I can't believe I'm finally finishing this fic. i want to thank all of you lovelies that stayed with me throughout this fic and patiently waited for updates even though they would take months. I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think. :)

White snow covered the vast gardens of the castle, having killed nearly every single flower that adorned it during the spring and summer. Every single one except the rosebud cherry trees in the middle of the garden. Bright blue and green eyes looked up at the delicate flowers, small little hands reaching up to gently touch them ignoring the bitter cold January air.

"Down by the river by the boats where everybody goes to be alone, where you won't see any rising sun. Down to the river we will run." Her green eyes shined as she sang her mother's lullaby. Snowflakes fell on her long dark brown curly hair and when her green eyes met his blue ones, both giggled at seeing their similar hair covered with many snowflakes.

The blue eyed boy climbed up the tree and carefully pulled on a few white flowers then let them fall where his sister would catch them. He started ripping out more and letting them fall, smiling when his sister started twirling around as the flowers rained down on her.

"Adam, Elizabeth."

Both children turned to look at their father standing a few feet away from them. He was wearing a heavy coat much like their own and his hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He looked tired but content and the faint laughing lines that decorated the skin near his eyes were starting to make him look older.

An eight year old Elizabeth stopped and straightened herself. "May I see mother now?" She asked, taking two steps forward.

"You may." Harry nodded and held out his arms for them to take his hands.

"Is mother alright?" Adam asked as he quickly climbed down the tree. He had no trouble when he spent most of his days climbing them.

"He is perfect, and he wishes to see you." Harry held onto their small hands and walked with them towards the castle, nodding at the servant watching the children that she could take a break.

He ended up picking them up when going up the stairs and let them down as soon as they were standing in front of his and Louis' bedroom. Harry knocked gently out of respect for Louis and his privacy. Lucy opened the door and when she saw it was them, she stepped aside to let them through. But before Harry allowed his children to go in, he knelt down in front of them.

"I need you to be as quiet and as gentle as you can with your mother. He is very tired. And so is your new brother." Harry explained, smiling when they nodded. "Lucy, please bring lunch for Louis. Thank you." He smiled at her when she nodded and left the bedroom to do as told.

Harry and the children slowly made their way to the bed where Louis was laying down and sleeping. Next to him was a small bundle sleeping as close to his mother as he could. He was their third child and he had just been born. He had been blessed with the same mark Louis had been blessed with. With the miracle of being able to give life.

Adam gasped and his blue eyes shined. "He's so small, father!"

"Smaller than you were when you were born." Harry kissed the top of his head then Elizabeth's, giving Louis a smile when he opened his eyes.

"My babies'." Louis mumbled as he tried to get up, trying to hide he was in pain after the delivery. It had been an easy one, but it had still hurt. Louis didn't mind at all when he was thankful his new son was healthy.

"I missed you." Elizabeth got on the bed and laid down next to her mother, sighing in content when Louis held her in his warm arms.

"I missed you too, my love." Louis kissed the top of her head.

"Did you miss me too?" Adam asked as he tried to lay down next to them.

"Always, love." Louis held him and gave him a kiss too, seeing Harry going around the bed to the other side to pick up their son.

He carefully brought him closer to Louis and their children, letting both of them meet their new sibling. They gently grabbed his little hands and kissed them, smiling when the small newborn yawned.

"What's his name?" Elizabeth looked up at her mother then her father with curious eyes.

"William Desmond." Harry proudly told her.

"Like grandfather!" Adam exclaimed.

"Like grandfather, my love." Louis confirmed.

A knock on the door interrupted them, then Lucy walked in with a tray full of food in her hands. Harry gave William to Louis then grabbed the tray and thanked Lucy.

"I have lunch ready for you both, darlings." Lucy told the children as she cradled her tummy. Her first child with Niall.

"Go on, loves." Louis told them, pleased when his children listened and left the bedroom soon after with Lucy. As soon as they were gone, the atmosphere in the bedroom turned ominous when Louis looked at his husband. "Is everything alright now, love?" He asked Harry.

