The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains, cursing, sadness, a little bit of angst, fluff, and Steve and Tony get a little bit closer, and poor everyone! 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 18

Petrus whistled happily as he jumped over the rocks, walking around the place and picking up anything that caught his fancy before dropping it and continuing his search for something better; he couldn't help but gaze at the icy surface of the lake not that far away, wondering if he can convince his father to take him to this lake so they can ice skate and have fun, just the two of them. Petrus hummed and returned back to his quest, trying to pick pretty leaves and rocks, or anything that was remotely interesting, hoping to show it to James. If not, Petrus knew that he and James can always go on a treasure hunt to find interesting things later to take with them home… interesting things that he can give to his father, and if he can… he can even give them to the queen… Petrus couldn't help but shake his head harshly at that, trying to ignore how red his face was becoming and how uncomfortable he was at the thought that the Omega would look at him with confusion for daring to give him a gift, even coming from his son's friend.

Speaking of James, where was the boy? Petrus looked around the place, trying to find James and see if he was hiding behind one of the trees, planning on pranking Petrus and scaring him; a thought that made Petrus huff in annoyance at how his friend loved to prank him so much. Petrus, though, didn't hate the pranks that James usually pulled because… because they were fun, and it always ended with Petrus laughing and chasing James around the woods, it never ended with Petrus hurt and crying like with the village boys… so it was nice, and if Petrus acted like he didn't see his friend until James was done pranking him then no one needed to know.

But it was strange in a way… James being late like this… his friend was never late, and usually, he would be the one who arrived before Petrus many times, to set up the prank he decided to play on Petrus, and if not, he would usually wait for Petrus to start their treasure hunt, a stick in one hand, with charcoal and parchment in the other so the two can mark all the cool places they traveled and mark the places they hide the treasures they find.

Still, instead of Petrus worrying and making irrational moves (Like James always accused him of) he waited for his friend in the cove (Their hidden spot) deciding to give his friend more time before returning back to the village and searching for his friend. So Petrus waited, humming to himself as he become daring and went near the lake, touching the icy surface with one of his feet, and grinning when he saw the ice didn't make any sound that indicated it was breaking… maybe Petrus can convince his father about agreeing to teach him how to skate here before spring arrived, if not he was sure that James would manage to convince the Queen to teach them, considering that the Omega didn't find a fault in teaching them survival methods, even if it meant that his father would have a heart failure when he sees Petrus on ice… a thought that amused Petrus a little and caused a giggle to leave him at the thought of his father running after him to get him off the ice; just like that one time when Petrus managed to climb a small tree and his father nearly lost it trying to get him down…

The sound of a branch breaking in half, caused Petrus to pull his foot away from the ice, turning to see who was the person who dared to come to his secret hideout with James… the sight of his best friend caused a happy smile to cross over his face, a smile that was wiped when he saw the angry and furious look on James's face who started pacing and taking a loud breath to calm himself.

Concern sized over Petrus, and the boy took a slow step toward his friend, who didn't look like he realized that Petrus was in the same cove as him. "James?" Petrus called out, hoping to discover the reason for his friend's anger, instead of James turning toward him, the boy started muttering under his breath, causing Petrus to frown and decided to take drastic measures and stand in front of his friend, cutting his path. "What happened?" Petrus asked, his voice seemed to snap James from his angry muttering and make him realize that Petrus was there, to Petrus's shock, James did nothing but glare at him with a mean face, which caused him to shift a little in his place… this was the first time that James gave him that look, and against his will, it made Petrus scared.

"Did you know?" James asked in a low voice, causing the hair on Petrus's body to stand on its ends, the feeling of being threatened and being prey to the person he considered his best friend, caused his breath to pick up unconsciously. "Did you know?" Screamed the other boy, causing Petrus to jump and nearly let out a squeak when James took a step toward him with clenched hands.

"Know what?" Petrus said hurriedly, not wanting his friend to direct his anger at him more than he already did, and now that Petrus was thinking about it, why was James angry in the first place? Did something happen? "Know what?" Petrus repeated his question when James growled at him (Growled at him!) "I do not understand what is going on!" Petrus nearly whined, wanting to know why his friend was acting like this and why was he directing his anger at Petrus when he didn't do anything wrong.

