His Princess

I woke up to a searing pain beside my eye. My eye itself didn’t hurt, but the eye socket around it hurt like a bitch. Standing up and looking in the mirror, my face was worse than I expected it to be, and my ribs hurt more than they had when it first happened.

I didn’t wanna hurt, but I wanted the curtains open. So even though the extra light burned and it hurt to raise my arms up to yank them open, I did.

I was glad I did. It was still early, and things were much more beautiful early in the morning.

That was one of my quirks. I had always been an early riser. That was just how I was. I went to bed late and woke up early. Somehow, my body adapted to thrive off of little sleep because no matter how long I slept, the sleep was just the same. It wasn’t good. Most of the time, it was just okay, and four hours or seven hours didn’t make much difference.

Even though it was Sunday, I knew I could get out without running into anyone. My uncle was at work, and my mom was sound asleep—probably hung over, too. I was able to shower, get ready, and slip out of the house before she woke up. I wasn’t gonna be back until next weekend, but I left her a note anyways, telling her I was going to hang out with Sparrow.

I went casual, but I tried for cute as well. With my white “You must be made of copper and tellurium” tee, a pair of denim shorts, and some tuck down silver studded combat boots, I just needed a few accessories and a touch of makeup. I grabbed my “hideous bag,” of course, and a couple of music related rubber bracelets from the drawer. Together, Mika and I had a rather large collection of them.

As I pulled out my cover up that I was, unfortunately, running out of, I noticed something else that I had forgotten completely about.

It must’ve fallen in my makeup drawer . . . but the black gold purity ring my dad had gotten me when I was much younger rested in the bottom of the drawer. Accented with a large aquamarine diamond, Dad had gotten it handmade just for me. It was a modern vintage style that was like no other, and I was in love with it.

I had lost it, the ring that cost far too much money for my tastes, but here it was.

I immediately slipped it on my finger and went on trying to cover up the bruises. Other than the cover up, I just put on some light eye shadow, some winged eyeliner, some mascara, and pale lip gloss. My hair was left down and curly, natural, so it didn’t take me more than fifteen minutes to get ready.

The thing that took the longest was covering the bruises up completely, and I still wasn’t sure I managed. In the lighting of my bathroom, it looked alright, but in the bright sunshine? I couldn’t really tell.

I looked at my phone for the first time as I was getting into my car. It was a nice car, a gift from my dad for my sixteenth birthday. It was a black two door Jeep lined with a steel frame for more protection and a hardtop that I preferred to leave off.

When I looked at my phone, I saw a text from Niall and Harry. Niall actually sent me more than one message, so I decided to read his last.

Harry: So much chaos.
Niall: So, we have a lot to discuss tomorrow. Can we move the time up to ten thirty?
Good morning. (: I know you’re not going to believe this, but you’re beautiful.

I didn’t know what to say or where to begin, so with a sigh, I responded to Harry first. Yeah, I agree. Chaos.

And to Niall . . . goodness, what could I say to that?

Ten thirty sounds great. And you’re right, I don’t believe it just like you won’t believe you’re quite gorgeous. (:

Before I went to meet Niall, I decided to actually go and see Sparrow, like my mom thought anyways. She hated getting up early, but I’m sure she was just dying to know about what happened last night. I knew she wouldn’t mind being woken up, especially when I told her what all happened.

Like I figured, I woke her up when I knocked on the door. Normally I would just go in, but I forgot my key there the night before and was unable to do so.

She wore what might become a permanent scowl as she opened the door. “Your key’s on the counter. Tell me all the details—now.”

I shrugged. “Well, you were right. I mean, I guess you know more about this whole ‘guy’ thing than me, but I was just so excited because someone finally wanted me that I just . . . .” I shook my head. “Anyways, turns out he lives in New York somewhere. His girlfriend saw us at dinner and had all sorts of disturbing things to say, as well as telling him to come back to her. She wasn’t mad at him, but she was mad at me. Well, he followed me out of the restaurant, tried to get me to sleep with him, and then Niall stepped in. The guy threw Niall against the wall, after asking for an autograph for his girlfriend, and Niall decked him.”

“I’m glad he was there,” she whispered, but I was surprised by the lack of arrogance as she looked at me. “Emmit, I don’t know what I would’ve done if something terrible had happened to you. I need to talk to him.”

“I’m actually meeting with him at ten thirty to show him the city,” I informed her. “Can you believe that despite the fact that he had to have stitches on his head, he still wants to see this place? It’s amazing, but I would take a break if it was me.”

She now wore a tiny smile as she slowly shook her head, her deep blue eyes no longer on me. “It is you, Emmit. It’s not the city.”

For a few moments, I hesitated, unsure of what to say or think. What was she talking about? This was Niall Horan we’re talking about. What on earth would he see in me besides a friend, which is also equally surprising?

My eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Niall isn’t relaxing for a day because he’s so eager to see the city,” she said, and her eyes started to roll as her smile widened. “He wants to spend more time with you.”

I refused to let myself believe this for reasons Sparrow would never understand. After last night, I couldn’t believe it without getting hurt, but more than that, I didn’t need to believe it.
My life wasn’t good for Niall’s. There was no way the two could happily mix.

“We’re just friends. He wants to see the city more than anything.”

Sparrow scoffed. “No, Em, but I know you’re not gonna listen. He’ll have to tell you himself, I suppose, but I doubt you’ll believe even him. Finally accepted it’s not a dream?”

With a slight gesture to my face, I quirked my lips to the side. “After last night, I don’t have much of a choice.”

Sparrow’s hands covered her mouth to muffle her gasp, but I heard it anyways. “Uh . . . Em, I don’t know how I missed this, but we really need to cover this up some more if you’re going to see Niall. Did he just hit your face?”

I shook my head. “Cracked a couple ribs, I think. Hurts like hell, but I’m not turning down a chance to hang out with Niall because of this. I won’t let them ruin everything.”

Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes as a tiny smile tried to make its way onto her lips. “I wouldn’t blame you, and I wouldn’t dare ask you to stay. Just promise me you’ll take it easy, okay?”

“I will,” I promised, and I meant it. I didn’t make promises to shut people up and make them feel better. If I made a promise, I was gonna do anything in my power to keep it.

Especially a promise to people I cared about.

Sparrow helped me cover it up a lot better than I had. By the time we were done and I took some serious pain medicine—I have to due to my high tolerance for medicines—it was time to head to their hotel and pick him up.

From three blocks away, I could already see the fans. Tons of teenage girls stood on the sidewalks holding up signs that both protested and showed support, but I didn’t understand what they were protesting. It took seeing a sign that said, “Niall Horan would never assault a fan!” to realize that something had happened after I went home.

Did Daniel press charges?

Getting into the parking deck was hard. I had to nearly run over some girls to get through, but they eventually let me. It was ten nineteen when I got there, but I didn’t think he would mind me getting there just a tad bit early. There were a couple of hotel employees standing by the doors, but until I saw a fan try and get in without her name on the clipboard one man held in his hands, I had no idea what they were out there for.

Was I gonna be able to get in?

I stepped up to the man, whose name tag read Jonny, as the girl left—only after he threatened to call security. “Uh, my name’s Emmit—”

He pushed a button on his headset. “She’s here.”

My eyebrows rose, but I didn’t get to say anything to him. Before I knew it, someone was latched onto my arm.

“We’re together,” the girl told him.

Jonny looked at me with raised eyebrows. “What’s her name?”

I hated that I was the spoil sport not getting her inside, but at the same time, she really didn’t need to go up there and bother them. Niall probably had a massive headache, and I’m sure things were crazy.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Listen, if I have to tell you again, I’ll call the cops. You’re not getting in this hotel.”

“Why does she get in?” she gasped.

“Because she has authorization, and you don’t,” Jonny told her. “Now I won’t tell you again. You’re not getting in, so get out of here.”

The girl stormed off again, muttering something I didn’t understand under her breath, and before someone else could come up, Jonny quickly ushered me inside.

“Just get on the elevator and head to floor seven,” he said. “I think security is waiting in the lobby for you, so they’ll get you up there.”

“Uh, thanks.”

This was very odd, but something about being on the list made me feel pretty excited. For once, I wasn’t the girl not invited. I was actually the only girl invited.

“Is Sparrow coming?” Jonny asked, before I could get too far away. “I need to verify so someone else doesn’t slip through.”

I shook my head. “No.”

He nodded and wrote that down on his clipboard. “Alright. Thanks.”

Like he promised, the security team was waiting for me in the lobby, and they immediately got us an elevator. Since we were alone, they took that time to check me for weapons of any kind, and they patted me down.

Patting down my ribs hurt like a motherfucker, but I bit my lip and waited for it to pass. By the time we got to the seventh floor, they were finishing it up, and they were met by another member of the security team, who nodded and said something into his own headpiece.

What had happened when I left?

They knocked twice on Niall’s door with a pause in-between each knock. I figured it was yet another security measure, but the door immediately pulled open after the second knock.

Harry was the one standing by the door, but despite his smile, he looked exhausted. “Come in. We’ve got a lot to tell you.”

My eyes widened a little. “Okay then.”

When stepping into the room, I was overwhelmed at the amount of people in there. I knew everyone in One Direction, including Liam, who I had no idea was even in the country anymore. I recognized the guys of 5 Seconds of Summer, but there were still a few people I didn’t know and wasn’t comfortable with the way they were glaring at me.

Niall looked irritated as he stood from his bed and gestured for me to come beside him. “Sorry about all this. It’s . . . become necessary.”

“It’s okay,” I murmured, but my eyes focused on his new haircut. It hadn’t been too long ago that he had gotten the first new haircut, but this shorter cut was . . . really sexy on him. As typical One Direction style, he had a quiff and all, but it was shorter than it had been.
Something about the layers and the way he had it standing up, Lou did a fantastic job—as usual. “I, uh, would hate for something to happen to one of you guys. How’s your head?”

He looked a bit surprised, but he shrugged. “Been better, I guess, but I’m okay. The police came by last night. Turns out, Daniel decided to press charges against me. He didn’t tell them about you at all, so they didn’t actually know the whole story. I—”

“You need to go to the station and tell them your story,” a . . . rather scary looking woman ordered sternly, her eyes on her phone. “Make this go away.”

Niall rolled his eyes and looked back at me. “They suggested you counter-charge.”

I grimaced before I thought about it, but the action was quite painful. I played it off as nothing, though, because I really didn’t want everyone in the room to notice my face. “I mean, would that really help things?”

“Actually, it would,” Louis informed me. “Think about it. You counter-charge, he could drop the charges and shut up about it.”

“And we could also demand a public apology, saying that Niall was only helping his friend,”
Harry added. “Show people the scumbag he really is.”

“I mean, if it’ll help, I’ll do it,” I said. “Anything to just make this go away.”

Between talking to the others, I hadn’t noticed Niall watching me like he was. He wasn’t just looking at me, but something about me in particular. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but when I looked at him, I saw something strange in his eyes—pain. It was something I saw when he noticed my scars, but it seemed different even still.

I didn’t ask, nor did I look at him long because I feared he noticed, despite Sparrow’s attempts to cover it up. So, in case he did ask, I began thinking of a cover story while listening to the scary looking woman give me tips on how to handle this, what to do while we were out.

I looked over at Liam when she finished and gave him a tiny smile. “I didn’t realize you had come back. I’m sorry about this mess.”

Liam shrugged and gave me a big smile. “Nah. I’m proud of the boy, and I’m always here to help when things go wrong.”

“So, today, I’m not forcing Niall to cancel his plans, as much as I would love to, but he’s not going alone,” she said as politely as he could, but she had to work hard to make it seem that way. It was painfully obvious how little she cared for me. “They all requested that you stay unknown, which is only possible if you’re not alone with Niall. It will help keep so many people from swarming Niall, along with the few security team members I’m sending with you.”

Niall sighed. “This can’t be what you had planned.”

“This is fine,” I assured him. “I mean, yeah, you’re just five guys, but it makes sense. Safety first, right?”

This answer surprised more than just him, but Harry wasn’t really fazed by it. He wore a huge grin as he came around and propped his arm on my shoulder. It was hard to keep a straight face, but I managed, I think, and kept the pain inside.

“See?” Harry said, looking right at the terrifying woman with a huge smile. “This trip to New York turned out to be better than we thought it’d be. We made a new friend! Two, actually.” He looked down at me with one eyebrow raised. “Where’s Sparrow?”

I shrugged. “She was busy.”

She wasn’t really that busy, but she thought it would be just Niall and me. With her fantasy that he liked me, she didn’t want to be a third wheel, but it was too late now. It was too much trouble to get out of the city and then get back in.

“That’s too bad,” he murmured. “But, hey. We’ll still have an awesome day, and you’ll get to see why we’re trying to keep you out of this.”

“Before we go, I wanna introduce you to some people,” Niall said.

I gave him a tiny smile. “See? I knew there were more people than I remembered.”

Niall laughed. “Emmit, I’d like to meet the lads.” He paused for a moment and frowned. “The Australian lads. Not those boring British ones.”

Louis and Zayn rolled their eyes before laughing, and Liam just laughed. Harry, however, made a point to walk over and pat Niall’s shoulder. He didn’t really seem fazed by what Niall said, but he wasn’t just letting it slide either. “Don’t forget where you belong.”

The moment he said that, a huge smile pulled across my lips, something that didn’t go unnoticed by, well, anyone. I couldn’t believe that just happened! Harry said . . . and then that fan joke . . . it was all I could do not to laugh.

But then all eyes on me . . . I was suddenly very nervous and self-conscious about my fan moment. “Uh, let me just back up, rewind. Start over. I’m not gonna weird you guys out. Hi, I’m Emmit.”

Hearing Niall laugh again made me feel much better about the whole situation, and despite the pain in most places in my body, especially as I talked and breathed, I felt really good. I was happy.

“Told ya she was pretty damn great.”

Michael took a few steps closer, and the way he peered into my eyes was . . . surprising. “I love your eyes. Are those contacts?”

I shook my head. “That’s my natural eye color.”

Ashton pushed Michael out of the way so he could get a closer look as well. “Well I’ll be damned. Those are fucking awesome.”

“The limo is in the deck, sir,” one of the security guards informed us, and everyone turned to look at him. “We have a path cleared out now.”

Ashton sighed. “It’s a shame we didn’t really get to talk. If Niall doesn’t just sweep you off your feet, call me.”

My eyes were wide, but I had no idea what to even say to that. Niall playfully shoved Ashton aside while Harry started laughing.

Niall quickly changed the subject. “Is it too wild out there?”

“They were lined up at least three blocks from the way I come,” I said. “It’s gonna be crazy. They’re waiting for you guys to leave. Some look ready to protest and kill someone.”

Louis began to laugh as well. “See? That’s what’s so marvelous about our fans. They would line up to go to jail for us!”

Zayn raised his eyebrows in Louis’ direction. “That’s not good. They shouldn’t throw their lives away.”

Louis frowned. “I didn’t say they should. I’m merely stating that they would.”

Niall came up behind me and started leading me towards the door, but it was painfully obvious that his mood had dimmed drastically since I last saw him. “This isn’t what I had in mind either.”

“It probably would be easier to see the city on foot, but this is for the best,” I said, giving him a smile to try and cheer him up.

It seemed to work because he smiled as well. “Maybe, but it would also be easier with less people.”

“Oh, come off it, Niall,” Louis interjected, and he draped his arm over Niall’s shoulder. “We are going to have a great day greeting fans and seeing New York with a New Yorker. It’ll be bloody brilliant!”

Harry put his arm around Louis and smiled. “I think you’re right, Lou.”

“Of course I am, doll face,” Louis said, and he actually leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. “Now, let’s get out there and face our fans’ faces!”

It suddenly became real. Even though they were like nobody I had ever met before, and Louis and Harry clearly had a bond I had yet to see in two people, it was real. Yes, it was real last night when getting kicked around, but being around One Direction was real. I was here with One Direction, and I was gonna show them around my home city.

So when Niall held his arm out for me to latch onto, I did so with a huge smile and happily followed them into the elevator.

Our chariot awaited.

Notes

The lyrics are from Personal Soldier by the Wanted. The entire song fits this whole story, really, though I've never actually heard it. The lyrics fit, however.

I hope you guys enjoy! This chapter changed a lot from the original. Let me know what you think. :)

EDIT: Check out Emmit's outfit here. :)