…The Iron King…

/Warning/: This chapter contains: cursing, sadness, a little bit of 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 23

It was days since Steven's last conversation with old man Philips regarding the truth about his betrothal; a few days that Steven thought over his options daily, knowing that whatever option he chose would be the one that would hurt many in the end. It was days since Steven dared to go and talk to Anton, preferring to ignore the Alpha until his emotions finally settled down and he wasn't in danger of exploding and starting another fight… days that he could see Petrus welting a little because James and Steven stopped visiting at night to play Hnefatafl or come to their house for anything else… days that his James looked at him strangely before asking if the foolish king had hurt them or if he should stop talking with Petrus… words that hurt Steven deeply because the children shouldn't be burdened with their parents mistakes, but was shackled with them because of Steven and Anton's unknowing past that almost destroyed everything.

At first when Anton asked for his hand in marriage; Steven had thought him mad. Laughing at the silly thought of his enemy wanting to court him like a shy maiden when they both knew that Steven and his people were spoilers of war. At that time, Steven was angry; at that time, he was furious. At that time, he believed the Iron King was his enemy and nothing more because the man had killed his children even if it was indirectly… at that time, Steven was content to let the misunderstanding fester until it erupted and burned the two of them just like a volcano destroying the earth…

But then, the misunderstandings had cleared, they found a common goal and surprisingly enjoyed their time together without fighting and being at each other's throats. Then Steven talked with Petrus, the shy little babe who looked at him with so much hope and expectation that Steven didn't know what to do; interacting with the boy and seeing him in a light he hadn't before. Then he met Magna, one of the king's friends and his advisor; the woman had looked at him like he was their savior but at the same time their doom. The Alpha had talked to him, told him about Anton's past in a way, and begged him not to lead the man, either leave him be, or accept him and his faults.

Back then, Steven had thought hard about the pros and cons of accepting the foolish Alpha's proposal; knowing too well that refusal wouldn't impact him at all, while accepting the man in his life would open many doors that he wouldn't be able to close after they were thrown open. Back then Steven had dreamed of his Anton… his beautiful and kind Anton… the child who he promised his love and life to… the child that had died and left him alone… that night was the night of discoveries for him… the terror he felt at the thought of losing the one he considered his enemy made him pause and consider all of his thoughts about the man.

Back then, Steven decided to open his eyes; stop living in denial, and truly consider the man's proposal, not from a point of view that would benefit his pack and son… but from a point of heart that Steven decided to bury a long time ago… the Alpha was brash, a brute, a man who for someone as smart as him was an idiot as a board; the Alpha was brutal having no qualm about killing women and children, even babes, with a heart made of stone and a thirst for revenge that gave him the fearsome reputation he had. Starkad was a man who didn't know how to apologize, and never think of the consequences until everything was done and he was forced to face them or suffer from them. He was an idiot whose arrogance would be the death of him one day, and his habit of being quick to anger would lead him to fall into trouble with no way out. He was foolish, impulsive, annoying, in your face; with an ability that made Steven itch to put his fist in the Alpha's face and break his nose…

But surprisingly he was kind, attentive, endearing, a man who would stand for others if needed. A man who offers kindness and disguises it in other means because he doesn't want people to perceive him in a good way, which is honestly stupid because half of the people here see his kindness. He was honorable in a way that doesn't exist in their environment, and if it did then he was one of the rarities that was hard to find. He protected and provided for his people, making sure that no one, be it elders or children ended up in the street, starved or homeless. He was a man who wouldn't say sorry to save his life but would do the impossible to gain forgiveness. He was the type who would reward good ten times the amount, and take retribution ten thousand times the amount if wronged. Anton was a man who didn't forget, and if someone gained his trust or loyalty, then he would cross the lands and seas for them without hesitation… a foolish man with a golden heart that was blackened with soot, and a part of Steven was intrigued to see the man when the heart was polished and the soot was removed completely… a foolish Alpha that Steven used to sneer at the present of, but discovered as the days passed that he grow fond of… a man that could be Steven's future if he had said yes… a future that wouldn't remind him of the past and kill what's left of his Spirit…

