☼ Isla's POV ☼

I was a little upset at the fact that Ivy hadn't sent me the actual Elites that protected the royals, only the extra Elites-in-training. Then again, I couldn't tell Odette they weren't official Elites, that would stress her out even more.

Don't get me wrong, they were pretty skilled in combat and could bust us out of here. They just tended to be a little...unprofessional at times.

Like right now, Louis and Harry were debating on what they should do with Seamus' unconscious body.

"What if we stripped him until he was butt naked and then tied him up to the light pole in the center of town square?" Louis suggested, Harry busting out into uncontrollable laughter soon after. Niall was still talking to Odette, and only Liam was following training and stealing weapons from the Revolutionaries with me.

I reached Emerald's unconscious body and resisted the urge to kick her and leave several bruises on her perfect face. She had helped Seamus set the fires to my family's wheat fields years ago. She had been one of the ones who gave me my burns.

But Ivy would have said we didn't have time to reminisce about such trivial matters that were now in the past, so I snatched the handgun and holster by her side and the hidden knife I knew she kept inside her boot.

"Let's go, guys. We don't have much time." I ordered, Niall helping Odette stand up while the other three followed my lead. Louis hung back though, his eyes still on Seamus.

"Louis?" I asked, everyone else was already out of the door and ready to go.

"We can't just leave him here." He said, making a very good point. "Zayn wants him to get his punishment as a criminal."

"Our mission is to get Odette out of here. The rest of the Elites will come and take care of him and his followers later." I explained, Louis staring at Seamus one last time before walking out of the room and following us.

I had walked around the Revolution compound several times in the days I had been here, so I had practically memorized the entire layout. I led us down concrete corridors and hallways, my mind creating a mental map towards the exit. We were about to reach the cafeteria, no doubt one of the busiest places in the compound, when an alarm went off.

A high pitch shrill sound echoed through the halls, red lights flashing as Seamus' voice came over the intercom system in the walls.

"Attention, all Revolutionaries. Odette Carlton has escaped with several soldiers. Kill anyone seen with her. Being her to me alive." He ordered, and Odette's grip on Niall's hand grew tighter once the message finished. Her big hazel eyes looked at all of us in fear.

"Now I've put you in danger!" She exclaimed, releasing Niall's hand and backing away from us. Her cheek was already starting to bruise, the red turning into darker shades of pink now.

"It's alright, they won't stand a chance against us." I assured her, but she still shook her head.

"They could kill you!" She argued, Louis faking hurt as he placed a hand on his chest.

"Have some faith in us, we're not that bad." He joked, Odette not seeming any more relaxed than before.

"I-I don't want to be the reason you get hurt." She mumbled, Niall taking her hand again and keeping her moving.

"We will get hurt if we keep stopping. Trust us, we'll be fine." He spoke to her, getting her to quietly comply.

"We need to keep moving, especially now that they know Odette's missing." I told everyone, hurrying down the hallway towards what I knew would be the most dangerous part of our trip.

There was only one way out of the compound, and it was through one of the worst places here.

The cafeteria would no doubt be full of soldiers, and now that they knew we were on the run, they would most definitely be armed. I gave a look to each of the Elites-in-training, each of them nodding in understanding and reaching for weapons.

"Come on, we're almost there." I assured Odette, leading the way through the empty corridor and into the expansive dining hall. No one was around, which surprised me.

It was creepy how quiet everything was, a place I had witnessed being overcrowded and packed becoming deserted in so little time.

Odette was struggling to keep up, and I had to remind myself to slow down for her sake several times. Niall kept her close to him, keeping his eyes alert for any sign of danger. Liam and Harry were in front of me, Louis to my side as we cautiously moved through the huge room.

This was strange. Where was everyone?

Once we had reached the middle of the cafeteria, Harry seemed to relax, lowering his gun before turning to us. His sparkling green eyes searched over the entire expanse of space before he spoke.

"Where is everyone?"

Time seemed to move in slow motion when a gleam of metal shone as Liam tackled Harry to the ground. Harry hit the floor hard, his little ponytail becoming messy but his body protected from his black armor. A small pocketknife was stuck in the ground where Harry's leg had been only moments prior, and all the Elites-in-training grabbed their weapons as we prepared for an attack.

"I found the bad guys." Harry mumbled as he rubbed his head he had hit on his fall. Liam hurried to help him up and soon we all had scrunched together in a little group like penguins ready to attack the hidden snipers, Odette's tiny body hiding in the middle.

"What if we try the siren again?" Liam suggested. "It may work."

I pulled the siren out of my pocket, preparing to throw it on the ground and unleash another ear-splitting scream, when it was knocked out of my hand. The device slid across the floor, a knife stuck right in the middle. Wires sparked and the machine sputtered before dying. Liam's wide eyes stared into mine before we searched for the hidden Revolutionaries. We needed a counterattack, we couldn't just be sitting ducks.

This would be so much easier if we could just see the stupid snipers.

I felt the gentlest tap on my shoulder and turned to see Odette's hazel eyes staring up at one of the balconies that overlooked the dining hall.

"There." She whispered, pointing my eyes in the right direction. My eyes followed her line of sight to see the slightest glimmer of shining silver metal. I smiled at Odette before mentally aiming at the target. In a flash, I raised my gun and pulled the trigger, my one bullet making one soldier grunt before falling over the balcony edge to the floor.

"No!" A female voice shrieked before she revealed herself in the light on the balcony, raising her gun to shoot us. We were too quick, though. Liam and Louis had taken her out before she could even get a shot off, and soon all the Revolutionaries let loose and rushed to attack us. There had to be at least thirty men and women rushing towards us with a bloodlust in their eyes.

But we were Elites, and no matter how many troops they had, they didn't stand a chance.

Louis, Liam, and Harry took their troops apart with bullets from their guns while Niall rolled several smoke bombs on the floor to help us escape. I grabbed Odette's hand as I yelled for Liam, Louis, and Harry. We all ran through the smoke, hearing Revolutionaries struggle to breathe. We could hear gunshots still being fired, most likely the Revolutionaries thinking they were killing us, when in fact they were slaughtering each other.

We finally managed to get to the hallway on the other side of the dining hall, everyone stopping to catch their breath. I knew we couldn't wait much longer though, those smoke bombs wouldn't last forever.

"Okay, we're good. Let's go." I ordered. I turned to Odette, but she was crumpled on the floor, eyes scrunched closed. Her face was pale and her left hand was over her right shoulder. Her ragged breathing was all that was heard between us as I rushed over to her.

"Hey, come on. What's wro-" I started, but froze when I moved her hand from her shoulder to help pull her up.

Her right shoulder was soaked in blood, the puddle growing bigger and bigger by the second. She must have been hit by a bullet when we were running, and with a quick ripping of her right sleeve my heart sunk even more than it already had. I didn't see an exit point from the bullet in the back of her shoulder, which meant it was still inside her.

Odette was already dazed and woozy from being held hostage, and now she had a bullet stuck in her right shoulder that was bleeding far too quickly than I would've liked.

We were in trouble now.

♚ Zayn's POV ♚

My mind was still replaying the image of Seamus placing the gun to Odette's forehead, the connection being cut before I could hear a gunshot or not.

I was trying to stay optimistic, hoping this mission wasn't in vain. My little swan was alive, I could feel it, and it was time to bring her home.

It was dark out, no stars or moon visible tonight, like everything good in the world had been taken away when Odette disappeared. I wasn't leaving to just being Odette back. I was leaving to bring back the world's hope and happiness.

My troops were ready, the Elites were ready to be unleashed, and Ivy was by my side to help.

Odette was coming home, and Seamus was going to pay.

Ivy had received a distress signal from Isla from deep within the capital city, and sent out her Elites-in-training to help her. The real Elites were going to help us bust through the Revolution's headquarters and capture Seamus.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror in my room. I didn't look like the prince I was before.

I was dressed in black from head to toe, armor protecting me and a handgun at my side I would use to kill Seamus. A cape with a hood would conceal my identity until we reached the headquarters, but for now it was pulled down.

This wasn't the prince who had had the crown forced on him. This was the king that had resulted, and the only thing he was missing was his queen by his side.

This is for her.

With that last thought, I pulled my hood up, and prepared for battle as I walked towards the training center.

Ivy had greeted me in the middle of the training center with a salute before introducing me to a group of young men and women clad in black behind her: the Elites. They all saluted me, Ivy introducing them one by one.

"Thank you for this." I said softly to them. The girl with fiery red hair, Vesta I remember, smiled at me after.

"This is our job, your Majesty, and we're very good at it."

***

The capital city was dark and void of any people when we drove into it. Ivy and I had taken my Maserati while the Elites took two black sports cars from the garage. It didn't take long to get there, all of us quickly getting out of the vehicles and starting to walk down the streets. I took a deep breath as we approached the center of the city. Isla's instructions had said the compound was under the city, and we worked quickly to find the sewage plate with a tiny "R" etched into it. Isla claimed it was one of the ways to get inside, and her intel proved valuable when we lifted it to reveal intricate tunnels underneath. Each of us slipped into it, the Elites moving forward into the compound first with their weapons at the ready.

I couldn't believe how resourceful the Revolution had been, pulling my hood up more as I stared in wonder at the tunnels and corridors crafted all for one sole purpose.

We moved quickly, not seeing any soldiers but still staying alert. We followed the map and instructions Isla had sent to the room were Odette had been tied up and almost killed by Seamus. I still shuddered at the thought.

Strangely though, no one was in the room when we opened the door, the Elites ready to attack. We all entered the small room carefully, the screen still depicting static and enveloping the room in an eerie black and white light. I was the last to enter the room, and as soon as I did the lights were shut off. I was grabbed and restricted by someone as the lights were turned back on, all the Elites turning ready to attack but freezing when they saw me.

A gun was placed to the side of my head by none other than Seamus Deeney, a dark laugh leaving him as I struggled to get free.

"What a turn of events, first I almost kill your lover and now I get to kill you. This is like a gift from heaven." He spoke, a grin on his face as he watched the Elites poised ready to kill. They wouldn't risk me dying if someone tried to attack Seamus but missed. They knew their training.

However, my mind focused on one thing he said. He said he had almost killed Odette...she was still alive?

"This time I won't be interrupted." Seamus growled at the Elites, his finger on the trigger about to pull.

"How sad," Seamus whispered in my ear. "Even your guard dogs can't protect you now."

I only took a deep breath.

"I don't need my guard dogs to protect me. I can take care of myself." I assured Seamus, and with a swift motion I reached for the gun at my waist, aimed it at Seamus' leg, and pulled the trigger. Seamus' gun instantly moved away from my head as he collapsed in pain, screaming and crying out. His gun fell from his hand and I moved quickly to kick it out of his reach before switching our roles, my gun now pressed to his forehead the same way he had done to Odette. My hood had fallen from my head, and I watched as Seamus' eyes grew wide with fear.

"Please...don't kill me..." He begged, my hold on the gun never flinching.

"Why shouldn't I? Your actions have scarred and hurt people all around the Empire. Shouldn't you suffer the consequences of them?" I spoke coldly, Seamus beginning to cry as he realized this was truly the end.

"No! Please!" He cried, but I ignored him. He had hurt my family, and it was time he paid the price for Delia and Damon's deaths, as well as the deaths of all the people in my country impacted by the Revolution.

I took a deep breath.

"Rest in peace, Seamus." I spoke to him.

And then I pulled the trigger.

***

Ivy had been silent as we left the room, the Elites only stepping over Seamus' dead body as they followed their king out. I pulled my hood up again as we hurried to find Odette, Isla, and the Elites-in-training. It wasn't too long after we left Seamus that the Elites and Ivy received a distress call from one of the Elites-in-training from a hallway not far from us.

We hurried to the location where the call was being made, finding it not long later. Once we reached Odette's rescue party though, everyone froze in front of me. I quickly pushed my way through the Elites and Ivy, my breath catching in my throat when I saw what they were frozen with shock at.

Odette was lying in a pool of her own blood, Isla trying desperately to stop the bleeding from her shoulder. My heart nearly stopped.

I rushed over to her pale form, my hands on her face as I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"What happened?" I demanded, Isla flinching from the tone of my voice.

"W-we were running out of the dining hall and she got h-hit by one of the bullets. It's still in her shoulder but it won't stop bleeding." She stuttered, and I frantically looked to Ivy for help.

"We need to get her to the Manor-" I started.

"No, she needs to go to the hospital. A doctor won't get to the Manor in time. We need to hurry, she's losing a lot of blood." Ivy said, quickly appearing by my side. When I didn't move, she shook my shoulder.

"Zayn, we need to go. Now." She urged, and ordered several of her strongest Elites to gently carry Odette back to my Maserati.

I couldn't stop my heart from racing as I followed the men carrying Odette, adrenaline making me anxious.

We had been so close, was I going to lose her forever?

A/N: Impeccable's almost done...