A Patient Love 13
Title: A Patient Love
Pairing: UKUS
Rating: T
Warnings: Omegaverse, age-gap, Mpreg, and slight historical inaccuracies.
Summary: Prince Arthur has finally been granted a male Omega by his brother, the king. Alfred is soon to learn the treacherous ways of royalty and that adulthood in this world is not at all kind.
Vengeful Steps
Alfred hated London in every season, but summer was the worst season. The city would stink from the heated garbage and feces that littered the streets. It made the Omega irritable. He'd often spend his days down by the river or in the gardens, hoping for a chance to breathe and enjoy life again. Ever since his return from Dorset, Alfred had seen little to improve his spirits, save for his daughters. Amelia was as hardheaded and spoiled as ever, but that was to be expected from a young Alpha. Rose was slowly coming out of her shell and interacting with more of the children in her nursery. It wouldn't be long before she would start her studies.
To no one's surprise, Amelia excelled greatly at her teachings, surpassing her Omega nurses' expectations. When Alfred visited her, she'd skip up to her mother and proudly declare all of her scholarly accomplishments. Alfred would listen with rapt attention, shocked that he gave birth to such a brilliant child.
"Can I have a tutor soon?" Amelia asked bluntly one day. "The King has one."
Alfred grimaced. As much as he loved his nephew, he found that talking about the young boy was almost a taboo thing to do if Arthur was nearby. If he spoke about Charles too much to Amelia, she might repeat it in front of her father and he might become enraged in turn.
"Well, he's special," Alfred started.
Already, Amelia grew indignant at this. "But! I'm special too! I want to be King!"
The nurses looked over in shock. Alfred flushed and tried to hush his daughter. "Amelia, you can't… You know you can't…"
"No! Daddy said one day I will be King! Why can't it be today?!"
"That's enough!" Alfred shouted, startling his two daughters and the nurses. It was evident that Amelia hadn't been told no often enough. "Quiet now. Father will be angry with you."
"No, mummy, it's you who father is angry with!" Amelia retort harshly. "He hates you! And so do I!"
Amelia's words stayed with Alfred for days. They morphed from words into actions, and soon Amelia refused to see Alfred during his daily visits. Alfred tried to reason with his four-year old, but she would stomp her foot or hold her breath in anger until Alfred left. Rose began to pick up her sister's habits, and joined in shunning her mother without fully understanding her actions. If it made her spend more time with her sister, then she would do it.
Tossed aside by his family, Alfred sulked in the gardens or in his room. Being back in London was as bad as living back in Dorset.
Alfred craved human contact. He sought out his mate on the off-chance that Arthur would keep true to his word. However, he was constantly turned away by servants and Alphas of Parliament. They kept him away with lies and false smiles and condescending words. And Alfred could do nothing but take it. Any word of protest from the Omega, and the Alphas would brush him off as emotional and weak while cooing over his earnest youth to want to be with his mate as if they thought it was cute. Alfred fumed at the thought of them thinking his plight was something to fawn over. He was under a large amount of emotional stress, and no one seemed to care, even his own mate.
Even little Amelia grew more and more distant since their row. Alfred was depressed. His dark and moody atmosphere affected Rose, and she scuttled away from her mother to hide behind her Omega maids' legs. So Alfred would sit from across the room, watching his two daughters play and laugh from afar.
Then one day, Amelia came up to Alfred while he was reading. Amelia puffed up in indignation when Alfred smiled at her, waiting for her to say something.
"Why don't you bow to me?" she asked hauntingly.
"A mother doesn't bow to his young daughter. You haven't earned it."
Amelia's face grew red. "I am the future King of England!"
The Omegas turned to stare with wide eyes. Alfred stood up suddenly. He towered over his daughter, and then grabbed her firmly by the shoulder. She didn't wince or back down. Alfred was surprised by his daughter's strength, but she was an Alpha. Quickly, Alfred sent the Omegas hovering nearby away from the room.
"Why do you keep saying those things?" Alfred hissed after the servants had gone. "You'll get in trouble!"
"Father says I still could," Amelia replied. "I might still get the crown. He says he has reasons."
"Reasons?" Alfred straightened. He leaned in close to Amelia and nearly growled. "What reasons?"
"Reasons," Amelia replied, now starting to shrink in on herself. She had never heard her mother speak like that to her. She may be an Alpha with stubbornness and a blooming ego much like her father, but she was still only four years old. "I…I don't know mummy."
Alfred gasped at hearing his first born call him mummy again. He dropped to his knees and hugged her close. He heard the young girl hiccup, and soon pressed a wet face into his neck. Alfred felt tears sting at his eyes for having yelled at his child like that.
"Oh Amelia," he sobbed. "Amelia, I'm sorry. I just… I don't want to hear you say such things… You'll get in trouble. And I don't want my baby girl in trouble."
"I'm sorry mummy. Father told me those things." Amelia clung to Alfred's neck. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Father would be proud at how strong of an Alpha you are. And mummy is too."Alfred marched down the hallways right for the Throne Room where he knew Arthur was dealing with the government. He pushed past Alphas that tried to stop him, that tried to call him back and send him away, and pushed right through the double wooden doors into the hall. The Alphas that crowded around Arthur's table stood up in alarm, but Arthur didn't seem at all phased by the intrusion.
"I have to speak with my mate," Alfred said forcefully. The Alphas glared at him for his insubordination. "I will not leave or wait. I have been patient long enough."
Arthur stood from his seat and put up a hand to stop any of the Alphas that were angered by Alfred's intrusion. He nodded for Alfred to follow him to a room just off to the side. Alfred did as he was told.
The door closed behind them in the small, cold room. The fire had not been lit and the windows were left closed. Arthur strode to the far side of the room and stared at Alfred from across the way. Alfred stayed by the door, warily watching the way his Alpha moved. Arthur was tense.
"Why are you here?" Arthur asked calmly.
"I haven't seen you in a few weeks," Alfred replied just as calmly. "I thought we should talk."
"And you thought now would be a good time?"
Alfred clenched his fingers to his palms once, twice, and then said quickly, "Yes because when were you going to tell me that our Amelia, and you for that matter, still have a chance at being the King of England?"
Arthur sighed, and smiled. He smiled like those Alphas that said those patronizing words. "She is a child. What else could I tell her? I want to appease her. As her father, it's only natural to want to please your daughter."
"So you lie to her?"
"It's not a lie. Anything could happen."
Alfred inhaled sharply. "What does that mean?"
"It means that Charles gets sick often. He is a young boy that could succumb to illness or could be killed in battle or a million other things. My pet, it was only my mentioning to Amelia and her imagination running away with her." Arthur was laughing, but it didn't reflect in his eyes. He looked at Alfred critically. "Why…? What did you think I meant?"
"I don't know. That's why…I asked." Alfred felt silly for coming now, but there was still something nagging him at the back of his mind. "I'm… I'm sorry for interrupting."
"My pet," Arthur said softly, stopping Alfred as he turned to leave. "Please… I don't mean to shut you out… Charles is sick often, and the government tries to hide it. They force more on me and expect more of me. They expect more of you, too."
"Me? What do they expect of me? I'm not even part of the government or politics."
"Yes, we all know that. But as Charles is sick so often…there may not be words spoken, but there are actions taken on the off chance something happens."
Alfred felt a chill run down his back at the insinuation Arthur was suggesting. It was treason to speak of the king's death, even to suggest it could mean imprisonment. He took a step closer to the door.
"Alfred," Arthur said sharply. "Do you think… that I have something to do with this? Do you think that I would even think about harming my own nephew?!"
Alfred didn't know how to respond. He was still shaking from the iciness that enveloped his body. Arthur's face darkened and he turned away. Alfred thought, for the briefest of moments, that he saw Arthur's shoulders shake. The idea left him instantly as he knew his Alpha never cried. It seemed Arthur didn't care about anything anymore; anything that didn't connect to him or the crown.
After a tense time, Arthur turned back away. His face was pale and his eyes dark with a stress that wasn't there before coming into the room. It was closer to his heart than the usual stress of running the kingdom. The Alpha couldn't look at Alfred, and instead walked slowly around his Omega. He reached past Alfred and opened the door, and without saying another word, he left Alfred.
Hoshiko2's cents: Sorry to cut it so short. Happy belated birthday to Blulious! I'm sorry it had to be such a stressful chapter!
Pairing: UKUS
Rating: T
Warnings: Omegaverse, age-gap, Mpreg, and slight historical inaccuracies.
Summary: Prince Arthur has finally been granted a male Omega by his brother, the king. Alfred is soon to learn the treacherous ways of royalty and that adulthood in this world is not at all kind.
Vengeful Steps
Alfred hated London in every season, but summer was the worst season. The city would stink from the heated garbage and feces that littered the streets. It made the Omega irritable. He'd often spend his days down by the river or in the gardens, hoping for a chance to breathe and enjoy life again. Ever since his return from Dorset, Alfred had seen little to improve his spirits, save for his daughters. Amelia was as hardheaded and spoiled as ever, but that was to be expected from a young Alpha. Rose was slowly coming out of her shell and interacting with more of the children in her nursery. It wouldn't be long before she would start her studies.
To no one's surprise, Amelia excelled greatly at her teachings, surpassing her Omega nurses' expectations. When Alfred visited her, she'd skip up to her mother and proudly declare all of her scholarly accomplishments. Alfred would listen with rapt attention, shocked that he gave birth to such a brilliant child.
"Can I have a tutor soon?" Amelia asked bluntly one day. "The King has one."
Alfred grimaced. As much as he loved his nephew, he found that talking about the young boy was almost a taboo thing to do if Arthur was nearby. If he spoke about Charles too much to Amelia, she might repeat it in front of her father and he might become enraged in turn.
"Well, he's special," Alfred started.
Already, Amelia grew indignant at this. "But! I'm special too! I want to be King!"
The nurses looked over in shock. Alfred flushed and tried to hush his daughter. "Amelia, you can't… You know you can't…"
"No! Daddy said one day I will be King! Why can't it be today?!"
"That's enough!" Alfred shouted, startling his two daughters and the nurses. It was evident that Amelia hadn't been told no often enough. "Quiet now. Father will be angry with you."
"No, mummy, it's you who father is angry with!" Amelia retort harshly. "He hates you! And so do I!"
Amelia's words stayed with Alfred for days. They morphed from words into actions, and soon Amelia refused to see Alfred during his daily visits. Alfred tried to reason with his four-year old, but she would stomp her foot or hold her breath in anger until Alfred left. Rose began to pick up her sister's habits, and joined in shunning her mother without fully understanding her actions. If it made her spend more time with her sister, then she would do it.
Tossed aside by his family, Alfred sulked in the gardens or in his room. Being back in London was as bad as living back in Dorset.
Alfred craved human contact. He sought out his mate on the off-chance that Arthur would keep true to his word. However, he was constantly turned away by servants and Alphas of Parliament. They kept him away with lies and false smiles and condescending words. And Alfred could do nothing but take it. Any word of protest from the Omega, and the Alphas would brush him off as emotional and weak while cooing over his earnest youth to want to be with his mate as if they thought it was cute. Alfred fumed at the thought of them thinking his plight was something to fawn over. He was under a large amount of emotional stress, and no one seemed to care, even his own mate.
Even little Amelia grew more and more distant since their row. Alfred was depressed. His dark and moody atmosphere affected Rose, and she scuttled away from her mother to hide behind her Omega maids' legs. So Alfred would sit from across the room, watching his two daughters play and laugh from afar.
Then one day, Amelia came up to Alfred while he was reading. Amelia puffed up in indignation when Alfred smiled at her, waiting for her to say something.
"Why don't you bow to me?" she asked hauntingly.
"A mother doesn't bow to his young daughter. You haven't earned it."
Amelia's face grew red. "I am the future King of England!"
The Omegas turned to stare with wide eyes. Alfred stood up suddenly. He towered over his daughter, and then grabbed her firmly by the shoulder. She didn't wince or back down. Alfred was surprised by his daughter's strength, but she was an Alpha. Quickly, Alfred sent the Omegas hovering nearby away from the room.
"Why do you keep saying those things?" Alfred hissed after the servants had gone. "You'll get in trouble!"
"Father says I still could," Amelia replied. "I might still get the crown. He says he has reasons."
"Reasons?" Alfred straightened. He leaned in close to Amelia and nearly growled. "What reasons?"
"Reasons," Amelia replied, now starting to shrink in on herself. She had never heard her mother speak like that to her. She may be an Alpha with stubbornness and a blooming ego much like her father, but she was still only four years old. "I…I don't know mummy."
Alfred gasped at hearing his first born call him mummy again. He dropped to his knees and hugged her close. He heard the young girl hiccup, and soon pressed a wet face into his neck. Alfred felt tears sting at his eyes for having yelled at his child like that.
"Oh Amelia," he sobbed. "Amelia, I'm sorry. I just… I don't want to hear you say such things… You'll get in trouble. And I don't want my baby girl in trouble."
"I'm sorry mummy. Father told me those things." Amelia clung to Alfred's neck. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Father would be proud at how strong of an Alpha you are. And mummy is too."Alfred marched down the hallways right for the Throne Room where he knew Arthur was dealing with the government. He pushed past Alphas that tried to stop him, that tried to call him back and send him away, and pushed right through the double wooden doors into the hall. The Alphas that crowded around Arthur's table stood up in alarm, but Arthur didn't seem at all phased by the intrusion.
"I have to speak with my mate," Alfred said forcefully. The Alphas glared at him for his insubordination. "I will not leave or wait. I have been patient long enough."
Arthur stood from his seat and put up a hand to stop any of the Alphas that were angered by Alfred's intrusion. He nodded for Alfred to follow him to a room just off to the side. Alfred did as he was told.
The door closed behind them in the small, cold room. The fire had not been lit and the windows were left closed. Arthur strode to the far side of the room and stared at Alfred from across the way. Alfred stayed by the door, warily watching the way his Alpha moved. Arthur was tense.
"Why are you here?" Arthur asked calmly.
"I haven't seen you in a few weeks," Alfred replied just as calmly. "I thought we should talk."
"And you thought now would be a good time?"
Alfred clenched his fingers to his palms once, twice, and then said quickly, "Yes because when were you going to tell me that our Amelia, and you for that matter, still have a chance at being the King of England?"
Arthur sighed, and smiled. He smiled like those Alphas that said those patronizing words. "She is a child. What else could I tell her? I want to appease her. As her father, it's only natural to want to please your daughter."
"So you lie to her?"
"It's not a lie. Anything could happen."
Alfred inhaled sharply. "What does that mean?"
"It means that Charles gets sick often. He is a young boy that could succumb to illness or could be killed in battle or a million other things. My pet, it was only my mentioning to Amelia and her imagination running away with her." Arthur was laughing, but it didn't reflect in his eyes. He looked at Alfred critically. "Why…? What did you think I meant?"
"I don't know. That's why…I asked." Alfred felt silly for coming now, but there was still something nagging him at the back of his mind. "I'm… I'm sorry for interrupting."
"My pet," Arthur said softly, stopping Alfred as he turned to leave. "Please… I don't mean to shut you out… Charles is sick often, and the government tries to hide it. They force more on me and expect more of me. They expect more of you, too."
"Me? What do they expect of me? I'm not even part of the government or politics."
"Yes, we all know that. But as Charles is sick so often…there may not be words spoken, but there are actions taken on the off chance something happens."
Alfred felt a chill run down his back at the insinuation Arthur was suggesting. It was treason to speak of the king's death, even to suggest it could mean imprisonment. He took a step closer to the door.
"Alfred," Arthur said sharply. "Do you think… that I have something to do with this? Do you think that I would even think about harming my own nephew?!"
Alfred didn't know how to respond. He was still shaking from the iciness that enveloped his body. Arthur's face darkened and he turned away. Alfred thought, for the briefest of moments, that he saw Arthur's shoulders shake. The idea left him instantly as he knew his Alpha never cried. It seemed Arthur didn't care about anything anymore; anything that didn't connect to him or the crown.
After a tense time, Arthur turned back away. His face was pale and his eyes dark with a stress that wasn't there before coming into the room. It was closer to his heart than the usual stress of running the kingdom. The Alpha couldn't look at Alfred, and instead walked slowly around his Omega. He reached past Alfred and opened the door, and without saying another word, he left Alfred.
Hoshiko2's cents: Sorry to cut it so short. Happy belated birthday to Blulious! I'm sorry it had to be such a stressful chapter!