But that was then… this was now…

Now, after the truth was discovered; now, after he realized that his past and future had mixed in a mocking fashion. Now after Steven discovered that the person of his past, the one he decided to honor by moving on was the same person that could have been his future… now Steven realized how funny and cruel the fates were for the play, they forced him to participate in… now after he… after he…

Steven didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to react or think, a part of him was wondering if he would wake up any minute now and all of this madness was just that, a madness his brain created from a fever or something else. But the devastating emotions that Steven felt in the past few days were too much to be anything but the truth that plagued him.

The majority of his feelings jumped between disbelieve, denial, and even neutral response; but a small part of him was angry… so angry that he wanted to set this whole place on fire and be done with it. Part of Steven was so angry that the person he thought would give him a chance to forget the past was the embodiment of the past himself… part of Steven was so angry… at the relief he felt... he was so angry at the heartbreak he felt because then… because then what Anton had done to him would be personal, and not the action of a man who never knew of his existence before… even if Steven tried to think rationally, even when he knew that it wasn't Anton's fault, even when Steven knew the truth now… it felt personal…

Steven knew that he could follow Philips's words, telling Anton that they were done and taking his pack and leaving this place; leaving Anton behind and everything reminded him of the man. Leave this place and return to Asgard where he hoped to be left alone for the rest of his life while ignoring everything and anything as he secluded himself away from the pain. Steven knew that Hela and Frigga would be more than happy to discover that he was alive, and would no doubt do anything they could to make sure that his wishes were granted. Steven knew that if he told Anton about his decision, the man would accept it without refusal, allowing Steven to decide his fate and accepting the heartache that would come with it without fighting; accepting Steven's leave without a word, shouldering Petrus tears as his friends and what would have been his family left… accepting his fate and forcing himself to move on.

Steve knew that, but all of him refused it vehemently…

But his other option is accepting Anton's proposal and continuing as if nothing had happened between them; as if both of them weren't each other's childhood first love and the other's downfall. If he accepted, it meant that Steven had to force himself into ignoring who they were to each other; forcing them both to live a lie. Something that he can't accept, just as he can't accept that Anton was the same love he wanted to bury and forget about.

But would it be really bad?

Forgetting and forgiving…. Forgiving and forgetting… something that Steven never allowed himself to do, having lived all of his life in burning rage and hate for everything that was done to him, be it because of Johann and his people, or because of the Iron King and his warriors. He was too spiteful to choose from that even on his deathbed.

Forgetting but not forgiving, or forgiving but not forgetting… a hard choice that Steven didn't know what to choose, not when he had entangled himself so deep that he wasn't the only one affected. His James, his pack, Fury, Petrus… Anton… all of them would be affected by the decision they were waiting for him to make; causing the pressure to almost suffocate him as he went on with his days. This was why he was content to spend his days in the forest with the excuse of collecting herbs and roots while ignoring the way that Philips, Fury, and Anton's foolish friends looked at him with a look that meant they were bracing themselves for the worst.

His walk in the forest was a means for him to calm down and think about his next step, wondering if he should reject Anton and disappear from this place, reject the man and stay, or accept him… all the while refusing to make his feelings or anxious inner Omega a deciding factor because he knew what they had been urging him to choose for the past days.

But when was Steven's life easy in any way shape or form? A question that Steven couldn't help but ask himself as his eyes fell on the scene in front of him, taking the body parts and the blood that was painting the ground and the trees around them. Steven had to blink as he felt like he was flipped upside down and dizziness consumed him because there… in the middle of it all… was Anton, who was covered in red and was swaying on his feet; and when the man turned his face toward Steven, the Omega pressed his lips into a tight line when golden eyes greeted him…

The foolish Alpha just had to become feral, didn't he?

Anton didn't know what happened after he attacked Tyber and Hamar; he only knew the fury and rage that consumed him like the fires of Muspelheim. Too angry and mad to even reason with them as his Alpha chanted and ordered him to kill those worms… those worms that dared to imply they would hurt his Steven. Just the thought of the Omega getting hurt had set something in Anton lose and he all but flowed toward those two, uncaring of the consequences and damn all who would try to stop him from cutting those two down.

All Anton knew was his roar as he attacked, uncaring of the two as they tried to make a run for it, uncaring of the agony he felt when Hamar managed to stab him in his side before, he ripped him apart; uncaring of the pain that was felt in his left shoulder when Tyber shook in his place as he shoots an arrow at him and tried to scramble away only to fail.

All Anton cared about was eliminating the threat those two posed to his Omega (But was Steven his Omega anymore?) uncaring of the dangers he was forced to face to ensure those two vanished from this realm. It wasn't until Anton made sure those two would never walk again on this earth that he regained a little of his consciousness as fury and rage receded for a bit; shimmering under his skin and boiling his blood, not fully contained, but not a danger at this moment.

It was the sight of blood everywhere, his hands, clothes, hair, and the forest surrounding him that made Anton blink dispassionately and let out an 'Oh' sound; as if only now did Anton realized that he had gone feral and eviscerated those dogs that dared to threaten the one he loved. Tyber's face had given in from how repeatedly Anton punched him, leaving blood and brain matter everywhere and a twitching and broken body oozing blood on the ground, not that far away was Hamar, who was stabbed and cut to pieces using the same dagger he attacked Anton with.

It was the sound of a branch breaking and a suppressed gasp that made Anton's hackle raise, preparing to attack as he all but whirled to snuff the threat that greeted him. What Anton saw was Steven, gazing at him with wide disbelieving eyes as he glanced at the horrifying scene behind him before his sight returned to Anton, repeating the action a few times unaware of how frozen Anton was in his place, as his wits returned to him and with it the consequences of his actions, especially now, that Steven saw it.

Anton stilled in his place; his breath frozen in his chest as he waited for the verdict from Steven, waiting to be judged and deemed if he was lacking or if it was too much for Steven to handle. It wasn't long before Steven blinked, seeming to come to a conclusion as his face darkened, anger dominating his face as he all but ran to slap Anton hard, causing his head to turn to the side and for his cheek to sting horribly.

"Are you mad?!" Steven snarled, looking around them with a wild look before returning his gaze toward Anton, fury shining in the Omega's eyes, that promised him a punishment worse than his imagination. "Do you know what you have done?" Steven hissed, taking hold of Anton's hand and starting to drag him away in a rushed step, ignoring how Anton stumbled behind him as he tried to keep up.

"I did what had to be done." Anton slurred, his tongue heavy and his jaw hurt when he moved it, and for one hysterical second, he wondered if Steven broke his jaw with that slap of his. "They-" Anton didn't even manage to defend himself as Steven threw him a harsh glare that ordered him to shut up.

"I do not care what they were schemed! I want to know how mad you were to murder them in broad daylight in a place that young adults always frequented!" The hysteria Anton managed to detect under the harsh tone Steven used, caused Anton to stumble in his place as Steven herded him away from the murder site. "Do you even understand the grave situation you put yourself into? Do you not know that if someone saw you killing them and going berserk, they would use this to usurp you? Put you down? Kill you, because they fear you turning against them?" Steven breathed hard, pulling Anton this way and that way and going deep into the woods before the two of them reached a lake (The same lake that Anton saw Steven bath in a long time ago) looking around frantically before turning to Anton.

"I am not-" Anton couldn't even finish before Steven took hold of him and yeeted him into the icy cold water, causing Anton to flail around until he broke the surface coughing and turning to Steven to shout at him for being crazy, only to get smacked in the face with what turned out to be a bar of soap; causing Anton to blink in confusion because why was Steven walking around with a bar of soap in his possession?