"Did you know that your father came to our home to ask for Mama's hand?" Snapped James, his anger no doubt getting the better of him, but his words made Petrus pause and blink in surprise, his jaw nearly falling to the ground at what his friend shouted… his father went to the queen's house to ask for his hand. Does that mean…? Oh, Gods above! It meant that the queen accepted his father's courting gift! Happiness bubbled in Petrus's chest at the happy news, and he nearly jumped to hug his friend tightly, if it wasn't for the furious glare his friend was sending him.

"No, I did… not." Mumbled Petrus, feeling a mix of happiness and fear from both the news and the way that his friend was acting after hearing such joyous news… wasn't James supposed to be happy? I mean, he would gain not only a father and Petrus would gain a mother, but the two of them can be brothers and have a happy family! "Why… why are you angry? T-this is h-happy news… right?" Stuttered Petrus when he saw his friends glare at the words he uttered.

"Happy news?" Hissed James as he took a step closer to Petrus, causing the boy to flinch and back away unconsciously, feeling like a rabbit in the presence of a wolf, a thought that caused terror to size his heart even when he knew James was his friend and he was never going to hurt him. "What is happy about your father coming to force my Mama to marry him?" James growled, causing Petrus to bite his lower lip harshly as he forced himself to look at James's eyes. "You knew I do not want any Alpha to come near Mama! I told you what I would do if someone dared to come for him!" James snapped his words causing Petrus to frown at his friend's words.

"Father did not force the Queen! It is the Queen's decision to accept his proposal or not!" Petrus couldn't help but defend his father, not wanting his friend (And hopefully future brother) to think ill of his father when the Alpha was going to be their father after his marriage to the queen. "Father is not a bad person… you know that… you know he will treat the Queen with respect and love!" Petrus stated, pleading silently with his friend to understand that this news was not as bad as he perceived them; Petrus wanted James to understand how happy (How truly happy and over the moon) Petrus felt before his best friend dashed the small hope that was light inside Petrus… why would James be angry when he seemed to have liked his father and always joked and played with him and Petrus when he came to visit them?

"You are right, he is not bad… he is worse; he is a monster!" Snapped James taking a threatening step toward Petrus causing, the boy's breath to still in his chest when he saw the fire in his friend's eyes that he couldn't even object and defend his father against his friend's false claim. "I thought you were my friend! I told you… I told you to stand up and tell your father the truth about your feelings, but I did not mean for you to send your father after my Mama!" James screamed, his harsh words and loud accusation caused tears to gather in Petrus's eyes, and before he dared to open his mouth to defend himself and their friendship, James hissed the word 'Bastard' under his breath before running away and leaving Petrus alone…

That word… that one word… shattered Petrus's heart into million pieces and made his tears (The ones he tried desperately not to show his friend) stream down his face as a harsh sob left him… that word… that one word… was the one that everyone defined him by when his father wasn't around to make the waging tongues shut up. It was the one that made him stay up all night and hide his tears away from his father, least the Alpha went out to start another fight for his honor, only to gain the fear of people and their whisperings, followed by the elders' scorn… that word was the one that made Petrus spend his days hiding in the forest, never going out and play with the other children who would always make fun of him and laughed at his misery… Petrus let out a loud sob as he wiped his eyes with both of his fists, feeling so much pain, worse than that time Tyber hit him, and claimed the children of the village did it… how can this word cause so much pain when Petrus thought he got used to it? Why did it hurt him so much when James said it, while he always managed to shrug it when everyone in the village laughed and pointed at him?

Turning around, Petrus started running home, the entire joyful mood and feeling he felt in the morn had evaporated as if it was nothing but the mist that disappeared when the sun showed its face. Petrus run as fast as he can, even with the tears clouding his eyes, not wanting to stay in the cove anymore, not when his friend's harsh word rang in his ears, shattering every hope of him being more than… than that word… in his friend's eyes.

Reaching his home, Petrus's lips wobbled when he saw his father surrounded by his friends who were laughing and clapping, no doubt congratulating his father after a successful proposal… that more than ever made Petrus feel worse. The tears once more started falling from his eyes, followed by loud sobs and cries as he ran toward his father, hugging his legs tightly and ignoring the confusion and concern tune of his father and the adults… his father's gentle hands and warm voice made Petrus sob loudly and hold into him tightly, feeling like he was going to be sick any minute now… he should have known… he should have known instead of being stupid and hoping that everything was going to be different this time… he should have known!

