One year later...
February
Arthur quietly sipped on his tea as he listened to the trial, rubbing his forearms, uncomfortable. Every month Alfred has this thing where the people can come to the palace and bring criminal cases against other people. At first Arthur would opt out of attending, and he had an excuse, either he was pregnant or his children were just born. Now he had absolutely no reason, Julius being six, and his twins being one years old, old enough to be left with a friend for a few hours. This would be his 4th month attending. He was uncomfortable because of the charges, 'disobeying your alpha.' Arthur had to double take before coming to the foul truth that this was a valid crime, and that this alpha had the right to take her omega to court. The southern couple settled down on opposite sides of the throne room, fixing themselves up. The man wore shabby culottes and a dingy blouse, whereas the woman wore a simple blue dress that shaped her thin body. Behind them were rows of spectators. He shuddered as he watched on from his throne, Alfred staring down at the couple unphased.
"Yo' highness, you must understand... she makes the most unreasonable requests." The omega whimpered. The omega was a man named Duke, and he wasn't built like Arthur or Chancy, he could have easily been mistaken for a beta, and if you really squinted, an alpha. His wife Ashley, the alpha, cannot stand his attitude, or his 'disobedience', Arthur has yet to hear an example of this. "Cause she wanted to hang out with her friends, she demanded that gone I leave with the kids. Of course I listened, took 'em to a whole bunch of places, but when I came back, the locks were changed. It was the middle of winter, and she done changed the locks on us. We had to spend the night in our barn or else we'd freeze. The doors were locked for 4 dang days, your highness, and only on the fifth day did she open it. When myself and my kids walked into the house, there were naked men and women everywhere. She left us out in the cold so she could have an orgy."
Arthur felt his heart weep for the man, who has obviously been through some emotional strife, despite being Arthur's age. His black hair was braided back in a ponytail, and his deep brown eyes were worn. His tanned skin had bruises and welts on it, and Arthur wondered where it came from. "Is she abusive?" Arthur asked simply, the omega glancing at his alpha, before looking up at the queen.
"I don't know." He said simply. "Sometimes there's a hit or a slap, but usually her brothers attack me." He bit his lips. "But more importantly, she's neglectful of our kids. We have two girls and one boy, all omegas, all three years old. The moment she realized their status, she began drinking, and wouldn't cook or clean. I'm practically raising them alone, which is almost impossible as a farmer. Not to mention I take care of the business in the stables. She used to be a big help, a good wife, but then her vices started showing and she changed." Arthur tilted his head, offering a sympathetic look. Alfred scratched his head before turning his attention to the alpha.
"Is that what happened?" The alpha woman, Ashley, pursed her lips before shaking her head.
"Ya' see, your highness... I take medication, for my achy pains, which is why I don't help around the house as much as before. Also, as for neglecting my kids, that totally false, I love my kids, and I do my dang best to take care of them. Sometimes I do the wrong things like the lock changing incident, I admit that, but he's been asking for it for a while." She proclaimed. Her brown messy hair was tied into a neat bun, her grey eyes cold and remorseless. Arthur felt disgust rise in his throat as his husband spoke.
"How so?" Alfred asked.
"Once, when I came home from grocery shopping, he and the kids wasn't home. I made dinner, which was hard because of my joint pains, and they had only come back around midnight. He had spent the day with the neighbor's family, and had dinner there. I told him to never go back to that house, but a week later, he did the same thing, he disobeyed my orders. That's not the only example, I told him clean the house before I came back from my mama's house over a weekend, and when I came back, the home was a wreck. Broken furniture and dishes, Duke sleeping, drunk, on the floor." Alfred blinked at her a few times before sighing.
"Duke," Alfred started. "What had happened that weekend?" The omega stiffened before frowning, Ashley piping up.
"You'd better not tell them that ridiculous lie you told me!" Alfred told her to be quiet, and repeated his question to Duke.
"It's a little far fetched, but it's the truth." He spoke softly, rubbing his arm nervously. "I woke up one night to the sound of scratching, so I went down stairs to check, ya' know, cuz sometimes raccoons do get in the kitchen. When I got there, the biggest wolf I had ever seen in the entirety of ma' god dang life was scratching around my living room. I had no idea what to do, now I have a firearm, but then I didn't, so I just sat there in shock. When it noticed me, it gave me a big ol bite on the leg. When I woke up, it was gone, and Ashley was yelling at my kids, telling them to clean the place." Spectators began to laugh, the omega male blushing. Alfred and Arthur looked at each other, it could have been a lycan attack, or the man really could have been drunk.
"Do you still have a scar?" Alfred asked, the omega nodded. "Let us see." Duke swallowed harshly, glancing around the room. Arthur shook his head.
"If it'll make you more comfortable to show us later, you can." Duke sighed in relief, nodding wildly.
"Thank you your highness." He said graciously, Arthur smiling at him warmly. The brit felt protective over this omega, despite this not being the first omega he's pitied in a case.
Alfred gave Arthur a sharp look before turning his attention to Ashley. "Now Ashley, what do you want out of today's case?" He asked, the alpha smiling.
"I want you to annul our mateship, I want him out of ma' house, and I need him to take the kids." She said triumphantly. The king turned to Duke, who had a bitter expression on his face.
"We both payed for that house, and if I'm taking the kids, why should you take the house?" He shot at his wife.
"It's on my father's property."
"Well, my name's on the deed." Alfred and Arthur sighed. They had hoped there wouldn't be a property dispute in this case. Arthur shook his head.
"Are any of you willing to leave the house?" He asked, annoyed. The ex couple glared at each other until Duke sighed.
"If I can find a safer place for ma kids, then sure. And if I collect my profit for the crops I tilled." He looked down at the table, Ashley clearing her throat.
"He's going to leave my house after his punishment, right?" Arthur quirked a brow at her. "Technically, he did disobey me. I mean, sure I cheated, but that's not illegal, disobeying your alpha is." Arthur glared at her before glancing at the king, who seemed to nod slowly.
"We'll only provide half of the estimated profit the crops make, as punishment." He declared lazily, the alpha woman scoffing.
"With all due respect, Duke is an awful omega. I think a must just punishment is branding." Arthur chuckled, pulling up his sleeve to reveal his forearm.
"Like this?" His cross burn was still very visible and pink, though it never hurt. The room went silent, the alpha looking down. "Do you realize how degrading that is, to brand another human being. Royal or not, we do not have the moral authority to scar another human being for life. And perhaps infidelity is legal, but domestic violence and child neglect isn't, Ashley." Alfred nodded in agreeance.
"For your crimes against your family, we are fining you a total of $2000 dollars, which you have until the end of this year to pay before interest rates are added." He declared. Ashley's mouth went slack, the omega inside Arthur cheering.
2 days later...
Alfred's POV
He bit his lip as Arthur spoke to Duke, whom he had invited to live in the palace without asking the king. Duke was going to work as one of the many gardeners in return for a room and food. Chancy spending quality time with Geoffrey, Julius, and Duke's three children, Daisy, Marigold, and Byron. The five of them played around, well, Julius sat next to Chancy as the other 4 played around. They were all currently in the queen-mother's garden, Duke pulling out weeds, while Alfred and Davie watched him, confused. He really didn't look like an omega, but there were a lot of omegas who didn't look like omegas.
The day he had moved into the palace was the day Alfred fact checked his story. There was a huge bite on his thigh, of a creature who's jaw was 4 times the size of a wolf's. It was most likely a lycan. Duke was pleasant enough to be around, and he kept to himself. His southern accent was refreshing though, Alfred like it a lot. But to have all of his kids come out to be omegas, damn he was... he stopped himself. He wouldn't be unlucky, it's not like being an omega is a bad thing, perhaps... Alfred didn't know. Davie walked over to Duke, perhaps to ask him his opinions on a type of plant, Alfred just continued to talk to himself.
"Alfie? You okay?" His husband asked, the king kissing him on the forehead briefly.
"Yes, of course." Arthur smirked at him. "You aren't mad at me, are you?" Alfred hummed in amusement.
"For letting him into our happy home? Of course not." He sounded sarcastic, but he meant it. Duke was a cool dude, really he was. His kids kinda reminded him of how Julius started out, a little reserved. Byron, however, was far more outgoing than any other child there. He continuously tugged on Julius's arm to get him to play, the five year old only occasionally glancing at him.
"Don't you have better things to do?" Julius snapped, Byron giggling, not understanding the meaning of that phrase. The child had sandy brown hair and warm brown eyes, which contrasted greatly with Julius's blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Let's play hide and seek."
"I won't find you." Julius deadpanned.
"Then you hide." Alfred chuckled, Julius humming.
"But I'm tired, I can't play." Julius lied, the child believing him.
"Okay..." He took a seat beside Julius. "I'll wait." Now Alfred was cracking up, Julius glaring at him.
~~~~Wounded Knight~~~~
3 months later...
May
Arthur's POV
"Alfred! Alfred!" Arthur yelled, running down the halls with his twins in his arms. "Alfred!" Before he got to his husband's office, guards were already upon him, asking him what was wrong. "Come with me!" As a group they traveled to the king's office, getting their only to see him reading a book on the ground, Julius and Byron sitting in his comfy chair, drawing on some loose papers. "Alfred!" Arthur grabbed the king's attention who looked up at him in mild annoyance. Once he noticed the guards, he stood up concerned, however, from the wide grin on the queen's face, the king knew it couldn't have been a bad thing. He passed Micah to Alfred, and he continued to hold onto Des. He pointed at Alfred. "Who is he?" He asked in a squeaky voice.
"Daddy." Desdemona said slowly, the king breaking into a wide grin. Micah had started talking at nine months, his first word also being daddy. Des has yet to have said anything coherent, up until now. The parents squealed, the guards laughing and clapping in relief that everything was okay. Des and Micah started laughing too. "Daddy." Desdemona said again. "Daddy, daddy, daddy." Arthur looked up at Alfred to see that his eyes were watering. Arthur swapped babies with him, excusing himself with Micah and the guards, obvious that Alfred needed some father daughter time. He thanked and apologized to the guards, who laughed it off, saluting him.
~~~Wounded Knight~~~
Alfred's POV
December
6 months later...
It was christmas!
They were all gathered in the king's private dining room. Chancy had brought the eggnog, Duke and Alfred had decorated the tree, Tommie had brought the fruitcake, Marshal had filled up the stockings, Davie was feeding the flames in the fireplace, Arthur was trying to subdue the children, while Duke tied Byron's shoe. There was a big cake in the center because it was also Byron's, Marigold's, and Daisy's birthday (They're triplets). They were now 4 years old, and Alfred had gone all out with presents this year, especially for the children. There were about 13 kids to buy presents for this christmas, not to mention the adults.
Julius and Byron were sitting closest to the fire, even though Davie had asked a numerous amount of times to move away. Byron had his head against Julius's as they read from a picture book. Julius was well beyond Byron in reading comprehension, but for the other's sake, Julius would only read children's books around his friend. Alfred grinned, Byron was Julius's best friend, and vice versa. Of course Julius wouldn't spend the time of day with the noble kids, but he went out of his way to make himself available to Byron. Alfred thanks god for the day Duke stumbled into their lives.
They song psalms, happy birthday, and they passed out presents, none of which were opened until they were in their own bed chambers. The adults decided to let the grown kids have a sleep over in Julius's room, who didn't mind as long as Byron stayed.
~~~Wounded Knight~~~
4 months later...
April
"Happy birthday mommy!" Julius, Micah and Desdemona yelled, hugging his semi conscious body. He kissed them each on the nose before turning to face his husband. He kissed Alfred's on the forehead until he woke up, groggily saying happy birthday.
"C'mon, a little more energy won't kill you." He teased, the king kissing the brit's glands.
"Happy birthday sweetie. How old are you know, 50?"
"Yep." He sat up, getting ready for the day. He had received another package from Fulgur, Arthur smiling at the box at the foot of his bed. Smudge licked his hand, in his own way of saying happy birthday. "Hey boy." He said as he patted his head. He excused himself as he entered the bathroom. He was 23 years old today, he smiled as he slipped into the bath. As he marinated in the water, Alfred slipped into the bathroom yawning. He kissed Arthur once again before brushing his teeth. "Are you working today?" The brit asked. Alfred shook his head, spitting out his tooth paste.
"I'm giving myself the day off." He undressed, Arthur whistling as he made room in the spacious bath tub. The king struck a pose before slipping in himself, taking Arthur's lips in a deep kiss. A kiss which quickly turned heated. The king grabbed the queen's thighs and spread them, the brit moaning loudly, forcing himself to remember.
"Where are the kids?" The king smirked.
"Already left to have breakfast." The brit sighed.
"Carry on, then."
~~~~Wounded Knight~~~~
2 months later...
June
Julius had just turned 6 years old and he was already dealing with relationship problems. Alfred and Julia could barely contain their laughter as Julius and Byron argued. Marigold had given him a kiss on the cheek, you know, because she was the princess and Julius was the prince. But Byron was having none of that, no he wasn't. After the game had ended, and Marigold and Daisy started playing with blocks, Byron stuck his tongue out at Julius, who ignored it. That only made things worse, the 4 year old resorting to the cold shoulder. Julius hadn't noticed at first until he tried to share his apple slices with Byron, who didn't respond.
The adults left them unattended for a few moments, curious as to what would happen if they left. After 10 minutes of dilly dallying, Julia and Alfred returned, only to see Byron crying, and Julius patting his back uncomfortably. Julius looked annoyed and a little remorseful, though he looked as if he hadn't yet realized his mistake. "I hate you." Byron had said to Julius before breaking down into tears, the 6 year old told the adults.
"I should be the one upset, if anything." He mumbled. Julia chuckled.
"Make him feel better. Give him a kiss on the cheek like you did Marigold." Julius shook his head.
"He hates me." He said sadly.
"I'm sure he doesn't mean that." Alfred assured. Julius sighed, getting on his knees and leaning into his friend's face. He stopped half an inch away.
"Privacy?" He shot the adults, who snickered as they left. Alfred turned around in time for Julius to kiss Byron quickly on the cheek, only to repeat the gesture dozens of times in order to successfully stop the other from crying. By the time Julia and Alfred got back to their bench in the courtyard, Byron was a pile of giggles, kissing Julius back as many times he could.
~~~~Wounded Knight~~~~
4 years later
October
The couple panted as Arthur rolled off of his alpha, completely satisfied. The twins were in that annoying phase of walking into their room unannounced, so the couple really had the dead of night to have sex. Julius, thank god, had left that phase once he had met Byron. They have been spending some nights helping the children cope with their abilities, you know, since they are half witch, half lycan. Julius was completely human, as far as they knew, it was their biological kids that needed to be taught. Arthur would say he was pretty good at magic, though he only practiced with Chancy once a week in the middle of the night for the last 3 years. The twins were about six years old, showing promising signs of magical efficiency. Desdemona appeared to favor fire a little more, whereas Micah dealt more with nature, like Arthur. As for shifting into a wolf, so far Des was the only successful twin, Micah, at most, can make his eyes glow.
His thoughts were interrupted by soft snoring, the queen smiling. Perhaps he should go to bed.
That morning when he woke up, Alfred had already went to his office, the brit heading to the bathroom to freshen up. He, the twins, Anya and Geoffrey were going to have a picnic in the queen's garden. Chancy was working today, as was Davie, and the brit, though he also had an array of duties, had more free time to spend with the kids. When he passed by his niece's and nephew's room, Chancy and Davie both struggled to get the pair out of the door, the two apparently having an argument.
"You're so stupid!" Anya hissed, Geoffrey rolling his eyes. Their dark wild curls fell onto their faces as they argued. Anya was practically a carbon copy of her mother, with the exception of their hair color, Anya taking after Davie. She was a little chubby, but it did little to take from her prettiness. Geoffrey growled.
"And you're a hippo!" Geoffrey spat. His green eyes were hot as watched his younger sister get angrier. Though he was adopted, he looked a bit like his parents. He had Chancy's nose, and Davie's thick eyebrows. He was tan like his father, yet, personality wise, he a little more calculating, little more like his mother. The frenchman snapped.
"Stop it. Apologize to each other!" He ordered, the two instantly mumbling the phrase. Both busy parents gave them a kiss on the cheek, Chancy waving Arthur goodbye, and Davie patting the brit on the back as he left in the opposite direction. The twins were already setting up the picnic, the queen grabbing hold of his niece's and nephew's hand and began to walk.
"Why were you two fighting? Maybe I can help?"
"She keeps hiding the crosses." Geoffrey told, the girl shaking her dark hair in dissent.
"It isn't me." She shouted. "It's him! I saw him playing with them last night." Geoffrey scoffed.
"Funny, 'cuz I saw you with them last night." Arthur glanced at the boy in time to see his emerald eyes flicker with rage, before the flames died instantaneously. Anya could do that as well, suppress her anger long enough to get somewhere isolated. It Arthur years to learn that skill, yet at 6 and 7, they were doing it with ease. Geoffrey sighed. "You're such a liar, like, you could do it competitively." His voice was sincere, which shocked Arthur and his niece. Geoffrey's assault didn't stop there. "But I'm not like Dad, I won't be fooled by your long lashes." It was a common phrase Geoffrey made, the 'long lashes' remark. Anya looked like a doll, and with her long lashes, she looked incredibly cute, so cute it would be impossible to ever see her in a negative light, or to question her honesty. Geoffrey, though he was treated like his sister, felt cheated because, how did he put it last time, oh yes, he had to 'earn their trust.' The word were a little too bizarre coming out of a 7 year old's mouth.
"Oh shut up." Anya hissed. "The only liar here is you." She looked disinterested in the conversation, her eyes cast to the left, unbothered. "And you wonder why I'm their favorite." Arthur gasped, looking at Geoffrey who rolled his eyes.
"Dad did even call you by your name today. He called you 'You' all morning. I think as their first- er- oldest child, I am always their top priority, especially since you're stupid." Anya chuckled.
"'You, did you remember to comb your hair?'" Her voice was deeper as she mocked her father, Geoffrey chuckling.
"'You, stop throwing things!'" Geoffrey added, also mocking Davie. The children laughed wildly, Arthur internally groaning. Once they made to the picnic area and met up with the twins, it was as if the siblings hadn't even faught. Arthur rolled onto his side as he heard the kids laugh, Desdemona remaining by his side, not yet finished with her muffin.
"Where's Julius?" Des asked, Arthur humming.
"I don't think he's coming. He's busy nowadays."
"He's ten." She said flatly, setting down her muffin. "He's probably with Byron." Arthur nodded.
"But you're with your friends as well, it's fair." Arthur said softly, Des shaking her mop of waist length blonde curls wildly. Her almond shaped green eyes glanced around the field, watching the other kids play. Her nose was slim, she had huge brows and her skin was fair, like Arthur's, but that's where the similarities stopped. She had Alfred's heart-shaped lips, and his slightly pointed ears. She got his dimples, his tan freckles, and his cynical smirk. Micah, who was currently playing in the grass, also had a mop of blond curly hair, but his was much shorter, stopping at his chin. His ears were also pointed, his blue eyes were exactly the same as Alfred's, and his sun-kissed skin was something that truly told him apart from his sister. His nose was also slim, and he had also been blessed to have Arthur's eyebrows. He had no dimples, however, and he shared Arthur's longs lips and lashes. When the little boy turned and saw his mother watching him, he waved .
Arthur waved back, nudging his daughter.
"Go play now, I didn't take you out here for no reason." He smiled, and she did too. She ran off, joining Anya in a race against Geoffrey.
After a couple of hours, Arthur felt someone watching them, looking around cautiously. Arthur's eyes finally landed by the balcony just above them. Julius watched them with disinterested eyes as he nibbled on a cookie. His silky smooth blonde hair was pulled back into a low bun, and he was wearing... what was he wearing? Just then the doors to the third floor balcony were pulled open to reveal Alfred, face contorted into that of confusion and slight disappointment. What was going on? The two exchanged some words, Alfred raising his voice slightly, and the 10 year old boy stormed back into the building. Arthur made a note to ask later.
1 week later...
Alfred POV
"Make sure you brush your hair before bed." He told Julius as they left the stables. His son looked up at him before turning away, uncomfortable. What? "Are you okay?" He shook his head.
"No, not really." he mumbled, the king waiting for him to elaborate. Julius looked up at his father once more. "Grandma keeps telling me I won't be crown prince anymore." Alfred rolled his eyes. "She says it's cause I'm adopted." Alfred patted his shoulder. "And because I'm a bad alpha."
"Ignore her, please. She's bitter. And old." He started. "You are crown prince, when we adopted you, you became our heir." He assured. "And you aren't a bad alpha. I mean, yeah it's a little weird to wear dresses, and curl your hair... but that doesn't make you less alpha, it's in your being, it's your status, why would you be anything else?" Alfred laughed, His son awkwardly walking beside him, crossing his chest.
"I don't have a problem with not being crowned." he said flatly. "It would make more sense with Micah being crowned because he is blood. I'm not."
"Nonsense."
"All I'm saying is keep your options open." Alfred suddenly felt a wave of sickness. Was he saying what he thought he was saying?
"Do you not want the crown?" He asked, his frustration evident.
"Of course I do!" Julius whipped around to face his father sternly, Alfred sighing in relief. "I'm just saying, I wouldn't be upset if what grandma was saying was true." Alfred shook his head, pulling his son in for a bear hug.