"Wash yourself, you fool!" Steven growled, still looking around the place leaving Anton gazing at Steven with a dumbfounded look on his face; wondering if this was his imagination and that he had gone crazy. "Well?!" Steve snapped, causing Anton to take his clothes but leaving his pants and throwing them on shore before turning washing himself off the blood and grim, wincing and greeting his teeth as his wounds sting and throb, continuing to ooze blood. "You are a fool, just for this I am tempted to let you walk naked in this weather." Steven hissed, fists opening and closing tightly before repeating the process.

"You cannot be serious…" Anton whispered under his breath, finally gaining enough clarity as his rage and anger vanished completely, leaving only dread in its place… dread and worry of Steven's next action that he finally washed himself completely off blood; the cold water closing the wounds temporarily.

"I am serious!" Steven snapped, informing Anton that the Omega had heard him clearly as day, as if he shouted his words out loud, which made Anton wince and wad toward the shore, gazing at Steve who was glaring at him like he was a disobedient brat. "Come here." Ordered Steven, sitting toward the edge of the lake and motioning to Anton, which the Alpha followed in the hope of not being yeeted again for disobeying; it wasn't long before Steven was checking out his wounds, tsking in annoyance at what he saw, but the drop of his shoulder and the relief in his eyes, told Anton that he wasn't in any danger. "Wear this," Steven ordered, giving Anton his coat, causing the Alpha to still. "Do not give me that look, just take it." Steven throws the coat at him before taking the bile of bloody clothes and starting to pull the Alpha away, dragging him back to his house, all the while cursing and muttering under his breath, causing the Alpha to shiver at the dark promises he heard.

"They wanted to kill you and your pack…" Anton finally explained when the two of them managed to sneak into his home without being caught; the two of them sat in Anton's bedroom as the Omega bandaged his wounds. His words stilled Steven's hands for a minute before he once again resumed its care, ignoring Anton's sharp gaze until he was done.

"And you thought it was fine to play the hero and endanger yourself…" Steven all but spat, his lips twitching as he held his sneer while gazing at the bandages covering Anton's chest. "I can protect myself; I do not need you or anyone else to 'Protect me' just because I am an Omega." Anton wince at those harsh words taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

"It was not because you were an Omega… it is because… it is because… you…" Anton mumbled before trailing off and turning away; Steven seemed to have understood him well enough if his stillness was anything to go by before the Omega stood up and walked away from Anton, causing the Alpha's heart to drop as he all but jump off the bed and rushed to catch Steven's arm stopping him from leaving the room.

It was silent for a long time as Steven gazed at him long and hard indescribable emotions crossing over his face before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "You know I am not him, right?" Steven ended up saying after what seemed like hours of silence.

"Just as you know, I am not that crybaby who used to hide behind his fiancé's back." Anton returned back, causing Steven's lips to twitch and a fond look took over his face before it vanished.

"No, you are not… you became worse. A heartless brute whose arrogance would be his downfall." Steven said offhandedly, eying Anton up and down, causing the Alpha to bristle against his will.

"Just as you have become a ruthless and bitter Omega whose hate would force him to live miserably until the end," Anton stated, his grip on Steven's arm tightening as he saw a flash of challenge in the Omega's eyes.

"I will never forgive you!" Steven spat out, anger shining in his eyes as he tensed as if waiting for something that he knew was there.

"Just as I never forget about you!" Anton growled, taking a step forward, causing Steven's hackles to rise, as he all but buffed like an affronted cat that someone stepped on its tail.

Anton doesn't even know what happened next, the two of them were almost hissing, hackles raised like alley cats preparing for a fight; the next they were kissing, and he doesn't even know who started the kiss first, only the two of them were holding each other tightly as they shared a passionate kiss.

"You are such a fool…" Steven mumbled after pulling away, causing Anton to hum as if agreeing with Steven, holding the Omega tightly and ignoring his grumble as he tightened his grip. "If that stab in your side was a hairbreadth deeper than… then you…" Steven gave a shuddered breath hissing something under his breath before punching Anton on his injured shoulder; even if the punch was light (In Steven's standard) it still hurt.

"Will not apologize…" Anton said after a moment when getting the pain under control, causing Steven to call him a 'Fool' under his breath before pulling back. "We got rid of them in the end did we not?" Anton said, trying to make Steven look at the bright side.

"Yes, while causing us to fall under suspicion considering the past events, and not to forget that now we would never know who was helping those two; knowing that snake he had more than one person willing to help for a price…" Steven deadpanned, causing Anton to wince because yes, other than Tyber's words and threats they didn't know who was helping him other than Hamar.

"I… may have… not thought of that…" Anton ended up saying, causing Steven to give him a look that mostly meant 'Oh, really?' before he rolled his eyes and pushed Anton away, making the Alpha almost pull him back into his embrace, already missing his warmth.

"You are a fool…" Steven repeated not for the lack of anything, but trying to imprint these words so far in Anton's mind that he would never forget them or think otherwise.

"A fool who got a kiss…" Anton said under his breath, and if Steven's sharp look was anything to go by, it meant that the Omega heard him loud and clear. "Did that mean you decided?" Anton asked, trying to change the subject in the hope that the Omega not get angry and change his mind.

"Maybe." Was Steven's answer before he all but turned away to leave stopping in his place and turning toward Anton. "You can come and continue your talk with Philips and stay there until the Elders come to get you; if anyone asked, your excuse is that you were with us all day negotiating our marriage contract and finalizing it," Steven stated, before leaving Anton alone in the room with a dumbfounded look on his face…

It didn't take long before Anton scrambled after Steven…

It was awkward between the old man who was sitting on the bed eying him, and Anton who was sitting rigidly in his chair, gazing at the man as if he were a poisonous snake ready to strike. Steven had already left the two of them together, after whispering something to Philips, causing the old goat to hum and nod before turning his sight to Anton. So far, the two of them had studied each other silently, herbal drinks in their hands, but not daring to break the awkward mood that could be hacked with an ax.

"What was your parents' agreement?" Philips finally said, after what seemed like a long time of silence that almost caused Anton to doze off; the words the older man spoke caused Anton to still a little, an unknowing emotion squeezing his heart before he finally answered.

"Half of the lands under the Starkad family after marriage, as well as 30 golden pieces as a bridal price," Anton said, after a while of silence, his words causing Philips to raise his eyebrow at the high price he was hearing. "What can I say, my grandfather was a warrior…" Anton left it at that, not wanting to go deep into how his grandfather and father gained their wealth and lands that were still in his name.

"I see…" The old man said, not all that convinced by Anton's words but thankfully, not pressuring him to know more. "And the dowry?" Philips questioned, already thinking hard and deeply about the dowry the Starkad no doubt demanded if this was the bridal price.

"It was up to the Róaldr family; my parents did not care as much about the dowry as what they would gain by marrying into the Róaldr Clan," Anton stated, his words causing the older man to hum and mutter to himself, his lips pressed into a deep line as if thinking.

It was a long time spent in silence, a long time with the old man drumming his fingers against the cup in his hand before he seemed to snap out of it and turn toward Anton saying. "Against his better judgment, the brat seemed to like you… and who am I to stand in the way of an engagement that had been long since decided by your family? The condition of this engagement would be the same as your parents had decided years ago, do you accept?" Anton's breath hitched as he heard those words, all but slumping down in relief now that he got the older man's blessing to court and marry Steven come summer or autumn.

"Yes," Anton breathed, sitting straight and nodding his head, his heart pounded in his throat. "I accept all the conditions and any additional one Steven might want to add in the future," Anton stated, and for a second, he saw the look of approval in the older Beta's eyes before it vanished when the door was slammed open and Nattalegg came with a haggled look on her face…

It seemed like they had found the bodies…

So, what do you think?

An update!

I tried to finish this chapter as fast as I could to post it on my birthday.

Too much chaotic energy that I didn't know from where it came.

But at least they kissed!

Something that honestly surprised me as it wasn't planned… oh well…

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama