A/N: Title is from the Eric Clapton song, Change The World – "And our love will rule/In this kingdom we have made".
Written for:
August Tony Stark Flash Bingo - Mutual Pining
Trope Bingo Round 15 - B1: AU - Royalty
and IronHusbands Bingo - I1: AU - Royalty (again)
The knock on the door heralded what was sure to be the worst day of Prince Tony of Stark's life.
"Nonsense," said his valet, Jarvis, when he said as much to the older man. "Today's the day you marry Prince James. You've been dreaming of this day for years."
"Jarvis, you don't understand," Tony whined. "Yes, I'm marrying Rhodey, but it's only so that we can combine the kingdoms. He isn't doing it because he loves me!"
Jarvis shook his head and straightened the prince's necktie yet again. "Have you ever spoken to Prince James about the matter?" he asked.
"Jarvis!" exclaimed Tony, horrified. "I can't ask Rhodey whether he's in love with me!"
"Then how do you know for certain he isn't?" Jarvis pointed out.
"Because… he just isn't." Tony pouted, and then slumped in disappointment. "We've been friends since we were young boys, and his attitude towards me has never changed," he continued. "So unless you're saying that he loved me when he was six, then no, he doesn't love me now."
Jarvis shook his head again but before he could say anything against this, the bell calling them to the chapel trilled out. He hastily tugged a few things straight, then promptly threatened to muss everything up again by indulging himself with a quick, tight hug. "Things will be fine, your highness," he murmured in Tony's ear. "You'll see."
Tony gave him a weak smile once Jarvis had released him. "Thanks, Jarvis," he said, although it was clear he didn't believe it. Still, no matter, Jarvis thought as Tony took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before leaving for the chapel. It was obvious to everyone in the castle – if not in the entirety of Stark – that Prince James of Rhodes cared very deeply for Prince Tony.
Tony just had to discover that for himself.
The service was long-winded and astoundingly boring, so Tony tuned most of it out, making sure to just keep enough of his attention on the archbishop so that he could chime in at the right time with all the right responses. Wouldn't do to get this far and then have everything fall apart because Tony was too busy sketching blueprints in his mind to say, "I do".
"May I present their highnesses, Prince James and Prince Tony! You may now kiss the groom," the archbishop boomed, and Tony jolted back to attention just in time to feel Prince James' lips brush fleetingly against his own.
The crowd in the chapel burst into cheers, and the bells up above began ringing madly, announcing to all those in the surrounding area that the deed was done, and the kingdoms of Stark and Rhodes were hereby joined forever more.
Or at least until Prince James got fed up with Tony and petitioned for a divorce.
Mustering up a suitably besotted-looking smile hurt, but Tony somehow managed as he and Prince James began their walk back down the long aisle to cries of welcome and good luck. Tony was quite surprised at how sincere some of them managed to sound. The audience in the chapel was mainly made up of the top advisors and the richest members of each kingdom. He didn't know about Prince James, but most of the ones from his kingdom barely even tolerated him, let alone were friendly.
Reaching the doors, the sound of the crowd outside was almost physical in its intensity. Prince James grinned at everyone surrounding them, and held Tony's hand up in the air, triumphantly. The whoops and hollers actually increased.
Tony did his best to smile and wave at them all, but inside he felt a bit like a fraud. He never usually got this much attention from his subjects, and when he did, it was usually of the jeering kind.
"Come on, there's our carriage," Prince James murmured out of the corner of his mouth, and began to march his way forwards, tugging Tony behind him. People scrambled to both get out of their way and not get crushed by the people behind them surging forward to see the newly married princes. A couple of people here and there tried to bow or curtsey but were swiftly knocked out of position by the crowd, so most of those paying respects settled for a nod of the head.
When they finally managed to reach the carriage, the lessening in volume was shocking, and they sat on opposite seats, blinking at each other, as the carriage jolted into movement.
"Well, then," Prince James said, finally, and gave Tony the first genuine smile he'd seen from the other man all day. "That's the legalities out of the way."
"Yep," Tony agreed, and tried not to let on how his heart sank. "Now we can party all night!"
Something seemed to flicker in Prince James' expression, but before he could say anything – if he was going to – the carriage drew to a halt outside of the palace entrance. Yet again, the front area was overcrowded with people, yet there were two lines of security men lining the traditional red carpet, keeping it free and clear for the newlyweds to walk down.
"Your highness," Jarvis greeted them warmly as they finally reached the large double doors thirty minutes later. "Prince James. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Jarvis." Prince James smiled at the older man. "Were you there at the ceremony? I was expecting you to stand with Tony."
Jarvis shook his head, regretfully. "Ah, I saw a few minutes of the ceremony from the back of the chapel, but I had to return to the palace to ensure that everything was in order," he said. "I caught snatches of the rest on the television and the radio." A thin chime sounded, and Jarvis jolted. "Oh, I'm forgetting myself!" he exclaimed, and held out a hand towards the main ballroom. "If you'd please be so kind as to step this way…"
Tony took the lead this time. Despite the fact that Prince James had spent half of his childhood spending time with Tony, this was still Tony's home, and he knew the way better than Prince James did. Also, there might have been the small matter that he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think that Prince James had complete control over him now. Some of his oldest courtiers were still misogynistic enough that even the hint of Tony taking the 'female' role would count against him.
Jarvis managed to slip in front of them just before the doors leading into the ballroom, so it was he who all but flung them open, ensuring that anyone who hadn't been looking in their direction before certainly was now. "May I present!" Jarvis announced in ringing tones that carried clearly over the hubbub. "The newly wedded Prince Tony and Prince James!"
A band struck up a rousing march as Jarvis stepped out of the doorway to make room for the two princes. The ballroom crowd applauded, some more raucously than others, as the pair descended the steps to the floor.
"All this for little old us?" Tony joked, half under his breath.
"Old?" Prince James nudged him in the ribs with an exceedingly pointy elbow. "Speak for yourself! I'll have you know I'm the youngest prince in the entire kingdom of Rhodes!"
Tony blinked at him, mouth twitching. "You're the only prince in the kingdom of Rhodes," he pointed out, amused.
"Still the youngest," Prince James insisted. They reached what was approximately the middle of the room, and everyone around them instantly scrambled backwards to clear a space for them. The band switched songs to something much slower. "Shall we dance?" asked Prince James. He let go of Tony's hand, stepped back and bowed, before holding out his hand again.
Tony rolled his eyes at the theatricality of it, but smiled for the sake of those eagerly watching and slid his hand back into Prince James'.
They'd both been having dancing lessons since they were four years old, and most of those had been shared once they'd begun spending time together and become friends. Tony didn't know what Prince James' parents had ever thought of the arrangement, but Howard had thrown a fit the first time he discovered his son and heir dancing with another boy. It had taken Jarvis and the dance tutor an entire hour to calm him down enough to listen to them explain that this was a good thing – there was only so much they could do to learn on their own.
They had not informed Howard that it also gave the boys a chance to practice dancing in a non-leading role.
As such, now they slid into the dance together without a hitch, Prince James automatically allowing Tony the lead for this first dance, well aware that all his courtiers' eyes were watching for the slightest misstep. He couldn't mind terribly much, as the roles would certainly be reversed when they visited his own kingdom.
Elderly courtiers were a terrible burden on a young prince.
It also gave Tony the opportunity to hold Prince James close against himself. If he didn't know any better, he'd think the other prince was actually snuggling into him; a bit of a feat when Prince James was an inch taller.
He stifled a sigh, and felt Prince James chuckle into his hair. "Wishing we could escape already?" Prince James asked.
"Oh, God yes," Tony blurted, and immediately winced as Prince James stiffened. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed. "I just meant… with all the people—" He trailed off, aware that he wasn't perhaps mending the damage as he hoped he was. "I meant with you, not from you?" he added, and winced again over the fact that his voice was a lot smaller and plaintive than he'd wanted it to be.
Prince James leant back and studied his face. "Tony, this is rather late to be asking this, but do we need to have a discussion about this?" he asked.
Tony winced again, and wished heartily for someone to wind back the clock just a few minutes. "No?" he tried. Prince James gave him a stern look. Sighing, Tony's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I suppose we do," he agreed, dolefully. "After the main feast is over?"
"No," Prince James informed him, right as the music gave to a crescendo and halted. The silence rang through the ballroom for a moment, before the crowd gently applauded the musicians. The other prince's head swivelled as he surveyed the room. "Right now would be good, I think." He took a half step back and pointedly turned Tony to face the direction he wanted. "Over there; there's a terrace out there. That'll do nicely."
"I know there's a terrace out there," Tony grumbled as he began manoeuvring his way towards it. "It's my palace."
His new husband gave a snort of amusement but didn't say anything else until they were safely tucked away from view on the terrace. This particular one was only the size of the double doors, so with those securely locked behind them, they were guaranteed at least a few moments of privacy.
Prince James leant a hip against the stone balustrade and glanced out over the gardens. "I've always loved the view from this side of the palace," he said.
"What?" Tony blinked at the non-sequitur.
"Every time my parents brought me to stay here in Stark, I was given a bedroom on this side of the palace, and I used to love looking out over the gardens when I woke up in the morning. When I was younger, of course, it was just about when I could go out and play, but once I reached a certain age—"
"Old," Tony mock-coughed into his hand.
Prince James smirked at him and aimed a swat at Tony's head. "—then I started thinking it was actually a pretty nice place to go walking in," he continued, giving Tony's ankle a gentle kick. "To take someone walking in."
Tony abruptly felt like he'd swallowed an ice cube and it had lodged at the base of his throat. Was Prince James saying that he was in love with someone else? It wasn't actually illegal – nor uncommon – for royalty to commit adultery, but he was fairly certain that most spouses didn't announce their intentions when they'd not even been married for two hours yet.
"You'll have to let me know whether it matches up," he croaked out.
Prince James gazed steadily at him. "I think," the other man said softly, "that you've got hold of the completely wrong end of the stick, Tones. I mean that I want to go walking in it with you."
Tony's brain froze. "What?" he mouthed.
"Tony." Prince James took hold of one of his hands. "I agreed to this marriage between the kingdoms because I'm in love with you. I have been for years."
"But…" Tony spluttered. "You don't…" He abruptly gave a fierce shake of his head, trying to get his thoughts going again. "You've never acted any differently from when we were children," he pointed out.
"Neither have you," the other prince pointed out. He suddenly looked more uncertain than Tony had seen him look in years. "I mean… you do love me. Right?"
Tony couldn't help it. He threw his arms around Rhodey and began to laugh. "Oh my God! Rhodey, I've been in love with you for years! I thought you still thought of me as a friend!"
Rhodey finally began to smile again, although he shook his head in exasperation at them both. "Of course you're my friend," he said. "You just happen to be the man I'm in love with, too."
"Oh, good." Tony leaned in – and slightly up, although he'd never point that out – and pressed a brief kiss to the corner of Rhodey's mouth before straightening up again. "So – stay long enough to cut the wedding cake and then go have our own private celebration?" he asked.
"Sure," Rhodey agreed, a glint in his eyes that Tony had never seen before. "But first—" He reached out and reeled Tony back in against him. "Hello, husband," he murmured, and pressed his mouth to Tony's in a deeper kiss.
The picture of Prince James dipping Prince Tony backwards in a fairy tale-worthy kiss made the front page of every newspaper in both kingdoms for an entire week.