Chapter 5

As absurd as it was, after the initial second in which his heart threatened to abandon its vocation, the first coherent thought Harry had, was that the Emperor sounded like a lion, a great lion with a thundering roar contained in a human body. He felt that this description was accurate. The way the Emperor's body moved sinuously closer to Harry each second made his knees tremble. Before he could voice this opinion and potentially humiliate or incriminate himself any further, he opted to bite his tongue and instead find a more suitable answer to the burning eyes of the Emperor. That, was much easier said than done because what was he supposed to say? His father never prepared him for this possibility; the possibility that someone may eventually recognize him for what he was and not who he was. The possibility that he would meet an alpha, not to mention a supreme alpha. And most definitely not a supreme alpha who was also his husband and the bloody Emperor. Harry wasn't sure how he knew that the Emperor was a supreme alpha, but the omega in him knew and Harry trusted that feeling of surety. If Harry survived this, He would write a very angry letter to his dear father. Never mind that he wasn't allowed to communicate with the outside world, he would find a way. "Your Majesty is an alpha," was what his brilliant brain finally came up with. He couldn't really blame himself. No matter how much magic the Emperor was rumored to have, there was never a time when he thought that he might have been an alpha before this.

He wanted to bang his head on something, he also curiously wanted to tuck his head near the neck of the Emperor and bask in the aromatic scent emitting from there. Where did that come from? It smelled like frankincense. It smelled like power, it smelled like alpha. Harry backed away from the approaching monarch jerkily when he noticed where his thought processes had wondered. The Emperor inclined his head and scented Harry subtly through his nose. Harry stayed still as a statue. Only the uneven beats of his heart betrayed his anxiety to the Emperor.

He eventually stopped his scenting and inhaled more obviously to categorize Harry's scent in his mind. "You're pure." He intoned with hidden delight. Harry tensed. "Yes Your Majesty, I have not been chosen yet." The Emperor looked at Harry's green eyes with a possessive glint before affirming, "You will." Harry knew what he meant and the omega in him was almost purring. "How your father has managed to hide a pure omega under my nose for fifteen years is a mystery, but no longer. You are mine." The Emperor stated not bothering to hide his possessiveness. Yes, Alpha. Harry wanted to flee with every part of his being, except his traitorous omega nature that preened at the Alpha staking claim over him. He wanted to kneel, he wanted to flee, and eventually, the

conflicting emotions cruising in his body crashed, sending him gracelessly into the Alpha's arms, his blue robes catching on his sore limbs. His mind was overwhelmed with sensation. Oh, how he wanted to disappear into the magic of his Alpha. It was so aromatic, so strong, so possessive. His body felt heavy, he slowly became aware that he was losing consciousness in the arms of the Alpha and he struggled to resist. The last coherent thought he had was that the Emperor was as majestic as his magic. And that someone should really tell Hermione to rest a little. Harry awoke in his bedroom with Hermione sitting beside him, asleep. He looked at the clock to see how late it was only to discover that it was seven o'clock in the morning. He'd slept for a day. He sighed when he remembered the events of yesterday. He can't believe he fainted, though to be fair he had never been so close to any alpha. Not to mention one who was as strong as the Emperor. He shook his head briefly before waking Hermione. She woke and immediately began fussing over him. He looked at her fondly and allowed her to do as she pleased. "My Lady, the Emperor said to report to the Hall of the Rising Sun for an audience after you have eaten and taken some medicine." Hermione shifted awkwardly in place while biting her bottom lip. Harry nodded and continued staring at no particular place with unfocused eyes. Inwardly, he was panicking, thinking about what he was going to say when he went into the Emperor's presence. His omegan nature wanted to obey and seek out his husband immediately, but Harry's stubborn nature wanted to prolong the wait for as long as he could. He couldn't believe that he had fainted so quickly after the release of alpha pheromones and magic. He also couldn't believe that he'd gone so long without it. As much as he hated to admit it, the lack of alpha in his life had negatively affected him quite a lot. He reached down to his knees to feel his sore legs only to find that they'd healed. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands in small fists before releasing them with resignation, his body was at least, reacting well. It would be childish to refuse the Emperor's audience simply because of his hurt pride. And he acknowledged that it was not completely his fault. He was young, he had just turned sixteen after all. He'd never met an alpha before and thus didn't have immunity to them the way he did towards betas. Alphas felt more intensely and had more magic.

Harry's cheeks pinked when he realized that he could still feel the possessiveness of the Emperor around him. He shook his head to erase any further thoughts before reaching for the blanket over him and moving it aside in an attempt to climb out of the bed.

Hermione, almost tripped over herself in her eagerness to assist her mistress, held his left hand reverently, and led him slowly to the heated bath of rose water and vanilla petals. Harry loved vanilla, it was clean, simple and guileless-everything he was, the familiar scent helped calm him. He removed his robe slowly, caressing the silk in his hands in an attempt to soothe himself. He sunk slowly into the water, gently using his hands to splash the warm water on his body. He directed the vanilla petals to dance towards him in a spiral formation with a flick of his right pointer finger and ignored Hermione's choked inhale. He closed his eyes and tried to plan for the inevitable meeting with the Emperor. He didn't know what would happen. He doubted that the Emperor would inform anyone who was not already aware of Harry's true nature, he was too possessive for that. That left Harry with some options still, albeit all still within the Emperor's control, but options nonetheless.

He could not refuse the War Minister's request for him to abide by Malfoy's side during his pregnancy without consequences. Therefore he has to set up stipulations for obeying his order. He was not stupid. Malfoy would undoubtedly be subjected to many plots to dispose of the child in his womb. The ending result was a sure death for both Harry and the perpetrator if they succeeded. And no matter how much he hated living in the palace, he did not want to die, especially not because of Malfoy. He stood up from the bath with renewed vigor and plots to keep Malfoy, and so himself, safe in his mind. Hermione draped a large towel on his body and dried his body before ushering him to the bedroom to put sweet vanilla-scented oils on his bare skin. He used to blush down to his private parts the first few days when she bathed him, never having anybody wait upon him like that. But after months in the palace, he'd adjusted. After getting ready, she chose a simple green robe with a white expanse covered in golden flowers. She then draped a longhua with circular golden flowers to match around his neck. She could feel his mood, He'd allowed his magic to soothe her rattled emotions subtly while he was taking a bath, and thus was influencing her choice of clothing for him. Green expressed his renewed magic and the burst of energy he'd gotten from the brief interaction with the Emperor's magic. Harry suppressed the longing for the safety of that foreign yet familiar magic and hastily turned his thoughts back to Hermione. When she opened the jewelry box to decorate his bun, he allowed her free reign yet again, it seemed that keeping busy soothed her when stressed. She opted for a blue ribbon to bind the middle of his bun, then added indigo flowers to the left side of the hairpiece. After the flowers, she affixed a lighter blue butterfly to the cluster of indigo flowers. On the right of the bun, she added an azure phoenix tail. She reached again to the box and pulled out an ombre tassel, starting out as gray, and gradually becoming black, and added to his headpiece. When she was done he prodded his magic and slowly, with fondness, led it back towards him. It caressed his servant once more softly before gliding back within its mistress. Hermione shook her head slowly as she felt her emotions once again becoming tangled and confused without Harry's influence. He allowed her to get her bearings while he played with his magic, allowing it to freely dance around him in a way it hasn't been able to for a year, since he's entered the forbidden palace. His magic traveled along with his robes and under his skin, making his skin appear to glow from the inside out. His skin seemed to sparkle and shimmer as the mirror reflected his image back to him. Hermione could not actually see his magic like he could, but he knew that she could feel its presence, and see his glowing skin, evidence of another entity in the room with her. And when she looked down to stare shyly into his eyes in the mirror, he allowed her to scrutinize and calculate as much as she could without comment. After she finished dressing him, he rose from the stool and slowly reached for her hand. She looked at him, shocked it was the first time he had voluntarily touched her without raising his left hand to ask for permission. "Do not be frightened Hermione," and Hermione started at the airy voice coming from her mistress. It was still her mistress, yet he was now so much more. "I am saddened that I was not able to reveal my true nature to you in its entirety however, you must understand why I had to do so." Harry really wanted to just share everything with her and his thought process in keeping it from her, but he knew that she would be overwhelmed. She was already on edge from his magic, without any herself, and was not acclimated to Harry's. She slowly nodded her head but still averted her eyes from his twinkling eyes. He sighed and gathered his magic back towards his core. He ignored the grumbling of his magic, not wanting to go back into hiding after being stuck there for a whole year. As soon as his magic receded, his eyes stopped twinkling, and the airy timbre in his voice disappeared. His omegan nature bristled as it was forced to alter his appearance once again to fit the "Norm". Hermione blinked slowly in response to the show of magical prowess in front of her before bending down in a curtsy. Harry smiled fondly, exasperated with her obsession on rules and authority. He took her hand again slowly and patted it softly. "I never intended to lie to you truly, I never knew that there would be a need for me to reveal my omegan nature to anybody but myself. Only my parents were aware of my nature prior to the Emperor and his Kings, and now you." Hermione blinked in surprise. She made as if to speak, closing her lips in a moment of hesitation. He shook his head and encouraged her to speak. She took a fortifying breath before everything she'd held inside since the fateful night at Imperial Concubine Malfoy's palace spilled out without a filter. "How were you able to avoid the Emperor's attention for all these years? Why did you not use your powers to avoid the selection? How were you able to hide your omegan nature from your siblings? Is it hereditary? Wow, you're beautiful! Harry stared at her momentarily before bursting out in laughter that rang throughout the hall like bells. He could see the pink flush coming to Hermione's cheeks as her mind caught up with her mouth. "Firstly, My father is the Minister of Defense, He has some sway on who is or is not registered in the National Register of Diasphoric Dynamics(NRDD). Secondly, I could not manipulate the outcome of the selection simply because my selection was not intentional. I'm sure you're familiar with the unspoken rule of rejecting children resulting from low-born concubines. I never considered the probability of that not happening. As for my siblings, they never actually interact with me due to my "dirty blood". Harry stopped to take a breath before continuing. "The only one whom I'm close to is my youngest brother, and he was too young to understand the significance of such a revelation. And finally, I do not think it is hereditary, for my mother is a so-called muggle-born who also has non-magical parents and sister, none of whom are of exotic dynamics, and thank you for the compliment." He didn't tell her everything, but he'd told her more than most people knew, that would have to be enough for now. Knowing too much about him could put her in danger should anyone endeavor to hurt him through her. She opened her mouth and formed an "O" with it before letting out an awed breath. Harry scoffed softly at that, he was after all nothing special for all his status had bought him nothing but trouble, and raised his left hand. Hermione cleared her mind and took hold of his offered hand, holding it a bit more reverently than she usually did. Harry allowed her to lead him towards to the Hall of the Rising Sun, walking gracefully and without hesitation. He might not be anonymous any longer, but he could still choose how to emerge from the shadows. Nobody coerced the moon to shine when it was feeling shy.

It was high time to engage the tide.

Edited and updated on 29/06/2021