AMELIA
The warmth of the sun above me does little to melt the ice running through my veins, my heart pounding in a steady rhythm, every beat being almost physically painful as it breaks a little more with each passing second. She looked beautiful in her white dress, her dark hair styled to perfection with a glistening silver tiara resting on her head. Her smile was brighter than the shining sun as they went to greet the gathered mass of people in front of the palace walls from the lavish balcony.
It's been an hour or two since the ceremony and I should have left by now, but I didn't have it in me to do so just yet. I had to give my own silent goodbye to one important part of my life and offer my aching heart a chance to adapt to the harsh reality that my prince doesn't belong to me anymore. All I now have left are memories of him, memories of the time he had been truly mine. It hurts to know that was mere days ago and now another shall share a bed with him, listen to his troubles, bask in the sight of his smiles and support him on his journey of becoming King.
I selfishly hope I have left a mark or two on his skin for her to see when he is forced to bare his body in front of her. A strong slash of pain slices through me at the thought, my fingernails digging into the crevices of my palms as I tightly clench my fists, barely stopping myself from marching in there and putting an end to this entire thing.
A hand on my shoulder pulls me from my daze, my anger clouding my head and caging me away from the world, making me momentarily forget about my plans. Zayn's honey eyes meet mine and I see compassion swirling in them, and in that moment I realise how broken I must look if I have managed to bring out his usually carefully concealed emotions to light.
"We should go," Zayn quietly says. "Lilly and Silas are waiting for us in the woods."
My lips part as a heavy puff of air leaves my mouth, the weight in my chest magnifying and spreading to my throat, making it hard for me to breathe suddenly. My eyes fix on the beautiful grand palace standing tall in the distance as I slowly take a small step back. Keeping my emotions locked away proves to be harder than I thought when I feel a slight prickling sensation in the corners of my eyes, alerting me of the salty liquid that will soon gather to slide down my cheeks.
I allow myself to have these final moments of grief until I completely close that chapter of my life and prepare myself to move on. I am aware this is for the greater good, for preserving one entire kingdom and all the people living in it. It's a grand sacrifice and act of true selflessness on Harry's part and I shall make sure to let as many people know about it as I can. Everyone should know they are going to have one of the greatest kings leading them one day, someone who is never going to put his needs before the needs of his people, someone who always sees the light in the times of darkness.
Twigs crunch beneath Midnight's hooves as we move steadily over the forest ground, the whisper of Zayn's horse heard behind me. The reins are clutched between my fingers, the blanched colour of my knuckles prominent from the tightness of my grip. The edge of the tree line is visible now and once I reach it, there is a slim chance I will ever get back into these woods again.
I must do everything I can to protect my family from the harshness of the war that is about to break out and their only condition is for me to leave with them no matter how much I want to stay. I wouldn't be of much use here anyway, Harry doesn't need me, he has his army and now the Roseburne's army as well, which puts my heart to ease.
The sight of Silas' distressed expression greets me as he hastily moves towards us, my sister waving frantically behind him, trying to signal us something. Immediate rush of panic flashes through me as I flick the reins to quicken Midnight's pace, seeing Zayn speed past me before he jumps off his horse. Silas grasps Zayn's shoulders as they almost collide, ragged breaths leaving his mouth, chest heaving heavily.
"What happened?" Zayn demands, his brows pulling low in a scanty frown.
"Edgar's soldiers," Silas breathes out, gasping for air as he places his hand on his chest. "They're coming."
My entire body freezes as the colour drains from my face, the gravity of the situation slowly sinking in. A line of red uniforms appears in the distance as they begin advancing towards us - towards Solis. As swift as I came here, I commence going back, pushing Midnight to run as fast as he can, jumping over every obstacle on our way. All I know is that I need to get to Harry as quick as possible, I need to make sure he is safe.
"Amelia!" I hear the shouts of my name, ignoring them as my mind can only process on getting back to the palace. My jaw falls open in surprise at the horrific sight unfolding in front of me as I reach the hill I've been standing on minutes ago. Darkland soldiers are swarming through the palace doors from all sides, the realisation they have attacked from the sea as well settling in. I slowly dismount Midnight, kissing his muzzle and slapping his back, making him run away. My heart hammers in my chest as I inhale a few deep breaths before breaking into a sprint, drawing out my dagger and clutching it in my hand, ready to fight.
Shouts of soldiers surround me as I dodge people running in the opposite directions, fleeing from the danger I'm currently running into. Screams of fear ripping from people who are not armed nor involved in the fight can be heard all around me, most of them being guests from the ceremony. White uniforms clash with red ones as Solis soldiers fight back, spurts of blood flying in the air and staining the ground from blades slashing through human flesh.
Before passing through the gates to search for my prince, I halt in place, taking in the sight. This is it, it has truly begun. The war has begun.
