Green plains that soon turned into dirty streets seemed to go on forever while Louis watched them, feeling the warm wind on his face until the carriage came to an abrupt stop, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to his left, watching his husband getting out first then held onto his gross and calloused hand to get out. He wanted to pull it away but people were watching, and the man had a tight grip on his smaller one.
Louis Tomlinson of Clark, the son of a simple Baron, had been betrothed to Earl, Howard Clark, at the mere age of only eighteen while his husband had been thirty five at the time. Now at twenty two and his husband at thirty nine, he was miserable living a life that just wasn't what he would have wanted for himself.
While getting out of the carriage, he avoided looking at the people around him, being them the only ones dressed in the fanciest of clothes while the rest were almost dressed in rags. That's if they were lucky to have clothes at all. It only made him feel ashamed of his status, a status he wanted nothing of. He let the man he was forced to call his husband pull him inside their house like a rag doll, having no other choice but to obey him. He tried to hide the bruise on his left cheekbone his husband had left there after finding out the news. Louis had not cried, refused to do so.
Once the doors had closed behind them, Louis stood by the door watching his husband walk away in the direction to his study, and seconds later heard the door slamming shut. He let out a relieved breath when he heard and saw the door slamming closed and his husband finally disappearing from his sight. He walked upstairs towards his bedroom, passing his husband's without a glance. He didn't dare go near his bedroom much less inside unless it was to fulfill his duty every other night, which never failed to make him feel disgusting and used.
Once he was inside of his own bedroom, he closed and locked the door not wanting anyone to bother him and took a seat at the foot of the bed. Thoughts of his first and only love suddenly filled his mind, somehow knowing he was finally getting over him, yet he would always hold a special place in his heart. He got up and took his dirty clothes off, wanting to take a bath, but decided to wait in case he needed him, feeling the anger and disgust building up deep inside of him.
He still felt the hatred towards his own mother after Elisa, whom he had been forced to call his mother, had drilled into his head the importance of always keeping his husband satisfied. Louis will always remember the horror that had been his wedding night then the next day when his mother had made him feel worthless. He was glad the bitch was finally dead.
"Louis?"
A knock startled Louis but he quickly calmed down as soon as he recognized Liam's voice. He hurried up to put on his clean clothes and as soon as he was fully dressed, he rushed to unlock the door. When he opened the door he smiled seeing his childhood friend standing in front of him with a plate of food in his hands.
Louis had met Liam when they were children and Liam's mother had started working in his parents house when Louis had only been seven years old and Liam nine. They had quickly become friends going against Louis' own father who didn't like his son spending time with the servant's children but to Louis, everybody was equal. Archer Tomlinson had been a crazy fuck just like his mother had been and now his husband.
"Did you make sure he didn't see you?" Was the first thing Louis asked, taking the plate and letting Liam in, closing and locking the door once again.
"He just left again but not before ordering the cooks not to feed you. What angered him now?" Liam asked, his eyes filled with worry seeing his best friend suffering the way he was.
"Same old thing, I did not get pregnant." Louis shrugged as if it wasn't big deal, having stopped getting worried over that years ago.
"He took you to see the doctor then." Liam nodded more to himself, sitting on a chair around a small table for two.
"And blamed it on me again but at least he didn't hit me anywhere else but my face this time, doctor said that could be the reason why I can't give him a son." Louis sighed, sitting in front of him.
"Do you have to go back there tonight?" Liam asked, chewing on his bottom lip knowing the answer when Louis looked away and slowly pushed his plate away.
Liam loudly sighed and pushed the plate closer to Louis telling him that he had to eat, glad when Louis listened to him. After Louis was done eating, Liam left him alone once again with only his thoughts to keep him company finally able to relax again but sadly it didn't last long.
By midnight, Louis once again found himself walking back to his own bedroom, feeling that familiar pain every time he walked, and unable to shed anymore tears after years of doing the same thing. After four agonizing years that will turn to more as time passed by, he had finally learned how to numb it, how to feel nothing but disgust.
When he got there he was glad when Lucy, one of the servants and another friend of his, already had a bath ready for him. She left him alone after giving him a sad look knowing Louis did not want anybody there while he bathed after what had happened. He carefully got in the tub wincing in pain, and as soon as he was in a comfortable position he started washing himself, trying to hurry up and wash away the feeling of his hands all over him.
When he was done, he quickly dried himself then changed into his sleepwear going to bed soon after. A few minutes later he placed a hand on his stomach praying to every god up there that he was not pregnant, he did not want to bring a child into the world that would belong to him.
He turned around on his left side, just thankful that he still had Liam who had asked to come with him after he had gotten married. He was glad that Howard had seen in Liam someone useful to have around and that's how Liam had moved with him after his marriage, he was the only one who had and was still keeping him sane after all those years. He fell asleep knowing that all he had to do now was wait and see if he had gotten pregnant after the long and miserable night he had had to endure, just wishing he wasn't. He could care less if he wasn't, it was better that way.
*Two months later*
The sound of Howard's hand colliding against Louis' left cheek echoed around the room, as Louis stumbled onto the ground with a hand over his throbbing cheek trying not to cry.
"I am getting tired of you Louis, you are just as useless as the last three." Howard spat, referring to the last three wives he had had before he had married Louis.
Louis bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something that would only make him angrier and instead tried not to gag at the taste of blood in his mouth. He stayed where he was not daring to even move a finger, yet it was not enough when Howard yanked him up by the hair making him look at him.
"I..." Louis started, but quickly shut up feeling him pulling harder on his hair making him wince and his eyes sting with tears that never came.
"I'm starting to think your father lied to me to save his ass, sold yours to save his and had the decency to lie to my face about you being fertile. Now listen to me and listen good because this is the last time I will tell you this." Howard snarled, making Louis look into his muddy brown eyes, "If you are not pregnant in four months by the end of the year, you're dead you hear me, you're gonna end up like them...dead or in the streets like all those dirty rats. I quite like the first option better than the second one."
He let go of his hair and pushed him out of his way walking out of Louis' bedroom. As soon as he had slammed the door shut was when Louis finally allowed himself to shed a few tears. Later that night Louis was already in his bed while Liam fixed the covers around him after he had been used like a rag doll over and over again, to the point where he couldn't even move and like always, Liam was there to help and comfort him.
"I'm sure it was all talk, Lou, he wouldn't dare kill you." Liam said from where he was sitting next to Louis, running his fingers through Louis' damp hair.
"You know him Liam, and you know his last three wives mysteriously disappeared when they couldn't give him children and now I'm next." Louis said, then took a deep breath wincing when his lower back started hurting again, "He is so stupid to realize that the problem is him, I am sure that if I had married him instead of Howard then I would already have many children. More than I would have been able to handle, the both of us."
"I'm sorry." Liam looked down at his lap, "I tried to warn him but–"
"Doesn't matter anymore Li, he is gone and now my main concern is getting pregnant and staying alive." Louis interrupted him.
"But how are you going to get pregnant if he can't have children, unless..." Liam trailed off not wanting to think about it, getting startled when Louis sat up almost hitting him on the chin with his head.
"If he can't get me pregnant then someone else will." Louis looked around, then slowly turned his head to the side to look at his best friend, his brother, knowing that it was crazy and incestuous but he had no other option, "You. You have to help me Liam, you have to get me pregnant. Please."
"What? Oh no, no, no, no, are you out of your mind Louis!? You're like my brother, no, forget it." Liam quickly got up, leaving Louis alone in his bed.
"We promised we were always going to protect each other." Louis whimpered on the verge of tears, "You can't let him kill me just because I can't give him a baby when it's his fault I can't get pregnant." Louis let a few tears fall, hoping to convince him.
"Louis don't do that." Liam rubbed his hands on his face.
"Please Liam, he'll never find out and-" Louis started.
"I can't do that, you're my best friend, my brother and it's wrong. I promised to always protect you but I can't do that." Liam gave him an apologetic look.
"Liam please, do this for me, just this once. All you have to do is lay there, close your eyes and let me do all the work." Louis pleaded, trying to get up but was stopped by Liam when he hurried over to his side.
Louis looked up seeing him furrowing his brow and chewing on his bottom lip knowing that he was thinking about it, he hoped for him to agree or he was dead. After what felt like forever Louis slowly wrapped his arms around Liam's waist snuggling up to him and that's when Liam let out a loud sigh.
"Just this once, just...I'm gonna help you, but just this time. If- If you...oh god, if you don't get pregnant this time, then I'm not going to do it again. Louis, this is close to incest!" Liam finally agreed, then slowly wrapped his arms around Louis. He Kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. He would do anything for Louis, even die.
"Thank you, you're saving my life." Louis hugged him tighter, then sat up blushing when he had to make eye contact with Liam, "We can- We could do it right now, he's not home and-"
"No! Not right now, you are still in pain and you need to get better. He will be back at any moment now and he is going to get angry if he finds me here. We'll wait at least a week, he's going to be leaving for a whole day and part of the night this weekend." Liam said pushing Louis on his back so he could rest.
"I promise you that if I get pregnant, this baby will love you. You are going to be its father after all." Louis looked at him with teary eyes, seeing Liam's face falling once he realized what he meant.
He was never going to get to raise his child, his child would never know him as his father much less call him so.
"Don't worry about that." Liam gave him a gentle smile fixing the covers around him, "As long as I see him or her grow up then that's all that should matter."
Louis only gave him a tired smile then closed his eyes falling asleep a few seconds later. With one last look at him, Liam left the room going straight to his own thinking of what he had promised Louis. That night he tossed and turned around on his bed almost regretting it a few times but held it in knowing he had to help him, he had promised him and he wasn't going to break his promise.
A few days later during dinner when Louis was better, was when Howard finally announced he would be gone making Louis a little nervous when the day kept getting closer.
"I will be gone for a full day and half the night, I expect you to behave while I'm gone." Howard said, then grabbed the glass, drinking a bit before putting it back on its spot while Louis wished he could poison his food and be done with it once and for all. But without him, Louis was nothing.
"Of course." Louis rolled his eyes when he had his head down, knowing he couldn't see him, "When do I not behave, at this point I am surprised I still have a mind of my own."
"Do not get smart with me Louis. If you don't want me to beat you then shut up!" Howard snapped.
"That's something I do not understand." Louis continued, completely ignoring his glares and Liam's pleading looks from the corner of the dining room, "If you want me to give you a child, why do you keep beating me? Do you not know you are not supposed to beat a pregnant person."
"That's if you were actually pregnant and you are not. You are just as dry and useless as the rest. I don't know why I keep bothering with you. Should have gotten rid of you years ago, save myself all this trouble." Howard said, going back to eating and expecting Louis to stay quiet.
"Who knows dear, maybe at some point I was but with your beatings..." Louis trailed off letting it sink in. He was almost smirking but didn't even get the chance when he was slapped, making him fall off his chair taking down his plate full of food with him.
"Like you know anything about that!" Howard got up towering over him, "Your petty attempts at saving yourself are not going to work, you have four months."
When he finally left, Louis slowly got up letting Liam help him up as soon as he felt his warm arms around him, then sat down on the chair. He refused to eat when Liam brought him another plate, too busy sobbing as loud as he could now that he had the chance. His cries could be heard around the house, the servants trying to ignore it like they always did even when their hearts ached for him.
The days quickly passed by and when Howard finally left, Louis felt so much better and calm but it quickly faded away knowing what he had to do that night. He spent the rest of the day trying to stay calm but only kept getting more and more nervous when he didn't see Liam all day until that night when he showed up and Louis was thankful he had already prepped himself, not wanting to do it in front of him.
"Are you ready?" Liam asked him, trying not to think about what he and Louis were about to do.
"Yes." Louis nodded from where he was standing in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but his thin sleepwear, seeing Liam gulping before he took a step towards him.
Louis took a deep breath and let Liam take him to his bed.
******
Thoughts? again, thank you for giving this story a chance!