Bastards don't deserve happiness…

Steven laughed softly as he saw old man Philips huff and buff, complaining loudly to anyone who was hearing him, and ignoring how shocked and confused the rest of the pack was in favor of trying to scold Steven (And Failing to do so) for accepting the foolish king's courting gift; meaning the man had to come to their home the next morning to negotiate their potential betrothal followed by their marriage in the summer or fall. Steven couldn't help the amused smile on his face as he saw how angry and annoyed Philips was (Mainly annoyed, the anger was just a front for his concern, but Steven didn't call the old man on his bluff) about having to sit with the Iron King and some of his advisors, since morn, to come with a good enough marriage contract that would satisfy all sides.

So far, the negotiation was doing… well? Steven didn't know, but he knew that Philips went easy on the foolish Alpha and didn't outright kill him, which was a win in Steven's book, because it informed him that they are going to go somewhere in this courtship, even if it meant that instead of a month or two of negotiation, Philips was probably planning on making it a year just to spit on the foolish king who came to propose to Steven. The Iron King was one of many who dared to come and ask for Steven's hand ever since he came here (A fact that made most of his pack grumpy and overprotective) but to Steven's surprise, he was the one who sucked it up the most and didn't fall for Philips's tricks, going as far as being calm and understanding, not even getting angry when the Beta kept on insulting him to his heart content… a fact that gained the foolish Alpha some respect in Philips's eyes, even if the man wasn't going to admit it.

"Out of every damned soul on this realm, you decided on him!" Philips continued his rant, huffing and buffing as Daniel tried to calm him down and Margaret (Who seemed to have fallen into shock) ever since the foolish Alpha left the hut with the promise of coming back tomorrow to continue their negotiation. A fact that made Philips rant even more as he grumbled about being too old for being thrown into this kind of situation with deranged kings who are better dead than roaming this ground… and a few other choices of words that not even Steven was creative enough to string together even on his bad days.

Still, Steven was amused enough, that he stayed in his place and continued to hear Philips's rant about this and that until he was calm enough, to just grumble and go to his favorite chair by the window to read; though, he didn't leave without giving Steven one last glare for throwing him into this kind of situation. Whatever amused return Steven planned, it never left his lips when his eyes fell on James, who was stumping back to their hut, the anger coloring his features, and the tears running down his face, making it even more flushed than it was.

The boy didn't wait for Steven, nor did he seem to notice him to begin with, as he rushed to the stairs so he can climb to the second story of the hut. Steven gazed at his son in concern, before turning to his pack, nodding to them as he went to see what distressed his son so greatly, that he would return home crying, and without Petrus following him behind. When he reached his son, Steven had to press his lips tightly when he saw his babe clinching to his pillow and sobbing harshly, breaking Steven's heart the closer he got to his babe.

Reaching his babe, Steven sat beside the boy and brought him to his lap, not talking or demanding an explanation, just holding his son until he let it all out and tell him what was eating at him when he would manage to calm down. It took time before James was calm enough that his cries stopped, and by then, Steven continued to hum gently and run his hand through his boy's hair, waiting until the babe get a grip so he can ask him about the reason that brought his tears… it didn't stop Steven from hoping that the reason of his son's distress was not Petrus because if Steven got to know something, it was that the two boys were attached at the hip ever since they became friends, and if something happened between them, then Steven wouldn't know what to do.

"Are you ready to talk, sweetheart?" Steven asked when his boy stopped sniffling, his words getting a whine from the boy, but Steven wasn't deterred, instead, he waited silently until James cracked and told him what happened. what his babe told him, made Steven close his eyes and curse internally, not knowing if he should blame himself for not explaining to his son what was going on in more boring details, or if he should scold his son for starting a fight with his friend, and accusing him of something he wasn't… did Steven not explain to his boy, that blood feud could be light as soon as someone accused another of something they weren't? And even if they were, who is to say the other family wouldn't demand a proper punishment for their reputation being dragged down? Steven was going to have a long talk with the foolish king about what took place, and even then, he was sure the two of them wouldn't manage to settle things peacefully without affecting whatever progress the two of them made in this slow and tentative courtship of theirs. "Why…?" Steven can only ask, letting out a tired sigh as he tried to think of something to save whatever friendship his son had with Petrus without any animosity being in the middle.

