not seem to hear him.

Niall grinned at the guard, not seeming imitated by the much larger faerie knight. “You don’t want me to tell my father, do you Meliorn?” He grinned at him. Meliorn was a hybrid; half fairy and half human. He had pale-white hair that went just past his shoulders, pointy ears – just like Niall’s – an angular face and pale green eyes. He wore the typical white armour of the knights and there was a bronze sword draped against his belt.  

Meliorn sighed. “I’m sorry, young prince. But even you can’t enter, your father said so himself.” He tried desperately to reason with the stubborn leprechaun.

Niall huffed in irritation. “Then what am I supposed to do? It’s kinda boring here.” He said with his arms crossed.

The faerie knight shrugged his broad shoulders. “I don’t know, hang out with your friends?” He offered.

“I guess I’m going to that then,” Niall muttered disappointed. He had always wanted to go to the council meetings, be able to vote about what’s going to happen in the faerie lands and hearing about the ‘unknown and dangerous’ outside world.

Niall always wanted to see a living human, vampire, werewolf or other creature. He had seen dead once, but that’s not exactly the same. He wants to know how they act and how different they actually are from the faeries.

He turned his back to Meliorn and left to go to the market. He has nothing better to do, and if he can’t go to the meeting like his parents, why not buy something to eat or listen to the tales?

That, and Niall loved to listen to the tales and gossip of the other faeries. The knights – like Meliorn – were the ones who were able to go outside the faerie lands and to go to the outside world, they always went to the market and told their tales to those who were willing to listen to them. Niall always wanted to go to the outside world; but because he’s a prince, he’s not allowed to do so.

He walked through the tunnels that connected the towns with each other and he watched a couple of pixies fly past his head; giggling and talking excitedly mong each other. They were only a few inches tall and had pointy ears and sparkling wings. Niall watched them go for a while, shortly wondering what it would be like to have wings and to be able to fly away. It must be awesome.

He shook his head and continued walking. The market is not that far away anymore. He whistled a random tune while looking at the familiar surroundings of the path he had taken many times now. Now he was walking on a golden bridge – over a clear blue river – that connected two parts with each other. If he looked over the railing of the bridge in the water; he could see selkies, kelpies and other similar creatures swimming and playing around with each other.

A kelpies’ head appeared above the water surface, black eyes locking with Niall’s own blue ones. Her skin was decorated with silvery blue scales and her hair was a seaweed green colour. The kelpie smiled, showing off her sharp teeth before she disappeared under the water surface.

The closer Niall got to the market, the more faeries crossed his path. He saw a few more leprechauns – like himself – but he also saw elves and fairies, and many more.

Niall had to say, there are many types of faeries.

He walked past a group of banshees who were laughing about something a sylph had said. He pushed his way past leprechauns and fairies, until he saw the shimmering white armour the knight wore.

Niall immediately the faerie knight as one of his best friends. Just like Niall he was a leprechaun with pointy ears, but where Niall’s hair was a light-platinum blond colour – nearly white – the knight’s hair was curly and a golden blond. The knight’s back was towards Niall, but he knew the knight had forest green eyes and a kind dimpled smile. There was a group of faerie children around him, listening open-mouthed to the story he was telling them. Niall didn’t knew if his story was true, but the children loved it and he had to admit, he was a great story teller.

“Jack!” He yelled towards the knight.

The knight – Jack – turned around surprised upon hearing his name being called. His green eyes searched the faeries around him until they fell on Niall who was walking towards him.

“Niall! Great to see you again!” Jack yelled while he skipped towards his friends to engulf him in a big hug. The children left when they realized Jack wasn’t going to continue his story. The other faeries didn’t paid the two friends a second glance.

“Where were you the last few months?” Niall asked with a raised eyebrows.

“I was in the outside world, there were some troubles between the vampires and werewolves of New York.” He told him.

Niall nodded in understanding. He had never seen a werewolf, nor a vampire. But he had read about them, and he knew they were natural enemies of each other. They never got along really well. Just like the faeries and the warlocks.

“I also want to go to the outside world.” Niall huffed.

Jack chuckled in amusement, understanding why he wanted to.

“I know, but you know why you can’t.”