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I grit my teeth as I jolt my hand forward, the blade of my dagger piercing the stomach of one of the Darkland soldiers, his eyes bulging out and mouth falling open from the shock. I rip it back and let him slump to the ground, quickly moving forward through the familiar hallways of the palace. I know where the royal family should be considering most of the enemies are trying to reach them, making my task of locating them easier. I am almost certain they are trapped in the ballroom or somewhere nearby, there is no way they would manage to slip out unnoticed.
I can only hope they have strong protection and none of them is hurt, the mere thought only increasing the rising panic inside of me. The weight of a sword I have obtained from one of the enemy soldiers is reassuring as it hangs strapped to my side, my hand gripping the hilt in case it shall be needed. The sight of King Henry fiercely battling with soldiers surrounding him greets me as I manage to fight my way towards the ballroom, determination settling on my expression as I begin running towards him.
I raise my dagger, plunging it into the back of a soldier who was about to attack him from behind, stepping back to let him fall to the ground. The King's blue eyes meet mine once he turns around, widening in surprise upon seeing me here, drops of blood I assume is not his own smeared over his pale face.
"Where is Harry?" I demand.
"I've ordered him and Annemarie to run towards the main servant's corridor, it's the only way to exit the castle," he informs me before raising his sword, clashing it with someone behind me as I duck down, jumping out of the way. "Find them!" He pleas, looking at me with a mixture of sorrow and vulnerability.
I jerk my head in a nod before turning around, pushing my muscles to their limits as I sprint as fast as I can, wanting to find Harry and his mother. I jump over the dead bodies randomly scattered over the floor, a sheen of sweat coating my skin and trickling down the back of my neck as quick, heavy pants leave my mouth. My throat is burning from the lack of water and excessive breathing, but the rush I feel is preventing me from giving in to the exhaustion I'd surely feel in any other situation.
Horror washes over me as I notice dead soldiers down the entire length of the corridor, meaning the Queen and the Prince are being followed. The soldiers belong to both sides, but the number of Solis ones lying dead is significantly larger which causes an uncomfortable stir in the pit of my stomach. I notice a shift in the atmosphere as I reach the kitchen, tension sizzling in the air around me, making me tighten my hold on the handle of my dagger as my eyes carefully sweep over the area.
I hear a faint scrape of a foot against the floor behind me, making me jerk my body around and raise my dagger, pointing the tip under the chin of the person trying to ambush me. My eyes almost bulge out of my head as they meet the blue ones belonging to none other than Queen Annemarie. Her damp brown hair is sticking to the sides of her face, sweat sliding down her brows as she breathes heavily, looking at me in surprise.
"Amelia," the Queen quietly mumbles as I lower my weapon.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?" I ask, quickly scanning her appearance.
"Yes, but what are you-"
"Mel."
The sound of his gravelly voice sends a wave of relief through me, my gaze immediately finding him standing in the doorway, a sword clutched in his hand. His white attire is smeared with blood, erasing the momentary relief as I launch myself towards him at the same time he begins moving towards me. I drop my dagger and let it clatter on the floor as I flatten my shaky palms against his chest, drawing them frantically over its surface as I keep trailing my gaze up and down his body in search of a stab wound or a cut.
"Mel, I'm not hurt," Harry says, gently grasping my wrist with his free hand. "It's... it's not mine." When I lift my eyes to look at his face, I see a flash of anxiety and anguish in his features, his skin glistening with perspiration as well. Judging by the way he is holding himself and the blood over his attire and sword, he obviously had to kill someone.
"Watch out!" The Queen cries out suddenly as I instinctively grab Harry's hand, pushing his body behind mine in an attempt to protect him from danger.
It takes me a second to notice two enemy soldiers in the room, angry sneers on their faces as they dangerously advance towards the Prince and her. Harry and I exchange brief glances before raising our swords, each of us attacking one of the soldiers as the Queen frantically tries to find some kind of weapon for herself.
The soldier I'm trying to get rid of suddenly throws himself at me, my body falling down as my back hits the ground with a thud, harsh pain ripping through various parts of my body that have taken the hit. I hear Harry call out my name in desperation, my eyes flitting to his briefly to reassure him I can handle it. I have never really been good with hand to hand combat, I'm used to relying on my speed and dodging the hits considering most of my attackers are muscled men, physically stronger than me.
The blade of the soldier's sword hovers over my throat as I stop it with my own, both of us gritting our teeth and grimacing as we put almost equal pressure in order to win. The blade keeps getting closer and closer to my skin as the ache in the muscles of my arms gets almost unbearable, my strength slowly dying out. I suddenly become aware of my hunched knee between his legs, making me jerk it upwards and collide it with his crotch.
I distract him long enough to be able to push him away, but he uses his sword to pin the hem of my dress against the wooden floor, making me stumble down. He quickly draws it back and lifts it up in the air, preparing to kill me when a metallic thud is heard, his eyes rolling to the back of his head before he slumps down. The Queen is now standing in front of me, a black pan raised in her hand as she gives me a small smirk. I nod at her and both of us look aside, focusing on Harry.
His attacker has him pinned against the wall, my brows sloping in a frown as the bloodied blade of my dagger gets raised in the air, my arm swinging to stab him. Before I can do anything, a sharp tip of the sword protrudes through the soldier's back as Harry manages to stab him, using one hand to push him away, watching as he falls on the ground.
A grimace forms on his face as he closes his eyes, turning his head to avoid seeing it. I immediately rush towards him, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him tightly against me, one of my hands tangling into the curls at the back of his head. His quick breathing is felt against the skin of my shoulder as he hugs me back, his arms winding around my waist. The warmth of his body and the feel of his arms around me sends a shiver down my spine, my eyes flickering closed to relish the sensation for a few moments.
A sharp gasp is suddenly heard behind me, causing both Harry and me to tense, fear beginning to course through my system once again, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. We separate from each other abruptly, my head instantly turning to inspect the sight behind me, and what I see almost makes me lose my balance and fall to the floor. The Queen is standing stiffly a few steps ahead of us, her mouth parted and eyes wide from pain and disbelief, my gaze sliding lower to see a bloody patch staining the front of her dress.
A sword blade is sticking out of her abdomen, surely causing enough damage to kill her almost instantly. The hilt of the sword is being held by the soldier she has managed to knock unconscious. He is kneeling behind her, his jaw clenched as he quickly pulls the sword back in one quick movement, making the Queen's body jerk, her knees giving out as she collapses on the floor with a sickening thud.
"No!" Harry shouts in a broken cry, darting forward and dropping beside her dying body. "Mum!"
In order to protect him from the same fate, I grit my teeth angrily and lurch towards the soldier, raising my sword and letting it pierce his chest while I release a grunt from the exertion I had to put in order to do so, the sound of tearing flesh almost making me cringe. I watch as the life drains from his features, my attention yet again directing at Harry, watching as he holds his mother's body in his arms, pressing her to his chest.
When I shift around him to be able to see her, I am met with a horrifying realisation that she is already dead, unable to say any final words to her son. A line of blood is trickling down her chin, pouring out of her mouth, her glazed, blank eyes staring into nothing, face no longer having its usual glow, now being ghostly pale. Her arm is hanging limply by her side, a gaping wound settled on her stomach.
What causes my heart to break even more is the shattering sound of Harry's choked sob as he sways back and forth on his knees with her in his arms, his face burying into the crook of her neck, his cries slightly muffled now. "Mum, no... please, don't."
Even though I know how absolutely horrifying and traumatising this is for him, I cannot neglect the fact there is a war currently progressing in this very same castle and one entire army is in search of him so they could kill him. I wish he could have more time to mourn, but I must protect him, he has to run away or he shall die. I can't allow that.
I raise my hand, gently placing it on his shoulder, my own eyes beginning to water, but I am able to sustain my tears. "Harry, love..." I mumble, but he keeps crying, shaking his head as if he knows what I am about to say. "I am so terribly sorry, but we need to go."
"I... I can't, no," he weakly protests and shakes his head once again, refusing to let go of his mother.
"Harry, please. They shall come for you, we need to go," I try to persuade him, now grasping his shoulders with my hands. "I am begging you, let's go."
Upon hearing my plea, he pulls back, his green eyes blurry with tears looking up at me, his lower lip quivering. With a shaky breath, he glances down at his mother, gently laying her body on the floor, moving his palm over her face so he could close her eyes. A few shuddering breaths and pained sobs escape his lips before he sniffles, trying to push himself up to stand.
My hands assist him, helping him steady himself on his wobbly legs, his chest heaving from shock and pain he is trying to keep in it seems. His palms run over his face, wiping away the streaks of salty tears staining his cheeks, his nose sniffling a few times. His eyes fix on mine, darting down at his mother again before my hands cradle his face between them, making him focus solely on me.
"What now?" He asks quietly, but I have a feeling his question doesn't refer to this moment, it refers to the destruction around him, to his mother's death. What now indeed, how does one move on from this?
"We need to run, Harry," I gently say, stroking my thumbs over his cheekbones. "Let's go."
He manages a tiny nod as my hand instinctively flies down to grab his, pulling him with me as we leave his mother's dead body behind us, running away so he could live. I shall do everything in my power to save him, to make sure no harm is done to him. I will kill countless of times if it means he gets to live.
I'll do anything to protect him.
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a/n: the story has pretty much been lighthearted so far and it's taking a dark turn from this point on, just giving you a heads up ;) ily all x