Chapter 7
Stephen was sitting in the garden, reading a book. He loved that spot for some reason. It was calm and felt like home. Stephen kept reading when Victor came running toward him.
"Stephen..." Victor squealed, rushing to him and sitting on his lap.
"Hey, Victor. Where were you?" Stephen asked, caressing his head.
"Tony was teaching me sword fighting! I'm also going to fight the bad people," Victor said proudly.
"Oh, are you?" Stephen said, smiling.
The boy nodded his head enthusiastically.
Tony soon approached them.
"Hey, Tony, tell Stephen how I did in class!" Victor said eagerly.
"You did great, your majesty. Our enemies are in big trouble," Tony said with a grin.
"Yes! I will fight them!" Victor declared.
"Okay, okay. Now go and freshen up," Stephen said.
"Stephen, do you know sword fighting?" Victor asked curiously.
"I used to practice, but not anymore," Stephen replied.
"Why?" the boy asked.
"Because omegas aren’t allowed to practice," Stephen said.
"That's bullshit," Tony muttered.
Stephen glanced at Tony disapprovingly.
"Victor, go to May and freshen up," Stephen instructed.
"Okay," Victor said, running off to his chamber.
"You know, you can come to practice if you want," Tony offered.
"I don't think I'm capable of doing anything like that," Stephen said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked, frowning.
"All these years, I’ve realized how useless I am — as a prince, as a son, and as a brother. I was a captive... a helpless omega for the murderer of my family. Maybe it’s true — omegas are only good for making babies," Stephen said bitterly.
"Stephen, you're stronger than that. Every omega is. But this society wants you to think otherwise — to keep you controlled. You were one of the best sword fighters this realm has ever seen. And your magic... it was phenomenal," Tony said, sitting beside him.
"Not anymore. And magic... I can’t do that anymore," Stephen said softly.
"Why?"
Stephen looked at him for a brief moment. Then, he slowly removed the elegant white gloves he had been wearing. Tony hadn’t seen Stephen’s hands without gloves before. He remembered how soft and delicate those fingers had once been — how they used to curl into his hand when they walked together.
But now those fingers were covered in scars, trembling.
"What happened?" Tony asked in shock.
"Kacilius made sure I could never use magic again," Stephen said in a small voice.
"That bastard did this to you?" Tony asked, rage filling his voice.
"This is just one of the many tortures I endured," Stephen said.
"I'm so sorry," Tony said, gently holding Stephen’s shivering hands.
Stephen pulled his hands away, looking panicked.
"I will never hurt you, Stephen," Tony said softly.
"Of course. You're my knight — you're burdened to protect me instead," Stephen said with a scoff.
Tony fell silent. He wanted to tell Stephen that it wasn’t just his duty — that it was more than that. He loved him.
"Are you happy with Prince Thor?" Tony asked after a brief pause.
"Happy? I don't know. But he’s nice as an alpha. And he’s willing to help us," Stephen said.
"Alright... but if you’re uncomfortable with any of this arrangement, please tell us," Tony said.
"How can I stop an alpha — especially one who's going to be my husband?" Stephen asked, confused.
"You have every right to say no, Stephen. And stop seeing yourself as someone worthless. You’re more than that," Tony said.
Stephen looked into Tony’s eyes.
"Why are you telling me this?" Stephen asked.
"Because you deserve to know," Tony said.
"Thanks," Stephen said with a small smile.
Tony smiled back. He missed how cheerful Stephen used to be when they were kids — how he never hesitated to share his opinions and prove himself right. Tony used to let Stephen win their arguments sometimes, just to see his smile. But now, all Tony could see in Stephen's eyes was fear — fear of everyone around him, including Tony.
"I... I should go," Stephen said, his cheeks reddening.
Tony realized he'd been staring at him for too long.
"I’ll be expecting you at tomorrow’s practice session. The great war is coming — we need all our best warriors," Tony said.
Stephen smiled and nodded before walking back to his chamber.
Later, Stephen sat on his bed, thinking about how he used to train with his parents and sister, Donna. His father always said he was gifted with a sword. His parents had encouraged him when he chose to become a sorcerer — a rare choice for a prince — but he had excelled from a young age. Now, though, he felt like nothing more than a helpless omega, waiting for some alpha to save him. He hated that idea as a child, yet here he was.
But maybe Tony was right — maybe he could be stronger if he started training again. At the very least, it would let him help his country.
He was lost in thought when Maria entered the room.
"Stephen, are you busy?" she asked, making him jump.
"Hey... no. I was just thinking about something," Stephen replied.
"Okay. Is everything alright? You can tell me if you’re facing any difficulties," Maria said.
"I'm good, Aunt Maria. This is more than I could have asked for... especially after being under confinement by a monster," Stephen said.
"Forget about all that. Kacilius won’t touch you again unless we’ve all fallen," Maria said firmly.
"I don’t want everyone to die for me. I want to fight in this battle too," Stephen said.
"What do you mean?" Maria asked.
"Can I start training with Tony? He said he would help me," Stephen said nervously.
"Of course you can, Stephen. You're the prince — you can do whatever you want here, and you can give orders to us as well," Maria said.
Stephen smiled in relief.
"I’ll tell Tony to start your training tomorrow," Maria added.
"Thank you," Stephen said.
"Anytime. I just wanted to check on you. Call me if you need anything," Maria said.
"Sure," Stephen replied.
As Maria walked away, Stephen felt determined. He was finally going to start training again — finally going to do something for his country.