…The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains, cursing, sadness, maybe a little bit of violence, Tony and Steve fighting like cats and dogs, unwelcomed surprises! And who knows what! All reviews are appreciated.

P.S: This is an Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamic story, it's also a Medieval story with Viking Tony ^o^

"Character talking"

"Character thinking"

…Flashbacks…

Chapter 3

It took them two extra days to reach the land, and in those days, Steven made sure to spend talking and teaching his friends a little about what they to expect in his people's lands, not knowing if he will be granted the chance to meet them once again when they were finally inland, so Steven taught them about his people's ways, how to not offend them, how to deal with their currency, the kind of food they eat, they kind of people they have, how to just lower your head and ignore arrogant warriors, how to never ever walk alone in the village but in a pair of two, last someone got the idea that they can torment them because they were slaves of the Hydra king… all the while he taught his son what to do and how to clean something, how to rush to him or Margaret and their friends if something happened, thanking the Gods when his smart baby just nodded his head and took everything in.

Steven knew when they reached the shore, after all, the energy was buzzing inside of the ship, everyone was in high spirit, even the guard, the only one who has a grim look on their faces were the Hydra servants, especially because reaching the shore meant that they will possibly lose their Queen, especially with the Iron King being involved, something that no one wanted to think about, someone that everyone fear will use and hurt their queen like Johann did, which was in the realm of possibility considering the northerners' reputation, that left nothing to be desired.

They waited for over an hour before someone came in and to Steven's displeasure; it was the Iron King himself and his advisors who showed up, the king going directly toward Steven's cell, while the advisors went to the servants. "Did you change your mind?" The king asked, just like how he has been asking the same question for two days now, something that always got him a harsh glare from Steven, which caused the Alpha to snarl at him, and Steven… well, he was used to this kind of Alphas so it didn't faze him not one a bit.

"You know, you sound like a foolish parrot repeating the same Sentence only to get the same answer." Steven mocked back, and he can feel the shock coming from the advisors behind the king, just as the man's face turned dark and his eyes murderous while he was looking at Steven, glaring harshly at him hoping that the Omega will take his words back, which only made the Omega hum and raise his head, looking at the Alpha with the corner of his eyes… the picture of arrogance, which only made the Alpha glower at him and thrust the door open ordering him with a harsh voice to get out, that made Steven lower himself to raise his son in his arms and walked out of the cell, only to feel a tight hold on his right arm making him wince, especially when the king starts dragging him as he walked out of the cellar to the ship and then off of the ship to the land, all the while Steven was keeping a careful eye on his friends who were being led by the advisors behind the king and Steven.

Once the touched the land, Steven's eyes widen a little as he looked at the village before him, it was the first time he saw a village like this, big houses surrounded by greenery, the village surrounded by three huge mountains on three sides while the fourth side dominated by the sea, a village with the best defenses someone could ask for, and it was beautiful, it reminds him of home, and Steven wondered if he walked to the left of the bakery, he wondered if he will see his house where he had left it, but Steven shook that thought away, after all, this was not his village, just another one who looked like his home. "Welcome you Mantta, foolish queen." The Iron King said, but Steven didn't give a mocking reply in return, still taking in the beauty and how the village and houses surrounded itself with greenery and trees, the perfect balance between modern and living with nature.

"Father!" The sound of a delightful child made Steven blink and turn his gaze toward the sound, feeling the king letting go of his arm and search for the sound too, and then Steven saw him, a child no older than his James, probably the same age, running through the crowd of people until he reached the Iron King jumping in the Alpha's arms when he did, which made the Omega raise his brow at that, especially when the Alpha's demander soften and he held the pup tightly crooning something in his ear.

"You have grown!" The king said as he looked at the small boy which made the babe give a happy grin of his own that fell when his eyes turned to Steven and James, the small pup was looking at the boy in the king's arm with curiosity, which was something that made the king's pup shy away and hide his face in the king's neck which made the king frown and send a warning glare to the Omega, making the Omega narrow his eyes at him and hiss hoping that the man will keep his filthy misleading reasons to himself, though the king did whisper something in the boy's ear making him unlatch himself from his hiding place to look at the Omega and pup once more.

"So you finally return, Starkad!" The joyful voice made the Omega turn to the caller to see a woman with a fiery red hair just like the woman with the green eyes but this woman has a blue instead, not far away behind her was a man with dark skin like coal and dark eyes that were looking at Steven with suspicion. Though the Omega paid that look no mind, after all, he was at the end of that look one too many in all of his years of life, though it was interesting to learn that the Iron King's name was 'Starkad' a name that caused a pang in his heart, he shook that thought away just like he shook it for more than two decades.

"Magna, Jamti, look what we have here!" The king said with a burst of booming laughter as he went toward his… whatever they were… and greeted them, getting smirks in return from the two, Steven doesn't know how long he stood in his place holding his son, but it was more bearable then talking with the king, especially when his friends stood beside him and refused to let him go, Margaret even clutched the sleeve of his tunic, which made Steven give the woman a reassuring smile.

"So you brought slaves?" The one with dark skin 'Jamti' said which made Steven turn his face toward the man and glared at him with the power of a thousand suns, which made the Alpha raise his eyebrow and look at the king, who was glaring at the Omega causing the Omega to direct his glare to the foolish king, no one knows how long the two of them glared at each other hoping that the other will burst into flames, but by the end of their match everyone was shifting uncomfortably away from the two.

"One slave and the rest of them are workers… Magna, if you will please find jobs and a house for them…" The king spate through his teeth like saying those words were like a poison he was forced to drink and was trying to spit it out, something that gave Steven pride as he straightens himself and gave the king a mocking innocent smile, which gained him a hiss from the king, like an angry lion who got his tail squashed by a rock.

Steven can feel everyone pausing at the king's words, from the people who came to greet their family members, to those who were moving the riches and gold, all of them were gazing at the king like he has told them that he was the heir to Asgard, though the Alpha with the red hair and blue eyes shook her shock first and turned around, snapping orders which made everyone move hastily last they were punished. "Why the change of heart, my friend?" Jamti whispered in the king's ear making the Alpha purse his lips and turn his eyes toward him ignoring the Omega who was still glaring at the king.

"To teach that foolish Omega a lesson…" Starkad hissed which made the man furrow his brows, already planning on asking Nattalegg or Klint about what took a place, feeling that Starkad was too worked up to tell him the real story of why he decided to take slaves or in this case 'workers' when he was known to never take any survivor not even a babe recently birth… except… Jamti sighed at that and returned his gaze to the Omega that was surrounded by his people as they tried to shield him away from everyone's eyes. "Come on foolish princess, we do not have the whole day for you to pretty up!" Starkad snapped at the Omega which got him glares and hisses from the people surrounded the said Omega.

"Shut your yapping hole, arrogant Alpha, this realm does not stop for you no matter how much you order it!" Snapped the Omega back which made Jamti blink at that in shock looking at his friend to see that he was back to glaring at the Omega like he was some unpleasant creature he stumbled upon in his voyage, though the smirk on Loki's face as he eyed the Omega with interest stumped him, considering that the green eyes Alpha showed no interest in anyone…

This as much as he hated to say, was going to be interesting…

As much as Steven hated following that arrogant Alpha, a deal is a deal and he must honor it, so Steven followed that Alpha, while glaring at the back of his head hoping that he will burn to the ground and end Steven's suffering, but as always life wasn't fair, and Steven was forced to follow the arrogant and useless Alpha, but the Omega tried to not glare at the Alpha with such an obvious way, not because he was afraid of the Alpha's people after all the Omega made sure to insult Johann in front of his subjects, but the Omega toned down his frightful glare because the king's pup was looking at him and James with wondering wide blue eyes, blue like his babe, hiding in his father's neck every time Steven's eyes caught his, but James took it as a fun way to pass the time, waving to the king's pup when he raised his head to look at them, making the small pup pause a little before waving back to James.

Steven had to hold his smile at that as he kissed James's head, it was maybe the first time for the small Alpha to meet someone his age. Angela and young Philips, it was true they were young, but they were still older than his James, Angela being 10 summers old while young Philips being 8 autumns and will turn to nine in two months, unlike his six winters old babe, who was still curious at the wonders of the world, but was forced to act much older than he was, maybe spending a little time with the king's pup will do him wonders… Steven hoped that the babe was not like his father.

"We are here…" The king said which made Steven stop in his tracks and look at the house in front of him, it was probably the biggest house in the whole village made from wood and stone and had a modern look to it similar to the southern palaces and their many rooms, not only was it big, but it was the farthest away from the center of the village, on the outskirts with the forest behind it, and Steven was sure if he wanted he could plant a vegetable and a fruit garden behind the house, and maybe he will see a well in the back garden too… such a beautiful house owned by such an arrogant character… fitting for a king… "You will follow the rules of the house, you do not, you get punished as simple as that…" Starkad said as he walked inside the house making the Omega follow him with a scowl on his face. "You wake up before dawn and you start cleaning with your brat, no ifs, no buts, morning meal better be served at Tierce and you make sure not to be late, after that you will return to cleaning the house, if you are done then you are to clean the gardens, then the stables, also wash the clothes and clean the furs and linings daily, and make sure to cook the evening meal at None, evening meals are shared either in the dining house, or near the fire pits so make sure you bring the ingredients with you, there are forbidden rooms you must never enter, and if you or your brat do you will be punished, the rooms are locked so do not think of opening them I will know…" Starkad said throwing Steven a pointed look which made the Omega glared at the Alpha. "The outhouse is not that far from here… you only get to sleep if you are finished with your chores, so do not think about slacking, you will take care of Petrus before taking care of your brat, and remember if you talked back you will be punished if you break anything you will be punished if you steal anything you will be punished, and if you tried to run away you and your little friends will all be punished, and that is a promise." The king said while he glared at the Omega causing the Omega to roll his eyes at him while biting his tongue in hope of not saying something he will regret.

"Is that all or is there something else I should be aware of?" Steven asked through his grinding teeth, already knowing that the king gave him an impossible schedule to follow considering how big the house and the gardens are, especially the garden if it already has a stable in it, Steven knew that he will work before dawn even broke to Matins if he wanted to finish the work that the arrogant Alpha gave him, these kinds of chores need at least three other people with Steven to finish in time.

The Alpha only scowl darkly at Steven and walked up the stairs glancing darkly at the Omega ordering him to follow the man. "This is your room…" The Alpha said when they reached the end of the stairs and the Omega pursed his lips at the bare space in front of him having nothing but a few furs in the farthest corner of the room as a substitute of a bed Steven bite the inside of his cheek and raise his eyebrow at the mocking and knowing look in the king's eyes and he went to the window near the fur and opening it to see that he was in the attic of the house… a big house indeed to have three stories in it. "You can change your mind, you can go back on your deal and return home no one will think less of you if you did, we both can forget about this, I will even escort you to your family… just say the word…" Starkad said with a gentle voice hoping that the Omega will regain his mind and stop this foolishness right here, right now, without humiliating himself more than he already did.

"Get out of my room, foolish king, I will start working after I rest." Steven said which made the Alpha hold back his snarl, only because his son was clutching his armor, and Gods above how Starkad wanted to scream at the Omega for being a foolish, suicidal, traitor! For taking those… those... nothing but bags of meat side! The king curled his mouth into a sneer as he gazed at the Omega's unflinching eyes.

"Don't be late…" He hissed before rushing downstairs, making as much noise as he can, too angry to care about anything, even the shaking boy that was clinching to his furs and hiding his face in the Alpha's neck. The Omega watched the king with pursed lips trying to stop his hiss that want to get out of his mouth…

He will make that arrogant Alpha regret the day he was born!

Just like Steven thought, trying to finish a week's worth of work in one day is near impossible, even with the help of his baby who refused to let him work alone with no help, which as much as it was sweet, the Omega knew it was taking a lot from his babe. Working for that arrogant king was tiring and it was mentally draining, and the Omega knew that the king was doing it on purpose, trying to make him back away on his word, waiting for him to quit and condiment his friends' lives to Hel, but Steven will not do that, he will show that arrogant bastard what he was made of.

To try and finish as much work as he can, Steven had to function on four hours of sleep, which was tiring and draining on his body, especially with the kind of work the Iron King forced upon him. He has to wake up hours before dawn to start his work, cleaning the place from top to bottom, starting with his bare room which needs a little maintained as it was that the only thing he had in his room was the furs he and his son sleep on and the few pieces of clothes the king 'generously' given to him and his son. Steven always made sure to let his babe sleep for a few more hours before he has to wake him up at Prime when he had to wake the king's son, a strange little boy he was, always silent, a boy of a few words, a shy one at that, who spent all of his time in the gardens with no friends, though his company was far more pleasant than his father's, an Alpha who doesn't know how to treat a babe right unless he was teaching him how to work with fire and metal in the workshop he has in the back of the house, and doesn't even have an Omega to help him take care of the babe, which made Steven pity the child for having a harsh Alpha as a father.

Finishing the attic and the second story, Steven then had to make the morning meal, which the Omega made sure to burn to coal, which always made the Alpha scream and rage at him and Steven's excuse was always the same. "You order me to cook, but you never asked me if I know how to cook." He always says that while widening his eyes innocently as he looked at the man, which made the said man growl and stalk out of the house with his son going to eat somewhere else, same for the evening meal, which will give Steven a little bit of precious time to cook something for him and his babe, to eat without the burning coal he tried to sale to the king as food. Then he will end up stripping the clothes and head to the river in the forest to wash them and then hang them on the ropes in the back of the garden to dry up before sunset so he will return them inside the house.

Finishing his wash, the Omega then will go to clean the stables and take care of the horses, feeding them if the one responsible for them didn't show up, which they never did ever since Steven start working under the Iron King's thumb, slacking in their work and leaving Steven to handle the downfall, finishing with the stables, the Omega will start working on the gardens making as much use as he can with the last daylight of the day before he was forced to return home and make the evening meal, which once again he will get yelled at for how bad his skill was at cooking, then the Omega will return to clean the house once again, this time cleaning the first story while ignoring the rooms he was forbidden to enter, which as always his work ended up a little bit after Matins, which got him a few hours of sleep at best.

His schedule was tiring and draining, leaving him no time to catch his breath and rest for a few seconds or go and check on his friends to see how they had fared in the last two fortnights he was forced to separate from them and leaving them to care for themselves while he cared for that useless man who called himself an Alpha, Steven can even say that his health was taking a little turn for the worst, always feeling dizzy and tired, sometimes even having shortness of breath that he couldn't indulge a few seconds of rest to catch his breath unless he wanted to be screamed at.

Steven coughed as he spat the foul taste in his mouth, having retched not a few minutes ago, making Steven frown at that thinking that he may be falling ill, which was not a good sign at all especially with the Iron King watching him for any misstep like a hawk watching his prey. It happened when Steven was tending to the garden, the dizziness that was followed by nausea, and then Steven was running to the woods behind the house, hiding behind a tree as he retched, groaning in disgust and pain, leaning on the tree behind him after he was done, burying the evidence of his sickness with a few layers of dirt.

Steven took a few shaky breaths as he leaned on the rough barks, looking at the sky that was covered by branches and leaves that were letting a few beams of lights through, making the Omega close his eyes for a second as he breathes through his nose scrunching his eyebrows at the disgusting taste that stayed in his mouth wondering if he had time to go and get a sip of water from the well not that far from the house.

The sound of branch breaking made the Omega blink his eyes tiredly and look at where he thought the sound came from, blinking when he saw no one in sight, it was probably a squirrel, that was all Steven could think of as he stood intending to head back to the garden and finish his work, wondering if he really plans on bothering himself with cooking when he already knew that the Iron King will end up screaming at him, it was a wonder that he didn't catch on Steven burning his food on purpose.

Steven paused in his walk back with a frown on his face. "When was the last time?" Steven thought to himself with furrowed brows, wondering when the last time he bleeds was… continuing the days, Steven pales as he discovered that he was a week late, a week late and his heat was a month ago and he didn't bleed after it… suddenly the fatigue and nausea made since, his want for more food but always stopping himself last the king discovered he was using more than normal while making food, him always looking at the lining and soft clothes wondering which was the softest to make a nest… Steven shook his head and gave a nervous laugh at that, he was probably paranoid, probably got the numbers wrong, and that he will start bleeding today because there was no way… no way!

Steve returned to the gardens indulging in his need for a sip of water before returning to finish his chores, sighing in relief when the king flat out told him to not even think about cooking tonight, which gave Steven the time to rest and catch his breath, making sure to cook something simple for him and his babe who was trying hard not to fall asleep, too tired from trying to help Steven in the gardens.

And for once Steven was grateful for being able to finish his chores before Compline which gave him a lot of time to rest, humming a toneless lullaby to his son who held his pendant in his hands, blinking his eyes open every time he closed them. "Mama…" James whispered after a while making Steven hum and look at his son who was furrowing his brows. "Why can I not smell your scent anymore?" James asked in a confused voice, his words causing Steven's muscles to lock in shock, fear rising inside of him as everything made sense. "Mama?" James called out but Steven couldn't even move a muscle as the horror of what his son informed him finally sink…

He was pregnant…

So what do you think?

Poor Steve and James!

Now, to the did you know! I decided to install in my historic work ;P

For those who got confused by my wording to the time. In medieval times most peasants or farmers would not have had a great need to know precisely what hour it was and would have divided their day according to the passage of the sun. I used the time used for the monastic communities but by no means, this meant that there is a monastic religion in the fic considering that Vikings worshipped their Gods from Asgard. I just use this time because it will be easier than using sand clocks, water clocks, and a well-trained biological clock, the earliest clock in history was made in the 1320s and it was an astronomic clock.

Matins — late at night or at midnight

Lauds — at 3 a.m. or at dawn

Prime — around 6 a.m.

Tierce — around 9 a.m.

Sext — at midday

None — around 3 p.m.

Vespers — around 6 p.m. or after dinner

Compline — around 9 p.m. or before bed

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama