The Armor (Prince Harry fanfic #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Their feet pounded against the ground, and Harry took charge, going ahead of her. He missed running like this, going toward battle in an absurd way. His heart pumped, and his lungs burned. This was how he ran, and he missed it. Was it bad that he missed it? This didn't matter much, because Lucy slowed and then stopped. Dust fell around her. She wasn't out of breath, not caring to run that hard, but she didn't like running ever. Glancing back, he pulled up, doubling back to stand with her. Lucy stood incredibly still, and Harry forced himself to be quiet. Lucy took in her surroundings.

It was surprising to Harry on how much information Lucy could constantly take in. Her eyes shifted from one speck to the next, never hesitating. She knew something that no one else did. She listened to her surrounding. And it all came down to survival. Lucy learned this skill by surviving. She was to always be a survivor. She knew her surroundings, and she assessed the situation. It unfolded around her, and Harry kept silent. Fear prickled in his heart, and then she pointed.

"That way."

Harry couldn't have told you how she knew, but he followed her.

Walking side by side, they came upon the situation. A group of men fought, aiming for each other. Lucy recognized some of the men, able to name them who came from the village, but the others probably came from nearby villages. They men threw each other to the ground, none of them getting the upper hand. None of them wielded weapons, only their fists and knees. None of them were trained, only throwing their weight around without any real technique. Whatever the problem was, it didn't seem to matter anymore. They only wished to beat the living daylights out of each other.

Lucy grabbed a hold of Harry by his wrist, forcing him back. Absentmindedly, he had taken a step forward to rectify the situation, but Lucy forced him back. Her fingernails dug into his pale skin, almost drawing blood. With her back to the fight, her eyes matched his, yelling at him no. He wasn't allowed to go. Harry's eyes went back to the fight, wanting to stop it. She put both of her hands on him, ready to push him out of there. She would fight him if she needed to, but neither of them would let it get that far.

"Don't."

"Lucy, we can stop this."

"We don't get involved."

Hissing, he took a step back, but Lucy didn't drop her hands. Her fingers curled into his shirt, holding onto him. He couldn't escape, not that he wanted to. Harry shook a little with anger and excitement, his adrenaline pumping through him. He realized this must be hard for her, which was why her back faced the situation. They stayed still.

"Doesn't it hurt you?" Harry whined, tasting poison on her tongue.

"I fight myself," Lucy admitted. His shirt was officially crumbled, even though it wasn't exact thick. "I want to help, like you, but we know our job. It isn't this. It isn't here. We can't change the world like this. We can't make a difference."

"They might kill each other."

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"I have confidence, which is what you need now." She pushed him back again, trying to get him out of there. Maybe she was trying to get herself out of there.

Earlier, when there was a fight, she didn't go near the fight, knowing she couldn't fight herself and others. But she also didn't want to fight someone. She stayed back, and she watched. She waited. She made Harry watch. Neither of them could do this. Neither of them were supposed to do this. In their training, in the rule books, they weren't supposed to get involved.

"What if they hurt someone?" he asked.

Her eyes wandered over, past the fight, to the back wall of watchers. Her eyes narrowed. She found something, and she tensed immediately. "We need to get out of here."

"Why?"

An alarm sounded, and the military was close. Around them, people were running around. Some of the men continued to fight, while others took the chance to run. Women grabbed their children, hiding them as the men clawed their way out. Women held their children, getting out of the situation.

Pushing Harry behind a slum, Lucy pushed herself up against him, hiding behind the slum. As if they tried to blend into their surroundings, they were quiet, neither of them breathed. Screaming ensued, with yells. There was some way thuds, and then a click. It was a sound of a gun, and they knew it well. Their pasts came to haunt them. Lucy stilled, and Harry's eyes focused on her. He pressed his hands to her ears, but it didn't block out the sound of a gunshot ringing off. She didn't jump, but she didn't move. She didn't even breathe.

The gunshot sound bounced off the slums. It was too powerful. It was too real.

Harry realized that he could say something to her, but the military would hear. He wished to say something to her, to let her know everything was all right. They would not disturb the military. They wouldn't give away their position. His fingertips ran across her cheeks, holding her head in place. She was cold again, her blood didn't move. She froze in the desert. Their eyes met. Harry nodded. Lucy nodded. This wasn't the end.

Lucy moved, pulling away from him. She had to know. Walking back into the alley, she found the military, a bullet in the ground. No one was hurt. No one was shot. Relief flooded through her, as well as the need to cry. She sucked in her feelings. They were alive, everyone. No one laid in their own blood, dying slowly and painfully. No one cried for help.

The military glanced her way, noticing her. They yelled at her to get away, out of here. It wasn't safe for her here. They yelled at her more, and a soldier touched his gun. She wasn't scared. She knew there a chance of another bullet coming her way. She didn't fear death, and she didn't fear guns.

Harry appeared at her side and the soldier let the gun drop to his side, recognizing Harry at least. Prince Harry, Prince Charming really, to the rescue of a damsel in distress. It almost sickened her. The soldier nodded, yelling for them to leave, to get back to their homes, which they didn't want to be caught up in this. Harry nodded, but Lucy walked away first.