James sniffled, and let out a sob, before mumbling something into Steven's tunic, causing the Omega to close his eyes in annoyance at his son's avoidance; opening his eyes, Steven repeated his question gently, pulling James away to look into his eyes, waiting for the answer his son was going to give. "I… I do… do not know…" James hiccupped, before wiping his nose with the sleeve of his left hand, causing Steven to twitch, but still, he didn't react, waiting for his son to continue. "I… I was angry… I… I do…not w-want to go back… to h-how it was with… him… A-Alphas are monsters, and if y-you got m-married… then… I would l-lose you…" James's hiccupped, once again, he started crying and clutching Steven tightly, his words breaking Steven's heart, and making him sigh as he held his son tightly, cooing gently as he tried to calm his babe… to think that his son had such fears inside of him, even when Steven spend all morn before his boy ran away, trying to calm him down and explain to him that everything was going to be alright and that the foolish king even as an Alpha, he was different than… different than him.

"Sweetheart…" Steven sighed once more, trying to think of something to counter James's line of thinking. "Is Petrus a monster?" Steven suddenly asked, causing James to jump and deny that like his life depended on it, which made Steven's lips twitch. "That is strange; did you not say that all Alphas are monsters? If we went by that line of thought then it meant, that Petrus is a monster, Thor and Loki are monsters, because they too are Alphas… but most importantly, it meant that you are a monster because you are an Alpha too." That made James still, his eyes were wide as if he couldn't believe what his mother was saying to him, or maybe he was finally made aware of the messed-up line of thinking the boy had taken up as his. "See, not every Alpha is a monster. There are bad ones and good ones, and it is up to you to decide which one you wanted to be…" That made tears run down James's cheeks once more as he started sobbing, causing Steven to wipe his tears and kiss his forehead. "I am still going to have a long talk with you tonight… and you are grounded for the rest of winter for what you did to Petrus… but for now, the two of us are going to Petrus's house so you can ask for his forgiveness, and you… you are going to accept the consequences that would come like the prince you are, do we have a deal?" James wiped his tears and nodded his head, standing up with Steven and following him, causing the Omega to give his son a soft smile before the two of them got ready to depart to the king's house after saying their goodbyes to their pack.

Their journey to the king's home was filled with silence, as Steven watched his son who had a determent look on his face, with his head held up high, even with his eyes being red from crying and his face flushed red. Steven couldn't help but think of this as his fault, he knew that even when he spend days trying to ease his son into the thought of him maybe (Possibly) going to get married, and that nothing was going to change and everything would be alright, he knew his son would still have some objection and fears, what Steven didn't count on was him taking his anger and fear on Petrus, who the boy considered not only his partner in crime but a brother as well… poor Petrus, what would the boy think after being accused by the one who was going to be his brother of being something he wasn't? All Steven can do was prey for the Gods that everything to solve itself and that Petrus and James would overcome this trail without losing their friendship… maybe Steven needed to talk with Petrus too, explain to him what James failed to convey and maybe messed up in trying to gain his friend's forgiveness.

Reaching the king's home, Steven decided to knock on the door instead of barging in like he usually does; waiting for the king to open the door was a little nerve-wracking to Steven as much as it was to his son who was shifting in his place, not because of what the Alpha would do and demand, but for what it would mean for them (As much as Steven tried to convince himself that he doesn't care if the negotiation for their marriage fell through, something inside Steven couldn't help the sadness that took hold of him) instead of dwelling on the what ifs, Steven knocked on the door once again, waiting for the foolish Alpha to come and open the door for them.

It didn't take long before the door was opened, and Steven had to raise his eyebrow at how off-balance and wrecked the king looked when just this morn the man was full of energy and looking his best. "Oh…" Steven heard the soft noise coming from the king before the Alpha gave him a tired smile. "I do not think it is… a good time right now…" The king mumbled, but still, he opened the door to Steven and James, letting them come inside his house, instead of closing the door in their faces.

"I am aware of that… James." Steven said to the king before calling his son who kept fidgeting in his place, only to still when he heard Steven call him. "…Here, came to make everything alright again, right?" Steven gave a strained smile to the king, who blinked a few times before realization seemed to come over him and he turned to James in surprise, but to Steven's astonishment, the man didn't even frown or scold his son, he didn't even growl in annoyance or anger at the thought of James being the reason for Petrus's sadness, instead, the Alpha gave a tired smile and ruffled James's hair.

"He is in his room… he may not open the door at first, but do not worry." The Alpha stated, causing James to shift, looking between the king and Steven before he gave a nod, rushing toward Petrus's room, leaving the adults alone. "Should have known… Petrus never gets this emotional unless…" The Alpha mumbled to himself before letting out a sigh, causing Steven to give an apologetic smile. "It is fine, I am sure the two of them would figure it out." He reassured Steven causing the Omega to let out a tired sigh.

"It still did not give him the right to say what he said… I taught him better than that…" Steven grumbled, causing the Alpha to snort and motion to the Omega to follow them, the two of them walked silently until they found James standing in front of Petrus's room, whispering 'Sorry' and trying to talk with Petrus who didn't open the door; before Steven made his move and helped his son, the Alpha pulled him away from James's sight and motioned for him to be quiet, it was only a few seconds later that the door opened and James got inside before it was closed once again.

"I know, that is why I have no fear, I know they would make it work…" The Alpha stated before he lead them to his office, where he took his usual seat in front of the table containing the Hnefatafl set, causing Steven to smile in amusement and took the opposed seat. "It was just the surprise that made me… wrong footed… Petrus did not cry like this ever since I departed for my last raid to the Hydra kingdom… a year and a half maybe." The king explained, his words gaining a hum from Steven who was lost in his thoughts before letting out an amused smile.

"It is impressive… your late spouse must be applauding your offers and parenting." Stated Steven as he took the initiative to move a piece on the board and start their game, causing the king's lips to twitch up into a smile that was wiped, and replaced with a confused look at the second part of Steven's speech.

"I have never married; you are my first spouse." The king said, confusion coloring his face at what Steven had implied, and against Steven's will, it was his turn to be confused about the king's words… his first spouse? How can Steven be the foolish Alpha's first spouse when the man already had Petrus, and from what Magna implied, he was in love with an Omega that broke his heart when he left (Steven had assumed that Magna meant departed from this realm to the afterlife, with how sad and fidgety she was when she spoke about the king's previous lover) Steven wanted to point that to the foolish king, but he didn't dare to do it if it meant that it would prove James's accusation to be true. The king instead, tilted his head to the side, seeming to study the Omega's face with narrow eyes before he raised his eyebrow and let out an amused huff. "Let us just say… that you are not the only bleeding heart who adopted babes in crisis…" The Alpha said in a calm voice, his words amused and his lips were smiling, but behind his eyes, Steven managed to detect the uncertainty and fear.

The king's words, made Steven let out a soft laugh in astonishment as amazement took hold of him at what the man had implied (And it did explain why everyone was so cross with Petrus and were trying to make the king mate and produce heirs desperately) "It seems that we have a lot in common…" Steven stated, his amusement and the way his face soften made the Alpha relax and return back to the board in front of him. "Does he know?" He asked in a whisper, not wanting to raise his voice least one of the kids decided to barge in and hear them. The Alpha stayed silent for a while, before he shook his head, his lips pressed into a tight line that mirrored Steven; as much as the Omega wanted to scold the Alpha for hiding something so big, he knew it isn't his place to give his opinion about how the Alpha should raise Petrus.

"I think he suspects…" The Alpha whispered back, his words still Steven for a second, and made him bite the inside of his cheek. "But I did not confirm or deny... I guess I do not know how to tell him… he is my son, regardless of what everyone says so I did not think it would be important knowledge if Petrus did not demand it..." Steven couldn't help the soft smile taking over his face, mainly because these words reminded Steven of the one he whispered to every child he gained and later lost.

"Mama!" That was James, who came running into the office, holding Petrus's hand in his tightly as the two of them came to stand in front of Steven and the Alpha. "We made up!" James said happily, even when he was wiping the tears and snot with his left sleeve, causing Steven to grimace internally at the mess he would wash later, but outward, a huge smile painted his face as he looked between the two boys, who both looked worse from how much crying the two of them did.

"I am glad… are you alright, Petrus?" The king asked a soft smile on his face as he looked at his son who was nodding his head, even when he was sniffling and wiping the tears from his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?" That was met with a headshake from Petrus whose face scrunched at the thought of talking about what happened between the two to their parents. "I see… well then! Why do you not come and take a seat? I think it is about time, that we teach you two how to play Hnefatafl, you are old enough, what do you say Foolish Queen?" The king smiled as he changed the subject, no doubt realizing that the wounds would worsen and tears would fall once more if they made the kids open up about what happened in the cove and what they said to make up.

"I think, this is a fine idea… come, Petrus, it would be us against James and the foolish man over there." Steven agreed with the king's change of subject, smiling softly at the boy as he offered his hand to him, causing the boy to look at Steven with wide eyes, uncertain about his next move; it was only because James nudging the boy toward Steven that Petrus came to sit beside the Omega, flushing when the Omega took a clean cloth from the bag by his side to clean the boy's face before turning to subject James to the same treatment.

"You phrase it as if you are sure about your win." The Alpha stated, deciding to act like everything was going to be fine, even when James glared at him harshly when he came to sit beside him; Steven had to give it to the man, and he knew how to act nonchallenged when the situation called for it.

"Of course, Foolish Alpha, you never managed to best me before, I doubt you would succeed in doing it now." Steven huffed, raising his head, and acting childish, getting a snort from the Alpha and a hesitant giggle from Petrus and James, who seemed to slowly get over the awkward situation, and get excited over the prospect of learning the board game in front of them. Seeing the children making up and apologizing to each other, caused Steven to relax, thanking every God out there that his son didn't destroy his friendship with Petrus and break his friend's heart beyond repair; that didn't mean Steven wasn't going to have a long talk with his son about the value of relationship of all kind, and how bad it is to accuse people no matter who they were, but for now…

Steven let himself relax and enjoy a good game…

"I was scared…" James whispered, holding into Petrus's hand tightly, even when his friend was looking away from him, still not fully forgiving him, not that James would blame him for refusing. "I do not… I do not want to lose Mama once more." James admits his deepest secret, hoping that his friend would understand him, even if he doesn't forgive him.

"I am not… going to steal your Mama… even if our parents married…" Petrus's voice cracked as he hissed these words, looking at his friend with pain and betrayal, not knowing how to act around his friend who accused him of such a thing… an accusation that broke Petrus's heart.

"It is not you that I am afraid of… I would like nothing more than us being real brothers with my Mama being yours." James said, causing Petrus to let out a confused noise, not knowing what to make of his friend's contradicting words… how can he be scared of losing his mother and at the same time not be scared of Petrus stealing his mother? "Before coming here… we lived in the Hydra kingdom… you heard it, right? Me being the Hydra King's son?" That got a slow nod from Petrus who was watching his friend. "It was bad… living there, I mean… it was painful… humiliating… and so, so quiet; it… it always made me angry being there… I was never allowed to see Mama, and when I do, he was always hurting… always was having a new bruise, a new cut; a new scar…always trying to hide the hurt and blood from me…" Petrus took a harsh breath, probably not believing or being able to comprehend how a strong and dangerous warrior who fears nothing found himself trapped in such a situation. "I always hate it there… I was losing my Mama every day; because He says I am a grownup who should focus on the throne instead of focusing on Mama… I knew He always said that so he can steal Mama away and hurt him… He was an Alpha, and Alphas are bad, even if it was in different ways… that is the truth I believe…" James whispered in a low voice, afraid of his Mama standing behind the door and hearing his confession, and maybe feeling hurt and blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault.

"But! But it is different here! Father is different! And he always says those who hurt their mates are worse than scum, that everyone should treat their mates like they were treasures! Father would never do something bad to The Queen and you know that!" Petrus whispered, turning to James and holding both of his hands in his, trying to make his friend look him in the eyes so he can see how sincere Petrus was.

"…The first time we met the Iron King… he hurt, Mama… I know we were enemies back then… but… but every time I remember that… it made me realize… that even back then… even I knew that the Iron King was a much scarier monster than He would ever hope to be and he could hurt Mama much more than that monster did… that's why it makes me so scared to think that one day they will make each other so angry that I… that I will lose Mama for real." James pulled his hands from Petrus trying desperately to wipe the tears before they managed to slide down his face. "What if… what if he was like him… always taking Mama away and not letting me see him until days passed? What if he hurt Mama? I do not want Mama to act like everything was going to be alright while everyone knows he is hiding his broken arm behind his back." Sniffled James wiping his tears and nose, sobbing when he felt Petrus sitting beside him and pulling him into a hug…

"Father is not like this… I promise… I know people feared him because he can be scary sometimes, but he never ever hurt anyone who was innocent much less his mate!" Petrus said, even if he was sniffling, getting affected by his friend's cries, even when not a few moments ago the two of them were crying for different reasons. "I heard from Aunt Magna and Uncle Jamti all the time how he loved my mother so much!" Petrus stated, and then looked around to see if anyone was listening, when no one was there, Petrus whispered. "No one would tell me, about mother, and how they and Father got together… but sometimes when Father's friends talk… I always heard how Father sacrificed everything for my mother… even going as far as being disowned from his family just to find my mother when their family left Brookland! Everyone knew that Father did the impossible for his late mate… do you really think he would not be like that with The Queen just because he was his second mate?" Petrus asked, his words causing James to sniffle and wipe his nose with his sleeve, grimacing when he realized that his Mama would pull his ear for dirtying his tunic like this.

"But they are always fighting! How can they mate to each other when they are always fighting and calling each other a fool?" James grumbled, his words causing Petrus to scrunch his nose, no doubt thinking about the same thing before Petrus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I think… I think they are… flirting. Aunt Nattalegg and Uncle Klint always say so… they said they flirt like that… like when a boy likes a girl he would pull her hair or something…" Petrus said, not even sounding remotely sure of what he was saying, causing James to feel even more confused.

"But that is stupid… liking someone means you protect them and make them happy… not hurting them and bully them." James stated, causing Petrus to blink at his friend's sound logic vs. his Aunt and Uncle's logic… it can be justified that it made Petrus nervous about his Father and The Queen being together if the only thing they would do was bully each other "…This was why I acted stupid this morn… It is not that I do not want us to be brothers… it is just… what if Mama got hurt again?" That made Petrus nod, finally realizing why his friend say what he said… he finally knew that his friend acted because of his fear, not because of any malicious intent, a fact that made Petrus relax around his friend, even if he was still hurting from what his friend spat at him this morning.

"But he will not." Petrus stated simply, causing James to send him a doubtful look as if asking him 'You think so?' "I know Father, I know he always protects those he cares about… if he accepts leaving his family and being disowned by them for his first mate, then I believe he would do the impossible to protect The Queen… you will see, he is not as scary as he looks…" Petrus reassured his friend, biting his lower lip before turning to his friend who was frowning. "I… I forgive you…" Petrus whispered, causing James's eyes to widen before they were filled with tears, and it was only a few seconds late that both of them started crying not even knowing the reason for crying anymore

.

…

.

"They fell asleep…" Anton mumbled, smiling as he saw James and Petrus cuddling against each other, finally asleep after a stressful day between the two of them; from the corner of his eyes, he saw Steven come to his side sitting on the chair beside him, handing Anton one of the mugs in his hands that contained herbal tea, causing Anton's heart to flutter happily at the display.

"I am sure you are happy about that… especially if it meant they will not witness you losing for the hundred times." The Omega teased, causing Anton to snort, a smile taking over his lips that he hide behind his mug when he took a sip from his tea… Anton could only blink in surprise at how sweet his drink was, and he couldn't help but glanced at the Omega with surprise, not knowing how Steven realized his affinity for sweet drinks. "What?" Asked Steven when he noticed Anton watching him, and the Alpha did nothing but smile.

"Do you think the old man would cut me some slacks tomorrow?" Anton asked instead, deciding to change the subject, returning back to his drink and enjoying it to his heart's content… no need for the Omega to have his ego boosted by knowing that Anton never tasted a drink that was perfect in its making.

Steven gave an amused hum, a smirk playing on his lips which informed Anton of what was going to take place tomorrow… it informed him that if today was bad, then tomorrow would be a nightmare. "Are you going to back away if I told you no?" The Omega took a sip from his mug; his eyes twinkled with mirth as he took in Anton, who narrowed his eyes playfully at the Omega.

"Never." That gained a happy smile that the Omega hide behind his mug, as his eyes once again return to the children that were cuddling under the white fur cloak. Anton smiled; his eyes went to the children who looked content and relaxed as they slept the sad events of the day… Anton couldn't wait for what challenge tomorrow would bring, and the insane demands that the old goat would offer to make the marriage negotiation work and maybe gain the older man's favor…

Suddenly; there was a knock on the door…

So what do you think?

I made everyone cry… I am evil!

Poor Petrus! Poor James! I wanna give them so many hugs!

What is going to happen now?

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama