…The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains, cursing, sadness, angst, maybe a little bit of violence, sad Steve, and poor Tony! 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 22

A dark snarl dominated his face as he stalked toward his destination; rage swirled inside of him with the power of a hurricane waiting for the right time to erupt like a volcano and destroy everything in his path. It was morning, and even when the sun was shining and illuminating the way; the roads were empty, except for a few who had awoken early to start their day, those who went to their jobs, or drunkards who finally returned home after a night spent in the tavern. Even then nobody was paying too much attention to him, something that Anton appreciated, as he was a mere seconds away from killing the first idiot who decided to come between him and his goal.

So Anton headed to his destination, having ordered Magna and Jamti to watch over the children as he went on his quest of killing the corpse that dared to hold such important information from him. Every time Anton was forced to remember that Fury (The person that Anton had considered a family) held such information close and not telling Anton (When he knew damn well how Anton had done everything he can think of to get any piece of news about his betrothal) a new wave of anger almost consumed him, causing a growl to erupt of his throat.

Reaching his destination, Anton had to summon all of his willpower not to break down the door and kill the Alpha who no doubt had woken up and started his day. Instead, Anton growled as he pounded on the door, not caring if the woods had splintered if it meant the old goat would come and open the door and receive the punch that was rightfully his.

It wasn't long before Anton heard a movement from behind the door, maybe a minute or two before an enraged Fury opened the door with the harshest scowl on his face and a growl in his throat… a growl that stopped as soon as he noticed Anton and instead of an angry look, a wary one took its place, causing Anton's blood to boil once more.

"You knew!" Anton all but spat as he pushed the Alpha inside the house, his hands fisting the tunic the older man was wearing as he pushed him against the first wall that came into his sight. "You knew about Stefán being alive and never told me!" Anton snarled, nearly letting go of the man to start choking him for daring to betray him like this when he knew how much Anton had ached for his betrothal.

Instead of anger or fear, as Anton expected, Fury blinked his eye several times before gazing at Anton with surprise and disbelief before saying "You too?!" In an incredulous voice, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What in the name of Hel?" The Alpha mumbled, before frowning. "How? Just how? Two brats in one day?!" Fury asked no one in practically, his words causing Anton's grip to slacken, allowing the Alpha to push him away. "I mean, I can understand why Stefán did not recognize you, but how could you not recognize him?" And that was the million golden coin question that Anton wanted to find the answer to, his glare though seemed to have given Fury somewhat of an answer to that question. "I thought you proposed because you knew…" Fury said in a soft voice then, the gentleness of the tone he used, caused Anton to bristle and he had to try his hardest to stop himself from snapping and stabbing the Alpha in front of him.

"I proposed, hoping for a second chance to forget about him!" Anton hissed, his words seemed to have stopped Fury in his place, as dread started to fill his eye; Anton tried really hard not to scream or snap at the gentle way the Alpha was trying to act. "You knew how it was after Brookland… you knew how it was after we saw that… that corpse! You! You more than anyone should have known what it was like, and told me about Stefán when you realized he was here!" At that, guilt flashed in Fury's eye as he averted Anton's gaze, trying to appear unaffected by the words that were all but spat his way.

"Maybe I should have…" Fury mumbled under his breath before letting out a sigh, his nose scrunched before he turned to Anton. "And maybe you should have at least realized it was Stefán or related to him in a way considering that he looked like his father's twin." Fury hissed, his words causing Anton to bristle and clinch his fists tightly in fear of punching the older Alpha in the face and breaking his nose.

"Oh, fantastic! Sure! Blame the person who had not seen his betrothal for more than twenty years! The person who remembered a small, tiny child as his betrothal! Blame the Alpha who could not recognize his betrothal when the last time he saw him and his family was decades ago!" Anton snarled, his words seemed to still Fury in his place, and this time the guilt and embarrassment dominated all of Fury's features as he shifted in his place, a grimace flashing on his face before it stilled into a neutral expression.

"Fine… maybe it was my fault for thinking that you brats would sit down and talk about everything like adults…" Fury said, in what Anton knew was his twisted version of an apology, causing Anton to grit his teeth so hard that he was almost sure a tooth would break if he continued. "But in the end, it would have not changed anything… would it?" That made Anton still in his place and look away, his fists clinched and he had to bite the inside of his cheek so hard that he tasted blood.

"It might have not solved any of our problems… but… but…" Anton started, only for his voice to waver after the last word because even he doesn't know what would happen after that 'But' other than him prostrating and begging for Stefán's forgiveness in the hope of his betrothal giving him a chance… any chance there was to gain a sliver of his forgiveness for what he had done to the Omega he loved and the children he had.

"But nothing…" A tired voice answered, causing both Fury and Anton to whirl around to see Stefán looking at them with a tired look on his face; his eyes were red and swollen, and his hair was in disarray, showing how affected he was after the whole ordeal that took place not hours ago. "You and I… we both know what would have happened if the truth was told earlier… and we both know that this reaction was the tamest that the two of us could muster…" That made shame willed up in Anton's heart as his throat closed up; any possibility of denying that claim had vanished with the glaring truth in front of him.

"S… Stefán…" Anton whispered in a cracked voice, causing Stefán to close his eyes and swallow before looking away, his action causing Anton's heart to drop in his stomach; the fear of losing everything because of his foolishness almost consumed him; the thought of losing the only chance with his beloved almost destroyed him.

"It is Steven… Stefán had died a long time ago…" Stefán… no Steven said, his words breaking what was left of Anton's heart and causing his gaze to become blurry with the tears that clouded his eyes but refused to fall; a little shuffling was heart after that before the sound of the door opening and then closing informing the two of them that Fury had left them alone to give them privacy.

"Are they not the same person…?" Anton whispered, his words causing Steven to clinch his fists as he turned toward Anton, many emotions were flickering in his eyes, causing the Alpha to feel equally hope and dread. But truly, the dominant emotion Anton was feeling was fear… a soul-crushing fear that this is it.

Steven seemed to gaze at him for a long time, his lips twitched, and Anton doesn't know if he was going to scowl harshly or give him a mocking smile; Anton, though, would have welcomed either of those two possibilities if it meant that he didn't have to suffer the judgmental silence that was choking him. "Are the Iron King and Volundrsson the same?" Steven asked suddenly rebuffing his question with another of his own… a question that made Anton's stomach drop, and for his hands to shake because this… this was his answer.

"So what?" Anton tried to act uncaring of the answer, only for his voice to betray him and crack in the middle of his question, causing Steven's lips to press into a thin line, and Anton couldn't help but bite the inside of his cheek harshly to stop himself from sobbing. "Did I… did I lose this chance, too?" At that, a traitorous tear slid down his face, and Anton couldn't help but feel anger… at himself or at the situation they found themselves in, Anton doesn't know anymore.

Silence greeted Anton, and the longer the silence prolong, all the hopes that Anton carried broken like glass, rending Anton empty as the reality finally sank in… he had lost his beloved a second time… before Anton did something stupid such as breaking down and running away, Steven walked until he stood in front of him, looking so tired that Anton couldn't help but think 'His fault' over and over again. "I do not know…" Steven ended up saying, causing Anton to swallow harshly, but a part of his couldn't help but relax a little… it was not an outright rejection. "At this moment, though… I need time… time to wrap my mind around the fact that you are… alive…" Steven said, and Anton almost flinch at the tone the Omega used when he said the last word, almost as if he was confused in a way, or that he couldn't comprehend that the Alpha he loved was the same one he hated… a feeling that Anton experienced not a few hours ago. "And I think you also need some time to straighten this… mess…" At that, Anton couldn't help but nod his head, feeling dejected but at the same time, relieved that Steven hadn't outright told him to get lost and never appear in front of him ever again.

"When… when would I see you again?" Anton couldn't help but ask, wanting to know how much time Steven would need to straighten their entangled feelings that had always fallen between love and hate in one way or another. For his answer Steven just shrugged his shoulders, giving Anton a tired (So tired that Anton almost wanted to pull the Omega into a hug) smile.

"Who knows…?" Steven ended up whispering before letting out a sigh, giving Anton another fleeting smile that was overshadowed by the pain shining in his eyes before he left the house, leaving Anton alone to gaze at the wooden floor with clinched fists…

Anton couldn't suppress the sob that left his throat…

"So he is your betrothal?" The old man asked, humming as he gazed at Steven who was trying to busy himself with grinding the herbs to make the medicine, trying to act uncaring as he continued on with his task, even when the older man no doubt realize how much turmoil the Omega was suffering. "You should have seen him when I said your true name…" At that, Steven stilled for a few seconds before resuming his work, hoping that the older man had missed this oversight, the snort that greeted him, informed him that Philips knew damn well what Steven was going through. "So… what is your plan after this? Do you plan on accepting his proposal or are you leaving the village?" At this, Steven abandoned his pretense and turned toward Philips who was watching him like a hawk, as if evaluating him by his answer.

"I do not know…" That Steven's answer after the minutes passed with no words left his lips, an answer that caused the older man to purse his lips in deep thought but remains silent as if waiting for Steven to explain more. "I know that I should be happy that Anton… that Anton had survived I just…" Steven's words trailed before he let out a sigh, mixing the herbs with warm water before presenting it to Philips.

"Cannot accept the fact that the person you adore is the same as the one who you used to hate…" Philips finished for Steven, taking the bowl with the medicine and drinking it in one swoop, ignoring how Steven's clinched his fists tightly. "You know… it is funny in a twisted kind of way…" Philips said, a grimace itching on his face at the bitter taste of the medicine, before giving the bowl to Steven. "Both of you survived the madness thrown at you by a man who perceives himself a God; both of you believed each other to be dead and decided to move on and open your hearts to what you considered your enemy… only for the enemy to turned out to be your other half who had to break themselves and sacrifice the goodness in their hearts to survive in this cruel world… I wonder if I should laugh or pity you for how the fates used you as a toy to amuse themselves with…" Philips hummed; his words causing Steven to grit his teeth and turn away, the wooden bowl in his hand nearly shatter into splinters as he tried desperately to not let the older Beta's words affect him.

"Yes… how funny…" Steven hissed through gritted teeth as he went to the hearth to steer the stew, trying to ignore how angry he was feeling at the words that Philips said… not because they enraged him, but because they were true in every sense there was. How funny it was that the person he decided to open his heart to turn out to be the same one he was still mourning in a way. How funny it was that the person he decided to accept his offer in the hope of a new start turned out to be the same one he promised everything to. How cruel were the fates that they played with not only his life but Anton's life too?

"You know that you can tell the brat no?" Philips said after a few minutes of silence, causing Steven to pause in his steering and turn to the man who was gazing at him with a complex look. "You can refuse his proposal and leave the village with James and the rest to Asgard; that stupid brat will not say no… he is a bastard but he respects you too much to refuse your request…" Steven swallowed at those words, his throat closing as he gazed at Philips who looked with sincere eyes, as if push came to pull, he will fight tooth and nail to allow Steven the right to decide. "Or…" Philips interrupted the spiral Steven was about to fall into, causing Steven to blink and return his gaze toward the old Beta. "Or the two of you can sit down, and talk like adults without falling into anger and destroying everything; maybe then the two of you will manage to reach a satisfying solution." The Beta grumbled, spitting the word 'adults', like he had his doubts about Steven and Anton can act like adults without fighting like wild cats for more than a few minutes.

Steven's lips twitched at that; maybe into a smile or a frown, he doesn't know, but he was feeling lighter than he did for the past few days of evading Anton, and Fury. "Maybe…" Steven conceded, letting out a sigh, as he returned to the stew, humming something unintelligent under his breath before letting out another sight.

"It would be hard…" Philips continued, receiving a hum from Steven who was thinking about the options the Beta gave him. "And you would probably prefer swallowing your Shield than admit to a weakness that had caused you so much." At that Steven couldn't help but bite his lower lip hard, avoiding Philips's searching gaze. "But you changed… he changed… both of you grew up and became people that you no doubt did not imagine becoming…" That made Steven bite his lip so hard that he broke the skin and tasted blood… yes, indeed… they became people that the two of them never imagined becoming when they talked about their future… where Steven had imagined a happy life with his Alpha, his naïve and stupid hope had shattered when he was taken as a prisoner by mad Alpha… a prisoner who turned into a whore, and later a wife, a mother, and a queen… all to satisfy a madman who believed the world should kneel before him… as for Anton… his stupid loyal Anton… had remained waiting for him all these years, becoming someone that he should never become, deciding to hold the sword and become a bloodthirsty king to avenge his fallen people and family… killing and killing until even the Alpha couldn't recognize who he used to be before carrying a sword… if it wasn't for Petrus, Steven shuddered to think what would happen to the foolish Alpha.

"I know that…" Steven whispered, letting out a sigh before ladling the stew into a clean bowl and giving it to the old Beta, causing the man to hum. "I just… I… I do not know how I should act now… part of me refused to believe that the foolish king is the same as my Anton… and the other part… the other part is just yelling at me for how much of an idiot I am for continuing to deny all the similarity that the two of them shared and continued to live in ignorance until the truth becomes too hard to deny." He confessed, hoping that the old Beta would give him a piece of helpful advice that would solve the problem.

"If it is hard to accept that the foolish Alpha is your foolish brat, then do not," Philips stated, his words gaining a confused look from Steven who watched as the Beta stuffed his face with grumbling words under his breath that they were no doubt curses at how stupid Steven and Anton were. "You can use this as a chance for a new start, was this not why you accept the bastard's proposal? You can act like what happened a few days ago did not happen and resume things as normal… just a foolish Alpha king who fancy a stubborn Omega and decided to court him… no past, no childhood promises, no nothing… just an Alpha interested in an Omega and wish to marry them..." That made Steven's breath hitch as he realized what the old Beta was implying, giving him a chance to forget and discard the past and start a new beginning with a foolish Alpha who he used to hate but started to accept and care for. "Or… you can hang into a past that has long since been destroyed and torture yourself with the 'What ifs'… it is your choice, I can only hope that you would choose wisely…" Steven swallowed, his heart pounding loudly in his chest as his breath hitched… the possibilities and options that Philips's words opened made Steven tremble in his place…

And Steven couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear at the hope he felt…

It wasn't that Anton didn't respect Steven's wishes of giving him time to decide upon what shall he do now, that the truth became known to the two of them… it wasn't that Anton didn't want to bury himself under a mountain of furs and sleep until everything vanish and the crushing pain in his heart disappeared… it wasn't that Anton wasn't afraid of what Steven would do when he was going to see him when he explicitly told him to scram and leave him alone… it was just… it was just…

After days of Steven ignoring and avoiding Anton, and Anton being forced to suffer the sad and pitiful looks from his friends and their encouraging speech; the Alpha was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. The only thing that made Anton keep moving on was the small hope that Steven would accept him and not discard him like a foul thing, now he knew that the person he loved and adored as a child was the same monster who killed his children.

It was a hard truth to swallow… so bitter that Anton almost choked several times as his throat closed and his lungs refused to expand; panic nipping on his heels as he tried to hold himself together, least his broke into pieces like a glass cup and his shatter remains grind into fine powder.

It was a low blow; realizing that the person he loved all of his life, waited for, hoped for, wished for, was the same person that was stolen and locked away as a prisoner… the same person who was forced to forsake his name and identity because of the desires of a crazy Alpha… the same person who Anton had wronged and continued to wrong even now, causing many fights and misunderstandings that it was a miracle from Valhalla everything ended up being resolved the way it was…

His future, the Omega who Anton had decided would be the person he would share a new beginning with was the same person Anton had dreamed and planned his life with… it was a shock that Anton didn't know how to handle… a shock that his Alpha didn't know how to handle that it stayed silent ever since the past became known.

For days, Anton wondered what he is to do, how he should act… how to beg Steven to forgive him and give him a second chance even if he knew he didn't deserve it… for days, Anton cursed at how foolish he was, viewing himself with contempt daily for telling Steven the truth and ruining everything the achieved and destroying his chance in happiness… so what if Anton didn't tell Steven who he truly was? What if Anton didn't tell Steven about their shared past? So what if it would have broken his heart and destroyed everything he believed in? So what if he was forced to live with the bitter fact that Anton was the one who turned his beloved life into hell because he was too heartbroken and foolish that he believed the words of an oath breaker? At least, keeping the truth to himself, Steven wouldn't have looked at him like that day, like his future had shattered and that his world had turned upside down… at least then Steven would be happy and ignorant to the fact that the person he loved was the same as one who killed all of his children and turned his life miserable daily.

Today, after holing himself in his home for days wallowing in self-pity and having his friends coming in and out of his house to check in on him until he had enough… today Anton decided to leave his home for the first time and walk around the forest, hoping that his mind would calm down enough that he would manage to come up with a solid plan to gain Steven's forgiveness or at least gain his pity to allow him a second chance to win his heart.

So here, Anton was, walking through the forest as he tried to come up with new ideas not only to get Steven's forgiveness but also to save their marriage negotiation, in the hope of marrying Steven in the summer or autumn… Anton could only hold a small hope in his heart that Steven would come to talk to him soon…

It was only the sound of people in the distance that made Anton pause in his place, raising his eyebrow as he looked around, wondering if he had come across a hunting party that decided to use this place as a hunting ground. Looking around, Anton furrow his eyebrows when he noticed that this part of the woods was not known to house animals bigger than rabbits and squirrels to hunt, the only thing this part was famous for, was the herbs, and berries that the villagers, especially Braes loved to use.

With that Anton continued on, getting closer and closer to the source of the noises, frowning harshly as the sound of talking turned into shouting and hissing mixed with threats; so instead of snapping at the shouting party and scolding them for being so loud in these peaceful part of the land, Anton walked silently toward them, only to still in his place and his for body to stiffen dangerously as he saw Hamar (Who should have been dead by now, unless someone had secretly helped him) and Tyber who were so engrossed in their heated argument that they didn't notice him.

"Are you mad? I cannot even get closer to the village before someone notices me and those guards come after me, and you want me to come to sneak into the village?" Hamar hissed, his only hand twitching as if he was trying hard to stop himself from punching Tyber in the face, a fact that only made the Beta scuff and raise his nose high.

"So what? You should be grateful that the only thing you need to do is sneak around the place and nothing more; it is me who would have the hardest part in this plan!" Growled Tyber, causing Hamar to hiss and give the Beta a look that would have killed a person. "You want revenge on the Omega and his brat do you not?" Hearing that, Anton's breath hitched and all of his attention turned toward Tyber who was looking arrogantly when he noticed how Hamar stilled with a look of contempt.

"How sure are you that your plan is going to work? From what I heard you are under suspicion and your sister was declared an outlawed, any move against that Omega would make you the main suspect… especially now with the Iron King courting the Omega." That made the hair on Anton's body raise on its ends, as his Alpha finally steered, the intention of hurting his Omega made it pace in its cage and growled to be let out.

"Maybe… or maybe I just have a winning card in my hand," Tyber stated with an overconfident smirk that caused Anton's blood to boil and for his fists to clench. "The snow had melted, a lot of sailors going to come to the village to trade, a lot of villagers are leaving the village to trade… who knows what happened if some sort of… unsavory character managed to sneak in the village when the guards are busy with someone else…" That made Hamar perks up and for a thoughtful look to cross his face.

"Go on…" Hamar ordered, far more interested than he was a few seconds ago, not that Anton cared to pay him attention as he was too busy hearing his Alpha roar and snarl at every word that left Tyber's filthy mouth… every threat, every letter, every order said with that smug face made Anton and his Alpha roar for blood, because how dare he?! How dare that useless waste of space threaten his Omega and child? How dare he try and burn their home and kill the people his Omega considered a pack? How dare he?! Anton didn't need to think anymore, he just let out a snarl…

And attacked…

So what do you think?

Finally a chapter!

I have no excuse for vanishing this long…. Only life mixed with writer's block T^T

Sorry….

Anyway, a little angsty chapter before the rollercoaster of emotions in the next one!

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama