Lets brave the dark storm one last time...
PRESENT
Deniese, Rosales
POV: Zayn
"... But I have to save her Niall!!"
"Harry, It's a SUICIDE mission! I can't just let you march off to Raveria!" Niall's voice rang out with finality.
Zayn actually started crying due to happiness upon hearing those words from behind the thin wooden door. But he made it damn sure that not one squeak came out of his mouth. He would not let some Dramatic emotional outburst take away his months of hard work! DEOs were extremely dangerous. Just take Niall's for example! Not that Zayn was complaining about it. In fact, he was ready to give away his entire collection of rare perfumes to the beta for having the said- dramatic emotional outburst.
For months Zayn had searched every inch of the continent with his men. All across the northern Alamain. Lord Harley indeed had helped the Prince and Niall with their escape, and after some spying, bribing and the good'Ol alpha chewing out, Zayn had managed to find the safe house at the trade port, but he had lost the scent after that. He had then scattered his men across the continent, trying to find new leads. Any leads! He had even managed to discover few other safehouses, but sadly none had passed through them.
Five months into the relentless search had Zayn rethinking his life's decisions. But just as he was about to give up and have a Dramatic emotional outburst, words began to seep down from the northern states.
Zayn always had suspected that there was a bigger chance of Harry heading north, as far away from Carnelia as possible. But due to the lack of evidence, he couldn't act on it. But when the cow stampede made it into the yearly Top Ten Terrific Topics on Alamain, Zayn took out his woolen cape.
After spending two very cloudy and very wet months in Valency, a water-soaked Zayn had finally arrived at the freezing cold Deniese in Rosales, and was duly greeted by the news of the oncoming war from south and Louis' immediate order to return back to Valium at once!
So much for -'Don't start a war in my absence!'
So, it wasn't a big surprise that Zayn was a thin icicle away from drowning all the alphas, the beta and the omega responsible for this mess into the icy-cold fjords in the northern sea.
But as he was walking down the hallway of the tavern he had taken up residence in, Lady Luck finally graced him with her presence the form of the 'Dramatic emotional outburst' from none other than Niall Horan.
That's why no one could blame him when he fell flat to the floor and started weeping like a madman in silent relief.
His mission was a success!
By that very evening, Zayn gladly took back everything he had ever about Alphas being idiots in general. Turned out, omegas could be equally bad! Himself not included, obviously.
His first meeting with the prince didn't go as he had expected.
Then again, he should have known better than to come up from his behind while Harry was drinking ale and announcing "Prince Harry, King Louis wants to meet with you!"
Not only did he end up with a dagger to his throat, but Harry also sprayed out the ale already in his mouth directly on Zayn's face.
Yes... Disgusting!
Then one look at his face had Zayn stumbling back in shock. "You GOT TO BE KIDDING ME... EDWARD?!" He gaped at Harry's familiar face. "You are Harry?" The stinky drink dropped down his face.
The prince winced sheepishly.
"And those two idiots never figured it out?!"
Harry shook his head and started coughing violently. The remaining drink from the jug liberally spilling onto his fashionable Lysandrian cloak.
Zayn just sighed and wiped his face with the now ruined garment. No dramatic emotional outburst. He had to remain calm. The things he had to endure for Louis... He definitely deserved a raise. Not that the pay for advisor was bad or anything. But still...
This was going to be one long-arse night.
Once Harry was no longer choking on his drink and was not making Zayn choke on the dagger, both had settled down to have a talk. And man did the prince have a tale to tell! After listening to what Harry and Niall had done for the past eight months, Zayn was stunned. He had not expected that! He had to admit, the prince was hella smart with bones of iron. It was easy to see why people underestimated him though.
The Styles omega was a slender man with delicate yet sharp features. He was again wearing the carnelian contacts, which had helped Zayn identify him in a jiffy. And his hair was wrapped in a scarf. Zayn had never seen the prince's true eyes or hair, but he had a pretty good idea what they looked like. He recalled Edward being very pretty, back in Timora. But now...Harry was positively drop dead gorgeous. But the delicate features did not fool him.
Harry was a rose, scarlet beauty with deadly thorns hidden deep within its glamour. An attribute Zayn associated with Louis himself. Everyone who had underestimated that calm force had ended up dead. Misdirection at its greatest.
No wonder Louis had fallen for Harry.
Unfortunately, Harry refused to come back home with him when Zayn made the request " I want to... But I can't. I have to go to Raveria at once! To save my sister!"
But being the considerate prince he was, Harry had helpfully added, "But you can still catch up with Niall. After black mailing didn't work, he said he was going to narc me to Louis and just left this afternoon..."
Well, that explained the emotional outburst from morning.
"...or, you could come with me."
"NO!"
Harry pouted. "C'mon! We will get to kick alpha butts without restrictions..." He blinked innocently...
Zayn frowned. " You highness! You must know I will not sink as low to give into temptation!"
Harry examined his dagger with a smile. " Of course you wouldn't."
And that's how Zayn found himself riding through a blizzard with his men, following Harry into the enemy territory.
It took them ten days of non-stop riding to reach the seized fortress. Zayn was well aware of the enormous danger they were in by just being there. He and Harry were omegas of high status. If they were to be captured, death would be the least of their problems.
They would most likely be claimed by some high level High Garium official and used for.... Actually, Zayn didn't want to go down that lane at the moment. Both he and Harry had already been through their respective cycles recently and were in the safe zone. Plus, Zayn did have his men for protection. And his weapons. And a high risk low functionality secret back up plan... yup, Zayn came prepared!
The plan was simple. He and Harry would sneak into the fortress disguised as palace helpers, find Leanna, and get out through the secret passages which led to the sea, where their men would be waiting for them. Having spent significant amount of time in the fortress, Harry was familiar with every nook and cranny of the place.
Once the moon rose on the eleventh night, Zayn and Harry jumped into the river Kaili and Harry led them towards the underwater steel grate, which was slightly torn from one dark edge. This proved to Zayn that the prince indeed had spent quite an amount of time jumping in and out of the river, even if he did not actually do it during his famous suicide stunt.
Within minutes, they were inside. They were quick to overpower two palace aides and silently exchange the outfits with their own, though Harry withheld his scarf. Then they swiftly made their way to the dungeons, silent as shadows. The fortress was moderately filled the enemy soldiers. But they were not on their guards.
That was the first indication that something was not right.
If the fortress was holding a hostage as powerful as Leanna, the place should have been crawling with tight security. But Zayn guessed that since Carnelia had been completely taken over, the likelihood of someone crazy enough to break into what was one of the strongest forts in the country was next to none.
After all, no one could have anticipated the two insane omegas rushing through the impenetrable corridors.
There was no sign of Leanna in the dungeons. Or in any other possible locations Harry could think of.
Harry was increasingly growing worried. "Where on Earth is she? Do you think they have..." He gulped.
"Killed her?" Zayn finished his sentence. "It's possible, but highly unlikely!" Zayn knew Harry loved his sister. He had seen the bond the two shared the day Harry ran away. But he was not mincing words to please him, no matter how hard it was for him. There indeed was a chance that Leanna was already dead. But using her as a bargaining chip or a hostage, was a far more likely option.
On the other hand, if Leanna had indeed been killed, and Carnelia not dried up into a dessert, it would make it clear to the High Gariums that Harry was alive. Because of the land blood connections. Unless of course Leanna or Harry had a secret child somewhere.
Zayn glanced at Harry.
"What?"
Zayn shook his head. "Nothing." Nope for the prince.
Zayn did know about the blood bond, but only faintly. The royals were pretty tight lipped when it came to the land magic. Even Louis. But he knew enough.
With time running out and dawn about to break, Harry made a last-ditch effort and led them to the old unused wing of the castle.
The moment he set foot in the dark corridor, Zayn felt the change. A heavy sadness lingered in the air. Fingers of death.
"This is the place where they were... killed." Harry muttered quietly as they walked down the empty passage, not one guard posted in sight.
A shiver ran down Zayn's bones as he looked around the stone walled corridor. King James and queen Lehya had been brutally murdered along with their guards and multiple aides. He had heard tales, of how the blood had flooded down the corridor of the fortress, painting it red. It was said that it had taken years to get the stains removed. Even now, the walls seemed to be silently singing songs of deception and tragedy.
"We were so young when it happened," Harry continued softly, "Leanna and I managed to escape. But the shouts and cries...Oh Gods..... I can still hear them sometimes..... That laughing while everyone else cried." He shuddered and closed his eyes for a second before opening them again.
There was sadness in those eyes but also determination. Zayn smiled. Leanna was right. Harry was not a weak person. He was strong. And for whatever reasons he had chosen to run away from Louis, Zayn trusted them to be valid.
Harry lightly touched the wall at a place where the stones looked a bit newer. "We never came back up here. Lord Harley had their room sealed and this passage closed... We ne-never even got a chance to say g-goodbye!" His voice was hoarse as he stared at the floor for a moment before going to the next door, the last in the corridor.
Zayn followed quietly, offering silent support. "What's this room?" He asked as he opened the wooden door slowly.
Again, no Leanna.
Harry had a scared-lost look on his face and Zayn was brutally reminded that Harry was still very young. Barely an adult. And he had had to face so many challenges in his life just because of the world they lived in. He really felt bad for him. Being an omega himself, he knew just how rough things could get. And Harry was a prince on top of that. Loosing Leanna would be a big blow for him.
"Harry... You all right?"
That seemed to snap him out of his daze as he gave Zayn a curt nod. "This was the study of Lor-...of Karhine. One of my dad's most trusted advisors...He also died.... shortly after my parents."
Zayn frowned. The way Harry said it made him feel uncomfortable. It seemed as though Harry had not been very fond of the ex-royal advisor. "No longer a Lord?"
Harry shook his head. "Leanna stripped him of his status and power."
Zayn hummed. It must have been bad then.
Well, not everyone could be as nice and warm and polite as me. And modest! So modest.
The room was filled with dusty old parchments. The floor was covered with the stuff and the furnishings were all thrashed. The glass on the shelves were shattered and the tapestries torn out from the walls. It looked as though a storm had passed through the chamber. But everything was sprinkled with old dust, as if no one had entered the place in ages.
Zayn was shocked as he raised his burning torch to get a better look. "What on hell happened here?" He murmured, trying not to disturb the ghoulish ambience.
Harry slowly walked into the room and moved towards the grand table next to the window. His movements slightly stiff. " Karh- He did something which lost him favor with uncle Harley as well as Leanna. Since Harley was the regent at that time, he had this place ransacked in search of some vital information. As far as I know, he never found it."
Zayn blinked. Advisors were usually one of the most respected and trusted people in the cabinet and were quite close to the King and queen. Almost like family. "Must have done something really horrible to deserve it!"
"Yeah..."
Zayn could sense this topic was sensitive for harry because of the way his voice shook. So he quit pressuring him and put his mind back on business. No point prodding old ghosts. Specially in a gruesome crime scene. In the middle of the night. Inside a captured fort placed in the midst of hostile territory.
Yup, Zayn had his priorities sorted out just fine!
It was good thing too, as he just noticed something which was downright.....wrong. Very wrong.
The table was clean.
In the middle of the dust filled room, there was not a speck of dirt on the polished surface of the wooden furniture. But it was not empty either.
Harry threw him a confused look before picking up the letter and making light fall on it. Both of them eager to read what it said.
All blood drained from Harry's face as he read the lines, making Zayn's apprehension grow fever pitched.
Addressed to the High alpha king of High Garium almost twelve years ago, the short letter only had a few lines-
The regent and the queen have grown suspicious of me. They are coming for the omega at dawn. We have to alter the plans. I will do the deed tonight and escape. Carnelia will fall with its prince. Long live the High empire!
-Karhine
"Harry... What does this mean? You are the prince of Carnelia..." Zayn was certain that something was terribly wrong. The hair on the back of his neck standing straight up.
With shaky hands, Harry tore the paper into shreds before looking at him with big scared eyes. "We have to get out of here. NOW!"
Zayn quickly put his arms around the younger boy to ground him. "You are trembling Harry! What is it?" His concern growing with every second for the frantic omega trying to keep his cool.
"It was a trap all along Zayn! They want me! They know I am alive!!!"
Zayn rubbed is back gently. "Who does?"
"Me."
TRIVIA
This is the only chapter in the POV of someone other than the main three.
A/N
Drastic changes takes place from the next present chapter. So before we go any further and I change all your opinions-
Which character do you like the most?
Which character do you feel is the smartest?
Which character do you hate the most?
Thanks you for all the support. Stay safe.
Love
-Lani💙