2 Weeks later...

Arthur's POV

Arthur and Allister walked with their elbows link through the field of corn. The stalks were taller than Arthur himself, so he needed Allister, who stood at 6 feet and one inch, to help guide them. "Where is Dylan and Seamus again?" Arthur asked, and the Allister shrugged.

"Who knows." The brit rolled his eyes. He wasn't surprised he would respond like that, he was extremely stressed. He was preparing for another batch of Americans to arrive in about a week, he needed to prepare his men. They were currently for blindspots they could probably watch the Americans without getting spotting. The cornfield would be a good option.

"Dylan! Seamus!" Arthur called out, and Allister hushed him.

"Even if they're here, they won't answer you." Allister sneered. Would he stop being so irritable. "I'm not the irritating one, you are! Why won't you stay!?" Oh that is what this was about. The brit had amde it known to them two weeks agao that he was planning on staying with Alfred. Of course they were upset, but everyone had come to terms with it. Well, almost everyone.

"Allister, I told you that I love him. You should be happy that I'm happy." He scowled. Allister is so selfish. He isn't two years old, he's 21 (his birthday was a few days ago), and he was old enough to make his own decisions. "God, I just wish you'd trust me! Ugh!" The brit stormed off, the redhead, following behind. Eventually he grabbed the brit by the shoulder and forced him to turn around and face him.

"It's not that I don't trust you, I don't trsuts him! He's no good! The Americans are idiots!" He yelled, shaking Arthur violently. He stopped, looking Arthur right in the eyes. "You're a genius, so there is obviously something I'm just not getting. Which is why even if you don't stay, I'll respect your decision. However, up until then, I will keep trying to convince you to stay with us, your family."

The utterance of the word family made Arhur's cheeks warm. He had to admit he liked this place more than anywhere else he had ever stayed. The people here were nice and hard working, and they were all working towards a noble cause: rebuilding their home. Arthur like being apart of that, contributing in ways he can like delivering water and making sandwiches. This place really did feel like home, and if he were put under these same circumstances months ago, he probabaly would have taken his brothers up on it. They were family, and they always will be. Allister blushed, obviously listening in to Arthur's thought. The smaller man scowled. "Would you mind your business!"

"Would you two stop making so much noise." Seamus grunted. Dylan was right behind him, like always. They looked normal, though the bags under their eyes showed they had litle sleep. Allister sucked his teeth.

"Did you two drink all night?" Allister asked, voice free of malice. The three of his brothers looked at the redhead like he was crazy. Was he asking a real question? "Yes, I was. The two of you are getting too lax. Dylan, to the water mill, Seamus to the blacksmiths." He ordered, and his two brothers scoffed in defiance.

"I just came from there" Dylan shot back.

"Same here." Seamus growled.

"Liars, I did my morning rounds over there an hour ago and you were nowhere to be seen. I won't repeat myself." Allister deadpanned. He was serious. The two scoffed in disbelief before walking off in opposite directions. The sun was high in the sky, blinding Arthur a little bit, the corn surprisingly offering little shade. "Actually, lets check somewhere else. This place is too sunny." Arthur suggested, and Allister shrugged, changing directions. They made it out of the corn field, the pair spotting Dylan who was currently speaking to Brutus.

Brutus was a farmer who towered over Dylan's five feet and nine inches with a whopping 6 feet 3 inches. He had dark hair and light grey eyes, and he was built like a tank. His muscles rippled with every movement, a stark contrast to Dylan's almost feminine body. Of course his brother was a bit more masculine than Arthur, seeing that he was an alpha. However, Dylan looked like a woman compared to Brutus, a beta who was only a year younger. It appeared the pair hadn't notice the two watching them yet, Dylan looking down at his feet, blushing at something the other must have said. He shyly tucked a light brown strand behind his ear before Brutus suddenly grabbed his hands. Arthur watched with a smirk, he read enough books to know what was next.

Brutus brought his hands to his lips and kissed them softly, Dylan's face beet red. Brutus said something, which judging on Dylan's face, was completely unexpected. They stared at each other for a moment before Arthur's brother nodded, the two embracing in a hug. Arthur smiled. It must feel nice to be formally confessed to and courted. The brit noticed the way Brutus inserted himself in Dylan's inner circle just to flirt, catching the soft spoken rebel leader off guard. He was attractive without a doubt, but Seamus's blunt attitude and Allister's wild red hair usually drew almost all the attention towards themselves, so Dylan wsn't normally hit on.

Arthur's thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl from Allister, a snarl so loud Brutus and Dylan heard it, the pair now looking over in Arthur's direction. The redhead march on over to his brother, Arthur following close behind. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Allister spat. Dylan sighed heavily as he pulled away from Brutus, face contorted into that of severe annoyance.

"What did it look like, Allister?" Dylan shot back.

"I said go to the water mill." Allister was now a few feet from his younger brother, though Dylan seemed unphased. Brutus on the other hand, looked mildly confused as he greeted Arthur.

"Good evening. What are you doing out here Arthur?" He asked. The brit shrugged.

"Good evening. I was just scouting for some good hiding spots from the Americans. Is your farm near here?" Arthur asked, looking around. He could've sworn his farm was on the opposite side of the main house. Brutus shook his head.

"No, I only came by because Dylan had left something at my house." He explained cheerily. The brit nodded, all of the pieces coming together.

"So... He spent the night at your house." The blonde surmised outloud, and Brutus nodded, before shaking his head wildly, a scarlet blush all over his cheeks.

"Not like that, we just talked and we fell asleep." He said, swallowing harshly. Arthur pursed his lips, that didn't explain why Dylan looked so tired. What were they really doing? Arthur looked over at his older siblings just in time for Allister to shove the brunette. Dylan didn't respond at first, still not quite catching what was going on. It was only until 7 seconds later did he realize what the redhead had done, the brunette scoffing and walking away from his brother. He approached Arthur and Brutus, lacing his finger in the latter's and tugging him along down the road. Brutus was once again blushing, but he didn't pull his hand away.

Allister was going to go head after them if it weren't for Arthur stepping in his way. "You are perhaps the most inconsiderate and selfish person I had ever met." Arthur shook his head, repeating the statement in his mind so the redhead could hear it again and again. "First of all, you accuse him of being a drunk, then you have the nerve to interrupt his formal confession just to reiterate it. What's wrong with you?" Arthur chastized, and Allister glared at him.

"Shut up, you idiot. You try running a whole underground organization." He spat, and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Seamus and Dylan are your co-leaders, not your subordinates, so you need to treat them with respect." Arthur shot back, walking off towards the big house. He could hear Allister growl, but he couldn't hear the sound of footsteps, so he could only assume the redhead wasn't following him. Arthur was completely fine with it, not really wanting to be around his negative personality. Usually it's tolerable, a little funny even, however, right now, the brit believed he had his fill of the abrasive character of his brother. Don't get Arthur wrong, he knew he himself was hardly pleasant to be around, but he kept his inner frustrations to himself, like a good civilian. Allister seriously couldn't have thought his behaviour was okay. Arthur felt himself get unusually angry over the incident. Would he be just as rude to Alfred when he arrives?! Does he realize the situation Dylan's in? How insead of being a prick, he should have be happy for his younger brother?

"What's got your panties in a twist, lad?" He heard Seamus mutter as he walked over to the brit. Arthur looked around to see that he was by the blacksmith shop, therefore putting him a mere 4 minutes away from the big house. Arthur shook his head. It wasn't a big enough deal to actually talk about it. "Okay then, I guess it has noting to do with you and that prince of yours?"He asked. Arthur shook his head.

"It's not about Alfred." He assured. Seamus nodded, and there was an awkward silence between them. They've never really been alone outside of practice since the night Arthur visited Chancy in his dream, and the encounter was a little awkward. The younger couldn't exactly remember what happened, but he knew Seamus was a second away from placing Arthur under a death curse, which outraged the omega. He yelled and cursed, accusing Seamus of attempted murder, but the older calmly explained to him that it was actually a deaf curse, so that the ringing noise would go away after he had woken up. The older avoided him like the plague for the next two days, and bailed out of their curse lessons. Eventually they did continue, but there is a distance that had never been there before.

"Oh, okay." Seamus said quietly. Arthur bit his lip and linked their elbows in a way to show endearment, an albeit desperate move to end the awkwardness. Seamus didn't pull away, he just sighed in annoyance. Arthur looked up at him with big green eyes, only to see narrow grren orbs glaring back at him. "You aren't staying, aren't you?" He spat, and the younger bit his lip, deciding to shake his head in response. "I'm pissed." He deadpanned.

"I love him." He exhaled, and Seamus shook his head.

"He's not adequate." Seamus said bluntly. "He can't protect you like we can. What happens when you are summoned into another person's dream again, and the ringing leaves you incapacited for days? What'll happen if you run across the royal sorceror?" He asked calmly, and Arthur bit his lip. "You know the answer isn't good, which is way you keep biting your lip." Arthur frowned, looking down at his feet.

"You guys say that, but I can't help but feel safer with him." They continued to walk, neither saying a word to the other as they approacched the big house. They settled themselves in the living room, Seamus intentionally seating so close to Arthur that he could feel the heat radiating off of the other. Eventually, Arthur spoke. "He'll be here in a week, you should get ready to be civil. Promise me you will or else I'll leave the second he arrives." Arthur demanded, and Seamus growled, pulling his younger brother into his chest in a tight embrace.

"You can't tell me what to do." He muttered. Arthur was about to protest, but then Seamus hushed him. "But as long as he doesn't offend us, I'll stay polite." He placed a soft kiss on his younger brother's forehead, Arthur ignoring the heat in his cheeks. "However, though you just love making us angry, I won't tolerate any inappropriate actions between you and your... mate." Arthur scoffed, and Seamus growled sharply, the omega flinching in shock. Oh, he was serious.

"Dead serious."

The pair turned to see Allister standng by the doorway with Dylan, the two looking as if they made up already. "He'll probably need to restock and rest on land for a couple of days, so we'll make accomidations for him." He proclaimed. Arthur swallowed harshly, shaking his head.

"We have a fortress near the coast, he won't have to stay..." He stopped speaking when at the sound of a slow growl erupted from the throats of his older brothers. "Uh, I mean... Of course we'll stay here."

~~~~Wounded Knight~~~~

1 week later...

Arthur groaned as his horse neighed, tired once again. He slipped off and walked alongside it, offering it some water from a special canister designated for him. "Good boy." he whispered, petting his nose. He waited to hear the horse's response, but it remained silent. Arthur was trying his hand at speaking to animals without using a communication spell, however, it wasn't going well. He continued to walk, a slight hop in his step as he brothers rode on past him. They were currently headed towards the fortress Sauvage, the siblings getting word that the Americans were a day away. They had departed from the big house 2 days ago, Dylan staying behind because he had fell into heat. Without a doubt he was with Brutus, and his other brothers knew that, which was way they were in an awful mood. He guessed no matter how old one gets, he's still someone's baby brother.

"Arthur, hurry up, we're a few hours away." Seamus huffed, and Arthur nodded, pulling on the reigns of his horse to make him move a little faster. The three walked in comfortable silence, taking in the scenery, the younger in particular because these were his last few days at home. Soon Alfred would come, take him back to the U.S, and Arthur would have to navigate the political scene and make new friends. He would have to fix his hair, put on makeup and corsets, and turn himself into the perfect queen. He groaned. The next year would be miserable, but he guessed he had motherhood to look forward too.

"Are you kidding me?" Allister sighed, annoyed. "If you need to constantly convince yourself to be with that American, at least have a better motivator than motherhood." Arthur was taken aback, bastard was in his thoughts again.

"For your information, motherhood would be a splendid motivator." Arthur sneered. "I'm not convincing myself of anything either."

"Sounded like it, but if you say so, right?" Allister shrugged.

"Let's settle down, we're close." Seamus interevened. "Arthur get on my horse, Claud will walk by us." He continued, stopping his horse. Arthur walked over, accepting Seamus's help up onto the significantly taller horse, Allister raising a bit of earth beneath him to make the endeavor easier. Once on the saddle, Arthur wrapped his arms around Seamus's waist. "I don't want you thinking anything to Allister" he said sternly, and Arthur scowled at the redhead's snicker.

"Bitch." Arthur muttered, and Seamus cleared his throat in warning. "I'm done." Arthur assured, and the soft canter of the horses started up again.

~~~~Wounded Knight~~~~

They were currently seated under a large oak tree, eating some berries they picked on the way. The Americans were probably at the fortress by now, having arrived the day before. They were only a mere 2 hours away. Arthur licked his lips, taking a sip of his water. He found his cheeks heating up with the thought of seeing Alfred again. How would he react? Arthur had lost a few pounds, but that was because he was starved in the cave for a few days. How would he react to the crosses? Arthur felt his mood damper a bit. The crosses were actually etched into his skin, though the skin was once again milky white. It used to a sickening pink and dark purple, and when he wore pants for too long they would itch. He had to soak them in salt water for the first week or so.

"We should get going." Allister said suddenly. "I want to get this over with." Arthur shruuged, getting up. Seamus groaned, standing up and rubbing his lower back.

"I'm getting to old for this. Why didn't we take the mirror?' He said, helping Arthur onto his horse. Allister eyed him curiously as the blonde climbed on top of his own horse.

"We can't use it unless Dylan's with us. He's the only one who could neutralize the effects of the mirror." He exhaled. "We'll be there shortly, just hold on."


Alfred's POV...

The fortress looked quite empty without the chatter of his knights, but they were back home where they belonged. When Alfred arrived on the first day, he was half expecting Arthur to be here in the fortress, perhaps visiting Maggie anf the rest of the staff he had allowed to remain in the fortress. Like John had expected, Arthur's fake father had been lodging there. They greeted each other, and Alfred had informed him that once reunited with Arthur they would head to the U.S as soon as possible. Alfred was currently sitting in his solar having tea with both John and Arnold Pendragon.

"We should send out the search party." Arnold advised. "I would prefer that the child be safe, considering he is now my legal responsibility." His british accent was very thick, and he sported a thick blonde mustache. His hair was short and blonde, and he had piercing gray eyes. His expression was the same calculating expression he made whenever they had made business deals in the past. Alfred felt his blood boil; the old geezer only thought of Arthur as an investment. The man suddenly smiled, speaking smoothly. "I've never met him personally, but all I do know that he is the son of my late 3rd cousin, Uther. Even then, it is hardly a connection. Forgive me if i come off a bit unphased by this tragedy." Alfred narrowed his eyes, the brit practically reading his mind.

"I see no offense." Alfred assured, lying. John yawned, interrupting the conversation.

"I still can't believe Arthur's really royalty, however, I should have guessed." He sipped his tea, Alfred narrowing his eyes at him. The prince exhaled deeply, turing his attention back to his guest.

"Are you sure you remember the cover story correctly?" He asked, changing the subject. Arnold quirked a brow, nodding.

"Very complex, however, at this point you might as well just tell the truth." He retorted, taking a sip of his own tea. Alfred hummed, and the business man continued. "Unless... you don't know what the truth is." He inquired, and the prince grumbled. "Well, my 'son' seems to be the sneaky type, perfect for my arms business." Alfred felt his anger rise, and despite the look on John's face, he sneered.

"He's nothing like you." He growled, and the brit scoffed. "He didn't go out of his way to lie, I just didn't want to pester him about his past." He explained. Arnold smiled coldly.

"Interesting, but if this transaction were to be successful" He began. "He would have to share some of my qualities." Alfred growled again, but John cleared his throat.

"Alfred, maybe you should take a ride and blow off some steam." he suggested, and Arnold nodded.

"I think it's for the best."

"Arnie, it doesn't matter what you want." John whispered hoarsely, and the business man smiled.

"Fine." Alfred interrupted, standing up and rushing out of the room.

~~~~ Wounded Knight~~~~

1 hour later...

Alfred sat underneathe an oak tree, petting a horse that wasn't his. His horse was at the fortress, the beast was sleeping and despite the prince's rage, he couldn't wake it up. He barrowed John's horse, Clayton, and rode off. The stallion was a plain black horse, nothing particularly special but it's dislike of sweets. The prince settled on feeding it bitter berries he had plucked from some bushes, the horse enjoying the snack. "You are so weird." He said softly, petting him. Suddenly familiar warm feeling at the back of his head returned for the first time in a month. Alfred felt a smile tug on his lips, Arthur was close by; he knew it.

Alfred quickly gathered his things, alerting his four-legged companion. He swiftly climbed on and started to slowly canter, trying to figure out where the brit was. He could figure no sense of direction, so he left it up to fate and headed east.


Arthur's POV...

1 hour later...

After heading south for another hour, the fortress was finally in sight. Arthur had a million thoughts rushing through his head. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! All of his friends who stayed behind were there. He would get to see Maggie again. He would get to the butlers and maids again. Arthur was nervous. Alfred was near by, he could sense his presence again. The sensation was a stress reliever, making the omega more in tuned to their encounter. The soft canter of the horses, and the green of the thick canopy of leaves above the trio made the brit feel fuzzy.

"We're about two minutes away." Allister said, voice devoid of emotion. Arthur was a little concerned over his sudden focus, but he trutsed the other to act maturely. They finally arrived at the main gate of the fortress, the trio unsure of how to get across. "Maybe we can knock." Allister said, banging on the gate. "Helloo! The price's mate and his brothers are here!" He called obnoxiously. Seamus and Arthur hopped down, stretching.

"Maybe we should climb it." Arthur suggested to Seamus, who shrugged, the pair walking off in order to find a suitable wall to grapple. They eventually found a wall with a couple of cracks one could use to fit their feet in.

"I'll go, you stay here." Seamus ordered, and the younger nodded. It was his idea, but he guessed it was okay. As the other climbed over, Arthur returned to Allister, who had grown tired of knocking. Allister smirked as he peaked into Arthur's thoughts.

"You can't blame him for wanting to go in alone. What if there are armed guards?" He asked, and and Arthur scowled at him. How many times did he have to tell the other to leave his thoughts alone! Allister smiled again, turning his attention once more to the gate in front of him, which had started to churn.

"Damn this crap is heavy." Seamus grunted, hardly moving the door an inch. The redhead laughed, helping the other by putting his fingers through the opening and pulling, his laughter swiftly turning into agravated grunts. Arthur laughed, unsure of why they wouldn't use magic.

"Use magic." He suggested, and Allister stopping tugging, the door now open less than a foot wide. His cheeks were red, and he was panting, however, he looked oddly determined. Arthur could hear Seamus panting too, laughing at the comparison of their combined strength and Alfred's on his own. The prince had easily moved the door without breaking a sweat. The redhead rolled his eyes as he truned back, pulling at the door.

"Real men don't use magic to open unlocked doors." He grunted, Seamus gruffing in affirmation. Oh dear. Arthur walked off, not really wanting to watch this pathetic sight any longer. He strolled over to the wall on the far left and climbed up carefully, not wanting to alert Seamus and Allister of his mischief. It took him a little while, but he did eventually reach the top, now all that he needed to do was get down. He could simply climb down, but that side of the wall didn't have the same number of cracks the other did, and Arthur didn't want to plummet 10 feet. Maybe he could manuver the wind? He shook his head. He didn't have enough practice with that skill yet.

"Arthur?" The brit flinched in shock, looking around in confusion. "Down here, silly." The brit slowly looked down and was met with two warm brown orbs, pale skin, and a swarm of freckles. The woman wore a simple blue summer dress, and her brown hair cascaded down her torso, stopping just short of her hips. She had a slim, lean physique, and soft pink lips, which were smiling at him brightly.

"Maggie?" he asked. Though it hadn't been so long since he had seen her, he still wanted to ask just to make sure.

"...Yes" She answered, confused. "Why are you up there? You had every one of us worried sick and you're just sittng up there like that? Get down." He ordered, and the brit decided to forcibly climb down, with or without cracks in the wall. It was a long arduous task, the brit almost slipping a number of times, but he managed to make it to the ground in once peace. Once he turned around to greet his friend, Maggie was instantly on him, hugging, bouncing. Arthur giggled as she eventually let him free, grabbing his wrists and pulling him towards the fortress. As they walked through the courtyard, Arthur was greeted by a number of enthusiastic ex-British maids and butlers, hearing about his kidnapping and completely delighted for his safe return.

He was eventually told to wait in the main hall until one of them could get John, the harold arriving with the prince. Before the young man could go fetch the old man, Arthur desperately asked him about the whereabouts of his mate. The butler had said he had went out on a ride, and may not be here for a few hours. Arthur visibly deflated, thoroughly disappointed. He was expecting to see Alfred burst through the door and rush over to him, embrace him, and scent him. However, instead the prince used his first hours to relax on a stroll through the forrest. Maggie could see the hurt in the brit's eyes, so she changed the topic.

"I've notice that bite on your neck. So you and Alfred finally mated?" She asked, and the group of nearby women settled down around them, wanting to know all the details. Arthur blushed under the attention.

"Yes, we in an exquisite inn in midtown New York. It was just minutes away from the harbor." He explained. The girls 'oo'd.

"Was he any good?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Oh my god, is it plausible that we may have a mini prince on the way?" One teased.

Arthur was overwhelmed by the questions, before he could even answer one, another two were called out. "Guys, Guys, one at a time." One of the girls repeated herself. "No, it didn't hurt that much." Then another asked another question. "No, I'm not pregnant." he confirmed, and the girls made a disappointed groan, before firing more questions. "No, we had our first time on the steamship." He said softly, his cheeks warming up. "Yes, that time, it did hurt."

"Did you come here alone?" Maggie asked, and the brit shook his head, thinking back to his idiot brothers.

"No, my "brothers" are with me." he made sure to use air quotes in order to keep his cover story consistent.

"Oh, I didn't know you had brothers." Someone said, and Arthur nodded.

"Yea, I wasn't really raised with them, so I hardly know them myself. However, I owe them my life for saving me from that horrid beast." He could see from the look in their eyes that they wanted to know about how he got back to the island. He sighed before continuing. "Alright, Alfred and I were touring through the countryside, and at our last stop before the capital, we went to the town's mayor's office. Alfred and the Mayor knew each other, so when she offered to take me to my room privately, neither Alfred nor I felt any need to be suspicious. On our way, the mayor had to use the bathroom, but when she returned, it was actually an imposter, the roayal sorceror who was ent to get rid of me by the queen." He was interupted by a number of gasps, but once they stteled down, he continued. "I didn't know, however. So she opened this huge black door, and I went inside. It wasn't my bedroom though, it was an office covered in skulls and other ancient relics."

"Really?" Arthur and the group snapped their eyes to an aged man with blond hair and a trimmed beard. The closer he got, the more of his features became apparent. His nose was straight and his eyes were cold. His grey eyes were bright at the same time, and his smile, though warm, had mischievous undertones. As he approached, Maggie nudged him silently, Arthur looking back at her in confusion.

"That is no way to treat your father." She whispered harshly to him. Arthur's eyes snapped back up to the blond man now a mere 10 feet away, still approaching. He must be Arnold. Arthur scrambled to his feet, walking over to the other fellow in a rush. Though Arthur wasn't looking his best, he sure looked better than most days. His white blouse was tucked into his black pants which were tucked into his black boots. Once they were close enough to formally greet each other, Arthur bowed, albeit awkwardly. When he stood back up, Arnold just stared at him unblinkingly. It remained like that for a few moments before the old man slowly raised his hand to cup the brit's face. He slowly tilted the brit's face side to side in order to check for damages. He could here his friend make sounds of adoration, seeing it as an act of affection. Arthur, however, had a sneaking feeling Arnold was just looking to see whther or not his goods were damaged.

"Thank God you are safe and sound." He deadpanned, but there was no real emotion in his voice. The girls made more squealing noises, finding the exchange adorable.

"You too... father." he added awkwardly, and the older offered a devilish smirk.

"Don't be so shy. I had already told your friends all about how you would yell 'daddy' whenever we had been apart for so long." His eyes flashed as Arthur's darkened. The girls laughed, telling the brit to say it. Oh, this wasn't expected.

"Hello... daddy." He forced out, a pained smile gracing him lips.