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Being told that he was required to get married was probably the worst thing that could have happened to Wilbur.
He was glad his father was equally as upset, arguing with the advisors that Wilbur would be fine to lead on his own, like he currently was, that being unmarried didn’t make him any less of an heir. Phil himself wasn’t married, though he had been and his three sons were the product of said marriage. If he could rule alone, why wasn’t it acceptable for his son? There had been days of arguing back and forth with nobles, especially the ones from other countries. He was to be king and while not required, it was tradition that he take a spouse. Originally, it had been a wife but Phil had put his foot down and said that Wilbur should be able to marry someone he chooses regardless of gender.
It had caused more arguing and lots of gossip, but Phil hadn’t budged. If his children were being forced to get married, then they would pick them and it didn’t matter who they chose. End of the story. It made Wilbur glad, knowing his father strongly against the decision, but it didn’t make the boring meetings any easier. He was sure Niki was finding new ways to make his formal clothes even stiffer than usual, the circlet on his head feeling tighter and tighter with each woman and man he meets, each walk he takes. They usually don’t even try to talk with him on those walks, which irritated both the king and prince. They try to appeal to his father as if he were just a piece to be thrown around, something to be traded and appealed to. He wondered if his life would be different if Phil had always been royalty and not someone thrown into it if he wouldn’t get a say in his marriage.
They met with leader after leader, each pitching their child like some sort of cattle. The word spread quickly that Wilbur was incredibly picky and hadn’t decided on a husband or wife, making him seem even more desirable. The fact that he was the prince of one of the fastest-growing countries in the world just made him even more coveted. It was as if he were some sort of prize. He ended up kicking most of them out of the castle with a small frown and a pleading look at his father. Phil hated the suitors as much as he did, tearing down the other rulers and protecting his son as passionately as he protected his country. Watching his father order guards to escort yet another princess out of their throne room reminded Wilbur that, no matter how busy the king was, his father loved him.
The next meeting they had started with the doors being swung open, the next two royals being ushered in. The butler at the door stood up straighter, suddenly looking more awake than he had been before. “His Majesty, King Samuel Davidson, his sons, Their Highnesses Prince George Davidson and Toby Davidson, and Sir Clay Aisling and Sir Nicholas Nappitus.” Phil gasped in delight on his throne and Wilbur sat up from where he was leaning against the side of his chair. Three of the five had uncomfortable looks on their faces, specifically the young boy that was holding the king’s hand. Next to Wilbur, Phil stood up, a grin on his face.
“Sam! How are you?” He greeted and the king grinned in return, flaring confusion in Wilbur’s chest. This wasn’t a man he had ever met before and yet, his father greeted him warmly. It was different from the polite greetings Phil usually gives other nobles. It was a familiar one, one Phil only gave to those he considered friends or his family.
King Samuel gestures to the group he stood with. “I heard of your son's attempts to find a spouse and figured it was time for a proper visit. I’m here to introduce my eldest son, George.” He held out an arm towards the boy with a silver crown perched on his dark hair. George bows lightly, bangs falling across his face. He’s clad in mostly dark blue, silver, and black, his blue jacket high collared. A dark brown cloak wrapped around his shoulders, falling down to end around the man’s boot covered ankles. He was not a bad-looking man, George was actually quite pretty; delicate and small without looking fragile. “As well as my youngest, Tubbo.”
Ah. The boy next to the king bowed and the discomfort he had shown earlier made sense. It seemed that Toby had a nickname that he preferred to his actual one. “And our knights, Dream and SapNap.” The blonde bowed first followed by the knight with the bandana. Sam smiled sheepishly. “Eret also tagged along but it seems they have already run off. My apologies.” Phil looked a little wary now, but Sam simply smiled sweetly. “I was hoping while our sons spoke, I could share some news about the North.” Phil grinned again, understanding forming on his face and he turned to Wilbur.
“Wilbur, why don’t you take George for a short walk around the castle? And perhaps introduce Tubbo to Tommy?” As if on cue, one of the side doors to the room opened, the two knights in the room tensing and getting ready to draw their weapons, and two people toppled from the hallway. Two golden circlets clattered to the ground and there was some high-pitched swearing as well as some angry muttering and Phil laughed. Wilbur’s younger brothers were tangled in a heap on the floor, a mess of red and blue fabric. They finally seemed to right themselves and Techno hurried to brush himself off, long hair swept over his shoulder.
“Hullo.” is what Wilbur’s younger brother says in greeting, hurriedly bowing before the other king. He reached over and forced Tommy down by the back of his neck, earning some giggles from Tubbo. Phil simply smiled and introduced the two youngest of the family, Techno and Tommy picking up their crowns and wandering over. Wilbur could see where Techno had his eyes trained on the knights’ weapons.
Tubbo and Tommy hit it off instantly and scampered off with loud giggles, Dream hesitating before bowing and taking his leave to follow his charge. Wilbur finally got fed up with his father’s staring and stood, moving to offer his hand to George. He leaped back as a sword was drawn, yelping and holding his hand protectively against his chest. SapNap’s lips were curled down in a frown and Techno’s eyes had gone wide, though out of excitement rather than fear. “What the-” Wilbur cut himself off as SapNap lowered his weapon slightly.
“You will give His Highness his personal space.” The knight ordered lowly, getting a low laugh from the king. Wilbur looked at his father, who simply laughed at him. Bastard. Techno stepped a little closer and Wilbur knew he wouldn't be drawing the blade on his own hip. He just wanted a closer look at the sword SapNap possessed. Another bastard.
George reached up to grab his knight’s arm with a soft smile. “It’s fine, SapNap. Wilbur is simply escorting me on a tour. I believe someone is interested in your sword, however.” That seemed to spark something in SapNap’s eyes, even as he hesitated when George took Wilbur’s arm and headed towards the doors. He was about to follow when it was suggested that he follow Techno to the forge and a conversation sparked between the two of them, even as the knight threw one last glance at where his Prince was heading off too. Techno reassured him Wilbur wouldn’t lay a finger on George, but he was still concerned.
The two princes made idle and basic chatter, nothing more than surface-level discussions. Wilbur can feel the boredom creeping in and they wander around to one of the gardens with a gazebo. It’s covered in ivy and rather private, out of sight from the castle’s various workers. George takes a second to look around before the polite smile falls into something of annoyance and he steps away from Wilbur to sit on the bench. “You know, we didn’t actually come here to propose to you.” He says blandly and Wilbur blinks a little in shock.
“Uh-”
“Father wanted a chance to gossip with King Phil. He doesn’t actually care about us getting married.” George’s pleasant, agreeable attitude dropped into something blunter. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just different from the soft smiles and giggles Wilbur had been getting during their walk over. He sits himself down on the opposite bench, watching the other prince with a curious expression. George simply looked over at him flatly. The silence stretched between them for one minute.
Then two.
At the third, Wilbur cracked and spoke again. He wasn’t good with keeping quiet, not around people he didn’t know. His family or Niki? Yeah, he could easily sit in silence with them if they wanted. But this was the son of someone Phil considered a friend, someone he was sure he needed to stay on the good side of. “So you… you aren’t here to try and woo me?” He asked hesitantly, cringing when he heard how hopeful his voice sounded.
George gave him a withering look and he blinked in shock. “What, are you deaf? No. I don’t want to get married at all. I’m assuming neither do you since you haven’t accepted any proposals or offered any dowries.” He pointed out, inspecting his nails lazily. Wilbur’s mouth dropped open and George grinned sharply. “Didn’t expect someone to figure it out? You’re not just picky, you don’t want to be married. I don’t think King Phil wants you to get married either, seeing as he hasn’t just offered up an amount for your hand.” He let out a few sputtering noises in response and George laughed, the sound light in Wilbur’s ears.
“It’s fine. I get why. Getting married is such a pushed thing for us, it’s required basically. Especially as heirs.” George reached over and picked a flower off of one of the vines, gently tracing his finger along the petals. “It’s fine though. I don’t care. As long as Tubbo isn’t pressured like I’m being, I’m content.” He had a soft expression on his face and the air left Wilbur’s lungs. He understood that feeling, the anxiety of wanting to protect your younger brothers and wanting them to be happy.
It was a constant weight on his shoulders. He was the eldest, the heir to the throne. He was also the oldest when Phil had been crowned as King and they had been crowned as Princes. He was the one to lead his brothers and set the example. He was the first to accept the lessons on etiquette, the first to perfect his posture, the first to be allowed at the dinners and balls that Phil was required to host and attend. Truth be told, he was the only one who accepted all the social rules and standards that went with his position. Tommy liked being a prince, but he didn’t like the fact that he had to sit a certain way and dress in stiff clothes.
Wilbur nodded dumbly. “Yeah… Yeah…” He mutters in response, feeling his earlier irritation melt away. George was in the same situation as he was. He let out a deep breath and reached up, pulling the golden circlet from his head. George looked over at him before grinning and following suit with his own silver crown. Wilbur ran his hands over the metal and carefully intertwined jewels. “I wasn’t… always a prince, you know.” He started and George looked over at him curiously. Wilbur set the circlet down next to him and started just talking; about his now-deceased mother, about how he and Techno used to wrestle in the mud, about the memories of his father carrying him on his shoulders in their crop fields.
George had stayed mostly silent, letting him talk until he couldn’t. There was a moment of hesitation before he shared his own stories of his childhood. Only having Dream and Sapnap for so long, being raised alongside his knights until Tubbo was born, making Dream swear to protect his little brother. They exchanged stories of their little brothers, of the pranks they played on their respective fathers. They talked until their throats ached and SapNap came to fetch them. Wilbur put his circlet back on, George put his crown on and they interlinked their arms again. The dinner table was lively that night: the kings talking, the princes making a mess, Dream and SapNap being dragged to the table, Eret and Niki not far behind.
Three weeks later, SapNap burst into the dining room during lunch. Sam, Tubbo, and George all looked up from their plates, Dream cocking a head from his spot behind Tubbo’s chair. In George’s knight’s hand was a parchment letter with a blue seal on the back. The knight took a moment to steady himself before he took a deep breath. “My apologies, Your Graces, but there is an urgent letter for Prince George. I think… He may want to read it.” He announced, waving the paper slightly. George exchanged a look with his father, then Dream before sighing. “Very well.” He decided on, reaching up to take the letter from SapNap’s hands, fork still in his other hand. He scanned the letter before letting his cutlery and jaw drop.
“What? What’s it say?” Tubbo demanded and Dream gently pushed him down to keep him from rushing his elder brother. The room waited in bated silence before George shoved the letter into SapNap’s hands. SapNap floundered for a moment, sputtering and barely getting a word out. Sam sighed and rubbed his temples, waving a hand at Dream. The blonde seemed to have his head on straight and marched around the table to snatch the letter out of SapNap’s hands. He cleared his throat, his gaze going dark as he read faster than he could speak.
“To His Royal Highness, Prince George Henry Davidson of the Kingdom Dretonia, In light of our meeting, I hope this letter finds you and your family well. It was a delight to host you all at my home and a pleasure to be in your presence. I wish to lay a proposal before you, one that may be integral to both of our states of happiness. It has come to my attention that you have captivated my attention and filled my thoughts and fancies for these few weeks that we have been apart. Due to both of our advantageous positions, I believe that I find myself in a preferable position to offer myself as your spouse and feel as if I am capable of providing you with the lifestyle you prefer. If you wish, a price for your hand can be set and I will be more than willing to provide anything you long for in return of having a place at your side. If you find the arrangement to be of your liking, return my letter to the Antarctic capital.”
Dream lowered the paper, the entire room having eyes on George. “I eagerly await your reply, Prince Wilbur Eurion Watson of the Antarctic Empire.”