Harry shook his head. "I do not want to lie to you. They will not desist." He looked down at his newborn, then back at Louis. "I do not understand. Have I been a bad king?" He asked.

"They are confused. They are being led by a group of people that want power. You have been the best, you care about them. You always make sure they are okay, my love. They are just blinded."

"I have thought about giving them their independence." Harry confessed. "It is what they want after all."

"If you do that we will no longer help them. They are on their own." Louis told him.

"I cannot leave them on their own, they would never make it." Harry sat up.

"They want independence." Louis shrugged. "Let them deal with the consequences on their own."

Harry nodded. He had always known Louis was cut out to rule with him and he was proving it.

"Father is not going to be happy. He united Scotland and England after all." Harry gave him a sad smile.

"Everything will be alright. You'll see." Louis kissed the right corner of his lips.

"I hope so." Harry returned the kiss. He looked down at his son and thought of his older son and daughter, he thought of ways to stop a future war. His children and his people did not need to experience the horrors of it.

~*~

Nine months later Louis finally accepted that things were not alright. War was raging over them, his beloved husband was out there fighting for their land and he was left in charge of a whole kingdom by himself. There was nights where he would not sleep at all, trying to find a way to keep themselves safe from invaders. He had to secure what was left of the country under their rule. He had to keep their people safe after all the horrible stories he was hearing and he always made sure to have someone give them the proper help they needed.

He had two eight year olds and a nine month old baby to take care of, but he couldn't even do that when his and Harry's kingdom depended on him. When harry was crowned, he swore to protect them, and in his absence, it was Louis' responsibility to do so. Sometimes he would cry himself to sleep knowing he could lose Harry out there, and it only got worse when they would go weeks without hearing anything. His husband had been gone for two months and he hadn't heard a single thing about him in three weeks.

It all had started when Scotland wanted full independence and full control, and it did not mattered that they depended on England. Louis did not understand why. He would never understand why, but he tried. He never could when it was all greed, when the leaders only wanted power. They were barbaric in his opinion when they also wanted full control of England, especially when the man who wanted to steal the crown for himself.

"Louis?" Des' voice pulled Louis out of his thoughts. He was sitting on Harry's desk and by the looks of it, it was already dawn.

"Is there something wrong? Harry?" Louis sat up when he had been resting his head on top of the desk.

"No." Des sighed.. "I just need to talk to you." He said then walked in and closed the door behind him. He took a seat on a chair in front of Louis. "Anne and I think it's best if we go to France. Alexandre has offered to give us a place to stay. We have to keep the children safe, Louis. We do not know when they will attack when they keep getting closer and we haven't heard from Harry in weeks."

"But what about Harry? We can't leave him behind. We can't leave the whole country behind." Louis' eyes filled with tears. The desperation he was starting to feel was enough to have him shaking and crying, but he had to be strong for his family.

"I will be staying behind." Des said. "I want you to leave with Anne and the children tomorrow night and take as many people you trust with you as you can."

"I can't– I won't leave you behind. I am staying with you." Louis decided.

"Son." Des leaned forward and reached for Louis' hands, taking them both in his bigger ones. "I will be fine. I want you to be safe, your children need you. William is only a baby." The older man tried to convince him.

"They need their father too and I will not leave him behind. They need you too. If you are with them I will feel better." Louis begged, not even knowing what he was begging for. If for Des to go with Anne and his children, or for the man to let him stay with him.

"Alright." Des finally agreed. "We will stay behind. I'll have the servants pack everything so they can leave tomorrow as soon as they can. It is dangerous to have them traveling during the night."

"Thank you." Louis said.

As soon as Des broke the news to Anne, she spent the rest of the day sometimes crying when they did not know what the future held for them. But they had to try. That night while they ate dinner, their plans were ruined when they heard the church bells ringing. During peaceful times they would ring them for prayer only in the morning, but during war they were not used at all, and now that they were being used it could only mean they were under attack.

Louis grabbed William then held out his hand for Adam and Elizabeth so they would go to him. Elizabeth got there first and quickly wrapped her small arms around her mother's waist. Adam stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her and what he could of his mother's waist. Louis could already hear them, and it scared him to think what would happen to them.

"Lucy." Des spoke. "Get them out of here and go find Niall and Nick. You know which passages to take...they'll know what to do."

As soon as Lucy reached for Adam, the child started crying and refusing to let go of Louis followed by Elizabeth then William. Louis kissed William's forehead and held him tight before he handed him over to Lucy, then bent down to look at his older children as he wiped away their tears.

"You must be brave." He told them. "You promised father. You also promised to listen to me and look after each other."

"You will go with your grandmother and Lucy. Niall will be there too, and he'll take you to a safe place." Louis told them as he tried to hold back his tears when he was not sure if he would ever see them again. If due to an ugly twist of fate he didn't ever get to see them again, he knew Anne and Gemma as well as Lucy would take care of them.

"But what about you, mother?" Adam asked him. He was just like his father.

"I will be here waiting for father to come back." Louis answered him. "And when that happens we will join you and your siblings." Louis kissed their cheeks and wrapped his arms around them to hug them tight.

He watched them go, only taking his eyes off of them when Anne walked up to him and hugged him. She handed him a bracelet, told him that it would keep him safe then left after Lucy and her grandchildren. Louis watched them go as he wrapped his arms around himself, and seconds later felt Des' hands on his shoulders. There was going to be a bloodbath that night and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

"The first portcullis has been lowered." Des informed Louis. "Now we wait, we hope they do not get through."

"But if they do..." Louis trailed off.

Des sighed and let go of Louis' shoulders. "Then Lord help us."

~*~

Harry stood hidden in the shadows, his eyes searching for anything that moved in front of him. The air kept getting colder around him as night approached them. He looked back at his soldiers waiting for something to happen. Zayn and Liam loyally waiting with him while Niall had stayed behind to look after his wife and the royal family. When nothing happened and the enemy never showed up, Harry began to get suspicious. It wasn't until he heard the horses behind them that he realized they had been waiting for the enemy to come and attack from the wrong side. He did not wait and gave orders to go into the forest. Staying in the clearing was dangerous.

He waited for them to get closer then attacked, satisfied that now it was them the ones surprising the enemy. He saw many fall, and it only gave him the strength to continue. He wanted to go home. He had Louis' pendant hanging from his neck and he knew it had been keeping him safe the entire time he had been away from home. He quickly reached for it to make sure it was still there, getting distracted for a few seconds. Those few seconds were enough for the enemy to get closer, but Harry was faster when he went right for the throat, ignoring the drops of blood that splattered all over his face. He felt him cutting his arm, but he ignored it.

He fought as hard as he could until the enemy began to backtrack, taking with them the many lives lost trying to defend their lands. War was hell and Harry blamed himself for inflicting it upon the people he was supposed to keep safe. He wanted all of them to go back home, he wanted to go back home, unaware that it was too late. He wouldn't be coming home to the place he had learned to call just that, to the person that was his home.

~*~

They forced themselves into the castle while Louis and Des hid in the servants quarters. It had been a mistake to stay behind when wherever the enemy went, they would leave a wave of destruction behind. Louis hid in a closet with his hands over his ears when he could hear screams everywhere. He prayed that the rest of his family was long gone. He put his hands together in front of him and began praying, but was interrupted when the door to the closet opened and Des was pulled out of there with force. He bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from screaming when one of the many men grabbed him by the hair and pulled him out of there.

"Let go!" He shouted, and felt nauseous when whoever had grabbed him got too close to him. His breath smelt rancid to him and he wanted him as far away from him as possible. "Do not touch me!" He wanted to cry but held back his tears.

"Was the king's whore." He heard him tell someone else before he started laughing. "Now he is mine."

"He does not belong to you, Jonas." Des told them. Louis felt a lump in his throat when they turned him around to face Des, and finally let the tears fall when the man licked his cheek.

"He does now. Everything belongs to me. I am your new king." He moved Louis closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I own you now."

"You will never be king. No matter what you do. You are not worth the crown." Des told him, his voice sounding threatening, right before he felt the dagger on his throat.

Louis screamed as he watched him die, as he slowly lost hope and knew nobody would come save them. He knew what it would be done to him and it was like going back to the past. He sobbed and let himself fall on his knees, crawling toward Des who laid dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Louis did not care when it stained his clothes as he tried to lift him up and laid his head on his lap. What had Des done to deserve this? What was he going to tell Anne, Harry and Gemma?

"I am your new king and you will reign with me." Jonas told Louis.

"No...I rather die." Louis turned to look at him for a few seconds before spitting on his face, earning a slap to his face. He was grabbed by the hair and dragged away from Des.

He punched his hands and screamed until he was picked up and dragged into a room. He wished he had stayed behind with Des when he saw Anne and his children sitting on the floor. All three of them were crying in their grandmother's arms and upon seeing the blood all over him, Anne gave him the most heartbreaking look before she started sobbing. She held her grandchildren closer and tried to keep them from seeing their mother covered in blood, forced to kneel down, and the dagger ready to slit his throat.

"Mama!" Adam managed to get away from Anne and ran to Louis before the woman could stop him.

He wrapped his arms around Louis at the same time Louis did and hid his face on the crook of his mother's neck completely ignoring the dagger.

"Spare their lives." Jonas told him. "Tell them who is your new king. I won't ask you again. You will be forced to watch them die before I force you to be mine. Who. Is. Your. New. King?"

Louis stared at his family, then turned to look at the dark sky, seeing the fire spreading around the castle to keep anybody else from getting in. He could still hear the screams, they echoed around his head. His rightful King was gone for sure and one thing he had learned is that he had to be strong. His heart kept breaking at the thought that he would never see him again, that he was condemned to live his past all over again for the rest of his life. But for his children, Anne and everybody else, he was willing to sacrifice himself. He slowly got up, with his arms still wrapped around his heir.

"You are." Louis answered. It pained him to say the words, but it had to be done. "My king." Louis turned around and bowed down to him.

"I will take over the throne soon with you by my side." Jonas wrapped an arm around Louis' waist, completely ignoring Adam who was still holding onto her.

"You are no King, father is." Adam mumbled then hid his face on his mother's stomach.

Louis' eyes widened when Jonas raised his hand. He stopped it just before he could hit his son. "He is a child, my king. He does not know what he is saying."

"I will give you better heirs." Jonas shrugged then walked away as he gave orders.

Louis felt bile rising up his throat. They were placed in a bedroom and as soon as the new guards had left, Anne broke down in Louis' arms. Louis tried to comfort her as best as he could even though he knew nothing could comfort her at the moment. Only time could heal her wounds.

"The rest?" Louis asked her.

"They are fine. Nick is with his family and they are okay." Anne said, seeing Louis sighing in relief. "Why did you do it?" Anne asked him.

"To protect my children, you, to protect the rest." Louis answered.

"He needs a proper burial. We cannot let them dispose of his body." She told him, and seconds later started crying again. "I will make sure of that."

"I do not want you to suffer." The woman brought Louis into a hug.

"That does not matter." Louis shook his head. "As long as you and my children are okay, that is all that matters." He said as he looked at his three children asleep on the bed.

A few days later Jonas crowned himself as the new king of England and took Louis as his consort. Niall had managed to save the crown Harry had gifted Louis and Anne kept it hidden in her bedroom. The Queen felt numb throughout his wedding that he knew was not valid when his only husband was and would always be Harry. The more his wedding night got closer, the more nervous he was starting to get. He prayed it went by fast. He would only have to close his eyes and get it over with.

He just had to.

He had ordered the servants to have a boiling hot bath ready for him by dawn. His nightmare of a wedding hadn't even started and he already felt dirty. Jonas was already waiting for him when he walked into what still was his and Harry's bedroom. A place where the walls had been witness of their love, where his children had been born. Walls who were now going to be tainted thanks to the monster laying down on his and Harry's bed. The place where they slept, where they made love.

"Take your clothes off." Jonas ordered him.

Louis closed his eyes when he realized he was already naked under the covers. He swallowed the bile he felt coming up his throat and forced a smirk, shaking his head no. He slowly walked toward him and got on the bed, then slowly crawled toward him and straddled his hips. The man sat up and wrapped his arms around Louis' waist, bringing him closer to him.

Louis leaned closer until his lips caressed Jona's ears. "Soon." He whispered in his ear.

He placed his hand against Jona's chest and pushed him back so he was laying on his back. He forced himself to kiss him, opening his eyes just to confirm he had his eyes closed. He rolled his hips as his hand slowly inched closer to the edge of the mattress, hearing the disgusting noises he was making. He felt around for Harry's dagger that he kept between the mattress and the wooden bed rail. When he found it, he wrapped his hand around it and sat up with the dagger hidden in his sleeve. Jonas stared at him with lust in his eyes, moving to take Louis' clothes off but stopped when Louis pushed his hands away with his empty hand.

"Close your eyes, my king." Louis gave him an innocent smile, taking Jonas for a fool when he closed them.

Louis didn't hesitate when he lifted his hand up and slit Jonas' throat, watching the blood pour out of him as he coughed. He had tears in his eyes as he watched him attempt to get a hold of him, only to quickly bleed out and die. Louis dropped Harry's dagger and slowly got off of him then the bed. He walked backwards away from the bed until his back touched the cold wall. He tried not to scream, not to let the fact that he had ended a life get to him. He had indirectly ended Des' life in front of him and it was what he deserved. To protect his family and his kingdom, he would do anything.

He took a few minutes to compose himself. He wiped his tears away, fixed his clothes and walked out of the bedroom with Harry's dagger in his hand. His robe dragged behind him as he made his way through secret passages only the royal family and few trusted people knew, secret passages that his Harry had taught him. He ended up outside Niall's bedroom and knocked on the door. When Niall opened the door, his eyes widened when he saw Louis' determined expression and the dagger still covered in blood in his hold.

"Where are they?" He asked. "His soldiers."

"The west side." Niall quickly answered, feeling Lucy's hand touching his lower back. "They keep to themselves. Had a long night of drinking."

"Right." Louis nodded more to himself, then looked up at Niall. "Do they have our people there with them?" He asked, and when Niall shook his head, he sighed in relief. "Nick and a few others got them out."

"Louis, what is going on?" Lucy asked him, her hand on her belly.

"Lock the doors from the outside and burn them all. Make sure not one of them gets out alive. Jonas is dead. Tell the others." He answered them, then left to find his crown.

Louis sat on the throne when the screams started. Soon the air filled with a nauseating and sweet scent, so putrid and sticky, so rich and thick that he could almost taste it. He smirked and looked up at the dark sky, taking in the orange glow the fire gave out. It was now his responsibility to rule over England until his son was of age to do so. Along the way he had learned not to have mercy on those who tried to take what was rightfully theirs. What was rightfully Adam's now that his father was gone.

When dawn came it brought freedom along with it. And it brought Louis a little piece of heaven when the guards spotted the king himself and what was left of his troops on the horizon, bringing light along with them. Louis met him halfway there, throwing himself into his rightful king's arms. His eyes were wide open and filled with tears. His head was on his chest, listening to his heartbeats that confirmed he was alive, he was there alive and well. He felt Anne wrapping her arms around her son, and he moved around to let her hug him.

"Father?" Harry asked as he looked around for the older man.

Anne looked at him with tears in her eyes, and when she shook her head then lowered her gaze, the heartbreak on Harry's face made Louis cry harder. Harry brought his mother closer and reached for Louis to do the same. He was dirty and had minor injuries, but he was home.

Louis ordered the servants to prepare a hot bath for him then had ordered to be left alone with him. He sat behind him tracing circles with his fingers on Harry's back as his husband scrubbed all the dirt off of him. He kissed his right shoulder then trailed kisses all the way up from his neck to his jaw and finally his lips. The bed frame was still there with a brand new mattress but Harry knew what he had done. It did not change a thing between them. It made Harry proud.

"I missed you." Louis kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you." Harry said it right back, letting Louis touch the pendant still hanging from his neck. "I am home." He whispered.

A few days later, Des received a proper burial and things after that slowly started going back to the way they had been. Zayn and Liam went back to Doncaster and Lucy gave birth to a son. Des' absence was loud, but they made sure to always remember him and his sacrifice. Scotland was once again united to England and anybody who opposed was free to go or accept it.

Years passed by slowly but they were happy. A new princess was brought into the world five years after the war. She was named Victoria after Harry's grandmother on his father's side. It was only fair when the small child had come out a fighter and had survived even if the odds hadn't been in her favor. She looked exactly like her mother and was Adam's pride and joy.

The years that followed under Harry and Louis' reign over England brought prosperity to their country. Their reigning years were proudly remembered as the years passed by. But it was their love and respect for each other that was an example. The way the king himself considered and respected his queen's opinion in a world were to many their opinion did not matter. It mattered to Harry.

~*~

2018 - Tower of London

The blue eyed man observed the crown in front of him with a fascinated expression. It dated back to the 1600s, made out of gold and blue topaz stones. He had always thought it was the most beautiful crown out of all the many others. It had belonged to queen Louis, a monarch his mother had named him after. His eyes moved on to the ring next to it and then the pendant. The dagger had always fascinated him with its glossy black handle and the amethyst stones decorating it. He always wondered why it wasn't decorated with blue topaz stones and wanted to touch it, but knew he couldn't so he was happy with just observing it.

He felt someone stand next to him, both of them observing in silence until the stranger spoke up. "Did you know the dagger belonged to king Harry and not the queen?" Louis looked up at him, meeting bright green eyes already looking into his blue ones.

"It was found along the queen's crown, ring and pendant." Louis raised his eyebrows.

"It was, but it belonged to the king. It was used by the queen to assassinate Jonas Ancroft when he invaded England and crowned himself king in the absence of the actual king. He took the queen as his consort and he assassinated him on their wedding night." The stranger explained, making quotation marks with his fingers around the wedding night words.

"The amethyst stones." Louis slowly said, then smiled. "And what happened after that?" He asked, seeing the smirk slowly forming on the stranger's beautiful face.

"He burned all of their enemies and sat on the king's throne listening to their screams." The stranger shrugged it off. "M'Harry, by the way." He extended his hand to shake Louis'.

"No way!" Louis exclaimed as he shook his hand. "My name is Louis." He let out a giggle.

"Ah." Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I see. Does your mother love these particular monarchs too?"

"You have no idea." Louis said.

"Their story and legacy is fascinating." Harry said.

Louis hummed in agreement.

"I'm checking out the coronation regalia." Harry said, and by his tone, Louis knew what he was hinting at.

"Same." Louis started walking just as Harry did. "Perhaps you have more stories to tell." He teased.

"Only the one where he gave up his title for his to be husband." Harry gave him a flirty smile.

"Tell me about it." Louis moved so he was walking closer to the stranger who he already felt comfortable with.

As they walked away, Harry turned around and looked at the painting of the monarchs and their four children staring right back at him. There was something about it that made him feel drawn to it, but could never pinpoint exactly what it was. He walked away and listened to Louis' stories, not knowing yet his home walked next to him in the form of a blue eyed man.

The End