The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains, cursing, sadness, a little bit of angst, near-death situations, hunting and animal's death, Steve being protective AF, and Tony having inappropriate thoughts about Steve! 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 9

Puffs of breaths left Anton as he walked through the forest; his breaths were frozen in front of him in the form of white clouds, informing Anton of how cold and freezing the forest was becoming. Winter was coming. A fact that Anton doesn't know if it was bliss or a curse, especially after the events that continued to happen, leaving Anton stunned. It was a week since everything went as bad as it can go by the arrival of Tyber and his sister, so bad, that Anton wondered how the village was still standing without burning to ashes.

It started with Tyber and his sister's manipulating nature; the two of them were so desperate to try and twist the queen's tale, that the two of them started to give outlandish accusations. So outlandish that everyone started to doubt their honesty, which was nothing but a joy to those who wanted this play to end. It started with the queen's want for justice and revenge on the oathbreaker, that the Omega agreed to an alliance between Anton and him not caring for the consequences as much as caring about the results. As for Anton, the Alpha was thrown in the middle of this, not for the lack of trying mind you, but because Anton was being pulled between two opposing forces that tried to win his favor… well, one of the forces (Tyber) was trying to win his favor, as for the other (Steven), Anton was the one who forced himself on to try and win him, which gained Anton nothing but a twitch of an eye. Strange accordance, but not that unwelcomed.

Anton let out a tired breath, his sight going from tree to tree, trying to find something to pass his time with. Maybe he would try and collect some substances he lacks in his home? Anton was sure some herbal medicine would help, if not for him to use, then for Braes who would no doubt be thankful for such a gift. Maybe he would pick up some mushrooms for Klint and Nattalegg, knowing the two of them, they would no doubt love this kind of gift; not for eating though, but for the poisons they could extract from one mushroom, so Anton must be careful while picking those little devils. Maybe he can even catch small games here and there, giving it to Magna and Jamti, the two of them would no doubt appreciate his gift.

Anton could only frown and let out an annoying sigh, wanting so much to be in his workshop at the moment and not out here in the cold autumn freezing his hide; fortune was not on his side though, for that wench of an Omega by the name Sunset took to following him wherever he went, trying to either seduce him or convince him of her twisted tale. Up until an hour ago, Anton was enjoying himself in his workshop, making beautiful daggers and accessories (Accessories that he will end up melting and using the metal for a weapon or a shield) everything was doing great, good even. That of course was, until Sunset decided to come knocking on his workshop and invite herself in, touching everything in sight as she tried to giggle and force Anton to part with a necklace or two as a gift.

It was thanks to Loki who came in to receive his new dagger that Anton was saved; finally being able to throw that wench of an Omega out of his workshop and running away to the forest, hoping to gain a few peaceful hours before being forced back to the complicated situation the elders of this village throw him into. Something that the elders didn't leave unscathed, especially with how much Anton snarled and threatened them with death and pain if Fury found something unsavory about the Stone clan.

Anton let out a tired sigh, gazing at the sky counting how much time he had before he forces himself back into civilization and back into being a king once more; seeing that he had a few more hours before the sun left the sky. Anton decided to go deep into the woods near the mountainside. Unknowing to many who won't usually brave the forest as much as Anton; there was a lake not an hour from his home. It was a beautiful place to be in, a relaxing one when Anton want it to be; if he went now, he was sure that he can take a dip in the lake and enjoy himself, maybe the cold water would wake him up from this nightmare. Wistful thinking on Anton's part, he knew. (1)

At times like this, Anton wished that Petrus was with him, at least then the two of them would have discovered the forest side by side, with Anton teaching his son everything that he needed to know about the nature that surrounded them. Fortunately for Petrus, but unfortunately to Anton; the little pup became too attached to the queen and the queen's babe. Which meant six-time out of ten, the pup is near Steven or anywhere near him; nine out of ten, Petrus was with James the two of them exploring the village and the forest surrounding it, bringing trouble to Anton's home, if the two of them were up to mischief.

Don't get Anton wrong, he was happy that his son was finally making friends and enjoying his boyhood, in a village that wasn't very acceptant of him; it's just, Anton wanted his son to at least spend some time with him to talk about the exciting adventures his boy went through in his exploring. It wasn't that Petrus didn't show in the workshop every Fredag so the two of them could talk about their week, it was just his son was too distracted to even focus on him. (2)

Grumbling to himself, Anton continued his walk to the lake, his mind wandering in a different direction, trying to think of many different solutions to the problems that the Stone clan are going to cause no doubt if they were left as they are. The best course of action at the moment, is leaving the Stone family alone while trying to avoid the two serpents, but saying this is easier than doing it, considering those two try to follow him everywhere he went; the only place they didn't try to follow Anton to was the outhouse, and even then Tyber is usually near when Anton finish his business.

Reaching the lake, Anton finally let out a tired sigh, only a few trees separating Anton from taking the much-needed swim; wondering how freezing the water is going to be and how long he can stay in it. Maybe fifteen minutes or more would be Anton's limit. They were still in autumn, they would not start the Winter until weeks from now, which meant the water, even cold, it was not that cold that forced Anton to stay a minute or two before leaving the lake or risk his body working over him and start freezing to death.

The splashing coming from the lake made Anton still in his place, wondering if there was someone other than him who knew about the hidden lake (Which was unlikely, considering that Anton didn't see anyone come near this place ever since Mantta was built) and decided to use it for a swim. Anton could only frown, wondering if his journey here was for nothing; running his hand over his beard, Anton let out a huff as he walked toward the lake, deciding to take off his fur coat and take the swim he came here for. So what if someone came to take a swim before him? A harsh glare from Anton would shut even the chattiest person who wanted to get close to Anton. Taking his tunic off, Anton throws the tunic on the ground near his fur coat, taking the last few steps to break through the tree line toward the lake, hoping to take a nice dip in the water without being pestered by anyone.

The sight before Anton made the Alpha freeze in his place with his hands on his pants; mortification took over him when he saw the person who was taking a dip in the water. The pale scared back was facing him, causing Anton to blink in curiosity at the scars that came in many different size and shapes, some of them Anton knew was caused by intense torture, while others left Anton confused about what kind of tool would cause it; long blond hair was gathered in the Omega's hands as the Omega ran his hand through it. Part of Anton was wondering if he could make a fast retreat without the person in the water seeing him, hoping to save his face and not be label as the unsavory predator the person swimming in the lake always labeled him as. "…You finally got out of the tree line…" The bored voice snapped him from his freezing state, causing his eyes to rise from the scarred chest, only to be caught by dark blue eyes that froze him like a predator cornering its prey; it was then that Anton realized he was the prey in this situation. "You know… I thought you were nothing but a peeping boy who entered his Alpha-hood… who knew the person who was peeping on me was the king himself." The mocking smile Anton was met with made him flush, in anger or embarrassment, Anton doesn't even know anymore.

"You are wrong." Anton snapped, turning his back to the queen, trying to calm his racing heart, his mind still repeating the image of the nude Omega, causing Anton to flush even more in embarrassment, not knowing how to act in such an embarrassing situation. "Considering this lake is secluded, I decided to take a swim here; if I knew that this place was the gathering place for annoying Omegas I would have tried to find another one." Anton huffed feeling his cheeks flush at the snort the Omega gave, wondering if he was turning red all over his body… for all of his long life, Anton was never once put in such a situation before; he wasn't a floundering virgin or afraid of seeing a nude body (He bathed beside Nattalegg and Magna for Odin's sake!) It's just… it's different when it comes to Omegas. (3)

"Is that so?" Was the queen's amused response, leaving Anton grumbling in his place as he gazed at the forest, ignoring the splashes coming from the lake as the queen seemed to be moving. "It still did not stop you from peeping." The laughter was clear in the Omega's voice, causing Anton to hold into his growl, not wanting to show the Omega how truly embarrassed he was at being laughed at.

"It was an accident, besides, who would want to peep on you," Anton stated hotly, hoping that the cold will manage to cool him down, hoping the Omega would contribute his flushed look to the cold instead of being caught red-handed peeping on Omegas like a boy who got his first knot not a few days ago.

"Calm down foolish king, I did not mean to embarrass you… much." The queen laughed, which made Anton sputter and turn around, planning on starting a shouting match with the queen to defend his case, did the queen not understand how Anton was practically dying right now? Not only was he compared to a peeping predator, but the queen also compared him to a boy who just entered his Alpha-hood, as if!

Anton paled when he realized that he turned to the naked Omega, once more, which meant that the Omega will not let him live it down this time, that Anton turned to face him on purpose. Thankfully, the Omega was already dressed by the time, which left Anton baffled at how fast the queen was; Anton was sure that he just heard the Omega get out of the lake, how did he dress up this fast? The amused and mocking smile the Omega was donning made Anton's lips twitched down as he finally realized he was played by the said Omega. "You are a hazard, you know that?" Anton complained which only made the Omega's smile widen even more at that as if he was pleased with himself that he got under the Alpha's skin.

"At least I am not peeping on poor helpless Omega who is doing nothing but enjoy their bath." The queen stated before collecting his hair and start squeezing it to get rid of access water, his words only get an eye roll from Anton who grumbled under his breath.

"You are anything but helpless." Anton huffed, his words gaining him a genuine smile that went as fast as it came, which made the Alpha shuffle in his place, not knowing how to act in this awkward conversation. "What are you doing here? I thought that cold weathers like this are not that good for Omegas." At least that's what Braes told Anton, something about the cold messing up with heat-cycle or something, but the queen seemed to be enjoying the cold just fine, and by the look of it, the queen didn't even bring his fur coat with him or anything.

"This weather? Do not insult me, foolish king, I may have lived in the south, but before that, I lived in Asgard, and weather like this is just springtime there… too warm to handle." The Omega complained, twisting his hair around until a small ball formed on top of the Omega's head; Anton though could only twitch, too warm? What kind of crazy place was Asgard that weather like this is considered warm? Well, at least it would explain why Thor always drops on the side of the roads and complaining about dying and going to Valhalla in the summertime.

"Does James share the same sentiment as you?" Anton raised his brow, decided to go and retrieve his clothes, the chance of taking a bath has long since gone without return, leaving Anton grumbling in his place; Anton just had to post point his bath until another time, when noisy Omegas weren't there to annoy him.

The queen only gave a mysterious smile at that question before a frown took over on his face, tilting his head as he tried to listen to the sounds of nature that were coming from all around them; the frown on the queen's face was replaced by a mischievous look, causing Anton to feel uncomfortable at the conspiring gaze he was at the end on. "By the way, foolish king, it seems that one of the Stone's siblings is coming this way, if you do not want them to catch you, you better hurry and leave this place." The queen advised before turning away and started walking toward the direction of the town, leaving Anton freezing in his place. It was when Anton heard a branch being stepped on that the Alpha took his clothes and start running away, the thought of one of the Stone's siblings catching him nude made him sick…

Anton though, couldn't help a smile from taking over his face…


The twin familiar giggles, made Anton blink his eyes, snapping out of his intense concentration on not thinking about foolish Omegas going to swim in this kind of cold; turning his gaze from the metal he was working on, Anton located from where the giggling was coming from, making him smile when he heard his son whispering behind the door. "Shhh! He will see us, we have to sneak quietly!" Petrus whisper (Or what he thought was a whisper, because to Anton it was a shout) made Anton's lips twitch up in a conspiring plot, turning his head back to the metal and gave his back to the door, gazing from the corner of his eyes to see what the two brats were going to come.

