Past lives

1704, England

The white light was back but Louis hadn't stopped crying. He knew that it was against the law for two men to be in a relationship for a very long time throughout history but he had never considered how brutal it had been. They were hanged just for loving each other? That was sick! It was so wrong!

When he opened his eyes again he was at a new location. He looked around and it seemed like he was on a small farm of some sort. Oh, a pig farm! And there was he himself in all his glory. So he was a pig farmer in an earlier life? He wondered what year this could be? He looked around again and there, over the door to the small house the year 1700 was carved in. That didn't mean much. This could be an old farm.

He watched himself feed the pigs. He looked to be about 25 or so. He still had long hair but at least it wasn't curled around his face this time. No one else was around so he guessed he was living by himself. So he wasn't married? If this really was 1700 something that was a bit strange, wasn't it?

A flash of white light took him to a new location, some sort of pub to be more exact. He smiled when he saw Liam behind the bar. He owned the pub? He had his long hair tied with a ribbon in the back. Louis looked around and saw himself at a table with Niall and Zayn. They all had the same hairdo as Liam.

"I have so much to do on the farm." Former him sighed.

"You should get a slave to help you out." Zayn suggested.

"No. That feels wrong." Former him protested.

"You and your high moral. Then you should find yourself a nice lady to marry." Niall said.

Former him wrinkled his eyebrows.
"It is not that easy Leonard."

Niall's name was Leonard? That was hilarious.

"You are a strange man Archibald. I hardly knew my Elisabeth when we got married and now she has blessed me with many children and she keeps our house clean. Every man needs a woman to take care of him." Niall answered.

Geez! His name was Archibald? His parents must have been really cruel.

"You could always hire a laborer." Zayn suggested.

"I can not afford one Marcus. I have a small farm." Louis-Archibald sighed.

So, Archibald, Leonard, and Marcus? This was so weird. Louis watched as Liam walked up to the table.

"Good evening gentlemen. How are you this fine evening?"

"Archibald is complaining about his farm once more." Niall-Leonard said with a smirk.

"Oh, there was a young man here asking for work in the area. You should talk to him. He is sitting in the corner over there."

Louis watched his former self turn his head and how his eyes grew wide. What was going on? Louis looked in the same direction and of fucking course! Harry was sitting a few tables away. Oh, come on! Louis-Archibald hurried to get up on his feet and walked over to Harry. Louis followed him.

"Excuse me, Sir, I'm sorry to intrude but Frederick, the barman told me you were looking for work?"

Former Harry shot him a dimpled smile and he could see himself blush lightly. Really?
"Yes, I am. I just came to town."

"May I sit?" Louis-Archibald asked and Harry immediately complied.

"My name is Archibald Hamilton and I am the owner of a pig farm down the hill."

"Lovely to meet you. I am Horatius Wilson." Harry smiled.

Horatius? That was even worse than Archibald. Louis would so tease Harry about it when he woke up from this.

"I was just telling my friends that I need help on the farm, but before you get excited I need to inform you that I will not be able to pay you. What I can offer you is a roof over your head and three meals a day. I know that it's not much but that is what I can offer you, Sir." Louis-Archibald said with a smile.

"I would like to take you up on your kind offer. My current address is this bar and tomorrow it will most likely be a field of grass. I promise that I will work hard to earn my living. How many children do you have?" Harry-Horatius answered, still smiling.

"Oh, I am not married." Louis-Archibald answered.

Why were they staring at each other like that, all smiling and goofy? No way, this couldn't be another Harry and Louis love story. That was impossible! If this was a Brokeback mountain kind of thing he would force himself to wake up. Okay, he loved that movie, it was super sad, but still.

Once again he got to witness different moments in their life. They worked together at the farm. They laughed a lot. There were a lot of stolen glances and lingering touches. He watched them fall in love. It was actually kind of beautiful. Harry was the one who was brave enough and he got to witness their first kiss. Harry looked absolutely terrified when he leaned in and brushed his lips against Louis-Archibald's one night. Louis got it. Homosexuality was still forbidden and Harry put his life at stake. What if his former self rejected him?

But then Louis-Archibald kissed him back. They were both crying and yeah, maybe he got a little teared up as well, watching them.

He got to watch them grow old together. They were happy. They lived a domestic life like equals but they kept to themselves, hiding their love on that pig farm. Niall, Liam, and Zayn visited them sometimes but they never asked about the nature of their relationship and they never turned them into the authorities. They got to live in peace.

There was so much love between them. Louis got to see glimpses of their whole life together. It was a short life though. The flashes stopped when they were about forty and Louis watched them out on the field when former him grabbed his chest and fell to the ground. Oh no! He had a heart attack?

Harry ran to him and took him in his arms but there was nothing he could do. Louis watched former Harry cry over his dead body and he would be dead inside if that didn't make him tear up as well. He got to see Harry mourn for a while. He had buried the body and he was crying and screaming nonstop for a couple of days. He felt really bad for Harry. He was in so much pain and grief. He must really have loved him deeply.

Then he watched Harry bring a gun to the grave one day. Oh God, no! But Harry killed himself right there and then everything went white again right after the gunshot was heard. Louis was sobbing out loud.