Royals

Ⓒⓗⓐⓟⓣⓔⓡ ①③

Zayn takes a deep breath and wipes his tears. He waits for a minute to appear normal then walks out of his tent and reaches Harry's. Liam follows him inside and sees him opening the different letters Harry received before along with spreading the map on the table and he furrows his brows.

"What're you doing?"

"Spread a word among the men. You left to meet with the king and returned with a letter. We are to move at dawn, clear the remaining villages until we reach the castle, and there we unite with the other troops" Zayn looks up, "Make sure that the messenger reaches me first and no one else"

"Harry wrote that letter before we leave England!" Liam gets closer, "He's my best friend. I'm well aware of the contents of that letter!"

"Get yourself together" Zayn tells him quietly.

"He's pouring his feelings out and you-" He watches as Zayn just looks at him calmly, "He's my best friend! My king! How do you expect me to be calm about this?!"

"I'm not losing hundreds of men because one had fallen!" Zayn whisper shouts then he sighs, closing his eyes for a second before looking at Liam again. "I'm not heartless, Liam, but I can't even start to think about a dead man's feelings. I know how it is to lose a close one. My sister has been murdered in front of my eyes because of a mistake I committed. I've watched my father die slowly while all I could do was nothing. I've watched plenty of my comrades die next to me because I couldn't save them in time. Living is not a blessing, Liam. You don't know how many times have I prayed for my life to be first. The amount of burden that is being thrown on your shoulders is unbearable. But it's there, and I can't risk the lives of those soldiers because they lost their leader. Harry gave me this army. Our mission is to get the French out. And I will avenge for his life, Liam, I swear to you I will. But right now, I can't think of my own. People will die if I did not react, and I will not give them the satisfaction of winning"

Liam avoids his gaze and Zayn approaches him to lift his head up again. "Liam, I need a friend, a soldier, an adviser ... Please. I ask for your aid in this war. And I give you my promise that England will be an ally if I'm back on the throne and that I'll fight for it too"

Liam takes a deep breath and exhales slowly then he nods at him, "I think they trust you by now. They'll listen to you if you ordered them ... I'll spread a word" He nods again and Zayn smiles at him.

"Thank you" Liam gives him a quick hug then hurries outside and Zayn turns back to the map. He will not allow the French nor his enemies from his own country to spill any more blood from his side. If his plans go smoothly, they should be able to surround the remaining French troops and enter the castle. He just needs to fake Harry's signature from the previous letter to make them believe that he's still alive too. He doesn't know what he'll do once they reach the castle, he knows when the two troops meet he'll appear as a manipulator, but they won't understand, so he doesn't allow himself to think of it right now.

He leaves the tent and sees the men gathering, whispers erupting among them, and Zayn squares his shoulders.

"As you might have heard by now" He shouts, "The king decided to join the second troop, that's why he left us earlier. I've received a letter however for us to keep moving. And until we meet with the second troop, I will be responsible for this one"

"I demand to see the letter" A general speaks up and Zayn turns to him.

"Do you not trust me, general? Because last time I checked, your king did, and as your queen, you should not question me, or ..." He steps closer, "You want me to remind you of what I'm capable of? Surely my reputation was well-heard of in England, Germany, and many other countries in fact" He offers a smile and the general bows.