Sneakily, or as sneakily as the two babes thought they were, the two of them entered the workshops and tiptoed around the place, making Anton snort and shake his head before turning around, making the two boys squeak and gaze at him with wide eyes, looking like two dears who got caught by a hunter. "So… why did you think that entering my workshop is a good idea?" Anton asked, raising his brow as he gazed at the two boys, old enough to be edified as Alphas, but too young to have their first rut.

The two pups were so shocked that they needed a few more minutes before gathering themselves and when they finally did the two of them pouted. "You said he will not notice us, Petrus," James stated, a familiar frown on his face that Anton was sure if he tilted his head and close one of his eyes, he would see the queen frowning at him… good to know that James inherited the scary frown from his dam.

"He… he usually do not notice if he is in one of his moods," Petrus said which made Anton's eyebrow twitch at the words leaving his son's mouth; it seems that his boy had been spending too much time with Magna and the foolish queen. The two of them even taught him to talk as if Anton was not in the same room as the two of them; that takes a lot of guts and courage considering that Anton can be scary if he wanted.

"You brats! If you are going to come inside of my workshop only to ignore me then I advise you to leave before I put you to work." Anton's threat, which got him a squeak of betrayal from his boy, making Anton hide his grin with a dark frown, it was so funny and easy to mess up with his son, especially when the boy was too expressive about it.

"We came here to see the Shield!" James peeped up, standing in front of Petrus as if protecting him; his blue eyes were narrowed as they took Anton, sizing him as if the Alpha was a potential threat. Anton doesn't know if he should laugh or clap for the small Alpha who resembled his dam the longer they spoke with each other. It wasn't like Anton had much experience talking with the small boy, considering that the queen usually herds the boy away every time Anton came in contact with him. It was refreshing to be able to talk freely with the boy without the queen sharpening his sword to stab him.

"Shield? What kind of Shield? I already delivered all of the shields I made to their owners." Anton stood up, stretching his legs as he gazed at the two boys who were glaring at him… well, James was glaring at him as for Petrus the boy was looking up with betrayed eyes.

"No, father, not those! The one with the star in the middle of it!" Petrus exclaimed, his words causing Anton to tilt his head in confusion, a Shield with a star in the middle? He never saw a Shield with that kind of insignia before. Wait! A star in the middle? His son didn't mean…

"You mean the fruit bowl?" Anton asked with a tilt of his head, wondering what his son would want of a strange metal sheet that did nothing for protection. What made Anton's day though was the splutter James let out, the betrayal look in his eyes, how his face turned red, the curses he throw at Anton, made the Alpha snort and hold into his laughter, wondering why the kid would get this worked up for a sheet of metal that refused to be melted or shaped. "Kid, this Shield does not offer protection against arrows or swords, it is too smooth to be of use, and the metal refused to be shaped, this is not a Shield as it is a hindrance to whoever uses it," Anton explained as he stood up, getting the Shield from the bile of unwanted metal and offered the Shield/bowl to the kids, ignoring how James glared at him like he was the stupidest person to ever grace the earth with his present… yeah, Anton can see how much James take after his mother, they make the same faces.

"Only an uncultured fool will say something like that!" James huffed, his words causing Anton to lose it and laugh because he was sure that the queen said something like that to him a few days ago, Anton was glad to know that James could hold his own when it comes to it.

"What do you think? It is really the Shield, you talked about?" Petrus asked, leaning on James's shoulder to get a better look at the metal in Anton's hands. Anton gazed at James, watching closely how the small boy touched the Shield with wide disbelieving eyes, making Anton tilt his head, wondering why the extreme reaction to something so… useless.

"Yes… it is Mama's Shield…" James offered distracted by the Shield, his small fingers tracing the star with wide eyes, and opened mouth, looking like he saw Odin in the flesh. That piece of information made Anton stop in his place, gazing at the Shield with a wondering look. The queen's Shield? How can Steven use a Shield like this? A piece of metal that offers no control to its user, was useless, so why? Was this some kind of Asgardian weapon of choice? A weapon that only those raised in the mountains knew how to use and mold?

"Your… dam's Shield?" Anton asked slowly, getting a nod from the boy who was still too engrossed in tracing the Shield with his fingers; itching the shape of the shield in his memories to pay him any attention. "Tell me about it, the Shield's story." After knowing where the Shield belonged, Anton really wanted to know the weapon's story, wondering about the use of a weapon that he found in the Hydra king's treasure room; a weapon that was forgotten and left to gather nothing but dust.

"I know some of the stories… old man Philips always talk about the Shield." James offered, still too distracted to tell Anton any information of use. "I know the Shield was a present to Mama, someone gave it to him as a thank you for saving them… old man Philips said the Shield with the star was the weapon Mama used to fight with the Hydra king when the monster killed my grandmother; old man Philips even swore on Odin that Mama was nearly succeeded in killing the Hydra king before he was betrayed and nearly killed!" James whispered his words full of awe and adoration, making Anton wonder how much of the child's words had truth to them.

"Is that so?" Anton hummed, his eyes falling to Shield in deep thoughts wondering if any of James's words had truth to them or if it was nothing but an over-exaggerated story told to the babe. But thinking about it now, Nattalegg did tell him that she found the Shield hidden in a secret place in the treasure room… as if the person who put it there wanted it to stay hidden no matter what.

"What do you want in exchange for the Shield?" James suddenly asked, causing Anton to blink his eyes, an amused smile taking over his face at the determined look on the pup's face; Anton couldn't help but laugh and stand up, putting the Shield up as he exam it once more.

"Sorry brat, you do not have anything I am interested to tread you the Shield for, thank you for the story though, it was fun." Anton grinned, herding the kids outside of his workshop and ignoring the complaints about him being mean and a trickster…

Well, that turned out to be interested…


Anton traced the star on the Shield, his mind going over what the small pup told him not a day ago. A story with truth to it, or an over-exaggerated one; a question that is hard to answer. But the truth in all of this was, someone tried desperately to prevent Steven from getting his hand on this strange Shield. A strange Shield that Anton tried to melt for the metal that would be of use, only to be baffled about how the metal stayed in shape no matter how much Anton raised the heat, no matter how long he left the metal overnight; the Shield stayed intact, the only thing that burned was the leather strap behind the Shield. After seeing numerous failed attempts, Anton had decided on putting the Shield in the corner, deciding that if the metal won't be extracted and use to make a better Shield. A Shield that was so small that it couldn't protect the whole body, so smooth that a sword can slide over the metal and injure its user; a Shield with no wood in it or some other engraving other than a star was no Shield to his people, it was better as a fruit bowl or a basket than a Shield.

Or at least that's what Anton thought until James came sneaking into his workshop to see the Shield, even stayed outside of the shop all day, trying barging with Anton for a suitable price for the sheet of metal. Part of Anton wondered, what would the foolish queen offer him in exchange for returning the Shield to him? Steven's pup tried everything a pup his age thought of to get his hands on the Shield, even challenging Anton to a duel for it. What would the queen do or part with to get his hands on his Shield once more? Would he try barging with Anton? The queen has nothing other than his title and his status as a bringer than life; the queen has no sheep, no cows, no chickens, so he couldn't barter in exchange for the Shield. Not to forget that the queen has no silver or gold left in his name after Anton raided the Hydra castle, so he couldn't buy the Shield from him. Unless the queen made his people work several jobs at once to raise the money needed (Which Anton doubt Steven would, even if it meant losing the Shield) or use his status as Asgardian and connection with Loki and Thor (Which is also doubtful with how the prideful Steven was) the only way for Steven to get his Shield back is by stealing it (Again the Omega was too prideful and honorable to do something like this) or offer his body as a currency.

Prostitution was out of the way, considering that Anton passed a law that forbade prostitution and rape (And Steven offering his body for the Shield fall under the second option), branding anyone who did these acts as outlawed; forcing those who sold their body to find other jobs that enable them to be safe from being preyed on, and punishing those who prey on the weak. So unless Steven offered to be a slave or a worker to pay the price for the Shield, there is no other way for the Omega to gain his property back. (4)

Anton hummed, his hands flipping the Shield to stare at the back, he had already replaced the worn-out harness with a new one; making the Shield easier to carry and handle. Lost in deep thoughts, Anton flipped the Shield a few more times wondering what he is to do with it; well, Anton could return the Shield just like that, but then the queen would be suspicious of him, not that Steven wasn't suspicious before, but if he just returned the Shield who knows what the queen would do? Another option is returning the Shield in exchange for a favor to be called upon any time Anton demand it. So far this was the most likely option that Anton knew won't backfire on him, not only the queen won't fight with him and accuse him of hidden motives (Which Steven would do either way) but also Steven won't feel indebted to him that he would refuse the Shield.

Humming to himself, Anton gave an amusing grin as he stood up, leaving the Shield on the table as he went to find the queen; it would be interesting to see Steven's reaction to seeing his Shield after all these years. Maybe the queen would stop fighting him every step of the way like they were enemies instead of allies.

Closed the door to the workshop behind him, wondering where he was going to find Steven when the Omega could have gone anywhere. Normally, the Omega would spend most, if not all of his time with his people, teaching them the Norse customs and language, helping them with work, and gaining many stunned and surprise stares at how a supposedly spoiled Omega queen worked low paying jobs to help his people (If only they knew what the queen was capable of) other times if the Omega was not with his people than he was here and that was mainly to stop Anton from complaining about Petrus following the Omega and to keep an appearance of peace between Anton, the queen's people, and Asgard.

Anton's thoughts were broken by the sound of familiar laughter coming from the tree line, making Anton tilt his head and follow the sound thinking that it was Petrus and James playing around; a grin took over Anton's face, wondering what he can do to mess with the kids once more, it was fun messing up with the kids, especially when they make it easier.

"Really, Daniel?" Steven's amused voice caused Anton to perk up and stop in his tracks wondering what to do that he found the Omega, should he make his presence known? The giggle Steven let made Anton still in his place, deciding on staying hidden, mainly because this was the first time Anton heard the Omega laugh freely and he wanted to know what was so funny that Steven left his reserves away. "You know, I cannot give you the answer you want if you cannot say the words out loud." Steven said amusement clear in his voice as he waited for 'Daniel' to speak.

"I… I…" Daniel squeaked and Anton had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from snorting and giving his hidden place, whoever the person who was speaking with the Omega was one breath away from drowning himself. "Can I please… have the permission... uh… courting you…r…" Daniel said before he started to choke and muttering, gaining an amused huff from Steven who was holding in his laughter.

Anton, on the other hand, stood still, his eyes were wide, and whatever amusement he felt not a few seconds ago vanished as he leaned on the tree behind him wondering if what he heard was right and that the person beside Steven was asking the Omega to court him. "Wow, is this the best I can get out of you?" Steven chuckled, the light tone the Omega used made Anton narrow his eyes and lean a little trying to see the man who was asking the Omega courting him. "Fine, I accept." Anton's eyes widen even more at the acceptance, and he nearly left his hidden place behind the tree and march toward the Omega, demanding an explanation for this. "What are your conditions and what kind of dowry are you demanding, first of all?" Was the queen insane? Anton wanted to scream wondering why the queen would accept marriage when he was a widow for only a few months, but he was also marrying one of the Christians he protected while paying for a dowry without silver to his name or a witness! (5)

"I… do not want any dowry! I already arranged everything; I found a plot of land to build a house on, and I am going to pay the bride price, and I… I…" Whatever nonsense the man was going to say or try to wave to convince the queen to marry him, Anton didn't stay to hear; as fast as he can Anton turned away, his hands were clenched into tight fists and he gritted his teeth, anger coursing through him at what he witnessed.

So what? Part of Anton snapped, glaring at everything in front of him as he marched once more toward his workshop, trying to ignore how his Alpha's hackles were raising and raising and how his hands clenched tightly wanting to punch something or someone until it gave up and blood started to ooze out. So what if the foolish queen decided to get remarried? So what if he refused to wait before remarrying? Or decided to marry someone from his people? It wasn't like it was any of Anton's business to feel angry about how foolish the Omega was… the Omega has nothing to his name, nothing! Does the Omega know how hard he would be forced to work to gather the dowry for marriage even when the person who proposed said he didn't want one? Or that his guardian should at least know about the Omega remarrying? Does the Omega even have a guardian at all?

So why, after all the reasoning Anton thought of, was his Alpha furious? Ready to return to where Steven was and start a screaming match, why does Anton's Alpha growl and hiss and demand blood? Demanding that Anton find this Daniel and finish him? Was Steven not thinking of James when he decided to remarry? Did Steven remarry to give James some stability? Why…? Why? Why? Anton's mind kept repeating over and over, trying to find many answers to the questions that plagued him after the shocking sight he witnessed.

"Anton?" The voice behind Anton made his hackle rose as he turned around, seeing Jamti, Anton bites the inside of his cheek hard, trying to control himself before he said something he would regret. "Anton… is something wrong?" Jamti asked, causing Anton to let out a harsh breath through his nose and look away.

"Everything is fine," Anton stated, his hackles rising as he saw Steven walking out of the forest with a… boy? A boy?! The Omega accepted a marriage proposal from a boy? A boy who was a Beta on top of that! Anton's Alpha snarled at that, causing Anton to hold into his growl and turn to his friend. "Prepare a hunting party; we are leaving in an hour," Anton said in a clipped tone, making Jamti narrow his eyes but did nothing to change his mind. Anton turned around marching toward his workshop to prepare for the trip, trying to stop the growl that wanted to leave him as his mind replayed the even over and over again; so what if the foolish queen wanted to remarry? It wasn't Anton's concern at all…

It didn't explain why he was angry, though…


Angry, furious, spitting mad… was all Anton could think of, and all he could feel; his Alpha was snarling, and pacing in his cage, wanting to be let out, wanting to go on a killing spree. Why was that? What the foolish queen did was not his business, who the queen associate with was not his business; the person who the queen decided to share his bed with was not his business… then why? Why was Anton mad? Why was his Alpha furious? The queen was not his, the two of them were nothing but mere allies on the best of days, and enemies forced together at worse. So why? Why was Anton screaming and snarling? Why was he seeking blood in want of revenge?

It was stupid… so, so stupid to feel like this… this unbalanced over an Omega… an Omega, Anton did nothing but fought with and made fun of or humiliated in some way. A growl left Anton's throat, as he made sure to pick up his sword, hoping that leaving the village for a day would calm his racing thoughts and would stop him from trying to kill everyone that came to talk with him some way or another. A day away from the village would surely help clear his mind and thoughts; the prey he would catch would even make good salted meat for the Winter solstice, not a few fortnights from now... Anton bet that this 'Daniel' couldn't even catch his dinner without tripping and demanding the Omega's help.

Taking a deep breath, Anton managed to calm down for a second, grumbling something under his breath as he ran his hand over his beard a few times; he had to apologize to Jamti, Anton may have held his tongue and stopped himself from saying something hurtful to his friend, but the cold way he acted and the clipped order may have caused his friend to become concerned. As soon as the two of them were out of the village, Anton would make sure to apologize to his friend, maybe even invite him for a jug of good mead he has in his possession.

The workshop's door was knocked on, causing Anton to blink and turn his head to where the sound came from, wondering if Magna or Jamti were on the other side of the door. Walking toward the door, Anton stilled when he smelled the scent coming from behind the door, making his hands clenched into fists and for him to swallow the growl that wanted to be let out. "Open the door, foolish king, I know you are inside." The queen called out, causing Anton to bite his lower lip hard until he tasted blood.

Part of Anton wanted to ignore the Omega, to open the door and walk away without giving the Omega a glance, another part of Anton wanted to open the door, pulling the Omega inside and scream at him about how stupid and foolish he was, to accept marrying a child that couldn't provide for the Omega or his son, a child that could have been the Omega's own pup had the Omega married from a young age. Another knock on the door, followed by the voice of the Omega caused Anton to grit his teeth, licking the blood from his lower lip he decided to open the door, if this all blows up and ended with a shouting match it wouldn't be the first time, nor would it be the last if the Omega continued in his foolish path. "What?" Anton gritted through his teeth, gazing at the Omega who was raising his brow at him like he was an idiot.

"I heard you decided to go on a hunting trip… with the oathbreaker no less," Steven stated, gazing at Anton like he was a fool as he checked over him, frowning when his eyes fell on the tunic Anton was wearing, not even having an armor over it; his Alpha snarled at the scathe look the Omega sent his way, a look that informed Anton the queen thought of him as nothing but a lesser and a fool. "You know that misfortune follows every oath breaker, or did you forget?" Steven asked, his eyes were narrowed as he glared at Anton making the Alpha clench his fists tightly.

"I am not foolish enough to forget that!" Anton snapped, trying to stop himself from doing something even more foolish, like shaking the Omega and scream in his face about how the idiot and foolish one was him and him alone for doing something as stupid as accepting a child as his betroth (And why would Anton become enraged every time he remembered that? shouldn't he forget about the matter already?) "But as you know hunting parties opened to everyone, you cannot stop someone from coming without a good reason, and someone accused to be an oathbreaker is innocent until his guilt is proven." Anton stated, walking outside of his workshop while closing the door behind him, ignoring the thoughtful look the Omega sent his way like he was studying him or something.

"I see…" Steven hummed tilting his head to the side before letting out a sigh, following the Alpha until he stood in front of Anton, the Alpha narrowed his eyes when he noticed a wooden amulet in one of the Omega's hands, the questioning look on his face made Steven hum and answer his unvoiced question. "It is a wooden amulet of Goddess Eir. If you are foolish enough to accept the oathbreaker to join your hunting party, then you need all the protection you need." Steven stated, forcing Anton to lean down before strapping the talisman under his tunic, causing Anton to blink his eyes in confusion.

"Do you act with this kind of familiarity with every Alpha you meet?" Anton growled the words before he can even stop himself, which did nothing but make his eyes wide from how stupid he was to say them out loud; by the blank look, Steven sends his way and the way the Omega's hands froze mid-air, Anton was informed that he had made a huge and unforgivable mistake. Steven let go of the amulet, taking a step back as his lips curled down in disgust, the dark blue eyes, became darker as the Omega shook his head in disappointment and disgust.

"You Alphas are all the same… how disappointing…" Steven said before turning away, leaving Anton standing in front of his workshop, the realization of what Anton had implied by his words made Anton choke and for the blood into his veins to turn into frozen water, making him stay still in his place. Anton couldn't help but feel like he had just lost whatever progress he made with the queen, throwing him back into the starting line where Anton couldn't even share his input without being labeled as a monster by the queen.

"Are you alright?" Jamti's voice made Anton blink his eyes and turn to his friend, without really seeing him; it took Jamti repeating the question twice before Anton realized that his friend was looking a breath away from panicking and calling Magna, which will end with an even more disaster.

"I think… I think I made an unforgivable mistake…" Anton murmured, gazing at Jamti who was tilting his head to the side the look on his fellow Alpha's face informed Anton that Jamti is expecting Anton to tell him what he did. Anton could only wince at that, wondering what Jamti would do after he explained the situation to him; he didn't have to wait long, because, by the end of his explanation, Jamti's eyes were so wide that Anton wondered how they didn't jump out of his head.

"Are you a fool?" Jamti snapped, his words causing Anton to wince and look away from his angry friend, Anton already knows that he was foolish and an idiot, no need to remind him of that. "Not only you shoved yourself in a matter that does not concern you, but you also insulted the queen who did nothing but try to show you goodwill! Why?" Jamti huffed, his hands running through his head before returning to glare at Anton, his eyes promising him a painful hunting trip and a visit from Magna later. "Why did you say such a thing?! You are not the queen's guardian, nor are you his Alpha…" Anton winced when he heard that, which caused Jamti's eyes to widen before the other Alpha let out a sigh. "Really Anton? How foolish can you be? For an Alpha who plans on courting his intended Omega, you did a wonderful job of driving the Omega away." Jamti sighs and shook his head causing Anton to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

"What… do you mean?" Anton asked, fearing the answer to that question; Jamti did nothing but close his eyes, whispering the word 'fool' once more, which did nothing but confirm the conclusion that Anton already reached but wanted to deny with every breath he had in his body…

Oh…


"You are a fool, Anton!" Jamti hissed as the two of them rode their horses, side by side, the rest of the hunting party was behind them, talking with each other and ignoring the two of them, that if you didn't count Tyber who was trying to talk with Anton for the past ten minutes but get ignored and growled at by both Jamti and Anton; for the tenth time in many minutes, Anton only sigh, whispering 'I know' like what he was doing for the last hour. "What kind of Alpha does not realize he is interested in an Omega as a potential mate? What kind of fool says such hurtful words to the Omega he wanted to court? Not only did you destroy any chance you had in courting him, you practically called him a whore!" Jamti hissed, nearly pushing Anton off his horse, causing Anton to close his eyes and nod tiredly. "A whore? A whore! No wonder the queen wanted nothing to do with you! Who wanted their partner to accuse them of sleeping around and whoring themselves? To make the matter even worse, the two of you are not courting!" Jamti hissed, his words causing Anton to clench the reins in his fists.

"I know, Jamti, I already know all of that!" Hissed Anton, his words causing Jamti to huff and for his lips to curl down in disapproval, which did nothing but cause Anton to grit his teeth and look forward. "Even if I was interested in the queen like that, I would not have perused a relationship with him," Anton stated, his words did nothing but make Jamti roll his eyes and grumble something under his breath.

"Of course you will not, you are too busy chasing ghosts from the past to see what is in front of you… you were so busy pinning after a dead Omega that you did not realize you accused an Omega (And a queen at that) of prostitution for his act of goodwill." Jamti glared, which did nothing but make Anton bite his lower lip to stop a growl from leaving his throat. "You are no fool Anton, but sometimes your head is as hard as a rock; nothing can go through it!" Jamti continued, not caring about how angry Anton was. "As soon as we get back you need to ask for forgiveness, I do not care about your Alpha's pride; the accusation you spoke of in the moment of anger is not forgivable, even more with the queen being a widow." Jamti's words gained nothing but a nod from Anton, making Jamti huff and turn his eyes forward; Anton suspected that the only reason Jamti stopped growling and hissing at Anton was that the Alpha ran out of words, not knowing what to say to Anton without repeating the same words he kept throwing at Anton since they departed.

"My king, what irks you on this fine morning? You seem really mad about something; I can be of help if you want." Tyber, finally noticing that Jamti and Anton stopped talking, came between them, causing Anton and Jamti to let out a grumble and move their horses away from the Beta.

"If you wanted to help, then I will appreciate you leaving me to my thoughts." Anton snapped, loud enough to make everyone still and gaze at the king who had a furious look on his face. "Now, if you would please be quiet, we are going to reach the hunting ground soon." Anton huffed, clicking at his horse to go a little faster, leaving Tyber behind as he tried to recover from the embarrassment not a few seconds ago.

Everyone stayed silent after that, they could feel the anger rolling in waves from Anton, making everyone uncomfortable as they progressed toward the hunting ground; Anton hoped that by the end of this trip he would have calmed down enough to start thinking rationally, maybe even think of a suitable way to apologize to the Omega. The party continued to walk for a few more minutes, keeping open eyes for predator and prey at the same time, hoping to catch a buck or two, knowing that the meat would be appreciated especially considering the Winter solstice was getting near.

The sudden change in the temperature caused Anton to raise his hand, stopping everyone from advancing any farther; Anton felt like something was watching, which made Anton feel trapped and uncomfortable, which his companions seemed to feel and express for themselves. "What is it, my king?" Tyber asked, only to get shushed by everyone as they looked around the place they were in, studying the trees to see if something was amiss.

His sword ready in his hand, Anton survey the tree line, trying to focus on locating the source of this unpleasant feeling; it took a few minutes of tense silence before Anton managed to locate the source of uneasiness, and when he did, his eyes couldn't help but widen in shock and horror at the sight before him; brown eyes held his captive as a huge white body stood still, gazing at Anton and his party, freezing them in their place. "Anton…" Jamti hissed in a cautious tone, informing him that Jamti was what Anton feared was real.

"A den deprived bear…" Anton confirmed, his free hand going to the reins as he tried to calm his horse, fearing that he would be bucked off if the horse continued to act this scared. Anton words gained many gasps and murmurs, the shock taking over everyone at the realization of who was the foe they were facing; this had never happened before, never happened and everyone accepted that it never will, especially when this neck of the woods doesn't have any family of bears in it since the start of their village, and even if it did, all bears should be asleep now that winter was approaching. Everyone wondered what they are to do, should they leave the bear alone and retreat? Or should they attack? So far the bear kept watching them without making a move.

"M-my… k-king… stay back I will kill it!" Tyber squeaked as he pushed Anton's horse away and ignoring everyone's warnings and protests in doing that; Tyber defying the order did nothing but cause trouble as Anton's horse let out a loud neigh as it bucked several times, causing Anton to curse as he fell from the beast who decided to run for its life. The commotion caused the white bear to raise its head and sniff the air, the terror and fear taking over as they waited to see what the bear was going to do. The bear though only let out a grunt before turning around to leave, causing everyone to let out a relieved sigh. The relief was short as everyone gasped in horror when they saw an arrow sailing toward the bear, getting stuck in the animal's forelimb; turning to the culprit, they found Tyber holding the bow, his hands shaking as he tried to fire another arrow but failed.

The bear let out a roar at the pain, causing everyone to cry when their horses neighed and bucked, sending several hunters to the ground, one of them being Tyber. "Fool, what have you done? You angered the Gods!" A hunter snarled, trying to jump away from the bear that decided they were its enemy and attacked, causing the hunters to prepare their weapons to attack before the bear killed someone. (6)

"Anton, what are we to do now?" Jamti shouted, his bow and arrow ready, waiting for Anton to say the word for him to fire. Anton growled as he stood up, his sword in his hand as he turned to the bear, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to fight the beast.

"What are you doing? Kill it!" Tyber shouted, his voice turning the bear's head to the loud noises, a few seconds later the bear charged, causing Tyber to scream as he ran behind Anton, causing the Alpha to snarl at the undignified act. The bear roared, charging at Anton then, causing the Alpha to jump to the side, his sword slashing the bear's side, which gained him a dark growl from the bear that stood on its hind limb and swing one of its massive arms before letting out a roar.

"It seems death is the answer," Anton called out, avoiding one of the bear's claws as he made another swiping motion; the bear was huge, not like any other bear Anton saw before. A bear this enormous would be on the list of creatures Anton would have avoided; unfortunately, Tyber brought the bear's ire, and if they do not kill it, it's possible that the bear would raid the village and kill his people.

Anton leaped to the side as the bear lowered itself on all four and charged forward, causing Anton to curse when the bear seemed to avoid the hunters' swords, axes, and arrows. A squeak behind him, made Anton cursed as he slammed into Tyber, only to be pushed away by the weasel that ran to hide when he saw the bear getting closer to them, making Anton lose his footing and curse.

Anton could hear Jamti's alarming cry, when the bear stood atop Anton, causing the Alpha to snarl tried to avoid the bear's teeth and claws as one of his hands went to the knife strapped to his thigh. With a practiced move, Anton managed to push the bear's head while plunging the knife in its neck, causing the bear to roar in pain, and tried to back away swiping blinding and catching Anton's tunic in his claws, ripping the front half of it, which met by another thrust of the knife. Desperate, the bear let out a whine before as it tried to back away, which did nothing but give Anton the time needed to grape his sword and thrust it in the bear's head, rending the beast dead.

"Anton! Are you hurt?" Jamti called out as he came running toward Anton, helping the Alpha to stand as they both gazed at the dead bear, before Jamti starts checking over Anton's injuries, the hunters rushed toward Anton surrounding him and the bear, gazing at Anton with concern. "I saw the bear try to claw your chest… what is this?" Jamti concerned voice trailed off when he saw something hanging by a cord over the Alpha's chest. "Is that… Goddess Eir amulet…" Jamti's awed voice caused Anton to lower his head to see the amulet, only for his eyes to widen when he noticed how the amulet had claw marks over it, informing Anton that the amulet had barely survived the bear's attack.

"…The queen gave me this amulet for protection…" Anton said, causing a hushed whisper to go around as everyone gazed at the amulet and the king, wondering why the queen would give the king something like this when the two of them couldn't even stand one another when they were forced to stay near each other for a small amount of time. "The queen informed me that taking the oathbreaker with us will bring nothing but misfortune and death…" At that everyone turned to Tyber, their faces darken as they saw the Beta finally get out of his hidden place behind one of the trees.

"The queen spoke the truth…" Jamti whispered his eyes were wide as they refused to move away from the amulet Anton was wearing. "That means the chain of misfortune has started…" Everyone froze at the admission of Jamti, gazing at Tyber with horror at the misfortune the Stone clan brought to their village… Anton though, couldn't help but gaze at the bear, like it held the answers to his questions…

Anton wondered what he is to do…


What do you think?

Finally, after 84 years, an update!

So sorry for taking months before finally updating my story, but as you know, life happened, which ended with me putting this story on hiatus until I finish one or more of my ongoing fics.

Ohhhhh… Tony is crushing on Steve, ;) When I wrote this fic, I could only imagine a boy pulling his crush's metaphoric ponytail without realizing the reason why he loved teasing them… the realization at the end though is worth it :D

Did you know?

1-Vikings loved winter… when I say they love it I mean they really did, not only did they invented many Winter sports and have many festivals, but in wintertime, Vikings used to go to lakes for a dip in freezing water. That practice is still around, as many Danish and Scandinavian people (Titled Vikings) still liked to dip in freezing waters, they even argue that cold water swimming improves their mental and physical health. Do you think so? Just the thought of cold water makes me shiver…

2-In Norse, the days of the week are named after Norse Gods. The first day of the week MANDAG (Monday) related to the moon and was named after the God Mani, or Måne. TIRSDAY (Tuesday) is the day of the Norse God Tyr, the son of Odin. ONSDAG (Wednesday) this day was named for the war God, Odin. TORSDAG (Thursday) this is the day of the Norse God Thor. FREDAG (Friday) this was the day of the beautiful Frigg and Freya. LØRDAG (Saturday) in Norwegian, it's the day to wash your clothes, "laugardagen" or "washday." The Vikings were extremely particular about their appearance and were very clean. SØNDAG (Sundays) the Norse word is related to the sun. The Norwegian word for sun is "sol," and there was a Norse goddess with this name, she was also the sister of Mani.

3-Norse had weekly fully immersive baths indicates that nudity did not have the same status at that time as nudity does today. In fact, going by later graphics of mixed-gender communal bathing, even the nudity of the opposite gender was acceptable, and even normal to some extent, that's why Tony wasn't that affected bathing with Pepper and Natasha, even being a male between females. Considering that this is an A/B/O story, I think that this would have put many boundaries and different thoughts, of what is accepted between Omegas and other dynamics, mainly because of all the pheromones involved.

4-As you read, Norse's laws about prostitution and rape are as accurate; those who were convicted of these crimes were labeled as outlawed (fredløs), kicked out of the village, and are forbidden of getting any help, they could be killed without their killer being punished for it wasn't a crime to kill outlawed. The first person who passed the law that forbade prostitution and rape, is Harald Fairhair followed by The Oseberg Queen or I think I don't know who was the first who passed the law, it all gets messed up with the hundred other laws and aspects I was looking through.

5-Essentially a marriage in Vikings' age was nothing business contract between two families. A marriage was arranged in two stages: the betrothal and the wedding. The initiative had to come from the man or his father, who would propose marriage to the woman's father or guardian. If the latter was agreeable, the groom promised to pay the bride price (Mundr). In Iceland the minimum payment was 8 ounces of silver; in Norway, it was 12. In return, the bride's father promised to hand over her dowry at the wedding. Both the bride price and the dowry remained the property of the bride after the wedding. The two men shook hands on the agreement in front of witnesses and agreed on a date for the wedding, usually within a year. The woman's consent to the marriage might be sought but it was not necessary. That's why Tony thought Steve was crazy for agreeing to marriage without any witness to confirm the agreement or have money to pay for the dowry. Not only that but widows in medieval usually wait three years before remarrying (The ideal waiting time) though every individual is different and should remarry if and when they decide to do so.

6-Bears were sacred animals in Norse mythology, not only were they were kept as pets, were gifted to kings, and were used in ritual sacrifices. The Norse Gods Thor and Odin often took the shape of a bear to visit the human world. The bear stands for strength, healing, inner wisdom, and balance between the seen and the unseen world. The female bear was the symbol for the feminine aspect and principle and the male bear was the masculine principle. That's why everyone went mad when Ty tried to kill the bear that left them unharmed, some thinking that the bear was either Odin or Thor.

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Nazaki-Sama