Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Primal v.s Carnal
One week. 7 days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 604,800 seconds. That’s how long the King of Solstice has been dead. And in that time frame, Prince Zanka had managed to prepare the burial, address the townspeople, file paperwork, hold the funeral, and plan his crowning ceremony without going completely and utterly insane.
He knew this day was coming. His father was old, senile, stuck in his ways and well for a lack of better words, evil. He nor his brother shed a tear when he passed, and the townspeople were partially relieved to know that he was gone. They trusted Zanka’s judgement, and he was young. He would be around for plenty of years. If you would have asked him, Zanka would have considered this a smooth transition to power.
But things never go well for Zanka Nijiku. King Kyo had one final plan. A way for the Kingdom of Solstice to feel his power even in death.
“So you’re telling me… I cannot ascend to the throne unless I am wed to an omega?” The man asked. Blue eyes sizing up the sullen faces of old council members.
“That is correct young lord. It is written here in the Kings will.” One stated.
“Your father deemed it improper for a male alpha to rule without an omega by his side. What message does that send to our people!” The other chimed.
Zanka sighed deeply. His head was beginning to pound at the sound of their shrill voices and the absurd idea that he had to take an omega in order for him to be king. It was deeply rooted in tradition. That a proper home consisted of a male alpha, a female omega and pup. And who better to set that example then the royal kingdoms that resided over the lands.
“Then Enjin should be the one to take the crown. He’s wed after all.” Zanka retorted, looking at the elders with sharp eyes.
“Your father would not allow that. You know a male omega is unfit to rule a kingdom.” A councilman said, sipping his tea as he eyed Zanka suspiciously.
'He’s dead now, is he not? Why does it matter?' Zanka thought to himself.
“It’s a good thing Lord Kyo married that boy off when he did. Such a shame it is. Being born into a family as a man and having to bear children. It’s absurd.” An elderly woman said with a laugh, the excess skin of her chin wiggling as she placed a hand over her mouth.
“I mean really. These new generations of rulers disregard traditions as if they haven’t worked for thousands of years!” One shouted.
“A local shaman predicted that the number of pups being born to male omegas will rise by 3%. How ludicrous." Another exclaimed.
Silence them.
A low growl made its way past Zanka’s lips as eyes glowed with disdain. It was true. The Kingdom of Solstice prided itself on birthing powerful alphas and shunned those that did not fit the mold. Enjin, his eldest brother, was born an omega. Once he had presented, Enjin was quickly taken out of line to rule and married off the second their father had a chance. Enjin didn’t mind, nor did he care. But the look his father gave his elder brother the moment he found out his second gender laid etched into his memory forever. No one was going to disrespect him or treat him as less then. Not now. Not ever.
“Be mindful of what you say. I will be the new king of this land and I will not have you bad mouthing my kin. I don’t care if he was born an omega or an alpha, he is my brother and he is welcomed here for as long as I reign.” The room fell into a tense silence as wide eyes turned towards Zanka.
The alpha in him hummed with pride, knowing that he was able to stop the senseless babbling of the elders in front of him. He was going to change the way this kingdom was run. And in order for him to do so, he needed to comply, just for the time being. Even if it meant having to deal with senseless traditions and old rules.
“Fine. I’ll wed an omega. However, my royal advisor will be the one to find a suitable mate. When the time comes, we will send you an invitation to the wedding. You’re all dismissed.” Zanka said as he stood quickly, his blue and silver robes swishing behind him as he turned to leave.
This was the last thing that he wanted to deal with but then again, his father was never one to stray from tradition. The young alpha returned to his study with a sign. His head was throbbing with the idea of wedding festivities he had no interest in partaking in and the idea of an omega he had in interest in.
“What am I going to do?” He asked himself quietly as he adjusted his robes and took a seat in his office chair.
“Guessing the council turned down the idea of you ruling without an omega huh?” A voice called out from the shadows of the room. Zanka jumped in his seat, his eyes scanning his office as he clutched the fabric of his robes, his heart racing.
“Damn it Riyo! You scared me!” He exclaimed, looking over at the Beta who laid lazily across an antique sofa. The beta in question sat up, red strands of hair dangling in front of ruby eyes as she smiled.
“You were so lost in thought you walked right past me. So, what’d they say? How long do you have until the wedding bells start ringing?” She asked.
“I don’t know. I told them that you would take care of it actually.” Zanka said nervously with a laugh.
Outside of Enjin, Riyo was the only other person Zanka could trust in Solstice. She had worked in his kingdom as a maid for Zanka when he was a child and as time went on, took on the role of an advisor. Zanka could trust Riyo with his life if he had to, and he knew deep down, she would do the same.
“Hmm. From what I remember, most of the omegas your age are pretty much married off, you are a bit old.” She said with a giggle.
“24 isn’t that old!” Zanka retorted with a twitch of his brow.
It was true. Omegas with royal blood were oftentimes married off by the age of 21 to start their life with their new alpha and spend their days making babies and ruling the lands. That wasn’t something Zanka had dreamed about. He dreamed about turning Solstice in a Kingdom that held no borders. Where anyone was welcomed. To have townspeople not quiver and shake when they saw the royal carriage trot onto the dirt streets. He wanted his townspeople to love him. Admire him. Look up to him. Not hate him, like his father.
“There is one kingdom though, that has an unwed omega…” Riyo continued on. She stood up to smooth down her own robes as she handed Zanka a few pieces of parchment to sign in place of the dead king. Taking them gingerly, Zanka thumbed through them as he listened to her speak.
“The Kingdom of Vespera, home to King Zodyl. They’re small, but they’re masters in fishing, aquatic dishes, and now it's rumored that they've been cultivating new jewels like pearl and opal. Peaceful place too. I’m sure they could benefit from having a powerful kingdom like yours take interest in theirs. We could open a trading route with them as well. Sell a few of our meats and furs in exchange for fish and jewelry.”
“What about their omega?” Zanka asked as he grabbed his quill, twirling it methodically as he lost himself in thought.
“Not much is known about their omega. They don’t make many public appearances but I’m not sure why. There was never a mention about the omega being sick or married off to another.” Riyo looked at Zanka who seemed to be processing all the information that was given to him.
On one hand, he didn’t really want to wed an omega but on the other, there was an omega who seemed to stay to themselves. Maybe this omega would do the same once they arrived to his kingdom. They could stay in one of the royal rooms while Zanka carried on with his kingly duties.
Slowly, the alpha nodded his head in agreement. “Fine. Write a letter to King Zodyl and explain that I’ll be…taking his omegas hand in marriage." Zanka said with a roll of eyes.
Even he couldn’t believe his own words. Damn it, he really didn’t want to do this. But how else was he going to change Solstice for the better? Surely he can keep up an act for a bit of time, right?
Riyo chuckled as she listened to the prince complain. “You can’t just send a letter saying you want to marry the omega. There’s a process that you have to follow and you don’t even know if the omega will say yes.”
“What’s the process? And why wouldn't they say yes?” Zanka asked with annoyance. All this talk of omegas and marriages were starting to drive him mad. He wanted the conversation to be over, immediately.
“Well first, you send a letter to the King letting him know that you would like to meet him and the omega. Invite them to the lands first, show them around, sweeten them up. Then you ask the King for permission to court the omega. If the omega says yes, you may start courting until you finally ask for their hand in marriage.”
Despite his intelligence, Zanka had zero clue on how to woo or court another. Romance and love was for the lazy. It wasn’t a strategy you could use if need be in war. It didn’t help kill wild oxen and feed families. No. It was an inconvenience. A fairy tale. Child’s play.
“Seems like too much work for such little reward.” Zanka muttered.
Riyo looked at Zanka and sighed before bursting into laughter. She laughed louder and harder than Zanka had ever heard, and it pissed him off even more.
“Hey, what's so funny about my suffering!” He said with a growl, though he was truly all bark and no bite at the moment. Riyo wiped stray tears from her eyes as she turned to leave his study.
“I’m saying this as your friend and not as your royal advisor. But you suck at this. Even if it’s just to appease the council, at least act like you’re interested when they arrive. I’ll send an invitation letter to King Zodyl and we’ll go from there.”
One week. 7 days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 604,800 seconds. That’s how long the King of Solstice has been dead. And in that time frame, Zanka had managed to prepare the burial, address the townspeople, file paperwork, hold the funeral, plan his crowning ceremony, and now prepare to officially court an omega he has no interest in without going completely and utterly insane.
Two weeks had passed and the Kingdom of Solstice was in a tizzy. With Zanka in charge, things were beginning to move a lot quicker than the previous administration. Rumors of Solstice opening its borders and interacting with other kingdoms spread widely throughout the lands. The Kingdom of Solstice laid where the tundra kissed the sunset. It was cold and vast but beautiful to its core. Many of the villagers sold expensive furs and furniture to keep warm, while others sold wood and carved paintings to provide for their families. The goods that came out of that looming kingdom were few and far between, but priced more than even gold, and each kingdom wanted a piece.
News that Prince Zanka was preparing to court an omega quickly spread throughout towns and cities. The idea that Zanka would carry on the tradition of being a wedded alpha before ruling warmed the hearts of older Solstians, who paraded around busy streets shouting blessings for a beautiful marriage and many pups. The prince wanted to die when he had headed into town and heard of the festivities. Later that evening Zanka had finally received a letter back from King Zodyl. Not only did the alpha king agree, he would be coming at once and should be arriving within 7-10 days given the long trek from their southern lands. From there, he and the royal omega would be spending approximately 30 days with the alpha prince. That would be enough time for both the alpha and the omega to scent bond, court and potentially share one heat/rut cycle. If the royal omega deems the alpha prince fit, they will wed.
Zanka had read the letter once. Then a second time to make sure he read the letter correctly. Then a third to laugh at the obscenity of it at all. Since the letter had arrived, he had made sure to spend everyday reading it over, trying to comprehend what was being asked.
30 days? He had to spend 30 days with this omega and spend a potential cycle with them as well?
Oh traditions truly needed to be broken.
“Riyo, this man can't be serious. You still don’t think this is excessive?!” Zanka asked as he waved the letter around in his hand. Time was ticking and the arrival of the king and the royal omega was imminent.
“Not at all. If you think about it, Vespera is pretty far south from here. So having the king and the royal omega come for such a short time would be a waste. And even if you don’t spend a cycle with the omega, at least you’ll get used to their scent long enough to tolerate them. So you, yourself won’t go into an alpha rage and destroy the castle again.”
Riyo looked at Zanka with a smirk, recalling his younger years when he first presented. Zanka in return huffed in embarrassment. He wasn’t fond of his previous behavior, and always hated the fact that he couldn’t control his emotions as well as his brother.
“Who knows. You might end up actually liking this omega. Have you ever thought about that?” Riyo asked teasingly.
“No I haven’t because I have 100 other things to think about thank you!” Zanka slammed the crumpled letter down on his desk as he looked at the darkening sky, watching white snow fade into dark blue.
Riyo watched Zanka for a few moments, noticing his silent panic. She knew deep down that Zanka wanted to be a good king for the people, it was what they deserved. But she also knew that the presence of an omega wouldn't be too detrimental for the wound up alpha.
“I’m sure the cooks have finished preparing supper. I’ll bring it to your room. Get bathed so you can get some rest. You’ll be meeting the king and the royal omega tomorrow.” With a bow, Riyo left Zanka to his thoughts.
The king in question took a seat in his chair as he pondered over Riyo's words.
‘You might actually like the omega.’
Zanka knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t have time for an omega. But the alpha inside of him, the one he kept locked in its cage rumbled ever so gently. It tasted the idea of an omega, something he never thought plausible. But now that it had presented itself, he wanted to see how sweet it really was.
Zanka seemed frozen in his chair as his mind wandered. Teetering between the idea of taking an omega and staying just the way he was.
‘What would that feel like? Having an omega by my side?’
He thought to himself.
Peace. Pride.
His alpha responded in return.
‘Pride? What could I be taking pride in, exactly?"
Pups.
‘Pups. As in children?!’
The thought was ludicrous! Zanka hated the idea of having pups. Something small and annoying running around and nipping at your ankles like a dog. Crying over something trivial or begging for attention. No. Zanka hated children. Despised even.
But as his alpha stirred, the idea of having a pup didn’t sound as bad as he was making it out to be. One that was his. Shared his blood and DNA. The pup would be strong and well mannered with a smile like his omega.
Zanka closed his eyes as he left out a breath.
The image came to him slowly. An omega with pretty soft skin and a scent too sweet. An omega who-
You could ruin. An omega who would take all of you. Beg you to fill them with your seed. Ride your knot like they were made for it. Breed them until they cried-
Zanka's eyes shot open as he looked around, his own thoughts startling him back into reality.
“What the fuck was that…” He said to himself. It wasn’t often that he had those types of thoughts. The animalistic kind like wanting to claim and take and own. He couldn’t let his desires cloud his judgement. Not now.
Certainly not now.
With a sigh and a slight hard-on, Zanka waddled out of his office and quickly to his room. Like promised, his supper sat patiently on his bed, covered by a silver dome as it awaited his arrival. He bathed with haste before eating his dinner, crawling under silk sheets as he tried to clear his mind. He had a big day tomorrow.
He would be meeting the King of Vespera and the royal omega after all.